 CHAPTER III HALF STUNNED Bradley lay for a minute as he had fallen and then slowly and painfully wriggled into a less uncomfortable position. He could see nothing of his surroundings in the gloom about him, until after a few minutes his eyes became accustomed to the dark interior when he rolled them from side to side in survey of his prison. He discovered himself to be in a bare room which was windowless, nor could he see any other opening than that through which he had been lowered. In one corner was a huddled mass that might have been almost anything from a bundle of rags to a dead body. Almost immediately after he had taken his bearings Bradley commenced working with his bonds. He was a man of powerful physique, and as from the first he had been imbued with the belief that the fibre ropes were too weak to hold him, he worked on with a firm conviction that sooner or later they would part to his strainings. After a matter of five minutes he was positive that the strains about his wrists were beginning to give, but he was compelled to rest then from exhaustion. As he lay his eyes rested upon the bundle in the corner, and presently he could have sworn that the thing moved. With eyes straining through the gloom the man lay watching the grim and sinister thing in the corner. Perhaps his overwrought nerves were playing a sorry joke upon him. He thought of this and also that his condition of utter helplessness might still further have stimulated his imagination. He closed his eyes and sought to relax his muscles and his nerves, but when he looked again he knew that he had not been mistaken. The thing had moved. Now it lay in a slightly altered form and farther from the wall. It was nearer him. With renewed strength Bradley strained at his bonds. His fascinated gaze still glued upon the shapeless bundle. No longer was there any doubt that it moved. He saw it rise in the centre several inches and then creeped closer to him. It sank and arose again. A headless, hideous, monstrous thing of menace, its very silence rendered it the more terrible. Bradley was a brave man. Ordinarily his nerves were of steel, but to be at the mercy of some unknown and nameless horror, to be unable to defend himself, it was these things that almost unstrung him, for at best he was only human. To stand in the open, even with the odds all against him, to be able to use his fists, to put up some sort of defence, to inflict punishment upon his adversary, then he could face death with a smile. It was not death that he feared now. It was that horror of the unknown that is part of the fibre of every son of woman. Closer and closer came the shapeless mass. Bradley lay motionless and listened. What was that he heard? Breathing? He could not be mistaken. And then, from out of the bundle of rags, issued a hollow groan. Bradley felt his hair rise upon his head. He struggled with the slowly parting strands that held him. The thing beside him rose up higher than before, and the Englishman could have sworn that he saw a single eye peering at him from among the tumbled cloth. For a moment the bundle remained motionless, only the sound of breathing issued from it. Then there broke from it a maniacal laugh. Cold sweat stood upon Bradley's brow as he tugged for liberation. He saw the rags rise higher and higher above him, until at last they tumbled upon the floor from the body of a naked man. A thin, a bony, a hideous caricature of man, that mouthed and mummed and wobbling upon its weak and shaking legs crumpled to the floor again, still laughing, laughing horribly. Bradley crawled toward Bradley. Food! Food! It screamed. There is a way out! There is a way out! Dragging itself to his side, the creature slumped upon the Englishman's breast. Food! It shrilled, as with its bony fingers and its teeth, it sought the man's bareth root. Food! There is a way out! Bradley felt teeth upon his jugular. He turned and twisted, shaking himself free for an instant. But once more, with hideous persistence, the thing fastened itself upon him. The weak jaws were unable to send the dull teeth through the victim's flesh. But Bradley felt it pawing, pawing, pawing like a monstrous rat, seeking his life's blood. The skinny arms now embraced his neck, holding the teeth to his throat against all his efforts to dislodge the thing. Weak as it was, it had strength enough for this in its mad efforts to eat. Mumbling as it worked, it repeated again and again, Food! Food! There is a way out! Until Bradley thought those two expressions alone would drive him mad. And all but mad he was, as with a final effort, backed by almost maniacal strength, he tore his wrists from the confining bonds, and grasping the repulsive thing upon his breast hurled it halfway across the room. Feeling like a spent hound, Bradley worked at the thongs about his ankles, while the maniac lay quivering and mumbling where it had fallen. Presently, the Englishman leapt to his feet, freer than he had ever before felt in all his life, though he was still hopelessly a prisoner in the blue place of seven skulls. With his back against the wall for support, so weak the reaction left him. Bradley stood watching the creature upon the floor. He saw it move and slowly raised itself to its hands and knees, where it swayed to and fro, as its eyes roved about in search of him. And when at last they found him, there broke from the drawn lips the mumbled words, food, food! There is a way out! The pitiful supplication in the tones touched the Englishman's heart. He knew that this could be no wiru, but possibly once a man like himself, who had been cast into this pit of solitary confinement with this hideous result that might in time be his fate or so. And then, too, there was the suggestion of hope held out by the constant reiteration of the phrase, there is a way out! Was there a way out? What did this poor thing know? Who are you and how long have you been here? Bradley subtly demanded. For a moment the man upon the floor made no response. Then mumblingly came the words, food, food! Stop! commanded the Englishman. The injunction might have been barked from the muzzle of a pistol. It brought the man to a sitting posture, his hands off the ground. He stopped swaying to and fro, and appeared to be startled into an attempt to master his faculties of concentration and thought. Bradley repeated his questions sharply. I am Antak, the Galoo, replied the man. Luwata alone knows how long I have been here. Maybe ten moons, maybe ten moons three times. It was the Kaspakian equivalent of thirty. I was young and strong when they brought me here. Now I am old and very weak. I am Kosatalu. That is why they have not killed me. If I tell them the secret of becoming Kosatalu, they will take me out. But how can I tell them that which Luwata alone knows? What is Kosatalu? demanded Bradley. Food, food! There is a way out! mumbled the Galoo. Bradley strode across the floor, seized the man by his shoulders, and shook him. Tell me, he cried, what is Kosatalu? Food! whimpered Antak. Bradley bethought himself. His haversack had not been taken from him. In it, besides his razor and knife, were odds and ends of equipment, and a small quantity of dried meat. He tossed a small strip of the latter to the starving Galoo, Antak seized upon it and devoured it ravenously. It instilled new life in the man. What is Kosatalu? insisted Bradley again. Antak tried to explain. His narrative was often broken by lapses of concentration, during which he reverted to his plaintive mumbling for food and recurrence to the statement that there was a way out. But by firmness and patience, the Englishman drew out piecemeal, a more or less lucid exposition of the remarkable scheme of evolution that rules in Kaspak. In it he found explanations of the hitherto inexplicable. He discovered why he had seen no babes or children among the Kaspakian tribes with which he had come in contact. Why each more northerly tribe evidenced a higher state of development than those south of them. Why each tribe included individuals ranging in physical and mental characteristics from the highest of the next lower race to the lowest of the next higher. And why the women of each tribe immersed themselves mourning for an hour or more in the warm pools near which the habitations of their people always were located. And two, he discovered why those pools were almost immune from the attacks of carnivorous animals and reptiles. He learned that all but those who were Kosatalu came up Kosvajo, or from the beginning. The egg from which they first developed into tadpole form was deposited with millions of others in one of the warm pools and with it a poisonous serum that the carnivora instinctively shunned. Down the warm stream from the pool floated the countless billions of eggs and tadpoles developing as they drifted slowly toward the sea. Some became tadpoles in the pool, some in the sluggish stream and some not until they reached the great inland sea. In the next stage they became fishes or reptiles, antac was not positive which and in this form always developing, they swam far to the south, where amid the rank and teeming jungles some of them evolved into amphibians. Always there were those whose development stopped at the first stage, others whose development ceased when they became reptiles, while by far the greater proportion formed the food supply of the ravenous creatures of the deep. Few indeed were those that eventually developed into baboons and then apes, which was considered by Kaspakians, the real beginning of evolution. From the egg then the individual developed slowly into a higher form, just as the frogs egg developed through various stages, from a fish with gills to a frog with lungs. With that thought in mind Bradley discovered that it was not difficult to believe in the possibility of such a scheme, there was nothing new in it. From the ape the individual, if it survived slowly developed into the lowest order of man, the aloo, and then by degrees to bolu, stolu, bandeloo, krolu and finally galoo, and in each stage countless millions of other eggs were deposited in the warm pools of the various races and floated down to the great sea to go through a similar process of evolution outside the womb as develops our own young within. But in Kaspak the scheme is much more inclusive, for it combines not only individual development but the evolution of species and genera. If an egg survives it goes through all the stages of development that man has passed through during the unthinkable eons since life first moved upon the earth's face. The final stage, that which the galoo's have almost attained, and for which all hope is Kosattalu, which literally means no egg man or one who is born directly as are the young of the outer world of mammals. Some of the galoo's produce Kosattalu and Kosattalo both, the wee-roos only Kosattalu, in other words all wee-roos are born male, and so they pray upon the galoo's for their women and sometimes capture and torture the galoo men who are Kosattalu in an endeavour to learn the secret which they believe will give them unlimited power over all other denizens of Kaspak. No wee-roos come up from the beginning, all are born of the wee-roo fathers and galoo mothers who are Kosattalo, and there are very few of the latter owing to the long and precarious stages of development. Seven generations of the same ancestor must come up from the beginning before a Kosattalu child may be born, and when one considers the frightful dangers that surround the vital spark from the moment it leaves the warm pool, where it has been deposited to float down to the sea amid the voracious creatures that swarm the surface and the depths of the almost equally unthinkable trials of its effort to survive after it once becomes a land animal and starts northward through the horrors of the Kaspakian jungles and forests, it is plainly a wonder that even a single babe has ever been born to a galoo woman. Seven cycles it requires before the seventh galoo can complete the seventh danger-infested circle since its first galoo ancestor achieved the state of galoo. For ages before, the ancestors of this first galoo may have developed from a bandaloo or bolu egg without ever once completing the whole circle. That is from a galoo egg back to a fully developed galoo. Bradley's head was whirling before he even commenced to grasp the complexities of Kaspakian evolution, but as the truth slowly filtered into his understanding, as gradually it became possible for him to visualise the scheme, it appeared simpler. In fact, it seemed even less difficult of comprehension than that with which he was familiar. For several minutes after Antaxiste speaking, his voice having trailed off weakly into silence, neither spoke again. Then the galoo recommenced his food, food, there is a way out. Bradley tossed him another bit of dried meat, waiting patiently until he had eaten it, this time more slowly. What do you mean by saying there is a way out? he asked. He who died here just after I came told me, replied Antaxiste. He said there was a way out, that he had discovered it, but was too weak to use his knowledge. He was trying to tell me how to find it when he died. Oh, Luata, if he had lived but a moment more. They do not feed you here? asked Bradley. No, they give me water once a day, that is all. But how have you lived then? The lizards and the rats replied Antaxiste. The lizards are not so bad, but the rats are foul to taste. However, I must eat them, or they would eat me. And they are better than nothing. But of late they do not come so often, and I have not had a lizard for a long time. I shall eat though, he mumbled, I shall eat now, for you cannot remain awake forever. He laughed, a cackling dry laugh. When you sleep, Antac will eat. It was horrible. Bradley shuddered. For a long time each sat in silence. The Englishman could guess why the other made no sound. He awaited the moment that sleep should overcome his victim. In the long silence, there was born upon Bradley's ears a faint, monotonous sound as of running water. He listened intently. It seemed to come from far beneath the floor. What is that noise? He asked. That sounds like water running through a narrow channel. It is the river, replied Antac. Why do you not go to sleep? It passes directly beneath the blue place of seven skulls. It runs through the temple grounds, beneath the temple and under the city. When we die, they will cut off our heads and throw our bodies into the river. At the mouth of the river await many large reptiles, thus do they feed. The wirus do likewise with their own dead, keeping only the skulls and the wings. Come, let us sleep. Do the reptiles come up the river into the city, as Bradley? The water is too cold. They never leave the warm water of the great pool, replied Antac. Let us search for the way out, suggested Bradley. Antac shook his head. I have searched for all these moons, he said. If I could not find it, how would you? Bradley made no reply, but commenced a diligent examination of the walls and floor of the room, pressing over each square foot and tapping with his knuckles. About six feet from the floor he discovered a sleeping perch near one end of the apartment. He asked Antac about it, but the galuse said that no wiru had occupied the place since he had been incarcerated there. Again and again Bradley went over the floor and walls as high up as he could reach. Suddenly he swung himself to the perch that he might examine at least one end of the room all the way to the ceiling. In the centre of the wall close to the top, an area about three feet square gave forth a hollow sound when he rapped upon it. Bradley felt over every square inch of that area with the tips of his fingers. Near the top he found a small round hole, a trifle larger in diameter than his forefinger, which he immediately stuck into it. The panel, if such it was, seemed about an inch thick, and beyond it his finger encountered nothing. Bradley crooked his finger upon the opposite side of the panel and pulled toward him, steadily but with considerable force. Suddenly the panel flew inward, nearly precipitating the man to the floor. It was hinged at the bottom, and when lowered the outer edge rested upon the perch, making a little platform parallel with the floor of the room. Beyond the opening was an utterly dark void. The Englishman leaned through it and reached his arm as far as possible into the blackness, but touched nothing. Then he fumbled in his haversack for a match, a few of which remained to him. When he struck it, Antac gave a cry of terror. Bradley held the light far into the opening before him, and in its flickering rays saw the top of a ladder descending into a black abyss below. How far down it extended he could not guess, but that he should soon know definitely he was positive. "'You have found it, you have found the way out,' screamed Antac. "'Oh, little Arta, and now I am too weak to go. Take me with you, take me with you!' Shut up!' admonished Bradley. "'You will have the whole flock of birds around our heads in a minute, and neither of us will escape. Be quiet, and I'll go ahead. If I find a way out, I'll come back and help you. If you'll promise not to try to eat me up again.' "'I promise,' cried Antac. "'Oh, Luata, how could you blame me? I am half-crazed of hunger and long confinement, and the horror of the lizards and the rats and the constant waiting for death.' "'I know,' said Bradley simply. "'I'm sorry for you, old Top. Keep a stiff upper lip.' And he slipped through the opening, found the ladder with his feet, closed the panel behind him, and started downward into the darkness. Below him rose more and more distinctly the sound of running water. The air felt damp and cool. He could see nothing of his surroundings, and felt nothing but the smooth, worn sides and rungs of the ladder, down which he felt his way cautiously, lest a broken rung or a mistap should hurl him downward. As he descended thus slowly the ladder seemed interminable, and the pit bottomless, yet he realised when at last he reached the bottom that he could not have descended more than fifty feet. The bottom of the ladder rested on a narrow ledge paved with what felt like large round stones, but what he knew from experience to be human skulls. He could not but marvel as to where so many countless thousands of things had come from. Until he paused to consider that, the infancy of Caspac dated doubtlessly back into remote ages, far beyond what the outer world considered the beginning of earthly time. For all these eons the Wirus might have been collecting human skulls from their enemies and their own dead, enough to have built an entire city of them. During his way along the narrow ledge Bradley came presently to a blank wall that stretched out over the water swirling beneath him, as far as he could reach. Stooping he groped about with one hand, reaching down toward the surface of the water, and discovered that the bottom of the wall arched above the stream. How much space there was between the water and the arch he could not tell, nor how deep the former. There was only one way in which he might learn these things, and that was to lower himself into the stream. But for only an instant he hesitated, weighing his chances. Behind him lay almost certainly the horrid fate of Antak, before him nothing worse than a comparatively painless death by drowning. Holding his haversack above his head, with one hand he lowered his feet slowly over the edge of the narrow platform. Almost immediately he felt the swirling of the cold water about his ankles, and then with a silent prayer he let himself drop gently into the stream. Great was Bradley's relief, when he found the water no more than waist deep and beneath his feet a firm gravel bottom. Holding his way cautiously he moved downward with the current, which was not so strong as he had imagined from the noise of the running water. Beneath the first arch he made his way, following the winding curvatures of the right-hand wall. After a few yards of progress his hand came suddenly in contact with a slimy thing clinging to the wall, a thing that hissed and scuttled out of reach. But it was the man could not know, but almost instantly there was a splash in the water just ahead of him, and then another. On he went, passing beneath other arches at varying distances, and always in utter darkness. Unseen denizens of this great sewer, disturbed by the intruder, splashed into the water ahead of him and wriggled away. From and again his hand touched them, and never for an instant could he be sure that the next step some gruesome thing might not attack him. He had strapped his haversack about his neck, well above the surface of the water, and in his left hand he carried his knife. Other precautions there were none to take. The monotony of the blind trail was increased by the fact that from the moment he had started from the foot of the ladder he had counted his every step. He had promised to return for Antac if it proved humanly possible to do so, and he knew that in the blackness of the tunnel he could locate the foot of the ladder in no other way. He had taken two hundred and sixty-nine steps. Afterward he knew that he should never forget that number, when something bumped gently against him from behind. Instantly he wheeled about, and with knife ready to defend himself, stretched forth his right hand to push away the object that now had lodged against his body. His fingers feeling through the darkness came in contact with something cold and clammy. They passed to and fro over the thing until Bradley knew that it was the face of a dead man floating upon the surface of the stream. With an oath he pushed his gruesome companion out into midstream to float down toward the great pool and the awaiting scavengers of the deep. At his four hundred and thirty-th step another corpse bumped against him. How many had passed him without touching he could not guess. But suddenly he experienced the sensation of being surrounded by dead faces floating along with him, all set in hideous grimaces, their dead eyes glaring at this profaning alien who dared intrude upon the waters of this river of the dead, a horrid escort pregnant with dire forebodings and with menace. Though he advanced very slowly he tried always to take steps of about the same length, so that he knew that, though considerable time had elapsed, yet he had really advanced no more than four hundred yards when ahead he saw a lessening of the pitch blackness. And at the next turn of the stream his surroundings became vaguely discernible. Above him was an arched roof, and on either hand walls pierced at intervals by apertures covered with wooden doors. Just ahead of him, in the roof of the aqueduct, was a round black hole about thirty inches in diameter. His eyes still rested upon the opening, when their shot downward from it to the water below the naked body of a human being, which almost immediately rose to the surface again and floated off down the stream. In the dim light Bradley saw that it was a dead wiru from which the wings and head had been removed. A moment later another headless body floated past, recalling what Antak had told him of the skull collecting customs of the wiru. Bradley wondered how it happened that the first corpse he had encountered in the stream had not been similarly mutilated. The farther he advanced now the lighter it became. The number of corpses was much smaller than he had imagined, only two more passing him before, at six hundred steps, or about five hundred yards from the point he had taken to the stream, he came to the end of the tunnel and looked out upon sunlit water running between grassy banks. One of the last corpses to pass him was still clothed in the white robe of a wiru, blood stained over the headless neck that it concealed. Even closer to the opening leading into the bright daylight Bradley surveyed what lay beyond. A short distance before him a large building stood in the centre of several acres of grass and tree-covered ground, spanning the stream which disappeared through an opening in its foundation wall. From the large saucer-shaped roof and the vivid colourings of the various heterogeneous parts of the structure he recognised it as the temple past which he had been born to the blue place of seven skulls. Two and fro flew wirus, going to and from the temple. Others passed on foot across the open grounds, assisting themselves with their great wings so that they barely skimmed the earth. To leave the mouth of the tunnel would have been to caught instant discovery and capture. But by what other avenue he might escape Bradley could not guess, unless he retraced his steps up the stream and sought egress from the other end of the city. The thought of traversing that dark and horrid redden tunnel for perhaps miles he could not entertain, there must be some other way. Perhaps after dark he could still through the temple grounds and continue on downstream until he had come beyond the city. And so he stood and waited until his limbs became almost paralysed with cold, and he knew that he must find some other plan for escape. A half-formed decision to risk an attempt to swim underwater to the temple was crystallising in spite of the fact that any chance wiru flying above the stream might easily see him. When again a floating object bumped against him from behind and lodged across his back. Turning quickly he saw that the thing was what he had immediately guessed it to be, a headless and wingless wiru corpse. With a grunt of disgust he was about to push it from him when the white garment and shrouding it suggested a bold plan to his resourceful brain. Holding the corpse by an arm he tore the garment from it and then let the body float downward toward the temple. With great care he draped the robe about him, the bloody blotch that had covered the severed neck he arranged about his own head. His haversack he rolled as tightly as possible and stuffed beneath his coat over his breast. Then he fell gently to the surface of the stream and lying upon his back floated downward with the current and out into the open sunlight. Through the weave of the cloth he could distinguish large objects. He saw a wiru flap dismely above him. He saw the banks of the stream float slowly past. He heard a sudden wail upon the right-hand shore and his heart stood still lest his roost has been discovered. But never by a move of a muscle did he betray that ought but a cold lump of clay floated there upon the bosom of the water, and soon though it seemed an eternity to him the direct sunlight was blotted out and he knew that he had entered beneath the temple. Suddenly he felt for bottom, with his feet and as quickly stood erect, snatching the bloody clammy cloth from his face. On both sides were blank walls, and before him the river turned a sharp corner and disappeared. Feeling his way cautiously forward he approached the turn and looked around the corner. To his left was a low platform about a foot above the level of the stream, and onto this he lost no time in climbing, for he was soaked from head to foot, cold and almost exhausted. As he lay wrestling on the skull-paved shelf he saw in the centre of the vault above the river another of those sinister round holes through which he momentarily expected to see a headless corpse shoot downward in its last plunge to a watery grave. A few feet along the platform a closed door broke the blankness of the wall. As he lay looking at it and wondering what lay behind his mind filled with fragments of many wild schemes of escape, it opened and a white-robed wiru stepped out upon the platform. The creature carried a large wooden basin filled with rubbish. Its eyes were not upon Bradley, who drew himself to a squatting position and crouched as far back in the corner of the niche in which the platform was set as he could force himself. The wiru stepped to the edge of the platform and dumped the rubbish into the stream. If it turned away from him as it started to retrace its steps to the doorway there was a small chance that it might not see him, but if it turned toward him there was none at all. Bradley held his breath. The wiru paused a moment gazing down into the water. Then it straightened up and turned toward the Englishman. Bradley did not move. The wiru stopped and stared intently at him. It approached him questioningly. Still Bradley remained as though carved of stone. The creature was directly in front of him. It stopped. There was no chance on earth that it would not discover what he was. With the quickness of a cat Bradley sprang to his feet and with all his great strength backed by his heavy weight struck the wiru upon the point of the chin. Without a sound the thing crumpled to the platform while Bradley acting almost instinctively to the urge of the first law of nature rolled the inanimate body over the edge into the river. Then he looked at the open doorway, crossed the platform and peered within the apartment beyond. What he saw was a large room dimly lighted and about the side rows of wooden vessels stacked one upon another. There was no wiru in sight so the Englishman entered. At the far end of the room was another door and as he crossed toward it he glanced into some of the vessels which he found were filled with dried fruits, vegetables and fish. Without more ado he stuffed his pockets and his haversack full, thinking of the poor creature awaiting his return in the gloom of the place of seven skulls. When night came he would return and fetch Antak this far at least. But in the meantime it was his intention to reconnoitre in the hope that he might discover some easier way out of the city than that offered by the chill black channel of the ghastly river of corpses. Beyond the far the door stretched a long passageway from which closed doorways led into other parts of the cellars of the temple. A few yards from the storeroom a ladder rose from the corridor through an aperture in the ceiling. Sadly pause at the foot of it debating the wisdom of further investigation against a return to the river. But strong within him was the spirit of exploration that had scattered his race to the four corners of the earth. What new mysteries lay hidden in the chambers above? The urge to know was strong upon him, though his better judgment warned him that the safer course lay in retreat. For a moment he stood thus, running his fingers through his hair. Then he cast discretion to the winds, and began the ascent. In conformity with such weary architecture as he had already observed, the well through which the ladder rose continually cantered at an angle from the perpendicular. At more or less regular stages it was pierced by apertures closed by doors, none of which he could open until he had climbed fully fifty feet from the river level. Here he discovered a door already ajar opening into a large circular chamber, the walls and floors of which were covered with the skins of wild beasts and with rugs of many colours. But what interested him most was the occupants of the room, a wiru and a girl of human proportions. She was standing with her back against a column which rose from the centre of the apartment from floor to ceiling, a hollow column about forty inches in diameter in which she could see an opening some thirty inches across. The girl's side was toward Bradley and her face averted, for she was watching the wiru who was now advancing slowly toward her, talking as he came. Bradley could distinctly hear the words of the creature who was urging the girl to accompany him to another wiru city. Come with me, he said, and you shall have your life, remain here, and he who speaks for Luwata will claim you for his own, and when he is done with you your skull will bleach at the top of a tall staff while your body feeds the reptiles at the mouth of the river of death. Even though you bring into the world a female wiru your fate will be the same if you do not escape him, while with me you shall have life and food and none shall harm you. He was quite close to the girl when she replied by striking him in the face with all her strength, until I am slain, she cried, I shall fight against you all. From the throat of the wiru issued that dismal wail that Bradley had heard so often in the past. It was like a scream of pain smothered to a groan, and then the thing leapt upon the girl, its face working in hideous grimaces as it clawed and beat at her to force her to the floor. The Englishman was upon the point of entering to defend her when a door at the opposite side of the chamber opened to admit a huge wiru clothed entirely in red. At sight of the two struggling upon the floor the newcomer raised his voice in a shriek of rage. Instantly the wiru who was attacking the girl leapt to his feet and faced the other. I heard screamed he who had just entered the room. I heard, and when he who speaks for Lu Arta shall have heard, he paused and made a suggestive movement of a finger across his throat. He shall not hear, returned the first wiru, as with a powerful motion of his great wings he launched himself upon the red-robed figure. The latter dodged the first charge, drew a wicked-looking curved blade from beneath its red robe, spread its wings, and dived for its antagonist, beating their wings wailing and groaning the two hideous things sparred for position. The white-robed one being unarmed sought to grasp the other by the wrist of its knife hand and by the throat, while the latter hopped around on its dainty white feet seeking an opening for a mortal blow. Once it struck and missed, and then the other rushed in and clinched, at the same time securing both the holds at sought. Immediately the two commenced beating at each other's heads with the joints of their wings, kicking with their soft puny feet and biting each at the other's face. In the meantime the girl moved about the room, keeping out of the way of the dualists, and as she did so Bradley caught a glimpse of her full face, and immediately recognised her as the girl of the place of the yellow door. He did not dare intervene now until one of the wiru had overcome the other, lest the two should turn upon him at once. When the changes were fair that he would be defeated in so unequal a battle as the curved blade of the red wiru would render it, and so he waited, watching the white-robed figure slowly choking the life from him of the red robe. The protruding tongue and the popping eyes proclaimed that the end was near, and a moment later the red robe sank to the floor of the room, the curved blade slipping from nervous fingers. For an instant longer the victor clung to the throat of his defeated antagonist, and then he rose, dragging the body after him, and approached the central column. Here he raised the body and thrust it into the aperture where Bradley saw a drop suddenly from side. Instantly there flashed into his memory the circular openings in the roof of the river vault and the corpses he had seen drop from them to the water beneath. As the body disappeared the wiru turned and cast about the room for the girl. For a moment he stood eyeing her. You saw, he muttered, and if you tell them, he who speaks for Luata will have my wings severed while still I live, and my head will be severed and I shall be cast into the river of death. For thus it happens, even to the highest who slay one of the red robe. You saw, and you must die, he ended with a scream as he rushed upon the girl. Bradley waited no longer. Leaping into the room he ran for the wiru, who had already seized the girl, and as he ran he stopped and picked up the curved blade. The creature's back was toward him, as with his left hand he seized it by the neck. Like a flash the great wings beat backward, as the creature turned and Bradley was swept from his feet, though he still retained his hold upon the blade. Instantly the wiru was upon him. Bradley lay slightly raised upon his left elbow, his right arm free, and as the thing came close he cut at the hideous face with all the strength that lay within him. The blade struck at the junction of the neck and torso, and with such force as to completely decapitate the wiru, the hideous head dropping to the floor, and the body falling forward upon the Englishman. Pushing it from him he rose to his feet and faced the wide-eyed girl. "'Lowata!' she exclaimed. "'How came you here?' Bradley shrugged. "'Here I am,' he said. "'But the thing now is to get out of here, both of us.' The girl shook her head. "'It cannot be,' she stated sadly. "'That is what I thought when they dropped me into the blue place of seven skulls,' replied Bradley. "'Can't be done. I did it. "'Here, you're musing up the floor something awful, you!' This last to the dead wiru as he stopped and dragged the corpse to the central shaft, where he raised it to the aperture and let it slip into the tube. Then he picked up the head and tossed it after the body. "'Don't be so glum,' he admonished the former as he carried it toward the well. "'Smile!' "'But how can he smile?' questioned the girl. A half puzzled, half frightened look upon her face. "'He's dead,' that so admitted Bradley, and I suppose he does feel a bit cut up about it. The girl shook her head and edged away from the man toward the door. "'Come,' said the Englishman, "'we've got to get out of here. If you don't know a better way than the river, it's the river then.' The girl still eyed him as scants. "'But how could he smile when he was dead?' Bradley laughed aloud. I thought we English were supposed to have the least sense of humour of any people in the world,' he cried. "'But now I've found one human being who hasn't any. Of course you don't know half I'm saying. But don't worry, little girl. I'm not going to hurt you, and if I can get you out of here, I'll do it.' Even if she did not understand all he said, she at least read something in his smiling countenance, something which reassured her. "'I do not fear you,' she said, though I do not understand all that you say, even though you speak my own tongue and use words that I know. But as for escaping, she sighed, "'Alas, how can it be done?' I escaped from the blue place of seven skulls,' Bradley reminded her. "'Come!' And he turned toward the shaft and the ladder that he had ascended from the river. We cannot waste time here.' The girl followed him, but at the doorway both drew back. For from below came the sound of someone ascending. Bradley tiptoed to the door and peered cautiously into the well. Then he stepped back beside the girl. There are half a dozen of them coming up, but possibly they will pass this room. "'No,' she said, they will pass directly through this room. They are on their way to him who speaks full water. We may be able to hide in the next room. There are skins there beneath which we may crawl. They will not stop in that room, but they may stop in this one for a short time. The other room is blue. "'What's that got to do with it?' demanded the Englishman. "'They fear blue,' she replied. "'In every room where murder has been done you will find blue. A certain amount for each murder. When the room is all blue they shun it. This room has much blue, but evidently they kill mostly in the next room which is now all blue. But there is blue on the outside of every house I have seen,' said Bradley. "'Yes,' assented the girl, and there are blue rooms in each of those houses. When all the rooms are blue then the whole outside of the house will be blue as is the blue place of seven skulls. There are many such here.' And the skulls with blue upon them, inquired Bradley, did they belong to murderers? They were murdered, some of them. Those with only a small amount of blue were murderers, known murderers. All wirus are murderers. When they have committed a certain number of murders without being caught at it, they confess to him who speaks Fuluata and are advanced, after which they wear robes with a slash of some colour. I think yellow comes first. When they reach a point where the entire robe is of yellow, they discard it for a white robe with a red sash. And when one wins a complete red robe, he carries such a long curved knife as you have in your hand. After that comes the blue slash on a white robe, and then I suppose an all blue robe. I have never seen such a one. Once they talked in low tones, they had moved from the room of the death shaft into an all blue room adjoining, where they sat down together in a corner with their backs against a wall and drew a pile of hides over themselves. A moment later they heard a number of wirus enter the chamber. They were talking together as they crossed the floor, or the two could not have heard them. Halfway across the chamber they halted as the door toward which they were advancing opened, and a dozen others of their kind entered the apartment. Bradley could guess all this by the increased volume of sound and the dismal greetings, but the sudden silence that almost immediately ensued he could not fathom, for he could not know that from beneath one of the hides that covered him protruded one of his heavy army shoes, or that some eighteen large wirus with robes either solid red or slashed with red or blue were standing gazing at it, nor could he hear their stealthy approach. The first intimation that he had been discovered was when his foot was suddenly seized, and he was yanked violently from beneath the hides, to find himself surrounded by menacing blades. They would have slain him on the spot, had not one clothed all in red held them back, saying that he who speaks for Lwata desired to see this strange creature. As they led Bradley away he caught an opportunity to glance back toward the hides to see what had become of the girl, and to his gratification he discovered that she still lay concealed beneath the hides. He wondered if she would have the nerve to attempt the River Trip alone, and regretted that now he could not accompany her. He felt rather all in himself, more so than he had at any time since he had been captured by the wiru, for there appeared not the slightest cause for hope in his present predicament. He had dropped the curved blade beneath the hides when he had been jerked so violently from their fancied security. It was almost in a spirit of resigned hopelessness that he quietly accompanied his captors through various chambers and corridors toward the heart of the temple. CHAPTER IV The farther the group progressed, the more barbaric and the more sumptuous became the decorations. Hides of leopard and tiger predominated, apparently because of their more beautiful markings, and decorative skulls became more and more numerous. Many of the latter were mounted in precious metals and set with coloured stones and priceless gems, while thick upon the hides that covered the walls were golden ornaments, similar to those worn by the girl, and those which had filled the chests he had examined in the storeroom of Fosch Bausage, leading the Englishman to conviction that all such were spoils of war or theft, since each piece seemed made for personal adornment, while insofar as he had seen no wiru were ornaments of any sort. And also as they advanced, the more numerous became the wirus moving hither and dither within the temple. Many now were the solid red robes and those that were slashed with blue, a veritable hive of murderers. At last the party halted in a room in which were many wirus who gathered about Bradley, questioning his captors and examining him and his apparel. One of the party accompanying the Englishman spoke to a wiru that stood beside a door, leading from the room. Tell him who speaks for Luata, he said, that Fosch Bausage we could not find, but that in returning we found this creature within the temple hiding. It must be the same that Fosch Bausage captured in the Stolu country during the last darkness. Doubtless, he who speaks for Luata would wish to see and question this strange thing. The creature addressed turned and slipped through the doorway, closing the door after it, but first depositing its curved blade upon the floor without. Its post was immediately taken by another, and Bradley now saw that at least twenty such guards loitered in the immediate vicinity. The doorkeeper was gone but for a moment, and when he returned he signified that Bradley's party was to enter the next chamber, but first each of the wirus removed his curved weapon and laid it upon the floor. The door was swung open and the party, now reduced to Bradley and five wirus, was ushered across the threshold into a large, irregularly shaped room in which a single giant wiru whose robe was solid blue sat upon a raised dais. The creature's face was white with the whiteness of a corpse, its dead eyes entirely expressionless, its cruel thin lips tight drawn against yellow teeth in a perpetual grimace. On either side of it lay an enormous curved sword, similar to those with which some of the other wirus had been armed, but larger and heavier. Constantly its claw-like fingers played with one or the other of these weapons. The walls of the chamber as well as the floor were entirely hidden by skins and woven fabrics. Blue predominated in all the colorations, fastened against the hides were many pairs of wiru wings, mounted so that they resembled long black shields. Upon the ceiling were painted in blue characters a bewildering series of hieroglyphics, and upon pedestals set against the walls or standing out well within the room were many human skulls. As the wirus approached the figure upon the dais, they leaned far forward, raising their wings above their heads, and stretching their necks as though offering them to the sharp swords of the grim and hideous creature. "'O thou who speakest for Luata!' exclaimed one of the party. We bring you the strange creature that Foschbaalsoge captured and brought Dither at thy command.' So this then was the god-like figure that spoke for divinity. This arch-murderer was the Caspacian representative of God on earth. His blue robe announced him the one and the seeming humility of his minions the other. For a long minute he glared at Bradley. Then he began to question him. From whence he came and how, the name and description of his native country, and a hundred other queries. "'Are you Kossatalu?' the creature asked. Bradley replied that he was, and that all his kind were, as well as every living thing in his part of the world. "'Can you tell me the secret?' asked the creature. Bradley hesitated, and then, thinking to gain time, replied in the affirmative. "'What is it?' demanded the wiru. Leaning far forward and exhibiting every evidence of excited interest. Bradley leaned forward and whispered, "'It is for your ears alone. I will not divulge it to the others. And then only on condition that you carry me and the girl I saw in the place of the yellow door near to that of Foschbaalsoge back to her own country.' The thing rose in wroth, holding one of its swords above its head. "'Who are you to make terms for him who speaks for Luwata?' ed shrilled. "'Tell me the secret or die where you stand.' "'And if I die now, the secret goes with me,' Bradley reminded him. "'Never again will you get the opportunity to question another of my kind. Who knows the secret? Anything to gain time to get the rest of the wirus from the room that he might plan some scheme for escape and put it into effect.' The creature turned upon the leader of the party that had brought Bradley. "'Is the thing with weapons?' it asked. "'No,' was the response. "'Then go, but tell the guard to remain close by,' commanded the high one. The wirus alarmed and withdrew, closing the door behind them. He who speaks for Luwata grasped a sword nervously in his right hand. At his left side lay the second weapon. It was evident that he lived in constant dread of being assassinated. The fact that he permitted none with weapons within his presence, and that he always kept two swords at his side, pointed to this. Bradley was racking his brain to find some suggestion of a plan whereby he might turn the situation to his own account. His eyes wandered past the weird figure before him. They played about the walls of the apartment, as though hoping to draw inspiration from the dead skulls and the hides and the wings. And then they came back to the face of the wiru god, now working in anger. "'Quick!' screamed the thing. "'The secret!' "'Will you give me and the girl our freedom?' insisted Bradley. For an instant the thing hesitated, and then it grumbled, "'Yes.' At the same instant Bradley saw two hides upon the wall directly back of the dais, separate and a face appear in the opening. No change of expression upon the Englishman's countenance betrayed that he had seen ought to surprise him, though surprised he was. For the face in the aperture was that of the girl he had but just left hidden beneath the hides in another chamber. A white and shapely arm now pushed past the face into the room, and in the hand tightly clutched was the curved blade smeared with blood that Bradley had dropped beneath the hides at the moment he had been discovered and drawn from his concealment. "'Listen, then,' said Bradley, in a low voice to the Weeru, "'You shall know the secret of Kossattalu, as well as do I. But none other may hear it. Listen close. I will whisper it in your ear.' He moved forward and stepped upon the dais. The creature raised its sword ready to strike at the first indication of treachery, and Bradley stooped beneath the blade and put his ear close to the gruesome face. As he did so, he rested his weight upon his hands, one upon either side of the Weeru's body, his right hand upon the hilt of the spare sword lying at the left of him who speaks for Loata. "'This, then, is the secret of both life and death,' he whispered, and at the same instant he grasped the Weeru by the right wrist, and with his own right hand swung the extra blade in a sudden vicious blow against the creature's neck before the thing could give even a single cry of alarm. Then without waiting an instant, Bradley leapt past the dead god and vanished behind the hides that had hidden the girl. Wide-eyed and panting, the girl seized his arm. "'Oh, what have you done?' she cried. "'He who speaks for Loata will be avenged by Loata. "'Now, indeed, must you die. "'There is no escape, for even though we reached "'my own country, Loata can find you out.' "'Bosh!' exclaimed Bradley, and then, "'But you are going to knife him yourself.' "'Then I alone should have died,' she replied. Bradley scratched his head. "'Neither of us is going to die,' he said. "'At least not at the hands of any god. "'If we don't get out of here, though, we'll die right enough. "'Can you find your way back to the room where I first "'came upon you in the temple?' "'I know the way,' replied the girl. "'But I doubt if we can go back without being seen. "'I came hither because I only met Weeru's, "'who knew that I am supposed now to be in the temple. "'But you could go elsewhere without being discovered.' "'Bradley's ingenuity had come up against a stone wall. "'There seemed no possibility of escape. "'They were in a small room where lay a litter of rubbish, "'torn bits of cloth, old hides, pieces of fibre-rope. "'In the centre of the room was a cylindrical shaft "'with an opening in its face. "'Bradley knew it for what it was. "'Here the arch-fiend dragged his victims "'and cast their bodies into the river of death far below. "'The floor about the opening in the shaft "'and the sides of the shaft were clotted thick "'with a dried dark-brown substance "'that the Englishman knew had once been blood. "'The place had the appearance of having been "'a veritable shambles, "'an odor of decaying flesh permeated the air. "'The Englishman crossed to the shaft "'and peered into the opening, "'all below was dark as pitch, "'but at the bottom he knew was the river. "'Suddenly an inspiration and a bold scheme "'leapt to his mind. "'Turning quickly he hunted about the room "'until he found what he sought, "'a quantity of the rope that lay strewn here and there. "'With rapid fingers he unsnailed the different lengths, "'the girl helping him, "'and then he tied the ends together "'until he had three ropes about 75 feet in length. "'He fastened these together at each end. "'And without a word secured one of the ends "'about the girl's body beneath her arms. "'Don't be frightened,' he said at length, "'as he led her toward the opening in the shaft. "'I'm going to low you to the river, "'and then I'm coming down after you. "'When you are safe below, give two quick jerks upon the rope. "'If there is danger there and you want me to draw you up "'into the shaft, jerk once. "'Don't be afraid, it is the only way.' "'I am not afraid,' replied the girl. "'Rather hortily,' Bradley thought, "'and herself climbed through the aperture "'and hung by her hands, waiting for Bradley to lower her. "'As rapidly as was consistent with safety, "'the man paid out the rope. "'When it was about half out, "'he heard loud cries and wails suddenly arise "'within the room they had just quitted. "'The slaying of their God had been discovered by the Wirus. "'A search for the slayer would begin at once. "'Lord, would the girl never reach the river? "'At last, just as he was positive "'that searches were already entering the room behind him, "'there came two quick tugs at the rope.' "'Instantly, Bradley made the rest of the strands "'fast about the shaft, slipped into the black tube, "'and began a hurried descent toward the river. "'And instant later, he stood waist-deep "'in water beside the girl. "'Impulsively, she reached toward him and grasped his arm. "'A strange thrill ran through him at the contact, "'but he only cut the rope from about her body "'and lifted her to the little shelf at the river's side. "'How can we leave here?' she asked. "'By the river,' he replied, "'but first I must go back to the blue place of Seven Skulls "'and get the poor devil I left there. "'I'll have to wait until after dark, though, "'as I cannot pass through the open stretch of river "'in the temple gardens by day.' "'There is another way,' said the girl. "'I have never seen it, but often I have heard them "'speak of it, a corridor that runs beside the river "'from one end of the city to the other. "'Through the gardens, it is below ground. "'If we can find an entrance to it, we can leave here at once. "'It is not safe here, for they will search every inch "'of the temple and the grounds. "'Come,' said Bradley. "'We will have a look for it anyway.' "'And so, saying, he approached one of the doors "'that opened onto the Skull-paved shelf. "'They found the corridor easily, for it paralleled the river, "'separated from it only by a single wall. "'It took them beneath the gardens and the city, "'always through inky darkness. "'After they had reached the other side of the gardens, "'Bradley counted his steps until he had retraced "'as many as he had taken, coming down the stream. "'But though they had to grop their way along, "'it was a much more rapid trip than the former. "'When he thought he was about opposite the point "'at which he had descended from the blue place of seven Skulls, "'he sought and found a doorway leading out onto the river. "'And then, still in the blackest darkness, "'he lowered himself into the stream "'and felt up and down upon the opposite side "'of the little shelf and the ladder. "'Ten yards from where he had emerged, he found them, "'while the girl waited upon the opposite side. "'To ascend to the secret panel was the work of but a minute. "'Here he paused and listened, "'lest a wee-roo might be visiting the prison "'in search of him or the other inmate. "'But no sound came from the gloomy interior. "'Bradley could not but muse upon the joy of the man "'on the opposite side, "'when he should drop down to him with food "'and a new hope for escape. "'Then he opened the panel and looked into the room. "'The faint light from the grating above "'revealed the pile of rags in one corner, "'but the man lay beneath them. "'He made no response to Bradley's slow greeting. "'The Englishman lowered himself to the floor of the room "'and approached the rags. "'Stooping, he lifted a corner of them. "'Yes, there was a man asleep. "'Bradley shook him. "'There was no response. "'He strooped lower "'and in the dim light examined Antac. "'Then he stood up with a sigh. "'A rat leapt from beneath the coverings "'and scurried away. "'Poor devil, muttered Bradley. "'He crossed the room to swing himself to the perch, "'preparatory to quitting the blue place "'of seven skulls forever. "'Beneath the perch, he paused. "'I'll not give them the satisfaction,' he growled. "'Let them believe that he escaped. "'Returning to the pile of rags, "'he gathered the man into his arms. "'It was difficult work raising him to the high perch "'and dragging him through the small opening "'and thus down the ladder. "'But presently it was done, "'and Bradley had lowered the body into the river "'and cast it off. "'Goodbye, old top,' he whispered. "'A moment later, he had rejoined the girl "'and hand in hand they were following the dark corridor, "'upstreamed toward the farther end of the city. "'She told him that the Wiru seldom "'frequented these lower passages, "'as the air here was too chill for them, "'but occasionally they came, "'and as they could see quite as well by night as by day, "'they would be sure to discover Bradley and the girl. "'If they come close enough,' she said, "'we can see their eyes shining in the dark. "'They resemble dull splotches of light. "'They glow, but do not blaze like the eyes "'of the tiger or the lion. "'The man could not but note the very evident horror "'with which she mentioned the creatures. "'To him they were uncanny, "'but she had been used to them for a year almost, "'and probably, or her life, "'she had either seen or heard of them constantly. "'Why do you fear them so?' he asked. "'It seems more than any ordinary fear of the harm "'they can do you.' "'She tried to explain, "'but the nearest he could gather was that she looked "'upon the Wiru almost as supernatural beings. "'There is a legend current among my people, "'that once the Wiru were unlike us, "'only in that they possessed rudimentary wings. "'They lived in villages in the Galu country. "'And while the two peoples often warred, "'they held no hatred for one another. "'In those days, each race came up from the beginning, "'and there was great rivalry "'as to which was the higher in the scale of evolution. "'The Wiru developed to the first Kosatulu, "'but they were always male. "'Never could they reproduce women. "'Slowly, they commenced to develop certain attributes "'of the mind, which they considered, "'placed them upon a still higher level, "'and which gave them many advantages over us, "'seeing which they thought only of mental development. "'Their minds became like stars and the rivers, "'moving always in the same manner, never varying. "'They called this Tassad, "'which means doing everything the right way, "'or, in other words, the Wiru way. "'If foe or friend, right or wrong, "'stood in the way of Tassad, then it must be crushed. "'Soon the Galus and the lesser races of men "'came to hate and fear them. "'It was then that the Wirus decided "'to carry Tassad into every part of the world. "'They were very warlike and very numerous, "'although they had long since adopted the policy "'of slaying all those among them "'whose wings did not show advanced development. "'It took ages for all this to happen. "'Very slowly came the different changes. "'But at last the Wirus had wings they could use. "'But, by reason of always making more upon their neighbours, "'they were hated by every creature of Kaspak, "'for no one wanted their Tassad. "'And so they used their wings to fly to this island "'when the other races turned against them "'and threatened to kill them all. "'So cruel had they become and so bloodthirsty "'that they no longer had hearts "'that beat with love or sympathy. "'But their very cruelty and wickedness "'kept them from conquering the other races "'since they were also cruel and wicked to one another "'so that no Wiru trusted another. "'Always were they slaying those above them "'that they might rise in power and possessions. "'Until at last came the more powerful than the others, "'with the Tassad all his own. "'He gathered about him a few of the most terrible Wirus, "'and among them they made laws "'which took from all but these few Wirus "'every weapon they possessed. "'Now their Tassad has reached a high plain among them. "'They make many wonderful things that we cannot make. "'They think great thoughts, no doubt, "'and still dream of greatness to come. "'But their thoughts and their acts "'are regulated by ages of custom. "'They are all alike, and they are most unhappy.' "'As the girl talked, the two moved steadily "'along the dark passageway beside the river. "'They had advanced a considerable distance "'when they sounded faintly from far ahead "'the muffled roar of falling water, "'which increased in volume as they moved forward, "'until at last it filled the corridor "'with a deafening sound. "'Then the corridor ended in a blank wall, "'but in a niche to the right was a ladder leading aloft, "'and to the left was a door opening onto the river. "'Bradley tried the ladder first, "'and as he opened it he felt a heavy spray against his face. "'The little shelf outside the doorway was wet and slippery. "'The roaring of the water tremendous. "'There could be but one explanation. "'They had reached a waterfall in the river, "'and if the corridor actually terminated here, "'their escape was effectually cut off "'since it was quite evidently impossible "'to follow the bed of the river and ascend the falls. "'As the ladder was the only alternative, "'the two turned toward it, "'and the man first began the ascent, "'which was through a well similar to that "'which had led him to the upper floors of the temple. "'As he climbed, Bradley felt for openings "'in the sides of the shaft, "'but he discovered none below fifty feet. "'The first he came to was a jar, "'letting a faint light into the well. "'As he paused, the girl climbed to his side, "'and together they looked through the crack "'into a low-sealed chamber "'in which were several Galoo women "'and an equal number of hideous little replicas "'of the full-grown wirus "'with which Bradley was not quite familiar. "'He could feel the body of the girl "'press close to his tremble "'as her eyes rested upon the inmates of the room, "'and involuntarily his arm encircled her shoulders "'as though to protect her from some danger "'which he sensed without recognizing. "'Poor things,' she whispered, "'this is their horrible fate, "'to be imprisoned here beneath the surface of the city "'with their hideous offspring, "'whom they hate as they hate their fathers. "'A wiru keeps his children thus hidden "'until they are full-grown "'less they be murdered by their fellows. "'The lower rooms of the city "'are filled with many such as these. "'Several feet above was a second door "'beyond which they found a small room "'stored with food in wooden vessels. "'A grated window in one wall opened above an alley, "'and through it they could see "'that they were just below the roof of the building. "'Darkness was coming, "'and at Bradley's suggestion "'they decided to remain hidden here until after dark "'and then to ascend to the roof and reconnoiter. "'Shortly after they had settled themselves, "'they heard something descending the ladder from above. "'They hoped that it would continue on down the well "'and fairly held their breath "'as the sound approached the door to the storeroom. "'Their hearts sank as they heard the door open, "'and from between cracks in the vessels behind, "'which they hid, saw a yellow-slashed wiru enter the room. "'Each recognized him immediately, "'the girl indicating the fact of her own recognition "'by a sudden pressure of her fingers on Bradley's arm. "'It was the wiru of the yellow slashing, "'whose abode was the place of the yellow door "'in which Bradley had first seen the girl. "'The creature carried a wooden bowl, "'which it filled with dried food "'from several of the vessels. "'Then it turned and quit the room. "'Bradley could see through the partially opened doorway "'that it descended the ladder. "'The girl told him that it was taking the food "'to the women and the young below, "'and that while it might return immediately, "'the chances were that it would remain for some time. "'We are just below the place of the yellow door,' she said. "'It is far from the edge of the city, "'so far that we may not hope to escape "'if we ascend to the roofs here.' "'I think,' replied the man, "'that of all the places in U'oh, "'this will be the easiest to escape from. "'Anyway, I want to return to the place of the yellow door "'and get my pistol if it is there.' "'It is still there,' replied the girl. "'I saw it placed in a chest "'where he keeps the things he takes "'from his prisoners and victims.' "'Good!' exclaimed Bradley. "'Now come quickly. "'And the two crossed the room to the well "'and ascended the ladder, a short distance to its top, "'where they found another door "'that opened into a vacant room, "'the same in which Bradley had first met the girl. "'To find the pistol was a matter of but a moment's search "'on the part of Bradley's companion, "'and then, at the Englishman's signal, "'she followed him to the yellow door. "'It was quite dark without, "'as the two entered the narrow passage "'between two buildings. "'A few steps brought them undiscovered "'to the doorway of the storeroom, "'where lay the body of Foch Balsage. "'In the distance, toward the temple, "'they could hear sounds as of a great gathering of wirus, "'the peculiar uncanny wailing "'rising above the dismal flapping of countless wings. "'They have heard of the killing of him "'who speaks for Luwata,' whispered the girl. "'Soon they will spread in all directions "'searching for us. "'And will they find us? "'As surely as Luwata gives light by day,' she replied, "'and when they find us, they will tear us to pieces, "'for only the wirus may murder. "'Only they may practice tasad. "'But they will not kill you,' said Bradley. "'You did not slay him. "'It will make no difference,' she insisted. "'If they find us together, they will slay us both. "'Then they won't find us together,' announced Bradley decisively. "'You stay right here. "'You won't be any worse off than before I came, "'and I'll get as far as I can "'and account for as many of the beggars as possible "'before they get me. "'Goodbye. "'You're a mighty decent little girl. "'I wish that I might have helped you.' "'No,' she cried. "'Do not leave me. "'I would rather die. "'I had hoped and hoped to find some way "'to return to my own country. "'I wanted to go back to Antak, "'who must be very lonely without me. "'But I know that it can never be. "'It is difficult to kill hope, though mine is nearly dead. "'Do not leave me.' "'Antak,' Bradley repeated, "'you loved a man called Antak?' "'Yes,' replied the girl. "'Antak was away, hunting, when the wiru caught me. "'How he must have grieved for me. "'He also was Kosattelu, 12 moons older than I, "'and all our lives we had been together.' Bradley remained silent. "'So she loved Antak. "'He hadn't the heart to tell her "'that Antak had died and how. "'At the door of Foshbao Soja's storeroom, "'they halted to listen. "'No sound came from within. "'And gently, Bradley pushed open the door. "'All was inky darkness as they entered. "'But presently, their eyes became accustomed to the gloom "'that was partially revealed by the soft starlight without. "'The Englishman searched and found those things "'for which he had come. "'Two robes, two pairs of dead wings, "'and several lengths of fibre rope. "'One pair of the wings, "'he adjusted to the girl's shoulders by means of the rope. "'Then he draped the robe about her, "'carrying the cowl over her head. "'He heard her gasp of astonishment "'when she realised the ingenuity and boldness of his plan. "'Then he directed her to adjust the other pair of wings "'and the robe upon him. "'Working with strong, deft fingers, "'she soon had the work completed, "'and the two stepped out upon the roof. "'To all intent and purpose, genuine wirus. "'Besides his pistol, Bradley carried the sword "'of the slain wiru prophet, "'while the girl was armed with the small blade "'of the red wiru. "'Side by side, they walked slowly across the roofs "'toward the north edge of the city. "'Wirus flapped above them, "'and several times they passed others "'walking or sitting upon the roofs. "'From the temple still rose the sounds of commotion, "'now pierced by occasional shrill screams. "'The murderers are abroad,' whispered the girl. "'Thus will another become the tongue of Luata. "'It is well for us, "'since it keeps them too busy to give the time "'for searching for us. "'They think that we cannot escape the city, "'and they know that we cannot leave the island, "'and so do I.' Bradley shook his head. "'If there is any way, we will find it,' he said. "'There is no way,' replied the girl. "'Bradley made no response, "'and in silence they continued "'until the outer edge of roofs was visible before them. "'We are almost there,' he whispered. "'The girl felt for his fingers and pressed them. "'He could feel hers trembling as he returned the pressure. "'Nor did he relinquish her hand, "'and thus they came to the edge of the last roof. "'Here they halted and looked about them. "'To be seen attempting to descend to the ground below "'would be to betray the fact that they were not wirus. "'Bradley wished that their wings were attached "'to their bodies by sinew and muscle, "'rather than by ropes of fibre. "'A wiru was flapping far overhead. "'Two more stood near a door a few yards distant, "'standing between these and one of the outer pedestals "'that supported one of the numerous skulls. "'Bradley made one end of a piece of rope "'fast about the pedestal, "'and dropped the other end to the ground outside the city. "'Then they waited. "'It was an hour before the coast was entirely clear, "'and then a moment came when no wiru was in sight. "'Now,' whispered Bradley, "'and the girl grasped the rope "'and slid over the edge of the roof "'into the darkness below. "'A moment later, Bradley felt two quick pulls "'upon the rope, "'and immediately followed to the girl's side. "'Across a narrow clearing, "'they made their way and into a wood beyond. "'All night they walked, "'following the river upward toward its source, "'and at dawn they took shelter "'in a thicket beside the stream. "'At no time did they hear the cry of a carnivore, "'and though many startled animals fled as they approached, "'they were not once menaced by a wild beast. "'When Bradley expressed surprise "'at the absence of the fiercest beast "'that are so numerous upon the mainland of Caprona, "'the girl explained the reason "'that is contained in one of their ancient legends. "'When the wirus first developed wings "'upon which they could fly, "'they found this island devoid of any life "'other than a few reptiles that live either upon land "'or in the water, "'and these only close to the coast. "'Requiring meat for food, "'the wirus carried to the island "'as such animals as they wished for that purpose. "'They still occasionally bring them, "'and this, with the natural increase, "'keeps them provided with flesh, "'as it will us, suggested Bradley. "'The first day they remained in hiding, "'eating only the dried food "'that Bradley had brought with him "'from the temple storeroom, "'and the next night they set out again up the river, "'continuing steadily on until almost dawn. "'When they came to low hills "'where the river wound through a gorge, "'it was little more than reveal it now. "'The water clear and cold and filled with fish, "'similar to Brook Trout, though much larger. "'Not wishing to leave the stream, "'the two waded along its bed "'to a spot where the gorge widened "'between perpendicular bluffs "'to a wooded acre of level land. "'Here they stopped, for here also the stream ended. "'They had reached its source. "'Many cold springs bubbling up from the centre "'of a little natural amphitheater in their hills, "'and forming a clear and beautiful pool, "'overshadowed by trees upon one side "'and bounded by the little clearing upon the other. "'With the coming of the sun, "'they saw they had stumbled upon a place "'where they might remain hidden from the wirus "'for a long time, "'and also one that they could defend "'against these winged creatures, "'since the trees would shield them "'from an attack from above, "'and also hamper the movements of the creatures "'should they attempt to follow them into the wood. "'For three days they rested here "'before trying to explore the neighbouring country. "'On the fourth Bradley stated "'that he was going to scale the bluffs "'and learn what lay beyond. "'He told the girl that she should remain in hiding, "'but she refused to be left, "'saying that whatever fate was to be his, "'she intended to share it, "'so that he was at last force "'to permit her to come with him. "'Through woods, at the summit of the bluff, "'they made their way toward the north, "'and had gone but a short distance. "'When the wood ended, "'and before them they saw the waters of the inland sea, "'and dimly in the distance, "'the coveted shore. "'The beach lay some 200 yards "'from the foot of the hill on which they stood, "'nor was there a tree nor any other form of shelter "'between them and the water, "'as far up and down the coast as they could see. "'Among other plans, Bradley had thought "'of constructing a covered raft, "'upon which they might drift to the mainland. "'But as such a contrivance would necessarily "'be of considerable weight, "'it must be built in the water of the sea, "'since they could not hope to move it, "'even a short distance over land. "'If this wood was only at the edge of the water, "'he sighed. "'But it is not, the girl reminded him. "'And then, let us make the best of it. "'We have escaped from death for a time at least. "'We have food and good water, "'and peace and each other. "'What more could we have upon the mainland?' "'But I thought you wanted to get back "'to your own country,' he exclaimed. "'She cast her eyes upon the ground "'and half turned away. "'I do,' she said, "'yet I am happy here. "'I could be little happier there.' Bradley stood in silent thought. "'We have food and good water, "'and peace and each other,' he repeated to himself. "'He turned then and looked at the girl, "'and it was as though in the days "'that they had been together. "'This was the first time "'that he had really seen her. "'The circumstances that had thrown them together, "'the dangers through which they had passed, "'all the weird and horrible surroundings "'that had formed the background of his knowledge of her "'had had their effect. "'She had been but the companion of an adventure. "'Her self-reliance, her endurance, "'her loyalty had been only what one man "'might expect of another. "'And he saw that he had unconsciously assumed "'an attitude toward her, "'that he might have assumed toward a man. "'Yet there had been a difference,' he recalled now, "'the strange sensation of elation "'that had thrilled him upon the occasion "'when the girl had pressed his hand in hers, "'and the depression that had followed her announcement "'of her love for Antak. "'He took a step toward her, "'a fierce yearning to seize her "'and crush her in his arms, swept over him. "'And then there flashed upon the screen of recollection "'the picture of a stately, "'hall set amid broad gardens and ancient trees "'and of a proud old man with beatling brows, "'an old man who held his head very high. "'And Bradley shook his head and turned away again. "'They went back then to their little acre, "'and the days came and went, "'and the man fashioned spear and bow and arrows "'and hunted with them, that they might have meat. "'And he made hooks of fishbone "'and caught fishes with wondrous flies of his own invention. "'And the girl gathered fruits "'and cooked the flesh and the fish "'and made beds of branches and soft grasses. "'She cured the hides of the animals he killed "'and made them soft by much pounding. "'She made sandals for herself and for the man "'and fashioned a hide after the manner of those worn "'by the warriors of her tribe "'and made the man wear it "'for his own garments were in rags. "'She was always the same, sweet and kind and helpful. "'But always there was about her manner and expression, "'just a trace of wistfulness. "'And often she sat and looked at the man "'when he did not know it, her brows puckered in thought "'as though she were trying to fathom and to understand him. "'In the face of the cliff, "'Bradley scooped a cave from the rotted granite "'of which the hill was composed, "'making a shelter for them against the rains. "'He brought wood for their cookfire, "'which they used only in the middle of the day, "'a time when there was little likelihood of wirus "'being in the air so far from their city. "'And then he learned to bank it with earth "'in such a way that the embers held "'until the following noon without giving off smoke. "'Always he was planning on reaching the mainland, "'and never a day past that he did not go to the top of the hill "'and look out across the sea toward the dark, distant line "'that meant for him comparative freedom "'and possibly reunion with his comrades. "'The girl always went with him, standing at his side "'and watching the stern expression on his face "'with just a tinge of sadness on her own. "'You are not happy,' she said once. "'I should be over there with my men,' he replied. "'I do not know what may have happened to them. "'I want you to be happy,' she said quite simply. "'But I should be very lonely if you went away "'and left me here.' "'He put his hand on her shoulder. "'I would not do that, little girl,' he said gently. "'If you cannot go with me, I shall not go. "'If either of us must go alone, it will be you.' "'Her face lighted to a wondrous smile. "'Then we shall not be separated,' she said, "'for I shall never leave you as long as we both live.' "'He looked down into her face for a moment, "'and then, "'Who was Antak?' he asked. "'My brother,' she replied. "'Why?' "'And then, even less than before, could he tell her. "'It was then that he did something he had never done before. "'He put his arms about her and stooping, kissed her forehead. "'Until you find Antak,' he said, "'I will be your brother.' "'She drew away. "'I already have a brother,' she said, "'and I do not want another.'" End of chapter four.