JERRY kept his place among the cushions in the cabin when Hazlit Jen went out to moor the boat. But he had no intention of leaving the officer unwatched.
The Earthman watched through a porthole while Hazlit Jen tied the boat to the dock and walked to the tower doorway. As soon as the officer entered, Jerry strolled unconcernedly out on the deck and across the dock after him. Guards were stationed at regular intervals along the dock, as well as upon the black wall, and in the open windows of the tower. And there were four swift patrol boats of Kalsivar anchored at equidistant points across the canal, facing four similar boats belonging to Xancibar.
Instead of entering the tower doorway, Jerry paused just outside it, and a little to one side. Hazlit Jen, with his back toward him, was standing before the commander of the border guards, who sat on a swinging chair with writing materials on a taboret before him.
“The hunter murdered the boatman,” Hazlit Jen was saying, “and threw his body into the canal. Then he told me his victim had robbed his sister and leaped overboard. I will take the girl on to Raliad, for she is innocent, but I should like to have you hold this assassin here until I come back. Then I will return him to Dukor in chains, to stand trial for murder.
“I don’t know why you wish to leave him with me, instead of the Xancibar officer,” said the commander, “but since you have paid me five tayzos, I can see no objection to holding the assassin for you.” He turned to a soldier who stood behind him. “Take six men and arrest the hunter on the small boat at the dock,” he ordered.
Jerry waited to hear no more. Springing across the dock, he whipped out his sword, slashed the tie-rope, and leaped aboard the boat. Then he plunged into the cabin, seized the two control levers, and pushed them forward as far as they would go. The boat tore away from the dock with a rush, just as the two nearest guards came running up.
Jerry kept his eyes ahead and his hands on the control levers, while Junia watched from the rear deck.
“The patrol boat is drawing up to the dock,” she said, “and Hazlit Jen is getting aboard. Now they are starting after us.”
It looked as though their capture would be only a matter of minutes, when Jerry, who had noticed the farther moon just ready to settle below the western horizon, suddenly thought of a plan. Zigzagging through the traffic toward the outer bank, he presently reached a position only a few feet from shore. By this time the patrol boat was but two hundred feet behind them, its prow lined with warriors ready to leap upon their afterdeck.
Presently the moon dipped below the horizon. Instantly Jerry hooded the baridium torch that lighted the cabin, plunging the boat into darkness. Then he set the levers so the craft would turn about in a narrow circle. Grasping Junia’s hand, he hurried her out onto the deck.
The dark bulk of the shore loomed beside them, and the boat began curving away from it. Gathering the girl in his arms, Jerry jumped, his Earth-trained muscles easily carrying him beyond the water’s edge. Swiftly he ran up the bank in the darkness. And a moment later, he knew that part of his plan had worked out, for there was a terrific crash, and the shouts of men struggling in the water, as the small boat, turning in a circle, rammed the large craft amidships.
There were stairways for the use of defending warriors at regular intervals along the inner side of the wall, and Jerry presently groped his way in the dark to one of these. Climbing it without noise, he saw a guard approaching, outlined against the sky. At this moment, Jerry, who had completely forgotten Neem the dalf, felt a wet muzzle pressed against his arm.
“Get him, Neem,” he whispered.
While Jerry and Junia crouched in the shadow, the great shaggy beast crept over the edge of the wall. The guard saw him and raised his javelin. But ere he could draw it back for a thrust, the furry body shot through the air, the huge jaws closed on his head with a single crunch, and the sentinel expired without a sound.
Jerry caught up Junia once more and ran to the edge of the wall. Uncoiling the rope beneath his head-cloak, he passed it around her slender waist and let her over the edge. The lasso did not grow slack until most of its length had been paid out so he knew there was a drop of about thirty feet beneath him.
“Release the rope,” he called down to Junia softly.
She instantly complied, and fastening it around Neem, he pushed the beast over the edge, snubbing the lasso on the parapet in order to hold the great weight of the dalf.
As soon as the beast had alighted, Jerry let himself down as far as he could by hanging from both hands, then dropped, alighting in the soft sand without injury.
Recovering the rope, he caught up Junia and hurried away.
For some time the darkness favored them. Then the bright nearer moon suddenly popped above the western horizon, almost at the point where the farther moon had set, flooding the desert with light. By this time they were more than a mile from the wall, and Jerry found that by keeping to the hollows behind the sand dunes, they could travel without danger of being seen by the enemy.
The bright nearer moon was high in the heavens when a black shadow suddenly swept across its face and fell upon the fugitives. It was followed by another and another, and Jerry, looking up, saw that a party of a hundred gawr riders was passing high overhead.
Junia, who had also been watching the fliers, clutched his arm. “They’ve seen us! What shall we do?”
“I’m afraid there is nothing we can do,” he replied. “It is too late to hide, we can’t outrun them, and it would be hopeless to try to fight a hundred warriors.”
The sound of flapping leathery wings grew louder as the flying warriors spiraled lower, and in a few moments they had landed in a circle completely surrounding the fugitives.
Stationing himself in front of Junia, Neem bristled up, and ominous rumblings issued from his cavernous throat.
Then suddenly the leader of the warriors flung himself down from his steed. He was short and bow-legged, with long apelike arms and tremendously broad shoulders. Instead of a javelin, he carried a heavy, long-handled mace.
“Koha!” Jerry exclaimed.
“I hoped it would be you, master,” the black dwarf cried, saluting. He turned to the others, whirling his mace aloft. “Ho, warriors! It is the Commoner!”
At this a cheer broke from the throats of the entire company.
“We have been searching for you day and night, since your disappearance, master,” continued Koha.
“The lady with me is Her Imperial Highness of Kalsivar,” said Jerry. “You will salute her, and provide a gawr for each of us.”
Instantly the entire company sprang from their saddles, rendering the imperial salute to Junia and proffering their mounts. Jerry selected one for the Princess and another for himself.
Mounted on their swift bird-beasts, it took them less than a half hour to reach Jerry’s camp, where he and the Princess received a tremendous ovation. Here, after providing Junia with a portable hut, and recommending that she get some sleep, the Earthman called his officers together.
“It is highly probable,” he said, “that there will be desperate fighting for all of us in a few days. And strange as it may appear to you, we will probably be fighting as allies of Numin Vil. As you all know, the Torturer is in Raliad, and has put the dark-skinned prince on the throne for his puppet. By joining forces with Numin Vil, we will be assisting him in combating a mutual enemy, and if we win, there will be suitable rewards for all. Are there any questions or objections?”
No one spoke.
“There being no objections,” Jerry continued, “you will send out riders at once to summon the tribesmen, and the other units of our army that are in hiding. Let the Atabah Marsh be the rendezvous, and be ready for matching orders by tomorrow. I go now to inspect the work of our armorers and smiths.”
Rising, he strode through the circle of officers, followed by Yewd and Koha, and crossing the sandy, boulder-strewn beach to the base of the cliff, entered a dark doorway.
Unhooding his baridium torch, he followed a winding passageway deep into the cliff. He emerged in a tremendous natural cave, where a night shift of two thousand men was at work, forging and welding small octagonal metal turrets, each large enough to hold one man. The turrets were fitted with thick crystal panels, each of which could be opened or closed by a lever in the hands of the occupant.
“How many are ready?” Jerry asked.
“Eight hundred are finished,” Koha replied. “And there will be two hundred more by morning.”
“Good! And now let us see what the workmen in the next cave have accomplished.”
As they passed through the huge workshop, Jerry paused from time to time to inspect a turret or say a few words to a workman. A second passageway led them into another tremendous cave, where five thousand workers, men and women, were busy. The men were molding hollow metal shells of cast iron. The women were filling them with measured quantities of fire powder, and inserting small, stoppered globes of water. Some of these were fitted with percussion plungers which would break the globes on contact, and others with tiny clockwork mechanisms that would jerk the stoppers from the glass globes in from one to ten seconds, depending upon how they were set.
“You made the tests as I ordered?” Jerry asked, turning to Yewd.
“All of them,” replied the giant. “The large globes, when dropped, excavate holes in the ground that will contain a hundred mounted men. The smaller ones make craters proportionate to their size.”
“How many are finished?” Jerry asked.
“A hundred thousand of the small, and ten thousand of the large.”
“You have done splendidly, all of you,” said Jerry. “Keep it up, and if nothing happens to prevent, I will return tomorrow. I go, now, to return the Princess to her father, and to perfect our alliance with him.”
Yewd said: “Deza grant that you may find Raliad a safer place this time than you ever have before.”