Darkness and Dawn

  CHAPTER XXIV

  THE FIGHT IN THE FOREST

  Now the Thing was close, very close to them, while a hush layupon the watching Horde and on the forest. So close, that Stern couldhear the soughing breath between those hideous lips and see thetwitching of the wrinkled lid over the black, glittering eye thatblinked as you have often seen a chimpanzee's.

  All at once the obeah stopped. Stopped and leered, his head cranedforward, that ghastly rictus on his mouth.

  Stern's hot anger welled up again. Thus to be detained, inspected andseemingly made mock of by a creature no more than three-quartershuman, stung the engineer to rage.

  "What do _you_ want?" cried he, in a thick and unsteady voice."Anything I can do for you? If not, I'll be going."

  The creature shook its head. Yet something of Stern's meaning may havewon to its smoldering intelligence. For now it raised a hand. Itpointed to the pail of water, then to its own mouth; again itindicated the pail, then stretched a long, repulsive finger at themouth of Stern.

  The meaning seemed clear. Stern, even as he stood there in anger--andin wonder, too, at the fearlessness of this superthing--grasped thesignificance of the action.

  "Why, he must mean," said he, to Beatrice, "he must be trying to askwhether we intend to drink any of the water, what? Maybe it'spoisoned, now, or something! Maybe he's trying to warn us!"

  "Warn us? Why should he?"

  "How can I tell? It isn't entirely impossible that he still retainssome knowledge of his human ancestors. Perhaps that tradition may havebeen handed down, some way, and still exists in the form of a crudebeast-religion."

  "Yes, but then--?"

  "Perhaps he wants to get in touch with us, again; learn from us; tryto struggle up out of the mire of degeneration, who knows? If so--andit's possible--of course he'd try to warn us of a poisoned spring!"

  Acting on this hypothesis, of which he was now half-convinced, Sternnodded. By gesture-play he answered: Yes. Yes, this woman and heintended to drink of the water. The obeah-man, grinning, showed signsof lively interest. His eyes brightened, and a look of craft, ofwizened cunning crept over his uncanny features.

  Then he raised his head and gave a long, shrill, throaty call,ululating and unspeakably weird.

  Something stirred in the forest. Stern heard a rustle and a creepingmurmur; and quick fear chilled his heart.

  To him it seemed as though a voice were calling, perhaps the inner,secret voice of his own subjective self--a voice that cried:

  "You, who must drink water--now _he_ knows you are not gods, butmortal creatures. Tricked by his question and your answer, your perilnow is on you! _Flee!_"

  The voice died. Stern found himself, with a strange, taut eagernesstingling all through him, facing the obeah and--and _not daring toturn his back_.

  Retreat they must, he knew. Retreat, at once! Already in the forest heunderstood that heads were being lifted, beastlike ears werelistening, brute eyes peering and ape-hands clutching the little,flint-pointed spears. Already the girl and he should have beenhalf-way back to the tower; yet still, inhibited by that slow,grinning, staring advance of the chief, there the engineer stood.

  But all at once the spell was broken.

  For with a cry, a hoarse and frightful yell of passion, the obeahleaped--leaped like a huge and frightfully agile ape--leaped the wholedistance intervening.

  Stern saw the Thing's red-gleaming eyes fixed on Beatrice. In thoseeyes he clearly saw the hell-flame of lust. And as the woman screamedin terror, Stern pulled trigger with a savage curse.

  The shot went wild. For at the instant--though he felt no pain--hisarm dropped down and sideways.

  Astounded, he looked. Something was wrong! What? His trigger-fingerrefused to serve. It had lost all power, all control.

  For God's sake, what could it be?

  Then--all this taking but a second--Stern saw; he knew the truth.Staring, pale and horrified, he understood.

  There, through the fleshy part of his forearm, thrust clean from sideto side by a lightning-swift stroke, he saw the obeah's spear!

  It dangled strangely in the firm muscles. The steel barb and fulleighteen inches of the shaft were red and dripping.

  Yet still the engineer felt no slightest twinge of pain.

  From his numbed, paralyzed hand the automatic dropped, fellnoiselessly into the moss.

  And with a formless roar of killing-rage, Stern swung on the obeah,with the rifle.

  Stern felt his heart about to burst with hate. He did not even thinkof the second revolver in the holster at his side. With only his lefthand now to use, the weapon could only have given clumsy service.

  Instead, the man reverted instantly to the jungle stage, himself--tothe law of claw and fang, of clutching talon, of stone and club.

  The beloved woman's cry, ringing in his ears, drove him mad. Up hewhirled the Krag again, up, up, by the muzzle; and down upon thatvillainous skull he dashed it with a force that would have brained anox.

  The obeah, screeching, reeled back. But he was not dead. Not dead,only stunned a moment. And Stern, horrified, found himself holdingonly a gun-barrel. The stock, shattered, had whirled away and vanishedamong the tall and waving ferns.

  Beatrice snatched up the fallen revolver. She stumbled; and the pailwas empty. Spurting, splashing away, the precious water flew. No time,now, for any more.

  For all about them, behind them and on every hand, the Things wereclosing in.

  They had seen blood--had heard the obeah's cry; they knew! Not gods,now, but mortal creatures! _Not gods!_

  "Run! _Run!_" gasped Beatrice.

  The spear still hanging from his arm, Stern wheeled and followed. Highand hard he swung the rifle-barrel, like a war-club.

  No counting of steps, now; no play at divinity. Panting,horror-stricken, frenzied with rage, bleeding, they ran. It was ahunt--the hunt of the last two humans by the nightmare Horde.

  In front, a bluish and confused mass seemed to dance and quiverthrough the forest; and a pattering rain of spears and little arrowsbegan to fall about the fugitives.

  Then the girl's revolver sputtered in a quick volley; and again, for aspace, silence fell. The way again was clear. But in the path, silentand still, or writhing horribly, lay a few of the Things. And thepine-needles and soft moss were very red, in spots.

  Stern had his pistol out too, by now. For behind and on his flanks,like ferrets hanging to a hunted creature, the swarm was closing in.

  The engineer, his face very white and drawn, veins standing out on hissweat-beaded forehead, heard Beatrice cry out to him, but he could notunderstand her words.

  Yet as they ran, he saw her level the pistol and snap the hammertwice, thrice, with no result. The little dead click sounded like adeath-warrant to him.

  "Empty?" cried he. "Here, take this one! You can shoot better now thanI can!" And into her hand he thrust the second revolver.

  Something stung him on the left shoulder. He glanced round. A dart washanging there.

  With an oath, the engineer wheeled about. His eyes burned and his lipsdrew back, taut, from his fine white teeth.

  There, already recovered from the blow which would have killed a manten times over, he saw the obeah snarling after him. Right down alongthe path the monster was howling, beating his breast with both hugefists. And, now feeling fear no more than pain, Stern crouched to meethis onslaught.