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It told on his pace not at first, but after a time. His footsteps behind her suddenly grew remote. Glancing over her shoulder as they crossed another open space, Eudena saw that Ugh-lomi was many yards behind her, and Uya close upon him, with antler already raised in the air to strike him down. Wau and the others were but just emerging from the shadow of the woods.
They soon cleared the open, and drew near the wood of chestnut-trees again neither afraid now because neither was alone. They slackened their pace, already not excessive. And suddenly Eudena cried and swerved aside, pointing, and looking up through the tree-stems. Ugh-lomi saw the feet and legs of men running towards him. Eudena was already running off at a tangent.
And as it moved it gave a low groan. The blood rushing through her veins was suddenly joy. "Ugh-lomi!" she whispered. The thing stopped. "Eudena," he answered softly with pain in his voice, and peering into the alders. He moved again, and came out of the shadow beyond the reeds into the moonlight. All his body was covered with dark smears.
And suddenly Eudena's eyes opened and she sat up again, and her look met the old woman's fair and level. "No," she said slowly, like one trying to remember, "I did not see my Ugh-lomi slain. I did not see my Ugh-lomi slain." "Tell her," cried the old woman. "Tell her he that killed him. Tell her how Ugh-lomi was slain." She looked, and all the women and children there looked, from man to man.
Uya, with a bleeding mouth, was on the farther side of the stream again, but lower down, and holding his hand to his side. The others were in the river dragging something to shore. For a time at least the chase was intermitted. Ugh-lomi stood watching for a space, and snarled at the sight of Uya. Then he turned and plunged into the thicket.
There goes thine enemy, Uya!" But the lion who preyed upon the tribe was taking his siesta. The cry went unheard. That day he had dined on one of the plumper girls, and his mood was a comfortable placidity. He really did not understand that he was Uya or that Ugh-lomi was his enemy.
He speaks no more to men." Ugh-lomi stood regarding them. He had had dreams he knew that though he had killed Uya, Uya still existed. And now they told him Uya was a Lion. The shrivelled old woman, the mistress of the fire-minders, suddenly turned and spoke softly to those next to her.
In the days when Eudena and Ugh-lomi fled from the people of Uya towards the fir-clad mountains of the Weald, across the forests of sweet chestnut and the grass-clad chalkland, and hid themselves at last in the gorge of the river between the chalk cliffs, men were few and their squatting-places far between.
In the morning after these dreams Ugh-lomi would walk up and down, threatening him and swinging the axe, and at last came the night after Ugh-lomi brained the otter, and they had feasted. Uya went too far. Ugh-lomi awoke, scowling under his heavy brows, and he took his axe, and extending his hand towards Eudena he bade her wait for him upon the ledge.
And when Ugh-lomi woke, save that there were no men to be seen, it seemed as though he had never left the tribe. Now, there is a thing strange but true: that all through this fight Ugh-lomi forgot that he was lame, and was not lame, and after he had rested behold! he was a lame man; and he remained a lame man to the end of his days.
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