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Updated: May 4, 2025
The girl screamed again at the sight, but bravely stood her ground. The bears shrank, growled, then turned and fled. With a dozen leaps Grôm was upon them. The flame was already licking up the spear-shaft almost to his grip. With all his force he threw, and the flint tip buried itself in the nearest monster's haunch.
Startled to find that when he drew the point back he brought a portion of the shining creature with it, Grôm dashed the weapon down upon the ground. The flame, insufficiently started, flickered and died. But it left a spark, winking redly on the blackened wood. Audacious in his consuming curiosity, Grôm touched it with his finger.
A moment more and it was bitten in two, and the crocodiles were fighting monstrously among themselves for the writhing fragments. "You got us out of that just in time," said Grôm, grinning upon the little scout with approval. A-ya wrung the water out of her heavy hair with both hands, and threw the masses back with an upward toss of her head. "I hate ants," she said, shuddering.
As they ascended the ragged slopes, vegetation grew sparse, and when toward nightfall they gained the pass which Grôm was making for a deep cleft between two steep red and purple peaks the rock beneath their feet was naked but for a low growth of flowering herbs and thorn.
The dread of this unknown Bright One, which was plainly capable of devouring them all if Grôm should lose control of it, was more nerve-shaking than their dread of the beast-men. Moreover, there was the natural reluctance to leave the old, familiar dwellings for an unknown, distrusted land, confessedly the haunt of those monstrous beasts which they had most cause to fear.
These hills Grôm was thirsting to explore. They might contain caves more roomy than those of his own hills spacious and suitable to give shelter to his tribe, which was now finding itself somewhat cramped. Moreover, it had always seemed to Grôm that there might be a mystery behind those hills, and to his restless imagination a mystery was always like a stinging goad.
In less than a minute every dreadful wing was stilled. "Now is our time. Come!" commanded Grôm, leading the way out of the circle. "Let's stop and kill them all!" pleaded young Mô, his eyes red with rage. But Grôm pointed to the cloud. "It will pass quickly," said he. "We must be far from here before the sun shows his face again."
By this time they were getting nearer the other shore. But on close view, Grôm was bound to admit that it was not alluring. It was so low as to be all awash, and fringed deep with towering reeds, which were traversed by narrow lanes of water. Of dry land there was none to be seen. "Oh, we don't want to go ashore there!" protested A-ya fervently.
Perhaps half a mile up the shore a spit of land ran out against the current, and behind its shelter an eddy had collected a mass of uprooted trees and other flood refuse, all matted with green from the growth of wind-borne seeds. It was in reality a great natural raft, built by the eddy and anchored behind the little point. For this Grôm headed with new hope.
Grôm remained standing, leaning upon his spear; and A-ya stood with bowed head close behind him. When the Chief, shepherding and guarding the rear flanks, emerged around the elbow of woods and saw his people thus prostrate before the shining wonder, he too was moved to follow their example, for his heart went cold within him.
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