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06 - Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs · Moon Maid

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter five. Out of the storm. Shortly after we arrived
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: at the village, they took away our watches, our pocket knives,
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: and everything that we possessed of a similar nature and
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: which they considered as curiosities. The chief wore Orthor's wristwatch
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: above one forepaw, and mine above the other. But as
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: he did not know how to wind them, nor the
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: purpose for which they were intended, they did him or
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: us no good. The result was, however, that it was
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: now entirely impossible for us to measure time in any way.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: And I do not know even to this day how
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: long we were in this strange village. We ate when
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: we were hungry, and slept when we were tired. It
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: was always daylight, and it seemed that there were always
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: raiding parties going out or returning, so that flesh was plentiful,
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: and we became rather reconciled to our fate in so
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: far as the immediate danger of being eaten was concerned.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: But why they kept us all, as we had slain
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: so many of their fellows, I could not understand. It
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: must have been immediately after we arrived that they made
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: an attempt to teach us their language. Two females were
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: detailed for this duty. We were given unlimited freedom within
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: certain bounds, which were well indicated by the several centuries
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: which constantly watched from the summit of hills surrounding the village.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: Past these we could not go, nor do I know
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: that we had any particular desire to do so, since
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: we realized only too well that there would be little
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: chance of our regaining the ship should we escape the village.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Inasmuch as we had not the remotest idea in what
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: direction it lay, our one hope lay in learning their language,
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: and then utilizing our knowledge in acquiring some definite information
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: as to the surrounding country and the location of the barsoom.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: It did not seem to take us very long to
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: learn their tongue, though of course I realized that it
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: may really have been months. Almost before we knew it.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: We were conversing freely with our captors. When I say freely,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: it is possible that I exaggerate a trifle, for though
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: we could understand them fairly well, it was with difficulty
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: that we made ourselves understood. Yet we managed it some way,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: handicapped as we were by the peculiarities of the most
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: remarkable language of which I have any knowledge. It is
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: a very difficult language to speak, and as a written language,
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: would be practically impossible. For example, there is their word gueo,
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: for which Uthus and I discovered twenty seven separate and
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: distinct meanings, and that there are others I have little
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: or no doubt. Their speech is more aptly described as song,
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: the meaning of each syllable being governed by the note
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: in which it is sung. They speak in five notes,
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: which we may describe as A, B, C, D, and E.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Gu sung in A means something radically different from Gou
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: sung in E. And again, if Gou is sung in
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: A followed by E in G, it means something other
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: than if Gu had been sung in D followed by
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: E and A. Fortunately for us, there are no words
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: of over three syllables, and most of them consist of
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: only one or two, or we should have been entirely lost.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: The resulting speech, however, is extremely beautiful, and Orpus used
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: to say that if he closed his eyes, he could
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: imagine himself living constantly in grand opera. The chief's name,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: as we learned, was Gavag. The name of the tribal
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: village was Novan's, while the race to which they belonged
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: was known as Vagas. When I felt that I had
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: mastered the language sufficiently well to make myself at least
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: partially understood, I asked to speak to Gavago, and shortly
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: thereafter I was taken to him. You have learned our speech,
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: he asked. I nodded in the affirmative I have, I said,
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: And I have come to ask why we are held
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: captives and what you intend to do with us. We
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: did not come to seek a quarrel with you. We
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: wish only to be friends and to be allowed to
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: go our way in peace. What manner of creature are you?
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: He asked? And where do you come from? I asked
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: him if he had ever heard of the Sun, or
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: the stars, or the other planets, or any worlds outside
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: his own. And he replied that he had not, and
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: that there were no such things. But there are, Gavago,
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: I said, and I and my companion are from another world,
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: far far outside your own. An accident brought us here.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: Give us back our weapons, and let us go. He
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: shook his head negatively. Where you come from? Do you
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: eat one another? He asked? No, I replied, We do
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: not why, he asked, and I saw his eyes narrow
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: as he awaited my reply. Was it mental telepathy or
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: just luck that put the right answer in my mouth?
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: For somehow intuitively I seemed to grasp what was in
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: the creature's mind. Our flesh is poison, I said, those
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: who eat it die. He looked at me then for
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: a long time, with an expression upon his face which
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: I could not interpret. It may have been that he
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: doubted my word, or again, it may have been that
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: my reply confirmed his suspicion. I do not know. But
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: presently he asked me another question. Are there many like
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: you in the land where you live? Millions upon millions,
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: I replied, And what do they eat? They eat fruits
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: and vegetables and the flesh of animals. I answered, what animals?
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: He asked, I have seen no animals here like them,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: I replied, But there are many kinds of like us,
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: so that we do not have to eat flesh of
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: our own race. Then you have all the flesh that
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: you want, all that we can eat, I replied. We
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: raised these animals for their flesh. Where is your country?
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: He demanded, Take me to it, I smiled, I cannot
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: take you to it, I said, it is upon another world.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: It was quite evident that he did not believe me,
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: for he scowled at me ferociously. Do you wish to die?
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: He demanded. I told him that I had no such longing.
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: Then you will lead me to your country, he said,
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: where there is plenty of flesh for everyone. You may
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: think about it until I send for you again. Go
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: and thus he dismissed me. Then he sent for authors.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: But what Authors told him I never knew exactly, for
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: he would not tell me. And as our relations, even
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: in our captivity, were far from friendly, I did not
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: urge him to any confidences. I had occasion to notice, however,
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: that from that time Gavago indicated a marked preference for Orthos,
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: and the latter was often called to his hut. I
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: was momentarily expecting to be summoned in to Gavago's presence
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: and learn my fate when it discovered that I could
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: not lead him to my country, where fleship was so plentiful.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: But at about this time we broke camp, and in
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: the press of other matters, he evidently neglected to take
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: any further immediate action in my case, or at least
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: so I thought, until I later had reason to suspect
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: that he felt that he need no longer depend upon
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: me to lead him to this land of milk and honey.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: The Vagas are nomadic race, moving hither and thither, either
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: as they are pressed by some foes, or till their
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: victories have frightened away the other tribes from their vicinity.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: In either of which events, they march in search of
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: fresh territory. The move that we made now was necessitated
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: by the fact that all the other tribes nearby had
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: fled before the ferocity of the Novas, whose repeated and
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: successful raids had depleted the villages of their neighbors and
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: filled them with terror. The breaking of camp was a
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: wonderfully simple operation. All their few belongings, consisting of extra clothing, trappings, weapons,
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: and their treasured skulls and bones of victims, were strapped
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: to the backs of the women. Orthus and I each
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: bestrode a warrior detailed by Gavago for the purpose of
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: transporting us, and we filed out of the village, leaving
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: the huts behind. Gavago with a half dozen warriors, galloped
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: far ahead. Then came a strong detachment of warriors with
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: the women folks behind them, another detachment of warriors following
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: in the rear of the women and children, while others
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: rode upon either flank. A mile or so in the
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: rear came three warriors, and there were two or three
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: scattered far out on either flank. Thus we moved thoroughly
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: protected against surprise, regulating our speed by that of the
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: point with which Gaurag traveled. Because of the women and
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: the children, we moved more slowly than warriors do when
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: on the march alone, when they seldom, if ever, traveled
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: slower than a trot, and more generally at a fast gallop.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: We moved along a well worn trail, passing several deserted
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: villages from which the prey of the Novans had fled.
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: We crossed many rivers, for the lunar world is well watered.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: We skirted several lakes, and at one point of high
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: ground I saw far at our left the waters of
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: what appeared to be a great ocean. There was never
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: a time when Arthus and I were not plentifully supplied
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: with food, for there is an abundance of it growing
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: throughout all the territory we crossed. But the Novans had
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: been without flesh for several days, and were in consequence
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: mad with hunger, as the fruits and vegetables which they
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: ate seemed not to satisfy them at all. We were
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: moving along at a brisk trot, when without warning we
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: were struck by a sudden gust of wind that swept
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: cold and refreshing down from some icy mountain fastness. The
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: effect upon the Novans was electrical. I would not have
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: had to understand their language to realize that they were terrified.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: They looked apprehensively about and increased their speed, as though
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: endeavoring to overtake Gavago, who was now far ahead with
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: the point. A moment later, a dash of rain struck us,
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: and then it was every man for himself, and the
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: devil take behind most. As they broke into a wild
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: stampede to place themselves close to their chief. Their hysterical
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: flight was like the terrorized rush of wild cattle. They
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: jostled and tripped one another, and stumbled and fell and
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: trembled upon in their haste to escape. Old Gavago had
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: stopped with his point and was waiting for us. Those
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: who accompanied him seemed equally terrified with the rest, but Evidently,
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: they did not dare run until Gavago gave the word.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: I think, however, that they all felt safer when they
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: were close to him, for they had a great deal
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: of confidence in him. Yet they were still pretty badly frightened,
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: and it would not have taken much to have set
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: them off again into another route. Gavago waited until the
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: last of the rear guards straggled in, and then he
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: set off directly toward the mountains, the entire tribe moving
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: in a compact mass. Though they might have fallen easy
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: prey to an ambush or any sudden attack, they knew, however,
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: what I have guessed that, knowing that their enemies were
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: as terrified of the storm as they, there was little
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: danger of their being attacked none whatever. In fact, we
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: came at last to a hillside covered with great trees,
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: which offered some protection from both the wind and the rain,
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: which had now arisen to the proportion of a hurricane.
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: As we came to a halt, I slipped from the
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: back of the warrior who had been carrying me, and
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: found myself beside one of the women who had taught
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: Orthursen me the language of the Bagas why is everyone
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: so terrified? I asked her. It is Zoel, she whispered, fearfully,
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: he is angry. Who is zola All? I asked. She
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: looked at me in wide eyed astonishment. Who is so All?
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: She repeated. They told me that you said that you
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: came from another world, and I can well believe it
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: when you ask who is Zoel? Well, who is he?
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: I insisted. He is a great beast, she whispered. He
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: is everywhere. He lives in all the great holes in
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: the ground. And when he is angry, he comes forth
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: and makes the water fall on the air right away.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: We know that there is no water up there, and
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: she pointed toward the sky. But when zo All is angry,
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: he makes water fall from where there is no water.
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: So mighty is o All, And he makes the air
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: to run away, so that the trees fall before it
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: as it rushes past, and huts are not flat or
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: carried high above the ground. And then, oh, terror of terrors,
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: he makes a great noise, before which mighty warriors fall
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: upon the ground and cover up their ears. We have
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: angered soo All, and he is punishing us, and I
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: do not dare to ask him not to send the
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: big noise. It was at that instant that there broke
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: upon my ears the most terrific detonation that I have
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: ever heard. So terrific was it that I thought my
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: ear drums had burst, And simultaneously a great ball of
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: fire seemed to come rolling down from the mountain heights
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: above us. The woman covering her ears shuddered, and when
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: she saw the ball of fire she voiced a piercing shriek.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: The light that devours, she cried, When that comes to
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: it is the end? For then is thou all mad
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: with rage? The ground shook to the terrifying noise, and
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: though the ball of fire did not pass close to us,
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: still could I feel the heat of it, even as
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: it went by at a distance, leaving a trail of
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: blackened and smoking vegetation in its rear. What flames there were?
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: The torrential rain extinguished almost immediately. It must have traveled
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: about ten miles down toward the sea, across rolling hills
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: and level valleys, when suddenly it bursts, the explosion being
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: followed by a report infinitely louder than that which I
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: had first heard. An earthquake could scarce have agitated the
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: ground more terrifyingly than did this peal of lunar thunder.
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: I had witnessed my first lunar election trical storm, and
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: I did not wonder that the inhabitants of this strange
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: world were terrified by it. They attribute these storms, as
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: they do all their troubles, to Zol, a great beast
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: which is supposed to dwell in the depth of the
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: lunar craters, the lower ends of which open into the
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: interior lunar world. As we cowered there among the trees,
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: I wondered if they were not afraid that the wind
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: would blow the forest down and crush them. And I
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: asked the woman who stood beside me. Yes, she said
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: that often happens, but more often does it happen? That
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: if one is caught in a clearing, the air that
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: runs away picks him up and carries him along to
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: drop him from a great height upon the hard ground.
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: The trees bend before they break, and those who watch
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: are warned, and they escape destruction if they are quick.
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: When the wind that runs seizes one, there is no escape,
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: it seems to me. I said that it would have
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: been safer if Gavago had led us into one of
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: those sheltered ravines, and I indicated a gorge in the
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: hillside at our right. No, she said, Gavago is wise.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: He led us to the safest spot. We are sheltered
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: from the air that runs away, and perhaps a little
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: from the light that devours. Nor can the waters that
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: drown reach us here, for presently they will fill that
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: ravine full. Nor was she wrong. Rushing down from the hillside,
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: the water poured in torrents into the ravine, and presently,
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: though it must have been twenty or thirty feet deep,
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: it was filled, almost overflowing. Whoever had sought refuge there
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: would have been drowned and washed away to the big
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: ocean far below. It was evident that Kavaco had not
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: been actuated solely by blind terror, though I came to
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: know that he must have felt terror, for these terrible
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: electrical storms alone can engender it in the breast of
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: these fearless and ferocious people. The storm must have lasted
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: for a considerable time. How long, of course, I do
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: not know, but some idea of its duration may be
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: gained by the fact that I became hungry and ate
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: of the fruit of the trees which sheltered us. At
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: least six times, and slept twice. We were soaked to
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: the skin and very cold, for the rain evidently came
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: from a great altitude. During the entire storm, the nvons
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: scarcely moved from their positions under the trees with their
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: backs towards the storm, where they stood with lowered heads
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: like cattle. We experienced twelve detonations of the ground shaking thunder,
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: and witnessed six manifestations of the light that devours. Trees
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: had fallen all about us, and as far as we
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: could see, the grasses lay flat and matted upon the ground.
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: They told me that storms of the severity of this
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: were infrequent, though rain and wind accompanied by electrical manifestations
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: might be expected at any season of the year. I
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: use that expression from habit, for one can scarcely say
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: that there are any well marked seasonal changes within the
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: moon that could indicate corresponding divisions of time as upon
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: the Earth from what I was able to gather from
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: observation and from questioning of the vagas Lunar vegetation reproduces
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: itself entirely independent of any seasonal restrictions. The frequency and
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: temperature of the rains having seemingly the greatest influence in
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: the matter. A period of drought and cold rains retards
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: growth and germination, while frequent warm rains have an opposite effect,
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: the result being that you find vegetation of the same
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: variety in all stages of development, growing side by side,
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: blossoms upon one tree, fruit upon another, and the dry
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: seed pods upon a third. Not even Therefore, by the
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: growth of plant life might one measure time within the moon.
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: And the period of gestation among the Vavas is similarly irregular,
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: being affected by the physical condition of the female as
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: well as by climatic conditions. I imagine, when the tribe
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: is well fed and the weather warm, the warriors victorious,
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: and the minds of the women at peace, they bring
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: forth their young in an incredibly short period. On the
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: other hand, a period of cold, or of hunger, or
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: of long marches following defeat induces an opposite result. It
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: seems to me that the females nurse their young for
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: a very short period of time, for they grow rapidly,
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: and as soon as their molars are through and they
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: can commence eating meat, they are weaned. They are devilish
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: little rascals. Their youthful exuberance, finding its outlet in acts
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: of fiendish cruelty. As they are not strong enough to
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: to inflict their tortures on adults, they perpetrate them upon
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: one another, with the result that the weaker are often
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: killed after they are weaned and have left the protection
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: of their savage mothers. Of course, they tried to play
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: some of their fiendish tricks on Orthusen myself, but after
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: we had knocked a few of them down, they left
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: us severely alone. During the storm, they huddled, shivering and
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: cold against the adults. Possibly I should be ashamed to
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: say it, but I felt no pity for them, and
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: rather prayed that they would all be chilled to death.
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: So hateful and wantonly cruel were they. As they become adults,
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: they are less wanton in their atrocities, though no less cruel,
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: their energies, however, being intelligently directed upon the two vital
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: interests of their lives, procuring flesh and women. Shortly after
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: the rain ceased, the wind began to abate, and as
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: I was cold, cramped, and uncomfort I walked out into
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: the open in search of exercise that would stimulate my
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: circulation and warm me again. As I walked briskly to
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: and fro, looking here and there at the evidences of
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: the recent storm, my glance chanced to rise toward the sky,
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: and there I saw what appeared at first to be
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: a huge bird, a few hundred feet above the forest
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: in which we had sought shelter. It was flapping its
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: great wings weakly, and seemed to be almost upon the
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: verge of exhaustion. And though I could see that it
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: was attempting to fly back in the direction of the mountains,
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: the force of the wind was steadily carrying it in
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: the direction of the lowlands and the sea. Presently it
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: would be directly above me, And as it drew nearer,
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: I knit my brows in puzzlement, for, except for its
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: wings and what appeared to be a large hump upon
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: its back, its form or a striking resemblance to that
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: of a human being. Some of the Novaans evidently saw
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: me looking upwards thus interestedly, and prompted by curiosity, joined me.
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: When they saw the creature flying weakly overhead, they set
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: up a great noise, until presently all the tribe had
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: run into the open and were looking up at the
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: thing above us. The wind was lessening rapidly, but it
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: still was strong enough to carry the creature gently toward us,
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: and at the same time I perceived that whatever it was,
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: it was falling slowly to the ground, or more correctly,
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: sinking slowly. What is it, I asked of the warrior
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: standing beside me. It is a yuga, he replied, Now
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: shall we eat? I had seen no birds in the
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: lunar world, and as I knew they would not eat
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: the flying reptiles, I guessed that this must be some
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: species of bird life. But as it dropped closer, I
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: became more and more convinced that it was a winged
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: human being, or at least a winged creature with human
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: fans form. As it fluttered toward the ground, the Novannes
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: ran along to meet it, waiting for it to fog
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: within reach. As they did so, Gavago called to them
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: to bring the creature to him, alive and unharmed. I
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: was about a hundred yards from the spot when the
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: poor thing finally fell into their clutches. They dragged it
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: to the ground roughly, and a moment later I was
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: horrified to see them tear its wings from it and
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: the hump from its back. There was a great deal
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: of grumbling at Gavago's orders, as following the storm and
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: the long fast, the tribe was ravenously hungry flesh flesh,
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: they growled, we are hungry, Give us fresh. But Gavago
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: paid no attention to them, standing to one side beneath
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: the tree, awaiting the prisoner that they were bringing toward him.
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: End of Chapter five, recording by Thomas Copeland