He cut diagonally across the open space and dashed into a wide-mouthed
cave.
I lay facing the opening of the
cave and where I could see the short stretch of trail which lay between the
cave and the turn of the cliff around which the trail led.
As we talked we had been approaching the entrance to the
cave, and as we crossed the threshold I ceased to wonder that the ancient green enemies of the yellow men had been halted by the horrors of that awful way.
Gathering a number of stones into a little pile beside the mouth of the
cave I waited the advance of the Sagoths.
It would be complete, how- ever, as soon as the messenger dispatched with the great news to the
cave should get the word to her husband.
But the arrows of the invaders were taking a much heavier toll than the nooses of the defenders and I fore-saw that it was but a matter of time before Hooja's forces must conquer unless the brute-men changed their tactics, or the
cave men tired of the battle.
We found a tiny
cave in the rock bank, so hidden away that only chance could direct a beast of prey to it, and after we had eaten of the deer-meat and some fruit which Ajor gathered, we crawled into the little hole, and with sticks and stones which I had gathered for the purpose I erected a strong barricade inside the entrance.
Till the animals that have entered your
cave come out again I prefer to remain in the open air."
Now just at midnight, every night, the lost heiress stood in the mouth of her
cave, arrayed in white robes, and sang a little love ballad which her Crusader had made for her.
Now while he lay and wondered, the mouth of the
cave was darkened, and through it entered that same lad who had done battle with the lioness and been overthrown by her, bearing a dead buck upon his shoulders.
Well, if you come to think of it there are eighteen
cave openings on the hill-side above us."
And verily, we spake and thought long enough together ere Zarathustra came home to his
cave, for me not to be unaware that we ARE different.