The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-04
(For publication Maye)
copyright. 1897. by III. G. Wells.1
SYNOPSIS

Fifty thousand years ago-in the child
hood Of the human race-there dweIt
tribe along what Is now the river Wey In
England. Of which the cunning andscrafty
Uya Is the chief. Uya is much attracted by
Eudena, one of tho fairest maidens of the
tribe, but the girl Is afraid OF him and
keeps out Of bis way. The chief becomes
Jealous OF ugh-lomi ono of the young
men. because Eudena shows preference
for him. One night Uya marks ush-lomi
with tho death-word, which means that
the next day the tribe must hunt the young
man down and Kill him. The next day
Ush-lomi aud Eudena are together. when
sudd0uly they see the whole tribe coming
towards them. leaping and crying. In
fash they understand. and hand In hand
they start to fiee before the pursuers.
PART III.
They ran straight-it was their only
chance-taking whatever ground came
In the way-a spread of stinging net
ties, an open glade, clump of grass
out of which a hyena fled snarling.
Behind them the chase trailed out and
scattered, with Uya ever at their heels.
Eudena kept the first place, running
light and with her breath easy, for Ugh
lomi carried the Fire Stone in his hand.
1t told on his pace-not at first, but
after n 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 10 strike him down.
Wau and the others were but just emerg-
ing from the shadow of the woods.
Seeing Ugh-lomi in peril, Eudena ran
sideways, looking back, threw up her
arms and cried aloud, just as the antler
flow. And young Ugh-lomi, expecting
this and understanding her cry, ducked
his head, SD that the missile merely
struck his scalp lightly, making but
trivial wound, and flew over him. He
turned forthwith, the quartzite Fire
Stone in both hands, and hurled it
straight at Uya's body as he ran loose
from the throw. Uya shouted, but
could not dodge it, 1t took him under
the ribs, heavy and fiat, and he reeled
and went down without cry. Ugh
ioni caught up the antler-one tine of
II was tipped with his own blood-and
came running on again with a red
trickle just coming out of his hair.
IVA rolled over twice, and lay mo-
ment before he got up, and then he did
not run fast. The color of his face was
changed. Wau overlook him, and then
Others. and he coughed and labored in
his breath. But he kept on.
At last the two fugitives gained the
bank OF the river, where the stream ran
deep and narrow. and they still hao fifty
wards in hand of Wau. the foremost pur-
suer. the man who made the shifting
stones. He carried one, large flint,
the shape of an oyster and double the
size, Clipped to chisel edge, in either
hand.
They sprang down the steep bank into
the stream, rushed through the water,
swan the deep current in two or three
strokes, and came out wading again,
dripping and refreshed, to Chamber up
the further bank. 1t was undermined,
and with willows growing thiclxly there
from, so that it needed clambering.
And while Eudena was still among the
silvery branches and Ugh-lomi still in
the water-for the antler had encnm-
bered him--Wau came up against the
sky on the opposite bank, and the smii-
ing stone, thrown cunningly, took the
side of Eudena's knee. She struggled
TO the top and fell.
They heard the pursuers shout to one
another, and Ugh-lomi, climbing 10
her and moving jerLily to mar Wau's
aim, felt the second shifting stone Craze
his ear. and heard the water splashing
below him.
Then IL was Ugh-lomi, the STRIPPING,
proved himself TO have come TO mans
estate. For running on he found Eu-
dena fell behind, limping, and at that
he turned and, crying savagely and with
a face terrible with sudden wrath and
trickIing blood, ran swiftly past her
back 10 the bank, whirling the antler
round his head. And Eudena kept on,
running stoutly still, though she must
needs limp at every step, and the pain
was already sharp.
So that Wau, rising over the edge
and clutching the straight willow
branches, saw Ugh-lomi towering over
him, gigantic against the blue; saw his
whole body swing round, and the grip
of his hands upon the antler. The edge
of the antler came sweeping through
the air, and he saw no more. The wa
ter under the osiers whirled and eddied
and went crimson six feet down the
stream. Uya following, stopped knee
high across the stream, and the man
who was swimming turned about.
The other men who trailed after
they were none of them very mighty
men (for Uya was more cunning than
strong, brooking no sturdy rivals),
s,ackened momentarily at the sight of
Jgh-lomi standing there above the will
lows. bloody and terrible, between
them and the halting girl, with the huge
nntlcr waving in his hand. IL seemed
as though he had gone into the water
youth, and come out of it man full
grown.
lie knew what there was behind him.