The Glasgow courier., 1915-08-27
CHAPTER l..

smooth. brOnzed skin, moved
silently through the jungle
primevaL
His handsome head, with its shoch
Of black hair. roughly cropped between
sharpened stones. was high held, the
delicate nostrils questioning each VI
grant breeze for word Of 90, hunte,
Of men,
Now his trained senses catch the
familiar odor Of Ia. the great woolly
rhinocer0s. directly in his path. bu,
M. the son Of M. does not hunt Ia
this day. Does not the hide Of Tas
brother already hang before the en-
trance to NUS cave?
No; today M hunts the gigantic
cat, the fierce. saber toothed tiger, 90
for Nat-ul. wondrous daughter Of old
Tha. will mate with none but the
mightiest Of hunters
Only 50 recently AZ the last dark
ness. as. beneath the great, equatorial
moon, the two had walked hand in
hand beside the restless sea. she had
made It quite plain to M. the son Of
M. that not even he. son Of the chiet
Of chiefs. could claim her unless there
hung at the thong Of his loin cloth the
fangs Of 90.
''Nat.ul." she had said to him. wish
men. She loves M now better than
her life. but If love is to walk at her
side during life. pride and respect
must walk with it."
Her slender hand reached up to
stroke the young giants black hair.
Il am proud Of Nu." she continued.
"Among the young men Of the tribe
there Is no greater hunter or No
mightier fighter than M. the son OF
M. Should you. single handed. slay
% before grown mans beard has
darkened your cheek none will be
greater in all the world than Nat-ul's
mate. M. the son Of NJ"
The young man was still sensible to
the sound of her soft voice and the
caress Of her gentle touch upon his
brow. Even al these things had sent
him speeding forth into the jungle in
search Of 90 while the day was still
so young that the night prowling
beasts were yet abroad. so they urged
him forward deeper and deeper into
the dark and trackless mazes Of the
tangled forest
A he forged on the scent of Ia be
came stronger, until at last the huge
ungainly beast loomed large before
NUS eyes.
He was standing In a little clearing
In deep. rank jungle grasses. and had
he not been head on toward Nu he
would not have seen him. since even
his hearing was far too dull to appre
bend the noiseless tread Of the cave
man moving lightly up wind.
As the tiny. bloodshot eyes Of the
primordial beast discovered the man.
the great head went down and tn. III
natured and bellicose progenitor Of the
equally Ill natured and bellicose rhin.
oceros of the twentieth century. charg
ed the little giant who had disturbed
his antedtluvian meditation.
The creatures great bulk and awk
ward. uncouth lines belied his speed.
for he tore cyclonically down upon M
and had not the brain and muscle Of
the troglodyte been fitted by heritage
and training to the successful meet.
Ing OF such emergencies there would
be no tale to tell today Of M. the son
Of M.
But the young man was prepared.
and. turning. he ran with the swiftness
OF a hare toward the nearest tree. q
huge. arboreal fern. towering upon tho
verge of the little clearing.
Like cat. the man ran up the per.
pendicular bole. his hands and feet
seeming barely to touch the project
ing knobs marking the remains Of for
mer fr0nds which converted the tower
ing stem into an easy stairway for
such as he.
About NUS neck his stone tipped
spear hung by its rawhide thong
down his back. while stone Ratchet and
stone knife dangled from his gee string.
giving him free use Of his hands for
climbing. You or l. having once gain.
ed the seeming safety Of theolowest
fronds Of the great tree. dfty feet
above the ground. might have heaved Q
great Sigh Of relief that we had thus
easily escaped the hideous monster be-
meath But not 20 M. who was wise
to the ways Of the creatures OF biz. 70
mote age.
Not one whit did he abate his speed
as he neared the lowest branch. nor did
ne even waste precious second In q
/. downward glance at his enemy. What
need tndeed7 Did be not know pre-
ctsely what Ia would do?
Instead. he swung. monkey-iike. to d
broad leaf. and. though the chancea be
took would have paled the face Of a
brave man today. they did not cause
M even to hesitate as he ran lightly
and swiftly along the bending. sway
ing frond. leaping just at the right In
stant toward the bole Of q nearby jun
gle giant