the sky might have fallen in just then; anything might have happened and pic would not have noticed it. he had no thought of aught but the one happiness that filled his heart to bursting—kutnar was found. the pursuit through southwestern france, the long journey across the pyrenees, the terrible cold; all were set aside and forgotten for this supreme moment—one of the most blissful he had ever known. for a time, nothing was said. father and son sat in the cave-entrance, holding each other tightly as though they would never let go. kutnar wept silent tears. he had played the part of a man well, but once more under the protection of his powerful sire, the reaction was overwhelming and he was but a baby boy, tired and homesick and so glad to be again with the one he loved best.
when the first joy of meeting was over, pic drifted back to earth. “what were you doing in that hole?” he asked.
kutnar told of his escape from castillo and the various events leading to it. everything bespoke the muskman’s perfidy and cruelty. pic’s face became adamant as the tale of gonch’s duplicity gradually unfolded itself. driven to desperation,[196] the boy had turned upon the traitor, who must have by this time breathed his last.
“i could tell you more,” said pic, “but what you already know is enough. however, it would seem that what my boy has suffered has made him bear himself as well or better than a man. and this gonch; are you quite sure he is dead?”
to this kutnar replied: “no, i do not feel at all sure. when i left him lying in the bushes he still breathed. something warned me to make an end of the ruffian, but i could not summon courage to deal the death-stroke.”
pic fidgeted uneasily. “it would have been wiser had you shown him no mercy,” he said; “but you did well and i am proud of you. now i am going to treat you to a pleasant surprise. you see, i did not come alone. the mammoth and rhinoceros are near at hand and waiting for us to meet them.”
while saying this, he was on his feet striding to the edge of the cave-threshold with kutnar by his side. suddenly he uttered an imprecation and withdrew hastily into the grotto, dragging the boy with him. “your enemies! i had forgotten them,” he said. “agh; let us hope they have not seen us.”
vain hope; he had jumped back quickly, but too late. several groups of men stood apart from each other at the foot of the eastern and southern declivities. they were waving their clubs and pointing upward to the cave. as pic endeavored to conceal himself, a chorus of howls floated to his ears and[197] he saw human figures scrambling up the steep ascent. for an instant he stood irresolute. if fight he must, he could not choose a better position than the one he now held. he was but one against many; how many? he gazed down at his enemies; here, there and everywhere. they seemed to be coming in swarms. he was a giant, past master with the flint-ax, but there were limits as to what one man could do. a sudden change came over him. his eyes blazed death. he bared his teeth and his features became those of a gorilla, tracked to his lair by the hunters and brought to bay. he beat his great chest with one clenched hand, while with the other he shook his ax at the men below him. he howled furiously. four-score throats gave answer. the several groups of men had by this time spread out and joined each other in a long, thin line. single figures were hastening toward the western slope to extend that line. they moved fast. the path westward was still open; soon it would be closed. there at the far end of it awaited the mammoth and rhinoceros. pic was but one man pitting himself against a host. even in his fury, he saw the better part of wisdom.
“quick, run!” he cried, pointing to the west. “once with our friends, we can laugh at any number of these wretches.” so away they scurried along the mountain side, while their pursuers, observing them, hastened around in the same direction to cut them off.
hairi and wulli were standing motionless on[198] the western side of the mountain and to the north. they heard shouts and cries and saw two men running toward them along the heights. while they were wondering why there should be two instead of one, more men appeared, a crowd of them, also coming head on, but from farther down. what did it all mean? it would seem that the two were being set upon by many. if so, one of the fugitives must be pic. although uneasy and not knowing just what to expect, they kept close watch and waited until the time came to take some action.
so engrossed were they in the two men and their pursuers, they had no eyes for something far above their heads. the mountain at whose base they stood, ascended gradually to the scarp—a precipitous rock-wall whose craggy pinnacles were lost above the morning brume. apparently none but birds or the chamois and ibex among beasts could have found a footing upon its glabrous surface. but there crouched a man. none knew of his presence except himself. in the grey dawn he had crawled part way down the wall to hide where none dared come; none but one unusually sure-footed and possessed of a clear head. the man was gonch.
he had journeyed by the early morning light from the northern side of the mountain where lived the cave-men of castillo. a night’s rest and realization that he was still alive, had given him renewed strength and courage. he had been so bold as to creep half-way down the scarp, where even[199] on the smooth rock, occasional rugged projections and crevices gave him a chance to hold tightly on. he had paused to rest temporarily before descending further to where the wall leaned outward, forming a canopy or shelter over a ledge at the base of the scarp. while resting and wondering what the day had in store for him, suddenly he espied two large animals standing motionless far down the mountain slope beneath him. he recognized them as the mammoth and woolly rhinoceros. his face blanched. “how did they come there?” he muttered, gazing far and wide over the country below him. at that moment he heard distant cries and two human figures hove in sight. they were running swiftly toward him from the south and along the mountain side. more figures followed, many of them coming from farther down the slopes.
as the two figures drew nearer he recognized one of them, who led by several yards. the other who followed was a much larger man—a giant of herculean build. gonch grasped the whole situation—at least he thought he did. kutnar had been overtaken and was now being hotly pursued by the castillan horde. the larger of the two men—presumably totan—was on the verge of capturing the youth. gonch looked on, growing more and more impatient as the latter drew nearer to his animal-friends. what ailed the hetman? why did he not seize or strike down his quarry. “agh, clumsy dunce,” he muttered. “soon you will be too late.[200] strike, strike while you have the chance.” but the supposed totan kept on as before, following kutnar closely, but making no effort to kill or capture him. “pig, lubber,” thought the muskman. “your folly will spoil everything. it is time for me to take a hand and make an end of it.”
he looked about him. there were several partly detached stone-blocks within his reach. he chose the largest and pulled it loose. the rock went bounding down the face of the scarp. he found another and another and tore them from the wall. they in their descent dislodged other blocks and the stream of them crashed and bounded down upon the mammoth and rhinoceros. the latter heard and saw the oncoming avalanche and immediately flew into a panic. squealing and bellowing with fear, they turned tail and dashed away, with the storm of rocks sweeping close behind them.
gonch laughed wolfishly as he saw them go. he had meant to destroy them, and although this plan failed, there was some satisfaction in knowing that the next best thing was accomplished. kutnar now need expect no assistance from his friends. the man and boy slowed up as the storm of rocks swept down the mountain side. they saw the two beasts gallop madly away. on the heights lay pic’s only chance for fighting off the man-pack. it was then that he caught sight of the ledge and its protecting canopy at the base of the scarp.
“to the rock,” he panted, and kutnar turned to the right, with pic after him. gonch could now[201] see the boy’s features; mouth open and nostrils dilated with excitement and fatigue. it was then that he also got a clear view of the man; the supposed totan. it was but a fleeting glimpse, for the man and boy had already passed from his sight beneath the shelter, but in those few moments he learned his first mistake. it was not totan but the giant mousterian weapon maker, the man whom gonch feared more than anything on earth. cold sweat exuded from every pore of the muskman’s body. his knees shook and he clutched the rocks to save himself from falling. then came the reaction, as he saw the castillan horde coming rapidly toward him. gonch wiped the cold dew from his brow and laughed hideously. he was safe from pic’s wrath and soon he would be forever rid of his most dreaded enemy. he descended the rock-wall until he stood over the ledge where he could hear, although not see, all of the tragedy about to be enacted. from this elevated position he watched the men of castillo complete their enveloping movement. all chance of the fugitives’ escape was now gone. the cave-men came swarming up the slope in a wide semi-circle, baying like hounds. gradually the wings of the line converged as those on the two extreme ends rushed toward each other. those in the center drew closer together and moved forward to meet the wings. thus the human net slowly contracted upon its prey—kutnar the boy, and pic, hetman and weapon maker of the mousterians.
