ll, he was
near to wrenching himself free. But other men of the tribe, seeing
from the Chief's action that their bitterness against Grom had
been unjustified, and remembering his past services, ran up and
took a hand in reducing Mawg to submission. For a few seconds Grom
looked on contemptuously; then he turned on his heel and followed
the Chief, as if he did not hold his rival worth a further thought.
Mawg struggled to his feet. Grom had disappeared. But his eyes fell
on the figure of A-ya, slim and brown and tall, standing in the
entrance of the near-by cave. He made as if to rush upon her, but a
bunch of men stood in the way, plainly ready to stop him. He looked at
his kinsmen, but they hung their heads sullenly. Blind with fury
though he was, and slow of wit, he could not but see that the tribe
as a whole was now against him. Stuttering with his rage, he shouted
to the girl, "You will see me again!" Snatching up his club and
spears, he rushed forth from the amphitheater, darted down the slope,
and plunged into the thick woods beyond the brook. His kinsmen
withdrew sullenly into their cave, followed by two young women. And
the rest of the people looked at each other doubtfully, troubled at
this sudden schism in the weakened tribe.

"One more good warrior gone!" muttered an old man through his bush of
matted white beard.

That night Grom was too wary to sleep, suspecting that his enemy might
return and try to snatch the girl from him under the cover of the
dark.

He was not attacked or disturbed, however, but just before dawn,
against the gray pallor beyond the mouth of the pass, he marked four
shapes slinking forth. As they did not return, he did not think it
worth while to raise the alarm. When day came, it was found that two
kinsmen of Mawg, with the two young women who were attached to them,
had fled to join the deserter in the bush. The Chief, indignant at
this further weakening of the tribe, declared them outlaws, and
ordered that all--except the women, who were needed as mothers--should
be killed as tribal traitors, at sight.

III

As was natural since he was trying to present a totally new
conception, with no known analogies save in the lightning and the sun,
Grom found it impossible to convey to the Chief's mind any real idea
of the nature of his tremendous discovery. He did succeed, however, in
making it clear to Bawr that there was a certain mighty Bright One,
capable of putting even the saber-too