ching us,
and presently another and another emerged from the jungle and joined
the leader until there must have been at least twenty of them. They
were entirely naked. Their bodies were covered with hair, and though
they stood upon their feet without touching their hands to the ground,
they had a very ape-like appearance, since they stooped forward and had
very long arms and quite apish features. They were not pretty to look
upon with their close-set eyes, flat noses, long upper lips and
protruding yellow fangs.

"Alus!" said the girl.

I had reread Bowen's adventures so often that I knew them almost by
heart, and so now I knew that I was looking upon the last remnant of
that ancient man-race--the Alus of a forgotten period--the speechless
man of antiquity.

"Kazor!" cried the girl, and at the same moment the Alus came jabbering
toward us. They made strange growling, barking noises, as with much
baring of fangs they advanced upon us. They were armed only with
nature's weapons--powerful muscles and giant fangs; yet I knew that
these were quite sufficient to overcome us had we nothing better to
offer in defense, and so I drew my pistol and fired at the leader. He
dropped like a stone, and the others turned and fled. Once again the
girl smiled her slow smile and stepping closer, caressed the barrel of
my automatic. As she did so, her fingers came in contact with mine,
and a sudden thrill ran through me, which I attributed to the fact that
it had been so long since I had seen a woman of any sort or kind.

She said something to me in her low, liquid tones; but I could not
understand her, and then she pointed toward the north and started away.
I followed her, for my way was north too; but had it been south I still
should have followed, so hungry was I for human companionship in this
world of beasts and reptiles and half-men.

We walked along, the girl talking a great deal and seeming mystified
that I could not understand her. Her silvery laugh rang merrily when I
in turn essayed to speak to her, as though my language was the
quaintest thing she ever had heard. Often after fruitless attempts to
make me understand she would hold her palm toward me, saying, "Galu!"
and then touch my breast or arm and cry, "Alu, alu!" I knew what she
meant, for I had learned from Bowen's narrative the negative gesture
and the two words which she repeated. She meant that I was no Galu, as
I claimed, but an Alu, or speechless one.