Page:The further side of silence (IA furthersideofsil00clifiala).pdf/95

 against no matter what odds, and had the two been alone it would, in that hour, have gone ill with the Chief.

The latter's armed youths surged up around their tottering master, and the coward felt his courage returning to him when he realized that they were at hand.

No word was spoken for a little space, as the enemies eyed one another; but Mînah, crouching close to Dâman's mother, whimpered miserably, though a thrill of love and admiration ran through her as she marked the bearing of her man.

Suddenly Kria, who stood a little to the right of the Chief, raised his arm in the act to throw, and the intense sunlight flashed for a moment on the naked blade of a spear—a spear with a silver hasp which, until recently, had been the property of Dâman's father. Kria's eye sought that of the Chief, and the latter signalled to him to use his weapon. Immediately the long spear, with its shining blade, flew forward with incredible velocity, like a snake in the act of striking; but Dâman leaped aside, and the missile hissed harmlessly past him.

"Strike with the paralyzer," yelled the Chief; and at the word one of his youths ran forward and stabbed swiftly and repeatedly at Dâman with a long, uncanny-looking weapon. It was a very long forked spear, with two sharp blades, barbed and of unequal length; and in spite of Dâman's frantic efforts to avoid the thrusts of his assailant, the longer of the two points was presently driven deep into his