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He asked me who I was, from whence I came and what my intentions were. I

replied that I was a stranger in Caspak, that I was lost and that my only desire

was to find my way back to my companions. He asked where they were and I told

him toward the south somewhere, using the Caspakian phrase which, literally

translated, means "toward the beginning." His surprise showed upon his face

before he voiced it in words. "There are no Galus there," he said.

"I tell you," I said angrily, "that I am from another country, far from Caspak, far

beyond the high cliffs. I do not know who the Galus may be; I have never seen

them. This is the farthest north I have been. Look at me--look at my clothing and

my weapons. Have you ever seen a Galu or any other creature in Caspak who

possessed such things?"

He had to admit that he had not, and also that he was much interested in me, my

rifle and the way I had handled his three warriors. Finally he became half

convinced that I was telling him the truth and offered to aid me if I would show

him how I had thrown the man over my head and also make him a present of the

"bang-spear," as he called it. I refused to give him my rifle, but promised to show

him the trick he wished to learn if he would guide me in the right direction. He

told me that he would do so tomorrow, that it was too late today and that I might

come to their village and spend the night with them. I was loath to lose so much

time; but the fellow was obdurate, and so I accompanied them. The two dead

men they left where they had fallen, nor gave them a second glance--thus cheap

is life upon Caspak.

These people also were cave-dwellers, but their caves showed the result of a

higher intelligence that brought them a step nearer to civilized man than the tribe

next "toward the beginning." The interiors of their caverns were cleared of

rubbish, though still far from clean, and they had pallets of dried grasses covered

with the skins of leopard, lynx, and bear, while before the entrances were barriers

of stone and small, rudely circular stone ovens. The walls of the cavern to which

I was conducted were covered with drawings scratched upon the sandstone.

There were the outlines of the giant red-deer, of mammoths, of tigers and other

beasts. Here, as in the last tribe, there were no children or any old people. The

men of this tribe had two names, or rather names of two syllables, and their

language contained words of two syllables; whereas in the tribe of Tsa the words

were all of a single syllable, with the exception of a very few like Atis and Galus.

The chief's name was To-jo, and his household consisted of seven females and

himself. These women were much more comely, or rather less hideous than

those of Tsa's people; one of them, even, was almost pretty, being less hairy and

having a rather nice skin, with high coloring.

The Land That Time Forgot