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"
Galu?" she asked with rising inflection.
And remembering that I read in Bowen's manuscript that Galu seemed to indicate
a higher type of man, I answered by pointing to myself and repeating the word.
Then she started off on a regular catechism, if I could judge by her inflection, for I
certainly understood no word of what she said. All the time the girl kept glancing
toward the forest, and at last she touched my arm and pointed in that direction.
Turning, I saw a hairy figure of a manlike thing standing watching 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
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