Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 66: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Oey 700 to tell you. The girl—her name is Azeela. Toroh took two of his dogs and his sled and went away after about a week. He was gone a month. During that month I stayed docilely in the house. I saw many opportunities when I might have escaped. But now I would not, without taking Azeela, and I could not expose her to such danger as always seemed imminent. “I must have convinced them all that I was harmless. No one paid me great at- tention except the woman—Koa. Often I would see her peering furtively at me from some distant doorway. Azeela soon became friendly, and since we both had nothing to do, she devoted her- self to learning my language. I tried to learn hers and failed miserably. But she picked mine up with extraordinary rapidity. Perhaps because her mind was quicker— her memory more retentive. And I think also because she had behind her the in- herited instincts of knowledge through ail the centuries from my own time-world for- ward. “At all events, within the month she could talk my English freely enough for us to get along—with a quaint little accent wholly indescribable.” “Your English!” exclaimed the Doctor. “Was her language English also?” “Yes, sir. I think it was derived very nearly from the English we speak to-day. Mine was, to her—merely archaic. But hers, modern beyond my time, was too much for me. It was.an extraordinary story that Azeela had to tell me—as extraordinary as mine must have seemed to her. We became friends, and with her confidence came a re- newed desire on both our parts to escape. Her people were many hundred miles away. And when I told her of my plane, I very soon persuaded her to let me take her back tc her own country.” “‘Toroh hadn't Georgie put in. ‘*No. If it had not snowed so heavily that first night, the dogs would have led him back over my trail to it. But it was still safe, though I did not know it then; and the thought that it might have been found bothered me a lot I can tell you. “We decided to try and escape. Toroh found the plane?” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. was expected back any day. We spent a morning discussing it—planning it in detail. My weapons. were gone—Azeela did not know where they were. Bool had a cylinder of the blinding-flash—I call it that because their name for it would mean nothing to you. But we could not get it; he kept it always about his person. The woman, Koa, we did not think was armed—though she might have been. * Toroh had taken two of the dogs. There was one left, and almost continually it was pacing about the house outside. We realized that even if we succeeded in getting away with a few minutes start, the dog would follow and overtake us before we could reach the plane. ‘Bool was in one of the outbuildings nearly all that morning. Koa was moving about the house. We did not think she was listening to us; but she was, and evidently she had picked up something of my language —enough to give her the import of what we were discussing. ‘‘ She appeared suddenly, and with a fur- tive glance around, told Azeela she would help us escape. Azeela translated it to me, and the woman nodded grimly in confirma- tion. She was sorry for Azeela; and she hated Toroh sufficiently to want the girl out of his clutches. “ Koa’s plan was simple and it sounded eminently practical. She had no weapons, and did not know where any were, except those of her father, which she would not dare try to secure. But late that afternoon Bool would be in his room dozing. Koa would lock the dog in the kennel. Then we would be free to depart. “The sun was almost setting that day when Koa informed us that the time had come. We had restrained our excitement; Bool had apparently not noticed anything unusual in our outward appearance during the day. He had retired to his room as customary, and Koa had taken the dog away. ‘““T did not altogether trust Koa, and it made me shudder to think of taking Azeela outside and perhaps have the dog spring upon us from somewhere. But we had to chance it, and the woman seemed sincere. ‘““'We had searched the house as best we oO CORNICLOOKS seo