Mothers gathered their babies in their arms and fled
toward the gates as they saw the horrid horde pouring into the
village street. Kovudoo marshaled his fighting men about him and,
leaping and yelling to arouse their courage, offered a bristling,
spear tipped front to the charging horde.
Korak, as he had led the march, led the charge. The blacks were
struck with horror and dismay at the sight of this white-skinned
youth at the head of a pack of hideous baboons. For an instant
they held their ground, hurling their spears once at the advancing
multitude; but before they could fit arrows to their bows they
wavered, gave, and turned in terrified rout. Into their ranks,
upon their backs, sinking strong fangs into the muscles of their
necks sprang the baboons and first among them, most ferocious, most
blood-thirsty, most terrible was Korak, The Killer.
At the village gates, through which the blacks poured in panic,
Korak left them to the tender mercies of his allies and turned
himself eagerly toward the hut in which Meriem had been a prisoner.
It was empty. One after another the filthy interiors revealed
the same disheartening fact--Meriem was in none of them.
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