When they had passed beyond the fringe of the clump of bushes, Dawn Drummond-Clayton and Bunduki needed only a single glance to know that their concern over the welfare of their borrowed mounts was well justified.
Because they had wished to make a closer examination of the band of quaggas and knowing that they could not ride near enough to do so without disturbing or frightening them, Dawn and Bunduki had left their banar-gatahs to graze on the banks of a small stream some fifty yards away from their place of concealment.
With a height slightly over fifteen hands, the two animals were marked by the numerous narrow black and white stripes peculiar to the Grevy’s sub-species of zebra, Equus Grevi. However, like the quaggas, their physical conformation suggested that they had been deliberately bred for riding. Each had had its low horned, double girthed saddle—similar to those employed on Earth by Texas cowhands—and bridle removed, but the hobbles fastened to the pasterns of the front hooves were further evidence of their domestication. Such devices were useful in that they allowed the wearer to walk slowly and perform its bodily functions without too much hindrance, but not to travel far or move speedily.
Under the present circumstances, the hobbles were putting the lives of the banar-gatahs in jeopardy by restricting their movements. Wild eyed and snorting their distress, they reared on their hind legs to flail the air with their front limbs in a futile attempt to burst the restraints upon them. It was to no avail and they were unable to flee from the animal which was approaching.
What was more—and worse—the hobbles rendered the banar-gatahs incapable of acting in a normal manner. In the wild, any creature which behaved unusually would attract the attention of predators. This was happening in their case. Seeing that they did not dash away even though aware of its presence, the creature which was moving towards them and causing their alarm thought they would be easy prey.
‘Oh lord!’ Dawn ejaculated, staring with horror at the animal which was menacing their mounts. ‘How can we stop it?’
There was, the blond giant silently conceded, good cause for the girl’s consternation and question.
Supplying an answer was easy enough!
Carrying it out would be far harder!
The predator was not one which could have been encountered on the plains of Africa. In fact, if anything, it was far more dangerous than any kind of carnivore to be found roaming at liberty on that continent. Not even the largest lion could have matched it in size, weight and strength. Nor, unless conditions were favorable, could a good-sized Nile crocodile have survived in a fight with it.
Almost eight feet in length—of which a mere three inches was tail—and a good half of that in height, the long, yellowish-brown hairs of the coat and various other physical features identified the predator as belonging to the California Coast sub-species of the North American grizzly bear which was designated Ursus Horribilis Californicus. The race’s great size, truculent temperament and predilection for eating meat—particularly that of easily caught domestic animals—had caused its extinction on Earth. From all appearances, those which had been transported to Zillikian still retained their forebears’ xv feeding habits.
Slouching forward, the distinctive lump on its shoulders giving it a decidedly humpbacked appearance, the bear was clearly hungry and meant to make a meal from one, or both, of the banar-gatahs. Furthermore, it was superbly equipped to carry out its intentions. Supported on a short, thick neck, the skull—with its small, rounded ears placed well back and wide apart—had a bluntish muzzle and a forehead which was so strongly elevated above the line of the face as to produce a somewhat concave profile. Long and narrow though the mouth might be, it was operated by very powerful muscles and armed with sharp canine teeth to augment the broad-crowned crushing molars. While it lacked the ability to open its jaws as wide as could a member of the canine or feline species, relatively speaking, this did not render it any less capable of delivering a severely damaging bite. The great claws on the forefeet, driven by the propulsion of the sturdy legs and the enormous strength of its massively built seven hundred and fifty pounds’ body made equally effective weapons.
Tackling such a formidable creature with only such primitive devices as the bows, arrows and knives—their excellent design and the superb quality of the materials from which they had been manufactured notwithstanding—was no task to be undertaken lightly.
There had been a growing tendency among certain professional naturalists and self-appointed authorities on conservation on Earth to try and foist on the public the belief that no animal was dangerous, or would think of attacking a human being without the most extreme provocation. According to the theories they propounded, the reputation of ferocity and aggression given to various animals was nothing but a tissue of lies created by sportsmen to justify hunting and killing.
Provided that Dawn and Bunduki had been willing to accept the ‘discoveries’ of some of the modern naturalists at face value, there was an absurdly simple and danger-free way for them to solve their dilemma. All they needed to do was advance boldly and shout at the grizzly bear who would be terrified of human beings and, anyway, would have no desire to harm them.
It was fortunate for the young couple that they appreciated the correct perspective of the naturalists’ explanations. They conceded that such behavior might happen on the planet of their birth, but realized it most certainly would not in the primitive world to which the “Suppliers” had transported them. Their knowledge did not stem out of studies made from the safety of a motor vehicle in a national park where the creatures were accustomed to human beings, and where radically changed living conditions had necessitated alterations in patterns of behavior. Furthermore, their instructors on Earth had been a family whose information had been gained by the practical experience of surviving for several decades among wild animals in completely natural, unaltered surroundings.
As Dawn and Bunduki were aware, the aggressive and dangerous animals which had been responsible for the sportsmen’s stories on Earth were killed while attacking. The more cautious members of their species, who would not otherwise have been capable of winning mates and breeding before the demise of the more domineering animals, fled and survived to pass on similar passive traits to their offspring. These in turn produced young which also adopted and furthered the precept that discretion was the better part of valor.
Such a state of affairs did not prevail on Zillikian. While the dangerous creatures were hunted, it was done with such primitive weapons that they had a far greater chance of survival than when in contention against firearms. Certainly the major carnivores of the planet in particular had little need to fear human beings and considered them to be as much an acceptable source of food as any of the more conventional animal prey.
Being fully conversant with the situation, Dawn and Bunkuki reluctantly accepted that in all probability they would have to kill the grizzly bear if they wanted to save the banar-gatahs from injury. With that in mind, the blond giant darted a quick look to where he and the girl had left their shoulder quivers and other property, leaning against the animals’ saddles. He decided against trying to reach the rigs before taking action.
Despite having had its excellent protective qualities demonstrated to him on more than one occasion recently, the blond giant realized that the Masai-style shield would not serve his purpose at that moment. Even if he could retrieve it in time, it would offer little or no defense against the grizzly’s enormous weight and strength. Similar considerations ruled out an attempt to collect and don his shoulder quiver. Nor was it necessary, he was already carrying eight arrows instantly available.
Reaching up and across with his right hand, Bunduki plucked the nearest arrow from the clips of the quiver attached to the right side of his bow. So well trained was he that he did not need to look down as he started to nock the shaft to the string and settle it on the handle’s arrow-rest. Instead, he glanced at Dawn. As he had expected, she did not need any advice upon the tactics they must employ to cope with their dangerous predicament. Instead of continuing to advance at his side, she was veering away, at the same time duplicating his actions in charging her bow. Moving to one side as she did so would warn their massive foe that it was facing two threats and might cause it to retire. Even if this did not happen, being some feet apart increased their own chances of survival.
Satisfied that Dawn was ready to play her part, Bunduki continued to advance and gave a very realistic impersonation of a lion’s challenging roar. Hearing the sound, the grizzly bear’s attention was diverted from the banar-gatahs. Because of its poor sight, it could make out little more than that two vague shapes were approaching. However, that they were doing so instead of standing back or fleeing was significant. So it reacted as it would against any other kind of carnivore which invaded its domain and showed an intention of contending with it for its selected prey.
Letting out a bawl that was just as menacing as the lion’s roar it had heard, the bear swerved in the human beings’ direction. It was moving fast for such a massive beast, employing a bounding gait that covered a lot of ground in a short time. With the long guard hairs of its coat bristling and seeming to increase its already impressive size, it made a terrifying sight.
Keeping Bunduki under observation from the corner of her eye; but giving the rest of her attention to the grizzly, Dawn needed no telling what to do when he caused it to turn upon them. Stepping out so as to keep pace with him, she increased the distance that was separating them and waited with bated breath to discover which of them the bear chose to attack. The answer was not long in coming.
Either because the bear considered the larger of the approaching shapes to be the greater threat, or through sheer chance, it made its way towards Bunduki. Although Dawn halted immediately, Bunduki advanced a few more steps with the intention of keeping the huge beast’s attention on him.
Watching the blond giant come to a stop, the girl duplicated his next actions by starting to draw her bow. Their back and shoulder muscles, rather than those of the arms, took the majority of the strain as they pulled the strings to the full twenty-eight inches required to obtain the maximum propulsive power from the curving limbs of the bows. Even as they were reaching their ‘anchor points’—with the second finger of the right hand just over the last tooth of the lower jaw—from whence they could pause and make sure of their aim, each appreciated the full peril of the course upon which they were now embarked. While confident they could kill the bear and probably would have no choice of doing otherwise, bringing this about quickly enough for safety was another matter.
Unlike the bullet from a modern medium to heavy caliber rifle, an arrow—even when propelled by the one hundred pounds’ draw weight of Bunduki’s Super Kodiak bow—lacked the velocity to create great shock and stopping power. Yet under the right conditions, particularly when a razor sharp four-bladed hunting point was affixed to the shaft, the actual killing potential of an arrow was greater than that of the heaviest caliber rifle bullet. Carving a cross-sectional swathe almost two inches in height and width through the recipient’s flesh, the point would produce a greater volume of bleeding than any bullet. So a shaft which reached the heart or lungs would cause such extensive hemorrhage that death would come swiftly.
On the other hand, as had happened when the blond giant had been compelled to shoot at an enraged stallion, xvi his bow was capable of sending an arrow through the bones of the grizzly’s skull to its brain. That would stop it almost instantaneously. However, in the quagga’s case he had been looking downwards at a target that was to all intents and purposes stationary during the draw, aim, loose and flight of the arrow. This time, he was practically horizontal to his mark and, in addition to its small size, the target area was in rapid motion. There was little margin for error. What was more, with the distance between him and the grizzly closing so rapidly, he would have time for only one shot.
Bunduki was fully cognizant of all the risks and accepted that they would almost certainly have to kill the bear, but he did not try to do so immediately he had completed the drawing of his bow. There was just a slender chance that the huge beast was only making a bluffing demonstration. If it had selected Dawn as its objective, he would not have hesitated to loose the arrow. As it was, despite the delay adding to the already great danger he was facing, more in hope than expectancy he decided to present it with an opportunity to withdraw.
The hope did not materialize!
Showing no indication that it intended to do other than press home its charge, the grizzly continued to rush nearer at a speed of close to thirty-five miles per hour. To make matters worse, as it was heading straight towards the blond giant, only a very small portion of its anatomy’s most vulnerable area was exposed to his view and his aiming mark was greatly restricted.
At last Bunduki conceded that he must yield to the inevitable!
In fact, despite understanding the blond giant’s motives, to the watching Dawn it appeared that he was allowing the bear to pass beyond the limits of safety. For all her grave concern, she knew better than to say or do anything which might distract him. Instead, she concentrated her attention upon sighting her weapon at where she believed its arrow would have the most useful effect. Because of the bear’s motions while moving at speed, she discarded the idea of a body shot. Only if she managed to strike an extremely limited vital area would her efforts supplement those of Bunduki, and achieving this would be far from easy. The placement of the grizzly’s feet and its loose-fitting hide’s seemingly rolling movements combined to create ever-changing contours which rendered accurate sighting extremely difficult. Throughout its stride, the legs ‘scissored’ rapidly and added to the confusion. One moment the back legs would be close to the nose and the front feet under the rump, bunching the vital organs. Next the body appeared to have become extended out of all proportion, with the effect that the essential areas had changed positions in relation to the now extended frame. So she took aim accordingly.
Employing all of his skill in an attempt to maintain the correct alignment and allow for the speed at which the grizzly was approaching, Bunduki uncoiled his fingers from the bow’s string. As the arrow was carried forward and he felt the slap of the string against his leather arm-guard, his instincts warned him that he had miscalculated. Not much, or through any fault of his own, but sufficient to place him in the gravest jeopardy.
Flying to meet the great beast, the blond giant’s missile failed to reach its intended point of impact. He had hoped to strike the center of the forehead just above the eyes. Instead, it passed over the top of the skull to bury almost to its fletching into the hump of the shoulders. A roar of pain, mingled with rage, burst from the grizzly’s slavering jaws; but it never faltered in its stride.
Even as Bunduki was reaching for another arrow and preparing to take what could easily prove to be futile evasive action, he heard a twang which informed him that Dawn had loosed her shaft.
Like her mate—as she now regarded the blond giant, although they had not yet gone through a formal marriage ceremony—the girl missed the mark at which she had been aiming. The error was not great, but would be enough to spoil the desired result. She too had hoped for a brain shot, seeking it at a point just below the bear’s ear. Misled by the animal’s speed, she saw her arrow was burying into the neck a good three inches behind where she had intended it to strike.
Finding itself being assailed from the right as well as ahead, the bear looked around. Then, to Bunduki’s consternation, it began to swerve in Dawn’s direction. Clearly, having discovered how painfully its challengers could strike, it had decided to tackle the smaller and, possibly, less dangerous of them.
By changing direction, the grizzly was threatening the life of the woman Bunduki loved.
In an instant, all semblance of civilization and thoughts of sympathy for the bear left the blond giant. He became a primeval savage whose mate was being endangered. For all that, the way in which he responded was far from as reckless and ill advised as it might appear on the surface. Nor, in spite of his great anxiety, did he act without giving rapid thought to what he was doing.
Dropping the bow without liberating an arrow, but ensuring that it fell so that the quiver was uppermost, Bunduki sprang towards the great predatory beast. As he advanced, his right hand reached swiftly for the Randall Model 12 ‘Smithsonian’ bowie knife. Flipping open the press-stud of the sheath’s retainer strap in passing, his thumb and fingers enfolded the concave ivory handle.
Further evidence that the blond giant was behaving rationally and not out of a blindly impulsive rage was given by the manner in which he was arming himself. An exceptionally competent knife-fighter, he would have grasped the handle so that the blade extended below the thumb and forefinger if he had been up against a human adversary. Such a grip offered greater facility to cut, thrust and chop, but would not serve his purpose at that moment. Instead, he plucked the weapon from its sheath with the clip point xvii protruding below the heel of his clenched fist.
Just as startled as Bunduki had been at the sight of the infuriated grizzly turning upon her, Dawn duplicated his estimation of her dire straits. While her right hand was starting to pluck free a second arrow, she realized that the attacking beast would reach her before she could make use of it. What was more, despite the speed at which it was approaching, it still retained sufficient maneuverability to be able to counter any evasive attempt she made.
Striding out with all the speed he could muster, Bunduki converged with the grizzly. Thrusting ahead his left hand, he sank his fingers deep into and grasped the long hair on the back of the predator’s neck. Giving it no chance to react to such treatment, he vaulted astride it as if making a flying mount on to a passing horse.
To Dawn, who was engrossed in trying to gauge the best moment for what would in all probability prove a pointless leap aside, it seemed as if the blond giant had suddenly materialized upon the grizzly’s back out of thin air. Regardless of her surprise, she did not allow it to blind her to the fact that she was still far from being out of danger. She could guess what Bunduki was hoping to do; but she was equally aware that, even if he succeeded, it would not be swiftly enough to prevent the enraged animal from reaching her,
Massive though the bear might be, Bunduki’s arrival on its back caused it to stagger a little. Retaining the grip with his left hand, he clamped his legs around the hairy ribs for added security. Seeing how close they were to the girl, he dare not waste a second. So he raised and brought around the huge knife in a semi-circular motion that was powered by all the Herculean muscled force of his two hundred and twenty pounds’ weight.
Made from the finest quality high carbon Swedish tool steel, the knife’s blade had great strength. It was carefully tempered and designed so that it would hold an edge as sharp as a barber’s razor. With the target its owner had selected, it needed all those sterling qualities. Coming around, the needle sharp tip of the clip point pierced the side of the grizzly’s skull where Dawn had hoped to send in her arrow. Driven onwards, it punctured the brain for an instantaneous kill. Even so, the girl would still have been caught by its collapsing body if she had stood still.
Seeing what had happened when Bunduki jumped aboard the bear’s back, Dawn had made the most of the opportunity with which she was presented. As it reeled slightly under the impact, she displayed her superb speed and agility by flinging herself in the opposite direction. Swiftly as she moved, it was only the marginal deviation in the animal’s course which averted a collision. In fact, the blond giant’s knee struck her a glancing blow in passing. Knocked off balance, she lost her hold of the bow and went sprawling to the ground.
Leaving his knife embedded in the bear’s skull, Bunduki dived clear as it began to collapse beneath him. He landed rolling, as he had been taught to do when taking a fall. When his momentum ceased, he leapt to his feet and swung around to look at the huge beast he had killed. What he did next was a pure reflex action, stirred into being by some subconscious—or inborn—urging out of man’s primeval past. Without any need for thought, he gave notice of his success in defeating such a savage and dangerous creature. Standing with his feet spread apart and fists clenched, he tossed back his head and thundered out an excellent reproduction of the Australopithecus male’s victory roar.
Dawn had also regained her feet. Turning her head as she heard the triumphant sound which was bursting from the blond giant, she too could not hold back her pent up emotions. Running towards him, she threw herself into his arms. Oblivious of everything except each other for the moment, including the way in which the hobbled banar-gatahs were displaying alarm over the menacing roar Bunduki had uttered, they kissed long and passionately.
‘Whew!’ Bunduki ejaculated, after their emotional turmoil had been sated by the embrace. Separating, they began to take notice once more of their surroundings. ‘I’d hate to go through that again.’
‘Well, if you should have to,’ Dawn replied, although she agreed with the sentiment, as she glanced pointedly at their snorting and rearing mounts, ‘I hope that you remember how hearing a “Hairy Man” bellowing frightens gatahs. Those two are going to be too nervous to be any use to us for hunting the quaggas today. Not that it matters, though. Howling like you did has probably frightened them away.’
‘It’s too late for us to do anything about them today, anyway,’ Bunduki called after the girl as she hurried towards their mounts. ‘And another thing, the way you’re nagging me now, I think I’ll tell Tav-Han I want the tiger’s skin back.’
‘You just try it, my lad,’ Dawn warned over her shoulder, the item in question having been given to Joar-Fane’s father in lieu of her own parents as the traditional bride price from a Telonga hunter. ‘I’m not letting you wriggle off the hook that easy.’
‘I could always run away,’ Bunduki pointed out, walking over to the bear with the intention of retrieving his knife. ‘I could always beat you in a foot ra—’
The words trailed away as the blond giant saw two mounted figures coming over a ridge some distance to the southeast.
Apart from the party of Amazons under Beryl Snowhill’s command, no riders were likely to behave in a friendly manner!
In spite of the distance being too great for any positive identification, as one of the newcomers was clearly a man, Bunduki felt certain that they could not belong to the Earth woman’s all female party!