loved me. I think that I could have almost any girl in Amiocap as my mate if I asked her; but you, the only one that I love, will not have me.'
For a few moments Stellara was silent in thought. Then she turned to the handsome youth at her side. 'You are very sure of yourself, Doval,' she said, 'but I do not believe that you are right. I would be willing to bet that I could name a girl who would not have you; who, no matter how hard you tried to make her, would not love you.'
'If you mean yourself, then there is one,' he said, 'but there is no other.'
'Oh, yes, there is,' insisted Stellara.
'Who is she?' demanded Doval.
'Letari, the girl from Lar,' said Stellara.
Doval laughed. 'She throws her love at the first stranger that comes to Amiocap,' he said. 'She would be too easy.
'I do not intend to try,' said Doval. 'I do not love her. I love only you, and if I made her love me of what good would that be toward making you love me? No, I shall spend my time trying to win you.'
'You are afraid,' said Stellara. 'You know that you would fail.'
'It would do me no good if I succeeded,' insisted Doval.
'It would make me like you very much better than I do now,' said Stellara.
'You mean that?' asked Doval.
'I most certainly do,' said Stellara.
'Then I shall make the girl love me,' said Doval. 'And if I do you promise to be mine?'
'I said nothing of the kind,' said Stellara. 'I only said that I should like you very much better than I do now.'
'Well, that is something,' said Doval. 'If you will like me very much better than you do now that is at least a step in the right direction.'
'However, there is no danger of that,' said Stellara, 'for you cannot make her love you.'
'Wait, and see,' said Doval.
As Tanar and Letari turned to come back along the village street they passed Doval and Stellara, and Tanar saw that they were walking very close together and whispering in low tones. The Sarian scowled; and suddenly he discovered that he did not like Doval and he wondered why because always he had thought Doval a very fine fellow. Presently it occurred to him that the reason was that Doval was not good enough for Stellara, but then if Stellara loved him that was all there was to it and with the thought that perhaps Stellara loved him Tanar became angry with Stellara. What could she see in this Doval, he wondered, and what business had Doval to walk alone with her in the village streets? Had not he, Tanar, always had Stellara to himself? Never before had any one interfered, although all the men liked Stellara. Well, if Stellara liked Doval better than she did him, he would show her that he did not care. He, Tanar the Sarian, son of Ghak, king of Sari, would not let any woman make a fool of him and so he ostentatiously put his arm around the slim shoulders of Letari and walked thus slowly the length of the village street; nor did Stellara fail to see.
At the feast that was given in honor of the messengers sent by Zural, Stellara sat by Doval and Tanar had Letari at his side, and Doval and Letari were happy.
After the feast was over most of the villagers returned to their houses and slept, but Tanar was restless and unhappy and could not sleep so he took his weapons, his heavy spear shod with bone, his bow and his arrows, and his stone knife with the ivory handle, that Fedol the chief had given him, and went alone into the forest to hunt.
If the villagers slept an hour or a day is a matter of no moment, since there was no way of measuring the time. When they awoke—some sooner, some later—they went about the various duties of their life. Letari sought for Tanar, but she could not find him; instead she came upon Doval.
'You are very beautiful,' said the man.
'I know it,' replied Letari.
'You are the most beautiful girl that I have ever seen,' insisted Doval.
Letari looked at him steadily for a few moments. 'I never noticed you before,' she said. 'You are very handsome. You are quite the handsomest man that I ever saw.'
'That is what every one says,' replied Doval. 'Many girls have told me that they loved me, but still I have no mate.'
'A woman wants something beside a handsome face in her mate,' said Letari.
'I am very brave,' said Doval, 'and I am a great hunter. I like you. Come, let us walk together,' and Doval put his arm about the girl's shoulders and together they walked along the village street, while, from the doorway of her sleeping apartment in the home of her father, the chief, Stellara watched, and as she watched, a smile touched her lips.
Over the village of Paraht rested the peace of Amiocap and the calm of eternal noon. The children played at games beneath the shade of the trees that had been left dotting the village here and there when the clearing had been made. The women worked upon skins, strung beads or prepared food. The men looked to their weapons against the next hunt, or lolled idly on furs in their open living rooms—those who were not still sleeping off the effects of the heavy feast. Fedol, the chief, was bidding farewell to Zural's messengers and entrusting to them a gift for the ruler of Lar, when suddenly the peace and quiet was shattered by hoarse cries and a shattering burst of musketry.
Instantly all was pandemonium. Then women and warriors rushed from their homes; shouts, curses and screams filled the air.
'Korsars! Korsars!' rang through the village, as the bearded ruffians, taking advantage of the surprise and confusion of the villagers, rushed rapidly forward to profit by the advantage they had gained.
VII 'KORSARS!'
TANAR the Sarian hunted through the primeval forest of Amiocap . Already his repute as a hunter stood high among the men of Paraht, but it was not to add further luster to his fame that he hunted now. It was to quiet a restlessness that would not permit him to sleep—restlessness and a strange depression that was almost unhappiness, but his thoughts were not always upon the hunt. Visions of Stellara often walked in front of him, the golden sunlight on her golden hair, and then beside her he saw the handsome Doval with an arm about her shoulder. He closed his eyes and shook his head to dispel the vision, but it persisted and he tried thinking of Letari, the beautiful maiden from Lar. Yes, Letari was beautiful. What eyes she had; and she loved him. Perhaps, after all, it would be as well to mate with her and remain forever upon Amiocap, but presently he found himself comparing Letari with Stellara and he found himself wishing that Letari possessed more of the characteristics of Stellara. She had not the character nor the intelligence of the daughter of Fedol. She offered him none of the restful companionship that had made his association with Stellara so infinitely happy.
He wondered if Stellara loved Doval, and if Doval loved Stellara, and with the thoughts he halted in his tracks and his eyes went wide as a sudden realization burst for the first time upon his consciousness.
'God!' he exclaimed aloud. 'What a fool I have been. I have loved her always and did not know it,' and wheeling about he set off at a brisk trot in the direction of Paraht, all thoughts of his hunt erased from his mind.
Tanar had hunted far, much farther than he had thought, but at last he came to the village of Fedol the chief. As he passed through the hanging barrier of Paraht, the first people that he saw were Letari and Doval. They were walking side by side and very close and the man's arm was about the slim shoulders of the girl.
Letari looked at Tanar in astonishment as she recognized him. 'We all thought the Korsars had taken you with them,' she cried.
'Korsars!' exclaimed Tanar. 'What Korsars?'
'They were here,' said Doval. 'They raided the village, but we drove them off with just a small loss. There were not many of them. Where were you?'
'After the feast I went into the forest to hunt,' said Tanar. 'I did not know that there was a Korsar upon the
