Nalte nodded toward the city on the left bank. 'That must be Kormor; this is about the location that Skor told me his city occupied.'
'And the other?' I asked.
She shook her head. 'Skor never mentioned another city.'
'Perhaps it is all one city built upon both banks of the river,' I suggested.
'No; I do not think so. Skor told me that the people who dwelt across the river from Kormor were his enemies, but he never said anything about a city. I thought it was just some savage tribe. Why, that is a splendid city—far larger and handsomer than Kormor.'
We could not, of course, see the entire expanse of either city, but as we drifted closer it was apparent that the city on our right extended along the river front for several miles. This we could see because at this point the river ran almost as straight as a canal for a greater distance than I could see. But the city on our left, which was Kormor, was much smaller, extending but about a mile along the water front. As far as we could see both cities were walled, a high wall extending along the river side of each. Kormor had a short quay in front of a gate about the center of this wall, while the quay of the other city appeared to be a long avenue extending as far as I could see.
We had been drifting for some time opposite the right hand city before we came close to Kormor. There were a few fishermen on the long quay of the former city, and others, possibly sentries, on top of the wall behind them. Many of these saw us and pointed at us and seemed to be discussing us, but at no time did we drift close enough to that side of the river so that we could obtain a close view of them.
As we came down toward the quay of Kormor, a small boat pushed out into the river. It contained three men, two of whom were rowing while the third stood in the bow. That they were pulling out to intercept us appeared quite evident.
'They are Skor's men,' said Nalte.
'What do you suppose they want of us?' I asked.
'To capture us, of course, for Skor; but they will never capture me!' She stepped toward the edge of the raft.
'What do you mean?' I demanded. 'What are you going to do?'
'I am going to jump into the river.'
'But you can't swim,' I objected. 'You will be sure to drown.'
'That is what I wish to do. I shall never let Skor take me again.'
'Wait, Nalte,' I begged. 'Why haven't taken us yet. Perhaps they won't.'
'Yes, they will,' she said hopelessly.
'We must never give up hope, Nalte. Promise me that you will wait. Even in the last second you can still carry out your plan.'
'I will wait,' she promised, 'but in the last second you had better follow my example and join me in death rather than fall into the hands of Skor and become one of those hopeless creatures that you saw at his castle, for then you will be denied even the final escape of death.'
The boat was now approaching closer, and I hailed its occupants. 'What do you want of us?' I demanded.
'You must come ashore with us,' said the man in the bow.
* * * * *
I was close enough now so that I could get a good look at the fellow. I had thought at first that they were some more of Skor's living dead, but now I saw that this fellow's cheeks had the hue of health and blood.
'We will not come with you,' I called back to him. 'Leave us alone; we are not harming you. Let us go our way in peace.'
'You will come ashore with us,' said the man, as his boat drew closer.
'Keep away, or I'll kill you!' I cried, fitting an arrow to my bow.
The fellow laughed—a dry, mirthless laugh. Then it was that I saw his eyes, and a cold chill swept over me. They were the dead eyes of a corpse!
I loosed an arrow. It drove straight through the creature's chest, but he only laughed again and left the arrow sticking there.
'Do you know,' cried Nalte, 'that you cannot kill the dead?' She stepped to the far side of the raft. 'Good-by, Carson ,' she said quietly; 'the last second is here!'
'No! No, Nalte!' I cried. 'Wait! It is not the last second.'
I turned again toward the approaching boat. Its bow was already within a foot of the raft. I leaped upon him. He struck at me with his dead hands; his dead fingers clutched for my throat. But my attack had been too quick and unexpected. I had carried him off his balance, and in the same instant I seized him and threw him overboard.
The two other creatures had been rowing with their backs toward the bow and were unaware that any danger threatened them until I crashed upon their leader. As he went overboard the nearer of the others rose and turned upon me. His skin, too, was painted in the semblance of life, but those dead eyes could not be changed.
With a horrid, inarticulate scream he leaped for me. I met his rush with a right to the jaw that would have knocked a living man down for a long count; and while, of course, I couldn't knock the thing out, I did knock it overboard.
A quick glance at the two in the water convinced me that my guess had not been amiss—like their fellows at the castle, the two could not swim and were floating helplessly down stream with the current. But there was still another, and it was stepping across the thwarts toward me.
I sprang forward to meet it, ripping in a blow toward the side of the jaw that would have sent it after the other two had it connected; but it did not. Our movements caused the boat to rock and threw me off my balance, and before I could regain my equilibrium the creature seized me.
It was very powerful, but it fought without fire or enthusiasm just the cold, deadly application of force. It reached for my throat; to reach for its throat was useless. I could not choke the life from something that had no life. The best that I could do was to try to evade its clutches and wait for an opening that might never come.
I am rather muscular myself; and I did manage to push the thing from me for a moment, but it came right back. It didn't say anything; it didn't make any sound at all. There was no expression in its glazed eyes, but its dry lips were drawn back over yellow teeth in a snarling grimace. The sight of it and the touch of those cold, clammy fingers almost unnerved me—these and the strange odor that emanated from it, the strange odor that is the odor of death.
As it came toward me the second time it came with lowered head and outstretched arms. I leaped for it, and locked my right arm about its head from above. The back of its neck was snug against my armpit as I seized my own right wrist with my left hand and locked my hold tighter. Then I swung quickly around, straightening up as I did so and, incidentally, nearly capsizing the boat. The creature lost its footing as I swung it about; its arms flailed wildly, as with a last mighty surge I released my hold and sent it stumbling over the gunwale into the river. Like the others, it floated away.
A few yards away, the raft was drifting with Nalte wide-eyed and tense with excitement. Seizing an oar I brought the boat alongside and extending a hand assisted Nalte over the side, I noticed that she was trembling.
'Were you frightened, Nalte?' I asked.
'For you, yes. I didn't think that you had a chance against three of them. Even now I can't believe what I saw. It is incredible that one man could have done what you did.'
'Luck had a lot to do with it,' I replied, 'and the fact that I took them by surprise. They weren't expecting anything of the sort.'
'How strangely things happen,' mused Nalte. 'A moment ago I was about to drown myself in sheer desperation, and now everything is changed. The danger is over, and instead of an inadequate raft we have a comfortable boat.'
'Which proves that one should never give up hope.'
'I shan't again—while you are with me.' I had been keeping an eye on the Kormor quay rather expecting to see another boat put out in pursuit of us, but none did.
The fishermen and the sentries on the waterfront of the other city had all stopped what they were doing and
