rapidly moving shadows amongst the trees. I saw the gleam of a weapon.
“Seize them!” she cried again, standing, pointing to our group.
“Donna!” cried Tuza.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Do not move,” said the fellow. “Hold the beast!”
Axel tightened his grip on the leash of Tiomines. “Steady,” he said to the sleen.
We were ringed with spears.
Our attention, I fear, had been on our own business, pursuing a small group, some four or five, of Panther Girls. These were suspected of spying on Shipcamp, doubtless to report to some larger body.
The newcomers had moved with stealth, and were suddenly, too suddenly, upon us.
“Be silent!” warned the fellow who seemed to be their leader, his hand warningly before his mouth.
I doubted that we, back in the forest, were now more than some two hundred paces from our quarry. Axel, clearly, was primarily concerned to establish its existence, numbers, and direction, following which he would consider his possible course of action, either to attempt to deal with it, saving at least one prisoner who might be later interrogated at Shipcamp, or, if it seemed prudential, to withdraw and, by means of the whistle of summoning, draw on additional forces, those come from the ships, who were, as far as we knew, ignorant of the location of, even of the existence of, Shipcamp. If these additional forces were beyond the reach of the whistle, so far that not even their larl might take note of the signal, I was to return to Shipcamp, and bring men, following the river west. He, with Tiomines, would retain contact with the quarry. It had apparently been the speculation of Axel, or, more likely, that of Tyrtaios, that Panther Girls, if they were in the vicinity, might note the fled slave, and, naturally, would not be averse to acquiring her. Such obviously have value. They may be sold. In this way, following the scent of the fled slave, it was possible that one might locate the Panther Girls. Indeed, the slave, if encountering Panther Girls, might even have been foolish enough to call herself to their attention, perhaps hoping to elicit aid, perhaps hoping, even, to be enlisted as a member of their band, and not simply taken in hand as she would be, as the slave she was. To be sure, there had apparently been some sort of contact between Asperiche and Axel. I must remember to beat her. Whereas Axel had all this clearly in mind and had explained it to me, my own interest here was not identical with his. It was not that I had the least interest in a fugitive slave, who might have been any slave, for are they not all the same, but rather that I had thought it would be a pleasant outing, an amusement, a bit of sport, to pursue the little beast, to let it run awhile, and then catch it, rope it, and return it to her masters, the Pani. Certainly I had no intention of being a courier to Shipcamp. To be sure, the entire matter was moot at the moment.
“If you release the sleen,” said the fellow, “it will be killed.”
“Steady, Tiomines,” said Axel, softly. The beast, in its single-mindedness, seemed to regard the newcomers as no more than a distraction. It was ready to resume the hunt.
I knew enough of sleen to know that any well-trained animal, which I took Tiomines to be, could be set upon anyone but its master, or Use Master, with as little as a word, or gesture, whatever the “kill” command might be, usually a word, as a word need only be heard and a gesture must be seen. Whereas Tiomines could doubtless, in one savage rush, reach the leader and tear off an arm or head, it would be his last attack. He would be transfixed by more than one spear before he could feed. Axel did not wish to lose the sleen. Too, I would not have given much for our chances either, had he been foolish enough to set Tiomines on the newcomer.
There were, as I counted, eleven of the newcomers. It is well to know exact numbers in such matters. Their leader was a large, spare man, clad in the wool of the bounding hurt, stained brown and black. He was bearded, wore a dagger and sword, and carried a spear, a hunting spear. His men were similarly clad. Two carried crossbows, quarrels resting in the guide. Three others carried nets.
“How is hunting?” inquired Axel, pleasantly enough. The party, indeed,