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[
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"of the wine-casks. Some were already snoring drunkenly on the grass,\nwhile others had staggered into the ruins. Of Conan she saw nothing. She",
"The southern night swept down quickly, littering the dark blue sky with\ngreat white stars, and Conan entered the shadowy ruins, drawing the",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Olivia helplessly acquiesced, and they descended the cliffs, crossed the\nplateau and once more approached the gloomy, age-haunted ruins. By this",
"ruins, and at last they reached the foot of the crags, which rose stark\nand gloomily majestic above them. There Conan halted in some",
"In spite of his burden, the Cimmerian crossed the plateau swiftly, and\nOlivia, opening her eyes, saw that they were passing under the shadow of\nthe cliffs.",
"Conan had brought a great armful of tender branches, well leafed. These\nhe heaped to make a couch for her, and she lay upon it, with a curious\nsensation as of one lying down to sleep in a serpent's lair.",
"Conan, poised like a bronze statue on the cliffs, pointed northward.\nStraining her eyes, Olivia saw a white fleck that seemed to hang\nsuspended in the aching haze.\n\n'What is it?'",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for",
"Olivia glanced timidly about the great silent hall. Only the ivy-grown\nstones, the tendril-clasped pillars, with the dark figures brooding",
"Once within, Conan grunted in surprize, and Olivia stifled a scream.\n\n'Look! Oh, look!'",
"Whatever doors had once guarded its portals had long rotted away. Conan\nand his companion stood in the broad entrance and stared inside.",
"But no sleep came to Olivia, and she lay watching the distant ruins and\nthe wooded rim until the stars paled, the east whitened, and dawn in\nrose and gold struck fire from the dew on the grass-blades.",
"'But we were not pursued,' muttered Conan, glancing toward the brooding\nruins. 'You might have dreamed they moved. I am of a mind to return and\nsee.'",
"about. Conan slept against his pillar, his head fallen upon his massive\nbreast. The silvery radiance of the late moon crept through the gaping",
"'A strange stone to find on an uninhabited island,' growled Conan."
],
[
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"Her breath came in gasps; Conan's wrists were free, but his elbows and\nlegs were still bound fast. She glanced fleetingly at the figures along",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"Conan. They propped him against the wall, still evidently bound fast,\nand there ensued a long discussion, with much brandishing of weapons. At",
"the bonds that held her mute and motionless. At her shriek Conan shot\nerect, teeth gleaming, sword lifted.",
"joy rose to her lips as she saw Conan. The Cimmerian was wide awake,\nbound upright to a pillar, his eyes gleaming in the faint reflection of\nthe waning fire outside.",
"Etched against the whitening sky they saw Conan the Cimmerian standing\nin the bows, sword in hand, his black mane tossing in the dawn wind.",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"Dawn was in her eyes when she awakened, aware of a ravenous hunger. It\nwas a change in the motion of the boat that had roused her; Conan was",
"were civilized men. And from them she had had only suffering. She had\nnever encountered any civilized man who treated her with kindness unless\nthere was an ulterior motive behind his actions. Conan had shielded her,",
"Conan rose and limped over to the corpse. The Cimmerian breathed\nheavily, and walked like a man whose joints and muscles have been",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"'The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,'\npromised Conan.",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"'Let us come aboard, good Conan,' whined a red-sashed Zamorian, glancing\nfearfully over his shoulder at the silent woods. 'We have been so"
],
[
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Olivia awoke, starting up on her couch of branches, a cold sweat beading\nher skin. Her heart pounded loud in the silence. She glanced wildly",
"reluctant Olivia after him. She shivered at the sight of those tense\nblack shadows in their niches along the walls. In the darkness that the",
"But no sleep came to Olivia, and she lay watching the distant ruins and\nthe wooded rim until the stars paled, the east whitened, and dawn in\nrose and gold struck fire from the dew on the grass-blades.",
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"'No, you will not drown, Olivia, daughter of confusion, for the marge is\ntoo shallow, and I can catch you before you can reach the deeps. You",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming",
"Olivia stared after it, feeling the cold hand of nameless foreboding\ntouch her supple spine.\n\n'What did it say?' she whispered."
],
[
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Conan, poised like a bronze statue on the cliffs, pointed northward.\nStraining her eyes, Olivia saw a white fleck that seemed to hang\nsuspended in the aching haze.\n\n'What is it?'",
"In spite of his burden, the Cimmerian crossed the plateau swiftly, and\nOlivia, opening her eyes, saw that they were passing under the shadow of\nthe cliffs.",
"Whipping out his sword, Conan bounded across the glade and plunged into\nthe thicket. Silence ensued, while Olivia crouched on the sward,",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"Once within, Conan grunted in surprize, and Olivia stifled a scream.\n\n'Look! Oh, look!'",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for",
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"from limb! Oh, Conan, let us go into our boat and flee this awful\nisland! Surely the Hyrkanian ship has passed us now! Let us go!'",
"and Conan, bounding aside and carrying the girl with him, narrowly saved\nthem from something that rushed through the air and struck a tree-trunk\nwith a thunderous impact.",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"Dawn was in her eyes when she awakened, aware of a ravenous hunger. It\nwas a change in the motion of the boat that had roused her; Conan was",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away."
],
[
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"How long she lay there, she did not know. Across the plateau she saw the\npirates reach the ruins and enter, dragging their captive. She saw them",
"unmanned me. I am at home in the high lands. As for pirates--' He\ngrinned enigmatically, and bent to the oars.",
"cautiously, she looked out across the plateau. She saw the pirates\nclustered about a great fire outside the ruins, and her heart leaped as\na group emerged from the interior dragging some object she knew was",
"The pirates, clambering over the rail, gasped in amazement.\n\n'To sail a road of blood and slaughter?' he questioned. 'This keel will\nstain the blue waves crimson wherever it plows.'",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"She dropped to the sward and wriggled along on her belly until, from\nbehind a small tree that had escaped the axes of the pirates, she",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"In an instant the pirates had formed a circle about the rivals, their\neyes blazing, their breath sucking between their teeth in bloodthirsty",
"visit them. Besides, they generally hug the shores in their galleys, and\nwe have come a long way. Before sunset we were out of sight of the\nmainland.'",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'",
"'Let us come aboard!' croaked a hairy rogue fingering a bloody stump of\near. 'We'd be gone from this devil's island.'",
"'No, else the pirates had been attacked when they went through the\nwoods. The gray ape is wary, for all his strength, as shown by his",
"called, like an eery echo: '_Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla!_' So they came\nto the tree-fringed water's edge and saw the galley lying at anchor,",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"figment of nightmare. Were Conan slain or carried away captive, her only\nchoice would lie between giving herself up to the human wolves of the\nsea, or remaining alone on that devil-haunted island.",
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many",
"'Then if I am one of the Brotherhood,' he grunted, 'the laws of the\nTrade apply to me; and since I killed your chief in fair fight, then I\nam your captain!'",
"came back across the plateau and vanished among the trees on the western\nrim, dragging the body of Sergius after them, presumably to cast into\nthe sea. About the ruins the others were cutting down trees and securing",
"There was silence for some time, the girl crouching in the bows, the man\ntugging at the oars. She watched him with timorous fascination. It was"
],
[
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"'We should have brought fruit for food,' muttered Conan; 'but doubtless\nwe'll find other islands. As well leave now as later; it's but a few\nhours till dawn--'",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Conan, poised like a bronze statue on the cliffs, pointed northward.\nStraining her eyes, Olivia saw a white fleck that seemed to hang\nsuspended in the aching haze.\n\n'What is it?'",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for",
"were civilized men. And from them she had had only suffering. She had\nnever encountered any civilized man who treated her with kindness unless\nthere was an ulterior motive behind his actions. Conan had shielded her,",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"In spite of his burden, the Cimmerian crossed the plateau swiftly, and\nOlivia, opening her eyes, saw that they were passing under the shadow of\nthe cliffs.",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"Whipping out his sword, Conan bounded across the glade and plunged into\nthe thicket. Silence ensued, while Olivia crouched on the sward,",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"rocky cliffs, the highest point of the island. Thither Conan took his\nway, suiting his long stride to his companion's gait. From time to time"
],
[
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"In spite of his burden, the Cimmerian crossed the plateau swiftly, and\nOlivia, opening her eyes, saw that they were passing under the shadow of\nthe cliffs.",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"'This is one of the many islands that dot this inland sea,' said Conan.\n'They are supposed to be uninhabited. I've heard the Hyrkanians seldom",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Conan, poised like a bronze statue on the cliffs, pointed northward.\nStraining her eyes, Olivia saw a white fleck that seemed to hang\nsuspended in the aching haze.\n\n'What is it?'",
"Once within, Conan grunted in surprize, and Olivia stifled a scream.\n\n'Look! Oh, look!'",
"from limb! Oh, Conan, let us go into our boat and flee this awful\nisland! Surely the Hyrkanian ship has passed us now! Let us go!'",
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"figment of nightmare. Were Conan slain or carried away captive, her only\nchoice would lie between giving herself up to the human wolves of the\nsea, or remaining alone on that devil-haunted island.",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like",
"Dawn was in her eyes when she awakened, aware of a ravenous hunger. It\nwas a change in the motion of the boat that had roused her; Conan was",
"Whipping out his sword, Conan bounded across the glade and plunged into\nthe thicket. Silence ensued, while Olivia crouched on the sward,",
"'We should have brought fruit for food,' muttered Conan; 'but doubtless\nwe'll find other islands. As well leave now as later; it's but a few\nhours till dawn--'",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for",
"Olivia helplessly acquiesced, and they descended the cliffs, crossed the\nplateau and once more approached the gloomy, age-haunted ruins. By this"
],
[
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like",
"Once within, Conan grunted in surprize, and Olivia stifled a scream.\n\n'Look! Oh, look!'",
"Whipping out his sword, Conan bounded across the glade and plunged into\nthe thicket. Silence ensued, while Olivia crouched on the sward,",
"In spite of his burden, the Cimmerian crossed the plateau swiftly, and\nOlivia, opening her eyes, saw that they were passing under the shadow of\nthe cliffs.",
"Conan, poised like a bronze statue on the cliffs, pointed northward.\nStraining her eyes, Olivia saw a white fleck that seemed to hang\nsuspended in the aching haze.\n\n'What is it?'",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"He turned and lifted Olivia to her feet, from where she had crouched\nshielded by the gunwales.\n\n'And what of me, sir?' she asked.",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away."
],
[
"cautiously, she looked out across the plateau. She saw the pirates\nclustered about a great fire outside the ruins, and her heart leaped as\na group emerged from the interior dragging some object she knew was",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"The pirates, clambering over the rail, gasped in amazement.\n\n'To sail a road of blood and slaughter?' he questioned. 'This keel will\nstain the blue waves crimson wherever it plows.'",
"'Aye!' put in another corsair. 'They were the demons of the isle, which\ntook the forms of molten images, to befool us. Ishtar! We lay down to",
"In an instant the pirates had formed a circle about the rivals, their\neyes blazing, their breath sucking between their teeth in bloodthirsty",
"How long she lay there, she did not know. Across the plateau she saw the\npirates reach the ruins and enter, dragging their captive. She saw them",
"Doubtless they'll pass the island tonight, and at dawn we can go on our\nway.'",
"visit them. Besides, they generally hug the shores in their galleys, and\nwe have come a long way. Before sunset we were out of sight of the\nmainland.'",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"unmanned me. I am at home in the high lands. As for pirates--' He\ngrinned enigmatically, and bent to the oars.",
"She dropped to the sward and wriggled along on her belly until, from\nbehind a small tree that had escaped the axes of the pirates, she",
"called, like an eery echo: '_Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla!_' So they came\nto the tree-fringed water's edge and saw the galley lying at anchor,",
"'This is one of the many islands that dot this inland sea,' said Conan.\n'They are supposed to be uninhabited. I've heard the Hyrkanians seldom",
"They gazed in wonder. No legends named such a building on any island of\nVilayet. They approached it warily, seeing that moss and lichen crawled",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'",
"'No, else the pirates had been attacked when they went through the\nwoods. The gray ape is wary, for all his strength, as shown by his",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"'Let us come aboard!' croaked a hairy rogue fingering a bloody stump of\near. 'We'd be gone from this devil's island.'"
],
[
"She reached him and clung to him an instant. He felt the quick beating\nof her heart against his breast. Through a broad crevice in the wall",
"'So I did!' she shivered. 'But the reality was more grisly than the\ndream. Listen!' And she narrated all that she had dreamed and thought\nto see.",
"toward the ceiling and the skies beyond, he cried out a name in an awful\nvoice. A dagger in an ebon hand cut short his cry, and the golden head\nrolled on the ivory breast.",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"protected her, and--so far--demanded nothing in return. Laying her head\nin her rounded arms she wept, until distant shouts of ribald revelry\nroused her to her own danger.",
"She opened her eyes, to see the stranger turning away from a gory\ntravesty that only vaguely resembled a human being. The man's breast",
"far behind him. They will find his corpse--they will find me near\nit--oh!' She moaned in her terror and wrung her white hands.",
"Then she rose. It was time to make her attempt. But first she stole back\nto the northern edge of the cliffs, and looked down into the woods that",
"He shook his head. 'It didn't fall from above. It came from yonder\nthicket. See how the twigs are broken? It was thrown as a man might\nthrow a pebble. But who? What? Come!'",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"that she felt as if she were being carried rather than guided. Neither\nspoke. The only sound was the girl's quick nervous panting, the rustle",
"'Quarter!' he gasped.\n\n'Quarter?' There was a quiver of frenzy in the stranger's voice.\n'Quarter such as you gave us, you swine!'",
"With a gasp she rose and hurried toward the ruins. Her flesh crawled as\nshe tiptoed among the drunken shapes that sprawled beside the gaping",
"He halted suddenly, an image of bronze in the moonlight. With a quick\ngesture he tossed the girl lightly to one side and behind him. Rising to\nher knees on the soft sward, she screamed at what she saw.",
"He wheeled and stared at her. There was a difference in his bearing. His\nbloodshot eyes were sane. It was as if the blood he had just shed had\nquenched the fire of his frenzy.",
"There was silence for some time, the girl crouching in the bows, the man\ntugging at the oars. She watched him with timorous fascination. It was",
"'All but me, damn you!' cried the other. 'Oh, I've dreamed of such a\nmeeting as this, while I crawled on my belly through the brambles, or",
"trickled down the ivory thighs to spatter on the polished floor. The\nscreams of the victim echoed through the hall; then lifting his head",
"in triumph, and a great fete was made to honor him. In the drunkenness\nand rejoicing, I found an opportunity to steal out of the city on a",
"With this in mind she ventured to creep from her refuge to pluck and eat\nnuts which grew sparsely near at hand. She had not eaten since the day"
],
[
"to Akif of the purple gardens. Then--' She shuddered and hid her face in\nher hands.",
"doubt if any escaped. The steppes were covered with horsemen riding down\nthe fugitives. I broke for the east, and finally reached the edge of the\nmarshes that border this part of Vilayet.",
"'But come--let us return to Akif, where the people are still feting the\nconqueror of the miserable _kozaki_; while he, the conqueror, is engaged",
"In spite of the terror of his wild appearance, Olivia looked to see him\nfall at the first crossing of the blades. Madman or savage, what could\nhe do, naked, against the mailed chief of Akif?",
"tugged at her lips. Turning, she fled down the southern slope.",
"'Ha!' It was like the bark of a timber wolf. 'Shah Amurath, the great\nLord of Akif! Oh, damn you, how I love the sight of you--you, who fed my",
"protected her, and--so far--demanded nothing in return. Laying her head\nin her rounded arms she wept, until distant shouts of ribald revelry\nroused her to her own danger.",
"'Yes, I fear you,' she replied, too distracted to dissemble. 'My flesh\ncrawls at the horror of your aspect. But I fear the Hyrkanians more. Oh,",
"There were forty-four of them, and they were a cowed and demoralized\nband. With panting haste they plunged into the water and began to wade",
"that burned like the red heart of night. Behind her, as she fled, she\nheard a shower of stones rattle down the steep slope, and the sound lent",
"He started and wheeled back toward the way they had come. The night had\nbeen split by an awful scream. It came from the ruins.",
"some weeks agone he rode out with his hosts to do battle with a band of\ninvaders who were ravaging the borders of Turan. Yesterday he returned",
"'_Kozak!_' ejaculated Shah Amurath, recoiling. 'I did not know a dog of\nyou escaped! I thought you all lay stiff on the steppe, by Ilbars\nRiver.'",
"came back across the plateau and vanished among the trees on the western\nrim, dragging the body of Sergius after them, presumably to cast into\nthe sea. About the ruins the others were cutting down trees and securing",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"'Slut! I should drag you back to Akif at my horse's tail, but I will be\nmerciful and carry you on my saddle-bow, for which favor you shall\nhumbly thank me, while--'",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"Amurath deserved no mercy or pity from any living creature, yet she\nclosed her eyes and pressed her hands over her ears, to shut out the\nsight of that dripping sword that rose and fell with the sound of a",
"Koth, most of us, and when he made peace with his cursed sovereign, we\nwere out of employment; so we took to plundering the outlying dominions",
"Strenuous physical action dissipated her blind terror somewhat and\nbefore she had reached the ruin, her mind was clear, her reasoning\nfaculties alert, though her limbs trembled from her efforts."
],
[
"'Quarter!' he gasped.\n\n'Quarter?' There was a quiver of frenzy in the stranger's voice.\n'Quarter such as you gave us, you swine!'",
"He wheeled and stared at her. There was a difference in his bearing. His\nbloodshot eyes were sane. It was as if the blood he had just shed had\nquenched the fire of his frenzy.",
"far behind him. They will find his corpse--they will find me near\nit--oh!' She moaned in her terror and wrung her white hands.",
"He shook his head. 'It didn't fall from above. It came from yonder\nthicket. See how the twigs are broken? It was thrown as a man might\nthrow a pebble. But who? What? Come!'",
"The stranger's bloodthirsty joy was terrible to behold. His jaws champed\nspasmodically, froth appeared on his blackened lips.\n\n'Keep back!' ordered Shah Amurath, watching him narrowly.",
"She lay watching them, her nerves taut with the strain of waiting, the\nflesh crawling between her shoulders at the thought of what might be",
"before. It was while so occupied that she was troubled by a sensation of\nbeing watched. She scanned the rocks nervously, then, with a shuddering",
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"'Nothing entered,' a laugh of hysteria escaped her. 'It was something\nthere already. Ah, Mitra, we lay down to sleep among them, like sheep\nmaking their bed in the shambles!'",
"on the iron-thewed barbarian. But this thought was but one in a\nfluttering maelstrom of dizzy fright.",
"protected her, and--so far--demanded nothing in return. Laying her head\nin her rounded arms she wept, until distant shouts of ribald revelry\nroused her to her own danger.",
"He started and wheeled back toward the way they had come. The night had\nbeen split by an awful scream. It came from the ruins.",
"With a gasp she rose and hurried toward the ruins. Her flesh crawled as\nshe tiptoed among the drunken shapes that sprawled beside the gaping",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"terrified and bewildered. Presently Conan emerged, a puzzled scowl on\nhis face.",
"Strenuous physical action dissipated her blind terror somewhat and\nbefore she had reached the ruin, her mind was clear, her reasoning\nfaculties alert, though her limbs trembled from her efforts.",
"'What in Crom's name, girl? Did you have a nightmare?' His voice sounded\nstrange and far away. With a sobbing gasp she threw her arms about his",
"She opened her eyes, to see the stranger turning away from a gory\ntravesty that only vaguely resembled a human being. The man's breast",
"In spite of the terror of his wild appearance, Olivia looked to see him\nfall at the first crossing of the blades. Madman or savage, what could\nhe do, naked, against the mailed chief of Akif?"
],
[
"'Then we must spend the night here?' she shivered.\n\n'It's safest.'\n\n'Then let us sleep here, on the crags,' she urged.",
"protected her, and--so far--demanded nothing in return. Laying her head\nin her rounded arms she wept, until distant shouts of ribald revelry\nroused her to her own danger.",
"Stealing back to her rocky eyrie, she lay watching the distant ruins\nuntil the dusk of night masked them, and she marked their position by\nthe flickering flames about which black figures leaped and cavorted\ngroggily.",
"Picking her way among the sleepers, she approached him. Lightly as she\nhad come, he had heard her; had seen her when first framed in the\nportal. A faint grin touched his hard lips.",
"Doubtless they'll pass the island tonight, and at dawn we can go on our\nway.'",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"She sat up, still clinging to him, and looked fearfully about. Her blind\nflight had carried her to the southern edge of the plateau. Just below",
"He took the girl's hand and they went down the slope and plunged into\nthe dense woods, where the leaves whispered, and nameless night-birds",
"He started and wheeled back toward the way they had come. The night had\nbeen split by an awful scream. It came from the ruins.",
"Then she rose. It was time to make her attempt. But first she stole back\nto the northern edge of the cliffs, and looked down into the woods that",
"So they passed out of the dusky hall into the clear blaze of the summer\nsun. She was surprized to note its position in the sky; they had spent\nmore time in the ruins than she had guessed.",
"Conan had brought a great armful of tender branches, well leafed. These\nhe heaped to make a couch for her, and she lay upon it, with a curious\nsensation as of one lying down to sleep in a serpent's lair.",
"With a gasp she rose and hurried toward the ruins. Her flesh crawled as\nshe tiptoed among the drunken shapes that sprawled beside the gaping",
"They stood in a great hall, whose floor was of polished stone, littered\nwith dust and broken stones, which had fallen from the ceiling. Vines,",
"'Nothing entered,' a laugh of hysteria escaped her. 'It was something\nthere already. Ah, Mitra, we lay down to sleep among them, like sheep\nmaking their bed in the shambles!'",
"visit them. Besides, they generally hug the shores in their galleys, and\nwe have come a long way. Before sunset we were out of sight of the\nmainland.'",
"Whatever her forebodings, Conan did not share them. The Cimmerian sat\ndown near her, his back against a pillar, his sword across his knees.\nHis eyes gleamed like a panther's in the dusk.",
"Without comment, he indicated with a gesture that they should continue\ntheir explorations, and rising, she followed him out of the trees and",
"She reached him and clung to him an instant. He felt the quick beating\nof her heart against his breast. Through a broad crevice in the wall",
"The southern night swept down quickly, littering the dark blue sky with\ngreat white stars, and Conan entered the shadowy ruins, drawing the"
],
[
"So frantic was her pleading that Conan was impressed. His curiosity in\nregard to the images was balanced by his superstition. Foes of flesh and",
"Whatever her forebodings, Conan did not share them. The Cimmerian sat\ndown near her, his back against a pillar, his sword across his knees.\nHis eyes gleamed like a panther's in the dusk.",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"terrified and bewildered. Presently Conan emerged, a puzzled scowl on\nhis face.",
"'But we were not pursued,' muttered Conan, glancing toward the brooding\nruins. 'You might have dreamed they moved. I am of a mind to return and\nsee.'",
"were civilized men. And from them she had had only suffering. She had\nnever encountered any civilized man who treated her with kindness unless\nthere was an ulterior motive behind his actions. Conan had shielded her,",
"'What are we to do, Conan?' she whispered.\n\nHe looked at the ruins, stared again into the woods below.",
"Conan listened attentively. The natural skepticism of the sophisticated\nman was not his. His mythology contained ghouls, goblins, and",
"murmured drowsily. Under the trees the shadows clustered thick, and\nConan swerved to avoid the denser patches. His eyes roved continuously",
"Conan rose and limped over to the corpse. The Cimmerian breathed\nheavily, and walked like a man whose joints and muscles have been",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"and Conan, bounding aside and carrying the girl with him, narrowly saved\nthem from something that rushed through the air and struck a tree-trunk\nwith a thunderous impact.",
"Conan had brought a great armful of tender branches, well leafed. These\nhe heaped to make a couch for her, and she lay upon it, with a curious\nsensation as of one lying down to sleep in a serpent's lair.",
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"Conan. They propped him against the wall, still evidently bound fast,\nand there ensued a long discussion, with much brandishing of weapons. At",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like",
"Her breath came in gasps; Conan's wrists were free, but his elbows and\nlegs were still bound fast. She glanced fleetingly at the figures along",
"'The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,'\npromised Conan."
],
[
"visit them. Besides, they generally hug the shores in their galleys, and\nwe have come a long way. Before sunset we were out of sight of the\nmainland.'",
"this island, I can't say. Maybe he floated here on driftwood, blown out\nfrom the mainland in a storm.'",
"Doubtless they'll pass the island tonight, and at dawn we can go on our\nway.'",
"called, like an eery echo: '_Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla!_' So they came\nto the tree-fringed water's edge and saw the galley lying at anchor,",
"'Just before dawn I heard the creak of timbers and the rasp and clack of\ncordage and oars. A ship has put in and anchored at the beach not far",
"A distant medley of voices reached their ears, and creeping to the\nsouthern edge of the cliffs, they saw a motley horde emerge from the",
"They gazed in wonder. No legends named such a building on any island of\nVilayet. They approached it warily, seeing that moss and lichen crawled",
"'Aye, let us come aboard!' clamored a lean Shemite. 'Let us come in\npeace, or we must come sword in hand, and though we be so weary you will",
"'This is one of the many islands that dot this inland sea,' said Conan.\n'They are supposed to be uninhabited. I've heard the Hyrkanians seldom",
"hundred feet to a narrow tangle of woodlands bordering the beach.\nLooking southward they saw the whole island lying like a great oval",
"echoing among the trees. Presently they came back into sight, bearing\ncasks of liquor and leathern sacks of food. They headed for the ruins,\ncursing lustily under their burdens.",
"'A sail.'\n\n'Hyrkanians?'\n\n'Who can tell, at this distance?'\n\n'They will anchor here--search the island for us!' she cried in quick\npanic.",
"away--probably the ship whose sail we saw yesterday. We'll go up the\ncliffs and spy on her.'",
"which had appeared so suddenly from the rocks. There were some seventy\nof them, a wild horde made up of men from many nations: Kothians,",
"'Come, then.' He drew aside, and she stepped quickly into the boat,\nshrinking from contact with him. She seated herself in the bow, and he",
"'Aye.' His dark face grew somber. 'I haven't done with them yet. Be at\nease, girl. Storms are rare on Vilayet at this time of year. If we make",
"came back across the plateau and vanished among the trees on the western\nrim, dragging the body of Sergius after them, presumably to cast into\nthe sea. About the ruins the others were cutting down trees and securing",
"into open water. Then he set to work with both oars, rowing with great,\nsmooth, even strokes, the heavy muscles of arms and shoulders and back\nrippling in rhythm to his exertions.",
"There was silence for some time, the girl crouching in the bows, the man\ntugging at the oars. She watched him with timorous fascination. It was",
"rocky cliffs, the highest point of the island. Thither Conan took his\nway, suiting his long stride to his companion's gait. From time to time"
],
[
"As if in answer to that desperate cry, there was a rolling thunder as of\ncelestial chariot-wheels, and a figure stood before the slayers, as if",
"She glanced from the dark ruins about which the fantastic figures, small\nin the distance, weaved and staggered, to the dusky depths of the green",
"Far below her something moved. It was as if a black shadow detached\nitself from the gulf of shadows below her. It moved slowly up the sheer",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"his tranquil gaze swept again over the silent rows of ebony figures, and\nhe pointed to the moon, which gleamed in through the casements. And they\nunderstood, those tense, waiting statues that had been men....",
"'What is it? What do you see?'\n\n'Nothing,' he answered guardedly, not halting his wary retreat.\n\n'But what is it, then? What lurks in this thicket?'",
"The blacks shrank back before him, their eyes slits of fire. Lifting a\nhand, he spoke, and his tones echoed through the silent halls in deep",
"He halted suddenly, an image of bronze in the moonlight. With a quick\ngesture he tossed the girl lightly to one side and behind him. Rising to\nher knees on the soft sward, she screamed at what she saw.",
"'And following his instinct, he lurked in the shadow of the cliff,\ninstead of following you out across the plateau. His kind are creatures\nof darkness and the silent places, haters of sun and moon.'",
"They were statues, apparently of iron, black and shining as if\ncontinually polished. They were life-sized, depicting tall, lithely",
"He shook his head. 'It didn't fall from above. It came from yonder\nthicket. See how the twigs are broken? It was thrown as a man might\nthrow a pebble. But who? What? Come!'",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"toward the ceiling and the skies beyond, he cried out a name in an awful\nvoice. A dagger in an ebon hand cut short his cry, and the golden head\nrolled on the ivory breast.",
"In general outline it was not unlike a man. But its face, limned in the\nbright moonlight, was bestial, with close-set ears, flaring nostrils,",
"Picking her way among the sleepers, she approached him. Lightly as she\nhad come, he had heard her; had seen her when first framed in the\nportal. A faint grin touched his hard lips.",
"Stealing back to her rocky eyrie, she lay watching the distant ruins\nuntil the dusk of night masked them, and she marked their position by\nthe flickering flames about which black figures leaped and cavorted\ngroggily.",
"He started and wheeled back toward the way they had come. The night had\nbeen split by an awful scream. It came from the ruins.",
"'I see,' he answered. 'Nothing to fear. They are statues.'\n\n'But how life-like--and how evil!' she whispered, drawing close to him.",
"Out of the shadows of the cliffs moved a monstrous shambling bulk--an\nanthropomorphic horror, a grotesque travesty of creation.",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her."
],
[
"He started and wheeled back toward the way they had come. The night had\nbeen split by an awful scream. It came from the ruins.",
"Stealing back to her rocky eyrie, she lay watching the distant ruins\nuntil the dusk of night masked them, and she marked their position by\nthe flickering flames about which black figures leaped and cavorted\ngroggily.",
"With a gasp she rose and hurried toward the ruins. Her flesh crawled as\nshe tiptoed among the drunken shapes that sprawled beside the gaping",
"came back across the plateau and vanished among the trees on the western\nrim, dragging the body of Sergius after them, presumably to cast into\nthe sea. About the ruins the others were cutting down trees and securing",
"echoing among the trees. Presently they came back into sight, bearing\ncasks of liquor and leathern sacks of food. They headed for the ruins,\ncursing lustily under their burdens.",
"Strenuous physical action dissipated her blind terror somewhat and\nbefore she had reached the ruin, her mind was clear, her reasoning\nfaculties alert, though her limbs trembled from her efforts.",
"'But we were not pursued,' muttered Conan, glancing toward the brooding\nruins. 'You might have dreamed they moved. I am of a mind to return and\nsee.'",
"cautiously, she looked out across the plateau. She saw the pirates\nclustered about a great fire outside the ruins, and her heart leaped as\na group emerged from the interior dragging some object she knew was",
"She glanced from the dark ruins about which the fantastic figures, small\nin the distance, weaved and staggered, to the dusky depths of the green",
"of the wine-casks. Some were already snoring drunkenly on the grass,\nwhile others had staggered into the ruins. Of Conan she saw nothing. She",
"Olivia helplessly acquiesced, and they descended the cliffs, crossed the\nplateau and once more approached the gloomy, age-haunted ruins. By this",
"'What are we to do, Conan?' she whispered.\n\nHe looked at the ruins, stared again into the woods below.",
"How long she lay there, she did not know. Across the plateau she saw the\npirates reach the ruins and enter, dragging their captive. She saw them",
"them was the slope, its foot masked in the thick shadows of the woods.\nBehind them she saw the ruins looming in the high-swinging moon.",
"Then she rose. It was time to make her attempt. But first she stole back\nto the northern edge of the cliffs, and looked down into the woods that",
"were only a few about the fire; most of them had gone into the ruins to\nsleep.",
"His voice trailed away. The painter was still made fast to the looping\nroot. But at the other end was only a smashed and shattered ruin, half\nsubmerged in the shallow water.",
"'Here are too many trees. We'll sleep in the ruins.'\n\nShe cried out in protest.",
"So they passed out of the dusky hall into the clear blaze of the summer\nsun. She was surprized to note its position in the sky; they had spent\nmore time in the ruins than she had guessed.",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away."
],
[
"Doubtless they'll pass the island tonight, and at dawn we can go on our\nway.'",
"called, like an eery echo: '_Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla!_' So they came\nto the tree-fringed water's edge and saw the galley lying at anchor,",
"They gazed in wonder. No legends named such a building on any island of\nVilayet. They approached it warily, seeing that moss and lichen crawled",
"this island, I can't say. Maybe he floated here on driftwood, blown out\nfrom the mainland in a storm.'",
"hundred feet to a narrow tangle of woodlands bordering the beach.\nLooking southward they saw the whole island lying like a great oval",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"visit them. Besides, they generally hug the shores in their galleys, and\nwe have come a long way. Before sunset we were out of sight of the\nmainland.'",
"'This is one of the many islands that dot this inland sea,' said Conan.\n'They are supposed to be uninhabited. I've heard the Hyrkanians seldom",
"'A strange stone to find on an uninhabited island,' growled Conan.",
"'Aye!' put in another corsair. 'They were the demons of the isle, which\ntook the forms of molten images, to befool us. Ishtar! We lay down to",
"rocky cliffs, the highest point of the island. Thither Conan took his\nway, suiting his long stride to his companion's gait. From time to time",
"came back across the plateau and vanished among the trees on the western\nrim, dragging the body of Sergius after them, presumably to cast into\nthe sea. About the ruins the others were cutting down trees and securing",
"protected her, and--so far--demanded nothing in return. Laying her head\nin her rounded arms she wept, until distant shouts of ribald revelry\nroused her to her own danger.",
"A distant medley of voices reached their ears, and creeping to the\nsouthern edge of the cliffs, they saw a motley horde emerge from the",
"There was silence for some time, the girl crouching in the bows, the man\ntugging at the oars. She watched him with timorous fascination. It was",
"'Let us take to the boat again,' she suggested. 'I am afraid here. It is\na strange evil place. We do not know when we may be attacked by whatever\ncast the rock.'",
"away--probably the ship whose sail we saw yesterday. We'll go up the\ncliffs and spy on her.'",
"'We should have brought fruit for food,' muttered Conan; 'but doubtless\nwe'll find other islands. As well leave now as later; it's but a few\nhours till dawn--'",
"At last they stood on the ultimate pinnacle, their hair stirring in the\nsea wind. From their feet the cliffs fell away sheerly three or four",
"She sat up, still clinging to him, and looked fearfully about. Her blind\nflight had carried her to the southern edge of the plateau. Just below"
],
[
"'I'll make you Queen of the Blue Sea! Cast off there, dogs! We'll scorch\nKing Yildiz's pantaloons yet, by Crom!'",
"'Aye, to sail with you on blue seas or red,' she answered passionately.\n'You are a barbarian, and I am an outcast, denied by my people. We are",
"protected her, and--so far--demanded nothing in return. Laying her head\nin her rounded arms she wept, until distant shouts of ribald revelry\nroused her to her own danger.",
"So saying, he laid aside his sword, and wading out shoulder-deep into\nthe blue water, went about his ablutions. When he emerged, his clean-cut",
"Then she rose. It was time to make her attempt. But first she stole back\nto the northern edge of the cliffs, and looked down into the woods that",
"'The sea is still,' sighed Olivia. 'Why should we not take up our\njourney again?'",
"She dropped to the sward and wriggled along on her belly until, from\nbehind a small tree that had escaped the axes of the pirates, she",
"'Come, then.' He drew aside, and she stepped quickly into the boat,\nshrinking from contact with him. She seated herself in the bow, and he",
"'I am a daughter of the King of Ophir,' she said. 'My father sold me to\na Shemite chief, because I would not marry a prince of Koth.'\n\nThe Cimmerian grunted in surprize.",
"At last they stood on the ultimate pinnacle, their hair stirring in the\nsea wind. From their feet the cliffs fell away sheerly three or four",
"toward the ceiling and the skies beyond, he cried out a name in an awful\nvoice. A dagger in an ebon hand cut short his cry, and the golden head\nrolled on the ivory breast.",
"The pirates, clambering over the rail, gasped in amazement.\n\n'To sail a road of blood and slaughter?' he questioned. 'This keel will\nstain the blue waves crimson wherever it plows.'",
"No word passed between them. Lifting her in his arms he set off swiftly\nacross the moon-bathed sward. Her arms about his iron neck, the Ophirean",
"The descent seemed endless, but at last her feet struck the grassy\nlevels, and in a very frenzy of eagerness she sped away toward the fire",
"She knew vaguely that the land he named lay far to the northwest, beyond\nthe farthest boundaries of the different kingdoms of her race.",
"He halted suddenly, an image of bronze in the moonlight. With a quick\ngesture he tossed the girl lightly to one side and behind him. Rising to\nher knees on the soft sward, she screamed at what she saw.",
"Dawn was in her eyes when she awakened, aware of a ravenous hunger. It\nwas a change in the motion of the boat that had roused her; Conan was",
"She reached him and clung to him an instant. He felt the quick beating\nof her heart against his breast. Through a broad crevice in the wall",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"bordered the beach. And as she strained her eyes in the dim starlight,\nshe stiffened, and an icy hand touched her heart."
],
[
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"Olivia awoke, starting up on her couch of branches, a cold sweat beading\nher skin. Her heart pounded loud in the silence. She glanced wildly",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming",
"reluctant Olivia after him. She shivered at the sight of those tense\nblack shadows in their niches along the walls. In the darkness that the",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"breeze; that was all. He shook his mane with an angry growl. Olivia\ncrept to his feet like a frightened child. Her eyes looked up at him,\ndark wells of horror.",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"face of the cliff--a vague bulk, shapeless in the semi-darkness. Panic\ncaught Olivia by the throat, and she struggled with the scream that",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden"
],
[
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"In spite of the terror of his wild appearance, Olivia looked to see him\nfall at the first crossing of the blades. Madman or savage, what could\nhe do, naked, against the mailed chief of Akif?",
"The moonlight scene swam, to Olivia's sight. This, then, was the end of\nthe trail--for what human being could withstand the fury of that hairy",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"breeze; that was all. He shook his mane with an angry growl. Olivia\ncrept to his feet like a frightened child. Her eyes looked up at him,\ndark wells of horror.",
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"He wheeled and stared at her. There was a difference in his bearing. His\nbloodshot eyes were sane. It was as if the blood he had just shed had\nquenched the fire of his frenzy.",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"stranger. 'You are strangely virile, Olivia. I wonder if I shall ever\nweary of you, as I have always wearied of women before. You are ever",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"saber and descended terrifically on Shah Amurath's shoulder. Olivia\ncried out at the fury of that stroke. Above the crunch of the rending",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like"
],
[
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"In spite of his burden, the Cimmerian crossed the plateau swiftly, and\nOlivia, opening her eyes, saw that they were passing under the shadow of\nthe cliffs.",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Once within, Conan grunted in surprize, and Olivia stifled a scream.\n\n'Look! Oh, look!'",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"Whipping out his sword, Conan bounded across the glade and plunged into\nthe thicket. Silence ensued, while Olivia crouched on the sward,",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"Conan had brought a great armful of tender branches, well leafed. These\nhe heaped to make a couch for her, and she lay upon it, with a curious\nsensation as of one lying down to sleep in a serpent's lair.",
"Olivia helplessly acquiesced, and they descended the cliffs, crossed the\nplateau and once more approached the gloomy, age-haunted ruins. By this",
"Conan, poised like a bronze statue on the cliffs, pointed northward.\nStraining her eyes, Olivia saw a white fleck that seemed to hang\nsuspended in the aching haze.\n\n'What is it?'",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"Whatever her forebodings, Conan did not share them. The Cimmerian sat\ndown near her, his back against a pillar, his sword across his knees.\nHis eyes gleamed like a panther's in the dusk.",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"of the wine-casks. Some were already snoring drunkenly on the grass,\nwhile others had staggered into the ruins. Of Conan she saw nothing. She",
"and Conan, bounding aside and carrying the girl with him, narrowly saved\nthem from something that rushed through the air and struck a tree-trunk\nwith a thunderous impact.",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and"
],
[
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"Once within, Conan grunted in surprize, and Olivia stifled a scream.\n\n'Look! Oh, look!'",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming",
"of the wine-casks. Some were already snoring drunkenly on the grass,\nwhile others had staggered into the ruins. Of Conan she saw nothing. She",
"The southern night swept down quickly, littering the dark blue sky with\ngreat white stars, and Conan entered the shadowy ruins, drawing the",
"Whatever her forebodings, Conan did not share them. The Cimmerian sat\ndown near her, his back against a pillar, his sword across his knees.\nHis eyes gleamed like a panther's in the dusk.",
"Olivia glanced timidly about the great silent hall. Only the ivy-grown\nstones, the tendril-clasped pillars, with the dark figures brooding",
"Conan had brought a great armful of tender branches, well leafed. These\nhe heaped to make a couch for her, and she lay upon it, with a curious\nsensation as of one lying down to sleep in a serpent's lair.",
"In spite of his burden, the Cimmerian crossed the plateau swiftly, and\nOlivia, opening her eyes, saw that they were passing under the shadow of\nthe cliffs.",
"groan in their sleep. The moonlight crept down the hall, touching the\nblack feet. The cords fell from Conan's arms, and taking the dagger",
"Olivia helplessly acquiesced, and they descended the cliffs, crossed the\nplateau and once more approached the gloomy, age-haunted ruins. By this",
"Whipping out his sword, Conan bounded across the glade and plunged into\nthe thicket. Silence ensued, while Olivia crouched on the sward,",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail"
],
[
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many",
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"Etched against the whitening sky they saw Conan the Cimmerian standing\nin the bows, sword in hand, his black mane tossing in the dawn wind.",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"Conan. They propped him against the wall, still evidently bound fast,\nand there ensued a long discussion, with much brandishing of weapons. At",
"'The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,'\npromised Conan.",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"Conan rose and limped over to the corpse. The Cimmerian breathed\nheavily, and walked like a man whose joints and muscles have been",
"joy rose to her lips as she saw Conan. The Cimmerian was wide awake,\nbound upright to a pillar, his eyes gleaming in the faint reflection of\nthe waning fire outside.",
"The southern night swept down quickly, littering the dark blue sky with\ngreat white stars, and Conan entered the shadowy ruins, drawing the",
"Dawn was in her eyes when she awakened, aware of a ravenous hunger. It\nwas a change in the motion of the boat that had roused her; Conan was",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'",
"Conan moved with the abruptness of a jungle cat. Catching up his sword\nfrom where it lay in a stack of weapons near by, he lifted Olivia",
"the bonds that held her mute and motionless. At her shriek Conan shot\nerect, teeth gleaming, sword lifted.",
"Whatever her forebodings, Conan did not share them. The Cimmerian sat\ndown near her, his back against a pillar, his sword across his knees.\nHis eyes gleamed like a panther's in the dusk.",
"Her breath came in gasps; Conan's wrists were free, but his elbows and\nlegs were still bound fast. She glanced fleetingly at the figures along"
],
[
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many",
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"Conan. They propped him against the wall, still evidently bound fast,\nand there ensued a long discussion, with much brandishing of weapons. At",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"Her breath came in gasps; Conan's wrists were free, but his elbows and\nlegs were still bound fast. She glanced fleetingly at the figures along",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"'The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,'\npromised Conan.",
"the bonds that held her mute and motionless. At her shriek Conan shot\nerect, teeth gleaming, sword lifted.",
"joy rose to her lips as she saw Conan. The Cimmerian was wide awake,\nbound upright to a pillar, his eyes gleaming in the faint reflection of\nthe waning fire outside.",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'",
"The ape maintained his grasp in Conan's hair, dragging him toward the\ntusks that glistened in the moonlight. The Cimmerian resisted this",
"How long she lay there, she did not know. Across the plateau she saw the\npirates reach the ruins and enter, dragging their captive. She saw them",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"Conan rose and limped over to the corpse. The Cimmerian breathed\nheavily, and walked like a man whose joints and muscles have been",
"Etched against the whitening sky they saw Conan the Cimmerian standing\nin the bows, sword in hand, his black mane tossing in the dawn wind.",
"'Nay, nay!' they cried eagerly. 'Friends--friends, Conan. We are thy\ncomrades! We be all lusty rogues together. We hate the king of Turan,\nnot each other.'"
],
[
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many",
"Her breath came in gasps; Conan's wrists were free, but his elbows and\nlegs were still bound fast. She glanced fleetingly at the figures along",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"Conan. They propped him against the wall, still evidently bound fast,\nand there ensued a long discussion, with much brandishing of weapons. At",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"the bonds that held her mute and motionless. At her shriek Conan shot\nerect, teeth gleaming, sword lifted.",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"joy rose to her lips as she saw Conan. The Cimmerian was wide awake,\nbound upright to a pillar, his eyes gleaming in the faint reflection of\nthe waning fire outside.",
"Etched against the whitening sky they saw Conan the Cimmerian standing\nin the bows, sword in hand, his black mane tossing in the dawn wind.",
"were civilized men. And from them she had had only suffering. She had\nnever encountered any civilized man who treated her with kindness unless\nthere was an ulterior motive behind his actions. Conan had shielded her,",
"'Nay, nay!' they cried eagerly. 'Friends--friends, Conan. We are thy\ncomrades! We be all lusty rogues together. We hate the king of Turan,\nnot each other.'",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"'The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,'\npromised Conan.",
"'Let us come aboard, good Conan,' whined a red-sashed Zamorian, glancing\nfearfully over his shoulder at the silent woods. 'We have been so",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'"
],
[
"Olivia helplessly acquiesced, and they descended the cliffs, crossed the\nplateau and once more approached the gloomy, age-haunted ruins. By this",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"With a gasp she rose and hurried toward the ruins. Her flesh crawled as\nshe tiptoed among the drunken shapes that sprawled beside the gaping",
"breeze whispered through the leaves, and set them to murmuring. Olivia\nfound herself listening intently for something, she knew not what. What\nmight be lurking amid those nameless woodlands?",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"He started and wheeled back toward the way they had come. The night had\nbeen split by an awful scream. It came from the ruins.",
"But no sleep came to Olivia, and she lay watching the distant ruins and\nthe wooded rim until the stars paled, the east whitened, and dawn in\nrose and gold struck fire from the dew on the grass-blades.",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"Olivia awoke, starting up on her couch of branches, a cold sweat beading\nher skin. Her heart pounded loud in the silence. She glanced wildly",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"reluctant Olivia after him. She shivered at the sight of those tense\nblack shadows in their niches along the walls. In the darkness that the",
"The moonlight scene swam, to Olivia's sight. This, then, was the end of\nthe trail--for what human being could withstand the fury of that hairy",
"In spite of his burden, the Cimmerian crossed the plateau swiftly, and\nOlivia, opening her eyes, saw that they were passing under the shadow of\nthe cliffs.",
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not"
],
[
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for",
"In spite of his burden, the Cimmerian crossed the plateau swiftly, and\nOlivia, opening her eyes, saw that they were passing under the shadow of\nthe cliffs.",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"Once within, Conan grunted in surprize, and Olivia stifled a scream.\n\n'Look! Oh, look!'",
"The ape maintained his grasp in Conan's hair, dragging him toward the\ntusks that glistened in the moonlight. The Cimmerian resisted this",
"Olivia helplessly acquiesced, and they descended the cliffs, crossed the\nplateau and once more approached the gloomy, age-haunted ruins. By this",
"Whipping out his sword, Conan bounded across the glade and plunged into\nthe thicket. Silence ensued, while Olivia crouched on the sward,",
"and Conan, bounding aside and carrying the girl with him, narrowly saved\nthem from something that rushed through the air and struck a tree-trunk\nwith a thunderous impact.",
"The moonlight scene swam, to Olivia's sight. This, then, was the end of\nthe trail--for what human being could withstand the fury of that hairy",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"breeze; that was all. He shook his mane with an angry growl. Olivia\ncrept to his feet like a frightened child. Her eyes looked up at him,\ndark wells of horror.",
"last they dragged him back into the hall, and took up anew the business\nof ale-guzzling. Olivia sighed; at least she knew that the Cimmerian",
"Conan, poised like a bronze statue on the cliffs, pointed northward.\nStraining her eyes, Olivia saw a white fleck that seemed to hang\nsuspended in the aching haze.\n\n'What is it?'"
],
[
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"Etched against the whitening sky they saw Conan the Cimmerian standing\nin the bows, sword in hand, his black mane tossing in the dawn wind.",
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"Conan. They propped him against the wall, still evidently bound fast,\nand there ensued a long discussion, with much brandishing of weapons. At",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"Conan rose and limped over to the corpse. The Cimmerian breathed\nheavily, and walked like a man whose joints and muscles have been",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"'The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,'\npromised Conan.",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"'Nay, nay!' they cried eagerly. 'Friends--friends, Conan. We are thy\ncomrades! We be all lusty rogues together. We hate the king of Turan,\nnot each other.'",
"'Swear by the hilt,' Conan demanded.\n\nForty-four sword-hilts were lifted toward him, and forty-four voices\nblended in the corsair's oath of allegiance.",
"'Let us come aboard, good Conan,' whined a red-sashed Zamorian, glancing\nfearfully over his shoulder at the silent woods. 'We have been so",
"joy rose to her lips as she saw Conan. The Cimmerian was wide awake,\nbound upright to a pillar, his eyes gleaming in the faint reflection of\nthe waning fire outside."
],
[
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"reluctant Olivia after him. She shivered at the sight of those tense\nblack shadows in their niches along the walls. In the darkness that the",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"Olivia glanced timidly about the great silent hall. Only the ivy-grown\nstones, the tendril-clasped pillars, with the dark figures brooding",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"He turned and lifted Olivia to her feet, from where she had crouched\nshielded by the gunwales.\n\n'And what of me, sir?' she asked.",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"Olivia helplessly acquiesced, and they descended the cliffs, crossed the\nplateau and once more approached the gloomy, age-haunted ruins. By this",
"Olivia awoke, starting up on her couch of branches, a cold sweat beading\nher skin. Her heart pounded loud in the silence. She glanced wildly"
],
[
"'No, you will not drown, Olivia, daughter of confusion, for the marge is\ntoo shallow, and I can catch you before you can reach the deeps. You",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"The moonlight scene swam, to Olivia's sight. This, then, was the end of\nthe trail--for what human being could withstand the fury of that hairy",
"But no sleep came to Olivia, and she lay watching the distant ruins and\nthe wooded rim until the stars paled, the east whitened, and dawn in\nrose and gold struck fire from the dew on the grass-blades.",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"Olivia glanced timidly about the great silent hall. Only the ivy-grown\nstones, the tendril-clasped pillars, with the dark figures brooding",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"He turned and lifted Olivia to her feet, from where she had crouched\nshielded by the gunwales.\n\n'And what of me, sir?' she asked.",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"'The sea is still,' sighed Olivia. 'Why should we not take up our\njourney again?'",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Olivia's lovely eyes dilated in wonder. The stone was a symmetrical\nblock, indisputably cut and shaped by human hands. And it was"
],
[
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"Olivia glanced timidly about the great silent hall. Only the ivy-grown\nstones, the tendril-clasped pillars, with the dark figures brooding",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"He turned and lifted Olivia to her feet, from where she had crouched\nshielded by the gunwales.\n\n'And what of me, sir?' she asked.",
"Olivia's lovely eyes dilated in wonder. The stone was a symmetrical\nblock, indisputably cut and shaped by human hands. And it was",
"Olivia stared after it, feeling the cold hand of nameless foreboding\ntouch her supple spine.\n\n'What did it say?' she whispered.",
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"Once within, Conan grunted in surprize, and Olivia stifled a scream.\n\n'Look! Oh, look!'",
"reluctant Olivia after him. She shivered at the sight of those tense\nblack shadows in their niches along the walls. In the darkness that the",
"Olivia awoke, starting up on her couch of branches, a cold sweat beading\nher skin. Her heart pounded loud in the silence. She glanced wildly",
"Olivia hesitated--then was galvanized by a distant glow rising through\nthe trees. The moon was rising!",
"breeze whispered through the leaves, and set them to murmuring. Olivia\nfound herself listening intently for something, she knew not what. What\nmight be lurking amid those nameless woodlands?",
"breeze; that was all. He shook his mane with an angry growl. Olivia\ncrept to his feet like a frightened child. Her eyes looked up at him,\ndark wells of horror.",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the"
],
[
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"saber and descended terrifically on Shah Amurath's shoulder. Olivia\ncried out at the fury of that stroke. Above the crunch of the rending",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"In spite of his burden, the Cimmerian crossed the plateau swiftly, and\nOlivia, opening her eyes, saw that they were passing under the shadow of\nthe cliffs.",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"Once within, Conan grunted in surprize, and Olivia stifled a scream.\n\n'Look! Oh, look!'",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"Conan, poised like a bronze statue on the cliffs, pointed northward.\nStraining her eyes, Olivia saw a white fleck that seemed to hang\nsuspended in the aching haze.\n\n'What is it?'",
"Whipping out his sword, Conan bounded across the glade and plunged into\nthe thicket. Silence ensued, while Olivia crouched on the sward,",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"Amurath deserved no mercy or pity from any living creature, yet she\nclosed her eyes and pressed her hands over her ears, to shut out the\nsight of that dripping sword that rose and fell with the sound of a",
"and Conan, bounding aside and carrying the girl with him, narrowly saved\nthem from something that rushed through the air and struck a tree-trunk\nwith a thunderous impact.",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for"
],
[
"Olivia hesitated--then was galvanized by a distant glow rising through\nthe trees. The moon was rising!",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"The moonlight scene swam, to Olivia's sight. This, then, was the end of\nthe trail--for what human being could withstand the fury of that hairy",
"Olivia glanced timidly about the great silent hall. Only the ivy-grown\nstones, the tendril-clasped pillars, with the dark figures brooding",
"went swiftly toward the rim of the plateau, with its fringe of\nmoon-limned trees. Olivia's legs were trembling so that she could not",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming",
"Olivia's lovely eyes dilated in wonder. The stone was a symmetrical\nblock, indisputably cut and shaped by human hands. And it was",
"stole a beam of moonlight, and the air was instantly supercharged with\nsubtle tension. Conan felt it and stiffened. Olivia felt it and gasped.",
"reluctant Olivia after him. She shivered at the sight of those tense\nblack shadows in their niches along the walls. In the darkness that the",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"But no sleep came to Olivia, and she lay watching the distant ruins and\nthe wooded rim until the stars paled, the east whitened, and dawn in\nrose and gold struck fire from the dew on the grass-blades.",
"He halted suddenly, an image of bronze in the moonlight. With a quick\ngesture he tossed the girl lightly to one side and behind him. Rising to\nher knees on the soft sward, she screamed at what she saw.",
"his tranquil gaze swept again over the silent rows of ebony figures, and\nhe pointed to the moon, which gleamed in through the casements. And they\nunderstood, those tense, waiting statues that had been men....",
"'Let us go into the sunlight,' urged Olivia, and he nodded, with a\nbaffled glance at the brooding shapes along the walls.",
"'I see,' he answered. 'Nothing to fear. They are statues.'\n\n'But how life-like--and how evil!' she whispered, drawing close to him.",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"'Did you not see them?--The statues, moving, lifting their hands, their\neyes glaring in the shadows?'",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"breeze whispered through the leaves, and set them to murmuring. Olivia\nfound herself listening intently for something, she knew not what. What\nmight be lurking amid those nameless woodlands?",
"They were statues, apparently of iron, black and shining as if\ncontinually polished. They were life-sized, depicting tall, lithely"
],
[
"this island, I can't say. Maybe he floated here on driftwood, blown out\nfrom the mainland in a storm.'",
"Doubtless they'll pass the island tonight, and at dawn we can go on our\nway.'",
"called, like an eery echo: '_Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla!_' So they came\nto the tree-fringed water's edge and saw the galley lying at anchor,",
"A distant medley of voices reached their ears, and creeping to the\nsouthern edge of the cliffs, they saw a motley horde emerge from the",
"They gazed in wonder. No legends named such a building on any island of\nVilayet. They approached it warily, seeing that moss and lichen crawled",
"which had appeared so suddenly from the rocks. There were some seventy\nof them, a wild horde made up of men from many nations: Kothians,",
"'This is one of the many islands that dot this inland sea,' said Conan.\n'They are supposed to be uninhabited. I've heard the Hyrkanians seldom",
"visit them. Besides, they generally hug the shores in their galleys, and\nwe have come a long way. Before sunset we were out of sight of the\nmainland.'",
"'A strange stone to find on an uninhabited island,' growled Conan.",
"As if in answer to that desperate cry, there was a rolling thunder as of\ncelestial chariot-wheels, and a figure stood before the slayers, as if",
"'Something climbed the cliffs,' she whispered. 'I heard it scrambling\nbehind me as I came down.'\n\n'We'll have to chance it,' he grunted.",
"With a gasp she rose and hurried toward the ruins. Her flesh crawled as\nshe tiptoed among the drunken shapes that sprawled beside the gaping",
"echoing among the trees. Presently they came back into sight, bearing\ncasks of liquor and leathern sacks of food. They headed for the ruins,\ncursing lustily under their burdens.",
"came back across the plateau and vanished among the trees on the western\nrim, dragging the body of Sergius after them, presumably to cast into\nthe sea. About the ruins the others were cutting down trees and securing",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"hundred feet to a narrow tangle of woodlands bordering the beach.\nLooking southward they saw the whole island lying like a great oval",
"cautiously, she looked out across the plateau. She saw the pirates\nclustered about a great fire outside the ruins, and her heart leaped as\na group emerged from the interior dragging some object she knew was",
"Far below her something moved. It was as if a black shadow detached\nitself from the gulf of shadows below her. It moved slowly up the sheer",
"At last they stood on the ultimate pinnacle, their hair stirring in the\nsea wind. From their feet the cliffs fell away sheerly three or four",
"before. It was while so occupied that she was troubled by a sensation of\nbeing watched. She scanned the rocks nervously, then, with a shuddering"
],
[
"But no sleep came to Olivia, and she lay watching the distant ruins and\nthe wooded rim until the stars paled, the east whitened, and dawn in\nrose and gold struck fire from the dew on the grass-blades.",
"Olivia helplessly acquiesced, and they descended the cliffs, crossed the\nplateau and once more approached the gloomy, age-haunted ruins. By this",
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"With a gasp she rose and hurried toward the ruins. Her flesh crawled as\nshe tiptoed among the drunken shapes that sprawled beside the gaping",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"Olivia glanced timidly about the great silent hall. Only the ivy-grown\nstones, the tendril-clasped pillars, with the dark figures brooding",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"reluctant Olivia after him. She shivered at the sight of those tense\nblack shadows in their niches along the walls. In the darkness that the",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"Strenuous physical action dissipated her blind terror somewhat and\nbefore she had reached the ruin, her mind was clear, her reasoning\nfaculties alert, though her limbs trembled from her efforts.",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming",
"went swiftly toward the rim of the plateau, with its fringe of\nmoon-limned trees. Olivia's legs were trembling so that she could not",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"Olivia hesitated--then was galvanized by a distant glow rising through\nthe trees. The moon was rising!"
],
[
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"cautiously, she looked out across the plateau. She saw the pirates\nclustered about a great fire outside the ruins, and her heart leaped as\na group emerged from the interior dragging some object she knew was",
"How long she lay there, she did not know. Across the plateau she saw the\npirates reach the ruins and enter, dragging their captive. She saw them",
"The pirates, clambering over the rail, gasped in amazement.\n\n'To sail a road of blood and slaughter?' he questioned. 'This keel will\nstain the blue waves crimson wherever it plows.'",
"Doubtless they'll pass the island tonight, and at dawn we can go on our\nway.'",
"'Aye!' put in another corsair. 'They were the demons of the isle, which\ntook the forms of molten images, to befool us. Ishtar! We lay down to",
"visit them. Besides, they generally hug the shores in their galleys, and\nwe have come a long way. Before sunset we were out of sight of the\nmainland.'",
"unmanned me. I am at home in the high lands. As for pirates--' He\ngrinned enigmatically, and bent to the oars.",
"In an instant the pirates had formed a circle about the rivals, their\neyes blazing, their breath sucking between their teeth in bloodthirsty",
"'This is one of the many islands that dot this inland sea,' said Conan.\n'They are supposed to be uninhabited. I've heard the Hyrkanians seldom",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"She dropped to the sward and wriggled along on her belly until, from\nbehind a small tree that had escaped the axes of the pirates, she",
"They gazed in wonder. No legends named such a building on any island of\nVilayet. They approached it warily, seeing that moss and lichen crawled",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"hide as best we can. But I believe it's either pirate, or an Hyrkanian\ngalley returning from some northern raid. In the latter case they are",
"called, like an eery echo: '_Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla!_' So they came\nto the tree-fringed water's edge and saw the galley lying at anchor,",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"this island, I can't say. Maybe he floated here on driftwood, blown out\nfrom the mainland in a storm.'",
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many"
],
[
"Etched against the whitening sky they saw Conan the Cimmerian standing\nin the bows, sword in hand, his black mane tossing in the dawn wind.",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"Conan. They propped him against the wall, still evidently bound fast,\nand there ensued a long discussion, with much brandishing of weapons. At",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"were civilized men. And from them she had had only suffering. She had\nnever encountered any civilized man who treated her with kindness unless\nthere was an ulterior motive behind his actions. Conan had shielded her,",
"'The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,'\npromised Conan.",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"'Swear by the hilt,' Conan demanded.\n\nForty-four sword-hilts were lifted toward him, and forty-four voices\nblended in the corsair's oath of allegiance.",
"'Conan the Cimmerian!' His voice was like the deep challenge of a lion.\n'One of the Free Companions. I mean to try my luck with the Red\nBrotherhood. Who's your chief?'",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"Dawn was in her eyes when she awakened, aware of a ravenous hunger. It\nwas a change in the motion of the boat that had roused her; Conan was",
"morning as Conan's sword plunged through their captain's massive body.\nThe point quivered an instant from between Sergius's shoulders, a hand's",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"'Then if I am one of the Brotherhood,' he grunted, 'the laws of the\nTrade apply to me; and since I killed your chief in fair fight, then I\nam your captain!'",
"Conan rose and limped over to the corpse. The Cimmerian breathed\nheavily, and walked like a man whose joints and muscles have been",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'"
],
[
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Once within, Conan grunted in surprize, and Olivia stifled a scream.\n\n'Look! Oh, look!'",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"Whipping out his sword, Conan bounded across the glade and plunged into\nthe thicket. Silence ensued, while Olivia crouched on the sward,",
"'Lie down and sleep if you can, Olivia,' he said. 'I'll keep watch.'",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"Conan, poised like a bronze statue on the cliffs, pointed northward.\nStraining her eyes, Olivia saw a white fleck that seemed to hang\nsuspended in the aching haze.\n\n'What is it?'",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"'The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,'\npromised Conan.",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away."
],
[
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"Olivia awoke, starting up on her couch of branches, a cold sweat beading\nher skin. Her heart pounded loud in the silence. She glanced wildly",
"reluctant Olivia after him. She shivered at the sight of those tense\nblack shadows in their niches along the walls. In the darkness that the",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Olivia glanced timidly about the great silent hall. Only the ivy-grown\nstones, the tendril-clasped pillars, with the dark figures brooding",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"But no sleep came to Olivia, and she lay watching the distant ruins and\nthe wooded rim until the stars paled, the east whitened, and dawn in\nrose and gold struck fire from the dew on the grass-blades.",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming"
],
[
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"reluctant Olivia after him. She shivered at the sight of those tense\nblack shadows in their niches along the walls. In the darkness that the",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming",
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"The moonlight scene swam, to Olivia's sight. This, then, was the end of\nthe trail--for what human being could withstand the fury of that hairy",
"Then rising, sword in hand, he began to back away, thrusting Olivia\nbehind him.\n\n'Out of here, quick!' he urged in a whisper that congealed the girl's\nblood.",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"breeze; that was all. He shook his mane with an angry growl. Olivia\ncrept to his feet like a frightened child. Her eyes looked up at him,\ndark wells of horror.",
"face of the cliff--a vague bulk, shapeless in the semi-darkness. Panic\ncaught Olivia by the throat, and she struggled with the scream that",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"Olivia awoke, starting up on her couch of branches, a cold sweat beading\nher skin. Her heart pounded loud in the silence. She glanced wildly",
"went swiftly toward the rim of the plateau, with its fringe of\nmoon-limned trees. Olivia's legs were trembling so that she could not"
],
[
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"Olivia awoke, starting up on her couch of branches, a cold sweat beading\nher skin. Her heart pounded loud in the silence. She glanced wildly",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"material for a fire. Olivia heard their shouts, unintelligible in the\ndistance, and she heard the voices of those who had gone into the woods,",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away.",
"breeze whispered through the leaves, and set them to murmuring. Olivia\nfound herself listening intently for something, she knew not what. What\nmight be lurking amid those nameless woodlands?",
"He shook his head. 'It didn't fall from above. It came from yonder\nthicket. See how the twigs are broken? It was thrown as a man might\nthrow a pebble. But who? What? Come!'",
"The moonlight scene swam, to Olivia's sight. This, then, was the end of\nthe trail--for what human being could withstand the fury of that hairy",
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming",
"Quick as a great cat Conan caught up Olivia and ran. Through the shadows\nhe raced like a phantom, while somewhere above and behind them sounded a",
"Olivia hesitated--then was galvanized by a distant glow rising through\nthe trees. The moon was rising!",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than"
],
[
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"groan in their sleep. The moonlight crept down the hall, touching the\nblack feet. The cords fell from Conan's arms, and taking the dagger",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"Conan. They propped him against the wall, still evidently bound fast,\nand there ensued a long discussion, with much brandishing of weapons. At",
"She rose stiffly, her mind reverting to all the happenings of the night.\nIn the morning light some of its terrors seemed like figments of an\noverwrought imagination. Conan strode over to her, and his words\nelectrified her.",
"The southern night swept down quickly, littering the dark blue sky with\ngreat white stars, and Conan entered the shadowy ruins, drawing the",
"Conan rose and limped over to the corpse. The Cimmerian breathed\nheavily, and walked like a man whose joints and muscles have been",
"the bonds that held her mute and motionless. At her shriek Conan shot\nerect, teeth gleaming, sword lifted.",
"and Conan, bounding aside and carrying the girl with him, narrowly saved\nthem from something that rushed through the air and struck a tree-trunk\nwith a thunderous impact.",
"of the wine-casks. Some were already snoring drunkenly on the grass,\nwhile others had staggered into the ruins. Of Conan she saw nothing. She",
"the stone to its mark, and Conan reeled and fell as a tall tree falls to\nthe woodsman's ax. Up on the cliff Olivia caught at the boulders for",
"So frantic was her pleading that Conan was impressed. His curiosity in\nregard to the images was balanced by his superstition. Foes of flesh and",
"Conan entered, with the slouching gait of a hunting panther, sunken head\nand noiseless feet. Olivia tiptoed after him.",
"terrified and bewildered. Presently Conan emerged, a puzzled scowl on\nhis face.",
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many",
"Her breath came in gasps; Conan's wrists were free, but his elbows and\nlegs were still bound fast. She glanced fleetingly at the figures along",
"murmured drowsily. Under the trees the shadows clustered thick, and\nConan swerved to avoid the denser patches. His eyes roved continuously",
"Whatever her forebodings, Conan did not share them. The Cimmerian sat\ndown near her, his back against a pillar, his sword across his knees.\nHis eyes gleamed like a panther's in the dusk.",
"Conan's action was a blur of speed Olivia's eye could not follow. She\nonly saw that he evaded that deadly grasp, and his sword, flashing like"
],
[
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many",
"Her breath came in gasps; Conan's wrists were free, but his elbows and\nlegs were still bound fast. She glanced fleetingly at the figures along",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"Conan. They propped him against the wall, still evidently bound fast,\nand there ensued a long discussion, with much brandishing of weapons. At",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"the bonds that held her mute and motionless. At her shriek Conan shot\nerect, teeth gleaming, sword lifted.",
"Conan stood frozen, the girl clinging to him in a frenzy of terror. The\nclamor rose to a crescendo of madness, and then the Cimmerian turned and",
"joy rose to her lips as she saw Conan. The Cimmerian was wide awake,\nbound upright to a pillar, his eyes gleaming in the faint reflection of\nthe waning fire outside.",
"Etched against the whitening sky they saw Conan the Cimmerian standing\nin the bows, sword in hand, his black mane tossing in the dawn wind.",
"were civilized men. And from them she had had only suffering. She had\nnever encountered any civilized man who treated her with kindness unless\nthere was an ulterior motive behind his actions. Conan had shielded her,",
"'Nay, nay!' they cried eagerly. 'Friends--friends, Conan. We are thy\ncomrades! We be all lusty rogues together. We hate the king of Turan,\nnot each other.'",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"'The first man who tries to climb over the side, I'll split his skull,'\npromised Conan.",
"'Let us come aboard, good Conan,' whined a red-sashed Zamorian, glancing\nfearfully over his shoulder at the silent woods. 'We have been so",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'"
],
[
"cautiously, she looked out across the plateau. She saw the pirates\nclustered about a great fire outside the ruins, and her heart leaped as\na group emerged from the interior dragging some object she knew was",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"The pirates, clambering over the rail, gasped in amazement.\n\n'To sail a road of blood and slaughter?' he questioned. 'This keel will\nstain the blue waves crimson wherever it plows.'",
"'Aye!' put in another corsair. 'They were the demons of the isle, which\ntook the forms of molten images, to befool us. Ishtar! We lay down to",
"visit them. Besides, they generally hug the shores in their galleys, and\nwe have come a long way. Before sunset we were out of sight of the\nmainland.'",
"In an instant the pirates had formed a circle about the rivals, their\neyes blazing, their breath sucking between their teeth in bloodthirsty",
"Doubtless they'll pass the island tonight, and at dawn we can go on our\nway.'",
"She dropped to the sward and wriggled along on her belly until, from\nbehind a small tree that had escaped the axes of the pirates, she",
"How long she lay there, she did not know. Across the plateau she saw the\npirates reach the ruins and enter, dragging their captive. She saw them",
"unmanned me. I am at home in the high lands. As for pirates--' He\ngrinned enigmatically, and bent to the oars.",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"called, like an eery echo: '_Yagkoolan yok tha, xuthalla!_' So they came\nto the tree-fringed water's edge and saw the galley lying at anchor,",
"'This is one of the many islands that dot this inland sea,' said Conan.\n'They are supposed to be uninhabited. I've heard the Hyrkanians seldom",
"They gazed in wonder. No legends named such a building on any island of\nVilayet. They approached it warily, seeing that moss and lichen crawled",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'",
"'No, else the pirates had been attacked when they went through the\nwoods. The gray ape is wary, for all his strength, as shown by his",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"'Let us come aboard!' croaked a hairy rogue fingering a bloody stump of\near. 'We'd be gone from this devil's island.'",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'"
],
[
"'Then if I am one of the Brotherhood,' he grunted, 'the laws of the\nTrade apply to me; and since I killed your chief in fair fight, then I\nam your captain!'",
"The pirates, clambering over the rail, gasped in amazement.\n\n'To sail a road of blood and slaughter?' he questioned. 'This keel will\nstain the blue waves crimson wherever it plows.'",
"How long she lay there, she did not know. Across the plateau she saw the\npirates reach the ruins and enter, dragging their captive. She saw them",
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"captain, as would have been the case had one of us killed him.'",
"In an instant the pirates had formed a circle about the rivals, their\neyes blazing, their breath sucking between their teeth in bloodthirsty",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"cautiously, she looked out across the plateau. She saw the pirates\nclustered about a great fire outside the ruins, and her heart leaped as\na group emerged from the interior dragging some object she knew was",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar.",
"She dropped to the sward and wriggled along on her belly until, from\nbehind a small tree that had escaped the axes of the pirates, she",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'",
"unmanned me. I am at home in the high lands. As for pirates--' He\ngrinned enigmatically, and bent to the oars.",
"toward the ceiling and the skies beyond, he cried out a name in an awful\nvoice. A dagger in an ebon hand cut short his cry, and the golden head\nrolled on the ivory breast.",
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many",
"The sleepers snored on. Bending quickly, she drew a dagger from its\nsenseless owner's belt, and set to work on Conan's bonds. They were sail",
"'I'll make you Queen of the Blue Sea! Cast off there, dogs! We'll scorch\nKing Yildiz's pantaloons yet, by Crom!'",
"He wheeled and stared at her. There was a difference in his bearing. His\nbloodshot eyes were sane. It was as if the blood he had just shed had\nquenched the fire of his frenzy.",
"'Dogs! Must I aid my enemies? Shall I let you come aboard and cut out my\nheart?'",
"'No, else the pirates had been attacked when they went through the\nwoods. The gray ape is wary, for all his strength, as shown by his"
],
[
"'Aye, by Mitra!' The pirate, sensing the trend of feeling, was eager to\ningratiate himself with the Cimmerian. 'He is right, lads; he is our\nlawful captain!'",
"'Then if I am one of the Brotherhood,' he grunted, 'the laws of the\nTrade apply to me; and since I killed your chief in fair fight, then I\nam your captain!'",
"The pirates, clambering over the rail, gasped in amazement.\n\n'To sail a road of blood and slaughter?' he questioned. 'This keel will\nstain the blue waves crimson wherever it plows.'",
"How long she lay there, she did not know. Across the plateau she saw the\npirates reach the ruins and enter, dragging their captive. She saw them",
"There was no dissent. The pirates were too cowed and battered to have\nany thought except a desire to get away from that island of fear.\nConan's gaze sought out the blood-stained figure of the Corinthian.",
"In an instant the pirates had formed a circle about the rivals, their\neyes blazing, their breath sucking between their teeth in bloodthirsty",
"Conan grinned and sheathed his sword. 'Come aboard, my bold\nswashbucklers, and take the oars.'",
"'I'll make you Queen of the Blue Sea! Cast off there, dogs! We'll scorch\nKing Yildiz's pantaloons yet, by Crom!'",
"cautiously, she looked out across the plateau. She saw the pirates\nclustered about a great fire outside the ruins, and her heart leaped as\na group emerged from the interior dragging some object she knew was",
"Conan wheeled toward the gaping corsairs.\n\n'Well, you dogs!' he roared. 'I've sent your chief to hell. What says\nthe law of the Red Brotherhood?'",
"She dropped to the sward and wriggled along on her belly until, from\nbehind a small tree that had escaped the axes of the pirates, she",
"The Cimmerian, who was beginning to regain consciousness, was bound with\nleather girdles, and then four pirates lifted him, and with many",
"'Let us come aboard!' croaked a hairy rogue fingering a bloody stump of\near. 'We'd be gone from this devil's island.'",
"'I am sorry.' She bowed her shapely dark head. 'Pirates, storms,\nstarvation--they are all kinder than the people of Turan.'",
"'Some folk don't think so,' grinned Conan grimly; 'notably the slaves\nthat have escaped from galleys and become pirates.'\n\n'But what are your plans?'",
"unmanned me. I am at home in the high lands. As for pirates--' He\ngrinned enigmatically, and bent to the oars.",
"'Aye, to sail with you on blue seas or red,' she answered passionately.\n'You are a barbarian, and I am an outcast, denied by my people. We are",
"'Pirates!' whispered Conan, a grim smile on his thin lips. 'It's an\nHyrkanian galley they've captured. Here--crawl among these rocks.",
"captain, as would have been the case had one of us killed him.'",
"'Then I'll knock a hole in the planks and sink her,' answered Conan\ngrimly. A frantic chorus of expostulation rose, which Conan silenced\nwith a lion-like roar."
],
[
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"Olivia was too busy to reply. The sharp edge of the Cimmerian's hunger\nblunted, he began to gaze at his fair companion with more interest than",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"culminated the sufferings of battle, massacre, torture, and fear-ridden,\nthirst-maddened, hunger-haunted flight. Though Olivia knew that Shah",
"The moonlight scene swam, to Olivia's sight. This, then, was the end of\nthe trail--for what human being could withstand the fury of that hairy",
"stranger. 'You are strangely virile, Olivia. I wonder if I shall ever\nweary of you, as I have always wearied of women before. You are ever",
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"Olivia awoke, starting up on her couch of branches, a cold sweat beading\nher skin. Her heart pounded loud in the silence. She glanced wildly",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"breeze; that was all. He shook his mane with an angry growl. Olivia\ncrept to his feet like a frightened child. Her eyes looked up at him,\ndark wells of horror.",
"'I am called Olivia. I was _his_ captive. I ran away. He followed me.\nThat's why he came here. Oh, do not leave me here! His warriors are not",
"He turned and lifted Olivia to her feet, from where she had crouched\nshielded by the gunwales.\n\n'And what of me, sir?' she asked.",
"'No, you will not drown, Olivia, daughter of confusion, for the marge is\ntoo shallow, and I can catch you before you can reach the deeps. You",
"Olivia's lovely eyes dilated in wonder. The stone was a symmetrical\nblock, indisputably cut and shaped by human hands. And it was",
"Olivia glanced timidly about the great silent hall. Only the ivy-grown\nstones, the tendril-clasped pillars, with the dark figures brooding",
"At the crest Conan laid Olivia down, and turned to glare back at the\ngulf of shadows they had just quitted. The leaves shook in a sudden",
"Up among the rocks, Olivia lay stunned by the disaster. She was\nincapable of speech or action, and could only lie there and stare with\nhorrified eyes as the brutal horde dragged her protector away."
],
[
"Olivia dreamed, and through her dreams crawled a suggestion of lurking\nevil, like a black serpent writhing through flower gardens. Her dreams",
"Olivia closed her eyes. This was no longer battle, but butchery,\nfrantic, bloody, impelled by an hysteria of fury and hate, in which",
"Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile\nfigure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in",
"Olivia awoke, starting up on her couch of branches, a cold sweat beading\nher skin. Her heart pounded loud in the silence. She glanced wildly",
"Olivia, half fainting, saw the ape heaving, thrashing and writhing,\ngripping, man-like, the hilt that jutted from its body. A sickening",
"But no sleep came to Olivia, and she lay watching the distant ruins and\nthe wooded rim until the stars paled, the east whitened, and dawn in\nrose and gold struck fire from the dew on the grass-blades.",
"Of all this Olivia was but mechanically cognizant. Her overwrought brain\nwas almost ready to collapse. Left alone and unprotected, she realized",
"Olivia, staring up from the ground, saw what she took to be either a\nsavage or a madman advancing on Shah Amurath in an attitude of deadly",
"The moonlight scene swam, to Olivia's sight. This, then, was the end of\nthe trail--for what human being could withstand the fury of that hairy",
"The sun was hanging low when Olivia regained her senses. A faint wind\nwafted to her ears distant shouts and snatches of ribald song. Rising",
"A stifled cry escaped Olivia. Conan wheeled and faced the dense shadows,\na crouching image of menace. The noise of the night-birds was suddenly",
"reluctant Olivia after him. She shivered at the sight of those tense\nblack shadows in their niches along the walls. In the darkness that the",
"Olivia glanced timidly about the great silent hall. Only the ivy-grown\nstones, the tendril-clasped pillars, with the dark figures brooding",
"'So I did!' she shivered. 'But the reality was more grisly than the\ndream. Listen!' And she narrated all that she had dreamed and thought\nto see.",
"Olivia's lovely eyes dilated in wonder. The stone was a symmetrical\nblock, indisputably cut and shaped by human hands. And it was",
"Looking fearfully from her eyrie, Olivia saw the band had neared the\nfoot of the cliffs. Even as she looked, Conan stepped out from among the",
"Every step of the way across that moon-haunted plateau was a sweating\nterror for Olivia, but no black shapes stole subtly from the looming",
"Stepping ashore, he reached out a hand to help Olivia. She took it,\nwincing slightly at the bloodstains upon it, feeling a hint of the",
"breeze; that was all. He shook his mane with an angry growl. Olivia\ncrept to his feet like a frightened child. Her eyes looked up at him,\ndark wells of horror.",
"Olivia stared after it, feeling the cold hand of nameless foreboding\ntouch her supple spine.\n\n'What did it say?' she whispered."
]
] |
[
"What were the ancient ruins decorated with on the deserted island where Conan and Olivia slept?",
"Who frees Conan from the pirates who knocked him unconscious?",
"What is the name of the city Olivia is escaping from?",
"What do Conan and Olivia use to flee the deserted island?",
"What happens to the Captain of the pirate ship that docks on the deserted island?",
"As they leave the island, what does Conan say he will make Olivia?",
"Who else is on the the ship as Conan and Olivia depart the deserted island?",
"Where was Conan hiding out when he found Olivia?",
"What do the pirates nickname the island?",
"What was the title of the story?",
"Who Fled the city of Akif?",
"Why was the newcomer nearly mad?",
"Where did they stay the first night?",
"What was Conan more concerned about?",
"What comes into port on the island?",
"Who was the dark figure?",
"What was happening back at the ruins?",
"What was the island called?",
"Who was made \"Queen of the Blue Sea\"?",
"At the start of story, what is Olivia escaping?",
"Who does the mad man who defeats Olivia's pursuer turn out to be? ",
"Where do Conan and Olivia seek refuge to take a rest?",
"When Conan and Olivia spend the night in the ancient ruins, what is Olivia concerned about?",
"What does Conan do before he is captured by pirates?",
"What do the pirates do with Conan after they tie him up?",
"Who frees Conan from the pirates?",
"What followed Olivia through the jungle and back to the ruins?",
"After the man-ape is defeated, where do Olivia and Conan go?",
"What happens when Conan is confronted by the pirates at the end of the story?",
"Where was Olivia held captive at?",
"What body of water is Olivia corned in a marsh near?",
"What is the newcomers' name that Olivia meets?",
"Where does Olivia and Conan hide after fleeing Shuh Amurath?",
"What does Olivia think of the statues in the moonlight?",
"What shows up at the deserted island?",
"What does Olivia escape away from when going to the ruins?",
"According to the pirates, what is the name of the island?",
"Who made Conan a captain?",
"What did Conan say he will do to Olivia?",
"What city has Olivia fled from?",
"Who is chasing and pursuing olivia?",
"What is being lobbed at Olivia from the jungle?",
"What knocks Conan unconscious?",
"Who frees Conan from the pirates?",
"What nickname do the pirates give the island?",
"Who kills the captain of the pirate ship?",
"Who becomes the new captain of the pirate ship?",
"What kind of queen does Olivia become?",
"What does Olivia see in her dream?"
] |
[
[
"Statues",
"Lifelike statues."
],
[
"Olivia",
"Olivia"
],
[
"Akif",
"Akif"
],
[
"Pirate ship",
"They use the pirates own ship."
],
[
"Conan slays him.",
"Conan challenges and kills him"
],
[
"Queen of the Blue Sea",
"Queen of the Blue Sea"
],
[
"pirates from the ship",
"A giant man ape was aboard the ship."
],
[
"Marshes",
"In the reeds"
],
[
"\"Devil Island\"",
"the Devil Island"
],
[
"Shadows in the Moonlight",
"shadows in the moonlight"
],
[
"Olivia",
"Olivia"
],
[
"He hidden in the reeds for so long",
"He was hiding in the reeds for so long"
],
[
"In ancient ruins with lifelike statues",
"In some ruins"
],
[
"Something lurking in the jungle",
"What lurked in the jungle"
],
[
"A pirate ship",
"A pirate ship"
],
[
"A giant man ape",
"Man-ape."
],
[
"a horrific slaughter",
"Conan is held captive by drunk pirates"
],
[
"Devil Island",
"Devil Island"
],
[
"Olivia",
"olivia "
],
[
"Life in the city of Akif, under her former master, Shah Amurath.",
"She is running from Shah Amurath, a sadistic rogue."
],
[
"Conan the Cimmerian.",
"Conan"
],
[
"In ancient ruins on a deserted island.",
"Ancient ruins"
],
[
"That the statues were once men, and they will come to life and attack them. ",
"Statues coming to life "
],
[
"Kill the pirate captain.",
"Kills the pirate captain"
],
[
"They talk about what to do with him, drink too much, and fall asleep.",
"take him to ruins"
],
[
"Olivia.",
"Olivia"
],
[
"A giant man-ape.",
"a giant man-ape"
],
[
"To take over the pirate ship.",
"back to pirate ship"
],
[
"The pirates make him their captain.",
"He challenges them, and they accept him as captain"
],
[
"Akif",
"Akif"
],
[
"Vilayet Sea",
"Vilayet sea"
],
[
"Conan",
"Conan the Cimmerian "
],
[
"Boat",
"In a boat"
],
[
"That they will come to life",
"That they will come to life. "
],
[
"Pirate ship",
"A man-ape"
],
[
"Dark Figure",
"captivity"
],
[
"Devil Island",
"Devil Island."
],
[
"Pirates",
"Beating the prior captain"
],
[
"Make her \"Queen of the Blue Sea\"",
"Make her the queen of the blue sea"
],
[
"Olivia has fled from Akif.",
"Akif"
],
[
"Shah Amurath is chasing Olivia.",
"Shah"
],
[
"Giant boulders are being lobbed at Olivia.",
"boulders"
],
[
"A stone from a ling knocks him unconscious.",
"a stone"
],
[
"Olivia frees Conan from the pirates.",
"Olivia frees Conan from the pirates."
],
[
"Devil Island.",
"devil island"
],
[
"Conan kills the captain.",
"Conan"
],
[
"Conan becomes the new captain.",
"Conan becomes the new captain of the pirate ship."
],
[
"Queen of the Blue Sea.",
"Queen of the Blue Sea."
],
[
"A band of men turned into statues.",
"A band of men turned into statues"
]
] |
00950a3641e6a28b04a6fabf6334140e2deaa9fd
|
train
|
[["\"Friend Singleton,\" says he, \"dost thee know what we are a-doing?\" Says\nI, \"Yes; why, we ar(...TRUNCATED)
| ["What activity does Singleton engage in the West Indies?","How does William display great ability?"(...TRUNCATED)
| [["Piracy.","Piracy."],["By winning in trade deals with English merchants.","resourcefulness by succ(...TRUNCATED)
|
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train
|
[["But, slowly, Larsen begins to move. He sits up and looks at Billy.\n\nBilly is crying and smiling(...TRUNCATED)
| ["What physical disability does Billy have?","What city does Billy work in?","Who is Billy's sisters(...TRUNCATED)
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|
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train
|
[["Jonson-- carrying the manuscript-- runs up the street\n toward a large circular theater.\n\n (...TRUNCATED)
| ["What is the name of the theater Ben Johnson flees to with the manuscripts?","Who sets the theater (...TRUNCATED)
| [["The Rose","The Rose"],["The solders","Cecil"],["Queen Elizabeth I","Elizabeth I"],["8 or 9","eigh(...TRUNCATED)
|
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train
|
[["Hobbes steps back to watch. Tears spring into his eyes. He \n picks up another scal(...TRUNCATED)
| ["What city does Hobbes live?","How does Hobbes Mistress die?","Who is Roger St Luke's girlfriend?",(...TRUNCATED)
| [["Montreal.","Montreal"],["He kills her?","He kills her "],["Nurse Forsythe","Nurse Forsythe"],["By(...TRUNCATED)
|
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train
|
[["Rowland grumbled, as sailors may when aggrieved, and obeyed. The man he\nrelieved reported his na(...TRUNCATED)
| ["Rowland later became a deckhand upon waht ship? ","When did the Titan strike an iceberg? ","As a r(...TRUNCATED)
| [["The Titan","the Titan"],["One April night","One april night"],["kidnapping","Kidnapping"],["a mag(...TRUNCATED)
|
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train
|
[["Sir Upward was never after seen or heard of, but Mr. Raven continued to\nshow himself at uncertai(...TRUNCATED)
| ["From where does Mr. Raven come from?","What does Raven and Vane use to transport into the new univ(...TRUNCATED)
| [["A parallel universe."," A parallel universe."],["A mirror","A mirror."],["Fighting skeletons in a(...TRUNCATED)
|
2101dfafc654880e081ab5d54326a0fc9d4809f2
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train
|
[["IVANOFF. What did I tell you? [Shuddering] Are you making fun of me?\n\nEnter ANNA.\n\nBORKIN. Th(...TRUNCATED)
| ["Who runs Ivanov's estate?","What does Dr Lvov tell Ivanov that his wife is dying from?","How many (...TRUNCATED)
| [["Mikhail Borkin","Mikhail Borkin"],["Tuberculosis","Tuberculosis"],["9000","9000"],["Russian Ortho(...TRUNCATED)
|
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train
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[["Zed and Oh are dragged onto the platform in shackles and leg\n irons.\n They se(...TRUNCATED)
| ["What biblical pair of brothers do Zed and Oh encounter?","How does Cain betray Zed and Oh?","Who d(...TRUNCATED)
| [["Cain and Abel.","Cain and Abel"],["He sells them into slavery.","He sells them into slavery"],["A(...TRUNCATED)
|
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train
|
[["Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters,\n being dumped on his butt, posing s(...TRUNCATED)
| ["Where did Nico study martial art?","During which war did Nico participate in covert operations?","(...TRUNCATED)
| [["Japan","Japan"],["Vietnam War","Vietnam War"],["Kurt Zagon","Kurt Zagon"],["Delores \"Jacks\" Jac(...TRUNCATED)
|
3366a5a024170c1f4605e5924fb288b5772f3b17
|
train
|
End of preview. Expand
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