Captured by the Apemen

But it seemed to Fred and Astra that the faster they tried to run, the slower they progressed. The mounted apemen were rapidly gaining on them. Hedin seemed to have disappeared.

Then, with their pursuers almost upon them, Astra stumbled and fell. Unwilling to desert her, Fred drew his sword, though he knew that it could be little more than a gesture against so numerous and well-equipped opponents as these.

Half a dozen of the apemen got down from their horses and surrounded them. "Drop your weapon," one of them said, perfectly intelligibly. "Now is not the right time for heroics, Fred," Astra said. "Do as he said." Reluctantly, Fred dropped his sword.

"You are not a normal member of this human tribe," the apeman said to Fred. "Your attire is much more sophisticated, almost the equal of our own. And you speak our tongue. Did you marry into the tribe? You have done well with your mate here, to teach her to speak our tongue. I've never heard of a member of the tribe being able to do that before. We had always assumed that to learn it was far beyond their intelligence."

1. "Neither of us are tribe members," Fred said, "but even if we were you would not have the right to hunt us down like animals."
2. "Mate?!" exclaimed Astra. "Fred and I are just good friends."
3. Fred and Astra were too astonished to say anything.
4. Meanwhile Hedin was cursing his ill-fortune.

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