Vagabonds of Gor

34 The Hut

I did not take care to conceal my approach to the hut. I approached it boldly. Marcus was a few feet behind me. We were both in garments removed from bounty hunters. They would need them no longer. The cloak of one, hooded, was about me. Over my shoulder was a sack.

I pushed open the door of the hut.

Only one fellow was within, and he was crouching near a small fire, in a hearth, at one end of the hut, tending a pot of stew, away from the door. The smell of this simple concoction was almost intoxicating to me. It had been a long time since' I had had any cooked food, not since the gants on the abandoned slave barge, weeks ago, with Ina. I did not think he would mind if I "shared his kettle," as some of the Goreans say. When I entered he did not even turn about.

"What luck?" he asked.

I threw the sack I carried down beside him, by the hearth.

"It is heavy," he said, excitedly. "How many?" He turned about. 'I stood near him, the hood about my face, concealing my features. I held up my hand.

"Five!" said he. "Excellent! A good night's work!"

I myself thought so.

He eagerly opened the sack. "These had best be all fellows of Ar," said he. "Anesidemus is becoming suspicious."

He emptied the sack out, on the stones, beside the hearth. I do not think he heard my sword leave its sheath.

He held up one of the heads by the hair. "Barsis!" he said. Aghast he regarded the other heads which, too, he doubtless recognized. Then he turned toward me, and then he was dead.

"Enter," said I to Marcus.

My young friend entered the hut.

"We have here another body for the marsh," I said. "These fellows, as nearly as I can tell, are not even mercenaries, but brigands of some sort."

"Apparently they were successful in their work," said Marcus, glancing to one side.

"We shall discard all such things in the marsh," I said. "If Cosians should happen by, they will find nothing here to suggest that fate which we have seen fit to impose upon these fellows. Not expecting discipline or reliability of such hunts-men, they will presumably assume these fellows have gone elsewhere, either to hunt or, more likely, to turn in their trophies for pay."

"Why would more than one, or, say, two, have to do that?" asked Marcus.

"If they were fellows of honor," I said, "one, or two, to carry the trophies, would suffice."

"I see," said Marcus. "All would wish to be present at the accounting."

"I would think so," I said.

"A way has now been cleared out of the delta," said Marcus. "A narrow path," I said, "for at least a few Ahn."

"It should be enough," said Marcus.

"There will still be much danger," I said.

"I will help you with these things," he said. "No," I said. "Fetch the others."

"There is little time to waste," he said. "Precisely," I said."