ugh she must needs limp at every step, and the pain was
already sharp.

So that Wau, rising over the edge and clutching the straight willow
branches, saw Ugh-lomi towering over him, gigantic against the blue;
saw his whole body swing round, and the grip of his hands upon the
antler. The edge of the antler came sweeping through the air, and he saw
no more. The water under the osiers whirled and eddied and went crimson
six feet down the stream. Uya following stopped knee-high across the
stream, and the man who was swimming turned about.

The other men who trailed after--they were none of them very mighty men
(for Uya was more cunning than strong, brooking no sturdy
rivals)--slackened momentarily at the sight of Ugh-lomi standing there
above the willows, bloody and terrible, between them and the halting
girl, with the huge antler waving in his hand. It seemed as though he
had gone into the water a youth, and come out of it a man full grown.

He knew what there was behind him. A broad stretch of grass, and then a
thicket, and in that Eudena could hide. That was clear in his mind,
though his thinking powers were too feeble to see what should happen
thereafter. Uya stood knee-deep, undecided and unarmed. His heavy mouth
hung open, showing his canine teeth, and he panted heavily. His side was
flushed and bruised under the hair. The other man beside him carried a
sharpened stick. The rest of the hunters came up one by one to the top
of the bank, hairy, long-armed men clutching flints and sticks. Two ran
off along the bank down stream, and then clambered to the water, where
Wau had come to the surface struggling weakly. Before they could reach
him he went under again. Two others threatened Ugh-lomi from the bank.

He answered back, shouts, vague insults, gestures. Then Uya, who had
been hesitating, roared with rage, and whirling his fists plunged into
the water. His followers splashed after him.

Ugh-lomi glanced over his shoulder and found Eudena already vanished
into the thicket. He would perhaps have waited for Uya, but Uya
preferred to spar in the water below him until the others were beside
him. Human tactics in those days, in all serious fighting, were the
tactics of the pack. Prey that turned at bay they gathered around and
rushed. Ugh-lomi felt the rush coming, and hurling the antler at Uya,
turned about and fled.

When he halted to look back from the shadow of the thicket, he found
only three of his pursuers had f