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The Children of Asshur

Sat, 20/03/2010 - 7:12pm — euchoo
[The Children of Asshur]
They had been a simple, good-natured people, who had welcomed him into their huts and given him freely of their humble goods. Kane's heart was hot with wrath against their unknown destroyers, but even deeper than that burned his unquenchable curiosity, the curse of the white man.


[The Children of Asshur]
Kane swore sickly. How incredible - how ghastly - to think that his lusty English oaths had doomed a man to a horrible death. Aye - crafty Yamen had translated his random words in his own way. And so the prince, whom Kane had never seen before, writhed beneath the skinning knives of his executioners in the market-place below, where the crowd shrieked or jeered.
"Sula," he said, "what do these people call themselves?"
"Assyrians, bwana," answered the black absently, staring in horrified fascination at the grisly scene below.


[The Children of Asshur]
A red mist veiled the Englishman's sight and through it he saw horror growing in Shem's inhuman eyes - saw them distend and turn blood-shot - saw the mouth gape and the tongue protrude as the shaven head was bent back at a horrible angle - then Shem's neck snapped like a heavy branch and the straining body went limp in Kane's hands.


[The Children of Asshur]
And now around the corner came roaring a great tawny shape. A lion, loose in the city streets!
The blacks dropped the litter and fled, shrieking, while the people on the housetops screamed. The girl cried out once, scrambling up in the very path of the charging monster. She stood facing it, frozen with terror.
Kane, at the first roar of the beast, had experienced a fierce satisfaction. So hateful had Ninn become to him that the thought of a wild beast raging through its streets and devouring its cruel inhabitants had given the Puritan an indisputable satisfaction. But now, as he saw the pitiful figure of the girl facing the man-eater, he felt a pang of pity for her, and acted.


[The Children of Asshur]
Kane faced them, red fury seething in his soul, ready to leap among them and do what damage he could with his naked hands before he died, when down the stones of the street sounded the tramp of marching men, and a company of soldiers swung into view, their spears red from the recent strife.
The girl cried out and ran forward to fling her arms about the stalwart neck of the young officer in command and there followed a rapid fire of conversation which Kane naturally could not understand. Then the officer spoke curtly to the guards, who drew back, and advanced toward Kane, his empty hands outstretched, a smile on his lips. His manner was friendly in the extreme and the Englishman realized that he was trying to express his gratitude for his rescue of the girl, who was no doubt either his sister or his sweetheart. The priest frothed and cursed, but the young noble answered him shortly, and made motions for Kane to accompany him. Then as the Englishman hesitated, suspicious, he drew his own sword and extended it to Kane, hilt foremost. Kane took the weapon, it mighty have been the form of courtesy to have refused it, but Kane was unwilling to take chances, and he felt much more secure with a weapon in his hand.


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