“Ape-beast hiding in a man’s skin,” he sniffed. “The Lioness said that.”
“Agh! What more?” The Ape Boy’s eyes blazed.
“Umph,” grunted Wulli. “Ask Grun Waugh. He and his pack have gone to the grotto of Sha Pall. The Wolf told him of a lone man who lived there.”
“A lone man? Whoow! Hardly a fair match is four cave-beasts against one lone man.” Pic’s rage softened as he thought of a fellow-being set upon by such overwhelming odds.
“A poor match indeed,” Wulli admitted. “He was sick too—the Man was. The Wolf said so.”
“Sick and alone?”
“Yes and he was blind in one eye. I heard the Wolf say that too.”
“What—blind?” Pic gripped his ax-handle until the wood creaked. “What more did the Wolf say?”
“Nothing more,” Wulli replied. “But the Hyena seemed to know who the man was—an old man with grey hair; a leader of other men. He was asking Grim Waugh’s leave to go and visit the grotto of Sha Pell and pay his respects to the lone man who was old, sick and blind in——”
“Agh, ar-rr-ah-h!” With a hair-raising yell the Ape Boy fairly hurled himself from the ledge and shot down the slope leading to the valley. The Mammoth and Rhinoceros stood motionless, speechless with amazement as they watched the flying figure grow smaller and smaller and finally disappear among the clefts and boulders far below.