"Bring it here, Raal. I would see what it is."
Raal started violently as if struck, his tanned face turned pale. "I dare not, O Tahara! It is perhaps black magic! It may work evil. I beg of you, Tahara, take your bow and drive an arrow through this demon's heart before it slays us."
"Come with me, Raal!" commanded Dick. "Show me this strange creature! How big is it? As big as a leopard?"
"No master it is very small, but terrible, and its skin is black and shiny. In truth it is a wicked demon."
"Fear not, Raal, for I, Tahara have chased away all evil spirits."
"But the strange creature, O Master, is not good to look at. It watches you with great shining eyes that stare and never blink."
Dick looked amused and puzzled. As the pair walked together over the sandy waste, Dick's tall, slender body stood out in striking contrast to that of his thick-set companion. Raal was heavily muscled and his blond hair hung about his shoulders while his face was covered with a light beard. Though he was an African, Raal was a white savage of the Stone-Age, for the Taharans were a survival of ancient times.
Dick's blue eyes were glowing with interest as he neared the spot where the strange creature was said to be hiding. What could it be? What new menace was he about to face?
Suddenly Raal slowed his steps, gripping his stone hatchet in readiness to strike. "Not so fast, O Master. The demon may be asleep and we can slip up on him unawares," cautioned the warrior.
But Dick had caught sight of the object half hidden in the sand, and with an exclamation of joy he sprang forward and picked it up.