hunting there, except for the pygmies who depended upon this area for their meat. Their sentries brought news to him that hunters had entered the preserve and he raced to it.
Joonkar was having a fine day. He'd never seen so much game. With his steel arrows, he shot antelope, wild boar, zebra, wildebeest, a gorilla, and a leopard; a royal slaughter. Nothing would be wasted, however. The eatables would be served at the court tables, and the noneatables would be stuffed and mounted. Now, the unexpected happened. The beaters had flushed a lioness with her cubs, and before guards could rush to his aid, the lioness charged Joonkar. His crossbow was empty at that moment. There was no time to get an arrow, which might have been useless in any case at such short range. But he stood his ground with the short lance, an equally futile weapon against the
23
charge of the lioness. In a flash Joonkar realized he faced death, and that there was no escape. The guards watched, petrified. When the charging big cat was within ten feet of the emperor, a strange masked figure dropped from the trees onto the beast's back. The lioness whirled in midair, twisting to fight off this surprise opponent. But a long knife reached her heart, and she fell to the ground, dead.
A happy roar came from the beaters and guards as they rushed toward their monarch. He looked at his rescuer. Skintight costume? Mask! A large powerful man. "I thank you for my life. Who are you?" asked the black emperor.
"You are welcome. You are also trespassing. No hunting is permitted here," said the Phantom, pointing to the piles of dead animals.
Joonkar's guards took a step forward. He laughed, and waved them back.
"Do you know who I am?" he said.
"Obviously a man of importance," said the masked man. "You came to this area, ignorant that it was a preserve, so you are excused. You will not hunt here again."
Joonkar stiffened. As might be expected, though a wise and generous man, he was arrogant, an absolute ruler, and son of absolute rulers. No one in his lifetime had forbidden him anything.
"I, in turn, forgive your ignorance, or you would not address me in this manner," he said. "I am the Emperor Joonkar."
"I thought you might be," said the masked man. "I've heard about you."
Joonkar was amazed. "You knew; yet you spoke to me like that? Don't you realize I rule this land we stand on?"
"No man rules this jungle. It is common land. And no hunting is permitted here, except by the Bandar, who take limited supplies of meat," said the masked man.
Now Joonkar turned cool and deadly. "Whoever you and the Bandar are, you will learn that I rule this jungle. This is rich hunting and I intend to return here at my pleasure," he said.
"I regret that. I have warned you," said the masked man. Joonkar held back his wrath and studied him.
Who could he be? With confidence and arrogance equal to his own? For his part, the masked man had no fear of kings or emperors. His own mother had been Natala, Queen of France. This was the Seventh Phantom.
"I forgive your impudence because you saved my life," said Joonkar. "I thank you and I free you without punishment because of that. But now we are quits. Go your way. Be off with you. Let the hunt continue."
"I have said, you will not hunt here," said the Seventh in a strong voice. Exasperated now, Joonkar signaled his guards. As they stepped toward the masked man, a small arrow struck the tree trunk a foot above Joonkar's head. All looked into the trees. In each tree was a pygmy with an arrow in a bow. They were recognized at once. The pygmy poison people!
"These are the Bandar," said the Seventh.
24
Joonkar looked around at his guards. They were clearly paralyzed by the sight of the pygmies, one scratch of whose arrows meant instant death. But he was not about to retreat before this masked man.
"It appears to be a standoff. I will not be humiliated this way. We will settle this, man to man. You have a knife. Draw it,"
Joonkar was having a fine day. He'd never seen so much game. With his steel arrows, he shot antelope, wild boar, zebra, wildebeest, a gorilla, and a leopard; a royal slaughter. Nothing would be wasted, however. The eatables would be served at the court tables, and the noneatables would be stuffed and mounted. Now, the unexpected happened. The beaters had flushed a lioness with her cubs, and before guards could rush to his aid, the lioness charged Joonkar. His crossbow was empty at that moment. There was no time to get an arrow, which might have been useless in any case at such short range. But he stood his ground with the short lance, an equally futile weapon against the
23
charge of the lioness. In a flash Joonkar realized he faced death, and that there was no escape. The guards watched, petrified. When the charging big cat was within ten feet of the emperor, a strange masked figure dropped from the trees onto the beast's back. The lioness whirled in midair, twisting to fight off this surprise opponent. But a long knife reached her heart, and she fell to the ground, dead.
A happy roar came from the beaters and guards as they rushed toward their monarch. He looked at his rescuer. Skintight costume? Mask! A large powerful man. "I thank you for my life. Who are you?" asked the black emperor.
"You are welcome. You are also trespassing. No hunting is permitted here," said the Phantom, pointing to the piles of dead animals.
Joonkar's guards took a step forward. He laughed, and waved them back.
"Do you know who I am?" he said.
"Obviously a man of importance," said the masked man. "You came to this area, ignorant that it was a preserve, so you are excused. You will not hunt here again."
Joonkar stiffened. As might be expected, though a wise and generous man, he was arrogant, an absolute ruler, and son of absolute rulers. No one in his lifetime had forbidden him anything.
"I, in turn, forgive your ignorance, or you would not address me in this manner," he said. "I am the Emperor Joonkar."
"I thought you might be," said the masked man. "I've heard about you."
Joonkar was amazed. "You knew; yet you spoke to me like that? Don't you realize I rule this land we stand on?"
"No man rules this jungle. It is common land. And no hunting is permitted here, except by the Bandar, who take limited supplies of meat," said the masked man.
Now Joonkar turned cool and deadly. "Whoever you and the Bandar are, you will learn that I rule this jungle. This is rich hunting and I intend to return here at my pleasure," he said.
"I regret that. I have warned you," said the masked man. Joonkar held back his wrath and studied him.
Who could he be? With confidence and arrogance equal to his own? For his part, the masked man had no fear of kings or emperors. His own mother had been Natala, Queen of France. This was the Seventh Phantom.
"I forgive your impudence because you saved my life," said Joonkar. "I thank you and I free you without punishment because of that. But now we are quits. Go your way. Be off with you. Let the hunt continue."
"I have said, you will not hunt here," said the Seventh in a strong voice. Exasperated now, Joonkar signaled his guards. As they stepped toward the masked man, a small arrow struck the tree trunk a foot above Joonkar's head. All looked into the trees. In each tree was a pygmy with an arrow in a bow. They were recognized at once. The pygmy poison people!
"These are the Bandar," said the Seventh.
24
Joonkar looked around at his guards. They were clearly paralyzed by the sight of the pygmies, one scratch of whose arrows meant instant death. But he was not about to retreat before this masked man.
"It appears to be a standoff. I will not be humiliated this way. We will settle this, man to man. You have a knife. Draw it,"
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