Book Two Beyond the Great Oblivion Chapter 35 Face To Face With Death

"Kamrou?" shouted Stern again. "What the deuce do I care about him? Who is he, anyhow? A Lanskaarn, or--"

The girl seized Allan's hand.

"Oh, listen, listen!" she implored. "I--"

"Did you know about this? And never told me?"

"Allan, he said our work could all be done before they--"

"So you did know, eh?"

"He said I must not tell you. Otherwise--"

"Oh, hang that! See here, Beatrice, what's the matter, anyhow? These people have all gone crazy, just in a second, the old man and all! If you know anything about it, for God's sake tell me! I can't stand much more!

"I've got to get this machine to land before they go entirely nutty and drop it, and we lose all our work for nothing. What's up? Who's this Kamrou they're talking about? For Heaven's sake, tell me!"

"He's their chief. Allan--their chief! He's been gone a long time, he and his men. And--"

"Well, what do we care for him? We're running this village now, aren't we?"

"Listen. The old man says--"

"He's a hard nut, eh? And won't stand for us--is that it?" He turned to the patriarch. "This Kamrou you're talking about doesn't want us, or our new ideas, or anything? Well, see here. There's no use beating around the bush, now. This thing's going through, this plan of ours! And if Kamrou or anybody else gets in the way of it--good-by for him!"