Kull: Exile of Atlantis (49 page)

The Cat and the Skull

Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. Some questionable readings were checked against Howard’s carbon (see below, “Delcardes’ Cat”) and a transcript prepared by Lord. 89.2.7: a may; 89.17.8: no comma after “usually”; 90.1.3: period instead of comma after “speak”; 90.11.6: period instead of comma after “otherwise”; 90.14.7: “if” capitalized; 90.18.2: geniology; 90.18.7: interupted; 90.29.10: period instead of comma after “old”; 90.29.12: comma instead of period after “Delcardes”; 90.32.1: no opening quote before “How”; 90.32.9: Kully; 90.33.7: period instead of comma after “old”; 90.34.2: timbered; 90.36.5: comma instead of period after “swore”; 90.39.10: comma instead of period after “said”; 91.6.1: paragraph does not begin new line in transcript; 91.8.4: neophites; 91.19.6: “where” capitalized; 91.24.3: period instead of comma after “it”; 91.28.5: comma instead of period after “swore”; 91.30.9: dissapproving; 91.32.5: guilessly; 92.1.11: “you” capitalized; 92.4.6: “the” capitalized; 92.5.4: period instead of comma after “trickery”; 92.5.7: comma instead of period after “maintained”; 92.8.9: comma instead of period after “belief”; 92.16.10: period instead of comma after “defense”; 92.16.13: irrevelently; 92.20.5: “a” capitalized; 92.21.2: period instead of comma after “true”; 92.21.5: “and” capitalized; 92.22.8: comma instead of period after “calmly”; 92.23.1: no opening quote before “Lord”; 92.23.2: Chanceller; 92.25.3: comma instead of period after “snarled”; 92.26.9: period instead of comma after “not”; 92.27.7: comma instead of period after “saying”; 92.27.11: no comma after “Tu”; 93.3.6: comma instead of period after “sourly”; 93.5.4: “this” capitalized; 93.6.6: “no” capitalized; 93.9.10: period instead of comma after “palace”; 93.10.5: “the” capitalized; 93.12.8: period instead of comma after “Valusia”; 93.12.14: “and” capitalized; 94.4.9: equallity; 94.15.1: no comma after “For”; 94.22.7: period instead of comma after “told”; 94.23.3: comma instead of period after “doubt”; 94.26.5: “all” capitalized; 94.29.7: comma instead of period after “Saremes”; 94.32.7: deviding; 94.34.7: “why” capitalized; 94.36.12: period instead of comma after “I”; 94.37.2: “lest” capitalized; 94.40.1: cross roads; 95.17.3: phillosophizing; 96.6.13: curtesy; 96.12.4: “the” capitalized; 97.1.5: period instead of comma after “alone”; 97.1.8: “and” capitalized; 97.5.4: grat; 99.7.9: no comma after “spider”; 99.36.8: comma after “horn”; 100.15.7: disembowlled; 100.16.8: comma after “hand”; 100.27.3: concious; 100.29.4: no comma after “horn”; 103.6.10: conciousness; 103.18.7: where-ever; 103.23.11: no comma after “Kull”; 103.27.2: dazzingly; 103.29.2: comma instead of dash after “shore”; 104.3.9: no comma after “which”; 104.3.11: no comma after “also”; 104.28.6: “bloody” capitalized; 104.31.6: comma instead of period after “king”; 104.33.9: period instead of comma after “race”; 104.34.1: comma instead of period after “sombrely”; 106.12.2: period instead of comma after “lie”; 106.12.5: comma instead of period after “answered”; 106.33.1: period instead of comma after “strong”; 106.33.4: comma instead of period after “lake-king”; 107.1.7: period instead of comma after “ghosts”; 107.3.6: period instead of comma after “doom”; 107.3.13: “for” capitalized; 107.5.3: period instead of comma after “now”; 107.5.12: “for” capitalized; 107.16.2: period instead of comma after “consider”; 107.16.4: comma instead of period after “repeated”; 107.24.11: forgetfullness; period instead of comma after “forgetfulness”; 107.37.6: period instead of comma after “devils”; 107.37.9: comma instead of period after “in”; 107.39.3: period instead of comma after “it”; 108.3.5: “give” capitalized; 108.14.3: period instead of comma after “bold”; 108.14.6: comma instead of period after “lake-king”; 108.19.4: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 108.19.5: am (no capital); 108.19.11: comma after “island”; 108.20.1: no comma after “mainland”; 108.21.7: “the” not in original; 108.34.9: waters; 108.37.8: comma after “below”; 108.38.1: no comma after “surface”; 109.11.8: comma after “itself”; 109.13.1: comma after “forethought”; 109.26.5: “you” capitalized; 109.31.2: period instead of comma after “be”; 109.31.4: comma instead of period after “snarled”; 109.37.12: comma instead of period after “emotion”; 109.39.10: period instead of comma after “carcase”; 111.1.10: comma instead of period after “savage”; 111.10.10: comma instead of period after “dangerously”; 111.14.12: comma before, instead of after, “is”; 111.22.3: comma instead of period after “Tu”; 111.27.4: comma instead of period after “grimly”; 111.30.14: prophesies; 111.39.3: dissappeared; 112.5.2: comma instead of period after “feet”; 112.6.3: decieving; 112.27.4: “to” repeated; 113.2.8: “the” not in original; 113.6.7: prophesies; 113.7.9: Thulses; 113.15.2: period instead of comma after “Kuthulos”; 113.21.9: sentances; 113.25.9: conciousness; 113.29.15: no comma after “Kull”; 113.35.7: no comma after “revealed”; 113.36.2: or; 113.37.8: “that” capitalized; 114.3.7: comma instead of period after “Kuthulos”; 114.20.3: comma instead of period after “hollowly”; 114.39.4: Skull-faced; 115.9.14: Skull-faced; 115.11.9: comma instead of period after “taunted”; 115.20.7: “you” capitalized; 115.21.1: Skull-faced; 115.24.9: posseses; 115.26.4: period instead of comma after “not”; 115.26.6: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 115.30.5: “Lord” begins new paragraph; 115.33.9: “as” not in original; 115.37.1: period instead of comma after “eagles”; 115.37.3: comma instead of period after “Kull”; 115.38.6: “you” capitalized; 116.1.8: “mine” capitalized; 116.7.9: comma instead of period after “Spear-slayer”; 116.10.10: “still” capitalized.

The Screaming Skull of Silence

Text taken from Howard’s carbon, provided by Glenn Lord. This version is probably incomplete, lacking its last page. The carbon is seven pages, while the original in the Kline files ran eight. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 119.21.9: “and Ka-nu”; 119.24.7: “all” capitalized; 119.31.5: period instead of comma after “necromancer”; 119.32.7: “no” capitalized; 119.33.3: snake’s; 119.36.9: excercize; 120.5.14: villian; 120.10.1: comma instead of period after “knowledge”; 120.11.8: comma instead of period after “slave”; 120.19.6: “an” not in original; 120.19.16: “the” not in original; 120.27.5: comma instead of period after “now”; 121.5.5: my; 121.15.4: comma instead of period after “impatiently”; 121.21.3: days; 121.23.6: comma instead of period after “Brule”; 121.25.1: regioned; 122.1.8: period instead of comma after “Kuthulos”; 122.1.10: comma instead of period after “said”; 122.18.1: light; 122.20.4: period instead of comma after “Kuthulos”; 122.23.6: period instead of comma after “again”; 122.23.9: “then” capitalized; 123.36.7: senseate; 123.37.10: no comma after “belly”; 123.38.2: no comma after “hands”; 124.9.2: sahdes; 124.14.1: warthfully; 124.18.2: “the” not in typescript; 124.19.10: Kull; 124.20.4: absymal; 124.26.5: horse shoe; 124.35.8: attonement; 124.36.8: againt; 124.37.2: ceaslessly; 125.5.6: abscence; 125.8.8: a half-erased compound word beginning with “tiger-” (second word erased) appears at this point in the typescript; 125.32.4: no comma after “roaring.”

The Striking of the Gong

Text taken from Howard’s untitled carbon, provided by Glenn Lord. The title comes from Kline’s listing (a 1929 Howard letter gives it as “The Chiming of the Gong”). The carbon runs five pages, while Kline’s listing indicates the original ran only four. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 129.2.6: no comma after “reality”; 129.13.7: comma instead of period after “murmured”; 129.19.2: “as” repeated; 129.20.5: period instead of comma after “everything”; 129.20.7: comma instead of period after “mused”; 129.28.6: “but” capitalized; 129.29.4: comma after “recognized”; 129.30.4: no comma after “eyes”; 130.7.10: period instead of comma after “him”; 130.8.2: comma instead of period after “cryptically”; 130.9.10: period instead of comma after “chamber”; 130.10.2: “and” capitalized; 130.19.7: period instead of comma after “dead”; 130.19.11: comma instead of period after “figure”; 130.24.2: “are” not in original; 130.25.1: period instead of comma after “universes”; 130.25.2: “said” capitalized; 130.25.4: comma instead of period after “ancient”; 130.33.7: period instead of comma after “actualities”; 130.34.2: comma instead of period after “tranquilly”; 131.12.2: “the” not in original; 131.15.1: no opening quote before “The”; 131.16.5: period instead of comma after “god”; 131.16.10: comma instead of period after “impatiently”; 131.16.11: “Look” preceded by an en-dash; 131.17.3: “to” not in typescript; 131.26.6: star; 131.38.4: no question mark after “this”; 131.38.6: no question mark after “happened”; 131.39.12: period instead of comma after “realms”; 131.40.12: comma instead of period after “sword”; 132.7.5: “that” capitalized; 132.13.6: skurried; 132.15.4: period instead of comma after “right”; 132.18.4: not; 132.20.5: no quotation mark after “gong.”

The Altar and the Scorpion

Text taken from Howard’s untitled carbon, provided by Glenn Lord. The title comes from the Kline listing. The carbon runs four pages, while Kline’s listing indicates the original ran five. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 135.1.1: no opening quote before “God”; 135.12.1: “invokation” followed by a comma instead of a period; 135.23.7: “the” capitalized; 135.26.14: comma after “I”; 135.30.1: “the” capitalized; 135.38.7: invokation; 136.10.4: “pent house”; 136.22.4: comma instead of period after “him”; 136.23.9: “the” capitalized; 136.26.4: comma instead of period after “jeered”; 136.35.2: comma after “metallic”; 137.7.5: swordsman; 137.21.3: reverance; 137.35.6: no comma after “frozen”; 137.38.10: no hyphen in “claw like”; 137.39.13: “to” not in original; 138.4.5: screames; 138.8.9: comma instead of period after “tremulous; 138.14.2: comma instead of period after “girl.”

The Curse of the Golden Skull

Text taken from Howard’s untitled carbon, provided by Glenn Lord. The title comes from the Kline listing. The carbon runs four pages, while Kline’s listing indicates the original ran five. Some questionable readings were checked against a transcript prepared by Lord. 141.7.12: which; 141.13.1: Accolyte; 143.14.11: invokation; 143.18.8: trandscending; 143.25.11: highst; 144.35.7: “to” repeated.

The Black City (Unfinished Fragment)

Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. 147.9.7: comma instead of period after “fury”; 147.14.4: moutain; 147.15.8: no comma after “tier”; 147.17.13: the; 147.18.10: comma instead of period after “fist”; 147.23.8: comma instead of period after “Pict”; 147.25.4: comma after “stench”; 147.33.5: comma instead of period after “Brule”; 148.4.5: proceded; 148.6.4: keeness; 148.28.11: comma instead of period after “Brule”; 148.31.10: comma after “truth”; 148.35.7: sentious; 148.39.3: comma instead of period after “Brule.”

Untitled Fragment

Text taken from Howard’s typescript, provided by Glenn Lord. 153.8.1: comma instead of period after “figures”; 153.19.12: comma instead of period after “man”; 153.23.8: cimson; 154.1.10: equallity; 154.7.7: remeniscense; 154.7.8: It; 154.11.5: horrizontal; 154.11.6: mark; 154.14.6: vitallity; 154.14.8: straight forwardness; 154.17.10: reserved; 154.20.2: no comma after “Kull”; 154.20.8: We; 154.23.9: interefere; 154.23.10: were; 154.29.2: enroaches; 154.35.9: tribes.

By This Axe I Rule!

Text taken from Howard’s draft, provided by Glenn Lord. The draft runs twenty pages (against twenty-three for the–lost–definitive version), with several penciled-in annotations and corrections in Howard’s hand. Howard didn’t always cross out or erase the words or phrases to be replaced; these are mentioned only in case of doubt. 157.2.7: no comma after “dark”; 157.11.9: “the” capitalized; 157.15.1: comma instead of period after “man”; 157.18.1: comma instead of period after “imperturbably”; 157.21.4: exclamation instead of question mark after “swear”; 157.22.11: comma instead of period after “eyes”; 157.25.9: comma instead of period after “Ascalante”; 157.28.4: comma instead of period after “dagger”; 158.2.1: covenented; 158.3.11: no period after “minstrel”; 158.5.6: “the” capitalized; 158.12.5: unbroken; 158.22.4: Kananu; 158.25.3: body guard; 158.27.1: comma instead of period after “satisfaction”; 158.36.7: comma after “through”; 158.39.12: no period after “of”; 159.6.12: “what” capitalized; 159.12.7: he; 159.12.10: comma instead of period after “Kaanuub”; 159.17.1: inchoerencies; 159.19.11: shoulder; 159.23.2: every; 159.23.4: “the” capitalized; 159.25.8: comma after “skalking”; 159.30.7: no comma after “I”; 159.31.2: down fall; 159.35.11: comma instead of period after “outlaw”; 160.2.12: hare brained; 160.5.15: no comma after “men”; 160.6.3: no period after “me”; 160.9.2: it is unclear whether the phrase “the old dynasty” was to be deleted or not; it seems partly erased on the typescript; 160.10.8: king’s; 160.13.2: regeme; 160.15.14: “to” not in original; 160.22.2: “The Lament for the King” between double, not single, quotes; 160.22.4: For; 160.22.13: villian; 160.23.2: villifies; 160.23.5: “that black hearted savage” between double, not single, quotes; 160.29.8: no comma after “knight”; 161.15.6: Moreoever; 161.18.5: “this” capitalized; 161.18.8: states-craft; 161.20.8: comma instead of period after “Brule”; 161.22.13: comma instead of period after “enviously”; 162.18.13: “the” capitalized; 162.23.2: dash after “barbarian”; 162.23.3: parenthesis before “when”; “when” not capitalized; 162.24.13: parenthesis after “me.”; 162.25.13: inscense; 162.30.4: comma instead of period after “notch”; 162.37.1: no comma after “forgotten”; 164.9.4: repbrobate; 164.11.5: “to” not in original; 164.16.4: comma instead of period after “sincerity”; 164.18.1: mean; 164.34.5: “there’s” capitalized; 164.35.8: no comma after “name”; 165.4.7: altar; 165.14.1: comma instead of period after “him”; 165.17.1: “not” not in original; 165.28.9: “Neither” not in original; 165.28.10: “you” capitalized; 165.29.1: altar; 165.30.6: weakning; 165.33.1: enmies; 165.34.9: admanant; 165.37.10: comma instead of period after “hand”; 166.8.9: betwen; 166.22.1: escpecially; 166.29.2: comma instead of period after “sir”; 166.29.3: she; 166.29.8: comma instead of period after “surprize”; 166.34.4: summonsed; 169.1.10: comma after “her”; 169.4.7: “the” capitalized; 169.16.7: comma instead of period after “heavily”; 169.19.4: comma instead of period after “wrath”; 169.23.1: Dont; 169.24.4: comma instead of period after “shoulder”; 169.27.4: semi-colon instead of period after “smiled”; 169.29.7: no comma after “asked”; 169.32.10: “and” capitalized; 169.34.3: comma instead of period after “laughed”; 169.36.4: inch’s; 170.4.1: comma after “born”; 170.23.4: comma instead of period after “man”; 170.26.1: holliday; 170.35.1: Dont; 170.35.3: comma instead of period after “afraid”; 170.39.1: comma instead of period after “foot”; 171.1.3: comma instead of period after “weakly”; 171.9.5: wrestly; 171.18.7: nitches; 172.4.11: uncertainly; 172.10.3: comma instead of period after “Ascalante”; 172.11.1: no comma after “Haste”; 172.13.4: no period after “Ridondo”; 172.16.3: comma instead of period after “Ascalante”; 172.21.3: comma instead of period after “Ridondo”; 172.26.1: comma after “Kull”; 172.33.14: hurlted; 172.35.5: tableaux; 172.37.2: “terrible eyed” (no hyphen); 172.39.3: semicolon instead of colon after “shouted”; 172.39.12: fourteen; 173.1.7: thime; 173.11.4: piece; 173.20.3: no comma after “speed”; 173.27.3: “back hand” (no hyphen); 173.32.17 (or 33.1): “with” not in ts; 173.34.3: one; 173.34.6: no period after “them”; 173.35.7: semicolon instead of comma after “savagely”; 173.38.8: “back his vizor” is typed here, with “off his slouch hat” handwritten above; 173.39.6: comma instead of period after “glaring”; 173.40.2: exclamation instead of question mark after “live”; 174.1.5: no semicolon after “viciously”; 174.2.8: no comma after “and”; 174.21.7: comma instead of period after “breathlessly”; 174.26.5: comma instead of period after “sharply”; 174.40.3: exclamation instead of question mark after “first”; 177.3.6: “him” not in typescript; 177.5.12: for; 177.8.4: villian; 177.23.6: the typescript reads “particularly including honor”; it is unclear which word was to be deleted; 177.24.2: comma instead of period after “murmured”; 177.25.4: what ever; 178.5.6: a sentence was to be added at this point, but the pencil is now too faded on the typescript to decipher; 178.7.4: unifrom; 178.10.6: comma instead of period after “huskily”; 178.11.4: t’will; 178.11.8: ’Tis; 178.36.1: the phrase: “in the evening only did Ala find a chance” appears above the text, in pencil; clearly Howard was to rewrite this passage and several others on the last pages of the draft; 179.5.4: no comma after “his”; 179.6.1: the words “he was himself” appears above the text, in pencil; 179.14.7: others; 180.2.12: wand like; 180.3.13: comma instead of period after “him”; 180.5.3: comma instead of period after “blood”; 180.9.3: comma instead of period after “blazing”; 180.9.9: knigship; 180.12.4: an unreadable sentence beginning with “While he…” is written on the typescript at this point but is too faint to be deciphered; 180.16.4: hve; 180.18.7: fightened.