Tarzan the Terrible .............................................................................................................................................1

Edgar Rice Burroughs ..............................................................................................................................1

SILENT as the shadows through which he moved, the great beast slunk through the midnight jungle, his

yellowgreen eyes round and staring, his sinewy tail undulating behind him, his head lowered and flattened,

and every muscle vibrant to the thrill of the hunt. The jungle moon dappled an occasional clearing which the

great cat was always careful to avoid. Though he moved through thick verdure across a carpet of innumerable

twigs, broken branches, and leaves, his passing gave forth no sound that might have been apprehended by

Apparently less cautious was the hunted thing moving even as silently as the lion a hundred paces ahead of

the tawny carnivore, for instead of skirting the moonsplashed natural clearings it passed directly across

them, and by the tortuous record of its spoor it might indeed be guessed that it sought these avenues of least

resistance, as well it might, since, unlike its grim stalker, it walked erect upon two feetit walked upon two

feet and was hairless except for a black thatch upon its head; its arms were well shaped and muscular; its

hands powerful and slender with long tapering fingers and thumbs reaching almost to the first joint of the

index fingers. Its legs too were shapely but its feet departed from the standards of all races of men, except

possibly a few of the lowest races, in that the great toes protruded at right angles from the foot.

Pausing momentarily in the full light of the gorgeous African moon the creature turned an attentive ear to the

rear and then, his head lifted, his features might readily have been discerned in the moonlight. They were

strong, clean cut, and regularfeatures that would have attracted attention for their masculine beauty in any

of the great capitals of the world. But was this thing a man? It would have been hard for a watcher in the trees

to have decided as the lion's prey resumed its way across the silver tapestry that Luna had laid upon the floor

of the dismal jungle, for from beneath the loin cloth of black fur that girdled its thighs there depended a long

In one hand the creature carried a stout club, and suspended at its left side from a shoulder belt was a short,

sheathed knife, while a cross belt supported a pouch at its right hip. Confining these straps to the body and

also apparently supporting the loin cloth was a broad girdle which glittered in the moonlight as though

encrusted with virgin gold, and was clasped in the center of the belly with a huge buckle of ornate design that

Closer and closer crept Numa, the lion, to his intended victim, and that the latter was not entirely unaware of

his danger was evidenced by the increasing frequency with which he turned his ear and his sharp black eyes

in the direction of the cat upon his trail. He did not greatly increase his speed, a long swinging walk where the

open places permitted, but he loosened the knife in its scabbard and at all times kept his club in readiness for

Forging at last through a narrow strip of dense jungle vegetation the manthing broke through into an almost

treeless area of considerable extent. For an instant he hesitated, glancing quickly behind him and then up at

the security of the branches of the great trees waving overhead, but some greater urge than fear or caution

influenced his decision apparently, for he moved off again across the little plain leaving the safety of the trees

behind him. At greater or less intervals leafy sanctuaries dotted the grassy expanse ahead of him and the route

he took, leading from one to another, indicated that he had not entirely cast discretion to the winds. But after

the second tree had been left behind the distance to the next was considerable, and it was then that Numa

walked from the concealing cover of the jungle and, seeing his quarry apparently helpless before him, raised

Two monthstwo long, weary months filled with hunger, with thirst, with hardships, with disappointment,

and, greater than all, with gnawing painhad passed since Tarzan of the Apes learned from the diary of the

dead German captain that his wife still lived. A brief investigation in which he was enthusiastically aided by

the Intelligence Department of the British East African Expedition revealed the fact that an attempt had been

made to keep Lady Jane in hiding in the interior, for reasons of which only the German High Command

In charge of Lieutenant Obergatz and a detachment of native German troops she had been sent across the

Starting out alone in search of her, Tarzan had succeeded in finding the village in which she had been

incarcerated only to learn that she had escaped months before, and that the German officer had disappeared at

the same time. From there on the stories of the chiefs and the warriors whom he quizzed, were vague and

often contradictory. Even the direction that the fugitives had taken Tarzan could only guess at by piecing

Sinister conjectures were forced upon him by various observations which he made in the village. One was

incontrovertible proof that these people were maneaters; the other, the presence in the village of various

articles of native German uniforms and equipment. At great risk and in the face of surly objection on the part

of the chief, the apeman made a careful inspection of every hut in the village from which at least a little ray

of hope resulted from the fact that he found no article that might have belonged to his wife.

Leaving the village he had made his way toward the southwest, crossing, after the most appalling hardships, a

vast waterless steppe covered for the most part with dense thorn, coming at last into a district that had

probably never been previously entered by any white man and which was known only in the legends of the

tribes whose country bordered it. Here were precipitous mountains, wellwatered plateaus, wide plains, and

vast swampy morasses, but neither the plains, nor the plateaus, nor the mountains were accessible to him until

after weeks of arduous effort he succeeded in finding a spot where he might cross the morassesa hideous

stretch infested by venomous snakes and other larger dangerous reptiles. On several occasions he glimpsed at

distances or by night what might have been titanic reptilian monsters, but as there were hippopotami,

rhinoceri, and elephants in great numbers in and about the marsh he was never positive that the forms he saw

When at last he stood upon firm ground after crossing the morasses he realized why it was that for perhaps

countless ages this territory had defied the courage and hardihood of the heroic races of the outer world that

had, after innumerable reverses and unbelievable suffering penetrated to practically every other region, from

From the abundance and diversity of the game it might have appeared that every known species of bird and

beast and reptile had sought here a refuge wherein they might take their last stand against the encroaching

multitudes of men that had steadily spread themselves over the surface of the earth, wresting the hunting

grounds from the lower orders, from the moment that the first ape shed his hair and ceased to walk upon his

knuckles. Even the species with which Tarzan was familiar showed here either the results of a divergent line

of evolution or an unaltered form that had been transmitted without variation for countless ages.

Too, there were many hybrid strains, not the least interesting of which to Tarzan was a yellow and black

striped lion. Smaller than the species with which Tarzan was familiar, but still a most formidable beast, since

it possessed in addition to sharp saberlike canines the disposition of a devil. To Tarzan it presented evidence

that tigers had once roamed the jungles of Africa, possibly giant sabertooths of another epoch, and these

apparently had crossed with lions with the resultant terrors that he occasionally encountered at the present

The true lions of this new, Old World differed but little from those with which he was familiar; in size and

conformation they were almost identical, but instead of shedding the leopard spots of cubhood, they retained

Two months of effort had revealed no slightest evidence that she he sought had entered this beautiful yet

forbidding land. His investigation, however, of the cannibal village and his questioning of other tribes in the

neighborhood had convinced him that if Lady Jane still lived it must be in this direction that he seek her,

since by a process of elimination he had reduced the direction of her flight to only this possibility. How she

had crossed the morass he could not guess and yet something within seemed to urge upon him belief that she

had crossed it, and that if she still lived it was here that she must be sought. But this unknown, untraversed

wild was of vast extent; grim, forbidding mountains blocked his way, torrents tumbling from rocky fastnesses

impeded his progress, and at every turn he was forced to match wits and muscles with the great carnivora that

Time and again Tarzan and Numa stalked the same quarry and now one, now the other bore off the prize.

Seldom however did the apeman go hungry for the country was rich in game animals and birds and fish, in

fruit and the countless other forms of vegetable life upon which the junglebred man may subsist.

Tarzan often wondered why in so rich a country he found no evidences of man and had at last come to the

conclusion that the parched, thorncovered steppe and the hideous morasses had formed a sufficient barrier

After days of searching he had succeeded finally in discovering a pass through the mountains and, coming

down upon the opposite side, had found himself in a country practically identical with that which he had left.

The hunting was good and at a water hole in the mouth of a canon where it debouched upon a treecovered

It was just at dusk. The voices of great fourfooted hunters rose now and again from various directions, and

as the canon afforded among its trees no comfortable retreat the apeman shouldered the carcass of the deer

and started downward onto the plain. At its opposite side rose lofty treesa great forest which suggested to

his practiced eye a mighty jungle. Toward this the apeman bent his step, but when midway of the plain he

discovered standing alone such a tree as best suited him for a night's abode, swung lightly to its branches and,

Here he ate the flesh of Bara and when satisfied carried the balance of the carcass to the opposite side of the

tree where he deposited it far above the ground in a secure place. Returning to his crotch he settled himself

for sleep and in another moment the roars of the lions and the howlings of the lesser cats fell upon deaf ears.

The usual noises of the jungle composed rather than disturbed the apeman but an unusual sound, however

imperceptible to the awakened ear of civilized man, seldom failed to impinge upon the consciousness of

Tarzan, however deep his slumber, and so it was that when the moon was high a sudden rush of feet across

the grassy carpet in the vicinity of his tree brought him to alert and ready activity. Tarzan does not awaken as

you and I with the weight of slumber still upon his eyes and brain, for did the creatures of the wild awaken

thus, their awakenings would be few. As his eyes snapped open, clear and bright, so, clear and bright upon

the nerve centers of his brain, were registered the various perceptions of all his senses.

Almost beneath him, racing toward his tree was what at first glance appeared to be an almost naked white

man, yet even at the first instant of discovery the long, white tail projecting rearward did not escape the

apeman. Behind the fleeing figure, escaping, came Numa, the lion, in full charge. Voiceless the prey,

voiceless the killer; as two spirits in a dead world the two moved in silent swiftness toward the culminating

Even as his eyes opened and took in the scene beneath himeven in that brief instant of perception,

followed reason, judgment, and decision, so rapidly one upon the heels of the other that almost

simultaneously the apeman was in midair, for he had seen a whiteskinned creature cast in a mold similar

to his own, pursued by Tarzan's hereditary enemy. So close was the lion to the fleeing manthing that Tarzan

had no time carefully to choose the method of his attack. As a diver leaps from the springboard headforemost

into the waters beneath, so Tarzan of the Apes dove straight for Numa, the lion; naked in his right hand the

A raking talon caught Tarzan on the side, inflicting a long, deep wound and then the apeman was on Numa's

back and the blade was sinking again and again into the savage side. Nor was the manthing either longer

fleeing, or idle. He too, creature of the wild, had sensed on the instant the truth of the miracle of his saving,

and turning in his tracks, had leaped forward with raised bludgeon to Tarzan's assistance and Numa's

undoing. A single terrific blow upon the flattened skull of the beast laid him insensible and then as Tarzan's

knife found the wild heart a few convulsive shudders and a sudden relaxation marked the passing of the

Leaping to his feet the apeman placed his foot upon the carcass of his kill and, raising his face to Goro, the

moon, voiced the savage victory cry that had so often awakened the echoes of his native jungle.

As the hideous scream burst from the apeman's lips the manthing stepped quickly back as in sudden awe,

but when Tarzan returned his hunting knife to its sheath and turned toward him the other saw in the quiet

For a moment the two stood appraising each other, and then the manthing spoke. Tarzan realized that the

creature before him was uttering articulate sounds which expressed in speech, though in a language with

which Tarzan was unfamiliar, the thoughts of a man possessing to a greater or less extent the same powers of

reason that he possessed. In other words, that though the creature before him had the tail and thumbs and

The blood, which was now flowing down Tarzan's side, caught the creature's attention. From the

pocketpouch at his side he took a small bag and approaching Tarzan indicated by signs that he wished the

apeman to lie down that he might treat the wound, whereupon, spreading the edges of the cut apart, he

sprinkled the raw flesh with powder from the little bag. The pain of the wound was as nothing to the exquisite

torture of the remedy but, accustomed to physical suffering, the apeman withstood it stoically and in a few

In reply to the soft and far from unpleasant modulations of the other's voice, Tarzan spoke in various tribal

dialects of the interior as well as in the language of the great apes, but it was evident that the man understood

none of these. Seeing that they could not make each other understood, the pithecanthropus advanced toward

Tarzan and placing his left hand over his own heart laid the palm of his right hand over the heart of the

apeman. To the latter the action appeared as a form of friendly greeting and, being versed in the ways of

uncivilized races, he responded in kind as he realized it was doubtless intended that he should. His action

seemed to satisfy and please his newfound acquaintance, who immediately fell to talking again and finally,

with his head tipped back, sniffed the air in the direction of the tree above them and then suddenly pointing

toward the carcass of Bara, the deer, he touched his stomach in a sign language which even the densest might

interpret. With a wave of his hand Tarzan invited his guest to partake of the remains of his savage repast, and

the other, leaping nimbly as a little monkey to the lower branches of the tree, made his way quickly to the

The pithecanthropus ate in silence, cutting small strips from the deer's loin with his keen knife. From his

crotch in the tree Tarzan watched his companion, noting the preponderance of human attributes which were

He wondered if this creature was representative of some strange race or if, what seemed more likely, but an

atavism. Either supposition would have seemed preposterous enough did he not have before him the evidence

of the creature's existence. There he was, however, a tailed man with distinctly arboreal hands and feet. His

trappings, gold encrusted and jewel studded, could have been wrought only by skilled artisans; but whether

they were the work of this individual or of others like him, or of an entirely different race, Tarzan could not,

His meal finished, the guest wiped his fingers and lips with leaves broken from a nearby branch, looked up at

Tarzan with a pleasant smile that revealed a row of strong white teeth, the canines of which were no longer

than Tarzan's own, spoke a few words which Tarzan judged were a polite expression of thanks and then

The earth was shadowed in the darkness which precedes the dawn when Tarzan was awakened by a violent

shaking of the tree in which he had found shelter. As he opened his eyes he saw that his companion was also

astir, and glancing around quickly to apprehend the cause of the disturbance, the apeman was astounded at

The dim shadow of a colossal form reared close beside the tree and he saw that it was the scraping of the

giant body against the branches that had awakened him. That such a tremendous creature could have

approached so closely without disturbing him filled Tarzan with both wonderment and chagrin. In the gloom

the apeman at first conceived the intruder to be an elephant; yet, if so, one of greater proportions than any he

had ever before seen, but as the dim outlines became less indistinct he saw on a line with his eyes and twenty

feet above the ground the dim silhouette of a grotesquely serrated back that gave the impression of a creature

whose each and every spinal vertebra grew a thick, heavy horn. Only a portion of the back was visible to the

apeman, the rest of the body being lost in the dense shadows beneath the tree, from whence there now arose

the sound of giant jaws powerfully crunching flesh and bones. From the odors that rose to the apeman's

sensitive nostrils he presently realized that beneath him was some huge reptile feeding upon the carcass of the

As Tarzan's eyes, straining with curiosity, bored futilely into the dark shadows he felt a light touch upon his

shoulder, and, turning, saw that his companion was attempting to attract his attention. The creature, pressing a

forefinger to his own lips as to enjoin silence, attempted by pulling on Tarzan's arm to indicate that they

Realizing that he was in a strange country, evidently infested by creatures of titanic size, with the habits and

powers of which he was entirely unfamiliar, the apeman permitted himself to be drawn away. With the

utmost caution the pithecanthropus descended the tree upon the opposite side from the great nocturnal

prowler, and, closely followed by Tarzan, moved silently away through the night across the plain.

The apeman was rather loath thus to relinquish an opportunity to inspect a creature which he realized was

probably entirely different from anything in his past experience; yet he was wise enough to know when

discretion was the better part of valor and now, as in the past, he yielded to that law which dominates the

kindred of the wild, preventing them from courting danger uselessly, whose lives are sufficiently filled with

As the rising sun dispelled the shadows of the night, Tarzan found himself again upon the verge of a great

forest into which his guide plunged, taking nimbly to the branches of the trees through which he made his

way with the celerity of long habitude and hereditary instinct, but though aided by a prehensile tail, fingers,

and toes, the manthing moved through the forest with no greater ease or surety than did the giant apeman.

It was during this journey that Tarzan recalled the wound in his side inflicted upon him the previous night by

the raking talons of Numa, the lion, and examining it was surprised to discover that not only was it painless

but along its edges were no indications of inflammation, the results doubtless of the antiseptic powder his

They had proceeded for a mile or two when Tarzan's companion came to earth upon a grassy slope beneath a

great tree whose branches overhung a clear brook. Here they drank and Tarzan discovered the water to be not

only deliciously pure and fresh but of an icy temperature that indicated its rapid descent from the lofty

Casting aside his loin cloth and weapons Tarzan entered the little pool beneath the tree and after a moment

emerged, greatly refreshed and filled with a keen desire to breakfast. As he came out of the pool he noticed

his companion examining him with a puzzled expression upon his face. Taking the apeman by the shoulder

he turned him around so that Tarzan's back was toward him and then, touching the end of Tarzan's spine with

his forefinger, he curled his own tail up over his shoulder and, wheeling the apeman about again, pointed

first at Tarzan and then at his own caudal appendage, a look of puzzlement upon his face, the while he

The apeman realized that probably for the first time his companion had discovered that he was tailless by

nature rather than by accident, and so he called attention to his own great toes and thumbs to further impress

The fellow shook his head dubiously as though entirely unable to comprehend why Tarzan should differ so

from him but at last, apparently giving the problem up with a shrug, he laid aside his own harness, skin, and

His ablutions completed and his meager apparel redonned he seated himself at the foot of the tree and

motioning Tarzan to a place beside him, opened the pouch that hung at his right side taking from it strips of

dried flesh and a couple of handfuls of thinshelled nuts with which Tarzan was unfamiliar. Seeing the other

break them with his teeth and eat the kernel, Tarzan followed the example thus set him, discovering the meat

to be rich and well flavored. The dried flesh also was far from unpalatable, though it had evidently been

jerked without salt, a commodity which Tarzan imagined might be rather difficult to obtain in this locality.

As they ate Tarzan's companion pointed to the nuts, the dried meat, and various other nearby objects, in each

instance repeating what Tarzan readily discovered must be the names of these things in the creature's native

language. The apeman could but smile at this evident desire upon the part of his newfound acquaintance to

impart to him instructions that eventually might lead to an exchange of thoughts between them. Having

already mastered several languages and a multitude of dialects the apeman felt that he could readily

assimilate another even though this appeared one entirely unrelated to any with which he was familiar.

So occupied were they with their breakfast and the lesson that neither was aware of the beady eyes glittering

down upon them from above; nor was Tarzan cognizant of any impending danger until the instant that a huge,

IN THE moment of discovery Tarzan saw that the creature was almost a counterpart of his companion in size

and conformation, with the exception that his body was entirely clothed with a coat of shaggy black hair

which almost concealed his features, while his harness and weapons were similar to those of the creature he

had attacked. Ere Tarzan could prevent the creature had struck the apeman's companion a blow upon the

head with his knotted club that felled him, unconscious, to the earth; but before he could inflict further injury

Instantly Tarzan realized that he was locked with a creature of almost superhuman strength. The sinewy

fingers of a powerful hand sought his throat while the other lifted the bludgeon above his head. But if the

strength of the hairy attacker was great, great too was that of his smoothskinned antagonist. Swinging a

single terrific blow with clenched fist to the point of the other's chin, Tarzan momentarily staggered his

assailant and then his own fingers closed upon the shaggy throat, as with the other hand he seized the wrist of

the arm that swung the club. With equal celerity he shot his right leg behind the shaggy brute and throwing

his weight forward hurled the thing over his hip heavily to the ground, at the same time precipitating his own

With the shock of the impact the club fell from the brute's hand and Tarzan's hold was wrenched from its

throat. Instantly the two were locked in a deathlike embrace. Though the creature bit at Tarzan the latter was

quickly aware that this was not a particularly formidable method of offense or defense, since its canines were

scarcely more developed than his own. The thing that he had principally to guard against was the sinuous tail

which sought steadily to wrap itself about his throat and against which experience had afforded him no

Struggling and snarling the two rolled growling about the sward at the foot of the tree, first one on top and

then the other but each more occupied at present in defending his throat from the other's choking grasp than

in aggressive, offensive tactics. But presently the apeman saw his opportunity and as they rolled about he

forced the creature closer and closer to the pool, upon the banks of which the battle was progressing. At last

they lay upon the very verge of the water and now it remained for Tarzan to precipitate them both beneath the

At the same instant there came within range of Tarzan's vision, just behind the prostrate form of his

companion, the crouching, devilfaced figure of the striped sabertooth hybrid, eyeing him with snarling,

Almost simultaneously Tarzan's shaggy antagonist discovered the menacing figure of the great cat.

Immediately he ceased his belligerent activities against Tarzan and, jabbering and chattering to the apeman,

he tried to disengage himself from Tarzan's hold but in such a way that indicated that as far as he was

concerned their battle was over. Appreciating the danger to his unconscious companion and being anxious to

protect him from the sabertooth the apeman relinquished his hold upon his adversary and together the two

Drawing his knife Tarzan moved slowly toward the body of his companion, expecting that his recent

antagonist would grasp the opportunity for escape. To his surprise, however, the beast, after regaining its

The great cat, flattened upon its belly, remained motionless except for twitching tail and snarling lips where it

lay perhaps fifty feet beyond the body of the pithecanthropus. As Tarzan stepped over the body of the latter

he saw the eyelids quiver and open, and in his heart he felt a strange sense of relief that the creature was not

dead and a realization that without his suspecting it there had arisen within his savage bosom a bond of

Tarzan continued to approach the sabertooth, nor did the shaggy beast at his right lag behind. Closer and

closer they came until at a distance of about twenty feet the hybrid charged. Its rush was directed toward the

shaggy manlike ape who halted in his tracks with upraised bludgeon to meet the assault. Tarzan, on the

contrary, leaped forward and with a celerity second not even to that of the swiftmoving cat, he threw

himself headlong upon him as might a Rugby tackler on an American gridiron. His right arm circled the

beast's neck in front of the right shoulder, his left behind the left foreleg, and so great was the force of the

impact that the two rolled over and over several times upon the ground, the cat screaming and clawing to

liberate itself that it might turn upon its attacker, the man clinging desperately to his hold.

Seemingly the attack was one of mad, senseless ferocity unguided by either reason or skill. Nothing,

however, could have been farther from the truth than such an assumption since every muscle in the

apeman's giant frame obeyed the dictates of the cunning mind that long experience had trained to meet

every exigency of such an encounter. The long, powerful legs, though seemingly inextricably entangled with

the hind feet of the clawing cat, ever as by a miracle, escaped the raking talons and yet at just the proper

instant in the midst of all the rolling and tossing they were where they should be to carry out the apeman's

plan of offense. So that on the instant that the cat believed it had won the mastery of its antagonist it was

jerked suddenly upward as the apeman rose to his feet, holding the striped back close against his body as he

Instantly the shaggy black rushed in with drawn knife which it buried in the beast's heart. For a few moments

Tarzan retained his hold but when the body had relaxed in final dissolution he pushed it from him and the two

who had formerly been locked in mortal combat stood facing each other across the body of the common foe.

Tarzan waited, ready either for peace or war. Presently two shaggy black hands were raised; the left was laid

upon its own heart and the right extended until the palm touched Tarzan's breast. It was the same form of

friendly salutation with which the pithecanthropus had sealed his alliance with the apeman and Tarzan, glad

of every ally he could win in this strange and savage world, quickly accepted the proffered friendship.

At the conclusion of the brief ceremony Tarzan, glancing in the direction of the hairless pithecanthropus,

discovered that the latter had recovered consciousness and was sitting erect watching them intently. He now

rose slowly and at the same time the shaggy black turned in his direction and addressed him in what evidently

was their common language. The hairless one replied and the two approached each other slowly. Tarzan

watched interestedly the outcome of their meeting. They halted a few paces apart, first one and then the other

speaking rapidly but without apparent excitement, each occasionally glancing or nodding toward Tarzan,

Presently they advanced again until they met, whereupon was repeated the brief ceremony of alliance which

had previously marked the cessation of hostilities between Tarzan and the black. They then advanced toward

the apeman addressing him earnestly as though endeavoring to convey to him some important information.

Presently, however, they gave it up as an unprofitable job and, resorting to sign language, conveyed to Tarzan

that they were proceeding upon their way together and were urging him to accompany them.

As the direction they indicated was a route which Tarzan had not previously traversed he was extremely

willing to accede to their request, as he had determined thoroughly to explore this unknown land before

For several days their way led through the foothills parallel to the lofty range towering above. Often were

they menaced by the savage denizens of this remote fastness, and occasionally Tarzan glimpsed weird forms

On the third day they came upon a large natural cave in the face of a low cliff at the foot of which tumbled

one of the numerous mountain brooks that watered the plain below and fed the morasses in the lowlands at

the country's edge. Here the three took up their temporary abode where Tarzan's instruction in the language of

The cave gave evidence of having harbored other manlike forms in the past. Remnants of a crude, rock

fireplace remained and the walls and ceiling were blackened with the smoke of many fires. Scratched in the

soot, and sometimes deeply into the rock beneath, were strange hieroglyphics and the outlines of beasts and

birds and reptiles, some of the latter of weird form suggesting the extinct creatures of Jurassic times. Some of

the more recently made hieroglyphics Tarzan's companions read with interest and commented upon, and then

with the points of their knives they too added to the possibly ageold record of the blackened walls.

Tarzan's curiosity was aroused, but the only explanation at which he could arrive was that he was looking

upon possibly the world's most primitive hotel register. At least it gave him a further insight into the

development of the strange creatures with which Fate had thrown him. Here were men with the tails of

monkeys, one of them as hair covered as any furbearing brute of the lower orders, and yet it was evident

that they possessed not only a spoken, but a written language. The former he was slowly mastering and at this

new evidence of unlookedfor civilization in creatures possessing so many of the physical attributes of

beasts, Tarzan's curiosity was still further piqued and his desire quickly to master their tongue strengthened,

with the result that he fell to with even greater assiduity to the task he had set himself. Already he knew the

names of his companions and the common names of the fauna and flora with which they had most often come

Taden, he of the hairless, white skin, having assumed the role of tutor, prosecuted his task with a singleness

of purpose that was reflected in his pupil's rapid mastery of Taden's mother tongue. Omat, the hairy black,

also seemed to feel that there rested upon his broad shoulders a portion of the burden of responsibility for

Tarzan's education, with the result that either one or the other of them was almost constantly coaching the

apeman during his waking hours. The result was only what might have been expecteda rapid assimilation

of the teachings to the end that before any of them realized it, communication by word of mouth became an

Tarzan explained to his companions the purpose of his mission but neither could give him any slightest

thread of hope to weave into the fabric of his longing. Never had there been in their country a woman such as

"I have been gone from Alur while Bu, the moon, has eaten seven times," said Taden. "Many things may

happen in seven times twentyeight days; but I doubt that your woman could have entered our country across

the terrible morasses which even you found an almost insurmountable obstacle, and if she had, could she

have survived the perils that you already have encountered beside those of which you have yet to learn? Not

"'Alur,' Lightcity, City of Light," mused Tarzan, translating the word into his own tongue. "And where is

"It is mine," replied the hairless one; "but not Omat's. The Wazdon have no citiesthey live in the trees of

the forests and the caves of the hillsis it not so, black man?" he concluded, turning toward the hairy giant

"Yes," replied Omat, "We Wazdon are freeonly the Hodon imprison themselves in cities. I would not be

Tarzan smiled. Even here was the racial distinction between white man and black manHodon and

Wazdon. Not even the fact that they appeared to be equals in the matter of intelligence made any

differenceone was white and one was black, and it was easy to see that the white considered himself

"It is beyond the mountains," replied Taden. "I do not return to itnot yet. Not until Kotan is no more."

"Kotan is king," explained the pithecanthropus. "He rules this land. I was one of his warriors. I lived in the

palace of Kotan and there I met Oloa, his daughter. We loved, Likestarlight, and I; but Kotan would

have none of me. He sent me away to fight with the men of the village of Dakat, who had refused to pay his

tribute to the king, thinking that I would be killed, for Dakat is famous for his many fine warriors. And I

was not killed. Instead I returned victorious with the tribute and with Dakat himself my prisoner; but

Kotan was not pleased because he saw that Oloa loved me even more than before, her love being

"Powerful is my father, Jadon, the Lionman, chief of the largest village outside of Alur. Him Kotan

hesitated to affront and so he could not but praise me for my success, though he did it with half a smile. But

you do not understand! It is what we call a smile that moves only the muscles of the face and affects not the

light of the eyesit means hypocrisy and duplicity. I must be praised and rewarded. What better than that he

reward me with the hand of Oloa, his daughter? But no, he saves Oloa for Bulot, son of Mosar, the

chief whose greatgrandfather was king and who thinks that he should be king. Thus would Kotan appease

the wrath of Mosar and win the friendship of those who think with Mosar that Mosar should be king.

"But what reward shall repay the faithful Taden? Greatly do we honor our priests. Within the temples even

the chiefs and the king himself bow down to them. No greater honor could Kotan confer upon a

subjectwho wished to be a priest, but I did not so wish. Priests other than the high priest must become

"It was Oloa herself who brought word to me that her father had given the commands that would set in

motion the machinery of the temple. A messenger was on his way in search of me to summon me to Kotan's

presence. To have refused the priesthood once it was offered me by the king would have been to have

affronted the temple and the godsthat would have meant death; but if I did not appear before Kotan I

would not have to refuse anything. Oloa and I decided that I must not appear. It was better to fly, carrying

in my bosom a shred of hope, than to remain and, with my priesthood, abandon hope forever.

"Beneath the shadows of the great trees that grow within the palace grounds I pressed her to me for, perhaps,

the last time and then, lest by illfate I meet the messenger, I scaled the great wall that guards the palace and

passed through the darkened city. My name and rank carried me beyond the city gate. Since then I have

wandered far from the haunts of the Hodon but strong within me is the urge to return if even but to look

from without her walls upon the city that holds her most dear to me and again to visit the village of my birth,

"And I shall go with you, if I may," said the apeman, "for I must see this City of Light, this Alur of yours,

and search there for my lost mate even though you believe that there is little chance that I find her. And you,

"Why not?" asked the hairy one. "The lairs of my tribe lie in the crags above Alur and though Essat, our

chief, drove me out I should like to return again, for there is a she there upon whom I should be glad to look

once more and who would be glad to look upon me. Yes, I will go with you. Essat feared that I might

become chief and who knows but that Essat was right. But Panatlee! it is she I seek first even before a

"And fight together," added Taden; "the three as one," and as he spoke he drew his knife and held it above

"The three as one," repeated Omat, drawing his weapon and duplicating Taden's act. "It is spoken!"

"The three as one!" cried Tarzan of the Apes. "To the death!" and his blade flashed in the sunlight.

"Let us go, then," said Omat; "my knife is dry and cries aloud for the blood of Essat."

The trail over which Taden and Omat led and which scarcely could be dignified even by the name of trail

was suited more to mountain sheep, monkeys, or birds than to man; but the three that followed it were trained

to ways which no ordinary man might essay. Now, upon the lower slopes, it led through dense forests where

the ground was so matted with fallen trees and overrioting vines and brush that the way held always to the

swaying branches high above the tangle; again it skirted yawning gorges whose slipperyfaced rocks gave

but momentary foothold even to the bare feet that lightly touched them as the three leaped chamoislike from

one precarious foothold to the next. Dizzy and terrifying was the way that Omat chose across the summit as

he led them around the shoulder of a towering crag that rose a sheer two thousand feet of perpendicular rock

above a tumbling river. And when at last they stood upon comparatively level ground again Omat turned

"I brought you this way," replied the black, "to learn if either lacked the courage to follow where Omat led.

It is here that the young warriors of Essat come to prove their courage. And yet, though we are born and

raised upon cliff sides, it is considered no disgrace to admit that Pastarulved, the Father of Mountains, has

defeated us, for of those who try it only a few succeedthe bones of the others lie at the feet of

"No," replied Omat; "but it has shortened our journey by at least a full day. So much the sooner shall Tarzan

look upon the Valley of JadbenOtho. Come!" and he led the way upward along the shoulder of

Pastarulved until there lay spread below them a scene of mystery and of beautya green valley girt by

towering cliffs of marble whitenessa green valley dotted by deep blue lakes and crossed by the blue trail of

a winding river. In the center a city of the whiteness of the marble cliffsa city which even at so great a

distance evidenced a strange, yet artistic architecture. Outside the city there were visible about the valley

isolated groups of buildingssometimes one, again two and three and four in a clusterbut always of the

About the valley the cliffs were occasionally cleft by deep gorges, verdure filled, giving the appearance of

"Jad Pele ul JadbenOtho," murmured Tarzan in the tongue of the pithecanthropi; "The Valley of the Great

"And here in these gorges live the Wazdon," exclaimed Omat, "who do not acknowledge that Kotan is

Taden smiled and shrugged. "We will not quarrel, you and I," he said to Omat, "over that which all the

ages have not proved sufficient time in which to reconcile the Hodon and Wazdon; but let me whisper to

you a secret, Omat. The Hodon live together in greater or less peace under one ruler so that when danger

threatens them they face the enemy with many warriors, for every fighting Hodon of Paluldon is there.

But you Wazdon, how is it with you? You have a dozen kings who fight not only with the Hodon but with

one another. When one of your tribes goes forth upon the fighting trail, even against the Hodon, it must

leave behind sufficient warriors to protect its women and its children from the neighbors upon either hand.

When we want eunuchs for the temples or servants for the fields or the homes we march forth in great

numbers upon one of your villages. You cannot even flee, for upon either side of you are enemies and though

you fight bravely we come back with those who will presently be eunuchs in the temples and servants in our

fields and homes. So long as the Wazdon are thus foolish the Hodon will dominate and their king will be

"Perhaps you are right," admitted Omat. "It is because our neighbors are fools, each thinking that his tribe is

the greatest and should rule among the Wazdon. They will not admit that the warriors of my tribe are the

Taden grinned. "Each of the others presents precisely the same arguments that you present, Omat," he said,

"Come!" exclaimed Tarzan; "such discussions often lead to quarrels and we three must have no quarrels. I, of

course, am interested in learning what I can of the political and economic conditions of your land; I should

like to know something of your religion; but not at the expense of bitterness between my only friends in

"There indeed we do differ," cried Omat, somewhat bitterly and with a trace of excitement in his voice.

"Differ!" almost shouted Taden; "and why should we not differ? Who could agree with the

"Stop!" cried Tarzan. "Now, indeed, have I stirred up a hornets' nest. Let us speak no more of matters

"That is wiser," agreed Omat; "but I might mention, for your information, that the one and only god has a

"It is sacrilege," cried Taden, laying his hand upon his knife; "JadbenOtho has no tail!"

"Stop!" shrieked Omat, springing forward; but instantly Tarzan interposed himself between them.

"Enough!" he snapped. "Let us be true to our oaths of friendship that we may be honorable in the sight of

"You are right, Tailless One," said Taden. "Come, Omat, let us look after our friendship and ourselves,

secure in the conviction that JadbenOtho is sufficiently powerful to look after himself."

The shaggy black shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Shall we make our way down toward the valley?" he

asked. "The gorge below us is uninhabited; that to the left contains the caves of my people. I would see

Panatlee once more. Taden would visit his father in the valley below and Tarzan seeks entrance to Alur

in search of the mate that would be better dead than in the clutches of the Hodon priests of JadbenOtho.

"Let us remain together as long as possible," urged Taden. "You, Omat, must seek Panatlee by night

and by stealth, for three, even we three, may not hope to overcome Essat and all his warriors. At any time

may we go to the village where my father is chief, for Jadon always will welcome the friends of his son. But

for Tarzan to enter Alur is another matter, though there is a way and he has the courage to put it to the

testlisten, come close for JadbenOtho has keen ears and this he must not hear," and with his lips close to

the ears of his companions Taden, the Talltree, son of Jadon, the Lionman, unfolded his daring plan.

And at the same moment, a hundred miles away, a lithe figure, naked but for a loin cloth and weapons,

moved silently across a thorncovered, waterless steppe, searching always along the ground before him with

NIGHT had fallen upon unchartered Paluldon. A slender moon, low in the west, bathed the white faces of

the chalk cliffs presented to her, in a mellow, unearthly glow. Black were the shadows in Korulja,

Gorgeoflions, where dwelt the tribe of the same name under Essat, their chief. From an aperture near the

summit of the lofty escarpment a hairy figure emergedthe head and shoulders firstand fierce eyes

It was Essat, the chief. To right and left and below he looked as though to assure himself that he was

unobserved, but no other figure moved upon the cliff face, nor did another hairy body protrude from any of

the numerous cave mouths from the highflung abode of the chief to the habitations of the more lowly

members of the tribe nearer the cliff's base. Then he moved outward upon the sheer face of the white chalk

wall. In the halflight of the baby moon it appeared that the heavy, shaggy black figure moved across the

face of the perpendicular wall in some miraculous manner, but closer examination would have revealed stout

pegs, as large around as a man's wrist protruding from holes in the cliff into which they were driven. Essat's

four handlike members and his long, sinuous tail permitted him to move with consummate ease whither he

chosea gigantic rat upon a mighty wall. As he progressed upon his way he avoided the cave mouths,

The outward appearance of these caves was similar. An opening from eight to as much as twenty feet long by

eight high and four to six feet deep was cut into the chalklike rock of the cliff, in the back of this large

opening, which formed what might be described as the front veranda of the home, was an opening about three

feet wide and six feet high, evidently forming the doorway to the interior apartment or apartments. On either

side of this doorway were smaller openings which it were easy to assume were windows through which light

and air might find their way to the inhabitants. Similar windows were also dotted over the cliff face between

the entrance porches, suggesting that the entire face of the cliff was honeycombed with apartments. From

many of these smaller apertures small streams of water trickled down the escarpment, and the walls above

others was blackened as by smoke. Where the water ran the wall was eroded to a depth of from a few inches

to as much as a foot, suggesting that some of the tiny streams had been trickling downward to the green

In this primeval setting the great pithecanthropus aroused no jarring discord for he was as much a part of it as

the trees that grew upon the summit of the cliff or those that hid their feet among the dank ferns in the bottom

Now he paused before an entranceway and listened and then, noiselessly as the moonlight upon the trickling

waters, he merged with the shadows of the outer porch. At the doorway leading into the interior he paused

again, listening, and then quietly pushing aside the heavy skin that covered the aperture he passed within a

large chamber hewn from the living rock. From the far end, through another doorway, shone a light, dimly.

Toward this he crept with utmost stealth, his naked feet giving forth no sound. The knotted club that had been

hanging at his back from a thong about his neck he now removed and carried in his left hand.

Beyond the second doorway was a corridor running parallel with the cliff face. In this corridor were three

more doorways, one at each end and a third almost opposite that in which Essat stood. The light was coming

from an apartment at the end of the corridor at his left. A sputtering flame rose and fell in a small stone

receptacle that stood upon a table or bench of the same material, a monolithic bench fashioned at the time the

In one corner of the room beyond the table had been left a dais of stone about four feet wide and eight feet

long. Upon this were piled a foot or so of softly tanned pelts from which the fur had not been removed. Upon

the edge of this dais sat a young female Wazdon. In one hand she held a thin piece of metal, apparently of

hammered gold, with serrated edges, and in the other a short, stiff brush. With these she was occupied in

going over her smooth, glossy coat which bore a remarkable resemblance to plucked sealskin. Her loin cloth

of yellow and black striped jatoskin lay on the couch beside her with the circular breastplates of beaten

gold, revealing the symmetrical lines of her nude figure in all its beauty and harmony of contour, for even

though the creature was jet black and entirely covered with hair yet she was undeniably beautiful.

That she was beautiful in the eyes of Essat, the chief, was evidenced by the gloating expression upon his

fierce countenance and the increased rapidity of his breathing. Moving quickly forward he entered the room

and as he did so the young she looked up. Instantly her eyes filled with terror and as quickly she seized the

loin cloth and with a few deft movements adjusted it about her. As she gathered up her breastplates Essat

"It was for this that you sent away my father and my brothers to spy upon the Korullul? I will not have

Essat smiled. It was the smile of a strong and wicked man who knows his powernot a pleasant smile at

all. "I will leave, Panatlee," he said; "but you shall go with meto the cave of Essat, the chief, to be the

"Never!" cried Panatlee. "I hate you. Sooner would I mate with a Hodon than with you, beater of women,

A frightful scowl distorted the features of the chief. "Shejato!" he cried. "I will tame you! I will break you!

Essat, the chief, takes what he will and who dares question his right, or combat his least purpose, will first

serve that purpose and then be broken as I break this," and he picked a stone platter from the table and broke

it in his powerful hands. "You might have been first and most favored in the cave of the ancestors of Essat;

but now shall you be last and least and when I am done with you you shall belong to all of the men of

He advanced quickly to seize her and as he laid a rough hand upon her she struck him heavily upon the side

of his head with her golden breastplates. Without a sound Essat, the chief, sank to the floor of the apartment.

For a moment Panatlee bent over him, her improvised weapon raised to strike again should he show signs

of returning consciousness, her glossy breasts rising and falling with her quickened breathing. Suddenly she

stooped and removed Essat's knife with its scabbard and shoulder belt. Slipping it over her own shoulder she

quickly adjusted her breastplates and keeping a watchful glance upon the figure of the fallen chief, backed

In a niche in the outer room, just beside the doorway leading to the balcony, were neatly piled a number of

rounded pegs from eighteen to twenty inches in length. Selecting five of these she made them into a little

bundle about which she twined the lower extremity of her sinuous tail and thus carrying them made her way

to the outer edge of the balcony. Assuring herself that there was none about to see, or hinder her, she took

quickly to the pegs already set in the face of the cliff and with the celerity of a monkey clambered swiftly

aloft to the highest row of pegs which she followed in the direction of the lower end of the gorge for a matter

of some hundred yards. Here, above her head, were a series of small round holes placed one above another in

three parallel rows. Clinging only with her toes she removed two of the pegs from the bundle carried in her

tail and taking one in either hand she inserted them in two opposite holes of the outer rows as far above her as

she could reach. Hanging by these new holds she now took one of the three remaining pegs in each of her

feet, leaving the fifth grasped securely in her tail. Reaching above her with this member she inserted the fifth

peg in one of the holes of the center row and then, alternately hanging by her tail, her feet, or her hands, she

moved the pegs upward to new holes, thus carrying her stairway with her as she ascended.

At the summit of the cliff a gnarled tree exposed its timeworn roots above the topmost holes forming the

last step from the sheer face of the precipice to level footing. This was the last avenue of escape for members

of the tribe hard pressed by enemies from below. There were three such emergency exits from the village and

it were death to use them in other than an emergency. This Panatlee well knew; but she knew, too, that it

were worse than death to remain where the angered Essat might lay hands upon her.

When she had gained the summit, the girl moved quickly through the darkness in the direction of the next

gorge which cut the mountainside a mile beyond Korulja. It was the Gorgeofwater, Korullul, to

which her father and two brothers had been sent by Essat ostensibly to spy upon the neighboring tribe.

There was a chance, a slender chance, that she might find them; if not there was the deserted Korulgryf

several miles beyond, where she might hide indefinitely from man if she could elude the frightful monster

from which the gorge derived its name and whose presence there had rendered its caves uninhabitable for

Panatlee crept stealthily along the rim of the Korullul. Just where her father and brothers would watch

she did not know. Sometimes their spies remained upon the rim, sometimes they watched from the gorge's

bottom. Panatlee was at a loss to know what to do or where to go. She felt very small and helpless alone in

the vast darkness of the night. Strange noises fell upon her ears. They came from the lonely reaches of the

towering mountains above her, from far away in the invisible valley and from the nearer foothills and once, in

the distance, she heard what she thought was the bellow of a bull gryf. It came from the direction of the

Presently there came to her keen ears another sound. Something approached her along the rim of the gorge. It

was coming from above. She halted, listening. Perhaps it was her father, or a brother. It was coming closer.

She strained her eyes through the darkness. She did not moveshe scarcely breathed. And then, of a sudden,

quite close it seemed, there blazed through the black night two yellowgreen spots of fire.

Panatlee was brave, but as always with the primitive, the darkness held infinite terrors for her. Not alone

the terrors of the known but more frightful ones as wellthose of the unknown. She had passed through

much this night and her nerves were keyed to the highest pitchraw, taut nerves, they were, ready to react in

But this was no slight shock. To hope for a father and a brother and to see death instead glaring out of the

darkness! Yes, Panatlee was brave, but she was not of iron. With a shriek that reverberated among the hills

she turned and fled along the rim of Korullul and behind her, swiftly, came the devileyed lion of the

Panatlee was lost. Death was inevitable. Of this there could be no doubt, but to die beneath the rending

fangs of the carnivore, congenital terror of her kindit was unthinkable. But there was an alternative. The

lion was almost upon heranother instant and he would seize her. Panatlee turned sharply to her left. Just

a few steps she took in the new direction before she disappeared over the rim of Korullul. The baffled lion,

planting all four feet, barely stopped upon the verge of the abyss. Glaring down into the black shadows

Through the darkness at the bottom of Korulja, Omat led the way toward the caves of his people. Behind

him came Tarzan and Taden. Presently they halted beneath a great tree that grew close to the cliff.

"First," whispered Omat, "I will go to the cave of Panatlee. Then will I seek the cave of my ancestors to

have speech with my own blood. It will not take long. Wait hereI shall return soon. Afterward shall we go

He moved silently toward the foot of the cliff up which Tarzan could presently see him ascending like a great

fly on a wall. In the dim light the apeman could not see the pegs set in the face of the cliff. Omat moved

warily. In the lower tier of caves there should be a sentry. His knowledge of his people and their customs told

him, however, that in all probability the sentry was asleep. In this he was not mistaken, yet he did not in any

way abate his wariness. Smoothly and swiftly he ascended toward the cave of Panatlee while from below

"How does he do it?" asked Tarzan. "I can see no foothold upon that vertical surface and yet he appears to be

Taden explained the stairway of pegs. "You could ascend easily," he said, "although a tail would be of great

They watched until Omat was about to enter the cave of Panatlee without seeing any indication that he

had been observed and then, simultaneously, both saw a head appear in the mouth of one of the lower caves.

It was quickly evident that its owner had discovered Omat for immediately he started upward in pursuit.

Without a word Tarzan and Taden sprang forward toward the foot of the cliff. The pithecanthropus was the

first to reach it and the apeman saw him spring upward for a handhold on the lowest peg above him. Now

Tarzan saw other pegs roughly paralleling each other in zigzag rows up the cliff face. He sprang and caught

one of these, pulled himself upward by one hand until he could reach a second with his other hand; and when

he had ascended far enough to use his feet, discovered that he could make rapid progress. Taden was

outstripping him, however, for these precarious ladders were no novelty to him and, further, he had an

Nevertheless, the apeman gave a good account of himself, being presently urged to redoubled efforts by the

fact that the Wazdon above Taden glanced down and discovered his pursuers just before the Hodon

overtook him. Instantly a wild cry shattered the silence of the gorgea cry that was immediately answered

by hundreds of savage throats as warrior after warrior emerged from the entrance to his cave.

The creature who had raised the alarm had now reached the recess before Panatlee's cave and here he

halted and turned to give battle to Taden. Unslinging his club which had hung down his back from a thong

about his neck he stood upon the level floor of the entranceway effectually blocking Taden's ascent. From

all directions the warriors of Korulja were swarming toward the interlopers. Tarzan, who had reached a

point on the same level with Taden but a little to the latter's left, saw that nothing short of a miracle could

save them. Just at the apeman's left was the entrance to a cave that either was deserted or whose occupants

had not as yet been aroused, for the level recess remained unoccupied. Resourceful was the alert mind of

Tarzan of the Apes and quick to respond were the trained muscles. In the time that you or I might give to

debating an action he would accomplish it and now, though only seconds separated his nearest antagonist

from him, in the brief span of time at his disposal he had stepped into the recess, unslung his long rope and

leaning far out shot the sinuous noose, with the precision of long habitude, toward the menacing figure

wielding its heavy club above Taden. There was a momentary pause of the ropehand as the noose sped

toward its goal, a quick movement of the right wrist that closed it upon its victim as it settled over his head

and then a surging tug as, seizing the rope in both hands, Tarzan threw back upon it all the weight of his great

Voicing a terrified shriek, the Wazdon lunged headforemost from the recess above Taden. Tarzan braced

himself for the coming shock when the creature's body should have fallen the full length of the rope and as it

did there was a snap of the vertebrae that rose sickeningly in the momentary silence that had followed the

doomed man's departing scream. Unshaken by the stress of the suddenly arrested weight at the end of the

rope, Tarzan quickly pulled the body to his side that he might remove the noose from about its neck, for he

During the several seconds that had elapsed since he cast the rope the Wazdon warriors had remained inert

as though paralyzed by wonder or by terror. Now, again, one of them found his voice and his head and

straightway, shrieking invectives at the strange intruder, started upward for the apeman, urging his fellows

to attack. This man was the closest to Tarzan. But for him the apeman could easily have reached Taden's

side as the latter was urging him to do. Tarzan raised the body of the dead Wazdon above his head, held it

poised there for a moment as with face raised to the heavens he screamed forth the horrid challenge of the

bull apes of the tribe of Kerchak, and with all the strength of his giant sinews he hurled the corpse heavily

upon the ascending warrior. So great was the force of the impact that not only was the Wazdon torn from

his hold but two of the pegs to which he clung were broken short in their sockets.

As the two bodies, the living and the dead, hurtled downward toward the foot of the cliff a great cry arose

from the Wazdon. "Jadgurudon! Jadgurudon!" they screamed, and then: "Kill him! Kill him!"

And now Tarzan stood in the recess beside Taden. Jadgurudon!" repeated the latter, smiling"The

terrible man! Tarzan the Terrible! They may kill you, but they will never forget you."

"They shall not kiWhat have we here?" Tarzan's statement as to what "they" should not do was interrupted

by a sudden ejaculation as two figures, locked in deathlike embrace, stumbled through the doorway of the

cave to the outer porch. One was Omat, the other a creature of his own kind but with a rough coat, the hairs

of which seemed to grow straight outward from the skin, stiffly, unlike Omat's sleek covering. The two were

quite evidently well matched and equally evident was the fact that each was bent upon murder. They fought

almost in silence except for an occasional low growl as one or the other acknowledged thus some new hurt.

Tarzan, following a natural impulse to aid his ally, leaped forward to enter the dispute only to be checked by

"It is a gundbar," explained Taden, "a chiefbattle. This fellow must be Essat, the chief. If Omat kills

Tarzan smiled. It was the law of his own junglethe law of the tribe of Kerchak, the bull apethe ancient

law of primitive man that needed but the refining influences of civilization to introduce the hired dagger and

the poison cup. Then his attention was drawn to the outer edge of the vestibule. Above it appeared the shaggy

face of one of Essat's warriors. Tarzan sprang to intercept the man; but Taden was there ahead of him.

"Back!" cried the Hodon to the newcomer. "It is gundbar." The fellow looked scrutinizingly at the two

fighters, then turned his face downward toward his fellows. "Back!" he cried, "it is gundbar between Essat

The fellow nodded. "We will attend to you later," he said and disappeared below the edge of the recess.

The battle upon the ledge continued with unabated ferocity, Tarzan and Taden having difficulty in keeping

out of the way of the contestants who tore and beat at each other with hands and feet and lashing tails. Essat

was unarmedPanatlee had seen to thatbut at Omat's side swung a sheathed knife which he made no

effort to draw. That would have been contrary to their savage and primitive code for the chiefbattle must be

Sometimes they separated for an instant only to rush upon each other again with all the ferocity and nearly

the strength of mad bulls. Presently one of them tripped the other but in that viselike embrace one could not

fall aloneEssat dragged Omat with him, toppling upon the brink of the niche. Even Tarzan held his

breath. There they surged to and fro perilously for a moment and then the inevitable happenedthe two,

locked in murderous embrace, rolled over the edge and disappeared from the apeman's view.

Tarzan voiced a suppressed sigh for he had liked Omat and then, with Taden, approached the edge and

looked over. Far below, in the dim light of the coming dawn, two inert forms should be lying stark in death;

but, to Tarzan's amazement, such was far from the sight that met his eyes. Instead, there were the two figures

still vibrant with life and still battling only a few feet below him. Clinging always to the pegs with two

holdsa hand and a foot, or a foot and a tail, they seemed as much at home upon the perpendicular wall as

upon the level surface of the vestibule; but now their tactics were slightly altered, for each seemed

particularly bent upon dislodging his antagonist from his holds and precipitating him to certain death below.

It was soon evident that Omat, younger and with greater powers of endurance than Essat, was gaining an

advantage. Now was the chief almost wholly on the defensive. Holding him by the cross belt with one mighty

hand Omat was forcing his foeman straight out from the cliff, and with the other hand and one foot was

rapidly breaking first one of Essat's holds and then another, alternating his efforts, or rather punctuating

them, with vicious blows to the pit of his adversary's stomach. Rapidly was Essat weakening and with the

knowledge of impending death there came, as there comes to every coward and bully under similar

circumstances, a crumbling of the veneer of bravado which had long masqueraded as courage and with it

crumbled his code of ethics. Now was Essat no longer chief of Koruljainstead he was a whimpering

craven battling for life. Clutching at Omat, clutching at the nearest pegs he sought any support that would

save him from that awful fall, and as he strove to push aside the hand of death, whose cold fingers he already

felt upon his heart, his tail sought Omat's side and the handle of the knife that hung there.

Tarzan saw and even as Essat drew the blade from its sheath he dropped catlike to the pegs beside the

battling men. Essat's tail had drawn back for the cowardly fatal thrust. Now many others saw the perfidious

act and a great cry of rage and disgust arose from savage throats; but as the blade sped toward its goal, the

apeman seized the hairy member that wielded it, and at the same instant Omat thrust the body of Essat

from him with such force that its weakened holds were broken and it hurtled downward, a brief meteor of

AS TARZAN and Omat clambered back to the vestibule of Panatlee's cave and took their stand beside

Taden in readiness for whatever eventuality might follow the death of Essat, the sun that topped the

eastern hills touched also the figure of a sleeper upon a distant, thorncovered steppe awakening him to

For a time silence reigned in the Korulja. The tribesmen waited, looking now down upon the dead thing

that had been their chief, now at one another, and now at Omat and the two who stood upon his either side.

Presently Omat spoke. "I am Omat," he cried. "Who will say that Omat is not gund of Korulja?"

He waited for a taker of his challenge. One or two of the larger young bucks fidgeted restlessly and eyed him;

"Then Omat is gund," he said with finality. "Now tell me, where are Panatlee, her father, and her

An old warrior spoke. "Panatlee should be in her cave. Who should know that better than you who are

there now? Her father and her brothers were sent to watch Korullul; but neither of these questions arouse

any tumult in our breasts. There is one that does: Can Omat be chief of Korulja and yet stand at bay

against his own people with a Hodon and that terrible man at his sidethat terrible man who has no tail?

Hand the strangers over to your people to be slain as is the way of the Wazdon and then may Omat be

Neither Tarzan nor Taden spoke then, they but stood watching Omat and waiting for his decision, the

ghost of a smile upon the lips of the apeman. Taden, at least, knew that the old warrior had spoken the

Then spoke Omat. "Always there is change," he said. "Even the old hills of Paluldon appear never twice

alikethe brilliant sun, a passing cloud, the moon, a mist, the changing seasons, the sharp clearness

following a storm; these things bring each a new change in our hills. From birth to death, day by day, there is

"And now I, Omat, your gund, bring another change. Strangers who are brave men and good friends shall no

There were growls and murmurings and a restless moving among the warriors as each eyed the others to see

"Cease your mutterings," admonished the new gund. "I am your chief. My word is your law. You had no part

in making me chief. Some of you helped Essat to drive me from the cave of my ancestors; the rest of you

permitted it. I owe you nothing. Only these two, whom you would have me kill, were loyal to me. I am gund

Tarzan was pleased. Here was a man after his own heart. He admired the fearlessness of Omat's challenge

and he was a sufficiently good judge of men to know that he had listened to no idle bluffOmat would

back up his words to the death, if necessary, and the chances were that he would not be the one to die.

I will make you a good gund," said Omat, seeing that no one appeared inclined to dispute his rights. "Your

wives and daughters will be safethey were not safe while Essat ruled. Go now to your crops and your

hunting. I leave to search for Panatlee. Abon will be gund while I am awaylook to him for guidance

He turned toward Tarzan and the Hodon. "And you, my friends," he said, "are free to go among my people;

Omat smiled. "Good!" he exclaimed. "And when we have found her we shall go together upon Tarzan's

business and Taden's. Where first shall we search?" He turned toward his warriors. "Who knows where she

None knew other than that Panatlee had gone to her cave with the others the previous eveningthere was

"Show me where she sleeps," said Tarzan; "let me see something that belongs to heran article of her

Two young warriors climbed closer to the ledge upon which Omat stood. They were Insad and Odan. It

It was the first acknowledgment of Omat's chieftainship and immediately following it the tenseness that had

prevailed seemed to relaxthe warriors spoke aloud instead of in whispers, and the women appeared from

the mouths of caves as with the passing of a sudden storm. Insad and Odan had taken the lead and now all

seemed glad to follow. Some came to talk with Omat and to look more closely at Tarzan; others, heads of

caves, gathered their hunters and discussed the business of the day. The women and children prepared to

descend to the fields with the youths and the old men, whose duty it was to guard them.

"Odan and Insad shall go with us," announced Omat, "we shall not need more. Tarzan, come with me and

I shall show you where Panatlee sleeps, though why you should wish to know I cannot guessshe is not

The two entered the cave where Omat led the way to the apartment in which Essat had surprised

"All here are hers," said Omat, "except the war club lying on the floorthat was Essat's."

The apeman moved silently about the apartment, the quivering of his sensitive nostrils scarcely apparent to

his companion who only wondered what good purpose could be served here and chafed at the delay.

Here their three companions were awaiting them. Tarzan passed to the left side of the niche and examined the

pegs that lay within reach. He looked at them but it was not his eyes that were examining them. Keener than

his keen eyes was that marvelously trained sense of scent that had first been developed in him during infancy

under the tutorage of his foster mother, Kala, the sheape, and further sharpened in the grim jungles by that

From the left side of the niche he turned to the right. Omat was becoming impatient.

"Let us be off," he said. "We must search for Panatlee if we would ever find her."

Omat scratched his head. "Where?" he repeated. "Why all Paluldon, if necessary."

"A large job," said Tarzan. "Come," he added, "she went this way," and he took to the pegs that led aloft

toward the summit of the cliff. Here he followed the scent easily since none had passed that way since

Panatlee had fled. At the point at which she had left the permanent pegs and resorted to those carried with

her Tarzan came to an abrupt halt. "She went this way to the summit," he called back to Omat who was

"I do not know how you know that she went this way," said Omat; "but we will get pegs. Insad, return and

The young warrior was soon back and the pegs distributed. Omat handed five to Tarzan and explained their

Omat smiled. "What a wonderful creature you would be if you were not deformed," he said, glancing with

"I admit that I am handicapped," replied Tarzan. "You others go ahead and leave the pegs in place for me. I

am afraid that otherwise it will be slow work as I cannot hold the pegs in my toes as you do."

"All right," agreed Omat; "Taden, Insad, and I will go first, you follow and Odan bring up the rear and

"Yes; but it delays them and makes easier our defense andthey do not know which of all the holes you see

are deep enough for pegsthe others are made to confuse our enemies and are too shallow to hold a peg."

At the top of the cliff beside the gnarled tree Tarzan again took up the trail. Here the scent was fully as strong

as upon the pegs and the apeman moved rapidly across the ridge in the direction of the Korullul.

Presently he paused and turned toward Omat. "Here she moved swiftly, running at top speed, and, Omat,

"You can read that in the grass?" asked Odan as the others gathered about the apeman.

Tarzan nodded. "I do not think the lion got her," he added; "but that we shall determine quickly. No, he did

Following the direction indicated by his finger, the others presently detected a movement in some bushes a

The others looked their astonishment and incredulity; but of the fact that it was indeed a lion they were not

left long in doubt. Presently the bushes parted and the creature stepped out in full view, facing them. It was a

magnificent beast, large and beautifully maned, with the brilliant leopard spots of its kind well marked and

symmetrical. For a moment it eyed them and then, still chafing at the loss of its prey earlier in the morning, it

The Paluldonians unslung their clubs and stood waiting the onrushing beast. Tarzan of the Apes drew his

hunting knife and crouched in the path of the fanged fury. It was almost upon him when it swerved to the

right and leaped for Omat only to be sent to earth with a staggering blow upon the head. Almost instantly it

was up and though the men rushed fearlessly in, it managed to sweep aside their weapons with its mighty

paws. A single blow wrenched Odan's club from his hand and sent it hurtling against Taden, knocking him

from his feet. Taking advantage of its opportunity the lion rose to throw itself upon Odan and at the same

instant Tarzan flung himself upon its back. Strong, white teeth buried themselves in the spotted neck, mighty

arms encircled the savage throat and the sinewy legs of the apeman locked themselves about the gaunt belly.

The others, powerless to aid, stood breathlessly about as the great lion lunged hither and thither, clawing and

biting fearfully and futilely at the savage creature that had fastened itself upon him. Over and over they rolled

and now the onlookers saw a brown hand raised above the lion's sidea brown hand grasping a keen blade.

They saw it fall and rise and fall againeach time with terrific force and in its wake they saw a crimson

Now from the lion's throat rose hideous screams of hate and rage and pain as he redoubled his efforts to

dislodge and punish his tormentor; but always the tousled black head remained half buried in the dark brown

mane and the mighty arm rose and fell to plunge the knife again and again into the dying beast.

The Paluldonians stood in mute wonder and admiration. Brave men and mighty hunters they were and as

And now the lion lunged suddenly to earth and with a few spasmodic quiverings lay still. The apeman rose

and shook himself, even as might ja, the leopardcoated lion of Paluldon, had he been the one to survive.

Odan advanced quickly toward Tarzan. Placing a palm upon his own breast and the other on Tarzan's,

"And I no more than the friendship of Omat's friends," replied the apeman simply, returning the other's

"Do you think," asked Omat, coming close to Tarzan and laying a hand upon the other's shoulder, "that he

"We can but follow while the spoor is fresh," answered the apeman and again taking up his interrupted

tracking he led them down the ridge and at a sharp turning of the trail to the left brought them to the verge of

the cliff that dropped into the Korullul. For a moment Tarzan examined the ground to the right and to the

For a moment the Wazdon gazed down into the green rift at the bottom of which a tumultuous river tumbled

downward along its rocky bed, then he closed his eyes as to a sudden spasm of pain and turned away.

"To escape the lion," replied Tarzan. "He was right behind herlook, you can see where his four paws left

their impress in the turf as he checked his charge upon the very verge of the abyss."

"Is there any chance" commenced Omat, to be suddenly silenced by a warning gesture from Tarzan.

"Down!" whispered the apeman, "many men are coming. They are runningfrom down the ridge." He

flattened himself upon his belly in the grass, the others following his example.

For some minutes they waited thus and then the others, too, heard the sound of running feet and now a hoarse

"It is the war cry of the Korullul," whispered Omat"the hunting cry of men who hunt men. Presently

shall we see them and if JadbenOtho is pleased with us they shall not too greatly outnumber us."

"They are many," said Tarzan, "forty or fifty, I should say; but how many are the pursued and how many the

pursuers we cannot even guess, except that the latter must greatly outnumber the former, else these would not

"It is Anun, father of Panatlee, and his two sons," exclaimed Odan. "They will pass without seeing us if

"Come!" cried the latter, springing to his feet and running rapidly to intercept the three fugitives. The others

The fugitives scarcely paused as these unexpected reinforcements joined them but they eyed Taden and

"The Korullul are many," shouted Anun. "Would that we might pause and fight; but first we must warn

"It is well," cried Anun. "Panatlee said that you would come back and slay Essat."

"Come!" cried Tarzan," let us turn and charge them, raising a great cry. They pursued but three and when

they see eight charging upon them they will think that many men have come to do battle. They will believe

that there are more even than they see and then one who is swift will have time to reach the gorge and warn

"It is well," said Omat. "Idan, you are swiftcarry word to the warriors of Korulja that we fight the

Idan, the son of Anun, sped swiftly toward the cliffdwellings of the Korulja while the others charged

the oncoming Korullul, the war cries of the two tribes rising and falling in a certain grim harmony. The

leaders of the Korullul paused at sight of the reinforcements, waiting apparently for those behind to catch

up with them and, possibly, also to learn how great a force confronted them. The leaders, swifter runners than

their fellows, perhaps, were far in advance while the balance of their number had not yet emerged from the

brush; and now as Omat and his companions fell upon them with a ferocity born of necessity they fell back,

so that when their companions at last came in sight of them they appeared to be in full rout. The natural result

Encouraged by this first success Omat followed them into the brush, his little company charging valiantly

upon his either side, and loud and terrifying were the savage yells with which they pursued the fleeing

enemy. The brush, while not growing so closely together as to impede progress, was of such height as to hide

the members of the party from one another when they became separated by even a few yards. The result was

that Tarzan, always swift and always keen for battle, was soon pursuing the enemy far in the lead of the

The warriors of Korullul, doubtless as valorous as their foemen, retreated only to a more strategic position

in the brush, nor were they long in guessing that the number of their pursuers was fewer than their own. They

made a stand then where the brush was densestan ambush it was, and into this ran Tarzan of the Apes.

They tricked him neatly. Yes, sad as is the narration of it, they tricked the wily jungle lord. But then they

were fighting on their own ground, every foot of which they knew as you know your front parlor, and they

A single black warrior appeared to Tarzan a laggard in the rear of the retreating enemy and thus retreating he

lured Tarzan on. At last he turned at bay confronting the apeman with bludgeon and drawn knife and as

Tarzan charged him a score of burly Wazdon leaped from the surrounding brush. Instantly, but too late, the

giant Tarmangani realized his peril. There flashed before him a vision of his lost mate and a great and

sickening regret surged through him with the realization that if she still lived she might no longer hope, for

though she might never know of the passing of her lord the fact of it must inevitably seal her doom.

And consequent to this thought there enveloped him a blind frenzy of hatred for these creatures who dared

thwart his purpose and menace the welfare of his wife. With a savage growl he threw himself upon the

warrior before him twisting the heavy club from the creature's hand as if he had been a little child, and with

his left fist backed by the weight and sinew of his giant frame, he crashed a shattering blow to the center of

the Wazdon's facea blow that crushed the bones and dropped the fellow in his tracks. Then he swung

upon the others with their fallen comrade's bludgeon striking to right and left mighty, unmerciful blows that

drove down their own weapons until that wielded by the apeman was splintered and shattered. On either

hand they fell before his cudgel; so rapid the delivery of his blows, so catlike his recovery that in the first few

moments of the battle he seemed invulnerable to their attack; but it could not lasthe was outnumbered

twenty to one and his undoing came from a thrown club. It struck him upon the back of the head. For a

moment he stood swaying and then like a great pine beneath the woodsman's ax he crashed to earth.

Others of the Korullul had rushed to engage the balance of Omat's party. They could be heard fighting at

a short distance and it was evident that the Korulja were falling slowly back and as they fell Omat called

"Jadguru, indeed," repeated one of the Korullul rising from where Tarzan had dropped him.

AS TARZAN fell among his enemies a man halted many miles away upon the outer verge of the morass that

encircles Paluldon. Naked he was except for a loin cloth and three belts of cartridges, two of which passed

over his shoulders, crossing upon his chest and back, while the third encircled his waist. Slung to his back by

its leathern slingstrap was an Enfield, and he carried too a long knife, a bow and a quiver of arrows. He had

come far, through wild and savage lands, menaced by fierce beasts and fiercer men, yet intact to the last

The bow and the arrows and the long knife had brought him thus far safely, yet often in the face of great risks

that could have been minimized by a single shot from the wellkept rifle at his back. What purpose might he

have for conserving this precious ammunition? in risking his life to bring the last bright shining missile to his

unknown goal? For what, for whom were these deathdealing bits of metal preserved? In all the world only

When Panatlee stepped over the edge of the cliff above Korullul she expected to be dashed to instant

death upon the rocks below; but she had chosen this in preference to the rending fangs of ja. Instead, chance

had ordained that she make the frightful plunge at a point where the tumbling river swung close beneath the

overhanging cliff to eddy for a slow moment in a deep pool before plunging madly downward again in a

Into this icy pool the girl shot, and down and down beneath the watery surface until, half choked, yet fighting

bravely, she battled her way once more to air. Swimming strongly she made the opposite shore and there

dragged herself out upon the bank to lie panting and spent until the approaching dawn warned her to seek

Rising, she moved into the concealment of the rank vegetation that grows so riotously in the wellwatered

(1) I have used the Palul don word for gorge with the English plural, which is not the correct native plural

form. The latter, it seems to me, is awkward for us and so I have generally ignored it throughout my

manuscript, permitting, for example, Korulja to answer for both singular and plural. However, for the

benefit of those who may be interested in such things I may say that the plurals are formed simply for all

words in the Paluldon language by doubling the initial letter of the word, as k'kor, gorges, pronounced as

though written kakor, the a having the sound of a in sofa. Lions, then, would be j'ja, or men d' don.

Hidden amidst the plant life from the sight of any who might chance to pass along the wellbeaten trail that

skirted the river Panatlee sought rest and food, the latter growing in abundance all about her in the form of

fruits and berries and succulent tubers which she scooped from the earth with the knife of the dead Essat.

Ah! if she had but known that he was dead! What trials and risks and terrors she might have been saved; but

she thought that he still lived and so she dared not return to Korulja. At least not yet while his rage was at

white heat. Later, perhaps, her father and brothers returned to their cave, she might risk it; but not nownot

now. Nor could she for long remain here in the neighborhood of the hostile Korullul and somewhere she

As she sat upon the bole of a fallen tree seeking some solution of the problem of existence that confronted

her, there broke upon her ears from up the gorge the voices of shouting mena sound that she recognized all

too well. It was the war cry of the Korullul. Closer and closer it approached her hiding place. Then,

through the veil of foliage she caught glimpses of three figures fleeing along the trail, and behind them the

shouting of the pursuers rose louder and louder as they neared her. Again she caught sight of the fugitives

crossing the river below the cataract and again they were lost to sight. And now the pursuers came into

viewshouting Korullul warriors, fierce and implacable. Forty, perhaps fifty of them. She waited

breathless; but they did not swerve from the trail and passed her, unguessing that an enemy she lay hid within

Once again she caught sight of the pursuedthree Wazdon warriors clambering the cliff face at a point

where portions of the summit had fallen away presenting a steep slope that might be ascended by such as

these. Suddenly her attention was riveted upon the three. Could it be? O JadbenOtho! had she but known a

moment before. When they passed she might have joined them, for they were her father and two brothers.

Now it was too late. With bated breath and tense muscles she watched the race. Would they reach the

summit? Would the Korullul overhaul them? They climbed well, but, oh, so slowly. Now one lost his

footing in the loose shale and slipped back! The Korullul were ascendingone hurled his club at the

nearest fugitive. The Great God was pleased with the brother of Panatlee, for he caused the club to fall

short of its target, and to fall, rolling and bounding, back upon its owner carrying him from his feet and

Standing now, her hands pressed tight above her golden breastplates, Panatlee watched the race for life.

Now one, her older brother, reached the summit and clinging there to something that she could not see he

lowered his body and his long tail to the father beneath him. The latter, seizing this support, extended his own

tail to the son belowthe one who had slipped backand thus, upon a living ladder of their own making,

the three reached the summit and disappeared from view before the Korullul overtook them. But the latter

did not abandon the chase. On they went until they too had disappeared from sight and only a faint shouting

The girl knew that she must move on. At any moment now might come a hunting party, combing the gorge

Behind her were Essat and the returning party of Korullul that had pursued her kin; before her, across the

next ridge, was the Korulgryf, the lair of the terrifying monsters that brought the chill of fear to every

inhabitant of Paluldon; below her, in the valley, was the country of the Hodon, where she could look for

only slavery, or death; here were the Korullul, the ancient enemies of her people and everywhere were the

For but a moment she debated and then turning her face toward the southeast she set out across the gorge of

water toward the Korulgryfat least there were no men there. As it is now, so it was in the beginning,

back to the primitive progenitor of man which is typified by Panatlee and her kind today, of all the hunters

that woman fears, man is the most relentless, the most terrible. To the dangers of man she preferred the

Moving cautiously she reached the foot of the cliff at the far side of Korullul and here, toward noon, she

found a comparatively easy ascent. Crossing the ridge she stood at last upon the brink of Korulgryfthe

horror place of the folklore of her race. Dank and mysterious grew the vegetation below; giant trees waved

their plumed tops almost level with the summit of the cliff; and over all brooded an ominous silence.

Panatlee lay upon her belly and stretching over the edge scanned the cliff face below her. She could see

caves there and the stone pegs which the ancients had fashioned so laboriously by hand. She had heard of

these in the firelight tales of her childhood and of how the gryfs had come from the morasses across the

mountains and of how at last the people had fled after many had been seized and devoured by the hideous

creatures, leaving their caves untenanted for no man living knew how long. Some said that JadbenOtho,

who has lived forever, was still a little boy. Panatlee shuddered; but there were caves and in them she

She found a place where the stone pegs reached to the very summit of the cliff, left there no doubt in the final

exodus of the tribe when there was no longer need of safeguarding the deserted caves against invasion.

Panatlee clambered slowly down toward the uppermost cave. She found the recess in front of the doorway

almost identical with those of her own tribe. The floor of it, though, was littered with twigs and old nests and

the droppings of birds, until it was half choked. She moved along to another recess and still another, but all

were alike in the accumulated filth. Evidently there was no need in looking further. This one seemed large

and commodious. With her knife she fell to work cleaning away the debris by the simple expedient of

pushing it over the edge, and always her eyes turned constantly toward the silent gorge where lurked the

fearsome creatures of Paluldon. And other eyes there were, eyes she did not see, but that saw her and

watched her every movefierce eyes, greedy eyes, cunning and cruel. They watched her, and a red tongue

licked flabby, pendulous lips. They watched her, and a halfhuman brain laboriously evolved a brutish

As in her own Korulja, the natural springs in the cliff had been developed by the longdead builders of the

caves so that fresh, pure water trickled now, as it had for ages, within easy access to the cave entrances. Her

only difficulty would be in procuring food and for that she must take the risk at least once in two days, for she

was sure that she could find fruits and tubers and perhaps small animals, birds, and eggs near the foot of the

cliff, the last two, possibly, in the caves themselves. Thus might she live on here indefinitely. She felt now a

certain sense of security imparted doubtless by the impregnability of her highflung sanctuary that she knew

to be safe from all the more dangerous beasts, and this one from men, too, since it lay in the abjured

Now she determined to inspect the interior of her new home. The sun still in the south, lighted the interior of

the first apartment. It was similar to those of her experiencethe same beasts and men were depicted in the

same crude fashion in the carvings on the wallsevidently there had been little progress in the race of

Wazdon during the generations that had come and departed since Korulgryf had been abandoned by men.

Of course Panatlee thought no such thoughts, for evolution and progress existed not for her, or her kind.

That these strange creatures have existed thus for incalculable ages it can scarce be doubted, so marked are

the indications of antiquity about their dwellingsdeep furrows worn by naked feet in living rock; the

hollow in the jamb of a stone doorway where many arms have touched in passing; the endless carvings that

cover, ofttimes, the entire face of a great cliff and all the walls and ceilings of every cave and each carving

wrought by a different hand, for each is the coat of arms, one might say, of the adult male who traced it.

And so Panatlee found this ancient cave homelike and familiar. There was less litter within than she had

found without and what there was was mostly an accumulation of dust. Beside the doorway was the niche in

which wood and tinder were kept, but there remained nothing now other than mere dust. She had however

saved a little pile of twigs from the debris on the porch. In a short time she had made a light by firing a

bundle of twigs and lighting others from this fire she explored some of the inner rooms. Nor here did she find

aught that was new or strange nor any relic of the departed owners other than a few broken stone dishes. She

had been looking for something soft to sleep upon, but was doomed to disappointment as the former owners

had evidently made a leisurely departure, carrying all their belongings with them. Below, in the gorge were

leaves and grasses and fragrant branches, but Panatlee felt no stomach for descending into that horrid

abyss for the gratification of mere creature comfortonly the necessity for food would drive her there.

And so, as the shadows lengthened and night approached she prepared to make as comfortable a bed as she

could by gathering the dust of ages into a little pile and spreading it between her soft body and the hard

floorat best it was only better than nothing. But Panatlee was very tired. She had not slept since two

nights before and in the interval she had experienced many dangers and hardships. What wonder then that

despite the hard bed, she was asleep almost immediately she had composed herself for rest.

She slept and the moon rose, casting its silver light upon the cliff's white face and lessening the gloom of the

dark forest and the dismal gorge. In the distance a lion roared. There was a long silence. From the upper

reaches of the gorge came a deep bellow. There was a movement in the trees at the cliff's foot. Again the

bellow, low and ominous. It was answered from below the deserted village. Something dropped from the

foliage of a tree directly below the cave in which Panatlee sleptit dropped to the ground among the

dense shadows. Now it moved, cautiously. It moved toward the foot of the cliff, taking form and shape in the

moonlight. It moved like the creature of a bad dreamslowly, sluggishly. It might have been a huge

slothit might have been a man, with so grotesque a brush does the moon paintmaster cubist.

Slowly it moved up the face of the clifflike a great grubworm it moved, but now the moonbrush touched

it again and it had hands and feet and with them it clung to the stone pegs and raised itself laboriously aloft

toward the cave where Panatlee slept. From the lower reaches of the gorge came again the sound of

Tarzan of the Apes opened his eyes. He was conscious of a pain in his head, and at first that was about all. A

moment later grotesque shadows, rising and falling, focused his arousing perceptions. Presently he saw that

he was in a cave. A dozen Wazdon warriors squatted about, talking. A rude stone cresset containing burning

oil lighted the interior and as the flame rose and fell the exaggerated shadows of the warriors danced upon the

"We brought him to you alive, Gund," he heard one of them saying, "because never before was Hodon like

him seen. He has no tailhe was born without one, for there is no scar to mark where a tail had been cut off.

The thumbs upon his hands and feet are unlike those of the races of Paluldon. He is more powerful than

many men put together and he attacks with the fearlessness of ja. We brought him alive, that you might see

The chief rose and approached the apeman, who closed his eyes and feigned unconsciousness. He felt hairy

hands upon him as he was turned over, none too gently. The gund examined him from head to foot, making

"No," agreed one of the warriors, "it would surely fall even from the cliff pegs."

"I have never seen a thing like it," said the chief. "It is neither Wazdon nor Hodon. I wonder from whence

"The Korulja shouted aloud, 'Tarzanjadguru!' and we thought that they might be calling this one," said a

"No," replied the chief, "we will wait until it's life returns into its head that I may question it. Remain here,

He turned and departed from the cave, the others, except Intan, following him. As they moved past him and

out of the chamber Tarzan caught snatches of their conversation which indicated that the Korulja

reinforcements had fallen upon their little party in great numbers and driven them away. Evidently the swift

feet of Idan had saved the day for the warriors of Omat. The apeman smiled, then he partially opened an

eye and cast it upon Intan. The warrior stood at the entrance to the cave looking outhis back was toward

his prisoner. Tarzan tested the bonds that secured his wrists. They seemed none too stout and they had tied his

hands in front of him! Evidence indeed that the Wazdon took few prisonersif any.

Cautiously he raised his wrists until he could examine the thongs that confined them. A grim smile lighted his

features. Instantly he was at work upon the bonds with his strong teeth, but ever a wary eye was upon Intan,

the warrior of Korullul. The last knot had been loosened and Tarzan's hands were free when Intan turned

to cast an appraising eye upon his ward. He saw that the prisoner's position was changedhe no longer lay

upon his back as they had left him, but upon his side and his hands were drawn up against his face. Intan

came closer and bent down. The bonds seemed very loose upon the prisoner's wrists. He extended his hand to

examine them with his fingers and instantly the two hands leaped from their bondsone to seize his own

wrist, the other his throat. So unexpected the catlike attack that Intan had not even time to cry out before

steel fingers silenced him. The creature pulled him suddenly forward so that he lost his balance and rolled

over upon the prisoner and to the floor beyond to stop with Tarzan upon his breast. Intan struggled to

release himselfstruggled to draw his knife; but Tarzan found it before him. The Wazdon's tail leaped to

the other's throat, encircling ithe too could choke; but his own knife, in the hands of his antagonist, severed

The Wazdon's struggles became weakera film was obscuring his vision. He knew that he was dying and

he was right. A moment later he was dead. Tarzan rose to his feet and placed one foot upon the breast of his

dead foe. How the urge seized him to roar forth the victory cry of his kind! But he dared not. He discovered

that they had not removed his rope from his shoulders and that they had replaced his knife in its sheath. It had

been in his hand when he was felled. Strange creatures! He did not know that they held a superstitious fear of

the weapons of a dead enemy, believing that if buried without them he would forever haunt his slayers in

search of them and that when he found them he would kill the man who killed him. Against the wall leaned

Tarzan stepped toward the doorway of the cave and looked out. Night had just fallen. He could hear voices

from the nearer caves and there floated to his nostrils the odor of cooking food. He looked down and

experienced a sensation of relief. The cave in which he had been held was in the lowest tierscarce thirty

feet from the base of the cliff. He was about to chance an immediate descent when there occurred to him a

thought that brought a grin to his savage lipsa thought that was born of the name the Wazdon had given

him TarzanjadguruTarzan the Terribleand a recollection of the days when he had delighted in baiting

the blacks of the distant jungle of his birth. He turned back into the cave where lay the dead body of Intan.

With his knife he severed the warrior's head and carrying it to the outer edge of the recess tossed it to the

ground below, then he dropped swiftly and silently down the ladder of pegs in a way that would have

At the bottom he picked up the head of Intan and disappeared among the shadows of the trees carrying the

grisly trophy by its shock of shaggy hair. Horrible? But you are judging a wild beast by the standards of

civilization. You may teach a lion tricks, but he is still a lion. Tarzan looked well in a Tuxedo, but he was still

Nor was his madness lacking in method. He knew that the hearts of the Korullul would be filled with rage

when they discovered the thing that he had done and he knew too, that mixed with the rage would be a leaven

of fear and it was fear of him that had made Tarzan master of many junglesone does not win the respect of

Below the village Tarzan returned to the foot of the cliff searching for a point where he could make the ascent

to the ridge and thus back to the village of Omat, the Korulja. He came at last to a place where the river

ran so close to the rocky wall that he was forced to swim it in search of a trail upon the opposite side and here

it was that his keen nostrils detected a familiar spoor. It was the scent of Panatlee at the spot where she had

Immediately the apeman's plans were changed. Panatlee lived, or at least she had lived after the leap from

the cliff's summit. He had started in search of her for Omat, his friend, and for Omat he would continue

upon the trail he had picked up thus fortuitously by accident. It led him into the jungle and across the gorge

and then to the point at which Panatlee had commenced the ascent of the opposite cliffs. Here Tarzan

abandoned the head of Intan, tying it to the lower branch of a tree, for he knew that it would handicap him

in his ascent of the steep escarpment. Apelike he ascended, following easily the scent spoor of Panatlee.

Over the summit and across the ridge the trail lay, plain as a printed page to the delicate senses of the

Tarzan knew naught of the Korulgryf. He had seen, dimly in the shadows of the night, strange, monstrous

forms and Taden and Omat had spoken of great creatures that all men feared; but always, everywhere, by

night and by day, there were dangers. From infancy death had stalked, grim and terrible, at his heels. He

knew little of any other existence. To cope with danger was his life and he lived his life as simply and as

naturally as you live yours amidst the dangers of the crowded city streets. The black man who goes abroad in

the jungle by night is afraid, for he has spent his life since infancy surrounded by numbers of his own kind

and safeguarded, especially at night, by such crude means as lie within his powers. But Tarzan had lived as

the lion lives and the panther and the elephant and the apea true jungle creature dependent solely upon his

prowess and his wits, playing a lone hand against creation. Therefore he was surprised at nothing and feared

nothing and so he walked through the strange night as undisturbed and unapprehensive as the farmer to the

Once more Panatlee's trail ended at the verge of a cliff; but this time there was no indication that she had

leaped over the edge and a moment's search revealed to Tarzan the stone pegs upon which she had made her

descent. As he lay upon his belly leaning over the top of the cliff examining the pegs his attention was

suddenly attracted by something at the foot of the cliff. He could not distinguish its identity, but he saw that it

moved and presently that it was ascending slowly, apparently by means of pegs similar to those directly

below him. He watched it intently as it rose higher and higher until he was able to distinguish its form more

clearly, with the result that he became convinced that it more nearly resembled some form of great ape than a

lower order. It had a tail, though, and in other respects it did not seem a true ape.

Slowly it ascended to the upper tier of caves, into one of which it disappeared. Then Tarzan took up again the

trail of Panatlee. He followed it down the stone pegs to the nearest cave and then further along the upper

tier. The apeman raised his eyebrows when he saw the direction in which it led, and quickened his pace. He

had almost reached the third cave when the echoes of Korulgryf were awakened by a shrill scream of

PANATLEE sleptthe troubled sleep, of physical and nervous exhaustion, filled with weird dreamings.

She dreamed that she slept beneath a great tree in the bottom of the Korulgryf and that one of the fearsome

beasts was creeping upon her but she could not open her eyes nor move. She tried to scream but no sound

issued from her lips. She felt the thing touch her throat, her breast, her arm, and there it closed and seemed to

be dragging her toward it. With a superhuman effort of will she opened her eyes. In the instant she knew

that she was dreaming and that quickly the hallucination of the dream would fadeit had happened to her

many times before. But it persisted. In the dim light that filtered into the dark chamber she saw a form beside

her, she felt hairy fingers upon her and a hairy breast against which she was being drawn. JadbenOtho! this

was no dream. And then she screamed and tried to fight the thing from her; but her scream was answered by a

low growl and another hairy hand seized her by the hair of the head. The beast rose now upon its hind legs

and dragged her from the cave to the moonlit recess without and at the same instant she saw the figure of

The beast that held her saw it too and growled ominously but it did not relinquish its hold upon her hair. It

crouched as though waiting an attack, and it increased the volume and frequency of its growls until the horrid

sounds reverberated through the gorge, drowning even the deep bellowings of the beasts below, whose

mighty thunderings had broken out anew with the sudden commotion from the highflung cave. The beast

that held her crouched and the creature that faced it crouched also, and growledas hideously as the other.

Panatlee trembled. This was no Hodon and though she feared the Hodon she feared this thing more,

with its catlike crouch and its beastly growls. She was lostthat Panatlee knew. The two things might

fight for her, but whichever won she was lost. Perhaps, during the battle, if it came to that, she might find the

The thing that held her she had recognized now as a Torodon, but the other thing she could not place,

though in the moonlight she could see it very distinctly. It had no tail. She could see its hands and its feet, and

they were not the hands and feet of the races of Paluldon. It was slowly closing upon the Torodon and

in one hand it held a gleaming knife. Now it spoke and to Panatlee's terror was added an equal weight of

"When it leaves go of you," it said, "as it will presently to defend itself, run quickly behind me, Panatlee,

and go to the cave nearest the pegs you descended from the cliff top. Watch from there. If I am defeated you

will have time to escape this slow thing; if I am not I will come to you there. I am Omat's friend and yours."

The last words took the keen edge from Panatlee's terror; but she did not understand. How did this strange

creature know her name? How did it know that she had descended the pegs by a certain cave? It must, then,

"I am Tarzan," he replied, "and just now I came from Omat, of Korulja, in search of you."

Omat, gund of Korulja! What wild talk was this? She would have questioned him further, but now he was

approaching the Torodon and the latter was screaming and growling so loudly as to drown the sound of her

voice. And then it did what the strange creature had said that it would doit released its hold upon her hair

as it prepared to charge. Charge it did and in those close quarters there was no room to fence for openings.

Instantly the two beasts locked in deadly embrace, each seeking the other's throat. Panatlee watched,

taking no advantage of the opportunity to escape which their preoccupation gave her. She watched and

waited, for into her savage little brain had come the resolve to pin her faith to this strange creature who had

unlocked her heart with those four words"I am Omat's friend!" And so she waited, with drawn knife, the

opportunity to do her bit in the vanquishing of the Torodon. That the newcomer could do it unaided she

well knew to be beyond the realms of possibility, for she knew well the prowess of the beastlike man with

whom it fought. There were not many of them in Paluldon, but what few there were were a terror to the

women of the Wazdon and the Hodon, for the old Torodon bulls roamed the mountains and the valleys

of Paluldon between rutting seasons and woe betide the women who fell in their paths.

With his tail the Torodon sought one of Tarzan's ankles, and finding it, tripped him. The two fell heavily,

but so agile was the apeman and so quick his powerful muscles that even in falling he twisted the beast

beneath him, so that Tarzan fell on top and now the tail that had tripped him sought his throat as had the tail

of Intan, the Korullul. In the effort of turning his antagonist's body during the fall Tarzan had had to

relinquish his knife that he might seize the shaggy body with both hands and now the weapon lay out of reach

at the very edge of the recess. Both hands were occupied for the moment in fending off the clutching fingers

that sought to seize him and drag his throat within reach of his foe's formidable fangs and now the tail was

Panatlee hovered about, breathless, her dagger ready, but there was no opening that did not also endanger

Tarzan, so constantly were the two duelists changing their positions. Tarzan felt the tail slowly but surely

insinuating itself about his neck though he had drawn his head down between the muscles of his shoulders in

an effort to protect this vulnerable part. The battle seemed to be going against him for the giant beast against

which he strove would have been a fair match in weight and strength for Bolgani, the gorilla. And knowing

this he suddenly exerted a single superhuman effort, thrust far apart the giant hands and with the swiftness

of a striking snake buried his fangs in the jugular of the Torodon. At the same instant the creature's tail

coiled about his own throat and then commenced a battle royal of turning and twisting bodies as each sought

to dislodge the fatal hold of the other, but the acts of the apeman were guided by a human brain and thus it

was that the rolling bodies rolled in the direction that Tarzan wishedtoward the edge of the recess.

The choking tail had shut the air from his lungs, he knew that his gasping lips were parted and his tongue

protruding; and now his brain reeled and his sight grew dim; but not before he reached his goal and a quick

hand shot out to seize the knife that now lay within reach as the two bodies tottered perilously upon the brink

With all his remaining strength the apeman drove home the bladeonce, twice, thrice, and then all went

black before him as he felt himself, still in the clutches of the Torodon, topple from the recess.

Fortunate it was for Tarzan that Panatlee had not obeyed his injunction to make good her escape while he

engaged the Torodon, for it was to this fact that he owed his life. Close beside the struggling forms during

the brief moments of the terrific climax she had realized every detail of the danger to Tarzan with which the

emergency was fraught and as she saw the two rolling over the outer edge of the niche she seized the

apeman by an ankle at the same time throwing herself prone upon the rocky floor. The muscles of the

Torodon relaxed in death with the last thrust of Tarzan's knife and with its hold upon the apeman released

It was with infinite difficulty that Panatlee retained her hold upon the ankle of her protector, but she did so

and then, slowly, she sought to drag the dead weight back to the safety of the niche. This, however, was

beyond her strength and she could but hold on tightly, hoping that some plan would suggest itself before her

powers of endurance failed. She wondered if, after all, the creature was already dead, but that she could not

bring herself to believeand if not dead how long it would be before he regained consciousness. If he did

not regain it soon he never would regain it, that she knew, for she felt her fingers numbing to the strain upon

them and slipping, slowly, slowly, from their hold. It was then that Tarzan regained consciousness. He could

not know what power upheld him, but he felt that whatever it was it was slowly releasing its hold upon his

ankle. Within easy reach of his hands were two pegs and these he seized upon just as Panatlee's fingers

As it was he came near to being precipitated into the gorge only his great strength saved him. He was

upright now and his feet found other pegs. His first thought was of his foe. Where was he? Waiting above

there to finish him? Tarzan looked up just as the frightened face of Panatlee appeared over the threshold of

"Good!" exclaimed the apeman, clambering to her side. "You are unharmed?" he asked.

"You came just in time," replied Panatlee; "but who are you and how did you know that I was here and

what do you know of Omat and where did you come from and what did you mean by calling Omat, gund?"

"Wait, wait," cried Tarzan; "one at a time. My, but you are all alikethe shes of the tribe of Kerchak, the

ladies of England, and their sisters of Paluldon. Have patience and I will try to tell you all that you wish to

know. Four of us set out with Omat from Korulja to search for you. We were attacked by the Korullul

and separated. I was taken prisoner, but escaped. Again I stumbled upon your trail and followed it, reaching

the summit of this cliff just as the hairy one was climbing up after you. I was coming to investigate when I

"Essat is dead," explained the apeman. "Omat slew him and now Omat is gund. Omat came back

"Yes," said the girl, "Essat came to my cave and I struck him down with my golden breastplates and

"And a lion pursued you," continued Tarzan, "and you leaped from the cliff into Korullul, but why you

"Is there anything beyond you?" exclaimed Panatlee. "How could you know that a lion pursued me and

that I leaped from the cliff and not know that it was the pool of deep water below that saved me?"

"I would have known that, too, had not the Korullul come then and prevented me continuing upon your

trail. But now I would ask you a questionby what name do you call the thing with which I just fought?"

"It was a Torodon," she replied. "I have seen but one before. They are terrible creatures with the cunning

of man and the ferocity of a beast. Great indeed must be the warrior who slays one singlehanded." She

"And now," said Tarzan, "you must sleep, for tomorrow we shall return to Korulja and Omat, and I doubt

Panatlee, lulled by a feeling of security, slept peacefully into the morning while Tarzan stretched himself

The sun was high in the heavens when he awoke; for two hours it had looked down upon another heroic

figure miles awaythe figure of a godlike man fighting his way through the hideous morass that lies like a

filthy moat defending Paluldon from the creatures of the outer world. Now waist deep in the sucking ooze,

now menaced by loathsome reptiles, the man advanced only by virtue of Herculean efforts gaining

laboriously by inches along the devious way that he was forced to choose in selecting the least precarious

footing. Near the center of the morass was open waterslimy, greenhued water. He reached it at last after

more than two hours of such effort as would have left an ordinary man spent and dying in the sticky mud, yet

he was less than halfway across the marsh. Greasy with slime and mud was his smooth, brown hide, and

greasy with slime and mud was his beloved Enfield that had shone so brightly in the first rays of the rising

He paused a moment upon the edge of the open water and then throwing himself forward struck out to swim

across. He swam with long, easy, powerful strokes calculated less for speed than for endurance, for his was,

primarily, a test of the latter, since beyond the open water was another two hours or more of gruelling effort

between it and solid ground. He was, perhaps, halfway across and congratulating himself upon the ease of the

achievement of this portion of his task when there arose from the depths directly in his path a hideous reptile,

Tarzan arose and stretched, expanded his great chest and drank in deep draughts of the fresh morning air. His

clear eyes scanned the wondrous beauties of the landscape spread out before them. Directly below lay

Korulgryf, a dense, somber green of gently moving tree tops. To Tarzan it was neither grim, nor

forbiddingit was jungle, beloved jungle. To his right there spread a panorama of the lower reaches of the

Valley of JadbenOtho, with its winding streams and its blue lakes. Gleaming whitely in the sunlight were

scattered groups of dwellingsthe feudal strongholds of the lesser chiefs of the Hodon. Alur, the City of

Light, he could not see as it was hidden by the shoulder of the cliff in which the deserted village lay.

For a moment Tarzan gave himself over to that spiritual enjoyment of beauty that only the manmind may

attain and then Nature asserted herself and the belly of the beast called aloud that it was hungry. Again

Tarzan looked down at Korulgryf. There was the jungle! Grew there a jungle that would not feed Tarzan?

The apeman smiled and commenced the descent to the gorge. Was there danger there? Of course. Who

knew it better than Tarzan? In all jungles lies death, for life and death go hand in hand and where life teems

death reaps his fullest harvest. Never had Tarzan met a creature of the jungle with which he could not

copesometimes by virtue of brute strength alone, again by a combination of brute strength and the cunning

He had heard the bellowings in the gorge the night before after he had lain down to sleep and he had meant to

ask Panatlee this morning what manner of beast so disturbed the slumbers of its betters. He reached the

foot of the cliff and strode into the jungle and here he halted, his keen eyes and ears watchful and alert, his

sensitive nostrils searching each shifting air current for the scent spoor of game. Again he advanced deeper

into the wood, his light step giving forth no sound, his bow and arrows in readiness. A light morning breeze

was blowing from up the gorge and in this direction he bent his steps. Many odors impinged upon his organs

of scent. Some of these he classified without effort, but others were strangethe odors of beasts and of birds,

of trees and shrubs and flowers with which he was unfamiliar. He sensed faintly the reptilian odor that he had

learned to connect with the strange, nocturnal forms that had loomed dim and bulky on several occasions

And then, suddenly he caught plainly the strong, sweet odor of Bara, the deer. Were the belly vocal, Tarzan's

would have given a little cry of joy, for it loved the flesh of Bara. The apeman moved rapidly, but

cautiously forward. The prey was not far distant and as the hunter approached it, he took silently to the trees

and still in his nostrils was the faint reptilian odor that spoke of a great creature which he had never yet seen

except as a denser shadow among the dense shadows of the night; but the odor was of such a faintness as

And now, moving noiselessly, Tarzan came within sight of Bara drinking at a pool where the stream that

waters Korulgryf crosses an open place in the jungle. The deer was too far from the nearest tree to risk a

charge, so the apeman must depend upon the accuracy and force of his first arrow, which must drop the deer

in its tracks or forfeit both deer and shaft. Far back came the right hand and the bow, that you or I might not

move, bent easily beneath the muscles of the forest god. There was a singing twang and Bara, leaping high in

air, collapsed upon the ground, an arrow through his heart. Tarzan dropped to earth and ran to his kill, lest the

animal might even yet rise and escape; but Bara was safely dead. As Tarzan stooped to lift it to his shoulder

there fell upon his ears a thunderous bellow that seemed almost at his right elbow, and as his eyes shot in the

direction of the sound, there broke upon his vision such a creature as paleontologists have dreamed as having

possibly existed in the dimmest vistas of Earth's infancya gigantic creature, vibrant with mad rage, that

When Panatlee awoke she looked out upon the niche in search of Tarzan. He was not there. She sprang to

her feet and rushed out, looking down into Korulgryf guessing that he had gone down in search of food

and there she caught a glimpse of him disappearing into the forest. For an instant she was panicstricken. She

knew that he was a stranger in Paluldon and that, so, he might not realize the dangers that lay in that gorge

of terror. Why did she not call to him to return? You or I might have done so, but no Paluldon, for they

know the ways of the gryfthey know the weak eyes and the keen ears, and that at the sound of a human

voice they come. To have called to Tarzan, then, would but have been to invite disaster and so she did not

call. Instead, afraid though she was, she descended into the gorge for the purpose of overhauling Tarzan and

warning him in whispers of his danger. It was a brave act, since it was performed in the face of countless ages

of inherited fear of the creatures that she might be called upon to face. Men have been decorated for less.

Panatlee, descended from a long line of hunters, assumed that Tarzan would move up wind and in this

direction she sought his tracks, which she soon found well marked, since he had made no effort to conceal

them. She moved rapidly until she reached the point at which Tarzan had taken to the trees. Of course she

knew what had happened; since her own people were semiarboreal; but she could not track him through the

She could but hope that he had continued on up wind and in this direction she moved, her heart pounding in

terror against her ribs, her eyes glancing first in one direction and then another. She had reached the edge of a

clearing when two things happenedshe caught sight of Tarzan bending over a dead deer and at the same

instant a deafening roar sounded almost beside her. It terrified her beyond description, but it brought no

paralysis of fear. Instead it galvanized her into instant action with the result that Panatlee swarmed up the

nearest tree to the very loftiest branch that would sustain her weight. Then she looked down.

The thing that Tarzan saw charging him when the warning bellow attracted his surprised eyes loomed

terrifically monstrous before himmonstrous and aweinspiring; but it did not terrify Tarzan, it only

angered him, for he saw that it was beyond even his powers to combat and that meant that it might cause him

to lose his kill, and Tarzan was hungry. There was but a single alternative to remaining for annihilation and

that was flightswift and immediate. And Tarzan fled, but he carried the carcass of Bara, the deer, with him.

He had not more than a dozen paces start, but on the other hand the nearest tree was almost as close. His

greatest danger lay, he imagined, in the great, towering height of the creature pursuing him, for even though

he reached the tree he would have to climb high in an incredibly short time as, unless appearances were

deceiving, the thing could reach up and pluck him down from any branch under thirty feet above the ground,

But Tarzan was no sluggard and though the gryf was incredibly fast despite its great bulk, it was no match for

Tarzan, and when it comes to climbing, the little monkeys gaze with envy upon the feats of the apeman.

And so it was that the bellowing gryf came to a baffled stop at the foot of the tree and even though he reared

up and sought to seize his prey among the branches, as Tarzan had guessed he might, he failed in this also.

And then, well out of reach, Tarzan came to a stop and there, just above him, he saw Panatlee sitting,

She told him. "You came to warn me!" he said. "It was very brave and unselfish of you. I am chagrined that I

should have been thus surprised. The creature was up wind from me and yet I did not sense its near presence

"It is not strange," said Panatlee. "That is one of the peculiarities of the gryfit is said that man never

knows of its presence until it is upon himso silently does it move despite its great size."

"Certainly. How do you suppose I found this deer so quickly? And I sensed the gryf, too, but faintly as at a

great distance." Tarzan suddenly ceased speaking and looked down at the bellowing creature below

themhis nostrils quivered as though searching for a scent. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "I have it!"

"I was deceived because the creature gives off practically no odor," explained the apeman. "What I smelled

was the faint aroma that doubtless permeates the entire jungle because of the long presence of many of the

creaturesit is the sort of odor that would remain for a long time, faint as it is.

"Panatlee, did you ever hear of a triceratops? No? Well this thing that you call a gryf is a triceratops and it

has been extinct for hundreds of thousands of years. I have seen its skeleton in the museum in London and a

figure of one restored. I always thought that the scientists who did such work depended principally upon an

overwrought imagination, but I see that I was wrong. This living thing is not an exact counterpart of the

restoration that I saw; but it is so similar as to be easily recognizable, and then, too, we must remember that

during the ages that have elapsed since the paleontologist's specimen lived many changes might have been

wrought by evolution in the living line that has quite evidently persisted in Paluldon."

"Triceratops, London, paleoI don't know what you are talking about," cried Panatlee.

Tarzan smiled and threw a piece of dead wood at the face of the angry creature below them. Instantly the

great bony hood over the neck was erected and a mad bellow rolled upward from the gigantic body. Full

twenty feet at the shoulder the thing stood, a dirty slateblue in color except for its yellow face with the blue

bands encircling the eyes, the red hood with the yellow lining and the yellow belly. The three parallel lines of

bony protuberances down the back gave a further touch of color to the body, those following the line of the

spine being red, while those on either side are yellow. The five and threetoed hoofs of the ancient horned

dinosaurs had become talons in the gryf, but the three horns, two large ones above the eyes and a median

horn on the nose, had persisted through all the ages. Weird and terrible as was its appearance Tarzan could

not but admire the mighty creature looming big below him, its seventyfive feet of length majestically

typifying those things which all his life the apeman had admiredcourage and strength. In that massive tail

The wicked little eyes looked up at him and the horny beak opened to disclose a full set of powerful teeth.

"Herbivorous!" murmured the apeman. "Your ancestors may have been, but not you," and then to

Panatlee: "Let us go now. At the cave we will have deer meat and thenback to Korulja and Omat."

"Nonsense!" exclaimed the man. "It cannot climb. We can reach the cliff through the trees and be back in the

"Wherever we go it will follow and always it will be ready at the foot of each tree when we would descend. It

"We can live in the trees for a long time if necessary," replied Tarzan, "and sometime the thing will leave."

The girl shook her head. "Never," she said, "and then there are the Torodon. They will come and kill us

and after eating a little will throw the balance to the gryfthe gryf and Torodon are friends, because the

"You may be right," said Tarzan; "but even so I don't intend waiting here for someone to come along and eat

part of me and then feed the balance to that beast below. If I don't get out of this place whole it won't be my

fault. Come along now and we'll make a try at it," and so saying he moved off through the tree tops with

Panatlee close behind. Below them, on the ground, moved the horned dinosaur and when they reached the

edge of the forest where there lay fifty yards of open ground to cross to the foot of the cliff he was there with

PRESENTLY he looked up and at Panatlee. "Can you cross the gorge through the trees very rapidly?" he

"Then come, and do exactly as I bid." He started back again through the trees, swiftly, swinging monkeylike

from limb to limb, following a zigzag course that he tried to select with an eye for the difficulties of the trail

beneath. Where the underbrush was heaviest, where fallen trees blocked the way, he led the footsteps of the

creature below them; but all to no avail. When they reached the opposite side of the gorge the gryf was with

"Back again," said Tarzan, and, turning, the two retraced their highflung way through the upper terraces of

the ancient forest of Korulgryf. But the result was the sameno, not quite; it was worse, for another gryf

The cliff looming high above them with its innumerable cave mouths seemed to beckon and to taunt them. It

was so near, yet eternity yawned between. The body of the Torodon lay at the cliff's foot where it had

fallen. It was in plain view of the two in the tree. One of the gryfs walked over and sniffed about it, but did

not offer to devour it. Tarzan had examined it casually as he had passed earlier in the morning. He guessed

that it represented either a very high order of ape or a very low order of mansomething akin to the Java

man, perhaps; a truer example of the pithecanthropi than either the Hodon or the Wazdon; possibly the

precursor of them both. As his eyes wandered idly over the scene below his active brain was working out the

details of the plan that he had made to permit Panatlee's escape from the gorge. His thoughts were

The gryfs below raised their heads and looked in the direction of the interruption. One of them made a low,

rumbling sound in its throat. It was not a bellow and it did not indicate anger. Immediately the "Wheeoo!"

responded. The gryfs repeated the rumbling and at intervals the "Wheeoo!" was repeated, coming ever

"I do not know," she replied. "Perhaps a strange bird, or another horrid beast that dwells in this frightful

The creature, walking erect and carrying a stick in one hand, advanced at a slow, lumbering gait. It walked

directly toward the gryfs who moved aside, as though afraid. Tarzan watched intently. The Torodon was

now quite close to one of the triceratops. It swung its head and snapped at him viciously. Instantly the

Torodon sprang in and commenced to belabor the huge beast across the face with his stick. To the

apeman's amazement the gryf, that might have annihilated the comparatively puny Torodon instantly in

"Wheeoo! Wheeoo!" shouted the Torodon and the gryf came slowly toward him. A whack on the

median horn brought it to a stop. Then the Torodon walked around behind it, clambered up its tail and

seated himself astraddle of the huge back. "Wheeoo!" he shouted and prodded the beast with a sharp point

So rapt had Tarzan been in the scene below him that he had given no thought to escape, for he realized that

for him and Panatlee time had in these brief moments turned back countless ages to spread before their

eyes a page of the dim and distant past. They two had looked upon the first man and his primitive beasts of

And now the ridden gryf halted and looked up at them, bellowing. It was sufficient. The creature had warned

its master of their presence. Instantly the Torodon urged the beast close beneath the tree which held them,

at the same time leaping to his feet upon the horny back. Tarzan saw the bestial face, the great fangs, the

mighty muscles. From the loins of such had sprung the human raceand only from such could it have

sprung, for only such as this might have survived the horrid dangers of the age that was theirs.

The Torodon beat upon his breast and growled horribly hideous, uncouth, beastly. Tarzan rose to his

full height upon a swaying branchstraight and beautiful as a demigodunspoiled by the taint of

civilizationa perfect specimen of what the human race might have been had the laws of man not interfered

The Present fitted an arrow to his bow and drew the shaft far back. The Past basing its claims upon brute

strength sought to reach the other and drag him down; but the loosed arrow sank deep into the savage heart

"Tarzanjadguru!" murmured Panatlee, unknowingly giving him out of the fullness of her admiration the

The apeman turned to her. "Panatlee," he said, "these beasts may keep us treed here indefinitely. I doubt

if we can escape together, but I have a plan. You remain here, hiding yourself in the foliage, while I start back

across the gorge in sight of them and yelling to attract their attention. Unless they have more brains than I

suspect they will follow me. When they are gone you make for the cliff. Wait for me in the cave not longer

than today. If I do not come by tomorrow's sun you will have to start back for Korulja alone. Here is a

joint of deer meat for you." He had severed one of the deer's hind legs and this he passed up to her.

"I cannot desert you," she said simply; "it is not the way of my people to desert a friend and ally. Omat

"It is! Goodbye, Panatlee. Hasten back to Omatyou are a fitting mate for the chief of Korulja." He

"Goodbye, Tarzanjadguru!" she called after him. "Fortunate are my Omat and his Panatlee in owning

Tarzan, shouting aloud, continued upon his way and the great gryfs, lured by his voice, followed beneath. His

ruse was evidently proving successful and he was filled with elation as he led the bellowing beasts farther and

farther from Panatlee. He hoped that she would take advantage of the opportunity afforded her for escape,

yet at the same time he was filled with concern as to her ability to survive the dangers which lay between

Korulgryf and Korulja. There were lions and Torodons and the unfriendly tribe of Korullul to

hinder her progress, though the distance in itself to the cliffs of her people was not great.

He realized her bravery and understood the resourcefulness that she must share in common with all primitive

people who, day by day, must contend face to face with nature's law of the survival of the fittest, unaided by

any of the numerous artificial protections that civilization has thrown around its brood of weaklings.

Several times during this crossing of the gorge Tarzan endeavored to outwit his keen pursuers, but all to no

avail. Double as he would he could not throw them off his track and ever as he changed his course they

changed theirs to conform. Along the verge of the forest upon the southeastern side of the gorge he sought

some point at which the trees touched some negotiable portion of the cliff, but though he traveled far both up

and down the gorge he discovered no such easy avenue of escape. The apeman finally commenced to

entertain an idea of the hopelessness of his case and to realize to the full why the Korulgryf had been

Night was falling and though since early morning he had sought diligently a way out of this culdesac he

was no nearer to liberty than at the moment the first bellowing gryf had charged him as he stooped over the

carcass of his kill: but with the falling of night came renewed hope for, in common with the great cats, Tarzan

was, to a greater or lesser extent, a nocturnal beast. It is true he could not see by night as well as they, but that

lack was largely recompensed for by the keenness of his scent and the highly developed sensitiveness of his

other organs of perception. As the blind follow and interpret their Braille characters with deft fingers, so

Tarzan reads the book of the jungle with feet and hands and eyes and ears and nose; each contributing its

But again he was doomed to be thwarted by one vital weaknesshe did not know the gryf, and before the

night was over he wondered if the things never slept, for wheresoever he moved they moved also, and always

they barred his road to liberty. Finally, just before dawn, he relinquished his immediate effort and sought rest

Once again was the sun high when Tarzan awoke, rested and refreshed. Keen to the necessities of the

moment he made no effort to locate his jailers lest in the act he might apprise them of his movements. Instead

he sought cautiously and silently to melt away among the foliage of the trees. His first move, however, was

Among the numerous refinements of civilization that Tarzan had failed to acquire was that of profanity, and

possibly it is to be regretted since there are circumstances under which it is at least a relief to pent emotion.

And it may be that in effect Tarzan resorted to profanity if there can be physical as well as vocal swearing,

since immediately the bellow announced that his hopes had been again frustrated, he turned quickly and

seeing the hideous face of the gryf below him seized a large fruit from a nearby branch and hurled it viciously

at the horned snout. The missile struck full between the creature's eyes, resulting in a reaction that surprised

the apeman; it did not arouse the beast to a show of revengeful rage as Tarzan had expected and hoped;

instead the creature gave a single vicious side snap at the fruit as it bounded from his skull and then turned

There was that in the act that recalled immediately to Tarzan's mind similar action on the preceding day when

the Torodon had struck one of the creatures across the face with his staff, and instantly there sprung to the

cunning and courageous brain a plan of escape from his predicament that might have blanched the cheek of

The gambling instinct is not strong among creatures of the wild; the chances of their daily life are sufficient

stimuli for the beneficial excitement of their nerve centers. It has remained for civilized man, protected in a

measure from the natural dangers of existence, to invent artificial stimulants in the form of cards and dice and

roulette wheels. Yet when necessity bids there are no greater gamblers than the savage denizens of the jungle,

the forest, and the hills, for as lightly as you roll the ivory cubes upon the green cloth they will gamble with

And so Tarzan would gamble now, pitting the seemingly wild deductions of his shrewd brain against all the

proofs of the bestial ferocity of his antagonists that his experience of them had adducedagainst all the

ageold folklore and legend that had been handed down for countless generations and passed on to him

Yet as he worked in preparation for the greatest play that man can make in the game of life, he smiled; nor

First he selected a long, straight branch about two inches in diameter at its base. This he cut from the tree

with his knife, removed the smaller branches and twigs until he had fashioned a pole about ten feet in length.

This he sharpened at the smaller end. The staff finished to his satisfaction he looked down upon the

Instantly the beasts raised their heads and looked at him. From the throat of one of them came faintly a low

"Wheeoo!" repeated Tarzan and hurled the balance of the carcass of the deer to them.

Instantly the gryfs fell upon it with much bellowing, one of them attempting to seize it and keep it from the

other: but finally the second obtained a hold and an instant later it had been torn asunder and greedily

devoured. Once again they looked up at the apeman and this time they saw him descending to the ground.

One of them started toward him. Again Tarzan repeated the weird cry of the Torodon. The gryf halted in

his track, apparently puzzled, while Tarzan slipped lightly to the earth and advanced toward the nearer beast,

Would the cry be answered by the low rumbling of the beast of burden or the horrid bellow of the maneater?

Panatlee was listening intently to the sounds of the departing gryfs as Tarzan led them cunningly from her,

and when she was sure that they were far enough away to insure her safe retreat she dropped swiftly from the

branches to the ground and sped like a frightened deer across the open space to the foot of the cliff, stepped

over the body of the Torodon who had attacked her the night before and was soon climbing rapidly up the

ancient stone pegs of the deserted cliff village. In the mouth of the cave near that which she had occupied she

kindled a fire and cooked the haunch of venison that Tarzan had left her, and from one of the trickling

streams that ran down the face of the escarpment she obtained water to satisfy her thirst.

All day she waited, hearing in the distance, and sometimes close at hand, the bellowing of the gryfs which

pursued the strange creature that had dropped so miraculously into her life. For him she felt the same keen,

almost fanatical loyalty that many another had experienced for Tarzan of the Apes. Beast and human, he had

held them to him with bonds that were stronger than steelthose of them that were clean and courageous,

and the weak and the helpless; but never could Tarzan claim among his admirers the coward, the ingrate or

To Panatlee he was all that was brave and noble and heroic and, too, he was Omat's friendthe friend of

the man she loved. For any one of these reasons Panatlee would have died for Tarzan, for such is the

loyalty of the simpleminded children of nature. It has remained for civilization to teach us to weigh the

relative rewards of loyalty and its antithesis. The loyalty of the primitive is spontaneous, unreasoning,

And so it was that she waited that day and night, hoping that he would return that she might accompany him

back to Omat, for her experience had taught her that in the face of danger two have a better chance than one.

But Tarzanjadguru had not come, and so upon the following morning Panatlee set out upon her return to

She knew the dangers and yet she faced them with the stolid indifference of her race. When they directly

confronted and menaced her would be time enough to experience fear or excitement or confidence. In the

meantime it was unnecessary to waste nerve energy by anticipating them. She moved therefore through her

savage land with no greater show of concern than might mark your sauntering to a corner drugstore for a

sundae. But this is your life and that is Panatlee's and even now as you read this Panatlee may be sitting

upon the edge of the recess of Omat's cave while the ja and jato roar from the gorge below and from the

ridge above, and the Korullul threaten upon the south and the Hodon from the Valley of JadbenOtho

far below, for Panatlee still lives and preens her silky coat of jet beneath the tropical moonlight of

But she was not to reach Korulja this day, nor the next, nor for many days after though the danger that

She came without misadventure to the Korullul and after descending its rocky southern wall without

catching the slightest glimpse of the hereditary enemies of her people, she experienced a renewal of

confidence that was little short of practical assurance that she would successfully terminate her venture and

be restored once more to her own people and the lover she had not seen for so many long and weary moons.

She was almost across the gorge now and moving with an extreme caution abated no wit by her confidence,

for wariness is an instinctive trait of the primitive, something which cannot be laid aside even momentarily if

one would survive. And so she came to the trail that follows the windings of Korullul from its uppermost

And as she stepped into the trail there arose on either side of her from out of the bushes that border the path,

as though materialized from thin air, a score of tall, white warriors of the Hodon. Like a frightened deer

Panatlee cast a single startled look at these menacers of her freedom and leaped quickly toward the bushes

in an effort to escape; but the warriors were too close at hand. They closed upon her from every side and then,

drawing her knife she turned at bay, metamorphosed by the fires of fear and hate from a startled deer to a

raging tigercat. They did not try to kill her, but only to subdue and capture her; and so it was that more than

a single Hodon warrior felt the keen edge of her blade in his flesh before they had succeeded in

overpowering her by numbers. And still she fought and scratched and bit after they had taken the knife from

her until it was necessary to tie her hands and fasten a piece of wood between her teeth by means of thongs

At first she refused to walk when they started off in the direction of the valley but after two of them had

seized her by the hair and dragged her for a number of yards she thought better of her original decision and

came along with them, though still as defiant as her bound wrists and gagged mouth would permit.

Near the entrance to Korullul they came upon another body of their warriors with which were several

Wazdon prisoners from the tribe of Korullul. It was a raiding party come up from a Hodon city of the

valley after slaves. This Panatlee knew for the occurrence was by no means unusual. During her lifetime

the tribe to which she belonged had been sufficiently fortunate, or powerful, to withstand successfully the

majority of such raids made upon them, but yet Panatlee had known of friends and relatives who had been

carried into slavery by the Hodon and she knew, too, another thing which gave her hope, as doubtless it did

to each of the other captivesthat occasionally the prisoners escaped from the cities of the hairless whites.

After they had joined the other party the entire band set forth into the valley and presently, from the

conversation of her captors, Panatlee knew that she was headed for Alur, the City of Light; while in the

cave of his ancestors, Omat, chief of the Korulja, bemoaned the loss of both his friend and she that was to

AS THE hissing reptile bore down upon the stranger swimming in the open water near the center of the

morass on the frontier of Paluldon it seemed to the man that this indeed must be the futile termination of

an arduous and dangerfilled journey. It seemed, too, equally futile to pit his puny knife against this frightful

creature. Had he been attacked on land it is possible that he might as a last resort have used his Enfield,

though he had come thus far through all these weary, dangerridden miles without recourse to it, though

again and again had his life hung in the balance in the face of the savage denizens of forest, jungle, and

steppe. For whatever it may have been for which he was preserving his precious ammunition he evidently

held it more sacred even than his life, for as yet he had not used a single round and now the decision was not

required of him, since it would have been impossible for him to have unslung his Enfield, loaded and fired

Though his chance for survival seemed slender, and hope at its lowest ebb, he was not minded therefore to

give up without a struggle. Instead he drew his blade and awaited the oncoming reptile. The creature was like

no living thing he ever before had seen although possibly it resembled a crocodile in some respects more than

As this frightful survivor of some extinct progenitor charged upon him with distended jaws there came to the

man quickly a full consciousness of the futility of endeavoring to stay the mad rush or pierce the

armorcoated hide with his little knife. The thing was almost upon him now and whatever form of defense he

chose must be made quickly. There seemed but a single alternative to instant death, and this he took at almost

With the celerity of a seal he dove headforemost beneath the oncoming body and at the same instant, turning

upon his back, he plunged his blade into the soft, cold surface of the slimy belly as the momentum of the

hurtling reptile carried it swiftly over him; and then with powerful strokes he swam on beneath the surface for

a dozen yards before he rose. A glance showed him the stricken monster plunging madly in pain and rage

upon the surface of the water behind him. That it was writhing in its death agonies was evidenced by the fact

that it made no effort to pursue him, and so, to the accompaniment of the shrill screaming of the dying

monster, the man won at last to the farther edge of the open water to take up once more the almost

superhuman effort of crossing the last stretch of clinging mud which separated him from the solid ground of

A good two hours it took him to drag his now weary body through the clinging, stinking muck, but at last,

mud covered and spent, he dragged himself out upon the soft grasses of the bank. A hundred yards away a

stream, winding its way down from the distant mountains, emptied into the morass, and, after a short rest, he

made his way to this and seeking a quiet pool, bathed himself and washed the mud and slime from his

weapons, accouterments, and loin cloth. Another hour was spent beneath the rays of the hot sun in wiping,

polishing, and oiling his Enfield though the means at hand for drying it consisted principally of dry grasses. It

was afternoon before he had satisfied himself that his precious weapon was safe from any harm by dirt, or

dampness, and then he arose and took up the search for the spoor he had followed to the opposite side of the

Would he find again the trail that had led into the opposite side of the morass, to be lost there, even to his

trained senses? If he found it not again upon this side of the almost impassable barrier he might assume that

his long journey had ended in failure. And so he sought up and down the verge of the stagnant water for

traces of an old spoor that would have been invisible to your eyes or mine, even had we followed directly in

As Tarzan advanced upon the gryfs he imitated as closely as he could recall them the methods and

mannerisms of the Torodon, but up to the instant that he stood close beside one of the huge creatures he

realized that his fate still hung in the balance, for the thing gave forth no sign, either menacing or otherwise.

It only stood there, watching him out of its cold, reptilian eyes and then Tarzan raised his staff and with a

The creature made a sudden side snap in his direction, a snap that did not reach him, and then turned sullenly

away, precisely as it had when the Torodon commanded it. Walking around to its rear as he had seen the

shaggy firstman do, Tarzan ran up the broad tail and seated himself upon the creature's back, and then again

imitating the acts of the Torodon he prodded it with the sharpened point of his staff, and thus goading it

forward and guiding it with blows, first upon one side and then upon the other, he started it down the gorge in

At first it had been in his mind only to determine if he could successfully assert any authority over the great

monsters, realizing that in this possibility lay his only hope of immediate escape from his jailers. But once

seated upon the back of his titanic mount the apeman experienced the sensation of a new thrill that recalled

to him the day in his boyhood that he had first clambered to the broad head of Tantor, the elephant, and this,

together with the sense of mastery that was always meat and drink to the lord of the jungle, decided him to

Panatlee he judged must either have already reached safety or met with death. At least, no longer could he

be of service to her, while below Korulgryf, in the soft green valley, lay Alur, the City of Light, which,

since he had gazed upon it from the shoulder of Pastarulved, had been his ambition and his goal.

Whether or not its gleaming walls held the secret of his lost mate he could not even guess but if she lived at

all within the precincts of Paluldon it must be among the Hodon, since the hairy black men of this

forgotten world took no prisoners. And so to Alur he would go, and how more effectively than upon the

back of this grim and terrible creature that the races of Paluldon held in such awe?

A little mountain stream tumbles down from Korulgryf to be joined in the foothills with that which

empties the waters of Korullul into the valley, forming a small river which runs southwest, eventually

entering the valley's largest lake at the City of Alur, through the center of which the stream passes. An

ancient trail, well marked by countless generations of naked feet of man and beast, leads down toward Alur

beside the river, and along this Tarzan guided the gryf. Once clear of the forest which ran below the mouth of

the gorge, Tarzan caught occasional glimpses of the city gleaming in the distance far below him.

The country through which he passed was resplendent with the riotous beauties of tropical verdure. Thick,

lush grasses grew waist high upon either side of the trail and the way was broken now and again by patches

of open parklike forest, or perhaps a little patch of dense jungle where the trees overarched the way and

At times the apeman had difficulty in commanding obedience upon the part of his unruly beast, but always

in the end its fear of the relatively puny goad urged it on to obedience. Late in the afternoon as they

approached the confluence of the stream they were skirting and another which appeared to come from the

direction of Korulja the apeman, emerging from one of the jungle patches, discovered a considerable

party of Hodon upon the opposite bank. Simultaneously they saw him and the mighty creature he bestrode.

For a moment they stood in wideeyed amazement and then, in answer to the command of their leader, they

The apeman had but a brief glimpse of them but it was sufficient indication that there were Wazdon with

them, doubtless prisoners taken in one of the raids upon the Wazdon villages of which Taden and Omat

At the sound of their voices the gryf had bellowed terrifically and started in pursuit even though a river

intervened, but by dint of much prodding and beating, Tarzan had succeeded in heading the animal back into

the path though thereafter for a long time it was sullen and more intractable than ever.

As the sun dropped nearer the summit of the western hills Tarzan became aware that his plan to enter Alur

upon the back of a gryf was likely doomed to failure, since the stubbornness of the great beast was increasing

momentarily, doubtless due to the fact that its huge belly was crying out for food. The apeman wondered if

the Torodons had any means of picketing their beasts for the night, but as he did not know and as no plan

suggested itself, he determined that he should have to trust to the chance of finding it again in the morning.

There now arose in his mind a question as to what would be their relationship when Tarzan had dismounted.

Would it again revert to that of hunter and quarry or would fear of the goad continue to hold its supremacy

over the natural instinct of the hunting flesheater? Tarzan wondered but as he could not remain upon the

gryf forever, and as he preferred dismounting and putting the matter to a final test while it was still light, he

How to stop the creature he did not know, as up to this time his sole desire had been to urge it forward. By

experimenting with his staff, however, he found that he could bring it to a halt by reaching forward and

striking the thing upon its beaklike snout. Close by grew a number of leafy trees, in any one of which the

apeman could have found sanctuary, but it had occurred to him that should he immediately take to the trees

it might suggest to the mind of the gryf that the creature that had been commanding him all day feared him,

with the result that Tarzan would once again be held a prisoner by the triceratops.

And so, when the gryf halted, Tarzan slid to the ground, struck the creature a careless blow across the flank as

though in dismissal and walked indifferently away. From the throat of the beast came a low rumbling sound

and without even a glance at Tarzan it turned and entered the river where it stood drinking for a long time.

Convinced that the gryf no longer constituted a menace to him the apeman, spurred on himself by the

gnawing of hunger, unslung his bow and selecting a handful of arrows set forth cautiously in search of food,

evidence of the near presence of which was being borne up to him by a breeze from down river.

Ten minutes later he had made his kill, again one of the Paluldon specimens of antelope, all species of

which Tarzan had known since childhood as Bara, the deer, since in the little primer that had been the basis

of his education the picture of a deer had been the nearest approach to the likeness of the antelope, from the

Cutting off a haunch he cached it in a nearby tree, and throwing the balance of the carcass across his shoulder

trotted back toward the spot at which he had left the gryf. The great beast was just emerging from the river

when Tarzan, seeing it, issued the weird cry of the Torodon. The creature looked in the direction of the

sound voicing at the same time the low rumble with which it answered the call of its master. Twice Tarzan

repeated his cry before the beast moved slowly toward him, and when it had come within a few paces he

"If anything will keep it within call," mused the apeman as he returned to the tree in which he had cached

his own portion of his kill, "it is the knowledge that I will feed it." But as he finished his repast and settled

himself comfortably for the night high among the swaying branches of his eyrie he had little confidence that

When Tarzan awoke early the following morning he dropped lightly to the ground and made his way to the

stream. Removing his weapons and loin cloth he entered the cold waters of the little pool, and after his

refreshing bath returned to the tree to breakfast upon another portion of Bara, the deer, adding to his repast

His meal over he sought the ground again and raising his voice in the weird cry that he had learned, he called

aloud on the chance of attracting the gryf, but though he waited for some time and continued calling there

was no response, and he was finally forced to the conclusion that he had seen the last of his great mount of

And so he set his face toward Alur, pinning his faith upon his knowledge of the Hodon tongue, his great

Refreshed by food and rest, the journey toward Alur, made in the cool of the morning along the bank of the

joyous river, he found delightful in the extreme. Differentiating him from his fellows of the savage jungle

were many characteristics other than those physical and mental. Not the least of these were in a measure

spiritual, and one that had doubtless been as strong as another in influencing Tarzan's love of the jungle had

been his appreciation of the beauties of nature. The apes cared more for a grubworm in a rotten log than for

all the majestic grandeur of the forest giants waving above them. The only beauties that Numa acknowledged

were those of his own person as he paraded them before the admiring eyes of his mate, but in all the

manifestations of the creative power of nature of which Tarzan was cognizant he appreciated the beauties.

As Tarzan neared the city his interest became centered upon the architecture of the outlying buildings which

were hewn from the chalklike limestone of what had once been a group of low hills, similar to the many

grasscovered hillocks that dotted the valley in every direction. Taden's explanation of the Hodon methods

of house construction accounted for the ofttimes remarkable shapes and proportions of the buildings which,

during the ages that must have been required for their construction, had been hewn from the limestone hills,

the exteriors chiseled to such architectural forms as appealed to the eyes of the builders while at the same

time following roughly the original outlines of the hills in an evident desire to economize both labor and

space. The excavation of the apartments within had been similarly governed by necessity.

As he came nearer Tarzan saw that the waste material from these building operations had been utilized in the

construction of outer walls about each building or group of buildings resulting from a single hillock, and later

he was to learn that it had also been used for the filling of inequalities between the hills and the forming of

paved streets throughout the city, the result, possibly, more of the adoption of an easy method of disposing of

There were people moving about within the city and upon the narrow ledges and terraces that broke the lines

of the buildings and which seemed to be a peculiarity of Hodon architecture, a concession, no doubt, to

some inherent instinct that might be traced back to their early cliffdwelling progenitors.

Tarzan was not surprised that at a short distance he aroused no suspicion or curiosity in the minds of those

who saw him, since, until closer scrutiny was possible, there was little to distinguish him from a native either

in his general conformation or his color. He had, of course, formulated a plan of action and, having decided,

With the same assurance that you might venture upon the main street of a neighboring city Tarzan strode into

the Hodon city of Alur. The first person to detect his spuriousness was a little child playing in the arched

gateway of one of the walled buildings. "No tail! no tail!" it shouted, throwing a stone at him, and then it

suddenly grew dumb and its eyes wide as it sensed that this creature was something other than a mere

Hodon warrior who had lost his tail. With a gasp the child turned and fled screaming into the courtyard of

Tarzan continued on his way, fully realizing that the moment was imminent when the fate of his plan would

be decided. Nor had he long to wait since at the next turning of the winding street he came face to face with a

Hodon warrior. He saw the sudden surprise in the latter's eyes, followed instantly by one of suspicion, but

"I am a stranger from another land," he said; "I would speak with Kotan, your king."

The fellow stepped back, laying his hand upon his knife. "There are no strangers that come to the gates of

"I come neither as a slave nor an enemy," replied Tarzan. "I come directly from JadbenOtho. Look!" and

he held out his hands that the Hodon might see how greatly they differed from his own, and then wheeled

about that the other might see that he was tailless, for it was upon this fact that his plan had been based, due

to his recollection of the quarrel between Taden and Omat, in which the Wazdon had claimed that

JadbenOtho had a long tail while the Hodon had been equally willing to fight for his faith in the

The warrior's eyes widened and an expression of awe crept into them, though it was still tinged with

suspicion. "JadbenOtho!" he murmured, and then, "It is true that you are neither Hodon nor Wazdon,

and it is also true that JadbenOtho has no tail. Come," he said, "I will take you to Kotan, for this is a

matter in which no common warrior may interfere. Follow me," and still clutching the handle of his knife and

The city covered a large area. Sometimes there was a considerable distance between groups of buildings, and

again they were quite close together. There were numerous imposing groups, evidently hewn from the larger

hills, often rising to a height of a hundred feet or more. As they advanced they met numerous warriors and

women, all of whom showed great curiosity in the stranger, but there was no attempt to menace him when it

They came at last to a great pile that sprawled over a considerable area, its western front facing upon a large

blue lake and evidently hewn from what had once been a natural cliff. This group of buildings was

surrounded by a wall of considerably greater height than any that Tarzan had before seen. His guide led him

to a gateway before which waited a dozen or more warriors who had risen to their feet and formed a barrier

across the entranceway as Tarzan and his party appeared around the corner of the palace wall, for by this

time he had accumulated such a following of the curious as presented to the guards the appearance of a

The guide's story told, Tarzan was conducted into the courtyard where he was held while one of the warriors

entered the palace, evidently with the intention of notifying Kotan. Fifteen minutes later a large warrior

appeared, followed by several others, all of whom examined Tarzan with every sign of curiosity as they

The leader of the party halted before the apeman. "Who are you?" he asked, "and what do you want of

"I am a friend," replied the apeman, "and I have come from the country of JadbenOtho to visit Kotan of

The warrior and his followers seemed impressed. Tarzan could see the latter whispering among themselves.

Tarzan drew himself to his full height. "Enough!" he cried. "Must the messenger of JadbenOtho be

subjected to the treatment that might be accorded to a wandering Wazdon? Take me to the king at once lest

There was some question in the mind of the apeman as to how far he might carry his unwarranted show of

assurance, and he waited therefore with amused interest the result of his demand. He did not, however, have

long to wait for almost immediately the attitude of his questioner changed. He whitened, cast an apprehensive

glance toward the eastern sky and then extended his right palm toward Tarzan, placing his left over his own

Tarzan stepped quickly back as though from a profaning hand, a feigned expression of horror and disgust

"Stop!" he cried, "who would dare touch the sacred person of the messenger of JadbenOtho? Only as a

special mark of favor from JadbenOtho may even Kotan himself receive this honor from me. Hasten!

Already now have I waited too long! What manner of reception the Hodon of Alur would extend to the son

At first Tarzan had been inclined to adopt the role of JadbenOtho himself but it occurred to him that it

might prove embarrassing and considerable of a bore to be compelled constantly to portray the character of a

god, but with the growing success of his scheme it had suddenly occurred to him that the authority of the son

of JadbenOtho would be far greater than that of an ordinary messenger of a god, while at the same time

giving him some leeway in the matter of his acts and demeanor, the apeman reasoning that a young god

would not be held so strictly accountable in the matter of his dignity and bearing as an older and greater god.

This time the effect of his words was immediately and painfully noticeable upon all those near him. With one

accord they shrank back, the spokesman almost collapsing in evident terror. His apologies, when finally the

paralysis of his fear would permit him to voice them, were so abject that the apeman could scarce repress a

"Have mercy, O DorulOtho," he pleaded, "on poor old Daklot. Precede me and I will show you to where

Kotan, the king, awaits you, trembling. Aside, snakes and vermin," he cried pushing his warriors to right

"Come!" cried the apeman peremptorily, "lead the way, and let these others follow."

The now thoroughly frightened Daklot did as he was bid, and Tarzan of the Apes was ushered into the

THE entrance through which he caught his first glimpse of the interior was rather beautifully carved in

geometric designs, and within the walls were similarly treated, though as he proceeded from one apartment to

another he found also the figures of animals, birds, and men taking their places among the more formal

figures of the mural decorator's art. Stone vessels were much in evidence as well as ornaments of gold and the

skins of many animals, but nowhere did he see an indication of any woven fabric, indicating that in that

respect at least the Hodon were still low in the scale of evolution, and yet the proportions and symmetry of

The way led through several apartments and long corridors, up at least three flights of stone stairs and finally

out upon a ledge upon the western side of the building overlooking the blue lake. Along this ledge, or arcade,

his guide led him for a hundred yards, to stop at last before a wide entranceway leading into another

Here Tarzan beheld a considerable concourse of warriors in an enormous apartment, the domed ceiling of

which was fully fifty feet above the floor. Almost filling the chamber was a great pyramid ascending in broad

steps well up under the dome in which were a number of round apertures which let in the light. The steps of

the pyramid were occupied by warriors to the very pinnacle, upon which sat a large, imposing figure of a man

whose golden trappings shone brightly in the light of the afternoon sun, a shaft of which poured through one

"Kotan!" cried Daklot, addressing the resplendent figure at the pinnacle of the pyramid. "Kotan and

warriors of Paluldon! Behold the honor that JadbenOtho has done you in sending as his messenger his

own son," and Daklot, stepping aside, indicated Tarzan with a dramatic sweep of his hand.

Kotan rose to his feet and every warrior within sight craned his neck to have a better view of the newcomer.

Those upon the opposite side of the pyramid crowded to the front as the words of the old warrior reached

them. Skeptical were the expressions on most of the faces; but theirs was a skepticism marked with caution.

No matter which way fortune jumped they wished to be upon the right side of the fence. For a moment all

eyes were centered upon Tarzan and then gradually they drifted to Kotan, for from his attitude would they

receive the cue that would determine theirs. But Kotan was evidently in the same quandary as theythe

The apeman stood erect, his arms folded upon his broad breast, an expression of haughty disdain upon his

handsome face; but to Daklot there seemed to be indications also of growing anger. The situation was

becoming strained. Daklot fidgeted, casting apprehensive glances at Tarzan and appealing ones at Kotan.

The silence of the tomb wrapped the great chamber of the throneroom of Paluldon.

At last Kotan spoke. "Who says that he is DorulOtho?" he asked, casting a terrible look at Daklot.

Could it be that there was a trace of irony in the chief's tone? Otho forbid! Daklot cast a side glance at

Tarzana glance that he intended should carry the assurance of his own faith; but that succeeded only in

"O Kotan!" pleaded Daklot, "your own eyes must convince you that indeed he is the son of Otho. Behold

his godlike figure, his hands, and his feet, that are not as ours, and that he is entirely tailless as is his mighty

Kotan appeared to be perceiving these facts for the first time and there was an indication that his skepticism

was faltering. At that moment a young warrior who had pushed his way forward from the opposite side of the

"Kotan," he cried, "it must be even as Daklot says, for I am sure now that I have seen DorulOtho before.

Yesterday as we were returning with the Korullul prisoners we beheld him seated upon the back of a great

gryf. We hid in the woods before he came too near, but I saw enough to make sure that he who rode upon the

This evidence seemed to be quite enough to convince the majority of the warriors that they indeed stood in

the presence of deitytheir faces showed it only too plainly, and a sudden modesty that caused them to

shrink behind their neighbors. As their neighbors were attempting to do the same thing, the result was a

sudden melting away of those who stood nearest the apeman, until the steps of the pyramid directly before

him lay vacant to the very apex and to Kotan. The latter, possibly influenced as much by the fearful attitude

of his followers as by the evidence adduced, now altered his tone and his manner in such a degree as might

comport with the requirements if the stranger was indeed the DorulOtho while leaving his dignity a

"If indeed you are the DorulOtho," he said, addressing Tarzan, "you will know that our doubts were but

natural since we have received no sign from JadbenOtho that he intended honoring us so greatly, nor how

could we know, even, that the Great God had a son? If you are he, all Paluldon rejoices to honor you; if

you are not he, swift and terrible shall be the punishment of your temerity. I, Kotan, King of Paluldon,

"And spoken well, as a king should speak," said Tarzan, breaking his long silence, "who fears and honors the

god of his people. It is well that you insist that I indeed be the DorulOtho before you accord me the

homage that is my due. JadbenOtho charged me specially to ascertain if you were fit to rule his people. My

first experience of you indicates that JadbenOtho chose well when he breathed the spirit of a king into the

The effect of this statement, made so casually, was marked in the expressions and excited whispers of the

now awestruck assemblage. At last they knew how kings were made! It was decided by JadbenOtho

while the candidate was still a suckling babe! Wonderful! A miracle! and this divine creature in whose

presence they stood knew all about it. Doubtless he even discussed such matters with their god daily. If there

had been an atheist among them before, or an agnostic, there was none now, for had they not looked with

"It is well then," continued the apeman, "that you should assure yourself that I am no impostor. Come closer

that you may see that I am not as are men. Furthermore it is not meet that you stand upon a higher level than

the son of your god." There was a sudden scramble to reach the floor of the throneroom, nor was Kotan far

behind his warriors, though he managed to maintain a certain majestic dignity as he descended the broad

stairs that countless naked feet had polished to a gleaming smoothness through the ages. "And now," said

Tarzan as the king stood before him, "you can have no doubt that I am not of the same race as you. Your

priests have told you that JadbenOtho is tailless. Tailless, therefore, must be the race of gods that spring

from his loins. But enough of such proofs as these! You know the power of JadbenOtho; how his

lightnings gleaming out of the sky carry death as he wills it; how the rains come at his bidding, and the fruits

and the berries and the grains, the grasses, the trees and the flowers spring to life at his divine direction; you

have witnessed birth and death, and those who honor their god honor him because he controls these things.

How would it fare then with an impostor who claimed to be the son of this allpowerful god? This then is all

the proof that you require, for as he would strike you down should you deny me, so would he strike down one

This line of argument being unanswerable must needs be convincing. There could be no questioning of this

creature's statements without the tacit admission of lack of faith in the omnipotence of JadbenOtho.

Kotan was satisfied that he was entertaining deity, but as to just what form his entertainment should take he

was rather at a loss to know. His conception of god had been rather a vague and hazy affair, though in

common with all primitive people his god was a personal one as were his devils and demons. The pleasures

of JadbenOtho he had assumed to be the excesses which he himself enjoyed, but devoid of any unpleasant

reaction. It therefore occurred to him that the DorulOtho would be greatly entertained by eatingeating

large quantities of everything that Kotan liked best and that he had found most injurious; and there was also

a drink that the women of the Hodon made by allowing corn to soak in the juices of succulent fruits, to

which they had added certain other ingredients best known to themselves. Kotan knew by experience that a

single draught of this potent liquor would bring happiness and surcease from worry, while several would

cause even a king to do things and enjoy things that he would never even think of doing or enjoying while not

under the magical influence of the potion, but unfortunately the next morning brought suffering in direct ratio

to the joy of the preceding day. A god, Kotan reasoned, could experience all the pleasure without the

headache, but for the immediate present he must think of the necessary dignities and honors to be accorded

No foot other than a king's had touched the surface of the apex of the pyramid in the throneroom at Alur

during all the forgotten ages through which the kings of Paluldon had ruled from its high eminence. So

what higher honor could Kotan offer than to give place beside him to the DorulOtho? And so he invited

Tarzan to ascend the pyramid and take his place upon the stone bench that topped it. As they reached the step

below the sacred pinnacle Kotan continued as though to mount to his throne, but Tarzan laid a detaining

"None may sit upon a level with the gods," he admonished, stepping confidently up and seating himself upon

the throne. The abashed Kotan showed his embarrassment, an embarrassment he feared to voice lest he

"But," added Tarzan, "a god may honor his faithful servant by inviting him to a place at his side. Come,

The apeman's policy had for its basis an attempt not only to arouse the fearful respect of Kotan but to do it

without making of him an enemy at heart, for he did not know how strong a hold the religion of the Hodon

had upon them, for since the time that he had prevented Taden and Omat from quarreling over a religious

difference the subject had been utterly taboo among them. He was therefore quick to note the evident though

wordless resentment of Kotan at the suggestion that he entirely relinquish his throne to his guest. On the

whole, however, the effect had been satisfactory as he could see from the renewed evidence of awe upon the

At Tarzan's direction the business of the court continued where it had been interrupted by his advent. It

consisted principally in the settling of disputes between warriors. There was present one who stood upon the

step just below the throne and which Tarzan was to learn was the place reserved for the higher chiefs of the

allied tribes which made up Kotan's kingdom. The one who attracted Tarzan's attention was a stalwart

warrior of powerful physique and massive, lionlike features. He was addressing Kotan on a question that is

as old as government and that will continue in unabated importance until man ceases to exist. It had to do

The matter itself held little or no interest for Tarzan, but he was impressed by the appearance of the speaker

and when Kotan addressed him as Jadon the apeman's interest was permanently crystallized, for Jadon

was the father of Taden. That the knowledge would benefit him in any way seemed rather a remote

possibility since he could not reveal to Jadon his friendly relations with his son without admitting the falsity

When the affairs of the audience were concluded Kotan suggested that the son of JadbenOtho might wish

to visit the temple in which were performed the religious rites coincident to the worship of the Great God.

And so the apeman was conducted by the king himself, followed by the warriors of his court, through the

corridors of the palace toward the northern end of the group of buildings within the royal enclosure.

The temple itself was really a part of the palace and similar in architecture. There were several ceremonial

places of varying sizes, the purposes of which Tarzan could only conjecture. Each had an altar in the west end

and another in the east and were oval in shape, their longest diameter lying due east and west. Each was

excavated from the summit of a small hillock and all were without roofs. The western altars invariably were a

single block of stone the top of which was hollowed into an oblong basin. Those at the eastern ends were

similar blocks of stone with flat tops and these latter, unlike those at the opposite ends of the ovals were

invariably stained or painted a reddish brown, nor did Tarzan need to examine them closely to be assured of

what his keen nostrils already had told himthat the brown stains were dried and drying human blood.

Below these temple courts were corridors and apartments reaching far into the bowels of the hills, dim,

gloomy passages that Tarzan glimpsed as he was led from place to place on his tour of inspection of the

temple. A messenger had been dispatched by Kotan to announce the coming visit of the son of

JadbenOtho with the result that they were accompanied through the temple by a considerable procession of

priests whose distinguishing mark of profession seemed to consist in grotesque headdresses; sometimes

hideous faces carved from wood and entirely concealing the countenances of their wearers, or again, the head

of a wild beast cunningly fitted over the head of a man. The high priest alone wore no such headdress. He

At first sight of him Tarzan realized that here lay the greatest danger to his ruse, for he saw at a glance that

the man was antagonistic toward him and his pretensions, and he knew too that doubtless of all the people of

Paluldon the high priest was most likely to harbor the truest estimate of JadbenOtho, and, therefore,

No matter what suspicion lurked within his crafty mind, Ludon, the high priest of Alur, did not openly

question Tarzan's right to the title of DorulOtho, and it may be that he was restrained by the same doubts

which had originally restrained Kotan and his warriorsthe doubt that is at the bottom of the minds of all

blasphemers even and which is based upon the fear that after all there may be a god. So, for the time being at

least Ludon played safe. Yet Tarzan knew as well as though the man had spoken aloud his inmost thoughts

that it was in the heart of the high priest to tear the veil from his imposture.

At the entrance to the temple Kotan had relinquished the guidance of the guest to Ludon and now the latter

led Tarzan through those portions of the temple that he wished him to see. He showed him the great room

where the votive offerings were kept, gifts from the barbaric chiefs of Paluldon and from their followers.

These things ranged in value from presents of dried fruits to massive vessels of beaten gold, so that in the

great main storeroom and its connecting chambers and corridors was an accumulation of wealth that amazed

Moving to and fro throughout the temple were sleek black Wazdon slaves, fruits of the Hodon raids upon

the villages of their less civilized neighbors. As they passed the barred entrance to a dim corridor, Tarzan saw

within a great company of pithecanthropi of all ages and of both sexes, Hodon as well as Wazdon, the

majority of them squatted upon the stone floor in attitudes of utter dejection while some paced back and forth,

"And who are these who lie here thus unhappily?" he asked of Ludon. It was the first question that he had

put to the high priest since entering the temple, and instantly he regretted that he had asked it, for Ludon

turned upon him a face upon which the expression of suspicion was but thinly veiled.

"The questions of DorulOtho are not with impunity answered with other questions," said the apeman

quietly, "and it may interest Ludon, the high priest, to know that the blood of a false priest upon the altar of

Ludon paled as he answered Tarzan's question. "They are the offerings whose blood must refresh the eastern

"And who told you," asked Tarzan, "that JadbenOtho was pleased that his people were slain upon his

Kotan and the surrounding warriors and priests were listening attentively to the dialogue. Some of the poor

victims behind the barred gateway had heard and rising, pressed close to the barrier through which one was

"Liberate them!" cried Tarzan with a wave of his hand toward the imprisoned victims of a cruel superstition,

LUDON paled. "It is sacrilege," he cried; "for countless ages have the priests of the Great God offered each

night a life to the spirit of JadbenOtho as it returned below the western horizon to its master, and never has

"Stop!" commanded Tarzan. "It is the blindness of the priesthood that has failed to read the messages of their

god. Your warriors die beneath the knives and clubs of the Wazdon; your hunters are taken by ja and jato; no

day goes by but witnesses the deaths of few or many in the villages of the Hodon, and one death each day of

those that die are the toll which JadbenOtho has exacted for the lives you take upon the eastern altar. What

Ludon was silent. There was raging within him a great conflict between his fear that this indeed might be

the son of god and his hope that it was not, but at last his fear won and he bowed his head. "The son of

JadbenOtho has spoken," he said, and turning to one of the lesser priests: "Remove the bars and return

He thus addressed did as he was bid and as the bars came down the prisoners, now all fully aware of the

miracle that had saved them, crowded forward and throwing themselves upon their knees before Tarzan

Kotan was almost as staggered as the high priest by this ruthless overturning of an ageold religious rite.

"But what," he cried, "may we do that will be pleasing in the eyes of JadbenOtho?" turning a look of

"If you seek to please your god," he replied, "place upon your altars such gifts of food and apparel as are most

welcome in the city of your people. These things will JadbenOtho bless, when you may distribute them

among those of the city who need them most. With such things are your storerooms filled as I have seen with

mine own eyes, and other gifts will be brought when the priests tell the people that in this way they find favor

before their god," and Tarzan turned and signified that he would leave the temple.

As they were leaving the precincts devoted to the worship of their deity, the apeman noticed a small but

rather ornate building that stood entirely detached from the others as though it had been cut from a little

pinnacle of limestone which had stood out from its fellows. As his interested glance passed over it he noticed

"To what purpose is that building dedicated?" he asked of Ludon. "Who do you keep imprisoned there?"

"It is nothing," replied the high priest nervously, "there is no one there. The place is vacant. Once it was used

but not now for many years," and he moved on toward the gateway which led back into the palace. Here he

and the priests halted while Tarzan with Kotan and his warriors passed out from the sacred precincts of the

The one question which Tarzan would have asked he had feared to ask for he knew that in the hearts of many

lay a suspicion as to his genuineness, but he determined that before he slept he would put the question to

Kotan, either directly or indirectlyas to whether there was, or had been recently within the city of Alur a

As their evening meal was being served to them in the banquet hall of Kotan's palace by a part of the army

of black slaves upon whose shoulders fell the burden of all the heavy and menial tasks of the city, Tarzan

noticed that there came to the eyes of one of the slaves what was apparently an expression of startled

recognition, as he looked upon the apeman for the first time in the banquet hall of Kotan. And again later

he saw the fellow whisper to another slave and nod his head in his direction. The apeman did not recall ever

having seen this Wazdon before and he was at a loss to account for an explanation of the fellow's interest in

Kotan was surprised and inwardly disgusted to discover that his godly guest had no desire to gorge himself

upon rich foods and that he would not even so much as taste the villainous brew of the Hodon. To Tarzan

the banquet was a dismal and tiresome affair, since so great was the interest of the guests in gorging

themselves with food and drink that they had no time for conversation, the only vocal sounds being confined

to a continuous grunting which, together with their table manners reminded Tarzan of a visit he had once

made to the famous Berkshire herd of His Grace, the Duke of Westminster at Woodhouse, Chester.

One by one the diners succumbed to the stupefying effects of the liquor with the result that the grunting gave

place to snores, so presently Tarzan and the slaves were the only conscious creatures in the banquet hall.

Rising, the apeman turned to a tall black who stood behind him. "I would sleep," he said, "show me to my

As the fellow conducted him from the chamber the slave who had shown surprise earlier in the evening at

sight of him, spoke again at length to one of his fellows. The latter cast a halffrightened look in the direction

of the departing apeman. "If you are right," he said, "they should reward us with our liberty, but if you are

"Then there is but one to tell this to, for I have heard that he looked sour when this DorulOtho was brought

to the temple and that while the socalled son of JadbenOtho was there he gave this one every cause to

"Then go to him at once and tell him, but be sure to exact the promise of our freedom for the proof."

And so a black Wazdon came to the temple gate and asked to see Ludon, the high priest, on a matter of

great importance, and though the hour was late Ludon saw him, and when he had heard his story he

promised him and his friend not only their freedom but many gifts if they could prove the correctness of their

And as the slave talked with the high priest in the temple at Alur the figure of a man groped its way around

the shoulder of Pastarulved and the moonlight glistened from the shiny barrel of an Enfield that was

strapped to the naked back, and brass cartridges shed tiny rays of reflected light from their polished cases

where they hung in the bandoliers across the broad brown shoulders and the lean waist.

Tarzan's guide conducted him to a chamber overlooking the blue lake where he found a bed similar to that

which he had seen in the villages of the Wazdon, merely a raised dais of stone upon which was piled great

quantities of furry pelts. And so he lay down to sleep, the question that he most wished to put still unasked

With the coming of a new day he was awake and wandering about the palace and the palace grounds before

there was sign of any of the inmates of the palace other than slaves, or at least he saw no others at first,

though presently he stumbled upon an enclosure which lay almost within the center of the palace grounds

surrounded by a wall that piqued the apeman's curiosity, since he had determined to investigate as fully as

This place, whatever it might be, was apparently without doors or windows but that it was at least partially

roofless was evidenced by the sight of the waving branches of a tree which spread above the top of the wall

near him. Finding no other method of access, the apeman uncoiled his rope and throwing it over the branch

of the tree where it projected beyond the wall, was soon climbing with the ease of a monkey to the summit.

There he found that the wall surrounded an enclosed garden in which grew trees and shrubs and flowers in

riotous profusion. Without waiting to ascertain whether the garden was empty or contained Hodon,

Wazdon, or wild beasts, Tarzan dropped lightly to the sward on the inside and without further loss of time

His curiosity was aroused by the very evident fact that the place was not for general use, even by those who

had free access to other parts of the palace grounds and so there was added to its natural beauties an absence

of mortals which rendered its exploration all the more alluring to Tarzan since it suggested that in such a

In the garden were tiny artificial streams and little pools of water, flanked by flowering bushes, as though it

all had been designed by the cunning hand of some master gardener, so faithfully did it carry out the beauties

The interior surface of the wall was fashioned to represent the white cliffs of Paluldon, broken

Filled with admiration and thoroughly enjoying each new surprise which the scene offered, Tarzan moved

slowly around the garden, and as always he moved silently. Passing through a miniature forest he came

presently upon a tiny area of flowerstudded sward and at the same time beheld before him the first Hodon

female he had seen since entering the palace. A young and beautiful woman stood in the center of the little

open space, stroking the head of a bird which she held against her golden breastplate with one hand. Her

profile was presented to the apeman and he saw that by the standards of any land she would have been

Seated in the grass at her feet, with her back toward him, was a female Wazdon slave. Seeing that she he

sought was not there and apprehensive that an alarm be raised were he discovered by the two women, Tarzan

moved back to hide himself in the foliage, but before he had succeeded the Hodon girl turned quickly

toward him as though apprised of his presence by that unnamed sense, the manifestations of which are more

At sight of him her eyes registered only her surprise though there was no expression of terror reflected in

them, nor did she scream or even raise her wellmodulated voice as she addressed him.

At sound of her mistress' voice the slave maiden turned quickly, rising to her feet. "Tarzanjadguru!" she

"You know him?" cried her mistress turning toward the slave and affording Tarzan an opportunity to raise a

cautioning finger to his lips lest Panatlee further betray him, for it was Panatlee indeed who stood

before him, no less a source of surprise to him than had his presence been to her.

Thus questioned by her mistress and simultaneously admonished to silence by Tarzan, Panatlee was

momentarily silenced and then haltingly she groped for a way to extricate herself from her dilemma. "I

thought" she faltered, "but no, I am mistakenI thought that he was one whom I had seen before near the

The Hodon looked first at one and then at the other an expression of doubt and questioning in her eyes. "But

"You have not heard then," asked Tarzan, "of the visitor who arrived at your king's court yesterday?"

"You mean," she exclaimed, "that you are the DorulOtho?" And now the erstwhile doubting eyes reflected

So this was Oloa, for love of whom Taden had chosen exile rather than priesthood. Tarzan had

approached more closely the dainty barbarian princess. "Daughter of Kotan," he said, "JadbenOtho is

pleased with you and as a mark of his favor he has preserved for you through many dangers him whom you

"I do not understand," replied the girl but the flush that mounted to her cheek belied her words. "Bulat is a

guest in the palace of Kotan, my father. I do not know that he has faced any danger. It is to Bulat that I am

Again the flush and the girl half turned her face away. "Have I then displeased the Great God?" she asked.

"No," replied Tarzan; "as I told you he is well satisfied and for your sake he has saved Taden for you."

"JadbenOtho knows all," whispered the girl, "and his son shares his great knowledge."

"No," Tarzan hastened to correct her lest a reputation for omniscience might prove embarrassing. "I know

"But tell me," she said, "I shall be reunited with Taden? Surely the son of god can read the future."

The apeman was glad that he had left himself an avenue of escape. "I know nothing of the future," he

replied, "other than what JadbenOtho tells me. But I think you need have no fear for the future if you

"Yes," replied Tarzan, "I have seen him. He was with Omat, the gund of Korulja."

"Wait," he exclaimed, raising his face toward the heavens; "do not speak. I am receiving a message from

The two women dropped to their knees, covering their faces with their hands, stricken with awe at the

thought of the awful nearness of the Great God. Presently Tarzan touched Oloa on the shoulder.

"Rise," he said. "JadbenOtho has spoken. He has told me that this slave girl is from the tribe of Korulja,

where Taden is, and that she is betrothed to Omat, their chief. Her name is Panatlee."

Oloa turned questioningly toward Panatlee. The latter nodded, her simple mind unable to determine

whether or not she and her mistress were the victims of a colossal hoax. "It is even as he says," she

Oloa fell upon her knees and touched her forehead to Tarzan's feet. "Great is the honor that JadbenOtho

has done his poor servant," she cried. "Carry to him my poor thanks for the happiness that he has brought to

"It would please my father," said Tarzan, "if you were to cause Panatlee to be returned in safety to the

"What cares JadbenOtho for such as she?" asked Oloa, a slight trace of hauteur in her tone.

"There is but one god," replied Tarzan, "and he is the god of the Wazdon as well as of the Hodon; of the

birds and the beasts and the flowers and of everything that grows upon the earth or beneath the waters. If

Panatlee does right she is greater in the eyes of JadbenOtho than would be the daughter of Kotan

It was evident that Oloa did not quite understand this interpretation of divine favor, so contrary was it to

the teachings of the priesthood of her people. In one respect only did Tarzan's teachings coincide with her

beliefthat there was but one god. For the rest she had always been taught that he was solely the god of the

Hodon in every sense, other than that other creatures were created by JadbenOtho to serve some useful

purpose for the benefit of the Hodon race. And now to be told by the son of god that she stood no higher in

divine esteem than the black handmaiden at her side was indeed a shock to her pride, her vanity, and her

faith. But who could question the word of DorulOtho, especially when she had with her own eyes seen him

"The will of JadbenOtho be done," said Oloa meekly, "if it lies within my power. But it would be best,

Oloa looked ruefully at Panatlee. "She was brought to me but yesterday," she said, "and never have I

She shook her head negatively. "Only the Hodon from the other side of the Valley of JadbenOtho," she

"Can it be," she parried, "that the son of JadbenOtho need question a poor ignorant mortal like Oloa?"

"Then if he wished you to know this thing," retorted Oloa quickly, "you would know it."

Inwardly the apeman smiled that this little heathen's astuteness should beat him at his own game, yet in a

measure her evasion of the question might be an answer to it. "There have been other strangers here then

"I cannot tell you what I do not know," she replied. "Always is the palace of Kotan filled with rumors, but

"It described, perhaps, a woman of another race?" As he put the question and awaited her answer he thought

The girl hesitated before replying, and then. "No," she said, "I cannot speak of this thing, for if it be of

sufficient importance to elicit the interest of the gods then indeed would I be subject to the wrath of my father

"In the name of JadbenOtho I command you to speak," said Tarzan. "In the name of JadbenOtho in

The girl paled. "Have mercy!" she cried, "and for the sake of Taden I will tell you all that I know."

"Tell what?" demanded a stern voice from the shrubbery behind them. The three turned to see the figure of

Kotan emerging from the foliage. An angry scowl distorted his kingly features but at sight of Tarzan it gave

place to an expression of surprise not unmixed with fear. "DorulOtho!" he exclaimed, "I did not know that

it was you," and then, raising his head and squaring his shoulders he said, "but there are places where even

the son of the Great God may not walk and this, the Forbidden Garden of Kotan, is one."

It was a challenge but despite the king's bold front there was a note of apology in it, indicating that in his

superstitious mind there flourished the inherent fear of man for his Maker. "Come, DorulOtho," he

continued, "I do not know all this foolish child has said to you but whatever you would know Kotan, the

king, will tell you. Oloa, go to your quarters immediately," and he pointed with stern finger toward the

"We will go this way," said Kotan and preceding, led Tarzan in another direction. Close to that part of the

wall which they approached Tarzan perceived a grotto in the miniature cliff into the interior of which Kotan

led him, and down a rocky stairway to a gloomy corridor the opposite end of which opened into the palace

proper. Two armed warriors stood at this entrance to the Forbidden Garden, evidencing how jealously were

In silence Kotan led the way back to his own quarters in the palace. A large chamber just outside the room

toward which Kotan was leading his guest was filled with chiefs and warriors awaiting the pleasure of their

ruler. As the two entered, an aisle was formed for them the length of the chamber, down which they passed in

Close to the farther door and half hidden by the warriors who stood before him was Ludon, the high priest.

Tarzan glimpsed him but briefly but in that short period he was aware of a cunning and malevolent

expression upon the cruel countenance that he was subconsciously aware boded him no good, and then with

At the same moment the hideous headdress of an under priest appeared in the entrance of the outer chamber.

Its owner, pausing for a moment, glanced quickly around the interior and then having located him whom he

sought moved rapidly in the direction of Ludon. There was a whispered conversation which was terminated

"Return immediately to the quarters of the princess," he said, "and see that the slave is sent to me at the

temple at once." The under priest turned and departed upon his mission while Ludon also left the apartment

A halfhour later a warrior was ushered into the presence of Kotan. "Ludon, the high priest, desires the

presence of Kotan, the king, in the temple," he announced, "and it is his wish that he come alone."

Kotan nodded to indicate that he accepted the command which even the king must obey. "I will return

presently, DorulOtho," he said to Tarzan, "and in the meantime my warriors and my slaves are yours to

BUT it was an hour before the king reentered the apartment and in the meantime the apeman had occupied

himself in examining the carvings upon the walls and the numerous specimens of the handicraft of

Paluldonian artisans which combined to impart an atmosphere of richness and luxury to the apartment.

The limestone of the country, closegrained and of marble whiteness yet worked with comparative ease with

crude implements, had been wrought by cunning craftsmen into bowls and urns and vases of considerable

grace and beauty. Into the carved designs of many of these virgin gold had been hammered, presenting the

effect of a rich and magnificent cloisonne. A barbarian himself the art of barbarians had always appealed to

the apeman to whom they represented a natural expression of man's love of the beautiful to even a greater

extent than the studied and artificial efforts of civilization. Here was the real art of old masters, the other the

It was while he was thus pleasurably engaged that Kotan returned. As Tarzan, attracted by the movement of

the hangings through which the king entered, turned and faced him he was almost shocked by the remarkable

alteration of the king's appearance. His face was livid; his hands trembled as with palsy, and his eyes were

wide as with fright. His appearance was one apparently of a combination of consuming anger and withering

The king mumbled an unintelligible reply. Behind there thronged into the apartment so great a number of

warriors that they choked the entranceway. The king looked apprehensively to right and left. He cast

terrified glances at the apeman and then raising his face and turning his eyes upward he cried:

"JadbenOtho be my witness that I do not this thing of my own accord." There was a moment's silence

which was again broken by Kotan. "Seize him," he cried to the warriors about him, "for Ludon, the high

To have offered armed resistance to this great concourse of warriors in the very heart of the palace of their

king would have been worse than fatal. Already Tarzan had come far by his wits and now that within a few

hours he had had his hopes and his suspicions partially verified by the vague admissions of Oloa he was

"Ludon claims he has proof that you are not the son of JadbenOtho," replied Kotan. "He demands that

you be brought to the throneroom to face your accusers. If you are what you claim to be none knows better

than you that you need have no fear in acquiescing to his demands, but remember always that in such matters

the high priest commands the king and that I am only the bearer of these commands, not their author."

Tarzan saw that Kotan was not entirely convinced of his duplicity as was evidenced by his palpable design

"Let not your warriors seize me," he said to Kotan, "lest JadbenOtho, mistaking their intention, strike

them dead." The effect of his words was immediate upon the men in the front rank of those who faced him,

each seeming suddenly to acquire a new modesty that compelled him to selfeffacement behind those

The apeman smiled. "Fear not," he said, "I will go willingly to the audience chamber to face the

Arrived at the great throneroom a new complication arose. Kotan would not acknowledge the right of

Ludon to occupy the apex of the pyramid and Ludon would not consent to occupying an inferior position

while Tarzan, to remain consistent with his high claims, insisted that no one should stand above him, but only

To relieve the situation Jadon suggested that all three of them occupy the throne, but this suggestion was

repudiated by Kotan who argued that no mortal other than a king of Paluldon had ever sat upon the high

"I am to be judged by him who accuses me then," said Tarzan. "It were better to dispense then with any

formalities and ask Ludon to sentence me." His tone was ironical and his sneering face, looking straight into

that of the high priest, but caused the latter's hatred to rise to still greater proportions.

It was evident that Kotan and his warriors saw the justice of Tarzan's implied objection to this unfair method

of dispensing justice. "Only Kotan can judge in the throneroom of his palace," said Jadon, "let him hear

Ludon's charges and the testimony of his witnesses, and then let Kotan's judgment be final."

Kotan, however, was not particularly enthusiastic over the prospect of sitting in trial upon one who might

after all very possibly be the son of his god, and so he temporized, seeking for an avenue of escape. "It is

purely a religious matter," he said, "and it is traditional that the kings of Paluldon interfere not in questions

"Then let the trial be held in the temple," cried one of the chiefs, for the warriors were as anxious as their

king to be relieved of all responsibility in the matter. This suggestion was more than satisfactory to the high

"It is true," he said, "this man's sin is against the temple. Let him be dragged thither then for trial."

"The son of JadbenOtho will be dragged nowhere," cried Tarzan. "But when this trial is over it is possible

that the corpse of Ludon, the high priest, will be dragged from the temple of the god he would desecrate.

His words, intended to frighten the high priest from his position failed utterly in consummating their purpose.

"Here is one," thought Tarzan, "who, knowing more of his religion than any of his fellows, realizes fully the

He realized, however, that his only hope lay in seeming indifference to the charges. Kotan and the warriors

were still under the spell of their belief in him and upon this fact must he depend in the final act of the drama

that Ludon was staging for his rescue from the jealous priest whom he knew had already passed sentence

With a shrug he descended the steps of the pyramid. "It matters not to DorulOtho," he said, "where

Ludon enrages his god, for JadbenOtho can reach as easily into the chambers of the temple as into the

Immeasurably relieved by this easy solution of their problem the king and the warriors thronged from the

throneroom toward the temple grounds, their faith in Tarzan increased by his apparent indifference to the

Taking his place behind the western altar he motioned Kotan to a place upon the platform at the left hand of

As Tarzan ascended the platform his eyes narrowed angrily at the sight which met them. The basin hollowed

in the top of the altar was filled with water in which floated the naked corpse of a newborn babe. "What

The latter smiled malevolently. "That you do not know," he replied, "is but added evidence of the falsity of

your claim. He who poses as the son of god did not know that as the last rays of the setting sun flood the

eastern altar of the temple the lifeblood of an adult reddens the white stone for the edification of

JadbenOtho, and that when the sun rises again from the body of its maker it looks first upon this western

altar and rejoices in the death of a newborn babe each day, the ghost of which accompanies it across the

heavens by day as the ghost of the adult returns with it to JadbenOtho at night.

"Even the little children of the Hodon know these things, while he who claims to be the son of

JadbenOtho knows them not; and if this proof be not enough, there is more. Come, Wazdon," he cried,

pointing to a tall slave who stood with a group of other blacks and priests on the temple floor at the left of the

The fellow came forward fearfully. "Tell us what you know of this creature," cried Ludon, pointing to

"I have seen him before," said the Wazdon. "I am of the tribe of Korullul, and one day recently a party of

which I was one encountered a few of the warriors of the Korulja upon the ridge which separates our

villages. Among the enemy was this strange creature whom they called Tarzanjadguru; and terrible indeed

was he for he fought with the strength of many men so that it required twenty of us to subdue him. But he did

not fight as a god fights, and when a club struck him upon the head he sank unconscious as might an ordinary

"We carried him with us to our village as a prisoner but he escaped after cutting off the head of the warrior

we left to guard him and carrying it down into the gorge and tying it to the branch of a tree upon the opposite

"The word of a slave against that of a god!" cried Jadon, who had shown previously a friendly interest in the

"It is only a step in the progress toward truth," interjected Ludon. "Possibly the evidence of the only

princess of the house of Kotan will have greater weight with the great chief from the north, though the

father of a son who fled the holy offer of the priesthood may not receive with willing ears any testimony

Jadon's hand leaped to his knife, but the warriors next him laid detaining fingers upon his arms. "You are in

the temple of JadbenOtho, Jadon," they cautioned and the great chief was forced to swallow Ludon's

And now Kotan turned toward Ludon. "What knoweth my daughter of this matter?" he asked. "You would

"No," replied Ludon, "not in person, but I have here one who will testify for her." He beckoned to an under

His grotesque headdress adding a touch of the hideous to the scene, the priest stepped forward dragging the

"The Princess Oloa was alone in the Forbidden Garden with but this one slave," explained the priest,

"when there suddenly appeared from the foliage nearby this creature who claims to be the DorulOtho.

When the slave saw him the princess says that she cried aloud in startled recognition and called the creature

by nameTarzanjadguruthe same name that the slave from Korullul gave him. This woman is not

from Korullul but from Korulja, the very tribe with which the Korullul says the creature was

associating when he first saw him. And further the princess said that when this woman, whose name is

Panatlee, was brought to her yesterday she told a strange story of having been rescued from a Torodon

in the Korulgryf by a creature such as this, whom she spoke of then as Tarzanjadguru; and of how the

two were pursued in the bottom of the gorge by two monster gryfs, and of how the man led them away while

Panatlee escaped, only to be taken prisoner in the Korullul as she was seeking to return to her own tribe.

"Is it not plain now," cried Ludon, "that this creature is no god. Did he tell you that he was the son of god?"

"Did he tell you that he was the son of god? Answer my question," insisted Ludon.

"No," she admitted in a low voice, casting an appealing look of forgiveness at Tarzan who returned a smile of

"That is no proof that he is not the son of god," cried Jadon. "Dost think JadbenOtho goes about crying 'I

am god! I am god!' Hast ever heard him Ludon? No, you have not. Why should his son do that which the

"Enough," cried Ludon. "The evidence is clear. The creature is an impostor and I, the head priest of

JadbenOtho in the city of Alur, do condemn him to die." There was a moment's silence during which

Ludon evidently paused for the dramatic effect of his climax. "And if I am wrong may JadbenOtho pierce

The lapping of the wavelets of the lake against the foot of the palace wall was distinctly audible in the utter

and almost breathless silence which ensued. Ludon stood with his face turned toward the heavens and his

arms outstretched in the attitude of one who bares his breast to the dagger of an executioner. The warriors and

the priests and the slaves gathered in the sacred court awaited the consuming vengeance of their god.

It was Tarzan who broke the silence. "Your god ignores you Ludon," he taunted, with a sneer that he meant

to still further anger the high priest, "he ignores you and I can prove it before the eyes of your priests and

"You have called me a blasphemer," replied Tarzan, "you have proved to your own satisfaction that I am an

impostor, that I, an ordinary mortal, have posed as the son of god. Demand then that JadbenOtho uphold

his godship and the dignity of his priesthood by directing his consuming fires through my own bosom."

Again there ensued a brief silence while the onlookers waited for Ludon to thus consummate the destruction

"You dare not," taunted Tarzan, "for you know that I would be struck dead no quicker than were you."

"You lie," cried Ludon, "and I would do it had I not but just received a message from JadbenOtho

A chorus of admiring and reverential "Ahs" arose from the priesthood. Kotan and his warriors were in a

state of mental confusion. Secretly they hated and feared Ludon, but so ingrained was their sense of

reverence for the office of the high priest that none dared raise a voice against him.

None? Well, there was Jadon, fearless old Lionman of the north. "The proposition was a fair one," he

cried. "Invoke the lightnings of JadbenOtho upon this man if you would ever convince us of his guilt."

"Enough of this," snapped Ludon. "Since when was Jadon created high priest? Seize the prisoner," he cried

to the priests and warriors, "and on the morrow he shall die in the manner that JadbenOtho has willed."

There was no immediate movement on the part of any of the warriors to obey the high priest's command, but

the lesser priests on the other hand, imbued with the courage of fanaticism leaped eagerly forward like a flock

The game was up. That Tarzan knew. No longer could cunning and diplomacy usurp the functions of the

weapons of defense he best loved. And so the first hideous priest who leaped to the platform was confronted

by no suave ambassador from heaven, but rather a grim and ferocious beast whose temper savored more of

The altar stood close to the western wall of the enclosure. There was just room between the two for the high

priest to stand during the performance of the sacrificial ceremonies and only Ludon stood there now behind

The presumptuous one who would have had the glory of first laying arresting hands upon the blasphemous

impersonator rushed forward with outstretched hand to seize the apeman. Instead it was he who was seized;

seized by steel fingers that snapped him up as though he had been a dummy of straw, grasped him by one leg

and the harness at his back and raised him with giant arms high above the altar. Close at his heels were others

ready to seize the apeman and drag him down, and beyond the altar was Ludon with drawn knife

There was no instant to waste, nor was it the way of the apeman to fritter away precious moments in the

uncertainty of belated decision. Before Ludon or any other could guess what was in the mind of the

condemned, Tarzan with all the force of his great muscles dashed the screaming hierophant in the face of the

high priest, and, as though the two actions were one, so quickly did he move, he had leaped to the top of the

altar and from there to a handhold upon the summit of the temple wall. As he gained a footing there he turned

and looked down upon those beneath. For a moment he stood in silence and then he spoke.

"Who dare believe," he cried, "that JadbenOtho would forsake his son?" and then he dropped from their

There were two at least left within the enclosure whose hearts leaped with involuntary elation at the success

of the apeman's maneuver, and one of them smiled openly. This was Jadon, and the other, Panatlee.

The brains of the priest that Tarzan had thrown at the head of Ludon had been dashed out against the temple

wall while the high priest himself had escaped with only a few bruises, sustained in his fall to the hard

pavement. Quickly scrambling to his feet he looked around in fear, in terror and finally in bewilderment, for

he had not been a witness to the apeman's escape. "Seize him," he cried; "seize the blasphemer," and he

continued to look around in search of his victim with such a ridiculous expression of bewilderment that more

The priests were rushing around wildly, exhorting the warriors to pursue the fugitive but these awaited now

stolidly the command of their king or high priest. Kotan, more or less secretly pleased by the discomfiture

of Ludon, waited for that worthy to give the necessary directions which he presently did when one of his

Instantly the necessary orders were issued and priests and warriors sought the temple exit in pursuit of the

apeman. His departing words, hurled at them from the summit of the temple wall, had had little effect in

impressing the majority that his claims had not been disproven by Ludon, but in the hearts of the warriors

was admiration for a brave man and in many the same unholy gratification that had risen in that of their ruler

A careful search of the temple grounds revealed no trace of the quarry. The secret recesses of the

subterranean chambers, familiar only to the priesthood, were examined by these while the warriors scattered

through the palace and the palace grounds without the temple. Swift runners were dispatched to the city to

arouse the people there that all might be upon the lookout for Tarzan the Terrible. The story of his imposture

and of his escape, and the tales that the Wazdon slaves had brought into the city concerning him were soon

spread throughout Alur, nor did they lose aught in the spreading, so that before an hour had passed the

women and children were hiding behind barred doorways while the warriors crept apprehensively through the

streets expecting momentarily to be pounced upon by a ferocious demon who, barehanded, did victorious

battle with huge gryfs and whose lightest pastime consisted in tearing strong men limb from limb.

AND while the warriors and the priests of Alur searched the temple and the palace and the city for the

vanished apeman there entered the head of Korulja down the precipitous trail from the mountains, a

naked stranger bearing an Enfield upon his back. Silently he moved downward toward the bottom of the

gorge and there where the ancient trail unfolded more levelly before him he swung along with easy strides,

though always with the utmost alertness against possible dangers. A gentle breeze came down from the

mountains behind him so that only his ears and his eyes were of value in detecting the presence of danger

ahead. Generally the trail followed along the banks of the winding brooklet at the bottom of the gorge, but in

some places where the waters tumbled over a precipitous ledge the trail made a detour along the side of the

gorge, and again it wound in and out among rocky outcroppings, and presently where it rounded sharply the

projecting shoulder of a cliff the stranger came suddenly face to face with one who was ascending the gorge.

Separated by a hundred paces the two halted simultaneously. Before him the stranger saw a tall white warrior,

naked but for a loin cloth, cross belts, and a girdle. The man was armed with a heavy, knotted club and a

short knife, the latter hanging in its sheath at his left hip from the end of one of his cross belts, the opposite

belt supporting a leathern pouch at his right side. It was Taden hunting alone in the gorge of his friend, the

chief of Korulja. He contemplated the stranger with surprise but no wonder, since he recognized in him a

member of the race with which his experience of Tarzan the Terrible had made him familiar and also, thanks

to his friendship for the apeman, he looked upon the newcomer without hostility.

The latter was the first to make outward sign of his intentions, raising his palm toward Taden in that gesture

which has been a symbol of peace from pole to pole since man ceased to walk upon his knuckles.

Taden, assuming that one so like Tarzan the Terrible must be a fellowtribesman of his lost friend, was

more than glad to accept this overture of peace, the sign of which he returned in kind as he ascended the trail

to where the other stood. "Who are you?" he asked, but the newcomer only shook his head to indicate that he

By signs he tried to carry to the Hodon the fact that he was following a trail that had led him over a period

of many days from some place beyond the mountains and Taden was convinced that the newcomer sought

Tarzanjadguru. He wished, however, that he might discover whether as friend or foe.

The stranger perceived the Hodon's prehensile thumbs and great toes and his long tail with an astonishment

which he sought to conceal, but greater than all was the sense of relief that the first inhabitant of this strange

country whom he had met had proven friendly, so greatly would he have been handicapped by the necessity

Taden, who had been hunting for some of the smaller mammals, the meat of which is especially relished by

the Hodon, forgot his intended sport in the greater interest of his new discovery. He would take the stranger

to Omat and possibly together the two would find some way of discovering the true intentions of the

newcomer. And so again through signs he apprised the other that he would accompany him and together they

As they approached these they came upon the women and children working under guard of the old men and

the youthsgathering the wild fruits and herbs which constitute a part of their diet, as well as tending the

small acres of growing crops which they cultivate. The fields lay in small level patches that had been cleared

of trees and brush. Their farm implements consisted of metalshod poles which bore a closer resemblance to

spears than to tools of peaceful agriculture. Supplementing these were others with flattened blades that were

neither hoes nor spades, but instead possessed the appearance of an unhappy attempt to combine the two

At first sight of these people the stranger halted and unslung his bow for these creatures were black as night,

their bodies entirely covered with hair. But Taden, interpreting the doubt in the other's mind, reassured him

with a gesture and a smile. The Wazdon, however, gathered around excitedly jabbering questions in a

language which the stranger discovered his guide understood though it was entirely unintelligible to the

former. They made no attempt to molest him and he was now sure that he had fallen among a peaceful and

It was but a short distance now to the caves and when they reached these Taden led the way aloft upon the

wooden pegs, assured that this creature whom he had discovered would have no more difficulty in following

him than had Tarzan the Terrible. Nor was he mistaken for the other mounted with ease until presently the

The latter was not there and it was midafternoon before he returned, but in the meantime many warriors

came to look upon the visitor and in each instance the latter was more thoroughly impressed with the friendly

and peaceable spirit of his hosts, little guessing that he was being entertained by a ferocious and warlike tribe

who never before the coming of Taden and Tarzan had suffered a stranger among them.

At last Omat returned and the guest sensed intuitively that he was in the presence of a great man among

these people, possibly a chief or king, for not only did the attitude of the other black warriors indicate this but

it was written also in the mien and bearing of the splendid creature who stood looking at him while Taden

explained the circumstances of their meeting. "And I believe, Omat," concluded the Hodon, "that he seeks

At the sound of that name, the first intelligible word that had fallen upon the ears of the stranger since he had

come among them, his face lightened. "Tarzan!" he cried, "Tarzan of the Apes!" and by signs he tried to tell

They understood, and also they guessed from the expression of his face that he sought Tarzan from motives

of affection rather than the reverse, but of this Omat wished to make sure. He pointed to the stranger's knife,

and repeating Tarzan's name, seized Taden and pretended to stab him, immediately turning questioningly

The latter shook his head vehemently and then first placing a hand above his heart he raised his palm in the

"Tarzan," continued the stranger, "you know him? He lives? O God, if I could only speak your language."

And again reverting to sign language he sought to ascertain where Tarzan was. He would pronounce the

name and point in different directions, in the cave, down into the gorge, back toward the mountains, or out

upon the valley below, and each time he would raise his brows questioningly and voice the universal "eh?" of

interrogation which they could not fail to understand. But always Omat shook his head and spread his palms

in a gesture which indicated that while he understood the question he was ignorant as to the whereabouts of

the apeman, and then the black chief attempted as best he might to explain to the stranger what he knew of

He called the newcomer Jardon, which in the language of Paluldon means "stranger," and he pointed to

the sun and said as. This he repeated several times and then he held up one hand with the fingers outspread

and touching them one by one, including the thumb, repeated the word adenen until the stranger understood

that he meant five. Again he pointed to the sun and describing an arc with his forefinger starting at the eastern

horizon and terminating at the western, he repeated again the words as adenen. It was plain to the stranger

that the words meant that the sun had crossed the heavens five times. In other words, five days had passed.

Omat then pointed to the cave where they stood, pronouncing Tarzan's name and imitating a walking man

with the first and second fingers of his right hand upon the floor of the recess, sought to show that Tarzan had

walked out of the cave and climbed upward on the pegs five days before, but this was as far as the sign

This far the stranger followed him and, indicating that he understood he pointed to himself and then

"Let us go with him," said Omat, "for as yet we have not punished the Korullul for killing our friend and

"Persuade him to wait until morning," said Taden, "that you may take with you many warriors and make a

great raid upon the Korullul, and this time, Omat, do not kill your prisoners. Take as many as you can

"Great is the wisdom of the Hodon," replied Omat. "It shall be as you say, and having made prisoners of

all the Korullul we shall make them tell us what we wish to know. And then we shall march them to the

Taden smiled. He knew that they would not take prisoner all the Korullul warriorsthat they would be

fortunate if they took one and it was also possible that they might even be driven back in defeat, but he knew

too that Omat would not hesitate to carry out his threat if he had the opportunity, so implacable was the

It was not difficult to explain Omat's plan to the stranger or to win his consent since he was aware, when the

great black had made it plain that they would be accompanied by many warriors, that their venture would

probably lead them into a hostile country and every safeguard that he could employ he was glad to avail

He slept that night upon a pile of furs in one of the compartments of Omat's ancestral cave, and early the

next day following the morning meal they sallied forth, a hundred savage warriors swarming up the face of

the sheer cliff and out upon the summit of the ridge, the main body preceded by two warriors whose duties

coincided with those of the point of modern military maneuvers, safeguarding the column against the danger

Across the ridge they went and down into the Korullul and there almost immediately they came upon a

lone and unarmed Wazdon who was making his way fearfully up the gorge toward the village of his tribe.

Him they took prisoner which, strangely, only added to his terror since from the moment that he had seen

them and realized that escape was impossible, he had expected to be slain immediately.

"Take him back to Korulja," said Omat, to one of his warriors, "and hold him there unharmed until I

And so the puzzled Korullul was led away while the savage company moved stealthily from tree to tree in

its closer advance upon the village. Fortune smiled upon Omat in that it gave him quickly what he

soughta battle royal, for they had not yet come in sight of the caves of the Korullul when they

encountered a considerable band of warriors headed down the gorge upon some expedition.

Like shadows the Korulja melted into the concealment of the foliage upon either side of the trail. Ignorant

of impending danger, safe in the knowledge that they trod their own domain where each rock and stone was

as familiar as the features of their mates, the Korullul walked innocently into the ambush. Suddenly the

quiet of that seeming peace was shattered by a savage cry and a hurled club felled a Korullul.

The cry was a signal for a savage chorus from a hundred Korulja throats with which were soon mingled

the war cries of their enemies. The air was filled with flying clubs and then as the two forces mingled, the

battle resolved itself into a number of individual encounters as each warrior singled out a foe and closed upon

him. Knives gleamed and flashed in the mottling sunlight that filtered through the foliage of the trees above.

In the thick of the fight the smooth brown skin of the stranger mingled with the black bodies of friend and

foe. Only his keen eyes and his quick wit had shown him how to differentiate between Korullul and

Korulja since with the single exception of apparel they were identical, but at the first rush of the enemy he

had noticed that their loin cloths were not of the leopardmatted hides such as were worn by his allies.

Omat, after dispatching his first antagonist, glanced at Jardon. "He fights with the ferocity of jato," mused

the chief. "Powerful indeed must be the tribe from which he and Tarzanjadguru come," and then his whole

The fighters surged to and fro through the forest until those who survived were spent with exhaustion. All but

the stranger who seemed not to know the sense of fatigue. He fought on when each new antagonist would

have gladly quit, and when there were no more Korullul who were not engaged, he leaped upon those who

And always he carried upon his back the peculiar thing which Omat had thought was some manner of

strange weapon but the purpose of which he could not now account for in view of the fact that Jardon never

used it, and that for the most part it seemed but a nuisance and needless encumbrance since it banged and

smashed against its owner as he leaped, catlike, hither and thither in the course of his victorious duels. The

bow and arrows he had tossed aside at the beginning of the fight but the Enfield he would not discard, for

Presently the Korulja, seemingly shamed by the example of Jardon closed once more with the enemy, but

the latter, moved no doubt to terror by the presence of the stranger, a tireless demon who appeared

invulnerable to their attacks, lost heart and sought to flee. And then it was that at Omat's command his

It was a tired, bloody, and elated company that returned victorious to the Korulja. Twenty of their number

were carried back and six of these were dead men. It was the most glorious and successful raid that the

Korulja had made upon the Korullul in the memory of man, and it marked Omat as the greatest of

chiefs, but that fierce warrior knew that advantage had lain upon his side largely because of the presence of

his strange ally. Nor did he hesitate to give credit where credit belonged, with the result that Jardon and his

exploits were upon the tongue of every member of the tribe of Korulja and great was the fame of the race

And in the gorge of Korullul beyond the ridge the survivors spoke in bated breath of this second demon

Returned to his cave Omat caused the Korullul prisoners to be brought into his presence singly, and each

he questioned as to the fate of Tarzan. Without exception they told him the same storythat Tarzan had been

taken prisoner by them five days before but that he had slain the warrior left to guard him and escaped,

carrying the head of the unfortunate sentry to the opposite side of Korullul where he had left it suspended

by its hair from the branch of a tree. But what had become of him after, they did not know; not one of them,

until the last prisoner was examined, he whom they had taken firstthe unarmed Korullul making his way

This one, when he discovered the purpose of their questioning, bartered with them for the lives and liberty of

himself and his fellows. "I can tell you much of this terrible man of whom you ask, Korulja," he said. "I

saw him yesterday and I know where he is, and if you will promise to let me and my fellows return in safety

to the caves of our ancestors I will tell you all, and truthfully, that which I know."

"You will kill me anyway," retorted the prisoner, "unless you make me this promise; so if I am to be killed

"He is right, Omat," said Taden, "promise him that they shall have their liberty."

"Very well," said Omat. "Speak Korullul, and when you have told me all, you and your fellows may

"It was thus," commenced the prisoner. "Three days since I was hunting with a party of my fellows near the

mouth of Korullul not far from where you captured me this morning, when we were surprised and set upon

by a large number of Hodon who took us prisoners and carried us to Alur where a few were chosen to be

slaves and the rest were cast into a chamber beneath the temple where are held for sacrifice the victims that

are offered by the Hodon to JadbenOtho upon the sacrificial altars of the temple at Alur.

"It seemed then that indeed was my fate sealed and that lucky were those who had been selected for slaves

among the Hodon, for they at least might hope to escapethose in the chamber with me must be without

"But yesterday a strange thing happened. There came to the temple, accompanied by all the priests and by the

king and many of his warriors, one whom all did great reverence, and when he came to the barred gateway

leading to the chamber in which we wretched ones awaited our fate, I saw to my surprise that it was none

other than that terrible man who had so recently been a prisoner in the village of Korullulhe whom you

call Tarzanjadguru but whom they addressed as DorulOtho. And he looked upon us and questioned the

high priest and when he was told of the purpose for which we were imprisoned there he grew angry and cried

that it was not the will of JadbenOtho that his people be thus sacrificed, and he commanded the high priest

"The Hodon prisoners were permitted to return to their homes and we were led beyond the City of Alur

and set upon our way toward Korullul. There were three of us, but many are the dangers that lie between

Alur and Korullul and we were only three and unarmed. Therefore none of us reached the village of our

"That is all I know," replied the prisoner, "other than that he whom they call Ludon, the high priest at Alur,

was very angry, and that one of the two priests who guided us out of the city said to the other that the stranger

was not DorulOtho at all; that Ludon had said so and that he had also said that he would expose him and

that he should be punished with death for his presumption. That is all they said within my hearing.

Omat nodded. "Go your way," he said, "and Abon, send warriors to guard them until they are safely within

"Jardon," he said beckoning to the stranger, "come with me," and rising he led the way toward the summit

of the cliff, and when they stood upon the ridge Omat pointed down into the valley toward the City of Alur

AS TARZAN dropped to the ground beyond the temple wall there was in his mind no intention to escape

from the City of Alur until he had satisfied himself that his mate was not a prisoner there, but how, in this

strange city in which every man's hand must be now against him, he was to live and prosecute his search was

There was only one place of which he knew that he might find even temporary sanctuary and that was the

Forbidden Garden of the king. There was thick shrubbery in which a man might hide, and water and fruits. A

cunning jungle creature, if he could reach the spot unsuspected, might remain concealed there for a

considerable time, but how he was to traverse the distance between the temple grounds and the garden unseen

"Mighty is Tarzan," he soliloquized, "in his native jungle, but in the cities of man he is little better than they."

Depending upon his keen observation and sense of location he felt safe in assuming that he could reach the

palace grounds by means of the subterranean corridors and chambers of the temple through which he had

been conducted the day before, nor any slightest detail of which had escaped his keen eyes. That would be

better, he reasoned, than crossing the open grounds above where his pursuers would naturally immediately

And so a dozen paces from the temple wall he disappeared from sight of any chance observer above, down

one of the stone stairways that led to the apartments beneath. The way that he had been conducted the

previous day had followed the windings and turnings of numerous corridors and apartments, but Tarzan, sure

He had little fear of immediate apprehension here since he believed that all the priests of the temple had

assembled in the court above to witness his trial and his humiliation and his death, and with this idea firmly

implanted in his mind he rounded the turn of the corridor and came face to face with an under priest, his

grotesque headdress concealing whatever emotion the sight of Tarzan may have aroused.

However, Tarzan had one advantage over the masked votary of JadbenOtho in that the moment he saw the

priest he knew his intention concerning him, and therefore was not compelled to delay action. And so it was

that before the priest could determine on any suitable line of conduct in the premises a long, keen knife had

As the body lunged toward the floor Tarzan caught it and snatched the headdress from its shoulders, for the

first sight of the creature had suggested to his everalert mind a bold scheme for deceiving his enemies.

The headdress saved from such possible damage as it must have sustained had it fallen to the floor with the

body of its owner, Tarzan relinquished his hold upon the corpse, set the headdress carefully upon the floor

and stooping down severed the tail of the Hodon close to its root. Near by at his right was a small chamber

from which the priest had evidently just emerged and into this Tarzan dragged the corpse, the headdress, and

Quickly cutting a thin strip of hide from the loin cloth of the priest, Tarzan tied it securely about the upper

end of the severed member and then tucking the tail under his loin cloth behind him, secured it in place as

best he could. Then he fitted the headdress over his shoulders and stepped from the apartment, to all

appearances a priest of the temple of JadbenOtho unless one examined too closely his thumbs and his great

He had noticed that among both the Hodon and the Wazdon it was not at all unusual that the end of the tail

be carried in one hand, and so he caught his own tail up thus lest the lifeless appearance of it dragging along

Passing along the corridor and through the various chambers he emerged at last into the palace grounds

beyond the temple. The pursuit had not yet reached this point though he was conscious of a commotion not

far behind him. He met now both warriors and slaves but none gave him more than a passing glance, a priest

And so, passing the guards unchallenged, he came at last to the inner entrance to the Forbidden Garden and

there he paused and scanned quickly that portion of the beautiful spot that lay before his eyes. To his relief it

seemed unoccupied and congratulating himself upon the ease with which he had so far outwitted the high

powers of Alur he moved rapidly to the opposite end of the enclosure. Here he found a patch of flowering

Crawling well within he removed the uncomfortable headdress and sat down to await whatever eventualities

fate might have in store for him the while he formulated plans for the future. The one night that he had spent

in Alur had kept him up to a late hour, apprising him of the fact that while there were few abroad in the

temple grounds at night, there were yet enough to make it possible for him to fare forth under cover of his

disguise without attracting the unpleasant attention of the guards, and, too, he had noticed that the priesthood

constituted a privileged class that seemed to come and go at will and unchallenged throughout the palace as

well as the temple. Altogether then, he decided, night furnished the most propitious hours for his

investigationby day he could lie up in the shrubbery of the Forbidden Garden, reasonably free from

detection. From beyond the garden he heard the voices of men calling to one another both far and near, and

The idle moments afforded him an opportunity to evolve a more satisfactory scheme for attaching his stolen

caudal appendage. He arranged it in such a way that it might be quickly assumed or discarded, and this done

he fell to examining the weird mask that had so effectively hidden his features.

The thing had been very cunningly wrought from a single block of wood, very probably a section of a tree,

upon which the features had been carved and afterward the interior hollowed out until only a comparatively

thin shell remained. Twosemicircular notches had been rounded out from opposite sides of the lower edge.

These fitted snugly over his shoulders, aprons of wood extending downward a few inches upon his chest and

back. From these aprons hung long tassels or switches of hair tapering from the outer edges toward the center

which reached below the bottom of his torso. It required but the most cursory examination to indicate to the

apeman that these ornaments consisted of human scalps, taken, doubtless, from the heads of the sacrifices

upon the eastern altars. The headdress itself had been carved to depict in formal design a hideous face that

suggested both man and gryf. There were the three white horns, the yellow face with the blue bands

encircling the eyes and the red hood which took the form of the posterior and anterior aprons.

As Tarzan sat within the concealing foliage of the shrubbery meditating upon the hideous priestmask which

he held in his hands he became aware that he was not alone in the garden. He sensed another presence and

presently his trained ears detected the slow approach of naked feet across the sward. At first he suspected that

it might be one stealthily searching the Forbidden Garden for him but a little later the figure came within the

limited area of his vision which was circumscribed by stems and foliage and flowers. He saw then that it was

the princess Oloa and that she was alone and walking with bowed head as though in

Shortly after his ears warned him that others had entered the gardenmen they were and their footsteps

proclaimed that they walked neither slowly nor meditatively. They came directly toward the princess and

"Oloa, Princess of Paluldon," said one, addressing her, "the stranger who told us that he was the son of

JadbenOtho has but just fled from the wrath of Ludon, the high priest, who exposed him and all his

wicked blasphemy. The temple, and the palace, and the city are being searched and we have been sent to

search the Forbidden Garden, since Kotan, the king, said that only this morning he found him here, though

"He is not here," said Oloa. "I have been in the garden for some time and have seen nor heard no other

"No," said the priest who had before spoken, "it is not necessary since he could not have entered without your

knowledge and the connivance of the guards, and even had he, the priest who preceded us must have seen

"Yes, doubtless," acquiesced Oloa, "but it is strange that I did not see him." The two priests made their

"Stupid as Buto, the rhinoceros," soliloquized Tarzan, who considered Buto a very stupid creature indeed. "It

The priests had scarce departed when there came the sound of feet running rapidly across the garden in the

direction of the princess to an accompaniment of rapid breathing as of one almost spent, either from fatigue

"Panatlee," exclaimed Oloa, "what has happened? You look as terrified as the doe for which you were

"O Princess of Paluldon," cried Panatlee, "they would have killed him in the temple. They would have

"The head priest would have had him seized and slain, but when they rushed upon him he hurled one in the

face of Ludon with the same ease that you might cast your breastplates at me, and then he leaped upon the

altar and from there to the top of the temple wall and disappeared below. They are searching for him, but, O

"And why do you pray that?" asked Oloa. "Has not one who has so blasphemed earned death?"

"And you do, then?" retorted Oloa quickly. "This morning you betrayed yourself and then attempted to

deceive me. The slaves of Oloa do not such things with impunity. He is then the same Tarzanjadguru of

Panatlee drew herself up very erect, her little chin held high, for was not she too among her own people

already as good as a princess? "Panatlee, the Korulja does not lie," she said, "to protect herself."

"I know that he is a wondrous man and very brave," said Panatlee, "and that he saved me from the

Torodon and the gryf as I told you, and that he is indeed the same who came into the garden this morning;

and even now I do not know that he is not the son of JadbenOtho for his courage and his strength are more

than those of mortal man, as are also his kindness and his honor: for when he might have harmed me he

protected me, and when he might have saved himself he thought only of me. And all this he did because of

his friendship for Omat, who is gund of Korulja and with whom I should have mated had the Hodon not

"He was indeed a wonderful man to look upon," mused Oloa, "and he was not as are other men, not alone

in the conformation of his hands and feet or the fact that he was tailless, but there was that about him which

"And," supplemented Panatlee, her savage little heart loyal to the man who had befriended her and hoping

to win for him the consideration of the princess even though it might not avail him; "and," she said, "did he

not know all about Taden and even his whereabouts. Tell me, O Princess, could mortal know such things as

"But how would he know that you loved Taden," parried Panatlee. "I tell you, my Princess, that if he is

not a god he is at least more than Hodon or Wazdon. He followed me from the cave of Essat in

Korulja across Korullul and two wide ridges to the very cave in Korulgryf where I hid, though many

hours had passed since I had come that way and my bare feet left no impress upon the ground. What mortal

man could do such things as these? And where in all Paluldon would virgin maid find friend and protector

"Perhaps Ludon may be mistakenperhaps he is a god," said Oloa, influenced by her slave's enthusiastic

"But whether god or man he is too wonderful to die," cried Panatlee. "Would that I might save him. If he

"Ah, if he only could," sighed Oloa, "but alas it is too late for tomorrow I am to be given to Bulot."

"Yes; the one with the awful round face and the big belly," exclaimed the Princess disgustedly. "He is so lazy

he will neither hunt nor fight. To eat and to drink is all that Bulot is fit for, and he thinks of naught else

except these things and his slave women. But come, Panatlee, gather for me some of these beautiful

blossoms. I would have them spread around my couch tonight that I may carry away with me in the morning

the memory of the fragrance that I love best and which I know that I shall not find in the village of Mosar,

the father of Bulot. I will help you, Panatlee, and we will gather armfuls of them, for I love to gather

The two approached the flowering shrubbery where Tarzan hid, but as the blooms grew plentifully upon

every bush the apeman guessed there would be no necessity for them to enter the patch far enough to

discover him. With little exclamations of pleasure as they found particularly large or perfect blooms the two

"Oh, look, Panatlee," cried Oloa presently; "there is the king of them all. Never did I see so wonderful a

flowerNo! I will get it myselfit is so large and wonderful no other hand shall touch it," and the princess

wound in among the bushes toward the point where the great flower bloomed upon a bush above the

So sudden and unexpected her approach that there was no opportunity to escape and Tarzan sat silently

trusting that fate might be kind to him and lead Kotan's daughter away before her eyes dropped from the

highgrowing bloom to him. But as the girl cut the long stem with her knife she looked down straight into the

"Have no fear, Princess," he assured her. "It is the friend of Taden who salutes you," raising her fingers to

"And now that you have found me," queried Tarzan, "will you give me up to Ludon, the high priest?"

Panatlee threw herself upon her knees at Oloa's feet. "Princess! Princess!" she beseeched, "do not

"But Kotan, my father," whispered Oloa fearfully, "if he knew of my perfidy his rage would be beyond

naming. Even though I am a princess Ludon might demand that I be sacrificed to appease the wrath of

"But they need never know," cried Panatlee, "that you have seen him unless you tell them yourself for as

"But why do you seek to escape then from the hands of mortals if you are a god?" she asked.

"When gods mingle with mortals," replied Tarzan, "they are no less vulnerable than mortals. Even

"Yes, I have seen him and spoken with him," replied the apeman. "For the duration of a moon I was with

"And" she hesitated"he" she cast her eyes toward the ground and a flush mantled her cheek"he

"Yes," he said, "Taden speaks only of Oloa and he waits and hopes for the day when he can claim her."

"Ah, but this unhappiness will come, and for all the tomorrows of my life I must pine in misery for the

"But for Ludon I might have helped you," said the apeman. "And who knows that I may not help you yet?"

"Ah, if you only could, DorulOtho," cried the girl, "and I know that you would if it were possible for

"Only JadbenOtho knows what the future may bring," said Tarzan. "And now you two go your way lest

"We will go," said Oloa, "but Panatlee will return with food. I hope that you escape and that

JadbenOtho is pleased with what I have done." She turned and walked away and Panatlee followed

At dusk Panatlee came with food and having her alone Tarzan put the question that he had been anxious to

"Tell me," he said, "what you know of the rumors of which Oloa spoke of the mysterious stranger which is

supposed to be hidden in Alur. Have you too heard of this during the short time that you have been here?"

"Yes," said Panatlee, "I have heard it spoken of among the other slaves. It is something of which all

whisper among themselves but of which none dares to speak aloud. They say that there is a strange she

hidden in the temple and that Ludon wants her for a priestess and that Kotan wants her for a wife and that

"No," said Panatlee. "How should I know? I do not even know that it is more than a story and I but tell you

"No, they speak of another who came with her but none seems to know what became of this one."

Tarzan nodded. "Thank you Panatlee," he said. "You may have helped me more than either of us guess."

"I hope that I have helped you," said the girl as she turned back toward the palace.

WHEN night had fallen Tarzan donned the mask and the dead tail of the priest he had slain in the vaults

beneath the temple. He judged that it would not do to attempt again to pass the guard, especially so late at

night as it would be likely to arouse comment and suspicion, and so he swung into the tree that overhung the

Avoiding too grave risk of apprehension the apeman passed through the grounds to the court of the palace,

approaching the temple from the side opposite to that at which he had left it at the time of his escape. He

came thus it is true through a portion of the grounds with which he was unfamiliar but he preferred this to the

danger of following the beaten track between the palace apartments and those of the temple. Having a

definite goal in mind and endowed as he was with an almost miraculous sense of location he moved with

Taking advantage of the denser shadows close to the walls and of what shrubs and trees there were he came

without mishap at last to the ornate building concerning the purpose of which he had asked Ludon only to

be put off with the assertion that it was forgottennothing strange in itself but given possible importance by

the apparent hesitancy of the priest to discuss its use and the impression the apeman had gained at the time

And now he stood at last alone before the structure which was three stories in height and detached from all

the other temple buildings. It had a single barred entrance which was carved from the living rock in

representation of the head of a gryf, whose wideopen mouth constituted the doorway. The head, hood, and

front paws of the creature were depicted as though it lay crouching with its lower jaw on the ground between

its outspread paws. Small oval windows, which were likewise barred, flanked the doorway.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Tarzan stepped into the darkened entrance where he tried the bars only to

discover that they were ingeniously locked in place by some device with which he was unfamiliar and that

they also were probably too strong to be broken even if he could have risked the noise which would have

resulted. Nothing was visible within the darkened interior and so, momentarily baffled, he sought the

windows. Here also the bars refused to yield up their secret, but again Tarzan was not dismayed since he had

If the bars would not yield to his cunning they would yield to his giant strength if there proved no other

means of ingress, but first he would assure himself that this latter was the case. Moving entirely around the

building he examined it carefully. There were other windows but they were similarly barred. He stopped

often to look and listen but he saw no one and the sounds that he heard were too far away to cause him any

He glanced above him at the wall of the building. Like so many of the other walls of the city, palace, and

temple, it was ornately carved and there were too the peculiar ledges that ran sometimes in a horizontal plane

and again were tilted at an angle, giving ofttimes an impression of irregularity and even crookedness to the

buildings. It was not a difficult wall to climb, at least not difficult for the apeman.

But he found the bulky and awkward headdress a considerable handicap and so he laid it aside upon the

ground at the foot of the wall. Nimbly he ascended to find the windows of the second floor not only barred

but curtained within. He did not delay long at the second floor since he had in mind an idea that he would

find the easiest entrance through the roof which he had noticed was roughly dome shaped like the throneroom

of Kotan. Here there were apertures. He had seen them from the ground, and if the construction of the

interior resembled even slightly that of the throneroom, bars would not be necessary upon these apertures,

There was but a single question: would they be large enough to admit the broad shoulders of the apeman.

He paused again at the third floor, and here, in spite of the hangings, he saw that the interior was lighted and

simultaneously there came to his nostrils from within a scent that stripped from him temporarily any remnant

of civilization that might have remained and left him a fierce and terrible bull of the jungles of Kerchak. So

sudden and complete was the metamorphosis that there almost broke from the savage lips the hideous

And now he heard voices withinthe voice of Ludon he could have sworn, demanding. And haughty and

disdainful came the answering words though utter hopelessness spoke in the tones of this other voice which

The dome with its possible apertures was forgotten. Every consideration of stealth and quiet was cast aside as

the apeman drew back his mighty fist and struck a single terrific blow upon the bars of the small window

before him, a blow that sent the bars and the casing that held them clattering to the floor of the apartment

Instantly Tarzan dove headforemost through the aperture carrying the hangings of antelope hide with him to

the floor below. Leaping to his feet he tore the entangling pelt from about his head only to find himself in

utter darkness and in silence. He called aloud a name that had not passed his lips for many weary months.

Again and again he called, groping with outstretched hands through the Stygian blackness of the room, his

nostrils assailed and his brain tantalized by the delicate effluvia that had first assured him that his mate had

been within this very room. And he had heard her dear voice combatting the base demands of the vile priest.

Ah, if he had but acted with greater caution! If he had but continued to move with quiet and stealth he might

even at this moment be holding her in his arms while the body of Ludon, beneath his foot, spoke eloquently

He stumbled blindly forward, groping for he knew not what till suddenly the floor beneath him tilted and he

shot downward into a darkness even more utter than that above. He felt his body strike a smooth surface and

he realized that he was hurtling downward as through a polished chute while from above there came the

mocking tones of a taunting laugh and the voice of Ludon screamed after him: "Return to thy father, O

The apeman came to a sudden and painful stop upon a rocky floor. Directly before him was an oval window

crossed by many bars, and beyond he saw the moonlight playing on the waters of the blue lake below.

Simultaneously he was conscious of a familiar odor in the air of the chamber, which a quick glance revealed

It was the faint, but unmistakable odor of the gryf, and now Tarzan stood silently listening. At first he

detected no sounds other than those of the city that came to him through the window overlooking the lake;

but presently, faintly, as though from a distance he heard the shuffling of padded feet along a stone pavement,

Nearer and nearer it came, and now even the breathing of the beast was audible. Evidently attracted by the

noise of his descent into its cavernous retreat it was approaching to investigate. He could not see it but he

knew that it was not far distant, and then, deafeningly there reverberated through those gloomy corridors the

Aware of the poor eyesight of the beast, and his own eyes now grown accustomed to the darkness of the

cavern, the apeman sought to elude the infuriated charge which he well knew no living creature could

withstand. Neither did he dare risk the chance of experimenting upon this strange gryf with the tactics of the

Torodon that he had found so efficacious upon that other occasion when his life and liberty had been the

stakes for which he cast. In many respects the conditions were dissimilar. Before, in broad daylight, he had

been able to approach the gryf under normal conditions in its natural state, and the gryf itself was one that he

had seen subjected to the authority of man, or at least of a manlike creature; but here he was confronted by an

imprisoned beast in the full swing of a furious charge and he had every reason to suspect that this gryf might

never have felt the restraining influence of authority, confined as it was in this gloomy pit to serve likely but

the single purpose that Tarzan had already seen so graphically portrayed in his own experience of the past

To elude the creature, then, upon the possibility of discovering some loophole of escape from his predicament

seemed to the apeman the wisest course to pursue. Too much was at stake to risk an encounter that might be

avoidedan encounter the outcome of which there was every reason to apprehend would seal the fate of the

mate that he had just found, only to lose again so harrowingly. Yet high as his disappointment and chagrin

ran, hopeless as his present estate now appeared, there tingled in the veins of the savage lord a warm glow of

thanksgiving and elation. She lived! After all these weary months of hopelessness and fear he had found her.

To the opposite side of the chamber, silently as the wraith of a disembodied soul, the swift jungle creature

moved from the path of the charging Titan that, guided solely in the semidarkness by its keen ears, bore

down upon the spot toward which Tarzan's noisy entrance into its lair had attracted it. Along the further wall

the apeman hurried. Before him now appeared the black opening of the corridor from which the beast had

emerged into the larger chamber. Without hesitation Tarzan plunged into it. Even here his eyes, long

accustomed to darkness that would have seemed total to you or to me, saw dimly the floor and the walls

within a radius of a few feetenough at least to prevent him plunging into any unguessed abyss, or dashing

The corridor was both wide and lofty, which indeed it must be to accommodate the colossal proportions of

the creature whose habitat it was, and so Tarzan encountered no difficulty in moving with reasonable speed

along its winding trail. He was aware as he proceeded that the trend of the passage was downward, though

not steeply, but it seemed interminable and he wondered to what distant subterranean lair it might lead. There

was a feeling that perhaps after all he might better have remained in the larger chamber and risked all on the

chance of subduing the gryf where there was at least sufficient room and light to lend to the experiment some

slight chance of success. To be overtaken here in the narrow confines of the black corridor where he was

assured the gryf could not see him at all would spell almost certain death and now he heard the thing

approaching from behind. Its thunderous bellows fairly shook the cliff from which the cavernous chambers

were excavated. To halt and meet this monstrous incarnation of fury with a futile wheeoo! seemed to Tarzan

the height of insanity and so he continued along the corridor, increasing his pace as he realized that the gryf

Presently the darkness lessened and at the final turning of the passage he saw before him an area of

moonlight. With renewed hope he sprang rapidly forward and emerged from the mouth of the corridor to find

himself in a large circular enclosure the towering white walls of which rose high upon every sidesmooth

perpendicular walls upon the sheer face of which was no slightest foothold. To his left lay a pool of water,

one side of which lapped the foot of the wall at this point. It was, doubtless, the wallow and the drinking pool

And now the creature emerged from the corridor and Tarzan retreated to the edge of the pool to make his last

stand. There was no staff with which to enforce the authority of his voice, but yet he made his stand for there

seemed naught else to do. Just beyond the entrance to the corridor the gryf paused, turning its weak eyes in

all directions as though searching for its prey. This then seemed the psychological moment for his attempt

and raising his voice in peremptory command the apeman voiced the weird wheeoo! of the Torodon. Its

effect upon the gryf was instantaneous and completewith a terrific bellow it lowered its three horns and

To right nor to left was any avenue of escape, for behind him lay the placid waters of the pool, while down

upon him from before thundered annihilation. The mighty body seemed already to tower above him as the

Dead in her breast lay hope. Battling for life during harrowing months of imprisonment and danger and

hardship it had fitfully flickered and flamed only to sink after each renewal to smaller proportions than before

and now it had died out entirely leaving only cold, charred embers that Jane Clayton knew would never again

be rekindled. Hope was dead as she faced Ludon, the high priest, in her prison quarters in the Temple of the

Gryf at Alur. Both time and hardship had failed to leave their impress upon her physical beautythe

contours of her perfect form, the glory of her radiant loveliness had defied them, yet to these very attributes

she owed the danger which now confronted her, for Ludon desired her. From the lesser priests she had been

safe, but from Ludon, she was not safe, for Ludon was not as they, since the high priestship of Paluldon

Kotan, the king, had wanted her and all that had so far saved her from either was the fear of each for the

other, but at last Ludon had cast aside discretion and had come in the silent watches of the night to claim

her. Haughtily had she repulsed him, seeking ever to gain time, though what time might bring her of relief or

renewed hope she could not even remotely conjecture. A leer of lust and greed shone hungrily upon his cruel

countenance as he advanced across the room to seize her. She did not shrink nor cower, but stood there very

erect, her chin up, her level gaze freighted with the loathing and contempt she felt for him. He read her

expression and while it angered him, it but increased his desire for possession. Here indeed was a queen,

"You shall not!" she said as he would have touched her. "One of us shall die before ever your purpose is

He was close beside her now. His laugh grated upon her ears. "Love does not kill," he replied mockingly.

He reached for her arm and at the same instant something clashed against the bars of one of the windows,

crashing them inward to the floor, to be followed almost simultaneously by a human figure which dove

headforemost into the room, its head enveloped in the skin window hangings which it carried with it in its

Jane Clayton saw surprise and something of terror too leap to the countenance of the high priest and then she

saw him spring forward and jerk upon a leather thong that depended from the ceiling of the apartment.

Instantly there dropped from above a cunningly contrived partition that fell between them and the intruder,

effectively barring him from them and at the same time leaving him to grope upon its opposite side in

darkness, since the only cresset the room contained was upon their side of the partition.

Faintly from beyond the wall Jane heard a voice calling, but whose it was and what the words she could not

distinguish. Then she saw Ludon jerk upon another thong and wait in evident expectancy of some

consequent happening. He did not have long to wait. She saw the thong move suddenly as though jerked from

above and then Ludon smiled and with another signal put in motion whatever machinery it was that raised

Advancing into that portion of the room that the partition had shut off from them, the high priest knelt upon

the floor, and down tilting a section of it, revealed the dark mouth of a shaft leading below. Laughing loudly

Making fast the catch that prevented the trapdoor from opening beneath the feet of the unwary until such time

Jane Clayton turned to follow the direction of Ludon's eyes and there she saw framed in the entranceway

to the apartment the mighty figure of a warrior, upon whose massive features sat an expression of stern and

"I come from Kotan, the king," replied Jadon, "to remove the beautiful stranger to the Forbidden Garden."

"It is the king's commandI have spoken," snapped Jadon, in whose manner was no sign of either fear or

Ludon well knew why the king had chosen this messenger whose heresy was notorious, but whose power

had as yet protected him from the machinations of the priest. Ludon cast a surreptitious glance at the thongs

hanging from the ceiling. Why not? If he could but maneuver to entice Jadon to the opposite side of the

"Come," he said in a conciliatory tone, "let us discuss the matter," and moved toward the spot where he

"There is nothing to discuss," replied Jadon, yet he followed the priest, fearing treachery.

Jane watched them. In the face and figure of the warrior she found reflected those admirable traits of courage

and honor that the profession of arms best develops. In the hypocritical priest there was no redeeming quality.

Of the two then she might best choose the warrior. With him there was a chancewith Ludon, none. Even

the very process of exchange from one prison to another might offer some possibility of escape. She weighed

all these things and decided, for Ludon's quick glance at the thongs had not gone unnoticed nor uninterpreted

"Warrior," she said, addressing Jadon, "if you would live enter not that portion of the room."

The woman pointed to the thongs. "Look," she said, and before the high priest could prevent she had seized

that which controlled the partition which shot downward separating Ludon from the warrior and herself.

Jadon looked inquiringly at her. "He would have tricked me neatly but for you," he said; "kept me

"He would have done more than that," replied Jane, as she pulled upon the other thong. "This releases the

fastenings of a trapdoor in the floor beyond the partition. When you stepped on that you would have been

precipitated into a pit beneath the temple. Ludon has threatened me with this fate often. I do not know that

he speaks the truth, but he says that a demon of the temple is imprisoned therea huge gryf."

"There is a gryf within the temple," said Jadon. "What with it and the sacrifices, the priests keep us busy

supplying them with prisoners, though the victims are sometimes those for whom Ludon has conceived

hatred among our own people. He has had his eyes upon me for a long time. This would have been his chance

but for you. Tell me, woman, why you warned me. Are we not all equally your jailers and your enemies?"

"None could be more horrible than Ludon," she replied; "and you have the appearance of a brave and

honorable warrior. I could not hope, for hope has died and yet there is the possibility that among so many

fighting men, even though they be of another race than mine, there is one who would accord honorable

Jadon looked at her for a long minute. "Kgtan would make you his queen," he said. "That he told me

himself and surely that were honorable treatment from one who might make you a slave."

Jadon came closer as though in fear his words might be overheard. "He believes, although he did not tell me

so in fact, that you are of the race of gods. And why not? JadbenOtho is tailless, therefore it is not strange

that Kotan should suspect that only the gods are thus. His queen is dead leaving only a single daughter. He

craves a son and what more desirable than that he should found a line of rulers for Paluldon descended

"But I am already wed," cried Jane. "I cannot wed another. I do not want him or his throne."

"Kotan is king," replied Jadon simply as though that explained and simplified everything.

"If you were in Jalur," he replied, "I might protect you, even against the king."

"It is the city where I rule," he answered. "I am chief there and of all the valley beyond."

"No," he replied, smiling, "it is not far, but do not think of thatyou could never reach it. There are too

many to pursue and capture you. If you wish to know, however, it lies up the river that empties into

Jadbenlul whose waters kiss the walls of Alurup the western fork it lies with water upon three sides.

Impregnable city of Paluldonalone of all the cities it has never been entered by a foeman since it was

Ah, dead Hope; upon what slender provocation would you seek to glow again! She sighed and shook her

head, realizing the inutility of Hopeyet the tempting bait dangled before her mind's eyeJalur!

"You are wise," commented Jadon interpreting her sigh. "Come now, we will go to the quarters of the

princess beside the Forbidden Garden. There you will remain with Oloa, the king's daughter. It will be

"There are ceremonies," explained Jadon, "that may occupy several days before you become queen, and one

"Only the high priest may perform the marriage ceremony for a king," he explained.

"Delay!" she murmured; "blessed delay!" Tenacious indeed of life is Hope even though it be reduced to cold

AS THEY conversed Jadon had led her down the stone stairway that leads from the upper floors of the

Temple of the Gryf to the chambers and the corridors that honeycomb the rocky hills from which the temple

and the palace are hewn and now they passed from one to the other through a doorway upon one side of

which two priests stood guard and upon the other two warriors. The former would have halted Jadon when

they saw who it was that accompanied him for well known throughout the temple was the quarrel between

"Only by order of Ludon may she pass," said one, placing himself directly in front of Jane Clayton, barring

her progress. Through the hollow eyes of the hideous mask the woman could see those of the priest beneath

gleaming with the fires of fanaticism. Jadon placed an arm about her shoulders and laid his hand upon his

"She passes by order of Kotan, the king," he said, "and by virtue of the fact that Jadon, the chief, is her

The two warriors upon the palace side pressed forward. "We are here, gund of Jalur," said one, addressing

The second priest now interposed. "Let them pass," he admonished his companion. "We have received no

direct commands from Ludon to the contrary and it is a law of the temple and the palace that chiefs and

"Then let them pass, for they are three to two and will pass anywaywe have done our best."

Grumbling, the priest stepped aside. "Ludon will exact an accounting," he cried angrily.

They came at last to the quarters of the Princess Oloa where, in the main entranceway, loitered a small

guard of palace warriors and several stalwart black eunuchs belonging to the princess, or her women. To one

Through a number of corridors and apartments lighted by stone cressets the eunuch led Lady Greystoke

halting at last before a doorway concealed by hangings of jato skin, where the guide beat with his staff upon

"Oloa, Princess of Paluldon," he called, "here is the stranger woman, the prisoner from the temple."

The eunuch drew aside the hangings and Lady Greystoke stepped within. Before her was a lowceiled room

of moderate size. In each of the four corners a kneeling figure of stone seemed to be bearing its portion of the

weight of the ceiling upon its shoulders. These figures were evidently intended to represent Wazdon slaves

and were not without bold artistic beauty. The ceiling itself was slightly arched to a central dome which was

pierced to admit light by day, and air. Upon one side of the room were many windows, the other three walls

being blank except for a doorway in each. The princess lay upon a pile of furs which were arranged over a

low stone dais in one corner of the apartment and was alone except for a single Wazdon slave girl who sat

As Jane entered Oloa beckoned her to approach and when she stood beside the couch the girl half rose

"That is indeed a compliment," she replied quickly, "from one so radiant as the Princess Oloa."

"Ah!" exclaimed the princess delightedly; "you speak my language! I was told that you were of another race

"Ludon saw to it that the priests instructed me," explained Jane; "but I am from a far country, Princess; one

"But Kotan, my father, would make you his queen," cried the girl; "that should make you very happy."

"But it does not," replied the prisoner; "I love another to whom I am already wed. Ah, Princess, if you had

known what it was to love and to be forced into marriage with another you would sympathize with me."

The Princess Oloa was silent for a long moment. "I know," she said at last, "and I am very sorry for you;

but if the king's daughter cannot save herself from such a fate who may save a slave woman? for such in fact

The drinking in the great banquet hall of the palace of Kotan, king of Paluldon had commenced earlier

this night than was usual, for the king was celebrating the morrow's betrothal of his only daughter to Bulot,

son of Mosar, the chief, whose greatgrandfather had been king of Paluldon and who thought that he

should be king, and Mosar was drunk and so was Bulot, his son. For that matter nearly all of the warriors,

including the king himself, were drunk. In the heart of Kotan was no love either for Mosar, or Bulot, nor

did either of these love the king. Kotan was giving his daughter to Bulot in the hope that the alliance

would prevent Mosar from insisting upon his claims to the throne, for, next to Jadon, Mosar was the most

powerful of the chiefs and while Kotan looked with fear upon Jadon, too, he had no fear that the old

Lionman would attempt to seize the throne, though which way he would throw his influence and his

warriors in the event that Mosar declare war upon Kotan, the king could not guess.

Primitive people who are also warlike are seldom inclined toward either tact or diplomacy even when sober;

but drunk they know not the words, if aroused. It was really Bulot who started it.

"This," he said, "I drink to Oloa," and he emptied his tankard at a single gulp. "And this," seizing a full one

from a neighbor, "to her son and mine who will bring back the throne of Paluldon to its rightful owners!"

"The king is not yet dead!" cried Kotan, rising to his feet; "nor is Bulot yet married to his daughterand

The king's angry tone and his insulting reference to Bulot's wellknown cowardice brought a sudden,

sobering silence upon the roistering company. Every eye turned upon Bulot and Mosar, who sat together

directly opposite the king. The first was very drunk though suddenly he seemed quite sober. He was so drunk

that for an instant he forgot to be a coward, since his reasoning powers were so effectually paralyzed by the

fumes of liquor that he could not intelligently weigh the consequences of his acts. It is reasonably

conceivable that a drunk and angry rabbit might commit a rash deed. Upon no other hypothesis is the thing

that Bulot now did explicable. He rose suddenly from the seat to which he had sunk after delivering his toast

and seizing the knife from the sheath of the warrior upon his right hurled it with terrific force at Kotan.

Skilled in the art of throwing both their knives and their clubs are the warriors of Paluldon and at this short

distance and coming as it did without warning there was no defense and but one possible resultKotan, the

A brief silence followed the assassin's cowardly act. White with terror, now, Bulot fell slowly back toward

the doorway at his rear, when suddenly angry warriors leaped with drawn knives to prevent his escape and to

"Kotan is dead!" he cried. "Mosar is king! Let the loyal warriors of Paluldon protect their ruler!"

Mosar commanded a goodly following and these quickly surrounded him and Bulot, but there were many

knives against them and now Jadon pressed forward through those who confronted the pretender.

"Take them both!" he shouted. "The warriors of Paluldon will choose their own king after the assassin of

Directed now by a leader whom they both respected and admired those who had been loyal to Kotan rushed

forward upon the faction that had surrounded Mosar. Fierce and terrible was the fighting, devoid,

apparently, of all else than the ferocious lust to kill and while it was at its height Mosar and Bulot slipped

To that part of the palace assigned to them during their visit to Alur they hastened. Here were their servants

and the lesser warriors of their party who had not been bidden to the feast of Kotan. These were directed

quickly to gather together their belongings for immediate departure. When all was ready, and it did not take

long, since the warriors of Paluldon require but little impedimenta on the march, they moved toward the

Suddenly Mosar approached his son. "The princess," he whispered. "We must not leave the city without

Bulot, now entirely sober, demurred. He had had enough of fighting and of risk. "Let us get out of Alur

quickly," he urged, "or we shall have the whole city upon us. She would not come without a struggle and that

"There is plenty of time," insisted Mosar. "They are still fighting in the paledonso. It will be long before

they miss us and, with Kotan dead, long before any will think to look to the safety of the princess. Our time

Reluctantly Bulot followed his father, who first instructed the warriors to await them just inside the gateway

of the palace. Rapidly the two approached the quarters of the princess. Within the entranceway only a

"There is fighting in the paledonso," Mosar announced in feigned excitement as they entered the

presence of the guards. "The king desires you to come at once and has sent us to guard the apartments of the

The warriors knew him and that on the morrow the princess was to be betrothed to Bulot, his son. If there

was trouble what more natural than that Mosar and Bulot should be intrusted with the safety of the

princess. And then, too, was not Mosar a powerful chief to whose orders disobedience might prove a

dangerous thing? They were but common fighting men disciplined in the rough school of tribal warfare, but

they had learned to obey a superior and so they departed for the banquet hallthe placewheremeneat.

Barely waiting until they had disappeared Mosar crossed to the hangings at the opposite end of the

entrancehall and followed by Bulot made his way toward the sleeping apartment of Oloa and a moment

later, without warning, the two men burst in upon the three occupants of the room. At sight of them Oloa

Mosar advanced and halted before her. Into his cunning mind had entered a plan to trick her. If it succeeded

it would prove easier than taking her by force, and then his eyes fell upon Jane Clayton and he almost gasped

in astonishment and admiration, but he caught himself and returned to the business of the moment.

"Oloa," he cried, "when you know the urgency of our mission you will forgive us. We have sad news for

you. There has been an uprising in the palace and Kotan, the king, has been slain. The rebels are drunk with

liquor and now on their way here. We must get you out of Alur at oncethere is not a moment to lose.

"My father dead?" cried Oloa, and suddenly her eyes went wide. "Then my place is here with my people,"

she cried. "If Kotan is dead I am queen until the warriors choose a new rulerthat is the law of

Paluldon. And if I am queen none can make me wed whom I do not wish to wedand JadbenOtho

knows I never wished to wed thy cowardly son. Go!" She pointed a slim forefinger imperiously toward the

Mosar saw that neither trickery nor persuasion would avail now and every precious minute counted. He

looked again at the beautiful woman who stood beside Oloa. He had never before seen her but he well

knew from palace gossip that she could be no other than the godlike stranger whom Kotan had planned to

"Bulot," he cried to his son, "take you your own woman and I will takemine!" and with that he sprang

suddenly forward and seizing Jane about the waist lifted her in his arms, so that before Oloa or Panatlee

might even guess his purpose he had disappeared through the hangings near the foot of the dais and was gone

And then Bulot sought to seize Oloa, but Oloa had her Panatleefierce little tigergirl of the

savage KoruljaPanatlee whose name belied herand Bulot found that with the two of them his

hands were full. When he would have lifted Oloa and borne her away Panatlee seized him around the

legs and strove to drag him down. Viciously he kicked her, but she would not desist, and finally, realizing

that he might not only lose his princess but be so delayed as to invite capture if he did not rid himself of this

clawing, scratching shejato, he hurled Oloa to the floor and seizing Panatlee by the hair drew his knife

The curtains behind him suddenly parted. In two swift bounds a lithe figure crossed the room and before ever

the knife of Bulot reached its goal his wrist was seized from behind and a terrific blow crashing to the base

of his brain dropped him, lifeless, to the floor. Bulot, coward, traitor, and assassin, died without knowing

As Tarzan of the Apes leaped into the pool in the gryf pit of the temple at Alur one might have accounted

for his act on the hypothesis that it was the last blind urge of selfpreservation to delay, even for a moment,

the inevitable tragedy in which each some day must play the leading role upon his little stage; but nothose

cool, gray eyes had caught the sole possibility for escape that the surroundings and the circumstances

offereda tiny, moonlit patch of water glimmering through a small aperture in the cliff at the surface of the

pool upon its farther side. With swift, bold strokes he swam for speed alone knowing that the water would in

no way deter his pursuer. Nor did it. Tarzan heard the great splash as the huge creature plunged into the pool

behind him; he heard the churning waters as it forged rapidly onward in his wake. He was nearing the

openingwould it be large enough to permit the passage of his body? That portion of it which showed above

the surface of the water most certainly would not. His life, then, depended upon how much of the aperture

was submerged. And now it was directly before him and the gryf directly behind. There was no

alternativethere was no other hope. The apeman threw all the resources of his great strength into the last

few strokes, extended his hands before him as a cutwater, submerged to the water's level and shot forward

Frothing with rage was the baffled Ludon as he realized how neatly the stranger she had turned his own

tables upon him. He could of course escape the Temple of the Gryf in which her quick wit had temporarily

imprisoned him; but during the delay, however brief, Jadon would find time to steal her from the temple and

deliver her to Kotan. But he would have her yetthat the high priest swore in the names of JadbenOtho

and all the demons of his faith. He hated Kotan. Secretly he had espoused the cause of Mosar, in whom he

would have a willing tool. Perhaps, then, this would give him the opportunity he had long awaiteda pretext

for inciting the revolt that would dethrone Kotan and place Mosar in powerwith Ludon the real ruler of

Paluldon. He licked his thin lips as he sought the window through which Tarzan had entered and now

Ludon's only avenue of escape. Cautiously he made his way across the floor, feeling before him with his

hands, and when they discovered that the trap was set for him an ugly snarl broke from the priest's lips. "The

shedevil!" he muttered; "but she shall pay, she shall payah, JadbenOtho; how she shall pay for the

He crawled through the window and climbed easily downward to the ground. Should he pursue Jadon and

the woman, chancing an encounter with the fierce chief, or bide his time until treachery and intrigue should

accomplish his design? He chose the latter solution, as might have been expected of such as he.

Going to his quarters he summoned several of his prieststhose who were most in his confidence and who

shared his ambitions for absolute power of the temple over the palaceall men who hated Kotan.

"The time has come," he told them, "when the authority of the temple must be placed definitely above that of

the palace. Kotan must make way for Mosar, for Kotan has defied your high priest. Go then, Pansat, and

summon Mosar secretly to the temple, and you others go to the city and prepare the faithful warriors that

For another hour they discussed the details of the coup d'etat that was to overthrow the government of

Paluldon. One knew a slave who, as the signal sounded from the temple gong, would thrust a knife into the

heart of Kotan, for the price of liberty. Another held personal knowledge of an officer of the palace that he

could use to compel the latter to admit a number of Ludon's warriors to various parts of the palace. With

Mosar as the cat's paw, the plan seemed scarce possible of failure and so they separated, going upon their

As Pansat entered the palace grounds he was aware of a sudden commotion in the direction of the

paledonso and a few minutes later Ludon was surprised to see him return to the apartments of the high

"O master, our time has come and gone while we sat here planning. Kotan is already dead and Mosar fled.

His friends are fighting with the warriors of the palace but they have no head, while Jadon leads the others. I

could learn but little from frightened slaves who had fled at the outburst of the quarrel. One told me that

Bulot had slain the king and that he had seen Mosar and the assassin hurrying from the palace."

"Jadon," muttered the high priest. "The fools will make him king if we do not act and act quickly. Get into

the city, Pansatlet your feet fly and raise the cry that Jadon has killed the king and is seeking to wrest

the throne from Oloa. Spread the word as you know best how to spread it that Jadon has threatened to

destroy the priests and hurl the altars of the temple into Jadbenlul. Rouse the warriors of the city and urge

them to attack at once. Lead them into the temple by the secret way that only the priests know and from here

we may spew them out upon the palace before they learn the truth. Go, Pansat, immediatelydelay not an

"But stay," he called as the under priest turned to leave the apartment; "saw or heard you anything of the

strange white woman that Jadon stole from the Temple of the Gryf where we have had her imprisoned?"

"Only that Jadon took her into the palace where he threatened the priests with violence if they did not permit

him to pass," replied Pansat. "This they told me, but where within the palace she is hidden I know not."

"Kotan ordered her to the Forbidden Garden," said Ludon, "doubtless we shall find her there. And now,

In a corridor by Ludon's chamber a hideously masked priest leaned close to the curtained aperture that led

within. Were he listening he must have heard all that passed between Pansat and the high priest, and that he

had listened was evidenced by his hasty withdrawal to the shadows of a nearby passage as the lesser priest

moved across the chamber toward the doorway. Pansat went his way in ignorance of the near presence that

he almost brushed against as he hurried toward the secret passage that leads from the temple of

JadbenOtho, far beneath the palace, to the city beyond, nor did he sense the silent creature following in his

IT WAS a baffled gryf that bellowed in angry rage as Tarzan's sleek brown body cutting the moonlit waters

shot through the aperture in the wall of the gryf pool and out into the lake beyond. The apeman smiled as he

thought of the comparative ease with which he had defeated the purpose of the high priest but his face

clouded again at the ensuing remembrance of the grave danger that threatened his mate. His sole object now

must be to return as quickly as he might to the chamber where he had last seen her on the third floor of the

Temple of the Gryf, but how he was to find his way again into the temple grounds was a question not easy of

In the moonlight he could see the sheer cliff rising from the water for a great distance along the shorefar

beyond the precincts of the temple and the palacetowering high above him, a seemingly impregnable

barrier against his return. Swimming close in, he skirted the wall searching diligently for some foothold,

however slight, upon its smooth, forbidding surface. Above him and quite out of reach were numerous

apertures, but there were no means at hand by which he could reach them. Presently, however, his hopes were

raised by the sight of an opening level with the surface of the water. It lay just ahead and a few strokes

brought him to itcautious strokes that brought forth no sound from the yielding waters. At the nearer side

of the opening he stopped and reconnoitered. There was no one in sight. Carefully he raised his body to the

threshold of the entranceway, his smooth brown hide glistening in the moonlight as it shed the water in tiny

Before him stretched a gloomy corridor, unlighted save for the faint illumination of the diffused moonlight

that penetrated it for but a short distance from the opening. Moving as rapidly as reasonable caution

warranted, Tarzan followed the corridor into the bowels of the cave. There was an abrupt turn and then a

flight of steps at the top of which lay another corridor running parallel with the face of the cliff. This passage

was dimly lighted by flickering cressets set in niches in the walls at considerable distances apart. A quick

survey showed the apeman numerous openings upon each side of the corridor and his quick ears caught

sounds that indicated that there were other beings not far distantpriests, he concluded, in some of the

To pass undetected through this hive of enemies appeared quite beyond the range of possibility. He must

again seek disguise and knowing from experience how best to secure such he crept stealthily along the

corridor toward the nearest doorway. Like Numa, the lion, stalking a wary prey he crept with quivering

nostrils to the hangings that shut off his view from the interior of the apartment beyond. A moment later his

head disappeared within; then his shoulders, and his lithe body, and the hangings dropped quietly into place

again. A moment later there filtered to the vacant corridor without a brief, gasping gurgle and again silence.

A minute passed; a second, and a third, and then the hangings were thrust aside and a grimly masked priest of

With bold steps he moved along and was about to turn into a diverging gallery when his attention was

aroused by voices coming from a room upon his left. Instantly the figure halted and crossing the corridor

stood with an ear close to the skins that concealed the occupants of the room from him, and him from them.

Presently he leaped back into the concealing shadows of the diverging gallery and immediately thereafter the

hangings by which he had been listening parted and a priest emerged to turn quickly down the main corridor.

The eavesdropper waited until the other had gained a little distance and then stepping from his place of

The way led along the corridor which ran parallel with the face of the cliff for some little distance and then

Pansat, taking a cresset from one of the wall niches, turned abruptly into a small apartment at his left. The

tracker followed cautiously in time to see the rays of the flickering light dimly visible from an aperture in the

floor before him. Here he found a series of steps, similar to those used by the Wazdon in scaling the cliff to

First satisfying himself that his guide was continuing upon his way unsuspecting, the other descended after

him and continued his stealthy stalking. The passageway was now both narrow and low, giving but bare

headroom to a tall man, and it was broken often by flights of steps leading always downward. The steps in

each unit seldom numbered more than six and sometimes there was only one or two but in the aggregate the

tracker imagined that they had descended between fifty and seventyfive feet from the level of the upper

corridor when the passageway terminated in a small apartment at one side of which was a little pile of rubble.

Setting his cresset upon the ground, Pansat commenced hurriedly to toss the bits of broken stone aside,

presently revealing a small aperture at the base of the wall upon the opposite side of which there appeared to

be a further accumulation of rubble. This he also removed until he had a hole of sufficient size to permit the

passage of his body, and leaving the cresset still burning upon the floor the priest crawled through the

opening he had made and disappeared from the sight of the watcher hiding in the shadows of the narrow

No sooner, however, was he safely gone than the other followed, finding himself, after passing through the

hole, on a little ledge about halfway between the surface of the lake and the top of the cliff above. The ledge

inclined steeply upward, ending at the rear of a building which stood upon the edge of the cliff and which the

As the latter turned a nearby corner the other emerged from the doorway and quickly surveyed his

surroundings. He was satisfied the priest who had led him hither had served his purpose in so far as the

tracker was concerned. Above him, and perhaps a hundred yards away, the white walls of the palace gleamed

against the northern sky. The time that it had taken him to acquire definite knowledge concerning the secret

passageway between the temple and the city he did not count as lost, though he begrudged every instant that

kept him from the prosecution of his main objective. It had seemed to him, however, necessary to the success

of a bold plan that he had formulated upon overhearing the conversation between Ludon and Pansat as he

Alone against a nation of suspicious and halfsavage enemies he could scarce hope for a successful outcome

to the one great issue upon which hung the life and happiness of the creature he loved best. For her sake he

must win allies and it was for this purpose that he had sacrificed these precious moments, but now he lost no

further time in seeking to regain entrance to the palace grounds that he might search out whatever new prison

He found no difficulty in passing the guards at the entrance to the palace for, as he had guessed, his priestly

disguise disarmed all suspicion. As he approached the warriors he kept his hands behind him and trusted to

fate that the sickly light of the single torch which stood beside the doorway would not reveal his

unPaluldonian feet. As a matter of fact so accustomed were they to the comings and goings of the

priesthood that they paid scant attention to him and he passed on into the palace grounds without even a

His goal now was the Forbidden Garden and this he had little difficulty in reaching though he elected to enter

it over the wall rather than to chance arousing any suspicion on the part of the guards at the inner entrance,

since he could imagine no reason why a priest should seek entrance there thus late at night.

He found the garden deserted, nor any sign of her he sought. That she had been brought hither he had learned

from the conversation he had overheard between Ludon and Pansat, and he was sure that there had been no

time or opportunity for the high priest to remove her from the palace grounds. The garden he knew to be

devoted exclusively to the uses of the princess and her women and it was only reasonable to assume therefore

that if Jane had been brought to the garden it could only have been upon an order from Kotan. This being

the case the natural assumption would follow that he would find her in some other portion of Oloa's

Just where these lay he could only conjecture, but it seemed reasonable to believe that they must be adjacent

to the garden, so once more he scaled the wall and passing around its end directed his steps toward an

entranceway which he judged must lead to that portion of the palace nearest the Forbidden Garden.

To his surprise he found the place unguarded and then there fell upon his ear from an interior apartment the

sound of voices raised in anger and excitement. Guided by the sound he quickly traversed several corridors

and chambers until he stood before the hangings which separated him from the chamber from which issued

the sounds of altercation. Raising the skins slightly he looked within. There were two women battling with a

Hodon warrior. One was the daughter of Kotan and the other Panatlee, the Korulja.

At the moment that Tarzan lifted the hangings, the warrior threw Oloa viciously to the ground and seizing

Panatlee by the hair drew his knife and raised it above her head. Casting the encumbering headdress of the

dead priest from his shoulders the apeman leaped across the intervening space and seizing the brute from

As the man fell forward dead, the two women recognized Tarzan simultaneously. Panatlee fell upon her

knees and would have bowed her head upon his feet had he not, with an impatient gesture, commanded her to

rise. He had no time to listen to their protestations of gratitude or answer the numerous questions which he

"Tell me," he cried, "where is the woman of my own race whom Jadon brought here from the temple?"

"She is but this moment gone," cried Oloa. "Mosar, the father of this thing here," and she indicated the

"That way," cried Panatlee, pointing to the doorway through which Mosar had passed. "They would have

taken the princess and the stranger woman to Tulur, Mosar's city by the Dark Lake."

"I go to find her," he said to Panatlee, "she is my mate. And if I survive I shall find means to liberate you

Before the girl could reply he had disappeared behind the hangings of the door near the foot of the dais. The

corridor through which he ran was illy lighted and like nearly all its kind in the Hodon city wound in and

out and up and down, but at last it terminated at a sudden turn which brought him into a courtyard filled with

warriors, a portion of the palace guard that had just been summoned by one of the lesser palace chiefs to join

At sight of Tarzan, who in his haste had forgotten to recover his disguising headdress, a great shout arose.

"Blasphemer!" "Defiler of the temple!" burst hoarsely from savage throats, and mingling with these were a

few who cried, "DorulOtho!" evidencing the fact that there were among them still some who clung to their

To cross the courtyard armed only with a knife, in the face of this great throng of savage fighting men seemed

even to the giant apeman a thing impossible of achievement. He must use his wits now and quickly too, for

they were closing upon him. He might have turned and fled back through the corridor but flight now even in

the face of dire necessity would but delay him in his pursuit of Mosar and his mate.

"Stop!" he cried, raising his palm against them. "I am the DorulOtho and I come to you with a word from

Jadon, who it is my father's will shall be your king now that Kotan is slain. Ludon, the high priest, has

planned to seize the palace and destroy the loyal warriors that Mosar may be made kingMosar who will

be the tool and creature of Ludon. Follow me. There is no time to lose if you would prevent the traitors

whom Ludon has organized in the city from entering the palace by a secret way and overpowering Jadon

For a moment they hesitated. At last one spoke. "What guarantee have we," he demanded, "that it is not you

who would betray us and by leading us now away from the fighting in the banquet hall cause those who fight

"My life will be your guarantee," replied Tarzan. "If you find that I have not spoken the truth you are

sufficient in numbers to execute whatever penalty you choose. But come, there is not time to lose. Already

are the lesser priests gathering their warriors in the city below," and without waiting for any further parley he

strode directly toward them in the direction of the gate upon the opposite side of the courtyard which led

Slower in wit than he, they were swept away by his greater initiative and that compelling power which is

inherent to all natural leaders. And so they followed him, the giant apeman with a dead tail dragging the

ground behind hima demigod where another would have been ridiculous. Out into the city he led them

and down toward the unpretentious building that hid Ludon's secret passageway from the city to the temple,

and as they rounded the last turn they saw before them a gathering of warriors which was being rapidly

augmented from all directions as the traitors of Alur mobilized at the call of the priesthood.

"You spoke the truth, stranger," said the chief who marched at Tarzan's side, "for there are the warriors with

"And now," replied the apeman, "that I have fulfilled my promise I will go my way after Mosar, who has

done me a great wrong. Tell Jadon that JadbenOtho is upon his side, nor do you forget to tell him also

"I will not forget," replied the chief. "Go your way. We are enough to overpower the traitors."

"It lies upon the south shore of the second lake below Alur," replied the chief, "the lake that is called

They were now approaching the band of traitors, who evidently thought that this was another contingent of

their own party since they made no effort either toward defense or retreat. Suddenly the chief raised his voice

in a savage war cry that was immediately taken up by his followers, and simultaneously, as though the cry

were a command, the entire party broke into a mad charge upon the surprised rebels.

Satisfied with the outcome of his suddenly conceived plan and sure that it would work to the disadvantage of

Ludon, Tarzan turned into a side street and pointed his steps toward the outskirts of the city in search of the

AS MOSAR carried Jane Clayton from the palace of Kotan, the king, the woman struggled incessantly to

regain her freedom. He tried to compel her to walk, but despite his threats and his abuse she would not

voluntarily take a single step in the direction in which he wished her to go. Instead she threw herself to the

ground each time he sought to place her upon her feet, and so of necessity he was compelled to carry her

though at last he tied her hands and gagged her to save himself from further lacerations, for the beauty and

slenderness of the woman belied her strength and courage. When he came at last to where his men had

gathered he was glad indeed to turn her over to a couple of stalwart warriors, but these too were forced to

carry her since Mosar's fear of the vengeance of Kotan's retainers would brook no delays.

And thus they came down out of the hills from which Alur is carved, to the meadows that skirt the lower

end of Jadbenlul, with Jane Clayton carried between two of Mosar's men. At the edge of the lake lay a

fleet of strong canoes, hollowed from the trunks of trees, their bows and sterns carved in the semblance of

grotesque beasts or birds and vividly colored by some master in that primitive school of art, which fortunately

Into the stern of one of these canoes the warriors tossed their captive at a sign from Mosar, who came and

stood beside her as the warriors were finding their places in the canoes and selecting their paddles.

"Come, Beautiful One," he said, "let us be friends and you shall not be harmed. You will find Mosar a kind

master if you do his bidding," and thinking to make a good impression on her he removed the gag from her

mouth and the thongs from her wrists, knowing well that she could not escape surrounded as she was by his

warriors, and presently, when they were out on the lake, she would be as safely imprisoned as though he held

And so the fleet moved off to the accompaniment of the gentle splashing of a hundred paddles, to follow the

windings of the rivers and lakes through which the waters of the Valley of JadbenOtho empty into the

great morass to the south. The warriors, resting upon one knee, faced the bow and in the last canoe Mosar

tiring of his fruitless attempts to win responses from his sullen captive, squatted in the bottom of the canoe

Thus they moved in silence between the verdureclad banks of the little river through which the waters of

Jadbenlul emptiednow in the moonlight, now in dense shadow where great trees overhung the stream,

and at last out upon the waters of another lake, the black shores of which seemed far away under the weird

Jane Clayton sat alert in the stern of the last canoe. For months she had been under constant surveillance, the

prisoner first of one ruthless race and now the prisoner of another. Since the longgone day that Hauptmann

Fritz Schneider and his band of native German troops had treacherously wrought the Kaiser's work of rapine

and destruction on the Greystoke bungalow and carried her away to captivity she had not drawn a free breath.

That she had survived unharmed the countless dangers through which she had passed she attributed solely to

At first she had been held on the orders of the German High Command with a view of her ultimate value as a

hostage and during these months she had been subjected to neither hardship nor oppression, but when the

Germans had become hard pressed toward the close of their unsuccessful campaign in East Africa it had been

determined to take her further into the interior and now there was an element of revenge in their motives,

since it must have been apparent that she could no longer be of any possible military value.

Bitter indeed were the Germans against that halfsavage mate of hers who had cunningly annoyed and

harassed them with a fiendishness of persistence and ingenuity that had resulted in a noticeable loss in morale

in the sector he had chosen for his operations. They had to charge against him the lives of certain officers that

he had deliberately taken with his own hands, and one entire section of trench that had made possible a

disastrous turning movement by the British. Tarzan had outgeneraled them at every point. He had met

cunning with cunning and cruelty with cruelties until they feared and loathed his very name. The cunning

trick that they had played upon him in destroying his home, murdering his retainers, and covering the

abduction of his wife in such a way as to lead him to believe that she had been killed, they had regretted a

thousand times, for a thousandfold had they paid the price for their senseless ruthlessness, and now, unable to

wreak their vengeance directly upon him, they had conceived the idea of inflicting further suffering upon his

In sending her into the interior to avoid the path of the victorious British, they had chosen as her escort

Lieutenant Erich Obergatz who had been second in command of Schneider's company, and who alone of its

officers had escaped the consuming vengeance of the apeman. For a long time Obergatz had held her in a

native village, the chief of which was still under the domination of his fear of the ruthless German oppressors.

While here only hardships and discomforts assailed her, Obergatz himself being held in leash by the orders of

his distant superior but as time went on the life in the village grew to be a veritable hell of cruelties and

oppressions practiced by the arrogant Prussian upon the villagers and the members of his native

commandfor time hung heavily upon the hands of the lieutenant and with idleness combining with the

personal discomforts he was compelled to endure, his none too agreeable temper found an outlet first in petty

interference with the chiefs and later in the practice of absolute cruelties upon them.

What the selfsufficient German could not see was plain to Jane Claytonthat the sympathies of Obergatz'

native soldiers lay with the villagers and that all were so heartily sickened by his abuse that it needed now but

the slightest spark to detonate the mine of revenge and hatred that the pigheaded Hun had been assiduously

And at last it came, but from an unexpected source in the form of a German native deserter from the theater

of war. Footsore, weary, and spent, he dragged himself into the village late one afternoon, and before

Obergatz was even aware of his presence the whole village knew that the power of Germany in Africa was at

an end. It did not take long for the lieutenant's native soldiers to realize that the authority that held them in

service no longer existed and that with it had gone the power to pay them their miserable wage. Or at least, so

they reasoned. To them Obergatz no longer represented aught else than a powerless and hated foreigner, and

short indeed would have been his shrift had not a native woman who had conceived a doglike affection for

Jane Clayton hurried to her with word of the murderous plan, for the fate of the innocent white woman lay in

"Tonight," replied the woman, "for even now that he has none to fight for him they still fear the white man.

Jane thanked the woman and sent her away lest the suspicion of her fellows be aroused against her when they

discovered that the two whites had learned of their intentions. The woman went at once to the hut occupied

by Obergatz. She had never gone there before and the German looked up in surprise as he saw who his visitor

Briefly she told him what she had heard. At first he was inclined to bluster arrogantly, with a great display of

"Such talk is useless," she said shortly. "You have brought upon yourself the just hatred of these people.

Regardless of the truth or falsity of the report which has been brought to them, they believe in it and there is

nothing now between you and your Maker other than flight. We shall both be dead before morning if we are

unable to escape from the village unseen. If you go to them now with your silly protestations of authority you

"You think it is as bad as that?" he said, a noticeable alteration in his tone and manner.

"It is precisely as I have told you," she replied. "They will come tonight and kill you while you sleep. Find

me pistols and a rifle and ammunition and we will pretend that we go into the jungle to hunt. That you have

done often. Perhaps it will arouse suspicion that I accompany you but that we must chance. And be sure my

dear Herr Lieutenant to bluster and curse and abuse your servants unless they note a change in your manner

and realizing your fear know that you suspect their intention. If all goes well then we can go out into the

"But first and now you must swear never to harm me, or otherwise it would be better that I called the chief

and turned you over to him and then put a bullet into my own head, for unless you swear as I have asked I

were no better alone in the jungle with you than here at the mercies of these degraded blacks."

"I swear," he replied solemnly, "in the names of my God and my Kaiser that no harm shall befall you at my

"Very well," she said, "we will make this pact to assist each other to return to civilization, but let it be

understood that there is and never can be any semblance even of respect for you upon my part. I am drowning

If Obergatz had held any doubt as to the sincerity of her word it would have been wholly dissipated by the

scathing contempt of her tone. And so Obergatz, without further parley, got pistols and an extra rifle for Jane,

as well as bandoleers of cartridges. In his usual arrogant and disagreeable manner he called his servants,

telling them that he and the white kali were going out into the brush to hunt. The beaters would go north as

far as the little hill and then circle back to the east and in toward the village. The gun carriers he directed to

take the extra pieces and precede himself and Jane slowly toward the east, waiting for them at the ford about

half a mile distant. The blacks responded with greater alacrity than usual and it was noticeable to both Jane

"The swine think it is a great joke," growled Obergatz, "that the afternoon before I die I go out and hunt meat

As soon as the gun bearers disappeared in the jungle beyond the village the two Europeans followed along

the same trail, nor was there any attempt upon the part of Obergatz' native soldiers, or the warriors of the

chief to detain them, for they too doubtless were more than willing that the whites should bring them in one

A quarter of a mile from the village, Obergatz turned toward the south from the trail that led to the ford and

hurrying onward the two put as great a distance as possible between them and the village before night fell.

They knew from the habits of their erstwhile hosts that there was little danger of pursuit by night since the

villagers held Numa, the lion, in too great respect to venture needlessly beyond their stockade during the

And thus began a seemingly endless sequence of frightful days and horrorladen nights as the two fought

their way toward the south in the face of almost inconceivable hardships, privations, and dangers. The east

coast was nearer but Obergatz positively refused to chance throwing himself into the hands of the British by

returning to the territory which they now controlled, insisting instead upon attempting to make his way

through an unknown wilderness to South Africa where, among the Boers, he was convinced he would find

willing sympathizers who would find some way to return him in safety to Germany, and the woman was

And so they had crossed the great thorny, waterless steppe and come at last to the edge of the morass before

Paluldon. They had reached this point just before the rainy season when the waters of the morass were at

their lowest ebb. At this time a hard crust is baked upon the dried surface of the marsh and there is only the

open water at the center to materially impede progress. It is a condition that exists perhaps not more than a

few weeks, or even days at the termination of long periods of drought, and so the two crossed the otherwise

almost impassable barrier without realizing its latent terrors. Even the open water in the center chanced to be

deserted at the time by its frightful denizens which the drought and the receding waters had driven southward

toward the mouth of Paluldon's largest river which carries the waters out of the Valley of JadbenOtho.

Their wanderings carried them across the mountains and into the Valley of JadbenOtho at the source of

one of the larger streams which bears the mountain waters down into the valley to empty them into the main

river just below The Great Lake on whose northern shore lies Alur. As they had come down out of the

mountains they had been surprised by a party of Hodon hunters. Obergatz had escaped while Jane had been

taken prisoner and brought to Alur. She had neither seen nor heard aught of the German since that time and

she did not know whether he had perished in this strange land, or succeeded in successfully eluding its savage

For her part, she had been incarcerated alternately in the palace and the temple as either Kotan or Ludon

succeeded in wresting her temporarily from the other by various strokes of cunning and intrigue. And now at

last she was in the power of a new captor, one whom she knew from the gossip of the temple and the palace

to be cruel and degraded. And she was in the stern of the last canoe, and every enemy back was toward her,

while almost at her feet Mosar's loud snores gave ample evidence of his unconsciousness to his immediate

The dark shore loomed closer to the south as Jane Clayton, Lady Greystoke, slid quietly over the stern of the

canoe into the chill waters of the lake. She scarcely moved other than to keep her nostrils above the surface

while the canoe was yet discernible in the last rays of the declining moon. Then she struck out toward the

Alone, unarmed, all but naked, in a country overrun by savage beasts and hostile men, she yet felt for the first

time in many months a sensation of elation and relief. She was free! What if the next moment brought death,

she knew again, at least a brief instant of absolute freedom. Her blood tingled to the almost forgotten

sensation and it was with difficulty that she restrained a glad triumphant cry as she clambered from the quiet

Before her loomed a forest, darkly, and from its depths came those nameless sounds that are a part of the

night life of the junglethe rustling of leaves in the wind, the rubbing together of contiguous branches, the

scurrying of a rodent, all magnified by the darkness to sinister and aweinspiring proportions; the hoot of an

owl, the distant scream of a great cat, the barking of wild dogs, attested the presence of the myriad life she

could not seethe savage life, the free life of which she was now a part. And then there came to her,

possibly for the first time since the giant apeman had come into her life, a fuller realization of what the

jungle meant to him, for though alone and unprotected from its hideous dangers she yet felt its lure upon her

Ah, if that mighty mate of hers were but by her side! What utter joy and bliss would be hers! She longed for

no more than this. The parade of cities, the comforts and luxuries of civilization held forth no allure half as

A lion moaned in the blackness to her right, eliciting delicious thrills that crept along her spine. The hair at

the back of her head seemed to stand erectyet she was unafraid. The muscles bequeathed her by some

primordial ancestor reacted instinctively to the presence of an ancient enemythat was all. The woman

moved slowly and deliberately toward the wood. Again the lion moaned; this time nearer. She sought a

lowhanging branch and finding it swung easily into the friendly shelter of the tree. The long and perilous

journey with Obergatz had trained her muscles and her nerves to such unaccustomed habits. She found a safe

resting place such as Tarzan had taught her was best and there she curled herself, thirty feet above the ground,

for a night's rest. She was cold and uncomfortable and yet she slept, for her heart was warm with renewed

She slept until the heat of the sun, high in the heavens, awakened her. She was rested and now her body was

well as her heart was warm. A sensation of ease and comfort and happiness pervaded her being. She rose

upon her gently swaying couch and stretched luxuriously, her naked limbs and lithe body mottled by the

sunlight filtering through the foliage above combined with the lazy gesture to impart to her appearance

something of the leopard. With careful eye she scrutinized the ground below and with attentive ear she

listened for any warning sound that might suggest the near presence of enemies, either man or beast. Satisfied

at last that there was nothing close of which she need have fear she clambered to the ground. She wished to

bathe but the lake was too exposed and just a bit too far from the safety of the trees for her to risk it until she

became more familiar with her surroundings. She wandered aimlessly through the forest searching for food

which she found in abundance. She ate and rested, for she had no objective as yet. Her freedom was too new

to be spoiled by plannings for the future. The haunts of civilized man seemed to her now as vague and

unattainable as the halfforgotten substance of a dream. If she could but live on here in peace, waiting,

waiting forhim. It was the old hope revived. She knew that he would come some day, if he lived. She had

always known that, though recently she had believed that he would come too late. If he lived! Yes, he would

come if he lived, and if he did not live she were as well off here as elsewhere, for then nothing mattered, only

Her wanderings brought her to a crystal brook and there she drank and bathed beneath an overhanging tree

that offered her quick asylum in the event of danger. It was a quiet and beautiful spot and she loved it from

the first. The bottom of the brook was paved with pretty stones and bits of glassy obsidian. As she gathered a

handful of the pebbles and held them up to look at them she noticed that one of her fingers was bleeding from

a clean, straight cut. She fell to searching for the cause and presently discovered it in one of the fragments of

volcanic glass which revealed an edge that was almost razorlike. Jane Clayton was elated. Here, Godgiven

to her hands, was the first beginning with which she might eventually arrive at both weapons and toolsa

She sought until she had collected many of the precious bits of stoneuntil the pouch that hung at her right

side was almost filled. Then she climbed into the great tree to examine them at leisure. There were some that

looked like knife blades, and some that could easily be fashioned into spear heads, and many smaller ones

The spear she would essay firstthat would be easiest. There was a hollow in the bole of the tree in a great

crotch high above the ground. Here she cached all of her treasure except a single knifelike sliver. With this

she descended to the ground and searching out a slender sapling that grew arrowstraight she hacked and

sawed until she could break it off without splitting the wood. It was just the right diameter for the shaft of a

speara hunting spear such as her beloved Waziri had liked best. How often had she watched them

fashioning them, and they had taught her how to use them, toothem and the heavy war spearslaughing

She knew the arborescent grasses that yielded the longest and toughest fibers and these she sought and carried

to her tree with the spear shaft that was to be. Clambering to her crotch she bent to her work, humming softly

a little tune. She caught herself and smiledit was the first time in all these bitter months that song had

She cut the spear shaft to the proper length and removed the twigs and branches and the bark, whittling and

scraping at the nubs until the surface was all smooth and straight. Then she split one end and inserted a spear

point, shaping the wood until it fitted perfectly. This done she laid the shaft aside and fell to splitting the thick

grass stems and pounding and twisting them until she had separated and partially cleaned the fibers. These

she took down to the brook and washed and brought back again and wound tightly around the cleft end of the

shaft, which she had notched to receive them, and the upper part of the spear head which she had also

notched slightly with a bit of stone. It was a crude spear but the best that she could attain in so short a time.

Later, she promised herself, she should have othersmany of themand they would be spears of which

THOUGH Tarzan searched the outskirts of the city until nearly dawn he discovered nowhere the spoor of his

mate. The breeze coming down from the mountains brought to his nostrils a diversity of scents but there was

not among them the slightest suggestion of her whom he sought. The natural deduction was therefore that she

had been taken in some other direction. In his search he had many times crossed the fresh tracks of many men

leading toward the lake and these he concluded had probably been made by Jane Clayton's abductors. It had

only been to minimize the chance of error by the process of elimination that he had carefully reconnoitered

every other avenue leading from Alur toward the southeast where lay Mosar's city of Tulur, and now he

followed the trail to the shores of Jadbenlul where the party had embarked upon the quiet waters in their

He found many other craft of the same description moored along the shore and one of these he

commandeered for the purpose of pursuit. It was daylight when he passed through the lake which lies next

below Jadbenlul and paddling strongly passed within sight of the very tree in which his lost mate lay

Had the gentle wind that caressed the bosom of the lake been blowing from a southerly direction the giant

apeman and Jane Clayton would have been reunited then, but an unkind fate had willed otherwise and the

opportunity passed with the passing of his canoe which presently his powerful strokes carried out of sight

Following the winding river which bore a considerable distance to the north before doubling back to empty

into the Jadinlul, the apeman missed a portage that would have saved him hours of paddling.

It was at the upper end of this portage where Mosar and his warriors had debarked that the chief discovered

the absence of his captive. As Mosar had been asleep since shortly after their departure from Alur, and as

none of the warriors recalled when she had last been seen, it was impossible to conjecture with any degree of

accuracy the place where she had escaped. The consensus of opinion was, however, that it had been in the

narrow river connecting Jadbenlul with the lake next below it, which is called Jadballul, which freely

translated means the lake of gold. Mosar had been very wroth and having himself been the only one at fault

He would have returned in search of her had he not feared to meet a pursuing company dispatched either by

Jadon or the high priest, both of whom, he knew, had just grievances against him. He would not even spare

a boatload of his warriors from his own protection to return in quest of the fugitive but hastened onward with

as little delay as possible across the portage and out upon the waters of Jadinlul.

The morning sun was just touching the white domes of Tulur when Mosar's paddlers brought their canoes

against the shore at the city's edge. Safe once more behind his own walls and protected by many warriors, the

courage of the chief returned sufficiently at least to permit him to dispatch three canoes in search of Jane

Clayton, and also to go as far as Alur if possible to learn what had delayed Bulot, whose failure to reach

the canoes with the balance of the party at the time of the flight from the northern city had in no way delayed

Mosar's departure, his own safety being of far greater moment than that of his son.

As the three canoes reached the portage on their return journey the warriors who were dragging them from

the water were suddenly startled by the appearance of two priests, carrying a light canoe in the direction of

Jadinlul. At first they thought them the advance guard of a larger force of Ludon's followers, although the

correctness of such a theory was belied by their knowledge that priests never accepted the risks or perils of a

warrior's vocation, nor even fought until driven into a corner and forced to do so. Secretly the warriors of

Paluldon held the emasculated priesthood in contempt and so instead of immediately taking up the

offensive as they would have had the two men been warriors from Alur instead of priests, they waited to

At sight of the warriors the priests made the sign of peace and upon being asked if they were alone they

The leader of Mosar's warriors permitted them to approach. "What do you here," he asked, "in the country

"We are alone," the priest assured him. "None in Alur save Ludon knows that we have come upon this

"Who is that?" asked one of the priests suddenly, pointing toward the upper end of the lake at the point where

All eyes turned in the direction that he had indicated to see a lone warrior paddling rapidly into Jadinlul,

the prow of his canoe pointing toward Tulur. The warriors and the priests drew into the concealment of the

"It is the terrible man who called himself the DorulOtho," whispered one of the priests. "I would know that

"You are right, priest," cried one of the warriors who had seen Tarzan the day that he had first entered

"Hasten priests," cried the leader of the party. "You are two paddles in a light canoe. Easily can you reach

Tulur ahead of him and warn Mosar of his coming, for he has but only entered the lake."

For a moment the priests demurred for they had no stomach for an encounter with this terrible man, but the

warrior insisted and even went so far as to threaten them. Their canoe was taken from them and pushed into

the lake and they were all but lifted bodily from their feet and put aboard it. Still protesting they were shoved

out upon the water where they were immediately in full view of the lone paddler above them. Now there was

no alternative. The city of Tulur offered the only safety and bending to their paddles the two priests sent

The warriors withdrew again to the concealment of the foliage. If Tarzan had seen them and should come

hither to investigate there were thirty of them against one and naturally they had no fear of the outcome, but

they did not consider it necessary to go out upon the lake to meet him since they had been sent to look for the

escaped prisoner and not to intercept the strange warrior, the stories of whose ferocity and prowess doubtless

helped them to arrive at their decision to provoke no uncalledfor quarrel with him.

If he had seen them he gave no sign, but continued paddling steadily and strongly toward the city, nor did he

increase his speed as the two priests shot out in full view. The moment the priests' canoe touched the shore by

the city its occupants leaped out and hurried swiftly toward the palace gate, casting affrighted glances behind

them. They sought immediate audience with Mosar, after warning the warriors on guard that Tarzan was

They were conducted at once to the chief, whose court was a smaller replica of that of the king of Alur. "We

come from Ludon, the high priest," explained the spokesman. "He wishes the friendship of Mosar, who

has always been his friend. Jadon is gathering warriors to make himself king. Throughout the villages of the

Hodon are thousands who will obey the commands of Ludon, the high priest. Only with Ludon's

assistance can Mosar become king, and the message from Ludon is that if Mosar would retain the

friendship of Ludon he must return immediately the woman he took from the quarters of the Princess

At this juncture a warrior entered. His excitement was evident. "The DorulOtho has come to Tulur and

"That is the message he sent," replied the warrior, "and indeed he is not as are the people of Paluldon. He

is, we think, the same of whom the warriors that returned from Alur today told us and whom some call

Tarzanjadguru and some DorulOtho. But indeed only the son of god would dare come thus alone to a

Mosar, his heart filled with terror and indecision, turned questioningly toward the priests.

"Receive him graciously, Mosar," counseled he who had spoken before, his advice prompted by the petty

shrewdness of his defective brain which, under the added influence of Ludon's tutorage leaned always

toward duplicity. "Receive him graciously and when he is quite convinced of your friendship he will be off

his guard, and then you may do with him as you will. But if possible, Mosar, and you would win the

Mosar nodded understandingly and turning to the warrior commanded that he conduct the visitor to him.

"We must not be seen by the creature," said one of the priests. "Give us your answer to Ludon, Mosar, and

"Tell Ludon," replied the chief, "that the woman would have been lost to him entirely had it not been for

me. I sought to bring her to Tulur that I might save her for him from the clutches of Jadon, but during the

night she escaped. Tell Ludon that I have sent thirty warriors to search for her. It is strange you did not see

"We did," replied the priests, "but they told us nothing of the purpose of their journey."

"It is as I have told you," said Mosar, "and if they find her, assure your master that she will be kept

unharmed in Tulur for him. Also tell him that I will send my warriors to join with his against Jadon

whenever he sends word that he wants them. Now go, for Tarzanjadguru will soon be here."

He signaled to a slave. "Lead the priests to the temple," he commanded, "and ask the high priest of Tulur to

The two priests were conducted from the apartment by the slave through a doorway other than that at which

they had entered, and a moment later Tarzanjadguru strode into the presence of Mosar, ahead of the

warrior whose duty it had been to conduct and announce him. The apeman made no sign of greeting or of

peace but strode directly toward the chief who, only by the exertion of his utmost powers of will, hid the

terror that was in his heart at sight of the giant figure and the scowling face.

"I am the DorulOtho," said the apeman in level tones that carried to the mind of Mosar a suggestion of

cold steel; "I am DorulOtho, and I come to Tulur for the woman you stole from the apartments of

The very boldness of Tarzan's entry into this hostile city had had the effect of giving him a great moral

advantage over Mosar and the savage warriors who stood upon either side of the chief. Truly it seemed to

them that no other than the son of JadbenOtho would dare so heroic an act. Would any mortal warrior act

thus boldly, and alone enter the presence of a powerful chief and, in the midst of a score of warriors,

arrogantly demand an accounting? No, it was beyond reason. Mosar was faltering in his decision to betray

the stranger by seeming friendliness. He even paled to a sudden thoughtJadbenOtho knew everything,

even our inmost thoughts. Was it not therefore possible that this creature, if after all it should prove true that

he was the DorulOtho, might even now be reading the wicked design that the priests had implanted in the

brain of Mosar and which he had entertained so favorably? The chief squirmed and fidgeted upon the bench

"As JadbenOtho is my witness, she is not in Tulur," insisted the chief. "You may search the palace and

"Where is she, then?" demanded the apeman. "You took her from the palace at Alur. If she is not here,

where is she? Tell me not that harm has befallen her," and he took a sudden threatening step toward Mosar,

"Wait," he cried, "if you are indeed the DorulOtho you will know that I speak the truth. I took her from the

palace of Kotan to save her for Ludon, the high priest, lest with Kotan dead Jadon seize her. But during

the night she escaped from me between here and Alur, and I have but just sent three canoes fullmanned in

Something in the chief's tone and manner assured the apeman that he spoke in part the truth, and that once

"What wanted the priests of Ludon that preceded me here?" demanded Tarzan chancing a shrewd guess that

the two he had seen paddling so frantically to avoid a meeting with him had indeed come from the high priest

"They came upon an errand similar to yours," replied Mosar; "to demand the return of the woman whom

Ludon thought I had stolen from him, thus wronging me as deeply, O DorulOtho, as have you."

"I would question the priests," said Tarzan. "Bring them hither." His peremptory and arrogant manner left

Mosar in doubt as to whether to be more incensed, or terrified, but ever as is the way with such as he, he

concluded that the first consideration was his own safety. If he could transfer the attention and the wrath of

this terrible man from himself to Ludon's priests it would more than satisfy him and if they should conspire

to harm him, then Mosar would be safe in the eyes of JadbenOtho if it finally developed that the stranger

was in reality the son of god. He felt uncomfortable in Tarzan's presence and this fact rather accentuated his

doubt, for thus indeed would mortal feel in the presence of a god. Now he saw a way to escape, at least

"I will fetch them myself, DorulOtho," he said, and turning, left the apartment. His hurried steps brought

him quickly to the temple, for the palace grounds of Tulur, which also included the temple as in all of the

Hodon cities, covered a much smaller area than those of the larger city of Alur. He found Ludon's

messengers with the high priest of his own temple and quickly transmitted to them the commands of the

"I have no quarrel with him," replied Mosar. "He came in peace and he may depart in peace, for who knows

"We know that he is not," replied Ludon's emissary. "We have every proof that he is only mortal, a strange

creature from another country. Already has Ludon offered his life to JadbenOtho if he is wrong in his

belief that this creature is not the son of god. If the high priest of Alur, who is the highest priest of all the

high priests of Paluldon is thus so sure that the creature in an impostor as to stake his life upon his

judgment then who are we to give credence to the claims of this stranger? No, Mosar, you need not fear

him. He is only a warrior who may be overcome with the same weapons that subdue your own fighting men.

Were it not for Ludon's command that he be taken alive I would urge you to set your warriors upon him and

slay him, but the commands of Ludon are the commands of JadbenOtho himself, and those we may not

But still the remnant of a doubt stirred within the cowardly breast of Mosar, urging him to let another take

"He is yours then," he replied, "to do with as you will. I have no quarrel with him. What you may command

shall be the command of Ludon, the high priest, and further than that I shall have nothing to do in the

The priests turned to him who guided the destinies of the temple at Tulur. "Have you no plan?" they asked.

"High indeed will he stand in the counsels of Ludon and in the eyes of JadbenOtho who finds the means

"There is the lion pit," whispered the high priest. "It is now vacant and what will hold ja and jato will hold

"It will hold him," said Mosar; "doubtless too it would hold a gryf, but first you would have to get the gryf

The priests pondered this bit of wisdom thoughtfully and then one of those from Alur spoke. "It should not

be difficult," he said, "if we use the wits that JadbenOtho gave us instead of the worldly muscles which

were handed down to us from our fathers and our mothers and which have not even the power possessed by

"Ludon matched his wits with the stranger and lost," suggested Mosar. "But this is your own affair. Carry

"At Alur, Kotan made much of this DorulOtho and the priests conducted him through the temple. It

would arouse in his mind no suspicion were you to do the same, and let the high priest of Tulur invite him

to the temple and gathering all the priests make a great show of belief in his kinship to JadbenOtho. And

what more natural then than that the high priest should wish to show him through the temple as did Ludon at

Alur when Kotan commanded it, and if by chance he should be led through the lion pit it would be a

simple matter for those who bear the torches to extinguish them suddenly and before the stranger was aware

of what had happened, the stone gates could be dropped, thus safely securing him."

"But there are windows in the pit that let in light," interposed the high priest, "and even though the torches

were extinguished he could still see and might escape before the stone door could be lowered."

"Send one who will cover the windows tightly with hides," said the priest from Alur.

"The plan is a good one," said Mosar, seeing an opportunity for entirely eliminating himself from any

suspicion of complicity, "for it will require the presence of no warriors, and thus with only priests about him

They were interrupted at this point by a messenger from the palace who brought word that the DorulOtho

was becoming impatient and if the priests from Alur were not brought to him at once he would come

himself to the temple and get them. Mosar shook his head. He could not conceive of such brazen courage in

mortal breast and glad he was that the plan evolved for Tarzan's undoing did not necessitate his active

And so, while Mosar left for a secret corner of the palace by a roundabout way, three priests were

dispatched to Tarzan and with whining words that did not entirely deceive him, they acknowledged his

kinship to JadbenOtho and begged him in the name of the high priest to honor the temple with a visit,

when the priests from Alur would be brought to him and would answer any questions that he put to them.

Confident that a continuation of his bravado would best serve his purpose, and also that if suspicion against

him should crystallize into conviction on the part of Mosar and his followers that he would be no worse off

in the temple than in the palace, the apeman haughtily accepted the invitation of the high priest.

And so he came into the temple and was received in a manner befitting his high claims. He questioned the

two priests of Alur from whom he obtained only a repetition of the story that Mosar had told him, and then

They took him first to the altar court, of which there was only one in Tulur. It was almost identical in every

respect with those at Alur. There was a bloody altar at the east end and the drowning basin at the west, and

the grizzly fringes upon the headdresses of the priests attested the fact that the eastern altar was an active

force in the rites of the temple. Through the chambers and corridors beneath they led him, and finally, with

torch bearers to light their steps, into a damp and gloomy labyrinth at a low level and here in a large chamber,

the air of which was still heavy with the odor of lions, the crafty priests of Tulur encompassed their shrewd

The torches were suddenly extinguished. There was a hurried confusion of bare feet moving rapidly across

the stone floor. There was a loud crash as of a heavy weight of stone falling upon stone, and then surrounding

JANE had made her first kill and she was very proud of it. It was not a very formidable animalonly a hare;

but it marked an epoch in her existence. Just as in the dim past the first hunter had shaped the destinies of

mankind so it seemed that this event might shape hers in some new mold. No longer was she dependent upon

the wild fruits and vegetables for sustenance. Now she might command meat, the giver of the strength and

endurance she would require successfully to cope with the necessities of her primitive existence.

The next step was fire. She might learn to eat raw flesh as had her lord and master; but she shrank from that.

The thought even was repulsive. She had, however, a plan for fire. She had given the matter thought, but had

been too busy to put it into execution so long as fire could be of no immediate use to her. Now it was

differentshe had something to cook and her mouth watered for the flesh of her kill. She would grill it

above glowing embers. Jane hastened to her tree. Among the treasures she had gathered in the bed of the

stream were several pieces of volcanic glass, clear as crystal. She sought until she had found the one in mind,

which was convex. Then she hurried to the ground and gathered a little pile of powdered bark that was very

dry, and some dead leaves and grasses that had lain long in the hot sun. Near at hand she arranged a supply of

Vibrant with suppressed excitement she held the bit of glass above the tinder, moving it slowly until she had

focused the sun's rays upon a tiny spot. She waited breathlessly. How slow it was! Were her high hopes to be

dashed in spite of all her clever planning? No! A thin thread of smoke rose gracefully into the quiet air.

Presently the tinder glowed and broke suddenly into flame. Jane clasped her hands beneath her chin with a

She piled on twigs and then larger branches and at last dragged a small log to the flames and pushed an end

of it into the fire which was crackling merrily. It was the sweetest sound that she had heard for many a month.

But she could not wait for the mass of embers that would be required to cook her hare. As quickly as might

be she skinned and cleaned her kill, burying the hide and entrails. That she had learned from Tarzan. It served

two purposes. One was the necessity for keeping a sanitary camp and the other the obliteration of the scent

Then she ran a stick through the carcass and held it above the flames. By turning it often she prevented

burning and at the same time permitted the meat to cook thoroughly all the way through. When it was done

she scampered high into the safety of her tree to enjoy her meal in quiet and peace. Never, thought Lady

Greystoke, had aught more delicious passed her lips. She patted her spear affectionately. It had brought her

this toothsome dainty and with it a feeling of greater confidence and safety than she had enjoyed since that

frightful day that she and Obergatz had spent their last cartridge. She would never forget that dayit had

seemed one hideous succession of frightful beast after frightful beast. They had not been long in this strange

country, yet they thought that they were hardened to dangers, for daily they had had encounters with

ferocious creatures; but this dayshe shuddered when she thought of it. And with her last cartridge she had

killed a black and yellow striped lionthing with great saber teeth just as it was about to spring upon

Obergatz who had futilely emptied his rifle into itthe last shothis final cartridge. For another day they

had carried the now useless rifles; but at last they had discarded them and thrown away the cumbersome

bandoleers, as well. How they had managed to survive during the ensuing week she could never quite

understand, and then the Hodon had come upon them and captured her. Obergatz had escapedshe was

living it all over again. Doubtless he was dead unless he had been able to reach this side of the valley which

Jane's days were very full ones now, and the daylight hours seemed all too short in which to accomplish the

many things she had determined upon, since she had concluded that this spot presented as ideal a place as she

could find to live until she could fashion the weapons she considered necessary for the obtaining of meat and

She felt that she must have, in addition to a good spear, a knife, and bow and arrows. Possibly when these had

been achieved she might seriously consider an attempt to fight her way to one of civilization's nearest

outposts. In the meantime it was necessary to construct some sort of protective shelter in which she might feel

a greater sense of security by night, for she knew that there was a possibility that any night she might receive

a visit from a prowling panther, although she had as yet seen none upon this side of the valley. Aside from

The cutting of the long poles for her home occupied all of the daylight hours that were not engaged in the

search for food. These poles she carried high into her tree and with them constructed a flooring across two

stout branches binding the poles together and also to the branches with fibers from the tough arboraceous

grasses that grew in profusion near the stream. Similarly she built walls and a roof, the latter thatched with

many layers of great leaves. The fashioning of the barred windows and the door were matters of great

importance and consuming interest. The windows, there were two of them, were large and the bars

permanently fixed; but the door was small, the opening just large enough to permit her to pass through easily

on hands and knees, which made it easier to barricade. She lost count of the days that the house cost her; but

time was a cheap commodityshe had more of it than of anything else. It meant so little to her that she had

not even any desire to keep account of it. How long since she and Obergatz had fled from the wrath of the

Negro villagers she did not know and she could only roughly guess at the seasons. She worked hard for two

reasons; one was to hasten the completion of her little place of refuge, and the other a desire for such physical

exhaustion at night that she would sleep through those dreaded hours to a new day. As a matter of fact the

house was finished in less than a weekthat is, it was made as safe as it ever would be, though regardless of

how long she might occupy it she would keep on adding touches and refinements here and there.

Her daily life was filled with her house building and her hunting, to which was added an occasional spice of

excitement contributed by roving lions. To the woodcraft that she had learned from Tarzan, that master of the

art, was added a considerable store of practical experience derived from her own past adventures in the jungle

and the long months with Obergatz, nor was any day now lacking in some added store of useful knowledge.

To these facts was attributable her apparent immunity from harm, since they told her when ja was

approaching before he crept close enough for a successful charge and, too, they kept her close to those

The nights, filled with their weird noises, were lonely and depressing. Only her ability to sleep quickly and

soundly made them endurable. The first night that she spent in her completed house behind barred windows

and barricaded door was one of almost undiluted peace and happiness. The night noises seemed far removed

and impersonal and the soughing of the wind in the trees was gently soothing. Before, it had carried a

mournful note and was sinister in that it might hide the approach of some real danger. That night she slept

She went further afield now in search of food. So far nothing but rodents had fallen to her spearher

ambition was an antelope, since beside the flesh it would give her, and the gut for her bow, the hide would

prove invaluable during the colder weather that she knew would accompany the rainy season. She had caught

glimpses of these wary animals and was sure that they always crossed the stream at a certain spot above her

camp. It was to this place that she went to hunt them. With the stealth and cunning of a panther she crept

through the forest, circling about to get up wind from the ford, pausing often to look and listen for aught that

might menace herherself the personification of a hunted deer. Now she moved silently down upon the

chosen spot. What luck! A beautiful buck stood drinking in the stream. The woman wormed her way closer.

Now she lay upon her belly behind a small bush within throwing distance of the quarry. She must rise to her

full height and throw her spear almost in the same instant and she must throw it with great force and perfect

accuracy. She thrilled with the excitement of the minute, yet cool and steady were her swift muscles as she

rose and cast her missile. Scarce by the width of a finger did the point strike from the spot at which it had

been directed. The buck leaped high, landed upon the bank of the stream, and fell dead. Jane Clayton sprang

"Bravo!" A man's voice spoke in English from the shrubbery upon the opposite side of the stream. Jane

Clayton halted in her tracksstunned, almost, by surprise. And then a strange, unkempt figure of a man

stepped into view. At first she did not recognize him, but when she did, instinctively she stepped back.

"It can. It is," replied the German. "I am a strange sight, no doubt; but still it is I, Erich Obergatz. And you?

He was looking at her naked limbs and her golden breastplates, the loin cloth of jatohide, the harness and

ornaments that constitute the apparel of a Hodon womanthe things that Ludon had dressed her in as his

"But why are you here?" Jane insisted. "I had thought you safely among civilized men by this time, if you

"Gott!" he exclaimed. "I do not know why I continue to live. I have prayed to die and yet I cling to life. There

is no hope. We are doomed to remain in this horrible land until we die. The bog! The frightful bog! I have

searched its shores for a place to cross until I have entirely circled the hideous country. Easily enough we

entered; but the rains have come since and now no living man could pass that slough of slimy mud and

hungry reptiles. Have I not tried it! And the beasts that roam this accursed land. They hunt me by day and by

"I do not know," he replied gloomily. "I have fled and fled and fled. I have remained hungry and thirsty in

tree tops for days at a time. I have fashioned weaponsclubs and spearsand I have learned to use them. I

have slain a lion with my club. So even will a cornered rat fight. And we are no better than rats in this land of

stupendous dangers, you and I. But tell me about yourself. If it is surprising that I live, how much more so

Briefly she told him and all the while she was wondering what she might do to rid herself of him. She could

not conceive of a prolonged existence with him as her sole companion. Better, a thousand times better, to be

alone. Never had her hatred and contempt for him lessened through the long weeks and months of their

constant companionship, and now that he could be of no service in returning her to civilization, she shrank

from the thought of seeing him daily. And, too, she feared him. Never had she trusted him; but now there was

a strange light in his eye that had not been there when last she saw him. She could not interpret itall she

"You lived long then in the city of Alur?" he said, speaking in the language of Paluldon.

"I fell in with a band of halfbreeds," he replied, "members of a proscribed race that dwells in the

rockbound gut through which the principal river of the valley empties into the morass. They are called

Wazhodon and their village is partly made up of cave dwellings and partly of houses carved from the soft

rock at the foot of the cliff. They are very ignorant and superstitious and when they first saw me and realized

that I had no tail and that my hands and feet were not like theirs they were afraid of me. They thought that I

was either god or demon. Being in a position where I could neither escape them nor defend myself, I made a

bold front and succeeded in impressing them to such an extent that they conducted me to their city, which

they call Bulur, and there they fed me and treated me with kindness. As I learned their language I sought to

impress them more and more with the idea that I was a god, and I succeeded, too, until an old fellow who was

something of a priest among them, or medicineman, became jealous of my growing power. That was the

beginning of the end and came near to being the end in fact. He told them that if I was a god I would not

bleed if a knife was stuck into meif I did bleed it would prove conclusively that I was not a god. Without

my knowledge he arranged to stage the ordeal before the whole village upon a certain nightit was upon one

of those numerous occasions when they eat and drink to JadbenOtho, their pagan deity. Under the

influence of their vile liquor they would be ripe for any bloodthirsty scheme the medicineman might evolve.

One of the women told me about the plannot with any intent to warn me of danger, but prompted merely

by feminine curiosity as to whether or not I would bleed if stuck with a dagger. She could not wait, it seemed,

for the orderly procedure of the ordealshe wanted to know at once, and when I caught her trying to slip a

knife into my side and questioned her she explained the whole thing with the utmost naivete. The warriors

already had commenced drinkingit would have been futile to make any sort of appeal either to their

intellects or their superstitions. There was but one alternative to death and that was flight. I told the woman

that I was very much outraged and offended at this reflection upon my godhood and that as a mark of my

"She wanted to hang around and see me go, but I told her that her eyes would be blasted by the fire

surrounding my departure and that she must leave at once and not return to the spot for at least an hour. I also

impressed upon her the fact that should any other approach this part of the village within that time not only

"She was very much impressed and lost no time in leaving, calling back as she departed that if I were indeed

gone in an hour she and all the village would know that I was no less than JadbenOtho himself, and so they

must thank me, for I can assure you that I was gone in much less than an hour, nor have I ventured close to

the neighborhood of the city of Bulur since," and he fell to laughing in harsh, cackling notes that sent a

As Obergatz talked Jane had recovered her spear from the carcass of the antelope and commenced busying

herself with the removal of the hide. The man made no attempt to assist her, but stood by talking and

watching her, the while he continually ran his filthy fingers through his matted hair and beard. His face and

body were caked with dirt and he was naked except for a torn greasy hide about his loins. His weapons

consisted of a club and knife of Wazdon pattern, that he had stolen from the city of Bulur; but what more

greatly concerned the woman than his filth or his armament were his cackling laughter and the strange

She went on with her work, however, removing those parts of the buck she wanted, taking only as much meat

as she might consume before it spoiled, as she was not sufficiently a true jungle creature to relish it beyond

"Lieutenant Obergatz," she said, "by a chance of accident we have met again. Certainly you would not have

sought the meeting any more than I. We have nothing in common other than those sentiments which may

have been engendered by my natural dislike and suspicion of you, one of the authors of all the misery and

sorrow that I have endured for endless months. This little corner of the world is mine by right of discovery

and occupation. Go away and leave me to enjoy here what peace I may. It is the least that you can do to

The man stared at her through his fishy eyes for a moment in silence, then there broke from his lips a peal of

"Go away! Leave you alone!" he cried. "I have found you. We are going to be good friends. There is no one

else in the world but us. No one will ever know what we do or what becomes of us and now you ask me to go

away and live alone in this hellish solitude." Again he laughed, though neither the muscles of his eyes or his

"Promise! Promise! What are promises? They are made to be brokenwe taught the world that at Liege and

"I do not need your protection," she insisted. "You have already seen that I can use a spear."

"Yes," he said; "but it would not be right to leave you here aloneyou are but a woman. No, no; I am an

The woman could not repress a shudder, nor, in fact, did she attempt to hide her aversion.

"You do not like me?" he asked. "Ah, well; it is too sad. But some day you will love me," and again the

The woman had wrapped the pieces of the buck in the hide and this she now raised and threw across her

"Go!" she commanded. "We have wasted enough words. This is my country and I shall defend it. If I see you

An expression of rage contorted Obergatz' features. He raised his club and started toward her.

"Stop!" she commanded, throwing her spearhand backward for a cast. "You saw me kill this buck and you

have said truthfully that no one will ever know what we do here. Put these two facts together, German, and

The man halted and his clubhand dropped to his side. "Come," he begged in what he intended as a

conciliatory tone. "Let us be friends, Lady Greystoke. We can be of great assistance to each other and I

"Remember Liege and Louvain," she reminded him with a sneer. "I am going nowbe sure that you do not

follow me. As far as you can walk in a day from this spot in any direction you may consider the limits of my

There could be no question that she meant what she said and the man seemed convinced for he but stood

sullenly eyeing her as she backed from sight beyond a turn in the game trail that crossed the ford where they

IN ALUR the fortunes of the city had been tossed from hand to hand. The party of Kotan's loyal warriors

that Tarzan had led to the rendezvous at the entrance to the secret passage below the palace gates had met

with disaster. Their first rush had been met with soft words from the priests. They had been exhorted to

defend the faith of their fathers from blasphemers. Jadon was painted to them as a defiler of temples, and

the wrath of JadbenOtho was prophesied for those who embraced his cause. The priests insisted that

Ludon's only wish was to prevent the seizure of the throne by Jadon until a new king could be chosen

The result was that many of the palace warriors joined their fellows of the city, and when the priests saw that

those whom they could influence outnumbered those who remained loyal to the palace, they caused the

former to fall upon the latter with the result that many were killed and only a handful succeeded in reaching

The priests led their own forces through the secret passageway into the temple, while some of the loyal ones

sought out Jadon and told him all that had happened. The fight in the banquet hall had spread over a

considerable portion of the palace grounds and had at last resulted in the temporary defeat of those who had

opposed Jadon. This force, counseled by under priests sent for the purpose by Ludon, had withdrawn

within the temple grounds so that now the issue was plainly marked as between Jadon on the one side and

The former had been told of all that had occurred in the apartments of Oloa to whose safety he had

attended at the first opportunity and he had also learned of Tarzan's part in leading his men to the gathering of

These things had naturally increased the old warrior's former inclinations of friendliness toward the apeman,

The testimony of Oloa and Panatlee was such as to strengthen whatever belief in the godliness of the

stranger Jadon and others of the warriors had previously entertained, until presently there appeared a strong

tendency upon the part of this palace faction to make the Dorulotho an issue of their original quarrel with

Ludon. Whether this occurred as the natural sequence to repeated narrations of the apeman's exploits,

which lost nothing by repetition, in conjunction with Ludon's enmity toward him, or whether it was the

shrewd design of some wily old warrior such as Jadon, who realized the value of adding a religious cause to

their temporal one, it were difficult to determine; but the fact remained that Jadon's followers developed

bitter hatred for the followers of Ludon because of the high priest's antagonism to Tarzan.

Unfortunately however Tarzan was not there to inspire the followers of Jadon with the holy zeal that might

have quickly settled the dispute in the old chieftain's favor. Instead, he was miles away and because their

repeated prayers for his presence were unanswered, the weaker spirits among them commenced to suspect

that their cause did not have divine favor. There was also another and a potent cause for defection from the

ranks of Jadon. It emanated from the city where the friends and relatives of the palace warriors, who were

largely also the friends and relatives of Ludon's forces, found the means, urged on by the priesthood, to

The result was that Ludon's power increased while that of Jadon waned. Then followed a sortie from the

temple which resulted in the defeat of the palace forces, and though they were able to withdraw in decent

order withdraw they did, leaving the palace to Ludon, who was now virtually ruler of Paluldon.

Jadon, taking with him the princess, her women, and their slaves, including Panatlee, as well as the

women and children of his faithful followers, retreated not only from the palace but from the city of Alur as

well and fell back upon his own city of Jalur. Here he remained, recruiting his forces from the surrounding

villages of the north which, being far removed from the influence of the priesthood of Alur, were

enthusiastic partisans in any cause that the old chieftain espoused, since for years he had been revered as their

And while these events were transpiring in the north, Tarzanjadguru lay in the lion pit at Tulur while

messengers passed back and forth between Mosar and Ludon as the two dickered for the throne of

Paluldon. Mosar was cunning enough to guess that should an open breach occur between himself and the

high priest he might use his prisoner to his own advantage, for he had heard whisperings among even his own

people that suggested that there were those who were more than a trifle inclined to belief in the divinity of the

stranger and that he might indeed be the DorulOtho. Ludon wanted Tarzan himself. He wanted to

sacrifice him upon the eastern altar with his own hands before a multitude of people, since he was not without

evidence that his own standing and authority had been lessened by the claims of the bold and heroic figure of

The method that the high priest of Tulur had employed to trap Tarzan had left the apeman in possession of

his weapons though there seemed little likelihood of their being of any service to him. He also had his pouch,

in which were the various odds and ends which are the natural accumulation of all receptacles from a gold

meshbag to an attic. There were bits of obsidian and choice feathers for arrows, some pieces of flint and a

couple of steel, an old knife, a heavy bone needle, and strips of dried gut. Nothing very useful to you or me,

When Tarzan realized the trick that had been so neatly played upon him he had awaited expectantly the

coming of the lion, for though the scent of ja was old he was sure that sooner or later they would let one of

the beasts in upon him. His first consideration was a thorough exploration of his prison. He had noticed the

hidecovered windows and these he immediately uncovered, letting in the light, and revealing the fact that

though the chamber was far below the level of the temple courts it was yet many feet above the base of the

hill from which the temple was hewn. The windows were so closely barred that he could not see over the

edge of the thick wall in which they were cut to determine what lay close in below him. At a little distance

were the blue waters of Jadinlul and beyond, the verdureclad farther shore, and beyond that the

mountains. It was a beautiful picture upon which he lookeda picture of peace and harmony and quiet. Nor

anywhere a slightest suggestion of the savage men and beasts that claimed this lovely landscape as their own.

What a paradise! And some day civilized man would come andspoil it! Ruthless axes would raze that

ageold wood; black, sticky smoke would rise from ugly chimneys against that azure sky; grimy little boats

with wheels behind or upon either side would churn the mud from the bottom of Jadinlul, turning its blue

waters to a dirty brown; hideous piers would project into the lake from squalid buildings of corrugated iron,

But would civilized man come? Tarzan hoped not. For countless generations civilization had ramped about

the globe; it had dispatched its emissaries to the North Pole and the South; it had circled Paluldon once,

perhaps many times, but it had never touched her. God grant that it never would. Perhaps He was saving this

little spot to be always just as He had made it, for the scratching of the Hodon and the Wazdon upon His

Through the windows came sufficient light to reveal the whole interior to Tarzan. The room was fairly large

and there was a door at each enda large door for men and a smaller one for lions. Both were closed with

heavy masses of stone that had been lowered in grooves running to the floor. The two windows were small

and closely barred with the first iron that Tarzan had seen in Paluldon. The bars were let into holes in the

casing, and the whole so strongly and neatly contrived that escape seemed impossible. Yet within a few

minutes of his incarceration Tarzan had commenced to undertake his escape. The old knife in his pouch was

brought into requisition and slowly the apeman began to scrape and chip away the stone from about the bars

of one of the windows. It was slow work but Tarzan had the patience of absolute health.

Each day food and water were brought him and slipped quickly beneath the smaller door which was raised

just sufficiently to allow the stone receptacles to pass in. The prisoner began to believe that he was being

preserved for something beside lions. However that was immaterial. If they would but hold off for a few

more days they might select what fate they wouldhe would not be there when they arrived to announce it.

And then one day came Pansat, Ludon's chief tool, to the city of Tulur. He came ostensibly with a fair

message for Mosar from the high priest at Alur. Ludon had decided that Mosar should be king and he

invited Mosar to come at once to Alur and then Pansat, having delivered the message, asked that he

might go to the temple of Tulur and pray, and there he sought the high priest of Tulur to whom was the

true message that Ludon had sent. The two were closeted alone in a little chamber and Pansat whispered

"Mosar wishes to be king," he said, "and Ludon wishes to be king. Mosar wishes to retain the stranger

who claims to be the DorulOtho and Ludon wishes to kill him, and now," he leaned even closer to the ear

of the high priest of Tulur, "if you would be high priest at Alur it is within your power."

Pansat ceased speaking and waited for the other's reply. The high priest was visibly affected. To be high

priest at Alur! That was almost as good as being king of all Paluldon, for great were the powers of him

Again Pansat leaned close: "By killing the one and bringing the other to Alur," replied he. Then he rose

and departed knowing chat the other had swallowed the bait and could be depended upon to do whatever was

Nor was Pansat mistaken other than in one trivial consideration. This high priest would indeed commit

murder and treason to attain the high office at Alur; but he had misunderstood which of his victims was to

be killed and which to be delivered to Ludon. Pansat, knowing himself all the details of the plannings of

Ludon, had made the quite natural error of assuming that the ocher was perfectly aware that only by

publicly sacrificing the false DorulOtho could the high priest at Alur bolster his waning power and that

the assassination of Mosar, the pretender, would remove from Ludon's camp the only obstacle to his

combining the offices of high priest and king. The high priest at Tulur thought that he had been

commissioned to kill Tarzan and bring Mosar to Alur. He also thought that when he had done these things

he would be made high priest at Alur; but he did not know that already the priest had been selected who was

to murder him within the hour that he arrived at Alur, nor did he know that a secret grave had been prepared

for him in the floor of a subterranean chamber in the very temple he dreamed of controlling.

And so when he should have been arranging the assassination of his chief he was leading a dozen heavily

bribed warriors through the dark corridors beneath the temple to slay Tarzan in the lion pit. Night had fallen.

A single torch guided the footsteps of the murderers as they crept stealthily upon their evil way, for they

knew that they were doing the thing that their chief did not want done and their guilty consciences warned

In the dark of his cell the apeman worked at his seemingly endless chipping and scraping. His keen ears

detected the coming of footsteps along the corridor withoutfootsteps that approached the larger door.

Always before had they come to the smaller doorthe footsteps of a single slave who brought his food. This

time there were many more than one and their coming at this time of night carried a sinister suggestion.

Tarzan continued to work at his scraping and chipping. He heard them stop beyond the door. All was silence

Those without heard it and listening sought to explain it. They whispered in low tones making their plans.

Two would raise the door quickly and the others would rush in and hurl their clubs at the prisoner. They

would take no chances, for the stories that had circulated in Alur had been brought to Tulurstories of the

great strength and wonderful prowess of Tarzanjadguru that caused the sweat to stand upon the brows of

the warriors, though it was cool in the damp corridor and they were twelve to one.

And then the high priest gave the signalthe door shot upward and ten warriors leaped into the chamber

with poised clubs. Three of the heavy weapons flew across the room toward a darker shadow that lay in the

shadow of the opposite wall, then the flare of the torch in the priest's hand lighted the interior and they saw

that the thing at which they had flung their clubs was a pile of skins torn from the windows and that except

One of them hastened to a window. All but a single bar was gone and to this was tied one end of a braided

To the ordinary dangers of Jane Clayton's existence was now added the menace of Obergatz' knowledge of

her whereabouts. The lion and the panther had given her less cause for anxiety than did the return of the

unscrupulous Hun, whom she had always distrusted and feared, and whose repulsiveness was now

immeasurably augmented by his unkempt and filthy appearance, his strange and mirthless laughter, and his

unnatural demeanor. She feared him now with a new fear as though he had suddenly become the

personification of some nameless horror. The wholesome, outdoor life that she had been leading had

strengthened and rebuilt her nervous system yet it seemed to her as she thought of him that if this man should

ever touch her she should scream, and, possibly, even faint. Again and again during the day following their

unexpected meeting the woman reproached herself for not having killed him as she would ja or jato or any

other predatory beast that menaced her existence or her safety. There was no attempt at selfjustification for

these sinister reflectionsthey needed no justification. The standards by which the acts of such as you or I

may be judged could not apply to hers. We have recourse to the protection of friends and relatives and the

civil soldiery that upholds the majesty of the law and which may be invoked to protect the righteous weak

against the unrighteous strong; but Jane Clayton comprised within herself not only the righteous weak but all

the various agencies for the protection of the weak. To her, then, Lieutenant Erich Obergatz presented no

different problem than did ja, the lion, other than that she considered the former the more dangerous animal.

And so she determined that should he ignore her warning there would be no temporizing upon the occasion of

their next meetingthe same swift spear that would meet ja's advances would meet his.

That night her snug little nest perched high in the great tree seemed less the sanctuary that it had before. What

might resist the sanguinary intentions of a prowling panther would prove no great barrier to man, and

influenced by this thought she slept less well than before. The slightest noise that broke the monotonous hum

of the nocturnal jungle startled her into alert wakefulness to lie with straining ears in an attempt to classify the

origin of the disturbance, and once she was awakened thus by a sound that seemed to come from something

moving in her own tree. She listened intentlyscarce breathing. Yes, there it was again. A scuffing of

something soft against the hard bark of the tree. The woman reached out in the darkness and grasped her

spear. Now she felt a slight sagging of one of the limbs that supported her shelter as though the thing,

whatever it was, was slowly raising its weight to the branch. It came nearer. Now she thought that she could

detect its breathing. It was at the door. She could hear it fumbling with the frail barrier. What could it be? It

made no sound by which she might identify it. She raised herself upon her hands and knees and crept

stealthily the little distance to the doorway, her spear clutched tightly in her hand. Whatever the thing was, it

was evidently attempting to gain entrance without awakening her. It was just beyond the pitiful little

contraption of slender boughs that she had bound together with grasses and called a dooronly a few inches

lay between the thing and her. Rising to her knees she reached out with her left hand and felt until she found a

place where a crooked branch had left an opening a couple of inches wide near the center of the barrier. Into

this she inserted the point of her spear. The thing must have heard her move within for suddenly it abandoned

its efforts for stealth and tore angrily at the obstacle. At the same moment Jane thrust her spear forward with

all her strength. She felt it enter flesh. There was a scream and a curse from without, followed by the crashing

of a body through limbs and foliage. Her spear was almost dragged from her grasp, but she held to it until it

It was Obergatz; the curse had told her that. From below came no further sound. Had she, then, killed him?

She prayed sowith all her heart she prayed it. To be freed from the menace of this loathsome creature were

relief indeed. During all the balance of the night she lay there awake, listening. Below her, she imagined, she

could see the dead man with his hideous face bathed in the cold light of the moonlying there upon his back

She prayed that ja might come and drag it away, but all during the remainder of the night she heard never

another sound above the drowsy hum of the jungle. She was glad that he was dead, but she dreaded the

gruesome ordeal that awaited her on the morrow, for she must bury the thing that had been Erich Obergatz

She reproached herself for her weakness, repeating over and over that she had killed in selfdefense, that her

act was justified; but she was still a woman of today, and strong upon her were the iron mandates of the

social order from which she had sprung, its interdictions and its superstitions.

At last came the tardy dawn. Slowly the sun topped the distant mountains beyond Jadinlul. And yet she

hesitated to loosen the fastenings of her door and look out upon the thing below. But it must be done. She

steeled herself and untied the rawhide thong that secured the barrier. She looked down and only the grass and

the flowers looked up at her. She came from her shelter and examined the ground upon the opposite side of

the treethere was no dead man there, nor anywhere as far as she could see. Slowly she descended, keeping

At the foot of the tree was a pool of blood and a little trail of crimson drops upon the grass, leading away

parallel with the shore of Jadbenlul. Then she had not slain him! She was vaguely aware of a peculiar,

double sensation of relief and regret. Now she would be always in doubt. He might return; but at least she

She thought some of following the bloody spoor on the chance that he might have crawled away to die later,

but she gave up the idea for fear that she might find him dead nearby, or, worse yet badly wounded. What

then could she do? She could not finish him with her spearno, she knew that she could not do that, nor

could she bring him back and nurse him, nor could she leave him there to die of hunger or of thirst, or to

become the prey of some prowling beast. It were better then not to search for him for fear that she might find

That day was one of nervous starting to every sudden sound. The day before she would have said that her

nerves were of iron; but not today. She knew now the shock that she had suffered and that this was the

reaction. Tomorrow it might be different, but something told her that never again would her little shelter and

the patch of forest and jungle that she called her own be the same. There would hang over them always the

menace of this man. No longer would she pass restful nights of deep slumber. The peace of her little world

That night she made her door doubly secure with additional thongs of rawhide cut from the pelt of the buck

she had slain the day that she met Obergatz. She was very tired for she had lost much sleep the night before;

but for a long time she lay with wideopen eyes staring into the darkness. What saw she there? Visions that

brought tears to those brave and beautiful eyesvisions of a rambling bungalow that had been home to her

and that was no more, destroyed by the same cruel force that haunted her even now in this remote, uncharted

corner of the earth; visions of a strong man whose protecting arm would never press her close again; visions

of a tall, straight son who looked at her adoringly out of brave, smiling eyes that were like his father's.

Always the vision of the crude simple bungalow rather than of the stately halls that had been as much a part

of her life as the other. But he had loved the bungalow and the broad, free acres best and so she had come to

At last she slept, the sleep of utter exhaustion. How long it lasted she did not know; but suddenly she was

wide awake and once again she heard the scuffing of a body against the bark of her tree and again the limb

bent to a heavy weight. He had returned! She went cold, trembling as with ague. Was it he, or, O God! had

she killed him then and was this? She tried to drive the horrid thought from her mind, for this way, she

And once again she crept to the door, for the thing was outside just as it had been last night. Her hands

trembled as she placed the point of her weapon to the opening. She wondered if it would scream as it fell.

THE last bar that would make the opening large enough to permit his body to pass had been removed as

Tarzan heard the warriors whispering beyond the stone door of his prison. Long since had the rope of hide

been braided. To secure one end to the remaining bar that he had left for this purpose was the work of but a

moment, and while the warriors whispered without, the brown body of the apeman slipped through the

Tarzan's escape from the cell left him still within the walled area that comprised the palace and temple

grounds and buildings. He had reconnoitered as best he might from the window after he had removed enough

bars to permit him to pass his head through the opening, so that he knew what lay immediately before

hima winding and usually deserted alleyway leading in the direction of the outer gate that opened from the

The darkness would facilitate his escape. He might even pass out of the palace and the city without detection.

If he could elude the guard at the palace gate the rest would be easy. He strode along confidently, exhibiting

no fear of detection, for he reasoned that thus would he disarm suspicion. In the darkness he easily could pass

for a Hodon and in truth, though he passed several after leaving the deserted alley, no one accosted or

detained him, and thus he came at last to the guard of a halfdozen warriors before the palace gate. These he

attempted to pass in the same unconcerned fashion and he might have succeeded had it not been for one who

came running rapidly from the direction of the temple shouting: "Let no one pass the gates! The prisoner has

Instantly a warrior barred his way and simultaneously the fellow recognized him. "Xot tor!" he exclaimed:

The others came forward. It cannot be said that they rushed forward. If it was their wish to fall upon him

there was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm other than that which directed their efforts to persuade someone

else to fall upon him. His fame as a fighter had been too long a topic of conversation for the good of the

morale of Mosar's warriors. It were safer to stand at a distance and hurl their clubs and this they did, but the

apeman had learned something of the use of this weapon since he had arrived in Paluldon. And as he

learned great had grown his respect for this most primitive of arms. He had come to realize that the black

savages he had known had never appreciated the possibilities of their knob sticks, nor had he, and he had

discovered, too, why the Paluldonians had turned their ancient spears into plowshares and pinned their

faith to the heavyended club alone. In deadly execution it was far more effective than a spear and it

answered, too, every purpose of a shield, combining the two in one and thus reducing the burden of the

warrior. Thrown as they throw it, after the manner of the hammerthrowers of the Olympian games, an

ordinary shield would prove more a weakness than a strength while one that would be strong enough to prove

a protection would be too heavy to carry. Only another club, deftly wielded to deflect the course of an enemy

missile, is in any way effective against these formidable weapons and, too, the war club of Paluldon can be

And now was put to the test that which Tarzan had learned from Omat and Taden. His eyes and his

muscles trained by a lifetime of necessity moved with the rapidity of light and his brain functioned with an

uncanny celerity that suggested nothing less than prescience, and these things more than compensated for his

lack of experience with the war club he handled so dexterously. Weapon after weapon he warded off and

always he moved with a single idea in mindto place himself within reach of one of his antagonists. But

they were wary for they feared this strange creature to whom the superstitious fears of many of them

attributed the miraculous powers of deity. They managed to keep between Tarzan and the gateway and all the

time they bawled lustily for reinforcements. Should these come before he had made his escape the apeman

realized that the odds against him would be unsurmountable, and so he redoubled his efforts to carry out his

Following their usual tactics two or three of the warriors were always circling behind him collecting the

thrown clubs when Tarzan's attention was directed elsewhere. He himself retrieved several of them which he

hurled with such deadly effect as to dispose of two of his antagonists, but now he heard the approach of

hurrying warriors, the patter of their bare feet upon the stone pavement and then the savage cries which were

There was no time to lose. Tarzan held a club in either hand and, swinging one he hurled it at a warrior before

him and as the man dodged he rushed in and seized him, at the same time casting his second club at another

of his opponents. The Hodon with whom he grappled reached instantly for his knife but the apeman

grasped his wrist. There was a sudden twist, the snapping of a bone and an agonized scream, then the warrior

was lifted bodily from his feet and held as a shield between his fellows and the fugitive as the latter backed

through the gateway. Beside Tarzan stood the single torch that lighted the entrance to the palace grounds. The

warriors were advancing to the succor of their fellow when the apeman raised his captive high above his

head and flung him full in the face of the foremost attacker. The fellow went down and two directly behind

him sprawled headlong over their companion as the apeman seized the torch and cast it back into the palace

grounds to be extinguished as it struck the bodies of those who led the charging reinforcements.

In the ensuing darkness Tarzan disappeared in the streets of Tulur beyond the palace gate. For a time he was

aware of sounds of pursuit but the fact that they trailed away and died in the direction of Jadinlul informed

him that they were searching in the wrong direction, for he had turned south out of Tulur purposely to throw

them off his track. Beyond the outskirts of the city he turned directly toward the northwest, in which direction

In his path he knew lay Jadballul, the shore of which he was compelled to skirt, and there would be a river

to cross at the lower end of the great lake upon the shores of which lay Alur. What other obstacles lay in his

way he did not know but he believed that he could make better time on foot than by attempting to steal a

canoe and force his way up stream with a single paddle. It was his intention to put as much distance as

possible between himself and Tulur before he slept for he was sure that Mosar would not lightly accept his

loss, but that with the coming of day, or possibly even before, he would dispatch warriors in search of him.

A mile or two from the city he entered a forest and here at last he felt such a measure of safety as he never

knew in open spaces or in cities. The forest and the jungle were his birthright. No creature that went upon the

ground upon four feet, or climbed among the trees, or crawled upon its belly had any advantage over the

apeman in his native heath. As myrrh and frankincense were the dank odors of rotting vegetation in the

nostrils of the great Tarmangani. He squared his broad shoulders and lifting his head filled his lungs with the

air that he loved best. The heavy fragrance of tropical blooms, the commingled odors of the myriadscented

life of the jungle went to his head with a pleasurable intoxication far more potent than aught contained in the

He took to the trees now, not from necessity but from pure love of the wild freedom that had been denied him

so long. Though it was dark and the forest strange yet he moved with a surety and ease that bespoke more a

strange uncanny sense than wondrous skill. He heard ja moaning somewhere ahead and an owl hooted

mournfully to the right of himlong familiar sounds that imparted to him no sense of loneliness as they

might to you or to me, but on the contrary one of companionship for they betokened the presence of his

fellows of the jungle, and whether friend or foe it was all the same to the apeman.

He came at last to a little stream at a spot where the trees did not meet above it so he was forced to descend to

the ground and wade through the water and upon the opposite shore he stopped as though suddenly his

godlike figure had been transmuted from flesh to marble. Only his dilating nostrils bespoke his pulsing

vitality. For a long moment he stood there thus and then swiftly, but with a caution and silence that were

inherent in him he moved forward again, but now his whole attitude bespoke a new urge. There was a definite

and masterful purpose in every movement of those steel muscles rolling softly beneath the smooth brown

hide. He moved now toward a certain goal that quite evidently filled him with far greater enthusiasm than had

And so he came at last to the foot of a great tree and there he stopped and looked up above him among the

foliage where the dim outlines of a roughly rectangular bulk loomed darkly. There was a choking sensation in

Tarzan's throat as he raised himself gently into the branches. It was as though his heart were swelling either to

Before the rude shelter built among the branches he paused listening. From within there came to his sensitive

nostrils the same delicate aroma that had arrested his eager attention at the little stream a mile away. He

The only answer from within was as the sudden indrawing of a breath that was half gasp and half sigh, and

the sound of a body falling to the floor. Hurriedly Tarzan sought to release the thongs which held the door but

they were fastened from the inside, and at last, impatient with further delay, he seized the frail barrier in one

giant hand and with a single effort tore it completely away. And then he entered to find the seemingly lifeless

He gathered her in his arms; her heart beat; she still breathed, and presently he realized that she had but

When Jane Clayton regained consciousness it was to find herself held tightly in two strong arms, her head

pillowed upon the broad shoulder where so often before her fears had been soothed and her sorrows

comforted. At first she was not sure but that it was all a dream. Timidly her hand stole to his cheek.

In reply he drew her more closely to him. "It is I," he replied. "But there is something in my throat," he said

She smiled and snuggled closer to him. "God has been good to us, Tarzan of the Apes," she said.

For some time neither spoke. It was enough that they were reunited and that each knew that the other was

alive and safe. But at last they found their voices and when the sun rose they were still talking, so much had

"I do not know," replied Tarzan. "The last I heard of him he was on the Argonne Front."

"Ah, then our happiness is not quite complete," she said, a little note of sadness creeping into her voice.

"No," he replied, "but the same is true in countless other English homes today, and pride is learning to take

"And I too," replied Tarzan, "and we may have him yet. He was safe and unwounded the last word I had. And

now," he said, "we must plan upon our return. Would you like to rebuild the bungalow and gather together

"Only to find Jack," she said. "I dream always of the bungalow and never of the city, but John, we can only

dream, for Obergatz told me that he had circled this whole country and found no place where he might cross

"I am not Obergatz," Tarzan reminded her, smiling. "We will rest today and tomorrow we will set out toward

the north. It is a savage country, but we have crossed it once and we can cross it again."

And so, upon the following morning, the Tarmangani and his mate went forth upon their journey across the

Valley of JadbenOtho, and ahead of them were fierce men and savage beasts, and the lofty mountains of

Paluldon; and beyond the mountains the reptiles and the morass, and beyond that the arid, thorncovered

steppe, and other savage beasts and men and weary, hostile miles of untracked wilderness between them and

Lieutenant Erich Obergatz crawled through the grass upon all fours, leaving a trail of blood behind him after

Jane's spear had sent him crashing to the ground beneath her tree. He made no sound after the one piercing

scream that had acknowledged the severity of his wound. He was quiet because of a great fear that had crept

into his warped brain that the devil woman would pursue and slay him. And so he crawled away like some

He thought that he was going to die, but he did not, and with the coming of the new day he discovered that

his wound was superficial. The rough obsidianshod spear had entered the muscles of his side beneath his

right arm inflicting a painful, but not a fatal wound. With the realization of this fact came a renewed desire to

put as much distance as possible between himself and Jane Clayton. And so he moved on, still going upon all

fours because of a persistent hallucination that in this way he might escape observation. Yet though he fled

his mind still revolved muddily about a central desirewhile he fled from her he still planned to pursue her,

and to his lust of possession was added a desire for revenge. She should pay for the suffering she had inflicted

upon him. She should pay for rebuffing him, but for some reason which he did not try to explain to himself

he would crawl away and hide. He would come back though. He would come back and when he had finished

with her, he would take that smooth throat in his two hands and crush the life from her.

He kept repeating this over and over to himself and then he fell to laughing out loud, the cackling, hideous

laughter that had terrified Jane. Presently he realized his knees were bleeding and that they hurt him. He

looked cautiously behind. No one was in sight. He listened. He could hear no indications of pursuit and so he

rose to his feet and continued upon his way a sorry sightcovered with filth and blood, his beard and hair

tangled and matted and filled with burrs and dried mud and unspeakable filth. He kept no track of time. He

ate fruits and berries and tubers that he dug from the earth with his fingers. He followed the shore of the lake

and the river that he might be near water, and when ja roared or moaned he climbed a tree and hid there,

And so after a time he came up the southern shore of Jadbenlul until a wide river stopped his progress.

Across the blue water a white city glimmered in the sun. He looked at it for a long time, blinking his eyes like

an owl. Slowly a recollection forced itself through his tangled brain. This was Alur, the City of Light. The

association of ideas recalled Bulur and the Wazhodon. They had called him JadbenOtho. He

commenced to laugh aloud and stood up very straight and strode back and forth along the shore. "I am

JadbenOtho," he cried, "I am the Great God. In Alur is my temple and my high priests. What is

He stepped out into the water and raising his voice shrieked loudly across toward Alur. "I am

JadbenOtho!" he screamed. "Come hither slaves and take your god to his temple." But the distance was

great and they did not hear him and no one came, and the feeble mind was distracted by other thingsa bird

flying in the air, a school of minnows swimming around his feet. He lunged at them trying to catch them, and

falling upon his hands and knees he crawled through the water grasping futilely at the elusive fish.

Presently it occurred to him that he was a sea lion and he forgot the fish and lay down and tried to swim by

wriggling his feet in the water as though they were a tail. The hardships, the privations, the terrors, and for

the past few weeks the lack of proper nourishment had reduced Erich Obergatz to little more than a gibbering

A water snake swam out upon the surface of the lake and the man pursued it, crawling upon his hands and

knees. The snake swam toward the shore just within the mouth of the river where tall reeds grew thickly and

Obergatz followed, making grunting noises like a pig. He lost the snake within the reeds but he came upon

something elsea canoe hidden there close to the bank. He examined it with cackling laughter. There were

two paddles within it which he took and threw out into the current of the river. He watched them for a while

and then he sat down beside the canoe and commenced to splash his hands up and down upon the water. He

liked to hear the noise and see the little splashes of spray. He rubbed his left forearm with his right palm and

the dirt came off and left a white spot that drew his attention. He rubbed again upon the now thoroughly

soaked blood and grime that covered his body. He was not attempting to wash himself; he was merely

amused by the strange results. "I am turning white," he cried. His glance wandered from his body now that

the grime and blood were all removed and caught again the white city shimmering beneath the hot sun.

"AlurCity of Light!" he shrieked and that reminded him again of Tulur and by the same process of

associated ideas that had before suggested it, he recalled that the Wazhodon had thought him

"I am JadbenOtho!" he screamed and then his eyes fell again upon the canoe. A new idea came and

persisted. He looked down at himself, examining his body, and seeing the filthy loin cloth, now water soaked

and more bedraggled than before, he tore it from him and flung it into the lake. "Gods do not wear dirty

rags," he said aloud. "They do not wear anything but wreaths and garlands of flowers and I am a godI am

He ran his fingers through his matted hair and beard. The water had softened the burrs but had not removed

them. The man shook his head. His hair and beard failed to harmonize with his other godly attributes. He was

commencing to think more clearly now, for the great idea had taken hold of his scattered wits and

concentrated them upon a single purpose, but he was still a maniac. The only difference being that he was

now a maniac with a fixed intent. He went out on the shore and gathered flowers and ferns and wove them in

his beard and hairblazing blooms of different colorsgreen ferns that trailed about his ears or rose

When he was satisfied that his appearance would impress the most casual observer with his evident deity he

returned to the canoe, pushed it from shore and jumped in. The impetus carried it into the river's current and

the current bore it out upon the lake. The naked man stood erect in the center of the little craft, his arms

folded upon his chest. He screamed aloud his message to the city: "I am JadbenOtho! Let the high priest

As the current of the river was dissipated by the waters of the lake the wind caught him and his craft and

carried them bravely forward. Sometimes he drifted with his back toward Alur and sometimes with his face

toward it, and at intervals he shrieked his message and his commands. He was still in the middle of the lake

when someone discovered him from the palace wall, and as he drew nearer, a crowd of warriors and women

and children were congregated there watching him and along the temple walls were many priests and among

them Ludon, the high priest. When the boat had drifted close enough for them to distinguish the bizarre

figure standing in it and for them to catch the meaning of his words Ludon's cunning eyes narrowed. The

high priest had learned of the escape of Tarzan and he feared that should he join Jadon's forces, as seemed

likely, he would attract many recruits who might still believe in him, and the DorulOtho, even if a false

The man was drifting close in. His canoe would soon be caught in the current that ran close to shore here and

carried toward the river that emptied the waters of Jadbenlul into Jadballul. The under priests were

The priests hurried to the palace grounds and summoned warriors. "Go, bring the stranger to Ludon. If he is

And so Lieutenant Erich Obergatz was brought before the high priest at Alur. Ludon looked closely at the

"I am JadbenOtho," cried the German. "I came from heaven. Where is my high priest?"

Obergatz clapped his hands. "Have my feet bathed and food brought to me," he commanded.

Ludon's eyes narrowed to mere slits of crafty cunning. He bowed low until his forehead touched the feet of

the stranger. Before the eyes of many priests, and warriors from the palace he did it.

"Ho, slaves"" he cried, rising; "fetch water and food for the Great God," and thus the high priest

acknowledged before his people the godhood of Lieutenant Erich Obergatz, nor was it long before the story

ran like wildfire through the palace and out into the city and beyond that to the lesser villages all the way

The real god had comeJadbenOtho himself, and he had espoused the cause of Ludon, the high priest.

Mosar lost no time in placing himself at the disposal of Ludon, nor did he mention aught about his claims

to the throne. It was Mosar's opinion that he might consider himself fortunate were he allowed to remain in

peaceful occupation of his chieftainship at Tulur, nor was Mosar wrong in his deductions.

But Ludon could still use him and so he let him live and sent word to him to come to Alur with all his

warriors, for it was rumored that Jadon was raising a great army in the north and might soon march upon the

Obergatz thoroughly enjoyed being a god. Plenty of food and peace of mind and rest partially brought back to

him the reason that had been so rapidly slipping from him; but in one respect he was madder than ever, since

now no power on earth would ever be able to convince him that he was not a god. Slaves were put at his

disposal and these he ordered about in godly fashion. The same portion of his naturally cruel mind met upon

common ground the mind of Ludon, so that the two seemed always in accord. The high priest saw in the

stranger a mighty force wherewith to hold forever his power over all Paluldon and thus the future of

A throne was erected in the main temple court before the eastern altar where JadbenOtho might sit in

person and behold the sacrifices that were offered up to him there each day at sunset. So much did the cruel,

halfcrazed mind enjoy these spectacles that at times he even insisted upon wielding the sacrificial knife

himself and upon such occasions the priests and the people fell upon their faces in awe of the dread deity.

If Obergatz taught them not to love their god more he taught them to fear him as they never had before, so

that the name of JadbenOtho was whispered in the city and little children were frightened into obedience

by the mere mention of it. Ludon, through his priests and slaves, circulated the information that

JadbenOtho had commanded all his faithful followers to flock to the standard of the high priest at Alur

and that all others were cursed, especially Jadon and the base impostor who had posed as the DorulOtho.

The curse was to take the form of early death following terrible suffering, and Ludon caused it to be

published abroad that the name of any warrior who complained of a pain should be brought to him, for such

might be deemed to be under suspicion, since the first effects of the curse would result in slight pains

attacking the unholy. He counseled those who felt pains to look carefully to their loyalty. The result was

remarkable and immediatehalf a nation without a pain, and recruits pouring into Alur to offer their

services to Ludon while secretly hoping that the little pains they had felt in arm or leg or belly would not

TARZAN and Jane skirted the shore of Jadballul and crossed the river at the head of the lake. They moved

in leisurely fashion with an eye to comfort and safety, for the apeman, now that he had found his mate, was

determined to court no chance that might again separate them, or delay or prevent their escape from

Paluldon. How they were to recross the morass was a matter of little concern to him as yetit would be

time enough to consider that matter when it became of more immediate moment. Their hours were filled with

the happiness and content of reunion after long separation; they had much to talk of, for each had passed

through many trials and vicissitudes and strange adventures, and no important hour might go unaccounted for

It was Tarzan's intention to choose a way above Alur and the scattered Hodon villages below it, passing

about midway between them and the mountains, thus avoiding, in so far as possible, both the Hodon and

Wazdon, for in this area lay the neutral territory that was uninhabited by either. Thus he would travel

northwest until opposite the Korulja where he planned to stop to pay his respects to Omat and give the

gund word of Panatlee, and a plan Tarzan had for insuring her safe return to her people. It was upon the

third day of their journey and they had almost reached the river that passes through Alur when Jane

suddenly clutched Tarzan's arm and pointed ahead toward the edge of a forest that they were approaching.

Beneath the shadows of the trees loomed a great bulk that the apeman instantly recognized.

"A gryf," replied the apeman, "and we have met him in the worst place that we could possibly have found.

There is not a large tree within a quarter of a mile, other than those among which he stands. Come, we shall

have to go back, Jane; I cannot risk it with you along. The best we can do is to pray that he does not discover

"The chance that I can subdue him as I subdued one of his fellows," replied Tarzan. "I told youyou recall?"

"Yes, but I did not picture so huge a creature. Why, John, he is as big as a battleship."

The apeman laughed. "Not quite, though I'll admit he looks quite as formidable as one when he charges."

"I believe we're going to make it," whispered the woman, her voice tense with suppressed excitement. A low

"'The big show is about to commence in the main tent,'" he quoted, grinning. He caught the woman suddenly

to his breast and kissed her. "One can never tell, Jane," he said. "We'll do our bestthat is all we can do.

Give me your spear, anddon't run. The only hope we have lies in that little brain more than in us. If I can

The beast had emerged from the forest and was looking about through his weak eyes, evidently in search of

them. Tarzan raised his voice in the weird notes of the Torodon's cry, "Wheeoo! Wheeoo! Wheeoo!"

For a moment the great beast stood motionless, his attention riveted by the call. The apeman advanced

straight toward him, Jane Clayton at his elbow. "Wheeoo!" he cried again peremptorily. A low rumble

rolled from the gryf's cavernous chest in answer to the call, and the beast moved slowly toward them.

"Fine!" exclaimed Tarzan. "The odds are in our favor now. You can keep your nerve?but I do not need to

"I know no fear when I am with Tarzan of the Apes," she replied softly, and he felt the pressure of her soft

And thus the two approached the giant monster of a forgotten epoch until they stood close in the shadow of a

mighty shoulder. "Wheeoo!" shouted Tarzan and struck the hideous snout with the shaft of the spear. The

vicious side snap that did not reach its markthat evidently was not intended to reach its markwas the

"Come," said Tarzan, and taking Jane by the hand he led her around behind the monster and up the broad tail

to the great, horned back. "Now will we ride in the state that our forebears knew, before which the pomp of

modern kings pales into cheap and tawdry insignificance. How would you like to canter through Hyde Park

"I am afraid the Bobbies would be shocked by our riding habits, John," she cried, laughingly.

Tarzan guided the gryf in the direction that they wished to go. Steep embankments and rivers proved no

"A prehistoric tank, this," Jane assured him, and laughing and talking they continued on their way. Once they

came unexpectedly upon a dozen Hodon warriors as the gryf emerged suddenly into a small clearing. The

fellows were lying about in the shade of a single tree that grew alone. When they saw the beast they leaped to

their feet in consternation and at their shouts the gryf issued his hideous, challenging bellow and charged

them. The warriors fled in all directions while Tarzan belabored the beast across the snout with his spear in

an effort to control him, and at last he succeeded, just as the gryf was almost upon one poor devil that it

seemed to have singled out for its special prey. With an angry grunt the gryf stopped and the man, with a

single backward glance that showed a face white with terror, disappeared in the jungle he had been seeking to

The apeman was elated. He had doubted that he could control the beast should it take it into its head to

charge a victim and had intended abandoning it before they reached the Korulja. Now he altered his

plansthey would ride to the very village of Omat upon the gryf, and the Korulja would have food for

conversation for many generations to come. Nor was it the theatric instinct of the apeman alone that gave

favor to this plan. The element of Jane's safety entered into the matter for he knew that she would be safe

from man and beast alike so long as she rode upon the back of Paluldon's most formidable creature.

As they proceeded slowly in the direction of the Korulja, for the natural gait of the gryf is far from rapid, a

handful of terrified warriors came panting into Alur, spreading a weird story of the DorulOtho, only none

dared call him the DorulOtho aloud. Instead they spoke of him as Tarzanjadguru and they told of

meeting him mounted upon a mighty gryf beside the beautiful stranger woman whom Kotan would have

made queen of Paluldon. This story was brought to Ludon who caused the warriors to be hailed to his

presence, when he questioned them closely until finally he was convinced that they spoke the truth and when

they had told him the direction in which the two were traveling, Ludon guessed that they were on their way

to Jalur to join Jadon, a contingency that he felt must be prevented at any cost. As was his wont in the

stress of emergency, he called Pansat into consultation and for long the two sat in close conference. When

they arose a plan had been developed. Pansat went immediately to his own quarters where he removed the

headdress and trappings of a priest to don in their stead the harness and weapons of a warrior. Then he

"Good!" cried the latter, when he saw him. "Not even your fellowpriests or the slaves that wait upon you

daily would know you now. Lose no time, Pansat, for all depends upon the speed with which you strike

andremember! Kill the man if you can; but in any event bring the woman to me here, alive. You

"Yes, master," replied the priest, and so it was that a lone warrior set out from Alur and made his way

The gorge next above Korulja is uninhabited and here the wily Jadon had chosen to mobilize his army for

its descent upon Alur. Two considerations influenced himone being the fact that could he keep his plans a

secret from the enemy he would have the advantage of delivering a surprise attack upon the forces of Ludon

from a direction that they would not expect attack, and in the meantime he would be able to keep his men

from the gossip of the cities where strange tales were already circulating relative to the coming of

JadbenOtho in person to aid the high priest in his war against Jadon. It took stout hearts and loyal ones to

ignore the implied threats of divine vengeance that these tales suggested. Already there had been desertions

Such was the state of affairs when a sentry posted on the knoll in the mouth of the gorge sent word that he

had observed in the valley below what appeared at a distance to be nothing less than two people mounted

upon the back of a gryf. He said that he had caught glimpses of them, as they passed open spaces, and they

At first Jadon was inclined to doubt the veracity of his informant; but, like all good generals, he could not

permit even palpably false information to go uninvestigated and so he determined to visit the knoll himself

and learn precisely what it was that the sentry had observed through the distorting spectacles of fear. He had

scarce taken his place beside the man ere the fellow touched his arm and pointed. "They are closer now," he

whispered, "you can see them plainly." And sure enough, not a quarter of a mile away Jadon saw that which

in his long experience in Paluldon he had never before seentwo humans riding upon the broad back of a

At first he could scarce credit even this testimony of his own eyes, but soon he realized that the creatures

below could be naught else than they appeared, and then he recognized the man and rose to his feet with a

The gryf and his riders heard the shout though not the words. The former bellowed terrifically and started in

the direction of the knoll, and Jadon, followed by a few of his more intrepid warriors, ran to meet him.

Tarzan, loath to enter an unnecessary quarrel, tried to turn the animal, but as the beast was far from tractable

it always took a few minutes to force the will of its master upon it; and so the two parties were quite close

Jadon and his warriors, however, had come to the realization that this bellowing creature was bearing down

upon them with evil intent and they had assumed the better part of valor and taken to trees, accordingly. It

was beneath these trees that Tarzan finally stopped the gryf. Jadon called down to him.

"We are friends," he cried. "I am Jadon, Chief of Jalur. I and my warriors lay our foreheads upon the feet

of DorulOtho and pray that he will aid us in our righteous fight with Ludon, the high priest."

"You have not defeated him yet?" asked Tarzan. "Why I thought you would be king of Paluldon long

"No," replied Jadon. "The people fear the high priest and now that he has in the temple one whom he claims

to be JadbenOtho many of my warriors are afraid. If they but knew that the DorulOtho had returned and

Tarzan thought for a long minute and then he spoke. "Jadon," he said, "was one of the few who believed in

me and who wished to accord me fair treatment. I have a debt to pay to Jadon and an account to settle with

Ludon, not alone on my own behalf, but principally upon that of my mate. I will go with you Jadon to

mete to Ludon the punishment he deserves. Tell me, chief, how may the DorulOtho best serve his father's

"By coming with me to Jalur and the villages between," replied Jadon quickly, "that the people may see

"You think that they will believe in me more now than before?" asked the apeman.

"Who will dare doubt that he who rides upon the great gryf is less than a god?" returned the old chief.

"And if I go with you to the battle at Alur," asked Tarzan, "can you assure the safety of my mate while I am

"She shall remain in Jalur with the Princess Oloa and my own women," replied Jadon. "There she will

be safe for there I shall leave trusted warriors to protect them. Say that you will come, O DorulOtho, and

my cup of happiness will be full, for even now Taden, my son, marches toward Alur with a force from the

northwest and if we can attack, with the DorulOtho at our head, from the northeast our arms should be

"It shall be as you wish, Jadon," replied the apeman; "but first you must have meat fetched for my gryf."

"There are many carcasses in the camp above," replied Jadon, "for my men have little else to do than hunt."

And when the meat wasbrought and laid at a distance the apeman slipped from the back of his fierce

charger and fed him with his own hand. "See that there is always plenty of flesh for him," he said to Jadon,

for he guessed that his mastery might be shortlived should the vicious beast become overhungry.

It was morning before they could leave for Jalur, but Tarzan found the gryf lying where he had left him the

night before beside the carcasses of two antelope and a lion; but now there was nothing but the gryf.

"The paleontologists say that he was herbivorous," said Tarzan as he and Jane approached the beast.

The journey to Jalur was made through the scattered villages where Jadon hoped to arouse a keener

enthusiasm for his cause. A party of warriors preceded Tarzan that the people might properly be prepared, not

only for the sight of the gryf but to receive the DorulOtho as became his high station. The results were all

that Jadon could have hoped and in no village through which they passed was there one who doubted the

As they approached Jalur a strange warrior joined them, one whom none of Jadon's following knew. He

said he came from one of the villages to the south and that he had been treated unfairly by one of Ludon's

chiefs. For this reason he had deserted the cause of the high priest and come north in the hope of finding a

home in Jalur. As every addition to his forces was welcome to the old chief he permitted the stranger to

There arose now the question as to what was to be done with the gryf while they remained in the city. It was

with difficulty that Tarzan had prevented the savage beast from attacking all who came near it when they had

first entered the camp of Jadon in the uninhabited gorge next to the Korulja, but during the march to

Jalur the creature had seemed to become accustomed to the presence of the Hodon. The latter, however,

gave him no cause for annoyance since they kept as far from him as possible and when he passed through the

streets of the city he was viewed from the safety of lofty windows and roofs. However tractable he appeared

to have become there would have been no enthusiastic seconding of a suggestion to turn him loose within the

city. It was finally suggested that he be turned into a walled enclosure within the palace grounds and this was

done, Tarzan driving him in after Jane had dismounted. More meat was thrown to him and he was left to his

own devices, the awestruck inhabitants of the palace not even venturing to climb upon the walls to look at

Jadon led Tarzan and Jane to the quarters of the Princess Oloa who, the moment that she beheld the

apeman, threw herself to the ground and touched her forehead to his feet. Panatlee was there with her and

she too seemed happy to see Tarzanjadguru again. When they found that Jane was his mate they looked

with almost equal awe upon her, since even the most skeptical of the warriors of Jadon were now convinced

that they were entertaining a god and a goddess within the city of Jalur, and that with the assistance of the

power of these two, the cause of Jadon would soon be victorious and the old Lionman set upon the throne

From Oloa Tarzan learned that Taden had returned and that they were to be united in marriage with the

weird rites of their religion and in accordance with the custom of their people as soon as Taden came home

The recruits were now gathering at the city and it was decided that the next day Jadon and Tarzan would

return to the main body in the hidden camp and immediately under cover of night the attack should be made

in force upon Ludon's forces at Alur. Word of this was sent to Taden where he awaited with his warriors

In the carrying out of these plans it was necessary to leave Jane behind in Jadon's palace at Jalur, but

Oloa and her women were with her and there were many warriors to guard them, so Tarzan bid his mate

goodbye with no feelings of apprehension as to her safety, and again seated upon the gryf made his way out

At the mouth of the gorge the apeman abandoned his huge mount since it had served its purpose and could

be of no further value to him in their attack upon Alur, which was to be made just before dawn the

following day when, as he could not have been seen by the enemy, the effect of his entry to the city upon the

gryf would have been totally lost. A couple of sharp blows with the spear sent the big animal rumbling and

growling in the direction of the Korulgryf nor was the apeman sorry to see it depart since he had never

known at what instant its short temper and insatiable appetite for flesh might turn it upon some of his

AS NIGHT fell a warrior from the palace of Jalur slipped into the temple grounds. He made his way to

where the lesser priests were quartered. His presence aroused no suspicion as it was not unusual for warriors

to have business within the temple. He came at last to a chamber where several priests were congregated after

the evening meal. The rites and ceremonies of the sacrifice had been concluded and there was nothing more

Now the warrior knew, as in fact nearly all Paluldon knew, that there was no strong bond between the

temple and the palace at Jalur and that Jadon only suffered the presence of the priests and permitted their

cruel and abhorrent acts because of the fact that these things had been the custom of the Hodon of

Paluldon for countless ages, and rash indeed must have been the man who would have attempted to

interfere with the priests or their ceremonies. That Jadon never entered the temple was well known, and that

his high priest never entered the palace, but the people came to the temple with their votive offerings and the

The warriors knew these things, knew them better perhaps than a simple warrior should have known them.

And so it was here in the temple that he looked for the aid that he sought in the carrying out of whatever

As he entered the apartment where the priests were he greeted them after the manner which was customary in

Paluldon, but at the same time he made a sign with his finger that might have attracted little attention or

scarcely been noticed at all by one who knew not its meaning. That there were those within the room who

noticed it and interpreted it was quickly apparent, through the fact that two of the priests rose and came close

to him as he stood just within the doorway and each of them, as he came, returned the signal that the warrior

The three talked for but a moment and then the warrior turned and left the apartment. A little later one of the

In the corridor they found the warrior waiting, and led him to a little chamber which opened upon a smaller

corridor just beyond where it joined the larger. Here the three remained in whispered conversation for some

little time and then the warrior returned to the palace and the two priests to their quarters.

The apartments of the women of the palace at Jalur are all upon the same side of a long, straight corridor.

Each has a single door leading into the corridor and at the opposite end several windows overlooking a

garden. It was in one of these rooms that Jane slept alone. At each end of the corridor was a sentinel, the main

body of the guard being stationed in a room near the outer entrance to the women's quarters.

The palace slept for they kept early hours there where Jadon ruled. The paledonso of the great chieftain

of the north knew no such wild orgies as had resounded through the palace of the king at Alur. Jalur was a

quiet city by comparison with the capital, yet there was always a guard kept at every entrance to the chambers

of Jadon and his immediate family as well as at the gate leading into the temple and that which opened upon

These guards, however, were small, consisting usually of not more than five or six warriors, one of whom

remained awake while the others slept. Such were the conditions then when two warriors presented

themselves, one at either end of the corridor, to the sentries who watched over the safety of Jane Clayton and

the Princess Oloa, and each of the newcomers repeated to the sentinels the stereotyped words which

announced that they were relieved and these others sent to watch in their stead. Never is a warrior loath to be

relieved of sentry duty. Where, under different circumstances he might ask numerous questions he is now too

well satisfied to escape the monotonies of that universally hated duty. And so these two men accepted their

And then a third warrior entered the corridor and all of the newcomers came together before the door of the

apeman's slumbering mate. And one was the strange warrior who had met Jadon and Tarzan outside the

city of Jalur as they had approached it the previous day; and he was the same warrior who had entered the

temple a short hour before, but the faces of his fellows were unfamiliar, even to one another, since it is

seldom that a priest removes his hideous headdress in the presence even of his associates.

Silently they lifted the hangings that hid the interior of the room from the view of those who passed through

the corridor, and stealthily slunk within. Upon a pile of furs in a far corner lay the sleeping form of Lady

Greystoke. The bare feet of the intruders gave forth no sound as they crossed the stone floor toward her. A

ray of moonlight entering through a window near her couch shone full upon her, revealing the beautiful

contours of an arm and shoulder in cameodistinctness against the dark furry pelt beneath which she slept,

But neither the beauty nor the helplessness of the sleeper aroused such sentiments of passion or pity as might

stir in the breasts of normal men. To the three priests she was but a lump of clay, nor could they conceive

aught of that passion which had aroused men to intrigue and to murder for possession of this beautiful

American girl, and which even now was influencing the destiny of undiscovered Paluldon.

Upon the floor of the chamber were numerous pelts and as the leader of the trio came close to the sleeping

woman he stooped and gathered up one of the smaller of these. Standing close to her head he held the rug

outspread above her face. "Now," he whispered and simultaneously he threw the rug over the woman's head

and his two fellows leaped upon her, seizing her arms and pinioning her body while their leader stifled her

cries with the furry pelt. Quickly and silently they bound her wrists and gagged her and during the brief time

that their work required there was no sound that might have been heard by occupants of the adjoining

Jerking her roughly to her feet they forced her toward a window but she refused to walk, throwing herself

instead upon the floor. They were very angry and would have resorted to cruelties to compel her obedience

but dared not, since the wrath of Ludon might fall heavily upon whoever mutilated his fair prize.

And so they were forced to lift and carry her bodily. Nor was the task any sinecure since the captive kicked

and struggled as best she might, making their labor as arduous as possible. But finally they succeeded in

getting her through the window and into the garden beyond where one of the two priests from the Jalur

temple directed their steps toward a small barred gateway in the south wall of the enclosure.

Immediately beyond this a flight of stone stairs led downward toward the river and at the foot of the stairs

were moored several canoes. Pansat had indeed been fortunate in enlisting aid from those who knew the

temple and the palace so well, or otherwise he might never have escaped from Jalur with his captive.

Placing the woman in the bottom of a light canoe Pansat entered it and took up the paddle. His companions

unfastened the moorings and shoved the little craft out into the current of the stream. Their traitorous work

completed they turned and retraced their steps toward the temple, while Pansat, paddling strongly with the

current, moved rapidly down the river that would carry him to the Jadbenlul and Alur.

The moon had set and the eastern horizon still gave no hint of approaching day as a long file of warriors

wound stealthily through the darkness into the city of Alur. Their plans were all laid and there seemed no

likelihood of their miscarriage. A messenger had been dispatched to Taden whose forces lay northwest of

the city. Tarzan, with a small contingent, was to enter the temple through the secret passageway, the location

of which he alone knew, while Jadon, with the greater proportion of the warriors, was to attack the palace

The apeman, leading his little band, moved stealthily through the winding alleys of Alur, arriving

undetected at the building which hid the entrance to the secret passageway. This spot being best protected by

the fact that its existence was unknown to others than the priests, was unguarded. To facilitate the passage of

his little company through the narrow winding, uneven tunnel, Tarzan lighted a torch which had been brought

That he could accomplish much once he reached the inner chambers of the temple with his little band of

picked warriors the apeman was confident since an attack at this point would bring confusion and

consternation to the easily overpowered priests, and permit Tarzan to attack the palace forces in the rear at the

same time that Jadon engaged them at the palace gates, while Taden and his forces swarmed the northern

walls. Great value had been placed by Jadon on the moral effect of the DorulOtho's mysterious

appearance in the heart of the temple and he had urged Tarzan to take every advantage of the old chieftain's

belief that many of Ludon's warriors still wavered in their allegiance between the high priest and the

DorulOtho, being held to the former more by the fear which he engendered in the breasts of all his

There is a Paluldonian proverb setting forth a truth similar to that contained in the old Scotch adage that

"The best laid schemes o' mice and men gang aft agley." Freely translated it might read, "He who follows

the right trail sometimes reaches the wrong destination," and such apparently was the fate that lay in the

Tarzan, more familiar with the windings of the corridors than his fellows and having the advantage of the full

light of the torch, which at best was but a dim and flickering affair, was some distance ahead of the others,

and in his keen anxiety to close with the enemy he gave too little thought to those who were to support him.

Nor is this strange, since from childhood the apeman had been accustomed to fight the battles of life

singlehanded so that it had become habitual for him to depend solely upon his own cunning and prowess.

And so it was that he came into the upper corridor from which opened the chambers of Ludon and the lesser

priests far in advance of his warriors, and as he turned into this corridor with its dim cressets flickering

somberly, he saw another enter it from a corridor before hima warrior half carrying, half dragging the

figure of a woman. Instantly Tarzan recognized the gagged and fettered captive whom he had thought safe in

The warrior with the woman had seen Tarzan at the same instant that the latter had discovered him. He heard

the low beastlike growl that broke from the apeman's lips as he sprang forward to wrest his mate from her

captor and wreak upon him the vengeance that was in the Tarmangani's savage heart. Across the corridor

from Pansat was the entrance to a smaller chamber. Into this he leaped carrying the woman with him.

Close behind came Tarzan of the Apes. He had cast aside his torch and drawn the long knife that had been his

father's. With the impetuosity of a charging bull he rushed into the chamber in pursuit of Pansat to find

himself, when the hangings dropped behind him, in utter darkness. Almost immediately there was a crash of

stone on stone before him followed a moment later by a similar crash behind. No other evidence was

necessary to announce to the apeman that he was again a prisoner in Ludon's temple.

He stood perfectly still where he had halted at the first sound of the descending stone door. Not again would

he easily be precipitated to the gryf pit, or some similar danger, as had occurred when Ludon had trapped

him in the Temple of the Gryf. As he stood there his eyes slowly grew accustomed to the darkness and he

became aware that a dim light was entering the chamber through some opening, though it was several

minutes before he discovered its source. In the roof of the chamber he finally discerned a small aperture,

possibly three feet in diameter and it was through this that what was really only a lesser darkness rather than a

light was penetrating its Stygian blackness of the chamber in which he was imprisoned.

Since the doors had fallen he had heard no sound though his keen ears were constantly strained in an effort to

discover a clue to the direction taken by the abductor of his mate. Presently he could discern the outlines of

his prison cell. It was a small room, not over fifteen feet across. On hands and knees, with the utmost caution,

he examined the entire area of the floor. In the exact center, directly beneath the opening in the roof, was a

trap, but otherwise the floor was solid. With this knowledge it was only necessary to avoid this spot in so far

as the floor was concerned. The walls next received his attention. There were only two openings. One the

doorway through which he had entered, and upon the opposite side that through which the warrior had borne

Jane Clayton. These were both closed by the slabs of stone which the fleeing warrior had released as he

Ludon, the high priest, licked his thin lips and rubbed his bony white hands together in gratification as

Pansat bore Jane Clayton into his presence and laid her on the floor of the chamber before him.

"Good, Pansat!" he exclaimed. "You shall be well rewarded for this service. Now, if we but had the false

"What!" exclaimed Ludon, "you have Tarzanjadguru? You have slain him perhaps. Tell me, my

wonderful Pansat, tell me quickly. My breast is bursting with a desire to know."

"I have taken him alive, Ludon, my master," replied Pansat. "He is in the little chamber that the ancients

A frightened priest burst into the apartment. "Quick, master, quick," he cried, "the corridors are filled with the

"You are mad," cried the high priest. "My warriors hold the palace and the temple."

"I speak the truth, master," replied the priest, "there are warriors in the corridor approaching this very

chamber, and they come from the direction of the secret passage which leads hither from the city."

"It may be even as he says," exclaimed Pansat. "It was from that direction that Tarzanjadguru was

coming when I discovered and trapped him. He was leading his warriors to the very holy of holies."

Ludon ran quickly to the doorway and looked out into the corridor. At a glance he saw that the fears of the

frightened priest were well founded. A dozen warriors were moving along the corridor toward him but they

seemed confused and far from sure of themselves. The high priest guessed that deprived of the leadership of

Tarzan they were little better than lost in the unknown mazes of the subterranean precincts of the temple.

Stepping back into the apartment he seized a leathern thong that depended from the ceiling. He pulled upon it

sharply and through the temple boomed the deep tones of a metal gong. Five times the clanging notes rang

through the corridors, then he turned toward the two priests. "Bring the woman and follow me," he directed.

Crossing the chamber he passed through a small doorway, the others lifting Jane Clayton from the floor and

following him. Through a narrow corridor and up a flight of steps they went, turning to right and left and

doubling back through a maze of winding passageways which terminated in a spiral staircase that gave forth

at the surface of the ground within the largest of the inner altar courts close beside the eastern altar.

From all directions now, in the corridors below and the grounds above, came the sound of hurrying footsteps.

The five strokes of the great gong had summoned the faithful to the defense of Ludon in his private

chambers. The priests who knew the way led the less familiar warriors to the spot and presently those who

had accompanied Tarzan found themselves not only leaderless but facing a vastly superior force. They were

brave men but under the circumstances they were helpless and so they fell back the way they had come, and

when they reached the narrow confines of the smaller passageway their safety was assured since only one

foeman could attack them at a time. But their plans were frustrated and possibly also their entire cause lost, so

With the clanging of the temple gong Jadon assumed that Tarzan and his party had struck their initial blow

and so he launched his attack upon the palace gate. To the ears of Ludon in the inner temple court came the

savage war cries that announced the beginning of the battle. Leaving Pansat and the other priest to guard the

woman he hastened toward the palace personally to direct his force and as he passed through the temple

grounds he dispatched a messenger to learn the outcome of the fight in the corridors below, and other

messengers to spread the news among his followers that the false DorulOtho was a prisoner in the temple.

As the din of battle rose above Alur, Lieutenant Erich Obergatz turned upon his bed of soft hides and sat up.

A slave squatting upon the floor at the foot of his couch shuddered and touched her forehead to the floor. "It

must be that the enemy have come, O JadbenOtho." She spoke soothingly for she had reason to know the

terrors of the mad frenzy into which trivial things sometimes threw the Great God.

A priest burst suddenly through the hangings of the doorway and falling upon his hands and knees rubbed his

forehead against the stone flagging. "O JadbenOtho," he cried, "the warriors of Jadon have attacked the

palace and the temple. Even now they are fighting in the corridors near the quarters of Ludon, and the high

priest begs that you come to the palace and encourage your faithful warriors by your presence."

Obergatz sprang to his feet. "I am JadbenOtho," he screamed. "With lightning I will blast the blasphemers

For a moment he rushed aimlessly and madly about the room, while the priest and the slave remained upon

"Come," cried Obergatz, planting a vicious kick in the side of the slave girl. "Come! Would you wait here all

Thoroughly frightened as were all those who were forced to serve the Great God, the two arose and followed

Above the shouting of the warriors rose constantly the cries of the temple priests: "JadbenOtho is here and

the false DorulOtho is a prisoner in the temple." The persistent cries reached even to the ears of the enemy

THE sun rose to see the forces of Jadon still held at the palace gate. The old warrior had seized the tall

structure that stood just beyond the palace and at the summit of this he kept a warrior stationed to look toward

the northern wall of the palace where Taden was to make his attack; but as the minutes wore into hours no

sign of the other force appeared, and now in the full light of the new sun upon the roof of one of the palace

buildings appeared Ludon, the high priest, Mosar, the pretender, and the strange, naked figure of a man,

into whose long hair and beard were woven fresh ferns and flowers. Behind them were banked a score of

lesser priests who chanted in unison: "This is JadbenOtho. Lay down your arms and surrender." This they

repeated again and again, alternating it with the cry: "The false DorulOtho is a prisoner."

In one of those lulls which are common in battles between forces armed with weapons that require great

physical effort in their use, a voice suddenly arose from among the followers of Jadon: "Show us the

"Wait," cried Ludon. "If I do not produce him before the sun has moved his own width, the gates of the

The apeman paced the confines of his narrow cell. Bitterly he reproached himself for the stupidity which

had led him into this trap, and yet was it stupidity? What else might he have done other than rush to the

succor of his mate? He wondered how they had stolen her from Jalur, and then suddenly there flashed to his

mind the features of the warrior whom he had just seen with her. They were strangely familiar. He racked his

brain to recall where he had seen the man before and then it came to him. He was the strange warrior who had

joined Jadon's forces outside of Jalur the day that Tarzan had ridden upon the great gryf from the

uninhabited gorge next to the Korulja down to the capital city of the chieftain of the north. But who could

Presently he heard the clanging of a gong from the corridor without and very faintly the rush of feet, and

shouts. He guessed that his warriors had been discovered and a fight was in progress. He fretted and chafed at

Again and again he tried the doors of his prison and the trap in the center of the floor, but none would give to

his utmost endeavors. He strained his eyes toward the aperture above but he could see nothing, and then he

The minutes dragged slowly into hours. Faintly sounds came to him as of shouting men at a great distance.

The battle was in progress. He wondered if Jadon would be victorious and should he be, would his friends

ever discover him in this hidden chamber in the bowels of the hill? He doubted it.

And now as he looked again toward the aperture in the roof there appeared to be something depending

through its center. He came closer and strained his eyes to see. Yes, there was something there. It appeared to

be a rope. Tarzan wondered if it had been there all the time. It must have, he reasoned, since he had heard no

sound from above and it was so dark within the chamber that he might easily have overlooked it.

He raised his hand toward it. The end of it was just within his reach. He bore his weight upon it to see if it

would hold him. Then he released it and backed away, still watching it, as you have seen an animal do after

investigating some unfamiliar object, one of the little traits that differentiated Tarzan from other men,

accentuating his similarity to the savage beasts of his native jungle. Again and again he touched and tested

the braided leather rope, and always he listened for any warning sound from above.

He was very careful not to step upon the trap at any time and when finally he bore all his weight upon the

rope and took his feet from the floor he spread them wide apart so that if he fell he would fall astride the trap.

Slowly and cautiously he drew himself upward, hand over hand. Nearer and nearer the roof he came. In a

moment his eyes would be above the level of the floor above. Already his extended arms projected into the

upper chamber and then something closed suddenly upon both his forearms, pinioning them tightly and

Immediately a light appeared in the room above him and presently he saw the hideous mask of a priest

peering down upon him. In the priest's hands were leathern thongs and these he tied about Tarzan's wrists and

forearms until they were completely bound together from his elbows almost to his fingers. Behind this priest

Tarzan presently saw others and soon several lay hold of him and pulled him up through the hole.

Almost instantly his eyes were above the level of the floor he understood how they had trapped him. Two

nooses had lain encircling the aperture into the cell below. A priest had waited at the end of each of these

ropes and at opposite sides of the chamber. When he had climbed to a sufficient height upon the rope that had

dangled into his prison below and his arms were well within the encircling snares the two priests had pulled

quickly upon their ropes and he had been made an easy captive without any opportunity of defending himself

And now they bound his legs from his ankles to his knees and picking him up carried him from the chamber.

The din of battle had risen again as Jadon had urged his forces to renewed efforts. Taden had not arrived

and the forces of the old chieftain were revealing in their lessened efforts their increasing demoralization, and

then it was that the priests carried Tarzanjadguru to the roof of the palace and exhibited him in the sight of

Obergatz, his shattered mentality having never grasped fully the meaning of much that was going on about

him, cast a casual glance at the bound and helpless prisoner, and as his eyes fell upon the noble features of the

apeman, they went wide in astonishment and fright, and his pasty countenance turned a sickly blue. Once

before had he seen Tarzan of the Apes, but many times had he dreamed that he had seen him and always was

the giant apeman avenging the wrongs that had been committed upon him and his by the ruthless hands of

the three German officers who had led their native troops in the ravishing of Tarzan's peaceful home.

Hauptmann Fritz Schneider had paid the penalty of his needless cruelties; Unterlieutenant von Goss, too,

had paid; and now Obergatz, the last of the three, stood face to face with the Nemesis that had trailed him

through his dreams for long, weary months. That he was bound and helpless lessened not the German's

terrorhe seemed not to realize that the man could not harm him. He but stood cringing and jibbering and

Ludon saw and was filled with apprehension that others might see and seeing realize that this bewhiskered

idiot was no godthat of the two Tarzanjadguru was the more godly figure. Already the high priest noted

that some of the palace warriors standing near were whispering together and pointing. He stepped closer to

The German shook himself. His mind cleared of all but his great terror and the words of the high priest gave

Tarzan looked him straight in the eye. "You are Lieutenant Obergatz of the German Army," he said in

excellent German. "You are the last of the three I have sought so long and in your putrid heart you know that

The mind of Lieutenant Obergatz was functioning clearly and rapidly at last. He too saw the questioning

looks upon the faces of some of those around them. He saw the opposing warriors of both cities standing by

the gate inactive, every eye turned upon him, and the trussed figure of the apeman. He realized that

indecision now meant ruin, and ruin, death. He raised his voice in the sharp barking tones of a Prussian

officer, so unlike his former maniacal screaming as to quickly arouse the attention of every ear and to cause

"I am JadbenOtho," snapped Obergatz. "This creature is no son of mine. As a lesson to all blasphemers he

shall die upon the altar at the hand of the god he has profaned. Take him from my sight, and when the sun

stands at zenith let the faithful congregate in the temple court and witness the wrath of this divine hand," and

Those who had brought Tarzan took him away then as Obergatz had directed, and the German turned once

more to the warriors by the gate. "Throw down your arms, warriors of Jadon," he cried, "lest I call down my

lightnings to blast you where you stand. Those who do as I bid shall be forgiven. Come! Throw down your

The warriors of Jadon moved uneasily, casting looks of appeal at their leader and of apprehension toward

the figures upon the palace roof. Jadon sprang forward among his men. "Let the cowards and knaves throw

down their arms and enter the palace," he cried, "but never will Jadon and the warriors of Jalur touch their

foreheads to the feet of Ludon and his false god. Make your decision now," he cried to his followers.

A few threw down their arms and with sheepish looks passed through the gateway into the palace, and with

the example of these to bolster their courage others joined in the desertion from the old chieftain of the north,

but staunch and true around him stood the majority of his warriors and when the last weakling had left their

ranks Jadon voiced the savage cry with which he led his followers to the attack, and once again the battle

At times Jadon's forces pushed the defenders far into the palace ground and then the wave of combat would

recede and pass out into the city again. And still Taden and the reinforcements did not come. It was drawing

close to noon. Ludon had mustered every available man that was not actually needed for the defense of the

gate within the temple, and these he sent, under the leadership of Pansat, out into the city through the secret

passageway and there they fell upon Jadon's forces from the rear while those at the gate hammered them in

Attacked on two sides by a vastly superior force the result was inevitable and finally the last remnant of

Jadon's little army capitulated and the old chief was taken a prisoner before Ludon. "Take him to the

temple court," cried the high priest. "He shall witness the death of his accomplice and perhaps JadbenOtho

The inner temple court was packed with humanity. At either end of the western altar stood Tarzan and his

mate, bound and helpless. The sounds of battle had ceased and presently the apeman saw Jadon being led

into the inner court, his wrists bound tightly together before him. Tarzan turned his eyes toward Jane and

nodded in the direction of Jadon. "This looks like the end," he said quietly. "He was our last and only hope."

"We have at least found each other, John," she replied, "and our last days have been spent together. My only

Tarzan made no reply for in his heart was the same bitter thought that her own containednot the fear that

they would kill him but the fear that they would not kill her. The apeman strained at his bonds but they were

too many and too strong. A priest near him saw and with a jeering laugh struck the defenseless apeman in

Tarzan smiled. "I have been struck thus before, Jane," he said, "and always has the striker died."

"I am still alive," he said as though that were sufficient answer. She was a woman and she did not have the

courage of this man who knew no fear. In her heart of hearts she knew that he would die upon the altar at

high noon for he had told her, after he had been brought to the inner court, of the sentence of death that

Obergatz had pronounced upon him, and she knew too that Tarzan knew that he would die, but that he was

As she looked upon him standing there so straight and wonderful and brave among his savage captors her

heart cried out against the cruelty of the fate that had overtaken him. It seemed a gross and hideous wrong

that that wonderful creature, now so quick with exuberant life and strength and purpose should be presently

naught but a bleeding lump of clayand all so uselessly and wantonly. Gladly would she have offered her

life for his but she knew that it was a waste of words since their captors would work upon them whatever it

And now came Ludon and the naked Obergatz, and the high priest led the German to his place behind the

altar, himself standing upon the other's left. Ludon whispered a word to Obergatz, at the same time nodding

"And after the false god," he cried, "the false prophet," and he pointed an accusing finger at Jadon. Then his

"The case of the woman I will attend to later," replied Obergatz. "I will talk with her tonight after she has had

a chance to meditate upon the consequences of arousing the wrath of JadbenOtho."

He cast his eyes upward at the sun. "The time approaches," he said to Ludon. "Prepare the sacrifice."

Ludon nodded to the priests who were gathered about Tarzan. They seized the apeman and lifted him

bodily to the altar where they laid him upon his back with his head at the south end of the monolith, but a few

feet from where Jane Clayton stood. Impulsively and before they could restrain her the woman rushed

forward and bending quickly kissed her mate upon the forehead. "Goodbye, John," she whispered.

The priests seized her and dragged her away. Ludon handed the sacrificial knife to Obergatz. "I am the

Great God," cried the German, "thus falleth the divine wrath upon all my enemies!" He looked up at the sun

"Thus die the blasphemers of God!" he screamed, and at the same instant a sharp staccato note rang out above

the silent, spellbound multitude. There was a screaming whistle in the air and JadbenOtho crumpled

forward across the body of his intended victim. Again the same alarming noise and Ludon fell, a third and

Mosar crumpled to the ground. And now the warriors and the people, locating the direction of this new and

Upon the summit of the temple wall they saw two figuresa Hodon warrior and beside him an almost

naked creature of the race of Tarzanjadguru, across his shoulders and about his hips were strange broad

belts studded with beautiful cylinders that glinted in the midday sun, and in his hands a shining thing of

And then the voice of the Hodon warrior rang clear upon the ears of the silent throng. "Thus speaks the true

JadbenOtho," he cried, "through this his Messenger of Death. Cut the bonds of the prisoners. Cut the

bonds of the DorulOtho and of Jadon, King of Paluldon, and of the woman who is the mate of the son

Pansat, filled with the frenzy of fanaticism saw the power and the glory of the regime he had served

crumpled and gone. To one and only one did he attribute the blame for the disaster that had but just

overwhelmed him. It was the creature who lay upon the sacrificial altar who had brought Ludon to his death

and toppled the dreams of power that day by day had been growing in the brain of the under priest.

The sacrificial knife lay upon the altar where it had fallen from the dead fingers of Obergatz. Pansat crept

closer and then with a sudden lunge he reached forth to seize the handle of the blade, and even as his

clutching fingers were poised above it, the strange thing in the hands of the strange creature upon the temple

wall cried out its crashing word of doom and Pansat the under priest, screaming, fell back upon the dead

"Seize all the priests," cried Taden to the warriors, "and let none hesitate lest JadbenOtho's messenger

The warriors and the people had now witnessed such an exhibition of divine power as might have convinced

an even less superstitious and more enlightened people, and since many of them had but lately wavered

between the JadbenOtho of Ludon and the DorulOtho of Jadon it was not difficult for them to swing

quickly back to the latter, especially in view of the unanswerable argument in the hands of him whom

And so the warriors sprang forward now with alacrity and surrounded the priests, and when they looked again

at the western wall of the temple court they saw pouring over it a great force of warriors. And the thing that

startled and appalled them was the fact that many of these were black and hairy Wazdon.

At their head came the stranger with the shiny weapon and on his right was Taden, the Hodon, and on his

A warrior near the altar had seized the sacrificial knife and cut Tarzan's bonds and also those of Jadon and

Jane Clayton, and now the three stood together beside the altar and as the newcomers from the western end of

the temple court pushed their way toward them the eyes of the woman went wide in mingled astonishment,

incredulity, and hope. And the stranger, slinging his weapon across his back by a leather strap, rushed

And Tarzan of the Apes came then and put his arms around them both, and the King of Paluldon and the

warriors and the people kneeled in the temple court and placed their foreheads to the ground before the altar

WITHIN an hour of the fall of Ludon and Mosar, the chiefs and principal warriors of Paluldon gathered

in the great throneroom of the palace at Alur upon the steps of the lofty pyramid and placing Jadon at the

apex proclaimed him king. Upon one side of the old chieftain stood Tarzan of the Apes, and upon the other

And when the brief ceremony was over and the warriors with upraised clubs had sworn fealty to their new

ruler, Jadon dispatched a trusted company to fetch Oloa and Panatlee and the women of his own

And then the warriors discussed the future of Paluldon and the question arose as to the administration of

the temples and the fate of the priests, who practically without exception had been disloyal to the government

of the king, seeking always only their own power and comfort and aggrandizement. And then it was that

Jadon turned to Tarzan. "Let the DorulOtho transmit to his people the wishes of his father," he said.

"Your problem is a simple one," said the apeman, "if you but wish to do that which shall be pleasing in the

eyes of God. Your priests, to increase their power, have taught you that JadbenOtho is a cruel god, that his

eyes love to dwell upon blood and upon suffering. But the falsity of their teachings has been demonstrated to

"Take then the temples from the men and give them instead to the women that they may be administered in

kindness and charity and love. Wash the blood from your eastern altar and drain forever the water from the

"Once I gave Ludon the opportunity to do these things but he ignored my commands, and again is the

corridor of sacrifice filled with its victims. Liberate these from every temple in Paluldon. Bring offerings

of such gifts as your people like and place them upon the altars of your god. And there he will bless them and

the priestesses of JadbenOtho can distribute them among those who need them most."

As he ceased speaking a murmur of evident approval ran through the throng. Long had they been weary of

the avarice and cruelty of the priests and now that authority had come from a high source with a feasible plan

for ridding themselves of the old religious order without necessitating any change in the faith of the people

"And the priests," cried one. "We shall put them to death upon their own altars if it pleases the DorulOtho

"No," cried Tarzan. "Let no more blood be spilled. Give them their freedom and the right to take up such

That night a great feast was spread in the paledonso and for the first time in the history of ancient

Paluldon black warriors sat in peace and friendship with white. And a pact was sealed between Jadon and

It was here that Tarzan learned the cause of Taden's failure to attack at the stipulated time. A messenger had

come from Jadon carrying instructions to delay the attack until noon, nor had they discovered until almost

too late that the messenger was a disguised priest of Ludon. And they had put him to death and scaled the

The following day Oloa and Panatlee and the women of Jadon's family arrived at the palace at Alur

For a week Tarzan and Jane and Korak remained the guests of Jadon, as did Omat and his black warriors.

And then the apeman announced that he would depart from Paluldon. Hazy in the minds of their hosts

was the location of heaven and equally so the means by which the gods traveled between their celestial

homes and the haunts of men and so no questionings arose when it was found that the DorulOtho with his

mate and son would travel overland across the mountains and out of Paluldon toward the north.

They went by way of the Korulja accompanied by the warriors of that tribe and a great contingent of

Hodon warriors under Taden. The king and many warriors and a multitude of people accompanied them

beyond the limits of Alur and after they had bid them goodbye and Tarzan had invoked the blessings of

God upon them the three Europeans saw their simple, loyal friends prostrate in the dust behind them until the

cavalcade had wound out of the city and disappeared among the trees of the nearby forest.

They rested for a day among the Korulja while Jane investigated the ancient caves of these strange people

and then they moved on, avoiding the rugged shoulder of Pastarulved and winding down the opposite

slope toward the great morass. They moved in comfort and in safety, surrounded by their escort of Hodon

In the minds of many there was doubtless a question as to how the three would cross the great morass but

least of all was Tarzan worried by the problem. In the course of his life he had been confronted by many

obstacles only to learn that he who will may always pass. In his mind lurked an easy solution of the passage

It was the morning of the last day that, as they were breaking camp to take up the march, a deep bellow

thundered from a nearby grove. The apeman smiled. The chance had come. Fittingly then would the

He still carried the spear that Jane had made, which he had prized so highly because it was her handiwork that

he had caused a search to be made for it through the temple in Alur after his release, and it had been found

and brought to him. He had told her laughingly that it should have the place of honor above their hearth as the

ancient flintlock of her Puritan grandsire had held a similar place of honor above the fireplace of Professor

At the sound of the bellowing the Hodon warriors, some of whom had accompanied Tarzan from Jadon's

camp to Jalur, looked questioningly at the apeman while Omat's Wazdon looked for trees, since the gryf

was the one creature of Paluldon which might not be safely encountered even by a great multitude of

warriors. Its tough, armored hide was impregnable to their knife thrusts while their thrown clubs rattled from

"Wait," said the apeman, and with his spear in hand he advanced toward the gryf, voicing the weird cry of

the Torodon. The bellowing ceased and turned to low rumblings and presently the huge beast appeared.

What followed was but a repetition of the apeman's previous experience with these huge and ferocious

And so it was that Jane and Korak and Tarzan rode through the morass that hems Pauldon, upon the back

of a prehistoric triceratops while the lesser reptiles of the swamp fled hissing in terror. Upon the opposite

shore they turned and called back their farewells to Taden and Omat and the brave warriors they had

learned to admire and respect. And then Tarzan urged their titanic mount onward toward the north,

abandoning him only when he was assured that the Wazdon and the Hodon had had time to reach a point

Turning the beast's head again toward Paluldon the three dismounted and a sharp blow upon the thick hide

sent the creature lumbering majestically back in the direction of its native haunts. For a time they stood

looking back upon the land they had just quitthe land of Torodon and gryf; of ja and jato; of Wazdon

and Hodon; a primitive land of terror and sudden death and peace and beauty; a land that they all had

And then they turned once more toward the north and with light hearts and brave hearts took up their long

From conversations with Lord Greystoke and from his notes, there have been gleaned a number of interesting

items relative to the language and customs of the inhabitants of Paluldon that are not brought out in the

story. For the benefit of those who may care to delve into the derivation of the proper names used in the text,

and thus obtain some slight insight into the language of the race, there is appended an incomplete glossary

A point of particular interest hinges upon the fact that the names of all male hairless pithecanthropi begin

with a consonant, have an even number of syllables, and end with a consonant, while the names of the

females of the same species begin with a vowel, have an odd number of syllables, and end with a vowel. On

the contrary, the names of the male hairy black pithecanthropi while having an even number of syllables

begin with a vowel and end with a consonant; while the females of this species have an odd number of

syllables in their names which begin always with a consonant and end with a vowel.