Part 2 (1/2)
”I brought you this way,” replied the black, ”to learn if either lacked the courage to follohere O warriors of Es-sat coh we are born and raised upon cliff sides, it is considered no disgrace to admit that Pastar-ul-ved, the Father of Mountains, has defeated us, for of those who try it only a few succeed-the bones of the others lie at the feet of Pastar-ul-ved”
Ta-den laughed ”I would not care to come this way often,” he said
”No,” replied Om-at; ”but it has shortened our journey by at least a full day So much the sooner shall Tarzan look upon the Valley of Jad-ben-Otho Co the shoulder of Pastar-ul-ved until there lay spread below theirt by towering cliffs of reen 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 reat a distance evidenced a strange, yet artistic architecture Outside the city there were visible about the valley isolated groups of buildings-soain two and three and four in a cluster-but always of the sa whiteness, and always in some fantastic form
About the valley the cliffs were occasionally cleft by deep gorges, verdure filled, giving the appearance of green rivers rioting doard toward a central sea of green
”Jad Pele ul Jad-ben-Otho,” ue of the pithecanthropi; ”The Valley of the Great God-it is beautiful!”
”Here, in A-lur, lives Ko-tan, the king, ruler over all Pal-ul-don,” said Ta-den
”And here in these gorges live the Waz-don,” exclaie that Ko-tan is the ruler over all the Land-of-ed ”We will not quarrel, you and I,” he said to Oes have not proved sufficient time in which to reconcile the Ho-don and Waz-don; but let ether in greater or less peace under one ruler so that when danger threatens the Ho-don of Pal-ul-don is there But you Waz-don, how is it with you? You have a dozen kings who fight not only with the Ho-don but with one another When one of your tribes goes forth upon the fighting trail, even against the Ho-don, it must leave behind sufficient warriors to protect its wohbors upon either hand When ant eunuchs for the temples or servants for the fields or the hoes You cannot even flee, for upon either side of you are eneht bravely we come back with those ill presently be eunuchs in the te as the Waz-don are thus foolish the Ho-don will do of Pal-ul-don”
”Perhaps you are right,” adhbors are fools, each thinking that his tribe is the greatest and should rule a the Waz-don They will not admit that the warriors of my tribe are the bravest and our shes the rinned ”Each of the others presents precisely the sauments that you present, Oest bulwark of defense possessed by the Ho-don”
”Come!” exclaimed Tarzan; ”such discussions often lead to quarrels and we threewhat I can of the political and econo of your religion; but not at the expense of bitterness between my only friends in Pal-ul-don Possibly, however, you hold to the same God?”
”There indeed we do differ,” cried Om-at, somewhat bitterly and with a trace of excitement in his voice
”Differ!” almost shouted Ta-den; ”and why should we not differ? Who could agree with the preposterous--”
”Stop!” cried Tarzan ”Now, indeed, have I stirred up a hornets' nest Let us speak no ious”
”That is wiser,” agreed Oht mention, for your infor tail”
”It is sacrilege,” cried Ta-den, laying his hand upon his knife; ”Jad-ben-Otho has no tail!”
”Stop!” shrieked O forward; but instantly Tarzan interposed hih!” he snapped ”Let us be true to our oaths of friendshi+p that we ht of God in whatever forht, Tailless One,” said Ta-den ”Come, Om-at, let us look after our friendshi+p and ourselves, secure in the conviction that Jad-ben-Otho is sufficiently powerful to look after hireed Om-at, ”but--”
”No 'buts,' Oed his shoulders and smiled ”Shall we e below us is uninhabited; that to the left contains the caves of my people I would see Pan-at-lee once more Ta-den would visit his father in the valley below and Tarzan seeks entrance to A-lur in search of the mate that would be better dead than in the clutches of the Ho-don priests of Jad-ben-Otho How shall we proceed?”
”Let us reed Ta-den ”You, Oht and by stealth, for three, even we three, may not hope to overcoo to the village where my father is chief, for Ja-don alelcome the friends of his son But for Tarzan to enter A-lur is another e to put it to the test-listen, come close for Jad-ben-Otho has keen ears and this he must not hear,” and with his lips close to the ears of his companions Ta-den, the Tall-tree, son of Ja-don, the Lion- plan
And at the saure, naked but for a loin cloth and weapons, moved silently across a thorn-covered, waterless steppe, searching always along the ground before him with keen eyes and sensitive nostrils
3
Pan-at-lee