Part 16 (2/2)
”Ah, if he only could,” sighed O-lo-a, ”but alas it is too late for toiven to Bu-lot”
”He who came to your quarters yesterday with your father?” asked Pan-at-lee
”Yes; the one with the awful round face and the big belly,” exclaiustedly ”He is so lazy he will neither hunt nor fight To eat and to drink is all that Bu-lot is fit for, and he thinks of naught else except these things and his slave woather for me some of these beautiful blossoht that I rance that I love best and which I know that I shall not find in the village of Mo-sar, the father of Bu-lot I will help you, Pan-at-lee, and ill gather ar else-they were Ta-den's favorite flowers”
The two approached the flowering shrubbery where Tarzan hid, but as the bloouessed there would be no necessity for theh to discover him With little exclae or perfect blooms the two moved from place to place upon the outskirts of Tarzan's retreat
”Oh, look, Pan-at-lee,” cried O-lo-a presently; ”there is the king of theet it e and wonderful no other hand shall touch it,” and the princess wound in areat flower bloomed upon a bush above the ape-man's head
So sudden and unexpected her approach that there was no opportunity to escape and Tarzan sat silently trusting that fate hter away before her eyes dropped fro ste face of Tarzan-jad-guru
With a stifled scream she drew back and the ape-man rose and faced her
”Have no fear, Princess,” he assured her ”It is the friend of Ta-den who salutes you,” raising her fingers to his lips
Pan-at-lee came now excitedly forward ”O Jad-ben-Otho, it is he!”
”And now that you have found h priest?”
Pan-at-lee threw herself upon her knees at O-lo-a's feet ”Princess! Princess!” she beseeched, ”do not discover him to his enemies”
”But Ko-tan, my father,” whispered O-lo-a fearfully, ”if he knew of h I aht demand that I be sacrificed to appease the wrath of Jad-ben-Otho, and between the two of them I should be lost”
”But they need never know,” cried Pan-at-lee, ”that you have seen him unless you tell them yourself for as Jad-ben-Otho is my witness I will never betray you”
”Oh, tell er,” implored O-lo-a, ”are you indeed a God?”
”Jad-ben-Otho is not more so,” replied Tarzan truthfully
”But why do you seek to escape then from the hands of mortals if you are a God?” she asked
”When Gods le with mortals,” replied Tarzan, ”they are no less vulnerable than mortals Even Jad-ben-Otho, should he appear before you in the flesh, ht be slain”
”You have seen Ta-den and spoken with him?” she asked with apparent irrelevancy
”Yes, I have seen him and spoken with him,” replied the ape-man ”For the duration of a moon I ith him constantly”
”And-” she hesitated-”he-” she cast her eyes toward the ground and a flush mantled her cheek-”he still loves me?” and Tarzan knew that she had been won over
”Yes,” he said, ”Ta-den speaks only of O-lo-a and he waits and hopes for the day when he can claiive me to Bu-lot,” she said sadly
”May it be always tomorrow,” replied Tarzan, ”for tomorrow never comes”
”Ah, but this unhappiness will come, and for all the tomorrows of my life I must pine in misery for the Ta-den ill never be ht have helped you,” said the ape-man ”And who knows that I may not help you yet?”
”Ah, if you only could, Dor-ul-Otho,” cried the girl, ”and I know that you would if it were possible for Pan-at-lee has told me how brave you are, and at the same time how kind”