Part 19 (1/2)
Ja-don turned upon hiet it when and where he will,” he snapped
They came at last to the quarters of the Princess O-lo-a where, in the uard of palace warriors and several stalwart black eunuchs belonging to the princess, or her woe
”Take her to the princess,” he coh a nuhted 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 the wall beside the door
”O-lo-a, Princess of Pal-ul-don,” he called, ”here is the stranger woman, the prisoner from the temple”
”Bid her enter,” Jane heard a sweet voice fros and Lady Greystoke stepped within Before her was a low-ceiled rooure of stone see upon its shoulders These figures were evidently intended to represent Waz-don slaves and were not without bold artistic beauty The ceiling itself was slightly arched to a central doht by day, and air Upon one side of the roo 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 apartirl who sat upon the edge of the dais near her feet
As Jane entered O-lo-a beckoned her to approach and when she stood beside the couch the girl half rose upon an elbow and surveyed her critically
”How beautiful you are,” she said simply
Jane smiled, sadly; for she had found that beauty may be a curse
”That is indeed a compliment,” she replied quickly, ”from one so radiant as the Princess O-lo-a”
”Ah!” exclaie! I was told that you were of another race and from some far land of which we of Pal-ul-don have never heard”
”Lu-don saw to it that the priests instructed me,” explained Jane; ”but I a to return-and I am very unhappy”
”But Ko-tan, irl; ”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 knohat it was to love and to be forced into e with another you would sympathize withmoment ”I know,” she said at last, ”and I ahter cannot save herself from such a fate who may save a slave woreat banquet hall of the palace of Ko-tan, king of Pal-ul-don had co was celebrating the hter to Bu-lot, son of Mo-sar, the chief, whose great-grandfather had been king of Pal-ul-don and who thought that he should be king, and Mo-sar was drunk and so was Bu-lot, his son For thathimself, were drunk In the heart of Ko-tan was no love either for Mo-sar, or Bu-lot, nor did either of these love the king Ko-tan was giving his daughter to Bu-lot in the hope that the alliance would prevent Mo-sar fro upon his claims to the throne, for, next to Ja-don, Mo-sar was the most powerful of the chiefs and while Ko-tan looked with fear upon Ja-don, too, he had no fear that the old Lion-h which way he would throw his influence and his warriors in the event that Mo-sar declare war upon Ko-tan, 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 Bu-lot who started it
”This,” he said, ”I drink to O-lo-a,” and he e a full one fro back the throne of Pal-ul-don to its rightful owners!”
”The king is not yet dead!” cried Ko-tan, rising to his feet; ”nor is Bu-lot yet hter-and there is yet time to save Pal-ul-don frory tone and his insulting reference to Bu-lot's well-knoardice brought a sudden, sobering silence upon the roistering coether directly opposite the king The first was very drunk though suddenly he seeot to be a coward, since his reasoning poere so effectually paralyzed by the fuh the consequences of his acts It is reasonably conceivable that a drunk and angry rabbit ht co that Bu-lot now did explicable He rose suddenly fro his toast and seizing the knife froht hurled it with terrific force at Ko-tan Skilled in the art of throwing both their knives and their clubs are the warriors of Pal-ul-don and at this short distance and co there was no defense and but one possible result-Ko-tan, the king, lunged forward across the table, the blade buried in his heart
A brief silence followed the assassin's cowardly act White with terror, now, Bu-lot fell slowly back toward the doorway at his rear, when suddenly angry warriors leaped with drawn knives to prevent his escape and to avenge their king But Mo-sar now took his stand beside his son
”Ko-tan is dead!” he cried ”Mo-sar is king! Let the loyal warriors of Pal-ul-don protect their ruler!”
Mo-sar co and these quickly surrounded hiainst theh those who confronted the pretender
”Take them both!” he shouted ”The warriors of Pal-ul-don will choose their own king after the assassin of Ko-tan has paid the penalty of his treachery”