Part 22 (1/2)
Following the winding river which bore a considerable distance to the north before doubling back to ee that would have saved hi
It was at the upper end of this portage where Mo-sar and his warriors had debarked that the chief discovered the absence of his captive As Mo-sar had been asleep since shortly after their departure from A-lur, and as none of the warriors recalled when she had last been seen, it was iree of accuracy the place where she had escaped The consensus of opinion was, however, that it had been in the narrow river connecting Jad-ben-lul with the lake next below it, which is called Jad-bal-lul, which freely translatedhireat diligence to fix the blame upon another
He would have returned in search of her had he not feared to h priest, both of whoainst him He would not even spare a boatload of his warriors froitive but hastened onith as little delay as possible across the portage and out upon the waters of Jad-in-lul
Thethe white doainst the shore at the city's edge Safe once more behind his oalls and protected by e 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 A-lur if possible to learn what had delayed Bu-lot, whose failure to reach the canoes with the balance of the party at the tiht from the northern city had in no way delayed Mo-sar'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 ere dragging them from the water were suddenly startled by the appearance of two priests, carrying a light canoe in the direction of Jad-in-lul At first they thought theer force of Lu-don'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 Pal-ul-don held the emasculated priesthood in conte up the offensive as they would have had the two men been warriors from A-lur instead of priests, they waited to question then of peace and upon being asked if they were alone they answered in the affirmative
The leader of Mo-sar's warriors permitted them to approach ”What do you here,” he asked, ”in the country of Mo-sar, so far froe froh priest, to Mo-sar,” explained one
”Is it a e of peace or of war?” asked the warrior
”It is an offer of peace,” replied the priest
”And Lu-don is sending no warriors behind you?” queried the fighting man
”We are alone,” the priest assured him ”None in A-lur save Lu-don knows that we have coo your way,” said the warrior
”Who is that?” asked one of the priests suddenly, pointing toward the upper end of the lake at the point where the river from Jad-bal-lul entered it
All eyes turned in the direction that he had indicated to see a lone warrior paddling rapidly into Jad-in-lul, the prow of his canoe pointing toward Tu-lur The warriors and the priests drew into the conceale
”It is the terrible man who called himself the Dor-ul-Otho,” whispered one of the priests ”I would know that figure areat ht, priest,” cried one of the warriors who had seen Tarzan the day that he had first entered Ko-tan's palace ”It is indeed he who has been rightly called Tarzan-jad-guru”
”Hasten priests,” cried the leader of the party ”You are two paddles in a light canoe Easily can you reach Tu-lur ahead of hi, 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 fro 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 Tu-lur offered the only safety and bending to their paddles the two priests sent their craft swiftly in the direction of the city
The warriors withdrew again to the conceale If Tarzan had seen theate there were thirty of theainst one and naturally they had no fear of the outcoo 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 uncalled-for quarrel with hin, 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 the the warriors on guard that Tarzan was approaching
They were conducted at once to the chief, whose court was a s of A-lur ”We coh priest,” explained the spokesman ”He wishes the friendshi+p of Mo-sar, who has always been his friend Ja-don is gathering warriors to es of the Ho-don are thousands ill obey the coh priest Only with Lu-don's assistance can Mo-sar becoe from Lu-don is that if Mo-sar would retain the friendshi+p of Lu-don he must return immediately the woman he took from the quarters of the Princess O-lo-a”
At this juncture a warrior entered His excitement was evident ”The Dor-ul-Otho has come to Tu-lur and demands to see Mo-sar at once,” he said
”The Dor-ul-Otho!” exclaie he sent,” replied the warrior, ”and indeed he is not as are the people of Pal-ul-don He is, we think, the same of whom the warriors that returned frouru and some Dor-ul-Otho But indeed only the son of God would dare coe city, so it must be that he speaks the truth”
Mo-sar, his heart filled with terror and indecision, turned questioningly toward the priests
”Receive hiraciously, Mo-sar,” counseled he who had spoken before, his advice prompted by the petty shrewdness of his defective brain which, under the added influence of Lu-don's tutorage leaned always toward duplicity ”Receive hiraciously and when he is quite convinced of your friendshi+p he will be off his guard, and then you may do with him as you will But if possible, Mo-sar, and you would win the undying gratitude of Lu-don, the high-priest, save hily and turning to the warrior commanded that he conduct the visitor to him