Part 26 (2/2)
”And if he does?”
”Then I shall have to risk it”
”Risk what?”
”The chance that I can subdue him as I subdued one of his fellows,” replied Tarzan ”I told you-you recall?”
”Yes, but I did not picture so huge a creature Why, John, he is as big as a battleshi+p”
The ape-h I'll ades”
They wereaway slowly so as not to attract the attention of the beast
”I believe we're going to make it,” whispered the woman, her voice tense with suppressed excitement A low rumble rolled like distant thunder fro show is about to coht the woman suddenly to his breast and kissed her ”One can never tell, Jane,” he said ”We'll do our best-that is all we can do Give me your spear, and-don't run The only hope we have lies in that little brain more than in us If I can control it-well, let us see”
The beast had eh his weak eyes, evidently in search of them Tarzan raised his voice in the weird notes of the Tor-o-don's cry, ”Whee-oo! Whee-oo! Whee-oo!” For a reat beast stood motionless, his attention riveted by the call The ape-ht toward hiain 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 ask”
”I know no fear when I am with Tarzan of the Apes,” she replied softly, and he felt the pressure of her soft fingers on his ariant otten epoch until they stood close in the shadow of a hty shoulder ”Whee-oo!” shouted Tarzan and struck the hideous snout with the shaft of the spear The vicious side snap that did not reach its mark-that evidently was not intended to reach its mark-was the hoped-for answer
”Co Jane by the hand he led her around behind the reat, horned back ”Noe ride in the state that our forebears knew, before which the ponificance Hoould you like to canter through Hyde Park on a mount like this?”
”I a habits, John,” she cried, laughingly
Tarzan guided the GRYF in the direction that they wished to go Steep ehtest obstacle to the ponderous creature
”A prehistoric tank, this,” Jane assured hi they continued on their way Once they caed suddenly into a s 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 alled out for its special prey With an angry grunt the GRYF stopped and the lance that showed a face white with terror, disappeared in the jungle he had been seeking to reach
The ape-man was elated He had doubted that he could control the beast should it take it into its head to charge a victi it before they reached the Kor-ul-JA Now he altered his plans-they would ride to the very village of Om-at upon the GRYF, and the Kor-ul-JA would have food for conversation for enerations to come Nor was it the theatric instinct of the ape-ave favor to this plan The element of Jane's safety entered into the matter for he knew that she would be safe fro as she rode upon the back of Pal-ul-don's most formidable creature
As they proceeded slowly in the direction of the Kor-ul-JA, for the natural gait of the GRYF is far fro into A-lur, spreading a weird story of the Dor-ul-Otho, only none dared call him the Dor-ul-Otho aloud Instead they spoke of hi hier woman whom Ko-tan would have ht to Lu-don 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 hiuessed that they were on their way to Ja-lur to join Ja-don, a contingency that he felt must be prevented at any cost As was his wont in the stress of e the two sat in close conference When they arose a plan had been developed Pan-sat went immediately to his own quarters where he res of a priest to don in their stead the harness and weapons of a warrior Then he returned to Lu-don
”Good!” cried the latter, when he saw him ”Not even your fellow-priests or the slaves that wait upon you daily would know you now Lose no time, Pan-sat, for all depends upon the speed hich you strike and-re the woman to me here, alive You understand?”
”Yes, master,” replied the priest, and so it was that a lone warrior set out from A-lur and orge next above Kor-ul-JA is uninhabited and here the wily Ja-don had chosen to mobilize his army for its descent upon A-lur Two considerations influenced hi the fact that could he keep his plans a secret fro a surprise attack upon the forces of Lu-don from a direction that they would not expect attack, and in the ossip of the cities where strange tales were already circulating relative to the coh priest in his war against Ja-don It took stout hearts and loyal ones to ignore the iested Already there had been desertions and the cause of Ja-don see to destruction
Such was the state of affairs when a sentry posted on the knoll in the e sent word that he had observed in the valley belohat appeared at a distance to be nothing less than two people limpses of them, as they passed open spaces, and they see up the river in the direction of the Kor-ul-JA