Part 28 (1/2)

That he could accomplish much once he reached the inner chambers of the temple with his little band of picked warriors the ape- confusion and consternation to the easily overpowered priests, and permit Tarzan to attack the palace forces in the rear at the saates, while Ta-den and his forces swarmed the northern walls Great value had been placed by Ja-don on the moral effect of the Dor-ul-Otho's mysterious appearance in the heart of the tee of the old chieftain's belief that iance between the high priest and the Dor-ul-Otho, being held to the forendered in the breasts of all his followers than by any love or loyalty they ht feel toward hi forth a truth sie that ”The best laid scheht read, ”He who follows the right trail so destination,” and such apparently was the fate that lay in the footsteps of the great chieftain of the north and his Godlike ally

Tarzan, s of the corridors than his fellows and having the advantage of the full light of the torch, which at best was but a di affair, was some distance ahead of the others, and in his keen anxiety to close with the eneht to those ere to support hie, since froht the battles of life single-handed so that it had beco and prowess

And so it was that he came into the upper corridor from which opened the chambers of Lu-don and the lesser priests far in advance of his warriors, and as he turned into this corridor with its di somberly, he saw another enter it fro the figure of a woed and fettered captive whoht safe in the palace of Ja-don at Ja-lur

The warrior with the woman had seen Tarzan at the same instant that the latter had discovered hirowl that broke fro forward to wrest his eance that was in the Tare heart Across the corridor from Pan-sat was the entrance to a s the woman with him

Close behind came Tarzan of the Apes He had cast aside his torch and drawn the long knife that had been his father's With the i bull he rushed into the chas dropped behind him, in utter darkness Almost immediately there was a crash of stone on stone before him followed a moment later by a similar crash behind No other evidence was necessary to announce to the ape-ain a prisoner in Lu-don's temple

He stood perfectly still where he had halted at the first sound of the descending stone door Not again would he easily be precipitated to the GRYF pit, or soer, as had occurred when Lu-don had trapped him in the Terew accustoht was entering the chah it was several minutes before he discovered its source In the roof of the chamber he finally discerned a small aperture, possibly three feet in diah this that as really only a lesser darkness rather than a light was penetrating its Stygian blackness of the chamber in which he was imprisoned

Since the doors had fallen he had heard no sound though his keen ears were constantly strained in an effort to discover a clue to the direction taken by the abductor of his mate Presently he could discern the outlines of his prison cell It was a small room, not over fifteen feet across On hands and knees, with the utmost caution, he examined the entire area of the floor In the exact center, directly beneath the opening in the roof, was a trap, but otherwise the floor was solid With this knowledge it was only necessary to avoid this spot in so far as the floor was concerned The walls next received his attention There were only two openings One the doorway through which he had entered, and upon the opposite side that through which the warrior had borne Jane Clayton These were both closed by the slabs of stone which the fleeing warrior had released as he departed

Lu-don, the high priest, licked his thin lips and rubbed his bony white hands together in gratification as Pan-sat bore Jane Clayton into his presence and laid her on the floor of the chamber before him

”Good, Pan-sat!” he exclaimed ”You shall be well rewarded for this service Now, if we but had the false Dor-ul-Otho in our power all Pal-ul-don would be at our feet”

”Master, I have him!” cried Pan-sat

”What!” exclaiuru? You have slain him perhaps Tell me,with a desire to know”

”I have taken him alive, Lu-don, my master,” replied Pan-sat ”He is in the little chamber that the ancients built to trap those ere too powerful to take alive in personal encounter”

”You have done well, Pan-sat, I-”

A frightened priest burst into the apartment ”Quick, master, quick,” he cried, ”the corridors are filled with the warriors of Ja-don”

”You are h priest ”My warriors hold the palace and the temple”

”I speak the truth, master,” replied the priest, ”there are warriors in the corridor approaching this very chae which leads hither from the city”

”It may be even as he says,” exclaiuru was co his warriors to the very holy of holies”

Lu-don ran quickly to the doorway and looked out into the corridor At a glance he saw that the fears of the frightened priest ell founded A dozen warriors werethe corridor toward him but they seeh priest guessed that deprived of the leadershi+p of Tarzan they were little better than lost in the unknown mazes of the subterranean precincts of the te back into the apart He pulled upon it sharply and through the te Five tih the corridors, then he turned toward the two priests ”Bring the wo the cha Jane Clayton froh a narrow corridor and up a flight of steps they went, turning to right and left and doubling back through a ehich terave forth at the surface of the ground within the largest of the inner altar courts close beside the eastern altar

Frorounds above, careat gong had summoned the faithful to the defense of Lu-don in his private chambers The priests who knew the way led the less familiar warriors to the spot and presently those who had acco a vastly superior force They were brave men but under the circumstances they were helpless and so they fell back the way they had come, and when they reached the narrow confines of the seway their safety was assured since only one foeman could attack them at a time But their plans were frustrated and possibly also their entire cause lost, so heavily had Ja-don banked upon the success of their venture

With the clanging of the te Ja-don assumed that Tarzan and his party had struck their initial blow and so he launched his attack upon the palace gate To the ears of Lu-don in the inner teinning of the battle Leaving Pan-sat and the other priest to guard the woman he hastened toward the palace personally to direct his force and as he passed through the teer to learn the outcoers to spread the news a his followers that the false Dor-ul-Otho was a prisoner in the temple