Part 28 (2/2)
As the din of battle rose above A-lur, Lieutenant Erich Obergatz turned upon his bed of soft hides and sat up He rubbed his eyes and looked about him It was still dark without
”I am Jad-ben-Otho,” he cried, ”who dares disturbupon the floor at the foot of his couch shuddered and touched her forehead to the floor ”It must be that the enely for she had reason to know the terrors of the s sometimes threw the Great God
A priest burst suddenly through the hangings of the doorway and falling upon his hands and knees rubbed his forehead against the stone flagging ”O Jad-ben-Otho,” he cried, ”the warriors of Ja-don have attacked the palace and the te in the corridors near the quarters of Lu-don, and the high priest begs that you coe your faithful warriors by your presence”
Obergatz sprang to his feet ”I a I will blast the blasphemers who dare attack the holy city of A-lur”
For a moment he rushed aimlessly and madly about the room, while the priest and the slave reainst the floor
”Co a vicious kick in the side of the slave girl ”Come! Would you wait here all day while the forces of darkness overwhelhtened as were all those ere forced to serve the Great God, the two arose and followed Obergatz towards the palace
Above the shouting of the warriors rose constantly the cries of the temple priests: ”Jad-ben-Otho is here and the false Dor-ul-Otho is a prisoner in the temple” The persistent cries reached even to the ears of the enemy as it was intended that they should
24
The Messenger of Death
The sun rose to see the forces of Ja-don still held at the palace gate The old warrior had seized the tall structure that stood just beyond the palace and at the summit of this he kept a warrior stationed to look toward the northern wall of the palace where Ta-den was to n of the other force appeared, and now in the full light of the new sun upon the roof of one of the palace buildings appeared Lu-don, the high priest, Mo-sar, the pretender, and the strange, naked figure of ahair and beard oven fresh ferns and flowers Behind them were banked a score of lesser priests who chanted in unison: ”This is Jad-ben-Otho Lay down your arain, alternating it with the cry: ”The false Dor-ul-Otho is a prisoner”
In one of those lulls which are common in battles between forces arreat physical effort in their use, a voice suddenly arose fro the followers of Ja-don: ”Show us the Dor-ul-Otho We do not believe you!”
”Wait,” cried Lu-don ”If I do not produce hiates of the palace shall be opened to you and my warriors will lay down their arms”
He turned to one of his priests and issued brief instructions
The ape-man paced the confines of his narrow cell Bitterly he reproached himself for the stupidity which had led hiht he have done other than rush to the succor of his mate? He wondered how they had stolen her from Ja-lur, and then suddenly there flashed to his mind the features of the warrior whoely familiar He racked his brain to recall where he had seen the e warrior who had joined Ja-don's forces outside of Ja-lur the day that Tarzan had ridden upon the great GRYF froe next to the Kor-ul-JA down to the capital city of the chieftain of the north But who could the man be? Tarzan knew that never before that other day had he seen hi from the corridor without and very faintly the rush of feet, and shouts He guessed that his warriors had been discovered and a fight was in progress He fretted and chafed at the chance that had denied hiain he tried the doors of his prison and the trap in the center of the floor, but none would give to his utmost endeavors He strained his eyes toward the aperture above but he could see nothing, and then he continued his futile pacing to and fro like a caged lion behind its bars
The ed slowly into hours Faintly sounds careat distance The battle was in progress He wondered if Ja-don would be victorious and should he be, would his friends ever discover him in this hidden chamber in the bowels of the hill? He doubted it
And now as he looked again toward the aperture in the roof there appeared to be soh its center He came closer and strained his eyes to see Yes, there was so there It appeared to be a rope Tarzan wondered if it had been there all the time It must have, he reasoned, since he had heard no sound froht easily have overlooked it
He raised his hand toward it The end of it was just within his reach He bore his weight upon it to see if it would hold hi it, as you have seen an ani some unfamiliar object, one of the little traits that differentiated Tarzan froe beasts of his native jungle Again and again he touched and tested the braided leather rope, and always he listened for any warning sound from above
He was very careful not to step upon the trap at any tiht upon the rope and took his feet from the floor he spread them wide apart so that if he fell he would fall astride the trap The rope held him There was no sound from above, nor any from the trap below
Slowly and cautiously he drew himself upward, hand over hand Nearer and nearer the roof he came In a moment his eyes would be above the level of the floor above Already his extended ar closed suddenly upon both his forear in ht appeared in the room above hi down upon his and these he tied about Tarzan's wrists and forearether froers Behind this priest Tarzan presently saw others and soon several lay hold of hih the hole
Almost instantly his eyes were above the level of the floor he understood how they had trapped hi the aperture into the cell below A priest had waited at the end of each of these ropes and at opposite sides of the chaht upon the rope that had dangled into his prison below and his ar snares the two priests had pulled quickly upon their ropes and he had beenhi injury upon his captors