Part 6 (1/2)

She cried a little, there in the di, fell asleep

CHAPTER IV

Ca a bend in the trail, came to an abrupt halt as his eyes fell on the carcass of Bana lying across the path a few yards ahead

An idle breeze ruffled his heavy h caught in mid-stride Then, very slowly, impelled solely by curiosity, hestirred beyond the bulk of the deer Sadu froze to iure of a half-naked ht position and faced him

For a full minute the man and the lion stared woodenly into each other's eyes, across a space of hardly more than a dozen paces

Sadu's principal e of ed creature; neither did it show any indication of being alarht the lion to expect one or the other of those reactions upon such s as this, and the absence of either was responsible for his own indecision

As for Tharn, he was experiencing difficulty in seeing clearly The figure of the giant cat seeht; to expand aweso pain sucked at his th from every muscle of his body

Tharn realized thewhen either he or Sadu must make some move If the lion's decision was to attack, the empty-handed cave-man would prove easy prey

Almost at Tharn's feet lay his heavy war-spear To stoop to retrieve it ht co him without means of defence

What followed required only seconds Tharn crouched, caught up the flint-tipped weapon, and straightened--all in one supple motion Sadu slid back on his haunches, reared up with fore-legs extended, gave one ht vanished into the jungle!

It required the better part of an hour for the cave lord to hack a supply of h fork of the nearest tree The blow from a Sepharian war-club had resulted in a nasty concussion and the constant waves of dizziness and nausea made his movements slow and uncertain

For two full days he lay on a rude platform of branches in that tree, most of the time in semi-stupor Twice in that time he risked descent for water fro of the third day that he awoke coh the branches of neighboring trees, testing the extent of his recovery And when he discovered that, beyond a dull ache in one side of his head, he was himself once more, he ate the remainder of his stock of deer meat and came down to the trail to pick up the two-day-spoor of Dylara's captors

That those who had struck him down had also taken his intended mate, Tharn never doubted She--and he!--had been too well ambushed for escape What her fate would be after capture depended upon the identity of her abductors

But when Tharn had picked up those traces not obliterated by thethe two days, he was as much in the dark as before Never in his own considerable experience had he come upon the prints of sandals before this; nor had he known of a tribe ore coverings on their feet

He shrugged After all, _who_ had taken Dylara was beside the point She had been taken; and he eance if they had slain her

By noon of the next day Tharn was drawing hie of the tableland at allimpse of Sephar And when he rose to his feet and saw the city of stone and its great circular wall, he was no less electrified than the girl had been He, however, felt no dread at the prospect of entering; indeed, his adventurous blood urged hih the trees toward Sephar, his thoughts were of Dylara Reason insisted that she still lived--a captive behind that grim stone wall He kne, that his love for her was no temporary madness, but an emotion that would rule his life until death clai of panther skin rose unbidden before hihtness where ribs and bellyTharn of other aches than physical bruises

It was e nearest to Sephar Several hundred yards of level open ground lay between the trees and the hty wall, which evidently encircled the entire city

Froround, he saide gateways not uarded by parties of arures and clothing, both of which excited his keenest interest With its entrances so closely guarded it would be folly to approach closer during the day While impatient to reach Dylara's side, he was quite aware that any attempt at rescue noould doubtless cost hiirl her only hope of escape He uards would then be withdrawn

Re back through the trees in search of rass-eaters; and not long after, a wild horse fell before his careful stalking Squatting on the body of his kill, he gorged hi to chance so smoke from a fire

His appetite cared for, the cave-man bathed in the waters of a s the water as abeard from his face by means of a small, very sharp bit of flint taken from a pouch of his loin-cloth Comfort, rather than vanity, was responsible; a bearded face increased the discomfort of a tropical day