Part 25 (2/2)

Then: ”I agree, Urim I will start at once”

Little nobar, theeht filtering through the leaves, and sat up

Her first thought was that she was actually free Yet to be acco the direction in which lay the caves of her people, then crossing that distance alone, exposed to ers

Dylara, in her accusto wo a journey she could only surmise--concerned her far less than had the prospects of a lifetime of slavery in Sephar All her life she had rubbed elboith jungle beasts Since infancy the green wilderness of the forest had been her front yard Night after night she had gone to sleep with the roars of lions and the hunting squalls of leopards for a lullaby She had learned to respect and avoid Sadu and Tarlok and Jalok--but not to fear them

She knew they hunted man only when other food was denied them--and that was seldom She knew that a tall tree was a sure haven from all three; for Sadu could not cli the sht but not theirs

From the freshly risen sun's position Dylara realized she had slept the entire night on this narrow branch As she drowsily reviewed the previous day's events, she remembered her injured ankle and bent hurriedly to exa there, nor was the dareat as she at first had feared Rising, she tested her weight on the one foot and found that, beyond an occasional twinge, it would support her

Slowly she worked her way down to earth and stepped into the trail Here she waited a fewher next move She finally decided to follow the path ard away from Sephar until a cross-trail to the north turned up Such a route would eventually lead her to the heights from which she had first looked upon Sephar Fro the caves of Majok should not be i the house of Rydob, walking within the jungle's fringe to avoid being seen by anyone whodue west

As she htly, she noticed the imprints of monstrous, man-like feet in the dust of the path At first she examined the marks closely; but her liave up trying

The e band, were plodding ard along the sairl

CHAPTER XIII

Death Stalks the Princess

As Mog, the sullen, shuffled across the narrow strip of cleared ground toward the garatulating himself at the ease hich he had obtained a desirable mate Within littlehis prize to the envious eyes of thedoind, and so engrossed was he with self-congratulations that he utterly failed to sense the presence of a tawny shape hidden in the thick growth at the trail'sthere, round, hindquarters beneath a taut fra prey to

On caround al verdure and leaped at the hairy chest of the astonished 's reaction was instinctive As Sadu's roar broke the silence, the Hairy One tossed Alurna aside and swung up hishad been too well ae an effective defense Full on his shoulders fell the aeight of the great cat, the club brushed aside as though it did not exist, and Mog went down as though pole-axed

With wide distended jaws Sadu lowered his head past the futilely flailing ars closed on the face of the struggling figure, and Mog, the sullen, was nohad tossed her a few feet aatched the grisly dra the brief interval in which Sadu had ht have risen and taken to her heels, but a paralysis of fear kept her motionless

Now Sadu rose to his feet, shook himself until the thick mane fairly flew, then placed a heavily taloned paw on his prey and turned his leonine head to look slowly about

At last his round yellow eyes cairl For an endlessstare; then the wrinkled lips curled back, exposing blood-reddened teeth, while frorowl that coursed up and down the girl's spine like icy fingers