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11 - Strange Incense Burns · Tarzan and the Golden Lion

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Speaker 1: Chapter eleven, strange incense burns. As Tarzan carried the dead
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Speaker 1: Bulgani from the village of the Gomangani, he set his
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Speaker 1: steps in the direction of the building he had seen
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Speaker 1: from the rim of the valley. The curiosity of the man,
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Speaker 1: overcoming the natural caution of the beast. He was traveling upwind,
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Speaker 1: and the odors wafted down to his nostrils told him
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Speaker 1: that he was approaching the habitat of the Bolgani. Intermingled
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Speaker 1: with the scent spoor of the guerrilla men was that
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Speaker 1: of the Gomangani, and the odor of cooked food, and
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Speaker 1: the suggestion of a heavily sweet scent, which the ape
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Speaker 1: man could connect only with burning incense. Though it seemed
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Speaker 1: impossible that such a fragrance could emanate from the dwellings
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Speaker 1: of the Bolgani, perhaps it came from the great edifice
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Speaker 1: he had seen, a building which must have been constructed
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Speaker 1: by human beings, and in which human beings might still dwell.
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Speaker 1: Though never among the multitudinous odors that assailed his nostrils
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Speaker 1: did he once catch the faintest suggestion of the man's
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Speaker 1: scent of whites, When he perceived from the increasing strength
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Speaker 1: of their odor that he was approaching close to the Bolgani.
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Speaker 1: Tarzan took to the trees with his burden, that he
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Speaker 1: might thus stand a better chance of avoiding discovery, and
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Speaker 1: presently through the foliage. Ahead he saw a lofty wall,
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Speaker 1: and beyond the outlines of the weird architecture of a
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Speaker 1: strange and mysterious pile, outlines that suggested a building of
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Speaker 1: another world, so unearthly were they, And from beyond the
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Speaker 1: wall came the odor of the Bolgani and the fragrance
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Speaker 1: of the incense, intermingled with the scent spoor of Numa
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Speaker 1: the lion. The jungle was cleared away for fifty feet
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Speaker 1: outside the walls surrounding the building, so that there was
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Speaker 1: no tree overhanging the wall. But Tarzan approached as closely
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Speaker 1: as he could, while still remaining reasonably well concealed by
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Speaker 1: the foliage. He had chosen a point at a sufficient
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Speaker 1: height above the ground to permit him to see over
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Speaker 1: the top of the wall. The building within the enclosure
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Speaker 1: was of great size, its different parts appearing to have
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Speaker 1: been constructed at various periods, and each with utter disregard
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Speaker 1: to uniformity, resulting in a conglomeration of connecting buildings and towers,
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Speaker 1: no two of which were alike, though the whole presented
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Speaker 1: a rather pleasing, if somewhat bizarre appearance. The building stood
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Speaker 1: upon an artificial elevation about ten feet high, surrounded by
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Speaker 1: a retaining wall of granite, a wide staircase leading to
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Speaker 1: the ground level. Below. About the building were shrubbery in trees,
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Speaker 1: some of the latter appearing to be of great antiquity,
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Speaker 1: while one another where tower was almost entirely covered by ivy.
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Speaker 1: By far the most remarkable feature of the building, however,
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Speaker 1: lay in its rich and barbaric ornamentation. Set into the
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Speaker 1: polished granite of which it was composed was an intricate
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Speaker 1: mosaic of gold and diamonds, glittering stones in countless thousands
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Speaker 1: scintillated from facades, minarets, domes and towers. The enclosure, which
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Speaker 1: comprised some fifteen or twenty acres, was occupied for the
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Speaker 1: most part by the building. The terrace upon which it
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Speaker 1: stood was devoted to walks, flowers, shrubs, and ornamental trees,
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Speaker 1: while that part of the area below, which was within
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Speaker 1: the range of Tarzan's vision, seemed to be given over
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Speaker 1: to the raising of garden truck. In the garden and
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Speaker 1: upon the terrace were naked blacks, such as he had
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Speaker 1: seen in the village where he had left law. There
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Speaker 1: were both men and women, and these were occupied with
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Speaker 1: the care of growing things within the enclosure. Among them
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Speaker 1: were several of the gerrilla like creatures, such as Tarzan
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Speaker 1: had slain in the village, But these performed no labor
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Speaker 1: devoting themselves. Rather, it seemed to directing the work of
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Speaker 1: the blacks towards whom their manner was haughty and domineering,
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Speaker 1: sometimes even brutal. These guerrilla men were trapped in rich ornaments,
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Speaker 1: similar to those upon the body, which now rested in
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Speaker 1: a crotch of the tree behind the ape man. As
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Speaker 1: Tarzan watched with interest the scene below him, two Bolgani
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Speaker 1: emerged from the main entrance, a huge portal some thirty
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Speaker 1: feet in width and perhaps fifteen feet high. The two
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Speaker 1: wore headbands supporting tall white feathers. As they emerged, they
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Speaker 1: took post on either side of the entrance, and, cupping
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Speaker 1: their hands before their mouths, gave voice to a series
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Speaker 1: of shrill cries that bore a marked resemblance to trumpet calls. Immediately,
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Speaker 1: the black ceased work and hastened to the foot of
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Speaker 1: the stairs descending from the terrace to the garden. Here
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Speaker 1: they formed lines on either side of the stairway, and similarly,
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Speaker 1: the bolgani formed two lines upon the terrace from the
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Speaker 1: main portal to the stairway, forming a living aisle from
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Speaker 1: one to the other. Presently, from the interior of the
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Speaker 1: building came other trumpet like calls, and a moment later
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Speaker 1: Tarzan saw the head of a procession emerging. First came
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Speaker 1: four bolgani abreast, each bedecked with an ornate feather head dress,
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Speaker 1: and each carrying a huge bludgeon erect before him. Behind
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Speaker 1: these came two trumpeters, and twenty feet behind the trumpeters
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Speaker 1: paced a huge black Maine lion, held in leep by
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Speaker 1: four sturdy blacks, two upon either side, holding what appeared
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Speaker 1: to be golden chains that ran to a scentilent diamond
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Speaker 1: collar about the beast's neck. Behind the lion marched twenty
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Speaker 1: more bulgani, four abreast. These carried spears, but whether they
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Speaker 1: were for the purpose of protecting the lion from the
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Speaker 1: people or the people from the lion, Tarzan was at
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Speaker 1: a loss to know the attitude of the Bulgani, lining
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Speaker 1: either side of the way between the portal and the
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Speaker 1: stairway indicated extreme deference, for they bent their bodies from
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Speaker 1: their waists in a profound bow while Nula was passing
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Speaker 1: between their lines. When the beast reached the top of
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Speaker 1: the stairway, the procession halted, and immediately the Gomangani ranged
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Speaker 1: below prostrated themselves and placed their foreheads on the ground. Numa,
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Speaker 1: who was evidently an old lion, stood with lordly mien,
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Speaker 1: surveying the prostrate humans before him. His evil eyes glared
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Speaker 1: glassily the while he bared his tusts in a savage grimace,
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Speaker 1: and from his deep lungs rumbled forth an ominous roar,
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Speaker 1: at the sound of which the Gomangani trembled in unfeigned terror.
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Speaker 1: The ape man knit his brows and thought never before
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Speaker 1: had he been called upon to witness so remarkable a
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Speaker 1: scene of the a basement of man before a beast. Presently,
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Speaker 1: the procession continued upon its way, descending the staircase and
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Speaker 1: turning to the right along a path through the garden,
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Speaker 1: And when it had passed them, the Gomangani and Bolgani
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Speaker 1: arose and resumed their interrupted duties. Tarzian remained in concealment,
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Speaker 1: watching them, trying to discover some explanation for the strange,
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Speaker 1: paradoxical conditions that he had witnessed. The lion with his retinue,
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Speaker 1: had turned the far corner of the palace and disappeared
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Speaker 1: from sight. What was he to these people, to these
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Speaker 1: strange creatures? What did he represent? Why this topsy turvy
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Speaker 1: arrangement of species? Here man ranked lower than the half beast,
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Speaker 1: and above all, from the deference that had been accorded him,
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Speaker 1: stood a true beast, a savage carnivore. He had been
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Speaker 1: occupied with his thoughts and his observations for some fifteen
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Speaker 1: minutes following the disappearance of Numa around the eastern end
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Speaker 1: of the palace, when his attention was attracted to the
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Speaker 1: opposite end of the structure by the sound of other
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Speaker 1: shrill trumpet calls. Turning his eyes in that direction, he
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Speaker 1: saw the procession emerging again into view and proceeding toward
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Speaker 1: the staircase down which they had entered the garden. Immediately
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Speaker 1: the notes of the shrill call sounded upon their ears.
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Speaker 1: The Gomangani and the Bolgani resumed their original positions, from
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Speaker 1: below the foot of the staircase to the entrance of
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Speaker 1: the palace, and what the game was? Homage paid to
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Speaker 1: Numa as he made his triumphal entry into the building.
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Speaker 1: Tarzan of the Apes ran his fingers through his mass
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Speaker 1: of tussled hair, but finally he was forced to shake
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Speaker 1: his head and defeat. He could find no explanation whatsoever
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Speaker 1: for all that he had witnessed. His curiosity, however, was
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Speaker 1: so keenly piqued that he determined to investigate the palace
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Speaker 1: and surrounding grounds further before continuing on his way in
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Speaker 1: search of a trail out of the valley. Leaving the
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Speaker 1: body of Bolgani where he had cashed it, he started
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Speaker 1: slowly to circle the building that he might examine it
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Speaker 1: from all sides. From the concealing foliage of the surrounding forest.
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Speaker 1: He found the architecture equally unique upon all sides, and
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Speaker 1: that the garden extended entirely around the building, though a
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Speaker 1: portion of the south side of the palace was given
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Speaker 1: over to corrals and pins, in which were kept numerous
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Speaker 1: goats and a considerable flock of chickens. Upon this side
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Speaker 1: also were several hundred swinging beehive huts, such as he
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Speaker 1: had seen in the native village of the Gomangani. These
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Speaker 1: he took to be the quarters of all the black
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Speaker 1: slaves who performed all the arduous and menial labor connected
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Speaker 1: with the palace. The loftogranite wall which surrounded the entire
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Speaker 1: enclosure was pierced by but a single gate, which opened
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Speaker 1: opposite the east end of the palace. This gate was
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Speaker 1: large and of massive construction, appearing to have been built
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Speaker 1: to withstand the assault of numerous and well armed forces.
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Speaker 1: So strong did it appear that the ape Men could
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Speaker 1: not but harbor the opinion that it had been instructed
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Speaker 1: to protect the interior against forces equipped with heavy battering ramps.
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Speaker 1: That such a force had ever existed within the vicinity
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Speaker 1: in historic times seemed most unlikely, and Tarzan conjectured therefore
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Speaker 1: that the wall and gate were of almost unthinkable antiquity,
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Speaker 1: dating doubtless from the forgotten age of the Atlanteans, and
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Speaker 1: constructed perhaps to protect the builders of the Palace of
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Speaker 1: Diamonds from the well armed forces that had come from
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Speaker 1: Atlantis to work the gold mines of Opar and to
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Speaker 1: colonize Central Africa. While the wall the gate and the
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Speaker 1: palace itself suggested in many ways almost unbelievable age. Yet
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Speaker 1: they were in such an excellent state of repair that
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Speaker 1: it was evident that they were still inhabited by rational
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Speaker 1: and intent eligant creatures. While upon the south side, Tarzan
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Speaker 1: had seen a new tower and process of construction, where
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Speaker 1: a number of Blacks, working under the direction of Bolgani,
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Speaker 1: were cutting and shaping granite blocks and putting them in place.
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Speaker 1: Tarzan had halted in a tree near the east gate
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Speaker 1: to watch the life passing in and out of the
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Speaker 1: palace grounds beneath the ancient portal, and as he watched,
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Speaker 1: a long cavalcade of powerful Gomangani emerged from the forest
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Speaker 1: and entered the enclosure, swung in hides between two poles.
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Speaker 1: This party was carrying rough hewn blocks of granite, four
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Speaker 1: men to a block, two or three. Bolgani accompanied the
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Speaker 1: long line of carriers, which was preceded and followed by
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Speaker 1: a detachment of black warriors armed with battle axes and spears.
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Speaker 1: The demeanor and attitude of the black porters, as well
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Speaker 1: as of the Bolgani, suggested to the eight men nothing
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Speaker 1: more nor less than a caravan of donkeys plodding their
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Speaker 1: stupid way to the behest of their drivers. If one lagged,
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Speaker 1: he was prodded with the point of a spear or
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Speaker 1: struck with its haft. There was no greater brutality shown
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Speaker 1: than in the ordinary handling of beasts of burden the
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Speaker 1: world around, nor in the demeanor of the Blacks. Was
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Speaker 1: there any more indication of objection or a volt than
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Speaker 1: you see depicted upon the faces of a long line
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Speaker 1: of burden bearing mules. To all intents and purposes, they
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Speaker 1: were dumb driven cattle. Slowly they filed through the gateway
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Speaker 1: and disappeared from sight. A few moments later, another party
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Speaker 1: came out of the forest and passed into the palace grounds.
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Speaker 1: This consisted of fully fifty armed Bulgani and twice as
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Speaker 1: many black warriors with spears and axes. Entirely surrounded by
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Speaker 1: these armed creatures were four brawny porters carrying a small litter,
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Speaker 1: upon which was fastened an ornate chest about two feet
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Speaker 1: wide by four feet long, with a depth of approximately
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Speaker 1: two feet. The chest itself was of some dark, weather
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Speaker 1: worn wood, and was reinforced by bands and corners of
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Speaker 1: what appeared to be virgin gold, in which were set
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Speaker 1: many diamonds. What the chests contained Tarzan could not, of
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Speaker 1: course conceive, but that it was considered of great value
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Speaker 1: was evidenced by the precautions for safety with which it
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Speaker 1: had been surrounded. The chest was borne directly into the huge,
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Speaker 1: ivy covered tower at the northeast corner of the palace.
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Speaker 1: The entrance to which Tarzan now first observed was secured
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Speaker 1: by doors as large and heavy as the east gate itself.
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Speaker 1: At the first opportunity that he could seize to accomplish
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Speaker 1: it under covered, Tarzan swung across the jungle trail and
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Speaker 1: continued through the trees to the one in which he
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Speaker 1: had left the body of Bolgani. Throwing this across his shoulder,
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Speaker 1: he returned to the point close above the trail near
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Speaker 1: the east gate, and, seizing upon a moment when there
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Speaker 1: was a lull and traffic, he hurled the body as
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Speaker 1: close to the portal as possible. Now thought the ape man,
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Speaker 1: let them guess who slew their fellow if they can.
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Speaker 1: Making his way toward the southeast, Tarzan approached the mountains
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Speaker 1: which lie back of the valley of the Palace of Diamonds.
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Speaker 1: He had often to make detours to avoid native villages
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Speaker 1: and to keep out of sight of the numerous parties
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Speaker 1: of Bolgani that seemed to be moving in all directions
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Speaker 1: through the forest. Late in the afternoon, he came out
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Speaker 1: of the hills into full view of the mountains beyond
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Speaker 1: rough granite hills. They were, whose precipitous peaks arose far
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Speaker 1: above the timber line. Directly before him, a well marked
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Speaker 1: trail led into a canyon which he could see wound
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Speaker 1: far upward toward the summit. This then, would be as
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Speaker 1: good a place to commence his investigations as another, and so,
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Speaker 1: seeing that the coast was clear, the ape man descended
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Speaker 1: from the trees, and, taking advantage of the underbrush bordering
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Speaker 1: the trail, he made his way silently yet swiftly into
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Speaker 1: the hills. For the most part, he was compelled to
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Speaker 1: worm his way through thickets, for the trail was in
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Speaker 1: constant use by Gomangani and Bolgani parties, passing up it
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Speaker 1: empty handed and returning bearing blocks of granite. As he
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Speaker 1: advanced more deeply into the hills, the heavy underbrush gave
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Speaker 1: way to a lighter growth of scrub, through which he
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Speaker 1: could pass with far greater ease. Though with considerable more
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Speaker 1: risk of discovery. However, the instinct of the beast that
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Speaker 1: dominated Tarzan's jungle craft permitted him to find cover where
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Speaker 1: another would have been in full view of every enemy.
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Speaker 1: Half Way up the mountain, the trail passed through a
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Speaker 1: narrow gorge not more than twenty feet wide, and eroded
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Speaker 1: from solid granite cliffs. Here there was no concealment whatsoever,
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Speaker 1: and the ape man realized that to enter it would
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Speaker 1: mean almost immediate discovery. Glancing about, he saw that by
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Speaker 1: making a slight detour he could reach the summit of
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Speaker 1: the gorge, where amid tumbled granite boulders and stunted trees
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Speaker 1: and shrubs. He knew that he could find sufficient concealment
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Speaker 1: and perhaps a plainer view of the trail beyond. Nor
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Speaker 1: was he mistaken, for when he had reached the vantage
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Speaker 1: point far above the trail, he saw a head and
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Speaker 1: open pocket in the mountain, the cliffs surrounding which were
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Speaker 1: honeycombed with numerous openings, which, it seemed to Tarzan could
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Speaker 1: be nought else than the mouths of tunnels. Rough wooden
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Speaker 1: ladders reached to some of them closer to the base
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Speaker 1: of the cliffs. While from others knotted ropes dangled to
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Speaker 1: the ground below. Out of these tunnels emerged men carrying
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Speaker 1: little sacks of earth, which they dumped in a common
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Speaker 1: pile beside a rivulet which ran through the gorge. Here
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Speaker 1: other blacks, supervised by Bulgani, were engaged in washing the dirt.
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Speaker 1: But what they hoped to find or what they did find,
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Speaker 1: Tarzan could not guess. Along one side of the rocky basin,
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Speaker 1: many other blacks were engaged in quarrying the granite from
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Speaker 1: the cliffs, which had been cut away through similar operations
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Speaker 1: into a series of terraces running from the floor of
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Speaker 1: the basin to the summit of the cliff. Here, naked
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Speaker 1: blacks toiled with primitive tools under the supervision of Savage Bulgani.
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Speaker 1: The activities of the quarrymen were obvious enough, but what
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Speaker 1: others were bringing from the mouths of the tunnels, Tarzan
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Speaker 1: could not be positive. Though the natural assumption was that
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Speaker 1: it was gold. Where then did they obtain their diamonds?
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Speaker 1: Certainly not from these solid granite cliffs. A few minutes
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Speaker 1: observation convinced Tarzan that the trail he had followed from
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Speaker 1: the forest ended in this little cul de Sac, and
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Speaker 1: so he sought a way upward and around it, in
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Speaker 1: search of a pass across the range. The balance of
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Speaker 1: that day and nearly all the next he devoted to
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Speaker 1: his efforts in this direction, only in the end to
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Speaker 1: be forced to admit that there was no egress from
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Speaker 1: the valley upon this side to points far above the
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Speaker 1: timber line. He made his way, but there always he
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Speaker 1: came face to face with sheer, perpendicular cliffs of granite
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Speaker 1: towering high above him, upon the face of which not
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Speaker 1: even the ape man could find foothold. Along the southern
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Speaker 1: and eastern sides of the basin he carried his investigation,
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Speaker 1: but with similar disappointing results. And then at last he
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Speaker 1: turned his steps back toward the forest, with the intention
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Speaker 1: of seeking a way out through the valley of Opar
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Speaker 1: with Law after darkness had fallen. The sun had just
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Speaker 1: risen when Tarzan arrived at the native village in which
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Speaker 1: he had left Law, and no sooner did his eyes
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Speaker 1: rest upon it than he became apprehensive that something was amiss,
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Speaker 1: For not only was the gate wide open, but there
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Speaker 1: was no sign of life within the palisade, nor was
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Speaker 1: there any movement of the swinging huts that would indicate
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Speaker 1: that they were occupied. Always wary of ambush, Tarzan reconordered
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Speaker 1: carefully before descending into the village. To his trained observation,
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Speaker 1: it became evident that the village had been deserted for
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Speaker 1: at least twenty four hours. Running to the hut in
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Speaker 1: which Law had been hidden, he hastily ascended the rope
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Speaker 1: and examined the interior. It was vacant, nor was there
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Speaker 1: any sign of the High Priestess. Descending to the ground,
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Speaker 1: the ape man started to make a thorough investigation of
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Speaker 1: the village in search of clues to the fate of
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Speaker 1: its inhabitants and of Law. He had examined the interiors
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Speaker 1: of several huts when his keen eyes noted a slight
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Speaker 1: movement of one of the swinging cage like habitations some
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Speaker 1: distance from him. Quickly he crossed the intervening space, and
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Speaker 1: as he approached the hut he saw no rope trailed
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Speaker 1: from its doorway. Halting beneath, Tarzan raised his face to
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Speaker 1: the aperture, through which nothing but the roof of the
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Speaker 1: hut was visible. Go Mangani, he cried, it is I
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Speaker 1: Tarzan of the apes, come to the opening and tell
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Speaker 1: me what has become of your fellows and of my mate,
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Speaker 1: whom I left here under the protection of your warriors.
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Speaker 1: There was no answer, and Tarzan called for he was
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Speaker 1: positive that some one was hiding in the hut. Come down.
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Speaker 1: He called again, where I will come up after you.
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Speaker 1: Still there was no reply. A grim smile touched the
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Speaker 1: ape man's lips as he drew his hunting knife from
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Speaker 1: its sheath and placed it between his teeth, and then,
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Speaker 1: with a catlike spring, leaped for the opening, and, catching
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Speaker 1: its sides, drew his body up into the interior of
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Speaker 1: the hut. If he had expected opposition, he was met
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Speaker 1: with none. Nor in the dimly lighted interior could he
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Speaker 1: at first distinguish any presents, though when his eyes became
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Speaker 1: accustomed to the semi darkness, he descried a bundle of
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Speaker 1: leaves and grasses lying against the opposite wall of the structure.
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Speaker 1: Crossing to these, he tore them aside, revealing the huddled
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Speaker 1: form of a terrified woman. Seizing her by the shoulder,
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Speaker 1: he drew her to a sitting position. What has happened,
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Speaker 1: he demanded? Where are the villagers? Where is my mate?
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Speaker 1: Do not kill me? Do not kill me, she cried.
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Speaker 1: It was not I it was not my fault. I
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Speaker 1: do not intend to kill you, replied Tarzan. Tell me
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Speaker 1: the truth and you shall be safe. The Bugghani have
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Speaker 1: to taking them away, cried the woman. They came when
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Speaker 1: the sun was low upon the day that you arrived,
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Speaker 1: and they were very angry, for they had found the
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Speaker 1: body of their fellow outside the gate of the Palace
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Speaker 1: of Diamonds. They knew that he had come here to
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Speaker 1: our village, and no one had seen him alive since
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Speaker 1: he had departed from the palace. They came in and
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Speaker 1: threatened and tortured our people, until at last the warriors
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Speaker 1: told them all I hid. I do not know why
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Speaker 1: they did not find me, But at last they went,
16:24
Speaker 1: taking all the others with them, taking your mate. Do
16:27
Speaker 1: they will never come back? You think the BOLGANI will
16:30
Speaker 1: kill them, asked Tarzan. Yes, she replied, They kid all
16:35
Speaker 1: who displeased them. Alone now and relieved of the responsibility
16:39
Speaker 1: of law, Tarzan might easily make his way by night
16:41
Speaker 1: through the valley of Opar and a safety beyond the barrier.
16:43
Speaker 1: But perhaps such a thought never entered his head. Gratitude
16:46
Speaker 1: and loyalty were marked characteristics of the ape Man. Law
16:49
Speaker 1: had saved him from the fanaticism and intrigue of her people.
16:52
Speaker 1: She had saved him at a cost of all that
16:54
Speaker 1: was most dear to her power and position, peace and safety.
16:58
Speaker 1: She had jeopardized her life for him him and become
17:01
Speaker 1: an exile from her own country. The mere fact that
17:03
Speaker 1: the Bolgani had taken her with the possible intention of
17:05
Speaker 1: slaying her was not sufficient for the ape Man. He
17:08
Speaker 1: must know whether or not she lived, and if she lived,
17:10
Speaker 1: he must devote his every energy to winning her release
17:13
Speaker 1: and her eventual escape from the dangers of this valley.
17:16
Speaker 1: Tarzan spent the day reconnoitering outside the palace grounds, seeking
17:19
Speaker 1: an opportunity of gaining entrance without detection, But this he
17:22
Speaker 1: found impossible, inasmuch as there was never a moment that
17:25
Speaker 1: there was not Goumangani or Bolgani in the outer garden.
17:28
Speaker 1: But with the approach of darkness, the great East gate
17:31
Speaker 1: was closed, and the inmates of the huts and palace
17:33
Speaker 1: withdrew within their walls, leaving not even a single sentinel
17:37
Speaker 1: without a fact that indicated clearly that the Bolgani had
17:40
Speaker 1: no reason to apprehend an attack. The subjection of the
17:43
Speaker 1: Gomangani then was apparently complete, and so the towering wall
17:46
Speaker 1: surrounding the palace, which was more than sufficient to protect
17:49
Speaker 1: them from the inroads of lions, was but the reminder
17:52
Speaker 1: of an ancient day when a once powerful but now
17:54
Speaker 1: vanished enemy threatened their peace and safety. When darkness had
17:58
Speaker 1: finally settled, Tarzan approached the gate and throwing the noose
18:00
Speaker 1: of his grass rope over one of the carved lions
18:02
Speaker 1: that capped the gate posts, ascending quickly to the summit
18:05
Speaker 1: of the wall, from where he dropped lightly into the
18:07
Speaker 1: garden below to ensure an avenue for quick escape in
18:10
Speaker 1: the event that he found law. He unlatched the heavy
18:12
Speaker 1: gates and swung them open. Then he crept stealthily toward
18:15
Speaker 1: the ivy covered east tower, which he had chosen after
18:18
Speaker 1: a day of investigation as offering easiest ingress to the palace.
18:21
Speaker 1: The success of his plan hinged largely upon the age
18:24
Speaker 1: and strength of the ivy, which grew almost to the
18:26
Speaker 1: summit of the tower, and to his immense relief, he
18:29
Speaker 1: found that it would easily support his weight far above
18:32
Speaker 1: the ground. Near the summit of the tower, he had
18:34
Speaker 1: seen from the trees surrounding the palace an open window, which,
18:37
Speaker 1: unlike the balance of those in this part of the palace,
18:39
Speaker 1: was without bars. Dim light shone from several of the
18:42
Speaker 1: tower windows, as from those of the other parts of
18:44
Speaker 1: the palace. Avoiding these lighted apertures, Tarzan ascended quickly, though carefully,
18:48
Speaker 1: toward the unbarred window above, and as he reached it
18:51
Speaker 1: and cautiously raised his eyes above the level of the sill,
18:53
Speaker 1: he was delighted to find that it opened into an
18:55
Speaker 1: unlighted chamber, the interior of which, however, was so shrouded
18:59
Speaker 1: in darkness that he could discern nothing within. Drawing himself
19:02
Speaker 1: carefully to the level of the sill, he crept quietly
19:04
Speaker 1: into the apartment beyond. Groping through the blackness, he cautiously
19:08
Speaker 1: made the rounds of the room, which he found to
19:10
Speaker 1: contain a carved bedstead of peculiar design, a table, and
19:14
Speaker 1: a couple of benches. Upon the bedstead were stuffs of
19:16
Speaker 1: woven material thrown over the softly tanned pelts of antelopes
19:19
Speaker 1: and leopards. Opposite the window through which he had entered
19:22
Speaker 1: was a closed door. This he opened slowly and silently
19:25
Speaker 1: until through a tiny aperture he could look out upon
19:28
Speaker 1: a dimly lighted corridor or circular hallway, in the center
19:31
Speaker 1: of which was an opening about four feet in diameter.
19:33
Speaker 1: Passing through which and disappearing beyond a similar opening. In
19:36
Speaker 1: the ceiling. Directly above was a straight pole with short
19:39
Speaker 1: cross pieces fastened to it at intervals of about a foot,
19:42
Speaker 1: quite evidently the primitive staircase which gave communication between the
19:45
Speaker 1: various floors of the tower. Three upright columns set at
19:49
Speaker 1: equal intervals about the circumference of the circular opening in
19:51
Speaker 1: the center of the floor, helped to support the ceiling above.
19:54
Speaker 1: Around the outside of the circular hallway, there were other
19:57
Speaker 1: doors similar to that opening into the apartment in which
19:59
Speaker 1: he was hearing no noise and seeing no evidence of another
20:02
Speaker 1: than himself, Tarzan opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
20:06
Speaker 1: His nostrils were now assailed strongly by the same heavy
20:09
Speaker 1: fragrance of incense that had first greeted him upon his
20:11
Speaker 1: approach to the palace several days before. In the interior
20:15
Speaker 1: of the tower, however, it was much more powerful, practically
20:18
Speaker 1: obliterating all other odors and placing upon the ape man
20:21
Speaker 1: an almost prohibitive handicap in his search for Law. In fact,
20:25
Speaker 1: as he viewed the doors upon this single stage of
20:27
Speaker 1: the tower, he was filled with consternation at the prospect
20:30
Speaker 1: of the well nigh impossible task that confronted him. To
20:33
Speaker 1: search this great tower alone without any assistance whatever from
20:36
Speaker 1: his keen sense of scent, seemed impossible of accomplishment if
20:39
Speaker 1: he were to take even the most ordinary precautions against detection.
20:42
Speaker 1: The ape man's self confidence was in no measure blundering egotism.
20:46
Speaker 1: Knowing his limitations, he knew that he would have little
20:48
Speaker 1: or no chance against even a few Bulgani, were he
20:50
Speaker 1: to be discovered within their palace, where all was familiar
20:53
Speaker 1: to them and strange to him. Behind him was the
20:56
Speaker 1: open window and the silent jungle night and freedom ahead
21:00
Speaker 1: danger predestined failure, and quite likely death, which should he choose.
21:05
Speaker 1: For a moment, he stood in silent thought, and then,
21:08
Speaker 1: raising his head and squaring his great shoulders, he shook
21:10
Speaker 1: his black locks defiantly and stepped boldly toward the nearest door.
21:14
Speaker 1: Room after room he had investigated until he had made
21:17
Speaker 1: the entire circle of the landing, But in so far
21:19
Speaker 1: as Law or any clue to her, were concerned. His
21:21
Speaker 1: search was fruitless. He found quaint furniture and rugs, and
21:24
Speaker 1: tapestries and ornaments of gold and diamonds, and in one
21:27
Speaker 1: dimly lighted chamber he came upon a sleeping bolgani. But
21:30
Speaker 1: so silent were the movements of the ape man that
21:32
Speaker 1: the sleeper slept on undisturbed, even though Tarzan passed entirely
21:36
Speaker 1: around his bed, which was set in the center of
21:38
Speaker 1: the chamber, and investigated a curtained alcove beyond. Having completed
21:42
Speaker 1: the rounds on this floor, Tarzan determined to work upward first,
21:45
Speaker 1: and then returning investigate the lower stages later. Pursuant to
21:49
Speaker 1: this plan, therefore, he ascended the strange stairway. Three landings
21:52
Speaker 1: he passed before he reached the upper floor of the tower.
21:55
Speaker 1: Circling each floor was a ring of doors, each of
21:58
Speaker 1: which were closed. While dimly light each landing were feebly
22:01
Speaker 1: burning cressets, shallow golden bowles containing what appeared to be
22:04
Speaker 1: tallow in which floated a tow like wick. Upon the
22:07
Speaker 1: upper landing, there were but three doors, all of which
22:10
Speaker 1: were closed. The ceiling of this hallway was the dome
22:13
Speaker 1: like roof of the tower, in the center of which
22:15
Speaker 1: was another circular opening, through which the stairway protruded into
22:18
Speaker 1: the darkness of the night above. As Tarzan opened the
22:20
Speaker 1: door nearest him, it creaked upon its hinges, giving forth
22:23
Speaker 1: the first audible sound that had resulted from his investigations
22:26
Speaker 1: up to this point. The interior of the apartment before
22:29
Speaker 1: him was unlighted, and as Tarzan stood there in the
22:31
Speaker 1: entrance in statuesque silence for a few seconds, falling the
22:34
Speaker 1: creaking of the hinge, he was suddenly aware of movement,
22:37
Speaker 1: of the faintest shadow of a sound behind him. Wheeling quickly,
22:40
Speaker 1: he saw the figure of a man standing in an
22:42
Speaker 1: open doorway upon the opposite side of the landing. End
22:46
Speaker 1: of Chapter