arness is
not of Gathol."

"I am from Helium," said Tara

"It is far from Helium to Gathol;" said the slave girl, "but in our
studies we learned much of the greatness of Helium, we of Gathol, so it
seems not so far away."

"You, too, are from Gathol?" asked Tara.

"Many of us are from Gathol who are slaves in Manator," replied the
girl. "It is to Gathol, nearest country, that the Manatorians look for
slaves most often. They go in great numbers at intervals of three or
seven years and haunt the roads that lead to Gathol, and thus they
capture whole caravans leaving none to bear warning to Gathol of their
fate. Nor do any ever escape from Manator to carry word of us back to
Gahan our jed."

Tara of Helium ate slowly and in silence. The girl's words aroused
memories of the last hours she had spent in her father's palace and the
great midday function at which she had met Gahan of Gathol. Even now
she flushed as she recalled his daring words.

Upon her reveries the door opened and a burly warrior appeared in the
opening--a hulking fellow, with thick lips and an evil, leering face.
The slave girl sprang to her feet, facing him.

"What does this mean, E-Med?" she cried, "was it not the will of A-Kor
that this woman be not disturbed?"

"The will of A-Kor, indeed!" and the man sneered. "The will of A-Kor is
without power in The Towers of Jetan, or elsewhere, for A-Kor lies now
in the pits of O-Tar, and E-Med is dwar of the Towers."

Tara of Helium saw the face of the slave girl pale and the terror in
her eyes.

CHAPTER XII

GHEK PLAYS PRANKS

While Tara of Helium was being led to The Towers of Jetan, Ghek was
escorted to the pits beneath the palace where he was imprisoned in a
dimly-lighted chamber. Here he found a bench and a table standing upon
the dirt floor near the wall, and set in the wall several rings from
which depended short lengths of chain. At the base of the walls were
several holes in the dirt floor. These, alone, of the several things he
saw, interested him. Ghek sat down upon the bench and waited in
silence, listening. Presently the lights were extinguished. If Ghek
could have smiled he would have then, for Ghek could see as well in the
dark as in the light--better, perhaps. He watched the dark openings of
the holes in the floor and waited. Presently he detected a change in
the air about him--it grew heavy with a strange odor, and once again
might Ghek have smiled, could he have smiled.

Le