ions upon such meetings 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 seemed to shimmer in the sunlight; to expand
awesomely, then contract almost to nothing. A whirlpool of roaring pain
sucked at his mind, drawing the strength from every muscle of his body.

Tharn realized the moment was fast approaching when 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
might precipitate an immediate charge. But that might come anyway, he
reasoned, catching 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
mighty roar--then turned and in wild flight vanished into the jungle!

It required the better part of an hour for the cave lord to hack a
supply of meat from Bana's flank and cache it in a high 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 from the nearby river.

* * * * *

It was not until morning of the third day that he awoke comparatively
clear-headed. For a little while he raced through 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 the
movements of jungle denizens during the 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