ore difficult with the palace guards on the lookout for an intruder.

Stronger by the minute was the realization that this strange race of
people, who were capable of erecting their own caves of stone, who could
make strange weapons to throw tiny spears with unbelievable accuracy,
whose hands could shape such a variety of articles--were sadly lacking
in the qualities without which Tharn could never have arrived at young
manhood.

That five men could pass at arm's length from him and yet remain unaware
of his nearness, was inconceivable to the man of the caves. Were their
noses ornaments, he wondered, that they could not sense a hidden foe?
Were their wits so dull they could pass up so obvious a hiding place as
he had chosen?

No wonder that they had erected a great wall between them and the
jungle! His lip curled with contempt as he pictured an army of them
scattering before the charge of Sadu.

By this time he had reached the great hall inside the palace main
entrance. A giant skylight high up in the ceiling, its cover removed
during the dry season, admitted cold moonlight in a brilliant cascade of
light that left no shadows or darkened corners.

From the center of the vast hall rose a gigantic staircase of stone to
the second floor. Tharn, reasoning that the palace sleeping quarters
would be above, stole warily toward the stairway.

And then a horde of armed men broke unexpectedly from a doorway across
the hall, and spying Tharn, bore down upon him, uttering a chorus of
exultant yells as they came.

One tremendous bound brought Tharn to the steps, up which he fled with
all the speed of Jalok, the panther. Three spears hurled with senseless
enthusiasm, fell short of their intended mark. But the shouts of alarm
and excitement were fast arousing other inhabitants of the building.
From somewhere above, Tharn heard a door slam, followed by the sound of
running feet in the upper corridor to his left. Hence the moment he
reached the landing he turned right and raced along the still deserted
hallway, his naked feet soundless on the bare stone.

Because of the fugitive's silent approach, four guards, who stood facing
in the opposite direction, did not hear him as he rounded a turn of the
corridor and came toward them. At sight of those backs, Tharn slid to a
stop and turned to retrace his steps.

Again he halted. To his quick ears came sounds of footsteps from the
hall he had just left. With retreat cut off from both