"Is it not the extreme of rashness to thus put ourselves again,
unarmed, in the power of the First Born?"

"It is the only way," I answered. "You may trust me to find a way out
of the prison of Shador, and I think, once out, that we shall find no
great difficulty in arming ourselves once more in a country which
abounds so plentifully in armed men."

"As you say," he replied with a smile and shrug. "I could not follow
another leader who inspired greater confidence than you. Come, let us
put your ruse to the test."

Boldly we emerged from the hatchway of the craft, leaving our swords
behind us, and strode to the main exit which led to the sentry's post
and the office of the Dator of the guard.

At sight of us the members of the guard sprang forward in surprise, and
with levelled rifles halted us. I held out the message to one of them.
He took it and seeing to whom it was addressed turned and handed it to
Torith who was emerging from his office to learn the cause of the
commotion.

The black read the order, and for a moment eyed us with evident
suspicion.

"Where is Dator Yersted?" he asked, and my heart sank within me, as I
cursed myself for a stupid fool in not having sunk the submarine to
make good the lie that I must tell.

"His orders were to return immediately to the temple landing," I
replied.

Torith took a half step toward the entrance to the pool as though to
corroborate my story. For that instant everything hung in the balance,
for had he done so and found the empty submarine still lying at her
wharf the whole weak fabric of my concoction would have tumbled about
our heads; but evidently he decided the message must be genuine, nor
indeed was there any good reason to doubt it since it would scarce have
seemed credible to him that two slaves would voluntarily have given
themselves into custody in any such manner as this. It was the very
boldness of the plan which rendered it successful.

"Were you connected with the rising of the slaves?" asked Torith. "We
have just had meagre reports of some such event."

"All were involved," I replied. "But it amounted to little. The
guards quickly overcame and killed the majority of us."

He seemed satisfied with this reply. "Take them to Shador," he
ordered, turning to one of his subordinates. We entered a small boat
lying beside the island, and in a few minutes were disembarking upon
Shador. Here we were returned to our respective cells; I with Xoda