five days had passed. Om-at then pointed to the cave where
they stood, pronouncing Tarzan's name and imitating a walking man with
the first and second fingers of his right hand upon the floor of the
recess, sought to show that Tarzan had walked out of the cave and
climbed upward on the pegs five days before, but this was as far as the
sign language would permit him to go.

This far the stranger followed him and, indicating that he understood
he pointed to himself and then indicating the pegs leading above
announced that he would follow Tarzan.

"Let us go with him," said Om-at, "for as yet we have not punished the
Kor-ul-lul for killing our friend and ally."

"Persuade him to wait until morning," said Ta-den, "that you may take
with you many warriors and make a great raid upon the Kor-ul-lul, and
this time, Om-at, do not kill your prisoners. Take as many as you can
alive and from some of them we may learn the fate of Tarzan-jad-guru."

"Great is the wisdom of the Ho-don," replied Om-at. "It shall be as you
say, and having made prisoners of all the Kor-ul-lul we shall make them
tell us what we wish to know. And then we shall march them to the rim
of Kor-ul-gryf and push them over the edge of the cliff."

Ta-den smiled. He knew that they would not take prisoner all the
Kor-ul-lul warriors--that they would be fortunate if they took one and
it was also possible that they might even be driven back in defeat, but
he knew too that Om-at would not hesitate to carry out his threat if he
had the opportunity, so implacable was the hatred of these neighbors
for each other.

It was not difficult to explain Om-at's plan to the stranger or to win
his consent since he was aware, when the great black had made it plain
that they would be accompanied by many warriors, that their venture
would probably lead them into a hostile country and every safeguard
that he could employ he was glad to avail himself of, since the
furtherance of his quest was the paramount issue.

He slept that night upon a pile of furs in one of the compartments of
Om-at's ancestral cave, and early the next day following the morning
meal they sallied forth, a hundred savage warriors swarming up the face
of the sheer cliff and out upon the summit of the ridge, the main body
preceded by two warriors whose duties coincided with those of the point
of modern military maneuvers, safeguarding the column against the
danger of too sudden contact with the enemy.

Acros