gathered up
one of the smaller of these. Standing close to her head he held the rug
outspread above her face. "Now," he whispered and simultaneously he
threw the rug over the woman's head and his two fellows leaped upon
her, seizing her arms and pinioning her body while their leader stifled
her cries with the furry pelt. Quickly and silently they bound her
wrists and gagged her and during the brief time that their work
required there was no sound that might have been heard by occupants of
the adjoining apartments.

Jerking her roughly to her feet they forced her toward a window but she
refused to walk, throwing herself instead upon the floor. They were
very angry and would have resorted to cruelties to compel her obedience
but dared not, since the wrath of Lu-don might fall heavily upon
whoever mutilated his fair prize.

And so they were forced to lift and carry her bodily. Nor was the task
any sinecure since the captive kicked and struggled as best she might,
making their labor as arduous as possible. But finally they succeeded
in getting her through the window and into the garden beyond where one
of the two priests from the Ja-lur temple directed their steps toward a
small barred gateway in the south wall of the enclosure.

Immediately beyond this a flight of stone stairs led downward toward
the river and at the foot of the stairs were moored several canoes.
Pan-sat had indeed been fortunate in enlisting aid from those who knew
the temple and the palace so well, or otherwise he might never have
escaped from Ja-lur with his captive. Placing the woman in the bottom
of a light canoe Pan-sat entered it and took up the paddle. His
companions unfastened the moorings and shoved the little craft out into
the current of the stream. Their traitorous work completed they turned
and retraced their steps toward the temple, while Pan-sat, paddling
strongly with the current, moved rapidly down the river that would
carry him to the Jad-ben-lul and A-lur.

The moon had set and the eastern horizon still gave no hint of
approaching day as a long file of warriors wound stealthily through the
darkness into the city of A-lur. Their plans were all laid and there
seemed no likelihood of their miscarriage. A messenger had been
dispatched to Ta-den whose forces lay northwest of the city. Tarzan,
with a small contingent, was to enter the temple through the secret
passageway, the location of which he alone knew, while Ja-don, with the
great