The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1914-05-21

was the dance Of death that preceded
a sacrifice. and the singsong ritual of
the high priestess. He could even rec.
ognize the girls voice.
Could 1t be that the ceremony mark
ed the very thing he had SD FASTENED
to prevent. A wave of horror swept
over him. Was he. after all, to be lust
a moment too late? Like frightened
deer he leaped across the narrow
chasm to the continuation Of the pas
sage beyond AT the false wall he tore
like one possessed to demOlish the bar
rier that confronted him. With giant
muscles he forced the opening. thrust
Ing his head and shoulders through the
first small hole he made and carrying
the balance of the wall with him to
clatter resoundingly upon the cement
floor Of the dungeon.
With a single leap he cleared the
length of the chamber and threw him
self against the ancient door. But
here be stopped. The mighty. bars
upon the other side We're proof even
against such muscles as his. 1t needed
but a moments effort to convince him
Of the futility Of endeavoring to force
that impregnable barrier. There was
but one other way, and that led back
through the long tunnels to the bowl
der mile beyond the city's walls and
then back across the open as he had
come to to city first with bis Waziri.
He realized that to retrace his steps
and enter the city from above ground
would mean that he would be too late
to save the girl IL 1t were indeed she
who lay upon the sacrificial altar above
him. But there seemed no other way.
and so he turned and ran swiftly back
into the passageway beyond the broken
wall. At the well he heard again the
monotonOus voice Of the high priestess.
and as he glanced aloft the opening.
twenty feet above. seemed so near that
he was tempted to leap for 1t in mad
endeavOr to reach the inner courtyard
that lay 80 near.
II he could but get one end Of his
grass rope caught upon some prOjec-
tion at the top Of that tantalizing aper-
ture. In the instant's pause and
thought an idea occurred to him. He
would attempt 1t. Turning back to the
tumbled wall. he seized one Of the
large. fiat slabs that had composed 1t.
Hastily making one end of his rope
fast to the piece Of granite. he return
ed to the shaft. and. cOiling the bal
ance of the rope OH the floor beside
him. the ape-man took the heavy slab
in both hands. and. swinging it several
times to get the distance and the d.
rectiOn fixed. he let the weight fly up
ut slight angle. so that instead Of
falling straight back into the shaft
again 1t grazed the far edge. tumbling
over into the court beyond.
Tarzan dragged for u moment upon
the slack end of the rope until he felt
that the stone was lodged with fair
security at the shafts top. then he
swung out over the black depths be-
meath. The moment his full weight
came upon the rope he felt 1t slip
from above. He waited there In awful
suspense as it dropped in little jerks.
inch by inch. The stone was being
dragged up the outside of the mason
~ surrounding the top Of the shaft
would It catch ut the very edge or
would his weight drag it over to fall
upon him as he hurtled into the I'M
known depths below?
For a brief. sickening moment Tar
zan felt the slipping Of the rope TO
which he chung and heard the scraptng
of the block Of stone against the ma
sOnry above.
Then. OF sudden. the rope was still
the stone had caught at the very
edge. Gingerly the ape-man clambered
up the fraiI rope. In moment his
head was above the edge OF the shaft
The court was empty. The inhabi-
tants OF Opar were viewing the sacri-
fee. Tarzan could hear the voice or
La from the nearby sacrifcial court.
The dance had ceased. 1t must be
almost time for the knife to fall, but
even as he thought these things he
was running rapidly toward the SOUND
of the high priestess' voice.
Fate guided him to the very door
way of the great r0Ofess chamber.
Between him and the altar was the
long row OF priests and priestesses
awaiting with their golden cups the
splitting of the warm blood OF their
+, victim.
Las hand was descending slowly to-
ward the bosom Of the frail. quiet ng-
ure that lay stretched upon the hard
stone. Tarzan gave gasp that was
almost sob as he recognized the fea-
lures OF the girl he loved. And tnen
the scar upon his forehead turned 10
a flaming band Of scarlet. red mist
fioated before his eyes. and with the
awful roar Of the bull ape gone mao
he sprang like huge lion into the
midst Of the vOtaries.
Selling cudgel from the nearest
priest. he laid about him like verita-
BILE demon as he forged his rapid way
toward the altar. The hand of La
had pausod at the first noise of inter-