The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1914-01-24

above the edge of the shaft. The court
was empty. The Inhabitants OF Opar
were viewing the sacrifice. Tarzan could
hear the voice of La from the nearby
sacrlficial court. The dance had ceased.
1t must he almost time for the knife
Ia fall: but even as he thought these
things he was running rapidly toward
the sound of the high priestess's voice.
Fate guided him to the very doorway
Of the great rooiiess chamber. Between
him and the altar was the long row OF
priests and p'iestesses. awaiting with
their golden cups the spilling Of the
warm blood Of their victim.
Las hand was descending slowly to-
ward the bosom of the frail, quiet fig
ute that lay stretched upon the hard
stone. Tarzan gave q gasp that was
almost sob as he recognised the fea-
lures OF the girl he loved. And then
the scar upon his forehead turned to
flaming band OF scarlet. q red mist
fioated before his eyes. and. with the
awful roar OF the bull ape gone mad, he
Of the votarles.
SEEKING a cudgel from tho nearest
priest, he laid about him like a veritabie
demon as he forged his rapid way to-
ward the altar. The hand Of La had
paused at the frst noise OF interruption.
when she saw who the author Of II WAS
she went white. She had never been
able to fathom the secret Of the strange
white mans escape from the dungeon
in which she had locked him. She had
not intended that he should ever leave
Opar. for she had looked upon his giant
frame aad handsome face with the eyes
Of a woman and not those OF a priestess.
IN her clever mind she had concocted
n story OF wonderful revelation from
the lips Of the flaming god himself, IN
which she had Seen ordered to receive
this white stranger as a messenger from
him to his people on earth. That would
satisfy the people OF Opar. she knew.
The man would be satisfied. she felt
quite sure. to remain and be her hus-
band rather than to return to the sacri-
flcia! altar.
But when she had gone to explain her
plan to him he had disappeared. though
the door had been tight locked as she
had left IT, And now he had returned
--materialized from thin air--and was
killing ,er priests as though they had
been sheep. For a moment she forgot
her victim. and before she could gather
ler wits together again the huge white
man was standing before her. the
woman WHO had lain upon the altar In
his arms.
"one side. La" he cried. You saved
me once. and so ] would not harm you.
but do not Interfere or attempt to FOL
low, or I shall have to kill you also"
As he spoke he stepped past her to-
ward the entrance to the subterranean
vaults
Who In she?" asked the high priest
ess, pointing at the unconscious woman
she Is mine" said Tarzan OF the
Apee.
For a moment the girl Of Opar stood
wide-eyed and staring. Then look OF
homeless misery suffused her eyes-tears
welled into them and. with little cry.
she sank to the cold floor. Just s "A
swarm OF frightful men dashed past her
TO leap upon the ape-man.
But Tarzan OF tho Apes was not there
when they reached out to seize him.
With a lisht bound he had disappeared
into the passage leading to the pits
below, and when his pursuers came more
cautiously after they found the chamber
empty. but they laughed ana )abbered
to one another, for they knew that there
was no exit from the pits other than
the one through which he had entered.
II he came out N all he must come
this way. and they would wait AMI
watch for him above.
And so Tarzan OF the Apes. carrF'hs
the unconscious lane Porter. came
through the pits OF Opar beneath the
temple OF the Flaming God without
pursuit. But when the men OF Opar
had talked further about the matter
they recalled to mind that this very
man had escaped once before into the
pits. and though they had watched the
entrance he had not come forth; ann
yet to-day he had come upon them from
the outside. They would again send
t..s he IN
and capture this desecrator OF their
temple,
After Tarzan reach~>lhe SHAFT ne
yond the broken wall he felt so posi-
tive Of the successful issue OF MS
flight that he stopped To replace ina
tumbled stones. for he was not ANXIOUS
that any Of the inmates should discover
this forgotten passage. and throush u
come upon the treasure chamber. u
was IN his mind to return again ~ opar
and bear away a still greater fortune
than he had already buried in the afnph'-
theatre ~ the apes.
On through the passaseNays he trot-
ted. past the first door and through
the treasure vault, past the second door
and into tn" long. straight tunnel that
led to the lofty hidden exit beyond she
city. Jane Porter was still unconscious.
Al the crest Of the great bow der he
halted To cast n backward glance to-
ward the city. Coming across tho plain
he saw band OF the hldeous men 81
Opar For moment he hes!tate1.
Should he descend and mako a race for
the distant cliffs. or should he hide hare
until night? And then d glance Mt the
girls white face determined him. lie
could not keep her here and permit her
enemies to get betweea them and lib
srty. For aught he knew they might
have beeu followed through the tun-
nels, and to have foes before and he
hind would result in almost certain CAP
ture, since he could not nght his way
through the enemy burdehed as he was
with the unconscious girl,
To descend the steep face OF the
howlier with lane Porter was no easy
task. but by binding her across his
shoulders with the grass rope he sac
ceeded in reaching the ground In safety
before the Oparlans arrived at the great
rock. As the descent had been made
upon the side away from the city. the
searching party saw nothing 81 it. nor
did they dream that their prey Was 80
close before them
BY keeping the kopje between them
and their pureuers. Tarzan OF the Apes
managed to cover nearly milo before
tho men Of Opar rounded the granite
sentinel and saw the fuEitives before
them. With loud cries OF savage delight