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

positive the woman he loved lay either
a prisoner or dead.
In . day and night he covered the
same distance that the nifty frishtfui
men had taken the better part OF a week
to traverse. for Tarzan OF the Apes
travelled along the mid lie terrace high
above the tangled obstacles that i'm
pede progress upon the ground.
The story the young bull ape had tod
made II clear to him that the girl cap
tive had been Jane Porter. for there
was not another small white she In
all the jungle. The bulls" he had
recognized from the apes crude descrip-
ton as the grotesuue parodies upon hu.
manity who inhablt the ruins OF Opar
But finally. after what seemed long
ages 20 the impatient ape-man. he
topped the barrier cliffs that hemmed
the dosolate valley. and below him lay
the grim and awful ruins OF the now
hideous city OF Opar. At a rapid tro.
he started across the dry and dusty.
bowlcer-strewn ground toward the goal
OF his desires.
Would be in time to rescue? He
hoped against hope. At least he could
he revenged. and In his wrath II seemed
to him that he was equal to the task OF
wipng out the entire population OF that
terrible city. II was Rlready noon when
he reached tho great bowlder at the Top
OF which terminated the secret passage
to the pits beneath the city. Like cat
he scaled the prectpitous sides OF the
frowning granite kopje A moment later
ne was running through the darkness
OF the long, straight tunnel that led 20
the treasure vault Through This he
passed, then on and on until at last he
came to the well-like shaft upon tn"
opposite side OF which lay the dungeon
with the false wall.
AS he paused moment upon the
brink Of the wei hint sound came TO
him through the opening above His
quick ears caught and translated lit
was the dance Of death that preceded II
sacrifice. and the singsong ritual OF the
high priestess. lie could even recognize
the girls voice.
Could II be that the ceremony marked
the very thing he had so FASTENED 70
prevent A wave OF horror swept over
him, Was he. after all. to be lust \
moment too late" Like a frlghten I'll
deer he leaped across the narrow chaSm
TO. tho continuation ~ the passage be-
yond. At the false wall he tore like ono
possessed to demolish the barrier that
confronted hlm-wlth giant muscles he
forced the opening, TRUSTING his head
and shoulders through the first small
hole he made, and carrying the balance
Of the wall with him TO clatter re-
soundingly upon the cement moor Of the
dungeon.
With single leap he cleared tho
leneth Of the chamber and threw him
self against the ancient door. But hero
he stopped. The mighty bars uron tho
other side we're proof even against such
muscles as his II needed but a mo-
mcnt's effort to convince him Of the
Hpt' % hat i'm
pregnab,e barrier. There was but one
ether way, and that led back through
the long tunnels to the bowlder a milo
bevond the city's walls. and then Ia *
across the open a. he had come to the
city f-st with his Waziri.
He realized that to retrare his steps
and enter the city from above ground
would mean that ne would he too lata
~ save the girl II II were indeed sh.
who Law upon the sacrifcial altar above
him. But there seemed no other wa",
and 50 he turned and ran swiftly back
Into the passageway beyond the broken
wall, At the well ne heard again tho
monotonous voice OF the hisn pr'est's5.
and ms he glanced aloft the opening
twenty feet above seemed 80 rear that
he vas tempted to leap Ter II In a nal
endeavor to reach the inner courtyard
that lay 80 near
n he could hut get one end % his
grass rope caught upon some projection
At the top OF that tantalizing aperture!
In the instant's pause and thought an
ieea occurred to him. He would at
tempt H. Turning back to the tum-
bled wall. he seized one OF the furye.
fiat slabs that had composed II. Hastily
making one end Of his rope fast to the
shaft and. coling the balance OF the
rope on 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 direction fixed. he let
tho weight ny IN at a slight angle. so
that, instead Of falling straight back into
me shaft again. II prazed the far edge,
tumblln< over into the court beyond,
Tarxan dragged for moment upon
the slack end Of the rope until he felt
that the stone was lodged with fair
security at tho shafts top, then hs
swung out over the black depths re.
meath, The moment his full weight
came upon the rope he felt II slip from
above He waited there In awful sus-
pense as II dropped in little Jerks. inch
by inch. The stone was being dragged
up the outside Of the masonry surround.
Ing the top Of the shaft-would II catch
at the very edge. or would his weight
drag II over TO fall upon him as he
hurtled into the unknown depths belo W
CHAPTER XVIII.