The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-12-24

tumbled wall. he seized one or the
large. fat slabs that had composed 1t.
Hastily making II end of his rope
fast TO the piece Of granite. he return
ed to the shaft. and. coiling the bal
ance 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 d.
rect,on fixed. he let the weight fly mp
at a 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 Il 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 it slip
from above. He waited there In awful
suspense as 1t dropped in little jerks,
inch by inch. The stone was being
dragged up the outside Of the mason
ry surrounding the top Of the shaft
would 1t catch at the very edge or
would his weight drag 1t over to fall
upon him as he hurtled into the un-
known depths below?
For a brief, sickening moment Tar
Fan felt the slipping Of the rope to
which he chung and heard the scraping
Of the block of stone against the ma
sorry above.
Then, Of a sudden, the rope was still
the stone had caught at the very
edge. Gingerly the ape-man clambered
up the frail rope. In a moment his
head was above the edge Of the shaft.
The court was empty. The inhabi-
tants of Opar were viewing the sacri-
flee. Tarzan could hear the voice of
La from the nearby sacrifcial court.
The dance had ceased. 1t must be
almost time for the knife to fall, but
ven 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 roofless 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 fig
ure that lay stretched upon the hard
stone. Tarzan gave a gasp that was
almost a sob as he recognized the fea-
lures of the girl he loved. And then
the seal upon his forehead turned to
a flaming band Of scarlet. a red mist
floated before his eyes, and with the
awful roar of the bull ape gone mad
he sprang like a huge lion into the
midst Of the votaries.
Selling a cudgel from the nearest
priest. he laid about him like a verita-
BILE demon as he forged his rapid way
toward the altar. The hand Of La
had paused at the first noise of inter
ruption. When she saw who the au-
thor of it was she went white. She
had never been able to fathom the Sc
cret Of the strange white mans es-
cape from the dungeon in which she
had locked him. She had not intend
ed that he should ever leave Opar, for
and handsome face with the eyes Of a
woman and not those of a priestess.
In her clever mind she had %cOncoct-
ed a story of wonderful revelation
from the lips of the flaming god him
self. in which she had been 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 mar would
be satisfied, she felt quite sure, to re-
main and be her husband rather than
to return to the sacrificial 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 re-
turned-materialiZed from thin air
and was killing her priests as though
they had been sheep. For the moment
she forgot her victim, and before she
could gather her wits together again
tiC huSS "hltS h"h was otuhuiiS w
fore her, the woman who had lain
upon the altar in his arms.
Zone side. La" he cried. You saw
ed me once. and so l would not harm
you. but do not interfere or attempt to
follow, or l shall have to kill you also"
AS he spoke he stepped past her to-
ward the entrance to the subterranean
vaults.
"WhO is she?" asked the high priest
ess. pointing at the unconscious wo-
man.
"She is NINE" said Tarzan of the
Apes.
For a moment the girl Of Opar stood
wide eyed and staring. Then a look
of hopeless misery suffused her eyes.
Tears welled into them. and, with a
little cry, she sank to the cold floor
just as a swarm Of frightful men dash
ed past her to leap upon the ape-man.
But Tarzan Of the Apes was not
there when they reached out to seize
him. With a light bound he had dis
appeared into the passage leading to
the pits below. and when his pursuers