The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-01-30

Come, priests of the Flaming God |"
she cried, land make ready the sac
rifice."
The warped things advanced and
entered the shelter. They laid hands
upon Tarzan and bore him forth, and
as they chanted they kept time with
their crooked bodies, swaying to and
fro to the rhythm of their song of
blood and death. Behind them came
La, swaying too; but not in unison
with the chanted cadence. White and
drawn was the face of the high priest
ess-white and drawn with unrequited
love and hideous terror of the mo-
ments to come. Yet stern in her re-
solve was La. The infidel should die
The scOrner of her love should pay
the price upon the fiery altar. She
saw them lay the perfect body there
upon the rough branches. She saw
the high priest, he to whom Gus
tom would unite her-bent crooked,
gnarled, stunted, hideous-advance
with the flaming torch and stand
awaiting her command to apply it to
the faggots surrounding the sacrificial
pyre. His hairy, bestial face was dis
torted in yellow-fanged grin of an
| ticipatory enjoyment. His hands were
cupped to receive the life blood of the
victim-the red nectar that at Opar
would have filled the golden sacrificia
goblets.
La approached with appraised knife,
her face turned toward the rising sun
and upon her lips a prayer to the
burning deity of her people. The high
priest looked questioningly toward
her-the brand was burning close to
his hand and the faggots lay tempt
| ingly near. TarZan closed his eyes
and awaited the end. He knew that
| he would suffer, for he recalled the
faint memories of past burns. He
knew that he would suffer and die,
but he did not finch. Death is no
great adventure to the jungle bred,
who walk hand in hand with the grim
! specter by day and lie down at his
side by night through all the years of
| his end approached his mind was oc-
cupied by thoughts of the pretty peb-
bles he had lost, yet his every faculty
was still open to what passed around
him.
He felt La lean over him and he
| opened his eyes. He saw her white,
drawn face and he saw the tears
binding her eyes. "Tarzan my Tar
zan!" she moaned, tell me that you
love me-that you will return to Opar
with me-and you shall live. Even in
the face of the anger of my people
will save you. This last chance 1 give
you. What is your answer?"
At the last moment the woman in La
had triumphed over the high priestess
of cruel cult. With heaving bosom
she leaned close above him. "Yes or
no?" she whispered.
Through the jungle, out of the dis
lance, came family sound that
brought sudden light of hope to
Tarzan's eyes. He raised his voice
in a weird scream that sent La back
from him step or two. The impa-
| tient priest grumbled and switched the
| tOIIli lIoih OhC ldhu " lnc Olll6T. at
the same time holding it closer to the
finder at the base of the pyre.
your answer!' insisted La. "What
| is your answer to the love of La of
Opar?"
Closer came the sound that had at
tracted Tarzan's attention, and now
the others heard 1.-THE shrill trum-
peting of an elephant. AS La looked
wide-eyed into Tarzan's face, there to
read her fate for happiness or heart
break, she saw an expression of con-
Germ shadow his features. Now. for
the first time, she guessed the mean
ing of Tarzan's shrill scramble had
summoned Tantor the elephant to his
rescued Las brows contracted in a
savage scowl you refuse La" she
cried. "Then die! The torch!" she
commanded. turning toward the priest.
Tarzan looked up into her face.
"Tantor is coming" he said. Il thought
that he would rescue me; but l know
now from his voice that he will slay
me and you and all that fall in his path,
searching out with the cunning of
Sheeta the panther those who would
hide from him, for Tantor is mad with
the madness of love.
II cannot love you, La" Tarzan
went on in low voice. 81 do not
know why, for you are very beautiful,
could not go back and live in Opar-
| who have the whole broad jungle
for my range. No, cannot love you
but cannot see you die beneath the