Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-22
CHAPTER XVI
The Secret Way

angry rage as TarZan's sleek brown |
body cutting the moonlit waters shot |
through the aperture in the wall of the |
gryf pool and out into the lake beyond. |
The ape-man smiled as he thought of
the comparative ease with which he had
defeated the purpose of the high priest,
but his face clouded again at the en-
suing remembrance of the grave danger
that threatened his mate. His sole OBJ
ject now must be to return as quickly
as he might to the chamber where he
had last seen her on the third floor of
the Temple of the Gryf, but how he |
was to find his way again. into the
temple grounds was question not easy
of solution.
In the moonlight he could see the
sheer cliff rising from the water for n
great distance along the shore-far be-
yond the precincts of the temple and
the palace---towering high above him, a
seemingly impregnable barrier against
his return. Swimming close in, he
skirted the wall searching diligently for
some foothold, however slight, upon its
smooth, forbidding surface. Above him
and quite out of reach were numerous
apertures, but there were no means at
hand by which he could reach them.
Presently, however, his hopes were
raised by the sight Of an opening level
with the surface Of the water. 1t lay
just ahead and n few strokes brought
him to it-cautious strokes that brought
forth no sound from the yielding waters.
stopped and reconnoitered. There was
no one in sight. Carefully he raised his
body to the threshold of the entrance
way, his smooth brown hide glistening
in the moonlight as 1t shed the water in
tiny sparkling rivulets.
Before him stretched n gloomy cor.
ridor, unlighted sttve for the faint il
Elimination Of the diffused moonlight
that penetrated it for but short dis
tance from the opening. Moving as
rapidly as reasonable caution war
ranted, Tarzan followed the corridor
into the bowels Of the cave. There was
steps at the top of which lay another
corridor running parallel with the face
of the cliff. This passage was dimly
lighted by tlickering cressets set in
inches in the walls at considerable dis
tances apart. A quick survey showed
the ape-man numerous openings upon
each side of the corridor and his quick
ears caught sounds that indicated that
there were other beings not far distant
priests, he concluded. in some of the
apartments letting upon the passage
way.
To pass undetected through this lure
of enemies appeared quite beyond the
range of possibility. He must again
seek disguise and knowing from expert
ence how best to secure such he crept
stealthily along the corridor toward the
nearest doorway. Like Numa, the lion,
stalking n wary prey he crept with
quivering nostrils to the hangings that
shut off his view from the interior of
the apartment beyond. A moment later
his head disappeared within; then his
shoulders, and his 1.-THE body, and the
hangings dropped quietly into place
again. A moment later there filtered
to the vacant corridor without a brief,
gasping gurgle and 6gain silence. A
minute passed; second, and a third,
and then the hangings were thrust aside
and grimly masked priest of the tenn
pie of Jad ben Otho strode into the
passageway.
With bold steps he moved along and
was about to turn into a divergng gall
lery when his attention was aroused
by voices coming from u room upon his
left Instantly the figure halted, and
crossing the corridor. stood with an ear
close to the skins that concealed the
occupants of the room from him, and
him from them. Presently he leaped
back into the conccaling shadows of
the diverging gallery and Immediately
thereafter the hangingS by which he had
been listening parted and a priest
emerged to turn quickly down the main
corridor. The eavcSdropper waited un-
til the other had gained II little distance
and then stepping from his place of con-
| ccalment followed silently behind.
The way led along the corridor which
ran parallel with the face of the clif
for some little distance and then Pan
sat, taking crcssct from one of the
wall inches, turned abruptly into
small apartment at his left. The
tracker followed cautiously in time to
see the rays of the tickering light dimy
visible from an aperture in the moor be-
fore him. Here he found series or
steps, similar to those used by the Waz-
don in scaling the cliff to their caves,
| leading to lower level.
First satisfying himself that his guide
was continuing upon his way unSuS-
perting, the other descended atter MN
and continued his stealthy stalking.
= The passageway was now Doth narrow
and low, giving but bare hendroom 10
tall man, and it was broken often by
fight of steps leading always down
ward. The steps IN each unit seldom
numbered more than six and sometimes
there was only one or two, but in the
aggregate the tracker imagined that
they had descended between fifty and
seventy five feet from the level of the
upper corridor when the passageway
terminated in IA small apartment, at one
side of which was little pile of rubblen'
Setting his ere 'set upon the ground
Pan snt commenced hurricdly to toss
the bits of broken stone aside, presently
revealing small aperture at the base
of the wall, upOn the opposite side OF
which there appeared to be turther
accumulation of rubble.