e
opened an entrance to those who waited beyond.

Through the opening stepped the ape-man, and close behind him came the
huge Chulk; but Taglat did not follow them. Instead he turned and
slunk through the darkness toward the hut where the she who had
arrested his brutish interest lay securely bound. Before the doorway
the sentries sat upon their haunches, conversing in monotones. Within,
the young woman lay upon a filthy sleeping mat, resigned, through utter
hopelessness to whatever fate lay in store for her until the
opportunity arrived which would permit her to free herself by the only
means which now seemed even remotely possible--the hitherto detested
act of self-destruction.

Creeping silently toward the sentries, a white-burnoosed figure
approached the shadows at one end of the hut. The meager intellect of
the creature denied it the advantage it might have taken of its
disguise. Where it could have walked boldly to the very sides of the
sentries, it chose rather to sneak upon them, unseen, from the rear.

It came to the corner of the hut and peered around. The sentries were
but a few paces away; but the ape did not dare expose himself, even for
an instant, to those feared and hated thunder-sticks which the
Tarmangani knew so well how to use, if there were another and safer
method of attack.

Taglat wished that there was a tree nearby from the over-hanging
branches of which he might spring upon his unsuspecting prey; but,
though there was no tree, the idea gave birth to a plan. The eaves of
the hut were just above the heads of the sentries--from them he could
leap upon the Tarmangani, unseen. A quick snap of those mighty jaws
would dispose of one of them before the other realized that they were
attacked, and the second would fall an easy prey to the strength,
agility and ferocity of a second quick charge.

Taglat withdrew a few paces to the rear of the hut, gathered himself
for the effort, ran quickly forward and leaped high into the air. He
struck the roof directly above the rear wall of the hut, and the
structure, reinforced by the wall beneath, held his enormous weight for
an instant, then he moved forward a step, the roof sagged, the
thatching parted and the great anthropoid shot through into the
interior.

The sentries, hearing the crashing of the roof poles, leaped to their
feet and rushed into the hut. Jane Clayton tried to roll aside as the
great form lit upon the floor so close to her tha