ecautions might
have seemed absurd. Prince Joro, however, was a good judge of men. It
would have pleased him best if Tolto had been quietly eased from his
sleep into death, but he knew that such a murder would have destroyed
forever his chances of winning Sira to his plans. He meant to see
Tolto safely and demonstrably returned to his home valley, and in
order to accomplish this the more surely, he had him loaded aboard his
own ship, and instructed his captain to take the little used desert
route.

Tolto lifted his hands as far as he could and looked wonderingly at
them. His child-like face, with the soft, agate eyes, expressed only
bewilderment. He lifted his voice, a powerful bass.

"Hi, hi! Let Tolto go! The princess may call!"

There was no answer, only the rhythmic hum of the levitators. Again
Tolto cried out. But there was no answering sound. The Sun poured in
through the ports, and when presently the ship changed its course, the
light fell full in his face, almost blinding him. The giant endured
this without complaint.

* * * * *

Several hours later, however, his patience snapped, and he roared and
bellowed so loudly that a door opened and a frightened face appeared.
Back of it was the chromium glitter of the ship's galley.

"Be still, big one!" admonished the cook. "The captain is resting. He
will have you chained standing if you disturb him with your
bellowing."

"I wanted only to know where I am," Tolto replied, subsiding meekly.
"I drank overmuch and some larksters tied me up like this. Release me,
so that if the princess calls I may answer."

"The princess will have to call loudly for you to hear," the cook
answered jocularly.

"The princess need only whisper for Tolto to hear," the giant boasted,
"Come now, shrimp, take these things off!"

"Are you really as dumb as that?" the cook marveled. "Why, sonny boy,
the princess couldn't even hear you! Don't you know where you're
goin'?"

Vague alarm began to creep over Tolto.

"Where is she?" he asked anxiously. "Isn't she in this ship? Princess
Sira never goes anywhere without Tolto. Ask her. Ask anybody."

"The princess may never go anywhere without you, you head of bone,"
remarked the cook, rather enjoying his own humor, "but _this_ time
you're going somewhere without her."

"You talk funny talk, but I can't laugh at it. Little bug, tell me now
what this is all about, or I will take you between my fingers and