g afraid of? Ape-men go in
there--Gr-r-ranga-men; who sends for them?"

And Towahg, who must know the sense of the questions, even though some
words were strange, could not answer. He dropped to his knees there in
the narrow, ragged chasm in the rock and clutched at Chet's legs with
his two hands while he buried his shaggy head in his arms. Then--

"Krargh!" he wailed; "Krargh there! Krargh send--Gr-r-ranga go.
Gr-r-ranga no come back!"

It was perhaps the longest speech Towahg had ever made, and Chet nodded
his understanding. "Yes," he agreed; "that's right. I imagine. When
Krargh sends for you, you never come back."

But more eloquent than the ape-man's halting words was the trembling of
his muscle-knotted shoulders in a fear that struck him limp at Chet's
feet. And the pilot realized that the fear was inspired in part by the
thought in the savage mind that his master might ask him to go closer to
the place of dread. He had followed them once and had struck down a
messenger, but this was when he was avid with curiosity and
half-worshipful of the white men as gods. Now, to go that dreadful way
in full daylight!--it was more than Towahg could face.

* * * * *

Chet patted the cringing shoulder with a kindly hand. "Get up, Towahg,"
he ordered and pointed back toward the jungle. "Towahg wait outside;
wait today and to-night!" He gave the ape-man's sign of the open and
closed hand to signify one day and one night, and Towahg's grunt was
half in relief and half in understanding as he slipped back into hiding
where the jungle pressed close.

Chet turned again to the pyramid. "They're down there," he told himself,
"facing God knows what. And now it's sink or swim, and I'm almighty
afraid I know which it's to be. But we'll take it together: 'When Krargh
sends for you, you never come back.'"

No jungle sounds were here in this silent arena, no flashing of
leather-winged birds nor scuttling of little, odd creatures of the
ground. It was as if some terror had spread its dark wings above the
place, a terror unseen of men. But the little, wild things of earth and
air had seen, and they had fled long since from a place unclean and
unfit for life.

Chet felt the silence pressing heavily upon him as he took his hand from
the rock at his side and stepped out into the arena. And the vast
amphitheater seemed peopled with phantom shapes that sat in serried rows
and watched him with dead and terrib