e finished. "It was very brave of you to try what
you did. And although they caught you and have us both now, we need not
worry. Tharn will take us from these people."

"I know that," Trakor said quietly. "It is only that he may think less
of me for bungling things this way."

The girl shook her head. "You must know him better than that."

They fell silent as one of the guards sauntered in their direction
during his routine inspection of the camp. Dylara, weary from her hours
of jungle travel during the day before, fell asleep before the guard was
at a safe distance for further conversation with Trakor.

When the youth saw she was sleeping, he lay there for a long time,
staring at her loveliness and thinking bitter thoughts of his clumsiness
in being taken captive. Tharn, he knew, would be unable to attempt a
rescue with so many guards about; but tomorrow night the Ammadians,
their suspicions lulled, would doubtless post no more than the usual
number of sentries. To Tharn, four of the dull-witted Ammadians would be
hardly any problem at all!

* * * * *

Shortly before dawn the men of Ammad were filling their bellies and
preparing to break camp. When the line of march was being formed, Dylara
and Trakor were separated--the girl being placed between two warriors
midway along the column; while the young caveman, his arms bound firmly
behind his back, was stationed well up toward the front. Ekbar strode
back and forth along the line, making certain each man was in his
appointed spot, inspecting Trakor's bonds, and cautioning those
responsible for both prisoners.

Shortly before Dyta pulled his shining head above the eastern horizon of
serrated tree tops, the Ammadian captain barked an order and the double
line of warriors got under way.

By mid-morning both forest and jungle began to thin out as the path
underfoot lost its level monotony and began to become a steep incline.
The air seemed to grow steadily cooler and gradually all underbrush
beneath the trees began to thin out, then disappear entirely, leaving an
almost park-like appearance to the forest. Even the trees were further
apart and more and more often there were stretches of grassland without
any trees whatsoever.

Shortly after noon, Ekbar called a halt at the edge of a vast plain
covered with a rich green species of grass which seemed to grow no
higher than a man's ankles. Here and there on the gently undulating
vista of