id, "other than as
enemies or slaves."

"I come neither as a slave nor an enemy," replied Tarzan. "I come
directly from Jad-ben-Otho. Look!" and he held out his hands that the
Ho-don might see how greatly they differed from his own, and then
wheeled about that the other might see that he was tailless, for it was
upon this fact that his plan had been based, due to his recollection of
the quarrel between Ta-den and Om-at, in which the Waz-don had claimed
that Jad-ben-Otho had a long tail while the Ho-don had been equally
willing to fight for his faith in the taillessness of his god.

The warrior's eyes widened and an expression of awe crept into them,
though it was still tinged with suspicion. "Jad-ben-Otho!" he murmured,
and then, "It is true that you are neither Ho-don nor Waz-don, and it
is also true that Jad-ben-Otho has no tail. Come," he said, "I will
take you to Ko-tan, for this is a matter in which no common warrior may
interfere. Follow me," and still clutching the handle of his knife and
keeping a wary side glance upon the ape-man he led the way through
A-lur.

The city covered a large area. Sometimes there was a considerable
distance between groups of buildings, and again they were quite close
together. There were numerous imposing groups, evidently hewn from the
larger hills, often rising to a height of a hundred feet or more. As
they advanced they met numerous warriors and women, all of whom showed
great curiosity in the stranger, but there was no attempt to menace him
when it was found that he was being conducted to the palace of the king.

They came at last to a great pile that sprawled over a considerable
area, its western front facing upon a large blue lake and evidently
hewn from what had once been a natural cliff. This group of buildings
was surrounded by a wall of considerably greater height than any that
Tarzan had before seen. His guide led him to a gateway before which
waited a dozen or more warriors who had risen to their feet and formed
a barrier across the entrance-way as Tarzan and his party appeared
around the corner of the palace wall, for by this time he had
accumulated such a following of the curious as presented to the guards
the appearance of a formidable mob.

The guide's story told, Tarzan was conducted into the courtyard where
he was held while one of the warriors entered the palace, evidently
with the intention of notifying Ko-tan. Fifteen minutes later a large
warrior appeared