Nor had he
long to wait since at the next turning of the winding street he
came face to face with a Ho-don warrior. He saw the sudden surprise
in the latter's eyes, followed instantly by one of suspicion, but
before the fellow could speak Tarzan addressed him.
"I am a stranger from another land," he said; "I would speak with
Ko-tan, your king."
The fellow stepped back, laying his hand upon his knife. "There
are no strangers that come to the gates of A-lur," he said, "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.
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