Ah,
if he had but acted with greater caution! If he had but continued
to move with quiet and stealth he might even at this moment be
holding her in his arms while the body of Lu-don, beneath his foot,
spoke eloquently of vengeance achieved. But there was no time now
for idle self-reproaches.
He stumbled blindly forward, groping for he knew not what till
suddenly the floor beneath him tilted and he shot downward into a
darkness even more utter than that above. He felt his body strike
a smooth surface and he realized that he was hurtling downward as
through a polished chute while from above there came the mocking
tones of a taunting laugh and the voice of Lu-don screamed after
him: "Return to thy father, O Dor-ul-Otho!"
The ape-man came to a sudden and painful stop upon a rocky floor.
Directly before him was an oval window crossed by many bars, and
beyond he saw the moonlight playing on the waters of the blue lake
below. Simultaneously he was conscious of a familiar odor in the air
of the chamber, which a quick glance revealed in the semidarkness
as of considerable proportion.
It was the faint, but unmistakable odor of the gryf, and now Tarzan
stood silently listening. At first he detected no sounds other than
those of the city that came to him through the window overlooking
the lake; but presently, faintly, as though from a distance he
heard the shuffling of padded feet along a stone pavement, and as
he listened he was aware that the sound approached.
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