"
Bu-lot, now entirely sober, demurred. He had had enough of fighting
and of risk. "Let us get out of A-lur quickly," he urged, "or we
shall have the whole city upon us. She would not come without a
struggle and that would delay us too long."
"There is plenty of time," insisted Mo-sar. "They are still fighting
in the pal-e-don-so. It will be long before they miss us and, with
Ko-tan dead, long before any will think to look to the safety of
the princess. Our time is now--it was made for us by Jad-ben-Otho.
Come!"
Reluctantly Bu-lot followed his father, who first instructed
the warriors to await them just inside the gateway of the palace.
Rapidly the two approached the quarters of the princess. Within the
entrance-way only a handful of warriors were on guard. The eunuchs
had retired.
"There is fighting in the pal-e-don-so," Mo-sar announced in feigned
excitement as they entered the presence of the guards. "The king
desires you to come at once and has sent us to guard the apartments
of the princess. Make haste!" he commanded as the men hesitated.
The warriors knew him and that on the morrow the princess was to
be betrothed to Bu-lot, his son. If there was trouble what more
natural than that Mo-sar and Bu-lot should be intrusted with the
safety of the princess. And then, too, was not Mo-sar a powerful
chief to whose orders disobedience might prove a dangerous thing?
They were but common fighting men disciplined in the rough school
of tribal warfare, but they had learned to obey a superior and so
they departed for the banquet hall--the place-where-men-eat.
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