Beyond the outskirts of the city he turned
directly toward the northwest, in which direction lay A-lur.
In his path he knew lay Jad-bal-lul, the shore of which he was
compelled to skirt, and there would be a river to cross at the
lower end of the great lake upon the shores of which lay A-lur.
What other obstacles lay in his way he did not know but he believed
that he could make better time on foot than by attempting to steal
a canoe and force his way up stream with a single paddle. It was
his intention to put as much distance as possible between himself
and Tu-lur before he slept for he was sure that Mo-sar would not
lightly accept his loss, but that with the coming of day, or possibly
even before, he would dispatch warriors in search of him.
A mile or two from the city he entered a forest and here at last
he felt such a measure of safety as he never knew in open spaces
or in cities. The forest and the jungle were his birthright.
No creature that went upon the ground upon four feet, or climbed
among the trees, or crawled upon its belly had any advantage over
the ape-man in his native heath. As myrrh and frankincense were
the dank odors of rotting vegetation in the nostrils of the great
Tarmangani. He squared his broad shoulders and lifting his head filled
his lungs with the air that he loved best.
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