Immediately beyond this a flight of stone stairs led downward
toward the river and at the foot of the stairs were moored several
canoes. Pan-sat had indeed been fortunate in enlisting aid from
those who knew the temple and the palace so well, or otherwise he
might never have escaped from Ja-lur with his captive. Placing the
woman in the bottom of a light canoe Pan-sat entered it and took up
the paddle. His companions unfastened the moorings and shoved the
little craft out into the current of the stream. Their traitorous
work completed they turned and retraced their steps toward the
temple, while Pan-sat, paddling strongly with the current, moved
rapidly down the river that would carry him to the Jad-ben-lul and
A-lur.
The moon had set and the eastern horizon still gave no hint of
approaching day as a long file of warriors wound stealthily through
the darkness into the city of A-lur. Their plans were all laid and
there seemed no likelihood of their miscarriage. A messenger had
been dispatched to Ta-den whose forces lay northwest of the city.
Tarzan, with a small contingent, was to enter the temple through
the secret passageway, the location of which he alone knew, while
Ja-don, with the greater proportion of the warriors, was to attack
the palace gates.
The ape-man, leading his little band, moved stealthily through the
winding alleys of A-lur, arriving undetected at the building which
hid the entrance to the secret passageway.
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