"
The inner temple court was packed with humanity. At either end of
the western altar stood Tarzan and his mate, bound and helpless.
The sounds of battle had ceased and presently the ape-man saw Ja-don
being led into the inner court, his wrists bound tightly together
before him. Tarzan turned his eyes toward Jane and nodded in the
direction of Ja-don. "This looks like the end," he said quietly.
"He was our last and only hope."
"We have at least found each other, John," she replied, "and our
last days have been spent together. My only prayer now is that if
they take you they do not leave me."
Tarzan made no reply for in his heart was the same bitter thought
that her own contained--not the fear that they would kill him but
the fear that they would not kill her. The ape-man strained at
his bonds but they were too many and too strong. A priest near him
saw and with a jeering laugh struck the defenseless ape-man in the
face.
"The brute!" cried Jane Clayton.
Tarzan smiled. "I have been struck thus before, Jane," he said,
"and always has the striker died."
"You still have hope?" she asked.
"I am still alive," he said as though that were sufficient answer.
She was a woman and she did not have the courage of this man who
knew no fear. In her heart of hearts she knew that he would die
upon the altar at high noon for he had told her, after he had been
brought to the inner court, of the sentence of death that Obergatz
had pronounced upon him, and she knew too that Tarzan knew that
he would die, but that he was too courageous to admit it even to
himself.
Pages:
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382