food and a new hope for escape. Then he opened the panel and
looked into the room. The faint light from the grating above
revealed the pile of rags in one corner; but the man lay beneath
them, he made no response to Bradley's low greeting.

The Englishman lowered himself to the floor of the room and
approached the rags. Stooping he lifted a corner of them.
Yes, there was the man asleep. Bradley shook him--there was
no response. He stooped lower and in the dim light examined
An-Tak; then he stood up with a sigh. A rat leaped from beneath
the coverings and scurried away. "Poor devil!" muttered Bradley.

He crossed the room to swing himself to the perch preparatory to
quitting the Blue Place of Seven Skulls forever. Beneath the
perch he paused. "I'll not give them the satisfaction," he growled.
"Let them believe that he escaped."

Returning to the pile of rags he gathered the man into his arms.
It was difficult work raising him to the high perch and dragging
him through the small opening and thus down the ladder; but
presently it was done, and Bradley had lowered the body into the
river and cast it off. "Good-bye, old top!" he whispered.

A moment later he had rejoined the girl and hand in hand they
were following the dark corridor upstream toward the farther end
of the city. She told him that the Wieroos seldom frequented
these lower passages, as the air here was too chill for them; but
occasionally they came, and as they could see quite as well by
night as by day, they would be sure to discover Bradley and the girl.