The creature carried a wooden bowl which it filled with dried
food from several of the vessels; then it turned and quit the room.
Bradley could see through the partially open doorway that it
descended the ladder. The girl told him that it was taking the
food to the women and the young below, and that while it might
return immediately, the chances were that it would remain for
some time.

"We are just below the place of the yellow door," she said.
"It is far from the edge of the city; so far that we may not
hope to escape if we ascend to the roofs here."

"I think," replied the man, "that of all the places in Oo-oh this
will be the easiest to escape from. Anyway, I want to return to
the place of the yellow door and get my pistol if it is there."

"It is still there," replied, the girl. "I saw it placed in a chest
where he keeps the things he takes from his prisoners and victims."

"Good!" exclaimed Bradley. "Now come, quickly. "And the two
crossed the room to the well and ascended the ladder a short
distance to its top where they found another door that opened
into a vacant room--the same in which Bradley had first met
the girl. To find the pistol was a matter of but a moment's
search on the part of Bradley's companion; and then, at the
Englishman's signal, she followed him to the yellow door.

It was quite dark without as the two entered the narrow passage
between two buildings. A few steps brought them undiscovered to