A larger, more commanding Zard, whom the others looked in deference to,
then came down the stairs, saying as he entered the room, "Let us not
celebrate prematurely, gentlemen. There is nothing of interest above, so
we will have to search carefully down here."

"Sir, is it true it was a hairless one he saw?" one asked him.

"We are all hairless here," he said, laughing with the others, "But yes,
it is reported that Garlop saw one of the ancients, and with his sharp
eyes and knowledge of history, it is assumed to be true. I need not
remind you, then, the need to find them before they are too far away, it
is imperative to the cause that the ancient is not brought to the hidden
fortress of our adversaries."

The Zards then set to work with great assiduity searching for any clues
of the Canitaur's whereabouts, examining everything meticulously, yet
quickly. They tore the furniture apart to look for hidden compartments,
followed the smoke pipes through the ground to their outlets, tore off
the floor boards to look for secret passages, and did the same to the
ceiling.

Before I continue with my story, let me pause for a moment to describe
to you the appearance of the Zards, for you are probably curious as to
what they look like.

Quite different from the Canitaurs, they were, in fact, completely
hairless, being almost lizard-like. They stood erect, about the same
height as a man, that is, about six feet or a little over that, and
their bodies resembled those of alligators, with short, thickset legs,
stout arms, and a long body with a tail draping down to the ground,