victim's warm blood, that they might fill their golden goblets and
drink to the glory of their Flaming God.

The brutal and bloody interruption by Tha, the mad priest, passed
vividly before the ape-man's recollective eyes, the flight of the
votaries before the insane blood lust of the hideous creature, the
brutal attack upon La, and his own part of the grim tragedy when
he had battled with the infuriated Oparian and left him dead at
the feet of the priestess he would have profaned.

This and much more passed through Tarzan's memory as he stood
gazing at the long tiers of dull-yellow metal. He wondered if La
still ruled the temples of the ruined city whose crumbling walls
rose upon the very foundations about him. Had she finally been
forced into a union with one of her grotesque priests? It seemed
a hideous fate, indeed, for one so beautiful. With a shake of his
head, Tarzan stepped to the flickering candle, extinguished its
feeble rays and turned toward the exit.

Behind him the spy waited for him to be gone. He had learned
the secret for which he had come, and now he could return at his
leisure to his waiting followers, bring them to the treasure vault
and carry away all the gold that they could stagger under.

The Waziri had reached the outer end of the tunnel, and were
winding upward toward the fresh air and the welcome starlight of
the kopje's summit, before Tarzan shook off the detaining hand of
reverie and started slowly after them.

Once again, and, he thought, for the last time, he closed the massive