fleet of war galleys is approaching from Thobos.'
Atka turned to one of her aides. 'Order out the entire fleet,' she directed. 'This day we shall destroy the power of Thobos forever.'
As the Asharian horde embarked at the quay, Tarzan of the Apes looked down from the hillside above the city and watched them; and in the distance, approaching Ashair, he saw the war fleet of Herat approaching.
'Now is the time,' he said to his motley followers, 'we shall have fewer warriors to oppose us.'
'We cannot fail,' said a priest, 'for Chon has blessed us.'
A few minutes later the Lord of the Jungle led his little band over the wall into The Forbidden City. It was a bold, rash venture—at best a forlorn hope that thus they might succeed in saving Helen and Magra from death or an even more horrible fate. Success or failure—which would it be?
As the two fleets met amid the war cries of the opposing warriors, quarter was neither asked nor given, for each side felt that this was to be a battle to the death that would determine for all time which city was to rule the valley of Tuen-Baka . And while this bloody battle was being waged on sacred Horus, another battle was taking place before the gates of Atka's palace, as Tarzan sought to lead his little band into the presence of the Queen. It was Atka he sought, for he knew that with At-ka in his power he could force the Asharians to give up their prisoners—if they still lived.
Finally they overcame the resistance at the gates, and Tarzan forced his way at the head of his company into the throne room of the Queen.
'I have come for the two women,' he said. 'Release them to me, and we will go away; refuse, and we shall go away; but we shall take you with us.'
Atka sat in silence for a few minutes, her eyes fixed upon Tarzan. She was trembling slightly and appeared to be making an effort to gain control over her emotions. At last she spoke. 'You have won,' she said. 'The women shall be fetched at once.'
As Tarzan and his triumphant band led the girls from Ashair, Magra clung to his arm. 'Oh, Tarzan,' she whispered, 'I knew that you would come. My love told me that you would.'
The ape-man shook his head impatiently. 'I do not like such talk,' he said; 'it is not for us. Leave that to Helen and Paul.'
Herat , victorious, entered Ashair, the first king of Trio-bos to set foot within The Forbidden City. From the opening in the cavern of Chon, that looked out over the lake, Chon had seen the Asharian fleet demolished and the victorious Thobotian fleet steer toward Ashair; and when Tarzan and his party returned and the ape-man learned of the successful outcome of Herat's expedition, he had Chon send a messenger to Ashair to summon Herat, in the true god's name, to the temple.
When the greetings between Herat and Chon were concluded, the true god blessed the entire party, giving credit to the strangers for their part in the restoration of The Father of Diamonds to the temple of Chon and the successful reuniting of the King and the true god; then Herat, to demonstrate his own appreciation, offered to outfit the Gregory party and furnish them with galleys to take them out of Tuen-Baka. At last, their troubles seemed over.
'We are reunited and safe,' said Gregory, 'and, above all others, we owe it to you, Tarzan. How can we ever repay you?'
Gregory was interrupted by maniacal screams, as two of Herat's warriors who had been among the guard left at the outer entrance to the caverns, entered the temple, dragging Atan Thome between them.
'This man has a casket,' reported one of the warriors, 'which he says contains The Father of Diamonds.'
'The true Father of Diamonds, which Herkuf just brought with him from Thobos,' said Chon, 'rests here in its casket on the altar before me. There cannot be two. Let us have a look at what the man has in his casket.'
'No!' shrieked Atan Thome. 'Don't open it! It is mine, and I have been waiting to open it in Paris . I shall buy all of Paris with it and be king of France !'
'Silence, mortal!' commanded Chon; then, very deliberately, he opened the casket, while the trembling Thorne stared with mad eyes at the contents—a small lump of coal.
At sight of it, realizing what it was, Atan Thome screamed, clutched his heart, and fell dead at the foot of the altar of the true god.
'For this false and accursed thing,' exclaimed Brian Gregory, 'we have all suffered, and many have died; yet the irony of it is that it is, in truth, The Father of Diamonds.'
'Men are strange beasts,' said Tarzan.
THE END
