Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 23, 1924 — page 123: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

TARZAN AND Kalfastoban could not take his eyes from the girl’s face and presently she sensed her danger and flushed, but still she stood her ground, interceding for the ape-man. A crooked smile twisted Kalfastoban’s mouth as he laid a familiar hand upon her shoul- der. ‘How old are you?” he asked. She told him, shuddering. ‘“T shall see your master, and purchase you,” he announced. ‘“ Take no mate.” Tarzan was looking at Talaskar and it seemed that he could see her wilt, as a flower wilts in noxious air, and then Kal- fastoban turned upon him. ‘You cannot understand me, you stupid beast,” he said; “ but I can tell you, and those around you may listen and, perhaps guide you from danger. ‘This time I shall let you off, but let it happen again and you shall have a hundred lashes or worse, may- be. And if I hear that you have aught to do with this girl, whom I intend to pur- chase and take to the surface, it will go still harder with you,” with which he strode to the entrance and passed through into the corridor beyond. After the Vental had departed and the door of the chamber been closed a hand was laid upon Tarzan’s shoulder from be- hind and a man’s voice called him by name: “Tarzan!” It sounded strange in his ears, far down in this buried chamber beneath the ground, in an alien city and among an alien people, not one of whom ever had heard his name, but as he turned to face the man who had greeted him a look of recog- nition and a smile of pleasure overspread his features. “ Kom—!” he started to ejaculate, but the other placed a finger to his lips. ‘ Not here,” he said. ‘ Here I am Aoponato or Eight Hundred Cubed Plus Nineteen.” ‘ But your stature! You are as large as I. It is beyond me. What has happened to swell the race of Minunians to such rela- tively gigantic proportions?” Komodoflorensal smiled. ‘‘ Human ego- tism would not permit you to attribute this change to an opposite cause from that to which you have ascribed it,” he said. Tarzan knit his brows and gazed long and thoughtfully at his royal friend. An THE ANT-MEN. 281 expression that was of mingled incredulity and amusement crept gradually over his countenance. “You mean,” he asked slowly, “ that I —have been—reduced in size to the stature of a Minunian?”’ Komodoflorensal nodded. “Is it not easier to believe that than to think that an entire race of people and all their belong- ings, even their dwellings and the stones that they were built of, and all their weap- ons and their diadets, had been increased in size to your own stature?” “ But I tell you it is impossible!” the ape-man. ‘* I should have said the same thing a few moons ago,” replied the prince. ‘ Even when I heard the rumor here that they had reduced you I did not believe it, not for’a long time, and I was still a bit skeptical until I entered this chamber and saw you with my own eyes” ‘How was it accomplished?” demanded Tarzan. “The greatest mind in Veltoptismakus, and perhaps in all Minuni, is Zoanthro- hago,” explained Komodoflorensal. ‘ We have recognized this for many moons, for, during the occasional intervals that we are at peace with Veltoptismakus, there is some exchange of ideas as well as goods between the two cities, and. thus we heard of the many marvels attributed to this greatest of walmaks.” *“T have never heard a wizard spoken of in Minuni until now,” said Tarzan, for he thought that that was the meaning of the word walmak, and perhaps it is, as nearly as it can be translated into English. A sci- entist who works miracles would be, per- haps, a truer definition. “It was Zoanthrohago who captured you,” continued Aoponato, ‘‘ encompass- ing your fall by means at once scientific and miraculous. After you had fallen he caused you to lose consciousness, and while you were in that condition you were dragged hither by a score of diadets hitched to a hastily improvised litter built of small trees tied securely one to the other, after their branches had been removed. ‘It was after they had you safely within Veltoptismakus that. Zoanthrohago set to (eo) DOOKS AMC cried. com _