Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 23, 1924 — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

TARZAN AND THE ANT-MEN. ‘He wishes to learn it, and I am trying to teach him,’ replied Komodoflorensal quickly. ‘“ Has he learned anything of it?” asked the warrior. ‘““No,”’ said Komodoflorensal, “he is very stupid.” And after this they went in silence, wind- ing up long, gentle inclines, or again scal- ing the primitive ladders that the Minu- nians use to reach the upper levels of their dome houses between the occasional levels that are not connected by the inclined run- ways, which are thus frequently broken for purposes of defense, the ladders being easily withdrawn upward behind hard pressed defenders and the advance of the enemy thus more easily checked. The royal dome of Elkomoelhago was of vast proportions, its summit rising to an equivalent of more than four hundred feet, had it been built upon a scale corresponding to the relatively larger size of ordinary man- kind. Tarzan ascended until he was almost as far above ground as he had been below ground in the quarry. Where the corridors on lower levels had been crowded with hu- manity, those which they now traversed were almost devoid of life. Occasionally they passed a tenanted chamber, but far more generally the rooms were utilized for storage purposes, especially for food, great quantities of which, cured, dried and neatly wrapped, was packed ceiling high in many large chambers. The decorations of the walls were less or- nate and the corridors narrower, on the whole, than those at lower levels. How- ever, they passed through many large chambers, or halls which were gorgeously decorated and in several of which were many people of both sexes and all ages vari- ously occupied, either with domestic activi- ties or with the handiwork of one art or another. Tere was a man working in silver, per- haps fashioning a bracelet of delicate fili- gree, or another carving beautiful ara- besques upon leather. There were makers of pottery, weavers of cloth, metal stamp- ers, painters, makers of candles, and these appeared to predominate, for the candle was in truth life to these people. 287 And then, at last, they reached the high- est level, far above the ground, where the rooms were much closer to daylight because of the diminished thickness of the walls near the summit of the dome, but even here were the ever present candles. Suddenly the walls of the corridor became gorgeously dec- orated, the number of candles increased, and Tarzan sensed that they were ap- proaching the quarters of a rich or powerful noble. They halted, now, before a door- way where stood a sentinel, with whom one of the warriors conducting them communi- cated. “Tell Zoanthrohago Zertol that we have — brought Zuanthrol and another slave who can communicate with him in a strange tongue.”’ The sentinel struck a heavy gong with his lance and presently, from the interior of the chamber, a man appeared to whom the sentinel repeated the warrior’s message. ‘* Let them enter,” said the newcomer, who was a white tunicked slave; ‘‘ my glori- ous master, Zoanthrohago Zertol, expects his slave Zuanthrol. Follow me!” They followed him through several cham- bers until at last he led them into the pres- ence of a gorgeously garbed warrior who was seated behind a large table, or desk, upon which were numerous strange instru- ments, large, cumbersome looking volumes, pads of heavy Minunian writing paper and the necessary implements for writing. The man looked up as they entered the room. “Tt is your slave, Zuanthrol, Zertol,”’ an- nounced the fellow who had led them hither. “But the other?” Prince Zoanthrohago pointed at Komodoflorensal. ‘““He speaks the strange language that Zuanthrol speaks, and he was brought along that you might communicate with Zuan- throl if you so wished.” Zoanthrohago nodded and turned to Ko- modoflorensal. ‘‘ Ask him,’ he ordered, ‘ if he feels any differently since I reduced his size.” When the question was put to Tarzan by Komodoflorensal in the imaginary language with which they were supposed to commu- nicate the ape-man shook his head, at the same time speaking a few words in English. ‘“He says no, illustrious prince,” trans- (€(0) 0)(0)(0) AAI <S (E(0)