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had pierced the great lungs； and Buto； with victory
almost in sight； succumbed to internal hemorrhage。
Then Tarzan came down from his sanctuary and as the
wounded lions； growling； dragged themselves away； the
ape…man cut his spear from the body of Buto； hacked off
a steak and vanished into the jungle。 The episode was
over。 It had been all in the day's worksomething
which you and I might talk about for a lifetime Tarzan
dismissed from his mind the moment that the scene
passed from his sight。
12
La Seeks Vengeance
Swinging back through the jungle in a wide circle the
ape…man came to the river at another point； drank and
took to the trees again and while he hunted； all
oblivious of his past and careless of his future； there
came through the dark jungles and the open； parklike
places and across the wide meadows； where grazed the
countless herbivora of the mysterious continent； a
weird and terrible caravan in search of him。 There
were fifty frightful men with hairy bodies and gnarled
and crooked legs。 They were armed with knives and
great bludgeons and at their head marched an almost
naked woman； beautiful beyond compare。 It was La of
Opar； High Priestess of the Flaming God； and fifty of
her horrid priests searching for the purloiner of the
sacred sacrificial knife。
Never before had La passed beyond the crumbling outer
walls of Opar； but never before had need been so
insistent。 The sacred knife was gone！ Handed down
through countless ages it had come to her as a heritage
and an insignia of her religious office and regal
authority from some long…dead progenitor of lost and
forgotten Atlantis。 The loss of the crown jewels or
the Great Seal of England could have brought no greater
consternation to a British king than did the pilfering
of the sacred knife bring to La； the Oparian； Queen and
High Priestess of the degraded remnants of the oldest
civilization upon earth。 When Atlantis； with all her
mighty cities and her cultivated fields and her great
commerce and culture and riches sank into the sea long
ages since； she took with her all but a handful of her
colonists working the vast gold mines of Central
Africa。 From these and their degraded slaves and a
later intermixture of the blood of the anthropoids
sprung the gnarled men of Opar； but by some queer freak
of fate； aided by natural selection； the old Atlantean
strain had remained pure and undegraded in the females
descended from a single princess of the royal house of
Atlantis who had been in Opar at the time of the great
catastrophe。 Such was La。
Burning with white…hot anger was the High Priestess；
her heart a seething； molten mass of hatred for Tarzan
of the Apes。 The zeal of the religious fanatic whose
altar has been desecrated was triply enhanced by the
rage of a woman scorned。 Twice had she thrown her
heart at the feet of the godlike ape…man and twice had
she been repulsed。 La knew that she was beautifuland
she was beautiful； not by the standards of prehistoric
Atlantis alone； but by those of modern times was La
physically a creature of perfection。 Before Tarzan
came that first time to Opar； La had never seen a human
male other than the grotesque and knotted men of her
clan。 With one of these she must mate sooner or later
that the direct line of high priestesses might not be
broken； unless Fate should bring other men to Opar。
Before Tarzan came upon his first visit； La had had no
thought that such men as he existed； for she knew only
her hideous little priests and the bulls of the tribe
of great anthropoids that had dwelt from time
immemorial in and about Opar； until they had come to be
looked upon almost as equals by the Oparians。 Among
the legends of Opar were tales of godlike men of the
olden time and of black men who had come more recently；
but these latter had been enemies who killed and
robbed。 And； too； these legends always held forth the
hope that some day that nameless continent from which
their race had sprung； would rise once more out of the
sea and with slaves at the long sweeps would send her
carven； gold…picked galleys forth to succor the
long…exiled colonists。
The coming of Tarzan had aroused within La's breast the
wild hope that at last the fulfillment of this ancient
prophecy was at hand； but more strongly still had it
aroused the hot fires of love in a heart that never
otherwise would have known the meaning of that
all…consuming passion； for such a wondrous creature as
La could never have felt love for any of the repulsive
priests of Opar。 Custom； duty and religious zeal might
have commanded the union； but there could have been no
love on La's part。 She had grown to young womanhood a
cold and heartless creature； daughter of a thousand
other cold； heartless； beautiful women who had never
known love。 And so when love came to her it liberated
all the pent passions of a thousand generations；
transforming La into a pulsing； throbbing volcano of
desire； and with desire thwarted this great force of
love and gentleness and sacrifice was transmuted by its
own fires into one of hatred and revenge。
It was in a state of mind superinduced by these
conditions that La led forth her jabbering company to
retrieve the sacred emblem of her high office and wreak
vengeance upon the author of her wrongs。 To Werper she
gave little thought。 The fact that the knife had been
in his hand when it departed from Opar brought down no
thoughts of vengeance upon his head。 Of course； he
should be slain when captured； but his death would give
La no pleasureshe looked for that in the contemplated
death agonies of Tarzan。 He should be tortured。
His should be a slow and frightful death。 His punishment
should be adequate to the immensity of his crime。
He had wrested the sacred knife from La； he had lain
sacreligious hands upon the High Priestess of the
Flaming God； he had desecrated the altar and the
temple。 For these things he should die； but he had
scorned the love of La； the woman； and for this he
should die horribly with great anguish。
The march of La and her priests was not without its
adventures。 Unused were these to the ways of the
jungle； since seldom did any venture forth from behind
Opar's crumbling walls； yet their very numbers
protected them and so they came without fatalities far
along the trail of Tarzan and Werper。 Three great apes
accompanied them and to these was delegated the
business of tracking the quarry； a feat beyond the
senses of the Oparians。 La commanded。 She arranged
the order of march； she selected the camps； she set the
hour for halting and the hour for resuming and though
she was inexperienced in such matters； her native
intelligence was so far above that of the men or the
apes that she did better than they could have done。
She was a hard taskmaster； too； for she looked down
with loathing and contempt upon the misshapen creatures
amongst which cruel Fate had thrown her and to some
extent vented upon them her dissatisfaction and her
thwarted love。 She made them build her a strong
protection and shelter each night and keep a great fire
burning before it from dusk to dawn。 When she tired of
walking they were forced to carry her upon an
improvised litter； nor did one dare to question her
authority or her right to such services。 In fact they
did not question either。 To them she was a goddess and
each loved her and each hoped that he would be chosen
as her mate； so they slaved for her and bore the
stinging lash of her displeasure and the habitually
haughty disdain of her manner without a murmur。
For many days they marched； the apes following the
trail easily and going a little distance ahead of the
body of the caravan that they might warn the others of
impending danger。 It was during a noonday halt while
all were lying resting after a tiresome march tha