They looked down at Wood whose eyes were opening slowly and whose arms and legs were moving a little as though experimenting with the possibilities of self-control. He was the first to regain consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked about him. He saw Gonfala lying beside him. Her rising and falling bosom assured him that she lived. He looked up at Kandos and the queen.
"So this is the way you keep your word?" he accused; then he looked about for Tarzan. "Where is the other?"
"He is quite safe," said Kandos. "The queen in her mercy has not killed any of you."
"What are you going to do with us?" demanded Wood.
"The wild-man goes to the arena," replied Menofra. "You and the girl will not be killed immediately-not until you have served my purpose."
"And what is that?"
"You shall know presently. Kandos, send for a priest; Phoros will soon awaken."
Gonfala opened her eyes and sat up. "What has happened?" she asked. "Where are we?"
"We are still prisoners," Wood told her. "These people have double-crossed us."
"Civilization seems very far away," she said and tears came to her eyes.
He took her hand. "You must be brave, dear."
"I am tired of being brave; I have been brave for so long. I should like so much to cry, Stanlee."
Now Phoros regained consciousness, and looked first at one and then at another. When his eyes fell on Menofra he winced.
"Ah, the rat has awakened," said the queen.
"You have rescued me, my dear!" said Phoros.
"You may call it that, if you wish," said Menofra coldly; "but I should call it by another name, as you will later."
"Now, my darling, let us forget the past-let bygones be bygones. Kandos, remove my bonds. How does it look to see the king trussed up like this?"
"It looks all right to me," Menofra assured him, "but how would you like to be trussed up? It could be done with red hot chains, you know. In fact, it has been done. It's not a bad idea; I am glad you suggested it."
"But, Menofra, my dear wife, you wouldn't do that to me?"
"Oh, you think not? But you would try to kill me with your sword so that you could take this wench here to wife. Well, I'm not going to have you trussed up with red hot chains-not yet. First I am going to remove temptation from your path without removing the object of your temptation. I am going to let you see what you might have enjoyed."
There was a rap on the door, and one of the warriors said, "The priest is here."
"Let him in," ordered Menofra.
Wood had helped Gonfala to her feet, and the two were seated on a bench, mystified listeners to Menofra's cryptic speech. When the priest had entered the room and bowed before the queen she pointed to them.
"Marry these two," she commanded.
Wood and Gonfala looked at one another in astonishment. "There's a catch in this somewhere," said the former. "The old termagant's not doing this because she loves us, but I'm not looking any gift horse in the mouth."
"It's what we've been waiting and hoping for," said Gonfala, "but I wish it could have happened under different conditions. There is something sinister in this. I don't believe that any good thought could come out of that woman's mind."
The marriage ceremony was extremely simple, but very impressive. It laid upon the couple the strictest obligations of fidelity and condemned to death and damned through eternity whomever might cause either to be unfaithful to the other.
During the ceremony Menofra wore a sardonic smile, while Phoros had difficulty in hiding his chagrin and anger. When it was concluded, the queen turned to her mate. "You know the laws of our people," she said. "King or commoner, whoever comes between these two must die. You know that don't you, Phoros? You know you've lost her, don't you-forever? You would try to kill me, would you? Well, I'm going to let you live-I'm going to let you live with this wench; but watch your step, Phoros; for I'll be watching you." She turned to the guard. "Now take them away. Take this man to the slave pen, and see that nothing happens to him, and take Phoros and the wench to the room next to mine; and lock them in."
* * *
When Tarzan regained consciousness he found himself chained to a stanchion in a stockaded compound, an iron collar around his neck. He was quite alone; but pallets of musty grass, odd bits of dirty clothing, cooking utensils, and the remains of cooking fires, still smouldering, disclosed the fact that the shed and the yard was the abode of others; and he conjectured correctly that he had been imprisoned in a slave pen.
The position of the sun told him that he had been under the influence of the drug for about an hour. The effects were passing off rapidly leaving only a dull headache and a feeling of chagrin that he had been so easily duped. He was concerned about the fate of Wood and Gonfala, and was at a loss to understand why he had been separated from them. His active mind was occupied with this problem and that of escape when the gate of the compound opened and Wood was brought in by an escort of warriors who merely shoved the American through the gateway and departed after relocking the gate.
Wood crossed the compound to Tarzan. "I wondered what they had done with you," he said. "I was afraid they might have killed you." Then he told the ape-man what Menofra had decreed for Gonfala. "It is monstrous, Tarzan; the woman is a beast. What are we to do?"
Tarzan tapped the iron collar that encircled his neck. "There is not much that I can do," he said ruefully.
"Why do you suppose they've chained you up and not me?" asked Wood.
"They must have some special form of entertainment in view for me," suggested the ape-man with a faint smile.
The remainder of the day passed in desultory conversation, principally a monologue; as Tarzan was not given to garrulity. Wood talked to keep from thinking about Gonfala's situation, but he was not very successful. Late in the afternoon the slaves were returned to the compound, and immediately crowded around Tarzan. One of them pushed his way to the front when he caught a glimpse of the prisoner.
"Tarzan!" he exclaimed. "It is really you?"
"I am afraid it is, Valthor," replied the ape-man.
"And you are back, I see," said Valthor to Wood. "I did not expect to see you again. What happened?"
Wood told him the whole story of their misadventure, and Valthor looked grave. "Your friend, Gonfala, may be safe as long as Menofra lives; but she may not live long. Kandos will see to that if he is not too big a coward; then, with Menofra out of the way, Phoros will again come to power. When he does, he will destroy you. After that there would not be much hope for Gonfala. The situation is serious, and I can see no way out unless the king and his party were to return and recapture the city. I believe they could do it now, for practically all of the citizens and most of the warriors are sick of Phoros and the rest of the Erythra."
A tall black came close to Tarzan. "You do not remember me, master?" he asked.
"Why, yes; of course I do," replied the ape-man. "You're Gemba. You were a slave in the house of Thudos at Cathne. How long have you been here?"
"Many moons, master. I was taken in a raid. The work is hard, and often these new masters are cruel. I wish that I were back in Cathne."
"You would fare well there now, Gemba. Your old master is king of Cathne. I think that if he knew Tarzan was a prisoner here, he would come and make war on Athne."
"And I think that if he did," said Valthor, "an army from Cathne would be welcome here for the first time in history; but there is no chance that he will come, for there is no way in which he may learn that Tarzan is here."
"If I could get this collar off my neck," said the apeman, "I could soon get out of this slave pen and the city and bring Thudos with his army. He would come for me to save my friends."
"But you can't get it off," said Wood.
"You are right," agreed Tarzan; "it is idle talk."