9
Blood-Stained Altars
The entrance through which he caught his first glimpse of the interiorwas rather beautifully carved in geometric designs, and within thewalls were similarly treated, though as he proceeded from one apartmentto another he found also the figures of animals, birds, and men takingtheir places among the more formal figures of the mural decorator'sart. Stone vessels were much in evidence as well as ornaments of goldand the skins of many animals, but nowhere did he see an indication ofany woven fabric, indicating that in that respect at least the Ho-donwere still low in the scale of evolution, and yet the proportions andsymmetry of the corridors and apartments bespoke a degree ofcivilization.
The way led through several apartments and long corridors, up at leastthree flights of stone stairs and finally out upon a ledge upon thewestern side of the building overlooking the blue lake. Along thisledge, or arcade, his guide led him for a hundred yards, to stop atlast before a wide entrance-way leading into another apartment of thepalace.
Here Tarzan beheld a considerable concourse of warriors in an enormousapartment, the domed ceiling of which was fully fifty feet above thefloor. Almost filling the chamber was a great pyramid ascending inbroad steps well up under the dome in which were a number of roundapertures which let in the light. The steps of the pyramid wereoccupied by warriors to the very pinnacle, upon which sat a large,imposing figure of a man whose golden trappings shone brightly in thelight of the afternoon sun, a shaft of which poured through one of thetiny apertures of the dome.
"Ko-tan!" cried Dak-lot, addressing the resplendent figure at thepinnacle of the pyramid. "Ko-tan and warriors of Pal-ul-don! Behold thehonor that Jad-ben-Otho has done you in sending as his messenger hisown son," and Dak-lot, stepping aside, indicated Tarzan with a dramaticsweep of his hand.
Ko-tan rose to his feet and every warrior within sight craned his neckto have a better view of the newcomer. Those upon the opposite side ofthe pyramid crowded to the front as the words of the old warriorreached them. Skeptical were the expressions on most of the faces; buttheirs was a skepticism marked with caution. No matter which wayfortune jumped they wished to be upon the right side of the fence. Fora moment all eyes were centered upon Tarzan and then gradually theydrifted to Ko-tan, for from his attitude would they receive the cuethat would determine theirs. But Ko-tan was evidently in the samequandary as they--the very attitude of his body indicated it--it wasone of indecision and of doubt.
The ape-man stood erect, his arms folded upon his broad breast, anexpression of haughty disdain upon his handsome face; but to Dak-lotthere seemed to be indications also of growing anger. The situation wasbecoming strained. Dak-lot fidgeted, casting apprehensive glances atTarzan and appealing ones at Ko-tan. The silence of the tomb wrappedthe great chamber of the throneroom of Pal-ul-don.
At last Ko-tan spoke. "Who says that he is Dor-ul-Otho?" he asked,casting a terrible look at Dak-lot.
"He does!" almost shouted that terrified noble.
"And so it must be true?" queried Ko-tan.
Could it be that there was a trace of irony in the chief's tone? Othoforbid! Dak-lot cast a side glance at Tarzan--a glance that he intendedshould carry the assurance of his own faith; but that succeeded only inimpressing the ape-man with the other's pitiable terror.
"O Ko-tan!" pleaded Dak-lot, "your own eyes must convince you thatindeed he is the son of Otho. Behold his godlike figure, his hands, andhis feet, that are not as ours, and that he is entirely tailless as ishis mighty father."
Ko-tan appeared to be perceiving these facts for the first time andthere was an indication that his skepticism was faltering. At thatmoment a young warrior who had pushed his way forward from the oppositeside of the pyramid to where he could obtain a good look at Tarzanraised his voice.
"Ko-tan," he cried, "it must be even as Dak-lot says, for I am sure nowthat I have seen Dor-ul-Otho before. Yesterday as we were returningwith the Kor-ul-lul prisoners we beheld him seated upon the back of agreat GRYF. We hid in the woods before he came too near, but I sawenough to make sure that he who rode upon the great beast was noneother than the messenger who stands here now."
This evidence seemed to be quite enough to convince the majority of thewarriors that they indeed stood in the presence of deity--their facesshowed it only too plainly, and a sudden modesty that caused them toshrink behind their neighbors. As their neighbors were attempting to dothe same thing, the result was a sudden melting away of those who stoodnearest the ape-man, until the steps of the pyramid directly before himlay vacant to the very apex and to Ko-tan. The latter, possiblyinfluenced as much by the fearful attitude of his followers as by theevidence adduced, now altered his tone and his manner in such a degreeas might comport with the requirements if the stranger was indeed theDor-ul-Otho while leaving his dignity a loophole of escape should itappear that he had entertained an impostor.
"If indeed you are the Dor-ul-Otho," he said, addressing Tarzan, "youwill know that our doubts were but natural since we have received nosign from Jad-ben-Otho that he intended honoring us so greatly, nor howcould we know, even, that the Great God had a son? If you are he, allPal-ul-don rejoices to honor you; if you are not he, swift and terribleshall be the punishment of your temerity. I, Ko-tan, King ofPal-ul-don, have spoken."
"And spoken well, as a king should speak," said Tarzan, breaking hislong silence, "who fears and honors the god of his people. It is wellthat you insist that I indeed be the Dor-ul-Otho before you accord methe homage that is my due. Jad-ben-Otho charged me specially toascertain if you were fit to rule his people. My first experience ofyou indicates that Jad-ben-Otho chose well when he breathed the spiritof a king into the babe at your mother's breast."
The effect of this statement, made so casually, was marked in theexpressions and excited whispers of the now awe-struck assemblage. Atlast they knew how kings were made! It was decided by Jad-ben-Othowhile the candidate was still a suckling babe! Wonderful! A miracle!and this divine creature in whose presence they stood knew all aboutit. Doubtless he even discussed such matters with their god daily. Ifthere had been an atheist among them before, or an agnostic, there wasnone now, for had they not looked with their own eyes upon the son ofgod?
"It is well then," continued the ape-man, "that you should assureyourself that I am no impostor. Come closer that you may see that I amnot as are men. Furthermore it is not meet that you stand upon a higherlevel than the son of your god." There was a sudden scramble to reachthe floor of the throne-room, nor was Ko-tan far behind his warriors,though he managed to maintain a certain majestic dignity as hedescended the broad stairs that countless naked feet had polished to agleaming smoothness through the ages. "And now," said Tarzan as theking stood before him, "you can have no doubt that I am not of the samerace as you. Your priests have told you that Jad-ben-Otho is tailless.Tailless, therefore, must be the race of gods that spring from hisloins. But enough of such proofs as these! You know the power ofJad-ben-Otho; how his lightnings gleaming out of the sky carry death ashe wills it; how the rains come at his bidding, and the fruits and theberries and the grains, the grasses, the trees and the flowers springto life at his divine direction; you have witnessed birth and death,and those who honor their god honor him because he controls thesethings. How would it fare then with an impostor who claimed to be theson of this all-powerful god? This then is all the proof that yourequire, for as he would strike you down should you deny me, so wouldhe strike down one who wrongfully claimed kinship with him."
This line of argument being unanswerable must needs be convincing.There could be no questioning of this creature's statements without thetacit admission of lack of faith in the omnipotence of Jad-ben-Otho.Ko-tan was satisfied that he was entertaining deity, but as to justwhat form his entertainment should take he was rather at a loss toknow. His conception of god had been rather a vague and hazy affair,though in common with all primitive people his god was a personal oneas were his devils and demons. The pleasures of Jad-ben-Otho he hadassum
ed to be the excesses which he himself enjoyed, but devoid of anyunpleasant reaction. It therefore occurred to him that the Dor-ul-Othowould be greatly entertained by eating--eating large quantities ofeverything that Ko-tan liked best and that he had found most injurious;and there was also a drink that the women of the Ho-don made byallowing corn to soak in the juices of succulent fruits, to which theyhad added certain other ingredients best known to themselves. Ko-tanknew by experience that a single draught of this potent liquor wouldbring happiness and surcease from worry, while several would cause evena king to do things and enjoy things that he would never even think ofdoing or enjoying while not under the magical influence of the potion,but unfortunately the next morning brought suffering in direct ratio tothe joy of the preceding day. A god, Ko-tan reasoned, could experienceall the pleasure without the headache, but for the immediate present hemust think of the necessary dignities and honors to be accorded hisimmortal guest.
No foot other than a king's had touched the surface of the apex of thepyramid in the throneroom at A-lur during all the forgotten agesthrough which the kings of Pal-ul-don had ruled from its high eminence.So what higher honor could Ko-tan offer than to give place beside himto the Dor-ul-Otho? And so he invited Tarzan to ascend the pyramid andtake his place upon the stone bench that topped it. As they reached thestep below the sacred pinnacle Ko-tan continued as though to mount tohis throne, but Tarzan laid a detaining hand upon his arm.
"None may sit upon a level with the gods," he admonished, steppingconfidently up and seating himself upon the throne. The abashed Ko-tanshowed his embarrassment, an embarrassment he feared to voice lest heincur the wrath of the king of kings.
"But," added Tarzan, "a god may honor his faithful servant by invitinghim to a place at his side. Come, Ko-tan; thus would I honor you in thename of Jad-ben-Otho."
The ape-man's policy had for its basis an attempt not only to arousethe fearful respect of Ko-tan but to do it without making of him anenemy at heart, for he did not know how strong a hold the religion ofthe Ho-don had upon them, for since the time that he had preventedTa-den and Om-at from quarreling over a religious difference thesubject had been utterly taboo among them. He was therefore quick tonote the evident though wordless resentment of Ko-tan at the suggestionthat he entirely relinquish his throne to his guest. On the whole,however, the effect had been satisfactory as he could see from therenewed evidence of awe upon the faces of the warriors.
At Tarzan's direction the business of the court continued where it hadbeen interrupted by his advent. It consisted principally in thesettling of disputes between warriors. There was present one who stoodupon the step just below the throne and which Tarzan was to learn wasthe place reserved for the higher chiefs of the allied tribes whichmade up Ko-tan's kingdom. The one who attracted Tarzan's attention wasa stalwart warrior of powerful physique and massive, lion-likefeatures. He was addressing Ko-tan on a question that is as old asgovernment and that will continue in unabated importance until manceases to exist. It had to do with a boundary dispute with one of hisneighbors.
The matter itself held little or no interest for Tarzan, but he wasimpressed by the appearance of the speaker and when Ko-tan addressedhim as Ja-don the ape-man's interest was permanently crystallized, forJa-don was the father of Ta-den. That the knowledge would benefit himin any way seemed rather a remote possibility since he could not revealto Ja-don his friendly relations with his son without admitting thefalsity of his claims to godship.
When the affairs of the audience were concluded Ko-tan suggested thatthe son of Jad-ben-Otho might wish to visit the temple in which wereperformed the religious rites coincident to the worship of the GreatGod. And so the ape-man was conducted by the king himself, followed bythe warriors of his court, through the corridors of the palace towardthe northern end of the group of buildings within the royal enclosure.
The temple itself was really a part of the palace and similar inarchitecture. There were several ceremonial places of varying sizes,the purposes of which Tarzan could only conjecture. Each had an altarin the west end and another in the east and were oval in shape, theirlongest diameter lying due east and west. Each was excavated from thesummit of a small hillock and all were without roofs. The westernaltars invariably were a single block of stone the top of which washollowed into an oblong basin. Those at the eastern ends were similarblocks of stone with flat tops and these latter, unlike those at theopposite ends of the ovals were invariably stained or painted a reddishbrown, nor did Tarzan need to examine them closely to be assured ofwhat his keen nostrils already had told him--that the brown stains weredried and drying human blood.
Below these temple courts were corridors and apartments reaching farinto the bowels of the hills, dim, gloomy passages that Tarzan glimpsedas he was led from place to place on his tour of inspection of thetemple. A messenger had been dispatched by Ko-tan to announce thecoming visit of the son of Jad-ben-Otho with the result that they wereaccompanied through the temple by a considerable procession of priestswhose distinguishing mark of profession seemed to consist in grotesqueheaddresses; sometimes hideous faces carved from wood and entirelyconcealing the countenances of their wearers, or again, the head of awild beast cunningly fitted over the head of a man. The high priestalone wore no such head-dress. He was an old man with close-set,cunning eyes and a cruel, thin-lipped mouth.
At first sight of him Tarzan realized that here lay the greatest dangerto his ruse, for he saw at a glance that the man was antagonistictoward him and his pretensions, and he knew too that doubtless of allthe people of Pal-ul-don the high priest was most likely to harbor thetruest estimate of Jad-ben-Otho, and, therefore, would look withsuspicion on one who claimed to be the son of a fabulous god.
No matter what suspicion lurked within his crafty mind, Lu-don, thehigh priest of A-lur, did not openly question Tarzan's right to thetitle of Dor-ul-Otho, and it may be that he was restrained by the samedoubts which had originally restrained Ko-tan and his warriors--thedoubt that is at the bottom of the minds of all blasphemers even andwhich is based upon the fear that after all there may be a god. So, forthe time being at least Lu-don played safe. Yet Tarzan knew as well asthough the man had spoken aloud his inmost thoughts that it was in theheart of the high priest to tear the veil from his imposture.
At the entrance to the temple Ko-tan had relinquished the guidance ofthe guest to Lu-don and now the latter led Tarzan through thoseportions of the temple that he wished him to see. He showed him thegreat room where the votive offerings were kept, gifts from thebarbaric chiefs of Pal-ul-don and from their followers. These thingsranged in value from presents of dried fruits to massive vessels ofbeaten gold, so that in the great main storeroom and its connectingchambers and corridors was an accumulation of wealth that amazed eventhe eyes of the owner of the secret of the treasure vaults of Opar.
Moving to and fro throughout the temple were sleek black Waz-donslaves, fruits of the Ho-don raids upon the villages of their lesscivilized neighbors. As they passed the barred entrance to a dimcorridor, Tarzan saw within a great company of pithecanthropi of allages and of both sexes, Ho-don as well as Waz-don, the majority of themsquatted upon the stone floor in attitudes of utter dejection whilesome paced back and forth, their features stamped with the despair ofutter hopelessness.
"And who are these who lie here thus unhappily?" he asked of Lu-don. Itwas the first question that he had put to the high priest sinceentering the temple, and instantly he regretted that he had asked it,for Lu-don turned upon him a face upon which the expression ofsuspicion was but thinly veiled.
"Who should know better than the son of Jad-ben-Otho?" he retorted.
"The questions of Dor-ul-Otho are not with impunity answered with otherquestions," said the ape-man quietly, "and it may interest Lu-don, thehigh priest, to know that the blood of a false priest upon the altar ofhis temple is not displeasing in the eyes of Jad-ben-Otho."
Lu-don paled as he answered Tarzan's question. "They are the offeringswhose blood must refresh
the eastern altars as the sun returns to yourfather at the day's end."
"And who told you," asked Tarzan, "that Jad-ben-Otho was pleased thathis people were slain upon his altars? What if you were mistaken?"
"Then countless thousands have died in vain," replied Lu-don.
Ko-tan and the surrounding warriors and priests were listeningattentively to the dialogue. Some of the poor victims behind the barredgateway had heard and rising, pressed close to the barrier throughwhich one was conducted just before sunset each day, never to return.
"Liberate them!" cried Tarzan with a wave of his hand toward theimprisoned victims of a cruel superstition, "for I can tell you in thename of Jad-ben-Otho that you are mistaken."