intrigue and to murder for possession of this beautiful American
girl, and which even now was influencing the destiny of undiscovered
Pal-ul-don.

Upon the floor of the chamber were numerous pelts and as the
leader of the trio came close to the sleeping woman he stooped and
gathered up one of the smaller of these. Standing close to her head
he held the rug outspread above her face. "Now," he whispered and
simultaneously he threw the rug over the woman's head and his two
fellows leaped upon her, seizing her arms and pinioning her body
while their leader stifled her cries with the furry pelt. Quickly
and silently they bound her wrists and gagged her and during the
brief time that their work required there was no sound that might
have been heard by occupants of the adjoining apartments.

Jerking her roughly to her feet they forced her toward a window
but she refused to walk, throwing herself instead upon the floor.
They were very angry and would have resorted to cruelties to compel
her obedience but dared not, since the wrath of Lu-don might fall
heavily upon whoever mutilated his fair prize.

And so they were forced to lift and carry her bodily. Nor was the
task any sinecure since the captive kicked and struggled as best
she might, making their labor as arduous as possible. But finally
they succeeded in getting her through the window and into the
garden beyond where one of the two priests from the Ja-lur temple
directed their steps toward a small barred gateway in the south
wall of the enclosure.

Immediately beyond this a flight of stone stairs led downward