Tarzan thought for a long minute and then he spoke."Ja-don," he said, "was one of the few who believed in me and who wished to accord me fair treatment.I have a debt to pay to Ja-don and an account to settle with Lu-don, not alone on my own behalf, but principally upon that of my mate.I will go with you Ja-don to mete to Lu-don the punishment he deserves.Tell me, chief, how may the Dor-ul-Otho best serve his father's people?"
"By coming with me to Ja-lur and the villages between," replied Ja-don quickly, "that the people may see that it is indeed the Dor-ul-Otho and that he smiles upon the cause of Ja-don."
"You think that they will believe in me more now than before?"
asked the ape-man.
"Who will dare doubt that he who rides upon the great gryf is less than a god?" returned the old chief.
"And if I go with you to the battle at A-lur," asked Tarzan, "can you assure the safety of my mate while I am gone from her?"
"She shall remain in Ja-lur with the Princess O-lo-a and my own women," replied Ja-don."There she will be safe for there I shall leave trusted warriors to protect them.Say that you will come, O
Dor-ul-Otho, and my cup of happiness will be full, for even now Ta-den, my son, marches toward A-lur with a force from the northwest and if we can attack, with the Dor-ul-Otho at our head, from the northeast our arms should be victorious."
"It shall be as you wish, Ja-don," replied the ape-man; "but first you must have meat fetched for my gryf."
"There are many carcasses in the camp above," replied Ja-don, "for my men have little else to do than hunt."
"Good," exclaimed Tarzan."Have them brought at once."
And when the meat was-brought and laid at a distance the ape-man slipped from the back of his fierce charger and fed him with his own hand."See that there is always plenty of flesh for him," he said to Ja-don, for he guessed that his mastery might be short-lived should the vicious beast become over-hungry.
It was morning before they could leave for Ja-lur, but Tarzan found the gryf lying where he had left him the night before beside the carcasses of two antelope and a lion; but now there was nothing but the gryf.
"The paleontologists say that he was herbivorous," said Tarzan as he and Jane approached the beast.
The journey to Ja-lur was made through the scattered villages where Ja-don hoped to arouse a keener enthusiasm for his cause.A
party of warriors preceded Tarzan that the people might properly be prepared, not only for the sight of the gryf but to receive the Dor-ul-Otho as became his high station.The results were all that Ja-don could have hoped and in no village through which they passed was there one who doubted the deity of the ape-man.
As they approached Ja-lur a strange warrior joined them, one whom none of Ja-don's following knew.He said he came from one of the villages to the south and that he had been treated unfairly by one of Lu-don's chiefs.For this reason he had deserted the cause of the high priest and come north in the hope of finding a home in Ja-lur.As every addition to his forces was welcome to the old chief he permitted the stranger to accompany them, and so he came into Ja-lur with them.