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"You are the jeddak's son?" asked Turan

"I am the son of O-Tar and of a slave, Haja of Gathol, as a princess in her own land"

Turan looked searchingly at the speaker A son of Haja of Gathol! A son of his mother's sister, this man, then, was his own cousin Well did Gahan remember the mysterious disappearance of the Princess Haja and an entire utan of her personal troops She had been upon a visit far fro hoht ofmystery? Doubtless it explained many other similar disappearances that extended nearly as far back as the history of Gathol Turan scrutinized his co many evidences of reseht have been ten years younger than he, but such differences in age are scarce accounted ae outwardly after maturity and whose span of life may be a thousand years

"And where lies Gathol?" asked Turan

"Almost due east of Manator," replied A-Kor

"And how far?"

"Sorees it is from the city of Manator to the city of Gathol," replied A-Kor; "but little rees between the boundaries of the two countries Between the chasms"

Well did Gahan know this country that bordered his upon the west-even the ships of the air avoided it because of the treacherous currents that rose from the deep chass He knehere Manator lay and for the first ti weeks the way to his own Gathol, and here was a man, a fellow prisoner, in whose veins flowed the blood of his own ancestors-a man who knew Manator; its people, its custo it-one who could aid him, with advice at least, to find a plan for the rescue of Tara of Helium and for escape But would A-Kor-could he dare broach the subject? He could do no less than try

"And O-Tar you think will sentence you to death?" he asked; "and why?"

"He would like to," replied A-Kor, "for the people chafe beneath his iron hand and their loyalty is but the loyalty of a people to the long line of illustrious jeddaks fro He is a jealousof ht entitle them to a claim upon the throne, and whose place in the affections of the people endowed thenificance The fact that I was the son of a slave relegated me to a position of minor importance in the consideration of O-Tar, yet I aht sit upon the throne of Manator with as perfect congruity as O-Tar himself Combined with this is the fact that of recent years the people, and especiallyaffection for me, which I attribute to certain virtues of character and training derived from my mother, but which O-Tar assumes to be the result of an ambition upon my part to occupy the throne of Manator