CHAPTER XI



STRANGE INCENSE BURNS


As Tarzan carried the dead Bolgani from the village of the
Gomangani, he set his steps in the direction of the building
he had seen from the rim of the valley, the curiosity of the
man overcoming the natural caution of the beast. He was
traveling up wind and the odors wafted down to his nostrils
told him that he was approaching the habitat of the Bolgani.
Intermingled with the scent spoor of the gorilla-men was
that of Gomangani and the odor of cooked food, and the
suggestion of a heavily sweet scent, which the ape-man could
connect only with burning incense, though it seemed
impossible that such a fragrance could emanate from the
dwellings of the Bolgani. Perhaps it came from the great
edifice he had seen--a building which must have been
constructed by human beings, and in which human beings might
still dwell, though never among the multitudinous odors that
assailed his nostrils did he once catch the faintest
suggestion of the man scent of whites.

When he perceived from the increasing strength of their
odor, that he was approaching close to the Bolgani, Tarzan
took to the trees with his burden, that he might thus stand
a better chance of avoiding discovery, and presently,
through the foliage ahead, he saw a lofty wall, and, beyond,
the outlines of the weird architecture of a strange and
mysterious pile--outlines that suggested a building of
another world, so unearthly were they, and from beyond the
wall came the odor of the Bolgani and the fragrance of the
incense, intermingled with the scent spoor of Numa, the
lion. The jungle was cleared away for fifty feet outside the
wall surrounding the building, so that there was no tree
overhanging the wall, but Tarzan approached as closely as he
could, while still remaining reasonably well concealed by
the foliage. He had chosen a point at a sufficient height
above the ground to permit him to see over the top of the
wall.

The building within the enclosure was of great size, its
different parts appearing to have been constructed at
various periods, and each with utter disregard to
uniformity, resulting in a conglomeration of connecting
buildings and towers, no two of which were alike, though the
whole presented a rather pleasing, if somewhat bizarre
appearance.  The building stood upon an artificial elevation
about ten feet high, surrounded by a retaining wall of
granite, a wide staircase leading to the ground level below.
About the building were shrubbery and trees, some of the
latter appearing to be of great antiquity, while one
enormous tower was almost entirely covered by ivy.  By far
the most remarkable feature of the building, however, lay in
its rich and barbaric ornamentation. Set into the polished
granite of which it was composed was an intricate mosaic of
gold and diamonds; glittering stones in countless thousands
scintillated from facades, minarets, domes, and towers.

The enclosure, which comprised some fifteen or twenty acres,
was occupied for the most part by the building. The terrace
upon which it stood was devoted to walks, flowers, shrubs,
and ornamental trees, while that part of the area below,
which was within the range of Tarzan's vision, seemed to be
given over to the raising of garden truck. In the garden and
upon the terrace were naked blacks, such as he had seen in
the village where he had left La. There were both men and
women, and these were occupied with the care of growing
things within the enclosure. Among them were several of the
gorilla-like creatures such as Tarzan had slain in the
village, but these performed no labor, devoting themselves,
rather, it seemed, to directing the work of the blacks,
toward whom their manner was haughty and domineering,
sometimes even brutal.  These gorilla-men were trapped in
rich ornaments, similar to those upon the body which now
rested in a crotch of the tree behind the ape-man.

As Tarzan watched with interest the scene below him, two
Bolgani emerged from the main entrance, a huge portal, some
thirty feet in width, and perhaps fifteen feet high. The two
wore head-bands, supporting tall, white feathers. As they
emerged they took post on either side of the entrance, and
cupping their hands before their mouths gave voice to a
series of shrill cries that bore a marked resemblance to
trumpet calls. Immediately the blacks ceased work and
hastened to the foot of the stairs descending from the
terrace to the garden. Here they formed lines on either side
of the stairway, and similarly the Bolgani formed two lines
upon the terrace from the main portal to the stairway,
forming a living aisle from one to the other. Presently from
the interior of the building came other trumpet-like calls,
and a moment later Tarzan saw the head of a procession
emerging.  First came four Bolgani abreast, each bedecked
with an ornate feather headdress, and each carrying a huge
bludgeon erect before him.  Behind these came two
trumpeters, and twenty feet behind the trumpeters paced a
huge, black-maned lion, held in leash by four sturdy blacks,
two upon either side, holding what appeared to be golden
chains that ran to a scintillant diamond collar about the
beast's neck. Behind the lion marched twenty more Bolgani,
four abreast.  These carried spears, but whether they were
for the purpose of protecting the lion from the people or
the people from the lion Tarzan was at a loss to know.

The attitude of the Bolgani lining either side of the way
between the portal and the stairway indicated extreme
deference, for they bent their bodies from their waists in a
profound bow while Numa was passing between their lines.
When the beast reached the top of the stairway the
procession halted, and immediately the Gomangani ranged
below prostrated themselves and placed their foreheads on
the ground.  Numa, who was evidently an old lion, stood with
lordly mien surveying the prostrate humans before him. His
evil eyes glared glassily, the while he bared his tusks in a
savage grimace, and from his deep lungs rumbled forth an
ominous roar, at the sound of which the Gomangani trembled
in unfeigned terror. The ape-man knit his brows in thought.
Never before had he been called upon to witness so
remarkable a scene of the abasement of man before a beast.
Presently the procession continued upon its way descending
the staircase and turning to the right along a path through
the garden, and when it had passed them the Gomangani and
the Bolgani arose and resumed their interrupted duties.

Tarzan remained in his concealment watching them, trying to
discover some explanation for the strange, paradoxical
conditions that he had witnessed. The lion, with his
retinue, had turned the far corner of the palace and
disappeared from sight.  What was he to these people, to
these strange creatures? What did he represent? Why this
topsy-turvy arrangement of species?  Here man ranked lower
than the half-beast, and above all, from the deference that
had been accorded him, stood a true beast--a savage
carnivore.

He had been occupied with his thoughts and his observations
for some fifteen minutes following the disappearance of Numa
around the eastern end of the palace, when his attention was
attracted to the opposite end of the structure by the sound
of other shrill trumpet calls.  Turning his eyes in that
direction, he saw the procession emerging again into view,
and proceeding toward the staircase down which they had
entered the garden.  Immediately the notes of the shrill
call sounded upon their ears the Gomangani and the Bolgani
resumed their original positions from below the foot of the
staircase to the entrance to the palace, and once again was
homage paid to Numa as he made his triumphal entry into the
building.

Tarzan of the Apes ran his fingers through his mass of
tousled hair, but finally he was forced to shake his head in
defeat.He could find no explanation whatsoever for all that
he had witnessed. His curiosity, however, was so keenly
piqued that he determined to investigate the palace and
surrounding grounds further before continuing on his way in
search of a trail out of the valley.

Leaving the body of Bolgani where he had cached it, he
started slowly to circle the building that he might examine
it from all sides from the concealing foliage of the
surrounding forest. He found the architecture equally unique
upon all sides, and that the garden extended entirely around
the building, though a portion upon the south side of the
palace was given over to corrals and pens in which were kept
numerous goats and a considerable flock of chickens. Upon
this side, also, were several hundred swinging, beehive
huts, such as he had seen in the native village of the
Gomangani. These he took to be the quarters of the black
slaves, who performed all the arduous and menial labor
connected with the palace.

The lofty granite wall which surrounded the entire enclosure
was pierced by but a single gate which opened opposite the
east end of the palace. This gate was large and of massive
construction, appearing to have been built to withstand the
assault of numerous and well-armed forces. So strong did it
appear that the ape-man could not but harbor the opinion
that it had been constructed to protect the interior against
forces equipped with heavy battering rams. That such a force
had ever existed within the vicinity in historic times
seemed most unlikely, and Tarzan conjectured, therefore,
that the wall and the gate were of almost unthinkable
antiquity, dating, doubtless, from the forgotten age of the
Atlantians, and constructed, perhaps, to protect the
builders of the Palace of Diamonds from the well-armed
forces that had come from Atlantis to work the gold mines of
Opar and to colonize central Africa.

While the wall, the gate, and the palace itself, suggested
in many ways almost unbelievable age, yet they were in such
an excellent state of repair that it was evident that they
were still inhabited by rational and intelligent creatures;
while upon the south side Tarzan had seen a new tower in
process of construction, where a number of blacks working
under the direction of Bolgani were cutting and shaping
granite blocks and putting them in place.

Tarzan had halted in a tree near the east gate to watch the
life passing in and out of the palace grounds beneath the
ancient portal, and as he watched, a long cavalcade of
powerful Gomangani emerged from the forest and entered the
enclosure.  Swung in hides between two poles, this party was
carrying rough-hewn blocks of granite, four men to a block.
Two or three Bolgani accompanied the long line of carriers,
which was preceded and followed by a detachment of black
warriors, armed with battle-axes and spears. The demeanor
and attitude of the black porters, as well as of the
Bolgani, suggested to the ape-man nothing more nor less than
a caravan of donkeys, plodding their stupid way at the
behest of their drivers. If one lagged he was prodded with
the point of a spear or struck with its haft. There was no
greater brutality shown than in the ordinary handling of
beasts of burden the world around, nor in the demeanor of
the blacks was there any more indication of objection or
revolt than you see depicted upon the faces of a long line
of burden-bearing mules; to all intents and purposes they
were dumb, driven cattle.  Slowly they filed through the
gate way and disappeared from sight.

A few moments later another party came out of the forest and
passed into the palace grounds. This consisted of fully
fifty armed Bolgani and twice as many black warriors with
spears and axes.  Entirely surrounded by these armed
creatures were four brawny porters, carrying a small litter,
upon which was fastened an ornate chest about two feet wide
by four feet long, with a depth of approximately two feet.
The chest itself was of some dark, weather-worn wood, and
was reinforced by bands and corners of what appeared to be
virgin gold in which were set many diamonds. What the chest
contained Tarzan could not, of course, conceive, but that it
was considered of great value was evidenced by the
precautions for safety with which it had been surrounded.
The chest was borne directly into the huge, ivy-covered
tower at the northeast corner of the palace, the entrance to
which, Tarzan now first observed, was secured by doors as
large and heavy as the east gate itself.

At the first opportunity that he could seize to accomplish
it undiscovered, Tarzan swung across the jungle trail and
continued through the trees to that one in which he had left
the body of the Bolgani. Throwing this across his shoulder
he returned to a point close above the trail near the east
gate, and seizing upon a moment when there was a lull in the
traffic he hurled the body as close to the portal as
possible.

"Now," thought the ape-man, "let them guess who slew their
fellow if they can."

Making his way toward the southeast, Tarzan approached the
mountains which lie back of the Valley of the Palace of
Diamonds.  He had often to make detours to avoid native
villages and to keep out of sight of the numerous parties of
Bolgani that seemed to be moving in all directions through
the forest. Late in the afternoon he came out of the hills
into full view of the mountains beyond--rough, granite
hills they were, whose precipitous peaks arose far above the
timber line. Directly before him a well-marked trail led
into a canyon, which he could see wound far upward toward
the summit. This, then, would be as good a place to commence
his investigations as another. And so, seeing that the coast
was clear, the ape-man descended from the trees, and taking
advantage of the underbrush bordering the trail, made his
way silently, yet swiftly, into the hills. For the most part
he was compelled to worm his way through thickets, for the
trail was in constant use by Gomangani and Bolgani, parties
passing up it empty-handed and, returning, bearing blocks of
granite.  As he advanced more deeply into the hills the
heavy underbrush gave way to a lighter growth of scrub,
through which he could pass with far greater ease though
with considerable more risk of discovery.  However, the
instinct of the beast that dominated Tarzan's jungle craft
permitted him to find cover where another would have been in
full view of every enemy. Half way up the mountain the trail
passed through a narrow gorge, not more than twenty feet
wide and eroded from solid granite cliffs. Here there was no
concealment whatsoever, and the ape-man realized that to
enter it would mean almost immediate discovery. Glancing
about, he saw that by making a slight detour he could reach
the summit of the gorge, where, amid tumbled, granite
boulders and stunted trees and shrubs, he knew that he could
find sufficient concealment, and perhaps a plainer view of
the trail beyond.

Nor was he mistaken, for, when he had reached a vantage
point far above the trail, he saw ahead an open pocket in
the mountain, the cliffs surrounding which were honeycombed
with numerous openings, which, it seemed to Tarzan, could be
naught else than the mouths of tunnels. Rough wooden ladders
reached to some of them, closer to the base of the cliffs,
while from others knotted ropes dangled to the ground below.
Out of these tunnels emerged men carrying little sacks of
earth, which they dumped in a common pile beside a rivulet
which ran through the gorge. Here other blacks, supervised
by Bolgani, were engaged in washing the dirt, but what they
hoped to find or what they did find, Tarzan could not guess.

Along one side of the rocky basin many other blacks were
engaged in quarrying the granite from the cliffs, which had
been cut away through similar operations into a series of
terraces running from the floor of the basin to the summit
of the cliff. Here naked blacks toiled with primitive tools
under the supervision of savage Bolgani. The activities of
the quarrymen were obvious enough, but what the others were
bringing from the mouths of the tunnels Tarzan could not be
positive, though the natural assumption was that it was
gold. Where, then, did they obtain their diamonds? Certainly
not from these solid granite cliffs.

A few minutes' observation convinced Tarzan that the trail
he had followed from the forest ended in this little
cul-de-sac, and so he sought a way upward and around it, in
search of a pass across the range.

The balance of that day and nearly all the next he devoted
to his efforts in this direction, only in the end to be
forced to admit that there was no egress from the valley
upon this side. To points far above the timber line he made
his way, but there, always, he came face to face with sheer,
perpendicular cliffs of granite towering high above him,
upon the face of which not even the ape-man could find
foothold. Along the southern and eastern sides of the basin
he carried his investigation, but with similar disappointing
results, and then at last he turned his steps back toward
the forest with the intention of seeking a way out through
the valley of Opar with La, after darkness had fallen.

The sun had just risen when Tarzan arrived at the native
village in which he had left La, and no sooner did his eyes
rest upon it than he became apprehensive that something was
amiss, for, not only was the gate wide open but there was no
sign of life within the palisade, nor was there any movement
of the swinging huts that would indicate that they were
occupied. Always wary of ambush, Tarzan reconnoitered
carefully before descending into the village. To his trained
observation it became evident that the village had been
deserted for at least twenty-four hours.  Running to the hut
in which La had been hidden he hastily ascended the rope and
examined the interior--it was vacant, nor was there any
sign of the High Priestess. Descending to the ground, the
ape-man started to make a thorough investigation of the
village in search of clews to the fate of its inhabitants and
of La. He had examined the interiors of several huts when
his keen eyes noted a slight movement of one of the
swinging, cage-like habitations some distance from him.
Quickly he crossed the intervening space, and as he
approached the hut he saw that no rope trailed from its
doorway. Halting beneath, Tarzan raised his face to the
aperture, through which nothing but the roof of the hut was
visible.

"Gomangani," he cried, "it is I, Tarzan of the Apes.  Come
to the opening and tell me what has become of your fellows
and of my mate, whom I left here under the protection of
your warriors."

There was no answer, and again Tarzan called, for he was
positive that someone was hiding in the hut.

"Come down," he called again, "or I will come up after you."

Still there was no reply. A grim smile touched the ape-man's
lips as he drew his hunting knife from its sheath and placed
it between his teeth, and then, with a cat-like spring,
leaped for the opening, and catching its sides, drew his
body up into the interior of the hut.

If he had expected opposition, he met with none, nor in the
dimly lighted interior could he at first distinguish any
presence, though, when his eyes became accustomed to the
semi-darkness, he descried a bundle of leaves and grasses
lying against the opposite wall of the structure. Crossing
to these he tore them aside revealing the huddled form of a
terrified woman. Seizing her by a shoulder he drew her to a
sitting position.

"What has happened?" he demanded. "Where are the villagers?
Where is my mate?"

"Do not kill me! Do not kill me!" she cried. "It was not I.
It was not my fault."

"I do not intend to kill you," replied Tarzan. "Tell me the
truth and you shall be safe."

"The Bolgani have taken them away," cried the woman. "They
came when the sun was low upon the day that you arrived, and
they were very angry, for they had found the body of their
fellow outside the gate of the Palace of Diamonds. They knew
that he had come here to our village, and no one had seen
him alive since he had departed from the palace. They came,
then, and threatened and tortured our people, until at last
the warriors told them all. I hid. I do not know why they
did not find me. But at last they went away, taking all the
others with them; taking your mate, too. They will never
come back."

"You think that the Bolgani will kill them?" asked Tarzan.

"Yes," she replied, "they kill all who displease them."

Alone, now, and relieved of the responsibility of La, Tarzan
might easily make his way by night through the valley of
Opar and to safety beyond the barrier.  But perhaps such a
thought never entered his head. Gratitude and loyalty were
marked characteristics of the ape-man. La had saved him from
the fanaticism and intrigue of her people. She had saved him
at a cost of all that was most dear to her, power and
position, peace and safety. She had jeopardized her life
for him, and become an exile from her own country. The mere
fact then that the Bolgani had taken her with the possible
intention of slaying her, was not sufficient for the
ape-man. He must know whether or not she lived, and if she
lived he must devote his every energy to winning her release
and her eventual escape from the dangers of this valley.

Tarzan spent the day reconnoitering outside the palace
grounds, seeking an opportunity of gaining entrance without
detection, but this he found impossible inasmuch as there
was never a moment that there were not Gomangani or Bolgani
in the outer garden. But with the approach of darkness the
great east gate was closed, and the inmates of the huts and
palace withdrew within their walls, leaving not even a
single sentinel without--a fact that indicated clearly
that the Bolgani had no reason to apprehend an attack.  The
subjugation of the Gomangani, then, was apparently complete,
and so the towering wall surrounding their palace, which was
more than sufficient to protect them from the inroads of
lions, was but the reminder of an ancient day when a once
powerful, but now vanished, enemy threatened their peace and
safety.

When darkness had finally settled Tarzan approached the
gate, and throwing the noose of his grass rope over one of
the carved lions that capped the gate posts, ascended
quickly to the summit of the wall, from where he dropped
lightly into the garden below.  To ensure an avenue for
quick escape in the event that he found La, he unlatched the
heavy gates and swung them open.  Then he crept stealthily
toward the ivy-covered east tower, which he had chosen after
a day of investigation as offering easiest ingress to the
palace. The success of his plan hinged largely upon the age
and strength of the ivy which grew almost to the summit of
the tower, and, to his immense relief, he found that it
would easily support his weight.

Far above the ground, near the summit of the tower, he had
seen from the trees surrounding the palace an open window,
which, unlike the balance of those in this part of the
palace, was without bars. Dim lights shone from several of
the tower windows, as from those of other parts of the
palace.  Avoiding these lighted apertures, Tarzan ascended
quickly, though carefully, toward the unbarred window above,
and as he reached it and cautiously raised his eyes above
the level of the sill, he was delighted to find that it
opened into an unlighted chamber, the interior of which,
however, was so shrouded in darkness that he could discern
nothing within. Drawing himself carefully to the level of
the sill he crept quietly into the apartment beyond. Groping
through the blackness, he cautiously made the rounds of the
room, which he found to contain a carved bedstead of
peculiar design, a table, and a couple of benches. Upon the
bedstead were stuffs of woven material, thrown over the
softly tanned pelts of antelopes and leopards.

Opposite the window through which he had entered was a
closed door.  This he opened slowly and silently, until,
through a tiny aperture he could look out upon a dimly
lighted corridor or circular hallway, in the center of which
was an opening about four feet in diameter, passing through
which and disappearing beyond a similar opening in the
ceiling directly above was a straight pole with short
crosspieces fastened to it at intervals of about a foot--
quite evidently the primitive staircase which gave
communication between the various floors of the tower.
Three upright columns, set at equal intervals about the
circumference of the circular opening in the center of the
floor helped to support the ceiling above. Around the
outside of this circular hallway there were other doors,
similar to that opening into the apartment in which he was.

Hearing no noise and seeing no evidence of another than
himself, Tarzan opened the door and stepped into the
hallway. His nostrils were now assailed strongly by the same
heavy fragrance of incense that had first greeted him upon
his approach to the palace several days before. In the
interior of the tower, however, it was much more powerful,
practically obliterating all other odors, and placing upon
the ape-man an almost prohibitive handicap in his search for
La. In fact as he viewed the doors upon this single stage of
the tower, he was filled with consternation at the prospect
of the well-nigh impossible task that confronted him. To
search this great tower alone, without any assistance
whatever from his keen sense of scent, seemed impossible of
accomplishment, if he were to take even the most ordinary
precautions against detection.

The ape-man's self-confidence was in no measure blundering
egotism.  Knowing his limitations, he knew that he would
have little or no chance against even a few Bolgani were he
to be discovered within their palace, where all was familiar
to them and strange to him. Behind him was the open window,
and the silent jungle night, and freedom. Ahead danger,
predestined failure; and, quite likely, death. Which should
he choose? For a moment he stood in silent thought, and
then, raising his head and squaring his great shoulders, he
shook his black locks defiantly and stepped boldly toward
the nearest door. Room after room he had investigated until
he had made the entire circle of the landing, but in so far
as La or any clew to her were concerned his search was
fruitless.  He found quaint furniture and rugs and
tapestries, and ornaments of gold and diamonds, and in one
dimly lighted chamber he came upon a sleeping Bolgani, but
so silent were the movements of the ape-man that the sleeper
slept on undisturbed, even though Tarzan passed entirely
around his bed, which was set in the center of the chamber,
and investigated a curtained alcove beyond.

Having completed the rounds of this floor, Tarzan determined
to work upward first and then, returning, investigate the
lower stages later. Pursuant to this plan, therefore, he
ascended the strange stairway.  Three landings he passed
before he reached the upper floor of the tower. Circling
each floor was a ring of doors, all of which were closed,
while dimly lighting each landing were feebly burning
cressets--shallow, golden bowls--containing what
appeared to be tallow, in which floated a tow-like wick.

Upon the upper landing there were but three doors, all of
which were closed.  The ceiling of this hallway was the
dome-like roof of the tower, in the center of which was
another circular opening, through which the stairway
protruded into the darkness of the night above.

As Tarzan opened the door nearest him it creaked upon its
hinges, giving forth the first audible sound that had
resulted from his investigations up to this point. The
interior of the apartment before him was unlighted, and as
Tarzan stood there in the entrance in statuesque silence for
a few seconds following the creaking of the hinge, he was
suddenly aware of movement--of the faintest shadow of a
sound--behind him. Wheeling quickly he saw the figure of a
man standing in an open doorway upon the opposite side of
the landing.