"Why?" asked the warrior.
"I wish to sleep," replied the ape-man. "I have entered often before and no one has ever stopped me."
"Avan has issued orders that no strangers are to enter or leave the cavern until after the council of the warriors," exclaimed the guard.
At this juncture Avan approached. "Let him enter," he said. "I sent him hither, but do not let him come out again."
Without a word of comment or question the Lord of the Jungle passed into the interior of the gloomy cavern of Clovi. It was several moments before his eyes became accustomed to the subdued light within and permitted him to take account of his surroundings.
That portion of the cavern which was visible and with which he was familiar was of considerable extent. He could see the walls on either side, and, very vaguely, a portion of the rear wall, but adjoining that was utter darkness, suggesting that the cavern extended further into the mountainside. Against the walls upon pallets of dry grasses covered with hide lay many warriors and a few women and children, almost all of whom were wrapped in slumber. In the greater light near the entrance a group squatted engaged in whispered conversation as, silently, he moved about the cavern searching for the girl from Zoram. It was she who recognized him first, attracting his attention by a low whistle.
"You have a plan of escape?" she asked as Tarzan seated himself upon a skin beside her.
"No," he said, "all that we may do is to await developments and take advantage of any opportunity that may present itself."
"I should think that it would be easy for you to escape," said the girl; "they do not treat you as a prisoner; you go about among them freely and they have permitted you to retain your weapons."
"I am a prisoner now," he replied. "Avan just instructed the warriors at the entrance not to permit me to leave here until after the council of warriors had decided my fate."