Doubtless
he had felt as certain of my doom when he saw me topple from our
hiding place as I had, and lest he too should be discovered, had
hastened from the temple and back to his village.
I knew that there must be some entrance to the building beside the
doorways in the roof, for it did not seem reasonable to believe
that the thousands of slaves which were brought here to feed the
Mahars the human flesh they craved would all be carried through
the air, and so I continued my search until at last it was rewarded
by the discovery of several loose granite blocks in the masonry at
one end of the temple.
A little effort proved sufficient to dislodge enough of these stones
to permit me to crawl through into the clearing, and a moment later
I had scurried across the intervening space to the dense jungle
beyond.
Here I sank panting and trembling upon the matted grasses beneath
the giant trees, for I felt that I had escaped from the grinning
fangs of death out of the depths of my own grave. Whatever dangers
lay hidden in this island jungle, there could be none so fearsome
as those which I had just escaped. I knew that I could meet death
bravely enough if it but came in the form of some familiar beast
or man--anything other than the hideous and uncanny Mahars.
IX
THE FACE OF DEATH
I MUST HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP FROM EXHAUSTION. When I awoke I was very
hungry, and after busying myself searching for fruit for a while,
I set off through the jungle to find the beach.
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