With
a gesture I silenced him, and together we drew aside into another
corridor a few paces farther on.
Here we waited; nor did we have long to wait, for presently we saw
the shadows of two men fall upon the floor of the main corridor
athwart the doorway of our hiding place. Very cautiously they
were moving now--the accidental clank that had alarmed me was not
repeated.
Presently they came opposite our station; nor was I surprised to
see that the two were Lakor and his companion of the guardroom.
They walked very softly, and in the right hand of each gleamed a
keen long-sword. They halted quite close to the entrance of our
retreat, whispering to each other.
"Can it be that we have distanced them already?" said Lakor.
"Either that or the beast has led the man upon a wrong trail,"
replied the other, "for the way which we took is by far the shorter
to this point--for him who knows it. John Carter would have found
it a short road to death had he taken it as you suggested to him."
"Yes," said Lakor, "no amount of fighting ability would have saved
him from the pivoted flagstone. He surely would have stepped upon
it, and by now, if the pit beneath it has a bottom, which Thurid
denies, he should have been rapidly approaching it. Curses on that
calot of his that warned him toward the safer avenue!"
"There be other dangers ahead of him, though," spoke Lakor's fellow,
"which he may not so easily escape--should he succeed in escaping
our two good swords.
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