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Title: Tarzan the Untamed

Author: Edgar Rice Burroughs

Release date: July 1, 1998 [eBook #1401]
                Most recently updated: December 31, 2020

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Judith Boss


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TARZAN THE UNTAMED ***




Produced by Judith Boss









Tarzan the Untamed


By

Edgar Rice Burroughs





CONTENTS

CHAPTER

     I  Murder and Pillage
    II  The Lion's Cave
   III  In the German Lines
    IV  When the Lion Fed
     V  The Golden Locket
    VI  Vengeance and Mercy
   VII  When Blood Told
  VIII  Tarzan and the Great Apes
    IX  Dropped from the Sky
     X  In the Hands of Savages
    XI  Finding the Airplane
   XII  The Black Flier
  XIII  Usanga's Reward
   XIV  The Black Lion
    XV  Mysterious Footprints
   XVI  The Night Attack
  XVII  The Walled City
 XVIII  Among the Maniacs
   XIX  The Queen's Story
    XX  Came Tarzan
   XXI  In the Alcove
  XXII  Out of the Niche
 XXIII  The Flight from Xuja
  XXIV  The Tommies




Chapter I

Murder and Pillage


Hauptmann Fritz Schneider trudged wearily through the somber aisles
of the dark forest. Sweat rolled down his bullet head and stood
upon his heavy jowls and bull neck. His lieutenant marched beside
him while Underlieutenant von Goss brought up the rear, following
with a handful of askaris the tired and all but exhausted porters
whom the black soldiers, following the example of their white officer,
encouraged with the sharp points of bayonets and the metal-shod
butts of rifles.

There were no porters within reach of Hauptmann Schneider so he
vented his Prussian spleen upon the askaris nearest at hand, yet
with greater circumspection since these men bore loaded rifles--and
the three white men were alone with them in the heart of Africa.

Ahead of the hauptmann marched half his company, behind him the
other half--thus were the dangers of the savage jungle minimized
for the German captain. At the forefront of the column staggered
two naked savages fastened to each other by a neck chain. These
were the native guides impressed into the service of Kultur and upon
their poor, bruised bodies Kultur's brand was revealed in divers
cruel wounds and bruises.

Thus even in darkest Africa was the light of German civilization
commencing to reflect itself upon the undeserving natives just as
at the same period, the fall of 1914, it was shedding its glorious
effulgence upon benighted Belgium.

It is true that the guides had led the party astray; but this is
the way of most African guides. Nor did it matter that ignorance
rather than evil intent had been the cause of their failure. It
was enough for Hauptmann Fritz Schneider to know that he was lost
in the African wilderness and that he had at hand human beings less
powerful than he who could be made to suffer by torture. That he
did not kill them outright was partially due to a faint hope that
they might eventually prove the means of extricating him from his
difficulties and partially that so long as they lived they might
still be made to suffer.

The poor creatures, hoping that chance might lead them at last
upon the right trail, insisted that they knew the way and so led
on through a dismal forest along a winding game trail trodden deep
by the feet of countless generations of the savage denizens of the
jungle.

Here Tantor, the elephant, took his long way from dust wallow to
water. Here Buto, the rhinoceros, blundered blindly in his solitary
majesty, while by night the great cats paced silently upon their
padded feet beneath the dense canopy of overreaching trees toward
the broad plain beyond, where they found their best hunting.

It was at the edge of this plain which came suddenly and  unexpectedly
before the eyes of the guides that their sad hearts beat with
renewed hope. Here the hauptmann drew a deep sigh of relief, for
after days of hopeless wandering through almost impenetrable jungle
the broad vista of waving grasses dotted here and there with open
park like woods and in the far distance the winding line of green
shrubbery that denoted a river appeared to the European a veritable
heaven.

The Hun smiled in his relief, passed a cheery word with his  lieutenant,
and then scanned the broad plain with his field glasses. Back and
forth they swept across the rolling land until at last they came
to rest upon a point near the center of the landscape and close to
the green-fringed contours of the river.

"We are in luck," said Schneider to his companions. "Do you see
it?"

The lieutenant, who was also gazing through his own glasses,
finally brought them to rest upon the same spot that had held the
attention of his superior.

"Yes," he said, "an English farm. It must be Greystoke's, for there
is none other in this part of British East Africa. God is with us,
Herr Captain."

"We have come upon the English schweinhund long before he can have
learned that his country is at war with ours," replied Schneider.
"Let him be the first to feel the iron hand of Germany."

"Let us hope that he is at home," said the lieutenant, "that we
may take him with us when we report to Kraut at Nairobi.  It will
go well indeed with Herr Hauptmann Fritz Schneider if he brings in
the famous Tarzan of the Apes as a prisoner of war."

Schneider smiled and puffed out his chest. "You are right, my
friend," he said, "it will go well with both of us; but I shall
have to travel far to catch General Kraut before he reaches Mombasa.
These English pigs with their contemptible army will make good time
to the Indian Ocean."

It was in a better frame of mind that the small force set out across
the open country toward the trim and well-kept farm buildings of
John Clayton, Lord Greystoke; but disappointment was to be their
lot since neither Tarzan of the Apes nor his son was at home.

Lady Jane, ignorant of the fact that a state of war existed between
Great Britain and Germany, welcomed the officers most hospitably
and gave orders through her trusted Waziri to prepare a feast for
the black soldiers of the enemy.

Far to the east, Tarzan of the Apes was traveling rapidly from
Nairobi toward the farm. At Nairobi he had received news of the
World War that had already started, and, anticipating an immediate
invasion of British East Africa by the Germans, was hurrying homeward
to fetch his wife to a place of greater security. With him were a
score of his ebon warriors, but far too slow for the ape-man was
the progress of these trained and hardened woodsmen.

When necessity demanded, Tarzan of the Apes sloughed the thin
veneer of his civilization and with it the hampering apparel that
was its badge. In a moment the polished English gentleman reverted
to the naked ape man.

His mate was in danger. For the time, that single thought  dominated.
He did not think of her as Lady Jane Greystoke, but rather as the
she he had won by the might of his steel thews, and that he must
hold and protect by virtue of the same offensive armament.

It was no member of the House of Lords who swung swiftly and grimly
through the tangled forest or trod with untiring muscles the wide
stretches of open plain--it was a great he ape filled with a single
purpose that excluded all thoughts of fatigue or danger.

Little Manu, the monkey, scolding and chattering in the upper
terraces of the forest, saw him pass. Long had it been since he had
thus beheld the great Tarmangani naked and alone hurtling through
the jungle. Bearded and gray was Manu, the monkey, and to his dim
old eyes came the fire of recollection of those days when Tarzan
of the Apes had ruled supreme, Lord of the Jungle, over all the
myriad life that trod the matted vegetation between the boles of
the great trees, or flew or swung or climbed in the leafy fastness
upward to the very apex of the loftiest terraces.

And Numa, the lion, lying up for the day close beside last night's
successful kill, blinked his yellow-green eyes and twitched his
tawny tail as he caught the scent spoor of his ancient enemy.

Nor was Tarzan senseless to the presence of Numa or Manu or any of
the many jungle beasts he passed in his rapid flight towards the
west. No particle had his shallow probing of English society dulled
his marvelous sense faculties. His nose had picked out the presence
of Numa, the lion, even before the majestic king of beasts was
aware of his passing.

He had heard noisy little Manu, and even the soft rustling of the
parting shrubbery where Sheeta passed before either of these alert
animals sensed his presence.

But however keen the senses of the ape-man, however swift his
progress through the wild country of his adoption, however mighty
the muscles that bore him, he was still mortal.  Time and space
placed their inexorable limits upon him; nor was there another who
realized this truth more keenly than Tarzan. He chafed and fretted
that he could not travel with the swiftness of thought and that the
long tedious miles stretching far ahead of him must require hours
and hours of tireless effort upon his part before he would swing
at last from the final bough of the fringing forest into the open
plain and in sight of his goal.

Days it took, even though he lay up at night for but a few hours
and left to chance the finding of meat directly on his trail. If
Wappi, the antelope, or Horta, the boar, chanced in his way when
he was hungry, he ate, pausing but long enough to make the kill
and cut himself a steak.

Then at last the long journey drew to its close and he was passing
through the last stretch of heavy forest that bounded his estate
upon the east, and then this was traversed and he stood upon the
plain's edge looking out across his broad lands towards his home.

At the first glance his eyes narrowed and his muscles tensed.  Even
at that distance he could see that something was amiss.  A thin
spiral of smoke arose at the right of the bungalow where the barns
had stood, but there were no barns there now, and from the bungalow
chimney from which smoke should have arisen, there arose nothing.

Once again Tarzan of the Apes was speeding onward, this time even
more swiftly than before, for he was goaded now by a nameless fear,
more product of intuition than of reason.  Even as the beasts,
Tarzan of the Apes seemed to possess a sixth sense. Long before he
reached the bungalow, he had almost pictured the scene that finally
broke upon his view.

Silent and deserted was the vine-covered cottage. Smoldering embers
marked the site of his great barns. Gone were the thatched huts of
his sturdy retainers, empty the fields, the pastures, and corrals.
Here and there vultures rose and circled above the carcasses of
men and beasts.

It was with a feeling as nearly akin to terror as he ever had
experienced that the ape-man finally forced himself to enter his
home. The first sight that met his eyes set the red haze of hate
and bloodlust across his vision, for there, crucified against the
wall of the living-room, was Wasimbu, giant son of the faithful
Muviro and for over a year the personal bodyguard of Lady Jane.

The overturned and shattered furniture of the room, the brown pools
of dried blood upon the floor, and prints of bloody hands on walls
and woodwork evidenced something of the frightfulness of the battle
that had been waged within the narrow confines of the apartment.
Across the baby grand piano lay the corpse of another black warrior,
while before the door of Lady Jane's boudoir were the dead bodies
of three more of the faithful Greystoke servants.

The door of this room was closed. With drooping shoulders and dull
eyes Tarzan stood gazing dumbly at the insensate panel which hid
from him what horrid secret he dared not even guess.

Slowly, with leaden feet, he moved toward the door. Gropingly his
hand reached for the knob. Thus he stood for another long minute,
and then with a sudden gesture he straightened his giant frame,
threw back his mighty shoulders and, with fearless head held high,
swung back the door and stepped across the threshold into the
room which held for him the dearest memories and associations of
his life. No change of expression crossed his grim and stern-set
features as he strode across the room and stood beside the little
couch and the inanimate form which lay face downward upon it; the
still, silent thing that had pulsed with life and youth and love.

No tear dimmed the eye of the ape-man, but the God who made him alone
could know the thoughts that passed through that still half-savage
brain. For a long time he stood there just looking down upon the
dead body, charred beyond recognition, and then he stooped and lifted
it in his arms.  As he turned the body over and saw how horribly
death had been meted he plumbed, in that instant, the uttermost
depths of grief and horror and hatred.

Nor did he require the evidence of the broken German rifle in the
outer room, or the torn and blood-stained service cap upon the
floor, to tell him who had been the perpetrators of this horrid
and useless crime.

For a moment he had hoped against hope that the blackened corpse was
not that of his mate, but when his eyes discovered and recognized
the rings upon her fingers the last faint ray of hope forsook him.

In silence, in love, and in reverence he buried, in the little
rose garden that had been Jane Clayton's pride and love, the poor,
charred form and beside it the great black warriors who had given
their lives so futilely in their mistress' protection.

At one side of the house Tarzan found other newly made graves
and in these he sought final evidence of the identity of the real
perpetrators of the atrocities that had been committed there in
his absence.

Here he disinterred the bodies of a dozen German askaris and found
upon their uniforms the insignia of the company and regiment to
which they had belonged. This was enough for the ape-man. White
officers had commanded these men, nor would it be a difficult task
to discover who they were.

Returning to the rose garden, he stood among the Hun trampled
blooms and bushes above the grave of his dead--with bowed head he
stood there in a last mute farewell. As the sun sank slowly behind
the towering forests of the west, he turned slowly away upon the
still-distinct trail of Hauptmann Fritz Schneider and his blood-stained
company.

His was the suffering of the dumb brute--mute; but though voiceless
no less poignant. At first his vast sorrow numbed his other faculties
of thought--his brain was overwhelmed by the calamity to such an
extent that it reacted to but a single objective suggestion: She is
dead! She is dead! She is dead!  Again and again this phrase beat
monotonously upon his brain--a dull, throbbing pain, yet mechanically
his feet followed the trail of her slayer while, subconsciously,
his every sense was upon the alert for the ever-present perils of
the jungle.

Gradually the labor of his great grief brought forth another
emotion so real, so tangible, that it seemed a companion walking
at his side. It was Hate--and it brought to him a measure of solace
and of comfort, for it was a sublime hate that ennobled him as
it has ennobled countless thousands since--hatred for Germany and
Germans. It centered about the slayer of his mate, of course; but
it included everything German, animate or inanimate. As the thought
took firm hold upon him he paused and raising his face to Goro, the
moon, cursed with upraised hand the authors of the hideous crime
that had been perpetrated in that once peaceful bungalow behind
him; and he cursed their progenitors, their progeny, and all their
kind the while he took silent oath to war upon them relentlessly
until death overtook him.

There followed almost immediately a feeling of content, for, where
before his future at best seemed but a void, now it was filled
with possibilities the contemplation of which brought him, if not
happiness, at least a surcease of absolute grief, for before him
lay a great work that would occupy his time.

Stripped not only of all the outward symbols of civilization, Tarzan
had also reverted morally and mentally to the status of the savage
beast he had been reared. Never had his civilization been more than
a veneer put on for the sake of her he loved because he thought it
made her happier to see him thus. In reality he had always held the
outward evidences of so-called culture in deep contempt. Civilization
meant to Tarzan of the Apes a curtailment of freedom in all its
aspects--freedom of action, freedom of thought, freedom of love,
freedom of hate. Clothes he abhorred--uncomfortable, hideous,
confining things that reminded him somehow of bonds securing him to
the life he had seen the poor creatures of London and Paris living.
Clothes were the emblems of that hypocrisy for which civilization
stood--a pretense that the wearers were ashamed of what the clothes
covered, of the human form made in the semblance of God. Tarzan
knew how silly and pathetic the lower orders of animals appeared in
the clothing of civilization, for he had seen several poor creatures
thus appareled in various traveling shows in Europe, and he knew,
too, how silly and pathetic man appears in them since the only men
he had seen in the first twenty years of his life had been, like
himself, naked savages. The ape-man had a keen admiration for a
well-muscled, well-proportioned body, whether lion, or antelope,
or man, and it had ever been beyond him to understand how clothes
could be considered more beautiful than a clear, firm, healthy
skin, or coat and trousers more graceful than the gentle curves of
rounded muscles playing beneath a flexible hide.

In civilization Tarzan had found greed and selfishness and cruelty
far beyond that which he had known in his familiar, savage jungle,
and though civilization had given him his mate and several friends
whom he loved and admired, he never had come to accept it as you
and I who have known little or nothing else; so it was with a sense
of relief that he now definitely abandoned it and all that it stood
for, and went forth into the jungle once again stripped to his loin
cloth and weapons.

The hunting knife of his father hung at his left hip, his bow and
his quiver of arrows were slung across his shoulders, while around
his chest over one shoulder and beneath the opposite arm was coiled
the long grass rope without which Tarzan would have felt quite as
naked as would you should you be suddenly thrust upon a busy highway
clad only in a union suit. A heavy war spear which he sometimes
carried in one hand and again slung by a thong about his neck so
that it hung down his back completed his armament and his apparel.
The diamond-studded locket with the pictures of his mother and
father that he had worn always until he had given it as a token
of his highest devotion to Jane Clayton before their marriage was
missing. She always had worn it since, but it had not been upon
her body when he found her slain in her boudoir, so that now his
quest for vengeance included also a quest for the stolen trinket.

Toward midnight Tarzan commenced to feel the physical strain of
his long hours of travel and to realize that even muscles such as
his had their limitations. His pursuit of the murderers had not
been characterized by excessive speed; but rather more in keeping
with his mental attitude, which was marked by a dogged determination
to require from the Germans more than an eye for an eye and more
than a tooth for a tooth, the element of time entering but slightly
into his calculations.

Inwardly as well as outwardly Tarzan had reverted to beast and in
the lives of beasts, time, as a measurable aspect of duration, has
no meaning. The beast is actively interested only in NOW, and as
it is always NOW and always shall be, there is an eternity of time
for the accomplishment of objects. The ape-man, naturally, had a
slightly more comprehensive realization of the limitations of time;
but, like the beasts, he moved with majestic deliberation when no
emergency prompted him to swift action.

Having dedicated his life to vengeance, vengeance became his natural
state and, therefore, no emergency, so he took his time in pursuit.
That he had not rested earlier was due to the fact that he had
felt no fatigue, his mind being occupied by thoughts of sorrow and
revenge; but now he realized that he was tired, and so he sought
a jungle giant that had harbored him upon more than a single other
jungle night.

Dark clouds moving swiftly across the heavens now and again eclipsed
the bright face of Goro, the moon, and forewarned the ape-man
of impending storm. In the depth of the jungle the cloud shadows
produced a thick blackness that might almost be felt--a blackness
that to you and me might have proven terrifying with its accompaniment
of rustling leaves and cracking twigs, and its even more suggestive
intervals of utter silence in which the crudest of imaginations
might have conjured crouching beasts of prey tensed for the fatal
charge; but through it Tarzan passed unconcerned, yet always alert.
Now he swung lightly to the lower terraces of the overarching
trees when some subtle sense warned him that Numa lay upon a kill
directly in his path, or again he sprang lightly to one side as
Buto, the rhinoceros, lumbered toward him along the narrow, deep-worn
trail, for the ape-man, ready to fight upon necessity's slightest
pretext, avoided unnecessary quarrels.

When he swung himself at last into the tree he sought, the moon was
obscured by a heavy cloud, and the tree tops were waving wildly in
a steadily increasing wind whose soughing drowned the lesser noises
of the jungle. Upward went Tarzan toward a sturdy crotch across which
he long since had laid and secured a little platform of branches.
It was very dark now, darker even than it had been before, for
almost the entire sky was overcast by thick, black clouds.

Presently the man-beast paused, his sensitive nostrils dilating as
he sniffed the air about him. Then, with the swiftness and agility of
a cat, he leaped far outward upon a swaying branch, sprang upward
through the darkness, caught another, swung himself upon it and
then to one still higher. What could have so suddenly transformed
his matter-of-fact ascent of the giant bole to the swift and wary
action of his detour among the branches? You or I could have seen
nothing--not even the little platform that an instant before had
been just above him and which now was immediately below--but as he
swung above it we should have heard an ominous growl; and then as
the moon was momentarily uncovered, we should have seen both the
platform, dimly, and a dark mass that lay stretched upon it--a dark
mass that presently, as our eyes became accustomed to the lesser
darkness, would take the form of Sheeta, the panther.

In answer to the cat's growl, a low and equally ferocious growl
rumbled upward from the ape-man's deep chest--a growl of warning
that told the panther he was trespassing upon the other's lair; but
Sheeta was in no mood to be dispossessed. With upturned, snarling
face he glared at the brown-skinned Tarmangani above him. Very slowly
the ape-man moved inward along the branch until he was directly
above the panther. In the man's hand was the hunting knife of his
long-dead father--the weapon that had first given him his real
ascendancy over the beasts of the jungle; but he hoped not to be
forced to use it, knowing as he did that more jungle battles were
settled by hideous growling than by actual combat, the law of bluff
holding quite as good in the jungle as elsewhere--only in matters
of love and food did the great beasts ordinarily close with fangs
and talons.

Tarzan braced himself against the bole of the tree and leaned closer
toward Sheeta.

"Stealer of balus!" he cried. The panther rose to a sitting position,
his bared fangs but a few feet from the ape-man's taunting face.
Tarzan growled hideously and struck at the cat's face with his
knife.  "I am Tarzan of the Apes," he roared.  "This is Tarzan's
lair.  Go, or I will kill you."

Though he spoke in the language of the great apes of the jungle,
it is doubtful that Sheeta understood the words, though he knew
well enough that the hairless ape wished to frighten him from his
well-chosen station past which edible creatures might be expected
to wander sometime during the watches of the night.

Like lightning the cat reared and struck a vicious blow at his
tormentor with great, bared talons that might well have torn away
the ape-man's face had the blow landed; but it did not land--Tarzan
was even quicker than Sheeta.  As the panther came to all fours
again upon the little platform, Tarzan un-slung his heavy spear and
prodded at the snarling face, and as Sheeta warded off the blows,
the two continued their horrid duet of blood-curdling roars and
growls.

Goaded to frenzy the cat presently determined to come up after this
disturber of his peace; but when he essayed to leap to the branch
that held Tarzan he found the sharp spear point always in his
face, and each time as he dropped back he was prodded viciously in
some tender part; but at length, rage having conquered his better
judgment, he leaped up the rough bole to the very branch upon which
Tarzan stood.  Now the two faced each other upon even footing and
Sheeta saw a quick revenge and a supper all in one.  The hairless
ape-thing with the tiny fangs and the puny talons would be helpless
before him.

The heavy limb bent beneath the weight of the two beasts as Sheeta
crept cautiously out upon it and Tarzan backed slowly away, growling.
The wind had risen to the proportions of a gale so that even the
greatest giants of the forest swayed, groaning, to its force and
the branch upon which the two faced each other rose and fell like
the deck of a storm-tossed ship.  Goro was now entirely obscured,
but vivid flashes of lightning lit up the jungle at brief intervals,
revealing the grim tableau of primitive passion upon the swaying
limb.

Tarzan backed away, drawing Sheeta farther from the stem of the
tree and out upon the tapering branch, where his footing became
ever more precarious.  The cat, infuriated by the pain of spear
wounds, was overstepping the bounds of caution.  Already he had
reached a point where he could do little more than maintain a secure
footing, and it was this moment that Tarzan chose to charge.  With
a roar that mingled with the booming thunder from above he leaped
toward the panther, who could only claw futilely with one huge paw
while he clung to the branch with the other; but the ape-man did
not come within that parabola of destruction.  Instead he leaped
above menacing claws and snapping fangs, turning in mid-air  and
alighting upon Sheeta's back, and at the instant of impact  his knife
struck deep into the tawny side. Then Sheeta, impelled by pain and
hate and rage and the first law of Nature,  went mad. Screaming
and clawing he attempted to turn upon the ape-thing clinging to
his back. For an instant he toppled upon the now wildly gyrating
limb, clutched frantically to save himself, and then plunged downward
into the darkness with Tarzan still clinging to him. Crashing
through splintering branches the two fell. Not for an instant did
the ape-man consider relinquishing his death-hold upon his adversary.
He had entered the lists in mortal combat and true to the primitive
instincts of the wild--the unwritten law of the jungle--one or both
must die before the battle ended.

Sheeta, catlike, alighted upon four out-sprawled feet, the  weight
of the ape-man crushing him to earth, the long knife  again imbedded
in his side. Once the panther struggled to rise; but only to sink
to earth again. Tarzan felt the giant muscles relax beneath him.
Sheeta was dead. Rising, the ape-man placed a foot upon the body of
his vanquished foe, raised his face toward the thundering heavens,
and as the lightning flashed and the torrential rain broke upon
him, screamed forth the wild victory cry of the bull ape.

Having accomplished his aim and driven the enemy from his lair,
Tarzan gathered an armful of large fronds and climbed to his dripping
couch. Laying a few of the fronds upon the poles he lay down and
covered himself against the rain with the others, and despite the
wailing of the wind and the crashing of the thunder, immediately
fell asleep.




Chapter II

The Lion's Cave


The rain lasted for twenty-four hours and much of the time it fell
in torrents so that when it ceased, the trail he had been following
was entirely obliterated. Cold and uncomfortable--it was a savage
Tarzan who threaded the mazes of the soggy jungle. Manu, the
monkey, shivering and chattering in the dank trees, scolded and fled
at his approach. Even the panthers and the lions let the growling
Tarmangani pass unmolested.

When the sun shone again upon the second day and a wide, open plain
let the full heat of Kudu flood the chilled, brown body, Tarzan's
spirits rose; but it was still a sullen, surly brute that moved
steadily onward into the south where he hoped again to pick up the
trail of the Germans. He was now in German East Africa and it was
his intention to skirt the mountains west of Kilimanjaro, whose
rugged peaks he was quite willing to give a wide berth, and then
swing eastward along the south side of the range to the railway that
led to Tanga, for his experience among men suggested that it was
toward this railroad that German troops would be likely to converge.

Two days later, from the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro, he heard
the boom of cannon far away to the east. The afternoon had been
dull and cloudy and now as he was passing through a narrow gorge a
few great drops of rain began to splatter upon his naked shoulders.
Tarzan shook his head and growled his disapproval; then he cast his
eyes about for shelter, for he had had quite enough of the cold and
drenching.  He wanted to hasten on in the direction of the booming
noise, for he knew that there would be Germans fighting against the
English. For an instant his bosom swelled with pride at the thought
that he was English and then he shook his head again viciously.
"No!" he muttered, "Tarzan of the Apes is not English, for the
English are men and Tarzan is Tarmangani;" but he could not hide
even from his sorrow or from his sullen hatred of mankind in general
that his heart warmed at the thought it was Englishmen who fought
the Germans.  His regret was that the English were human and not
great white apes as he again considered himself.

"Tomorrow," he thought, "I will travel that way and find the Germans,"
and then he set himself to the immediate task of discovering some
shelter from the storm. Presently he espied the low and narrow
entrance to what appeared to be a cave at the base of the cliffs
which formed the northern side of the gorge. With drawn knife he
approached the spot warily, for he knew that if it were a cave it
was doubtless the lair of some other beast. Before the entrance lay
many large fragments of rock of different sizes, similar to others
scattered along the entire base of the cliff, and it was in Tarzan's
mind that if he found the cave unoccupied he would barricade the
door and insure himself a quiet and peaceful night's repose within
the sheltered interior. Let the storm rage without--Tarzan would
remain within until it ceased, comfortable and dry. A tiny rivulet
of cold water trickled outward from the opening.

Close to the cave Tarzan kneeled and sniffed the ground.  A low
growl escaped him and his upper lip curved to expose his fighting
fangs. "Numa!" he muttered; but he did not stop. Numa might not be
at home--he would investigate.  The entrance was so low that the
ape-man was compelled to drop to all fours before he could poke
his head within the aperture; but first he looked, listened, and
sniffed in each direction at his rear--he would not be taken by
surprise from that quarter.

His first glance within the cave revealed a narrow tunnel with
daylight at its farther end. The interior of the tunnel was not so
dark but that the ape-man could readily see that it was untenanted
at present. Advancing cautiously he crawled toward the opposite
end imbued with a full realization of what it would mean if Numa
should suddenly enter the tunnel in front of him; but Numa did not
appear and the ape-man emerged at length into the open and stood
erect, finding himself in a rocky cleft whose precipitous walls
rose almost sheer on every hand, the tunnel from the gorge passing
through the cliff and forming a passageway from the outer world
into a large pocket or gulch entirely enclosed by steep walls of
rock. Except for the small passageway from the gorge, there was no
other entrance to the gulch which was some hundred feet in length
and about fifty in width and appeared to have been worn from the
rocky cliff by the falling of water during long ages. A tiny stream
from Kilimanjaro's eternal snow cap still trickled over the edge
of the rocky wall at the upper end of the gulch, forming a little
pool at the bottom of the cliff from which a small rivulet wound
downward to the tunnel through which it passed to the gorge beyond.
A single great tree flourished near the center of the gulch, while
tufts of wiry grass were scattered here and there among the rocks
of the gravelly floor.

The bones of many large animals lay about and among them were
several human skulls. Tarzan raised his eyebrows. "A man-eater,"
he murmured, "and from appearances he has held sway here for a long
time. Tonight Tarzan will take the lair of the man-eater and Numa
may roar and grumble upon the outside."

The ape-man had advanced well into the gulch as he investigated
his surroundings and now as he stood near the tree, satisfied that
the tunnel would prove a dry and quiet retreat for the night, he
turned to retrace his way to the outer end of the entrance that he
might block it with boulders against Numa's return, but even with
the thought there came something to his sensitive ears that froze
him into statuesque immobility with eyes glued upon the tunnel's
mouth. A moment later the head of a huge lion framed in a great
black mane appeared in the opening. The yellow-green eyes glared,
round and unblinking, straight at the trespassing Tarmangani, a low
growl rumbled from the deep chest, and lips curled back to expose
the mighty fangs.

"Brother of Dango!" shouted Tarzan, angered that Numa's return should
have been so timed as to frustrate his plans for a comfortable
night's repose. "I am Tarzan of the Apes, Lord of the Jungle.
Tonight I lair here--go!"

But Numa did not go. Instead he rumbled forth a menacing roar and
took a few steps in Tarzan's direction. The ape-man picked up a
rock and hurled it at the snarling face. One can never be sure of
a lion. This one might turn tail and run at the first intimation
of attack--Tarzan had bluffed many in his time--but not now. The
missile struck Numa full upon the snout--a tender part of a cat's
anatomy--and instead of causing him to flee it transformed him into
an infuriated engine of wrath and destruction.

Up went his tail, stiff and erect, and with a series of frightful
roars he bore down upon the Tarmangani at the speed of an express
train. Not an instant too soon did Tarzan reach the tree and swing
himself into its branches and there he squatted, hurling insults at
the king of beasts while Numa paced a circle beneath him, growling
and roaring in rage.

It was raining now in earnest adding to the ape-man's discomfort
and disappointment. He was very angry; but as only direct necessity
had ever led him to close in mortal combat with a lion, knowing
as he did that he had only luck and agility to pit against the
frightful odds of muscle, weight, fangs, and talons, he did not now
even consider descending and engaging in so unequal and useless a
duel for the mere reward of a little added creature comfort. And
so he sat perched in the tree while the rain fell steadily and the
lion padded round and round beneath, casting a baleful eye upward
after every few steps.

Tarzan scanned the precipitous walls for an avenue of escape. They
would have baffled an ordinary man; but the ape-man, accustomed
to climbing, saw several places where he might gain a foothold,
precarious possibly; but enough to give him reasonable assurance
of escape if Numa would but betake himself to the far end of the
gulch for a moment.  Numa, however, notwithstanding the rain, gave
no evidence of quitting his post so that at last Tarzan really
began to consider seriously if it might not be as well to take the
chance of a battle with him rather than remain longer cold and wet
and humiliated in the tree.

But even as he turned the matter over in his mind Numa turned
suddenly and walked majestically toward the tunnel without even a
backward glance. The instant that he disappeared, Tarzan dropped
lightly to the ground upon the far side of the tree and was away at
top speed for the cliff. The lion had no sooner entered the tunnel
than he backed immediately out again and, pivoting like a flash,
was off across the gulch in full charge after the flying ape-man;
but Tarzan's lead was too great--if he could find finger or foothold
upon the sheer wall he would be safe; but should he slip from the
wet rocks his doom was already sealed as he would fall directly into
Numa's clutches where even the Great Tarmangani would be helpless.

With the agility of a cat Tarzan ran up the cliff for thirty feet
before he paused, and there finding a secure foothold, he stopped
and looked down upon Numa who was leaping upward in a wild and
futile attempt to scale the rocky wall to his prey. Fifteen or
twenty feet from the ground the lion would scramble only to fall
backward again defeated. Tarzan eyed him for a moment and then
commenced a slow and cautious ascent toward the summit. Several
times he had difficulty in finding holds but at last he drew himself
over the edge, rose, picked up a bit of loose rock, hurled it at
Numa and strode away.

Finding an easy descent to the gorge, he was about to pursue his
journey in the direction of the still-booming guns when a sudden
thought caused him to halt and a half-smile to play about his lips.
Turning, he trotted quickly back to the outer opening of Numa's
tunnel. Close beside it he listened for a moment and then rapidly
began to gather large rocks and pile them within the entrance.
He had almost closed the aperture when the lion appeared upon the
inside--a very ferocious and angry lion that pawed and clawed at
the rocks and uttered mighty roars that caused the earth to tremble;
but roars did not frighten Tarzan of the Apes. At Kala's shaggy
breast he had closed his infant eyes in sleep upon countless nights
in years gone by to the savage chorus of similar roars. Scarcely a
day or night of his jungle life--and practically all his life had
been spent in the jungle--had he not heard the roaring of hungry
lions, or angry lions, or love-sick lions. Such sounds affected
Tarzan as the tooting of an automobile horn may affect you--if you
are in front of the automobile it warns you out of the way, if you
are not in front of it you scarcely notice it. Figuratively Tarzan
was not in front of the automobile--Numa could not reach him and
Tarzan knew it, so he continued deliberately to choke the entrance
until there was no possibility of Numa's getting out again. When
he was quite through he made a grimace at the hidden lion beyond
the barrier and resumed his way toward the east. "A man-eater who
will eat no more men," he soliloquized.

That night Tarzan lay up under an overhanging shelf of rock. The
next morning he resumed his journey, stopping only long enough to
make a kill and satisfy his hunger. The other beasts of the wild
eat and lie up; but Tarzan never let his belly interfere with his
plans. In this lay one of the greatest differences between the ape-man
and his fellows of the jungles and forests. The firing ahead rose
and fell during the day. He had noticed that it was highest at
dawn and immediately after dusk and that during the night it almost
ceased. In the middle of the afternoon of the second day he came
upon troops moving up toward the front. They appeared to be raiding
parties, for they drove goats and cows along with them and there
were native porters laden with grain and other foodstuffs. He saw
that these natives were all secured by neck chains and he also saw
that the troops were composed of native soldiers in German uniforms.
The officers were white men. No one saw Tarzan, yet he was here and
there about and among them for two hours. He inspected the insignia
upon their uniforms and saw that they were not the same as that
which he had taken from one of the dead soldiers at the bungalow
and then he passed on ahead of them, unseen in the dense bush. He
had come upon Germans and had not killed them; but it was because
the killing of Germans at large was not yet the prime motive of
his existence--now it was to discover the individual who slew his
mate.

After he had accounted for him he would take up the little matter
of slaying ALL Germans who crossed his path, and he meant that many
should cross it, for he would hunt them precisely as professional
hunters hunt the man-eaters.

As he neared the front lines the troops became more numerous. There
were motor trucks and ox teams and all the impedimenta of a small
army and always there were wounded men walking or being carried
toward the rear. He had crossed the railroad some distance back and
judged that the wounded were being taken to it for transportation
to a base hospital and possibly as far away as Tanga on the coast.

It was dusk when he reached a large camp hidden in the foothills of
the Pare Mountains. As he was approaching from the rear he found
it but lightly guarded and what sentinels there were, were not
upon the alert, and so it was an easy thing for him to enter after
darkness had fallen and prowl about listening at the backs of tents,
searching for some clew to the slayer of his mate.

As he paused at the side of a tent before which sat a number of
native soldiers he caught a few words spoken in native dialect that
riveted his attention instantly: "The Waziri fought like devils;
but we are greater fighters and we killed them all.  When we were
through the captain came and killed the woman. He stayed outside
and yelled in a very loud voice until all the men were killed.
Underlieutenant von Goss is braver--he came in and stood beside the
door shouting at us, also in a very loud voice, and bade us nail
one of the Waziri who was wounded to the wall, and then he laughed
loudly because the man suffered. We all laughed. It was very funny."

Like a beast of prey, grim and terrible, Tarzan crouched in the
shadows beside the tent. What thoughts passed through that savage
mind? Who may say? No outward sign of passion was revealed by the
expression of the handsome face; the cold, gray eyes denoted only
intense watchfulness. Presently the soldier Tarzan had heard first
rose and with a parting word turned away. He passed within ten
feet of the ape-man and continued on toward the rear of the camp.
Tarzan followed and in the shadows of a clump of bushes overtook
his quarry. There was no sound as the man beast sprang upon the
back of his prey and bore it to the ground for steel fingers closed
simultaneously upon the soldier's throat, effectually stifling
any outcry. By the neck Tarzan dragged his victim well into the
concealment of the bushes.

"Make no sound," he cautioned in the man's own tribal dialect as
he released his hold upon the other's throat.

The fellow gasped for breath, rolling frightened eyes upward to
see what manner of creature it might be in whose power he was. In
the darkness he saw only a naked brown body bending above him; but
he still remembered the terrific strength of the mighty muscles
that had closed upon his wind and dragged him into the bushes as
though he had been but a little child. If any thought of resistance
had crossed his mind he must have discarded it at once, as he made
no move to escape.

"What is the name of the officer who killed the woman at the bungalow
where you fought with the Waziri?" asked Tarzan.

"Hauptmann Schneider," replied the black when he could again command
his voice.

"Where is he?" demanded the ape-man.

"He is here. It may be that he is at headquarters. Many of the
officers go there in the evening to receive orders."

"Lead me there," commanded Tarzan, "and if I am discovered I will
kill you immediately. Get up!"

The black rose and led the way by a roundabout route back through
the camp. Several times they were forced to hide while soldiers
passed; but at last they reached a great pile of baled hay from about
the corner of which the black pointed out a two-story building in
the distance.

"Headquarters," he said. "You can go no farther unseen.  There are
many soldiers about."

Tarzan realized that he could not proceed farther in company with
the black. He turned and looked at the fellow for a moment as though
pondering what disposition to make of him.

"You helped to crucify Wasimbu, the Waziri," he accused in a low
yet none the less terrible tone.

The black trembled, his knees giving beneath him. "He ordered us
to do it," he plead.

"Who ordered it done?" demanded Tarzan.

"Underlieutenant von Goss," replied the soldier. "He, too, is here."

"I shall find him," returned Tarzan, grimly. "You helped to crucify
Wasimbu, the Waziri, and, while he suffered, you laughed."

The fellow reeled. It was as though in the accusation he read also
his death sentence. With no other word Tarzan seized the man again
by the neck. As before there was no outcry. The giant muscles tensed.
The arms swung quickly upward and with them the body of the black
soldier who had helped to crucify Wasimbu, the Waziri, described a
circle in the air--once, twice, three times, and then it was flung
aside and the ape-man turned in the direction of General Kraut's
headquarters.

A single sentinel in the rear of the building barred the way.
Tarzan crawled, belly to the ground, toward him, taking advantage
of cover as only the jungle-bred beast of prey can do. When the
sentinel's eyes were toward him, Tarzan hugged the ground, motionless
as stone; when they were turned away, he moved swiftly forward.
Presently he was within charging distance. He waited until the man
had turned his back once more and then he rose and sped noiselessly
down upon him.  Again there was no sound as he carried the dead
body with him toward the building.

The lower floor was lighted, the upper dark. Through the windows
Tarzan saw a large front room and a smaller room in rear of it.
In the former were many officers. Some moved about talking to one
another, others sat at field tables writing.  The windows were open
and Tarzan could hear much of the conversation; but nothing that
interested him. It was mostly about the German successes in Africa
and conjectures as to when the German army in Europe would reach
Paris. Some said the Kaiser was doubtlessly already there, and
there was a great deal of damning Belgium.

In the smaller back room a large, red-faced man sat behind a table.
Some other officers were also sitting a little in rear of him,
while two stood at attention before the general, who was questioning
them. As he talked, the general toyed with an oil lamp that stood
upon the table before him. Presently there came a knock upon the
door and an aide entered the room. He saluted and reported: "Fraulein
Kircher has arrived, sir."

"Bid her enter," commanded the general, and then nodded to the two
officers before him in sign of dismissal.

The Fraulein, entering, passed them at the door. The officers in
the little room rose and saluted, the Fraulein acknowledging the
courtesy with a bow and a slight smile.  She was a very pretty
girl. Even the rough, soiled riding habit and the caked dust upon
her face could not conceal the fact, and she was young. She could
not have been over nineteen.

She advanced to the table behind which the general stood and, taking
a folded paper from an inside pocket of her coat, handed it to him.

"Be seated, Fraulein," he said, and another officer brought her
a chair. No one spoke while the general read the contents of the
paper.

Tarzan appraised the various people in the room. He wondered if one
might not be Hauptmann Schneider, for two of them were captains.
The girl he judged to be of the intelligence department--a spy.
Her beauty held no appeal for him--without a glimmer of compunction
he could have wrung that fair, young neck. She was German and that
was enough; but he had other and more important work before him.
He wanted Hauptmann Schneider.

Finally the general looked up from the paper.

"Good," he said to the girl, and then to one of his aides, "Send
for Major Schneider."

Major Schneider! Tarzan felt the short hairs at the back of his
neck rise. Already they had promoted the beast who had murdered
his mate--doubtless they had promoted him for that very crime.

The aide left the room and the others fell into a general conversation
from which it became apparent to Tarzan that the German East African
forces greatly outnumbered the British and that the latter were
suffering heavily. The ape-man stood so concealed in a clump of
bushes that he could watch the interior of the room without being
seen from within, while he was at the same time hidden from the view
of anyone who might chance to pass along the post of the sentinel
he had slain. Momentarily he was expecting a patrol or a relief to
appear and discover that the sentinel was missing, when he knew an
immediate and thorough search would be made.

Impatiently he awaited the coming of the man he sought and at
last he was rewarded by the reappearance of the aide who had been
dispatched to fetch him accompanied by an officer of medium size
with fierce, upstanding mustaches. The newcomer strode to the table,
halted and saluted, reporting.  The general acknowledged the salute
and turned toward the girl.

"Fraulein Kircher," he said, "allow me to present Major Schneider--"

Tarzan waited to hear no more. Placing a palm upon the sill of
the window he vaulted into the room into the midst of an astounded
company of the Kaiser's officers. With a stride he was at the table
and with a sweep of his hand sent the lamp crashing into the fat
belly of the general who, in his mad effort to escape cremation,
fell over backward, chair and all, upon the floor. Two of the aides
sprang for the ape-man who picked up the first and flung him in the
face of the other.  The girl had leaped from her chair and stood
flattened against the wall. The other officers were calling aloud
for the guard and for help. Tarzan's purpose centered upon but
a single individual and him he never lost sight of. Freed from
attack for an instant he seized Major Schneider, threw him over his
shoulder and was out of the window so quickly that the astonished
assemblage could scarce realize what had occurred.

A single glance showed him that the sentinel's post was still vacant
and a moment later he and his burden were in the shadows of the
hay dump. Major Schneider had made no outcry for the very excellent
reason that his wind was shut off. Now Tarzan released his grasp
enough to permit the man to breathe.

"If you make a sound you will be choked again," he said.

Cautiously and after infinite patience Tarzan passed the final
outpost. Forcing his captive to walk before him he pushed on toward
the west until, late into the night, he re-crossed the railway where
he felt reasonably safe from discovery. The German had cursed and
grumbled and threatened and asked questions; but his only reply
was another prod from Tarzan's sharp war spear. The ape-man herded
him along as he would have driven a hog with the difference that
he would have had more respect and therefore more consideration
for a hog.

Until now Tarzan had given little thought to the details of revenge.
Now he pondered what form the punishment should take. Of only one
thing was he certain--it must end in death.  Like all brave men
and courageous beasts Tarzan had little natural inclination to
torture--none, in fact; but this case was unique in his experience.
An inherent sense of justice called for an eye for an eye and his
recent oath demanded even more. Yes, the creature must suffer even
as he had caused Jane Clayton to suffer. Tarzan could not hope to
make the man suffer as he had suffered, since physical pain may
never approach the exquisiteness of mental torture.

All through the long night the ape-man goaded on the exhausted and
now terrified Hun. The awful silence of his captor wrought upon the
German's nerves. If he would only speak! Again and again Schneider
tried to force or coax a word from him; but always the result was
the same--continued silence and a vicious and painful prod from the
spear point. Schneider was bleeding and sore. He was so exhausted
that he staggered at every step, and often he fell only to be
prodded to his feet again by that terrifying and remorseless spear.

It was not until morning that Tarzan reached a decision and it came
to him then like an inspiration from above. A slow smile touched
his lips and he immediately sought a place to lie up and rest--he
wished his prisoner to be fit now for what lay in store for him.
Ahead was a stream which Tarzan had crossed the day before. He knew
the ford for a drinking place and a likely spot to make an easy
kill. Cautioning the German to utter silence with a gesture the
two approached the stream quietly. Down the game trail Tarzan saw
some deer about to leave the water. He shoved Schneider into the
brush at one side and, squatting next him, waited.  The German
watched the silent giant with puzzled, frightened eyes. In the new
dawn he, for the first time, was able to obtain a good look at his
captor, and, if he had been puzzled and frightened before, those
sensations were nothing to what he experienced now.

Who and what could this almost naked, white savage be?  He had
heard him speak but once--when he had cautioned him to silence--and
then in excellent German and the well-modulated tones of culture.
He watched him now as the fascinated toad watches the snake that
is about to devour it.  He saw the graceful limbs and symmetrical
body motionless as a marble statue as the creature crouched in the
concealment of the leafy foliage. Not a muscle, not a nerve moved.
He saw the deer coming slowly along the trail, down wind and
unsuspecting. He saw a buck pass--an old buck--and then a young and
plump one came opposite the giant in ambush, and Schneider's eyes
went wide and a scream of terror almost broke from his lips as he
saw the agile beast at his side spring straight for the throat of
the young buck and heard from those human lips the hunting roar of
a wild beast. Down went the buck and Tarzan and his captive had
meat. The ape-man ate his raw, but he permitted the German to build
a fire and cook his portion.

The two lay up until late in the afternoon and then took up the
journey once again--a journey that was so frightful to Schneider
because of his ignorance of its destination that he at times groveled
at Tarzan's feet begging for an explanation and for mercy; but on
and on in silence the ape-man went, prodding the failing Hun whenever
the latter faltered.

It was noon of the third day before they reached their destination.
After a steep climb and a short walk they halted at the edge of
a precipitous cliff and Schneider looked down into a narrow gulch
where a single tree grew beside a tiny rivulet and sparse grass
broke from a rock-strewn soil. Tarzan motioned him over the edge;
but the German drew back in terror. The Ape-man seized him and
pushed him roughly toward the brink. "Descend," he said. It was
the second time he had spoken in three days and perhaps his very
silence, ominous in itself, had done more to arouse terror in the
breast of the Boche than even the spear point, ever ready as it
always was.

Schneider looked fearfully over the edge; but was about to essay
the attempt when Tarzan halted him. "I am Lord Greystoke," he
said. "It was my wife you murdered in the Waziri country. You will
understand now why I came for you.  Descend."

The German fell upon his knees. "I did not murder your wife,"
he cried. "Have mercy! I did not murder your wife.  I do not know
anything about--"

"Descend!" snapped Tarzan, raising the point of his spear.  He knew
that the man lied and was not surprised that he did.  A man who
would murder for no cause would lie for less.  Schneider still
hesitated and pled. The ape-man jabbed him with the spear and Schneider
slid fearfully over the top and began the perilous descent. Tarzan
accompanied and assisted him over the worst places until at last
they were within a few feet of the bottom.

"Be quiet now," cautioned the ape-man. He pointed at the entrance
to what appeared to be a cave at the far end of the gulch. "There
is a hungry lion in there. If you can reach that tree before
he discovers you, you will have several days longer in which to
enjoy life and then--when you are too weak to cling longer to the
branches of the tree Numa, the man-eater, will feed again for the
last time." He pushed Schneider from his foothold to the ground
below. "Now run," he said.

The German trembling in terror started for the tree. He had almost
reached it when a horrid roar broke from the mouth of the cave and
almost simultaneously a gaunt, hunger mad lion leaped into the
daylight of the gulch. Schneider had but a few yards to cover;
but the lion flew over the ground to circumvent him while Tarzan
watched the race with a slight smile upon his lips.

Schneider won by a slender margin, and as Tarzan scaled the cliff
to the summit, he heard behind him mingled with the roaring of the
baffled cat, the gibbering of a human voice that was at the same
time more bestial than the beast's.

Upon the brink of the cliff the ape-man turned and looked back
into the gulch. High in the tree the German clung frantically to
a branch across which his body lay. Beneath him was Numa--waiting.

The ape-man raised his face to Kudu, the sun, and from his mighty
chest rose the savage victory cry of the bull ape.




Chapter III

In the German Lines


Tarzan was not yet fully revenged. There were many millions of
Germans yet alive--enough to keep Tarzan pleasantly occupied the
balance of his life, and yet not enough, should he kill them all,
to recompense him for the great loss he had suffered--nor could
the death of all those million Germans bring back his loved one.

While in the German camp in the Pare Mountains, which lie just
east of the boundary line between German and British East Africa,
Tarzan had overheard enough to suggest that the British were getting
the worst of the fighting in Africa. At first he had given the
matter but little thought, since, after the death of his wife, the
one strong tie that had held him to civilization, he had renounced
all mankind, considering himself no longer man, but ape.

After accounting for Schneider as satisfactorily as lay within his
power he circled Kilimanjaro and hunted in the foothills to the
north of that mightiest of mountains as he had discovered that in
the neighborhood of the armies there was no hunting at all. Some
pleasure he derived through conjuring mental pictures from time to
time of the German he had left in the branches of the lone tree at
the bottom of the high-walled gulch in which was penned the starving
lion. He could imagine the man's mental anguish as he became weakened
from hunger and maddened by thirst, knowing that sooner or later he
must slip exhausted to the ground where waited the gaunt man-eater.
Tarzan wondered if Schneider would have the courage to descend to
the little rivulet for water should Numa leave the gulch and enter
the cave, and then he pictured the mad race for the tree again
when the lion charged out to seize his prey as he was certain to
do, since the clumsy German could not descend to the rivulet without
making at least some slight noise that would attract Numa's attention.

But even this pleasure palled, and more and more the ape-man found
himself thinking of the English soldiers fighting against heavy
odds and especially of the fact that it was Germans who were beating
them. The thought made him lower his head and growl and it worried
him not a little--a bit, perhaps, because he was finding it difficult
to forget that he was an Englishman when he wanted only to be an
ape. And at last the time came when he could not longer endure the
thought of Germans killing Englishmen while he hunted in safety a
bare march away.

His decision made, he set out in the direction of the German camp,
no well-defined plan formulated; but with the general idea that
once near the field of operations he might find an opportunity to
harass the German command as he so well knew how to do. His way
took him along the gorge close to the gulch in which he had left
Schneider, and, yielding to a natural curiosity, he scaled the cliffs
and made his way to the edge of the gulch. The tree was empty, nor
was there sign of Numa, the lion. Picking up a rock he hurled it
into the gulch, where it rolled to the very entrance to the cave.
Instantly the lion appeared in the aperture; but such a different-looking
lion from the great sleek brute that Tarzan had trapped there two
weeks before. Now he was gaunt and emaciated, and when he walked
he staggered.

"Where is the German?" shouted Tarzan. "Was he good eating, or only
a bag of bones when he slipped and fell from the tree?"

Numa growled. "You look hungry, Numa," continued the ape-man. "You
must have been very hungry to eat all the grass from your lair and
even the bark from the tree as far up as you can reach. Would you
like another German?" and smiling he turned away.

A few minutes later he came suddenly upon Bara, the deer, asleep
beneath a tree, and as Tarzan was hungry he made a quick kill,
and squatting beside his prey proceeded to eat his fill. As he
was gnawing the last morsel from a bone his quick ears caught the
padding of stealthy feet behind him, and turning he confronted
Dango, the hyena, sneaking upon him.  With a growl the ape-man
picked up a fallen branch and hurled it at the skulking brute. "Go
away, eater of carrion!" he cried; but Dango was hungry and being
large and powerful he only snarled and circled slowly about as
though watching for an opportunity to charge. Tarzan of the Apes
knew Dango even better than Dango knew himself. He knew that the
brute, made savage by hunger, was mustering its courage for an
attack, that it was probably accustomed to man and therefore more
or less fearless of him and so he un-slung his heavy spear and
laid it ready at his side while he continued his meal, all the time
keeping a watchful eye upon the hyena.

He felt no fear, for long familiarity with the dangers of his wild
world had so accustomed him to them that he took whatever came as
a part of each day's existence as you accept the homely though no
less real dangers of the farm, the range, or the crowded metropolis.
Being jungle bred he was ready to protect his kill from all comers
within ordinary limitations of caution. Under favorable conditions
Tarzan would face even Numa himself and, if forced to seek safety
by flight, he could do so without any feeling of shame. There was
no braver creature roamed those savage wilds and at the same time
there was none more wise--the two factors that had permitted him
to survive.

Dango might have charged sooner but for the savage growls of the
ape-man--growls which, coming from human lips, raised a question
and a fear in the hyena's heart. He had attacked women and children
in the native fields and he had frightened their men about their
fires at night; but he never had seen a man-thing who made this
sound that reminded him more of Numa angry than of a man afraid.

When Tarzan had completed his repast he was about to rise and hurl
a clean-picked bone at the beast before he went his way, leaving
the remains of his kill to Dango; but a sudden thought stayed him
and instead he picked up the carcass of the deer, threw it over
his shoulder, and set off in the direction of the gulch. For a
few yards Dango followed, growling, and then realizing that he was
being robbed of even a taste of the luscious flesh he cast discretion
to the winds and charged. Instantly, as though Nature had given him
eyes in the back of his head, Tarzan sensed the impending danger
and, dropping Bara to the ground, turned with raised spear. Far
back went the brown, right hand and then forward, lightning-like,
backed by the power of giant muscles and the weight of his brawn
and bone. The spear, released at the right instant, drove straight
for Dango, caught him in the neck where it joined the shoulders
and passed through the body.

When he had withdrawn the shaft from the hyena Tarzan shouldered
both carcasses and continued on toward the gulch.  Below lay Numa
beneath the shade of the lone tree and at the ape-man's call he
staggered slowly to his feet, yet weak as he was, he still growled
savagely, even essaying a roar at the sight of his enemy. Tarzan
let the two bodies slide over the rim of the cliff. "Eat, Numa!"
he cried. "It may be that I shall need you again." He saw the lion,
quickened to new life at the sight of food, spring upon the body
of the deer and then he left him rending and tearing the flesh as
he bolted great pieces into his empty maw.

The following day Tarzan came within sight of the German lines.
From a wooded spur of the hills he looked down upon the enemy's
left flank and beyond to the British lines. His position gave him
a bird's-eye view of the field of battle, and his keen eyesight
picked out many details that would not have been apparent to a man
whose every sense was not trained to the highest point of perfection
as were the ape-man's. He noted machine-gun emplacements cunningly
hidden from the view of the British and listening posts placed well
out in No Man's Land.

As his interested gaze moved hither and thither from one point of
interest to another he heard from a point upon the hillside below
him, above the roar of cannon and the crack of rifle fire, a single
rifle spit. Immediately his attention was centered upon the spot
where he knew a sniper must be hid.  Patiently he awaited the next
shot that would tell him more surely the exact location of the
rifleman, and when it came he moved down the steep hillside with
the stealth and quietness of a panther. Apparently he took no
cognizance of where he stepped, yet never a loose stone was disturbed
nor a twig broken--it was as though his feet saw.

Presently, as he passed through a clump of bushes, he came to the
edge of a low cliff and saw upon a ledge some fifteen feet below
him a German soldier prone behind an embankment of loose rock and
leafy boughs that hid him from the view of the British lines. The
man must have been an excellent shot, for he was well back of the
German lines, firing over the heads of his fellows. His high-powered
rifle was equipped with telescope sights and he also carried
binoculars which he was in the act of using as Tarzan discovered
him, either to note the effect of his last shot or to discover
a new target. Tarzan let his eye move quickly toward that part of
the British line the German seemed to be scanning, his keen sight
revealing many excellent targets for a rifle placed so high above
the trenches.

The Hun, evidently satisfied with his observations, laid aside
his binoculars and again took up his rifle, placed its butt in the
hollow of his shoulder and took careful aim. At the same instant a
brown body sprang outward from the cliff above him.  There was no
sound and it is doubtful that the German ever knew what manner of
creature it was that alighted heavily upon his back, for at the
instant of impact the sinewy fingers of the ape-man circled the
hairy throat of the Boche. There was a moment of futile struggling
followed by the sudden realization of dissolution--the sniper was
dead.

Lying behind the rampart of rocks and boughs, Tarzan looked down
upon the scene below. Near at hand were the trenches of the Germans.
He could see officers and men moving about in them and almost in
front of him a well-hidden machine gun was traversing No Man's Land
in an oblique direction, striking the British at such an angle as
to make it difficult for them to locate it.

Tarzan watched, toying idly with the rifle of the dead German.
Presently he fell to examining the mechanism of the piece. He
glanced again toward the German trenches and changed the adjustment
of the sights, then he placed the rifle to his shoulder and took
aim. Tarzan was an excellent shot. With his civilized friends he
had hunted big game with the weapons of civilization and though he
never had killed except for food or in self-defense he had amused
himself firing at inanimate targets thrown into the air and had
perfected himself in the use of firearms without realizing that
he had done so. Now indeed would he hunt big game. A slow smile
touched his lips as his finger closed gradually upon the trigger.
The rifle spoke and a German machine gunner collapsed behind his
weapon. In three minutes Tarzan picked off the crew of that gun.
Then he spotted a German officer emerging from a dugout and the
three men in the bay with him. Tarzan was careful to leave no one
in the immediate vicinity to question how Germans could be shot in
German trenches when they were entirely concealed from enemy view.

Again adjusting his sights he took a long-range shot at a distant
machine-gun crew to his right. With calm deliberation he wiped them
out to a man. Two guns were silenced. He saw men running through
the trenches and he picked off several of them. By this time the
Germans were aware that something was amiss--that an uncanny sniper
had discovered a point of vantage from which this sector of the
trenches was plainly visible to him. At first they sought to discover
his location in No Man's Land; but when an officer looking over
the parapet through a periscope was struck full in the back of the
head with a rifle bullet which passed through his skull and fell
to the bottom of the trench they realized that it was beyond the
parados rather than the parapet that they should search.

One of the soldiers picked up the bullet that had killed his
officer, and then it was that real excitement prevailed in that
particular bay, for the bullet was obviously of German make.  Hugging
the parados, messengers carried the word in both directions and
presently periscopes were leveled above the parados and keen eyes
were searching out the traitor. It did not take them long to locate
the position of the hidden sniper and then Tarzan saw a machine
gun being trained upon him.  Before it had gotten into action its
crew lay dead about it; but there were other men to take their
places, reluctantly perhaps; but driven on by their officers they
were forced to it and at the same time two other machine guns were
swung around toward the ape-man and put into operation.

Realizing that the game was about up Tarzan with a farewell shot
laid aside the rifle and melted into the hills behind him. For many
minutes he could hear the sputter of machinegun fire concentrated
upon the spot he had just quit and smiled as he contemplated the
waste of German ammunition.

"They have paid heavily for Wasimbu, the Waziri, whom they crucified,
and for his slain fellows," he mused; "but for Jane they can never
pay--no, not if I killed them all."

After dark that night he circled the flanks of both armies and
passed through the British out-guards and into the British lines.
No man saw him come. No man knew that he was there.

Headquarters of the Second Rhodesians occupied a sheltered position
far enough back of the lines to be comparatively safe from enemy
observation. Even lights were permitted, and Colonel Capell sat
before a field table, on which was spread a military map, talking
with several of his officers.  A large tree spread above them, a
lantern sputtered dimly upon the table, while a small fire burned
upon the ground close at hand. The enemy had no planes and no other
observers could have seen the lights from the German lines.

The officers were discussing the advantage in numbers possessed by
the enemy and the inability of the British to more than hold their
present position. They could not advance. Already they had sustained
severe losses in every attack and had always been driven back by
overwhelming numbers. There were hidden machine guns, too, that
bothered the colonel considerably. It was evidenced by the fact
that he often reverted to them during the conversation.

"Something silenced them for a while this afternoon," said one of
the younger officers. "I was observing at the time and I couldn't
make out what the fuss was about; but they seemed to be having a
devil of a time in a section of trench on their left. At one time I
could have sworn they were attacked in the rear--I reported it to
you at the time, sir, you'll recall--for the blighters were pepperin'
away at the side of that bluff behind them. I could see the dirt
fly. I don't know what it could have been."

There was a slight rustling among the branches of the tree above
them and simultaneously a lithe, brown body dropped in their midst.
Hands moved quickly to the butts of pistols; but otherwise there
was no movement among the officers.  First they looked wonderingly
at the almost naked white man standing there with the firelight
playing upon rounded muscles, took in the primitive attire and
the equally primitive armament and then all eyes turned toward the
colonel.

"Who the devil are you, sir?" snapped that officer.

"Tarzan of the Apes," replied the newcomer.

"Oh, Greystoke!" cried a major, and stepped forward with  outstretched
hand.

"Preswick," acknowledged Tarzan as he took the proffered  hand.

"I didn't recognize you at first," apologized the major. "The
last time I saw you you were in London in evening dress.  Quite a
difference--'pon my word, man, you'll have to admit it."

Tarzan smiled and turned toward the colonel. "I overheard your
conversation," he said. "I have just come from behind the German
lines. Possibly I can help you."

The colonel looked questioningly toward Major Preswick who quickly
rose to the occasion and presented the ape-man to his commanding
officer and fellows. Briefly Tarzan told them what it was that
brought him out alone in pursuit of the Germans.

"And now you have come to join us?" asked the colonel.

Tarzan shook his head. "Not regularly," he replied. "I must fight
in my own way; but I can help you. Whenever I wish I can enter the
German lines."

Capell smiled and shook his head. "It's not so easy as you think,"
he said; "I've lost two good officers in the last week trying it--and
they were experienced men; none better in the Intelligence Department."

"Is it more difficult than entering the British lines?" asked
Tarzan.

The colonel was about to reply when a new thought appeared to occur
to him and he looked quizzically at the ape-man. "Who brought you
here?" he asked. "Who passed you through our out-guards?"

"I have just come through the German lines and yours and passed
through your camp," he replied. "Send word to ascertain if anyone
saw me."

"But who accompanied you?" insisted Capell.

"I came alone," replied Tarzan and then, drawing himself to
his full height, "You men of civilization, when you come into the
jungle, are as dead among the quick. Manu, the monkey, is a sage
by comparison. I marvel that you exist at all--only your numbers,
your weapons, and your power of reasoning save you. Had I a few
hundred great apes with your reasoning power I could drive the
Germans into the ocean as quickly as the remnant of them could
reach the coast. Fortunate it is for you that the dumb brutes cannot
combine. Could they, Africa would remain forever free of men. But
come, can I help you? Would you like to know where several machinegun
emplacements are hidden?"

The colonel assured him that they would, and a moment later Tarzan
had traced upon the map the location of three that had been bothering
the English. "There is a weak spot here," he said, placing a finger
upon the map. "It is held by blacks; but the machine guns out in
front are manned by whites. If--wait! I have a plan. You can fill
that trench with your own men and enfilade the trenches to its
right with their own machine guns."

Colonel Capell smiled and shook his head. "It sounds very easy,"
he said.

"It IS easy--for me," replied the ape-man. "I can empty that section
of trench without a shot. I was raised in the jungle--I know the
jungle folk--the Gomangani as well as the others. Look for me again
on the second night," and he turned to leave.

"Wait," said the colonel. "I will send an officer to pass you
through the lines."

Tarzan smiled and moved away. As he was leaving the little group
about headquarters he passed a small figure wrapped in an officer's
heavy overcoat. The collar was turned up and the visor of the
military cap pulled well down over the eyes; but, as the ape-man
passed, the light from the fire illuminated the features of the
newcomer for an instant, revealing to Tarzan a vaguely familiar
face. Some officer he had known in London, doubtless, he surmised,
and went his way through the British camp and the British lines
all unknown to the watchful sentinels of the out-guard.

Nearly all night he moved across Kilimanjaro's foothills, tracking
by instinct an unknown way, for he guessed that what he sought would
be found on some wooded slope higher up than he had come upon his
other recent journeys in this, to him, little known country. Three
hours before dawn his keen nostrils apprised him that somewhere in
the vicinity he would find what he wanted, and so he climbed into
a tall tree and settled himself for a few hours' sleep.




Chapter IV

When the Lion Fed


Kudu, the sun, was well up in the heavens when Tarzan awoke. The
ape-man stretched his giant limbs, ran his fingers through his thick
hair, and swung lightly down to earth. Immediately he took up the
trail he had come in search of, following it by scent down into
a deep ravine. Cautiously he went now, for his nose told him that
the quarry was close at hand, and presently from an overhanging
bough he looked down upon Horta, the boar, and many of his kinsmen.
Un-slinging his bow and selecting an arrow, Tarzan fitted the shaft
and, drawing it far back, took careful aim at the largest of the
great pigs. In the ape-man's teeth were other arrows, and no sooner
had the first one sped, than he had fitted and shot another bolt.
Instantly the pigs were in turmoil, not knowing from whence the
danger threatened. They stood stupidly at first and then commenced
milling around until six of their number lay dead or dying about
them; then with a chorus of grunts and squeals they started off at
a wild run, disappearing quickly in the dense underbrush.

Tarzan then descended from the tree, dispatched those that were not
already dead and proceeded to skin the carcasses.  As he worked,
rapidly and with great skill, he neither hummed nor whistled as
does the average man of civilization. It was in numerous little
ways such as these that he differed from other men, due, probably,
to his early jungle training. The beasts of the jungle that he had
been reared among were playful to maturity but seldom thereafter.
His fellow-apes, especially the bulls, became fierce and surly as
they grew older. Life was a serious matter during lean seasons--one
had to fight to secure one's share of food then, and the habit once
formed became lifelong. Hunting for food was the life labor of the
jungle bred, and a life labor is a thing not to be approached with
levity nor prosecuted lightly. So all work found Tarzan serious,
though he still retained what the other beasts lost as they grew
older--a sense of humor, which he gave play to when the mood suited
him. It was a grim humor and sometimes ghastly; but it satisfied
Tarzan.

Then, too, were one to sing and whistle while working on the ground,
concentration would be impossible. Tarzan possessed the ability to
concentrate each of his five senses upon its particular business.
Now he worked at skinning the six pigs and his eyes and his fingers
worked as though there was naught else in all the world than these
six carcasses; but his ears and his nose were as busily engaged
elsewhere--the former ranging the forest all about and the latter
assaying each passing zephyr. It was his nose that first discovered
the approach of Sabor, the lioness, when the wind shifted for a
moment.

As clearly as though he had seen her with his eyes, Tarzan knew
that the lioness had caught the scent of the freshly killed pigs
and immediately had moved down wind in their direction. He knew
from the strength of the scent spoor and the rate of the wind about
how far away she was and that she was approaching from behind him.
He was finishing the last pig and he did not hurry. The five pelts
lay close at hand--he had been careful to keep them thus together
and near him--an ample tree waved its low branches above him.

He did not even turn his head for he knew she was not yet in sight;
but he bent his ears just a bit more sharply for the first sound
of her nearer approach. When the final skin had been removed he
rose. Now he heard Sabor in the bushes to his rear, but not yet
too close. Leisurely he gathered up the six pelts and one of the
carcasses, and as the lioness appeared between the boles of two
trees he swung upward into the branches above him. Here he hung
the hides over a limb, seated himself comfortably upon another with
his back against the bole of the tree, cut a hind quarter from
the carcass he had carried with him and proceeded to satisfy his
hunger. Sabor slunk, growling, from the brush, cast a wary eye
upward toward the ape-man and then fell upon the nearest carcass.

Tarzan looked down upon her and grinned, recalling an argument he
had once had with a famous big-game hunter who had declared that
the king of beasts ate only what he himself had killed. Tarzan knew
better for he had seen Numa and Sabor stoop even to carrion.

Having filled his belly, the ape-man fell to work upon the hides--all
large and strong. First he cut strips from them about half an inch
wide. When he had sufficient number of these strips he sewed two of
the hides together, afterwards piercing holes every three or four
inches around the edges.  Running another strip through these
holes gave him a large bag with a drawstring. In similar fashion he
produced four other like bags, but smaller, from the four remaining
hides and had several strips left over.

All this done he threw a large, juicy fruit at Sabor, cached the
remainder of the pig in a crotch of the tree and swung off toward
the southwest through the middle terraces of the forest, carrying
his five bags with him. Straight he went to the rim of the gulch
where he had imprisoned Numa, the lion.  Very stealthily he approached
the edge and peered over.  Numa was not in sight. Tarzan sniffed
and listened. He could hear nothing, yet he knew that Numa must be
within the cave.  He hoped that he slept--much depended upon Numa
not discovering him.

Cautiously he lowered himself over the edge of the cliff, and with
utter noiselessness commenced the descent toward the bottom of the
gulch. He stopped often and turned his keen eyes and ears in the
direction of the cave's mouth at the far end of the gulch, some
hundred feet away. As he neared the foot of the cliff his danger
increased greatly. If he could reach the bottom and cover half
the distance to the tree that stood in the center of the gulch he
would feel comparatively safe for then, even if Numa appeared, he
felt that he could beat him either to the cliff or to the tree,
but to scale the first thirty feet of the cliff rapidly enough to
elude the leaping beast would require a running start of at least
twenty feet as there were no very good hand- or footholds close
to the bottom--he had had to run up the first twenty feet like
a squirrel running up a tree that other time he had beaten an
infuriated Numa to it. He had no desire to attempt it again unless
the conditions were equally favorable at least, for he had escaped
Numa's raking talons by only a matter of inches on the former
occasion.

At last he stood upon the floor of the gulch. Silent as a disembodied
spirit he advanced toward the tree. He was half way there and no
sign of Numa. He reached the scarred bole from which the famished
lion had devoured the bark and even torn pieces of the wood itself
and yet Numa had not appeared.  As he drew himself up to the lower
branches he commenced to wonder if Numa were in the cave after
all. Could it be possible that he had forced the barrier of rocks
with which Tarzan had plugged the other end of the passage where
it opened into the outer world of freedom? Or was Numa dead?  The
ape-man doubted the verity of the latter suggestion as he had fed
the lion the entire carcasses of a deer and a hyena only a few
days since--he could not have starved in so short a time, while the
little rivulet running across the gulch furnished him with water
a-plenty.

Tarzan started to descend and investigate the cavern when it occurred
to him that it would save effort were he to lure Numa out instead.
Acting upon the thought he uttered a low growl. Immediately he was
rewarded by the sound of a movement within the cave and an instant
later a wild-eyed, haggard lion rushed forth ready to face the
devil himself were he edible.  When Numa saw Tarzan, fat and sleek,
perched in the tree he became suddenly the embodiment of frightful
rage. His eyes and his nose told him that this was the creature
responsible for his predicament and also that this creature was
good to eat. Frantically the lion sought to scramble up the bole of
the tree. Twice he leaped high enough to catch the lowest branches
with his paws, but both times he fell backward to the earth. Each
time he became more furious. His growls and roars were incessant
and horrible and all the time Tarzan sat grinning down upon him,
taunting him in jungle billingsgate for his inability to reach
him and mentally exulting that always Numa was wasting his already
waning strength.

Finally the ape-man rose and un-slung his rope. He arranged the
coils carefully in his left hand and the noose in his right, and
then he took a position with each foot on one of two branches that
lay in about the same horizontal plane and with his back pressed
firmly against the stem of the tree. There he stood hurling insults
at Numa until the beast was again goaded into leaping upward at
him, and as Numa rose the noose dropped quickly over his head and
about his neck. A quick movement of Tarzan's rope hand tightened
the coil and when Numa slipped backward to the ground only his hind
feet touched, for the ape-man held him swinging by the neck.

Moving slowly outward upon the two branches Tarzan swung Numa out
so that he could not reach the bole of the tree with his raking
talons, then he made the rope fast after drawing the lion clear
of the ground, dropped his five pigskin sacks to earth and leaped
down himself. Numa was striking frantically at the grass rope with
his fore claws. At any moment he might sever it and Tarzan must,
therefore, work rapidly.

First he drew the larger bag over Numa's head and secured it about
his neck with the draw string, then he managed, after considerable
effort, during which he barely escaped being torn to ribbons by
the mighty talons, to hog-tie Numa--drawing his four legs together
and securing them in that position with the strips trimmed from
the pigskins.

By this time the lion's efforts had almost ceased--it was evident
that he was being rapidly strangled and as that did not at all
suit the purpose of the Tarmangani the latter swung again into the
tree, unfastened the rope from above and lowered the lion to the
ground where he immediately followed it and loosed the noose about
Numa's neck. Then he drew his hunting knife and cut two round holes
in the front of the head bag opposite the lion's eyes for the double
purpose of permitting him to see and giving him sufficient air to
breathe.

This done Tarzan busied himself fitting the other bags, one over
each of Numa's formidably armed paws. Those on the hind feet he
secured not only by tightening the draw strings but also rigged
garters that fastened tightly around the legs above the hocks.
He secured the front-feet bags in place similarly above the great
knees. Now, indeed, was Numa, the lion, reduced to the harmlessness
of Bara, the deer.

By now Numa was showing signs of returning life. He gasped for
breath and struggled; but the strips of pigskin that held his four
legs together were numerous and tough. Tarzan watched and was sure
that they would hold, yet Numa is mightily muscled and there was
the chance, always, that he might struggle free of his bonds after
which all would depend upon the efficacy of Tarzan's bags and draw
strings.

After Numa had again breathed normally and was able to roar
out his protests and his rage, his struggles increased to Titanic
proportions for a short time; but as a lion's powers of endurance
are in no way proportionate to his size and strength he soon tired
and lay quietly. Amid renewed growling and another futile attempt
to free himself, Numa was finally forced to submit to the further
indignity of having a rope secured about his neck; but this time
it was no noose that might tighten and strangle him; but a bowline
knot, which does not tighten or slip under strain.

The other end of the rope Tarzan fastened to the stem of the tree,
then he quickly cut the bonds securing Numa's legs and leaped aside
as the beast sprang to his feet. For a moment the lion stood with
legs far outspread, then he raised first one paw and then another,
shaking them energetically in an effort to dislodge the strange
footgear that Tarzan had fastened upon them. Finally he began to paw
at the bag upon his head. The ape-man, standing with ready spear,
watched Numa's efforts intently. Would the bags hold? He sincerely
hoped so. Or would all his labor prove fruitless?

As the clinging things upon his feet and face resisted his every
effort to dislodge them, Numa became frantic. He rolled upon the
ground, fighting, biting, scratching, and roaring; he leaped to his
feet and sprang into the air; he charged Tarzan, only to be brought
to a sudden stop as the rope securing him to the tree tautened.
Then Tarzan stepped in and rapped him smartly on the head with the
shaft of his spear.  Numa reared upon his hind feet and struck at
the ape-man and in return received a cuff on one ear that sent him
reeling sideways. When he returned to the attack he was again sent
sprawling. After the fourth effort it appeared to dawn upon the king
of beasts that he had met his master, his head and tail dropped and
when Tarzan advanced upon him he backed away, though still growling.

Leaving Numa tied to the tree Tarzan entered the tunnel and removed
the barricade from the opposite end, after which he returned to
the gulch and strode straight for the tree.  Numa lay in his path
and as Tarzan approached growled menacingly. The ape-man cuffed
him aside and unfastened the rope from the tree. Then ensued a
half-hour of stubbornly fought battle while Tarzan endeavored to
drive Numa through the tunnel ahead of him and Numa persistently
refused to be driven. At last, however, by dint of the unrestricted
use of his spear point, the ape-man succeeded in forcing the lion
to move ahead of him and eventually guided him into the passageway.
Once inside, the problem became simpler since Tarzan followed closely
in the rear with his sharp spear point, an unremitting incentive
to forward movement on the part of the lion. If Numa hesitated he
was prodded. If he backed up the result was extremely painful and
so, being a wise lion who was learning rapidly, he decided to keep
on going and at the end of the tunnel, emerging into the outer
world, he sensed freedom, raised his head and tail and started off
at a run.

Tarzan, still on his hands and knees just inside the entrance, was
taken unaware with the result that he was sprawled forward upon
his face and dragged a hundred yards across the rocky ground before
Numa was brought to a stand. It was a scratched and angry Tarzan
who scrambled to his feet. At first he was tempted to chastise
Numa; but, as the ape-man seldom permitted his temper to guide him
in any direction not countenanced by reason, he quickly abandoned
the idea.

Having taught Numa the rudiments of being driven, he now urged him
forward and there commenced as strange a journey as the unrecorded
history of the jungle contains. The balance of that day was eventful
both for Tarzan and for Numa. From open rebellion at first the lion
passed through stages of stubborn resistance and grudging obedience
to final surrender. He was a very tired, hungry, and thirsty lion
when night overtook them; but there was to be no food for him that
day or the next--Tarzan did not dare risk removing the head bag,
though he did cut another hole which permitted Numa to quench his
thirst shortly after dark. Then he tied him to a tree, sought food
for himself, and stretched out among the branches above his captive
for a few hours' sleep.

Early the following morning they resumed their journey, winding over
the low foothills south of Kilimanjaro, toward the east. The beasts
of the jungle who saw them took one look and fled. The scent spoor
of Numa, alone, might have been enough to have provoked flight in
many of the lesser animals, but the sight of this strange apparition
that smelled like a lion, but looked like nothing they ever had
seen before, being led through the jungles by a giant Tarmangani
was too much for even the more formidable denizens of the wild.

Sabor, the lioness, recognizing from a distance the scent of her
lord and master intermingled with that of a Tarmangani and the
hide of Horta, the boar, trotted through the aisles of the forest
to investigate. Tarzan and Numa heard her coming, for she voiced
a plaintive and questioning whine as the baffling mixture of odors
aroused her curiosity and her fears, for lions, however terrible
they may appear, are often timid animals and Sabor, being of the
gentler sex, was, naturally, habitually inquisitive as well.

Tarzan un-slung his spear for he knew that he might now easily have
to fight to retain his prize. Numa halted and turned his outraged
head in the direction of the coming she.  He voiced a throaty growl
that was almost a purr. Tarzan was upon the point of prodding him
on again when Sabor broke into view, and behind her the ape-man saw
that which gave him instant pause--four full-grown lions trailing
the lioness.

To have goaded Numa then into active resistance might have brought
the whole herd down upon him and so Tarzan waited to learn first
what their attitude would be. He had no idea of relinquishing his
lion without a battle; but knowing lions as he did, he knew that
there was no assurance as to just what the newcomers would do.

The lioness was young and sleek, and the four males were in their
prime--as handsome lions as he ever had seen. Three of the males
were scantily maned but one, the foremost, carried a splendid,
black mane that rippled in the breeze as he trotted majestically
forward. The lioness halted a hundred feet from Tarzan, while the
lions came on past her and stopped a few feet nearer. Their ears
were upstanding and their eyes filled with curiosity. Tarzan could
not even guess what they might do. The lion at his side faced them
fully, standing silent now and watchful.

Suddenly the lioness gave vent to another little whine, at which
Tarzan's lion voiced a terrific roar and leaped forward straight
toward the beast of the black mane. The sight of this awesome
creature with the strange face was too much for the lion toward
which he leaped, dragging Tarzan after him, and with a growl the
lion turned and fled, followed by his companions and the she.

Numa attempted to follow them; Tarzan held him in leash and when
he turned upon him in rage, beat him unmercifully across the head
with his spear. Shaking his head and growling, the lion at last moved
off again in the direction they had been traveling; but it was an
hour before he ceased to sulk. He was very hungry--half famished
in fact--and consequently of an ugly temper, yet so thoroughly
subdued by Tarzan's heroic methods of lion taming that he was
presently pacing along at the ape-man's side like some huge St.
Bernard.

It was dark when the two approached the British right, after a
slight delay farther back because of a German patrol it had been
necessary to elude. A short distance from the British line of
out-guard sentinels Tarzan tied Numa to a tree and continued on
alone. He evaded a sentinel, passed the out-guard and support, and
by devious ways came again to Colonel Capell's headquarters, where
he appeared before the officers gathered there as a disembodied
spirit materializing out of thin air.

When they saw who it was that came thus unannounced they smiled
and the colonel scratched his head in perplexity.

"Someone should be shot for this," he said. "I might just as well
not establish an out-post if a man can filter through whenever he
pleases."

Tarzan smiled. "Do not blame them," he said, "for I am not a man.
I am Tarmangani. Any Mangani who wished to, could enter your camp
almost at will; but if you have them for sentinels no one could
enter without their knowledge."

"What are the Mangani?" asked the colonel. "Perhaps we might enlist
a bunch of the beggars."

Tarzan shook his head. "They are the great apes," he explained; "my
people; but you could not use them. They cannot concentrate long
enough upon a single idea. If I told them of this they would be
much interested for a short time--I might even hold the interest
of a few long enough to get them here and explain their duties to
them; but soon they would lose interest and when you needed them
most they might be off in the forest searching for beetles instead
of watching their posts. They have the minds of little children--that
is why they remain what they are."

"You call them Mangani and yourself Tarmangani--what is the
difference?" asked Major Preswick.

"Tar means white," replied Tarzan, "and Mangani, great ape. My name--the
name they gave me in the tribe of Kerchak--means White-skin. When
I was a little balu my skin, I presume, looked very white indeed
against the beautiful, black coat of Kala, my foster mother
and so they called me Tarzan, the Tarmangani. They call you, too,
Tarmangani," he concluded, smiling.

Capell smiled. "It is no reproach, Greystoke," he said; "and, by
Jove, it would be a mark of distinction if a fellow could act the
part. And now how about your plan? Do you still think you can empty
the trench opposite our sector?"

"Is it still held by Gomangani?" asked Tarzan.

"What are Gomangani?" inquired the colonel. "It is still held by
native troops, if that is what you mean."

"Yes," replied the ape-man, "the Gomangani are the great black
apes--the Negroes."

"What do you intend doing and what do you want us to do?" asked
Capell.

Tarzan approached the table and placed a finger on the map. "Here
is a listening post," he said; "they have a machine gun in it. A
tunnel connects it with this trench at this point." His finger moved
from place to place on the map as he talked.  "Give me a bomb and
when you hear it burst in this listening post let your men start
across No Man's Land slowly. Presently they will hear a commotion
in the enemy trench; but they need not hurry, and, whatever they
do, have them come quietly. You might also warn them that I may be
in the trench and that I do not care to be shot or bayoneted."

"And that is all?" queried Capell, after directing an officer to
give Tarzan a hand grenade; "you will empty the trench alone?"

"Not exactly alone," replied Tarzan with a grim smile; "but I shall
empty it, and, by the way, your men may come in through the tunnel
from the listening post if you prefer. In about half an hour,
Colonel," and he turned and left them.

As he passed through the camp there flashed suddenly upon the screen
of recollection, conjured there by some reminder of his previous
visit to headquarters, doubtless, the image of the officer he had
passed as he quit the colonel that other time and simultaneously
recognition of the face that had been revealed by the light from
the fire. He shook his head dubiously. No, it could not be and
yet the features of the young officer were identical with those of
Fraulein Kircher, the German spy he had seen at German headquarters
the night he took Major Schneider from under the nose of the Hun
general and his staff.

Beyond the last line of sentinels Tarzan moved quickly in the
direction of Numa, the lion. The beast was lying down as Tarzan
approached, but he rose as the ape-man reached his side. A low
whine escaped his muzzled lips. Tarzan smiled for he recognized in
the new note almost a supplication--it was more like the whine of
a hungry dog begging for food than the voice of the proud king of
beasts.

"Soon you will kill--and feed," he murmured in the vernacular of
the great apes.

He unfastened the rope from about the tree and, with Numa close
at his side, slunk into No Man's Land. There was little rifle fire
and only an occasional shell vouched for the presence of artillery
behind the opposing lines. As the shells from both sides were
falling well back of the trenches, they constituted no menace to
Tarzan; but the noise of them and that of the rifle fire had a marked
effect upon Numa who crouched, trembling, close to the Tarmangani
as though seeking protection.

Cautiously the two beasts moved forward toward the listening post
of the Germans. In one hand Tarzan carried the bomb the English had
given him, in the other was the coiled rope attached to the lion.
At last Tarzan could see the position a few yards ahead. His keen
eyes picked out the head and shoulders of the sentinel on watch.
The ape-man grasped the bomb firmly in his right hand. He measured
the distance with his eye and gathered his feet beneath him, then
in a single motion he rose and threw the missile, immediately
flattening himself prone upon the ground.

Five seconds later there was a terrific explosion in the center of
the listening post. Numa gave a nervous start and attempted to break
away; but Tarzan held him and, leaping to his feet, ran forward,
dragging Numa after him. At the edge of the post he saw below him
but slight evidence that the position had been occupied at all,
for only a few shreds of torn flesh remained. About the only thing
that had not been demolished was a machine gun which had been
protected by sand bags.

There was not an instant to lose. Already a relief might be crawling
through the communication tunnel, for it must have been evident to
the sentinels in the Hun trenches that the listening post had been
demolished. Numa hesitated to follow Tarzan into the excavation;
but the ape-man, who was in no mood to temporize, jerked him roughly
to the bottom.  Before them lay the mouth of the tunnel that led
back from No Man's Land to the German trenches. Tarzan pushed Numa
forward until his head was almost in the aperture, then as though
it were an afterthought, he turned quickly and, taking the machine
gun from the parapet, placed it in the bottom of the hole close
at hand, after which he turned again to Numa, and with his knife
quickly cut the garters that held the bags upon his front paws.
Before the lion could know that a part of his formidable armament
was again released for action, Tarzan had cut the rope from his
neck and the head bag from his face, and grabbing the lion from
the rear had thrust him partially into the mouth of the tunnel.

Then Numa balked, only to feel the sharp prick of Tarzan's knife
point in his hind quarters. Goading him on the ape-man finally
succeeded in getting the lion sufficiently far into the tunnel
so that there was no chance of his escaping other than by going
forward or deliberately backing into the sharp blade at his rear.
Then Tarzan cut the bags from the great hind feet, placed his
shoulder and his knife point against Numa's seat, dug his toes
into the loose earth that had been broken up by the explosion of
the bomb, and shoved.

Inch by inch at first Numa advanced. He was growling now and presently
he commenced to roar. Suddenly he leaped forward and Tarzan knew
that he had caught the scent of meat ahead. Dragging the machine
gun beside him the ape-man followed quickly after the lion whose
roars he could plainly hear ahead mingled with the unmistakable
screams of frightened men. Once again a grim smile touched the lips
of this man-beast.

"They murdered my Waziri," he muttered; "they crucified Wasimbu,
son of Muviro."

When Tarzan reached the trench and emerged into it there was no one
in sight in that particular bay, nor in the next, nor the next as
he hurried forward in the direction of the German center; but in the
fourth bay he saw a dozen men jammed in the angle of the traverse
at the end while leaping upon them and rending with talons and fangs
was Numa, a terrific incarnation of ferocity and ravenous hunger.

Whatever held the men at last gave way as they fought madly with
one another in their efforts to escape this dread creature that
from their infancy had filled them with terror, and again they
were retreating. Some clambered over the parados and some even over
the parapet preferring the dangers of No Man's Land to this other
soul-searing menace.

As the British advanced slowly toward the German trenches, they
first met terrified blacks who ran into their arms only too willing
to surrender. That pandemonium had broken loose in the Hun trench
was apparent to the Rhodesians not only from the appearance of the
deserters, but from the sounds of screaming, cursing men which came
clearly to their ears; but there was one that baffled them for it
resembled nothing more closely than the infuriated growling of an
angry lion.

And when at last they reached the trench, those farthest on the left
of the advancing Britishers heard a machine gun sputter suddenly
before them and saw a huge lion leap over the German parados with
the body of a screaming Hun soldier between his jaws and vanish
into the shadows of the night, while squatting upon a traverse to
their left was Tarzan of the Apes with a machine gun before him
with which he was raking the length of the German trenches.

The foremost Rhodesians saw something else--they saw a huge German
officer emerge from a dugout just in rear of the ape-man. They saw
him snatch up a discarded rifle with bayonet fixed and creep upon
the apparently unconscious Tarzan. They ran forward, shouting
warnings; but above the pandemonium of the trenches and the machine
gun their voices could not reach him. The German leaped upon the
parapet behind him--the fat hands raised the rifle butt aloft for
the cowardly downward thrust into the naked back and then, as moves
Ara, the lightning, moved Tarzan of the Apes.

It was no man who leaped forward upon that Boche officer,  striking
aside the sharp bayonet as one might strike aside a straw in a
baby's hand--it was a wild beast and the roar of a wild beast was
upon those savage lips, for as that strange sense that Tarzan owned
in common with the other jungle-bred creatures of his wild domain
warned him of the presence behind him and he had whirled to meet
the attack, his eyes had seen the corps and regimental insignia upon
the other's blouse--it was the same as that worn by the murderers
of his wife and his people, by the despoilers of his home and his
happiness.

It was a wild beast whose teeth fastened upon the shoulder of the
Hun--it was a wild beast whose talons sought that fat neck. And
then the boys of the Second Rhodesian Regiment saw that which will
live forever in their memories. They saw the giant ape-man pick
the heavy German from the ground and shake him as a terrier might
shake a rat--as Sabor, the lioness, sometimes shakes her prey.
They saw the eyes of the Hun bulge in horror as he vainly struck
with his futile hands against the massive chest and head of his
assailant. They saw Tarzan suddenly spin the man about and placing
a knee in the middle of his back and an arm about his neck bend
his shoulders slowly backward. The German's knees gave and he sank
upon them, but still that irresistible force bent him further and
further. He screamed in agony for a moment--then something snapped
and Tarzan cast him aside, a limp and lifeless thing.

The Rhodesians started forward, a cheer upon their lips--a cheer
that never was uttered--a cheer that froze in their throats, for
at that moment Tarzan placed a foot upon the carcass of his kill
and, raising his face to the heavens, gave voice to the weird and
terrifying victory cry of the bull ape.

Underlieutenant von Goss was dead.

Without a backward glance at the awe-struck soldiers Tarzan leaped
the trench and was gone.




Chapter V

The Golden Locket


The little British army in East Africa, after suffering severe
reverses at the hands of a numerically much superior force, was
at last coming into its own. The German offensive had been broken
and the Huns were now slowly and doggedly retreating along the
railway to Tanga. The break in the German lines had followed the
clearing of a section of their left-flank trenches of native soldiers
by Tarzan and Numa, the lion, upon that memorable night that the
ape-man had loosed a famishing man-eater among the superstitious
and terror-stricken blacks. The Second Rhodesian Regiment had
immediately taken possession of the abandoned trench and from this
position their flanking fire had raked contiguous sections of the
German line, the diversion rendering possible a successful night
attack on the part of the balance of the British forces.

Weeks had elapsed. The Germans were contesting stubbornly every
mile of waterless, thorn-covered ground and clinging desperately
to their positions along the railway. The officers of the Second
Rhodesians had seen nothing more of Tarzan of the Apes since he
had slain Underlieutenant von Goss and disappeared toward the very
heart of the German position, and there were those among them who
believed that he had been killed within the enemy lines.

"They may have killed him," assented Colonel Capell; "but I fancy
they never captured the beggar alive."

Nor had they, nor killed him either. Tarzan had spent those intervening
weeks pleasantly and profitably. He had amassed a considerable
fund of knowledge concerning the disposition and strength of German
troops, their methods of warfare, and the various ways in which a
lone Tarmangani might annoy an army and lower its morale.

At present he was prompted by a specific desire. There was a certain
German spy whom he wished to capture alive and take back to the
British. When he had made his first visit to German headquarters,
he had seen a young woman deliver a paper to the German general,
and later he had seen that same young woman within the British
lines in the uniform of a British officer. The conclusions were
obvious--she was a spy.

And so Tarzan haunted German headquarters upon many nights hoping
to see her again or to pick up some clew as to her whereabouts,
and at the same time he utilized many an artifice whereby he might
bring terror to the hearts of the Germans. That he was successful
was often demonstrated by the snatches of conversation he overheard as
he prowled through the German camps. One night as he lay concealed
in the bushes close beside a regimental headquarters he listened to
the conversation of several Boche officers. One of the men reverted
to the stories told by the native troops in connection with their
rout by a lion several weeks before and the simultaneous appearance
in their trenches of a naked, white giant whom they were perfectly
assured was some demon of the jungle.

"The fellow must have been the same as he who leaped into the
general's headquarters and carried off Schneider," asserted one.
"I wonder how he happened to single out the poor major. They say
the creature seemed interested in no one but Schneider. He had von
Kelter in his grasp, and he might easily have taken the general
himself; but he ignored them all except Schneider. Him he pursued
about the room, seized and carried off into the night. Gott knows
what his fate was."

"Captain Fritz Schneider has some sort of theory," said another.
"He told me only a week or two ago that he thinks he knows why his
brother was taken--that it was a case of mistaken identity. He was
not so sure about it until von Goss was killed, apparently by the
same creature, the night the lion entered the trenches. Von Goss was
attached to Schneider's company. One of Schneider's men was found
with his neck wrung the same night that the major was carried off
and Schneider thinks that this devil is after him and his
command--that it came for him that night and got his brother by
mistake. He says Kraut told him that in presenting the major to
Fraulein Kircher the former's name was no sooner spoken than this
wild man leaped through the window and made for him."

Suddenly the little group became rigid--listening. "What was that?"
snapped one, eyeing the bushes from which a smothered snarl had
issued as Tarzan of the Apes realized that through his mistake the
perpetrator of the horrid crime at his bungalow still lived--that
the murderer of his wife went yet unpunished.

For a long minute the officers stood with tensed nerves, every eye
riveted upon the bushes from whence the ominous sound had issued.
Each recalled recent mysterious disappearances from the heart of
camps as well as from lonely out-guards. Each thought of the silent
dead he had seen, slain almost within sight of their fellows by some
unseen creature. They thought of the marks upon dead throats--made
by talons or by giant fingers, they could not tell which--and those
upon shoulders and jugulars where powerful teeth had fastened and
they waited with drawn pistols.

Once the bushes moved almost imperceptibly and an instant later
one of the officers, without warning, fired into them; but Tarzan
of the Apes was not there. In the interval between the moving of
the bushes and the firing of the shot he had melted into the night.
Ten minutes later he was hovering on the outskirts of that part
of camp where were bivouacked for the night the black soldiers of
a native company commanded by one Hauptmann Fritz Schneider. The
men were stretched upon the ground without tents; but there were
tents pitched for the officers. Toward these Tarzan crept. It was
slow and perilous work, as the Germans were now upon the alert for
the uncanny foe that crept into their camps to take his toll by
night, yet the ape-man passed their sentinels, eluded the vigilance
of the interior guard, and crept at last to the rear of the officers'
line.

Here he flattened himself against the ground close behind the
nearest tent and listened. From within came the regular breathing
of a sleeping man--one only. Tarzan was satisfied.  With his knife
he cut the tie strings of the rear flap and entered. He made no
noise. The shadow of a falling leaf, floating gently to earth upon
a still day, could have been no more soundless. He moved to the
side of the sleeping man and bent low over him. He could not know,
of course, whether it was Schneider or another, as he had never seen
Schneider; but he meant to know and to know even more.  Gently he
shook the man by the shoulder. The fellow turned heavily and grunted
in a thick guttural.

"Silence!" admonished the ape-man in a low whisper. "Silence--I
kill."

The Hun opened his eyes. In the dim light he saw a giant figure
bending over him. Now a mighty hand grasped his shoulder and another
closed lightly about his throat.

"Make no outcry," commanded Tarzan; "but answer in a whisper my
questions. What is your name?"

"Luberg," replied the officer. He was trembling. The weird presence
of this naked giant filled him with dread. He, too, recalled the
men mysteriously murdered in the still watches of the night camps.
"What do you want?"

"Where is Hauptmann Fritz Schneider?" asked Tarzan, "Which is his
tent?"

"He is not here," replied Luberg. "He was sent to Wilhelmstal
yesterday."

"I shall not kill you--now," said the ape-man. "First I shall go
and learn if you have lied to me and if you have your death shall
be the more terrible. Do you know how Major Schneider died?"

Luberg shook his head negatively.

"I do," continued Tarzan, "and it was not a nice way to die--even
for an accursed German. Turn over with your face down and cover
your eyes. Do not move or make any sound."

The man did as he was bid and the instant that his eyes were turned
away, Tarzan slipped from the tent. An hour later he was outside
the German camp and headed for the little hill town of Wilhelmstal,
the summer seat of government of German East Africa.

Fraulein Bertha Kircher was lost. She was humiliated and angry--it
was long before she would admit it, that she, who prided herself
upon her woodcraft, was lost in this little patch of country between
the Pangani and the Tanga railway.  She knew that Wilhelmstal lay
southeast of her about fifty miles; but, through a combination of
untoward circumstances, she found herself unable to determine which
was southeast.

In the first place she had set out from German headquarters on a
well-marked road that was being traveled by troops and with every
reason to believe that she would follow that road to Wilhelmstal.
Later she had been warned from this road by word that a strong
British patrol had come down the west bank of the Pangani, effected
a crossing south of her, and was even then marching on the railway
at Tonda.

After leaving the road she found herself in thick bush and as the
sky was heavily overcast she presently had recourse to her compass
and it was not until then that she discovered to her dismay that
she did not have it with her. So sure was she of her woodcraft,
however, that she continued on in the direction she thought west
until she had covered sufficient distance to warrant her in feeling
assured that, by now turning south, she could pass safely in rear
of the British patrol.

Nor did she commence to feel any doubts until long after she had
again turned toward the east well south, as she thought, of the
patrol. It was late afternoon--she should long since have struck
the road again south of Tonda; but she had found no road and now
she began to feel real anxiety.

Her horse had traveled all day without food or water, night
was approaching and with it a realization that she was hopelessly
lost in a wild and trackless country notorious principally for its
tsetse flies and savage beasts. It was maddening to know that she
had absolutely no knowledge of the direction she was traveling--that
she might be forging steadily further from the railway, deeper
into the gloomy and forbidding country toward the Pangani; yet it
was impossible to stop--she must go on.

Bertha Kircher was no coward, whatever else she may have been, but
as night began to close down around her she could not shut out from
her mind entirely contemplation of the terrors of the long hours
ahead before the rising sun should dissipate the Stygian gloom--the
horrid jungle night--that lures forth all the prowling, preying
creatures of destruction.

She found, just before dark, an open meadow-like break in the
almost interminable bush. There was a small clump of trees near the
center and here she decided to camp. The grass was high and thick,
affording feed for her horse and a bed for herself, and there was
more than enough dead wood lying about the trees to furnish a good
fire well through the night. Removing the saddle and bridle from
her mount she placed them at the foot of a tree and then picketed
the animal close by. Then she busied herself collecting firewood
and by the time darkness had fallen she had a good fire and enough
wood to last until morning.

From her saddlebags she took cold food and from her canteen a
swallow of water. She could not afford more than a small swallow
for she could not know how long a time it might be before she should
find more. It filled her with sorrow that her poor horse must go
waterless, for even German spies may have hearts and this one was
very young and very feminine.

It was now dark. There was neither moon nor stars and the light
from her fire only accentuated the blackness beyond.  She could see
the grass about her and the boles of the trees which stood out in
brilliant relief against the solid background of impenetrable night,
and beyond the firelight there was nothing.

The jungle seemed ominously quiet. Far away in the distance she
heard faintly the boom of big guns; but she could not locate their
direction. She strained her ears until her nerves were on the point
of breaking; but she could not tell from whence the sound came. And
it meant so much to her to know, for the battle-lines were north
of her and if she could but locate the direction of the firing she
would know which way to go in the morning.

In the morning! Would she live to see another morning?  She squared
her shoulders and shook herself together. Such thoughts must be
banished--they would never do. Bravely she hummed an air as she
arranged her saddle near the fire and pulled a quantity of long
grass to make a comfortable seat over which she spread her saddle
blanket. Then she un-strapped a heavy, military coat from the cantle
of her saddle and donned it, for the air was already chill.

Seating herself where she could lean against the saddle she prepared
to maintain a sleepless vigil throughout the night. For an hour
the silence was broken only by the distant booming of the guns and
the low noises of the feeding horse and then, from possibly a mile
away, came the rumbling thunder of a lion's roar. The girl started
and laid her hand upon the rifle at her side. A little shudder ran
through her slight frame and she could feel the goose flesh rise
upon her body.

Again and again was the awful sound repeated and each time she was
certain that it came nearer. She could locate the direction of this
sound although she could not that of the guns, for the origin of
the former was much closer. The lion was up wind and so could not
have caught her scent as yet, though he might be approaching to
investigate the light of the fire which could doubtless be seen
for a considerable distance.

For another fear-filled hour the girl sat straining her eyes and
ears out into the black void beyond her little island of light.
During all that time the lion did not roar again; but there was
constantly the sensation that it was creeping upon her. Again and
again she would start and turn to peer into the blackness beyond
the trees behind her as her overwrought nerves conjured the stealthy
fall of padded feet. She held the rifle across her knees at the
ready now and she was trembling from head to foot.

Suddenly her horse raised his head and snorted, and with a little
cry of terror the girl sprang to her feet. The animal turned and
trotted back toward her until the picket rope brought him to a stand,
and then he wheeled about and with ears up-pricked gazed out into
the night; but the girl could neither see nor hear aught.

Still another hour of terror passed during which the horse often
raised his head to peer long and searchingly into the dark. The girl
replenished the fire from time to time. She found herself becoming
very sleepy. Her heavy lids persisted in drooping; but she dared
not sleep. Fearful lest she might be overcome by the drowsiness
that was stealing through her she rose and walked briskly to and
fro, then she threw some more wood on the fire, walked over and
stroked her horse's muzzle and returned to her seat.

Leaning against the saddle she tried to occupy her mind with plans
for the morrow; but she must have dozed. With a start she awoke.
It was broad daylight. The hideous night with its indescribable
terrors was gone.

She could scarce believe the testimony of her senses. She had slept
for hours, the fire was out and yet she and the horse were safe
and alive, nor was there sign of savage beast about.  And, best of
all, the sun was shining, pointing the straight road to the east.
Hastily she ate a few mouthfuls of her precious rations, which with
a swallow of water constituted her breakfast. Then she saddled her
horse and mounted. Already she felt that she was as good as safe
in Wilhelmstal.

Possibly, however, she might have revised her conclusions could she
have seen the two pairs of eyes watching her every move intently
from different points in the bush.

Light-hearted and unsuspecting, the girl rode across the clearing
toward the bush while directly before her two yellow-green eyes
glared round and terrible, a tawny tail twitched nervously and
great, padded paws gathered beneath a sleek barrel for a mighty
spring. The horse was almost at the edge of the bush when Numa,
the lion, launched himself through the air. He struck the animal's
right shoulder at the instant that it reared, terrified, to wheel
in flight. The force of the impact hurled the horse backward to the
ground and so quickly that the girl had no opportunity to extricate
herself; but fell to the earth with her mount, her left leg pinned
beneath its body.

Horror-stricken, she saw the king of beasts open his mighty jaws
and seize the screaming creature by the back of its neck.  The
great jaws closed, there was an instant's struggle as Numa shook
his prey. She could hear the vertebrae crack as the mighty fangs
crunched through them, and then the muscles of her faithful friend
relaxed in death.

Numa crouched upon his kill. His terrifying eyes riveted themselves
upon the girl's face--she could feel his hot breath upon her cheek
and the odor of the fetid vapor nauseated her.  For what seemed
an eternity to the girl the two lay staring at each other and then
the lion uttered a menacing growl.

Never before had Bertha Kircher been so terrified--never before had
she had such cause for terror. At her hip was a pistol--a formidable
weapon with which to face a man; but a puny thing indeed with
which to menace the great beast before her. She knew that at best
it could but enrage him and yet she meant to sell her life dearly,
for she felt that she must die. No human succor could have availed
her even had it been there to offer itself. For a moment she tore
her gaze from the hypnotic fascination of that awful face and
breathed a last prayer to her God. She did not ask for aid, for she
felt that she was beyond even divine succor--she only asked that
the end might come quickly and with as little pain as possible.

No one can prophesy what a lion will do in any given emergency.
This one glared and growled at the girl for a moment and then fell
to feeding upon the dead horse. Fraulein Kircher wondered for an
instant and then attempted to draw her leg cautiously from beneath
the body of her mount; but she could not budge it. She increased
the force of her efforts and Numa looked up from his feeding to
growl again.  The girl desisted. She hoped that he might satisfy
his hunger and then depart to lie up, but she could not believe
that he would leave her there alive. Doubtless he would drag the
remains of his kill into the bush for hiding and, as there could
be no doubt that he considered her part of his prey, he would
certainly come back for her, or possibly drag her in first and kill
her.

Again Numa fell to feeding. The girl's nerves were at the breaking
point. She wondered that she had not fainted under the strain
of terror and shock. She recalled that she often had wished she
might see a lion, close to, make a kill and feed upon it. God! how
realistically her wish had been granted.

Again she bethought herself of her pistol. As she had fallen, the
holster had slipped around so that the weapon now lay beneath her.
Very slowly she reached for it; but in so doing she was forced to
raise her body from the ground.  Instantly the lion was aroused.
With the swiftness of a cat he reached across the carcass of the
horse and placed a heavy, taloned paw upon her breast, crushing her
back to earth, and all the time he growled and snarled horribly.
His face was a picture of frightful rage incarnate. For a moment
neither moved and then from behind her the girl heard a human voice
uttering bestial sounds.

Numa suddenly looked up from the girl's face at the thing beyond
her. His growls increased to roars as he drew back, ripping the
front of the girl's waist almost from her body with his long talons,
exposing her white bosom, which through some miracle of chance the
great claws did not touch.

Tarzan of the Apes had witnessed the entire encounter from the
moment that Numa had leaped upon his prey. For some time before,
he had been watching the girl, and after the lion attacked her he
had at first been minded to let Numa have his way with her. What
was she but a hated German and a spy besides? He had seen her at
General Kraut's headquarters, in conference with the German staff
and again he had seen her within the British lines masquerading as
a British officer. It was the latter thought that prompted him to
interfere. Doubtless General Jan Smuts would be glad to meet and
question her. She might be forced to divulge information of value
to the British commander before Smuts had her shot.

Tarzan had recognized not only the girl, but the lion as well.  All
lions may look alike to you and me; but not so to their intimates
of the jungle. Each has his individual characteristics of face and
form and gait as well defined as those that differentiate members
of the human family, and besides these the creatures of the jungle
have a still more positive test--that of scent. Each of us, man or
beast, has his own peculiar odor, and it is mostly by this that
the beasts of the jungle, endowed with miraculous powers of scent,
recognize individuals.

It is the final proof. You have seen it demonstrated a thousand
times--a dog recognizes your voice and looks at you.  He knows your
face and figure. Good, there can be no doubt in his mind but that
it is you; but is he satisfied? No, sir--he must come up and smell
of you. All his other senses may be fallible, but not his sense of
smell, and so he makes assurance positive by the final test.

Tarzan recognized Numa as he whom he had muzzled with the hide of
Horta, the boar--as he whom he handled by a rope for two days and
finally loosed in a German front-line trench, and he knew that Numa
would recognize him--that he would remember the sharp spear that
had goaded him into submission and obedience and Tarzan hoped that
the lesson he had learned still remained with the lion.

Now he came forward calling to Numa in the language of the great
apes--warning him away from the girl. It is open to question that
Numa, the lion, understood him; but he did understand the menace of
the heavy spear that the Tarmangani carried so ready in his brown,
right hand, and so he drew back, growling, trying to decide in his
little brain whether to charge or flee.

On came the ape-man with never a pause, straight for the lion. "Go
away, Numa," he cried, "or Tarzan will tie you up again and lead
you through the jungle without food. See Arad, my spear! Do you
recall how his point stuck into you and how with his haft I beat
you over the head? Go, Numa!  I am Tarzan of the Apes!"

Numa wrinkled the skin of his face into great folds, until his
eyes almost disappeared and he growled and roared and snarled and
growled again, and when the spear point came at last quite close
to him he struck at it viciously with his armed paw; but he drew
back. Tarzan stepped over the dead horse and the girl lying behind
him gazed in wide-eyed astonishment at the handsome figure driving
an angry lion deliberately from its kill.

When Numa had retreated a few yards, the ape-man called back to
the girl in perfect German, "Are you badly hurt?"

"I think not," she replied; "but I cannot extricate my foot from
beneath my horse."

"Try again," commanded Tarzan. "I do not know how long I can hold
Numa thus."

The girl struggled frantically; but at last she sank back upon an
elbow.

"It is impossible," she called to him.

He backed slowly until he was again beside the horse, when he
reached down and grasped the cinch, which was still intact.  Then
with one hand he raised the carcass from the ground.  The girl
freed herself and rose to her feet.

"You can walk?" asked Tarzan.

"Yes," she said; "my leg is numb; but it does not seem to be
injured."

"Good," commented the ape-man. "Back slowly away behind me--make
no sudden movements. I think he will not charge."

With utmost deliberation the two backed toward the bush.  Numa
stood for a moment, growling, then he followed them, slowly. Tarzan
wondered if he would come beyond his kill or if he would stop there.
If he followed them beyond, then they could look for a charge, and
if Numa charged it was very likely that he would get one of them.
When the lion reached the carcass of the horse Tarzan stopped and
so did Numa, as Tarzan had thought that he would and the ape-man
waited to see what the lion would do next. He eyed them for a
moment, snarled angrily and then looked down at the tempting meat.
Presently he crouched upon his kill and resumed feeding.

The girl breathed a deep sigh of relief as she and the ape-man
resumed their slow retreat with only an occasional glance from the
lion, and when at last they reached the bush and had turned and
entered it, she felt a sudden giddiness overwhelm her so that she
staggered and would have fallen had Tarzan not caught her. It was
only a moment before she regained control of herself.

"I could not help it," she said, in half apology. "I was so close
to death--such a horrible death--it unnerved me for an instant;
but I am all right now. How can I ever thank you?  It was so
wonderful--you did not seem to fear the frightful creature in the
least; yet he was afraid of you. Who are you?"

"He knows me," replied Tarzan, grimly--"that is why he fears me."

He was standing facing the girl now and for the first time
he had a chance to look at her squarely and closely. She was very
beautiful--that was undeniable; but Tarzan realized her beauty only
in a subconscious way. It was superficial--it did not color her
soul which must be black as sin. She was German--a German spy. He
hated her and desired only to compass her destruction; but he would
choose the manner so that it would work most grievously against
the enemy cause.

He saw her naked breasts where Numa had torn her clothing from her
and dangling there against the soft, white flesh he saw that which
brought a sudden scowl of surprise and anger to his face--the
diamond-studded, golden locket of his youth--the love token that
had been stolen from the breast of his mate by Schneider, the Hun.
The girl saw the scowl but did not interpret it correctly. Tarzan
grasped her roughly by the arm.

"Where did you get this?" he demanded, as he tore the bauble from
her.

The girl drew herself to her full height. "Take your hand from me,"
she demanded, but the ape-man paid no attention to her words, only
seizing her more forcibly.

"Answer me!" he snapped. "Where did you get this?"

"What is it to you?" she countered.

"It is mine," he replied. "Tell me who gave it to you or I will
throw you back to Numa."

"You would do that?" she asked.

"Why not?" he queried. "You are a spy and spies must die if they
are caught."

"You were going to kill me, then?"

"I was going to take you to headquarters. They would dispose of
you there; but Numa can do it quite as effectively.  Which do you
prefer?"

"Hauptmann Fritz Schneider gave it to me," she said.

"Headquarters it will be then," said Tarzan. "Come!" The girl
moved at his side through the bush and all the time her mind worked
quickly. They were moving east, which suited her, and as long as
they continued to move east she was glad to have the protection
of the great, white savage. She speculated much upon the fact that
her pistol still swung at her hip. The man must be mad not to take
it from her.

"What makes you think I am a spy?" she asked after a long silence.

"I saw you at German headquarters," he replied, "and then again
inside the British lines."

She could not let him take her back to them. She must reach
Wilhelmstal at once and she was determined to do so even if she
must have recourse to her pistol. She cast a side glance at the
tall figure. What a magnificent creature! But yet he was a brute
who would kill her or have her killed if she did not slay him. And
the locket! She must have that back--it must not fail to reach
Wilhelmstal. Tarzan was now a foot or two ahead of her as the path
was very narrow. Cautiously she drew her pistol. A single shot would
suffice and he was so close that she could not miss. As she figured
it all out her eyes rested on the brown skin with the graceful muscles
rolling beneath it and the perfect limbs and head and the carriage
that a proud king of old might have envied.  A wave of revulsion
for her contemplated act surged through her. No, she could not
do it--yet, she must be free and she must regain possession of
the locket. And then, almost blindly, she swung the weapon up and
struck Tarzan heavily upon the back of the head with its butt. Like
a felled ox he dropped in his tracks.




Chapter VI

Vengeance and Mercy


It was an hour later that Sheeta, the panther, hunting, chanced to
glance upward into the blue sky where his attention was attracted
by Ska, the vulture, circling slowly above the bush a mile away and
downwind. For a long minute the yellow eyes stared intently at the
gruesome bird. They saw Ska dive and rise again to continue his
ominous circling and in these movements their woodcraft read that
which, while obvious to Sheeta, would doubtless have meant nothing
to you or me.

The hunting cat guessed that on the ground beneath Ska was some
living thing of flesh--either a beast feeding upon its kill or a
dying animal that Ska did not yet dare attack. In either event it
might prove meat for Sheeta, and so the wary feline stalked by a
circuitous route, upon soft, padded feet that gave forth no sound,
until the circling aasvogel and his intended prey were upwind. Then,
sniffing each vagrant zephyr, Sheeta, the panther, crept cautiously
forward, nor had he advanced any considerable distance before his
keen nostrils were rewarded with the scent of man--a Tarmangani.

Sheeta paused. He was not a hunter of men. He was young and in his
prime; but always before he had avoided this hated presence. Of
late he had become more accustomed to it with the passing of many
soldiers through his ancient hunting ground, and as the soldiers
had frightened away a great part of the game Sheeta had been wont
to feed upon, the days had been lean, and Sheeta was hungry.

The circling Ska suggested that this Tarmangani might be helpless
and upon the point of dying, else Ska would not have been interested
in him, and so easy prey for Sheeta. With this thought in mind the
cat resumed his stalking. Presently he pushed through the thick
bush and his yellow-green eyes rested gloatingly upon the body of
an almost naked Tarmangani lying face down in a narrow game trail.

Numa, sated, rose from the carcass of Bertha Kircher's horse and
seized the partially devoured body by the neck and dragged it into
the bush; then he started east toward the lair where he had left
his mate. Being uncomfortably full he was inclined to be sleepy
and far from belligerent. He moved slowly and majestically with no
effort at silence or concealment. The king walked abroad, unafraid.

With an occasional regal glance to right or left he moved along a
narrow game trail until at a turn he came to a sudden stop at what
lay revealed before him--Sheeta, the panther, creeping stealthily
upon the almost naked body of a Tarmangani lying face down in the
deep dust of the pathway.  Numa glared intently at the quiet body
in the dust. Recognition came. It was his Tarmangani. A low growl
of warning rumbled from his throat and Sheeta halted with one paw
upon Tarzan's back and turned suddenly to eye the intruder.

What passed within those savage brains? Who may say?  The panther
seemed debating the wisdom of defending his find, for he growled
horribly as though warning Numa away from the prey. And Numa? Was
the idea of property rights dominating his thoughts? The Tarmangani
was his, or he was the Tarmangani's. Had not the Great White Ape
mastered and subdued him and, too, had he not fed him? Numa recalled
the fear that he had felt of this man-thing and his cruel spear;
but in savage brains fear is more likely to engender respect than
hatred and so Numa found that he respected the creature who had
subdued and mastered him.  He saw Sheeta, upon whom he looked with
contempt, daring to molest the master of the lion. Jealousy and
greed alone might have been sufficient to prompt Numa to drive Sheeta
away, even though the lion was not sufficiently hungry to devour
the flesh that he thus wrested from the lesser cat; but then, too,
there was in the little brain within the massive head a sense of
loyalty, and perhaps this it was that sent Numa quickly forward,
growling, toward the spitting Sheeta.

For a moment the latter stood his ground with arched back and
snarling face, for all the world like a great, spotted tabby.

Numa had not felt like fighting; but the sight of Sheeta daring
to dispute his rights kindled his ferocious brain to sudden fire.
His rounded eyes glared with rage, his undulating tail snapped to
stiff erectness as, with a frightful roar, he charged this presuming
vassal.

It came so suddenly and from so short a distance that Sheeta had
no chance to turn and flee the rush, and so he met it with raking
talons and snapping jaws; but the odds were all against him. To
the larger fangs and the more powerful jaws of his adversary were
added huge talons and the preponderance of the lion's great weight.
At the first clash Sheeta was crushed and, though he deliberately
fell upon his back and drew up his powerful hind legs beneath Numa
with the intention of disemboweling him, the lion forestalled him
and at the same time closed his awful jaws upon Sheeta's throat.

It was soon over. Numa rose, shaking himself, and stood above the
torn and mutilated body of his foe. His own sleek coat was cut and
the red blood trickled down his flank; though it was but a minor
injury, it angered him. He glared down at the dead panther and
then, in a fit of rage, he seized and mauled the body only to drop
it in a moment, lower his head, voice a single terrific roar, and
turn toward the ape-man.

Approaching the still form he sniffed it over from head to foot.
Then he placed a huge paw upon it and turned it over with its face
up. Again he smelled about the body and at last with his rough tongue
licked Tarzan's face. It was then that Tarzan opened his eyes.

Above him towered the huge lion, its hot breath upon his face, its
rough tongue upon his cheek. The ape-man had often been close to
death; but never before so close as this, he thought, for he was
convinced that death was but a matter of seconds. His brain was
still numb from the effects of the blow that had felled him, and
so he did not, for a moment, recognize the lion that stood over
him as the one he had so recently encountered.

Presently, however, recognition dawned upon him and with it
a realization of the astounding fact that Numa did not seem bent
on devouring him--at least not immediately. His position was a
delicate one. The lion stood astraddle Tarzan with his front paws.
The ape-man could not rise, therefore, without pushing the lion away
and whether Numa would tolerate being pushed was an open question.
Too, the beast might consider him already dead and any movement that
indicated the contrary was true would, in all likelihood, arouse
the killing instinct of the man-eater.

But Tarzan was tiring of the situation. He was in no mood to lie
there forever, especially when he contemplated the fact that the
girl spy who had tried to brain him was undoubtedly escaping as
rapidly as possible.

Numa was looking right into his eyes now evidently aware that he was
alive. Presently the lion cocked his head on one side and whined.
Tarzan knew the note, and he knew that it spelled neither rage nor
hunger, and then he risked all on a single throw, encouraged by
that low whine.

"Move, Numa!" he commanded and placing a palm against the tawny
shoulder he pushed the lion aside. Then he rose and with a hand
on his hunting knife awaited that which might follow. It was then
that his eyes fell for the first time on the torn body of Sheeta.
He looked from the dead cat to the live one and saw the marks of
conflict upon the latter, too, and in an instant realized something
of what had happened--Numa had saved him from the panther!

It seemed incredible and yet the evidence pointed clearly to the
fact. He turned toward the lion and without fear approached and
examined his wounds which he found superficial, and as Tarzan knelt
beside him Numa rubbed an itching ear against the naked, brown
shoulder. Then the ape-man stroked the great head, picked up his
spear, and looked about for the trail of the girl. This he soon
found leading toward the east, and as he set out upon it something
prompted him to feel for the locket he had hung about his neck. It
was gone!

No trace of anger was apparent upon the ape-man's face unless it
was a slight tightening of the jaws; but he put his hand ruefully
to the back of his head where a bump marked the place where the
girl had struck him and a moment later a half-smile played across
his lips. He could not help but admit that she had tricked him
neatly, and that it must have taken nerve to do the thing she did
and to set out armed only with a pistol through the trackless waste
that lay between them and the railway and beyond into the hills
where Wilhelmstal lies.

Tarzan admired courage. He was big enough to admit it and admire
it even in a German spy, but he saw that in this case it only added
to her resourcefulness and made her all the more dangerous and the
necessity for putting her out of the way paramount. He hoped to
overtake her before she reached Wilhelmstal and so he set out at
the swinging trot that he could hold for hours at a stretch without
apparent fatigue.

That the girl could hope to reach the town on foot in less than two
days seemed improbable, for it was a good thirty miles and part
of it hilly. Even as the thought crossed his mind he heard the
whistle of a locomotive to the east and knew that the railway was
in operation again after a shutdown of several days. If the train
was going south the girl would signal it if she had reached the
right of way. His keen ears caught the whining of brake shoes on
wheels and a few minutes later the signal blast for brakes off.
The train had stopped and started again and, as it gained headway
and greater distance, Tarzan could tell from the direction of the
sound that it was moving south.

The ape-man followed the trail to the railway where it ended
abruptly on the west side of the track, showing that the girl had
boarded the train, just as he thought. There was nothing now but
to follow on to Wilhelmstal, where he hoped to find Captain Fritz
Schneider, as well as the girl, and to recover his diamond-studded
locket.

It was dark when Tarzan reached the little hill town of Wilhelmstal.
He loitered on the outskirts, getting his bearings and trying to
determine how an almost naked white man might explore the village
without arousing suspicion. There were many soldiers about and
the town was under guard, for he could see a lone sentinel walking
his post scarce a hundred yards from him. To elude this one would
not be difficult; but to enter the village and search it would be
practically impossible, garbed, or un-garbed, as he was.

Creeping forward, taking advantage of every cover, lying flat and
motionless when the sentry's face was toward him, the ape-man at
last reached the sheltering shadows of an outhouse just inside the
lines. From there he moved stealthily from building to building
until at last he was discovered by a large dog in the rear of one of
the bungalows. The brute came slowly toward him, growling. Tarzan
stood motionless beside a tree. He could see a light in the bungalow
and uniformed men moving about and he hoped that the dog would not
bark. He did not; but he growled more savagely and, just at the
moment that the rear door of the bungalow opened and a man stepped
out, the animal charged.

He was a large dog, as large as Dango, the hyena, and he charged
with all the vicious impetuosity of Numa, the lion.  As he came
Tarzan knelt and the dog shot through the air for his throat; but
he was dealing with no man now and he found his quickness more
than matched by the quickness of the Tarmangani. His teeth never
reached the soft flesh--strong fingers, fingers of steel, seized
his neck. He voiced a single startled yelp and clawed at the naked
breast before him with his talons; but he was powerless. The mighty
fingers closed upon his throat; the man rose, snapped the clawing
body once, and cast it aside. At the same time a voice from the
open bungalow door called: "Simba!"

There was no response. Repeating the call the man descended the
steps and advanced toward the tree. In the light from the doorway
Tarzan could see that he was a tall, broad-shouldered man in the
uniform of a German officer. The ape-man withdrew into the shadow
of the tree's stem. The man came closer, still calling the dog--he
did not see the savage beast, crouching now in the shadow, awaiting
him. When he had approached within ten feet of the Tarmangani,
Tarzan leaped upon him--as Sabor springs to the kill, so sprang the
ape-man. The momentum and weight of his body hurled the German to
the ground, powerful fingers prevented an outcry and, though the
officer struggled, he had no chance and a moment later lay dead
beside the body of the dog.

As Tarzan stood for a moment looking down upon his kill and regretting
that he could not risk voicing his beloved victory cry, the sight
of the uniform suggested a means whereby he might pass to and
fro through Wilhelmstal with the minimum chance of detection. Ten
minutes later a tall, broad-shouldered officer stepped from the
yard of the bungalow leaving behind him the corpses of a dog and
a naked man.

He walked boldly along the little street and those who passed him
could not guess that beneath Imperial Germany's uniform beat a
savage heart that pulsed with implacable hatred for the Hun. Tarzan's
first concern was to locate the hotel, for here he guessed he would
find the girl, and where the girl was doubtless would be Hauptmann
Fritz Schneider, who was either her confederate, her sweetheart,
or both, and there, too, would be Tarzan's precious locket.

He found the hotel at last, a low, two-storied building with
a veranda. There were lights on both floors and people, mostly
officers, could be seen within. The ape-man considered entering
and inquiring for those he sought; but his better judgment finally
prompted him to reconnoiter first. Passing around the building he
looked into all the lighted rooms on the first floor and, seeing
neither of those for whom he had come, he swung lightly to the roof
of the veranda and continued his investigations through windows of
the second story.

At one corner of the hotel in a rear room the blinds were drawn;
but he heard voices within and once he saw a figure silhouetted
momentarily against the blind. It appeared to be the figure
of a woman; but it was gone so quickly that he could not be sure.
Tarzan crept close to the window and listened.  Yes, there was a
woman there and a man--he heard distinctly the tones of their voices
although he could overhear no words, as they seemed to be whispering.

The adjoining room was dark. Tarzan tried the window and found it
unlatched. All was quiet within. He raised the sash and listened
again--still silence. Placing a leg over the sill he slipped within
and hurriedly glanced about. The room was vacant. Crossing to the
door he opened it and looked out into the hall. There was no one
there, either, and he stepped out and approached the door of the
adjoining room where the man and woman were.

Pressing close to the door he listened. Now he distinguished
words, for the two had raised their voices as though in argument.
The woman was speaking.

"I have brought the locket," she said, "as was agreed upon between
you and General Kraut, as my identification. I carry no other
credentials. This was to be enough. You have nothing to do but give
me the papers and let me go."

The man replied in so low a tone that Tarzan could not catch the
words and then the woman spoke again--a note of scorn and perhaps
a little of fear in her voice.

"You would not dare, Hauptmann Schneider," she said, and then: "Do
not touch me! Take your hands from me!"

It was then that Tarzan of the Apes opened the door and stepped
into the room. What he saw was a huge, bull-necked German officer
with one arm about the waist of Fraulein Bertha Kircher and a hand
upon her forehead pushing her head back as he tried to kiss her
on the mouth. The girl was struggling against the great brute; but
her efforts were futile.  Slowly the man's lips were coming closer
to hers and slowly, step by step, she was being carried backward.

Schneider heard the noise of the opening and closing door behind
him and turned. At sight of this strange officer he dropped the
girl and straightened up.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion, Lieutenant?" he demanded,
noting the other's epaulettes. "Leave the room at once."

Tarzan made no articulate reply; but the two there with him heard
a low growl break from those firm lips--a growl that sent a shudder
through the frame of the girl and brought a pallor to the red face
of the Hun and his hand to his pistol but even as he drew his weapon
it was wrested from him and hurled through the blind and window to
the yard beyond.  Then Tarzan backed against the door and slowly
removed the uniform coat.

"You are Hauptmann Schneider," he said to the German.

"What of it?" growled the latter.

"I am Tarzan of the Apes," replied the ape-man. "Now you know why
I intrude."

The two before him saw that he was naked beneath the coat which he
threw upon the floor and then he slipped quickly from the trousers
and stood there clothed only in his loin cloth.  The girl had
recognized him by this time, too.

"Take your hand off that pistol," Tarzan admonished her.  Her hand
dropped at her side. "Now come here!"

She approached and Tarzan removed the weapon and hurled it after
the other. At the mention of his name Tarzan had noted the sickly
pallor that overspread the features of the Hun. At last he had found
the right man. At last his mate would be partially avenged--never
could she be entirely avenged. Life was too short and there were
too many Germans.

"What do you want of me?" demanded Schneider.

"You are going to pay the price for the thing you did at the little
bungalow in the Waziri country," replied the ape-man.

Schneider commenced to bluster and threaten. Tarzan turned the key
in the lock of the door and hurled the former through the window
after the pistols. Then he turned to the girl. "Keep out of the
way," he said in a low voice. "Tarzan of the Apes is going to kill."

The Hun ceased blustering and began to plead. "I have a wife and
children at home," he cried. "I have done nothing, I--"

"You are going to die as befits your kind," said Tarzan, "with blood
on your hands and a lie on your lips." He started across the room
toward the burly Hauptmann. Schneider was a large and powerful
man--about the height of the ape-man but much heavier. He saw that
neither threats nor pleas would avail him and so he prepared to
fight as a cornered rat fights for its life with all the maniacal
rage, cunning, and ferocity that the first law of nature imparts
to many beasts.

Lowering his bull head he charged for the ape-man and in the center
of the floor the two clinched. There they stood locked and swaying
for a moment until Tarzan succeeded in forcing his antagonist backward
over a table which crashed to the floor, splintered by the weight
of the two heavy bodies.

The girl stood watching the battle with wide eyes. She saw the two
men rolling hither and thither across the floor and she heard with
horror the low growls that came from the lips of the naked giant.
Schneider was trying to reach his foe's throat with his fingers
while, horror of horrors, Bertha Kircher could see that the other
was searching for the German's jugular with his teeth!

Schneider seemed to realize this too, for he redoubled his efforts
to escape and finally succeeded in rolling over on top of the ape-man
and breaking away. Leaping to his feet he ran for the window; but
the ape-man was too quick for him and before he could leap through
the sash a heavy hand fell upon his shoulder and he was jerked
back and hurled across the room to the opposite wall. There Tarzan
followed him, and once again they locked, dealing each other terrific
blows, until Schneider in a piercing voice screamed, "Kamerad!
Kamerad!"

Tarzan grasped the man by the throat and drew his hunting knife.
Schneider's back was against the wall so that though his knees
wobbled he was held erect by the ape-man. Tarzan brought the sharp
point to the lower part of the German's abdomen.

"Thus you slew my mate," he hissed in a terrible voice.  "Thus
shall you die!"

The girl staggered forward. "Oh, God, no!" she cried.  "Not that.
You are too brave--you cannot be such a beast as that!"

Tarzan turned at her. "No," he said, "you are right, I cannot do
it--I am no German," and he raised the point of his blade and sunk
it deep into the putrid heart of Hauptmann Fritz Schneider, putting
a bloody period to the Hun's last gasping cry: "I did not do it!
She is not--"

Then Tarzan turned toward the girl and held out his hand.  "Give
me my locket," he said.

She pointed toward the dead officer. "He has it." Tarzan searched
him and found the trinket. "Now you may give me the papers," he said
to the girl, and without a word she handed him a folded document.

For a long time he stood looking at her before ho spoke again.

"I came for you, too," he said. "It would be difficult to take you
back from here and so I was going to kill you, as I have sworn to
kill all your kind; but you were right when you said that I was
not such a beast as that slayer of women. I could not slay him as
he slew mine, nor can I slay you, who are a woman."

He crossed to the window, raised the sash and an instant later he
had stepped out and disappeared into the night. And then Fraulein
Bertha Kircher stepped quickly to the corpse upon the floor, slipped
her hand inside the blouse and drew forth a little sheaf of papers
which she tucked into her waist before she went to the window and
called for help.




Chapter VII

When Blood Told


Tarzan of the Apes was disgusted. He had had the German spy, Bertha
Kircher, in his power and had left her unscathed. It is true that he
had slain Hauptmann Fritz Schneider, that Underlieutenant von Goss
had died at his hands, and that he had otherwise wreaked vengeance
upon the men of the German company who had murdered, pillaged, and
raped at Tarzan's bungalow in the Waziri country. There was still
another officer to be accounted for, but him he could not find.
It was Lieutenant Obergatz he still sought, though vainly, for at
last he learned that the man had been sent upon some special mission,
whether in Africa or back to Europe Tarzan's informant either did
not know or would not divulge.

But the fact that he had permitted sentiment to stay his hand when
he might so easily have put Bertha Kircher out of the way in the
hotel at Wilhelmstal that night rankled in the ape-man's bosom.
He was shamed by his weakness, and when he had handed the paper
she had given him to the British chief of staff, even though
the information it contained permitted the British to frustrate a
German flank attack, he was still much dissatisfied with himself.
And possibly the root of this dissatisfaction lay in the fact that
he realized that were he again to have the same opportunity he
would still find it as impossible to slay a woman as it had been
in Wilhelmstal that night.

Tarzan blamed this weakness, as he considered it, upon his association
with the effeminizing influences of civilization, for in the bottom
of his savage heart he held in contempt both civilization and its
representatives--the men and women of the civilized countries of
the world. Always was he comparing their weaknesses, their vices,
their hypocrisies, and their little vanities with the open,
primitive ways of his ferocious jungle mates, and all the while
there battled in that same big heart with these forces another mighty
force--Tarzan's love and loyalty for his friends of the civilized
world.

The ape-man, reared as he had been by savage beasts amid savage
beasts, was slow to make friends. Acquaintances he numbered by the
hundreds; but of friends he had few. These few he would have died
for as, doubtless, they would have died for him; but there were
none of these fighting with the British forces in East Africa, and
so, sickened and disgusted by the sight of man waging his cruel
and inhuman warfare, Tarzan determined to heed the insistent call
of the remote jungle of his youth, for the Germans were now on the
run and the war in East Africa was so nearly over that he realized
that his further services would be of negligible value.

Never regularly sworn into the service of the King, he was under
no obligation to remain now that the moral obligation had been
removed, and so it was that he disappeared from the British camp
as mysteriously as he had appeared a few months before.

More than once had Tarzan reverted to the primitive only to return
again to civilization through love for his mate; but now that she
was gone he felt that this time he had definitely departed forever
from the haunts of man, and that he should live and die a beast
among beasts even as he had been from infancy to maturity.

Between him and his destination lay a trackless wilderness of untouched
primeval savagery where, doubtless in many spots, his would be the
first human foot to touch the virgin turf. Nor did this prospect
dismay the Tarmangani--rather was it an urge and an inducement, for
rich in his veins flowed that noble strain of blood that has made
most of the earth's surface habitable for man.

The question of food and water that would have risen paramount in
the mind of an ordinary man contemplating such an excursion gave
Tarzan little concern. The wilderness was his natural habitat
and woodcraft as inherent to him as breathing. Like other jungle
animals he could scent water from a great distance and, where you
or I might die of thirst, the ape-man would unerringly select the
exact spot at which to dig and find water.

For several days Tarzan traversed a country rich in game
and watercourses. He moved slowly, hunting and fishing, or again
fraternizing or quarreling with the other savage denizens of
the jungle. Now it was little Manu, the monkey, who chattered and
scolded at the mighty Tarmangani and in the next breath warned him
that Histah, the snake, lay coiled in the long grass just ahead.
Of Manu Tarzan inquired concerning the great apes--the Mangani--and
was told that few inhabited this part of the jungle, and that even
these were hunting farther to the north this season of the year.

"But there is Bolgani," said Manu. "Would you like to see Bolgani?"

Manu's tone was sneering, and Tarzan knew that it was because little
Manu thought all creatures feared mighty Bolgani, the gorilla.
Tarzan arched his great chest and struck it with a clinched fist.
"I am Tarzan," he cried. "While Tarzan was yet a balu he slew a
Bolgani. Tarzan seeks the Mangani, who are his brothers, but Bolgani
he does not seek, so let Bolgani keep from the path of Tarzan."

Little Manu, the monkey, was much impressed, for the way of the
jungle is to boast and to believe. It was then that he condescended
to tell Tarzan more of the Mangani.

"They go there and there and there," he said, making a wide sweep
with a brown hand first toward the north, then west, and then south
again. "For there," and he pointed due west, "is much hunting; but
between lies a great place where there is no food and no water,
so they must go that way," and again he swung his hand through the
half-circle that explained to Tarzan the great detour the apes made
to come to their hunting ground to the west.

That was all right for the Mangani, who are lazy and do not care to
move rapidly; but for Tarzan the straight road would be the best.
He would cross the dry country and come to the good hunting in a third
of the time that it would take to go far to the north and circle
back again. And so it was that he continued on toward the west, and
crossing a range of low mountains came in sight of a broad plateau,
rock strewn and desolate. Far in the distance he saw another range
of mountains beyond which he felt must lie the hunting ground of
the Mangani. There he would join them and remain for a while before
continuing on toward the coast and the little cabin that his father
had built beside the land-locked harbor at the jungle's edge.

Tarzan was full of plans. He would rebuild and enlarge the cabin
of his birth, constructing storage houses where he would make the
apes lay away food when it was plenty against the times that were
lean--a thing no ape ever had dreamed of doing. And the tribe would
remain always in the locality and he would be king again as he had
in the past. He would try to teach them some of the better things
that he had learned from man, yet knowing the ape-mind as only
Tarzan could, he feared that his labors would be for naught.

The ape-man found the country he was crossing rough in the extreme,
the roughest he ever had encountered. The plateau was cut by frequent
canyons the passage of which often entailed hours of wearing effort.
The vegetation was sparse and of a faded brown color that lent to
the whole landscape a most depressing aspect. Great rocks were strewn
in every direction as far as the eye could see, lying partially
embedded in an impalpable dust that rose in clouds about him at
every step. The sun beat down mercilessly out of a cloudless sky.

For a day Tarzan toiled across this now hateful land and at the
going down of the sun the distant mountains to the west seemed no
nearer than at morn. Never a sign of living thing had the ape-man
seen, other than Ska, that bird of ill omen, that had followed him
tirelessly since he had entered this parched waste.

No littlest beetle that he might eat had given evidence that life
of any sort existed here, and it was a hungry and thirsty Tarzan who
lay down to rest in the evening. He decided now to push on during
the cool of the night, for he realized that even mighty Tarzan had
his limitations and that where there was no food one could not eat
and where there was no water the greatest woodcraft in the world
could find none. It was a totally new experience to Tarzan to find
so barren and terrible a country in his beloved Africa. Even the
Sahara had its oases; but this frightful world gave no indication
of containing a square foot of hospitable ground.

However, he had no misgivings but that he would fare forth into
the wonder country of which little Manu had told him, though it
was certain that he would do it with a dry skin and an empty belly.
And so he fought on until daylight, when he again felt the need
of rest. He was at the edge of another of those terrible canyons,
the eighth he had crossed, whose precipitous sides would have taxed
to the uttermost the strength of an untired man well fortified by
food and water, and for the first time, as he looked down into the
abyss and then at the opposite side that he must scale, misgivings
began to assail his mind.

He did not fear death--with the memory of his murdered mate still
fresh in his mind he almost courted it, yet strong within him
was that primal instinct of self-preservation--the battling force
of life that would keep him an active contender against the Great
Reaper until, fighting to the very last, he should be overcome by
a superior power.

A shadow swung slowly across the ground beside him, and looking
up, the ape-man saw Ska, the vulture, wheeling a wide circle above
him. The grim and persistent harbinger of evil aroused the man
to renewed determination. He arose and approached the edge of the
canyon, and then, wheeling, with his face turned upward toward the
circling bird of prey, he bellowed forth the challenge of the bull
ape.

"I am Tarzan," he shouted, "Lord of the Jungle. Tarzan of the Apes
is not for Ska, eater of carrion. Go back to the lair of Dango
and feed off the leavings of the hyenas, for Tarzan will leave no
bones for Ska to pick in this empty wilderness of death."

But before he reached the bottom of the canyon he again was forced
to the realization that his great strength was waning, and when he
dropped exhausted at the foot of the cliff and saw before him the
opposite wall that must be scaled, he bared his fighting fangs and
growled. For an hour he lay resting in the cool shade at the foot
of the cliff. All about him reigned utter silence--the silence of
the tomb. No fluttering birds, no humming insects, no scurrying
reptiles relieved the deathlike stillness. This indeed was the
valley of death.  He felt the depressing influence of the horrible
place settling down upon him; but he staggered to his feet, shaking
himself like a great lion, for was he not still Tarzan, mighty
Tarzan of the Apes? Yes, and Tarzan the mighty he would be until
the last throb of that savage heart!

As he crossed the floor of the canyon he saw something lying close
to the base of the side wall he was approaching--something that
stood out in startling contrast to all the surroundings and yet
seemed so much a part and parcel of the somber scene as to suggest
an actor amid the settings of a well-appointed stage, and, as though
to carry out the allegory, the pitiless rays of flaming Kudu topped
the eastern cliff, picking out the thing lying at the foot of the
western wall like a giant spotlight.

And as Tarzan came nearer he saw the bleached skull and bones of
a human being about which were remnants of clothing and articles
of equipment that, as he examined them, filled the ape-man with
curiosity to such an extent that for a time he forgot his own
predicament in contemplation of the remarkable story suggested by
these mute evidences of a tragedy of a time long past.

The bones were in a fair state of preservation and indicated by
their intactness that the flesh had probably been picked from them
by vultures as none was broken; but the pieces of equipment bore
out the suggestion of their great age. In this protected spot where
there were no frosts and evidently but little rainfall, the bones
might have lain for ages without disintegrating, for there were
here no other forces to scatter or disturb them.

Near the skeleton lay a helmet of hammered brass and a corroded
breastplate of steel while at one side was a long, straight sword
in its scabbard and an ancient harquebus. The bones were those of
a large man--a man of wondrous strength and vitality Tarzan knew
he must have been to have penetrated thus far through the dangers
of Africa with such a ponderous yet at the same time futile armament.

The ape-man felt a sense of deep admiration for this nameless
adventurer of a bygone day. What a brute of a man he must have been
and what a glorious tale of battle and kaleidoscopic vicissitudes
of fortune must once have been locked within that whitened skull!
Tarzan stooped to examine the shreds of clothing that still lay
about the bones. Every particle of leather had disappeared, doubtless
eaten by Ska. No boots remained, if the man had worn boots, but
there were several buckles scattered about suggesting that a great
part of his trappings had been of leather, while just beneath the
bones of one hand lay a metal cylinder about eight inches long and
two inches in diameter. As Tarzan picked it up he saw that it had
been heavily lacquered and had withstood the slight ravages of
time so well as to be in as perfect a state of preservation today
as it had been when its owner dropped into his last, long sleep
perhaps centuries ago.

As he examined it he discovered that one end was closed with
a friction cover which a little twisting force soon loosened and
removed, revealing within a roll of parchment which the ape-man
removed and opened, disclosing a number of age-yellowed sheets
closely written upon in a fine hand in a language which he guessed
to be Spanish but which he could not decipher. Upon the last sheet
was a roughly drawn map with numerous reference points marked upon
it, all unintelligible to Tarzan, who, after a brief examination
of the papers, returned them to their metal case, replaced the top
and was about to toss the little cylinder to the ground beside the
mute remains of its former possessor when some whim of curiosity
unsatisfied prompted him to slip it into the quiver with his arrows,
though as he did so it was with the grim thought that possibly
centuries hence it might again come to the sight of man beside his
own bleached bones.

And then, with a parting glance at the ancient skeleton, he turned
to the task of ascending the western wall of the canyon.  Slowly
and with many rests he dragged his weakening body upwards. Again and
again he slipped back from sheer exhaustion and would have fallen
to the floor of the canyon but for merest chance. How long it took
him to scale that frightful wall he could not have told, and when
at last he dragged himself over the top it was to lie weak and
gasping, too spent to rise or even to move a few inches farther
from the perilous edge of the chasm.

At last he arose, very slowly and with evident effort gaining his
knees first and then staggering to his feet, yet his indomitable
will was evidenced by a sudden straightening of his shoulders and
a determined shake of his head as he lurched forward on unsteady
legs to take up his valiant fight for survival. Ahead he scanned
the rough landscape for sign of another canyon which he knew would
spell inevitable doom.  The western hills rose closer now though
weirdly unreal as they seemed to dance in the sunlight as though
mocking him with their nearness at the moment that exhaustion was
about to render them forever unattainable.

Beyond them he knew must be the fertile hunting grounds of which Manu
had told. Even if no canyon intervened, his chances of surmounting
even low hills seemed remote should he have the fortune to reach
their base; but with another canyon hope was dead. Above them Ska
still circled, and it seemed to the ape-man that the ill-omened
bird hovered ever lower and lower as though reading in that failing
gait the nearing of the end, and through cracked lips Tarzan growled
out his defiance.

Mile after mile Tarzan of the Apes put slowly behind him, borne up
by sheer force of will where a lesser man would have lain down to
die and rest forever tired muscles whose every move was an agony of
effort; but at last his progress became practically mechanical--he
staggered on with a dazed mind that reacted numbly to a single
urge--on, on, on! The hills were now but a dim, ill-defined blur
ahead. Sometimes he forgot that they were hills, and again he
wondered vaguely why he must go on forever through all this torture
endeavoring to overtake them--the fleeing, elusive hills. Presently
he began to hate them and there formed within his half-delirious
brain the hallucination that the hills were German hills, that they
had slain someone dear to him, whom he could never quite recall,
and that he was pursuing to slay them.

This idea, growing, appeared to give him strength--a new and
revivifying purpose--so that for a time he no longer staggered; but
went forward steadily with head erect. Once he stumbled and fell,
and when he tried to rise he found that he could not--that his
strength was so far gone that he could only crawl forward on his
hands and knees for a few yards and then sink down again to rest.

It was during one of these frequent periods of utter exhaustion
that he heard the flap of dismal wings close above him.  With his
remaining strength he turned himself over on his back to see Ska
wheel quickly upward. With the sight Tarzan's mind cleared for a
while.

"Is the end so near as that?" he thought. "Does Ska know that I am
so near gone that he dares come down and perch upon my carcass?"
And even then a grim smile touched those swollen lips as into the
savage mind came a sudden thought--the cunning of the wild beast
at bay. Closing his eyes he threw a forearm across them to protect
them from Ska's powerful beak and then he lay very still and waited.

It was restful lying there, for the sun was now obscured by clouds
and Tarzan was very tired. He feared that he might sleep and something
told him that if he did he would never awaken, and so he concentrated
all his remaining powers upon the one thought of remaining awake.
Not a muscle moved--to Ska, circling above, it became evident that
the end had come--that at last he should be rewarded for his long
vigil.

Circling slowly he dropped closer and closer to the dying man. Why
did not Tarzan move? Had he indeed been overcome by the sleep of
exhaustion, or was Ska right--had death at last claimed that mighty
body? Was that great, savage heart stilled forever? It is unthinkable.

Ska, filled with suspicions, circled warily. Twice he almost alighted
upon the great, naked breast only to wheel suddenly away; but the
third time his talons touched the brown skin.  It was as though the
contact closed an electric circuit that instantaneously vitalized
the quiet clod that had lain motionless so long. A brown hand swept
downward from the brown forehead and before Ska could raise a wing
in flight he was in the clutches of his intended victim.

Ska fought, but he was no match for even a dying Tarzan, and
a moment later the ape-man's teeth closed upon the carrion-eater.
The flesh was coarse and tough and gave off an unpleasant odor and
a worse taste; but it was food and the blood was drink and Tarzan
only an ape at heart and a dying ape into the bargain--dying of
starvation and thirst.

Even mentally weakened as he was the ape-man was still master
of his appetite and so he ate but sparingly, saving the rest, and
then, feeling that he now could do so safely, he turned upon his
side and slept.

Rain, beating heavily upon his body, awakened him and sitting up he
cupped his hands and caught the precious drops which he transferred
to his parched throat. Only a little he got at a time; but that
was best. The few mouthfuls of Ska that he had eaten, together with
the blood and rain water and the sleep had refreshed him greatly
and put new strength into his tired muscles.

Now he could see the hills again and they were close and, though
there was no sun, the world looked bright and cheerful, for Tarzan
knew that he was saved. The bird that would have devoured him, and
the providential rain, had saved him at the very moment that death
seemed inevitable.

Again partaking of a few mouthfuls of the unsavory flesh of Ska,
the vulture, the ape-man arose with something of his old force
and set out with steady gait toward the hills of promise rising
alluringly ahead. Darkness fell before he reached them; but he
kept on until he felt the steeply rising ground that proclaimed
his arrival at the base of the hills proper, and then he lay down
and waited until morning should reveal the easiest passage to the
land beyond. The rain had ceased, but the sky still was overcast
so that even his keen eyes could not penetrate the darkness farther
than a few feet. And there he slept, after eating again of what
remained of Ska, until the morning sun awakened him with a new
sense of strength and well-being.

And so at last he came through the hills out of the valley of death
into a land of park-like beauty, rich in game. Below him lay a deep
valley through the center of which dense jungle vegetation marked
the course of a river beyond which a primeval forest extended
for miles to terminate at last at the foot of lofty, snow-capped
mountains. It was a land that Tarzan never had looked upon before,
nor was it likely that the foot of another white man ever had
touched it unless, possibly, in some long-gone day the adventurer
whose skeleton he had found bleaching in the canyon had traversed
it.




Chapter VIII

Tarzan and the Great Apes


Three days the ape-man spent in resting and recuperating, eating
fruits and nuts and the smaller animals that were most easily
bagged, and upon the fourth he set out to explore the valley and
search for the great apes. Time was a negligible factor in the
equation of life--it was all the same to Tarzan if he reached the
west coast in a month or a year or three years. All time was his and
all Africa. His was absolute freedom--the last tie that had bound
him to civilization and custom had been severed. He was alone but
he was not exactly lonely. The greater part of his life had been
spent thus, and though there was no other of his kind, he was at
all times surrounded by the jungle peoples for whom familiarity had
bred no contempt within his breast. The least of them interested
him, and, too, there were those with whom he always made friends
easily, and there were his hereditary enemies whose presence gave a
spice to life that might otherwise have become humdrum and monotonous.

And so it was that on the fourth day he set out to explore the
valley and search for his fellow-apes. He had proceeded southward
for a short distance when his nostrils were assailed by the scent
of man, of Gomangani, the black man. There were many of them, and
mixed with their scent was another-that of a she Tarmangani.

Swinging through the trees Tarzan approached the authors of these
disturbing scents. He came warily from the flank, but paying no
attention to the wind, for he knew that man with his dull senses
could apprehend him only through his eyes or ears and then only
when comparatively close. Had he been stalking Numa or Sheeta he
would have circled about until his quarry was upwind from him, thus
taking practically all the advantage up to the very moment that
he came within sight or hearing; but in the stalking of the dull
clod, man, he approached with almost contemptuous indifference,
so that all the jungle about him knew that he was passing--all but
the men he stalked.

From the dense foliage of a great tree he watched them pass--a
disreputable mob of blacks, some garbed in the uniform of German
East African native troops, others wearing a single garment of the
same uniform, while many had reverted to the simple dress of their
forbears--approximating nudity.  There were many black women with
them, laughing and talking as they kept pace with the men, all of
whom were armed with German rifles and equipped with German belts
and ammunition.

There were no white officers there, but it was none the less apparent
to Tarzan that these men were from some German native command,
and he guessed that they had slain their officers and taken to the
jungle with their women, or had stolen some from native villages
through which they must have passed. It was evident that they were
putting as much ground between themselves and the coast as possible
and doubtless were seeking some impenetrable fastness of the vast
interior where they might inaugurate a reign of terror among the
primitively armed inhabitants and by raiding, looting, and rape
grow rich in goods and women at the expense of the district upon
which they settled themselves.

Between two of the black women marched a slender white girl. She
was hatless and with torn and disheveled clothing that had evidently
once been a trim riding habit. Her coat was gone and her waist half
torn from her body. Occasionally and without apparent provocation
one or the other of the Negresses struck or pushed her roughly.
Tarzan watched through half-closed eyes. His first impulse was to
leap among them and bear the girl from their cruel clutches. He had
recognized her immediately and it was because of this fact that he
hesitated.

What was it to Tarzan of the Apes what fate befell this enemy
spy? He had been unable to kill her himself because of an inherent
weakness that would not permit him to lay hands upon a woman, all
of which of course had no bearing upon what others might do to
her. That her fate would now be infinitely more horrible than the
quick and painless death that the ape-man would have meted to her
only interested Tarzan to the extent that the more frightful the
end of a German the more in keeping it would be with what they all
deserved.

And so he let the blacks pass with Fraulein Bertha Kircher in their
midst, or at least until the last straggling warrior suggested to
his mind the pleasures of black-baiting--an amusement and a sport
in which he had grown ever more proficient since that long-gone day
when Kulonga, the son of Mbonga, the chief, had cast his unfortunate
spear at Kala, the ape-man's foster mother.

The last man, who must have stopped for some purpose, was fully a
quarter of a mile in rear of the party. He was hurrying to catch
up when Tarzan saw him, and as he passed beneath the tree in which
the ape-man perched above the trail, a silent noose dropped deftly
about his neck. The main body still was in plain sight, and as the
frightened man voiced a piercing shriek of terror, they looked back
to see his body rise as though by magic straight into the air and
disappear amidst the leafy foliage above.

For a moment the blacks stood paralyzed by astonishment and fear;
but presently the burly sergeant, Usanga, who led them, started
back along the trail at a run, calling to the others to follow
him. Loading their guns as they came the blacks ran to succor their
fellow, and at Usanga's command they spread into a thin line that
presently entirely surrounded the tree into which their comrade
had vanished.

Usanga called but received no reply; then he advanced slowly with
rifle at the ready, peering up into the tree. He could see no
one--nothing. The circle closed in until fifty blacks were searching
among the branches with their keen eyes. What had become of their
fellow? They had seen him rise into the tree and since then many
eyes had been fastened upon the spot, yet there was no sign of him.
One, more venturesome than his fellows, volunteered to climb into
the tree and investigate. He was gone but a minute or two and
when he dropped to earth again he swore that there was no sign of
a creature there.

Perplexed, and by this time a bit awed, the blacks drew slowly
away from the spot and with many backward glances and less laughing
continued upon their journey until, when about a mile beyond the
spot at which their fellow had disappeared, those in the lead saw
him peering from behind a tree at one side of the trail just in
front of them. With shouts to their companions that he had been
found they ran forwards; but those who were first to reach the
tree stopped suddenly and shrank back, their eyes rolling fearfully
first in one direction and then in another as though they expected
some nameless horror to leap out upon them.

Nor was their terror without foundation. Impaled upon the end of
a broken branch the head of their companion was propped behind the
tree so that it appeared to be looking out at them from the opposite
side of the bole.

It was then that many wished to turn back, arguing that they
had offended some demon of the wood upon whose preserve they had
trespassed; but Usanga refused to listen to them, assuring them
that inevitable torture and death awaited them should they return
and fall again into the hands of their cruel German masters. At
last his reasoning prevailed to the end that a much-subdued and
terrified band moved in a compact mass, like a drove of sheep,
forward through the valley and there were no stragglers.

It is a happy characteristic of the Negro race, which they hold
in common with little children, that their spirits seldom remain
depressed for a considerable length of time after the immediate
cause of depression is removed, and so it was that in half an hour
Usanga's band was again beginning to take on to some extent its
former appearance of carefree lightheartedness. Thus were the heavy
clouds of fear slowly dissipating when a turn in the trail brought
them suddenly upon the headless body of their erstwhile companion
lying directly in their path, and they were again plunged into the
depth of fear and gloomy forebodings.

So utterly inexplicable and uncanny had the entire occurrence been
that there was not a one of them who could find a ray of comfort
penetrating the dead blackness of its ominous portent. What had
happened to one of their number each conceived as being a wholly
possible fate for himself--in fact quite his probable fate. If such
a thing could happen in broad daylight what frightful thing might
not fall to their lot when night had enshrouded them in her mantle
of darkness. They trembled in anticipation.

The white girl in their midst was no less mystified than they; but
far less moved, since sudden death was the most merciful fate to
which she might now look forward. So far she had been subjected
to nothing worse than the petty cruelties of the women, while, on
the other hand, it had alone been the presence of the women that
had saved her from worse treatment at the hands of some of the
men--notably the brutal, black sergeant, Usanga. His own woman
was of the party--a veritable giantess, a virago of the first
magnitude--and she was evidently the only thing in the world of
which Usanga stood in awe. Even though she was particularly cruel
to the young woman, the latter believed that she was her sole
protection from the degraded black tyrant.

Late in the afternoon the band came upon a small palisaded village
of thatched huts set in a clearing in the jungle close beside
a placid river. At their approach the villagers came pouring out,
and Usanga advanced with two of his warriors to palaver with the
chief. The experiences of the day had so shaken the nerves of the
black sergeant that he was ready to treat with these people rather
than take their village by force of arms, as would ordinarily have
been his preference; but now a vague conviction influenced him
that there watched over this part of the jungle a powerful demon
who wielded miraculous power for evil against those who offended
him. First Usanga would learn how these villagers stood with this
savage god and if they had his good will Usanga would be most
careful to treat them with kindness and respect.

At the palaver it developed that the village chief had food,
goats, and fowl which he would be glad to dispose of for a proper
consideration; but as the consideration would have meant parting
with precious rifles and ammunition, or the very clothing from their
backs, Usanga began to see that after all it might be forced upon
him to wage war to obtain food.

A happy solution was arrived at by a suggestion of one of his
men--that the soldiers go forth the following day and hunt for the
villagers, bringing them in so much fresh meat in return for their
hospitality. This the chief agreed to, stipulating the kind and
quantity of game to be paid in return for flour, goats, and fowl,
and a certain number of huts that were to be turned over to the
visitors. The details having been settled after an hour or more
of that bickering argument of which the native African is so fond,
the newcomers entered the village where they were assigned to huts.

Bertha Kircher found herself alone in a small hut close to the palisade
at the far end of the village street, and though she was neither
bound nor guarded, she was assured by Usanga that she could not
escape the village without running into almost certain death in the
jungle, which the villagers assured them was infested by lions of
great size and ferocity. "Be good to Usanga," he concluded, "and
no harm will befall you. I will come again to see you after the
others are asleep. Let us be friends."

As the brute left her the girl's frame was racked by a convulsive
shudder as she sank to the floor of the hut and covered her face
with her hands. She realized now why the women had not been left
to guard her. It was the work of the cunning Usanga, but would not
his woman suspect something of his intentions? She was no fool and,
further, being imbued with insane jealousy she was ever looking
for some overt act upon the part of her ebon lord. Bertha Kircher
felt that only she might save her and that she would save her if
word could be but gotten to her. But how?

Left alone and away from the eyes of her captors for the first time
since the previous night, the girl immediately took advantage of
the opportunity to assure herself that the papers she had taken
from the body of Hauptmann Fritz Schneider were still safely sewn
inside one of her undergarments.

Alas! Of what value could they now ever be to her beloved country?
But habit and loyalty were so strong within her that she still clung
to the determined hope of eventually delivering the little packet
to her chief.

The natives seemed to have forgotten her existence--no one came
near the hut, not even to bring her food. She could hear them at
the other end of the village laughing and yelling and knew that
they were celebrating with food and native beer--knowledge which
only increased her apprehension. To be prisoner in a native village
in the very heart of an unexplored region of Central Africa--the
only white woman among a band of drunken Negroes! The very thought
appalled her.  Yet there was a slight promise in the fact that she
had so far been unmolested--the promise that they might, indeed,
have forgotten her and that soon they might become so hopelessly
drunk as to be harmless.

Darkness had fallen and still no one came. The girl wondered if
she dared venture forth in search of Naratu, Usanga's woman, for
Usanga might not forget that he had promised to return. No one was
near as she stepped out of the hut and made her way toward the part
of the village where the revelers were making merry about a fire.
As she approached she saw the villagers and their guests squatting
in a large circle about the blaze before which a half-dozen naked
warriors leaped and bent and stamped in some grotesque dance.
Pots of food and gourds of drink were being passed about among
the audience. Dirty hands were plunged into the food pots and the
captured portions devoured so greedily that one might have thought
the entire community had been upon the point of starvation. The
gourds they held to their lips until the beer ran down their chins
and the vessels were wrested from them by greedy neighbors. The
drink had now begun to take noticeable effect upon most of them,
with the result that they were beginning to give themselves up to
utter and licentious abandon.

As the girl came nearer, keeping in the shadow of the huts, looking
for Naratu she was suddenly discovered by one upon the edge of the
crowd--a huge woman, who rose, shrieking, and came toward her. From
her aspect the white girl thought that the woman meant literally
to tear her to pieces. So utterly wanton and uncalled-for was the
attack that it found the girl entirely unprepared, and what would
have happened had not a warrior interfered may only be guessed.
And then Usanga, noting the interruption, came lurching forward to
question her.

"What do you want," he cried, "food and drink? Come with me!" and
he threw an arm about her and dragged her toward the circle.

"No!" she cried, "I want Naratu. Where is Naratu?"

This seemed to sober the black for a moment as though he
had temporarily forgotten his better half. He cast quick, fearful
glances about, and then, evidently assured that Naratu had noticed
nothing, he ordered the warrior who was still holding the infuriated
black woman from the white girl to take the latter back to her hut
and to remain there on guard over her.

First appropriating a gourd of beer for himself the warrior
motioned the girl to precede him, and thus guarded she returned to
her hut, the fellow squatting down just outside the doorway, where
he confined his attentions for some time to the gourd.

Bertha Kircher sat down at the far side of the hut awaiting she
knew not what impending fate. She could not sleep so filled was her
mind with wild schemes of escape though each new one must always be
discarded as impractical. Half an hour after the warrior had returned
her to her prison he rose and entered the hut, where he tried to
engage in conversation with her. Groping across the interior he
leaned his short spear against the wall and sat down beside her,
and as he talked he edged closer and closer until at last he could
reach out and touch her. Shrinking, she drew away.

"Do not touch me!" she cried. "I will tell Usanga if you do not
leave me alone, and you know what he will do to you."

The man only laughed drunkenly, and, reaching out his hand, grabbed
her arm and dragged her toward him. She fought and cried aloud for
Usanga and at the same instant the entrance to the hut was darkened
by the form of a man.

"What is the matter?" shouted the newcomer in the deep tones that
the girl recognized as belonging to the black sergeant. He had
come, but would she be any better off? She knew that she would not
unless she could play upon Usanga's fear of his woman.

When Usanga found what had happened he kicked the warrior out of
the hut and bade him begone, and when the fellow had disappeared,
muttering and grumbling, the sergeant approached the white girl. He
was very drunk, so drunk that several times she succeeded in eluding
him and twice she pushed him so violently away that he stumbled
and fell.

Finally he became enraged and rushing upon her, seized her in his
long, apelike arms. Striking at his face with clenched fists she
tried to protect herself and drive him away. She threatened him
with the wrath of Naratu, and at that he changed his tactics and
began to plead, and as he argued with her, promising her safety
and eventual freedom, the warrior he had kicked out of the hut made
his staggering way to the hut occupied by Naratu.

Usanga finding that pleas and promises were as unavailing as
threats, at last lost both his patience and his head, seizing the
girl roughly, and simultaneously there burst into the hut a raging
demon of jealousy. Naratu had come. Kicking, scratching, striking,
biting, she routed the terrified Usanga in short order, and
so obsessed was she by her desire to inflict punishment upon her
unfaithful lord and master that she quite forgot the object of his
infatuation.

Bertha Kircher heard her screaming down the village street at Usanga's
heels and trembled at the thought of what lay in store for her at
the hands of these two, for she knew that tomorrow at the latest
Naratu would take out upon her the full measure of her jealous
hatred after she had spent her first wrath upon Usanga.

The two had departed but a few minutes when the warrior guard
returned. He looked into the hut and then entered.  "No one will
stop me now, white woman," he growled as he stepped quickly across
the hut toward her.

Tarzan of the Apes, feasting well upon a juicy haunch from Bara,
the deer, was vaguely conscious of a troubled mind.  He should
have been at peace with himself and all the world, for was he not
in his native element surrounded by game in plenty and rapidly
filling his belly with the flesh he loved best?  But Tarzan of
the Apes was haunted by the picture of a slight, young girl being
shoved and struck by brutal Negresses, and in imagination could
see her now camped in this savage country a prisoner among degraded
blacks.

Why was it so difficult to remember that she was only a hated German
and a spy? Why would the fact that she was a woman and white always
obtrude itself upon his consciousness? He hated her as he hated
all her kind, and the fate that was sure to be hers was no more
terrible than she in common with all her people deserved. The matter
was settled and Tarzan composed himself to think of other things,
yet the picture would not die--it rose in all its details and annoyed
him. He began to wonder what they were doing to her and where they
were taking her. He was very much ashamed of himself as he had been
after the episode in Wilhelmstal when his weakness had permitted
him to spare this spy's life. Was he to be thus weak again? No!

Night came and he settled himself in an ample tree to rest until
morning; but sleep would not come. Instead came the vision of a
white girl being beaten by black women, and again of the same girl
at the mercy of the warriors somewhere in that dark and forbidding
jungle.

With a growl of anger and self-contempt Tarzan arose, shook himself,
and swung from his tree to that adjoining, and thus, through the
lower terraces, he followed the trail that Usanga's party had taken
earlier in the afternoon. He had little difficulty as the band had
followed a well-beaten path and when toward midnight the stench
of a native village assailed his delicate nostrils he guessed that
his goal was near and that presently he should find her whom he
sought.

Prowling stealthily as prowls Numa, the lion, stalking a wary
prey, Tarzan moved noiselessly about the palisade, listening and
sniffing. At the rear of the village he discovered a tree whose
branches extended over the top of the palisade and a moment later
he had dropped quietly into the village.

From hut to hut he went searching with keen ears and nostrils some
confirming evidence of the presence of the girl, and at last, faint
and almost obliterated by the odor of the Gomangani, he found it
hanging like a delicate vapor about a small hut. The village was
quiet now, for the last of the beer and the food had been disposed
of and the blacks lay in their huts overcome by stupor, yet Tarzan
made no noise that even a sober man keenly alert might have heard.

He passed around to the entrance of the hut and listened.  From
within came no sound, not even the low breathing of one awake; yet
he was sure that the girl had been here and perhaps was even now,
and so he entered, slipping in as silently as a disembodied spirit.
For a moment he stood motionless just within the entranceway,
listening. No, there was no one here, of that he was sure, but he
would investigate.  As his eyes became accustomed to the greater
darkness within the hut an object began to take form that presently
outlined itself in a human form supine upon the floor.

Tarzan stepped closer and leaned over to examine it--it was the dead
body of a naked warrior from whose chest protruded a short spear.
Then he searched carefully every square foot of the remaining floor
space and at last returned to the body again where he stooped and
smelled of the haft of the weapon that had slain the black. A slow
smile touched his lips--that and a slight movement of his head
betokened that he understood.

A rapid search of the balance of the village assured him that the
girl had escaped and a feeling of relief came over him that no harm
had befallen her. That her life was equally in jeopardy in the
savage jungle to which she must have flown did not impress him
as it would have you or me, since to Tarzan the jungle was not
a dangerous place--he considered one safer there than in Paris or
London by night.

He had entered the trees again and was outside the palisade when
there came faintly to his ears from far beyond the village an old,
familiar sound. Balancing lightly upon a swaying branch he stood,
a graceful statue of a forest god, listening intently. For a minute
he stood thus and then there broke from his lips the long, weird
cry of ape calling to ape and he was away through the jungle toward
the sound of the booming drum of the anthropoids leaving behind him
an awakened and terrified village of cringing blacks, who would
forever after connect that eerie cry with the disappearance of
their white prisoner and the death of their fellow-warrior.

Bertha Kircher, hurrying through the jungle along a well-beaten
game trail, thought only of putting as much distance as possible
between herself and the village before daylight could permit pursuit
of her. Whither she was going she did not know, nor was it a matter
of great moment since death must be her lot sooner or later.

Fortune favored her that night, for she passed unscathed through
as savage and lion-ridden an area as there is in all Africa--a
natural hunting ground which the white man has not yet discovered,
where deer and antelope and zebra, giraffe and elephant, buffalo,
rhinoceros, and the other herbivorous animals of central Africa
abound unmolested by none but their natural enemies, the great
cats which, lured here by easy prey and immunity from the rifles
of big-game hunters, swarm the district.

She had fled for an hour or two, perhaps, when her attention was
arrested by the sound of animals moving about, muttering and growling
close ahead. Assured that she had covered a sufficient distance
to insure her a good start in the morning before the blacks could
take to her trail, and fearful of what the creatures might be,
she climbed into a large tree with the intention of spending the
balance of the night there.

She had no sooner reached a safe and comfortable branch when she
discovered that the tree stood upon the edge of a small clearing
that had been hidden from her by the heavy undergrowth upon the
ground below, and simultaneously she discovered the identity of
the beasts she had heard.

In the center of the clearing below her, clearly visible in the
bright moonlight, she saw fully twenty huge, manlike apes--great,
shaggy fellows who went upon their hind feet with only slight
assistance from the knuckles of their hands. The moonlight glanced
from their glossy coats, the numerous gray-tipped hairs imparting
a sheen that made the hideous creatures almost magnificent in their
appearance.

The girl had watched them but a minute or two when the little band
was joined by others, coming singly and in groups until there were
fully fifty of the great brutes gathered there in the moonlight.
Among them were young apes and several little ones clinging tightly
to their mothers' shaggy shoulders.  Presently the group parted to
form a circle about what appeared to be a small, flat-topped mound
of earth in the center of the clearing. Squatting close about this
mound were three old females armed with short, heavy clubs with
which they presently began to pound upon the flat top of the earth
mound which gave forth a dull, booming sound, and almost immediately
the other apes commenced to move about restlessly, weaving in and
out aimlessly until they carried the impression of a moving mass
of great, black maggots.

The beating of the drum was in a slow, ponderous cadence, at first
without time but presently settling into a heavy rhythm to which
the apes kept time with measured tread and swaying bodies. Slowly
the mass separated into two rings, the outer of which was composed
of shes and the very young, the inner of mature bulls. The former
ceased to move and squatted upon their haunches, while the bulls
now moved slowly about in a circle the center of which was the drum
and all now in the same direction.

It was then that there came faintly to the ears of the girl from
the direction of the village she had recently quitted a weird and
high-pitched cry. The effect upon the apes was electrical--they
stopped their movements and stood in attitudes of intent listening
for a moment, and then one fellow, huger than his companions, raised
his face to the heavens and in a voice that sent the cold shudders
through the girl's slight frame answered the far-off cry.

Once again the beaters took up their drumming and the slow dance
went on. There was a certain fascination in the savage ceremony
that held the girl spellbound, and as there seemed little likelihood
of her being discovered, she felt that she might as well remain
the balance of the night in her tree and resume her flight by the
comparatively greater safety of daylight.

Assuring herself that her packet of papers was safe she sought as
comfortable a position as possible among the branches, and settled
herself to watch the weird proceedings in the clearing below her.

A half-hour passed, during which the cadence of the drum increased
gradually. Now the great bull that had replied to the distant call
leaped from the inner circle to dance alone between the drummers
and the other bulls. He leaped and crouched and leaped again, now
growling and barking, again stopping to raise his hideous face
to Goro, the moon, and, beating upon his shaggy breast, uttered
a piercing scream-the challenge of the bull ape, had the girl but
known it.

He stood thus in the full glare of the great moon, motionless after
screaming forth his weird challenge, in the setting of the primeval
jungle and the circling apes a picture of primitive savagery and
power--a mightily muscled Hercules out of the dawn of life--when
from close behind her the girl heard an answering scream, and an
instant later saw an almost naked white man drop from a near-by
tree into the clearing.

Instantly the apes became a roaring, snarling pack of angry beasts.
Bertha Kircher held her breath. What maniac was this who dared
approach these frightful creatures in their own haunts, alone against
fifty? She saw the brown-skinned figure bathed in moonlight walk
straight toward the snarling pack. She saw the symmetry and the
beauty of that perfect body--its grace, its strength, its wondrous
proportioning, and then she recognized him. It was the same creature
whom she had seen carry Major Schneider from General Kraut's
headquarters, the same who had rescued her from Numa, the lion;
the same whom she had struck down with the butt of her pistol and
escaped when he would have returned her to her enemies, the same
who had slain Hauptmann Fritz Schneider and spared her life that
night in Wilhelmstal.

Fear-filled and fascinated she watched him as he neared the apes.
She heard sounds issue from his throat--sounds identical with
those uttered by the apes--and though she could scarce believe the
testimony of her own ears, she knew that this godlike creature was
conversing with the brutes in their own tongue.

Tarzan halted just before he reached the shes of the outer circle.
"I am Tarzan of the Apes!" he cried. "You do not know me because
I am of another tribe, but Tarzan comes in peace or he comes to
fight--which shall it be? Tarzan will talk with your king," and so
saying he pushed straight forward through the shes and the young
who now gave way before him, making a narrow lane through which he
passed toward the inner circle.

Shes and balus growled and bristled as he passed closer, but none
hindered him and thus he came to the inner circle of bulls. Here
bared fangs menaced him and growling faces hideously contorted. "I
am Tarzan," he repeated. "Tarzan comes to dance the Dum-Dum with
his brothers. Where is your king?" Again he pressed forward and the
girl in the tree clapped her palms to her cheeks as she watched,
wide-eyed, this madman going to a frightful death. In another instant
they would be upon him, rending and tearing until that perfect form
had been ripped to shreds; but again the ring parted, and though
the apes roared and menaced him they did not attack, and at last
he stood in the inner circle close to the drum and faced the great
king ape.

Again he spoke. "I am Tarzan of the Apes," he cried.  "Tarzan comes
to live with his brothers. He will come in peace and live in peace
or he will kill; but he has come and he will stay. Which--shall
Tarzan dance the Dum-Dum in peace with his brothers, or shall Tarzan
kill first?"

"I am Go-lat, King of the Apes," screamed the great bull.  "I kill!
I kill! I kill!" and with a sullen roar he charged the Tarmangani.

The ape-man, as the girl watched him, seemed entirely unprepared
for the charge and she looked to see him borne down and slain at
the first rush. The great bull was almost upon him with huge hands
outstretched to seize him before Tarzan made a move, but when he
did move his quickness would have put Ara, the lightning, to shame.
As darts forward the head of Histah, the snake, so darted forward
the left hand of the man-beast as he seized the left wrist of his
antagonist. A quick turn and the bull's right arm was locked beneath
the right arm of his foe in a jujutsu hold that Tarzan had learned
among civilized men--a hold with which he might easily break the
great bones, a hold that left the ape helpless.

"I am Tarzan of the Apes!" screamed the ape-man. "Shall Tarzan
dance in peace or shall Tarzan kill?''

"I kill! I kill! I kill!" shrieked Go-lat.

With the quickness of a cat Tarzan swung the king ape over one hip
and sent him sprawling to the ground. "I am Tarzan, King of all
the Apes!" he shouted. "Shall it be peace?"

Go-lat, infuriated, leaped to his feet and charged again, shouting
his war cry: "I kill! I kill! I kill!" and again Tarzan met him
with a sudden hold that the stupid bull, being ignorant of, could
not possibly avert--a hold and a throw that brought a scream of
delight from the interested audience and suddenly filled the girl
with doubts as to the man's madness--evidently he was quite safe
among the apes, for she saw him swing Go-lat to his back and then
catapult him over his shoulder. The king ape fell upon his head
and lay very still.

"I am Tarzan of the Apes!" cried the ape-man. "I come to dance the
Dum-Dum with my brothers," and he made a motion to the drummers,
who immediately took up the cadence of the dance where they had
dropped it to watch their king slay the foolish Tarmangani.

It was then that Go-lat raised his head and slowly crawled to his
feet. Tarzan approached him. "I am Tarzan of the Apes," he cried.
"Shall Tarzan dance the Dum-Dum with his brothers now, or shall he
kill first?"

Go-lat raised his bloodshot eyes to the face of the Tarmangani.
"Kagoda!" he cried. "Tarzan of the Apes will dance the Dum-Dum with
his brothers and Go-lat will dance with him!"

And then the girl in the tree saw the savage man leaping, bending, and
stamping with the savage apes in the ancient rite of the Dum-Dum.
His roars and growls were more beastly than the beasts. His
handsome face was distorted with savage ferocity. He beat upon his
great breast and screamed forth his challenge as his smooth, brown
hide brushed the shaggy coats of his fellows. It was weird; it
was wonderful; and in its primitive savagery it was not without
beauty--the strange scene she looked upon, such a scene as no other
human being, probably, ever had witnessed--and yet, withal, it was
horrible.

As she gazed, spell-bound, a stealthy movement in the tree behind
her caused her to turn her head, and there, back of her, blazing
in the reflected moonlight, shone two great, yellow-green eyes.
Sheeta, the panther, had found her out.

The beast was so close that it might have reached out and touched
her with a great, taloned paw. There was no time to think, no
time to weigh chances or to choose alternatives.  Terror-inspired
impulse was her guide as, with a loud scream, she leaped from the
tree into the clearing.

Instantly the apes, now maddened by the effects of the dancing and
the moonlight, turned to note the cause of the interruption. They
saw this she Tarmangani, helpless and alone and they started for
her. Sheeta, the panther, knowing that not even Numa, the lion,
unless maddened by starvation, dares meddle with the great apes at
their Dum-Dum, had silently vanished into the night, seeking his
supper elsewhere.

Tarzan, turning with the other apes toward the cause of the
interruption, saw the girl, recognized her and also her peril.
Here again might she die at the hands of others; but why consider
it! He knew that he could not permit it, and though the acknowledgment
shamed him, it had to be admitted.

The leading shes were almost upon the girl when Tarzan leaped among
them, and with heavy blows scattered them to right and left; and
then as the bulls came to share in the kill they thought this new
ape-thing was about to make that he might steal all the flesh for
himself, they found him facing them with an arm thrown about the
creature as though to protect her.

"This is Tarzan's she," he said. "Do not harm her." It was the only
way he could make them understand that they must not slay her. He
was glad that she could not interpret the words. It was humiliating
enough to make such a statement to wild apes about this hated enemy.

So once again Tarzan of the Apes was forced to protect a Hun.
Growling, he muttered to himself in extenuation:

"She is a woman and I am not a German, so it could not be otherwise!"




Chapter IX

Dropped from the Sky


Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick, Royal Air Service, was on
reconnaissance. A report, or it would be better to say a rumor,
had come to the British headquarters in German East Africa that
the enemy had landed in force on the west coast and was marching
across the dark continent to reinforce their colonial troops. In
fact the new army was supposed to be no more than ten or twelve days'
march to the west. Of course the thing was ridiculous--preposterous--but
preposterous things often happen in war; and anyway no good general
permits the least rumor of enemy activity to go uninvestigated.

Therefore Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick flew low toward
the west, searching with keen eyes for signs of a Hun army. Vast
forests unrolled beneath him in which a German army corps might
have lain concealed, so dense was the overhanging foliage of the
great trees. Mountain, meadowland, and desert passed in lovely
panorama; but never a sight of man had the young lieutenant.

Always hoping that he might discover some sign of their passage--a
discarded lorry, a broken limber, or an old camp site--he continued
farther and farther into the west until well into the afternoon.
Above a tree-dotted plain through the center of which flowed a
winding river he determined to turn about and start for camp. It
would take straight flying at top speed to cover the distance before
dark; but as he had ample gasoline and a trustworthy machine there
was no doubt in his mind but that he could accomplish his aim. It
was then that his engine stalled.

He was too low to do anything but land, and that immediately,
while he had the more open country accessible, for directly east of
him was a vast forest into which a stalled engine could only have
plunged him to certain injury and probable death; and so he came
down in the meadowland near the winding river and there started to
tinker with his motor.

As he worked he hummed a tune, some music-hall air that had been
popular in London the year before, so that one might have thought
him working in the security of an English flying field surrounded
by innumerable comrades rather than alone in the heart of an unexplored
African wilderness. It was typical of the man that he should be
wholly indifferent to his surroundings, although his looks entirely
belied any assumption that he was of particularly heroic strain.

Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick was fair-haired, blue-eyed,
and slender, with a rosy, boyish face that might have been molded
more by an environment of luxury, indolence, and ease than the more
strenuous exigencies of life's sterner requirements.

And not only was the young lieutenant outwardly careless of the
immediate future and of his surroundings, but actually so. That
the district might be infested by countless enemies seemed not to
have occurred to him in the remotest degree.  He bent assiduously
to the work of correcting the adjustment that had caused his motor
to stall without so much as an upward glance at the surrounding
country. The forest to the east of him, and the more distant jungle
that bordered the winding river, might have harbored an army of
bloodthirsty savages, but neither could elicit even a passing show
of interest on the part of Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick.

And even had he looked, it is doubtful if he would have seen the
score of figures crouching in the concealment of the undergrowth
at the forest's edge. There are those who are reputed to be endowed
with that which is sometimes, for want of a better appellation,
known as the sixth sense--a species of intuition which apprises
them of the presence of an unseen danger. The concentrated gaze of
a hidden observer provokes a warning sensation of nervous unrest in
such as these, but though twenty pairs of savage eyes were gazing
fixedly at Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick, the fact aroused
no responsive sensation of impending danger in his placid breast.
He hummed peacefully and, his adjustment completed, tried out his
motor for a minute or two, then shut it off and descended to the
ground with the intention of stretching his legs and taking a smoke
before continuing his return flight to camp. Now for the first time
he took note of his surroundings, to be immediately impressed by
both the wildness and the beauty of the scene. In some respects the
tree-dotted meadowland reminded him of a park-like English forest,
and that wild beasts and savage men could ever be a part of so
quiet a scene seemed the remotest of contingencies.

Some gorgeous blooms upon a flowering shrub at a little distance
from his machine caught the attention of his aesthetic eye, and as
he puffed upon his cigarette, he walked over to examine the flowers
more closely. As he bent above them he was probably some hundred
yards from his plane and it was at this instant that Numabo, chief
of the Wamabo, chose to leap from his ambush and lead his warriors
in a sudden rush upon the white man.

The young Englishman's first intimation of danger was a chorus of
savage yells from the forest behind him. Turning, he saw a score
of naked, black warriors advancing rapidly toward him. They moved
in a compact mass and as they approached more closely their rate
of speed noticeably diminished. Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick realized
in a quick glance that the direction of their approach and their
proximity had cut off all chances of retreating to his plane, and
he also understood that their attitude was entirely warlike and
menacing. He saw that they were armed with spears and with bows and
arrows, and he felt quite confident that notwithstanding the fact
that he was armed with a pistol they could overcome him with the
first rush. What he did not know about their tactics was that at
any show of resistance they would fall back, which is the nature of
the native Negroes, but that after numerous advances and retreats,
during which they would work themselves into a frenzy of rage by
much shrieking, leaping, and dancing, they would eventually come
to the point of a determined and final assault.

Numabo was in the forefront, a fact which taken in connection with
his considerably greater size and more warlike appearance, indicated
him as the natural target and it was at Numabo that the Englishman
aimed his first shot. Unfortunately for him it missed its target,
as the killing of the chief might have permanently dispersed
the others. The bullet passed Numabo to lodge in the breast of a
warrior behind him and as the fellow lunged forward with a scream
the others turned and retreated, but to the lieutenant's chagrin
they ran in the direction of the plane instead of back toward the
forest so that he was still cut off from reaching his machine.

Presently they stopped and faced him again. They were talking loudly
and gesticulating, and after a moment one of them leaped into the
air, brandishing his spear and uttering savage war cries, which
soon had their effect upon his fellows so that it was not long ere
all of them were taking part in the wild show of savagery, which
would bolster their waning courage and presently spur them on to
another attack.

The second charge brought them closer to the Englishman, and though
he dropped another with his pistol, it was not before two or three
spears had been launched at him. He now had five shots remaining
and there were still eighteen warriors to be accounted for, so that
unless he could frighten them off, it was evident that his fate
was sealed.

That they must pay the price of one life for every attempt to take
his had its effect upon them and they were longer now in initiating
a new rush and when they did so it was more skillfully ordered than
those that had preceded it, for they scattered into three bands
which, partially surrounding him, came simultaneously toward him
from different directions, and though he emptied his pistol with
good effect, they reached him at last. They seemed to know that
his ammunition was exhausted, for they circled close about him now
with the evident intention of taking him alive, since they might
easily have riddled him with their sharp spears with perfect safety
to themselves.

For two or three minutes they circled about him until, at a word
from Numabo, they closed in simultaneously, and though the slender
young lieutenant struck out to right and left, he was soon overwhelmed
by superior numbers and beaten down by the hafts of spears in brawny
hands.

He was all but unconscious when they finally dragged him to his
feet, and after securing his hands behind his back, pushed him
roughly along ahead of them toward the jungle.

As the guard prodded him along the narrow trail, Lieutenant
Smith-Oldwick could not but wonder why they had wished to take him
alive. He knew that he was too far inland for his uniform to have
any significance to this native tribe to whom no inkling of the
World War probably ever had come, and he could only assume that he
had fallen into the hands of the warriors of some savage potentate
upon whose royal caprice his fate would hinge.

They had marched for perhaps half an hour when the Englishman saw
ahead of them, in a little clearing upon the bank of the river,
the thatched roofs of native huts showing above a crude but strong
palisade; and presently he was ushered into a village street where
he was immediately surrounded by a throng of women and children
and warriors.  Here he was soon the center of an excited mob whose
intent seemed to be to dispatch him as quickly as possible. The
women were more venomous than the men, striking and scratching him
whenever they could reach him, until at last Numabo, the chief, was
obliged to interfere to save his prisoner for whatever purpose he
was destined.

As the warriors pushed the crowd back, opening a space through
which the white man was led toward a hut, Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick
saw coming from the opposite end of the village a number of Negroes
wearing odds and ends of German uniforms. He was not a little
surprised at this, and his first thought was that he had at last
come in contact with some portion of the army which was rumored to
be crossing from the west coast and for signs of which he had been
searching.

A rueful smile touched his lips as he contemplated the unhappy
circumstances which surrounded the accession of this knowledge for
though he was far from being without hope, he realized that only
by the merest chance could he escape these people and regain his
machine.

Among the partially uniformed blacks was a huge fellow in the tunic
of a sergeant and as this man's eyes fell upon the British officer,
a loud cry of exultation broke from his lips, and immediately his
followers took up the cry and pressed forward to bait the prisoner.

"Where did you get the Englishman?" asked Usanga, the black sergeant,
of the chief Numabo. "Are there many more with him?"

"He came down from the sky," replied the native chief, "in a strange
thing which flies like a bird and which frightened us very much at
first; but we watched for a long time and saw that it did not seem
to be alive, and when this white man left it we attacked him and
though he killed some of my warriors, we took him, for we Wamabos
are brave men and great warriors."

Usanga's eyes went wide. "He flew here through the sky?" he asked.

"Yes," said Numabo. "In a great thing which resembled a bird he
flew down out of the sky. The thing is still there where it came
down close to the four trees near the second bend in the river. We
left it there because, not knowing what it was, we were afraid to
touch it and it is still there if it has not flown away again."

"It cannot fly," said Usanga, "without this man in it. It is a
terrible thing which filled the hearts of our soldiers with terror,
for it flew over our camps at night and dropped bombs upon us.
It is well that you captured this white man, Numabo, for with his
great bird he would have flown over your village tonight and killed
all your people. These Englishmen are very wicked white men."

"He will fly no more," said Numabo. "It is not intended that a man
should fly through the air; only wicked demons do such things as
that and Numabo, the chief, will see that this white man does not
do it again," and with the words he pushed the young officer roughly
toward a hut in the center of the village, where he was left under
guard of two stalwart warriors.

For an hour or more the prisoner was left to his own devices, which
consisted in vain and unremitting attempts to loosen the strands
which fettered his wrists, and then he was interrupted by the
appearance of the black sergeant Usanga, who entered his hut and
approached him.

"What are they going to do with me?" asked the Englishman. "My
country is not at war with these people. You speak their language.
Tell them that I am not an enemy, that my people are the friends
of the black people and that they must let me go in peace."

Usanga laughed. "They do not know an Englishman from a German," he
replied. "It is nothing to them what you are, except that you are
a white man and an enemy."

"Then why did they take me alive?" asked the lieutenant.

"Come," said Usanga and he led the Englishman to the doorway of
the hut. "Look," he said, and pointed a black forefinger toward
the end of the village street where a wider space between the huts
left a sort of plaza.

Here Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick saw a number of Negresses
engaged in laying fagots around a stake and in preparing fires
beneath a number of large cooking vessels.  The sinister suggestion
was only too obvious.

Usanga was eyeing the white man closely, but if he expected to be
rewarded by any signs of fear, he was doomed to disappointment and
the young lieutenant merely turned toward him with a shrug: "Really
now, do you beggars intend eating me?"

"Not my people," replied Usanga. "We do not eat human flesh, but
the Wamabos do. It is they who will eat you, but we will kill you
for the feast, Englishman."

The Englishman remained standing in the doorway of the hut, an
interested spectator of the preparations for the coming orgy that
was so horribly to terminate his earthly existence. It can hardly
be assumed that he felt no fear; yet, if he did, he hid it perfectly
beneath an imperturbable mask of coolness.  Even the brutal Usanga
must have been impressed by the bravery of his victim since, though
he had come to abuse and possibly to torture the helpless prisoner,
he now did neither, contenting himself merely with berating whites
as a race and Englishmen especially, because of the terror the
British aviators had caused Germany's native troops in East Africa.

"No more," he concluded, "will your great bird fly over our people
dropping death among them from the skies--Usanga will see to that,"
and he walked abruptly away toward a group of his own fighting men
who were congregated near the stake where they were laughing and
joking with the women.

A few minutes later the Englishman saw them pass out of the village
gate, and once again his thoughts reverted to various futile plans
for escape.

Several miles north of the village on a little rise of ground close
to the river where the jungle, halting at the base of a knoll, had
left a few acres of grassy land sparsely wooded, a man and a girl
were busily engaged in constructing a small boma, in the center of
which a thatched hut already had been erected.

They worked almost in silence with only an occasional word of
direction or interrogation between them.

Except for a loin cloth, the man was naked, his smooth skin tanned
to a deep brown by the action of sun and wind. He moved with the
graceful ease of a jungle cat and when he lifted heavy weights,
the action seemed as effortless as the raising of empty hands.

When he was not looking at her, and it was seldom that he did, the
girl found her eyes wandering toward him, and at such times there
was always a puzzled expression upon her face as though she found
in him an enigma which she could not solve.  As a matter of fact,
her feelings toward him were not un-tinged with awe, since in
the brief period of their association she had discovered in this
handsome, godlike giant the attributes of the superman and the
savage beast closely intermingled. At first she had felt only that
unreasoning feminine terror which her unhappy position naturally
induced.

To be alone in the heart of an unexplored wilderness of Central
Africa with a savage wild man was in itself sufficiently appalling,
but to feel also that this man was a blood enemy, that he hated her
and her kind and that in addition thereto he owed her a personal
grudge for an attack she had made upon him in the past, left no
loophole for any hope that he might accord her even the minutest
measure of consideration.

She had seen him first months since when he had entered the
headquarters of the German high command in East Africa and carried
off the luckless Major Schneider, of whose fate no hint had ever
reached the German officers; and she had seen him again upon that
occasion when he had rescued her from the clutches of the lion and,
after explaining to her that he had recognized her in the British
camp, had made her prisoner. It was then that she had struck him
down with the butt of her pistol and escaped. That he might seek
no personal revenge for her act had been evidenced in Wilhelmstal
the night that he had killed Hauptmann Fritz Schneider and left
without molesting her.

No, she could not fathom him. He hated her and at the same time
he had protected her as had been evidenced again when he had kept
the great apes from tearing her to pieces after she had escaped
from the Wamabo village to which Usanga, the black sergeant, had
brought her a captive; but why was he saving her? For what sinister
purpose could this savage enemy be protecting her from the other
denizens of his cruel jungle? She tried to put from her mind the
probable fate which awaited her, yet it persisted in obtruding
itself upon her thoughts, though always she was forced to admit that
there was nothing in the demeanor of the man to indicate that her
fears were well grounded. She judged him perhaps by the standards
other men had taught her and because she looked upon him as a savage
creature, she felt that she could not expect more of chivalry from
him than was to be found in the breasts of the civilized men of
her acquaintance.

Fraulein Bertha Kircher was by nature a companionable and cheerful
character. She was not given to morbid forebodings, and above all
things she craved the society of her kind and that interchange of
thought which is one of the marked distinctions between man and
the lower animals.  Tarzan, on the other hand, was sufficient unto
himself. Long years of semi-solitude among creatures whose powers
of oral expression are extremely limited had thrown him almost
entirely upon his own resources for entertainment.

His active mind was never idle, but because his jungle mates could
neither follow nor grasp the vivid train of imaginings that his
man-mind wrought, he had long since learned to keep them to himself;
and so now he found no need for confiding them in others. This
fact, linked with that of his dislike for the girl, was sufficient
to seal his lips for other than necessary conversation, and so they
worked on together in comparative silence. Bertha Kircher, however,
was nothing if not feminine and she soon found that having someone
to talk to who would not talk was extremely irksome. Her fear of
the man was gradually departing, and she was full of a thousand
unsatisfied curiosities as to his plans for the future in so far as
they related to her, as well as more personal questions regarding
himself, since she could not but wonder as to his antecedents and
his strange and solitary life in the jungle, as well as his friendly
intercourse with the savage apes among which she had found him.

With the waning of her fears she became sufficiently emboldened
to question him, and so she asked him what he intended doing after
the hut and boma were completed.

"I am going to the west coast where I was born," replied Tarzan.
"I do not know when. I have all my life before me and in the jungle
there is no reason for haste. We are not forever running as fast
as we can from one place to another as are you of the outer world.
When I have been here long enough I will go on toward the west,
but first I must see that you have a safe place in which to sleep,
and that you have learned how to provide yourself with necessaries.
That will take time."

"You are going to leave me here alone?" cried the girl; her tones
marked the fear which the prospect induced. "You are going to leave
me here alone in this terrible jungle, a prey to wild beasts and
savage men, hundreds of miles from a white settlement and in a
country which gives every evidence of never having been touched by
the foot of civilized men?"

"Why not?" asked Tarzan. "I did not bring you here. Would one of
your men accord any better treatment to an enemy woman?"

"Yes," she exclaimed. "They certainly would. No man of my race
would leave a defenseless white woman alone in this horrible place."

Tarzan shrugged his broad shoulders. The conversation seemed
profitless and it was further distasteful to him for the reason
that it was carried on in German, a tongue which he detested as
much as he did the people who spoke it. He wished that the girl
spoke English and then it occurred to him that as he had seen her
in disguise in the British camp carrying on her nefarious work as
a German spy, she probably did speak English and so he asked her.

"Of course I speak English," she exclaimed, "but I did not know
that you did."

Tarzan looked his wonderment but made no comment. He only wondered why
the girl should have any doubts as to the ability of an Englishman
to speak English, and then suddenly it occurred to him that she
probably looked upon him merely as a beast of the jungle who by
accident had learned to speak German through frequenting the district
which Germany had colonized. It was there only that she had seen
him and so she might not know that he was an Englishman by birth,
and that he had had a home in British East Africa. It was as well,
he thought, that she knew little of him, as the less she knew the
more he might learn from her as to her activities in behalf of the
Germans and of the German spy system of which she was a representative;
and so it occurred to him to let her continue to think that he was
only what he appeared to be--a savage denizen of his savage jungle,
a man of no race and no country, hating all white men impartially;
and this in truth, was what she did think of him. It explained
perfectly his attacks upon Major Schneider and the Major's brother,
Hauptmann Fritz.

Again they worked on in silence upon the boma which was now nearly
completed, the girl helping the man to the best of her small
ability. Tarzan could not but note with grudging approval the
spirit of helpfulness she manifested in the oft-times painful labor
of gathering and arranging the thorn bushes which constituted the
temporary protection against roaming carnivores. Her hands and arms
gave bloody token of the sharpness of the numerous points that had
lacerated her soft flesh, and even though she were an enemy Tarzan
could not but feel compunction that he had permitted her to do this
work, and at last he bade her stop.

"Why?" she asked. "It is no more painful to me than it must be to
you, and, as it is solely for my protection that you are building
this boma, there is no reason why I should not do my share."

"You are a woman," replied Tarzan. "This is not a woman's work. If
you wish to do something, take those gourds I brought this morning
and fill them with water at the river.  You may need it while I am
away."

"While you are away--" she said. "You are going away?"

"When the boma is built I am going out after meat," he replied.
"Tomorrow I will go again and take you and show you how you may
make your own kills after I am gone."

Without a word she took the gourds and walked toward the river. As
she filled them, her mind was occupied with painful forebodings of
the future. She knew that Tarzan had passed a death sentence upon
her, and that the moment that he left her, her doom was sealed,
for it could be but a question of time--a very short time--before
the grim jungle would claim her, for how could a lone woman hope
successfully to combat the savage forces of destruction which
constituted so large a part of existence in the jungle?

So occupied was she with the gloomy prophecies that she had neither
ears nor eyes for what went on about her. Mechanically she filled
the gourds and, taking them up, turned slowly to retrace her steps
to the boma only to voice immediately a half-stifled scream and
shrink back from the menacing figure looming before her and blocking
her way to the hut.

Go-lat, the king ape, hunting a little apart from his tribe, had seen
the woman go to the river for water, and it was he who confronted
her when she turned back with her filled gourds. Go-lat was not
a pretty creature when judged by standards of civilized humanity,
though the shes of his tribe and even Go-lat himself, considered
his glossy black coat shot with silver, his huge arms dangling to
his knees, his bullet head sunk between his mighty shoulders, marks
of great personal beauty. His wicked, bloodshot eyes and broad
nose, his ample mouth and great fighting fangs only enhanced the
claim of this Adonis of the forest upon the affections of his shes.

Doubtless in the little, savage brain there was a well-formed
conviction that this strange she belonging to the Tarmangani must
look with admiration upon so handsome a creature as Go-lat, for
there could be no doubt in the mind of any that his beauty entirely
eclipsed such as the hairless white ape might lay claim to.

But Bertha Kircher saw only a hideous beast, a fierce and terrible
caricature of man. Could Go-lat have known what passed through her
mind, he must have been terribly chagrined, though the chances are
that he would have attributed it to a lack of discernment on her
part. Tarzan heard the girl's cry and looking up saw at a glance
the cause of her terror. Leaping lightly over the boma, he ran
swiftly toward her as Go-lat lumbered closer to the girl the while
he voiced his emotions in low gutturals which, while in reality the
most amicable of advances, sounded to the girl like the growling
of an enraged beast. As Tarzan drew nearer he called aloud to the
ape and the girl heard from the human lips the same sounds that
had fallen from those of the anthropoid.

"I will not harm your she," Go-lat called to Tarzan.

"I know it," replied the ape-man, "but she does not. She is like
Numa and Sheeta, who do not understand our talk. She thinks you
come to harm her."

By this time Tarzan was beside the girl. "He will not harm you,"
he said to her. "You need not be afraid. This ape has learned his
lesson. He has learned that Tarzan is lord of the jungle. He will
not harm that which is Tarzan's."

The girl cast a quick glance at the man's face. It was evident to
her that the words he had spoken meant nothing to him and that the
assumed proprietorship over her was, like the boma, only another
means for her protection.

"But I am afraid of him," she said.

"You must not show your fear. You will be often surrounded by these
apes. At such times you will be safest. Before I leave you I will
give you the means of protecting yourself against them should one
of them chance to turn upon you. If I were you I would seek their
society. Few are the animals of the jungle that dare attack the
great apes when there are several of them together. If you let
them know that you are afraid of them, they will take advantage of
it and your life will be constantly menaced. The shes especially
would attack you. I will let them know that you have the means of
protecting yourself and of killing them. If necessary, I will show
you how and then they will respect and fear you."

"I will try," said the girl, "but I am afraid that it will be
difficult. He is the most frightful creature I ever have seen."
Tarzan smiled. "Doubtless he thinks the same of you," he said.

By this time other apes had entered the clearing and they were now
the center of a considerable group, among which were several bulls,
some young shes, and some older ones with their little balus clinging
to their backs or frolicking around at their feet. Though they had
seen the girl the night of the Dum-Dum when Sheeta had forced her
to leap from her concealment into the arena where the apes were
dancing, they still evinced a great curiosity regarding her. Some
of the shes came very close and plucked at her garments, commenting
upon them to one another in their strange tongue. The girl, by
the exercise of all the will power she could command, succeeded in
passing through the ordeal without evincing any of the terror and
revulsion that she felt. Tarzan watched her closely, a half-smile
upon his face. He was not so far removed from recent contact with
civilized people that he could not realize the torture that she
was undergoing, but he felt no pity for this woman of a cruel enemy
who doubtless deserved the worst suffering that could be meted to
her. Yet, notwithstanding his sentiments toward her, he was forced
to admire her fine display of courage. Suddenly he turned to the
apes.

"Tarzan goes to hunt for himself and his she," he said. "The she
will remain there," and he pointed toward the hut. "See that no
member of the tribe harms her. Do you understand?"

The apes nodded. "We will not harm her," said Go-lat.

"No," said Tarzan. "You will not. For if you do, Tarzan will kill
you," and then turning to the girl, "Come," he said, "I am going to
hunt now. You had better remain at the hut.  The apes have promised
not to harm you. I will leave my spear with you. It will be the best
weapon you could have in case you should need to protect yourself,
but I doubt if you will be in any danger for the short time that
I am away."

He walked with her as far as the boma and when she had entered he
closed the gap with thorn bushes and turned away toward the forest.
She watched him moving across the clearing, noting the easy, catlike
tread and the grace of every movement that harmonized so well with
the symmetry and perfection of his figure. At the forest's edge
she saw him swing lightly into a tree and disappear from view, and
then, being a woman, she entered the hut and, throwing herself upon
the ground, burst into tears.




Chapter X

In the Hands of Savages


Tarzan sought Bara, the deer, or Horta, the boar, for of all the
jungle animals he doubted if any would prove more palatable to the
white woman, but though his keen nostrils were ever on the alert,
he traveled far without being rewarded with even the faintest
scent spoor of the game he sought. Keeping close to the river where
he hoped to find Bara or Horta approaching or leaving a drinking
place he came at last upon the strong odor of the Wamabo village
and being ever ready to pay his hereditary enemies, the Gomangani,
an undesired visit, he swung into a detour and came up in the rear
of the village. From a tree which overhung the palisade he looked
down into the street where he saw the preparations going on which
his experience told him indicated the approach of one of those
frightful feasts the piece de resistance of which is human flesh.

One of Tarzan's chief divertissements was the baiting of the blacks.
He realized more keen enjoyment through annoying and terrifying them
than from any other source of amusement the grim jungle offered.
To rob them of their feast in some way that would strike terror
to their hearts would give him the keenest of pleasure, and so
he searched the village with his eyes for some indication of the
whereabouts of the prisoner.  His view was circumscribed by the
dense foliage of the tree in which he sat, and, so that he might
obtain a better view, he climbed further aloft and moved cautiously
out upon a slender branch.

Tarzan of the Apes possessed a woodcraft scarcely short of the
marvelous but even Tarzan's wondrous senses were not infallible.
The branch upon which he made his way outward from the bole was no
smaller than many that had borne his weight upon countless other
occasions. Outwardly it appeared strong and healthy and was in full
foliage, nor could Tarzan know that close to the stem a burrowing
insect had eaten away half the heart of the solid wood beneath the
bark.

And so when he reached a point far out upon the limb, it snapped
close to the bole of the tree without warning. Below him were no
larger branches that he might clutch and as he lunged downward his
foot caught in a looped creeper so that he turned completely over
and alighted on the flat of his back in the center of the village
street.

At the sound of the breaking limb and the crashing body falling
through the branches the startled blacks scurried to their huts
for weapons, and when the braver of them emerged, they saw the
still form of an almost naked white man lying where he had fallen.
Emboldened by the fact that he did not move they approached more
closely, and when their eyes discovered no signs of others of his
kind in the tree, they rushed forward until a dozen warriors stood
about him with ready spears. At first they thought that the falling
had killed him, but upon closer examination they discovered that
the man was only stunned. One of the warriors was for thrusting a
spear through his heart, but Numabo, the chief, would not permit
it.

"Bind him," he said. "We will feed well tonight."

And so they bound his hands and feet with thongs of gut and carried
him into the hut where Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick awaited
his fate. The Englishman had also been bound hand and foot by this
time for fear that at the last moment he might escape and rob them
of their feast. A great crowd of natives were gathered about the
hut attempting to get a glimpse of the new prisoner, but Numabo
doubled the guard before the entrance for fear that some of his
people, in the exuberance of their savage joy, might rob the others
of the pleasures of the death dance which would precede the killing
of the victims.

The young Englishman had heard the sound of Tarzan's body crashing
through the tree to the ground and the commotion in the village
which immediately followed, and now, as he stood with his back
against the wall of the hut, he looked upon the fellow-prisoner that
the blacks carried in and laid upon the floor with mixed feelings
of surprise and compassion.  He realized that he never had seen
a more perfect specimen of manhood than that of the unconscious
figure before him, and he wondered to what sad circumstances the
man owed his capture. It was evident that the new prisoner was
himself as much a savage as his captors if apparel and weapons were
any criterion by which to judge; yet it was also equally evident
that he was a white man and from his well-shaped head and clean-cut
features that he was not one of those unhappy halfwits who so often
revert to savagery even in the heart of civilized communities.

As he watched the man, he presently noticed that his eyelids were
moving. Slowly they opened and a pair of gray eyes looked blankly
about. With returning consciousness the eyes assumed their natural
expression of keen intelligence, and a moment later, with an
effort, the prisoner rolled over upon his side and drew himself to
a sitting position. He was facing the Englishman, and as his eyes
took in the bound ankles and the arms drawn tightly behind the
other's back, a slow smile lighted his features.

"They will fill their bellies tonight," he said.

The Englishman grinned. "From the fuss they made," he said, "the
beggars must be awfully hungry. They like to have eaten me alive
when they brought me in. How did they get you?"

Tarzan shrugged his head ruefully. "It was my own fault," he
replied. "I deserve to be eaten. I crawled out upon a branch that
would not bear my weight and when it broke, instead of alighting
on my feet, I caught my foot in a trailer and came down on my head.
Otherwise they would not have taken me--alive."

"Is there no escape?" asked the Englishman.

"I have escaped them before," replied Tarzan, "and I have seen
others escape them. I have seen a man taken away from the stake
after a dozen spear thrusts had pierced his body and the fire had
been lighted about his feet."

Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick shuddered. "God!" he exclaimed, "I hope I
don't have to face that. I believe I could stand anything but the
thought of the fire. I should hate like the devil to go into a funk
before the devils at the last moment."

"Don't worry," said Tarzan. "It doesn't last long and you won't
funk. It is really not half as bad as it sounds. There is only a
brief period of pain before you lose consciousness. I have seen it
many times before. It is as good a way to go as another. We must
die sometime. What difference whether it be tonight, tomorrow night,
or a year hence, just so that we have lived--and I have lived!"

"Your philosophy may be all right, old top," said the young
lieutenant, "but I can't say that it is exactly satisfying."

Tarzan laughed. "Roll over here," he said, "where I can get at
your bonds with my teeth." The Englishman did as he was bid and
presently Tarzan was working at the thongs with his strong white
teeth. He felt them giving slowly beneath his efforts. In another
moment they would part, and then it would be a comparatively simple
thing for the Englishman to remove the remaining bonds from Tarzan
and himself.

It was then that one of the guards entered the hut. In an instant he
saw what the new prisoner was doing and raising his spear, struck
the ape-man a vicious blow across the head with its shaft. Then he
called in the other guards and together they fell upon the luckless
men, kicking and beating them unmercifully, after which they bound
the Englishman more securely than before and tied both men fast on
opposite sides of the hut. When they had gone Tarzan looked across
at his companion in misery.

"While there is life," he said, "there is hope," but he grinned as
he voiced the ancient truism.

Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick returned the other's smile.
"I fancy," he said, "that we are getting short on both.  It must
be close to supper time now."

Zu-tag hunted alone far from the balance of the tribe of Go-lat,
the great ape. Zu-tag (Big-neck) was a young bull but recently
arrived at maturity. He was large, powerful, and ferocious and at
the same time far above the average of his kind in intelligence as
was denoted by a fuller and less receding forehead. Already Go-lat
saw in this young ape a possible contender for the laurels of his
kingship and consequently the old bull looked upon Zu-tag with
jealousy and disfavor. It was for this reason, possibly, as much
as another that Zu-tag hunted so often alone; but it was his utter
fearlessness that permitted him to wander far afield away from the
protection which numbers gave the great apes. One of the results
of this habit was a greatly increased resourcefulness which found
him constantly growing in intelligence and powers of observation.

Today he had been hunting toward the south and was returning along
the river upon a path he often followed because it led by the
village of the Gomangani whose strange and almost apelike actions
and peculiar manners of living had aroused his interest and curiosity.
As he had done upon other occasions he took up his position in a
tree from which he could overlook the interior of the village and
watch the blacks at their vocations in the street below.

Zu-tag had scarcely more than established himself in his tree when,
with the blacks, he was startled by the crashing of Tarzan's body
from the branches of another jungle giant to the ground within the
palisade. He saw the Negroes gather about the prostrate form and
later carry it into the hut; and once he rose to his full height
upon the limb where he had been squatting and raised his face to
the heavens to scream out a savage protest and a challenge, for he
had recognized in the brown-skinned Tarmangani the strange white
ape who had come among them a night or two before in the midst of
their Dum-Dum, and who by so easily mastering the greatest among
them, had won the savage respect and admiration of this fierce
young bull.

But Zu-tag's ferocity was tempered by a certain native cunning and
caution. Before he had voiced his protest there formed in his mind
the thought that he would like to save this wonderful white ape
from the common enemy, the Gomangani, and so he screamed forth no
challenge, wisely determining that more could be accomplished by
secrecy and stealth than by force of muscle and fang.

At first he thought to enter the village alone and carry off the
Tarmangani; but when he saw how numerous were the warriors and that
several sat directly before the entrance to the lair into which the
prisoner had been carried, it occurred to him that this was work
for many rather than one, and so, as silently as he had come, he
slipped away through the foliage toward the north.

The tribe was still loitering about the clearing where stood the hut
that Tarzan and Bertha Kircher had built. Some were idly searching
for food just within the forest's edge, while others squatted
beneath the shade of trees within the clearing.

The girl had emerged from the hut, her tears dried and was gazing
anxiously toward the south into the jungle where Tarzan had disappeared.
Occasionally she cast suspicious glances in the direction of the
huge shaggy anthropoids about her.  How easy it would be for one
of those great beasts to enter the boma and slay her. How helpless
she was, even with the spear that the white man had left her, she
realized as she noted for the thousandth time the massive shoulders,
the bull necks, and the great muscles gliding so easily beneath the
glossy coats. Never, she thought, had she seen such personifications
of brute power as were represented by these mighty bulls. Those
huge hands would snap her futile spear as she might snap a match in
two, while their lightest blow could crush her into insensibility
and death.

It was while she was occupied with these depressing thoughts that
there dropped suddenly into the clearing from the trees upon the
south the figure of a mighty young bull. At that time all of the
apes looked much alike to Bertha Kircher, nor was it until some
time later that she realized that each differed from the others
in individual characteristics of face and figure as do individuals
of the human races. Yet even then she could not help but note
the wondrous strength and agility of this great beast, and as he
approached she even found herself admiring the sheen of his heavy,
black, silvershot coat.

It was evident that the newcomer was filled with suppressed excitement.
His demeanor and bearing proclaimed this even from afar, nor was
the girl the only one to note it. For as they saw him coming many
of the apes arose and advanced to meet him, bristling and growling
as is their way. Go-lat was among these latter, and he advanced
stiffly with the hairs upon his neck and down his spine erect,
uttering low growls and baring his fighting fangs, for who might
say whether Zu-tag came in peace or otherwise? The old king had
seen other young apes come thus in his day filled with a sudden
resolution to wrest the kingship from their chief. He had seen
bulls about to run amuck burst thus suddenly from the jungle upon
the members of the tribe, and so Go-lat took no chances.

Had Zu-tag come indolently, feeding as he came, he might have
entered the tribe without arousing notice or suspicion, but when
one comes thus precipitately, evidently bursting with some emotion
out of the ordinary, let all apes beware. There was a certain amount
of preliminary circling, growling, and sniffing, stiff-legged and
stiff-haired, before each side discovered that the other had no
intention of initiating an attack and then Zu-tag told Go-lat what
he had seen among the lairs of the Gomangani.

Go-lat grunted in disgust and turned away. "Let the white ape take
care of himself," he said.

"He is a great ape," said Zu-tag. "He came to live in peace with
the tribe of Go-lat. Let us save him from the Gomangani."

Go-lat grunted again and continued to move away.

"Zu-tag will go alone and get him," cried the young ape, "if Go-lat
is afraid of the Gomangani."

The king ape wheeled in anger, growling loudly and beating upon
his breast. "Go-lat is not afraid," he screamed, "but he will not
go, for the white ape is not of his tribe. Go yourself and take
the Tarmangani's she with you if you wish so much to save the white
ape."

"Zu-tag will go," replied the younger bull, "and he will take the
Tarmangani's she and all the bulls of Go-lat who are not cowards,"
and so saying he cast his eyes inquiringly about at the other apes.
"Who will go with Zu-tag to fight the Gomangani and bring away our
brother," he demanded.

Eight young bulls in the full prime of their vigor pressed forward
to Zu-tag's side, but the old bulls with the conservatism and
caution of many years upon their gray shoulders, shook their heads
and waddled away after Go-lat.

"Good," cried Zu-tag. "We want no old shes to go with us to fight
the Gomangani for that is work for the fighters of the tribe."

The old bulls paid no attention to his boastful words, but the eight
who had volunteered to accompany him were filled with self-pride so
that they stood around vaingloriously beating upon their breasts,
baring their fangs and screaming their hideous challenge until the
jungle reverberated to the horrid sound.

All this time Bertha Kircher was a wide-eyed and terrified spectator to
what, as she thought, could end only in a terrific battle between
these frightful beasts, and when Zu-tag and his followers began
screaming forth their fearsome challenge, the girl found herself
trembling in terror, for of all the sounds of the jungle there is
none more awe inspiring than that of the great bull ape when he
issues his challenge or shrieks forth his victory cry.

If she had been terrified before she was almost paralyzed with
fear now as she saw Zu-tag and his apes turn toward the boma and
approach her. With the agility of a cat Zu-tag leaped completely
over the protecting wall and stood before her. Valiantly she held
her spear before her, pointing it at his breast.  He commenced to
jabber and gesticulate, and even with her scant acquaintance with
the ways of the anthropoids, she realized that he was not menacing
her, for there was little or no baring of fighting fangs and his
whole expression and attitude was of one attempting to explain a
knotty problem or plead a worthy cause. At last he became evidently
impatient, for with a sweep of one great paw he struck the spear
from her hand and coming close, seized her by the arm, but not
roughly.  She shrank away in terror and yet some sense within her
seemed to be trying to assure her that she was in no danger from
this great beast. Zu-tag jabbered loudly, ever and again pointing
into the jungle toward the south and moving toward the boma,
pulling the girl with him. He seemed almost frantic in his efforts
to explain something to her. He pointed toward the boma, herself,
and then to the forest, and then, at last, as though by a sudden
inspiration, he reached down and, seizing the spear, repeatedly
touched it with his forefinger and again pointed toward the south.
Suddenly it dawned upon the girl that what the ape was trying
to explain to her was related in some way to the white man whose
property they thought she was. Possibly her grim protector was in
trouble and with this thought firmly established, she no longer
held back, but started forward as though to accompany the young
bull. At the point in the boma where Tarzan had blocked the entrance,
she started to pull away the thorn bushes, and, when Zu-tag saw
what she was doing, he fell to and assisted her so that presently
they had an opening through the boma through which she passed with
the great ape.

Immediately Zu-tag and his eight apes started off rapidly toward
the jungle, so rapidly that Bertha Kircher would have had to run
at top speed to keep up with them. This she realized she could not
do, and so she was forced to lag behind, much to the chagrin of
Zu-tag, who constantly kept running back and urging her to greater
speed. Once he took her by the arm and tried to draw her along.
Her protests were of no avail since the beast could not know that
they were protests, nor did he desist until she caught her foot in
some tangled grass and fell to the ground. Then indeed was Zu-tag
furious and growled hideously. His apes were waiting at the edge
of the forest for him to lead them. He suddenly realized that this
poor weak she could not keep up with them and that if they traveled
at her slow rate they might be too late to render assistance to the
Tarmangani, and so without more ado, the giant anthropoid picked
Bertha Kircher bodily from the ground and swung her to his back.
Her arms were about his neck and in this position he seized her
wrists in one great paw so that she could not fall off and started
at a rapid rate to join his companions.

Dressed as she was in riding breeches with no entangling skirts to
hinder or catch upon passing shrubbery, she soon found that she
could cling tightly to the back of the mighty bull and when a moment
later he took to the lower branches of the trees, she closed her
eyes and clung to him in terror lest she be precipitated to the
ground below.

That journey through the primeval forest with the nine great apes
will live in the memory of Bertha Kircher for the balance of her
life, as clearly delineated as at the moment of its enactment.

The first overwhelming wave of fear having passed, she was at last
able to open her eyes and view her surroundings with increased
interest and presently the sensation of terror slowly left her to
be replaced by one of comparative security when she saw the ease
and surety with which these great beasts traveled through the trees;
and later her admiration for the young bull increased as it became
evident that even burdened with her additional weight, he moved more
rapidly and with no greater signs of fatigue than his unburdened
fellows.

Not once did Zu-tag pause until he came to a stop among the branches
of a tree no great distance from the native village.  They could
hear the noises of the life within the palisade, the laughing and
shouting of the Negroes, and the barking of dogs, and through the
foliage the girl caught glimpses of the village from which she had
so recently escaped. She shuddered to think of the possibility of
having to return to it and of possible recapture, and she wondered
why Zu-tag had brought her here.

Now the apes advanced slowly once more and with great caution,
moving as noiselessly through the trees as the squirrels themselves
until they had reached a point where they could easily overlook
the palisade and the village street below.

Zu-tag squatted upon a great branch close to the bole of the tree
and by loosening the girl's arms from about his neck, indicated
that she was to find a footing for herself and when she had done
so, he turned toward her and pointed repeatedly at the open doorway
of a hut upon the opposite side of the street below them. By various
gestures he seemed to be trying to explain something to her and at
last she caught at the germ of his idea--that her white man was a
prisoner there.

Beneath them was the roof of a hut onto which she saw that she
could easily drop, but what she could do after she had entered the
village was beyond her.

Darkness was already falling and the fires beneath the cooking pots
had been lighted. The girl saw the stake in the village street and
the piles of fagots about it and in terror she suddenly realized
the portent of these grisly preparations. Oh, if she but only had
some sort of a weapon that might give her even a faint hope, some
slight advantage against the blacks.  Then she would not hesitate
to venture into the village in an attempt to save the man who had
upon three different occasions saved her. She knew that he hated her
and yet strong within her breast burned the sense of her obligation
to him. She could not fathom him. Never in her life had she seen a
man at once so paradoxical and dependable. In many of his ways he
was more savage than the beasts with which he associated and yet,
on the other hand, he was as chivalrous as a knight of old.  For
several days she had been lost with him in the jungle absolutely
at his mercy, yet she had come to trust so implicitly in his honor
that any fear she had had of him was rapidly disappearing.

On the other hand, that he might be hideously cruel was evidenced
to her by the fact that he was planning to leave her alone in the
midst of the frightful dangers which menaced her by night and by
day.

Zu-tag was evidently waiting for darkness to fall before carrying
out whatever plans had matured in his savage little brain, for he
and his fellows sat quietly in the tree about her, watching the
preparations of the blacks. Presently it became apparent that some
altercation had arisen among the Negroes, for a score or more of
them were gathered around one who appeared to be their chief, and
all were talking and gesticulating heatedly. The argument lasted
for some five or ten minutes when suddenly the little knot broke
and two warriors ran to the opposite side of the village from whence
they presently returned with a large stake which they soon set up
beside the one already in place. The girl wondered what the purpose
of the second stake might be, nor did she have long to wait for an
explanation.

It was quite dark by this time, the village being lighted by the
fitful glare of many fires, and now she saw a number of warriors
approach and enter the hut Zu-tag had been watching. A moment later
they reappeared, dragging between them two captives, one of whom
the girl immediately recognized as her protector and the other as
an Englishman in the uniform of an aviator. This, then, was the
reason for the two stakes.

Arising quickly she placed a hand upon Zu-tag's shoulder and pointed
down into the village. "Come," she said, as if she had been talking
to one of her own kind, and with the word she swung lightly to the
roof of the hut below. From there to the ground was but a short drop
and a moment later she was circling the hut upon the side farthest
from the fires, keeping in the dense shadows where there was little
likelihood of being discovered. She turned once to see that Zu-tag
was directly behind her and could see his huge bulk looming up
in the dark, while beyond was another one of his eight. Doubtless
they had all followed her and this fact gave her a greater sense
of security and hope than she had before experienced.

Pausing beside the hut next to the street, she peered cautiously
about the corner. A few inches from her was the open doorway of the
structure, and beyond, farther down the village street, the blacks
were congregating about the prisoners, who were already being bound
to the stakes. All eyes were centered upon the victims, and there
was only the remotest chance that she and her companions would
be discovered until they were close upon the blacks. She wished,
however, that she might have some sort of a weapon with which to
lead the attack, for she could not know, of course, for a certainty
whether the great apes would follow her or not. Hoping that she
might find something within the hut, she slipped quickly around
the corner and into the doorway and after her, one by one, came
the nine bulls. Searching quickly about the interior, she presently
discovered a spear, and, armed with this, she again approached the
entrance.

Tarzan of the Apes and Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick were
bound securely to their respective stakes.  Neither had spoken for
some time. The Englishman turned his head so that he could see his
companion in misery. Tarzan stood straight against his stake. His
face was entirely expressionless in so far as either fear or anger
were concerned. His countenance portrayed bored indifference though
both men knew that they were about to be tortured.

"Good-bye, old top," whispered the young lieutenant.

Tarzan turned his eyes in the direction of the other and smiled.
"Good-bye," he said. "If you want to get it over in a hurry, inhale
the smoke and flames as rapidly as you can."

"Thanks," replied the aviator and though he made a wry face, he
drew himself up very straight and squared his shoulders.

The women and children had seated themselves in a wide circle about
the victims while the warriors, hideously painted, were forming
slowly to commence the dance of death. Again Tarzan turned to his
companion. "If you'd like to spoil their fun," he said, "don't
make any fuss no matter how much you suffer. If you can carry on to
the end without changing the expression upon your face or uttering
a single word, you will deprive them of all the pleasures of this
part of the entertainment. Good-bye again and good luck."

The young Englishman made no reply but it was evident from the set
of his jaws that the Negroes would get little enjoyment out of him.

The warriors were circling now. Presently Numabo would draw first
blood with his sharp spear which would be the signal for the
beginning of the torture after a little of which the fagots would
be lighted around the feet of the victims.

Closer and closer danced the hideous chief, his yellow, sharp-filed
teeth showing in the firelight between his thick, red lips. Now
bending double, now stamping furiously upon the ground, now leaping
into the air, he danced step by step in the narrowing circle that
would presently bring him within spear reach of the intended feast.

At last the spear reached out and touched the ape-man on the
breast and when it came away, a little trickle of blood ran down
the smooth, brown hide and almost simultaneously there broke from
the outer periphery of the expectant audience a woman's shriek which
seemed a signal for a series of hideous screamings, growlings and
barkings, and a great commotion upon that side of the circle. The
victims could not see the cause of the disturbance, but Tarzan did
not have to see, for he knew by the voices of the apes the identity
of the disturbers.  He only wondered what had brought them and what
the purpose of the attack, for he could not believe that they had
come to rescue him.

Numabo and his warriors broke quickly from the circle of their dance
to see pushing toward them through the ranks of their screaming
and terrified people the very white girl who had escaped them a
few nights before, and at her back what appeared to their surprised
eyes a veritable horde of the huge and hairy forest men upon whom
they looked with considerable fear and awe.

Striking to right and left with his heavy fists, tearing with
his great fangs, came Zu-tag, the young bull, while at his heels,
emulating his example, surged his hideous apes. Quickly they came
through the old men and the women and children, for straight toward
Numabo and his warriors the girl led them.  It was then that they
came within range of Tarzan's vision and he saw with unmixed surprise
who it was that led the apes to his rescue.

To Zu-tag he shouted: "Go for the big bulls while the she unbinds
me," and to Bertha Kircher: "Quick! Cut these bonds.  The apes will
take care of the blacks."

Turning from her advance the girl ran to his side. She had no knife
and the bonds were tied tightly but she worked quickly and coolly
and as Zu-tag and his apes closed with the warriors, she succeeded
in loosening Tarzan's bonds sufficiently to permit him to extricate
his own hands so that in another minute he had freed himself.

"Now unbind the Englishman," he cried, and, leaping forward, ran
to join Zu-tag and his fellows in their battle against the blacks.
Numabo and his warriors, realizing now the relatively small numbers
of the apes against them, had made a determined stand and with
spears and other weapons were endeavoring to overcome the invaders.
Three of the apes were already down, killed or mortally wounded,
when Tarzan, realizing that the battle must eventually go against
the apes unless some means could be found to break the morale of
the Negroes, cast about him for some means of bringing about the
desired end. And suddenly his eye lighted upon a number of weapons
which he knew would accomplish the result. A grim smile touched
his lips as he snatched a vessel of boiling water from one of the
fires and hurled it full in the faces of the warriors. Screaming
with terror and pain they fell back though Numabo urged them to
rush forward.

Scarcely had the first cauldron of boiling water spilled its
contents upon them ere Tarzan deluged them with a second, nor was
there any third needed to send them shrieking in every direction
to the security of their huts.

By the time Tarzan had recovered his own weapons the girl had released
the young Englishman, and, with the six remaining apes, the three
Europeans moved slowly toward the village gate, the aviator arming
himself with a spear discarded by one of the scalded warriors, as
they eagerly advanced toward the outer darkness.

Numabo was unable to rally the now thoroughly terrified and
painfully burned warriors so that rescued and rescuers passed out
of the village into the blackness of the jungle without further
interference.

Tarzan strode through the jungle in silence. Beside him walked Zu-tag,
the great ape, and behind them strung the surviving anthropoids
followed by Fraulein Bertha Kircher and Lieutenant Harold Percy
Smith-Oldwick, the latter a thoroughly astonished and mystified
Englishman.

In all his life Tarzan of the Apes had been obliged to acknowledge
but few obligations. He won his way through his savage world by the
might of his own muscle, the superior keenness of his five senses
and his God-given power to reason.  Tonight the greatest of
all obligations had been placed upon him--his life had been saved
by another and Tarzan shook his head and growled, for it had been
saved by one whom he hated above all others.




Chapter XI

Finding the Airplane


Tarzan of the Apes, returning from a successful hunt, with the
body of Bara, the deer, across one sleek, brown shoulder, paused
in the branches of a great tree at the edge of a clearing and gazed
ruefully at two figures walking from the river to the boma-encircled
hut a short distance away.

The ape-man shook his tousled head and sighed. His eyes wandered
toward the west and his thoughts to the far-away cabin by the
land-locked harbor of the great water that washed the beach of his
boyhood home--to the cabin of his long-dead father to which the
memories and treasures of a happy childhood lured him. Since the
loss of his mate, a great longing had possessed him to return to
the haunts of his youth--to the untracked jungle wilderness where
he had lived the life he loved best long before man had invaded
the precincts of his wild stamping grounds. There he hoped in a
renewal of the old life under the old conditions to win surcease
from sorrow and perhaps some measure of forgetfulness.

But the little cabin and the land-locked harbor were many long,
weary marches away, and he was handicapped by the duty which he
felt he owed to the two figures walking in the clearing before him.
One was a young man in a worn and ragged uniform of the British Royal
Air Forces, the other, a young woman in the even more disreputable
remnants of what once had been trim riding togs.

A freak of fate had thrown these three radically different types
together. One was a savage, almost naked beast-man, one an English
army officer, and the woman, she whom the ape-man knew and hated
as a German spy.

How he was to get rid of them Tarzan could not imagine unless
he accompanied them upon the weary march back to the east coast,
a march that would necessitate his once more retracing the long,
weary way he already had covered towards his goal, yet what else
could be done? These two had neither the strength, endurance, nor
jungle-craft to accompany him through the unknown country to the
west, nor did he wish them with him. The man he might have tolerated,
but he could not even consider the presence of the girl in the
far-off cabin, which had in a way become sacred to him through
its memories, without a growl or anger rising to his lips. There
remained, then, but the one way, since he could not desert them.
He must move by slow and irksome marches back to the east coast,
or at least to the first white settlement in that direction.

He had, it is true, contemplated leaving the girl to her fate but
that was before she had been instrumental in saving him from torture
and death at the hands of the black Wamabos.  He chafed under the
obligation she had put upon him, but no less did he acknowledge
it and as he watched the two, the rueful expression upon his face
was lightened by a smile as he thought of the helplessness of them.
What a puny thing, indeed, was man! How ill equipped to combat the
savage forces of nature and of nature's jungle. Why, even the tiny
balu of the tribe of Go-lat, the great ape, was better fitted to
survive than these, for a balu could at least escape the numerous
creatures that menaced its existence, while with the possible
exception of Kota, the tortoise, none moved so slowly as did helpless
and feeble man.

Without him these two doubtless would starve in the midst of plenty,
should they by some miracle escape the other forces of destruction
which constantly threatened them. That morning Tarzan had brought
them fruit, nuts, and plantain, and now he was bringing them the
flesh of his kill, while the best that they might do was to fetch
water from the river. Even now, as they walked across the clearing
toward the boma, they were in utter ignorance of the presence
of Tarzan near them. They did not know that his sharp eyes were
watching them, nor that other eyes less friendly were glaring at
them from a clump of bushes close beside the boma entrance. They
did not know these things, but Tarzan did. No more than they could
he see the creature crouching in the concealment of the foliage, yet
he knew that it was there and what it was and what its intentions,
precisely as well as though it had been lying in the open.

A slight movement of the leaves at the top of a single stem had
apprised him of the presence of a creature there, for the movement
was not that imparted by the wind. It came from pressure at the
bottom of the stem which communicates a different movement to the
leaves than does the wind passing among them, as anyone who has
lived his lifetime in the jungle well knows, and the same wind that
passed through the foliage of the bush brought to the ape-man's
sensitive nostrils indisputable evidence of the fact that Sheeta,
the panther, waited there for the two returning from the river.

They had covered half the distance to the boma entrance when Tarzan
called to them to stop. They looked in surprise in the direction
from which his voice had come to see him drop lightly to the ground
and advance toward them.

"Come slowly toward me," he called to them. "Do not run for if you
run Sheeta will charge."

They did as he bid, their faces filled with questioning wonderment.

"What do you mean?" asked the young Englishman. "Who is Sheeta?"
but for answer the ape-man suddenly hurled the carcass of Bara, the
deer, to the ground and leaped quickly toward them, his eyes upon
something in their rear; and then it was that the two turned and
learned the identity of Sheeta, for behind them was a devil-faced
cat charging rapidly toward them.

Sheeta with rising anger and suspicion had seen the ape-man leap
from the tree and approach the quarry. His life's experiences backed
by instinct told him that the Tarmangani was about to rob him of
his prey and as Sheeta was hungry, he had no intention of being
thus easily deprived of the flesh he already considered his own.

The girl stifled an involuntary scream as she saw the proximity
of the fanged fury bearing down upon them. She shrank close to the
man and clung to him and all unarmed and defenseless as he was, the
Englishman pushed her behind him and shielding her with his body,
stood squarely in the face of the panther's charge. Tarzan noted
the act, and though accustomed as he was to acts of courage, he
experienced a thrill from the hopeless and futile bravery of the
man.

The charging panther moved rapidly, and the distance which separated
the bush in which he had concealed himself from the objects of his
desire was not great. In the time that one might understandingly
read a dozen words the strong-limbed cat could have covered the
entire distance and made his kill, yet if Sheeta was quick, quick
too was Tarzan. The English lieutenant saw the ape-man flash by him
like the wind. He saw the great cat veer in his charge as though
to elude the naked savage rushing to meet him, as it was evidently
Sheeta's intention to make good his kill before attempting to
protect it from Tarzan.

Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick saw these things and then with increasing
wonder he saw the ape-man swerve, too, and leap for the spotted cat
as a football player leaps for a runner. He saw the strong, brown
arms encircling the body of the carnivore, the left arm in front
of the beast's left shoulder and the right arm behind his right
foreleg, and with the impact the two together rolling over and over
upon the turf. He heard the snarls and growls of bestial combat,
and it was with a feeling of no little horror that he realized that
the sounds coming from the human throat of the battling man could
scarce be distinguished from those of the panther.

The first momentary shock of terror over, the girl released her
grasp upon the Englishman's arm. "Cannot we do something?" she
asked. "Cannot we help him before the beast kills him?"

The Englishman looked upon the ground for some missile with which
to attack the panther and then the girl uttered an exclamation and
started at a run toward the hut. "Wait there," she called over her
shoulder. "I will fetch the spear that he left me."

Smith-Oldwick saw the raking talons of the panther searching for
the flesh of the man and the man on his part straining every muscle
and using every artifice to keep his body out of range of them. The
muscles of his arms knotted under the brown hide. The veins stood
out upon his neck and forehead as with ever-increasing power he
strove to crush the life from the great cat. The ape-man's teeth
were fastened in the back of Sheeta's neck and now he succeeded
in encircling the beast's torso with his legs which he crossed and
locked beneath the cat's belly. Leaping and snarling, Sheeta sought
to dislodge the ape-man's hold upon him. He hurled himself upon
the ground and rolled over and over. He reared upon his hind legs
and threw himself backwards but always the savage creature upon
his back clung tenaciously to him, and always the mighty brown arms
crushed tighter and tighter about his chest.

And then the girl, panting from her quick run, returned with the
short spear Tarzan had left her as her sole weapon of protection.
She did not wait to hand it to the Englishman who ran forward to
receive it, but brushed past him and leaped into close quarters
beside the growling, tumbling mass of yellow fur and smooth brown
hide. Several times she attempted to press the point home into
the cat's body, but on both occasions the fear of endangering the
ape-man caused her to desist, but at last the two lay motionless
for a moment as the carnivore sought a moment's rest from the
strenuous exertions of battle, and then it was that Bertha Kircher
pressed the point of the spear to the tawny side and drove it deep
into the savage heart.

Tarzan rose from the dead body of Sheeta and shook himself after
the manner of beasts that are entirely clothed with hair. Like
many other of his traits and mannerisms this was the result of
environment rather than heredity or reversion, and even though he
was outwardly a man, the Englishman and the girl were both impressed
with the naturalness of the act.  It was as though Numa, emerging
from a fight, had shaken himself to straighten his rumpled mane and
coat, and yet, too, there was something uncanny about it as there
had been when the savage growls and hideous snarls issued from
those clean-cut lips.

Tarzan looked at the girl, a quizzical expression upon his face.
Again had she placed him under obligations to her, and Tarzan of
the Apes did not wish to be obligated to a German spy; yet in his
honest heart he could not but admit a certain admiration for her
courage, a trait which always greatly impressed the ape-man, he
himself the personification of courage.

"Here is the kill," he said, picking the carcass of Bara from the
ground. "You will want to cook your portion, I presume, but Tarzan
does not spoil his meat with fire."

They followed him to the boma where he cut several pieces of meat
from the carcass for them, retaining a joint for himself. The
young lieutenant prepared a fire, and the girl presided over the
primitive culinary rights of their simple meal.  As she worked some
little way apart from them, the lieutenant and the ape-man watched
her.

"She is wonderful. Is she not?" murmured Smith-Oldwick.

"She is a German and a spy," replied Tarzan.

The Englishman turned quickly upon him. "What do you mean?" he
cried.

"I mean what I say," replied the ape-man. "She is a German and a
spy."

"I do not believe it!" exclaimed the aviator.

"You do not have to," Tarzan assured him. "It is nothing to me
what you believe. I saw her in conference with the Boche general
and his staff at the camp near Taveta. They all knew her and called
her by name and she handed him a paper. The next time I saw her
she was inside the British lines in disguise, and again I saw her
bearing word to a German officer at Wilhelmstal. She is a German
and a spy, but she is a woman and therefore I cannot destroy her."

"You really believe that what you say is true?" asked the young
lieutenant. "My God! I cannot believe it. She is so sweet and brave
and good."

The ape-man shrugged his shoulders. "She is brave," he said, "but
even Pamba, the rat, must have some good quality, but she is what
I have told you and therefore I hate her and you should hate her."

Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick buried his face in his hands.
"God forgive me," he said at last. "I cannot hate her."

The ape-man cast a contemptuous look at his companion and arose.
"Tarzan goes again to hunt," he said. "You have enough food for
two days. By that time he will return."

The two watched him until he had disappeared in the foliage of the
trees at the further side of the clearing.

When he had gone the girl felt a vague sense of apprehension that
she never experienced when Tarzan was present. The invisible menaces
lurking in the grim jungle seemed more real and much more imminent
now that the ape-man was no longer near. While he had been there
talking with them, the little thatched hut and its surrounding
thorn boma had seemed as safe a place as the world might afford.
She wished that he had remained--two days seemed an eternity in
contemplation--two days of constant fear, two days, every moment of
which would be fraught with danger. She turned toward her companion.

"I wish that he had remained," she said. "I always feel so much
safer when he is near. He is very grim and very terrible, and yet
I feel safer with him than with any man I ever have known. He seems
to dislike me and yet I know that he would let no harm befall me.
I cannot understand him."

"Neither do I understand him," replied the Englishman; "but I know
this much--our presence here is interfering with his plans. He would
like to be rid of us, and I half imagine that he rather hopes to
find when he returns that we have succumbed to one of the dangers
which must always confront us in this savage land.

"I think that we should try to return to the white settlements. This
man does not want us here, nor is it reasonable to assume that we
could long survive in such a savage wilderness. I have traveled and
hunted in several parts of Africa, but never have I seen or heard
of any single locality so overrun with savage beasts and dangerous
natives. If we set out for the east coast at once we would be in
but little more danger than we are here, and if we could survive
a day's march, I believe that we will find the means of reaching
the coast in a few hours, for my plane must still be in the same
place that I landed just before the blacks captured me. Of course
there is no one here who could operate it nor is there any reason
why they should have destroyed it. As a matter of fact, the natives
would be so fearful and suspicious of so strange and incomprehensible
a thing that the chances are they would not dare approach it. Yes,
it must be where I left it and all ready to carry us safely to the
settlements."

"But we cannot leave," said the girl, "until he returns. We could
not go away like that without thanking him or bidding him farewell.
We are under too great obligations to him."

The man looked at her in silence for a moment. He wondered if
she knew how Tarzan felt toward her and then he himself began to
speculate upon the truth of the ape-man's charges. The longer he
looked at the girl, the less easy was it to entertain the thought
that she was an enemy spy. He was upon the point of asking
her point-blank but he could not bring himself to do so, finally
determining to wait until time and longer acquaintance should reveal
the truth or falsity of the accusation.

"I believe," he said as though there had been no pause in their
conversation, "that the man would be more than glad to find us
gone when he returns. It is not necessary to jeopardize our lives
for two more days in order that we may thank him, however much
we may appreciate his services to us. You have more than balanced
your obligations to him and from what he told me I feel that you
especially should not remain here longer."

The girl looked up at him in astonishment. "What do you mean?" she
asked.

"I do not like to tell," said the Englishman, digging nervously at
the turf with the point of a stick, "but you have my word that he
would rather you were not here."

"Tell me what he said," she insisted, "I have a right to know."

Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick squared his shoulders and raised his eyes
to those of the girl. "He said that he hated you," he blurted. "He
has only aided you at all from a sense of duty because you are a
woman."

The girl paled and then flushed. "I will be ready to go," she said,
"in just a moment. We had better take some of this meat with us.
There is no telling when we will be able to get more."

And so the two set out down the river toward the south.  The man
carried the short spear that Tarzan had left with the girl, while
she was entirely unarmed except for a stick she had picked up from
among those left after the building of the hut. Before departing
she had insisted that the man leave a note for Tarzan thanking him
for his care of them and bidding him goodbye. This they left pinned
to the inside wall of the hut with a little sliver of wood.

It was necessary that they be constantly on the alert since they
never knew what might confront them at the next turn of the winding
jungle trail or what might lie concealed in the tangled bushes at
either side. There was also the ever-present danger of meeting some
of Numabo's black warriors and as the village lay directly in their
line of march, there was the necessity for making a wide detour
before they reached it in order to pass around it without being
discovered.

"I am not so much afraid of the native blacks," said the girl, "as
I am of Usanga and his people. He and his men were all attached
to a German native regiment. They brought me along with them when
they deserted, either with the intention of holding me ransom or
selling me into the harem of one of the black sultans of the north.
Usanga is much more to be feared than Numabo for he has had the
advantage of European military training and is armed with more or
less modern weapons and ammunition."

"It is lucky for me," remarked the Englishman, "that it was the
ignorant Numabo who discovered and captured me rather than the
worldly wise Usanga. He would have felt less fear of the giant
flying machine and would have known only too well how to wreck it."

"Let us pray that the black sergeant has not discovered it," said
the girl.

They made their way to a point which they guessed was about a mile
above the village, then they turned into the trackless tangle of
undergrowth to the east. So dense was the verdure at many points
that it was with the utmost difficulty they wormed their way through,
sometimes on hands and knees and again by clambering over numerous
fallen tree trunks. Interwoven with dead limbs and living branches
were the tough and ropelike creepers which formed a tangled network
across their path.

South of them in an open meadowland a number of black warriors were
gathered about an object which elicited much wondering comment. The
blacks were clothed in fragments of what had once been uniforms of
a native German command. They were a most unlovely band and chief
among them in authority and repulsiveness was the black sergeant
Usanga. The object of their interest was a British aeroplane.

Immediately after the Englishman had been brought to Numabo's village
Usanga had gone out in search of the plane, prompted partially by
curiosity and partially by an intention to destroy it, but when he
had found it, some new thought had deterred him from carrying out
his design. The thing represented considerable value as he well
knew and it had occurred to him that in some way he might turn his
prize to profit.  Every day he had returned to it, and while at
first it had filled him with considerable awe, he eventually came
to look upon it with the accustomed eye of a proprietor, so that
he now clambered into the fuselage and even advanced so far as to
wish that he might learn to operate it.

What a feat it would be indeed to fly like a bird far above the
highest tree top! How it would fill his less favored companions
with awe and admiration! If Usanga could but fly, so great would be
the respect of all the tribesmen throughout the scattered villages
of the great interior, they would look upon him as little less than
a god.

Usanga rubbed his palms together and smacked his thick lips. Then
indeed, would he be very rich, for all the villages would pay
tribute to him and he could even have as many as a dozen wives.
With that thought, however, came a mental picture of Naratu, the
black termagant, who ruled him with an iron hand. Usanga made a
wry face and tried to forget the extra dozen wives, but the lure of
the idea remained and appealed so strongly to him that he presently
found himself reasoning most logically that a god would not be much
of a god with less than twenty-four wives.

He fingered the instruments and the control, half hoping and half
fearing that he would alight upon the combination that would put
the machine in flight. Often had he watched the British air-men
soaring above the German lines and it looked so simple he was quite
sure that he could do it himself if there was somebody who could
but once show him how. There was, of course, always the hope that
the white man who came in the machine and who had escaped from
Numabo's village might fall into Usanga's hands and then indeed
would he be able to learn how to fly. It was in this hope that
Usanga spent so much time in the vicinity of the plane, reasoning
as he did that eventually the white man would return in search of
it.

And at last he was rewarded, for upon this very day after he had
quit the machine and entered the jungle with his warriors, he heard
voices to the north and when he and his men had hidden in the dense
foliage upon either side of the trail, Usanga was presently filled
with elation by the appearance of the British officer and the white
girl whom the black sergeant had coveted and who had escaped him.

The Negro could scarce restrain a shout of elation, for he had not
hoped that fate would be so kind as to throw these two whom he most
desired into his power at the same time.

As the two came down the trail all unconscious of impending danger,
the man was explaining that they must be very close to the point
at which the plane had landed. Their entire attention was centered
on the trail directly ahead of them, as they momentarily expected
it to break into the meadowland where they were sure they would
see the plane that would spell life and liberty for them.

The trail was broad, and they were walking side by side so that at
a sharp turn the park-like clearing was revealed to them simultaneously
with the outlines of the machine they sought.

Exclamations of relief and delight broke from their lips, and at
the same instant Usanga and his black warriors rose from the bushes
all about them.




Chapter XII

The Black Flier


The girl was almost crushed by terror and disappointment.  To have
been thus close to safety and then to have all hope snatched away
by a cruel stroke of fate seemed unendurable. The man was disappointed,
too, but more was he angry. He noted the remnants of the uniforms
upon the blacks and immediately he demanded to know where were
their officers.

"They cannot understand you," said the girl and so in the bastard
tongue that is the medium of communication between the Germans and
the blacks of their colony, she repeated the white man's question.

Usanga grinned. "You know where they are, white woman," he replied.
"They are dead, and if this white man does not do as I tell him,
he, too, will be dead."

"What do you want of him?" asked the girl.

"I want him to teach me how to fly like a bird," replied Usanga.

Bertha Kircher looked her astonishment, but repeated the demand to
the lieutenant.

The Englishman meditated for a moment. "He wants to learn to fly,
does he?" he repeated. "Ask him if he will give us our freedom if
I teach him to fly."

The girl put the question to Usanga, who, degraded, cunning, and
entirely unprincipled, was always perfectly willing to promise
anything whether he had any intentions of fulfilling his promises
or not, and so immediately assented to the proposition.

"Let the white man teach me to fly," he said, "and I will take you
back close to the settlements of your people, but in return for
this I shall keep the great bird," and he waved a black hand in
the direction of the aeroplane.

When Bertha Kircher had repeated Usanga's proposition to the
aviator, the latter shrugged his shoulders and with a wry face
finally agreed. "I fancy there is no other way out of it," he said.
"In any event the plane is lost to the British government. If I
refuse the black scoundrel's request, there is no doubt but what
he will make short work of me with the result that the machine will
lie here until it rots. If I accept his offer it will at least be
the means of assuring your safe return to civilization and that"
he added, "is worth more to me than all the planes in the British
Air Service."

The girl cast a quick glance at him. These were the first words he
had addressed to her that might indicate that his sentiments toward
her were more than those of a companion in distress. She regretted
that he had spoken as he had and he, too, regretted it almost
instantly as he saw the shadow cross her face and realized that
he had unwittingly added to the difficulties of her already almost
unbearable situation.

"Forgive me," he said quickly. "Please forget what that remark
implied. I promise you that I will not offend again, if it does
offend you, until after we are both safely out of this mess."

She smiled and thanked him, but the thing had been said and could
never be unsaid, and Bertha Kircher knew even more surely than as
though he had fallen upon his knees and protested undying devotion
that the young English officer loved her.

Usanga was for taking his first lesson in aviation immediately. The
Englishman attempted to dissuade him, but immediately the black
became threatening and abusive, since, like all those who are
ignorant, he was suspicious that the intentions of others were
always ulterior unless they perfectly coincided with his wishes.

"All right, old top," muttered the Englishman, "I will give you
the lesson of your life," and then turning to the girl: "Persuade
him to let you accompany us. I shall be afraid to leave you here
with these devilish scoundrels." But when she put the suggestion
to Usanga the black immediately suspected some plan to thwart
him--possibly to carry him against his will back to the German
masters he had traitorously deserted, and glowering at her savagely,
he obstinately refused to entertain the suggestion.

"The white woman will remain here with my people," he said. "They
will not harm her unless you fail to bring me back safely."

"Tell him," said the Englishman, "that if you are not standing in
plain sight in this meadow when I return, I will not land, but will
carry Usanga back to the British camp and have him hanged."

Usanga promised that the girl would be in evidence upon their
return, and took immediate steps to impress upon his warriors that
under penalty of death they must not harm her.  Then, followed
by the other members of his party, he crossed the clearing toward
the plane with the Englishman. Once seated within what he already
considered his new possession, the black's courage began to wane
and when the motor was started and the great propeller commenced
to whir, he screamed to the Englishman to stop the thing and permit
him to alight, but the aviator could neither hear nor understand
the black above the noise of the propeller and exhaust. By this
time the plane was moving along the ground and even then Usanga was
upon the verge of leaping out, and would have done so had he been
able to unfasten the strap from about his waist. Then the plane rose
from the ground and in a moment soared gracefully in a wide circle
until it topped the trees. The black sergeant was in a veritable
collapse of terror. He saw the earth dropping rapidly from beneath
him.  He saw the trees and river and at a distance the little clearing
with the thatched huts of Numabo's village. He tried hard not to
think of the results of a sudden fall to the rapidly receding ground
below. He attempted to concentrate his mind upon the twenty-four
wives which this great bird most assuredly would permit him to
command. Higher and higher rose the plane, swinging in a wide circle
above the forest, river, and meadowland and presently, much to his
surprise, Usanga discovered that his terror was rapidly waning, so
that it was not long before there was forced upon him a consciousness
of utter security, and then it was that he began to take notice of
the manner in which the white man guided and manipulated the plane.

After half an hour of skillful maneuvering, the Englishman rose
rapidly to a considerable altitude, and then, suddenly, without
warning, he looped and flew with the plane inverted for a few
seconds.

"I said I'd give this beggar the lesson of his life," he murmured as
he heard, even above the whir of the propeller, the shriek of the
terrified Negro. A moment later Smith-Oldwick had righted the machine
and was dropping rapidly toward the earth. He circled slowly a few
times above the meadow until he had assured himself that Bertha
Kircher was there and apparently unharmed, then he dropped gently
to the ground so that the machine came to a stop a short distance
from where the girl and the warriors awaited them.

It was a trembling and ashen-hued Usanga who tumbled out of the
fuselage, for his nerves were still on edge as a result of the
harrowing experience of the loop, yet with terra firma once more
under foot, he quickly regained his composure.  Strutting about
with great show and braggadocio, he strove to impress his followers
with the mere nothingness of so trivial a feat as flying birdlike
thousands of yards above the jungle, though it was long until he
had thoroughly convinced himself by the force of autosuggestion
that he had enjoyed every instant of the flight and was already
far advanced in the art of aviation.

So jealous was the black of his new-found toy that he would not
return to the village of Numabo, but insisted on making camp close
beside the plane, lest in some inconceivable fashion it should be
stolen from him. For two days they camped there, and constantly
during daylight hours Usanga compelled the Englishman to instruct
him in the art of flying.

Smith-Oldwick, in recalling the long months of arduous training he
had undergone himself before he had been considered sufficiently
adept to be considered a finished flier, smiled at the conceit of
the ignorant African who was already demanding that he be permitted
to make a flight alone.

"If it was not for losing the machine," the Englishman explained to
the girl, "I'd let the bounder take it up and break his fool neck
as he would do inside of two minutes."

However, he finally persuaded Usanga to bide his time for a few
more days of instruction, but in the suspicious mind of the Negro
there was a growing conviction that the white man's advice was prompted
by some ulterior motive; that it was in the hope of escaping with
the machine himself by night that he refused to admit that Usanga
was entirely capable of handling it alone and therefore in no further
need of help or instruction, and so in the mind of the black there
formed a determination to outwit the white man. The lure of the
twenty-four seductive wives proved in itself a sufficient incentive
and there, too, was added his desire for the white girl whom he
had long since determined to possess.

It was with these thoughts in mind that Usanga lay down to sleep
in the evening of the second day. Constantly, however, the thought
of Naratu and her temper arose to take the keen edge from his pleasant
imaginings. If he could but rid himself of her! The thought having
taken form persisted, but always it was more than outweighed by the
fact that the black sergeant was actually afraid of his woman, so
much afraid of her in fact that he would not have dared to attempt
to put her out of the way unless he could do so secretly while
she slept. However, as one plan after another was conjured by the
strength of his desires, he at last hit upon one which came to him
almost with the force of a blow and brought him sitting upright
among his sleeping companions.

When morning dawned Usanga could scarce wait for an opportunity to
put his scheme into execution, and the moment that he had eaten,
he called several of his warriors aside and talked with them for
some moments.

The Englishman, who usually kept an eye upon his black captor,
saw now that the latter was explaining something in detail to his
warriors, and from his gestures and his manner it was apparent that
he was persuading them to some new plan as well as giving them
instructions as to what they were to do. Several times, too, he
saw the eyes of the Negroes turned upon him and once they flashed
simultaneously toward the white girl.

Everything about the occurrence, which in itself seemed trivial enough,
aroused in the mind of the Englishman a well-defined apprehension
that something was afoot that boded ill for him and for the girl.
He could not free himself of the idea and so he kept a still closer
watch over the black although, as he was forced to admit to himself,
he was quite powerless to avert any fate that lay in store for
them. Even the spear that he had had when captured had been taken
away from him, so that now he was unarmed and absolutely at the
mercy of the black sergeant and his followers.

Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick did not have long to wait
before discovering something of Usanga's plan, for almost immediately
after the sergeant finished giving his instructions, a number of
warriors approached the Englishman, while three went directly to
the girl.

Without a word of explanation the warriors seized the young officer
and threw him to the ground upon his face. For a moment he struggled
to free himself and succeeded in landing a few heavy blows among
his assailants, but he was too greatly outnumbered to hope to more
than delay them in the accomplishment of their object which he
soon discovered was to bind him securely hand and foot. When they
had finally secured him to their satisfaction, they rolled him
over on his side and then it was he saw Bertha Kircher had been
similarly trussed.

Smith-Oldwick lay in such a position that he could see nearly the
entire expanse of meadow and the aeroplane a short distance away.
Usanga was talking to the girl who was shaking her head in vehement
negatives.

"What is he saying?" called the Englishman.

"He is going to take me away in the plane," the girl called back.
"He is going to take me farther inland to another country where
he says that he will be king and I am to be one of his wives," and
then to the Englishman's surprise she turned a smiling face toward
him, "but there is no danger," she continued, "for we shall both
be dead within a few minutes--just give him time enough to get
the machine under way, and if he can rise a hundred feet from the
ground I shall never need fear him more."

"God!" cried the man. "Is there no way that you can dissuade him?
Promise him anything. Anything that you want.  I have money, more
money than that poor fool could imagine there was in the whole
world. With it he can buy anything that money will purchase, fine
clothes and food and women, all the women he wants. Tell him this
and tell him that if he will spare you I give him my word that I
will fetch it all to him."

The girl shook her head. "It is useless," she said. "He would not
understand and if he did understand, he would not trust you. The
blacks are so unprincipled themselves that they can imagine no
such thing as principle or honor in others, and especially do these
blacks distrust an Englishman whom the Germans have taught them to
believe are the most treacherous and degraded of people. No, it is
better thus. I am sorry that you cannot go with us, for if he goes
high enough my death will be much easier than that which probably
awaits you."

Usanga had been continually interrupting their brief conversation
in an attempt to compel the girl to translate it to him, for he
feared that they were concocting some plan to thwart him, and to
quiet and appease him, she told him that the Englishman was merely
bidding her farewell and wishing her good luck. Suddenly she turned
to the black. "Will you do something for me?" she asked. "If I go
willingly with you?"

"What is it you want?" he inquired.

"Tell your men to free the white man after we are gone.  He can
never catch us. That is all I ask of you. If you will grant him
his freedom and his life, I will go willingly with you.

"You will go with me anyway," growled Usanga. "It is nothing to
me whether you go willingly or not. I am going to be a great king
and you will do whatever I tell you to do."

He had in mind that he would start properly with this woman. There
should be no repetition of his harrowing experience with Naratu.
This wife and the twenty-four others should be carefully selected
and well trained. Hereafter Usanga would be master in his own house.

Bertha Kircher saw that it was useless to appeal to the brute
and so she held her peace though she was filled with sorrow in
contemplating the fate that awaited the young officer, scarce more
than a boy, who had impulsively revealed his love for her.

At Usanga's order one of the blacks lifted her from the ground and
carried her to the machine, and after Usanga had clambered aboard,
they lifted her up and he reached down and drew her into the fuselage
where he removed the thongs from her wrists and strapped her into
her seat and then took his own directly ahead of her.

The girl turned her eyes toward the Englishman. She was very pale
but her lips smiled bravely.

"Good-bye!" she cried.

"Good-bye, and God bless you!" he called back--his voice the least
bit husky--and then: "The thing I wanted to say--may I say it now,
we are so very near the end?"

Her lips moved but whether they voiced consent or refusal he did
not know, for the words were drowned in the whir of the propeller.

The black had learned his lesson sufficiently well so that the
motor was started without bungling and the machine was soon under
way across the meadowland. A groan escaped the lips of the distracted
Englishman as he watched the woman he loved being carried to almost
certain death. He saw the plane tilt and the machine rise from
the ground. It was a good take-off--as good as Lieutenant Harold
Percy Smith-Oldwick could make himself but he realized that it was
only so by chance. At any instant the machine might plunge to earth
and even if, by some miracle of chance, the black could succeed
in rising above the tree tops and make a successful flight, there
was not one chance in one hundred thousand that he could ever land
again without killing his fair captive and himself.

But what was that? His heart stood still.




Chapter XIII

Usanga's Reward


For two days Tarzan of the Apes had been hunting leisurely to the
north, and swinging in a wide circle, he had returned to within
a short distance of the clearing where he had left Bertha Kircher
and the young lieutenant. He had spent the night in a large tree
that overhung the river only a short distance from the clearing,
and now in the early morning hours he was crouching at the water's
edge waiting for an opportunity to capture Pisah, the fish, thinking
that he would take it back with him to the hut where the girl could
cook it for herself and her companion.

Motionless as a bronze statue was the wily ape-man, for well he knew
how wary is Pisah, the fish. The slightest movement would frighten
him away and only by infinite patience might he be captured at
all. Tarzan depended upon his own quickness and the suddenness of
his attack, for he had no bait or hook. His knowledge of the ways
of the denizens of the water told him where to wait for Pisah. It
might be a minute or it might be an hour before the fish would swim
into the little pool above which he crouched, but sooner or later
one would come. That the ape-man knew, so with the patience of the
beast of prey he waited for his quarry.

At last there was a glint of shiny scales. Pisah was coming.  In a
moment he would be within reach and then with the swiftness of light
two strong, brown hands would plunge into the pool and seize him,
but, just at the moment that the fish was about to come within reach,
there was a great crashing in the underbrush behind the ape-man.
Instantly Pisah was gone and Tarzan, growling, had wheeled about
to face whatever creature might be menacing him. The moment that
he turned he saw that the author of the disturbance was Zu-tag.

"What does Zu-tag want?" asked the ape-man.

"Zu-tag comes to the water to drink," replied the ape.

"Where is the tribe?" asked Tarzan.

"They are hunting for pisangs and scimatines farther back in the
forest," replied Zu-tag.

"And the Tarmangani she and bull--" asked Tarzan, "are they safe?"

"They have gone away," replied Zu-tag. "Kudu has come out of his
lair twice since they left."

"Did the tribe chase them away?" asked Tarzan.

"No," replied the ape. "We did not see them go. We do not know why
they left."

Tarzan swung quickly through the trees toward the clearing.  The
hut and boma were as he had left them, but there was no sign of
either the man or the woman. Crossing the clearing, he entered the
boma and then the hut. Both were empty, and his trained nostrils
told him that they had been gone for at least two days. As he was
about to leave the hut he saw a paper pinned upon the wall with a
sliver of wood and taking it down, he read:


After what you told me about Miss Kircher, and knowing that you
dislike her, I feel that it is not fair to her and to you that we
should impose longer upon you. I know that our presence is keeping
you from continuing your journey to the west coast, and so I
have decided that it is better for us to try and reach the white
settlements immediately without imposing further upon you. We both
thank you for your kindness and protection. If there was any way
that I might repay the obligation I feel, I should be only too glad
to do so.


It was signed by Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick.

Tarzan shrugged his shoulders, crumpled the note in his hand and
tossed it aside. He felt a certain sense of relief from responsibility
and was glad that they had taken the matter out of his hands. They
were gone and would forget, but somehow he could not forget. He
walked out across the boma and into the clearing. He felt uneasy
and restless.  Once he started toward the north in response to
a sudden determination to continue his way to the west coast. He
would follow the winding river toward the north a few miles where
its course turned to the west and then on toward its source across
a wooded plateau and up into the foothills and the mountains. Upon
the other side of the range he would search for a stream running
downward toward the west coast, and thus following the rivers he
would be sure of game and water in plenty.

But he did not go far. A dozen steps, perhaps, and he came to
a sudden stop. "He is an Englishman," he muttered, "and the other
is a woman. They can never reach the settlements without my help.
I could not kill her with my own hands when I tried, and if I let
them go on alone, I will have killed her just as surely as though
I had run my knife into her heart.  No," and again he  shook his
head. "Tarzan of the Apes is a fool and a weak, old woman," and he
turned back toward the south.

Manu, the monkey, had seen the two Tarmangani pass two days before.
Chattering and scolding, he told Tarzan all about it. They had
gone in the direction of the village of the Gomangani, that much
had Manu seen with his own eyes, so the ape-man swung on through
the jungle in a southerly direction and though with no concentrated
effort to follow the spoor of those he trailed, he passed numerous
evidences that they had gone this way--faint suggestions of their
scent spoor clung lightly to leaf or branch or bole that one
or the other had touched, or in the earth of the trail their feet
had trod, and where the way wound through the gloomy depth of dank
forest, the impress of their shoes still showed occasionally in
the damp mass of decaying vegetation that floored the way.

An inexplicable urge spurred Tarzan to increasing, speed.  The
same still, small voice that chided him for having neglected them
seemed constantly whispering that they were in dire need of him
now. Tarzan's conscience was troubling him, which accounted for
the fact that he compared himself to a weak, old woman, for the
ape-man, reared in savagery and inured to hardships and cruelty,
disliked to admit any of the gentler traits that in reality were
his birthright.

The trail made a detour to the east of the village of the Wamabos,
and then returned to the wide elephant path nearer to the river,
where it continued in a southerly direction for several miles. At
last there came to the ears of the ape-man a peculiar whirring,
throbbing sound. For an instant he paused, listening intently, "An
aeroplane!" he muttered, and hastened forward at greatly increased
speed.

When Tarzan of the Apes finally reached the edge of the meadowland
where Smith-Oldwick's plane had landed, he took in the entire scene
in one quick glance and grasped the situation, although he could
scarce give credence to the things he saw. Bound and helpless,
the English officer lay upon the ground at one side of the meadow,
while around him stood a number of the black deserters from the
German command.  Tarzan had seen these men before and knew who they
were.  Coming toward him down the meadow was an aeroplane piloted
by the black Usanga and in the seat behind the pilot was the white
girl, Bertha Kircher. How it befell that the ignorant savage could
operate the plane, Tarzan could not guess nor had he time in which
to speculate upon the subject.  His knowledge of Usanga, together
with the position of the white man, told him that the black sergeant
was attempting to carry off the white girl. Why he should be doing
this when he had her in his power and had also captured and secured
the only creature in the jungle who might wish to defend her in so
far as the black could know, Tarzan could not guess, for he knew
nothing of Usanga's twenty-four dream wives nor of the black's
fear of the horrid temper of Naratu, his present mate. He did not
know, then, that Usanga had determined to fly away with the white
girl never to return, and to put so great a distance between himself
and Naratu that the latter never could find him again; but it was
this very thing that was in the black's mind although not even his
own warriors guessed it. He had told them that he would take the
captive to a sultan of the north and there obtain a great price for
her and that when he returned they should have some of the spoils.

These things Tarzan did not know. All he knew was what he saw--a
Negro attempting to fly away with a white girl.  Already the
machine was slowly leaving the ground. In a moment more it would
rise swiftly out of reach. At first Tarzan thought of fitting an
arrow to his bow and slaying Usanga, but as quickly he abandoned
the idea because he knew that the moment the pilot was slain the
machine, running wild, would dash the girl to death among the trees.

There was but one way in which he might hope to succor her--a way
which if it failed must send him to instant death and yet he did
not hesitate in an attempt to put it into execution.

Usanga did not see him, being too intent upon the unaccustomed duties
of a pilot, but the blacks across the meadow saw him and they ran
forward with loud and savage cries and menacing rifles to intercept
him. They saw a giant white man leap from the branches of a tree
to the turf and race rapidly toward the plane. They saw him take
a long grass rope from about his shoulders as he ran. They saw the
noose swinging in an undulating circle above his head. They saw
the white girl in the machine glance down and discover him.

Twenty feet above the running ape-man soared the huge plane. The
open noose shot up to meet it, and the girl, half guessing the
ape-man's intentions, reached out and caught the noose and, bracing
herself, clung tightly to it with both hands. Simultaneously Tarzan
was dragged from his feet and the plane lurched sideways in response
to the new strain.  Usanga clutched wildly at the control and the
machine shot upward at a steep angle. Dangling at the end of the
rope the ape-man swung pendulum-like in space. The Englishman, lying
bound upon the ground, had been a witness of all these happenings.
His heart stood still as he saw Tarzan's body hurtling through the
air toward the tree tops among which it seemed he must inevitably
crash; but the plane was rising rapidly, so that the beast-man
cleared the top-most branches.  Then slowly, hand over hand, he
climbed toward the fuselage.  The girl, clinging desperately to the
noose, strained every muscle to hold the great weight dangling at
the lower end of the rope.

Usanga, all unconscious of what was going on behind him, drove the
plane higher and higher into the air.

Tarzan glanced downward. Below him the tree tops and the river
passed rapidly to the rear and only a slender grass rope and the
muscles of a frail girl stood between him and the death yawning
there thousands of feet below.

It seemed to Bertha Kircher that the fingers of her hands were dead.
The numbness was running up her arms to her elbows. How much longer
she could cling to the straining strands she could not guess. It
seemed to her that those lifeless fingers must relax at any instant
and then, when she had about given up hope, she saw a strong brown
hand reach up and grasp the side of the fuselage. Instantly the
weight upon the rope was removed and a moment later Tarzan of the
Apes raised his body above the side and threw a leg over the edge.
He glanced forward at Usanga and then, placing his mouth close to
the girl's ear he cried: "Have you ever piloted a plane?" The girl
nodded a quick affirmative.

"Have you the courage to climb up there beside the black and seize
the control while I take care of him?"

The girl looked toward Usanga and shuddered. "Yes," she replied,
"but my feet are bound."

Tarzan drew his hunting knife from its sheath and reaching down,
severed the thongs that bound her ankles. Then the girl unsnapped
the strap that held her to her seat. With one hand Tarzan grasped
the girl's arm and steadied her as the two crawled slowly across
the few feet which intervened between the two seats. A single slight
tip of the plane would have cast them both into eternity. Tarzan
realized that only through a miracle of chance could they reach
Usanga and effect the change in pilots and yet he knew that that
chance must be taken, for in the brief moments since he had first
seen the plane, he had realized that the black was almost without
experience as a pilot and that death surely awaited them in any
event should the black sergeant remain at the control.

The first intimation Usanga had that all was not well with him was
when the girl slipped suddenly to his side and grasped the control
and at the same instant steel-like fingers seized his throat. A brown
hand shot down with a keen blade and severed the strap about his
waist and giant muscles lifted him bodily from his seat. Usanga
clawed the air and shrieked but he was helpless as a babe. Far
below the watchers in the meadow could see the aeroplane careening
in the sky, for with the change of control it had taken a sudden
dive. They saw it right itself and, turning in a short circle, return
in their direction, but it was so far above them and the light of
the sun so strong that they could see nothing of what was going on
within the fuselage; but presently Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick gave
a gasp of dismay as he saw a human body plunge downward from the
plane. Turning and twisting in mid-air it fell with ever-increasing
velocity and the Englishman held his breath as the thing hurtled
toward them.

With a muffled thud it flattened upon the turf near the center of
the meadow, and when at last the Englishman could gain the courage
to again turn his eyes upon it, he breathed a fervent prayer of
thanks, for the shapeless mass that lay upon the blood-stained turf
was covered with an ebon hide.  Usanga had reaped his reward.

Again and again the plane circled above the meadow. The blacks, at
first dismayed at the death of their leader, were now worked to a
frenzy of rage and a determination to be avenged. The girl and the
ape-man saw them gather in a knot about the body of their fallen
chief. They saw as they circled above the meadow the black fists
shaken at them, and the rifles brandishing a menace toward them.
Tarzan still clung to the fuselage directly behind the pilot's seat.
His face was close beside Bertha Kircher's, and at the top of his
voice, above the noise of propeller, engine and exhaust, he screamed
a few words of instruction into her ear.

As the girl grasped the significance of his words she paled, but
her lips set in a hard line and her eyes shone with a sudden fire
of  determination as she dropped the plane to within a few feet of
the ground and at the opposite end of the meadow from the blacks
and then at full speed bore down upon the savages. So quickly the
plane came that Usanga's men had no time to escape it after they
realized its menace.  It touched the ground just as it struck among
them and mowed through them, a veritable juggernaut of destruction.
When it came to rest at the edge of the forest the ape-man leaped
quickly to the ground and ran toward the young lieutenant, and as
he went he glanced at the spot where the warriors had stood, ready
to defend himself if necessary, but there was none there to oppose
him. Dead and dying they lay strewn for fifty feet along the turf.

By the time Tarzan had freed the Englishman the girl joined them.
She tried to voice her thanks to the ape-man but he silenced her
with a gesture.

"You saved yourself," he insisted, "for had you been unable to
pilot the plane, I could not have helped you, and now," he said,
"you two have the means of returning to the settlements.  The day
is still young. You can easily cover the distance in a few hours
if you have sufficient petrol." He looked inquiringly toward the
aviator.

Smith-Oldwick nodded his head affirmatively. "I have plenty," he
replied.

"Then go at once," said the ape-man. "Neither of you belong in the
jungle." A slight smile touched his lips as he spoke.

The girl and the Englishman smiled too. "This jungle is no place
for us at least," said Smith-Oldwick, "and it is no place for any
other white man. Why don't you come back to civilization with us?"

Tarzan shook his head. "I prefer the jungle," he said.

The aviator dug his toe into the ground and still looking down,
blurted something which he evidently hated to say.  "If it is a
matter of living, old top," he said, "er--money, er--you know--"

Tarzan laughed. "No," he said. "I know what you are trying to say.
It is not that. I was born in the jungle. I have lived all my life
in the jungle, and I shall die in the jungle.  I do not wish to
live or die elsewhere."

The others shook their heads. They could not understand him.

"Go," said the ape-man. "The quicker you go, the quicker you will
reach safety."

They walked to the plane together. Smith-Oldwick pressed the
ape-man's hand and clambered into the pilot's seat.  "Good-bye,"
said the girl as she extended her hand to Tarzan.  "Before I go
won't you tell me you don't hate me any more?" Tarzan's face clouded.
Without a word he picked her up and lifted her to her place behind
the Englishman. An expression of pain crossed Bertha Kircher's
face. The motor started and a moment later the two were being borne
rapidly toward the east.

In the center of the meadow stood the ape-man watching them. "It
is too bad that she is a German and a spy," he said, "for she is
very hard to hate."




Chapter XIV

The Black Lion


Numa, the lion, was hungry. He had come out of the desert country
to the east into a land of plenty but though he was young and strong,
the wary grass-eaters had managed to elude his mighty talons each
time he had thought to make a kill.

Numa, the lion, was hungry and very savage. For two days he had
not eaten and now he hunted in the ugliest of humors.  No more did
Numa roar forth a rumbling challenge to the world but rather he
moved silent and grim, stepping softly that no cracking twig might
betray his presence to the keen-eared quarry he sought.

Fresh was the spoor of Bara, the deer, that Numa picked up in the
well-beaten game trail he was following. No hour had passed since
Bara had come this way; the time could be measured in minutes and
so the great lion redoubled the cautiousness of his advance as he
crept stealthily in pursuit of his quarry.

A light wind was moving through the jungle aisles, and it wafted
down now to the nostrils of the eager carnivore the strong scent
spoor of the deer, exciting his already avid appetite to a point
where it became a gnawing pain. Yet Numa did not permit himself to
be carried away by his desires into any premature charge such as
had recently lost him the juicy meat of Pacco, the zebra. Increasing
his gait but slightly he followed the tortuous windings of the
trail until suddenly just before him, where the trail wound about
the bole of a huge tree, he saw a young buck moving slowly ahead
of him.

Numa judged the distance with his keen eyes, glowing now like two
terrible spots of yellow fire in his wrinkled, snarling face. He
could do it--this time he was sure. One terrific roar that would
paralyze the poor creature ahead of him into momentary inaction,
and a simultaneous charge of lightning-like rapidity and Numa, the
lion, would feed. The sinuous tail, undulating slowly at its tufted
extremity, whipped suddenly erect. It was the signal for the charge
and the vocal organs were shaped for the thunderous roar when, as
lightning out of a clear sky, Sheeta, the panther, leaped suddenly
into the trail between Numa and the deer.

A blundering charge made Sheeta, for with the first crash of his
spotted body through the foliage verging the trail, Bara gave a
single startled backward glance and was gone.

The roar that was intended to paralyze the deer broke horribly from
the deep throat of the great cat--an angry roar of rage against
the meddling Sheeta who had robbed him of his kill, and the charge
that was intended for Bara was launched against the panther; but
here too Numa was doomed to disappointment, for with the first notes
of his fearsome roar Sheeta, considering well the better part of
valor, leaped into a near-by tree.

A half-hour later it was a thoroughly furious Numa who came
unexpectedly upon the scent of man. Heretofore the lord of the jungle
had disdained the unpalatable flesh of the despised man-thing. Such
meat was only for the old, the toothless, and the decrepit who no
longer could make their kills among the fleet-footed grass-eaters.
Bara, the deer, Horta, the boar, and, best and wariest, Pacco, the
zebra, were for the young, the strong, and the agile, but Numa was
hungry--hungrier than he ever had been in the five short years of
his life.

What if he was a young, powerful, cunning, and ferocious beast?
In the face of hunger, the great leveler, he was as the old, the
toothless, and the decrepit. His belly cried aloud in anguish and
his jowls slavered for flesh. Zebra or deer or man, what mattered
it so that it was warm flesh, red with the hot juices of life?
Even Dango, the hyena, eater of offal, would, at the moment, have
seemed a tidbit to Numa.

The great lion knew the habits and frailties of man, though he never
before had hunted man for food. He knew the despised Gomangani as
the slowest, the most stupid, and the most defenseless of creatures.
No woodcraft, no cunning, no stealth was necessary in the hunting
of man, nor had Numa any stomach for either delay or silence.

His rage had become an almost equally consuming passion with
his hunger, so that now, as his delicate nostrils apprised him of
the recent passage of man, he lowered his head and rumbled forth
a thunderous roar, and at a swift walk, careless of the noise he
made, set forth upon the trail of his intended quarry.

Majestic and terrible, regally careless of his surroundings, the
king of beasts strode down the beaten trail. The natural caution
that is inherent to all creatures of the wild had deserted him.
What had he, lord of the jungle, to fear and, with only man to hunt,
what need of caution? And so he did not see or scent what a more
wary Numa might readily have discovered until, with the cracking of
twigs and a tumbling of earth, he was precipitated into a cunningly
devised pit that the wily Wamabos had excavated for just this
purpose in the center of the game trail.

Tarzan of the Apes stood in the center of the clearing watching the
plane shrinking to diminutive toy-like proportions in the eastern
sky. He had breathed a sigh of relief as he saw it rise safely with
the British flier and Fraulein Bertha Kircher.  For weeks he had
felt the hampering responsibility of their welfare in this savage
wilderness where their utter helplessness would have rendered them
easy prey for the savage carnivores or the cruel Wamabos. Tarzan
of the Apes loved unfettered freedom, and now that these two were
safely off his hands, he felt that he could continue upon his
journey toward the west coast and the long-untenanted cabin of his
dead father.

And yet, as he stood there watching the tiny speck in the east,
another sigh heaved his broad chest, nor was it a sigh of relief,
but rather a sensation which Tarzan had never expected to feel
again and which he now disliked to admit even to himself. It could
not be possible that he, the jungle bred, who had renounced forever
the society of man to return to his beloved beasts of the wilds,
could be feeling anything akin to regret at the departure of these
two, or any slightest loneliness now that they were gone. Lieutenant
Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick Tarzan had liked, but the woman whom he
had known as a German spy he had hated, though he never had found it
in his heart to slay her as he had sworn to slay all Huns. He had
attributed this weakness to the fact that she was a woman, although
he had been rather troubled by the apparent inconsistency of
his hatred for her and his repeated protection of her when danger
threatened.

With an irritable toss of his head he wheeled suddenly toward the
west as though by turning his back upon the fast disappearing plane
he might expunge thoughts of its passengers from his memory. At
the edge of the clearing he paused; a giant tree loomed directly
ahead of him and, as though actuated by sudden and irresistible
impulse, he leaped into the branches and swung himself with apelike
agility to the topmost limbs that would sustain his weight. There,
balancing lightly upon a swaying bough, he sought in the direction
of the eastern horizon for the tiny speck that would be the British
plane bearing away from him the last of his own race and kind that
he expected ever again to see.

At last his keen eyes picked up the ship flying at a considerable
altitude far in the east. For a few seconds he watched it speeding
evenly eastward, when, to his horror, he saw the speck dive suddenly
downward. The fall seemed interminable to the watcher and he
realized how great must have been the altitude of the plane before
the drop commenced. Just before it disappeared from sight its
downward momentum appeared to abate suddenly, but it was still
moving rapidly at a steep angle when it finally disappeared from
view behind the far hills.

For half a minute the ape-man stood noting distant landmarks that
he judged might be in the vicinity of the fallen plane, for no
sooner had he realized that these people were again in trouble than
his inherent sense of duty to his own kind impelled him once more
to forego his plans and seek to aid them.

The ape-man feared from what he judged of the location of the machine
that it had fallen among the almost impassable gorges of the arid
country just beyond the fertile basin that was bounded by the
hills to the east of him. He had crossed that parched and desolate
country of the dead himself and he knew from his own experience
and the narrow escape he had had from succumbing to its relentless
cruelty no lesser man could hope to win his way to safety from
any considerable distance within its borders. Vividly he recalled
the bleached bones of the long-dead warrior in the bottom of the
precipitous gorge that had all but proved a trap for him as well.
He saw the helmet of hammered brass and the corroded breastplate of
steel and the long straight sword in its scabbard and the ancient
harquebus--mute testimonials to the mighty physique and the
warlike spirit of him who had somehow won, thus illy caparisoned
and pitifully armed, to the center of savage, ancient Africa; and
he saw the slender English youth and the slight figure of the girl
cast into the same fateful trap from which this giant of old had
been unable to escape--cast there wounded and broken perhaps, if
not killed.

His judgment told him that the latter possibility was probably
the fact, and yet there was a chance that they might have landed
without fatal injuries, and so upon this slim chance he started out
upon what he knew would be an arduous journey, fraught with many
hardships and unspeakable peril, that he might attempt to save them
if they still lived.

He had covered a mile perhaps when his quick ears caught the sound
of rapid movement along the game trail ahead of him. The sound,
increasing in volume, proclaimed the fact that whatever caused it
was moving in his direction and moving rapidly. Nor was it long
before his trained senses convinced him that the footfalls were
those of Bara, the deer, in rapid flight. Inextricably confused in
Tarzan's character were the attributes of man and of beasts. Long
experience had taught him that he fights best or travels fastest
who is best nourished, and so, with few exceptions, Tarzan could
delay his most urgent business to take advantage of an opportunity
to kill and feed. This perhaps was the predominant beast trait in
him. The transformation from an English gentleman, impelled by the
most humanitarian motives, to that of a wild beast crouching in the
concealment of a dense bush ready to spring upon its approaching
prey, was instantaneous.

And so, when Bara came, escaping the clutches of Numa and Sheeta,
his terror and his haste precluded the possibility of his sensing
that other equally formidable foe lying in ambush for him. Abreast
of the ape-man came the deer; a light-brown body shot from the
concealing verdure of the bush, strong arms encircled the sleek
neck of the young buck and powerful teeth fastened themselves in
the soft flesh. Together the two rolled over in the trail and a
moment later the ape-man rose, and, with one foot upon the carcass
of his kill, raised his voice in the victory cry of the bull ape.

Like an answering challenge came suddenly to the ears of the
ape-man the thunderous roar of a lion, a hideous angry roar in which
Tarzan thought that he discerned a note of surprise and terror. In
the breast of the wild things of the jungle, as in the breasts of
their more enlightened brothers and sisters of the human race, the
characteristic of curiosity is well developed. Nor was Tarzan far
from innocent of it.  The peculiar note in the roar of his hereditary
enemy aroused a desire to investigate, and so, throwing the carcass
of Bara, the deer, across his shoulder, the ape-man took to the
lower terraces of the forest and moved quickly in the direction
from which the sound had come, which was in line with the trail he
had set out upon.

As the distance lessened, the sounds increased in volume, which
indicated that he was approaching a very angry lion and presently,
where a jungle giant overspread the broad game trail that countless
thousands of hoofed and padded feet had worn and trampled into a
deep furrow during perhaps countless ages, he saw beneath him the
lion pit of the Wamabos and in it, leaping futilely for freedom
such a lion as even Tarzan of the Apes never before had beheld. A
mighty beast it was that glared up at the ape-man--large, powerful
and young, with a huge black mane and a coat so much darker than
any Tarzan ever had seen that in the depths of the pit it looked
almost black--a black lion!

Tarzan who had been upon the point of taunting and reviling his
captive foe was suddenly turned to open admiration for the beauty
of the splendid beast. What a creature!  How by comparison the
ordinary forest lion was dwarfed into insignificance! Here indeed
was one worthy to be called king of beasts. With his first sight of
the great cat the ape-man knew that he had heard no note of terror
in that initial roar; surprise doubtless, but the vocal chords of
that mighty throat never had reacted to fear.

With growing admiration came a feeling of quick pity for the hapless
situation of the great brute rendered futile and helpless by the
wiles of the Gomangani. Enemy though the beast was, he was less an
enemy to the ape-man than those blacks who had trapped him, for
though Tarzan of the Apes claimed many fast and loyal friends among
certain tribes of African natives, there were others of degraded
character and bestial habits that he looked upon with utter loathing,
and of such were the human flesh-eaters of Numabo the chief. For
a moment Numa, the lion, glared ferociously at the naked man-thing
upon the tree limb above him. Steadily those yellow-green eyes
bored into the clear eyes of the ape-man, and then the sensitive
nostrils caught the scent of the fresh blood of Bara and the eyes
moved to the carcass lying across the brown shoulder, and there
came from the cavernous depths of the savage throat a low whine.

Tarzan of the Apes smiled. As unmistakably as though a human voice
had spoken, the lion had said to him "I am hungry, even more than
hungry. I am starving," and the ape-man looked down upon the lion
beneath him and smiled, a slow quizzical smile, and then he shifted
the carcass from his shoulder to the branch before him and, drawing
the long blade that had been his father's, deftly cut off a hind
quarter and, wiping the bloody blade upon Bara's smooth coat, he
returned it to its scabbard. Numa, with watering jaws, looked up
at the tempting meat and whined again and the ape-man smiled down
upon him his slow smile and, raising the hind quarter in his strong
brown hands buried his teeth in the tender, juicy flesh.

For the third time Numa, the lion, uttered that low pleading whine
and then, with a rueful and disgusted shake of his head, Tarzan of
the Apes raised the balance of the carcass of Bara, the deer, and
hurled it to the famished beast below.

"Old woman," muttered the ape-man. "Tarzan has become a weak old
woman. Presently he would shed tears because he has killed Bara,
the deer. He cannot see Numa, his enemy, go hungry, because Tarzan's
heart is turning to water by contact with the soft, weak creatures
of civilization." But yet he smiled, nor was he sorry that he had
given way to the dictates of a kindly impulse.

As Tarzan tore the flesh from that portion of the kill he had retained
for himself his eyes were taking in each detail of the scene below.
He saw the avidity with which Numa devoured the carcass; he noted
with growing admiration the finer points of the beast, and also
the cunning construction of the trap.  The ordinary lion pit with
which Tarzan was familiar had stakes imbedded in the bottom, upon
whose sharpened points the hapless lion would be impaled, but this
pit was not so made. Here the short stakes were set at intervals of
about a foot around the walls near the top, their sharpened points
inclining downward so that the lion had fallen unhurt into the trap
but could not leap out because each time he essayed it his head
came in contact with the sharp end of a stake above him.

Evidently, then, the purpose of the Wamabos was to capture a lion
alive. As this tribe had no contact whatsoever with white men in
so far as Tarzan knew, their motive was doubtless due to a desire
to torture the beast to death that they might enjoy to the utmost
his dying agonies.

Having fed the lion, it presently occurred to Tarzan that his act
would be futile were he to leave the beast to the mercies of the
blacks, and then too it occurred to him that he could derive more
pleasure through causing the blacks discomfiture than by leaving
Numa to his fate. But how was he to release him? By removing two
stakes there would be left plenty of room for the lion to leap from
the pit, which was not of any great depth. However, what assurance
had Tarzan that Numa would not leap out instantly the way to
freedom was open, and before the ape-man could gain the safety of
the trees?  Regardless of the fact that Tarzan felt no such fear
of the lion as you and I might experience under like circumstances,
he yet was imbued with the sense of caution that is necessary to
all creatures of the wild if they are to survive. Should necessity
require, Tarzan could face Numa in battle, although he was not so
egotistical as to think that he could best a full-grown lion in
mortal combat other than through accident or the utilization of the
cunning of his superior man-mind. To lay himself liable to death
futilely, he would have considered as reprehensible as to have
shunned danger in time of necessity; but when Tarzan elected to do
a thing he usually found the means to accomplish it.

He had now fully determined to liberate Numa, and having so determined,
he would accomplish it even though it entailed considerable personal
risk. He knew that the lion would be occupied with his feeding for
some time, but he also knew that while feeding he would be doubly
resentful of any fancied interference. Therefore Tarzan must work
with caution.

Coming to the ground at the side of the pit, he examined the stakes
and as he did so was rather surprised to note that Numa gave no
evidence of anger at his approach. Once he turned a searching gaze
upon the ape-man for a moment and then returned to the flesh of
Bara. Tarzan felt of the stakes and tested them with his weight.
He pulled upon them with the muscles of his strong arms, presently
discovering that by working them back and forth he could loosen
them: and then a new plan was suggested to him so that he fell to
work excavating with his knife at a point above where one of the
stakes was imbedded. The loam was soft and easily removed, and it
was not long until Tarzan had exposed that part of one of the stakes
which was imbedded in the wall of the pit to almost its entire
length, leaving only enough imbedded to prevent the stake from
falling into the excavation. Then he turned his attention to an
adjoining stake and soon had it similarly exposed, after which he
threw the noose of his grass rope over the two and swung quickly
to the branch of the tree above.  Here he gathered in the slack of
the rope and, bracing himself against the bole of the tree, pulled
steadily upward. Slowly the stakes rose from the trench in which
they were imbedded and with them rose Numa's suspicion and growling.

Was this some new encroachment upon his rights and his liberties?
He was puzzled and, like all lions, being short of temper, he
was irritated. He had not minded it when the Tarmangani squatted
upon the verge of the pit and looked down upon him, for had not
this Tarmangani fed him? But now something else was afoot and the
suspicion of the wild beast was aroused. As he watched, however,
Numa saw the stakes rise slowly to an erect position, tumble
against each other and then fall backwards out of his sight upon
the surface of the ground above. Instantly the lion grasped the
possibilities of the situation, and, too, perhaps he sensed the fact
that the man-thing had deliberately opened a way for his escape.
Seizing the remains of Bara in his great jaws, Numa, the lion,
leaped agilely from the pit of the Wamabos and Tarzan of the Apes
melted into the jungles to the east.

On the surface of the ground or through the swaying branches of the
trees the spoor of man or beast was an open book to the ape-man, but
even his acute senses were baffled by the spoorless trail of the
airship. Of what good were eyes, or ears, or the sense of smell
in following a thing whose path had lain through the shifting
air thousands of feet above the tree tops? Only upon his sense of
direction could Tarzan depend in his search for the fallen plane.
He could not even judge accurately as to the distance it might
lie from him, and he knew that from the moment that it disappeared
beyond the hills it might have traveled a considerable distance at
right angles to its original course before it crashed to earth. If
its occupants were killed or badly injured the ape-man might search
futilely in their immediate vicinity for some time before finding
them.

There was but one thing to do and that was to travel to a point
as close as possible to where he judged the plane had landed, and
then to follow in ever-widening circles until he picked up their
scent spoor. And this he did.

Before he left the valley of plenty he made several kills and
carried the choicest cuts of meat with him, leaving all the dead
weight of bones behind. The dense vegetation of the jungle terminated
at the foot of the western slope, growing less and less abundant
as he neared the summit beyond which was a sparse growth of sickly
scrub and sunburned grasses, with here and there a gnarled and hardy
tree that had withstood the vicissitudes of an almost waterless
existence.

From the summit of the hills Tarzan's keen eyes searched the arid
landscape before him. In the distance he discerned the ragged
tortuous lines that marked the winding course of the hideous gorges
which scored the broad plain at intervals--the terrible gorges that
had so nearly claimed his life in punishment for his temerity in
attempting to invade the sanctity of their ancient solitude.

For two days Tarzan sought futilely for some clew to the whereabouts
of the machine or its occupants. He cached portions of his kills at
different points, building cairns of rock to mark their locations.
He crossed the first deep gorge and circled far beyond it. Occasionally
he stopped and called aloud, listening for some response but
only silence rewarded him--a sinister silence that his cries only
accentuated.

Late in the evening of the second day he came to the well-remembered
gorge in which lay the clean-picked bones of the ancient adventurer,
and here, for the first time, Ska, the vulture, picked up his trail.
"Not this time, Ska," cried the ape-man in a taunting voice, "for
now indeed is Tarzan Tarzan.  Before, you stalked the grim skeleton
of a Tarmangani and even then you lost. Waste not your time upon
Tarzan of the Apes in the full of his strength."  But still Ska, the
vulture, circled and soared above him, and the ape-man, notwithstanding
his boasts, felt a shudder of apprehension. Through his brain ran
a persistent and doleful chant to which he involuntarily set two
words, repeated over and over again in horrible monotony: "Ska
knows! Ska knows!" until, shaking himself in anger, he picked up
a rock and hurled it at the grim scavenger.

Lowering himself over the precipitous side of the gorge Tarzan half
clambered and half slid to the sandy floor beneath.  He had come
upon the rift at almost the exact spot at which he had clambered
from it weeks before, and there he saw, just as he had left it,
just, doubtless, as it had lain for centuries, the mighty skeleton
and its mighty armor.

As he stood looking down upon this grim reminder that another man
of might had succumbed to the cruel powers of the desert, he was
brought to startled attention by the report of a firearm, the sound
of which came from the depths of the gorge to the south of him,
and reverberated along the steep walls of the narrow rift.




Chapter XV

Mysterious Footprints


As the British plane piloted by Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick
rose above the jungle wilderness where Bertha Kircher's life had
so often been upon the point of extinction, and sped toward the
east, the girl felt a sudden contraction of the muscles of her
throat. She tried very hard to swallow something that was not there.
It seemed strange to her that she should feel regret in leaving
behind her such hideous perils, and yet it was plain to her that
such was the fact, for she was also leaving behind something beside
the dangers that had menaced her--a unique figure that had entered
her life, and for which she felt an unaccountable attraction.

Before her in the pilot's seat sat an English officer and gentleman
whom, she knew, loved her, and yet she dared to feel regret in his
company at leaving the stamping ground of a wild beast!

Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick, on his part, was in the seventh heaven
of elation. He was in possession again of his beloved ship, he was
flying swiftly in the direction of his comrades and his duty, and
with him was the woman he loved. The fly in the ointment, however,
was the accusation Tarzan had made against this woman. He had said
that she was a German, and a spy, and from the heights of bliss the
English officer was occasionally plunged to the depths of despair
in contemplation of the inevitable, were the ape-man's charges to
prove true. He found himself torn between sentiments of love and
honor. On the one hand he could not surrender the woman he loved
to the certain fate that must be meted out to her if she were in
truth an enemy spy, while on the other it would be equally impossible
for him as an Englishman and an officer to give her aid or protection.

The young man contented himself therefore with repeated mental
denials of her guilt. He tried to convince himself that Tarzan was
mistaken, and when he conjured upon the screen of recollection the
face of the girl behind him, he was doubly reassured that those
lines of sweet femininity and character, those clear and honest
eyes, could not belong to one of the hated alien race.

And so they sped toward the east, each wrapped in his own thoughts.
Below them they saw the dense vegetation of the jungle give place
to the scantier growth upon the hillside, and then before them
there spread the wide expanse of arid wastelands marked by the deep
scarring of the narrow gorges that long-gone rivers had cut there
in some forgotten age.

Shortly after they passed the summit of the ridge which formed
the boundary between the desert and the fertile country, Ska, the
vulture, winging his way at a high altitude toward his aerie, caught
sight of a strange new bird of gigantic proportions encroaching upon
the preserves of his aerial domain.  Whether with intent to give
battle to the interloper or merely impelled by curiosity, Ska rose
suddenly upward to meet the plane. Doubtless he misjudged the speed
of the newcomer, but be that as it may, the tip of the propeller
blade touched him and simultaneously many things happened. The
lifeless body of Ska, torn and bleeding, dropped plummet-like toward
the ground; a bit of splintered spruce drove backward to strike
the pilot on the forehead; the plane shuddered and trembled and
as Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick sank forward in momentary
unconsciousness the ship dived headlong toward the earth.

Only for an instant was the pilot unconscious, but that instant
almost proved their undoing. When he awoke to a realization of
their peril it was also to discover that his motor had stalled.
The plane had attained frightful momentum, and the ground seemed
too close for him to hope to flatten out in time to make a safe
landing. Directly beneath him was a deep rift in the plateau, a
narrow gorge, the bottom of which appeared comparatively level and
sand covered.

In the brief instant in which he must reach a decision, the safest
plan seemed to attempt a landing in the gorge, and this he did, but
not without considerable damage to the plane and a severe shaking-up
for himself and his passenger.

Fortunately neither of them was injured but their condition seemed
indeed a hopeless one. It was a grave question as to whether the
man could repair his plane and continue the journey, and it seemed
equally questionable as to their ability either to proceed on foot
to the coast or retrace their way to the country they had just
left. The man was confident that they could not hope to cross the
desert country to the east in the face of thirst and hunger, while
behind them in the valley of plenty lay almost equal danger in the
form of carnivores and the warlike natives.

After the plane came to its sudden and disastrous stop, Smith-Oldwick
turned quickly to see what the effect of the accident had been on
the girl. He found her pale but smiling, and for several seconds
the two sat looking at each other in silence.

"This is the end?" the girl asked.

The Englishman shook his head. "It is the end of the first leg,
anyway," he replied.

"But you can't hope to make repairs here," she said dubiously.

"No," he said, "not if they amount to anything, but I may be able
to patch it up. I will have to look her over a bit first.  Let us
hope there is nothing serious. It's a long, long way to the Tanga
railway."

"We would not get far," said the girl, a slight note of hopelessness
in her tone. "Entirely unarmed as we are, it would be little less
than a miracle if we covered even a small fraction of the distance."

"But we are not unarmed," replied the man. "I have an extra pistol
here, that the beggars didn't discover," and, removing the cover
of a compartment, he drew forth an automatic.

Bertha Kircher leaned back in her seat and laughed aloud, a mirthless,
half-hysterical laugh. "That popgun!" she exclaimed. "What earthly
good would it do other than to infuriate any beast of prey you
might happen to hit with it?"

Smith-Oldwick looked rather crestfallen. "But it is a weapon," he
said. "You will have to admit that, and certainly I could kill a
man with it."

"You could if you happened to hit him," said the girl, "or the
thing didn't jam. Really, I haven't much faith in an automatic. I
have used them myself."

"Oh, of course," he said ironically, "an express rifle would be
better, for who knows but we might meet an elephant here in the
desert."

The girl saw that he was hurt, and she was sorry, for she realized
that there was nothing he would not do in her service or protection,
and that it was through no fault of his that he was so illy armed.
Doubtless, too, he realized as well as she the futility of his
weapon, and that he had only called attention to it in the hope of
reassuring her and lessening her anxiety.

"Forgive me," she said. "I did not mean to be nasty, but this
accident is the proverbial last straw. It seems to me that I have
borne all that I can. Though I was willing to give my life in the
service of my country, I did not imagine that my death agonies would
be so long drawn out, for I realize now that I have been dying for
many weeks."

"What do you mean!" he exclaimed; "what do you mean by that! You
are not dying. There is nothing the matter with you."

"Oh, not that," she said, "I did not mean that. What I mean is that
at the moment the black sergeant, Usanga, and his renegade German
native troops captured me and brought me inland, my death warrant
was signed. Sometimes I have imagined that a reprieve has been
granted. Sometimes I have hoped that I might be upon the verge of
winning a full pardon, but really in the depths of my heart I have
known that I should never live to regain civilization. I have done
my bit for my country, and though it was not much I can at least
go with the realization that it was the best I was able to offer.
All that I can hope for now, all that I ask for, is a speedy
fulfillment of the death sentence. I do not wish to linger any more
to face constant terror and apprehension. Even physical torture
would be preferable to what I have passed through. I have no doubt
that you consider me a brave woman, but really my terror has been
boundless. The cries of the carnivores at night fill me with a dread
so tangible that I am in actual pain. I feel the rending talons
in my flesh and the cruel fangs munching upon my bones--it is as
real to me as though I were actually enduring the horrors of such
a death. I doubt if you can understand it--men are so different."

"Yes," he said, "I think I can understand it, and because I understand
I can appreciate more than you imagine the heroism you have shown
in your endurance of all that you have passed through. There can
be no bravery where there is no fear. A child might walk into a
lion's den, but it would take a very brave man to go to its rescue."

"Thank you," she said, "but I am not brave at all, and now I am
very much ashamed of my thoughtlessness for your own feelings. I
will try and take a new grip upon myself and we will both hope for
the best. I will help you all I can if you will tell me what I may
do."

"The first thing," he replied, "is to find out just how serious
our damage is, and then to see what we can do in the way of repairs."

For two days Smith-Oldwick worked upon the damaged plane--worked
in the face of the fact that from the first he realized the case
was hopeless. And at last he told her.

"I knew it," she said, "but I believe that I felt much as you must
have; that however futile our efforts here might be, it would be
infinitely as fatal to attempt to retrace our way to the jungle we
just left or to go on toward the coast. You know and I know that we
could not reach the Tanga railway on foot.  We should die of thirst
and starvation before we had covered half the distance, and if we
return to the jungle, even were we able to reach it, it would be
but to court an equally certain, though different, fate."

"So we might as well sit here and wait for death as to uselessly
waste our energies in what we know would be a futile attempt at
escape?" he asked.

"No," she replied, "I shall never give up like that. What I meant
was that it was useless to attempt to reach either of the places
where we know that there is food and water in abundance, so we
must strike out in a new direction. Somewhere there may be water
in this wilderness and if there is, the best chance of our finding
it would be to follow this gorge downward. We have enough food and
water left, if we are careful of it, for a couple of days and in
that time we might stumble upon a spring or possibly even reach
the fertile country which I know lies to the south. When Usanga
brought me to the Wamabo country from the coast he took a southerly
route along which there was usually water and game in plenty. It
was not until we neared our destination that the country became
overrun with carnivores. So there is hope if we can reach the
fertile country south of us that we can manage to pull through to
the coast."

The man shook his head dubiously. "We can try it," he said.
"Personally, I do not fancy sitting here waiting for death."

Smith-Oldwick was leaning against the ship, his dejected gaze
directed upon the ground at his feet. The girl was looking south
down the gorge in the direction of their one slender chance of
life. Suddenly she touched him on the arm.

"Look," she whispered.

The man raised his eyes quickly in the direction of her gaze to
see the massive head of a great lion who was regarding them from
beyond a rocky projection at the first turning of the gorge.

"Phew!" he exclaimed, "the beggars are everywhere."

"They do not go far from water do they," asked the girl hopefully.

"I should imagine not," he replied; "a lion is not particularly
strong on endurance."

"Then he is a harbinger of hope," she exclaimed.

The man laughed. "Cute little harbinger of hope!" he said.  "Reminds
me of Cock Robin heralding spring."

The girl cast a quick glance at him. "Don't be silly, and I don't
care if you do laugh. He fills me with hope."

"It is probably mutual," replied Smith-Oldwick, "as we doubtless
fill him with hope."

The lion evidently having satisfied himself as to the nature of
the creatures before him advanced slowly now in their direction.

"Come," said the man, "let's climb aboard," and he helped the girl
over the side of the ship.

"Can't he get in here?" she asked.

"I think he can," said the man.

"You are reassuring," she returned.

"I don't feel so." He drew his pistol.

"For heaven's sake," she cried, "don't shoot at him with that thing.
You might hit him."

"I don't intend to shoot at him but I might succeed in frightening
him away if he attempts to reach us here. Haven't you ever seen a
trainer work with lions? He carries a silly little pop-gun loaded
with blank cartridges. With that and a kitchen chair he subdues
the most ferocious of beasts."

"But you haven't a kitchen chair," she reminded him.

"No," he said, "Government is always muddling things. I have always
maintained that airplanes should be equipped with kitchen chairs."

Bertha Kircher laughed as evenly and with as little hysteria as
though she were moved by the small talk of an afternoon tea.

Numa, the lion, came steadily toward them; his attitude seemed
more that of curiosity than of belligerency. Close to the side of
the ship he stopped and stood gazing up at them.

"Magnificent, isn't he?" exclaimed the man.

"I never saw a more beautiful creature," she replied, "nor one with
such a dark coat. Why, he is almost black."

The sound of their voices seemed not to please the lord of the
jungle, for he suddenly wrinkled his great face into deep furrows
as he bared his fangs beneath snarling lips and gave vent to an
angry growl. Almost simultaneously he crouched for a spring and
immediately Smith-Oldwick discharged his pistol into the ground in
front of the lion. The effect of the noise upon Numa seemed but to
enrage him further, and with a horrid roar he sprang for the author
of the new and disquieting sound that had outraged his ears.

Simultaneously Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick vaulted nimbly
out of the cockpit on the opposite side of his plane, calling to
the girl to follow his example. The girl, realizing the futility
of leaping to the ground, chose the remaining alternative and
clambered to the top of the upper plane.

Numa, unaccustomed to the idiosyncrasies of construction of an
airship and having gained the forward cockpit, watched the girl
clamber out of his reach without at first endeavoring to prevent
her. Having taken possession of the plane his anger seemed suddenly
to leave him and he made no immediate move toward following
Smith-Oldwick. The girl, realizing the comparative safety of her
position, had crawled to the outer edge of the wing and was calling
to the man to try and reach the opposite end of the upper plane.

It was this scene upon which Tarzan of the Apes looked as he
rounded the bend of the gorge above the plane after the pistol shot
had attracted his attention. The girl was so intent upon watching
the efforts of the Englishman to reach a place of safety, and the
latter was so busily occupied in attempting to do so that neither
at once noticed the silent approach of the ape-man.

It was Numa who first noticed the intruder. The lion immediately
evinced his displeasure by directing toward him a snarling countenance
and a series of warning growls. His action called the attention of
the two upon the upper plane to the newcomer, eliciting a stifled
"Thank God!" from the girl, even though she could scarce credit the
evidence of her own eyes that it was indeed the savage man, whose
presence always assured her safety, who had come so providentially
in the nick of time.

Almost immediately both were horrified to see Numa leap from the
cockpit and advance upon Tarzan. The ape-man, carrying his stout
spear in readiness, moved deliberately onward to meet the carnivore,
which he had recognized as the lion of the Wamabos' pit. He knew
from the manner of Numa's approach what neither Bertha Kircher nor
Smith-Oldwick knew--that there was more of curiosity than belligerency
in it, and he wondered if in that great head there might not be a
semblance of gratitude for the kindness that Tarzan had done him.

There was no question in Tarzan's mind but that Numa recognized
him, for he knew his fellows of the jungle well enough to know that
while they oft-times forgot certain sensations more quickly than
man there are others which remain in their memories for years. A
well-defined scent spoor might never be forgotten by a beast if it
had first been sensed under unusual circumstances, and so Tarzan
was confident that Numa's nose had already reminded him of all the
circumstances of their brief connection.

Love of the sporting chance is inherent in the Anglo-Saxon race and
it was not now Tarzan of the Apes but rather John Clayton, Lord
Greystoke, who smilingly welcomed the sporting chance which he must
take to discover how far-reaching was Numa's gratitude.

Smith-Oldwick and the girl saw the two nearing each other.  The
former swore softly beneath his breath while he nervously fingered
the pitiful weapon at his hip. The girl pressed her open palms to
her cheeks as she leaned forward in stony-eyed, horror-stricken
silence. While she had every confidence in the prowess of the godlike
creature who thus dared brazenly to face the king of beasts, she
had no false conception of what must certainly happen when they
met. She had seen Tarzan battle with Sheeta, the panther, and she
had realized then that powerful as the man was, it was only agility,
cunning, and chance that placed him upon anywhere near an equal
footing with his savage adversary, and that of the three factors
upon his side chance was the greatest.

She saw the man and the lion stop simultaneously, not more than
a yard apart. She saw the beast's tail whipping from side to side
and she could hear his deep-throated growls rumbling from his
cavernous breast, but she could read correctly neither the movement
of the lashing tail nor the notes of the growl.

To her they seemed to indicate nothing but bestial rage while to
Tarzan of the Apes they were conciliatory and reassuring in the
extreme. And then she saw Numa move forward again until his nose
touched the man's naked leg and she closed her eyes and covered
them with her palms. For what seemed an eternity she waited for
the horrid sound of the conflict which she knew must come, but all
she heard was an explosive sigh of relief from Smith-Oldwick and
a half-hysterical "By Jove! Just fancy it!"

She looked up to see the great lion rubbing his shaggy head against
the man's hip, and Tarzan's free hand entangled in the black mane
as he scratched Numa, the lion, behind a back-laid ear.

Strange friendships are often formed between the lower animals
of different species, but less often between man and the savage
felidae, because of the former's inherent fear of the great cats.
And so after all, therefore, the friendship so suddenly developed
between the savage lion and the savage man was not inexplicable.

As Tarzan approached the plane Numa walked at his side, and when
Tarzan stopped and looked up at the girl and the man Numa stopped
also.

"I had about given up hope of finding you," said the ape-man, "and
it is evident that I found you just in time."

"But how did you know we were in trouble?" asked the English officer.

"I saw your plane fall," replied Tarzan. "I was watching you from
a tree beside the clearing where you took off. I didn't have much
to locate you by other than the general direction, but it seems
that you volplaned a considerable distance toward the south after
you disappeared from my view behind the hills. I have been looking
for you further toward the north. I was just about to turn back
when I heard your pistol shot. Is your ship beyond repair?"

"Yes," replied Smith-Oldwick, "it is hopeless."

"What are your plans, then? What do you wish to do?" Tarzan directed
his question to the girl.

"We want to reach the coast," she said, "but it seems impossible
now."

"I should have thought so a little while ago," replied the ape-man,
"but if Numa is here there must be water within a reasonable
distance. I ran across this lion two days ago in the Wamabo country.
I liberated him from one of their pits. To have reached this spot
he must have come by some trail unknown to me--at least I crossed
no game trail and no spoor of any animal after I came over the hills
out of the fertile country.  From which direction did he come upon
you?"

"It was from the south," replied the girl. "We thought, too, that
there must be water in that direction."

"Let's find out then," said Tarzan.

"But how about the lion?" asked Smith-Oldwick.

"That we will have to discover," replied the ape-man, "and we can
only do so if you will come down from your perch."

The officer shrugged his shoulders. The girl turned her gaze upon
him to note the effect of Tarzan's proposal. The Englishman grew
suddenly very white, but there was a smile upon his lips as without
a word he slipped over the edge of the plane and clambered to the
ground behind Tarzan.

Bertha Kircher realized that the man was afraid nor did she blame
him, and she also realized the remarkable courage that he had shown
in thus facing a danger that was very real to him.

Numa standing close to Tarzan's side raised his head and glared at
the young Englishman, growled once, and looked up at the ape-man.
Tarzan retained a hold upon the beast's mane and spoke to him in
the language of the great apes. To the girl and Smith-Oldwick the
growling gutturals falling from human lips sounded uncanny in the
extreme, but whether Numa understood them or not they appeared to
have the desired effect upon him, as he ceased growling, and as
Tarzan walked to Smith-Oldwick's side Numa accompanied him, nor
did he offer to molest the officer.

"What did you say to him?" asked the girl.

Tarzan smiled. "I told him," he replied, "that I am Tarzan of the
Apes, mighty hunter, killer of beasts, lord of the jungle, and that
you are my friends. I have never been sure that all of the other
beasts understand the language of the Mangani. I know that Manu,
the monkey, speaks nearly the same tongue and I am sure that Tantor,
the elephant, understands all that I say to him. We of the jungle
are great boasters. In our speech, in our carriage, in every detail
of our demeanor we must impress others with our physical power and
our ferocity.  That is why we growl at our enemies. We are telling
them to beware or we shall fall upon them and tear them to pieces.
Perhaps Numa does not understand the words that I use but I believe
that my tones and my manner carry the impression that I wish them
to convey. Now you may come down and be introduced."

It required all the courage that Bertha Kircher possessed to lower
herself to the ground within reach of the talons and fangs of this
untamed forest beast, but she did it. Nor did Numa do more than
bare his teeth and growl a little as she came close to the ape-man.

"I think you are safe from him as long as I am present," said the
ape-man. "The best thing to do is simply to ignore him.  Make no
advances, but be sure to give no indication of fear and, if possible
always keep me between you and him. He will go away presently I am
sure and the chances are that we shall not see him again."

At Tarzan's suggestion Smith-Oldwick removed the remaining water
and provisions from the plane and, distributing the burden among
them, they set off toward the south. Numa did not follow them, but
stood by the plane watching until they finally disappeared from
view around a bend in the gorge.

Tarzan had picked up Numa's trail with the intention of following
it southward in the belief that it would lead to water.  In the sand
that floored the bottom of the gorge tracks were plain and easily
followed. At first only the fresh tracks of Numa were visible, but
later in the day the ape-man discovered the older tracks of other
lions and just before dark he stopped suddenly in evident surprise.
His two companions looked at him questioningly, and in answer to
their implied interrogations he pointed at the ground directly in
front of him.

"Look at those," he exclaimed.

At first neither Smith-Oldwick nor the girl saw anything but a
confusion of intermingled prints of padded feet in the sand, but
presently the girl discovered what Tarzan had seen, and an exclamation
of surprise broke from her lips.

"The imprint of human feet!" she cried.

Tarzan nodded.

"But there are no toes," the girl pointed out.

"The feet were shod with a soft sandal," explained Tarzan.

"Then there must be a native village somewhere in the vicinity,"
said Smith-Oldwick.

"Yes," replied the ape-man, "but not the sort of natives which we
would expect to find here in this part of Africa where others all
go unshod with the exception of a few of Usanga's renegade German
native troops who wear German army shoes. I don't know that you can
notice it, but it is evident to me that the foot inside the sandal
that made these imprints were not the foot of a Negro. If you will
examine them carefully you will notice that the impression of the
heel and ball of the foot are well marked even through the sole of
the sandal. The weight comes more nearly in the center of a Negro's
footprint."

"Then you think these were made by a white person?"

"It looks that way," replied Tarzan, and suddenly, to the surprise
of both the girl and Smith-Oldwick, he dropped to his hands and
knees and sniffed at the tracks--again a beast utilizing the senses
and woodcraft of a beast. Over an area of several square yards his
keen nostrils sought the identity of the makers of the tracks. At
length he rose to his feet.

"It is not the spoor of the Gomangani," he said, "nor is it exactly
like that of white men. There were three who came this way. They
were men, but of what race I do not know."

There was no apparent change in the nature of the gorge except that
it had steadily grown deeper as they followed it downward until now
the rocky and precipitous sides rose far above them. At different
points natural caves, which appeared to have been eroded by the action
of water in some forgotten age, pitted the side walls at various
heights. Near them was such a cavity at the ground's level--an
arched cavern floored with white sand. Tarzan indicated it with a
gesture of his hand.

"We will lair here tonight," he said, and then with one of his
rare, slow smiles: "We will CAMP here tonight."

Having eaten their meager supper Tarzan bade the girl enter the
cavern.

"You will sleep inside," he said. "The lieutenant and I will lie
outside at the entrance."




Chapter XVI

The Night Attack


As the girl turned to bid them good night, she thought that she
saw a shadowy form moving in the darkness beyond them, and almost
simultaneously she was sure that she heard the sounds of stealthy
movement in the same direction.

"What is that?" she whispered. "There is something out there in
the darkness."

"Yes," replied Tarzan, "it is a lion. It has been there for some
time. Hadn't you noticed it before?"

"Oh!" cried the girl, breathing a sigh of relief, "is it our lion?"

"No," said Tarzan, "it is not our lion; it is another lion and he
is hunting."

"He is stalking us?" asked the girl.

"He is," replied the ape-man. Smith-Oldwick fingered the grip of
his pistol.

Tarzan saw the involuntary movement and shook his head.

"Leave that thing where it is, Lieutenant," he said.

The officer laughed nervously. "I couldn't help it, you know, old
man," he said; "instinct of self-preservation and all that."

"It would prove an instinct of self-destruction," said Tarzan.
"There are at least three hunting lions out there watching us.  If
we had a fire or the moon were up you would see their eyes plainly.
Presently they may come after us but the chances are that they will
not. If you are very anxious that they should, fire your pistol
and hit one of them."

"What if they do charge?" asked the girl; "there is no means of
escape."

"Why, we should have to fight them," replied Tarzan.

"What chance would we three have against them?" asked the girl.

The ape-man shrugged his shoulders. "One must die sometime," he
said. "To you doubtless it may seem terrible--such a death; but
Tarzan of the Apes has always expected to go out in some such way.
Few of us die of old age in the jungle, nor should I care to die
thus. Some day Numa will get me, or Sheeta, or a black warrior.
These or some of the others. What difference does it make which
it is, or whether it comes tonight or next year or in ten years?
After it is over it will be all the same."

The girl shuddered. "Yes," she said in a dull, hopeless voice,
"after it is over it will be all the same."

Then she went into the cavern and lay down upon the sand.  Smith-Oldwick
sat in the entrance and leaned against the cliff.  Tarzan squatted
on the opposite side.

"May I smoke?" questioned the officer of Tarzan. "I have been
hoarding a few cigarettes and if it won't attract those bouncers
out there I would like to have one last smoke before I cash in.
Will you join me?" and he proffered the ape-man a cigarette.

"No, thanks," said Tarzan, "but it will be all right if you smoke.
No wild animal is particularly fond of the fumes of tobacco so it
certainly won't entice them any closer."

Smith-Oldwick lighted his cigarette and sat puffing slowly upon
it. He had proffered one to the girl but she had refused, and thus
they sat in silence for some time, the silence of the night ruffled
occasionally by the faint crunching of padded feet upon the soft
sands of the gorge's floor.

It was Smith-Oldwick who broke the silence. "Aren't they unusually
quiet for lions?" he asked.

"No," replied the ape-man; "the lion that goes roaring around the
jungle does not do it to attract prey. They are very quiet when
they are stalking their quarry."

"I wish they would roar," said the officer. "I wish they would
do anything, even charge. Just knowing that they are there and
occasionally seeing something like a shadow in the darkness and the
faint sounds that come to us from them are getting on my nerves.
But I hope," he said, "that all three don't charge at once."

"Three?" said Tarzan. "There are seven of them out there now."

"Good Lord! exclaimed Smith-Oldwick.

"Couldn't we build a fire," asked the girl, "and frighten them
away?"

"I don't know that it would do any good," said Tarzan, "as I have
an idea that these lions are a little different from any that we
are familiar with and possibly for the same reason which at first
puzzled me a little--I refer to the apparent docility in the
presence of a man of the lion who was with us today. A man is out
there now with those lions."

"It is impossible!" exclaimed Smith-Oldwick. "They would tear him
to pieces."

"What makes you think there is a man there?" asked the girl.

Tarzan smiled and shook his head. "I am afraid you would not
understand," he replied. "It is difficult for us to understand
anything that is beyond our own powers."

"What do you mean by that?" asked the officer.

"Well," said Tarzan, "if you had been born without eyes you could
not understand sense impressions that the eyes of others transmit
to their brains, and as you have both been born without any sense
of smell I am afraid you cannot understand how I can know that
there is a man there."

"You mean that you scent a man?" asked the girl.

Tarzan nodded affirmatively.

"And in the same way you know the number of lions?" asked the man.

"Yes," said Tarzan. "No two lions look alike, no two have the same
scent."

The young Englishman shook his head. "No," he said, "I cannot
understand."

"I doubt if the lions or the man are here necessarily for the purpose
of harming us," said Tarzan, "because there has been nothing to
prevent their doing so long before had they wished to. I have a
theory, but it is utterly preposterous."

"What is it?" asked the girl.

"I think they are here," replied Tarzan, "to prevent us from going
some place that they do not wish us to go; in other words we are
under surveillance, and possibly as long as we don't go where we
are not wanted we shall not be bothered."

"But how are we to know where they don't want us to go?" asked
Smith-Oldwick.

"We can't know," replied Tarzan, "and the chances are that the very
place we are seeking is the place they don't wish us to trespass
on."

"You mean the water?" asked the girl.

"Yes," replied Tarzan.

For some time they sat in silence which was broken only by an
occasional sound of movement from the outer darkness. It must have
been an hour later that the ape-man rose quietly and drew his long
blade from its sheath. Smith-Oldwick was dozing against the rocky
wall of the cavern entrance, while the girl, exhausted by the
excitement and fatigue of the day, had fallen into deep slumber. An
instant after Tarzan arose, Smith-Oldwick and the girl were aroused
by a volley of thunderous roars and the noise of many padded feet
rushing toward them.

Tarzan of the Apes stood directly before the entrance to the cavern,
his knife in his hand, awaiting the charge. The ape-man had not
expected any such concerted action as he now realized had been taken
by those watching them. He had known for some time that other men
had joined those who were with the lions earlier in the evening,
and when he arose to his feet it was because he knew that the lions
and the men were moving cautiously closer to him and his party.
He might easily have eluded them, for he had seen that the face of
the cliff rising above the mouth of the cavern might be scaled by
as good a climber as himself. It might have been wiser had he tried
to escape, for he knew that in the face of such odds even he was
helpless, but he stood his ground though I doubt if he could have
told why.

He owed nothing either of duty or friendship to the girl sleeping
in the cavern, nor could he longer be of any protection to her or
her companion. Yet something held him there in futile self-sacrifice.

The great Tarmangani had not even the satisfaction of striking a
blow in self-defense. A veritable avalanche of savage beasts rolled
over him and threw him heavily to the ground.  In falling his head
struck the rocky surface of the cliff, stunning him.

It was daylight when he regained consciousness. The first dim
impression borne to his awakening mind was a confusion of savage
sounds which gradually resolved themselves into the growling
of lions, and then, little by little, there came back to him the
recollections of what had preceded the blow that had felled him.

Strong in his nostrils was the scent of Numa, the lion, and against
one naked leg he could feel the coat of some animal.  Slowly Tarzan
opened his eyes. He was lying on his side and as he looked down his
body, he saw that a great lion stood straddling him--a great lion
who growled hideously at something which Tarzan could not see.

With the full return of his senses Tarzan's nose told him that the
beast above him was Numa of the Wamabo pit.

Thus reassured, the ape-man spoke to the lion and at the same time
made a motion as though he would arise. Immediately Numa stepped
from above him. As Tarzan raised his head, he saw that he still
lay where he had fallen before the opening of the cliff where the
girl had been sleeping and that Numa, backed against the cliffside,
was apparently defending him from two other lions who paced to and
fro a short distance from their intended victim.

And then Tarzan turned his eyes into the cave and saw that the girl
and Smith-Oldwick were gone.

His efforts had been for naught. With an angry toss of his head,
the ape-man turned upon the two lions who had continued to pace
back and forth a few yards from him. Numa of the lion pit turned a
friendly glance in Tarzan's direction, rubbed his head against the
ape-man's side, and then directed his snarling countenance toward
the two hunters.

"I think," said Tarzan to Numa, "that you and I together can make
these beasts very unhappy." He spoke in English, which, of course,
Numa did not understand at all, but there must have been something
reassuring in the tone, for Numa whined pleadingly and moved
impatiently to and fro parallel with their antagonists.

"Come," said Tarzan suddenly and grasping the lion's mane with his
left hand he moved toward the other lions, his companion pacing
at his side. As the two advanced the others drew slowly back and,
finally separating, moved off to either side.  Tarzan and Numa
passed between them but neither the great black-maned lion nor the
man failed to keep an eye upon the beast nearer him so that they
were not caught unawares when, as though at some preconcerted
signal, the two cats charged simultaneously from opposite directions.

The ape-man met the charge of his antagonist after the same fashion
of fighting that he had been accustomed to employing in previous
encounters with Numa and Sheeta. To have attempted to meet the
full shock of a lion's charge would have been suicidal even for
the giant Tarmangani. Instead he resorted to methods of agility and
cunning, for quick as are the great cats, even quicker is Tarzan
of the Apes.

With outspread, raking talons and bared fangs Numa sprang for the
naked chest of the ape-man. Throwing up his left arm as a boxer might
ward off a blow, Tarzan struck upward beneath the left forearm of
the lion, at the same time rushing in with his shoulder beneath
the animal's body and simultaneously drove his blade into the tawny
hide behind the shoulder. With a roar of pain Numa wheeled again,
the personification of bestial rage. Now indeed would he exterminate
this presumptuous man-thing who dared even to think that he could
thwart the king of beasts in his desires. But as he wheeled, his
intended quarry wheeled with him, brown fingers locked in the heavy
mane on the powerful neck and again the blade struck deep into the
lion's side.

Then it was that Numa went mad with hate and pain and at the same
instant the ape-man leaped full upon his back.  Easily before had
Tarzan locked his legs beneath the belly of a lion while he clung
to its long mane and stabbed it until his point reached its heart.
So easy it had seemed before that he experienced a sharp feeling of
resentment that he was unable to do so now, for the quick movements
of the lion prevented him, and presently, to his dismay, as the
lion leaped and threw him about, the ape-man realized that he was
swinging inevitably beneath those frightful talons.

With a final effort he threw himself from Numa's back and sought,
by his quickness, to elude the frenzied beast for the fraction of
an instant that would permit him to regain his feet and meet the
animal again upon a more even footing. But this time Numa was too
quick for him and he was but partially up when a great paw struck
him on the side of the head and bowled him over.

As he fell he saw a black streak shoot above him and another lion
close upon his antagonist. Rolling from beneath the two battling lions
Tarzan regained his feet, though he was half dazed and staggering
from the impact of the terrible blow he had received. Behind him
he saw a lifeless lion lying torn and bleeding upon the sand, and
before him Numa of the pit was savagely mauling the second lion.

He of the black coat tremendously outclassed his adversary in
point of size and strength as well as in ferocity. The battling
beasts made a few feints and passes at each other before the larger
succeeded in fastening his fangs in the other's throat, and then,
as a cat shakes a mouse, the larger lion shook the lesser, and when
his dying foe sought to roll beneath and rake his conqueror with
his hind claws, the other met him halfway at his own game, and as
the great talons buried themselves in the lower part of the other's
chest and then were raked downward with all the terrific strength
of the mighty hind legs, the battle was ended.

As Numa rose from his second victim and shook himself, Tarzan could
not but again note the wondrous proportions and symmetry of the
beast. The lions they had bested were splendid specimens themselves
and in their coats Tarzan noted a suggestion of the black which
was such a strongly marked characteristic of Numa of the pit. Their
manes were just a trifle darker than an ordinary black-maned lion
but the tawny shade on the balance of their coats predominated.
However, the ape-man realized that they were a distinct species
from any he had seen as though they had sprung originally from a
cross between the forest lion of his acquaintance and a breed of
which Numa of the pit might be typical.

The immediate obstruction in his way having been removed, Tarzan was
for setting out in search of the spoor of the girl and Smith-Oldwick,
that he might discover their fate. He suddenly found himself
tremendously hungry and as he circled about over the sandy bottom
searching among the tangled network of innumerable tracks for those
of his proteges, there broke from his lips involuntarily the whine
of a hungry beast.  Immediately Numa of the pit pricked up his ears
and, regarding the ape-man steadily for a moment, he answered the
call of hunger and started briskly off toward the south, stopping
occasionally to see if Tarzan was following.

The ape-man realized that the beast was leading him to food, and so
he followed and as he followed his keen eyes and sensitive nostrils
sought for some indication of the direction taken by the man and
the girl. Presently out of the mass of lion tracks, Tarzan picked
up those of many sandaled feet and the scent spoor of the members
of the strange race such as had been with the lions the night
before, and then faintly he caught the scent spoor of the girl and
a little later that of Smith-Oldwick. Presently the tracks thinned
and here those of the girl and the Englishman became well marked.

They had been walking side by side and there had been men and
lions to the right and left of them, and men and lions in front and
behind. The ape-man was puzzled by the possibilities suggested by
the tracks, but in the light of any previous experience he could
not explain satisfactorily to himself what his perceptions indicated.

There was little change in the formation of the gorge; it still
wound its erratic course between precipitous cliffs. In places it
widened out and again it became very narrow and always deeper the
further south they traveled. Presently the bottom of the gorge began
to slope more rapidly. Here and there were indications of ancient
rapids and waterfalls. The trail became more difficult but was well
marked and showed indications of great antiquity, and, in places,
the handiwork of man. They had proceeded for a half or three-quarters
of a mile when, at a turning of the gorge, Tarzan saw before him a
narrow valley cut deep into the living rock of the earth's crust,
with lofty mountain ranges bounding it upon the south. How far it
extended east and west he could not see, but apparently it was no
more than three or four miles across from north to south.

That it was a well-watered valley was indicated by the wealth of
vegetation that carpeted its floor from the rocky cliffs upon the
north to the mountains on the south.

Over the edge of the cliffs from which the ape-man viewed the valley
a trail had been hewn that led downward to the base. Preceded by
the lion Tarzan descended into the valley, which, at this point,
was forested with large trees. Before him the trail wound onward
toward the center of the valley.  Raucous-voiced birds of brilliant
plumage screamed among the branches while innumerable monkeys
chattered and scolded above him.

The forest teemed with life, and yet there was borne in upon the
ape-man a sense of unutterable loneliness, a sensation that he
never before had felt in his beloved jungles. There was unreality
in everything about him--in the valley itself, lying hidden
and forgotten in what was supposed to be an arid waste. The birds
and the monkeys, while similar in type to many with which he was
familiar, were identical with none, nor was the vegetation without
its idiosyncrasies. It was as though he had been suddenly transported
to another world and he felt a strange restlessness that might
easily have been a premonition of danger.

Fruits were growing among the trees and some of these he saw that
Manu, the monkey, ate. Being hungry he swung to the lower branches
and, amidst a great chattering of the monkeys, proceeded to eat
such of the fruit as he saw the monkeys ate in safety. When he had
partially satisfied his hunger, for meat alone could fully do so,
he looked about him for Numa of the pit to discover that the lion
had gone.




Chapter XVII

The Walled City


Dropping to the ground once more he picked up the trail of the girl
and her captors, which he followed easily along what appeared to
be a well-beaten trail. It was not long before he came to a small
stream, where he quenched his thirst, and thereafter he saw that
the trail followed in the general direction of the stream, which
ran southwesterly. Here and there were cross trails and others
which joined the main avenue, and always upon each of them were the
tracks and scent of the great cats, of Numa, the lion, and Sheeta,
the panther.

With the exception of a few small rodents there appeared to be no
other wild life on the surface of the valley. There was no indication
of Bara, the deer, or Horta, the boar, or of Gorgo, the buffalo,
Buto, Tantor, or Duro. Histah, the snake, was there. He saw him in
the trees in greater numbers than he ever had seen Histah before;
and once beside a reedy pool he caught a scent that could have
belonged to none other than Gimla the crocodile, but upon none of
these did the Tarmangani care to feed.

And so, as he craved meat, he turned his attention to the birds
above him. His assailants of the night before had not disarmed
him. Either in the darkness and the rush of the charging lions the
human foe had overlooked him or else they had considered him dead;
but whatever the reason he still retained his weapons--his spear
and his long knife, his bow and arrows, and his grass rope.

Fitting a shaft to his bow Tarzan awaited an opportunity to bring
down one of the larger birds, and when the opportunity finally
presented itself he drove the arrow straight to its mark.  As the
gaily plumaged creature fluttered to earth its companions and the
little monkeys set up a most terrific chorus of wails and screaming
protests. The whole forest became suddenly a babel of hoarse screams
and shrill shrieks.

Tarzan would not have been surprised had one or two birds in the
immediate vicinity given voice to terror as they fled, but that the
whole life of the jungle should set up so weird a protest filled
him with disgust. It was an angry face that he turned up toward
the monkeys and the birds as there suddenly stirred within him a
savage inclination to voice his displeasure and his answer to what
he considered their challenge. And so it was that there broke upon
this jungle for the first time Tarzan's hideous scream of victory
and challenge.

The effect upon the creatures above him was instantaneous.  Where
before the air had trembled to the din of their voices, now utter
silence reigned and a moment later the ape-man was alone with his
puny kill.

The silence following so closely the previous tumult carried
a sinister impression to the ape-man, which still further aroused
his anger. Picking the bird from where it had fallen he withdrew
his arrow from the body and returned it to his quiver. Then with
his knife he quickly and deftly removed the skin and feathers
together. He ate angrily, growling as though actually menaced by
a near-by foe, and perhaps, too, his growls were partially induced
by the fact that he did not care for the flesh of birds. Better
this, however, than nothing and from what his senses had told him
there was no flesh in the vicinity such as he was accustomed to
and cared most for.  How he would have enjoyed a juicy haunch from
Pacco, the zebra, or a steak from the loin of Gorgo, the buffalo!
The very thought made his mouth water and increased his resentment
against this unnatural forest that harbored no such delicious
quarry.

He had but partially consumed his kill when he suddenly became
aware of a movement in the brush at no great distance from him
and downwind, and a moment later his nostrils picked up the scent
of Numa from the opposite direction, and then upon either side he
caught the fall of padded feet and the brushing of bodies against
leafy branches. The ape-man smiled. What stupid creature did they
think him, to be surprised by such clumsy stalkers? Gradually the
sounds and scents indicated that lions were moving upon him from
all directions, that he was in the center of a steadily converging
circle of beasts. Evidently they were so sure of their prey that
they were making no effort toward stealth, for he heard twigs crack
beneath their feet, and the brushing of their bodies against the
vegetation through which they forced their way.

He wondered what could have brought them. It seemed unreasonable
to believe that the cries of the birds and the monkeys should
have summoned them, and yet, if not, it was indeed a remarkable
coincidence. His judgment told him that the death of a single bird
in this forest which teemed with birds could scarce be of sufficient
moment to warrant that which followed. Yet even in the face of reason
and past experience he found that the whole affair perplexed him.

He stood in the center of the trail awaiting the coming of the lions
and wondering what would be the method of their attack or if they
would indeed attack. Presently a maned lion came into view along
the trail below him. At sight of him the lion halted. The beast was
similar to those that had attacked him earlier in the day, a trifle
larger and a trifle darker than the lions of his native jungles,
but neither so large nor so black as Numa of the pit.

Presently he distinguished the outlines of other lions in the
surrounding brush and among the trees. Each of them halted as it
came within sight of the ape-man and there they stood regarding
him in silence. Tarzan wondered how long it would be before they
charged and while he waited he resumed his feeding, though with
every sense constantly alert.

One by one the lions lay down, but always their faces were toward
him and their eyes upon him. There had been no growling and no
roaring--just the quiet drawing of the silent circle about him.
It was all so entirely foreign to anything that Tarzan ever before
had seen lions do that it irritated him so that presently, having
finished his repast, he fell to making insulting remarks to first
one and then another of the lions, after the habit he had learned
from the apes of his childhood.

"Dango, eater of carrion," he called them, and he compared them most
unfavorably with Histah, the snake, the most loathed and repulsive
creature of the jungle. Finally he threw handfuls of earth at them
and bits of broken twigs, and then the lions growled and bared
their fangs, but none of them advanced.

"Cowards," Tarzan taunted them. "Numa with a heart of Bara, the
deer." He told them who he was, and after the manner of the jungle
folk he boasted as to the horrible things he would do to them, but
the lions only lay and watched him.

It must have been a half hour after their coming that Tarzan caught
in the distance along the trail the sound of footsteps approaching.
They were the footsteps of a creature who walked upon two legs,
and though Tarzan could catch no scent spoor from that direction
he knew that a man was approaching. Nor had he long to wait before
his judgment was confirmed by the appearance of a man who halted
in the trail directly behind the first lion that Tarzan had seen.

At sight of the newcomer the ape-man realized that here was one
similar to those who had given off the unfamiliar scent spoor that
he had detected the previous night, and he saw that not only in
the matter of scent did the man differ from other human beings with
whom Tarzan was familiar.

The fellow was strongly built with skin of a leathery appearance,
like parchment yellowed with age. His hair, which was coal black
and three or four inches in length, grew out stiffly at right angles
to his scalp. His eyes were close set and the irises densely black
and very small, so that the white of the eyeball showed around
them. The man's face was smooth except for a few straggly hairs on
his chin and upper lip.  The nose was aquiline and fine, but the
hair grew so far down on the forehead as to suggest a very low
and brutal type.  The upper lip was short and fine while the lower
lip was rather heavy and inclined to be pendulous, the chin being
equally weak. Altogether the face carried the suggestion of a
once strong and handsome countenance entirely altered by physical
violence or by degraded habits and thoughts. The man's arms were
long, though not abnormally so, while his legs were short, though
straight.

He was clothed in tight-fitting nether garments and a loose,
sleeveless tunic that fell just below his hips, while his feet
were shod in soft-soled sandals, the wrappings of which extended
halfway to his knees, closely resembling a modern spiral military
legging. He carried a short, heavy spear, and at his side swung
a weapon that at first so astonished the ape-man that he could
scarcely believe the evidence of his senses--a heavy saber in
a leather-covered scabbard. The man's tunic appeared to have been
fabricated upon a loom--it was certainly not made of skins, while
the garments that covered his legs were quite as evidently made
from the hides of rodents.

Tarzan noted the utter unconcern with which the man approached the
lions, and the equal indifference of Numa to him. The fellow paused
for a moment as though appraising the ape-man and then pushed on
past the lions, brushing against the tawny hide as he passed him
in the trail.

About twenty feet from Tarzan the man stopped, addressing the former
in a strange jargon, no syllable of which was intelligible to the
Tarmangani. His gestures indicated numerous references to the lions
surrounding them, and once he touched his spear with the forefinger
of his left hand and twice he struck the saber at his hip.

While he spoke Tarzan studied the fellow closely, with the result
that there fastened itself upon his mind a strange conviction--that
the man who addressed him was what might only be described as a
rational maniac. As the thought came to the ape-man he could not
but smile, so paradoxical the description seemed. Yet a closer
study of the man's features, carriage, and the contour of his head
carried almost incontrovertibly the assurance that he was insane,
while the tones of his voice and his gestures resembled those of
a sane and intelligent mortal.

Presently the man had concluded his speech and appeared to be waiting
questioningly Tarzan's reply. The ape-man spoke to the other first
in the language of the great apes, but he soon saw that the words
carried no conviction to his listener. Then with equal futility
he tried several native dialects but to none of these did the man
respond.

By this time Tarzan began to lose patience. He had wasted sufficient
time by the road, and as he had never depended much upon speech in
the accomplishment of his ends, he now raised his spear and advanced
toward the other. This, evidently, was a language common to both,
for instantly the fellow raised his own weapon and at the same time
a low call broke from his lips, a call which instantly brought to
action every lion in the hitherto silent circle. A volley of roars
shattered the silence of the forest and simultaneously lions sprang
into view upon all sides as they closed in rapidly upon their
quarry. The man who had called them stepped back, his teeth bared
in a mirthless grin.

It was then that Tarzan first noticed that the fellow's upper canines
were unusually long and exceedingly sharp. It was just a flashing
glimpse he got of them as he leaped agilely from the ground and, to
the consternation of both the lions and their master, disappeared
in the foliage of the lower terrace, flinging back over his shoulder
as he swung rapidly away: "I am Tarzan of the Apes; mighty hunter;
mighty fighter! None in the jungle more powerful, none more cunning
than Tarzan!"

A short distance beyond the point at which they had surrounded him,
Tarzan came to the trail again and sought for the spoor of Bertha
Kircher and Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick.  He found them quickly and
continued upon his search for the two. The spoor lay directly along
the trail for another half-mile when the way suddenly debouched
from the forest into open land and there broke upon the astonished
view of the ape-man the domes and minarets of a walled city.

Directly before him in the wall nearest him Tarzan saw a low-arched
gateway to which a well-beaten trail led from that which he had
been following. In the open space between the forest and the city
walls, quantities of garden stuff was growing, while before him
at his feet, in an open man-made ditch, ran a stream of water! The
plants in the garden were laid out in well-spaced, symmetrical rows
and appeared to have been given excellent attention and cultivation.
Tiny streams were trickling between the rows from the main ditch
before him and at some distance to his right he could see people
at work among the plants.

The city wall appeared to be about thirty feet in height, its
plastered expanse unbroken except by occasional embrasures. Beyond
the wall rose the domes of several structures and numerous minarets
dotted the sky line of the city.  The largest and central dome
appeared to be gilded, while others were red, or blue, or yellow.
The architecture of the wall itself was of uncompromising simplicity.
It was of a cream shade and appeared to be plastered and painted.
At its base was a line of well-tended shrubs and at some distance
towards its eastern extremity it was vine covered to the top.

As he stood in the shadow of the trail, his keen eyes taking in every
detail of the picture before him, he became aware of the approach
of a party in his rear and there was borne to him the scent of the
man and the lions whom he had so readily escaped. Taking to the
trees Tarzan moved a short distance to the west and, finding a
comfortable crotch at the edge of the forest where he could watch
the trail leading through the gardens to the city gate, he awaited
the return of his would-be captors. And soon they came--the strange
man followed by the pack of great lions. Like dogs they moved along
behind him down the trail among the gardens to the gate.

Here the man struck upon the panels of the door with the butt of
his spear, and when it opened in response to his signal he passed
in with his lions. Beyond the open door Tarzan, from his distant
perch, caught but a fleeting glimpse of life within the city, just
enough to indicate that there were other human creatures who abode
there, and then the door closed.

Through that door he knew that the girl and the man whom he sought
to succor had been taken into the city. What fate lay in store
for them or whether already it had been meted out to them he could
not even guess, nor where, within that forbidding wall, they were
incarcerated he could not know.  But of one thing he was assured:
that if he were to aid them he could not do it from outside the
wall. He must gain entrance to the city first, nor did he doubt,
that once within, his keen senses would eventually reveal the
whereabouts of those whom he sought.

The low sun was casting long shadows across the gardens when Tarzan
saw the workers returning from the eastern field.  A man came first,
and as he came he lowered little gates along the large ditch of
running water, shutting off the streams that had run between the rows
of growing plants; and behind him came other men carrying burdens
of fresh vegetables in great woven baskets upon their shoulders.
Tarzan had not realized that there had been so many men working in
the field, but now as he sat there at the close of the day he saw
a procession filing in from the east, bearing the tools and the
produce back into the city.

And then, to gain a better view, the ape-man ascended to the topmost
branches of a tall tree where he overlooked the nearer wall. From
this point of vantage he saw that the city was long and narrow, and
that while the outer walls formed a perfect rectangle, the streets
within were winding. Toward the center of the city there appeared
to be a low, white building around which the larger edifices of
the city had been built, and here, in the fast-waning light, Tarzan
thought that between two buildings he caught the glint of water,
but of that he was not sure. His experience of the centers of
civilization naturally inclined him to believe that this central
area was a plaza about which the larger buildings were grouped
and that there would be the most logical place to search first for
Bertha Kircher and her companion.

And then the sun went down and darkness quickly enveloped the
city--a darkness that was accentuated for the ape-man rather than
relieved by the artificial lights which immediately appeared in
many of the windows visible to him.

Tarzan had noticed that the roofs of most of the buildings were
flat, the few exceptions being those of what he imagined to be the
more pretentious public structures. How this city had come to exist
in this forgotten part of unexplored Africa the ape-man could not
conceive. Better than another, he realized something of the unsolved
secrets of the Great Dark Continent, enormous areas of which have
as yet been untouched by the foot of civilized man. Yet he could
scarce believe that a city of this size and apparently thus well
constructed could have existed for the generations that it must
have been there, without intercourse with the outer world.  Even
though it was surrounded by a trackless desert waste, as he knew
it to be, he could not conceive that generation after generation
of men could be born and die there without attempting to solve the
mysteries of the world beyond the confines of their little valley.

And yet, here was the city surrounded by tilled land and filled
with people!

With the coming of night there arose throughout the jungle the cries
of the great cats, the voice of Numa blended with that of Sheeta,
and the thunderous roars of the great males reverberated through
the forest until the earth trembled, and from within the city came
the answering roars of other lions.

A simple plan for gaining entrance to the city had occurred to
Tarzan, and now that darkness had fallen he set about to put it
into effect. Its success hinged entirely upon the strength of the
vines he had seen surmounting the wall toward the east. In this
direction he made his way, while from out of the forest about him
the cries of the flesh-eaters increased in volume and ferocity. A
quarter of a mile intervened between the forest and the city wall--a
quarter of a mile of cultivated land unrelieved by a single tree.
Tarzan of the Apes realized his limitations and so he knew that
it would undoubtedly spell death for him to be caught in the open
space by one of the great black lions of the forest if, as he had
already surmised, Numa of the pit was a specimen of the forest lion
of the valley.

He must, therefore, depend entirely upon his cunning and his speed,
and upon the chance that the vine would sustain his weight.

He moved through the middle terrace, where the way is always
easiest, until he reached a point opposite the vine-clad portion
of the wall, and there he waited, listening and scenting, until he
might assure himself that there was no Numa within his immediate
vicinity, or, at least, none that sought him. And when he was quite
sure that there was no lion close by in the forest, and none in
the clearing between himself and the wall, he dropped lightly to
the ground and moved stealthily out into the open.

The rising moon, just topping the eastern cliffs, cast its bright
rays upon the long stretch of open garden beneath the wall. And, too,
it picked out in clear relief for any curious eyes that chanced to
be cast in that direction, the figure of the giant ape-man moving
across the clearing. It was only chance, of course, that a great
lion hunting at the edge of the forest saw the figure of the man
halfway between the forest and the wall. Suddenly there broke upon
Tarzan's ears a menacing sound. It was not the roar of a hungry
lion, but the roar of a lion in rage, and, as he glanced back in
the direction from which the sound came, he saw a huge beast moving
out from the shadow of the forest toward him.

Even in the moonlight and at a distance Tarzan saw that the lion
was huge; that it was indeed another of the black-maned monsters
similar to Numa of the pit. For an instant he was impelled to turn
and fight, but at the same time the thought of the helpless girl
imprisoned in the city flashed through his brain and, without an
instant's hesitation, Tarzan of the Apes wheeled and ran for the
wall. Then it was that Numa charged.

Numa, the lion, can run swiftly for a short distance, but he lacks
endurance. For the period of an ordinary charge he can cover the
ground with greater rapidity possibly than any other creature in
the world. Tarzan, on the other hand, could run at great speed for
long distances, though never as rapidly as Numa when the latter
charged.

The question of his fate, then, rested upon whether, with his start
he could elude Numa for a few seconds; and, if so, if the lion would
then have sufficient stamina remaining to pursue him at a reduced
gait for the balance of the distance to the wall.

Never before, perhaps, was staged a more thrilling race, and yet it
was run with only the moon and stars to see. Alone and in silence
the two beasts sped across the moonlit clearing.  Numa gained with
appalling rapidity upon the fleeing man, yet at every bound Tarzan
was nearer to the vine-clad wall.  Once the ape-man glanced back.
Numa was so close upon him that it seemed inevitable that at the
next bound he should drag him down; so close was he that the ape-man
drew his knife as he ran, that he might at least give a good account
of himself in the last moments of his life.

But Numa had reached the limit of his speed and endurance.  Gradually
he dropped behind but he did not give up the pursuit, and now Tarzan
realized how much hinged upon the strength of the untested vines.

If, at the inception of the race, only Goro and the stars had looked
down upon the contestants, such was not the case at its finish,
since from an embrasure near the summit of the wall two close-set
black eyes peered down upon the two.  Tarzan was a dozen yards
ahead of Numa when he reached the wall. There was no time to stop
and institute a search for sturdy stems and safe handholds. His
fate was in the hands of chance and with the realization he gave a
final spurt and running catlike up the side of the wall among the
vines, sought with his hands for something that would sustain his
weight. Below him Numa leaped also.




Chapter XVIII

Among the Maniacs


As the lions swarmed over her protectors, Bertha Kircher shrank
back in the cave in a momentary paralysis of fright super-induced,
perhaps, by the long days of terrific nerve strain which she had
undergone.

Mingled with the roars of the lions had been the voices of men,
and presently out of the confusion and turmoil she felt the near
presence of a human being, and then hands reached forth and seized
her. It was dark and she could see but little, nor any sign of the
English officer or the ape-man. The man who seized her kept the
lions from her with what appeared to be a stout spear, the haft of
which he used to beat off the beasts. The fellow dragged her from
the cavern the while he shouted what appeared to be commands and
warnings to the lions.

Once out upon the light sands of the bottom of the gorge objects
became more distinguishable, and then she saw that there were
other men in the party and that two half led and half carried the
stumbling figure of a third, whom she guessed must be Smith-Oldwick.

For a time the lions made frenzied efforts to reach the two captives
but always the men with them succeeded in beating them off. The
fellows seemed utterly unafraid of the great beasts leaping and
snarling about them, handling them much the same as one might handle
a pack of obstreperous dogs.  Along the bed of the old watercourse
that once ran through the gorge they made their way, and as the
first faint lightening of the eastern horizon presaged the coming
dawn, they paused for a moment upon the edge of a declivity, which
appeared to the girl in the strange light of the waning night as a
vast, bottomless pit; but, as their captors resumed their way and
the light of the new day became stronger, she saw that they were
moving downward toward a dense forest.

Once beneath the over-arching trees all was again Cimmerian darkness,
nor was the gloom relieved until the sun finally arose beyond the
eastern cliffs, when she saw that they were following what appeared
to be a broad and well-beaten game trail through a forest of great
trees. The ground was unusually dry for an African forest and
the underbrush, while heavily foliaged, was not nearly so rank
and impenetrable as that which she had been accustomed to find
in similar woods.  It was as though the trees and the bushes grew
in a waterless country, nor was there the musty odor of decaying
vegetation or the myriads of tiny insects such as are bred in damp
places.

As they proceeded and the sun rose higher, the voices of the
arboreal jungle life rose in discordant notes and loud chattering
about them. Innumerable monkeys scolded and screamed in the branches
overhead, while harsh-voiced birds of brilliant plumage darted
hither and thither. She noticed presently that their captors often
cast apprehensive glances in the direction of the birds and on
numerous occasions seemed to be addressing the winged denizens of
the forest.

One incident made a marked impression on her. The man who immediately
preceded her was a fellow of powerful build, yet, when a brilliantly
colored parrot swooped downward toward him, he dropped upon his knees
and covering his face with his arms bent forward until his head
touched the ground. Some of the others looked at him and laughed
nervously. Presently the man glanced upward and seeing that the
bird had gone, rose to his feet and continued along the trail.

It was at this brief halt that Smith-Oldwick was brought to her
side by the men who had been supporting him. He had been rather
badly mauled by one of the lions; but was now able to walk alone,
though he was extremely weak from shock and loss of blood.

"Pretty mess, what?" he remarked with a wry smile, indicating his
bloody and disheveled state.

"It is terrible," said the girl. "I hope you are not suffering."

"Not as much as I should have expected," he replied, "but I feel
as weak as a fool. What sort of creatures are these beggars, anyway?"

"I don't know," she replied, "there is something terribly uncanny
about their appearance."

The man regarded one of their captors closely for a moment and
then, turning to the girl asked, "Did you ever visit a madhouse?"

She looked up at him in quick understanding and with a horrified
expression in her eyes. "That's it!" she cried.

"They have all the earmarks," he said. "Whites of the eyes showing
all around the irises, hair growing stiffly erect from the scalp
and low down upon the forehead--even their mannerisms and their
carriage are those of maniacs."

The girl shuddered.

"Another thing about them," continued the Englishman, "that doesn't
appear normal is that they are afraid of parrots and utterly fearless
of lions."

"Yes," said the girl; "and did you notice that the birds seem utterly
fearless of them--really seem to hold them in contempt? Have you
any idea what language they speak?"

"No," said the man, "I have been trying to figure that out.  It's not
like any of the few native dialects of which I have any knowledge."

"It doesn't sound at all like the native language," said the girl,
"but there is something familiar about it. You know, every now and
then I feel that I am just on the verge of understanding what they
are saying, or at least that somewhere I have heard their tongue
before, but final recognition always eludes me."

"I doubt if you ever heard their language spoken," said the man.
"These people must have lived in this out-of-the-way valley for
ages and even if they had retained the original language of their
ancestors without change, which is doubtful, it must be some tongue
that is no longer spoken in the outer world."

At one point where a stream of water crossed the trail the party
halted while the lions and the men drank. They motioned to their
captives to drink too, and as Bertha Kircher and Smith-Oldwick,
lying prone upon the ground drank from the clear, cool water of the
rivulet, they were suddenly startled by the thunderous roar of a
lion a short distance ahead of them. Instantly the lions with them
set up a hideous response, moving restlessly to and fro with their
eyes always either turned in the direction from which the roar had
come or toward their masters, against whom the tawny beasts slunk.
The men loosened the sabers in their scabbards, the weapons that
had aroused Smith-Oldwick's curiosity as they had Tarzan's, and
grasped their spears more firmly.

Evidently there were lions and lions, and while they evinced no
fear of the beasts which accompanied them, it was quite evident
that the voice of the newcomer had an entirely different effect
upon them, although the men seemed less terrified than the lions.
Neither, however, showed any indication of an inclination to flee;
on the contrary the entire party advanced along the trail in the
direction of the menacing roars, and presently there appeared in
the center of the path a black lion of gigantic proportions. To
Smith-Oldwick and the girl he appeared to be the same lion that
they had encountered at the plane and from which Tarzan had rescued
them. But it was not Numa of the pit, although he resembled him
closely.

The black beast stood directly in the center of the trail lashing
his tail and growling menacingly at the advancing party. The men
urged on their own beasts, who growled and whined but hesitated
to charge. Evidently becoming impatient, and in full consciousness
of his might the intruder raised his tail stiffly erect and shot
forward. Several of the defending lions made a half-hearted attempt to
obstruct his passage, but they might as well have placed themselves
in the path of an express train, as hurling them aside the great
beast leaped straight for one of the men. A dozen spears were
launched at him and a dozen sabers leaped from their scabbards;
gleaming, razor-edged weapons they were, but for the instant rendered
futile by the terrific speed of the charging beast.

Two of the spears entering his body but served to further enrage
him as, with demoniacal roars, he sprang upon the hapless man he
had singled out for his prey. Scarcely pausing in his charge he
seized the fellow by the shoulder and, turning quickly at right
angles, leaped into the concealing foliage that flanked the trail,
and was gone, bearing his victim with him.

So quickly had the whole occurrence transpired that the formation
of the little party was scarcely altered. There had been no
opportunity for flight, even if it had been contemplated; and now
that the lion was gone with his prey the men made no move to pursue
him. They paused only long enough to recall the two or three of
their lions that had scattered and then resumed the march along
the trail.

"Might be an everyday occurrence from all the effect it has on
them," remarked Smith-Oldwick to the girl.

"Yes," she said. "They seem to be neither surprised nor disconcerted,
and evidently they are quite sure that the lion, having got what
he came for, will not molest them further."

"I had thought," said the Englishman, "that the lions of the Wamabo
country were about the most ferocious in existence, but they are
regular tabby cats by comparison with these big black fellows.
Did you ever see anything more utterly fearless or more terribly
irresistible than that charge?"

For a while, as they walked side by side, their thoughts and
conversation centered upon this latest experience, until the trail
emerging from the forest opened to their view a walled city and an
area of cultivated land. Neither could suppress an exclamation of
surprise.

"Why, that wall is a regular engineering job," exclaimed Smith-Oldwick.

"And look at the domes and minarets of the city beyond," cried the
girl. "There must be a civilized people beyond that wall. Possibly
we are fortunate to have fallen into their hands."

Smith-Oldwick shrugged his shoulders. "I hope so," he said, "though
I am not at all sure about people who travel about with lions and
are afraid of parrots. There must be something wrong with them."

The party followed the trail across the field to an arched gateway
which opened at the summons of one of their captors, who beat upon
the heavy wooden panels with his spear.  Beyond, the gate opened
into a narrow street which seemed but a continuation of the jungle
trail leading from the forest.  Buildings on either hand adjoined
the wall and fronted the narrow, winding street, which was only
visible for a short distance ahead. The houses were practically
all two-storied structures, the upper stories flush with the street
while the walls of the first story were set back some ten feet,
a series of simple columns and arches supporting the front of the
second story and forming an arcade on either side of the narrow
thoroughfare.

The pathway in the center of the street was unpaved, but the floors
of the arcades were cut stone of various shapes and sizes but all
carefully fitted and laid without mortar. These floors gave evidence
of great antiquity, there being a distinct depression down the
center as though the stone had been worn away by the passage of
countless sandaled feet during the ages that it had lain there.

There were few people astir at this early hour, and these were of
the same type as their captors. At first those whom they saw were
only men, but as they went deeper into the city they came upon a
few naked children playing in the soft dust of the roadway. Many
they passed showed the greatest surprise and curiosity in the
prisoners, and often made inquiries of the guards, which the two
assumed must have been in relation to themselves, while others
appeared not to notice them at all.

"I wish we could understand their bally language," exclaimed
Smith-Oldwick.

"Yes," said the girl, "I would like to ask them what they are going
to do with us."

"That would be interesting," said the man. "I have been doing
considerable wondering along that line myself."

"I don't like the way their canine teeth are filed," said the girl.
"It's too suggestive of some of the cannibals I have seen."

"You don't really believe they are cannibals, do you?" asked the
man. "You don't think white people are ever cannibals, do you?"

"Are these people white?" asked the girl.

"They're not Negroes, that's certain," rejoined the man.  "Their
skin is yellow, but yet it doesn't resemble the Chinese exactly,
nor are any of their features Chinese."

It was at this juncture that they caught their first glimpse of a
native woman. She was similar in most respects to the men though
her stature was smaller and her figure more symmetrical. Her face
was more repulsive than that of the men, possibly because of the fact
that she was a woman, which rather accentuated the idiosyncrasies
of eyes, pendulous lip, pointed tusks and stiff, low-growing hair.
The latter was longer than that of the men and much heavier. It
hung about her shoulders and was confined by a colored bit of some
lacy fabric.  Her single garment appeared to be nothing more than
a filmy scarf which was wound tightly around her body from below
her naked breasts, being caught up some way at the bottom near her
ankles. Bits of shiny metal resembling gold, ornamented both the
headdress and the skirt. Otherwise the woman was entirely without
jewelry. Her bare arms were slender and shapely and her hands and
feet well proportioned and symmetrical.

She came close to the party as they passed her, jabbering to the
guards who paid no attention to her. The prisoners had an opportunity
to observe her closely as she followed at their side for a short
distance.

"The figure of a houri," remarked Smith-Oldwick, "with the face of
an imbecile."

The street they followed was intersected at irregular intervals by
crossroads which, as they glanced down them, proved to be equally
as tortuous as that through which they were being conducted. The
houses varied but little in design.  Occasionally there were bits
of color, or some attempt at other architectural ornamentation.
Through open windows and doors they could see that the walls of
the houses were very thick and that all apertures were quite small,
as though the people had built against extreme heat, which they
realized must have been necessary in this valley buried deep in an
African desert.

Ahead they occasionally caught glimpses of larger structures, and
as they approached them, came upon what was evidently a part of
the business section of the city. There were numerous small shops
and bazaars interspersed among the residences, and over the doors
of these were signs painted in characters strongly suggesting Greek
origin and yet it was not Greek as both the Englishman and the girl
knew.

Smith-Oldwick was by this time beginning to feel more acutely the
pain of his wounds and the consequent weakness that was greatly
aggravated by loss of blood. He staggered now occasionally and the
girl, seeing his plight, offered him her arm.

"No," he expostulated, "you have passed through too much yourself
to have any extra burden imposed upon you." But though he made a
valiant effort to keep up with their captors he occasionally lagged,
and upon one such occasion the guards for the first time showed
any disposition toward brutality.

It was a big fellow who walked at Smith-Oldwick's left.  Several
times he took hold of the Englishman's arm and pushed him forward
not ungently, but when the captive lagged again and again the
fellow suddenly, and certainly with no just provocation, flew into
a perfect frenzy of rage.  He leaped upon the wounded man, striking
him viciously with his fists and, bearing him to the ground, grasped
his throat in his left hand while with his right he drew his long
sharp saber. Screaming terribly he waved the blade above his head.

The others stopped and turned to look upon the encounter with no
particular show of interest. It was as though one of the party had
paused to readjust a sandal and the others merely waited until he
was ready to march on again.

But if their captors were indifferent, Bertha Kircher was not.  The
close-set blazing eyes, the snarling fanged face, and the frightful
screams filled her with horror, while the brutal and wanton attack
upon the wounded man aroused within her the spirit of protection
for the weak that is inherent in all women.  Forgetful of everything
other than that a weak and defenseless man was being brutally murdered
before her eyes, the girl cast aside discretion and, rushing to
Smith-Oldwick's assistance, seized the uplifted sword arm of the
shrieking creature upon the prostrate Englishman.

Clinging desperately to the fellow she surged backward with all her
weight and strength with the result that she overbalanced him and
sent him sprawling to the pavement upon his back. In his efforts
to save himself he relaxed his grasp upon the grip of his saber
which had no sooner fallen to the ground than it was seized upon by
the girl. Standing erect beside the prostrate form of the English
officer Bertha Kircher, the razor-edged weapon grasped firmly in
her hand, faced their captors.

She was a brave figure; even her soiled and torn riding togs and
disheveled hair detracted nothing from her appearance.  The creature
she had felled scrambled quickly to his feet and in the instant
his whole demeanor changed. From demoniacal rage he became suddenly
convulsed with hysterical laughter although it was a question in
the girl's mind as to which was the more terrifying. His companions
stood looking on with vacuous grins upon their countenances, while
he from whom the girl had wrested the weapon leaped up and down
shrieking with laughter. If Bertha Kircher had needed further
evidence to assure her that they were in the hands of a mentally
deranged people the man's present actions would have been sufficient
to convince her. The sudden uncontrolled rage and now the equally
uncontrolled and mirthless laughter but emphasized the facial
attributes of idiocy.

Suddenly realizing how helpless she was in the event any one of the
men should seek to overpower her, and moved by a sudden revulsion
of feeling that brought on almost a nausea of disgust, the girl
hurled the weapon upon the ground at the feet of the laughing maniac
and, turning, kneeled beside the Englishman.

"It was wonderful of you," he said, "but you shouldn't have done
it. Don't antagonize them: I believe that they are all mad and you
know they say that one should always humor a madman."

She shook her head. "I couldn't see him kill you," she said.

A sudden light sprang to the man's eyes as he reached out a hand and
grasped the girl's fingers. "Do you care a little now?" he asked.
"Can't you tell me that you do--just a bit?"

She did not withdraw her hand from his but she shook her head
sadly. "Please don't," she said. "I am sorry that I can only like
you very much."

The light died from his eyes and his fingers relaxed their grasp on
hers. "Please forgive me," he murmured. "I intended waiting until
we got out of this mess and you were safe among your own people.
It must have been the shock or something like that, and seeing you
defending me as you did. Anyway, I couldn't help it and really it
doesn't make much difference what I say now, does it?"

"What do you mean?" she asked quickly.

He shrugged and smiled ruefully. "I will never leave this city
alive," he said. "I wouldn't mention it except that I realize that
you must know it as well as I. I was pretty badly torn up by the
lion and this fellow here has about finished me.  There might be
some hope if we were among civilized people, but here with these
frightful creatures what care could we get even if they were
friendly?"

Bertha Kircher knew that he spoke the truth, and yet she could not
bring herself to an admission that Smith-Oldwick would die. She
was very fond of him, in fact her great regret was that she did
not love him, but she knew that she did not.

It seemed to her that it could be such an easy thing for any girl
to love Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick--an English officer
and a gentleman, the scion of an old family and himself a man of
ample means, young, good-looking and affable. What more could a
girl ask for than to have such a man love her and that she possessed
Smith-Oldwick's love there was no doubt in Bertha Kircher's mind.

She sighed, and then, laying her hand impulsively on his forehead,
she whispered, "Do not give up hope, though. Try to live for my
sake and for your sake I will try to love you."

It was as though new life had suddenly been injected into the
man's veins. His face lightened instantly and with strength that
he himself did not know he possessed he rose slowly to his feet,
albeit somewhat unsteadily. The girl helped him and supported him
after he had arisen.

For the moment they had been entirely unconscious of their
surroundings and now as she looked at their captors she saw that
they had fallen again into their almost habitual manner of stolid
indifference, and at a gesture from one of them the march was
resumed as though no untoward incident had occurred.

Bertha Kircher experienced a sudden reaction from the momentary
exaltation of her recent promise to the Englishman.  She knew that
she had spoken more for him than for herself but now that it was
over she realized, as she had realized the moment before she had
spoken, that it was unlikely she would ever care for him the way
he wished. But what had she promised? Only that she would try to
love him. "And now?" she asked herself.

She realized that there might be little hope of their ever returning
to civilization. Even if these people should prove friendly and
willing to let them depart in peace, how were they to find their
way back to the coast? With Tarzan dead, as she fully believed him
after having seen his body lying lifeless at the mouth of the cave
when she had been dragged forth by her captor, there seemed no
power at their command which could guide them safely.

The two had scarcely mentioned the ape-man since their capture, for
each realized fully what his loss meant to them.  They had compared
notes relative to those few exciting moments of the final attack
and capture and had found that they agreed perfectly upon all that
had occurred. Smith-Oldwick had even seen the lion leap upon Tarzan
at the instant that the former was awakened by the roars of the
charging beasts, and though the night had been dark, he had been
able to see that the body of the savage ape-man had never moved
from the instant that it had come down beneath the beast.

And so, if at other times within the past few weeks Bertha Kircher
had felt that her situation was particularly hopeless, she was now
ready to admit that hope was absolutely extinct.

The streets were beginning to fill with the strange men and women
of this strange city. Sometimes individuals would notice them
and seem to take a great interest in them, and again others would
pass with vacant stares, seemingly unconscious of their immediate
surroundings and paying no attention whatsoever to the prisoners.
Once they heard hideous screams up a side street, and looking they
saw a man in the throes of a demoniacal outburst of rage, similar
to that which they had witnessed in the recent attack upon
Smith-Oldwick. This creature was venting his insane rage upon a
child which he repeatedly struck and bit, pausing only long enough
to shriek at frequent intervals. Finally, just before they passed
out of sight the creature raised the limp body of the child high
above his head and cast it down with all his strength upon the
pavement, and then, wheeling and screaming madly at the top of his
lungs, he dashed headlong up the winding street.

Two women and several men had stood looking on at the cruel attack.
They were at too great a distance for the Europeans to know whether
their facial expressions portrayed pity or rage, but be that as it
may, none offered to interfere.

A few yards farther on a hideous hag leaned from a second story
window where she laughed and jibbered and made horrid grimaces at
all who passed her. Others went their ways apparently attending to
whatever duties called them, as soberly as the inhabitants of any
civilized community.

"God," muttered Smith-Oldwick, "what an awful place!"

The girl turned suddenly toward him. "You still have your pistol?"
she asked him.

"Yes," he replied. "I tucked it inside my shirt. They did not
search me and it was too dark for them to see whether I carried any
weapons or not. So I hid it in the hope that I might get through
with it."

She moved closer to him and took hold of his hand. "Save one
cartridge for me, please?" she begged.

Smith-Oldwick looked down at her and blinked his eyes very rapidly.
An unfamiliar and disconcerting moisture had come into them. He
had realized, of course, how bad a plight was theirs but somehow
it had seemed to affect him only: it did not seem possible that
anyone could harm this sweet and beautiful girl.

And that she should have to be destroyed--destroyed by him! It
was too hideous: it was unbelievable, unthinkable! If he had been
filled with apprehension before, he was doubly perturbed now.

"I don't believe I could do it, Bertha," he said.

"Not even to save me from something worse?" she asked.

He shook his head dismally. "I could never do it," he replied.

The street that they were following suddenly opened upon a wide
avenue, and before them spread a broad and beautiful lagoon, the
quiet surface of which mirrored the clear cerulean of the sky. Here
the aspect of all their surroundings changed.  The buildings were
higher and much more pretentious in design and ornamentation.
The street itself was paved in mosaics of barbaric but stunningly
beautiful design. In the ornamentation of the buildings there was
considerable color and a great deal of what appeared to be gold
leaf. In all the decorations there was utilized in various ways the
conventional figure of the parrot, and, to a lesser extent, that
of the lion and the monkey.

Their captors led them along the pavement beside the lagoon for a
short distance and then through an arched doorway into one of the
buildings facing the avenue. Here, directly within the entrance
was a large room furnished with massive benches and tables, many of
which were elaborately hand carved with the figures of the inevitable
parrot, the lion, or the monkey, the parrot always predominating.

Behind one of the tables sat a man who differed in no way that the
captives could discover from those who accompanied them. Before
this person the party halted, and one of the men who had brought
them made what seemed to be an oral report.  Whether they were
before a judge, a military officer, or a civil dignitary they could
not know, but evidently he was a man of authority, for, after
listening to whatever recital was being made to him the while
he closely scrutinized the two captives, he made a single futile
attempt to converse with them and then issued some curt orders to
him who had made the report.

Almost immediately two of the men approached Bertha Kircher and
signaled her to accompany them. Smith-Oldwick started to follow her
but was intercepted by one of their guards. The girl stopped then
and turned back, at the same time looking at the man at the table
and making signs with her hands, indicating, as best she could,
that she wished Smith-Oldwick to remain with her, but the fellow
only shook his head negatively and motioned to the guards to remove
her.  The Englishman again attempted to follow but was restrained.
He was too weak and helpless even to make an attempt to enforce
his wishes. He thought of the pistol inside his shirt and then of
the futility of attempting to overcome an entire city with the few
rounds of ammunition left to him.

So far, with the single exception of the attack made upon him, they
had no reason to believe that they might not receive fair treatment
from their captors, and so he reasoned that it might be wiser to
avoid antagonizing them until such a time as he became thoroughly
convinced that their intentions were entirely hostile. He saw the
girl led from the building and just before she disappeared from
his view she turned and waved her hand to him:

"Good luck!" she cried, and was gone.

The lions that had entered the building with the party had, during
their examination by the man at the table, been driven from the
apartment through a doorway behind him. Toward this same doorway
two of the men now led Smith-Oldwick.  He found himself in a long
corridor from the sides of which other doorways opened, presumably
into other apartments of the building. At the far end of the corridor
he saw a heavy grating beyond which appeared an open courtyard.
Into this courtyard the prisoner was conducted, and as he entered
it with the two guards he found himself in an opening which was
bounded by the inner walls of the building. It was in the nature
of a garden in which a number of trees and flowering shrubs grew.
Beneath several of the trees were benches and there was a bench
along the south wall, but what aroused his most immediate attention
was the fact that the lions who had assisted in their capture and
who had accompanied them upon the return to the city, lay sprawled
about upon the ground or wandered restlessly to and fro.

Just inside the gate his guard halted. The two men exchanged a few
words and then turned and reentered the corridor. The Englishman
was horror-stricken as the full realization of his terrible plight
forced itself upon his tired brain. He turned and seized the grating
in an attempt to open it and gain the safety of the corridor, but
he found it securely locked against his every effort, and then he
called aloud to the retreating figure of the men within. The only
reply he received was a high-pitched, mirthless laugh, and then
the two passed through the doorway at the far end of the corridor
and he was alone with the lions.




Chapter XIX

The Queen's Story


In the meantime Bertha Kircher was conducted the length of the
plaza toward the largest and most pretentious of the buildings
surrounding it. This edifice covered the entire width of one end
of the plaza. It was several stories in height, the main entrance
being approached by a wide flight of stone steps, the bottom of
which was guarded by enormous stone lions, while at the top there
were two pedestals flanking the entrance and of the same height,
upon each of which was the stone image of a large parrot. As the
girl neared these latter images she saw that the capital of each
column was hewn into the semblance of a human skull upon which
the parrots perched. Above the arched doorway and upon the walls
of the building were the figures of other parrots, of lions, and
of monkeys. Some of these were carved in bas-relief; others were
delineated in mosaics, while still others appeared to have been
painted upon the surface of the wall.

The colorings of the last were apparently much subdued by age
with the result that the general effect was soft and beautiful.
The sculpturing and mosaic work were both finely executed, giving
evidence of a high degree of artistic skill. Unlike the first
building into which she had been conducted, the entrance to which
had been doorless, massive doors closed the entrance which she now
approached. In the niches formed by the columns which supported
the door's arch, and about the base of the pedestals of the stone
parrots, as well as in various other places on the broad stairway,
lolled some score of armed men. The tunics of these were all of a
vivid yellow and upon the breast and back of each was embroidered
the figure of a parrot.

As she was conducted up the stairway one of these yellow-coated
warriors approached and halted her guides at the top of the steps.
Here they exchanged a few words and while they were talking the
girl noticed that he who had halted them, as well as those whom
she could see of his companions, appeared to be, if possible, of
a lower mentality than her original captors.

Their coarse, bristling hair grew so low upon their foreheads as,
in some instances, to almost join their eyebrows, while the irises
were smaller, exposing more of the white of the eyeball.

After a short parley the man in charge of the doorway, for such
he seemed to be, turned and struck upon one of the panels with
the butt of his spear, at the same time calling to several of his
companions, who rose and came forward at his command. Soon the great
doors commenced slowly to swing creakingly open, and presently,
as they separated, the girl saw behind them the motive force which
operated the massive doors--to each door a half-dozen naked Negroes.

At the doorway her two guards were turned back and their places taken
by a half dozen of the yellow-coated soldiery.  These conducted her
through the doorway which the blacks, pulling upon heavy chains,
closed behind them. And as the girl watched them she noted with
horror that the poor creatures were chained by the neck to the
doors.

Before her led a broad hallway in the center of which was a little
pool of clear water. Here again in floor and walls was repeated in
new and ever-changing combinations and designs, the parrots, the
monkeys, and the lions, but now many of the figures were of what
the girl was convinced must be gold.  The walls of the corridor
consisted of a series of open archways through which, upon either
side, other spacious apartments were visible. The hallway was
entirely unfurnished, but the rooms on either side contained benches
and tables.  Glimpses of some of the walls revealed the fact that
they were covered with hangings of some colored fabric, while upon
the floors were thick rugs of barbaric design and the skins of
black lions and beautifully marked leopards.

The room directly to the right of the entrance was filled with men
wearing the yellow tunics of her new guard while the walls were hung
with numerous spears and sabers. At the far end of the corridor a
low flight of steps led to another closed doorway. Here the guard
was again halted. One of the guards at this doorway, after receiving
the report of one of those who accompanied her, passed through the
door, leaving them standing outside. It was fully fifteen minutes
before he returned, when the guard was again changed and the girl
conducted into the chamber beyond.

Through three other chambers and past three more massive doors, at
each of which her guard was changed, the girl was conducted before
she was ushered into a comparatively small room, back and forth
across the floor of which paced a man in a scarlet tunic, upon the
front and back of which was embroidered an enormous parrot and upon
whose head was a barbaric headdress surmounted by a stuffed parrot.

The walls of this room were entirely hidden by hangings upon which
hundreds, even thousands, of parrots were embroidered. Inlaid in
the floor were golden parrots, while, as thickly as they could be
painted, upon the ceiling were brilliant-hued parrots with wings
outspread as though in the act of flying.

The man himself was larger of stature than any she had yet seen
within the city. His parchment-like skin was wrinkled with age and
he was much fatter than any other of his kind that she had seen.
His bared arms, however, gave evidence of great strength and his
gait was not that of an old man. His facial expression denoted almost
utter imbecility and he was quite the most repulsive creature that
ever Bertha Kircher had looked upon.

For several minutes after she was conducted into his presence
he appeared not to be aware that she was there but continued his
restless pacing to and fro. Suddenly, without the slightest warning,
and while he was at the far end of the room from her with his back
toward her, he wheeled and rushed madly at her. Involuntarily the
girl shrank back, extending her open palms toward the frightful
creature as though to hold him aloof but a man upon either side of
her, the two who had conducted her into the apartment, seized and
held her.

Although he rushed violently toward her the man stopped without
touching her. For a moment his horrid white-rimmed eyes glared
searchingly into her face, immediately following which he burst
into maniacal laughter. For two or three minutes the creature gave
himself over to merriment and then, stopping as suddenly as he
had commenced to laugh, he fell to examining the prisoner. He felt
of her hair, her skin, the texture of the garment she wore and by
means of signs made her understand she was to open her mouth. In
the latter he seemed much interested, calling the attention of one
of the guards to her canine teeth and then baring his own sharp
fangs for the prisoner to see.

Presently he resumed pacing to and fro across the floor, and it
was fully fifteen minutes before he again noticed the prisoner, and
then it was to issue a curt order to her guards, who immediately
conducted her from the apartment.

The guards now led the girl through a series of corridors and
apartments to a narrow stone stairway which led to the floor above,
finally stopping before a small door where stood a naked Negro armed
with a spear. At a word from one of her guards the Negro opened the
door and the party passed into a low-ceiled apartment, the windows
of which immediately caught the girl's attention through the fact
that they were heavily barred. The room was furnished similarly to
those that she had seen in other parts of the building, the same
carved tables and benches, the rugs upon the floor, the decorations
upon the walls, although in every respect it was simpler than
anything she had seen on the floor below. In one corner was a low
couch covered with a rug similar to those on the floor except that
it was of a lighter texture, and upon this sat a woman.

As Bertha Kircher's eyes alighted upon the occupant of the room
the girl gave a little gasp of astonishment, for she recognized
immediately that here was a creature more nearly of her own kind
than any she had seen within the city's walls. An old woman it was
who looked at her through faded blue eyes, sunken deep in a wrinkled
and toothless face. But the eyes were those of a sane and intelligent
creature, and the wrinkled face was the face of a white woman.

At sight of the girl the woman rose and came forward, her gait so
feeble and unsteady that she was forced to support herself with a
long staff which she grasped in both her hands.  One of the guards
spoke a few words to her and then the men turned and left the
apartment. The girl stood just within the door waiting in silence
for what might next befall her.

The old woman crossed the room and stopped before her, raising
her weak and watery eyes to the fresh young face of the newcomer.
Then she scanned her from head to foot and once again the old eyes
returned to the girl's face. Bertha Kircher on her part was not
less frank in her survey of the little old woman. It was the latter
who spoke first. In a thin, cracked voice she spoke, hesitatingly,
falteringly, as though she were using unfamiliar words and speaking
a strange tongue.

"You are from the outer world?" she asked in English.  "God grant
that you may speak and understand this tongue."

"English?" the girl exclaimed, "Yes, of course, I speak English."

"Thank God!" cried the little old woman. "I did not know whether I
myself might speak it so that another could understand. For sixty
years I have spoken only their accursed gibberish. For sixty years
I have not heard a word in my native language. Poor creature! Poor
creature!" she mumbled.  "What accursed misfortune threw you into
their hands?"

"You are an English woman?" asked Bertha Kircher. "Did I understand
you aright that you are an English woman and have been here for
sixty years?"

The old woman nodded her head affirmatively. "For sixty years I
have never been outside of this palace. Come," she said, stretching
forth a bony hand. "I am very old and cannot stand long. Come and
sit with me on my couch."

The girl took the proffered hand and assisted the old lady back
to the opposite side of the room and when she was seated the girl
sat down beside her.

"Poor child! Poor child!" moaned the old woman. "Far better to have
died than to have let them bring you here. At first I might have
destroyed myself but there was always the hope that someone would
come who would take me away, but none ever comes. Tell me how they
got you."

Very briefly the girl narrated the principal incidents which led
up to her capture by some of the creatures of the city.

"Then there is a man with you in the city?" asked the old woman.

"Yes," said the girl, "but I do not know where he is nor what are
their intentions in regard to him. In fact, I do not know what
their intentions toward me are."

"No one might even guess," said the old woman. "They do not know
themselves from one minute to the next what their intentions are,
but I think you can rest assured, my poor child, that you will
never see your friend again."

"But they haven't slain you," the girl reminded her, "and you have
been their prisoner, you say, for sixty years."

"No," replied her companion, "they have not killed me, nor will
they kill you, though God knows before you have lived long in this
horrible place you will beg them to kill you."

"Who are they--" asked Bertha Kircher, "what kind of people? They
differ from any that I ever have seen. And tell me, too, how you
came here."

"It was long ago," said the old woman, rocking back and forth on
the couch. "It was long ago. Oh, how long it was!  I was only twenty
then. Think of it, child! Look at me. I have no mirror other than
my bath, I cannot see what I look like for my eyes are old, but
with my fingers I can feel my old and wrinkled face, my sunken eyes,
and these flabby lips drawn in over toothless gums. I am old and
bent and hideous, but then I was young and they said that I was
beautiful. No, I will not be a hypocrite; I was beautiful. My glass
told me that.

"My father was a missionary in the interior and one day there came
a band of Arabian slave raiders. They took the men and women of
the little native village where my father labored, and they took
me, too. They did not know much about our part of the country so
they were compelled to rely upon the men of our village whom they
had captured to guide them. They told me that they never before
had been so far south and that they had heard there was a country
rich in ivory and slaves west of us. They wanted to go there and
from there they would take us north, where I was to be sold into
the harem of some black sultan.

"They often discussed the price I would bring, and that that price
might not lessen, they guarded me jealously from one another so
the journeys were made as little fatiguing for me as possible. I
was given the best food at their command and I was not harmed.

"But after a short time, when we had reached the confines of the
country with which the men of our village were familiar and had
entered upon a desolate and arid desert waste, the Arabs realized
at last that we were lost. But they still kept on, ever toward
the west, crossing hideous gorges and marching across the face of
a burning land beneath the pitiless sun. The poor slaves they had
captured were, of course, compelled to carry all the camp equipage
and loot and thus heavily burdened, half starved and without water,
they soon commenced to die like flies.

"We had not been in the desert land long before the Arabs were
forced to kill their horses for food, and when we reached the first
gorge, across which it would have been impossible to transport the
animals, the balance of them were slaughtered and the meat loaded
upon the poor staggering blacks who still survived.

"Thus we continued for two more days and now all but a handful of
blacks were dead, and the Arabs themselves had commenced to succumb
to hunger and thirst and the intense heat of the desert. As far as
the eye could reach back toward the land of plenty from whence we
had come, our route was marked by circling vultures in the sky and
by the bodies of the dead who lay down in the trackless waste for
the last time. The ivory had been abandoned tusk by tusk as the
blacks gave out, and along the trail of death was strewn the camp
equipage and the horse trappings of a hundred men.

"For some reason the Arab chief favored me to the last, possibly
with the idea that of all his other treasures I could be most easily
transported, for I was young and strong and after the horses were
killed I had walked and kept up with the best of the men. We English,
you know, are great walkers, while these Arabians had never walked
since they were old enough to ride a horse.

"I cannot tell you how much longer we kept on but at last, with
our strength almost gone, a handful of us reached the bottom of a
deep gorge. To scale the opposite side was out of the question and
so we kept on down along the sands of what must have been the bed
of an ancient river, until finally we came to a point where we
looked out upon what appeared to be a beautiful valley in which we
felt assured that we would find game in plenty.

"By then there were only two of us left--the chief and myself. I
do not need to tell you what the valley was, for you found it in
much the same way as I did. So quickly were we captured that it
seemed they must have been waiting for us, and I learned later that
such was the case, just as they were waiting for you.

"As you came through the forest you must have seen the monkeys
and parrots and since you have entered the palace, how constantly
these animals, and the lions, are used in the decorations. At home
we were all familiar with talking parrots who repeated the things
that they were taught to say, but these parrots are different
in that they all talk in the same language that the people of the
city use, and they say that the monkeys talk to the parrots and the
parrots fly to the city and tell the people what the monkeys say.
And, although it is hard to believe, I have learned that this is
so, for I have lived here among them for sixty years in the palace
of their king.

"They brought me, as they brought you, directly to the palace. The
Arabian chief was taken elsewhere. I never knew what became of him.
Ago XXV was king then. I have seen many kings since that day. He
was a terrible man; but then, they are all terrible."

"What is the matter with them?" asked the girl.

"They are a race of maniacs," replied the old woman. "Had you not
guessed it? Among them are excellent craftsmen and good farmers
and a certain amount of law and order, such as it is.

"They reverence all birds, but the parrot is their chief deity.
There is one who is held here in the palace in a very beautiful
apartment. He is their god of gods. He is a very old bird. If what
Ago told me when I came is true, he must be nearly three hundred
years old by now. Their religious rites are revolting in the
extreme, and I believe that it may be the practice of these rites
through ages that has brought the race to its present condition of
imbecility.

"And yet, as I said, they are not without some redeeming qualities.
If legend may be credited, their forebears--a little handful of
men and women who came from somewhere out of the north and became
lost in the wilderness of central Africa--found here only a barren
desert valley. To my own knowledge rain seldom, if ever, falls
here, and yet you have seen a great forest and luxuriant vegetation
outside of the city as well as within. This miracle is accomplished
by the utilization of natural springs which their ancestors developed,
and upon which they have improved to such an extent that the entire
valley receives an adequate amount of moisture at all times.

"Ago told me that many generations before his time the forest was
irrigated by changing the course of the streams which carried the
spring water to the city but that when the trees had sent their
roots down to the natural moisture of the soil and required no
further irrigation, the course of the stream was changed and other
trees were planted. And so the forest grew until today it covers
almost the entire floor of the valley except for the open space
where the city stands. I do not know that this is true. It may be
that the forest has always been here, but it is one of their legends
and it is borne out by the fact that there is not sufficient rainfall
here to support vegetation.

"They are peculiar people in many respects, not only in their form
of worship and religious rites but also in that they breed lions
as other people breed cattle. You have seen how they use some of
these lions but the majority of them they fatten and eat. At first,
I imagine, they ate lion meat as a part of their religious ceremony
but after many generations they came to crave it so that now it is
practically the only flesh they eat. They would, of course, rather
die than eat the flesh of a bird, nor will they eat monkey's meat,
while the herbivorous animals they raise only for milk, hides,
and flesh for the lions.  Upon the south side of the city are the
corrals and pastures where the herbivorous animals are raised.
Boar, deer, and antelope are used principally for the lions, while
goats are kept for milk for the human inhabitants of the city."

"And you have lived here all these years," exclaimed the girl,
"without ever seeing one of your own kind?"

The old woman nodded affirmatively.

"For sixty years you have lived here," continued Bertha Kircher,
"and they have not harmed you!"

"I did not say they had not harmed me," said the old woman, "they
did not kill me, that is all."

"What"--the girl hesitated--"what," she continued at last, "was
your position among them? Pardon me," she added quickly, "I think
I know but I should like to hear from your own lips, for whatever
your position was, mine will doubtless be the same."

The old woman nodded. "Yes," she said, "doubtless; if they can keep
you away from the women."

"What do you mean?" asked the girl.

"For sixty years I have never been allowed near a woman.  They would
kill me, even now, if they could reach me. The men are frightful,
God knows they are frightful! But heaven keep you from the women!"

"You mean," asked the girl, "that the men will not harm me?"

"Ago XXV made me his queen," said the old woman. "But he had many
other queens, nor were they all human. He was not murdered for ten
years after I came here. Then the next king took me, and so it has
been always. I am the oldest queen now. Very few of their women live
to a great age. Not only are they constantly liable to assassination
but, owing to their subnormal mentalities, they are subject to
periods of depression during which they are very likely to destroy
themselves."

She turned suddenly and pointed to the barred windows.  "You see
this room," she said, "with the black eunuch outside? Wherever
you see these you will know that there are women, for with very
few exceptions they are never allowed out of captivity. They are
considered and really are more violent than the men."

For several minutes the two sat in silence, and then the younger
woman turned to the older.

"Is there no way to escape?" she asked.

The old woman pointed again to the barred windows and then to the
door, saying: "And there is the armed eunuch.  And if you should
pass him, how could you reach the street?  And if you reached the
street,  how could you pass through the city to the outer wall? And
even if, by some miracle, you should gain the outer wall, and, by
another miracle, you should be permitted to pass through the gate,
could you ever hope to traverse the forest where the great black
lions roam and feed upon men? No!" she exclaimed, answering her
own question, "there is no escape, for after one had escaped from
the palace and the city and the forest it would be but to invite
death in the frightful desert land beyond.

"In sixty years you are the first to find this buried city. In
a thousand no denizen of this valley has ever left it, and within
the memory of man, or even in their legends, none had found them
prior to my coming other than a single warlike giant, the story of
whom has been handed down from father to son.

"I think from the description that he must have been a Spaniard,
a giant of a man in buckler and helmet, who fought his way through
the terrible forest to the city gate, who fell upon those who were
sent out to capture him and slew them with his mighty sword. And
when he had eaten of the vegetables from the gardens, and the fruit
from the trees and drank of the water from the stream, he turned
about and fought his way back through the forest to the mouth of
the gorge. But though he escaped the city and the forest he did
not escape the desert. For a legend runs that the king, fearful
that he would bring others to attack them, sent a party after him
to slay him.

"For three weeks they did not find him, for they went in the wrong
direction, but at last they came upon his bones picked clean by
the vultures, lying a day's march up the same gorge through which
you and I entered the valley. I do not know," continued the old
woman, "that this is true. It is just one of their many legends."

"Yes," said the girl, "it is true. I am sure it is true, for I have
seen the skeleton and the corroded armor of this great giant."

At this juncture the door was thrown open without ceremony and a
Negro entered bearing two flat vessels in which were several smaller
ones. These he set down on one of the tables near the women, and,
without a word, turned and left. With the entrance of the man
with the vessels, a delightful odor of cooked food had aroused the
realization in the girl's mind that she was very hungry, and at
a word from the old woman she walked to the table to examine the
viands. The larger vessels which contained the smaller ones were
of pottery while those within them were quite evidently of hammered
gold. To her intense surprise she found lying between the smaller
vessels a spoon and a fork, which, while of quaint design, were quite
as serviceable as any she had seen in more civilized communities.
The tines of the fork were quite evidently of iron or steel, the
girl did not know which, while the handle and the spoon were of
the same material as the smaller vessels.

There was a highly seasoned stew with meat and vegetables, a dish
of fresh fruit, and a bowl of milk beside which was a little jug
containing something which resembled marmalade.  So ravenous was she
that she did not even wait for her companion to reach the table,
and as she ate she could have sworn that never before had she tasted
more palatable food. The old woman came slowly and sat down on one
of the benches opposite her.

As she removed the smaller vessels from the larger and arranged
them before her on the table a crooked smile twisted her lips as
she watched the younger woman eat.

"Hunger is a great leveler," she said with a laugh.

"What do you mean?" asked the girl.

"I venture to say that a few weeks ago you would have been nauseated
at the idea of eating cat."

"Cat?" exclaimed the girl.

"Yes," said the old woman. "What is the difference--a lion is a
cat."

"You mean I am eating lion now?"

"Yes," said the old woman, "and as they prepare it, it is very
palatable. You will grow very fond of it."

Bertha Kircher smiled a trifle dubiously. "I could not tell it,"
she said, "from lamb or veal."

"No," said the woman, "it tastes as good to me. But these lions
are very carefully kept and very carefully fed and their flesh is
so seasoned and prepared that it might be anything so far as taste
is concerned."

And so Bertha Kircher broke her long fast upon strange fruits, lion
meat, and goat's milk.

Scarcely had she finished when again the door opened and there
entered a yellow-coated soldier. He spoke to the old woman.

"The king," she said, "has commanded that you be prepared and brought
to him. You are to share these apartments with me. The king knows
that I am not like his other women. He never would have dared to
put you with them. Herog XVI has occasional lucid intervals. You
must have been brought to him during one of these. Like the rest
of them he thinks that he alone of all the community is sane, but
more than once I have thought that the various men with whom I have
come in contact here, including the kings themselves, looked upon
me as, at least, less mad than the others. Yet how I have retained
my senses all these years is beyond me."

"What do you mean by prepare?" asked Bertha Kircher.  "You said
that the king had commanded I be prepared and brought to him."

"You will be bathed and furnished with a robe similar to that which
I wear."

"Is there no escape?" asked the girl. "Is there no way even in
which I can kill myself?"

The woman handed her the fork. "This is the only way," she said,
"and you will notice that the tines are very short and blunt."

The girl shuddered and the old woman laid a hand gently upon her
shoulder. "He may only look at you and send you away," she said.
"Ago XXV sent for me once, tried to talk with me, discovered
that I could not understand him and that he could not understand
me, ordered that I be taught the language of his people, and then
apparently forgot me for a year. Sometimes I do not see the king
for a long period.  There was one king who ruled for five years
whom I never saw.  There is always hope; even I whose very memory
has doubtless been forgotten beyond these palace walls still hope,
though none knows better how futilely."

The old woman led Bertha Kircher to an adjoining apartment in
the floor of which was a pool of water. Here the girl bathed and
afterward her companion brought her one of the clinging garments
of the native women and adjusted it about her figure. The material
of the robe was of a gauzy fabric which accentuated the rounded
beauty of the girlish form.

"There," said the old woman, as she gave a final pat to one of the
folds of the garment, "you are a queen indeed!"

The girl looked down at her naked breasts and but half-concealed
limbs in horror. "They are going to lead me into the presence of
men in this half-nude condition!" she exclaimed.

The old woman smiled her crooked smile. "It is nothing," she said.
"You will become accustomed to it as did I who was brought up in
the home of a minister of the gospel, where it was considered little
short of a crime for a woman to expose her stockinged ankle. By
comparison with what you will doubtless see and the things that
you may be called upon to undergo, this is but a trifle."

For what seemed hours to the distraught girl she paced the floor
of her apartment, awaiting the final summons to the presence of the
mad king. Darkness had fallen and the oil flares within the palace
had been lighted long before two messengers appeared with instructions
that Herog demanded her immediate presence and that the old woman,
whom they called Xanila, was to accompany her. The girl felt some
slight relief when she discovered that she was to have at least
one friend with her, however powerless to assist her the old woman
might be.

The messengers conducted the two to a small apartment on the floor
below. Xanila explained that this was one of the anterooms off
the main throneroom in which the king was accustomed to hold court
with his entire retinue. A number of yellow-tunicked warriors sat
about upon the benches within the room. For the most part their
eyes were bent upon the floor and their attitudes that of moody
dejection. As the two women entered several glanced indifferently
at them, but for the most part no attention was paid to them.

While they were waiting in the anteroom there entered from another
apartment a young man uniformed similarly to the others with the
exception that upon his head was a fillet of gold, in the front of
which a single parrot feather rose erectly above his forehead. As
he entered, the other soldiers in the room rose to their feet.

"That is Metak, one of the king's sons," Xanila whispered to the
girl.

The prince was crossing the room toward the audience chamber when
his glance happened to fall upon Bertha Kircher. He halted in his
tracks and stood looking at her for a full minute without speaking.
The girl, embarrassed by his bold stare and her scant attire, flushed
and, dropping her gaze to the floor, turned away. Metak suddenly
commenced to tremble from head to foot and then, without warning
other than a loud, hoarse scream he sprang forward and seized the
girl in his arms.

Instantly pandemonium ensued. The two messengers who had been charged
with the duty of conducting the girl to the king's presence danced,
shrieking, about the prince, waving their arms and gesticulating
wildly as though they would force him to relinquish her, the
while they dared not lay hands upon royalty. The other guardsmen,
as though suffering in sympathy the madness of their prince, ran
forward screaming and brandishing their sabers.

The girl fought to release herself from the horrid embrace of the
maniac, but with his left arm about her he held her as easily as
though she had been but a babe, while with his free hand he drew
his saber and struck viciously at those nearest him.

One of the messengers was the first to feel the keen edge of
Metak's blade. With a single fierce cut the prince drove through
the fellow's collar bone and downward to the center of his chest.
With a shrill shriek that rose above the screaming of the other
guardsmen the man dropped to the floor, and as the blood gushed
from the frightful wound he struggled to rise once more to his feet
and then sank back again and died in a great pool of his own blood.

In the meantime Metak, still clinging desperately to the girl,
had backed toward the opposite door. At the sight of the blood two
of the guardsmen, as though suddenly aroused to maniacal frenzy,
dropped their sabers to the floor and fell upon each other with
nails and teeth, while some sought to reach the prince and some
to defend him. In a corner of the room sat one of the guardsmen
laughing uproariously and just as Metak succeeded in reaching the
door and taking the girl through, she thought that she saw another
of the men spring upon the corpse of the dead messenger and bury
his teeth in its flesh.

During the orgy of madness Xanila had kept closely at the girl's
side but at the door of the room Metak had seen her and, wheeling
suddenly, cut viciously at her. Fortunately for Xanila she was
halfway through the door at the time, so that Metak's blade but
dented itself upon the stone arch of the portal, and then Xanila,
guided doubtless by the wisdom of sixty years of similar experiences,
fled down the corridor as fast as her old and tottering legs would
carry her.

Metak, once outside the door, returned his saber to its scabbard
and lifting the girl bodily from the ground carried her off in the
opposite direction from that taken by Xanila.




Chapter XX

Came Tarzan


Just before dark that evening, an almost exhausted flier entered
the headquarters of Colonel Capell of the Second Rhodesians and
saluted.

"Well, Thompson," asked the superior, "what luck? The others have
all returned. Never saw a thing of Oldwick or his plane. I guess
we shall have to give it up unless you were more successful."

"I was," replied the young officer. "I found the plane."

"No!" ejaculated Colonel Capell. "Where was it? Any sign of Oldwick?"

"It is in the rottenest hole in the ground you ever saw, quite a
bit inland. Narrow gorge. Saw the plane all right but can't reach
it. There was a regular devil of a lion wandering around it. I
landed near the edge of the cliff and was going to climb down and
take a look at the plane. But this fellow hung around for an hour
or more and I finally had to give it up."

"Do you think the lions got Oldwick?" asked the colonel.

"I doubt it," replied Lieutenant Thompson, "from the fact that there
was no indication that the lion had fed anywhere about the plane.
I arose after I found it was impossible to get down around the
plane and reconnoitered up and down the gorge. Several miles to the
south I found a small, wooded valley in the center of which--please
don't think me crazy, sir--is a regular city--streets, buildings,
a central plaza with a lagoon, good-sized buildings with domes and
minarets and all that sort of stuff."

The elder officer looked at the younger compassionately.  "You're
all wrought up, Thompson," he said. "Go and take a good sleep. You
have been on this job now for a long while and it must have gotten
on your nerves."

The young man shook his head a bit irritably. "Pardon me, sir," he
said, "but I am telling you the truth. I am not mistaken. I circled
over the place several times. It may be that Oldwick has found his
way there--or has been captured by these people."

"Were there people in the city?" asked the colonel.

"Yes, I saw them in the streets."

"Do you think cavalry could reach the valley?" asked the colonel.

"No," replied Thompson, "the country is all cut up with these
deep gorges. Even infantry would have a devil of a time of it, and
there is absolutely no water that I could discover for at least a
two days' march."

It was at this juncture that a big Vauxhall drew up in front of the
headquarters of the Second Rhodesians and a moment later General
Smuts alighted and entered. Colonel Capell arose from his chair and
saluted his superior, and the young lieutenant saluted and stood
at attention.

"I was passing," said the general, "and I thought I would stop for
a chat. By the way, how is the search for Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick
progressing? I see Thompson here and I believe he was one of those
detailed to the search."

"Yes," said Capell, "he was. He is the last to come in. He found the
lieutenant's ship," and then he repeated what Lieutenant Thompson
had reported to him. The general sat down at the table with Colonel
Capell, and together the two officers, with the assistance of the
flier, marked the approximate location of the city which Thompson
had reported he'd discovered.

"It's a mighty rough country," remarked Smuts, "but we can't leave
a stone unturned until we have exhausted every resource to find
that boy. We will send out a small force; a small one will be more
likely to succeed than a large one. About one company, Colonel,
or say two, with sufficient motor lorries for transport of rations
and water. Put a good man in command and let him establish a base
as far to the west as the motors can travel. You can leave one
company there and send the other forward. I am inclined to believe
you can establish your base within a day's march of the city and
if such is the case the force you send ahead should have no trouble
on the score of lack of water as there certainly must be water
in the valley where the city lies. Detail a couple of planes for
reconnaissance and messenger service so that the base can keep in
touch at all times with the advance party. When can your force move
out?"

"We can load the lorries tonight," replied Capell, "and march about
one o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Good," said the general, "keep me advised," and returning the
others' salutes he departed.

As Tarzan leaped for the vines he realized that the lion was
close upon him and that his life depended upon the strength of the
creepers clinging to the city walls; but to his intense relief he
found the stems as large around as a man's arm, and the tendrils
which had fastened themselves to the wall so firmly fixed, that his
weight upon the stem appeared to have no appreciable effect upon
them.

He heard Numa's baffled roar as the lion slipped downward clawing
futilely at the leafy creepers, and then with the agility of the
apes who had reared him, Tarzan bounded nimbly aloft to the summit
of the wall.

A few feet below him was the flat roof of the adjoining building
and as he dropped to it his back was toward the niche from which
an embrasure looked out upon the gardens and the forest beyond, so
that he did not see the figure crouching there in the dark shadow.
But if he did not see he was not long in ignorance of the fact that
he was not alone, for scarcely had his feet touched the roof when
a heavy body leaped upon him from behind and brawny arms encircled
him about the waist.

Taken at a disadvantage and lifted from his feet, the ape-man was,
for the time being, helpless. Whatever the creature was that had
seized him, it apparently had a well-defined purpose in mind, for
it walked directly toward the edge of the roof so that it was soon
apparent to Tarzan that he was to be hurled to the pavement below--a
most efficacious manner of disposing of an intruder. That he would
be either maimed or killed the ape-man was confident; but he had
no intention of permitting his assailant to carry out the plan.

Tarzan's arms and legs were free but he was in such a disadvantageous
position that he could not use them to any good effect. His only
hope lay in throwing the creature off its balance, and to this end
Tarzan straightened his body and leaned as far back against his
captor as he could, and then suddenly lunged forward. The result was
as satisfactory as he could possibly have hoped. The great weight
of the ape-man thrown suddenly out from an erect position caused
the other also to lunge violently forward with the result that to
save himself he involuntarily released his grasp. Catlike in his
movements, the ape-man had no sooner touched the roof than he was
upon his feet again, facing his adversary, a man almost as large
as himself and armed with a saber which he now whipped from its
scabbard. Tarzan, however, had no mind to allow the use of this
formidable weapon and so he dove for the other's legs beneath the
vicious cut that was directed at him from the side, and as a football
player tackles an opposing runner, Tarzan tackled his antagonist,
carrying him backward several yards and throwing him heavily to
the roof upon his back.

No sooner had the man touched the roof than the ape-man was upon
his chest, one brawny hand sought and found the sword wrist and
the other the throat of the yellow-tunicked guardsman. Until then
the fellow had fought in silence but just as Tarzan's fingers
touched his throat he emitted a single piercing shriek that the
brown fingers cut off almost instantly.  The fellow struggled to
escape the clutch of the naked creature upon his breast but equally
as well might he have fought to escape the talons of Numa, the
lion.

Gradually his struggles lessened, his pin-point eyes popped from
their sockets, rolling horribly upward, while from his foam-flecked
lips his swollen tongue protruded. As his struggles ceased Tarzan
arose, and placing a foot upon the carcass of his kill, was upon
the point of screaming forth his victory cry when the thought that
the work before him required the utmost caution sealed his lips.

Walking to the edge of the roof he looked down into the narrow,
winding street below. At intervals, apparently at each street
intersection, an oil flare sputtered dimly from brackets set
in the walls a trifle higher than a man's head. For the most part
the winding alleys were in dense shadow and even in the immediate
vicinity of the flares the illumination was far from brilliant.
In the restricted area of his vision he could see that there were
still a few of the strange inhabitants moving about the narrow
thoroughfares.

To prosecute his search for the young officer and the girl he must
be able to move about the city as freely as possible, but to pass
beneath one of the corner flares, naked as he was except for a
loin cloth, and in every other respect markedly different from the
inhabitants of the city, would be but to court almost immediate
discovery. As these thoughts flashed through his mind and he cast
about for some feasible plan of action, his eyes fell upon the
corpse upon the roof near him, and immediately there occurred to
him the possibility of disguising himself in the raiment of his
conquered adversary.

It required but a few moments for the ape-man to clothe himself
in the tights, sandals, and parrot emblazoned yellow tunic of the
dead soldier. Around his waist he buckled the saber belt but beneath
the tunic he retained the hunting knife of his dead father. His
other weapons he could not lightly discard, and so, in the hope
that he might eventually recover them, he carried them to the edge
of the wall and dropped them among the foliage at its base. At the
last moment he found it difficult to part with his rope, which,
with his knife, was his most accustomed weapon, and one which he
had used for the greatest length of time. He found that by removing
the saber belt he could wind the rope about his waist beneath his
tunic, and then replacing the belt still retain it entirely concealed
from chance observation.

At last, satisfactorily disguised, and with even his shock of black
hair adding to the verisimilitude of his likeness to the natives
of the city, he sought for some means of reaching the street below.
While he might have risked a drop from the eaves of the roof he
feared to do so lest he attract the attention of passers-by, and
probable discovery. The roofs of the buildings varied in height but
as the ceilings were all low he found that he could easily travel
along the roof tops and this he did for some little distance, until
he suddenly discovered just ahead of him several figures reclining
upon the roof of a near-by building.

He had noticed openings in each roof, evidently giving ingress to
the apartments below, and now, his advance cut off by those ahead
of him, he decided to risk the chance of reaching the street
through the interior of one of the buildings. Approaching one of
the openings he leaned over the black hole, and listened for sounds
of life in the apartment below. Neither his ears nor his nose
registered evidence of the presence of any living creature in the
immediate vicinity, and so without further hesitation the ape-man
lowered his body through the aperture and was about to drop
when his foot came in contact with the rung of a ladder, which he
immediately took advantage of to descend to the floor of the room
below.

Here, all was almost total darkness until his eyes became accustomed
to the interior, the darkness of which was slightly alleviated
by the reflected light from a distant street flare which shone
intermittently through the narrow windows fronting the thoroughfare.
Finally, assured that the apartment was unoccupied, Tarzan sought
for a stairway to the ground floor.  This he found in a dark hallway
upon which the room opened--a flight of narrow stone steps leading
downward toward the street. Chance favored him so that he reached
the shadows of the arcade without encountering any of the inmates
of the house.

Once on the street he was not at a loss as to the direction in which
he wished to go, for he had tracked the two Europeans practically
to the gate, which he felt assured must have given them entry to
the city. His keen sense of direction and location made it possible
for him to judge with considerable accuracy the point within the
city where he might hope to pick up the spoor of those whom he
sought.

The first need, however, was to discover a street paralleling the
northern wall along which he could make his way in the direction of
the gate he had seen from the forest. Realizing that his greatest
hope of success lay in the boldness of his operations he moved off
in the direction of the nearest street flare without making any
other attempt at concealment than keeping in the shadows of the
arcade, which he judged would draw no particular attention to him
in that he saw other pedestrians doing likewise. The few he passed
gave him no heed, and he had almost reached the nearest intersection
when he saw several men wearing yellow tunics identical to that
which he had taken from his prisoner.

They were coming directly toward him and the ape-man saw that should
he continue on he would meet them directly at the intersection
of the two streets in the full light of the flare. His first
inclination was to go steadily on, for personally he had no objection
to chancing a scrimmage with them; but a sudden recollection of the
girl, possibly a helpless prisoner in the hands of these people,
caused him to seek some other and less hazardous plan of action.

He had almost emerged from the shadow of the arcade into the full
light of the flare and the approaching men were but a few yards
from him, when he suddenly kneeled and pretended to adjust the
wrappings of his sandals--wrappings, which, by the way, he was
not at all sure that he had adjusted as their makers had intended
them to be adjusted. He was still kneeling when the soldiers came
abreast of him. Like the others he had passed they paid no attention
to him and the moment they were behind him he continued upon his
way, turning to the right at the intersection of the two streets.

The street he now took was, at this point, so extremely winding
that, for the most part, it received no benefit from the flares at
either corner, so that he was forced practically to grope his way
in the dense shadows of the arcade. The street became a little
straighter just before he reached the next flare, and as he came
within sight of it he saw silhouetted against a patch of light the
figure of a lion. The beast was coming slowly down the street in
Tarzan's direction.

A woman crossed the way directly in front of it and the lion paid
no attention to her, nor she to the lion. An instant later a little
child ran after the woman and so close did he run before the lion
that the beast was forced to turn out of its way a step to avoid
colliding with the little one. The ape-man grinned and crossed
quickly to the opposite side of the street, for his delicate senses
indicated that at this point the breeze stirring through the city
streets and deflected by the opposite wall would now blow from the
lion toward him as the beast passed, whereas if he remained upon
the side of the street upon which he had been walking when he
discovered the carnivore, his scent would have been borne to the
nostrils of the animal, and Tarzan was sufficiently jungle-wise
to realize that while he might deceive the eyes of man and beast
he could not so easily disguise from the nostrils of one of the
great cats that he was a creature of a different species from the
inhabitants of the city, the only human beings, possibly, that Numa
was familiar with.  In him the cat would recognize a stranger, and,
therefore, an enemy, and Tarzan had no desire to be delayed by an
encounter with a savage lion. His ruse worked successfully, the
lion passing him with not more than a side glance in his direction.

He had proceeded for some little distance and had about reached a
point where he judged he would find the street which led up from
the city gate when, at an intersection of two streets, his nostrils
caught the scent spoor of the girl. Out of a maze of other scent
spoors the ape-man picked the familiar odor of the girl and, a second
later, that of Smith-Oldwick.  He had been forced to accomplish
it, however, by bending very low at each street intersection in
repeated attention to his sandal wrappings, bringing his nostrils
as close to the pavement as possible.

As he advanced along the street through which the two had been
conducted earlier in the day he noted, as had they, the change
in the type of buildings as he passed from a residence district
into that portion occupied by shops and bazaars. Here the number
of flares was increased so that they appeared not only at street
intersections but midway between as well, and there were many
more people abroad. The shops were open and lighted, for with the
setting of the sun the intense heat of the day had given place to
a pleasant coolness. Here also the number of lions, roaming loose
through the thoroughfares, increased, and also for the first time
Tarzan noted the idiosyncrasies of the people.

Once he was nearly upset by a naked man running rapidly through
the street screaming at the top of his voice. And again he nearly
stumbled over a woman who was making her way in the shadows of one
of the arcades upon all fours. At first the ape-man thought she was
hunting for something she had dropped, but as he drew to one side
to watch her, he saw that she was doing nothing of the kind--that
she had merely elected to walk upon her hands and knees rather
than erect upon her feet. In another block he saw two creatures
struggling upon the roof of an adjacent building until finally one
of them, wrenching himself free from the grasp of the other, gave
his adversary a mighty push which hurled him to the pavement below,
where he lay motionless upon the dusty road. For an instant a wild
shriek re-echoed through the city from the lungs of the victor and
then, without an instant's hesitation, the fellow leaped headfirst
to the street beside the body of his victim. A lion moved out from
the dense shadows of a doorway and approached the two bloody and
lifeless things before him. Tarzan wondered what effect the odor
of blood would have upon the beast and was surprised to see that
the animal only sniffed at the corpses and the hot red blood and
then lay down beside the two dead men.

He had passed the lion but a short distance when his attention was
called to the figure of a man lowering himself laboriously from the
roof of a building upon the east side of the thoroughfare. Tarzan's
curiosity was aroused.




Chapter XXI

In the Alcove


As Smith-Oldwick realized that he was alone and practically defenseless
in an enclosure filled with great lions  he was, in his weakened
condition, almost in a state verging upon hysterical terror.
Clinging to the grating for support he dared not turn his head in
the direction of the beasts behind him. He felt his knees giving
weakly beneath him. Something within his head spun rapidly around.
He became very dizzy and nauseated and then suddenly all went
black before his eyes as his limp body collapsed at the foot of
the grating.

How long he lay there unconscious he never knew; but as reason
slowly reasserted itself in his semi-conscious state he was aware
that he lay in a cool bed upon the whitest of linen in a bright
and cheery room, and that upon one side close to him was an open
window, the delicate hangings of which were fluttering in a soft
summer breeze which blew in from a sun-kissed orchard of ripening
fruit which he could see without--an old orchard in which soft,
green grass grew between the laden trees, and where the sun filtered
through the foliage; and upon the dappled greensward a little child
was playing with a frolicsome puppy.

"God," thought the man, "what a horrible nightmare I have passed
through!" and then he felt a hand stroking his brow and cheek--a
cool and gentle hand that smoothed away his troubled recollections.
For a long minute Smith-Oldwick lay in utter peace and content
until gradually there was forced upon his sensibilities the fact
that the hand had become rough, and that it was no longer cool but
hot and moist; and suddenly he opened his eyes and looked up into
the face of a huge lion.

Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick was not only an English
gentleman and an officer in name, he was also what these implied--a
brave man; but when he realized that the sweet picture he had looked
upon was but the figment of a dream, and that in reality he still
lay where he had fallen at the foot of the grating with a lion
standing over him licking his face, the tears sprang to his eyes
and ran down his cheeks.  Never, he thought, had an unkind fate
played so cruel a joke upon a human being.

For some time he lay feigning death while the lion, having ceased
to lick him, sniffed about his body. There are some things than which
death is to be preferred; and there came at last to the Englishman
the realization that it would be better to die swiftly than to
lie in this horrible predicament until his mind broke beneath the
strain and he went mad.

And so, deliberately and without haste, he rose, clinging to the
grating for support. At his first move the lion growled, but after
that he paid no further attention to the man, and when at last
Smith-Oldwick had regained his feet the lion moved indifferently
away. Then it was that the man turned and looked about the enclosure.

Sprawled beneath the shade of the trees and lying upon the long bench
beside the south wall the great beasts rested, with the exception
of two or three who moved restlessly about. It was these that the
man feared and yet when two more of them had passed him by he began
to feel reassured, recalling the fact that they were accustomed to
the presence of man.

And yet he dared not move from the grating. As the man examined his
surroundings he noted that the branches of one of the trees near
the further wall spread close beneath an open window. If he could
reach that tree and had strength to do so, he could easily climb
out upon the branch and escape, at least, from the enclosure of the
lions. But in order to reach the tree he must pass the full length
of the enclosure, and at the very bole of the tree itself two lions
lay sprawled out in slumber.

For half an hour the man stood gazing longingly at this seeming
avenue of escape, and at last, with a muttered oath, he straightened
up and throwing back his shoulders in a gesture of defiance, he
walked slowly and deliberately down the center of the courtyard.
One of the prowling lions turned from the side wall and moved
toward the center directly in the man's path, but Smith-Oldwick was
committed to what he considered his one chance, for even temporary
safety, and so he kept on, ignoring the presence of the beast. The
lion slouched to his side and sniffed him and then, growling, he
bared his teeth.

Smith-Oldwick drew the pistol from his shirt. "If he has made up
his mind to kill me," he thought. "I can't see that it will make
any difference in the long run whether I infuriate him or not. The
beggar can't kill me any deader in one mood than another."

But with the man's movement in withdrawing the weapon from his shirt
the lion's attitude suddenly altered and though he still growled
he turned and sprang away, and then at last the Englishman stood
almost at the foot of the tree that was his goal, and between him
and safety sprawled a sleeping lion.

Above him was a limb that ordinarily he could have leaped for and
reached with ease; but weak from his wounds and loss of blood he
doubted his ability to do so now. There was even a question as to
whether he would be able to ascend the tree at all. There was just
one chance: the lowest branch left the bole within easy reach of a
man standing on the ground close to the tree's stem, but to reach
a position where the branch would be accessible he must step over
the body of a lion.  Taking a deep breath he placed one foot between
the sprawled legs of the beast and gingerly raised the other to plant
it upon the opposite side of the tawny body. "What," he thought,
"if the beggar should happen to wake now?" The suggestion sent a
shudder through his frame but he did not hesitate or withdraw his
foot. Gingerly he planted it beyond the lion, threw his weight
forward upon it and cautiously brought his other foot to the side
of the first. He had passed and the lion had not awakened.

Smith-Oldwick was weak from loss of blood and the hardships he had
undergone, but the realization of his situation impelled him to a
show of agility and energy which he probably could scarcely have
equaled when in possession of his normal strength. With his life
depending upon the success of his efforts, he swung himself quickly
to the lower branches of the tree and scrambled upward out of reach
of possible harm from the lions below--though the sudden movement
in the branches above them awakened both the sleeping beasts. The
animals raised their heads and looked questioningly up for a moment
and then lay back again to resume their broken slumber.

So easily had the Englishman succeeded thus far that he suddenly
began to question as to whether he had at any time been in real
danger. The lions, as he knew, were accustomed to the presence of
men, but yet they were still lions and he was free to admit that
he breathed more easily now that he was safe above their clutches.

Before him lay the open window he had seen from the ground. He
was now on a level with it and could see an apparently unoccupied
chamber beyond, and toward this he made his way along a stout
branch that swung beneath the opening. It was not a difficult feat
to reach the window, and a moment later he drew himself over the
sill and dropped into the room.

He found himself in a rather spacious apartment, the floor of which
was covered with rugs of barbaric design, while the few pieces of
furniture were of a similar type to that which he had seen in the
room on the first floor into which he and Bertha Kircher had been
ushered at the conclusion of their journey.  At one end of the room
was what appeared to be a curtained alcove, the heavy hangings of
which completely hid the interior. In the wall opposite the window
and near the alcove was a closed door, apparently the only exit
from the room.

He could see, in the waning light without, that the close of the
day was fast approaching, and he hesitated while he deliberated the
advisability of waiting until darkness had fallen, or of immediately
searching for some means of escape from the building and the city.
He at last decided that it would do no harm to investigate beyond
the room, that he might have some idea as how best to plan his
escape after dark. To this end he crossed the room toward the door
but he had taken only a few steps when the hangings before the
alcove separated and the figure of a woman appeared in the opening.

She was young and beautifully formed; the single drapery wound around
her body from below her breasts left no detail of her symmetrical
proportions unrevealed, but her face was the face of an imbecile.
At sight of her Smith-Oldwick halted, momentarily expecting that
his presence would elicit screams for help from her. On the contrary
she came toward him smiling, and when she was close her slender,
shapely fingers touched the sleeve of his torn blouse as a curious
child might handle a new toy, and still with the same smile she
examined him from head to foot, taking in, in childish wonderment,
every detail of his apparel.

Presently she spoke to him in a soft, well-modulated voice which
contrasted sharply with her facial appearance. The voice and the
girlish figure harmonized perfectly and seemed to belong to each
other, while the head and face were those of another creature.
Smith-Oldwick could understand no word of what she said, but
nevertheless he spoke to her in his own cultured tone, the effect
of which upon her was evidently most gratifying, for before he
realized her intentions or could prevent her she had thrown both
arms about his neck and was kissing him with the utmost abandon.

The man tried to free himself from her rather surprising attentions,
but she only clung more tightly to him, and suddenly, as he recalled
that he had always heard that one must humor the mentally deficient,
and at the same time seeing in her a possible agency of escape, he
closed his eyes and returned her embraces.

It was at this juncture that the door opened and a man entered.
With the sound from the first movement of the latch, Smith-Oldwick
opened his eyes, but though he endeavored to disengage himself
from the girl he realized that the newcomer had seen their rather
compromising position. The girl, whose back was toward the door,
seemed at first not to realize that someone had entered, but when
she did she turned quickly and as her eyes fell upon the man whose
terrible face was now distorted with an expression of hideous rage
she turned, screaming, and fled toward the alcove. The Englishman,
flushed and embarrassed, stood where she had left him. With the
sudden realization of the futility of attempting an explanation,
came that of the menacing appearance of the man, whom he now
recognized as the official who had received them in the room below.
The fellow's face, livid with insane rage and, possibly, jealousy,
was twitching violently, accentuating the maniacal expression that
it habitually wore.

For a moment he seemed paralyzed by anger, and then with a loud
shriek that rose into an uncanny wail, he drew his curved saber
and sprang toward the Englishman. To Smith-Oldwick there seemed
no possible hope of escaping the keen-edged weapon in the hands of
the infuriated man, and though he felt assured that it would draw
down upon him an equally sudden and possibly more terrible death,
he did the only thing that remained for him to do--drew his pistol
and fired straight for the heart of the oncoming man. Without even
so much as a groan the fellow lunged forward upon the floor at
Smith-Oldwick's feet--killed instantly with a bullet through the
heart. For several seconds the silence of the tomb reigned in the
apartment.

The Englishman, standing over the prostrate figure of the dead
man, watched the door with drawn weapon, expecting momentarily to
hear the rush of feet of those whom he was sure would immediately
investigate the report of the pistol.  But no sounds came from below
to indicate that anyone there had heard the explosion, and presently
the man's attention was distracted from the door to the alcove,
between the hangings of which the face of the girl appeared. The
eyes were widely dilated and the lower jaw dropped in an expression
of surprise and awe.

The girl's gaze was riveted upon the figure upon the floor, and
presently she crept stealthily into the room and tiptoed toward
the corpse. She appeared as though constantly poised for flight,
and when she had come to within two or three feet of the body she
stopped and, looking up at Smith-Oldwick, voiced some interrogation
which he could not, of course, understand. Then she came close to
the side of the dead man and kneeling upon the floor felt gingerly
of the body.

Presently she shook the corpse by the shoulder, and then with a
show of strength which her tenderly girlish form belied, she turned
the body over on its back. If she had been in doubt before, one
glance at the hideous features set in death must have convinced
her that life was extinct, and with the realization there broke
from her lips peal after peal of mad, maniacal laughter as with her
little hands she beat upon the upturned face and breast of the dead
man. It was a gruesome sight from which the Englishman involuntarily
drew back--a gruesome, disgusting sight such as, he realized, might
never be witnessed outside a madhouse or this frightful city.

In the midst of her frenzied rejoicing at the death of the man,
and Smith-Oldwick could attribute her actions to no other cause,
she suddenly desisted from her futile attacks upon the insensate
flesh and, leaping to her feet, ran quickly to the door, where
she shot a wooden bolt into its socket, thus securing them from
interference from without. Then she returned to the center of the
room and spoke rapidly to the Englishman, gesturing occasionally
toward the body of the slain man. When he could not understand,
she presently became provoked and in a sudden hysteria of madness
she rushed forward as though to strike the Englishman. Smith-Oldwick
dropped back a few steps and leveled his pistol upon her. Mad though
she must have been, she evidently was not so mad but what she had
connected the loud report, the diminutive weapon, and the sudden
death of the man in whose house she dwelt, for she instantly desisted
and quite as suddenly as it had come upon her, her homicidal mood
departed.

Again the vacuous, imbecile smile took possession of her features,
and her voice, dropping its harshness, resumed the soft, well-modulated
tones with which she had first addressed him. Now she attempted by
signs to indicate her wishes, and motioning Smith-Oldwick to follow
her she went to the hangings and opening them disclosed the alcove.
It was rather more than an alcove, being a fair-sized room heavy
with rugs and hangings and soft, pillowed couches. Turning at the
entrance she pointed to the corpse upon the floor of the outer
room, and then crossing the alcove she raised some draperies which
covered a couch and fell to the floor upon all sides, disclosing
an opening beneath the furniture.

To this opening she pointed and then again to the corpse, indicating
plainly to the Englishman that it was her desire that the body be
hidden here. But if he had been in doubt, she essayed to dispel it
by grasping his sleeve and urging him in the direction of the body
which the two of them then lifted and half carried and half dragged
into the alcove. At first they encountered some difficulty when
they endeavored to force the body of the man into the small space
she had selected for it, but eventually they succeeded in doing
so. Smith-Oldwick was again impressed by the fiendish brutality of
the girl.  In the center of the room lay a blood-stained rug which
the girl quickly gathered up and draped over a piece of furniture
in such a way that the stain was hidden. By rearranging the other
rugs and by bringing one from the alcove she restored the room to
order so no outward indication of the tragedy so recently enacted
there was apparent.

These things attended to, and the hangings draped once more about
the couch that they might hide the gruesome thing beneath, the girl
once more threw her arms about the Englishman's neck and dragged him
toward the soft and luxurious pillows above the dead man. Acutely
conscious of the horror of his position, filled with loathing,
disgust, and an outraged sense of decency, Smith-Oldwick was also
acutely alive to the demands of self-preservation. He felt that
he was warranted in buying his life at almost any price; but there
was a point at which his finer nature rebelled.

It was at this juncture that a loud knock sounded upon the door of
the outer room. Springing from the couch, the girl seized the man
by the arm and dragged him after her to the wall close by the head
of the couch. Here she drew back one of the hangings, revealing a
little niche behind, into which she shoved the Englishman and dropped
the hangings before him, effectually hiding him from observation
from the rooms beyond.

He heard her cross the alcove to the door of the outer room, and
heard the bolt withdrawn followed by the voice of a man mingled
with that of the girl. The tones of both seemed rational so that
he might have been listening to an ordinary conversation in some
foreign tongue. Yet with the gruesome experiences of the day behind
him, he could not but momentarily expect some insane outbreak from
beyond the hangings.

He was aware from the sounds that the two had entered the alcove,
and, prompted by a desire to know what manner of man he might
next have to contend with, he slightly parted the heavy folds that
hid the two from his view and looking out saw them sitting on the
couch with their arms about each other, the girl with the same
expressionless smile upon her face that she had vouchsafed him.
He found he could so arrange the hangings that a very narrow slit
between two of them permitted him to watch the actions of those in
the alcove without revealing himself or increasing his liability
of detection.

He saw the girl lavishing her kisses upon the newcomer, a much
younger man than he whom Smith-Oldwick had dispatched. Presently
the girl disengaged herself from the embrace of her lover as though
struck by a sudden memory.  Her brows puckered as in labored thought
and then with a startled expression, she threw a glance backward
toward the hidden niche where the Englishman stood, after which she
whispered rapidly to her companion, occasionally jerking her head
in the direction of the niche and on several occasions making a
move with one hand and forefinger, which Smith-Oldwick could not
mistake as other than an attempt to describe his pistol and its
use.

It was evident then to him that she was betraying him, and without
further loss of time he turned his back toward the hangings and
commenced a rapid examination of his hiding place. In the alcove
the man and the girl whispered, and then cautiously and with great
stealth, the man rose and drew his curved saber. On tiptoe he
approached the hangings, the girl creeping at his side. Neither
spoke now, nor was there any sound in the room as the girl sprang
forward and with outstretched arm and pointing finger indicated
a point upon the curtain at the height of a man's breast. Then
she stepped to one side, and her companion, raising his blade to
a horizontal position, lunged suddenly forward and with the full
weight of his body and his right arm, drove the sharp point through
the hangings and into the niche behind for its full length.

Bertha Kircher, finding her struggles futile and realizing that she
must conserve her strength for some chance opportunity of escape,
desisted from her efforts to break from the grasp of Prince Metak
as the fellow fled with her through the dimly lighted corridors
of the palace. Through many chambers the prince fled, bearing his
prize. It was evident to the girl that, though her captor was the
king's son, he was not above capture and punishment for his deeds,
as otherwise he would not have shown such evident anxiety to escape
with her, as well as from the results of his act.

From the fact that he was constantly turning affrighted eyes behind
them, and glancing suspiciously into every nook and corner that
they passed, she guessed that the prince's punishment might be both
speedy and terrible were he caught.

She knew from their route that they must have doubled back several
times although she had quite lost all sense of direction; but she
did not know that the prince was as equally confused as she, and
that really he was running in an aimless, erratic manner, hoping
that he might stumble eventually upon a place of refuge.

Nor is it to be wondered at that this offspring of maniacs should
have difficulty in orienting himself in the winding mazes of a
palace designed by maniacs for a maniac king.  Now a corridor turned
gradually and almost imperceptibly in a new direction, again one
doubled back upon and crossed itself; here the floor rose gradually
to the level of another story, or again there might be a spiral
stairway down which the mad prince rushed dizzily with his burden.
Upon what floor they were or in what part of the palace even Metak
had no idea until, halting abruptly at a closed door, he pushed
it open to step into a brilliantly lighted chamber filled with
warriors, at one end of which sat the king upon a great throne;
beside this, to the girl's surprise, she saw another throne where
was seated a huge lioness, recalling to her the words of Xanila
which, at the time, had made no impression on her: "But he had many
other queens, nor were they all human."

At sight of Metak and the girl, the king rose from his throne and
started across the chamber, all semblance of royalty vanishing in
the maniac's uncontrollable passion. And as he came he shrieked
orders and commands at the top of his voice.  No sooner had Metak so
unwarily opened the door to this hornets' nest than he immediately
withdrew and, turning, fled again in a new direction. But now
a hundred men were close upon his heels, laughing, shrieking, and
possibly cursing. He dodged hither and thither, distancing them for
several minutes until, at the bottom of a long runway that inclined
steeply downward from a higher level, he burst into a subterranean
apartment lighted by many flares.

In the center of the room was a pool of considerable size, the
level of the water being but a few inches below the floor.  Those
behind the fleeing prince and his captive entered the chamber in
time to see Metak leap into the water with the girl and disappear
beneath the surface taking his captive with him, nor, though they
waited excitedly around the rim of the pool, did either of the two
again emerge.

When Smith-Oldwick turned to investigate his hiding place, his
hands, groping upon the rear wall, immediately came in contact with
the wooden panels of a door and a bolt such as that which secured
the door of the outer room. Cautiously and silently drawing the
wooden bar he pushed gently against the panel to find that the door
swung easily and noiselessly outward into utter darkness. Moving
carefully and feeling forward for each step he passed out of the
niche, closing the door behind him.

Feeling about, he discovered that he was in a narrow corridor which
he followed cautiously for a few yards to be brought up suddenly
by what appeared to be a ladder across the passageway. He felt of
the obstruction carefully with his hands until he was assured that
it was indeed a ladder and that a solid wall was just beyond it,
ending the corridor.  Therefore, as he could not go forward and as
the ladder ended at the floor upon which he stood, and as he did
not care to retrace his steps, there was no alternative but to climb
upward, and this he did, his pistol ready in a side pocket of his
blouse.

He had ascended but two or three rungs when his head came suddenly
and painfully in contact with a hard surface above him. Groping
about with one hand over his head he discovered that the obstacle
seemed to be the covering to a trap door in the ceiling which,
with a little effort, he succeeded in raising a couple of inches,
revealing through the cracks the stars of a clear African night.

With a sigh of relief, but with unabated caution, he gently slid
the trapdoor to one side far enough to permit him to raise his
eyes above the level of the roof. A quick glance assured him that
there was none near enough to observe his movements, nor, in fact,
as far as he could see, was anyone in sight.

Drawing himself quickly through the aperture he replaced the cover
and endeavored to regain his bearings. Directly to the south of him
the low roof he stood upon adjoined a much loftier portion of the
building, which rose several stories above his head. A few yards
to the west he could see the flickering light of the flares of a
winding street, and toward this he made his way.

From the edge of the roof he looked down upon the night life of
the mad city. He saw men and women and children and lions, and of
all that he saw it was quite evident to him that only the lions were
sane. With the aid of the stars he easily picked out the points of
the compass, and following carefully in his memory the steps that
had led him into the city and to the roof upon which he now stood,
he knew that the thoroughfare upon which he looked was the same
along which he and Bertha Kircher had been led as prisoners earlier
in the day.

If he could reach this he might be able to pass undetected in the
shadows of the arcade to the city gate. He had already given up as
futile the thought of seeking out the girl and attempting to succor
her, for he knew that alone and with the few remaining rounds of
ammunition he possessed, he could do nothing against this city-full
of armed men. That he could live to cross the lion-infested forest
beyond the city was doubtful, and having, by some miracle, won to
the desert beyond, his fate would be certainly sealed; but yet he
was consumed with but one desire--to leave behind him as far as
possible this horrid city of maniacs.

He saw that the roofs rose to the same level as that upon which
he stood unbroken to the north to the next street intersection.
Directly below him was a flare. To reach the pavement in safety
it was necessary that he find as dark a portion of the avenue as
possible. And so he sought along the edge of the roofs for a place
where he might descend in comparative concealment.

He had proceeded some little way beyond a point where the street curved
abruptly to the east before he discovered a location sufficiently
to his liking. But even here he was compelled to wait a considerable
time for a satisfactory moment for his descent, which he had
decided to make down one of the pillars of the arcade. Each time
he prepared to lower himself over the edge of the roofs, footsteps
approaching in one direction or another deterred him until at last
he had almost come to the conclusion that he would have to wait
for the entire city to sleep before continuing his flight.

But finally came a moment which he felt propitious and though
with inward qualms, it was with outward calm that he commenced the
descent to the street below.

When at last he stood beneath the arcade he was congratulating
himself upon the success that had attended his efforts up to this
point when, at a slight sound behind him, he turned to see a tall
figure in the yellow tunic of a warrior confronting him.




Chapter XXII

Out of the Niche


Numa, the lion, growled futilely in baffled rage as he slipped
back to the ground at the foot of the wall after his unsuccessful
attempt to drag down the fleeing ape-man. He poised to make a
second effort to follow his escaping quarry when his nose picked
up a hitherto unnoticed quality in the scent spoor of his intended
prey. Sniffing at the ground that Tarzan's feet had barely touched,
Numa's growl changed to a low whine, for he had recognized the
scent spoor of the man-thing that had rescued him from the pit of
the Wamabos.

What thoughts passed through that massive head? Who may say? But
now there was no indication of baffled rage as the great lion turned
and moved majestically eastward along the wall. At the eastern end
of the city he turned toward the south, continuing his way to the
south side of the wall along which were the pens and corrals where
the herbivorous flocks were fattened for the herds of domesticated
lions within the city. The great black lions of the forest fed
with almost equal impartiality upon the flesh of the grass-eaters
and man. Like Numa of the pit they occasionally made excursions across
the desert to the fertile valley of the Wamabos, but principally
they took their toll of meat from the herds of the walled city of
Herog, the mad king, or seized upon some of his luckless subjects.

Numa of the pit was in some respects an exception to the rule which
guided his fellows of the forest in that as a cub he had been
trapped and carried into the city, where he was kept for breeding
purposes, only to escape in his second year. They had tried to teach
him in the city of maniacs that he must not eat the flesh of man,
and the result of their schooling was that only when aroused to
anger or upon that one occasion that he had been impelled by the
pangs of hunger, did he ever attack man.

The animal corrals of the maniacs are protected by an outer wall
or palisade of upright logs, the lower ends of which are imbedded
in the ground, the logs themselves being placed as close together
as possible and further reinforced and bound together by withes.
At intervals there are gates through which the flocks are turned
on to the grazing land south of the city during the daytime. It is
at such times that the black lions of the forest take their greatest
toll from the herds, and it is infrequent that a lion attempts to
enter the corrals at night.  But Numa of the pit, having scented the
spoor of his benefactor, was minded again to pass into the walled
city, and with that idea in his cunning brain he crept stealthily
along the outer side of the palisade, testing each gateway with a
padded foot until at last he discovered one which seemed insecurely
fastened. Lowering his great head he pressed against the gate, surging
forward with all the weight of his huge body and the strength of
his giant sinews--one mighty effort and Numa was within the corral.

The enclosure contained a herd of goats which immediately upon the
advent of the carnivore started a mad stampede to the opposite end
of the corral which was bounded by the south wall of the city. Numa
had been within such a corral as this before, so that he knew that
somewhere in the wall was a small door through which the goatherd
might pass from the city to his flock; toward this door he made his
way, whether by plan or accident it is difficult to say, though in
the light of ensuing events it seems possible that the former was
the case.

To reach the gate he must pass directly through the herd which had
huddled affrightedly close to the opening so that once again there
was a furious rush of hoofs as Numa strode quickly to the side of
the portal. If Numa had planned, he had planned well, for scarcely
had he reached his position when the door opened and a herder's head
was projected into the enclosure, the fellow evidently seeking an
explanation of the disturbance among his flock. Possibly he discovered
the cause of the commotion, but it is doubtful, for it was dark
and the great, taloned paw that reached up and struck downward a
mighty blow that almost severed his head from his body, moved so
quickly and silently that the man was dead within a fraction of
a second from the moment that he opened the door, and then Numa,
knowing now his way, passed through the wall into the dimly lighted
streets of the city beyond.

Smith-Oldwick's first thought when he was accosted by the figure in
the yellow tunic of a soldier was to shoot the man dead and trust
to his legs and the dimly lighted, winding streets to permit his
escape, for he knew that to be accosted was equivalent to recapture
since no inhabitant of this weird city but would recognize him
as an alien. It would be a simple thing to shoot the man from the
pocket where the pistol lay without drawing the weapon, and with
this purpose in mind the Englishman slipped his hands into the
side pocket of his blouse, but simultaneously with this action his
wrist was seized in a powerful grasp and a low voice whispered in
English: "Lieutenant, it is I, Tarzan of the Apes."

The relief from the nervous strain under which he had been laboring
for so long, left Smith-Oldwick suddenly as weak as a babe, so that
he was forced to grasp the ape-man's arm for support--and when he
found his voice all he could do was to repeat: "You? You? I thought
you were dead!"

"No, not dead," replied Tarzan, "and I see that you are not either.
But how about the girl?"

"I haven't seen her," replied the Englishman, "since we were
brought here. We were taken into a building on the plaza close by
and there we were separated. She was led away by guards and I was
put into a den of lions. I haven't seen her since."

"How did you escape?" asked the ape-man.

"The lions didn't seem to pay much attention to me and I climbed
out of the place by way of a tree and through a window into a room
on the second floor. Had a little scrimmage there with a fellow and
was hidden by one of their women in a hole in the wall. The loony
thing then betrayed me to another bounder who happened in, but I
found a way out and up onto the roof where I have been for quite
some time now waiting for a chance to get down into the street
without being seen. That's all I know, but I haven't the slightest
idea in the world where to look for Miss Kircher."

"Where were you going now?" asked Tarzan.

Smith-Oldwick hesitated. "I--well, I couldn't do anything here
alone and I was going to try to get out of the city and in some
way reach the British forces east and bring help."

"You couldn't do it," said Tarzan. "Even if you got through the
forest alive you could never cross the desert country without food
or water."

"What shall we do, then?" asked the Englishman.

"We will see if we can find the girl," replied the ape-man, and
then, as though he had forgotten the presence of the Englishman and
was arguing to convince himself, "She may be a German and a spy,
but she is a woman--a white woman--I can't leave her here."

"But how are we going to find her?" asked the Englishman.

"I have followed her this far," replied Tarzan, "and unless I am
greatly mistaken I can follow her still farther."

"But I cannot accompany you in these clothes without exposing us
both to detection and arrest," argued Smith-Oldwick.

"We will get you other clothes, then," said Tarzan.

"How?" asked the Englishman.

"Go back to the roof beside the city wall where I entered," replied
the ape-man with a grim smile, "and ask the naked dead man there
how I got my disguise."

Smith-Oldwick looked quickly up at his companion. "I have it," he
exclaimed. "I know where there is a fellow who doesn't need his
clothes anymore, and if we can get back on this roof I think we can
find him and get his apparel without much resistance. Only a girl
and a young fellow whom we could easily surprise and overcome."

"What do you mean?" asked Tarzan. "How do you know that the man
doesn't need his clothes any more."

"I know he doesn't need them," replied the Englishman, "because I
killed him."

"Oh!" exclaimed the ape-man, "I see. I guess it might be easier
that way than to tackle one of these fellows in the street where
there is more chance of our being interrupted."

"But how are we going to reach the roof again, after all?" queried
Smith-Oldwick.

"The same way you came down," replied Tarzan. "This roof is low
and there is a little ledge formed by the capital of each column;
I noticed that when you descended. Some of the buildings wouldn't
have been so easy to negotiate."

Smith-Oldwick looked up toward the eaves of the low roof.  "It's
not very high," he said, "but I am afraid I can't make it.  I'll
try--I've been pretty weak since a lion mauled me and the guards
beat me up, and too, I haven't eaten since yesterday."

Tarzan thought a moment. "You've got to go with me," he said at
last. "I can't leave you here. The only chance you have of escape
is through me and I can't go with you now until we have found the
girl."

"I want to go with you," replied Smith-Oldwick. "I'm not much good
now but at that two of us may be better than one."

"All right," said Tarzan, "come on," and before the Englishman
realized what the other contemplated Tarzan had picked him up
and thrown him across his shoulder. "Now, hang on," whispered the
ape-man, and with a short run he clambered apelike up the front of the
low arcade. So quickly and easily was it done that the Englishman
scarcely had time to realize what was happening before he was
deposited safely upon the roof.

"There," remarked Tarzan. "Now, lead me to the place you speak of."

Smith-Oldwick had no difficulty in locating the trap in the roof
through which he had escaped. Removing the cover the ape-man bent
low, listening and sniffing. "Come," he said after a moment's
investigation and lowered himself to the floor beneath. Smith-Oldwick
followed him, and together the two crept through the darkness toward
the door in the back wall of the niche in which the Englishman
had been hidden by the girl. They found the door ajar and opening
it Tarzan saw a streak of light showing through the hangings that
separated it from the alcove.

Placing his eye close to the aperture he saw the girl and the young
man of which the Englishman had spoken seated on opposite sides of
a low table upon which food was spread.  Serving them was a giant
Negro and it was he whom the ape-man watched most closely. Familiar
with the tribal idiosyncrasies of a great number of African tribes
over a considerable proportion of the Dark Continent, the Tarmangani
at last felt reasonably assured that he knew from what part of
Africa this slave had come, and the dialect of his people. There
was, however, the chance that the fellow had been captured in
childhood and that through long years of non-use his native language
had become lost to him, but then there always had been an element
of chance connected with nearly every event of Tarzan's life, so he
waited patiently until in the performance of his duties the black
man approached a little table which stood near the niche in which
Tarzan and the Englishman hid.

As the slave bent over some dish which stood upon the table his
ear was not far from the aperture through which Tarzan looked.
Apparently from a solid wall, for the Negro had no knowledge of
the existence of the niche, came to him in the tongue of his own
people, the whispered words: "If you would return to the land of
the Wamabo say nothing, but do as I bid you."

The black rolled terrified eyes toward the hangings at his side.
The ape-man could see him tremble and for a moment was fearful that
in his terror he would betray them. "Fear not," he whispered, "we
are your friends."

At last the Negro spoke in a low whisper, scarcely audible even to
the keen ears of the ape-man. "What," he asked, "can poor Otobu do
for the god who speaks to him out of the solid wall?"

"This," replied Tarzan. "Two of us are coming into this room. Help
us prevent this man and woman from escaping or raising an outcry
that will bring others to their aid."

"I will help you," replied the Negro, "to keep them within this
room, but do not fear that their outcries will bring others.  These
walls are built so that no sound may pass through, and even if it
did what difference would it make in this village which is constantly
filled with the screams of its mad people.  Do not fear their cries.
No one will notice them. I go to do your bidding."

Tarzan saw the black cross the room to the table upon which he
placed another dish of food before the feasters. Then he stepped
to a place behind the man and as he did so raised his eyes to the
point in the wall from which the ape-man's voice had come to him,
as much as to say, "Master, I am ready."

Without more delay Tarzan threw aside the hangings and stepped
into the room. As he did so the young man rose from the table to be
instantly seized from behind by the black slave.  The girl, whose
back was toward the ape-man and his companion, was not at first
aware of their presence but saw only the attack of the slave upon
her lover, and with a loud scream she leaped forward to assist the
latter. Tarzan sprang to her side and laid a heavy hand upon her
arm before she could interfere with Otobu's attentions to the young
man. At first, as she turned toward the ape-man, her face reflected
only mad rage, but almost instantly this changed into the vapid
smile with which Smith-Oldwick was already familiar and her slim
fingers commenced their soft appraisement of the newcomer.

Almost immediately she discovered Smith-Oldwick but there was
neither surprise nor anger upon her countenance. Evidently the poor
mad creature knew but two principal moods, from one to the other
of which she changed with lightning-like rapidity.

"Watch her a moment," said Tarzan to the Englishman, "while I disarm
that fellow," and stepping to the side of the young man whom Otobu
was having difficulty in subduing Tarzan relieved him of his saber.
"Tell them," he said to the Negro, "if you speak their language,
that we will not harm them if they leave us alone and let us depart
in peace."

The black had been looking at Tarzan with wide eyes, evidently
not comprehending how this god could appear in so material a form,
and with the voice of a white bwana and the uniform of a warrior
of this city to which he quite evidently did not belong. But
nevertheless his first confidence in the voice that offered him
freedom was not lessened and he did as Tarzan bid him.

"They want to know what you want," said Otobu, after he had spoken
to the man and the girl.

"Tell them that we want food for one thing," said Tarzan, "and
something else that we know where to find in this room.  Take the
man's spear, Otobu; I see it leaning against the wall in the corner
of the room. And you, Lieutenant, take his saber," and then again
to Otobu, "I will watch the man while you go and bring forth that
which is beneath the couch over against this wall," and Tarzan
indicated the location of the piece of furniture.

Otobu, trained to obey, did as he was bid. The eyes of the man and
the girl followed him, and as he drew back the hangings and dragged
forth the corpse of the man Smith-Oldwick had slain, the girl's lover
voiced a loud scream and attempted to leap forward to the side of
the corpse. Tarzan, however, seized him and then the fellow turned
upon him with teeth and nails. It was with no little difficulty
that Tarzan finally subdued the man, and while Otobu was removing
the outer clothing from the corpse, Tarzan asked the black to
question the young man as to his evident excitement at the sight
of the body.

"I can tell you Bwana," replied Otobu. "This man was his father."

"What is he saying to the girl?" asked Tarzan.

"He is asking her if she knew that the body of his father was under
the couch. And she is saying that she did not know it."

Tarzan repeated the conversation to Smith-Oldwick, who smiled. "If
the chap could have seen her removing all evidence of the crime and
arranging the hangings of the couch so that the body was concealed
after she had helped me drag it across the room, he wouldn't have
very much doubt as to her knowledge of the affair. The rug you see
draped over the bench in the corner was arranged to hide the blood
stain--in some ways they are not so loony after all."

The black man had now removed the outer garments from the dead
man, and Smith-Oldwick was hastily drawing them on over his own
clothing. "And now," said Tarzan, "we will sit down and eat. One
accomplishes little on an empty stomach." As they ate the ape-man
attempted to carry on a conversation with the two natives through
Otobu. He learned that they were in the palace which had belonged
to the dead man lying upon the floor beside them. He had held an
official position of some nature, and he and his family were of
the ruling class but were not members of the court.

When Tarzan questioned them about Bertha Kircher, the young man
said that she had been taken to the king's palace; and when asked
why replied: "For the king, of course."

During the conversation both the man and the girl appeared quite
rational, even asking some questions as to the country from which
their uninvited guests had come, and evidencing much surprise when
informed that there was anything but waterless wastes beyond their
own valley.

When Otobu asked the man, at Tarzan's suggestion, if he was familiar
with the interior of the king's palace, he replied that he was;
that he was a friend of Prince Metak, one of the king's sons, and
that he often visited the palace and that Metak also came here to
his father's palace frequently. As Tarzan ate he racked his brain
for some plan whereby he might utilize the knowledge of the young
man to gain entrance to the palace, but he had arrived at nothing
which he considered feasible when there came a loud knocking upon
the door of the outer room.

For a moment no one spoke and then the young man raised his voice
and cried aloud to those without. Immediately Otobu sprang for the
fellow and attempted to smother his words by clapping a palm over
his mouth.

"What is he saying?" asked Tarzan.

"He is telling them to break down the door and rescue him and the
girl from two strangers who entered and made them prisoners. If
they enter they will kill us all."

"Tell him," said Tarzan, "to hold his peace or I will slay him."

Otobu did as he was instructed and the young maniac lapsed into
scowling silence. Tarzan crossed the alcove and entered the outer
room to note the effect of the assaults upon the door.  Smith-Oldwick
followed him a few steps, leaving Otobu to guard the two prisoners.
The ape-man saw that the door could not long withstand the heavy
blows being dealt the panels from without. "I wanted to use that
fellow in the other room," he said to Smith-Oldwick, "but I am
afraid we will have to get out of here the way we came. We can't
accomplish anything by waiting here and meeting these fellows.
From the noise out there there must be a dozen of them. Come," he
said, "you go first and I will follow."

As the two turned back from the alcove they witnessed an entirely
different scene from that upon which they had turned their backs
but a moment or two before. Stretched on the floor and apparently
lifeless lay the body of the black slave, while the two prisoners
had vanished completely.




Chapter XXIII

The Flight from Xuja


As Metak bore Bertha Kircher toward the edge of the pool, the girl
at first had no conception of the deed he contemplated but when, as
they approached the edge, he did not lessen his speed she guessed
the frightful truth. As he leaped head foremost with her into the
water, she closed her eyes and breathed a silent prayer, for she
was confident that the maniac had no other purpose than to drown
himself and her. And yet, so potent is the first law of nature that
even in the face of certain death, as she surely believed herself,
she clung tenaciously to life, and while she struggled to free
herself from the powerful clutches of the madman, she held her
breath against the final moment when the asphyxiating waters must
inevitably flood her lungs.

Through the frightful ordeal she maintained absolute control of
her senses so that, after the first plunge, she was aware that the
man was swimming with her beneath the surface. He took perhaps not
more than a dozen strokes directly toward the end wall of the pool
and then he arose; and once again she knew that her head was above
the surface. She opened her eyes to see that they were in a corridor
dimly lighted by gratings set in its roof--a winding corridor,
water filled from wall to wall.

Along this the man was swimming with easy powerful strokes, at the
same time holding her chin above the water.  For ten minutes he swam
thus without stopping and the girl heard him speak to her, though
she could not understand what he said, as he evidently immediately
realized, for, half floating, he shifted his hold upon her so that
he could touch her nose and mouth with the fingers of one hand. She
grasped what he meant and immediately took a deep breath, whereat
he dove quickly beneath the surface pulling her down with him and
again for a dozen strokes or more he swam thus wholly submerged.

When they again came to the surface, Bertha Kircher saw that they
were in a large lagoon and that the bright stars were shining high
above them, while on either hand domed and minareted buildings were
silhouetted sharply against the starlit sky. Metak swam swiftly to
the north side of the lagoon where, by means of a ladder, the two
climbed out upon the embankment. There were others in the plaza
but they paid but little if any attention to the two bedraggled
figures. As Metak walked quickly across the pavement with the girl
at his side, Bertha Kircher could only guess at the man's intentions.
She could see no way in which to escape and so she went docilely
with him, hoping against hope that some fortuitous circumstance
might eventually arise that would give her the coveted chance for
freedom and life.

Metak led her toward a building which, as she entered, she recognized
as the same to which she and Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick had been led
when they were brought into the city.  There was no man sitting
behind the carved desk now, but about the room were a dozen or more
warriors in the tunics of the house to which they were attached, in
this case white with a small lion in the form of a crest or badge
upon the breast and back of each.

As Metak entered and the men recognized him they arose, and in answer
to a query he put, they pointed to an arched doorway at the rear
of the room. Toward this Metak led the girl, and then, as though
filled with a sudden suspicion, his eyes narrowed cunningly and
turning toward the soldiery he issued an order which resulted in
their all preceding him through the small doorway and up a flight
of stairs a short distance beyond.

The stairway and the corridor above were lighted by small flares
which revealed several doors in the walls of the upper passageway.
To one of these the men led the prince. Bertha Kircher saw them
knock upon the door and heard a voice reply faintly through the
thick door to the summons. The effect upon those about her was
electrical. Instantly excitement reigned, and in response to orders
from the king's son the soldiers commenced to beat heavily upon the
door, to throw their bodies against it and to attempt to hew away
the panels with their sabers. The girl wondered at the cause of
the evident excitement of her captors.

She saw the door giving to each renewed assault, but what she did
not see just before it crashed inward was the figures of the two
men who alone, in all the world, might have saved her, pass between
the heavy hangings in an adjoining alcove and disappear into a dark
corridor.

As the door gave and the warriors rushed into the apartment followed
by the prince, the latter became immediately filled with baffled
rage, for the rooms were deserted except for the dead body of the
owner of the palace, and the still form of the black slave, Otobu,
where they lay stretched upon the floor of the alcove.

The prince rushed to the windows and looked out, but as the suite
overlooked the barred den of lions from which, the prince thought,
there could be no escape, his puzzlement was only increased. Though
he searched about the room for some clue to the whereabouts of its
former occupants he did not discover the niche behind the hangings.
With the fickleness of insanity he quickly tired of the search,
and, turning to the soldiers who had accompanied him from the floor
below, dismissed them.

After setting up the broken door as best they could, the men left
the apartment and when they were again alone Metak turned toward
the girl. As he approached her, his face distorted by a hideous
leer, his features worked rapidly in spasmodic twitches. The girl,
who was standing at the entrance of the alcove, shrank back, her
horror reflected in her face. Step by step she backed across the
room, while the crouching maniac crept stealthily after her with
claw-like fingers poised in anticipation of the moment they should
leap forth and seize her.

As she passed the body of the Negro, her foot touched some obstacle
at her side, and glancing down she saw the spear with which Otobu
had been supposed to hold the prisoners. Instantly she leaned forward
and snatched it from the floor with its sharp point directed at
the body of the madman. The effect upon Metak was electrical. From
stealthy silence he broke into harsh peals of laughter, and drawing
his saber danced to and fro before the girl, but whichever way he
went the point of the spear still threatened him.

Gradually the girl noticed a change in the tone of the creature's
screams that was also reflected in the changing expression upon his
hideous countenance. His hysterical laughter was slowly changing
into cries of rage while the silly leer upon his face was supplanted
by a ferocious scowl and up-curled lips, which revealed the sharpened
fangs beneath.

He now ran rapidly in almost to the spear's point, only to jump
away, run a few steps to one side and again attempt to make an
entrance, the while he slashed and hewed at the spear with such
violence that it was with difficulty the girl maintained her guard,
and all the time was forced to give ground step by step. She had
reached the point where she was standing squarely against the couch
at the side of the room when, with an incredibly swift movement,
Metak stooped and grasping a low stool hurled it directly at her
head.

She raised the spear to fend off the heavy missile, but she was
not entirely successful, and the impact of the blow carried her
backward upon the couch, and instantly Metak was upon her.

Tarzan and Smith-Oldwick gave little thought as to what had become
of the other two occupants of the room. They were gone, and so far
as these two were concerned they might never return. Tarzan's one
desire was to reach the street again, where, now that both of them
were in some sort of disguise, they should be able to proceed with
comparative safety to the palace and continue their search for the
girl.

Smith-Oldwick preceded Tarzan along the corridor and as they reached
the ladder he climbed aloft to remove the trap.  He worked for a
moment and then, turning, addressed Tarzan.

"Did we replace the cover on this trap when we came down?  I don't
recall that we did."

"No," said Tarzan, "it was left open."

"So I thought," said Smith-Oldwick, "but it's closed now and locked.
I cannot move it. Possibly you can," and he descended the ladder.

Even Tarzan's immense strength, however, had no effect other than
to break one of the rungs of the ladder against which he was pushing,
nearly precipitating him to the floor below. After the rung broke
he rested for a moment before renewing his efforts, and as he stood
with his head near the cover of the trap, he distinctly heard voices
on the roof above him.

Dropping down to Oldwick's side he told him what he had heard. "We
had better find some other way out," he said, and the two started
to retrace their steps toward the alcove. Tarzan was again in the
lead, and as he opened the door in the back of the niche, he was
suddenly startled to hear, in tones of terror and in a woman's
voice, the words: "O God, be merciful" from just beyond the hangings.

Here was no time for cautious investigation and, not even waiting
to find the aperture and part the hangings, but with one sweep of
a brawny hand dragging them from their support, the ape-man leaped
from the niche into the alcove.

At the sound of his entry the maniac looked up, and as he saw at
first only a man in the uniform of his father's soldiers, he shrieked
forth an angry order, but at the second glance, which revealed the
face of the newcomer, the madman leaped from the prostrate form
of his victim and, apparently forgetful of the saber which he had
dropped upon the floor beside the couch as he leaped to grapple
with the girl, closed with bare hands upon his antagonist, his
sharp-filed teeth searching for the other's throat.

Metak, the son of Herog, was no weakling. Powerful by nature and
rendered still more so in the throes of one of his maniacal fits
of fury he was no mean antagonist, even for the mighty ape-man,
and to this a distinct advantage for him was added by the fact that
almost at the outset of their battle Tarzan, in stepping backward,
struck his heel against the corpse of the man whom Smith-Oldwick
had killed, and fell heavily backward to the floor with Metak upon
his breast.

With the quickness of a cat the maniac made an attempt to fasten
his teeth in Tarzan's jugular, but a quick movement of the latter
resulted in his finding a hold only upon the Tarmangani's shoulder.
Here he clung while his fingers sought Tarzan's throat, and it was
then that the ape-man, realizing the possibility of defeat, called
to Smith-Oldwick to take the girl and seek to escape.

The Englishman looked questioningly at Bertha Kircher, who had now
risen from the couch, shaking and trembling.  She saw the question
in his eyes and with an effort she drew herself to her full height.
"No," she cried, "if he dies here I shall die with him. Go if you
wish to. You can do nothing here, but I--I cannot go."

Tarzan had now regained his feet, but the maniac still clung to
him tenaciously. The girl turned suddenly to Smith-Oldwick.  "Your
pistol!" she cried. "Why don't you shoot him?"

The man drew the weapon from his pocket and approached the two
antagonists, but by this time they were moving so rapidly that there
was no opportunity for shooting one without the danger of hitting
the other. At the same time Bertha Kircher circled about them with
the prince's saber, but neither could she find an opening. Again
and again the two men fell to the floor, until presently Tarzan
found a hold upon the other's throat, against which contingency
Metak had been constantly battling, and slowly, as the giant fingers
closed, the other's mad eyes protruded from his livid face, his jaws
gaped and released their hold upon Tarzan's shoulder, and then in
a sudden excess of disgust and rage the ape-man lifted the body
of the prince high above his head and with all the strength of his
great arms hurled it across the room and through the window where
it fell with a sickening thud into the pit of lions beneath.

As Tarzan turned again toward his companions, the girl was standing
with the saber still in her hand and an expression upon her face
that he never had seen there before. Her eyes were wide and misty
with unshed tears, while her sensitive lips trembled as though she
were upon the point of giving way to some pent emotion which her
rapidly rising and falling bosom plainly indicated she was fighting
to control.

"If we are going to get out of here," said the ape-man, "we can't
lose any time. We are together at last and nothing can be gained by
delay. The question now is the safest way. The couple who escaped
us evidently departed through the passageway to the roof and secured
the trap against us so that we are cut off in that direction. What
chance have we below?  You came that way," and he turned toward
the girl.

"At the foot of the stairs," she said, "is a room full of armed
men. I doubt if we could pass that way."

It was then that Otobu raised himself to a sitting posture.  "So
you are not dead after all," exclaimed the ape-man.  "Come, how
badly are you hurt?"

The Negro rose gingerly to his feet, moved his arms and legs and
felt of his head.

"Otobu does not seem to be hurt at all, Bwana," he replied, "only
for a great ache in his head."

"Good," said the ape-man. "You want to return to the Wamabo country?"

"Yes, Bwana."

"Then lead us from the city by the safest way."

"There is no safe way," replied the black, "and even if we reach
the gates we shall have to fight. I can lead you from this building
to a side street with little danger of meeting anyone on the way.
Beyond that we must take our chance of discovery. You are all
dressed as are the people of this wicked city so perhaps we may
pass unnoticed, but at the gate it will be a different matter, for
none is permitted to leave the city at night."

"Very well," replied the ape-man, "let us be on our way."

Otobu led them through the broken door of the outer room, and part
way down the corridor he turned into another apartment at the right.
This they crossed to a passageway beyond, and, finally, traversing
several rooms and corridors, he led them down a flight of steps
to a door which opened directly upon a side street in rear of the
palace.

Two men, a woman, and a black slave were not so extraordinary
a sight upon the streets of the city as to arouse comment.  When
passing beneath the flares the three Europeans were careful to
choose a moment when no chance pedestrian might happen to get a view
of their features, but in the shadow of the arcades there seemed
little danger of detection. They had covered a good portion of the
distance to the gate without mishap when there came to their ears
from the central portion of the city sounds of a great commotion.

"What does that mean?" Tarzan asked of Otobu, who was now trembling
violently.

"Master," he replied, "they have discovered that which has happened
in the palace of Veza, mayor of the city. His son and the girl
escaped and summoned soldiers who have now doubtless discovered
the body of Veza."

"I wonder," said Tarzan, "if they have discovered the party I threw
through the window."

Bertha Kircher, who understood enough of the dialect to follow their
conversation, asked Tarzan if he knew that the man he had thrown
from the window was the king's son. The ape-man laughed. "No," he
said, "I did not. That rather complicates matters--at least if they
have found him."

Suddenly there broke above the turmoil behind them the clear strains
of a bugle. Otobu increased his pace. "Hurry, Master," he cried,
"it is worse than I had thought."

"What do you mean?" asked Tarzan.

"For some reason the king's guard and the king's lions are being
called out. I fear, O Bwana, that we cannot escape them.  But why
they should be called out for us I do not know."

But if Otobu did not know, Tarzan at least guessed that they had
found the body of the king's son. Once again the notes of the bugle
rose high and clear upon the night air. "Calling more lions?" asked
Tarzan.

"No, Master," replied Otobu. "It is the parrots they are calling."

They moved on rapidly in silence for a few minutes when their
attention was attracted by the flapping of the wings of a bird
above them. They looked up to discover a parrot circling about over
their heads.

"Here are the parrots, Otobu," said Tarzan with a grin.  "Do they
expect to kill us with parrots?"

The Negro moaned as the bird darted suddenly ahead of them toward
the city wall. "Now indeed are we lost, Master," cried the black.
"The bird that found us has flown to the gate to warn the guard."

"Come, Otobu, what are you talking about?" exclaimed Tarzan irritably.
"Have you lived among these lunatics so long that you are yourself
mad?"

"No, Master," replied Otobu. "I am not mad. You do not know them.
These terrible birds are like human beings without hearts or souls.
They speak the language of the people of this city of Xuja. They
are demons, Master, and when in sufficient numbers they might even
attack and kill us."

"How far are we from the gate?" asked Tarzan.

"We are not very far," replied the Negro. "Beyond this next turn
we will see it a few paces ahead of us. But the bird has reached
it before us and by now they are summoning the guard," the truth
of which statement was almost immediately indicated by sounds of
many voices raised evidently in commands just ahead of them, while
from behind came increased evidence of approaching pursuit--loud
screams and the roars of lions.

A few steps ahead a narrow alley opened from the east into the
thoroughfare they were following and as they approached it there
emerged from its dark shadows the figure of a mighty lion. Otobu
halted in his tracks and shrank back against Tarzan. "Look, Master,"
he whimpered, "a great black lion of the forest!"

Tarzan drew the saber which still hung at his side. "We cannot go
back," he said. "Lions, parrots, or men, it must be all the same,"
and he moved steadily forward in the direction of the gate. What
wind was stirring in the city street moved from Tarzan toward the
lion and when the ape-man had approached to within a few yards
of the beast, who had stood silently eyeing them up to this time,
instead of the expected roar, a whine broke from the beast's throat.
The ape-man was conscious of a very decided feeling of relief. "It's
Numa of the pit," he called back to his companions, and to Otobu,
"Do not fear, this lion will not harm us."

Numa moved forward to the ape-man's side and then turning, paced
beside him along the narrow street. At the next turn they came in
sight of the gate, where, beneath several flares, they saw a group
of at least twenty warriors prepared to seize them, while from the
opposite direction the roars of the pursuing lions sounded close
upon them, mingling with the screams of numerous parrots which now
circled about their heads. Tarzan halted and turned to the young
aviator. "How many rounds of ammunition have you left?" he asked.

"I have seven in the pistol," replied Smith-Oldwick, "and perhaps
a dozen more cartridges in my blouse pocket."

"I'm going to rush them," said Tarzan. "Otobu, you stay at the side
of the woman. Oldwick, you and I will go ahead, you upon my left.
I think we need not try to tell Numa what to do," for even then
the great lion was baring his fangs and growling ferociously at the
guardsmen, who appeared uneasy in the face of this creature which,
above all others, they feared.

"As we advance, Oldwick," said the ape-man, "fire one shot.  It
may frighten them, and after that fire only when necessary.  All
ready? Let's go!" and he moved forward toward the gate.  At the
same time, Smith-Oldwick discharged his weapon and a yellow-coated
warrior screamed and crumpled forward upon his face. For a minute
the others showed symptoms of panic but one, who seemed to be an
officer, rallied them. "Now," said Tarzan, "all together!" and he
started at a run for the gate. Simultaneously the lion, evidently
scenting the purpose of the Tarmangani, broke into a full charge
toward the guard.

Shaken by the report of the unfamiliar weapon, the ranks of the
guardsmen broke before the furious assault of the great beast.
The officer screamed forth a volley of commands in a mad fury of
uncontrolled rage but the guardsmen, obeying the first law of nature
as well as actuated by their inherent fear of the black denizen of
the forest scattered to right and left to elude the monster. With
ferocious growls Numa wheeled to the right, and with raking talons
struck right and left among a little handful of terrified guardsmen
who were endeavoring to elude him, and then Tarzan and Smith-Oldwick
closed with the others.

For a moment their most formidable antagonist was the officer in
command. He wielded his curved saber as only an adept might as he
faced Tarzan, to whom the similar weapon in his own hand was most
unfamiliar. Smith-Oldwick could not fire for fear of hitting the
ape-man when suddenly to his dismay he saw Tarzan's weapon fly from
his grasp as the Xujan warrior neatly disarmed his opponent. With
a scream the fellow raised his saber for the final cut that would
terminate the earthly career of Tarzan of the Apes when, to the
astonishment of both the ape-man and Smith-Oldwick, the fellow
stiffened rigidly, his weapon dropped from the nerveless fingers
of his upraised hand, his mad eyes rolled upward and foam flecked
his bared lip. Gasping as though in the throes of strangulation
the fellow pitched forward at Tarzan's feet.

Tarzan stooped and picked up the dead man's weapon, a smile upon
his face as he turned and glanced toward the young Englishman.

"The fellow is an epileptic," said Smith-Oldwick. "I suppose
many of them are. Their nervous condition is not without its good
points--a normal man would have gotten you."

The other guardsmen seemed utterly demoralized at the loss of their
leader. They were huddled upon the opposite side of the street at
the left of the gate, screaming at the tops of their voices and
looking in the direction from which sounds of reinforcements were
coming, as though urging on the men and lions that were already too
close for the comfort of the fugitives. Six guardsmen still stood
with their backs against the gate, their weapons flashing in the
light of the flares and their parchment-like faces distorted in
horrid grimaces of rage and terror.

Numa had pursued two fleeing warriors down the street which paralleled
the wall for a short distance at this point.  The ape-man turned to
Smith-Oldwick. "You will have to use your pistol now," he said, "and
we must get by these fellows at once;" and as the young Englishman
fired, Tarzan rushed in to close quarters as though he had not
already discovered that with the saber he was no match for these
trained swordsmen. Two men fell to Smith-Oldwick's first two shots
and then he missed, while the four remaining divided, two leaping
for the aviator and two for Tarzan.

The ape-man rushed in in an effort to close with one of his
antagonists where the other's saber would be comparatively useless.
Smith-Oldwick dropped one of his assailants with a bullet through
the chest and pulled his trigger on the second, only to have the
hammer fall futilely upon an empty chamber.  The cartridges in his
weapon were exhausted and the warrior with his razor-edged, gleaming
saber was upon him.

Tarzan raised his own weapon but once and that to divert a vicious
cut for his head. Then he was upon one of his assailants and
before the fellow could regain his equilibrium and leap back after
delivering his cut, the ape-man had seized him by the neck and
crotch. Tarzan's other antagonist was edging around to one side
where he might use his weapon, and as he raised the blade to strike
at the back of the Tarmangani's neck, the latter swung the body of
his comrade upward so that it received the full force of the blow.
The blade sank deep into the body of the warrior, eliciting a single
frightful scream, and then Tarzan hurled the dying man in the face
of his final adversary.

Smith-Oldwick, hard pressed and now utterly defenseless, had given
up all hope in the instant that he realized his weapon was empty,
when, from his left, a living bolt of black-maned ferocity shot
past him to the breast of his opponent.  Down went the Xujan, his
face bitten away by one snap of the powerful jaws of Numa of the
pit.

In the few seconds that had been required for the consummation
of these rapidly ensuing events, Otobu had dragged Bertha Kircher
to the gate which he had unbarred and thrown open, and with the
vanquishing of the last of the active guardsmen, the party passed
out of the maniac city of Xuja into the outer darkness beyond. At
the same moment a half dozen lions rounded the last turn in the
road leading back toward the plaza, and at sight of them Numa of
the pit wheeled and charged. For a moment the lions of the city
stood their ground, but only for a moment, and then before the
black beast was upon them, they turned and fled, while Tarzan and
his party moved rapidly toward the blackness of the forest beyond
the garden.

"Will they follow us out of the city?" Tarzan asked Otobu.

"Not at night," replied the black. "I have been a slave here for
five years but never have I known these people to leave the city
by night. If they go beyond the forest in the daytime they usually
wait until the dawn of another day before they return, as they fear
to pass through the country of the black lions after dark. No, I
think, Master, that they will not follow us tonight, but tomorrow
they will come, and, O Bwana, then will they surely get us, or
those that are left of us, for at least one among us must be the
toll of the black lions as we pass through their forest."

As they crossed the garden, Smith-Oldwick refilled the magazine
of his pistol and inserted a cartridge in the chamber.  The girl
moved silently at Tarzan's left, between him and the aviator. Suddenly
the ape-man stopped and turned toward the city, his mighty frame,
clothed in the yellow tunic of Herog's soldiery, plainly visible
to the others beneath the light of the stars. They saw him raise
his head and they heard break from his lips the plaintive note of
a lion calling to his fellows. Smith-Oldwick felt a distinct shudder
pass through his frame, while Otobu, rolling the whites of his eyes
in terrified surprise, sank tremblingly to his knees. But the girl
thrilled and she felt her heart beat in a strange exultation, and
then she drew nearer to the beast-man until her shoulder touched his
arm. The act was involuntary and for a moment she scarce realized
what she had done, and then she stepped silently back, thankful
that the light of the stars was not sufficient to reveal to the
eyes of her companions the flush which she felt mantling her cheek.
Yet she was not ashamed of the impulse that had prompted her, but
rather of the act itself which she knew, had Tarzan noticed it,
would have been repulsive to him.

From the open gate of the city of maniacs came the answering cry
of a lion. The little group waited where they stood until presently
they saw the majestic proportions of the black lion as he approached
them along the trail. When he had rejoined them Tarzan fastened
the fingers of one hand in the black mane and started on once more
toward the forest. Behind them, from the city, rose a bedlam of
horrid sounds, the roaring of lions mingling with the raucous voices
of the screaming parrots and the mad shrieks of the maniacs. As
they entered the Stygian darkness of the forest the girl once again
involuntarily shrank closer to the ape-man, and this time Tarzan
was aware of the contact.

Himself without fear, he yet instinctively appreciated how terrified
the girl must be. Actuated by a sudden kindly impulse he found
her hand and took it in his own and thus they continued upon their
way, groping through the blackness of the trail. Twice they were
approached by forest lions, but upon both occasions the deep growls
of Numa of the pit drove off their assailants. Several times they
were compelled to rest, for Smith-Oldwick was constantly upon the
verge of exhaustion, and toward morning Tarzan was forced to carry
him on the steep ascent from the bed of the valley.




Chapter XXIV

The Tommies


Daylight overtook them after they had entered the gorge, but, tired
as they all were with the exception of Tarzan, they realized that
they must keep on at all costs until they found a spot where they
might ascend the precipitous side of the gorge to the floor of the
plateau above. Tarzan and Otobu were both equally confident that
the Xujans would not follow them beyond the gorge, but though they
scanned every inch of the frowning cliffs upon either hand noon
came and there was still no indication of any avenue of escape
to right or left. There were places where the ape-man alone might
have negotiated the ascent but none where the others could hope
successfully to reach the plateau, nor where Tarzan, powerful and
agile as he was, could have ventured safely to carry them aloft.

For half a day the ape-man had been either carrying or supporting
Smith-Oldwick and now, to his chagrin, he saw that the girl was
faltering. He had realized well how much she had undergone and
how greatly the hardships and dangers and the fatigue of the past
weeks must have told upon her vitality. He saw how bravely she
attempted to keep up, yet how often she stumbled and staggered as
she labored through the sand and gravel of the gorge. Nor could
he help but admire her fortitude and the uncomplaining effort she
was making to push on.

The Englishman must have noticed her condition too, for some time
after noon, he stopped suddenly and sat down in the sand. "It's
no use," he said to Tarzan. "I can go no farther. Miss Kircher is
rapidly weakening. You will have to go on without me."

"No," said the girl, "we cannot do that. We have all been through
so much together and the chances of our escape are still so remote
that whatever comes, let us remain together, unless," and she looked
up at Tarzan, "you, who have done so much for us to whom you are
under no obligations, will go on without us. I for one wish that
you would. It must be as evident to you as it is to me that you
cannot save us, for though you succeeded in dragging us from the
path of our pursuers, even your great strength and endurance could
never take one of us across the desert waste which lies between
here and the nearest fertile country."

The ape-man returned her serious look with a smile. "You are
not dead," he said to her, "nor is the lieutenant, nor Otobu, nor
myself. One is either dead or alive, and until we are dead we should
plan only upon continuing to live. Because we remain here and rest
is no indication that we shall die here.  I cannot carry you both
to the country of the Wamabos, which is the nearest spot at which
we may expect to find game and water, but we shall not give up on
that account. So far we have found a way. Let us take things as
they come. Let us rest now because you and Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick
need the rest, and when you are stronger we will go on again."

"But the Xujans--?" she asked, "may they not follow us here?"

"Yes," he said, "they probably will. But we need not be concerned
with them until they come."

"I wish," said the girl, "that I possessed your philosophy but I
am afraid it is beyond me."

"You were not born and reared in the jungle by wild beasts and
among wild beasts, or you would possess, as I do, the fatalism of
the jungle."

And so they moved to the side of the gorge beneath the shade of an
overhanging rock and lay down in the hot sand to rest. Numa wandered
restlessly to and fro and finally, after sprawling for a moment
close beside the ape-man, rose and moved off up the gorge to be
lost to view a moment later beyond the nearest turn.

For an hour the little party rested and then Tarzan suddenly
rose and, motioning the others to silence, listened. For a minute
he stood motionless, his keen ears acutely receptive to sounds so
faint and distant that none of the other three could detect the
slightest break in the utter and deathlike quiet of the gorge.
Finally the ape-man relaxed and turned toward them.  "What is it?"
asked the girl.

"They are coming," he replied. "They are yet some distance away,
though not far, for the sandaled feet of the men and the pads of
the lions make little noise upon the soft sands."

"What shall we do--try to go on?" asked Smith-Oldwick.  "I believe
I could make a go of it now for a short way. I am much rested. How
about you Miss Kircher?"

"Oh, yes," she said, "I am much stronger. Yes, surely I can go on."

Tarzan knew that neither of them quite spoke the truth, that people
do not recover so quickly from utter exhaustion, but he saw no
other way and there was always the hope that just beyond the next
turn would be a way out of the gorge.

"You help the lieutenant, Otobu," he said, turning to the black,
"and I will carry Miss Kircher," and though the girl objected,
saying that he must not waste his strength, he lifted her lightly
in his arms and moved off up the canyon, followed by Otobu and
the Englishman. They had gone no great distance when the others of
the party became aware of the sounds of pursuit, for now the lions
were whining as though the fresh scent spoor of their quarry had
reached their nostrils.

"I wish that your Numa would return," said the girl.

"Yes," said Tarzan, "but we shall have to do the best we can
without him. I should like to find some place where we can barricade
ourselves against attack from all sides. Possibly then we might
hold them off. Smith-Oldwick is a good shot and if there are not
too many men he might be able to dispose of them provided they can
only come at him one at a time. The lions don't bother me so much.
Sometimes they are stupid animals, and I am sure that these that
pursue us, and who are so dependent upon the masters that have
raised and trained them, will be easily handled after the warriors
are disposed of."

"You think there is some hope, then?" she asked.

"We are still alive," was his only answer.

"There," he said presently, "I thought I recalled this very spot."
He pointed toward a fragment that had evidently fallen from the
summit of the cliff and which now lay imbedded in the sand a few
feet from the base. It was a jagged fragment of rock which rose some
ten feet above the surface of the sand, leaving a narrow aperture
between it and the cliff behind. Toward this they directed their
steps and when finally they reached their goal they found a space
about two feet wide and ten feet long between the rock and the
cliff. To be sure it was open at both ends but at least they could
not be attacked upon all sides at once.

They had scarcely concealed themselves before Tarzan's quick ears
caught a sound upon the face of the cliff above them, and looking
up he saw a diminutive monkey perched upon a slight projection--an
ugly-faced little monkey who looked down upon them for a moment and
then scampered away toward the south in the direction from which
their pursuers were coming. Otobu had seen the monkey too. "He will
tell the parrots," said the black, "and the parrots will tell the
madmen."

"It is all the same," replied Tarzan; "the lions would have found
us here. We could not hope to hide from them."

He placed Smith-Oldwick, with his pistol, at the north opening of
their haven and told Otobu to stand with his spear at the Englishman's
shoulder, while he himself prepared to guard the southern approach.
Between them he had the girl lie down in the sand. "You will be
safe there in the event that they use their spears," he said.

The minutes that dragged by seemed veritable eternities to Bertha
Kircher and then at last, and almost with relief, she knew that the
pursuers were upon them. She heard the angry roaring of the lions
and the cries of the madmen. For several minutes the men seemed to
be investigating the stronghold which their quarry had discovered.
She could hear them both to the north and south and then from
where she lay she saw a lion charging for the ape-man before her.
She saw the giant arm swing back with the curved saber and she
saw it fall with terrific velocity and meet the lion as he rose to
grapple with the man, cleaving his skull as cleanly as a butcher
opens up a sheep.

Then she heard footsteps running rapidly toward Smith-Oldwick and,
as his pistol spoke, there was a scream and the sound of a falling
body. Evidently disheartened by the failure of their first attempt
the assaulters drew off, but only for a short time. Again they came,
this time a man opposing Tarzan and a lion seeking to overcome
Smith-Oldwick. Tarzan had cautioned the young Englishman not
to waste his cartridges upon the lions and it was Otobu with the
Xujan spear who met the beast, which was not subdued until both
he and Smith-Oldwick had been mauled, and the latter had succeeded
in running the point of the saber the girl had carried, into the
beast's heart. The man who opposed Tarzan inadvertently came too
close in an attempt to cut at the ape-man's head, with the result
that an instant later his corpse lay with the neck broken upon the
body of the lion.

Once again the enemy withdrew, but again only for a short time,
and now they came in full force, the lions and the men, possibly
a half dozen of each, the men casting their spears and the lions
waiting just behind, evidently for the signal to charge.

"Is this the end?" asked the girl.

"No," cried the ape-man, "for we still live!"

The words had scarcely passed his lips when the remaining warriors,
rushing in, cast their spears simultaneously from both sides. In
attempting to shield the girl, Tarzan received one of the shafts
in the shoulder, and so heavily had the weapon been hurled that it
bore him backward to the ground.  Smith-Oldwick fired his pistol
twice when he too was struck down, the weapon entering his right
leg midway between hip and knee. Only Otobu remained to face the
enemy, for the Englishman, already weak from his wounds and from
the latest mauling he had received at the claws of the lion, had
lost consciousness as he sank to the ground with this new hurt.

As he fell his pistol dropped from his fingers, and the girl, seeing,
snatched it up. As Tarzan struggled to rise, one of the warriors
leaped full upon his breast and bore him back as, with fiendish
shrieks, he raised the point of his saber above the other's heart.
Before he could drive it home the girl leveled Smith-Oldwick's
pistol and fired point-blank at the fiend's face.

Simultaneously there broke upon the astonished ears of both attackers
and attacked a volley of shots from the gorge. With the sweetness
of the voice of an angel from heaven the Europeans heard the
sharp-barked commands of an English noncom. Even above the roars
of the lions and the screams of the maniacs, those beloved tones
reached the ears of Tarzan and the girl at the very moment that
even the ape-man had given up the last vestige of hope.

Rolling the body of the warrior to one side Tarzan struggled to
his feet, the spear still protruding from his shoulder.  The girl
rose too, and as Tarzan wrenched the weapon from his flesh and stepped
out from behind the concealment of their refuge, she followed at
his side. The skirmish that had resulted in their rescue was soon
over. Most of the lions escaped but all of the pursuing Xujans
had been slain. As Tarzan and the girl came into full view of the
group, a British Tommy leveled his rifle at the ape-man. Seeing the
fellow's actions and realizing instantly the natural error that
Tarzan's yellow tunic had occasioned the girl sprang between him
and the soldier. "Don't shoot," she cried to the latter, "we are
both friends."

"Hold up your hands, you, then," he commanded Tarzan.  "I ain't
taking no chances with any duffer with a yellow shirt."

At this juncture the British sergeant who had been in command of
the advance guard approached and when Tarzan and the girl spoke
to him in English, explaining their disguises, he accepted their
word, since they were evidently not of the same race as the creatures
which lay dead about them. Ten minutes later the main body of the
expedition came into view.  Smith-Oldwick's wounds were dressed,
as well as were those of the ape-man, and in half an hour they were
on their way to the camp of their rescuers.

That night it was arranged that the following day Smith-Oldwick and
Bertha Kircher should be transported to British headquarters near
the coast by aeroplane, the two planes attached to the expeditionary
force being requisitioned for the purpose. Tarzan and Otobu declined
the offers of the British captain to accompany his force overland
on the return march as Tarzan explained that his country lay to
the west, as did Otobu's, and that they would travel together as
far as the country of the Wamabos.

"You are not going back with us, then?" asked the girl.

"No," replied the ape-man. "My home is upon the west coast. I will
continue my journey in that direction."

She cast appealing eyes toward him. "You will go back into that
terrible jungle?" she asked. "We shall never see you again?"

He looked at her a moment in silence. "Never," he said, and without
another word turned and walked away.

In the morning Colonel Capell came from the base camp in one of the
planes that was to carry Smith-Oldwick and the girl to the east.
Tarzan was standing some distance away as the ship landed and
the officer descended to the ground. He saw the colonel greet his
junior in command of the advance detachment, and then he saw him
turn toward Bertha Kircher who was standing a few paces behind the
captain. Tarzan wondered how the German spy felt in this situation,
especially when she must know that there was one there who knew her
real status. He saw Colonel Capell walk toward her with outstretched
hands and smiling face and, although he could not hear the words of
his greeting, he saw that it was friendly and cordial to a degree.

Tarzan turned away scowling, and if any had been close by they
might have heard a low growl rumble from his chest. He knew that
his country was at war with Germany and that not only his duty to
the land of his fathers, but also his personal grievance against
the enemy people and his hatred of them, demanded that he expose
the girl's perfidy, and yet he hesitated, and because he hesitated
he growled--not at the German spy but at himself for his weakness.

He did not see her again before she entered a plane and was borne
away toward the east. He bid farewell to Smith-Oldwick and received
again the oft-repeated thanks of the young Englishman. And then
he saw him too borne aloft in the high circling plane and watched
until the ship became a speck far above the eastern horizon to
disappear at last high in air.

The Tommies, their packs and accouterments slung, were waiting the
summons to continue their return march. Colonel Capell had, through
a desire to personally observe the stretch of country between the
camp of the advance detachment and the base, decided to march back
his troops. Now that all was in readiness for departure he turned to
Tarzan. "I wish you would come back with us, Greystoke," he said,
"and if my appeal carries no inducement possibly that of Smith-Oldwick
and the young lady who just left us may. They asked me to urge
you to return to civilization."

"No;" said Tarzan, "I shall go my own way. Miss Kircher and
Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick were only prompted by a sense of gratitude
in considering my welfare."

"Miss Kircher?" exclaimed Capell and then he laughed, "You know
her then as Bertha Kircher, the German spy?"

Tarzan looked at the other a moment in silence. It was beyond him
to conceive that a British officer should thus laconically speak
of an enemy spy whom he had had within his power and permitted to
escape. "Yes," he replied, "I knew that she was Bertha Kircher,
the German spy?"

"Is that all you knew?" asked Capell.

"That is all," said the ape-man.

"She is the Honorable Patricia Canby," said Capell, "one of the
most valuable members of the British Intelligence Service attached
to the East African forces. Her father and I served in India together
and I have known her ever since she was born.

"Why, here's a packet of papers she took from a German officer and
has been carrying it through all her vicissitudes--single-minded
in the performance of her duty. Look! I haven't yet had time to
examine them but as you see here is a military sketch map, a bundle
of reports, and the diary of one Hauptmann Fritz Schneider."

"The diary of Hauptmann Fritz Schneider!" repeated Tarzan in a
constrained voice. "May I see it, Capell? He is the man who murdered
Lady Greystoke."

The Englishman handed the little volume over to the other without
a word. Tarzan ran through the pages quickly looking for a certain
date--the date that the horror had been committed--and when he found
it he read rapidly. Suddenly a gasp of incredulity burst from his
lips. Capell looked at him questioningly.

"God!" exclaimed the ape-man. "Can this be true? Listen!" and he
read an excerpt from the closely written page:

"'Played a little joke on the English pig. When he comes home he
will find the burned body of his wife in her boudoir--but he will
only think it is his wife. Had von Goss substitute the body of a
dead Negress and char it after putting Lady Greystoke's rings on
it--Lady G will be of more value to the High Command alive than
dead.'"

"She lives!" cried Tarzan.

"Thank God!" exclaimed Capell. "And now?"

"I will return with you, of course. How terribly I have wronged
Miss Canby, but how could I know? I even told Smith-Oldwick, who
loves her, that she was a German spy.

"Not only must I return to find my wife but I must right this
wrong."

"Don't worry about that," said Capell, "she must have convinced him
that she is no enemy spy, for just before they left this morning
he told me she had promised to marry him."





  Note: I have made the following changes to the text:

  PAGE  LINE  ORIGINAL          CHANGED TO
    25    10  noislessly        noiselessly
    40    34  hole              bole
    41    45  later             latter
    53    43  but               "but
    66    19  half-smiled       half-smile
    69    45  to many           too many
    75    16  fine              find
    81     3  forth             fourth
    86    14  hoplessly         hopelessly
    86    42  interferred       interfered
    93    15  born              borne
   101    40  Englishman        Englishmen
   108    16  divertisements    divertissements
   110    29  asid              said
   127    14  apppreciate       appreciate
   128    45  fuseluge          fuselage
   138    25  as the            at the
   142    34  girls'            girl's
   146    44  sourroundings,    surroundings,
   148    30  spirit on         spirit of
   149    33  upon              upon.
   153     3  immediately       immediate
   153    39  nothwithstanding  notwithstanding
   159    43  "The              The
   163    45  known             know
   171     8  one the           on the
   172     8  sandled           sandaled
   175     2  junlgle           jungle
   181    46  swifty            swiftly
   189    23  not,              not.
   198    45  "Come,"           Come,"
   219     1  still             sill
   225    21  sigh or           sigh of
   227    20  occasionaly       occasionally
   228     5  gazing            grazing
   234    24  prisoners.        prisoners.
   237    11  qiuckly           quickly
   237    16  opproached        approached
   243    16  is his            in his
   244    32  second            seconds

I have also omitted the page-wide line beneath each chapter
heading.









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