"Chapter I\n\nMurder and Pillage\n\n\nHauptmann Fritz Schneider trudged wearily through the somber aisles\nof the dark forest. Sweat rolled down his bullet head and stood\nupon his heavy jowls and bull neck. His lieutenant marched beside\nhim while Underlieutenant von Goss brought up the rear, following\nwith a handful of askaris the tired and all but exhausted porters\nwhom the black soldiers, following the example of their white officer,\nencouraged with the sharp points of bayonets and the metal-shod\nbutts of rifles.\n\nThere were no porters within reach of Hauptmann Schneider so he\nvented his Prussian spleen upon the askaris nearest at hand, yet\nwith greater circumspection since these men bore loaded rifles--and\nthe three white men were alone with them in the heart of Africa.\n\nAhead of the hauptmann marched half his company, behind him the\nother half--thus were the dangers of the savage jungle minimized\nfor the German captain. At the forefront of the column staggered\ntwo naked savages fastened to each other by a neck chain. These\nwere the native guides impressed into the service of Kultur and upon\ntheir poor, bruised bodies Kultur's brand was revealed in divers\ncruel wounds and bruises.\n\nThus even in darkest Africa was the light of German civilization\ncommencing to reflect itself upon the undeserving natives just as\nat the same period, the fall of 1914, it was shedding its glorious\neffulgence upon benighted Belgium.\n\nIt is true that the guides had led the party astray; but this is\nthe way of most African guides. Nor did it matter that ignorance\nrather than evil intent had been the cause of their failure. It\nwas enough for Hauptmann Fritz Schneider to know that he was lost\nin the African wilderness and that he had at hand human beings less\npowerful than he who could be made to suffer by torture. That he\ndid not kill them outright was partially due to a faint hope that\nthey might eventually prove the means of extricating him from his\ndifficulties and partially that so long as they lived they might\nstill be made to suffer.\n\nThe poor creatures, hoping that chance might lead them at last\nupon the right trail, insisted that they knew the way and so led\non through a dismal forest along a winding game trail trodden deep\nby the feet of countless generations of the savage denizens of the\njungle.\n\nHere Tantor, the elephant, took his long way from dust wallow to\nwater. Here Buto, the rhinoceros, blundered blindly in his solitary\nmajesty, while by night the great cats paced silently upon their\npadded feet beneath the dense canopy of overreaching trees toward\nthe broad plain beyond, where they found their best hunting.\n\nIt was at the edge of this plain which came suddenly and  unexpectedly\nbefore the eyes of the guides that their sad hearts beat with\nrenewed hope. Here the hauptmann drew a deep sigh of relief, for\nafter days of hopeless wandering through almost impenetrable jungle\nthe broad vista of waving grasses dotted here and there with open\npark like woods and in the far distance the winding line of green\nshrubbery that denoted a river appeared to the European a veritable\nheaven.\n\nThe Hun smiled in his relief, passed a cheery word with his  lieutenant,\nand then scanned the broad plain with his field glasses. Back and\nforth they swept across the rolling land until at last they came\nto rest upon a point near the center of the landscape and close to\nthe green-fringed contours of the river.\n\n\"We are in luck,\" said Schneider to his companions. \"Do you see\nit?\"\n\nThe lieutenant, who was also gazing through his own glasses,\nfinally brought them to rest upon the same spot that had held the\nattention of his superior.\n\n\"Yes,\" he said, \"an English farm. It must be Greystoke's, for there\nis none other in this part of British East Africa. God is with us,\nHerr Captain.\"\n\n\"We have come upon the English schweinhund long before he can have\nlearned that his country is at war with ours,\" replied Schneider.\n\"Let him be the first to feel the iron hand of Germany.\"\n\n\"Let us hope that he is at home,\" said the lieutenant, \"that we\nmay take him with us when we report to Kraut at Nairobi.  It will\ngo well indeed with Herr Hauptmann Fritz Schneider if he brings in\nthe famous Tarzan of the Apes as a prisoner of war.\"\n\nSchneider smiled and puffed out his chest. \"You are right, my\nfriend,\" he said, \"it will go well with both of us; but I shall\nhave to travel far to catch General Kraut before he reaches Mombasa.\nThese English pigs with their contemptible army will make good time\nto the Indian Ocean.\"\n\nIt was in a better frame of mind that the small force set out across\nthe open country toward the trim and well-kept farm buildings of\nJohn Clayton, Lord Greystoke; but disappointment was to be their\nlot since neither Tarzan of the Apes nor his son was at home.\n\nLady Jane, ignorant of the fact that a state of war existed between\nGreat Britain and Germany, welcomed the officers most hospitably\nand gave orders through her trusted Waziri to prepare a feast for\nthe black soldiers of the enemy.\n\nFar to the east, Tarzan of the Apes was traveling rapidly from\nNairobi toward the farm. At Nairobi he had received news of the\nWorld War that had already started, and, anticipating an immediate\ninvasion of British East Africa by the Germans, was hurrying homeward\nto fetch his wife to a place of greater security. With him were a\nscore of his ebon warriors, but far too slow for the ape-man was\nthe progress of these trained and hardened woodsmen.\n\nWhen necessity demanded, Tarzan of the Apes sloughed the thin\nveneer of his civilization and with it the hampering apparel that\nwas its badge. In a moment the polished English gentleman reverted\nto the naked ape man.\n\nHis mate was in danger. For the time, that single thought  dominated.\nHe did not think of her as Lady Jane Greystoke, but rather as the\nshe he had won by the might of his steel thews, and that he must\nhold and protect by virtue of the same offensive armament.\n\nIt was no member of the House of Lords who swung swiftly and grimly\nthrough the tangled forest or trod with untiring muscles the wide\nstretches of open plain--it was a great he ape filled with a single\npurpose that excluded all thoughts of fatigue or danger.\n\nLittle Manu, the monkey, scolding and chattering in the upper\nterraces of the forest, saw him pass. Long had it been since he had\nthus beheld the great Tarmangani naked and alone hurtling through\nthe jungle. Bearded and gray was Manu, the monkey, and to his dim\nold eyes came the fire of recollection of those days when Tarzan\nof the Apes had ruled supreme, Lord of the Jungle, over all the\nmyriad life that trod the matted vegetation between the boles of\nthe great trees, or flew or swung or climbed in the leafy fastness\nupward to the very apex of the loftiest terraces.\n\nAnd Numa, the lion, lying up for the day close beside last night's\nsuccessful kill, blinked his yellow-green eyes and twitched his\ntawny tail as he caught the scent spoor of his ancient enemy.\n\nNor was Tarzan senseless to the presence of Numa or Manu or any of\nthe many jungle beasts he passed in his rapid flight towards the\nwest. No particle had his shallow probing of English society dulled\nhis marvelous sense faculties. His nose had picked out the presence\nof Numa, the lion, even before the majestic king of beasts was\naware of his passing.\n\nHe had heard noisy little Manu, and even the soft rustling of the\nparting shrubbery where Sheeta passed before either of these alert\nanimals sensed his presence.\n\nBut however keen the senses of the ape-man, however swift his\nprogress through the wild country of his adoption, however mighty\nthe muscles that bore him, he was still mortal.  Time and space\nplaced their inexorable limits upon him; nor was there another who\nrealized this truth more keenly than Tarzan. He chafed and fretted\nthat he could not travel with the swiftness of thought and that the\nlong tedious miles stretching far ahead of him must require hours\nand hours of tireless effort upon his part before he would swing\nat last from the final bough of the fringing forest into the open\nplain and in sight of his goal.\n\nDays it took, even though he lay up at night for but a few hours\nand left to chance the finding of meat directly on his trail. If\nWappi, the antelope, or Horta, the boar, chanced in his way when\nhe was hungry, he ate, pausing but long enough to make the kill\nand cut himself a steak.\n\nThen at last the long journey drew to its close and he was passing\nthrough the last stretch of heavy forest that bounded his estate\nupon the east, and then this was traversed and he stood upon the\nplain's edge looking out across his broad lands towards his home.\n\nAt the first glance his eyes narrowed and his muscles tensed.  Even\nat that distance he could see that something was amiss.  A thin\nspiral of smoke arose at the right of the bungalow where the barns\nhad stood, but there were no barns there now, and from the bungalow\nchimney from which smoke should have arisen, there arose nothing.\n\nOnce again Tarzan of the Apes was speeding onward, this time even\nmore swiftly than before, for he was goaded now by a nameless fear,\nmore product of intuition than of reason.  Even as the beasts,\nTarzan of the Apes seemed to possess a sixth sense. Long before he\nreached the bungalow, he had almost pictured the scene that finally\nbroke upon his view.\n\nSilent and deserted was the vine-covered cottage. Smoldering embers\nmarked the site of his great barns. Gone were the thatched huts of\nhis sturdy retainers, empty the fields, the pastures, and corrals.\nHere and there vultures rose and circled above the carcasses of\nmen and beasts.\n\nIt was with a feeling as nearly akin to terror as he ever had\nexperienced that the ape-man finally forced himself to enter his\nhome. The first sight that met his eyes set the red haze of hate\nand bloodlust across his vision, for there, crucified against the\nwall of the living-room, was Wasimbu, giant son of the faithful\nMuviro and for over a year the personal bodyguard of Lady Jane.\n\nThe overturned and shattered furniture of the room, the brown pools\nof dried blood upon the floor, and prints of bloody hands on walls\nand woodwork evidenced something of the frightfulness of the battle\nthat had been waged within the narrow confines of the apartment.\nAcross the baby grand piano lay the corpse of another black warrior,\nwhile before the door of Lady Jane's boudoir were the dead bodies\nof three more of the faithful Greystoke servants.\n\nThe door of this room was closed. With drooping shoulders and dull\neyes Tarzan stood gazing dumbly at the insensate panel which hid\nfrom him what horrid secret he dared not even guess.\n\nSlowly, with leaden feet, he moved toward the door. Gropingly his\nhand reached for the knob. Thus he stood for another long minute,\nand then with a sudden gesture he straightened his giant frame,\nthrew back his mighty shoulders and, with fearless head held high,\nswung back the door and stepped across the threshold into the\nroom which held for him the dearest memories and associations of\nhis life. No change of expression crossed his grim and stern-set\nfeatures as he strode across the room and stood beside the little\ncouch and the inanimate form which lay face downward upon it; the\nstill, silent thing that had pulsed with life and youth and love.\n\nNo tear dimmed the eye of the ape-man, but the God who made him alone\ncould know the thoughts that passed through that still half-savage\nbrain. For a long time he stood there just looking down upon the\ndead body, charred beyond recognition, and then he stooped and lifted\nit in his arms.  As he turned the body over and saw how horribly\ndeath had been meted he plumbed, in that instant, the uttermost\ndepths of grief and horror and hatred.\n\nNor did he require the evidence of the broken German rifle in the\nouter room, or the torn and blood-stained service cap upon the\nfloor, to tell him who had been the perpetrators of this horrid\nand useless crime.\n\nFor a moment he had hoped against hope that the blackened corpse was\nnot that of his mate, but when his eyes discovered and recognized\nthe rings upon her fingers the last faint ray of hope forsook him.\n\nIn silence, in love, and in reverence he buried, in the little\nrose garden that had been Jane Clayton's pride and love, the poor,\ncharred form and beside it the great black warriors who had given\ntheir lives so futilely in their mistress' protection.\n\nAt one side of the house Tarzan found other newly made graves\nand in these he sought final evidence of the identity of the real\nperpetrators of the atrocities that had been committed there in\nhis absence.\n\nHere he disinterred the bodies of a dozen German askaris and found\nupon their uniforms the insignia of the company and regiment to\nwhich they had belonged. This was enough for the ape-man. White\nofficers had commanded these men, nor would it be a difficult task\nto discover who they were.\n\nReturning to the rose garden, he stood among the Hun trampled\nblooms and bushes above the grave of his dead--with bowed head he\nstood there in a last mute farewell. As the sun sank slowly behind\nthe towering forests of the west, he turned slowly away upon the\nstill-distinct trail of Hauptmann Fritz Schneider and his blood-stained\ncompany.\n\nHis was the suffering of the dumb brute--mute; but though voiceless\nno less poignant. At first his vast sorrow numbed his other faculties\nof thought--his brain was overwhelmed by the calamity to such an\nextent that it reacted to but a single objective suggestion: She is\ndead! She is dead! She is dead!  Again and again this phrase beat\nmonotonously upon his brain--a dull, throbbing pain, yet mechanically\nhis feet followed the trail of her slayer while, subconsciously,\nhis every sense was upon the alert for the ever-present perils of\nthe jungle.\n\nGradually the labor of his great grief brought forth another\nemotion so real, so tangible, that it seemed a companion walking\nat his side. It was Hate--and it brought to him a measure of solace\nand of comfort, for it was a sublime hate that ennobled him as\nit has ennobled countless thousands since--hatred for Germany and\nGermans. It centered about the slayer of his mate, of course; but\nit included everything German, animate or inanimate. As the thought\ntook firm hold upon him he paused and raising his face to Goro, the\nmoon, cursed with upraised hand the authors of the hideous crime\nthat had been perpetrated in that once peaceful bungalow behind\nhim; and he cursed their progenitors, their progeny, and all their\nkind the while he took silent oath to war upon them relentlessly\nuntil death overtook him.\n\nThere followed almost immediately a feeling of content, for, where\nbefore his future at best seemed but a void, now it was filled\nwith possibilities the contemplation of which brought him, if not\nhappiness, at least a surcease of absolute grief, for before him\nlay a great work that would occupy his time.\n\nStripped not only of all the outward symbols of civilization, Tarzan\nhad also reverted morally and mentally to the status of the savage\nbeast he had been reared. Never had his civilization been more than\na veneer put on for the sake of her he loved because he thought it\nmade her happier to see him thus. In reality he had always held the\noutward evidences of so-called culture in deep contempt. Civilization\nmeant to Tarzan of the Apes a curtailment of freedom in all its\naspects--freedom of action, freedom of thought, freedom of love,\nfreedom of hate. Clothes he abhorred--uncomfortable, hideous,\nconfining things that reminded him somehow of bonds securing him to\nthe life he had seen the poor creatures of London and Paris living.\nClothes were the emblems of that hypocrisy for which civilization\nstood--a pretense that the wearers were ashamed of what the clothes\ncovered, of the human form made in the semblance of God. Tarzan\nknew how silly and pathetic the lower orders of animals appeared in\nthe clothing of civilization, for he had seen several poor creatures\nthus appareled in various traveling shows in Europe, and he knew,\ntoo, how silly and pathetic man appears in them since the only men\nhe had seen in the first twenty years of his life had been, like\nhimself, naked savages. The ape-man had a keen admiration for a\nwell-muscled, well-proportioned body, whether lion, or antelope,\nor man, and it had ever been beyond him to understand how clothes\ncould be considered more beautiful than a clear, firm, healthy\nskin, or coat and trousers more graceful than the gentle curves of\nrounded muscles playing beneath a flexible hide.\n\nIn civilization Tarzan had found greed and selfishness and cruelty\nfar beyond that which he had known in his familiar, savage jungle,\nand though civilization had given him his mate and several friends\nwhom he loved and admired, he never had come to accept it as you\nand I who have known little or nothing else; so it was with a sense\nof relief that he now definitely abandoned it and all that it stood\nfor, and went forth into the jungle once again stripped to his loin\ncloth and weapons.\n\nThe hunting knife of his father hung at his left hip, his bow and\nhis quiver of arrows were slung across his shoulders, while around\nhis chest over one shoulder and beneath the opposite arm was coiled\nthe long grass rope without which Tarzan would have felt quite as\nnaked as would you should you be suddenly thrust upon a busy highway\nclad only in a union suit. A heavy war spear which he sometimes\ncarried in one hand and again slung by a thong about his neck so\nthat it hung down his back completed his armament and his apparel.\nThe diamond-studded locket with the pictures of his mother and\nfather that he had worn always until he had given it as a token\nof his highest devotion to Jane Clayton before their marriage was\nmissing. She always had worn it since, but it had not been upon\nher body when he found her slain in her boudoir, so that now his\nquest for vengeance included also a quest for the stolen trinket.\n\nToward midnight Tarzan commenced to feel the physical strain of\nhis long hours of travel and to realize that even muscles such as\nhis had their limitations. His pursuit of the murderers had not\nbeen characterized by excessive speed; but rather more in keeping\nwith his mental attitude, which was marked by a dogged determination\nto require from the Germans more than an eye for an eye and more\nthan a tooth for a tooth, the element of time entering but slightly\ninto his calculations.\n\nInwardly as well as outwardly Tarzan had reverted to beast and in\nthe lives of beasts, time, as a measurable aspect of duration, has\nno meaning. The beast is actively interested only in NOW, and as\nit is always NOW and always shall be, there is an eternity of time\nfor the accomplishment of objects. The ape-man, naturally, had a\nslightly more comprehensive realization of the limitations of time;\nbut, like the beasts, he moved with majestic deliberation when no\nemergency prompted him to swift action.\n\nHaving dedicated his life to vengeance, vengeance became his natural\nstate and, therefore, no emergency, so he took his time in pursuit.\nThat he had not rested earlier was due to the fact that he had\nfelt no fatigue, his mind being occupied by thoughts of sorrow and\nrevenge; but now he realized that he was tired, and so he sought\na jungle giant that had harbored him upon more than a single other\njungle night.\n\nDark clouds moving swiftly across the heavens now and again eclipsed\nthe bright face of Goro, the moon, and forewarned the ape-man\nof impending storm. In the depth of the jungle the cloud shadows\nproduced a thick blackness that might almost be felt--a blackness\nthat to you and me might have proven terrifying with its accompaniment\nof rustling leaves and cracking twigs, and its even more suggestive\nintervals of utter silence in which the crudest of imaginations\nmight have conjured crouching beasts of prey tensed for the fatal\ncharge; but through it Tarzan passed unconcerned, yet always alert.\nNow he swung lightly to the lower terraces of the overarching\ntrees when some subtle sense warned him that Numa lay upon a kill\ndirectly in his path, or again he sprang lightly to one side as\nButo, the rhinoceros, lumbered toward him along the narrow, deep-worn\ntrail, for the ape-man, ready to fight upon necessity's slightest\npretext, avoided unnecessary quarrels.\n\nWhen he swung himself at last into the tree he sought, the moon was\nobscured by a heavy cloud, and the tree tops were waving wildly in\na steadily increasing wind whose soughing drowned the lesser noises\nof the jungle. Upward went Tarzan toward a sturdy crotch across which\nhe long since had laid and secured a little platform of branches.\nIt was very dark now, darker even than it had been before, for\nalmost the entire sky was overcast by thick, black clouds.\n\nPresently the man-beast paused, his sensitive nostrils dilating as\nhe sniffed the air about him. Then, with the swiftness and agility of\na cat, he leaped far outward upon a swaying branch, sprang upward\nthrough the darkness, caught another, swung himself upon it and\nthen to one still higher. What could have so suddenly transformed\nhis matter-of-fact ascent of the giant bole to the swift and wary\naction of his detour among the branches? You or I could have seen\nnothing--not even the little platform that an instant before had\nbeen just above him and which now was immediately below--but as he\nswung above it we should have heard an ominous growl; and then as\nthe moon was momentarily uncovered, we should have seen both the\nplatform, dimly, and a dark mass that lay stretched upon it--a dark\nmass that presently, as our eyes became accustomed to the lesser\ndarkness, would take the form of Sheeta, the panther.\n\nIn answer to the cat's growl, a low and equally ferocious growl\nrumbled upward from the ape-man's deep chest--a growl of warning\nthat told the panther he was trespassing upon the other's lair; but\nSheeta was in no mood to be dispossessed. With upturned, snarling\nface he glared at the brown-skinned Tarmangani above him. Very slowly\nthe ape-man moved inward along the branch until he was directly\nabove the panther. In the man's hand was the hunting knife of his\nlong-dead father--the weapon that had first given him his real\nascendancy over the beasts of the jungle; but he hoped not to be\nforced to use it, knowing as he did that more jungle battles were\nsettled by hideous growling than by actual combat, the law of bluff\nholding quite as good in the jungle as elsewhere--only in matters\nof love and food did the great beasts ordinarily close with fangs\nand talons.\n\nTarzan braced himself against the bole of the tree and leaned closer\ntoward Sheeta.\n\n\"Stealer of balus!\" he cried. The panther rose to a sitting position,\nhis bared fangs but a few feet from the ape-man's taunting face.\nTarzan growled hideously and struck at the cat's face with his\nknife.  \"I am Tarzan of the Apes,\" he roared.  \"This is Tarzan's\nlair.  Go, or I will kill you.\"\n\nThough he spoke in the language of the great apes of the jungle,\nit is doubtful that Sheeta understood the words, though he knew\nwell enough that the hairless ape wished to frighten him from his\nwell-chosen station past which edible creatures might be expected\nto wander sometime during the watches of the night.\n\nLike lightning the cat reared and struck a vicious blow at his\ntormentor with great, bared talons that might well have torn away\nthe ape-man's face had the blow landed; but it did not land--Tarzan\nwas even quicker than Sheeta.  As the panther came to all fours\nagain upon the little platform, Tarzan un-slung his heavy spear and\nprodded at the snarling face, and as Sheeta warded off the blows,\nthe two continued their horrid duet of blood-curdling roars and\ngrowls.\n\nGoaded to frenzy the cat presently determined to come up after this\ndisturber of his peace; but when he essayed to leap to the branch\nthat held Tarzan he found the sharp spear point always in his\nface, and each time as he dropped back he was prodded viciously in\nsome tender part; but at length, rage having conquered his better\njudgment, he leaped up the rough bole to the very branch upon which\nTarzan stood.  Now the two faced each other upon even footing and\nSheeta saw a quick revenge and a supper all in one.  The hairless\nape-thing with the tiny fangs and the puny talons would be helpless\nbefore him.\n\nThe heavy limb bent beneath the weight of the two beasts as Sheeta\ncrept cautiously out upon it and Tarzan backed slowly away, growling.\nThe wind had risen to the proportions of a gale so that even the\ngreatest giants of the forest swayed, groaning, to its force and\nthe branch upon which the two faced each other rose and fell like\nthe deck of a storm-tossed ship.  Goro was now entirely obscured,\nbut vivid flashes of lightning lit up the jungle at brief intervals,\nrevealing the grim tableau of primitive passion upon the swaying\nlimb.\n\nTarzan backed away, drawing Sheeta farther from the stem of the\ntree and out upon the tapering branch, where his footing became\never more precarious.  The cat, infuriated by the pain of spear\nwounds, was overstepping the bounds of caution.  Already he had\nreached a point where he could do little more than maintain a secure\nfooting, and it was this moment that Tarzan chose to charge.  With\na roar that mingled with the booming thunder from above he leaped\ntoward the panther, who could only claw futilely with one huge paw\nwhile he clung to the branch with the other; but the ape-man did\nnot come within that parabola of destruction.  Instead he leaped\nabove menacing claws and snapping fangs, turning in mid-air  and\nalighting upon Sheeta's back, and at the instant of impact  his knife\nstruck deep into the tawny side. Then Sheeta, impelled by pain and\nhate and rage and the first law of Nature,  went mad. Screaming\nand clawing he attempted to turn upon the ape-thing clinging to\nhis back. For an instant he toppled upon the now wildly gyrating\nlimb, clutched frantically to save himself, and then plunged downward\ninto the darkness with Tarzan still clinging to him. Crashing\nthrough splintering branches the two fell. Not for an instant did\nthe ape-man consider relinquishing his death-hold upon his adversary.\nHe had entered the lists in mortal combat and true to the primitive\ninstincts of the wild--the unwritten law of the jungle--one or both\nmust die before the battle ended.\n\nSheeta, catlike, alighted upon four out-sprawled feet, the  weight\nof the ape-man crushing him to earth, the long knife  again imbedded\nin his side. Once the panther struggled to rise; but only to sink\nto earth again. Tarzan felt the giant muscles relax beneath him.\nSheeta was dead. Rising, the ape-man placed a foot upon the body of\nhis vanquished foe, raised his face toward the thundering heavens,\nand as the lightning flashed and the torrential rain broke upon\nhim, screamed forth the wild victory cry of the bull ape.\n\nHaving accomplished his aim and driven the enemy from his lair,\nTarzan gathered an armful of large fronds and climbed to his dripping\ncouch. Laying a few of the fronds upon the poles he lay down and\ncovered himself against the rain with the others, and despite the\nwailing of the wind and the crashing of the thunder, immediately\nfell asleep.\n\n\n\n\nChapter II\n\nThe Lion's Cave\n\n\nThe rain lasted for twenty-four hours and much of the time it fell\nin torrents so that when it ceased, the trail he had been following\nwas entirely obliterated. Cold and uncomfortable--it was a savage\nTarzan who threaded the mazes of the soggy jungle. Manu, the\nmonkey, shivering and chattering in the dank trees, scolded and fled\nat his approach. Even the panthers and the lions let the growling\nTarmangani pass unmolested.\n\nWhen the sun shone again upon the second day and a wide, open plain\nlet the full heat of Kudu flood the chilled, brown body, Tarzan's\nspirits rose; but it was still a sullen, surly brute that moved\nsteadily onward into the south where he hoped again to pick up the\ntrail of the Germans. He was now in German East Africa and it was\nhis intention to skirt the mountains west of Kilimanjaro, whose\nrugged peaks he was quite willing to give a wide berth, and then\nswing eastward along the south side of the range to the railway that\nled to Tanga, for his experience among men suggested that it was\ntoward this railroad that German troops would be likely to converge.\n\nTwo days later, from the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro, he heard\nthe boom of cannon far away to the east. The afternoon had been\ndull and cloudy and now as he was passing through a narrow gorge a\nfew great drops of rain began to splatter upon his naked shoulders.\nTarzan shook his head and growled his disapproval; then he cast his\neyes about for shelter, for he had had quite enough of the cold and\ndrenching.  He wanted to hasten on in the direction of the booming\nnoise, for he knew that there would be Germans fighting against the\nEnglish. For an instant his bosom swelled with pride at the thought\nthat he was English and then he shook his head again viciously.\n\"No!\" he muttered, \"Tarzan of the Apes is not English, for the\nEnglish are men and Tarzan is Tarmangani;\" but he could not hide\neven from his sorrow or from his sullen hatred of mankind in general\nthat his heart warmed at the thought it was Englishmen who fought\nthe Germans.  His regret was that the English were human and not\ngreat white apes as he again considered himself.\n\n\"Tomorrow,\" he thought, \"I will travel that way and find the Germans,\"\nand then he set himself to the immediate task of discovering some\nshelter from the storm. Presently he espied the low and narrow\nentrance to what appeared to be a cave at the base of the cliffs\nwhich formed the northern side of the gorge. With drawn knife he\napproached the spot warily, for he knew that if it were a cave it\nwas doubtless the lair of some other beast. Before the entrance lay\nmany large fragments of rock of different sizes, similar to others\nscattered along the entire base of the cliff, and it was in Tarzan's\nmind that if he found the cave unoccupied he would barricade the\ndoor and insure himself a quiet and peaceful night's repose within\nthe sheltered interior. Let the storm rage without--Tarzan would\nremain within until it ceased, comfortable and dry. A tiny rivulet\nof cold water trickled outward from the opening.\n\nClose to the cave Tarzan kneeled and sniffed the ground.  A low\ngrowl escaped him and his upper lip curved to expose his fighting\nfangs. \"Numa!\" he muttered; but he did not stop. Numa might not be\nat home--he would investigate.  The entrance was so low that the\nape-man was compelled to drop to all fours before he could poke\nhis head within the aperture; but first he looked, listened, and\nsniffed in each direction at his rear--he would not be taken by\nsurprise from that quarter.\n\nHis first glance within the cave revealed a narrow tunnel with\ndaylight at its farther end. The interior of the tunnel was not so\ndark but that the ape-man could readily see that it was untenanted\nat present. Advancing cautiously he crawled toward the opposite\nend imbued with a full realization of what it would mean if Numa\nshould suddenly enter the tunnel in front of him; but Numa did not\nappear and the ape-man emerged at length into the open and stood\nerect, finding himself in a rocky cleft whose precipitous walls\nrose almost sheer on every hand, the tunnel from the gorge passing\nthrough the cliff and forming a passageway from the outer world\ninto a large pocket or gulch entirely enclosed by steep walls of\nrock. Except for the small passageway from the gorge, there was no\nother entrance to the gulch which was some hundred feet in length\nand about fifty in width and appeared to have been worn from the\nrocky cliff by the falling of water during long ages. A tiny stream\nfrom Kilimanjaro's eternal snow cap still trickled over the edge\nof the rocky wall at the upper end of the gulch, forming a little\npool at the bottom of the cliff from which a small rivulet wound\ndownward to the tunnel through which it passed to the gorge beyond.\nA single great tree flourished near the center of the gulch, while\ntufts of wiry grass were scattered here and there among the rocks\nof the gravelly floor.\n\nThe bones of many large animals lay about and among them were\nseveral human skulls. Tarzan raised his eyebrows. \"A man-eater,\"\nhe murmured, \"and from appearances he has held sway here for a long\ntime. Tonight Tarzan will take the lair of the man-eater and Numa\nmay roar and grumble upon the outside.\"\n\nThe ape-man had advanced well into the gulch as he investigated\nhis surroundings and now as he stood near the tree, satisfied that\nthe tunnel would prove a dry and quiet retreat for the night, he\nturned to retrace his way to the outer end of the entrance that he\nmight block it with boulders against Numa's return, but even with\nthe thought there came something to his sensitive ears that froze\nhim into statuesque immobility with eyes glued upon the tunnel's\nmouth. A moment later the head of a huge lion framed in a great\nblack mane appeared in the opening. The yellow-green eyes glared,\nround and unblinking, straight at the trespassing Tarmangani, a low\ngrowl rumbled from the deep chest, and lips curled back to expose\nthe mighty fangs.\n\n\"Brother of Dango!\" shouted Tarzan, angered that Numa's return should\nhave been so timed as to frustrate his plans for a comfortable\nnight's repose. \"I am Tarzan of the Apes, Lord of the Jungle.\nTonight I lair here--go!\"\n\nBut Numa did not go. Instead he rumbled forth a menacing roar and\ntook a few steps in Tarzan's direction. The ape-man picked up a\nrock and hurled it at the snarling face. One can never be sure of\na lion. This one might turn tail and run at the first intimation\nof attack--Tarzan had bluffed many in his time--but not now. The\nmissile struck Numa full upon the snout--a tender part of a cat's\nanatomy--and instead of causing him to flee it transformed him into\nan infuriated engine of wrath and destruction.\n\nUp went his tail, stiff and erect, and with a series of frightful\nroars he bore down upon the Tarmangani at the speed of an express\ntrain. Not an instant too soon did Tarzan reach the tree and swing\nhimself into its branches and there he squatted, hurling insults at\nthe king of beasts while Numa paced a circle beneath him, growling\nand roaring in rage.\n\nIt was raining now in earnest adding to the ape-man's discomfort\nand disappointment. He was very angry; but as only direct necessity\nhad ever led him to close in mortal combat with a lion, knowing\nas he did that he had only luck and agility to pit against the\nfrightful odds of muscle, weight, fangs, and talons, he did not now\neven consider descending and engaging in so unequal and useless a\nduel for the mere reward of a little added creature comfort. And\nso he sat perched in the tree while the rain fell steadily and the\nlion padded round and round beneath, casting a baleful eye upward\nafter every few steps.\n\nTarzan scanned the precipitous walls for an avenue of escape. They\nwould have baffled an ordinary man; but the ape-man, accustomed\nto climbing, saw several places where he might gain a foothold,\nprecarious possibly; but enough to give him reasonable assurance\nof escape if Numa would but betake himself to the far end of the\ngulch for a moment.  Numa, however, notwithstanding the rain, gave\nno evidence of quitting his post so that at last Tarzan really\nbegan to consider seriously if it might not be as well to take the\nchance of a battle with him rather than remain longer cold and wet\nand humiliated in the tree.\n\nBut even as he turned the matter over in his mind Numa turned\nsuddenly and walked majestically toward the tunnel without even a\nbackward glance. The instant that he disappeared, Tarzan dropped\nlightly to the ground upon the far side of the tree and was away at\ntop speed for the cliff. The lion had no sooner entered the tunnel\nthan he backed immediately out again and, pivoting like a flash,\nwas off across the gulch in full charge after the flying ape-man;\nbut Tarzan's lead was too great--if he could find finger or foothold\nupon the sheer wall he would be safe; but should he slip from the\nwet rocks his doom was already sealed as he would fall directly into\nNuma's clutches where even the Great Tarmangani would be helpless.\n\nWith the agility of a cat Tarzan ran up the cliff for thirty feet\nbefore he paused, and there finding a secure foothold, he stopped\nand looked down upon Numa who was leaping upward in a wild and\nfutile attempt to scale the rocky wall to his prey. Fifteen or\ntwenty feet from the ground the lion would scramble only to fall\nbackward again defeated. Tarzan eyed him for a moment and then\ncommenced a slow and cautious ascent toward the summit. Several\ntimes he had difficulty in finding holds but at last he drew himself\nover the edge, rose, picked up a bit of loose rock, hurled it at\nNuma and strode away.\n\nFinding an easy descent to the gorge, he was about to pursue his\njourney in the direction of the still-booming guns when a sudden\nthought caused him to halt and a half-smile to play about his lips.\nTurning, he trotted quickly back to the outer opening of Numa's\ntunnel. Close beside it he listened for a moment and then rapidly\nbegan to gather large rocks and pile them within the entrance.\nHe had almost closed the aperture when the lion appeared upon the\ninside--a very ferocious and angry lion that pawed and clawed at\nthe rocks and uttered mighty roars that caused the earth to tremble;\nbut roars did not frighten Tarzan of the Apes. At Kala's shaggy\nbreast he had closed his infant eyes in sleep upon countless nights\nin years gone by to the savage chorus of similar roars. Scarcely a\nday or night of his jungle life--and practically all his life had\nbeen spent in the jungle--had he not heard the roaring of hungry\nlions, or angry lions, or love-sick lions. Such sounds affected\nTarzan as the tooting of an automobile horn may affect you--if you\nare in front of the automobile it warns you out of the way, if you\nare not in front of it you scarcely notice it. Figuratively Tarzan\nwas not in front of the automobile--Numa could not reach him and\nTarzan knew it, so he continued deliberately to choke the entrance\nuntil there was no possibility of Numa's getting out again. When\nhe was quite through he made a grimace at the hidden lion beyond\nthe barrier and resumed his way toward the east. \"A man-eater who\nwill eat no more men,\" he soliloquized.\n\nThat night Tarzan lay up under an overhanging shelf of rock. The\nnext morning he resumed his journey, stopping only long enough to\nmake a kill and satisfy his hunger. The other beasts of the wild\neat and lie up; but Tarzan never let his belly interfere with his\nplans. In this lay one of the greatest differences between the ape-man\nand his fellows of the jungles and forests. The firing ahead rose\nand fell during the day. He had noticed that it was highest at\ndawn and immediately after dusk and that during the night it almost\nceased. In the middle of the afternoon of the second day he came\nupon troops moving up toward the front. They appeared to be raiding\nparties, for they drove goats and cows along with them and there\nwere native porters laden with grain and other foodstuffs. He saw\nthat these natives were all secured by neck chains and he also saw\nthat the troops were composed of native soldiers in German uniforms.\nThe officers were white men. No one saw Tarzan, yet he was here and\nthere about and among them for two hours. He inspected the insignia\nupon their uniforms and saw that they were not the same as that\nwhich he had taken from one of the dead soldiers at the bungalow\nand then he passed on ahead of them, unseen in the dense bush. He\nhad come upon Germans and had not killed them; but it was because\nthe killing of Germans at large was not yet the prime motive of\nhis existence--now it was to discover the individual who slew his\nmate.\n\nAfter he had accounted for him he would take up the little matter\nof slaying ALL Germans who crossed his path, and he meant that many\nshould cross it, for he would hunt them precisely as professional\nhunters hunt the man-eaters.\n\nAs he neared the front lines the troops became more numerous. There\nwere motor trucks and ox teams and all the impedimenta of a small\narmy and always there were wounded men walking or being carried\ntoward the rear. He had crossed the railroad some distance back and\njudged that the wounded were being taken to it for transportation\nto a base hospital and possibly as far away as Tanga on the coast.\n\nIt was dusk when he reached a large camp hidden in the foothills of\nthe Pare Mountains. As he was approaching from the rear he found\nit but lightly guarded and what sentinels there were, were not\nupon the alert, and so it was an easy thing for him to enter after\ndarkness had fallen and prowl about listening at the backs of tents,\nsearching for some clew to the slayer of his mate.\n\nAs he paused at the side of a tent before which sat a number of\nnative soldiers he caught a few words spoken in native dialect that\nriveted his attention instantly: \"The Waziri fought like devils;\nbut we are greater fighters and we killed them all.  When we were\nthrough the captain came and killed the woman. He stayed outside\nand yelled in a very loud voice until all the men were killed.\nUnderlieutenant von Goss is braver--he came in and stood beside the\ndoor shouting at us, also in a very loud voice, and bade us nail\none of the Waziri who was wounded to the wall, and then he laughed\nloudly because the man suffered. We all laughed. It was very funny.\"\n\nLike a beast of prey, grim and terrible, Tarzan crouched in the\nshadows beside the tent. What thoughts passed through that savage\nmind? Who may say? No outward sign of passion was revealed by the\nexpression of the handsome face; the cold, gray eyes denoted only\nintense watchfulness. Presently the soldier Tarzan had heard first\nrose and with a parting word turned away. He passed within ten\nfeet of the ape-man and continued on toward the rear of the camp.\nTarzan followed and in the shadows of a clump of bushes overtook\nhis quarry. There was no sound as the man beast sprang upon the\nback of his prey and bore it to the ground for steel fingers closed\nsimultaneously upon the soldier's throat, effectually stifling\nany outcry. By the neck Tarzan dragged his victim well into the\nconcealment of the bushes.\n\n\"Make no sound,\" he cautioned in the man's own tribal dialect as\nhe released his hold upon the other's throat.\n\nThe fellow gasped for breath, rolling frightened eyes upward to\nsee what manner of creature it might be in whose power he was. In\nthe darkness he saw only a naked brown body bending above him; but\nhe still remembered the terrific strength of the mighty muscles\nthat had closed upon his wind and dragged him into the bushes as\nthough he had been but a little child. If any thought of resistance\nhad crossed his mind he must have discarded it at once, as he made\nno move to escape.\n\n\"What is the name of the officer who killed the woman at the bungalow\nwhere you fought with the Waziri?\" asked Tarzan.\n\n\"Hauptmann Schneider,\" replied the black when he could again command\nhis voice.\n\n\"Where is he?\" demanded the ape-man.\n\n\"He is here. It may be that he is at headquarters. Many of the\nofficers go there in the evening to receive orders.\"\n\n\"Lead me there,\" commanded Tarzan, \"and if I am discovered I will\nkill you immediately. Get up!\"\n\nThe black rose and led the way by a roundabout route back through\nthe camp. Several times they were forced to hide while soldiers\npassed; but at last they reached a great pile of baled hay from about\nthe corner of which the black pointed out a two-story building in\nthe distance.\n\n\"Headquarters,\" he said. \"You can go no farther unseen.  There are\nmany soldiers about.\"\n\nTarzan realized that he could not proceed farther in company with\nthe black. He turned and looked at the fellow for a moment as though\npondering what disposition to make of him.\n\n\"You helped to crucify Wasimbu, the Waziri,\" he accused in a low\nyet none the less terrible tone.\n\nThe black trembled, his knees giving beneath him. \"He ordered us\nto do it,\" he plead.\n\n\"Who ordered it done?\" demanded Tarzan.\n\n\"Underlieutenant von Goss,\" replied the soldier. \"He, too, is here.\"\n\n\"I shall find him,\" returned Tarzan, grimly. \"You helped to crucify\nWasimbu, the Waziri, and, while he suffered, you laughed.\"\n\nThe fellow reeled. It was as though in the accusation he read also\nhis death sentence. With no other word Tarzan seized the man again\nby the neck. As before there was no outcry. The giant muscles tensed.\nThe arms swung quickly upward and with them the body of the black\nsoldier who had helped to crucify Wasimbu, the Waziri, described a\ncircle in the air--once, twice, three times, and then it was flung\naside and the ape-man turned in the direction of General Kraut's\nheadquarters.\n\nA single sentinel in the rear of the building barred the way.\nTarzan crawled, belly to the ground, toward him, taking advantage\nof cover as only the jungle-bred beast of prey can do. When the\nsentinel's eyes were toward him, Tarzan hugged the ground, motionless\nas stone; when they were turned away, he moved swiftly forward.\nPresently he was within charging distance. He waited until the man\nhad turned his back once more and then he rose and sped noiselessly\ndown upon him.  Again there was no sound as he carried the dead\nbody with him toward the building.\n\nThe lower floor was lighted, the upper dark. Through the windows\nTarzan saw a large front room and a smaller room in rear of it.\nIn the former were many officers. Some moved about talking to one\nanother, others sat at field tables writing.  The windows were open\nand Tarzan could hear much of the conversation; but nothing that\ninterested him. It was mostly about the German successes in Africa\nand conjectures as to when the German army in Europe would reach\nParis. Some said the Kaiser was doubtlessly already there, and\nthere was a great deal of damning Belgium.\n\nIn the smaller back room a large, red-faced man sat behind a table.\nSome other officers were also sitting a little in rear of him,\nwhile two stood at attention before the general, who was questioning\nthem. As he talked, the general toyed with an oil lamp that stood\nupon the table before him. Presently there came a knock upon the\ndoor and an aide entered the room. He saluted and reported: \"Fraulein\nKircher has arrived, sir.\"\n\n\"Bid her enter,\" commanded the general, and then nodded to the two\nofficers before him in sign of dismissal.\n\nThe Fraulein, entering, passed them at the door. The officers in\nthe little room rose and saluted, the Fraulein acknowledging the\ncourtesy with a bow and a slight smile.  She was a very pretty\ngirl. Even the rough, soiled riding habit and the caked dust upon\nher face could not conceal the fact, and she was young. She could\nnot have been over nineteen.\n\nShe advanced to the table behind which the general stood and, taking\na folded paper from an inside pocket of her coat, handed it to him.\n\n\"Be seated, Fraulein,\" he said, and another officer brought her\na chair. No one spoke while the general read the contents of the\npaper.\n\nTarzan appraised the various people in the room. He wondered if one\nmight not be Hauptmann Schneider, for two of them were captains.\nThe girl he judged to be of the intelligence department--a spy.\nHer beauty held no appeal for him--without a glimmer of compunction\nhe could have wrung that fair, young neck. She was German and that\nwas enough; but he had other and more important work before him.\nHe wanted Hauptmann Schneider.\n\nFinally the general looked up from the paper.\n\n\"Good,\" he said to the girl, and then to one of his aides, \"Send\nfor Major Schneider.\"\n\nMajor Schneider! Tarzan felt the short hairs at the back of his\nneck rise. Already they had promoted the beast who had murdered\nhis mate--doubtless they had promoted him for that very crime.\n\nThe aide left the room and the others fell into a general conversation\nfrom which it became apparent to Tarzan that the German East African\nforces greatly outnumbered the British and that the latter were\nsuffering heavily. The ape-man stood so concealed in a clump of\nbushes that he could watch the interior of the room without being\nseen from within, while he was at the same time hidden from the view\nof anyone who might chance to pass along the post of the sentinel\nhe had slain. Momentarily he was expecting a patrol or a relief to\nappear and discover that the sentinel was missing, when he knew an\nimmediate and thorough search would be made.\n\nImpatiently he awaited the coming of the man he sought and at\nlast he was rewarded by the reappearance of the aide who had been\ndispatched to fetch him accompanied by an officer of medium size\nwith fierce, upstanding mustaches. The newcomer strode to the table,\nhalted and saluted, reporting.  The general acknowledged the salute\nand turned toward the girl.\n\n\"Fraulein Kircher,\" he said, \"allow me to present Major Schneider--\"\n\nTarzan waited to hear no more. Placing a palm upon the sill of\nthe window he vaulted into the room into the midst of an astounded\ncompany of the Kaiser's officers. With a stride he was at the table\nand with a sweep of his hand sent the lamp crashing into the fat\nbelly of the general who, in his mad effort to escape cremation,\nfell over backward, chair and all, upon the floor. Two of the aides\nsprang for the ape-man who picked up the first and flung him in the\nface of the other.  The girl had leaped from her chair and stood\nflattened against the wall. The other officers were calling aloud\nfor the guard and for help. Tarzan's purpose centered upon but\na single individual and him he never lost sight of. Freed from\nattack for an instant he seized Major Schneider, threw him over his\nshoulder and was out of the window so quickly that the astonished\nassemblage could scarce realize what had occurred.\n\nA single glance showed him that the sentinel's post was still vacant\nand a moment later he and his burden were in the shadows of the\nhay dump. Major Schneider had made no outcry for the very excellent\nreason that his wind was shut off. Now Tarzan released his grasp\nenough to permit the man to breathe.\n\n\"If you make a sound you will be choked again,\" he said.\n\nCautiously and after infinite patience Tarzan passed the final\noutpost. Forcing his captive to walk before him he pushed on toward\nthe west until, late into the night, he re-crossed the railway where\nhe felt reasonably safe from discovery. The German had cursed and\ngrumbled and threatened and asked questions; but his only reply\nwas another prod from Tarzan's sharp war spear. The ape-man herded\nhim along as he would have driven a hog with the difference that\nhe would have had more respect and therefore more consideration\nfor a hog.\n\nUntil now Tarzan had given little thought to the details of revenge.\nNow he pondered what form the punishment should take. Of only one\nthing was he certain--it must end in death.  Like all brave men\nand courageous beasts Tarzan had little natural inclination to\ntorture--none, in fact; but this case was unique in his experience.\nAn inherent sense of justice called for an eye for an eye and his\nrecent oath demanded even more. Yes, the creature must suffer even\nas he had caused Jane Clayton to suffer. Tarzan could not hope to\nmake the man suffer as he had suffered, since physical pain may\nnever approach the exquisiteness of mental torture.\n\nAll through the long night the ape-man goaded on the exhausted and\nnow terrified Hun. The awful silence of his captor wrought upon the\nGerman's nerves. If he would only speak! Again and again Schneider\ntried to force or coax a word from him; but always the result was\nthe same--continued silence and a vicious and painful prod from the\nspear point. Schneider was bleeding and sore. He was so exhausted\nthat he staggered at every step, and often he fell only to be\nprodded to his feet again by that terrifying and remorseless spear.\n\nIt was not until morning that Tarzan reached a decision and it came\nto him then like an inspiration from above. A slow smile touched\nhis lips and he immediately sought a place to lie up and rest--he\nwished his prisoner to be fit now for what lay in store for him.\nAhead was a stream which Tarzan had crossed the day before. He knew\nthe ford for a drinking place and a likely spot to make an easy\nkill. Cautioning the German to utter silence with a gesture the\ntwo approached the stream quietly. Down the game trail Tarzan saw\nsome deer about to leave the water. He shoved Schneider into the\nbrush at one side and, squatting next him, waited.  The German\nwatched the silent giant with puzzled, frightened eyes. In the new\ndawn he, for the first time, was able to obtain a good look at his\ncaptor, and, if he had been puzzled and frightened before, those\nsensations were nothing to what he experienced now.\n\nWho and what could this almost naked, white savage be?  He had\nheard him speak but once--when he had cautioned him to silence--and\nthen in excellent German and the well-modulated tones of culture.\nHe watched him now as the fascinated toad watches the snake that\nis about to devour it.  He saw the graceful limbs and symmetrical\nbody motionless as a marble statue as the creature crouched in the\nconcealment of the leafy foliage. Not a muscle, not a nerve moved.\nHe saw the deer coming slowly along the trail, down wind and\nunsuspecting. He saw a buck pass--an old buck--and then a young and\nplump one came opposite the giant in ambush, and Schneider's eyes\nwent wide and a scream of terror almost broke from his lips as he\nsaw the agile beast at his side spring straight for the throat of\nthe young buck and heard from those human lips the hunting roar of\na wild beast. Down went the buck and Tarzan and his captive had\nmeat. The ape-man ate his raw, but he permitted the German to build\na fire and cook his portion.\n\nThe two lay up until late in the afternoon and then took up the\njourney once again--a journey that was so frightful to Schneider\nbecause of his ignorance of its destination that he at times groveled\nat Tarzan's feet begging for an explanation and for mercy; but on\nand on in silence the ape-man went, prodding the failing Hun whenever\nthe latter faltered.\n\nIt was noon of the third day before they reached their destination.\nAfter a steep climb and a short walk they halted at the edge of\na precipitous cliff and Schneider looked down into a narrow gulch\nwhere a single tree grew beside a tiny rivulet and sparse grass\nbroke from a rock-strewn soil. Tarzan motioned him over the edge;\nbut the German drew back in terror. The Ape-man seized him and\npushed him roughly toward the brink. \"Descend,\" he said. It was\nthe second time he had spoken in three days and perhaps his very\nsilence, ominous in itself, had done more to arouse terror in the\nbreast of the Boche than even the spear point, ever ready as it\nalways was.\n\nSchneider looked fearfully over the edge; but was about to essay\nthe attempt when Tarzan halted him. \"I am Lord Greystoke,\" he\nsaid. \"It was my wife you murdered in the Waziri country. You will\nunderstand now why I came for you.  Descend.\"\n\nThe German fell upon his knees. \"I did not murder your wife,\"\nhe cried. \"Have mercy! I did not murder your wife.  I do not know\nanything about--\"\n\n\"Descend!\" snapped Tarzan, raising the point of his spear.  He knew\nthat the man lied and was not surprised that he did.  A man who\nwould murder for no cause would lie for less.  Schneider still\nhesitated and pled. The ape-man jabbed him with the spear and Schneider\nslid fearfully over the top and began the perilous descent. Tarzan\naccompanied and assisted him over the worst places until at last\nthey were within a few feet of the bottom.\n\n\"Be quiet now,\" cautioned the ape-man. He pointed at the entrance\nto what appeared to be a cave at the far end of the gulch. \"There\nis a hungry lion in there. If you can reach that tree before\nhe discovers you, you will have several days longer in which to\nenjoy life and then--when you are too weak to cling longer to the\nbranches of the tree Numa, the man-eater, will feed again for the\nlast time.\" He pushed Schneider from his foothold to the ground\nbelow. \"Now run,\" he said.\n\nThe German trembling in terror started for the tree. He had almost\nreached it when a horrid roar broke from the mouth of the cave and\nalmost simultaneously a gaunt, hunger mad lion leaped into the\ndaylight of the gulch. Schneider had but a few yards to cover;\nbut the lion flew over the ground to circumvent him while Tarzan\nwatched the race with a slight smile upon his lips.\n\nSchneider won by a slender margin, and as Tarzan scaled the cliff\nto the summit, he heard behind him mingled with the roaring of the\nbaffled cat, the gibbering of a human voice that was at the same\ntime more bestial than the beast's.\n\nUpon the brink of the cliff the ape-man turned and looked back\ninto the gulch. High in the tree the German clung frantically to\na branch across which his body lay. Beneath him was Numa--waiting.\n\nThe ape-man raised his face to Kudu, the sun, and from his mighty\nchest rose the savage victory cry of the bull ape.\n\n\n\n\nChapter III\n\nIn the German Lines\n\n\nTarzan was not yet fully revenged. There were many millions of\nGermans yet alive--enough to keep Tarzan pleasantly occupied the\nbalance of his life, and yet not enough, should he kill them all,\nto recompense him for the great loss he had suffered--nor could\nthe death of all those million Germans bring back his loved one.\n\nWhile in the German camp in the Pare Mountains, which lie just\neast of the boundary line between German and British East Africa,\nTarzan had overheard enough to suggest that the British were getting\nthe worst of the fighting in Africa. At first he had given the\nmatter but little thought, since, after the death of his wife, the\none strong tie that had held him to civilization, he had renounced\nall mankind, considering himself no longer man, but ape.\n\nAfter accounting for Schneider as satisfactorily as lay within his\npower he circled Kilimanjaro and hunted in the foothills to the\nnorth of that mightiest of mountains as he had discovered that in\nthe neighborhood of the armies there was no hunting at all. Some\npleasure he derived through conjuring mental pictures from time to\ntime of the German he had left in the branches of the lone tree at\nthe bottom of the high-walled gulch in which was penned the starving\nlion. He could imagine the man's mental anguish as he became weakened\nfrom hunger and maddened by thirst, knowing that sooner or later he\nmust slip exhausted to the ground where waited the gaunt man-eater.\nTarzan wondered if Schneider would have the courage to descend to\nthe little rivulet for water should Numa leave the gulch and enter\nthe cave, and then he pictured the mad race for the tree again\nwhen the lion charged out to seize his prey as he was certain to\ndo, since the clumsy German could not descend to the rivulet without\nmaking at least some slight noise that would attract Numa's attention.\n\nBut even this pleasure palled, and more and more the ape-man found\nhimself thinking of the English soldiers fighting against heavy\nodds and especially of the fact that it was Germans who were beating\nthem. The thought made him lower his head and growl and it worried\nhim not a little--a bit, perhaps, because he was finding it difficult\nto forget that he was an Englishman when he wanted only to be an\nape. And at last the time came when he could not longer endure the\nthought of Germans killing Englishmen while he hunted in safety a\nbare march away.\n\nHis decision made, he set out in the direction of the German camp,\nno well-defined plan formulated; but with the general idea that\nonce near the field of operations he might find an opportunity to\nharass the German command as he so well knew how to do. His way\ntook him along the gorge close to the gulch in which he had left\nSchneider, and, yielding to a natural curiosity, he scaled the cliffs\nand made his way to the edge of the gulch. The tree was empty, nor\nwas there sign of Numa, the lion. Picking up a rock he hurled it\ninto the gulch, where it rolled to the very entrance to the cave.\nInstantly the lion appeared in the aperture; but such a different-looking\nlion from the great sleek brute that Tarzan had trapped there two\nweeks before. Now he was gaunt and emaciated, and when he walked\nhe staggered.\n\n\"Where is the German?\" shouted Tarzan. \"Was he good eating, or only\na bag of bones when he slipped and fell from the tree?\"\n\nNuma growled. \"You look hungry, Numa,\" continued the ape-man. \"You\nmust have been very hungry to eat all the grass from your lair and\neven the bark from the tree as far up as you can reach. Would you\nlike another German?\" and smiling he turned away.\n\nA few minutes later he came suddenly upon Bara, the deer, asleep\nbeneath a tree, and as Tarzan was hungry he made a quick kill,\nand squatting beside his prey proceeded to eat his fill. As he\nwas gnawing the last morsel from a bone his quick ears caught the\npadding of stealthy feet behind him, and turning he confronted\nDango, the hyena, sneaking upon him.  With a growl the ape-man\npicked up a fallen branch and hurled it at the skulking brute. \"Go\naway, eater of carrion!\" he cried; but Dango was hungry and being\nlarge and powerful he only snarled and circled slowly about as\nthough watching for an opportunity to charge. Tarzan of the Apes\nknew Dango even better than Dango knew himself. He knew that the\nbrute, made savage by hunger, was mustering its courage for an\nattack, that it was probably accustomed to man and therefore more\nor less fearless of him and so he un-slung his heavy spear and\nlaid it ready at his side while he continued his meal, all the time\nkeeping a watchful eye upon the hyena.\n\nHe felt no fear, for long familiarity with the dangers of his wild\nworld had so accustomed him to them that he took whatever came as\na part of each day's existence as you accept the homely though no\nless real dangers of the farm, the range, or the crowded metropolis.\nBeing jungle bred he was ready to protect his kill from all comers\nwithin ordinary limitations of caution. Under favorable conditions\nTarzan would face even Numa himself and, if forced to seek safety\nby flight, he could do so without any feeling of shame. There was\nno braver creature roamed those savage wilds and at the same time\nthere was none more wise--the two factors that had permitted him\nto survive.\n\nDango might have charged sooner but for the savage growls of the\nape-man--growls which, coming from human lips, raised a question\nand a fear in the hyena's heart. He had attacked women and children\nin the native fields and he had frightened their men about their\nfires at night; but he never had seen a man-thing who made this\nsound that reminded him more of Numa angry than of a man afraid.\n\nWhen Tarzan had completed his repast he was about to rise and hurl\na clean-picked bone at the beast before he went his way, leaving\nthe remains of his kill to Dango; but a sudden thought stayed him\nand instead he picked up the carcass of the deer, threw it over\nhis shoulder, and set off in the direction of the gulch. For a\nfew yards Dango followed, growling, and then realizing that he was\nbeing robbed of even a taste of the luscious flesh he cast discretion\nto the winds and charged. Instantly, as though Nature had given him\neyes in the back of his head, Tarzan sensed the impending danger\nand, dropping Bara to the ground, turned with raised spear. Far\nback went the brown, right hand and then forward, lightning-like,\nbacked by the power of giant muscles and the weight of his brawn\nand bone. The spear, released at the right instant, drove straight\nfor Dango, caught him in the neck where it joined the shoulders\nand passed through the body.\n\nWhen he had withdrawn the shaft from the hyena Tarzan shouldered\nboth carcasses and continued on toward the gulch.  Below lay Numa\nbeneath the shade of the lone tree and at the ape-man's call he\nstaggered slowly to his feet, yet weak as he was, he still growled\nsavagely, even essaying a roar at the sight of his enemy. Tarzan\nlet the two bodies slide over the rim of the cliff. \"Eat, Numa!\"\nhe cried. \"It may be that I shall need you again.\" He saw the lion,\nquickened to new life at the sight of food, spring upon the body\nof the deer and then he left him rending and tearing the flesh as\nhe bolted great pieces into his empty maw.\n\nThe following day Tarzan came within sight of the German lines.\nFrom a wooded spur of the hills he looked down upon the enemy's\nleft flank and beyond to the British lines. His position gave him\na bird's-eye view of the field of battle, and his keen eyesight\npicked out many details that would not have been apparent to a man\nwhose every sense was not trained to the highest point of perfection\nas were the ape-man's. He noted machine-gun emplacements cunningly\nhidden from the view of the British and listening posts placed well\nout in No Man's Land.\n\nAs his interested gaze moved hither and thither from one point of\ninterest to another he heard from a point upon the hillside below\nhim, above the roar of cannon and the crack of rifle fire, a single\nrifle spit. Immediately his attention was centered upon the spot\nwhere he knew a sniper must be hid.  Patiently he awaited the next\nshot that would tell him more surely the exact location of the\nrifleman, and when it came he moved down the steep hillside with\nthe stealth and quietness of a panther. Apparently he took no\ncognizance of where he stepped, yet never a loose stone was disturbed\nnor a twig broken--it was as though his feet saw.\n\nPresently, as he passed through a clump of bushes, he came to the\nedge of a low cliff and saw upon a ledge some fifteen feet below\nhim a German soldier prone behind an embankment of loose rock and\nleafy boughs that hid him from the view of the British lines. The\nman must have been an excellent shot, for he was well back of the\nGerman lines, firing over the heads of his fellows. His high-powered\nrifle was equipped with telescope sights and he also carried\nbinoculars which he was in the act of using as Tarzan discovered\nhim, either to note the effect of his last shot or to discover\na new target. Tarzan let his eye move quickly toward that part of\nthe British line the German seemed to be scanning, his keen sight\nrevealing many excellent targets for a rifle placed so high above\nthe trenches.\n\nThe Hun, evidently satisfied with his observations, laid aside\nhis binoculars and again took up his rifle, placed its butt in the\nhollow of his shoulder and took careful aim. At the same instant a\nbrown body sprang outward from the cliff above him.  There was no\nsound and it is doubtful that the German ever knew what manner of\ncreature it was that alighted heavily upon his back, for at the\ninstant of impact the sinewy fingers of the ape-man circled the\nhairy throat of the Boche. There was a moment of futile struggling\nfollowed by the sudden realization of dissolution--the sniper was\ndead.\n\nLying behind the rampart of rocks and boughs, Tarzan looked down\nupon the scene below. Near at hand were the trenches of the Germans.\nHe could see officers and men moving about in them and almost in\nfront of him a well-hidden machine gun was traversing No Man's Land\nin an oblique direction, striking the British at such an angle as\nto make it difficult for them to locate it.\n\nTarzan watched, toying idly with the rifle of the dead German.\nPresently he fell to examining the mechanism of the piece. He\nglanced again toward the German trenches and changed the adjustment\nof the sights, then he placed the rifle to his shoulder and took\naim. Tarzan was an excellent shot. With his civilized friends he\nhad hunted big game with the weapons of civilization and though he\nnever had killed except for food or in self-defense he had amused\nhimself firing at inanimate targets thrown into the air and had\nperfected himself in the use of firearms without realizing that\nhe had done so. Now indeed would he hunt big game. A slow smile\ntouched his lips as his finger closed gradually upon the trigger.\nThe rifle spoke and a German machine gunner collapsed behind his\nweapon. In three minutes Tarzan picked off the crew of that gun.\nThen he spotted a German officer emerging from a dugout and the\nthree men in the bay with him. Tarzan was careful to leave no one\nin the immediate vicinity to question how Germans could be shot in\nGerman trenches when they were entirely concealed from enemy view.\n\nAgain adjusting his sights he took a long-range shot at a distant\nmachine-gun crew to his right. With calm deliberation he wiped them\nout to a man. Two guns were silenced. He saw men running through\nthe trenches and he picked off several of them. By this time the\nGermans were aware that something was amiss--that an uncanny sniper\nhad discovered a point of vantage from which this sector of the\ntrenches was plainly visible to him. At first they sought to discover\nhis location in No Man's Land; but when an officer looking over\nthe parapet through a periscope was struck full in the back of the\nhead with a rifle bullet which passed through his skull and fell\nto the bottom of the trench they realized that it was beyond the\nparados rather than the parapet that they should search.\n\nOne of the soldiers picked up the bullet that had killed his\nofficer, and then it was that real excitement prevailed in that\nparticular bay, for the bullet was obviously of German make.  Hugging\nthe parados, messengers carried the word in both directions and\npresently periscopes were leveled above the parados and keen eyes\nwere searching out the traitor. It did not take them long to locate\nthe position of the hidden sniper and then Tarzan saw a machine\ngun being trained upon him.  Before it had gotten into action its\ncrew lay dead about it; but there were other men to take their\nplaces, reluctantly perhaps; but driven on by their officers they\nwere forced to it and at the same time two other machine guns were\nswung around toward the ape-man and put into operation.\n\nRealizing that the game was about up Tarzan with a farewell shot\nlaid aside the rifle and melted into the hills behind him. For many\nminutes he could hear the sputter of machinegun fire concentrated\nupon the spot he had just quit and smiled as he contemplated the\nwaste of German ammunition.\n\n\"They have paid heavily for Wasimbu, the Waziri, whom they crucified,\nand for his slain fellows,\" he mused; \"but for Jane they can never\npay--no, not if I killed them all.\"\n\nAfter dark that night he circled the flanks of both armies and\npassed through the British out-guards and into the British lines.\nNo man saw him come. No man knew that he was there.\n\nHeadquarters of the Second Rhodesians occupied a sheltered position\nfar enough back of the lines to be comparatively safe from enemy\nobservation. Even lights were permitted, and Colonel Capell sat\nbefore a field table, on which was spread a military map, talking\nwith several of his officers.  A large tree spread above them, a\nlantern sputtered dimly upon the table, while a small fire burned\nupon the ground close at hand. The enemy had no planes and no other\nobservers could have seen the lights from the German lines.\n\nThe officers were discussing the advantage in numbers possessed by\nthe enemy and the inability of the British to more than hold their\npresent position. They could not advance. Already they had sustained\nsevere losses in every attack and had always been driven back by\noverwhelming numbers. There were hidden machine guns, too, that\nbothered the colonel considerably. It was evidenced by the fact\nthat he often reverted to them during the conversation.\n\n\"Something silenced them for a while this afternoon,\" said one of\nthe younger officers. \"I was observing at the time and I couldn't\nmake out what the fuss was about; but they seemed to be having a\ndevil of a time in a section of trench on their left. At one time I\ncould have sworn they were attacked in the rear--I reported it to\nyou at the time, sir, you'll recall--for the blighters were pepperin'\naway at the side of that bluff behind them. I could see the dirt\nfly. I don't know what it could have been.\"\n\nThere was a slight rustling among the branches of the tree above\nthem and simultaneously a lithe, brown body dropped in their midst.\nHands moved quickly to the butts of pistols; but otherwise there\nwas no movement among the officers.  First they looked wonderingly\nat the almost naked white man standing there with the firelight\nplaying upon rounded muscles, took in the primitive attire and\nthe equally primitive armament and then all eyes turned toward the\ncolonel.\n\n\"Who the devil are you, sir?\" snapped that officer.\n\n\"Tarzan of the Apes,\" replied the newcomer.\n\n\"Oh, Greystoke!\" cried a major, and stepped forward with  outstretched\nhand.\n\n\"Preswick,\" acknowledged Tarzan as he took the proffered  hand.\n\n\"I didn't recognize you at first,\" apologized the major. \"The\nlast time I saw you you were in London in evening dress.  Quite a\ndifference--'pon my word, man, you'll have to admit it.\"\n\nTarzan smiled and turned toward the colonel. \"I overheard your\nconversation,\" he said. \"I have just come from behind the German\nlines. Possibly I can help you.\"\n\nThe colonel looked questioningly toward Major Preswick who quickly\nrose to the occasion and presented the ape-man to his commanding\nofficer and fellows. Briefly Tarzan told them what it was that\nbrought him out alone in pursuit of the Germans.\n\n\"And now you have come to join us?\" asked the colonel.\n\nTarzan shook his head. \"Not regularly,\" he replied. \"I must fight\nin my own way; but I can help you. Whenever I wish I can enter the\nGerman lines.\"\n\nCapell smiled and shook his head. \"It's not so easy as you think,\"\nhe said; \"I've lost two good officers in the last week trying it--and\nthey were experienced men; none better in the Intelligence Department.\"\n\n\"Is it more difficult than entering the British lines?\" asked\nTarzan.\n\nThe colonel was about to reply when a new thought appeared to occur\nto him and he looked quizzically at the ape-man. \"Who brought you\nhere?\" he asked. \"Who passed you through our out-guards?\"\n\n\"I have just come through the German lines and yours and passed\nthrough your camp,\" he replied. \"Send word to ascertain if anyone\nsaw me.\"\n\n\"But who accompanied you?\" insisted Capell.\n\n\"I came alone,\" replied Tarzan and then, drawing himself to\nhis full height, \"You men of civilization, when you come into the\njungle, are as dead among the quick. Manu, the monkey, is a sage\nby comparison. I marvel that you exist at all--only your numbers,\nyour weapons, and your power of reasoning save you. Had I a few\nhundred great apes with your reasoning power I could drive the\nGermans into the ocean as quickly as the remnant of them could\nreach the coast. Fortunate it is for you that the dumb brutes cannot\ncombine. Could they, Africa would remain forever free of men. But\ncome, can I help you? Would you like to know where several machinegun\nemplacements are hidden?\"\n\nThe colonel assured him that they would, and a moment later Tarzan\nhad traced upon the map the location of three that had been bothering\nthe English. \"There is a weak spot here,\" he said, placing a finger\nupon the map. \"It is held by blacks; but the machine guns out in\nfront are manned by whites. If--wait! I have a plan. You can fill\nthat trench with your own men and enfilade the trenches to its\nright with their own machine guns.\"\n\nColonel Capell smiled and shook his head. \"It sounds very easy,\"\nhe said.\n\n\"It IS easy--for me,\" replied the ape-man. \"I can empty that section\nof trench without a shot. I was raised in the jungle--I know the\njungle folk--the Gomangani as well as the others. Look for me again\non the second night,\" and he turned to leave.\n\n\"Wait,\" said the colonel. \"I will send an officer to pass you\nthrough the lines.\"\n\nTarzan smiled and moved away. As he was leaving the little group\nabout headquarters he passed a small figure wrapped in an officer's\nheavy overcoat. The collar was turned up and the visor of the\nmilitary cap pulled well down over the eyes; but, as the ape-man\npassed, the light from the fire illuminated the features of the\nnewcomer for an instant, revealing to Tarzan a vaguely familiar\nface. Some officer he had known in London, doubtless, he surmised,\nand went his way through the British camp and the British lines\nall unknown to the watchful sentinels of the out-guard.\n\nNearly all night he moved across Kilimanjaro's foothills, tracking\nby instinct an unknown way, for he guessed that what he sought would\nbe found on some wooded slope higher up than he had come upon his\nother recent journeys in this, to him, little known country. Three\nhours before dawn his keen nostrils apprised him that somewhere in\nthe vicinity he would find what he wanted, and so he climbed into\na tall tree and settled himself for a few hours' sleep.\n\n\n\n\nChapter IV\n\nWhen the Lion Fed\n\n\nKudu, the sun, was well up in the heavens when Tarzan awoke. The\nape-man stretched his giant limbs, ran his fingers through his thick\nhair, and swung lightly down to earth. Immediately he took up the\ntrail he had come in search of, following it by scent down into\na deep ravine. Cautiously he went now, for his nose told him that\nthe quarry was close at hand, and presently from an overhanging\nbough he looked down upon Horta, the boar, and many of his kinsmen.\nUn-slinging his bow and selecting an arrow, Tarzan fitted the shaft\nand, drawing it far back, took careful aim at the largest of the\ngreat pigs. In the ape-man's teeth were other arrows, and no sooner\nhad the first one sped, than he had fitted and shot another bolt.\nInstantly the pigs were in turmoil, not knowing from whence the\ndanger threatened. They stood stupidly at first and then commenced\nmilling around until six of their number lay dead or dying about\nthem; then with a chorus of grunts and squeals they started off at\na wild run, disappearing quickly in the dense underbrush.\n\nTarzan then descended from the tree, dispatched those that were not\nalready dead and proceeded to skin the carcasses.  As he worked,\nrapidly and with great skill, he neither hummed nor whistled as\ndoes the average man of civilization. It was in numerous little\nways such as these that he differed from other men, due, probably,\nto his early jungle training. The beasts of the jungle that he had\nbeen reared among were playful to maturity but seldom thereafter.\nHis fellow-apes, especially the bulls, became fierce and surly as\nthey grew older. Life was a serious matter during lean seasons--one\nhad to fight to secure one's share of food then, and the habit once\nformed became lifelong. Hunting for food was the life labor of the\njungle bred, and a life labor is a thing not to be approached with\nlevity nor prosecuted lightly. So all work found Tarzan serious,\nthough he still retained what the other beasts lost as they grew\nolder--a sense of humor, which he gave play to when the mood suited\nhim. It was a grim humor and sometimes ghastly; but it satisfied\nTarzan.\n\nThen, too, were one to sing and whistle while working on the ground,\nconcentration would be impossible. Tarzan possessed the ability to\nconcentrate each of his five senses upon its particular business.\nNow he worked at skinning the six pigs and his eyes and his fingers\nworked as though there was naught else in all the world than these\nsix carcasses; but his ears and his nose were as busily engaged\nelsewhere--the former ranging the forest all about and the latter\nassaying each passing zephyr. It was his nose that first discovered\nthe approach of Sabor, the lioness, when the wind shifted for a\nmoment.\n\nAs clearly as though he had seen her with his eyes, Tarzan knew\nthat the lioness had caught the scent of the freshly killed pigs\nand immediately had moved down wind in their direction. He knew\nfrom the strength of the scent spoor and the rate of the wind about\nhow far away she was and that she was approaching from behind him.\nHe was finishing the last pig and he did not hurry. The five pelts\nlay close at hand--he had been careful to keep them thus together\nand near him--an ample tree waved its low branches above him.\n\nHe did not even turn his head for he knew she was not yet in sight;\nbut he bent his ears just a bit more sharply for the first sound\nof her nearer approach. When the final skin had been removed he\nrose. Now he heard Sabor in the bushes to his rear, but not yet\ntoo close. Leisurely he gathered up the six pelts and one of the\ncarcasses, and as the lioness appeared between the boles of two\ntrees he swung upward into the branches above him. Here he hung\nthe hides over a limb, seated himself comfortably upon another with\nhis back against the bole of the tree, cut a hind quarter from\nthe carcass he had carried with him and proceeded to satisfy his\nhunger. Sabor slunk, growling, from the brush, cast a wary eye\nupward toward the ape-man and then fell upon the nearest carcass.\n\nTarzan looked down upon her and grinned, recalling an argument he\nhad once had with a famous big-game hunter who had declared that\nthe king of beasts ate only what he himself had killed. Tarzan knew\nbetter for he had seen Numa and Sabor stoop even to carrion.\n\nHaving filled his belly, the ape-man fell to work upon the hides--all\nlarge and strong. First he cut strips from them about half an inch\nwide. When he had sufficient number of these strips he sewed two of\nthe hides together, afterwards piercing holes every three or four\ninches around the edges.  Running another strip through these\nholes gave him a large bag with a drawstring. In similar fashion he\nproduced four other like bags, but smaller, from the four remaining\nhides and had several strips left over.\n\nAll this done he threw a large, juicy fruit at Sabor, cached the\nremainder of the pig in a crotch of the tree and swung off toward\nthe southwest through the middle terraces of the forest, carrying\nhis five bags with him. Straight he went to the rim of the gulch\nwhere he had imprisoned Numa, the lion.  Very stealthily he approached\nthe edge and peered over.  Numa was not in sight. Tarzan sniffed\nand listened. He could hear nothing, yet he knew that Numa must be\nwithin the cave.  He hoped that he slept--much depended upon Numa\nnot discovering him.\n\nCautiously he lowered himself over the edge of the cliff, and with\nutter noiselessness commenced the descent toward the bottom of the\ngulch. He stopped often and turned his keen eyes and ears in the\ndirection of the cave's mouth at the far end of the gulch, some\nhundred feet away. As he neared the foot of the cliff his danger\nincreased greatly. If he could reach the bottom and cover half\nthe distance to the tree that stood in the center of the gulch he\nwould feel comparatively safe for then, even if Numa appeared, he\nfelt that he could beat him either to the cliff or to the tree,\nbut to scale the first thirty feet of the cliff rapidly enough to\nelude the leaping beast would require a running start of at least\ntwenty feet as there were no very good hand- or footholds close\nto the bottom--he had had to run up the first twenty feet like\na squirrel running up a tree that other time he had beaten an\ninfuriated Numa to it. He had no desire to attempt it again unless\nthe conditions were equally favorable at least, for he had escaped\nNuma's raking talons by only a matter of inches on the former\noccasion.\n\nAt last he stood upon the floor of the gulch. Silent as a disembodied\nspirit he advanced toward the tree. He was half way there and no\nsign of Numa. He reached the scarred bole from which the famished\nlion had devoured the bark and even torn pieces of the wood itself\nand yet Numa had not appeared.  As he drew himself up to the lower\nbranches he commenced to wonder if Numa were in the cave after\nall. Could it be possible that he had forced the barrier of rocks\nwith which Tarzan had plugged the other end of the passage where\nit opened into the outer world of freedom? Or was Numa dead?  The\nape-man doubted the verity of the latter suggestion as he had fed\nthe lion the entire carcasses of a deer and a hyena only a few\ndays since--he could not have starved in so short a time, while the\nlittle rivulet running across the gulch furnished him with water\na-plenty.\n\nTarzan started to descend and investigate the cavern when it occurred\nto him that it would save effort were he to lure Numa out instead.\nActing upon the thought he uttered a low growl. Immediately he was\nrewarded by the sound of a movement within the cave and an instant\nlater a wild-eyed, haggard lion rushed forth ready to face the\ndevil himself were he edible.  When Numa saw Tarzan, fat and sleek,\nperched in the tree he became suddenly the embodiment of frightful\nrage. His eyes and his nose told him that this was the creature\nresponsible for his predicament and also that this creature was\ngood to eat. Frantically the lion sought to scramble up the bole of\nthe tree. Twice he leaped high enough to catch the lowest branches\nwith his paws, but both times he fell backward to the earth. Each\ntime he became more furious. His growls and roars were incessant\nand horrible and all the time Tarzan sat grinning down upon him,\ntaunting him in jungle billingsgate for his inability to reach\nhim and mentally exulting that always Numa was wasting his already\nwaning strength.\n\nFinally the ape-man rose and un-slung his rope. He arranged the\ncoils carefully in his left hand and the noose in his right, and\nthen he took a position with each foot on one of two branches that\nlay in about the same horizontal plane and with his back pressed\nfirmly against the stem of the tree. There he stood hurling insults\nat Numa until the beast was again goaded into leaping upward at\nhim, and as Numa rose the noose dropped quickly over his head and\nabout his neck. A quick movement of Tarzan's rope hand tightened\nthe coil and when Numa slipped backward to the ground only his hind\nfeet touched, for the ape-man held him swinging by the neck.\n\nMoving slowly outward upon the two branches Tarzan swung Numa out\nso that he could not reach the bole of the tree with his raking\ntalons, then he made the rope fast after drawing the lion clear\nof the ground, dropped his five pigskin sacks to earth and leaped\ndown himself. Numa was striking frantically at the grass rope with\nhis fore claws. At any moment he might sever it and Tarzan must,\ntherefore, work rapidly.\n\nFirst he drew the larger bag over Numa's head and secured it about\nhis neck with the draw string, then he managed, after considerable\neffort, during which he barely escaped being torn to ribbons by\nthe mighty talons, to hog-tie Numa--drawing his four legs together\nand securing them in that position with the strips trimmed from\nthe pigskins.\n\nBy this time the lion's efforts had almost ceased--it was evident\nthat he was being rapidly strangled and as that did not at all\nsuit the purpose of the Tarmangani the latter swung again into the\ntree, unfastened the rope from above and lowered the lion to the\nground where he immediately followed it and loosed the noose about\nNuma's neck. Then he drew his hunting knife and cut two round holes\nin the front of the head bag opposite the lion's eyes for the double\npurpose of permitting him to see and giving him sufficient air to\nbreathe.\n\nThis done Tarzan busied himself fitting the other bags, one over\neach of Numa's formidably armed paws. Those on the hind feet he\nsecured not only by tightening the draw strings but also rigged\ngarters that fastened tightly around the legs above the hocks.\nHe secured the front-feet bags in place similarly above the great\nknees. Now, indeed, was Numa, the lion, reduced to the harmlessness\nof Bara, the deer.\n\nBy now Numa was showing signs of returning life. He gasped for\nbreath and struggled; but the strips of pigskin that held his four\nlegs together were numerous and tough. Tarzan watched and was sure\nthat they would hold, yet Numa is mightily muscled and there was\nthe chance, always, that he might struggle free of his bonds after\nwhich all would depend upon the efficacy of Tarzan's bags and draw\nstrings.\n\nAfter Numa had again breathed normally and was able to roar\nout his protests and his rage, his struggles increased to Titanic\nproportions for a short time; but as a lion's powers of endurance\nare in no way proportionate to his size and strength he soon tired\nand lay quietly. Amid renewed growling and another futile attempt\nto free himself, Numa was finally forced to submit to the further\nindignity of having a rope secured about his neck; but this time\nit was no noose that might tighten and strangle him; but a bowline\nknot, which does not tighten or slip under strain.\n\nThe other end of the rope Tarzan fastened to the stem of the tree,\nthen he quickly cut the bonds securing Numa's legs and leaped aside\nas the beast sprang to his feet. For a moment the lion stood with\nlegs far outspread, then he raised first one paw and then another,\nshaking them energetically in an effort to dislodge the strange\nfootgear that Tarzan had fastened upon them. Finally he began to paw\nat the bag upon his head. The ape-man, standing with ready spear,\nwatched Numa's efforts intently. Would the bags hold? He sincerely\nhoped so. Or would all his labor prove fruitless?\n\nAs the clinging things upon his feet and face resisted his every\neffort to dislodge them, Numa became frantic. He rolled upon the\nground, fighting, biting, scratching, and roaring; he leaped to his\nfeet and sprang into the air; he charged Tarzan, only to be brought\nto a sudden stop as the rope securing him to the tree tautened.\nThen Tarzan stepped in and rapped him smartly on the head with the\nshaft of his spear.  Numa reared upon his hind feet and struck at\nthe ape-man and in return received a cuff on one ear that sent him\nreeling sideways. When he returned to the attack he was again sent\nsprawling. After the fourth effort it appeared to dawn upon the king\nof beasts that he had met his master, his head and tail dropped and\nwhen Tarzan advanced upon him he backed away, though still growling.\n\nLeaving Numa tied to the tree Tarzan entered the tunnel and removed\nthe barricade from the opposite end, after which he returned to\nthe gulch and strode straight for the tree.  Numa lay in his path\nand as Tarzan approached growled menacingly. The ape-man cuffed\nhim aside and unfastened the rope from the tree. Then ensued a\nhalf-hour of stubbornly fought battle while Tarzan endeavored to\ndrive Numa through the tunnel ahead of him and Numa persistently\nrefused to be driven. At last, however, by dint of the unrestricted\nuse of his spear point, the ape-man succeeded in forcing the lion\nto move ahead of him and eventually guided him into the passageway.\nOnce inside, the problem became simpler since Tarzan followed closely\nin the rear with his sharp spear point, an unremitting incentive\nto forward movement on the part of the lion. If Numa hesitated he\nwas prodded. If he backed up the result was extremely painful and\nso, being a wise lion who was learning rapidly, he decided to keep\non going and at the end of the tunnel, emerging into the outer\nworld, he sensed freedom, raised his head and tail and started off\nat a run.\n\nTarzan, still on his hands and knees just inside the entrance, was\ntaken unaware with the result that he was sprawled forward upon\nhis face and dragged a hundred yards across the rocky ground before\nNuma was brought to a stand. It was a scratched and angry Tarzan\nwho scrambled to his feet. At first he was tempted to chastise\nNuma; but, as the ape-man seldom permitted his temper to guide him\nin any direction not countenanced by reason, he quickly abandoned\nthe idea.\n\nHaving taught Numa the rudiments of being driven, he now urged him\nforward and there commenced as strange a journey as the unrecorded\nhistory of the jungle contains. The balance of that day was eventful\nboth for Tarzan and for Numa. From open rebellion at first the lion\npassed through stages of stubborn resistance and grudging obedience\nto final surrender. He was a very tired, hungry, and thirsty lion\nwhen night overtook them; but there was to be no food for him that\nday or the next--Tarzan did not dare risk removing the head bag,\nthough he did cut another hole which permitted Numa to quench his\nthirst shortly after dark. Then he tied him to a tree, sought food\nfor himself, and stretched out among the branches above his captive\nfor a few hours' sleep.\n\nEarly the following morning they resumed their journey, winding over\nthe low foothills south of Kilimanjaro, toward the east. The beasts\nof the jungle who saw them took one look and fled. The scent spoor\nof Numa, alone, might have been enough to have provoked flight in\nmany of the lesser animals, but the sight of this strange apparition\nthat smelled like a lion, but looked like nothing they ever had\nseen before, being led through the jungles by a giant Tarmangani\nwas too much for even the more formidable denizens of the wild.\n\nSabor, the lioness, recognizing from a distance the scent of her\nlord and master intermingled with that of a Tarmangani and the\nhide of Horta, the boar, trotted through the aisles of the forest\nto investigate. Tarzan and Numa heard her coming, for she voiced\na plaintive and questioning whine as the baffling mixture of odors\naroused her curiosity and her fears, for lions, however terrible\nthey may appear, are often timid animals and Sabor, being of the\ngentler sex, was, naturally, habitually inquisitive as well.\n\nTarzan un-slung his spear for he knew that he might now easily have\nto fight to retain his prize. Numa halted and turned his outraged\nhead in the direction of the coming she.  He voiced a throaty growl\nthat was almost a purr. Tarzan was upon the point of prodding him\non again when Sabor broke into view, and behind her the ape-man saw\nthat which gave him instant pause--four full-grown lions trailing\nthe lioness.\n\nTo have goaded Numa then into active resistance might have brought\nthe whole herd down upon him and so Tarzan waited to learn first\nwhat their attitude would be. He had no idea of relinquishing his\nlion without a battle; but knowing lions as he did, he knew that\nthere was no assurance as to just what the newcomers would do.\n\nThe lioness was young and sleek, and the four males were in their\nprime--as handsome lions as he ever had seen. Three of the males\nwere scantily maned but one, the foremost, carried a splendid,\nblack mane that rippled in the breeze as he trotted majestically\nforward. The lioness halted a hundred feet from Tarzan, while the\nlions came on past her and stopped a few feet nearer. Their ears\nwere upstanding and their eyes filled with curiosity. Tarzan could\nnot even guess what they might do. The lion at his side faced them\nfully, standing silent now and watchful.\n\nSuddenly the lioness gave vent to another little whine, at which\nTarzan's lion voiced a terrific roar and leaped forward straight\ntoward the beast of the black mane. The sight of this awesome\ncreature with the strange face was too much for the lion toward\nwhich he leaped, dragging Tarzan after him, and with a growl the\nlion turned and fled, followed by his companions and the she.\n\nNuma attempted to follow them; Tarzan held him in leash and when\nhe turned upon him in rage, beat him unmercifully across the head\nwith his spear. Shaking his head and growling, the lion at last moved\noff again in the direction they had been traveling; but it was an\nhour before he ceased to sulk. He was very hungry--half famished\nin fact--and consequently of an ugly temper, yet so thoroughly\nsubdued by Tarzan's heroic methods of lion taming that he was\npresently pacing along at the ape-man's side like some huge St.\nBernard.\n\nIt was dark when the two approached the British right, after a\nslight delay farther back because of a German patrol it had been\nnecessary to elude. A short distance from the British line of\nout-guard sentinels Tarzan tied Numa to a tree and continued on\nalone. He evaded a sentinel, passed the out-guard and support, and\nby devious ways came again to Colonel Capell's headquarters, where\nhe appeared before the officers gathered there as a disembodied\nspirit materializing out of thin air.\n\nWhen they saw who it was that came thus unannounced they smiled\nand the colonel scratched his head in perplexity.\n\n\"Someone should be shot for this,\" he said. \"I might just as well\nnot establish an out-post if a man can filter through whenever he\npleases.\"\n\nTarzan smiled. \"Do not blame them,\" he said, \"for I am not a man.\nI am Tarmangani. Any Mangani who wished to, could enter your camp\nalmost at will; but if you have them for sentinels no one could\nenter without their knowledge.\"\n\n\"What are the Mangani?\" asked the colonel. \"Perhaps we might enlist\na bunch of the beggars.\"\n\nTarzan shook his head. \"They are the great apes,\" he explained; \"my\npeople; but you could not use them. They cannot concentrate long\nenough upon a single idea. If I told them of this they would be\nmuch interested for a short time--I might even hold the interest\nof a few long enough to get them here and explain their duties to\nthem; but soon they would lose interest and when you needed them\nmost they might be off in the forest searching for beetles instead\nof watching their posts. They have the minds of little children--that\nis why they remain what they are.\"\n\n\"You call them Mangani and yourself Tarmangani--what is the\ndifference?\" asked Major Preswick.\n\n\"Tar means white,\" replied Tarzan, \"and Mangani, great ape. My name--the\nname they gave me in the tribe of Kerchak--means White-skin. When\nI was a little balu my skin, I presume, looked very white indeed\nagainst the beautiful, black coat of Kala, my foster mother\nand so they called me Tarzan, the Tarmangani. They call you, too,\nTarmangani,\" he concluded, smiling.\n\nCapell smiled. \"It is no reproach, Greystoke,\" he said; \"and, by\nJove, it would be a mark of distinction if a fellow could act the\npart. And now how about your plan? Do you still think you can empty\nthe trench opposite our sector?\"\n\n\"Is it still held by Gomangani?\" asked Tarzan.\n\n\"What are Gomangani?\" inquired the colonel. \"It is still held by\nnative troops, if that is what you mean.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" replied the ape-man, \"the Gomangani are the great black\napes--the Negroes.\"\n\n\"What do you intend doing and what do you want us to do?\" asked\nCapell.\n\nTarzan approached the table and placed a finger on the map. \"Here\nis a listening post,\" he said; \"they have a machine gun in it. A\ntunnel connects it with this trench at this point.\" His finger moved\nfrom place to place on the map as he talked.  \"Give me a bomb and\nwhen you hear it burst in this listening post let your men start\nacross No Man's Land slowly. Presently they will hear a commotion\nin the enemy trench; but they need not hurry, and, whatever they\ndo, have them come quietly. You might also warn them that I may be\nin the trench and that I do not care to be shot or bayoneted.\"\n\n\"And that is all?\" queried Capell, after directing an officer to\ngive Tarzan a hand grenade; \"you will empty the trench alone?\"\n\n\"Not exactly alone,\" replied Tarzan with a grim smile; \"but I shall\nempty it, and, by the way, your men may come in through the tunnel\nfrom the listening post if you prefer. In about half an hour,\nColonel,\" and he turned and left them.\n\nAs he passed through the camp there flashed suddenly upon the screen\nof recollection, conjured there by some reminder of his previous\nvisit to headquarters, doubtless, the image of the officer he had\npassed as he quit the colonel that other time and simultaneously\nrecognition of the face that had been revealed by the light from\nthe fire. He shook his head dubiously. No, it could not be and\nyet the features of the young officer were identical with those of\nFraulein Kircher, the German spy he had seen at German headquarters\nthe night he took Major Schneider from under the nose of the Hun\ngeneral and his staff.\n\nBeyond the last line of sentinels Tarzan moved quickly in the\ndirection of Numa, the lion. The beast was lying down as Tarzan\napproached, but he rose as the ape-man reached his side. A low\nwhine escaped his muzzled lips. Tarzan smiled for he recognized in\nthe new note almost a supplication--it was more like the whine of\na hungry dog begging for food than the voice of the proud king of\nbeasts.\n\n\"Soon you will kill--and feed,\" he murmured in the vernacular of\nthe great apes.\n\nHe unfastened the rope from about the tree and, with Numa close\nat his side, slunk into No Man's Land. There was little rifle fire\nand only an occasional shell vouched for the presence of artillery\nbehind the opposing lines. As the shells from both sides were\nfalling well back of the trenches, they constituted no menace to\nTarzan; but the noise of them and that of the rifle fire had a marked\neffect upon Numa who crouched, trembling, close to the Tarmangani\nas though seeking protection.\n\nCautiously the two beasts moved forward toward the listening post\nof the Germans. In one hand Tarzan carried the bomb the English had\ngiven him, in the other was the coiled rope attached to the lion.\nAt last Tarzan could see the position a few yards ahead. His keen\neyes picked out the head and shoulders of the sentinel on watch.\nThe ape-man grasped the bomb firmly in his right hand. He measured\nthe distance with his eye and gathered his feet beneath him, then\nin a single motion he rose and threw the missile, immediately\nflattening himself prone upon the ground.\n\nFive seconds later there was a terrific explosion in the center of\nthe listening post. Numa gave a nervous start and attempted to break\naway; but Tarzan held him and, leaping to his feet, ran forward,\ndragging Numa after him. At the edge of the post he saw below him\nbut slight evidence that the position had been occupied at all,\nfor only a few shreds of torn flesh remained. About the only thing\nthat had not been demolished was a machine gun which had been\nprotected by sand bags.\n\nThere was not an instant to lose. Already a relief might be crawling\nthrough the communication tunnel, for it must have been evident to\nthe sentinels in the Hun trenches that the listening post had been\ndemolished. Numa hesitated to follow Tarzan into the excavation;\nbut the ape-man, who was in no mood to temporize, jerked him roughly\nto the bottom.  Before them lay the mouth of the tunnel that led\nback from No Man's Land to the German trenches. Tarzan pushed Numa\nforward until his head was almost in the aperture, then as though\nit were an afterthought, he turned quickly and, taking the machine\ngun from the parapet, placed it in the bottom of the hole close\nat hand, after which he turned again to Numa, and with his knife\nquickly cut the garters that held the bags upon his front paws.\nBefore the lion could know that a part of his formidable armament\nwas again released for action, Tarzan had cut the rope from his\nneck and the head bag from his face, and grabbing the lion from\nthe rear had thrust him partially into the mouth of the tunnel.\n\nThen Numa balked, only to feel the sharp prick of Tarzan's knife\npoint in his hind quarters. Goading him on the ape-man finally\nsucceeded in getting the lion sufficiently far into the tunnel\nso that there was no chance of his escaping other than by going\nforward or deliberately backing into the sharp blade at his rear.\nThen Tarzan cut the bags from the great hind feet, placed his\nshoulder and his knife point against Numa's seat, dug his toes\ninto the loose earth that had been broken up by the explosion of\nthe bomb, and shoved.\n\nInch by inch at first Numa advanced. He was growling now and presently\nhe commenced to roar. Suddenly he leaped forward and Tarzan knew\nthat he had caught the scent of meat ahead. Dragging the machine\ngun beside him the ape-man followed quickly after the lion whose\nroars he could plainly hear ahead mingled with the unmistakable\nscreams of frightened men. Once again a grim smile touched the lips\nof this man-beast.\n\n\"They murdered my Waziri,\" he muttered; \"they crucified Wasimbu,\nson of Muviro.\"\n\nWhen Tarzan reached the trench and emerged into it there was no one\nin sight in that particular bay, nor in the next, nor the next as\nhe hurried forward in the direction of the German center; but in the\nfourth bay he saw a dozen men jammed in the angle of the traverse\nat the end while leaping upon them and rending with talons and fangs\nwas Numa, a terrific incarnation of ferocity and ravenous hunger.\n\nWhatever held the men at last gave way as they fought madly with\none another in their efforts to escape this dread creature that\nfrom their infancy had filled them with terror, and again they\nwere retreating. Some clambered over the parados and some even over\nthe parapet preferring the dangers of No Man's Land to this other\nsoul-searing menace.\n\nAs the British advanced slowly toward the German trenches, they\nfirst met terrified blacks who ran into their arms only too willing\nto surrender. That pandemonium had broken loose in the Hun trench\nwas apparent to the Rhodesians not only from the appearance of the\ndeserters, but from the sounds of screaming, cursing men which came\nclearly to their ears; but there was one that baffled them for it\nresembled nothing more closely than the infuriated growling of an\nangry lion.\n\nAnd when at last they reached the trench, those farthest on the left\nof the advancing Britishers heard a machine gun sputter suddenly\nbefore them and saw a huge lion leap over the German parados with\nthe body of a screaming Hun soldier between his jaws and vanish\ninto the shadows of the night, while squatting upon a traverse to\ntheir left was Tarzan of the Apes with a machine gun before him\nwith which he was raking the length of the German trenches.\n\nThe foremost Rhodesians saw something else--they saw a huge German\nofficer emerge from a dugout just in rear of the ape-man. They saw\nhim snatch up a discarded rifle with bayonet fixed and creep upon\nthe apparently unconscious Tarzan. They ran forward, shouting\nwarnings; but above the pandemonium of the trenches and the machine\ngun their voices could not reach him. The German leaped upon the\nparapet behind him--the fat hands raised the rifle butt aloft for\nthe cowardly downward thrust into the naked back and then, as moves\nAra, the lightning, moved Tarzan of the Apes.\n\nIt was no man who leaped forward upon that Boche officer,  striking\naside the sharp bayonet as one might strike aside a straw in a\nbaby's hand--it was a wild beast and the roar of a wild beast was\nupon those savage lips, for as that strange sense that Tarzan owned\nin common with the other jungle-bred creatures of his wild domain\nwarned him of the presence behind him and he had whirled to meet\nthe attack, his eyes had seen the corps and regimental insignia upon\nthe other's blouse--it was the same as that worn by the murderers\nof his wife and his people, by the despoilers of his home and his\nhappiness.\n\nIt was a wild beast whose teeth fastened upon the shoulder of the\nHun--it was a wild beast whose talons sought that fat neck. And\nthen the boys of the Second Rhodesian Regiment saw that which will\nlive forever in their memories. They saw the giant ape-man pick\nthe heavy German from the ground and shake him as a terrier might\nshake a rat--as Sabor, the lioness, sometimes shakes her prey.\nThey saw the eyes of the Hun bulge in horror as he vainly struck\nwith his futile hands against the massive chest and head of his\nassailant. They saw Tarzan suddenly spin the man about and placing\na knee in the middle of his back and an arm about his neck bend\nhis shoulders slowly backward. The German's knees gave and he sank\nupon them, but still that irresistible force bent him further and\nfurther. He screamed in agony for a moment--then something snapped\nand Tarzan cast him aside, a limp and lifeless thing.\n\nThe Rhodesians started forward, a cheer upon their lips--a cheer\nthat never was uttered--a cheer that froze in their throats, for\nat that moment Tarzan placed a foot upon the carcass of his kill\nand, raising his face to the heavens, gave voice to the weird and\nterrifying victory cry of the bull ape.\n\nUnderlieutenant von Goss was dead.\n\nWithout a backward glance at the awe-struck soldiers Tarzan leaped\nthe trench and was gone.\n\n\n\n\nChapter V\n\nThe Golden Locket\n\n\nThe little British army in East Africa, after suffering severe\nreverses at the hands of a numerically much superior force, was\nat last coming into its own. The German offensive had been broken\nand the Huns were now slowly and doggedly retreating along the\nrailway to Tanga. The break in the German lines had followed the\nclearing of a section of their left-flank trenches of native soldiers\nby Tarzan and Numa, the lion, upon that memorable night that the\nape-man had loosed a famishing man-eater among the superstitious\nand terror-stricken blacks. The Second Rhodesian Regiment had\nimmediately taken possession of the abandoned trench and from this\nposition their flanking fire had raked contiguous sections of the\nGerman line, the diversion rendering possible a successful night\nattack on the part of the balance of the British forces.\n\nWeeks had elapsed. The Germans were contesting stubbornly every\nmile of waterless, thorn-covered ground and clinging desperately\nto their positions along the railway. The officers of the Second\nRhodesians had seen nothing more of Tarzan of the Apes since he\nhad slain Underlieutenant von Goss and disappeared toward the very\nheart of the German position, and there were those among them who\nbelieved that he had been killed within the enemy lines.\n\n\"They may have killed him,\" assented Colonel Capell; \"but I fancy\nthey never captured the beggar alive.\"\n\nNor had they, nor killed him either. Tarzan had spent those intervening\nweeks pleasantly and profitably. He had amassed a considerable\nfund of knowledge concerning the disposition and strength of German\ntroops, their methods of warfare, and the various ways in which a\nlone Tarmangani might annoy an army and lower its morale.\n\nAt present he was prompted by a specific desire. There was a certain\nGerman spy whom he wished to capture alive and take back to the\nBritish. When he had made his first visit to German headquarters,\nhe had seen a young woman deliver a paper to the German general,\nand later he had seen that same young woman within the British\nlines in the uniform of a British officer. The conclusions were\nobvious--she was a spy.\n\nAnd so Tarzan haunted German headquarters upon many nights hoping\nto see her again or to pick up some clew as to her whereabouts,\nand at the same time he utilized many an artifice whereby he might\nbring terror to the hearts of the Germans. That he was successful\nwas often demonstrated by the snatches of conversation he overheard as\nhe prowled through the German camps. One night as he lay concealed\nin the bushes close beside a regimental headquarters he listened to\nthe conversation of several Boche officers. One of the men reverted\nto the stories told by the native troops in connection with their\nrout by a lion several weeks before and the simultaneous appearance\nin their trenches of a naked, white giant whom they were perfectly\nassured was some demon of the jungle.\n\n\"The fellow must have been the same as he who leaped into the\ngeneral's headquarters and carried off Schneider,\" asserted one.\n\"I wonder how he happened to single out the poor major. They say\nthe creature seemed interested in no one but Schneider. He had von\nKelter in his grasp, and he might easily have taken the general\nhimself; but he ignored them all except Schneider. Him he pursued\nabout the room, seized and carried off into the night. Gott knows\nwhat his fate was.\"\n\n\"Captain Fritz Schneider has some sort of theory,\" said another.\n\"He told me only a week or two ago that he thinks he knows why his\nbrother was taken--that it was a case of mistaken identity. He was\nnot so sure about it until von Goss was killed, apparently by the\nsame creature, the night the lion entered the trenches. Von Goss was\nattached to Schneider's company. One of Schneider's men was found\nwith his neck wrung the same night that the major was carried off\nand Schneider thinks that this devil is after him and his\ncommand--that it came for him that night and got his brother by\nmistake. He says Kraut told him that in presenting the major to\nFraulein Kircher the former's name was no sooner spoken than this\nwild man leaped through the window and made for him.\"\n\nSuddenly the little group became rigid--listening. \"What was that?\"\nsnapped one, eyeing the bushes from which a smothered snarl had\nissued as Tarzan of the Apes realized that through his mistake the\nperpetrator of the horrid crime at his bungalow still lived--that\nthe murderer of his wife went yet unpunished.\n\nFor a long minute the officers stood with tensed nerves, every eye\nriveted upon the bushes from whence the ominous sound had issued.\nEach recalled recent mysterious disappearances from the heart of\ncamps as well as from lonely out-guards. Each thought of the silent\ndead he had seen, slain almost within sight of their fellows by some\nunseen creature. They thought of the marks upon dead throats--made\nby talons or by giant fingers, they could not tell which--and those\nupon shoulders and jugulars where powerful teeth had fastened and\nthey waited with drawn pistols.\n\nOnce the bushes moved almost imperceptibly and an instant later\none of the officers, without warning, fired into them; but Tarzan\nof the Apes was not there. In the interval between the moving of\nthe bushes and the firing of the shot he had melted into the night.\nTen minutes later he was hovering on the outskirts of that part\nof camp where were bivouacked for the night the black soldiers of\na native company commanded by one Hauptmann Fritz Schneider. The\nmen were stretched upon the ground without tents; but there were\ntents pitched for the officers. Toward these Tarzan crept. It was\nslow and perilous work, as the Germans were now upon the alert for\nthe uncanny foe that crept into their camps to take his toll by\nnight, yet the ape-man passed their sentinels, eluded the vigilance\nof the interior guard, and crept at last to the rear of the officers'\nline.\n\nHere he flattened himself against the ground close behind the\nnearest tent and listened. From within came the regular breathing\nof a sleeping man--one only. Tarzan was satisfied.  With his knife\nhe cut the tie strings of the rear flap and entered. He made no\nnoise. The shadow of a falling leaf, floating gently to earth upon\na still day, could have been no more soundless. He moved to the\nside of the sleeping man and bent low over him. He could not know,\nof course, whether it was Schneider or another, as he had never seen\nSchneider; but he meant to know and to know even more.  Gently he\nshook the man by the shoulder. The fellow turned heavily and grunted\nin a thick guttural.\n\n\"Silence!\" admonished the ape-man in a low whisper. \"Silence--I\nkill.\"\n\nThe Hun opened his eyes. In the dim light he saw a giant figure\nbending over him. Now a mighty hand grasped his shoulder and another\nclosed lightly about his throat.\n\n\"Make no outcry,\" commanded Tarzan; \"but answer in a whisper my\nquestions. What is your name?\"\n\n\"Luberg,\" replied the officer. He was trembling. The weird presence\nof this naked giant filled him with dread. He, too, recalled the\nmen mysteriously murdered in the still watches of the night camps.\n\"What do you want?\"\n\n\"Where is Hauptmann Fritz Schneider?\" asked Tarzan, \"Which is his\ntent?\"\n\n\"He is not here,\" replied Luberg. \"He was sent to Wilhelmstal\nyesterday.\"\n\n\"I shall not kill you--now,\" said the ape-man. \"First I shall go\nand learn if you have lied to me and if you have your death shall\nbe the more terrible. Do you know how Major Schneider died?\"\n\nLuberg shook his head negatively.\n\n\"I do,\" continued Tarzan, \"and it was not a nice way to die--even\nfor an accursed German. Turn over with your face down and cover\nyour eyes. Do not move or make any sound.\"\n\nThe man did as he was bid and the instant that his eyes were turned\naway, Tarzan slipped from the tent. An hour later he was outside\nthe German camp and headed for the little hill town of Wilhelmstal,\nthe summer seat of government of German East Africa.\n\nFraulein Bertha Kircher was lost. She was humiliated and angry--it\nwas long before she would admit it, that she, who prided herself\nupon her woodcraft, was lost in this little patch of country between\nthe Pangani and the Tanga railway.  She knew that Wilhelmstal lay\nsoutheast of her about fifty miles; but, through a combination of\nuntoward circumstances, she found herself unable to determine which\nwas southeast.\n\nIn the first place she had set out from German headquarters on a\nwell-marked road that was being traveled by troops and with every\nreason to believe that she would follow that road to Wilhelmstal.\nLater she had been warned from this road by word that a strong\nBritish patrol had come down the west bank of the Pangani, effected\na crossing south of her, and was even then marching on the railway\nat Tonda.\n\nAfter leaving the road she found herself in thick bush and as the\nsky was heavily overcast she presently had recourse to her compass\nand it was not until then that she discovered to her dismay that\nshe did not have it with her. So sure was she of her woodcraft,\nhowever, that she continued on in the direction she thought west\nuntil she had covered sufficient distance to warrant her in feeling\nassured that, by now turning south, she could pass safely in rear\nof the British patrol.\n\nNor did she commence to feel any doubts until long after she had\nagain turned toward the east well south, as she thought, of the\npatrol. It was late afternoon--she should long since have struck\nthe road again south of Tonda; but she had found no road and now\nshe began to feel real anxiety.\n\nHer horse had traveled all day without food or water, night\nwas approaching and with it a realization that she was hopelessly\nlost in a wild and trackless country notorious principally for its\ntsetse flies and savage beasts. It was maddening to know that she\nhad absolutely no knowledge of the direction she was traveling--that\nshe might be forging steadily further from the railway, deeper\ninto the gloomy and forbidding country toward the Pangani; yet it\nwas impossible to stop--she must go on.\n\nBertha Kircher was no coward, whatever else she may have been, but\nas night began to close down around her she could not shut out from\nher mind entirely contemplation of the terrors of the long hours\nahead before the rising sun should dissipate the Stygian gloom--the\nhorrid jungle night--that lures forth all the prowling, preying\ncreatures of destruction.\n\nShe found, just before dark, an open meadow-like break in the\nalmost interminable bush. There was a small clump of trees near the\ncenter and here she decided to camp. The grass was high and thick,\naffording feed for her horse and a bed for herself, and there was\nmore than enough dead wood lying about the trees to furnish a good\nfire well through the night. Removing the saddle and bridle from\nher mount she placed them at the foot of a tree and then picketed\nthe animal close by. Then she busied herself collecting firewood\nand by the time darkness had fallen she had a good fire and enough\nwood to last until morning.\n\nFrom her saddlebags she took cold food and from her canteen a\nswallow of water. She could not afford more than a small swallow\nfor she could not know how long a time it might be before she should\nfind more. It filled her with sorrow that her poor horse must go\nwaterless, for even German spies may have hearts and this one was\nvery young and very feminine.\n\nIt was now dark. There was neither moon nor stars and the light\nfrom her fire only accentuated the blackness beyond.  She could see\nthe grass about her and the boles of the trees which stood out in\nbrilliant relief against the solid background of impenetrable night,\nand beyond the firelight there was nothing.\n\nThe jungle seemed ominously quiet. Far away in the distance she\nheard faintly the boom of big guns; but she could not locate their\ndirection. She strained her ears until her nerves were on the point\nof breaking; but she could not tell from whence the sound came. And\nit meant so much to her to know, for the battle-lines were north\nof her and if she could but locate the direction of the firing she\nwould know which way to go in the morning.\n\nIn the morning! Would she live to see another morning?  She squared\nher shoulders and shook herself together. Such thoughts must be\nbanished--they would never do. Bravely she hummed an air as she\narranged her saddle near the fire and pulled a quantity of long\ngrass to make a comfortable seat over which she spread her saddle\nblanket. Then she un-strapped a heavy, military coat from the cantle\nof her saddle and donned it, for the air was already chill.\n\nSeating herself where she could lean against the saddle she prepared\nto maintain a sleepless vigil throughout the night. For an hour\nthe silence was broken only by the distant booming of the guns and\nthe low noises of the feeding horse and then, from possibly a mile\naway, came the rumbling thunder of a lion's roar. The girl started\nand laid her hand upon the rifle at her side. A little shudder ran\nthrough her slight frame and she could feel the goose flesh rise\nupon her body.\n\nAgain and again was the awful sound repeated and each time she was\ncertain that it came nearer. She could locate the direction of this\nsound although she could not that of the guns, for the origin of\nthe former was much closer. The lion was up wind and so could not\nhave caught her scent as yet, though he might be approaching to\ninvestigate the light of the fire which could doubtless be seen\nfor a considerable distance.\n\nFor another fear-filled hour the girl sat straining her eyes and\nears out into the black void beyond her little island of light.\nDuring all that time the lion did not roar again; but there was\nconstantly the sensation that it was creeping upon her. Again and\nagain she would start and turn to peer into the blackness beyond\nthe trees behind her as her overwrought nerves conjured the stealthy\nfall of padded feet. She held the rifle across her knees at the\nready now and she was trembling from head to foot.\n\nSuddenly her horse raised his head and snorted, and with a little\ncry of terror the girl sprang to her feet. The animal turned and\ntrotted back toward her until the picket rope brought him to a stand,\nand then he wheeled about and with ears up-pricked gazed out into\nthe night; but the girl could neither see nor hear aught.\n\nStill another hour of terror passed during which the horse often\nraised his head to peer long and searchingly into the dark. The girl\nreplenished the fire from time to time. She found herself becoming\nvery sleepy. Her heavy lids persisted in drooping; but she dared\nnot sleep. Fearful lest she might be overcome by the drowsiness\nthat was stealing through her she rose and walked briskly to and\nfro, then she threw some more wood on the fire, walked over and\nstroked her horse's muzzle and returned to her seat.\n\nLeaning against the saddle she tried to occupy her mind with plans\nfor the morrow; but she must have dozed. With a start she awoke.\nIt was broad daylight. The hideous night with its indescribable\nterrors was gone.\n\nShe could scarce believe the testimony of her senses. She had slept\nfor hours, the fire was out and yet she and the horse were safe\nand alive, nor was there sign of savage beast about.  And, best of\nall, the sun was shining, pointing the straight road to the east.\nHastily she ate a few mouthfuls of her precious rations, which with\na swallow of water constituted her breakfast. Then she saddled her\nhorse and mounted. Already she felt that she was as good as safe\nin Wilhelmstal.\n\nPossibly, however, she might have revised her conclusions could she\nhave seen the two pairs of eyes watching her every move intently\nfrom different points in the bush.\n\nLight-hearted and unsuspecting, the girl rode across the clearing\ntoward the bush while directly before her two yellow-green eyes\nglared round and terrible, a tawny tail twitched nervously and\ngreat, padded paws gathered beneath a sleek barrel for a mighty\nspring. The horse was almost at the edge of the bush when Numa,\nthe lion, launched himself through the air. He struck the animal's\nright shoulder at the instant that it reared, terrified, to wheel\nin flight. The force of the impact hurled the horse backward to the\nground and so quickly that the girl had no opportunity to extricate\nherself; but fell to the earth with her mount, her left leg pinned\nbeneath its body.\n\nHorror-stricken, she saw the king of beasts open his mighty jaws\nand seize the screaming creature by the back of its neck.  The\ngreat jaws closed, there was an instant's struggle as Numa shook\nhis prey. She could hear the vertebrae crack as the mighty fangs\ncrunched through them, and then the muscles of her faithful friend\nrelaxed in death.\n\nNuma crouched upon his kill. His terrifying eyes riveted themselves\nupon the girl's face--she could feel his hot breath upon her cheek\nand the odor of the fetid vapor nauseated her.  For what seemed\nan eternity to the girl the two lay staring at each other and then\nthe lion uttered a menacing growl.\n\nNever before had Bertha Kircher been so terrified--never before had\nshe had such cause for terror. At her hip was a pistol--a formidable\nweapon with which to face a man; but a puny thing indeed with\nwhich to menace the great beast before her. She knew that at best\nit could but enrage him and yet she meant to sell her life dearly,\nfor she felt that she must die. No human succor could have availed\nher even had it been there to offer itself. For a moment she tore\nher gaze from the hypnotic fascination of that awful face and\nbreathed a last prayer to her God. She did not ask for aid, for she\nfelt that she was beyond even divine succor--she only asked that\nthe end might come quickly and with as little pain as possible.\n\nNo one can prophesy what a lion will do in any given emergency.\nThis one glared and growled at the girl for a moment and then fell\nto feeding upon the dead horse. Fraulein Kircher wondered for an\ninstant and then attempted to draw her leg cautiously from beneath\nthe body of her mount; but she could not budge it. She increased\nthe force of her efforts and Numa looked up from his feeding to\ngrowl again.  The girl desisted. She hoped that he might satisfy\nhis hunger and then depart to lie up, but she could not believe\nthat he would leave her there alive. Doubtless he would drag the\nremains of his kill into the bush for hiding and, as there could\nbe no doubt that he considered her part of his prey, he would\ncertainly come back for her, or possibly drag her in first and kill\nher.\n\nAgain Numa fell to feeding. The girl's nerves were at the breaking\npoint. She wondered that she had not fainted under the strain\nof terror and shock. She recalled that she often had wished she\nmight see a lion, close to, make a kill and feed upon it. God! how\nrealistically her wish had been granted.\n\nAgain she bethought herself of her pistol. As she had fallen, the\nholster had slipped around so that the weapon now lay beneath her.\nVery slowly she reached for it; but in so doing she was forced to\nraise her body from the ground.  Instantly the lion was aroused.\nWith the swiftness of a cat he reached across the carcass of the\nhorse and placed a heavy, taloned paw upon her breast, crushing her\nback to earth, and all the time he growled and snarled horribly.\nHis face was a picture of frightful rage incarnate. For a moment\nneither moved and then from behind her the girl heard a human voice\nuttering bestial sounds.\n\nNuma suddenly looked up from the girl's face at the thing beyond\nher. His growls increased to roars as he drew back, ripping the\nfront of the girl's waist almost from her body with his long talons,\nexposing her white bosom, which through some miracle of chance the\ngreat claws did not touch.\n\nTarzan of the Apes had witnessed the entire encounter from the\nmoment that Numa had leaped upon his prey. For some time before,\nhe had been watching the girl, and after the lion attacked her he\nhad at first been minded to let Numa have his way with her. What\nwas she but a hated German and a spy besides? He had seen her at\nGeneral Kraut's headquarters, in conference with the German staff\nand again he had seen her within the British lines masquerading as\na British officer. It was the latter thought that prompted him to\ninterfere. Doubtless General Jan Smuts would be glad to meet and\nquestion her. She might be forced to divulge information of value\nto the British commander before Smuts had her shot.\n\nTarzan had recognized not only the girl, but the lion as well.  All\nlions may look alike to you and me; but not so to their intimates\nof the jungle. Each has his individual characteristics of face and\nform and gait as well defined as those that differentiate members\nof the human family, and besides these the creatures of the jungle\nhave a still more positive test--that of scent. Each of us, man or\nbeast, has his own peculiar odor, and it is mostly by this that\nthe beasts of the jungle, endowed with miraculous powers of scent,\nrecognize individuals.\n\nIt is the final proof. You have seen it demonstrated a thousand\ntimes--a dog recognizes your voice and looks at you.  He knows your\nface and figure. Good, there can be no doubt in his mind but that\nit is you; but is he satisfied? No, sir--he must come up and smell\nof you. All his other senses may be fallible, but not his sense of\nsmell, and so he makes assurance positive by the final test.\n\nTarzan recognized Numa as he whom he had muzzled with the hide of\nHorta, the boar--as he whom he handled by a rope for two days and\nfinally loosed in a German front-line trench, and he knew that Numa\nwould recognize him--that he would remember the sharp spear that\nhad goaded him into submission and obedience and Tarzan hoped that\nthe lesson he had learned still remained with the lion.\n\nNow he came forward calling to Numa in the language of the great\napes--warning him away from the girl. It is open to question that\nNuma, the lion, understood him; but he did understand the menace of\nthe heavy spear that the Tarmangani carried so ready in his brown,\nright hand, and so he drew back, growling, trying to decide in his\nlittle brain whether to charge or flee.\n\nOn came the ape-man with never a pause, straight for the lion. \"Go\naway, Numa,\" he cried, \"or Tarzan will tie you up again and lead\nyou through the jungle without food. See Arad, my spear! Do you\nrecall how his point stuck into you and how with his haft I beat\nyou over the head? Go, Numa!  I am Tarzan of the Apes!\"\n\nNuma wrinkled the skin of his face into great folds, until his\neyes almost disappeared and he growled and roared and snarled and\ngrowled again, and when the spear point came at last quite close\nto him he struck at it viciously with his armed paw; but he drew\nback. Tarzan stepped over the dead horse and the girl lying behind\nhim gazed in wide-eyed astonishment at the handsome figure driving\nan angry lion deliberately from its kill.\n\nWhen Numa had retreated a few yards, the ape-man called back to\nthe girl in perfect German, \"Are you badly hurt?\"\n\n\"I think not,\" she replied; \"but I cannot extricate my foot from\nbeneath my horse.\"\n\n\"Try again,\" commanded Tarzan. \"I do not know how long I can hold\nNuma thus.\"\n\nThe girl struggled frantically; but at last she sank back upon an\nelbow.\n\n\"It is impossible,\" she called to him.\n\nHe backed slowly until he was again beside the horse, when he\nreached down and grasped the cinch, which was still intact.  Then\nwith one hand he raised the carcass from the ground.  The girl\nfreed herself and rose to her feet.\n\n\"You can walk?\" asked Tarzan.\n\n\"Yes,\" she said; \"my leg is numb; but it does not seem to be\ninjured.\"\n\n\"Good,\" commented the ape-man. \"Back slowly away behind me--make\nno sudden movements. I think he will not charge.\"\n\nWith utmost deliberation the two backed toward the bush.  Numa\nstood for a moment, growling, then he followed them, slowly. Tarzan\nwondered if he would come beyond his kill or if he would stop there.\nIf he followed them beyond, then they could look for a charge, and\nif Numa charged it was very likely that he would get one of them.\nWhen the lion reached the carcass of the horse Tarzan stopped and\nso did Numa, as Tarzan had thought that he would and the ape-man\nwaited to see what the lion would do next. He eyed them for a\nmoment, snarled angrily and then looked down at the tempting meat.\nPresently he crouched upon his kill and resumed feeding.\n\nThe girl breathed a deep sigh of relief as she and the ape-man\nresumed their slow retreat with only an occasional glance from the\nlion, and when at last they reached the bush and had turned and\nentered it, she felt a sudden giddiness overwhelm her so that she\nstaggered and would have fallen had Tarzan not caught her. It was\nonly a moment before she regained control of herself.\n\n\"I could not help it,\" she said, in half apology. \"I was so close\nto death--such a horrible death--it unnerved me for an instant;\nbut I am all right now. How can I ever thank you?  It was so\nwonderful--you did not seem to fear the frightful creature in the\nleast; yet he was afraid of you. Who are you?\"\n\n\"He knows me,\" replied Tarzan, grimly--\"that is why he fears me.\"\n\nHe was standing facing the girl now and for the first time\nhe had a chance to look at her squarely and closely. She was very\nbeautiful--that was undeniable; but Tarzan realized her beauty only\nin a subconscious way. It was superficial--it did not color her\nsoul which must be black as sin. She was German--a German spy. He\nhated her and desired only to compass her destruction; but he would\nchoose the manner so that it would work most grievously against\nthe enemy cause.\n\nHe saw her naked breasts where Numa had torn her clothing from her\nand dangling there against the soft, white flesh he saw that which\nbrought a sudden scowl of surprise and anger to his face--the\ndiamond-studded, golden locket of his youth--the love token that\nhad been stolen from the breast of his mate by Schneider, the Hun.\nThe girl saw the scowl but did not interpret it correctly. Tarzan\ngrasped her roughly by the arm.\n\n\"Where did you get this?\" he demanded, as he tore the bauble from\nher.\n\nThe girl drew herself to her full height. \"Take your hand from me,\"\nshe demanded, but the ape-man paid no attention to her words, only\nseizing her more forcibly.\n\n\"Answer me!\" he snapped. \"Where did you get this?\"\n\n\"What is it to you?\" she countered.\n\n\"It is mine,\" he replied. \"Tell me who gave it to you or I will\nthrow you back to Numa.\"\n\n\"You would do that?\" she asked.\n\n\"Why not?\" he queried. \"You are a spy and spies must die if they\nare caught.\"\n\n\"You were going to kill me, then?\"\n\n\"I was going to take you to headquarters. They would dispose of\nyou there; but Numa can do it quite as effectively.  Which do you\nprefer?\"\n\n\"Hauptmann Fritz Schneider gave it to me,\" she said.\n\n\"Headquarters it will be then,\" said Tarzan. \"Come!\" The girl\nmoved at his side through the bush and all the time her mind worked\nquickly. They were moving east, which suited her, and as long as\nthey continued to move east she was glad to have the protection\nof the great, white savage. She speculated much upon the fact that\nher pistol still swung at her hip. The man must be mad not to take\nit from her.\n\n\"What makes you think I am a spy?\" she asked after a long silence.\n\n\"I saw you at German headquarters,\" he replied, \"and then again\ninside the British lines.\"\n\nShe could not let him take her back to them. She must reach\nWilhelmstal at once and she was determined to do so even if she\nmust have recourse to her pistol. She cast a side glance at the\ntall figure. What a magnificent creature! But yet he was a brute\nwho would kill her or have her killed if she did not slay him. And\nthe locket! She must have that back--it must not fail to reach\nWilhelmstal. Tarzan was now a foot or two ahead of her as the path\nwas very narrow. Cautiously she drew her pistol. A single shot would\nsuffice and he was so close that she could not miss. As she figured\nit all out her eyes rested on the brown skin with the graceful muscles\nrolling beneath it and the perfect limbs and head and the carriage\nthat a proud king of old might have envied.  A wave of revulsion\nfor her contemplated act surged through her. No, she could not\ndo it--yet, she must be free and she must regain possession of\nthe locket. And then, almost blindly, she swung the weapon up and\nstruck Tarzan heavily upon the back of the head with its butt. Like\na felled ox he dropped in his tracks.\n\n\n\n\nChapter VI\n\nVengeance and Mercy\n\n\nIt was an hour later that Sheeta, the panther, hunting, chanced to\nglance upward into the blue sky where his attention was attracted\nby Ska, the vulture, circling slowly above the bush a mile away and\ndownwind. For a long minute the yellow eyes stared intently at the\ngruesome bird. They saw Ska dive and rise again to continue his\nominous circling and in these movements their woodcraft read that\nwhich, while obvious to Sheeta, would doubtless have meant nothing\nto you or me.\n\nThe hunting cat guessed that on the ground beneath Ska was some\nliving thing of flesh--either a beast feeding upon its kill or a\ndying animal that Ska did not yet dare attack. In either event it\nmight prove meat for Sheeta, and so the wary feline stalked by a\ncircuitous route, upon soft, padded feet that gave forth no sound,\nuntil the circling aasvogel and his intended prey were upwind. Then,\nsniffing each vagrant zephyr, Sheeta, the panther, crept cautiously\nforward, nor had he advanced any considerable distance before his\nkeen nostrils were rewarded with the scent of man--a Tarmangani.\n\nSheeta paused. He was not a hunter of men. He was young and in his\nprime; but always before he had avoided this hated presence. Of\nlate he had become more accustomed to it with the passing of many\nsoldiers through his ancient hunting ground, and as the soldiers\nhad frightened away a great part of the game Sheeta had been wont\nto feed upon, the days had been lean, and Sheeta was hungry.\n\nThe circling Ska suggested that this Tarmangani might be helpless\nand upon the point of dying, else Ska would not have been interested\nin him, and so easy prey for Sheeta. With this thought in mind the\ncat resumed his stalking. Presently he pushed through the thick\nbush and his yellow-green eyes rested gloatingly upon the body of\nan almost naked Tarmangani lying face down in a narrow game trail.\n\nNuma, sated, rose from the carcass of Bertha Kircher's horse and\nseized the partially devoured body by the neck and dragged it into\nthe bush; then he started east toward the lair where he had left\nhis mate. Being uncomfortably full he was inclined to be sleepy\nand far from belligerent. He moved slowly and majestically with no\neffort at silence or concealment. The king walked abroad, unafraid.\n\nWith an occasional regal glance to right or left he moved along a\nnarrow game trail until at a turn he came to a sudden stop at what\nlay revealed before him--Sheeta, the panther, creeping stealthily\nupon the almost naked body of a Tarmangani lying face down in the\ndeep dust of the pathway.  Numa glared intently at the quiet body\nin the dust. Recognition came. It was his Tarmangani. A low growl\nof warning rumbled from his throat and Sheeta halted with one paw\nupon Tarzan's back and turned suddenly to eye the intruder.\n\nWhat passed within those savage brains? Who may say?  The panther\nseemed debating the wisdom of defending his find, for he growled\nhorribly as though warning Numa away from the prey. And Numa? Was\nthe idea of property rights dominating his thoughts? The Tarmangani\nwas his, or he was the Tarmangani's. Had not the Great White Ape\nmastered and subdued him and, too, had he not fed him? Numa recalled\nthe fear that he had felt of this man-thing and his cruel spear;\nbut in savage brains fear is more likely to engender respect than\nhatred and so Numa found that he respected the creature who had\nsubdued and mastered him.  He saw Sheeta, upon whom he looked with\ncontempt, daring to molest the master of the lion. Jealousy and\ngreed alone might have been sufficient to prompt Numa to drive Sheeta\naway, even though the lion was not sufficiently hungry to devour\nthe flesh that he thus wrested from the lesser cat; but then, too,\nthere was in the little brain within the massive head a sense of\nloyalty, and perhaps this it was that sent Numa quickly forward,\ngrowling, toward the spitting Sheeta.\n\nFor a moment the latter stood his ground with arched back and\nsnarling face, for all the world like a great, spotted tabby.\n\nNuma had not felt like fighting; but the sight of Sheeta daring\nto dispute his rights kindled his ferocious brain to sudden fire.\nHis rounded eyes glared with rage, his undulating tail snapped to\nstiff erectness as, with a frightful roar, he charged this presuming\nvassal.\n\nIt came so suddenly and from so short a distance that Sheeta had\nno chance to turn and flee the rush, and so he met it with raking\ntalons and snapping jaws; but the odds were all against him. To\nthe larger fangs and the more powerful jaws of his adversary were\nadded huge talons and the preponderance of the lion's great weight.\nAt the first clash Sheeta was crushed and, though he deliberately\nfell upon his back and drew up his powerful hind legs beneath Numa\nwith the intention of disemboweling him, the lion forestalled him\nand at the same time closed his awful jaws upon Sheeta's throat.\n\nIt was soon over. Numa rose, shaking himself, and stood above the\ntorn and mutilated body of his foe. His own sleek coat was cut and\nthe red blood trickled down his flank; though it was but a minor\ninjury, it angered him. He glared down at the dead panther and\nthen, in a fit of rage, he seized and mauled the body only to drop\nit in a moment, lower his head, voice a single terrific roar, and\nturn toward the ape-man.\n\nApproaching the still form he sniffed it over from head to foot.\nThen he placed a huge paw upon it and turned it over with its face\nup. Again he smelled about the body and at last with his rough tongue\nlicked Tarzan's face. It was then that Tarzan opened his eyes.\n\nAbove him towered the huge lion, its hot breath upon his face, its\nrough tongue upon his cheek. The ape-man had often been close to\ndeath; but never before so close as this, he thought, for he was\nconvinced that death was but a matter of seconds. His brain was\nstill numb from the effects of the blow that had felled him, and\nso he did not, for a moment, recognize the lion that stood over\nhim as the one he had so recently encountered.\n\nPresently, however, recognition dawned upon him and with it\na realization of the astounding fact that Numa did not seem bent\non devouring him--at least not immediately. His position was a\ndelicate one. The lion stood astraddle Tarzan with his front paws.\nThe ape-man could not rise, therefore, without pushing the lion away\nand whether Numa would tolerate being pushed was an open question.\nToo, the beast might consider him already dead and any movement that\nindicated the contrary was true would, in all likelihood, arouse\nthe killing instinct of the man-eater.\n\nBut Tarzan was tiring of the situation. He was in no mood to lie\nthere forever, especially when he contemplated the fact that the\ngirl spy who had tried to brain him was undoubtedly escaping as\nrapidly as possible.\n\nNuma was looking right into his eyes now evidently aware that he was\nalive. Presently the lion cocked his head on one side and whined.\nTarzan knew the note, and he knew that it spelled neither rage nor\nhunger, and then he risked all on a single throw, encouraged by\nthat low whine.\n\n\"Move, Numa!\" he commanded and placing a palm against the tawny\nshoulder he pushed the lion aside. Then he rose and with a hand\non his hunting knife awaited that which might follow. It was then\nthat his eyes fell for the first time on the torn body of Sheeta.\nHe looked from the dead cat to the live one and saw the marks of\nconflict upon the latter, too, and in an instant realized something\nof what had happened--Numa had saved him from the panther!\n\nIt seemed incredible and yet the evidence pointed clearly to the\nfact. He turned toward the lion and without fear approached and\nexamined his wounds which he found superficial, and as Tarzan knelt\nbeside him Numa rubbed an itching ear against the naked, brown\nshoulder. Then the ape-man stroked the great head, picked up his\nspear, and looked about for the trail of the girl. This he soon\nfound leading toward the east, and as he set out upon it something\nprompted him to feel for the locket he had hung about his neck. It\nwas gone!\n\nNo trace of anger was apparent upon the ape-man's face unless it\nwas a slight tightening of the jaws; but he put his hand ruefully\nto the back of his head where a bump marked the place where the\ngirl had struck him and a moment later a half-smile played across\nhis lips. He could not help but admit that she had tricked him\nneatly, and that it must have taken nerve to do the thing she did\nand to set out armed only with a pistol through the trackless waste\nthat lay between them and the railway and beyond into the hills\nwhere Wilhelmstal lies.\n\nTarzan admired courage. He was big enough to admit it and admire\nit even in a German spy, but he saw that in this case it only added\nto her resourcefulness and made her all the more dangerous and the\nnecessity for putting her out of the way paramount. He hoped to\novertake her before she reached Wilhelmstal and so he set out at\nthe swinging trot that he could hold for hours at a stretch without\napparent fatigue.\n\nThat the girl could hope to reach the town on foot in less than two\ndays seemed improbable, for it was a good thirty miles and part\nof it hilly. Even as the thought crossed his mind he heard the\nwhistle of a locomotive to the east and knew that the railway was\nin operation again after a shutdown of several days. If the train\nwas going south the girl would signal it if she had reached the\nright of way. His keen ears caught the whining of brake shoes on\nwheels and a few minutes later the signal blast for brakes off.\nThe train had stopped and started again and, as it gained headway\nand greater distance, Tarzan could tell from the direction of the\nsound that it was moving south.\n\nThe ape-man followed the trail to the railway where it ended\nabruptly on the west side of the track, showing that the girl had\nboarded the train, just as he thought. There was nothing now but\nto follow on to Wilhelmstal, where he hoped to find Captain Fritz\nSchneider, as well as the girl, and to recover his diamond-studded\nlocket.\n\nIt was dark when Tarzan reached the little hill town of Wilhelmstal.\nHe loitered on the outskirts, getting his bearings and trying to\ndetermine how an almost naked white man might explore the village\nwithout arousing suspicion. There were many soldiers about and\nthe town was under guard, for he could see a lone sentinel walking\nhis post scarce a hundred yards from him. To elude this one would\nnot be difficult; but to enter the village and search it would be\npractically impossible, garbed, or un-garbed, as he was.\n\nCreeping forward, taking advantage of every cover, lying flat and\nmotionless when the sentry's face was toward him, the ape-man at\nlast reached the sheltering shadows of an outhouse just inside the\nlines. From there he moved stealthily from building to building\nuntil at last he was discovered by a large dog in the rear of one of\nthe bungalows. The brute came slowly toward him, growling. Tarzan\nstood motionless beside a tree. He could see a light in the bungalow\nand uniformed men moving about and he hoped that the dog would not\nbark. He did not; but he growled more savagely and, just at the\nmoment that the rear door of the bungalow opened and a man stepped\nout, the animal charged.\n\nHe was a large dog, as large as Dango, the hyena, and he charged\nwith all the vicious impetuosity of Numa, the lion.  As he came\nTarzan knelt and the dog shot through the air for his throat; but\nhe was dealing with no man now and he found his quickness more\nthan matched by the quickness of the Tarmangani. His teeth never\nreached the soft flesh--strong fingers, fingers of steel, seized\nhis neck. He voiced a single startled yelp and clawed at the naked\nbreast before him with his talons; but he was powerless. The mighty\nfingers closed upon his throat; the man rose, snapped the clawing\nbody once, and cast it aside. At the same time a voice from the\nopen bungalow door called: \"Simba!\"\n\nThere was no response. Repeating the call the man descended the\nsteps and advanced toward the tree. In the light from the doorway\nTarzan could see that he was a tall, broad-shouldered man in the\nuniform of a German officer. The ape-man withdrew into the shadow\nof the tree's stem. The man came closer, still calling the dog--he\ndid not see the savage beast, crouching now in the shadow, awaiting\nhim. When he had approached within ten feet of the Tarmangani,\nTarzan leaped upon him--as Sabor springs to the kill, so sprang the\nape-man. The momentum and weight of his body hurled the German to\nthe ground, powerful fingers prevented an outcry and, though the\nofficer struggled, he had no chance and a moment later lay dead\nbeside the body of the dog.\n\nAs Tarzan stood for a moment looking down upon his kill and regretting\nthat he could not risk voicing his beloved victory cry, the sight\nof the uniform suggested a means whereby he might pass to and\nfro through Wilhelmstal with the minimum chance of detection. Ten\nminutes later a tall, broad-shouldered officer stepped from the\nyard of the bungalow leaving behind him the corpses of a dog and\na naked man.\n\nHe walked boldly along the little street and those who passed him\ncould not guess that beneath Imperial Germany's uniform beat a\nsavage heart that pulsed with implacable hatred for the Hun. Tarzan's\nfirst concern was to locate the hotel, for here he guessed he would\nfind the girl, and where the girl was doubtless would be Hauptmann\nFritz Schneider, who was either her confederate, her sweetheart,\nor both, and there, too, would be Tarzan's precious locket.\n\nHe found the hotel at last, a low, two-storied building with\na veranda. There were lights on both floors and people, mostly\nofficers, could be seen within. The ape-man considered entering\nand inquiring for those he sought; but his better judgment finally\nprompted him to reconnoiter first. Passing around the building he\nlooked into all the lighted rooms on the first floor and, seeing\nneither of those for whom he had come, he swung lightly to the roof\nof the veranda and continued his investigations through windows of\nthe second story.\n\nAt one corner of the hotel in a rear room the blinds were drawn;\nbut he heard voices within and once he saw a figure silhouetted\nmomentarily against the blind. It appeared to be the figure\nof a woman; but it was gone so quickly that he could not be sure.\nTarzan crept close to the window and listened.  Yes, there was a\nwoman there and a man--he heard distinctly the tones of their voices\nalthough he could overhear no words, as they seemed to be whispering.\n\nThe adjoining room was dark. Tarzan tried the window and found it\nunlatched. All was quiet within. He raised the sash and listened\nagain--still silence. Placing a leg over the sill he slipped within\nand hurriedly glanced about. The room was vacant. Crossing to the\ndoor he opened it and looked out into the hall. There was no one\nthere, either, and he stepped out and approached the door of the\nadjoining room where the man and woman were.\n\nPressing close to the door he listened. Now he distinguished\nwords, for the two had raised their voices as though in argument.\nThe woman was speaking.\n\n\"I have brought the locket,\" she said, \"as was agreed upon between\nyou and General Kraut, as my identification. I carry no other\ncredentials. This was to be enough. You have nothing to do but give\nme the papers and let me go.\"\n\nThe man replied in so low a tone that Tarzan could not catch the\nwords and then the woman spoke again--a note of scorn and perhaps\na little of fear in her voice.\n\n\"You would not dare, Hauptmann Schneider,\" she said, and then: \"Do\nnot touch me! Take your hands from me!\"\n\nIt was then that Tarzan of the Apes opened the door and stepped\ninto the room. What he saw was a huge, bull-necked German officer\nwith one arm about the waist of Fraulein Bertha Kircher and a hand\nupon her forehead pushing her head back as he tried to kiss her\non the mouth. The girl was struggling against the great brute; but\nher efforts were futile.  Slowly the man's lips were coming closer\nto hers and slowly, step by step, she was being carried backward.\n\nSchneider heard the noise of the opening and closing door behind\nhim and turned. At sight of this strange officer he dropped the\ngirl and straightened up.\n\n\"What is the meaning of this intrusion, Lieutenant?\" he demanded,\nnoting the other's epaulettes. \"Leave the room at once.\"\n\nTarzan made no articulate reply; but the two there with him heard\na low growl break from those firm lips--a growl that sent a shudder\nthrough the frame of the girl and brought a pallor to the red face\nof the Hun and his hand to his pistol but even as he drew his weapon\nit was wrested from him and hurled through the blind and window to\nthe yard beyond.  Then Tarzan backed against the door and slowly\nremoved the uniform coat.\n\n\"You are Hauptmann Schneider,\" he said to the German.\n\n\"What of it?\" growled the latter.\n\n\"I am Tarzan of the Apes,\" replied the ape-man. \"Now you know why\nI intrude.\"\n\nThe two before him saw that he was naked beneath the coat which he\nthrew upon the floor and then he slipped quickly from the trousers\nand stood there clothed only in his loin cloth.  The girl had\nrecognized him by this time, too.\n\n\"Take your hand off that pistol,\" Tarzan admonished her.  Her hand\ndropped at her side. \"Now come here!\"\n\nShe approached and Tarzan removed the weapon and hurled it after\nthe other. At the mention of his name Tarzan had noted the sickly\npallor that overspread the features of the Hun. At last he had found\nthe right man. At last his mate would be partially avenged--never\ncould she be entirely avenged. Life was too short and there were\ntoo many Germans.\n\n\"What do you want of me?\" demanded Schneider.\n\n\"You are going to pay the price for the thing you did at the little\nbungalow in the Waziri country,\" replied the ape-man.\n\nSchneider commenced to bluster and threaten. Tarzan turned the key\nin the lock of the door and hurled the former through the window\nafter the pistols. Then he turned to the girl. \"Keep out of the\nway,\" he said in a low voice. \"Tarzan of the Apes is going to kill.\"\n\nThe Hun ceased blustering and began to plead. \"I have a wife and\nchildren at home,\" he cried. \"I have done nothing, I--\"\n\n\"You are going to die as befits your kind,\" said Tarzan, \"with blood\non your hands and a lie on your lips.\" He started across the room\ntoward the burly Hauptmann. Schneider was a large and powerful\nman--about the height of the ape-man but much heavier. He saw that\nneither threats nor pleas would avail him and so he prepared to\nfight as a cornered rat fights for its life with all the maniacal\nrage, cunning, and ferocity that the first law of nature imparts\nto many beasts.\n\nLowering his bull head he charged for the ape-man and in the center\nof the floor the two clinched. There they stood locked and swaying\nfor a moment until Tarzan succeeded in forcing his antagonist backward\nover a table which crashed to the floor, splintered by the weight\nof the two heavy bodies.\n\nThe girl stood watching the battle with wide eyes. She saw the two\nmen rolling hither and thither across the floor and she heard with\nhorror the low growls that came from the lips of the naked giant.\nSchneider was trying to reach his foe's throat with his fingers\nwhile, horror of horrors, Bertha Kircher could see that the other\nwas searching for the German's jugular with his teeth!\n\nSchneider seemed to realize this too, for he redoubled his efforts\nto escape and finally succeeded in rolling over on top of the ape-man\nand breaking away. Leaping to his feet he ran for the window; but\nthe ape-man was too quick for him and before he could leap through\nthe sash a heavy hand fell upon his shoulder and he was jerked\nback and hurled across the room to the opposite wall. There Tarzan\nfollowed him, and once again they locked, dealing each other terrific\nblows, until Schneider in a piercing voice screamed, \"Kamerad!\nKamerad!\"\n\nTarzan grasped the man by the throat and drew his hunting knife.\nSchneider's back was against the wall so that though his knees\nwobbled he was held erect by the ape-man. Tarzan brought the sharp\npoint to the lower part of the German's abdomen.\n\n\"Thus you slew my mate,\" he hissed in a terrible voice.  \"Thus\nshall you die!\"\n\nThe girl staggered forward. \"Oh, God, no!\" she cried.  \"Not that.\nYou are too brave--you cannot be such a beast as that!\"\n\nTarzan turned at her. \"No,\" he said, \"you are right, I cannot do\nit--I am no German,\" and he raised the point of his blade and sunk\nit deep into the putrid heart of Hauptmann Fritz Schneider, putting\na bloody period to the Hun's last gasping cry: \"I did not do it!\nShe is not--\"\n\nThen Tarzan turned toward the girl and held out his hand.  \"Give\nme my locket,\" he said.\n\nShe pointed toward the dead officer. \"He has it.\" Tarzan searched\nhim and found the trinket. \"Now you may give me the papers,\" he said\nto the girl, and without a word she handed him a folded document.\n\nFor a long time he stood looking at her before ho spoke again.\n\n\"I came for you, too,\" he said. \"It would be difficult to take you\nback from here and so I was going to kill you, as I have sworn to\nkill all your kind; but you were right when you said that I was\nnot such a beast as that slayer of women. I could not slay him as\nhe slew mine, nor can I slay you, who are a woman.\"\n\nHe crossed to the window, raised the sash and an instant later he\nhad stepped out and disappeared into the night. And then Fraulein\nBertha Kircher stepped quickly to the corpse upon the floor, slipped\nher hand inside the blouse and drew forth a little sheaf of papers\nwhich she tucked into her waist before she went to the window and\ncalled for help.\n\n\n\n\nChapter VII\n\nWhen Blood Told\n\n\nTarzan of the Apes was disgusted. He had had the German spy, Bertha\nKircher, in his power and had left her unscathed. It is true that he\nhad slain Hauptmann Fritz Schneider, that Underlieutenant von Goss\nhad died at his hands, and that he had otherwise wreaked vengeance\nupon the men of the German company who had murdered, pillaged, and\nraped at Tarzan's bungalow in the Waziri country. There was still\nanother officer to be accounted for, but him he could not find.\nIt was Lieutenant Obergatz he still sought, though vainly, for at\nlast he learned that the man had been sent upon some special mission,\nwhether in Africa or back to Europe Tarzan's informant either did\nnot know or would not divulge.\n\nBut the fact that he had permitted sentiment to stay his hand when\nhe might so easily have put Bertha Kircher out of the way in the\nhotel at Wilhelmstal that night rankled in the ape-man's bosom.\nHe was shamed by his weakness, and when he had handed the paper\nshe had given him to the British chief of staff, even though\nthe information it contained permitted the British to frustrate a\nGerman flank attack, he was still much dissatisfied with himself.\nAnd possibly the root of this dissatisfaction lay in the fact that\nhe realized that were he again to have the same opportunity he\nwould still find it as impossible to slay a woman as it had been\nin Wilhelmstal that night.\n\nTarzan blamed this weakness, as he considered it, upon his association\nwith the effeminizing influences of civilization, for in the bottom\nof his savage heart he held in contempt both civilization and its\nrepresentatives--the men and women of the civilized countries of\nthe world. Always was he comparing their weaknesses, their vices,\ntheir hypocrisies, and their little vanities with the open,\nprimitive ways of his ferocious jungle mates, and all the while\nthere battled in that same big heart with these forces another mighty\nforce--Tarzan's love and loyalty for his friends of the civilized\nworld.\n\nThe ape-man, reared as he had been by savage beasts amid savage\nbeasts, was slow to make friends. Acquaintances he numbered by the\nhundreds; but of friends he had few. These few he would have died\nfor as, doubtless, they would have died for him; but there were\nnone of these fighting with the British forces in East Africa, and\nso, sickened and disgusted by the sight of man waging his cruel\nand inhuman warfare, Tarzan determined to heed the insistent call\nof the remote jungle of his youth, for the Germans were now on the\nrun and the war in East Africa was so nearly over that he realized\nthat his further services would be of negligible value.\n\nNever regularly sworn into the service of the King, he was under\nno obligation to remain now that the moral obligation had been\nremoved, and so it was that he disappeared from the British camp\nas mysteriously as he had appeared a few months before.\n\nMore than once had Tarzan reverted to the primitive only to return\nagain to civilization through love for his mate; but now that she\nwas gone he felt that this time he had definitely departed forever\nfrom the haunts of man, and that he should live and die a beast\namong beasts even as he had been from infancy to maturity.\n\nBetween him and his destination lay a trackless wilderness of untouched\nprimeval savagery where, doubtless in many spots, his would be the\nfirst human foot to touch the virgin turf. Nor did this prospect\ndismay the Tarmangani--rather was it an urge and an inducement, for\nrich in his veins flowed that noble strain of blood that has made\nmost of the earth's surface habitable for man.\n\nThe question of food and water that would have risen paramount in\nthe mind of an ordinary man contemplating such an excursion gave\nTarzan little concern. The wilderness was his natural habitat\nand woodcraft as inherent to him as breathing. Like other jungle\nanimals he could scent water from a great distance and, where you\nor I might die of thirst, the ape-man would unerringly select the\nexact spot at which to dig and find water.\n\nFor several days Tarzan traversed a country rich in game\nand watercourses. He moved slowly, hunting and fishing, or again\nfraternizing or quarreling with the other savage denizens of\nthe jungle. Now it was little Manu, the monkey, who chattered and\nscolded at the mighty Tarmangani and in the next breath warned him\nthat Histah, the snake, lay coiled in the long grass just ahead.\nOf Manu Tarzan inquired concerning the great apes--the Mangani--and\nwas told that few inhabited this part of the jungle, and that even\nthese were hunting farther to the north this season of the year.\n\n\"But there is Bolgani,\" said Manu. \"Would you like to see Bolgani?\"\n\nManu's tone was sneering, and Tarzan knew that it was because little\nManu thought all creatures feared mighty Bolgani, the gorilla.\nTarzan arched his great chest and struck it with a clinched fist.\n\"I am Tarzan,\" he cried. \"While Tarzan was yet a balu he slew a\nBolgani. Tarzan seeks the Mangani, who are his brothers, but Bolgani\nhe does not seek, so let Bolgani keep from the path of Tarzan.\"\n\nLittle Manu, the monkey, was much impressed, for the way of the\njungle is to boast and to believe. It was then that he condescended\nto tell Tarzan more of the Mangani.\n\n\"They go there and there and there,\" he said, making a wide sweep\nwith a brown hand first toward the north, then west, and then south\nagain. \"For there,\" and he pointed due west, \"is much hunting; but\nbetween lies a great place where there is no food and no water,\nso they must go that way,\" and again he swung his hand through the\nhalf-circle that explained to Tarzan the great detour the apes made\nto come to their hunting ground to the west.\n\nThat was all right for the Mangani, who are lazy and do not care to\nmove rapidly; but for Tarzan the straight road would be the best.\nHe would cross the dry country and come to the good hunting in a third\nof the time that it would take to go far to the north and circle\nback again. And so it was that he continued on toward the west, and\ncrossing a range of low mountains came in sight of a broad plateau,\nrock strewn and desolate. Far in the distance he saw another range\nof mountains beyond which he felt must lie the hunting ground of\nthe Mangani. There he would join them and remain for a while before\ncontinuing on toward the coast and the little cabin that his father\nhad built beside the land-locked harbor at the jungle's edge.\n\nTarzan was full of plans. He would rebuild and enlarge the cabin\nof his birth, constructing storage houses where he would make the\napes lay away food when it was plenty against the times that were\nlean--a thing no ape ever had dreamed of doing. And the tribe would\nremain always in the locality and he would be king again as he had\nin the past. He would try to teach them some of the better things\nthat he had learned from man, yet knowing the ape-mind as only\nTarzan could, he feared that his labors would be for naught.\n\nThe ape-man found the country he was crossing rough in the extreme,\nthe roughest he ever had encountered. The plateau was cut by frequent\ncanyons the passage of which often entailed hours of wearing effort.\nThe vegetation was sparse and of a faded brown color that lent to\nthe whole landscape a most depressing aspect. Great rocks were strewn\nin every direction as far as the eye could see, lying partially\nembedded in an impalpable dust that rose in clouds about him at\nevery step. The sun beat down mercilessly out of a cloudless sky.\n\nFor a day Tarzan toiled across this now hateful land and at the\ngoing down of the sun the distant mountains to the west seemed no\nnearer than at morn. Never a sign of living thing had the ape-man\nseen, other than Ska, that bird of ill omen, that had followed him\ntirelessly since he had entered this parched waste.\n\nNo littlest beetle that he might eat had given evidence that life\nof any sort existed here, and it was a hungry and thirsty Tarzan who\nlay down to rest in the evening. He decided now to push on during\nthe cool of the night, for he realized that even mighty Tarzan had\nhis limitations and that where there was no food one could not eat\nand where there was no water the greatest woodcraft in the world\ncould find none. It was a totally new experience to Tarzan to find\nso barren and terrible a country in his beloved Africa. Even the\nSahara had its oases; but this frightful world gave no indication\nof containing a square foot of hospitable ground.\n\nHowever, he had no misgivings but that he would fare forth into\nthe wonder country of which little Manu had told him, though it\nwas certain that he would do it with a dry skin and an empty belly.\nAnd so he fought on until daylight, when he again felt the need\nof rest. He was at the edge of another of those terrible canyons,\nthe eighth he had crossed, whose precipitous sides would have taxed\nto the uttermost the strength of an untired man well fortified by\nfood and water, and for the first time, as he looked down into the\nabyss and then at the opposite side that he must scale, misgivings\nbegan to assail his mind.\n\nHe did not fear death--with the memory of his murdered mate still\nfresh in his mind he almost courted it, yet strong within him\nwas that primal instinct of self-preservation--the battling force\nof life that would keep him an active contender against the Great\nReaper until, fighting to the very last, he should be overcome by\na superior power.\n\nA shadow swung slowly across the ground beside him, and looking\nup, the ape-man saw Ska, the vulture, wheeling a wide circle above\nhim. The grim and persistent harbinger of evil aroused the man\nto renewed determination. He arose and approached the edge of the\ncanyon, and then, wheeling, with his face turned upward toward the\ncircling bird of prey, he bellowed forth the challenge of the bull\nape.\n\n\"I am Tarzan,\" he shouted, \"Lord of the Jungle. Tarzan of the Apes\nis not for Ska, eater of carrion. Go back to the lair of Dango\nand feed off the leavings of the hyenas, for Tarzan will leave no\nbones for Ska to pick in this empty wilderness of death.\"\n\nBut before he reached the bottom of the canyon he again was forced\nto the realization that his great strength was waning, and when he\ndropped exhausted at the foot of the cliff and saw before him the\nopposite wall that must be scaled, he bared his fighting fangs and\ngrowled. For an hour he lay resting in the cool shade at the foot\nof the cliff. All about him reigned utter silence--the silence of\nthe tomb. No fluttering birds, no humming insects, no scurrying\nreptiles relieved the deathlike stillness. This indeed was the\nvalley of death.  He felt the depressing influence of the horrible\nplace settling down upon him; but he staggered to his feet, shaking\nhimself like a great lion, for was he not still Tarzan, mighty\nTarzan of the Apes? Yes, and Tarzan the mighty he would be until\nthe last throb of that savage heart!\n\nAs he crossed the floor of the canyon he saw something lying close\nto the base of the side wall he was approaching--something that\nstood out in startling contrast to all the surroundings and yet\nseemed so much a part and parcel of the somber scene as to suggest\nan actor amid the settings of a well-appointed stage, and, as though\nto carry out the allegory, the pitiless rays of flaming Kudu topped\nthe eastern cliff, picking out the thing lying at the foot of the\nwestern wall like a giant spotlight.\n\nAnd as Tarzan came nearer he saw the bleached skull and bones of\na human being about which were remnants of clothing and articles\nof equipment that, as he examined them, filled the ape-man with\ncuriosity to such an extent that for a time he forgot his own\npredicament in contemplation of the remarkable story suggested by\nthese mute evidences of a tragedy of a time long past.\n\nThe bones were in a fair state of preservation and indicated by\ntheir intactness that the flesh had probably been picked from them\nby vultures as none was broken; but the pieces of equipment bore\nout the suggestion of their great age. In this protected spot where\nthere were no frosts and evidently but little rainfall, the bones\nmight have lain for ages without disintegrating, for there were\nhere no other forces to scatter or disturb them.\n\nNear the skeleton lay a helmet of hammered brass and a corroded\nbreastplate of steel while at one side was a long, straight sword\nin its scabbard and an ancient harquebus. The bones were those of\na large man--a man of wondrous strength and vitality Tarzan knew\nhe must have been to have penetrated thus far through the dangers\nof Africa with such a ponderous yet at the same time futile armament.\n\nThe ape-man felt a sense of deep admiration for this nameless\nadventurer of a bygone day. What a brute of a man he must have been\nand what a glorious tale of battle and kaleidoscopic vicissitudes\nof fortune must once have been locked within that whitened skull!\nTarzan stooped to examine the shreds of clothing that still lay\nabout the bones. Every particle of leather had disappeared, doubtless\neaten by Ska. No boots remained, if the man had worn boots, but\nthere were several buckles scattered about suggesting that a great\npart of his trappings had been of leather, while just beneath the\nbones of one hand lay a metal cylinder about eight inches long and\ntwo inches in diameter. As Tarzan picked it up he saw that it had\nbeen heavily lacquered and had withstood the slight ravages of\ntime so well as to be in as perfect a state of preservation today\nas it had been when its owner dropped into his last, long sleep\nperhaps centuries ago.\n\nAs he examined it he discovered that one end was closed with\na friction cover which a little twisting force soon loosened and\nremoved, revealing within a roll of parchment which the ape-man\nremoved and opened, disclosing a number of age-yellowed sheets\nclosely written upon in a fine hand in a language which he guessed\nto be Spanish but which he could not decipher. Upon the last sheet\nwas a roughly drawn map with numerous reference points marked upon\nit, all unintelligible to Tarzan, who, after a brief examination\nof the papers, returned them to their metal case, replaced the top\nand was about to toss the little cylinder to the ground beside the\nmute remains of its former possessor when some whim of curiosity\nunsatisfied prompted him to slip it into the quiver with his arrows,\nthough as he did so it was with the grim thought that possibly\ncenturies hence it might again come to the sight of man beside his\nown bleached bones.\n\nAnd then, with a parting glance at the ancient skeleton, he turned\nto the task of ascending the western wall of the canyon.  Slowly\nand with many rests he dragged his weakening body upwards. Again and\nagain he slipped back from sheer exhaustion and would have fallen\nto the floor of the canyon but for merest chance. How long it took\nhim to scale that frightful wall he could not have told, and when\nat last he dragged himself over the top it was to lie weak and\ngasping, too spent to rise or even to move a few inches farther\nfrom the perilous edge of the chasm.\n\nAt last he arose, very slowly and with evident effort gaining his\nknees first and then staggering to his feet, yet his indomitable\nwill was evidenced by a sudden straightening of his shoulders and\na determined shake of his head as he lurched forward on unsteady\nlegs to take up his valiant fight for survival. Ahead he scanned\nthe rough landscape for sign of another canyon which he knew would\nspell inevitable doom.  The western hills rose closer now though\nweirdly unreal as they seemed to dance in the sunlight as though\nmocking him with their nearness at the moment that exhaustion was\nabout to render them forever unattainable.\n\nBeyond them he knew must be the fertile hunting grounds of which Manu\nhad told. Even if no canyon intervened, his chances of surmounting\neven low hills seemed remote should he have the fortune to reach\ntheir base; but with another canyon hope was dead. Above them Ska\nstill circled, and it seemed to the ape-man that the ill-omened\nbird hovered ever lower and lower as though reading in that failing\ngait the nearing of the end, and through cracked lips Tarzan growled\nout his defiance.\n\nMile after mile Tarzan of the Apes put slowly behind him, borne up\nby sheer force of will where a lesser man would have lain down to\ndie and rest forever tired muscles whose every move was an agony of\neffort; but at last his progress became practically mechanical--he\nstaggered on with a dazed mind that reacted numbly to a single\nurge--on, on, on! The hills were now but a dim, ill-defined blur\nahead. Sometimes he forgot that they were hills, and again he\nwondered vaguely why he must go on forever through all this torture\nendeavoring to overtake them--the fleeing, elusive hills. Presently\nhe began to hate them and there formed within his half-delirious\nbrain the hallucination that the hills were German hills, that they\nhad slain someone dear to him, whom he could never quite recall,\nand that he was pursuing to slay them.\n\nThis idea, growing, appeared to give him strength--a new and\nrevivifying purpose--so that for a time he no longer staggered; but\nwent forward steadily with head erect. Once he stumbled and fell,\nand when he tried to rise he found that he could not--that his\nstrength was so far gone that he could only crawl forward on his\nhands and knees for a few yards and then sink down again to rest.\n\nIt was during one of these frequent periods of utter exhaustion\nthat he heard the flap of dismal wings close above him.  With his\nremaining strength he turned himself over on his back to see Ska\nwheel quickly upward. With the sight Tarzan's mind cleared for a\nwhile.\n\n\"Is the end so near as that?\" he thought. \"Does Ska know that I am\nso near gone that he dares come down and perch upon my carcass?\"\nAnd even then a grim smile touched those swollen lips as into the\nsavage mind came a sudden thought--the cunning of the wild beast\nat bay. Closing his eyes he threw a forearm across them to protect\nthem from Ska's powerful beak and then he lay very still and waited.\n\nIt was restful lying there, for the sun was now obscured by clouds\nand Tarzan was very tired. He feared that he might sleep and something\ntold him that if he did he would never awaken, and so he concentrated\nall his remaining powers upon the one thought of remaining awake.\nNot a muscle moved--to Ska, circling above, it became evident that\nthe end had come--that at last he should be rewarded for his long\nvigil.\n\nCircling slowly he dropped closer and closer to the dying man. Why\ndid not Tarzan move? Had he indeed been overcome by the sleep of\nexhaustion, or was Ska right--had death at last claimed that mighty\nbody? Was that great, savage heart stilled forever? It is unthinkable.\n\nSka, filled with suspicions, circled warily. Twice he almost alighted\nupon the great, naked breast only to wheel suddenly away; but the\nthird time his talons touched the brown skin.  It was as though the\ncontact closed an electric circuit that instantaneously vitalized\nthe quiet clod that had lain motionless so long. A brown hand swept\ndownward from the brown forehead and before Ska could raise a wing\nin flight he was in the clutches of his intended victim.\n\nSka fought, but he was no match for even a dying Tarzan, and\na moment later the ape-man's teeth closed upon the carrion-eater.\nThe flesh was coarse and tough and gave off an unpleasant odor and\na worse taste; but it was food and the blood was drink and Tarzan\nonly an ape at heart and a dying ape into the bargain--dying of\nstarvation and thirst.\n\nEven mentally weakened as he was the ape-man was still master\nof his appetite and so he ate but sparingly, saving the rest, and\nthen, feeling that he now could do so safely, he turned upon his\nside and slept.\n\nRain, beating heavily upon his body, awakened him and sitting up he\ncupped his hands and caught the precious drops which he transferred\nto his parched throat. Only a little he got at a time; but that\nwas best. The few mouthfuls of Ska that he had eaten, together with\nthe blood and rain water and the sleep had refreshed him greatly\nand put new strength into his tired muscles.\n\nNow he could see the hills again and they were close and, though\nthere was no sun, the world looked bright and cheerful, for Tarzan\nknew that he was saved. The bird that would have devoured him, and\nthe providential rain, had saved him at the very moment that death\nseemed inevitable.\n\nAgain partaking of a few mouthfuls of the unsavory flesh of Ska,\nthe vulture, the ape-man arose with something of his old force\nand set out with steady gait toward the hills of promise rising\nalluringly ahead. Darkness fell before he reached them; but he\nkept on until he felt the steeply rising ground that proclaimed\nhis arrival at the base of the hills proper, and then he lay down\nand waited until morning should reveal the easiest passage to the\nland beyond. The rain had ceased, but the sky still was overcast\nso that even his keen eyes could not penetrate the darkness farther\nthan a few feet. And there he slept, after eating again of what\nremained of Ska, until the morning sun awakened him with a new\nsense of strength and well-being.\n\nAnd so at last he came through the hills out of the valley of death\ninto a land of park-like beauty, rich in game. Below him lay a deep\nvalley through the center of which dense jungle vegetation marked\nthe course of a river beyond which a primeval forest extended\nfor miles to terminate at last at the foot of lofty, snow-capped\nmountains. It was a land that Tarzan never had looked upon before,\nnor was it likely that the foot of another white man ever had\ntouched it unless, possibly, in some long-gone day the adventurer\nwhose skeleton he had found bleaching in the canyon had traversed\nit.\n\n\n\n\nChapter VIII\n\nTarzan and the Great Apes\n\n\nThree days the ape-man spent in resting and recuperating, eating\nfruits and nuts and the smaller animals that were most easily\nbagged, and upon the fourth he set out to explore the valley and\nsearch for the great apes. Time was a negligible factor in the\nequation of life--it was all the same to Tarzan if he reached the\nwest coast in a month or a year or three years. All time was his and\nall Africa. His was absolute freedom--the last tie that had bound\nhim to civilization and custom had been severed. He was alone but\nhe was not exactly lonely. The greater part of his life had been\nspent thus, and though there was no other of his kind, he was at\nall times surrounded by the jungle peoples for whom familiarity had\nbred no contempt within his breast. The least of them interested\nhim, and, too, there were those with whom he always made friends\neasily, and there were his hereditary enemies whose presence gave a\nspice to life that might otherwise have become humdrum and monotonous.\n\nAnd so it was that on the fourth day he set out to explore the\nvalley and search for his fellow-apes. He had proceeded southward\nfor a short distance when his nostrils were assailed by the scent\nof man, of Gomangani, the black man. There were many of them, and\nmixed with their scent was another-that of a she Tarmangani.\n\nSwinging through the trees Tarzan approached the authors of these\ndisturbing scents. He came warily from the flank, but paying no\nattention to the wind, for he knew that man with his dull senses\ncould apprehend him only through his eyes or ears and then only\nwhen comparatively close. Had he been stalking Numa or Sheeta he\nwould have circled about until his quarry was upwind from him, thus\ntaking practically all the advantage up to the very moment that\nhe came within sight or hearing; but in the stalking of the dull\nclod, man, he approached with almost contemptuous indifference,\nso that all the jungle about him knew that he was passing--all but\nthe men he stalked.\n\nFrom the dense foliage of a great tree he watched them pass--a\ndisreputable mob of blacks, some garbed in the uniform of German\nEast African native troops, others wearing a single garment of the\nsame uniform, while many had reverted to the simple dress of their\nforbears--approximating nudity.  There were many black women with\nthem, laughing and talking as they kept pace with the men, all of\nwhom were armed with German rifles and equipped with German belts\nand ammunition.\n\nThere were no white officers there, but it was none the less apparent\nto Tarzan that these men were from some German native command,\nand he guessed that they had slain their officers and taken to the\njungle with their women, or had stolen some from native villages\nthrough which they must have passed. It was evident that they were\nputting as much ground between themselves and the coast as possible\nand doubtless were seeking some impenetrable fastness of the vast\ninterior where they might inaugurate a reign of terror among the\nprimitively armed inhabitants and by raiding, looting, and rape\ngrow rich in goods and women at the expense of the district upon\nwhich they settled themselves.\n\nBetween two of the black women marched a slender white girl. She\nwas hatless and with torn and disheveled clothing that had evidently\nonce been a trim riding habit. Her coat was gone and her waist half\ntorn from her body. Occasionally and without apparent provocation\none or the other of the Negresses struck or pushed her roughly.\nTarzan watched through half-closed eyes. His first impulse was to\nleap among them and bear the girl from their cruel clutches. He had\nrecognized her immediately and it was because of this fact that he\nhesitated.\n\nWhat was it to Tarzan of the Apes what fate befell this enemy\nspy? He had been unable to kill her himself because of an inherent\nweakness that would not permit him to lay hands upon a woman, all\nof which of course had no bearing upon what others might do to\nher. That her fate would now be infinitely more horrible than the\nquick and painless death that the ape-man would have meted to her\nonly interested Tarzan to the extent that the more frightful the\nend of a German the more in keeping it would be with what they all\ndeserved.\n\nAnd so he let the blacks pass with Fraulein Bertha Kircher in their\nmidst, or at least until the last straggling warrior suggested to\nhis mind the pleasures of black-baiting--an amusement and a sport\nin which he had grown ever more proficient since that long-gone day\nwhen Kulonga, the son of Mbonga, the chief, had cast his unfortunate\nspear at Kala, the ape-man's foster mother.\n\nThe last man, who must have stopped for some purpose, was fully a\nquarter of a mile in rear of the party. He was hurrying to catch\nup when Tarzan saw him, and as he passed beneath the tree in which\nthe ape-man perched above the trail, a silent noose dropped deftly\nabout his neck. The main body still was in plain sight, and as the\nfrightened man voiced a piercing shriek of terror, they looked back\nto see his body rise as though by magic straight into the air and\ndisappear amidst the leafy foliage above.\n\nFor a moment the blacks stood paralyzed by astonishment and fear;\nbut presently the burly sergeant, Usanga, who led them, started\nback along the trail at a run, calling to the others to follow\nhim. Loading their guns as they came the blacks ran to succor their\nfellow, and at Usanga's command they spread into a thin line that\npresently entirely surrounded the tree into which their comrade\nhad vanished.\n\nUsanga called but received no reply; then he advanced slowly with\nrifle at the ready, peering up into the tree. He could see no\none--nothing. The circle closed in until fifty blacks were searching\namong the branches with their keen eyes. What had become of their\nfellow? They had seen him rise into the tree and since then many\neyes had been fastened upon the spot, yet there was no sign of him.\nOne, more venturesome than his fellows, volunteered to climb into\nthe tree and investigate. He was gone but a minute or two and\nwhen he dropped to earth again he swore that there was no sign of\na creature there.\n\nPerplexed, and by this time a bit awed, the blacks drew slowly\naway from the spot and with many backward glances and less laughing\ncontinued upon their journey until, when about a mile beyond the\nspot at which their fellow had disappeared, those in the lead saw\nhim peering from behind a tree at one side of the trail just in\nfront of them. With shouts to their companions that he had been\nfound they ran forwards; but those who were first to reach the\ntree stopped suddenly and shrank back, their eyes rolling fearfully\nfirst in one direction and then in another as though they expected\nsome nameless horror to leap out upon them.\n\nNor was their terror without foundation. Impaled upon the end of\na broken branch the head of their companion was propped behind the\ntree so that it appeared to be looking out at them from the opposite\nside of the bole.\n\nIt was then that many wished to turn back, arguing that they\nhad offended some demon of the wood upon whose preserve they had\ntrespassed; but Usanga refused to listen to them, assuring them\nthat inevitable torture and death awaited them should they return\nand fall again into the hands of their cruel German masters. At\nlast his reasoning prevailed to the end that a much-subdued and\nterrified band moved in a compact mass, like a drove of sheep,\nforward through the valley and there were no stragglers.\n\nIt is a happy characteristic of the Negro race, which they hold\nin common with little children, that their spirits seldom remain\ndepressed for a considerable length of time after the immediate\ncause of depression is removed, and so it was that in half an hour\nUsanga's band was again beginning to take on to some extent its\nformer appearance of carefree lightheartedness. Thus were the heavy\nclouds of fear slowly dissipating when a turn in the trail brought\nthem suddenly upon the headless body of their erstwhile companion\nlying directly in their path, and they were again plunged into the\ndepth of fear and gloomy forebodings.\n\nSo utterly inexplicable and uncanny had the entire occurrence been\nthat there was not a one of them who could find a ray of comfort\npenetrating the dead blackness of its ominous portent. What had\nhappened to one of their number each conceived as being a wholly\npossible fate for himself--in fact quite his probable fate. If such\na thing could happen in broad daylight what frightful thing might\nnot fall to their lot when night had enshrouded them in her mantle\nof darkness. They trembled in anticipation.\n\nThe white girl in their midst was no less mystified than they; but\nfar less moved, since sudden death was the most merciful fate to\nwhich she might now look forward. So far she had been subjected\nto nothing worse than the petty cruelties of the women, while, on\nthe other hand, it had alone been the presence of the women that\nhad saved her from worse treatment at the hands of some of the\nmen--notably the brutal, black sergeant, Usanga. His own woman\nwas of the party--a veritable giantess, a virago of the first\nmagnitude--and she was evidently the only thing in the world of\nwhich Usanga stood in awe. Even though she was particularly cruel\nto the young woman, the latter believed that she was her sole\nprotection from the degraded black tyrant.\n\nLate in the afternoon the band came upon a small palisaded village\nof thatched huts set in a clearing in the jungle close beside\na placid river. At their approach the villagers came pouring out,\nand Usanga advanced with two of his warriors to palaver with the\nchief. The experiences of the day had so shaken the nerves of the\nblack sergeant that he was ready to treat with these people rather\nthan take their village by force of arms, as would ordinarily have\nbeen his preference; but now a vague conviction influenced him\nthat there watched over this part of the jungle a powerful demon\nwho wielded miraculous power for evil against those who offended\nhim. First Usanga would learn how these villagers stood with this\nsavage god and if they had his good will Usanga would be most\ncareful to treat them with kindness and respect.\n\nAt the palaver it developed that the village chief had food,\ngoats, and fowl which he would be glad to dispose of for a proper\nconsideration; but as the consideration would have meant parting\nwith precious rifles and ammunition, or the very clothing from their\nbacks, Usanga began to see that after all it might be forced upon\nhim to wage war to obtain food.\n\nA happy solution was arrived at by a suggestion of one of his\nmen--that the soldiers go forth the following day and hunt for the\nvillagers, bringing them in so much fresh meat in return for their\nhospitality. This the chief agreed to, stipulating the kind and\nquantity of game to be paid in return for flour, goats, and fowl,\nand a certain number of huts that were to be turned over to the\nvisitors. The details having been settled after an hour or more\nof that bickering argument of which the native African is so fond,\nthe newcomers entered the village where they were assigned to huts.\n\nBertha Kircher found herself alone in a small hut close to the palisade\nat the far end of the village street, and though she was neither\nbound nor guarded, she was assured by Usanga that she could not\nescape the village without running into almost certain death in the\njungle, which the villagers assured them was infested by lions of\ngreat size and ferocity. \"Be good to Usanga,\" he concluded, \"and\nno harm will befall you. I will come again to see you after the\nothers are asleep. Let us be friends.\"\n\nAs the brute left her the girl's frame was racked by a convulsive\nshudder as she sank to the floor of the hut and covered her face\nwith her hands. She realized now why the women had not been left\nto guard her. It was the work of the cunning Usanga, but would not\nhis woman suspect something of his intentions? She was no fool and,\nfurther, being imbued with insane jealousy she was ever looking\nfor some overt act upon the part of her ebon lord. Bertha Kircher\nfelt that only she might save her and that she would save her if\nword could be but gotten to her. But how?\n\nLeft alone and away from the eyes of her captors for the first time\nsince the previous night, the girl immediately took advantage of\nthe opportunity to assure herself that the papers she had taken\nfrom the body of Hauptmann Fritz Schneider were still safely sewn\ninside one of her undergarments.\n\nAlas! Of what value could they now ever be to her beloved country?\nBut habit and loyalty were so strong within her that she still clung\nto the determined hope of eventually delivering the little packet\nto her chief.\n\nThe natives seemed to have forgotten her existence--no one came\nnear the hut, not even to bring her food. She could hear them at\nthe other end of the village laughing and yelling and knew that\nthey were celebrating with food and native beer--knowledge which\nonly increased her apprehension. To be prisoner in a native village\nin the very heart of an unexplored region of Central Africa--the\nonly white woman among a band of drunken Negroes! The very thought\nappalled her.  Yet there was a slight promise in the fact that she\nhad so far been unmolested--the promise that they might, indeed,\nhave forgotten her and that soon they might become so hopelessly\ndrunk as to be harmless.\n\nDarkness had fallen and still no one came. The girl wondered if\nshe dared venture forth in search of Naratu, Usanga's woman, for\nUsanga might not forget that he had promised to return. No one was\nnear as she stepped out of the hut and made her way toward the part\nof the village where the revelers were making merry about a fire.\nAs she approached she saw the villagers and their guests squatting\nin a large circle about the blaze before which a half-dozen naked\nwarriors leaped and bent and stamped in some grotesque dance.\nPots of food and gourds of drink were being passed about among\nthe audience. Dirty hands were plunged into the food pots and the\ncaptured portions devoured so greedily that one might have thought\nthe entire community had been upon the point of starvation. The\ngourds they held to their lips until the beer ran down their chins\nand the vessels were wrested from them by greedy neighbors. The\ndrink had now begun to take noticeable effect upon most of them,\nwith the result that they were beginning to give themselves up to\nutter and licentious abandon.\n\nAs the girl came nearer, keeping in the shadow of the huts, looking\nfor Naratu she was suddenly discovered by one upon the edge of the\ncrowd--a huge woman, who rose, shrieking, and came toward her. From\nher aspect the white girl thought that the woman meant literally\nto tear her to pieces. So utterly wanton and uncalled-for was the\nattack that it found the girl entirely unprepared, and what would\nhave happened had not a warrior interfered may only be guessed.\nAnd then Usanga, noting the interruption, came lurching forward to\nquestion her.\n\n\"What do you want,\" he cried, \"food and drink? Come with me!\" and\nhe threw an arm about her and dragged her toward the circle.\n\n\"No!\" she cried, \"I want Naratu. Where is Naratu?\"\n\nThis seemed to sober the black for a moment as though he\nhad temporarily forgotten his better half. He cast quick, fearful\nglances about, and then, evidently assured that Naratu had noticed\nnothing, he ordered the warrior who was still holding the infuriated\nblack woman from the white girl to take the latter back to her hut\nand to remain there on guard over her.\n\nFirst appropriating a gourd of beer for himself the warrior\nmotioned the girl to precede him, and thus guarded she returned to\nher hut, the fellow squatting down just outside the doorway, where\nhe confined his attentions for some time to the gourd.\n\nBertha Kircher sat down at the far side of the hut awaiting she\nknew not what impending fate. She could not sleep so filled was her\nmind with wild schemes of escape though each new one must always be\ndiscarded as impractical. Half an hour after the warrior had returned\nher to her prison he rose and entered the hut, where he tried to\nengage in conversation with her. Groping across the interior he\nleaned his short spear against the wall and sat down beside her,\nand as he talked he edged closer and closer until at last he could\nreach out and touch her. Shrinking, she drew away.\n\n\"Do not touch me!\" she cried. \"I will tell Usanga if you do not\nleave me alone, and you know what he will do to you.\"\n\nThe man only laughed drunkenly, and, reaching out his hand, grabbed\nher arm and dragged her toward him. She fought and cried aloud for\nUsanga and at the same instant the entrance to the hut was darkened\nby the form of a man.\n\n\"What is the matter?\" shouted the newcomer in the deep tones that\nthe girl recognized as belonging to the black sergeant. He had\ncome, but would she be any better off? She knew that she would not\nunless she could play upon Usanga's fear of his woman.\n\nWhen Usanga found what had happened he kicked the warrior out of\nthe hut and bade him begone, and when the fellow had disappeared,\nmuttering and grumbling, the sergeant approached the white girl. He\nwas very drunk, so drunk that several times she succeeded in eluding\nhim and twice she pushed him so violently away that he stumbled\nand fell.\n\nFinally he became enraged and rushing upon her, seized her in his\nlong, apelike arms. Striking at his face with clenched fists she\ntried to protect herself and drive him away. She threatened him\nwith the wrath of Naratu, and at that he changed his tactics and\nbegan to plead, and as he argued with her, promising her safety\nand eventual freedom, the warrior he had kicked out of the hut made\nhis staggering way to the hut occupied by Naratu.\n\nUsanga finding that pleas and promises were as unavailing as\nthreats, at last lost both his patience and his head, seizing the\ngirl roughly, and simultaneously there burst into the hut a raging\ndemon of jealousy. Naratu had come. Kicking, scratching, striking,\nbiting, she routed the terrified Usanga in short order, and\nso obsessed was she by her desire to inflict punishment upon her\nunfaithful lord and master that she quite forgot the object of his\ninfatuation.\n\nBertha Kircher heard her screaming down the village street at Usanga's\nheels and trembled at the thought of what lay in store for her at\nthe hands of these two, for she knew that tomorrow at the latest\nNaratu would take out upon her the full measure of her jealous\nhatred after she had spent her first wrath upon Usanga.\n\nThe two had departed but a few minutes when the warrior guard\nreturned. He looked into the hut and then entered.  \"No one will\nstop me now, white woman,\" he growled as he stepped quickly across\nthe hut toward her.\n\nTarzan of the Apes, feasting well upon a juicy haunch from Bara,\nthe deer, was vaguely conscious of a troubled mind.  He should\nhave been at peace with himself and all the world, for was he not\nin his native element surrounded by game in plenty and rapidly\nfilling his belly with the flesh he loved best?  But Tarzan of\nthe Apes was haunted by the picture of a slight, young girl being\nshoved and struck by brutal Negresses, and in imagination could\nsee her now camped in this savage country a prisoner among degraded\nblacks.\n\nWhy was it so difficult to remember that she was only a hated German\nand a spy? Why would the fact that she was a woman and white always\nobtrude itself upon his consciousness? He hated her as he hated\nall her kind, and the fate that was sure to be hers was no more\nterrible than she in common with all her people deserved. The matter\nwas settled and Tarzan composed himself to think of other things,\nyet the picture would not die--it rose in all its details and annoyed\nhim. He began to wonder what they were doing to her and where they\nwere taking her. He was very much ashamed of himself as he had been\nafter the episode in Wilhelmstal when his weakness had permitted\nhim to spare this spy's life. Was he to be thus weak again? No!\n\nNight came and he settled himself in an ample tree to rest until\nmorning; but sleep would not come. Instead came the vision of a\nwhite girl being beaten by black women, and again of the same girl\nat the mercy of the warriors somewhere in that dark and forbidding\njungle.\n\nWith a growl of anger and self-contempt Tarzan arose, shook himself,\nand swung from his tree to that adjoining, and thus, through the\nlower terraces, he followed the trail that Usanga's party had taken\nearlier in the afternoon. He had little difficulty as the band had\nfollowed a well-beaten path and when toward midnight the stench\nof a native village assailed his delicate nostrils he guessed that\nhis goal was near and that presently he should find her whom he\nsought.\n\nProwling stealthily as prowls Numa, the lion, stalking a wary\nprey, Tarzan moved noiselessly about the palisade, listening and\nsniffing. At the rear of the village he discovered a tree whose\nbranches extended over the top of the palisade and a moment later\nhe had dropped quietly into the village.\n\nFrom hut to hut he went searching with keen ears and nostrils some\nconfirming evidence of the presence of the girl, and at last, faint\nand almost obliterated by the odor of the Gomangani, he found it\nhanging like a delicate vapor about a small hut. The village was\nquiet now, for the last of the beer and the food had been disposed\nof and the blacks lay in their huts overcome by stupor, yet Tarzan\nmade no noise that even a sober man keenly alert might have heard.\n\nHe passed around to the entrance of the hut and listened.  From\nwithin came no sound, not even the low breathing of one awake; yet\nhe was sure that the girl had been here and perhaps was even now,\nand so he entered, slipping in as silently as a disembodied spirit.\nFor a moment he stood motionless just within the entranceway,\nlistening. No, there was no one here, of that he was sure, but he\nwould investigate.  As his eyes became accustomed to the greater\ndarkness within the hut an object began to take form that presently\noutlined itself in a human form supine upon the floor.\n\nTarzan stepped closer and leaned over to examine it--it was the dead\nbody of a naked warrior from whose chest protruded a short spear.\nThen he searched carefully every square foot of the remaining floor\nspace and at last returned to the body again where he stooped and\nsmelled of the haft of the weapon that had slain the black. A slow\nsmile touched his lips--that and a slight movement of his head\nbetokened that he understood.\n\nA rapid search of the balance of the village assured him that the\ngirl had escaped and a feeling of relief came over him that no harm\nhad befallen her. That her life was equally in jeopardy in the\nsavage jungle to which she must have flown did not impress him\nas it would have you or me, since to Tarzan the jungle was not\na dangerous place--he considered one safer there than in Paris or\nLondon by night.\n\nHe had entered the trees again and was outside the palisade when\nthere came faintly to his ears from far beyond the village an old,\nfamiliar sound. Balancing lightly upon a swaying branch he stood,\na graceful statue of a forest god, listening intently. For a minute\nhe stood thus and then there broke from his lips the long, weird\ncry of ape calling to ape and he was away through the jungle toward\nthe sound of the booming drum of the anthropoids leaving behind him\nan awakened and terrified village of cringing blacks, who would\nforever after connect that eerie cry with the disappearance of\ntheir white prisoner and the death of their fellow-warrior.\n\nBertha Kircher, hurrying through the jungle along a well-beaten\ngame trail, thought only of putting as much distance as possible\nbetween herself and the village before daylight could permit pursuit\nof her. Whither she was going she did not know, nor was it a matter\nof great moment since death must be her lot sooner or later.\n\nFortune favored her that night, for she passed unscathed through\nas savage and lion-ridden an area as there is in all Africa--a\nnatural hunting ground which the white man has not yet discovered,\nwhere deer and antelope and zebra, giraffe and elephant, buffalo,\nrhinoceros, and the other herbivorous animals of central Africa\nabound unmolested by none but their natural enemies, the great\ncats which, lured here by easy prey and immunity from the rifles\nof big-game hunters, swarm the district.\n\nShe had fled for an hour or two, perhaps, when her attention was\narrested by the sound of animals moving about, muttering and growling\nclose ahead. Assured that she had covered a sufficient distance\nto insure her a good start in the morning before the blacks could\ntake to her trail, and fearful of what the creatures might be,\nshe climbed into a large tree with the intention of spending the\nbalance of the night there.\n\nShe had no sooner reached a safe and comfortable branch when she\ndiscovered that the tree stood upon the edge of a small clearing\nthat had been hidden from her by the heavy undergrowth upon the\nground below, and simultaneously she discovered the identity of\nthe beasts she had heard.\n\nIn the center of the clearing below her, clearly visible in the\nbright moonlight, she saw fully twenty huge, manlike apes--great,\nshaggy fellows who went upon their hind feet with only slight\nassistance from the knuckles of their hands. The moonlight glanced\nfrom their glossy coats, the numerous gray-tipped hairs imparting\na sheen that made the hideous creatures almost magnificent in their\nappearance.\n\nThe girl had watched them but a minute or two when the little band\nwas joined by others, coming singly and in groups until there were\nfully fifty of the great brutes gathered there in the moonlight.\nAmong them were young apes and several little ones clinging tightly\nto their mothers' shaggy shoulders.  Presently the group parted to\nform a circle about what appeared to be a small, flat-topped mound\nof earth in the center of the clearing. Squatting close about this\nmound were three old females armed with short, heavy clubs with\nwhich they presently began to pound upon the flat top of the earth\nmound which gave forth a dull, booming sound, and almost immediately\nthe other apes commenced to move about restlessly, weaving in and\nout aimlessly until they carried the impression of a moving mass\nof great, black maggots.\n\nThe beating of the drum was in a slow, ponderous cadence, at first\nwithout time but presently settling into a heavy rhythm to which\nthe apes kept time with measured tread and swaying bodies. Slowly\nthe mass separated into two rings, the outer of which was composed\nof shes and the very young, the inner of mature bulls. The former\nceased to move and squatted upon their haunches, while the bulls\nnow moved slowly about in a circle the center of which was the drum\nand all now in the same direction.\n\nIt was then that there came faintly to the ears of the girl from\nthe direction of the village she had recently quitted a weird and\nhigh-pitched cry. The effect upon the apes was electrical--they\nstopped their movements and stood in attitudes of intent listening\nfor a moment, and then one fellow, huger than his companions, raised\nhis face to the heavens and in a voice that sent the cold shudders\nthrough the girl's slight frame answered the far-off cry.\n\nOnce again the beaters took up their drumming and the slow dance\nwent on. There was a certain fascination in the savage ceremony\nthat held the girl spellbound, and as there seemed little likelihood\nof her being discovered, she felt that she might as well remain\nthe balance of the night in her tree and resume her flight by the\ncomparatively greater safety of daylight.\n\nAssuring herself that her packet of papers was safe she sought as\ncomfortable a position as possible among the branches, and settled\nherself to watch the weird proceedings in the clearing below her.\n\nA half-hour passed, during which the cadence of the drum increased\ngradually. Now the great bull that had replied to the distant call\nleaped from the inner circle to dance alone between the drummers\nand the other bulls. He leaped and crouched and leaped again, now\ngrowling and barking, again stopping to raise his hideous face\nto Goro, the moon, and, beating upon his shaggy breast, uttered\na piercing scream-the challenge of the bull ape, had the girl but\nknown it.\n\nHe stood thus in the full glare of the great moon, motionless after\nscreaming forth his weird challenge, in the setting of the primeval\njungle and the circling apes a picture of primitive savagery and\npower--a mightily muscled Hercules out of the dawn of life--when\nfrom close behind her the girl heard an answering scream, and an\ninstant later saw an almost naked white man drop from a near-by\ntree into the clearing.\n\nInstantly the apes became a roaring, snarling pack of angry beasts.\nBertha Kircher held her breath. What maniac was this who dared\napproach these frightful creatures in their own haunts, alone against\nfifty? She saw the brown-skinned figure bathed in moonlight walk\nstraight toward the snarling pack. She saw the symmetry and the\nbeauty of that perfect body--its grace, its strength, its wondrous\nproportioning, and then she recognized him. It was the same creature\nwhom she had seen carry Major Schneider from General Kraut's\nheadquarters, the same who had rescued her from Numa, the lion;\nthe same whom she had struck down with the butt of her pistol and\nescaped when he would have returned her to her enemies, the same\nwho had slain Hauptmann Fritz Schneider and spared her life that\nnight in Wilhelmstal.\n\nFear-filled and fascinated she watched him as he neared the apes.\nShe heard sounds issue from his throat--sounds identical with\nthose uttered by the apes--and though she could scarce believe the\ntestimony of her own ears, she knew that this godlike creature was\nconversing with the brutes in their own tongue.\n\nTarzan halted just before he reached the shes of the outer circle.\n\"I am Tarzan of the Apes!\" he cried. \"You do not know me because\nI am of another tribe, but Tarzan comes in peace or he comes to\nfight--which shall it be? Tarzan will talk with your king,\" and so\nsaying he pushed straight forward through the shes and the young\nwho now gave way before him, making a narrow lane through which he\npassed toward the inner circle.\n\nShes and balus growled and bristled as he passed closer, but none\nhindered him and thus he came to the inner circle of bulls. Here\nbared fangs menaced him and growling faces hideously contorted. \"I\nam Tarzan,\" he repeated. \"Tarzan comes to dance the Dum-Dum with\nhis brothers. Where is your king?\" Again he pressed forward and the\ngirl in the tree clapped her palms to her cheeks as she watched,\nwide-eyed, this madman going to a frightful death. In another instant\nthey would be upon him, rending and tearing until that perfect form\nhad been ripped to shreds; but again the ring parted, and though\nthe apes roared and menaced him they did not attack, and at last\nhe stood in the inner circle close to the drum and faced the great\nking ape.\n\nAgain he spoke. \"I am Tarzan of the Apes,\" he cried.  \"Tarzan comes\nto live with his brothers. He will come in peace and live in peace\nor he will kill; but he has come and he will stay. Which--shall\nTarzan dance the Dum-Dum in peace with his brothers, or shall Tarzan\nkill first?\"\n\n\"I am Go-lat, King of the Apes,\" screamed the great bull.  \"I kill!\nI kill! I kill!\" and with a sullen roar he charged the Tarmangani.\n\nThe ape-man, as the girl watched him, seemed entirely unprepared\nfor the charge and she looked to see him borne down and slain at\nthe first rush. The great bull was almost upon him with huge hands\noutstretched to seize him before Tarzan made a move, but when he\ndid move his quickness would have put Ara, the lightning, to shame.\nAs darts forward the head of Histah, the snake, so darted forward\nthe left hand of the man-beast as he seized the left wrist of his\nantagonist. A quick turn and the bull's right arm was locked beneath\nthe right arm of his foe in a jujutsu hold that Tarzan had learned\namong civilized men--a hold with which he might easily break the\ngreat bones, a hold that left the ape helpless.\n\n\"I am Tarzan of the Apes!\" screamed the ape-man. \"Shall Tarzan\ndance in peace or shall Tarzan kill?''\n\n\"I kill! I kill! I kill!\" shrieked Go-lat.\n\nWith the quickness of a cat Tarzan swung the king ape over one hip\nand sent him sprawling to the ground. \"I am Tarzan, King of all\nthe Apes!\" he shouted. \"Shall it be peace?\"\n\nGo-lat, infuriated, leaped to his feet and charged again, shouting\nhis war cry: \"I kill! I kill! I kill!\" and again Tarzan met him\nwith a sudden hold that the stupid bull, being ignorant of, could\nnot possibly avert--a hold and a throw that brought a scream of\ndelight from the interested audience and suddenly filled the girl\nwith doubts as to the man's madness--evidently he was quite safe\namong the apes, for she saw him swing Go-lat to his back and then\ncatapult him over his shoulder. The king ape fell upon his head\nand lay very still.\n\n\"I am Tarzan of the Apes!\" cried the ape-man. \"I come to dance the\nDum-Dum with my brothers,\" and he made a motion to the drummers,\nwho immediately took up the cadence of the dance where they had\ndropped it to watch their king slay the foolish Tarmangani.\n\nIt was then that Go-lat raised his head and slowly crawled to his\nfeet. Tarzan approached him. \"I am Tarzan of the Apes,\" he cried.\n\"Shall Tarzan dance the Dum-Dum with his brothers now, or shall he\nkill first?\"\n\nGo-lat raised his bloodshot eyes to the face of the Tarmangani.\n\"Kagoda!\" he cried. \"Tarzan of the Apes will dance the Dum-Dum with\nhis brothers and Go-lat will dance with him!\"\n\nAnd then the girl in the tree saw the savage man leaping, bending, and\nstamping with the savage apes in the ancient rite of the Dum-Dum.\nHis roars and growls were more beastly than the beasts. His\nhandsome face was distorted with savage ferocity. He beat upon his\ngreat breast and screamed forth his challenge as his smooth, brown\nhide brushed the shaggy coats of his fellows. It was weird; it\nwas wonderful; and in its primitive savagery it was not without\nbeauty--the strange scene she looked upon, such a scene as no other\nhuman being, probably, ever had witnessed--and yet, withal, it was\nhorrible.\n\nAs she gazed, spell-bound, a stealthy movement in the tree behind\nher caused her to turn her head, and there, back of her, blazing\nin the reflected moonlight, shone two great, yellow-green eyes.\nSheeta, the panther, had found her out.\n\nThe beast was so close that it might have reached out and touched\nher with a great, taloned paw. There was no time to think, no\ntime to weigh chances or to choose alternatives.  Terror-inspired\nimpulse was her guide as, with a loud scream, she leaped from the\ntree into the clearing.\n\nInstantly the apes, now maddened by the effects of the dancing and\nthe moonlight, turned to note the cause of the interruption. They\nsaw this she Tarmangani, helpless and alone and they started for\nher. Sheeta, the panther, knowing that not even Numa, the lion,\nunless maddened by starvation, dares meddle with the great apes at\ntheir Dum-Dum, had silently vanished into the night, seeking his\nsupper elsewhere.\n\nTarzan, turning with the other apes toward the cause of the\ninterruption, saw the girl, recognized her and also her peril.\nHere again might she die at the hands of others; but why consider\nit! He knew that he could not permit it, and though the acknowledgment\nshamed him, it had to be admitted.\n\nThe leading shes were almost upon the girl when Tarzan leaped among\nthem, and with heavy blows scattered them to right and left; and\nthen as the bulls came to share in the kill they thought this new\nape-thing was about to make that he might steal all the flesh for\nhimself, they found him facing them with an arm thrown about the\ncreature as though to protect her.\n\n\"This is Tarzan's she,\" he said. \"Do not harm her.\" It was the only\nway he could make them understand that they must not slay her. He\nwas glad that she could not interpret the words. It was humiliating\nenough to make such a statement to wild apes about this hated enemy.\n\nSo once again Tarzan of the Apes was forced to protect a Hun.\nGrowling, he muttered to himself in extenuation:\n\n\"She is a woman and I am not a German, so it could not be otherwise!\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter IX\n\nDropped from the Sky\n\n\nLieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick, Royal Air Service, was on\nreconnaissance. A report, or it would be better to say a rumor,\nhad come to the British headquarters in German East Africa that\nthe enemy had landed in force on the west coast and was marching\nacross the dark continent to reinforce their colonial troops. In\nfact the new army was supposed to be no more than ten or twelve days'\nmarch to the west. Of course the thing was ridiculous--preposterous--but\npreposterous things often happen in war; and anyway no good general\npermits the least rumor of enemy activity to go uninvestigated.\n\nTherefore Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick flew low toward\nthe west, searching with keen eyes for signs of a Hun army. Vast\nforests unrolled beneath him in which a German army corps might\nhave lain concealed, so dense was the overhanging foliage of the\ngreat trees. Mountain, meadowland, and desert passed in lovely\npanorama; but never a sight of man had the young lieutenant.\n\nAlways hoping that he might discover some sign of their passage--a\ndiscarded lorry, a broken limber, or an old camp site--he continued\nfarther and farther into the west until well into the afternoon.\nAbove a tree-dotted plain through the center of which flowed a\nwinding river he determined to turn about and start for camp. It\nwould take straight flying at top speed to cover the distance before\ndark; but as he had ample gasoline and a trustworthy machine there\nwas no doubt in his mind but that he could accomplish his aim. It\nwas then that his engine stalled.\n\nHe was too low to do anything but land, and that immediately,\nwhile he had the more open country accessible, for directly east of\nhim was a vast forest into which a stalled engine could only have\nplunged him to certain injury and probable death; and so he came\ndown in the meadowland near the winding river and there started to\ntinker with his motor.\n\nAs he worked he hummed a tune, some music-hall air that had been\npopular in London the year before, so that one might have thought\nhim working in the security of an English flying field surrounded\nby innumerable comrades rather than alone in the heart of an unexplored\nAfrican wilderness. It was typical of the man that he should be\nwholly indifferent to his surroundings, although his looks entirely\nbelied any assumption that he was of particularly heroic strain.\n\nLieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick was fair-haired, blue-eyed,\nand slender, with a rosy, boyish face that might have been molded\nmore by an environment of luxury, indolence, and ease than the more\nstrenuous exigencies of life's sterner requirements.\n\nAnd not only was the young lieutenant outwardly careless of the\nimmediate future and of his surroundings, but actually so. That\nthe district might be infested by countless enemies seemed not to\nhave occurred to him in the remotest degree.  He bent assiduously\nto the work of correcting the adjustment that had caused his motor\nto stall without so much as an upward glance at the surrounding\ncountry. The forest to the east of him, and the more distant jungle\nthat bordered the winding river, might have harbored an army of\nbloodthirsty savages, but neither could elicit even a passing show\nof interest on the part of Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick.\n\nAnd even had he looked, it is doubtful if he would have seen the\nscore of figures crouching in the concealment of the undergrowth\nat the forest's edge. There are those who are reputed to be endowed\nwith that which is sometimes, for want of a better appellation,\nknown as the sixth sense--a species of intuition which apprises\nthem of the presence of an unseen danger. The concentrated gaze of\na hidden observer provokes a warning sensation of nervous unrest in\nsuch as these, but though twenty pairs of savage eyes were gazing\nfixedly at Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick, the fact aroused\nno responsive sensation of impending danger in his placid breast.\nHe hummed peacefully and, his adjustment completed, tried out his\nmotor for a minute or two, then shut it off and descended to the\nground with the intention of stretching his legs and taking a smoke\nbefore continuing his return flight to camp. Now for the first time\nhe took note of his surroundings, to be immediately impressed by\nboth the wildness and the beauty of the scene. In some respects the\ntree-dotted meadowland reminded him of a park-like English forest,\nand that wild beasts and savage men could ever be a part of so\nquiet a scene seemed the remotest of contingencies.\n\nSome gorgeous blooms upon a flowering shrub at a little distance\nfrom his machine caught the attention of his aesthetic eye, and as\nhe puffed upon his cigarette, he walked over to examine the flowers\nmore closely. As he bent above them he was probably some hundred\nyards from his plane and it was at this instant that Numabo, chief\nof the Wamabo, chose to leap from his ambush and lead his warriors\nin a sudden rush upon the white man.\n\nThe young Englishman's first intimation of danger was a chorus of\nsavage yells from the forest behind him. Turning, he saw a score\nof naked, black warriors advancing rapidly toward him. They moved\nin a compact mass and as they approached more closely their rate\nof speed noticeably diminished. Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick realized\nin a quick glance that the direction of their approach and their\nproximity had cut off all chances of retreating to his plane, and\nhe also understood that their attitude was entirely warlike and\nmenacing. He saw that they were armed with spears and with bows and\narrows, and he felt quite confident that notwithstanding the fact\nthat he was armed with a pistol they could overcome him with the\nfirst rush. What he did not know about their tactics was that at\nany show of resistance they would fall back, which is the nature of\nthe native Negroes, but that after numerous advances and retreats,\nduring which they would work themselves into a frenzy of rage by\nmuch shrieking, leaping, and dancing, they would eventually come\nto the point of a determined and final assault.\n\nNumabo was in the forefront, a fact which taken in connection with\nhis considerably greater size and more warlike appearance, indicated\nhim as the natural target and it was at Numabo that the Englishman\naimed his first shot. Unfortunately for him it missed its target,\nas the killing of the chief might have permanently dispersed\nthe others. The bullet passed Numabo to lodge in the breast of a\nwarrior behind him and as the fellow lunged forward with a scream\nthe others turned and retreated, but to the lieutenant's chagrin\nthey ran in the direction of the plane instead of back toward the\nforest so that he was still cut off from reaching his machine.\n\nPresently they stopped and faced him again. They were talking loudly\nand gesticulating, and after a moment one of them leaped into the\nair, brandishing his spear and uttering savage war cries, which\nsoon had their effect upon his fellows so that it was not long ere\nall of them were taking part in the wild show of savagery, which\nwould bolster their waning courage and presently spur them on to\nanother attack.\n\nThe second charge brought them closer to the Englishman, and though\nhe dropped another with his pistol, it was not before two or three\nspears had been launched at him. He now had five shots remaining\nand there were still eighteen warriors to be accounted for, so that\nunless he could frighten them off, it was evident that his fate\nwas sealed.\n\nThat they must pay the price of one life for every attempt to take\nhis had its effect upon them and they were longer now in initiating\na new rush and when they did so it was more skillfully ordered than\nthose that had preceded it, for they scattered into three bands\nwhich, partially surrounding him, came simultaneously toward him\nfrom different directions, and though he emptied his pistol with\ngood effect, they reached him at last. They seemed to know that\nhis ammunition was exhausted, for they circled close about him now\nwith the evident intention of taking him alive, since they might\neasily have riddled him with their sharp spears with perfect safety\nto themselves.\n\nFor two or three minutes they circled about him until, at a word\nfrom Numabo, they closed in simultaneously, and though the slender\nyoung lieutenant struck out to right and left, he was soon overwhelmed\nby superior numbers and beaten down by the hafts of spears in brawny\nhands.\n\nHe was all but unconscious when they finally dragged him to his\nfeet, and after securing his hands behind his back, pushed him\nroughly along ahead of them toward the jungle.\n\nAs the guard prodded him along the narrow trail, Lieutenant\nSmith-Oldwick could not but wonder why they had wished to take him\nalive. He knew that he was too far inland for his uniform to have\nany significance to this native tribe to whom no inkling of the\nWorld War probably ever had come, and he could only assume that he\nhad fallen into the hands of the warriors of some savage potentate\nupon whose royal caprice his fate would hinge.\n\nThey had marched for perhaps half an hour when the Englishman saw\nahead of them, in a little clearing upon the bank of the river,\nthe thatched roofs of native huts showing above a crude but strong\npalisade; and presently he was ushered into a village street where\nhe was immediately surrounded by a throng of women and children\nand warriors.  Here he was soon the center of an excited mob whose\nintent seemed to be to dispatch him as quickly as possible. The\nwomen were more venomous than the men, striking and scratching him\nwhenever they could reach him, until at last Numabo, the chief, was\nobliged to interfere to save his prisoner for whatever purpose he\nwas destined.\n\nAs the warriors pushed the crowd back, opening a space through\nwhich the white man was led toward a hut, Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick\nsaw coming from the opposite end of the village a number of Negroes\nwearing odds and ends of German uniforms. He was not a little\nsurprised at this, and his first thought was that he had at last\ncome in contact with some portion of the army which was rumored to\nbe crossing from the west coast and for signs of which he had been\nsearching.\n\nA rueful smile touched his lips as he contemplated the unhappy\ncircumstances which surrounded the accession of this knowledge for\nthough he was far from being without hope, he realized that only\nby the merest chance could he escape these people and regain his\nmachine.\n\nAmong the partially uniformed blacks was a huge fellow in the tunic\nof a sergeant and as this man's eyes fell upon the British officer,\na loud cry of exultation broke from his lips, and immediately his\nfollowers took up the cry and pressed forward to bait the prisoner.\n\n\"Where did you get the Englishman?\" asked Usanga, the black sergeant,\nof the chief Numabo. \"Are there many more with him?\"\n\n\"He came down from the sky,\" replied the native chief, \"in a strange\nthing which flies like a bird and which frightened us very much at\nfirst; but we watched for a long time and saw that it did not seem\nto be alive, and when this white man left it we attacked him and\nthough he killed some of my warriors, we took him, for we Wamabos\nare brave men and great warriors.\"\n\nUsanga's eyes went wide. \"He flew here through the sky?\" he asked.\n\n\"Yes,\" said Numabo. \"In a great thing which resembled a bird he\nflew down out of the sky. The thing is still there where it came\ndown close to the four trees near the second bend in the river. We\nleft it there because, not knowing what it was, we were afraid to\ntouch it and it is still there if it has not flown away again.\"\n\n\"It cannot fly,\" said Usanga, \"without this man in it. It is a\nterrible thing which filled the hearts of our soldiers with terror,\nfor it flew over our camps at night and dropped bombs upon us.\nIt is well that you captured this white man, Numabo, for with his\ngreat bird he would have flown over your village tonight and killed\nall your people. These Englishmen are very wicked white men.\"\n\n\"He will fly no more,\" said Numabo. \"It is not intended that a man\nshould fly through the air; only wicked demons do such things as\nthat and Numabo, the chief, will see that this white man does not\ndo it again,\" and with the words he pushed the young officer roughly\ntoward a hut in the center of the village, where he was left under\nguard of two stalwart warriors.\n\nFor an hour or more the prisoner was left to his own devices, which\nconsisted in vain and unremitting attempts to loosen the strands\nwhich fettered his wrists, and then he was interrupted by the\nappearance of the black sergeant Usanga, who entered his hut and\napproached him.\n\n\"What are they going to do with me?\" asked the Englishman. \"My\ncountry is not at war with these people. You speak their language.\nTell them that I am not an enemy, that my people are the friends\nof the black people and that they must let me go in peace.\"\n\nUsanga laughed. \"They do not know an Englishman from a German,\" he\nreplied. \"It is nothing to them what you are, except that you are\na white man and an enemy.\"\n\n\"Then why did they take me alive?\" asked the lieutenant.\n\n\"Come,\" said Usanga and he led the Englishman to the doorway of\nthe hut. \"Look,\" he said, and pointed a black forefinger toward\nthe end of the village street where a wider space between the huts\nleft a sort of plaza.\n\nHere Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick saw a number of Negresses\nengaged in laying fagots around a stake and in preparing fires\nbeneath a number of large cooking vessels.  The sinister suggestion\nwas only too obvious.\n\nUsanga was eyeing the white man closely, but if he expected to be\nrewarded by any signs of fear, he was doomed to disappointment and\nthe young lieutenant merely turned toward him with a shrug: \"Really\nnow, do you beggars intend eating me?\"\n\n\"Not my people,\" replied Usanga. \"We do not eat human flesh, but\nthe Wamabos do. It is they who will eat you, but we will kill you\nfor the feast, Englishman.\"\n\nThe Englishman remained standing in the doorway of the hut, an\ninterested spectator of the preparations for the coming orgy that\nwas so horribly to terminate his earthly existence. It can hardly\nbe assumed that he felt no fear; yet, if he did, he hid it perfectly\nbeneath an imperturbable mask of coolness.  Even the brutal Usanga\nmust have been impressed by the bravery of his victim since, though\nhe had come to abuse and possibly to torture the helpless prisoner,\nhe now did neither, contenting himself merely with berating whites\nas a race and Englishmen especially, because of the terror the\nBritish aviators had caused Germany's native troops in East Africa.\n\n\"No more,\" he concluded, \"will your great bird fly over our people\ndropping death among them from the skies--Usanga will see to that,\"\nand he walked abruptly away toward a group of his own fighting men\nwho were congregated near the stake where they were laughing and\njoking with the women.\n\nA few minutes later the Englishman saw them pass out of the village\ngate, and once again his thoughts reverted to various futile plans\nfor escape.\n\nSeveral miles north of the village on a little rise of ground close\nto the river where the jungle, halting at the base of a knoll, had\nleft a few acres of grassy land sparsely wooded, a man and a girl\nwere busily engaged in constructing a small boma, in the center of\nwhich a thatched hut already had been erected.\n\nThey worked almost in silence with only an occasional word of\ndirection or interrogation between them.\n\nExcept for a loin cloth, the man was naked, his smooth skin tanned\nto a deep brown by the action of sun and wind. He moved with the\ngraceful ease of a jungle cat and when he lifted heavy weights,\nthe action seemed as effortless as the raising of empty hands.\n\nWhen he was not looking at her, and it was seldom that he did, the\ngirl found her eyes wandering toward him, and at such times there\nwas always a puzzled expression upon her face as though she found\nin him an enigma which she could not solve.  As a matter of fact,\nher feelings toward him were not un-tinged with awe, since in\nthe brief period of their association she had discovered in this\nhandsome, godlike giant the attributes of the superman and the\nsavage beast closely intermingled. At first she had felt only that\nunreasoning feminine terror which her unhappy position naturally\ninduced.\n\nTo be alone in the heart of an unexplored wilderness of Central\nAfrica with a savage wild man was in itself sufficiently appalling,\nbut to feel also that this man was a blood enemy, that he hated her\nand her kind and that in addition thereto he owed her a personal\ngrudge for an attack she had made upon him in the past, left no\nloophole for any hope that he might accord her even the minutest\nmeasure of consideration.\n\nShe had seen him first months since when he had entered the\nheadquarters of the German high command in East Africa and carried\noff the luckless Major Schneider, of whose fate no hint had ever\nreached the German officers; and she had seen him again upon that\noccasion when he had rescued her from the clutches of the lion and,\nafter explaining to her that he had recognized her in the British\ncamp, had made her prisoner. It was then that she had struck him\ndown with the butt of her pistol and escaped. That he might seek\nno personal revenge for her act had been evidenced in Wilhelmstal\nthe night that he had killed Hauptmann Fritz Schneider and left\nwithout molesting her.\n\nNo, she could not fathom him. He hated her and at the same time\nhe had protected her as had been evidenced again when he had kept\nthe great apes from tearing her to pieces after she had escaped\nfrom the Wamabo village to which Usanga, the black sergeant, had\nbrought her a captive; but why was he saving her? For what sinister\npurpose could this savage enemy be protecting her from the other\ndenizens of his cruel jungle? She tried to put from her mind the\nprobable fate which awaited her, yet it persisted in obtruding\nitself upon her thoughts, though always she was forced to admit that\nthere was nothing in the demeanor of the man to indicate that her\nfears were well grounded. She judged him perhaps by the standards\nother men had taught her and because she looked upon him as a savage\ncreature, she felt that she could not expect more of chivalry from\nhim than was to be found in the breasts of the civilized men of\nher acquaintance.\n\nFraulein Bertha Kircher was by nature a companionable and cheerful\ncharacter. She was not given to morbid forebodings, and above all\nthings she craved the society of her kind and that interchange of\nthought which is one of the marked distinctions between man and\nthe lower animals.  Tarzan, on the other hand, was sufficient unto\nhimself. Long years of semi-solitude among creatures whose powers\nof oral expression are extremely limited had thrown him almost\nentirely upon his own resources for entertainment.\n\nHis active mind was never idle, but because his jungle mates could\nneither follow nor grasp the vivid train of imaginings that his\nman-mind wrought, he had long since learned to keep them to himself;\nand so now he found no need for confiding them in others. This\nfact, linked with that of his dislike for the girl, was sufficient\nto seal his lips for other than necessary conversation, and so they\nworked on together in comparative silence. Bertha Kircher, however,\nwas nothing if not feminine and she soon found that having someone\nto talk to who would not talk was extremely irksome. Her fear of\nthe man was gradually departing, and she was full of a thousand\nunsatisfied curiosities as to his plans for the future in so far as\nthey related to her, as well as more personal questions regarding\nhimself, since she could not but wonder as to his antecedents and\nhis strange and solitary life in the jungle, as well as his friendly\nintercourse with the savage apes among which she had found him.\n\nWith the waning of her fears she became sufficiently emboldened\nto question him, and so she asked him what he intended doing after\nthe hut and boma were completed.\n\n\"I am going to the west coast where I was born,\" replied Tarzan.\n\"I do not know when. I have all my life before me and in the jungle\nthere is no reason for haste. We are not forever running as fast\nas we can from one place to another as are you of the outer world.\nWhen I have been here long enough I will go on toward the west,\nbut first I must see that you have a safe place in which to sleep,\nand that you have learned how to provide yourself with necessaries.\nThat will take time.\"\n\n\"You are going to leave me here alone?\" cried the girl; her tones\nmarked the fear which the prospect induced. \"You are going to leave\nme here alone in this terrible jungle, a prey to wild beasts and\nsavage men, hundreds of miles from a white settlement and in a\ncountry which gives every evidence of never having been touched by\nthe foot of civilized men?\"\n\n\"Why not?\" asked Tarzan. \"I did not bring you here. Would one of\nyour men accord any better treatment to an enemy woman?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" she exclaimed. \"They certainly would. No man of my race\nwould leave a defenseless white woman alone in this horrible place.\"\n\nTarzan shrugged his broad shoulders. The conversation seemed\nprofitless and it was further distasteful to him for the reason\nthat it was carried on in German, a tongue which he detested as\nmuch as he did the people who spoke it. He wished that the girl\nspoke English and then it occurred to him that as he had seen her\nin disguise in the British camp carrying on her nefarious work as\na German spy, she probably did speak English and so he asked her.\n\n\"Of course I speak English,\" she exclaimed, \"but I did not know\nthat you did.\"\n\nTarzan looked his wonderment but made no comment. He only wondered why\nthe girl should have any doubts as to the ability of an Englishman\nto speak English, and then suddenly it occurred to him that she\nprobably looked upon him merely as a beast of the jungle who by\naccident had learned to speak German through frequenting the district\nwhich Germany had colonized. It was there only that she had seen\nhim and so she might not know that he was an Englishman by birth,\nand that he had had a home in British East Africa. It was as well,\nhe thought, that she knew little of him, as the less she knew the\nmore he might learn from her as to her activities in behalf of the\nGermans and of the German spy system of which she was a representative;\nand so it occurred to him to let her continue to think that he was\nonly what he appeared to be--a savage denizen of his savage jungle,\na man of no race and no country, hating all white men impartially;\nand this in truth, was what she did think of him. It explained\nperfectly his attacks upon Major Schneider and the Major's brother,\nHauptmann Fritz.\n\nAgain they worked on in silence upon the boma which was now nearly\ncompleted, the girl helping the man to the best of her small\nability. Tarzan could not but note with grudging approval the\nspirit of helpfulness she manifested in the oft-times painful labor\nof gathering and arranging the thorn bushes which constituted the\ntemporary protection against roaming carnivores. Her hands and arms\ngave bloody token of the sharpness of the numerous points that had\nlacerated her soft flesh, and even though she were an enemy Tarzan\ncould not but feel compunction that he had permitted her to do this\nwork, and at last he bade her stop.\n\n\"Why?\" she asked. \"It is no more painful to me than it must be to\nyou, and, as it is solely for my protection that you are building\nthis boma, there is no reason why I should not do my share.\"\n\n\"You are a woman,\" replied Tarzan. \"This is not a woman's work. If\nyou wish to do something, take those gourds I brought this morning\nand fill them with water at the river.  You may need it while I am\naway.\"\n\n\"While you are away--\" she said. \"You are going away?\"\n\n\"When the boma is built I am going out after meat,\" he replied.\n\"Tomorrow I will go again and take you and show you how you may\nmake your own kills after I am gone.\"\n\nWithout a word she took the gourds and walked toward the river. As\nshe filled them, her mind was occupied with painful forebodings of\nthe future. She knew that Tarzan had passed a death sentence upon\nher, and that the moment that he left her, her doom was sealed,\nfor it could be but a question of time--a very short time--before\nthe grim jungle would claim her, for how could a lone woman hope\nsuccessfully to combat the savage forces of destruction which\nconstituted so large a part of existence in the jungle?\n\nSo occupied was she with the gloomy prophecies that she had neither\nears nor eyes for what went on about her. Mechanically she filled\nthe gourds and, taking them up, turned slowly to retrace her steps\nto the boma only to voice immediately a half-stifled scream and\nshrink back from the menacing figure looming before her and blocking\nher way to the hut.\n\nGo-lat, the king ape, hunting a little apart from his tribe, had seen\nthe woman go to the river for water, and it was he who confronted\nher when she turned back with her filled gourds. Go-lat was not\na pretty creature when judged by standards of civilized humanity,\nthough the shes of his tribe and even Go-lat himself, considered\nhis glossy black coat shot with silver, his huge arms dangling to\nhis knees, his bullet head sunk between his mighty shoulders, marks\nof great personal beauty. His wicked, bloodshot eyes and broad\nnose, his ample mouth and great fighting fangs only enhanced the\nclaim of this Adonis of the forest upon the affections of his shes.\n\nDoubtless in the little, savage brain there was a well-formed\nconviction that this strange she belonging to the Tarmangani must\nlook with admiration upon so handsome a creature as Go-lat, for\nthere could be no doubt in the mind of any that his beauty entirely\neclipsed such as the hairless white ape might lay claim to.\n\nBut Bertha Kircher saw only a hideous beast, a fierce and terrible\ncaricature of man. Could Go-lat have known what passed through her\nmind, he must have been terribly chagrined, though the chances are\nthat he would have attributed it to a lack of discernment on her\npart. Tarzan heard the girl's cry and looking up saw at a glance\nthe cause of her terror. Leaping lightly over the boma, he ran\nswiftly toward her as Go-lat lumbered closer to the girl the while\nhe voiced his emotions in low gutturals which, while in reality the\nmost amicable of advances, sounded to the girl like the growling\nof an enraged beast. As Tarzan drew nearer he called aloud to the\nape and the girl heard from the human lips the same sounds that\nhad fallen from those of the anthropoid.\n\n\"I will not harm your she,\" Go-lat called to Tarzan.\n\n\"I know it,\" replied the ape-man, \"but she does not. She is like\nNuma and Sheeta, who do not understand our talk. She thinks you\ncome to harm her.\"\n\nBy this time Tarzan was beside the girl. \"He will not harm you,\"\nhe said to her. \"You need not be afraid. This ape has learned his\nlesson. He has learned that Tarzan is lord of the jungle. He will\nnot harm that which is Tarzan's.\"\n\nThe girl cast a quick glance at the man's face. It was evident to\nher that the words he had spoken meant nothing to him and that the\nassumed proprietorship over her was, like the boma, only another\nmeans for her protection.\n\n\"But I am afraid of him,\" she said.\n\n\"You must not show your fear. You will be often surrounded by these\napes. At such times you will be safest. Before I leave you I will\ngive you the means of protecting yourself against them should one\nof them chance to turn upon you. If I were you I would seek their\nsociety. Few are the animals of the jungle that dare attack the\ngreat apes when there are several of them together. If you let\nthem know that you are afraid of them, they will take advantage of\nit and your life will be constantly menaced. The shes especially\nwould attack you. I will let them know that you have the means of\nprotecting yourself and of killing them. If necessary, I will show\nyou how and then they will respect and fear you.\"\n\n\"I will try,\" said the girl, \"but I am afraid that it will be\ndifficult. He is the most frightful creature I ever have seen.\"\nTarzan smiled. \"Doubtless he thinks the same of you,\" he said.\n\nBy this time other apes had entered the clearing and they were now\nthe center of a considerable group, among which were several bulls,\nsome young shes, and some older ones with their little balus clinging\nto their backs or frolicking around at their feet. Though they had\nseen the girl the night of the Dum-Dum when Sheeta had forced her\nto leap from her concealment into the arena where the apes were\ndancing, they still evinced a great curiosity regarding her. Some\nof the shes came very close and plucked at her garments, commenting\nupon them to one another in their strange tongue. The girl, by\nthe exercise of all the will power she could command, succeeded in\npassing through the ordeal without evincing any of the terror and\nrevulsion that she felt. Tarzan watched her closely, a half-smile\nupon his face. He was not so far removed from recent contact with\ncivilized people that he could not realize the torture that she\nwas undergoing, but he felt no pity for this woman of a cruel enemy\nwho doubtless deserved the worst suffering that could be meted to\nher. Yet, notwithstanding his sentiments toward her, he was forced\nto admire her fine display of courage. Suddenly he turned to the\napes.\n\n\"Tarzan goes to hunt for himself and his she,\" he said. \"The she\nwill remain there,\" and he pointed toward the hut. \"See that no\nmember of the tribe harms her. Do you understand?\"\n\nThe apes nodded. \"We will not harm her,\" said Go-lat.\n\n\"No,\" said Tarzan. \"You will not. For if you do, Tarzan will kill\nyou,\" and then turning to the girl, \"Come,\" he said, \"I am going to\nhunt now. You had better remain at the hut.  The apes have promised\nnot to harm you. I will leave my spear with you. It will be the best\nweapon you could have in case you should need to protect yourself,\nbut I doubt if you will be in any danger for the short time that\nI am away.\"\n\nHe walked with her as far as the boma and when she had entered he\nclosed the gap with thorn bushes and turned away toward the forest.\nShe watched him moving across the clearing, noting the easy, catlike\ntread and the grace of every movement that harmonized so well with\nthe symmetry and perfection of his figure. At the forest's edge\nshe saw him swing lightly into a tree and disappear from view, and\nthen, being a woman, she entered the hut and, throwing herself upon\nthe ground, burst into tears.\n\n\n\n\nChapter X\n\nIn the Hands of Savages\n\n\nTarzan sought Bara, the deer, or Horta, the boar, for of all the\njungle animals he doubted if any would prove more palatable to the\nwhite woman, but though his keen nostrils were ever on the alert,\nhe traveled far without being rewarded with even the faintest\nscent spoor of the game he sought. Keeping close to the river where\nhe hoped to find Bara or Horta approaching or leaving a drinking\nplace he came at last upon the strong odor of the Wamabo village\nand being ever ready to pay his hereditary enemies, the Gomangani,\nan undesired visit, he swung into a detour and came up in the rear\nof the village. From a tree which overhung the palisade he looked\ndown into the street where he saw the preparations going on which\nhis experience told him indicated the approach of one of those\nfrightful feasts the piece de resistance of which is human flesh.\n\nOne of Tarzan's chief divertissements was the baiting of the blacks.\nHe realized more keen enjoyment through annoying and terrifying them\nthan from any other source of amusement the grim jungle offered.\nTo rob them of their feast in some way that would strike terror\nto their hearts would give him the keenest of pleasure, and so\nhe searched the village with his eyes for some indication of the\nwhereabouts of the prisoner.  His view was circumscribed by the\ndense foliage of the tree in which he sat, and, so that he might\nobtain a better view, he climbed further aloft and moved cautiously\nout upon a slender branch.\n\nTarzan of the Apes possessed a woodcraft scarcely short of the\nmarvelous but even Tarzan's wondrous senses were not infallible.\nThe branch upon which he made his way outward from the bole was no\nsmaller than many that had borne his weight upon countless other\noccasions. Outwardly it appeared strong and healthy and was in full\nfoliage, nor could Tarzan know that close to the stem a burrowing\ninsect had eaten away half the heart of the solid wood beneath the\nbark.\n\nAnd so when he reached a point far out upon the limb, it snapped\nclose to the bole of the tree without warning. Below him were no\nlarger branches that he might clutch and as he lunged downward his\nfoot caught in a looped creeper so that he turned completely over\nand alighted on the flat of his back in the center of the village\nstreet.\n\nAt the sound of the breaking limb and the crashing body falling\nthrough the branches the startled blacks scurried to their huts\nfor weapons, and when the braver of them emerged, they saw the\nstill form of an almost naked white man lying where he had fallen.\nEmboldened by the fact that he did not move they approached more\nclosely, and when their eyes discovered no signs of others of his\nkind in the tree, they rushed forward until a dozen warriors stood\nabout him with ready spears. At first they thought that the falling\nhad killed him, but upon closer examination they discovered that\nthe man was only stunned. One of the warriors was for thrusting a\nspear through his heart, but Numabo, the chief, would not permit\nit.\n\n\"Bind him,\" he said. \"We will feed well tonight.\"\n\nAnd so they bound his hands and feet with thongs of gut and carried\nhim into the hut where Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick awaited\nhis fate. The Englishman had also been bound hand and foot by this\ntime for fear that at the last moment he might escape and rob them\nof their feast. A great crowd of natives were gathered about the\nhut attempting to get a glimpse of the new prisoner, but Numabo\ndoubled the guard before the entrance for fear that some of his\npeople, in the exuberance of their savage joy, might rob the others\nof the pleasures of the death dance which would precede the killing\nof the victims.\n\nThe young Englishman had heard the sound of Tarzan's body crashing\nthrough the tree to the ground and the commotion in the village\nwhich immediately followed, and now, as he stood with his back\nagainst the wall of the hut, he looked upon the fellow-prisoner that\nthe blacks carried in and laid upon the floor with mixed feelings\nof surprise and compassion.  He realized that he never had seen\na more perfect specimen of manhood than that of the unconscious\nfigure before him, and he wondered to what sad circumstances the\nman owed his capture. It was evident that the new prisoner was\nhimself as much a savage as his captors if apparel and weapons were\nany criterion by which to judge; yet it was also equally evident\nthat he was a white man and from his well-shaped head and clean-cut\nfeatures that he was not one of those unhappy halfwits who so often\nrevert to savagery even in the heart of civilized communities.\n\nAs he watched the man, he presently noticed that his eyelids were\nmoving. Slowly they opened and a pair of gray eyes looked blankly\nabout. With returning consciousness the eyes assumed their natural\nexpression of keen intelligence, and a moment later, with an\neffort, the prisoner rolled over upon his side and drew himself to\na sitting position. He was facing the Englishman, and as his eyes\ntook in the bound ankles and the arms drawn tightly behind the\nother's back, a slow smile lighted his features.\n\n\"They will fill their bellies tonight,\" he said.\n\nThe Englishman grinned. \"From the fuss they made,\" he said, \"the\nbeggars must be awfully hungry. They like to have eaten me alive\nwhen they brought me in. How did they get you?\"\n\nTarzan shrugged his head ruefully. \"It was my own fault,\" he\nreplied. \"I deserve to be eaten. I crawled out upon a branch that\nwould not bear my weight and when it broke, instead of alighting\non my feet, I caught my foot in a trailer and came down on my head.\nOtherwise they would not have taken me--alive.\"\n\n\"Is there no escape?\" asked the Englishman.\n\n\"I have escaped them before,\" replied Tarzan, \"and I have seen\nothers escape them. I have seen a man taken away from the stake\nafter a dozen spear thrusts had pierced his body and the fire had\nbeen lighted about his feet.\"\n\nLieutenant Smith-Oldwick shuddered. \"God!\" he exclaimed, \"I hope I\ndon't have to face that. I believe I could stand anything but the\nthought of the fire. I should hate like the devil to go into a funk\nbefore the devils at the last moment.\"\n\n\"Don't worry,\" said Tarzan. \"It doesn't last long and you won't\nfunk. It is really not half as bad as it sounds. There is only a\nbrief period of pain before you lose consciousness. I have seen it\nmany times before. It is as good a way to go as another. We must\ndie sometime. What difference whether it be tonight, tomorrow night,\nor a year hence, just so that we have lived--and I have lived!\"\n\n\"Your philosophy may be all right, old top,\" said the young\nlieutenant, \"but I can't say that it is exactly satisfying.\"\n\nTarzan laughed. \"Roll over here,\" he said, \"where I can get at\nyour bonds with my teeth.\" The Englishman did as he was bid and\npresently Tarzan was working at the thongs with his strong white\nteeth. He felt them giving slowly beneath his efforts. In another\nmoment they would part, and then it would be a comparatively simple\nthing for the Englishman to remove the remaining bonds from Tarzan\nand himself.\n\nIt was then that one of the guards entered the hut. In an instant he\nsaw what the new prisoner was doing and raising his spear, struck\nthe ape-man a vicious blow across the head with its shaft. Then he\ncalled in the other guards and together they fell upon the luckless\nmen, kicking and beating them unmercifully, after which they bound\nthe Englishman more securely than before and tied both men fast on\nopposite sides of the hut. When they had gone Tarzan looked across\nat his companion in misery.\n\n\"While there is life,\" he said, \"there is hope,\" but he grinned as\nhe voiced the ancient truism.\n\nLieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick returned the other's smile.\n\"I fancy,\" he said, \"that we are getting short on both.  It must\nbe close to supper time now.\"\n\nZu-tag hunted alone far from the balance of the tribe of Go-lat,\nthe great ape. Zu-tag (Big-neck) was a young bull but recently\narrived at maturity. He was large, powerful, and ferocious and at\nthe same time far above the average of his kind in intelligence as\nwas denoted by a fuller and less receding forehead. Already Go-lat\nsaw in this young ape a possible contender for the laurels of his\nkingship and consequently the old bull looked upon Zu-tag with\njealousy and disfavor. It was for this reason, possibly, as much\nas another that Zu-tag hunted so often alone; but it was his utter\nfearlessness that permitted him to wander far afield away from the\nprotection which numbers gave the great apes. One of the results\nof this habit was a greatly increased resourcefulness which found\nhim constantly growing in intelligence and powers of observation.\n\nToday he had been hunting toward the south and was returning along\nthe river upon a path he often followed because it led by the\nvillage of the Gomangani whose strange and almost apelike actions\nand peculiar manners of living had aroused his interest and curiosity.\nAs he had done upon other occasions he took up his position in a\ntree from which he could overlook the interior of the village and\nwatch the blacks at their vocations in the street below.\n\nZu-tag had scarcely more than established himself in his tree when,\nwith the blacks, he was startled by the crashing of Tarzan's body\nfrom the branches of another jungle giant to the ground within the\npalisade. He saw the Negroes gather about the prostrate form and\nlater carry it into the hut; and once he rose to his full height\nupon the limb where he had been squatting and raised his face to\nthe heavens to scream out a savage protest and a challenge, for he\nhad recognized in the brown-skinned Tarmangani the strange white\nape who had come among them a night or two before in the midst of\ntheir Dum-Dum, and who by so easily mastering the greatest among\nthem, had won the savage respect and admiration of this fierce\nyoung bull.\n\nBut Zu-tag's ferocity was tempered by a certain native cunning and\ncaution. Before he had voiced his protest there formed in his mind\nthe thought that he would like to save this wonderful white ape\nfrom the common enemy, the Gomangani, and so he screamed forth no\nchallenge, wisely determining that more could be accomplished by\nsecrecy and stealth than by force of muscle and fang.\n\nAt first he thought to enter the village alone and carry off the\nTarmangani; but when he saw how numerous were the warriors and that\nseveral sat directly before the entrance to the lair into which the\nprisoner had been carried, it occurred to him that this was work\nfor many rather than one, and so, as silently as he had come, he\nslipped away through the foliage toward the north.\n\nThe tribe was still loitering about the clearing where stood the hut\nthat Tarzan and Bertha Kircher had built. Some were idly searching\nfor food just within the forest's edge, while others squatted\nbeneath the shade of trees within the clearing.\n\nThe girl had emerged from the hut, her tears dried and was gazing\nanxiously toward the south into the jungle where Tarzan had disappeared.\nOccasionally she cast suspicious glances in the direction of the\nhuge shaggy anthropoids about her.  How easy it would be for one\nof those great beasts to enter the boma and slay her. How helpless\nshe was, even with the spear that the white man had left her, she\nrealized as she noted for the thousandth time the massive shoulders,\nthe bull necks, and the great muscles gliding so easily beneath the\nglossy coats. Never, she thought, had she seen such personifications\nof brute power as were represented by these mighty bulls. Those\nhuge hands would snap her futile spear as she might snap a match in\ntwo, while their lightest blow could crush her into insensibility\nand death.\n\nIt was while she was occupied with these depressing thoughts that\nthere dropped suddenly into the clearing from the trees upon the\nsouth the figure of a mighty young bull. At that time all of the\napes looked much alike to Bertha Kircher, nor was it until some\ntime later that she realized that each differed from the others\nin individual characteristics of face and figure as do individuals\nof the human races. Yet even then she could not help but note\nthe wondrous strength and agility of this great beast, and as he\napproached she even found herself admiring the sheen of his heavy,\nblack, silvershot coat.\n\nIt was evident that the newcomer was filled with suppressed excitement.\nHis demeanor and bearing proclaimed this even from afar, nor was\nthe girl the only one to note it. For as they saw him coming many\nof the apes arose and advanced to meet him, bristling and growling\nas is their way. Go-lat was among these latter, and he advanced\nstiffly with the hairs upon his neck and down his spine erect,\nuttering low growls and baring his fighting fangs, for who might\nsay whether Zu-tag came in peace or otherwise? The old king had\nseen other young apes come thus in his day filled with a sudden\nresolution to wrest the kingship from their chief. He had seen\nbulls about to run amuck burst thus suddenly from the jungle upon\nthe members of the tribe, and so Go-lat took no chances.\n\nHad Zu-tag come indolently, feeding as he came, he might have\nentered the tribe without arousing notice or suspicion, but when\none comes thus precipitately, evidently bursting with some emotion\nout of the ordinary, let all apes beware. There was a certain amount\nof preliminary circling, growling, and sniffing, stiff-legged and\nstiff-haired, before each side discovered that the other had no\nintention of initiating an attack and then Zu-tag told Go-lat what\nhe had seen among the lairs of the Gomangani.\n\nGo-lat grunted in disgust and turned away. \"Let the white ape take\ncare of himself,\" he said.\n\n\"He is a great ape,\" said Zu-tag. \"He came to live in peace with\nthe tribe of Go-lat. Let us save him from the Gomangani.\"\n\nGo-lat grunted again and continued to move away.\n\n\"Zu-tag will go alone and get him,\" cried the young ape, \"if Go-lat\nis afraid of the Gomangani.\"\n\nThe king ape wheeled in anger, growling loudly and beating upon\nhis breast. \"Go-lat is not afraid,\" he screamed, \"but he will not\ngo, for the white ape is not of his tribe. Go yourself and take\nthe Tarmangani's she with you if you wish so much to save the white\nape.\"\n\n\"Zu-tag will go,\" replied the younger bull, \"and he will take the\nTarmangani's she and all the bulls of Go-lat who are not cowards,\"\nand so saying he cast his eyes inquiringly about at the other apes.\n\"Who will go with Zu-tag to fight the Gomangani and bring away our\nbrother,\" he demanded.\n\nEight young bulls in the full prime of their vigor pressed forward\nto Zu-tag's side, but the old bulls with the conservatism and\ncaution of many years upon their gray shoulders, shook their heads\nand waddled away after Go-lat.\n\n\"Good,\" cried Zu-tag. \"We want no old shes to go with us to fight\nthe Gomangani for that is work for the fighters of the tribe.\"\n\nThe old bulls paid no attention to his boastful words, but the eight\nwho had volunteered to accompany him were filled with self-pride so\nthat they stood around vaingloriously beating upon their breasts,\nbaring their fangs and screaming their hideous challenge until the\njungle reverberated to the horrid sound.\n\nAll this time Bertha Kircher was a wide-eyed and terrified spectator to\nwhat, as she thought, could end only in a terrific battle between\nthese frightful beasts, and when Zu-tag and his followers began\nscreaming forth their fearsome challenge, the girl found herself\ntrembling in terror, for of all the sounds of the jungle there is\nnone more awe inspiring than that of the great bull ape when he\nissues his challenge or shrieks forth his victory cry.\n\nIf she had been terrified before she was almost paralyzed with\nfear now as she saw Zu-tag and his apes turn toward the boma and\napproach her. With the agility of a cat Zu-tag leaped completely\nover the protecting wall and stood before her. Valiantly she held\nher spear before her, pointing it at his breast.  He commenced to\njabber and gesticulate, and even with her scant acquaintance with\nthe ways of the anthropoids, she realized that he was not menacing\nher, for there was little or no baring of fighting fangs and his\nwhole expression and attitude was of one attempting to explain a\nknotty problem or plead a worthy cause. At last he became evidently\nimpatient, for with a sweep of one great paw he struck the spear\nfrom her hand and coming close, seized her by the arm, but not\nroughly.  She shrank away in terror and yet some sense within her\nseemed to be trying to assure her that she was in no danger from\nthis great beast. Zu-tag jabbered loudly, ever and again pointing\ninto the jungle toward the south and moving toward the boma,\npulling the girl with him. He seemed almost frantic in his efforts\nto explain something to her. He pointed toward the boma, herself,\nand then to the forest, and then, at last, as though by a sudden\ninspiration, he reached down and, seizing the spear, repeatedly\ntouched it with his forefinger and again pointed toward the south.\nSuddenly it dawned upon the girl that what the ape was trying\nto explain to her was related in some way to the white man whose\nproperty they thought she was. Possibly her grim protector was in\ntrouble and with this thought firmly established, she no longer\nheld back, but started forward as though to accompany the young\nbull. At the point in the boma where Tarzan had blocked the entrance,\nshe started to pull away the thorn bushes, and, when Zu-tag saw\nwhat she was doing, he fell to and assisted her so that presently\nthey had an opening through the boma through which she passed with\nthe great ape.\n\nImmediately Zu-tag and his eight apes started off rapidly toward\nthe jungle, so rapidly that Bertha Kircher would have had to run\nat top speed to keep up with them. This she realized she could not\ndo, and so she was forced to lag behind, much to the chagrin of\nZu-tag, who constantly kept running back and urging her to greater\nspeed. Once he took her by the arm and tried to draw her along.\nHer protests were of no avail since the beast could not know that\nthey were protests, nor did he desist until she caught her foot in\nsome tangled grass and fell to the ground. Then indeed was Zu-tag\nfurious and growled hideously. His apes were waiting at the edge\nof the forest for him to lead them. He suddenly realized that this\npoor weak she could not keep up with them and that if they traveled\nat her slow rate they might be too late to render assistance to the\nTarmangani, and so without more ado, the giant anthropoid picked\nBertha Kircher bodily from the ground and swung her to his back.\nHer arms were about his neck and in this position he seized her\nwrists in one great paw so that she could not fall off and started\nat a rapid rate to join his companions.\n\nDressed as she was in riding breeches with no entangling skirts to\nhinder or catch upon passing shrubbery, she soon found that she\ncould cling tightly to the back of the mighty bull and when a moment\nlater he took to the lower branches of the trees, she closed her\neyes and clung to him in terror lest she be precipitated to the\nground below.\n\nThat journey through the primeval forest with the nine great apes\nwill live in the memory of Bertha Kircher for the balance of her\nlife, as clearly delineated as at the moment of its enactment.\n\nThe first overwhelming wave of fear having passed, she was at last\nable to open her eyes and view her surroundings with increased\ninterest and presently the sensation of terror slowly left her to\nbe replaced by one of comparative security when she saw the ease\nand surety with which these great beasts traveled through the trees;\nand later her admiration for the young bull increased as it became\nevident that even burdened with her additional weight, he moved more\nrapidly and with no greater signs of fatigue than his unburdened\nfellows.\n\nNot once did Zu-tag pause until he came to a stop among the branches\nof a tree no great distance from the native village.  They could\nhear the noises of the life within the palisade, the laughing and\nshouting of the Negroes, and the barking of dogs, and through the\nfoliage the girl caught glimpses of the village from which she had\nso recently escaped. She shuddered to think of the possibility of\nhaving to return to it and of possible recapture, and she wondered\nwhy Zu-tag had brought her here.\n\nNow the apes advanced slowly once more and with great caution,\nmoving as noiselessly through the trees as the squirrels themselves\nuntil they had reached a point where they could easily overlook\nthe palisade and the village street below.\n\nZu-tag squatted upon a great branch close to the bole of the tree\nand by loosening the girl's arms from about his neck, indicated\nthat she was to find a footing for herself and when she had done\nso, he turned toward her and pointed repeatedly at the open doorway\nof a hut upon the opposite side of the street below them. By various\ngestures he seemed to be trying to explain something to her and at\nlast she caught at the germ of his idea--that her white man was a\nprisoner there.\n\nBeneath them was the roof of a hut onto which she saw that she\ncould easily drop, but what she could do after she had entered the\nvillage was beyond her.\n\nDarkness was already falling and the fires beneath the cooking pots\nhad been lighted. The girl saw the stake in the village street and\nthe piles of fagots about it and in terror she suddenly realized\nthe portent of these grisly preparations. Oh, if she but only had\nsome sort of a weapon that might give her even a faint hope, some\nslight advantage against the blacks.  Then she would not hesitate\nto venture into the village in an attempt to save the man who had\nupon three different occasions saved her. She knew that he hated her\nand yet strong within her breast burned the sense of her obligation\nto him. She could not fathom him. Never in her life had she seen a\nman at once so paradoxical and dependable. In many of his ways he\nwas more savage than the beasts with which he associated and yet,\non the other hand, he was as chivalrous as a knight of old.  For\nseveral days she had been lost with him in the jungle absolutely\nat his mercy, yet she had come to trust so implicitly in his honor\nthat any fear she had had of him was rapidly disappearing.\n\nOn the other hand, that he might be hideously cruel was evidenced\nto her by the fact that he was planning to leave her alone in the\nmidst of the frightful dangers which menaced her by night and by\nday.\n\nZu-tag was evidently waiting for darkness to fall before carrying\nout whatever plans had matured in his savage little brain, for he\nand his fellows sat quietly in the tree about her, watching the\npreparations of the blacks. Presently it became apparent that some\naltercation had arisen among the Negroes, for a score or more of\nthem were gathered around one who appeared to be their chief, and\nall were talking and gesticulating heatedly. The argument lasted\nfor some five or ten minutes when suddenly the little knot broke\nand two warriors ran to the opposite side of the village from whence\nthey presently returned with a large stake which they soon set up\nbeside the one already in place. The girl wondered what the purpose\nof the second stake might be, nor did she have long to wait for an\nexplanation.\n\nIt was quite dark by this time, the village being lighted by the\nfitful glare of many fires, and now she saw a number of warriors\napproach and enter the hut Zu-tag had been watching. A moment later\nthey reappeared, dragging between them two captives, one of whom\nthe girl immediately recognized as her protector and the other as\nan Englishman in the uniform of an aviator. This, then, was the\nreason for the two stakes.\n\nArising quickly she placed a hand upon Zu-tag's shoulder and pointed\ndown into the village. \"Come,\" she said, as if she had been talking\nto one of her own kind, and with the word she swung lightly to the\nroof of the hut below. From there to the ground was but a short drop\nand a moment later she was circling the hut upon the side farthest\nfrom the fires, keeping in the dense shadows where there was little\nlikelihood of being discovered. She turned once to see that Zu-tag\nwas directly behind her and could see his huge bulk looming up\nin the dark, while beyond was another one of his eight. Doubtless\nthey had all followed her and this fact gave her a greater sense\nof security and hope than she had before experienced.\n\nPausing beside the hut next to the street, she peered cautiously\nabout the corner. A few inches from her was the open doorway of the\nstructure, and beyond, farther down the village street, the blacks\nwere congregating about the prisoners, who were already being bound\nto the stakes. All eyes were centered upon the victims, and there\nwas only the remotest chance that she and her companions would\nbe discovered until they were close upon the blacks. She wished,\nhowever, that she might have some sort of a weapon with which to\nlead the attack, for she could not know, of course, for a certainty\nwhether the great apes would follow her or not. Hoping that she\nmight find something within the hut, she slipped quickly around\nthe corner and into the doorway and after her, one by one, came\nthe nine bulls. Searching quickly about the interior, she presently\ndiscovered a spear, and, armed with this, she again approached the\nentrance.\n\nTarzan of the Apes and Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick were\nbound securely to their respective stakes.  Neither had spoken for\nsome time. The Englishman turned his head so that he could see his\ncompanion in misery. Tarzan stood straight against his stake. His\nface was entirely expressionless in so far as either fear or anger\nwere concerned. His countenance portrayed bored indifference though\nboth men knew that they were about to be tortured.\n\n\"Good-bye, old top,\" whispered the young lieutenant.\n\nTarzan turned his eyes in the direction of the other and smiled.\n\"Good-bye,\" he said. \"If you want to get it over in a hurry, inhale\nthe smoke and flames as rapidly as you can.\"\n\n\"Thanks,\" replied the aviator and though he made a wry face, he\ndrew himself up very straight and squared his shoulders.\n\nThe women and children had seated themselves in a wide circle about\nthe victims while the warriors, hideously painted, were forming\nslowly to commence the dance of death. Again Tarzan turned to his\ncompanion. \"If you'd like to spoil their fun,\" he said, \"don't\nmake any fuss no matter how much you suffer. If you can carry on to\nthe end without changing the expression upon your face or uttering\na single word, you will deprive them of all the pleasures of this\npart of the entertainment. Good-bye again and good luck.\"\n\nThe young Englishman made no reply but it was evident from the set\nof his jaws that the Negroes would get little enjoyment out of him.\n\nThe warriors were circling now. Presently Numabo would draw first\nblood with his sharp spear which would be the signal for the\nbeginning of the torture after a little of which the fagots would\nbe lighted around the feet of the victims.\n\nCloser and closer danced the hideous chief, his yellow, sharp-filed\nteeth showing in the firelight between his thick, red lips. Now\nbending double, now stamping furiously upon the ground, now leaping\ninto the air, he danced step by step in the narrowing circle that\nwould presently bring him within spear reach of the intended feast.\n\nAt last the spear reached out and touched the ape-man on the\nbreast and when it came away, a little trickle of blood ran down\nthe smooth, brown hide and almost simultaneously there broke from\nthe outer periphery of the expectant audience a woman's shriek which\nseemed a signal for a series of hideous screamings, growlings and\nbarkings, and a great commotion upon that side of the circle. The\nvictims could not see the cause of the disturbance, but Tarzan did\nnot have to see, for he knew by the voices of the apes the identity\nof the disturbers.  He only wondered what had brought them and what\nthe purpose of the attack, for he could not believe that they had\ncome to rescue him.\n\nNumabo and his warriors broke quickly from the circle of their dance\nto see pushing toward them through the ranks of their screaming\nand terrified people the very white girl who had escaped them a\nfew nights before, and at her back what appeared to their surprised\neyes a veritable horde of the huge and hairy forest men upon whom\nthey looked with considerable fear and awe.\n\nStriking to right and left with his heavy fists, tearing with\nhis great fangs, came Zu-tag, the young bull, while at his heels,\nemulating his example, surged his hideous apes. Quickly they came\nthrough the old men and the women and children, for straight toward\nNumabo and his warriors the girl led them.  It was then that they\ncame within range of Tarzan's vision and he saw with unmixed surprise\nwho it was that led the apes to his rescue.\n\nTo Zu-tag he shouted: \"Go for the big bulls while the she unbinds\nme,\" and to Bertha Kircher: \"Quick! Cut these bonds.  The apes will\ntake care of the blacks.\"\n\nTurning from her advance the girl ran to his side. She had no knife\nand the bonds were tied tightly but she worked quickly and coolly\nand as Zu-tag and his apes closed with the warriors, she succeeded\nin loosening Tarzan's bonds sufficiently to permit him to extricate\nhis own hands so that in another minute he had freed himself.\n\n\"Now unbind the Englishman,\" he cried, and, leaping forward, ran\nto join Zu-tag and his fellows in their battle against the blacks.\nNumabo and his warriors, realizing now the relatively small numbers\nof the apes against them, had made a determined stand and with\nspears and other weapons were endeavoring to overcome the invaders.\nThree of the apes were already down, killed or mortally wounded,\nwhen Tarzan, realizing that the battle must eventually go against\nthe apes unless some means could be found to break the morale of\nthe Negroes, cast about him for some means of bringing about the\ndesired end. And suddenly his eye lighted upon a number of weapons\nwhich he knew would accomplish the result. A grim smile touched\nhis lips as he snatched a vessel of boiling water from one of the\nfires and hurled it full in the faces of the warriors. Screaming\nwith terror and pain they fell back though Numabo urged them to\nrush forward.\n\nScarcely had the first cauldron of boiling water spilled its\ncontents upon them ere Tarzan deluged them with a second, nor was\nthere any third needed to send them shrieking in every direction\nto the security of their huts.\n\nBy the time Tarzan had recovered his own weapons the girl had released\nthe young Englishman, and, with the six remaining apes, the three\nEuropeans moved slowly toward the village gate, the aviator arming\nhimself with a spear discarded by one of the scalded warriors, as\nthey eagerly advanced toward the outer darkness.\n\nNumabo was unable to rally the now thoroughly terrified and\npainfully burned warriors so that rescued and rescuers passed out\nof the village into the blackness of the jungle without further\ninterference.\n\nTarzan strode through the jungle in silence. Beside him walked Zu-tag,\nthe great ape, and behind them strung the surviving anthropoids\nfollowed by Fraulein Bertha Kircher and Lieutenant Harold Percy\nSmith-Oldwick, the latter a thoroughly astonished and mystified\nEnglishman.\n\nIn all his life Tarzan of the Apes had been obliged to acknowledge\nbut few obligations. He won his way through his savage world by the\nmight of his own muscle, the superior keenness of his five senses\nand his God-given power to reason.  Tonight the greatest of\nall obligations had been placed upon him--his life had been saved\nby another and Tarzan shook his head and growled, for it had been\nsaved by one whom he hated above all others.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XI\n\nFinding the Airplane\n\n\nTarzan of the Apes, returning from a successful hunt, with the\nbody of Bara, the deer, across one sleek, brown shoulder, paused\nin the branches of a great tree at the edge of a clearing and gazed\nruefully at two figures walking from the river to the boma-encircled\nhut a short distance away.\n\nThe ape-man shook his tousled head and sighed. His eyes wandered\ntoward the west and his thoughts to the far-away cabin by the\nland-locked harbor of the great water that washed the beach of his\nboyhood home--to the cabin of his long-dead father to which the\nmemories and treasures of a happy childhood lured him. Since the\nloss of his mate, a great longing had possessed him to return to\nthe haunts of his youth--to the untracked jungle wilderness where\nhe had lived the life he loved best long before man had invaded\nthe precincts of his wild stamping grounds. There he hoped in a\nrenewal of the old life under the old conditions to win surcease\nfrom sorrow and perhaps some measure of forgetfulness.\n\nBut the little cabin and the land-locked harbor were many long,\nweary marches away, and he was handicapped by the duty which he\nfelt he owed to the two figures walking in the clearing before him.\nOne was a young man in a worn and ragged uniform of the British Royal\nAir Forces, the other, a young woman in the even more disreputable\nremnants of what once had been trim riding togs.\n\nA freak of fate had thrown these three radically different types\ntogether. One was a savage, almost naked beast-man, one an English\narmy officer, and the woman, she whom the ape-man knew and hated\nas a German spy.\n\nHow he was to get rid of them Tarzan could not imagine unless\nhe accompanied them upon the weary march back to the east coast,\na march that would necessitate his once more retracing the long,\nweary way he already had covered towards his goal, yet what else\ncould be done? These two had neither the strength, endurance, nor\njungle-craft to accompany him through the unknown country to the\nwest, nor did he wish them with him. The man he might have tolerated,\nbut he could not even consider the presence of the girl in the\nfar-off cabin, which had in a way become sacred to him through\nits memories, without a growl or anger rising to his lips. There\nremained, then, but the one way, since he could not desert them.\nHe must move by slow and irksome marches back to the east coast,\nor at least to the first white settlement in that direction.\n\nHe had, it is true, contemplated leaving the girl to her fate but\nthat was before she had been instrumental in saving him from torture\nand death at the hands of the black Wamabos.  He chafed under the\nobligation she had put upon him, but no less did he acknowledge\nit and as he watched the two, the rueful expression upon his face\nwas lightened by a smile as he thought of the helplessness of them.\nWhat a puny thing, indeed, was man! How ill equipped to combat the\nsavage forces of nature and of nature's jungle. Why, even the tiny\nbalu of the tribe of Go-lat, the great ape, was better fitted to\nsurvive than these, for a balu could at least escape the numerous\ncreatures that menaced its existence, while with the possible\nexception of Kota, the tortoise, none moved so slowly as did helpless\nand feeble man.\n\nWithout him these two doubtless would starve in the midst of plenty,\nshould they by some miracle escape the other forces of destruction\nwhich constantly threatened them. That morning Tarzan had brought\nthem fruit, nuts, and plantain, and now he was bringing them the\nflesh of his kill, while the best that they might do was to fetch\nwater from the river. Even now, as they walked across the clearing\ntoward the boma, they were in utter ignorance of the presence\nof Tarzan near them. They did not know that his sharp eyes were\nwatching them, nor that other eyes less friendly were glaring at\nthem from a clump of bushes close beside the boma entrance. They\ndid not know these things, but Tarzan did. No more than they could\nhe see the creature crouching in the concealment of the foliage, yet\nhe knew that it was there and what it was and what its intentions,\nprecisely as well as though it had been lying in the open.\n\nA slight movement of the leaves at the top of a single stem had\napprised him of the presence of a creature there, for the movement\nwas not that imparted by the wind. It came from pressure at the\nbottom of the stem which communicates a different movement to the\nleaves than does the wind passing among them, as anyone who has\nlived his lifetime in the jungle well knows, and the same wind that\npassed through the foliage of the bush brought to the ape-man's\nsensitive nostrils indisputable evidence of the fact that Sheeta,\nthe panther, waited there for the two returning from the river.\n\nThey had covered half the distance to the boma entrance when Tarzan\ncalled to them to stop. They looked in surprise in the direction\nfrom which his voice had come to see him drop lightly to the ground\nand advance toward them.\n\n\"Come slowly toward me,\" he called to them. \"Do not run for if you\nrun Sheeta will charge.\"\n\nThey did as he bid, their faces filled with questioning wonderment.\n\n\"What do you mean?\" asked the young Englishman. \"Who is Sheeta?\"\nbut for answer the ape-man suddenly hurled the carcass of Bara, the\ndeer, to the ground and leaped quickly toward them, his eyes upon\nsomething in their rear; and then it was that the two turned and\nlearned the identity of Sheeta, for behind them was a devil-faced\ncat charging rapidly toward them.\n\nSheeta with rising anger and suspicion had seen the ape-man leap\nfrom the tree and approach the quarry. His life's experiences backed\nby instinct told him that the Tarmangani was about to rob him of\nhis prey and as Sheeta was hungry, he had no intention of being\nthus easily deprived of the flesh he already considered his own.\n\nThe girl stifled an involuntary scream as she saw the proximity\nof the fanged fury bearing down upon them. She shrank close to the\nman and clung to him and all unarmed and defenseless as he was, the\nEnglishman pushed her behind him and shielding her with his body,\nstood squarely in the face of the panther's charge. Tarzan noted\nthe act, and though accustomed as he was to acts of courage, he\nexperienced a thrill from the hopeless and futile bravery of the\nman.\n\nThe charging panther moved rapidly, and the distance which separated\nthe bush in which he had concealed himself from the objects of his\ndesire was not great. In the time that one might understandingly\nread a dozen words the strong-limbed cat could have covered the\nentire distance and made his kill, yet if Sheeta was quick, quick\ntoo was Tarzan. The English lieutenant saw the ape-man flash by him\nlike the wind. He saw the great cat veer in his charge as though\nto elude the naked savage rushing to meet him, as it was evidently\nSheeta's intention to make good his kill before attempting to\nprotect it from Tarzan.\n\nLieutenant Smith-Oldwick saw these things and then with increasing\nwonder he saw the ape-man swerve, too, and leap for the spotted cat\nas a football player leaps for a runner. He saw the strong, brown\narms encircling the body of the carnivore, the left arm in front\nof the beast's left shoulder and the right arm behind his right\nforeleg, and with the impact the two together rolling over and over\nupon the turf. He heard the snarls and growls of bestial combat,\nand it was with a feeling of no little horror that he realized that\nthe sounds coming from the human throat of the battling man could\nscarce be distinguished from those of the panther.\n\nThe first momentary shock of terror over, the girl released her\ngrasp upon the Englishman's arm. \"Cannot we do something?\" she\nasked. \"Cannot we help him before the beast kills him?\"\n\nThe Englishman looked upon the ground for some missile with which\nto attack the panther and then the girl uttered an exclamation and\nstarted at a run toward the hut. \"Wait there,\" she called over her\nshoulder. \"I will fetch the spear that he left me.\"\n\nSmith-Oldwick saw the raking talons of the panther searching for\nthe flesh of the man and the man on his part straining every muscle\nand using every artifice to keep his body out of range of them. The\nmuscles of his arms knotted under the brown hide. The veins stood\nout upon his neck and forehead as with ever-increasing power he\nstrove to crush the life from the great cat. The ape-man's teeth\nwere fastened in the back of Sheeta's neck and now he succeeded\nin encircling the beast's torso with his legs which he crossed and\nlocked beneath the cat's belly. Leaping and snarling, Sheeta sought\nto dislodge the ape-man's hold upon him. He hurled himself upon\nthe ground and rolled over and over. He reared upon his hind legs\nand threw himself backwards but always the savage creature upon\nhis back clung tenaciously to him, and always the mighty brown arms\ncrushed tighter and tighter about his chest.\n\nAnd then the girl, panting from her quick run, returned with the\nshort spear Tarzan had left her as her sole weapon of protection.\nShe did not wait to hand it to the Englishman who ran forward to\nreceive it, but brushed past him and leaped into close quarters\nbeside the growling, tumbling mass of yellow fur and smooth brown\nhide. Several times she attempted to press the point home into\nthe cat's body, but on both occasions the fear of endangering the\nape-man caused her to desist, but at last the two lay motionless\nfor a moment as the carnivore sought a moment's rest from the\nstrenuous exertions of battle, and then it was that Bertha Kircher\npressed the point of the spear to the tawny side and drove it deep\ninto the savage heart.\n\nTarzan rose from the dead body of Sheeta and shook himself after\nthe manner of beasts that are entirely clothed with hair. Like\nmany other of his traits and mannerisms this was the result of\nenvironment rather than heredity or reversion, and even though he\nwas outwardly a man, the Englishman and the girl were both impressed\nwith the naturalness of the act.  It was as though Numa, emerging\nfrom a fight, had shaken himself to straighten his rumpled mane and\ncoat, and yet, too, there was something uncanny about it as there\nhad been when the savage growls and hideous snarls issued from\nthose clean-cut lips.\n\nTarzan looked at the girl, a quizzical expression upon his face.\nAgain had she placed him under obligations to her, and Tarzan of\nthe Apes did not wish to be obligated to a German spy; yet in his\nhonest heart he could not but admit a certain admiration for her\ncourage, a trait which always greatly impressed the ape-man, he\nhimself the personification of courage.\n\n\"Here is the kill,\" he said, picking the carcass of Bara from the\nground. \"You will want to cook your portion, I presume, but Tarzan\ndoes not spoil his meat with fire.\"\n\nThey followed him to the boma where he cut several pieces of meat\nfrom the carcass for them, retaining a joint for himself. The\nyoung lieutenant prepared a fire, and the girl presided over the\nprimitive culinary rights of their simple meal.  As she worked some\nlittle way apart from them, the lieutenant and the ape-man watched\nher.\n\n\"She is wonderful. Is she not?\" murmured Smith-Oldwick.\n\n\"She is a German and a spy,\" replied Tarzan.\n\nThe Englishman turned quickly upon him. \"What do you mean?\" he\ncried.\n\n\"I mean what I say,\" replied the ape-man. \"She is a German and a\nspy.\"\n\n\"I do not believe it!\" exclaimed the aviator.\n\n\"You do not have to,\" Tarzan assured him. \"It is nothing to me\nwhat you believe. I saw her in conference with the Boche general\nand his staff at the camp near Taveta. They all knew her and called\nher by name and she handed him a paper. The next time I saw her\nshe was inside the British lines in disguise, and again I saw her\nbearing word to a German officer at Wilhelmstal. She is a German\nand a spy, but she is a woman and therefore I cannot destroy her.\"\n\n\"You really believe that what you say is true?\" asked the young\nlieutenant. \"My God! I cannot believe it. She is so sweet and brave\nand good.\"\n\nThe ape-man shrugged his shoulders. \"She is brave,\" he said, \"but\neven Pamba, the rat, must have some good quality, but she is what\nI have told you and therefore I hate her and you should hate her.\"\n\nLieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick buried his face in his hands.\n\"God forgive me,\" he said at last. \"I cannot hate her.\"\n\nThe ape-man cast a contemptuous look at his companion and arose.\n\"Tarzan goes again to hunt,\" he said. \"You have enough food for\ntwo days. By that time he will return.\"\n\nThe two watched him until he had disappeared in the foliage of the\ntrees at the further side of the clearing.\n\nWhen he had gone the girl felt a vague sense of apprehension that\nshe never experienced when Tarzan was present. The invisible menaces\nlurking in the grim jungle seemed more real and much more imminent\nnow that the ape-man was no longer near. While he had been there\ntalking with them, the little thatched hut and its surrounding\nthorn boma had seemed as safe a place as the world might afford.\nShe wished that he had remained--two days seemed an eternity in\ncontemplation--two days of constant fear, two days, every moment of\nwhich would be fraught with danger. She turned toward her companion.\n\n\"I wish that he had remained,\" she said. \"I always feel so much\nsafer when he is near. He is very grim and very terrible, and yet\nI feel safer with him than with any man I ever have known. He seems\nto dislike me and yet I know that he would let no harm befall me.\nI cannot understand him.\"\n\n\"Neither do I understand him,\" replied the Englishman; \"but I know\nthis much--our presence here is interfering with his plans. He would\nlike to be rid of us, and I half imagine that he rather hopes to\nfind when he returns that we have succumbed to one of the dangers\nwhich must always confront us in this savage land.\n\n\"I think that we should try to return to the white settlements. This\nman does not want us here, nor is it reasonable to assume that we\ncould long survive in such a savage wilderness. I have traveled and\nhunted in several parts of Africa, but never have I seen or heard\nof any single locality so overrun with savage beasts and dangerous\nnatives. If we set out for the east coast at once we would be in\nbut little more danger than we are here, and if we could survive\na day's march, I believe that we will find the means of reaching\nthe coast in a few hours, for my plane must still be in the same\nplace that I landed just before the blacks captured me. Of course\nthere is no one here who could operate it nor is there any reason\nwhy they should have destroyed it. As a matter of fact, the natives\nwould be so fearful and suspicious of so strange and incomprehensible\na thing that the chances are they would not dare approach it. Yes,\nit must be where I left it and all ready to carry us safely to the\nsettlements.\"\n\n\"But we cannot leave,\" said the girl, \"until he returns. We could\nnot go away like that without thanking him or bidding him farewell.\nWe are under too great obligations to him.\"\n\nThe man looked at her in silence for a moment. He wondered if\nshe knew how Tarzan felt toward her and then he himself began to\nspeculate upon the truth of the ape-man's charges. The longer he\nlooked at the girl, the less easy was it to entertain the thought\nthat she was an enemy spy. He was upon the point of asking\nher point-blank but he could not bring himself to do so, finally\ndetermining to wait until time and longer acquaintance should reveal\nthe truth or falsity of the accusation.\n\n\"I believe,\" he said as though there had been no pause in their\nconversation, \"that the man would be more than glad to find us\ngone when he returns. It is not necessary to jeopardize our lives\nfor two more days in order that we may thank him, however much\nwe may appreciate his services to us. You have more than balanced\nyour obligations to him and from what he told me I feel that you\nespecially should not remain here longer.\"\n\nThe girl looked up at him in astonishment. \"What do you mean?\" she\nasked.\n\n\"I do not like to tell,\" said the Englishman, digging nervously at\nthe turf with the point of a stick, \"but you have my word that he\nwould rather you were not here.\"\n\n\"Tell me what he said,\" she insisted, \"I have a right to know.\"\n\nLieutenant Smith-Oldwick squared his shoulders and raised his eyes\nto those of the girl. \"He said that he hated you,\" he blurted. \"He\nhas only aided you at all from a sense of duty because you are a\nwoman.\"\n\nThe girl paled and then flushed. \"I will be ready to go,\" she said,\n\"in just a moment. We had better take some of this meat with us.\nThere is no telling when we will be able to get more.\"\n\nAnd so the two set out down the river toward the south.  The man\ncarried the short spear that Tarzan had left with the girl, while\nshe was entirely unarmed except for a stick she had picked up from\namong those left after the building of the hut. Before departing\nshe had insisted that the man leave a note for Tarzan thanking him\nfor his care of them and bidding him goodbye. This they left pinned\nto the inside wall of the hut with a little sliver of wood.\n\nIt was necessary that they be constantly on the alert since they\nnever knew what might confront them at the next turn of the winding\njungle trail or what might lie concealed in the tangled bushes at\neither side. There was also the ever-present danger of meeting some\nof Numabo's black warriors and as the village lay directly in their\nline of march, there was the necessity for making a wide detour\nbefore they reached it in order to pass around it without being\ndiscovered.\n\n\"I am not so much afraid of the native blacks,\" said the girl, \"as\nI am of Usanga and his people. He and his men were all attached\nto a German native regiment. They brought me along with them when\nthey deserted, either with the intention of holding me ransom or\nselling me into the harem of one of the black sultans of the north.\nUsanga is much more to be feared than Numabo for he has had the\nadvantage of European military training and is armed with more or\nless modern weapons and ammunition.\"\n\n\"It is lucky for me,\" remarked the Englishman, \"that it was the\nignorant Numabo who discovered and captured me rather than the\nworldly wise Usanga. He would have felt less fear of the giant\nflying machine and would have known only too well how to wreck it.\"\n\n\"Let us pray that the black sergeant has not discovered it,\" said\nthe girl.\n\nThey made their way to a point which they guessed was about a mile\nabove the village, then they turned into the trackless tangle of\nundergrowth to the east. So dense was the verdure at many points\nthat it was with the utmost difficulty they wormed their way through,\nsometimes on hands and knees and again by clambering over numerous\nfallen tree trunks. Interwoven with dead limbs and living branches\nwere the tough and ropelike creepers which formed a tangled network\nacross their path.\n\nSouth of them in an open meadowland a number of black warriors were\ngathered about an object which elicited much wondering comment. The\nblacks were clothed in fragments of what had once been uniforms of\na native German command. They were a most unlovely band and chief\namong them in authority and repulsiveness was the black sergeant\nUsanga. The object of their interest was a British aeroplane.\n\nImmediately after the Englishman had been brought to Numabo's village\nUsanga had gone out in search of the plane, prompted partially by\ncuriosity and partially by an intention to destroy it, but when he\nhad found it, some new thought had deterred him from carrying out\nhis design. The thing represented considerable value as he well\nknew and it had occurred to him that in some way he might turn his\nprize to profit.  Every day he had returned to it, and while at\nfirst it had filled him with considerable awe, he eventually came\nto look upon it with the accustomed eye of a proprietor, so that\nhe now clambered into the fuselage and even advanced so far as to\nwish that he might learn to operate it.\n\nWhat a feat it would be indeed to fly like a bird far above the\nhighest tree top! How it would fill his less favored companions\nwith awe and admiration! If Usanga could but fly, so great would be\nthe respect of all the tribesmen throughout the scattered villages\nof the great interior, they would look upon him as little less than\na god.\n\nUsanga rubbed his palms together and smacked his thick lips. Then\nindeed, would he be very rich, for all the villages would pay\ntribute to him and he could even have as many as a dozen wives.\nWith that thought, however, came a mental picture of Naratu, the\nblack termagant, who ruled him with an iron hand. Usanga made a\nwry face and tried to forget the extra dozen wives, but the lure of\nthe idea remained and appealed so strongly to him that he presently\nfound himself reasoning most logically that a god would not be much\nof a god with less than twenty-four wives.\n\nHe fingered the instruments and the control, half hoping and half\nfearing that he would alight upon the combination that would put\nthe machine in flight. Often had he watched the British air-men\nsoaring above the German lines and it looked so simple he was quite\nsure that he could do it himself if there was somebody who could\nbut once show him how. There was, of course, always the hope that\nthe white man who came in the machine and who had escaped from\nNumabo's village might fall into Usanga's hands and then indeed\nwould he be able to learn how to fly. It was in this hope that\nUsanga spent so much time in the vicinity of the plane, reasoning\nas he did that eventually the white man would return in search of\nit.\n\nAnd at last he was rewarded, for upon this very day after he had\nquit the machine and entered the jungle with his warriors, he heard\nvoices to the north and when he and his men had hidden in the dense\nfoliage upon either side of the trail, Usanga was presently filled\nwith elation by the appearance of the British officer and the white\ngirl whom the black sergeant had coveted and who had escaped him.\n\nThe Negro could scarce restrain a shout of elation, for he had not\nhoped that fate would be so kind as to throw these two whom he most\ndesired into his power at the same time.\n\nAs the two came down the trail all unconscious of impending danger,\nthe man was explaining that they must be very close to the point\nat which the plane had landed. Their entire attention was centered\non the trail directly ahead of them, as they momentarily expected\nit to break into the meadowland where they were sure they would\nsee the plane that would spell life and liberty for them.\n\nThe trail was broad, and they were walking side by side so that at\na sharp turn the park-like clearing was revealed to them simultaneously\nwith the outlines of the machine they sought.\n\nExclamations of relief and delight broke from their lips, and at\nthe same instant Usanga and his black warriors rose from the bushes\nall about them.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XII\n\nThe Black Flier\n\n\nThe girl was almost crushed by terror and disappointment.  To have\nbeen thus close to safety and then to have all hope snatched away\nby a cruel stroke of fate seemed unendurable. The man was disappointed,\ntoo, but more was he angry. He noted the remnants of the uniforms\nupon the blacks and immediately he demanded to know where were\ntheir officers.\n\n\"They cannot understand you,\" said the girl and so in the bastard\ntongue that is the medium of communication between the Germans and\nthe blacks of their colony, she repeated the white man's question.\n\nUsanga grinned. \"You know where they are, white woman,\" he replied.\n\"They are dead, and if this white man does not do as I tell him,\nhe, too, will be dead.\"\n\n\"What do you want of him?\" asked the girl.\n\n\"I want him to teach me how to fly like a bird,\" replied Usanga.\n\nBertha Kircher looked her astonishment, but repeated the demand to\nthe lieutenant.\n\nThe Englishman meditated for a moment. \"He wants to learn to fly,\ndoes he?\" he repeated. \"Ask him if he will give us our freedom if\nI teach him to fly.\"\n\nThe girl put the question to Usanga, who, degraded, cunning, and\nentirely unprincipled, was always perfectly willing to promise\nanything whether he had any intentions of fulfilling his promises\nor not, and so immediately assented to the proposition.\n\n\"Let the white man teach me to fly,\" he said, \"and I will take you\nback close to the settlements of your people, but in return for\nthis I shall keep the great bird,\" and he waved a black hand in\nthe direction of the aeroplane.\n\nWhen Bertha Kircher had repeated Usanga's proposition to the\naviator, the latter shrugged his shoulders and with a wry face\nfinally agreed. \"I fancy there is no other way out of it,\" he said.\n\"In any event the plane is lost to the British government. If I\nrefuse the black scoundrel's request, there is no doubt but what\nhe will make short work of me with the result that the machine will\nlie here until it rots. If I accept his offer it will at least be\nthe means of assuring your safe return to civilization and that\"\nhe added, \"is worth more to me than all the planes in the British\nAir Service.\"\n\nThe girl cast a quick glance at him. These were the first words he\nhad addressed to her that might indicate that his sentiments toward\nher were more than those of a companion in distress. She regretted\nthat he had spoken as he had and he, too, regretted it almost\ninstantly as he saw the shadow cross her face and realized that\nhe had unwittingly added to the difficulties of her already almost\nunbearable situation.\n\n\"Forgive me,\" he said quickly. \"Please forget what that remark\nimplied. I promise you that I will not offend again, if it does\noffend you, until after we are both safely out of this mess.\"\n\nShe smiled and thanked him, but the thing had been said and could\nnever be unsaid, and Bertha Kircher knew even more surely than as\nthough he had fallen upon his knees and protested undying devotion\nthat the young English officer loved her.\n\nUsanga was for taking his first lesson in aviation immediately. The\nEnglishman attempted to dissuade him, but immediately the black\nbecame threatening and abusive, since, like all those who are\nignorant, he was suspicious that the intentions of others were\nalways ulterior unless they perfectly coincided with his wishes.\n\n\"All right, old top,\" muttered the Englishman, \"I will give you\nthe lesson of your life,\" and then turning to the girl: \"Persuade\nhim to let you accompany us. I shall be afraid to leave you here\nwith these devilish scoundrels.\" But when she put the suggestion\nto Usanga the black immediately suspected some plan to thwart\nhim--possibly to carry him against his will back to the German\nmasters he had traitorously deserted, and glowering at her savagely,\nhe obstinately refused to entertain the suggestion.\n\n\"The white woman will remain here with my people,\" he said. \"They\nwill not harm her unless you fail to bring me back safely.\"\n\n\"Tell him,\" said the Englishman, \"that if you are not standing in\nplain sight in this meadow when I return, I will not land, but will\ncarry Usanga back to the British camp and have him hanged.\"\n\nUsanga promised that the girl would be in evidence upon their\nreturn, and took immediate steps to impress upon his warriors that\nunder penalty of death they must not harm her.  Then, followed\nby the other members of his party, he crossed the clearing toward\nthe plane with the Englishman. Once seated within what he already\nconsidered his new possession, the black's courage began to wane\nand when the motor was started and the great propeller commenced\nto whir, he screamed to the Englishman to stop the thing and permit\nhim to alight, but the aviator could neither hear nor understand\nthe black above the noise of the propeller and exhaust. By this\ntime the plane was moving along the ground and even then Usanga was\nupon the verge of leaping out, and would have done so had he been\nable to unfasten the strap from about his waist. Then the plane rose\nfrom the ground and in a moment soared gracefully in a wide circle\nuntil it topped the trees. The black sergeant was in a veritable\ncollapse of terror. He saw the earth dropping rapidly from beneath\nhim.  He saw the trees and river and at a distance the little clearing\nwith the thatched huts of Numabo's village. He tried hard not to\nthink of the results of a sudden fall to the rapidly receding ground\nbelow. He attempted to concentrate his mind upon the twenty-four\nwives which this great bird most assuredly would permit him to\ncommand. Higher and higher rose the plane, swinging in a wide circle\nabove the forest, river, and meadowland and presently, much to his\nsurprise, Usanga discovered that his terror was rapidly waning, so\nthat it was not long before there was forced upon him a consciousness\nof utter security, and then it was that he began to take notice of\nthe manner in which the white man guided and manipulated the plane.\n\nAfter half an hour of skillful maneuvering, the Englishman rose\nrapidly to a considerable altitude, and then, suddenly, without\nwarning, he looped and flew with the plane inverted for a few\nseconds.\n\n\"I said I'd give this beggar the lesson of his life,\" he murmured as\nhe heard, even above the whir of the propeller, the shriek of the\nterrified Negro. A moment later Smith-Oldwick had righted the machine\nand was dropping rapidly toward the earth. He circled slowly a few\ntimes above the meadow until he had assured himself that Bertha\nKircher was there and apparently unharmed, then he dropped gently\nto the ground so that the machine came to a stop a short distance\nfrom where the girl and the warriors awaited them.\n\nIt was a trembling and ashen-hued Usanga who tumbled out of the\nfuselage, for his nerves were still on edge as a result of the\nharrowing experience of the loop, yet with terra firma once more\nunder foot, he quickly regained his composure.  Strutting about\nwith great show and braggadocio, he strove to impress his followers\nwith the mere nothingness of so trivial a feat as flying birdlike\nthousands of yards above the jungle, though it was long until he\nhad thoroughly convinced himself by the force of autosuggestion\nthat he had enjoyed every instant of the flight and was already\nfar advanced in the art of aviation.\n\nSo jealous was the black of his new-found toy that he would not\nreturn to the village of Numabo, but insisted on making camp close\nbeside the plane, lest in some inconceivable fashion it should be\nstolen from him. For two days they camped there, and constantly\nduring daylight hours Usanga compelled the Englishman to instruct\nhim in the art of flying.\n\nSmith-Oldwick, in recalling the long months of arduous training he\nhad undergone himself before he had been considered sufficiently\nadept to be considered a finished flier, smiled at the conceit of\nthe ignorant African who was already demanding that he be permitted\nto make a flight alone.\n\n\"If it was not for losing the machine,\" the Englishman explained to\nthe girl, \"I'd let the bounder take it up and break his fool neck\nas he would do inside of two minutes.\"\n\nHowever, he finally persuaded Usanga to bide his time for a few\nmore days of instruction, but in the suspicious mind of the Negro\nthere was a growing conviction that the white man's advice was prompted\nby some ulterior motive; that it was in the hope of escaping with\nthe machine himself by night that he refused to admit that Usanga\nwas entirely capable of handling it alone and therefore in no further\nneed of help or instruction, and so in the mind of the black there\nformed a determination to outwit the white man. The lure of the\ntwenty-four seductive wives proved in itself a sufficient incentive\nand there, too, was added his desire for the white girl whom he\nhad long since determined to possess.\n\nIt was with these thoughts in mind that Usanga lay down to sleep\nin the evening of the second day. Constantly, however, the thought\nof Naratu and her temper arose to take the keen edge from his pleasant\nimaginings. If he could but rid himself of her! The thought having\ntaken form persisted, but always it was more than outweighed by the\nfact that the black sergeant was actually afraid of his woman, so\nmuch afraid of her in fact that he would not have dared to attempt\nto put her out of the way unless he could do so secretly while\nshe slept. However, as one plan after another was conjured by the\nstrength of his desires, he at last hit upon one which came to him\nalmost with the force of a blow and brought him sitting upright\namong his sleeping companions.\n\nWhen morning dawned Usanga could scarce wait for an opportunity to\nput his scheme into execution, and the moment that he had eaten,\nhe called several of his warriors aside and talked with them for\nsome moments.\n\nThe Englishman, who usually kept an eye upon his black captor,\nsaw now that the latter was explaining something in detail to his\nwarriors, and from his gestures and his manner it was apparent that\nhe was persuading them to some new plan as well as giving them\ninstructions as to what they were to do. Several times, too, he\nsaw the eyes of the Negroes turned upon him and once they flashed\nsimultaneously toward the white girl.\n\nEverything about the occurrence, which in itself seemed trivial enough,\naroused in the mind of the Englishman a well-defined apprehension\nthat something was afoot that boded ill for him and for the girl.\nHe could not free himself of the idea and so he kept a still closer\nwatch over the black although, as he was forced to admit to himself,\nhe was quite powerless to avert any fate that lay in store for\nthem. Even the spear that he had had when captured had been taken\naway from him, so that now he was unarmed and absolutely at the\nmercy of the black sergeant and his followers.\n\nLieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick did not have long to wait\nbefore discovering something of Usanga's plan, for almost immediately\nafter the sergeant finished giving his instructions, a number of\nwarriors approached the Englishman, while three went directly to\nthe girl.\n\nWithout a word of explanation the warriors seized the young officer\nand threw him to the ground upon his face. For a moment he struggled\nto free himself and succeeded in landing a few heavy blows among\nhis assailants, but he was too greatly outnumbered to hope to more\nthan delay them in the accomplishment of their object which he\nsoon discovered was to bind him securely hand and foot. When they\nhad finally secured him to their satisfaction, they rolled him\nover on his side and then it was he saw Bertha Kircher had been\nsimilarly trussed.\n\nSmith-Oldwick lay in such a position that he could see nearly the\nentire expanse of meadow and the aeroplane a short distance away.\nUsanga was talking to the girl who was shaking her head in vehement\nnegatives.\n\n\"What is he saying?\" called the Englishman.\n\n\"He is going to take me away in the plane,\" the girl called back.\n\"He is going to take me farther inland to another country where\nhe says that he will be king and I am to be one of his wives,\" and\nthen to the Englishman's surprise she turned a smiling face toward\nhim, \"but there is no danger,\" she continued, \"for we shall both\nbe dead within a few minutes--just give him time enough to get\nthe machine under way, and if he can rise a hundred feet from the\nground I shall never need fear him more.\"\n\n\"God!\" cried the man. \"Is there no way that you can dissuade him?\nPromise him anything. Anything that you want.  I have money, more\nmoney than that poor fool could imagine there was in the whole\nworld. With it he can buy anything that money will purchase, fine\nclothes and food and women, all the women he wants. Tell him this\nand tell him that if he will spare you I give him my word that I\nwill fetch it all to him.\"\n\nThe girl shook her head. \"It is useless,\" she said. \"He would not\nunderstand and if he did understand, he would not trust you. The\nblacks are so unprincipled themselves that they can imagine no\nsuch thing as principle or honor in others, and especially do these\nblacks distrust an Englishman whom the Germans have taught them to\nbelieve are the most treacherous and degraded of people. No, it is\nbetter thus. I am sorry that you cannot go with us, for if he goes\nhigh enough my death will be much easier than that which probably\nawaits you.\"\n\nUsanga had been continually interrupting their brief conversation\nin an attempt to compel the girl to translate it to him, for he\nfeared that they were concocting some plan to thwart him, and to\nquiet and appease him, she told him that the Englishman was merely\nbidding her farewell and wishing her good luck. Suddenly she turned\nto the black. \"Will you do something for me?\" she asked. \"If I go\nwillingly with you?\"\n\n\"What is it you want?\" he inquired.\n\n\"Tell your men to free the white man after we are gone.  He can\nnever catch us. That is all I ask of you. If you will grant him\nhis freedom and his life, I will go willingly with you.\n\n\"You will go with me anyway,\" growled Usanga. \"It is nothing to\nme whether you go willingly or not. I am going to be a great king\nand you will do whatever I tell you to do.\"\n\nHe had in mind that he would start properly with this woman. There\nshould be no repetition of his harrowing experience with Naratu.\nThis wife and the twenty-four others should be carefully selected\nand well trained. Hereafter Usanga would be master in his own house.\n\nBertha Kircher saw that it was useless to appeal to the brute\nand so she held her peace though she was filled with sorrow in\ncontemplating the fate that awaited the young officer, scarce more\nthan a boy, who had impulsively revealed his love for her.\n\nAt Usanga's order one of the blacks lifted her from the ground and\ncarried her to the machine, and after Usanga had clambered aboard,\nthey lifted her up and he reached down and drew her into the fuselage\nwhere he removed the thongs from her wrists and strapped her into\nher seat and then took his own directly ahead of her.\n\nThe girl turned her eyes toward the Englishman. She was very pale\nbut her lips smiled bravely.\n\n\"Good-bye!\" she cried.\n\n\"Good-bye, and God bless you!\" he called back--his voice the least\nbit husky--and then: \"The thing I wanted to say--may I say it now,\nwe are so very near the end?\"\n\nHer lips moved but whether they voiced consent or refusal he did\nnot know, for the words were drowned in the whir of the propeller.\n\nThe black had learned his lesson sufficiently well so that the\nmotor was started without bungling and the machine was soon under\nway across the meadowland. A groan escaped the lips of the distracted\nEnglishman as he watched the woman he loved being carried to almost\ncertain death. He saw the plane tilt and the machine rise from\nthe ground. It was a good take-off--as good as Lieutenant Harold\nPercy Smith-Oldwick could make himself but he realized that it was\nonly so by chance. At any instant the machine might plunge to earth\nand even if, by some miracle of chance, the black could succeed\nin rising above the tree tops and make a successful flight, there\nwas not one chance in one hundred thousand that he could ever land\nagain without killing his fair captive and himself.\n\nBut what was that? His heart stood still.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIII\n\nUsanga's Reward\n\n\nFor two days Tarzan of the Apes had been hunting leisurely to the\nnorth, and swinging in a wide circle, he had returned to within\na short distance of the clearing where he had left Bertha Kircher\nand the young lieutenant. He had spent the night in a large tree\nthat overhung the river only a short distance from the clearing,\nand now in the early morning hours he was crouching at the water's\nedge waiting for an opportunity to capture Pisah, the fish, thinking\nthat he would take it back with him to the hut where the girl could\ncook it for herself and her companion.\n\nMotionless as a bronze statue was the wily ape-man, for well he knew\nhow wary is Pisah, the fish. The slightest movement would frighten\nhim away and only by infinite patience might he be captured at\nall. Tarzan depended upon his own quickness and the suddenness of\nhis attack, for he had no bait or hook. His knowledge of the ways\nof the denizens of the water told him where to wait for Pisah. It\nmight be a minute or it might be an hour before the fish would swim\ninto the little pool above which he crouched, but sooner or later\none would come. That the ape-man knew, so with the patience of the\nbeast of prey he waited for his quarry.\n\nAt last there was a glint of shiny scales. Pisah was coming.  In a\nmoment he would be within reach and then with the swiftness of light\ntwo strong, brown hands would plunge into the pool and seize him,\nbut, just at the moment that the fish was about to come within reach,\nthere was a great crashing in the underbrush behind the ape-man.\nInstantly Pisah was gone and Tarzan, growling, had wheeled about\nto face whatever creature might be menacing him. The moment that\nhe turned he saw that the author of the disturbance was Zu-tag.\n\n\"What does Zu-tag want?\" asked the ape-man.\n\n\"Zu-tag comes to the water to drink,\" replied the ape.\n\n\"Where is the tribe?\" asked Tarzan.\n\n\"They are hunting for pisangs and scimatines farther back in the\nforest,\" replied Zu-tag.\n\n\"And the Tarmangani she and bull--\" asked Tarzan, \"are they safe?\"\n\n\"They have gone away,\" replied Zu-tag. \"Kudu has come out of his\nlair twice since they left.\"\n\n\"Did the tribe chase them away?\" asked Tarzan.\n\n\"No,\" replied the ape. \"We did not see them go. We do not know why\nthey left.\"\n\nTarzan swung quickly through the trees toward the clearing.  The\nhut and boma were as he had left them, but there was no sign of\neither the man or the woman. Crossing the clearing, he entered the\nboma and then the hut. Both were empty, and his trained nostrils\ntold him that they had been gone for at least two days. As he was\nabout to leave the hut he saw a paper pinned upon the wall with a\nsliver of wood and taking it down, he read:\n\n\nAfter what you told me about Miss Kircher, and knowing that you\ndislike her, I feel that it is not fair to her and to you that we\nshould impose longer upon you. I know that our presence is keeping\nyou from continuing your journey to the west coast, and so I\nhave decided that it is better for us to try and reach the white\nsettlements immediately without imposing further upon you. We both\nthank you for your kindness and protection. If there was any way\nthat I might repay the obligation I feel, I should be only too glad\nto do so.\n\n\nIt was signed by Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick.\n\nTarzan shrugged his shoulders, crumpled the note in his hand and\ntossed it aside. He felt a certain sense of relief from responsibility\nand was glad that they had taken the matter out of his hands. They\nwere gone and would forget, but somehow he could not forget. He\nwalked out across the boma and into the clearing. He felt uneasy\nand restless.  Once he started toward the north in response to\na sudden determination to continue his way to the west coast. He\nwould follow the winding river toward the north a few miles where\nits course turned to the west and then on toward its source across\na wooded plateau and up into the foothills and the mountains. Upon\nthe other side of the range he would search for a stream running\ndownward toward the west coast, and thus following the rivers he\nwould be sure of game and water in plenty.\n\nBut he did not go far. A dozen steps, perhaps, and he came to\na sudden stop. \"He is an Englishman,\" he muttered, \"and the other\nis a woman. They can never reach the settlements without my help.\nI could not kill her with my own hands when I tried, and if I let\nthem go on alone, I will have killed her just as surely as though\nI had run my knife into her heart.  No,\" and again he  shook his\nhead. \"Tarzan of the Apes is a fool and a weak, old woman,\" and he\nturned back toward the south.\n\nManu, the monkey, had seen the two Tarmangani pass two days before.\nChattering and scolding, he told Tarzan all about it. They had\ngone in the direction of the village of the Gomangani, that much\nhad Manu seen with his own eyes, so the ape-man swung on through\nthe jungle in a southerly direction and though with no concentrated\neffort to follow the spoor of those he trailed, he passed numerous\nevidences that they had gone this way--faint suggestions of their\nscent spoor clung lightly to leaf or branch or bole that one\nor the other had touched, or in the earth of the trail their feet\nhad trod, and where the way wound through the gloomy depth of dank\nforest, the impress of their shoes still showed occasionally in\nthe damp mass of decaying vegetation that floored the way.\n\nAn inexplicable urge spurred Tarzan to increasing, speed.  The\nsame still, small voice that chided him for having neglected them\nseemed constantly whispering that they were in dire need of him\nnow. Tarzan's conscience was troubling him, which accounted for\nthe fact that he compared himself to a weak, old woman, for the\nape-man, reared in savagery and inured to hardships and cruelty,\ndisliked to admit any of the gentler traits that in reality were\nhis birthright.\n\nThe trail made a detour to the east of the village of the Wamabos,\nand then returned to the wide elephant path nearer to the river,\nwhere it continued in a southerly direction for several miles. At\nlast there came to the ears of the ape-man a peculiar whirring,\nthrobbing sound. For an instant he paused, listening intently, \"An\naeroplane!\" he muttered, and hastened forward at greatly increased\nspeed.\n\nWhen Tarzan of the Apes finally reached the edge of the meadowland\nwhere Smith-Oldwick's plane had landed, he took in the entire scene\nin one quick glance and grasped the situation, although he could\nscarce give credence to the things he saw. Bound and helpless,\nthe English officer lay upon the ground at one side of the meadow,\nwhile around him stood a number of the black deserters from the\nGerman command.  Tarzan had seen these men before and knew who they\nwere.  Coming toward him down the meadow was an aeroplane piloted\nby the black Usanga and in the seat behind the pilot was the white\ngirl, Bertha Kircher. How it befell that the ignorant savage could\noperate the plane, Tarzan could not guess nor had he time in which\nto speculate upon the subject.  His knowledge of Usanga, together\nwith the position of the white man, told him that the black sergeant\nwas attempting to carry off the white girl. Why he should be doing\nthis when he had her in his power and had also captured and secured\nthe only creature in the jungle who might wish to defend her in so\nfar as the black could know, Tarzan could not guess, for he knew\nnothing of Usanga's twenty-four dream wives nor of the black's\nfear of the horrid temper of Naratu, his present mate. He did not\nknow, then, that Usanga had determined to fly away with the white\ngirl never to return, and to put so great a distance between himself\nand Naratu that the latter never could find him again; but it was\nthis very thing that was in the black's mind although not even his\nown warriors guessed it. He had told them that he would take the\ncaptive to a sultan of the north and there obtain a great price for\nher and that when he returned they should have some of the spoils.\n\nThese things Tarzan did not know. All he knew was what he saw--a\nNegro attempting to fly away with a white girl.  Already the\nmachine was slowly leaving the ground. In a moment more it would\nrise swiftly out of reach. At first Tarzan thought of fitting an\narrow to his bow and slaying Usanga, but as quickly he abandoned\nthe idea because he knew that the moment the pilot was slain the\nmachine, running wild, would dash the girl to death among the trees.\n\nThere was but one way in which he might hope to succor her--a way\nwhich if it failed must send him to instant death and yet he did\nnot hesitate in an attempt to put it into execution.\n\nUsanga did not see him, being too intent upon the unaccustomed duties\nof a pilot, but the blacks across the meadow saw him and they ran\nforward with loud and savage cries and menacing rifles to intercept\nhim. They saw a giant white man leap from the branches of a tree\nto the turf and race rapidly toward the plane. They saw him take\na long grass rope from about his shoulders as he ran. They saw the\nnoose swinging in an undulating circle above his head. They saw\nthe white girl in the machine glance down and discover him.\n\nTwenty feet above the running ape-man soared the huge plane. The\nopen noose shot up to meet it, and the girl, half guessing the\nape-man's intentions, reached out and caught the noose and, bracing\nherself, clung tightly to it with both hands. Simultaneously Tarzan\nwas dragged from his feet and the plane lurched sideways in response\nto the new strain.  Usanga clutched wildly at the control and the\nmachine shot upward at a steep angle. Dangling at the end of the\nrope the ape-man swung pendulum-like in space. The Englishman, lying\nbound upon the ground, had been a witness of all these happenings.\nHis heart stood still as he saw Tarzan's body hurtling through the\nair toward the tree tops among which it seemed he must inevitably\ncrash; but the plane was rising rapidly, so that the beast-man\ncleared the top-most branches.  Then slowly, hand over hand, he\nclimbed toward the fuselage.  The girl, clinging desperately to the\nnoose, strained every muscle to hold the great weight dangling at\nthe lower end of the rope.\n\nUsanga, all unconscious of what was going on behind him, drove the\nplane higher and higher into the air.\n\nTarzan glanced downward. Below him the tree tops and the river\npassed rapidly to the rear and only a slender grass rope and the\nmuscles of a frail girl stood between him and the death yawning\nthere thousands of feet below.\n\nIt seemed to Bertha Kircher that the fingers of her hands were dead.\nThe numbness was running up her arms to her elbows. How much longer\nshe could cling to the straining strands she could not guess. It\nseemed to her that those lifeless fingers must relax at any instant\nand then, when she had about given up hope, she saw a strong brown\nhand reach up and grasp the side of the fuselage. Instantly the\nweight upon the rope was removed and a moment later Tarzan of the\nApes raised his body above the side and threw a leg over the edge.\nHe glanced forward at Usanga and then, placing his mouth close to\nthe girl's ear he cried: \"Have you ever piloted a plane?\" The girl\nnodded a quick affirmative.\n\n\"Have you the courage to climb up there beside the black and seize\nthe control while I take care of him?\"\n\nThe girl looked toward Usanga and shuddered. \"Yes,\" she replied,\n\"but my feet are bound.\"\n\nTarzan drew his hunting knife from its sheath and reaching down,\nsevered the thongs that bound her ankles. Then the girl unsnapped\nthe strap that held her to her seat. With one hand Tarzan grasped\nthe girl's arm and steadied her as the two crawled slowly across\nthe few feet which intervened between the two seats. A single slight\ntip of the plane would have cast them both into eternity. Tarzan\nrealized that only through a miracle of chance could they reach\nUsanga and effect the change in pilots and yet he knew that that\nchance must be taken, for in the brief moments since he had first\nseen the plane, he had realized that the black was almost without\nexperience as a pilot and that death surely awaited them in any\nevent should the black sergeant remain at the control.\n\nThe first intimation Usanga had that all was not well with him was\nwhen the girl slipped suddenly to his side and grasped the control\nand at the same instant steel-like fingers seized his throat. A brown\nhand shot down with a keen blade and severed the strap about his\nwaist and giant muscles lifted him bodily from his seat. Usanga\nclawed the air and shrieked but he was helpless as a babe. Far\nbelow the watchers in the meadow could see the aeroplane careening\nin the sky, for with the change of control it had taken a sudden\ndive. They saw it right itself and, turning in a short circle, return\nin their direction, but it was so far above them and the light of\nthe sun so strong that they could see nothing of what was going on\nwithin the fuselage; but presently Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick gave\na gasp of dismay as he saw a human body plunge downward from the\nplane. Turning and twisting in mid-air it fell with ever-increasing\nvelocity and the Englishman held his breath as the thing hurtled\ntoward them.\n\nWith a muffled thud it flattened upon the turf near the center of\nthe meadow, and when at last the Englishman could gain the courage\nto again turn his eyes upon it, he breathed a fervent prayer of\nthanks, for the shapeless mass that lay upon the blood-stained turf\nwas covered with an ebon hide.  Usanga had reaped his reward.\n\nAgain and again the plane circled above the meadow. The blacks, at\nfirst dismayed at the death of their leader, were now worked to a\nfrenzy of rage and a determination to be avenged. The girl and the\nape-man saw them gather in a knot about the body of their fallen\nchief. They saw as they circled above the meadow the black fists\nshaken at them, and the rifles brandishing a menace toward them.\nTarzan still clung to the fuselage directly behind the pilot's seat.\nHis face was close beside Bertha Kircher's, and at the top of his\nvoice, above the noise of propeller, engine and exhaust, he screamed\na few words of instruction into her ear.\n\nAs the girl grasped the significance of his words she paled, but\nher lips set in a hard line and her eyes shone with a sudden fire\nof  determination as she dropped the plane to within a few feet of\nthe ground and at the opposite end of the meadow from the blacks\nand then at full speed bore down upon the savages. So quickly the\nplane came that Usanga's men had no time to escape it after they\nrealized its menace.  It touched the ground just as it struck among\nthem and mowed through them, a veritable juggernaut of destruction.\nWhen it came to rest at the edge of the forest the ape-man leaped\nquickly to the ground and ran toward the young lieutenant, and as\nhe went he glanced at the spot where the warriors had stood, ready\nto defend himself if necessary, but there was none there to oppose\nhim. Dead and dying they lay strewn for fifty feet along the turf.\n\nBy the time Tarzan had freed the Englishman the girl joined them.\nShe tried to voice her thanks to the ape-man but he silenced her\nwith a gesture.\n\n\"You saved yourself,\" he insisted, \"for had you been unable to\npilot the plane, I could not have helped you, and now,\" he said,\n\"you two have the means of returning to the settlements.  The day\nis still young. You can easily cover the distance in a few hours\nif you have sufficient petrol.\" He looked inquiringly toward the\naviator.\n\nSmith-Oldwick nodded his head affirmatively. \"I have plenty,\" he\nreplied.\n\n\"Then go at once,\" said the ape-man. \"Neither of you belong in the\njungle.\" A slight smile touched his lips as he spoke.\n\nThe girl and the Englishman smiled too. \"This jungle is no place\nfor us at least,\" said Smith-Oldwick, \"and it is no place for any\nother white man. Why don't you come back to civilization with us?\"\n\nTarzan shook his head. \"I prefer the jungle,\" he said.\n\nThe aviator dug his toe into the ground and still looking down,\nblurted something which he evidently hated to say.  \"If it is a\nmatter of living, old top,\" he said, \"er--money, er--you know--\"\n\nTarzan laughed. \"No,\" he said. \"I know what you are trying to say.\nIt is not that. I was born in the jungle. I have lived all my life\nin the jungle, and I shall die in the jungle.  I do not wish to\nlive or die elsewhere.\"\n\nThe others shook their heads. They could not understand him.\n\n\"Go,\" said the ape-man. \"The quicker you go, the quicker you will\nreach safety.\"\n\nThey walked to the plane together. Smith-Oldwick pressed the\nape-man's hand and clambered into the pilot's seat.  \"Good-bye,\"\nsaid the girl as she extended her hand to Tarzan.  \"Before I go\nwon't you tell me you don't hate me any more?\" Tarzan's face clouded.\nWithout a word he picked her up and lifted her to her place behind\nthe Englishman. An expression of pain crossed Bertha Kircher's\nface. The motor started and a moment later the two were being borne\nrapidly toward the east.\n\nIn the center of the meadow stood the ape-man watching them. \"It\nis too bad that she is a German and a spy,\" he said, \"for she is\nvery hard to hate.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIV\n\nThe Black Lion\n\n\nNuma, the lion, was hungry. He had come out of the desert country\nto the east into a land of plenty but though he was young and strong,\nthe wary grass-eaters had managed to elude his mighty talons each\ntime he had thought to make a kill.\n\nNuma, the lion, was hungry and very savage. For two days he had\nnot eaten and now he hunted in the ugliest of humors.  No more did\nNuma roar forth a rumbling challenge to the world but rather he\nmoved silent and grim, stepping softly that no cracking twig might\nbetray his presence to the keen-eared quarry he sought.\n\nFresh was the spoor of Bara, the deer, that Numa picked up in the\nwell-beaten game trail he was following. No hour had passed since\nBara had come this way; the time could be measured in minutes and\nso the great lion redoubled the cautiousness of his advance as he\ncrept stealthily in pursuit of his quarry.\n\nA light wind was moving through the jungle aisles, and it wafted\ndown now to the nostrils of the eager carnivore the strong scent\nspoor of the deer, exciting his already avid appetite to a point\nwhere it became a gnawing pain. Yet Numa did not permit himself to\nbe carried away by his desires into any premature charge such as\nhad recently lost him the juicy meat of Pacco, the zebra. Increasing\nhis gait but slightly he followed the tortuous windings of the\ntrail until suddenly just before him, where the trail wound about\nthe bole of a huge tree, he saw a young buck moving slowly ahead\nof him.\n\nNuma judged the distance with his keen eyes, glowing now like two\nterrible spots of yellow fire in his wrinkled, snarling face. He\ncould do it--this time he was sure. One terrific roar that would\nparalyze the poor creature ahead of him into momentary inaction,\nand a simultaneous charge of lightning-like rapidity and Numa, the\nlion, would feed. The sinuous tail, undulating slowly at its tufted\nextremity, whipped suddenly erect. It was the signal for the charge\nand the vocal organs were shaped for the thunderous roar when, as\nlightning out of a clear sky, Sheeta, the panther, leaped suddenly\ninto the trail between Numa and the deer.\n\nA blundering charge made Sheeta, for with the first crash of his\nspotted body through the foliage verging the trail, Bara gave a\nsingle startled backward glance and was gone.\n\nThe roar that was intended to paralyze the deer broke horribly from\nthe deep throat of the great cat--an angry roar of rage against\nthe meddling Sheeta who had robbed him of his kill, and the charge\nthat was intended for Bara was launched against the panther; but\nhere too Numa was doomed to disappointment, for with the first notes\nof his fearsome roar Sheeta, considering well the better part of\nvalor, leaped into a near-by tree.\n\nA half-hour later it was a thoroughly furious Numa who came\nunexpectedly upon the scent of man. Heretofore the lord of the jungle\nhad disdained the unpalatable flesh of the despised man-thing. Such\nmeat was only for the old, the toothless, and the decrepit who no\nlonger could make their kills among the fleet-footed grass-eaters.\nBara, the deer, Horta, the boar, and, best and wariest, Pacco, the\nzebra, were for the young, the strong, and the agile, but Numa was\nhungry--hungrier than he ever had been in the five short years of\nhis life.\n\nWhat if he was a young, powerful, cunning, and ferocious beast?\nIn the face of hunger, the great leveler, he was as the old, the\ntoothless, and the decrepit. His belly cried aloud in anguish and\nhis jowls slavered for flesh. Zebra or deer or man, what mattered\nit so that it was warm flesh, red with the hot juices of life?\nEven Dango, the hyena, eater of offal, would, at the moment, have\nseemed a tidbit to Numa.\n\nThe great lion knew the habits and frailties of man, though he never\nbefore had hunted man for food. He knew the despised Gomangani as\nthe slowest, the most stupid, and the most defenseless of creatures.\nNo woodcraft, no cunning, no stealth was necessary in the hunting\nof man, nor had Numa any stomach for either delay or silence.\n\nHis rage had become an almost equally consuming passion with\nhis hunger, so that now, as his delicate nostrils apprised him of\nthe recent passage of man, he lowered his head and rumbled forth\na thunderous roar, and at a swift walk, careless of the noise he\nmade, set forth upon the trail of his intended quarry.\n\nMajestic and terrible, regally careless of his surroundings, the\nking of beasts strode down the beaten trail. The natural caution\nthat is inherent to all creatures of the wild had deserted him.\nWhat had he, lord of the jungle, to fear and, with only man to hunt,\nwhat need of caution? And so he did not see or scent what a more\nwary Numa might readily have discovered until, with the cracking of\ntwigs and a tumbling of earth, he was precipitated into a cunningly\ndevised pit that the wily Wamabos had excavated for just this\npurpose in the center of the game trail.\n\nTarzan of the Apes stood in the center of the clearing watching the\nplane shrinking to diminutive toy-like proportions in the eastern\nsky. He had breathed a sigh of relief as he saw it rise safely with\nthe British flier and Fraulein Bertha Kircher.  For weeks he had\nfelt the hampering responsibility of their welfare in this savage\nwilderness where their utter helplessness would have rendered them\neasy prey for the savage carnivores or the cruel Wamabos. Tarzan\nof the Apes loved unfettered freedom, and now that these two were\nsafely off his hands, he felt that he could continue upon his\njourney toward the west coast and the long-untenanted cabin of his\ndead father.\n\nAnd yet, as he stood there watching the tiny speck in the east,\nanother sigh heaved his broad chest, nor was it a sigh of relief,\nbut rather a sensation which Tarzan had never expected to feel\nagain and which he now disliked to admit even to himself. It could\nnot be possible that he, the jungle bred, who had renounced forever\nthe society of man to return to his beloved beasts of the wilds,\ncould be feeling anything akin to regret at the departure of these\ntwo, or any slightest loneliness now that they were gone. Lieutenant\nHarold Percy Smith-Oldwick Tarzan had liked, but the woman whom he\nhad known as a German spy he had hated, though he never had found it\nin his heart to slay her as he had sworn to slay all Huns. He had\nattributed this weakness to the fact that she was a woman, although\nhe had been rather troubled by the apparent inconsistency of\nhis hatred for her and his repeated protection of her when danger\nthreatened.\n\nWith an irritable toss of his head he wheeled suddenly toward the\nwest as though by turning his back upon the fast disappearing plane\nhe might expunge thoughts of its passengers from his memory. At\nthe edge of the clearing he paused; a giant tree loomed directly\nahead of him and, as though actuated by sudden and irresistible\nimpulse, he leaped into the branches and swung himself with apelike\nagility to the topmost limbs that would sustain his weight. There,\nbalancing lightly upon a swaying bough, he sought in the direction\nof the eastern horizon for the tiny speck that would be the British\nplane bearing away from him the last of his own race and kind that\nhe expected ever again to see.\n\nAt last his keen eyes picked up the ship flying at a considerable\naltitude far in the east. For a few seconds he watched it speeding\nevenly eastward, when, to his horror, he saw the speck dive suddenly\ndownward. The fall seemed interminable to the watcher and he\nrealized how great must have been the altitude of the plane before\nthe drop commenced. Just before it disappeared from sight its\ndownward momentum appeared to abate suddenly, but it was still\nmoving rapidly at a steep angle when it finally disappeared from\nview behind the far hills.\n\nFor half a minute the ape-man stood noting distant landmarks that\nhe judged might be in the vicinity of the fallen plane, for no\nsooner had he realized that these people were again in trouble than\nhis inherent sense of duty to his own kind impelled him once more\nto forego his plans and seek to aid them.\n\nThe ape-man feared from what he judged of the location of the machine\nthat it had fallen among the almost impassable gorges of the arid\ncountry just beyond the fertile basin that was bounded by the\nhills to the east of him. He had crossed that parched and desolate\ncountry of the dead himself and he knew from his own experience\nand the narrow escape he had had from succumbing to its relentless\ncruelty no lesser man could hope to win his way to safety from\nany considerable distance within its borders. Vividly he recalled\nthe bleached bones of the long-dead warrior in the bottom of the\nprecipitous gorge that had all but proved a trap for him as well.\nHe saw the helmet of hammered brass and the corroded breastplate of\nsteel and the long straight sword in its scabbard and the ancient\nharquebus--mute testimonials to the mighty physique and the\nwarlike spirit of him who had somehow won, thus illy caparisoned\nand pitifully armed, to the center of savage, ancient Africa; and\nhe saw the slender English youth and the slight figure of the girl\ncast into the same fateful trap from which this giant of old had\nbeen unable to escape--cast there wounded and broken perhaps, if\nnot killed.\n\nHis judgment told him that the latter possibility was probably\nthe fact, and yet there was a chance that they might have landed\nwithout fatal injuries, and so upon this slim chance he started out\nupon what he knew would be an arduous journey, fraught with many\nhardships and unspeakable peril, that he might attempt to save them\nif they still lived.\n\nHe had covered a mile perhaps when his quick ears caught the sound\nof rapid movement along the game trail ahead of him. The sound,\nincreasing in volume, proclaimed the fact that whatever caused it\nwas moving in his direction and moving rapidly. Nor was it long\nbefore his trained senses convinced him that the footfalls were\nthose of Bara, the deer, in rapid flight. Inextricably confused in\nTarzan's character were the attributes of man and of beasts. Long\nexperience had taught him that he fights best or travels fastest\nwho is best nourished, and so, with few exceptions, Tarzan could\ndelay his most urgent business to take advantage of an opportunity\nto kill and feed. This perhaps was the predominant beast trait in\nhim. The transformation from an English gentleman, impelled by the\nmost humanitarian motives, to that of a wild beast crouching in the\nconcealment of a dense bush ready to spring upon its approaching\nprey, was instantaneous.\n\nAnd so, when Bara came, escaping the clutches of Numa and Sheeta,\nhis terror and his haste precluded the possibility of his sensing\nthat other equally formidable foe lying in ambush for him. Abreast\nof the ape-man came the deer; a light-brown body shot from the\nconcealing verdure of the bush, strong arms encircled the sleek\nneck of the young buck and powerful teeth fastened themselves in\nthe soft flesh. Together the two rolled over in the trail and a\nmoment later the ape-man rose, and, with one foot upon the carcass\nof his kill, raised his voice in the victory cry of the bull ape.\n\nLike an answering challenge came suddenly to the ears of the\nape-man the thunderous roar of a lion, a hideous angry roar in which\nTarzan thought that he discerned a note of surprise and terror. In\nthe breast of the wild things of the jungle, as in the breasts of\ntheir more enlightened brothers and sisters of the human race, the\ncharacteristic of curiosity is well developed. Nor was Tarzan far\nfrom innocent of it.  The peculiar note in the roar of his hereditary\nenemy aroused a desire to investigate, and so, throwing the carcass\nof Bara, the deer, across his shoulder, the ape-man took to the\nlower terraces of the forest and moved quickly in the direction\nfrom which the sound had come, which was in line with the trail he\nhad set out upon.\n\nAs the distance lessened, the sounds increased in volume, which\nindicated that he was approaching a very angry lion and presently,\nwhere a jungle giant overspread the broad game trail that countless\nthousands of hoofed and padded feet had worn and trampled into a\ndeep furrow during perhaps countless ages, he saw beneath him the\nlion pit of the Wamabos and in it, leaping futilely for freedom\nsuch a lion as even Tarzan of the Apes never before had beheld. A\nmighty beast it was that glared up at the ape-man--large, powerful\nand young, with a huge black mane and a coat so much darker than\nany Tarzan ever had seen that in the depths of the pit it looked\nalmost black--a black lion!\n\nTarzan who had been upon the point of taunting and reviling his\ncaptive foe was suddenly turned to open admiration for the beauty\nof the splendid beast. What a creature!  How by comparison the\nordinary forest lion was dwarfed into insignificance! Here indeed\nwas one worthy to be called king of beasts. With his first sight of\nthe great cat the ape-man knew that he had heard no note of terror\nin that initial roar; surprise doubtless, but the vocal chords of\nthat mighty throat never had reacted to fear.\n\nWith growing admiration came a feeling of quick pity for the hapless\nsituation of the great brute rendered futile and helpless by the\nwiles of the Gomangani. Enemy though the beast was, he was less an\nenemy to the ape-man than those blacks who had trapped him, for\nthough Tarzan of the Apes claimed many fast and loyal friends among\ncertain tribes of African natives, there were others of degraded\ncharacter and bestial habits that he looked upon with utter loathing,\nand of such were the human flesh-eaters of Numabo the chief. For\na moment Numa, the lion, glared ferociously at the naked man-thing\nupon the tree limb above him. Steadily those yellow-green eyes\nbored into the clear eyes of the ape-man, and then the sensitive\nnostrils caught the scent of the fresh blood of Bara and the eyes\nmoved to the carcass lying across the brown shoulder, and there\ncame from the cavernous depths of the savage throat a low whine.\n\nTarzan of the Apes smiled. As unmistakably as though a human voice\nhad spoken, the lion had said to him \"I am hungry, even more than\nhungry. I am starving,\" and the ape-man looked down upon the lion\nbeneath him and smiled, a slow quizzical smile, and then he shifted\nthe carcass from his shoulder to the branch before him and, drawing\nthe long blade that had been his father's, deftly cut off a hind\nquarter and, wiping the bloody blade upon Bara's smooth coat, he\nreturned it to its scabbard. Numa, with watering jaws, looked up\nat the tempting meat and whined again and the ape-man smiled down\nupon him his slow smile and, raising the hind quarter in his strong\nbrown hands buried his teeth in the tender, juicy flesh.\n\nFor the third time Numa, the lion, uttered that low pleading whine\nand then, with a rueful and disgusted shake of his head, Tarzan of\nthe Apes raised the balance of the carcass of Bara, the deer, and\nhurled it to the famished beast below.\n\n\"Old woman,\" muttered the ape-man. \"Tarzan has become a weak old\nwoman. Presently he would shed tears because he has killed Bara,\nthe deer. He cannot see Numa, his enemy, go hungry, because Tarzan's\nheart is turning to water by contact with the soft, weak creatures\nof civilization.\" But yet he smiled, nor was he sorry that he had\ngiven way to the dictates of a kindly impulse.\n\nAs Tarzan tore the flesh from that portion of the kill he had retained\nfor himself his eyes were taking in each detail of the scene below.\nHe saw the avidity with which Numa devoured the carcass; he noted\nwith growing admiration the finer points of the beast, and also\nthe cunning construction of the trap.  The ordinary lion pit with\nwhich Tarzan was familiar had stakes imbedded in the bottom, upon\nwhose sharpened points the hapless lion would be impaled, but this\npit was not so made. Here the short stakes were set at intervals of\nabout a foot around the walls near the top, their sharpened points\ninclining downward so that the lion had fallen unhurt into the trap\nbut could not leap out because each time he essayed it his head\ncame in contact with the sharp end of a stake above him.\n\nEvidently, then, the purpose of the Wamabos was to capture a lion\nalive. As this tribe had no contact whatsoever with white men in\nso far as Tarzan knew, their motive was doubtless due to a desire\nto torture the beast to death that they might enjoy to the utmost\nhis dying agonies.\n\nHaving fed the lion, it presently occurred to Tarzan that his act\nwould be futile were he to leave the beast to the mercies of the\nblacks, and then too it occurred to him that he could derive more\npleasure through causing the blacks discomfiture than by leaving\nNuma to his fate. But how was he to release him? By removing two\nstakes there would be left plenty of room for the lion to leap from\nthe pit, which was not of any great depth. However, what assurance\nhad Tarzan that Numa would not leap out instantly the way to\nfreedom was open, and before the ape-man could gain the safety of\nthe trees?  Regardless of the fact that Tarzan felt no such fear\nof the lion as you and I might experience under like circumstances,\nhe yet was imbued with the sense of caution that is necessary to\nall creatures of the wild if they are to survive. Should necessity\nrequire, Tarzan could face Numa in battle, although he was not so\negotistical as to think that he could best a full-grown lion in\nmortal combat other than through accident or the utilization of the\ncunning of his superior man-mind. To lay himself liable to death\nfutilely, he would have considered as reprehensible as to have\nshunned danger in time of necessity; but when Tarzan elected to do\na thing he usually found the means to accomplish it.\n\nHe had now fully determined to liberate Numa, and having so determined,\nhe would accomplish it even though it entailed considerable personal\nrisk. He knew that the lion would be occupied with his feeding for\nsome time, but he also knew that while feeding he would be doubly\nresentful of any fancied interference. Therefore Tarzan must work\nwith caution.\n\nComing to the ground at the side of the pit, he examined the stakes\nand as he did so was rather surprised to note that Numa gave no\nevidence of anger at his approach. Once he turned a searching gaze\nupon the ape-man for a moment and then returned to the flesh of\nBara. Tarzan felt of the stakes and tested them with his weight.\nHe pulled upon them with the muscles of his strong arms, presently\ndiscovering that by working them back and forth he could loosen\nthem: and then a new plan was suggested to him so that he fell to\nwork excavating with his knife at a point above where one of the\nstakes was imbedded. The loam was soft and easily removed, and it\nwas not long until Tarzan had exposed that part of one of the stakes\nwhich was imbedded in the wall of the pit to almost its entire\nlength, leaving only enough imbedded to prevent the stake from\nfalling into the excavation. Then he turned his attention to an\nadjoining stake and soon had it similarly exposed, after which he\nthrew the noose of his grass rope over the two and swung quickly\nto the branch of the tree above.  Here he gathered in the slack of\nthe rope and, bracing himself against the bole of the tree, pulled\nsteadily upward. Slowly the stakes rose from the trench in which\nthey were imbedded and with them rose Numa's suspicion and growling.\n\nWas this some new encroachment upon his rights and his liberties?\nHe was puzzled and, like all lions, being short of temper, he\nwas irritated. He had not minded it when the Tarmangani squatted\nupon the verge of the pit and looked down upon him, for had not\nthis Tarmangani fed him? But now something else was afoot and the\nsuspicion of the wild beast was aroused. As he watched, however,\nNuma saw the stakes rise slowly to an erect position, tumble\nagainst each other and then fall backwards out of his sight upon\nthe surface of the ground above. Instantly the lion grasped the\npossibilities of the situation, and, too, perhaps he sensed the fact\nthat the man-thing had deliberately opened a way for his escape.\nSeizing the remains of Bara in his great jaws, Numa, the lion,\nleaped agilely from the pit of the Wamabos and Tarzan of the Apes\nmelted into the jungles to the east.\n\nOn the surface of the ground or through the swaying branches of the\ntrees the spoor of man or beast was an open book to the ape-man, but\neven his acute senses were baffled by the spoorless trail of the\nairship. Of what good were eyes, or ears, or the sense of smell\nin following a thing whose path had lain through the shifting\nair thousands of feet above the tree tops? Only upon his sense of\ndirection could Tarzan depend in his search for the fallen plane.\nHe could not even judge accurately as to the distance it might\nlie from him, and he knew that from the moment that it disappeared\nbeyond the hills it might have traveled a considerable distance at\nright angles to its original course before it crashed to earth. If\nits occupants were killed or badly injured the ape-man might search\nfutilely in their immediate vicinity for some time before finding\nthem.\n\nThere was but one thing to do and that was to travel to a point\nas close as possible to where he judged the plane had landed, and\nthen to follow in ever-widening circles until he picked up their\nscent spoor. And this he did.\n\nBefore he left the valley of plenty he made several kills and\ncarried the choicest cuts of meat with him, leaving all the dead\nweight of bones behind. The dense vegetation of the jungle terminated\nat the foot of the western slope, growing less and less abundant\nas he neared the summit beyond which was a sparse growth of sickly\nscrub and sunburned grasses, with here and there a gnarled and hardy\ntree that had withstood the vicissitudes of an almost waterless\nexistence.\n\nFrom the summit of the hills Tarzan's keen eyes searched the arid\nlandscape before him. In the distance he discerned the ragged\ntortuous lines that marked the winding course of the hideous gorges\nwhich scored the broad plain at intervals--the terrible gorges that\nhad so nearly claimed his life in punishment for his temerity in\nattempting to invade the sanctity of their ancient solitude.\n\nFor two days Tarzan sought futilely for some clew to the whereabouts\nof the machine or its occupants. He cached portions of his kills at\ndifferent points, building cairns of rock to mark their locations.\nHe crossed the first deep gorge and circled far beyond it. Occasionally\nhe stopped and called aloud, listening for some response but\nonly silence rewarded him--a sinister silence that his cries only\naccentuated.\n\nLate in the evening of the second day he came to the well-remembered\ngorge in which lay the clean-picked bones of the ancient adventurer,\nand here, for the first time, Ska, the vulture, picked up his trail.\n\"Not this time, Ska,\" cried the ape-man in a taunting voice, \"for\nnow indeed is Tarzan Tarzan.  Before, you stalked the grim skeleton\nof a Tarmangani and even then you lost. Waste not your time upon\nTarzan of the Apes in the full of his strength.\"  But still Ska, the\nvulture, circled and soared above him, and the ape-man, notwithstanding\nhis boasts, felt a shudder of apprehension. Through his brain ran\na persistent and doleful chant to which he involuntarily set two\nwords, repeated over and over again in horrible monotony: \"Ska\nknows! Ska knows!\" until, shaking himself in anger, he picked up\na rock and hurled it at the grim scavenger.\n\nLowering himself over the precipitous side of the gorge Tarzan half\nclambered and half slid to the sandy floor beneath.  He had come\nupon the rift at almost the exact spot at which he had clambered\nfrom it weeks before, and there he saw, just as he had left it,\njust, doubtless, as it had lain for centuries, the mighty skeleton\nand its mighty armor.\n\nAs he stood looking down upon this grim reminder that another man\nof might had succumbed to the cruel powers of the desert, he was\nbrought to startled attention by the report of a firearm, the sound\nof which came from the depths of the gorge to the south of him,\nand reverberated along the steep walls of the narrow rift.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XV\n\nMysterious Footprints\n\n\nAs the British plane piloted by Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick\nrose above the jungle wilderness where Bertha Kircher's life had\nso often been upon the point of extinction, and sped toward the\neast, the girl felt a sudden contraction of the muscles of her\nthroat. She tried very hard to swallow something that was not there.\nIt seemed strange to her that she should feel regret in leaving\nbehind her such hideous perils, and yet it was plain to her that\nsuch was the fact, for she was also leaving behind something beside\nthe dangers that had menaced her--a unique figure that had entered\nher life, and for which she felt an unaccountable attraction.\n\nBefore her in the pilot's seat sat an English officer and gentleman\nwhom, she knew, loved her, and yet she dared to feel regret in his\ncompany at leaving the stamping ground of a wild beast!\n\nLieutenant Smith-Oldwick, on his part, was in the seventh heaven\nof elation. He was in possession again of his beloved ship, he was\nflying swiftly in the direction of his comrades and his duty, and\nwith him was the woman he loved. The fly in the ointment, however,\nwas the accusation Tarzan had made against this woman. He had said\nthat she was a German, and a spy, and from the heights of bliss the\nEnglish officer was occasionally plunged to the depths of despair\nin contemplation of the inevitable, were the ape-man's charges to\nprove true. He found himself torn between sentiments of love and\nhonor. On the one hand he could not surrender the woman he loved\nto the certain fate that must be meted out to her if she were in\ntruth an enemy spy, while on the other it would be equally impossible\nfor him as an Englishman and an officer to give her aid or protection.\n\nThe young man contented himself therefore with repeated mental\ndenials of her guilt. He tried to convince himself that Tarzan was\nmistaken, and when he conjured upon the screen of recollection the\nface of the girl behind him, he was doubly reassured that those\nlines of sweet femininity and character, those clear and honest\neyes, could not belong to one of the hated alien race.\n\nAnd so they sped toward the east, each wrapped in his own thoughts.\nBelow them they saw the dense vegetation of the jungle give place\nto the scantier growth upon the hillside, and then before them\nthere spread the wide expanse of arid wastelands marked by the deep\nscarring of the narrow gorges that long-gone rivers had cut there\nin some forgotten age.\n\nShortly after they passed the summit of the ridge which formed\nthe boundary between the desert and the fertile country, Ska, the\nvulture, winging his way at a high altitude toward his aerie, caught\nsight of a strange new bird of gigantic proportions encroaching upon\nthe preserves of his aerial domain.  Whether with intent to give\nbattle to the interloper or merely impelled by curiosity, Ska rose\nsuddenly upward to meet the plane. Doubtless he misjudged the speed\nof the newcomer, but be that as it may, the tip of the propeller\nblade touched him and simultaneously many things happened. The\nlifeless body of Ska, torn and bleeding, dropped plummet-like toward\nthe ground; a bit of splintered spruce drove backward to strike\nthe pilot on the forehead; the plane shuddered and trembled and\nas Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick sank forward in momentary\nunconsciousness the ship dived headlong toward the earth.\n\nOnly for an instant was the pilot unconscious, but that instant\nalmost proved their undoing. When he awoke to a realization of\ntheir peril it was also to discover that his motor had stalled.\nThe plane had attained frightful momentum, and the ground seemed\ntoo close for him to hope to flatten out in time to make a safe\nlanding. Directly beneath him was a deep rift in the plateau, a\nnarrow gorge, the bottom of which appeared comparatively level and\nsand covered.\n\nIn the brief instant in which he must reach a decision, the safest\nplan seemed to attempt a landing in the gorge, and this he did, but\nnot without considerable damage to the plane and a severe shaking-up\nfor himself and his passenger.\n\nFortunately neither of them was injured but their condition seemed\nindeed a hopeless one. It was a grave question as to whether the\nman could repair his plane and continue the journey, and it seemed\nequally questionable as to their ability either to proceed on foot\nto the coast or retrace their way to the country they had just\nleft. The man was confident that they could not hope to cross the\ndesert country to the east in the face of thirst and hunger, while\nbehind them in the valley of plenty lay almost equal danger in the\nform of carnivores and the warlike natives.\n\nAfter the plane came to its sudden and disastrous stop, Smith-Oldwick\nturned quickly to see what the effect of the accident had been on\nthe girl. He found her pale but smiling, and for several seconds\nthe two sat looking at each other in silence.\n\n\"This is the end?\" the girl asked.\n\nThe Englishman shook his head. \"It is the end of the first leg,\nanyway,\" he replied.\n\n\"But you can't hope to make repairs here,\" she said dubiously.\n\n\"No,\" he said, \"not if they amount to anything, but I may be able\nto patch it up. I will have to look her over a bit first.  Let us\nhope there is nothing serious. It's a long, long way to the Tanga\nrailway.\"\n\n\"We would not get far,\" said the girl, a slight note of hopelessness\nin her tone. \"Entirely unarmed as we are, it would be little less\nthan a miracle if we covered even a small fraction of the distance.\"\n\n\"But we are not unarmed,\" replied the man. \"I have an extra pistol\nhere, that the beggars didn't discover,\" and, removing the cover\nof a compartment, he drew forth an automatic.\n\nBertha Kircher leaned back in her seat and laughed aloud, a mirthless,\nhalf-hysterical laugh. \"That popgun!\" she exclaimed. \"What earthly\ngood would it do other than to infuriate any beast of prey you\nmight happen to hit with it?\"\n\nSmith-Oldwick looked rather crestfallen. \"But it is a weapon,\" he\nsaid. \"You will have to admit that, and certainly I could kill a\nman with it.\"\n\n\"You could if you happened to hit him,\" said the girl, \"or the\nthing didn't jam. Really, I haven't much faith in an automatic. I\nhave used them myself.\"\n\n\"Oh, of course,\" he said ironically, \"an express rifle would be\nbetter, for who knows but we might meet an elephant here in the\ndesert.\"\n\nThe girl saw that he was hurt, and she was sorry, for she realized\nthat there was nothing he would not do in her service or protection,\nand that it was through no fault of his that he was so illy armed.\nDoubtless, too, he realized as well as she the futility of his\nweapon, and that he had only called attention to it in the hope of\nreassuring her and lessening her anxiety.\n\n\"Forgive me,\" she said. \"I did not mean to be nasty, but this\naccident is the proverbial last straw. It seems to me that I have\nborne all that I can. Though I was willing to give my life in the\nservice of my country, I did not imagine that my death agonies would\nbe so long drawn out, for I realize now that I have been dying for\nmany weeks.\"\n\n\"What do you mean!\" he exclaimed; \"what do you mean by that! You\nare not dying. There is nothing the matter with you.\"\n\n\"Oh, not that,\" she said, \"I did not mean that. What I mean is that\nat the moment the black sergeant, Usanga, and his renegade German\nnative troops captured me and brought me inland, my death warrant\nwas signed. Sometimes I have imagined that a reprieve has been\ngranted. Sometimes I have hoped that I might be upon the verge of\nwinning a full pardon, but really in the depths of my heart I have\nknown that I should never live to regain civilization. I have done\nmy bit for my country, and though it was not much I can at least\ngo with the realization that it was the best I was able to offer.\nAll that I can hope for now, all that I ask for, is a speedy\nfulfillment of the death sentence. I do not wish to linger any more\nto face constant terror and apprehension. Even physical torture\nwould be preferable to what I have passed through. I have no doubt\nthat you consider me a brave woman, but really my terror has been\nboundless. The cries of the carnivores at night fill me with a dread\nso tangible that I am in actual pain. I feel the rending talons\nin my flesh and the cruel fangs munching upon my bones--it is as\nreal to me as though I were actually enduring the horrors of such\na death. I doubt if you can understand it--men are so different.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" he said, \"I think I can understand it, and because I understand\nI can appreciate more than you imagine the heroism you have shown\nin your endurance of all that you have passed through. There can\nbe no bravery where there is no fear. A child might walk into a\nlion's den, but it would take a very brave man to go to its rescue.\"\n\n\"Thank you,\" she said, \"but I am not brave at all, and now I am\nvery much ashamed of my thoughtlessness for your own feelings. I\nwill try and take a new grip upon myself and we will both hope for\nthe best. I will help you all I can if you will tell me what I may\ndo.\"\n\n\"The first thing,\" he replied, \"is to find out just how serious\nour damage is, and then to see what we can do in the way of repairs.\"\n\nFor two days Smith-Oldwick worked upon the damaged plane--worked\nin the face of the fact that from the first he realized the case\nwas hopeless. And at last he told her.\n\n\"I knew it,\" she said, \"but I believe that I felt much as you must\nhave; that however futile our efforts here might be, it would be\ninfinitely as fatal to attempt to retrace our way to the jungle we\njust left or to go on toward the coast. You know and I know that we\ncould not reach the Tanga railway on foot.  We should die of thirst\nand starvation before we had covered half the distance, and if we\nreturn to the jungle, even were we able to reach it, it would be\nbut to court an equally certain, though different, fate.\"\n\n\"So we might as well sit here and wait for death as to uselessly\nwaste our energies in what we know would be a futile attempt at\nescape?\" he asked.\n\n\"No,\" she replied, \"I shall never give up like that. What I meant\nwas that it was useless to attempt to reach either of the places\nwhere we know that there is food and water in abundance, so we\nmust strike out in a new direction. Somewhere there may be water\nin this wilderness and if there is, the best chance of our finding\nit would be to follow this gorge downward. We have enough food and\nwater left, if we are careful of it, for a couple of days and in\nthat time we might stumble upon a spring or possibly even reach\nthe fertile country which I know lies to the south. When Usanga\nbrought me to the Wamabo country from the coast he took a southerly\nroute along which there was usually water and game in plenty. It\nwas not until we neared our destination that the country became\noverrun with carnivores. So there is hope if we can reach the\nfertile country south of us that we can manage to pull through to\nthe coast.\"\n\nThe man shook his head dubiously. \"We can try it,\" he said.\n\"Personally, I do not fancy sitting here waiting for death.\"\n\nSmith-Oldwick was leaning against the ship, his dejected gaze\ndirected upon the ground at his feet. The girl was looking south\ndown the gorge in the direction of their one slender chance of\nlife. Suddenly she touched him on the arm.\n\n\"Look,\" she whispered.\n\nThe man raised his eyes quickly in the direction of her gaze to\nsee the massive head of a great lion who was regarding them from\nbeyond a rocky projection at the first turning of the gorge.\n\n\"Phew!\" he exclaimed, \"the beggars are everywhere.\"\n\n\"They do not go far from water do they,\" asked the girl hopefully.\n\n\"I should imagine not,\" he replied; \"a lion is not particularly\nstrong on endurance.\"\n\n\"Then he is a harbinger of hope,\" she exclaimed.\n\nThe man laughed. \"Cute little harbinger of hope!\" he said.  \"Reminds\nme of Cock Robin heralding spring.\"\n\nThe girl cast a quick glance at him. \"Don't be silly, and I don't\ncare if you do laugh. He fills me with hope.\"\n\n\"It is probably mutual,\" replied Smith-Oldwick, \"as we doubtless\nfill him with hope.\"\n\nThe lion evidently having satisfied himself as to the nature of\nthe creatures before him advanced slowly now in their direction.\n\n\"Come,\" said the man, \"let's climb aboard,\" and he helped the girl\nover the side of the ship.\n\n\"Can't he get in here?\" she asked.\n\n\"I think he can,\" said the man.\n\n\"You are reassuring,\" she returned.\n\n\"I don't feel so.\" He drew his pistol.\n\n\"For heaven's sake,\" she cried, \"don't shoot at him with that thing.\nYou might hit him.\"\n\n\"I don't intend to shoot at him but I might succeed in frightening\nhim away if he attempts to reach us here. Haven't you ever seen a\ntrainer work with lions? He carries a silly little pop-gun loaded\nwith blank cartridges. With that and a kitchen chair he subdues\nthe most ferocious of beasts.\"\n\n\"But you haven't a kitchen chair,\" she reminded him.\n\n\"No,\" he said, \"Government is always muddling things. I have always\nmaintained that airplanes should be equipped with kitchen chairs.\"\n\nBertha Kircher laughed as evenly and with as little hysteria as\nthough she were moved by the small talk of an afternoon tea.\n\nNuma, the lion, came steadily toward them; his attitude seemed\nmore that of curiosity than of belligerency. Close to the side of\nthe ship he stopped and stood gazing up at them.\n\n\"Magnificent, isn't he?\" exclaimed the man.\n\n\"I never saw a more beautiful creature,\" she replied, \"nor one with\nsuch a dark coat. Why, he is almost black.\"\n\nThe sound of their voices seemed not to please the lord of the\njungle, for he suddenly wrinkled his great face into deep furrows\nas he bared his fangs beneath snarling lips and gave vent to an\nangry growl. Almost simultaneously he crouched for a spring and\nimmediately Smith-Oldwick discharged his pistol into the ground in\nfront of the lion. The effect of the noise upon Numa seemed but to\nenrage him further, and with a horrid roar he sprang for the author\nof the new and disquieting sound that had outraged his ears.\n\nSimultaneously Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick vaulted nimbly\nout of the cockpit on the opposite side of his plane, calling to\nthe girl to follow his example. The girl, realizing the futility\nof leaping to the ground, chose the remaining alternative and\nclambered to the top of the upper plane.\n\nNuma, unaccustomed to the idiosyncrasies of construction of an\nairship and having gained the forward cockpit, watched the girl\nclamber out of his reach without at first endeavoring to prevent\nher. Having taken possession of the plane his anger seemed suddenly\nto leave him and he made no immediate move toward following\nSmith-Oldwick. The girl, realizing the comparative safety of her\nposition, had crawled to the outer edge of the wing and was calling\nto the man to try and reach the opposite end of the upper plane.\n\nIt was this scene upon which Tarzan of the Apes looked as he\nrounded the bend of the gorge above the plane after the pistol shot\nhad attracted his attention. The girl was so intent upon watching\nthe efforts of the Englishman to reach a place of safety, and the\nlatter was so busily occupied in attempting to do so that neither\nat once noticed the silent approach of the ape-man.\n\nIt was Numa who first noticed the intruder. The lion immediately\nevinced his displeasure by directing toward him a snarling countenance\nand a series of warning growls. His action called the attention of\nthe two upon the upper plane to the newcomer, eliciting a stifled\n\"Thank God!\" from the girl, even though she could scarce credit the\nevidence of her own eyes that it was indeed the savage man, whose\npresence always assured her safety, who had come so providentially\nin the nick of time.\n\nAlmost immediately both were horrified to see Numa leap from the\ncockpit and advance upon Tarzan. The ape-man, carrying his stout\nspear in readiness, moved deliberately onward to meet the carnivore,\nwhich he had recognized as the lion of the Wamabos' pit. He knew\nfrom the manner of Numa's approach what neither Bertha Kircher nor\nSmith-Oldwick knew--that there was more of curiosity than belligerency\nin it, and he wondered if in that great head there might not be a\nsemblance of gratitude for the kindness that Tarzan had done him.\n\nThere was no question in Tarzan's mind but that Numa recognized\nhim, for he knew his fellows of the jungle well enough to know that\nwhile they oft-times forgot certain sensations more quickly than\nman there are others which remain in their memories for years. A\nwell-defined scent spoor might never be forgotten by a beast if it\nhad first been sensed under unusual circumstances, and so Tarzan\nwas confident that Numa's nose had already reminded him of all the\ncircumstances of their brief connection.\n\nLove of the sporting chance is inherent in the Anglo-Saxon race and\nit was not now Tarzan of the Apes but rather John Clayton, Lord\nGreystoke, who smilingly welcomed the sporting chance which he must\ntake to discover how far-reaching was Numa's gratitude.\n\nSmith-Oldwick and the girl saw the two nearing each other.  The\nformer swore softly beneath his breath while he nervously fingered\nthe pitiful weapon at his hip. The girl pressed her open palms to\nher cheeks as she leaned forward in stony-eyed, horror-stricken\nsilence. While she had every confidence in the prowess of the godlike\ncreature who thus dared brazenly to face the king of beasts, she\nhad no false conception of what must certainly happen when they\nmet. She had seen Tarzan battle with Sheeta, the panther, and she\nhad realized then that powerful as the man was, it was only agility,\ncunning, and chance that placed him upon anywhere near an equal\nfooting with his savage adversary, and that of the three factors\nupon his side chance was the greatest.\n\nShe saw the man and the lion stop simultaneously, not more than\na yard apart. She saw the beast's tail whipping from side to side\nand she could hear his deep-throated growls rumbling from his\ncavernous breast, but she could read correctly neither the movement\nof the lashing tail nor the notes of the growl.\n\nTo her they seemed to indicate nothing but bestial rage while to\nTarzan of the Apes they were conciliatory and reassuring in the\nextreme. And then she saw Numa move forward again until his nose\ntouched the man's naked leg and she closed her eyes and covered\nthem with her palms. For what seemed an eternity she waited for\nthe horrid sound of the conflict which she knew must come, but all\nshe heard was an explosive sigh of relief from Smith-Oldwick and\na half-hysterical \"By Jove! Just fancy it!\"\n\nShe looked up to see the great lion rubbing his shaggy head against\nthe man's hip, and Tarzan's free hand entangled in the black mane\nas he scratched Numa, the lion, behind a back-laid ear.\n\nStrange friendships are often formed between the lower animals\nof different species, but less often between man and the savage\nfelidae, because of the former's inherent fear of the great cats.\nAnd so after all, therefore, the friendship so suddenly developed\nbetween the savage lion and the savage man was not inexplicable.\n\nAs Tarzan approached the plane Numa walked at his side, and when\nTarzan stopped and looked up at the girl and the man Numa stopped\nalso.\n\n\"I had about given up hope of finding you,\" said the ape-man, \"and\nit is evident that I found you just in time.\"\n\n\"But how did you know we were in trouble?\" asked the English officer.\n\n\"I saw your plane fall,\" replied Tarzan. \"I was watching you from\na tree beside the clearing where you took off. I didn't have much\nto locate you by other than the general direction, but it seems\nthat you volplaned a considerable distance toward the south after\nyou disappeared from my view behind the hills. I have been looking\nfor you further toward the north. I was just about to turn back\nwhen I heard your pistol shot. Is your ship beyond repair?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" replied Smith-Oldwick, \"it is hopeless.\"\n\n\"What are your plans, then? What do you wish to do?\" Tarzan directed\nhis question to the girl.\n\n\"We want to reach the coast,\" she said, \"but it seems impossible\nnow.\"\n\n\"I should have thought so a little while ago,\" replied the ape-man,\n\"but if Numa is here there must be water within a reasonable\ndistance. I ran across this lion two days ago in the Wamabo country.\nI liberated him from one of their pits. To have reached this spot\nhe must have come by some trail unknown to me--at least I crossed\nno game trail and no spoor of any animal after I came over the hills\nout of the fertile country.  From which direction did he come upon\nyou?\"\n\n\"It was from the south,\" replied the girl. \"We thought, too, that\nthere must be water in that direction.\"\n\n\"Let's find out then,\" said Tarzan.\n\n\"But how about the lion?\" asked Smith-Oldwick.\n\n\"That we will have to discover,\" replied the ape-man, \"and we can\nonly do so if you will come down from your perch.\"\n\nThe officer shrugged his shoulders. The girl turned her gaze upon\nhim to note the effect of Tarzan's proposal. The Englishman grew\nsuddenly very white, but there was a smile upon his lips as without\na word he slipped over the edge of the plane and clambered to the\nground behind Tarzan.\n\nBertha Kircher realized that the man was afraid nor did she blame\nhim, and she also realized the remarkable courage that he had shown\nin thus facing a danger that was very real to him.\n\nNuma standing close to Tarzan's side raised his head and glared at\nthe young Englishman, growled once, and looked up at the ape-man.\nTarzan retained a hold upon the beast's mane and spoke to him in\nthe language of the great apes. To the girl and Smith-Oldwick the\ngrowling gutturals falling from human lips sounded uncanny in the\nextreme, but whether Numa understood them or not they appeared to\nhave the desired effect upon him, as he ceased growling, and as\nTarzan walked to Smith-Oldwick's side Numa accompanied him, nor\ndid he offer to molest the officer.\n\n\"What did you say to him?\" asked the girl.\n\nTarzan smiled. \"I told him,\" he replied, \"that I am Tarzan of the\nApes, mighty hunter, killer of beasts, lord of the jungle, and that\nyou are my friends. I have never been sure that all of the other\nbeasts understand the language of the Mangani. I know that Manu,\nthe monkey, speaks nearly the same tongue and I am sure that Tantor,\nthe elephant, understands all that I say to him. We of the jungle\nare great boasters. In our speech, in our carriage, in every detail\nof our demeanor we must impress others with our physical power and\nour ferocity.  That is why we growl at our enemies. We are telling\nthem to beware or we shall fall upon them and tear them to pieces.\nPerhaps Numa does not understand the words that I use but I believe\nthat my tones and my manner carry the impression that I wish them\nto convey. Now you may come down and be introduced.\"\n\nIt required all the courage that Bertha Kircher possessed to lower\nherself to the ground within reach of the talons and fangs of this\nuntamed forest beast, but she did it. Nor did Numa do more than\nbare his teeth and growl a little as she came close to the ape-man.\n\n\"I think you are safe from him as long as I am present,\" said the\nape-man. \"The best thing to do is simply to ignore him.  Make no\nadvances, but be sure to give no indication of fear and, if possible\nalways keep me between you and him. He will go away presently I am\nsure and the chances are that we shall not see him again.\"\n\nAt Tarzan's suggestion Smith-Oldwick removed the remaining water\nand provisions from the plane and, distributing the burden among\nthem, they set off toward the south. Numa did not follow them, but\nstood by the plane watching until they finally disappeared from\nview around a bend in the gorge.\n\nTarzan had picked up Numa's trail with the intention of following\nit southward in the belief that it would lead to water.  In the sand\nthat floored the bottom of the gorge tracks were plain and easily\nfollowed. At first only the fresh tracks of Numa were visible, but\nlater in the day the ape-man discovered the older tracks of other\nlions and just before dark he stopped suddenly in evident surprise.\nHis two companions looked at him questioningly, and in answer to\ntheir implied interrogations he pointed at the ground directly in\nfront of him.\n\n\"Look at those,\" he exclaimed.\n\nAt first neither Smith-Oldwick nor the girl saw anything but a\nconfusion of intermingled prints of padded feet in the sand, but\npresently the girl discovered what Tarzan had seen, and an exclamation\nof surprise broke from her lips.\n\n\"The imprint of human feet!\" she cried.\n\nTarzan nodded.\n\n\"But there are no toes,\" the girl pointed out.\n\n\"The feet were shod with a soft sandal,\" explained Tarzan.\n\n\"Then there must be a native village somewhere in the vicinity,\"\nsaid Smith-Oldwick.\n\n\"Yes,\" replied the ape-man, \"but not the sort of natives which we\nwould expect to find here in this part of Africa where others all\ngo unshod with the exception of a few of Usanga's renegade German\nnative troops who wear German army shoes. I don't know that you can\nnotice it, but it is evident to me that the foot inside the sandal\nthat made these imprints were not the foot of a Negro. If you will\nexamine them carefully you will notice that the impression of the\nheel and ball of the foot are well marked even through the sole of\nthe sandal. The weight comes more nearly in the center of a Negro's\nfootprint.\"\n\n\"Then you think these were made by a white person?\"\n\n\"It looks that way,\" replied Tarzan, and suddenly, to the surprise\nof both the girl and Smith-Oldwick, he dropped to his hands and\nknees and sniffed at the tracks--again a beast utilizing the senses\nand woodcraft of a beast. Over an area of several square yards his\nkeen nostrils sought the identity of the makers of the tracks. At\nlength he rose to his feet.\n\n\"It is not the spoor of the Gomangani,\" he said, \"nor is it exactly\nlike that of white men. There were three who came this way. They\nwere men, but of what race I do not know.\"\n\nThere was no apparent change in the nature of the gorge except that\nit had steadily grown deeper as they followed it downward until now\nthe rocky and precipitous sides rose far above them. At different\npoints natural caves, which appeared to have been eroded by the action\nof water in some forgotten age, pitted the side walls at various\nheights. Near them was such a cavity at the ground's level--an\narched cavern floored with white sand. Tarzan indicated it with a\ngesture of his hand.\n\n\"We will lair here tonight,\" he said, and then with one of his\nrare, slow smiles: \"We will CAMP here tonight.\"\n\nHaving eaten their meager supper Tarzan bade the girl enter the\ncavern.\n\n\"You will sleep inside,\" he said. \"The lieutenant and I will lie\noutside at the entrance.\"\n\n\n\n\nChapter XVI\n\nThe Night Attack\n\n\nAs the girl turned to bid them good night, she thought that she\nsaw a shadowy form moving in the darkness beyond them, and almost\nsimultaneously she was sure that she heard the sounds of stealthy\nmovement in the same direction.\n\n\"What is that?\" she whispered. \"There is something out there in\nthe darkness.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" replied Tarzan, \"it is a lion. It has been there for some\ntime. Hadn't you noticed it before?\"\n\n\"Oh!\" cried the girl, breathing a sigh of relief, \"is it our lion?\"\n\n\"No,\" said Tarzan, \"it is not our lion; it is another lion and he\nis hunting.\"\n\n\"He is stalking us?\" asked the girl.\n\n\"He is,\" replied the ape-man. Smith-Oldwick fingered the grip of\nhis pistol.\n\nTarzan saw the involuntary movement and shook his head.\n\n\"Leave that thing where it is, Lieutenant,\" he said.\n\nThe officer laughed nervously. \"I couldn't help it, you know, old\nman,\" he said; \"instinct of self-preservation and all that.\"\n\n\"It would prove an instinct of self-destruction,\" said Tarzan.\n\"There are at least three hunting lions out there watching us.  If\nwe had a fire or the moon were up you would see their eyes plainly.\nPresently they may come after us but the chances are that they will\nnot. If you are very anxious that they should, fire your pistol\nand hit one of them.\"\n\n\"What if they do charge?\" asked the girl; \"there is no means of\nescape.\"\n\n\"Why, we should have to fight them,\" replied Tarzan.\n\n\"What chance would we three have against them?\" asked the girl.\n\nThe ape-man shrugged his shoulders. \"One must die sometime,\" he\nsaid. \"To you doubtless it may seem terrible--such a death; but\nTarzan of the Apes has always expected to go out in some such way.\nFew of us die of old age in the jungle, nor should I care to die\nthus. Some day Numa will get me, or Sheeta, or a black warrior.\nThese or some of the others. What difference does it make which\nit is, or whether it comes tonight or next year or in ten years?\nAfter it is over it will be all the same.\"\n\nThe girl shuddered. \"Yes,\" she said in a dull, hopeless voice,\n\"after it is over it will be all the same.\"\n\nThen she went into the cavern and lay down upon the sand.  Smith-Oldwick\nsat in the entrance and leaned against the cliff.  Tarzan squatted\non the opposite side.\n\n\"May I smoke?\" questioned the officer of Tarzan. \"I have been\nhoarding a few cigarettes and if it won't attract those bouncers\nout there I would like to have one last smoke before I cash in.\nWill you join me?\" and he proffered the ape-man a cigarette.\n\n\"No, thanks,\" said Tarzan, \"but it will be all right if you smoke.\nNo wild animal is particularly fond of the fumes of tobacco so it\ncertainly won't entice them any closer.\"\n\nSmith-Oldwick lighted his cigarette and sat puffing slowly upon\nit. He had proffered one to the girl but she had refused, and thus\nthey sat in silence for some time, the silence of the night ruffled\noccasionally by the faint crunching of padded feet upon the soft\nsands of the gorge's floor.\n\nIt was Smith-Oldwick who broke the silence. \"Aren't they unusually\nquiet for lions?\" he asked.\n\n\"No,\" replied the ape-man; \"the lion that goes roaring around the\njungle does not do it to attract prey. They are very quiet when\nthey are stalking their quarry.\"\n\n\"I wish they would roar,\" said the officer. \"I wish they would\ndo anything, even charge. Just knowing that they are there and\noccasionally seeing something like a shadow in the darkness and the\nfaint sounds that come to us from them are getting on my nerves.\nBut I hope,\" he said, \"that all three don't charge at once.\"\n\n\"Three?\" said Tarzan. \"There are seven of them out there now.\"\n\n\"Good Lord! exclaimed Smith-Oldwick.\n\n\"Couldn't we build a fire,\" asked the girl, \"and frighten them\naway?\"\n\n\"I don't know that it would do any good,\" said Tarzan, \"as I have\nan idea that these lions are a little different from any that we\nare familiar with and possibly for the same reason which at first\npuzzled me a little--I refer to the apparent docility in the\npresence of a man of the lion who was with us today. A man is out\nthere now with those lions.\"\n\n\"It is impossible!\" exclaimed Smith-Oldwick. \"They would tear him\nto pieces.\"\n\n\"What makes you think there is a man there?\" asked the girl.\n\nTarzan smiled and shook his head. \"I am afraid you would not\nunderstand,\" he replied. \"It is difficult for us to understand\nanything that is beyond our own powers.\"\n\n\"What do you mean by that?\" asked the officer.\n\n\"Well,\" said Tarzan, \"if you had been born without eyes you could\nnot understand sense impressions that the eyes of others transmit\nto their brains, and as you have both been born without any sense\nof smell I am afraid you cannot understand how I can know that\nthere is a man there.\"\n\n\"You mean that you scent a man?\" asked the girl.\n\nTarzan nodded affirmatively.\n\n\"And in the same way you know the number of lions?\" asked the man.\n\n\"Yes,\" said Tarzan. \"No two lions look alike, no two have the same\nscent.\"\n\nThe young Englishman shook his head. \"No,\" he said, \"I cannot\nunderstand.\"\n\n\"I doubt if the lions or the man are here necessarily for the purpose\nof harming us,\" said Tarzan, \"because there has been nothing to\nprevent their doing so long before had they wished to. I have a\ntheory, but it is utterly preposterous.\"\n\n\"What is it?\" asked the girl.\n\n\"I think they are here,\" replied Tarzan, \"to prevent us from going\nsome place that they do not wish us to go; in other words we are\nunder surveillance, and possibly as long as we don't go where we\nare not wanted we shall not be bothered.\"\n\n\"But how are we to know where they don't want us to go?\" asked\nSmith-Oldwick.\n\n\"We can't know,\" replied Tarzan, \"and the chances are that the very\nplace we are seeking is the place they don't wish us to trespass\non.\"\n\n\"You mean the water?\" asked the girl.\n\n\"Yes,\" replied Tarzan.\n\nFor some time they sat in silence which was broken only by an\noccasional sound of movement from the outer darkness. It must have\nbeen an hour later that the ape-man rose quietly and drew his long\nblade from its sheath. Smith-Oldwick was dozing against the rocky\nwall of the cavern entrance, while the girl, exhausted by the\nexcitement and fatigue of the day, had fallen into deep slumber. An\ninstant after Tarzan arose, Smith-Oldwick and the girl were aroused\nby a volley of thunderous roars and the noise of many padded feet\nrushing toward them.\n\nTarzan of the Apes stood directly before the entrance to the cavern,\nhis knife in his hand, awaiting the charge. The ape-man had not\nexpected any such concerted action as he now realized had been taken\nby those watching them. He had known for some time that other men\nhad joined those who were with the lions earlier in the evening,\nand when he arose to his feet it was because he knew that the lions\nand the men were moving cautiously closer to him and his party.\nHe might easily have eluded them, for he had seen that the face of\nthe cliff rising above the mouth of the cavern might be scaled by\nas good a climber as himself. It might have been wiser had he tried\nto escape, for he knew that in the face of such odds even he was\nhelpless, but he stood his ground though I doubt if he could have\ntold why.\n\nHe owed nothing either of duty or friendship to the girl sleeping\nin the cavern, nor could he longer be of any protection to her or\nher companion. Yet something held him there in futile self-sacrifice.\n\nThe great Tarmangani had not even the satisfaction of striking a\nblow in self-defense. A veritable avalanche of savage beasts rolled\nover him and threw him heavily to the ground.  In falling his head\nstruck the rocky surface of the cliff, stunning him.\n\nIt was daylight when he regained consciousness. The first dim\nimpression borne to his awakening mind was a confusion of savage\nsounds which gradually resolved themselves into the growling\nof lions, and then, little by little, there came back to him the\nrecollections of what had preceded the blow that had felled him.\n\nStrong in his nostrils was the scent of Numa, the lion, and against\none naked leg he could feel the coat of some animal.  Slowly Tarzan\nopened his eyes. He was lying on his side and as he looked down his\nbody, he saw that a great lion stood straddling him--a great lion\nwho growled hideously at something which Tarzan could not see.\n\nWith the full return of his senses Tarzan's nose told him that the\nbeast above him was Numa of the Wamabo pit.\n\nThus reassured, the ape-man spoke to the lion and at the same time\nmade a motion as though he would arise. Immediately Numa stepped\nfrom above him. As Tarzan raised his head, he saw that he still\nlay where he had fallen before the opening of the cliff where the\ngirl had been sleeping and that Numa, backed against the cliffside,\nwas apparently defending him from two other lions who paced to and\nfro a short distance from their intended victim.\n\nAnd then Tarzan turned his eyes into the cave and saw that the girl\nand Smith-Oldwick were gone.\n\nHis efforts had been for naught. With an angry toss of his head,\nthe ape-man turned upon the two lions who had continued to pace\nback and forth a few yards from him. Numa of the lion pit turned a\nfriendly glance in Tarzan's direction, rubbed his head against the\nape-man's side, and then directed his snarling countenance toward\nthe two hunters.\n\n\"I think,\" said Tarzan to Numa, \"that you and I together can make\nthese beasts very unhappy.\" He spoke in English, which, of course,\nNuma did not understand at all, but there must have been something\nreassuring in the tone, for Numa whined pleadingly and moved\nimpatiently to and fro parallel with their antagonists.\n\n\"Come,\" said Tarzan suddenly and grasping the lion's mane with his\nleft hand he moved toward the other lions, his companion pacing\nat his side. As the two advanced the others drew slowly back and,\nfinally separating, moved off to either side.  Tarzan and Numa\npassed between them but neither the great black-maned lion nor the\nman failed to keep an eye upon the beast nearer him so that they\nwere not caught unawares when, as though at some preconcerted\nsignal, the two cats charged simultaneously from opposite directions.\n\nThe ape-man met the charge of his antagonist after the same fashion\nof fighting that he had been accustomed to employing in previous\nencounters with Numa and Sheeta. To have attempted to meet the\nfull shock of a lion's charge would have been suicidal even for\nthe giant Tarmangani. Instead he resorted to methods of agility and\ncunning, for quick as are the great cats, even quicker is Tarzan\nof the Apes.\n\nWith outspread, raking talons and bared fangs Numa sprang for the\nnaked chest of the ape-man. Throwing up his left arm as a boxer might\nward off a blow, Tarzan struck upward beneath the left forearm of\nthe lion, at the same time rushing in with his shoulder beneath\nthe animal's body and simultaneously drove his blade into the tawny\nhide behind the shoulder. With a roar of pain Numa wheeled again,\nthe personification of bestial rage. Now indeed would he exterminate\nthis presumptuous man-thing who dared even to think that he could\nthwart the king of beasts in his desires. But as he wheeled, his\nintended quarry wheeled with him, brown fingers locked in the heavy\nmane on the powerful neck and again the blade struck deep into the\nlion's side.\n\nThen it was that Numa went mad with hate and pain and at the same\ninstant the ape-man leaped full upon his back.  Easily before had\nTarzan locked his legs beneath the belly of a lion while he clung\nto its long mane and stabbed it until his point reached its heart.\nSo easy it had seemed before that he experienced a sharp feeling of\nresentment that he was unable to do so now, for the quick movements\nof the lion prevented him, and presently, to his dismay, as the\nlion leaped and threw him about, the ape-man realized that he was\nswinging inevitably beneath those frightful talons.\n\nWith a final effort he threw himself from Numa's back and sought,\nby his quickness, to elude the frenzied beast for the fraction of\nan instant that would permit him to regain his feet and meet the\nanimal again upon a more even footing. But this time Numa was too\nquick for him and he was but partially up when a great paw struck\nhim on the side of the head and bowled him over.\n\nAs he fell he saw a black streak shoot above him and another lion\nclose upon his antagonist. Rolling from beneath the two battling lions\nTarzan regained his feet, though he was half dazed and staggering\nfrom the impact of the terrible blow he had received. Behind him\nhe saw a lifeless lion lying torn and bleeding upon the sand, and\nbefore him Numa of the pit was savagely mauling the second lion.\n\nHe of the black coat tremendously outclassed his adversary in\npoint of size and strength as well as in ferocity. The battling\nbeasts made a few feints and passes at each other before the larger\nsucceeded in fastening his fangs in the other's throat, and then,\nas a cat shakes a mouse, the larger lion shook the lesser, and when\nhis dying foe sought to roll beneath and rake his conqueror with\nhis hind claws, the other met him halfway at his own game, and as\nthe great talons buried themselves in the lower part of the other's\nchest and then were raked downward with all the terrific strength\nof the mighty hind legs, the battle was ended.\n\nAs Numa rose from his second victim and shook himself, Tarzan could\nnot but again note the wondrous proportions and symmetry of the\nbeast. The lions they had bested were splendid specimens themselves\nand in their coats Tarzan noted a suggestion of the black which\nwas such a strongly marked characteristic of Numa of the pit. Their\nmanes were just a trifle darker than an ordinary black-maned lion\nbut the tawny shade on the balance of their coats predominated.\nHowever, the ape-man realized that they were a distinct species\nfrom any he had seen as though they had sprung originally from a\ncross between the forest lion of his acquaintance and a breed of\nwhich Numa of the pit might be typical.\n\nThe immediate obstruction in his way having been removed, Tarzan was\nfor setting out in search of the spoor of the girl and Smith-Oldwick,\nthat he might discover their fate. He suddenly found himself\ntremendously hungry and as he circled about over the sandy bottom\nsearching among the tangled network of innumerable tracks for those\nof his proteges, there broke from his lips involuntarily the whine\nof a hungry beast.  Immediately Numa of the pit pricked up his ears\nand, regarding the ape-man steadily for a moment, he answered the\ncall of hunger and started briskly off toward the south, stopping\noccasionally to see if Tarzan was following.\n\nThe ape-man realized that the beast was leading him to food, and so\nhe followed and as he followed his keen eyes and sensitive nostrils\nsought for some indication of the direction taken by the man and\nthe girl. Presently out of the mass of lion tracks, Tarzan picked\nup those of many sandaled feet and the scent spoor of the members\nof the strange race such as had been with the lions the night\nbefore, and then faintly he caught the scent spoor of the girl and\na little later that of Smith-Oldwick. Presently the tracks thinned\nand here those of the girl and the Englishman became well marked.\n\nThey had been walking side by side and there had been men and\nlions to the right and left of them, and men and lions in front and\nbehind. The ape-man was puzzled by the possibilities suggested by\nthe tracks, but in the light of any previous experience he could\nnot explain satisfactorily to himself what his perceptions indicated.\n\nThere was little change in the formation of the gorge; it still\nwound its erratic course between precipitous cliffs. In places it\nwidened out and again it became very narrow and always deeper the\nfurther south they traveled. Presently the bottom of the gorge began\nto slope more rapidly. Here and there were indications of ancient\nrapids and waterfalls. The trail became more difficult but was well\nmarked and showed indications of great antiquity, and, in places,\nthe handiwork of man. They had proceeded for a half or three-quarters\nof a mile when, at a turning of the gorge, Tarzan saw before him a\nnarrow valley cut deep into the living rock of the earth's crust,\nwith lofty mountain ranges bounding it upon the south. How far it\nextended east and west he could not see, but apparently it was no\nmore than three or four miles across from north to south.\n\nThat it was a well-watered valley was indicated by the wealth of\nvegetation that carpeted its floor from the rocky cliffs upon the\nnorth to the mountains on the south.\n\nOver the edge of the cliffs from which the ape-man viewed the valley\na trail had been hewn that led downward to the base. Preceded by\nthe lion Tarzan descended into the valley, which, at this point,\nwas forested with large trees. Before him the trail wound onward\ntoward the center of the valley.  Raucous-voiced birds of brilliant\nplumage screamed among the branches while innumerable monkeys\nchattered and scolded above him.\n\nThe forest teemed with life, and yet there was borne in upon the\nape-man a sense of unutterable loneliness, a sensation that he\nnever before had felt in his beloved jungles. There was unreality\nin everything about him--in the valley itself, lying hidden\nand forgotten in what was supposed to be an arid waste. The birds\nand the monkeys, while similar in type to many with which he was\nfamiliar, were identical with none, nor was the vegetation without\nits idiosyncrasies. It was as though he had been suddenly transported\nto another world and he felt a strange restlessness that might\neasily have been a premonition of danger.\n\nFruits were growing among the trees and some of these he saw that\nManu, the monkey, ate. Being hungry he swung to the lower branches\nand, amidst a great chattering of the monkeys, proceeded to eat\nsuch of the fruit as he saw the monkeys ate in safety. When he had\npartially satisfied his hunger, for meat alone could fully do so,\nhe looked about him for Numa of the pit to discover that the lion\nhad gone.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XVII\n\nThe Walled City\n\n\nDropping to the ground once more he picked up the trail of the girl\nand her captors, which he followed easily along what appeared to\nbe a well-beaten trail. It was not long before he came to a small\nstream, where he quenched his thirst, and thereafter he saw that\nthe trail followed in the general direction of the stream, which\nran southwesterly. Here and there were cross trails and others\nwhich joined the main avenue, and always upon each of them were the\ntracks and scent of the great cats, of Numa, the lion, and Sheeta,\nthe panther.\n\nWith the exception of a few small rodents there appeared to be no\nother wild life on the surface of the valley. There was no indication\nof Bara, the deer, or Horta, the boar, or of Gorgo, the buffalo,\nButo, Tantor, or Duro. Histah, the snake, was there. He saw him in\nthe trees in greater numbers than he ever had seen Histah before;\nand once beside a reedy pool he caught a scent that could have\nbelonged to none other than Gimla the crocodile, but upon none of\nthese did the Tarmangani care to feed.\n\nAnd so, as he craved meat, he turned his attention to the birds\nabove him. His assailants of the night before had not disarmed\nhim. Either in the darkness and the rush of the charging lions the\nhuman foe had overlooked him or else they had considered him dead;\nbut whatever the reason he still retained his weapons--his spear\nand his long knife, his bow and arrows, and his grass rope.\n\nFitting a shaft to his bow Tarzan awaited an opportunity to bring\ndown one of the larger birds, and when the opportunity finally\npresented itself he drove the arrow straight to its mark.  As the\ngaily plumaged creature fluttered to earth its companions and the\nlittle monkeys set up a most terrific chorus of wails and screaming\nprotests. The whole forest became suddenly a babel of hoarse screams\nand shrill shrieks.\n\nTarzan would not have been surprised had one or two birds in the\nimmediate vicinity given voice to terror as they fled, but that the\nwhole life of the jungle should set up so weird a protest filled\nhim with disgust. It was an angry face that he turned up toward\nthe monkeys and the birds as there suddenly stirred within him a\nsavage inclination to voice his displeasure and his answer to what\nhe considered their challenge. And so it was that there broke upon\nthis jungle for the first time Tarzan's hideous scream of victory\nand challenge.\n\nThe effect upon the creatures above him was instantaneous.  Where\nbefore the air had trembled to the din of their voices, now utter\nsilence reigned and a moment later the ape-man was alone with his\npuny kill.\n\nThe silence following so closely the previous tumult carried\na sinister impression to the ape-man, which still further aroused\nhis anger. Picking the bird from where it had fallen he withdrew\nhis arrow from the body and returned it to his quiver. Then with\nhis knife he quickly and deftly removed the skin and feathers\ntogether. He ate angrily, growling as though actually menaced by\na near-by foe, and perhaps, too, his growls were partially induced\nby the fact that he did not care for the flesh of birds. Better\nthis, however, than nothing and from what his senses had told him\nthere was no flesh in the vicinity such as he was accustomed to\nand cared most for.  How he would have enjoyed a juicy haunch from\nPacco, the zebra, or a steak from the loin of Gorgo, the buffalo!\nThe very thought made his mouth water and increased his resentment\nagainst this unnatural forest that harbored no such delicious\nquarry.\n\nHe had but partially consumed his kill when he suddenly became\naware of a movement in the brush at no great distance from him\nand downwind, and a moment later his nostrils picked up the scent\nof Numa from the opposite direction, and then upon either side he\ncaught the fall of padded feet and the brushing of bodies against\nleafy branches. The ape-man smiled. What stupid creature did they\nthink him, to be surprised by such clumsy stalkers? Gradually the\nsounds and scents indicated that lions were moving upon him from\nall directions, that he was in the center of a steadily converging\ncircle of beasts. Evidently they were so sure of their prey that\nthey were making no effort toward stealth, for he heard twigs crack\nbeneath their feet, and the brushing of their bodies against the\nvegetation through which they forced their way.\n\nHe wondered what could have brought them. It seemed unreasonable\nto believe that the cries of the birds and the monkeys should\nhave summoned them, and yet, if not, it was indeed a remarkable\ncoincidence. His judgment told him that the death of a single bird\nin this forest which teemed with birds could scarce be of sufficient\nmoment to warrant that which followed. Yet even in the face of reason\nand past experience he found that the whole affair perplexed him.\n\nHe stood in the center of the trail awaiting the coming of the lions\nand wondering what would be the method of their attack or if they\nwould indeed attack. Presently a maned lion came into view along\nthe trail below him. At sight of him the lion halted. The beast was\nsimilar to those that had attacked him earlier in the day, a trifle\nlarger and a trifle darker than the lions of his native jungles,\nbut neither so large nor so black as Numa of the pit.\n\nPresently he distinguished the outlines of other lions in the\nsurrounding brush and among the trees. Each of them halted as it\ncame within sight of the ape-man and there they stood regarding\nhim in silence. Tarzan wondered how long it would be before they\ncharged and while he waited he resumed his feeding, though with\nevery sense constantly alert.\n\nOne by one the lions lay down, but always their faces were toward\nhim and their eyes upon him. There had been no growling and no\nroaring--just the quiet drawing of the silent circle about him.\nIt was all so entirely foreign to anything that Tarzan ever before\nhad seen lions do that it irritated him so that presently, having\nfinished his repast, he fell to making insulting remarks to first\none and then another of the lions, after the habit he had learned\nfrom the apes of his childhood.\n\n\"Dango, eater of carrion,\" he called them, and he compared them most\nunfavorably with Histah, the snake, the most loathed and repulsive\ncreature of the jungle. Finally he threw handfuls of earth at them\nand bits of broken twigs, and then the lions growled and bared\ntheir fangs, but none of them advanced.\n\n\"Cowards,\" Tarzan taunted them. \"Numa with a heart of Bara, the\ndeer.\" He told them who he was, and after the manner of the jungle\nfolk he boasted as to the horrible things he would do to them, but\nthe lions only lay and watched him.\n\nIt must have been a half hour after their coming that Tarzan caught\nin the distance along the trail the sound of footsteps approaching.\nThey were the footsteps of a creature who walked upon two legs,\nand though Tarzan could catch no scent spoor from that direction\nhe knew that a man was approaching. Nor had he long to wait before\nhis judgment was confirmed by the appearance of a man who halted\nin the trail directly behind the first lion that Tarzan had seen.\n\nAt sight of the newcomer the ape-man realized that here was one\nsimilar to those who had given off the unfamiliar scent spoor that\nhe had detected the previous night, and he saw that not only in\nthe matter of scent did the man differ from other human beings with\nwhom Tarzan was familiar.\n\nThe fellow was strongly built with skin of a leathery appearance,\nlike parchment yellowed with age. His hair, which was coal black\nand three or four inches in length, grew out stiffly at right angles\nto his scalp. His eyes were close set and the irises densely black\nand very small, so that the white of the eyeball showed around\nthem. The man's face was smooth except for a few straggly hairs on\nhis chin and upper lip.  The nose was aquiline and fine, but the\nhair grew so far down on the forehead as to suggest a very low\nand brutal type.  The upper lip was short and fine while the lower\nlip was rather heavy and inclined to be pendulous, the chin being\nequally weak. Altogether the face carried the suggestion of a\nonce strong and handsome countenance entirely altered by physical\nviolence or by degraded habits and thoughts. The man's arms were\nlong, though not abnormally so, while his legs were short, though\nstraight.\n\nHe was clothed in tight-fitting nether garments and a loose,\nsleeveless tunic that fell just below his hips, while his feet\nwere shod in soft-soled sandals, the wrappings of which extended\nhalfway to his knees, closely resembling a modern spiral military\nlegging. He carried a short, heavy spear, and at his side swung\na weapon that at first so astonished the ape-man that he could\nscarcely believe the evidence of his senses--a heavy saber in\na leather-covered scabbard. The man's tunic appeared to have been\nfabricated upon a loom--it was certainly not made of skins, while\nthe garments that covered his legs were quite as evidently made\nfrom the hides of rodents.\n\nTarzan noted the utter unconcern with which the man approached the\nlions, and the equal indifference of Numa to him. The fellow paused\nfor a moment as though appraising the ape-man and then pushed on\npast the lions, brushing against the tawny hide as he passed him\nin the trail.\n\nAbout twenty feet from Tarzan the man stopped, addressing the former\nin a strange jargon, no syllable of which was intelligible to the\nTarmangani. His gestures indicated numerous references to the lions\nsurrounding them, and once he touched his spear with the forefinger\nof his left hand and twice he struck the saber at his hip.\n\nWhile he spoke Tarzan studied the fellow closely, with the result\nthat there fastened itself upon his mind a strange conviction--that\nthe man who addressed him was what might only be described as a\nrational maniac. As the thought came to the ape-man he could not\nbut smile, so paradoxical the description seemed. Yet a closer\nstudy of the man's features, carriage, and the contour of his head\ncarried almost incontrovertibly the assurance that he was insane,\nwhile the tones of his voice and his gestures resembled those of\na sane and intelligent mortal.\n\nPresently the man had concluded his speech and appeared to be waiting\nquestioningly Tarzan's reply. The ape-man spoke to the other first\nin the language of the great apes, but he soon saw that the words\ncarried no conviction to his listener. Then with equal futility\nhe tried several native dialects but to none of these did the man\nrespond.\n\nBy this time Tarzan began to lose patience. He had wasted sufficient\ntime by the road, and as he had never depended much upon speech in\nthe accomplishment of his ends, he now raised his spear and advanced\ntoward the other. This, evidently, was a language common to both,\nfor instantly the fellow raised his own weapon and at the same time\na low call broke from his lips, a call which instantly brought to\naction every lion in the hitherto silent circle. A volley of roars\nshattered the silence of the forest and simultaneously lions sprang\ninto view upon all sides as they closed in rapidly upon their\nquarry. The man who had called them stepped back, his teeth bared\nin a mirthless grin.\n\nIt was then that Tarzan first noticed that the fellow's upper canines\nwere unusually long and exceedingly sharp. It was just a flashing\nglimpse he got of them as he leaped agilely from the ground and, to\nthe consternation of both the lions and their master, disappeared\nin the foliage of the lower terrace, flinging back over his shoulder\nas he swung rapidly away: \"I am Tarzan of the Apes; mighty hunter;\nmighty fighter! None in the jungle more powerful, none more cunning\nthan Tarzan!\"\n\nA short distance beyond the point at which they had surrounded him,\nTarzan came to the trail again and sought for the spoor of Bertha\nKircher and Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick.  He found them quickly and\ncontinued upon his search for the two. The spoor lay directly along\nthe trail for another half-mile when the way suddenly debouched\nfrom the forest into open land and there broke upon the astonished\nview of the ape-man the domes and minarets of a walled city.\n\nDirectly before him in the wall nearest him Tarzan saw a low-arched\ngateway to which a well-beaten trail led from that which he had\nbeen following. In the open space between the forest and the city\nwalls, quantities of garden stuff was growing, while before him\nat his feet, in an open man-made ditch, ran a stream of water! The\nplants in the garden were laid out in well-spaced, symmetrical rows\nand appeared to have been given excellent attention and cultivation.\nTiny streams were trickling between the rows from the main ditch\nbefore him and at some distance to his right he could see people\nat work among the plants.\n\nThe city wall appeared to be about thirty feet in height, its\nplastered expanse unbroken except by occasional embrasures. Beyond\nthe wall rose the domes of several structures and numerous minarets\ndotted the sky line of the city.  The largest and central dome\nappeared to be gilded, while others were red, or blue, or yellow.\nThe architecture of the wall itself was of uncompromising simplicity.\nIt was of a cream shade and appeared to be plastered and painted.\nAt its base was a line of well-tended shrubs and at some distance\ntowards its eastern extremity it was vine covered to the top.\n\nAs he stood in the shadow of the trail, his keen eyes taking in every\ndetail of the picture before him, he became aware of the approach\nof a party in his rear and there was borne to him the scent of the\nman and the lions whom he had so readily escaped. Taking to the\ntrees Tarzan moved a short distance to the west and, finding a\ncomfortable crotch at the edge of the forest where he could watch\nthe trail leading through the gardens to the city gate, he awaited\nthe return of his would-be captors. And soon they came--the strange\nman followed by the pack of great lions. Like dogs they moved along\nbehind him down the trail among the gardens to the gate.\n\nHere the man struck upon the panels of the door with the butt of\nhis spear, and when it opened in response to his signal he passed\nin with his lions. Beyond the open door Tarzan, from his distant\nperch, caught but a fleeting glimpse of life within the city, just\nenough to indicate that there were other human creatures who abode\nthere, and then the door closed.\n\nThrough that door he knew that the girl and the man whom he sought\nto succor had been taken into the city. What fate lay in store\nfor them or whether already it had been meted out to them he could\nnot even guess, nor where, within that forbidding wall, they were\nincarcerated he could not know.  But of one thing he was assured:\nthat if he were to aid them he could not do it from outside the\nwall. He must gain entrance to the city first, nor did he doubt,\nthat once within, his keen senses would eventually reveal the\nwhereabouts of those whom he sought.\n\nThe low sun was casting long shadows across the gardens when Tarzan\nsaw the workers returning from the eastern field.  A man came first,\nand as he came he lowered little gates along the large ditch of\nrunning water, shutting off the streams that had run between the rows\nof growing plants; and behind him came other men carrying burdens\nof fresh vegetables in great woven baskets upon their shoulders.\nTarzan had not realized that there had been so many men working in\nthe field, but now as he sat there at the close of the day he saw\na procession filing in from the east, bearing the tools and the\nproduce back into the city.\n\nAnd then, to gain a better view, the ape-man ascended to the topmost\nbranches of a tall tree where he overlooked the nearer wall. From\nthis point of vantage he saw that the city was long and narrow, and\nthat while the outer walls formed a perfect rectangle, the streets\nwithin were winding. Toward the center of the city there appeared\nto be a low, white building around which the larger edifices of\nthe city had been built, and here, in the fast-waning light, Tarzan\nthought that between two buildings he caught the glint of water,\nbut of that he was not sure. His experience of the centers of\ncivilization naturally inclined him to believe that this central\narea was a plaza about which the larger buildings were grouped\nand that there would be the most logical place to search first for\nBertha Kircher and her companion.\n\nAnd then the sun went down and darkness quickly enveloped the\ncity--a darkness that was accentuated for the ape-man rather than\nrelieved by the artificial lights which immediately appeared in\nmany of the windows visible to him.\n\nTarzan had noticed that the roofs of most of the buildings were\nflat, the few exceptions being those of what he imagined to be the\nmore pretentious public structures. How this city had come to exist\nin this forgotten part of unexplored Africa the ape-man could not\nconceive. Better than another, he realized something of the unsolved\nsecrets of the Great Dark Continent, enormous areas of which have\nas yet been untouched by the foot of civilized man. Yet he could\nscarce believe that a city of this size and apparently thus well\nconstructed could have existed for the generations that it must\nhave been there, without intercourse with the outer world.  Even\nthough it was surrounded by a trackless desert waste, as he knew\nit to be, he could not conceive that generation after generation\nof men could be born and die there without attempting to solve the\nmysteries of the world beyond the confines of their little valley.\n\nAnd yet, here was the city surrounded by tilled land and filled\nwith people!\n\nWith the coming of night there arose throughout the jungle the cries\nof the great cats, the voice of Numa blended with that of Sheeta,\nand the thunderous roars of the great males reverberated through\nthe forest until the earth trembled, and from within the city came\nthe answering roars of other lions.\n\nA simple plan for gaining entrance to the city had occurred to\nTarzan, and now that darkness had fallen he set about to put it\ninto effect. Its success hinged entirely upon the strength of the\nvines he had seen surmounting the wall toward the east. In this\ndirection he made his way, while from out of the forest about him\nthe cries of the flesh-eaters increased in volume and ferocity. A\nquarter of a mile intervened between the forest and the city wall--a\nquarter of a mile of cultivated land unrelieved by a single tree.\nTarzan of the Apes realized his limitations and so he knew that\nit would undoubtedly spell death for him to be caught in the open\nspace by one of the great black lions of the forest if, as he had\nalready surmised, Numa of the pit was a specimen of the forest lion\nof the valley.\n\nHe must, therefore, depend entirely upon his cunning and his speed,\nand upon the chance that the vine would sustain his weight.\n\nHe moved through the middle terrace, where the way is always\neasiest, until he reached a point opposite the vine-clad portion\nof the wall, and there he waited, listening and scenting, until he\nmight assure himself that there was no Numa within his immediate\nvicinity, or, at least, none that sought him. And when he was quite\nsure that there was no lion close by in the forest, and none in\nthe clearing between himself and the wall, he dropped lightly to\nthe ground and moved stealthily out into the open.\n\nThe rising moon, just topping the eastern cliffs, cast its bright\nrays upon the long stretch of open garden beneath the wall. And, too,\nit picked out in clear relief for any curious eyes that chanced to\nbe cast in that direction, the figure of the giant ape-man moving\nacross the clearing. It was only chance, of course, that a great\nlion hunting at the edge of the forest saw the figure of the man\nhalfway between the forest and the wall. Suddenly there broke upon\nTarzan's ears a menacing sound. It was not the roar of a hungry\nlion, but the roar of a lion in rage, and, as he glanced back in\nthe direction from which the sound came, he saw a huge beast moving\nout from the shadow of the forest toward him.\n\nEven in the moonlight and at a distance Tarzan saw that the lion\nwas huge; that it was indeed another of the black-maned monsters\nsimilar to Numa of the pit. For an instant he was impelled to turn\nand fight, but at the same time the thought of the helpless girl\nimprisoned in the city flashed through his brain and, without an\ninstant's hesitation, Tarzan of the Apes wheeled and ran for the\nwall. Then it was that Numa charged.\n\nNuma, the lion, can run swiftly for a short distance, but he lacks\nendurance. For the period of an ordinary charge he can cover the\nground with greater rapidity possibly than any other creature in\nthe world. Tarzan, on the other hand, could run at great speed for\nlong distances, though never as rapidly as Numa when the latter\ncharged.\n\nThe question of his fate, then, rested upon whether, with his start\nhe could elude Numa for a few seconds; and, if so, if the lion would\nthen have sufficient stamina remaining to pursue him at a reduced\ngait for the balance of the distance to the wall.\n\nNever before, perhaps, was staged a more thrilling race, and yet it\nwas run with only the moon and stars to see. Alone and in silence\nthe two beasts sped across the moonlit clearing.  Numa gained with\nappalling rapidity upon the fleeing man, yet at every bound Tarzan\nwas nearer to the vine-clad wall.  Once the ape-man glanced back.\nNuma was so close upon him that it seemed inevitable that at the\nnext bound he should drag him down; so close was he that the ape-man\ndrew his knife as he ran, that he might at least give a good account\nof himself in the last moments of his life.\n\nBut Numa had reached the limit of his speed and endurance.  Gradually\nhe dropped behind but he did not give up the pursuit, and now Tarzan\nrealized how much hinged upon the strength of the untested vines.\n\nIf, at the inception of the race, only Goro and the stars had looked\ndown upon the contestants, such was not the case at its finish,\nsince from an embrasure near the summit of the wall two close-set\nblack eyes peered down upon the two.  Tarzan was a dozen yards\nahead of Numa when he reached the wall. There was no time to stop\nand institute a search for sturdy stems and safe handholds. His\nfate was in the hands of chance and with the realization he gave a\nfinal spurt and running catlike up the side of the wall among the\nvines, sought with his hands for something that would sustain his\nweight. Below him Numa leaped also.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XVIII\n\nAmong the Maniacs\n\n\nAs the lions swarmed over her protectors, Bertha Kircher shrank\nback in the cave in a momentary paralysis of fright super-induced,\nperhaps, by the long days of terrific nerve strain which she had\nundergone.\n\nMingled with the roars of the lions had been the voices of men,\nand presently out of the confusion and turmoil she felt the near\npresence of a human being, and then hands reached forth and seized\nher. It was dark and she could see but little, nor any sign of the\nEnglish officer or the ape-man. The man who seized her kept the\nlions from her with what appeared to be a stout spear, the haft of\nwhich he used to beat off the beasts. The fellow dragged her from\nthe cavern the while he shouted what appeared to be commands and\nwarnings to the lions.\n\nOnce out upon the light sands of the bottom of the gorge objects\nbecame more distinguishable, and then she saw that there were\nother men in the party and that two half led and half carried the\nstumbling figure of a third, whom she guessed must be Smith-Oldwick.\n\nFor a time the lions made frenzied efforts to reach the two captives\nbut always the men with them succeeded in beating them off. The\nfellows seemed utterly unafraid of the great beasts leaping and\nsnarling about them, handling them much the same as one might handle\na pack of obstreperous dogs.  Along the bed of the old watercourse\nthat once ran through the gorge they made their way, and as the\nfirst faint lightening of the eastern horizon presaged the coming\ndawn, they paused for a moment upon the edge of a declivity, which\nappeared to the girl in the strange light of the waning night as a\nvast, bottomless pit; but, as their captors resumed their way and\nthe light of the new day became stronger, she saw that they were\nmoving downward toward a dense forest.\n\nOnce beneath the over-arching trees all was again Cimmerian darkness,\nnor was the gloom relieved until the sun finally arose beyond the\neastern cliffs, when she saw that they were following what appeared\nto be a broad and well-beaten game trail through a forest of great\ntrees. The ground was unusually dry for an African forest and\nthe underbrush, while heavily foliaged, was not nearly so rank\nand impenetrable as that which she had been accustomed to find\nin similar woods.  It was as though the trees and the bushes grew\nin a waterless country, nor was there the musty odor of decaying\nvegetation or the myriads of tiny insects such as are bred in damp\nplaces.\n\nAs they proceeded and the sun rose higher, the voices of the\narboreal jungle life rose in discordant notes and loud chattering\nabout them. Innumerable monkeys scolded and screamed in the branches\noverhead, while harsh-voiced birds of brilliant plumage darted\nhither and thither. She noticed presently that their captors often\ncast apprehensive glances in the direction of the birds and on\nnumerous occasions seemed to be addressing the winged denizens of\nthe forest.\n\nOne incident made a marked impression on her. The man who immediately\npreceded her was a fellow of powerful build, yet, when a brilliantly\ncolored parrot swooped downward toward him, he dropped upon his knees\nand covering his face with his arms bent forward until his head\ntouched the ground. Some of the others looked at him and laughed\nnervously. Presently the man glanced upward and seeing that the\nbird had gone, rose to his feet and continued along the trail.\n\nIt was at this brief halt that Smith-Oldwick was brought to her\nside by the men who had been supporting him. He had been rather\nbadly mauled by one of the lions; but was now able to walk alone,\nthough he was extremely weak from shock and loss of blood.\n\n\"Pretty mess, what?\" he remarked with a wry smile, indicating his\nbloody and disheveled state.\n\n\"It is terrible,\" said the girl. \"I hope you are not suffering.\"\n\n\"Not as much as I should have expected,\" he replied, \"but I feel\nas weak as a fool. What sort of creatures are these beggars, anyway?\"\n\n\"I don't know,\" she replied, \"there is something terribly uncanny\nabout their appearance.\"\n\nThe man regarded one of their captors closely for a moment and\nthen, turning to the girl asked, \"Did you ever visit a madhouse?\"\n\nShe looked up at him in quick understanding and with a horrified\nexpression in her eyes. \"That's it!\" she cried.\n\n\"They have all the earmarks,\" he said. \"Whites of the eyes showing\nall around the irises, hair growing stiffly erect from the scalp\nand low down upon the forehead--even their mannerisms and their\ncarriage are those of maniacs.\"\n\nThe girl shuddered.\n\n\"Another thing about them,\" continued the Englishman, \"that doesn't\nappear normal is that they are afraid of parrots and utterly fearless\nof lions.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the girl; \"and did you notice that the birds seem utterly\nfearless of them--really seem to hold them in contempt? Have you\nany idea what language they speak?\"\n\n\"No,\" said the man, \"I have been trying to figure that out.  It's not\nlike any of the few native dialects of which I have any knowledge.\"\n\n\"It doesn't sound at all like the native language,\" said the girl,\n\"but there is something familiar about it. You know, every now and\nthen I feel that I am just on the verge of understanding what they\nare saying, or at least that somewhere I have heard their tongue\nbefore, but final recognition always eludes me.\"\n\n\"I doubt if you ever heard their language spoken,\" said the man.\n\"These people must have lived in this out-of-the-way valley for\nages and even if they had retained the original language of their\nancestors without change, which is doubtful, it must be some tongue\nthat is no longer spoken in the outer world.\"\n\nAt one point where a stream of water crossed the trail the party\nhalted while the lions and the men drank. They motioned to their\ncaptives to drink too, and as Bertha Kircher and Smith-Oldwick,\nlying prone upon the ground drank from the clear, cool water of the\nrivulet, they were suddenly startled by the thunderous roar of a\nlion a short distance ahead of them. Instantly the lions with them\nset up a hideous response, moving restlessly to and fro with their\neyes always either turned in the direction from which the roar had\ncome or toward their masters, against whom the tawny beasts slunk.\nThe men loosened the sabers in their scabbards, the weapons that\nhad aroused Smith-Oldwick's curiosity as they had Tarzan's, and\ngrasped their spears more firmly.\n\nEvidently there were lions and lions, and while they evinced no\nfear of the beasts which accompanied them, it was quite evident\nthat the voice of the newcomer had an entirely different effect\nupon them, although the men seemed less terrified than the lions.\nNeither, however, showed any indication of an inclination to flee;\non the contrary the entire party advanced along the trail in the\ndirection of the menacing roars, and presently there appeared in\nthe center of the path a black lion of gigantic proportions. To\nSmith-Oldwick and the girl he appeared to be the same lion that\nthey had encountered at the plane and from which Tarzan had rescued\nthem. But it was not Numa of the pit, although he resembled him\nclosely.\n\nThe black beast stood directly in the center of the trail lashing\nhis tail and growling menacingly at the advancing party. The men\nurged on their own beasts, who growled and whined but hesitated\nto charge. Evidently becoming impatient, and in full consciousness\nof his might the intruder raised his tail stiffly erect and shot\nforward. Several of the defending lions made a half-hearted attempt to\nobstruct his passage, but they might as well have placed themselves\nin the path of an express train, as hurling them aside the great\nbeast leaped straight for one of the men. A dozen spears were\nlaunched at him and a dozen sabers leaped from their scabbards;\ngleaming, razor-edged weapons they were, but for the instant rendered\nfutile by the terrific speed of the charging beast.\n\nTwo of the spears entering his body but served to further enrage\nhim as, with demoniacal roars, he sprang upon the hapless man he\nhad singled out for his prey. Scarcely pausing in his charge he\nseized the fellow by the shoulder and, turning quickly at right\nangles, leaped into the concealing foliage that flanked the trail,\nand was gone, bearing his victim with him.\n\nSo quickly had the whole occurrence transpired that the formation\nof the little party was scarcely altered. There had been no\nopportunity for flight, even if it had been contemplated; and now\nthat the lion was gone with his prey the men made no move to pursue\nhim. They paused only long enough to recall the two or three of\ntheir lions that had scattered and then resumed the march along\nthe trail.\n\n\"Might be an everyday occurrence from all the effect it has on\nthem,\" remarked Smith-Oldwick to the girl.\n\n\"Yes,\" she said. \"They seem to be neither surprised nor disconcerted,\nand evidently they are quite sure that the lion, having got what\nhe came for, will not molest them further.\"\n\n\"I had thought,\" said the Englishman, \"that the lions of the Wamabo\ncountry were about the most ferocious in existence, but they are\nregular tabby cats by comparison with these big black fellows.\nDid you ever see anything more utterly fearless or more terribly\nirresistible than that charge?\"\n\nFor a while, as they walked side by side, their thoughts and\nconversation centered upon this latest experience, until the trail\nemerging from the forest opened to their view a walled city and an\narea of cultivated land. Neither could suppress an exclamation of\nsurprise.\n\n\"Why, that wall is a regular engineering job,\" exclaimed Smith-Oldwick.\n\n\"And look at the domes and minarets of the city beyond,\" cried the\ngirl. \"There must be a civilized people beyond that wall. Possibly\nwe are fortunate to have fallen into their hands.\"\n\nSmith-Oldwick shrugged his shoulders. \"I hope so,\" he said, \"though\nI am not at all sure about people who travel about with lions and\nare afraid of parrots. There must be something wrong with them.\"\n\nThe party followed the trail across the field to an arched gateway\nwhich opened at the summons of one of their captors, who beat upon\nthe heavy wooden panels with his spear.  Beyond, the gate opened\ninto a narrow street which seemed but a continuation of the jungle\ntrail leading from the forest.  Buildings on either hand adjoined\nthe wall and fronted the narrow, winding street, which was only\nvisible for a short distance ahead. The houses were practically\nall two-storied structures, the upper stories flush with the street\nwhile the walls of the first story were set back some ten feet,\na series of simple columns and arches supporting the front of the\nsecond story and forming an arcade on either side of the narrow\nthoroughfare.\n\nThe pathway in the center of the street was unpaved, but the floors\nof the arcades were cut stone of various shapes and sizes but all\ncarefully fitted and laid without mortar. These floors gave evidence\nof great antiquity, there being a distinct depression down the\ncenter as though the stone had been worn away by the passage of\ncountless sandaled feet during the ages that it had lain there.\n\nThere were few people astir at this early hour, and these were of\nthe same type as their captors. At first those whom they saw were\nonly men, but as they went deeper into the city they came upon a\nfew naked children playing in the soft dust of the roadway. Many\nthey passed showed the greatest surprise and curiosity in the\nprisoners, and often made inquiries of the guards, which the two\nassumed must have been in relation to themselves, while others\nappeared not to notice them at all.\n\n\"I wish we could understand their bally language,\" exclaimed\nSmith-Oldwick.\n\n\"Yes,\" said the girl, \"I would like to ask them what they are going\nto do with us.\"\n\n\"That would be interesting,\" said the man. \"I have been doing\nconsiderable wondering along that line myself.\"\n\n\"I don't like the way their canine teeth are filed,\" said the girl.\n\"It's too suggestive of some of the cannibals I have seen.\"\n\n\"You don't really believe they are cannibals, do you?\" asked the\nman. \"You don't think white people are ever cannibals, do you?\"\n\n\"Are these people white?\" asked the girl.\n\n\"They're not Negroes, that's certain,\" rejoined the man.  \"Their\nskin is yellow, but yet it doesn't resemble the Chinese exactly,\nnor are any of their features Chinese.\"\n\nIt was at this juncture that they caught their first glimpse of a\nnative woman. She was similar in most respects to the men though\nher stature was smaller and her figure more symmetrical. Her face\nwas more repulsive than that of the men, possibly because of the fact\nthat she was a woman, which rather accentuated the idiosyncrasies\nof eyes, pendulous lip, pointed tusks and stiff, low-growing hair.\nThe latter was longer than that of the men and much heavier. It\nhung about her shoulders and was confined by a colored bit of some\nlacy fabric.  Her single garment appeared to be nothing more than\na filmy scarf which was wound tightly around her body from below\nher naked breasts, being caught up some way at the bottom near her\nankles. Bits of shiny metal resembling gold, ornamented both the\nheaddress and the skirt. Otherwise the woman was entirely without\njewelry. Her bare arms were slender and shapely and her hands and\nfeet well proportioned and symmetrical.\n\nShe came close to the party as they passed her, jabbering to the\nguards who paid no attention to her. The prisoners had an opportunity\nto observe her closely as she followed at their side for a short\ndistance.\n\n\"The figure of a houri,\" remarked Smith-Oldwick, \"with the face of\nan imbecile.\"\n\nThe street they followed was intersected at irregular intervals by\ncrossroads which, as they glanced down them, proved to be equally\nas tortuous as that through which they were being conducted. The\nhouses varied but little in design.  Occasionally there were bits\nof color, or some attempt at other architectural ornamentation.\nThrough open windows and doors they could see that the walls of\nthe houses were very thick and that all apertures were quite small,\nas though the people had built against extreme heat, which they\nrealized must have been necessary in this valley buried deep in an\nAfrican desert.\n\nAhead they occasionally caught glimpses of larger structures, and\nas they approached them, came upon what was evidently a part of\nthe business section of the city. There were numerous small shops\nand bazaars interspersed among the residences, and over the doors\nof these were signs painted in characters strongly suggesting Greek\norigin and yet it was not Greek as both the Englishman and the girl\nknew.\n\nSmith-Oldwick was by this time beginning to feel more acutely the\npain of his wounds and the consequent weakness that was greatly\naggravated by loss of blood. He staggered now occasionally and the\ngirl, seeing his plight, offered him her arm.\n\n\"No,\" he expostulated, \"you have passed through too much yourself\nto have any extra burden imposed upon you.\" But though he made a\nvaliant effort to keep up with their captors he occasionally lagged,\nand upon one such occasion the guards for the first time showed\nany disposition toward brutality.\n\nIt was a big fellow who walked at Smith-Oldwick's left.  Several\ntimes he took hold of the Englishman's arm and pushed him forward\nnot ungently, but when the captive lagged again and again the\nfellow suddenly, and certainly with no just provocation, flew into\na perfect frenzy of rage.  He leaped upon the wounded man, striking\nhim viciously with his fists and, bearing him to the ground, grasped\nhis throat in his left hand while with his right he drew his long\nsharp saber. Screaming terribly he waved the blade above his head.\n\nThe others stopped and turned to look upon the encounter with no\nparticular show of interest. It was as though one of the party had\npaused to readjust a sandal and the others merely waited until he\nwas ready to march on again.\n\nBut if their captors were indifferent, Bertha Kircher was not.  The\nclose-set blazing eyes, the snarling fanged face, and the frightful\nscreams filled her with horror, while the brutal and wanton attack\nupon the wounded man aroused within her the spirit of protection\nfor the weak that is inherent in all women.  Forgetful of everything\nother than that a weak and defenseless man was being brutally murdered\nbefore her eyes, the girl cast aside discretion and, rushing to\nSmith-Oldwick's assistance, seized the uplifted sword arm of the\nshrieking creature upon the prostrate Englishman.\n\nClinging desperately to the fellow she surged backward with all her\nweight and strength with the result that she overbalanced him and\nsent him sprawling to the pavement upon his back. In his efforts\nto save himself he relaxed his grasp upon the grip of his saber\nwhich had no sooner fallen to the ground than it was seized upon by\nthe girl. Standing erect beside the prostrate form of the English\nofficer Bertha Kircher, the razor-edged weapon grasped firmly in\nher hand, faced their captors.\n\nShe was a brave figure; even her soiled and torn riding togs and\ndisheveled hair detracted nothing from her appearance.  The creature\nshe had felled scrambled quickly to his feet and in the instant\nhis whole demeanor changed. From demoniacal rage he became suddenly\nconvulsed with hysterical laughter although it was a question in\nthe girl's mind as to which was the more terrifying. His companions\nstood looking on with vacuous grins upon their countenances, while\nhe from whom the girl had wrested the weapon leaped up and down\nshrieking with laughter. If Bertha Kircher had needed further\nevidence to assure her that they were in the hands of a mentally\nderanged people the man's present actions would have been sufficient\nto convince her. The sudden uncontrolled rage and now the equally\nuncontrolled and mirthless laughter but emphasized the facial\nattributes of idiocy.\n\nSuddenly realizing how helpless she was in the event any one of the\nmen should seek to overpower her, and moved by a sudden revulsion\nof feeling that brought on almost a nausea of disgust, the girl\nhurled the weapon upon the ground at the feet of the laughing maniac\nand, turning, kneeled beside the Englishman.\n\n\"It was wonderful of you,\" he said, \"but you shouldn't have done\nit. Don't antagonize them: I believe that they are all mad and you\nknow they say that one should always humor a madman.\"\n\nShe shook her head. \"I couldn't see him kill you,\" she said.\n\nA sudden light sprang to the man's eyes as he reached out a hand and\ngrasped the girl's fingers. \"Do you care a little now?\" he asked.\n\"Can't you tell me that you do--just a bit?\"\n\nShe did not withdraw her hand from his but she shook her head\nsadly. \"Please don't,\" she said. \"I am sorry that I can only like\nyou very much.\"\n\nThe light died from his eyes and his fingers relaxed their grasp on\nhers. \"Please forgive me,\" he murmured. \"I intended waiting until\nwe got out of this mess and you were safe among your own people.\nIt must have been the shock or something like that, and seeing you\ndefending me as you did. Anyway, I couldn't help it and really it\ndoesn't make much difference what I say now, does it?\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\" she asked quickly.\n\nHe shrugged and smiled ruefully. \"I will never leave this city\nalive,\" he said. \"I wouldn't mention it except that I realize that\nyou must know it as well as I. I was pretty badly torn up by the\nlion and this fellow here has about finished me.  There might be\nsome hope if we were among civilized people, but here with these\nfrightful creatures what care could we get even if they were\nfriendly?\"\n\nBertha Kircher knew that he spoke the truth, and yet she could not\nbring herself to an admission that Smith-Oldwick would die. She\nwas very fond of him, in fact her great regret was that she did\nnot love him, but she knew that she did not.\n\nIt seemed to her that it could be such an easy thing for any girl\nto love Lieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick--an English officer\nand a gentleman, the scion of an old family and himself a man of\nample means, young, good-looking and affable. What more could a\ngirl ask for than to have such a man love her and that she possessed\nSmith-Oldwick's love there was no doubt in Bertha Kircher's mind.\n\nShe sighed, and then, laying her hand impulsively on his forehead,\nshe whispered, \"Do not give up hope, though. Try to live for my\nsake and for your sake I will try to love you.\"\n\nIt was as though new life had suddenly been injected into the\nman's veins. His face lightened instantly and with strength that\nhe himself did not know he possessed he rose slowly to his feet,\nalbeit somewhat unsteadily. The girl helped him and supported him\nafter he had arisen.\n\nFor the moment they had been entirely unconscious of their\nsurroundings and now as she looked at their captors she saw that\nthey had fallen again into their almost habitual manner of stolid\nindifference, and at a gesture from one of them the march was\nresumed as though no untoward incident had occurred.\n\nBertha Kircher experienced a sudden reaction from the momentary\nexaltation of her recent promise to the Englishman.  She knew that\nshe had spoken more for him than for herself but now that it was\nover she realized, as she had realized the moment before she had\nspoken, that it was unlikely she would ever care for him the way\nhe wished. But what had she promised? Only that she would try to\nlove him. \"And now?\" she asked herself.\n\nShe realized that there might be little hope of their ever returning\nto civilization. Even if these people should prove friendly and\nwilling to let them depart in peace, how were they to find their\nway back to the coast? With Tarzan dead, as she fully believed him\nafter having seen his body lying lifeless at the mouth of the cave\nwhen she had been dragged forth by her captor, there seemed no\npower at their command which could guide them safely.\n\nThe two had scarcely mentioned the ape-man since their capture, for\neach realized fully what his loss meant to them.  They had compared\nnotes relative to those few exciting moments of the final attack\nand capture and had found that they agreed perfectly upon all that\nhad occurred. Smith-Oldwick had even seen the lion leap upon Tarzan\nat the instant that the former was awakened by the roars of the\ncharging beasts, and though the night had been dark, he had been\nable to see that the body of the savage ape-man had never moved\nfrom the instant that it had come down beneath the beast.\n\nAnd so, if at other times within the past few weeks Bertha Kircher\nhad felt that her situation was particularly hopeless, she was now\nready to admit that hope was absolutely extinct.\n\nThe streets were beginning to fill with the strange men and women\nof this strange city. Sometimes individuals would notice them\nand seem to take a great interest in them, and again others would\npass with vacant stares, seemingly unconscious of their immediate\nsurroundings and paying no attention whatsoever to the prisoners.\nOnce they heard hideous screams up a side street, and looking they\nsaw a man in the throes of a demoniacal outburst of rage, similar\nto that which they had witnessed in the recent attack upon\nSmith-Oldwick. This creature was venting his insane rage upon a\nchild which he repeatedly struck and bit, pausing only long enough\nto shriek at frequent intervals. Finally, just before they passed\nout of sight the creature raised the limp body of the child high\nabove his head and cast it down with all his strength upon the\npavement, and then, wheeling and screaming madly at the top of his\nlungs, he dashed headlong up the winding street.\n\nTwo women and several men had stood looking on at the cruel attack.\nThey were at too great a distance for the Europeans to know whether\ntheir facial expressions portrayed pity or rage, but be that as it\nmay, none offered to interfere.\n\nA few yards farther on a hideous hag leaned from a second story\nwindow where she laughed and jibbered and made horrid grimaces at\nall who passed her. Others went their ways apparently attending to\nwhatever duties called them, as soberly as the inhabitants of any\ncivilized community.\n\n\"God,\" muttered Smith-Oldwick, \"what an awful place!\"\n\nThe girl turned suddenly toward him. \"You still have your pistol?\"\nshe asked him.\n\n\"Yes,\" he replied. \"I tucked it inside my shirt. They did not\nsearch me and it was too dark for them to see whether I carried any\nweapons or not. So I hid it in the hope that I might get through\nwith it.\"\n\nShe moved closer to him and took hold of his hand. \"Save one\ncartridge for me, please?\" she begged.\n\nSmith-Oldwick looked down at her and blinked his eyes very rapidly.\nAn unfamiliar and disconcerting moisture had come into them. He\nhad realized, of course, how bad a plight was theirs but somehow\nit had seemed to affect him only: it did not seem possible that\nanyone could harm this sweet and beautiful girl.\n\nAnd that she should have to be destroyed--destroyed by him! It\nwas too hideous: it was unbelievable, unthinkable! If he had been\nfilled with apprehension before, he was doubly perturbed now.\n\n\"I don't believe I could do it, Bertha,\" he said.\n\n\"Not even to save me from something worse?\" she asked.\n\nHe shook his head dismally. \"I could never do it,\" he replied.\n\nThe street that they were following suddenly opened upon a wide\navenue, and before them spread a broad and beautiful lagoon, the\nquiet surface of which mirrored the clear cerulean of the sky. Here\nthe aspect of all their surroundings changed.  The buildings were\nhigher and much more pretentious in design and ornamentation.\nThe street itself was paved in mosaics of barbaric but stunningly\nbeautiful design. In the ornamentation of the buildings there was\nconsiderable color and a great deal of what appeared to be gold\nleaf. In all the decorations there was utilized in various ways the\nconventional figure of the parrot, and, to a lesser extent, that\nof the lion and the monkey.\n\nTheir captors led them along the pavement beside the lagoon for a\nshort distance and then through an arched doorway into one of the\nbuildings facing the avenue. Here, directly within the entrance\nwas a large room furnished with massive benches and tables, many of\nwhich were elaborately hand carved with the figures of the inevitable\nparrot, the lion, or the monkey, the parrot always predominating.\n\nBehind one of the tables sat a man who differed in no way that the\ncaptives could discover from those who accompanied them. Before\nthis person the party halted, and one of the men who had brought\nthem made what seemed to be an oral report.  Whether they were\nbefore a judge, a military officer, or a civil dignitary they could\nnot know, but evidently he was a man of authority, for, after\nlistening to whatever recital was being made to him the while\nhe closely scrutinized the two captives, he made a single futile\nattempt to converse with them and then issued some curt orders to\nhim who had made the report.\n\nAlmost immediately two of the men approached Bertha Kircher and\nsignaled her to accompany them. Smith-Oldwick started to follow her\nbut was intercepted by one of their guards. The girl stopped then\nand turned back, at the same time looking at the man at the table\nand making signs with her hands, indicating, as best she could,\nthat she wished Smith-Oldwick to remain with her, but the fellow\nonly shook his head negatively and motioned to the guards to remove\nher.  The Englishman again attempted to follow but was restrained.\nHe was too weak and helpless even to make an attempt to enforce\nhis wishes. He thought of the pistol inside his shirt and then of\nthe futility of attempting to overcome an entire city with the few\nrounds of ammunition left to him.\n\nSo far, with the single exception of the attack made upon him, they\nhad no reason to believe that they might not receive fair treatment\nfrom their captors, and so he reasoned that it might be wiser to\navoid antagonizing them until such a time as he became thoroughly\nconvinced that their intentions were entirely hostile. He saw the\ngirl led from the building and just before she disappeared from\nhis view she turned and waved her hand to him:\n\n\"Good luck!\" she cried, and was gone.\n\nThe lions that had entered the building with the party had, during\ntheir examination by the man at the table, been driven from the\napartment through a doorway behind him. Toward this same doorway\ntwo of the men now led Smith-Oldwick.  He found himself in a long\ncorridor from the sides of which other doorways opened, presumably\ninto other apartments of the building. At the far end of the corridor\nhe saw a heavy grating beyond which appeared an open courtyard.\nInto this courtyard the prisoner was conducted, and as he entered\nit with the two guards he found himself in an opening which was\nbounded by the inner walls of the building. It was in the nature\nof a garden in which a number of trees and flowering shrubs grew.\nBeneath several of the trees were benches and there was a bench\nalong the south wall, but what aroused his most immediate attention\nwas the fact that the lions who had assisted in their capture and\nwho had accompanied them upon the return to the city, lay sprawled\nabout upon the ground or wandered restlessly to and fro.\n\nJust inside the gate his guard halted. The two men exchanged a few\nwords and then turned and reentered the corridor. The Englishman\nwas horror-stricken as the full realization of his terrible plight\nforced itself upon his tired brain. He turned and seized the grating\nin an attempt to open it and gain the safety of the corridor, but\nhe found it securely locked against his every effort, and then he\ncalled aloud to the retreating figure of the men within. The only\nreply he received was a high-pitched, mirthless laugh, and then\nthe two passed through the doorway at the far end of the corridor\nand he was alone with the lions.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XIX\n\nThe Queen's Story\n\n\nIn the meantime Bertha Kircher was conducted the length of the\nplaza toward the largest and most pretentious of the buildings\nsurrounding it. This edifice covered the entire width of one end\nof the plaza. It was several stories in height, the main entrance\nbeing approached by a wide flight of stone steps, the bottom of\nwhich was guarded by enormous stone lions, while at the top there\nwere two pedestals flanking the entrance and of the same height,\nupon each of which was the stone image of a large parrot. As the\ngirl neared these latter images she saw that the capital of each\ncolumn was hewn into the semblance of a human skull upon which\nthe parrots perched. Above the arched doorway and upon the walls\nof the building were the figures of other parrots, of lions, and\nof monkeys. Some of these were carved in bas-relief; others were\ndelineated in mosaics, while still others appeared to have been\npainted upon the surface of the wall.\n\nThe colorings of the last were apparently much subdued by age\nwith the result that the general effect was soft and beautiful.\nThe sculpturing and mosaic work were both finely executed, giving\nevidence of a high degree of artistic skill. Unlike the first\nbuilding into which she had been conducted, the entrance to which\nhad been doorless, massive doors closed the entrance which she now\napproached. In the niches formed by the columns which supported\nthe door's arch, and about the base of the pedestals of the stone\nparrots, as well as in various other places on the broad stairway,\nlolled some score of armed men. The tunics of these were all of a\nvivid yellow and upon the breast and back of each was embroidered\nthe figure of a parrot.\n\nAs she was conducted up the stairway one of these yellow-coated\nwarriors approached and halted her guides at the top of the steps.\nHere they exchanged a few words and while they were talking the\ngirl noticed that he who had halted them, as well as those whom\nshe could see of his companions, appeared to be, if possible, of\na lower mentality than her original captors.\n\nTheir coarse, bristling hair grew so low upon their foreheads as,\nin some instances, to almost join their eyebrows, while the irises\nwere smaller, exposing more of the white of the eyeball.\n\nAfter a short parley the man in charge of the doorway, for such\nhe seemed to be, turned and struck upon one of the panels with\nthe butt of his spear, at the same time calling to several of his\ncompanions, who rose and came forward at his command. Soon the great\ndoors commenced slowly to swing creakingly open, and presently,\nas they separated, the girl saw behind them the motive force which\noperated the massive doors--to each door a half-dozen naked Negroes.\n\nAt the doorway her two guards were turned back and their places taken\nby a half dozen of the yellow-coated soldiery.  These conducted her\nthrough the doorway which the blacks, pulling upon heavy chains,\nclosed behind them. And as the girl watched them she noted with\nhorror that the poor creatures were chained by the neck to the\ndoors.\n\nBefore her led a broad hallway in the center of which was a little\npool of clear water. Here again in floor and walls was repeated in\nnew and ever-changing combinations and designs, the parrots, the\nmonkeys, and the lions, but now many of the figures were of what\nthe girl was convinced must be gold.  The walls of the corridor\nconsisted of a series of open archways through which, upon either\nside, other spacious apartments were visible. The hallway was\nentirely unfurnished, but the rooms on either side contained benches\nand tables.  Glimpses of some of the walls revealed the fact that\nthey were covered with hangings of some colored fabric, while upon\nthe floors were thick rugs of barbaric design and the skins of\nblack lions and beautifully marked leopards.\n\nThe room directly to the right of the entrance was filled with men\nwearing the yellow tunics of her new guard while the walls were hung\nwith numerous spears and sabers. At the far end of the corridor a\nlow flight of steps led to another closed doorway. Here the guard\nwas again halted. One of the guards at this doorway, after receiving\nthe report of one of those who accompanied her, passed through the\ndoor, leaving them standing outside. It was fully fifteen minutes\nbefore he returned, when the guard was again changed and the girl\nconducted into the chamber beyond.\n\nThrough three other chambers and past three more massive doors, at\neach of which her guard was changed, the girl was conducted before\nshe was ushered into a comparatively small room, back and forth\nacross the floor of which paced a man in a scarlet tunic, upon the\nfront and back of which was embroidered an enormous parrot and upon\nwhose head was a barbaric headdress surmounted by a stuffed parrot.\n\nThe walls of this room were entirely hidden by hangings upon which\nhundreds, even thousands, of parrots were embroidered. Inlaid in\nthe floor were golden parrots, while, as thickly as they could be\npainted, upon the ceiling were brilliant-hued parrots with wings\noutspread as though in the act of flying.\n\nThe man himself was larger of stature than any she had yet seen\nwithin the city. His parchment-like skin was wrinkled with age and\nhe was much fatter than any other of his kind that she had seen.\nHis bared arms, however, gave evidence of great strength and his\ngait was not that of an old man. His facial expression denoted almost\nutter imbecility and he was quite the most repulsive creature that\never Bertha Kircher had looked upon.\n\nFor several minutes after she was conducted into his presence\nhe appeared not to be aware that she was there but continued his\nrestless pacing to and fro. Suddenly, without the slightest warning,\nand while he was at the far end of the room from her with his back\ntoward her, he wheeled and rushed madly at her. Involuntarily the\ngirl shrank back, extending her open palms toward the frightful\ncreature as though to hold him aloof but a man upon either side of\nher, the two who had conducted her into the apartment, seized and\nheld her.\n\nAlthough he rushed violently toward her the man stopped without\ntouching her. For a moment his horrid white-rimmed eyes glared\nsearchingly into her face, immediately following which he burst\ninto maniacal laughter. For two or three minutes the creature gave\nhimself over to merriment and then, stopping as suddenly as he\nhad commenced to laugh, he fell to examining the prisoner. He felt\nof her hair, her skin, the texture of the garment she wore and by\nmeans of signs made her understand she was to open her mouth. In\nthe latter he seemed much interested, calling the attention of one\nof the guards to her canine teeth and then baring his own sharp\nfangs for the prisoner to see.\n\nPresently he resumed pacing to and fro across the floor, and it\nwas fully fifteen minutes before he again noticed the prisoner, and\nthen it was to issue a curt order to her guards, who immediately\nconducted her from the apartment.\n\nThe guards now led the girl through a series of corridors and\napartments to a narrow stone stairway which led to the floor above,\nfinally stopping before a small door where stood a naked Negro armed\nwith a spear. At a word from one of her guards the Negro opened the\ndoor and the party passed into a low-ceiled apartment, the windows\nof which immediately caught the girl's attention through the fact\nthat they were heavily barred. The room was furnished similarly to\nthose that she had seen in other parts of the building, the same\ncarved tables and benches, the rugs upon the floor, the decorations\nupon the walls, although in every respect it was simpler than\nanything she had seen on the floor below. In one corner was a low\ncouch covered with a rug similar to those on the floor except that\nit was of a lighter texture, and upon this sat a woman.\n\nAs Bertha Kircher's eyes alighted upon the occupant of the room\nthe girl gave a little gasp of astonishment, for she recognized\nimmediately that here was a creature more nearly of her own kind\nthan any she had seen within the city's walls. An old woman it was\nwho looked at her through faded blue eyes, sunken deep in a wrinkled\nand toothless face. But the eyes were those of a sane and intelligent\ncreature, and the wrinkled face was the face of a white woman.\n\nAt sight of the girl the woman rose and came forward, her gait so\nfeeble and unsteady that she was forced to support herself with a\nlong staff which she grasped in both her hands.  One of the guards\nspoke a few words to her and then the men turned and left the\napartment. The girl stood just within the door waiting in silence\nfor what might next befall her.\n\nThe old woman crossed the room and stopped before her, raising\nher weak and watery eyes to the fresh young face of the newcomer.\nThen she scanned her from head to foot and once again the old eyes\nreturned to the girl's face. Bertha Kircher on her part was not\nless frank in her survey of the little old woman. It was the latter\nwho spoke first. In a thin, cracked voice she spoke, hesitatingly,\nfalteringly, as though she were using unfamiliar words and speaking\na strange tongue.\n\n\"You are from the outer world?\" she asked in English.  \"God grant\nthat you may speak and understand this tongue.\"\n\n\"English?\" the girl exclaimed, \"Yes, of course, I speak English.\"\n\n\"Thank God!\" cried the little old woman. \"I did not know whether I\nmyself might speak it so that another could understand. For sixty\nyears I have spoken only their accursed gibberish. For sixty years\nI have not heard a word in my native language. Poor creature! Poor\ncreature!\" she mumbled.  \"What accursed misfortune threw you into\ntheir hands?\"\n\n\"You are an English woman?\" asked Bertha Kircher. \"Did I understand\nyou aright that you are an English woman and have been here for\nsixty years?\"\n\nThe old woman nodded her head affirmatively. \"For sixty years I\nhave never been outside of this palace. Come,\" she said, stretching\nforth a bony hand. \"I am very old and cannot stand long. Come and\nsit with me on my couch.\"\n\nThe girl took the proffered hand and assisted the old lady back\nto the opposite side of the room and when she was seated the girl\nsat down beside her.\n\n\"Poor child! Poor child!\" moaned the old woman. \"Far better to have\ndied than to have let them bring you here. At first I might have\ndestroyed myself but there was always the hope that someone would\ncome who would take me away, but none ever comes. Tell me how they\ngot you.\"\n\nVery briefly the girl narrated the principal incidents which led\nup to her capture by some of the creatures of the city.\n\n\"Then there is a man with you in the city?\" asked the old woman.\n\n\"Yes,\" said the girl, \"but I do not know where he is nor what are\ntheir intentions in regard to him. In fact, I do not know what\ntheir intentions toward me are.\"\n\n\"No one might even guess,\" said the old woman. \"They do not know\nthemselves from one minute to the next what their intentions are,\nbut I think you can rest assured, my poor child, that you will\nnever see your friend again.\"\n\n\"But they haven't slain you,\" the girl reminded her, \"and you have\nbeen their prisoner, you say, for sixty years.\"\n\n\"No,\" replied her companion, \"they have not killed me, nor will\nthey kill you, though God knows before you have lived long in this\nhorrible place you will beg them to kill you.\"\n\n\"Who are they--\" asked Bertha Kircher, \"what kind of people? They\ndiffer from any that I ever have seen. And tell me, too, how you\ncame here.\"\n\n\"It was long ago,\" said the old woman, rocking back and forth on\nthe couch. \"It was long ago. Oh, how long it was!  I was only twenty\nthen. Think of it, child! Look at me. I have no mirror other than\nmy bath, I cannot see what I look like for my eyes are old, but\nwith my fingers I can feel my old and wrinkled face, my sunken eyes,\nand these flabby lips drawn in over toothless gums. I am old and\nbent and hideous, but then I was young and they said that I was\nbeautiful. No, I will not be a hypocrite; I was beautiful. My glass\ntold me that.\n\n\"My father was a missionary in the interior and one day there came\na band of Arabian slave raiders. They took the men and women of\nthe little native village where my father labored, and they took\nme, too. They did not know much about our part of the country so\nthey were compelled to rely upon the men of our village whom they\nhad captured to guide them. They told me that they never before\nhad been so far south and that they had heard there was a country\nrich in ivory and slaves west of us. They wanted to go there and\nfrom there they would take us north, where I was to be sold into\nthe harem of some black sultan.\n\n\"They often discussed the price I would bring, and that that price\nmight not lessen, they guarded me jealously from one another so\nthe journeys were made as little fatiguing for me as possible. I\nwas given the best food at their command and I was not harmed.\n\n\"But after a short time, when we had reached the confines of the\ncountry with which the men of our village were familiar and had\nentered upon a desolate and arid desert waste, the Arabs realized\nat last that we were lost. But they still kept on, ever toward\nthe west, crossing hideous gorges and marching across the face of\na burning land beneath the pitiless sun. The poor slaves they had\ncaptured were, of course, compelled to carry all the camp equipage\nand loot and thus heavily burdened, half starved and without water,\nthey soon commenced to die like flies.\n\n\"We had not been in the desert land long before the Arabs were\nforced to kill their horses for food, and when we reached the first\ngorge, across which it would have been impossible to transport the\nanimals, the balance of them were slaughtered and the meat loaded\nupon the poor staggering blacks who still survived.\n\n\"Thus we continued for two more days and now all but a handful of\nblacks were dead, and the Arabs themselves had commenced to succumb\nto hunger and thirst and the intense heat of the desert. As far as\nthe eye could reach back toward the land of plenty from whence we\nhad come, our route was marked by circling vultures in the sky and\nby the bodies of the dead who lay down in the trackless waste for\nthe last time. The ivory had been abandoned tusk by tusk as the\nblacks gave out, and along the trail of death was strewn the camp\nequipage and the horse trappings of a hundred men.\n\n\"For some reason the Arab chief favored me to the last, possibly\nwith the idea that of all his other treasures I could be most easily\ntransported, for I was young and strong and after the horses were\nkilled I had walked and kept up with the best of the men. We English,\nyou know, are great walkers, while these Arabians had never walked\nsince they were old enough to ride a horse.\n\n\"I cannot tell you how much longer we kept on but at last, with\nour strength almost gone, a handful of us reached the bottom of a\ndeep gorge. To scale the opposite side was out of the question and\nso we kept on down along the sands of what must have been the bed\nof an ancient river, until finally we came to a point where we\nlooked out upon what appeared to be a beautiful valley in which we\nfelt assured that we would find game in plenty.\n\n\"By then there were only two of us left--the chief and myself. I\ndo not need to tell you what the valley was, for you found it in\nmuch the same way as I did. So quickly were we captured that it\nseemed they must have been waiting for us, and I learned later that\nsuch was the case, just as they were waiting for you.\n\n\"As you came through the forest you must have seen the monkeys\nand parrots and since you have entered the palace, how constantly\nthese animals, and the lions, are used in the decorations. At home\nwe were all familiar with talking parrots who repeated the things\nthat they were taught to say, but these parrots are different\nin that they all talk in the same language that the people of the\ncity use, and they say that the monkeys talk to the parrots and the\nparrots fly to the city and tell the people what the monkeys say.\nAnd, although it is hard to believe, I have learned that this is\nso, for I have lived here among them for sixty years in the palace\nof their king.\n\n\"They brought me, as they brought you, directly to the palace. The\nArabian chief was taken elsewhere. I never knew what became of him.\nAgo XXV was king then. I have seen many kings since that day. He\nwas a terrible man; but then, they are all terrible.\"\n\n\"What is the matter with them?\" asked the girl.\n\n\"They are a race of maniacs,\" replied the old woman. \"Had you not\nguessed it? Among them are excellent craftsmen and good farmers\nand a certain amount of law and order, such as it is.\n\n\"They reverence all birds, but the parrot is their chief deity.\nThere is one who is held here in the palace in a very beautiful\napartment. He is their god of gods. He is a very old bird. If what\nAgo told me when I came is true, he must be nearly three hundred\nyears old by now. Their religious rites are revolting in the\nextreme, and I believe that it may be the practice of these rites\nthrough ages that has brought the race to its present condition of\nimbecility.\n\n\"And yet, as I said, they are not without some redeeming qualities.\nIf legend may be credited, their forebears--a little handful of\nmen and women who came from somewhere out of the north and became\nlost in the wilderness of central Africa--found here only a barren\ndesert valley. To my own knowledge rain seldom, if ever, falls\nhere, and yet you have seen a great forest and luxuriant vegetation\noutside of the city as well as within. This miracle is accomplished\nby the utilization of natural springs which their ancestors developed,\nand upon which they have improved to such an extent that the entire\nvalley receives an adequate amount of moisture at all times.\n\n\"Ago told me that many generations before his time the forest was\nirrigated by changing the course of the streams which carried the\nspring water to the city but that when the trees had sent their\nroots down to the natural moisture of the soil and required no\nfurther irrigation, the course of the stream was changed and other\ntrees were planted. And so the forest grew until today it covers\nalmost the entire floor of the valley except for the open space\nwhere the city stands. I do not know that this is true. It may be\nthat the forest has always been here, but it is one of their legends\nand it is borne out by the fact that there is not sufficient rainfall\nhere to support vegetation.\n\n\"They are peculiar people in many respects, not only in their form\nof worship and religious rites but also in that they breed lions\nas other people breed cattle. You have seen how they use some of\nthese lions but the majority of them they fatten and eat. At first,\nI imagine, they ate lion meat as a part of their religious ceremony\nbut after many generations they came to crave it so that now it is\npractically the only flesh they eat. They would, of course, rather\ndie than eat the flesh of a bird, nor will they eat monkey's meat,\nwhile the herbivorous animals they raise only for milk, hides,\nand flesh for the lions.  Upon the south side of the city are the\ncorrals and pastures where the herbivorous animals are raised.\nBoar, deer, and antelope are used principally for the lions, while\ngoats are kept for milk for the human inhabitants of the city.\"\n\n\"And you have lived here all these years,\" exclaimed the girl,\n\"without ever seeing one of your own kind?\"\n\nThe old woman nodded affirmatively.\n\n\"For sixty years you have lived here,\" continued Bertha Kircher,\n\"and they have not harmed you!\"\n\n\"I did not say they had not harmed me,\" said the old woman, \"they\ndid not kill me, that is all.\"\n\n\"What\"--the girl hesitated--\"what,\" she continued at last, \"was\nyour position among them? Pardon me,\" she added quickly, \"I think\nI know but I should like to hear from your own lips, for whatever\nyour position was, mine will doubtless be the same.\"\n\nThe old woman nodded. \"Yes,\" she said, \"doubtless; if they can keep\nyou away from the women.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\" asked the girl.\n\n\"For sixty years I have never been allowed near a woman.  They would\nkill me, even now, if they could reach me. The men are frightful,\nGod knows they are frightful! But heaven keep you from the women!\"\n\n\"You mean,\" asked the girl, \"that the men will not harm me?\"\n\n\"Ago XXV made me his queen,\" said the old woman. \"But he had many\nother queens, nor were they all human. He was not murdered for ten\nyears after I came here. Then the next king took me, and so it has\nbeen always. I am the oldest queen now. Very few of their women live\nto a great age. Not only are they constantly liable to assassination\nbut, owing to their subnormal mentalities, they are subject to\nperiods of depression during which they are very likely to destroy\nthemselves.\"\n\nShe turned suddenly and pointed to the barred windows.  \"You see\nthis room,\" she said, \"with the black eunuch outside? Wherever\nyou see these you will know that there are women, for with very\nfew exceptions they are never allowed out of captivity. They are\nconsidered and really are more violent than the men.\"\n\nFor several minutes the two sat in silence, and then the younger\nwoman turned to the older.\n\n\"Is there no way to escape?\" she asked.\n\nThe old woman pointed again to the barred windows and then to the\ndoor, saying: \"And there is the armed eunuch.  And if you should\npass him, how could you reach the street?  And if you reached the\nstreet,  how could you pass through the city to the outer wall? And\neven if, by some miracle, you should gain the outer wall, and, by\nanother miracle, you should be permitted to pass through the gate,\ncould you ever hope to traverse the forest where the great black\nlions roam and feed upon men? No!\" she exclaimed, answering her\nown question, \"there is no escape, for after one had escaped from\nthe palace and the city and the forest it would be but to invite\ndeath in the frightful desert land beyond.\n\n\"In sixty years you are the first to find this buried city. In\na thousand no denizen of this valley has ever left it, and within\nthe memory of man, or even in their legends, none had found them\nprior to my coming other than a single warlike giant, the story of\nwhom has been handed down from father to son.\n\n\"I think from the description that he must have been a Spaniard,\na giant of a man in buckler and helmet, who fought his way through\nthe terrible forest to the city gate, who fell upon those who were\nsent out to capture him and slew them with his mighty sword. And\nwhen he had eaten of the vegetables from the gardens, and the fruit\nfrom the trees and drank of the water from the stream, he turned\nabout and fought his way back through the forest to the mouth of\nthe gorge. But though he escaped the city and the forest he did\nnot escape the desert. For a legend runs that the king, fearful\nthat he would bring others to attack them, sent a party after him\nto slay him.\n\n\"For three weeks they did not find him, for they went in the wrong\ndirection, but at last they came upon his bones picked clean by\nthe vultures, lying a day's march up the same gorge through which\nyou and I entered the valley. I do not know,\" continued the old\nwoman, \"that this is true. It is just one of their many legends.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the girl, \"it is true. I am sure it is true, for I have\nseen the skeleton and the corroded armor of this great giant.\"\n\nAt this juncture the door was thrown open without ceremony and a\nNegro entered bearing two flat vessels in which were several smaller\nones. These he set down on one of the tables near the women, and,\nwithout a word, turned and left. With the entrance of the man\nwith the vessels, a delightful odor of cooked food had aroused the\nrealization in the girl's mind that she was very hungry, and at\na word from the old woman she walked to the table to examine the\nviands. The larger vessels which contained the smaller ones were\nof pottery while those within them were quite evidently of hammered\ngold. To her intense surprise she found lying between the smaller\nvessels a spoon and a fork, which, while of quaint design, were quite\nas serviceable as any she had seen in more civilized communities.\nThe tines of the fork were quite evidently of iron or steel, the\ngirl did not know which, while the handle and the spoon were of\nthe same material as the smaller vessels.\n\nThere was a highly seasoned stew with meat and vegetables, a dish\nof fresh fruit, and a bowl of milk beside which was a little jug\ncontaining something which resembled marmalade.  So ravenous was she\nthat she did not even wait for her companion to reach the table,\nand as she ate she could have sworn that never before had she tasted\nmore palatable food. The old woman came slowly and sat down on one\nof the benches opposite her.\n\nAs she removed the smaller vessels from the larger and arranged\nthem before her on the table a crooked smile twisted her lips as\nshe watched the younger woman eat.\n\n\"Hunger is a great leveler,\" she said with a laugh.\n\n\"What do you mean?\" asked the girl.\n\n\"I venture to say that a few weeks ago you would have been nauseated\nat the idea of eating cat.\"\n\n\"Cat?\" exclaimed the girl.\n\n\"Yes,\" said the old woman. \"What is the difference--a lion is a\ncat.\"\n\n\"You mean I am eating lion now?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the old woman, \"and as they prepare it, it is very\npalatable. You will grow very fond of it.\"\n\nBertha Kircher smiled a trifle dubiously. \"I could not tell it,\"\nshe said, \"from lamb or veal.\"\n\n\"No,\" said the woman, \"it tastes as good to me. But these lions\nare very carefully kept and very carefully fed and their flesh is\nso seasoned and prepared that it might be anything so far as taste\nis concerned.\"\n\nAnd so Bertha Kircher broke her long fast upon strange fruits, lion\nmeat, and goat's milk.\n\nScarcely had she finished when again the door opened and there\nentered a yellow-coated soldier. He spoke to the old woman.\n\n\"The king,\" she said, \"has commanded that you be prepared and brought\nto him. You are to share these apartments with me. The king knows\nthat I am not like his other women. He never would have dared to\nput you with them. Herog XVI has occasional lucid intervals. You\nmust have been brought to him during one of these. Like the rest\nof them he thinks that he alone of all the community is sane, but\nmore than once I have thought that the various men with whom I have\ncome in contact here, including the kings themselves, looked upon\nme as, at least, less mad than the others. Yet how I have retained\nmy senses all these years is beyond me.\"\n\n\"What do you mean by prepare?\" asked Bertha Kircher.  \"You said\nthat the king had commanded I be prepared and brought to him.\"\n\n\"You will be bathed and furnished with a robe similar to that which\nI wear.\"\n\n\"Is there no escape?\" asked the girl. \"Is there no way even in\nwhich I can kill myself?\"\n\nThe woman handed her the fork. \"This is the only way,\" she said,\n\"and you will notice that the tines are very short and blunt.\"\n\nThe girl shuddered and the old woman laid a hand gently upon her\nshoulder. \"He may only look at you and send you away,\" she said.\n\"Ago XXV sent for me once, tried to talk with me, discovered\nthat I could not understand him and that he could not understand\nme, ordered that I be taught the language of his people, and then\napparently forgot me for a year. Sometimes I do not see the king\nfor a long period.  There was one king who ruled for five years\nwhom I never saw.  There is always hope; even I whose very memory\nhas doubtless been forgotten beyond these palace walls still hope,\nthough none knows better how futilely.\"\n\nThe old woman led Bertha Kircher to an adjoining apartment in\nthe floor of which was a pool of water. Here the girl bathed and\nafterward her companion brought her one of the clinging garments\nof the native women and adjusted it about her figure. The material\nof the robe was of a gauzy fabric which accentuated the rounded\nbeauty of the girlish form.\n\n\"There,\" said the old woman, as she gave a final pat to one of the\nfolds of the garment, \"you are a queen indeed!\"\n\nThe girl looked down at her naked breasts and but half-concealed\nlimbs in horror. \"They are going to lead me into the presence of\nmen in this half-nude condition!\" she exclaimed.\n\nThe old woman smiled her crooked smile. \"It is nothing,\" she said.\n\"You will become accustomed to it as did I who was brought up in\nthe home of a minister of the gospel, where it was considered little\nshort of a crime for a woman to expose her stockinged ankle. By\ncomparison with what you will doubtless see and the things that\nyou may be called upon to undergo, this is but a trifle.\"\n\nFor what seemed hours to the distraught girl she paced the floor\nof her apartment, awaiting the final summons to the presence of the\nmad king. Darkness had fallen and the oil flares within the palace\nhad been lighted long before two messengers appeared with instructions\nthat Herog demanded her immediate presence and that the old woman,\nwhom they called Xanila, was to accompany her. The girl felt some\nslight relief when she discovered that she was to have at least\none friend with her, however powerless to assist her the old woman\nmight be.\n\nThe messengers conducted the two to a small apartment on the floor\nbelow. Xanila explained that this was one of the anterooms off\nthe main throneroom in which the king was accustomed to hold court\nwith his entire retinue. A number of yellow-tunicked warriors sat\nabout upon the benches within the room. For the most part their\neyes were bent upon the floor and their attitudes that of moody\ndejection. As the two women entered several glanced indifferently\nat them, but for the most part no attention was paid to them.\n\nWhile they were waiting in the anteroom there entered from another\napartment a young man uniformed similarly to the others with the\nexception that upon his head was a fillet of gold, in the front of\nwhich a single parrot feather rose erectly above his forehead. As\nhe entered, the other soldiers in the room rose to their feet.\n\n\"That is Metak, one of the king's sons,\" Xanila whispered to the\ngirl.\n\nThe prince was crossing the room toward the audience chamber when\nhis glance happened to fall upon Bertha Kircher. He halted in his\ntracks and stood looking at her for a full minute without speaking.\nThe girl, embarrassed by his bold stare and her scant attire, flushed\nand, dropping her gaze to the floor, turned away. Metak suddenly\ncommenced to tremble from head to foot and then, without warning\nother than a loud, hoarse scream he sprang forward and seized the\ngirl in his arms.\n\nInstantly pandemonium ensued. The two messengers who had been charged\nwith the duty of conducting the girl to the king's presence danced,\nshrieking, about the prince, waving their arms and gesticulating\nwildly as though they would force him to relinquish her, the\nwhile they dared not lay hands upon royalty. The other guardsmen,\nas though suffering in sympathy the madness of their prince, ran\nforward screaming and brandishing their sabers.\n\nThe girl fought to release herself from the horrid embrace of the\nmaniac, but with his left arm about her he held her as easily as\nthough she had been but a babe, while with his free hand he drew\nhis saber and struck viciously at those nearest him.\n\nOne of the messengers was the first to feel the keen edge of\nMetak's blade. With a single fierce cut the prince drove through\nthe fellow's collar bone and downward to the center of his chest.\nWith a shrill shriek that rose above the screaming of the other\nguardsmen the man dropped to the floor, and as the blood gushed\nfrom the frightful wound he struggled to rise once more to his feet\nand then sank back again and died in a great pool of his own blood.\n\nIn the meantime Metak, still clinging desperately to the girl,\nhad backed toward the opposite door. At the sight of the blood two\nof the guardsmen, as though suddenly aroused to maniacal frenzy,\ndropped their sabers to the floor and fell upon each other with\nnails and teeth, while some sought to reach the prince and some\nto defend him. In a corner of the room sat one of the guardsmen\nlaughing uproariously and just as Metak succeeded in reaching the\ndoor and taking the girl through, she thought that she saw another\nof the men spring upon the corpse of the dead messenger and bury\nhis teeth in its flesh.\n\nDuring the orgy of madness Xanila had kept closely at the girl's\nside but at the door of the room Metak had seen her and, wheeling\nsuddenly, cut viciously at her. Fortunately for Xanila she was\nhalfway through the door at the time, so that Metak's blade but\ndented itself upon the stone arch of the portal, and then Xanila,\nguided doubtless by the wisdom of sixty years of similar experiences,\nfled down the corridor as fast as her old and tottering legs would\ncarry her.\n\nMetak, once outside the door, returned his saber to its scabbard\nand lifting the girl bodily from the ground carried her off in the\nopposite direction from that taken by Xanila.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XX\n\nCame Tarzan\n\n\nJust before dark that evening, an almost exhausted flier entered\nthe headquarters of Colonel Capell of the Second Rhodesians and\nsaluted.\n\n\"Well, Thompson,\" asked the superior, \"what luck? The others have\nall returned. Never saw a thing of Oldwick or his plane. I guess\nwe shall have to give it up unless you were more successful.\"\n\n\"I was,\" replied the young officer. \"I found the plane.\"\n\n\"No!\" ejaculated Colonel Capell. \"Where was it? Any sign of Oldwick?\"\n\n\"It is in the rottenest hole in the ground you ever saw, quite a\nbit inland. Narrow gorge. Saw the plane all right but can't reach\nit. There was a regular devil of a lion wandering around it. I\nlanded near the edge of the cliff and was going to climb down and\ntake a look at the plane. But this fellow hung around for an hour\nor more and I finally had to give it up.\"\n\n\"Do you think the lions got Oldwick?\" asked the colonel.\n\n\"I doubt it,\" replied Lieutenant Thompson, \"from the fact that there\nwas no indication that the lion had fed anywhere about the plane.\nI arose after I found it was impossible to get down around the\nplane and reconnoitered up and down the gorge. Several miles to the\nsouth I found a small, wooded valley in the center of which--please\ndon't think me crazy, sir--is a regular city--streets, buildings,\na central plaza with a lagoon, good-sized buildings with domes and\nminarets and all that sort of stuff.\"\n\nThe elder officer looked at the younger compassionately.  \"You're\nall wrought up, Thompson,\" he said. \"Go and take a good sleep. You\nhave been on this job now for a long while and it must have gotten\non your nerves.\"\n\nThe young man shook his head a bit irritably. \"Pardon me, sir,\" he\nsaid, \"but I am telling you the truth. I am not mistaken. I circled\nover the place several times. It may be that Oldwick has found his\nway there--or has been captured by these people.\"\n\n\"Were there people in the city?\" asked the colonel.\n\n\"Yes, I saw them in the streets.\"\n\n\"Do you think cavalry could reach the valley?\" asked the colonel.\n\n\"No,\" replied Thompson, \"the country is all cut up with these\ndeep gorges. Even infantry would have a devil of a time of it, and\nthere is absolutely no water that I could discover for at least a\ntwo days' march.\"\n\nIt was at this juncture that a big Vauxhall drew up in front of the\nheadquarters of the Second Rhodesians and a moment later General\nSmuts alighted and entered. Colonel Capell arose from his chair and\nsaluted his superior, and the young lieutenant saluted and stood\nat attention.\n\n\"I was passing,\" said the general, \"and I thought I would stop for\na chat. By the way, how is the search for Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick\nprogressing? I see Thompson here and I believe he was one of those\ndetailed to the search.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said Capell, \"he was. He is the last to come in. He found the\nlieutenant's ship,\" and then he repeated what Lieutenant Thompson\nhad reported to him. The general sat down at the table with Colonel\nCapell, and together the two officers, with the assistance of the\nflier, marked the approximate location of the city which Thompson\nhad reported he'd discovered.\n\n\"It's a mighty rough country,\" remarked Smuts, \"but we can't leave\na stone unturned until we have exhausted every resource to find\nthat boy. We will send out a small force; a small one will be more\nlikely to succeed than a large one. About one company, Colonel,\nor say two, with sufficient motor lorries for transport of rations\nand water. Put a good man in command and let him establish a base\nas far to the west as the motors can travel. You can leave one\ncompany there and send the other forward. I am inclined to believe\nyou can establish your base within a day's march of the city and\nif such is the case the force you send ahead should have no trouble\non the score of lack of water as there certainly must be water\nin the valley where the city lies. Detail a couple of planes for\nreconnaissance and messenger service so that the base can keep in\ntouch at all times with the advance party. When can your force move\nout?\"\n\n\"We can load the lorries tonight,\" replied Capell, \"and march about\none o'clock tomorrow morning.\"\n\n\"Good,\" said the general, \"keep me advised,\" and returning the\nothers' salutes he departed.\n\nAs Tarzan leaped for the vines he realized that the lion was\nclose upon him and that his life depended upon the strength of the\ncreepers clinging to the city walls; but to his intense relief he\nfound the stems as large around as a man's arm, and the tendrils\nwhich had fastened themselves to the wall so firmly fixed, that his\nweight upon the stem appeared to have no appreciable effect upon\nthem.\n\nHe heard Numa's baffled roar as the lion slipped downward clawing\nfutilely at the leafy creepers, and then with the agility of the\napes who had reared him, Tarzan bounded nimbly aloft to the summit\nof the wall.\n\nA few feet below him was the flat roof of the adjoining building\nand as he dropped to it his back was toward the niche from which\nan embrasure looked out upon the gardens and the forest beyond, so\nthat he did not see the figure crouching there in the dark shadow.\nBut if he did not see he was not long in ignorance of the fact that\nhe was not alone, for scarcely had his feet touched the roof when\na heavy body leaped upon him from behind and brawny arms encircled\nhim about the waist.\n\nTaken at a disadvantage and lifted from his feet, the ape-man was,\nfor the time being, helpless. Whatever the creature was that had\nseized him, it apparently had a well-defined purpose in mind, for\nit walked directly toward the edge of the roof so that it was soon\napparent to Tarzan that he was to be hurled to the pavement below--a\nmost efficacious manner of disposing of an intruder. That he would\nbe either maimed or killed the ape-man was confident; but he had\nno intention of permitting his assailant to carry out the plan.\n\nTarzan's arms and legs were free but he was in such a disadvantageous\nposition that he could not use them to any good effect. His only\nhope lay in throwing the creature off its balance, and to this end\nTarzan straightened his body and leaned as far back against his\ncaptor as he could, and then suddenly lunged forward. The result was\nas satisfactory as he could possibly have hoped. The great weight\nof the ape-man thrown suddenly out from an erect position caused\nthe other also to lunge violently forward with the result that to\nsave himself he involuntarily released his grasp. Catlike in his\nmovements, the ape-man had no sooner touched the roof than he was\nupon his feet again, facing his adversary, a man almost as large\nas himself and armed with a saber which he now whipped from its\nscabbard. Tarzan, however, had no mind to allow the use of this\nformidable weapon and so he dove for the other's legs beneath the\nvicious cut that was directed at him from the side, and as a football\nplayer tackles an opposing runner, Tarzan tackled his antagonist,\ncarrying him backward several yards and throwing him heavily to\nthe roof upon his back.\n\nNo sooner had the man touched the roof than the ape-man was upon\nhis chest, one brawny hand sought and found the sword wrist and\nthe other the throat of the yellow-tunicked guardsman. Until then\nthe fellow had fought in silence but just as Tarzan's fingers\ntouched his throat he emitted a single piercing shriek that the\nbrown fingers cut off almost instantly.  The fellow struggled to\nescape the clutch of the naked creature upon his breast but equally\nas well might he have fought to escape the talons of Numa, the\nlion.\n\nGradually his struggles lessened, his pin-point eyes popped from\ntheir sockets, rolling horribly upward, while from his foam-flecked\nlips his swollen tongue protruded. As his struggles ceased Tarzan\narose, and placing a foot upon the carcass of his kill, was upon\nthe point of screaming forth his victory cry when the thought that\nthe work before him required the utmost caution sealed his lips.\n\nWalking to the edge of the roof he looked down into the narrow,\nwinding street below. At intervals, apparently at each street\nintersection, an oil flare sputtered dimly from brackets set\nin the walls a trifle higher than a man's head. For the most part\nthe winding alleys were in dense shadow and even in the immediate\nvicinity of the flares the illumination was far from brilliant.\nIn the restricted area of his vision he could see that there were\nstill a few of the strange inhabitants moving about the narrow\nthoroughfares.\n\nTo prosecute his search for the young officer and the girl he must\nbe able to move about the city as freely as possible, but to pass\nbeneath one of the corner flares, naked as he was except for a\nloin cloth, and in every other respect markedly different from the\ninhabitants of the city, would be but to court almost immediate\ndiscovery. As these thoughts flashed through his mind and he cast\nabout for some feasible plan of action, his eyes fell upon the\ncorpse upon the roof near him, and immediately there occurred to\nhim the possibility of disguising himself in the raiment of his\nconquered adversary.\n\nIt required but a few moments for the ape-man to clothe himself\nin the tights, sandals, and parrot emblazoned yellow tunic of the\ndead soldier. Around his waist he buckled the saber belt but beneath\nthe tunic he retained the hunting knife of his dead father. His\nother weapons he could not lightly discard, and so, in the hope\nthat he might eventually recover them, he carried them to the edge\nof the wall and dropped them among the foliage at its base. At the\nlast moment he found it difficult to part with his rope, which,\nwith his knife, was his most accustomed weapon, and one which he\nhad used for the greatest length of time. He found that by removing\nthe saber belt he could wind the rope about his waist beneath his\ntunic, and then replacing the belt still retain it entirely concealed\nfrom chance observation.\n\nAt last, satisfactorily disguised, and with even his shock of black\nhair adding to the verisimilitude of his likeness to the natives\nof the city, he sought for some means of reaching the street below.\nWhile he might have risked a drop from the eaves of the roof he\nfeared to do so lest he attract the attention of passers-by, and\nprobable discovery. The roofs of the buildings varied in height but\nas the ceilings were all low he found that he could easily travel\nalong the roof tops and this he did for some little distance, until\nhe suddenly discovered just ahead of him several figures reclining\nupon the roof of a near-by building.\n\nHe had noticed openings in each roof, evidently giving ingress to\nthe apartments below, and now, his advance cut off by those ahead\nof him, he decided to risk the chance of reaching the street\nthrough the interior of one of the buildings. Approaching one of\nthe openings he leaned over the black hole, and listened for sounds\nof life in the apartment below. Neither his ears nor his nose\nregistered evidence of the presence of any living creature in the\nimmediate vicinity, and so without further hesitation the ape-man\nlowered his body through the aperture and was about to drop\nwhen his foot came in contact with the rung of a ladder, which he\nimmediately took advantage of to descend to the floor of the room\nbelow.\n\nHere, all was almost total darkness until his eyes became accustomed\nto the interior, the darkness of which was slightly alleviated\nby the reflected light from a distant street flare which shone\nintermittently through the narrow windows fronting the thoroughfare.\nFinally, assured that the apartment was unoccupied, Tarzan sought\nfor a stairway to the ground floor.  This he found in a dark hallway\nupon which the room opened--a flight of narrow stone steps leading\ndownward toward the street. Chance favored him so that he reached\nthe shadows of the arcade without encountering any of the inmates\nof the house.\n\nOnce on the street he was not at a loss as to the direction in which\nhe wished to go, for he had tracked the two Europeans practically\nto the gate, which he felt assured must have given them entry to\nthe city. His keen sense of direction and location made it possible\nfor him to judge with considerable accuracy the point within the\ncity where he might hope to pick up the spoor of those whom he\nsought.\n\nThe first need, however, was to discover a street paralleling the\nnorthern wall along which he could make his way in the direction of\nthe gate he had seen from the forest. Realizing that his greatest\nhope of success lay in the boldness of his operations he moved off\nin the direction of the nearest street flare without making any\nother attempt at concealment than keeping in the shadows of the\narcade, which he judged would draw no particular attention to him\nin that he saw other pedestrians doing likewise. The few he passed\ngave him no heed, and he had almost reached the nearest intersection\nwhen he saw several men wearing yellow tunics identical to that\nwhich he had taken from his prisoner.\n\nThey were coming directly toward him and the ape-man saw that should\nhe continue on he would meet them directly at the intersection\nof the two streets in the full light of the flare. His first\ninclination was to go steadily on, for personally he had no objection\nto chancing a scrimmage with them; but a sudden recollection of the\ngirl, possibly a helpless prisoner in the hands of these people,\ncaused him to seek some other and less hazardous plan of action.\n\nHe had almost emerged from the shadow of the arcade into the full\nlight of the flare and the approaching men were but a few yards\nfrom him, when he suddenly kneeled and pretended to adjust the\nwrappings of his sandals--wrappings, which, by the way, he was\nnot at all sure that he had adjusted as their makers had intended\nthem to be adjusted. He was still kneeling when the soldiers came\nabreast of him. Like the others he had passed they paid no attention\nto him and the moment they were behind him he continued upon his\nway, turning to the right at the intersection of the two streets.\n\nThe street he now took was, at this point, so extremely winding\nthat, for the most part, it received no benefit from the flares at\neither corner, so that he was forced practically to grope his way\nin the dense shadows of the arcade. The street became a little\nstraighter just before he reached the next flare, and as he came\nwithin sight of it he saw silhouetted against a patch of light the\nfigure of a lion. The beast was coming slowly down the street in\nTarzan's direction.\n\nA woman crossed the way directly in front of it and the lion paid\nno attention to her, nor she to the lion. An instant later a little\nchild ran after the woman and so close did he run before the lion\nthat the beast was forced to turn out of its way a step to avoid\ncolliding with the little one. The ape-man grinned and crossed\nquickly to the opposite side of the street, for his delicate senses\nindicated that at this point the breeze stirring through the city\nstreets and deflected by the opposite wall would now blow from the\nlion toward him as the beast passed, whereas if he remained upon\nthe side of the street upon which he had been walking when he\ndiscovered the carnivore, his scent would have been borne to the\nnostrils of the animal, and Tarzan was sufficiently jungle-wise\nto realize that while he might deceive the eyes of man and beast\nhe could not so easily disguise from the nostrils of one of the\ngreat cats that he was a creature of a different species from the\ninhabitants of the city, the only human beings, possibly, that Numa\nwas familiar with.  In him the cat would recognize a stranger, and,\ntherefore, an enemy, and Tarzan had no desire to be delayed by an\nencounter with a savage lion. His ruse worked successfully, the\nlion passing him with not more than a side glance in his direction.\n\nHe had proceeded for some little distance and had about reached a\npoint where he judged he would find the street which led up from\nthe city gate when, at an intersection of two streets, his nostrils\ncaught the scent spoor of the girl. Out of a maze of other scent\nspoors the ape-man picked the familiar odor of the girl and, a second\nlater, that of Smith-Oldwick.  He had been forced to accomplish\nit, however, by bending very low at each street intersection in\nrepeated attention to his sandal wrappings, bringing his nostrils\nas close to the pavement as possible.\n\nAs he advanced along the street through which the two had been\nconducted earlier in the day he noted, as had they, the change\nin the type of buildings as he passed from a residence district\ninto that portion occupied by shops and bazaars. Here the number\nof flares was increased so that they appeared not only at street\nintersections but midway between as well, and there were many\nmore people abroad. The shops were open and lighted, for with the\nsetting of the sun the intense heat of the day had given place to\na pleasant coolness. Here also the number of lions, roaming loose\nthrough the thoroughfares, increased, and also for the first time\nTarzan noted the idiosyncrasies of the people.\n\nOnce he was nearly upset by a naked man running rapidly through\nthe street screaming at the top of his voice. And again he nearly\nstumbled over a woman who was making her way in the shadows of one\nof the arcades upon all fours. At first the ape-man thought she was\nhunting for something she had dropped, but as he drew to one side\nto watch her, he saw that she was doing nothing of the kind--that\nshe had merely elected to walk upon her hands and knees rather\nthan erect upon her feet. In another block he saw two creatures\nstruggling upon the roof of an adjacent building until finally one\nof them, wrenching himself free from the grasp of the other, gave\nhis adversary a mighty push which hurled him to the pavement below,\nwhere he lay motionless upon the dusty road. For an instant a wild\nshriek re-echoed through the city from the lungs of the victor and\nthen, without an instant's hesitation, the fellow leaped headfirst\nto the street beside the body of his victim. A lion moved out from\nthe dense shadows of a doorway and approached the two bloody and\nlifeless things before him. Tarzan wondered what effect the odor\nof blood would have upon the beast and was surprised to see that\nthe animal only sniffed at the corpses and the hot red blood and\nthen lay down beside the two dead men.\n\nHe had passed the lion but a short distance when his attention was\ncalled to the figure of a man lowering himself laboriously from the\nroof of a building upon the east side of the thoroughfare. Tarzan's\ncuriosity was aroused.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXI\n\nIn the Alcove\n\n\nAs Smith-Oldwick realized that he was alone and practically defenseless\nin an enclosure filled with great lions  he was, in his weakened\ncondition, almost in a state verging upon hysterical terror.\nClinging to the grating for support he dared not turn his head in\nthe direction of the beasts behind him. He felt his knees giving\nweakly beneath him. Something within his head spun rapidly around.\nHe became very dizzy and nauseated and then suddenly all went\nblack before his eyes as his limp body collapsed at the foot of\nthe grating.\n\nHow long he lay there unconscious he never knew; but as reason\nslowly reasserted itself in his semi-conscious state he was aware\nthat he lay in a cool bed upon the whitest of linen in a bright\nand cheery room, and that upon one side close to him was an open\nwindow, the delicate hangings of which were fluttering in a soft\nsummer breeze which blew in from a sun-kissed orchard of ripening\nfruit which he could see without--an old orchard in which soft,\ngreen grass grew between the laden trees, and where the sun filtered\nthrough the foliage; and upon the dappled greensward a little child\nwas playing with a frolicsome puppy.\n\n\"God,\" thought the man, \"what a horrible nightmare I have passed\nthrough!\" and then he felt a hand stroking his brow and cheek--a\ncool and gentle hand that smoothed away his troubled recollections.\nFor a long minute Smith-Oldwick lay in utter peace and content\nuntil gradually there was forced upon his sensibilities the fact\nthat the hand had become rough, and that it was no longer cool but\nhot and moist; and suddenly he opened his eyes and looked up into\nthe face of a huge lion.\n\nLieutenant Harold Percy Smith-Oldwick was not only an English\ngentleman and an officer in name, he was also what these implied--a\nbrave man; but when he realized that the sweet picture he had looked\nupon was but the figment of a dream, and that in reality he still\nlay where he had fallen at the foot of the grating with a lion\nstanding over him licking his face, the tears sprang to his eyes\nand ran down his cheeks.  Never, he thought, had an unkind fate\nplayed so cruel a joke upon a human being.\n\nFor some time he lay feigning death while the lion, having ceased\nto lick him, sniffed about his body. There are some things than which\ndeath is to be preferred; and there came at last to the Englishman\nthe realization that it would be better to die swiftly than to\nlie in this horrible predicament until his mind broke beneath the\nstrain and he went mad.\n\nAnd so, deliberately and without haste, he rose, clinging to the\ngrating for support. At his first move the lion growled, but after\nthat he paid no further attention to the man, and when at last\nSmith-Oldwick had regained his feet the lion moved indifferently\naway. Then it was that the man turned and looked about the enclosure.\n\nSprawled beneath the shade of the trees and lying upon the long bench\nbeside the south wall the great beasts rested, with the exception\nof two or three who moved restlessly about. It was these that the\nman feared and yet when two more of them had passed him by he began\nto feel reassured, recalling the fact that they were accustomed to\nthe presence of man.\n\nAnd yet he dared not move from the grating. As the man examined his\nsurroundings he noted that the branches of one of the trees near\nthe further wall spread close beneath an open window. If he could\nreach that tree and had strength to do so, he could easily climb\nout upon the branch and escape, at least, from the enclosure of the\nlions. But in order to reach the tree he must pass the full length\nof the enclosure, and at the very bole of the tree itself two lions\nlay sprawled out in slumber.\n\nFor half an hour the man stood gazing longingly at this seeming\navenue of escape, and at last, with a muttered oath, he straightened\nup and throwing back his shoulders in a gesture of defiance, he\nwalked slowly and deliberately down the center of the courtyard.\nOne of the prowling lions turned from the side wall and moved\ntoward the center directly in the man's path, but Smith-Oldwick was\ncommitted to what he considered his one chance, for even temporary\nsafety, and so he kept on, ignoring the presence of the beast. The\nlion slouched to his side and sniffed him and then, growling, he\nbared his teeth.\n\nSmith-Oldwick drew the pistol from his shirt. \"If he has made up\nhis mind to kill me,\" he thought. \"I can't see that it will make\nany difference in the long run whether I infuriate him or not. The\nbeggar can't kill me any deader in one mood than another.\"\n\nBut with the man's movement in withdrawing the weapon from his shirt\nthe lion's attitude suddenly altered and though he still growled\nhe turned and sprang away, and then at last the Englishman stood\nalmost at the foot of the tree that was his goal, and between him\nand safety sprawled a sleeping lion.\n\nAbove him was a limb that ordinarily he could have leaped for and\nreached with ease; but weak from his wounds and loss of blood he\ndoubted his ability to do so now. There was even a question as to\nwhether he would be able to ascend the tree at all. There was just\none chance: the lowest branch left the bole within easy reach of a\nman standing on the ground close to the tree's stem, but to reach\na position where the branch would be accessible he must step over\nthe body of a lion.  Taking a deep breath he placed one foot between\nthe sprawled legs of the beast and gingerly raised the other to plant\nit upon the opposite side of the tawny body. \"What,\" he thought,\n\"if the beggar should happen to wake now?\" The suggestion sent a\nshudder through his frame but he did not hesitate or withdraw his\nfoot. Gingerly he planted it beyond the lion, threw his weight\nforward upon it and cautiously brought his other foot to the side\nof the first. He had passed and the lion had not awakened.\n\nSmith-Oldwick was weak from loss of blood and the hardships he had\nundergone, but the realization of his situation impelled him to a\nshow of agility and energy which he probably could scarcely have\nequaled when in possession of his normal strength. With his life\ndepending upon the success of his efforts, he swung himself quickly\nto the lower branches of the tree and scrambled upward out of reach\nof possible harm from the lions below--though the sudden movement\nin the branches above them awakened both the sleeping beasts. The\nanimals raised their heads and looked questioningly up for a moment\nand then lay back again to resume their broken slumber.\n\nSo easily had the Englishman succeeded thus far that he suddenly\nbegan to question as to whether he had at any time been in real\ndanger. The lions, as he knew, were accustomed to the presence of\nmen, but yet they were still lions and he was free to admit that\nhe breathed more easily now that he was safe above their clutches.\n\nBefore him lay the open window he had seen from the ground. He\nwas now on a level with it and could see an apparently unoccupied\nchamber beyond, and toward this he made his way along a stout\nbranch that swung beneath the opening. It was not a difficult feat\nto reach the window, and a moment later he drew himself over the\nsill and dropped into the room.\n\nHe found himself in a rather spacious apartment, the floor of which\nwas covered with rugs of barbaric design, while the few pieces of\nfurniture were of a similar type to that which he had seen in the\nroom on the first floor into which he and Bertha Kircher had been\nushered at the conclusion of their journey.  At one end of the room\nwas what appeared to be a curtained alcove, the heavy hangings of\nwhich completely hid the interior. In the wall opposite the window\nand near the alcove was a closed door, apparently the only exit\nfrom the room.\n\nHe could see, in the waning light without, that the close of the\nday was fast approaching, and he hesitated while he deliberated the\nadvisability of waiting until darkness had fallen, or of immediately\nsearching for some means of escape from the building and the city.\nHe at last decided that it would do no harm to investigate beyond\nthe room, that he might have some idea as how best to plan his\nescape after dark. To this end he crossed the room toward the door\nbut he had taken only a few steps when the hangings before the\nalcove separated and the figure of a woman appeared in the opening.\n\nShe was young and beautifully formed; the single drapery wound around\nher body from below her breasts left no detail of her symmetrical\nproportions unrevealed, but her face was the face of an imbecile.\nAt sight of her Smith-Oldwick halted, momentarily expecting that\nhis presence would elicit screams for help from her. On the contrary\nshe came toward him smiling, and when she was close her slender,\nshapely fingers touched the sleeve of his torn blouse as a curious\nchild might handle a new toy, and still with the same smile she\nexamined him from head to foot, taking in, in childish wonderment,\nevery detail of his apparel.\n\nPresently she spoke to him in a soft, well-modulated voice which\ncontrasted sharply with her facial appearance. The voice and the\ngirlish figure harmonized perfectly and seemed to belong to each\nother, while the head and face were those of another creature.\nSmith-Oldwick could understand no word of what she said, but\nnevertheless he spoke to her in his own cultured tone, the effect\nof which upon her was evidently most gratifying, for before he\nrealized her intentions or could prevent her she had thrown both\narms about his neck and was kissing him with the utmost abandon.\n\nThe man tried to free himself from her rather surprising attentions,\nbut she only clung more tightly to him, and suddenly, as he recalled\nthat he had always heard that one must humor the mentally deficient,\nand at the same time seeing in her a possible agency of escape, he\nclosed his eyes and returned her embraces.\n\nIt was at this juncture that the door opened and a man entered.\nWith the sound from the first movement of the latch, Smith-Oldwick\nopened his eyes, but though he endeavored to disengage himself\nfrom the girl he realized that the newcomer had seen their rather\ncompromising position. The girl, whose back was toward the door,\nseemed at first not to realize that someone had entered, but when\nshe did she turned quickly and as her eyes fell upon the man whose\nterrible face was now distorted with an expression of hideous rage\nshe turned, screaming, and fled toward the alcove. The Englishman,\nflushed and embarrassed, stood where she had left him. With the\nsudden realization of the futility of attempting an explanation,\ncame that of the menacing appearance of the man, whom he now\nrecognized as the official who had received them in the room below.\nThe fellow's face, livid with insane rage and, possibly, jealousy,\nwas twitching violently, accentuating the maniacal expression that\nit habitually wore.\n\nFor a moment he seemed paralyzed by anger, and then with a loud\nshriek that rose into an uncanny wail, he drew his curved saber\nand sprang toward the Englishman. To Smith-Oldwick there seemed\nno possible hope of escaping the keen-edged weapon in the hands of\nthe infuriated man, and though he felt assured that it would draw\ndown upon him an equally sudden and possibly more terrible death,\nhe did the only thing that remained for him to do--drew his pistol\nand fired straight for the heart of the oncoming man. Without even\nso much as a groan the fellow lunged forward upon the floor at\nSmith-Oldwick's feet--killed instantly with a bullet through the\nheart. For several seconds the silence of the tomb reigned in the\napartment.\n\nThe Englishman, standing over the prostrate figure of the dead\nman, watched the door with drawn weapon, expecting momentarily to\nhear the rush of feet of those whom he was sure would immediately\ninvestigate the report of the pistol.  But no sounds came from below\nto indicate that anyone there had heard the explosion, and presently\nthe man's attention was distracted from the door to the alcove,\nbetween the hangings of which the face of the girl appeared. The\neyes were widely dilated and the lower jaw dropped in an expression\nof surprise and awe.\n\nThe girl's gaze was riveted upon the figure upon the floor, and\npresently she crept stealthily into the room and tiptoed toward\nthe corpse. She appeared as though constantly poised for flight,\nand when she had come to within two or three feet of the body she\nstopped and, looking up at Smith-Oldwick, voiced some interrogation\nwhich he could not, of course, understand. Then she came close to\nthe side of the dead man and kneeling upon the floor felt gingerly\nof the body.\n\nPresently she shook the corpse by the shoulder, and then with a\nshow of strength which her tenderly girlish form belied, she turned\nthe body over on its back. If she had been in doubt before, one\nglance at the hideous features set in death must have convinced\nher that life was extinct, and with the realization there broke\nfrom her lips peal after peal of mad, maniacal laughter as with her\nlittle hands she beat upon the upturned face and breast of the dead\nman. It was a gruesome sight from which the Englishman involuntarily\ndrew back--a gruesome, disgusting sight such as, he realized, might\nnever be witnessed outside a madhouse or this frightful city.\n\nIn the midst of her frenzied rejoicing at the death of the man,\nand Smith-Oldwick could attribute her actions to no other cause,\nshe suddenly desisted from her futile attacks upon the insensate\nflesh and, leaping to her feet, ran quickly to the door, where\nshe shot a wooden bolt into its socket, thus securing them from\ninterference from without. Then she returned to the center of the\nroom and spoke rapidly to the Englishman, gesturing occasionally\ntoward the body of the slain man. When he could not understand,\nshe presently became provoked and in a sudden hysteria of madness\nshe rushed forward as though to strike the Englishman. Smith-Oldwick\ndropped back a few steps and leveled his pistol upon her. Mad though\nshe must have been, she evidently was not so mad but what she had\nconnected the loud report, the diminutive weapon, and the sudden\ndeath of the man in whose house she dwelt, for she instantly desisted\nand quite as suddenly as it had come upon her, her homicidal mood\ndeparted.\n\nAgain the vacuous, imbecile smile took possession of her features,\nand her voice, dropping its harshness, resumed the soft, well-modulated\ntones with which she had first addressed him. Now she attempted by\nsigns to indicate her wishes, and motioning Smith-Oldwick to follow\nher she went to the hangings and opening them disclosed the alcove.\nIt was rather more than an alcove, being a fair-sized room heavy\nwith rugs and hangings and soft, pillowed couches. Turning at the\nentrance she pointed to the corpse upon the floor of the outer\nroom, and then crossing the alcove she raised some draperies which\ncovered a couch and fell to the floor upon all sides, disclosing\nan opening beneath the furniture.\n\nTo this opening she pointed and then again to the corpse, indicating\nplainly to the Englishman that it was her desire that the body be\nhidden here. But if he had been in doubt, she essayed to dispel it\nby grasping his sleeve and urging him in the direction of the body\nwhich the two of them then lifted and half carried and half dragged\ninto the alcove. At first they encountered some difficulty when\nthey endeavored to force the body of the man into the small space\nshe had selected for it, but eventually they succeeded in doing\nso. Smith-Oldwick was again impressed by the fiendish brutality of\nthe girl.  In the center of the room lay a blood-stained rug which\nthe girl quickly gathered up and draped over a piece of furniture\nin such a way that the stain was hidden. By rearranging the other\nrugs and by bringing one from the alcove she restored the room to\norder so no outward indication of the tragedy so recently enacted\nthere was apparent.\n\nThese things attended to, and the hangings draped once more about\nthe couch that they might hide the gruesome thing beneath, the girl\nonce more threw her arms about the Englishman's neck and dragged him\ntoward the soft and luxurious pillows above the dead man. Acutely\nconscious of the horror of his position, filled with loathing,\ndisgust, and an outraged sense of decency, Smith-Oldwick was also\nacutely alive to the demands of self-preservation. He felt that\nhe was warranted in buying his life at almost any price; but there\nwas a point at which his finer nature rebelled.\n\nIt was at this juncture that a loud knock sounded upon the door of\nthe outer room. Springing from the couch, the girl seized the man\nby the arm and dragged him after her to the wall close by the head\nof the couch. Here she drew back one of the hangings, revealing a\nlittle niche behind, into which she shoved the Englishman and dropped\nthe hangings before him, effectually hiding him from observation\nfrom the rooms beyond.\n\nHe heard her cross the alcove to the door of the outer room, and\nheard the bolt withdrawn followed by the voice of a man mingled\nwith that of the girl. The tones of both seemed rational so that\nhe might have been listening to an ordinary conversation in some\nforeign tongue. Yet with the gruesome experiences of the day behind\nhim, he could not but momentarily expect some insane outbreak from\nbeyond the hangings.\n\nHe was aware from the sounds that the two had entered the alcove,\nand, prompted by a desire to know what manner of man he might\nnext have to contend with, he slightly parted the heavy folds that\nhid the two from his view and looking out saw them sitting on the\ncouch with their arms about each other, the girl with the same\nexpressionless smile upon her face that she had vouchsafed him.\nHe found he could so arrange the hangings that a very narrow slit\nbetween two of them permitted him to watch the actions of those in\nthe alcove without revealing himself or increasing his liability\nof detection.\n\nHe saw the girl lavishing her kisses upon the newcomer, a much\nyounger man than he whom Smith-Oldwick had dispatched. Presently\nthe girl disengaged herself from the embrace of her lover as though\nstruck by a sudden memory.  Her brows puckered as in labored thought\nand then with a startled expression, she threw a glance backward\ntoward the hidden niche where the Englishman stood, after which she\nwhispered rapidly to her companion, occasionally jerking her head\nin the direction of the niche and on several occasions making a\nmove with one hand and forefinger, which Smith-Oldwick could not\nmistake as other than an attempt to describe his pistol and its\nuse.\n\nIt was evident then to him that she was betraying him, and without\nfurther loss of time he turned his back toward the hangings and\ncommenced a rapid examination of his hiding place. In the alcove\nthe man and the girl whispered, and then cautiously and with great\nstealth, the man rose and drew his curved saber. On tiptoe he\napproached the hangings, the girl creeping at his side. Neither\nspoke now, nor was there any sound in the room as the girl sprang\nforward and with outstretched arm and pointing finger indicated\na point upon the curtain at the height of a man's breast. Then\nshe stepped to one side, and her companion, raising his blade to\na horizontal position, lunged suddenly forward and with the full\nweight of his body and his right arm, drove the sharp point through\nthe hangings and into the niche behind for its full length.\n\nBertha Kircher, finding her struggles futile and realizing that she\nmust conserve her strength for some chance opportunity of escape,\ndesisted from her efforts to break from the grasp of Prince Metak\nas the fellow fled with her through the dimly lighted corridors\nof the palace. Through many chambers the prince fled, bearing his\nprize. It was evident to the girl that, though her captor was the\nking's son, he was not above capture and punishment for his deeds,\nas otherwise he would not have shown such evident anxiety to escape\nwith her, as well as from the results of his act.\n\nFrom the fact that he was constantly turning affrighted eyes behind\nthem, and glancing suspiciously into every nook and corner that\nthey passed, she guessed that the prince's punishment might be both\nspeedy and terrible were he caught.\n\nShe knew from their route that they must have doubled back several\ntimes although she had quite lost all sense of direction; but she\ndid not know that the prince was as equally confused as she, and\nthat really he was running in an aimless, erratic manner, hoping\nthat he might stumble eventually upon a place of refuge.\n\nNor is it to be wondered at that this offspring of maniacs should\nhave difficulty in orienting himself in the winding mazes of a\npalace designed by maniacs for a maniac king.  Now a corridor turned\ngradually and almost imperceptibly in a new direction, again one\ndoubled back upon and crossed itself; here the floor rose gradually\nto the level of another story, or again there might be a spiral\nstairway down which the mad prince rushed dizzily with his burden.\nUpon what floor they were or in what part of the palace even Metak\nhad no idea until, halting abruptly at a closed door, he pushed\nit open to step into a brilliantly lighted chamber filled with\nwarriors, at one end of which sat the king upon a great throne;\nbeside this, to the girl's surprise, she saw another throne where\nwas seated a huge lioness, recalling to her the words of Xanila\nwhich, at the time, had made no impression on her: \"But he had many\nother queens, nor were they all human.\"\n\nAt sight of Metak and the girl, the king rose from his throne and\nstarted across the chamber, all semblance of royalty vanishing in\nthe maniac's uncontrollable passion. And as he came he shrieked\norders and commands at the top of his voice.  No sooner had Metak so\nunwarily opened the door to this hornets' nest than he immediately\nwithdrew and, turning, fled again in a new direction. But now\na hundred men were close upon his heels, laughing, shrieking, and\npossibly cursing. He dodged hither and thither, distancing them for\nseveral minutes until, at the bottom of a long runway that inclined\nsteeply downward from a higher level, he burst into a subterranean\napartment lighted by many flares.\n\nIn the center of the room was a pool of considerable size, the\nlevel of the water being but a few inches below the floor.  Those\nbehind the fleeing prince and his captive entered the chamber in\ntime to see Metak leap into the water with the girl and disappear\nbeneath the surface taking his captive with him, nor, though they\nwaited excitedly around the rim of the pool, did either of the two\nagain emerge.\n\nWhen Smith-Oldwick turned to investigate his hiding place, his\nhands, groping upon the rear wall, immediately came in contact with\nthe wooden panels of a door and a bolt such as that which secured\nthe door of the outer room. Cautiously and silently drawing the\nwooden bar he pushed gently against the panel to find that the door\nswung easily and noiselessly outward into utter darkness. Moving\ncarefully and feeling forward for each step he passed out of the\nniche, closing the door behind him.\n\nFeeling about, he discovered that he was in a narrow corridor which\nhe followed cautiously for a few yards to be brought up suddenly\nby what appeared to be a ladder across the passageway. He felt of\nthe obstruction carefully with his hands until he was assured that\nit was indeed a ladder and that a solid wall was just beyond it,\nending the corridor.  Therefore, as he could not go forward and as\nthe ladder ended at the floor upon which he stood, and as he did\nnot care to retrace his steps, there was no alternative but to climb\nupward, and this he did, his pistol ready in a side pocket of his\nblouse.\n\nHe had ascended but two or three rungs when his head came suddenly\nand painfully in contact with a hard surface above him. Groping\nabout with one hand over his head he discovered that the obstacle\nseemed to be the covering to a trap door in the ceiling which,\nwith a little effort, he succeeded in raising a couple of inches,\nrevealing through the cracks the stars of a clear African night.\n\nWith a sigh of relief, but with unabated caution, he gently slid\nthe trapdoor to one side far enough to permit him to raise his\neyes above the level of the roof. A quick glance assured him that\nthere was none near enough to observe his movements, nor, in fact,\nas far as he could see, was anyone in sight.\n\nDrawing himself quickly through the aperture he replaced the cover\nand endeavored to regain his bearings. Directly to the south of him\nthe low roof he stood upon adjoined a much loftier portion of the\nbuilding, which rose several stories above his head. A few yards\nto the west he could see the flickering light of the flares of a\nwinding street, and toward this he made his way.\n\nFrom the edge of the roof he looked down upon the night life of\nthe mad city. He saw men and women and children and lions, and of\nall that he saw it was quite evident to him that only the lions were\nsane. With the aid of the stars he easily picked out the points of\nthe compass, and following carefully in his memory the steps that\nhad led him into the city and to the roof upon which he now stood,\nhe knew that the thoroughfare upon which he looked was the same\nalong which he and Bertha Kircher had been led as prisoners earlier\nin the day.\n\nIf he could reach this he might be able to pass undetected in the\nshadows of the arcade to the city gate. He had already given up as\nfutile the thought of seeking out the girl and attempting to succor\nher, for he knew that alone and with the few remaining rounds of\nammunition he possessed, he could do nothing against this city-full\nof armed men. That he could live to cross the lion-infested forest\nbeyond the city was doubtful, and having, by some miracle, won to\nthe desert beyond, his fate would be certainly sealed; but yet he\nwas consumed with but one desire--to leave behind him as far as\npossible this horrid city of maniacs.\n\nHe saw that the roofs rose to the same level as that upon which\nhe stood unbroken to the north to the next street intersection.\nDirectly below him was a flare. To reach the pavement in safety\nit was necessary that he find as dark a portion of the avenue as\npossible. And so he sought along the edge of the roofs for a place\nwhere he might descend in comparative concealment.\n\nHe had proceeded some little way beyond a point where the street curved\nabruptly to the east before he discovered a location sufficiently\nto his liking. But even here he was compelled to wait a considerable\ntime for a satisfactory moment for his descent, which he had\ndecided to make down one of the pillars of the arcade. Each time\nhe prepared to lower himself over the edge of the roofs, footsteps\napproaching in one direction or another deterred him until at last\nhe had almost come to the conclusion that he would have to wait\nfor the entire city to sleep before continuing his flight.\n\nBut finally came a moment which he felt propitious and though\nwith inward qualms, it was with outward calm that he commenced the\ndescent to the street below.\n\nWhen at last he stood beneath the arcade he was congratulating\nhimself upon the success that had attended his efforts up to this\npoint when, at a slight sound behind him, he turned to see a tall\nfigure in the yellow tunic of a warrior confronting him.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXII\n\nOut of the Niche\n\n\nNuma, the lion, growled futilely in baffled rage as he slipped\nback to the ground at the foot of the wall after his unsuccessful\nattempt to drag down the fleeing ape-man. He poised to make a\nsecond effort to follow his escaping quarry when his nose picked\nup a hitherto unnoticed quality in the scent spoor of his intended\nprey. Sniffing at the ground that Tarzan's feet had barely touched,\nNuma's growl changed to a low whine, for he had recognized the\nscent spoor of the man-thing that had rescued him from the pit of\nthe Wamabos.\n\nWhat thoughts passed through that massive head? Who may say? But\nnow there was no indication of baffled rage as the great lion turned\nand moved majestically eastward along the wall. At the eastern end\nof the city he turned toward the south, continuing his way to the\nsouth side of the wall along which were the pens and corrals where\nthe herbivorous flocks were fattened for the herds of domesticated\nlions within the city. The great black lions of the forest fed\nwith almost equal impartiality upon the flesh of the grass-eaters\nand man. Like Numa of the pit they occasionally made excursions across\nthe desert to the fertile valley of the Wamabos, but principally\nthey took their toll of meat from the herds of the walled city of\nHerog, the mad king, or seized upon some of his luckless subjects.\n\nNuma of the pit was in some respects an exception to the rule which\nguided his fellows of the forest in that as a cub he had been\ntrapped and carried into the city, where he was kept for breeding\npurposes, only to escape in his second year. They had tried to teach\nhim in the city of maniacs that he must not eat the flesh of man,\nand the result of their schooling was that only when aroused to\nanger or upon that one occasion that he had been impelled by the\npangs of hunger, did he ever attack man.\n\nThe animal corrals of the maniacs are protected by an outer wall\nor palisade of upright logs, the lower ends of which are imbedded\nin the ground, the logs themselves being placed as close together\nas possible and further reinforced and bound together by withes.\nAt intervals there are gates through which the flocks are turned\non to the grazing land south of the city during the daytime. It is\nat such times that the black lions of the forest take their greatest\ntoll from the herds, and it is infrequent that a lion attempts to\nenter the corrals at night.  But Numa of the pit, having scented the\nspoor of his benefactor, was minded again to pass into the walled\ncity, and with that idea in his cunning brain he crept stealthily\nalong the outer side of the palisade, testing each gateway with a\npadded foot until at last he discovered one which seemed insecurely\nfastened. Lowering his great head he pressed against the gate, surging\nforward with all the weight of his huge body and the strength of\nhis giant sinews--one mighty effort and Numa was within the corral.\n\nThe enclosure contained a herd of goats which immediately upon the\nadvent of the carnivore started a mad stampede to the opposite end\nof the corral which was bounded by the south wall of the city. Numa\nhad been within such a corral as this before, so that he knew that\nsomewhere in the wall was a small door through which the goatherd\nmight pass from the city to his flock; toward this door he made his\nway, whether by plan or accident it is difficult to say, though in\nthe light of ensuing events it seems possible that the former was\nthe case.\n\nTo reach the gate he must pass directly through the herd which had\nhuddled affrightedly close to the opening so that once again there\nwas a furious rush of hoofs as Numa strode quickly to the side of\nthe portal. If Numa had planned, he had planned well, for scarcely\nhad he reached his position when the door opened and a herder's head\nwas projected into the enclosure, the fellow evidently seeking an\nexplanation of the disturbance among his flock. Possibly he discovered\nthe cause of the commotion, but it is doubtful, for it was dark\nand the great, taloned paw that reached up and struck downward a\nmighty blow that almost severed his head from his body, moved so\nquickly and silently that the man was dead within a fraction of\na second from the moment that he opened the door, and then Numa,\nknowing now his way, passed through the wall into the dimly lighted\nstreets of the city beyond.\n\nSmith-Oldwick's first thought when he was accosted by the figure in\nthe yellow tunic of a soldier was to shoot the man dead and trust\nto his legs and the dimly lighted, winding streets to permit his\nescape, for he knew that to be accosted was equivalent to recapture\nsince no inhabitant of this weird city but would recognize him\nas an alien. It would be a simple thing to shoot the man from the\npocket where the pistol lay without drawing the weapon, and with\nthis purpose in mind the Englishman slipped his hands into the\nside pocket of his blouse, but simultaneously with this action his\nwrist was seized in a powerful grasp and a low voice whispered in\nEnglish: \"Lieutenant, it is I, Tarzan of the Apes.\"\n\nThe relief from the nervous strain under which he had been laboring\nfor so long, left Smith-Oldwick suddenly as weak as a babe, so that\nhe was forced to grasp the ape-man's arm for support--and when he\nfound his voice all he could do was to repeat: \"You? You? I thought\nyou were dead!\"\n\n\"No, not dead,\" replied Tarzan, \"and I see that you are not either.\nBut how about the girl?\"\n\n\"I haven't seen her,\" replied the Englishman, \"since we were\nbrought here. We were taken into a building on the plaza close by\nand there we were separated. She was led away by guards and I was\nput into a den of lions. I haven't seen her since.\"\n\n\"How did you escape?\" asked the ape-man.\n\n\"The lions didn't seem to pay much attention to me and I climbed\nout of the place by way of a tree and through a window into a room\non the second floor. Had a little scrimmage there with a fellow and\nwas hidden by one of their women in a hole in the wall. The loony\nthing then betrayed me to another bounder who happened in, but I\nfound a way out and up onto the roof where I have been for quite\nsome time now waiting for a chance to get down into the street\nwithout being seen. That's all I know, but I haven't the slightest\nidea in the world where to look for Miss Kircher.\"\n\n\"Where were you going now?\" asked Tarzan.\n\nSmith-Oldwick hesitated. \"I--well, I couldn't do anything here\nalone and I was going to try to get out of the city and in some\nway reach the British forces east and bring help.\"\n\n\"You couldn't do it,\" said Tarzan. \"Even if you got through the\nforest alive you could never cross the desert country without food\nor water.\"\n\n\"What shall we do, then?\" asked the Englishman.\n\n\"We will see if we can find the girl,\" replied the ape-man, and\nthen, as though he had forgotten the presence of the Englishman and\nwas arguing to convince himself, \"She may be a German and a spy,\nbut she is a woman--a white woman--I can't leave her here.\"\n\n\"But how are we going to find her?\" asked the Englishman.\n\n\"I have followed her this far,\" replied Tarzan, \"and unless I am\ngreatly mistaken I can follow her still farther.\"\n\n\"But I cannot accompany you in these clothes without exposing us\nboth to detection and arrest,\" argued Smith-Oldwick.\n\n\"We will get you other clothes, then,\" said Tarzan.\n\n\"How?\" asked the Englishman.\n\n\"Go back to the roof beside the city wall where I entered,\" replied\nthe ape-man with a grim smile, \"and ask the naked dead man there\nhow I got my disguise.\"\n\nSmith-Oldwick looked quickly up at his companion. \"I have it,\" he\nexclaimed. \"I know where there is a fellow who doesn't need his\nclothes anymore, and if we can get back on this roof I think we can\nfind him and get his apparel without much resistance. Only a girl\nand a young fellow whom we could easily surprise and overcome.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\" asked Tarzan. \"How do you know that the man\ndoesn't need his clothes any more.\"\n\n\"I know he doesn't need them,\" replied the Englishman, \"because I\nkilled him.\"\n\n\"Oh!\" exclaimed the ape-man, \"I see. I guess it might be easier\nthat way than to tackle one of these fellows in the street where\nthere is more chance of our being interrupted.\"\n\n\"But how are we going to reach the roof again, after all?\" queried\nSmith-Oldwick.\n\n\"The same way you came down,\" replied Tarzan. \"This roof is low\nand there is a little ledge formed by the capital of each column;\nI noticed that when you descended. Some of the buildings wouldn't\nhave been so easy to negotiate.\"\n\nSmith-Oldwick looked up toward the eaves of the low roof.  \"It's\nnot very high,\" he said, \"but I am afraid I can't make it.  I'll\ntry--I've been pretty weak since a lion mauled me and the guards\nbeat me up, and too, I haven't eaten since yesterday.\"\n\nTarzan thought a moment. \"You've got to go with me,\" he said at\nlast. \"I can't leave you here. The only chance you have of escape\nis through me and I can't go with you now until we have found the\ngirl.\"\n\n\"I want to go with you,\" replied Smith-Oldwick. \"I'm not much good\nnow but at that two of us may be better than one.\"\n\n\"All right,\" said Tarzan, \"come on,\" and before the Englishman\nrealized what the other contemplated Tarzan had picked him up\nand thrown him across his shoulder. \"Now, hang on,\" whispered the\nape-man, and with a short run he clambered apelike up the front of the\nlow arcade. So quickly and easily was it done that the Englishman\nscarcely had time to realize what was happening before he was\ndeposited safely upon the roof.\n\n\"There,\" remarked Tarzan. \"Now, lead me to the place you speak of.\"\n\nSmith-Oldwick had no difficulty in locating the trap in the roof\nthrough which he had escaped. Removing the cover the ape-man bent\nlow, listening and sniffing. \"Come,\" he said after a moment's\ninvestigation and lowered himself to the floor beneath. Smith-Oldwick\nfollowed him, and together the two crept through the darkness toward\nthe door in the back wall of the niche in which the Englishman\nhad been hidden by the girl. They found the door ajar and opening\nit Tarzan saw a streak of light showing through the hangings that\nseparated it from the alcove.\n\nPlacing his eye close to the aperture he saw the girl and the young\nman of which the Englishman had spoken seated on opposite sides of\na low table upon which food was spread.  Serving them was a giant\nNegro and it was he whom the ape-man watched most closely. Familiar\nwith the tribal idiosyncrasies of a great number of African tribes\nover a considerable proportion of the Dark Continent, the Tarmangani\nat last felt reasonably assured that he knew from what part of\nAfrica this slave had come, and the dialect of his people. There\nwas, however, the chance that the fellow had been captured in\nchildhood and that through long years of non-use his native language\nhad become lost to him, but then there always had been an element\nof chance connected with nearly every event of Tarzan's life, so he\nwaited patiently until in the performance of his duties the black\nman approached a little table which stood near the niche in which\nTarzan and the Englishman hid.\n\nAs the slave bent over some dish which stood upon the table his\near was not far from the aperture through which Tarzan looked.\nApparently from a solid wall, for the Negro had no knowledge of\nthe existence of the niche, came to him in the tongue of his own\npeople, the whispered words: \"If you would return to the land of\nthe Wamabo say nothing, but do as I bid you.\"\n\nThe black rolled terrified eyes toward the hangings at his side.\nThe ape-man could see him tremble and for a moment was fearful that\nin his terror he would betray them. \"Fear not,\" he whispered, \"we\nare your friends.\"\n\nAt last the Negro spoke in a low whisper, scarcely audible even to\nthe keen ears of the ape-man. \"What,\" he asked, \"can poor Otobu do\nfor the god who speaks to him out of the solid wall?\"\n\n\"This,\" replied Tarzan. \"Two of us are coming into this room. Help\nus prevent this man and woman from escaping or raising an outcry\nthat will bring others to their aid.\"\n\n\"I will help you,\" replied the Negro, \"to keep them within this\nroom, but do not fear that their outcries will bring others.  These\nwalls are built so that no sound may pass through, and even if it\ndid what difference would it make in this village which is constantly\nfilled with the screams of its mad people.  Do not fear their cries.\nNo one will notice them. I go to do your bidding.\"\n\nTarzan saw the black cross the room to the table upon which he\nplaced another dish of food before the feasters. Then he stepped\nto a place behind the man and as he did so raised his eyes to the\npoint in the wall from which the ape-man's voice had come to him,\nas much as to say, \"Master, I am ready.\"\n\nWithout more delay Tarzan threw aside the hangings and stepped\ninto the room. As he did so the young man rose from the table to be\ninstantly seized from behind by the black slave.  The girl, whose\nback was toward the ape-man and his companion, was not at first\naware of their presence but saw only the attack of the slave upon\nher lover, and with a loud scream she leaped forward to assist the\nlatter. Tarzan sprang to her side and laid a heavy hand upon her\narm before she could interfere with Otobu's attentions to the young\nman. At first, as she turned toward the ape-man, her face reflected\nonly mad rage, but almost instantly this changed into the vapid\nsmile with which Smith-Oldwick was already familiar and her slim\nfingers commenced their soft appraisement of the newcomer.\n\nAlmost immediately she discovered Smith-Oldwick but there was\nneither surprise nor anger upon her countenance. Evidently the poor\nmad creature knew but two principal moods, from one to the other\nof which she changed with lightning-like rapidity.\n\n\"Watch her a moment,\" said Tarzan to the Englishman, \"while I disarm\nthat fellow,\" and stepping to the side of the young man whom Otobu\nwas having difficulty in subduing Tarzan relieved him of his saber.\n\"Tell them,\" he said to the Negro, \"if you speak their language,\nthat we will not harm them if they leave us alone and let us depart\nin peace.\"\n\nThe black had been looking at Tarzan with wide eyes, evidently\nnot comprehending how this god could appear in so material a form,\nand with the voice of a white bwana and the uniform of a warrior\nof this city to which he quite evidently did not belong. But\nnevertheless his first confidence in the voice that offered him\nfreedom was not lessened and he did as Tarzan bid him.\n\n\"They want to know what you want,\" said Otobu, after he had spoken\nto the man and the girl.\n\n\"Tell them that we want food for one thing,\" said Tarzan, \"and\nsomething else that we know where to find in this room.  Take the\nman's spear, Otobu; I see it leaning against the wall in the corner\nof the room. And you, Lieutenant, take his saber,\" and then again\nto Otobu, \"I will watch the man while you go and bring forth that\nwhich is beneath the couch over against this wall,\" and Tarzan\nindicated the location of the piece of furniture.\n\nOtobu, trained to obey, did as he was bid. The eyes of the man and\nthe girl followed him, and as he drew back the hangings and dragged\nforth the corpse of the man Smith-Oldwick had slain, the girl's lover\nvoiced a loud scream and attempted to leap forward to the side of\nthe corpse. Tarzan, however, seized him and then the fellow turned\nupon him with teeth and nails. It was with no little difficulty\nthat Tarzan finally subdued the man, and while Otobu was removing\nthe outer clothing from the corpse, Tarzan asked the black to\nquestion the young man as to his evident excitement at the sight\nof the body.\n\n\"I can tell you Bwana,\" replied Otobu. \"This man was his father.\"\n\n\"What is he saying to the girl?\" asked Tarzan.\n\n\"He is asking her if she knew that the body of his father was under\nthe couch. And she is saying that she did not know it.\"\n\nTarzan repeated the conversation to Smith-Oldwick, who smiled. \"If\nthe chap could have seen her removing all evidence of the crime and\narranging the hangings of the couch so that the body was concealed\nafter she had helped me drag it across the room, he wouldn't have\nvery much doubt as to her knowledge of the affair. The rug you see\ndraped over the bench in the corner was arranged to hide the blood\nstain--in some ways they are not so loony after all.\"\n\nThe black man had now removed the outer garments from the dead\nman, and Smith-Oldwick was hastily drawing them on over his own\nclothing. \"And now,\" said Tarzan, \"we will sit down and eat. One\naccomplishes little on an empty stomach.\" As they ate the ape-man\nattempted to carry on a conversation with the two natives through\nOtobu. He learned that they were in the palace which had belonged\nto the dead man lying upon the floor beside them. He had held an\nofficial position of some nature, and he and his family were of\nthe ruling class but were not members of the court.\n\nWhen Tarzan questioned them about Bertha Kircher, the young man\nsaid that she had been taken to the king's palace; and when asked\nwhy replied: \"For the king, of course.\"\n\nDuring the conversation both the man and the girl appeared quite\nrational, even asking some questions as to the country from which\ntheir uninvited guests had come, and evidencing much surprise when\ninformed that there was anything but waterless wastes beyond their\nown valley.\n\nWhen Otobu asked the man, at Tarzan's suggestion, if he was familiar\nwith the interior of the king's palace, he replied that he was;\nthat he was a friend of Prince Metak, one of the king's sons, and\nthat he often visited the palace and that Metak also came here to\nhis father's palace frequently. As Tarzan ate he racked his brain\nfor some plan whereby he might utilize the knowledge of the young\nman to gain entrance to the palace, but he had arrived at nothing\nwhich he considered feasible when there came a loud knocking upon\nthe door of the outer room.\n\nFor a moment no one spoke and then the young man raised his voice\nand cried aloud to those without. Immediately Otobu sprang for the\nfellow and attempted to smother his words by clapping a palm over\nhis mouth.\n\n\"What is he saying?\" asked Tarzan.\n\n\"He is telling them to break down the door and rescue him and the\ngirl from two strangers who entered and made them prisoners. If\nthey enter they will kill us all.\"\n\n\"Tell him,\" said Tarzan, \"to hold his peace or I will slay him.\"\n\nOtobu did as he was instructed and the young maniac lapsed into\nscowling silence. Tarzan crossed the alcove and entered the outer\nroom to note the effect of the assaults upon the door.  Smith-Oldwick\nfollowed him a few steps, leaving Otobu to guard the two prisoners.\nThe ape-man saw that the door could not long withstand the heavy\nblows being dealt the panels from without. \"I wanted to use that\nfellow in the other room,\" he said to Smith-Oldwick, \"but I am\nafraid we will have to get out of here the way we came. We can't\naccomplish anything by waiting here and meeting these fellows.\nFrom the noise out there there must be a dozen of them. Come,\" he\nsaid, \"you go first and I will follow.\"\n\nAs the two turned back from the alcove they witnessed an entirely\ndifferent scene from that upon which they had turned their backs\nbut a moment or two before. Stretched on the floor and apparently\nlifeless lay the body of the black slave, while the two prisoners\nhad vanished completely.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXIII\n\nThe Flight from Xuja\n\n\nAs Metak bore Bertha Kircher toward the edge of the pool, the girl\nat first had no conception of the deed he contemplated but when, as\nthey approached the edge, he did not lessen his speed she guessed\nthe frightful truth. As he leaped head foremost with her into the\nwater, she closed her eyes and breathed a silent prayer, for she\nwas confident that the maniac had no other purpose than to drown\nhimself and her. And yet, so potent is the first law of nature that\neven in the face of certain death, as she surely believed herself,\nshe clung tenaciously to life, and while she struggled to free\nherself from the powerful clutches of the madman, she held her\nbreath against the final moment when the asphyxiating waters must\ninevitably flood her lungs.\n\nThrough the frightful ordeal she maintained absolute control of\nher senses so that, after the first plunge, she was aware that the\nman was swimming with her beneath the surface. He took perhaps not\nmore than a dozen strokes directly toward the end wall of the pool\nand then he arose; and once again she knew that her head was above\nthe surface. She opened her eyes to see that they were in a corridor\ndimly lighted by gratings set in its roof--a winding corridor,\nwater filled from wall to wall.\n\nAlong this the man was swimming with easy powerful strokes, at the\nsame time holding her chin above the water.  For ten minutes he swam\nthus without stopping and the girl heard him speak to her, though\nshe could not understand what he said, as he evidently immediately\nrealized, for, half floating, he shifted his hold upon her so that\nhe could touch her nose and mouth with the fingers of one hand. She\ngrasped what he meant and immediately took a deep breath, whereat\nhe dove quickly beneath the surface pulling her down with him and\nagain for a dozen strokes or more he swam thus wholly submerged.\n\nWhen they again came to the surface, Bertha Kircher saw that they\nwere in a large lagoon and that the bright stars were shining high\nabove them, while on either hand domed and minareted buildings were\nsilhouetted sharply against the starlit sky. Metak swam swiftly to\nthe north side of the lagoon where, by means of a ladder, the two\nclimbed out upon the embankment. There were others in the plaza\nbut they paid but little if any attention to the two bedraggled\nfigures. As Metak walked quickly across the pavement with the girl\nat his side, Bertha Kircher could only guess at the man's intentions.\nShe could see no way in which to escape and so she went docilely\nwith him, hoping against hope that some fortuitous circumstance\nmight eventually arise that would give her the coveted chance for\nfreedom and life.\n\nMetak led her toward a building which, as she entered, she recognized\nas the same to which she and Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick had been led\nwhen they were brought into the city.  There was no man sitting\nbehind the carved desk now, but about the room were a dozen or more\nwarriors in the tunics of the house to which they were attached, in\nthis case white with a small lion in the form of a crest or badge\nupon the breast and back of each.\n\nAs Metak entered and the men recognized him they arose, and in answer\nto a query he put, they pointed to an arched doorway at the rear\nof the room. Toward this Metak led the girl, and then, as though\nfilled with a sudden suspicion, his eyes narrowed cunningly and\nturning toward the soldiery he issued an order which resulted in\ntheir all preceding him through the small doorway and up a flight\nof stairs a short distance beyond.\n\nThe stairway and the corridor above were lighted by small flares\nwhich revealed several doors in the walls of the upper passageway.\nTo one of these the men led the prince. Bertha Kircher saw them\nknock upon the door and heard a voice reply faintly through the\nthick door to the summons. The effect upon those about her was\nelectrical. Instantly excitement reigned, and in response to orders\nfrom the king's son the soldiers commenced to beat heavily upon the\ndoor, to throw their bodies against it and to attempt to hew away\nthe panels with their sabers. The girl wondered at the cause of\nthe evident excitement of her captors.\n\nShe saw the door giving to each renewed assault, but what she did\nnot see just before it crashed inward was the figures of the two\nmen who alone, in all the world, might have saved her, pass between\nthe heavy hangings in an adjoining alcove and disappear into a dark\ncorridor.\n\nAs the door gave and the warriors rushed into the apartment followed\nby the prince, the latter became immediately filled with baffled\nrage, for the rooms were deserted except for the dead body of the\nowner of the palace, and the still form of the black slave, Otobu,\nwhere they lay stretched upon the floor of the alcove.\n\nThe prince rushed to the windows and looked out, but as the suite\noverlooked the barred den of lions from which, the prince thought,\nthere could be no escape, his puzzlement was only increased. Though\nhe searched about the room for some clue to the whereabouts of its\nformer occupants he did not discover the niche behind the hangings.\nWith the fickleness of insanity he quickly tired of the search,\nand, turning to the soldiers who had accompanied him from the floor\nbelow, dismissed them.\n\nAfter setting up the broken door as best they could, the men left\nthe apartment and when they were again alone Metak turned toward\nthe girl. As he approached her, his face distorted by a hideous\nleer, his features worked rapidly in spasmodic twitches. The girl,\nwho was standing at the entrance of the alcove, shrank back, her\nhorror reflected in her face. Step by step she backed across the\nroom, while the crouching maniac crept stealthily after her with\nclaw-like fingers poised in anticipation of the moment they should\nleap forth and seize her.\n\nAs she passed the body of the Negro, her foot touched some obstacle\nat her side, and glancing down she saw the spear with which Otobu\nhad been supposed to hold the prisoners. Instantly she leaned forward\nand snatched it from the floor with its sharp point directed at\nthe body of the madman. The effect upon Metak was electrical. From\nstealthy silence he broke into harsh peals of laughter, and drawing\nhis saber danced to and fro before the girl, but whichever way he\nwent the point of the spear still threatened him.\n\nGradually the girl noticed a change in the tone of the creature's\nscreams that was also reflected in the changing expression upon his\nhideous countenance. His hysterical laughter was slowly changing\ninto cries of rage while the silly leer upon his face was supplanted\nby a ferocious scowl and up-curled lips, which revealed the sharpened\nfangs beneath.\n\nHe now ran rapidly in almost to the spear's point, only to jump\naway, run a few steps to one side and again attempt to make an\nentrance, the while he slashed and hewed at the spear with such\nviolence that it was with difficulty the girl maintained her guard,\nand all the time was forced to give ground step by step. She had\nreached the point where she was standing squarely against the couch\nat the side of the room when, with an incredibly swift movement,\nMetak stooped and grasping a low stool hurled it directly at her\nhead.\n\nShe raised the spear to fend off the heavy missile, but she was\nnot entirely successful, and the impact of the blow carried her\nbackward upon the couch, and instantly Metak was upon her.\n\nTarzan and Smith-Oldwick gave little thought as to what had become\nof the other two occupants of the room. They were gone, and so far\nas these two were concerned they might never return. Tarzan's one\ndesire was to reach the street again, where, now that both of them\nwere in some sort of disguise, they should be able to proceed with\ncomparative safety to the palace and continue their search for the\ngirl.\n\nSmith-Oldwick preceded Tarzan along the corridor and as they reached\nthe ladder he climbed aloft to remove the trap.  He worked for a\nmoment and then, turning, addressed Tarzan.\n\n\"Did we replace the cover on this trap when we came down?  I don't\nrecall that we did.\"\n\n\"No,\" said Tarzan, \"it was left open.\"\n\n\"So I thought,\" said Smith-Oldwick, \"but it's closed now and locked.\nI cannot move it. Possibly you can,\" and he descended the ladder.\n\nEven Tarzan's immense strength, however, had no effect other than\nto break one of the rungs of the ladder against which he was pushing,\nnearly precipitating him to the floor below. After the rung broke\nhe rested for a moment before renewing his efforts, and as he stood\nwith his head near the cover of the trap, he distinctly heard voices\non the roof above him.\n\nDropping down to Oldwick's side he told him what he had heard. \"We\nhad better find some other way out,\" he said, and the two started\nto retrace their steps toward the alcove. Tarzan was again in the\nlead, and as he opened the door in the back of the niche, he was\nsuddenly startled to hear, in tones of terror and in a woman's\nvoice, the words: \"O God, be merciful\" from just beyond the hangings.\n\nHere was no time for cautious investigation and, not even waiting\nto find the aperture and part the hangings, but with one sweep of\na brawny hand dragging them from their support, the ape-man leaped\nfrom the niche into the alcove.\n\nAt the sound of his entry the maniac looked up, and as he saw at\nfirst only a man in the uniform of his father's soldiers, he shrieked\nforth an angry order, but at the second glance, which revealed the\nface of the newcomer, the madman leaped from the prostrate form\nof his victim and, apparently forgetful of the saber which he had\ndropped upon the floor beside the couch as he leaped to grapple\nwith the girl, closed with bare hands upon his antagonist, his\nsharp-filed teeth searching for the other's throat.\n\nMetak, the son of Herog, was no weakling. Powerful by nature and\nrendered still more so in the throes of one of his maniacal fits\nof fury he was no mean antagonist, even for the mighty ape-man,\nand to this a distinct advantage for him was added by the fact that\nalmost at the outset of their battle Tarzan, in stepping backward,\nstruck his heel against the corpse of the man whom Smith-Oldwick\nhad killed, and fell heavily backward to the floor with Metak upon\nhis breast.\n\nWith the quickness of a cat the maniac made an attempt to fasten\nhis teeth in Tarzan's jugular, but a quick movement of the latter\nresulted in his finding a hold only upon the Tarmangani's shoulder.\nHere he clung while his fingers sought Tarzan's throat, and it was\nthen that the ape-man, realizing the possibility of defeat, called\nto Smith-Oldwick to take the girl and seek to escape.\n\nThe Englishman looked questioningly at Bertha Kircher, who had now\nrisen from the couch, shaking and trembling.  She saw the question\nin his eyes and with an effort she drew herself to her full height.\n\"No,\" she cried, \"if he dies here I shall die with him. Go if you\nwish to. You can do nothing here, but I--I cannot go.\"\n\nTarzan had now regained his feet, but the maniac still clung to\nhim tenaciously. The girl turned suddenly to Smith-Oldwick.  \"Your\npistol!\" she cried. \"Why don't you shoot him?\"\n\nThe man drew the weapon from his pocket and approached the two\nantagonists, but by this time they were moving so rapidly that there\nwas no opportunity for shooting one without the danger of hitting\nthe other. At the same time Bertha Kircher circled about them with\nthe prince's saber, but neither could she find an opening. Again\nand again the two men fell to the floor, until presently Tarzan\nfound a hold upon the other's throat, against which contingency\nMetak had been constantly battling, and slowly, as the giant fingers\nclosed, the other's mad eyes protruded from his livid face, his jaws\ngaped and released their hold upon Tarzan's shoulder, and then in\na sudden excess of disgust and rage the ape-man lifted the body\nof the prince high above his head and with all the strength of his\ngreat arms hurled it across the room and through the window where\nit fell with a sickening thud into the pit of lions beneath.\n\nAs Tarzan turned again toward his companions, the girl was standing\nwith the saber still in her hand and an expression upon her face\nthat he never had seen there before. Her eyes were wide and misty\nwith unshed tears, while her sensitive lips trembled as though she\nwere upon the point of giving way to some pent emotion which her\nrapidly rising and falling bosom plainly indicated she was fighting\nto control.\n\n\"If we are going to get out of here,\" said the ape-man, \"we can't\nlose any time. We are together at last and nothing can be gained by\ndelay. The question now is the safest way. The couple who escaped\nus evidently departed through the passageway to the roof and secured\nthe trap against us so that we are cut off in that direction. What\nchance have we below?  You came that way,\" and he turned toward\nthe girl.\n\n\"At the foot of the stairs,\" she said, \"is a room full of armed\nmen. I doubt if we could pass that way.\"\n\nIt was then that Otobu raised himself to a sitting posture.  \"So\nyou are not dead after all,\" exclaimed the ape-man.  \"Come, how\nbadly are you hurt?\"\n\nThe Negro rose gingerly to his feet, moved his arms and legs and\nfelt of his head.\n\n\"Otobu does not seem to be hurt at all, Bwana,\" he replied, \"only\nfor a great ache in his head.\"\n\n\"Good,\" said the ape-man. \"You want to return to the Wamabo country?\"\n\n\"Yes, Bwana.\"\n\n\"Then lead us from the city by the safest way.\"\n\n\"There is no safe way,\" replied the black, \"and even if we reach\nthe gates we shall have to fight. I can lead you from this building\nto a side street with little danger of meeting anyone on the way.\nBeyond that we must take our chance of discovery. You are all\ndressed as are the people of this wicked city so perhaps we may\npass unnoticed, but at the gate it will be a different matter, for\nnone is permitted to leave the city at night.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" replied the ape-man, \"let us be on our way.\"\n\nOtobu led them through the broken door of the outer room, and part\nway down the corridor he turned into another apartment at the right.\nThis they crossed to a passageway beyond, and, finally, traversing\nseveral rooms and corridors, he led them down a flight of steps\nto a door which opened directly upon a side street in rear of the\npalace.\n\nTwo men, a woman, and a black slave were not so extraordinary\na sight upon the streets of the city as to arouse comment.  When\npassing beneath the flares the three Europeans were careful to\nchoose a moment when no chance pedestrian might happen to get a view\nof their features, but in the shadow of the arcades there seemed\nlittle danger of detection. They had covered a good portion of the\ndistance to the gate without mishap when there came to their ears\nfrom the central portion of the city sounds of a great commotion.\n\n\"What does that mean?\" Tarzan asked of Otobu, who was now trembling\nviolently.\n\n\"Master,\" he replied, \"they have discovered that which has happened\nin the palace of Veza, mayor of the city. His son and the girl\nescaped and summoned soldiers who have now doubtless discovered\nthe body of Veza.\"\n\n\"I wonder,\" said Tarzan, \"if they have discovered the party I threw\nthrough the window.\"\n\nBertha Kircher, who understood enough of the dialect to follow their\nconversation, asked Tarzan if he knew that the man he had thrown\nfrom the window was the king's son. The ape-man laughed. \"No,\" he\nsaid, \"I did not. That rather complicates matters--at least if they\nhave found him.\"\n\nSuddenly there broke above the turmoil behind them the clear strains\nof a bugle. Otobu increased his pace. \"Hurry, Master,\" he cried,\n\"it is worse than I had thought.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\" asked Tarzan.\n\n\"For some reason the king's guard and the king's lions are being\ncalled out. I fear, O Bwana, that we cannot escape them.  But why\nthey should be called out for us I do not know.\"\n\nBut if Otobu did not know, Tarzan at least guessed that they had\nfound the body of the king's son. Once again the notes of the bugle\nrose high and clear upon the night air. \"Calling more lions?\" asked\nTarzan.\n\n\"No, Master,\" replied Otobu. \"It is the parrots they are calling.\"\n\nThey moved on rapidly in silence for a few minutes when their\nattention was attracted by the flapping of the wings of a bird\nabove them. They looked up to discover a parrot circling about over\ntheir heads.\n\n\"Here are the parrots, Otobu,\" said Tarzan with a grin.  \"Do they\nexpect to kill us with parrots?\"\n\nThe Negro moaned as the bird darted suddenly ahead of them toward\nthe city wall. \"Now indeed are we lost, Master,\" cried the black.\n\"The bird that found us has flown to the gate to warn the guard.\"\n\n\"Come, Otobu, what are you talking about?\" exclaimed Tarzan irritably.\n\"Have you lived among these lunatics so long that you are yourself\nmad?\"\n\n\"No, Master,\" replied Otobu. \"I am not mad. You do not know them.\nThese terrible birds are like human beings without hearts or souls.\nThey speak the language of the people of this city of Xuja. They\nare demons, Master, and when in sufficient numbers they might even\nattack and kill us.\"\n\n\"How far are we from the gate?\" asked Tarzan.\n\n\"We are not very far,\" replied the Negro. \"Beyond this next turn\nwe will see it a few paces ahead of us. But the bird has reached\nit before us and by now they are summoning the guard,\" the truth\nof which statement was almost immediately indicated by sounds of\nmany voices raised evidently in commands just ahead of them, while\nfrom behind came increased evidence of approaching pursuit--loud\nscreams and the roars of lions.\n\nA few steps ahead a narrow alley opened from the east into the\nthoroughfare they were following and as they approached it there\nemerged from its dark shadows the figure of a mighty lion. Otobu\nhalted in his tracks and shrank back against Tarzan. \"Look, Master,\"\nhe whimpered, \"a great black lion of the forest!\"\n\nTarzan drew the saber which still hung at his side. \"We cannot go\nback,\" he said. \"Lions, parrots, or men, it must be all the same,\"\nand he moved steadily forward in the direction of the gate. What\nwind was stirring in the city street moved from Tarzan toward the\nlion and when the ape-man had approached to within a few yards\nof the beast, who had stood silently eyeing them up to this time,\ninstead of the expected roar, a whine broke from the beast's throat.\nThe ape-man was conscious of a very decided feeling of relief. \"It's\nNuma of the pit,\" he called back to his companions, and to Otobu,\n\"Do not fear, this lion will not harm us.\"\n\nNuma moved forward to the ape-man's side and then turning, paced\nbeside him along the narrow street. At the next turn they came in\nsight of the gate, where, beneath several flares, they saw a group\nof at least twenty warriors prepared to seize them, while from the\nopposite direction the roars of the pursuing lions sounded close\nupon them, mingling with the screams of numerous parrots which now\ncircled about their heads. Tarzan halted and turned to the young\naviator. \"How many rounds of ammunition have you left?\" he asked.\n\n\"I have seven in the pistol,\" replied Smith-Oldwick, \"and perhaps\na dozen more cartridges in my blouse pocket.\"\n\n\"I'm going to rush them,\" said Tarzan. \"Otobu, you stay at the side\nof the woman. Oldwick, you and I will go ahead, you upon my left.\nI think we need not try to tell Numa what to do,\" for even then\nthe great lion was baring his fangs and growling ferociously at the\nguardsmen, who appeared uneasy in the face of this creature which,\nabove all others, they feared.\n\n\"As we advance, Oldwick,\" said the ape-man, \"fire one shot.  It\nmay frighten them, and after that fire only when necessary.  All\nready? Let's go!\" and he moved forward toward the gate.  At the\nsame time, Smith-Oldwick discharged his weapon and a yellow-coated\nwarrior screamed and crumpled forward upon his face. For a minute\nthe others showed symptoms of panic but one, who seemed to be an\nofficer, rallied them. \"Now,\" said Tarzan, \"all together!\" and he\nstarted at a run for the gate. Simultaneously the lion, evidently\nscenting the purpose of the Tarmangani, broke into a full charge\ntoward the guard.\n\nShaken by the report of the unfamiliar weapon, the ranks of the\nguardsmen broke before the furious assault of the great beast.\nThe officer screamed forth a volley of commands in a mad fury of\nuncontrolled rage but the guardsmen, obeying the first law of nature\nas well as actuated by their inherent fear of the black denizen of\nthe forest scattered to right and left to elude the monster. With\nferocious growls Numa wheeled to the right, and with raking talons\nstruck right and left among a little handful of terrified guardsmen\nwho were endeavoring to elude him, and then Tarzan and Smith-Oldwick\nclosed with the others.\n\nFor a moment their most formidable antagonist was the officer in\ncommand. He wielded his curved saber as only an adept might as he\nfaced Tarzan, to whom the similar weapon in his own hand was most\nunfamiliar. Smith-Oldwick could not fire for fear of hitting the\nape-man when suddenly to his dismay he saw Tarzan's weapon fly from\nhis grasp as the Xujan warrior neatly disarmed his opponent. With\na scream the fellow raised his saber for the final cut that would\nterminate the earthly career of Tarzan of the Apes when, to the\nastonishment of both the ape-man and Smith-Oldwick, the fellow\nstiffened rigidly, his weapon dropped from the nerveless fingers\nof his upraised hand, his mad eyes rolled upward and foam flecked\nhis bared lip. Gasping as though in the throes of strangulation\nthe fellow pitched forward at Tarzan's feet.\n\nTarzan stooped and picked up the dead man's weapon, a smile upon\nhis face as he turned and glanced toward the young Englishman.\n\n\"The fellow is an epileptic,\" said Smith-Oldwick. \"I suppose\nmany of them are. Their nervous condition is not without its good\npoints--a normal man would have gotten you.\"\n\nThe other guardsmen seemed utterly demoralized at the loss of their\nleader. They were huddled upon the opposite side of the street at\nthe left of the gate, screaming at the tops of their voices and\nlooking in the direction from which sounds of reinforcements were\ncoming, as though urging on the men and lions that were already too\nclose for the comfort of the fugitives. Six guardsmen still stood\nwith their backs against the gate, their weapons flashing in the\nlight of the flares and their parchment-like faces distorted in\nhorrid grimaces of rage and terror.\n\nNuma had pursued two fleeing warriors down the street which paralleled\nthe wall for a short distance at this point.  The ape-man turned to\nSmith-Oldwick. \"You will have to use your pistol now,\" he said, \"and\nwe must get by these fellows at once;\" and as the young Englishman\nfired, Tarzan rushed in to close quarters as though he had not\nalready discovered that with the saber he was no match for these\ntrained swordsmen. Two men fell to Smith-Oldwick's first two shots\nand then he missed, while the four remaining divided, two leaping\nfor the aviator and two for Tarzan.\n\nThe ape-man rushed in in an effort to close with one of his\nantagonists where the other's saber would be comparatively useless.\nSmith-Oldwick dropped one of his assailants with a bullet through\nthe chest and pulled his trigger on the second, only to have the\nhammer fall futilely upon an empty chamber.  The cartridges in his\nweapon were exhausted and the warrior with his razor-edged, gleaming\nsaber was upon him.\n\nTarzan raised his own weapon but once and that to divert a vicious\ncut for his head. Then he was upon one of his assailants and\nbefore the fellow could regain his equilibrium and leap back after\ndelivering his cut, the ape-man had seized him by the neck and\ncrotch. Tarzan's other antagonist was edging around to one side\nwhere he might use his weapon, and as he raised the blade to strike\nat the back of the Tarmangani's neck, the latter swung the body of\nhis comrade upward so that it received the full force of the blow.\nThe blade sank deep into the body of the warrior, eliciting a single\nfrightful scream, and then Tarzan hurled the dying man in the face\nof his final adversary.\n\nSmith-Oldwick, hard pressed and now utterly defenseless, had given\nup all hope in the instant that he realized his weapon was empty,\nwhen, from his left, a living bolt of black-maned ferocity shot\npast him to the breast of his opponent.  Down went the Xujan, his\nface bitten away by one snap of the powerful jaws of Numa of the\npit.\n\nIn the few seconds that had been required for the consummation\nof these rapidly ensuing events, Otobu had dragged Bertha Kircher\nto the gate which he had unbarred and thrown open, and with the\nvanquishing of the last of the active guardsmen, the party passed\nout of the maniac city of Xuja into the outer darkness beyond. At\nthe same moment a half dozen lions rounded the last turn in the\nroad leading back toward the plaza, and at sight of them Numa of\nthe pit wheeled and charged. For a moment the lions of the city\nstood their ground, but only for a moment, and then before the\nblack beast was upon them, they turned and fled, while Tarzan and\nhis party moved rapidly toward the blackness of the forest beyond\nthe garden.\n\n\"Will they follow us out of the city?\" Tarzan asked Otobu.\n\n\"Not at night,\" replied the black. \"I have been a slave here for\nfive years but never have I known these people to leave the city\nby night. If they go beyond the forest in the daytime they usually\nwait until the dawn of another day before they return, as they fear\nto pass through the country of the black lions after dark. No, I\nthink, Master, that they will not follow us tonight, but tomorrow\nthey will come, and, O Bwana, then will they surely get us, or\nthose that are left of us, for at least one among us must be the\ntoll of the black lions as we pass through their forest.\"\n\nAs they crossed the garden, Smith-Oldwick refilled the magazine\nof his pistol and inserted a cartridge in the chamber.  The girl\nmoved silently at Tarzan's left, between him and the aviator. Suddenly\nthe ape-man stopped and turned toward the city, his mighty frame,\nclothed in the yellow tunic of Herog's soldiery, plainly visible\nto the others beneath the light of the stars. They saw him raise\nhis head and they heard break from his lips the plaintive note of\na lion calling to his fellows. Smith-Oldwick felt a distinct shudder\npass through his frame, while Otobu, rolling the whites of his eyes\nin terrified surprise, sank tremblingly to his knees. But the girl\nthrilled and she felt her heart beat in a strange exultation, and\nthen she drew nearer to the beast-man until her shoulder touched his\narm. The act was involuntary and for a moment she scarce realized\nwhat she had done, and then she stepped silently back, thankful\nthat the light of the stars was not sufficient to reveal to the\neyes of her companions the flush which she felt mantling her cheek.\nYet she was not ashamed of the impulse that had prompted her, but\nrather of the act itself which she knew, had Tarzan noticed it,\nwould have been repulsive to him.\n\nFrom the open gate of the city of maniacs came the answering cry\nof a lion. The little group waited where they stood until presently\nthey saw the majestic proportions of the black lion as he approached\nthem along the trail. When he had rejoined them Tarzan fastened\nthe fingers of one hand in the black mane and started on once more\ntoward the forest. Behind them, from the city, rose a bedlam of\nhorrid sounds, the roaring of lions mingling with the raucous voices\nof the screaming parrots and the mad shrieks of the maniacs. As\nthey entered the Stygian darkness of the forest the girl once again\ninvoluntarily shrank closer to the ape-man, and this time Tarzan\nwas aware of the contact.\n\nHimself without fear, he yet instinctively appreciated how terrified\nthe girl must be. Actuated by a sudden kindly impulse he found\nher hand and took it in his own and thus they continued upon their\nway, groping through the blackness of the trail. Twice they were\napproached by forest lions, but upon both occasions the deep growls\nof Numa of the pit drove off their assailants. Several times they\nwere compelled to rest, for Smith-Oldwick was constantly upon the\nverge of exhaustion, and toward morning Tarzan was forced to carry\nhim on the steep ascent from the bed of the valley.\n\n\n\n\nChapter XXIV\n\nThe Tommies\n\n\nDaylight overtook them after they had entered the gorge, but, tired\nas they all were with the exception of Tarzan, they realized that\nthey must keep on at all costs until they found a spot where they\nmight ascend the precipitous side of the gorge to the floor of the\nplateau above. Tarzan and Otobu were both equally confident that\nthe Xujans would not follow them beyond the gorge, but though they\nscanned every inch of the frowning cliffs upon either hand noon\ncame and there was still no indication of any avenue of escape\nto right or left. There were places where the ape-man alone might\nhave negotiated the ascent but none where the others could hope\nsuccessfully to reach the plateau, nor where Tarzan, powerful and\nagile as he was, could have ventured safely to carry them aloft.\n\nFor half a day the ape-man had been either carrying or supporting\nSmith-Oldwick and now, to his chagrin, he saw that the girl was\nfaltering. He had realized well how much she had undergone and\nhow greatly the hardships and dangers and the fatigue of the past\nweeks must have told upon her vitality. He saw how bravely she\nattempted to keep up, yet how often she stumbled and staggered as\nshe labored through the sand and gravel of the gorge. Nor could\nhe help but admire her fortitude and the uncomplaining effort she\nwas making to push on.\n\nThe Englishman must have noticed her condition too, for some time\nafter noon, he stopped suddenly and sat down in the sand. \"It's\nno use,\" he said to Tarzan. \"I can go no farther. Miss Kircher is\nrapidly weakening. You will have to go on without me.\"\n\n\"No,\" said the girl, \"we cannot do that. We have all been through\nso much together and the chances of our escape are still so remote\nthat whatever comes, let us remain together, unless,\" and she looked\nup at Tarzan, \"you, who have done so much for us to whom you are\nunder no obligations, will go on without us. I for one wish that\nyou would. It must be as evident to you as it is to me that you\ncannot save us, for though you succeeded in dragging us from the\npath of our pursuers, even your great strength and endurance could\nnever take one of us across the desert waste which lies between\nhere and the nearest fertile country.\"\n\nThe ape-man returned her serious look with a smile. \"You are\nnot dead,\" he said to her, \"nor is the lieutenant, nor Otobu, nor\nmyself. One is either dead or alive, and until we are dead we should\nplan only upon continuing to live. Because we remain here and rest\nis no indication that we shall die here.  I cannot carry you both\nto the country of the Wamabos, which is the nearest spot at which\nwe may expect to find game and water, but we shall not give up on\nthat account. So far we have found a way. Let us take things as\nthey come. Let us rest now because you and Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick\nneed the rest, and when you are stronger we will go on again.\"\n\n\"But the Xujans--?\" she asked, \"may they not follow us here?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" he said, \"they probably will. But we need not be concerned\nwith them until they come.\"\n\n\"I wish,\" said the girl, \"that I possessed your philosophy but I\nam afraid it is beyond me.\"\n\n\"You were not born and reared in the jungle by wild beasts and\namong wild beasts, or you would possess, as I do, the fatalism of\nthe jungle.\"\n\nAnd so they moved to the side of the gorge beneath the shade of an\noverhanging rock and lay down in the hot sand to rest. Numa wandered\nrestlessly to and fro and finally, after sprawling for a moment\nclose beside the ape-man, rose and moved off up the gorge to be\nlost to view a moment later beyond the nearest turn.\n\nFor an hour the little party rested and then Tarzan suddenly\nrose and, motioning the others to silence, listened. For a minute\nhe stood motionless, his keen ears acutely receptive to sounds so\nfaint and distant that none of the other three could detect the\nslightest break in the utter and deathlike quiet of the gorge.\nFinally the ape-man relaxed and turned toward them.  \"What is it?\"\nasked the girl.\n\n\"They are coming,\" he replied. \"They are yet some distance away,\nthough not far, for the sandaled feet of the men and the pads of\nthe lions make little noise upon the soft sands.\"\n\n\"What shall we do--try to go on?\" asked Smith-Oldwick.  \"I believe\nI could make a go of it now for a short way. I am much rested. How\nabout you Miss Kircher?\"\n\n\"Oh, yes,\" she said, \"I am much stronger. Yes, surely I can go on.\"\n\nTarzan knew that neither of them quite spoke the truth, that people\ndo not recover so quickly from utter exhaustion, but he saw no\nother way and there was always the hope that just beyond the next\nturn would be a way out of the gorge.\n\n\"You help the lieutenant, Otobu,\" he said, turning to the black,\n\"and I will carry Miss Kircher,\" and though the girl objected,\nsaying that he must not waste his strength, he lifted her lightly\nin his arms and moved off up the canyon, followed by Otobu and\nthe Englishman. They had gone no great distance when the others of\nthe party became aware of the sounds of pursuit, for now the lions\nwere whining as though the fresh scent spoor of their quarry had\nreached their nostrils.\n\n\"I wish that your Numa would return,\" said the girl.\n\n\"Yes,\" said Tarzan, \"but we shall have to do the best we can\nwithout him. I should like to find some place where we can barricade\nourselves against attack from all sides. Possibly then we might\nhold them off. Smith-Oldwick is a good shot and if there are not\ntoo many men he might be able to dispose of them provided they can\nonly come at him one at a time. The lions don't bother me so much.\nSometimes they are stupid animals, and I am sure that these that\npursue us, and who are so dependent upon the masters that have\nraised and trained them, will be easily handled after the warriors\nare disposed of.\"\n\n\"You think there is some hope, then?\" she asked.\n\n\"We are still alive,\" was his only answer.\n\n\"There,\" he said presently, \"I thought I recalled this very spot.\"\nHe pointed toward a fragment that had evidently fallen from the\nsummit of the cliff and which now lay imbedded in the sand a few\nfeet from the base. It was a jagged fragment of rock which rose some\nten feet above the surface of the sand, leaving a narrow aperture\nbetween it and the cliff behind. Toward this they directed their\nsteps and when finally they reached their goal they found a space\nabout two feet wide and ten feet long between the rock and the\ncliff. To be sure it was open at both ends but at least they could\nnot be attacked upon all sides at once.\n\nThey had scarcely concealed themselves before Tarzan's quick ears\ncaught a sound upon the face of the cliff above them, and looking\nup he saw a diminutive monkey perched upon a slight projection--an\nugly-faced little monkey who looked down upon them for a moment and\nthen scampered away toward the south in the direction from which\ntheir pursuers were coming. Otobu had seen the monkey too. \"He will\ntell the parrots,\" said the black, \"and the parrots will tell the\nmadmen.\"\n\n\"It is all the same,\" replied Tarzan; \"the lions would have found\nus here. We could not hope to hide from them.\"\n\nHe placed Smith-Oldwick, with his pistol, at the north opening of\ntheir haven and told Otobu to stand with his spear at the Englishman's\nshoulder, while he himself prepared to guard the southern approach.\nBetween them he had the girl lie down in the sand. \"You will be\nsafe there in the event that they use their spears,\" he said.\n\nThe minutes that dragged by seemed veritable eternities to Bertha\nKircher and then at last, and almost with relief, she knew that the\npursuers were upon them. She heard the angry roaring of the lions\nand the cries of the madmen. For several minutes the men seemed to\nbe investigating the stronghold which their quarry had discovered.\nShe could hear them both to the north and south and then from\nwhere she lay she saw a lion charging for the ape-man before her.\nShe saw the giant arm swing back with the curved saber and she\nsaw it fall with terrific velocity and meet the lion as he rose to\ngrapple with the man, cleaving his skull as cleanly as a butcher\nopens up a sheep.\n\nThen she heard footsteps running rapidly toward Smith-Oldwick and,\nas his pistol spoke, there was a scream and the sound of a falling\nbody. Evidently disheartened by the failure of their first attempt\nthe assaulters drew off, but only for a short time. Again they came,\nthis time a man opposing Tarzan and a lion seeking to overcome\nSmith-Oldwick. Tarzan had cautioned the young Englishman not\nto waste his cartridges upon the lions and it was Otobu with the\nXujan spear who met the beast, which was not subdued until both\nhe and Smith-Oldwick had been mauled, and the latter had succeeded\nin running the point of the saber the girl had carried, into the\nbeast's heart. The man who opposed Tarzan inadvertently came too\nclose in an attempt to cut at the ape-man's head, with the result\nthat an instant later his corpse lay with the neck broken upon the\nbody of the lion.\n\nOnce again the enemy withdrew, but again only for a short time,\nand now they came in full force, the lions and the men, possibly\na half dozen of each, the men casting their spears and the lions\nwaiting just behind, evidently for the signal to charge.\n\n\"Is this the end?\" asked the girl.\n\n\"No,\" cried the ape-man, \"for we still live!\"\n\nThe words had scarcely passed his lips when the remaining warriors,\nrushing in, cast their spears simultaneously from both sides. In\nattempting to shield the girl, Tarzan received one of the shafts\nin the shoulder, and so heavily had the weapon been hurled that it\nbore him backward to the ground.  Smith-Oldwick fired his pistol\ntwice when he too was struck down, the weapon entering his right\nleg midway between hip and knee. Only Otobu remained to face the\nenemy, for the Englishman, already weak from his wounds and from\nthe latest mauling he had received at the claws of the lion, had\nlost consciousness as he sank to the ground with this new hurt.\n\nAs he fell his pistol dropped from his fingers, and the girl, seeing,\nsnatched it up. As Tarzan struggled to rise, one of the warriors\nleaped full upon his breast and bore him back as, with fiendish\nshrieks, he raised the point of his saber above the other's heart.\nBefore he could drive it home the girl leveled Smith-Oldwick's\npistol and fired point-blank at the fiend's face.\n\nSimultaneously there broke upon the astonished ears of both attackers\nand attacked a volley of shots from the gorge. With the sweetness\nof the voice of an angel from heaven the Europeans heard the\nsharp-barked commands of an English noncom. Even above the roars\nof the lions and the screams of the maniacs, those beloved tones\nreached the ears of Tarzan and the girl at the very moment that\neven the ape-man had given up the last vestige of hope.\n\nRolling the body of the warrior to one side Tarzan struggled to\nhis feet, the spear still protruding from his shoulder.  The girl\nrose too, and as Tarzan wrenched the weapon from his flesh and stepped\nout from behind the concealment of their refuge, she followed at\nhis side. The skirmish that had resulted in their rescue was soon\nover. Most of the lions escaped but all of the pursuing Xujans\nhad been slain. As Tarzan and the girl came into full view of the\ngroup, a British Tommy leveled his rifle at the ape-man. Seeing the\nfellow's actions and realizing instantly the natural error that\nTarzan's yellow tunic had occasioned the girl sprang between him\nand the soldier. \"Don't shoot,\" she cried to the latter, \"we are\nboth friends.\"\n\n\"Hold up your hands, you, then,\" he commanded Tarzan.  \"I ain't\ntaking no chances with any duffer with a yellow shirt.\"\n\nAt this juncture the British sergeant who had been in command of\nthe advance guard approached and when Tarzan and the girl spoke\nto him in English, explaining their disguises, he accepted their\nword, since they were evidently not of the same race as the creatures\nwhich lay dead about them. Ten minutes later the main body of the\nexpedition came into view.  Smith-Oldwick's wounds were dressed,\nas well as were those of the ape-man, and in half an hour they were\non their way to the camp of their rescuers.\n\nThat night it was arranged that the following day Smith-Oldwick and\nBertha Kircher should be transported to British headquarters near\nthe coast by aeroplane, the two planes attached to the expeditionary\nforce being requisitioned for the purpose. Tarzan and Otobu declined\nthe offers of the British captain to accompany his force overland\non the return march as Tarzan explained that his country lay to\nthe west, as did Otobu's, and that they would travel together as\nfar as the country of the Wamabos.\n\n\"You are not going back with us, then?\" asked the girl.\n\n\"No,\" replied the ape-man. \"My home is upon the west coast. I will\ncontinue my journey in that direction.\"\n\nShe cast appealing eyes toward him. \"You will go back into that\nterrible jungle?\" she asked. \"We shall never see you again?\"\n\nHe looked at her a moment in silence. \"Never,\" he said, and without\nanother word turned and walked away.\n\nIn the morning Colonel Capell came from the base camp in one of the\nplanes that was to carry Smith-Oldwick and the girl to the east.\nTarzan was standing some distance away as the ship landed and\nthe officer descended to the ground. He saw the colonel greet his\njunior in command of the advance detachment, and then he saw him\nturn toward Bertha Kircher who was standing a few paces behind the\ncaptain. Tarzan wondered how the German spy felt in this situation,\nespecially when she must know that there was one there who knew her\nreal status. He saw Colonel Capell walk toward her with outstretched\nhands and smiling face and, although he could not hear the words of\nhis greeting, he saw that it was friendly and cordial to a degree.\n\nTarzan turned away scowling, and if any had been close by they\nmight have heard a low growl rumble from his chest. He knew that\nhis country was at war with Germany and that not only his duty to\nthe land of his fathers, but also his personal grievance against\nthe enemy people and his hatred of them, demanded that he expose\nthe girl's perfidy, and yet he hesitated, and because he hesitated\nhe growled--not at the German spy but at himself for his weakness.\n\nHe did not see her again before she entered a plane and was borne\naway toward the east. He bid farewell to Smith-Oldwick and received\nagain the oft-repeated thanks of the young Englishman. And then\nhe saw him too borne aloft in the high circling plane and watched\nuntil the ship became a speck far above the eastern horizon to\ndisappear at last high in air.\n\nThe Tommies, their packs and accouterments slung, were waiting the\nsummons to continue their return march. Colonel Capell had, through\na desire to personally observe the stretch of country between the\ncamp of the advance detachment and the base, decided to march back\nhis troops. Now that all was in readiness for departure he turned to\nTarzan. \"I wish you would come back with us, Greystoke,\" he said,\n\"and if my appeal carries no inducement possibly that of Smith-Oldwick\nand the young lady who just left us may. They asked me to urge\nyou to return to civilization.\"\n\n\"No;\" said Tarzan, \"I shall go my own way. Miss Kircher and\nLieutenant Smith-Oldwick were only prompted by a sense of gratitude\nin considering my welfare.\"\n\n\"Miss Kircher?\" exclaimed Capell and then he laughed, \"You know\nher then as Bertha Kircher, the German spy?\"\n\nTarzan looked at the other a moment in silence. It was beyond him\nto conceive that a British officer should thus laconically speak\nof an enemy spy whom he had had within his power and permitted to\nescape. \"Yes,\" he replied, \"I knew that she was Bertha Kircher,\nthe German spy?\"\n\n\"Is that all you knew?\" asked Capell.\n\n\"That is all,\" said the ape-man.\n\n\"She is the Honorable Patricia Canby,\" said Capell, \"one of the\nmost valuable members of the British Intelligence Service attached\nto the East African forces. Her father and I served in India together\nand I have known her ever since she was born.\n\n\"Why, here's a packet of papers she took from a German officer and\nhas been carrying it through all her vicissitudes--single-minded\nin the performance of her duty. Look! I haven't yet had time to\nexamine them but as you see here is a military sketch map, a bundle\nof reports, and the diary of one Hauptmann Fritz Schneider.\"\n\n\"The diary of Hauptmann Fritz Schneider!\" repeated Tarzan in a\nconstrained voice. \"May I see it, Capell? He is the man who murdered\nLady Greystoke.\"\n\nThe Englishman handed the little volume over to the other without\na word. Tarzan ran through the pages quickly looking for a certain\ndate--the date that the horror had been committed--and when he found\nit he read rapidly. Suddenly a gasp of incredulity burst from his\nlips. Capell looked at him questioningly.\n\n\"God!\" exclaimed the ape-man. \"Can this be true? Listen!\" and he\nread an excerpt from the closely written page:\n\n\"'Played a little joke on the English pig. When he comes home he\nwill find the burned body of his wife in her boudoir--but he will\nonly think it is his wife. Had von Goss substitute the body of a\ndead Negress and char it after putting Lady Greystoke's rings on\nit--Lady G will be of more value to the High Command alive than\ndead.'\"\n\n\"She lives!\" cried Tarzan.\n\n\"Thank God!\" exclaimed Capell. \"And now?\"\n\n\"I will return with you, of course. How terribly I have wronged\nMiss Canby, but how could I know? I even told Smith-Oldwick, who\nloves her, that she was a German spy.\n\n\"Not only must I return to find my wife but I must right this\nwrong.\"\n\n\"Don't worry about that,\" said Capell, \"she must have convinced him\nthat she is no enemy spy, for just before they left this morning\nhe told me she had promised to marry him.\""