The Return of Tarzan .........................................................................................................................................1

Edgar Rice Burroughs ..............................................................................................................................1

"Eh?" questioned the count, turning toward his young wife. "What is it that is magnificent?" and the count

"Oh, nothing at all, my dear," replied the countess, a slight flush momentarily coloring her already pink

cheek. "I was but recalling with admiration those stupendous skyscrapers, as they call them, of New York,"

and the fair countess settled herself more comfortably in her steamer chair, and resumed the magazine which

Her husband again buried himself in his book, but not without a mild wonderment that three days out from

New York his countess should suddenly have realized an admiration for the very buildings she had but

Presently the count put down his book. "It is very tiresome, Olga," he said. "I think that I shall hunt up some

others who may be equally bored, and see if we cannot find enough for a game of cards."

"You are not very gallant, my husband," replied the young woman, smiling, "but as I am equally bored I can

When he had gone she let her eyes wander slyly to the figure of a tall young man stretched lazily in a chair

The Countess Olga de Coude was twenty. Her husband forty. She was a very faithful and loyal wife, but as

she had had nothing whatever to do with the selection of a husband, it is not at all unlikely that she was not

wildly and passionately in love with the one that fate and her titled Russian father had selected for her.

However, simply because she was surprised into a tiny exclamation of approval at sight of a splendid young

stranger it must not be inferred therefrom that her thoughts were in any way disloyal to her spouse. She

merely admired, as she might have admired a particularly fine specimen of any species. Furthermore, the

As her furtive glance rested upon his profile he rose to leave the deck. The Countess de Coude beckoned to a

"Rather a large estate," thought the girl, but now her interest was still further aroused.

As Tarzan walked slowly toward the smokingroom he came unexpectedly upon two men whispering

excitedly just without. He would have vouchsafed them not even a passing thought but for the strangely

guilty glance that one of them shot in his direction. They reminded Tarzan of melodramatic villains he had

seen at the theaters in Paris. Both were very dark, and this, in connection with the shrugs and stealthy glances

that accompanied their palpable intriguing, lent still greater force to the similarity.

Tarzan entered the smokingroom, and sought a chair a little apart from the others who were there. He felt in

no mood for conversation, and as he sipped his absinth he let his mind run rather sorrowfully over the past

few weeks of his life. Time and again he had wondered if he had acted wisely in renouncing his birthright to

a man to whom he owed nothing. It is true that he liked Clayton, butah, but that was not the question. It

was not for William Cecil Clayton, Lord Greystoke, that he had denied his birth. It was for the woman whom

both he and Clayton had loved, and whom a strange freak of fate had given to Clayton instead of to him.

That she loved him made the thing doubly difficult to bear, yet he knew that he could have done nothing less

than he did do that night within the little railway station in the far Wisconsin woods. To him her happiness

was the first consideration of all, and his brief experience with civilization and civilized men had taught him

Jane Porter had been born to both, and had Tarzan taken them away from her future husband it would

doubtless have plunged her into a life of misery and torture. That she would have spurned Clayton once he

had been stripped of both his title and his estates never for once occurred to Tarzan, for he credited to others

the same honest loyalty that was so inherent a quality in himself. Nor, in this instance, had he erred. Could

any one thing have further bound Jane Porter to her promise to Clayton it would have been in the nature of

Tarzan's thoughts drifted from the past to the future. He tried to look forward with pleasurable sensations to

his return to the jungle of his birth and boyhood; the cruel, fierce jungle in which he had spent twenty of his

twentytwo years. But who or what of all the myriad jungle life would there be to welcome his return? Not

one. Only Tantor, the elephant, could he call friend. The others would hunt him or flee from him as had been

If civilization had done nothing else for Tarzan of the Apes, it had to some extent taught him to crave the

society of his own kind, and to feel with genuine pleasure the congenial warmth of companionship. And in

the same ratio had it made any other life distasteful to him. It was difficult to imagine a world without a

friendwithout a living thing who spoke the new tongues which Tarzan had learned to love so well. And so

it was that Tarzan looked with little relish upon the future he had mapped out for himself.

As he sat musing over his cigarette his eyes fell upon a mirror before him, and in it he saw reflected a table at

which four men sat at cards. Presently one of them rose to leave, and then another approached, and Tarzan

could see that he courteously offered to fill the vacant chair, that the game might not be interrupted. He was

the smaller of the two whom Tarzan had seen whispering just outside the smokingroom.

It was this fact that aroused a faint spark of interest in Tarzan, and so as he speculated upon the future he

watched in the mirror the reflection of the players at the table behind him. Aside from the man who had but

just entered the game Tarzan knew the name of but one of the other players. It was he who sat opposite the

new player, Count Raoul de Coude, whom at overattentive steward had pointed out as one of the celebrities

of the passage, describing him as a man high in the official family of the French minister of war.

Suddenly Tarzan's attention was riveted upon the picture in the glass. The other swarthy plotter had entered,

and was standing behind the count's chair. Tarzan saw him turn and glance furtively about the room, but his

eyes did not rest for a sufficient time upon the mirror to note the reflection of Tarzan's watchful eyes.

Stealthily the man withdrew something from his pocket. Tarzan could not discern what the object was, for the

Slowly the hand approached the count, and then, very deftly, the thing that was in it was transferred to the

count's pocket. The man remained standing where he could watch the Frenchman's cards. Tarzan was

puzzled, but he was all attention now, nor did he permit another detail of the incident to escape him.

The play went on for some ten minutes after this, until the count won a considerable wager from him who had

last joined the game, and then Tarzan saw the fellow back of the count's chair nod his head to his confederate.

"Had I known that monsieur was a professional card sharp I had not been so ready to be drawn into the

"I know that I speak, for the last time, to one who cheats at cards," replied the fellow.

The count leaned across the table, and struck the man full in the mouth with his open palm, and then the

"There is some mistake, sir," cried one of the other players. "Why, this is Count de Coude, of France." "If I

am mistaken," said the accuser, "I shall gladly apologize; but before I do so first let monsieur le count explain

And then the man whom Tarzan had seen drop them there turned to sneak from the room, but to his

"But why, monsieur?" exclaimed the other petulantly. "Permit me to pass, monsieur."

"Wait," said Tarzan. "I think that there is a matter in here that you may doubtless be able to explain."

The fellow had lost his temper by this time, and with a low oath seized Tarzan to push him to one side. The

apeman but smiled as he twisted the big fellow about and, grasping him by the collar of his coat, escorted

him back to the table, struggling, cursing, and striking in futile remonstrance. It was Nikolas Rokoff's first

experience with the muscles that had brought their savage owner victorious through encounters with Numa,

The man who had accused De Coude, and the two others who had been playing, stood looking expectantly at

the count. Several other passengers had drawn toward the scene of the altercation, and all awaited the

"The fellow is crazy," said the count. "Gentlemen, I implore that one of you search me."

"You have but to slip your hand in the count's coat pocket and you will see that the accusation is quite

serious," insisted the accuser. And then, as the others still hesitated to do so: "Come, I shall do it myself if no

"No, monsieur," said De Coude. "I will submit to a search only at the hands of a gentleman."

"It is unnecessary to search the count. The cards are in his pocket. I myself saw them placed there."

All turned in surprise toward this new speaker, to behold a very wellbuilt young man urging a resisting

"It is a conspiracy," cried De Coude angrily. "There are no cards in my coat," and with that he ran his hand

into his pocket. As he did so tense silence reigned in the little group. The count went dead white, and then

He looked at them in mute and horrified surprise, and slowly the red of mortification suffused his face.

Expressions of pity and contempt tinged the features of those who looked on at the death of a man's honor.

"It is a conspiracy, monsieur." It was the grayeyed stranger who spoke. "Gentlemen," he continued,

"monsieur le count did not know that those cards were in his pocket. They were placed there without his

knowledge as he sat at play. From where I sat in that chair yonder I saw the reflection of it all in the mirror

before me. This person whom I just intercepted in an effort to escape placed the cards in the count's pocket."

"And you, monsieur, I did not recognize you without your beard. It quite disguises you, Paulvitch. I see it all

"What shall we do with them, monsieur?" asked Tarzan. "Turn them over to the captain?"

"No, my friend," said the count hastily. "It is a personal matter, and I beg that you will let it drop. It is

sufficient that I have been exonerated from the charge. The less we have to do with such fellows, the better.

But, monsieur, how can I thank you for the great kindness you have done me? Permit me to offer you my

card, and should the time come when I may serve you, remember that I am yours to command."

Tarzan had released Rokoff, who, with his confederate, Paulvitch, had hastened from the smokingroom. Just

as he was leaving, Rokoff turned to Tarzan. "Monsieur will have ample opportunity to regret his interference

"Monsieur Tarzan," he said, "may indeed wish that he had never befriended me, for I can assure him that he

has won the enmity of two of the most unmitigated scoundrels in all Europe. Avoid them, monsieur, by all

"I have had more aweinspiring enemies, my dear count," replied Tarzan with a quiet smile, "yet I am still

alive and unworried. I think that neither of these two will ever find the means to harm me."

"Let us hope not, monsieur," said De Coude; "but yet it will do no harm to be on the alert, and to know that

you have made at least one enemy today who never forgets and never forgives, and in whose malignant brain

there are always hatching new atrocities to perpetrate upon those who have thwarted or offended him. To say

that Nikolas Rokoff is a devil would be to place a wanton affront upon his satanic majesty."

That night as Tarzan entered his cabin he found a folded note upon the floor that had evidently been pushed

Doubtless you did not realize the gravity of your offense, or you would not have done the thing you did

today. I am willing to believe that you acted in ignorance and without any intention to offend a stranger. For

this reason I shall gladly permit you to offer an apology, and on receiving your assurances that you will not

Otherwisebut I am sure that you will see the wisdom of adopting the course I suggest. Very respectfully,

Tarzan permitted a grim smile to play about his lips for a moment, then he promptly dropped the matter from

"Why so grave, my dear Raoul?" she asked. "You have been as glum as could be all evening. What worries

"Nikolas!" she exclaimed. "But it is impossible, Raoul. It cannot be. Nikolas is under arrest in Germany."

"So I thought myself until I saw him todayhim and that other arch scoundrel, Paulvitch. Olga, I cannot

endure his persecution much longer. No, not even for you. Sooner or later I shall turn him over to the

authorities. In fact, I am half minded to explain all to the captain before we land. On a French liner it were an

"Oh, no, Raoul!" cried the countess, sinking to her knees before him as he sat with bowed head upon a divan.

"Do not do that. Remember your promise to me. Tell me, Raoul, that you will not do that. Do not even

De Coude took his wife's hands in his, and gazed upon her pale and troubled countenance for some time

before he spoke, as though he would wrest from those beautiful eyes the real reason which prompted her to

"Let it be as you wish, Olga," he said at length. "I cannot understand. He has forfeited all claim upon your

love, loyalty, or respect. He is a menace to your life and honor, and the life and honor of your husband. I trust

"I do not champion him, Raoul," she interrupted vehemently. "I believe that I hate him as much as you do,

"I should today have liked to sample the consistency of his," growled De Coude grimly. "The two

deliberately attempted to besmirch my honor, Olga," and then he told her of all that had happened in the

smokingroom. "Had it not been for this utter stranger, they had succeeded, for who would have accepted my

unsupported word against the damning evidence of those cards hidden on my person? I had almost begun to

doubt myself when this Monsieur Tarzan dragged your precious Nikolas before us, and explained the whole

Olga de Coude changed the subject. She discovered suddenly that she might find it difficult to explain just

why the steward had pointed out the handsome Monsieur Tarzan to her. Perhaps she flushed the least little

bit, for was not the count, her husband, gazing at her with a strangely quizzical expression. "Ah," she thought,

It was not until late the following afternoon that Tarzan saw anything more of the fellow passengers into the

midst of whose affairs his love of fair play had thrust him. And then he came most unexpectedly upon Rokoff

and Paulvitch at a moment when of all others the two might least appreciate his company.

They were standing on deck at a point which was temporarily deserted, and as Tarzan came upon them they

were in heated argument with a woman. Tarzan noted that she was richly appareled, and that her slender,

wellmodeled figure denoted youth; but as she was heavily veiled he could not discern her features.

The men were standing on either side of her, and the backs of all were toward Tarzan, so that he was quite

close to them without their being aware of his presence. He noticed that Rokoff seemed to be threatening, the

woman pleading; but they spoke in a strange tongue, and he could only guess from appearances that the girl

Rokoff's attitude was so distinctly filled with the threat of physical violence that the apeman paused for an

instant just behind the trio, instinctively sensing an atmosphere of danger. Scarcely had he hesitated ere the

man seized the woman roughly by the wrist, twisting it as though to wring a promise from her through

torture. What would have happened next had Rokoff had his way we may only conjecture, since he did not

have his way at all. Instead, steel fingers gripped his shoulder, and he was swung unceremoniously around, to

meet the cold gray eyes of the stranger who had thwarted him on the previous day.

"SAPRISTI!" screamed the infuriated Rokoff. "What do you mean? Are you a fool that you thus again insult

"This is my answer to your note, monsieur," said Tarzan, in a low voice. And then he hurled the fellow from

"Name of a name!" shrieked Rokoff. "Pig, but you shall die for this," and, springing to his feet, he rushed

upon Tarzan, tugging the meanwhile to draw a revolver from his hip pocket. The girl shrank back in terror.

"Nikolas!" she cried. "Do notoh, do not do that. Quick, monsieur, fly, or he will surely kill you!" But

instead of flying Tarzan advanced to meet the fellow. "Do not make a fool of yourself, monsieur," he said.

Rokoff, who was in a perfect frenzy of rage at the humiliation the stranger had put upon him, had at last

succeeded in drawing the revolver. He had stopped, and now he deliberately raised it to Tarzan's breast and

pulled the trigger. The hammer fell with a futile click on an empty chamberthe apeman's hand shot out

like the head of an angry python; there was a quick wrench, and the revolver sailed far out across the ship's

For a moment the two men stood there facing one another. Rokoff had regained his selfpossession. He was

"Twice now has monsieur seen fit to interfere in matters which do not concern him. Twice he has taken it

upon himself to humiliate Nikolas Rokoff. The first offense was overlooked on the assumption that monsieur

acted through ignorance, but this affair shall not be overlooked. If monsieur does not know who Nikolas

Rokoff is, this last piece of effrontery will insure that monsieur later has good reason to remember him."

"That you are a coward and a scoundrel, monsieur," replied Tarzan, "is all that I care to know of you," and he

turned to ask the girl if the man had hurt her, but she had disappeared. Then, without even a glance toward

Tarzan could not but wonder what manner of conspiracy was on foot, or what the scheme of the two men

might be. There had been something rather familiar about the appearance of the veiled woman to whose

rescue he had just come, but as he had not seen her face he could not be sure that he had ever seen her before.

The only thing about her that he had particularly noticed was a ring of peculiar workmanship upon a finger of

the hand that Rokoff had seized, and he determined to note the fingers of the women passengers he came

upon thereafter, that he might discover the identity of her whom Rokoff was persecuting, and learn if the

Tarzan had sought his deck chair, where he sat speculating on the numerous instances of human cruelty,

selfishness, and spite that had fallen to his lot to witness since that day in the jungle four years since that his

eyes had first fallen upon a human being other than himselfthe sleek, black Kulonga, whose swift spear

had that day found the vitals of Kala, the great sheape, and robbed the youth, Tarzan, of the only mother he

He recalled the murder of King by the ratfaced Snipes; the abandonment of Professor Porter and his party

by the mutineers of the ARROW; the cruelty of the black warriors and women of Mbonga to their captives;

the petty jealousies of the civil and military officers of the West Coast colony that had afforded him his first

"MON DIEU!" he soliloquized, "but they are all alike. Cheating, murdering, lying, fighting, and all for things

that the beasts of the jungle would not deign to possessmoney to purchase the effeminate pleasures of

weaklings. And yet withal bound down by silly customs that make them slaves to their unhappy lot while

firm in the belief that they be the lords of creation enjoying the only real pleasures of existence. In the jungle

one would scarcely stand supinely aside while another took his mate. It is a silly world, an idiotic world, and

Tarzan of the Apes was a fool to renounce the freedom and the happiness of his jungle to come into it."

Presently, as he sat there, the sudden feeling came over him that eyes were watching from behind, and the old

instinct of the wild beast broke through the thin veneer of civilization, so that Tarzan wheeled about so

quickly that the eyes of the young woman who had been surreptitiously regarding him had not even time to

drop before the gray eyes of the apeman shot an inquiring look straight into them. Then, as they fell, Tarzan

He smiled to himself at the result of his very uncivilized and ungallant action, for he had not lowered his own

eyes when they met those of the young woman. She was very young, and equally good to look upon. Further,

there was something rather familiar about her that set Tarzan to wondering where he had seen her before. He

resumed his former position, and presently he was aware that she had arisen and was leaving the deck. As she

passed, Tarzan turned to watch her, in the hope that he might discover a clew to satisfy his mild curiosity as

Nor was he disappointed entirely, for as she walked away she raised one hand to the black, waving mass at

the nape of her neckthe peculiarly feminine gesture that admits cognizance of appraising eyes behind

herand Tarzan saw upon a finger of this hand the ring of strange workmanship that he had seen upon the

So it was this beautiful young woman Rokoff had been persecuting. Tarzan wondered in a lazy sort of way

whom she might be, and what relations one so lovely could have with the surly, bearded Russian.

After dinner that evening Tarzan strolled forward, where he remained until after dark, in conversation with

the second officer, and when that gentleman's duties called him elsewhere Tarzan lolled lazily by the rail

watching the play of the moonlight upon the gently rolling waters. He was half hidden by a davit, so that two

men who approached along the deck did not see him, and as they passed Tarzan caught enough of their

conversation to cause him to fall in behind them, to follow and learn what deviltry they were up to. He had

recognized the voice as that of Rokoff, and had seen that his companion was Paulvitch.

Tarzan had overheard but a few words: "And if she screams you may choke her until" But those had been

enough to arouse the spirit of adventure within him, and so he kept the two men in sight as they walked,

briskly now, along the deck. To the smokingroom he followed them, but they merely halted at the doorway

long enough, apparently, to assure themselves that one whose whereabouts they wished to establish was

Then they proceeded directly to the firstclass cabins upon the promenade deck. Here Tarzan found greater

difficulty in escaping detection, but he managed to do so successfully. As they halted before one of the

polished hardwood doors, Tarzan slipped into the shadow of a passageway not a dozen feet from them.

"It is I, OlgaNikolas," was the answer, in Rokoff's now familiar guttural. "May I come in?"

"Why do you not cease persecuting me, Nikolas?" came the voice of the woman from beyond the thin panel.

"Come, come, Olga," urged the man, in propitiary tones; "I but ask a half dozen words with you. I shall not

harm you, nor shall I enter your cabin; but I cannot shout my message through the door."

Tarzan heard the catch click as it was released from the inside. He stepped out from his hidingplace far

enough to see what transpired when the door was opened, for he could not but recall the sinister words he had

heard a few moments before upon the deck, "And if she screams you may choke her."

Rokoff was standing directly in front of the door. Paulvitch had flattened himself against the paneled wall of

the corridor beyond. The door opened. Rokoff half entered the room, and stood with his back against the

door, speaking in a low whisper to the woman, whom Tarzan could not see. Then Tarzan heard the woman's

"No, Nikolas," she was saying, "it is useless. Threaten as you will, I shall never accede to your demands.

"Very well, Olga, I shall not enter; but before I am done with you, you shall wish a thousand times that you

had done at once the favor I have asked. In the end I shall win anyway, so you might as well save trouble and

"Never, Nikolas!" interrupted the woman, and then Tarzan saw Rokoff turn and nod to Paulvitch, who sprang

quickly toward the doorway of the cabin, rushing in past Rokoff, who held the door open for him. Then the

latter stepped quickly out. The door closed. Tarzan heard the click of the lock as Paulvitch turned it from the

inside. Rokoff remained standing before the door, with head bent, as though to catch the words of the two

Tarzan could hear the woman's voice commanding the fellow to leave her cabin. "I shall send for my

"The purser will fetch your husband, madame," said the man. "In fact, that officer has already been notified

that you are entertaining a man other than your husband behind the locked door of your cabin."

"Most assuredly your husband will know, but the purser will not; nor will the newspaper men who shall in

some mysterious way hear of it on our landing. But they will think it a fine story, and so will all your friends

when they read of it at breakfast onlet me see, this is Tuesdayyes, when they read of it at breakfast next

Friday morning. Nor will it detract from the interest they will all feel when they learn that the man whom

"Alexis Paulvitch," came the woman's voice, cold and fearless, "you are a coward, and when I whisper a

certain name in your ear you will think better of your demands upon me and your threats against me, and then

you will leave my cabin quickly, nor do I think that ever again will you, at least, annoy me," and there came a

moment's silence in which Tarzan could imagine the woman leaning toward the scoundrel and whispering the

thing she had hinted at into his ear. Only a moment of silence, and then a startled oath from the manthe

But scarcely had the cry ceased before the apeman had leaped from his hidingplace. Rokoff started to run,

but Tarzan grasped him by the collar and dragged him back. Neither spoke, for both felt instinctively that

murder was being done in that room, and Tarzan was confident that Rokoff had had no intention that his

confederate should go that farhe felt that the man's aims were deeper than thatdeeper and even more

sinister than brutal, coldblooded murder. Without hesitating to question those within, the apeman threw his

giant shoulder against the frail panel, and in a shower of splintered wood he entered the cabin, dragging

Rokoff after him. Before him, on a couch, the woman lay, and on top of her was Paulvitch, his fingers

gripping the fair throat, while his victim's hands beat futilely at his face, tearing desperately at the cruel

The noise of his entrance brought Paulvitch to his feet, where he stood glowering menacingly at Tarzan. The

girl rose falteringly to a sitting posture upon the couch. One hand was at her throat, and her breath came in

little gasps. Although disheveled and very pale, Tarzan recognized her as the young woman whom he had

"What is the meaning of this?" said Tarzan, turning to Rokoff, whom he intuitively singled out as the

instigator of the outrage. The man remained silent, scowling. "Touch the button, please," continued the

apeman; "we will have one of the ship's officers herethis affair has gone quite far enough."

"No, no," cried the girl, coming suddenly to her feet. "Please do not do that. I am sure that there was no real

intention to harm me. I angered this person, and he lost control of himself, that is all. I would not care to have

the matter go further, please, monsieur," and there was such a note of pleading in her voice that Tarzan could

not press the matter, though his better judgment warned him that there was something afoot here of which the

She did not seem to know what answer to make, and looked very troubled and unhappy. Tarzan saw a

malicious grin of triumph curl Rokoff's lip. The girl evidently was in fear of these twoshe dared not

"Then," said Tarzan, "I shall act on my own responsibility. To you," he continued, turning to Rokoff, "and

this includes your accomplice, I may say that from now on to the end of the voyage I shall take it upon myself

to keep an eye on you, and should there chance to come to my notice any act of either one of you that might

even remotely annoy this young woman you shall be called to account for it directly to me, nor shall the

"Now get out of here," and he grabbed Rokoff and Paulvitch each by the scruff of the neck and thrust them

forcibly through the doorway, giving each an added impetus down the corridor with the toe of his boot. Then

he turned back to the stateroom and the girl. She was looking at him in wideeyed astonishment.

"And you, madame, will confer a great favor upon me if you will but let me know if either of those rascals

"Ah, monsieur," she answered, "I hope that you will not suffer for the kind deed you attempted. You have

made a very wicked and resourceful enemy, who will stop at nothing to satisfy his hatred. You must be very

"Monsieur Tarzan. And because I would not consent to notify the officers, do not think that I am not

sincerely grateful to you for the brave and chivalrous protection you rendered me. Good night, Monsieur

Tarzan. I shall never forget the debt I owe you," and, with a most winsome smile that displayed a row of

perfect teeth, the girl curtsied to Tarzan, who bade her good night and made his way on deck.

It puzzled the man considerably that there should be two on boardthis girl and Count de Coudewho

suffered indignities at the hands of Rokoff and his companion, and yet would not permit the offenders to be

brought to justice. Before he turned in that night his thoughts reverted many times to the beautiful young

woman into the evidently tangled web of whose life fate had so strangely introduced him. It occurred to him

that he had not learned her name. That she was married had been evidenced by the narrow gold band that

encircled the third finger of her left hand. Involuntarily he wondered who the lucky man might be.

Tarzan saw nothing further of any of the actors in the little drama that he had caught a fleeting glimpse of

until late in the afternoon of the last day of the voyage. Then he came suddenly face to face with the young

woman as the two approached their deck chairs from opposite directions. She greeted him with a pleasant

smile, speaking almost immediately of the affair he had witnessed in her cabin two nights before. It was as

though she had been perturbed by a conviction that he might have construed her acquaintance with such men

"I trust monsieur has not judged me," she said, "by the unfortunate occurrence of Tuesday evening. I have

suffered much on account of itthis is the first time that I have ventured from my cabin since; I have been

"One does not judge the gazelle by the lions that attack it," replied Tarzan. "I had seen those two work

beforein the smokingroom the day prior to their attack on you, if I recollect it correctly, and so, knowing

their methods, I am convinced that their enmity is a sufficient guarantee of the integrity of its object. Men

such as they must cleave only to the vile, hating all that is noblest and best."

"It is very kind of you to put it that way," she replied, smiling. "I have already heard of the matter of the card

game. My husband told me the entire story. He spoke especially of the strength and bravery of Monsieur

"I am already amply repaid, madame, in knowing that I have rendered a service to the wife of the Count de

"Alas, monsieur, I already am so greatly indebted to you that I may never hope to settle my own account, so

pray do not add further to my obligations," and she smiled so sweetly upon him that Tarzan felt that a man

might easily attempt much greater things than he had accomplished, solely for the pleasure of receiving the

He did not see her again that day, and in the rush of landing on the following morning he missed her entirely,

but there had been something in the expression of her eyes as they parted on deck the previous day that

haunted him. It had been almost wistful as they had spoken of the strangeness of the swift friendships of an

On his arrival in Paris, Tarzan had gone directly to the apartments of his old friend, D'Arnot, where the naval

lieutenant had scored him roundly for his decision to renounce the title and estates that were rightly his from

"You must be mad, my friend," said D'Arnot, "thus lightly to give up not alone wealth and position, but an

opportunity to prove beyond doubt to all the world that in your veins flows the noble blood of two of

England's most honored housesinstead of the blood of a savage sheape. It is incredible that they could

"Why, I never did believe it, even back in the wilds of your African jungle, when you tore the raw meat of

your kills with mighty jaws, like some wild beast, and wiped your greasy hands upon your thighs. Even then,

before there was the slightest proof to the contrary, I knew that you were mistaken in the belief that Kala was

"And now, with your father's diary of the terrible life led by him and your mother on that wild African shore;

with the account of your birth, and, final and most convincing proof of all, your own baby finger prints upon

the pages of it, it seems incredible to me that you are willing to remain a nameless, penniless vagabond."

"I do not need any better name than Tarzan," replied the apeman; "and as for remaining a penniless

vagabond, I have no intention of so doing. In fact, the next, and let us hope the last, burden that I shall be

forced to put upon your unselfish friendship will be the finding of employment for me."

"Pooh, pooh!" scoffed D'Arnot. "You know that I did not mean that. Have I not told you a dozen times that I

have enough for twenty men, and that half of what I have is yours? And if I gave it all to you, would it

represent even the tenth part of the value I place upon your friendship, my Tarzan? Would it repay the

services you did me in Africa? I do not forget, my friend, that but for you and your wondrous bravery I had

died at the stake in the village of Mbonga's cannibals. Nor do I forget that to your self sacrificing devotion I

owe the fact that I recovered from the terrible wounds I received at their handsI discovered later something

of what it meant to you to remain with me in the amphitheater of apes while your heart was urging you on to

"When we finally came there, and found that Miss Porter and her party had left, I commenced to realize

something of what you had done for an utter stranger. Nor am I trying to repay you with money, Tarzan. It is

that just at present you need money; were it sacrifice that I might offer you it were the samemy friendship

must always be yours, because our tastes are similar, and I admire you. That I cannot command, but the

"Well," laughed Tarzan, "we shall not quarrel over the money. I must live, and so I must have it; but I shall

be more contented with something to do. You cannot show me your friendship in a more convincing manner

than to find employment for meI shall die of inactivity in a short while. As for my birthrightit is in good

hands. Clayton is not guilty of robbing me of it. He truly believes that he is the real Lord Greystoke, and the

chances are that he will make a better English lord than a man who was born and raised in an African jungle.

You know that I am but half civilized even now. Let me see red in anger but for a moment, and all the

instincts of the savage beast that I really am, submerge what little I possess of the milder ways of culture and

"And then again, had I declared myself I should have robbed the woman I love of the wealth and position that

her marriage to Clayton will now insure to her. I could not have done thatcould I, Paul?

"Nor is the matter of birth of great importance to me," he went on, without waiting for a reply. "Raised as I

have been, I see no worth in man or beast that is not theirs by virtue of their own mental or physical prowess.

And so I am as happy to think of Kala as my mother as I would be to try to picture the poor, unhappy little

English girl who passed away a year after she bore me. Kala was always kind to me in her fierce and savage

way. I must have nursed at her hairy breast from the time that my own mother died. She fought for me against

the wild denizens of the forest, and against the savage members of our tribe, with the ferocity of real mother

"And I, on my part, loved her, Paul. I did not realize how much until after the cruel spear and the poisoned

arrow of Mbonga's black warrior had stolen her away from me. I was still a child when that occurred, and I

threw myself upon her dead body and wept out my anguish as a child might for his own mother. To you, my

friend, she would have appeared a hideous and ugly creature, but to me she was beautifulso gloriously

does love transfigure its object. And so I am perfectly content to remain forever the son of Kala, the

"I do not admire you the less for your loyalty," said D'Arnot, "but the time will come when you will be glad

to claim your own. Remember what I say, and let us hope that it will be as easy then as it is now. You must

bear in mind that Professor Porter and Mr. Philander are the only people in the world who can swear that the

little skeleton found in the cabin with those of your father and mother was that of an infant anthropoid ape,

and not the offspring of Lord and Lady Greystoke. That evidence is most important. They are both old men.

They may not live many years longer. And then, did it not occur to you that once Miss Porter knew the truth

she would break her engagement with Clayton? You might easily have your title, your estates, and the

Tarzan shook his head. "You do not know her," he said. "Nothing could bind her closer to her bargain than

some misfortune to Clayton. She is from an old southern family in America, and southerners pride

Tarzan spent the two following weeks renewing his former brief acquaintance with Paris. In the daytime he

haunted the libraries and picture galleries. He had become an omnivorous reader, and the world of

possibilities that were opened to him in this seat of culture and learning fairly appalled him when he

contemplated the very infinitesimal crumb of the sum total of human knowledge that a single individual

might hope to acquire even after a lifetime of study and research; but he learned what he could by day, and

threw himself into a search for relaxation and amusement at night. Nor did he find Paris a whit less fertile

If he smoked too many cigarettes and drank too much absinth it was because he took civilization as he found

it, and did the things that he found his civilized brothers doing. The life was a new and alluring one, and in

addition he had a sorrow in his breast and a great longing which he knew could never be fulfilled, and so he

sought in study and in dissipationthe two extremesto forget the past and inhibit contemplation of the

He was sitting in a music hall one evening, sipping his absinth and admiring the art of a certain famous

Russian dancer, when he caught a passing glimpse of a pair of evil black eyes upon him. The man turned and

was lost in the crowd at the exit before Tarzan could catch a good look at him, but he was confident that he

had seen those eyes before and that they had been fastened on him this evening through no passing accident.

He had had the uncanny feeling for some time that he was being watched, and it was in response to this

animal instinct that was strong within him that he had turned suddenly and surprised the eyes in the very act

Before he left the music hall the matter had been forgotten, nor did he notice the swarthy individual who

stepped deeper into the shadows of an opposite doorway as Tarzan emerged from the brilliantly lighted

Had Tarzan but known it, he had been followed many times from this and other places of amusement, but

seldom if ever had he been alone. Tonight D'Arnot had had another engagement, and Tarzan had come by

As he turned in the direction he was accustomed to taking from this part of Paris to his apartments, the

watcher across the street ran from his hidingplace and hurried on ahead at a rapid pace.

Tarzan had been wont to traverse the Rue Maule on his way home at night. Because it was very quiet and

very dark it reminded him more of his beloved African jungle than did the noisy and garish streets

surrounding it. If you are familiar with your Paris you will recall the narrow, forbidding precincts of the Rue

Maule. If you are not, you need but ask the police about it to learn that in all Paris there is no street to which

On this night Tarzan had proceeded some two squares through the dense shadows of the squalid old

tenements which line this dismal way when he was attracted by screams and cries for help from the third

floor of an opposite building. The voice was a woman's. Before the echoes of her first cries had died Tarzan

At the end of the corridor on the third landing a door stood slightly ajar, and from within Tarzan heard again

the same appeal that had lured him from the street. Another instant found him in the center of a dimlylighted

room. An oil lamp burned upon a high, oldfashioned mantel, casting its dim rays over a dozen repulsive

figures. All but one were men. The other was a woman of about thirty. Her face, marked by low passions and

dissipation, might once have been lovely. She stood with one hand at her throat, crouching against the farther

"Help, monsieur," she cried in a low voice as Tarzan entered the room; "they were killing me."

As Tarzan turned toward the men about him he saw the crafty, evil faces of habitual criminals. He wondered

that they had made no effort to escape. A movement behind him caused him to turn. Two things his eyes saw,

and one of them caused him considerable wonderment. A man was sneaking stealthily from the room, and in

the brief glance that Tarzan had of him he saw that it was Rokoff. But the other thing that he saw was of more

immediate interest. It was a great brute of a fellow tiptoeing upon him from behind with a huge bludgeon in

his hand, and then, as the man and his confederates saw that he was discovered, there was a concerted rush

upon Tarzan from all sides. Some of the men drew knives. Others picked up chairs, while the fellow with the

bludgeon raised it high above his head in a mighty swing that would have crushed Tarzan's head had it ever

But the brain, and the agility, and the muscles that had coped with the mighty strength and cruel craftiness of

Terkoz and Numa in the fastness of their savage jungle were not to be so easily subdued as these apaches of

Selecting his most formidable antagonist, the fellow with the bludgeon, Tarzan charged full upon him,

dodging the falling weapon, and catching the man a terrific blow on the point of the chin that felled him in his

Then he turned upon the others. This was sport. He was reveling in the joy of battle and the lust of blood. As

though it had been but a brittle shell, to break at the least rough usage, the thin veneer of his civilization fell

from him, and the ten burly villains found themselves penned in a small room with a wild and savage beast,

At the end of the corridor without stood Rokoff, waiting the outcome of the affair. He wished to be sure that

Tarzan was dead before he left, but it was not a part of his plan to be one of those within the room when the

The woman still stood where she had when Tarzan entered, but her face had undergone a number of changes

with the few minutes which had elapsed. From the semblance of distress which it had worn when Tarzan first

saw it, it had changed to one of craftiness as he had wheeled to meet the attack from behind; but the change

Later an expression of surprise and then one of horror superseded the others. And who may wonder. For the

immaculate gentleman her cries had lured to what was to have been his death had been suddenly

metamorphosed into a demon of revenge. Instead of soft muscles and a weak resistance, she was looking

"MON DIEU!" she cried; "he is a beast!" For the strong, white teeth of the apeman had found the throat of

one of his assailants, and Tarzan fought as he had learned to fight with the great bull apes of the tribe of

He was in a dozen places at once, leaping hither and thither about the room in sinuous bounds that reminded

the woman of a panther she had seen at the zoo. Now a wrist bone snapped in his iron grip, now a shoulder

With shrieks of pain the men escaped into the hallway as quickly as they could; but even before the first one

staggered, bleeding and broken, from the room, Rokoff had seen enough to convince him that Tarzan would

not be the one to lie dead in that house this night, and so the Russian had hastened to a nearby den and

telephoned the police that a man was committing murder on the third floor of Rue Maule, 27. When the

officers arrived they found three men groaning on the floor, a frightened woman lying upon a filthy bed, her

face buried in her arms, and what appeared to be a well dressed young gentleman standing in the center of

the room awaiting the reenforcements which he had thought the footsteps of the officers hurrying up the

stairway had announced but they were mistaken in the last; it was a wild beast that looked upon them

through those narrowed lids and steel gray eyes. With the smell of blood the last vestige of civilization had

deserted Tarzan, and now he stood at bay, like a lion surrounded by hunters, awaiting the next overt act, and

Tarzan explained briefly, but when he turned to the woman for confirmation of his statement he was appalled

"He lies!" she screamed shrilly, addressing the policeman. "He came to my room while I was alone, and for

no good purpose. When I repulsed him he would have killed me had not my screams attracted these

gentlemen, who were passing the house at the time. He is a devil, monsieurs; alone he has all but killed ten

So shocked was Tarzan by her ingratitude that for a moment he was struck dumb. The police were inclined to

be a little skeptical, for they had had other dealings with this same lady and her lovely coterie of gentlemen

friends. However, they were policemen, not judges, so they decided to place all the inmates of the room

under arrest, and let another, whose business it was, separate the innocent from the guilty.

But they found that it was one thing to tell this well dressed young man that he was under arrest, but quite

"I am guilty of no offense," he said quietly. "I have but sought to defend myself. I do not know why the

woman has told you what she has. She can have no enmity against me, for never until I came to this room in

"Come, come," said one of the officers; "there are judges to listen to all that," and he advanced to lay his hand

upon Tarzan's shoulder. An instant later he lay crumpled in a corner of the room, and then, as his comrades

rushed in upon the apeman, they experienced a taste of what the apaches had but recently gone through. So

quickly and so roughly did he handle them that they had not even an opportunity to draw their revolvers.

During the brief fight Tarzan had noted the open window and, beyond, the stem of a tree, or a telegraph

polehe could not tell which. As the last officer went down, one of his fellows succeeded in drawing his

revolver and, from where he lay on the floor, fired at Tarzan. The shot missed, and before the man could fire

again Tarzan had swept the lamp from the mantel and plunged the room into darkness.

The next they saw was a lithe form spring to the sill of the open window and leap, pantherlike, onto the pole

across the walk. When the police gathered themselves together and reached the street their prisoner was

They did not handle the woman and the men who had not escaped any too gently when they took them to the

station; they were a very sore and humiliated detail of police. It galled them to think that it would be

necessary to report that a single unarmed man had wiped the floor with the whole lot of them, and then

The officer who had remained in the street swore that no one had leaped from the window or left the building

from the time they entered until they had come out. His comrades thought that he lied, but they could not

When Tarzan found himself clinging to the pole outside the window, he followed his jungle instinct and

looked below for enemies before he ventured down. It was well he did, for just beneath stood a policeman.

The top of the pole was opposite the roof of the building, so it was but the work of an instant for the muscles

that had for years sent him hurtling through the treetops of his primeval forest to carry him across the little

space between the pole and the roof. From one building he went to another, and so on, with much climbing,

until at a cross street he discovered another pole, down which he ran to the ground.

For a square or two he ran swiftly; then he turned into a little allnight cafe and in the lavatory removed the

evidences of his overroof promenade from hands and clothes. When he emerged a few moments later it was

Not far from them he came to a welllighted boulevard which it was necessary to cross. As he stood directly

beneath a brilliant arc light, waiting for a limousine that was approaching to pass him, he heard his name

called in a sweet feminine voice. Looking up, he met the smiling eyes of Olga de Coude as she leaned

forward upon the back seat of the machine. He bowed very low in response to her friendly greeting. When he

"Rokoff and the Countess de Coude both in the same evening," he soliloquized; "Paris is not so large, after

"Your Paris is more dangerous than my savage jungles, Paul," concluded Tarzan, after narrating his

adventures to his friend the morning following his encounter with the apaches and police in the Rue Maule.

"It is difficult to rise above the jungle standards and reason by the light of civilized ways, is it not, my

"Civilized ways, forsooth," scoffed Tarzan. "Jungle standards do not countenance wanton atrocities. There we

kill for food and for selfpreservation, or in the winning of mates and the protection of the young. Always,

you see, in accordance with the dictates of some great natural law. But here! Faugh, your civilized man is

more brutal than the brutes. He kills wantonly, and, worse than that, he utilizes a noble sentiment, the

brotherhood of man, as a lure to entice his unwary victim to his doom. It was in answer to an appeal from a

fellow being that I hastened to that room where the assassins lay in wait for me.

"I did not realize, I could not realize for a long time afterward, that any woman could sink to such moral

depravity as that one must have to call a wouldbe rescuer to death. But it must have been sothe sight of

Rokoff there and the woman's later repudiation of me to the police make it impossible to place any other

construction upon her acts. Rokoff must have known that I frequently passed through the Rue Maule. He lay

in wait for mehis entire scheme worked out to the last detail, even to the woman's story in case a hitch

should occur in the program such as really did happen. It is all perfectly plain to me."

"Well," said D'Arnot, "among other things, it has taught you what I have been unable to impress upon

"On the contrary," replied Tarzan, with a smile, "it has convinced me that it is the one worthwhile street in

all Paris. Never again shall I miss an opportunity to traverse it, for it has given me the first real entertainment

"It may give you more than you will relish even without another visit," said D'Arnot. "You are not through

with the police yet, remember. I know the Paris police well enough to assure you that they will not soon

forget what you did to them. Sooner or later they will get you, my dear Tarzan, and then they will lock the

There was something in the man's voice as he said it that caused D'Arnot to look up sharply at his friend.

What he saw in the set jaw and the cold, gray eyes made the young Frenchman very apprehensive for this

great child, who could recognize no law mightier than his own mighty physical prowess. He saw that

something must be done to set Tarzan right with the police before another encounter was possible.

"You have much to learn, Tarzan," he said gravely. "The law of man must be respected, whether you relish it

or no. Nothing but trouble can come to you and your friends should you persist in defying the police. I can

explain it to them once for you, and that I shall do this very day, but hereafter you must obey the law. If its

representatives say `Come,' you must come; if they say `Go,' you must go. Now we shall go to my great

Together they entered the office of the police official a half hour later. He was very cordial. He remembered

Tarzan from the visit the two had made him several months prior in the matter of finger prints.

When D'Arnot had concluded the narration of the events which had transpired the previous evening, a grim

smile was playing about the lips of the policeman. He touched a button near his hand, and as he waited for the

clerk to respond to its summons he searched through the papers on his desk for one which he finally located.

"Here, Joubon," he said as the clerk entered. "Summon these officershave them come to me at once," and

"You have committed a very grave offense, monsieur," he said, not unkindly, "and but for the explanation

made by our good friend here I should be inclined to judge you harshly. I am, instead, about to do a rather

unheardofthing. I have summoned the officers whom you maltreated last night. They shall hear Lieutenant

D'Arnot's story, and then I shall leave it to their discretion to say whether you shall be prosecuted or not.

"You have much to learn about the ways of civilization. Things that seem strange or unnecessary to you, you

must learn to accept until you are able to judge the motives behind them. The officers whom you attacked

were but doing their duty. They had no discretion in the matter. Every day they risk their lives in the

protection of the lives or property of others. They would do the same for you. They are very brave men, and

"Make it easy for them to overlook what you did. Unless I am gravely in error you are yourself a very brave

Further conversation was interrupted by the appearance of the four policemen. As their eyes fell on Tarzan,

"My children," said the official, "here is the gentleman whom you met in the Rue Maule last evening. He has

come voluntarily to give himself up. I wish you to listen attentively to Lieutenant D'Arnot, who will tell you a

part of the story of monsieur's life. It may explain his attitude toward you of last night. Proceed, my dear

D'Arnot spoke to the policemen for half an hour. He told them something of Tarzan's wild jungle life. He

explained the savage training that had taught him to battle like a wild beast in selfpreservation. It became

plain to them that the man had been guided by instinct rather than reason in his attack upon them. He had not

understood their intentions. To him they had been little different from any of the various forms of life he had

been accustomed to in his native jungle, where practically all were his enemies.

"Your pride has been wounded," said D'Arnot, in conclusion. "It is the fact that this man overcame you that

hurts the most. But you need feel no shame. You would not make apologies for defeat had you been penned

in that small room with an African lion, or with the great Gorilla of the jungles.

"And yet you were battling with muscles that have time and time again been pitted, and always victoriously,

against these terrors of the dark continent. It is no disgrace to fall beneath the superhuman strength of Tarzan

And then, as the men stood looking first at Tarzan and then at their superior the apeman did the one thing

which was needed to erase the last remnant of animosity which they might have felt for him. With

"I am sorry for the mistake I made," he said simply. "Let us be friends." And that was the end of the whole

matter, except that Tarzan became a subject of much conversation in the barracks of the police, and increased

On their return to D'Arnot's apartments the lieutenant found a letter awaiting him from an English friend,

William Cecil Clayton, Lord Greystoke. The two had maintained a correspondence since the birth of their

friendship on that illfated expedition in search of Jane Porter after her theft by Terkoz, the bull ape.

"They are to be married in London in about two months," said D'Arnot, as he completed his perusal of the

letter. Tarzan did not need to be told who was meant by "they." He made no reply, but he was very quiet and

That evening they attended the opera. Tarzan's mind was still occupied by his gloomy thoughts. He paid little

or no attention to what was transpiring upon the stage. Instead he saw only the lovely vision of a beautiful

American girl, and heard naught but a sad, sweet voice acknowledging that his love was returned. And she

He shook himself to be rid of his unwelcome thoughts, and at the same instant he felt eyes upon him. With

the instinct that was his by virtue of training he looked up squarely into the eyes that were looking at him, to

find that they were shining from the smiling face of Olga, Countess de Coude. As Tarzan returned her bow he

was positive that there was an invitation in her look, almost a plea. The next intermission found him beside

"I have so much wished to see you," she was saying. "It has troubled me not a little to think that after the

service you rendered to both my husband and myself no adequate explanation was ever made you of what

must have seemed ingratitude on our part in not taking the necessary steps to prevent a repetition of the

"You wrong me," replied Tarzan. "My thoughts of you have been only the most pleasant. You must not feel

"They never cease," she replied sadly. "I feel that I must tell some one, and I do not know another who so

deserves an explanation as you. You must permit me to do so. It may be of service to you, for I know Nikolas

Rokoff quite well enough to be positive that you have not seen the last of him. He will find some means to be

revenged upon you. What I wish to tell you may be of aid to you in combating any scheme of revenge he may

harbor. I cannot tell you here, but tomorrow I shall be at home to Monsieur Tarzan at five."

"It will be an eternity until tomorrow at five," he said, as he bade her good night. From a corner of the theater

Rokoff and Paulvitch saw Monsieur Tarzan in the box of the Countess de Coude, and both men smiled.

At fourthirty the following afternoon a swarthy, bearded man rang the bell at the servants' entrance of the

palace of the Count de Coude. The footman who opened the door raised his eyebrows in recognition as he

At first the footman demurred from some proposition that the bearded one made, but an instant later

something passed from the hand of the caller to the hand of the servant. Then the latter turned and led the

visitor by a roundabout way to a little curtained alcove off the apartment in which the countess was wont to

A half hour later Tarzan was ushered into the room, and presently his hostess entered, smiling, and with

For a few moments they spoke of the opera, of the topics that were then occupying the attention of Paris, of

the pleasure of renewing their brief acquaintance which had had its inception under such odd circumstances,

"You must have wondered," said the countess finally, "what the object of Rokoff's persecution could be. It is

very simple. The count is intrusted with many of the vital secrets of the ministry of war. He often has in his

possession papers that foreign powers would give a fortune to possesssecrets of state that their agents

"There is such a matter now in his possession that would make the fame and fortune of any Russian who

could divulge it to his government. Rokoff and Paulvitch are Russian spies. They will stop at nothing to

procure this information. The affair on the linerI mean the matter of the card gamewas for the purpose

"Had he been convicted of cheating at cards, his career would have been blighted. He would have had to

leave the war department. He would have been socially ostracized. They intended to hold this club over

himthe price of an avowal on their part that the count was but the victim of the plot of enemies who

"You thwarted them in this. Then they concocted the scheme whereby my reputation was to be the price,

instead of the count's. When Paulvitch entered my cabin he explained it to me. If I would obtain the

information for them he promised to go no farther, otherwise Rokoff, who stood without, was to notify the

purser that I was entertaining a man other than my husband behind the locked doors of my cabin. He was to

tell every one he met on the boat, and when we landed he was to have given the whole story to the newspaper

men. "Was it not too horrible? But I happened to know something of Monsieur Paulvitch that would send him

to the gallows in Russia if it were known by the police of St. Petersburg. I dared him to carry out his plan,

and then I leaned toward him and whispered a name in his ear. Like that"and she snapped her fingers"he

"They are worse than that, my friend," she said. "They are devils. I fear for you because you have gained their

hatred. I wish you to be on your guard constantly. Tell me that you will, for my sake, for I should never

"I do not fear them," he replied. "I have survived grimmer enemies than Rokoff and Paulvitch." He saw that

she knew nothing of the occurrence in the Rue Maule, nor did he mention it, fearing that it might distress her.

"For your own safety," he continued, "why do you not turn the scoundrels over to the authorities? They

"There are two reasons," she said finally. "One of them it is that keeps the count from doing that very thing.

The other, my real reason for fearing to expose them, I have never toldonly Rokoff and I know it. I

"I was wondering why it is that I want to tell you the thing that I have not dared tell even to my husband. I

believe that you would understand, and that you could tell me the right course to follow. I believe that you

"I fear that I should prove a very poor judge, madame," Tarzan replied, "for if you had been guilty of murder

"Oh, dear, no," she expostulated; "it is not so terrible as that. But first let me tell you the reason the count has

for not prosecuting these men; then, if I can hold my courage, I shall tell you the real reason that I dare not.

The first is that Nikolas Rokoff is my brother. We are Russians. Nikolas has been a bad man since I can

remember. He was cashiered from the Russian army, in which he held a captaincy. There was a scandal for a

time, but after a while it was partially forgotten, and my father obtained a position for him in the secret

"There have been many terrible crimes laid at Nikolas' door, but he has always managed to escape

punishment. Of late he has accomplished it by trumpedup evidence convicting his victims of treason against

the czar, and the Russian police, who are always only too ready to fasten guilt of this nature upon any and all,

"Have not his attempted crimes against you and your husband forfeited whatever rights the bonds of kinship

might have accorded him?" asked Tarzan. "The fact that you are his sister has not deterred him from seeking

"Ah, but there is that other reason. If I owe him no loyalty though he be my brother, I cannot so easily

disavow the fear I hold him in because of a certain episode in my life of which he is cognizant.

"I might as well tell you all," she resumed after a pause, "for I see that it is in my heart to tell you sooner or

later. I was educated in a convent. While there I met a man whom I supposed to be a gentleman. I knew little

or nothing about men and less about love. I got it into my foolish head that I loved this man, and at his urgent

"I was with him just three hours. All in the daytime and in public placesrailroad stations and upon a train.

When we reached our destination where we were to have been married, two officers stepped up to my escort

as we descended from the train, and placed him under arrest. They took me also, but when I had told my story

they did not detain me, other than to send me back to the convent under the care of a matron. It seemed that

the man who had wooed me was no gentleman at all, but a deserter from the army as well as a fugitive from

"The matter was hushed up by the authorities of the convent. Not even my parents knew of it. But Nikolas

met the man afterward, and learned the whole story. Now he threatens to tell the count if I do not do just as he

Tarzan laughed. "You are still but a little girl. The story that you have told me cannot reflect in any way upon

your reputation, and were you not a little girl at heart you would know it. Go to your husband tonight, and tell

him the whole story, just as you have told it to me. Unless I am much mistaken he will laugh at you for your

fears, and take immediate steps to put that precious brother of yours in prison where he belongs."

"I only wish that I dared," she said; "but I am afraid. I learned early to fear men. First my father, then Nikolas,

then the fathers in the convent. Nearly all my friends fear their husbandswhy should I not fear mine?"

"It does not seem right that women should fear men," said Tarzan, an expression of puzzlement on his face. "I

am better acquainted with the jungle folk, and there it is more often the other way around, except among the

black men, and they to my mind are in most ways lower in the scale than the beasts. No, I cannot understand

why civilized women should fear men, the beings that are created to protect them. I should hate to think that

"I do not think that any woman would fear you, my friend," said Olga de Coude softly. "I have known you

but a short while, yet though it may seem foolish to say it, you are the only man I have ever known whom I

think that I should never fearit is strange, too, for you are very strong. I wondered at the ease with which

you handled Nikolas and Paulvitch that night in my cabin. It was marvellous." As Tarzan was leaving her a

short time later he wondered a little at the clinging pressure of her hand at parting, and the firm insistence

with which she exacted a promise from him that he would call again on the morrow.

The memory of her halfveiled eyes and perfect lips as she had stood smiling up into his face as he bade her

goodby remained with him for the balance of the day. Olga de Coude was a very beautiful woman, and

Tarzan of the Apes a very lonely young man, with a heart in him that was in need of the doctoring that only a

As the countess turned back into the room after Tarzan's departure, she found herself face to face with

"Well, my dear Olga, if he is not your lover, accept my apologies; but it is no fault of yours that he is not.

Had he onetenth the knowledge of women that I have you would be in his arms this minute. He is a stupid

fool, Olga. Why, your every word and act was an open invitation to him, and he had not the sense to see it."

"I will not listen. You are wicked to say such things as that. No matter what you may threaten me with, you

know that I am a good woman. After tonight you will not dare to annoy me, for I shall tell Raoul all. He will

"You shall tell him nothing," said Rokoff. "I have this affair now, and with the help of one of your servants

whom I may trust it will lack nothing in the telling when the time comes that the details of the sworn

evidence shall be poured into your husband's ears. The other affair served its purpose wellwe now have

something tangible to work on, Olga. A real AFFAIR and you a trusted wife. Shame, Olga," and the brute

So the countess told her count nothing, and matters were worse than they had been. From a vague fear her

mind was transferred to a very tangible one. It may be, too, that conscience helped to enlarge it out of all

For a month Tarzan was a regular and very welcome devotee at the shrine of the beautiful Countess de

Coude. Often he met other members of the select little coterie that dropped in for tea of an afternoon. More

For a time she had been frightened by what Nikolas had insinuated. She had not thought of this big, young

man as anything more than friend, but with the suggestion implanted by the evil words of her brother she had

grown to speculate much upon the strange force which seemed to attract her toward the grayeyed stranger.

She was much younger than her husband, and without having realized it she had been craving the haven of a

friendship with one nearer her own age. Twenty is shy in exchanging confidences with forty. Tarzan was but

two years her senior. He could understand her, she felt. Then he was clean and honorable and chivalrous. She

was not afraid of him. That she could trust him she had felt instinctively from the first.

From a distance Rokoff had watched this growing intimacy with malicious glee. Ever since he had learned

that Tarzan knew that he was a Russian spy there had been added to his hatred for the apeman a great fear

that he would expose him. He was but waiting now until the moment was propitious for a master stroke. He

wanted to rid himself forever of Tarzan, and at the same time reap an ample revenge for the humiliations and

Tarzan was nearer to contentment than he had been since the peace and tranquility of his jungle had been

broken in upon by the advent of the marooned Porter party. He enjoyed the pleasant social intercourse with

Olga's friends, while the friendship which had sprung up between the fair countess and himself was a source

of neverending delight. It broke in upon and dispersed his gloomy thoughts, and served as a balm to his

Sometimes D'Arnot accompanied him on his visits to the De Coude home, for he had long known both Olga

and the count. Occasionally De Coude dropped in, but the multitudinous affairs of his official position and

the neverending demands of politics kept him from home usually until late at night.

Rokoff spied upon Tarzan almost constantly, waiting for the time that he should call at the De Coude palace

at night, but in this he was doomed to disappointment. On several occasions Tarzan accompanied the

countess to her home after the opera, but he invariably left her at the entrance much to the disgust of the

Finding that it seemed impossible to trap Tarzan through any voluntary act of his own, Rokoff and Paulvitch

put their heads together to hatch a plan that would trap the apeman in all the circumstantial evidence of a

For days they watched the papers as well as the movements of De Coude and Tarzan. At length they were

rewarded. A morning paper made brief mention of a smoker that was to be given on the following evening by

the German minister. De Coude's name was among those of the invited guests. If he attended this meant that

On the night of the banquet Paulvitch waited at the curb before the residence of the German minister, where

he could scan the face of each guest that arrived. He had not long to wait before De Coude descended from

his car and passed him. That was enough. Paulvitch hastened back to his quarters, where Rokoff awaited him.

There they waited until after eleven, then Paulvitch took down the receiver of their telephone. He called a

"The apartments of Lieutenant D'Arnot?" he asked, when he had obtained his connection.

"A message for Monsieur Tarzan, if he will be so kind as to step to the telephone."

"Ah, yes, monsieur, this is Francoisin the service of the Countess de Coude. Possibly monsieur does poor

"Yes, monsieur. I have a message, an urgent message from the countess. She asks that you hasten to her at

"No, monsieur, poor Francois does not know. Shall I tell madame that monsieur will be here shortly?

"It will take him thirty minutes to get there. If you reach the German minister's in fifteen, De Coude should

arrive at his home in about fortyfive minutes. It all depends upon whether the fool will remain fifteen

minutes after he finds that a trick has been played upon him; but unless I am mistaken Olga will be loath to

Paulvitch lost no time in reaching the German minister's. At the door he handed the note to a footman. "This

is for the Count de Coude. It is very urgent. You must see that it is placed in his hands at once," and he

dropped a piece of silver into the willing hand of the servant. Then he returned to his quarters.

A moment later De Coude was apologizing to his host as he tore open the envelope. What he read left his

One who wishes to save the honor of your name takes this means to warn you that the sanctity of your home

A certain man who for months has been a constant visitor there during your absence is now with your wife. If

Twenty minutes after Paulvitch had called Tarzan, Rokoff obtained a connection with Olga's private line. Her

"But madame has retired," said the maid, in answer to Rokoff's request to speak with her.

"This is a very urgent message for the countess' ears alone," replied Rokoff. "Tell her that she must arise and

slip something about her and come to the telephone. I shall call up again in five minutes." Then he hung up

"Good! My lady will be sitting in her boudoir, very much in negligee, about now. In a minute the faithful

Jacques will escort Monsieur Tarzan into her presence without announcing him. It will take a few minutes for

explanations. Olga will look very alluring in the filmy creation that is her night dress, and the clinging robe

which but half conceals the charms that the former does not conceal at all. Olga will be surprised, but not

"If there is a drop of red blood in the man the count will break in upon a very pretty love scene in about

fifteen minutes from now. I think we have planned marvelously, my dear Alexis. Let us go out and drink to

the very good health of Monsieur Tarzan in some of old Plancon's unparalleled absinth; not forgetting that the

Count de Coude is one of the best swordsmen in Paris, and by far the best shot in all France."

"This way, Monsieur," he said, and led the way up the broad, marble staircase. In another moment he had

opened a door, and, drawing aside a heavy curtain, obsequiously bowed Tarzan into a dimly lighted

Across the room from him Tarzan saw Olga seated before a little desk on which stood her telephone. She was

tapping impatiently upon the polished surface of the desk. She had not heard him enter.

"Jean!" she cried. "What are you doing here? Who admitted you? What does it mean?"

"Send for you at this time of night? MON DIEU! Jean, do you think that I am quite mad?"

"Francois telephoned me to come at once; that you were in trouble and wanted me."

"He said that he was in your service. He spoke as though I should recall the fact."

"There is no one by that name in my employ. Some one has played a joke upon you, Jean," and Olga laughed.

"I fear that it may be a most sinister `joke,' Olga," he replied. "There is more back of it than humor."

"This is another move by your estimable brother. Tomorrow the count will hear of it. He will question the

"The scoundrel!" cried Olga. She had arisen, and come close to Tarzan, where she stood looking up into his

face. She was very frightened. In her eyes was an expression that the hunter sees in those of a poor, terrified

doepuzzledquestioning. She trembled, and to steady herself raised her hands to his broad shoulders.

"What shall we do, Jean?" she whispered. "It is terrible. Tomorrow all Paris will read of ithe will see to

Her look, her attitude, her words were eloquent of the age old appeal of defenseless woman to her natural

protectorman. Tarzan took one of the warm little hands that lay on his breast in his own strong one. The

act was quite involuntary, and almost equally so was the instinct of protection that threw a sheltering arm

The result was electrical. Never before had he been so close to her. In startled guilt they looked suddenly into

each other's eyes, and where Olga de Coude should have been strong she was weak, for she crept closer into

the man's arms, and clasped her own about his neck. And Tarzan of the Apes? He took the panting figure into

Raoul de Coude made hurried excuses to his host after he had read the note handed him by the ambassador's

butler. Never afterward could he recall the nature of the excuses he made. Everything was quite a blur to him

up to the time that he stood on the threshold of his own home. Then he became very cool, moving quietly and

with caution. For some inexplicable reason Jacques had the door open before he was halfway to the steps. It

did not strike him at the time as being unusual, though afterward he remarked it.

Very softly he tiptoed up the stairs and along the gallery to the door of his wife's boudoir. In his hand was a

Olga was the first to see him. With a horrified shriek she tore herself from Tarzan's arms, and the apeman

turned just in time to ward with his arm a terrific blow that De Coude had aimed at his head. Once, twice,

three times the heavy stick fell with lightning rapidity, and each blow aided in the transition of the apeman

With the low, guttural snarl of the bull ape he sprang for the Frenchman. The great stick was torn from his

grasp and broken in two as though it had been matchwood, to be flung aside as the now infuriated beast

charged for his adversary's throat. Olga de Coude stood a horrified spectator of the terrible scene which

ensued during the next brief moment, then she sprang to where Tarzan was murdering her husband

Frantically she tore at his great hands. "Mother of God!" she cried. "You are killing him, you are killing him!

Tarzan was deaf with rage. Suddenly he hurled the body to the floor, and, placing his foot upon the upturned

breast, raised his head. Then through the palace of the Count de Coude rang the awesome challenge of the

bull ape that has made a kill. From cellar to attic the horrid sound searched out the servants, and left them

blanched and trembling. The woman in the room sank to her knees beside the body of her husband, and

Slowly the red mist faded from before Tarzan's eyes. Things began to take formhe was regaining the

perspective of civilized man. His eyes fell upon the figure of the kneeling woman. "Olga," he whispered. She

looked up, expecting to see the maniacal light of murder in the eyes above her. Instead she saw sorrow and

"Oh, Jean!" she cried. "See what you have done. He was my husband. I loved him, and you have killed him."

Very gently Tarzan raised the limp form of the Count de Coude and bore it to a couch. Then he put his ear to

She brought it, and together they forced it between his lips. Presently a faint gasp came from the white lips.

"I do not know. He struck me, and I went mad. I have seen the apes of my tribe do the same thing. I have

never told you my story, Olga. It would have been better had you known itthis might not have happened. I

never saw my father. The only mother I knew was a ferocious sheape. Until I was fifteen I had never seen a

human being. I was twenty before I saw a white man. A little more than a year ago I was a naked beast of

"Do not judge me too harshly. Two years is too short a time in which to attempt to work the change in an

"I do not judge at all, Jean. The fault is mine. You must go nowhe must not find you here when he regains

It was a sorrowful Tarzan who walked with bowed head from the palace of the Count de Coude.

Once outside his thoughts took definite shape, to the end that twenty minutes later he entered a police station

not far from the Rue Maule. Here he soon found one of the officers with whom he had had the encounter

several weeks previous. The policeman was genuinely glad to see again the man who had so roughly handled

him. After a moment of conversation Tarzan asked if he had ever heard of Nikolas Rokoff or Alexis

"Very often, indeed, monsieur. Each has a police record, and while there is nothing charged against them

now, we make it a point to know pretty well where they may be found should the occasion demand. It is only

the same precaution that we take with every known criminal. Why does monsieur ask?"

"They are known to me," replied Tarzan. "I wish to see Monsieur Rokoff on a little matter of business. If you

A few minutes later he bade the policeman adieu, and, with a slip of paper in his pocket bearing a certain

address in a semirespectable quarter, he walked briskly toward the nearest taxi stand.

Rokoff and Paulvitch had returned to their rooms, and were sitting talking over the probable outcome of the

evening's events. They had telephoned to the offices of two of the morning papers from which they

momentarily expected representatives to hear the first report of the scandal that was to stir social Paris on the

A heavy step sounded on the stairway. "Ah, but these newspaper men are prompt," exclaimed Rokoff, and as

The smile of welcome froze upon the Russian's face as he looked into the hard, gray eyes of his visitor.

"Sit down!" said Tarzan, so low that the men could barely catch the words, but in a tone that brought Rokoff

"You know what has brought me here," he continued, in the same low tone. "It should be to kill you, but

"I shall give you a chance for your lives. Paulvitch does not count muchhe is merely a stupid, foolish little

tool, and so I shall not kill him so long as I permit you to live. Before I leave you two alive in this room you

will have done two things. The first will be to write a full confession of your connection with tonight's

"The second will be to promise me upon pain of death that you will permit no word of this affair to get into

the newspapers. If you do not do both, neither of you will be alive when I pass next through that doorway. Do

you understand?" And, without waiting for a reply: "Make haste; there is ink before you, and paper and a

Rokoff assumed a truculent air, attempting by bravado to show how little he feared Tarzan's threats. An

instant later he felt the apeman's steel fingers at his throat, and Paulvitch, who attempted to dodge them and

reach the door, was lifted completely off the floor, and hurled senseless into a corner. When Rokoff

commenced to blacken about the face Tarzan released his hold and shoved the fellow back into his chair.

After a moment of coughing Rokoff sat sullenly glaring at the man standing opposite him. Presently

Paulvitch came to himself, and limped painfully back to his chair at Tarzan's command.

"Now write," said the apeman. "If it is necessary to handle you again I shall not be so lenient."

"See that you omit no detail, and that you mention every name," cautioned Tarzan.

A dapper young man came in. "I am from the MATIN," he announced. "I understand that Monsieur Rokoff

"Then you are mistaken, monsieur," replied Tarzan. "You have no story for publication, have you, my dear

"Nor ever, my dear Nikolas," and the reporter did not see the nasty light in the apeman's eye; but Nikolas

"It is too bad that monsieur has been troubled," said Tarzan, turning to the newspaper man. "I bid monsieur

good evening," and he bowed the dapper young man out of the room, and closed the door in his face.

An hour later Tarzan, with a rather bulky manuscript in his coat pocket, turned at the door leading from

"Were I you I should leave France," he said, "for sooner or later I shall find an excuse to kill you that will not

D'Arnot was asleep when Tarzan entered their apartments after leaving Rokoff's. Tarzan did not disturb him,

but the following morning he narrated the happenings of the previous evening, omitting not a single detail.

"What a fool I have been," he concluded. "De Coude and his wife were both my friends. How have I returned

their friendship? Barely did I escape murdering the count. I have cast a stigma on the name of a good woman.

"Were I not positive that she does not love me I could not answer your question, Paul; but without disloyalty

to her I tell you that I do not love her, nor does she love me. For an instant we were the victims of a sudden

madnessit was not loveand it would have left us, unharmed, as suddenly as it had come upon us even

though De Coude had not returned. As you know, I have had little experience of women. Olga de Coude is

very beautiful; that, and the dim light and the seductive surroundings, and the appeal of the defenseless for

protection, might have been resisted by a more civilized man, but my civilization is not even skin deepit

"Paris is no place for me. I will but continue to stumble into more and more serious pitfalls. The manmade

restrictions are irksome. I feel always that I am a prisoner. I cannot endure it, my friend, and so I think that I

shall go back to my own jungle, and lead the life that God intended that I should lead when He put me there."

"Do not take it so to heart, Jean," responded D'Arnot. "You have acquitted yourself much better than most

`civilized' men would have under similar circumstances. As to leaving Paris at this time, I rather think that

Raoul de Coude may be expected to have something to say on that subject before long."

Nor was D'Arnot mistaken. A week later on Monsieur Flaubert was announced about eleven in the morning,

as D'Arnot and Tarzan were breakfasting. Monsieur Flaubert was an impressively polite gentleman. With

many low bows he delivered Monsieur le Count de Coude's challenge to Monsieur Tarzan. Would monsieur

be so very kind as to arrange to have a friend meet Monsieur Flaubert at as early an hour as convenient, that

Certainly. Monsieur Tarzan would be delighted to place his interests unreservedly in the hands of his friend,

Lieutenant D'Arnot. And so it was arranged that D'Arnot was to call on Monsieur Flaubert at two that

"Now to my sins I must add murder, or else myself be killed," said Tarzan. "I am progressing rapidly in the

"What weapons shall you select?" asked D'Arnot. "De Coude is accredited with being a master with the

"I might then choose poisoned arrows at twenty paces, or spears at the same distance," laughed Tarzan.

"We had better make it swords," said D'Arnot. "He will be satisfied with wounding you, and there is less

"It is all arranged," he said. "Everything is satisfactory. Tomorrow morning at daylightthere is a secluded

spot on the road not far from Etamps. For some personal reason Monsieur Flaubert preferred it. I did not

"Good!" was Tarzan's only comment. He did not refer to the matter again even indirectly. That night he wrote

several letters before he retired. After sealing and addressing them he placed them all in an envelope

addressed to D'Arnot. As he undressed D'Arnot heard him humming a musichall ditty.

The Frenchman swore under his breath. He was very unhappy, for he was positive that when the sun rose the

next morning it would look down upon a dead Tarzan. It grated upon him to see Tarzan so unconcerned.

"This is a most uncivilized hour for people to kill each other," remarked the apeman when he had been

routed out of a comfortable bed in the blackness of the early morning hours. He had slept well, and so it

seemed that his head scarcely touched the pillow ere his man deferentially aroused him. His remark was

addressed to D'Arnot, who stood fully dressed in the doorway of Tarzan's bedroom.

D'Arnot had scarcely slept at all during the night. He was nervous, and therefore inclined to be irritable.

Tarzan laughed. "From your tone, Paul, I infer that you rather harbor the fact against me. I could not help it,

"No, Jean; it is not that," replied D'Arnot, himself smiling. "But you take the entire matter with such infernal

indifferenceit is exasperating. One would think that you were going out to shoot at a target, rather than to

Tarzan shrugged his shoulders. "I am going out to expiate a great wrong, Paul. A very necessary feature of

the expiation is the marksmanship of my opponent. Wherefore, then, should I be dissatisfied? Have you not

"I cannot say that I hope to be; but you must admit that there is little reason to believe that I shall not be

Had D'Arnot known the thing that was in the apeman's mindthat had been in his mind almost from the

first intimation that De Coude would call him to account on the field of honorhe would have been even

In silence they entered D'Arnot's great car, and in similar silence they sped over the dim road that leads to

Etamps. Each man was occupied with his own thoughts. D'Arnot's were very mournful, for he was genuinely

fond of Tarzan. The great friendship which had sprung up between these two men whose lives and training

had been so widely different had but been strengthened by association, for they were both men to whom the

same high ideals of manhood, of personal courage, and of honor appealed with equal force. They could

Tarzan of the Apes was wrapped in thoughts of the past; pleasant memories of the happier occasions of his

lost jungle life. He recalled the countless boyhood hours that he had spent crosslegged upon the table in his

dead father's cabin, his little brown body bent over one of the fascinating picture books from which, unaided,

he had gleaned the secret of the printed language long before the sounds of human speech fell upon his ears.

A smile of contentment softened his strong face as he thought of that day of days that he had had alone with

Presently his reminiscences were broken in upon by the stopping of the carthey were at their destination.

Tarzan's mind returned to the affairs of the moment. He knew that he was about to die, but there was no fear

of death in him. To a denizen of the cruel jungle death is a commonplace. The first law of nature compels

them to cling tenaciously to lifeto fight for it; but it does not teach them to fear death.

D'Arnot and Tarzan were first upon the field of honor. A moment later De Coude, Monsieur Flaubert, and a

third gentleman arrived. The last was introduced to D'Arnot and Tarzan; he was a physician.

D'Arnot and Monsieur Flaubert spoke together in whispers for a brief time. The Count de Coude and Tarzan

stood apart at opposite sides of the field. Presently the seconds summoned them. D'Arnot and Monsieur

Flaubert had examined both pistols. The two men who were to face each other a moment later stood silently

They were to stand back to back. At a signal from Monsieur Flaubert they were to walk in opposite

directions, their pistols hanging by their sides. When each had proceeded ten paces D'Arnot was to give the

final signalthen they were to turn and fire at will until one fell, or each had expended the three shots

While Monsieur Flaubert spoke Tarzan selected a cigarette from his case, and lighted it. De Coude was the

Presently Monsieur Flaubert nodded to D'Arnot, and each man placed his principal in position.

Tarzan nodded. Monsieur Flaubert gave the signal. He and D'Arnot stepped back a few paces to be out of the

line of fire as the men paced slowly apart. Six! Seven! Eight! There were tears in D'Arnot's eyes. He loved

Tarzan very much. Nine! Another pace, and the poor lieutenant gave the signal he so hated to give. To him it

Quickly De Coude wheeled and fired. Tarzan gave a little start. His pistol still dangled at his side. De Coude

hesitated, as though waiting to see his antagonist crumple to the ground. The Frenchman was too experienced

a marksman not to know that he had scored a hit. Still Tarzan made no move to raise his pistol. De Coude

fired once more, but the attitude of the apemanthe utter indifference that was so apparent in every line of

the nonchalant ease of his giant figure, and the even unruffled puffing of his cigarettehad disconcerted the

best marksman in France. This time Tarzan did not start, but again De Coude knew that he had hit.

Suddenly the explanation leaped to his mindhis antagonist was coolly taking these terrible chances in the

hope that he would receive no staggering wound from any of De Coude's three shots. Then he would take his

own time about shooting De Coude down deliberately, coolly, and in cold blood. A little shiver ran up the

Frenchman's spine. It was fiendishdiabolical. What manner of creature was this that could stand

And so De Coude took careful aim this time, but his nerve was gone, and he made a clean miss. Not once had

For a moment the two stood looking straight into each other's eyes. On Tarzan's face was a pathetic

expression of disappointment. On De Coude's a rapidly growing expression of horroryes, of terror.

But Tarzan did not raise his pistol. Instead, he advanced toward De Coude, and when D'Arnot and Monsieur

Flaubert, misinterpreting his intention, would have rushed between them, he raised his left hand in a sign of

It was most unusual, but they halted. Tarzan advanced until he was quite close to De Coude.

"There must have been something wrong with monsieur's pistol," he said. "Or monsieur is unstrung. Take

mine, monsieur, and try again," and Tarzan offered his pistol, butt foremost, to the astonished De Coude.

"No, my friend," replied the apeman; "but I deserve to die. It is the only way in which I may atone for the

"It would be murder," replied De Coude. "But what wrong did you do my wife? She swore to me that"

"I do not mean that," said Tarzan quickly. "You saw all the wrong that passed between us. But that was

enough to cast a shadow upon her name, and to ruin the happiness of a man against whom I had no enmity.

The fault was all mine, and so I hoped to die for it this morning. I am disappointed that monsieur is not so

"All mine, monsieur. Your wife is a very pure woman. She loves only you. The fault that you saw was all

mine. The thing that brought me there was no fault of either the Countess de Coude or myself. Here is a paper

which will quite positively demonstrate that," and Tarzan drew from his pocket the statement Rokoff had

De Coude took it and read. D'Arnot and Monsieur Flaubert had drawn near. They were interested spectators

of this strange ending of a strange duel. None spoke until De Coude had quite finished, then he looked up at

"You are a very brave and chivalrous gentleman," he said. "I thank God that I did not kill you."

De Coude was a Frenchman. Frenchmen are impulsive. He threw his arms about Tarzan and embraced him.

Monsieur Flaubert embraced D'Arnot. There was no one to embrace the doctor. So possibly it was pique

which prompted him to interfere, and demand that he be permitted to dress Tarzan's wounds.

"Twice," said Tarzan. "Once in the left shoulder, and again in the left sideboth flesh wounds, I think." But

the doctor insisted upon stretching him upon the sward, and tinkering with him until the wounds were

One result of the duel was that they all rode back to Paris together in D'Arnot's car, the best of friends. De

Coude was so relieved to have had this double assurance of his wife's loyalty that he felt no rancor at all

toward Tarzan. It is true that the latter had assumed much more of the fault than was rightly his, but if he lied

a little he may be excused, for he lied in the service of a woman, and he lied like a gentleman.

The apeman was confined to his bed for several days. He felt that it was foolish and unnecessary, but the

doctor and D'Arnot took the matter so to heart that he gave in to please them, though it made him laugh to

"It is droll," he said to D'Arnot. "To lie abed because of a pin prick! Why, when Bolgani, the king gorilla, tore

me almost to pieces, while I was still but a little boy, did I have a nice soft bed to lie on? No, only the damp,

rotting vegetation of the jungle. Hidden beneath some friendly bush I lay for days and weeks with only Kala

to nurse mepoor, faithful Kala, who kept the insects from my wounds and warned off the beasts of prey.

"When I called for water she brought it to me in her own mouththe only way she knew to carry it. There

was no sterilized gauze, there was no antiseptic bandagethere was nothing that would not have driven our

dear doctor mad to have seen. Yet I recoveredrecovered to lie in bed because of a tiny scratch that one of

But the time was soon over, and before he realized it Tarzan found himself abroad again. Several times De

Coude had called, and when he found that Tarzan was anxious for employment of some nature he promised

It was the first day that Tarzan was permitted to go out that he received a message from De Coude requesting

He found De Coude awaiting him with a very pleasant welcome, and a sincere congratulation that he was

once more upon his feet. Neither had ever mentioned the duel or the cause of it since that morning upon the

"I think that I have found just the thing for you, Monsieur Tarzan," said the count. "It is a position of much

trust and responsibility, which also requires considerably physical courage and prowess. I cannot imagine a

man better fitted than you, my dear Monsieur Tarzan, for this very position. It will necessitate travel, and

"At first, for a short time only, you will be a special agent in the service of the ministry of war. Come, I will

take you to the gentleman who will be your chief. He can explain the duties better than I, and then you will be

De Coude himself escorted Tarzan to the office of General Rochere, the chief of the bureau to which Tarzan

would be attached if he accepted the position. There the count left him, after a glowing description to the

general of the many attributes possessed by the apeman which should fit him for the work of the service.

A half hour later Tarzan walked out of the office the possessor of the first position he had ever held. On the

morrow he was to return for further instructions, though General Rochere had made it quite plain that Tarzan

might prepare to leave Paris for an almost indefinite period, possibly on the morrow.

It was with feelings of the keenest elation that he hastened home to bear the good news to D'Arnot. At last he

was to be of some value in the world. He was to earn money, and, best of all, to travel and see the world.

He could scarcely wait to get well inside D'Arnot's sitting room before he burst out with the glad tidings.

"It seems to delight you to think that you are to leave Paris, and that we shall not see each other for months,

And so it came that on the following day Tarzan left Paris en route for Marseilles and Oran.

Tarzan's first mission did not bid fair to be either exciting or vastly important. There was a certain lieutenant

of SPAHIS whom the government had reason to suspect of improper relations with a great European power.

This Lieutenant Gernois, who was at present stationed at SidibelAbbes, had recently been attached to the

general staff, where certain information of great military value had come into his possession in the ordinary

routine of his duties. It was this information which the government suspected the great power was bartering

It was at most but a vague hint dropped by a certain notorious Parisienne in a jealous mood that had caused

suspicion to rest upon the lieutenant. But general staffs are jealous of their secrets, and treason so serious a

thing that even a hint of it may not be safely neglected. And so it was that Tarzan had come to Algeria in the

guise of an American hunter and traveler to keep a close eye upon Lieutenant Gernois.

He had looked forward with keen delight to again seeing his beloved Africa, but this northern aspect of it was

so different from his tropical jungle home that he might as well have been back in Paris for all the heart thrills

of homecoming that he experienced. At Oran he spent a day wandering through the narrow, crooked alleys of

the Arab quarter enjoying the strange, new sights. The next day found him at SidibelAbbes, where he

presented his letters of introduction to both civil and military authoritiesletters which gave no clew to the

Tarzan possessed a sufficient command of English to enable him to pass among Arabs and Frenchmen as an

American, and that was all that was required of it. When he met an Englishman he spoke French in order that

he might not betray himself, but occasionally talked in English to foreigners who understood that tongue, but

could not note the slight imperfections of accent and pronunciation that were his.

Here he became acquainted with many of the French officers, and soon became a favorite among them. He

met Gernois, whom he found to be a taciturn, dyspepticlooking man of about forty, having little or no social

For a month nothing of moment occurred. Gernois apparently had no visitors, nor did he on his occasional

visits to the town hold communication with any who might even by the wildest flight of imagination be

construed into secret agents of a foreign power. Tarzan was beginning to hope that, after all, the rumor might

have been false, when suddenly Gernois was ordered to Bou Saada in the Petit Sahara far to the south.

A company of SPAHIS and three officers were to relieve another company already stationed there.

Fortunately one of the officers, Captain Gerard, had become an excellent friend of Tarzan's, and so when the

apeman suggested that he should embrace the opportunity of accompanying him to Bou Saada, where he

At Bouira the detachment detrained, and the balance of the journey was made in the saddle. As Tarzan was

dickering at Bouira for a mount he caught a brief glimpse of a man in European clothes eying him from the

doorway of a native coffeehouse, but as Tarzan looked the man turned and entered the little, lowceilinged

mud hut, and but for a haunting impression that there had been something familiar about the face or figure of

The march to Aumale was fatiguing to Tarzan, whose equestrian experiences hitherto had been confined to a

course of riding lessons in a Parisian academy, and so it was that he quickly sought the comforts of a bed in

the Hotel Grossat, while the officers and troops took up their quarters at the military post.

Although Tarzan was called early the following morning, the company of SPAHIS was on the march before

he had finished his breakfast. He was hurrying through his meal that the soldiers might not get too far in

advance of him when he glanced through the door connecting the dining room with the bar.

To his surprise, he saw Gernois standing there in conversation with the very stranger he had seen in the

coffee house at Bouira the day previous. He could not be mistaken, for there was the same strangely familiar

As his eyes lingered on the two, Gernois looked up and caught the intent expression on Tarzan's face. The

stranger was talking in a low whisper at the time, but the French officer immediately interrupted him, and the

This was the first suspicious occurrence that Tarzan had ever witnessed in connection with Gernois' actions,

but he was positive that the men had left the barroom solely because Gernois had caught Tarzan's eyes upon

them; then there was the persistent impression of familiarity about the stranger to further augment the

A moment later Tarzan entered the barroom, but the men had left, nor did he see aught of them in the street

beyond, though he found a pretext to ride to various shops before he set out after the column which had now

considerable start of him. He did not overtake them until he reached Sidi Aissa shortly after noon, where the

soldiers had halted for an hour's rest. Here he found Gernois with the column, but there was no sign of the

It was market day at Sidi Aissa, and the numberless caravans of camels coming in from the desert, and the

crowds of bickering Arabs in the market place, filled Tarzan with a consuming desire to remain for a day that

he might see more of these sons of the desert. Thus it was that the company of SPAHIS marched on that

afternoon toward Bou Saada without him. He spent the hours until dark wandering about the market in

company with a youthful Arab, one Abdul, who had been recommended to him by the innkeeper as a

Here Tarzan purchased a better mount than the one he had selected at Bouira, and, entering into conversation

with the stately Arab to whom the animal had belonged, learned that the seller was Kadour ben Saden, sheik

of a desert tribe far south of Djelfa. Through Abdul, Tarzan invited his new acquaintance to dine with him.

As the three were making their way through the crowds of marketers, camels, donkeys, and horses that filled

the market place with a confusing babel of sounds, Abdul plucked at Tarzan's sleeve.

"Look, master, behind us," and he turned, pointing at a figure which disappeared behind a camel as Tarzan

"I caught only a glimpse of an Arab in a darkblue burnoose and white turban," replied Tarzan. "Is it he you

"Yes. I suspected him because he seems a stranger here, without other business than following us, which is

not the way of the Arab who is honest, and also because he keeps the lower part of his face hidden, only his

eyes showing. He must be a bad man, or he would have honest business of his own to occupy his time."

"He is on the wrong scent then, Abdul," replied Tarzan, "for no one here can have any grievance against me.

This is my first visit to your country, and none knows me. He will soon discover his error, and cease to

"Then all we can do is wait until he is ready to try his hand upon us," laughed Tarzan, "and I warrant that he

will get his bellyful of robbing now that we are prepared for him," and so he dismissed the subject from his

mind, though he was destined to recall it before many hours through a most unlookedfor occurrence.

Kadour ben Saden, having dined well, prepared to take leave of his host. With dignified protestations of

friendship, he invited Tarzan to visit him in his wild domain, where the antelope, the stag, the boar, the

panther, and the lion might still be found in sufficient numbers to tempt an ardent huntsman.

On his departure the apeman, with Abdul, wandered again into the streets of Sidi Aissa, where he was soon

attracted by the wild din of sound coming from the open doorway of one of the numerous CAFES MAURES.

It was after eight, and the dancing was in full swing as Tarzan entered. The room was filled to repletion with

Tarzan and Abdul found seats near the center of the room, though the terrific noise produced by the

musicians upon their Arab drums and pipes would have rendered a seat farther from them more acceptable to

the quietloving apeman. A rather goodlooking OuledNail was dancing, and, perceiving Tarzan's

European clothes, and scenting a generous gratuity, she threw her silken handkerchief upon his shoulder, to

When her place upon the floor had been taken by another the brighteyed Abdul saw her in conversation with

two Arabs at the far side of the room, near a side door that let upon an inner court, around the gallery of

At first he thought nothing of the matter, but presently he noticed from the corner of his eye one of the men

nod in their direction, and the girl turn and shoot a furtive glance at Tarzan. Then the Arabs melted through

When it came again the girl's turn to dance she hovered close to Tarzan, and for the apeman alone were her

sweetest smiles. Many an ugly scowl was cast upon the tall European by swarthy, darkeyed sons of the

desert, but neither smiles nor scowls produced any outwardly visible effect upon him. Again the girl cast her

handkerchief upon his shoulder, and again was she rewarded with a franc piece. As she was sticking it upon

her forehead, after the custom of her kind, she bent low toward Tarzan, whispering a quick word in his ear.

"There are two without in the court," she said quickly, in broken French, "who would harm m'sieur. At first I

promised to lure you to them, but you have been kind, and I cannot do it. Go quickly, before they find that I

Tarzan thanked the girl, assuring her that he would be careful, and, having finished her dance, she crossed to

the little doorway and went out into the court. But Tarzan did not leave the cafe as she had urged.

For another half hour nothing unusual occurred, then a surlylooking Arab entered the cafe from the street.

He stood near Tarzan, where he deliberately made insulting remarks about the European, but as they were in

his native tongue Tarzan was entirely innocent of their purport until Abdul took it upon himself to enlighten

"This fellow is looking for trouble," warned Abdul. "He is not alone. In fact, in case of a disturbance, nearly

every man here would be against you. It would be better to leave quietly, master."

"He says that `the dog of a Christian' insulted the Ouled Nail, who belongs to him. He means trouble,

"Tell him that I did not insult his or any other Ouled Nail, that I wish him to go away and leave me alone.

"He says," replied Abdul, after delivering this message to the Arab, "that besides being a dog yourself that

you are the son of one, and that your grandmother was a hyena. Incidentally you are a liar."

The attention of those near by had now been attracted by the altercation, and the sneering laughs that

followed this torrent of invective easily indicated the trend of the sympathies of the majority of the audience.

Tarzan did not like being laughed at, neither did he relish the terms applied to him by the Arab, but he

showed no sign of anger as he arose from his seat upon the bench. A half smile played about his lips, but of a

sudden a mighty fist shot into the face of the scowling Arab, and back of it were the terrible muscles of the

At the instant that the man fell a half dozen fierce plainsmen sprang into the room from where they had

apparently been waiting for their cue in the street before the cafe. With cries of "Kill the unbeliever!" and

"Down with the dog of a Christian!" they made straight for Tarzan. A number of the younger Arabs in the

audience sprang to their feet to join in the assault upon the unarmed white man. Tarzan and Abdul were

rushed back toward the end of the room by the very force of numbers opposing them. The young Arab

With tremendous blows the apeman felled all who came within reach of his powerful hands. He fought

quietly and without a word, upon his lips the same half smile they had worn as he rose to strike down the man

who had insulted him. It seemed impossible that either he or Abdul could survive the sea of wickedlooking

swords and knives that surrounded them, but the very numbers of their assailants proved the best bulwark of

their safety. So closely packed was the howling, cursing mob that no weapon could be wielded to advantage,

and none of the Arabs dared use a firearm for fear of wounding one of his compatriots.

Finally Tarzan succeeded in seizing one of the most persistent of his attackers. With a quick wrench he

disarmed the fellow, and then, holding him before them as a shield, he backed slowly beside Abdul toward

the little door which led into the inner courtyard. At the threshold he paused for an instant, and, lifting the

struggling Arab above his head, hurled him, as though from a catapult, full in the faces of his onpressing

Then Tarzan and Abdul stepped into the semidarkness of the court. The frightened OuledNails were

crouching at the tops of the stairs which led to their respective rooms, the only light in the courtyard coming

from the sickly candles which each girl had stuck with its own grease to the woodwork of her doorframe,

the better to display her charms to those who might happen to traverse the dark inclosure.

Scarcely had Tarzan and Abdul emerged from the room ere a revolver spoke close at their backs from the

shadows beneath one of the stairways, and as they turned to meet this new antagonist, two muffled figures

sprang toward them, firing as they came. Tarzan leaped to meet these two new assailants. The foremost lay, a

second later, in the trampled dirt of the court, disarmed and groaning from a broken wrist. Abdul's knife

found the vitals of the second in the instant that the fellow's revolver missed fire as he held it to the faithful

The maddened horde within the cafe were now rushing out in pursuit of their quarry. The OuledNails had

extinguished their candles at a cry from one of their number, and the only light within the yard came feebly

from the open and halfblocked door of the cafe. Tarzan had seized a sword from the man who had fallen

before Abdul's knife, and now he stood waiting for the rush of men that was coming in search of them

Suddenly he felt a light hand upon his shoulder from behind, and a woman's voice whispering, "Quick,

"Come, Abdul," said Tarzan, in a low tone, to the youth; "we can be no worse off elsewhere than we are

The woman turned and led them up the narrow stairway that ended at the door of her quarters. Tarzan was

close beside her. He saw the gold and silver bracelets upon her bare arms, the strings of gold coin that

depended from her hair ornaments, and the gorgeous colors of her dress. He saw that she was a OuledNail,

and instinctively he knew that she was the same who had whispered the warning in his ear earlier in the

As they reached the top of the stairs they could hear the angry crowd searching the yard beneath.

"Soon they will search here," whispered the girl. "They must not find you, for, though you fight with the

strength of many men, they will kill you in the end. Hasten; you can drop from the farther window of my

room to the street beyond. Before they discover that you are no longer in the court of the buildings you will

But even as she spoke, several men had started up the stairway at the head of which they stood. There was a

sudden cry from one of the searchers. They had been discovered. Quickly the crowd rushed for the stairway.

The foremost assailant leaped quickly upward, but at the top he met the sudden sword that he had not

With a cry, the man toppled back upon those behind him. Like tenpins they rolled down the stairs. The

ancient and rickety structure could not withstand the strain of this unwonted weight and jarring. With a

creaking and rending of breaking wood it collapsed beneath the Arabs, leaving Tarzan, Abdul, and the girl

"Come!" cried the OuledNail. "They will reach us from another stairway through the room next to mine. We

Just as they were entering the room Abdul heard and translated a cry from the yard below for several to

"Yes, m'sieur," she responded; "they will kill me as well. Have I not aided you?"

This put a different aspect on the matter. Tarzan had rather been enjoying the excitement and danger of the

encounter. He had not for an instant supposed that either Abdul or the girl could suffer except through

accident, and he had only retreated just enough to keep from being killed himself. He had had no intention of

Alone he could have sprung into the midst of that close packed mob, and, laying about him after the fashion

of Numa, the lion, have struck the Arabs with such consternation that escape would have been easy. Now he

He crossed to the window which overlooked the street. In a minute there would be enemies below. Already

he could hear the mob clambering the stairway to the next quarters they would be at the door beside him in

another instant. He put a foot upon the sill and leaned out, but he did not look down. Above him, within arm's

reach, was the low roof of the building. He called to the girl. She came and stood beside him. He put a great

"Wait here until I reach down for you from above," he said to Abdul. "In the meantime shove everything in

the room against that doorit may delay them long enough." Then he stepped to the sill of the narrow

window with the girl upon his shoulders. "Hold tight," he cautioned her. A moment later he had clambered to

the roof above with the ease and dexterity of an ape. Setting the girl down, he leaned far over the roof's edge,

"Your hand," whispered Tarzan. The men in the room beyond were battering at the door. With a sudden crash

it fell splintering in, and at the same instant Abdul felt himself lifted like a feather onto the roof above. They

were not a moment too soon, for as the men broke into the room which they had just quitted a dozen more

rounded the corner in the street below and came running to a spot beneath the girl's window.

As the three squatted upon the roof above the quarters of the OuledNails they heard the angry cursing of the

"They are berating those in the street below now," said Abdul, "for permitting us to escape so easily. Those in

the street say that we did not come that waythat we are still within the building, and that those above,

being too cowardly to attack us, are attempting to deceive them into believing that we have escaped. In a

moment they will have fighting of their own to attend to if they continue their brawling."

Presently those in the building gave up the search, and returned to the cafe. A few remained in the street

Tarzan spoke to the girl, thanking her for the sacrifice she had made for him, a total stranger.

"I liked you," she said simply. "You were unlike the others who come to the cafe. You did not speak coarsely

"What shall you do after tonight?" he asked. "You cannot return to the cafe. Can you even remain with safety

"Tomorrow it will be forgotten," she replied. "But I should be glad if it might be that I need never return to

this or another cafe. I have not remained because I wished to; I have been a prisoner."

"A slave would be the better word," she answered. "I was stolen in the night from my father's DOUAR by a

band of marauders. They brought me here and sold me to the Arab who keeps this cafe. It has been nearly

two years now since I saw the last of mine own people. They are very far to the south. They never come to

"You would like to return to your people?" asked Tarzan. "Then I shall promise to see you safely so far as

Bou Saada at least. There we can doubtless arrange with the commandant to send you the rest of the way."

"Oh, m'sieur," she cried, "how can I ever repay you! You cannot really mean that you will do so much for a

poor OuledNail. But my father can reward you, and he will, for is he not a great sheik? He is Kadour ben

"Kadour ben Saden!" ejaculated Tarzan. "Why, Kadour ben Saden is in Sidi Aissa this very night. He dined

"My father in Sidi Aissa?" cried the amazed girl. "Allah be praised then, for I am indeed saved."

From below came the sound of voices, quite distinguishable upon the still night air. Tarzan could not

"They have gone now," said the latter. "It is you they want, m'sieur. One of them said that the stranger who

had offered money for your slaying lay in the house of Akmed din Soulef with a broken wrist, but that he had

offered a still greater reward if some would lay in wait for you upon the road to Bou Saada and kill you."

"It is he who followed m'sieur about the market today," exclaimed Abdul. "I saw him again within the

cafehim and another; and the two went out into the inner court after talking with this girl here. It was they

who attacked and fired upon us, as we came out of the cafe. Why do they wish to kill you, m'sieur?"

"I do not know," replied Tarzan, and then, after a pause: "Unless" But he did not finish, for the thought

that had come to his mind, while it seemed the only reasonable solution of the mystery, appeared at the same

time quite improbable. Presently the men in the street went away. The courtyard and the cafe were deserted.

Cautiously Tarzan lowered himself to the sill of the girl's window. The room was empty. He returned to the

roof and let Abdul down, then he lowered the girl to the arms of the waiting Arab.

From the window Abdul dropped the short distance to the street below, while Tarzan took the girl in his arms

and leaped down as he had done on so many other occasions in his own forest with a burden in his arms. A

little cry of alarm was startled from the girl's lips, but Tarzan landed in the street with but an imperceptible

"How strong m'sieur is, and how active," she cried. "EL ADREA, the black lion, himself is not more so."

"I should like to meet this EL ADREA of yours," he said. "I have heard much about him."

"And you come to the DOUAR of my father you shall see him," said the girl. "He lives in a spur of the

mountains north of us, and comes down from his lair at night to rob my father's DOUAR. With a single blow

of his mighty paw he crushes the skull of a bull, and woe betide the belated wayfarer who meets EL ADREA

Without further mishap they reached the hotel. The sleepy landlord objected strenuously to instituting a

search for Kadour ben Saden until the following morning, but a piece of gold put a different aspect on the

matter, so that a few moments later a servant had started to make the rounds of the lesser native hostelries

where it might be expected that a desert sheik would find congenial associations. Tarzan had felt it necessary

to find the girl's father that night, for fear he might start on his homeward journey too early in the morning to

They had waited perhaps half an hour when the messenger returned with Kadour ben Saden. The old sheik

"Monsieur has done me the honor to" he commenced, and then his eyes fell upon the girl. With

outstretched arms he crossed the room to meet her. "My daughter!" he cried. "Allah is merciful!" and tears

When the story of her abduction and her final rescue had been told to Kadour ben Saden he extended his hand

"All that is Kadour ben Saden's is thine, my friend, even to his life," he said very simply, but Tarzan knew

It was decided that although three of them would have to ride after practically no sleep, it would be best to

make an early start in the morning, and attempt to ride all the way to Bou Saada in one day. It would have

been comparatively easy for the men, but for the girl it was sure to be a fatiguing journey.

She, however, was the most anxious to undertake it, for it seemed to her that she could not quickly enough

It seemed to Tarzan that he had not closed his eyes before he was awakened, and in another hour the party

was on its way south toward Bou Saada. For a few miles the road was good, and they made rapid progress,

but suddenly it became only a waste of sand, into which the horses sank fetlock deep at nearly every step. In

addition to Tarzan, Abdul, the sheik, and his daughter were four of the wild plainsmen of the sheik's tribe

who had accompanied him upon the trip to Sidi Aissa. Thus, seven guns strong, they entertained little fear of

attack by day, and if all went well they should reach Bou Saada before nightfall.

A brisk wind enveloped them in the blowing sand of the desert, until Tarzan's lips were parched and cracked.

What little he could see of the surrounding country was far from alluringa vast expanse of rough country,

rolling in little, barren hillocks, and tufted here and there with clumps of dreary shrub. Far to the south rose

the dim lines of the Saharan Atlas range. How different, thought Tarzan, from the gorgeous Africa of his

Abdul, always on the alert, looked backward quite as often as he did ahead. At the top of each hillock that

they mounted he would draw in his horse and, turning, scan the country to the rear with utmost care. At last

"Your friends of last evening, no doubt, monsieur," remarked Kadour ben Saden dryly to Tarzan.

"No doubt," replied the apeman. "I am sorry that my society should endanger the safety of your journey. At

the next village I shall remain and question these gentlemen, while you ride on. There is no necessity for my

"If you stop we shall stop," said Kadour ben Saden. "Until you are safe with your friends, or the enemy has

Tarzan nodded his head. He was a man of few words, and possibly it was for this reason as much as any that

Kadour ben Saden had taken to him, for if there be one thing that an Arab despises it is a talkative man.

All the balance of the day Abdul caught glimpses of the horsemen in their rear. They remained always at

about the same distance. During the occasional halts for rest, and at the longer halt at noon, they approached

And darkness came before they reached Bou Saada. The last glimpse that Abdul had of the grim,

whiterobed figures that trailed them, just before dusk made it impossible to distinguish them, had made it

apparent that they were rapidly closing up the distance that intervened between them and their intended

quarry. He whispered this fact to Tarzan, for he did not wish to alarm the girl. The apeman drew back

"You will ride ahead with the others, Abdul," said Tarzan. "This is my quarrel. I shall wait at the next

"Then Abdul shall wait at thy side," replied the young Arab, nor would any threats or commands move him

"Very well, then," replied Tarzan. "Here is as good a place as we could wish. Here are rocks at the top of this

hillock. We shall remain hidden here and give an account of ourselves to these gentlemen when they appear."

They drew in their horses and dismounted. The others riding ahead were already out of sight in the darkness.

Beyond them shone the lights of Bou Saada. Tarzan removed his rifle from its boot and loosened his revolver

in its holster. He ordered Abdul to withdraw behind the rocks with the horses, so that they should be shielded

from the enemies' bullets should they fire. The young Arab pretended to do as he was bid, but when he had

fastened the two animals securely to a low shrub he crept back to lie on his belly a few paces behind Tarzan.

The apeman stood erect in the middle of the road, waiting. Nor did he have long to wait. The sound of

galloping horses came suddenly out of the darkness below him, and a moment later he discerned the moving

The white figures came to a sudden stop, and for a moment there was silence. Then came the sound of a

whispered council, and like ghosts the phantom riders dispersed in all directions. Again the desert lay still

Abdul raised himself to one knee. Tarzan cocked his jungletrained ears, and presently there came to him the

sound of horses walking quietly through the sand to the east of him, to the west, to the north, and to the south.

They had been surrounded. Then a shot came from the direction in which he was looking, a bullet whirred

Instantly the soundless waste was torn with the quick staccato of guns upon every hand. Abdul and Tarzan

fired only at the flashesthey could not yet see their foemen. Presently it became evident that the attackers

were circling their position, drawing closer and closer in as they began to realize the paltry numbers of the

But one came too close, for Tarzan was accustomed to using his eyes in the darkness of the jungle night, than

which there is no more utter darkness this side the grave, and with a cry of pain a saddle was emptied.

But they were still far too onesided, and when the five remaining horsemen whirled at a signal and charged

full upon them it looked as if there would be a sudden ending of the battle. Both Tarzan and Abdul sprang to

the shelter of the rocks, that they might keep the enemy in front of them. There was a mad clatter of galloping

hoofs, a volley of shots from both sides, and the Arabs withdrew to repeat the maneuver; but there were now

For a few moments there came no sound from out of the surrounding blackness. Tarzan could not tell whether

the Arabs, satisfied with their losses, had given up the fight, or were waiting farther along the road to waylay

them as they proceeded on toward Bou Saada. But he was not left long in doubt, for now all from one

direction came the sound of a new charge. But scarcely had the first gun spoken ere a dozen shots rang out

behind the Arabs. There came the wild shouts of a new party to the controversy, and the pounding of the feet

The Arabs did not wait to learn the identity of the oncomers. With a parting volley as they dashed by the

position which Tarzan and Abdul were holding, they plunged off along the road toward Sidi Aissa. A

The old sheik was much relieved to find that neither Tarzan nor Abdul had received a scratch. Not even had

their horses been wounded. They sought out the two men who had fallen before Tarzan's shots, and, finding

"Why did you not tell me that you contemplated ambushing those fellows?" asked the sheik in a hurt tone.

"Then it would have been useless to stop at all," replied Tarzan, "for had we simply ridden on toward Bou

Saada they would have been upon us presently, and all could have been engaged. It was to prevent the

transfer of my own quarrel to another's shoulders that Abdul and I stopped off to question them. Then there is

your daughterI could not be the cause of exposing her needlessly to the marksmanship of six men."

Kadour ben Saden shrugged his shoulders. He did not relish having been cheated out of a fight.

The little battle so close to Bou Saada had drawn out a company of soldiers. Tarzan and his party met them

just outside the town. The officer in charge halted them to learn the significance of the shots.

"A handful of marauders," replied Kadour ben Saden. "They attacked two of our number who had dropped

behind, but when we returned to them the fellows soon dispersed. They left two dead. None of my party was

This seemed to satisfy the officer, and after taking the names of the party he marched his men on toward the

scene of the skirmish to bring back the dead men for purposes of identification, if possible.

Two days later, Kadour ben Saden, with his daughter and followers, rode south through the pass below Bou

Saada, bound for their home in the far wilderness. The sheik had urged Tarzan to accompany him, and the

girl had added her entreaties to those of her father; but, though he could not explain it to them, Tarzan's duties

loomed particularly large after the happenings of the past few days, so that he could not think of leaving his

post for an instant. But he promised to come later if it lay within his power to do so, and they had to content

During these two days Tarzan had spent practically all his time with Kadour ben Saden and his daughter. He

was keenly interested in this race of stern and dignified warriors, and embraced the opportunity which their

friendship offered to learn what he could of their lives and customs. He even commenced to acquire the

rudiments of their language under the pleasant tutorage of the browneyed girl. It was with real regret that he

saw them depart, and he sat his horse at the opening to the pass, as far as which he had accompanied them,

Here were people after his own heart! Their wild, rough lives, filled with danger and hardship, appealed to

this half savage man as nothing had appealed to him in the midst of the effeminate civilization of the great

cities he had visited. Here was a life that excelled even that of the jungle, for here he might have the society

of menreal men whom he could honor and respect, and yet be near to the wild nature that he loved. In his

head revolved an idea that when he had completed his mission he would resign and return to live for the

The front of the Hotel du Petit Sahara, where Tarzan stopped in Bou Saada, is taken up with the bar, two

dining rooms, and the kitchens. Both of the diningrooms open directly off the bar, and one of them is

reserved for the use of the officers of the garrison. As you stand in the barroom you may look into either of

It was to the bar that Tarzan repaired after speeding Kadour ben Saden and his party on their way. It was yet

early in the morning, for Kadour ben Saden had elected to ride far that day, so that it happened that when

As his casual glance wandered into the officers' dining room, Tarzan saw something which brought a look

of interest to his eyes. Lieutenant Gernois was sitting there, and as Tarzan looked a whiterobed Arab

approached and, bending, whispered a few words into the lieutenant's ear. Then he passed on out of the

In itself the thing was nothing, but as the man had stooped to speak to the officer, Tarzan had caught sight of

something which the accidental parting of the man's burnoose had revealedhe carried his left arm in a

On the same day that Kadour ben Saden rode south the diligence from the north brought Tarzan a letter from

D'Arnot which had been forwarded from SidibelAbbes. It opened the old wound that Tarzan would have

been glad to have forgotten; yet he was not sorry that D'Arnot had written, for one at least of his subjects

Since last I wrote you I have been across to London on a matter of business. I was there but three days. The

very first day I came upon an old friend of yoursquite unexpectedlyin Henrietta Street. Now you never

in the world would guess whom. None other than Mr. Samuel T. Philander. But it is true. I can see your look

of incredulity. Nor is this all. He insisted that I return to the hotel with him, and there I found the

othersProfessor Archimedes Q. Porter, Miss Porter, and that enormous black woman, Miss Porter's maid

Esmeralda, you will recall. While I was there Clayton came in. They are to be married soon, or rather

sooner, for I rather suspect that we shall receive announcements almost any day. On account of his father's

While I was alone with Mr. Philander the old fellow became rather confidential. Said Miss Porter had already

postponed the wedding on three different occasions. He confided that it appeared to him that she was not

particularly anxious to marry Clayton at all; but this time it seems that it is quite likely to go through.

Of course they all asked after you, but I respected your wishes in the matter of your true origin, and only

Miss Porter was especially interested in everything I had to say about you, and asked many questions. I am

afraid I took a rather unchivalrous delight in picturing your desire and resolve to go back eventually to your

native jungle. I was sorry afterward, for it did seem to cause her real anguish to contemplate the awful

dangers to which you wished to return. "And yet," she said, "I do not know. There are more unhappy fates

than the grim and terrible jungle presents to Monsieur Tarzan. At least his conscience will be free from

remorse. And there are moments of quiet and restfulness by day, and vistas of exquisite beauty. You may find

it strange that I should say it, who experienced such terrifying experiences in that frightful forest, yet at times

I long to return, for I cannot but feel that the happiest moments of my life were spent there."

There was an expression of ineffable sadness on her face as she spoke, and I could not but feel that she knew

that I knew her secret, and that this was her way of transmitting to you a last tender message from a heart that

Clayton appeared nervous and ill at ease while you were the subject of conversation. He wore a worried and

harassed expression. Yet he was very kindly in his expressions of interest in you. I wonder if he suspects the

Tennington came in with Clayton. They are great friends, you know. He is about to set out upon one of his

interminable cruises in that yacht of his, and was urging the entire party to accompany him. Tried to inveigle

me into it, too. Is thinking of circumnavigating Africa this time. I told him that his precious toy would take

him and some of his friends to the bottom of the ocean one of these days if he didn't get it out of his head that

I returned to Paris day before yesterday, and yesterday I met the Count and Countess de Coude at the races.

They inquired after you. De Coude really seems quite fond of you. Doesn't appear to harbor the least ill will.

Olga is as beautiful as ever, but a trifle subdued. I imagine that she learned a lesson through her acquaintance

with you that will serve her in good stead during the balance of her life. It is fortunate for her, and for De

Had you really paid court to Olga's heart I am afraid that there would have been no hope for either of you.

She asked me to tell you that Nikolas had left France. She paid him twenty thousand francs to go away, and

stay. She is congratulating herself that she got rid of him before he tried to carry out a threat he recently made

her that he should kill you at the first opportunity. She said that she should hate to think that her brother's

blood was on your hands, for she is very fond of you, and made no bones in saying so before the count. It

never for a moment seemed to occur to her that there might be any possibility of any other outcome of a

meeting between you and Nikolas. The count quite agreed with her in that. He added that it would take a

regiment of Rokoffs to kill you. He has a most healthy respect for your prowess.

Have been ordered back to my ship. She sails from Havre in two days under sealed orders. If you will address

me in her care, the letters will find me eventually. I shall write you as soon as another opportunity presents.

"I fear," mused Tarzan, half aloud, "that Olga has thrown away her twenty thousand francs."

He read over that part of D'Arnot's letter several times in which he had quoted from his conversation with

Jane Porter. Tarzan derived a rather pathetic happiness from it, but it was better than no happiness at all.

The following three weeks were quite uneventful. On several occasions Tarzan saw the mysterious Arab, and

once again he had been exchanging words with Lieutenant Gernois; but no amount of espionage or

shadowing by Tarzan revealed the Arab's lodgings, the location of which Tarzan was anxious to ascertain.

Gernois, never cordial, had kept more than ever aloof from Tarzan since the episode in the diningroom of

the hotel at Aumale. His attitude on the few occasions that they had been thrown together had been distinctly

That he might keep up the appearance of the character he was playing, Tarzan spent considerable time

hunting in the vicinity of Bou Saada. He would spend entire days in the foothills, ostensibly searching for

gazelle, but on the few occasions that he came close enough to any of the beautiful little animals to harm

them he invariably allowed them to escape without so much as taking his rifle from its boot. The apeman

could see no sport in slaughtering the most harmless and defenseless of God's creatures for the mere pleasure

In fact, Tarzan had never killed for "pleasure," nor to him was there pleasure in killing. It was the joy of

righteous battle that he lovedthe ecstasy of victory. And the keen and successful hunt for food in which he

pitted his skill and craftiness against the skill and craftiness of another; but to come out of a town filled with

food to shoot down a softeyed, pretty gazelleah, that was crueller than the deliberate and coldblooded

murder of a fellow man. Tarzan would have none of it, and so he hunted alone that none might discover the

And once, probably because of the fact that he rode alone, he was like to have lost his life. He was riding

slowly through a little ravine when a shot sounded close behind him, and a bullet passed through the cork

helmet he wore. Although he turned at once and galloped rapidly to the top of the ravine, there was no sign of

any enemy, nor did he see aught of another human being until he reached Bou Saada.

"Yes," he soliloquized, in recalling the occurrence, "Olga has indeed thrown away her twenty thousand

"No," replied Tarzan; "the game hereabout is timid, nor do I care particularly about hunting game birds or

antelope. I think I shall move on farther south, and have a try at some of your Algerian lions."

"Good!" exclaimed the captain. "We are marching toward Djelfa on the morrow. You shall have company

that far at least. Lieutenant Gernois and I, with a hundred men, are ordered south to patrol a district in which

the marauders are giving considerable trouble. Possibly we may have the pleasure of hunting the lion

Tarzan was more than pleased, nor did he hesitate to say so; but the captain would have been astonished had

he known the real reason of Tarzan's pleasure. Gernois was sitting opposite the apeman. He did not seem so

"You will find lion hunting more exciting than gazelle shooting," remarked Captain Gerard, "and more

"Even gazelle shooting has its dangers," replied Tarzan. "Especially when one goes alone. I found it so today.

I also found that while the gazelle is the most timid of animals, it is not the most cowardly."

He let his glance rest only casually upon Gernois after he had spoken, for he did not wish the man to know

that he was under suspicion, or surveillance, no matter what he might think. The effect of his remark upon

him, however, might tend to prove his connection with, or knowledge of, certain recent happenings. Tarzan

saw a dull red creep up from beneath Gernois' collar. He was satisfied, and quickly changed the subject.

When the column rode south from Bou Saada the next morning there were half a dozen Arabs bringing up the

"They are not attached to the command," replied Gerard in response to Tarzan's query. "They merely

Tarzan had learned enough about Arab character since he had been in Algeria to know that this was no real

motive, for the Arab is never overfond of the companionship of strangers, and especially of French soldiers.

So his suspicions were aroused, and he decided to keep a sharp eye on the little party that trailed behind the

column at a distance of about a quarter of a mile. But they did not come close enough even during the halts to

He had long been convinced that there were hired assassins on his trail, nor was he in great doubt but that

Rokoff was at the bottom of the plot. Whether it was to be revenge for the several occasions in the past that

Tarzan had defeated the Russian's purposes and humiliated him, or was in some way connected with his

mission in the Gernois affair, he could not determine. If the latter, and it seemed probable since the evidence

he had had that Gernois suspected him, then he had two rather powerful enemies to contend with, for there

would be many opportunities in the wilds of Algeria, for which they were bound, to dispatch a suspected

After camping at Djelfa for two days the column moved to the southwest, from whence word had come that

the marauders were operating against the tribes whose DOUARS were situated at the foot of the mountains.

The little band of Arabs who had accompanied them from Bou Saada had disappeared suddenly the very

night that orders had been given to prepare for the morrow's march from Djelfa. Tarzan made casual inquiries

among the men, but none could tell him why they had left, or in what direction they had gone. He did not like

the looks of it, especially in view of the fact that he had seen Gernois in conversation with one of them some

half hour after Captain Gerard had issued his instructions relative to the new move. Only Gernois and Tarzan

knew the direction of the proposed march. All the soldiers knew was that they were to be prepared to break

camp early the next morning. Tarzan wondered if Gernois could have revealed their destination to the Arabs.

Late that afternoon they went into camp at a little oasis in which was the DOUAR of a sheik whose flocks

were being stolen, and whose herdsmen were being killed. The Arabs came out of their goatskin tents, and

surrounded the soldiers, asking many questions in the native tongue, for the soldiers were themselves natives.

Tarzan, who, by this time, with the assistance of Abdul, had picked up quite a smattering of Arab, questioned

one of the younger men who had accompanied the sheik while the latter paid his respects to Captain Gerard.

No, he had seen no party of six horsemen riding from the direction of Djelfa. There were other oases

scattered aboutpossibly they had been journeying to one of these. Then there were the marauders in the

mountains above they often rode north to Bou Saada in small parties, and even as far as Aumale and

Bouira. It might indeed have been a few marauders returning to the band from a pleasure trip to one of these

Early the next morning Captain Gerard split his command in two, giving Lieutenant Gernois command of one

party, while he headed the other. They were to scour the mountains upon opposite sides of the plain.

"And with which detachment will Monsieur Tarzan ride?" asked the captain. "Or maybe it is that monsieur

"Oh, I shall be delighted to go," Tarzan hastened to explain. He was wondering what excuse he could make to

accompany Gernois. His embarrassment was shortlived, and was relieved from a most unexpected source. It

"If my captain will forego the pleasure of Monsieur Tarzan's company for this once, I shall esteem it an honor

indeed to have monsieur ride with me today," he said, nor was his tone lacking in cordiality. In fact, Tarzan

imagined that he had overdone it a trifle, but, even so, he was both astounded and pleased, hastening to

And so it was that Lieutenant Gernois and Tarzan rode off side by side at the head of the little detachment of

SPAHIS. Gernois' cordiality was shortlived. No soone had they ridden out of sight of Captain Gerard and

his men than he lapsed once more into his accustomed taciturnity. As they advanced the ground became

rougher. Steadily it ascended toward the mountains, into which they filed through a narrow canon close to

noon. By the side of a little rivulet Gernois called the midday halt. Here the men prepared and ate their frugal

After an hour's rest they advanced again along the canon, until they presently came to a little valley, from

which several rocky gorges diverged. Here they halted, while Gernois minutely examined the surrounding

"We shall separate here," he said, "several riding into each of these gorges," and then he commenced to detail

his various squads and issue instructions to the noncommissioned officers who were to command them.

When he had done he turned to Tarzan. "Monsieur will be so good as to remain here until we return."

Tarzan demurred, but the officer cut him short. "There may be fighting for one of these sections," he said,

"But, my dear lieutenant," expostulated Tarzan, "I am most ready and willing to place myself under

command of yourself or any of your sergeants or corporals, and to fight in the ranks as they direct. It is what I

"I should be glad to think so," retorted Gernois, with a sneer he made no attempt to disguise. Then shortly:

"You are under my orders, and they are that you remain here until we return. Let that end the matter," and he

turned and spurred away at the head of his men. A moment later Tarzan found himself alone in the midst of a

The sun was hot, so he sought the shelter of a nearby tree, where he tethered his horse, and sat down upon the

ground to smoke. Inwardly he swore at Gernois for the trick he had played upon him. A mean little revenge,

thought Tarzan, and then suddenly it occurred to him that the man would not be such a fool as to antagonize

him through a trivial annoyance of so petty a description. There must be something deeper than this behind it.

With the thought he arose and removed his rifle from its boot. He looked to its loads and saw that the

magazine was full. Then he inspected his revolver. After this preliminary precaution he scanned the

surrounding heights and the mouths of the several gorges he was determined that he should not be caught

The sun sank lower and lower, yet there was no sign of returning SPAHIS. At last the valley was submerged

in shadow Tarzan was too proud to go back to camp until he had given the detachment ample time to return

to the valley, which he thought was to have been their rendezvous. With the closing in of night he felt safer

from attack, for he was at home in the dark. He knew that none might approach him so cautiously as to elude

those alert and sensitive ears of his; then there were his eyes, too, for he could see well at night; and his nose,

if they came toward him from upwind, would apprise him of the approach of an enemy while they were still

So he felt that he was in little danger, and thus lulled to a sense of security he fell asleep, with his back

He must have slept for several hours, for when he was suddenly awakened by the frightened snorting and

plunging of his horse the moon was shining full upon the little valley, and there, not ten paces before him,

Superb, majestic, his graceful tail extended and quivering, and his two eyes of fire riveted full upon his prey,

stood Numa EL ADREA, the black lion. A little thrill of joy tingled through Tarzan's nerves. It was like

meeting an old friend after years of separation. For a moment he sat rigid to enjoy the magnificent spectacle

But now Numa was crouching for the spring. Very slowly Tarzan raised his gun to his shoulder. He had never

killed a large animal with a gun in all his lifeheretofore he had depended upon his spear, his poisoned

arrows, his rope, his knife, or his bare hands. Instinctively he wished that he had his arrows and his knifehe

Numa was lying quite flat upon the ground now, presenting only his head. Tarzan would have preferred to

fire a little from one side, for he knew what terrific damage the lion could do if he lived two minutes, or even

a minute after he was hit. The horse stood trembling in terror at Tarzan's back. The apeman took a cautious

step to one sideNuma but followed him with his eyes. Another step he took, and then another. Numa had

His finger tightened upon the trigger, and as he fired Numa sprang. At the same instant the terrified horse

made a last frantic effort to escapethe tether parted, and he went careening down the canon toward the

No ordinary man could have escaped those frightful claws when Numa sprang from so short a distance, but

Tarzan was no ordinary man. From earliest childhood his muscles had been trained by the fierce exigencies

of his existence to act with the rapidity of thought. As quick as was EL ADREA, Tarzan of the Apes was

quicker, and so the great beast crashed against a tree where he had expected to feel the soft flesh of man,

while Tarzan, a couple of paces to the right, pumped another bullet into him that brought him clawing and

Twice more Tarzan fired in quick succession, and then EL ADREA lay still and roared no more. It was no

longer Monsieur Jean Tarzan; it was Tarzan of the Apes that put a savage foot upon the body of his savage

kill, and, raising his face to the full moon, lifted his mighty voice in the weird and terrible challenge of his

kinda bull ape had made his kill. And the wild things in the wild mountains stopped in their hunting, and

trembled at this new and awful voice, while down in the desert the children of the wilderness came out of

their goatskin tents and looked toward the mountains, wondering what new and savage scourge had come to

A half mile from the valley in which Tarzan stood, a score of whiterobed figures, bearing long,

wickedlooking guns, halted at the sound, and looked at one another with questioning eyes. But presently, as

Tarzan was now confident that Gernois had no intention of returning for him, but he could not fathom the

object that had prompted the officer to desert him, yet leave him free to return to camp. His horse gone, he

decided that it would be foolish to remain longer in the mountains, so he set out toward the desert.

He had scarcely entered the confines of the canon when the first of the whiterobed figures emerged into the

valley upon the opposite side. For a moment they scanned the little depression from behind sheltering

bowlders, but when they had satisfied themselves that it was empty they advanced across it. Beneath the tree

at one side they came upon the body of EL ADREA. With muttered exclamations they crowded about it.

Then, a moment later, they hurried down the canon which Tarzan was threading a brief distance in advance

of them. They moved cautiously and in silence, taking advantage of shelter, as men do who are stalking man.

As Tarzan walked down the wild canon beneath the brilliant African moon the call of the jungle was strong

upon him. The solitude and the savage freedom filled his heart with life and buoyancy. Again he was Tarzan

of the Apesevery sense alert against the chance of surprise by some jungle enemyyet treading lightly

The nocturnal sounds of the mountains were new to him, yet they fell upon his ears like the soft voice of a

half forgotten love. Many he intuitively sensedah, there was one that was familiar indeed; the distant

coughing of Sheeta, the leopard; but there was a strange note in the final wail which made him doubt. It was a

Presently a new sounda soft, stealthy soundobtruded itself among the others. No human ears other than

the ape man's would have detected it. At first he did not translate it, but finally he realized that it came from

the bare feet of a number of human beings. They were behind him, and they were coming toward him quietly.

In a flash he knew why he had been left in that little valley by Gernois; but there had been a hitch in the

arrangementsthe men had come too late. Closer and closer came the footsteps. Tarzan halted and faced

them, his rifle ready in his hand. Now he caught a fleeting glimpse of a white burnoose. He called aloud in

French, asking what they would of him. His reply was the flash of a long gun, and with the sound of the shot

The Arabs did not rush out immediately; instead, they waited to be sure that their victim did not rise. Then

they came rapidly from their concealment, and bent over him. It was soon apparent that he was not dead. One

of the men put the muzzle of his gun to the back of Tarzan's head to finish him, but another waved him aside.

"If we bring him alive the reward is to be greater," explained the latter. So they bound his hands and feet, and,

picking him up, placed him on the shoulders of four of their number. Then the march was resumed toward the

desert. When they had come out of the mountains they turned toward the south, and about daylight came to

From here on their progress was more rapid. Tarzan, who had regained consciousness, was tied to a spare

horse, which they evidently had brought for the purpose. His wound was but a slight scratch, which had

furrowed the flesh across his temple. It had stopped bleeding, but the dried and clotted blood smeared his face

and clothing. He had said no word since he had fallen into the hands of these Arabs, nor had they addressed

him other than to issue a few brief commands to him when the horses had been reached.

For six hours they rode rapidly across the burning desert, avoiding the oases near which their way led. About

noon they came to a DOUAR of about twenty tents. Here they halted, and as one of the Arabs was releasing

the alfagrass ropes which bound him to his mount they were surrounded by a mob of men, women, and

children. Many of the tribe, and more especially the women, appeared to take delight in heaping insults upon

the prisoner, and some had even gone so far as to throw stones at him and strike him with sticks, when an old

"AlibenAhmed tells me," he said, "that this man sat alone in the mountains and slew EL ADREA. What

the business of the stranger who sent us after him may be, I know not, and what he may do with this man

when we turn him over to him, I care not; but the prisoner is a brave man, and while he is in our hands he

shall be treated with the respect that be due one who hunts THE LORD WITH THE LARGE HEAD alone

Tarzan had heard of the respect in which Arabs held a lionkiller, and he was not sorry that chance had

played into his hands thus favorably to relieve him of the petty tortures of the tribe. Shortly after this he was

taken to a goat skin tent upon the upper side of the DOUAR. There he was fed, and then, securely bound,

He could see a guard sitting before the door of his frail prison, but when he attempted to force the stout bonds

that held him he realized that any extra precaution on the part of his captors was quite unnecessary; not even

Just before dusk several men approached the tent where he lay, and entered it. All were in Arab dress, but

presently one of the number advanced to Tarzan's side, and as he let the folds of cloth that had hidden the

lower half of his face fall away the apeman saw the malevolent features of Nikolas Rokoff. There was a

nasty smile on the bearded lips. "Ah, Monsieur Tarzan," he said, "this is indeed a pleasure. But why do you

not rise and greet your guest?" Then, with an ugly oath, "Get up, you dog!" and, drawing back his booted

foot, he kicked Tarzan heavily in the side. "And here is another, and another, and another," he continued, as

he kicked Tarzan about the face and side. "One for each of the injuries you have done me."

The apeman made no replyhe did not even deign to look upon the Russian again after the first glance of

recognition. Finally the sheik, who had been standing a mute and frowning witness of the cowardly attack,

"Stop!" he commanded. "Kill him if you will, but I will see no brave man subjected to such indignities in my

presence. I have half a mind to turn him loose, that I may see how long you would kick him then."

This threat put a sudden end to Rokoff's brutality, for he had no craving to see Tarzan loosed from his bonds

"Not within the precincts of my DOUAR," returned the sheik. "When he leaves here he leaves alive. What

you do with him in the desert is none of my concern, but I shall not have the blood of a Frenchman on the

hands of my tribe on account of another man's quarrelthey would send soldiers here and kill many of my

"As you say," growled Rokoff. "I'll take him out into the desert below the DOUAR, and dispatch him."

"You will take him a day's ride from my country," said the sheik, firmly, "and some of my children shall

follow you to see that you do not disobey meotherwise there may be two dead Frenchmen in the desert."

Rokoff shrugged. "Then I shall have to wait until the morrowit is already dark."

"As you will," said the sheik. "But by an hour after dawn you must be gone from my DOUAR. I have little

Rokoff would have made some kind of retort, but he checked himself, for he realized that it would require but

little excuse for the old man to turn upon him. Together they left the tent. At the door Rokoff could not resist

the temptation to turn and fling a parting taunt at Tarzan. "Sleep well, monsieur," he said, "and do not forget

to pray well, for when you die tomorrow it will be in such agony that you will be unable to pray for

No one had bothered to bring Tarzan either food or water since noon, and consequently he suffered

considerably from thirst. He wondered if it would be worth while to ask his guard for water, but after making

two or three requests without receiving any response, he decided that it would not.

Far up in the mountains he heard a lion roar. How much safer one was, he soliloquized, in the haunts of wild

beasts than in the haunts of men. Never in all his jungle life had he been more relentlessly tracked down than

in the past few months of his experience among civilized men. Never had he been any nearer death.

Again the lion roared. It sounded a little nearer. Tarzan felt the old, wild impulse to reply with the challenge

of his kind. His kind? He had almost forgotten that he was a man and not an ape. He tugged at his bonds.

God, if he could but get them near those strong teeth of his. He felt a wild wave of madness sweep over him

Numa was roaring almost continually now. It was quite evident that he was coming down into the desert to

hunt. It was the roar of a hungry lion. Tarzan envied him, for he was free. No one would tie him with ropes

and slaughter him like a sheep. It was that which galled the apeman. He did not fear to die, noit was the

humiliation of defeat before death, without even a chance to battle for his life.

It must be near midnight, thought Tarzan. He had several hours to live. Possibly he would yet find a way to

take Rokoff with him on the long journey. He could hear the savage lord of the desert quite close by now.

For a long time silence reigned, then Tarzan's trained ears caught the sound of a stealthily moving body. It

came from the side of the tent nearest the mountainsthe back. Nearer and nearer it came. He waited,

listening intently, for it to pass. For a time there was silence without, such a terrible silence that Tarzan was

surprised that he did not hear the breathing of the animal he felt sure must be crouching close to the back wall

There! It is moving again. Closer it creeps. Tarzan turns his head in the direction of the sound. It is very dark

within the tent. Slowly the back rises from the ground, forced up by the head and shoulders of a body that

looks all black in the semidarkness. Beyond is a faint glimpse of the dimly starlit desert. A grim smile plays

about Tarzan's lips. At least Rokoff will be cheated. How mad he will be! And death will be more merciful

Now the back of the tent drops into place, and all is darkness againwhatever it is is inside the tent with

him. He hears it creeping close to himnow it is beside him. He closes his eyes and waits for the mighty

paw. Upon his upturned face falls the gentle touch of a soft hand groping in the dark, and then a girl's voice in

"The OuledNail of Sisi Aissa," came the answer. While she spoke Tarzan could feel her working about his

bonds. Occasionally the cold steel of a knife touched his flesh. A moment later he was free.

On hands and knees he followed her out of the tent by the way she had come. She continued crawling thus

flat to the ground until she reached a little patch of shrub. There she halted until he gained her side. For a

"I cannot understand," he said at last. "Why are you here? How did you know that I was a prisoner in that

She smiled. "I have come a long way tonight," she said, "and we have a long way to go before we shall be out

Together they rose and set off across the desert in the direction of the mountains.

"I was not quite sure that I should ever reach you," she said at last. "EL ADREA is abroad tonight, and after I

left the horses I think he winded me and was followingI was terribly frightened."

"What a brave girl," he said. "And you ran all that risk for a strangeran alienan unbeliever?"

"I am the daughter of the Sheik Kabour ben Saden," she answered. "I should be no fit daughter of his if I

would not risk my life to save that of the man who saved mine while he yet thought that I was but a common

"Nevertheless," he insisted, "you are a very brave girl. But how did you know that I was a prisoner back

"AchmetdinTaieb, who is my cousin on my father's side, was visiting some friends who belong to the tribe

that captured you. He was at the DOUAR when you were brought in. When he reached home he was telling

us about the big Frenchman who had been captured by AlibenAhmed for another Frenchman who wished

to kill him. From the description I knew that it must be you. My father was away. I tried to persuade some of

the men to come and save you, but they would not do it, saying: `Let the unbelievers kill one another if they

wish. It is none of our affair, and if we go and interfere with AlibenAhmed's plans we shall only stir up a

"So when it was dark I came alone, riding one horse and leading another for you. They are tethered not far

from here. By morning we shall be within my father's DOUAR. He should be there himself by nowthen let

"We should be near the horses," she said. "It is strange that I do not see them here."

Tarzan stooped to examine the ground. He found that a large shrub had been torn up by the roots. Then he

found something else. There was a wry smile on his face as he rose and turned toward the girl.

"EL ADREA has been here. From the signs, though, I rather think that his prey escaped him. With a little

There was nothing to do but continue on foot. The way led them across a low spur of the mountains, but the

girl knew the trail as well as she did her mother's face. They walked in easy, swinging strides, Tarzan keeping

a hand's breadth behind the girl's shoulder, that she might set the pace, and thus be less fatigued. As they

It was now a beautiful, moonlit night. The air was crisp and invigorating. Behind them lay the interminable

vista of the desert, dotted here and there with an occasional oasis. The date palms of the little fertile spot they

had just left, and the circle of goatskin tents, stood out in sharp relief against the yellow sanda phantom

paradise upon a phantom sea. Before them rose the grim and silent mountains. Tarzan's blood leaped in his

veins. This was life! He looked down upon the girl beside hima daughter of the desert walking across the

face of a dead world with a son of the jungle. He smiled at the thought. He wished that he had had a sister,

They had entered the mountains now, and were progressing more slowly, for the trail was steeper and very

For a few minutes they had been silent. The girl was wondering if they would reach her father's DOUAR

before the pursuit had overtaken them. Tarzan was wishing that they might walk on thus forever. If the girl

were only a man they might. He longed for a friend who loved the same wild life that he loved. He had

learned to crave companionship, but it was his misfortune that most of the men he knew preferred

immaculate linen and their clubs to nakedness and the jungle. It was, of course, difficult to understand, yet it

The two had just turned a projecting rock around which the trail ran when they were brought to a sudden stop.

There, before them, directly in the middle of the path, stood Numa, EL ADREA, the black lion. His green

eyes looked very wicked, and he bared his teeth, and lashed his bayblack sides with his angry tail. Then he

roaredthe fearsome, terror inspiring roar of the hungry lion which is also angry.

"Your knife," said Tarzan to the girl, extending his hand. She slipped the hilt of the weapon into his waiting

palm. As his fingers closed upon it he drew her back and pushed her behind him. "Walk back to the desert as

rapidly as you can. If you hear me call you will know that all is well, and you may return."

"Do as I tell you," he commanded. "Quickly! He is about to charge." The girl dropped back a few paces,

where she stood watching for the terrible sight that she knew she should soon witness.

The lion was advancing slowly toward Tarzan, his nose to the ground, like a challenging bull, his tail

The apeman stood, half crouching, the long Arab knife glistening in the moonlight. Behind him the tense

figure of the girl, motionless as a carven statue. She leaned slightly forward, her lips parted, her eyes wide.

Her only conscious thought was wonder at the bravery of the man who dared face with a puny knife the lord

with the large head. A man of her own blood would have knelt in prayer and gone down beneath those awful

fangs without resistance. In either case the result would be the sameit was inevitable; but she could not

repress a thrill of admiration as her eyes rested upon the heroic figure before her. Not a tremor in the whole

The lion was quite close to him nowbut a few paces intervenedhe crouched, and then, with a deafening

As Numa EL ADREA launched himself with widespread paws and bared fangs he looked to find this puny

man as easy prey as the score who had gone down beneath him in the past. To him man was a clumsy,

But this time he found that he was pitted against a creature as agile and as quick as himself. When his mighty

The watching girl was transfixed by astonishment at the ease with which the crouching man eluded the great

paws. And now, O Allah! He had rushed in behind EL ADREA'S shoulder even before the beast could turn,

and had grasped him by the mane. The lion reared upon his hind legs like a horseTarzan had known that he

would do this, and he was ready. A giant arm encircled the blackmaned throat, and once, twice, a dozen

times a sharp blade darted in and out of the bayblack side behind the left shoulder.

Frantic were the leaps of Numaawful his roars of rage and pain; but the giant upon his back could not be

dislodged or brought within reach of fangs or talons in the brief interval of life that remained to the lord with

the large head. He was quite dead when Tarzan of the Apes released his hold and arose. Then the daughter of

the desert witnessed a thing that terrified her even more than had the presence of EL ADREA. The man

placed a foot upon the carcass of his kill, and, with his handsome face raised toward the full moon, gave

With a little cry of fear she shrank away from himshe thought that the fearful strain of the encounter had

driven him mad. As the last note of that fiendish challenge died out in the diminishing echoes of the distance

Instantly his face was lighted by the kindly smile that was ample assurance of his sanity, and the girl breathed

"What manner of man are you?" she asked. "The thing you have done is unheard of. Even now I cannot

believe that it is possible for a lone man armed only with a knife to have fought hand to hand with EL

ADREA and conquered him, unscathedto have conquered him at all. And that cryit was not human.

Tarzan flushed. "It is because I forget," he said, "sometimes, that I am a civilized man. When I kill it must be

that I am another creature." He did not try to explain further, for it always seemed to him that a woman must

Together they continued their journey. The sun was an hour high when they came out into the desert again

beyond the mountains. Beside a little rivulet they found the girl's horses grazing. They had come this far on

their way home, and with the cause of their fear no longer present had stopped to feed.

With little trouble Tarzan and the girl caught them, and, mounting, rode out into the desert toward the

No sign of pursuit developed, and they came in safety about nine o'clock to their destination. The sheik had

but just returned. He was frantic with grief at the absence of his daughter, whom he thought had been again

abducted by the marauders. With fifty men he was already mounted to go in search of her when the two rode

His joy at the safe return of his daughter was only equaled by his gratitude to Tarzan for bringing her safely

to him through the dangers of the night, and his thankfulness that she had been in time to save the man who

No honor that Kadour ben Saden could heap upon the ape man in acknowledgment of his esteem and

friendship was neglected. When the girl had recited the story of the slaying of EL ADREA Tarzan was

surrounded by a mob of worshiping Arabsit was a sure road to their admiration and respect.

The old sheik insisted that Tarzan remain indefinitely as his guest. He even wished to adopt him as a member

of the tribe, and there was for some time a halfformed resolution in the apeman's mind to accept and

remain forever with these wild people, whom he understood and who seemed to understand him. His

friendship and liking for the girl were potent factors in urging him toward an affirmative decision.

Had she been a man, he argued, he should not have hesitated, for it would have meant a friend after his own

heart, with whom he could ride and hunt at will; but as it was they would be hedged by the conventionalities

that are even more strictly observed by the wild nomads of the desert than by their more civilized brothers

and sisters. And in a little while she would be married to one of these swarthy warriors, and there would be an

end to their friendship. So he decided against the sheik's proposal, though he remained a week as his guest.

When he left, Kadour ben Saden and fifty whiterobed warriors rode with him to Bou Saada. While they

were mounting in the DOUAR of Kadour ben Saden the morning of their departure, the girl came to bid

"I have prayed that you would remain with us," she said simply, as he leaned from his saddle to clasp her

hand in farewell, "and now I shall pray that you will return." There was an expression of wistfulness in her

beautiful eyes, and a pathetic droop at the corners of her mouth. Tarzan was touched.

Outside Bou Saada he bade Kadour ben Saden and his men goodby, for there were reasons which made him

wish to make his entry into the town as secret as possible, and when he had explained them to the sheik the

latter concurred in his decision. The Arabs were to enter Bou Saada ahead of him, saying nothing as to his

presence with them. Later Tarzan would come in alone, and go directly to an obscure native inn.

Thus, making his entrance after dark, as he did, he was not seen by any one who knew him, and reached the

inn unobserved. After dining with Kadour ben Saden as his guest, he went to his former hotel by a

roundabout way, and, coming in by a rear entrance, sought the proprietor, who seemed much surprised to see

Yes, there was mail for monsieur; he would fetch it. No, he would mention monsieur's return to no one.

Presently he returned with a packet of letters. One was an order from his superior to lay off on his present

work, and hasten to Cape Town by the first steamer he could get. His further instructions would be awaiting

him there in the hands of another agent whose name and address were given. That was allbrief but explicit.

Tarzan arranged to leave Bou Saada early the next morning. Then he started for the garrison to see Captain

Gerard, whom the hotel man had told him had returned with his detachment the previous day.

He found the officer in his quarters. He was filled with surprise and pleasure at seeing Tarzan alive and well.

"When Lieutenant Gernois returned and reported that he had not found you at the spot that you had chosen to

remain while the detachment was scouting, I was filled with alarm. We searched the mountain for days. Then

came word that you had been killed and eaten by a lion. As proof your gun was brought to us. Your horse had

returned to camp the second day after your disappearance. We could not doubt. Lieutenant Gernois was

griefstrickenhe took all the blame upon himself. It was he who insisted on carrying on the search himself.

It was he who found the Arab with your gun. He will be delighted to know that you are safe."

"He is down in the town now, or I should send for him," continued Captain Gerard. "I shall tell him as soon

Tarzan let the officer think that he had been lost, wandering finally into the DOUAR of Kadour ben Saden,

who had escorted him back to Bou Saada. As soon as possible he bade the good officer adieu, and hastened

back into the town. At the native inn he had learned through Kadour ben Saden a piece of interesting

information. It told of a blackbearded white man who went always disguised as an Arab. For a time he had

nursed a broken wrist. More recently he had been away from Bou Saada, but now he was back, and Tarzan

Through narrow, stinking alleys, black as Erebus, he groped, and then up a rickety stairway, at the end of

which was a closed door and a tiny, unglazed window. The window was high under the low eaves of the mud

building. Tarzan could just reach the sill. He raised himself slowly until his eyes topped it. The room within

"Rokoff, you are a devil!" he was saying. "You have hounded me until I have lost the last shred of my honor.

You have driven me to murder, for the blood of that man Tarzan is on my hands. If it were not that that other

devil's spawn, Paulvitch, still knew my secret, I should kill you here tonight with my bare hands."

Rokoff laughed. "You would not do that, my dear lieutenant," he said. "The moment I am reported dead by

assassination that dear Alexis will forward to the minister of war full proof of the affair you so ardently long

to conceal; and, further, will charge you with my murder. Come, be sensible. I am your best friend. Have I

"Just one more little payment," continued Rokoff, "and the papers I wish, and you have my word of honor

"And a good reason why," growled Gernois. "What you ask will take my last cent, and the only valuable

military secret I hold. You ought to be paying me for the information, instead of taking both it and money,

"I am paying you by keeping a still tongue in my head," retorted Rokoff. "But let's have done. Will you, or

will you not? I give you three minutes to decide. If you are not agreeable I shall send a note to your

commandant tonight that will end in the degradation that Dreyfus sufferedthe only difference being that he

For a moment Gernois sat with bowed head. At length he arose. He drew two pieces of paper from his blouse.

"Here," he said hopelessly. "I had them ready, for I knew that there could be but one outcome." He held them

"You have done well, Gernois," he said. "I shall not trouble you againunless you happen to accumulate

"You never shall again, you dog!" hissed Gernois. "The next time I shall kill you. I came near doing it

tonight. For an hour I sat with these two pieces of paper on my table before me ere I came herebeside them

lay my loaded revolver. I was trying to decide which I should bring. Next time the choice shall be easier, for I

already have decided. You had a close call tonight, Rokoff; do not tempt fate a second time."

Then Gernois rose to leave. Tarzan barely had time to drop to the landing and shrink back into the shadows

on the far side of the door. Even then he scarcely hoped to elude detection. The landing was very small, and

though he flattened himself against the wall at its far edge he was scarcely more than a foot from the

doorway. Almost immediately it opened, and Gernois stepped out. Rokoff was behind him. Neither spoke.

Gernois had taken perhaps three steps down the stairway when he halted and half turned, as though to retrace

Tarzan knew that discovery would be inevitable. Rokoff still stood on the threshold a foot from him, but he

was looking in the opposite direction, toward Gernois. Then the officer evidently reconsidered his decision,

and resumed his downward course. Tarzan could hear Rokoff's sigh of relief. A moment later the Russian

Tarzan waited until Gernois had had time to get well out of hearing, then he pushed open the door and

stepped into the room. He was on top of Rokoff before the man could rise from the chair where he sat

scanning the paper Gernois had given him. As his eyes turned and fell upon the apeman's face his own went

"What do you want?" whispered Rokoff, for the look in the apeman's eyes frightened him. "Have you come

to kill me? You do not dare. They would guillotine you. You do not dare kill me."

"I dare kill you, Rokoff," replied Tarzan, "for no one knows that you are here or that I am here, and Paulvitch

would tell them that it was Gernois. I heard you tell Gernois so. But that would not influence me, Rokoff. I

would not care who knew that I had killed you; the pleasure of killing you would more than compensate for

any punishment they might inflict upon me. You are the most despicable cur of a coward, Rokoff, I have ever

heard of. You should be killed. I should love to kill you," and Tarzan approached closer to the man.

Rokoff's nerves were keyed to the breaking point. With a shriek he sprang toward an adjoining room, but the

apeman was upon his back while his leap was yet but half completed. Iron fingers sought his throatthe

great coward squealed like a stuck pig, until Tarzan had shut off his wind. Then the apeman dragged him to

his feet, still choking him. The Russian struggled futilelyhe was like a babe in the mighty grasp of Tarzan

Tarzan sat him in a chair, and long before there was danger of the man's dying he released his hold upon his

"I have given you a taste of the suffering of death," he said. "But I shall not killthis time. I am sparing you

solely for the sake of a very good woman whose great misfortune it was to have been born of the same

woman who gave birth to you. But I shall spare you only this once on her account. Should I ever learn that

you have again annoyed her or her husbandshould you ever annoy me againshould I hear that you have

returned to France or to any French posession, I shall make it my sole business to hunt you down and

complete the choking I commenced tonight." Then he turned to the table, on which the two pieces of paper

Tarzan examined both the check and the other. He was amazed at the information the latter contained. Rokoff

had partially read it, but Tarzan knew that no one could remember the salient facts and figures it held which

"These will interest the chief of staff," he said, as he slipped them into his pocket. Rokoff groaned. He did not

The next morning Tarzan rode north on his way to Bouira and Algiers. As he had ridden past the hotel

Lieutenant Gernois was standing on the veranda. As his eyes discovered Tarzan he went white as chalk. The

apeman would have been glad had the meeting not occurred, but he could not avoid it. He saluted the officer

as he rode past. Mechanically Gernois returned the salute, but those terrible, wide eyes followed the

horseman, expressionless except for horror. It was as though a dead man looked upon a ghost.

At Sidi Aissa Tarzan met a French officer with whom he had become acquainted on the occasion of his recent

"You left Bou Saada early?" questioned the officer. "Then you have not heard about poor Gernois."

Two days later Tarzan reached Algiers. There he found that he would have a two days' wait before he could

catch a ship bound for Cape Town. He occupied his time in writing out a full report of his mission. The secret

papers he had taken from Rokoff he did not inclose, for he did not dare trust them out of his own possession

until he had been authorized to turn them over to another agent, or himself return to Paris with them.

As Tarzan boarded his ship after what seemed a most tedious wait to him, two men watched him from an

upper deck. Both were fashionably dressed and smooth shaven. The taller of the two had sandy hair, but his

eyebrows were very black. Later in the day they chanced to meet Tarzan on deck, but as one hurriedly called

his companion's attention to something at sea their faces were turned from Tarzan as he passed, so that he did

Following the instructions of his chief, Tarzan had booked his passage under an assumed nameJohn

Caldwell, London. He did not understand the necessity of this, and it caused him considerable speculation.

"Well," he thought, "thank Heaven that I am rid of Rokoff. He was commencing to annoy me. I wonder if I

am really becoming so civilized that presently I shall develop a set of nerves. He would give them to me if

any one could, for he does not fight fair. One never knows through what new agency he is going to strike. It

is as though Numa, the lion, had induced Tantor, the elephant, and Histah, the snake, to join him in

attempting to kill me. I would then never have known what minute, or by whom, I was to be attacked next.

But the brutes are more chivalrous than manthey do not stoop to cowardly intrigue."

At dinner that night Tarzan sat next to a young woman whose place was at the captain's left. The officer

Miss Strong! Where had he heard the name before? It was very familiar. And then the girl's mother gave him

Hazel Strong! What memories the name inspired. It had been a letter to this girl, penned by the fair hand of

Jane Porter, that had carried to him the first message from the woman he loved. How vividly he recalled the

night he had stolen it from the desk in the cabin of his longdead father, where Jane Porter had sat writing it

late into the night, while he crouched in the darkness without. How terror stricken she would have been that

night had she known that the wild jungle beast squatted outside her window, watching her every move.

Let us go back a few months to the little, windswept platform of a railway station in northern Wisconsin. The

smoke of forest fires hangs low over the surrounding landscape, its acrid fumes smarting the eyes of a little

party of six who stand waiting the coming of the train that is to bear them away toward the south.

Professor Archimedes Q. Porter, his hands clasped beneath the tails of his long coat, paces back and forth

under the everwatchful eye of his faithful secretary, Mr. Samuel T. Philander. Twice within the past few

minutes he has started absentmindedly across the tracks in the direction of a nearby swamp, only to be

Jane Porter, the professor's daughter, is in strained and lifeless conversation with William Cecil Clayton and

Tarzan of the Apes. Within the little waiting room, but a bare moment before, a confession of love and a

renunciation had taken place that had blighted the lives and happiness of two of the party, but William Cecil

Behind Miss Porter hovered the motherly Esmeralda. She, too, was happy, for was she not returning to her

beloved Maryland? Already she could see dimly through the fog of smoke the murky headlight of the

oncoming engine. The men began to gather up the hand baggage. Suddenly Clayton exclaimed.

"By Jove! I've left my ulster in the waitingroom," and hastened off to fetch it.

"Goodbye," replied the girl faintly. "Try to forget meno, not thatI could not bear to think that you had

"There is no danger of that, dear," he answered. "I wish to Heaven that I might forget. It would be so much

easier than to go through life always remembering what might have been. You will be happy, though; I am

sure you shallyou must be. You may tell the others of my decision to drive my car on to New YorkI

don't feel equal to bidding Clayton goodbye. I want always to remember him kindly, but I fear that I am too

much of a wild beast yet to be trusted too long with the man who stands between me and the one person in all

As Clayton stooped to pick up his coat in the waiting room his eyes fell on a telegraph blank lying face down

upon the floor. He stooped to pick it up, thinking it might be a message of importance which some one had

dropped. He glanced at it hastily, and then suddenly he forgot his coat, the approaching traineverything but

that terrible little piece of yellow paper in his hand. He read it twice before he could fully grasp the terrific

When he had picked it up he had been an English nobleman, the proud and wealthy possessor of vast

estatesa moment later he had read it, and he knew that he was an untitled and penniless beggar. It was

He staggered as though he had received a mortal blow. Just then he heard the others calling to him to

hurrythe train was coming to a stop at the little platform. Like a man dazed he gathered up his ulster. He

would tell them about the cablegram when they were all on board the train. Then he ran out upon the platform

just as the engine whistled twice in the final warning that precedes the first rumbling jerk of coupling pins.

The others were on board, leaning out from the platform of a Pullman, crying to him to hurry. Quite five

minutes elapsed before they were settled in their seats, nor was it until then that Clayton discovered that

"No," she replied; "at the last minute he determined to drive his machine back to New York. He is anxious to

see more of America than is possible from a car window. He is returning to France, you know."

Clayton did not reply. He was trying to find the right words to explain to Jane Porter the calamity that had

befallen him and her. He wondered just what the effect of his knowledge would be on her. Would she still

wish to marry himto be plain Mrs. Clayton? Suddenly the awful sacrifice which one of them must make

loomed large before his imagination. Then came the question: Will Tarzan claim his own? The apeman had

known the contents of the message before he calmly denied knowledge of his parentage! He had admitted

There was no other explanation which seemed reasonable. Then, having ignored the evidence of the message,

was it not reasonable to assume that he meant never to claim his birthright? If this were so, what right had he,

William Cecil Clayton, to thwart the wishes, to balk the selfsacrifice of this strange man? If Tarzan of the

Apes could do this thing to save Jane Porter from unhappiness, why should he, to whose care she was

And so he reasoned until the first generous impulse to proclaim the truth and relinquish his titles and his

estates to their rightful owner was forgotten beneath the mass of sophistries which selfinterest had

advanced. But during the balance of the trip, and for many days thereafter, he was moody and distraught.

Occasionally the thought obtruded itself that possibly at some later day Tarzan would regret his magnanimity,

Several days after they reached Baltimore Clayton broached the subject of an early marriage to Jane.

"Within the next few days. I must return to England at onceI want you to return with me, dear."

"I can't get ready so soon as that," replied Jane. "It will take a whole month, at least."

She was glad, for she hoped that whatever called him to England might still further delay the wedding. She

had made a bad bargain, but she intended carrying her part loyally to the bitter endif she could manage to

secure a temporary reprieve, though, she felt that she was warranted in doing so. His reply disconcerted her.

"Very well, Jane," he said. "I am disappointed, but I shall let my trip to England wait a month; then we can go

But when the month was drawing to a close she found still another excuse upon which to hang a

postponement, until at last, discouraged and doubting, Clayton was forced to go back to England alone.

The several letters that passed between them brought Clayton no nearer to a consummation of his hopes than

he had been before, and so it was that he wrote directly to Professor Porter, and enlisted his services. The old

man had always favored the match. He liked Clayton, and, being of an old southern family, he put rather an

exaggerated value on the advantages of a title, which meant little or nothing to his daughter.

Clayton urged that the professor accept his invitation to be his guest in London, an invitation which included

the professor's entire little familyMr. Philander, Esmeralda, and all. The Englishman argued that once Jane

was there, and home ties had been broken, she would not so dread the step which she had so long hesitated to

So the evening that he received Clayton's letter Professor Porter announced that they would leave for London

But once in London Jane Porter was no more tractable than she had been in Baltimore. She found one excuse

after another, and when, finally, Lord Tennington invited the party to cruise around Africa in his yacht, she

expressed the greatest delight in the idea, but absolutely refused to be married until they had returned to

London. As the cruise was to consume a year at least, for they were to stop for indefinite periods at various

points of interest, Clayton mentally anathematized Tennington for ever suggesting such a ridiculous trip.

It was Lord Tennington's plan to cruise through the Mediterranean, and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, and

And so it happened that on a certain day two vessels passed in the Strait of Gibraltar. The smaller, a trim

white yacht, was speeding toward the east, and on her deck sat a young woman who gazed with sad eyes

upon a diamondstudded locket which she idly fingered. Her thoughts were far away, in the dim, leafy fastness

She wondered if the man who had given her the beautiful bauble, that had meant so much more to him than

the intrinsic value which he had not even known could ever have meant to him, was back in his savage forest.

And upon the deck of the larger vessel, a passenger steamer passing toward the east, the man sat with another

young woman, and the two idly speculated upon the identity of the dainty craft gliding so gracefully through

When the yacht had passed the man resumed the conversation that her appearance had broken off.

"Yes," he said, "I like America very much, and that means, of course, that I like Americans, for a country is

only what its people make it. I met some very delightful people while I was there. I recall one family from

your own city, Miss Strong, whom I liked particularlyProfessor Porter and his daughter."

"Jane Porter!" exclaimed the girl. "Do you mean to tell me that you know Jane Porter? Why, she is the very

best friend I have in the world. We were little children togetherwe have known each other for ages."

"Indeed!" he answered, smiling. "You would have difficulty in persuading any one of the fact who had seen

"I'll qualify the statement, then," she answered, with a laugh. "We have known each other for two ageshers

and mine. But seriously we are as dear to each other as sisters, and now that I am going to lose her I am

"Going to lose her?" exclaimed Tarzan. "Why, what do you mean? Oh, yes, I understand. You mean that now

"Yes," replied she; "and the saddest part of it all is that she is not marrying the man she loves. Oh, it is

terrible. Marrying from a sense of duty! I think it is perfectly wicked, and I told her so. I have felt so strongly

on the subject that although I was the only person outside of blood relations who was to have been asked to

the wedding I would not let her invite me, for I should not have gone to witness the terrible mockery. But

Jane Porter is peculiarly positive. She has convinced herself that she is doing the only honorable thing that

she can do, and nothing in the world will ever prevent her from marrying Lord Greystoke except Greystoke

"And I am sorry for the man she loves," said the girl, "for he loves her. I never met him, but from what Jane

tells me he must be a very wonderful person. It seems that he was born in an African jungle, and brought up

by fierce, anthropoid apes. He had never seen a white man or woman until Professor Porter and his party

were marooned on the coast right at the threshold of his tiny cabin. He saved them from all manner of terrible

beasts, and accomplished the most wonderful feats imaginable, and then to cap the climax he fell in love with

Jane and she with him, though she never really knew it for sure until she had promised herself to Lord

"Most remarkable," murmured Tarzan, cudgeling his brain for some pretext upon which to turn the subject.

He delighted in hearing Hazel Strong talk of Jane, but when he was the subject of the conversation he was

bored and embarrassed. But he was soon given a respite, for the girl's mother joined them, and the talk

The next few days passed uneventfully. The sea was quiet. The sky was clear. The steamer plowed steadily

on toward the south without pause. Tarzan spent quite a little time with Miss Strong and her mother. They

whiled away their hours on deck reading, talking, or taking pictures with Miss Strong's camera. When the sun

One day Tarzan found Miss Strong in conversation with a stranger, a man he had not seen on board before.

"Wait, Monsieur Thuran," said Miss Strong; "you must meet Mr. Caldwell. We are all fellow passengers, and

The two men shook hands. As Tarzan looked into the eyes of Monsieur Thuran he was struck by the strange

"I have had the honor of monsieur's acquaintance in the past, I am sure," said Tarzan, "though I cannot recall

"I cannot say, monsieur," he replied. "It may be so. I have had that identical sensation myself when meeting a

"Monsieur Thuran has been explaining some of the mysteries of navigation to me," explained the girl.

Tarzan paid little heed to the conversation that ensuedhe was attempting to recall where he had met

Monsieur Thuran before. That it had been under peculiar circumstances he was positive. Presently the sun

reached them, and the girl asked Monsieur Thuran to move her chair farther back into the shade. Tarzan

happened to be watching the man at the time, and noticed the awkward manner in which he handled the

chairhis left wrist was stiff. That clew was sufficienta sudden train of associated ideas did the rest.

Monsieur Thuran had been trying to find an excuse to make a graceful departure. The lull in the conversation

following the moving of their position gave him an opportunity to make his excuses. Bowing low to Miss

"Just a moment," said Tarzan. "If Miss Strong will pardon me I will accompany you. I shall return in a

Monsieur Thuran looked uncomfortable. When the two men had passed out of the girl's sight, Tarzan

"I see you are," said Tarzan; "but I know you so well that I can scarcely believe that your being on the same

boat with me is purely a coincidence. If I could believe it the fact that you are in disguise would immediately

"Well," growled Rokoff, with a shrug, "I cannot see what you are going to do about it. This vessel flies the

English flag. I have as much right on board her as you, and from the fact that you are booked under an

"We will not discuss it, Rokoff. All I wanted to say to you is that you must keep away from Miss

"If you don't I shall pitch you overboard," continued Tarzan. "Do not forget that I am just waiting for some

excuse." Then he turned on his heel, and left Rokoff standing there trembling with suppressed rage.

He did not see the man again for days, but Rokoff was not idle. In his stateroom with Paulvitch he fumed and

"I would throw him overboard tonight," he cried, "were I sure that those papers were not on his person. I

cannot chance pitching them into the ocean with him. If you were not such a stupid coward, Alexis, you

Paulvitch smiled. "You are supposed to be the brains of this partnership, my dear Nikolas," he replied. "Why

Two hours later fate was kind to them, for Paulvitch, who was ever on the watch, saw Tarzan leave his room

without locking the door. Five minutes later Rokoff was stationed where he could give the alarm in case

Tarzan returned, and Paulvitch was deftly searching the contents of the ape man's luggage.

He was about to give up in despair when he saw a coat which Tarzan had just removed. A moment later he

grasped an official envelope in his hand. A quick glance at its contents brought a broad smile to the Russian's

When he left the stateroom Tarzan himself could not have told that an article in it had been touched since he

left itPaulvitch was a past master in his chosen field. When he handed the packet to Rokoff in the seclusion

of their stateroom the larger man rang for a steward, and ordered a pint of champagne.

"It was luck, Nikolas," explained Paulvitch. "It is evident that he carries these papers always upon his

personjust by chance he neglected to transfer them when he changed coats a few minutes since. But there

will be the deuce to pay when he discovers his loss. I am afraid that he will immediately connect you with it.

"It will make no difference whom he suspectsafter tonight," said Rokoff, with a nasty grin.

After Miss Strong had gone below that night Tarzan stood leaning over the rail looking far out to sea. Every

night he had done this since he had come on boardsometimes he stood thus for an hour. And the eyes that

had been watching his every movement since he had boarded the ship at Algiers knew that this was his habit.

Even as he stood there this night those eyes were on him. Presently the last straggler had left the deck. It was

From the shadows of the cabin two figures crept stealthily upon the apeman from behind. The lapping of the

waves against the ship's sides, the whirring of the propeller, the throbbing of the engines, drowned the almost

They were quite close to him now, and crouching low, like tacklers on a gridiron. One of them raised his

hand and lowered it, as though counting off secondsonetwothree! As one man the two leaped for

their victim. Each grasped a leg, and before Tarzan of the Apes, lightning though he was, could turn to save

himself he had been pitched over the low rail and was falling into the Atlantic.

Hazel Strong was looking from her darkened port across the dark sea. Suddenly a body shot past her eyes

from the deck above. It dropped so quickly into the dark waters below that she could not be sure of what it

wasit might have been a man, she could not say. She listened for some outcry from abovefor the

alwaysfearsome call, "Man overboard!" but it did not come. All was silence on the ship aboveall was

The girl decided that she had but seen a bundle of refuse thrown overboard by one of the ship's crew, and a

The next morning at breakfast Tarzan's place was vacant. Miss Strong was mildly curious, for Mr. Caldwell

had always made it a point to wait that he might breakfast with her and her mother. As she was sitting on

deck later Monsieur Thuran paused to exchange a half dozen pleasant words with her. He seemed in most

excellent spiritshis manner was the extreme of affability. As he passed on Miss Strong thought what a very

The day dragged heavily. She missed the quiet companionship of Mr. Caldwellthere had been something

about him that had made the girl like him from the first; he had talked so entertainingly of the places he had

seenthe peoples and their customsthe wild beasts; and he had always had a droll way of drawing

striking comparisons between savage animals and civilized men that showed a considerable knowledge of the

When Monsieur Thuran stopped again to chat with her in the afternoon she welcomed the break in the day's

monotony. But she had begun to become seriously concerned in Mr. Caldwell's continued absence; somehow

she constantly associated it with the start she had had the night before, when the dark object fell past her port

into the sea. Presently she broached the subject to Monsieur Thuran. Had he seen Mr. Caldwell today? He

"He was not at breakfast as usual, nor have I seen him once since yesterday," explained the girl.

"I did not have the pleasure of intimate acquaintance with Mr. Caldwell," he said. "He seemed a most

estimable gentleman, however. Can it be that he is indisposed, and has remained in his stateroom? It would

"No," replied the girl, "it would not be strange, of course; but for some inexplicable reason I have one of

those foolish feminine presentiments that all is not right with Mr. Caldwell. It is the strangest feelingit is as

Monsieur Thuran laughed pleasantly. "Mercy, my dear Miss Strong," he said; "where in the world could he

"Of course, it is ridiculous of me," she admitted. And then: "But I am not going to worry about it any longer;

I am going to find out where Mr. Caldwell is," and she motioned to a passing steward.

"That may be more difficult than you imagine, my dear girl," thought Monsieur Thuran, but aloud he said:

"Find Mr. Caldwell, please," she said to the steward, "and tell him that his friends are much worried by his

"I think he is splendid," replied the girl. "And mamma is perfectly infatuated with him. He is the sort of man

with whom one has a feeling of perfect securityno one could help but have confidence in Mr. Caldwell."

A moment later the steward returned to say that Mr. Caldwell was not in his stateroom. "I cannot find him,

Miss Strong, and"he hesitated"I have learned that his berth was not occupied last night. I think that I

"Most assuredly," exclaimed Miss Strong. "I shall go with you to the captain myself. It is terrible! I know that

It was a very frightened young woman and an excited steward who presented themselves before the captain a

few moments later. He listened to their stories in silencea look of concern marking his expression as the

steward assured him that he had sought for the missing passenger in every part of the ship that a passenger

"And are you sure, Miss Strong, that you saw a body fall overboard last night?" he asked.

"There is not the slightest doubt about that," she answered. "I cannot say that it was a human bodythere

was no outcry. It might have been only what I thought it wasa bundle of refuse. But if Mr. Caldwell is not

found on board I shall always be positive that it was he whom I saw fall past my port."

The captain ordered an immediate and thorough search of the entire ship from stem to sternno nook or

cranny was to be overlooked. Miss Strong remained in his cabin, waiting the outcome of the quest. The

captain asked her many questions, but she could tell him nothing about the missing man other than what she

had herself seen during their brief acquaintance on shipboard. For the first time she suddenly realized how

very little indeed Mr. Caldwell had told her about himself or his past life. That he had been born in Africa and

educated in Paris was about all she knew, and this meager information had been the result of her surprise that

"Only as he had been with methrough the circumstance of casual meeting as fellow shipmates."

"I do not know that he drank at allhe certainly had not been drinking up to half an hour before I saw that

body fall overboard," she answered, "for I was with him on deck up to that time."

"It is very strange," said the captain. "He did not look to me like a man who was subject to fainting spells, or

anything of that sort. And even had he been it is scarcely credible that he should have fallen completely over

the rail had he been taken with an attack while leaning upon it he would rather have fallen inside, upon the

deck. If he is not on board, Miss Strong, he was thrown overboardand the fact that you heard no outcry

would lead to the assumption that he was dead before he left the ship's deckmurdered."

It was a full hour later that the first officer returned to report the outcome of the search.

"I fear that there is something more serious than accident here, Mr. Brently," said the captain. "I wish that you

would make a personal and very careful examination of Mr. Caldwell's effects, to ascertain if there is any

Hazel Strong was prostrated. For two days she did not leave her cabin, and when she finally ventured on deck

she was very wan and white, with great, dark circles beneath her eyes. Waking or sleeping, it seemed that she

constantly saw that dark body dropping, swift and silent, into the cold, grim sea.

Shortly after her first appearance on deck following the tragedy, Monsieur Thuran joined her with many

"Nor I," said the girl wearily. "I feel that he might have been saved had I but given the alarm."

"You must not reproach yourself, my dear Miss Strong," urged Monsieur Thuran. "It was in no way your

fault. Another would have done as you did. Who would think that because something fell into the sea from a

ship that it must necessarily be a man? Nor would the outcome have been different had you given an alarm.

For a while they would have doubted your story, thinking it but the nervous hallucination of a womanhad

you insisted it would have been too late to have rescued him by the time the ship could have been brought to

a stop, and the boats lowered and rowed back miles in search of the unknown spot where the tragedy had

occurred. No, you must not censure yourself. You have done more than any other of us for poor Mr.

Caldwellyou were the only one to miss him. It was you who instituted the search."

The girl could not help but feel grateful to him for his kind and encouraging words. He was with her

oftenalmost constantly for the remainder of the voyageand she grew to like him very much indeed.

Monsieur Thuran had learned that the beautiful Miss Strong, of Baltimore, was an American heiressa very

wealthy girl in her own right, and with future prospects that quite took his breath away when he contemplated

them, and since he spent most of his time in that delectable pastime it is a wonder that he breathed at all.

It had been Monsieur Thuran's intention to leave the ship at the first port they touched after the disappearance

of Tarzan. Did he not have in his coat pocket the thing he had taken passage upon this very boat to obtain?

There was nothing more to detain him here. He could not return to the Continent fast enough, that he might

But now another idea had obtruded itself, and was rapidly crowding his original intentions into the

background. That American fortune was not to be sneezed at, nor was its possessor a whit less attractive.

"SAPRISTI! but she would cause a sensation in St. Petersburg." And he would, too, with the assistance of her

After Monsieur Thuran had squandered a few million dollars, he discovered that the vocation was so entirely

to his liking that he would continue on down to Cape Town, where he suddenly decided that he had pressing

Miss Strong had told him that she and her mother were to visit the latter's brother therethey had not

"I hope that we shall be able to continue our acquaintance," she said. "You must call upon mamma and me as

Monsieur Thuran was delighted at the prospect, and lost no time in saying so. Mrs. Strong was not quite so

"I do not know why I should distrust him," she said to Hazel one day as they were discussing him. "He seems

a perfect gentleman in every respect, but sometimes there is something about his eyesa fleeting expression

which I cannot describe, but which when I see it gives me a very uncanny feeling."

"I suppose so, but I am sorry that we have not poor Mr. Caldwell for company instead."

Monsieur Thuran became a frequent visitor at the home of Hazel Strong's uncle in Cape Town. His attentions

were very marked, but they were so punctiliously arranged to meet the girl's every wish that she came to

depend upon him more and more. Did she or her mother or a cousin require an escortwas there a little

friendly service to be rendered, the genial and ubiquitous Monsieur Thuran was always available. Her uncle

and his family grew to like him for his unfailing courtesy and willingness to be of service. Monsieur Thuran

was becoming indispensable. At length, feeling the moment propitious, he proposed. Miss Strong was

"I had never thought that you cared for me in any such way," she told him. "I have looked upon you always

as a very dear friend. I shall not give you my answer now. Forget that you have asked me to be your wife. Let

us go on as we have beenthen I can consider you from an entirely different angle for a time. It may be that

I shall discover that my feeling for you is more than friendship. I certainly have not thought for a moment that

This arrangement was perfectly satisfactory to Monsieur Thuran. He deeply regretted that he had been hasty,

but he had loved her for so long a time, and so devotedly, that he thought that every one must know it.

"From the first time I saw you, Hazel," he said, "I have loved you. I am willing to wait, for I am certain that

so great and pure a love as mine will be rewarded. All that I care to know is that you do not love another.

"I have never been in love in my life," she replied, and he was quite satisfied. On the way home that night he

The next day Hazel Strong enjoyed one of the happiest surprises of her lifeshe ran face to face upon Jane

"Why, Jane Porter!" she exclaimed. "Where in the world did you drop from? Why, I can't believe my own

"Well, of all things!" cried the equally astonished Jane. "And here I have been wasting whole reams of

perfectly good imagination picturing you in Baltimorethe very idea!" And she threw her arms about her

By the time mutual explanations had been made Hazel knew that Lord Tennington's yacht had put in at Cape

Town for at least a week's stay, and at the end of that time was to continue on her voyagethis time up the

West Coastand so back to England. "Where," concluded Jane, "I am to be married."

"Not yet," replied Jane, and then, quite irrelevantly, "I wish England were a million miles from here.

Visits were exchanged between the yacht and Hazel's relatives. Dinners were arranged, and trips into the

surrounding country to entertain the visitors. Monsieur Thuran was a welcome guest at every function. He

gave a dinner himself to the men of the party, and managed to ingratiate himself in the good will of Lord

Monsieur Thuran had heard dropped a hint of something which might result from this unexpected visit of

Lord Tennington's yacht, and he wanted to be counted in on it. Once when he was alone with the Englishman

he took occasion to make it quite plain that his engagement to Miss Strong was to be announced immediately

upon their return to America. "But not a word of it, my dear Tenningtonnot a word of it."

"Certainly, I quite understand, my dear fellow," Tennington had replied. "But you are to be

The next day it came. Mrs. Strong, Hazel, and Monsieur Thuran were Lord Tennington's guests aboard his

yacht. Mrs. Strong had been telling them how much she had enjoyed her visit at Cape Town, and that she

regretted that a letter just received from her attorneys in Baltimore had necessitated her cutting her visit

"The first of the week, I think," she replied. "Indeed?" exclaimed Monsieur Thuran. "I am very fortunate. I,

too, have found that I must return at once, and now I shall have the honor of accompanying and serving you."

"That is nice of you, Monsieur Thuran," replied Mrs. Strong. "I am sure that we shall be glad to place

ourselves under your protection." But in the bottom of her heart was the wish that they might escape him.

"Yes, Tennington, of course," ventured Clayton; "it must be a bully idea if you had it, but what the deuce is

"Oh, I say now, Clayton," returned Tennington, "you needn't be so rough on a fellow just because you didn't

happen to suggest this trip yourselfyou've acted a regular bounder ever since we sailed.

"No, sir," he continued, "it's a bully idea, and you'll all say so. It's to take Mrs. Strong and Miss Strong, and

Thuran, too, if he'll come, as far as England with us on the yacht. Now, isn't that a corker?"

"Forgive me, Tenny, old boy," cried Clayton. "It certainly IS a corking ideaI never should have suspected

"And we'll sail the first of the week, or any other time that suits your convenience, Mrs. Strong," concluded

the bighearted Englishman, as though the thing were all arranged except the sailing date.

"Mercy, Lord Tennington, you haven't even given us an opportunity to thank you, much less decide whether

"Why, of course you'll come," responded Tennington. "We'll make as good time as any passenger boat, and

you'll be fully as comfortable; and, anyway, we all want you, and won't take no for an answer."

Two days out the girls were sitting in Hazel's cabin, looking at some prints she had had finished in Cape

Town. They represented all the pictures she had taken since she had left America, and the girls were both

engrossed in them, Jane asking many questions, and Hazel keeping up a perfect torrent of comment and

"And here," she said suddenly, "here's a man you know. Poor fellow, I have so often intended asking you

about him, but I never have been able to think of it when we were together." She was holding the little print

"His name was John Caldwell," continued Hazel. "Do you recall him? He said that he met you in America.

"I do not recollect the name," replied Jane. "Let me see the picture." "The poor fellow was lost overboard on

"Lost overWhy, Hazel, Hazeldon't tell me that he is deaddrowned at sea! Hazel! Why don't you say

that you are joking!" And before the astonished Miss Strong could catch her Jane Porter had slipped to the

After Hazel had restored her chum to consciousness she sat looking at her for a long time before either spoke.

"I did not know, Jane," said Hazel, in a constrained voice, "that you knew Mr. Caldwell so intimately that his

"John Caldwell?" questioned Miss Porter. "You do not mean to tell me that you do not know who this man

"Why, yes, Jane; I know perfectly well who he washis name was John Caldwell; he was from London."

"Oh, Hazel, I wish I could believe it," moaned the girl. "I wish I could believe it, but those features are

burned so deep into my memory and my heart that I should recognize them anywhere in the world from

"What do you mean, Jane?" cried Hazel, now thoroughly alarmed. "Who do you think it is?"

"I cannot be mistaken. Oh, Hazel, are you sure that he is dead? Can there be no mistake?"

"I am afraid not, dear," answered Hazel sadly. "I wish I could think that you are mistaken, but now a hundred

and one little pieces of corroborative evidence occur to me that meant nothing to me while I thought that he

was John Caldwell, of London. He said that he had been born in Africa, and educated in France."

"The first officer, who searched his luggage, found nothing to identify John Caldwell, of London. Practically

all his belongings had been made, or purchased, in Paris. Everything that bore an initial was marked either

with a `T' alone, or with `J. C. T.' We thought that he was traveling incognito under his first two namesthe

"Tarzan of the Apes took the name Jean C. Tarzan," said Jane, in the same lifeless monotone. "And he is

dead! Oh! Hazel, it is horrible! He died all alone in this terrible ocean! It is unbelievable that that brave heart

should have ceased to beatthat those mighty muscles are quiet and cold forever! That he who was the

personification of life and health and manly strength should be the prey of slimy, crawling things, that"

But she could go no further, and with a little moan she buried her head in her arms, and sank sobbing to the

For days Miss Porter was ill, and would see no one except Hazel and the faithful Esmeralda. When at last she

came on deck all were struck by the sad change that had taken place in her. She was no longer the alert,

vivacious American beauty who had charmed and delighted all who came in contact with her. Instead she

was a very quiet and sad little girlwith an expression of hopeless wistfulness that none but Hazel Strong

The entire party strove their utmost to cheer and amuse her, but all to no avail. Occasionally the jolly Lord

Tennington would wring a wan smile from her, but for the most part she sat with wide eyes looking out

With Jane Porter's illness one misfortune after another seemed to attack the yacht. First an engine broke

down, and they drifted for two days while temporary repairs were being made. Then a squall struck them

unaware, that carried overboard nearly everything above deck that was portable. Later two of the seamen fell

to fighting in the forecastle, with the result that one of them was badly wounded with a knife, and the other

had to be put in irons. Then, to cap the climax, the mate fell overboard at night, and was drowned before help

could reach him. The yacht cruised about the spot for ten hours, but no sign of the man was seen after he

Every member of the crew and guests was gloomy and depressed after these series of misfortunes. All were

apprehensive of worse to come, and this was especially true of the seamen who recalled all sorts of terrible

omens and warnings that had occurred during the early part of the voyage, and which they could now clearly

Nor did the croakers have long to wait. The second night after the drowning of the mate the little yacht was

suddenly wracked from stem to stern. About one o'clock in the morning there was a terrific impact that threw

the slumbering guests and crew from berth and bunk. A mighty shudder ran through the frail craft; she lay far

over to starboard; the engines stopped. For a moment she hung there with her decks at an angle of fortyfive

degreesthen, with a sullen, rending sound, she slipped back into the sea and righted.

Instantly the men rushed upon deck, followed closely by the women. Though the night was cloudy, there was

little wind or sea, nor was it so dark but that just off the port bow a black mass could be discerned floating

"That patch we put on the cylinder head's blown out, sir," he reported, "and she's makin' water fast for'ard on

"My Gawd!" he cried. "Her whole bleedin' bottom's ripped out. She can't float twenty minutes."

"Shut up!" roared Tennington. "Ladies, go below and get some of your things together. It may not be so bad

as that, but we may have to take to the boats. It will be safer to be prepared. Go at once, please. And, Captain

Jerrold, send some competent man below, please, to ascertain the exact extent of the damage. In the

The calm, low voice of the owner did much to reassure the entire party, and a moment later all were occupied

with the duties he had suggested. By the time the ladies had returned to the deck the rapid provisioning of the

boats had been about completed, and a moment later the officer who had gone below had returned to report.

But his opinion was scarcely needed to assure the huddled group of men and women that the end of the

"I dislike to frighten the ladies, sir," he said, "but she can't float a dozen minutes, in my opinion. There's a

For five minutes the LADY ALICE had been settling rapidly by the bow. Already her stern loomed high in

the air, and foothold on the deck was of the most precarious nature. She carried four boats, and these were all

filled and lowered away in safety. As they pulled rapidly from the stricken little vessel Jane Porter turned to

have one last look at her. Just then there came a loud crash and an ominous rumbling and pounding from the

heart of the shipher machinery had broken loose, and was dashing its way toward the bow, tearing out

partitions and bulkheads as it wentthe stern rose rapidly high above them; for a moment she seemed to

pause therea vertical shaft protruding from the bosom of the ocean, and then swiftly she dove

In one of the boats the brave Lord Tennington wiped a tear from his eyehe had not seen a fortune in money

At last the long night broke, and a tropical sun smote down upon the rolling water. Jane Porter had dropped

into a fitful slumberthe fierce light of the sun upon her upturned face awoke her. She looked about her. In

the boat with her were three sailors, Clayton, and Monsieur Thuran. Then she looked for the other boats, but

as far as the eye could reach there was nothing to break the fearful monotony of that waste of watersthey

As Tarzan struck the water, his first impulse was to swim clear of the ship and possible danger from her

propellers. He knew whom to thank for his present predicament, and as he lay in the sea, just supporting

himself by a gentle movement of his hands, his chief emotion was one of chagrin that he had been so easily

He lay thus for some time, watching the receding and rapidly diminishing lights of the steamer without it ever

once occurring to him to call for help. He never had called for help in his life, and so it is not strange that he

did not think of it now. Always had he depended upon his own prowess and resourcefulness, nor had there

ever been since the days of Kala any to answer an appeal for succor. When it did occur to him it was too late.

There was, thought Tarzan, a possible one chance in a hundred thousand that he might be picked up, and an

even smaller chance that he would reach land, so he determined that to combine what slight chances there

were, he would swim slowly in the direction of the coastthe ship might have been closer in than he had

His strokes were long and easyit would be many hours before those giant muscles would commence to feel

fatigue. As he swam, guided toward the east by the stars, he noticed that he felt the weight of his shoes, and

so he removed them. His trousers went next, and he would have removed his coat at the same time but for the

precious papers in its pocket. To assure himself that he still had them he slipped his hand in to feel, but to his

Now he knew that something more than revenge had prompted Rokoff to pitch him overboardthe Russian

had managed to obtain possession of the papers Tarzan had wrested from him at Bou Saada. The apeman

swore softly, and let his coat and shirt sink into the Atlantic. Before many hours he had divested himself of

his remaining garments, and was swimming easily and unencumbered toward the east.

The first faint evidence of dawn was paling the stars ahead of him when the dim outlines of a lowlying

black mass loomed up directly in his track. A few strong strokes brought him to its sideit was the bottom

of a wavewashed derelict. Tarzan clambered upon ithe would rest there until daylight at least. He had no

intention to remain there inactivea prey to hunger and thirst. If he must die he preferred dying in action

The sea was quiet, so that the wreck had only a gently undulating motion, that was nothing to the swimmer

who had had no sleep for twenty hours. Tarzan of the Apes curled up upon the slimy timbers, and was soon

The heat of the sun awoke him early in the forenoon. His first conscious sensation was of thirst, which grew

almost to the proportions of suffering with full returning consciousness; but a moment later it was forgotten

in the joy of two almost simultaneous discoveries. The first was a mass of wreckage floating beside the

derelict in the midst of which, bottom up, rose and fell an overturned lifeboat; the other was the faint, dim

Tarzan dove into the water, and swam around the wreck to the lifeboat. The cool ocean refreshed him almost

as much as would a draft of water, so that it was with renewed vigor that he brought the smaller boat

alongside the derelict, and, after many herculean efforts, succeeded in dragging it onto the slimy ship's

bottom. There he righted and examined itthe boat was quite sound, and a moment later floated upright

alongside the wreck. Then Tarzan selected several pieces of wreckage that might answer him as paddles, and

It was late in the afternoon by the time he came close enough to distinguish objects on land, or to make out

the contour of the shore line. Before him lay what appeared to be the entrance to a little, landlocked harbor.

The wooded point to the north was strangely familiar. Could it be possible that fate had thrown him up at the

very threshold of his own beloved jungle! But as the bow of his boat entered the mouth of the harbor the last

shred of doubt was cleared away, for there before him upon the farther shore, under the shadows of his

primeval forest, stood his own cabinbuilt before his birth by the hand of his longdead father, John

With long sweeps of his giant muscles Tarzan sent the little craft speeding toward the beach. Its prow had

scarcely touched when the apeman leaped to shorehis heart beat fast in joy and exultation as each

longfamiliar object came beneath his roving eyesthe cabin, the beach, the little brook, the dense jungle,

the black, impenetrable forest. The myriad birds in their brilliant plumagethe gorgeous tropical blooms

Tarzan of the Apes had come into his own again, and that all the world might know it he threw back his

young head, and gave voice to the fierce, wild challenge of his tribe. For a moment silence reigned upon the

jungle, and then, low and weird, came an answering challengeit was the deep roar of Numa, the lion; and

Tarzan went to the brook first, and slaked his thirst. Then he approached his cabin. The door was still closed

and latched as he and D'Arnot had left it. He raised the latch and entered. Nothing had been disturbed; there

were the table, the bed, and the little crib built by his fatherthe shelves and cupboards just as they had

stood for ever twentythree yearsjust as he had left them nearly two years before.

His eyes satisfied, Tarzan's stomach began to call aloud for attentionthe pangs of hunger suggested a

search for food. There was nothing in the cabin, nor had he any weapons; but upon a wall hung one of his old

grass ropes. It had been many times broken and spliced, so that he had discarded it for a better one long

before. Tarzan wished that he had a knife. Well, unless he was mistaken he should have that and a spear and

bows and arrows before another sun had setthe rope would take care of that, and in the meantime it must

be made to procure food for him. He coiled it carefully, and, throwing it about his shoulder, went out, closing

Close to the cabin the jungle commenced, and into it Tarzan of the Apes plunged, wary and noiselessonce

more a savage beast hunting its food. For a time he kept to the ground, but finally, discovering no spoor

indicative of nearby meat, he took to the trees. With the first dizzy swing from tree to tree all the old joy of

living swept over him. Vain regrets and dull heartache were forgotten. Now was he living. Now, indeed, was

the true happiness of perfect freedom his. Who would go back to the stifling, wicked cities of civilized man

While it was yet light Tarzan came to a drinking place by the side of a jungle river. There was a ford there,

and for countless ages the beasts of the forest had come down to drink at this spot. Here of a night might

always be found either Sabor or Numa crouching in the dense foliage of the surrounding jungle awaiting an

antelope or a water buck for their meal. Here came Horta, the boar, to water, and here came Tarzan of the

On a low branch he squatted above the trail. For an hour he waited. It was growing dark. A little to one side

of the ford in the densest thicket he heard the faint sound of padded feet, and the brushing of a huge body

against tall grasses and tangled creepers. None other than Tarzan might have heard it, but the apeman heard

and translatedit was Numa, the lion, on the same errand as himself. Tarzan smiled.

Presently he heard an animal approaching warily along the trail toward the drinking place. A moment more

and it came in viewit was Horta, the boar. Here was delicious meatand Tarzan's mouth watered. The

grasses where Numa lay were very still nowominously still. Horta passed beneath Tarzana few more

steps and he would be within the radius of Numa's spring. Tarzan could imagine how old Numa's eyes were

shininghow he was already sucking in his breath for the awful roar which would freeze his prey for the

brief instant between the moment of the spring and the sinking of terrible fangs into splintering bones.

But as Numa gathered himself, a slender rope flew through the air from the low branches of a nearby tree. A

noose settled about Horta's neck. There was a frightened grunt, a squeal, and then Numa saw his quarry

dragged backward up the trail, and, as he sprang, Horta, the boar, soared upward beyond his clutches into the

Then indeed did Numa roar. Angry, threatening, hungry, he paced back and forth beneath the taunting

apeman. Now he stopped, and, rising on his hind legs against the stem of the tree that held his enemy,

sharpened his huge claws upon the bark, tearing out great pieces that laid bare the white wood beneath.

And in the meantime Tarzan had dragged the struggling Horta to the limb beside him. Sinewy fingers

completed the work the choking noose had commenced. The apeman had no knife, but nature had equipped

him with the means of tearing his food from the quivering flank of his prey, and gleaming teeth sank into the

succulent flesh while the raging lion looked on from below as another enjoyed the dinner that he had thought

It was quite dark by the time Tarzan had gorged himself. Ah, but it had been delicious! Never had he quite

accustomed himself to the ruined flesh that civilized men had served him, and in the bottom of his savage

heart there had constantly been the craving for the warm meat of the fresh kill, and the rich, red blood.

He wiped his bloody hands upon a bunch of leaves, slung the remains of his kill across his shoulder, and

swung off through the middle terrace of the forest toward his cabin, and at the same instant Jane Porter and

William Cecil Clayton arose from a sumptuous dinner upon the LADY ALICE, thousands of miles to the

Beneath Tarzan walked Numa, the lion, and when the apeman deigned to glance downward he caught

occasional glimpses of the baleful green eyes following through the darkness. Numa did not roar

nowinstead, he moved stealthily, like the shadow of a great cat; but yet he took no step that did not reach

Tarzan wondered if he would stalk him to his cabin door. He hoped not, for that would mean a night's sleep

curled in the crotch of a tree, and he much preferred the bed of grasses within his own abode. But he knew

just the tree and the most comfortable crotch, if necessity demanded that he sleep out. A hundred times in the

past some great jungle cat had followed him home, and compelled him to seek shelter in this same tree, until

But presently Numa gave up the chase and, with a series of bloodcurdling moans and roars, turned angrily

back in search of another and an easier dinner. So Tarzan came to his cabin unattended, and a few moments

later was curled up in the mildewed remnants of what had once been a bed of grasses. Thus easily did

Monsieur Jean C. Tarzan slough the thin skin of his artificial civilization, and sink happy and contented into

the deep sleep of the wild beast that has fed to repletion. Yet a woman's "yes" would have bound him to that

Tarzan slept late into the following forenoon, for he had been very tired from the labors and exertion of the

long night and day upon the ocean, and the jungle jaunt that had brought into play muscles that he had scarce

used for nearly two years. When he awoke he ran to the brook first to drink. Then he took a plunge into the

sea, swimming about for a quarter of an hour. Afterward he returned to his cabin, and breakfasted off the

flesh of Horta. This done, he buried the balance of the carcass in the soft earth outside the cabin, for his

Once more he took his rope and vanished into the jungle. This time he hunted nobler quarryman; although

had you asked him his own opinion he could have named a dozen other denizens of the jungle which he

considered far the superiors in nobility of the men he hunted. Today Tarzan was in quest of weapons. He

wondered if the women and children had remained in Mbonga's village after the punitive expedition from the

French cruiser had massacred all the warriors in revenge for D'Arnot's supposed death. He hoped that he

should find warriors there, for he knew not how long a quest he should have to make were the village

The apeman traveled swiftly through the forest, and about noon came to the site of the village, but to his

disappointment found that the jungle had overgrown the plantain fields and that the thatched huts had fallen

in decay. There was no sign of man. He clambered about among the ruins for half an hour, hoping that he

might discover some forgotten weapon, but his search was without fruit, and so he took up his quest once

more, following up the stream, which flowed from a southeasterly direction. He knew that near fresh water he

As he traveled he hunted as he had hunted with his ape people in the past, as Kala had taught him to hunt,

turning over rotted logs to find some toothsome vermin, running high into the trees to rob a bird's nest, or

pouncing upon a tiny rodent with the quickness of a cat. There were other things that he ate, too, but the less

detailed the account of an ape's diet, the betterand Tarzan was again an ape, the same fierce, brutal

anthropoid that Kala had taught him to be, and that he had been for the first twenty years of his life.

Occasionally he smiled as he recalled some friend who might even at the moment be sitting placid and

immaculate within the precincts of his select Parisian clubjust as Tarzan had sat but a few months before;

and then he would stop, as though turned suddenly to stone as the gentle breeze carried to his trained nostrils

That night he slept far inland from his cabin, securely wedged into the crotch of a giant tree, swaying a

hundred feet above the ground. He had eaten heartily againthis time from the flesh of Bara, the deer, who

Early the next morning he resumed his journey, always following the course of the stream. For three days he

continued his quest, until he had come to a part of the jungle in which he never before had been. Occasionally

upon the higher ground the forest was much thinner, and in the far distance through the trees he could see

ranges of mighty mountains, with wide plains in the foreground. Here, in the open spaces, were new

gamecountless antelope and vast herds of zebra. Tarzan was entrancedhe would make a long visit to this

On the morning of the fourth day his nostrils were suddenly surprised by a faint new scent. It was the scent of

man, but yet a long way off. The apeman thrilled with pleasure. Every sense was on the alert as with crafty

stealth he moved quickly through the trees, upwind, in the direction of his prey. Presently he came upon

Tarzan followed close above his quarry, waiting for a clearer space in which to hurl his rope. As he stalked

the unconscious man, new thoughts presented themselves to the apemanthoughts born of the refining

influences of civilization, and of its cruelties. It came to him that seldom if ever did civilized man kill a

fellow being without some pretext, however slight. It was true that Tarzan wished this man's weapons and

The longer he thought about it, the more repugnant became the thought of taking human life needlessly; and

thus it happened that while he was trying to decide just what to do, they had come to a little clearing, at the

As the warrior emerged from the forest, Tarzan caught a fleeting glimpse of a tawny hide worming its way

through the matted jungle grasses in his wakeit was Numa, the lion. He, too, was stalking the black man.

With the instant that Tarzan realized the native's danger his attitude toward his erstwhile prey altered

Numa was about to chargethere was little time in which to compare various methods or weigh the probable

results of any. And then a number of things happened, almost simultaneouslythe lion sprang from his

ambush toward the retreating blackTarzan cried out in warningand the black turned just in time to see

Numa halted in midflight by a slender strand of grass rope, the noosed end of which had fallen cleanly about

The apeman had acted so quickly that he had been unable to prepare himself to withstand the strain and

shock of Numa's great weight upon the rope, and so it was that though the rope stopped the beast before his

mighty talons could fasten themselves in the flesh of the black, the strain overbalanced Tarzan, who came

tumbling to the ground not six paces from the infuriated animal. Like lightning Numa turned upon this new

enemy, and, defenseless as he was, Tarzan of the Apes was nearer to death that instant than he ever before

had been. It was the black who saved him. The warrior realized in an instant that he owed his life to this

strange white man, and he also saw that only a miracle could save his preserver from those fierce yellow

With the quickness of thought his spear arm flew back, and then shot forward with all the force of the sinewy

muscles that rolled beneath the shimmering ebon hide. True to its mark the ironshod weapon flew,

transfixing Numa's sleek carcass from the right groin to beneath the left shoulder. With a hideous scream of

rage and pain the brute turned again upon the black. A dozen paces he had gone when Tarzan's rope brought

him to a stand once more then he wheeled again upon the apeman, only to feel the painful prick of a

barbed arrow as it sank half its length in his quivering flesh. Again he stopped, and by this time Tarzan had

The black saw the trick, and grinned, but Tarzan knew that Numa must be quickly finished before those

mighty teeth had found and parted the slender cord that held him. It was a matter of but an instant to reach the

black's side and drag his long knife from its scabbard. Then he signed the warrior to continue to shoot arrows

into the great beast while he attempted to close in upon him with the knife; so as one tantalized upon one

side, the other sneaked cautiously in upon the other. Numa was furious. He raised his voice in a perfect

frenzy of shrieks, growls, and hideous moans, the while he reared upon his hind legs in futile attempt to reach

But at length the agile apeman saw his chance, and rushed in upon the beast's left side behind the mighty

shoulder. A giant arm encircled the tawny throat, and a long blade sank once, true as a die, into the fierce

heart. Then Tarzan arose, and the black man and the white looked into each other's eyes across the body of

their killand the black made the sign of peace and friendship, and Tarzan of the Apes answered in kind.

The noise of their battle with Numa had drawn an excited horde of savages from the nearby village, and a

moment after the lion's death the two men were surrounded by lithe, ebon warriors, gesticulating and

And then the women came, and the childreneager, curious, and, at sight of Tarzan, more questioning than

ever. The apeman's new friend finally succeeded in making himself heard, and when he had done talking the

men and women of the village vied with one another in doing honor to the strange creature who had saved

At last they led him back to their village, where they brought him gifts of fowl, and goats, and cooked food.

When he pointed to their weapons the warriors hastened to fetch spear, shield, arrows, and a bow. His friend

of the encounter presented him with the knife with which he had killed Numa. There was nothing in all the

How much easier this was, thought Tarzan, than murder and robbery to supply his wants. How close he had

been to killing this man whom he never had seen before, and who now was manifesting by every primitive

means at his command friendship and affection for his wouldbe slayer. Tarzan of the Apes was ashamed.

Hereafter he would at least wait until he knew men deserved it before he thought of killing them.

The idea recalled Rokoff to his mind. He wished that he might have the Russian to himself in the dark jungle

for a few minutes. There was a man who deserved killing if ever any one did. And if he could have seen

Rokoff at that moment as he assiduously bent every endeavor to the pleasant task of ingratiating himself into

the affections of the beautiful Miss Strong, he would have longed more than ever to mete out to the man the

Tarzan's first night with the savages was devoted to a wild orgy in his honor. There was feasting, for the

hunters had brought in an antelope and a zebra as trophies of their skill, and gallons of the weak native beer

were consumed. As the warriors danced in the firelight, Tarzan was again impressed by the symmetry of their

figures and the regularity of their featuresthe flat noses and thick lips of the typical West Coast savage

were entirely missing. In repose the faces of the men were intelligent and dignified, those of the women

It was during this dance that the apeman first noticed that some of the men and many of the women wore

ornaments of goldprincipally anklets and armlets of great weight, apparently beaten out of the solid metal.

When he expressed a wish to examine one of these, the owner removed it from her person and insisted,

through the medium of signs, that Tarzan accept it as a gift. A close scrutiny of the bauble convinced the

apeman that the article was of virgin gold, and he was surprised, for it was the first time that he had ever

seen golden ornaments among the savages of Africa, other than the trifling baubles those near the coast had

purchased or stolen from Europeans. He tried to ask them from whence the metal came, but he could not

When the dance was done Tarzan signified his intention to leave them, but they almost implored him to

accept the hospitality of a great hut which the chief set apart for his sole use. He tried to explain that he would

return in the morning, but they could not understand. When he finally walked away from them toward the

side of the village opposite the gate, they were still further mystified as to his intentions.

Tarzan, however, knew just what he was about. In the past he had had experience with the rodents and

vermin that infest every native village, and, while he was not overscrupulous about such matters, he much

The natives followed him to where a great tree overhung the palisade, and as Tarzan leaped for a lower

branch and disappeared into the foliage above, precisely after the manner of Manu, the monkey, there were

loud exclamations of surprise and astonishment. For half an hour they called to him to return, but as he did

not answer them they at last desisted, and sought the sleepingmats within their huts.

Tarzan went back into the forest a short distance until he had found a tree suited to his primitive

requirements, and then, curling himself in a great crotch, he fell immediately into a deep sleep.

The following morning he dropped into the village street as suddenly as he had disappeared the preceding

night. For a moment the natives were startled and afraid, but when they recognized their guest of the night

before they welcomed him with shouts and laughter. That day he accompanied a party of warriors to the

nearby plains on a great hunt, and so dexterous did they find this white man with their own crude weapons

For weeks Tarzan lived with his savage friends, hunting buffalo, antelope, and zebra for meat, and elephant

for ivory. Quickly he learned their simple speech, their native customs, and the ethics of their wild, primitive

tribal life. He found that they were not cannibalsthat they looked with loathing and contempt upon men

Busuli, the warrior whom he had stalked to the village, told him many of the tribal legendshow, many

years before, his people had come many long marches from the north; how once they had been a great and

powerful tribe; and how the slave raiders had wrought such havoc among them with their deathdealing guns

"They hunted us down as one hunts a fierce beast," said Busuli. "There was no mercy in them. When it was

not slaves they sought it was ivory, but usually it was both. Our men were killed and our women driven away

like sheep. We fought against them for many years, but our arrows and spears could not prevail against the

sticks which spit fire and lead and death to many times the distance that our mightiest warrior could place an

arrow. At last, when my father was a young man, the Arabs came again, but our warriors saw them a long

way off, and Chowambi, who was chief then, told his people to gather up their belongings and come away

with himthat he would lead them far to the south until they found a spot to which the Arab raiders did not

"And they did as he bid, carrying all their belongings, including many tusks of ivory. For months they

wandered, suffering untold hardships and privations, for much of the way was through dense jungle, and

across mighty mountains, but finally they came to this spot, and although they sent parties farther on to

"About a year ago a small party of Arabs and Manyuema stumbled upon us, but we drove them off, killing

many. For days we followed them, stalking them for the wild beasts they are, picking them off one by one,

As Busuli talked he fingered a heavy gold armlet that encircled the glossy hide of his left arm. Tarzan's eyes

had been upon the ornament, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Presently he recalled the question he had tried

to ask when he first came to the tribethe question he could not at that time make them understand. For

weeks he had forgotten so trivial a thing as gold, for he had been for the time a truly primeval man with no

thought beyond today. But of a sudden the sight of gold awakened the sleeping civilization that was in him,

and with it came the lust for wealth. That lesson Tarzan had learned well in his brief experience of the ways

of civilized man. He knew that gold meant power and pleasure. He pointed to the bauble.

"No, but some of our people were there years ago, when my father was yet a young man. One of the parties

that searched farther for a location for the tribe when first they settled here came upon a strange people who

wore many ornaments of yellow metal. Their spears were tipped with it, as were their arrows, and they

"They lived in a great village in huts that were built of stone and surrounded by a great wall. They were very

fierce, rushing out and falling upon our warriors before ever they learned that their errand was a peaceful one.

Our men were few in number, but they held their own at the top of a little rocky hill, until the fierce people

went back at sunset into their wicked city. Then our warriors came down from their hill, and, after taking

many ornaments of yellow metal from the bodies of those they had slain, they marched back out of the valley,

"They are wicked peopleneither white like you nor black like me, but covered with hair as is Bolgani, the

gorilla. Yes, they are very bad people indeed, and Chowambi was glad to get out of their country."

"And are none of those alive who were with Chowambi, and saw these strange people and their wonderful

"Waziri, our chief, was there," replied Busuli. "He was a very young man then, but he accompanied

So that night Tarzan asked Waziri about it, and Waziri, who was now an old man, said that it was a long

"For ten days we followed this river which runs beside our village. Up toward its source we traveled until on

the tenth day we came to a little spring far up upon the side of a lofty mountain range. In this little spring our

river is born. The next day we crossed over the top of the mountain, and upon the other side we came to a tiny

rivulet which we followed down into a great forest. For many days we traveled along the winding banks of

the rivulet that had now become a river, until we came to a greater river, into which it emptied, and which ran

"Then we followed this large river toward its source, hoping to come to more open land. After twenty days of

marching from the time we had crossed the mountains and passed out of our own country we came again to

another range of mountains. Up their side we followed the great river, that had now dwindled to a tiny rivulet,

until we came to a little cave near the mountaintop. In this cave was the mother of the river.

"I remember that we camped there that night, and that it was very cold, for the mountains were high. The next

day we decided to ascend to the top of the mountains, and see what the country upon the other side looked

like, and if it seemed no better than that which we had so far traversed we would return to our village and tell

"And so we clambered up the face of the rocky cliffs until we reached the summit, and there from a flat

mountaintop we saw, not far beneath us, a shallow valley, very narrow; and upon the far side of it was a

The balance of Waziri's story was practically the same as that which Busuli had told.

"I should like to go there and see this strange city," said Tarzan, "and get some of their yellow metal from its

"It is a long march," replied Waziri, "and I am an old man, but if you will wait until the rainy season is over

And Tarzan had to be contented with that arrangement, though he would have liked it well enough to have set

off the next morninghe was as impatient as a child. Really Tarzan of the Apes was but a child, or a

The next day but one a small party of hunters returned to the village from the south to report a large herd of

elephant some miles away. By climbing trees they had had a fairly good view of the herd, which they

described as numbering several large tuskers, a great many cows and calves, and fullgrown bulls whose

The balance of the day and evening was filled with preparation for a great huntspears were overhauled,

quivers were replenished, bows were restrung; and all the while the village witch doctor passed through the

busy throngs disposing of various charms and amulets designed to protect the possessor from hurt, or bring

At dawn the hunters were off. There were fifty sleek, black warriors, and in their midst, lithe and active as a

young forest god, strode Tarzan of the Apes, his brown skin contrasting oddly with the ebony of his

companions. Except for color he was one of them. His ornaments and weapons were the same as theirshe

spoke their languagehe laughed and joked with them, and leaped and shouted in the brief wild dance that

preceded their departure from the village, to all intent and purpose a savage among savages. Nor, had he

questioned himself, is it to be doubted that he would have admitted that he was far more closely allied to

these people and their life than to the Parisian friends whose ways, apelike, he had successfully mimicked for

But he did think of D'Arnot, and a grin of amusement showed his strong white teeth as he pictured the

immaculate Frenchman's expression could he by some means see Tarzan as he was that minute. Poor Paul,

who had prided himself on having eradicated from his friend the last traces of wild savagery. "How quickly

have I fallen!" thought Tarzan; but in his heart he did not consider it a fallrather, he pitied the poor

creatures of Paris, penned up like prisoners in their silly clothes, and watched by policemen all their poor

lives, that they might do nothing that was not entirely artificial and tiresome.

A two hours' march brought them close to the vicinity in which the elephants had been seen the previous day.

From there on they moved very quietly indeed searching for the spoor of the great beasts. At length they

found the wellmarked trail along which the herd had passed not many hours before. In single file they

followed it for about half an hour. It was Tarzan who first raised his hand in signal that the quarry was at

handhis sensitive nose had warned him that the elephants were not far ahead of them.

With the agility of a squirrel he sprang into a tree and ran nimbly to the top. One of the blacks followed more

slowly and carefully. When he had reached a lofty limb beside the apeman the latter pointed to the south,

and there, some few hundred yards away, the black saw a number of huge black backs swaying back and

forth above the top of the lofty jungle grasses. He pointed the direction to the watchers below, indicating with

Immediately the hunters started toward the elephants. The black in the tree hastened down, but Tarzan

It is no child's play to hunt wild elephants with the crude weapons of primitive man. Tarzan knew that few

native tribes ever attempted it, and the fact that his tribe did so gave him no little pridealready he was

commencing to think of himself as a member of the little community. As Tarzan moved silently through the

trees he saw the warriors below creeping in a half circle upon the still unsuspecting elephants. Finally they

were within sight of the great beasts. Now they singled out two large tuskers, and at a signal the fifty men

rose from the ground where they had lain concealed, and hurled their heavy war spears at the two marked

beasts. There was not a single miss; twentyfive spears were embedded in the sides of each of the giant

animals. One never moved from the spot where it stood when the avalanche of spears struck it, for two,

perfectly aimed, had penetrated its heart, and it lunged forward upon its knees, rolling to the ground without a

The other, standing nearly headon toward the hunters, had not proved so good a mark, and though every

spear struck not one entered the great heart. For a moment the huge bull stood trumpeting in rage and pain,

casting about with its little eyes for the author of its hurt. The blacks had faded into the jungle before the

weak eyes of the monster had fallen upon any of them, but now he caught the sound of their retreat, and,

amid a terrific crashing of underbrush and branches, he charged in the direction of the noise.

It so happened that chance sent him in the direction of Busuli, whom he was overtaking so rapidly that it was

as though the black were standing still instead of racing at full speed to escape the certain death which

pursued him. Tarzan had witnessed the entire performance from the branches of a nearby tree, and now that

he saw his friend's peril he raced toward the infuriated beast with loud cries, hoping to distract him.

But it had been as well had he saved his breath, for the brute was deaf and blind to all else save the particular

object of his rage that raced futilely before him. And now Tarzan saw that only a miracle could save Busuli,

and with the same unconcern with which he had once hunted this very man he hurled himself into the path of

He still grasped his spear, and while Tantor was yet six or eight paces behind his prey, a sinewy white warrior

dropped as from the heavens, almost directly in his path. With a vicious lunge the elephant swerved to the

right to dispose of this temerarious foeman who dared intervene between himself and his intended victim; but

he had not reckoned on the lightning quickness that could galvanize those steel muscles into action so

And so it happened that before the elephant realized that his new enemy had leaped from his path Tarzan had

driven his ironshod spear from behind the massive shoulder straight into the fierce heart, and the colossal

Busuli had not beheld the manner of his deliverance, but Waziri, the old chief, had seen, and several of the

other warriors, and they hailed Tarzan with delight as they swarmed about him and his great kill. When he

leaped upon the mighty carcass, and gave voice to the weird challenge with which he announced a great

victory, the blacks shrank back in fear, for to them it marked the brutal Bolgani, whom they feared fully as

much as they feared Numa, the lion; but with a fear with which was mixed a certain uncanny awe of the

But when Tarzan lowered his raised head and smiled upon them they were reassured, though they did not

understand. Nor did they ever fully understand this strange creature who ran through the trees as quickly as

Manu, yet was even more at home upon the ground than themselves; who was except as to color like unto

themselves, yet as powerful as ten of them, and singlehanded a match for the fiercest denizens of the fierce

When the remainder of the warriors had gathered, the hunt was again taken up and the stalking of the

retreating herd once more begun; but they had covered a bare hundred yards when from behind them, at a

For an instant they stood like a group of statuary, intently listening. Then Tarzan spoke.

"Come!" cried Waziri. "The Arab raiders have returned with their cannibal slaves for our ivory and our

Waziri's warriors marched at a rapid trot through the jungle in the direction of the village. For a few minutes,

the sharp cracking of guns ahead warned them to haste, but finally the reports dwindled to an occasional shot,

presently ceasing altogether. Nor was this less ominous than the rattle of musketry, for it suggested but a

single solution to the little band of rescuersthat the illy garrisoned village had already succumbed to the

The returning hunters had covered a little more than three miles of the five that had separated them from the

village when they met the first of the fugitives who had escaped the bullets and clutches of the foe. There

were a dozen women, youths, and girls in the party, and so excited were they that they could scarce make

themselves understood as they tried to relate to Waziri the calamity that had befallen his people.

"They are as many as the leaves of the forest," cried one of the women, in attempting to explain the enemy's

force. "There are many Arabs and countless Manyuema, and they all have guns. They crept close to the

village before we knew that they were about, and then, with many shouts, they rushed in upon us, shooting

down men, and women, and children. Those of us who could fled in all directions into the jungle, but more

were killed. I do not know whether they took any prisoners or notthey seemed only bent upon killing us

all. The Manyuema called us many names, saying that they would eat us all before they left our

countrythat this was our punishment for killing their friends last year. I did not hear much, for I ran away

The march toward the village was now resumed, more slowly and with greater stealth, for Waziri knew that it

was too late to rescuetheir only mission could be one of revenge. Inside the next mile a hundred more

fugitives were met. There were many men among these, and so the fighting strength of the party was

Now a dozen warriors were sent creeping ahead to reconnoiter. Waziri remained with the main body, which

advanced in a thin line that spread in a great crescent through the forest. By the chief's side walked Tarzan.

"Good!" said Waziri. "We shall rush in upon them and slay them all," and he made ready to send word along

the line that they were to halt at the edge of the clearing until they saw him rush toward the villagethen all

"Wait!" cautioned Tarzan. "If there are even fifty guns within the palisade we shall be repulsed and

slaughtered. Let me go alone through the trees, so that I may look down upon them from above, and see just

how many there be, and what chance we might have were we to charge. It were foolish to lose a single man

needlessly if there be no hope of success. I have an idea that we can accomplish more by cunning than by

So Tarzan sprang into the trees and disappeared in the direction of the village. He moved more cautiously

than was his wont, for he knew that men with guns could reach him quite as easily in the treetops as on the

ground. And when Tarzan of the Apes elected to adopt stealth, no creature in all the jungle could move so

In five minutes he had wormed his way to the great tree that overhung the palisade at one end of the village,

and from his point of vantage looked down upon the savage horde beneath. He counted fifty Arabs and

estimated that there were five times as many Manyuema. The latter were gorging themselves upon food and,

under the very noses of their white masters, preparing the gruesome feast which is the PIECE DE

RESISTANCE that follows a victory in which the bodies of their slain enemies fall into their horrid hands.

The apeman saw that to charge that wild horde, armed as they were with guns, and barricaded behind the

locked gates of the village, would be a futile task, and so he returned to Waziri and advised him to wait; that

But a moment before one of the fugitives had related to Waziri the story of the atrocious murder of the old

chief's wife, and so crazed with rage was the old man that he cast discretion to the winds. Calling his warriors

about him, he commanded them to charge, and, with brandishing spears and savage yells, the little force of

scarcely more than a hundred dashed madly toward the village gates. Before the clearing had been half

With the first volley Waziri fell. The speed of the chargers slackened. Another volley brought down a half

dozen more. A few reached the barred gates, only to be shot in their tracks, without the ghost of a chance to

gain the inside of the palisade, and then the whole attack crumpled, and the remaining warriors scampered

back into the forest. As they ran the raiders opened the gates, rushing after them, to complete the day's work

with the utter extermination of the tribe. Tarzan had been among the last to turn back toward the forest, and

now, as he ran slowly, he turned from time to time to speed a wellaimed arrow into the body of a pursuer.

Once within the jungle, he found a little knot of determined blacks waiting to give battle to the oncoming

horde, but Tarzan cried to them to scatter, keeping out of harm's way until they could gather in force after

"Do as I tell you," he urged, "and I will lead you to victory over these enemies of yours. Scatter through the

forest, picking up as many stragglers as you can find, and at night, if you think that you have been followed,

come by roundabout ways to the spot where we killed the elephants today. Then I will explain my plan, and

you will find that it is good. You cannot hope to pit your puny strength and simple weapons against the

They finally assented. "When you scatter," explained Tarzan, in conclusion, "your foes will have to scatter to

follow you, and so it may happen that if you are watchful you can drop many a Manyuema with your arrows

They had barely time to hasten away farther into the forest before the first of the raiders had crossed the

Tarzan ran a short distance along the ground before he took to the trees. Then he raced quickly to the upper

terrace, there doubling on his tracks and making his way rapidly back toward the village. Here he found that

every Arab and Manyuema had joined in the pursuit, leaving the village deserted except for the chained

The sentry stood at the open gate, looking in the direction of the forest, so that he did not see the agile giant

that dropped to the ground at the far end of the village street. With drawn bow the apeman crept stealthily

toward his unsuspecting victim. The prisoners had already discovered him, and with wide eyes filled with

wonder and with hope they watched their wouldbe rescuer. Now he halted not ten paces from the

unconscious Manyuema. The shaft was drawn back its full length at the height of the keen gray eye that

sighted along its polished surface. There was a sudden twang as the brown fingers released their hold, and

without a sound the raider sank forward upon his face, a wooden shaft transfixing his heart and protruding a

Then Tarzan turned his attention to the fifty women and youths chained neck to neck on the long slave chain.

There was no releasing of the ancient padlocks in the time that was left him, so the apeman called to them to

follow him as they were, and, snatching the gun and cartridge belt from the dead sentry, he led the now happy

band out through the village gate and into the forest upon the far side of the clearing.

It was a slow and arduous march, for the slave chain was new to these people, and there were many delays as

one of their number would stumble and fall, dragging others down with her. Then, too, Tarzan had been

forced to make a wide detour to avoid any possibility of meeting with returning raiders. He was partially

guided by occasional shots which indicated that the Arab horde was still in touch with the villagers; but he

knew that if they would but follow his advice there would be but few casualties other than on the side of the

Toward dusk the firing ceased entirely, and Tarzan knew that the Arabs had all returned to the village. He

could scarce repress a smile of triumph as he thought of their rage on discovering that their guard had been

killed and their prisoners taken away. Tarzan had wished that he might have taken some of the great store of

ivory the village contained, solely for the purpose of still further augmenting the wrath of his enemies; but he

knew that that was not necessary for its salvation, since he already had a plan mapped out which would

effectually prevent the Arabs leaving the country with a single tusk. And it would have been cruel to have

needlessly burdened these poor, overwrought women with the extra weight of the heavy ivory.

It was after midnight when Tarzan, with his slowmoving caravan, approached the spot where the elephants

lay. Long before they reached it they had been guided by the huge fire the natives had built in the center of a

hastily improvised BOMA, partially for warmth and partially to keep off chance lions.

When they had come close to the encampment Tarzan called aloud to let them know that friends were

coming. It was a joyous reception the little party received when the blacks within the BOMA saw the long

file of fettered friends and relatives enter the firelight. These had all been given up as lost forever, as had

Tarzan as well, so that the happy blacks would have remained awake all night to feast on elephant meat and

celebrate the return of their fellows, had not Tarzan insisted that they take what sleep they could, against the

At that, sleep was no easy matter, for the women who had lost their men or their children in the day's

massacre and battle made night hideous with their continued wailing and howling. Finally, however, Tarzan

succeeded in silencing them, on the plea that their noise would attract the Arabs to their hidingplace, when

When dawn came Tarzan explained his plan of battle to the warriors, and without demur one and all agreed

that it was the safest and surest way in which to rid themselves of their unwelcome visitors and be revenged

First the women and children, with a guard of some twenty old warriors and youths, were started southward,

to be entirely out of the zone of danger. They had instructions to erect temporary shelter and construct a

protecting BOMA of thorn bush; for the plan of campaign which Tarzan had chosen was one which might

stretch out over many days, or even weeks, during which time the warriors would not return to the new camp.

Two hours after daylight a thin circle of black warriors surrounded the village. At intervals one was perched

high in the branches of a tree which could overlook the palisade. Presently a Manyuema within the village

fell, pierced by a single arrow. There had been no sound of attacknone of the hideous warcries or

vainglorious waving of menacing spears that ordinarily marks the attack of savagesjust a silent messenger

The Arabs and their followers were thrown into a fine rage at this unprecedented occurrence. They ran for the

gates, to wreak dire vengeance upon the foolhardy perpetrator of the outrage; but they suddenly realized that

they did not know which way to turn to find the foe. As they stood debating with many angry shouts and

much gesticulating, one of the Arabs sank silently to the ground in their very midsta thin arrow protruding

Tarzan had placed the finest marksmen of the tribe in the surrounding trees, with directions never to reveal

themselves while the enemy was faced in their direction. As a black released his messenger of death he would

slink behind the sheltering stem of the tree he had selected, nor would he again aim until a watchful eye told

Three times the Arabs started across the clearing in the direction from which they thought the arrows came,

but each time another arrow would come from behind to take its toll from among their number. Then they

would turn and charge in a new direction. Finally they set out upon a determined search of the forest, but the

But above them lurked a grim figure in the dense foliage of the mighty treesit was Tarzan of the Apes,

hovering over them as if he had been the shadow of death. Presently a Manyuema forged ahead of his

companions; there was none to see from what direction death came, and so it came quickly, and a moment

later those behind stumbled over the dead body of their comradethe inevitable arrow piercing the still

It does not take a great deal of this manner of warfare to get upon the nerves of white men, and so it is little to

be wondered at that the Manyuema were soon panicstricken. Did one forge ahead an arrow found his heart;

did one lag behind he never again was seen alive; did one stumble to one side, even for a bare moment from

the sight of his fellows, he did not returnand always when they came upon the bodies of their dead they

found those terrible arrows driven with the accuracy of superhuman power straight through the victim's heart.

But worse than all else was the hideous fact that not once during the morning had they seen or heard the

When finally they returned to the village it was no better. Every now and then, at varying intervals that were

maddening in the terrible suspense they caused, a man would plunge forward dead. The blacks besought their

masters to leave this terrible place, but the Arabs feared to take up the march through the grim and hostile

forest beset by this new and terrible enemy while laden with the great store of ivory they had found within the

Finally the entire expedition took refuge within the thatched hutshere, at least, they would be free from the

arrows. Tarzan, from the tree above the village, had marked the hut into which the chief Arabs had gone, and,

balancing himself upon an overhanging limb, he drove his heavy spear with all the force of his giant muscles

through the thatched roof. A howl of pain told him that it had found a mark. With this parting salute to

convince them that there was no safety for them anywhere within the country, Tarzan returned to the forest,

collected his warriors, and withdrew a mile to the south to rest and eat. He kept sentries in several trees that

An inspection of his force showed not a single casualtynot even a minor wound; while rough estimates of

the enemies' loss convinced the blacks that no fewer than twenty had fallen before their arrows. They were

wild with elation, and were for finishing the day in one glorious rush upon the village, during which they

would slaughter the last of their foemen. They were even picturing the various tortures they would inflict, and

gloating over the suffering of the Manyuema, for whom they entertained a peculiar hatred, when Tarzan put

"You are crazy!" he cried. "I have shown you the only way to fight these people. Already you have killed

twenty of them without the loss of a single warrior, whereas, yesterday, following your own tactics, which

you would now renew, you lost at least a dozen, and killed not a single Arab or Manyuema. You will fight

just as I tell you to fight, or I shall leave you and go back to my own country."

They were frightened when he threatened this, and promised to obey him scrupulously if he would but

"Very well," he said. "We shall return to the elephant BOMA for the night. I have a plan to give the Arabs a

little taste of what they may expect if they remain in our country, but I shall need no help. Come! If they

suffer no more for the balance of the day they will feel reassured, and the relapse into fear will be even more

So they marched back to their camp of the previous night, and, lighting great fires, ate and recounted the

adventures of the day until long after dark. Tarzan slept until midnight, then he arose and crept into the

Cimmerian blackness of the forest. An hour later he came to the edge of the clearing before the village. There

was a campfire burning within the palisade. The apeman crept across the clearing until he stood before the

barred gates. Through the interstices he saw a lone sentry sitting before the fire.

Quietly Tarzan went to the tree at the end of the village street. He climbed softly to his place, and fitted an

arrow to his bow. For several minutes he tried to sight fairly upon the sentry, but the waving branches and

flickering firelight convinced him that the danger of a miss was too greathe must touch the heart full in the

He had brought, besides, his bow, arrows, and rope, the gun he had taken the previous day from the other

sentry he had killed. Caching all these in a convenient crotch of the tree, he dropped lightly to the ground

within the palisade, armed only with his long knife. The sentry's back was toward him. Like a cat Tarzan

crept upon the dozing man. He was within two paces of him nowanother instant and the knife would slide

Tarzan crouched for a spring, for that is ever the quickest and surest attack of the jungle beastwhen the

When the eyes of the black Manyuema savage fell upon the strange apparition that confronted him with

menacing knife they went wide in horror. He forgot the gun within his hands; he even forgot to cry outhis

one thought was to escape this fearsomelooking white savage, this giant of a man upon whose massive

But before he could turn Tarzan was upon him, and then the sentry thought to scream for aid, but it was too

late. A great hand was upon his windpipe, and he was being borne to the earth. He battled furiously but

futilelywith the grim tenacity of a bulldog those awful fingers were clinging to his throat. Swiftly and

surely life was being choked from him. His eyes bulged, his tongue protruded, his face turned to a ghastly

purplish huethere was a convulsive tremor of the stiffening muscles, and the Manyuema sentry lay quite

The apeman threw the body across one of his broad shoulders and, gathering up the fellow's gun, trotted

silently up the sleeping village street toward the tree that gave him such easy ingress to the palisaded village.

First he stripped the body of cartridge belt and such ornaments as he craved, wedging it into a convenient

crotch while his nimble fingers ran over it in search of the loot he could not plainly see in the dark. When he

had finished he took the gun that had belonged to the man, and walked far out upon a limb, from the end of

which he could obtain a better view of the huts. Drawing a careful bead on the beehive structure in which he

knew the chief Arabs to be, he pulled the trigger. Almost instantly there was an answering groan. Tarzan

Following the shot there was a moment's silence in the camp, and then Manyuema and Arab came pouring

from the huts like a swarm of angry hornets; but if the truth were known they were even more frightened than

they were angry. The strain of the preceding day had wrought upon the fears of both black and white, and

now this single shot in the night conjured all manner of terrible conjectures in their terrified minds.

When they discovered that their sentry had disappeared, their fears were in no way allayed, and as though to

bolster their courage by warlike actions, they began to fire rapidly at the barred gates of the village, although

no enemy was in sight. Tarzan took advantage of the deafening roar of this fusillade to fire into the mob

No one heard his shot above the din of rattling musketry in the street, but some who were standing close saw

one of their number crumple suddenly to the earth. When they leaned over him he was dead. They were

panicstricken, and it took all the brutal authority of the Arabs to keep the Manyuema from rushing

After a time they commenced to quiet down, and as no further mysterious deaths occurred among them they

took heart again. But it was a shortlived respite, for just as they had concluded that they would not be

disturbed again Tarzan gave voice to a weird moan, and as the raiders looked up in the direction from which

the sound seemed to come, the apeman, who stood swinging the dead body of the sentry gently to and fro,

With howls of alarm the throng broke in all directions to escape this new and terrible creature who seemed to

be springing upon them. To their feardistorted imaginations the body of the sentry, falling with

widesprawled arms and legs, assumed the likeness of a great beast of prey. In their anxiety to escape, many

of the blacks scaled the palisade, while others tore down the bars from the gates and rushed madly across the

For a time no one turned back toward the thing that had frightened them, but Tarzan knew that they would in

a moment, and when they discovered that it was but the dead body of their sentry, while they would doubtless

be still further terrified, he had a rather definite idea as to what they would do, and so he faded silently away

toward the south, taking the moonlit upper terrace back toward the camp of the Waziri.

Presently one of the Arabs turned and saw that the thing that had leaped from the tree upon them lay still and

quiet where it had fallen in the center of the village street. Cautiously he crept back toward it until he saw that

it was but a man. A moment later he was beside the figure, and in another had recognized it as the corpse of

His companions rapidly gathered around at his call, and after a moment's excited conversation they did

precisely what Tarzan had reasoned they would. Raising their guns to their shoulders, they poured volley

after volley into the tree from which the corpse had been thrownhad Tarzan remained there he would have

When the Arabs and Manyuema discovered that the only marks of violence upon the body of their dead

comrade were giant finger prints upon his swollen throat they were again thrown into deeper apprehension

and despair. That they were not even safe within a palisaded village at night came as a distinct shock to them.

That an enemy could enter into the midst of their camp and kill their sentry with bare hands seemed outside

the bounds of reason, and so the superstitious Manyuema commenced to attribute their ill luck to supernatural

With at least fifty of their number flying through the black jungle, and without the slightest knowledge of

when their uncanny foemen might resume the coldblooded slaughter they had commenced, it was a

desperate band of cutthroats that waited sleeplessly for the dawn. Only on the promise of the Arabs that they

would leave the village at daybreak, and hasten onward toward their own land, would the remaining

Manyuema consent to stay at the village a moment longer. Not even fear of their cruel masters was sufficient

And so it was that when Tarzan and his warriors returned to the attack the next morning they found the

raiders prepared to march out of the village. The Manyuema were laden with stolen ivory. As Tarzan saw it

he grinned, for he knew that they would not carry it far. Then he saw something which caused him

anxietya number of the Manyuema were lighting torches in the remnant of the campfire. They were about

Tarzan was perched in a tall tree some hundred yards from the palisade. Making a trumpet of his hands, he

called loudly in the Arab tongue: "Do not fire the huts, or we shall kill you all! Do not fire the huts, or we

A dozen times he repeated it. The Manyuema hesitated, then one of them flung his torch into the campfire.

The others were about to do the same when an Arab sprung upon them with a stick, beating them toward the

huts. Tarzan could see that he was commanding them to fire the little thatched dwellings. Then he stood erect

upon the swaying branch a hundred feet above the ground, and, raising one of the Arab guns to his shoulder,

took careful aim and fired. With the report the Arab who was urging on his men to burn the village fell in his

tracks, and the Manyuema threw away their torches and fled from the village. The last Tarzan saw of them

they were racing toward the jungle, while their former masters knelt upon the ground and fired at them.

But however angry the Arabs might have been at the insubordination of their slaves, they were at least

convinced that it would be the better part of wisdom to forego the pleasure of firing the village that had given

them two such nasty receptions. In their hearts, however, they swore to return again with such force as would

enable them to sweep the entire country for miles around, until no vestige of human life remained.

They had looked in vain for the owner of the voice which had frightened off the men who had been detailed

to put the torch to the huts, but not even the keenest eye among them had been able to locate him. They had

seen the puff of smoke from the tree following the shot that brought down the Arab, but, though a volley had

immediately been loosed into its foliage, there had been no indication that it had been effective.

Tarzan was too intelligent to be caught in any such trap, and so the report of his shot had scarcely died away

before the apeman was on the ground and racing for another tree a hundred yards away. Here he again

found a suitable perch from which he could watch the preparations of the raiders. It occurred to him that he

might have considerable more fun with them, so again he called to them through his improvised trumpet.

Some of the Manyuema started to lay down their loads, but this was altogether too much for the avaricious

Arabs. With loud shouts and curses they aimed their guns full upon the bearers, threatening instant death to

any who might lay down his load. They could give up firing the village, but the thought of abandoning this

enormous fortune in ivory was quite beyond their conceptionbetter death than that.

And so they marched out of the village of the Waziri, and on the shoulders of their slaves was the ivory

ransom of a score of kings. Toward the north they marched, back toward their savage settlement in the wild

and unknown country which lies back from the Kongo in the uttermost depths of The Great Forest, and on

Under Tarzan's guidance the black Waziri warriors stationed themselves along the trail on either side in the

densest underbrush. They stood at far intervals, and, as the column passed, a single arrow or a heavy spear,

well aimed, would pierce a Manyuema or an Arab. Then the Waziri would melt into the distance and run

ahead to take his stand farther on. They did not strike unless success were sure and the danger of detection

almost nothing, and so the arrows and the spears were few and far between, but so persistent and inevitable

that the slowmoving column of heavyladen raiders was in a constant state of panicpanic at the

It was with the greatest difficulty that the Arabs prevented their men a dozen times from throwing away their

burdens and fleeing like frightened rabbits up the trail toward the north. And so the day wore ona frightful

nightmare of a day for the raidersa day of weary but wellrepaid work for the Waziri. At night the Arabs

At intervals during the night a rifle would bark close above their heads, and one of the dozen sentries which

they now had posted would tumble to the ground. Such a condition was insupportable, for they saw that by

means of these hideous tactics they would be completely wiped out, one by one, without inflicting a single

death upon their enemy. But yet, with the persistent avariciousness of the white man, the Arabs clung to their

loot, and when morning came forced the demoralized Manyuema to take up their burdens of death and

For three days the withering column kept up its frightful march. Each hour was marked by its deadly arrow or

cruel spear. The nights were made hideous by the barking of the invisible gun that made sentry duty

On the morning of the fourth day the Arabs were compelled to shoot two of their blacks before they could

compel the balance to take up the hated ivory, and as they did so a voice rang out, clear and strong, from the

jungle: "Today you die, oh, Manyuema, unless you lay down the ivory. Fall upon your cruel masters and kill

them! You have guns, why do you not use them? Kill the Arabs, and we will not harm you. We will take you

back to our village and feed you, and lead you out of our country in safety and in peace. Lay down the ivory,

As the voice died down the raiders stood as though turned to stone. The Arabs eyed their Manyuema slaves;

the slaves looked first at one of their fellows, and then at anotherthey were but waiting for some one to

take the initiative. There were some thirty Arabs left, and about one hundred and fifty blacks. All were

armedeven those who were acting as porters had their rifles slung across their backs.

The Arabs drew together. The sheik ordered the Manyuema to take up the march, and as he spoke he cocked

his rifle and raised it. But at the same instant one of the blacks threw down his load, and, snatching his rifle

from his back, fired pointblack at the group of Arabs. In an instant the camp was a cursing, howling mass of

demons, fighting with guns and knives and pistols. The Arabs stood together, and defended their lives

valiantly, but with the rain of lead that poured upon them from their own slaves, and the shower of arrows

and spears which now leaped from the surrounding jungle aimed solely at them, there was little question from

the first what the outcome would be. In ten minutes from the time the first porter had thrown down his load

"Take up our ivory, and return it to our village, from whence you stole it. We shall not harm you."

For a moment the Manyuema hesitated. They had no stomach to retrace that difficult three days' trail. They

talked together in low whispers, and one turned toward the jungle, calling aloud to the voice that had spoken

"How do we know that when you have us in your village you will not kill us all?" he asked.

"You do not know," replied Tarzan, "other than that we have promised not to harm you if you will return our

ivory to us. But this you do know, that it lies within our power to kill you all if you do not return as we direct,

"Who are you that speaks the tongue of our Arab masters?" cried the Manyuema spokesman. "Let us see you,

"Look!" he said. When they saw that he was white they were filled with awe, for never had they seen a white

savage before, and at his great muscles and giant frame they were struck with wonder and admiration.

"You may trust me," said Tarzan. "So long as you do as I tell you, and harm none of my people, we shall do

you no hurt. Will you take up our ivory and return in peace to our village, or shall we follow along your trail

The recollection of the horrid days that had just passed was the thing that finally decided the Manyuema, and

so, after a short conference, they took up their burdens and set off to retrace their steps toward the village of

the Waziri. At the end of the third day they marched into the village gate, and were greeted by the survivors

of the recent massacre, to whom Tarzan had sent a messenger in their temporary camp to the south on the day

that the raiders had quitted the village, telling them that they might return in safety.

It took all the mastery and persuasion that Tarzan possessed to prevent the Waziri falling on the Manyuema

tooth and nail, and tearing them to pieces, but when he had explained that he had given his word that they

would not be molested if they carried the ivory back to the spot from which they had stolen it, and had further

impressed upon his people that they owed their entire victory to him, they finally acceded to his demands,

That night the village warriors held a big palaver to celebrate their victories, and to choose a new chief. Since

old Waziri's death Tarzan had been directing the warriors in battle, and the temporary command had been

tacitly conceded to him. There had been no time to choose a new chief from among their own number, and, in

fact, so remarkably successful had they been under the apeman's generalship that they had had no wish to

delegate the supreme authority to another for fear that what they already had gained might be lost. They had

so recently seen the results of running counter to this savage white man's advice in the disastrous charge

ordered by Waziri, in which he himself had died, that it had not been difficult for them to accept Tarzan's

The principal warriors sat in a circle about a small fire to discuss the relative merits of whomever might be

"Since Waziri is dead, leaving no son, there is but one among us whom we know from experience is fitted to

make us a good king. There is only one who has proved that he can successfully lead us against the guns of

the white man, and bring us easy victory without the loss of a single life. There is only one, and that is the

white man who has led us for the past few days," and Busuli sprang to his feet, and with uplifted spear and

halfbent, crouching body commenced to dance slowly about Tarzan, chanting in time to his steps: "Waziri,

One by one the other warriors signified their acceptance of Tarzan as their king by joining in the solemn

dance. The women came and squatted about the rim of the circle, beating upon tomtoms, clapping their

hands in time to the steps of the dancers, and joining in the chant of the warriors. In the center of the circle sat

Tarzan of the ApesWaziri, king of the Waziri, for, like his predecessor, he was to take the name of his tribe

Faster and faster grew the pace of the dancers, louder and louder their wild and savage shouts. The women

rose and fell in unison, shrieking now at the tops of their voices. The spears were brandishing fiercely, and as

the dancers stooped down and beat their shields upon the hardtramped earth of the village street the whole

sight was as terribly primeval and savage as though it were being staged in the dim dawn of humanity,

As the excitement waxed the apeman sprang to his feet and joined in the wild ceremony. In the center of the

circle of glittering black bodies he leaped and roared and shook his heavy spear in the same mad abandon that

enthralled his fellow savages. The last remnant of his civilization was forgottenhe was a primitive man to

the fullest now; reveling in the freedom of the fierce, wild life he loved, gloating in his kingship among these

Ah, if Olga de Coude had but seen him thencould she have recognized the welldressed, quiet young man

whose wellbred face and irreproachable manners had so captivated her but a few short months ago? And

Jane Porter! Would she have still loved this savage warrior chieftain, dancing naked among his naked savage

subjects? And D'Arnot! Could D'Arnot have believed that this was the same man he had introduced into half

a dozen of the most select clubs of Paris? What would his fellow peers in the House of Lords have said had

one pointed to this dancing giant, with his barbaric headdress and his metal ornaments, and said: "There, my

And so Tarzan of the Apes came into a real kingship among menslowly but surely was he following the

Jane Porter had been the first of those in the lifeboat to awaken the morning after the wreck of the LADY

ALICE. The other members of the party were asleep upon the thwarts or huddled in cramped positions in the

When the girl realized that they had become separated from the other boats she was filled with alarm. The

sense of utter loneliness and helplessness which the vast expanse of deserted ocean aroused in her was so

depressing that, from the first, contemplation of the future held not the slightest ray of promise for her. She

Presently Clayton awoke. It was several minutes before he could gather his senses sufficiently to realize

where he was, or recall the disaster of the previous night. Finally his bewildered eyes fell upon the girl.

"Look," said the girl dully, indicating the horizon with an apathetic gesture. "We are all alone."

"Where can they be?" he cried. "They cannot have gone down, for there has been no sea, and they were afloat

"It is just as well that the boats are scattered, sir," said one of the sailors. "They are all provisioned, so that

they do not need each other on that score, and should a storm blow up they could be of no service to one

another even if they were together, but scattered about the ocean there is a much better chance that one at

least will be picked up, and then a search will be at once started for the others. Were we together there would

They saw the wisdom of his philosophy, and were cheered by it, but their joy was shortlived, for when it

was decided that they should row steadily toward the east and the continent, it was discovered that the sailors

who had been at the only two oars with which the boat had been provided had fallen asleep at their work, and

allowed both to slip into the sea, nor were they in sight anywhere upon the water.

During the angry words and recriminations which followed the sailors nearly came to blows, but Clayton

succeeded in quieting them; though a moment later Monsieur Thuran almost precipitated another row by

making a nasty remark about the stupidity of all Englishmen, and especially English sailors.

"Come, come, mates," spoke up one of the men, Tompkins, who had taken no part in the altercation, "shootin'

off our bloomin' mugs won't get us nothin'. As Spider 'ere said afore, we'll all bloody well be picked up,

"That's not a bad idea," said Monsieur Thuran, and then, turning to the third sailor, Wilson, he said: "Pass one

"Fetch it yerself," retorted Wilson sullenly. "I ain't atakin' no orders from nofurrineryou ain't captain o'

The result was that Clayton himself had to get the tin, and then another angry altercation ensued when one of

the sailors accused Clayton and Monsieur Thuran of conspiring to control the provisions so that they could

"Some one should take command of this boat," spoke up Jane Porter, thoroughly disgusted with the

disgraceful wrangling that had marked the very opening of a forced companionship that might last for many

days. "It is terrible enough to be alone in a frail boat on the Atlantic, without having the added misery and

danger of constant bickering and brawling among the members of our party. You men should elect a leader,

and then abide by his decisions in all matters. There is greater need for strict discipline here than there is upon

She had hoped before she voiced her sentiments that it would not be necessary for her to enter into the

transaction at all, for she believed that Clayton was amply able to cope with every emergency, but she had to

admit that so far at least he had shown no greater promise of successfully handling the situation than any of

the others, though he had at least refrained from adding in any way to the unpleasantness, even going so far

as to give up the tin to the sailors when they objected to its being opened by him.

The girl's words temporarily quieted the men, and finally it was decided that the two kegs of water and the

four tins of food should be divided into two parts, onehalf going forward to the three sailors to do with as

Thus was the little company divided into two camps, and when the provisions had been apportioned each

immediately set to work to open and distribute food and water. The sailors were the first to get one of the tins

of "food" open, and their curses of rage and disappointment caused Clayton to ask what the trouble might be.

"Trouble!" shrieked Spider. "Trouble! It's worse than troubleit's death! This tin is full of coal oil!"

Hastily now Clayton and Monsieur Thuran tore open one of theirs, only to learn the hideous truth that it also

contained, not food, but coal oil. One after another the four tins on board were opened. And as the contents of

each became known howls of anger announced the grim truththere was not an ounce of food upon the

"Well, thank Gawd it wasn't the water," cried Thompkins. "It's easier to get along without food than it is

without water. We can eat our shoes if worse comes to worst, but we couldn't drink 'em."

As he spoke Wilson had been boring a hole in one of the water kegs, and as Spider held a tin cup he tilted the

keg to pour a draft of the precious fluid. A thin stream of blackish, dry particles filtered slowly through the

tiny aperture into the bottom of the cup. With a groan Wilson dropped the keg, and sat staring at the dry stuff

"The kegs are filled with gunpowder," said Spider, in a low tone, turning to those aft. And so it proved when

"Coal oil and gunpowder!" cried Monsieur Thuran. "SAPRISTI! What a diet for shipwrecked mariners!"

With the full knowledge that there was neither food nor water on board, the pangs of hunger and thirst

became immediately aggravated, and so on the first day of their tragic adventure real suffering commenced in

As the days passed conditions became horrible. Aching eyes scanned the horizon day and night until the

weak and weary watchers would sink exhausted to the bottom of the boat, and there wrest in dreamdisturbed

The sailors, goaded by the remorseless pangs of hunger, had eaten their leather belts, their shoes, the

sweatbands from their caps, although both Clayton and Monsieur Thuran had done their best to convince

Weak and hopeless, the entire party lay beneath the pitiless tropic sun, with parched lips and swollen tongues,

waiting for the death they were beginning to crave. The intense suffering of the first few days had become

deadened for the three passengers who had eaten nothing, but the agony of the sailors was pitiful, as their

weak and impoverished stomachs attempted to cope with the bits of leather with which they had filled them.

Tompkins was the first to succumb. Just a week from the day the LADY ALICE went down the sailor died

For hours his contorted and hideous features lay grinning back at those in the stern of the little boat, until

Jane Porter could endure the sight no longer. "Can you not drop his body overboard, William?" she asked.

Clayton rose and staggered toward the corpse. The two remaining sailors eyed him with a strange, baleful

light in their sunken orbs. Futilely the Englishman tried to lift the corpse over the side of the boat, but his

"Wot do you want to throw 'im over for?" questioned the sailor, in a querulous voice.

"We've got to before we're too weak to do it," replied Clayton. "He'd be awful by tomorrow, after a day under

"Better leave well enough alone," grumbled Wilson. "We may need him before tomorrow."

Slowly the meaning of the man's words percolated into Clayton's understanding. At last he realized the

"W'y not?" growled Wilson. "Ain't we gotta live? He's dead," he added, jerking his thumb in the direction of

"Come here, Thuran," said Clayton, turning toward the Russian. "We'll have something worse than death

Wilson staggered up menacingly to prevent the contemplated act, but when his comrade, Spider, took sides

with Clayton and Monsieur Thuran he gave up, and sat eying the corpse hungrily as the three men, by

All the balance of the day Wilson sat glaring at Clayton, in his eyes the gleam of insanity. Toward evening, as

the sun was sinking into the sea, he commenced to chuckle and mumble to himself, but his eyes never left

After it became quite dark Clayton could still feel those terrible eyes upon him. He dared not sleep, and yet so

exhausted was he that it was a constant fight to retain consciousness. After what seemed an eternity of

suffering his head dropped upon a thwart, and he slept. How long he was unconscious he did not knowhe

was awakened by a shuffling noise quite close to him. The moon had risen, and as he opened his startled eyes

he saw Wilson creeping stealthily toward him, his mouth open and his swollen tongue hanging out.

The slight noise had awakened Jane Porter at the same time, and as she saw the hideous tableau she gave a

shrill cry of alarm, and at the same instant the sailor lurched forward and fell upon Clayton. Like a wild beast

his teeth sought the throat of his intended prey, but Clayton, weak though he was, still found sufficient

At Jane Porter's scream Monsieur Thuran and Spider awoke. On seeing the cause of her alarm, both men

crawled to Clayton's rescue, and between the three of them were able to subdue Wilson and hurl him to the

bottom of the boat. For a few minutes he lay there chattering and laughing, and then, with an awful scream,

and before any of his companions could prevent, he staggered to his feet and leaped overboard.

The reaction from the terrific strain of excitement left the weak survivors trembling and prostrated. Spider

broke down and wept; Jane Porter prayed; Clayton swore softly to himself; Monsieur Thuran sat with his

head in his hands, thinking. The result of his cogitation developed the following morning in a proposition he

"Gentlemen," said Monsieur Thuran, "you see the fate that awaits us all unless we are picked up within a day

or two. That there is little hope of that is evidenced by the fact that during all the days we have drifted we

"There might be a chance if we had food, but without food there is none. There remains for us, then, but one

of two alternatives, and we must choose at once. Either we must all die together within a few days, or one

must be sacrificed that the others may live. Do you quite clearly grasp my meaning?"

Jane Porter, who had overheard, was horrified. If the proposition had come from the poor, ignorant sailor, she

might possibly have not been so surprised; but that it should come from one who posed as a man of culture

"That is for the majority to decide," replied Monsieur Thuran. "As only one of us three will be the object of

sacrifice, we shall decide. Miss Porter is not interested, since she will be in no danger."

"It may be fairly fixed by lot," replied Monsieur Thuran. "I have a number of franc pieces in my pocket. We

can choose a certain date from among themthe one to draw this date first from beneath a piece of cloth will

"I shall have nothing to do with any such diabolical plan," muttered Clayton; "even yet land may be sighted

"You will do as the majority decide, or you will be `the first' without the formality of drawing lots," said

Monsieur Thuran threateningly. "Come, let us vote on the plan; I for one am in favor of it. How about you,

"It is the will of the majority," announced Monsieur Thuran, "and now let us lose no time in drawing lots. It is

as fair for one as for another. That three may live, one of us must die perhaps a few hours sooner than

Then he began his preparation for the lottery of death, while Jane Porter sat wideeyed and horrified at

thought of the thing that she was about to witness. Monsieur Thuran spread his coat upon the bottom of the

boat, and then from a handful of money he selected six franc pieces. The other two men bent close above him

"Look at them carefully," he said. "The oldest date is eighteenseventyfive, and there is only one of that

Clayton and the sailor inspected each coin. To them there seemed not the slightest difference that could be

detected other than the dates. They were quite satisfied. Had they known that Monsieur Thuran's past

experience as a card sharp had trained his sense of touch to so fine a point that he could almost differentiate

between cards by the mere feel of them, they would scarcely have felt that the plan was so entirely fair. The

1875 piece was a hair thinner than the other coins, but neither Clayton nor Spider could have detected it

"In what order shall we draw?" asked Monsieur Thuran, knowing from past experience that the majority of

men always prefer last chance in a lottery where the single prize is some distasteful thingthere is always

the chance and the hope that another will draw it first. Monsieur Thuran, for reasons of his own, preferred to

draw first if the drawing should happen to require a second adventure beneath the coat.

And so when Spider elected to draw last he graciously offered to take the first chance himself. His hand was

under the coat for but a moment, yet those quick, deft fingers had felt of each coin, and found and discarded

the fatal piece. When he brought forth his hand it contained an 1888 franc piece. Then Clayton drew. Jane

Porter leaned forward with a tense and horrified expression on her face as the hand of the man she was to

marry groped about beneath the coat. Presently he withdrew it, a franc piece lying in the palm. For an instant

he dared not look, but Monsieur Thuran, who had leaned nearer to see the date, exclaimed that he was safe.

Jane Porter sank weak and trembling against the side of the boat. She felt sick and dizzy. And now, if Spider

The sailor already had his hand beneath the coat. Great beads of sweat were standing upon his brow. He

trembled as though with a fit of ague. Aloud he cursed himself for having taken the last draw, for now his

chances for escape were but three to one, whereas Monsieur Thuran's had been five to one, and Clayton's four

The Russian was very patient, and did not hurry the man, for he knew that he himself was quite safe whether

the 1875 piece came out this time or not. When the sailor withdrew his hand and looked at the piece of

money within, he dropped fainting to the bottom of the boat. Both Clayton and Monsieur Thuran hastened

weakly to examine the coin, which had rolled from the man's hand and lay beside him. It was not dated 1875.

The reaction from the state of fear he had been in had overcome Spider quite as effectually as though he had

But now the whole proceeding must be gone through again. Once more the Russian drew forth a harmless

coin. Jane Porter closed her eyes as Clayton reached beneath the coat. Spider bent, wideeyed, toward the

hand that was to decide his fate, for whatever luck was Clayton's on this last draw, the opposite would be

Spider's. Then William Cecil Clayton, Lord Greystoke, removed his hand from beneath the coat, and with a

coin tight pressed within his palm where none might see it, he looked at Jane Porter. He did not dare open his

Clayton opened his fingers. Spider was the first to see the date, and ere any knew what his intention was he

raised himself to his feet, and lunged over the side of the boat, to disappear forever into the green depths

The strain had exhausted those who remained to such an extent that they lay half unconscious for the balance

of the day, nor was the subject referred to again for several days. Horrible days of increasing weakness and

Clayton was in such a state that he was scarcely master of his own will. Jane Porter had not spoken for three

days. He knew that she was dying. Horrible as the thought was, he hoped that the sacrifice of either Thuran or

himself might be the means of giving her renewed strength, and so he immediately agreed to the Russian's

They drew under the same plan as before, but there could be but one resultClayton drew the 1875 piece.

The Russian had already drawn a pocketknife from his trousers, and was weakly attempting to open it.

"Can't you wait until dark?" asked Clayton. "Miss Porter must not see this thing done. We were to have been

"Very well," he replied hesitatingly. "It will not be long until night. I have waited for many daysI can wait

"Thank you, my friend," murmured Clayton. "Now I shall go to her side and remain with her until it is time. I

When Clayton reached the girl's side she was unconscious he knew that she was dying, and he was glad

that she should not have to see or know the awful tragedy that was shortly to be enacted. He took her hand

and raised it to his cracked and swollen lips. For a long time he lay caressing the emaciated, clawlike thing

that had once been the beautiful, shapely white hand of the young Baltimore belle.

It was quite dark before he knew it, but he was recalled to himself by a voice out of the night. It was the

Thrice he attempted to turn himself upon his hands and knees, that he might crawl back to his death, but in

the few hours that he had lain there he had become too weak to return to Thuran's side.

"You will have to come to me, monsieur," he called weakly. "I have not sufficient strength to gain my hands

"SAPRISTI!" muttered Monsieur Thuran. "You are attempting to cheat me out of my winnings."

Clayton heard the man shuffling about in the bottom of the boat. Finally there was a despairing groan. "I

cannot crawl," he heard the Russian wail. "It is too late. You have tricked me, you dirty English dog."

"I have not tricked you, monsieur," replied Clayton. "I have done my best to rise, but I shall try again, and if

you will try possibly each of us can crawl halfway, and then you shall have your `winnings.'"

Again Clayton exerted his remaining strength to the utmost, and he heard Thuran apparently doing the same.

Nearly an hour later the Englishman succeeded in raising himself to his hands and knees, but at the first

Again Clayton essayed to stagger on to meet his fate, but once more he pitched headlong to the boat's bottom,

nor, try as he would, could he again rise. His last effort caused him to roll over on his back, and there he lay

looking up at the stars, while behind him, coming ever nearer and nearer, he could hear the laborious

It seemed that he must have lain thus an hour waiting for the thing to crawl out of the dark and end his

misery. It was quite close now, but there were longer and longer pauses between its efforts to advance, and

each forward movement seemed to the waiting Englishman to be almost imperceptible.

Finally he knew that Thuran was quite close beside him. He heard a cackling laugh, something touched his

The very night that Tarzan of the Apes became chief of the Waziri the woman he loved lay dying in a tiny

boat two hundred miles west of him upon the Atlantic. As he danced among his naked fellow savages, the

firelight gleaming against his great, rolling muscles, the personification of physical perfection and strength,

the woman who loved him lay thin and emaciated in the last coma that precedes death by thirst and

The week following the induction of Tarzan into the kingship of the Waziri was occupied in escorting the

Manyuema of the Arab raiders to the northern boundary of Waziri in accordance with the promise which

Tarzan had made them. Before he left them he exacted a pledge from them that they would not lead any

expeditions against the Waziri in the future, nor was it a difficult promise to obtain. They had had sufficient

experience with the fighting tactics of the new Waziri chief not to have the slightest desire to accompany

Almost immediately upon his return to the village Tarzan commenced making preparations for leading an

expedition in search of the ruined city of gold which old Waziri had described to him. He selected fifty of the

sturdiest warriors of his tribe, choosing only men who seemed anxious to accompany him on the arduous

The fabulous wealth of the fabled city had been almost constantly in his mind since Waziri had recounted the

strange adventures of the former expedition which had stumbled upon the vast ruins by chance. The lure of

adventure may have been quite as powerful a factor in urging Tarzan of the Apes to undertake the journey as

the lure of gold, but the lure of gold was there, too, for he had learned among civilized men something of the

miracles that may be wrought by the possessor of the magic yellow metal. What he would do with a golden

fortune in the heart of savage Africa it had not occurred to him to considerit would be enough to possess

the power to work wonders, even though he never had an opportunity to employ it.

So one glorious tropical morning Waziri, chief of the Waziri, set out at the head of fifty cleanlimbed ebon

warriors in quest of adventure and of riches. They followed the course which old Waziri had described to

Tarzan. For days they marchedup one river, across a low divide; down another river; up a third, until at the

end of the twentyfifth day they camped upon a mountainside, from the summit of which they hoped to catch

Early the next morning they were climbing the almost perpendicular crags which formed the last, but

greatest, natural barrier between them and their destination. It was nearly noon before Tarzan, who headed

the thin line of climbing warriors, scrambled over the top of the last cliff and stood upon the little flat

On either hand towered mighty peaks thousands of feet higher than the pass through which they were

entering the forbidden valley. Behind him stretched the wooded valley across which they had marched for

many days, and at the opposite side the low range which marked the boundary of their own country.

But before him was the view that centered his attention. Here lay a desolate valleya shallow, narrow valley

dotted with stunted trees and covered with many great bowlders. And on the far side of the valley lay what

appeared to be a mighty city, its great walls, its lofty spires, its turrets, minarets, and domes showing red and

yellow in the sunlight. Tarzan was yet too far away to note the marks of ruinto him it appeared a

wonderful city of magnificent beauty, and in imagination he peopled its broad avenues and its huge temples

For an hour the little expedition rested upon the mountain top, and then Tarzan led them down into the

valley below. There was no trail, but the way was less arduous than the ascent of the opposite face of the

mountain had been. Once in the valley their progress was rapid, so that it was still light when they halted

The outer wall was fifty feet in height where it had not fallen into ruin, but nowhere as far as they could see

had more than ten or twenty feet of the upper courses fallen away. It was still a formidable defense. On

several occasions Tarzan had thought that he discerned things moving behind the ruined portions of the wall

near to them, as though creatures were watching them from behind the bulwarks of the ancient pile. And

often he felt the sensation of unseen eyes upon him, but not once could he be sure that it was more than

That night they camped outside the city. Once, at midnight, they were awakened by a shrill scream from

beyond the great wall. It was very high at first, descending gradually until it ended in a series of dismal

moans. It had a strange effect upon the blacks, almost paralyzing them with terror while it lasted, and it was

an hour before the camp settled down to sleep once more. In the morning the effects of it were still visible in

the fearful, sidelong glances that the Waziri continually cast at the massive and forbidding structure which

It required considerable encouragement and urging on Tarzan's part to prevent the blacks from abandoning

the venture on the spot and hastening back across the valley toward the cliffs they had scaled the day before.

But at length, by dint of commands, and threats that he would enter the city alone, they agreed to accompany

For fifteen minutes they marched along the face of the wall before they discovered a means of ingress. Then

they came to a narrow cleft about twenty inches wide. Within, a flight of concrete steps, worn hollow by

centuries of use, rose before them, to disappear at a sharp turning of the passage a few yards ahead.

Into this narrow alley Tarzan made his way, turning his giant shoulders sideways that they might enter at all.

Behind him trailed his black warriors. At the turn in the cleft the stairs ended, and the path was level; but it

wound and twisted in a serpentine fashion, until suddenly at a sharp angle it debouched upon a narrow court,

across which loomed an inner wall equally as high as the outer. This inner wall was set with little round

towers alternating along its entire summit with pointed monoliths. In places these had fallen, and the wall was

Another narrow passage led through this wall, and at its end Tarzan and his warriors found themselves in a

broad avenue, on the opposite side of which crumbling edifices of hewn granite loomed dark and forbidding.

Upon the crumbling debris along the face of the buildings trees had grown, and vines wound in and out of the

hollow, staring windows; but the building directly opposite them seemed less overgrown than the others, and

in a much better state of preservation. It was a massive pile, surmounted by an enormous dome. At either side

of its great entrance stood rows of tall pillars, each capped by a huge, grotesque bird carved from the solid

As the apeman and his companions stood gazing in varying degrees of wonderment at this ancient city in

the midst of savage Africa, several of them became aware of movement within the structure at which they

were looking. Dim, shadowy shapes appeared to be moving about in the semidarkness of the interior. There

was nothing tangible that the eye could grasponly an uncanny suggestion of life where it seemed that there

should be no life, for living things seemed out of place in this weird, dead city of the longdead past.

Tarzan recalled something that he had read in the library at Paris of a lost race of white men that native

legend described as living in the heart of Africa. He wondered if he were not looking upon the ruins of the

civilization that this strange people had wrought amid the savage surroundings of their strange and savage

home. Could it be possible that even now a remnant of that lost race inhabited the ruined grandeur that had

once been their progenitor? Again he became conscious of a stealthy movement within the great temple

before him. "Come!" he said, to his Waziri. "Let us have a look at what lies behind those ruined walls."

His men were loath to follow him, but when they saw that he was bravely entering the frowning portal they

trailed a few paces behind in a huddled group that seemed the personification of nervous terror. A single

shriek such as they had heard the night before would have been sufficient to have sent them all racing madly

As Tarzan entered the building he was distinctly aware of many eyes upon him. There was a rustling in the

shadows of a nearby corridor, and he could have sworn that he saw a human hand withdrawn from an

embrasure that opened above him into the domelike rotunda in which he found himself.

The floor of the chamber was of concrete, the walls of smooth granite, upon which strange figures of men and

beasts were carved. In places tablets of yellow metal had been set in the solid masonry of the walls.

When he approached closer to one of these tablets he saw that it was of gold, and bore many hieroglyphics.

Beyond this first chamber there were others, and back of them the building branched out into enormous

wings. Tarzan passed through several of these chambers, finding many evidences of the fabulous wealth of

the original builders. In one room were seven pillars of solid gold, and in another the floor itself was of the

precious metal. And all the while that he explored, his blacks huddled close together at his back, and strange

shapes hovered upon either hand and before them and behind, yet never close enough that any might say that

The strain, however, was telling upon the nerves of the Waziri. They begged Tarzan to return to the sunlight.

They said that no good could come of such an expedition, for the ruins were haunted by the spirits of the dead

"They are watching us, O king," whispered Busuli. "They are waiting until they have led us into the

innermost recesses of their stronghold, and then they will fall upon us and tear us to pieces with their teeth.

That is the way with spirits. My mother's uncle, who is a great witch doctor, has told me all about it many

Tarzan laughed. "Run back into the sunlight, my children," he said. "I will join you when I have searched this

old ruin from top to bottom, and found the gold, or found that there is none. At least we may take the tablets

from the walls, though the pillars are too heavy for us to handle; but there should be great storerooms filled

with goldgold that we can carry away upon our backs with ease. Run on now, out into the fresh air where

Some of the warriors started to obey their chief with alacrity, but Busuli and several others hesitated to leave

himhesitated between love and loyalty for their king, and superstitious fear of the unknown. And then,

quite unexpectedly, that occurred which decided the question without the necessity for further discussion. Out

of the silence of the ruined temple there rang, close to their ears, the same hideous shriek they had heard the

previous night, and with horrified cries the black warriors turned and fled through the empty halls of the

Behind them stood Tarzan of the Apes where they had left him, a grim smile upon his lipswaiting for the

enemy he fully expected was about to pounce upon him. But again silence reigned, except for the faint

Then Tarzan wheeled and passed on into the depths of the temple. From room to room he went, until he came

to one at which a rude, barred door still stood, and as he put his shoulder against it to push it in, again the

shriek of warning rang out almost beside him. It was evident that he was being warned to refrain from

desecrating this particular room. Or could it be that within lay the secret to the treasure stores?

At any rate, the very fact that the strange, invisible guardians of this weird place had some reason for wishing

him not to enter this particular chamber was sufficient to treble Tarzan's desire to do so, and though the

shrieking was repeated continuously, he kept his shoulder to the door until it gave before his giant strength to

Within all was black as the tomb. There was no window to let in the faintest ray of light, and as the corridor

upon which it opened was itself in semidarkness, even the open door shed no relieving rays within. Feeling

before him upon the floor with the butt of his spear, Tarzan entered the Stygian gloom. Suddenly the door

behind him closed, and at the same time hands clutched him from every direction out of the darkness.

The apeman fought with all the savage fury of self preservation backed by the herculean strength that was

his. But though he felt his blows land, and his teeth sink into soft flesh, there seemed always two new hands

to take the place of those that he fought off. At last they dragged him down, and slowly, very slowly, they

overcame him by the mere weight of their numbers. And then they bound himhis hands behind his back

and his feet trussed up to meet them. He had heard no sound except the heavy breathing of his antagonists,

and the noise of the battle. He knew not what manner of creatures had captured him, but that they were

Presently they lifted him from the floor, and half dragging, half pushing him, they brought him out of the

black chamber through another doorway into an inner courtyard of the temple. Here he saw his captors. There

must have been a hundred of themshort, stocky men, with great beards that covered their faces and fell

The thick, matted hair upon their heads grew low over their receding brows, and hung about their shoulders

and their backs. Their crooked legs were short and heavy, their arms long and muscular. About their loins

they wore the skins of leopards and lions, and great necklaces of the claws of these same animals depended

upon their breasts. Massive circlets of virgin gold adorned their arms and legs. For weapons they carried

heavy, knotted bludgeons, and in the belts that confined their single garments each had a long,

But the feature of them that made the most startling impression upon their prisoner was their white

skinsneither in color nor feature was there a trace of the negroid about them. Yet, with their receding

foreheads, wicked little closeset eyes, and yellow fangs, they were far from prepossessing in appearance.

During the fight within the dark chamber, and while they had been dragging Tarzan to the inner court, no

word had been spoken, but now several of them exchanged grunting, monosyllabic conversation in a

language unfamiliar to the apeman, and presently they left him lying upon the concrete floor while they

trooped off on their short legs into another part of the temple beyond the court.

As Tarzan lay there upon his back he saw that the temple entirely surrounded the little inclosure, and that on

all sides its lofty walls rose high above him. At the top a little patch of blue sky was visible, and, in one

direction, through an embrasure, he could see foliage, but whether it was beyond or within the temple he did

About the court, from the ground to the top of the temple, were series of open galleries, and now and then the

captive caught glimpses of bright eyes gleaming from beneath masses of tumbling hair, peering down upon

The apeman gently tested the strength of the bonds that held him, and while he could not be sure it seemed

that they were of insufficient strength to withstand the strain of his mighty muscles when the time came to

make a break for freedom; but he did not dare to put them to the crucial test until darkness had fallen, or he

He had lain within the court for several hours before the first rays of sunlight penetrated the vertical shaft;

almost simultaneously he heard the pattering of bare feet in the corridors about him, and a moment later saw

the galleries above fill with crafty faces as a score or more entered the courtyard.

For a moment every eye was bent upon the noonday sun, and then in unison the people in the galleries and

those in the court below took up the refrain of a low, weird chant. Presently those about Tarzan began to

dance to the cadence of their solemn song. They circled him slowly, resembling in their manner of dancing a

number of clumsy, shuffling bears; but as yet they did not look at him, keeping their little eyes fixed upon the

For ten minutes or more they kept up their monotonous chant and steps, and then suddenly, and in perfect

unison, they turned toward their victim with upraised bludgeons and emitting fearful howls, the while they

contorted their features into the most diabolical expressions, they rushed upon him.

At the same instant a female figure dashed into the midst of the bloodthirsty horde, and, with a bludgeon

similar to their own, except that it was wrought from gold, beat back the advancing men.

For a moment Tarzan thought that by some strange freak of fate a miracle had saved him, but when he

realized the ease with which the girl had, singlehanded, beaten off twenty gorillalike males, and an instant

later, as he saw them again take up their dance about him while she addressed them in a singsong monotone,

which bore every evidence of rote, he came to the conclusion that it was all but a part of the ceremony of

After a moment or two the girl drew a knife from her girdle, and, leaning over Tarzan, cut the bonds from his

legs. Then, as the men stopped their dance, and approached, she motioned to him to rise. Placing the rope that

had been about his legs around his neck, she led him across the courtyard, the men following in twos.

Through winding corridors she led, farther and farther into the remoter precincts of the temple, until they

came to a great chamber in the center of which stood an altar. Then it was that Tarzan translated the strange

He had fallen into the hands of descendants of the ancient sun worshippers. His seeming rescue by a votaress

of the high priestess of the sun had been but a part of the mimicry of their heathen ceremonythe sun

looking down upon him through the opening at the top of the court had claimed him as his own, and the

priestess had come from the inner temple to save him from the polluting hands of worldlings to save him

And had he needed further assurance as to the correctness of his theory he had only to cast his eyes upon the

brownish red stains that caked the stone altar and covered the floor in its immediate vicinity, or to the

The priestess led the victim to the altar steps. Again the galleries above filled with watchers, while from an

arched doorway at the east end of the chamber a procession of females filed slowly into the room. They wore,

like the men, only skins of wild animals caught about their waists with rawhide belts or chains of gold; but

the black masses of their hair were incrusted with golden headgear composed of many circular and oval

pieces of gold ingeniously held together to form a metal cap from which depended at each side of the head,

The females were more symmetrically proportioned than the males, their features were much more perfect,

the shapes of their heads and their large, soft, black eyes denoting far greater intelligence and humanity than

Each priestess bore two golden cups, and as they formed in line along one side of the altar the men formed

opposite them, advancing and taking each a cup from the female opposite. Then the chant began once more,

and presently from a dark passageway beyond the altar another female emerged from the cavernous depths

The high priestess, thought Tarzan. She was a young woman with a rather intelligent and shapely face. Her

ornaments were similar to those worn by her votaries, but much more elaborate, many being set with

diamonds. Her bare arms and legs were almost concealed by the massive, bejeweled ornaments which

covered them, while her single leopard skin was supported by a closefitting girdle of golden rings set in

strange designs with innumerable small diamonds. In the girdle she carried a long, jeweled knife, and in her

As she advanced to the opposite side of the altar she halted, and the chanting ceased. The priests and

priestesses knelt before her, while with wand extended above them she recited a long and tiresome prayer.

Her voice was soft and musicalTarzan could scarce realize that its possessor in a moment more would be

transformed by the fanatical ecstasy of religious zeal into a wildeyed and bloodthirsty executioner, who,

with dripping knife, would be the first to drink her victim's red, warm blood from the little golden cup that

As she finished her prayer she let her eyes rest for the first time upon Tarzan. With every indication of

considerable curiosity she examined him from head to foot. Then she addressed him, and when she had

"I do not understand your language," said Tarzan. "Possibly we may speak together in another tongue?" But

she could not understand him, though he tried French, English, Arab, Waziri, and, as a last resort, the

She shook her head, and it seemed that there was a note of weariness in her voice as she motioned to the

priests to continue with the rites. These now circled in a repetition of their idiotic dance, which was

terminated finally at a command from the priestess, who had stood throughout, still looking intently upon

At her signal the priests rushed upon the apeman, and, lifting him bodily, laid him upon his back across the

altar, his head hanging over one edge, his legs over the opposite. Then they and the priestesses formed in two

lines, with their little golden cups in readiness to capture a share of the victim's lifeblood after the sacrificial

In the line of priests an altercation arose as to who should have first place. A burly brute with all the refined

intelligence of a gorilla stamped upon his bestial face was attempting to push a smaller man to second place,

but the smaller one appealed to the high priestess, who in a cold peremptory voice sent the larger to the

extreme end of the line. Tarzan could hear him growling and rumbling as he went slowly to the inferior

Then the priestess, standing above him, began reciting what Tarzan took to be an invocation, the while she

slowly raised her thin, sharp knife aloft. It seemed ages to the apeman before her arm ceased its upward

Then it started downward, slowly at first, but as the incantation increased in rapidity, with greater speed. At

the end of the line Tarzan could still hear the grumbling of the disgruntled priest. The man's voice rose louder

and louder. A priestess near him spoke in sharp tones of rebuke. The knife was quite near to Tarzan's breast

now, but it halted for an instant as the high priestess raised her eyes to shoot her swift displeasure at the

There was a sudden commotion in the direction of the disputants, and Tarzan rolled his head in their direction

in time to see the burly brute of a priest leap upon the woman opposite him, dashing out her brains with a

single blow of his heavy cudgel. Then that happened which Tarzan had witnessed a hundred times before

among the wild denizens of his own savage jungle. He had seen the thing fall upon Kerchak, and Tublat, and

Terkoz; upon a dozen of the other mighty bull apes of his tribe; and upon Tantor, the elephant; there was

scarce any of the males of the forest that did not at times fall prey to it. The priest went mad, and with his

His screams of rage were frightful as he dashed hither and thither, dealing terrific blows with his giant

weapon, or sinking his yellow fangs into the flesh of some luckless victim. And during it the priestess stood

with poised knife above Tarzan, her eyes fixed in horror upon the maniacal thing that was dealing out death

Presently the room was emptied except for the dead and dying on the floor, the victim upon the altar, the high

priestess, and the madman. As the cunning eyes of the latter fell upon the woman they lighted with a new and

sudden lust. Slowly he crept toward her, and now he spoke; but this time there fell upon Tarzan's surprised

ears a language he could understand; the last one that he would ever have thought of employing in attempting

to converse with human beingsthe low guttural barking of the tribe of great anthropoidshis own mother

He was threateningshe attempting to reason with him, for it was quite evident that she saw that he was past

her authority. The brute was quite close nowcreeping with clawlike hands extended toward her around the

end of the altar. Tarzan strained at the bonds which held his arms pinioned behind him. The woman did not

seeshe had forgotten her prey in the horror of the danger that threatened herself. As the brute leaped past

Tarzan to clutch his victim, the apeman gave one superhuman wrench at the thongs that held him. The effort

sent him rolling from the altar to the stone floor on the opposite side from that on which the priestess stood;

but as he sprang to his feet the thongs dropped from his freed arms, and at the same time he realized that he

was alone in the inner templethe high priestess and the mad priest had disappeared.

And then a muffled scream came from the cavernous mouth of the dark hole beyond the sacrificial altar

through which the priestess had entered the temple. Without even a thought for his own safety, or the

possibility for escape which this rapid series of fortuitous circumstances had thrust upon him, Tarzan of the

Apes answered the call of the woman in danger. With a little bound he was at the gaping entrance to the

subterranean chamber, and a moment later was running down a flight of ageold concrete steps that led he

The faint light that filtered in from above showed him a large, lowceiled vault from which several doorways

led off into inky darkness, but there was no need to thread an unknown way, for there before him lay the

objects of his searchthe mad brute had the girl upon the floor, and gorillalike fingers were clutching

frantically at her throat as she struggled to escape the fury of the awful thing upon her.

As Tarzan's heavy hand fell upon his shoulder the priest dropped his victim, and turned upon her wouldbe

rescuer. With foamflecked lips and bared fangs the mad sunworshiper battled with the tenfold power of the

maniac. In the blood lust of his fury the creature had undergone a sudden reversion to type, which left him a

wild beast, forgetful of the dagger that projected from his beltthinking only of nature's weapons with

But if he could use his teeth and hands to advantage, he found one even better versed in the school of savage

warfare to which he had reverted, for Tarzan of the Apes closed with him, and they fell to the floor tearing

and rending at one another like two bull apes; while the primitive priestess stood flattened against the wall,

watching with wide, fear fascinated eyes the growing, snapping beasts at her feet.

At last she saw the stranger close one mighty hand upon the throat of his antagonist, and as he forced the

bruteman's head far back rain blow after blow upon the upturned face. A moment later he threw the still thing

from him, and, arising, shook himself like a lion. He placed a foot upon the carcass before him, and raised his

head to give the victory cry of his kind, but as his eyes fell upon the opening above him leading into the

The girl, who had been half paralyzed by fear as the two men fought, had just commenced to give thought to

her probable fate now that, though released from the clutches of a madman, she had fallen into the hands of

one whom but a moment before she had been upon the point of killing. She looked about for some means of

escape. The black mouth of a diverging corridor was near at hand, but as she turned to dart into it the

apeman's eyes fell upon her, and with a quick leap he was at her side, and a restraining hand was laid upon

"What do you want of me?" she continued. "For what purpose did you save me from Tha?"

"Nothing," he replied, "but you can do something for meyou can lead me out of this place to freedom." He

made the suggestion without the slightest thought that she would accede. He felt quite sure that the sacrifice

would go on from the point where it had been interrupted if the high priestess had her way, though he was

equally positive that they would find Tarzan of the Apes unbound and with a long dagger in his hand a much

"You are a very wonderful man," she said. "You are such a man as I have seen in my daydreams ever since I

was a little girl. You are such a man as I imagine the forbears of my people must have beenthe great race

of people who built this mighty city in the heart of a savage world that they might wrest from the bowels of

the earth the fabulous wealth for which they had sacrificed their fardistant civilization.

"I cannot understand why you came to my rescue in the first place, and now I cannot understand why, having

me within your power, you do not wish to be revenged upon me for having sentenced you to deathfor

"I presume," replied the apeman, "that you but followed the teachings of your religion. I cannot blame YOU

for that, no matter what I may think of your creed. But who are you what people have I fallen among?"

"I am La, high priestess of the Temple of the Sun, in the city of Opar. We are descendants of a people who

came to this savage world more than ten thousand years ago in search of gold. Their cities stretched from a

great sea under the rising sun to a great sea into which the sun descends at night to cool his flaming brow.

They were very rich and very powerful, but they lived only a few months of the year in their magnificent

palaces here; the rest of the time they spent in their native land, far, far to the north.

"Many ships went back and forth between this new world and the old. During the rainy season there were but

few of the inhabitants remained here, only those who superintended the working of the mines by the black

slaves, and the merchants who had to stay to supply their wants, and the soldiers who guarded the cities and

"It was at one of these times that the great calamity occurred. When the time came for the teeming thousands

to return none came. For weeks the people waited. Then they sent out a great galley to learn why no one came

from the mother country, but though they sailed about for many months, they were unable to find any trace of

the mighty land that had for countless ages borne their ancient civilizationit had sunk into the sea.

"From that day dated the downfall of my people. Disheartened and unhappy, they soon became a prey to the

black hordes of the north and the black hordes of the south. One by one the cities were deserted or overcome.

The last remnant was finally forced to take shelter within this mighty mountain fortress. Slowly we have

dwindled in power, in civilization, in intellect, in numbers, until now we are no more than a small tribe of

"In fact, the apes live with us, and have for many ages. We call them the first menwe speak their language

quite as much as we do our own; only in the rituals of the temple do we make any attempt to retain our

mother tongue. In time it will be forgotten, and we will speak only the language of the apes; in time we will

no longer banish those of our people who mate with apes, and so in time we shall descend to the very beasts

"For some reason the women have not reverted to savagery so rapidly as the men. It may be because only the

lower types of men remained here at the time of the great catastrophe, while the temples were filled with the

noblest daughters of the race. My strain has remained clearer than the rest because for countless ages my

foremothers were high priestessesthe sacred office descends from mother to daughter. Our husbands are

chosen for us from the noblest in the land. The most perfect man, mentally and physically, is selected to be

"From what I saw of the gentlemen above," said Tarzan, with a grin, "there should be little trouble in

Tarzan shuddered at her fate, for even in the dim light of the vault he was impressed by her beauty.

"But how about myself?" he asked suddenly. "Are you going to lead me to liberty?"

"You have been chosen by The Flaming God as his own," she answered solemnly. "Not even I have the

power to save youshould they find you again. But I do not intend that they shall find you. You risked your

life to save mine. I may do no less for you. It will be no easy matterit may require days; but in the end I

think that I can lead you beyond the walls. Come, they will look here for me presently, and if they find us

together we shall both be lostthey would kill me did they think that I had proved false to my god."

"You must not take the risk, then," he said quickly. "I will return to the temple, and if I can fight my way to

But she would not have it so, and finally persuaded him to follow her, saying that they had already remained

in the vault too long to prevent suspicion from falling upon her even if they returned to the temple.

"I will hide you, and then return alone," she said, "telling them that I was long unconscious after you killed

And so she led him through winding corridors of gloom, until finally they came to a small chamber into

"This is the Chamber of the Dead," she said. "None will think of searching here for youthey would not

dare. I will return after it is dark. By that time I may have found a plan to effect your escape."

She was gone, and Tarzan of the Apes was left alone in the Chamber of the Dead, beneath the longdead city

Clayton dreamed that he was drinking his fill of water, pure, delightful drafts of fresh water. With a start he

gained consciousness to find himself wet through by torrents of rain that were falling upon his body and his

upturned face. A heavy tropical shower was beating down upon them. He opened his mouth and drank.

Presently he was so revived and strengthened that he was enabled to raise himself upon his hands. Across his

legs lay Monsieur Thuran. A few feet aft Jane Porter was huddled in a pitiful little heap in the bottom of the

After infinite labor he released himself from Thuran's pinioning body, and with renewed strength crawled

toward the girl. He raised her head from the rough boards of the boat's bottom. There might be life in that

poor, starved frame even yet. He could not quite abandon all hope, and so he seized a watersoaked rag and

squeezed the precious drops between the swollen lips of the hideous thing that had but a few short days

For some time there was no sign of returning animation, but at last his efforts were rewarded by a slight

tremor of the halfclosed lids. He chafed the thin hands, and forced a few more drops of water into the

parched throat. The girl opened her eyes, looking up at him for a long time before she could recall her

"It is raining," he explained. "We may at least drink. Already it has revived us both."

"I do not know," replied Clayton. "If he lives and this rain revives him" But he stopped there, remembering

too late that he must not add further to the horrors which the girl already had endured.

Clayton nodded his head toward the prostrate form of the Russian. For a time neither spoke.

"No," she whispered, extending a detaining hand toward him. "Do not do thathe will kill you when the

water has given him strength. If he is dying, let him die. Do not leave me alone in this boat with that beast."

Clayton hesitated. His honor demanded that he attempt to revive Thuran, and there was the possibility, too,

that the Russian was beyond human aid. It was not dishonorable to hope so. As he sat fighting out his battle

he presently raised his eyes from the body of the man, and as they passed above the gunwale of the boat he

The girl looked, too, and there, not a hundred yards away, she saw a yellow beach, and, beyond, the luxurious

"Now you may revive him," said Jane Porter, for she, too, had been haunted with the pangs of conscience

which had resulted from her decision to prevent Clayton from offering succor to their companion.

It required the better part of half an hour before the Russian evinced sufficient symptoms of returning

consciousness to open his eyes, and it was some time later before they could bring him to a realization of

their good fortune. By this time the boat was scraping gently upon the sandy bottom.

Between the refreshing water that he had drunk and the stimulus of renewed hope, Clayton found strength to

stagger through the shallow water to the shore with a line made fast to the boat's bow. This he fastened to a

small tree which grew at the top of a low bank, for the tide was at flood, and he feared that the boat might

carry them all out to sea again with the ebb, since it was quite likely that it would be beyond his strength to

get Jane Porter to the shore for several hours. Next he managed to stagger and crawl toward the near by

jungle, where he had seen evidences of profusion of tropical fruit. His former experience in the jungle of

Tarzan of the Apes had taught him which of the many growing things were edible, and after nearly an hour of

The rain had ceased, and the hot sun was beating down so mercilessly upon her that Jane Porter insisted on

making an immediate attempt to gain the land. Still further invigorated by the food Clayton had brought, the

three were able to reach the half shade of the small tree to which their boat was moored. Here, thoroughly

For a month they lived upon the beach in comparative safety. As their strength returned the two men

constructed a rude shelter in the branches of a tree, high enough from the ground to insure safety from the

larger beasts of prey. By day they gathered fruits and trapped small rodents; at night they lay cowering within

their frail shelter while savage denizens of the jungle made hideous the hours of darkness.

They slept upon litters of jungle grasses, and for covering at night Jane Porter had only an old ulster that

belonged to Clayton, the same garment that he had worn upon that memorable trip to the Wisconsin woods.

Clayton had erected a frail partition of boughs to divide their arboreal shelter into two roomsone for the

From the first the Russian had exhibited every trait of his true characterselfishness, boorishness, arrogance,

cowardice, and lust. Twice had he and Clayton come to blows because of Thuran's attitude toward the girl.

Clayton dared not leave her alone with him for an instant. The existence of the Englishman and his fiancee

was one continual nightmare of horror, and yet they lived on in hope of ultimate rescue.

Jane Porter's thoughts often reverted to her other experience on this savage shore. Ah, if the invincible forest

god of that dead past were but with them now. No longer would there be aught to fear from prowling beasts,

or from the bestial Russian. She could not well refrain from comparing the scant protection afforded her by

Clayton with what she might have expected had Tarzan of the Apes been for a single instant confronted by

the sinister and menacing attitude of Monsieur Thuran. Once, when Clayton had gone to the little stream for

"It is well for you, Monsieur Thuran," she said, "that the poor Monsieur Tarzan who was lost from the ship

"I knew the man," she replied. "The only real man, I think, that I have ever known."

There was something in her tone of voice that led the Russian to attribute to her a deeper feeling for his

enemy than friendship, and he grasped at the suggestion to be further revenged upon the man whom he

"He was worse than a pig," he cried. "He was a poltroon and a coward. To save himself from the righteous

wrath of the husband of a woman he had wronged, he perjured his soul in an attempt to place the blame

entirely upon her. Not succeeding in this, he ran away from France to escape meeting the husband upon the

field of honor. That is why he was on board the ship that bore Miss Strong and myself to Cape Town. I know

whereof I speak, for the woman in the case is my sister. Something more I know that I have never told

anotheryour brave Monsieur Tarzan leaped overboard in an agony of fear because I recognized him, and

insisted that he make reparation to me the following morningwe could have fought with knives in my

Jane Porter laughed. "You do not for a moment imagine that one who has known both Monsieur Tarzan and

"I do not believe you," she cried, but nevertheless the seed of suspicion was sown, for she knew that Hazel

A scant five miles north of their rude shelter, all unknown to them, and practically as remote as though

separated by thousands of miles of impenetrable jungle, lay the snug little cabin of Tarzan of the Apes. While

farther up the coast, a few miles beyond the cabin, in crude but wellbuilt shelters, lived a little party of

eighteen soulsthe occupants of the three boats from the LADY ALICE from which Clayton's boat had

Over a smooth sea they had rowed to the mainland in less than three days. None of the horrors of shipwreck

had been theirs, and though depressed by sorrow, and suffering from the shock of the catastrophe and the

unaccustomed hardships of their new existence there was none much the worse for the experience.

All were buoyed by the hope that the fourth boat had been picked up, and that a thorough search of the coast

would be quickly made. As all the firearms and ammunition on the yacht had been placed in Lord

Tennington's boat, the party was well equipped for defense, and for hunting the larger game for food.

Professor Archimedes Q. Porter was their only immediate anxiety. Fully assured in his own mind that his

daughter had been picked up by a passing steamer, he gave over the last vestige of apprehension concerning

her welfare, and devoted his giant intellect solely to the consideration of those momentous and abstruse

scientific problems which he considered the only proper food for thought in one of his erudition. His mind

"Never," said the exhausted Mr. Samuel T. Philander, to Lord Tennington, "never has Professor Porter been

more difficulterI might say, impossible. Why, only this morning, after I had been forced to relinquish

my surveillance for a brief half hour he was entirely missing upon my return. And, bless me, sir, where do

you imagine I discovered him? A half mile out in the ocean, sir, in one of the lifeboats, rowing away for dear

life. I do not know how he attained even that magnificent distance from shore, for he had but a single oar,

"When one of the sailors had taken me out to him in another boat the professor became quite indignant at my

suggestion that we return at once to land. `Why, Mr. Philander,' he said, `I am surprised that you, sir, a man

of letters yourself, should have the temerity so to interrupt the progress of science. I had about deduced from

certain astronomic phenomena I have had under minute observation during the past several tropic nights an

entirely new nebular hypothesis which will unquestionably startle the scientific world. I wish to consult a

very excellent monograph on Laplace's hypothesis, which I understand is in a certain private collection in

New York City. Your interference, Mr. Philander, will result in an irreparable delay, for I was just rowing

over to obtain this pamphlet.' And it was with the greatest difficulty that I persuaded him to return to shore,

Miss Strong and her mother were very brave under the strain of almost constant apprehension of the attacks

of savage beasts. Nor were they quite able to accept so readily as the others the theory that Jane, Clayton, and

Jane Porter's Esmeralda was in a constant state of tears at the cruel fate which had separated her from her "po,

Lord Tennington's greathearted good nature never deserted him for a moment. He was still the jovial host,

seeking always for the comfort and pleasure of his guests. With the men of his yacht he remained the just but

firm commander there was never any more question in the jungle than there had been on board the LADY

ALICE as to who was the final authority in all questions of importance, and in all emergencies requiring cool

Could this wellorganized and comparatively secure party of castaways have seen the ragged, fearhaunted

trio a few miles south of them they would scarcely have recognized in them the formerly immaculate

members of the little company that had laughed and played upon the LADY ALICE. Clayton and Monsieur

Thuran were almost naked, so torn had their clothes been by the thorn bushes and tangled vegetation of the

matted jungle through which they had been compelled to force their way in search of their ever more difficult

Jane Porter had of course not been subjected to these strenuous expeditions, but her apparel was,

Clayton, for lack of any better occupation, had carefully saved the skin of every animal they had killed. By

stretching them upon the stems of trees, and diligently scraping them, he had managed to save them in a fair

condition, and now that his clothes were threatening to cover his nakedness no longer, he commenced to

fashion a rude garment of them, using a sharp thorn for a needle, and bits of tough grass and animal tendons

The result when completed was a sleeveless garment which fell nearly to his knees. As it was made up of

numerous small pelts of different species of rodents, it presented a rather strange and wonderful appearance,

which, together with the vile stench which permeated it, rendered it anything other than a desirable addition

to a wardrobe. But the time came when for the sake of decency he was compelled to don it, and even the

misery of their condition could not prevent Jane Porter from laughing heartily at sight of him.

Later, Thuran also found it necessary to construct a similar primitive garment, so that, with their bare legs and

heavily bearded faces, they looked not unlike reincarnations of two prehistoric progenitors of the human race.

Nearly two months of this existence had passed when the first great calamity befell them. It was prefaced by

an adventure which came near terminating abruptly the sufferings of two of themterminating them in the

Thuran, down with an attack of jungle fever, lay in the shelter among the branches of their tree of refuge.

Clayton had been into the jungle a few hundred yards in search of food. As he returned Jane Porter walked to

meet him. Behind the man, cunning and crafty, crept an old and mangy lion. For three days his ancient thews

and sinews had proved insufficient for the task of providing his cavernous belly with meat. For months he

had eaten less and less frequently, and farther and farther had he roamed from his accustomed haunts in

search of easier prey. At last he had found nature's weakest and most defenseless creaturein a moment

Clayton, all unconscious of the lurking death behind him, strode out into the open toward Jane. He had

reached her side, a hundred feet from the tangled edge of jungle when past his shoulder the girl saw the tawny

head and the wicked yellow eyes as the grasses parted, and the huge beast, nose to ground, stepped softly into

So frozen with horror was she that she could utter no sound, but the fixed and terrified gaze of her

fearwidened eyes spoke as plainly to Clayton as words. A quick glance behind him revealed the

hopelessness of their situation. The lion was scarce thirty paces from them, and they were equally as far from

the shelter. The man was armed with a stout stickas efficacious against a hungry lion, he realized, as a toy

Numa, ravenous with hunger, had long since learned the futility of roaring and moaning as he searched for

prey, but now that it was as surely his as though already he had felt the soft flesh beneath his still mighty

paw, he opened his huge jaws, and gave vent to his longpent rage in a series of deafening roars that made

"Run, Jane!" cried Clayton. "Quick! Run for the shelter!" But her paralyzed muscles refused to respond, and

she stood mute and rigid, staring with ghastly countenance at the living death creeping toward them.

Thuran, at the sound of that awful roar, had come to the opening of the shelter, and as he saw the tableau

"Run! Run!" he cried. "Run, or I shall be left all alone in this horrible place," and then he broke down and

commenced to weep. For a moment this new voice distracted the attention of the lion, who halted to cast an

inquiring glance in the direction of the tree. Clayton could endure the strain no longer. Turning his back upon

The girl looked at him in horror. Why did he not do something? If he must die, why not die like a

manbravely; beating at that terrible face with his puny stick, no matter how futile it might be. Would

Tarzan of the Apes have done thus? Would he not at least have gone down to his death fighting heroically to

Now the lion was crouching for the spring that would end their young lives beneath cruel, rending, yellow

fangs. Jane Porter sank to her knees in prayer, closing her eyes to shut out the last hideous instant. Thuran,

Seconds dragged into minutes, long minutes into an eternity, and yet the beast did not spring. Clayton was

almost unconscious from the prolonged agony of frighthis knees trembleda moment more and he would

Jane Porter could endure it no longer. She opened her eyes. Could she be dreaming?

Clayton mastered himself sufficiently to raise his head and turn toward the lion. An ejaculation of surprise

burst from his lips. At their very feet the beast lay crumpled in death. A heavy war spear protruded from the

tawny hide. It had entered the great back above the right shoulder, and, passing entirely through the body, had

Jane Porter had risen to her feet; as Clayton turned back to her she staggered in weakness. He put out his

arms to save her from falling, and then drew her close to himpressing her head against his shoulder, he

"Please do not do that, William," she said. "I have lived a thousand years in the past brief moments. I have

learned in the face of death how to live. I do not wish to hurt you more than is necessary; but I can no longer

bear to live out the impossible position I have attempted because of a false sense of loyalty to an impulsive

"The last few seconds of my life have taught me that it would be hideous to attempt further to deceive myself

and you, or to entertain for an instant longer the possibility of ever becoming your wife, should we regain

"Why, Jane," he cried, "what do you mean? What has our providential rescue to do with altering your feelings

"I am more nearly myself this minute than I have been for over a year," she replied. "The thing that has just

happened has again forced to my memory the fact that the bravest man that ever lived honored me with his

love. Until it was too late I did not realize that I returned it, and so I sent him away. He is dead now, and I

shall never marry. I certainly could not wed another less brave than he without harboring constantly a feeling

It was quite dark before La, the high priestess, returned to the Chamber of the Dead with food and drink for

Tarzan. She bore no light, feeling with her hands along the crumbling walls until she gained the chamber.

Through the stone grating above, a tropic moon served dimly to illuminate the interior.

Tarzan, crouching in the shadows at the far side of the room as the first sound of approaching footsteps

"They are furious," were her first words. "Never before has a human sacrifice escaped the altar. Already fifty

have gone forth to track you down. They have searched the templeall save this single room."

"It is the Chamber of the Dead. Here the dead return to worship. See this ancient altar? It is here that the dead

sacrifice the livingif they find a victim here. That is the reason our people shun this chamber. Were one to

"I am high priestessI alone am safe from the dead. It is I who at rare intervals bring them a human sacrifice

"It is the duty of a high priestess to instruct, to interpret according to the creed that others, wiser than

herself, have laid down; but there is nothing in the creed which says that she must believe. The more one

knows of one's religion the less one believesno one living knows more of mine than I."

"Then your only fear in aiding me to escape is that your fellow mortals may discover your duplicity?"

"That is allthe dead are dead; they cannot harmor help. We must therefore depend entirely upon

ourselves, and the sooner we act the better it will be. I had difficulty in eluding their vigilance but now in

bringing you this morsel of food. To attempt to repeat the thing daily would be the height of folly. Come, let

She led him back to the chamber beneath the altar room. Here she turned into one of the several corridors

leading from it. In the darkness Tarzan could not see which one. For ten minutes they groped slowly along a

winding passage, until at length they came to a closed door. Here he heard her fumbling with a key, and

presently came the sound of a metal bolt grating against metal. The door swung in on scraping hinges, and

Where Tarzan stood it was dark as Erebus. Not even his trained eyes could penetrate the utter blackness.

Cautiously he moved forward until his outstretched hand touched a wall, then very slowly he traveled

Apparently it was about twenty feet square. The floor was of concrete, the walls of the dry masonry that

marked the method of construction above ground. Small pieces of granite of various sizes were ingeniously

The first time around the walls Tarzan thought he detected a strange phenomenon for a room with no

windows but a single door. Again he crept carefully around close to the wall. No, he could not be mistaken!

He paused before the center of the wall opposite the door. For a moment he stood quite motionless, then he

moved a few feet to one side. Again he returned, only to move a few feet to the other side.

Once more he made the entire circuit of the room, feeling carefully every foot of the walls. Finally he stopped

again before the particular section that had aroused his curiosity. There was no doubt of it! A distinct draft of

fresh air was blowing into the chamber through the intersection of the masonry at that particular pointand

Tarzan tested several pieces of the granite which made up the wall at this spot, and finally was rewarded by

finding one which lifted out readily. It was about ten inches wide, with a face some three by six inches

showing within the chamber. One by one the apeman lifted out similarly shaped stones. The wall at this

point was constructed entirely, it seemed, of these almost perfect slabs. In a short time he had removed some

dozen, when he reached in to test the next layer of masonry. To his surprise, he felt nothing behind the

It was a matter of but a few minutes to remove enough of the wall to permit his body to pass through the

aperture. Directly ahead of him he thought he discerned a faint glow scarcely more than a less

impenetrable darkness. Cautiously he moved forward on hands and knees, until at about fifteen feet, or the

average thickness of the foundation walls, the floor ended abruptly in a sudden drop. As far out as he could

reach he felt nothing, nor could he find the bottom of the black abyss that yawned before him, though,

clinging to the edge of the floor, he lowered his body into the darkness to its full length. Finally it occurred to

him to look up, and there above him he saw through a round opening a tiny circular patch of starry sky.

Feeling up along the sides of the shaft as far as he could reach, the apeman discovered that so much of the

wall as he could feel converged toward the center of the shaft as it rose. This fact precluded possibility of

As he sat speculating on the nature and uses of this strange passage and its terminal shaft, the moon topped

the opening above, letting a flood of soft, silvery light into the shadowy place. Instantly the nature of the shaft

became apparent to Tarzan, for far below him he saw the shimmering surface of water. He had come upon an

ancient wellbut what was the purpose of the connection between the well and the dungeon in which he had

As the moon crossed the opening of the shaft its light flooded the whole interior, and then Tarzan saw

directly across from him another opening in the opposite wall. He wondered if this might not be the mouth of

a passage leading to possible escape. It would be worth investigating, at least, and this he determined to do.

Quickly returning to the wall he had demolished to explore what lay beyond it, he carried the stones into the

passageway and replaced them from that side. The deep deposit of dust which he had noticed upon the blocks

as he had first removed them from the wall had convinced him that even if the present occupants of the

ancient pile had knowledge of this hidden passage they had made no use of it for perhaps generations.

The wall replaced, Tarzan turned to the shaft, which was some fifteen feet wide at this point. To leap across

the intervening space was a small matter to the apeman, and a moment later he was proceeding along a

narrow tunnel, moving cautiously for fear of being precipitated into another shaft such as he had just crossed.

He had advanced some hundred feet when he came to a flight of steps leading downward into Stygian gloom.

Some twenty feet below, the level floor of the tunnel recommenced, and shortly afterward his progress was

stopped by a heavy wooden door which was secured by massive wooden bars upon the side of Tarzan's

approach. This fact suggested to the apeman that he might surely be in a passageway leading to the outer

world, for the bolts, barring progress from the opposite side, tended to substantiate this hypothesis, unless it

Along the tops of the bars were deep layers of dusta further indication that the passage had lain long

unused. As he pushed the massive obstacle aside, its great hinges shrieked out in weird protest against this

unaccustomed disturbance. For a moment Tarzan paused to listen for any responsive note which might

indicate that the unusual night noise had alarmed the inmates of the temple; but as he heard nothing he

Carefully feeling about, he found himself within a large chamber, along the walls of which, and down the

length of the floor, were piled many tiers of metal ingots of an odd though uniform shape. To his groping

hands they felt not unlike doubleheaded bootjacks. The ingots were quite heavy, and but for the enormous

number of them he would have been positive that they were gold; but the thought of the fabulous wealth these

thousands of pounds of metal would have represented were they in reality gold, almost convinced him that

At the far end of the chamber he discovered another barred door, and again the bars upon the inside renewed

the hope that he was traversing an ancient and forgotten passageway to liberty. Beyond the door the passage

ran straight as a war spear, and it soon became evident to the apeman that it had already led him beyond the

outer walls of the temple. If he but knew the direction it was leading him! If toward the west, then he must

With increasing hopes he forged ahead as rapidly as he dared, until at the end of half an hour he came to

another flight of steps leading upward. At the bottom this flight was of concrete, but as he ascended his naked

feet felt a sudden change in the substance they were treading. The steps of concrete had given place to steps

of granite. Feeling with his hands, the apeman discovered that these latter were evidently hewed from rock,

For a hundred feet the steps wound spirally up, until at a sudden turning Tarzan came into a narrow cleft

between two rocky walls. Above him shone the starry sky, and before him a steep incline replaced the steps

that had terminated at its foot. Up this pathway Tarzan hastened, and at its upper end came out upon the

A mile away lay the ruined city of Opar, its domes and turrets bathed in the soft light of the equatorial moon.

Tarzan dropped his eyes to the ingot he had brought away with him. For a moment he examined it by the

moon's bright rays, then he raised his head to look out upon the ancient piles of crumbling grandeur in the

"Opar," he mused, "Opar, the enchanted city of a dead and forgotten past. The city of the beauties and the

beasts. City of horrors and death; butcity of fabulous riches." The ingot was of virgin gold.

The bowlder on which Tarzan found himself lay well out in the plain between the city and the distant cliffs he

and his black warriors had scaled the morning previous. To descend its rough and precipitous face was a task

of infinite labor and considerable peril even to the apeman; but at last he felt the soft soil of the valley

beneath his feet, and without a backward glance at Opar he turned his face toward the guardian cliffs, and at a

The sun was just rising as he gained the summit of the flat mountain at the valley's western boundary. Far

beneath him he saw smoke arising above the treetops of the forest at the base of the foothills.

"Man," he murmured. "And there were fifty who went forth to track me down. Can it be they?"

Swiftly he descended the face of the cliff, and, dropping into a narrow ravine which led down to the far

forest, he hastened onward in the direction of the smoke. Striking the forest's edge about a quarter of a mile

from the point at which the slender column arose into the still air, he took to the trees. Cautiously he

approached until there suddenly burst upon his view a rude BOMA, in the center of which, squatted about

their tiny fires, sat his fifty black Waziri. He called to them in their own tongue:

With exclamations of surprise and fear the warriors leaped to their feet, scarcely knowing whether to flee or

not. Then Tarzan dropped lightly from an overhanging branch into their midst. When they realized that it was

indeed their chief in the flesh, and no materialized spirit, they went mad with joy.

"We were cowards, oh, Waziri," cried Busuli. "We ran away and left you to your fate; but when our panic

was over we swore to return and save you, or at least take revenge upon your murderers. We were but now

preparing to scale the heights once more and cross the desolate valley to the terrible city."

"Have you seen fifty frightful men pass down from the cliffs into this forest, my children?" asked Tarzan.

"Yes, Waziri," replied Busuli. "They passed us late yesterday, as we were about to turn back after you. They

had no woodcraft. We heard them coming for a mile before we saw them, and as we had other business in

hand we withdrew into the forest and let them pass. They were waddling rapidly along upon short legs, and

now and then one would go upon all fours like Bolgani, the gorilla. They were indeed fifty frightful men,

When Tarzan had related his adventures and told them of the yellow metal he had found, not one demurred

when he outlined a plan to return by night and bring away what they could carry of the vast treasure; and so it

was that as dusk fell across the desolate valley of Opar fifty ebon warriors trailed at a smart trot over the dry

If it had seemed a difficult task to descend the face of the bowlder, Tarzan soon found that it would be next to

impossible to get his fifty warriors to the summit. Finally the feat was accomplished by dint of herculean

efforts upon the part of the apeman. Ten spears were fastened end to end, and with one end of this

remarkable chain attached to his waist, Tarzan at last succeeded in reaching the summit.

Once there, he drew up one of his blacks, and in this way the entire party was finally landed in safety upon

the bowlder's top. Immediately Tarzan led them to the treasure chamber, where to each was allotted a load of

By midnight the entire party stood once more at the foot of the bowlder, but with their heavy loads it was

mid forenoon ere they reached the summit of the cliffs. From there on the homeward journey was slow, as

these proud fighting men were unaccustomed to the duties of porters. But they bore their burdens

Here, instead of continuing on toward the northwest and their village, Tarzan guided them almost directly

west, until on the morning of the thirtythird day he bade them break camp and return to their own village,

"I shall remain here for a few days, my children," he replied. "Now hasten back to thy wives and children."

When they had gone Tarzan gathered up two of the ingots and, springing into a tree, ran lightly above the

tangled and impenetrable mass of undergrowth for a couple of hundred yards, to emerge suddenly upon a

circular clearing about which the giants of the jungle forest towered like a guardian host. In the center of this

Hundreds of times before had Tarzan been to this secluded spot, which was so densely surrounded by thorn

bushes and tangled vines and creepers of huge girth that not even Sheeta, the leopard, could worm his sinuous

way within, nor Tantor, with his giant strength, force the barriers which protected the council chamber of the

Fifty trips Tarzan made before he had deposited all the ingots within the precincts of the amphitheater. Then

from the hollow of an ancient, lightningblasted tree he produced the very spade with which he had

uncovered the chest of Professor Archimedes Q. Porter which he had once, apelike, buried in this selfsame

spot. With this he dug a long trench, into which he laid the fortune that his blacks had carried from the

That night he slept within the amphitheater, and early the next morning set out to revisit his cabin before

returning to his Waziri. Finding things as he had left them, he went forth into the jungle to hunt, intending to

bring his prey to the cabin where he might feast in comfort, spending the night upon a comfortable couch.

For five miles toward the south he roamed, toward the banks of a fairsized river that flowed into the sea

about six miles from his cabin. He had gone inland about half a mile when there came suddenly to his trained

nostrils the one scent that sets the whole savage jungle aquiverTarzan smelled man.

The wind was blowing off the ocean, so Tarzan knew that the authors of the scent were west of him. Mixed

with the man scent was the scent of Numa. Man and lion. "I had better hasten," thought the apeman, for he

When he came through the trees to the edge of the jungle he saw a woman kneeling in prayer, and before her

stood a wild, primitivelooking white man, his face buried in his arms. Behind the man a mangy lion was

advancing slowly toward this easy prey. The man's face was averted; the woman's bowed in prayer. He could

Already Numa was about to spring. There was not a second to spare. Tarzan could not even unsling his bow

and fit an arrow in time to send one of his deadly poisoned shafts into the yellow hide. He was too far away

to reach the beast in time with his knife. There was but a single hopea lone alternative. And with the

A brawny arm flew backfor the briefest fraction of an instant a huge spear poised above the giant's

shoulderand then the mighty arm shot out, and swift death tore through the intervening leaves to bury itself

in the heart of the leaping lion. Without a sound he rolled over at the very feet of his intended victimsdead.

For a moment neither the man nor the woman moved. Then the latter opened her eyes to look with wonder

upon the dead beast behind her companion. As that beautiful head went up Tarzan of the Apes gave a gasp of

incredulous astonishment. Was he mad? It could not be the woman he loved! But, indeed, it was none other.

And the woman rose, and the man took her in his arms to kiss her, and of a sudden the apeman saw red

through a bloody mist of murder, and the old scar upon his forehead burned scarlet against his brown hide.

There was a terrible expression upon his savage face as he fitted a poisoned shaft to his bow. An ugly light

gleamed in those gray eyes as he sighted full at the back of the unsuspecting man beneath him.

For an instant he glanced along the polished shaft, drawing the bowstring far back, that the arrow might

But he did not release the fatal messenger. Slowly the point of the arrow drooped; the scar upon the brown

forehead faded; the bowstring relaxed; and Tarzan of the Apes, with bowed head, turned sadly into the jungle

For several long minutes Jane Porter and William Cecil Clayton stood silently looking at the dead body of the

"If it is a friend, why does he not show himself?" continued Jane. "Wouldn't it be well to call out to him, and

Jane Porter shuddered. "The mysterious jungle," she murmured. "The terrible jungle. It renders even the

"We had best return to the shelter," said Clayton. "You will be at least a little safer there. I am no protection

"Do not say that, William," she hastened to urge, acutely sorry for the wound her words had caused. "You

have done the best you could. You have been noble, and self sacrificing, and brave. It is no fault of yours

that you are not a superman. There is only one other man I have ever known who could have done more than

you. My words were ill chosen in the excitement of the reactionI did not wish to wound you. All that I

wish is that we may both understand once and for all that I can never marry youthat such a marriage would

"I think I understand," he replied. "Let us not speak of it againat least until we are back in civilization."

The next day Thuran was worse. Almost constantly he was in a state of delirium. They could do nothing to

relieve him, nor was Clayton overanxious to attempt anything. On the girl's account he feared the

Russianin the bottom of his heart he hoped the man would die. The thought that something might befall

him that would leave her entirely at the mercy of this beast caused him greater anxiety than the probability

that almost certain death awaited her should she be left entirely alone upon the outskirts of the cruel forest.

The Englishman had extracted the heavy spear from the body of the lion, so that when he went into the forest

to hunt that morning he had a feeling of much greater security than at any time since they had been cast upon

the savage shore. The result was that he penetrated farther from the shelter than ever before.

To escape as far as possible from the mad ravings of the feverstricken Russian, Jane Porter had descended

from the shelter to the foot of the treeshe dared not venture farther. Here, beside the crude ladder Clayton

had constructed for her, she sat looking out to sea, in the always surviving hope that a vessel might be

Her back was toward the jungle, and so she did not see the grasses part, or the savage face that peered from

between. Little, bloodshot, closeset eyes scanned her intently, roving from time to time about the open

beach for indications of the presence of others than herself. Presently another head appeared, and then

another and another. The man in the shelter commenced to rave again, and the heads disappeared as silently

and as suddenly as they had come. But soon they were thrust forth once more, as the girl gave no sign of

One by one grotesque forms emerged from the jungle to creep stealthily upon the unsuspecting woman. A

faint rustling of the grasses attracted her attention. She turned, and at the sight that confronted her staggered

to her feet with a little shriek of fear. Then they closed upon her with a rush. Lifting her bodily in his long,

gorillalike arms, one of the creatures turned and bore her into the jungle. A filthy paw covered her mouth to

stifle her screams. Added to the weeks of torture she had already undergone, the shock was more than she

could withstand. Shattered nerves collapsed, and she lost consciousness. When she regained her senses she

found herself in the thick of the primeval forest. It was night. A huge fire burned brightly in the little clearing

in which she lay. About it squatted fifty frightful men. Their heads and faces were covered with matted hair.

Their long arms rested upon the bent knees of their short, crooked legs. They were gnawing, like beasts, upon

unclean food. A pot boiled upon the edge of the fire, and out of it one of the creatures would occasionally

When they discovered that their captive had regained consciousness, a piece of this repulsive stew was tossed

to her from the foul hand of a nearby feaster. It rolled close to her side, but she only closed her eyes as a

For many days they traveled through the dense forest. The girl, footsore and exhausted, was half dragged,

half pushed through the long, hot, tedious days. Occasionally, when she would stumble and fall, she was

cuffed and kicked by the nearest of the frightful men. Long before they reached their journey's end her shoes

had been discardedthe soles entirely gone. Her clothes were torn to mere shreds and tatters, and through

the pitiful rags her once white and tender skin showed raw and bleeding from contact with the thousand

The last two days of the journey found her in such utter exhaustion that no amount of kicking and abuse

could force her to her poor, bleeding feet. Outraged nature had reached the limit of endurance, and the girl

As the beasts surrounded her, chattering threateningly the while they goaded her with their cudgels and beat

and kicked her with their fists and feet, she lay with closed eyes, praying for the merciful death that she knew

alone could give her surcease from suffering; but it did not come, and presently the fifty frightful men

realized that their victim was no longer able to walk, and so they picked her up and carried her the balance of

Late one afternoon she saw the ruined walls of a mighty city looming before them, but so weak and sick was

she that it inspired not the faintest shadow of interest. Wherever they were bearing her, there could be but one

At last they passed through two great walls and came to the ruined city within. Into a crumbling pile they

bore her, and here she was surrounded by hundreds more of the same creatures that had brought her; but

among them were females who looked less horrible. At sight of them the first faint hope that she had

entertained came to mitigate her misery. But it was shortlived, for the women offered her no sympathy,

After she had been inspected to the entire satisfaction of the inmates of the building she was borne to a dark

chamber in the vaults beneath, and here upon the bare floor she was left, with a metal bowl of water and

For a week she saw only some of the women whose duty it was to bring her food and water. Slowly her

strength was returningsoon she would be in fit condition to offer as a sacrifice to The Flaming God.

Fortunate indeed it was that she could not know the fate for which she was destined.

As Tarzan of the Apes moved slowly through the jungle after casting the spear that saved Clayton and Jane

Porter from the fangs of Numa, his mind was filled with all the sorrow that belongs to a freshly opened heart

He was glad that he had stayed his hand in time to prevent the consummation of the thing that in the first mad

wave of jealous wrath he had contemplated. Only the fraction of a second had stood between Clayton and

death at the hands of the apeman. In the short moment that had elapsed after he had recognized the girl and

her companion and the relaxing of the taut muscles that held the poisoned shaft directed at the Englishman's

He had seen the woman he cravedhis womanhis mate in the arms of another. There had been but one

course open to him, according to the fierce jungle code that guided him in this other existence; but just before

it had become too late the softer sentiments of his inherent chivalry had risen above the flaming fires of his

passion and saved him. A thousand times he gave thanks that they had triumphed before his fingers had

As he contemplated his return to the Waziri the idea became repugnant. He did not wish to see a human being

again. At least he would range alone through the jungle for a time, until the sharp edge of his sorrow had

become blunted. Like his fellow beasts, he preferred to suffer in silence and alone.

That night he slept again in the amphitheater of the apes, and for several days he hunted from there, returning

at night. On the afternoon of the third day he returned early. He had lain stretched upon the soft grass of the

circular clearing for but a few moments when he heard far to the south a familiar sound. It was the passing

through the jungle of a band of great apeshe could not mistake that. For several minutes he lay listening.

Tarzan arose lazily and stretched himself. His keen ears followed every movement of the advancing tribe.

They were upwind, and presently he caught their scent, though he had not needed this added evidence to

As they came closer to the amphitheater Tarzan of the Apes melted into the branches upon the other side of

Presently a fierce, hairy face appeared among the lower branches opposite him. The cruel little eyes took in

the clearing at a glance, then there was a chattered report returned to those behind. Tarzan could hear the

words. The scout was telling the other members of the tribe that the coast was clear and that they might enter

First the leader dropped lightly upon the soft carpet of the grassy floor, and then, one by one, nearly a

hundred anthropoids followed him. There were the huge adults and several young. A few nursing babes clung

Tarzan recognized many members of the tribe. It was the same into which he had come as a tiny babe. Many

of the adults had been little apes during his boyhood. He had frolicked and played about this very jungle with

them during their brief childhood. He wondered if they would remember himthe memory of some apes is

From the talk which he overheard he learned that they had come to choose a new kingtheir late chief had

Tarzan walked to the end of an overhanging limb in plain view of them. The quick eyes of a female caught

sight of him first. With a barking guttural she called the attention of the others. Several huge bulls stood erect

to get a better view of the intruder. With bared fangs and bristling necks they advanced slowly toward him,

"Karnath, I am Tarzan of the Apes," said the apeman in the vernacular of the tribe. "You remember me.

Together we teased Numa when we were still little apes, throwing sticks and nuts at him from the safety of

The brute he had addressed stopped with a look of half comprehending, dull wonderment upon his savage

"And Magor," continued Tarzan, addressing another, "do you not recall your former kinghe who slew the

mighty Kerchak? Look at me! Am I not the same Tarzanmighty hunterinvincible fighterthat you all

The apes all crowded forward now, but more in curiosity than threatening. They muttered among themselves

And so Tarzan of the Apes dropped lightly to the turf into the midst of the fierce and hideous hordehe had

completed the cycle of evolution, and had returned to be once again a brute among brutes.

There were no greetings such as would have taken place among men after a separation of two years. The

majority of the apes went on about the little activities that the advent of the apeman had interrupted, paying

no further attention to him than as though he had not been gone from the tribe at all.

One or two young bulls who had not been old enough to remember him sidled up on all fours to sniff at him,

and one bared his fangs and growled threateninglyhe wished to put Tarzan immediately into his proper

place. Had Tarzan backed off, growling, the young bull would quite probably have been satisfied, but always

after Tarzan's station among his fellow apes would have been beneath that of the bull which had made him

But Tarzan of the Apes did not back off. Instead, he swung his giant palm with all the force of his mighty

muscles, and, catching the young bull alongside the head, sent him sprawling across the turf. The ape was up

and at him again in a second, and this time they closed with tearing fingers and rending fangsor at least

that had been the intention of the young bull; but scarcely had they gone down, growling and snapping, than

Presently the young bull ceased to struggle, and lay quite still. Then Tarzan released his hold and arosehe

did not wish to kill, only to teach the young ape, and others who might be watching, that Tarzan of the Apes

The lesson served its purposethe young apes kept out of his way, as young apes should when their betters

were about, and the old bulls made no attempt to encroach upon his prerogatives. For several days the

sheapes with young remained suspicious of him, and when he ventured too near rushed upon him with wide

mouths and hideous roars. Then Tarzan discreetly skipped out of harm's way, for that also is a custom among

the apesonly mad bulls will attack a mother. But after a while even they became accustomed to him.

He hunted with them as in days gone by, and when they found that his superior reason guided him to the best

food sources, and that his cunning rope ensnared toothsome game that they seldom if ever tasted, they came

again to look up to him as they had in the past after he had become their king. And so it was that before they

left the amphitheater to return to their wanderings they had once more chosen him as their leader.

The apeman felt quite contented with his new lot. He was not happythat he never could be again, but he

was at least as far from everything that might remind him of his past misery as he could be. Long since he

had given up every intention of returning to civilization, and now he had decided to see no more his black

friends of the Waziri. He had foresworn humanity forever. He had started life an apeas an ape he would

He could not, however, erase from his memory the fact that the woman he loved was within a short journey

of the stampingground of his tribe; nor could he banish the haunting fear that she might be constantly in

danger. That she was illy protected he had seen in the brief instant that had witnessed Clayton's inefficiency.

Finally he came to loathe himself for permitting his own selfish sorrow and jealousy to stand between Jane

Porter and safety. As the days passed the thing preyed more and more upon his mind, and he had about

determined to return to the coast and place himself on guard over Jane Porter and Clayton, when news

reached him that altered all his plans and sent him dashing madly toward the east in reckless disregard of

Before Tarzan had returned to the tribe, a certain young bull, not being able to secure a mate from among his

own people, had, according to custom, fared forth through the wild jungle, like some knighterrant of old, to

He had but just returned with his bride, and was narrating his adventures quickly before he should forget

them. Among other things he told of seeing a great tribe of strangelooking apes.

"They were all hairyfaced bulls but one," he said, "and that one was a she, lighter in color even than this

The apeman was all attention in an instant. He asked questions as rapidly as the slowwitted anthropoid

"Did they wear the skins of Numa and Sheeta about their loins, and carry sticks and knives?"

"They dragged her alongsometimes by an armsometimes by the long hair that grew upon her head; and

"Where were they when you saw them, and which way were they going?" continued the apeman.

"They were beside the second water back there," and he pointed to the south. "When they passed me they

Without another word the apeman sprang into the trees and fled like a disembodied spirit eastward in the

When Clayton returned to the shelter and found Jane Porter was missing, he became frantic with fear and

grief. He found Monsieur Thuran quite rational, the fever having left him with the surprising suddenness

which is one of its peculiarities. The Russian, weak and exhausted, still lay upon his bed of grasses within the

When Clayton asked him about the girl he seemed surprised to know that she was not there.

"I have heard nothing unusual," he said. "But then I have been unconscious much of the time."

Had it not been for the man's very evident weakness, Clayton should have suspected him of having sinister

knowledge of the girl's whereabouts; but he could see that Thuran lacked sufficient vitality even to descend,

unaided, from the shelter. He could not, in his present physical condition, have harmed the girl, nor could he

Until dark the Englishman searched the nearby jungle for a trace of the missing one or a sign of the trail of

her abductor. But though the spoor left by the fifty frightful men, unversed in woodcraft as they were, would

have been as plain to the densest denizen of the jungle as a city street to the Englishman, yet he crossed and

recrossed it twenty times without observing the slightest indication that many men had passed that way but a

As he searched, Clayton continued to call the girl's name aloud, but the only result of this was to attract

Numa, the lion. Fortunately the man saw the shadowy form worming its way toward him in time to climb

into the branches of a tree before the beast was close enough to reach him. This put an end to his search for

the balance of the afternoon, as the lion paced back and forth beneath him until dark.

Even after the beast had left, Clayton dared not descend into the awful blackness beneath him, and so he

spent a terrifying and hideous night in the tree. The next morning he returned to the beach, relinquishing the

During the week that followed, Monsieur Thuran rapidly regained his strength, lying in the shelter while

Clayton hunted food for both. The men never spoke except as necessity demanded. Clayton now occupied the

section of the shelter which had been reserved for Jane Porter, and only saw the Russian when he took food

or water to him, or performed the other kindly offices which common humanity required.

When Thuran was again able to descend in search of food, Clayton was stricken with fever. For days he lay

tossing in delirium and suffering, but not once did the Russian come near him. Food the Englishman could

not have eaten, but his craving for water amounted practically to torture. Between the recurrent attacks of

delirium, weak though he was, he managed to reach the brook once a day and fill a tiny can that had been

Thuran watched him on these occasions with an expression of malignant pleasurehe seemed really to enjoy

the suffering of the man who, despite the just contempt in which he held him, had ministered to him to the

best of his ability while he lay suffering the same agonies. At last Clayton became so weak that he was no

longer able to descend from the shelter. For a day he suffered for water without appealing to the Russian, but

finally, unable to endure it longer, he asked Thuran to fetch him a drink. The Russian came to the entrance to

Clayton's room, a dish of water in his hand. A nasty grin contorted his features.

"Here is water," he said. "But first let me remind you that you maligned me before the girlthat you kept her

Clayton interrupted him. "Stop!" he cried. Stop! What manner of cur are you that you traduce the character of

a good woman whom we believe dead! God! I was a fool ever to let you liveyou are not fit to live even in

"Here is your water," said the Russian. "All you will get," and he raised the basin to his lips and drank; what

was left he threw out upon the ground below. Then he turned and left the sick man.

The next day Thuran determined to set out toward the north along the coast, for he knew that eventually he

must come to the habitations of civilized menat least he could be no worse off than he was here, and,

furthermore, the ravings of the dying Englishman were getting on his nerves. So he stole Clayton's spear and

set off upon his journey. He would have killed the sick man before he left had it not occurred to him that it

That same day he came to a little cabin by the beach, and his heart filled with renewed hope as he saw this

evidence of the proximity of civilization, for he thought it but the outpost of a nearby settlement. Had he

known to whom it belonged, and that its owner was at that very moment but a few miles inland, Nikolas

Rokoff would have fled the place as he would a pestilence. But he did not know, and so he remained for a

few days to enjoy the security and comparative comforts of the cabin. Then he took up his northward journey

In Lord Tennington's camp preparations were going forward to build permanent quarters, and then to send

As the days had passed without bringing the longedfor succor, hope that Jane Porter, Clayton, and Monsieur

Thuran had been rescued began to die. No one spoke of the matter longer to Professor Porter, and he was so

immersed in his scientific dreaming that he was not aware of the elapse of time.

Occasionally he would remark that within a few days they should certainly see a steamer drop anchor off

their shore, and that then they should all be reunited happily. Sometimes he spoke of it as a train, and

"If I didn't know the dear old fellow so well by now," Tennington remarked to Miss Strong, "I should be quite

certain that he wasernot quite right, don't you know." "If it were not so pathetic it would be ridiculous,"

said the girl, sadly. "I, who have known him all my life, know how he worships Jane; but to others it must

seem that he is perfectly callous to her fate. It is only that he is so absolutely impractical that he cannot

conceive of so real a thing as death unless nearly certain proof of it is thrust upon him."

"You'd never guess what he was about yesterday," continued Tennington. "I was coming in alone from a little

hunt when I met him walking rapidly along the game trail that I was following back to camp. His hands were

clasped beneath the tails of his long black coat, and his top hat was set firmly down upon his head, as with

eyes bent upon the ground he hastened on, probably to some sudden death had I not intercepted him.

"`Why, where in the world are you bound, professor?' I asked him. `I am going into town, Lord Tennington,'

he said, as seriously as possible, `to complain to the postmaster about the rural free delivery service we are

suffering from here. Why, sir, I haven't had a piece of mail in weeks. There should be several letters for me

"And would you believe it, Miss Strong," continued Tennington, "I had the very deuce of a job to convince

the old fellow that there was not only no rural free delivery, but no town, and that he was not even on the

"When he did realize he commenced to worry about his daughterI think it is the first time that he really has

appreciated our position here, or the fact that Miss Porter may not have been rescued."

"I hate to think about it," said the girl, "and yet I can think of nothing else than the absent members of our

"Let us hope for the best," replied Tennington. "You yourself have set us each a splendid example of bravery,

"Yes," she replied; "I could have loved Jane Porter no more had she been my own sister."

Tennington did not show the surprise he felt. That was not at all what he meant. He had been much with this

fair daughter of Maryland since the wreck of the LADY ALICE, and it had recently come to him that he had

grown much more fond of her than would prove good for the peace of his mind, for he recalled almost

constantly now the confidence which Monsieur Thuran had imparted to him that he and Miss Strong were

engaged. He wondered if, after all, Thuran had been quite accurate in his statement. He had never seen the

"And then in Monsieur Thuran's loss, if they are lost, you would suffer a severe bereavement," he ventured.

She looked up at him quickly. "Monsieur Thuran had become a very dear friend," she said. "I liked him very

"Then you were not engaged to marry him?" he blurted out. "Heavens, nol!" she cried. "I did not care for him

There was something that Lord Tennington wanted to say to Hazel Stronghe wanted very badly to say it,

and to say it at once; but somehow the words stuck in his throat. He started lamely a couple of times, cleared

his throat, became red in the face, and finally ended by remarking that he hoped the cabins would be finished

But, though he did not know it, he had conveyed to the girl the very message he intended, and it left her

Just then further conversation was interrupted by the sight of a strange and terriblelooking figure which

emerged from the jungle just south of the camp. Tennington and the girl saw it at the same time. The

Englishman reached for his revolver, but when the halfnaked, bearded creature called his name aloud and

None would have recognized in the filthy, emaciated creature, covered by a single garment of small skins, the

immaculate Monsieur Thuran the party had last seen upon the deck of the LADY ALICE.

Before the other members of the little community were apprised of his presence Tennington and Miss Strong

"They are all dead," replied Thuran. "The three sailors died before we made land. Miss Porter was carried off

into the jungle by some wild animal while I was lying delirious with fever. Clayton died of the same fever but

a few days since. And to think that all this time we have been separated by but a few milesscarcely a day's

How long Jane Porter lay in the darkness of the vault beneath the temple in the ancient city of Opar she did

not know. For a time she was delirious with fever, but after this passed she commenced slowly to regain her

strength. Every day the woman who brought her food beckoned to her to arise, but for many days the girl

But eventually she was able to gain her feet, and then to stagger a few steps by supporting herself with one

hand upon the wall. Her captors now watched her with increasing interest. The day was approaching, and the

Presently the day came, and a young woman whom Jane Porter had not seen before came with several others

to her dungeon. Here some sort of ceremony was performedthat it was of a religious nature the girl was

sure, and so she took new heart, and rejoiced that she had fallen among people upon whom the refining and

softening influences of religion evidently had fallen. They would treat her humanelyof that she was now

And so when they led her from her dungeon, through long, dark corridors, and up a flight of concrete steps to

a brilliant courtyard, she went willingly, even gladlyfor was she not among the servants of God? It might

be, of course, that their interpretation of the supreme being differed from her own, but that they owned a god

But when she saw a stone altar in the center of the courtyard, and darkbrown stains upon it and the nearby

concrete of the floor, she began to wonder and to doubt. And as they stooped and bound her ankles, and

secured her wrists behind her, her doubts were turned to fear. A moment later, as she was lifted and placed

supine across the altar's top, hope left her entirely, and she trembled in an agony of fright.

During the grotesque dance of the votaries which followed, she lay frozen in horror, nor did she require the

sight of the thin blade in the hands of the high priestess as it rose slowly above her to enlighten her further as

As the hand began its descent, Jane Porter closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer to the Maker she was so

soon to facethen she succumbed to the strain upon her tired nerves, and swooned.

Day and night Tarzan of the Apes raced through the primeval forest toward the ruined city in which he was

In a day and a night he covered the same distance that the fifty frightful men had taken the better part of a

week to traverse, for Tarzan of the Apes traveled along the middle terrace high above the tangled obstacles

The story the young bull ape had told made it clear to him that the girl captive had been Jane Porter, for there

was not another small white "she" in all the jungle. The "bulls" he had recognized from the ape's crude

description as the grotesque parodies upon humanity who inhabit the ruins of Opar. And the girl's fate he

could picture as plainly as though he were an eyewitness to it. When they would lay her across that trim altar

he could not guess, but that her dear, frail body would eventually find its way there he was confident.

But, finally, after what seemed long ages to the impatient apeman, he topped the barrier cliffs that hemmed

the desolate valley, and below him lay the grim and awful ruins of the now hideous city of Opar. At a rapid

trot he started across the dry and dusty, bowlderstrewn ground toward the goal of his desires.

Would he be in time to rescue? He hoped against hope. At least he could be revenged, and in his wrath it

seemed to him that he was equal to the task of wiping out the entire population of that terrible city. It was

nearly noon when he reached the great bowlder at the top of which terminated the secret passage to the pits

beneath the city. Like a cat he scaled the precipitous sides of the frowning granite KOPJE. A moment later he

was running through the darkness of the long, straight tunnel that led to the treasure vault. Through this he

passed, then on and on until at last he came to the welllike shaft upon the opposite side of which lay the

As he paused a moment upon the brink of the well a faint sound came to him through the opening above. His

quick ears caught and translated itit was the dance of death that preceded a sacrifice, and the singsong

ritual of the high priestess. He could even recognize the woman's voice. Could it be that the ceremony

marked the very thing he had so hastened to prevent? A wave of horror swept over him. Was he, after all, to

be just a moment too late? Like a frightened deer he leaped across the narrow chasm to the continuation of

the passage beyond. At the false wall he tore like one possessed to demolish the barrier that confronted

himwith giant muscles he forced the opening, thrusting his head and shoulders through the first small hole

he made, and carrying the balance of the wall with him, to clatter resoundingly upon the cement floor of the

With a single leap he cleared the length of the chamber and threw himself against the ancient door. But here

he stopped. The mighty bars upon the other side were proof even against such muscles as his. It needed but a

moment's effort to convince him of the futility of endeavoring to force that impregnable barrier. There was

but one other way, and that led back through the long tunnels to the bowlder a mile beyond the city's walls,

He realized that to retrace his steps and enter the city from above ground would mean that he would be too

late to save the girl, if it were indeed she who lay upon the sacrificial altar above him. But there seemed no

other way, and so he turned and ran swiftly back into the passageway beyond the broken wall. At the well he

heard again the monotonous voice of the high priestess, and, as he glanced aloft, the opening, twenty feet

above, seemed so near that he was tempted to leap for it in a mad endeavor to reach the inner courtyard that

If he could but get one end of his grass rope caught upon some projection at the top of that tantalizing

aperture! In the instant's pause and thought an idea occurred to him. He would attempt it. Turning back to the

tumbled wall, he seized one of the large, flat slabs that had composed it. Hastily making one end of his rope

fast to the piece of granite, he returned to the shaft, and, coiling the balance of the rope on the floor beside

him, the apeman took the heavy slab in both hands, and, swinging it several times to get the distance and the

direction fixed, he let the weight fly up at a slight angle, so that, instead of falling straight back into the shaft

Tarzan dragged for a moment upon the slack end of the rope until he felt that the stone was lodged with fair

security at the shaft's top, then he swung out over the black depths beneath. The moment his full weight came

upon the rope he felt it slip from above. He waited there in awful suspense as it dropped in little jerks, inch by

inch. The stone was being dragged up the outside of the masonry surrounding the top of the shaftwould it

catch at the very edge, or would his weight drag it over to fall upon him as he hurtled into the unknown

For a brief, sickening moment Tarzan felt the slipping of the rope to which he clung, and heard the scraping

Then of a sudden the rope was stillthe stone had caught at the very edge. Gingerly the apeman clambered

up the frail rope. In a moment his head was above the edge of the shaft. The court was empty. The inhabitants

of Opar were viewing the sacrifice. Tarzan could hear the voice of La from the nearby sacrificial court. The

dance had ceased. It must be almost time for the knife to fall; but even as he thought these things he was

Fate guided him to the very doorway of the great roofless chamber. Between him and the altar was the long

row of priests and priestesses, awaiting with their golden cups the spilling of the warm blood of their victim.

La's hand was descending slowly toward the bosom of the frail, quiet figure that lay stretched upon the hard

stone. Tarzan gave a gasp that was almost a sob as he recognized the features of the girl he loved. And then

the scar upon his forehead turned to a flaming band of scarlet, a red mist floated before his eyes, and, with the

awful roar of the bull ape gone mad, he sprang like a huge lion into the midst of the votaries.

Seizing a cudgel from the nearest priest, he laid about him like a veritable demon as he forged his rapid way

toward the altar. The hand of La had paused at the first noise of interruption. When she saw who the author of

it was she went white. She had never been able to fathom the secret of the strange white man's escape from

the dungeon in which she had locked him. She had not intended that he should ever leave Opar, for she had

looked upon his giant frame and handsome face with the eyes of a woman and not those of a priestess.

In her clever mind she had concocted a story of wonderful revelation from the lips of the flaming god

himself, in which she had been ordered to receive this white stranger as a messenger from him to his people

on earth. That would satisfy the people of Opar, she knew. The man would be satisfied, she felt quite sure, to

But when she had gone to explain her plan to him he had disappeared, though the door had been tightly

locked as she had left it. And now he had returnedmaterialized from thin airand was killing her priests

as though they had been sheep. For the moment she forgot her victim, and before she could gather her wits

together again the huge white man was standing before her, the woman who had lain upon the altar in his

"One side, La," he cried. "You saved me once, and so I would not harm you; but do not interfere or attempt to

For a moment the girl of Opar stood wideeyed and staring. Then a look of hopeless misery suffused her

eyes tears welled into them, and with a little cry she sank to the cold floor, just as a swarm of frightful men

But Tarzan of the Apes was not there when they reached out to seize him. With a light bound he had

disappeared into the passage leading to the pits below, and when his pursuers came more cautiously after they

found the chamber empty, they but laughed and jabbered to one another, for they knew that there was no exit

from the pits other than the one through which he had entered. If he came out at all he must come this way,

And so Tarzan of the Apes, carrying the unconscious Jane Porter, came through the pits of Opar beneath the

temple of The Flaming God without pursuit. But when the men of Opar had talked further about the matter,

they recalled to mind that this very man had escaped once before into the pits, and, though they had watched

the entrance he had not come forth; and yet today he had come upon them from the outside. They would

again send fifty men out into the valley to find and capture this desecrater of their temple.

After Tarzan reached the shaft beyond the broken wall, he felt so positive of the successful issue of his flight

that he stopped to replace the tumbled stones, for he was not anxious that any of the inmates should discover

this forgotten passage, and through it come upon the treasure chamber. It was in his mind to return again to

Opar and bear away a still greater fortune than he had already buried in the amphitheater of the apes.

On through the passageways he trotted, past the first door and through the treasure vault; past the second door

and into the long, straight tunnel that led to the lofty hidden exit beyond the city. Jane Porter was still

At the crest of the great bowlder he halted to cast a backward glance toward the city. Coming across the plain

he saw a band of the hideous men of Opar. For a moment he hesitated. Should he descend and make a race

for the distant cliffs, or should he hide here until night? And then a glance at the girl's white face determined

him. He could not keep her here and permit her enemies to get between them and liberty. For aught he knew

they might have been followed through the tunnels, and to have foes before and behind would result in almost

certain capture, since he could not fight his way through the enemy burdened as he was with the unconscious

To descend the steep face of the bowlder with Jane Porter was no easy task, but by binding her across his

shoulders with the grass rope he succeeded in reaching the ground in safety before the Oparians arrived at the

great rock. As the descent had been made upon the side away from the city, the searching party saw nothing

By keeping the KOPJE between them and their pursuers, Tarzan of the Apes managed to cover nearly a mile

before the men of Opar rounded the granite sentinel and saw the fugitive before them. With loud cries of

savage delight, they broke into a mad run, thinking doubtless that they would soon overhaul the burdened

runner; but they both underestimated the powers of the apeman and overestimated the possibilities of their

By maintaining an easy trot, Tarzan kept the distance between them always the same. Occasionally he would

glance at the face so near his own. Had it not been for the faint beating of the heart pressed so close against

his own, he would not have known that she was alive, so white and drawn was the poor, tired face.

And thus they came to the flattopped mountain and the barrier cliffs. During the last mile Tarzan had let

himself out, running like a deer that he might have ample time to descend the face of the cliffs before the

Oparians could reach the summit and hurl rocks down upon them. And so it was that he was half a mile down

With cries of rage and disappointment they ranged along the cliff top shaking their cudgels, and dancing up

and down in a perfect passion of anger. But this time they did not pursue beyond the boundary of their own

country. Whether it was because they recalled the futility of their former long and irksome search, or after

witnessing the ease with which the apeman swung along before them, and the last burst of speed, they

realized the utter hopelessness of further pursuit, it is difficult to say; but as Tarzan reached the woods that

began at the base of the foothills which skirted the barrier cliffs they turned their faces once more toward

Just within the forest's edge, where he could yet watch the cliff tops, Tarzan laid his burden upon the grass,

and going to the nearby rivulet brought water with which he bathed her face and hands; but even this did not

revive her, and, greatly worried, he gathered the girl into his strong arms once more and hurried on toward

Late in the afternoon Jane Porter regained consciousness. She did not open her eyes at onceshe was trying

to recall the scenes that she had last witnessed. Ah, she remembered now. The altar, the terrible priestess, the

descending knife. She gave a little shudder, for she thought that either this was death or that the knife had

buried itself in her heart and she was experiencing the brief delirium preceding death. And when finally she

mustered courage to open her eyes, the sight that met them confirmed her fears, for she saw that she was

being borne through a leafy paradise in the arms of her dead love. "If this be death," she murmured, "thank

"Yes, Tarzan of the Apes," she replied, and for the first time in months a smile of peace and happiness lighted

"Thank God!" cried the apeman, coming to the ground in a little grassy clearing beside the stream. "I was in

"In time to save you from death upon the altar, dear," he replied. "Do you not remember?" "Save me from

He had placed her upon the grass by now, her back resting against the stem of a huge tree. At her question he

"Dead!" he repeated, and then he laughed. "You are not, Jane; and if you will return to the city of Opar and

ask them who dwell there they will tell you that I was not dead a few short hours ago. No, dear, we are both

"But both Hazel and Monsieur Thuran told me that you had fallen into the ocean many miles from land," she

urged, as though trying to convince him that he must indeed be dead. "They said that there was no question

but that it must have been you, and less that you could have survived or been picked up."

"How can I convince you that I am no spirit?" he asked, with a laugh. "It was I whom the delightful Monsieur

Thuran pushed overboard, but I did not drownI will tell you all about it after a whileand here I am very

"I cannot even yet believe it," she murmured. "It cannot be that such happiness can be true after all the

hideous things that I have passed through these awful months since the LADY ALICE went down."

"It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending

Tarzan of the Apes needed no second invitation. He took the girl he loved in his strong arms, and kissed her

not once, but a hundred times, until she lay there panting for breath; yet when he stopped she put her arms

"If you are not alive, my man," she answered, "I pray that I may die thus before I awaken to the terrible

For a while both were silentgazing into each others' eyes as though each still questioned the reality of the

wonderful happiness that had come to them. The past, with all its hideous disappointments and horrors, was

forgottenthe future did not belong to them; but the presentah, it was theirs; none could take it from

"But Clayton?" he asked. For a moment he had forgotten that there existed upon the earth other than they

"I am not married, Tarzan of the Apes," she cried. "Nor am I longer promised in marriage. The day before

those awful creatures captured me I spoke to Mr. Clayton of my love for you, and he understood then that I

could not keep the wicked promise that I had made. It was after we had been miraculously saved from an

attacking lion." She paused suddenly and looked up at him, a questioning light in her eyes. "Tarzan of the

"Don't, Jane!" he pleaded. "Please don't! You cannot know how I have suffered since for the cruelty of that

act, or how I suffered then, first in jealous rage, and then in bitter resentment against the fate that I had not

deserved. I went back to the apes after that, Jane, intending never again to see a human being." He told her

then of his life since he had returned to the jungleof how he had dropped like a plummet from a civilized

Parisian to a savage Waziri warrior, and from there back to the brute that he had been raised.

She asked him many questions, and at last fearfully of the things that Monsieur Thuran had told herof the

woman in Paris. He narrated every detail of his civilized life to her, omitting nothing, for he felt no shame,

since his heart always had been true to her. When he had finished he sat looking at her, as though waiting for

"I knew that he was not speaking the truth," she said. "Oh, what a horrible creature he is!"

And Tarzan laughed and kissed her again. "Not onetenth so beautiful as you, dear," he said.

She gave a contented little sigh, and let her head rest against his shoulder. He knew that he was forgiven.

That night Tarzan built a snug little bower high among the swaying branches of a giant tree, and there the

tired girl slept, while in a crotch beneath her the apeman curled, ready, even in sleep, to protect her.

It took them many days to make the long journey to the coast. Where the way was easy they walked hand in

hand beneath the arching boughs of the mighty forest, as might in a fargone past have walked their primeval

forbears. When the underbrush was tangled he took her in his great arms, and bore her lightly through the

trees, and the days were all too short, for they were very happy. Had it not been for their anxiety to reach and

succor Clayton they would have drawn out the sweet pleasure of that wonderful journey indefinitely.

On the last day before they reached the coast Tarzan caught the scent of men ahead of themthe scent of

black men. He told the girl, and cautioned her to maintain silence. "There are few friends in the jungle," he

In half an hour they came stealthily upon a small party of black warriors filing toward the west. As Tarzan

saw them he gave a cry of delightit was a band of his own Waziri. Busuli was there, and others who had

accompanied him to Opar. At sight of him they danced and cried out in exuberant joy. For weeks they had

The blacks exhibited considerable wonderment at the presence of the white girl with him, and when they

found that she was to be his woman they vied with one another to do her honor. With the happy Waziri

There was no sign of life, and no response to their calls. Tarzan clambered quickly to the interior of the little

tree hut, only to emerge a moment later with an empty tin. Throwing it down to Busuli, he told him to fetch

Together they leaned over the emaciated thing that once had been an English nobleman. Tears came to the

girl's eyes as she saw the poor, sunken cheeks and hollow eyes, and the lines of suffering upon the once

"He still lives," said Tarzan. "We will do all that can be done for him, but I fear that we are too late."

When Busuli had brought the water Tarzan forced a few drops between the cracked and swollen lips. He

Presently Clayton opened his eyes. A faint, shadowy smile lighted his countenance as he saw the girl leaning

"It's all right, old fellow," said the apeman. "We've found you in time. Everything will be all right now, and

The Englishman shook his head weakly. "It's too late," he whispered. "But it's just as well. I'd rather die."

"He left me after the fever got bad. He is a devil. When I begged for the water that I was too weak to get he

drank before me, threw the rest out, and laughed in my face." At the thought of it the man was suddenly

animated by a spark of vitality. He raised himself upon one elbow. "Yes," he almost shouted; "I will live. I

will live long enough to find and kill that beast!" But the brief effort left him weaker than before, and he sank

back again upon the rotting grasses that, with his old ulster, had been the bed of Jane Porter.

"Don't worry about Thuran," said Tarzan of the Apes, laying a reassuring hand on Clayton's forehead. "He

For a long time Clayton lay very still. Several times Tarzan had to put his ear quite close to the sunken chest

to catch the faint beating of the wornout heart. Toward evening he aroused again for a brief moment.

"Jane," he whispered. The girl bent her head closer to catch the faint message. "I have wronged youand

him," he nodded weakly toward the apeman. "I loved you soit is a poor excuse to offer for injuring you;

but I could not bear to think of giving you up. I do not ask your forgiveness. I only wish to do now the thing I

should have done over a year ago." He fumbled in the pocket of the ulster beneath him for something that he

had discovered there while he lay between the paroxysms of fever. Presently he found ita crumpled bit of

yellow paper. He handed it to the girl, and as she took it his arm fell limply across his chest, his head dropped

back, and with a little gasp he stiffened and was still. Then Tarzan of the Apes drew a fold of the ulster across

For a moment they remained kneeling there, the girl's lips moving in silent prayer, and as they rose and stood

on either side of the now peaceful form, tears came to the ape man's eyes, for through the anguish that his

Through her own tears the girl read the message upon the bit of faded yellow paper, and as she read her eyes

went very wide. Twice she read those startling words before she could fully comprehend their meaning.

She handed the paper to Tarzan. "And he has known it all this time," she said, "and did not tell you?"

"I knew it first, Jane," replied the man. "I did not know that he knew it at all. I must have dropped this

"And afterward you told us that your mother was a sheape, and that you had never known your father?" she

"The title and the estates meant nothing to me without you, dear," he replied. "And if I had taken them away

from him I should have been robbing the woman I love don't you understand, Jane?" It was as though he

She extended her arms toward him across the body of the dead man, and took his hands in hers.

The next morning they set out upon the short journey to Tarzan's cabin. Four Waziri bore the body of the

dead Englishman. It had been the apeman's suggestion that Clayton be buried beside the former Lord

Greystoke near the edge of the jungle against the cabin that the older man had built.

Jane Porter was glad that it was to be so, and in her heart of hearts she wondered at the marvelous fineness of

character of this wondrous man, who, though raised by brutes and among brutes, had the true chivalry and

tenderness which only associates with the refinements of the highest civilization.

They had proceeded some three miles of the five that had separated them from Tarzan's own beach when the

Waziri who were ahead stopped suddenly, pointing in amazement at a strange figure approaching them along

the beach. It was a man with a shiny silk hat, who walked slowly with bent head, and hands clasped behind

At sight of him Jane Porter uttered a little cry of surprise and joy, and ran quickly ahead to meet him. At the

sound of her voice the old man looked up, and when he saw who it was confronting him he, too, cried out in

relief and happiness. As Professor Archimedes Q. Porter folded his daughter in his arms tears streamed down

his seamed old face, and it was several minutes before he could control himself sufficiently to speak.

When a moment later he recognized Tarzan it was with difficulty that they could convince him that his

sorrow had not unbalanced his mind, for with the other members of the party he had been so thoroughly

convinced that the apeman was dead it was a problem to reconcile the conviction with the very lifelike

appearance of Jane's "forest god." The old man was deeply touched at the news of Clayton's death.

"I cannot understand it," he said. "Monsieur Thuran assured us that Clayton passed away many days ago."

"Yes; he but recently found us and led us to your cabin. We were camped but a short distance north of it.

A short time later the strange party came to the clearing in which stood the apeman's cabin. It was filled

"Paul!" he cried. "In the name of sanity what are you doing here? Or are we all insane?"

It was quickly explained, however, as were many other seemingly strange things. D'Arnot's ship had been

cruising along the coast, on patrol duty, when at the lieutenant's suggestion they had anchored off the little

landlocked harbor to have another look at the cabin and the jungle in which many of the officers and men had

taken part in exciting adventures two years before. On landing they had found Lord Tennington's party, and

arrangements were being made to take them all on board the following morning, and carry them back to

Hazel Strong and her mother, Esmeralda, and Mr. Samuel T. Philander were almost overcome by happiness

at Jane Porter's safe return. Her escape seemed to them little short of miraculous, and it was the consensus of

opinion that it could have been achieved by no other man than Tarzan of the Apes. They loaded the

uncomfortable apeman with eulogies and attentions until he wished himself back in the amphitheater of the

All were interested in his savage Waziri, and many were the gifts the black men received from these friends

of their king, but when they learned that he might sail away from them upon the great canoe that lay at anchor

As yet the newcomers had seen nothing of Lord Tennington and Monsieur Thuran. They had gone out for

"How surprised this man, whose name you say is Rokoff, will be to see you," said Jane Porter to Tarzan.

"His surprise will be shortlived," replied the apeman grimly, and there was that in his tone that made her

look up into his face in alarm. What she read there evidently confirmed her fears, for she put her hand upon

"In the heart of the jungle, dear," she said, "with no other form of right or justice to appeal to other than your

own mighty muscles, you would be warranted in executing upon this man the sentence he deserves; but with

the strong arm of a civilized government at your disposal it would be murder to kill him now. Even your

friends would have to submit to your arrest, or if you resisted it would plunge us all into misery and

unhappiness again. I cannot bear to lose you again, my Tarzan. Promise me that you will but turn him over to

Captain Dufranne, and let the law take its coursethe beast is not worth risking our happiness for."

He saw the wisdom of her appeal, and promised. A half hour later Rokoff and Tennington emerged from the

jungle. They were walking side by side. Tennington was the first to note the presence of strangers in the

camp. He saw the black warriors palavering with the sailors from the cruiser, and then he saw a lithe, brown

"Who is that, I wonder," said Tennington to Rokoff, and as the Russian raised his eyes and met those of the

"SAPRISTI!" he cried, and before Tennington realized what he intended he had thrown his gun to his

shoulder, and aiming pointblank at Tarzan pulled the trigger. But the Englishman was close to himso

close that his hand reached the leveled barrel a fraction of a second before the hammer fell upon the cartridge,

and the bullet that was intended for Tarzan's heart whirred harmlessly above his head.

Before the Russian could fire again the apeman was upon him and had wrested the firearm from his grasp.

Captain Dufranne, Lieutenant D'Arnot, and a dozen sailors had rushed up at the sound of the shot, and now

Tarzan turned the Russian over to them without a word. He had explained the matter to the French

commander before Rokoff arrived, and the officer gave immediate orders to place the Russian in irons and

Just before the guard escorted the prisoner into the small boat that was to transport him to his temporary

prison Tarzan asked permission to search him, and to his delight found the stolen papers concealed upon his

The shot had brought Jane Porter and the others from the cabin, and a moment after the excitement had died

down she greeted the surprised Lord Tennington. Tarzan joined them after he had taken the papers from

The Englishman looked his astonishment in spite of his most herculean efforts to appear courteous, and it

required many repetitions of the strange story of the apeman as told by himself, Jane Porter, and Lieutenant

At sunset they buried William Cecil Clayton beside the jungle graves of his uncle and his aunt, the former

Lord and Lady Greystoke. And it was at Tarzan's request that three volleys were fired over the last resting

Professor Porter, who in his younger days had been ordained a minister, conducted the simple services for the

dead. About the grave, with bowed heads, stood as strange a company of mourners as the sun ever looked

down upon. There were French officers and sailors, two English lords, Americans, and a score of savage

Following the funeral Tarzan asked Captain Dufranne to delay the sailing of the cruiser a couple of days

while he went inland a few miles to fetch his "belongings," and the officer gladly granted the favor.

Late the next afternoon Tarzan and his Waziri returned with the first load of "belongings," and when the party

saw the ancient ingots of virgin gold they swarmed upon the ape man with a thousand questions; but he was

smilingly obdurate to their appealshe declined to give them the slightest clew as to the source of his

immense treasure. "There are a thousand that I left behind," he explained, "for every one that I brought away,

The next day he returned to camp with the balance of his ingots, and when they were stored on board the

cruiser Captain Dufranne said he felt like the commander of an old time Spanish galleon returning from the

treasure cities of the Aztecs. "I don't know what minute my crew will cut my throat, and take over the ship,"

The next morning, as they were preparing to embark upon the cruiser, Tarzan ventured a suggestion to Jane

"Wild beasts are supposed to be devoid of sentiment," he said, "but nevertheless I should like to be married in

the cabin where I was born, beside the graves of my mother and my father, and surrounded by the savage

"Would it be quite regular, dear?" she asked. "For if it would I know of no other place in which I should

rather be married to my forest god than beneath the shade of his primeval forest."

And when they spoke of it to the others they were assured that it would be quite regular, and a most splendid

termination of a remarkable romance. So the entire party assembled within the little cabin and about the door

to witness the second ceremony that Professor Porter was to solemnize within three days.

D'Arnot was to be best man, and Hazel Strong bridesmaid, until Tennington upset all the arrangements by

"If Mrs. Strong is agreeable," he said, taking the bridesmaid's hand in his, "Hazel and I think it would be

The next day they sailed, and as the cruiser steamed slowly out to sea a tall man, immaculate in white flannel,

and a graceful girl leaned against her rail to watch the receding shore line upon which danced twenty naked,

black warriors of the Waziri, waving their war spears above their savage heads, and shouting farewells to

"I should hate to think that I am looking upon the jungle for the last time, dear," he said, "were it not that I

know that I am going to a new world of happiness with you forever," and, bending down, Tarzan of the Apes