- i
THE
Copjrrltht, 1010. by Edr nice Hurrouhi
TpHE little British army In East
viirica, nicer suiienng severe re-
'TcrseS at the hands of a numerically
much superior force, was at last
coming into its own. The German
offensive had been broken, and the
Huns were now slowly retreating
along the railway to Tanga. The
break, in the German lines had fol
lowed the clearing of a section of
their left-flank trenches of native
soldiers by Tarzan and Numa the
lion, upon that memorable night
when the Ape-man had loosed a fam
ishing man-eater among the super
stitious and terror-stricken blacks.
The Second Rhodesian Regiment had
immediately taken possession of the
abandoned trench and from this po
sition their flanking Are had raked
contiguous sections of the German
line, tho divcrsi&n rendering possible
a successful nieht attack by the1 rest
Udf the British forces.
"Weeks had elapsed. The Germans
were contesting every mile of water
less, thorn-covered ground and
Vellngingly desperately to their posi
tions along the railway. The officers
of the Rhodesians had seen nothing
more of Tarzan of the Apes since he
m had slain Unterleutnant Von Goss
l.-i and disaDDcared toward the very
heart of the German position, and
there were those among them who
believed that he had been killed with
in the enemy lines.
"They may have killed him," as
sented Colonel Capell, "but I fancy
they never captured the beggar
r
alive."
Nor had they nor killed him
either! Tarzan had spent those in
tervening weeks pleasantly and prof-
If itably. He had amassed a cpnsid-
' arable fund of knowledge concerning
the disposition and strength of Ger
man troops, their methods of war
fare and the various ways in which
a lone Tarmangani might annoy an
army and lower its morale.
At present Tarzan was prompted
by a specific desire. There was a
certain German spy whom heivished
to captuio alive and take backo the
British. He had made his first visit
to German headquarters shortly
. after his wife had been murdered by
Hauptmann Fritz Schneider; upon
that occasion he had seen a young
woman deliver a paper to the Ger
man general, and later he had seen
that same young woman within the
British lines in the uniform of a
British officer. The conclusion was
obvious: she was a spy
And so Tarzan haunted German
headquarters upon many nights,
hoping to see her again or to pick up
eome clue as to her whereabouts;
and at the same time he utilized
many an artifice whereby he might
bring terror to the hearts of the
Germans. That he was successful
(was often demonstrated by the
snatches of conversation he over
heard as he prowled through the
German camps. One night as he lay
I concealed in the bushes close beside
( a regimental headquarters, he lis-
j tcned to tne conversation 01 several
boche officers. One of the men re
verted to the stories told by the na
tive troops in connection with their
tout by a lion several weeks before
and the simultaneous appearance in
their trenches of a naked white giant
whom they were perfectly assured
was some demon of the jungle.
1 "TLfellow must have been the
aame who leaped into the gen
eral's headquarters and carried off
Schneider," asserted one. "I won
der how he happened to single out
"the major? They say the creature
leeme'd interested in no one but
Schneider. He had Von Kelter in
his grasp, and he might easily have
taken the general himself, but he
ignored them all except Schneider.
If Him he pursued about the room,
seized him and carried mm on into
the night Gott knows what his fate
was."
"Captain Fritz Schreider has some
sort of theory," said another. "He
told me only a week or two ago
that he thinks he knows why his
brother was taken that it was a
case of mistaken identity. He was
not so sure about It until Von Goss
Ifijwas killed, apparently by this same
creature, me muni, uie ui- cun.ltu
the trenches. Von Goss was attached
to Schneider's company. One of
Schneider's men was found with his
neck wrung the same night thatthe
major was carried off, and Schneider
thnks that this devil "is after him
and his command that.it came for
"him that night, and got his brother
by mistake. He says Kraut told him
that W presenting the, major to
Frauleln Kircherthe former'a name
was no Booner spoken than this wild
man leaped through the window and
made for" him."
Suddenly the little group became
rigid listening. "What was that?"
snapped one, eying the bushes from
which a smothered snarl had issued
as Tarzan of the Apes realized that
through his mistake the perpetrator
ir of-the horrid crime at his bungalow
, ctill lived that the murderer of his
Wife went yet unpunished.
For a long' minute the officers
'stood with, tensed nerves, every eye
.riveted upon the bushes whence the
emlnous sound had issued. Each
recalled recent mysterious diap-
("pearancea from the heart of camps
its well' ob from lonely outguarus.
Each thought of the silent dead he
had seen, slain almost within sight
of their fellows by some unseen
creature. Once the bushes moved
almoCimperceptibly, and ah instant
'later one of the officers, without
' warning, fired into them, but Tarzan
of the Apes was not there. In the
interval between the moving of the
biwbs'fcana the firing of the ahbt, he
hd meltod.lntp the night Ten mln
,tM loUtf-A wa hfvtktg on the
"" V ' gVEflftfg ffufclCf
GULDEN LOCKET :
outskirts of that part of camp where
were bivouacked for tho night the
black soldiers of a native company
commanded by oneHauptmann Fritz
Schneider. The men were stretched
upon tho ground without tents, but
there were tcnti pitched for the of
ficers. Toward these Tarzan crept
It was slow and perilous work, for
the Germans were now upon the
alert for the uncanny foe that crept
into their camps to take his toll by
night, yet the ape-man passed their
sentinels, eluded the vigilance of the
interior guard and crept at last to
the rear of the officers' line.
Hero he flattened himself against
the ground close behind the nearest
tent, and listened. From within
came the regular breathing of a
sleeping man one only. Tarzan was
satisfied. With his knife he cut the
tie-strings of the rear flap, and en
teied. He made no noise. Tho
shadow of a falling leaf, floating
gently to.cavth unon a still day,
could have been no less soundless.
He mocd to the side of the sleeping
man and bent low over him. He
could not know, of course, whether
it was Schneider or another, fqr he
had never seen Schneider, but ho
meant to know and to know even
more.
Gently ho shook the man by the
shoulder. The fellow turned heavily
and grunted.
"Silence!" admonished the ape
man in a low whisper. "Silence I
kill."
The Hun opened his eyes. In the
dim light he saw a giant figure bend
ing over him. Now a mighty hand
grasped his shoulder, and another
closed lightly about his throat.
"Make no outcry," commanded
Tarzan, "but answer in a whisper
my questions. What is your name?"
"Luberg," replied the officer. He
was trembling. The weird presence
of this naked giant filled him with
dread. He, too, recalled the men
mysteriously murdered in the still
watches of the night camps. "What
do you want?"
"Where Is Hauptmann Fritz
Schneider?" asked Tarzan. "Which
is his tent?"
"He is not here," replied Luberg.
"He was sent to Wilhelmstal yes
terday." "I shall not kill you now," said
the ape-man. "First I shall go and
learn if you have lied to me, and if
you have, your death shall be the
more terrible. Do you know how
Major Schneider died?"
Luberg shook his head negatively.
"I do," continued Tarzan, "and it
was not a nice way to die even for
an accursed Germarl. Tuin over with
your face down, and cover your eyes.
Do not move or make any sound."
The man did as he was 'old, and the
instant that his eyes were turned
away, Tarzan slipped from the tent
An hour later he was outside the
German camp and headed for the
little hill town of Wilhelmstal, which
was the summer seat of government
of German East Africa.
piRAULEIN BERTHA KIRCHER
knew that she was lost. She was
humiliated and angry, that she, who
prided herself upon her woodcraft,
was lost in this little patch of coun
try between the Pangani and the
Tanga Railway. She knew that Wil
helmstal lay southeast of her about
fifty miles, but through a combina
tion of untoward circumstances she
found herself unable to determine
which direction was southeast.
In the first place she had set out
from German headquarters on a
well-markrd road that was being
traveled by troops, and she had
eveuy reason to believe that she
would follow the road to Wilhelms
tal. Later she had been warned
from this road by word that a strong
British patrol had come down the
west bank of the Pangani, effected
a crossing south 01 her and was
even then marching on the railway
at Tonda.
After leaving the road she had
found herself in thick brush, and as
the sky was heavily overcast, she
presently sought recourse to her
compass; not until then did she dis
cover that she did nothave it with
her.
Her horse had traveled all day
without food or water; night was ap
proaching, and with it a realization
that she was hopelessly lost in a
wild and trackless country notorious
principally for its tsetse flies and
savage beasts. She found, just be
fore dark, an open meadowlike break,
in the almost indeterminable bush.
There was a small clump of trees
near the center, and here she decided
to camp. The grass was high and
thick, affording feed for her horse
and a bed for herself, and there' was
more than enough dead wood lying
about the trees to furnish a good
fire Well through the night Remov
ing the saddle and bridle from her
mount, Bhe placed them at the foot
of a' tree and then picketed the ani
mal close by. Then phe busied 'her
self collecting firewood, and by the
time darkness had fallen, she had a
good fire and enough wood to last
till morning.
From her saddlebags she took cold
food and from her canteen a swallow
of water. She could not afford
more than a small drink, for she
could not know how long a time it
might be before she should find
more. The horse must go waterless.
It was now dark. There was
neither moon nor stars, and the light
from her fire only accentuated the
blackness beyond. She could see
the grass about her, and the boles of
the trees, which stood out In brilliant
relief against the solid background
of impenetrable night; beyond the
.'The Jungle seemed ominously i
wlt Far away she heard .faintly1
lis? p&& tUSM
iff mF w i aHrafBJf
m $mrMr SI I
( iwW - !v ml
m WSk jfmk fmyfW-
ffl jt m v If-f "s -m. XF-OA tvP vk ilaj &) ur aJ imTTfT)
The
the boom of cannon, but she could
not locate their direction. She ar
ranged her saddle near the fire and
pulled a quantity of long grass to
make a comfortable seat, over which
she spread her saddle-blanket. Then
she unstrapped a heavy military
coat from the cantle of her saddle
and donned it, for the air was al
ready chill. Seating herself where
she could lean against the saddle,
she prepared to maintain a sleepless
vigil throughout the night
The silence had been broken only
by the distant booming of the guns
and the low noises of the feeding
horse; and then, from ' powibly a
mile away, came the rumbling thun
der of a lion's roar. The girl started
and laid her hand upon the rifle at
her side. A little shudder ran
through her slight" frame, and she
could feel the goose-flesh rise upon
her body.
Again and again the awful sound
was repeated, and each time she was
certain it came nearer. She could
locate the direction of this sound,
although she could not place that of
the guns, for the origin of the for
mer was much closer. The lion was
up wind, and so could not have
caught her scent as yet, though he
might be approaching to investigate
tlje light of the fire.
Suddenly her horse raised his head
and snorted, and with a little cry of
terror the girl sprang to her feet.
The animal turned and trotted back
toward her until the picket-rope
brought him to a stand, and then he
wheeled about and with cars up
pricked gazed out into the night, but
the girl could neither see nor hear
anything beyond the fire.
An hour of terror passe, during
which the horse often raised his head
to peer long and searchingly into the
dark. The girl replenished the fire
from time to time. She found her
self becoming very sleepy; her heavy
lids persisted in drooping but she
dared not sleep. Fearful lest she
might be overcome by the drowsiness
that was stealing through her, she
rose and walked briskly to and fro;
then she threw some more wood on
the fire, walked over and stroked her
horse's muzzle and returned to her
teat Leaning against the saddle,
she tried to occupy her mind with
nlans for the morrow,
With a start Frauleln
Kircher
LBDGBRmpAtEBPtlA gATOIiDAY;
The 7SyIIZAN
wwn.it. n JVI IIIU.II VVUIUUIL Vjpif
horse was almost at the edge of the bush
awoke. It was broad daylight. The
hideous night was gone.
She could scarce believe the tes
timony of her senses. She had slept
for hours; the fire was out, and yet
she and the horse weir safe and
alive; nor was there a sign of savage
beast about And best of all, the
sun was shining, pointing the
straight road to tho east Hastily
she ate a few mouthfuls of her pre
cious rations, and took a swallow of
water. Then she saddled ner norse
and mounted. Already she felt that
she was as good as safe.
Possibly, however, sh might have
revised her conclusions could she havo
seen the two pairs of eyes watching
her every move" intently from dif
ferent points in the bush.
Light-hearted and unsuspecting,
the girl rode across tho clearing
toward the bush, while directly be
fore her two yellow-green eyes
glared round and terrible, and a
tawny tail twitched nervously, and
great, padded paws gathered beneath
a sleek barrel for a mighty spring.
The horse was almost at the edge of
tho bush when Numa tho Hon
launched himself through the air. He
struck the animal's right shoulder
at the instant it reared, terrified, to
wheel in flight The force of the
impact hurled the horse backward
to the ground, and so quickly that
the plrl had no opportunity to ex
tricate herself, but fell to the earth
with her mount, hen left leg pinned
beneath its body.
Horror-stricken, she saw the king
of beasts open his mighty jaws and
seize the screaming creature by the
back' of its neck. The great jaws
closed; there was an instant's
struggle as Numa shook his prey.
She could hear the vertebrae crack
as the mighty fangs crunched
through them, and then the muscles
of her faithful friend relaxed in
death.
Numa crouched upon his kill. His
terrifying eyes riveted themselves
upon the girl's face; she could reel
his hot breath upon her cheek, and
the odor of the fetid vapor nause
ated her. For what seemed an
eternity to the girl the two lay
staring at each other, and then the
lion uttered a menacing growl.
Never before had Bertha Kircher
been so terrified never before had
she had such cause for terror. At
ho; hip was a pistol, a formidable
". v. . . .- -"?VW'2PsMIE!,?";fe
when Numa launched himself through the
weapon with which to face a man,
but a puny thing indeed with which
to menace the great beast before
her. She knew that at best it could
but enrage him, and yet she meant
to sell her life dearly, for the knew
that she musi die. No human succor
could have availed her eves had it
been there to offer itself. For a mo
ment she tore her gaze from the
hypnotic fascination of that awful
face and breathed a last prayer.
No one can prophesy what a lion
will do in any given emergency. This
one glared and growled at the girl
for a moment and then fell to feed
ing upon the dead horse. Fraulein
Kircher wondered for an instant and
then began to attempt to draw her
leg cautiously from beneath the body
of her mount, but she could not
budge it She increased the force of
her efforts, and Numa looked up
from his feeding to growl again. The
girl desisted. She hoped that he
might satisfy his hunger and then
depart but she could not believe
that he would leave her there alive.
Doubtless he would drag the re
mains of his kill into the bush for
hiding, and as there could be no
doubt that he considered her part
of his prey, he would certainly come
back for her, or possibly drag her
in first and kill her.
Again Numa fell to feeding. The
girl's nerves were at the breaking
point She wondered that she had
not fainted under the strain of ter
ror and shock. She recalled that she
had often wished that she might see
a lion make a kill and feed upon it.
How realistically her wish had been
granted 1
Again she bethought herself of
her pistol. As she had fallen, the
holster had slipped around so that
the weapon now lay beneath her.
Very slowly she reached for it, but
in doing so she was forced to raise
her body from tho ground. Instantly
the lion was aroused. With the
swiftness of a cat he reached across
the carcass of the horse and placed
a heavy, taloned paw upon her
breast, crushing her back to earth;
and all the time he growled and
snarled horribly. His face was a
picture of rage incarnate. For a
moment neither moved, and then
from behind her the girl heard a hu
man voice uttering beastlike sounds.
fuma looked suddenly up from
the girl's face, at the thing beyond
SEPTEMBER G, 1919,
By Edgar Rice
!HLfc
"BJ.
air.
her. His growls increased to roars
as he drew back, ripping the front
of the girl's waist almost from her
body with his long talons, exposing
her white bosom, which through
some miracle of chance the p-
claws did not touch.
Tarzan of the Apes had witnes.,
the entire encounter from the mo
ment that Numa had leaped upon
his prey. For some time he had been
watching the girl, and after the lion
attacked her, he had at first been
minded to let Numa have his way
with her. What was she but a hated
German, and a spy besides? Ho had
seen her at General Kraut's head
quarters in conference with the Ger
man staff, and again he had seen her
within the British lines masquerad
ing as a British officer. It was the
latter thought that prompted him to
interfere. Doubtless General Jan
Smuts would be glad to meet and
question her. She might be forced
to divulge information of value to
the British commander before Smuts
had her shot.
Tarzan had not only recognized
the girl, but the lion as well. All
lions may look alike to you and me,
but not so to their intimates of the
jungle. Each has his individual
characteristics of face and form and
gait, as well defined as those that
differentiate members of the human
family; and besides these, the crea
tures of the jungle have a still more
positive test that of scent. Each
of us, man or beast, has his own
peculiar odor, and it is more by this
that the beasts of the jungle, en
dowed with miraculous powers of
scent, recognize individuals.
Tarzan recognized Numa as he
whom he had muzzled with the hide
of .Horta the boar as he whom he
had led by a rope for two days and
finally loosed in a German front-line
trench; and he knew that Numa
would recognize him, that he would
remember the sharp spear that had
goaded him into submission and
obedience; and Tarzan hoped that
the lesson he had learned still re
mained with the lion.
Now he came forward, calling to
Numa In the language of the great
apes warning him away from the
girl. It is open to question that
Numa the lion understood him, but
he did understand the menace of the
heavy spear that the Tarmangani
carried so ready in his brown right
hand, and so the lion drew back,
growling, trying to decide In his little
broln whether to charge or flee.
On came the npe-man yith never
a pause, straight for the Hon. "Go
away, Numa," ho cried, "or Tarzan
will tie you up again and lead jou
through tho jungle without food.
See Arnd, my spear? Do you recall
how this point stuck into you and
how with this haft I beat you over
tho head? Go, Numa! I am Tarzan
of the Apes!"
Numa wrinkled tho skin of his
face into great folds, until his eyes
almost disappeared, and he growled
and roared and snarled and growled
again; and when the spear-point came
at last quite close to him, ho Btruck
at it viciously with his armed paw.
But he drew back. Tarzan stepped
over the dead horse, and the girl ly
ing there gazed in wide-eyed aston
ishment at tho handsome figuie driv
ing an angiy lion deliberately from
its kill.
1IXHEN Numa had retreated a few
' ' yards, the ape-man caltcd back
to the girl in perfect German: "Are
you badly hurt?"
"I think not," she leplicd. "But
I can't pull my foot fiom under my
horse."
"Try again," commanded Tarzan.
"I don't know how long I can hold
Numa."
The girl struggled fiantically, but
at last she sank back upon an elbow.
"It's impossible," she called to
him.
Tarzan backed slowly until he was
again beside the horse; then he
reached down and grasped the saddle-girth,
which was still intact.
I Then with one hand he laised tho
carcass from the ground. The girl
freed herself and rose to her feet.
"You can walk?" asked Taizan.
"Yes," she said. "My leg is numb;
but it doesn't seem to be hurt"
"Good!" commented the ape-man
'Back slowly away behind me make
no sudden movements. I don't think
he will charge."
With the utmost deliberation the
two backed toward the bush. Numa
stood for a moment growling; then
ho followed them, slowly. Tarzan
wondered if he would come beyond
his kill, or if he would stop there.
If he followed them beyond, they
could look for a charge; and if Numa
charged it was very likely that he
would get one of them. When the
lion reached the carcass of the horse,
Tarzan stopped, and so did Numa,
as Tarzan had thought that he
would, and the ape-man waited to
see what the lion would do next.
Numa eyed them for a moment,
snarled angrily and then looked down
at the meat. Presently he crouched
upon his kill and resumed feeding.
The girl breathed a deep sigh of
relief as she and the ape-man re
turned their slow retreat, with only
an occasional glance from the lion,
and when at last they reached the
bush and had turned and entered it,
she felt a sudden giddiness over
whelm her, so that she staggered
and would have fallen had Tarzan
not caught her. It was only a mo
ment before she regained her self
control. "I could not help it," she said in
half-apology. "I was so close to
death, such a horrible death, it un
nerved me for an instant; but I'm
all right now. How can I ever thank
you? It was so wonderful: you
didn't seem to fear the frightful
creature in the least; yet he was
afraid of you. Who are you?"
"He knows me," replied Tarzan
grimly. "That is why he fears me."
Ho was standing facing the girl
now, and for the first time he had a
nee to look at her squarely and
,(ely. She was very beautiful
that was undeniable; but Tarzan
realized her beauty only in a subcon
scious way. It was superficial; it did
not color her soul, which must be
black as sin. She was Geiman a
German spy. He hated her, and de
sired only to compass her destrue
tion; but. he would choose the man
ner, so that it would work most
grievously against the enemy cause.
He saw her naked breast where
Numa had torn her clothing fiom
her, and dangling there against the
soft, white flesh he saw that which
brought a sudden scowl of surprise
and anger to his face the diamond-
studded golden locket of his youth,
the love-token that had been stolen
from the breast of his murdered
mate by Schneider the Hun. The
girl saw the scowl but did not inter
pret it correctly. Tarzan grasped
her loughly by the arm.
"Where did you get this?" he de
manded as he tore tho bauble from
her.
The girl drew herself to her full
height "Take your hand fiom me,"
she ordered. But the ape-man paid
no attention.
"Answer me!" he snapped. "Where
did you get this?"
"What is it to you?" she coun
tered. "It is mine," he replied. "Tell me
who gave It to you, or I will thiow
you back to Numa."
"You would do that?"
"Why not?" ho queried. "You are
a spy, and spies must die if they are
caugHt"
"You are going to kill me, then?"
"I was going to take you to head
quarters. They would dispose of
you there; but Numa can do it quite
as effectually. Which do you pre
fer?" "Hauptmann Fritz Schneider gave
it to me," she said.
"Headquarters it will be, then,"
said Tarzan. "Come."
The girl moved at his side through
the bush, and all the time her mind
worked quickly. They were moving
east which suited her, and as long
as they continued to move east, she
03
Burroughs
Was glad to have the protection of
the great white savage. Sho speCu- ,
latcd much upon the fact that her
pistol still swung at her hip. Tho
man must bo mad not to take it from
her.
"What makes you think I am a
spy?" she nsked after a long silence
"I saw you at German headouni.
ters " he replied, "and then again J
inside the British lines." M$
ana could not let him take her
back to them. Sho must reach Wil
helmstal nt once, and she was deter
mined to do so even if sho must have
lccoursc to her pistol. Sho cast a
side-glance at the tall figure. What
a magnificent creature! But yet he
was a brute who would kill her or
have her killed if she did not slay
him.
And the locket! She must have '
that back; it must not fail to reach
Wilhelmstal. Tarzan was now a
foot or two ahead of her in the nar
iow path. Cautiously she dicw her
pistol. A single shot would miffiVp.
and he was so close that she could
not miss. As she figured it all out,
her eyes rested on the Lrown skin
with the graceful muscles rolling be
neath it, and tho pciject limbs and
head and the coinage that a pioud
King of old might havo envied.
A wave of revulsion for her con
templated act singed thiough her.
No, she could not do it; yet she must
be free, and she must regain posses
sion of the locket. And then, almost
blindly, sho swung the weapon up
and struck Tarzan heavily upon the
back of the head with its butt. Like
a felled ox he dropped in his tracks.
AN hour later Shceta tho leopard,
hunting, chanced to glance up
ward into the blue sky, where his at
tention was attracted by Ska the
vulture cii cling slowly above tho
bush a mile away and down-wind,
for a minute tho yellow eyes stared
intently at the biul. They saw Ska
dive and rise again to continue his
ominous circling, and in these move
ments their woodcraft read that
which, while obvious to Sheeta would
doubtless have meant nothing to you
or me.
The hunting cat guessed that on
the ground beneath Ska was some
living thing of flesh either a beast
feeding upon its kill or a dying ani
mal that Ska did not yet daie attack.
In cither event it might prove mdat
for Sheeta, and so the wary felino
stalked by a circuitous route, upon
soft, padded feet that gave foith no '
sound, until the circling Ska and his
intended prey were up-wind. Then,
sniffing each vagrant zephyr, Shecta
the leopard crept cautiously forward;
nor had he advanced any consider
able distance before his keen nostrils
were rewarded with the scent of
man a Tarmangani.
Sheeta paused. He was not a
hunter of men. He was young and
in his prime; but always previously
he had avoided this hated piesence.
Of late he had become more accus
tomed to it, with the passing of many
soldiers through his ancient hunt
ing ground, and as the soldiers had
frightened away a great part of the
game Sheeta had been wont to feed
upon, the days had been lean and
Sheeta was hungry.
The circling Ska suggested that
this Tarmangani might be helpless
and upon the point of dying, and so
easy prey for Sheeta. With this
thought in mind the cat resumed his
stalking. Presently he pushed
through the thick bush, and his yellow-green
eyes rested gloatingly
upon the body of an almost naked
Tarmangani lying face down in a
narrow game trail.
Numa, sated, rose from the carcass
of Bertha Kirchei's horse, seized the
partly devoured body by the neck
and dragged it into the bush; then
he started east toward the lair where
he had left his mate. With his appe
tite satisfied, he was very comfort
able and inclined to be sleepy and far
from belligerent. He moved slowly
and majestically with no effort at
silence or concealment The king
wnlked abroad unafraid.
With an occasional regal glance to
right or left, he moved along a nar
row game tiail until at a turn he
came to a sudden stop at what lay
revealed befoie him Sheeta the
leopaid creeping stealthily upon the
almost naked body of a Tarmangani
lying face down in tho deep dust of
the pathway. Numa glaied intently
at the quiet body in the dust. Recog
nition came; it was his Taimangani.
A low growl of warning rumbled
from his throat; Shecta halted with
ono paw upon Tarzan's back and
turned suddenly to eye tho intruder.
ClOR a moment the latter stood his
giound with arched back and
snarling face, for all the world liko
a great, spotted tabby. Numa had
not felt liko fighting; but the sia.Kt
of Shecta daring to dispute his
rights kindled his ferocioub brain to
sudden fire. His' eyes glared with
sudden rage; his undulating tail
snapped to stiff erectness as with n
roar he charged.
It came so suddenly and from so
short a distance that Sheetn had no
chance to turn and flee the rush, und
so he met it with raking talons and
snapping jaWs. But the odds were
all against him. To the larger fangs
and the more powerful jaws of his
adversary were added huge talons
and the preponderance of the lion's
great weight At the first clash
Shecta was ciushcd, and though ho
deliberately fell upon his. back and
drew up his powerful hind legs be
neath Numa with he intention of
disemboweling him, the Hon fore-'
stalled him and at the same time
closed his awful jaws upon Sheeta'a
throat
It was soon oyer. Numa 70(k
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