Edgar Rice Burroughs - Tarzan 11 - Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle

7/23/2019 Edgar Rice Burroughs - Tarzan 11 - Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle

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Tarzan 11 - Tarzan, Lord of the Jungleby

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Chapter One.Tantor the Elephant His great bulk swaying to and fro as he threw his weight first upon one sideand then upon the other. Tantor the elephant lolled in the shade of the father of forests. Almostomnipotent, he, in the realm of his people. Dango, Sheta, e!en "uma the mighty were as naughtto the pahyderm. #or a hundred years he had ome and gone up and down the land that hadtrembled to the omings and the goings of his forebears for ountless ages.$n peae he had li!ed with Dango the hyena, Sheeta the leopard and "uma the lion. %an alonehad made war upon him. %an, who holds the uni&ue distintion among reated things of makingwar on all li!ing reatures, e!en to his own kind. %an, the ruthless' man, the pitiless' man, themost hated li!ing organism that "ature has e!ol!ed.

Always during the long hundred years of his life, Tantor had known man. There had been blakmen, always. (ig blak warriors with spears and arrows, little blak warriors, swart Arabs with

rude muskets and white men with powerful e)press rifles and elephant guns. The white men badbeen the last to ome and were the worst. *et Tantor did not hate men + not e!en white men.Hate, !engeane, en!y, a!arie, lust are a few of the delightful emotions reser!ed e)lusi!ely for"atures noblest work + the -lower- animals do not know them. "either do they know fear as manknows it, but rather a ertain bold aution that sends the antelope and the ebra, wathful andwary, to the water hole with the lion.Tantor shared this aution with his fellows and a!oided men + espeially white men' and so hadthere been other eyes there that day to see, their possessor might almost ha!e &uestioned their!eraity, or attributed their error to the half+light of the forest as they sanned the figure sprawlingprone upon the rough bak of the elephant, half doing in the heat to the swaying of the greatbody' for, despite the sun + broned hide, the figure was &uite e!idently that of a white man. (utthere were no other eyes to see and Tantor drowsed in the heat of midday and Taran, /ord of the0ungle, doed upon the bak of his mighty friend. A sultry air urrent mo!ed sluggishly from the

north, bringing to the keen nostrils of the ape + man no dis&uieting pereption. 1eae lay upon the2ungle and the two beasts were ontent.$n the forest #ahd and %otlog, of the tribe el + Harb, hunted north from the menil of Shiek $bn 0adof the (eny Salem fendy el + 3uad. 4ith them were blak sla!es. They ad!aned warily and insilene upon the fresh spoor of el + fil the elephant, the thoughts of the swart Aarab dwelling uponi!ory, those of the blak sla!es upon fresh meat. The abd #e22uan, blak 3alla sla!e, sleek, ebonwarrior, eater of raw meat, famed hunter, led the others.#e22uan, as his omrades, thought of fresh meat, but also he thought of el + Habash, the land fromwhih he had been stolen as a boy. He thought of oming again to the lonely 3alla hut of hisparents. 1erhaps el + Habash was not far off now. #or months $bn 0ad had been tra!eling southand now he had ome east for a long distane. El + Habash must be near. 4hen he was sure ofthat his days of sla!ery would be o!er and $bn 0ad would ha!e lost his best 3alla sla!e.Two marhes to the north, in the southern e)tremity of Abyssinia, stood the round dwelling of thefather of #e22uan, almost on the roughly mapped route that $bn 0ad had planned nearly a yearsine when he had undertaken this mad ad!enture upon the ad!ie of a learned Sahar, amagiian of repute. (ut of either the e)at loation of his fathers house or the e)at plans of $bn0ad, #e22uan was e&ually ignorant. He but dreamed, and his dreams were fla!ored with raw meat.The lea!es of the forest drowsed in the heat abo!e the heads of the hunters. (eneath thedrowsing lea!es of other trees a stones throw ahead of them Taran and Tantor slept, theirperepti!e faulties momentarily dulled by the soothing influene of fanied seurity and thesomnolene that is a orollary of e&uatorial midday.#e22uan, the 3alla sla!e, halted in his traks, stopping those behind him by the silent mandate ofan upraised hand. Diretly before him, seen dimly between the boles and through the foliage,


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swayed the giant bulk of el + fil. #e22uan motioned to #ahd, who mo!ed stealthily to the side of theblak. The 3alla sla!e pointed through the foliage toward a path of gray hide. #ahd raised el +/aary, his anient mathlok, to his shoulder. There was a flash of flame, a burst of smoke, aroar and el + fil, unhit, was bolting through the forest.

As Tantor surged forward at the sound of the report Taran started to spring to an upright position,and at the same instant the pahyderm passed beneath a low hanging limb whih struk the ape+ mans head, sweeping him to the ground, where he lay stunned and unonsious.Terrified, Tantor thought only of esape as he ran north through the forest, lea!ing in his wakefelled trees, trampled or uptora bushes. 1erhaps he did not know that his friend lay helpless andin2ured, at the mery of the ommon enemy, man. Tantor ne!er thought of Taran as one of theTarman + gani, for the white man was synonymous with disomfort, pain, annoyane, whereasTaran of the Apes meant to him restful ompanionship, peae, happiness. Of all the 2unglebeasts, e)ept his own kind, he fraternied with Taran only.5(illah6 Thou missed,5 e)laimed #e22uan.53luk65 e2aulated #ahd. 5Sheytan guided the bullet. (ut let us see + perhaps el + fil is hit.55"ay, thou missed.5The two men pushed forward, followed by their fellows, looking for the hoped + for armine spoor.#ahd suddenly stopped.54ellah6 4hat ha!e we here75 he ried. 5$ fired at el + fil and killed a "asrany.5The others rowded about. 5$t is indeed a Christian dog, and naked, too,5 said %otlog.

5Or some wild man of the forest,5 suggested another. 54here didst thy bullet strike him, #ahd75They stooped and rolled Taran o!er. 5There is no mark of bullet upon him.55$s he dead7 1erhaps he, too, hunted el + fil and was slain by the great beast.55He is not dead,5 announed #e22uan, who had kneeled and plaed an ear abo!e the ape + mansheart. 5He li!es and from the mark upon his head $ think but temporarily out of his wits from ablow. See, he lies in the path that el + fil made when he ran away + he was struk down in thebrutes flight.55$ will finish him,5 said #ahd, drawing his khusa.5(y 8llah, nol 1ut bak thy knife, #ahd,5 said %otlog. 5/et the sheykh say if he shall be killed.Thou art always too eager for blood.55$t is but a "asrany,5 insisted #ahd, 5Think thou to arry him bak to the menil755He mo!es,5 said #e22uan. 51resently he will be able to walk there without help. (ut perhaps hewill not ome with us, and look, he hath the sie and musles of a gaint. 4ellah6 4hat a man65

5(ind him,5 ommanded #ahd. So with thongs of amel hide they made the ape + mans twowrists seure together aross his belly, nor was the work ompleted any too soon. They hadsare done when Taran opened his eyes and looked them slowly o!er. He shook his head, likesome great lion, and presently his senses leared. He reognied the Aarab instantly for whatthey were.54hy are my wrists bound75 he asked them in their own tongue. 59emo!e the thongs65#ahd laughed. 5Thinkest thou, "asrany, that thou art some great sheykh that thou anst orderabout the (eduw as they were dogs755$ am Taran,5 replied the ape + man, as one might say, 5$ am the sheykh of sheykhs.55Taran65 e)laimed %otlog. He drew #ahd aside. 5Of all men,5 he said, lowering his !oie, 5that itshould be our ill fortune to offend this one6 $n e!ery !illage that we ha!e entered in the past twoweeks we ha!e heard his name. 4ait, they ha!e said, until Taran, /ord of the 0ungle, returns.He will slay you when he learns that you ha!e taken sla!es in his ountry.5

54hen $ drew my khusa thou shouldst not ha!e stopped my hand, %otlog,5 omplained #ahd'5but it is not too late yet.5 He plaed his hand upon the hilt of his knife.5(illah, nay65 ried %otlog. 54e ha!e taken sla!es in this ountry. They are with us now and someof them will esape. Suppose they arry word to the fendy of this great sheykh that we ha!e slainhim7 "ot one of us will li!e to return to (eled el + 3uad.55/et us then take him before $bn 0ad that the responsibility may be his,5 said #ahd.54ellah, you speak wisely,5 replied %otlog. 54hat the sheykh doeth with this man in the sheykhsbusiness. Come65

As they returned to where Taran stood he eyed them &uestioningly.54hat ha!e you deided to do with me75 he demanded. 5$f you are wise you will ut these bonds


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and lead me to your sheykh. $ wish a word with him.554e are only poor men,5 said %otlog. 5$t is not for us to say what shall be done, and so we shalltake you to our sheykh who will deide.5The Shiek $bn 0ad of the fendy el + 3uad s&uatted in the open mens ompartment of his beyt es +shar, and beside him in the mukaad of his house of hair sat Tollog, his brother, and a young(eduin, :eyd, who, doubtless, found less attration in the ompany of the shiek than in thepro)imity of the sheiks hareem whose &uarters were separated from the mu + kaad only by abreast high urtain suspended between the waist poles of the beyt, affording thus an oasionalglimpse of Ate2a, the daughter of $bn 0ad. That it also afforded an oasional glimpse of Hirfa, hiswife, raised not the temperature of :eyd an iota.

As the men talked the two women were busy within their apartment at their housewifely duties. $na great braen 0idda Hirfa was plaing mutton to be boiled for the ne)t meal while Ate2a fashionedsandals from an old bag of amel leather impregnated with the 2uie of the dates that it had borneupon many a rahla, and meanwhile they missed naught of the on!ersation that passed in themukaad.54e ha!e ome a long way without mishap from our own beled,5 $bn 0ad was remarking, 5and theway has been longer beause $ wished not to pass through el + Habash lest we be set upon orfollowed by the people of that ountry. "ow may we turn north again and enter el + Habash loseto the spot where the magiian foretold we should find the treasure ity of "immr.55And thinkest thou to find this fabled ity easily, one we are within the boundaries of el +

Habash75 asked Tollog, his brother.54ellah, yes. $t is known to the people of this far south Habash. #e22uan, himself an Habasby,though he has ne!er been there, heard of it as a boy. 4e shall take prisoners among them and,by the grae of 8llah, we shall find the means to loose their tongues and ha!e the truth fromthem.55(y 8llah, $ hope it does not pro!e like the treasure that lies upon the great rok el + Howwara inthe plain of %edain Salih,5 said :eyd. 5An afrit guards it where it lay sealed in a stone tower andthey say that should it be remo!ed disaster would befall mankind' for men would turn upon theirfriends, and e!en upon their brothers, the sons of their fathers and mothers, and the kings of theworld would gi!e battle, one against another.55*ea,5 testified Tollog, 5$ had it from one of the fendy Haim that a wise %oghreby ame by therein his tra!els and onsulting the abalisti signs in his book of magi diso!ered that indeed thetreasure lay there.5

5(ut none dared take it up,5 said :eyd.5(illah65 e)laimed $bn 0ad. 5There be no afrit guarding the treasures of "immr. "aught but fleshand blood Habush that may be laid low with ball and powder. The treasure is ours for the taking.558llah grant that it may be as easily found as the treasure of 3eryeh,5 said :eyd, 5whih lays a

2ourney north of Tebuk in the anient ruins of a walled ity. There, eah #riday, the piees ofmoney roll out of the ground and run about o!er the desert until sunset.55One we are ome to "immr there will be no diffiulty finding the treasure,5 $bn 0ad assuredthem. 5The diffiulty will lie in getting out of el + Habash with the treasure and the woman' and ifshe is as beautiful as the sahar said, the men of "immr may protet her e!en more sa!agely thanthey would the treasure.55Often do magiians lie,5 said Tollog.54ho omes75 e)laimed $bn 0ad, looking toward the 2ungle that hemmed the menil upon allsides.

5(illah6 $t is #ahd and %otlog returning from the hunt,5 said Tollog. 58llah grant that they bringi!ory and meat.55They return too soon,5 said :eyd.5(ut they do not ome empty handed,5 and $bn 0ad pointed toward the naked giant thataompanied the returning hunters.The group surrounding Taran approahed the sheiks beyt and halted.4rapped in his soiled alio thob, his head kerhief drawn aross the lower part of his fae, $bn0ad e)posed but two !illainous eyes to the intent srutiny of the ape + man whih simultaneouslyinluded the pok + marked, shifty + eyed !isage of Tollog, the shieks brother, and the not ill +fa!ored ountenane of the youthful :eyd.


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54ho is sheykh here75 demanded Taran in tones of authority that belied the amel leatherthongs about his wrists.$bn 0ad permitted his thorrib to fall from before his fae. 54ellah, $ am sheykh,5 he said, 5and bywhat name art thou known, "asrany755They all me Taran of the Apes, %oslem.55Taran of the Apes,5 mused $bn 0ad. 5$ ha!e heard the name.55Doubtless. $t is not unknown to Aarab sla!e raiders. 4hy, then, ame you to my ountry,knowing $ do not permit my people to be taken into sla!ery7554e do not ome for sla!es,5 $bn 0ad assured him. 54e do but trade in peae for i!ory.55Thou liest in thy beard, %oslem,5 returned Taran, &uietly. 5$ reognie both %anyuema and3alla sla!es in thy menil, and $ know that they are not here of their own hoosing. Then, too,was $ not present when your henhmen fired a shot at el + fil7 $s that peaeful trading for i!ory7"o6 it is poahing, and that Taran of the Apes does not permit in his ountry. *ou are raiders andpoahers.55(y 8llah6 we are honest men,5 ried $bn 0ad. 5#ahd and %otlog did but hunt for meat. $f they shotel + fil it must be that they mistook him for another beast.55Enough65 ried Taran. 59emo!e the thongs that bind me and prepare to return north fromwhene thou ame. Thou shall ha!e an esort and bearers to the Soudan. There will $ arrangefor.554e ha!e ome a long way and wish only to trade in peae,5 insisted $bn 0ad. 54e shall pay our

bearers for their labor and take no sla!es, nor shall we again fire upon el + fil. /et us go our wayand when we return we will pay you well for permission to pass through your ountry.5Taran shook his head. 5"o6 you shall go at one. Come, ut these bonds65$bn 0ads eyes narrowed. 54e ha!e offered thee peae and profits, "asrany,5 he said, 5but if thouwouldst ha!e war let it be war. Thou art in our power and remember that dead enemies areharmless. Think it o!er.5 And to #ahd; 5Take him away and bind his feet.55(e areful, %oslem,5 warned Taran, 5the arms of the ape + man are long + they may reah oute!en in death and their fingers enirle your throat.55Thou shalt ha!e until dark to deide, "asrany, and thou mayest know that $bn 0ad will not turnbak until he hath that for whih he ame.5They took Taran then and at a distane from the beyt of $bn 0ad they pushed him into a smallbe2ra' but one within this tent it re&uired three men to throw him to the ground and bind hisankles, e!en though his wrists were already bound.

$n the beyt of the sheik the (eduins sipped their offee, sikish with lo!e, innamon and otherspie, the while they disussed the ill fortune that had befallen them' for, regardless of hisbra!ado, $bn 0ad knew full well that only speed and most propitious irumstanes ould nowplae the seal of suess upon his !enture.5(ut for %otlog,5 said #ahd, 5we would now ha!e no ause for worry onerning the "asrany, for $had my knife ready to slit the dogs throat when %otlog interfered.55And had word of his slaying spread broadast o!er his ountry before another sunset and all hispeople at our heels,5 ountered %otlog.54ellah,5 said Tollog, the sheiks brother. 5$ wish #ahd had done the thing he wished. After all howmuh better off are we if we permit the "asrany to li!e7 Should we free him we know that he willgather his people and dri!e us from the ountry. $f we keep him prisoner and an esaped sla!earries word of it to his people will they not be upon us e!en more surely than as though we hadslain him75

5Tollog, thou speakest words of wisdom,5 said $bn 0ad, nodding appreiati!ely.5(ut wait,5 said Tollog, 5$ ha!e within me, unspoken, words of e!en greater worth.5 He leanedforward motioning the others loser and lowered his !oie. 5Should this one whom they allTaran esape during the night, or should we set him free, there would be no bad word for anesaped sla!e to bear to his people.55(illah65 e)laimed #ahd disgustedly. 5There would be no need for an esaped sla!e to bringword to his people + the "asrany himself would do that and lead them upon us in person. (ah6 thebrains of Tollog are as amels dung.55Thou hast not heard all that $ would say, brother,5 ontinued Tollog, ignoring #ahd. 5$t would only

-seem- to the sla!es that this man had esaped, for in the morning he would be gone and we


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would make great lamentation o!er the matter, or we would say; 4ellah, it is true that $bn 0admade peae with the stranger, who departed into the 2ungle, blessing him.55$ do not follow thee, brother,5 said $bn 0ad.5The "asrany lies bound in yonder he2ra. The night will be dark. A slim knife between his ribswere enough. There be faithful Habush among us who will do our bidding, nor speak of the matterafter. They an prepare a trenh from the bottom of whih a dead Taran may not reah out toharm us.55(y 8llah, it is plain that thou art of sheykhly blood, Tollog,5 e)laimed $bn 0ad. 5The wisdom ofthy words prolaims it Thou shall attend to the whole matter. Then will it be done seretly andwell. The blessings of 8llah be upon thee65 and $bn 0ad arose and entered the &uarters of hishareem.

Chapter Two.Comrades of the 4ild DA9


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5He is here,5 he reported.Taran, who was sitting in the enter of the tent, sur!eyed the Aarab somewhat ontemptuously.$bn 0ad pressed forward.5*ou heard a ry75 he demanded of the ape + man.5*es, $ heard it. Camest thou, Sheykh $bn 0ad, to disturb my rest upon so tri!ial an errand, orearnest thou to release me7554hat manner of ry was it7 4hat did it signify75 asked $bn 0ad.Taran of the Apes smiled grimly. 5$t was but the all of a beast to one of his kind,5 he replied.5Does the noble (eduwy tremble thus always when he hears the !oies of the 2ungle people7553luk65 growled $bn 0ad, 5the (eduw fear naught. 4e thought the sound ame from this he2raand we hastened hither belie!ing some 2ungle beast had rept within the menil and attakedthee. Tomorrow it -is- the thought of $bn 0ad to release thee.554hy not tonight755%y people fear thee. They would that when you are released you depart hene immediately.55$ shall. $ ha!e no desire to remain in thy lie infested menil.554e ould not send thee alone into the 2ungle at night where el + adrea is abroad hunting,5protested the sheik.Taran of the Apes smiled again, one of his rare smiles. 5Taran is more seure in his teeming

2ungle than are the (eduwy in their desert,5 he replied. 5The 2ungle night has no terrors forTaran.5

5Tomorrow,5 snapped the shiek and then, motioning to his followers, he departed.Taran wathed their paper lanterns bobbing aross the amp to the sheiks beyt and then hestrethed himself at full length and pressed an ear to the ground.4hen the inhabitants of the Aarab menil heard the ry of the beast shatter the &uiet of the newnight it aroused within their breasts a ertain !ague unrest, but otherwise it was meaningless tothem. *et there was one far off in the 2ungle who aught the all faintly and understood + a hugebeast, the great, gray dreadnaught of the 2ungle, Tantor the elephant. Again he raised his trunkaloft and trumpeted loudly. His little eyes gleamed redly wiked as, a moment later, he swung offthrough the forest at a rapid trot.Slowly silene fell upon the menil of Sheik $bn 0ad as the Aarab and their sla!es sought theirsleeping mats. Only the sheik and his brother sat smoking in the sheiks beyt + smoking andwhispering in low tones.5Do not let the sla!es see you slay the "asrany, Tollog,5 autioned $bn 0ad. 5Attend to that

yourself first in serey and in silene, then &uietly arouse two of the sla!es. #e22uan would be asgood as another, as he has been among us sine hildhood and is loyal. He will do well for one.55Abbas is loyal, too, and strong,5 suggested Tollog.5*ea, let him be the seond,5 agreed $bn 0ad. 5(ut it is well that they do not know how the"asrany ame to die. Tell them that you heard a noise in the diretion of his he2ra and that whenyou had ome to learn the nature of it you found him thus dead.55*ou may trust to my disretion, brother,5 Tollog assured.5And warn them to serey,5 ontinued the sheik. 5"o man but we four must e!er know of thedeath of the "asrany, nor of his plae of burial. $n the morning we shall tell the others that heesaped during the night. /ea!e his ut bonds within the he2ra as proof. *ou understand755(y 88ah, fully.553ood6 "ow go. The people sleep.5 The sheik rose and Tollog, also. The former entered theapartment of his hareem and the latter mo!ed silently through the darkness of the night in the

diretion of the he2ra where his !itim lay.Through the 2ungle ame Tantor the elephant and from his path fled gentle beasts and fiere.E!en "uma the lion slunk growling to one side as the mighty pahyderm passed.$nto the darkness of the he2ra rept Tollog, the sheiks brother' but Taran, lying with an ear to theground, had heard him approahing from the moment that he had left the beyt of $bn 0ad. Taranheard other sounds as well and, as he interpreted these others, he interpreted the stealthyapproah of Tollog and was on!ined when the footsteps turned into the tent where he lay +on!ined of the purpose of his !isitor. #or what purpose but the taking of his life would a (eduin!isit Taran at this hour of the night7

As Tollog, groping in the dark, entered the tent Taran sat eret and again there smote upon the


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ears of the (eduin the horrid ry that had disturbed the menil earlier in the e!ening, but this timeit arose in the !ery he2ra in whih Tollog stood.The (eduin halted, aghast 58llah65 he ried, stepping bak. 54hat beast is there7 "asrany6 Artthou being attaked75Others in the amp were awakened, but none !entured forth to in!estigate. Taran smiled andremained silent.5"asrany65 repeated Tollog, but there was no reply.Cautiously, his knife ready in his hand, the (eduin baked from the he2ra. He listened but heardno sound from within. 9unning &uikly to his own beyt he made a light in a paper lantern andhastened bak to the he2ra, and this time he arried his musket and it was at full ok. 1eeringwithin, the lantern held abo!e his head, Tollog saw the ape + man sitting upon the ground lookingat him. There was no wild beast6 Then the (eduin understood.5(illah6 $t wast thou, "asrany, who made the fearful ries.55(eduwy, thou omest to kill the "asrany, eh75 demanded Taran.#rom the 2ungle ame the roar of a lion and the trumpeting of a bull elephant, but the boma washigh and sharp with thorns and there were guards and beast fire, so Tollog ga!e no thought tothese familiar noises of the night. He did not answer Tarans &uestion but laid aside his musketand drew his kliusa, whih after all was answer enough.$n the dim light of the paper lantern Taran wathed these preparations. He saw the ruele)pression upon the male!olent fae. He saw the man approahing slowly, the knife ready in his

hand.The man was almost upon him now, his eyes glittering in the faint light. To the ears of the ape +man ame the sound of a ommotion at the far edge of the menil, followed by an Arab oath.Then Tollog launhed a blow at Tarans breast. The prisoner swung his bound wrists upward andstruk the (eduins knife arm away, and simultaneously he struggled to his knees.4ith an oath, Tollog struk again, and again Taran fended the blow, and this time he followedswiftly with a mighty sweep of his arms that struk the (eduin upon the side of the head and senthim sprawling aross the he2ra' but Tollog was instantly up and at him again, this time with theferoity of a maddened bull, yet at the same time with far greater unning, for instead ofattempting a diret frontal attak Tollog leaped &uikly around Taran to strike him from behind.$n his effort to turn upon his knees that he might fae his antagonist the ape + man lost hisbalane, his feet being bound together, and fell prone at Tollogs mery. A !iious smile bared theyellow teeth of the (eduin.

5Die, "asrany65 he ried, and then; 5(illah6 4hat was that75 as, of a sudden, the entire tent wassnathed from abo!e his head and hurled off into the night. He turned &uikly and a shriek ofterror burst from his lips as he saw, red + eyed and angry, the giant form of el + fil towering abo!ehim' and in that !ery instant a supple trunk enirled his body and Tollog, the sheiks brother, wasraised high aloft and hurled off into the darkness as the tent had been.#or an instant Tantor stood looking about, angrily, defiantly, then he reahed down and liftedTaran from the ground, raised him high abo!e his head, wheeled about and trotted rapidlyaross the menil toward the 2ungle. A frightened sentry fired one and fled. The other sentry layrushed and dead where Tantor had hurled him when he entered the amp. An instant laterTaran and Tantor were swallowed by the 2ungle and the darkness.The menil of Sheik $bn 0ad was in an uproar. Armed men hastened hither and thither seeking theause of the disturbane, looking for an attaking enemy. Some ame to the spot where hadstood the he2ra where the "asrany had been onfined, but He2ra and "asrany both had

disappeared. "earby, the beyt of one of $bn 0ads ronies lay flattened. (eneath it weresreaming women and a ursing man. On top of it was Tollog, the sheiks brother, his mouth filledwith !ile (eduin in!eti!e, whereas it should ha!e ontained only praises of Allah andthanksgi!ing, for Tollog was indeed a most fortunate man. Had he alighted elsewhere than uponthe top of a sturdily pegged beyt he had doubtless been killed or badly in2ured when Tantor hurledhim thus rudely aside.$bn 0ad, searhing for information, arri!ed 2ust as Tollog was e)triating himself from the folds ofthe tent.5(illah65 ried the sheik. 54hat has ome to pass7 4hat, O brother, art thou doing upon the beytof Abd el + Ai75


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A sla!e ame running to the sheik. 5The "asrany is gone and he hath taken the he2ra with him,5he ried.$bn 0ad turned to Tollog. 5Canst thou not e)plain, brother75 he demanded. 5$s the "asrany trulydeparted755The "asrany is indeed gone,5 replied Tollog. 5He is in league with Sheytan, who ame hi theguise of el + fil and arried the "asrany into the 2ungle, after throwing me upon the top of the beytof Abd el + Ai whom $ still hear s&uealing and ursing beneath as though it had been he whowas attaked rather than $.5$bn 0ad shook his head. Of ourse he knew that Tollog was a liar + that he always had known + yethe ould not understand how his brother had ome to be upon the top of the beyt of Abed el +

Ai.54hat did the sentries see75 demanded the sheik. 54here were they755They were at their post,5 spoke up %otlog. 5$ was 2ust there. One of them is dead, the other firedupon the intruder as it esaped.55And what said he of it75 demanded $bn 0ad.54ellah, he said that el + fil ame and entered the menil, killing *emeny and rushing to the he2rawhere the "asrany lay bound, ripping it aside, throwing Tollog high into the air. Then he seiedthe prisoner and bore him off into the 2ungle, and as he passed him Hasan fired.55And missed,5 guessed $bn 0ad.#or se!eral moments the sheik stood in thought, then he turned slowly toward his own beyl.

5Tomorrow, early, is the rahla,5 he said' and the word spread &uikly that early upon the morrowthey would break amp.#ar into the forest Tantor bore Taran until they had ome to a small learing well arpeted withgrass, and here the elephant deposited his burden gently upon the ground and stood guardabo!e.5$n the morning,5 said Taran, 5when


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Tollog leaned lose and whispered in #ahds ear. 5A suitor as bold as :eyd would find the way tomake me sheykh.5#ahd made no reply but only rode on in silene, his head bowed and his brows ontrated inthought.

Chapter Three.The Apes of Toyat TH9EE days rawled slowly out of the east and followed one another arossthe steaming 2ungle and o!er the edge of the world beyond. #or three days the Aarab mo!edslowly northward toward el + Habash. #or three days Taran of the Apes lay in the little learing,bound and helpless, while Tantor the elephant stood guard abo!e him. One eah day the greatbull brought the ape + man food and water.The amel leather thongs held seurely and no outside aid appeared to release Taran from thee!er inreasing disomfort and danger of his prediament. He had alled to %anu the monkey toome and gnaw the strands apart, but %anu, e!er irresponsible, had only promised and forgotten.

And so the ape + man lay unomplaining, as is the way of beasts patiently waiting for release,knowing that it might ome in the habiliment of death.8pon the morning of the fourth day Tantor ga!e e!idenes of restlessness. His brief foragingshad e)hausted the nearby supply of food for himself and his harge. He wanted to mo!e on andtake Taran with him' but the ape + man was now on!ined that to be arried farther into theelephant ountry would lessen his hanes for suor, for he felt that the only one of the 2ungle

people who ould release him was %angani the great ape. Taran knew that already he waspratially at the outer limits of the %angani ountry, yet there was a remote hane that a bandof the great anthropoids might pass this way and diso!er him, while, should Tantor arry himfarther north e!en this meager likelihood of release would be lost fore!er.Tantor wanted to be gone. He nudged Taran with his trunk and rolled him o!er. He raised himfrom the ground.51ut me down, Tantor,5 said the ape + man, and the pahyderm obeyed, but he turned and walkedaway. Taran wathed him ross the learing to the trees upon the far side. There Tantorhesitated, stopped, turned. He looked bak at Taran and trumpeted. He dug up the earth with agreat tusk and appeared angry.53o and feed,5 said Taran, 5and then return. Tomorrow the %angani may ome.5Tantor trumpeted again and, wheeling about, disappeared in the 2ungle. #or a long time the ape +man lay listening to the retreating footfalls of his old friend.

5He is gone,5 he mused. 5$ annot blame him. 1erhaps it is as well. 4hat matter whether it betoday, tomorrow, or the day after75The morning passed. The noonday silene lay upon the 2ungle. Only the insets were abroad.They annoyed Taran as they did the other 2ungle beasts, but to the poison of their stings he wasimmune through a lifetime of inoulation.Suddenly there ame a great sampering through the trees. /ittle %anu and his brothers, hissisters and his ousins ame trooping madly through the middle terrae, s&uealing, hatteringand solding.5%anu65 alled Taran. 54hat omes755The %angani6 The %angani65 shrieked the monkeys.53o and feth them, %anu65 ommanded the ape + man.54e are afraid.553o and all to them from the upper terraes,5 urged Taran. 5They annot reah you there. Tell

them that one of their people lies helpless here. Tell them to ome and release me.554e are afraid.55They annot reah you in the upper terraes. 3o6 They will be your friends then.55They annot limb to the upper terraes,5 said an old monkey. 5$ will go.5The others, halted in their flight, turned and wathed the gray + beard as he sampered &uikly offamongst the loftiest branhes of the great trees, and Taran waited.1resently he heard the deep gutturals of his own people, the great apes, the %angani. 1erhapsthere would be those among them who knew him. 1erhaps, again, the band may ha!e ome fromafar and ha!e no knowledge of him, though that he doubted. $n them, howe!er, was his onlyhope. He lay there, listening, waiting. He heard %anu sreaming and hattering as he sampered


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about high abo!e the %angani, then, of a sudden, silene fell upon the 2ungle. There was only thesound of insets, buing, humming.The ape + man lay looking in the diretion from whih had ome the sounds of the approahinganthropoids. He knew what was transpiring behind that dense wall of foliage. He knew thatpresently a pair of fiere eyes would be e)amining him, sur!eying the learing, searhing for anenemy, warily probing for a trik or a trap. He knew that the first sight of him might arousedistrust, fear, rage' for what reason had they to lo!e or trust the ruel and meriless Tarmangani7There lay great danger in the possibility that, seeing him, they might &uietly withdraw withoutshowing themsel!es. That, then, would be the end, for there were no others than the %angani towhom he might look for resue. 4ith this in mind he spoke.5$ am a friend,5 he alled to them. 5The Tarmangani aught me and bound my wrists and ankles. $annot mo!e. $ annot defend myself. $ annot get food nor water. Come and remo!e my bonds.5#rom 2ust behind the sreen of foliage a !oie replied, 5*ou are a Tarmangani.55$ am Taran of the Apes,5 replied the ape + man.5*es,5 sreamed %anu, 5he is Taran of the Apes. The Tarmangani and the 3omangani boundhim and Tantor brought him here. #our times has


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the battle and there would ensue a free for all fight from whih not all of them would emerge ali!e,and none without more or less serious in2uries' but Taran of the Apes did not wish to battle withhis friends.5Stop65 he ommanded raising his opened palm to attrat attention. 5$ am Taran of the Apes,mighty hunter, mighty fighter' long did $ range with the tribe of


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At railhead, while preparations were going on to seure e&uipment and a safari, Stimbol had sooffended and insulted the ameraman that he had left them Sat and returned to the oast. (lakewas disappointed, but he made up his mind to go on through and get what pitures he ould witha still amera. He was not a man who en2oyed killing for the mere sport of taking life, and asoriginally planned there was to ha!e been no shooting of game e)ept for food and half a doentrophies that Stimbol partiularly wished to add to his olletion.There had sine been one or two alterations relati!e to Stimbols treatment of the blak porters,but these matters, (lake was hopeful, had been ironed out and Stimbol had promised to lea!e thehandling of the safari to (lake and refrain from any further abuse of the men.They had ome into the interior e!en farther than they had planned, had had the poorest of lukin the matter of game and were about to turn bak toward railhead. $t seemed now to (lake thatafter all they were going to pull through without further diffiulty and that he and Stimbol wouldreturn to Ameria together, to all intent and purpose still friends' but 2ust then a blak porteraught his foot in an entangling reeper and stumbled, throwing his load to the ground.Diretly in front of the porter Stimbol and (lake were walking side by side and, as though guidedby a male!olent power, the load rashed into Stimbol, hurling him to the ground. Stimbol and theporter srambled to their feet amidst the laughter of the "egroes who had witnessed the aident.The porter was grinning. Stimbol was flushed with anger.5*ou damned lumsy swine65 he ried, and before (lake ould interfere or the porter protethimself the angry white man stepped &uikly o!er the fallen load and struk the blak a terrifi

blow in the fae that felled him' and as he lay there, Stimbol kiked him in the side. (ut only one6(efore he ould repeat the outrage (lake seied him by the shoulder, wheeled him about andstruk him preisely as he had struk the blak.Stimbol fell, rolled o!er on his side and reahed for the automati that hung at his hip, but &uikas he was (lake was &uiker. 5Cut that65 said (lake, risply, o!ering Stimbol with a.=>. Stimbolshand dropped from the grip of his gun. 53et up65 ordered (lake, and when the other had risen;5"ow listen to me, Stimbol + this is the end. *ou and $ are through. Tomorrow morning we split thesafari and e&uipment, and whihe!er way you go with your half. $ll go in the opposite diretion.5(lake had returned his gun to its holster as he spoke, the blak had risen and was nursing abloody nose, the other blaks were looking sullenly. (lake motioned to the porter to pik up hisload and presently the safari was again on the mo!e + a sullen safari without laughter or song.(lake made amp at the first a!ailable ground shortly before noon in order that the di!ision ofe&uipment, food and men ould be made during the afternoon and the two safaris thus be

enabled to make an early start the following morning.Stimbol, sullen, would gi!e no assistane, but, taking a ouple of the askari, the armed nati!eswho at as soldiers for the safari, started out from amp to hunt. He had proeeded sarely amile along a mould padded game trail whih ga!e forth no sound in answer to their fallingfootsteps, when one of the nati!es in the lead held up his hand in warning as he halted in histraks.Stimbol ad!aned autiously and the blak pointed toward the left, through the foliage. Dimly,Stimbol saw a blak mass mo!ing slowly away from them.54hat is it75 he whispered.53orilla,5 replied the blak.Stimbol raised his rifle and fired at the retreating figure. The blak was not surprised that hemissed.5Hell65 e2aulated the white. 5Come on, get after him6 $!e got to ha!e him. 3ad6 what a trophy hell

make.5The 2ungle was rather more open than usual and again and again they ame within sight of theretreating gorilla. Eah time Stimbol fired and eah time he missed. Seretly the blaks wereamused and pleased. They did not like Stimbol.

At a distane Taran of the Apes, hunting with the tribe of Toyat, heard the first shot andimmediately took to the trees and was raing in the diretion of the sound. He felt sure that theweapon had not been disharged by the (eduins, for he well knew and ould differentiatebetween the reports of their muskets and those made by modern weapons.1erhaps, he thought, there may be among them suh a rifle, beause suh was not impossible,but more likely it meant white men, and in Tarans ountry it was his business to know what


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strangers were there and why. Seldom they ame e!en now, though one they had ne!er ome.$t was those days that Taran regretted, for when the white man omes peae and happinessdepart.9aing through the trees, swinging from limb to limb, Taran of the Apes unerringly followed thediretion of the sound of the sueeding shots' and as he approahed more losely the sene ofthe pursuit of (olgani the gorilla, he heard the rashing of underbrush and the !oies of men.(olgani, fleeing with greater haste than aution, his mind and attention oupied by thoughts ofesape from the hated Tarmangani and the terrifying thunder stik that roared eah time theTarmangani ame within sight of him, abandoned his austomed wariness and hurried throughthe 2ungle forgetful of what few other enemies might beset his path' and so it was that he failed tosee Histah the snake draped in sinuous loops along an o!erhanging branh of a nearby patriarhof the forest.The huge python, naturally short tempered and irritable, had been disturbed and annoyed by therashing sounds of pursuit and esape and the roaring !oie of the rifle. Ordinarily he would ha!epermitted a full grown bull gorilla to pass unmolested, but in his present state of mind he mightha!e attaked e!en Tantor himself.His beady eyes glaring fi)edly, he wathed the approah of the shaggy (olgani, and as the gorillapassed beneath the limb to whih he lung Histah launhed himself upon his prey.

As the great oils, powerful, relentless, silent, enirled (olgani, he sought to tear the hideousfolds from him. 3reat is the strength of (olgani, but e!en greater is that of Histah the snake. A

single hideous, almost human sream burst from the lips of (olgani with the first realiation of thedisaster that had befallen him, and then he was on the ground tearing futilely at the steadilytightening bands of li!ing steel that would rush the life from him, rush until his bones ga!e tothe tremendous pressure, until only broken pulp remained within a sausage like thing that wouldslip between the distended 2aws of the serpent.$t was upon this sight that Stimbol and Taran ame simultaneously + Stimbol stumblingawkwardly through the underbrush, Taran of the Apes, demi + god of the forest, swinginggraefully through the foliage of the middle terraes.They arri!ed simultaneously but Taran was the only one of the party whose presene wasunsuspeted by the others, for, as always, he had mo!ed silently and with the utmost warinessbeause of the unknown nature of the onditions he might diso!er.

As he looked down upon the sene below his &uik eye and his knowledge of the 2ungle re!ealedat a glane the full story of the tragedy that had o!ertaken (olgani, and then he saw Stimbol raise

his rifle, intent upon bagging two royal speimens with a single shot.$n the heart of Taran was no great lo!e for (olgani the gorilla. Sine hildhood the shaggy, giantman + beast had been the natural foe of the ape + man. His first mortal ombat had been with(olgani. #or years he had feared him, or rather a!oided him through aution, for of fear Taranwas ignorant' and sine he had emerged from hildhood he had ontinued to a!oid (olgani forthe simple reason that his own people, the great apes, a!oided him.(ut now when he saw the huge brute beset by two of the natural enemies of both the %anganiand the (olgani there flared within his breast a sudden loyalty that burned away the personalpre2udies of a lifetime.He was diretly abo!e Stimbol, and with suh elerity do the mind and musles of the ape + manoordinate that e!en as the Amerian raised his weapon to his shoulder Taran had droppedupon his bak, felling him to the earth' and before Stimbol ould diso!er what had happened tohim, long before he ould stumble, ursing, to his feet, Taran, who had been unarmed, had

snathed the hunters knife from its sabbard and leaped full upon the writhing, struggling mass ofpython and gorilla. Stimbol ame to his feet ready to kill but what he saw before him temporarilydro!e the desire for !engeane from his mind."aked but for a loin loth, broned, blak + haired, a giant white man battled with the dreadpython' and as Stimbol wathed he shuddered as he beame aware that the low, beast+likegrowls he heard ame not alone from the sa!age lips of the gorilla but from the throat of the god+like man + thing that fought for him.Steel fingers enirled the python 2ust bak of its head, while those of the free hand dro!eStimbols hunting knife again and again into the oiling, writhing body of the serpent. 4ith thepro2etion of a new and more menaing enemy into the battle, Histah was fored partially to


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release his hold upon (olgani with, at first, the intention of inluding Taran in the same embraethat be might rush them both at one' but soon he diso!ered that the hairless man + thingonstituted a distint menae to his life that would neessitate his undi!ided attention, and so he&uikly unoiled from about (olgani and in a freny of rage and pain that whipped his great lengthinto a lashing fury of destrution he sought to enirle the ape + man' but wheresoe!er his oilsapproahed, the keen knife bit deep into tortured flesh.(olgani, the spark of life all but rushed from him, lay gasping upon the ground, unable to ometo the aid of his preser!er, while Stimbol, goggle + eyed with awe and terror, kept at a safedistane, momentarily forgetful both of his lust for trophies and his bent for re!enge.Thus was Taran pitted, single + handed, against one of the mightiest of "atures reations in aduel to the death, the result of whih seemed to the wathing Amerian already a foregoneonlusion, for what man born of woman ould hope, unaided, to esape from the embrae of thedeadly oils of a python7

Already Histah had enirled the torso and one leg of the ape + man, but his powers ofonstrition, lessened by the frightful wounds he had reei!ed, had as yet been unable to rushhis ad!ersary into helplessness, and Taran was now onentrating his attention and the hea!yblade of the hunting knife upon a single portion of the weakening body in an attempt to ut Histahin two.%an and serpent were red with blood' and rimson were the grasses and the brush for yards inall diretions as, with a final effort, Histah losed his giant oils spasmodially about his !itim at

the instant that Taran with a mighty upward hea!y lunge ut through the !ertebrae of the greatsnake./ashing and writhing, the nether portion, headless, flopped aside while the ape + man, still fightingwith what remained, e)erting his superhuman strength to its ultimate utmost, slowly fored theoils from about his body and ast the dying Histah from him. Then, without a glane at Slimbol,be turned to (olgani.5*ou are hurt to death75 he asked in the language of the great apes.5"o,5 replied the gorilla. 5$ am (olgani6 $ kill, Tarmangani655$ am Taran of the Apes,5 said the ape + man. 5$ sa!ed you from Histah.55*ou did not ome to kill (olgani75 in&uired the gorilla.5"o. /et us be friends.5(olgani frowned in an effort to onentrate upon this remarkable problem. 1resently he spoke.54e will be friends,5 he said. 5The Tarmangani behind you will kill us both with his thunder stik.

/et us kill him first.5 1ainfully he staggered to his feet.5"o,5 remonstrated Taran. 5$ will send the Tarmangani away.55*ou7 He will not go.55$ am Taran, /ord of the 0ungle,5 replied the ape + man. 5The word of Taran is law in the 2ungle.5Stimbol, who bad been wathing, was under the impression that the man and the beast weregrowling at one another and that a new duel impended. Had he guessed the truth andsuspiioned that they onsidered him a ommon enemy he would ha!e felt far less at ease. "ow,his rifle regained, he started toward Taran 2ust as the latter turned to address him.5Stand to one side, young fellow,5 said Stimbol, 5while $ finish that gorilla. After the e)periene you

2ust had with the snake, $ doubt if you want that fellow to 2ump you, too.5 The Amerian was nonetoo sure of what the attitude of the white giant might be, for all too fresh in his mind was thestartling and disonerting manner of the wild mans introdution' but he felt safe beause he helda rifle, while the other was unarmed, and he guessed that the giant might be only too glad to be

sa!ed from the attentions of the gorilla, whih, from Stimbols imagined knowledge of suhbeasts, appeared to him to be &uite e!idently threatening.Taran halted diretly between (olgani and the hunter and eyed the latter appraisingly for amoment. 5/ower your rifle,5 he said, presently. 5*ou are not going to shoot the gorilla.55The hell $m not65 e2aulated Stimbol. 54hat do you suppose $!e been hasing him through the

2ungle for7558nder a misapprehension,5 replied Taran.54hat misapprehension75 demanded Stimbol.5That you were going to shoot him. *ou are not.55Say, young man, do you know who $ am75 demanded Stimbol.


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5$ am not interested,5 replied Taran oldly.54ell youd better be. $m 4ilbur Stimbol of Stimbol and Company, brokers, "ew *ork65 That wasa name to on2ure with + in "ew *ork. E!en in 1aris and /ondon it had opened many a door, bentmany a knee. Seldom had it failed the purpose of this purse + arrogant man.54hat are you doing in my ountry75 demanded the ape + man, ignoring Stimbols egotistialstatement of his identity.5*our ountry7 4ho the hell are you75Taran turned toward the two blaks who had been standing a little in the rear of Stimbol and toone side. 5$ am Taran of the Apes,5 he said to them in their own dialet. 54hat is this man doingin my ountry7 How many are there in his party + how many white men755(ig (wana,5 replied one of the men with sinere deferene, 5we knew that you were Taran ofthe Apes when we saw you swing from the trees and slay the great snake. There is no other in allthe 2ungle who ould do that. This white man is a bad master. There is one other white man withhim. The other is kind. They ame to hunt Simba the lion and other big game. They ha!e had noluk. Tomorrow they turn bak.554here is their amp75 demanded Taran.The blak who had spoken pointed. 5$t is not far,5 he said.The ape + man turned to Stimbol. 53o bak to your amp,5 he said. 5$ shall ome there later thise!ening and talk with you and your ompanion. $n the meantime hunt no more e)ept for food inTarans ountry.5

There was something in the !oie and manner of the stranger that had finally gone throughStimbols thik sensibilities and impressed him with a speies of awe + a thing he had sarelye!er e)periened in the past e)ept in the presene of wealth that was grossly superior to hisown. He did not reply. He 2ust stood and wathed the broned giant turn to the gorilla. He heardthem growl at one another for a moment and then, to his !ast surprise, he saw them mo!e offthrough the 2ungle together, shoulder to shoulder. As the foliage losed about them he remo!edhis helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a silken handkerhief as he stood staringat the green branhes that had parted to reei!e this strangely assorted pair.#inally he turned to his men with an oath. 5A whole day wasted65 he omplained. 54ho is thisfellow7 *ou seemed to know him.55He is Taran,5 replied one of the blaks.5Taran7 "e!er heard of him,5 snapped Stimbol.5All who know the 2ungle, know Taran.5

5Humph65 sneered Stimbol. 5"o lousy wild man is going to tell 4ilbur Stimbol where he an huntand where he ant.55%aster,5 said the blak who had first spoken, 5the word of Taran is the law of the 2ungle. Do notoffend him.55$m not paying you damn fools for ad!ie,5 snapped Stimbol. 5$f $ say hunt, we hunt, and dontyou forget it.5 (ut on their return to amp they saw no game, or at least Stimbol saw none. 4hatthe blaks saw was their own affair.

Chapter #i!e.The Tarmangani D89$"3 Stimbols absene from amp (lake had been oupied in di!iding thefood and e&uipment into two e&ual parts whih were arranged for Stimbols inspetion andappro!al' but the di!ision of the porters and askari he had left until the others return, and waswriting in his diary when the hunting party entered the amp.

He ould see at a glane that Stimbol was in bad humor, but as that was the older mans usualstate of temper it aused (lake no partiular an)iety, but rather ga!e him ause for added reliefthat on the morrow he would be rid of his ill + natured ompanion for good.(lake was more onerned, howe!er, by the sullen demeanor of the askari who hadaompanied Stimbol for it meant to the younger man that his ompanion had found some newoasion for bullying, abusing or insulting them, and the diffiulty of di!iding the safari thusinreased. (lake had felt from the moment that he had definitely reahed the deision to separatefrom Stimbol that one of the greatest obstales they would ha!e to o!erome to arry out the planwould be to find suffiient men willing to submit themsel!es to Stimbols ideas of disipline,properly to transport his luggage and pro!isions and guard them and him.


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As Stimbol passed and saw the two piles of e&uipment the frown upon his fae deepened. 5$ seeyou!e got the stuff laid out,5 he remarked, as he halted before (lake.5*es, $ wanted you to look it o!er and see that it is satisfatorily di!ided before $ ha!e it paked.55$ dont want to be bothered with it,5 replied the other. 5$ know you wouldnt take any ad!antage ofme on the di!ision.55Thanks,5 replied (lake.5How about the porters755Thats not going to be so easy. *ou know you ha!ent treated them !ery well and there will not bemany of them an)ious to return with you.55Theres where youre dead wrong, (lake. The trouble with you is that you dont know anythingabout nati!es. *oure too easy with em. They ha!ent any respet for you, and the man they dontrespet they dont like. They know that a fellow who beats em is their master, and they know thata master is going to look after them. They wouldnt want to trust themsel!es on a long trek withyou. *ou di!ided the 2unk, now let me handle the men + thats more in my line + and $ll see thatyou get a s&uare deal and a good, safe bunh, and $ll put the fear of 3od into em so they wontdare be anything but loyal to you.550ust how do you propose seleting the men75 asked (lake.54ell, in the first plae $d like you to ha!e those men who may wish to aompany you + $ll grantthere are a few + so well 2ust ha!e em all up, e)plain that we are separating, and $ll tell all thosewho wish to return with your safari to step forward, then $ll hoose some good men from what are

left and make up enough that way to omplete your &uota + see7 Thats fair enough, isnt it755$ts &uite fair,5 agreed (lake. He was hoping that the plan would work out as easily as Stimbolappeared to belie!e that it would, but he was far from belie!ing and so he thought it best tosuggest an alternati!e that he was onfident would ha!e to be resorted to in the end. 5$n the e!entthat one of us has diffiulty in seuring the re&uisite number of !olunteers,5 he said, 5$ belie!e thatwe an enlist the neessary men by offering a bonus to be paid upon safe arri!al at railhead. $f $am short of men $ shall be willing to do so.55"ot a bad idea if youre afraid you ant hold em together after $ lea!e you,5 said Stimbol. 5$t willbe an added fator of safety for you, too' but as for me my men will li!e up to their originalagreement or therell be some mighty sik porters in these parts. 4hat say we ha!e em up andfind out 2ust how muh of a 2ob we!e got on our hands75 He glaned about until his eyes fell on ahead man. 5Here, you65 he alled. 5Come here and make it snappy.5The blak approahed and stopped before the two white men. 5*ou alled me, (wana75 he

asked.53ather up e!ery one in amp,5 direted Stimbol. 5Ha!e them up here in fi!e minutes for apala!er + e!ery last man + 2ak of them.55*es, (wana.5

As the head man withdrew Stimbol turned to (lake. 5Any stranger in amp today75 he asked.5"o, why7559an aross a wild man while $ was hunting,5 replied Stimboi. 5He ordered me out of the 2ungle.4hat do you know about that75 and Stimbol laughed.5A wild man755*es. Some ray nut $ suppose. The askari seemed to know about him.554ho is he755Calls himself Taran.5(lake ele!ated his brows. 5Ah65 he e)laimed. 5*ou ha!e met Taran of the Apes and he has

ordered you out of the 2ungle755*ou!e heard of him755Certainly, and if he e!er orders me out of his 2ungle, $ll go.55-*ou- would, but not 4ilbur Stimbol.554hy did he order you out75 asked (lake.5He 2ust ordered me out, thats all. 4ouldnt let me shoot a gorilla $d been stalking. The fellowsa!ed the gorilla from a python, killed the python, ordered me out of the 2ungle, said hed !isit usin amp later and walked away with the gorilla like they were old pals. $ ne!er saw anything like it,but it doesnt make any differene to me who or what he thinks he is, $ know who and what $ amand its going to take more than a half+wit to sare me out of this ountry till $m good and ready to


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go.55So you think Taran of the Apes is a half+wit755$ think anyones a half+wit whod run about this 2ungle naked and unarmed.55*oull find hes not a half+wit, Stimbol' and unless you want to get in more trouble than you e!erimagined e)isted, youll do 2ust as Taran of the Apes tells you to do.554hat do you know about him7 Ha!e you e!er seen him755"o,5 replied (lake. 5(ut $ ha!e heard a lot about him from our men. Hes as muh a part of thisloality as the 2ungle, or the lions. ?ery few, if any, of our men ha!e seen him, but he has thesame hold upon their imaginations and superstitions as any of their demons, and they are e!enmore fearful of inurring his displeasure. $f they think Taran has it in for us were out of luk.554ell, all $!e got to say is that if this monkey + man knows when hes well off hell not omebutting into the affairs of 4ilbur Stimbol.55And hes oming to !isit us, is he75 said (lake. 54ell, $ ertainly want to see him. $!e heard oflittle else sine we struk his ountry.55$ts funny $ ne!er heard of him,5 said Stimbol.5*ou ne!er talk with the men,5 (lake reminded him.53ad, it seems as though $m doing nothing but talk to them,5 grumbled Stimbol.5$ said, talk -with- them.55$ dont hum with porters,5 sneered Stimbol.(lake grinned.

5Here are the men,5 said Stimbol. He turned toward the waiting porters and askari and leared histhroat. 5%r. (lake and $ are going to separate,5 he announed. 5E!erything has been di!ided. $ amgoing to hunt a little farther to the west, make a irle toward the south and return to the oast bya new route. $ do not know what %r. (lakes plans are, but he is going to get half the porters andhalf the askari, and $ want to tell you right now that there isnt going to be any funny businessabout it. Half of you are going with %r. (lake whether you like it or not.5He paused, impressi!ely, to let the full weight of his pronounement sink home. 5As usual,5 heontinued, 5$ wish to keep e!eryone ontented and happy, so $m going to gi!e you who may wantto go with %r. (lake an opportunity to do so. "ow listen6 The paks o!er on that side are %r.(lakes' those on this side are mine. All those who are willing to aompany %r. (lake go o!er onthat side65There was a moments hesitation upon the part of the men and then some of them mo!ed &uietlyo!er among (lakes paks. Others followed as their understandings slowly grasped the meaning

of Stimbols words until all of the men stood upon (lakes side.Stimbol turned to (lake with a laugh and a shake of his head. 53ad65 he e)laimed. 5Did you e!ersee suh a dumb bunh7 "o one ould ha!e e)plained the thing more simply than $ and yet lookat em6 "ot one of them understood me655Are you &uite sure of that, Stimbol75 in&uired (lake.Stimbol did not immediately grasp the insinuation. 4hen he did he sowled. 5Dont be a fool,5 hesnapped. 5Of ourse they misunderstood me.5 He turned angrily toward the men. 5*ou thik +skulled, blak idiots6 Cant you understand anything75 he demanded. 5$ did not say that you allhad to go with %r. (lake + only those who wished to. "ow the rest of you + those who wish toaompany me + get bak o!er here on this side with my paks, and step li!ely65"o one mo!ed in the diretion of Stimbols paks. The man flushed.5This is mutiny65 he stormed. 54hoe!er is at the bottom of this is going to suffer. Come here, you65He motioned to a head man. 54ho put you fellows up to this7 Has %r. (lake been telling you

what to do755Dont be a fool, Stimbol,5 said (lake. 5"o one has influened the men and there is no mutiny.The plan was yours. The men ha!e done 2ust what you told them to. $f it had not been for yourinsufferable egotism you would ha!e known preisely what the outome would be. These blakmen are human beings. $n some respets they are e)tremely sensiti!e human beings, and inmany ways they are like hildren. *ou strike them, you urse them, you insult them and they willfear you and hate you. *ou ha!e done all these things to them and they do fear you and hate you.*ou ha!e sowed and now you are reaping. $ hope to 3od that it will teah you a lesson. There is

2ust one way to get your men and that is to offer them a big bonus. Are you willing to do that75Stimbol, his self assurane momentarily shaken at last, wilted in the fae of the realiation that


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(lake was right. He looked about helplessly for a moment. The blaks, sullen + faed, stood therelike dumb beasts, staring at him. $n all those eyes there was no single friendly glane. He turnedbak to (lake. 5See what you an do with them,5 he said.(lake faed the men. 5$t will be neessary for half of you to aompany %r. Stimbol bak to theoast,5 he said. 5He will pay double wages to all those who go with him, pro!ided that you ser!ehim loyally. Talk it o!er among yoursel!es and send word to us later by your head man. That is all.*ou may go.5The balane of the afternoon passed, the two white men keeping to their respeti!e tents' theblaks gathered in groups, whispering. (lake and Stimbol no longer messed together, but afterthe e!ening meal eah appeared with his pipe to await the report of the head men. After half anhour (lake sent his boy to summon them and presently they ame and stood before the youngman.54ell, ha!e the men deided who will aompany %r. Stimbol75 he asked.5"o one will aompany the old bwana,5 replied their spokesman. 5All will go with the youngbwana.55(ut %r. Stimbol will pay them well,5 (lake reminded, 5and half of you must go with him.5The blak shook his head. 5He ould not make the pay big enough,5 he said. 5"o boy will go withhim.55*ou agreed to ome out with us and return with us,5 said (lake. 5*ou must fulfill youragreement.5

54e agreed to ome out with both of you and return with both of you. There was nothing saidabout returning separately. 4e will li!e up to our agreement and the old bwana may return insafety with the young bwana.5 There was finality in the tone of the spokesman.(lake thought for a moment before replying. 5*ou may go,5 he said. 5$ will talk with you again inthe morning.5The blaks had departed but a moment when the figure of a man appeared suddenly out of thedarkness into the light of the amp fire.54ho the + oh, its you is it75 e)laimed Stimbol. 5Heres the wild man, (lake.5The young Amerian turned and sur!eyed the figure of the brone giant who was standing 2ustwithin the irle of the firelight. He noted the lean ut features, the &uiet dignity, the ma2estimien and smiled inwardly at reolletion of Stimbols desription of this god+like reature + half+wit65So you are Taran of the Apes75 he said.Taran inlined his head. 5And you75 he asked.

5$ am 0im (lake of "ew *ork,5 replied the Amerian.5Hunting of ourse7554ith a amera.55*our ompanion was using a rifle,5 Taran reminded him.5$ am not responsible for his ats. $ annot ontrol them,5 replied (lake.5"or anyone else,5 snapped Stimbol.Taran permitted his gae to mo!e to Stimbol for an instant, but ignored his boast.5$ o!erheard the on!ersation between you and the head men,5 he said, addressing (lake. 5Someof your blaks had already told me something about your ompanion, and twie today $ ha!e hadan opportunity to form an estimate of my own from personal obser!ation, so $ assume that youare separating beause you annot agree. Am $ right755*es,5 aknowledged (lake.5And after you separate + what are your plans75

5$ intend to push in a little farther west and then swing + + + 5 ommened Stimbol.5$ was speaking to (lake,5 interrupted Taran' 5my plans onerning you are already made.554ell, who the + + + 55Silene65 admonished the ape + man. 53o ahead, (lake6554e ha!e not had muh luk so far,5 replied (lake, 5prinipally beause we ne!er an agree onmethods. The result is that $ ha!e sarely a single deent wild animal study. $ had planned to gonorth a way in searh of lion pitures. $ dislike going bak without anything to show for the timeand money $ ha!e put into the e)pedition, but now that the men ha!e refused to aompany usseparately there is nothing for it but to return to the oast by the shortest route.55*ou two dont seem to be taking me into onsideration at all,5 grumbled Stimbol. 5$!e got as


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muh money and time in this trip as (lake. *ou forget that $m here to hunt, and whats more $mgoing to hunt and $m not going straight bak to the oast by a damned sight, monkey + man or nomonkey + man.5

Again Taran ignored Stimbol. 53et ready to mo!e out about an hour after sunrise,5 he said to(lake. 5There will be no trouble about di!iding the safari. $ shall be here to attend to that and gi!eyou your final instrutions,5 and as he spoke he turned and disappeared in the darkness.

Chapter Si).Ara the /ightning (E#O9E dawn the amp was astir and by the appointed hour the paks weremade and all was in readiness. The porters loitered, awaiting the word that would start the safariupon its eastward 2ourney toward the oast. (lake and Stimbol smoked in silene. The foliage ofa nearby tree mo!ed to the swaying of a branh and Taran of the Apes dropped lightly into theamp. E)lamations of surprise broke from the lips of the "egroes + surprise learly tinged withterror. The ape + man turned toward them and addressed them in their own dialet.5$ am Taran of the Apes,5 he said, 5/ord of the 0ungle. *ou ha!e brought white men into myountry to kill my people. $ am displeased. Those of you who wish to li!e to return to your !illagesand your families will listen well and do as Taran ommands.5*ou,5 he pointed at the hief head man, 5shall aompany the younger white man whom $ willpermit to make pitures in my ountry where and when he will. Selet half the men of the safari toaompany the young bwana.5

5And you,5 he addressed another head man, 5take those men that remain and esort the olderbwana to railhead in the most diret route and without delay. He is not permitted to hunt and therewill be no killing e)ept for food or self + defense. Do not fail me. 9emember always that Taranwathes and Taran ne!er forgets.5He turned then to the white men. 5(lake,5 he said, 5the arrangements are made. *ou may lea!ewhen you please, with your own safari, and go where you please. The &uestion of hunting is leftto your own disretion + you are the guest of Taran.55And you,5 he addressed Stimbol, 5will be taken diretly out of the ountry by the shortest route.*ou will be permitted to arry firearms for use in self + defense. $f you abuse this permission theywill be taken away from you. Do not hunt, e!en for food + your head man will attend to that.55"ow 2ust hold your horses,5 blustered Stimbol. 5$f you think $m going to put up with any suhhigh + handed interferene with my rights as an Amerian itien youre !ery muh mistaken. 4hy$ ould buy and sell you and your damned 2ungle forty times and not know that $d spent a ent.

#or 3ods sake, (lake, tell this poor fool who $ am before he gets himself into a lot of trouble.5Taran turned to the head man he had seleted for Stimbol. 5*ou may up + load and marh,5 hesaid. 5$f this white man does not follow you, lea!e him behind. Take good are of him if he obeysme and deli!er him safely at railhead. Obey his orders if they do not onflit with those that $ ha!egi!en you. 3o65

A moment later Stimbols safari was preparing to depart and, at Tarans re&uest, (lakes too wasmo!ing out of amp. Stimbol swore and threatened, but his men, sullenly ignoring him, filed offinto the 2ungle toward the east Taran had departed, swinging into the trees and disappearingamong the foliage, and at last Stimbol stood alone in the deserted amp.Thwarted, humiliated, almost frothing with rage he ran after his men, sreaming ommands andthreats that were ignored. /ater in the day, sullen and silent, he marhed near the head of thelong file of porters and askari, on!ined at last that the power of the ape + man was greater thanhis' but in his heart burned resentment and in his mind rioted plans for !engeane + plans that he

knew were futile.Taran, wishing to assure himself that his instrutions were being arried out, had swung farahead and was waiting in the roth of a tree that o!erhung the trail along whih Stimbol mustpass. $n the distane he ould hear the sounds that arose from the marhing safari. Along the trailfrom the opposite diretion something was approahing. The ape + man ould not see it but heknew what it was. Abo!e the tree tops blak louds rolled low, but no air stirred in the 2ungle.

Along the trail ame a great, shaggy, blak man + thing. Taran of the Apes hailed it as it ame insight of his arboreal perh.5(olgani65 he alled in low tones.The gorilla stopped. He stood eret upon his hind feet and looked about.


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5$ am Taran,5 said the ape + man.(olgani grunted. 5$ am (olgani,5 he replied.5The Tarmangani omes,5 warned Taran.5$ kill65 growled (olgani.5/et the Tarmangani pass,5 said Taran. 5He and his people ha!e many thunder stiks. $ ha!esent this Tarmangani out of the 2ungle. /et him pass. 3o a little way from the trail + the stupid3omangani and the Tarmangani, who is stupider, will pass by without knowing that Taran and(olgani are near.5#rom the darkening sky distant thunder boomed and the two beasts looked upward toward thebroad field of "atures powers, more sa!age and destruti!e than their own.51and the thunder hunts in the sky,5 remarked the ape + man.5Hunts for 8sha the wind,5 said (olgani.51resently we shall hear 8sha fleeing through the trees to esape.5 Taran !iewed the lowering,blak louds. 5E!en


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be to plae himself again in the power of these men who bad demonstrated that they felt noompuntion in abandoning him to almost ertain death. $f they wanted to be rid of him they ouldeasily find e!en a &uiker means if he returned and fored himself upon them again.There was but a single alternati!e and that was to find (lake and remain with him. He knew that(lake would not abandon him to death in the 2ungle.The blaks had not left him without pro!isions, nor had they taken his rifle or ammunition, but thediffiulty that now onfronted Stimbol was largely in the matter of transportation for his food.There was plenty of it to last many days, but he knew that he ould not arry it through the 2ungletogether with his rifle and ammunition. To remain where the food was would be e&ually futile.(lake was returning to the oast by another route' the ape + man had said that he would notfollow Stimbols safari farther' it might be years, therefore, before another human being hanedalong this little used game trail.He knew that he and (lake were now separated by about two marhes and if he tra!elled lightand (lake did not marh too rapidly he might hope to o!ertake him inside a week. 1erhaps (lakewould find good amera hunting soon and make a permanent amp. $n that ase Stimbol wouldfind him e!en more &uikly.He felt better when he had definitely deided upon a plan of ation, and after a good breakfast hemade up a small pak of pro!isions, enough to last him a week, filled his belts and pokets withammunition and started off along the bak trail.$t was easy going for the trail of the day before was plain and this was the third time that Stimbol

had been o!er it, so he had no diffiulty in reahing the amp at whih he and (lake had partedompany.

As he entered the little learing early in the afternoon he determined to keep on and o!er asmuh ground on (lakes trail as he ould before dark, but for a few minutes he would rest. -As-he sat down with his bak against the bole of a tree he did not notie a mo!ement of the tops of alump of 2ungle grasses a few yards distant, and if he had he would, doubtless, ha!e attahed noimportane to the matter.#inishing a igarette Stimbol arose, rearranged his pak and started off in the diretion (lakesmen had taken early the preeding morning' but he had o!ered but a yard or two when he was,brought to a sudden halt by an ominous growl that arose from a little lump of 2ungle grasseslose in front of him. Almost simultaneously the fringing grasses parted and there appeared in theopening the head of a great blak + maned lion.4ith a sream of fear, Stimbol dropped his pak, threw aside his rifle and started on a run for the

tree beneath whih he had been sitting. The lion, itself somewhat surprised, stood for an instantwathing him and then started in pursuit at an easy lope.Stimbol, asting an affrighted glane rearward, was horrified + the lion seemed so lose and thetree so far away. $f distane lends enhantment to the !iew, pro)imity may also at times ha!e itsad!antage. $n this instane it ser!ed to aelerate the speed of the fleeing man to a mostsurprising degree, and though he was no longer young he lawed his way to the lower branhesof the tree with speed, if not with grae, that would ha!e done 2ustie to a trained athlete."or was he an instant too speedy. "umas raking talons touhed his boot and sent him swarmingup among the higher branhes, where he lung weak and panting looking down into the snarling!isage of the arni!ore.#or a moment "uma growled up at him and then, with a oughing grunt, turned away and strodema2estially in the diretion of the lump of grasses from whih he had emerged. He stopped tosniff at the pak of pro!isions Stimbol had disarded and, e!idently pi&ued by the man sent

linging to it, uffed at it angrily. $t rolled to one side and "uma stepped bak, eyeing it warily,then, with a growl, he leaped upon it and ommened to maul the insensate thing, ripping andtearing until its ontents were sattered about upon the ground. He bit into tins and bo)es untilsarely an artile remained intat, while Stimbol rouhed in the tree and wathed thedestrution of his pro!isions, utterly helpless to interfere.

A doen times he ursed himself for ha!ing thrown away his rifle and e!en more fre&uently he!owed !engeane. He onsoled himself, howe!er, with the realiation that (lake ould not be faraway and that with (lake there were ample pro!isions whih ould be augmented by trading andhunting. 4hen the lion left he would desend and follow (lakes trail."uma, tired of the ontents of the pak, resumed his way toward the long grass, but again his


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attention was distrated + this time by the thunder stik of the Tarmangani. The lion smelted of thedisarded rifle, pawed it and finally piked it up between his 2aws. Stimbol looked on, horrified.4hat if the beast damaged the weapon7 He would be left without means of defense or forobtaining food65Drop it65 shouted Stimbol. 5Drop it65"uma, ignoring the ra!ings of the despised man + thing, strode into his lair, arrying the rifle withhim.That afternoon and night spelled an eternity of terror for 4ilbur Stimbol. 4hile daylight lasted thelion remained in the nearby path of grass effetually deterring the unhappy man from ontinuinghis searh for (lakes amp, and after night fell no urge whate!er ould ha!e indued Stimbol todesend to the paralying terrors of the 2ungle night e!en had he known that the lion haddeparted and no sounds had apprised him of the near presene of danger' but sounds didapprise him. #rom shortly after dark until nearly dawn a perfet bedlam of howls and growls andoughs and grunts and barks arose from diretly beneath him as there had been held aon!ention of all the horrid beasts of the 2ungle at the foot of the tree that seemed at best ane)tremely inseure santuary.4hen morning ame the 2ungle lay silent and peaeful about him and only torn an!as and emptyans bore mute e!idene to the feast of the hyenas that had passed into 2ungle history. "umahad departed lea!ing the remains of the kill upon whih he had lain as the piee de resistane ofthe hyenian ban&uet for whih Stimbol had furnished the hors doeu!res.

Stimbol, trembling, desended. Through the 2ungle, wild + eyed, startled by e!ery sound, surrieda pitiful figure of broken, terror striken old age. #ew ould ha!e reognied in it 4ilbur Stimbol ofStimbol and Company, brokers, "ew *ork.

Chapter Se!en.The Cross THE storm that had o!ertaken Stimbols safari wrought e!en greater ha!o with theplans of 0im (lake, altering in the instant of a single blinding flash of lightning the ourse of hisentire life.

Aompanied by a single blak, who arried his amera and an e)tra rifle, (lake had struk outfrom the diret route of his safari in searh of lion pitures, there being e!ery indiation that thegreat arni!ores might be found in abundane in the distrit through whih they were passing.$t was his intention to parallel the route of his main body and re2oin it in amp in the afternoon.The boy who aompanied him was intelligent and resoureful, the diretion and speed of the

marhing safari were mutually agreed upon and the responsibility for bringing (lake into ampsafely was left entirely to the "egro. Ha!ing e!ery onfidene in the boy, (lake ga!e no heed toeither time or diretion, de!oting all his energies to the fasinating oupation of searhing forphotographi studies.Shortly after lea!ing the safari (lake and his ompanion enountered a herd of se!en or eightlions whih inluded a magnifient old male, an old lioness and fi!e or si) young, ranging fromhalf to full grown.

At sight of (lake and his ompanion the lions took off leisurely through rather open forest and themen followed, awaiting patiently the happy oinidene of time, light and grouping that would gi!ethe white man suh a piture as he desired.$n the mind of the blak man was pitured the route of the safari and its relation to themeanderings of the &uarry. He knew how far and in what diretions he and his ompanion werebeing led from their destination. To ha!e returned to the trail of the safari would ha!e been a

simple matter to him, but (lake, depending entirely upon the blak, ga!e no heed either to time ordiretion.#or two hours they lung doggedly to the spoor, enouraged by oasional glimpses of now one,now se!eral members of the regal group, but ne!er was the opportunity afforded for a suessfulshot Then the sky beame rapidly o!erast by blak louds and a few moments later the stormbroke in all the terrifi fury that only an E&uatorial storm an ahie!e, and an instant later amidstthe deafening roar of thunder and a blinding flash of lightning utter disaster engulfed 0amesHunter (lake.How long he lay, stunned by the shok of the bolt that had struk but a few feet from him, he didnot know. 4hen he opened his eyes the storm had passed and the sun was shining brightly


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through the leafy anopy of the forest. Still daed, unomprehending the ause or e)tent of theatastrophe, he raised himself slowly upon an elbow and looked about him.One of the first sights that met his eyes aided materially in the rapid reo!ery of his senses. /essthan a hundred feet from him stood a group of lions, se!en of them, solemnly regarding him. Theharateristis of indi!idual lions differ as greatly from those of their fellows as do theharateristis of indi!iduals of the human rae and, e!en as a human being, a lion may ha!e hismoods as well as his personal idiosynrasies.These lions that gra!ely inspeted the man + thing had been spared any onsiderable e)perienewith the human speies' they had seen but few men' they had ne!er been hunted' they were wellfed' (lake had done nothing greatly to upset their easily irritated ner!ous systems. #ortunately forhim they were merely urious.(ut (lake did not know all this. He knew only that se!en lions were standing within a hundred feetof him, that they were not in a age and that while he had pursued them to obtain photographs,the thing that be most desired at the moment was not his amera but his rifle.Stealthily, that he might not annoy them, he looked about him for the weapon. To hisonsternation it was nowhere in sight, nor was his gun bearer with the e)tra rifle. 4here ould theboy be7 Doubtless, frightened by the lions, he had deamped. Twenty feet away was a mostin!iting tree. (lake wondered if the lions would harge the moment that he rose to his feet. Hetried to remember all that he had heard about lions and he did reall one fat that applies withalmost a)iomati !erity to all dangerous animals + if you run from them they will pursue you. To

reah the tree it would be neessary to walk almost diretly toward the lions.(lake was in a &uandary, and then one of the younger lions mo!ed a few steps nearer6 Thatsettled the matter as far as (lake was onerned, for the loser the lions ame the shorter hishane of gaining the tree ahead of them in the e!ent that they eleted to pre!ent.$n the midst of a tremendous forest, entirely surrounded by trees, "ature bad hosen to strike himdown almost in the enter of a natural learing. There was a good tree a hundred feet away andon the opposite side of the learing from the lions. (lake stole a longing glane at it and thenahie!ed some rapid mental alulations. $f he ran for the farther tree the lions would ha!e too!er two hundred feet while he was o!ering one hundred, while if he hose the nearer tree,they must ome eighty feet while he was going twenty. There seemed, therefore, no doubt as tothe greater desirability of the nearer tree whih ruled fa!orite by odds of two to one. Against it,howe!er, loomed the mental haard that running straight into the fae of se!en lions in!ol!ed.0im (lake was sinerely, genuinely and honestly sared' but unless the lions were

psyhoanalysts they would ne!er ha!e dreamed the truth as he started nonhalantly and slowlytoward them + and the tree. The most diffiult feat that he had e!er aomplished lay in makinghis legs beha!e themsel!es. They wanted to run. So did his feet and his heart and his brain. Onlyhis will held them in leash.Those were tense moments for 0im (lake + the first half doen steps he took with se!en greatlions wathing his approah. He saw that they were beoming ner!ous. The lioness mo!eduneasily. The old male growled. A younger male, he who had started forward, lashed his tideswith his tail, flattened his head, bared his fangs and stealthily approahed.(lake was almost at the tree when something happened + he ne!er knew what the ause, butine)pliably the lioness turned and bounded away, !oiing a low whine, and after her went theother si).The man leaned against the bole of the tree and fanned himself with his helmet 54hew65 hebreathed, 5$ hope the ne)t lion $ see is in the Central 1ark :oo.5

(ut e!en lions were forgotten in the de!elopments that the ne)t few moments re!ealed afterrepeated shouts for the blak boy had brought no response and (lake had determined that hemust set out in searh of him. "or did he ha!e far to go. On the bak trak, 2ust inside thelearing, (lake found a few remnants of harred flesh and a blakened and half molten riflebarrel. Of the amera not a !estige remained. The bolt that had bowled (lake o!er must ha!es&uarely struk his gun bearer, killing him instantly, e)ploding all the ammunition, destroying theamera and ruining the rifle that he had arried.(ut what had beome of the rifle that had been in (lakes hands7 The man searhed in alldiretions, but ould not find it and was finally fored to the onlusion that its disappearaneould be attributed only to one of those freakish triks whih se!ere eletrial storms so often play


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upon helpless and futile humanity.#rankly aware that he was lost and had not the faintest oneption of the diretion in whih laythe proposed amp of his safari, (lake started blindly off on what he de!outly hoped would pro!ethe right route. $t was not. His safari was mo!ing northeast. (lake headed north.#or two days he trudged on through dense forest, sleeping at night among the branhes of trees.One his fitful slumbers were disturbed by the swaying of a branh against whih he was braed.

As he awoke he felt it sag as to the weight of some large animal. He looked and saw two fieryeyes gleaming in the dark. (lake knew it to be a leopard as he drew his automati and fired pointblank. 4ith a hideous sream the great at sprang or fell to the ground. (lake ne!er knew if he hitit. $t did not return and there were no signs of it in the morning.He found food and water in abundane, and upon the morning of the third day he emerged fromthe forest at the foot of a range of lofty mountains and for the first time in weeks re!eled in anunobstruted !iew of the blue sky and saw the horion again and all that lay between himself andit. He had not realied that he had been depressed by the darkness and the rowding pressure ofthe trees, but now he e)periened all the spiritual buoyany of a released on!it long immuredfrom freedom and the light of day. 9esue was no longer problematial, merely a matter of time.He wanted to sing and shout' but he onser!ed his energies and started toward the mountains.There had been no nati!e !illages in the forest and so, he reasoned, as there must be nati!e!illages in a well+watered ountry stoked with game, he would find them upon the mountainslopes.

Topping a rise he saw below him the mouth of a anyon in the bed of whih ran a small stream. A!illage would be built on water.$f he followed the water he would ome to the !illage. @uite easy6 He desended to the streamwhere he was deeply gratified to find that a well+worn path paralleled it. Enouraged by the beliefthat he would soon enounter nati!es and belie!ing that he would ha!e no diffiulty in enlistingtheir ser!ies in aiding him to reloate his safari, (lake followed the path upward into the anyon.He had o!ered something like three miles without ha!ing diso!ered any sign of habitationwhen, at a turn in the path, he found himself at the foot of a great white ross of enormousproportions. Hewn from limestone, it stood diretly in the enter of the trail and towered abo!ehim fully si)ty feet. Cheked and weatherworn, it ga!e an impression of great anti&uity, whih wasfurther borne out by the remains of an almost obliterated insription upon the fae of its massi!ebase.(lake e)amined the ar!ed letters, but ould not deipher their message. The haraters

appeared of early English origin, but he dismissed suh a possibility as too ridiulous to entertain.He knew that he ould not be far from the southern boundary of Abyssinia and that the

Abyssinians are Christians. Thus he e)plained the presene of the ross' but he ould not e)plainthe suggestion of sinister menae that this lonely, anient symbol of the ruifi) held for him. 4hywas it7 4hat was it7Standing there, tongueless, hoary with age, it seemed to all upon him to stop, to !enture notbeyond it into the unknown' it warned him bak, but not, seemingly, out of a spirit of kindlinessand protetion, but rather with arrogane and hate.4ith a laugh (lake threw off the mood that had seied him and went on' but as he passed thegreat white monolith he rossed himself, though he was not a Catholi. He wondered what hadimpelled him to the unfamiliar at, but he ould no more e)plain it than he ould the strange andunanny suggestion of power and personality that seemed to surround the rumbling ross.

Another turn in the path and the trail narrowed where it passed between two huge boulders that

might ha!e fallen from the liff top towering far abo!e. Cliffs losed in losely now in front andupon two sides. Apparently he was lose to the anyons head and yet there was no slightestindiation of a !illage. *et where did the trail lead7 $t had an end and a purpose. He woulddiso!er the former and, if possible, the latter.Still under the depressing influene of the ross, (lake passed between the two boulders' and theinstant that he had passed them a man stepped out behind him and another in front. They were"egroes, stalwart, fine + featured fellows, and in themsel!es nothing to arouse wonder orsurprise. (lake had e)peted to meet "egroes in Afria' but not "egroes wearing elaboratelydeorated leathern 2erkins upon the breasts of whih red rosses were emblaoned, lose fittingnether garments and sandals held by doeskin thongs, ross gartered half way to their knees' not


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"egroes wearing lose fitting bassinets of leopard skin that fitted their heads losely and reahedto below their ears' not "egroes armed with two handed broad swords and elaborately tippedpikes.(lake was autel

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Edgar Rice Burroughs - Tarzan 11 - Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle