The Beasts of Tarzan

ga

st of the island, and made several trips inland from various

ugh, of course, he knew that so quickly does the rank vegetation of the tropics erase al

on the tribe of Akut. At sight of the panther the great apes too

these hereditary enemies. He welcomed anything that would occupy his time and his mind beyond the

ited vocabulary was strained in the effort; but to impress upon the little, wicked brain of Sheeta that

this instrument freely upon the snarling beast, endeavouring in this way to impress upon its memory that it must not attack the

y the fact that twice when it turned growling upon the ape-man he had rapped it sharply upon its sensitiv

oubtless some subconscious suggestion, superinduced by this primary reason and aided and abetted by the habit of the past few d

of a lower order, and, after all, it may have been this that proved the most potent factor in Tarzan's sup

kills together and sharing them with one another, and of all the fierce and savage band none was more terrible than the s

these occasions when the ape-man had wandered through the tree-tops toward the beach, and was stretched in th

turned, making a sign to some one behind him. Presently another pair of eyes were looking down upon the ape-man, and then another and another, unti

back was turned half toward them he did not see their cautious advance over the edge

otesquely painted faces, together with their many metal ornaments and

nd, bent half-double, advanced silently upon the unconscious white m

numbing his keen, perceptive faculties, so that the advancing savages were alm

g was behind him. As he sprang to his feet the warriors leaped toward him with raised clubs and savage yells, but the foremost went down to sudden death beneath the long, stout

ith folded arms, a half-smile upon his handsome face, watching them. Presently they advanced upon him once more, this time wieldin

reat spears should be hurled simultaneously at him; but if he had desired to escape the

were still some little distance away, advancing slowly, making, after the manner of their kind, a frightful din with the

one another questioningly, for here was a sound so hideous that their own frightful din faded into insignificance beside it. No human throat could

n then a sudden crashing in the jungle behind them brought them once more to a halt, and as they turned to look in the direction o

of mighty, shaggy apes lumbering rapidly toward them, half erect upon their short, bowed legs, and with their long arms reaching to the

zan had come in a

rom one side and Tarzan of the Apes from the other. Heavy spears were hurled and mighty war-

usks found the jugular of more than one sleek-skinned savage, and Tarzan of the Apes was here and

e that had crept down the grassy sides of the promontory only a singl

ared in the tangled luxuriousness of the rank growth upon the ridge's s

es pursued the single survivor of the bloody fray. Just beyond the ridge he came within sight of the fleeing blac

anoe. If these men had come to his island from another, or from the mainland, why not utilize their craft to make his way to the country from which they ha

pursued, and as he turned to do battle with his assailant giant fingers closed about his wrists an

Coast, Tarzan spoke to the

you?" h

f the Wagambi," r

, "if you will promise to help me to

rriors, I do not know that even I can leave your country, for there will be

he fellow was a magnificent specimen of manhood-a black cou

irection from which they could hear the snarling an

l kill us

replied Tarzan.

rs; but Tarzan forced him to accompany him, and presently the two emerged from the jungle in full view of the grisly spectacle upon the bea

ough he had been called upon to devour Mugambi's warriors he was not to be allowed to proceed after the same fashion with Mugambi. However, being well filled, he

ndition to which the chief's fear had reduced him; but at length the white took the great cat by the scruff of the neck

the jungle carnivora-Mugambi's eyes bulged from their sockets, and from entertaining a sullen respect

time Mugambi ceased to be the object of his hungry attentio

truth. His eyes were constantly rolling apprehensively from side to side as now one and now another of the fie

n at a word from the ape-man the four of them leaped out upon the affrighted animal the black

heeta, and Akut tore theirs, raw, with their sharp teeth, growling amo

were the savage blacks. We are, all of us, creatures of habit, and when the seeming necessity for schooling ourselves in new way

d grown almost to manhood, and only within the past three or four years had he eaten cooked meat. Not only did the habit of a lifetime prompt him to eat

been always "civilized" a revolting fact; but had we learned in childhood to eat these things, and had we seen all those about us eat them, they would s

ats donkey-meat-a custom most revolting to the surrounding tribes that do not eat donkey. So who may say that it is nice to eat snails and frogs' legs and oyster

paired of being able to teach the apes to wield the paddles, though he did manage to get several of them to e

but so difficult is it for them long to concentrate upon a thing that he soon saw that it would require weeks of patient

higher plane of intelligence than that attained by any of his tribe. He seemed to grasp the purpose of the paddles, and when Tarzan sa

ght by a heavy tide and a high wind from off-shore they had been driven out of sight of land. After paddling for a whole night, thinking that they were headed for home, they had seen

a contrivance used. His country lay far up the broad Ugambi River, and this w

he mainland. At any rate, he decided, it would be preferable to perish on the way than to remain

arked upon his cruise, and with him he took as strange

d Sheeta, the panther, and a dozen