Chapter XXIII
The Flight from Xuja
As Metak bore Bertha Kircher toward the edge of the pool, the girlat first had no conception of the deed he contemplated but when, asthey approached the edge, he did not lessen his speed she guessedthe frightful truth. As he leaped head foremost with her into thewater, she closed her eyes and breathed a silent prayer, for shewas confident that the maniac had no other purpose than to drownhimself and her. And yet, so potent is the first law of nature thateven in the face of certain death, as she surely believed herself,she clung tenaciously to life, and while she struggled to freeherself from the powerful clutches of the madman, she held herbreath against the final moment when the asphyxiating waters mustinevitably flood her lungs.
Through the frightful ordeal she maintained absolute control ofher senses so that, after the first plunge, she was aware that theman was swimming with her beneath the surface. He took perhaps notmore than a dozen strokes directly toward the end wall of the pooland then he arose; and once again she knew that her head was abovethe surface. She opened her eyes to see that they were in a corridordimly lighted by gratings set in its roof--a winding corridor,water filled from wall to wall.
Along this the man was swimming with easy powerful strokes, at thesame time holding her chin above the water. For ten minutes he swamthus without stopping and the girl heard him speak to her, thoughshe could not understand what he said, as he evidently immediatelyrealized, for, half floating, he shifted his hold upon her so thathe could touch her nose and mouth with the fingers of one hand. Shegrasped what he meant and immediately took a deep breath, whereathe dove quickly beneath the surface pulling her down with him andagain for a dozen strokes or more he swam thus wholly submerged.
When they again came to the surface, Bertha Kircher saw that theywere in a large lagoon and that the bright stars were shining highabove them, while on either hand domed and minareted buildings weresilhouetted sharply against the starlit sky. Metak swam swiftly tothe north side of the lagoon where, by means of a ladder, the twoclimbed out upon the embankment. There were others in the plazabut they paid but little if any attention to the two bedraggledfigures. As Metak walked quickly across the pavement with the girlat his side, Bertha Kircher could only guess at the man's intentions.She could see no way in which to escape and so she went docilelywith him, hoping against hope that some fortuitous circumstancemight eventually arise that would give her the coveted chance forfreedom and life.
Metak led her toward a building which, as she entered, she recognizedas the same to which she and Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick had been ledwhen they were brought into the city. There was no man sittingbehind the carved desk now, but about the room were a dozen or morewarriors in the tunics of the house to which they were attached, inthis case white with a small lion in the form of a crest or badgeupon the breast and back of each.
As Metak entered and the men recognized him they arose, and in answerto a query he put, they pointed to an arched doorway at the rearof the room. Toward this Metak led the girl, and then, as thoughfilled with a sudden suspicion, his eyes narrowed cunningly andturning toward the soldiery he issued an order which resulted intheir all preceding him through the small doorway and up a flightof stairs a short distance beyond.
The stairway and the corridor above were lighted by small flareswhich revealed several doors in the walls of the upper passageway.To one of these the men led the prince. Bertha Kircher saw themknock upon the door and heard a voice reply faintly through thethick door to the summons. The effect upon those about her waselectrical. Instantly excitement reigned, and in response to ordersfrom the king's son the soldiers commenced to beat heavily upon thedoor, to throw their bodies against it and to attempt to hew awaythe panels with their sabers. The girl wondered at the cause ofthe evident excitement of her captors.
She saw the door giving to each renewed assault, but what she didnot see just before it crashed inward was the figures of the twomen who alone, in all the world, might have saved her, pass betweenthe heavy hangings in an adjoining alcove and disappear into a darkcorridor.
As the door gave and the warriors rushed into the apartment followedby the prince, the latter became immediately filled with baffledrage, for the rooms were deserted except for the dead body of theowner of the palace, and the still form of the black slave, Otobu,where they lay stretched upon the floor of the alcove.
The prince rushed to the windows and looked out, but as the suiteoverlooked the barred den of lions from which, the prince thought,there could be no escape, his puzzlement was only increased. Thoughhe searched about the room for some clue to the whereabouts of itsformer occupants he did not discover the niche behind the hangings.With the fickleness of insanity he quickly tired of the search,and, turning to the soldiers who had accompanied him from the floorbelow, dismissed them.
After setting up the broken door as best they could, the men leftthe apartment and when they were again alone Metak turned towardthe girl. As he approached her, his face distorted by a hideousleer, his features worked rapidly in spasmodic twitches. The girl,who was standing at the entrance of the alcove, shrank back, herhorror reflected in her face. Step by step she backed across theroom, while the crouching maniac crept stealthily after her withclaw-like fingers poised in anticipation of the moment they shouldleap forth and seize her.
As she passed the body of the Negro, her foot touched some obstacleat her side, and glancing down she saw the spear with which Otobuhad been supposed to hold the prisoners. Instantly she leaned forwardand snatched it from the floor with its sharp point directed atthe body of the madman. The effect upon Metak was electrical. Fromstealthy silence he broke into harsh peals of laughter, and drawinghis saber danced to and fro before the girl, but whichever way hewent the point of the spear still threatened him.
Gradually the girl noticed a change in the tone of the creature'sscreams that was also reflected in the changing expression upon hishideous countenance. His hysterical laughter was slowly changinginto cries of rage while the silly leer upon his face was supplantedby a ferocious scowl and up-curled lips, which revealed the sharpenedfangs beneath.
He now ran rapidly in almost to the spear's point, only to jumpaway, run a few steps to one side and again attempt to make anentrance, the while he slashed and hewed at the spear with suchviolence that it was with difficulty the girl maintained her guard,and all the time was forced to give ground step by step. She hadreached the point where she was standing squarely against the couchat the side of the room when, with an incredibly swift movement,Metak stooped and grasping a low stool hurled it directly at herhead.
She raised the spear to fend off the heavy missile, but she wasnot entirely successful, and the impact of the blow carried herbackward upon the couch, and instantly Metak was upon her.
Tarzan and Smith-Oldwick gave little thought as to what had becomeof the other two occupants of the room. They were gone, and so faras these two were concerned they might never return. Tarzan's onedesire was to reach the street again, where, now that both of themwere in some sort of disguise, they should be able to proceed withcomparative safety to the palace and continue their search for thegirl.
Smith-Oldwick preceded Tarzan along the corridor and as they reachedthe ladder he climbed aloft to remove the trap. He worked for amoment and then, turning, addressed Tarzan.
"Did we replace the cover on this trap when we came down? I don'trecall that we did."
"No," said Tarzan, "it was left open."
"So I thought," said Smith-Oldwick, "but it's closed now and locked.I cannot move it. Possibly you can," and he descended the ladder.
Even Tarzan's immense strength, however, had no effect other thanto break one of the rungs of the ladder against which he was pushing,nearly precipitating him to the floor below. After the rung brokehe rested for a moment before renewing his efforts, and as he stoodwith his head near the cover of the trap, he distinctly heard voiceson the roof above him.
Dropping down to Oldwick's side he
told him what he had heard. "Wehad better find some other way out," he said, and the two startedto retrace their steps toward the alcove. Tarzan was again in thelead, and as he opened the door in the back of the niche, he wassuddenly startled to hear, in tones of terror and in a woman'svoice, the words: "O God, be merciful" from just beyond the hangings.
Here was no time for cautious investigation and, not even waitingto find the aperture and part the hangings, but with one sweep ofa brawny hand dragging them from their support, the ape-man leapedfrom the niche into the alcove.
At the sound of his entry the maniac looked up, and as he saw atfirst only a man in the uniform of his father's soldiers, he shriekedforth an angry order, but at the second glance, which revealed theface of the newcomer, the madman leaped from the prostrate formof his victim and, apparently forgetful of the saber which he haddropped upon the floor beside the couch as he leaped to grapplewith the girl, closed with bare hands upon his antagonist, hissharp-filed teeth searching for the other's throat.
Metak, the son of Herog, was no weakling. Powerful by nature andrendered still more so in the throes of one of his maniacal fitsof fury he was no mean antagonist, even for the mighty ape-man,and to this a distinct advantage for him was added by the fact thatalmost at the outset of their battle Tarzan, in stepping backward,struck his heel against the corpse of the man whom Smith-Oldwickhad killed, and fell heavily backward to the floor with Metak uponhis breast.
With the quickness of a cat the maniac made an attempt to fastenhis teeth in Tarzan's jugular, but a quick movement of the latterresulted in his finding a hold only upon the Tarmangani's shoulder.Here he clung while his fingers sought Tarzan's throat, and it wasthen that the ape-man, realizing the possibility of defeat, calledto Smith-Oldwick to take the girl and seek to escape.
The Englishman looked questioningly at Bertha Kircher, who had nowrisen from the couch, shaking and trembling. She saw the questionin his eyes and with an effort she drew herself to her full height."No," she cried, "if he dies here I shall die with him. Go if youwish to. You can do nothing here, but I--I cannot go."
Tarzan had now regained his feet, but the maniac still clung tohim tenaciously. The girl turned suddenly to Smith-Oldwick. "Yourpistol!" she cried. "Why don't you shoot him?"
The man drew the weapon from his pocket and approached the twoantagonists, but by this time they were moving so rapidly that therewas no opportunity for shooting one without the danger of hittingthe other. At the same time Bertha Kircher circled about them withthe prince's saber, but neither could she find an opening. Againand again the two men fell to the floor, until presently Tarzanfound a hold upon the other's throat, against which contingencyMetak had been constantly battling, and slowly, as the giant fingersclosed, the other's mad eyes protruded from his livid face, his jawsgaped and released their hold upon Tarzan's shoulder, and then ina sudden excess of disgust and rage the ape-man lifted the bodyof the prince high above his head and with all the strength of hisgreat arms hurled it across the room and through the window whereit fell with a sickening thud into the pit of lions beneath.
As Tarzan turned again toward his companions, the girl was standingwith the saber still in her hand and an expression upon her facethat he never had seen there before. Her eyes were wide and mistywith unshed tears, while her sensitive lips trembled as though shewere upon the point of giving way to some pent emotion which herrapidly rising and falling bosom plainly indicated she was fightingto control.
"If we are going to get out of here," said the ape-man, "we can'tlose any time. We are together at last and nothing can be gained bydelay. The question now is the safest way. The couple who escapedus evidently departed through the passageway to the roof and securedthe trap against us so that we are cut off in that direction. Whatchance have we below? You came that way," and he turned towardthe girl.
"At the foot of the stairs," she said, "is a room full of armedmen. I doubt if we could pass that way."
It was then that Otobu raised himself to a sitting posture. "Soyou are not dead after all," exclaimed the ape-man. "Come, howbadly are you hurt?"
The Negro rose gingerly to his feet, moved his arms and legs andfelt of his head.
"Otobu does not seem to be hurt at all, Bwana," he replied, "onlyfor a great ache in his head."
"Good," said the ape-man. "You want to return to the Wamabo country?"
"Yes, Bwana."
"Then lead us from the city by the safest way."
"There is no safe way," replied the black, "and even if we reachthe gates we shall have to fight. I can lead you from this buildingto a side street with little danger of meeting anyone on the way.Beyond that we must take our chance of discovery. You are alldressed as are the people of this wicked city so perhaps we maypass unnoticed, but at the gate it will be a different matter, fornone is permitted to leave the city at night."
"Very well," replied the ape-man, "let us be on our way."
Otobu led them through the broken door of the outer room, and partway down the corridor he turned into another apartment at the right.This they crossed to a passageway beyond, and, finally, traversingseveral rooms and corridors, he led them down a flight of stepsto a door which opened directly upon a side street in rear of thepalace.
Two men, a woman, and a black slave were not so extraordinarya sight upon the streets of the city as to arouse comment. Whenpassing beneath the flares the three Europeans were careful tochoose a moment when no chance pedestrian might happen to get a viewof their features, but in the shadow of the arcades there seemedlittle danger of detection. They had covered a good portion of thedistance to the gate without mishap when there came to their earsfrom the central portion of the city sounds of a great commotion.
"What does that mean?" Tarzan asked of Otobu, who was now tremblingviolently.
"Master," he replied, "they have discovered that which has happenedin the palace of Veza, mayor of the city. His son and the girlescaped and summoned soldiers who have now doubtless discoveredthe body of Veza."
"I wonder," said Tarzan, "if they have discovered the party I threwthrough the window."
Bertha Kircher, who understood enough of the dialect to follow theirconversation, asked Tarzan if he knew that the man he had thrownfrom the window was the king's son. The ape-man laughed. "No," hesaid, "I did not. That rather complicates matters--at least if theyhave found him."
Suddenly there broke above the turmoil behind them the clear strainsof a bugle. Otobu increased his pace. "Hurry, Master," he cried,"it is worse than I had thought."
"What do you mean?" asked Tarzan.
"For some reason the king's guard and the king's lions are beingcalled out. I fear, O Bwana, that we cannot escape them. But whythey should be called out for us I do not know."
But if Otobu did not know, Tarzan at least guessed that they hadfound the body of the king's son. Once again the notes of the buglerose high and clear upon the night air. "Calling more lions?" askedTarzan.
"No, Master," replied Otobu. "It is the parrots they are calling."
They moved on rapidly in silence for a few minutes when theirattention was attracted by the flapping of the wings of a birdabove them. They looked up to discover a parrot circling about overtheir heads.
"Here are the parrots, Otobu," said Tarzan with a grin. "Do theyexpect to kill us with parrots?"
The Negro moaned as the bird darted suddenly ahead of them towardthe city wall. "Now indeed are we lost, Master," cried the black."The bird that found us has flown to the gate to warn the guard."
"Come, Otobu, what are you talking about?" exclaimed Tarzan irritably."Have you lived among these lunatics so long that you are yourselfmad?"
"No, Master," replied Otobu. "I am not mad. You do not know them.These terrible birds are like human beings without hearts or souls.They speak the language of the people of this city of Xuja. Theyare demons, Master, and when in sufficient numbers they might evenattack and kill us."
"How far are we from the gate?" asked Tarzan.
"We are not very far," replied the Negro. "Beyond this next turnwe will see it a few paces ahead of us. But the bird has reachedit before us and by now they are summoning the guard," the truthof which statement was almost immediately indicated by sounds ofmany voices raised evidently in commands just ahead of them, whilefrom behind came increased evidence of approaching pursuit--loudscreams and the roars of lions.
A few steps ahead a narrow alley opened from the east into thethoroughfare they were following and as they approached it thereemerged from its dark shadows the figure of a mighty lion. Otobuhalted in his tracks and shrank back against Tarzan. "Look, Master,"he whimpered, "a great black lion of the forest!"
Tarzan drew the saber which still hung at his side. "We cannot goback," he said. "Lions, parrots, or men, it must be all the same,"and he moved steadily forward in the direction of the gate. Whatwind was stirring in the city street moved from Tarzan toward thelion and when the ape-man had approached to within a few yardsof the beast, who had stood silently eyeing them up to this time,instead of the expected roar, a whine broke from the beast's throat.The ape-man was conscious of a very decided feeling of relief. "It'sNuma of the pit," he called back to his companions, and to Otobu,"Do not fear, this lion will not harm us."
Numa moved forward to the ape-man's side and then turning, pacedbeside him along the narrow street. At the next turn they came insight of the gate, where, beneath several flares, they saw a groupof at least twenty warriors prepared to seize them, while from theopposite direction the roars of the pursuing lions sounded closeupon them, mingling with the screams of numerous parrots which nowcircled about their heads. Tarzan halted and turned to the youngaviator. "How many rounds of ammunition have you left?" he asked.
"I have seven in the pistol," replied Smith-Oldwick, "and perhapsa dozen more cartridges in my blouse pocket."
"I'm going to rush them," said Tarzan. "Otobu, you stay at the sideof the woman. Oldwick, you and I will go ahead, you upon my left.I think we need not try to tell Numa what to do," for even thenthe great lion was baring his fangs and growling ferociously at theguardsmen, who appeared uneasy in the face of this creature which,above all others, they feared.
"As we advance, Oldwick," said the ape-man, "fire one shot. Itmay frighten them, and after that fire only when necessary. Allready? Let's go!" and he moved forward toward the gate. At thesame time, Smith-Oldwick discharged his weapon and a yellow-coatedwarrior screamed and crumpled forward upon his face. For a minutethe others showed symptoms of panic but one, who seemed to be anofficer, rallied them. "Now," said Tarzan, "all together!" and hestarted at a run for the gate. Simultaneously the lion, evidentlyscenting the purpose of the Tarmangani, broke into a full chargetoward the guard.
Shaken by the report of the unfamiliar weapon, the ranks of theguardsmen broke before the furious assault of the great beast.The officer screamed forth a volley of commands in a mad fury ofuncontrolled rage but the guardsmen, obeying the first law of natureas well as actuated by their inherent fear of the black denizen ofthe forest scattered to right and left to elude the monster. Withferocious growls Numa wheeled to the right, and with raking talonsstruck right and left among a little handful of terrified guardsmenwho were endeavoring to elude him, and then Tarzan and Smith-Oldwickclosed with the others.
For a moment their most formidable antagonist was the officer incommand. He wielded his curved saber as only an adept might as hefaced Tarzan, to whom the similar weapon in his own hand was mostunfamiliar. Smith-Oldwick could not fire for fear of hitting theape-man when suddenly to his dismay he saw Tarzan's weapon fly fromhis grasp as the Xujan warrior neatly disarmed his opponent. Witha scream the fellow raised his saber for the final cut that wouldterminate the earthly career of Tarzan of the Apes when, to theastonishment of both the ape-man and Smith-Oldwick, the fellowstiffened rigidly, his weapon dropped from the nerveless fingersof his upraised hand, his mad eyes rolled upward and foam fleckedhis bared lip. Gasping as though in the throes of strangulationthe fellow pitched forward at Tarzan's feet.
Tarzan stooped and picked up the dead man's weapon, a smile uponhis face as he turned and glanced toward the young Englishman.
"The fellow is an epileptic," said Smith-Oldwick. "I supposemany of them are. Their nervous condition is not without its goodpoints--a normal man would have gotten you."
The other guardsmen seemed utterly demoralized at the loss of theirleader. They were huddled upon the opposite side of the street atthe left of the gate, screaming at the tops of their voices andlooking in the direction from which sounds of reinforcements werecoming, as though urging on the men and lions that were already tooclose for the comfort of the fugitives. Six guardsmen still stoodwith their backs against the gate, their weapons flashing in thelight of the flares and their parchment-like faces distorted inhorrid grimaces of rage and terror.
Numa had pursued two fleeing warriors down the street which paralleledthe wall for a short distance at this point. The ape-man turned toSmith-Oldwick. "You will have to use your pistol now," he said, "andwe must get by these fellows at once;" and as the young Englishmanfired, Tarzan rushed in to close quarters as though he had notalready discovered that with the saber he was no match for thesetrained swordsmen. Two men fell to Smith-Oldwick's first two shotsand then he missed, while the four remaining divided, two leapingfor the aviator and two for Tarzan.
The ape-man rushed in in an effort to close with one of hisantagonists where the other's saber would be comparatively useless.Smith-Oldwick dropped one of his assailants with a bullet throughthe chest and pulled his trigger on the second, only to have thehammer fall futilely upon an empty chamber. The cartridges in hisweapon were exhausted and the warrior with his razor-edged, gleamingsaber was upon him.
Tarzan raised his own weapon but once and that to divert a viciouscut for his head. Then he was upon one of his assailants andbefore the fellow could regain his equilibrium and leap back afterdelivering his cut, the ape-man had seized him by the neck andcrotch. Tarzan's other antagonist was edging around to one sidewhere he might use his weapon, and as he raised the blade to strikeat the back of the Tarmangani's neck, the latter swung the body ofhis comrade upward so that it received the full force of the blow.The blade sank deep into the body of the warrior, eliciting a singlefrightful scream, and then Tarzan hurled the dying man in the faceof his final adversary.
Smith-Oldwick, hard pressed and now utterly defenseless, had givenup all hope in the instant that he realized his weapon was empty,when, from his left, a living bolt of black-maned ferocity shotpast him to the breast of his opponent. Down went the Xujan, hisface bitten away by one snap of the powerful jaws of Numa of thepit.
In the few seconds that had been required for the consummationof these rapidly ensuing events, Otobu had dragged Bertha Kircherto the gate which he had unbarred and thrown open, and with thevanquishing of the last of the active guardsmen, the party passedout of the maniac city of Xuja into the outer darkness beyond. Atthe same moment a half dozen lions rounded the last turn in theroad leading back toward the plaza, and at sight of them Numa ofthe pit wheeled and charged. For a moment the lions of the citystood their ground, but only for a moment, and then before theblack beast was upon them, they turned and fled, while Tarzan andhis party moved rapidly toward the blackness of the forest beyondthe garden.
"Will they follow us out of the city?" Tarzan asked Otobu.
"Not at night," replied the black. "I have been a slave here forfive years but never have I known these people to leave the cityby night. If they go beyond the forest in the daytime they usuallywait until the dawn of another day before they return, as they fearto pass through the country of the black lions after dark. No, Ithink, Master, that they will not follow us tonight, but tomorrowthey will come, and, O Bwana, then will they surely get us, orthose that are left of us, for at least one among us must be thetoll of the black lions as we pass through their forest."
As they crossed the garden, Smith-Oldwick refilled the magazineof his pistol
and inserted a cartridge in the chamber. The girlmoved silently at Tarzan's left, between him and the aviator. Suddenlythe ape-man stopped and turned toward the city, his mighty frame,clothed in the yellow tunic of Herog's soldiery, plainly visibleto the others beneath the light of the stars. They saw him raisehis head and they heard break from his lips the plaintive note ofa lion calling to his fellows. Smith-Oldwick felt a distinct shudderpass through his frame, while Otobu, rolling the whites of his eyesin terrified surprise, sank tremblingly to his knees. But the girlthrilled and she felt her heart beat in a strange exultation, andthen she drew nearer to the beast-man until her shoulder touched hisarm. The act was involuntary and for a moment she scarce realizedwhat she had done, and then she stepped silently back, thankfulthat the light of the stars was not sufficient to reveal to theeyes of her companions the flush which she felt mantling her cheek.Yet she was not ashamed of the impulse that had prompted her, butrather of the act itself which she knew, had Tarzan noticed it,would have been repulsive to him.
From the open gate of the city of maniacs came the answering cryof a lion. The little group waited where they stood until presentlythey saw the majestic proportions of the black lion as he approachedthem along the trail. When he had rejoined them Tarzan fastenedthe fingers of one hand in the black mane and started on once moretoward the forest. Behind them, from the city, rose a bedlam ofhorrid sounds, the roaring of lions mingling with the raucous voicesof the screaming parrots and the mad shrieks of the maniacs. Asthey entered the Stygian darkness of the forest the girl once againinvoluntarily shrank closer to the ape-man, and this time Tarzanwas aware of the contact.
Himself without fear, he yet instinctively appreciated how terrifiedthe girl must be. Actuated by a sudden kindly impulse he foundher hand and took it in his own and thus they continued upon theirway, groping through the blackness of the trail. Twice they wereapproached by forest lions, but upon both occasions the deep growlsof Numa of the pit drove off their assailants. Several times theywere compelled to rest, for Smith-Oldwick was constantly upon theverge of exhaustion, and toward morning Tarzan was forced to carryhim on the steep ascent from the bed of the valley.
Chapter XXIV
The Tommies
Daylight overtook them after they had entered the gorge, but, tiredas they all were with the exception of Tarzan, they realized thatthey must keep on at all costs until they found a spot where theymight ascend the precipitous side of the gorge to the floor of theplateau above. Tarzan and Otobu were both equally confident thatthe Xujans would not follow them beyond the gorge, but though theyscanned every inch of the frowning cliffs upon either hand nooncame and there was still no indication of any avenue of escapeto right or left. There were places where the ape-man alone mighthave negotiated the ascent but none where the others could hopesuccessfully to reach the plateau, nor where Tarzan, powerful andagile as he was, could have ventured safely to carry them aloft.
For half a day the ape-man had been either carrying or supportingSmith-Oldwick and now, to his chagrin, he saw that the girl wasfaltering. He had realized well how much she had undergone andhow greatly the hardships and dangers and the fatigue of the pastweeks must have told upon her vitality. He saw how bravely sheattempted to keep up, yet how often she stumbled and staggered asshe labored through the sand and gravel of the gorge. Nor couldhe help but admire her fortitude and the uncomplaining effort shewas making to push on.
The Englishman must have noticed her condition too, for some timeafter noon, he stopped suddenly and sat down in the sand. "It'sno use," he said to Tarzan. "I can go no farther. Miss Kircher israpidly weakening. You will have to go on without me."
"No," said the girl, "we cannot do that. We have all been throughso much together and the chances of our escape are still so remotethat whatever comes, let us remain together, unless," and she lookedup at Tarzan, "you, who have done so much for us to whom you areunder no obligations, will go on without us. I for one wish thatyou would. It must be as evident to you as it is to me that youcannot save us, for though you succeeded in dragging us from thepath of our pursuers, even your great strength and endurance couldnever take one of us across the desert waste which lies betweenhere and the nearest fertile country."
The ape-man returned her serious look with a smile. "You arenot dead," he said to her, "nor is the lieutenant, nor Otobu, normyself. One is either dead or alive, and until we are dead we shouldplan only upon continuing to live. Because we remain here and restis no indication that we shall die here. I cannot carry you bothto the country of the Wamabos, which is the nearest spot at whichwe may expect to find game and water, but we shall not give up onthat account. So far we have found a way. Let us take things asthey come. Let us rest now because you and Lieutenant Smith-Oldwickneed the rest, and when you are stronger we will go on again."
"But the Xujans--?" she asked, "may they not follow us here?"
"Yes," he said, "they probably will. But we need not be concernedwith them until they come."
"I wish," said the girl, "that I possessed your philosophy but Iam afraid it is beyond me."
"You were not born and reared in the jungle by wild beasts andamong wild beasts, or you would possess, as I do, the fatalism ofthe jungle."
And so they moved to the side of the gorge beneath the shade of anoverhanging rock and lay down in the hot sand to rest. Numa wanderedrestlessly to and fro and finally, after sprawling for a momentclose beside the ape-man, rose and moved off up the gorge to belost to view a moment later beyond the nearest turn.
For an hour the little party rested and then Tarzan suddenlyrose and, motioning the others to silence, listened. For a minutehe stood motionless, his keen ears acutely receptive to sounds sofaint and distant that none of the other three could detect theslightest break in the utter and deathlike quiet of the gorge.Finally the ape-man relaxed and turned toward them. "What is it?"asked the girl.
"They are coming," he replied. "They are yet some distance away,though not far, for the sandaled feet of the men and the pads ofthe lions make little noise upon the soft sands."
"What shall we do--try to go on?" asked Smith-Oldwick. "I believeI could make a go of it now for a short way. I am much rested. Howabout you Miss Kircher?"
"Oh, yes," she said, "I am much stronger. Yes, surely I can go on."
Tarzan knew that neither of them quite spoke the truth, that peopledo not recover so quickly from utter exhaustion, but he saw noother way and there was always the hope that just beyond the nextturn would be a way out of the gorge.
"You help the lieutenant, Otobu," he said, turning to the black,"and I will carry Miss Kircher," and though the girl objected,saying that he must not waste his strength, he lifted her lightlyin his arms and moved off up the canyon, followed by Otobu andthe Englishman. They had gone no great distance when the others ofthe party became aware of the sounds of pursuit, for now the lionswere whining as though the fresh scent spoor of their quarry hadreached their nostrils.
"I wish that your Numa would return," said the girl.
"Yes," said Tarzan, "but we shall have to do the best we canwithout him. I should like to find some place where we can barricadeourselves against attack from all sides. Possibly then we mighthold them off. Smith-Oldwick is a good shot and if there are nottoo many men he might be able to dispose of them provided they canonly come at him one at a time. The lions don't bother me so much.Sometimes they are stupid animals, and I am sure that these thatpursue us, and who are so dependent upon the masters that haveraised and trained them, will be easily handled after the warriorsare disposed of."
"You think there is some hope, then?" she asked.
"We are still alive," was his only answer.
"There," he said presently, "I thought I recalled this very spot."He pointed toward a fragment that had evidently fallen from thesummit of the cliff and which now lay imbedded in the sand a fewfeet from the base. It was a jagged fragment of rock which rose someten feet above the surface of the sand, leaving a narrow aperturebetween it and
the cliff behind. Toward this they directed theirsteps and when finally they reached their goal they found a spaceabout two feet wide and ten feet long between the rock and thecliff. To be sure it was open at both ends but at least they couldnot be attacked upon all sides at once.
They had scarcely concealed themselves before Tarzan's quick earscaught a sound upon the face of the cliff above them, and lookingup he saw a diminutive monkey perched upon a slight projection--anugly-faced little monkey who looked down upon them for a moment andthen scampered away toward the south in the direction from whichtheir pursuers were coming. Otobu had seen the monkey too. "He willtell the parrots," said the black, "and the parrots will tell themadmen."
"It is all the same," replied Tarzan; "the lions would have foundus here. We could not hope to hide from them."
He placed Smith-Oldwick, with his pistol, at the north opening oftheir haven and told Otobu to stand with his spear at the Englishman'sshoulder, while he himself prepared to guard the southern approach.Between them he had the girl lie down in the sand. "You will besafe there in the event that they use their spears," he said.
The minutes that dragged by seemed veritable eternities to BerthaKircher and then at last, and almost with relief, she knew that thepursuers were upon them. She heard the angry roaring of the lionsand the cries of the madmen. For several minutes the men seemed tobe investigating the stronghold which their quarry had discovered.She could hear them both to the north and south and then fromwhere she lay she saw a lion charging for the ape-man before her.She saw the giant arm swing back with the curved saber and shesaw it fall with terrific velocity and meet the lion as he rose tograpple with the man, cleaving his skull as cleanly as a butcheropens up a sheep.
Then she heard footsteps running rapidly toward Smith-Oldwick and,as his pistol spoke, there was a scream and the sound of a fallingbody. Evidently disheartened by the failure of their first attemptthe assaulters drew off, but only for a short time. Again they came,this time a man opposing Tarzan and a lion seeking to overcomeSmith-Oldwick. Tarzan had cautioned the young Englishman notto waste his cartridges upon the lions and it was Otobu with theXujan spear who met the beast, which was not subdued until bothhe and Smith-Oldwick had been mauled, and the latter had succeededin running the point of the saber the girl had carried, into thebeast's heart. The man who opposed Tarzan inadvertently came tooclose in an attempt to cut at the ape-man's head, with the resultthat an instant later his corpse lay with the neck broken upon thebody of the lion.
Once again the enemy withdrew, but again only for a short time,and now they came in full force, the lions and the men, possiblya half dozen of each, the men casting their spears and the lionswaiting just behind, evidently for the signal to charge.
"Is this the end?" asked the girl.
"No," cried the ape-man, "for we still live!"
The words had scarcely passed his lips when the remaining warriors,rushing in, cast their spears simultaneously from both sides. Inattempting to shield the girl, Tarzan received one of the shaftsin the shoulder, and so heavily had the weapon been hurled that itbore him backward to the ground. Smith-Oldwick fired his pistoltwice when he too was struck down, the weapon entering his rightleg midway between hip and knee. Only Otobu remained to face theenemy, for the Englishman, already weak from his wounds and fromthe latest mauling he had received at the claws of the lion, hadlost consciousness as he sank to the ground with this new hurt.
As he fell his pistol dropped from his fingers, and the girl, seeing,snatched it up. As Tarzan struggled to rise, one of the warriorsleaped full upon his breast and bore him back as, with fiendishshrieks, he raised the point of his saber above the other's heart.Before he could drive it home the girl leveled Smith-Oldwick'spistol and fired point-blank at the fiend's face.
Simultaneously there broke upon the astonished ears of both attackersand attacked a volley of shots from the gorge. With the sweetnessof the voice of an angel from heaven the Europeans heard thesharp-barked commands of an English noncom. Even above the roarsof the lions and the screams of the maniacs, those beloved tonesreached the ears of Tarzan and the girl at the very moment thateven the ape-man had given up the last vestige of hope.
Rolling the body of the warrior to one side Tarzan struggled tohis feet, the spear still protruding from his shoulder. The girlrose too, and as Tarzan wrenched the weapon from his flesh and steppedout from behind the concealment of their refuge, she followed athis side. The skirmish that had resulted in their rescue was soonover. Most of the lions escaped but all of the pursuing Xujanshad been slain. As Tarzan and the girl came into full view of thegroup, a British Tommy leveled his rifle at the ape-man. Seeing thefellow's actions and realizing instantly the natural error thatTarzan's yellow tunic had occasioned the girl sprang between himand the soldier. "Don't shoot," she cried to the latter, "we areboth friends."
"Hold up your hands, you, then," he commanded Tarzan. "I ain'ttaking no chances with any duffer with a yellow shirt."
At this juncture the British sergeant who had been in command ofthe advance guard approached and when Tarzan and the girl spoketo him in English, explaining their disguises, he accepted theirword, since they were evidently not of the same race as the creatureswhich lay dead about them. Ten minutes later the main body of theexpedition came into view. Smith-Oldwick's wounds were dressed,as well as were those of the ape-man, and in half an hour they wereon their way to the camp of their rescuers.
That night it was arranged that the following day Smith-Oldwick andBertha Kircher should be transported to British headquarters nearthe coast by aeroplane, the two planes attached to the expeditionaryforce being requisitioned for the purpose. Tarzan and Otobu declinedthe offers of the British captain to accompany his force overlandon the return march as Tarzan explained that his country lay tothe west, as did Otobu's, and that they would travel together asfar as the country of the Wamabos.
"You are not going back with us, then?" asked the girl.
"No," replied the ape-man. "My home is upon the west coast. I willcontinue my journey in that direction."
She cast appealing eyes toward him. "You will go back into thatterrible jungle?" she asked. "We shall never see you again?"
He looked at her a moment in silence. "Never," he said, and withoutanother word turned and walked away.
In the morning Colonel Capell came from the base camp in one of theplanes that was to carry Smith-Oldwick and the girl to the east.Tarzan was standing some distance away as the ship landed andthe officer descended to the ground. He saw the colonel greet hisjunior in command of the advance detachment, and then he saw himturn toward Bertha Kircher who was standing a few paces behind thecaptain. Tarzan wondered how the German spy felt in this situation,especially when she must know that there was one there who knew herreal status. He saw Colonel Capell walk toward her with outstretchedhands and smiling face and, although he could not hear the words ofhis greeting, he saw that it was friendly and cordial to a degree.
Tarzan turned away scowling, and if any had been close by theymight have heard a low growl rumble from his chest. He knew thathis country was at war with Germany and that not only his duty tothe land of his fathers, but also his personal grievance againstthe enemy people and his hatred of them, demanded that he exposethe girl's perfidy, and yet he hesitated, and because he hesitatedhe growled--not at the German spy but at himself for his weakness.
He did not see her again before she entered a plane and was borneaway toward the east. He bid farewell to Smith-Oldwick and receivedagain the oft-repeated thanks of the young Englishman. And thenhe saw him too borne aloft in the high circling plane and watcheduntil the ship became a speck far above the eastern horizon todisappear at last high in air.
The Tommies, their packs and accouterments slung, were waiting thesummons to continue their return march. Colonel Capell had, througha desire to personally observe the stretch of country between thecamp of the advance detachment and the base, decided to march backhis troops. Now that all was in readin
ess for departure he turned toTarzan. "I wish you would come back with us, Greystoke," he said,"and if my appeal carries no inducement possibly that of Smith-Oldwickand the young lady who just left us may. They asked me to urgeyou to return to civilization."
"No;" said Tarzan, "I shall go my own way. Miss Kircher andLieutenant Smith-Oldwick were only prompted by a sense of gratitudein considering my welfare."
"Miss Kircher?" exclaimed Capell and then he laughed, "You knowher then as Bertha Kircher, the German spy?"
Tarzan looked at the other a moment in silence. It was beyond himto conceive that a British officer should thus laconically speakof an enemy spy whom he had had within his power and permitted toescape. "Yes," he replied, "I knew that she was Bertha Kircher,the German spy?"
"Is that all you knew?" asked Capell.
"That is all," said the ape-man.
"She is the Honorable Patricia Canby," said Capell, "one of themost valuable members of the British Intelligence Service attachedto the East African forces. Her father and I served in India togetherand I have known her ever since she was born.
"Why, here's a packet of papers she took from a German officer andhas been carrying it through all her vicissitudes--single-mindedin the performance of her duty. Look! I haven't yet had time toexamine them but as you see here is a military sketch map, a bundleof reports, and the diary of one Hauptmann Fritz Schneider."
"The diary of Hauptmann Fritz Schneider!" repeated Tarzan in aconstrained voice. "May I see it, Capell? He is the man who murderedLady Greystoke."
The Englishman handed the little volume over to the other withouta word. Tarzan ran through the pages quickly looking for a certaindate--the date that the horror had been committed--and when he foundit he read rapidly. Suddenly a gasp of incredulity burst from hislips. Capell looked at him questioningly.
"God!" exclaimed the ape-man. "Can this be true? Listen!" and heread an excerpt from the closely written page:
"'Played a little joke on the English pig. When he comes home hewill find the burned body of his wife in her boudoir--but he willonly think it is his wife. Had von Goss substitute the body of adead Negress and char it after putting Lady Greystoke's rings onit--Lady G will be of more value to the High Command alive thandead.'"
"She lives!" cried Tarzan.
"Thank God!" exclaimed Capell. "And now?"
"I will return with you, of course. How terribly I have wrongedMiss Canby, but how could I know? I even told Smith-Oldwick, wholoves her, that she was a German spy.
"Not only must I return to find my wife but I must right thiswrong."
"Don't worry about that," said Capell, "she must have convinced himthat she is no enemy spy, for just before they left this morninghe told me she had promised to marry him."
Note: I have made the following changes to the text:
PAGE LINE ORIGINAL CHANGED TO 25 10 noislessly noiselessly 40 34 hole bole 41 45 later latter 53 43 but "but 66 19 half-smiled half-smile 69 45 to many too many 75 16 fine find 81 3 forth fourth 86 14 hoplessly hopelessly 86 42 interferred interfered 93 15 born borne 101 40 Englishman Englishmen 108 16 divertisements divertissements 110 29 asid said 127 14 apppreciate appreciate 128 45 fuseluge fuselage 138 25 as the at the 142 34 girls' girl's 146 44 sourroundings, surroundings, 148 30 spirit on spirit of 149 33 upon upon. 153 3 immediately immediate 153 39 nothwithstanding notwithstanding 159 43 "The The 163 45 known know 171 8 one the on the 172 8 sandled sandaled 175 2 junlgle jungle 181 46 swifty swiftly 189 23 not, not. 198 45 "Come," Come," 219 1 still sill 225 21 sigh or sigh of 227 20 occasionaly occasionally 228 5 gazing grazing 234 24 prisoners. prisoners. 237 11 qiuckly quickly 237 16 opproached approached 243 16 is his in his 244 32 second seconds
I have also omitted the page-wide line beneath each chapterheading.
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