第16章

Fortenminutestheygropedslowlyalongawindingpassage，untilatlengththeycametoacloseddoor。Hereheheardherfumblingwithakey，andpresentlycamethesoundofametalboltgratingagainstmetal。Thedoorswunginonscrapinghinges，andtheyentered。

"Youwillbesafehereuntiltomorrownight，"shesaid。

Thenshewentout，and，closingthedoor，lockeditbehindher。

WhereTarzanstooditwasdarkasErebus。Notevenhistrainedeyescouldpenetratetheutterblackness。

Cautiouslyhemovedforwarduntilhisout—stretchedhandtouchedawall，thenveryslowlyhetraveledaroundthefourwallsofthechamber。

Apparentlyitwasabouttwentyfeetsquare。Thefloorwasofconcrete，thewallsofthedrymasonrythatmarkedthemethodofconstructionaboveground。Smallpiecesofgraniteofvarioussizeswereingeniouslylaidtogetherwithoutmortartoconstructtheseancientfoundations。

ThefirsttimearoundthewallsTarzanthoughthedetectedastrangephenomenonforaroomwithnowindowsbutasingledoor。Againhecreptcarefullyaroundclosetothewall。No，hecouldnotbemistaken！Hepausedbeforethecenterofthewalloppositethedoor。Foramomenthestoodquitemotionless，thenhemovedafewfeettooneside。

Againhereturned，onlytomoveafewfeettotheotherside。

Oncemorehemadetheentirecircuitoftheroom，feelingcarefullyeveryfootofthewalls。Finallyhestoppedagainbeforetheparticularsectionthathadarousedhiscuriosity。

Therewasnodoubtofit！Adistinctdraftoffreshairwasblowingintothechamberthroughtheintersectionofthemasonryatthatparticularpoint——andnowhereelse。

Tarzantestedseveralpiecesofthegranitewhichmadeupthewallatthisspot，andfinallywasrewardedbyfindingonewhichliftedoutreadily。Itwasabouttenincheswide，withafacesomethreebysixinchesshowingwithinthechamber。

Onebyonetheape—manliftedoutsimilarlyshapedstones。

Thewallatthispointwasconstructedentirely，itseemed，ofthesealmostperfectslabs。Inashorttimehehadremovedsomedozen，whenhereachedintotestthenextlayerofmasonry。Tohissurprise，hefeltnothingbehindthemasonryhehadremovedasfarashislongarmcouldreach。

Itwasamatterofbutafewminutestoremoveenoughofthewalltopermithisbodytopassthroughtheaperture。

Directlyaheadofhimhethoughthediscernedafaintglow——scarcelymorethanalessimpenetrabledarkness。

Cautiouslyhemovedforwardonhandsandknees，untilataboutfifteenfeet，ortheaveragethicknessofthefoundationwalls，thefloorendedabruptlyinasuddendrop。Asfaroutashecouldreachhefeltnothing，norcouldhefindthebottomoftheblackabyssthatyawnedbeforehim，though，clingingtotheedgeofthefloor，heloweredhisbodyintothedarknesstoitsfulllength。

Finallyitoccurredtohimtolookup，andthereabovehimhesawthrougharoundopeningatinycircularpatchofstarrysky。Feelingupalongthesidesoftheshaftasfarashecouldreach，theape—mandiscoveredthatsomuchofthewallashecouldfeelconvergedtowardthecenteroftheshaftasitrose。Thisfactprecludedpossibilityofescapeinthatdirection。

Ashesatspeculatingonthenatureandusesofthisstrangepassageanditsterminalshaft，themoontoppedtheopeningabove，lettingafloodofsoft，silverylightintotheshadowyplace。InstantlythenatureoftheshaftbecameapparenttoTarzan，forfarbelowhimhesawtheshimmeringsurfaceofwater。Hehadcomeuponanancientwell——butwhatwasthepurposeoftheconnectionbetweenthewellandthedungeoninwhichhehadbeenhidden？

Asthemooncrossedtheopeningoftheshaftitslightfloodedthewholeinterior，andthenTarzansawdirectlyacrossfromhimanotheropeningintheoppositewall。

Hewonderedifthismightnotbethemouthofapassageleadingtopossibleescape。Itwouldbeworthinvestigating，atleast，andthishedeterminedtodo。

Quicklyreturningtothewallhehaddemolishedtoexplorewhatlaybeyondit，hecarriedthestonesintothepassagewayandreplacedthemfromthatside。Thedeepdepositofdustwhichhehadnoticedupontheblocksashehadfirstremovedthemfromthewallhadconvincedhimthatevenifthepresentoccupantsoftheancientpilehadknowledgeofthishiddenpassagetheyhadmadenouseofitforperhapsgenerations。

Thewallreplaced，Tarzanturnedtotheshaft，whichwassomefifteenfeetwideatthispoint。Toleapacrosstheinterveningspacewasasmallmattertotheape—man，andamomentlaterhewasproceedingalonganarrowtunnel，movingcautiouslyforfearofbeingprecipitatedintoanothershaftsuchashehadjustcrossed。

HehadadvancedsomehundredfeetwhenhecametoaflightofstepsleadingdownwardintoStygiangloom。

Sometwentyfeetbelow，thelevelfloorofthetunnelrecommenced，andshortlyafterwardhisprogresswasstoppedbyaheavywoodendoorwhichwassecuredbymassivewoodenbarsuponthesideofTarzan’sapproach。Thisfactsuggestedtotheape—manthathemightsurelybeinapassagewayleadingtotheouterworld，forthebolts，barringprogressfromtheoppositeside，tendedtosubstantiatethishypothesis，unlessitweremerelyaprisontowhichitled。

Alongthetopsofthebarsweredeeplayersofdust——afurtherindicationthatthepassagehadlainlongunused。Ashepushedthemassiveobstacleaside，itsgreathingesshriekedoutinweirdprotestagainstthisunaccustomeddisturbance。

ForamomentTarzanpausedtolistenforanyresponsivenotewhichmightindicatethattheunusualnightnoisehadalarmedtheinmatesofthetemple;butasheheardnothingheadvancedbeyondthedoorway。

Carefullyfeelingabout，hefoundhimselfwithinalargechamber，alongthewallsofwhich，anddownthelengthofthefloor，werepiledmanytiersofmetalingotsofanoddthoughuniformshape。Tohisgropinghandstheyfeltnotunlikedouble—headedbootjacks。Theingotswerequiteheavy，andbutfortheenormousnumberofthemhewouldhavebeenpositivethattheyweregold;butthethoughtofthefabulouswealththesethousandsofpoundsofmetalwouldhaverepresentedweretheyinrealitygold，almostconvincedhimthattheymustbeofsomebasermetal。

Atthefarendofthechamberhediscoveredanotherbarreddoor，andagainthebarsupontheinsiderenewedthehopethathewastraversinganancientandforgottenpassagewaytoliberty。Beyondthedoorthepassageranstraightasawarspear，anditsoonbecameevidenttotheape—manthatithadalreadyledhimbeyondtheouterwallsofthetemple。Ifhebutknewthedirectionitwasleadinghim！Iftowardthewest，thenhemustalsobebeyondthecity’souterwalls。

Withincreasinghopesheforgedaheadasrapidlyashedared，untilattheendofhalfanhourhecametoanotherflightofstepsleadingupward。Atthebottomthisflightwasofconcrete，butasheascendedhisnakedfeetfeltasuddenchangeinthesubstancetheyweretreading。

Thestepsofconcretehadgivenplacetostepsofgranite。

Feelingwithhishands，theape—mandiscoveredthattheselatterwereevidentlyhewedfromrock，fortherewasnocracktoindicateajoint。

Forahundredfeetthestepswoundspirallyup，untilatasuddenturningTarzancameintoanarrowcleftbetweentworockywalls。Abovehimshonethestarrysky，andbeforehimasteepinclinereplacedthestepsthathadterminatedatitsfoot。UpthispathwayTarzanhastened，andatitsupperendcameoutupontheroughtopofahugegranitebowlder。

AmileawaylaytheruinedcityofOpar，itsdomesandturretsbathedinthesoftlightoftheequatorialmoon。

Tarzandroppedhiseyestotheingothehadbroughtawaywithhim。Foramomentheexamineditbythemoon’sbrightrays，thenheraisedhisheadtolookoutupontheancientpilesofcrumblinggrandeurinthedistance。

"Opar，"hemused，"Opar，theenchantedcityofadeadandforgottenpast。Thecityofthebeautiesandthebeasts。

Cityofhorrorsanddeath;but——cityoffabulousriches。"

Theingotwasofvirgingold。

ThebowlderonwhichTarzanfoundhimselflaywelloutintheplainbetweenthecityandthedistantcliffsheandhisblackwarriorshadscaledthemorningprevious。Todescenditsroughandprecipitousfacewasataskofinfinitelaborandconsiderableperileventotheape—man;butatlasthefeltthesoftsoilofthevalleybeneathhisfeet，andwithoutabackwardglanceatOparheturnedhisfacetowardtheguardiancliffs，andatarapidtrotsetoffacrossthevalley。

Thesunwasjustrisingashegainedthesummitoftheflatmountainatthevalley’swesternboundary。Farbeneathhimhesawsmokearisingabovethetree—topsoftheforestatthebaseofthefoothills。

"Man，"hemurmured。"Andtherewerefiftywhowentforthtotrackmedown。Canitbethey？"

Swiftlyhedescendedthefaceofthecliff，and，droppingintoanarrowravinewhichleddowntothefarforest，hehastenedonwardinthedirectionofthesmoke。Strikingtheforest’sedgeaboutaquarterofamilefromthepointatwhichtheslendercolumnaroseintothestillair，hetooktothetrees。CautiouslyheapproacheduntiltheresuddenlyburstuponhisviewarudeBOMA，inthecenterofwhich，squattedabouttheirtinyfires，sathisfiftyblackWaziri。

Hecalledtothemintheirowntongue:

"Arise，mychildren，andgreetthyking！"

Withexclamationsofsurpriseandfearthewarriorsleapedtotheirfeet，scarcelyknowingwhethertofleeornot。

ThenTarzandroppedlightlyfromanoverhangingbranchintotheirmidst。Whentheyrealizedthatitwasindeedtheirchiefintheflesh，andnomaterializedspirit，theywentmadwithjoy。

"Wewerecowards，oh，Waziri，"criedBusuli。"Weranawayandleftyoutoyourfate;butwhenourpanicwasoverwesworetoreturnandsaveyou，oratleasttakerevengeuponyourmurderers。Wewerebutnowpreparingtoscaletheheightsoncemoreandcrossthedesolatevalleytotheterriblecity。"

"Haveyouseenfiftyfrightfulmenpassdownfromthecliffsintothisforest，mychildren？"askedTarzan。

"Yes，Waziri，"repliedBusuli。"Theypasseduslateyesterday，aswewereabouttoturnbackafteryou。Theyhadnowoodcraft。

Weheardthemcomingforamilebeforewesawthem，andaswehadotherbusinessinhandwewithdrewintotheforestandletthempass。Theywerewaddlingrapidlyalonguponshortlegs，andnowandthenonewouldgouponallfourslikeBolgani，thegorilla。Theywereindeedfiftyfrightfulmen，Waziri。"

WhenTarzanhadrelatedhisadventuresandtoldthemoftheyellowmetalhehadfound，notonedemurredwhenheoutlinedaplantoreturnbynightandbringawaywhattheycouldcarryofthevasttreasure;andsoitwasthatasduskfellacrossthedesolatevalleyofOparfiftyebonwarriorstrailedatasmarttrotoverthedryanddustygroundtowardthegiantbowlderthatloomedbeforethecity。

Ifithadseemedadifficulttasktodescendthefaceofthebowlder，Tarzansoonfoundthatitwouldbenexttoimpossibletogethisfiftywarriorstothesummit。Finallythefeatwasaccomplishedbydintofherculeaneffortsuponthepartoftheape—man。Tenspearswerefastenedendtoend，andwithoneendofthisremarkablechainattachedtohiswaist，Tarzanatlastsucceededinreachingthesummit。

Oncethere，hedrewuponeofhisblacks，andinthiswaytheentirepartywasfinallylandedinsafetyuponthebowlder’stop。ImmediatelyTarzanledthemtothetreasurechamber，wheretoeachwasallottedaloadoftwoingots，foreachabouteightypounds。

Bymidnighttheentirepartystoodoncemoreatthefootofthebowlder，butwiththeirheavyloadsitwasmid—

forenooneretheyreachedthesummitofthecliffs。

Fromthereonthehomewardjourneywasslow，astheseproudfightingmenwereunaccustomedtothedutiesofporters。

Buttheyboretheirburdensuncomplainingly，andattheendofthirtydaysenteredtheirowncountry。

Here，insteadofcontinuingontowardthenorthwestandtheirvillage，Tarzanguidedthemalmostdirectlywest，untilonthemorningofthethirty—thirddayhebadethembreakcampandreturntotheirownvillage，leavingthegoldwheretheyhadstackeditthepreviousnight。

"Andyou，Waziri？"theyasked。

"Ishallremainhereforafewdays，mychildren，"hereplied。

"Nowhastenbacktothywivesandchildren。"

WhentheyhadgoneTarzangathereduptwooftheingotsand，springingintoatree，ranlightlyabovethetangledandimpenetrablemassofundergrowthforacoupleofhundredyards，toemergesuddenlyuponacircularclearingaboutwhichthegiantsofthejungleforesttoweredlikeaguardianhost。

Inthecenterofthisnaturalamphitheater，wasalittleflat—toppedmoundofhardearth。

HundredsoftimesbeforehadTarzanbeentothissecludedspot，whichwassodenselysurroundedbythornbushesandtangledvinesandcreepersofhugegirththatnotevenSheeta，theleopard，couldwormhissinuouswaywithin，norTantor，withhisgiantstrength，forcethebarrierswhichprotectedthecouncilchamberofthegreatapesfromallbuttheharmlessdenizensofthesavagejungle。

FiftytripsTarzanmadebeforehehaddepositedalltheingotswithintheprecinctsoftheamphitheater。Thenfromthehollowofanancient，lightning—blastedtreeheproducedtheveryspadewithwhichhehaduncoveredthechestofProfessorArchimedesQ。Porterwhichhehadonce，apelike，buriedinthisselfsamespot。Withthishedugalongtrench，intowhichhelaidthefortunethathisblackshadcarriedfromtheforgottentreasurevaultsofthecityofOpar。

Thatnighthesleptwithintheamphitheater，andearlythenextmorningsetouttorevisithiscabinbeforereturningtohisWaziri。Findingthingsashehadleftthem，hewentforthintothejungletohunt，intendingtobringhispreytothecabinwherehemightfeastincomfort，spendingthenightuponacomfortablecouch。

Forfivemilestowardthesouthheroamed，towardthebanksofafair—sizedriverthatflowedintotheseaaboutsixmilesfromhiscabin。Hehadgoneinlandabouthalfamilewhentherecamesuddenlytohistrainednostrilstheonescentthatsetsthewholesavagejungleaquiver——Tarzansmelledman。

Thewindwasblowingofftheocean，soTarzanknewthattheauthorsofthescentwerewestofhim。MixedwiththemanscentwasthescentofNuma。Manandlion。

"Ihadbetterhasten，"thoughttheape—man，forhehadrecognizedthescentofwhites。"Numamaybea—hunting。"

Whenhecamethroughthetreestotheedgeofthejunglehesawawomankneelinginprayer，andbeforeherstoodawild，primitive—lookingwhiteman，hisfaceburiedinhisarms。

Behindthemanamangylionwasadvancingslowlytowardthiseasyprey。Theman’sfacewasaverted;thewoman’sbowedinprayer。Hecouldnotseethefeaturesofeither。

AlreadyNumawasabouttospring。Therewasnotasecondtospare。Tarzancouldnotevenunslinghisbowandfitanarrowintimetosendoneofhisdeadlypoisonedshaftsintotheyellowhide。Hewastoofarawaytoreachthebeastintimewithhisknife。Therewasbutasinglehope——alonealternative。Andwiththequicknessofthoughttheape—manacted。

Abrawnyarmflewback——forthebriefestfractionofaninstantahugespearpoisedabovethegiant’sshoulder——andthenthemightyarmshotout，andswiftdeathtorethroughtheinterveningleavestoburyitselfintheheartoftheleapinglion。Withoutasoundherolledoverattheveryfeetofhisintendedvictims——dead。

Foramomentneitherthemannorthewomanmoved。Thenthelatteropenedhereyestolookwithwonderuponthedeadbeastbehindhercompanion。AsthatbeautifulheadwentupTarzanoftheApesgaveagaspofincredulousastonishment。

Washemad？Itcouldnotbethewomanheloved！

But，indeed，itwasnoneother。

Andthewomanrose，andthemantookherinhisarmstokissher，andofasuddentheape—mansawredthroughabloodymistofmurder，andtheoldscaruponhisforeheadburnedscarletagainsthisbrownhide。

Therewasaterribleexpressionuponhissavagefaceashefittedapoisonedshafttohisbow。Anuglylightgleamedinthosegrayeyesashesightedfullatthebackoftheunsuspectingmanbeneathhim。

Foraninstantheglancedalongthepolishedshaft，drawingthebowstringfarback，thatthearrowmightpiercethroughtheheartforwhichitwasaimed。

Buthedidnotreleasethefatalmessenger。Slowlythepointofthearrowdrooped;thescaruponthebrownforeheadfaded;thebowstringrelaxed;andTarzanoftheApes，withbowedhead，turnedsadlyintothejungletowardthevillageoftheWaziri。

Chapter23

TheFiftyFrightfulMenForseverallongminutesJanePorterandWilliamCecilClaytonstoodsilentlylookingatthedeadbodyofthebeastwhosepreytheyhadsonarrowlyescapedbecoming。

Thegirlwasthefirsttospeakagainafterheroutbreakofimpulsiveavowal。

"Whocouldithavebeen？"shewhispered。

"Godknows！"wastheman’sonlyreply。

"Ifitisafriend，whydoeshenotshowhimself？"

continuedJane。"Wouldn’titbewelltocallouttohim，andatleastthankhim？"

MechanicallyClaytondidherbidding，buttherewasnoresponse。

JanePortershuddered。"Themysteriousjungle，"shemurmured。

"Theterriblejungle。Itrenderseventhemanifestationsoffriendshipterrifying。"

"Wehadbestreturntotheshelter，"saidClayton。"Youwillbeatleastalittlesaferthere。Iamnoprotectionwhatever，"headdedbitterly。

"Donotsaythat，William，"shehastenedtourge，acutelysorryforthewoundherwordshadcaused。"Youhavedonethebestyoucould。Youhavebeennoble，andself—

sacrificing，andbrave。Itisnofaultofyoursthatyouarenotasuperman。ThereisonlyoneothermanIhaveeverknownwhocouldhavedonemorethanyou。Mywordswereillchosenintheexcitementofthereaction——Ididnotwishtowoundyou。AllthatIwishisthatwemaybothunderstandonceandforallthatIcannevermarryyou——thatsuchamarriagewouldbewicked。"

"IthinkIunderstand，"hereplied。"Letusnotspeakofitagain——atleastuntilwearebackincivilization。"

ThenextdayThuranwasworse。Almostconstantlyhewasinastateofdelirium。Theycoulddonothingtorelievehim，norwasClaytonover—anxioustoattemptanything。Onthegirl’saccounthefearedtheRussian——inthebottomofhishearthehopedthemanwoulddie。Thethoughtthatsomethingmightbefallhimthatwouldleaveherentirelyatthemercyofthisbeastcausedhimgreateranxietythantheprobabilitythatalmostcertaindeathawaitedhershouldshebeleftentirelyaloneupontheoutskirtsofthecruelforest。

TheEnglishmanhadextractedtheheavyspearfromthebodyofthelion，sothatwhenhewentintotheforesttohuntthatmorninghehadafeelingofmuchgreatersecuritythanatanytimesincetheyhadbeencastuponthesavageshore。

Theresultwasthathepenetratedfartherfromtheshelterthaneverbefore。

Toescapeasfaraspossiblefromthemadravingsofthefever—strickenRussian，JanePorterhaddescendedfromthesheltertothefootofthetree——shedarednotventurefarther。

Here，besidethecrudeladderClaytonhadconstructedforher，shesatlookingouttosea，inthealwayssurvivinghopethatavesselmightbesighted。

Herbackwastowardthejungle，andsoshedidnotseethegrassespart，orthesavagefacethatpeeredfrombetween。

Little，bloodshot，close—seteyesscannedherintently，rovingfromtimetotimeabouttheopenbeachforindicationsofthepresenceofothersthanherself。Presentlyanotherheadappeared，andthenanotherandanother。Themaninthesheltercommencedtoraveagain，andtheheadsdisappearedassilentlyandassuddenlyastheyhadcome。

Butsoontheywerethrustforthoncemore，asthegirlgavenosignofperturbationatthecontinuedwailingofthemanabove。

Onebyonegrotesqueformsemergedfromthejungletocreepstealthilyupontheunsuspectingwoman。Afaintrustlingofthegrassesattractedherattention。Sheturned，andatthesightthatconfrontedherstaggeredtoherfeetwithalittleshriekoffear。Thentheycloseduponherwitharush。Liftingherbodilyinhislong，gorilla—likearms，oneofthecreaturesturnedandboreherintothejungle。

Afilthypawcoveredhermouthtostifleherscreams。

Addedtotheweeksoftortureshehadalreadyundergone，theshockwasmorethanshecouldwithstand。Shatterednervescollapsed，andshelostconsciousness。

Whensheregainedhersensesshefoundherselfinthethickoftheprimevalforest。Itwasnight。Ahugefireburnedbrightlyinthelittleclearinginwhichshelay。Aboutitsquattedfiftyfrightfulmen。Theirheadsandfaceswerecoveredwithmattedhair。Theirlongarmsresteduponthebentkneesoftheirshort，crookedlegs。Theyweregnawing，likebeasts，uponuncleanfood。Apotboiledupontheedgeofthefire，andoutofitoneofthecreatureswouldoccasionallydragahunkofmeatwithasharpenedstick。

Whentheydiscoveredthattheircaptivehadregainedconsciousness，apieceofthisrepulsivestewwastossedtoherfromthefoulhandofanearbyfeaster。Itrolledclosetoherside，butsheonlyclosedhereyesasaqualmofnauseasurgedthroughher。

Formanydaystheytraveledthroughthedenseforest。Thegirl，footsoreandexhausted，washalfdragged，halfpushedthroughthelong，hot，tediousdays。Occasionally，whenshewouldstumbleandfall，shewascuffedandkickedbythenearestofthefrightfulmen。Longbeforetheyreachedtheirjourney’sendhershoeshadbeendiscarded——thesolesentirelygone。Herclothesweretorntomereshredsandtatters，andthroughthepitifulragsheroncewhiteandtenderskinshowedrawandbleedingfromcontactwiththethousandpitilessthornsandbramblesthroughwhichshehadbeendragged。

Thelasttwodaysofthejourneyfoundherinsuchutterexhaustionthatnoamountofkickingandabusecouldforcehertoherpoor，bleedingfeet。Outragednaturehadreachedthelimitofendurance，andthegirlwasphysicallypowerlesstoraiseherselfeventoherknees。

Asthebeastssurroundedher，chatteringthreateninglythewhiletheygoadedherwiththeircudgelsandbeatandkickedherwiththeirfistsandfeet，shelaywithclosedeyes，prayingforthemercifuldeaththatsheknewalonecouldgivehersurceasefromsuffering;butitdidnotcome，andpresentlythefiftyfrightfulmenrealizedthattheirvictimwasnolongerabletowalk，andsotheypickedherupandcarriedherthebalanceofthejourney。

Lateoneafternoonshesawtheruinedwallsofamightycityloomingbeforethem，butsoweakandsickwasshethatitinspirednotthefaintestshadowofinterest。

Wherevertheywerebearingher，therecouldbebutoneendtohercaptivityamongthesefiercehalfbrutes。

Atlasttheypassedthroughtwogreatwallsandcametotheruinedcitywithin。Intoacrumblingpiletheyboreher，andhereshewassurroundedbyhundredsmoreofthesamecreaturesthathadbroughther;butamongthemwerefemaleswholookedlesshorrible。Atsightofthemthefirstfainthopethatshehadentertainedcametomitigatehermisery。Butitwasshort—lived，forthewomenofferedhernosympathy，though，ontheotherhand，neitherdidtheyabuseher。

Aftershehadbeeninspectedtotheentiresatisfactionoftheinmatesofthebuildingshewasbornetoadarkchamberinthevaultsbeneath，andhereuponthebarefloorshewasleft，withametalbowlofwaterandanotheroffood。

Foraweekshesawonlysomeofthewomenwhosedutyitwastobringherfoodandwater。Slowlyherstrengthwasreturning——soonshewouldbeinfitconditiontoofferasasacrificetoTheFlamingGod。Fortunateindeeditwasthatshecouldnotknowthefateforwhichshewasdestined。

AsTarzanoftheApesmovedslowlythroughthejungleaftercastingthespearthatsavedClaytonandJanePorterfromthefangsofNuma，hismindwasfilledwithallthesorrowthatbelongstoafreshlyopenedheartwound。

Hewasgladthathehadstayedhishandintimetopreventtheconsummationofthethingthatinthefirstmadwaveofjealouswrathhehadcontemplated。OnlythefractionofasecondhadstoodbetweenClaytonanddeathatthehandsoftheape—man。IntheshortmomentthathadelapsedafterhehadrecognizedthegirlandhercompanionandtherelaxingofthetautmusclesthatheldthepoisonedshaftdirectedattheEnglishman’sheart，Tarzanhadbeenswayedbytheswiftandsavageimpulsesofbrutelife。

Hehadseenthewomanhecraved——hiswoman——hismate——inthearmsofanother。Therehadbeenbutonecourseopentohim，accordingtothefiercejunglecodethatguidedhiminthisotherexistence;butjustbeforeithadbecometoolatethesoftersentimentsofhisinherentchivalryhadrisenabovetheflamingfiresofhispassionandsavedhim。

Athousandtimeshegavethanksthattheyhadtriumphedbeforehisfingershadreleasedthatpolishedarrow。

AshecontemplatedhisreturntotheWaziritheideabecamerepugnant。Hedidnotwishtoseeahumanbeingagain。

Atleasthewouldrangealonethroughthejungleforatime，untilthesharpedgeofhissorrowhadbecomeblunted。Likehisfellowbeasts，hepreferredtosufferinsilenceandalone。

Thatnighthesleptagainintheamphitheateroftheapes，andforseveraldayshehuntedfromthere，returningatnight。

Ontheafternoonofthethirddayhereturnedearly。

Hehadlainstretcheduponthesoftgrassofthecircularclearingforbutafewmomentswhenheheardfartothesouthafamiliarsound。Itwasthepassingthroughthejungleofabandofgreatapes——hecouldnotmistakethat。

Forseveralminuteshelaylistening。Theywerecominginthedirectionoftheamphitheater。

Tarzanaroselazilyandstretchedhimself。Hiskeenearsfollowedeverymovementoftheadvancingtribe。Theywereupwind，andpresentlyhecaughttheirscent，thoughhehadnotneededthisaddedevidencetoassurehimthathewasright。

AstheycameclosertotheamphitheaterTarzanoftheApesmeltedintothebranchesupontheothersideofthearena。

Therehewaitedtoinspectthenewcomers。Norhadhelongtowait。

Presentlyafierce，hairyfaceappearedamongthelowerbranchesoppositehim。Thecruellittleeyestookintheclearingataglance，thentherewasachatteredreportreturnedtothosebehind。Tarzancouldhearthewords。

Thescoutwastellingtheothermembersofthetribethatthecoastwasclearandthattheymightentertheamphitheaterinsafety。

Firsttheleaderdroppedlightlyuponthesoftcarpetofthegrassyfloor，andthen，onebyone，nearlyahundredanthropoidsfollowedhim。Therewerethehugeadultsandseveralyoung。Afewnursingbabesclungclosetotheshaggynecksoftheirsavagemothers。

Tarzanrecognizedmanymembersofthetribe。Itwasthesameintowhichhehadcomeasatinybabe。Manyoftheadultshadbeenlittleapesduringhisboyhood。Hehadfrolickedandplayedaboutthisveryjunglewiththemduringtheirbriefchildhood。Hewonderediftheywouldrememberhim——thememoryofsomeapesisnotoverlong，andtwoyearsmaybeaneternitytothem。

Fromthetalkwhichheoverheardhelearnedthattheyhadcometochooseanewking——theirlatechiefhadfallenahundredfeetbeneathabrokenlimbtoanuntimelyend。

Tarzanwalkedtotheendofanoverhanginglimbinplainviewofthem。Thequickeyesofafemalecaughtsightofhimfirst。Withabarkinggutturalshecalledtheattentionoftheothers。Severalhugebullsstooderecttogetabetterviewoftheintruder。Withbaredfangsandbristlingneckstheyadvancedslowlytowardhim，withdeep—throated，ominousgrowls。

"Karnath，IamTarzanoftheApes，"saidtheape—maninthevernacularofthetribe。"Yourememberme。TogetherweteasedNumawhenwewerestilllittleapes，throwingsticksandnutsathimfromthesafetyofhighbranches。"

Thebrutehehadaddressedstoppedwithalookofhalf—

comprehending，dullwondermentuponhissavageface。

"AndMagor，"continuedTarzan，addressinganother，"doyounotrecallyourformerking——hewhoslewthemightyKerchak？

Lookatme！AmInotthesameTarzan——mightyhunter——invinciblefighter——thatyouallknewformanyseasons？"

Theapesallcrowdedforwardnow，butmoreincuriositythanthreatening。Theymutteredamongthemselvesforafewmoments。

"Whatdoyouwantamongusnow？"askedKarnath。