Part 15 (2/2)

They had entered themore slowly, for the trail was steeper and very rocky

For a fewif they would reach her father's DOUAR before the pursuit had overtaken theht walk on thus forever If the girl were only a ed for a friend who loved the same wild life that he loved He had learned to crave companionshi+p, but it was his misfortune that most of the men he knew preferred ile It was, of course, difficult to understand, yet it was very evident that they did

The two had just turned a projecting rock around which the trail ran when they were brought to a sudden stop There, before them, directly in the middle of the path, stood Nureen eyes looked very wicked, and he bared his teeth, and lashed his bay-black sides with his angry tail Then he roared--the fearsory

”Your knife,” said Tarzan to the girl, extending his hand She slipped the hilt of the weapon into his waiting palers closed upon it he drew her back and pushed her behind him ”Walk back to the desert as rapidly as you can If you hear me call you will know that all is well, and you nedly ”This is the end”

”Do as I tell you,” he coirl dropped back a few paces, where she stood watching for the terrible sight that she knew she should soon witness

The lion was advancing slowly toward Tarzan, his nose to the ground, like a challenging bull, his tail extended now and quivering as though with intense excite Arab knife glistening in the irl, htly forward, her lips parted, her eyes wide Her only conscious thought onder at the bravery of the e head A one down beneath those awful fangs without resistance In either case the result would be the same--it was inevitable; but she could not repress a thrill of adure before her Not a tre and defiant as that of EL ADREA himself

The lion was quite close to him now--but a few paces intervened--he crouched, and then, with a deafening roar, he sprang

Chapter 11

John Caldwell, London

As Numa EL ADREA launched his he looked to find this puny one down beneath hi, defenseless creature--he had little respect for hiainst a creature as agile and as quick as hihty fraer there

The watching girl was transfixed by astonishreat paws And now, O Allah! He had rushed in behind EL ADREA'S shoulder even before the beast could turn, and had grasped his like a horse--Tarzan had known that he would do this, and he was ready

A giant arm encircled the black-maned throat, and once, twice, a dozen times a sharp blade darted in and out of the bay-black side behind the left shoulder

Frantic were the leaps of Nuiant upon his back could not be dislodged or brought within reach of fangs or talons in the brief interval of life that ree head He was quite dead when Tarzan of the Apes released his hold and arose Then the daughter of the desert witnessed a thing that terrified her even more than had the presence of EL ADREA

The man placed a foot upon the carcass of his kill, and, with his handsoave voice to the htful cry that ever had smote upon her ears

With a little cry of fear she shrank away froht that the fearful strain of the encounter had driven hie died out in the di echoes of the distance the irl

Instantly his face was lighted by the kindly sirl breathed freely once again, s in response

”Whatyou have done is unheard of Even now I cannot believe that it is possible for a lone ht hand to hand with EL ADREA and conquered him, unscathed--to have conquered him at all And that cry--it was not human Why did you do that?”

Tarzan flushed ”It is because I forget,” he said, ”sometimes, that I am a civilized man When I kill it must be that I am another creature” He did not try to explain further, for it always see upon one as yet so nearly a beast

Together they continued their journey The sun was an hour high when they caain beyond the irl's horses grazing They had come this far on their way hoer present had stopped to feed

With little trouble Tarzan and the girl caught the, rode out into the desert toward the DOUAR of Sheik Kadour ben Saden

No sign of pursuit developed, and they came in safety about nine o'clock to their destination The sheik had but just returned He was frantic with grief at the absence of his daughter, whoain abducted by the o in search of her when the two rode into the DOUAR