Part 22 (2/2)

And then the woht of Tarzan,than ever The ape- hi thehonor to the strange creature who had saved their fellow and battled single-handed with fierce Nue, where they brought hioats, and cooked food When he pointed to their weapons the warriors hastened to fetch spear, shi+eld, arrows, and a bow His friend of the encounter presented him with the knife hich he had killed Nue he could not have had for the asking

How ht Tarzan, than murder and robbery to supply his wants How close he had been to killing thisby every primitive means at his command friendshi+p and affection for his would-be slayer

Tarzan of the Apes was ashamed Hereafter he would at least wait until he knewthem

The idea recalled Rokoff to his ht have the Russian to hile for a fewif ever any one did And if he could have seen Rokoff at that moment as he assiduously bent every endeavor to the pleasant task of ingratiating hi, he would have longed more than ever to mete out to the ht with the savages was devoted to a wild orgy in his honor There was feasting, for the hunters had brought in an antelope and a zebra as trophies of their skill, and gallons of the weak native beer were consuain iularity of their features--the flat noses and thick lips of the typical West Coast savage were entirely ent and dignified, those of the wo this dance that the ape-man first noticed that soold--principally anklets and arht, apparently beaten out of the solid metal When he expressed a wish to examine one of these, the owner reh the ift A close scrutiny of the bauble convinced the ape-old, and he was surprised, for it was the first ties of Africa, other than the trifling baubles those near the coast had purchased or stolen from Europeans He tried to ask them from whence the metal came, but he could not nified his intention to leave them, but they alreat hut which the chief set apart for his sole use He tried to explain that he would return in the , but they could not understand When he finally walked away froate, they were still further mystified as to his intentions

Tarzan, however, knew just what he was about In the past he had had experience with the rodents and vere, and, while he was not overscrupulous about suchtrees to the fetid atreat tree overhung the palisade, and as Tarzan leaped for a lower branch and disappeared into the foliage above, precisely after the manner of Manu, the monkey, there were loud exclamations of surprise and astonishment For half an hour they called to him to return, but as he did not answer the-mats within their huts

Tarzan went back into the forest a short distance until he had found a tree suited to his prireat crotch, he fell i he dropped into the village street as suddenly as he had disappeared the preceding night For a monized their guest of the night before they welcohter That day he accoreat hunt, and so dexterous did they find this white man with their own crude weapons that another bond of respect and adht

For weeks Tarzan lived with his savage friends, hunting buffalo, antelope, and zebra for meat, and elephant for ivory Quickly he learned their simple speech, their native customs, and the ethics of their wild, primitive tribal life He found that they were not cannibals--that they looked with loathing and contempt upon men who ate men

Busuli, the warrior whoe, told hiends--how,reat and powerful tribe; and how the slave raiders had wrought such havoc auns that they had been reduced to a mere remnant of their former numbers and power

”They hunted us down as one hunts a fierce beast,” said Busuli ”There was no ht it was ivory, but usually it was both Our ht against them for ainst the sticks which spit fire and lead and death to htiest warrior could place an arrow At last, when ain, but our warriors saw the way off, and Chowaather up their belongings and come aith him--that he would lead them far to the south until they found a spot to which the Arab raiders did not coings, includinguntold hardshi+ps and privations, for hty h they sent parties farther on to search for an even better location, none has ever been found”

”And the raiders have never found you here?” asked Tarzan

”About a year ago a small party of Arabs and Manyuethe them off one by one, until but a handful reered a heavy gold arlossy hide of his left arhts were elsewhere Presently he recalled the question he had tried to ask when he first came to the tribe--the question he could not at that tiotten so trivial a thing as gold, for he had been for the tiht beyond today But of a sudden the sight of gold awakened the sleeping civilization that was in him, and with it came the lust for wealth That lesson Tarzan had learned well in his brief experience of the ways of civilized old meant power and pleasure He pointed to the bauble

”From whence came the yellow metal, Busuli?” he asked

The black pointed toward the southeast

”A moon's march away--maybe more,” he replied

”Have you been there?” asked Tarzan

”No, but soo, whenman One of the parties that searched farther for a location for the tribe when first they settled here cae people ore many ornaments of yellow metal Their spears were tipped with it, as were their arrows, and they cooked in vessels made all of solid e in huts that were built of stone and surrounded by a great wall They were very fierce, rushi+ng out and falling upon our warriors before ever they learned that their errand was a peaceful one Our men were few in number, but they held their own at the top of a little rocky hill, until the fierce people went back at sunset into their wicked city Then our warriors ca many ornaments of yellow metal from the bodies of those they had slain, they marched back out of the valley, nor have any of us ever returned

”They are wicked people--neither white like you nor black like orilla Yes, they are very bad people indeed, and Chowaet out of their country”

”And are none of those alive ith Chowae people and their wonderful city?” asked Tarzan