Part 15 (2/2)

For another hour the battle raged nor did it cease until the last of the Abyssinians lay dead upon the ground, or had galloped off toward the north in flight But a handful ofthem Abdul Mourak

The victorious raiders collected about the pile of golden ingots which the Abyssinians had uncovered, and there awaited the return of their leader Their exultation was slightly tee apparition of the naked whiteaway upon the horse of one of their foe theth of the ape-man None of them there but was familiar with the name and fanized the white giant as the ferocious enele, added to their terror, for they had been assured that Tarzan was dead

Naturally superstitious, they fully believed that they had seen the diselances about thehost's early return to the scene of the ruin they had inflicted upon hi their recent raid upon his hohted whispers the probable nature of the vengeance which the spirit would inflict upon theold

As they conversed their terror grehile fro the river below them a small party of naked, black warriors watched their every hts beyond the river these blackwarily down to the streah the reeds until they were in a position to watch every move of the combatants

For a half hour the raiders awaited Achhost of Tarzan constantly under their loyalty to and fear of their chief Finally one a them voiced the desires of all when he announced that he intended riding forth toward the forest in search of Ach to his old will be safe here,” cried one ”We have killed the Abyssinians and there are no others to carry it away Let us ride in search of Achmet Zek!”

And a alloping madly across the plain, and out fro the river, crept a party of black warriors toward the spot where the golden ingots of Opar lay piled on the ground

Werper had still been in advance of Achmet Zek when he reached the forest; but the latter, better e of desperation the Belgian urged his reater speed even within the narrow confines of the winding, ga

Behind hi to hi the spurs deeper into the bleeding sides of his panting mount Two hundred yards within the forest a broken branch lay across the trail It was a sht ordinarily take in his natural stride without noticing its presence; but Werper's horse was jaded, his feet were heavy eariness, and as the branch caught between his front legs he stu in the trail

Werper, going over his head, rolled a few yards farther on, scraed to drag the beast to his feet; but the aniian cursed and struck at hiian ceased his efforts with the dying ani his rifle, dropped behind the horse and fired at the onco low, struck Ach hi to fire a second shot

The Arab, who had gone doith his ian's strategic position behind his fallen horse, lost no ti up a similar one behind his own

And there the two lay, alternately firing at and cursing each other, while froe of the forest Here he heard the occasional shots of the duelists, and choosing the safer and swifter avenue of the forest branches to the uncertain transportation afforded by a half-broken Abyssinian pony, took to the trees

Keeping to one side of the trail, the ape-man came presently to a point where he could look down in cohters First one and then the other would partially raise himself above his breastwork of horseflesh, fire his weapon and immediately drop flat behind his shelter, where he would reload and repeat the act abeen hastily armed by Abdul Mourak from the body of one of the first of the Abyssinians who had fallen in the fight about the pile of ingots, and now he realized that soon he would have used his last bullet, and be at the mercy of the Arab-aboth death and despoilian cast about for some plan of escape, and the only one that appealed to hied upon the chance of bribing Ache, when, during a lull in the fighting, he called aloud to his opponent

”Achmet Zek,” he cried, ”Allah alone knohich one of us may leave our bones to rot where he lies upon this trail today if we keep up our foolish battle You wish the contents of the pouch I wear about my waist, and I wish my life and my liberty even more than I do the jewels Let us each, then, take that which he o our separate ways in peace I will lay the pouch upon the carcass of my horse, where you un upon your horse, with butt towardthe pouch to you, and you will let o in safety I want only ht in silence for a moment Then he spoke His reply was influenced by the fact that he had expended his last shot

”Go your way, then,” he growled, ”leaving the pouch in plain sight behind you See, I lay un thus, with the butt toward you Go”

Werper removed the pouch from about his waist Sorrowfully and affectionately he let his fingers press the hard outlines of the contents Ah, if he could extract a little handful of the precious stones! But Ach a plain view of the Belgian and his every act

Regretfully Werper laid the pouch, its contents undisturbed, upon the body of his horse, rose, and taking his rifle with him, backed slowly down the trail until a turn hid him from the view of the watchful Arab

Even then Achmet Zek did not advance, fearful as he was of souilty of under like circuian, no sooner had he passed out of the range of the Arab's vision, halted behind the bole of a tree, where he still commanded an unobstructed view of his dead horse and the pouch, and raising his rifle covered the spot where the other's body must appear when he came forward to seize the treasure

But Achmet Zek was no fool to expose hi his long gun with hietation which walled it, and crawling slowly forward on hands and knees he paralleled the trail; but never for an instant was his body exposed to the rifle of the hidden assassin

Thus Achmet Zek advanced until he had come opposite the dead horse of his enemy The pouch lay there in full viehile a short distance along the trail, Werper waited in growing i why the Arab did not come to claim his reward