The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-12-26

Knew that he must stand and nght for his life; for these great beasts were the deadly enemies of his tribe, and neither one nor the other ever asked or gave quarter.
 Had Tarzan been a full grown bull ape of the species of his tribe he would have been more than a match for the gorilla, but being only a little English boy, though enormously muscular for such, he stood no show against his cruel Antagonist. In his veins, however, flowed the blood of the best of a race of mighty fighters, and back of this was the training of his short lifetime among the fierce brutes of the jungle.
 He knew no fear, as we know it; his heart beat the faster. but from the ex- citement and exhilaration of adventure Had the opportunity presented itself he would have escaped, but solely be- cause his judgment told him he was no match for the great thing which con- fronted him., And as flight was out of the question he faced the gorilla squarely and braveIy without a tremor of single muscle or any sign of panic.
 In fact, he met the brute midway in its charge. striking it's huge body with his closed fists and as futiIely as if he had been a fly attacking an elephant But in one hand he still clutched the knife he had found, and as the brute striking and biting, closed upon him the boy accidentally turned the point toward the hairy breast
 As 1t sank deep into the body of him the gorilla shrieked in pain and rage
 But the boy had learned in that brief second use for his sharp and shining toy, so that as the tearing, striking beast dragged him to earth he plunged the blade repeatedly into it's breast
 The gorilla, fighting after the man ner of it's kind. struck terrific blows with its open hand and tore the flesh at the boys throat and chest with its mighty tusks.
 For moment they rolled upon the ground in the fierce frenzy of combat More and more weakly the torn and bleeding arm struck home with the long sharp blade. then the little figure stifened with a spasmod1c jerk, and Tarzan, the young Lord Greystoke, rolled senseless upon the dead and de- cay1ng vegetation which carpeted< his jungle home.
 A mile back in the forest the tribe had heard the fierce challenge of the gorilla, and, as was his custom when any danger threatened, Kerchak called his people together, partly for mutual protection against a common enemy, since this gorilla might be but one of several, and also to see that all mem bers of the tribe were accounted for.
 It was soon discovered that Tarzan was missing, and Tub1at was strongly opposed to sending assistance. Ker- chak himself had no liking for the strange little waif, so he listened to Tublat, and finally, with a shrug of his shoulders, turned back to the pile of leaves On which he had made his bed.
 But -KaIa was of a different mind. In fact, she had waited but to learn that Tarzan was absent ere she was fairly flying through the matted branches to- ward the point from which the cries of the gorilla were still plainly audible.
 Darkness had fallen, and an early moon was sending it's faint light to cast strange, grotesque shadows among the dense foliage of the forest
 Presently Kala came upon them, Iy- ing in an open space full under the brilliant moon = Tarzan's torn and bloody form, and beside it a great bull gorilla, stone dead With a low cry Kala rushed to Tarzan's side and, gathering the poor, blood covered body to her breast, listened for a sign of life. Faintly she heard 1.-the weak beating of the little heart
 Tenderly she bore him back through the fnky jungle to where the tribe lay, and for many days and nights she sat guard beside him, bringing him food and water and brushing the flies and other insects from his cruel wounds.
 Of medicine or surgery the poor thing knew nothing. She could but lick the wounds, and thus she kept them cleansed, that healing nature might the more quickly do her work.
 At first Tarzan would eat nothing, but rolled and tossed in a wild de1iri- um of fever. All he craved was water, and this she brought him in the only way she could, bearing it in her own mouth.
 No human mother could have shown more unse1flsh and sacrificing devotion than did this poor wild brute for the little orphaned waif whom fate had thrown into her keeping.
 At last the fever abated, and the boy commenced to mend. No complaint passed his tight set lips, though the pain of his wounds was excruciating.
 A portion of his chest was laid bare to the ribs, three of which had been broken by the mighty blows of the gorilla; one arm was nearly severed Dy tue SAduI IdQ8Ss ana a great piece had been torn from his neck, exposing his jugular vein, which the cruel jaws had missed but by a miracle.
 After what seemed an eternity to the little sufferer he was once more able to walk, and from then on his re- covery was rapid, so that in another month he was as strong and active as ever.
 During his convalescence he had gone over in his mind many times the battle with the gorilla, and his first thought was to recover the wonderful little weapon which had transformed him from hopelessly outclassed weak1ing to the superior of the mighty terror of the jungle.