The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1914-02-06
Tarzan@e!!4s
Continued from Page Six

upon their former orgies. Only aeca-
sionally interfering for the pleasure of
batting the blacks. But heretofore
their victims had been men Of their
own color Tonight it was different.
White men, men Of Tarzan's own
race, might be even now suffering the
agonies Of torture.
On he sped. In a few minutes he
swung into the trees above Mbonga's
village. All, he was not quite too late!
The figure at the stake was very still.
Tarzan knew their customs. The
deathblow had been struck. He could
tell almost to a minute how far the
dance had gone
In another instant Mbonga's knife
would sever one of the victims ears.
That would mark the beginning of the
end. for very shortly after only a
writing mass of mutilated flesh would
remain.
The stake stood forty feet from the
nearest tree. Tarzan coiled his rope
Then there rose suddenly above the
fendish cries of the dancing demons
the awful challenge of the ape man.
The dancers halted as though turned
to stone The rope sped with a sing
ing whir high above the heads of the
blacks. It was quite invisible in the
t1aring lights of the campfres.
D'Arnot opened his eyes,
A huge black, standing directly be-
fore him, lunged backward as though
felled by an invisible hand.
Struggling and shrieking, his body,
rolling from side to side, moved quick
ly toward the shadows beneath the
trees. The blacks, their eyes protrud-
ing in horror, watched spellbound.
Once beneath the trees the body rose
straight into the air. and as it disap-
peared into the foliage above the ter
rified negroes. screaming with fright,
broke into a mad race for the village
gate.
D'Arnot was left alone. He was
brave man, but-he had felt the short
hairs bristle upon the nape of his
neck when that uncanny cry rose upon
the air.
AS he watched the spot where the
body had entered the tree he heard
the sounds of movement there The
branches swayed as though under the
weight Of a mans body. There was
crash, and the black came sprawling to
earth again. to lie very quietly where
he had fallen
Immediately after him came white
body. but this one alighted erect.
D'Arnot saw a clean lfmbed young
giant emerge from the shadows into
the freight and come quickly toward
him.
What could it mean? Who could it
be? Some new creature of torture and
destruction doubtless.
D'Arnot waited His eyes never
left the face of the advancing man.
The frank. clear eyes did not waver
beneath his fixed gaze.
D'Arnot was treasured, but still
without much hope. though he felt
that that face could not mask a cruel
heart.
Without a word Tarzan Of the apes
cut the bonds which held the French
man. Weak from suffering and loss Of
blood. he would have fallen but for
the strong arm that caught him.
He felt himself lifted from the
ground
There was sensation as Of flying.
and then he lost consciousness.
When dawn broke upon the little
camp Of Frenchmen In the heart Of
the jungle it found sad and disheart-
ened group.
AS soon as it was light enough to see
their surroundings Lieutenant Char
several directions to locate the trail,
and in ten minutes it was found, and
the expedition was hurrying back to-
ward the beach
1t was slow work, for they bore the
bodies of six dead men, two more hav-
ing succumbed during the night, and
several Of those who were wounded
required support to move even very
slowly.
Charpentier had decided to return to
camp for re-enforcements and then
make an attempt to track down the
natives and rescue D'Arnot