The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1914-05-21

arms, one or the creatures turned ano
bore her into the jungle. A filthy paw
covered her mouth to sti1e her screams.
Added to the weeks of torture she had
| already undergone the shock was more
than she could Withstand. Shattered
nerves collapsed. and she lost con-
| seriousness.
! When she regained her senses she
found herself in the thick Of the prime
val forest. 1t was night. A huge fire
burned brightly in the little clearing in
which she lay. About it squatted fifty
frightful men. Their heads and faces
were covered with matted hair. Their
long arms rested upon the bent knees
Of their short. crooked legs. They were
| gnawing like beasts upon unclean food.
A pot boiled upon the edge o. the fire.
and out Of it one of the creatures
would occasionally drag hunk Of
meat with a sharpened stick.
When they discovered that their cap
tive had regained consciousness piece
Of this repulsive stew was tossed to
her from the foul hand Of nearby
feaster. 1t rolled close to her side, but
she only closed her eyes as Qualm of
nausea surged through her.
For many days they travelled through
the dense forest The girl. fOotsore
and exhausted, was half dragged, half
pushed through the long. hot, tedious
days. Occasionally. when she would
stumble and fall, she was cuffed and
kicked by the nearest of the frightful
men. Long before they reached their
journeys end her shoes had been dis
carded-the soles entirely gone. Her
clothes were torn to mere shreds and
tatters, and through the pitiful rags
her once white and tender skin showed
raw and bleeding from contact with the
thousand pitiless thorns and brambles
through which she had been dragged.
The last two days Of the journey
found her in such utter exhaustion that
no amount of kicking and abuse could
force her to her poor. bleeding feet.
Outraged nature had reached the limit
Of endurance, and the girl was physi-
her knees.
AS the beasts surrounded her, chat
tering threateningly the while they
goaded her with their cudgels and beat
and kicked her with their fists and
feet. she lay with closed eyes praying
for the merciful death that she knew
alone could give her surcease from suf-
fering. But it did not come, and pres
emily the fifty frightful men realized
that their victim was no longer able to
walk, and SO they picked her up and
carried her the balance Of the journey.
Late one afternoon she saw the ruin
ed walls Of mighty city looming be-
fore them, but so weak and sick was
she that it inspired not the faintest
shadow of interest. Wherever they
were bearing her there could be but
one end to her captivity among these
fierce half brutes.
At last they passed through two great
walls and came to the ruined city
within. Into crumbling pile they bore
her, and here she was surrounded by
hundreds more Of the same creatures
that had brought her. but among them
were females who looked less horrible.
At sight of them the first faint hope
that she had entertained came to miti-
gate her misery. But It was short
lived. for the women offered her no
sympathy. though. on the other hand,
neither did they abuse her.
After she had been inspected to the
entire satisfaction Of the inmates Of
the building. she was borne to a dark
chamber In the vaults beneath and
here upon the bare floor she was left
with metal bowl Of water and anoth-
er Of food.
For week she saw only some Of the
women. whose duty It was to bring her
food and water. Slowly her strength
was returning-so0n she would be in
ct condition to offer as a sacrifice to
the flaming god. Fortunate indeed 1t
was that she could not know the fate
for which she was destined.
As Tarzan of the Apes moved slowly
through the jungle after casting the
spear that saved Clayton and Jane
Porter from the savage fangs Of Numa,
his mind was filed with all the sorrow
that belongs to freshly opened heart
wound.
He was glad that he had stayed his
hand in time to prevent the consumma-
ton of the thing that in the first mad
wave Of Jealous wrath he had contem-
plated. Only the fraction of q second
had stood between Clayton and death
at the hands Of the ape-man. In the
short moment that had elapsed after
he had recognized the girl and her
companion and the relaxing of the