The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-12-17
XIV.
The Fifty Frightful Men.

girth that not even Sabor, the tiger,
could worm his sinuous way within.
nor Tantor, with his giant strength.
force the barriers which protected the
council chamber Of the great apes
from all but the harmless d%enizens Of
the savage jungle.
Fifty trips Tarzan made before he
had deposited all the ingOts within the
precincts of the amphitheater. Their
from the hollow Of an ancient, light
ming blasted tree he produced the very
spade with which the had uncovered
the chest Of Professor Archimedes Q
Porter, which he had once, apelike.
buried in this selfsame spot. With this
he dug a long trench. into which he
laid the fortune that his blacks had
carried from the forgotten treasure
vaults Of the city Of Opar.
That night he slept within he am
phitheater, and early the next morning
set out to revisit his cabin before re-
turning to his Waziri. Finding things
as he had left them, he went forth into
Tic JuHSlc W huIt, IbNCltlhS " oiihS
his prey to the cabin where he might
feast in comfort. spending the night
upon a comfortable couch.
For five miles toward the south he
roamed, toward the banks OF a fair
sized river that flowed into the sea
about six miles from his cabin. He had
gone inland about half a mile, when
there came suddenly to his trained nos
trils the one scent that sets the whole
savage jungle aquiver-Tarzan smelled
man.
The wind was blowing off the ocean.
so Tarzan knew that the authors OF
the scent were west of him. Mixed
with the man scent was the scent of
Numa. Man and lion! 81 had better
hasten" thought the ape-man, for he
had recognized the scent Of whites.
"Numa may be a-hunting."
When he came through the trees to
the edge of the jungle he saw a wo-
MAJ kneeling in prayer, and before her
stood a wild. primitive looking white
man. his face buried in his arms. Be
hind the man a NANCY lion was ad-
vancing slowly toward this easy prey.
The mans face was averted; the wo-
mans bowed in prayer. He could not
see the features of either.
Already Numa was about to spring.
There was not a second to spare. Tar
Fan could not even unSling his bow
and fit an arrow in time to Send n or
his deadly poisoned shafts into the vel
low hide. He was too far away to
reach the beast in time with his knife.
There was but a single hope-a lone
alternative. And with the quickness
of thought the ape-man acted.
A brawny arm few back-for the
briefest fraction of an instant a huge
spear poised above the giants shoulder
and then the mighty arm shot out,
and swift death tore through the in
te~rvening leaves, to bury itself in the
heart of the leaping lion. Without a
sound he rolled over at the very feet OF
his intended victims-dead.
For "A moment neither the man nor
the woman moved. Then the latter
opened her eyes to look with wonder
upon the dead beast behind her com
panion. As that beautiful head went
up TarZan of the Apes gave a gasp OF
%incredulous establishment. Was he
mad: 1t could not be the woman he
loved. But, indeed. it was O n other.
And the woman rose and the man
took her in his arms to kiss her, and OF
a sudden the ape-man saw red through
a bloody mist of murder, and the old
scar upon his forehead burned scarlet
against his brown hide.
There was a terrible expression upon
his savage face as he fitted a poisoned
shaft to his bow. An ugly light CLEAN
| ed in those gray eyes as he sighted full
at the back Of the unsuspecting man
beneath him.
For an instant he glanced along the
polished shaft. drawing the bowstring
far back. that the arrow might pierce
through the heart for which it was
aimed.
But he did not release the fatal mes
senger. Slowly the point of the arrow
dropped. the scar upon the brown fore
head faded. the bowstring relaxed and
Tarzan Of the Apes with bowed head
turned sadly into the jungle toward
the village Of the WaZirt
For several long minutes Jane Porter
and william Cecil Clayton stood silent.
ly looking at the dead body Of the
beast whose prey they had so narrowly
escaped becoming.
The girl was the first to speak again
after her outbreak Of impulsive avowal.
who could it have been?" she whis-
pered.
God knows!" was the mans only
reply.
If 1t Is a friend. why does he not
show himself?" continued Jane.
wouldn't it be well to call out to him
| and at least thank him?"
Mechanically Clayton did her bid
ding, but there was no response.
Jane Porter ~shuddered. 1.-The mys-
terious jungle!' she murmured. 1.-THE