The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-05-21

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The others saw the cunning OF the
suggestion. and so the trench was
heightened to accommodate the corpse.
and in the center n deeper hole was
excavated for the box. which was first
wrapped in sailcloth and then low.
cred TO its place. which brought IFS
top about a foot below the bottom of
the grave. Earth was shoveled I'm and
tamped down about the chest until
the bottom OF the grave showed level
and uniform.
Two of the men then rolled the rat
faced corpse unceremoniously into the
grave after first stripping it OF its
weapons and various other articles
which the several members Of the
party coveted.
They then filed the grave with earth
and tramped upon it until 1t would
hold no more.
The balance Of the loose earth was
thrown far and wide and a mass Of
dead underground spread in as natural
a as possible over the new
made grave TO obliterate all signs IF
the ground having been disturbed.
Their work done. the sailors returned
to the small boat and pulled off rapidly
toward the Arrow.
The breeze had increased consider
ably. and as the smoke upon the hori-
zon was now plainly discernible in
considerable volume the mutineers lost
no time in getting under full sail and
bearing away toward the southwest.
Tarzan wondered what the chest
they had buried contained. If they
did not wish 1t why did they not mere
ly throw 1t into the water? That would
have been much easier.
All, he thought. but they do wish it.
They have hidden it here because they
intend returning for it later.
He dropped to the ground and COM
menced to examine the earth about the
excavation. He was looking to see If
these creatures had dropped anything
which he might like to own Soon he
discovered a spade hidden by the I'M
derbrush which they had laid upon the
grave
He seized it and attempted to use 1t
as he had seen the sailors do. 1t was
awkward work and hurt his bare feet.
but he ~persevered until he had partial
~ uncovered the body. This he drag
ged from the grave and laid to one
side.
Then he continued digging until he
had unearthed the chest. This also he
dragged to the side of the corpse.
Then he filed in the smaller hole be-
low the grave. replaced the body and
the earth around and above it. covered
it over with underbrush and returned
to the chest.
Four sailors had sweated beneath
the burden of its weight. TarZan of
the apes picked it up as though it had
been empty ard, with the spade slung
to his back by a piece of rope, carried
it off into the densest part of the jun
gle.
He could not well negotiate the trees
with his awkward burden, but he kept
to the trails and so made fairly good
time.
For several hours he travelled until
he came to an impenetrable wall of
matted and tangled vegetation. Then
he took to the lower branches, and in
another fifteen minutes he emerged
into the amphitheater of the apes.
where they met in council or to cele-
brate the rites Of the dumdum.
Near the center of the clearing and
not far from the drum. or altar. he
commenced to dig. This was harder
work than turning up the freshly ex-
cavated earth at the grave. but Tarzan
Of the apes was ~persevering. and so he
kept at his labor until he was reward
ed by seeing a hole sufficiently deep to
receive the chest and effectually hide
it from view.
Now the natural curiosity, which Is
as common to men as to apes, prompt
ed TarZan to open the chest and exam
Inc it's contents. but the heavy lock
and massive iron bands baffled both
his cunning and his immense strength,
so that he was compelled to bury the
chest without having his curiosity sat
isfed.
BY the time Tarzan had hunted his
way back to the vicinity Of the cabin.
feeding as he went. it was quite dark.
Within the little building a light was
burning, for Clayton had found an un-
opened tin Of oil which had stood in
tact for twenty years. The lamps also
were still uSablp
AS Tarzan approached the window
nearest the door he saw that the cabin
had been divided into two rooms by a
rough partition of boughs and sail
cloth.
In the front room We're the three
men. the two older deep in argument.
while the younger. tilted back against
the wall on an i~mprovised stool. was
deeply engrossed in reading one of
Tarzan's books.
TarZan was not particularly interest
ed in the men, however. so he sought
the other window. There was the girl.
How beautiful her features. How del
icate her snowy skin.
She was writing at Tarzan's own
table beneath the window. Upon a pile
Of grasses at the far side of the room
lay the negress. asleep.
For an hour Tarzan feas we'd his eyes
upon her while she wrote. He longed
to speak to her. but dared not attempt.
for he was convinced that she would
not understand him, and he feared, too,