The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-05-07
TARTAN OF
THE APES
By EDGAR RICE
BURROUGHS
Copyright. 1917, BY the Frank 4.
Munsey Company
CHAPTE X.
The Forest God.

TA7HEN Tarzan had ini shed his
wv repast ne rose and, pointing
in a very different direction
from that which Clayton had
been pursuing, started through the
jungle toward the point he had in
dicated.
Clayton, bewildered and confused,
hesitated to follow him, for he thought
he was but being led more deeply into
the mazes of the forest. but the ape
man returned and, grasping him by
the coat, dragged him along until he
was convinced that Clayton understood
what was required Of him and then
left him to follow voluntarily.
The Englishman finally concluded
that he was a prisoner and saw no al
tentative but to accompany his captor.
and thus they travelled slowly through
the jungle while the sable mantle Of
the impenetrable night of the forest
fell about them.
Suddenly Clayton heard the faint re-
port of a f1rearm-a single shot and
then silence.
In the cabin by the beach two thor
oughly terrified women chung to each
other as they crouched upon the low
bench in the gathering darkness.
The negress. sobbing Historically.
bemoaned the evil day that had wit
messed her departure from her dear
Maryland, while the white girl. dry
eyed and outwardly calm, was tortured
by inward forebodings. She feared
not more for herself than for the three
men whom she knew to be wandering
in the abysmal depths of the jungle,
from which now issued the incessant
shrieks and roars, barkings and growl-
ings of its terrifying and fearsome in
mates.
Now came the sound of a heavy
body brushing against the side of the
cabin. She could hear the great pad
ded paws upon the ground without.
Then for an instant all was silence.
"Hush!" the girl whispered. Hush,
E~smeralda" for the woman's sobs and
groans seemed to have attracted the
thing that stalked there just beyond
the thin wall.
A gentle scratching sound was heard
on the door. The brute tried to force
an entrance, but presently this ceased,
and again she heard the great padded
paws creep stealthily around the cabin.
Again they stopped-beneath the win
dow, on which the terrified eyes Of the
girl o glued themselves.
"Heavens!" she murmured, for, sill
houetted against the moonlit sky be-
yond, she saw framed in the tiny
square of the latticed window the head
Of a huge tiger. The cleaning eyes
were fixed upon her in tense ferocity.
Look, Esmeralda" she whispered.
what shall we do? Look! Quick!
The Window
Esmeralda covered still closer to her
mistress and glanced affrighted toward
the little square Of moonlight just as
the tiger emitted a low, savage snarl.
The sight that met the poor blacks
eyes was too much for the already
overstrung nerves.
"Oh, Gabriel" she shrieked and slid
to the floor. an inert and %senseless
mass.
For what seemed an eternity the
great brute stood with its fore paws
upon the sill, glaring into the little
room. Presently it tried the strength
Of the lattice with its great talons.
The girl had almost ceased to
breathe when to her relief the head
disappeared and she heard the brute's
footsteps leaving the window. But
now they came to the door again, and
once more the scratching commenced,
but this time with increasing force
until the great beast was tearing ut
the massive panels in a perfect frenzy
Of fury.
Could Jane Porter have known the
immense strength Of that door, builded
piece by piece, she would have felt
less fear Of the tiger reaching her by
this avenue
For fully twenty minutes the brute
alternately shifted and tore at the door,
occasionally giving voice to a cry OF
bafied rage. At length, however, he
gave up the attempt, and Jane Porter
heard him returning toward the win
dow. beneath which he paused for an
instant and then launched his great
weight against the time worn lattice.
The girl heard the wooden rods
groan beneath the impact, but they
held, and the huge body dropped back
to the ground below.
Again and again the tiger repeated
these tactics until finally the Mortified
prisoner within saw a portion Of the
lattice give way. and in an instant n
great paw and the head OF he animal
were thrust within the room.
Slowly the powerful neck and shout
ders were spreading the bars apart,
and the 1.-THE body came farther and
farther into the room. +.
AS in a trance the girl rose, her
hand upon her breast, wide eyes star
ing horror stricken into the snarling
face of the beast scarce ten feet from
her. At her feet lay the PROSTATE
form of the negress.
The girl. standing pale and rigid
against the farther wall. sought with
increasing terror for some loophole OF