Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-10-19

| limbed animal, with a round, high FORE
head, which denoted more intelligence
than most of. her kind possessed. So
also she had a greater capacity for
mother love and mother sorrow.
But she was still an ape, a huge
fierce, terrible beast Of species close
ly allied to the gorilla, yet with more
| intelligence, which with the strength
Of their cousins, made her kind the
most fearsome Of those awe inspiring
progenitors Of man.
/ When the tribe saw that Kerchak's
! rage had ceased they came slowly
down from their arbored retreats and
pursued again the various occupations
which he had interrupted. The young
played and frolicked about among the
trees and bushes.
They had passed an hour or so thus
when Kerchak called them together
and, with a word Of command to them
to follow him, set off toward the sea.
They travelled for the most part upon
the ground, where it was open, follow
ing the path Of the great elephants
whose comings and goings break the
only road through the tangled jungle
mazes Of bush, vine, creeper and tree.
When they walked it was with a roll
ing, awkward motion, placing the
knuckles of their closed hands upon
the ground and swinging their ungain-
ly bodies forward.
But when the way was through the
lower trees they moved more swiftly,
swinging from branch to branch with
the agility Of their smaller cousins, the
monkeys. And all the way Kala car
ried her little dead baby hugged close
ly to her breast
1t was shortly after noon when they
reached a ridge overlooking the beach,
where below them lay the tiny cottage
which was Kerchak's goal.
He had seen many Of his kind go to
their deaths before the loud noise
made by the little black stick in the
hands Of the strange white ape who
lived in that wonderful lair, and Ker-
chalk had made up his brute mind to
own that death dealing contrivance
and to explore the interior Of the mys-
terious den.
He wanted to feel his teeth sink
into the neck Of the queer animal that
he had learned to hate and fear, and
because of this he came often with his
tribe to reconnoiter, waiting for time
when the white ape should be off his
guard.
Of late they had quit attacking or
even showing themselves. for every
time they had done so in the past the
little stick had roared out the terrible
message of death to some member of
the tribe.
Today there was no sign Of the man
about, and from where they watched
they could see that the cabin door was
open. Slowly. cautiously and noise
lessly they crept through the jungle to-
ward the little cabin.
On they came until Kerchak him
self skunk steadily to the very door
and peered within. Behind him were
two males and then Kala, closely
straining the little dead form to her
breast.
Inside the den they saw the strange
white ape lying half across a table, his
head buried in his arms, and on the
bed lay figure covered by sailcloth
while from tiny rustic cradle came
the plaintive wailing Of a babe.
Noiselessly Kerchak entered, crouch
ing for the charge, and then John Clay
ton rose with a sudden start and faced
them.
The sight that met his eyes must
have frozen him with terror, for there
within the door, stood three great bull
apes, while behind them crowded many
| more; how many he never knew, fol
his revolvers were hanging on the far
wall beside his rifle and Kerchak was
charging.
When Kerchak released the limp
form which had been John Clayton
| Lord Greystoke, he turned his atten-
ton toward the little cradle, but
Kala was there before him, and wher
he would have grasped the child she
snatched it herself, and before he could
intercept her she had bolted through
the door and taken refuge in a high
tree.
| AS she took up the little live baby OF
Alice Clayton, she dropped the dead
body Of her own into the empty cradle
The wall of the living had answer
ed the call Of universal motherhood
within her wild breast which the dea6
could not still.
High up among the branches Of 6
mighty tree she hugged the shriekine
infant to her bosom and soon the in
stinct that was as dominant in this
fierce female as it had been in the
breast of his tender and beautiful
mother-the instinct Of mother love
reached out to the tiny man -child's
half formed understanding, and he be.
came quiet.
| Then hunger closed the gap betweer
them, and the son of an English lore
and an English lady nursed at th'
breast Of Kala, the great ape.
| Once satisfied that Clayton was dead
Kerchak turned his attention to tht
thing which lay upon the bed, covered
by piece of sailcloth.
A moment he let his fingers sinh
deep into the cold flesh, and then, real
izing that she was already dead, HI
turned from her to examine the con
tents of the room, nor did he agair
molest the body of either Lady Alice
or Sir John.
The rifle hanging upon the wal
caught his first attention. 1t was TO
this strange, death dealing thunde
stick that he had yearned for months
but now that it was within grasp
he scarcely had the temerity to seize IT
Finally the rifle was torn from it
hook and lay in the grasp of the grea
brute. Finding that it harmed hin
not, Kerchak began to examine