Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-07
TIE RETURN OF TARZA\N
BY EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
AUTHOR on 'TARzAN OF THE APEs'

There was rustllng IN the shadows Of
nearby corridor, and he could bav
sworn that he saw n human hand with
drawn from an embrasure that opene
above him into the domeiike rotunda q
which he found himself
The floor OF the chamber was OF con
crete, the walls OF smooth granite, upoi
/ which strange figures Of men and beast
were carved. In places tablets OF yellow
/ metal had been set In the solid masOnrl
OF the walls
When he approached closer to one o
these tablets he saw that II was Of gold
and bore many hieroglyphics. Beyont
this FIRST chamber there were others, and
back OF them the building branched oui
into enormous wings. Tarzan passed
through several Of these chambers, find.
Ing many evidences Of the fabulous
wealth OF the original builders. In one
room were seven pillars of solid gold
and I'm another the floor itself was OF
precious metal. And all the while he ex-
plored his blacks huddled close together
at his back and strange shapes lowered
upon either hand and before them and
behind, yet never close enough that any
might say that they were not alone.
Tho strain however, was telling upon
the nerves OF the Waziri. They said that
for the ruins were haunted by the spirits
of the dead who had onco inhabited them.
"They are watching US, o King" whis-
pered Busul "They are waiting until
they have led us into the innermost re-
cesses of their stronghold, and then they
Will fall upon us and tear us to pieces
with their teeth. That is the way with
spirits. My mothers uncle. who is
great witch doctor, has told me all about
It many times"
Tarzan laughed run back to the sun
light, my children" he said. "I will join
you when 1 have searched this old ruin
from top to bottom and found the gold
or found that there is none. At least we
may take the tablets from the walls,
though the pillars are too heavy for us
to handle; but there should be great
storerooms filled with gold-gold that we
can carry away upon our backs with
ease Run on now, out into the fresh nir
where you may breathe easier"
Some of the warriors started to obey
their chief with alacrity, but Busuli and
several others hesitated to leave him
hesitated between love and loyalty for
their King, and superstltious fear of the
unknown. And then, quite Unexpectedly,
that occurred which decided the question
without the necessity for further discus
sion. Out of the silence Of the ruined
.emple there rang, close to their ears, the
iame hldeous shrek they had heard the
previous night, and with horrihed cries
he black warriors turned and fled
through the empty halls of the age-old
,difice.
Behind them stood Tarzan of the Apes
where they had left him, a grim smile
lpon his lips-waiting for the enemy he
ully expected was about to pounce upon
Inn But again silence relgned, except
or the faint suggestion of the sound of
lRked feet moving stealthly In nearby
'laces.
Then Tarzan wheeled and passed on into |
he depths of the temple. From room to |
DOM he went, until he came to one at |
Which a rude barred door still stood, |
nd. as he put his shoulder against 1t to
ush 1t in, again the Shrek of warning |
ang out almost beside him. II was evil
ent that he was being warned to re-
rain from desecrating this particular
Dom. Or could 1t be that within lay the
ecret to the treasure stores?
AT any rate. the very fact that the
TRANCE, invisible guardians of this weird
lace had some reason for wishing him
OF to enter this particular chamber was
efficient to treble Tarzan's desire to do
}, and, though the shrieking was re-
Gated continuously, he kept his shoulder
} the door until it gave before his giant
.rength to swing open upon creakinE
OGDEN hinges.
Within all was black as the tomb There
ms no window to let in the faintest ray
light, and, as the corridor upon which
opened was itself in semidarkness.
zen the open door shed no relieving rays
thin. Feeling before him upon the
Dor with the butt of his spear, Tarzan
ltered the Stygian gloom. Suddenly the
'or behind him closed, and at the same
me hands clutched him from every di-
ction out of the darkness.
Ihe ape-man fought with all the saw |
se fury of self-preservation backed by
e herculean strength that was his But,
ough he felt his blows land and his |
eth sink into soft flesh, there seemed
ways two new hands to take the place 4
those that he fought off At last they ,
agged him down, and slowly, very !
owly, they overcame him by the mere ,
eight of their numbers. And then they ;
und him-his hands behind his back /,
ID his feet trussed up to meet them.
He had heard no sound except the !
avy breathing Of his antagonists, and
Q noise of the battle. He knew not .
nat manner of creatures had captured
m, but that they were human seemed :
ident from the fact that they had bound
m,
Presently they lifted him from the floor (,
"a, half dragging, half pushing him, !
ey brought him out of the black cham )
~ dllOlntI NORWAY, into
ner courtyard OF the temple Here he =
W his captors. There must have been q
hundred of them-short. stocky men,
tn great boards that covered their faces q
d fell upon their hairy breasts. y
The thick, matted hair upon their heads
ew low over their receding brows. ana q
ng about their shoulders ana their :
cks. Their crooked legs were short ana
avy, their arms long and muscular .
out their loins they wore the skins Of
pards and of lions. and great neck T.
es OF the claws OF these same animals @
pended upon their breasts. NIsssi,,a =
clets OF virgin gold adorned their arms h
d legs. For weapons they carried n
lvy' knotted bludgeons and In the belts ii
Il confined their single garments each n
4 long, wieked-looking knife. a
tut the feature OF them that made The :,
st startling impression upon their nrise
ar was their white skins-neither IN a