Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-11-02
T ARZ A N OF
T H E A p E. S
CHAPTER V.
The Death of kala.
By EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
convrght 1872 by the Frank A. Munsey Company

tribe of Kerchak.
Early the next morning the apes
were astir, moving through the jungle
in search Of food. Tarzan, as was his
custom, prosecuted his search in the
direction Of the cabin, so that by lei
surely hunting on the way his hunger
was appeased by the time he reached
the beach.
The apes scattered by ones and twos
and threes in all directions, but al
ways within sound Of signal OF
alarm.
Kala had moved slowly along an ele-
phant track toward the east and was
busily engaged in turning over rotted
limbs and logs in search Of esculent
bugs and fungi when the faintest shad-
Of a strange noise brought her to
startled attention.
For fifty yards before her the trail
was straight, and down this leafy tun-
mel she looked straight at the stealth
lily advancing figure Of a strange and
fearful creature.
It was Kulonga.
Kala did not wait to see more, but,
turning, moved rapidly back along the
trail She did not run, but, after the
manner Of his kind when not reused,
sought rather to avoid than to escape.
Close after her came Kulonga- Here
was meat. He could make a killing
and feast we'll this day. On he hur-
ried, his spear poised for the throw.
At a turning Of the trail he came
in sight Of her again upon another
straight stretch. Hhis spear hand went
far back; the muscles rolled, light
ming like, beneath the sleek hide. Out
shot the arm, and the spear sped to-
ward Kala.
A poor cast. 1t but grazed her side.
With a cry Of pain and rage Kala
turned upon her tormentor. In an in
slant the trees were crashing beneath
the weight Of hurrying apes, swinging
rapidly toward the scene Of trouble in
answer to Kala's scream.
AS Kala charged, Kulonga unslung
his bow and fitted an arrow with al
most unthinkable quickness. Drawing
the shaft far back, he drove the poi
soned missile straight into the heart
Of the great she ape.
With a horrid scream Kala plunged
forward upon her face before the as
tonished members of her tribe.
Roaring and shrieking, the apes
Krla hut hot
wary savage was fleeing down the
trail like a frightened antelope. They
followed him, racing through the trees
for long distance, but finally one by
one they abandoned the chase and re-
turned to the scene Of the tragedy.
On the far beach by the little cabin
Tarzan heard the faint echoes of the
conflict, and, knowing that something
was seriously amiss among the tribe,
he fastened rapidly toward the direc-
tion of the sound.
When he arrived he found the en-
tire tribe gathered jabbering about
the dead body of his slain mother.
rarzan's grief and anger were un-
bounded. He roared out his hideous
challenge time and again. He beat
upon his chest with his fists, and then
he fell upon the body of Kala and
sobbed out the pitiful sorrowing of
his lonely heart.
But after the first outbreak of grief
Tarzan controlled himself and, ques-
uoning the members of the tribe who
had witnessed the killing of Kala, he
learned all that their meager vocabu-
larry could vouchsafe him.
1t was enough, however, for his
needs. 1t told him Of a strange, hair
less, black ape with feathers growing
upon its head, who launched death
from a slender branch and then ran
with the fieetness of Bara, the deer,
toward the rising sun.
Tarzan waited no longer; but, leap
ing into the branches of the trees,
sped rapidly through the forest. He
knew the windings of the elephant
trail along which Kala's murderer
had flown, and he cut straight through
the jungle to intercept the black
warrior, who was evidently following
the tortuous detours of the trail.
At his side was the hunting knife
of his unknown sire. and across his
shoulders the coils Of his own long
rope. In an hour he struck the trail
again and, coming to earth, examin-
ed the soil minutely.
In the soft mud on the bank of q
tiny rivulet he found footprints such
as he alone in all the jungle had ever
made, but much larger than his. His
heart beat fast. Could it be that he
was trailing a man-one of his own
race?
There were two sets of imprints
pointing in opposite directions. SO his
quarry had already passed on his re-
turn along the trail. AS he examined
the newer spot a tiny particle Of
earth topped from the outer edge of
one of the footprints to the bottom of
its shallow depression-ah, the trail
was very fresh, his prey must have
but scarcely passed.
Tarzan had covered barely a mile
more when he came upon the black
warrior standing in a little open
space. In his hand was his slender
bow, to which he had fitted one of
his death dealing arrows.
Opposite him across the little clear
ing stood Horta, the boar, with lower
ed head and foam fecked tusks,
ready to charge.
The black released the poisoned
arrow, and Tarzan saw it fly with the
quickness Of thought and lodge in the
bristling neck of the boar.
Scarcely had the shaft left his bow
ere Kulonga had fitted another to it,
but Horta, the boar, was upon him so
quickly that he had no time to dis
charge it. With a bound the black
leaped entirely over the rushing beast
and turning with incredible swiftness.
planted a second arrow in Horta's
back.