Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-11-30


your letter, nor did offer to harm
you, and unless I am mistaken he
left very substantial memento OF
his friendship outside the cabin door
last night, for I just found the car
cass of a wild boar there as I came
out"
!. From then on scarcely day passed
that did not bring its offering Of game
or other food. Sometimes it was
young deer, again a quantity Of strange
cooked food, cassava cakes pilfered
from the village Of Mbonga, or boar
or leopard, and once lion.
Tarzan derived the greatest pleasure
Of his life in hunting meat for these
strangers. 1t seemed to him that no
pleasure on earth could compare with
llaboring for the welfare and protection
of the beautiful white girl.
Some day he would venture into the
camp in daylight and talk with these
people through the medium Of the little
bugs which were familiar to them and
to Tarzan.
But he found it difficult to overcome
the timidity of the wild thing Of the
forest, and so day followed day with
out seeing a fulillment of his good in
tentions.
The party in the camp, emboldened
by familiarity, wandered farther and
farther into the jungle in search of
nuts and fruit.
Scarcely day passed that did not
| find Professor Porter straying In his
pre-occupied indifference toward the
jaws Of death. Mr. Samuel T. Philan-
der, never what one might call robust,
was worn to the shadow Of shadow
through the ceaseless worry and mem
tai distraction resulting from his her
culean efforts to safeguard the profess
sor
A month passed. TarZan had finally
determined to visit the camp by day
light.
It was early afternoon. Clayton had
wandered to the point at the harbor's
mouth to look for passing vessels.
Here he kept a great mass Of wood
high piled ready to be lighted as sig
nal should a steamer or a sail top the
far horizon.
| Professor Porter was wandering
along the beach south Of the camp,
with Mr. Philander at his elbow urging
him to turn his steps back before the
two became again the sport Of some
savage beast.
The others gone, Jane Porter and
Esmeralda had wandered into the jun
gle to gather fruit and in their search
were led farther and farther from the
cabin.
Tarzan waited in silence before the
door Of the little house until they
should return.
His thoughts were Of the beautiful
white girl. They were always Of her
now. He wondered If she would fear
him, and the thought all but caused
him to relinquish his plan.
While he waited he passed the time
printing a message to her. Whether
he intended giving it to her himself
he could not have told, but he took in
finite pleasure in seeing his thoughts
expressed in print, in which he was not
so uncivilized after all. He wrote:
T am Tarzan Of the apes. I am yours.
You are mine. We will live here to-
gether always in my house. I will
bring you the best fruits the tender
est deer, the finest meats that roam
the jungle.
Il will hunt for you. I am the great
est Of the jungle hunters.
81 will fight for you. I am the
mightiest Of the jungle fighters.
You are Jane Porter. I saw it in
your letter. When you see this you
will know that it is for you and that
Tarzan Of the apes loves you"
AS he stood straight as young In
dian, by the door waiting, after he had
finished the message, there came to his
keen ears a familiar sound. 1t was the
passing Of a great ape through the
lower branches of the forest.
| For an instant he listened intently,
and then from the jungle came the ag-
onized scream Of a woman and Tarzan
Of the apes, dropping his first love let
ter upon the ground, shot like pam
ther into the forest.
Clayton also heard the scream, and
Professor Porter and Mr.. Philander
and in a few minutes they came pant
ing to the cabin, calling out to each
other as they approached a volley Of
excited questions. A glance within
confirmed their worst fears.
Jane porter and Esmeralda were not
there.
Instantly Clayton. followed by the
two old men, plunged into the jungle,
calling the girls name aloud. For half
an hour they stumbled on until Clay
ton, by the merest chance, came upon
the PROSTATE form Of Esmeralda.
| He stopped beside her, feeling for
her pulse and then listening for her
heart beats. She lived. He shook her.
"Esmeralda!" he shrieked in her ear.
"Esmeralda! Where is Miss Porter?
What has happened? Esmeralda!"
Slowly the black opened her eyes.
She saw Clayton. She saw the jungle
about her.
"Oh. GABRIEL" she screamed and
tainted again.
| By that time Professor Porter and
Mr.. Philander had come up.
What shall we do, Mr.. Clayton?"
asked the old professor Where shall
we look? Heaven could not have been
so cruel as to take my little girl away
from me now."
I'VE must rouse Esmeralda first"
replied Clayton. "She can tell us what
has happened. Esmeralda!" he cried
again. shaking the black woman
roughly by the shoulder
| 80 &c tn