Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-22

ing the corpse n terrific blow, at tn
same time emitting the growls and snarl
OF combat. The din Of the drum wa:
now Increased, as we'll as the frequency
OF the blows, and the warriors as eaci
approached the victim Of the hunt AM
delivered his bludgeon blow, Joined In th'
mad whirl Of the Death Dance
Tarzan was one Of the wild, leaplns
horde. His brown, sweat-streaked, mus
cular body, gllstenlng in the moonlight
shpne supple and graceful among the un-
conth, awkward, hairy brutes about him.
None more craftily steaithy in tho
mimic hunt, none more ferocious than
he in the wild feroclty Of the attack,
nor none who leaped SO high into the air
in the Dance OF Death.
As the noise and rapidlty of the drum
beats Increased the dancers apparently
became intoxicated with the wild rhythm
and the savage yells Their leaps and
bounds increased, their barred fangs drip
ped saliva, and their lips and breasts were
flecked with foam.
For half an hour the weird dance went
on, until, at a sign from Kerchak, tho
| noise of the drums ceased. tho female
| drummers scamperlng hurrledly through
| the line OF dancers toward the outer rim
OF squattlng spectators Then, ae one
man, the males rushed headlong upon
the thing which their terrific blows had
reduced to mass Of hairy pulp.
Flesh seldom came to their Jaws in
satisfying quantities, so n it finale 70
their wild revel was a taste of fresh
killed meat, and It was to the purpose OF
devouring their late enemy that they now
turned their attention.
Great fangs sunk into the carcass, tear
Ing away huge hunks, the mightiest of |
the apes obtaining the choicest morsels,
while the weaker clrcled the outer edge
of the fighting. snarling pack awaiting
their chance to dodge in and snatch n
dropped tit-bit or flch a remaining bone
before all was gone.
Tarzan, more than the apes, craved and
needed flesh. Descended from a race of
meat eaters, never in his life. he thought,
had he once satisfied his appetite for
animal food and so now his agile little
body wormed Its way far into the mass
of struggling, rending apes in an en-
deavor to obtain n share which his
strength would have been unequal to the
task of winning for him.
AT his side hung the hunting knife of
his unknown father in a sheath self
fashioned In copy Of one he had seen
among the pictures OF his treasure books |
AT last he reached the fast disappear |
ing feast and with his sharp knife slashed |
hoped for, an entire hairy forearm,
where 1t protruded from beneath the feet ,
u the mighty Kerchak, VINO was SO
'usily engaged In perpetuatlng the royal
'rerogative OF hogging that he failed to \
tote the act of lese majestic.
so little Tarzan wriggled out from be-
leath the struggling mass. clutchng his
'risly prize close to his breast.
Among those clrcling futilely the out ',
hlnOupfhrg nj rT,,hI
lie mad been among the first at the feast. I
ut had retreated with a goodly share to -
at In quiet, and was now forcing his :,
ray back for more. N
So 1t was that he spied Tarzan as the
10y emerged from the clawIng, pushing a
1rong with that hairy forearm hugged el
rmly to his body. H.
Tublats little, close-set, blood shot, mig \,
yes shot wicked CLEANS of hate as they ~,
ell upon the object of his loathlng. In H.
hem, too, was greed for the toothsome h,
alnty the boy carried. -,
But Tarzan saw his arch enemy as q, a,
ulcKy and divining what the ereat q,
east would do he leaped nimbly away -
'Ward the women and children, hoping .h
hide himself among them. Tublat, -,
oweVer' was close upon his heels. SO N'
lat ne mad no opportunity to seek a
ace OF concealment. but saw that he
ould be put to it to escape at ali.
swiftly he sped toward the surrounding v,
ees ana with an agile bound gained Hi
wer limb with one hand. and then \
ansferring his burden to his teeth, he
imoed rapidly upward, closely followed MI
Y Tublat. "" ni
Up. UP he went to the waving pinnacle a.
lofty monarch of the forest where ~
s heaVy pursuer dared not follow him. M.
lere he perched, hurting taunts and in We
It's at the raging, foaming beast fifty n
ct below him. 70
And then Tublat went mad. 10
with horrifying screams and roars be W
shed to the ground, among the femaIes pc
10 young. sinking his great fangs into NJ,
dozen tiny necks and tearing great I.. lt
eces from the backs and breasts OF the aM ~
males who fell into his clutches. Mo
N the brilliant moonlight Tarzan wit tro m
ssed the whole mad carnival of rage ou
, saw the females and the vouns
amper to the safety of the trees. Then
Q great bulls In the centre of the arann
I the mighty fangs OF their demented -
low and with ono accord they melted
% the black shadows OF the over-hang- -
: forest. =
There was but one In the anphith.st-. /
side Tublat. belated female running /
irtly toward the tree where Tarzan
'ched and close behind her came the L
'ful Tublat. Z
t was Kala. and as quickly as Tar
n saw that Tublat was gaining nm bar
dropped with the rapidity of a falling \
me. from branch to branch, toward his
ter mother. ''''
Tow she was beneath the overhaneipp
lbs and close above her crouched Tar.
n' waiting the outcome of the raca l
he leaped Into the air graspinR a lou
nging branch. but almost over the head L
Tublat, so nearly had he distanced Il
: She should have been safe now bmt h
IRE was rending, tearing sound, ths y
inch broke and precipitated her fmII II
on the head OF Tublat, knocking him n
the ground. '''i' /
10Th were up In an instant. but ss
OK as they had been Tarzan had basn Il
cker' so that the tnfuriated bull found =
nselt racing the man-child who stood
ween him and Kala.
othing could have suited thA fare. II
Ist DETER and with roar Of triumnb
leaped upon the little Lord Grew
Ke, But his fangs never closed in thai
brown flesh. 80 '"A'
muscular hand shot out and Rrasnaa h
marry throat, and another plunged n
n hunting knife a dozen times int II
broad breast. Like lightnIne the II
VS. fell, and only ceased when Tarzsn II
the limp form crumple beneath bin, n
the BODY rolled to the ground Tar I