Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-27

| than this behind 1t. with the thought
| he arose and removed his rifle from Its
| boot. He looked to its loads and saw
that the magazine was full Then ne
| inspected his revolver After this pre-
limnary precaution he scanned the sur
rounding heights and the mouths of the
several gorges-he was determined that
he should not be caught mapping.
The sun sank lower and lower, yet
there was no sign of returning spahis.
AT last the valley was submerged in
shadow. Tarzan was too proud to- go
back to camp until he had given the de-
tachment ample time to return to the
valley, which he thought was to have
been their rendezvous. With the closing
in of night he felt safer from attack,
for he was at home in the dark. He
knew that none might approach him SO
cautiously as to elude those alert and
sensitive ears of his; then there were his
eyes, too. for he could see well at night;
and his nose if they came toward him
from up-wind, would apprise him of the
approach of an enemy while they were
still great way Off.
So he felt that he was in little danger,
and thus lulled to sense of security he
fell asleep, with his back against the tree.
He must have slept for several hours,
for when he was suddenly awakened by
the frightened snorting and plunging OF
his horse, the moon was shining full upon
the little valley, and there, not 10 PAGES
before him, stood the grim cause OF the
terror of his mount.
Superb, majestic. his graceful tail ex-
tended and quivering, and his two eyes
of fire riveted full upon his prey, stood
Numa ell adrea, the black lion. A little
thrill of JOY tingled through Tarzan's
nerves. 1t was like meeting an old friend
n Fat To
he sat rigid to enjoy the magnificent
spectacle of this lord of the wilderness.
But now Numa was crouching for the
spring. Very slowly Tarzan raised his
gun to his shoulder. He had never killed
large animal with a gun in all his life
heretofore he had depended upon his
spear. his poisoned arrows, his rope. his
knife, or his bare hands. Instinctively
he wished that he had his arrows and his
knife-he would have felt surer with
them.
Numa was lying quite nat upon the
ground now, presenting only his head.
Tarzan would have preferred to fire a
little from one side. for he knew what
terrific damage the lion could do IL he
lived two minutes, or even a minute after
he was hit. The horse stood trembling
In terror at Tarzan's back. The apeman
took cautious step TO one sde-Numa
but followed him with his eyes. An.
other step he took. and then another.
Numa had not moved. Now he could
aim at point between the eye and the
ear.
His finger frightened upon the trigger,
and as he Aired Numa sprang AT the
same instant the terrified horse made a
last frantic effort to escape-ths tether
parted, and he went careening down tho
canyon toward the desert.
No ordinary man could have escaped
those frightful claws when Numa sprang
from so short a distance, but Tarzan
was no ordinary man. From earliest
childhood his muscles had been trained
by the fierce edgeneies OF his existence
to act with the rapidity OF thought As
quick as was el adrea, Tarzan OF the
Apes was quicker, and so the great beast
crashed against tree where he had ex-
pected to feel the soft flesh OF man,
while Tarzan, couple OF PAGES TO the
right, pumped another bullet into him
that brought him clawing and roaring 70
his side.
Twice more Tarzsn fred Ia quick sue
cession, ana then el adrea day still and
roared no mora 1t was no longer Mon
sieur Jean Tarzani IL was Tarzan OF the
Apes that put savage foot upon the
body Of his savage kill, and, raising his
race 10 the full moon, lifted his mighty
voice In the weird and terrible CHALLENGE
OF his kinda bull ape had made his XII.
And the wild things IN the wild noun
tains stopped in their hunting, ana
tremoled at this new ana awful voice
while down IN the desert the children of
the wilderness came out Of their goatskiu
tents ana looked toward the mountains.
wondering what new and savage scourFs
had come 20 devastats their hoeks
half mile from the valley IN which
iarzan stood, e score Of White-robed fiz-
ures, bearing long. wicked -lookink guns.
halted az the sound. ana looked az one
another with questioning eyes. But
presently, ae it was not repeated, they
took up their silent. slsalthy wav fowsrd
The valley
tafzan vac now confident that Gernola
had 30 iuteHtian of returning far I'M
els = could pet fsthom de ohl1ci tAat