Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-19


rose with sudden start and faced them.
The sight that met his eyes must have
frozen him with horror, for there, within
the door, stood three great bull apes,
while behind them crowded many more;
how many he never knew for his re-
volvers were hanging on the far wall be-
side his rifle. and Kerchak was charging.
When the king ape released the limp
form which had been John Clayton, Lord
Greystoke, he turned his attention toward
, the little cradle; but Kala was there be-
fore him, and when he would have
grasped the child she snatched 1t herself,
and before he could intercept her she had
| bolted through the door and taken refuge
In high tree.
AS she took up the little live baby Of
Alice Clayton she dropped the dead body
OF her own into the empty cradle; for
the wall of the living had answered the
call of universal motherhood within her
wild breast which the dead could not still.
High UP among the branches of a
mighty tree she hugged the shrieking
infant to her bosom, and soon the instinct
that was as dominant In this fierce fe-
male as II had been in the breast of his
tender and beautiful mother-the instinct
of mother love-reached out to the tiny
man-Child's half-formed understanding,
and he became quiet
them, and the son of an English lord
and an English lady nursed at the breast
of kala, the great ape.
In the meantime. the beasts within the
cabin were warily examining the con-
tents of this strange lair
Once satisfied that Clayton was dead,
kerchak turned his attention to the
thing which lay upon the bed, covered
by piece of sailcloth.
Gingerly he lifted one corner of the
shroud, but when he saw the body of
the woman beneath he tore the cloth
roughly from her form and seized the
still white throat in his huge. hairy
hands.
moment he let his fingers sink deep
into the cold flesh, and then, realizing
that she was already dead, he turned
from her to examine the contents OF the
room; nor did he again molest the body
OF either Lady Alice or Sir John
The rifle hanging upon the wall caught
his first attention; II was for this strange,
death-dealing thunder-stick that he had
yearned for months; but now that 1t
was within his grasp he scarcely had
the temerity to seize 1t.
Cautiously he approached the thing
ready to flee preciptately should it
speak In its deep roaring tones, as he
had heard 1t speak before, the last words
to those of his kind who, through ig-
norance or rashness had attacked the
wonderful white ape that had borne 1t.
Deep In the beasts intelligence was
something which assured him that the
thunder-stIck was only dangerous when
in the hands of one who could manipulate
1t, but yet 1t was several minutes ere
he could bring himself to touch It.
Instead, he walked back and forth along
the floor before it, turning his head so
that never once did his eyes leave the OBJ
ject of his desire.
Using his long arms as n man uses
crutches, and rolling his huge carcass
from side to side with each stride, the
great king ape paced to and fro. uttering
deep growls, occasionally punctuated
with that ear-piercing scream, than which
there is no more terrifying noise in all
the jungle.
Presently he halted before the rife.
Slowly he raised huge hand until it
almost touched the shining barrel. only to
withdraw 1t once and continue his hurried
pacing.
1t was as though the great brute by this
show of fearlessness, and through the
medium of his wild voice, were endeavor-
ing to bolster up his courage to the point
which would permit him to take the rifle
in his hand.
Again he stopped. and this time sue
ceeded in forcing his reluctant hand to
the cold STEEL only to snatch 1t away
less beat.
Time after time this strange ceremony
was repeated, but on each occasion with
increased confidence until. finally. the
rife was torn from its hook and lay in
the grasp of the great brute.
Finding that it harmed him not, Ker-
chalk began to examine it closely. He felt
of 1t from end to end, peered down the
black depths of the muzzle, fingered the
sights. the breech. the stock and finally
the trigger
During all these operations the apes
who had entered sat huddled near tho
door watching their chief, while those
outside strained and crowded to catch
a glimpse of what transpired within.
Suddenly Kerchak's finger closed upon
the trigger. There was a deafening roar
in the little room and the apes at and
beyond the door fell over one another
in their wild anxiety to escape.
Kerchak was equally frightened; so
frightened, in fact. that he quite forgot
to throw aside the author of that fear
full noise, but bolted for the door with
1t tightly clutched in one hand.
AS he passed through the opening, the |
front sight of the rifle caught upon the |
edge of the inswung door with sufH-
Client force to close it tightly after the |
fleeing ape.
When Kerchak came to halt a short |
that he still held the rife, he dropped |
It as he might have dropped a red-hot
iron, nor did he again essay to recover
1.-THE noise was too much for his brute
nerves; but he was now quite convinced |
that the terrible stick was quite harm
less by itself If left alone.
1t was an hour before the apes could
again bring themselves to approach the
cabin to continue their Investigations.
and when they finally did so. they found
10 their chagrin that the door was closed
and so securely fastened that they could .
not force IT,
The cleverly constructed latch which
Clayton had made for the door had
sprung as Kerchak passed out; nor could
the apes find means OF ingress through
he heavily barred windows.
After roaming about the vicinity for a
short time. they started back for the
ieeper forests and the higher land from
whence they had come.
Kala had not once come to earth with
her little adopted babe. but now Ker-
'hak called to her to descend with the
rest, and as there was no note of anger
n his voice she dropped lightly from
branch to branch and joined the others
,n their homewaTd march.
Those of the apes who attempted to ex-