Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-19
CHAPTER V
A, the Bungdlow

LNoR two days Werper sought for
L the party that had accompanied
4 him from the camp to the barrier
cliffs; but not until late i'll the after
noon Of the second day did he find
clue to its whereabouts, and then in
such gruesome form that he was
totally unnerved by the sight.
In an open glade he came upon the
bodies of three of the blacks, terribly
i mutilated; nor did it require much de-
!, ductive power to explain their murder.
OF the little party only these three
had not been slaves. The others, evil
IDENTIFY tempted to hope for freedom
from their cruel Arab master, had
slain the three representatives of the
hated power which held them in slav-
cry and vanished into the jungle.
Cold sweat exuded from Werper's :
forehead as he contemplated the fa'e
which chance had permitted him to
escape, for had he been present when
the conspiracy bore fruit, he, too, must
have been Of the garnered.
Tarzan showed not the slightest
surprise or interest in the discovery.
Inherent in him was q calloused IA
miliarity with violent death. The re-
inements Of his recent civilization, eN-
plunged by the force OF the sad ca
lsmity which had befallen him, left
only the primitive sensibilities which
hts childhood's training had imprinted
indelibly upon the fabric OF his mind
The training OF kala, the examples
and precepts of Kerchak. Of Tublat,
and Of Terkoz, now formed the basis
OF his every thought and action. He
retained a mechanical knowledge OF
French and English speech. Werper
had spoken to him in French, and Tar
zan had replied III the same tongue
without conscious realization that he
had departed from the anthropoida!
speech in which he had addressed La.
Had Werper used English. the result
would have been the same.
l Again that night, as the two sat be-
fore their campfire, Tarzan played
with his shining baubles. Werper ask
ed him what they were and where
he had found them. The ape-man re.
piled that they were gay-co!ored stones
with which he purposed fashioninS
q necklace, and that he had found
them far beneath the sacrificial court
sof the temple OF the Flaming God
(. Werper was relieved to find that Tar
;zan had no conception OF the value Of
the gems This would make it easier
for the Belgian TO obtain possession
of them. Possibly the man would give
them to him for the asking. Werper
reached out his hand toward the lit
tie pile thas Tarzan had arranged
upon a piece Of fiat wood before him.
LET me see them" said the Bel
: sian.
Tarzan placed a large palm over his
treasure. He barred his fighting fangs
and growled. Werper withdrew his
hand more quickly than he had ad'
vanced it, Tarzan resumed his play.
ton with Werper as though nothing
unusual had occurred. He had but
exhibited the beasts jealous protective
instinct for, a possession. When he
killed, he shared the meat with Wer
per; but had Werper ever, by acci
dent, laid hand upon Tarzan's share
he would have aroused the same say
ago warning.
From that occurrence dated the be
ginning of a great fear in the breast
of the Belgian for his savage com
panion. He had never understood the
transformation tfat>had been wrought
in Tarzan by the blow upon his head
uther than to attribute it to a form
of amnesia. That Tarzan had once
been in truth a savage jungle beast
Werper had not known; and so, oi
course, he could not guess that the
man had reverted to the state il
which his childhood had been spent.
Now Werper saw in the Englishmar
a dangerous maniac, whom the slight
est untoward accident might turl
upon him with rending fangs.
Not for a moment did Werper al
tempt to delude himself into the be
lief that he could defend himself sue
cessfully against an attack by tn
apeman. His one hope lay in eludinI
him and making for the far.distan
camp of Achmet Eek as rapidly as h
could; but armed only with the sacr
ncial knife, Werper shrank from al
temnting the journey through tn
jungle. Tarzan constituted a protec
ton that was BY no means despicable
even in the face OF the larger earn
vora, as Werper had reason to &C
knowledge from the evidence he ha
witnessed in the oparian temple.
Moreover. Werper had his covetou
Bcul set upon the pouch Of gems, an
80 he was torn between the variou
Emotions OF avarice and fear. Blu
avarice 1t was that burned mos
strongly in his breast. to the end tha
he dared the dangers and suffered tn
terrors OF constant association wit
him he thought madman rather tina
give up the hope OF obtaining posse
sion OF the fortune which he-content
Of the little pouch represented.
Achmet Eek should know nothing Z
thess--they would be for Werpe
alone. and SO soon as he could encon