Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-31

He, too, sidled, stiff Legged, and
growled
"Teeka is Tarzan's.' said the ape
man, in the low gutturnis or the great
anthropoids.
''Teeka is Taug's," replied the bull
ape.
Thaka and Numgo and Gunto, dis
turbed by the. growlngs of the two
young bulls, looked up half apathetic.
half interested. They were sleepy. but
they sensed a fight. It would break the
monotony of the humdrum jungle life
they led.
Coiled about his shoulders was Tar
zan's long grass rope. in his hand was
the hunting knife of the long dead
| father he had never known. In Taug' s
little brain lay great respect for the
shiny bit of sharp metal which the ape :
boy knew so well how to use. With it
had he slain Tublat. his fierce foster
father. and Bolgani, the gorilla. Taug
| knew these things, and SO he came
warily. circling about Tarzan in search
Of an opening The latter, made
cautious because of his lesser bulk and
the inferiority of his natural armament,
followed similar tactics.
For time il seemed that the alterca
ton would follow the way Of the ma
jority Of such differences between mem
bers of the tribe and that one of them
would finally. lose interest and wander
off to prosecute some other line of en-
deavor. Such might have been the end
of it had the caShs belli been other than
| il was but Teeka was fattered at the
attention that was being drawn to her
and by the fact that these two young
bulls were contemplating battle on her
| account
| Such thing never before had oc-
Cured in Teekas brief life. She had
seen other bulls battling for other and
older shes. and in the depth of her wild
| little heart she had longed for the day
when the jungle grasses would be red
dened with the blood of mortal combat
for her fair sake.
So now she squatted upon her
launches and insulted both her admir-
ers impartially. She hurled taunts at
them for their cowardice. and called
them vile names. such as Histah. the
snake. and Dango. the hyena. She
threatened to call Mumga to chastise
old that she could no longer climb aud
so toothless that she was forced to con :
fine her diet almost exclusively to ba-
nanas and grubworms.
The apes who were watching heard
and laughed. Taug was infuriated
He made a sudden lunge for Tarzan,
but the ape eboy leaped nimbly to one
side. eluding him. and with the quick
ness of cat wheeled and leaped back
again to close quarters. His hunting
knife was raised above his head as he
came in. and he aimed a vicious blow
at Taug's neck. The ape wheeled to
dodge the weapon so that the keen blade
struck him but glancing blow upon
the shoulder.
The spurt of red blood brought
shrill cry of delight from Teeka. All :!
but this was something worth while! !
She glanced about to see if others had
witnessed this evidence of her popu-
larity. Helen of Troy was never one
whit more proud than was Teeka at
that moment.
If Teeka had not been so absorbed in
her own tvaingloriousness she might
have noted the rustling of leaves in the
tree above her-a rustling which was
not caused by any movement of the
wind. since there was no wind. And
had she looked up she might have seen
sleek body crouching almost directly
over her and wicked yellow eyes glaring
hungrily down upon her. but Teeka
did not look up.
With his wound Taug had backed off
ha, rra boH I'll
him. screaming insults at him. and
menacing him with his brandishing
blade. Teeka moved from beneath the
tree in an effort TO keep close to the
duelists.
The branch above Teeka bent and
swayed a trife with the movement of
the body of the watcher stretched along
it. Taug had halted now and was pre-
pairing to make a new stand. His lips
were hecked with foam. and saliva
drooled from his jowls. He stood with
head lowered and arms outstretched.
preparing for a sudden charge to CLOSE
quarters. Could he but lay his mighty
hands upon that soft, brown skin the
battle woulds be his. Taug considered
Tarzan's manner of fighting unfair. He
; would not close. Instead, he leaped
nimbly just beyond the reach Of Taug's
muscular fingers.
The ape boy had as vet never come
to real trial of strength with bull
ape, other than in play, and so he was
not at all sure that it would be safe to
put his muscles to the test in life
and death struggle. Not that he was
afraid, for Tarzan knew nothing of
fear. The instinct of self preservation
gave him caution-that was all. He
took risks only when it seemed neces-
sary, and then he would hesitate at
nothing.
His own method of fighting seemed
best fitted to his builG and to his arma
ment. His teeth, while strong and
sharp. were, as weapons of Offense, pitt
fully inadequate by comparison with the
mighty fighting fangs of the anthropoids.
BY dancing about, just out of reach
of an antagonist, Tarzan could do in
finite injury with his long, sharp hunt
ing knife, and at the same time escape
many of the painful and dangerous
wounds which would be sure to follow
his falling into the clutches of bull
ape.
And so Taug charged aud beloved
! like bull, and Tarzun of the Apes
danced lightly to this size and that,
hurling jungle billingsgate at his foe,
the while he nickpd him now and AGAIN