Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-02

Gazan clung far out upon a sway
ing limb. At the first shake he lost
his balance, though he did not quite
fall, clinging still with his four
hands; but Toog redoubled his eff
forts; the shaking produced violent
swapping of the limb to which the
young ape clung. Teeka saw all too
plainly what the outcome must be
and forgetting her own danger in
the depth of her mother love, rushed
forward to ascend the tree and give
battle to the fearsome creature that
menaced the life of her little one.
But before ever she reached the
bole, Toog had succeeded, by violent
shaking of the branch, to loosen
Gazan's hold. With a cry the little
fellow plunged down through the
foliage, clutching futilely for new
hold, and alighted with a sickening
thud at his mothers feet, where he
lay silent and motionless. Moaning,
Teeka stopped to lift the still form
in her arms; but at the same instant
Toog was upon her.
Struggling and biting she fought
to free herself; but the giant muscles
of the great bull were too much for
her lesser strength. Toog struck and
choked her repeatedly until finally,
half unconscious, she lapsed into
quasi submission. Then the bull
lifted her to his shoulder and turned
back to the trail toward the south
whence he had come.
Upon the ground lay the quiet
form of little Gazan. He did not
moan. He did not move. The sun
rose slowly toward meridian. A
NANCY thing, lifting its nose to scent
the jungle breeze, crept through the
underbrush. It was Dango, the
hyena. Presently its ugly muzzle
broke through some nearby foliage
and its cruel eyes fastened upon
Gazan.
Early that morning Tarzan of the
Apes had gone to the cabin by the
sea, where he passed many an hour
at such times as the tribe was rang
ing in the vicinity. On the floor lay
the skeleton of a man-all that re-
mained of the former Lord Grey
stoke-lay as it had fallen some
twenty years before when Kerchak,
the great ape, had thrown it, lifeless,
there. Long since had the termites
and the small rodents picked clean
the sturdy English bones. For years
Tarzan had seen it lying there, CIV
ing it no more attention that he gave
the countless thousand bones that
strewed his jungle haunts. On the
bed another, smaller, skeleton re-
posed and the youth ignored it as he
ignored the other. How could he
know that the one had been his
father, the other his mother? The
little pile of bones in the rude cradle,
fashioned with such loving care by
the former Lord Greystoke, meant
nothing to him-that one day that
little skull was to help prove his
right to a proud title was as far be-
yond his ken as the satellites of the
suns of Orion. To Tarzan they were
bones-just bones. He did not need
them, for there was no meat left
upon them, and they were not in his
way, for he knew no necessity for a
bed, and the skeleton upon the floor
he easily could step over.
While Tarzan had been occupied
with his own devices in the cabin
of his dead sire, Taug, Teeka's
mighty mate, had been hunting a
mile to the north of the tribe. At
last, his belly filled, he had turned
lazily back toward the clearing
where he had last seen the tribe
and presently commenced passing
its members scattered alone or in
twos or threes. Nowhere did he see
Teeka or Gazan, and soon he began
inquiring Of the other apes where
they might be; but none had seen
them recently.
Now the lower orders are not
highly imaginative. They do not, as
you and I, paint vivid mental pic,
lures of things which might have
occurred, and SO Taug did not now
apprehend that any misfortune hat
overtaken his mate and their off
spring-he merely knew that h
wished to find Teeka that he nigh
lie down in the shade and have he
scratch his back while his break
fast digested; but though he callet
to her and searched for her ant
asked each whom he met, he coulC
. find no trace Of Teeka, nor of Gazal
either.
He was beginning to becom
peeved and had about made up hi
mind to chastise Teeka for wan
;. dering so far atield when he wante,
her. He was moving south along
game trail, his calloused soles an
;, knuckles giving forth no SOUND
, when he came upon Dango at tn
: opposite side of a small clearing
The eater of carrion did not Sc
Taug, for all his eyes were fo
something which lay in the grass be
meath tree-something upon whic
he was sneaking with the caution
stealth of his breed.
Taug, always cautious himself, a
it behooves one to be who fares u