Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-28
Tarzan and the Black Boy

1rayed remnants OF tne Ola one,
torn and severed by the fangs and
talons of Sheeta, the panther. Only
half the original rope was there,
the balance having been carried off
by the angry cat as he bounded
away through the jungle with the
moose still about his savage neck
and the loose end dragging among
the underbrush.
Tarzan smiled as he recalled
Sheeta's great rage, his frantic eff
forts to free himself from the en-
tangling strands, his uncanny
screams that were part hate. part
anger, part terror. He smiled in
retrospection at the discontinue of
his enemy, and in anticipation of
another day as he added an extra
strand to his new rope.
This would be the strongest, the
heaviest rope that Tarzan of the
Apes ever had fashioned. Visions of
Numa the lion, straining futilely in
his embrace thrilled the ape-man,
He was quite content, for his hands
and his brain were busy. Content,
too. were his fellows of the tribe of
Kerchak, searching for food in the
clearing and the surrounding trees
about him.
As Tarzan worked, GaZan, Teeka's S
little balu, played about while Teoka
sought food upon the opposite side
of the clearing. No more did Teeka,
the mother, or Taug, the sulIen sire,
harbor suspicion of Tarzan's inten-
tions toward their first-born. Had he
not courted death to save their
Gazan from the fangs and talons OF
Sheeta? Did he not fondle and
cuddle the little one with even as
great show of affection as Teeka
herself displayed? Their fears
were allayed and Tarzan now found
himself often in the role of nurse
maid to tiny anthropoid-an avo-
cation which he found by no means
irksome. since Gazan was a never
failing fount of surprises and enter
tainment.
Now he discovered the tail OF
the rope upon which Tarzan was
working. Grasping it in one small
hand he bounced away, for all the
world like an animated rubber ball,
snatching it from the ape-man 5
hand and running off across the
clearing. Tarzan leaped to his feet
and was in pursuit in an instant, no
Nrace of anger on his face or IN
his voice as he called to the rogulsh
little balu to drop his rope.
Straight toward his mother raced
Gazan, and after him came, Tarzan'
Teeke looked up from her feeding,
and in the first instant that She
realized that Gazan was fleeing and
that another was in pursuit, she
barred her fangs and bristled; but
when she saw that the pursuer was
Tarzan she turned back to the busl-
ness that had been occupying her at
tention. At her very feet the ape
man overhauled the balu and
though the youngster squealed and
fought when Tarzan seized him.
Teeka only glanced casually in Their
direction. No longer did she fear
harm to her frst-born at the hands
of the ape-man. Had he not saved
Gazan on two occasions?
Rescuing his rope, Tarzan re-
turned to his tree and resumed his
labor; but thereafter it was neces,
sary to watch carefully the playful
balu, who was now possessed tc
steal it whenever he thought his
great, smooth-skinned cousin was
momentarily off his guard.
But even under this handicap
Tarzan finally completed the rope
long, plant weapon, stronger thar
any he ever had made before. The
discarded piece of his former one he
gave to Gazan for a plaything, fol
Tarzan had it in his mind to in
struct Teeka's balu after ideas of hi:
own when the youngster should b'
old and strong enough to profit b!
his precepts. At present the LITTLE
apes innate aptitude for mimicr!
would be sufficient to familiarize hin
with Tarzan's ways and weapons
and so the aFe-man swung off int
the jungle, his new rope coi!ed owe
one shoulder, while little Gazal
hoped about the clearing dragging
the old one after him in childisl
glee.
AS Tarzan travelled, dividing hi
quest for food with one for a SUI
ficiently noble quarry whereupon t
test his new weapon, his mind ofte
was upon Gazan. The ape-man ha
realized a deep affection for Teeka
balu almost from the first, partl
because the child belonged to Teeks
his first love, and partly for the littl
apes own sake, and Tarzan's huma
longing for some sentient creatur
upon which to expend those nature
affections of the soul which are ir
herent to all normal members G
the genus homo. Tarzan envie
Teeka. 1t was true that GAIA
evidenced a considerable reciproca
ton of Tarzan's fondness for hin
even preferring him to his oW
surly sire; but to Teeka the littl
one turned when in pain or terro
when tired or hungry. Then it wa