Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-09


there stood revealed before them in
the freight the straight young fig
ure of The white devil-god.
Fpr an instant the blacks were too
ast6nished to act. They feared this
apparition fully as much as they did
Numa, yet they would gladly have
slain the thing could they quickly
enough have gathered together theit
wits; but fear and superstition and
a natural mental density held them
paralyzed while the ape-man stopped
and gathered up the lion skin. They
saw him turn then and walk back
into the shadows at the far end of
the village. Not until then did they
gain courage to pursue him, and
when they had come in force, with
blandished spears and loud war
cries, the quarry was gone.
Not an instant did Tarzan pause
in the tree. Throwing the skin over
branch ne leaped again into the
village upon the opposite side of the
great bole, and diving into the
shadow of a hut, ran quickly to
whore lay the Gagged lion. Springing
to the top of the cage he pulled upon
the cord which raised the door, and
moment later a great lion in the
prime Of his strength and vigor
leaped out into the village.
The warriors, returning from fu-
tile search for Tarzan, saw him step
into the freight. All! there was the
devil-god again, up to his old trick.
Did he think he could twice fool the
men of Mbonga, the chief, the same
way in so short time? They would
show him! For long they had waited
for such an opportunity to rid them
selves forever of this fearsome jungle
demon. ASone they rushed forward
with raised spears.
The women and the children came
from the huts to witness the slay-
ing of the devl-god. The lion turned
blazing eyes upon them ands then
swung about toward the advancing
warriors.
With shouts of savage joy and
triumph they came toward him,
menacing him with their spears. The
devil-god was theirs!
And then, with frightful roar,
Numa, the lion, charged.
The men of Mbonga, the chief, met
Numa with ready spears and screams.
of raillery. In a solid mass Of
muscled ebony they waited the COM
ing of the devil-god; yet beneath
their brave, exteriors lurked haunt
ing fear that all might not be quite
well with them-that this strange
creature could yet prove invulnerablel /
to their weapons and inf1ict upon
them full punishment for their ef- {
frontery. The charging lion was all
too lifelike-they saw that in the
brief instant of the charge; but be-
meath the tawny hide they knew was
hid the soft flesh of a white man,
and how could that withstand the
assault of many war spears?
In their forefront stood a huge
young warrior in the full arrogance
OF his might and his youth. Afraid?
Not he! He laughed as Numa bore
down upon him; he laughed and
couched his spear, setting the point
for the broad breast. And then the
lion was upon him. A great paw
swept away the heavy war spear,
splintering it as the hand of man
might splinter dry twig.
Down went the black, his skull
crushed by another blow. And then,
the lion was in the midst of the war
riors, clawing and tearing to right
and left. Not for long did they
stand their ground; but dozen men
were mauled before the others made
good their escape from those fright
full talons and cleaning fangs.
In terror the villagers fled hither
and thither. No hut seemed a suffi-
ciently secure asylum with Numa
ranging within the palisade. From
one to anoth.r fled the frightened
blacks, while in the center of the
village Numa stood glaring and
growing above his kills.
At last a tribesman flung wide
the gates Of the village and sought
safety amid the b&nches of the for
est trees beyond.s Like sheep his
fellows followed him, until the lion
and his dead remained alone in the
village. r.
From the nearer trees the men OF
Mbonga saw the lion lower his great
head and seize one of his victims by
the shoulder and then with slow and
stately tread move down the village
street past the open gates and on.
into the jungle. They saw and shud-
dered, and from another tree Tarzan
of the Apes saw and smiled.
A full hour elapsed after the lion
had disappeared with his feast be-
fore the blacks ventured down from
the trees and returned to their viii
lage. Wide eyes rolled from side to
side, and naked flesh contracted more
to the chill of fear than to the chill
of the jungle night.
at was he all the time" mur-
INJURED one. at was the devil-god."
"He changeth himself from lion
to man, and back again into a lion,"
l,