The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-09-03


more raw flesh than he could eat; yet
1t was with no equanimity that ne
looked down upon Numa rending the
flesh Of Tarzan's kill. The. presump-
tion Of this strange Numa must De
punished! And forthwith Tarzan SET
out to make life miserable for the Dig
cat. Close by were many trees pear
ing large, hard fruits and to one OF
these the ape-man swung Win the
agility Of a squirrel. Then commenced
a bombardment which brought forth
earth-shaking roars from Numa.
was impossible for the tawny cat TO
eat under that hail of missiles-he
could but roar and growl and dodge
and eventually he was driven away en-
tirely from the carcass Of Bara, the
deer. He went roaring and resentful;
but in the very center of the clearing
his voice was suddenly hushed and
Tarzan saw the great head lower and
fiatten out. the body crouch and the
long tail quiver, as the beast skunk
cautiously toward the trees upon the
opposite side.
Immediately Tarzan was alert. He
lifted his head and shifted the slow.
jungle breeze. What was It that had
attracted Numa's attention and taken
him soft-footed and silent away from
the scene of his discontinue? Just
as the lion disappeared among the
trees beyond the clearing Tarzan
caught upon the down-coming wind the
explanation of his new interest-the
scent spoor of man was waited strong
ly to the sensitive nostrils. Caching
the remainder of the deer's hind quar-
ter in the crotch of a tree the ape
man moved through the trees, the
shadow of a wrath. The savage cat
ry almost simultaneously, though both
had known before it came within the
vision of their eyes that 1t was black
man. Their sensitive nostrils had told
them this much and Tarzan's had told
him that the scent spoor was that of a
stranger-old and male, for race and
sex and age each has its own distinc-
tive scent. 1t was an old man that
made his way alone through the
gloomy jungle, a wrinkled dried up
little old man, hideously SCARED and
tattooed and strangely garbed, with the
skin of a hyena about his shoulders
and the dried head mounted upon his
gray pate. Tarzan recognized the ear
marks OF the witch-doctor and await
ed Numa's charge with a feeling of
pleasurable anticipation, for the ape
man had no love for witch-doctors !;
but in the instant that Numa did
charge. the white man suddenly re-
called that the lion had stolen his kill
few minutes before and that revenge
Is sweet.
The first intimation the black mai
had that he was in danger was TIL.
crash Of twigs as Numa charged
through the bushes into the game trail
not twenty yards behind him. Then
he turned to see huge, black-maned
lion racing toward him and, even as
he turned, Numa seized him. At the
same instant the ape-man dropped
from an overhanging limb full upon
the lions back and as he alighted he
plunged his knife into the tawny side
behind the left shoulder, tangled the
fingers of his right hand in the long
name. buried his teeth in Numa's neck
s'AAN NOhhu hio Po"OiAui iSSo ocCoe
the beasts torso. With roar of pain
and rage, Numa reared up and fell
backward upon the ape-man; but still
the mighty man-thing clung to his hold
and repeatedly the long knife plunged
deeply into his side. Over and over
rolled Numa, the lion, clawing and Bit
ing at the air, roaring and growing
horribly in savage attempt to reach
the thing upon its back. More than
once was Tarzan almost brushed from
his hold. He was battered and bruised
and covered with blood from Numa and
dirt from the trail, yet not for an in
stant did he lessen the ferocity of his
mad attack nor his grim hold upon the
back of his antagonist. Where he had
fallen beneath the spring of the lion
the witch-doctor lay, torn and bleed
ing. unable to drag himself away and
watched the terrific battle between
these two lords of the jungle. His
sunken eyes glittered and his wrinkled
lips moved over toothless gums as he
mumbled weird incantations to the
demons of his cult.
For time he felt no doubt as to
lAC SlIdIRe NUlte
must certainly succumb to terrible
Numa-whoever heard of lone man
armed only with a knife Staying so
mighty a beasti Yet presently the old
black mans eyes went wider and he
commenced to have his doubts and
misgivings. What wonderful sort of
creature was this that battled with
Numa and held his own despite the
mighty muscles of the king of beasts?
Then slowly there dawned in those
sunken eyes, cleaning so brightly
from the Scared and wrinkled face.
the light of dawning recollection.
1t was the picture of a 1.-THE. white
skinned youth swinging through the
trees in company with a band of huge
apes, and the old eyes blinked and q
great fear came into them--the super
stitious fear of one who believes in
.slOSfS and SDfrifS aDd f1annonc