The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-02-27


/ which Basuli had planned after dis.
covering the havoc and disaster which
had befallen the estate Of his dead
master.
The ape-man eyed the blacks with
curiosity. In the back of his brain
loitered fieeting sense of familiarity
with all that he saw, yet he could not
connect any Of the various forms of
life, animate and inanimate, which had
fallen within the range of his vision
since he had emerged from the dark
ness of the pits of Opar, with any
particular event of the past.
He watched the blacks scatter their
cook fire and depart; but though the
face of each of them had but recently
been as familiar to him as his own
they awakened within him no recol-
lections whatsoever.
When they had gone, he descended
from the tree and sought food. A
plump young zebra mare and stallion
grazed nearest to him as he neared
| the herd. 1t was instinct which Sc
lected the former for his meat A
low bush grew but few yards from
| the unsuspecting two. The ape-man
reached its shelter. He gathered his
| spear firmly in his grasp. Cautiously
! he drew his feet beneath him. In d
| single swift move he rose and cast
| his heavy weapon at the mares side.
Nor did he wait to note the effect of
| his assault, but leaped jcatlike after
| his spear his hunting knife in his
| hand.
For an instant the two animals
stood motionless. The tearing of the
| cruel barb into her side brought sud-
den scream of pain and fright from
the mare, and then they both wheeled
and broke for safety; but Tarzan of
the Apes, for distance Of a few
yards, could equal the speed of even
these, and the first stride of the mare
found her overhauled, with a savage
beast at her shoulder. She turned,
biting and kicking at her foe. Her
mate hesitated for an instant, as
though about to rush to her assist
ance; but backward glance revealed
| to him the flying heels of the balance
| Of the herd, and with snort and a
shake Of his head he wheeled and
| dashed oway.
| Clinging with one hand to the short
name of his quarry, Tarzan struck
again and again with his knife at the
unprotected heart. The result had,
from the first, been inevitable. The
mare fought bravely, but hopelessly,
and presently sank to the earth, her
4 heart pierced. The ape-man placed a
| foot upon her carcass and raised his
voice in the victory call Of the Man
gani.
Tarzan grasped his kill and dragged
| it to the partial seclusion of the bush
which had hidden his own near ap-
proach, and there he squatted upon it.,
cut q huge hunk Of flesh from the
loin and proceeded to Salty his hun
ger with the warm and dripping meat.
Attracted by the shrill screams Of
the mare a pair of hyenas skunk pres
emily into view. They trotted to a
point a few yards from the gorging
ape-man and halted. Tarzan looked
up, barred his fighting fangs and
growled. The hyenas returned the
compliment, and withdrew couple Of
PAGES. They made no move to attack {;
but continued to sit at respectful
/ distance until TarZan had concluded
his meal After the ape-man had cut
few strips from the carcass to carry
with him, he walked slowly off in the
direction of the river to quench his
thirst. His way lay directly toward
the hyenas, nor did he alter his course
because of them.
With all the lordly majesty of Numa,
the lion, he strobe straight toward the
growing beasts. For moment they
held their ground. bristling and de-
liant; but only for a moment. and then
skunk away to one side while the in
different ape-man passed them on his
lordly way. A moment later they were
tearing at the remains of the zebra.
At the river, Tarzan drank his I'LL
and bathed. During the heat Of the
day he lay up under the shade Of
tree near the ruins of his burned
barns. His eyes wandered out across
the plain toward the forest, and a
longing for the pleasures of its mys-
terious depths possessed his thoughts
for a considerable time. With the
next sun he would cross the open and
! enter the forest! There was no hurry
there lay before him an endless vista
of tomorrows with naught to oil them
but the satisfying of the appetites and
caprices of the moment. Recalling only
dimly any other existence, the ape
man was happy. Lord Greystoke had
pp0Sod tn oyiSt