The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-09-10
CHAPTER III.-continued.


81
Behind him that morning another
white man pondered something he had
heard during the night and very near
" did he give up his project and turn
back upon his trail. 1t was Werper,
who in the still of the night had heard
far away upon the trail ahead of him
a sound that had filed his cowardly
soul with terror-a sound such as he
never before had heard in all his life, |
nor dreamed that such a frightful
thing could emanate from the lungs
Of a God-created creature. He had
heard the victory cry of the bull ape
as Tarzan had screamed it forth into |
the face of Goro the moon, and he had |
trembled then and hidden his face;
and now in the broad light of new
day he trembled again as he recalled |
1t, and would have turned back from |
the nameless danger the echo of that |
frightful sound seemed to portend.
had he not stood in even greater fear
of Achmet Eek, his master.
And so Tarzan of the Apes forged
steadily ahead toward Opar's ruined
ramparts and behind him skunk Wer-
per. jackal-like, and only God knew
what lay in store for each.
At the edge Of the desolate valley,
overlooking the golden domes and
minarets Of Opar. Tarzan halted. By
night he would go alone to the treas
ure vault. reconnoitering, for he had
determined that caution should mark
his every move upon this expedition.
With the coming of night he set
forth, and Werper, who had scaled the
cliffs alone behind the ape-man's party.
and hidden through the day among the
rough boulders of the mountain top,
skunk stealthily after him. He saw
the giant ape-man swing himself
nimbly up the face of the great rock.
Werper. clawing fearfully during the
perilous ascent, sweating In terror, al
most palsied by fear. but spurred on
ny avarice. followed upward. until at
aast he stood upon the summit Of the
rocky hill.
Tarzan was nowhere In sight. For
time Werper hid behind one Of the
lesser boulders that were scattered
over the top of the hill, but, seeing or
hearing nothing Of the Englishman, he
'crept from his place of concealment to
undertake systematic search of his
surroundings, in the hope that he
might discover the location of the
treasure In ample time to make his
escape before Tarzan returned, for 1t
was the Belgian's desire merely to To-
cate the gold so that, after Tarzan had
departed, he might come in safety with
his followers and carry away as much
as he could transport
He found the narrow cleft leading
downward into the heart of the kopje
along well-worn, granite steps. He
advanced quite to the dark mouth of
the tunnel into which the runway dis
appeared; but here he halted, fearing
to enter. lest he meet Tarzan return
Ing.
The ape-man, far ahead of him,
groped his way along the rocky pas
sage, until he came to the ancient
wooden door. A moment later he stood
within the treasure chamber, where,
ages since, long dead hands had ranged
the lofty rows of precious ingots for
the rulers of that great continent which
no"- lies submerged beneath the wa
ters of the Atlantic
There was no evidence that another
had discovered the forgotten wealth
since last the ape-man had visited its
hiding place. Satisfied, Tarzan turned
and retraced his steps toward the sum
nit of the kopje. Werper. from the
concealment of jutting granite shoul-
der, watched him pass up from the
shadow of the stairway and advance
toward the edge of the hill which faced
the rim of the valley where the Waziri
awaited the signal of their master.
Then Werper, slipping stealthily from
his hiding place, dropped into the SOM
ber darkness of the entrance and dis
appeared.
Tarzan, halting upon the kopje's
edge. raised his voice in the thunder.
GUS roar of a lion. Twice, at regular
Intervals, he repeated the call, stand
ing In attentive silence for several
minutes after the echoes of the thir6
call had died away. And then, from
far across the valley, family came al
answering roar-once, twice, thrice
Basuli, the Waziri chieftain, hat
heard and replied.
Tarzan again made his way toward
the treasure vault, knowing that in {
few hours his blacks would be will
him, ready to bear away another for
tune in the strangely shaped, COLDER
ineots Of Opar. In the meantime h,