The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-12-17

were uut IL tne possession OF Arnnet
Eek, unless they were on the person of
the chief himself, Tarzan decided to
secure the person of the She before
further prosecuting his search for the
pouch.
Motioning for Chulk to follow him,
he passed out of the tent by the same
way that he had entered it, and walk
ing boldly though the village, made d.
rectly for the hut where Jane Clayton
had been imprisoned
As he approached the hut, the ape
man noticed that a crowd had collect
| ed about the entrance Fearing lest
Chulk's disguise should prove made
| quate to the concealment Of his true
identity in the face of so many observ-
ers, he commanded the ape to betake
| himself to the far end Of the village,
and there await him.
AS Chulk waddled off. keeping to
the shadows. Tarzan advanced boldly
toward the excited group before the
doorway Of the hut Shouldering his
way through the crowd he approached
the doorway, and had almost reached
it when one of the Arabs laid hand
upon his shoulder. crying: "Who Is
this?" at the same time snatching back
the hood from the ape-man's face.
Tarzan of the Apes In all his savage
| life had never been accustomed to
pause in argument with an antagonist.
He had his unmasker by the throat ere
the mans words had scarce quilted
his lips, and hurting him from side to
hruShad xx,I,a
have swarmed upon him.
Using the Arab as a weapon, Tar
zan forced his way quickly to the door
way. and moment later was within
| the hut. A hasty examination revealed
the fact that 1t was empty. and his
sense of smell discovered, too, the
scent spoor of Taglat the ape. Tar
| Zan uttered n low, ominous growl.
Those who were pressing forward at
the doorway to seize him. fell back as
the savage notes of the bestial chal-
lenge smote upon their ears. They
looked at one another in surprise and
CONSERVATION. A man had entered the
hut alone, and vet with their own ears
| they had heard the voice Of wild
| beast within. What could it mean?
Had lion or leopard sought sanctu-
| ary in the interior, unbeknown to the
sentries?
Tarzan's quick eyes discovered the
opening in the roof. through which
Taglat had fallen, and while the Arabs
hesitated without, he sprang, catlike
for the opening, grasped the top of the
wall and clambered out upon the roof
dropping instantly to the ground at
the rear of the hut.
When the Arabs finally mustered
courage to enter the hut, after firing
several volleys through the walls, they
found the interior deserted. At the
same time Tarzan, at the far end of
the villages sought for Chulk but the
| ape was nowhere TO be found
Robbed of his She, deserted by his
companions, and as much in ignorance
as ever as to the whereabouts of his
pouch and pebbles, 1t was an angry
Tarzan who climbed the palisade and
vanished into the darkness of the
| Jungle.
The course the ape-man was taking
would carry him but a short distance
to the right of them, and though he
could not have seen them the wind
was bearing down from them to him,
carrying their scent spoor strongly to-
ward him.
A moment more and Jane Clayton's
safety might have been assured, even
though Numa, the lion, was already
gathering himself in preparation for a
charge; but Fate. already all too cruel,
now outdid herself-the wind veered
suddenly for few moments. the scent
| spoor that would have led the ape-man
| to the girls side was waited in the op-
posite direction Tarzan passed within
| fifty yards of the tragedy that was be-
Ing enacted In the glade, and the op-
portunty was gone beyond recall.
1t was morning before Tarzan could
bring himself to realization of the
| possibility of failure In his quest, and
even then he would only admit that
| success was but delayed. He would
eat and sleep, and then set forth again.
| Taglat might travel far; but Tarzan
would find him in the end. though he
had TO search every tree in the mighty
| forest.
Soliloquizing thus, the ape-man fol-
lowed the spoor of Bara, the deer, the
unfortunate upon which he had decid-
| ed to satisfy his hunger. For half an
hour the trail led the ape-man toward
| the east along a well-marked game
path, when suddenly. to the stalker's
astonishment, the quarry broke into
sight, racing madly back along the mar
row way straight toward the hunter
Tarznn, who had been following
along the trail, leaped so quickly to
the concealing verdure at the side that
the deer was still unaware of the pres
ence of an enemy In this direction, and
while the animal was still some dis
tance away, the ape-man swung into
the lower branches of tree which
overhung the trail. There he crouched.
savage beast of prey awaiting the
coming of its victim.
CTO BE CONTINUED
GANr1. EIio$ Ler LaroipAr