The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-09-24
CHAPTER VII.
The Theft Of the Jewels.

For two days Werper sought 1or the
party that had accompanied rim from
the camp to the barrier cliffs' put hol
until late in the afternoon OF the sec
ond day did he find clew to It's where-
abouts, and then in such gruesoIhe
form that he was totally unnerved oy
| the sight.
In an open glade he came upon tlie
bodies of three of the blacks, Terribly
mutilated, nor did it require CONSIDER
able deductive power to explain their
murder OF the little party only these
three had not been slaves. The others,
evidently tempted to hope for freedom
from their cruel Arab master, had
taken advantage of their separation
| from the main camp, to slay the three
| representatives of the hated power
which held them in slavery, and van
ish into the jungle.
l., Tarzan showed not the slightest
surprise or interest in the discovery.
Inherent in him was calloused ia
miliarity with violent death. The re-
finements of his recent civilization ex-
plunged by the force of the sad calam-
ity which had befallen him, left only
| the primitive sensibilities which his
childhood's training had imprinted In
delibly upon the fabric of his mind.
Again, that night, as the two sat
before their camp fire, Tarzan played
with his shining baubles. Werper
asked him what they were and where
he had found them. The ape-man re-
piled that they were gay-colored
stones, with which he purposed fash
ioning q necklace, and that he had
found them far beneath the sacrificial
court of the temple of the Flaming
God.
| Werper was relieved to find that
Tarzan had no conception Of the value
Of the gems. Possibly the man would
| give them to him for the asking. Wer-
per reached out his hand toward the
little pile that Tarzan had arranged
upon a piece Of fat wood before him.
"Let me see them" said the Bel
gian.
Tarzan placed a large palm over
his treasure. He barred his fighting
fangs and growled. Werper with
drew his hand more quickly than he
had advanced 1t. Tarzan resumed his
playing with the gems and his conver'
sation with Werper as though nothing
unusual had occurred. He had but ex-
hibited the beasts jealous protective
| instinct for a possession. When he
killed he shared the meat with Wer-
per; but had Werper ever, by acci.
dent, laid hand upon Tarzan's share
he would have aroused the same saw.
age and resentful warning.
From that occurrence dated the be.
ginning of a great fear in the breast
of the Belgian for his savage compan.
ion. He had never understood the
transformation that had been wrought
in Tarzan by the blow upon his head
other than to attribute it to a form
of amnesia. That Tarzan had once
been. in truth. savage, jungle beast
| Werper had not known, and so, OF
course, he could not guess that the
man had reverted to the state In
which his childhood and young man.
hood had been spent.
| Now Werper saw in the Englishmau
dangerous maniac, whom the slight.
| est untoward accident might turn
upon him with rending fangs. His
one hope lay In eluding him, and max.
| ing for the far distant camp Of Ach.
met Eek as rapidly as he could: but
armed only with the sacrificial knife
| Werper shrank from attempting the
journey through the jungle. Tarzan
constituted a protection that was by
no means despicable. even in the face
| OF the larger carnivora, as Werpel
had reason to acknowledge from the
| evidence he had witnessed In the
Oparian temple.
Achmet Eek should know nothing OF
the jewels-these would be for Wer'
per alone, and as soon as he could en-
compass his design he would reach
the coast and take passage for Amer
lea, where he could conceal himself
beneath the veil of a new identity
and enjoy to some measure the fruits
| of his theft.
1t was upon the third day of their
progress from Opar that the keen ears
of Tarzan caught the sound of men
behind them. Werper heard nothing
above the humming of the jungle in
sects and the chattering life of the
lesser monkeys and the birds.
For time Tarzan stood in statu-
esque silence, listening, his sensitive
nostrils dilating as he assayed each
passing breeze. Then he withdrew
Werper into the concealment of thick
brush and waited. Presently along
the game trail that Werper and Tar
zan had been following there came in
sight sleek black warrior, alert and
watchful
It ------------i