The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1921-01-14

| the pain and the rage wiped caution
| frnm his mind. and with loud and
| angry roar he topped the barrier with
an easy leap and was among the
| horses.
| What had been pandemonium be-
fore became now an indescribable tu-
multi of hideous sounds. The stricken
horse upon which the lion leaped
shrieked out its terror and its agony.
Several about it broke their tethers
and plunged madly about the camp.
Men leaped from their blankets and
with guns ready ran toward the
picket line. and then from the jungle
beyond the bona dozen lions, EN-
boldened by the example Of their fel-
low, charged fearlessly upon the camp.
Amidst the cracking of the rifles
and the growls of the carnivora rose
the death screams of stricken men and
horses as they were dragged down by
the blood-mad cats. The leaping car
nivora and the plunging horses pre-
| vented any concerted action by the
| Abyssinians-it was every man for
himself-and in the melee the defense
less woman was either forgotten or
| ignored by her black captors.
| A horse, struck by stray bullet,
fell beside Jane Clayton. a lion leaped
across the expiring beast full upon the
breast of black trooper just beyond.
Gaping fangs closed with single
sickening crunch upon the fear-dis-
torted face, and the lion strobe back
across the body of the dead horse. drag
| ging his limp and bloody burden with
him.
| Wide-eyed the girl stood watching.
She saw the carnivOre step upon the
corpse. stumblingly, as the grisly thing
swung between its forepaws, and her
| eyes remained fixed In fascination
while the beast passed within few
PAGES of her.
The interference of the body seemed
to enrage the lion. He shook the In
animate clay venomously. He growled
and roared hideously at the dead, in
sensate thing, and then he dropped 1t
and raised his head to look about in
search of some living victim upon
which to wreak his i'll temper. His
yellow eyes fastened themselves bale
fully upon the figure of the girl, the
bristling lips raised. disclosing the
grinning fangs. A terrific roar broke
from the savage throat, and the great
beast crouched to spring upon this
new and helpless victim.
Quiet had fallen upon the camp
where Tarzan and Werper lay securely
bound. Silently and powerfully the
ape-man strained ut the bonds which
fettered his wrists.
The muscles knotted beneath the
smooth brown skin of his arms and
shoulders. the veins stood out upon
his temples from the force of his ex-
ertions-a strand parted. another and
another, and one hand was free. Then
| from the jungle came a low cultural,
and the ape-man became suddenly q
silent. rigid statue with ears and nos
trils straining to span the black void
where his eyesight could not reach.
Again came the uncanny sound from
the thick verdure beyond the camp.
The sentries drew close together.
| watching the black spot from which
the voice seemed to come.
They dared not approach. Their
terror even prevented them from
arousing their fellows-they could
only stand In frozen fear and watch
for the fearsome apparition they mo-
mentarily expected to see leap from
| the jungle.
Nor had they long to wait. dim,
bulky form dropped lightly from the
branches of tree into the camp. At
sight of 1t one of the sentries recov
| cred command of his muscles and his
voice. Screaming loudly. to awaken
the sleeping camp, he leaped toward
the Pickering watch fire and threw
mass of brush upon 1t.
The flames leaped high upon the re-
juvenated fire, lighting the entire
camp, and the awakened men shrank
back in superstitious terror from the
sight that met their frightened and
astonished vision.
A dozen huge and hairy forms
loomed large beneath the trees at the
far side of the inclosure. The white
giant. one hand free. had struggled to
his knees and was calling to the fright
full nocturnal visitors in hideous
medley of bestial gutturals, barkings
and growlings.
Growing, the great apes leaped for
ward toward Tarzan and Werper.
Chulk led them. The Belgian officer
called to his men to fire upon the in
truders; but the negroes held back,
filled as they were with superstitious
terror of the hairy tree-men, and with
the conviction that the white giant
who could thus summon the beasts of
the jungle to his aid was more than
human.
Drawing his own weapon the Off
Ger fired, and Tarzan, fearing the eff
feet of the noise upon his really timid
friends. called to them to hasten and
fulfill his commands. Chulk and a
| hnlf dozen nthars vadflInd ranidIu for