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The tribe was still loitering about the clearing where stood the hut that Tarzan

and Bertha Kircher had built. Some were idly searching for food just within the

forest's edge, while others squatted beneath the shade of trees within the

clearing.

The girl had emerged from the hut, her tears dried and was gazing anxiously

toward the south into the jungle where Tarzan had disappeared. Occasionally she

cast suspicious glances in the direction of the huge shaggy anthropoids about

her. How easy it would be for one of those great beasts to enter the boma and

slay her. How helpless she was, even with the spear that the white man had left

her, she realized as she noted for the thousandth time the massive shoulders, the

bull necks, and the great muscles gliding so easily beneath the glossy coats.

Never, she thought, had she seen such personifications of brute power as were

represented by these mighty bulls. Those huge hands would snap her futile spear

as she might snap a match in two, while their lightest blow could crush her into

insensibility and death.

It was while she was occupied with these depressing thoughts that there dropped

suddenly into the clearing from the trees upon the south the figure of a mighty

young bull. At that time all of the apes looked much alike to Bertha Kircher, nor

was it until some time later that she realized that each differed from the others in

individual characteristics of face and figure as do individuals of the human races.

Yet even then she could not help but note the wondrous strength and agility of

this great beast, and as he approached she even found herself admiring the sheen

of his heavy, black, silvershot coat.

It was evident that the newcomer was filled with suppressed excitement. His

demeanor and bearing proclaimed this even from afar, nor was the girl the only

one to note it. For as they saw him coming many of the apes arose and advanced

to meet him, bristling and growling as is their way. Go-lat was among these

latter, and he advanced stiffly with the hairs upon his neck and down his spine

erect, uttering low growls and baring his fighting fangs, for who might say

whether Zu-tag came in peace or otherwise? The old king had seen other young

apes come thus in his day filled with a sudden resolution to wrest the kingship

from their chief. He had seen bulls about to run amuck burst thus suddenly from

the jungle upon the members of the tribe, and so Go-lat took no chances.

Had Zu-tag come indolently, feeding as he came, he might have entered the tribe

without arousing notice or suspicion, but when one comes thus precipitately,

evidently bursting with some emotion out of the ordinary, let all apes beware.

There was a certain amount of preliminary circling, growling, and sniffing, stiff-

legged and stiff-haired, before each side discovered that the other had no

105

Tarzan the Untamed