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Chapter XIII - Usanga's Reward

For two days Tarzan of the Apes had been hunting leisurely to the north, and

swinging in a wide circle, he had returned to within a short distance of the

clearing where he had left Bertha Kircher and the young lieutenant. He had spent

the night in a large tree that overhung the river only a short distance from the

clearing, and now in the early morning hours he was crouching at the water's

edge waiting for an opportunity to capture Pisah, the fish, thinking that he would

take it back with him to the hut where the girl could cook it for herself and her

companion.

Motionless as a bronze statue was the wily ape-man, for well he knew how wary

is Pisah, the fish. The slightest movement would frighten him away and only by

infinite patience might he be captured at all. Tarzan depended upon his own

quickness and the suddenness of his attack, for he had no bait or hook. His

knowledge of the ways of the denizens of the water told him where to wait for

Pisah. It might be a minute or it might be an hour before the fish would swim into

the little pool above which he crouched, but sooner or later one would come. That

the ape-man knew, so with the patience of the beast of prey he waited for his

quarry.

At last there was a glint of shiny scales. Pisah was coming. In a moment he

would be within reach and then with the swiftness of light two strong, brown

hands would plunge into the pool and seize him, but, just at the moment that the

fish was about to come within reach, there was a great crashing in the

underbrush behind the ape-man. Instantly Pisah was gone and Tarzan, growling,

had wheeled about to face whatever creature might be menacing him. The

moment that he turned he saw that the author of the disturbance was Zu-tag.

What does Zu-tag want?" asked the ape-man.

Zu-tag comes to the water to drink," replied the ape.

Where is the tribe?" asked Tarzan.

They are hunting for pisangs and scimatines farther back in the forest," replied

Zu-tag.

"And the Tarmangani she and bull--" asked Tarzan, "are they safe?"

They have gone away," replied Zu-tag. "Kudu has come out of his lair twice since

they left."

Did the tribe chase them away?" asked Tarzan.

129

Tarzan the Untamed