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At first neither Smith-Oldwick nor the girl saw anything but a confusion of

intermingled prints of padded feet in the sand, but presently the girl discovered

what Tarzan had seen, and an exclamation of surprise broke from her lips.

The imprint of human feet!" she cried.

Tarzan nodded.

But there are no toes," the girl pointed out.

The feet were shod with a soft sandal," explained Tarzan.

Then there must be a native village somewhere in the vicinity," said Smith-

Oldwick.

"Yes," replied the ape-man, "but not the sort of natives which we would expect to

find here in this part of Africa where others all go unshod with the exception of a

few of Usanga's renegade German native troops who wear German army shoes. I

don't know that you can notice it, but it is evident to me that the foot inside the

sandal that made these imprints were not the foot of a Negro. If you will examine

them carefully you will notice that the impression of the heel and ball of the foot

are well marked even through the sole of the sandal. The weight comes more

nearly in the center of a Negro's footprint.

Then you think these were made by a white person?"

"It looks that way," replied Tarzan, and suddenly, to the surprise of both the girl

and Smith-Oldwick, he dropped to his hands and knees and sniffed at the tracks-

again a beast utilizing the senses and woodcraft of a beast. Over an area of

several square yards his keen nostrils sought the identity of the makers of the

tracks. At length he rose to his feet.

It is not the spoor of the Gomangani," he said, "nor is it exactly like that of white

men. There were three who came this way. They were men, but of what race I do

not know."

There was no apparent change in the nature of the gorge except that it had

steadily grown deeper as they followed it downward until now the rocky and

precipitous sides rose far above them. At different points natural caves, which

appeared to have been eroded by the action of water in some forgotten age, pitted

the side walls at various heights. Near them was such a cavity at the ground's

level--an arched cavern floored with white sand. Tarzan indicated it with a

gesture of his hand.

155

Tarzan the Untamed