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And then Tarzan turned his eyes into the cave and saw that the girl and Smith-
Oldwick were gone.
His efforts had been for naught. With an angry toss of his head, the ape-man
turned upon the two lions who had continued to pace back and forth a few yards
from him. Numa of the lion pit turned a friendly glance in Tarzan's direction,
rubbed his head against the ape-man's side, and then directed his snarling
countenance toward the two hunters.
"I think," said Tarzan to Numa, "that you and I together can make these beasts
very unhappy." He spoke in English, which, of course, Numa did not understand
at all, but there must have been something reassuring in the tone, for Numa
whined pleadingly and moved impatiently to and fro parallel with their
antagonists.
"Come," said Tarzan suddenly and grasping the lion's mane with his left hand he
moved toward the other lions, his companion pacing at his side. As the two
advanced the others drew slowly back and, finally separating, moved off to either
side. Tarzan and Numa passed between them but neither the great black-maned
lion nor the man failed to keep an eye upon the beast nearer him so that they
were not caught unawares when, as though at some preconcerted signal, the two
cats charged simultaneously from opposite directions.
The ape-man met the charge of his antagonist after the same fashion of fighting
that he had been accustomed to employing in previous encounters with Numa
and Sheeta. To have attempted to meet the full shock of a lion's charge would
have been suicidal even for the giant Tarmangani. Instead he resorted to methods
of agility and cunning, for quick as are the great cats, even quicker is Tarzan of
the Apes.
With outspread, raking talons and bared fangs Numa sprang for the naked chest
of the ape-man. Throwing up his left arm as a boxer might ward off a blow,
Tarzan struck upward beneath the left forearm of the lion, at the same time
rushing in with his shoulder beneath the animal's body and simultaneously drove
his blade into the tawny hide behind the shoulder. With a roar of pain Numa
wheeled again, the personification of bestial rage. Now indeed would he
exterminate this presumptuous man-thing who dared even to think that he could
thwart the king of beasts in his desires. But as he wheeled, his intended quarry
wheeled with him, brown fingers locked in the heavy mane on the powerful neck
and again the blade struck deep into the lion's side.
Then it was that Numa went mad with hate and pain and at the same instant the
ape-man leaped full upon his back. Easily before had Tarzan locked his legs
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