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At this juncture the door was thrown open without ceremony and a Negro entered

bearing two flat vessels in which were several smaller ones. These he set down on

one of the tables near the women, and, without a word, turned and left. With the

entrance of the man with the vessels, a delightful odor of cooked food had

aroused the realization in the girl's mind that she was very hungry, and at a word

from the old woman she walked to the table to examine the viands. The larger

vessels which contained the smaller ones were of pottery while those within them

were quite evidently of hammered gold. To her intense surprise she found lying

between the smaller vessels a spoon and a fork, which, while of quaint design,

were quite as serviceable as any she had seen in more civilized communities. The

tines of the fork were quite evidently of iron or steel, the girl did not know which,

while the handle and the spoon were of the same material as the smaller vessels.

There was a highly seasoned stew with meat and vegetables, a dish of fresh fruit,

and a bowl of milk beside which was a little jug containing something which

resembled marmalade. So ravenous was she that she did not even wait for her

companion to reach the table, and as she ate she could have sworn that never

before had she tasted more palatable food. The old woman came slowly and sat

down on one of the benches opposite her.

As she removed the smaller vessels from the larger and arranged them before her

on the table a crooked smile twisted her lips as she watched the younger woman

eat.

Hunger is a great leveler," she said with a laugh.

What do you mean?" asked the girl.

I venture to say that a few weeks ago you would have been nauseated at the idea

of eating cat."

Cat?" exclaimed the girl.

Yes," said the old woman. "What is the difference--a lion is a cat."

You mean I am eating lion now?"

Yes," said the old woman, "and as they prepare it, it is very palatable. You will

grow very fond of it."

Bertha Kircher smiled a trifle dubiously. "I could not tell it," she said, "from lamb

or veal."

195

Tarzan the Untamed