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the tendrils which had fastened themselves to the wall so firmly fixed, that his

weight upon the stem appeared to have no appreciable effect upon them.

He heard Numa's baffled roar as the lion slipped downward clawing futilely at the

leafy creepers, and then with the agility of the apes who had reared him, Tarzan

bounded nimbly aloft to the summit of the wall.

A few feet below him was the flat roof of the adjoining building and as he dropped

to it his back was toward the niche from which an embrasure looked out upon

the gardens and the forest beyond, so that he did not see the figure crouching

there in the dark shadow. But if he did not see he was not long in ignorance of

the fact that he was not alone, for scarcely had his feet touched the roof when a

heavy body leaped upon him from behind and brawny arms encircled him about

the waist.

Taken at a disadvantage and lifted from his feet, the ape-man was, for the time

being, helpless. Whatever the creature was that had seized him, it apparently had

a well-defined purpose in mind, for it walked directly toward the edge of the roof

so that it was soon apparent to Tarzan that he was to be hurled to the pavement

below--a most efficacious manner of disposing of an intruder. That he would be

either maimed or killed the ape-man was confident; but he had no intention of

permitting his assailant to carry out the plan.

Tarzan's arms and legs were free but he was in such a disadvantageous position

that he could not use them to any good effect. His only hope lay in throwing the

creature off its balance, and to this end Tarzan straightened his body and leaned

as far back against his captor as he could, and then suddenly lunged forward.

The result was as satisfactory as he could possibly have hoped. The great weight

of the ape-man thrown suddenly out from an erect position caused the other also

to lunge violently forward with the result that to save himself he involuntarily

released his grasp. Catlike in his movements, the ape-man had no sooner

touched the roof than he was upon his feet again, facing his adversary, a man

almost as large as himself and armed with a saber which he now whipped from

its scabbard. Tarzan, however, had no mind to allow the use of this formidable

weapon and so he dove for the other's legs beneath the vicious cut that was

directed at him from the side, and as a football player tackles an opposing

runner, Tarzan tackled his antagonist, carrying him backward several yards and

throwing him heavily to the roof upon his back.

No sooner had the man touched the roof than the ape-man was upon his chest,

one brawny hand sought and found the sword wrist and the other the throat of

the yellow-tunicked guardsman. Until then the fellow had fought in silence but

just as Tarzan's fingers touched his throat he emitted a single piercing shriek

201

Tarzan the Untamed