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darkness toward the door in the back wall of the niche in which the Englishman

had been hidden by the girl. They found the door ajar and opening it Tarzan saw

a streak of light showing through the hangings that separated it from the alcove.

Placing his eye close to the aperture he saw the girl and the young man of which

the Englishman had spoken seated on opposite sides of a low table upon which

food was spread. Serving them was a giant Negro and it was he whom the ape-

man watched most closely. Familiar with the tribal idiosyncrasies of a great

number of African tribes over a considerable proportion of the Dark Continent,

the Tarmangani at last felt reasonably assured that he knew from what part of

Africa this slave had come, and the dialect of his people. There was, however, the

chance that the fellow had been captured in childhood and that through long

years of non-use his native language had become lost to him, but then there

always had been an element of chance connected with nearly every event of

Tarzan's life, so he waited patiently until in the performance of his duties the

black man approached a little table which stood near the niche in which Tarzan

and the Englishman hid.

As the slave bent over some dish which stood upon the table his ear was not far

from the aperture through which Tarzan looked. Apparently from a solid wall, for

the Negro had no knowledge of the existence of the niche, came to him in the

tongue of his own people, the whispered words: "If you would return to the land of

the Wamabo say nothing, but do as I bid you."

The black rolled terrified eyes toward the hangings at his side. The ape-man could

see him tremble and for a moment was fearful that in his terror he would betray

them. "Fear not," he whispered, "we are your friends."

At last the Negro spoke in a low whisper, scarcely audible even to the keen ears of

the ape-man. "What," he asked, "can poor Otobu do for the god who speaks to

him out of the solid wall?"

This," replied Tarzan. "Two of us are coming into this room. Help us prevent this

man and woman from escaping or raising an outcry that will bring others to their

aid."

"I will help you," replied the Negro, "to keep them within this room, but do not

fear that their outcries will bring others. These walls are built so that no sound

may pass through, and even if it did what difference would it make in this village

which is constantly filled with the screams of its mad people. Do not fear their

cries. No one will notice them. I go to do your bidding."

Tarzan saw the black cross the room to the table upon which he placed another

dish of food before the feasters. Then he stepped to a place behind the man and

220

Tarzan the Untamed