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his back pressed firmly against the stem of the tree. There he stood hurling
insults at Numa until the beast was again goaded into leaping upward at him,
and as Numa rose the noose dropped quickly over his head and about his neck. A
quick movement of Tarzan's rope hand tightened the coil and when Numa slipped
backward to the ground only his hind feet touched, for the ape-man held him
swinging by the neck.
Moving slowly outward upon the two branches Tarzan swung Numa out so that
he could not reach the bole of the tree with his raking talons, then he made the
rope fast after drawing the lion clear of the ground, dropped his five pigskin sacks
to earth and leaped down himself. Numa was striking frantically at the grass rope
with his fore claws. At any moment he might sever it and Tarzan must, therefore,
work rapidly.
First he drew the larger bag over Numa's head and secured it about his neck with
the draw string, then he managed, after considerable effort, during which he
barely escaped being torn to ribbons by the mighty talons, to hog-tie Numa--
drawing his four legs together and securing them in that position with the strips
trimmed from the pigskins.
By this time the lion's efforts had almost ceased--it was evident that he was being
rapidly strangled and as that did not at all suit the purpose of the Tarmangani
the latter swung again into the tree, unfastened the rope from above and lowered
the lion to the ground where he immediately followed it and loosed the noose
about Numa's neck. Then he drew his hunting knife and cut two round holes in
the front of the head bag opposite the lion's eyes for the double purpose of
permitting him to see and giving him sufficient air to breathe.
This done Tarzan busied himself fitting the other bags, one over each of Numa's
formidably armed paws. Those on the hind feet he secured not only by tightening
the draw strings but also rigged garters that fastened tightly around the legs
above the hocks. He secured the front-feet bags in place similarly above the great
knees. Now, indeed, was Numa, the lion, reduced to the harmlessness of Bara,
the deer.
By now Numa was showing signs of returning life. He gasped for breath and
struggled; but the strips of pigskin that held his four legs together were
numerous and tough. Tarzan watched and was sure that they would hold, yet
Numa is mightily muscled and there was the chance, always, that he might
struggle free of his bonds after which all would depend upon the efficacy of
Tarzan's bags and draw strings.
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