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a single motion he rose and threw the missile, immediately flattening himself

prone upon the ground.

Five seconds later there was a terrific explosion in the center of the listening post.

Numa gave a nervous start and attempted to break away; but Tarzan held him

and, leaping to his feet, ran forward, dragging Numa after him. At the edge of the

post he saw below him but slight evidence that the position had been occupied at

all, for only a few shreds of torn flesh remained. About the only thing that had not

been demolished was a machine gun which had been protected by sand bags.

There was not an instant to lose. Already a relief might be crawling through the

communication tunnel, for it must have been evident to the sentinels in the Hun

trenches that the listening post had been demolished. Numa hesitated to follow

Tarzan into the excavation; but the ape-man, who was in no mood to temporize,

jerked him roughly to the bottom. Before them lay the mouth of the tunnel that

led back from No Man's Land to the German trenches. Tarzan pushed Numa

forward until his head was almost in the aperture, then as though it were an

afterthought, he turned quickly and, taking the machine gun from the parapet,

placed it in the bottom of the hole close at hand, after which he turned again to

Numa, and with his knife quickly cut the garters that held the bags upon his

front paws. Before the lion could know that a part of his formidable armament

was again released for action, Tarzan had cut the rope from his neck and the

head bag from his face, and grabbing the lion from the rear had thrust him

partially into the mouth of the tunnel.

Then Numa balked, only to feel the sharp prick of Tarzan's knife point in his hind

quarters. Goading him on the ape-man finally succeeded in getting the lion

sufficiently far into the tunnel so that there was no chance of his escaping other

than by going forward or deliberately backing into the sharp blade at his rear.

Then Tarzan cut the bags from the great hind feet, placed his shoulder and his

knife point against Numa's seat, dug his toes into the loose earth that had been

broken up by the explosion of the bomb, and shoved.

Inch by inch at first Numa advanced. He was growling now and presently he

commenced to roar. Suddenly he leaped forward and Tarzan knew that he had

caught the scent of meat ahead. Dragging the machine gun beside him the ape-

man followed quickly after the lion whose roars he could plainly hear ahead

mingled with the unmistakable screams of frightened men. Once again a grim

smile touched the lips of this man-beast.

They murdered my Waziri," he muttered; "they crucified Wasimbu, son of

Muviro."

Tarzan the Untamed