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part of camp where were bivouacked for the night the black soldiers of a native
company commanded by one Hauptmann Fritz Schneider. The men were
stretched upon the ground without tents; but there were tents pitched for the
officers. Toward these Tarzan crept. It was slow and perilous work, as the
Germans were now upon the alert for the uncanny foe that crept into their camps
to take his toll by night, yet the ape-man passed their sentinels, eluded the
vigilance of the interior guard, and crept at last to the rear of the officers' line.
Here he flattened himself against the ground close behind the nearest tent and
listened. From within came the regular breathing of a sleeping man--one only.
Tarzan was satisfied. With his knife he cut the tie strings of the rear flap and
entered. He made no noise. The shadow of a falling leaf, floating gently to earth
upon a still day, could have been no more soundless. He moved to the side of the
sleeping man and bent low over him. He could not know, of course, whether it
was Schneider or another, as he had never seen Schneider; but he meant to know
and to know even more. Gently he shook the man by the shoulder. The fellow
turned heavily and grunted in a thick guttural.
"
Silence!" admonished the ape-man in a low whisper. "Silence--I kill."
The Hun opened his eyes. In the dim light he saw a giant figure bending over him.
Now a mighty hand grasped his shoulder and another closed lightly about his
throat.
"Make no outcry," commanded Tarzan; "but answer in a whisper my questions.
What is your name?"
"Luberg," replied the officer. He was trembling. The weird presence of this naked
giant filled him with dread. He, too, recalled the men mysteriously murdered in
the still watches of the night camps. "What do you want?"
"Where is Hauptmann Fritz Schneider?" asked Tarzan, "Which is his tent?"
"He is not here," replied Luberg. "He was sent to Wilhelmstal yesterday."
"I shall not kill you--now," said the ape-man. "First I shall go and learn if you
have lied to me and if you have your death shall be the more terrible. Do you
know how Major Schneider died?"
Luberg shook his head negatively.
"I do," continued Tarzan, "and it was not a nice way to die--even for an accursed
German. Turn over with your face down and cover your eyes. Do not move or
make any sound."
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