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Approaching the still form he sniffed it over from head to foot. Then he placed a

huge paw upon it and turned it over with its face up. Again he smelled about the

body and at last with his rough tongue licked Tarzan's face. It was then that

Tarzan opened his eyes.

Above him towered the huge lion, its hot breath upon his face, its rough tongue

upon his cheek. The ape-man had often been close to death; but never before so

close as this, he thought, for he was convinced that death was but a matter of

seconds. His brain was still numb from the effects of the blow that had felled him,

and so he did not, for a moment, recognize the lion that stood over him as the one

he had so recently encountered.

Presently, however, recognition dawned upon him and with it a realization of the

astounding fact that Numa did not seem bent on devouring him--at least not

immediately. His position was a delicate one. The lion stood astraddle Tarzan

with his front paws. The ape-man could not rise, therefore, without pushing the

lion away and whether Numa would tolerate being pushed was an open question.

Too, the beast might consider him already dead and any movement that indicated

the contrary was true would, in all likelihood, arouse the killing instinct of the

man-eater.

But Tarzan was tiring of the situation. He was in no mood to lie there forever,

especially when he contemplated the fact that the girl spy who had tried to brain

him was undoubtedly escaping as rapidly as possible.

Numa was looking right into his eyes now evidently aware that he was alive.

Presently the lion cocked his head on one side and whined. Tarzan knew the note,

and he knew that it spelled neither rage nor hunger, and then he risked all on a

single throw, encouraged by that low whine.

Move, Numa!" he commanded and placing a palm against the tawny shoulder he

pushed the lion aside. Then he rose and with a hand on his hunting knife

awaited that which might follow. It was then that his eyes fell for the first time on

the torn body of Sheeta. He looked from the dead cat to the live one and saw the

marks of conflict upon the latter, too, and in an instant realized something of

what had happened--Numa had saved him from the panther!

It seemed incredible and yet the evidence pointed clearly to the fact. He turned

toward the lion and without fear approached and examined his wounds which he

found superficial, and as Tarzan knelt beside him Numa rubbed an itching ear

against the naked, brown shoulder. Then the ape-man stroked the great head,

picked up his spear, and looked about for the trail of the girl. This he soon found

Tarzan the Untamed