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The ape-man returned quickly to the tree, and this time he made a great noise as

he entered the branches, at the same time growling ominously after the manner

of the panther, so that those below would believe that the great beast was still

there.

When he reached a point well above the village street he made a great commotion,

shaking the tree violently, crying aloud to the panther to flee or be killed, and

punctuating his own voice with the screams and mouthings of an angry beast.

Presently he raced toward the opposite side of the tree and off into the jungle,

pounding loudly against the boles of trees as he went, and voicing the panther's

diminishing growls as he drew farther and farther away from the village.

A few minutes later he returned to the village gate, calling to the natives within.

"I have driven Sheeta away," he said. "Now come and admit me as you promised."

For a time there was the sound of excited discussion within the palisade, but at

length a half-dozen warriors came and opened the gates, peering anxiously out in

evident trepidation as to the nature of the creature which they should find

waiting there. They were not much relieved at sight of an almost naked white

man; but when Tarzan had reassured them in quiet tones, protesting his

friendship for them, they opened the barrier a trifle farther and admitted him.

When the gates had been once more secured the self-confidence of the savages

returned, and as Tarzan walked up the village street toward the chief's hut he

was surrounded by a host of curious men, women, and children.

From the chief he learned that Rokoff had passed up the river a week previous,

and that he had horns growing from his forehead, and was accompanied by a

thousand devils. Later the chief said that the very bad white man had remained

a month in his village.

Though none of these statements agreed with Kaviri's, that the Russian was but

three days gone from the chieftain's village and that his following was much

smaller than now stated, Tarzan was in no manner surprised at the

discrepancies, for he was quite familiar with the savage mind's strange manner of

functioning.

What he was most interested in knowing was that he was upon the right trail,

and that it led toward the interior. In this circumstance he knew that Rokoff

could never escape him.

The Beasts of Tarzan