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As Tarzan and his wife stood planning the wisest course to pursue, the telephone

bell rang in the library at their right. Tarzan quickly answered the call in person.

Lord Greystoke?" asked a man's voice at the other end of the line.

Yes."

Your son has been stolen," continued the voice, "and I alone may help you to

recover him. I am conversant with the plot of those who took him. In fact, I was

a party to it, and was to share in the reward, but now they are trying to ditch me,

and to be quits with them I will aid you to recover him on condition that you will

not prosecute me for my part in the crime. What do you say?"

"If you lead me to where my son is hidden," replied the ape-man, "you need fear

nothing from me."

Good," replied the other. "But you must come alone to meet me, for it is enough

that I must trust you. I cannot take the chance of permitting others to learn my

identity."

"Where and when may I meet you?" asked Tarzan.

The other gave the name and location of a public-house on the water-front at

Dover--a place frequented by sailors.

"Come," he concluded, "about ten o'clock tonight. It would do no good to arrive

earlier. Your son will be safe enough in the meantime, and I can then lead you

secretly to where he is hidden. But be sure to come alone, and under no

circumstances notify Scotland Yard, for I know you well and shall be watching for

you.

"Should any other accompany you, or should I see suspicious characters who

might be agents of the police, I shall not meet you, and your last chance of

recovering your son will be gone."

Without more words the man rang off.

Tarzan repeated the gist of the conversation to his wife. She begged to be

allowed to accompany him, but he insisted that it might result in the man's

carrying out his threat of refusing to aid them if Tarzan did not come alone, and

so they parted, he to hasten to Dover, and she, ostensibly to wait at home until

he should notify her of the outcome of his mission.

Little did either dream of what both were destined to pass through before they

should meet again, or the far-distant--but why anticipate?

The Beasts of Tarzan