www.freeclassicebooks.com

At last Rokoff came.

His face grew very white as his eyes rested upon the bloody thing grinning up at

him from the floor, the face set in a death mask of excruciating horror.

"Come!" he said to the chief. "Let us get to work and finish this demon before he

has an opportunity to repeat this thing upon more of your people."

The chief gave orders that Tarzan should be lifted and carried to the stake; but it

was several minutes before he could prevail upon any of his men to touch the

prisoner.

At last, however, four of the younger warriors dragged Tarzan roughly from the

hut, and once outside the pall of terror seemed lifted from the savage hearts.

A score of howling blacks pushed and buffeted the prisoner down the village

street and bound him to the post in the centre of the circle of little fires and

boiling cooking-pots.

When at last he was made fast and seemed quite helpless and beyond the faintest

hope of succour, Rokoff's shrivelled wart of courage swelled to its usual

proportions when danger was not present.

He stepped close to the ape-man, and, seizing a spear from the hands of one of

the savages, was the first to prod the helpless victim. A little stream of blood

trickled down the giant's smooth skin from the wound in his side; but no murmur

of pain passed his lips.

The smile of contempt upon his face seemed to infuriate the Russian. With a

volley of oaths he leaped at the helpless captive, beating him upon the face with

his clenched fists and kicking him mercilessly about the legs.

Then he raised the heavy spear to drive it through the mighty heart, and still

Tarzan of the Apes smiled contemptuously upon him.

Before Rokoff could drive the weapon home the chief sprang upon him and

dragged him away from his intended victim.

"Stop, white man!" he cried. "Rob us of this prisoner and our death-dance, and

you yourself may have to take his place."

The threat proved most effective in keeping the Russian from further assaults

upon the prisoner, though he continued to stand a little apart and hurl taunts at

his enemy. He told Tarzan that he himself was going to eat the ape-man's heart.

He enlarged upon the horrors of the future life of Tarzan's son, and intimated that

his vengeance would reach as well to Jane Clayton.

The Beasts of Tarzan