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treachery lay in the man's heart, and that danger lurked in the path of every

move.

He is unguarded now," continued the Russian. "Those who took him feel

perfectly safe from detection, and with the exception of a couple of members of

the crew, whom I have furnished with enough gin to silence them effectually for

hours, there is none aboard the Kincaid. We can go aboard, get the child, and

return without the slightest fear."

Tarzan nodded.

"Let's be about it, then," he said.

His guide led him to a small boat moored alongside the wharf. The two men

entered, and Paulvitch pulled rapidly toward the steamer. The black smoke

issuing from her funnel did not at the time make any suggestion to Tarzan's

mind. All his thoughts were occupied with the hope that in a few moments he

would again have his little son in his arms.

At the steamer's side they found a monkey-ladder dangling close above them, and

up this the two men crept stealthily. Once on deck they hastened aft to where

the Russian pointed to a hatch.

"The boy is hidden there," he said. "You had better go down after him, as there is

less chance that he will cry in fright than should he find himself in the arms of a

stranger. I will stand on guard here."

So anxious was Tarzan to rescue the child that he gave not the slightest thought

to the strangeness of all the conditions surrounding the Kincaid. That her deck

was deserted, though she had steam up, and from the volume of smoke pouring

from her funnel was all ready to get under way made no impression upon him.

With the thought that in another instant he would fold that precious little bundle

of humanity in his arms, the ape-man swung down into the darkness below.

Scarcely had he released his hold upon the edge of the hatch than the heavy

covering fell clattering above him.

Instantly he knew that he was the victim of a plot, and that far from rescuing his

son he had himself fallen into the hands of his enemies. Though he immediately

endeavoured to reach the hatch and lift the cover, he was unable to do so.

Striking a match, he explored his surroundings, finding that a little compartment

had been partitioned off from the main hold, with the hatch above his head the

only means of ingress or egress. It was evident that the room had been prepared

for the very purpose of serving as a cell for himself.

The Beasts of Tarzan