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Chapter 11 - Tambudza

Tarzan scooped a shallow grave for the Kincaid's cook, beneath whose repulsive

exterior had beaten the heart of a chivalrous gentleman. That was all he could do

in the cruel jungle for the man who had given his life in the service of his little

son and his wife.

Then Tarzan took up again the pursuit of Rokoff. Now that he was positive that

the woman ahead of him was indeed Jane, and that she had again fallen into the

hands of the Russian, it seemed that with all the incredible speed of his fleet and

agile muscles he moved at but a snail's pace.

It was with difficulty that he kept the trail, for there were many paths through the

jungle at this point--crossing and crisscrossing, forking and branching in all

directions, and over them all had passed natives innumerable, coming and going.

The spoor of the white men was obliterated by that of the native carriers who had

followed them, and over all was the spoor of other natives and of wild beasts.

It was most perplexing; yet Tarzan kept on assiduously, checking his sense of

sight against his sense of smell, that he might more surely keep to the right trail.

But, with all his care, night found him at a point where he was positive that he

was on the wrong trail entirely.

He knew that the pack would follow his spoor, and so he had been careful to

make it as distinct as possible, brushing often against the vines and creepers that

walled the jungle-path, and in other ways leaving his scent-spoor plainly

discernible.

As darkness settled a heavy rain set in, and there was nothing for the baffled ape-

man to do but wait in the partial shelter of a huge tree until morning; but the

coming of dawn brought no cessation of the torrential downpour.

For a week the sun was obscured by heavy clouds, while violent rain and wind

storms obliterated the last remnants of the spoor Tarzan constantly though vainly

sought.

During all this time he saw no signs of natives, nor of his own pack, the members

of which he feared had lost his trail during the terrific storm. As the country was

strange to him, he had been unable to judge his course accurately, since he had

had neither sun by day nor moon nor stars by night to guide him.

When the sun at last broke through the clouds in the fore-noon of the seventh

day, it looked down upon an almost frantic ape-man.

The Beasts of Tarzan