Tarzan Triumphant

to their shelters, and a moment later Lady Barbara saw the peaceful camp transformed. Every man was armed now. As by magic a modern rifle and a bandoleer of cartridges were in the possession of each black. White feathered headdresses were being adjusted and war paint applied to glossy hides.

Smith approached the headman. 'What is the matter?' he asked. 'Is something wrong?'

'I do not know, bwana,' replied the black; 'but we prepare.'

'Is there any danger?' continued the white.

The headman straightened to his full, impressive height. 'Are we not here?' he asked.

Jezebel and the 'Gunner' were walking slowly in the direction of the distant water bole and the cached boar meat, following the bottom of a dip that was the mouth of a small canyon that led up into the hills.

They were stiff and lame and very tired; and the wound on the 'Gunner's' head pained; but, notwithstanding, they were happy as, hand in hand, they dragged their weary feet toward water and food.

'Geeze, kid,' said Danny, 'it sure is a funny world. Just think, if I hadn't met old Smithy on board that ship me and you wouldn't never have met up. It all started from that,' but then Danny knew nothing of Angustus the Ephesian.

'I got a few grand salted away, kid, and when we get out of this mess we'll go somewhere where nobody doesn't know me and I'll start over again. Get myself a garage or a filling station, and we'll have a little fiat. Geeze, it's goin' to be great showin' you things. You don't know what you ain't seen——movies and railroads and boats! Geeze! You ain't seen nothin' and nobody ain't going to show you nothin', only me.'

'Yes, Danny,' said Jezebel, 'it's going to be ripping,' and she squeezed his hand.

Just then they were startled by the sound of rifle fire ahead.

'What was that?' asked Jezebel.

'It sounded like the Valentine Massacre,' said Danny, 'but I guess it's them toughs from the village. We better hide, kid.' He drew her toward some low bushes; and there they lay down, listening to the shouts and shots that came down to them from where Tarzan fought for his life and liberty with the odds a hundred to one against him.

Alter awhile the din ceased, and a little later the two heard the thudding of many galloping hoofs. The sound increased in volume as it drew nearer, and Danny and Jezebel tried to make themselves as small as possible beneath the little bush in the inadequate concealment of which they were hiding.

At a thundering gallop the shiftas crossed the swale just above them, and all but a few had passed when one of the stragglers discovered them. His shout, which attracted the attention of others, was carried forward until it reached the new chief, and presently the entire band had circled back to learn what their fellow had discovered.

Poor 'Gunner'! Poor Jezebel! Their happiness had been short lived. Their recapture was effected with humiliating ease. Broken and dejected, they were soon on their way to the village under escort of two black ruffians.

Bound, hands and feet, they were thrown into the hut formerly occupied by Capietro and left without food or water upon the pile of dirty rugs and clothing that littered the floor.

Beside them lay the corpse of the Italian which his followers, in their haste to overtake his slayer, had not taken the time to remove. It lay upon its back, the dead eyes staring upward.

Never before in his life had the spirits of Danny Patrick sunk so low, for the very reason, perhaps, that never in his life had they risen so high as during the brief interlude of happiness he had enjoyed following his reunion with Jezebel. Now he saw no hope ahead, for, with the two white men eliminated, he feared that he might not even be able to dicker with these ignorant black men for the ransom that he would gladly pay to free Jezebel and himself.

'There goes the garage, the filling station, and the flat,' he said, lugubriously.

'Where?' asked Jezebel.

'Flooie,' explained Danny.

'But you are here with me,' said the golden one; 'so I do not care what else there is.'

'That's nice, kid; but I aint much help, all tied up like a Christmas present. They sure picked out a swell bed for me—feels like I was lyin' on a piece of the kitchen stove.' He rolled himself to one side and nearer Jezebel. 'That's better,' he said, 'but I wonder what was that thing I was parked on.'

'Maybe your friend will come and take us away,' suggested Jezebel.

'Who, Smithy? What would he take us with—that dinky toy pistol of his?'

'I was thinking of the other that you told me about.'

'Oh, that Tarzan guy! Say kid, if he knew we was here he'd walk in and push all these nutty dumps over with one mitt and kick the whole gang over the back fence. Geeze, you bet I wish he was here. There is one big shot, and I don't mean maybe.'

In a hut on the edge of the village was the answer to the 'Gunner's' wish, bound hand and foot, as was the 'Gunner,' and, apparently, equally helpless. Constantly the ape-man was working on the thongs that confined his wrists—twisting, tugging, pulling.

The long day wore on and never did the giant captive cease his efforts to escape; the thongs were heavy and securely tied, yet little by little he felt that they were loosening.

Towards evening the new chief returned with the party that had been searching for Stabutch. They had not found him; but scouts had located the camp of Lord Passmore, and now the shiftas were discussing plans for attacking it on the morrow.

They had not come sufficiently close to it to note the number of armed natives it contained; but they had glimpsed Smith and Lady Barbara; and, being sure that there were not more than two white men, they felt little hesitation in attempting the raid, since they were planning to start back for Abyssinia on the morrow.

'We will kill the white man we now have,' said the chief, 'and carry the two girls and Tarzan with us. Tarzan should bring a good ransom and the girls a good price.'

'Why not keep the girls for ourselves,' suggested another.

'We shall sell them,' said the chief.

'Who are you, to say what we shall do?' demanded the other. 'You are no chief.'

'No,' growled a villanous looking black squatting beside the first objector.

He who would be chief leaped, catlike, upon the first speaker, before any was aware of his purpose. A sword gleamed for an instant in the light of the new made cook fires and fell with terrific force upon the skull of the victim.

'Who am I?' repeated the killer, as he wiped the bloody blade upon the garment of the slain man. 'I am chief!' He looked around upon the scowling faces about him. 'Is there any who says I am not chief?' There was no demur. Ntale was chief of the shifta band.

Inside the dark interior of the hut where he had lain bound all day without food or water the ape-man tugged and pulled until the sweat stood in beads upon his body, but not in vain. Gradually a hand slipped through the stretched thong, and he was free. Or at least his hands were, and it took them but a moment to loosen the bonds that secured his ankles.

With a low, inaudible growl he rose to his feet and stepped to the doorway. Before him lay the village compound. He saw the shiftas squatting about while slaves prepared the evening meal. Nearby was the palisade. They must see him as he crossed to it, but what matter?

He would be gone before they could gather their wits. Perhaps a few stray shots would be fired; but then, had they not fired many shots at him this morning, not one of which had touched him?

He stepped out into the open, and at the same instant a burly black stepped from the next but and saw him. With a shout of warning to his fellows the man leaped upon the escaping prisoner. Those at the fires sprang to their feet and came running toward the two.

Within their prison hut Jezebel and Danny heard the commotion and wondered.

The ape-man seized the black who would have stopped him and wheeling him about to form a shield for himself, backed quickly toward the palisade.

'Stay where you are,' he called to the advancing shiftas, in their own dialect. 'Stay where you are, or I will kill this man.'

'Let him kill him then,' growled Ntale. 'He is not worth the ransom we are losing,' and with a shout of encouragement to his followers he leaped quickly forward to intercept the ape-man.