 CHAPTER XIII. A STRANGE FLAT TOWER Tarzan, turning, discovered the man standing behind him on the top level of the ivy-covered east tower of the palace of diamonds. His knife leaped from its sheath at the touch of his quick fingers, but almost simultaneously his hand dropped to his side, and he stood contemplating the other, with an expression of incredulity upon his face that but reflected a similar emotion registered upon the countenance of the stranger. For what Tarzan saw was no bulgani, nor a gomangani, but a white man, bald and old and shriveled, with a long white beard, a white man, naked but for barbaric ornaments of gold spangles and diamonds. God! exclaimed the strange apparition. Tarzan eyed the other quizzically. That single English word opened up such tremendous possibilities for conjecture as baffled the mind of the ape-man. What are you? Who are you? continued the old man, but this time in the dialect of the great apes. You used an English word a moment ago, said Tarzan. Do you speak that language? Tarzan himself spoke in English. Oh, dear cult! cried the old man, that I should have lived to hear that sweet tongue again. And he too now spoke in English, halting English, as might one who was long unaccustomed to voicing the language. Who are you? asked Tarzan, and what are you doing here? It is the same question that I asked you, replied the old man. Do not be afraid to answer me. You are evidently an Englishman, and you have nothing to fear from me. I am here after a woman, captured by the Bologna, replied Tarzan. The other nodded. Yes, he said, I know. She is here. Is she safe? asked Tarzan. She has not been harmed. She will be safe until tomorrow, or the next day, replied the old man. But who are you? And how did you find your way here from the outer world? I am Tarzan of the apes, replied the ape-man. I came into this valley looking for a way out of the valley of Opar, where the life of my companion was in danger. And you? I am an old man, replied the other, and I have been here ever since I was a boy. I was a stowaway on the ship that brought Stanley to Africa, after the establishment of the station on Stanley Pool, and I came into the interior with him. I went out from the camp to hunt alone one day. I lost my way, and later was captured by unfriendly natives. They took me farther into the interior to their village, from which I finally escaped, but so utterly confused and lost that I had no idea what direction to take to find a trail to the coast. I wandered thus for months, until, finally, upon an accursed day I found an entrance to this valley. I do not know why they did not put me to death at once, but they did not. And later they discovered that my knowledge could be turned to advantage to them. Since then I have helped them in their quarrying and mining, and in their diamond cutting. I have given them iron drills with hardened points and drills tipped with diamonds. Now I am practically one of them, but always in my heart has been the hope that some day I might escape from the valley. A hopeless hope, though, I may assure you. There's no way out, asked Tarzan. There is a way, but it is always guarded. Where is it? queried Tarzan. It is a continuation of one of the mine tunnels, passing entirely through the mountain to the valley beyond. The mines have been worked by the ancestors of this race for almost an incalculable length of time. The mountains are honeycombed with their shafts and tunnels. Back of the gold-bearing quartz lies an enormous deposit of altered peridotite, which contains diamonds, in the search for which it evidently became necessary to extend one of the shafts to the opposite side of the mountain, possibly for the purposes of ventilation. This tunnel, and the trail leading down into Opar, are the only means of ingress to the valley. From time immemorial they have kept the tunnel guarded, more particularly, I imagine, to prevent escape of slaves than to thwart the inroads of an enemy, since they believe that there is no fear of the latter emergency. The trail to Opar they do not guard, because they no longer fear the Oparians, and know quite well that none of their Gomangani slaves would dare enter into the valley of the sun-worshippers. For the same reason, then, that the slaves cannot escape, we too must remain prisoners here forever. How is the tunnel guarded? asked Tarzan. Two Bogani, and a dozen or more Gomangani warriors, are always upon duty there, replied the old man. The Gomangani would like to escape. They have tried it many times in the past, I am told, replied the old man, though never since I have lived here, and always they were caught and tortured. And all their race was punished, and worked the harder because of these attempts upon the part of a few. They are numerous, the Gomangani. There are probably five thousand of them in the valley, replied the old man. And how many Bogani, the eight man asked, between ten and eleven hundred. Five to one, murmured Tarzan, and yet they were afraid to attempt to escape. But you must remember, said the old man, that the Bogani are the dominant and intelligent race. The others are intellectually little above the beasts of the forest. Yet they are men, Tarzan reminded him. In figure only, replied the old man, they cannot band together as men do. They have not as yet reached the community plain of evolution. It is true that families reside in a single village, but that idea, together with their weapons, was given to them by the Bogani, that they might not be entirely exterminated by the lions and panthers. Normally, I am told, each individual Gomangani, when he became old enough to hunt for himself, constructed a hut apart from the others, and took up his solitary life. There being at the time no slightest semblance of family life. Then the Bogani taught them how to build palisaded villages, and compelled the men and women to remain in them, and rear their children to maturity, after which the children were required to remain in the village, so that now some of the communities can claim as many as 40 or 50 people. But the death rate is high among them, and they cannot multiply as rapidly as people living under normal conditions of peace and security. The brutalities of the Bogani kill many. The carnivora take a considerable toll. Five to one, and still they remain in slavery. What cowards they must be, said the eight men. On the contrary. They are far from cowardly, replied the old man. They will face a lion with the utmost bravery. But for so many ages have they been subservient to the will of the Bogani, that it has become a fixed habit in them. As the fear of God is inherent in us, so is the fear of the Bogani inherent in the minds of the Gomangani from birth. It is interesting, said Tarzan, but tell me now where the woman is of whom I have come in search. She is your mate, asked the old man. No, replied Tarzan. I told the Gomangani that she was, so that they would protect her. She is la, queen of Opar, high priestess of the flaming God. The old man looked his incredulity. Impossible! he cried. It cannot be that the queen of Opar has risked her life by coming to the home of her hereditary enemies. She was forced to it, replied Tarzan. Her life being threatened by a part of her people because she had refused to sacrifice me to their God. If the Bogani knew this, there would be great rejoicing, replied the old man. Tell me where she is, demanded Tarzan. She preserved me from her people, and I must save her from whatever fate the Bogani contemplate for her. It is hopeless, said the old man. I can tell you where she is, but you cannot rescue her. I can try, replied the eight man. But you will fail and die. If what you tell me is true, that there is absolutely no chance of my escaping from the valley, I might as well die, replied the eight man. However, I do not agree with you, the old man shrugged. You do not know the Bogani, he said. Tell me where the woman is, said Tarzan. Look, replied the old man, motioning Tarzan to follow him into his apartment, and approaching a window which faced toward the west. He pointed towards a strange flat tower which rose above the roof of the main building near the west end of the palace. She is probably somewhere in the interior of that tower, said the old man to Tarzan. But as far as you are concerned, she might as well be at the north pole. Tarzan stood in silence for a moment, his keen eyes taking in every salient detail of the prospect before him. He saw the strange flat-top tower, which it seemed to him might be reached from the roof of the main building. He saw two branches of the ancient trees that sometimes topped the roof itself, and except for dim light shining through some of the palace windows, he saw no signs of life. He turned suddenly upon the old man. I do not know you, he said, but I believe I may trust you, since after all, blood ties are strong, and we are the only men of our race in this valley. You might gain something in favor by betraying me, but I cannot believe that you will do it. To not fear, said the old man, I hate them. If I could help you, I would. But I know that there is no hope of success for whatever plan you may have in mind. The woman will never be rescued. You will never leave the valley of the palace of diamonds. You will never leave the palace itself unless the Bolgani wish it. The eight man grinned. You have been here so long, he said, that you are beginning to assume the attitude of mine that keeps the Gomangani in perpetual slavery. If you want to escape, come with me. We may not succeed, but at least you will have a better chance if you try than as if you remain forever in this tower. The old man shook his head. No, he said. It is hopeless. If escape had been possible, I should have been away from here long ago. Goodbye, then, said Tarzan, and swinging out of the window he clambered toward the roof below along the stout stem of the old ivy. The old man watched him for a moment until he saw him make his way carefully across the roof toward the flat top tower where he hoped to find and liberate law. Then the old fellow turned and hurried rapidly down the crude stairway that rose ladder-like to the center of the tower. Tarzan made his way across the uneven roof of the main building, clambering up the sides of its higher elevations and dropping again to its lower elevations as he covered a considerable distance between the east tower and the flat top structure of peculiar design in which law was supposed to be incarcerated. His progress was slow, for he moved with the caution of a beast of prey, stopping often in dense shadows to listen. When at last he reached the tower he found that it had many openings letting upon the roof. Openings which were closed only with the hangings of the heavy tapestry stuff which he had seen in the tower. Drawing one of these slightly aside he looked within upon a large chamber, bare furnishings, from the center of which they're protruded through a circular aperture at the top of a stairway similar to that he had ascended in the east tower. There was no one in sight within the chamber, and Tarzan crossed immediately to the stairway. Peering cautiously into the opening, Tarzan saw that the stairway descended for a great distance, passing many floors. How far it went he could not judge, except it seemed likely that it pierced subterranean chambers beneath the palace. Sounds of life came up to him through the shaft, and odors too, but the ladder largely nullified in so far as the scent impressions which they offered Tarzan were concerned by the heavy incense which pervaded the entire palace. It was this perfume that was to prove the eight man's undoing, for otherwise his keen nostrils would have detected the scent of a nearby Gomangani. He fell away behind one of the hangings at an aperture in the tower wall. He had been lying in such a position that he had seen Tarzan enter the chamber, and he was watching him now as the eight men stood looking down the shaft of the stairway. The eyes of the black had at first gone wide in terror at sight of the strange apparition, the like of which he had never seen before. Had the creature been of sufficient intelligence to harbor superstition, he would have thought Tarzan and God descended from above. But being too low of an order to possess any imagination whatsoever, he merely knew that he saw a strange creature, and that all strange creatures must be enemies, he was convinced. His duty was to apprise his masters of this presence in the palace, but he did not dare move until the apparition had reached a sufficient distance from him to ensure that the movements of the Gomangani would not be noticed by the intruder. He did not care to call attention to himself, for he had found that the more one had faced oneself in the presence of the Bogani, the less one was likely to suffer. For a long time the stranger peered down the shaft of the stairway, and for a long time the Gomangani lay quietly watching him. But at last the former descended the stairs and passed out of sight of the watcher, who immediately leaped to his feet and scurried away across the roof of the palace toward a large tower arising at its western end. As Tarzan descended the latter the fumes of the incense became more and more annoying, where otherwise he might have investigated quickly by scent, he was now compelled to listen for every sound, and in many cases to investigate the chamber's opening upon the central corridor by entering them. Where the doors were locked, he lay flat and listened close to the aperture at their base. On several occasions he risked calling law by name, but in no case did he receive any reply. He had investigated four landings and was descending to the fifth when he saw standing in one of the doorways upon his level and evidently much excited and possibly terrified Black. The fellow was of giant proportions and entirely unarmed. He stood looking at the eight men with wide eyes as the latter jumped lightly from the stairway and stood facing him upon the same level. What do you want? Finally stammered the Black. Are you looking for the white she, your mate, whom the Bokani took? Yes, replied Tarzan. What do you know of her? I know where she is hidden, replied the Black, and if you will follow me, I will lead you to her. Why do you offer to do this for me? asked Tarzan, immediately suspicious. Why is it that you do not go at once to your masters and tell them that I am here, that they may send men to capture me? I do not know the reason I was sent to tell you this, replied the Black. The Bokani sent me. I did not wish to come for I was afraid. Where did they tell you to lead me? asked Tarzan. I am to lead you into a chamber, the door of which will be immediately bolted upon us. You will then be a prisoner. And you? inquired Tarzan. I too shall be a prisoner with you. The Bokani do not care what becomes of me. Perhaps you will kill me, but they do not care. If you lead me into a trap I shall kill you, replied Tarzan. But if you lead me to the woman perhaps we shall all escape. You would like to escape, would you not? I should like to escape, but I cannot. Have you ever tried? No, I have not. Why should I try to do something that cannot be done? If you lead me into the trap I shall surely kill you. If you lead me to the woman you at least have the chance that I do to live. Which will you do? The Black scratched his head and thought, the idea slowly filtering through his stupid mind. At last he spoke. You are very wise, he said. I will lead you to the woman. Go ahead then, said Tarzan, and I will follow you. The Black descended to the next level and opening the door entered a long straight corridor. He had leisure to reflect upon the means through which the Bokani had learned of his presence in the tower, and the only conclusion he could arrive at was that the old man had betrayed him. Since insofar as Tarzan was aware he alone knew that the eight man was in the palace. The corridor along which the Black was leading him was very dark, receiving a dim and inadequate illumination from the dimly-lighted corridor they had just left, the door into which remained open behind them. Presently the Black stopped before a closed door. The woman is in there, said the Black, pointing to the door. She is alone, asked Tarzan. No, replied the Black. Look! And he opened the door, revealing a heavy hanging which he gently separated, revealing to Tarzan the interior of the chamber beyond. Seizing the Black by the wrist, that he might not escape, Tarzan stepped forward and put his eyes to the aperture. Before him lay a large chamber, at one end of which was a raised dais, the base of which was of a dark ornately carved wood. The central figure upon this dais was a huge Black main lion, the same that Tarzan had seen escorted through the gardens of the palace. His golden chains were now fastened to the rings in the floor, while the four Blacks stood in statue-esque rigidity, two upon either side of the beast. Upon golden thrones behind the lion sat three magnificently ornamented Bolgani. At the foot of the steps leading to the stairs stood La, between two Gomongani guards. Upon either side of the central isle were carved benches facing the dais, and occupying the front section of these were some fifty Bolgani, among whom Tarzan almost immediately aspired the little old man that he had met in the tower, the side of whom instantly crystallized the eight man's conviction of the source of his betrayal. The chamber was lighted by hundreds of crescents, burning a substance which gave forth both light and the heavy incense that had assailed Tarzan's nostrils since he first entered the domain of the Bolgani. The long cathedral-esque windows upon one side of the apartment were thrown wide, admitting the soft air of the jungle summer night. Through them Tarzan could see the palace grounds, and that this chamber was upon the same level as the terrace upon which the palace stood. Beyond those windows was an open gateway to the jungle and freedom, but interposed between him and the windows for fifty armed guerrilla men. Perhaps then strategy would be a better weapon than force with which to carve his way to freedom with law, yet to the forefront of his mind was evidently a belief in the probability that in the end it would be force rather than strategy upon which he must depend. He turned to the black at his side, with the Gomangani guarding the lion like to escape from the Bolgani, he asked. The Gomangani would all escape if they could, replied the black. If it is necessary for me to enter the room then, said Tarzan to the black, will you accompany me and tell the other Gomangani that if they will fight for me I will take them out of the valley. I will tell them, but they will not believe, replied the black. Tell them they will die if they do not help me then, said Tarzan. I will tell them. As Tarzan turned his attention again to the chamber before him, he saw that the Bolgani occupying the central golden throne was speaking. Nobles of Numa, king of beasts, emperor of all created things, he said in deep growling tones. Numa has heard the words that this she has spoken, and it is the will of Numa that she die. The great emperor is hungry. He himself will devour her here in the presence of his nobles and the imperial council of three. It is the will of Numa. A growl of approval arose from the beast like audience, while the great lion bared his hideous fangs and roared until the palace trembled. His wicked yellow green eyes fixed terribly upon the woman before him, evidencing the fact that these ceremonies were of sufficient frequency to have accustomed the lion to what he might expect as the logical termination of them. Day after tomorrow, continued the speaker, the mate of this creature, who is by this time safely imprisoned in the tower of the emperors, will be brought before Numa for judgment. Slaves, he cried suddenly in a loud voice, rising to his feet and glaring at the guards holding law. Drag the woman to your emperor. Instantly the lion became frantic, lashing its tail and straining at its stout chains, roaring and snarling as it reared upon its hind feet and sought to leaf upon law, who was now being forcibly conducted at the steps of the dais toward the bejeweled man-eater so impatiently awaiting her. She did not cry out in terror, but she sought to twist herself free from the detaining hands of the powerful Gomangani, all futile, however. They had reached the last step and were about to push law into the claws of the lion, when they were arrested by a loud cry from one side of the chamber, the cry that halted the Gomangani and brought the assembled Bogani to their feet in astonishment and anger, for the sight that met their eyes was well qualified to arouse the latter within them. Leaping into the room with raised spear was the almost naked white man of whom they had heard, but whom none of them had as yet seen. And so quick was he that in the very instant of entry, even before they could rise to their feet, he had launched his spear. End of Chapter 14 of Tarzan and the Golden Lion This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Josh Herring of Abingdon, Virginia. Tarzan and the Golden Lion by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Chapter 14 The Chamber of Horrors A black main lion moved through the jungle night, with majestic unconcern for all other created things he took his lordly way through the permeable forest. He was not hunting, for he made no efforts toward stealth, nor, on the other hand, did he utter any vocal sound. He moved swiftly, though sometimes stopping with uplifted nose to scent the air and to listen. And thus at last he came to a high wall, along the face of which he sniffed, until the wall was broken by a half-opened gate through which he passed into the enclosure. Before him loomed a great building, and presently as he stood watching it and listening, there broke from the interior the thunderous roar of an angry lion. He of the black main cocked his head upon one side and moved stealthily forward. At the very instant that law was about to be thrust into the clutches of Numa, Tarzan of the Apes leaped into the apartment with a loud cry that brought to momentary pause the Gomangani that were dragging her to her doom. And in that brief instant of respite which the Eight-Man knew would follow his interruption, the swift spear was launched. To the rage and consternation of the Bolgani, they saw it bury itself in the heart of their emperor, the great black main lion. At Tarzan's side stood the Gomangani whom he had terrified into service, and as Tarzan rushed forward toward law, the black accompanied him, crying to his fellows that if they would help this stranger, they might be free and escape from the Bolgani forever. You have permitted the great emperor to be slain! He cried to the poor Gomangani who guarded Numa. For this the Bolgani will kill you. Help to save the strange Tarmangani and his mate, and you will have at least a chance for life and freedom. And you, he added, addressing the two who had been guarding law. They will hold you responsible also. Your only hope lies with us. Tarzan had reached law's side, and was dragging her up the steps of the dais where he hoped that he might make a momentary stand against the fifty Bolgani who were now rushing forward from their seats toward him. Slay the three who sit upon the dais, cried Tarzan to the Gomangani, who were now evidently hesitating as to which side they would cast their lot with. Slay them if you wish your freedom. Slay them if you wish to live. The authoritative tones of his voice, the magnetic appeal of his personality, his natural leadership, won them to him for the brief instant that was necessary to turn them upon the hated authority that the three Bolgani upon the dais represented, and as they drove their spears into the shaggy black bodies of their masters, they became then and forever the creatures of Tarzan of the apes, where there could be no future hope for them in the land of the Bolgani. With one arm around Law's waist, the ape man carried her to the summit of the dais, where he seized his spear and drew it from the body of the dead lion. Then, turning about, facing the advancing Bolgani, he placed one foot upon the carcass of his kill and raised his voice in the terrifying victory cry of the apes of Kerchak. Before him, the Bolgani paused. Behind him, the Gomangani quailed in terror. Stop, cried Tarzan, raising a palm toward the Bolgani. Listen! I am Tarzan of the apes. I sought no quarrel with your people. I but look for a passage through your country to my own. Let me go my way in peace with this woman, taking these Gomangani with me. For answer, a chorus of savage growls arose from the Bolgani as they started forward again toward the dais. From their ranks there suddenly leaped the old man of the east tower, who ran swiftly toward Tarzan. Ah, traitor! cried the ape man. You would be first then to taste the wrath of Tarzan? He spoke in English and the old man replied in the same tongue. Traitor! he exclaimed in surprise. Yes, traitor, thundered Tarzan. Did you not hurry here to tell the Bolgani that I was in the palace, that they might send the Gomangani to lure me to a trap? I did nothing of the kind, replied the other. I came here to place myself near the white woman, with the thought that I might be of service to her or you if I were needed. I come now, Englishman, to stand at your side and die at your side for die you shall. As sure as there is a God in heaven, nothing can save you now from the wrath of the Bolgani whose emperor you have killed. Come then, cried Tarzan, and prove your loyalty. It were better to die now than to live in slavery forever. The six Gomangani had ranged themselves, three upon either side of Tarzan in law, while the seventh, who had entered the chamber with Tarzan unarmed, was taking weapons from the body of one of the three Bolgani who had been slain upon the Daes. Before this array of force so new to them, the Bolgani paused at the foot of the steps leading to the Daes, but only for a moment they paused, for there were but nine against fifty. And as they surged up the steps, Tarzan and his Gomangani met them with battle acts and spear and bludgeon. For a moment they pressed them back, but the numbers against them were too great, and once again a wave swept up that seemed likely to overwhelm them, when they broke upon the ears of the contestants a frightful roar, which, coming from almost at their sides, brought a sudden, momentary cessation of the battle. Turning their eyes in the direction of the sound they saw a huge, black main lion standing upon the floor of the apartment, just within one of the windows. For an instant he stood like a statue of golden bronze, and then again the building trembled to the reverberations of his mighty roar. Towering above them all, Tarzan of the Apes looked down from the Daes upon the great beast below him, and then in quick elation he raised his voice above the growlings of the Bolgani. Jadbalja! He cried, and pointing toward the Bolgani, Kill! Kill! Scarcely had the words been uttered, ere the huge monster, a veritable devil incarnate, was upon the hairy gorilla men, and simultaneously there occurred to the mind of the ape man a daring plan of salvation for himself and the others who were dependent upon him. Quick, he cried to the Golmangani, fall upon the Bolgani. Here at last is the true Numa, king of beasts, and ruler of all creation. He slays his enemies, but he will protect Tarzan of the Apes and the Golmangani who are his friends. Seeing their hated masters falling before the terrific onsots of the lion, the Golmangani rushed in with battle axes and clubs while Tarzan, casting aside his spear, took his place among them with drawn knife, and, keeping close to Jadbalja, directed the lion from one victim to another, lest he fall by mistake upon the Golmangani or the little old white man, or even law, herself. Twenty of the Bolgani lay dead upon the floor before the balance managed to escape from the chamber, and then Tarzan, turning to Jadbalja, called him to heal. Go! he said, turning toward the Golmangani, and dragged the body of the false Numa from the deus, remove it from the room, for the true emperor has come to claim his throne. The old man and law were eyeing Tarzan and the lion in amazement. Who are you? asked the former, that you can work such miracles with a savage beast of the jungle. Who are you, and what do you intend to do? Wait and see, said Tarzan with a grim smile. I think that we shall all be safe now, and that the Golmangani may live in comfort for a long time hereafter. When the blacks had removed the carcass of the lion from the deus, and thrown it from one of the windows of the chamber, Tarzan sent Jadbalja to sit in the place upon the deus that had formerly been occupied by the lion, Numa. There, he said, turning to the Golmangani. You see the true emperor, who does not have to be chained to his throne. Three of you will go to the huts of your people behind the palace, and summon them to the throne room, that they, too, may see what has transpired. Hurry, that we may have many warriors here before the Bulgani return in force. Filled with an excitement which almost shook their dull minds into a semblance of intelligence, three of the Golmangani hastened to do Tarzan's bidding, while the others stood gazing at Tarzan with such expressions of awe, that might only be engendered by the sight of a deity. Law came then, and stood beside Tarzan, looking up into his face with eyes that reflected a reverence fully as deep as that held by the blacks. I have not thanked you, Tarzan of the apes. She said, For what you have risked and done for me. I know that you must have come here in search of me to save me from these creatures, and I know that it was not love that impelled you to this heroic and well-nigh hopeless act. That you have succeeded thus far is little short of miraculous, but I, in the legends of whose people are recounted the exploits of the Bulgani, know that there can be no hope of eventual escape for us all, and so I beseech that you go at once, and make good your escape alone if possible, for you alone of us have any possible chance of escape. I do not agree with you that we have no chance of escape law, replied the eight man. It seems to me that now we not only have every reason to believe that we are practically assured of escape, but that we may ensure also to these poor Gomongani freedom from slavery and from the tyranny of the Bulgani. But this is not all. With this, I shall not be satisfied. Not only must these people who show no hospitality to strangers be punished, but your own disloyal priests as well. To this latter end, I intend to march out of the valley of the Palace of Diamonds, down upon the city of Opar with a force of Gomongani sufficient to compel Kaj to relinquish the power he has usurped, and replace you upon the throne of Opar. Nothing less than this shall satisfy me, and nothing less than this shall I accomplish before I leave. You are a brief man, said the old man, and you have succeeded beyond what I thought could be possible. But law is right. You do not know the ferocity or the resources of the Bulgani, or the power which they wield over the Gomongani. Could you raise from the stupid minds of the blacks the incubus of fear that rests so heavily upon them, you might win over a sufficient number to make good your escape from the valley. But that, I fear, is beyond you. Our only hope, therefore, is to escape from the Palace while they are momentarily disorganized, and to trust fleetness and to luck to carry us beyond the limits of the valley before we are apprehended. See? cried law, pointing. Even now it is too late. They return. Tarzan looked in the direction that she indicated, and saw through the open doorway at the far end of the chamber a large number of guerrilla men approaching. His eyes moved swiftly to the windows in the other wall. But wait, he said. Behold another factor in the equation. The others looked toward the windows which opened upon the terrace, and they saw beyond them what appeared to be a crowd of several hundred blacks running rapidly toward the windows. The other blacks upon the dais cried out excitedly. They come. They come. We shall be free. And no longer shall the Bulgani be able to make us work until we drop from exhaustion or beat us or torture us or feed us to Numa. As the first of the Bulgani reached the doorway leading into the chamber, the Gomangani commenced to pour through the several windows in the opposite wall. They were led by the three who had been sent to fetch them, and to such good effect had these carried their message that the blacks already seemed like a new people. So it transfigured where they by the thought of immediate freedom. At sight of them, the leader of the Bulgani cried aloud for them to seize the intruders upon the dais, but his answer was a spear hurled by the nearest black, and as he lunged forward, dead, the battle was on. The Bulgani in the palace greatly outnumbered the blacks, but the latter had the advantage of holding the interior of the throne room in sufficient numbers to prevent the entry of many Bulgani simultaneously. Tarzan, immediately he recognized the temper of the blacks, called Jadwalja to follow him, and descending from the dais, he took command of the Gomangani. At each opening he placed sufficient men to guard it, and at the center of the room he held the balance and reserve, and he called the old man into consultation. The gate in the east wall was open, he said. I left it so when I entered. Would it be possible for twenty or thirty blacks to reach it in safety and, entering the forest, carry word to the villagers of what is transpiring here in the palace, and prevail upon them to send all of their warriors immediately to complete the work of emancipation that we have begun. It is an excellent plan, replied the old man. The Bulgani are not upon that side of the palace, between us and the gate, and if it may ever be accomplished, now is the time. I will pick your men for you. They must be head men, whose words will carry some weight with the villagers outside the palace walls. Good, replied Tarzan, select them immediately, tell them what we want, and urge upon them the necessity for haste. One by one the old man chose thirty warriors, whose duty he carefully explained to each, and assured Tarzan that in less than an hour the first of the reinforcements would come. As you leave the enclosure, said the eight men, destroy the lock if you can, so that the Bulgani may not lock it again and bar out our reinforcements. Carry also the word that the first who come are to remain outside the wall until a sufficient number have arrived to make entry into the palace grounds reasonably safe, at least as many as are within this room now. The blacks signified their understanding, and a moment later passed out of the room through one of the windows, and disappeared into the darkness of the night beyond. Shortly after the blacks had left, the Bulgani made a determined rush upon the Golangani guarding the main entrance to the throne room, with the result that a score or more of the Gryllamen succeeded in cutting their way into the room. At this first indication of reversal, the blacks showed signs of faltering, the fear of the Bulgani that was inherent in them showing in their wavering attitude, and seeming reluctance to force a counterattack. As Tarzan leaped forward to assist in checking the rush of the Bulgani into the throne room, he called to Jadbal Jha, and as the great lion leaped from the dais, the eight man, pointing to the nearest Bulgani, cried, Kill! Kill! Straight for the throat of the nearest leaped Jadbal Jha, the great Jha is closed upon the snarling face of the frightened Gryllamen but once, and then, at the command of his master, the golden lion dropped the carcass after a single shake and leaped upon another. Three had died thus in quick succession, when the balance of the Bulgani turned to flee this chamber of horrors, but the Golangani, their confidence restored by the ease with which this fierce ally brought death and terror to the tyrants, interposed themselves between the Bulgani and the doorway, shutting off their retreat. Hold them! Hold them! cried Tarzan. Do not kill them! And then to the Bulgani, surrender, and you will not be harmed. Jadbal Jha clung close to the side of his master, glaring and growling at the Bulgani, and casting an occasional beseeching look at the eight man, which said plainer than words, send me among them. Fifteen of the Bulgani who had entered the room survived, for a moment they hesitated, and then one of them threw his weapons upon the floor, immediately the others followed suit. Tarzan turned toward Jadbal Jha, back, he said, pointing toward the dais, and as the lion wheeled and sunk away toward the platform, Tarzan turned again toward the Bulgani. Let one of your number go, he said, and announce to your fellows that I demand their immediate surrender. The Bulgani whispered among themselves for a few moments, and finally one of them announced that he would go and seek the others. After he had left the room, the old man approached Tarzan. They will never surrender, he said. Look out for treachery. It is all right, said Tarzan. I am expecting that, but I am gaining time, and that is what we need most. If there were a place near where I might confine these others, I should feel better, for it would cut down our antagonists by at least that many. There is a room there, said the old man, pointing toward one of the doorways in the throne room, where you can confine them. There are many such rooms in the Tower of the Imperers. Good, said Tarzan, and a moment later, following his instructions, the Bulgani were safely locked in a room adjoining the throne room. In the quarters without, they could hear the main body of the Gryllamen in argument. It was evident that they were discussing the message sent to them by Tarzan. Fifteen minutes passed, and finally thirty, with no word from the Bulgani, and no resumption of hostilities. And then, there came to the main entrance of the throne room, the fellow whom Tarzan had dispatched with his demand for surrender. Well, asked the Eightman, what is their answer? They will not surrender, replied the Bulgani. But they will permit you to leave the valley, provided that you will release those whom you have taken prisoner and harm no others. The Eightman shook his head. That will not do, he replied. I hold the power to crush the Bulgani of the Valley of Diamonds. Look! and he pointed toward Ja Balja. Here is the true Numa. The creature you had upon your throne was but a wild beast. But this is Numa, king of beasts, emperor of all created things. Look at him! Must he be held in leash by golden chains like some prisoner or slave? No, he is indeed an emperor. But there is one yet greater than he, one from whom he takes commands. And that one is I, Tarzan of the Apes. Anger me, and you shall feel not only the wrath of Numa, but the wrath of Tarzan as well. The Bulgani are my people. The Bulgani shall be my slaves. Go and tell your fellows that. And that if they would live at all, they had best come soon and sue for mercy. Go! When the messenger had again departed, Tarzan looked at the old man, who was eyeing him with an expression which might have denoted either awe or reverence, were it not for the vaguest hint of a twinkle in the corners of the eyes. The eight man breathed the deep sigh of relief. That will give us at least another half hour, he said. We shall need it, and more, too, replied the old man. Though, at that, you have accomplished more than I had thought possible. For at least you have put a doubt in the minds of the Bulgani, who never before have had cause to question their own power. Presently from the outer corridors, the sounds of argument and discussion gave place to that of movement among the Bulgani. A company comprising some fifty of the Grillamen took post directly outside the main entrance of the throne room, where they stood in silence, their weapons ready, as though for the purpose of disputing any effort upon the part of the inmates of the room to escape. Beyond them, the balance of the Grillamen could be seen moving away and disappearing through doorways and corridors leading from the main hallway of the palace. The Gomangani, together with law and the old man, watched impatiently for the coming of the black reinforcements, while Tarzan sat upon the edge of the dais half reclining, with an arm about the neck of Jad Balja. They are up to something, said the old man. We must watch carefully against a surprise. If the blacks would but come now, while the doorway is held by only fifty, we should overcome them easily and have, I do verily believe, some slight chance of escaping from the palace grounds. Your long residence here, said Tarzan, has filled you with the same senseless fear of the Bogani that the Gomangani hold. From the attitude of mind which you hold toward them, one might think them some manner of Superman. They are only beasts, my friend, and if we remain loyal to our cause, we shall overcome them. Beasts they may be, cried the old man, but they are beasts with the brains of men. Their cunning and their cruelty are diabolical. A long silence ensued, broken only by the nervous whisperings of the Gomangani, whose morale, it was evident, was solely disintegrating under the nervous strain of the enforced weight and the failure of their fellows of the forest to come quickly to their aid. To this was added the demoralizing effect of speculation upon what the Bogani were planning or what plan they were already putting into effect. The very silence of the Gryllamen was more terrible than the din of actual assault. Law was the first of the whites to break the silence. If thirty of the Gomangani could leave the palace so easily, why might we not leave also? There are two reasons, replied Tarzan. One was that should we have left simultaneously the Bogani, greatly outnumbering us as they did, could have harassed us and detained us for a sufficient length of time to have permitted their messengers to reach the villagers ahead of us, with the result that in a short time, we should have been surrounded by thousands of hostile warriors. The second reason is that I desire to punish the creatures, so that in future a stranger may be safe in the Valley of the Palace of Diamonds. He paused, and now I shall give you a third reason why we may not seek to escape at this moment. He pointed toward the windows overlooking the terrace. Look! he said. The terrace and the gardens are filled with Bogani. Whatever their plan, I think its success depends upon our attempt to escape from this room through the windows. For unless I am mistaken, the Bogani upon the terrace and in the gardens are making an attempt to hide themselves from us. Vilban walked to a part of the room from which he could see the greater part of the terrace and gardens upon which the windows of the throne room looked. You are right, he said, when he returned to the eight-man side. The Bogani are all masked outside the windows with the exception of those who guard the entrance, and possibly some others at the doorways at other portions of the throne room. That, however, we must determine. He walked quickly to the opposite side of the chamber, and drew back the hangs before one of the apertures disclosing beyond a small band of Bogani. They stood there motionless, not making any effort to seize or harm him. To another exit and to another he went, and beyond each discovered to the occupants of the chamber the same silent guerrilla guardians. He made the circle of the room, passing over the dais behind the three thrones, and then he came back to Tarzan and Laugh. It is as I suspected, he said. We are entirely surrounded. Unless help come soon, we are lost. But their force is divided, Tarzan reminded him. Even so, it is sufficient to account for us, replied the old man. Perhaps you are right, said Tarzan, but at least we shall have a bully fight. What is that? exclaimed Laugh, and simultaneously attracted by the same noise the inmates of the throne room raise their eyes to the ceiling above them, where they saw that traps had been lifted from a dozen openings revealing the scowling faces of several score of guerrilla men. What are they up to now? exclaimed Tarzan, and as though an answer to the query the Bogani above began hurling bundles of burning oil-soaked rags tied in goat skins into the throne room, which immediately commenced to fill up with a thick suffocating smoke accompanied by the stench of burning hide and hair. End of Chapter Chapter 15 of Tarzan and the Golden Lion This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Josh Herring of Abingdon, Virginia. Tarzan and the Golden Lion by Edgar Rice Burrows Chapter 15 The Map of Blood After Esteban and Owaza had buried the gold, they returned to the spot where they had left their five boys, and proceeding with them to the river-made camp for the night. Here they discussed their plans, deciding to abandon the balance of the party to reach the coast as best they might, while they returned to another section of the coast where they could recruit sufficient porters to carry out the gold. Instead of going all the way back to the coast for porters, asked Esteban, why could we not just as well recruit them from the nearest village? Such men would not go with us way to the coast, replied Owaza. They are not porters. At best they would but carry our gold to the next village. Why not that bin? inquired the Spaniard, and at the next village we could employ porters to carry us still farther, until we could employ other men to continue on with us. Owaza shook his head. It is a good plan, Buona, but we cannot do it because we have nothing with which to pay our porters. Esteban scratched his head, drew our right, he said, but it would save us that damnable trip to the coast and return. They sat for some moments in silence, thinking, I have it, at last exclaimed the Spaniard. Even if we had the porters now, we could not go directly to the coast for fear of meeting Flora Hox's party. We must let them get out of Africa before we take the gold to the coast. Two months will be not too long to wait, for they are going to have a devil of a time getting to the coast at all with that bunch of mutinous porters. While we are waiting, therefore, let us take one of the ingots of gold to the nearest point at which we can dispose of it for three goods. Then we can return and hire porters to carry it from village to village. The Buona speaks words of wisdom, replied Owaza. It is not as far to the nearest trading post as it is back to the coast, and thus we shall not only save time, but also many long, hard marches. In the morning then, we shall return and unearth one of the ingots, but we must be sure that none of your men accompanies us, for no one must know until it is absolutely necessary where the gold is buried. When we return for it, of course, then others must know, too, but in as much as we shall be with it constantly thereafter, there will be little danger of it being taken from us. And so upon the following morning, the Spaniard and Owaza returned to the buried treasure, where they unearthed a single ingot. Before he left the spot, the Spaniard drew upon the inner surface of the leopard skin that he wore across his shoulder, an accurate map of the location of the treasure, making the drawing with a sharpened stick, dipped in the blood of a small rodent he had killed for the purpose. From Owaza he obtained the native names for the river, and of such landmarks as were visible from the spot at which the treasure was buried, together with as explicit directions as possible for reaching the place from the coast. This information, too, he wrote below the map, and when he had finished, he felt much relieved from the fear that, should ought befall Owaza, he might never be able to locate the gold. When Jane Clayton reached the coast to take passage for London, she found awaiting her a wire stating that her father was entirely out of danger, and that there was no necessity for her coming to him, she, therefore, after a few days of rest, turned her face again toward home, and commenced to retrace her steps of the long, hot, weary journey that she had just completed. When finally she arrived at the bungalow she learned, to her consternation, that Tarzan of the Apes had not yet returned from his expedition to the city of Opar after the gold from the treasure vaults. She found Korak, evidently much exercised, but unwilling to voice a doubt as to the ability of his father to care for himself. She learned of the escape of the Golden Lion with regret, for she knew that Tarzan had become much attached to the noble beast. It was the second day after her return, that the Waziri who had accompanied Tarzan returned without him, then indeed was her heartfelt with fear for her Lord and Master. She questioned the men carefully, and when she learned from them that Tarzan had suffered another accident that had again affected his memory, she immediately announced that she would set out on the following day in search of him, commanding the Waziri who had just returned to accompany her. Korak attempted to dissuade her, but failing in that insisted upon accompanying her. We must not all be away at once, she said. You remain here, my son. If I fail, I shall return and let you go. I cannot let you go alone, mother, replied Korak. I am not alone when the Waziri are with me, she laughed, and you know perfectly well, boy, that I am as safe anywhere in the heart of Africa with them as I am here at the ranch. Yes, yes, I suppose, he replied, but I wish I might go, or that Merriam were here. Yes, I too wish that Merriam were here, replied Lady Grey Stoke. However, do not worry, you know that my jungle-craft while not equal to that of Tarzan or Korak is by no means a poor asset, and that, surrounded by the loyalty and bravery of the Waziri, I shall be safe. I suppose you are right, replied Korak, but I do not like to see you go without me. And so, notwithstanding his objections, Jane Clayton set out the next morning with 50 Waziri warriors in search of her savage mate. When Esteban and O'waza had not returned to the camp as they had promised, the other members of the party were at first inclined to anger, which was later replaced by concern, not so much for the safety of the Spaniard, but for fear that O'waza might have met with an accident and would not return to take them in safety to the coast, for of all the blacks he alone seemed competent to handle the surly and mutinous carriers. The negro scouted the idea that O'waza had become lost, and were more inclined to the opinion that he and Esteban had deliberately deserted them. Louvini, who acted as headman in O'waza's absence, had a theory of his own. O'waza and the Buana have gone after the ivory raiders alone. By trickery they may accomplish as much as we could have accomplished by force, and there will only be two among whom to divide the ivory. But how may two men overcome a band of raiders? inquired Flora skeptically. You do not know O'waza, answered Louvini. If he can gain the ears of their slaves, he will win them over, and when the Arab see that he who accompanies O'waza and who fights at the head of the mutinous slaves as Tarzan of the Apes, they will flee in terror. I believe he is right, muttered Kraski. It sounds just like the Spaniard, and then suddenly he turned upon Louvini. Can you lead us to the raider's camp? he demanded. Yes, replied the negro. Good, exclaimed Kraski. And now Flora, what do you think of this plan? Let us send a swift runner to the raiders, warning them against O'waza and the Spaniard, and telling them that the latter is not Tarzan of the Apes, but an imposter. We can ask them to capture and hold the two until we come, and after we arrive, we can make such further plans as the circumstances permit. Very possibly, we can carry out our original design after we have once entered their camp as friends. Yes, that sounds good, replied Flora. And it is certainly crooked enough, just like you, yourself. The Russian blushed. Thirds of the feather, he quoted. The girl shrugged her shoulders indifferently, but Bloober, who, with people's enthrock, had been silent listeners to the conversation, blustered. What do you mean birds with feathers? he demanded. Who was a crook? I tell you, Mr. Carl Kraski, I am an honest man. That is one thing that no man don't say about Adolf Bloober. He is a crook. Oh, shut up, snapped Kraski. If there's anything in it, you'll be for it. If there's no risk, these fellows stole the ivory themselves, and killed a lot of people probably to do it. In addition, they have taken slaves, which we will free. Orwell, said Bloober, if it is fair and equivitable, fine, all right, but just remember, Mr. Kraski, that I am an honest man. Lie me, exclaimed Throck, we're all honest. I've never seen such a downy bunch of Parsons in all my life. Sure, we're honest, wrote John Peoples. And anyone that says we ain't gets his bollyhead knocked off. And here we are, and that's that. The girl smiled weirdly. You can always tell honest men, she said. They go around telling the world how honest they are. But never mind that. The thing now is to decide whether we want to follow Kraski's suggestion or not. It's something we've got all pretty well to agree upon before we undertake it. There are five of us. Let's leave it to a vote. Do we, or don't we? Will them in the company us? asked Kraski, turning to Louvini. If they are promised a share of the ivory they will, replied the Black. How many are in favor of Carl's plan? asked Flora. They were unanimously for it, and so it was decided they would undertake the venture, and a half hour later, our runner was dispatched on the trail to the Raiders camp with a message for the Raider Chief. Shortly after, the party broke camp and took up its march in the same direction. A week later, when they had reached the camp of the Raiders, they found that their messenger had arrived safely, and that they were expected. Esteban and Nawaza had not put in an appearance, nor had anything been seen or heard of them in the vicinity. The result was that the Arabs were inclined to be suspicious and surly, fearing that the message brought to them had been but a ruse to permit this considerable body of whites and armed blacks to enter their stockade in safety. Jane Clayton and her Waziri, moving rapidly, picked up the Spora Flora Hawks' safari at the camp where the Waziri had last seen Esteban, whom they still thought to have been Tarzan of the Apes. Following the plainly marked trail and moving much more rapidly than the Hawks' safari, Jane and the Waziri made camp within a mile of the Ivory Raiders, only about a week after the Hawks' party had arrived, and where they still remained, waiting either for the coming of Nawaza and Esteban, or for a propitious moment in which they could launch their traitorous assault upon the Arabs. In the meantime, Lovini and some of the other blacks had succeeded in secretly spreading the propaganda of revolt among the slaves of the Arabs. Though he reported his progress daily to Flora Hawks, he did not report the steady growth and development of a little private plan of his own, which contemplated, in addition to the revolt of the slaves and the slaying of the Arabs, the murder of all the whites in the camp, with the exception of Flora Hawks, whom Lovini wished to preserve either for himself or for sale to some black sultan of the North. It was Lovini's shrewd plan to first slay the Arabs with the assistance of the whites, and then to fall upon the whites and slay them, after their body servants had stolen their weapons from them. That Lovini would have been able to carry out his plan with ease, there is little doubt, had it not been for the loyalty and affection of a young black boy attached to Flora Hawks for her personal service. The young white woman, notwithstanding the length to which she would go in the satisfaction of her greed and avarice, was a kind and indulgent mistress. The kindness as she had shown this ignorant little black boy were presently to return her dividends far beyond her investment. Lovini had been to her upon a certain afternoon to advise her that all was ready, and that the revolt of the slaves and the murder of the Arabs should take place that evening, immediately after dark. The cupidity of the whites had long been aroused by the store of ivory possessed by the raiders, with the result that all were more than eager for the final step of the conspiracy that would put them in possession of considerable wealth. It was just before the evening meal that the little negro boy crept into Flora Hawks' tent. He was very wide-eyed and terribly frightened. What's the matter? She demanded. Sh! He cautioned. Do not let them hear you speak to me, but put your ear close to me while I tell you in a low voice what Lovini is planning. The girl bent her head close to the lips of the little black. You have been kind to me, he whispered, and now that Lovini would harm you, I have come to tell you. What do you mean? exclaimed Flora in a low voice. I mean that Lovini, after the Arabs are killed, has given orders that the black boys kill all the white men and take you prisoner. He intends to either keep you for himself or to sell you in the north for a great sum of money. But how do you know all this? demanded the girl. All the blacks in the camp know it, replied the boy. I was to have stolen your rifle and your pistol, as each of the boys will steal the weapons of his white master. The girl sprang to her feet. I'll teach that negro a lesson. She cried, seizing her pistol and striding toward the flap of the tent. The boy seized her about the knees and held her. No, no, he cried. Do not do it. Do not say anything. It will only mean that they will kill the white men sooner and take you prisoner just the same. Every black boy in camp is against you. Lovini has promised that the ivory shall be divided equally among them all. They are ready now, and if you should threaten Lovini, or if in any other way they should learn that you were aware of the plot, they would fall upon you immediately. What do you expect me to do then? she asked. There is but one hope, and that is in flight. You and the white men must escape into the jungle. Not even I may accompany you. The girl stood looking at the little boy in silence for a moment, and then finally she said, Very well. I will do as you say. You have saved my life. Perhaps I may never be able to repay you, and perhaps again I may. Go now, before suspicion alights upon you. The black witch drew from the tent, crawling beneath the back wall to avoid being seen by any of his fellows who were in the center of the camp, from which the front of the tent was in plain view. Immediately he was gone, Flora walked casually into the open, and went to Krasky's tent, which the Russian occupied and common with Bloober. She found the two men, and in low whispers apprised them of what the black had told her. Krasky then called pebbles and throck. It was decided that they should give no outward sign of holding any suspicion that ought was wrong. The Englishmen were for jumping in upon the blacks and annihilating them, before Hawks dissuaded them from any such rash act by pointing out how greatly they were outnumbered by the natives, and how hopeless it would be to attempt to overpower them. Bloober, with his usual cunning and shrewdness, which inclined always to double dealing where there was the slightest possibility for it, suggested that they secretly advised the Arabs of what they had learned, and joining forces with them, take up as strong a position in the camp as possible, and commence to fire into the blacks without waiting for their attack. Again, Flora Hawks vetoed the suggestion. It will not do, she said, for the Arabs are at heart as much our enemies as the blacks. If we were successful in subduing the niggers, it would be but a question of minutes before the Arabs knew every detail of the plot that we had laid against them, after which our lives would not be worth that, and she snapped her fingers. I guess Flora is right, as usual, growled pebbles. But what now are we going to do wander and round in this here jungle without no niggers to hunt for us, or cook for us, or carry things for us, and find our way for us? That's what I'd like to know, and here we are, and that's that. No, I guess there ain't nothing else to do, said Throck, but blah me, if I'd like to run away, says I, at least why it's not from no dirty niggers. There came then to the ears of the whites rumbling from the far distance in the jungle, the roar of a lion. Oi, oi! cried Bloober. Did you go out all alone in that jungle? Mine, God! I'd just as soon stay here and get killed like a white man. They won't kill you like a white man, said Krasky. They'll torture you if you stay. Bloober rung his hands, and a sweat of fear rolled down his oily face. Oi! Why did I done it? Why did I done it? He wailed. Why didn't I stay home in London for a bit long? Shut up, snapped Flora. Don't you know that if you do anything to arouse the suspicion of these fellows, they will be honest at once? There is only one thing for us to do, and that is to wait until they precipitate the attack upon the A-Rabs. We will still have our weapons, for they do not plan to steal them from us until after the A-Rabs are killed. In the confusion of the fight, we must make our escape into the jungle, and after that, God knows, and God help us. Yes, blubbered Bloober, who was in a blue funk. Gods help us. A moment later, Lovini came to them. All is ready, Bwannas, he said. As soon as the evening meal has been eaten, be in readiness. You will hear a shot. That will be the signal. Then open fire upon the A-Rabs. Good, said Kraski. We have just been talking about it, and we have decided that we will take our stand near the gate to prevent their escape. It is well, said Lovini, but you must remain here. He was addressing Flora. It would not be safe for you to be where there is fighting. Remain here in your tent, and we will confine the fighting to the other side of the village and possibly to the gate if any of them makes a break for escape. All right, said Flora. I will remain here where it is safe. Satisfied that things could not have worked into his hands to better advantage, the Black left them, and presently the entire camp was occupied with the evening meal. There was an atmosphere of restraint and high nervous tension throughout the entire camp that must have been noticeable even to the A-Rabs, though they, alone of the entire company, were ignorant as to its cause. Bloober was so terrified that he could not eat, but sat white and trembling with his eyes roving wildly about the camp, first to the Blacks, then to the A-Rabs, and then to the gate, the distance to which he must have measured a hundred times as he sat there waiting for the shot that was to be the signal for the massacre that was to send him out into the jungle to be, he surely thought, the immediate prey of the first hunting lion that passed. Peoples enthrock ate their meals stolidly, much to Bloober's disgust. Craskey, being of a highly nervous temperament, ate but little, but he showed no signs of fear, nor did Flora hawks, though at heart she realized the hopelessness of their situation. Darkness had fallen, some of the Blacks and A-Rabs were still eating, when suddenly the silence was shattered by the sharp staccato report of a rifle, and A-Rabs sank silently to the earth. Craskey rose and grasped Flora by the arm. Come, he cried. Followed by Peoples enthrock and preceded by Bloober, to whose feet fright had lent wings, they hurried toward the gate of the Palisade. By now the air was filled with the horse cries of fighting men, and the report of rifles. The A-Rabs, who had numbered but about a dozen, were putting up a game fight, and being far better marksmen than the Blacks, the issue of the battle was still in doubt when Craskey opened the gate, and the five Whites fled into the darkness of the jungle. The outcome of the fight within the camp could not have been other than it was, for so greatly did the Blacks outnumber the A-Rabs, that eventually, notwithstanding their poor marksmanship, they succeeded in shooting down the last of the Nomads of the North. Then it was that Louvini turned his attention to the other Whites, only to discover that they had fled the village. The Black realized two things instantly, one was that someone had betrayed him, and the other, that the Whites could not have gone far in the short time since they had left the camp. Calling his warriors about him, he explained to them what had happened, and impressing upon them that the Whites, if hermitted to escape, would eventually return with reinforcements to punish the Blacks, he aroused his followers, who now numbered over two hundred warriors, to the necessity of setting out immediately upon the trail of the fugitives, and overtaking them before they could carry word even to the neighboring village, the nearest of which was not more than a day's march distant. End of Chapter Chapter 16 of Tarzan and the Golden Lion This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Josh Herring of Abingdon, Virginia Tarzan and the Golden Lion by Edgar Rice Burroughs Chapter 16 The Diamond Horde As the primitive smoke bombs filled the throne room of the Tower of the Emperors with their suffocating fumes, the Gomangani clustered about Tarzan begging him to save them, for they, too, had seen the masked Bulgani before every entrance, and the great body of them that awaited in the gardens and upon the terrace without. Wait a minute, said Tarzan, until the smoke is thick enough to hide our movements from the Bulgani, and then we may rush the windows overlooking the terrace, for they are near the east gate than any other exit, and thus some of us will have a better chance for escape. I have a better plan, said the old man, when the smoke conceals us, follow me. There is one exit that is unguarded, probably because they do not dream that we would use it. When I passed over the dais behind the throne, I took occasion to note that there were no Bulgani guarding it. Where does it lead? asked Tarzan. Into the basement of the Tower of Diamonds, the tower in which I discovered you. That portion of the palace is nearest to the east gate, and if we reach it before they suspect our purpose, there will be little doubt that we can reach the forest at least. Splendid, ejaculated the eight man, it will not be long now before the smoke hides us from the Bulgani. In fact, it was so thick by this time that the occupants of the throne room were finding difficulty in breathing. Many of them were coughing and choking, and the eyes of all were watering from the effects of the accurate smoke, and yet they were not entirely hidden from the observation of the watchers all about them. I don't know how much more of this we can stand, said Tarzan. I have about all I care for now. It is thickening up a bit, said the old man. Just a moment more, and I think we can make it unseen. I can stand it no longer, cried La. I am suffocating, and I am half-blinded. Very well, said the old man. I doubt if they can see us now. It is pretty thick. Come, follow me. And he led the way up the steps of the dais and threw an aperture behind the thrones, a small opening hidden by hangings. The old man went first, and then La, followed by Tarzan and Jad Balja, who had about reached the limit of his endurance and patience, so that it had been with difficulty that Tarzan had restrained him, and who now was voicing his anger in deep growls which might have apprised the Bulgani of their avenue of escape. Behind Tarzan and the lion, crowded the coffin Golmangani, but because Jad Balja was just in front of them, they did not crowd as closely upon the party ahead of them as they probably would have done otherwise. The aperture opened into a dark corridor, which led down a flight of rough steps to a lower level, and then straight through utter darkness for the rather considerable distance which separated the Tower of Diamonds from the Tower of the Imperers. So great was their relief at escaping the dense smoke of the throne room that none of the party minded the darkness of the corridor, but followed patiently the lead of the old man who had explained that the first stairs, down which they had passed, were the only obstacles to be encountered in the tunnel. At the corridor's end the old man halted before a heavy door, which after considerable difficulty he managed to open. Wait a minute, he said, until I find a crescent and make a light. They heard him moving about beyond the doorway for a moment, and then a dim light flared, and presently the wake of a crescent flickered. In the dim rays Tarzan saw before them a large rectangular chamber, the great size of which was only partially suggested in the wavering light of the crescent. Get them all in, said the old man, and close the door. And when that had been done, he called to Tarzan. Come, he said, before we leave this chamber, I want to show you such a sight as no other human eyes have ever rested upon. He led him to the far side of the chamber where, in the light of the crescent, Tarzan saw tear after tear of shelves, upon which were stacked small sacs made of skins. The old man set the crescent upon one of the shelves, and taking a sac opened it, and spilled a portion of the contents into the palm of his hand. Diamonds, he said, each of these packages weighs five pounds, and each contains diamonds. They have been accumulating them for countless ages, for they mine far more than they can use themselves. In their legends it is believed that someday the Atlanteans will return, and they can sell the diamonds to them. And so they continue to mine them, and store them, as though there was a constant and ready market for them. Here, take one of the bags with you, he said. He handed one to Tarzan, and another to La. I do not believe that we shall ever leave the valley alive, but we might, and he took a third bag for himself. From the Diamond Vault, the old man led them up a primitive ladder to the floor above, and quickly to the main entrance of the tower. Only two heavy doors, bolted upon the inside, now lay between them and the terrace, a short distance beyond which the East Gate swung open. The old man was about to open the doors when Tarzan stopped him. Wait a moment, he said, until the rest of the Gomangani come, it takes them some time to ascend the ladder. When they are all here behind us, swing the doors open, and you, and La, with this tin or a dozen Gomangani that are immediately around us, make a break for the gate. The rest of us will bring up the rear, and hold the Gomangani off in case they attack us. Get ready, he added a moment later. I think they're all up. Carefully, Tarzan explained to the Gomangani the plan he had in mind, and then, turning to the old man, he commanded, Now! The bolt slipped, the doors swung open, and simultaneously the entire party started at a run toward the East Gate. The Gomangani, who were still masked about the throne room, were not aware that their victims had eluded them until Tarzan, bringing up the rear with Jodbal Ja, was passed through the East Gate. Then the Gomani discovered him, and immediately set up a hue and cry that brought several hundred of them on a mad run in pursuit. Here they come, said Tarzan to the others, make a run of it, straight down the valley toward Opar, La. And you? demanded the young woman. I shall remain a moment with the Gomangani, and attempt to punish these fellows. La stopped in her tracks. I shall not go a step without you, Tarzan of the Apes. She said, Too great already are the risks you have taken for me. No, I shall not go without you. The eight man shrugged. As you will, he said. Here they come. With great difficulty he rallied a portion of the Gomangani, who, once through the gate, seemed imbued but with a single purpose, and that, to put as much distance between the palace of diamonds and themselves as possible, perhaps fifty warriors rallied to his call, and with these he stood in the gateway toward which several hundred Bogani were now charging. The old man came and touched Tarzan on the arm. You had better fly, he said. The Gomangani will break and run at the first assault. We will gain nothing by flying, said Tarzan, for we should only lose what we have gained with the Gomangani, and then we should have the whole valley about us like hornets. He had scarcely finished speaking when one of the Gomangani cried, Look! Look! They come! and pointed along the trail into the forest. And just in time, too, remarked Tarzan, as he saw the first of a swarm of Gomangani pouring out of the forest toward the east gate. Come! he cried to the advancing blacks. The Bogani are upon us. Come! and avenge your wrongs. Then he turned, and calling to the blacks around him, leaped forward to meet the onrushing guerrilla men. Behind them, wave after wave of Gomangani rolled through the east gate of the palace of diamonds, carrying everything before them to break it last like surf upon the wavering wall of Bogani that was being relentlessly hurled back against the palace walls. The shouting and the fighting and the blood worked jaw-bal-jaw into such a frenzy of excitement that Tarzan, with difficulty, restrained him from springing upon friend and foe alike, with the result that it required so much of the eight man's time to hold and leash his ferocious ally that he was able to take but little part in the battle, yet he saw that it was going his way, and that, but for the occurrence of some untoward event, the complete defeat of the Bogani was assured. Nor were his deductions erroneous, so frantic were the Gomangani with the bloodlust of revenge, and so enthused by the first fruits of victory that they went fully as mad as jaw-bal-jaw himself, and neither gave nor asked quarter, and the fighting ended only when they could find no more Bogani to slay. The fighting over, Tarzan, with law in the old man, returned to the throne room, from which the fumes of the smoke bombs had now disappeared. To them, they summoned the head man of each village, and when they had assembled before the deus, above which stood the three whites, with the great Blackmane Lion Jaw-bal-jaw, Tarzan addressed them. Gomangani of the Valley of the Palace of Diamonds, he said, you have this night won your freedom from the tyrannical masters that have oppressed you since far beyond the time the oldest of you may remember. For so many countless ages have you been oppressed, that there has never developed among you a leader capable of ruling you wisely and justly. Therefore you must select a ruler from another race than your own. You! You! cried voice after voice as the head man clamored to make Tarzan of the apes their king. No, cried the ape man, holding up his hand for silence, but there is one here who has lived long among you and who knows your habits and your customs, your hopes, and your needs better than any other. If he will stay with you and rule you, he will, I am sure, make you a good king. Tarzan pointed to the old man, the old man looked at Tarzan and the wilderness. But I want to go away from here, he said. I want to get back to the world of civilization from which I have been buried all these years. You do not know what you are talking about, replied the ape man. You have been gone very long. You will find no friends left back there from whence you came. You will find deceit and hypocrisy and greed and avarice and cruelty. You will find that no one will be interested in you and that you will be interested in no one there. I, Tarzan and the apes, have left my jungle and gone to the cities built by men, but always I have been disgusted and been glad to return to my jungle, to the noble beasts that are honest in their loves and in their hates, to the freedom and genuineness of nature. If you return you will be disappointed, and you will realize that you have thrown away an opportunity of accomplishing a work well worth your while. These poor creatures need you. I cannot remain to guide them out of darkness, but you may. And you may so mold them that they will be an industrious, virtuous and kindly people, not untrained however in the arts of warfare. For when we have that which is good there will always be those who are envious and who, if they are more powerful than we, will attempt to come and take what we have by force. Therefore you must train your people to protect their country and their rights, and to protect them they must have the ability and the knowledge to fight successfully and the weapons we are with to wage their wars. You speak the truth Tarzan of the apes, replied the old man. There is nothing for me in that other world, so if the Golmangani wish me to be their chief, I will remain here. The head men, when he questioned them, assured Tarzan that if they could not have him for chief, they would be very glad to have the old man, whom they all knew, whether by sight or reputation, as one who had never perpetrated any cruelties upon the Golmangani. The few surviving Bulgani who had taken refuge in various parts of the palace were sought out and brought to the throne room. Here they were given the option of remaining in the valley as slaves or leaving the country entirely. The Golmangani would have fallen upon them and slain them, but that their new king would not permit. Where shall we go if we leave the valley of the palace of diamonds? asked one of the Bulgani. Beyond the city of Opar we know not what exists, and in Opar may we find only enemies. Tarzan sat eyeing them quizzically and in silence, for a long time he did not speak, while several of the Golmangani head men and others of the Bulgani made suggestions for the future of the Gryllamen. Finally the eight men arose and knotted toward the Bulgani. There are about a hundred of you, he said. You are powerful creatures and should be ferocious fighters. Beside me sits La, the high priestess and queen of Opar. A wicked priest, usurping her power, has driven her from her throne, but tomorrow we march upon Opar with the bravest Golmangani of the valley of the palace of diamonds, and there we punish Khaj, the high priest who has proven a traitor to his queen. And La, once more, ascends the throne of Opar. But where the seeds of treason have once been broadcast, the plant may spring up at any time, and where least expected. It will be long, therefore, before La of Opar may have full confidence in the loyalty of her people, a fact which offers you an opportunity and a country. Accompany us, therefore, to Opar, and fight with us to replace La upon her throne, and then, when the fighting is over, remain there as La's bodyguard to protect her, not only from the enemies without, but from the enemies within. The Bogani discussed the matter for several minutes, and then one of them came to Tarzan. We will do as you suggest, he said, and you will be loyal to La, asked the eight man. A Bogani is never a traitor, replied the gorilla man. Good, exclaimed Tarzan, and you, La, are you satisfied with this arrangement? I accept them in my service, replied she. Early the next morning, Tarzan and La set out with three thousand Golmangani and a hundred Bogani to punish the traitorous Khaj. There was little or no attempt at strategy or deception. They simply marched down through the valley of the palace of diamonds, descended the rocky ravine into the valley of Opar, and made straight for the rear of the palace of La. A little grey monkey, sitting among the vines and creepers upon the top of the temple walls, saw them coming. He cocked his head first upon one side, and then upon the other, and then became so interested and excited that for a moment, he forgot to scratch his belly, an occupation he had been assiduously pursuing for some time. A closer the column approached, the more excited became Manu the monkey, and when he realized vaguely the great numbers of the Golmangani, he was fairly beside himself. But the last straw that sent him scampering madly back to the palace of Opar was the sight of the Bogani, the ogres of his little world. Khaj was in the courtyard of the inner temple, where at sunrise he had performed a sacrifice to the flaming god. With Khaj were a number of the lesser priests, and Oa, and her priestesses. That there was dissension among them was evident by the scowling faces fully as much as by the words which Oa directed at Khaj. Once again you have gone too far, Khaj. She cried bitterly. Only may the high priestess of the flaming god perform the act of sacrifice. Yet again and again do you persist in defiling the sacred knife with your unworthy hand. Silence, rumen, growl the high priest. I am Khaj, king of Opar, high priest of the flaming god. You are what you are only because of the favor of Khaj. Try not my patience too far, or you shall indeed know the field of the sacred knife. There could be no mistaking the sinister menace in his words. Several of those about him could ill conceal the shocked surprise they felt at his sacrilegious attitude toward their high priestess. However little they thought of Oa, the fact remained that she had been elevated to the highest place among them, and those that believed that La was dead, as Khaj had taken great pains to lead them all to believe, gave him full to Oa, the reverence which her high office entitled her to. Have a care Khaj, warned one of the older priests. There is a limit beyond which not even you may pass. You dare threaten me? cried Khaj, the maniacal fury of fanaticism gleaming in his eyes. You dare threaten me? Khaj, the high priest of the flaming god? And as he spoke he leaped toward the offending man, the sacrificial knife raised menacingly above his head, and just at that moment a little gray monkey came chattering and screaming through an embrasure in the wall overlooking the court of the temple. The bogany, the bogany! he shrieked. They come, they come! Khaj stopped and wheeled toward Manu, the hand that held the knife dropping to his side. You saw them, Manu? he asked. You are speaking the truth? If this is another of your tricks, you will not live to play another joke upon Khaj. I speak the truth, chatted the little monkey. I saw them with my own eyes. How many of them are there? asked Khaj, and how near to Opar have they come? They are as many as the leaves upon the trees, replied Manu, and they are already close to the temple wall, the bogany and the gomangany. They come as the grasses that grow in the ravines where it is cool and damp. Khaj turned and raised his face toward the sun, and throwing back his head gave voice to a long-drawn scream that ended in a piercing shriek. Three times he voiced the hideous cry, and then with a command to the others in the court to follow him, he started at a brisk trot toward the palace proper. As Khaj directed his steps toward the ancient avenue upon which the palace of Opar faced, there issued from every corridor and doorway groups of the knurled and hairy men of Opar, armed with their heavy bludgeons and their knives, screaming and chattering in the trees above them were a score or more of little grey monkeys. Not here, they cried, not here, and pointed toward the south side of the city. Like an undisciplined mob the horde of priests and warriors re-entered the palace at Khaj's heels, and retraced their steps toward the opposite side of the edifice. Here they scrambled to the summit of the lofty wall which guards the palace just as Tarzan's forces came to a halt outside. Rocks! Rocks! screamed Khaj, and in answer to his commands, the women of the courtyard below commenced to gather the loose fragments of stone that had crumbled from the wall and from the palace, and a toss them up to the warriors above. Go away! cried Khaj to the army outside his gates. Go away! I am Khaj, High Priest of the Flaming God, and this is his tempo. Defound not the temple of the Flaming God, or you shall know his wrath. Tarzan stepped forward a little ahead of the others and raised his hand for silence. La! Your High Priestess and your Queen is here! he cried to the Oparians upon the wall. Khaj is a traitor and an imposter. Open your gates and receive your Queen. Give up the traitors to justice, and no harm will befall you. But refuse La entry to her city, and we shall take by force and with bloodshed, that which belongs to La rightfully. As he ceased speaking, La stepped to his side, that all her people might see her, and immediately there were chattering cries for La and a voice or two raised against Khaj, evidently realizing that it would not take much to turn the scale against him, Khaj shrieked to his men to attack and simultaneously launched a stone at Tarzan. Only the wondrous agility that he possessed saved the eight-man, and the missile passed by and striking a Gomangani over the heart, felled him. Instantly a shower of missiles fell upon them, and then Tarzan called to his followers to charge. Roaring and growling, the Bogani and the Gomangani leaped forward to the attack, cat-like they ran up the rough wall in the face of the menacing bludgeons above. Tarzan, who had chosen Khajus his objective, was among the first to reach the summit. A hairy crooked warrior struck at him with a bludgeon, and hanging to the summit of the wall with one hand, Tarzan caught the weapon and the other, and rested it from his assailant. At the same time he saw Khaj turn and disappear into the courtyard beyond. Then Tarzan drew himself to the top where he was immediately engaged by two other warriors of Opar. With the weapon he had rested from their fellow he knocked them to right and left, so great an advantage his great height and strength gave him over them. And then, remembering only that Khaj, who was the ringleader of the revolt against La, must not be permitted to escape, Tarzan leaped to the pavement below, just as the high priest disappeared through an archway at the opposite end of the courtyard. Some priests and priestesses sought to impede his progress, seizing one of the former by the ankles he swung the body in circles about him, clearing his own pathway as he ran for the opposite end of the courtyard. And there he halted and wheeled, and putting all the strength of his great muscles into the effort, he swung the body of the priest once more and hurled it back into the faces of his pursuers. Without waiting to note the effect of his act, he turned again and continued in pursuit of Khaj. The fellow kept always just ahead of him, because Khaj knew his way through the labyrinthian mazes of the palace and temple and courtyards better than Tarzan. That the trail was leading toward the inner courts of the temple, Tarzan was convinced. Their Khaj refined easy ingress to the pits beneath the palace, and a hiding place from which it would be difficult to dislodge him, so numerous and winding were the dark subterranean tunnels. And so Tarzan put forth every effort to reach the sacrificial court in time to prevent Khaj from gaining the comparative safety of the underground passages. But as he finally leaped through the doorway into the court, a noose cunningly laid, closed about one of his ankles, and he was hurled heavily to the ground. Almost instantly a number of the crooked little men of Opar leaped upon him, where he lay, half stunned by the fall, and before he had fully regained his faculties they had trust him securely. Only about half conscious, he felt them raise him above the ground and carry him, and presently he was deposited upon a cold stone surface. Then it was that full consciousness returned to him, and he realized that he lay outstretched once more upon the sacrificial altar of the inner court of the Temple of the Flaming God, and above him stood Khaj, the high priest, his cruel face contorted in aggrimus of hate, and the anticipation of revenge long deferred. At last, glowed of the creature of hate, This time, Tarzan of the apes, you shall know the fury not of the Flaming God, but of Khaj, the man. Nor shall there be any weight nor any interference. He swung the sacrificial knife high above his head. Beyond the point of the knife, Tarzan of the apes saw the summit of the courtyard wall, and just surmounting it, the head and shoulders of a mighty black mane lion. Jadbal ja, he cried, kill, kill! Khaj hesitated, his knife poised on high. He saw the direction of the ape man's eyes, and followed them, and in that instant the golden lion leaped to the pavement, and with two mighty bounds he was upon the high priest of Opar. The knife clattered to the floor, and the great jaws closed upon the horrid face. The lesser priests who had seized Tarzan, and who had remained to witness his death at the hands of Khaj, had fled screaming from the court the instant that the golden lion had leaped upon their master, and now Tarzan and Jadbal ja and the corpse of Khaj were the sole occupants of the sacrificial courtyard of the temple. Come, Jadbal ja, commanded Tarzan, let no one harm Tarzan of the apes. An hour later the victorious forces of law were overrunning the ancient palace and temples of Opar. The priests and warriors who had not been killed had quickly surrendered and acknowledged law as their queen and high priestess, and now at law's command the city was being searched for Tarzan and Khaj. It was thus that law herself, leading a search party, entered the sacrificial courtyard. The sight that met her eyes brought her to a sudden halt, for there, bound upon the altar, lay Tarzan of the apes, and standing above him, his snarling face and gleaming eyes glaring directly at her was Jadbal ja, the golden lion. Tarzan! shrieked law, taking a step toward the altar. Khaj has had his way at last. God of my fathers have pity on me. Tarzan is dead. No, cried the eight man, far from dead. Come and release me. I am only bound, but had it not been for Jadbal ja, I had been dead beneath your sacrificial knife. Thank God! cried law, and started to approach the altar, but paused before the menacing attitude of the growling lion. Down! cried Tarzan, let her approach, and Jadbal ja laid down beside his master and stretched his whiskered chin across the eight man's breast. Law came then, and picking up the sacrificial knife cut the bonds that held the Lord of the jungle captive, and then she saw beyond the altar the corpse of Khaj. Your worst enemy is dead, said Tarzan, and for his death you may thank Jadbal ja, as I thank him for my life. You should rule now in peace and happiness, and in friendship with the people of the Valley of the Palace of Diamonds. That night Tarzan and the Bogani, and the headmen of the Gomongani, and the priests and priestesses of Opar, sat in the great banquet hall of the Palace of Opar as the guests of Law, the Queen, and ate from the golden platters of the Ancient Atlanteans. Platters that had been fashioned on a continent that exists today, only in the legends of antiquity. In the following morning, Tarzan and Jadbal ja set forth upon their return journey to the land of the Waziri, and home. End of chapter. Chapter 17 of Tarzan and the Golden Lion. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Josh Herring of Abingdon, Virginia. Tarzan and the Golden Lion. By Edgar Rice Burroughs. Chapter 17. The Torture of Fire. Flora Hawks and her four Confederates, pursued by Lovini and his 200 warriors, stumbled through the darkness of the jungle night. They had no objective for, guided entirely as they had been by the blacks, they knew not where they were, and were completely lost. The sole idea dominating the mind of each was to put as much distance between themselves and the camp of the ivory raiders as possible. For no matter what the outcome of the battle there might have been, their fate would be the same should the victorious party capture them. They had stumbled on for perhaps half an hour when, during a momentary rest, they heard plainly behind them the sound of pursuit, and again they plunged on in their aimless flight of terror. Presently, to their surprise, they discerned the glow of a light ahead. What could it be? Had they made a complete circle, and was this again the camp they had been fleeing? They pushed on to reconnoiter, until at last they saw before them the outlines of a camp surrounded by a thorn-boma, in the center of which was burning a small campfire. About the fire were congregated half a hundred black warriors, and as the fugitives crept closer, they saw among the blacks a figure standing out clearly in the light of the campfire, a white woman, and behind them rose louder and louder the sound of pursuit. From the gestures and gesticulations of the blacks around the campfire it was evident that they were discussing the sounds of the battle they had recently heard in the direction of the raider's camp, for they often pointed in that direction. And now the woman raised her hand for silence, and they all listened, and it was evident that they, too, heard the coming of the warriors who were pursuing Flora Hawks and her Confederates. There is a white woman there, said Flora to the others. We do not know who she is, but she is our only hope, for those who are pursuing us will overtake us quickly. Perhaps this woman will protect us. Come, I am going to find out. And without waiting for an answer she walked boldly toward the Boma. They had come but a short distance when the keen eyes of the Waziri discovered them, and instantly the Boma wall was ringed with bristling spears. Stop! cried one of the warriors. We are the Waziri of Tarzan. Who are you? I am an English woman, called Flora in reply. I and my companions are lost in the jungle. We have been betrayed by our safari. Our headman is pursuing us now with warriors. There are but five of us, and we ask your protection. Let them come, said Jane to the Waziri. As Flora Hawks and the four men entered the Boma beneath the scrutiny of Jane Clayton and the Waziri, another pair of eyes watched from the foliage of the great tree that overhung the camp upon the opposite side, gray eyes to which a strange light came as they recognized the girl and her companions. As the newcomers approached Lady Greystoke, the latter gave an exclamation of surprise. Flora! she said in astonishment. Flora Hawks, what in the world are you doing here? The girl, startled too, came to a full stop. Lady Greystoke! she ejaculated. I do not understand, continued Lady Greystoke. I do not know that you are in Africa. For a moment the gloved Flora was overcome by consternation, but presently her native Witt came to her assistance. I am here with Mr. Bloober and his friends, she said, who came to make scientific researches and brought me along because I had been to Africa with you and Lord Greystoke, and knew something of the manners and customs of the country, and our boys have turned against us and unless you can help us we are lost. Are they West Coast boys? asked Jane. Yes, replied Flora. I think my Waziri can handle them. How many of them are there? About two hundred, said Kraski. Lady Greystoke shook her head. The odds are pretty heavy, she commented, and then she called to Usla, who was in charge. There are two hundred West Coast boys coming after these people, she said. We shall have to fight to defend them. We are Waziri, replied Usla simply, and a moment later the van of Lovini's forces broke into view at the outer rim of the campfire's reach. At sight of the glistening warriors ready to receive them the West Coast boys halted. Lovini, taking in the inferior numbers of the enemy at a glance, stepped forward a few paces ahead of his men and commenced to shout taunts and insults, demanding the return of the Whites to him. He accompanied his words with frantic and grotesque steps, at the same time waving his rifle and shaking his fist. Presently his followers took up his refrain until the whole band of 200 was shrieking and yelling and threatening. The while they leaped up and down as they worked themselves into a frenzy of excitement that would impart to them the courage necessary for the initiating of a charge. The Waziri, behind the Boma Wall, schooled and disciplined by Tarzan of the Apes, had long since discarded the fantastic overture to battle so dear to the hearts of other warlike tribes and, instead, stood stolid and grim awaiting the coming of the foe. They have a number of rifles, commented Lady Greystoke. That looks rather bad for us. There are not over half a dozen who can hit anything with their rifles, said Kraski. You men are all armed. Take your places among my Waziri. Warn your men to go away and leave us alone. Do not fire until they attack, but at the first overt act commence firing and keep it up. There is nothing that so discourages a west coast black as the rifle fire of white men. Flora and I will remain at the back of the camp near that great tree. She spoke authoritatively, as one who is accustomed to command and knows where if she speaks. The men obeyed her, even bloober, though he trembled pitiably as he moved forward to take his place in the front ranks among the Waziri. Their movements, in the light of the campfire, were plainly discernable to Lovini, and also to the other who watched from the foliage of the tree beneath which Jane Clayton and Flora Hawks took refuge. Lovini had not come to fight. He had come to capture Flora Hawks. He turned to his men. There are only fifty of them, he said. We can kill them easily, but we did not come to make war. We came to get the white girl back again. Stay here and make a great show against those sons of jackals. Keep them always looking at you, advance a little, and then fall back again. And while you are thus keeping their attention attracted in this direction, I will take fifty men and go to the rear of their camp and get the white girl, and when I have her I will send word to you, and immediately you can return to the village where, behind the palisade, we shall be safe against a tech. Now this plan well suited the West Coast blacks who had no stomach for the battle looming so imminent, and so they danced and yelled and menace more vociferously than before, for they felt they were doing it all with perfect impunity, since presently they should retire after a bloodless victory to the safety of their palisade. As Lovini, making a detour, crept through the concealment of the dense jungles to the rear of the camp while the den of the West Coast blacks arose to almost deafening proportions. They dropped suddenly to the ground before the two white women from the tree above them, the figure of a white giant, naked except for loincloth and leopard skin, his godlike contour picked out by the flickering light of the beast fire. John, exclaimed Lady Grey Stoke, Thank God it is you. Shhh, cautioned the white giant, placing a forefinger to his lips, and then suddenly he wheeled upon Flora Hawks. Eat these you I want. He cried, and seizing the girl he threw her lightly across his shoulders, and before Lady Grey Stoke could interfere. Before she half realized what had occurred, he had lightly leaped the protecting Boma in the rear of the camp and disappeared into the jungle beyond. For a moment Jane Clayton stood reeling as one stunned by an unexpected blow, and then, with a stifled moan, she sank, sobbing to the ground, her face buried in her arms. It was thus that Lovini and his warriors found her as they crept stealthily over the Boma and into the camp in the rear of the defenders upon the opposite side of the beast fire. They had come for a white woman, and they had found one, and roughly dragging her to her feet, smothering her cries with rough and filthy palms, they bore her out into the jungle toward the palisaded village of the ivory raiders. Ten minutes later, the white men in the waziri saw the west coast blacks retire slowly into the jungle, still yelling and threatening, as though bent on the total annihilation of their enemies. The battle was over without a shot being fired or a spear hurled. Blimey! said Throck. What was all that blooming fuss about anyhow? I thought they was going to heat us up, and the blight has never done nothing but yell. And here we are, and that's that. The juice swalled out his chest. It takes Martin a bunch of niggers to bluff it off Bloober, he said pompously, Crasky looked after the departing blacks, and then, scratching his head, turned back toward the campfire. I can't understand it, he said, and then suddenly, Where are Flora and Lady Greystoke? It was then that they discovered that the two women were missing. The waziri were frantic. They called the name of their mistress aloud, but there was no reply. Come, cried Usla. We, the waziri, shall fight after all. And running to the Boma, he leaped it, and followed by his fifty blacks, set out in pursuit of the west coast boys. It was but a moment or two before they overtook them, but that which ensued resembled more a route than a battle. Fleeing and terror toward their palisade with the waziri at their heels, the west coast blacks threw away their rifles that they might run the faster, but Lavinia and his party had had sufficient start so that they were able to reach the village and gain the safety of the palisade before pursued and pursuers reached it. Once inside the gate, the defenders made a stand for they realized that if the waziri entered they should all be massacred, and so they fought as a cornered rat will fight, with the result that they managed to hold off the attackers until they could close and bar the gate. Built as it had been as a defense against far greater numbers, the village was easy to defend, where there were less than fifty waziri now, and nearly two hundred fighting men within the village to defend it against them. Realizing the futility of blind attack, Usela withdrew his forces a short distance from the palisade, and there they squatted, their fierce scowling faces glaring at the gateway while Usela pondered schemes for outwitting the enemy, which he realized he could not overcome by force alone. It is only Lady Greystoke that we want, he said. Vengeance can wait until another day. But we do not know that she is within the village, reminded one of his men. Where else could she be then? asked Usela. It is true that you may be right, she may not be within the village, but that I intend to find out. I have a plan. See, the wind is from the opposite side of the village. Ten of you will accompany me, the others will advance again before the gate and make much noise and pretend that you are about to attack. After a while, the gate will open, and they will come out. That, I promise you. I will try to be here before that happens, but if I am not, divide into two parties and stand upon either side of the gateway, and let the west coast blacks escape. We do not care for them. Watch only for Lady Greystoke, and when you see her, take her away from those who guard her. Do you understand? His companions nodded. Then come, he said, and selecting ten men disappeared into the jungle. Louvinia carried Jane Clayton to a hut not far from the gateway to the village. Here he had bound her securely and tied her to a stake, still believing that she was Flora Hawks, and then he left her to hurry back toward the gate that he might take command of his forces in defense of the village. So rapidly had the events of the past hour transpired that Jane Clayton was still half dazed from the series of shocks that she had been called upon to endure. Dwarfing to nothingness, the menace of her present position was the remembrance that her Tarzan had deserted her in her hour of need, and carried off into the jungle another woman. Not even the remembrance of what Usula had told her concerning the accident that Tarzan had sustained, and which supposedly again had affected his memory, could reconcile her to the brutality of his desertion, and now she lay, face down, in the filth of the Arab hut, sobbing as she had not for many years. As she lay there torn by grief, Usula and his ten crept stealthily, and silently around the outside of the palisade to the rear of the village. Here they found great quantities of dead brush left from the clearing which the Arabs had made when constructing their village. This they brought and piled along the palisade, close against it, until nearly three quarters of the palisade upon the side of the village was banked high with it. Finding that it was difficult to prosecute their work in silence, Usula dispatched one of his men to the main body upon the opposite side of the village, with instructions that they were to keep up a continuous den of shouting to drown the sound of the operations of their fellows. The plan worked to perfection, yet even though it permitted Usula and his companions to labor with redoubled efforts, it was more than an hour before the brush pile was disposed to his satisfaction. Louvini, from an aperture in the palisade, watched the main body of the waziri who were now revealed by the rising of the moon, and finally he came to the conclusion that they did not intend to attack that night, and therefore he might relax his watchfulness and utilize the time in another and more agreeable manner. Instructing the bulk of his warriors to remain near the gate and ever upon the alert, with orders that he be summoned the moment that the waziri showed any change in attitude, Louvini repaired to the hut in which he had left Lady Graystoke. The black was a huge fellow, with low receding forehead and prognathous jaw, a type of the lowest form of African negro. As he entered the hut with a lighted torch which he stuck in the floor, his bloodshot eyes gazed greedily at the still form of the woman lying prone before him. He licked his thick lips and, coming closer, reached out and touched her. Jane Clayton looked up, and her coiling in revulsion shrunk away. At sight of the woman's face the black looked to surprise. Who are you? he demanded in the pidgin English of the coast. I am Lady Graystoke, wife of Tarzan of the Apes, replied Jane Clayton. If you are wise, you will release me at once. Surprise and terror showed in the eyes of Louvini and another emotion as well, but which could dominate the muddy brain it was difficult then to tell. For a long time he sat gazing at her, and slowly the greedy gloating expression upon his face dominated and expunged the fear that had at first been written there, and in the change Jane Clayton read her doom. With fumbling fingers Louvini and tied the knots of the bonds that held Jane Clayton's wrists and ankles. She felt his hot breath upon her, and saw his bloodshot eyes and the red tongue that momentarily licked the thick lips. The instant that she felt the last thong with which she was tied fall away, she leapt to her feet and sprang for the entrance to the hut, but a great hand reached forth and seized her, and as Louvini dragged her back toward him, she wheeled like a mad Tigris and struck repeatedly at his grinning ugly face. By brute force, ruthless and indomitable, he beat down her weak resistance and slowly and surely dragged her closer to him. Oblivious to odd else, deaf to the cries of the Waziri before the gate and to the sudden new commotion that arose in the village, the two struggled on, the woman, from the first, for doom to defeat. Against the rear palisade, Usela had already put burning torches to his brush pile at half a dozen different places. The flames, fanned by a gentle jungle breeze, had leaped almost immediately into a roaring conflagration, before which the dry wood of the palisade crumbled in a shower of ruddy sparks which the wind carried to the thatched roofs of the huts beyond, until in an incredibly short period of time the village was a roaring inferno of flames. And even as Usela had predicted, the gate swung open and the west coast black swarmed forth in terror toward the jungle. Upon either side of the gateway the Waziri stood looking for their mistress, but though they waited and watched in silence, until no more came from the gateway of the village and until the interior of the palisade was a seething hell of fire, they saw nothing of her. Long after they were convinced that no human being could remain alive in the village they still waited and hoped, but at last Usela gave up the useless vigil. She was never there, he said, and now we must pursue the blacks and capture some of them, from whom we may learn the whereabouts of Lady Greystoke. It was daylight before they came upon a small band of stragglers, who were in camp a few miles toward the west, these they quickly surrounded, winning their immediate surrender by promises of immunity in event that they would answer truthfully the questions that Usela should propound. Where is Lovini? demanded Usela, who had learned the name of the leader of the west coast boys from the Europeans the evening before. We do not know, we have not seen him since he left the village, replied one of the blacks. We were some of the slaves of the A-Rabs, and when we escaped the palisade last night we ran away from the others, for we thought that we should be safer alone than with Lovini. He is even crueler than the A-Rabs. Did you see the white women that he brought to the camp last night? demanded Usela. He brought but one white woman, replied the other. What did he do with her? Where is she now? asked Usela. I do not know. When he brought her, he bound her hand and foot, and put her in the hut which he occupied near the village gate. We have not seen her since. Usela turned and looked at his companions. A great fear was in his eyes, a fear that was reflected in the countenances of the others. Come, he said, we shall return to the village, and you will go with us. He added, addressing the west coast blacks, and if you have lied to us, he made a significant movement with his forefinger across his throat. We have not lied to you, replied the others. Quickly they retraced their steps toward the ruins of the A-Rab village, nothing of which was left save a few piles of smoldering embers. Where was the hut in which the white woman was confined? demanded Usela as they entered the smoking ruins. Here, said one of the blacks, and walked quickly a few paces beyond what had been the village gateway. Suddenly he halted and pointed at something which lay upon the ground. There, he said, is the white woman you seek? Usela and the others pressed forward, raging grief contended for mastery of them as they beheld, lying before them, the charred remains of a human body. It is she, said Usela, turning away to hide his grief as the tears rolled down his ebb and cheeks. The other was very equally affected, for they all had loved the mate of the big buana. Perhaps it is not she, suggested one of them, perhaps it is another. We can tell quickly, quite a third. If her rings are among the ashes, it is indeed she. And he knelt and searched for the rings which Lady Greystone habitually wore. Usela shook his head despairingly. It is she, he said. There is the very stake to which she was fastened. He pointed to the blackened stub of a stake close beside the body. And thus for the rings, even if they are not there, it will mean nothing, for Levini would have taken them away from her as soon as he captured her. There was time for everyone else to leave the village except she, who was bound, and could not leave. No, it cannot be another. The Azeri scooped Usela's grave and reverently deposited the ashes there, marking the spot with a little cairn of stones. End of chapter