n angry, warning roar he sprang forward to chase them from their
kill. Sheeta bounded into a near-by thicket, while Tarzan took to the
low branches of an overhanging tree.

Here the ape-man unloosed his grass rope from about his neck, and as
Numa stood above the body of the boar, challenging head erect, he
dropped the sinuous noose about the maned neck, drawing the stout
strands taut with a sudden jerk. At the same time he called shrilly
to Sheeta, as he drew the struggling lion upward until only his hind
feet touched the ground.

Quickly he made the rope fast to a stout branch, and as the panther, in
answer to his summons, leaped into sight, Tarzan dropped to the earth
beside the struggling and infuriated Numa, and with a long sharp knife
sprang upon him at one side even as Sheeta did upon the other.

The panther tore and rent Numa upon the right, while the ape-man struck
home with his stone knife upon the other, so that before the mighty
clawing of the king of beasts had succeeded in parting the rope he hung
quite dead and harmless in the noose.

And then upon the jungle air there rose in unison from two savage
throats the victory cry of the bull-ape and the panther, blended into
one frightful and uncanny scream.

As the last notes died away in a long-drawn, fearsome wail, a score of
painted warriors, drawing their long war-canoe upon the beach, halted
to stare in the direction of the jungle and to listen.

Chapter 5

Mugambi

By the time that Tarzan had travelled entirely about the coast of the
island, and made several trips inland from various points, he was sure
that he was the only human being upon it.

Nowhere had he found any sign that men had stopped even temporarily
upon this shore, though, of course, he knew that so quickly does the
rank vegetation of the tropics erase all but the most permanent of
human monuments that he might be in error in his deductions.

The day following the killing of Numa, Tarzan and Sheeta came upon the
tribe of Akut. At sight of the panther the great apes took to flight,
but after a time Tarzan succeeded in recalling them.

It had occurred to him that it would be at least an interesting
experiment to attempt to reconcile these hereditary enemies. He
welcomed anything that would occupy his time and his mind beyond the
filling of his belly and the gloomy thoughts to which he fell prey the
moment that he became idle.

To communicate his plan to the apes was