ll. Vision and
hearing had been brought to a marvelous state of development by the
necessities of his early life, where survival itself depended almost
daily upon the exercise of the keenest vigilance and the constant use
of all his faculties.

And so he followed the old trail of the Belgian through the forest and
toward the north; but because of the age of the trail he was
constrained to a far from rapid progress. The man he followed was two
days ahead of him when Tarzan took up the pursuit, and each day he
gained upon the ape-man. The latter, however, felt not the slightest
doubt as to the outcome. Some day he would overhaul his quarry--he
could bide his time in peace until that day dawned. Doggedly he
followed the faint spoor, pausing by day only to kill and eat, and at
night only to sleep and refresh himself.

Occasionally he passed parties of savage warriors; but these he gave a
wide berth, for he was hunting with a purpose that was not to be
distracted by the minor accidents of the trail.

These parties were of the collecting hordes of the Waziri and their
allies which Basuli had scattered his messengers broadcast to summon.
They were marching to a common rendezvous in preparation for an assault
upon the stronghold of Achmet Zek; but to Tarzan they were enemies--he
retained no conscious memory of any friendship for the black men.

It was night when he halted outside the palisaded village of the Arab
raider. Perched in the branches of a great tree he gazed down upon the
life within the enclosure. To this place had the spoor led him. His
quarry must be within; but how was he to find him among so many huts?
Tarzan, although cognizant of his mighty powers, realized also his
limitations. He knew that he could not successfully cope with great
numbers in open battle. He must resort to the stealth and trickery of
the wild beast, if he were to succeed.

Sitting in the safety of his tree, munching upon the leg bone of Horta,
the boar, Tarzan waited a favorable opportunity to enter the village.
For awhile he gnawed at the bulging, round ends of the large bone,
splintering off small pieces between his strong jaws, and sucking at
the delicious marrow within; but all the time he cast repeated glances
into the village. He saw white-robed figures, and half-naked blacks;
but not once did he see one who resembled the stealer of the gems.

Patiently he waited until the streets were deserted by all save the
sentries