aim upon your love, loyalty, or
respect. He is a menace to your life and honor, and the life and honor
of your husband. I trust you may never regret championing him."

"I do not champion him, Raoul," she interrupted vehemently. "I believe
that I hate him as much as you do, but--Oh, Raoul, blood is thicker
than water."

"I should today have liked to sample the consistency of his," growled
De Coude grimly. "The two deliberately attempted to besmirch my honor,
Olga," and then he told her of all that had happened in the
smoking-room. "Had it not been for this utter stranger, they had
succeeded, for who would have accepted my unsupported word against the
damning evidence of those cards hidden on my person? I had almost
begun to doubt myself when this Monsieur Tarzan dragged your precious
Nikolas before us, and explained the whole cowardly transaction."

"Monsieur Tarzan?" asked the countess, in evident surprise.

"Yes. Do you know him, Olga?"

"I have seen him. A steward pointed him out to me."

"I did not know that he was a celebrity," said the count.

Olga de Coude changed the subject. She discovered suddenly that she
might find it difficult to explain just why the steward had pointed out
the handsome Monsieur Tarzan to her. Perhaps she flushed the least
little bit, for was not the count, her husband, gazing at her with a
strangely quizzical expression. "Ah," she thought, "a guilty
conscience is a most suspicious thing."

Chapter 2

Forging Bonds of Hate and ----?

It was not until late the following afternoon that Tarzan saw anything
more of the fellow passengers into the midst of whose affairs his love
of fair play had thrust him. And then he came most unexpectedly upon
Rokoff and Paulvitch at a moment when of all others the two might least
appreciate his company.

They were standing on deck at a point which was temporarily deserted,
and as Tarzan came upon them they were in heated argument with a woman.
Tarzan noted that she was richly appareled, and that her slender,
well-modeled figure denoted youth; but as she was heavily veiled he
could not discern her features.

The men were standing on either side of her, and the backs of all were
toward Tarzan, so that he was quite close to them without their being
aware of his presence. He noticed that Rokoff seemed to be
threatening, the woman pleading; but they spoke in a strange tongue,
and he could only guess from appearances that the girl