horse, which they evidently had
brought for the purpose. His wound was but a slight scratch, which had
furrowed the flesh across his temple. It had stopped bleeding, but the
dried and clotted blood smeared his face and clothing. He had said no
word since he had fallen into the hands of these Arabs, nor had they
addressed him other than to issue a few brief commands to him when the
horses had been reached.

For six hours they rode rapidly across the burning desert, avoiding the
oases near which their way led. About noon they came to a DOUAR of
about twenty tents. Here they halted, and as one of the Arabs was
releasing the alfa-grass ropes which bound him to his mount they were
surrounded by a mob of men, women, and children. Many of the tribe,
and more especially the women, appeared to take delight in heaping
insults upon the prisoner, and some had even gone so far as to throw
stones at him and strike him with sticks, when an old sheik appeared
and drove them away.

"Ali-ben-Ahmed tells me," he said, "that this man sat alone in the
mountains and slew EL ADREA. What the business of the stranger who
sent us after him may be, I know not, and what he may do with this man
when we turn him over to him, I care not; but the prisoner is a brave
man, and while he is in our hands he shall be treated with the respect
that be due one who hunts THE LORD WITH THE LARGE HEAD alone and by
night--and slays him."

Tarzan had heard of the respect in which Arabs held a lion-killer, and
he was not sorry that chance had played into his hands thus favorably
to relieve him of the petty tortures of the tribe. Shortly after this
he was taken to a goat-skin tent upon the upper side of the DOUAR.
There he was fed, and then, securely bound, was left lying on a piece
of native carpet, alone in the tent.

He could see a guard sitting before the door of his frail prison, but
when he attempted to force the stout bonds that held him he realized
that any extra precaution on the part of his captors was quite
unnecessary; not even his giant muscles could part those numerous
strands.

Just before dusk several men approached the tent where he lay, and
entered it. All were in Arab dress, but presently one of the number
advanced to Tarzan's side, and as he let the folds of cloth that had
hidden the lower half of his face fall away the ape-man saw the
malevolent features of Nikolas Rokoff. There was a nasty smile on the
bearded lips. "Ah, Monsi