essenger in their temporary camp
to the south on the day that the raiders had quitted the village,
telling them that they might return in safety.

It took all the mastery and persuasion that Tarzan possessed to prevent
the Waziri falling on the Manyuema tooth and nail, and tearing them to
pieces, but when he had explained that he had given his word that they
would not be molested if they carried the ivory back to the spot from
which they had stolen it, and had further impressed upon his people
that they owed their entire victory to him, they finally acceded to his
demands, and allowed the cannibals to rest in peace within their
palisade.

That night the village warriors held a big palaver to celebrate their
victories, and to choose a new chief. Since old Waziri's death Tarzan
had been directing the warriors in battle, and the temporary command
had been tacitly conceded to him. There had been no time to choose a
new chief from among their own number, and, in fact, so remarkably
successful had they been under the ape-man's generalship that they had
had no wish to delegate the supreme authority to another for fear that
what they already had gained might be lost. They had so recently seen
the results of running counter to this savage white man's advice in the
disastrous charge ordered by Waziri, in which he himself had died, that
it had not been difficult for them to accept Tarzan's authority as
final.

The principal warriors sat in a circle about a small fire to discuss
the relative merits of whomever might be suggested as old Waziri's
successor. It was Busuli who spoke first:

"Since Waziri is dead, leaving no son, there is but one among us whom
we know from experience is fitted to make us a good king. There is
only one who has proved that he can successfully lead us against the
guns of the white man, and bring us easy victory without the loss of a
single life. There is only one, and that is the white man who has led
us for the past few days," and Busuli sprang to his feet, and with
uplifted spear and half-bent, crouching body commenced to dance slowly
about Tarzan, chanting in time to his steps: "Waziri, king of the
Waziri; Waziri, killer of Arabs; Waziri, king of the Waziri."

One by one the other warriors signified their acceptance of Tarzan as
their king by joining in the solemn dance. The women came and squatted
about the rim of the circle, beating upon tom-toms, clapping their
hands in time to the steps