sionally she cast suspicious glances in the direction of the
huge shaggy anthropoids about her. How easy it would be for one
of those great beasts to enter the boma and slay her. How helpless
she was, even with the spear that the white man had left her, she
realized as she noted for the thousandth time the massive shoulders,
the bull necks, and the great muscles gliding so easily beneath the
glossy coats. Never, she thought, had she seen such personifications
of brute power as were represented by these mighty bulls. Those
huge hands would snap her futile spear as she might snap a match in
two, while their lightest blow could crush her into insensibility
and death.

It was while she was occupied with these depressing thoughts that
there dropped suddenly into the clearing from the trees upon the
south the figure of a mighty young bull. At that time all of the
apes looked much alike to Bertha Kircher, nor was it until some
time later that she realized that each differed from the others
in individual characteristics of face and figure as do individuals
of the human races. Yet even then she could not help but note
the wondrous strength and agility of this great beast, and as he
approached she even found herself admiring the sheen of his heavy,
black, silvershot coat.

It was evident that the newcomer was filled with suppressed excitement.
His demeanor and bearing proclaimed this even from afar, nor was
the girl the only one to note it. For as they saw him coming many
of the apes arose and advanced to meet him, bristling and growling
as is their way. Go-lat was among these latter, and he advanced
stiffly with the hairs upon his neck and down his spine erect,
uttering low growls and baring his fighting fangs, for who might
say whether Zu-tag came in peace or otherwise? The old king had
seen other young apes come thus in his day filled with a sudden
resolution to wrest the kingship from their chief. He had seen
bulls about to run amuck burst thus suddenly from the jungle upon
the members of the tribe, and so Go-lat took no chances.

Had Zu-tag come indolently, feeding as he came, he might have
entered the tribe without arousing notice or suspicion, but when
one comes thus precipitately, evidently bursting with some emotion
out of the ordinary, let all apes beware. There was a certain amount
of preliminary circling, growling, and sniffing, stiff-legged and
stiff-haired, before each side discovered that the other had no
int