act, and though accustomed as he was to acts of courage, he
experienced a thrill from the hopeless and futile bravery of the
man.

The charging panther moved rapidly, and the distance which separated
the bush in which he had concealed himself from the objects of his
desire was not great. In the time that one might understandingly
read a dozen words the strong-limbed cat could have covered the
entire distance and made his kill, yet if Sheeta was quick, quick
too was Tarzan. The English lieutenant saw the ape-man flash by him
like the wind. He saw the great cat veer in his charge as though
to elude the naked savage rushing to meet him, as it was evidently
Sheeta's intention to make good his kill before attempting to
protect it from Tarzan.

Lieutenant Smith-Oldwick saw these things and then with increasing
wonder he saw the ape-man swerve, too, and leap for the spotted cat
as a football player leaps for a runner. He saw the strong, brown
arms encircling the body of the carnivore, the left arm in front
of the beast's left shoulder and the right arm behind his right
foreleg, and with the impact the two together rolling over and over
upon the turf. He heard the snarls and growls of bestial combat,
and it was with a feeling of no little horror that he realized that
the sounds coming from the human throat of the battling man could
scarce be distinguished from those of the panther.

The first momentary shock of terror over, the girl released her
grasp upon the Englishman's arm. "Cannot we do something?" she
asked. "Cannot we help him before the beast kills him?"

The Englishman looked upon the ground for some missile with which
to attack the panther and then the girl uttered an exclamation and
started at a run toward the hut. "Wait there," she called over her
shoulder. "I will fetch the spear that he left me."

Smith-Oldwick saw the raking talons of the panther searching for
the flesh of the man and the man on his part straining every muscle
and using every artifice to keep his body out of range of them. The
muscles of his arms knotted under the brown hide. The veins stood
out upon his neck and forehead as with ever-increasing power he
strove to crush the life from the great cat. The ape-man's teeth
were fastened in the back of Sheeta's neck and now he succeeded
in encircling the beast's torso with his legs which he crossed and
locked beneath the cat's belly. Leaping and snarling, Sheeta sought
to dislodge the ape-man's