He must release himself from the rope net which held him.
For the hands of a human being the task would have been easy. For the
hands of Manape, even though guided by the will of Bentley, the task
was far from easy.

But he persevered.

An hour after the apes had been dumped in the stockade, Bentley had
released himself from the rope net and was resting after the awful
ordeal of forcing the hands of Manape to do his bidding. He pressed
himself against the uprights of the stockade, and carefully tested
them with his strength. The strength of Bentley would never have
availed against the stout uprights of the stockade. Yet Manape-Bentley
knew that with the arms of Manape he could tear the uprights out of
the ground as easily as though they had been match-sticks. What should
he do now?

His first impulse of course was to release the rest of the great apes.
The brutes still fought at their bindings and were utterly insane with
rage. What would they do when they were released? What was his duty
where they were concerned? If they went wild through the native
village, slaying and laying waste, would Bentley be responsible for
loss of life? If he left the apes in the hands of the natives, what
then? He would never afterward forgive himself. He knew them as
children of the wilds, carefree and happy brutes of the jungle. Now if
held captives indefinitely they would either die or spend the rest of
their lives in cages.

No, he would release the animals, one by one. The natives would have
to take their chances.

* * * * *

A white figure loomed out of the darkness, coming from the direction
of a great bonfire which showed all the jungle surrounding in weird,
crimson relief. The white figure, all but nude, was Apeman! Following
him were several natives, who laughed and prodded Apeman with the
butts of their spears.

Bentley understood that. They thought Apeman a demented white man,
and to these natives a demented one was a butt of jokes. They did not
even suspect the horror of the possible revenge that was growing in
the brain of the ape which controlled the body of Apeman.

Twice or thrice Apeman tried to dart into the jungle, but always the
blacks prevented, heading him toward the cage where the apes were held
prisoners. Bentley wondered where Ellen was and what was happening to
her.

A celebration of some sort seemed going forward in the village. Was
Caleb Barter somewhere near, perhaps