nfronted the beast once
more, as he was gathering himself for a second leap.

The savage learned wisdom from what had just occurred, and instead of
allowing the weapon to leave his hand, held it with an immovable grip
and awaited the renewal of the attack.

The puma seemed also to have absorbed some instruction from his
failure, and instead of leaping at once, began a stealthy advance,
coming over the side of the canoe with the gliding motion of a serpent,
and evidently wishing to get so near that his victim could not escape
again by the means he used before.

Suddenly the native, still holding the javelin with both hands, stepped
forward a single pace. This placed him in the strongest possible
position, and, with one appalling thrust, he drove the spear for a
distance of two feet into the chest of the puma, instantly snatching it
forth again, moving back a couple of feet, and holding himself ready
for any assault from the brute.

No need of any virus on the point of _that_ weapon, for it had cloven
the heart of the lion in twain, and he went down without a single
groan, as dead as dead could be.

The native stepped to the river, washed the blood from the weapon and
then turned about to resume his advance toward the wood.

As he did so, he found himself face to face with a white man, who,
stepping from the shadow, held his Winchester leveled at him in an
exceedingly suggestive fashion.

If Fred Ashman had been astonished before, what words shall describe
his amazement when the dusky Hercules, calmly staring at him for a
moment, said in unmistakable English, "_I surrender_."

CHAPTER XV.

ZIFFAK.

Fred Ashman was so startled by hearing the giant native utter his
submission in unmistakable English, that he came near dropping his
leveled Winchester to the earth in sheer amazement.

He had not dreamed that the savage understood a word of that tongue,
but judged from his own posture, with his weapon pointed at him, that
the other knew when an enemy had "the drop" on him. Even if such were
the fact, he counted upon a desperate resistance, and was prepared to
give the fellow his quietus by a shot from his rifle.

The savage held his ponderous javelin in his hand, but made no effort
to use it. His black eyes were fixed on the face of the handsome
American, and he could not have failed to note the expression of
bewilderment and wonder caused by the words that had just dropped from
his dusky lips. Indeed