the prowess of the Gomangani were the hes as formidable as the
shes.

Once at a safe distance from the despoiled mother and out of earshot of
her screams and menaces, Tarzan paused to inspect his prize, now so
thoroughly terrorized that he had ceased his struggles and his outcries.

The frightened child rolled his eyes fearfully toward his captor, until
the whites showed gleaming all about the irises.

"I am Tarzan," said the ape-man, in the vernacular of the anthropoids.
"I will not harm you. You are to be Tarzan's balu. Tarzan will
protect you. He will feed you. The best in the jungle shall be for
Tarzan's balu, for Tarzan is a mighty hunter. None need you fear, not
even Numa, the lion, for Tarzan is a mighty fighter. None so great as
Tarzan, son of Kala. Do not fear."

But the child only whimpered and trembled, for he did not understand
the tongue of the great apes, and the voice of Tarzan sounded to him
like the barking and growling of a beast. Then, too, he had heard
stories of this bad, white forest god. It was he who had slain Kulonga
and others of the warriors of Mbonga, the chief. It was he who entered
the village stealthily, by magic, in the darkness of the night, to
steal arrows and poison, and frighten the women and the children and
even the great warriors. Doubtless this wicked god fed upon little
boys. Had his mother not said as much when he was naughty and she
threatened to give him to the white god of the jungle if he were not
good? Little black Tibo shook as with ague.

"Are you cold, Go-bu-balu?" asked Tarzan, using the simian equivalent
of black he-baby in lieu of a better name. "The sun is hot; why do you
shiver?"

Tibo could not understand; but he cried for his mamma and begged the
great, white god to let him go, promising always to be a good boy
thereafter if his plea were granted. Tarzan shook his head. Not a
word could he understand. This would never do! He must teach
Go-bu-balu a language which sounded like talk. It was quite certain to
Tarzan that Go-bu-balu's speech was not talk at all. It sounded quite
as senseless as the chattering of the silly birds. It would be best,
thought the ape-man, quickly to get him among the tribe of Kerchak
where he would hear the Mangani talking among themselves. Thus he
would soon learn an intelligible form of speech.

Tarzan rose to his feet upon the swaying branch where he had halted far
above the ground, and motioned to the child