giving him out of
the fullness of her admiration the same title that the warriors of her
tribe had bestowed upon him.

The ape-man turned to her. "Pan-at-lee," he said, "these beasts may
keep us treed here indefinitely. I doubt if we can escape together, but
I have a plan. You remain here, hiding yourself in the foliage, while I
start back across the gorge in sight of them and yelling to attract
their attention. Unless they have more brains than I suspect they will
follow me. When they are gone you make for the cliff. Wait for me in
the cave not longer than today. If I do not come by tomorrow's sun you
will have to start back for Kor-ul-ja alone. Here is a joint of deer
meat for you." He had severed one of the deer's hind legs and this he
passed up to her.

"I cannot desert you," she said simply; "it is not the way of my people
to desert a friend and ally. Om-at would never forgive me."

"Tell Om-at that I commanded you to go," replied Tarzan.

"It is a command?" she asked.

"It is! Good-bye, Pan-at-lee. Hasten back to Om-at--you are a fitting
mate for the chief of Kor-ul-ja." He moved off slowly through the trees.

"Good-bye, Tarzan-jad-guru!" she called after him. "Fortunate are my
Om-at and his Pan-at-lee in owning such a friend."

Tarzan, shouting aloud, continued upon his way and the great gryfs,
lured by his voice, followed beneath. His ruse was evidently proving
successful and he was filled with elation as he led the bellowing
beasts farther and farther from Pan-at-lee. He hoped that she would
take advantage of the opportunity afforded her for escape, yet at the
same time he was filled with concern as to her ability to survive the
dangers which lay between Kor-ul-gryf and Kor-ul-ja. There were lions
and Tor-o-dons and the unfriendly tribe of Kor-ul-lul to hinder her
progress, though the distance in itself to the cliffs of her people was
not great.

He realized her bravery and understood the resourcefulness that she
must share in common with all primitive people who, day by day, must
contend face to face with nature's law of the survival of the fittest,
unaided by any of the numerous artificial protections that civilization
has thrown around its brood of weaklings.

Several times during this crossing of the gorge Tarzan endeavored to
outwit his keen pursuers, but all to no avail. Double as he would he
could not throw them off his track and ever as he changed his course
they changed theirs to conform. Al