ong the verge of the forest upon the
southeastern side of the gorge he sought some point at which the trees
touched some negotiable portion of the cliff, but though he traveled
far both up and down the gorge he discovered no such easy avenue of
escape. The ape-man finally commenced to entertain an idea of the
hopelessness of his case and to realize to the full why the Kor-ul-gryf
had been religiously abjured by the races of Pal-ul-don for all these
many ages.

Night was falling and though since early morning he had sought
diligently a way out of this cul-de-sac he was no nearer to liberty
than at the moment the first bellowing gryf had charged him as he
stooped over the carcass of his kill: but with the falling of night
came renewed hope for, in common with the great cats, Tarzan was, to a
greater or lesser extent, a nocturnal beast. It is true he could not
see by night as well as they, but that lack was largely recompensed for
by the keenness of his scent and the highly developed sensitiveness of
his other organs of perception. As the blind follow and interpret their
Braille characters with deft fingers, so Tarzan reads the book of the
jungle with feet and hands and eyes and ears and nose; each
contributing its share to the quick and accurate translation of the
text.

But again he was doomed to be thwarted by one vital weakness--he did
not know the gryf, and before the night was over he wondered if the
things never slept, for wheresoever he moved they moved also, and
always they barred his road to liberty. Finally, just before dawn, he
relinquished his immediate effort and sought rest in a friendly tree
crotch in the safety of the middle terrace.

Once again was the sun high when Tarzan awoke, rested and refreshed.
Keen to the necessities of the moment he made no effort to locate his
jailers lest in the act he might apprise them of his movements. Instead
he sought cautiously and silently to melt away among the foliage of the
trees. His first move, however, was heralded by a deep bellow from
below.

Among the numerous refinements of civilization that Tarzan had failed
to acquire was that of profanity, and possibly it is to be regretted
since there are circumstances under which it is at least a relief to
pent emotion. And it may be that in effect Tarzan resorted to profanity
if there can be physical as well as vocal swearing, since immediately
the bellow announced that his hopes had been again frustrated, he
turned