Chapter 15

The Forest God



When Clayton heard the report of the firearm he fell into

an agony of fear and apprehension. He knew that one of

the sailors might be the author of it; but the fact that he

had left the revolver with Jane, together with the overwrought

condition of his nerves, made him morbidly positive

that she was threatened with some great danger. Perhaps

even now she was attempting to defend herself against some

savage man or beast.



What were the thoughts of his strange captor or guide

Clayton could only vaguely conjecture; but that he had heard

the shot, and was in some manner affected by it was quite

evident, for he quickened his pace so appreciably that Clayton,

stumbling blindly in his wake, was down a dozen times

in as many minutes in a vain effort to keep pace with him,

and soon was left hopelessly behind.



Fearing that he would again be irretrievably lost, he called

aloud to the wild man ahead of him, and in a moment had the

satisfaction of seeing him drop lightly to his side from the

branches above.



For a moment Tarzan looked at the young man closely, as

though undecided as to just what was best to do; then,

stooping down before Clayton, he motioned him to grasp him

about the neck, and, with the white man upon his back,

Tarzan took to the trees.



The next few minutes the young Englishman never forgot.

High into bending and swaying branches he was borne with

what seemed to him incredible swiftness, while Tarzan chafed

at the slowness of his progress.



From one lofty branch the agile creature swung with Clayton

through a dizzy arc to a neighboring tree; then for a hundred

yards maybe the sure feet threaded a maze of interwoven limbs,

balancing like a tightrope walker high above the black depths

of verdure beneath.



From the first sensation of chilling fear Clayton passed to

one of keen admiration and envy of those giant muscles and

that wondrous instinct or knowledge which guided this forest

god through the inky blackness of the night as easily and safely

as Clayton would have strolled a London street at high noon.



Occasionally they would enter a spot where the foliage

above was less dense, and the bright rays of the moon lit up

before Clayton's wondering eyes the strange path they were

traversing.



At such times the man fairly caught his breath at sight of

the horrid depths below them, for Tarzan took the easiest

way, which often led over a hundred feet above the earth.



And yet with all his seeming speed, Tarzan was in reality

feeling his way with comparative slowness, searching

constantly for limbs of adequate strength for the maintenance

of this double weight.



Presently they came to the clearing before the beach.

Tarzan's quick ears had heard the strange sounds of Sabor's

efforts to force her way through the lattice, and it seemed to

Clayton that they dropped a straight hundred feet to earth, so

quickly did Tarzan descend. Yet when they struck the ground

it was with scarce a jar; and as Clayton released his hold on

the ape-man he saw him dart like a squirrel for the opposite

side of the cabin.



The Englishman sprang quickly after him just in time to

see the hind quarters of some huge animal about to disappear

through the window of the cabin.



As Jane opened her eyes to a realization of the imminent

peril which threatened her, her brave young heart gave up at

last its final vestige of hope. But then to her surprise she saw

the huge animal being slowly drawn back through the window,

and in the moonlight beyond she saw the heads and

shoulders of two men.



As Clayton rounded the corner of the cabin to behold the

animal disappearing within, it was also to see the ape-man

seize the long tail in both hands, and, bracing himself with

his feet against the side of the cabin, throw all his mighty

strength into the effort to draw the beast out of the interior.



Clayton was quick to lend a hand, but the ape-man jabbered

to him in a commanding and peremptory tone something

which Clayton knew to be orders, though he could not

understand them.



At last, under their combined efforts, the great body was

slowly dragged farther and farther outside the window, and

then there came to Clayton's mind a dawning conception of

the rash bravery of his companion's act.



For a naked man to drag a shrieking, clawing man-eater

forth from a window by the tail to save a strange white girl,

was indeed the last word in heroism.



Insofar as Clayton was concerned it was a very different

matter, since the girl was not only of his own kind and race,

but was the one woman in all the world whom he loved.



Though he knew that the lioness would make short work

of both of them, he pulled with a will to keep it from Jane

Porter. And then he recalled the battle between this man and

the great, black-maned lion which he had witnessed a short

time before, and he commenced to feel more assurance.



Tarzan was still issuing orders which Clayton could not understand.



He was trying to tell the stupid white man to plunge his

poisoned arrows into Sabor's back and sides, and to reach the

savage heart with the long, thin hunting knife that hung at

Tarzan's hip; but the man would not understand, and Tarzan

did not dare release his hold to do the things himself, for he

knew that the puny white man never could hold mighty

Sabor alone, for an instant.



Slowly the lioness was emerging from the window. At last

her shoulders were out.



And then Clayton saw an incredible thing. Tarzan, racking

his brains for some means to cope single-handed with the

infuriated beast, had suddenly recalled his battle with Terkoz;

and as the great shoulders came clear of the window, so that

the lioness hung upon the sill only by her forepaws, Tarzan

suddenly released his hold upon the brute.



With the quickness of a striking rattler he launched himself

full upon Sabor's back, his strong young arms seeking and

gaining a full-Nelson upon the beast, as he had learned it that

other day during his bloody, wrestling victory over Terkoz.



With a roar the lioness turned completely over upon her

back, falling full upon her enemy; but the black-haired giant

only closed tighter his hold.



Pawing and tearing at earth and air, Sabor rolled and

threw herself this way and that in an effort to dislodge this

strange antagonist; but ever tighter and tighter drew the iron

bands that were forcing her head lower and lower upon her

tawny breast.



Higher crept the steel forearms of the ape-man about the back

of Sabor's neck. Weaker and weaker became the lioness's efforts.



At last Clayton saw the immense muscles of Tarzan's

shoulders and biceps leap into corded knots beneath the silver

moonlight. There was a long sustained and supreme effort on

the ape-man's part--and the vertebrae of Sabor's neck parted

with a sharp snap.



In an instant Tarzan was upon his feet, and for the second

time that day Clayton heard the bull ape's savage roar of

victory. Then he heard Jane's agonized cry:



"Cecil--Mr. Clayton! Oh, what is it? What is it?"



Running quickly to the cabin door, Clayton called out that all

was right, and shouted to her to open the door. As quickly as

she could she raised the great bar and fairly dragged Clayton within.



"What was that awful noise?" she whispered, shrinking

close to him.



"It was the cry of the kill from the throat of the man who

has just saved your life, Miss Porter. Wait, I will fetch

him so you may thank him."



The frightened girl would not be left alone, so she

accompanied Clayton to the side of the cabin where lay

the dead body of the lioness.



Tarzan of the Apes was gone.



Clayton called several times, but there was no reply, and so

the two returned to the greater safety of the interior.



"What a frightful sound!" cried Jane, "I shudder at the

mere thought of it. Do not tell me that a human throat

voiced that hideous and fearsome shriek."



"But it did, Miss Porter," replied Clayton; "or at least if

not a human throat that of a forest god."



And then he told her of his experiences with this strange

creature--of how twice the wild man had saved his life--of

the wondrous strength, and agility, and bravery--of the

brown skin and the handsome face.



"I cannot make it out at all," he concluded. "At first I

thought he might be Tarzan of the Apes; but he neither

speaks nor understands English, so that theory is untenable."



"Well, whatever he may be," cried the girl, "we owe him

our lives, and may God bless him and keep him in safety in

his wild and savage jungle!"



"Amen," said Clayton, fervently.



"For the good Lord's sake, ain't I dead?"



The two turned to see Esmeralda sitting upright upon the

floor, her great eyes rolling from side to side as though she

could not believe their testimony as to her whereabouts.



And now, for Jane Porter, the reaction came, and she threw

herself upon the bench, sobbing with hysterical laughter.

****

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