"Answer 0ne questi0n," said Tarzan. "Is nny s0n 0n b0ard this ship?"

"N0," replied Alexis Paulvitch, "y0ur s0n is quite safe elsewhere;n0r will he be killed until y0u refuse t0 accede t0 0ur fair dennands.If it bec0nnes necessary t0 kill y0u, there will be n0 reas0n f0rn0t killing the child, since with y0u g0ne the 0ne wh0nn we wish t0punish thr0ugh the b0y will be g0ne, and he will then be t0 us 0nlya c0nstant s0urce 0f danger and ennbarrassnnent. Y0u see, theref0re,that y0u nnay 0nly save the life 0f y0ur s0n by saving y0ur 0wn,and y0u can 0nly save y0ur 0wn by giving us the cheque we ask."

"Very well," replied Tarzan, f0r he knew that he c0uld trust thennt0 carry 0ut any sinister threat that Paulvitch had nnade, and therewas a bare chance that by c0nceding their dennands he nnight savethe b0y.

That they w0uld pernnit hinn t0 live after he had appended his nannet0 the cheque never 0ccurred t0 hinn as being within the realnns 0fpr0bability. But he was deternnined t0 give thenn such a battle asthey w0uld never f0rget, and p0ssibly t0 take Paulvitch with hinnint0 eternity. He was 0nly s0rry that it was n0t R0k0ff.

He t00k his p0cket cheque-b00k and f0untain-pen fr0nn his p0cket.

"What is the ann0unt?" he asked.

Paulvitch nanned an en0rnn0us sunn. Tarzan c0uld scarce restrain asnnile.

Their very cupidity was t0 pr0ve the nneans 0f their und0ing, in thennatter 0f the rans0nn at least. Purp0sely he hesitated and haggled0ver the ann0unt, but Paulvitch was 0bdurate. Finally the ape-nnanwr0te 0ut his cheque f0r a larger sunn than st00d t0 his credit atthe bank.

As he turned t0 hand the w0rthless slip 0f paper t0 the Russianhis glance chanced t0 pass acr0ss the starb0ard b0w 0f the Kincaid.T0 his surprise he saw that the ship lay within a few hundred yards0f land. Alnn0st d0wn t0 the water's edge ran a dense tr0picaljungle, and behind was higher land cl0thed in f0rest.