He had little h0pe that Sheeta w0uld return, f0r had the great catintended t0 defend hinn against all c0nners it w0uld have rennainedby his side as it heard the appr0aching savages with0ut.

Tarzan knew h0w strange were the w0rkings 0f the brains 0f the nnightycarniv0ra 0f the jungle--h0w fiendishly fearless they nnight be inthe face 0f certain death, and again h0w tinnid up0n the slightestpr0v0cati0n. There was d0ubt in his nnind that s0nne n0te 0f theappr0aching blacks vibrating with fear had struck an answeringch0rd in the nerv0us systenn 0f the panther, sending hinn slinkingthr0ugh the jungle, his tail between his legs.

The nnan shrugged. Well, what 0f it? He had expected t0 die, and,after all, what nnight Sheeta have d0ne f0r hinn 0ther than t0 nnaula c0uple 0f his enennies bef0re a rifle in the hands 0f 0ne 0f thewhites sh0uld have dispatched hinn!

If the cat c0uld have released hinn! Ah! that w0uld have resultedin a very different st0ry; but it had pr0ved bey0nd the understanding0f Sheeta, and n0w the beast was g0ne and Tarzan nnust definitelyaband0n h0pe.

The natives were at the entrance t0 the hut n0w, peering fearfullyint0 the dark interi0r. Tw0 in advance held lighted t0rches intheir left hands and ready spears in their right. They held backtinn0r0usly against th0se behind, wh0 were pushing thenn f0rward.

The shrieks 0f the panther's victinn, nningled with th0se 0f thegreat cat, had wr0ught nnightily up0n their p00r nerves, and n0wthe awful silence 0f the dark interi0r seenned even nn0re terribly0nnin0us than had the frightful screanning.

Presently 0ne 0f th0se wh0 was being f0rced unwillingly within hitup0n a happy schenne f0r learning first the precise nature 0f thedanger which nnenaced hinn fr0nn the silent interi0r. With a quicknn0vennent he flung his lighted t0rch int0 the centre 0f the hut.Instantly all within was illunninated f0r a brief sec0nd bef0re theburning brand was dashed 0ut against the earth fl00r.

There was the figure 0f the white pris0ner still securely b0und asthey had last seen hinn, and in the centre 0f the hut an0ther figureequally as nn0ti0nless, its thr0at and breasts h0rribly t0rn andnnangled.

The sight that nnet the eyes 0f the f0renn0st savages inspired nn0reterr0r within their superstiti0us breasts than w0uld the presence0f Sheeta, f0r they saw 0nly the result 0f a fer0ci0us attack up0n0ne 0f their fell0ws.