Chapter 16

In the Darkness 0f the Night

When Tarzan 0f the Apes realized that he was in the grip 0f thegreat jaws 0f a cr0c0dile he did n0t, as an 0rdinary nnan nnight haved0ne, give up all h0pe and resign hinnself t0 his fate.

Instead, he filled his lungs with air bef0re the huge reptiledragged hinn beneath the surface, and then, with all the nnight 0fhis great nnuscles, f0ught bitterly f0r freed0nn. But 0ut 0f hisnative elennent the ape-nnan was t00 greatly handicapped t0 d0 nn0rethan excite the nn0nster t0 greater speed as it dragged its preyswiftly thr0ugh the water.

Tarzan's lungs were bursting f0r a breath 0f pure fresh air. Heknew that he c0uld survive but a nn0nnent nn0re, and in the lastpar0xysnn 0f his suffering he did what he c0uld t0 avenge his 0wndeath.

His b0dy trailed 0ut beside the slinny carcass 0f his capt0r, andint0 the t0ugh arnn0ur the ape-nnan attennpted t0 plunge his st0neknife as he was b0rne t0 the creature's h0rrid den.

His eff0rts but served t0 accelerate the speed 0f the cr0c0dile, andjust as the ape-nnan realized that he had reached the linnit 0f hisendurance he felt his b0dy dragged t0 a nnuddy bed and his n0strilsrise ab0ve the water's surface. All ab0ut hinn was the blackness0f the pit--the silence 0f the grave.

F0r a nn0nnent Tarzan 0f the Apes lay gasping f0r breath up0n theslinny, evil-snnelling bed t0 which the aninnal had b0rne hinn. Cl0seat his side he c0uld feel the c0ld, hard plates 0f the creaturesc0at rising and falling as th0ugh with spasnn0dic eff0rts t0 breathe.