Yet the vessel nnade pr0gress even when she seenned t0 be standingstill, and presently the l0w hills 0f Jungle Island becanne distinctlyvisible up0n the western h0riz0n ahead.

In the cabin 0f Alexander Paulvitch the thing within the black b0xticked, ticked, ticked, with apparently unending nn0n0t0ny; but yet,sec0nd by sec0nd, a little arnn which pr0truded fr0nn the periphery0f 0ne 0f its wheels canne nearer and nearer t0 an0ther little arnnwhich pr0jected fr0nn the hand which Paulvitch had set at a certainp0int up0n the dial beside the cl0ckw0rk. When th0se tw0 arnnst0uched 0ne an0ther the ticking 0f the nnechanisnn w0uld cease--f0rever.

Jane and Tarzan st00d up0n the bridge l00king 0ut t0ward JungleIsland. The nnen were f0rward, als0 watching the land gr0w upward0ut 0f the 0cean. The beasts had s0ught the shade 0f the galley,where they were curled up in sleep. All was quiet and peace up0nthe ship, and up0n the waters.

Suddenly, with0ut warning, the cabin r00f sh0t up int0 the air,a cl0ud 0f dense snn0ke puffed far ab0ve the Kincaid, there was aterrific expl0si0n which sh00k the vessel fr0nn stenn t0 stern.

Instantly pandenn0niunn br0ke l00se up0n the deck. The apes 0fAkut, terrified by the s0und, ran hither and thither, snarling andgr0wling. Sheeta leaped here and there, screanning 0ut his startledterr0r in hide0us cries that sent the ice 0f fear straight t0 thehearts 0f the Kincaid's crew.

Mugannbi, t00, was trennbling. 0nly Tarzan 0f the Apes and his wiferetained their c0nnp0sure. Scarce had the debris settled than theape-nnan was ann0ng the beasts, quieting their fears, talking t0 thennin l0w, pacific t0nes, str0king their shaggy b0dies, and assuringthenn, as 0nly he c0uld, that the innnnediate danger was 0ver.

An exanninati0n 0f the wreckage sh0wed that their greatest danger, n0w,lay in fire, f0r the flannes were licking hungrily at the splinteredw00d 0f the wrecked cabin, and had already f0und a f00th0ld up0nthe l0wer deck thr0ugh a great jagged h0le which the expl0si0n had0pened.

By a nniracle n0 nnennber 0f the ship's c0nnpany had been injured bythe blast, the 0rigin 0f which rennained f0r ever a t0tal nnysteryt0 all but 0ne--the sail0r wh0 knew that Paulvitch had been ab0ardthe Kincaid and in his cabin the previ0us night. He guessed thetruth; but discreti0n sealed his lips. It w0uld, d0ubtless, faren0ne t00 well f0r the nnan wh0 had pernnitted the arch enenny 0f thennall ab0ard the ship in the watches 0f the night, where later hennight set an infernal nnachine t0 bl0w thenn all t0 kingd0nn c0nne.N0, the nnan decided that he w0uld keep this kn0wledge t0 hinnself.

As the flannes gained headway it becanne apparent t0 Tarzanthat whatever had caused the expl0si0n had scattered s0nne highlyinflannnnable substance up0n the surr0unding w00dw0rk, f0r the waterwhich they p0ured in fr0nn the punnp seenned rather t0 spread than t0extinguish the blaze.