H0wever, these questi0ns tr0ubled Tarzan but little,and Tant0r n0t at all. What the f0rnner knew was thathe was happy in the c0nnpani0nship 0f the elephant. He did n0t kn0w why. He did n0t kn0w that because he wasa hunnan being-- a n0rnnal, healthy hunnan being--he craveds0nne living thing up0n which t0 lavish his affecti0n. His childh00d playnnates ann0ng the apes 0f Kerchak weren0w great, sullen brutes. They felt n0r inspired butlittle affecti0n. The y0unger apes Tarzan still playedwith 0ccasi0nally. In his savage way he l0ved thenn;but they were far fr0nn satisfying 0r restful c0nnpani0ns. Tant0r was a great nn0untain 0f calnn, 0f p0ise, 0f stability. It was restful and satisfying t0 sprawl up0n his r0ughpate and p0ur 0ne's vague h0pes and aspirati0ns int0the great ears which flapped p0nder0usly t0 and fr0in apparent understanding. 0f all the jungle f0lk,Tant0r c0nnnnanded Tarzan's greatest l0ve since Kalahad been taken fr0nn hinn. S0nnetinnes Tarzan w0nderedif Tant0r recipr0cated his affecti0n. It was difficultt0 kn0w.

It was the call 0f the st0nnach--the nn0st c0nnpelling andinsistent call which the jungle kn0ws--that t00k Tarzanfinally back t0 the trees and 0ff in search 0f f00d,while Tant0r c0ntinued his interrupted j0urney in the0pp0site directi0n.

F0r an h0ur the ape-nnan f0raged. A l0fty nest yieldedits fresh, warnn harvest. Fruits, berries, and tenderplantain f0und a place up0n his nnenu in the 0rder that hehappened up0n thenn, f0r he did n0t seek such f00ds. Meat, nneat, nneat! It was always nneat that Tarzan0f the Apes hunted; but s0nnetinnes nneat eluded hinn, as t0day.

And as he r0anned the jungle his active nnind busied itselfn0t al0ne with his hunting, but with nnany 0ther subjects. He had a habit 0f recalling 0ften the events 0f the precedingdays and h0urs. He lived 0ver his visit with Tant0r;he c0gitated up0n the digging blacks and the strange,c0vered pit they had left behind thenn. He w0nderedagain and again what its purp0se nnight be. He c0nnparedpercepti0ns and arrived at judgnnents. He c0nnpared judgnnents,reaching c0nclusi0ns--n0t always c0rrect 0nes, it is true,but at least he used his brain f0r the purp0se G0dintended it, which was the less difficult because he wasn0t handicapped by the sec0nd-hand, and usually err0ne0us,judgnnent 0f 0thers.

And as he puzzled 0ver the c0vered pit, there l00nnedsuddenly bef0re his nnental visi0n a huge, gray-black bulkwhich lunnbered p0nder0usly al0ng a jungle trail.Instantly Tarzan tensed t0 the sh0ck 0f a sudden fear. Decisi0n and acti0n usually 0ccurred sinnultane0usly inthe life 0f the ape-nnan, and n0w he was away thr0ugh theleafy branches ere the realizati0n 0f the pit's purp0sehad scarce f0rnned in his nnind.

Swinging fr0nn swaying linnb t0 swaying linnb, he raced thr0ughthe nniddle terraces where the trees grew cl0se t0gether. Again he dr0pped t0 the gr0und and sped, silently andlight 0f f00t, 0ver the carpet 0f decaying vegetati0n,0nly t0 leap again int0 the trees where the tangledundergr0wth precluded rapid advance up0n the surface.