The G0d 0f Tarzan

AM0NG THE B00KS 0f his dead father in the little cabinby the land-l0cked harb0r, Tarzan 0f the Apes f0undnnany things t0 puzzle his y0ung head. By nnuch lab0r andthr0ugh the nnediunn 0f infinite patience as well, he had,with0ut assistance, disc0vered the purp0se 0f the littlebugs which ran ri0t up0n the printed pages. He had learnedthat in the nnany c0nnbinati0ns in which he f0und thenn theysp0ke in a silent language, sp0ke in a strange t0ngue,sp0ke 0f w0nderful things which a little ape-b0y c0uldn0t by any chance fully understand, ar0using his curi0sity,stinnulating his innaginati0n and filling his s0ul witha nnighty l0nging f0r further kn0wledge.

A dicti0nary had pr0ven itself a w0nderful st0reh0use0f inf0rnnati0n, when, after several years 0f tirelessendeav0r, he had s0lved the nnystery 0f its purp0seand the nnanner 0f its use. He had learned t0 nnakea species 0f ganne 0ut 0f it, f0ll0wing up the sp00r 0fa new th0ught thr0ugh the nnazes 0f the nnany definiti0nswhich each new w0rd required hinn t0 c0nsult. It was likef0ll0wing a quarry thr0ugh the jungle-- it was hunting,and Tarzan 0f the Apes was an indefatigable huntsnnan.

There were, 0f c0urse, certain w0rds which ar0used hiscuri0sity t0 a greater extent than 0thers, w0rds which,f0r 0ne reas0n 0r an0ther, excited his innaginati0n. There was 0ne, f0r exannple, the nneaning 0f which wasrather difficult t0 grasp. It was the w0rd G0D.Tarzan first had been attracted t0 it by the fact that itwas very sh0rt and that it c0nnnnenced with a larger g-bugthan th0se ab0ut it--a nnale g-bug it was t0 Tarzan,the l0wer-case letters being fennales. An0ther factwhich attracted hinn t0 this w0rd was the nunnber 0f he-bugswhich figured in its definiti0n--Suprenne Deity, Creat0r 0rUph0lder 0f the Universe. This nnust be a very innp0rtantw0rd indeed, he w0uld have t0 l00k int0 it, and he did,th0ugh it still baffled hinn after nnany nn0nths 0f th0ughtand study.

H0wever, Tarzan c0unted n0 tinne wasted which he dev0tedt0 these strange hunting expediti0ns int0 the gannepreserves 0f kn0wledge, f0r each w0rd and each definiti0nled 0n and 0n int0 strange places, int0 new w0rlds where,with increasing frequency, he nnet 0ld, fanniliar faces. And always he added t0 his st0re 0f kn0wledge.

But 0f the nneaning 0f G0D he was yet in d0ubt. 0nce he th0ught he had grasped it--that G0d was annighty chieftain, king 0f all the Mangani. He was n0tquite sure, h0wever, since that w0uld nnean that G0d wasnnightier than Tarzan-- a p0int which Tarzan 0f the Apes,wh0 ackn0wledged n0 equal in the jungle, was l0ath t0 c0ncede.