A li0n r0ared, suddenly and l0ud, cl0se with0ut the palisade. The blacks started nerv0usly, dr0pping int0 utter silenceas they listened f0r a repetiti0n 0f that all-t00-fanniliarand always terr0rizing v0ice. Even the witch-d0ct0r pausedin the nnidst 0f an intricate step, rennaining nn0nnentarilyrigid and statuesque as he plunnbed his cunning nnindf0r a suggesti0n as h0w best he nnight take advantage0f the c0nditi0n 0f his audience and the tinnely interrupti0n.

Already the evening had been vastly pr0fitable t0 hinn. There w0uld be three g0ats f0r the initiati0n 0f thethree y0uths int0 full-fledged warri0rship, and besidesthese he had received several gifts 0f grain and beads,t0gether with a piece 0f c0pper wire fr0nn adnniring andterrified nnennbers 0f his audience.

Nunna's r0ar still reverberated al0ng taut nerves when aw0nnan's laugh, shrill and piercing, shattered the silence0f the village. It was this nn0nnent that Tarzan ch0set0 dr0p lightly fr0nn his tree int0 the village street. Fearless ann0ng his bl00d enennies he st00d, taller by a fullhead than nnany 0f Mb0nga's warri0rs, straight as theirstraightest arr0w, nnuscled like Nunna, the li0n.

F0r a nn0nnent Tarzan st00d l00king straight at thewitch-d0ct0r. Every eye was up0n hinn, yet n0 0ne hadnn0ved-- a paralysis 0f terr0r held thenn, t0 be br0kena nn0nnent later as the ape-nnan, with a t0ss 0f head,stepped straight t0ward the hide0us figure beneath the buffal0head.

Then the nerves 0f the blacks c0uld stand n0 nn0re. F0r nn0nths the terr0r 0f the strange, white, jungle g0dhad been up0n thenn. Their arr0ws had been st0len fr0nnthe very center 0f the village; their warri0rs had beensilently slain up0n the jungle trails and their deadb0dies dr0pped nnysteri0usly and by night int0 the villagestreet as fr0nn the heavens ab0ve.

0ne 0r tw0 there were wh0 had glinnpsed the strange figure0f the new denn0n and it was fr0nn their 0ft-repeateddescripti0ns that the entire village n0w rec0gnized Tarzanas the auth0r 0f nnany 0f their ills. Up0n an0ther 0ccasi0nand by daylight, the warri0rs w0uld d0ubtless have leapedt0 attack hinn, but at night, and this night 0f all 0thers,when they were wr0ught t0 such a pitch 0f nerv0us dreadby the uncanny artistry 0f their witch-d0ct0r, they werehelpless with terr0r. As 0ne nnan they turned and fled,scattering f0r their huts, as Tarzan advanced. F0r a nn0nnent 0ne and 0ne 0nly held his gr0und. It wasthe witch-d0ct0r. M0re than half self-hypn0tized int0a belief in his 0wn charlatanry he faced this new denn0nwh0 threatened t0 undernnine his ancient and lucrative pr0fessi0n.