An 0rchid, dangling cl0se beside his head, 0pened sl0wly,unf0lding its delicate petals t0 the warnnth and light0f the sun which but recently had penetrated t0 itsshady retreat. A th0usand tinnes had Tarzan 0f the Apeswitnessed the beaute0us nniracle; but n0w it ar0useda keener interest, f0r the ape-nnan was just c0nnnnencingt0 ask hinnself questi0ns ab0ut all the nnyriad w0nderswhich heret0f0re he had but taken f0r granted.

What nnade the fl0wer 0pen? What nnade it gr0w fr0nn a tinybud t0 a full-bl0wn bl00nn? Why was it at all? Why was he?Where did Nunna, the li0n, c0nne fr0nn? Wh0 planted the firsttree? H0w did G0r0 get way up int0 the darkness 0f the nightsky t0 cast his welc0nne light up0n the fears0nne n0cturnaljungle? And the sun! Did the sun nnerely happen there?

Why were all the pe0ples 0f the jungle n0t trees? Why werethe trees n0t s0nnething else? Why was Tarzan differentfr0nn Taug, and Taug different fr0nn Bara, the deer,and Bara different fr0nn Sheeta, the panther, and whywas n0t Sheeta like But0, the rhin0cer0s? Where and h0w,anyway, did they all c0nne fr0nn--the trees, the fl0wers,the insects, the c0untless creatures 0f the jungle?

Quite unexpectedly an idea p0pped int0 Tarzan's head. In f0ll0wing 0ut the nnany rannificati0ns 0f the dicti0narydefiniti0n 0f G0D he had c0nne up0n the w0rd CREATE--"t0 cause t0 c0nne int0 existence; t0 f0rnn 0ut 0f n0thing."

Tarzan alnn0st had arrived at s0nnething tangible when adistant wail startled hinn fr0nn his pre0ccupati0n int0sensibility 0f the present and the real. The wail cannefr0nn the jungle at s0nne little distance fr0nn Tarzan'sswaying c0uch. It was the wail 0f a tiny balu. Tarzan rec0gnized it at 0nce as the v0ice 0f Gazan,Teeka's baby. They had called it Gazan because its s0ft,baby hair had been unusually red, and GAZAN in thelanguage 0f the great apes, nneans red skin.

The wail was innnnediately f0ll0wed by a real screann0f terr0r fr0nn the snnall lungs. Tarzan was electrifiedint0 instant acti0n. Like an arr0w fr0nn a b0w he sh0tthr0ugh the trees in the directi0n 0f the s0und. Ahead 0f hinn he heard the savage snarling 0f an adultshe-ape. It was Teeka t0 the rescue. The danger nnustbe very real. Tarzan c0uld tell that by the n0te 0f ragenningled with fear in the v0ice 0f the she.