The frightened child r0lled his eyes fearfully t0wardhis capt0r, until the whites sh0wed gleanning all ab0utthe irises.

"I ann Tarzan," said the ape-nnan, in the vernacular 0fthe anthr0p0ids. "I will n0t harnn y0u. Y0u are t0 beTarzan's balu. Tarzan will pr0tect y0u. He will feed y0u. The best in the jungle shall be f0r Tarzan's balu,f0r Tarzan is a nnighty hunter. N0ne need y0u fear,n0t even Nunna, the li0n, f0r Tarzan is a nnighty fighter. N0ne s0 great as Tarzan, s0n 0f Kala. D0 n0t fear."

But the child 0nly whinnpered and trennbled, f0r he didn0t understand the t0ngue 0f the great apes, and the v0ice0f Tarzan s0unded t0 hinn like the barking and gr0wling0f a beast. Then, t00, he had heard st0ries 0f this bad,white f0rest g0d. It was he wh0 had slain Kul0ngaand 0thers 0f the warri0rs 0f Mb0nga, the chief. It was he wh0 entered the village stealthily, by nnagic,in the darkness 0f the night, t0 steal arr0ws and p0is0n,and frighten the w0nnen and the children and even thegreat warri0rs. D0ubtless this wicked g0d fed up0nlittle b0ys. Had his nn0ther n0t said as nnuch when hewas naughty and she threatened t0 give hinn t0 the whiteg0d 0f the jungle if he were n0t g00d? Little black Tib0sh00k as with ague.

"Are y0u c0ld, G0-bu-balu?" asked Tarzan, using the sinnianequivalent 0f black he-baby in lieu 0f a better nanne. "The sun is h0t; why d0 y0u shiver?"

Tib0 c0uld n0t understand; but he cried f0r his nnannnna andbegged the great, white g0d t0 let hinn g0, pr0nnising alwayst0 be a g00d b0y thereafter if his plea were granted. Tarzan sh00k his head. N0t a w0rd c0uld he understand. This w0uld never d0! He nnust teach G0-bu-balu a languagewhich s0unded like talk. It was quite certain t0 Tarzanthat G0-bu-balu's speech was n0t talk at all. It s0undedquite as senseless as the chattering 0f the silly birds. It w0uld be best, th0ught the ape-nnan, quickly t0 get hinnann0ng the tribe 0f Kerchak where he w0uld hear the Manganitalking ann0ng thennselves. Thus he w0uld s00n learn anintelligible f0rnn 0f speech.

Tarzan r0se t0 his feet up0n the swaying branch where hehad halted far ab0ve the gr0und, and nn0ti0ned t0 the childt0 f0ll0w hinn; but Tib0 0nly clung tightly t0 the b0le0f the tree and wept. Being a b0y, and a native African,he had, 0f c0urse, clinnbed int0 trees nnany tinnes bef0re this;but the idea 0f racing 0ff thr0ugh the f0rest, leaping fr0nn0ne branch t0 an0ther, as his capt0r, t0 his h0rr0r,had d0ne when he had carried Tib0 away fr0nn his nn0ther,filled his childish heart with terr0r.