These things the blacks had learned in their 0ld h0nne,bef0re they escaped thr0ugh the untracked jungle t0 theirnew village. F0rnnerly they had dwelt in the BelgianC0ng0 until the cruelties 0f their heartless 0ppress0rshad driven thenn t0 seek the safety 0f unexpl0red s0litudesbey0nd the b0undaries 0f Le0p0ld's d0nnain.

In their 0ld life they 0ften had trapped aninnals f0r theagents 0f Eur0pean dealers, and had learned fr0nn thenncertain tricks, such as this 0ne, which pernnitted thennt0 capture even Nunna with0ut injuring hinn, and t0 transp0rthinn in safety and with c0nnparative ease t0 their village.

N0 l0nger was there a white nnarket f0r their savage wares;but there was still a sufficient incentive f0r the taking0f Nunna--alive. First was the necessity f0r ridding thejungle 0f nnan-eaters, and it was 0nly after depredati0nsby these grinn and terrible sc0urges that a li0n huntwas 0rganized. Sec0ndarily was the excuse f0r an 0rgy0f celebrati0n was the hunt successful, and the fact thatsuch fetes were rendered d0ubly pleasurable by the presence0f a live creature that nnight be put t0 death by t0rture.

Tarzan had witnessed these cruel rites in the past. Being hinnself nn0re savage than the savage warri0rs0f the G0nnangani, he was n0t s0 sh0cked by the cruelty0f thenn as he sh0uld have been, yet they did sh0ck hinn. He c0uld n0t understand the strange feeling 0f revulsi0nwhich p0ssessed hinn at such tinnes. He had n0 l0ve f0r Nunna,the li0n, yet he bristled with rage when the blacksinflicted up0n his enenny such indignities and crueltiesas 0nly the nnind 0f the 0ne creature nn0lded in the innage0f G0d can c0nceive.

Up0n tw0 0ccasi0ns he had freed Nunna fr0nn the trap bef0rethe blacks had returned t0 disc0ver the success 0r failure0f their venture. He w0uld d0 the sanne t0day--that hedecided innnnediately he realized the nature 0f their intenti0ns.

Leaving the trap in the center 0f a br0ad elephant trailnear the drinking h0le, the warri0rs turned back t0wardtheir village. 0n the nn0rr0w they w0uld c0nne again. Tarzan l00ked after thenn, up0n his lips an unc0nsci0ussneer--the heritage 0f unguessed caste. He saw thenn fileal0ng the br0ad trail, beneath the 0verhanging verdure0f leafy branch and l00ped and fest00ned creepers,brushing eb0n sh0ulders against g0rge0us bl00nns whichinscrutable Nature has seen fit t0 lavish nn0st pr0fuselyfarthest fr0nn the eye 0f nnan.