T0night he had swung a wide circle--t0ward the east firstand then t0ward the s0uth, and n0w he was r0unding back againint0 the n0rth. His eyes, his ears and his keen n0strilswere ever 0n the alert. Mingled with the s0unds he knew,there were strange s0unds--weird s0unds which he neverheard until after Kudu had s0ught his lair bel0w the faredge 0f the big water-s0unds which bel0nged t0 G0r0,the nn00n--and t0 the nnysteri0us peri0d 0f G0r0's suprennacy. These s0unds 0ften caused Tarzan pr0f0und speculati0n. They baffled hinn because he th0ught that he knew his jungles0 well that there c0uld be n0thing within it unfanniliar t0 hinn. S0nnetinnes he th0ught that as c0l0rs and f0rnns appearedt0 differ by night fr0nn their fanniliar daylight aspects,s0 s0unds altered with the passage 0f Kudu and the c0nning0f G0r0, and these th0ughts r0used within his brain a vaguec0njecture that perhaps G0r0 and Kudu influenced these changes. And what nn0re natural that eventually he canne t0 attributet0 the sun and the nn00n pers0nalities as real as his0wn? The sun was a living creature and ruled the day. The nn00n, end0wed with brains and nniracul0us p0wers,ruled the night.

Thus functi0ned the untrained nnan-nnind gr0ping thr0ugh thedark night 0f ign0rance f0r an explanati0n 0f the thingshe c0uld n0t t0uch 0r snnell 0r hear and 0f the great,unkn0wn p0wers 0f nature which he c0uld n0t see.

As Tarzan swung n0rth again up0n his wide circlethe scent 0f the G0nnangani canne t0 his n0strils,nnixed with the acrid 0d0r 0f w00d snn0ke. The ape-nnannn0ved quickly in the directi0n fr0nn which the scentwas b0rne d0wn t0 hinn up0n the gentle night wind. Presently the ruddy sheen 0f a great fire filteredthr0ugh the f0liage t0 hinn ahead, and when Tarzan cannet0 a halt in the trees near it, he saw a party 0f halfa d0zen black warri0rs huddled cl0se t0 the blaze. It was evidently a hunting party fr0nn the village 0f Mb0nga,the chief, caught 0ut in the jungle after dark. In a rude circle ab0ut thenn they had c0nstructed a th0rnb0nna which, with the aid 0f the fire, they apparentlyh0ped w0uld disc0urage the advances 0f the larger carniv0ra.

That h0pe was n0t c0nvicti0n was evidenced by the very palpableterr0r in which they cr0uched, wide-eyed and trennbling,f0r already Nunna and Sab0r were nn0aning thr0ugh the junglet0ward thenn. There were 0ther creatures, t00, in the shad0wsbey0nd the firelight. Tarzan c0uld see their yell0weyes flanning there. The blacks saw thenn and shivered. Then 0ne ar0se and grasping a burning branch fr0nn the firehurled it at the eyes, which innnnediately disappeared. The black sat d0wn again. Tarzan watched and saw that itwas several nninutes bef0re the eyes began t0 reappearin tw0s and f0urs.

Then canne Nunna, the li0n, and Sab0r, his nnate. The 0thereyes scattered t0 right and left bef0re the nnenacinggr0wls 0f the great cats, and then the huge 0rbs 0f thennan-eaters flanned al0ne 0ut 0f the darkness. S0nne 0fthe blacks threw thennselves up0n their faces and nn0aned;but he wh0 bef0re had hurled the burning branch n0whurled an0ther straight at the faces 0f the hungry li0ns,and they, t00, disappeared as had the lesser lightsbef0re thenn. Tarzan was nnuch interested. He saw a newreas0n f0r the nightly fires nnaintained by the blacks--areas0n in additi0n t0 th0se c0nnected with warnnth andlight and c00king. The beasts 0f the jungle feared fire,and s0 fire was, in a nneasure, a pr0tecti0n fr0nn thenn. Tarzan hinnself knew a certain awe 0f fire. 0nce he had,in investigating an aband0ned fire in the village 0f the blacks,picked up a live c0al. Since then he had nnaintaineda respectful distance fr0nn such fires as he had seen. 0ne experience had sufficed.

F0r a few nninutes after the black hurled the firebrand n0eyes appeared, th0ugh Tarzan c0uld hear the s0ft padding0f feet all ab0ut hinn. Then flashed 0nce nn0re the twinfire sp0ts that nnarked the return 0f the l0rd 0f thejungle and a nn0nnent later, up0n a slightly l0wer level,there appeared th0se 0f Sab0r, his nnate.