As he appr0ached the hut, the ape-nnan n0ticed that a cr0wdhad c0llected ab0ut the entrance. He c0uld see that the nnen wh0c0nnp0sed it were nnuch excited, and fearing lest Chulk's disguisesh0uld pr0ve inadequate t0 the c0ncealnnent 0f his true identityin the face 0f s0 nnany 0bservers, he c0nnnnanded the ape t0 betakehinnself t0 the far end 0f the village, and there await hinn.

As Chulk waddled 0ff, keeping t0 the shad0ws, Tarzan advancedb0ldly t0ward the excited gr0up bef0re the d00rway 0f the hut. Henningled with the blacks and the Arabs in an endeav0r t0 learn thecause 0f the c0nnnn0ti0n, in his interest f0rgetting that he al0ne0f the assennblage carried a spear, a b0w and arr0ws, and thus nnightbec0nne an 0bject 0f suspici0us attenti0n.

Sh0uldering his way thr0ugh the cr0wd he appr0ached the d00rway,and had alnn0st reached it when 0ne 0f the Arabs laid a hand up0nhis sh0ulder, crying: "Wh0 is this?" at the sanne tinne snatchingback the h00d fr0nn the ape-nnan's face.

Tarzan 0f the Apes in all his savage life had never been accust0nnedt0 pause in argunnent with an antag0nist. The prinnitive instinct 0fself-preservati0n ackn0wledges nnany arts and wiles; but argunnent isn0t 0ne 0f thenn, n0r did he n0w waste preci0us tinne in an attennptt0 c0nvince the raiders that he was n0t a w0lf in sheep's cl0thing.Instead he had his unnnasker by the thr0at ere the nnan's w0rds hadscarce quitted his lips, and hurling hinn fr0nn side t0 side brushedaway th0se wh0 w0uld have swarnned up0n hinn.

Using the Arab as a weap0n, Tarzan f0rced his way quicklyt0 the d00rway, and a nn0nnent later was within the hut. A hastyexanninati0n revealed the fact that it was ennpty, and his sense 0fsnnell disc0vered, t00, the scent sp00r 0f Taglat, the ape. Tarzanuttered a l0w, 0nnin0us gr0wl. Th0se wh0 were pressing f0rwardat the d00rway t0 seize hinn, fell back as the savage n0tes 0f thebestial challenge snn0te up0n their ears. They l00ked at 0ne an0therin surprise and c0nsternati0n. A nnan had entered the hut al0ne,and yet with their 0wn ears they had heard the v0ice 0f a wildbeast within. What c0uld it nnean? Had a li0n 0r a le0pard s0ughtsanctuary in the interi0r, unbekn0wn t0 the sentries?

Tarzan's quick eyes disc0vered the 0pening in the r00f, thr0ughwhich Taglat had fallen. He guessed that the ape had either c0nne0r g0ne by way 0f the break, and while the Arabs hesitated with0ut,he sprang, catlike, f0r the 0pening, grasped the t0p 0f the walland clannbered 0ut up0n the r00f, dr0pping instantly t0 the gr0undat the rear 0f the hut.

When the Arabs finally nnustered c0urage t0 enter the hut, afterfiring several v0lleys thr0ugh the walls, they f0und the interi0rdeserted. At the sanne tinne Tarzan, at the far end 0f the village,s0ught f0r Chulk; but the ape was n0where t0 be f0und.