As Tarzan walked down the wild canon beneath the brilliantAfrican moon the call of the jungle was strong upon him.The solitude and the savage freedom filled his heart withlife and buoyancy. Again he was Tarzan of the Apes--everysense alert against the chance of surprise by some jungleenemy--yet treading lightly and with head erect, in proudconsciousness of his might.

The nocturnal sounds of the mountains were new to him,yet they fell upon his ears like the soft voice of a half-forgotten love. Many he intuitively sensed--ah, there was onethat was familiar indeed; the distant coughing of Sheeta, theleopard; but there was a strange note in the final wail whichmade him doubt. It was a panther he heard.

Presently a new sound--a soft, stealthy sound--obtrudeditself among the others. No human ears other than the ape-man's would have detected it. At first he did not translate it,but finally he realized that it came from the bare feet of anumber of human beings. They were behind him, and theywere coming toward him quietly. He was being stalked.

In a flash he knew why he had been left in that littlevalley by Gernois; but there had been a hitch in thearrangements--the men had come too late. Closer and closer camethe footsteps. Tarzan halted and faced them, his rifle ready inhis hand. Now he caught a fleeting glimpse of a white burnoose.He called aloud in French, asking what they would of him.His reply was the flash of a long gun, and with the sound ofthe shot Tarzan of the Apes plunged forward upon his face.

The Arabs did not rush out immediately; instead, theywaited to be sure that their victim did not rise. Then theycame rapidly from their concealment, and bent over him.It was soon apparent that he was not dead. One of the men putthe muzzle of his gun to the back of Tarzan's head to finishhim, but another waved him aside. "If we bring him alivethe reward is to be greater," explained the latter.So they bound his hands and feet, and, picking him up,placed him on the shoulders of four of their number.Then the march was resumed toward the desert. When they hadcome out of the mountains they turned toward the south, andabout daylight came to the spot where their horses stoodin care of two of their number.

From here on their progress was more rapid. Tarzan, whohad regained consciousness, was tied to a spare horse, whichthey evidently had brought for the purpose. His wound was buta slight scratch, which had furrowed the flesh across his temple.It had stopped bleeding, but the dried and clottedblood smeared his face and clothing. He had said no wordsince he had fallen into the hands of these Arabs, nor hadthey addressed him other than to issue a few brief commandsto him when the horses had been reached.

For six hours they rode rapidly across the burning desert,avoiding the oases near which their way led. About noonthey came to a DOUAR of about twenty tents. Here theyhalted, and as one of the Arabs was releasing the alfa-grassropes which bound him to his mount they were surroundedby a mob of men, women, and children. Many of the tribe,and more especially the women, appeared to take delight inheaping insults upon the prisoner, and some had even goneso far as to throw stones at him and strike him withsticks, when an old sheik appeared and drove them away.

"Ali-ben-Ahmed tells me," he said, "that this man sat alonein the mountains and slew EL ADREA. What the business ofthe stranger who sent us after him may be, I know not, and whathe may do with this man when we turn him over to him, Icare not; but the prisoner is a brave man, and while he is inour hands he shall be treated with the respect that be dueone who hunts THE LORD WITH THE LARGE HEAD alone and bynight--and slays him."

Tarzan had heard of the respect in which Arabs held alion-killer, and he was not sorry that chance had played intohis hands thus favorably to relieve him of the petty torturesof the tribe. Shortly after this he was taken to a goat-skin tent upon the upper side of the DOUAR. There he wasfed, and then, securely bound, was left lying on a piece ofnative carpet, alone in the tent.

He could see a guard sitting before the door of his frailprison, but when he attempted to force the stout bonds thatheld him he realized that any extra precaution on the partof his captors was quite unnecessary; not even his giantmuscles could part those numerous strands.

Just before dusk several men approached the tent wherehe lay, and entered it. All were in Arab dress, but presentlyone of the number advanced to Tarzan's side, and as he letthe folds of cloth that had hidden the lower half of his facefall away the ape-man saw the malevolent features ofNikolas Rokoff. There was a nasty smile on the bearded lips."Ah, Monsieur Tarzan," he said, "this is indeed a pleasure.But why do you not rise and greet your guest?" Then, withan ugly oath, "Get up, you dog!" and, drawing back hisbooted foot, he kicked Tarzan heavily in the side. "And hereis another, and another, and another," he continued, as hekicked Tarzan about the face and side. "One for each of theinjuries you have done me."

The ape-man made no reply--he did not even deign to lookupon the Russian again after the first glance of recognition.Finally the sheik, who had been standing a mute and frowningwitness of the cowardly attack, intervened.

"Stop!" he commanded. "Kill him if you will, but I willsee no brave man subjected to such indignities in my presence.I have half a mind to turn him loose, that I may see howlong you would kick him then."

This threat put a sudden end to Rokoff's brutality, for hehad no craving to see Tarzan loosed from his bonds whilehe was within reach of those powerful hands.

"Very well," he replied to the Arab; "I shall kill him presently."

"Not within the precincts of my DOUAR," returned thesheik. "When he leaves here he leaves alive. What you dowith him in the desert is none of my concern, but I shallnot have the blood of a Frenchman on the hands of my tribeon account of another man's quarrel--they would sendsoldiers here and kill many of my people, and burn our tentsand drive away our flocks."

"As you say," growled Rokoff. "I'll take him out into thedesert below the DOUAR, and dispatch him."

"You will take him a day's ride from my country," saidthe sheik, firmly, "and some of my children shall follow youto see that you do not disobey me--otherwise there may betwo dead Frenchmen in the desert."

Rokoff shrugged. "Then I shall have to wait until themorrow--it is already dark."

"As you will," said the sheik. "But by an hour after dawnyou must be gone from my DOUAR. I have little liking forunbelievers, and none at all for a coward."

Rokoff would have made some kind of retort, but hechecked himself, for he realized that it would requirebut little excuse for the old man to turn upon him.Together they left the tent. At the door Rokoff could notresist the temptation to turn and fling a parting taunt at Tarzan."Sleep well, monsieur," he said, "and do not forget to pray well,for when you die tomorrow it will be in such agony that you willbe unable to pray for blaspheming."

No one had bothered to bring Tarzan either food or water sincenoon, and consequently he suffered considerably from thirst.He wondered if it would be worth while to ask hisguard for water, but after making two or three requestswithout receiving any response, he decided that it would not.

Far up in the mountains he heard a lion roar. How muchsafer one was, he soliloquized, in the haunts of wild beaststhan in the haunts of men. Never in all his jungle life had hebeen more relentlessly tracked down than in the past fewmonths of his experience among civilized men. Never had hebeen any nearer death.

Again the lion roared. It sounded a little nearer. Tarzan feltthe old, wild impulse to reply with the challenge of his kind.His kind? He had almost forgotten that he was a man and not an ape.He tugged at his bonds. God, if he could but get them nearthose strong teeth of his. He felt a wild wave of madness sweepover him as his efforts to regain his liberty met with failure.

Numa was roaring almost continually now. It was quiteevident that he was coming down into the desert to hunt.It was the roar of a hungry lion. Tarzan envied him, for hewas free. No one would tie him with ropes and slaughterhim like a sheep. It was that which galled the ape-man.He did not fear to die, no--it was the humiliation of defeatbefore death, without even a chance to battle for his life.

It must be near midnight, thought Tarzan. He had severalhours to live. Possibly he would yet find a way to takeRokoff with him on the long journey. He could hear the savagelord of the desert quite close by now. Possibly he soughthis meat from among the penned animals within the DOUAR.

For a long time silence reigned, then Tarzan's trained earscaught the sound of a stealthily moving body. It camefrom the side of the tent nearest the mountains--the back.Nearer and nearer it came. He waited, listening intently, forit to pass. For a time there was silence without, such a terriblesilence that Tarzan was surprised that he did not hear thebreathing of the animal he felt sure must be crouching closeto the back wall of his tent.

There! It is moving again. Closer it creeps. Tarzan turns hishead in the direction of the sound. It is very dark within the tent.Slowly the back rises from the ground, forced up by the head andshoulders of a body that looks all black in the semi-darkness.Beyond is a faint glimpse of the dimly starlit desert.A grim smile plays about Tarzan's lips. At least Rokoff willbe cheated. How mad he will be! And death will be moremerciful than he could have hoped for at the hands of the Russian.

Now the back of the tent drops into place, and all is darknessagain--whatever it is is inside the tent with him. He hearsit creeping close to him--now it is beside him. He closeshis eyes and waits for the mighty paw. Upon his upturnedface falls the gentle touch of a soft hand groping in the dark,and then a girl's voice in a scarcely audible whisperpronounces his name.

"Yes, it is I," he whispers in reply. "But in the name ofHeaven who are you?"

"The Ouled-Nail of Sisi Aissa," came the answer. While shespoke Tarzan could feel her working about his bonds.Occasionally the cold steel of a knife touched his flesh.A moment later he was free.

"Come!" she whispered.

On hands and knees he followed her out of the tent by the wayshe had come. She continued crawling thus flat to the grounduntil she reached a little patch of shrub. There she halteduntil he gained her side. For a moment he looked at herbefore he spoke.

"I cannot understand," he said at last. "Why are you here?How did you know that I was a prisoner in that tent?How does it happen that it is you who have saved me?"

She smiled. "I have come a long way tonight," she said,"and we have a long way to go before we shall be out of danger.Come; I shall tell you all about as we go."

Together they rose and set off across the desert in thedirection of the mountains.

"I was not quite sure that I should ever reach you," shesaid at last. "EL ADREA is abroad tonight, and afterI left the horses I think he winded me and was following--Iwas terribly frightened."

"What a brave girl," he said. "And you ran all that riskfor a stranger--an alien--an unbeliever?"

She drew herself up very proudly.

"I am the daughter of the Sheik Kabour ben Saden," she answered."I should be no fit daughter of his if I would not risk mylife to save that of the man who saved mine while he yetthought that I was but a common Ouled-Nail."

"Nevertheless," he insisted, "you are a very brave girl.But how did you know that I was a prisoner back there?"

"Achmet-din-Taieb, who is my cousin on my father's side, wasvisiting some friends who belong to the tribe that captured you.He was at the DOUAR when you were brought in. When he reachedhome he was telling us about the big Frenchman who had beencaptured by Ali-ben-Ahmed for another Frenchman who wishedto kill him. From the description I knew that it must be you.My father was away. I tried to persuade some of the men tocome and save you, but they would not do it, saying: `Let theunbelievers kill one another if they wish. It is none of ouraffair, and if we go and interfere with Ali-ben-Ahmed's planswe shall only stir up a fight with our own people.'

"So when it was dark I came alone, riding one horse andleading another for you. They are tethered not far from here.By morning we shall be within my father's DOUAR.He should be there himself by now--then let them come andtry to take Kadour ben Saden's friend."

For a few moments they walked on in silence.

"We should be near the horses," she said. "It is strangethat I do not see them here."

Then a moment later she stopped, with a little cry of consternation.

"They are gone!" she exclaimed. "It is here that I tethered them."

Tarzan stooped to examine the ground. He found that alarge shrub had been torn up by the roots. Then he foundsomething else. There was a wry smile on his face as he roseand turned toward the girl.

"EL ADREA has been here. From the signs, though, I ratherthink that his prey escaped him. With a little start theywould be safe enough from him in the open."

There was nothing to do but continue on foot. The wayled them across a low spur of the mountains, but the girlknew the trail as well as she did her mother's face.They walked in easy, swinging strides, Tarzan keeping a hand'sbreadth behind the girl's shoulder, that she might set thepace, and thus be less fatigued. As they walked they talked,occasionally stopping to listen for sounds of pursuit.

It was now a beautiful, moonlit night. The air was crispand invigorating. Behind them lay the interminable vista ofthe desert, dotted here and there with an occasional oasis.The date palms of the little fertile spot they had just left,and the circle of goatskin tents, stood out in sharp reliefagainst the yellow sand--a phantom paradise upon a phantom sea.Before them rose the grim and silent mountains. Tarzan's bloodleaped in his veins. This was life! He looked down upon thegirl beside him--a daughter of the desert walking across theface of a dead world with a son of the jungle. He smiled atthe thought. He wished that he had had a sister, and that shehad been like this girl. What a bully chum she would have been!

They had entered the mountains now, and were progressingmore slowly, for the trail was steeper and very rocky.

For a few minutes they had been silent. The girl waswondering if they would reach her father's DOUAR before thepursuit had overtaken them. Tarzan was wishing that theymight walk on thus forever. If the girl were only a manthey might. He longed for a friend who loved the same wildlife that he loved. He had learned to crave companionship,but it was his misfortune that most of the men he knewpreferred immaculate linen and their clubs to nakedness andthe jungle. It was, of course, difficult to understand,yet it was very evident that they did.

The two had just turned a projecting rock around whichthe trail ran when they were brought to a sudden stop.There, before them, directly in the middle of the path, stoodNuma, EL ADREA, the black lion. His green eyes looked verywicked, and he bared his teeth, and lashed his bay-black sideswith his angry tail. Then he roared--the fearsome, terror-inspiring roar of the hungry lion which is also angry.

"Your knife," said Tarzan to the girl, extending his hand.She slipped the hilt of the weapon into his waiting palm.As his fingers closed upon it he drew her back and pushed herbehind him. "Walk back to the desert as rapidly as you can.If you hear me call you will know that all is well, andyou may return."

"It is useless," she replied, resignedly. "This is the end."

"Do as I tell you," he commanded. "Quickly! He is aboutto charge." The girl dropped back a few paces, where shestood watching for the terrible sight that she knew sheshould soon witness.

The lion was advancing slowly toward Tarzan, his nose tothe ground, like a challenging bull, his tail extended nowand quivering as though with intense excitement.

The ape-man stood, half crouching, the long Arab knifeglistening in the moonlight. Behind him the tense figure ofthe girl, motionless as a carven statue. She leaned slightlyforward, her lips parted, her eyes wide. Her only consciousthought was wonder at the bravery of the man who daredface with a puny knife the lord with the large head. A manof her own blood would have knelt in prayer and gone downbeneath those awful fangs without resistance. In either casethe result would be the same--it was inevitable; but she couldnot repress a thrill of admiration as her eyes rested uponthe heroic figure before her. Not a tremor in the wholegiant frame--his attitude as menacing and defiant as that ofEL ADREA himself.

The lion was quite close to him now--but a few pacesintervened--he crouched, and then, with a deafeningroar, he sprang.