It was morning before Tarzan could bring himself to arealization of the possibility of failure of his quest,and even then he would only admit that success was butdelayed. He would eat and sleep, and then set forthagain. The jungle was wide; but wide too were theexperience and cunning of Tarzan. Taglat might travelfar; but Tarzan would find him in the end, though hehad to search every tree in the mighty forest.

Soliloquizing thus, the ape-man followed the spoor ofBara, the deer, the unfortunate upon which he haddecided to satisfy his hunger. For half an hour thetrail led the ape-man toward the east along awell-marked game path, when suddenly, to the stalker'sastonishment, the quarry broke into sight, racing madlyback along the narrow way straight toward the hunter.

Tarzan, who had been following along the trail, leapedso quickly to the concealing verdure at the side thatthe deer was still unaware of the presence of an enemyin this direction, and while the animal was still somedistance away, the ape-man swung into the lowerbranches of the tree which overhung the trail. Therehe crouched, a savage beast of prey, awaiting thecoming of its victim.

What had frightened the deer into so frantic a retreat,Tarzan did not know--Numa, the lion, perhaps, orSheeta, the panther; but whatsoever it was matteredlittle to Tarzan of the Apes--he was ready and willingto defend his kill against any other denizen of thejungle. If he were unable to do it by means ofphysical prowess, he had at his command another and agreater power--his shrewd intelligence.

And so, on came the running deer, straight into thejaws of death. The ape-man turned so that his back wastoward the approaching animal. He poised with bentknees upon the gently swaying limb above the trail,timing with keen ears the nearing hoof beats offrightened Bara.

In a moment the victim flashed beneath the limb and atthe same instant the ape-man above sprang out and downupon its back. The weight of the man's body carriedthe deer to the ground. It stumbled forward once in afutile effort to rise, and then mighty muscles draggedits head far back, gave the neck a vicious wrench, andBara was dead.

Quick had been the killing, and equally quick were theape-man's subsequent actions, for who might know whatmanner of killer pursued Bara, or how close at hand hemight be? Scarce had the neck of the victim snappedthan the carcass was hanging over one of Tarzan's broadshoulders, and an instant later the ape-man was perchedonce more among the lower branches of a tree above thetrail, his keen, gray eyes scanning the pathway downwhich the deer had fled.

Nor was it long before the cause of Bara's frightbecame evident to Tarzan, for presently came theunmistakable sounds of approaching horsemen. Dragginghis kill after him the ape-man ascended to the middleterrace, and settling himself comfortably in the crotchof a tree where he could still view the trail beneath,cut a juicy steak from the deer's loin, and burying hisstrong, white teeth in the hot flesh proceeded to enjoythe fruits of his prowess and his cunning.

Nor did he neglect the trail beneath while he satisfiedhis hunger. His sharp eyes saw the muzzle of theleading horse as it came into view around a bend in thetortuous trail, and one by one they scrutinized theriders as they passed beneath him in single file.

Among them came one whom Tarzan recognized, but soschooled was the ape-man in the control of his emotionsthat no slightest change of expression, much less anyhysterical demonstration that might have revealed hispresence, betrayed the fact of his inward excitement.

Beneath him, as unconscious of his presence as were theAbyssinians before and behind him, rode Albert Werper,while the ape-man scrutinized the Belgian for some signof the pouch which he had stolen.

As the Abyssinians rode toward the south, a giantfigure hovered ever upon their trail--a huge, almostnaked white man, who carried the bloody carcass of adeer upon his shoulders, for Tarzan knew that he mightnot have another opportunity to hunt for some time ifhe were to follow the Belgian.

To endeavor to snatch him from the midst of the armedhorsemen, not even Tarzan would attempt other than inthe last extremity, for the way of the wild is the wayof caution and cunning, unless they be aroused torashness by pain or anger.

So the Abyssinians and the Belgian marched southwardand Tarzan of the Apes swung silently after themthrough the swaying branches of the middle terrace.

A two days' march brought them to a level plain beyondwhich lay mountains--a plain which Tarzan rememberedand which aroused within him vague half memories andstrange longings. Out upon the plain the horsemenrode, and at a safe distance behind them crept the ape-man,taking advantage of such cover as the ground afforded.

Beside a charred pile of timbers the Abyssinianshalted, and Tarzan, sneaking close and concealinghimself in nearby shrubbery, watched them inwonderment. He saw them digging up the earth, and hewondered if they had hidden meat there in the past andnow had come for it. Then he recalled how he hadburied his pretty pebbles, and the suggestion that hadcaused him to do it. They were digging for the thingsthe blacks had buried here!

Presently he saw them uncover a dirty, yellow object,and he witnessed the joy of Werper and of Abdul Mourakas the grimy object was exposed to view. One by onethey unearthed many similar pieces, all of the sameuniform, dirty yellow, until a pile of them lay uponthe ground, a pile which Abdul Mourak fondled andpetted in an ecstasy of greed.

Something stirred in the ape-man's mind as he lookedlong upon the golden ingots. Where had he seen suchbefore? What were they? Why did these Tarmangani covetthem so greatly? To whom did they belong?

He recalled the black men who had buried them.The things must be theirs. Werper was stealing them ashe had stolen Tarzan's pouch of pebbles. The ape-man'seyes blazed in anger. He would like to find the blackmen and lead them against these thieves. He wonderedwhere their village might be.

As all these things ran through the active mind, aparty of men moved out of the forest at the edge of theplain and advanced toward the ruins of the burned bungalow.

Abdul Mourak, always watchful, was the first to seethem, but already they were halfway across the open.He called to his men to mount and hold themselves inreadiness, for in the heart of Africa who may knowwhether a strange host be friend or foe?

Werper, swinging into his saddle, fastened his eyesupon the newcomers, then, white and trembling he turnedtoward Abdul Mourak.

"It is Achmet Zek and his raiders," he whispered."They are come for the gold."

It must have been at about the same instant that AchmetZek discovered the pile of yellow ingots and realizedthe actuality of what he had already feared since firsthis eyes had alighted upon the party beside the ruinsof the Englishman's bungalow. Someone had forestalledhim--another had come for the treasure ahead of him.

The Arab was crazed by rage. Recently everything hadgone against him. He had lost the jewels, the Belgian,and for the second time he had lost the Englishwoman.Now some one had come to rob him of this treasure whichhe had thought as safe from disturbance here as thoughit never had been mined.

He cared not whom the thieves might be. They would notgive up the gold without a battle, of that he wascertain, and with a wild whoop and a command to hisfollowers, Achmet Zek put spurs to his horse and dasheddown upon the Abyssinians, and after him, waving theirlong guns above their heads, yelling and cursing, camehis motley horde of cut-throat followers.

The men of Abdul Mourak met them with a volley whichemptied a few saddles, and then the raiders were amongthem, and sword, pistol and musket, each was doing itsmost hideous and bloody work.

Achmet Zek, spying Werper at the first charge, boredown upon the Belgian, and the latter, terrified bycontemplation of the fate he deserved, turned hishorse's head and dashed madly away in an effort toescape. Shouting to a lieutenant to take command, andurging him upon pain of death to dispatch theAbyssinians and bring the gold back to his camp, AchmetZek set off across the plain in pursuit of the Belgian,his wicked nature unable to forego the pleasures ofrevenge, even at the risk of sacrificing the treasure.

As the pursued and the pursuer raced madly toward thedistant forest the battle behind them raged with bloodysavageness. No quarter was asked or given by eitherthe ferocious Abyssinians or the murderous cut-throatsof Achmet Zek.

From the concealment of the shrubbery Tarzan watchedthe sanguinary conflict which so effectually surroundedhim that he found no loop-hole through which he mightescape to follow Werper and the Arab chief.

The Abyssinians were formed in a circle which includedTarzan's position, and around and into them gallopedthe yelling raiders, now darting away, now charging into deliver thrusts and cuts with their curved swords.

Numerically the men of Achmet Zek were superior, andslowly but surely the soldiers of Menelek were beingexterminated. To Tarzan the result was immaterial.He watched with but a single purpose--to escape the ringof blood-mad fighters and be away after the Belgian andhis pouch.

When he had first discovered Werper upon the trailwhere he had slain Bara, he had thought that his eyesmust be playing him false, so certain had he been thatthe thief had been slain and devoured by Numa; butafter following the detachment for two days, with hiskeen eyes always upon the Belgian, he no longer doubtedthe identity of the man, though he was put to it toexplain the identity of the mutilated corpse he hadsupposed was the man he sought.

As he crouched in hiding among the unkempt shrubberywhich so short a while since had been the delight andpride of the wife he no longer recalled, an Arab and anAbyssinian wheeled their mounts close to his positionas they slashed at each other with their swords.

Step by step the Arab beat back his adversary until thelatter's horse all but trod upon the ape-man, and thena vicious cut clove the black warrior's skull, and thecorpse toppled backward almost upon Tarzan.

As the Abyssinian tumbled from his saddle thepossibility of escape which was represented by theriderless horse electrified the ape-man to instantaction. Before the frightened beast could gatherhimself for flight a naked giant was astride his back.A strong hand had grasped his bridle rein, and thesurprised Arab discovered a new foe in the saddle ofhim, whom he had slain.

But this enemy wielded no sword, and his spear and bowremained upon his back. The Arab, recovered from hisfirst surprise, dashed in with raised sword toannihilate this presumptuous stranger. He aimed amighty blow at the ape-man's head, a blow which swungharmlessly through thin air as Tarzan ducked from itspath, and then the Arab felt the other's horse brushinghis leg, a great arm shot out and encircled his waist,and before he could recover himself he was dragged fromhis saddle, and forming a shield for his antagonist wasborne at a mad run straight through the encirclingranks of his fellows.

Just beyond them he was tossed aside upon the ground,and the last he saw of his strange foeman the latterwas galloping off across the plain in the direction ofthe forest at its farther edge.

For another hour the battle raged nor did it ceaseuntil the last of the Abyssinians lay dead upon theground, or had galloped off toward the north in flight.But a handful of men escaped, among them Abdul Mourak.

The victorious raiders collected about the pile ofgolden ingots which the Abyssinians had uncovered, andthere awaited the return of their leader. Theirexultation was slightly tempered by the glimpse theyhad had of the strange apparition of the naked whiteman galloping away upon the horse of one of theirfoemen and carrying a companion who was now among themexpatiating upon the superhuman strength of the ape-man.None of them there but was familiar with the nameand fame of Tarzan of the Apes, and the fact that theyhad recognized the white giant as the ferocious enemyof the wrongdoers of the jungle, added to their terror,for they had been assured that Tarzan was dead.

Naturally superstitious, they fully believed that theyhad seen the disembodied spirit of the dead man, andnow they cast fearful glances about them in expectationof the ghost's early return to the scene of the ruinthey had inflicted upon him during their recent raidupon his home, and discussed in affrighted whispers theprobable nature of the vengeance which the spirit wouldinflict upon them should he return to find them inpossession of his gold.

As they conversed their terror grew, while from theconcealment of the reeds along the river below them asmall party of naked, black warriors watched theirevery move. From the heights beyond the river theseblack men had heard the noise of the conflict, andcreeping warily down to the stream had forded it andadvanced through the reeds until they were in aposition to watch every move of the combatants.

For a half hour the raiders awaited Achmet Zek'sreturn, their fear of the earlier return of the ghostof Tarzan constantly undermining their loyalty to andfear of their chief. Finally one among them voiced thedesires of all when he announced that he intendedriding forth toward the forest in search of Achmet Zek.Instantly every man of them sprang to his mount.

"The gold will be safe here," cried one. "We havekilled the Abyssinians and there are no others to carryit away. Let us ride in search of Achmet Zek!"

And a moment later, amidst a cloud of dust, the raiderswere galloping madly across the plain, and out from theconcealment of the reeds along the river, crept a partyof black warriors toward the spot where the goldeningots of Opar lay piled on the ground.

Werper had still been in advance of Achmet Zek when hereached the forest; but the latter, better mounted, wasgaining upon him. Riding with the reckless courage ofdesperation the Belgian urged his mount to greaterspeed even within the narrow confines of the winding,game trail that the beast was following.

Behind him he could hear the voice of Achmet Zek cryingto him to halt; but Werper only dug the spurs deeperinto the bleeding sides of his panting mount. Twohundred yards within the forest a broken branch layacross the trail. It was a small thing that a horsemight ordinarily take in his natural stride withoutnoticing its presence; but Werper's horse was jaded,his feet were heavy with weariness, and as the branchcaught between his front legs he stumbled, was unableto recover himself, and went down, sprawling in thetrail.

Werper, going over his head, rolled a few yards fartheron, scrambled to his feet and ran back. Seizing thereins he tugged to drag the beast to his feet; but theanimal would not or could not rise, and as the Belgiancursed and struck at him, Achmet Zek appeared in view.

Instantly the Belgian ceased his efforts with the dyinganimal at his feet, and seizing his rifle, droppedbehind the horse and fired at the oncoming Arab.

His bullet, going low, struck Achmet Zek's horse in thebreast, bringing him down a hundred yards from whereWerper lay preparing to fire a second shot.

The Arab, who had gone down with his mount, wasstanding astride him, and seeing the Belgian'sstrategic position behind his fallen horse, lost notime in taking up a similar one behind his own.

And there the two lay, alternately firing at andcursing each other, while from behind the Arab, Tarzanof the Apes approached to the edge of the forest. Herehe heard the occasional shots of the duelists, andchoosing the safer and swifter avenue of the forestbranches to the uncertain transportation afforded by ahalf-broken Abyssinian pony, took to the trees.

Keeping to one side of the trail, the ape-man camepresently to a point where he could look down incomparative safety upon the fighters. First one andthen the other would partially raise himself above hisbreastwork of horseflesh, fire his weapon andimmediately drop flat behind his shelter, where hewould reload and repeat the act a moment later.

Werper had but little ammunition, having been hastilyarmed by Abdul Mourak from the body of one of the firstof the Abyssinians who had fallen in the fight aboutthe pile of ingots, and now he realized that soon hewould have used his last bullet, and be at the mercy ofthe Arab--a mercy with which he was well acquainted.

Facing both death and despoilment of his treasure, theBelgian cast about for some plan of escape, and theonly one that appealed to him as containing even aremote possibility of success hinged upon the chance ofbribing Achmet Zek.

Werper had fired all but a single cartridge, when,during a lull in the fighting, he called aloud to hisopponent.

"Achmet Zek," he cried, "Allah alone knows which one ofus may leave our bones to rot where he lies upon thistrail today if we keep up our foolish battle. You wishthe contents of the pouch I wear about my waist, and Iwish my life and my liberty even more than I do thejewels. Let us each, then, take that which he mostdesires and go our separate ways in peace. I will laythe pouch upon the carcass of my horse, where you maysee it, and you, in turn, will lay your gun upon yourhorse, with butt toward me. Then I will go away,leaving the pouch to you, and you will let me go insafety. I want only my life, and my freedom."

The Arab thought in silence for a moment. Then hespoke. His reply was influenced by the fact that he hadexpended his last shot.

"Go your way, then," he growled, "leaving the pouch inplain sight behind you. See, I lay my gun thus, withthe butt toward you. Go."

Werper removed the pouch from about his waist.Sorrowfully and affectionately he let his fingers pressthe hard outlines of the contents. Ah, if he couldextract a little handful of the precious stones! ButAchmet Zek was standing now, his eagle eyes commandinga plain view of the Belgian and his every act.

Regretfully Werper laid the pouch, its contentsundisturbed, upon the body of his horse, rose, andtaking his rifle with him, backed slowly down the trailuntil a turn hid him from the view of the watchful Arab.

Even then Achmet Zek did not advance, fearful as he wasof some such treachery as he himself might have beenguilty of under like circumstances; nor were hissuspicions groundless, for the Belgian, no sooner hadhe passed out of the range of the Arab's vision, haltedbehind the bole of a tree, where he still commanded anunobstructed view of his dead horse and the pouch, andraising his rifle covered the spot where the other'sbody must appear when he came forward to seize thetreasure.

But Achmet Zek was no fool to expose himself to theblackened honor of a thief and a murderer. Taking hislong gun with him, he left the trail, entering the rankand tangled vegetation which walled it, and crawlingslowly forward on hands and knees he paralleled thetrail; but never for an instant was his body exposed tothe rifle of the hidden assassin.

Thus Achmet Zek advanced until he had come opposite thedead horse of his enemy. The pouch lay there in fullview, while a short distance along the trail, Werperwaited in growing impatience and nervousness, wonderingwhy the Arab did not come to claim his reward.

Presently he saw the muzzle of a rifle appear suddenlyand mysteriously a few inches above the pouch, andbefore he could realize the cunning trick that the Arabhad played upon him the sight of the weapon wasadroitly hooked into the rawhide thong which formed thecarrying strap of the pouch, and the latter was drawnquickly from his view into the dense foliage at thetrail's side.

Not for an instant had the raider exposed a square inchof his body, and Werper dared not fire his oneremaining shot unless every chance of a successful hitwas in his favor.

Chuckling to himself, Achmet Zek withdrew a few pacesfarther into the jungle, for he was as positive thatWerper was waiting nearby for a chance to pot him asthough his eyes had penetrated the jungle trees to thefigure of the hiding Belgian, fingering his riflebehind the bole of the buttressed giant.

Werper did not dare advance--his cupidity would notpermit him to depart, and so he stood there, his rifleready in his hands, his eyes watching the trail beforehim with catlike intensity.

But there was another who had seen the pouch andrecognized it, who did advance with Achmet Zek,hovering above him, as silent and as sure as deathitself, and as the Arab, finding a little spot lessovergrown with bushes than he had yet encountered,prepared to gloat his eyes upon the contents of thepouch, Tarzan paused directly above him, intent uponthe same object.

Wetting his thin lips with his tongue, Achmet Zekloosened the tie strings which closed the mouth of thepouch, and cupping one claw-like hand poured forth aportion of the contents into his palm.

A single look he took at the stones lying in his hand.His eyes narrowed, a curse broke from his lips, and hehurled the small objects upon the ground, disdainfully.Quickly he emptied the balance of the contents until hehad scanned each separate stone, and as he dumped themall upon the ground and stamped upon them his rage grewuntil the muscles of his face worked in demon-likefury, and his fingers clenched until his nails bit intothe flesh.

Above, Tarzan watched in wonderment. He had beencurious to discover what all the pow-wow about hispouch had meant. He wanted to see what the Arab woulddo after the other had gone away, leaving the pouchbehind him, and, having satisfied his curiosity, hewould then have pounced upon Achmet Zek and taken thepouch and his pretty pebbles away from him, for didthey not belong to Tarzan?

He saw the Arab now throw aside the empty pouch, andgrasping his long gun by the barrel, clublike, sneakstealthily through the jungle beside the trail alongwhich Werper had gone.

As the man disappeared from his view, Tarzan dropped tothe ground and commenced gathering up the spilledcontents of the pouch, and the moment that he obtainedhis first near view of the scattered pebbles heunderstood the rage of the Arab, for instead of theglittering and scintillating gems which had firstcaught and held the attention of the ape-man, the pouchnow contained but a collection of ordinary riverpebbles.