Out of the Niche
Numa, the lion, growled futilely in baffled rage as he slipped
back to the ground at the foot of the wall after his unsuccessful
attempt to drag down the fleeing ape-man. He poised to make a
second effort to follow his escaping quarry when his nose picked
up a hitherto unnoticed quality in the scent spoor of his intended
prey. Sniffing at the ground that Tarzan's feet had barely touched,
Numa's growl changed to a low whine, for he had recognized the
scent spoor of the man-thing that had rescued him from the pit of
the Wamabos.
What thoughts passed through that massive head? Who may say? But
now there was no indication of baffled rage as the great lion turned
and moved majestically eastward along the wall. At the eastern end
of the city he turned toward the south, continuing his way to the
south side of the wall along which were the pens and corrals where
the herbivorous flocks were fattened for the herds of domesticated
lions within the city. The great black lions of the forest fed
with almost equal impartiality upon the flesh of the grass-eaters
and man. Like Numa of the pit they occasionally made excursions across
the desert to the fertile valley of the Wamabos, but principally
they took their toll of meat from the herds of the walled city of
Herog, the mad king, or seized upon some of his luckless subjects.
Numa of the pit was in some respects an exception to the rule which
guided his fellows of the forest in that as a cub he had been
trapped and carried into the city, where he was kept for breeding
purposes, only to escape in his second year. They had tried to teach
him in the city of maniacs that he must not eat the flesh of man,
and the result of their schooling was that only when aroused to
anger or upon that one occasion that he had been impelled by the
pangs of hunger, did he ever attack man.
The animal corrals of the maniacs are protected by an outer wall
or palisade of upright logs, the lower ends of which are imbedded
in the ground, the logs themselves being placed as close together
as possible and further reinforced and bound together by withes.
At intervals there are gates through which the flocks are turned
on to the grazing land south of the city during the daytime. It is
at such times that the black lions of the forest take their greatest
toll from the herds, and it is infrequent that a lion attempts to
enter the corrals at night. But Numa of the pit, having scented the
spoor of his benefactor, was minded again to pass into the walled
city, and with that idea in his cunning brain he crept stealthily
along the outer side of the palisade, testing each gateway with a
padded foot until at last he discovered one which seemed insecurely
fastened. Lowering his great head he pressed against the gate, surging
forward with all the weight of his huge body and the strength of
his giant sinews--one mighty effort and Numa was within the corral.
The enclosure contained a herd of goats which immediately upon the
advent of the carnivore started a mad stampede to the opposite end
of the corral which was bounded by the south wall of the city. Numa
had been within such a corral as this before, so that he knew that
somewhere in the wall was a small door through which the goatherd
might pass from the city to his flock; toward this door he made his
way, whether by plan or accident it is difficult to say, though in
the light of ensuing events it seems possible that the former was
the case.
To reach the gate he must pass directly through the herd which had
huddled affrightedly close to the opening so that once again there
was a furious rush of hoofs as Numa strode quickly to the side of
the portal. If Numa had planned, he had planned well, for scarcely
had he reached his position when the door opened and a herder's head
was projected into the enclosure, the fellow evidently seeking an
explanation of the disturbance among his flock. Possibly he discovered
the cause of the commotion, but it is doubtful, for it was dark
and the great, taloned paw that reached up and struck downward a
mighty blow that almost severed his head from his body, moved so
quickly and silently that the man was dead within a fraction of
a second from the moment that he opened the door, and then Numa,
knowing now his way, passed through the wall into the dimly lighted
streets of the city beyond.
Smith-Oldwick's first thought when he was accosted by the figure in
the yellow tunic of a soldier was to shoot the man dead and trust
to his legs and the dimly lighted, winding streets to permit his
escape, for he knew that to be accosted was equivalent to recapture
since no inhabitant of this weird city but would recognize him
as an alien. It would be a simple thing to shoot the man from the
pocket where the pistol lay without drawing the weapon, and with
this purpose in mind the Englishman slipped his hands into the
side pocket of his blouse, but simultaneously with this action his
wrist was seized in a powerful grasp and a low voice whispered in
English: "Lieutenant, it is I, Tarzan of the Apes."
The relief from the nervous strain under which he had been laboring
for so long, left Smith-Oldwick suddenly as weak as a babe, so that
he was forced to grasp the ape-man's arm for support--and when he
found his voice all he could do was to repeat: "You? You? I thought
you were dead!"
"No, not dead," replied Tarzan, "and I see that you are not either.
But how about the girl?"
"I haven't seen her," replied the Englishman, "since we were
brought here. We were taken into a building on the plaza close by
and there we were separated. She was led away by guards and I was
put into a den of lions. I haven't seen her since."
"How did you escape?" asked the ape-man.
"The lions didn't seem to pay much attention to me and I climbed
out of the place by way of a tree and through a window into a room
on the second floor. Had a little scrimmage there with a fellow and
was hidden by one of their women in a hole in the wall. The loony
thing then betrayed me to another bounder who happened in, but I
found a way out and up onto the roof where I have been for quite
some time now waiting for a chance to get down into the street
without being seen. That's all I know, but I haven't the slightest
idea in the world where to look for Miss Kircher."
"Where were you going now?" asked Tarzan.
Smith-Oldwick hesitated. "I--well, I couldn't do anything here
alone and I was going to try to get out of the city and in some
way reach the British forces east and bring help."
"You couldn't do it," said Tarzan. "Even if you got through the
forest alive you could never cross the desert country without food
or water."
"What shall we do, then?" asked the Englishman.
"We will see if we can find the girl," replied the ape-man, and
then, as though he had forgotten the presence of the Englishman and
was arguing to convince himself, "She may be a German and a spy,
but she is a woman--a white woman--I can't leave her here."
"But how are we going to find her?" asked the Englishman.
"I have followed her this far," replied Tarzan, "and unless I am
greatly mistaken I can follow her still farther."
"But I cannot accompany you in these clothes without exposing us
both to detection and arrest," argued Smith-Oldwick.
"We will get you other clothes, then," said Tarzan.
"How?" asked the Englishman.
"Go back to the roof beside the city wall where I entered," replied
the ape-man with a grim smile, "and ask the naked dead man there
how I got my disguise."
Smith-Oldwick looked quickly up at his companion. "I have it," he
exclaimed. "I know where there is a fellow who doesn't need his
clothes anymore, and if we can get back on this roof I think we can
find him and get his apparel without much resistance. Only a girl
and a young fellow whom we could easily surprise and overcome."
"What do you mean?" asked Tarzan. "How do you know that the man
doesn't need his clothes any more."
"I know he doesn't need them," replied the Englishman, "because I
killed him."
"Oh!" exclaimed the ape-man, "I see. I guess it might be easier
that way than to tackle one of these fellows in the street where
there is more chance of our being interrupted."
"But how are we going to reach the roof again, after all?" queried
Smith-Oldwick.
"The same way you came down," replied Tarzan. "This roof is low
and there is a little ledge formed by the capital of each column;
I noticed that when you descended. Some of the buildings wouldn't
have been so easy to negotiate."
Smith-Oldwick looked up toward the eaves of the low roof. "It's
not very high," he said, "but I am afraid I can't make it. I'll
try--I've been pretty weak since a lion mauled me and the guards
beat me up, and too, I haven't eaten since yesterday."
Tarzan thought a moment. "You've got to go with me," he said at
last. "I can't leave you here. The only chance you have of escape
is through me and I can't go with you now until we have found the
girl."
"I want to go with you," replied Smith-Oldwick. "I'm not much good
now but at that two of us may be better than one."
"All right," said Tarzan, "come on," and before the Englishman
realized what the other contemplated Tarzan had picked him up
and thrown him across his shoulder. "Now, hang on," whispered the
ape-man, and with a short run he clambered apelike up the front of the
low arcade. So quickly and easily was it done that the Englishman
scarcely had time to realize what was happening before he was
deposited safely upon the roof.
"There," remarked Tarzan. "Now, lead me to the place you speak of."
Smith-Oldwick had no difficulty in locating the trap in the roof
through which he had escaped. Removing the cover the ape-man bent
low, listening and sniffing. "Come," he said after a moment's
investigation and lowered himself to the floor beneath. Smith-Oldwick
followed him, and together the two crept through the darkness toward
the door in the back wall of the niche in which the Englishman
had been hidden by the girl. They found the door ajar and opening
it Tarzan saw a streak of light showing through the hangings that
separated it from the alcove.
Placing his eye close to the aperture he saw the girl and the young
man of which the Englishman had spoken seated on opposite sides of
a low table upon which food was spread. Serving them was a giant
Negro and it was he whom the ape-man watched most closely. Familiar
with the tribal idiosyncrasies of a great number of African tribes
over a considerable proportion of the Dark Continent, the Tarmangani
at last felt reasonably assured that he knew from what part of
Africa this slave had come, and the dialect of his people. There
was, however, the chance that the fellow had been captured in
childhood and that through long years of non-use his native language
had become lost to him, but then there always had been an element
of chance connected with nearly every event of Tarzan's life, so he
waited patiently until in the performance of his duties the black
man approached a little table which stood near the niche in which
Tarzan and the Englishman hid.
As the slave bent over some dish which stood upon the table his
ear was not far from the aperture through which Tarzan looked.
Apparently from a solid wall, for the Negro had no knowledge of
the existence of the niche, came to him in the tongue of his own
people, the whispered words: "If you would return to the land of
the Wamabo say nothing, but do as I bid you."
The black rolled terrified eyes toward the hangings at his side.
The ape-man could see him tremble and for a moment was fearful that
in his terror he would betray them. "Fear not," he whispered, "we
are your friends."
At last the Negro spoke in a low whisper, scarcely audible even to
the keen ears of the ape-man. "What," he asked, "can poor Otobu do
for the god who speaks to him out of the solid wall?"
"This," replied Tarzan. "Two of us are coming into this room. Help
us prevent this man and woman from escaping or raising an outcry
that will bring others to their aid."
"I will help you," replied the Negro, "to keep them within this
room, but do not fear that their outcries will bring others. These
walls are built so that no sound may pass through, and even if it
did what difference would it make in this village which is constantly
filled with the screams of its mad people. Do not fear their cries.
No one will notice them. I go to do your bidding."
Tarzan saw the black cross the room to the table upon which he
placed another dish of food before the feasters. Then he stepped
to a place behind the man and as he did so raised his eyes to the
point in the wall from which the ape-man's voice had come to him,
as much as to say, "Master, I am ready."
Without more delay Tarzan threw aside the hangings and stepped
into the room. As he did so the young man rose from the table to be
instantly seized from behind by the black slave. The girl, whose
back was toward the ape-man and his companion, was not at first
aware of their presence but saw only the attack of the slave upon
her lover, and with a loud scream she leaped forward to assist the
latter. Tarzan sprang to her side and laid a heavy hand upon her
arm before she could interfere with Otobu's attentions to the young
man. At first, as she turned toward the ape-man, her face reflected
only mad rage, but almost instantly this changed into the vapid
smile with which Smith-Oldwick was already familiar and her slim
fingers commenced their soft appraisement of the newcomer.
Almost immediately she discovered Smith-Oldwick but there was
neither surprise nor anger upon her countenance. Evidently the poor
mad creature knew but two principal moods, from one to the other
of which she changed with lightning-like rapidity.
"Watch her a moment," said Tarzan to the Englishman, "while I disarm
that fellow," and stepping to the side of the young man whom Otobu
was having difficulty in subduing Tarzan relieved him of his saber.
"Tell them," he said to the Negro, "if you speak their language,
that we will not harm them if they leave us alone and let us depart
in peace."
The black had been looking at Tarzan with wide eyes, evidently
not comprehending how this god could appear in so material a form,
and with the voice of a white bwana and the uniform of a warrior
of this city to which he quite evidently did not belong. But
nevertheless his first confidence in the voice that offered him
freedom was not lessened and he did as Tarzan bid him.
"They want to know what you want," said Otobu, after he had spoken
to the man and the girl.
"Tell them that we want food for one thing," said Tarzan, "and
something else that we know where to find in this room. Take the
man's spear, Otobu; I see it leaning against the wall in the corner
of the room. And you, Lieutenant, take his saber," and then again
to Otobu, "I will watch the man while you go and bring forth that
which is beneath the couch over against this wall," and Tarzan
indicated the location of the piece of furniture.
Otobu, trained to obey, did as he was bid. The eyes of the man and
the girl followed him, and as he drew back the hangings and dragged
forth the corpse of the man Smith-Oldwick had slain, the girl's lover
voiced a loud scream and attempted to leap forward to the side of
the corpse. Tarzan, however, seized him and then the fellow turned
upon him with teeth and nails. It was with no little difficulty
that Tarzan finally subdued the man, and while Otobu was removing
the outer clothing from the corpse, Tarzan asked the black to
question the young man as to his evident excitement at the sight
of the body.
"I can tell you Bwana," replied Otobu. "This man was his father."
"What is he saying to the girl?" asked Tarzan.
"He is asking her if she knew that the body of his father was under
the couch. And she is saying that she did not know it."
Tarzan repeated the conversation to Smith-Oldwick, who smiled. "If
the chap could have seen her removing all evidence of the crime and
arranging the hangings of the couch so that the body was concealed
after she had helped me drag it across the room, he wouldn't have
very much doubt as to her knowledge of the affair. The rug you see
draped over the bench in the corner was arranged to hide the blood
stain--in some ways they are not so loony after all."
The black man had now removed the outer garments from the dead
man, and Smith-Oldwick was hastily drawing them on over his own
clothing. "And now," said Tarzan, "we will sit down and eat. One
accomplishes little on an empty stomach." As they ate the ape-man
attempted to carry on a conversation with the two natives through
Otobu. He learned that they were in the palace which had belonged
to the dead man lying upon the floor beside them. He had held an
official position of some nature, and he and his family were of
the ruling class but were not members of the court.
When Tarzan questioned them about Bertha Kircher, the young man
said that she had been taken to the king's palace; and when asked
why replied: "For the king, of course."
During the conversation both the man and the girl appeared quite
rational, even asking some questions as to the country from which
their uninvited guests had come, and evidencing much surprise when
informed that there was anything but waterless wastes beyond their
own valley.
When Otobu asked the man, at Tarzan's suggestion, if he was familiar
with the interior of the king's palace, he replied that he was;
that he was a friend of Prince Metak, one of the king's sons, and
that he often visited the palace and that Metak also came here to
his father's palace frequently. As Tarzan ate he racked his brain
for some plan whereby he might utilize the knowledge of the young
man to gain entrance to the palace, but he had arrived at nothing
which he considered feasible when there came a loud knocking upon
the door of the outer room.
For a moment no one spoke and then the young man raised his voice
and cried aloud to those without. Immediately Otobu sprang for the
fellow and attempted to smother his words by clapping a palm over
his mouth.
"What is he saying?" asked Tarzan.
"He is telling them to break down the door and rescue him and the
girl from two strangers who entered and made them prisoners. If
they enter they will kill us all."
"Tell him," said Tarzan, "to hold his peace or I will slay him."
Otobu did as he was instructed and the young maniac lapsed into
scowling silence. Tarzan crossed the alcove and entered the outer
room to note the effect of the assaults upon the door. Smith-Oldwick
followed him a few steps, leaving Otobu to guard the two prisoners.
The ape-man saw that the door could not long withstand the heavy
blows being dealt the panels from without. "I wanted to use that
fellow in the other room," he said to Smith-Oldwick, "but I am
afraid we will have to get out of here the way we came. We can't
accomplish anything by waiting here and meeting these fellows.
From the noise out there there must be a dozen of them. Come," he
said, "you go first and I will follow."
As the two turned back from the alcove they witnessed an entirely
different scene from that upon which they had turned their backs
but a moment or two before. Stretched on the floor and apparently
lifeless lay the body of the black slave, while the two prisoners
had vanished completely.