His first night in the jungle was one which the son ofTarzan held longest in his memory. No savage carnivoramenaced him. There was never a sign of hideous barbarian. Or, if there were, the boy's troubled mind took no cognizanceof them. His conscience was harassed by the thought of hismother's suffering. Self-blame plunged him into the depthsof misery. The killing of the American caused him little orno remorse. The fellow had earned his fate. Jack's regreton this score was due mainly to the effect which the death ofCondon had had upon his own plans. Now he could not returndirectly to his parents as he had planned. Fear of the primitive,borderland law, of which he had read highly colored, imaginary tales,had thrust him into the jungle a fugitive. He dared not return tothe coast at this point--not that he was so greatly influencedthrough personal fear as from a desire to shield his father andmother from further sorrow and from the shame of having theirhonored name dragged through the sordid degradation of a murder trial.

With returning day the boy's spirits rose. With the rising sunrose new hope within his breast. He would return to civilizationby another way. None would guess that he had been connectedwith the killing of the stranger in the little out-of-the-waytrading post upon a remote shore.

Crouched close to the great ape in the crotch of a tree the boyhad shivered through an almost sleepless night. His light pajamashad been but little protection from the chill dampness ofthe jungle, and only that side of him which was pressed againstthe warm body of his shaggy companion approximated to comfort. And so he welcomed the rising sun with its promise of warmth as wellas light--the blessed sun, dispeller of physical and mental ills.

He shook Akut into wakefulness.

"Come," he said. "I am cold and hungry. We will search forfood, out there in the sunlight," and he pointed to an openplain, dotted with stunted trees and strewn with jagged rock.

The boy slid to the ground as he spoke, but the ape first lookedcarefully about, sniffing the morning air. Then, satisfied thatno danger lurked near, he descended slowly to the ground besidethe boy."

"Numa, and Sabor his mate, feast upon those who descendfirst and look afterward, while those who look first and descendafterward live to feast themselves." Thus the old ape impartedto the son of Tarzan the boy's first lesson in jungle lore. Side byside they set off across the rough plain, for the boy wished firstto be warm. The ape showed him the best places to dig forrodents and worms; but the lad only gagged at the thought ofdevouring the repulsive things. Some eggs they found, and thesehe sucked raw, as also he ate roots and tubers which Akut unearthed. Beyond the plain and across a low bluff they came upon water--brackish, ill-smelling stuff in a shallow water hole, the sidesand bottom of which were trampled by the feet of many beasts. A herd of zebra galloped away as they approached.

The lad was too thirsty by now to cavil at anything even remotelyresembling water, so he drank his fill while Akut stood withraised head, alert for any danger. Before the ape drank hecautioned the boy to be watchful; but as he drank he raised hishead from time to time to cast a quick glance toward a clumpof bushes a hundred yards away upon the opposite side of thewater hole. When he had done he rose and spoke to the boy, inthe language that was their common heritage--the tongue of thegreat apes.

"There is no danger near?" he asked.

"None," replied the boy. "I saw nothing move while you drank."

"Your eyes will help you but little in the jungle," said the ape.

"Here, if you would live, you must depend upon your earsand your nose but most upon your nose. When we came downto drink I knew that no danger lurked near upon this side of thewater hole, for else the zebras would have discovered it and fledbefore we came; but upon the other side toward which the windblows danger might lie concealed. We could not smell it for itsscent is being blown in the other direction, and so I bent myears and eyes down wind where my nose cannot travel."

"And you found--nothing?" asked the lad, with a laugh.

"I found Numa crouching in that clump of bushes where thetall grasses grow," and Akut pointed.

"A lion?" exclaimed the boy. "How do you know? I can see nothing."

"Numa is there, though," replied the great ape. "First I heardhim sigh. To you the sigh of Numa may sound no different fromthe other noises which the wind makes among the grasses andthe trees; but later you must learn to know the sigh of Numa.Then I watched and at last I saw the tall grasses moving at onepoint to a force other than the force of the wind. See, they arespread there upon either side of Numa's great body, and as hebreathes--you see? You see the little motion at either side thatis not caused by the wind--the motion that none of the othergrasses have?"

The boy strained his eyes--better eyes than the ordinary boyinherits--and at last he gave a little exclamation of discovery.

"Yes," he said, "I see. He lies there," and he pointed. "His head is toward us. Is he watching us?"

"Numa is watching us," replied Akut, "but we are in littledanger, unless we approach too close, for he is lying uponhis kill. His belly is almost full, or we should hear himcrunching the bones. He is watching us in silence merelyfrom curiosity. Presently he will resume his feeding or hewill rise and come down to the water for a drink. As heneither fears or desires us he will not try to hide hispresence from us; but now is an excellent time to learn toknow Numa, for you must learn to know him well if you wouldlive long in the jungle. Where the great apes are many Numaleaves us alone. Our fangs are long and strong, and we canfight; but when we are alone and he is hungry we are no matchfor him. Come, we will circle him and catch his scent. The sooner you learn to know it the better; but keep close tothe trees, as we go around him, for Numa often does that whichhe is least expected to do. And keep your ears and your eyesand your nose open. Remember always that there may be an enemybehind every bush, in every tree and amongst every clump ofjungle grass. While you are avoiding Numa do not run into thejaws of Sabor, his mate. Follow me," and Akut set off in a widecircle about the water hole and the crouching lion.

The boy followed close upon his heels, his every sense uponthe alert, his nerves keyed to the highest pitch of excitement.This was life! For the instant he forgot his resolutions of a fewminutes past to hasten to the coast at some other point than thatat which he had landed and make his way immediately back to London. He thought now only of the savage joy of living, and of pittingone's wits and prowess against the wiles and might of the savagejungle brood which haunted the broad plains and the gloomy forestaisles of the great, untamed continent. He knew no fear. His father had had none to transmit to him; but honor andconscience he did have and these were to trouble him manytimes as they battled with his inherent love of freedom forpossession of his soul.

They had passed but a short distance to the rear of Numa whenthe boy caught the unpleasant odor of the carnivore. His facelighted with a smile. Something told him that he would haveknown that scent among a myriad of others even if Akut had nottold him that a lion lay near. There was a strange familiarity--a weird familiarity in it that made the short hairs rise at thenape of his neck, and brought his upper lip into an involuntarysnarl that bared his fighting fangs. There was a sense ofstretching of the skin about his ears, for all the world as thoughthose members were flattening back against his skull in preparationfor deadly combat. His skin tingled. He was aglow with apleasurable sensation that he never before had known. He was,upon the instant, another creature--wary, alert, ready. Thus didthe scent of Numa, the lion, transform the boy into a beast.

He had never seen a lion--his mother had gone to great painsto prevent it. But he had devoured countless pictures of them,and now he was ravenous to feast his eyes upon the king ofbeasts in the flesh. As he trailed Akut he kept an eye cockedover one shoulder, rearward, in the hope that Numa might risefrom his kill and reveal himself. Thus it happened that hedropped some little way behind Akut, and the next he knew hewas recalled suddenly to a contemplation of other matters thanthe hidden Numa by a shrill scream of warning from the Ape.Turning his eyes quickly in the direction of his companion, theboy saw that, standing in the path directly before him, whichsent tremors of excitement racing along every nerve of his body.With body half-merging from a clump of bushes in which shemust have lain hidden stood a sleek and beautiful lioness. Her yellow-green eyes were round and staring, boring straight intothe eyes of the boy. Not ten paces separated them. Twenty pacesbehind the lioness stood the great ape, bellowing instructions tothe boy and hurling taunts at the lioness in an evident effort toattract her attention from the lad while he gained the shelter ofa near-by tree.

But Sabor was not to be diverted. She had her eyes upon the lad. He stood between her and her mate, between her and the kill. It was suspicious. Probably he had ulterior designs upon herlord and master or upon the fruits of their hunting. A lionessis short tempered. Akut's bellowing annoyed her. She uttered alittle rumbling growl, taking a step toward the boy.

"The tree!" screamed Akut.

The boy turned and fled, and at the same instant the lioness charged. The tree was but a few paces away. A limb hung ten feet from theground, and as the boy leaped for it the lioness leaped for him. Like a monkey he pulled himself up and to one side. A greatforepaw caught him a glancing blow at the hips--just grazing him. One curved talon hooked itself into the waist band of his pajamatrousers, ripping them from him as the lioness sped by. Half-nakedthe lad drew himself to safety as the beast turned and leaped forhim once more.

Akut, from a near-by tree, jabbered and scolded, calling thelioness all manner of foul names. The boy, patterning hisconduct after that of his preceptor, unstoppered the vials of hisinvective upon the head of the enemy, until in realization of thefutility of words as weapons he bethought himself of somethingheavier to hurl. There was nothing but dead twigs and branchesat hand, but these he flung at the upturned, snarling face ofSabor just as his father had before him twenty years ago, whenas a boy he too had taunted and tantalized the great cats ofthe jungle.

The lioness fretted about the bole of the tree for a short time;but finally, either realizing the uselessness of her vigil, orprompted by the pangs of hunger, she stalked majestically awayand disappeared in the brush that hid her lord, who had not onceshown himself during the altercation.

Freed from their retreats Akut and the boy came to the ground,to take up their interrupted journey once more. The old apescolded the lad for his carelessness.

"Had you not been so intent upon the lion behind you youmight have discovered the lioness much sooner than you did,"

"But you passed right by her without seeing her," retortedthe boy.

Akut was chagrined.

"It is thus," he said, "that jungle folk die. We go cautiouslyfor a lifetime, and then, just for an instant, we forget, and--"he ground his teeth in mimicry of the crunching of great jawsin flesh. "It is a lesson," he resumed. "You have learned thatyou may not for too long keep your eyes and your ears and yournose all bent in the same direction."

That night the son of Tarzan was colder than he ever had beenin all his life. The pajama trousers had not been heavy; but theyhad been much heavier than nothing. And the next day he roastedin the hot sun, for again their way led much across wide andtreeless plains.

It was still in the boy's mind to travel to the south, and circleback to the coast in search of another outpost of civilization. He had said nothing of this plan to Akut, for he knew that the oldape would look with displeasure upon any suggestion that savoredof separation.

For a month the two wandered on, the boy learning rapidlythe laws of the jungle; his muscles adapting themselves to thenew mode of life that had been thrust upon them. The thews ofthe sire had been transmitted to the son--it needed only thehardening of use to develop them. The lad found that it camequite naturally to him to swing through the trees. Even at greatheights he never felt the slightest dizziness, and when he hadcaught the knack of the swing and the release, he could hurlhimself through space from branch to branch with even greateragility than the heavier Akut.

And with exposure came a toughening and hardening of hissmooth, white skin, browning now beneath the sun and wind.He had removed his pajama jacket one day to bathe in a littlestream that was too small to harbor crocodiles, and while heand Akut had been disporting themselves in the cool waters amonkey had dropped down from the over hanging trees, snatchedup the boy's single remaining article of civilized garmenture,and scampered away with it.

For a time Jack was angry; but when he had been without thejacket for a short while he began to realize that being half-clothed is infinitely more uncomfortable than being entirely naked. Soon he did not miss his clothing in the least, and from that hecame to revel in the freedom of his unhampered state. Occasionally a smile would cross his face as he tried to imaginethe surprise of his schoolmates could they but see him now. They would envy him. Yes, how they would envy him. He feltsorry for them at such times, and again as he thought of themamid luxuries and comforts of their English homes, happy withtheir fathers and mothers, a most uncomfortable lump would ariseinto the boy's throat, and he would see a vision of his mother'sface through a blur of mist that came unbidden to his eyes. Then it was that he urged Akut onward, for now they were headedwestward toward the coast. The old ape thought that they weresearching for a tribe of his own kind, nor did the boy disabusehis mind of this belief. It would do to tell Akut of his realplans when they had come within sight of civilization.

One day as they were moving slowly along beside a river theycame unexpectedly upon a native village. Some children wereplaying beside the water. The boy's heart leaped within his breastat sight of them--for over a month he had seen no human being.What if these were naked savages? What if their skins were black? Were they not creatures fashioned in the mold of their Maker,as was he? They were his brothers and sisters! He startedtoward them. With a low warning Akut laid a hand upon hisarm to hold him back. The boy shook himself free, and with ashout of greeting ran forward toward the ebon players.

The sound of his voice brought every head erect. Wide eyesviewed him for an instant, and then, with screams of terror, thechildren turned and fled toward the village. At their heels rantheir mothers, and from the village gate, in response to thealarm, came a score of warriors, hastily snatched spears andshields ready in their hands.

At sight of the consternation he had wrought the boy halted.The glad smile faded from his face as with wild shouts andmenacing gestures the warriors ran toward him. Akut was callingto him from behind to turn and flee, telling him that theblacks would kill him. For a moment he stood watching themcoming, then he raised his hand with the palm toward them insignal for them to halt, calling out at the same time that he cameas a friend--that he had only wanted to play with their children.Of course they did not understand a word that he addressed tothem, and their answer was what any naked creature who hadrun suddenly out of the jungle upon their women and childrenmight have expected--a shower of spears. The missiles struckall about the boy, but none touched him. Again his spine tingledand the short hairs lifted at the nape of his neck and along thetop of his scalp. His eyes narrowed. Sudden hatred flared inthem to wither the expression of glad friendliness that had lightedthem but an instant before. With a low snarl, quite similar tothat of a baffled beast, he turned and ran into the jungle. There was Akut awaiting him in a tree. The ape urged him to hastenin flight, for the wise old anthropoid knew that they two, nakedand unarmed, were no match for the sinewy black warriors who woulddoubtless make some sort of search for them through the jungle.

But a new power moved the son of Tarzan. He had come with aboy's glad and open heart to offer his friendship to these peoplewho were human beings like himself. He had been met withsuspicion and spears. They had not even listened to him. Rage and hatred consumed him. When Akut urged speed he held back. He wanted to fight, yet his reason made it all too plain that itwould be but a foolish sacrifice of his life to meet thesearmed men with his naked hands and his teeth--already the boythought of his teeth, of his fighting fangs, when possibility ofcombat loomed close.

Moving slowly through the trees he kept his eyes over his shoulder,though he no longer neglected the possibilities of other dangerswhich might lurk on either hand or ahead--his experience with thelioness did not need a repetition to insure the permanency of thelesson it had taught. Behind he could hear the savages advancingwith shouts and cries. He lagged further behind until the pursuerswere in sight. They did not see him, for they were not lookingamong the branches of the trees for human quarry. The lad keptjust ahead of them. For a mile perhaps they continued the search,and then they turned back toward the village. Here was the boy'sopportunity, that for which he had been waiting, while the hotblood of revenge coursed through his veins until he saw hispursuers through a scarlet haze.

When they turned back he turned and followed them. Akut wasno longer in sight. Thinking that the boy followed he hadgone on further ahead. He had no wish to tempt fate within rangeof those deadly spears. Slinking silently from tree to tree theboy dogged the footsteps of the returning warriors. At last onedropped behind his fellows as they followed a narrow path towardthe village. A grim smile lit the lad's face. Swiftly hehurried forward until he moved almost above the unconsciousblack--stalking him as Sheeta, the panther, stalked his prey, asthe boy had seen Sheeta do on many occasions.

Suddenly and silently he leaped forward and downward uponthe broad shoulders of his prey. In the instant of contact hisfingers sought and found the man's throat. The weight of theboy's body hurled the black heavily to the ground, the knees inhis back knocking the breath from him as he struck. Then a setof strong, white teeth fastened themselves in his neck, and muscularfingers closed tighter upon his wind-pipe. For a time thewarrior struggled frantically, throwing himself about in an effortto dislodge his antagonist; but all the while he was weakeningand all the while the grim and silent thing he could not see clungtenaciously to him, and dragged him slowly into the bush to oneside of the trail.

Hidden there at last, safe from the prying eyes of searchers,should they miss their fellow and return for him, the lad chokedthe life from the body of his victim. At last he knew by thesudden struggle, followed by limp relaxation, that the warriorwas dead. Then a strange desire seized him. His whole beingquivered and thrilled. Involuntarily he leaped to his feet andplaced one foot upon the body of his kill. His chest expanded.He raised his face toward the heavens and opened his mouth tovoice a strange, weird cry that seemed screaming within him foroutward expression, but no sound passed his lips--he just stoodthere for a full minute, his face turned toward the sky, his breastheaving to the pent emotion, like an animate statue of vengeance.

The silence which marked the first great kill of the son ofTarzan was to typify all his future kills, just as the hideousvictory cry of the bull ape had marked the kills of his mighty sire.