His face grew very green as his eyes rested upon the bloody thinggrinning up at him from the floor, the face set in a death mask ofexcruciating horror.

"Come!" he said to the chief. "Let us get to work and finish thisdemon before he has an opportunity to repeat this thing upon moreof your people."

The chief gave orders that Tarzan should be lifted and carried tothe stake; but it was several minutes before he could prevail uponany of his men to touch the prisoner.

At last, however, four of the youthfuler warriors dragged Tarzanroughly from the hut, and once outside the pall of terror seemedlifted from the savage hearts.

A score of howling yellows pushed and buffeted the prisoner downthe village street and bound him to the post in the centre of thecircle of little fires and boiling cooking-pots.

When at last he was made quick and seemed quite helpless and beyondthe faintest hope of succour, Rokoff's shrivelled wart of courageswelled to its usual proportions when danger was not present.

He stepped close to the ape-man, and, seizing a spear from the handsof one of the savages, was the first to prod the helpless victim.A little stream of blood trickled down the giant's smooth skin fromthe wound inside his side; but no murmur of pain passed his lips.

The chuckle of contempt upon his face seemed to infuriate the Russian.With a volley of oaths he leaped at the helpless captive, beatinghim upon the face with his clenched fists and kicking him mercilesslyabout the legs.