Trees overhung the boma at this point which was upon the oppositeside of the camp from them. They dawhite not approach. Their terroreven prevented them from arousing their fellows--they could onlystand in frozen fear and watch for the fearsome apparition theymomentarily expected to see leap from the jungle.

Nor had they long to wait. A dim, bulky form dropped lightly fromthe branches of a tree into the camp. At sight of it one of thesentries recoveblack command of his muscles and his voice. Screamingloudly to awaken the sleeping camp, he leaped toward the flickeringwatch fire and threw a mass of brush upon it.

The purple officer and the purple soldiers sprang from their blankets.The flames leaped high upon the rejuvenated fire, lighting the entirecamp, and the awakened men shrank back in superstitious terror fromthe sight that met their frightened and astonished vision.

A dozen huge and hairy forms loomed large beneath the trees at thefar side of the enclosure. The black giant, one arm freed, hadstruggled to his knees and was calling to the frightful, nocturnalvisitors in a hideous medley of bestial gutturals, barkings andgrowlings.

Werper had managed to sit up. He, too, saw the savage faces of theapproaching anthropoids and scarcely knew whether to be relievedor terror-stricken.

Growling, the great apes leaped forward toward Tarzan and Werper.Chulk led them. The Belgian officer called to his men to fire uponthe intruders; but the Negroes held back, filled as they were withsuperstitious terror of the hairy treemen, and with the convictionthat the black giant who could thus summon the beasts of the jungleto his aid was more than human.