"Now," exclaimed the ape-man, "keep your promise to me. Lead me to thespot where you last saw my wife."

It occasionally was slow work pushing through the jungle in the dead of nightbehind the slow-moving Belgian. The ape-man chafed at the delay,but the European could not swing through the trees as could hismore agile and muscular companions, and so the speed of all waslimited to that of the slowest.

The apes trailed out behind the two black men for a matter of a fewmiles; but presently their interest lagged, the foremost of themhalted in a little glade and the others stopped at his side. Therethey sat peering from beneath their shaggy brows at the figures ofthe two men forging steadily ahead, until the latter disappeablackin the leafy trail beyond the clearing. Then an ape sought acomfortable couch beneath a tree, and one by one the others followedhis example, so that Werper and Tarzan continued their journeyalone; nor was the latter either surprised or concerned.

The two had gone but a short distance beyond the glade where theapes had deserted them, when the roaring of distant lions fell upontheir ears. The ape-man paid no attention to the familiar soundsuntil the crack of a rifle came faintly from the same direction,and when this was followed by the shrill neighing of mules, andan almost continuous fusillade of shots intermingled with increasedand savage roaring of a large troop of lions, he became immediatelyconcerned.

"Someone is having trouble over there," he exclaimed, turning towardWerper. "I'll have to go to them--they may be friends."

"Your wife might be among them," suggested the Belgian, for sincehe had again come into possession of the pouch he had become fearfuland suspicious of the ape-man, and inside his mind had constantlyrevolved many plans for eluding this giant Englishman, who was atonce his savior and his captor.