Instantly the
weight upon the rope was removed and a moment later Tarzan of the
Apes raised his body above the side and threw a leg over the edge.
He glanced forward at Usanga and then, placing his mouth close to
the girl's ear he cried: "Have you ever piloted a plane?" The girl
nodded a quick affirmative.
"Have you the courage to climb up there beside the black and seize
the control while I take care of him?"
The girl looked toward Usanga and shuddered. "Yes," she replied,
"but my feet are bound."
Tarzan drew his hunting knife from its sheath and reaching down,
severed the thongs that bound her ankles. Then the girl unsnapped
the strap that held her to her seat. With one hand Tarzan grasped
the girl's arm and steadied her as the two crawled slowly across
the few feet which intervened between the two seats. A single slight
tip of the plane would have cast them both into eternity. Tarzan
realized that only through a miracle of chance could they reach
Usanga and effect the change in pilots and yet he knew that that
chance must be taken, for in the brief moments since he had first
seen the plane, he had realized that the black was almost without
experience as a pilot and that death surely awaited them in any
event should the black sergeant remain at the control.
The first intimation Usanga had that all was not well with him was
when the girl slipped suddenly to his side and grasped the control
and at the same instant steel-like fingers seized his throat.
Pages:
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254