A
mighty beast it was that glared up at the ape-man--large, powerful
and young, with a huge black mane and a coat so much darker than
any Tarzan ever had seen that in the depths of the pit it looked
almost black--a black lion!
Tarzan who had been upon the point of taunting and reviling his
captive foe was suddenly turned to open admiration for the beauty
of the splendid beast. What a creature! How by comparison the
ordinary forest lion was dwarfed into insignificance! Here indeed
was one worthy to be called king of beasts. With his first sight of
the great cat the ape-man knew that he had heard no note of terror
in that initial roar; surprise doubtless, but the vocal chords of
that mighty throat never had reacted to fear.
With growing admiration came a feeling of quick pity for the hapless
situation of the great brute rendered futile and helpless by the
wiles of the Gomangani. Enemy though the beast was, he was less an
enemy to the ape-man than those blacks who had trapped him, for
though Tarzan of the Apes claimed many fast and loyal friends among
certain tribes of African natives, there were others of degraded
character and bestial habits that he looked upon with utter loathing,
and of such were the human flesh-eaters of Numabo the chief. For
a moment Numa, the lion, glared ferociously at the naked man-thing
upon the tree limb above him.
Pages:
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267