As Numa rose from his second victim and shook himself, Tarzan could
not but again note the wondrous proportions and symmetry of the
beast. The lions they had bested were splendid specimens themselves
and in their coats Tarzan noted a suggestion of the black which
was such a strongly marked characteristic of Numa of the pit. Their
manes were just a trifle darker than an ordinary black-maned lion
but the tawny shade on the balance of their coats predominated.
However, the ape-man realized that they were a distinct species
from any he had seen as though they had sprung originally from a
cross between the forest lion of his acquaintance and a breed of
which Numa of the pit might be typical.
The immediate obstruction in his way having been removed, Tarzan was
for setting out in search of the spoor of the girl and Smith-Oldwick,
that he might discover their fate. He suddenly found himself
tremendously hungry and as he circled about over the sandy bottom
searching among the tangled network of innumerable tracks for those
of his proteges, there broke from his lips involuntarily the whine
of a hungry beast. Immediately Numa of the pit pricked up his ears
and, regarding the ape-man steadily for a moment, he answered the
call of hunger and started briskly off toward the south, stopping
occasionally to see if Tarzan was following.
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