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saw a family of lions approaching along the path from
the direction of the river。 The ape…man counted seven
a male and two lionesses； full grown； and four young
lions as large and quite as formidable as their
parents。 Tarzan halted； growling； and the lions
paused； the great male in the lead baring his fangs and
rumbling forth a warning roar。 In his hand the ape…man
held his heavy spear； but he had no intention of
pitting his puny weapon against seven lions； yet he
stood there growling and roaring and the lions did
likewise。 It was purely an exhibition of jungle bluff。
Each was trying to frighten off the other。 Neither
wished to turn back and give way； nor did either at
first desire to precipitate an encounter。 The lions
were fed sufficiently so as not to be goaded by pangs
of hunger and as for Tarzan he seldom ate the meat of
the carnivores； but a point of ethics was at stake and
neither side wished to back down。 So they stood there
facing one another； making all sorts of hideous noises
the while they hurled jungle invective back and forth。
How long this bloodless duel would have persisted it is
difficult to say； though eventually Tarzan would have
been forced to yield to superior numbers。
There came； however； an interruption which put an end
to the deadlock and it came from Tarzan's rear。 He and
the lions had been making so much noise that neither
could hear anything above their concerted bedlam； and
so it was that Tarzan did not hear the great bulk
bearing down upon him from behind until an instant
before it was upon him； and then he turned to see Buto；
the rhinoceros； his little； pig eyes blazing； charging
madly toward him and already so close that escape
seemed impossible； yet so perfectly were mind and
muscles coordinated in this unspoiled； primitive man
that almost simultaneously with the sense perception of
the threatened danger he wheeled and hurled his spear
at Buto's chest。 It was a heavy spear shod with iron；
and behind it were the giant muscles of the ape…man；
while coming to meet it was the enormous weight of Buto
and the momentum of his rapid rush。 All that happened
in the instant that Tarzan turned to meet the charge of
the irascible rhinoceros might take long to tell； and
yet would have taxed the swiftest lens to record。
As his spear left his hand the ape…man was looking down
upon the mighty horn lowered to toss him； so close was
Buto to him。 The spear entered the rhinoceros' neck at
its junction with the left shoulder and passed almost
entirely through the beast's body； and at the instant
that he launched it； Tarzan leaped straight into the
air alighting upon Buto's back but escaping the mighty
horn。
Then Buto espied the lions and bore madly down upon
them while Tarzan of the Apes leaped nimbly into the
tangled creepers at one side of the trail。 The first
lion met Buto's charge and was tossed high over the
back of the maddened brute； torn and dying； and then
the six remaining lions were upon the rhinoceros；
rending and tearing the while they were being gored or
trampled。 From the safety of his perch Tarzan watched
the royal battle with the keenest interest； for the
more intelligent of the jungle folk are interested in
such encounters。 They are to them what the racetrack
and the prize ring； the theater and the movies are to
us。 They see them often； but always they enjoy them for
no two are precisely alike。
For a time it seemed to Tarzan that Buto； the
rhinoceros； would prove victor in the gory battle。
Already had he accounted for four of the seven lions
and badly wounded the three remaining when in a
momentary lull in the encounter he sank limply to his
knees and rolled over upon his side。 Tarzan's spear
had done its work。 It was the man…made weapon which
killed the great beast that might easily have survived
the assault of seven mighty lions； for Tarzan's spear
had pierced the great lungs； and Buto； with victory
almost in sight； succumbed to internal hemorrhage。
Then Tarzan came down from his sanctuary and as the
wounded lions； growling； dragged themselves away； the
ape…man cut his spear from the body of Buto； hacked off
a steak and vanished into the jungle。 The episode was
over。 It had been all in the day's worksomething
which you and I might talk about for a lifetime Tarzan
dismissed from his mind the moment that the scene
passed from his sight。
12
La Seeks Vengeance
Swinging back through the jungle in a wide circle the
ape…man came to the river at another point； drank and
took to the trees again and while he hunted； all
oblivious of his past and careless of his future； there
came through the dark jungles and the open； parklike
places and across the wide meadows； where grazed the
countless herbivora of the mysterious continent； a
weird and terrible caravan in search of him。 There
were fifty frightful men with hairy bodies and gnarled
and crooked legs。 They were armed with knives and
great bludgeons and at their head marched an almost
naked woman； beautiful beyond compare。 It was La of
Opar； High Priestess of the Flaming God； and fifty of
her horrid priests searching for the purloiner of the
sacred sacrificial knife。
Never before had La passed beyond the crumbling outer
walls of Opar； but never before had need been so
insistent。 The sacred knife was gone！ Handed down
through countless ages it had come to her as a heritage
and an insignia of her religious office and regal
authority from some long…dead progenitor of lost and
forgotten Atlantis。 The loss of the crown jewels or
the Great Seal of England could have brought no greater
consternation to a British king than did the pilfering
of the sacred knife bring to La； the Oparian； Queen and
High Priestess of the degraded remnants of the oldest
civilization upon earth。 When Atlantis； with all her
mighty cities and her cultivated fields and her great
commerce and culture and riches sank into the sea long
ages since； she took with her all but a handful of her
colonists working the vast gold mines of Central
Africa。 From these and their degraded slaves and a
later intermixture of the blood of the anthropoids
sprung the gnarled men of Opar； but by some queer freak
of fate； aided by natural selection； the old Atlantean
strain had remained pure and undegraded in the females
descended from a single princess of the royal house of
Atlantis who had been in Opar at the time of the great
catastrophe。 Such was La。
Burning with white…hot anger was the High Priestess；
her heart a seething； molten mass of hatred for Tarzan
of the Apes。 The zeal of the religious fanatic whose
altar has been desecrated was triply enhanced by the
rage of a woman scorned。 Twice had she thrown her
heart at the feet of the godlike ape…man and twice had
she been repulsed。 La knew that she was beautifuland
she was beautiful； not by the stan