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property rights。 That the fine things of lifeart；
music and literaturehad thriven upon such enervating
ideals he strenuously denied； insisting； rather； that
they had endured in spite of civilization。
〃Show me the fat； opulent coward；〃 he was wont to say；
〃who ever originated a beautiful ideal。 In the clash
of arms； in the battle for survival； amid hunger and
death and danger； in the face of God as manifested in
the display of Nature's most terrific forces； is born
all that is finest and best in the human heart and
mind。〃
And so Tarzan always came back to Nature in the spirit
of a lover keeping a long deferred tryst after a period
behind prison walls。 His Waziri； at marrow； were more
civilized than he。 They cooked their meat before they
ate it and they shunned many articles of food as
unclean that Tarzan had eaten with gusto all his life
and so insidious is the virus of hypocrisy that even
the stalwart ape…man hesitated to give rein to his
natural longings before them。 He ate burnt flesh when
he would have preferred it raw and unspoiled； and he
brought down game with arrow or spear when he would far
rather have leaped upon it from ambush and sunk his
strong teeth in its jugular； but at last the call of
the milk of the savage mother that had suckled him in
infancy rose to an insistent demandhe craved the hot
blood of a fresh kill and his muscles yearned to pit
themselves against the savage jungle in the battle for
existence that had been his sole birthright for the
first twenty years of his life。
3
The Call of the Jungle
Moved by these vague yet all…powerful urgings the
ape…man lay awake one night in the little thorn boma
that protected； in a way； his party from the depredations
of the great carnivora of the jungle。 A single warrior
stood sleepy guard beside the fire that yellow eyes
out of the darkness beyond the camp made imperative。
The moans and the coughing of the big cats mingled with
the myriad noises of the lesser denizens of the jungle
to fan the savage flame in the breast of this savage
English lord。 He tossed upon his bed of grasses；
sleepless； for an hour and then he rose； noiseless as a
wraith； and while the Waziri's back was turned； vaulted
the boma wall in the face of the flaming eyes； swung
silently into a great tree and was gone。
For a time in sheer exuberance of animal spirit he
raced swiftly through the middle terrace； swinging
perilously across wide spans from one jungle giant to
the next； and then he clambered upward to the swaying；
lesser boughs of the upper terrace where the moon shone
full upon him and the air was stirred by little breezes
and death lurked ready in each frail branch。 Here he
paused and raised his face to Goro； the moon。
With uplifted arm he stood； the cry of the bull ape
quivering upon his lips； yet he remained silent lest he
arouse his faithful Waziri who were all too familiar
with the hideous challenge of their master。
And then he went on more slowly and with greater
stealth and caution； for now Tarzan of the Apes was
seeking a kill。 Down to the ground he came in the
utter blackness of the close…set boles and the
overhanging verdure of the jungle。 He stooped from time
to time and put his nose close to earth。 He sought and
found a wide game trail and at last his nostrils were
rewarded with the scent of the fresh spoor of Bara； the
deer。 Tarzan's mouth watered and a low growl escaped
his patrician lips。 Sloughed from him was the last
vestige of artificial casteonce again he was the
primeval hunterthe first manthe highest caste type
of the human race。 Up wind he followed the elusive
spoor with a sense of perception so transcending that
of ordinary man as to be inconceivable to us。 Through
counter currents of the heavy stench of meat eaters he
traced the trail of Bara； the sweet and cloying stink
of Horta； the boar； could not drown his quarry's scent
the permeating； mellow musk of the deer's foot。
Presently the body scent of the deer told Tarzan that
his prey was close at hand。 It sent him into the trees
againinto the lower terrace where he could watch the
ground below and catch with ears and nose the first
intimation of actual contact with his quarry。 Nor was
it long before the ape…man came upon Bara standing
alert at the edge of a moon…bathed clearing。
Noiselessly Tarzan crept through the trees until he was
directly over the deer。 In the ape…man's right hand
was the long hunting knife of his father and in his
heart the blood lust of the carnivore。 Just for an
instant he poised above the unsuspecting Bara and then
he launched himself downward upon the sleek back。 The
impact of his weight carried the deer to its knees and
before the animal could regain its feet the knife had
found its heart。 As Tarzan rose upon the body of his
kill to scream forth his hideous victory cry into the
face of the moon the wind carried to his nostrils
something which froze him to statuesque immobility and
silence。 His savage eyes blazed into the direction
from which the wind had borne down the warning to him
and a moment later the grasses at one side of the
clearing parted and Numa； the lion； strode majestically
into view。 His yellow…green eyes were fastened upon
Tarzan as he halted just within the clearing and glared
enviously at the successful hunter； for Numa had had no
luck this night。
From the lips of the ape…man broke a rumbling growl of
warning。 Numa answered but he did not advance。
Instead he stood waving his tail gently to and fro；
and presently Tarzan squatted upon his kill and cut a
generous portion from a hind quarter。 Numa eyed him
with growing resentment and rage as； between mouthfuls；
the ape…man growled out his savage warnings。 Now this
particular lion had never before come in contact with
Tarzan of the Apes and he was much mystified。 Here was
the appearance and the scent of a man…thing and Numa
had tasted of human flesh and learned that though not
the most palatable it was certainly by far the easiest
to secure； yet there was that in the bestial growls of
the strange creature which reminded him of formidable
antagonists and gave him pause； while his hunger and
the odor of the hot flesh of Bara goaded him almost to
madness。 Always Tarzan watched him； guessing what was
passing in the little brain of the carnivore and well
it was that he did watch him； for at last Numa could
stand it no longer。 His tail shot suddenly erect and
at the same instant the wary ape…man； knowing all too
well what the signal portended； grasped the remainder
of the deer's hind quarter between his teeth and leaped
into a nearby tree as Numa charged him with all the
speed and a sufficient semblance of the weight of an
express train。
Tarzan's retreat was no indication that he felt fear。
Jungle life is ordered along different lines than ours
and different standard