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They were frightened when he threatened this； and
promised to obey him scrupulously if he would but promise
not to desert them。
〃Very well；〃 he said。 〃We shall return to the elephant
BOMA for the night。 I have a plan to give the Arabs a little
taste of what they may expect if they remain in our country；
but I shall need no help。 Come！ If they suffer no more for
the balance of the day they will feel reassured； and the
relapse into fear will be even more nerve…racking than as
though we continued to frighten them all afternoon。〃
So they marched back to their camp of the previous night； and；
lighting great fires； ate and recounted the adventures of the
day until long after dark。 Tarzan slept until midnight； then
he arose and crept into the Cimmerian blackness of the forest。
An hour later he came to the edge of the clearing before
the village。 There was a camp…fire burning within the palisade。
The ape…man crept across the clearing until he stood before
the barred gates。 Through the interstices he saw a lone sentry
sitting before the fire。
Quietly Tarzan went to the tree at the end of the village street。
He climbed softly to his place； and fitted an arrow to his bow。
For several minutes he tried to sight fairly upon the sentry；
but the waving branches and flickering firelight convinced
him that the danger of a miss was too greathe must touch
the heart full in the center to bring the quiet and sudden
death his plan required。
He had brought； besides； his bow； arrows； and rope； the
gun he had taken the previous day from the other sentry he
had killed。 Caching all these in a convenient crotch of the
tree； he dropped lightly to the ground within the palisade；
armed only with his long knife。 The sentry's back was toward him。
Like a cat Tarzan crept upon the dozing man。 He was within
two paces of him nowanother instant and the knife would
slide silently into the fellow's heart。
Tarzan crouched for a spring； for that is ever the quickest
and surest attack of the jungle beastwhen the man；
warned； by some subtle sense； sprang to his feet and faced
the ape…man。
Chapter 17
The White Chief of the Waziri
When the eyes of the black Manyuema savage fell
upon the strange apparition that confronted him with
menacing knife they went wide in horror。 He forgot
the gun within his hands； he even forgot to cry outhis
one thought was to escape this fearsome…looking white savage；
this giant of a man upon whose massive rolling muscles and
mighty chest the flickering firelight played。
But before he could turn Tarzan was upon him； and then
the sentry thought to scream for aid； but it was too late。
A great hand was upon his windpipe； and he was being borne
to the earth。 He battled furiously but futilelywith the
grim tenacity of a bulldog those awful fingers were clinging
to his throat。 Swiftly and surely life was being choked from him。
His eyes bulged； his tongue protruded； his face turned
to a ghastly purplish huethere was a convulsive tremor of
the stiffening muscles； and the Manyuema sentry lay quite still。
The ape…man threw the body across one of his broad
shoulders and； gathering up the fellow's gun； trotted silently
up the sleeping village street toward the tree that gave him
such easy ingress to the palisaded village。 He bore the dead
sentry into the midst of the leafy maze above。
First he stripped the body of cartridge belt and such
ornaments as he craved； wedging it into a convenient crotch
while his nimble fingers ran over it in search of the loot
he could not plainly see in the dark。 When he had finished he
took the gun that had belonged to the man； and walked
far out upon a limb； from the end of which he could obtain
a better view of the huts。 Drawing a careful bead on the
beehive structure in which he knew the chief Arabs to be；
he pulled the trigger。 Almost instantly there was an
answering groan。 Tarzan smiled。 He had made another lucky hit。
Following the shot there was a moment's silence in the
camp； and then Manyuema and Arab came pouring from
the huts like a swarm of angry hornets； but if the truth were
known they were even more frightened than they were angry。
The strain of the preceding day had wrought upon the
fears of both black and white； and now this single shot in
the night conjured all manner of terrible conjectures in
their terrified minds。
When they discovered that their sentry had disappeared；
their fears were in no way allayed； and as though to bolster
their courage by warlike actions； they began to fire
rapidly at the barred gates of the village； although no enemy
was in sight。 Tarzan took advantage of the deafening roar of
this fusillade to fire into the mob beneath him。
No one heard his shot above the din of rattling musketry
in the street； but some who were standing close saw one
of their number crumple suddenly to the earth。 When they
leaned over him he was dead。 They were panic…stricken； and
it took all the brutal authority of the Arabs to keep the
Manyuema from rushing helter…skelter into the jungleanywhere
to escape from this terrible village。
After a time they commenced to quiet down； and as no
further mysterious deaths occurred among them they took
heart again。 But it was a short…lived respite； for just as
they had concluded that they would not be disturbed again
Tarzan gave voice to a weird moan； and as the raiders looked
up in the direction from which the sound seemed to come；
the ape…man； who stood swinging the dead body of the sentry
gently to and fro； suddenly shot the corpse far out above
their heads。
With howls of alarm the throng broke in all directions
to escape this new and terrible creature who seemed to be
springing upon them。 To their fear…distorted imaginations the
body of the sentry； falling with wide…sprawled arms and
legs； assumed the likeness of a great beast of prey。 In their
anxiety to escape； many of the blacks scaled the palisade；
while others tore down the bars from the gates and rushed
madly across the clearing toward the jungle。
For a time no one turned back toward the thing that had
frightened them； but Tarzan knew that they would in a moment；
and when they discovered that it was but the dead
body of their sentry； while they would doubtless be still
further terrified； he had a rather definite idea as to what
they would do； and so he faded silently away toward the
south； taking the moonlit upper terrace back toward the
camp of the Waziri。
Presently one of the Arabs turned and saw that the thing
that had leaped from the tree upon them lay still and quiet
where it had fallen in the center of the village street。
Cautiously he crept back toward it until he saw that it was
but a man。 A moment later he was beside the figure； and in
another had recognized it as the corpse of the Manyuema
who had stood on guard at the village gate。