Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 13, 1923 — page 129: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

TARZAN AND THE GOLDEN LION. here with Mr. Bluber and his friends,” she said, ““whe came to make scientific re- searches, and brought me along because I had been to Africa with you and Lord Grey- stoke, and knew something of the manners and customs of the country, and now our boys have turned against us and unless you can help us we are lost.” 7 “What are they, West Coast boys?” asked Lady Greystoke. “Yes,” replied Flora. “T think my Waziri can handle them. How many of them are there?” ‘About two hundred,” said Kraski. Lady Greystoke shook her head. ‘ The odds are pretty heavy,” she commented, and then she called to Usula, who was in charge. “There are two hundred West Coast boys coming after these people,’ she said; ‘“‘we shall have to fight to defend them.”’ “We are Waziri,” replied Usula, simply, and a moment later the van of Luvini’s forces broke into view at the outer rim of the campfire’s reach. At sight of the glistening warriors ready to receive them, the West Coast boys halt- ed. Luvini, taking in the inferior numbers of the enemy at a glance, stepped forward a few paces ahead of his men and com- menced to shout taunts and insults, demand- ing the return of the whites to him. He accompanied his words with fantastic and erotesque steps, at the same time waving his rifle and shaking his fist. Presently his followers took up the refrain until the whole band of two hundred was shrieking and yelling and threatening, the while they leaped up and down as they worked them- selves into a frenzy of excitement that would impart to them the courage necessary for the initiating of a charge. The Waziri, behind the boma_ wall, schooled and disciplined by Tarzan of the Apes, had long since discarded the fantastic overture to battle so dear to the hearts of other warlike tribes, and instead, stood stolid and grim awaiting the coming of the foe. “They have a number of rifles,” com- mented Lady Greystoke. “That looks rather bad for us.” “There are not over half-a-dozen who 691 can hit anything with their rifles,” said Kraski. “You men are all armed. Take your places among my Waziri. Warn your men to go away and leave us alone. Do not fire until they attack, but at the first overt act, commence firing, and keep it up—there is nothing that so discourages a West Coast black as the rifle fire of white men. Flora and I will remain at the back of the camp, near that large tree.” She spoke authori- tatively, as one who is accustomed to com- mand and knows whereof she speaks. The men obeyed her; even Bluber, though he trembled pitiably as he moved forward to take his place in the front ranks among the Waziri. Their movements, in the light of the campfire, were all plainly discernible to Luvini, and also to that other who watched from the foliage of the tree beneath which Jane Clayton and Flora Hawkes took refuge. Luvini had not come to fight. He had come to capture Flora Hawkes. He turned to his men. “There are only fifty of them,” he said. “We can kill them easily, but we did not come to make war. We came to get the white girl back again. Stay here and make a great show against those sons of jackals. Keep them always looking at you. Ad- vance a little and then fall back again, and while you are thus keeping their attention attracted in this direction I will take fifty men and go to the rear of their camp and get the white girl, and when I have her I will send word to you and immediately you can return to the village, where, behind the palisade, we shail be safe against attack.” Now this plan well suited the West Coast blacks, who had no stomach for the battle looming so imminent, and so they danced and yelled and menaced more vociferously than before, for they felt they were doing it all with perfect impunity, since presently they should retire, after a bloodless victory, to the safety of their palisade. As Luvini, making a detour, crept through the concealment of the dense jun- gles to the rear of the camp while the din of the West Coast blacks arose to almost deafening proportions, there dropped sud- denly to the ground before the two white COPMICLOOKS ee 7 ah . Gom — aie Ta: Ae 6,