Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 23, 1924 — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

Pe be, ~~ ¥ a ve th . ra Sahl A } sy Ou 284 was Komodoflorensal, Prince of Trohana- dalmakus, known in the quarries of Veltop- tismakus as Slave Aoponato, or Eight Hun- dred Cubed Plus Nineteen, which is written in Minunian hieroglyphics: YY ae Tarzan’s number, Aopontando, Eight Hundred Cubed Plus Twenty-One, ap- peared thus, upon the shoulder of his green tunic: ~ I gs Although the Minunian form occupies less space than would our English equivalent of Tarzan’s number, which is 512,000,021, it would be more difficult to read if expressed in English words, for it then would be, ten times ten times eight, cubed, plus seven times three; but the Minunians translate it in no such way. To them it is a whole number, Aopontando, which represents at first glance a single quantity as surely as do the digits 37 represent to our minds an in- variable amount, a certain, definite measure of quantity which we never think of as three times ten plus seven, which, in reality, it is. The Minunian system of numerals, while unthinkably cumbersome and awkward from the modern point of view, is, however, not without its merits, and has aroused such keen interest among the archeologists and anthropologists of Europe and America, that I have decided to include a brief ex- planation in an appendix, masmuch as it has been suggested that the hieroglyphics of the ant-men are not without their sim- ilarities to the hitherto undecipherable writ- ings of the mysterious ruins of Easter Island and Peru. It always has been my pleasure to aid scientific investigation. As Tarzan looked up Komodoflorensal caught his eye and winked, and then Kal- fastoban beckoned to the ape-man, who crossed the corridor and stood in silence before the Vental. “Tet us hear you talk to him,” cried Kalfastoban to Komodoflorensal. ‘“ I don’t believe that he will understand you. How could he when he cannot understand us?” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. The fellow could not conceive of another language than his own. “J will ask him in his own language,” said Komodoflorensal, ‘‘ if he understands me, and you will see that he nods his head affirmatively. fe “Very good,” cried Kalfastoban: him.” Komodoflorensal turned toward ‘Tarzan and voiced a dozen syllables of incompre- hensible gibberish and when he was done the ape-man nodded his head. ‘You see?’’ demanded Komodoflorensal. Kalfastoban scratched his head. “It is even as he says,” he admitted, ruefully, “the Zertalacolol has a language.” Tarzan did not smile, although he should have liked to, at the clever manner in which Komodoflorensal had deceived the Veltop- tismakusians into believing that he had communicated with Tarzan in a strange lan- guage. As long as he could contrive to put all his communications into questions that could be answered by yes or no, the de- ception would be easily maintained; but under circumstances that made this impos- sible some embarrassments might be ex- pected to arise, and he wondered how the resourceful ‘Trohanadalmakusians would handle these. “ Tell him,” said one of the warriors to Komodoflorensal, ‘“‘ that his master, Zoan- throhago, has sent for him, and ask him if he fully understands that he is a slave and that upon his good behavior depends his comfort; yes, even his life, for Zoan- throhago has the power of life and death over him; as much so as have the royal family. If he comes docilely to his master and is obedient he will not fare ill, but if he be lazy, impudent, or threatening he may expect to taste the point of a free- man’s sword.” Komodoflorensal strung out, this time, a much longer series of senseless syllables, until he could scarce compose his features to comport with the seriousness of his mien. “Tell them,” said Tarzan, in English, which, of course, not one of them under- stood, “ that at the first opportunity I shall break the neck of my master; that it would require but little incentive to cause me to seize one of these timbers and crack the ee ask Gomiechbooks (E(@) a - a +s a —-* =. — Soe oe ee PG ee 6 ee oe ee