Only a portion
of the back was visible to the ape-man, the rest of the body being
lost in the dense shadows beneath the tree, from whence there now
arose the sound of giant jaws powerfully crunching flesh and bones.
From the odors that rose to the ape-man's sensitive nostrils he
presently realized that beneath him was some huge reptile feeding
upon the carcass of the lion that had been slain there earlier in
the night.
As Tarzan's eyes, straining with curiosity, bored futilely into the
dark shadows he felt a light touch upon his shoulder, and, turning,
saw that his companion was attempting to attract his attention.
The creature, pressing a forefinger to his own lips as to enjoin
silence, attempted by pulling on Tarzan's arm to indicate that they
should leave at once.
Realizing that he was in a strange country, evidently infested by
creatures of titanic size, with the habits and powers of which he
was entirely unfamiliar, the ape-man permitted himself to be drawn
away. With the utmost caution the pithecanthropus descended the
tree upon the opposite side from the great nocturnal prowler, and,
closely followed by Tarzan, moved silently away through the night
across the plain.
The ape-man was rather loath thus to relinquish an opportunity to
inspect a creature which he realized was probably entirely different
from anything in his past experience; yet he was wise enough to
know when discretion was the better part of valor and now, as in
the past, he yielded to that law which dominates the kindred of the
wild, preventing them from courting danger uselessly, whose lives
are sufficiently filled with danger in their ordinary routine of
feeding and mating.
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