Weird and terrible as was its appearance
Tarzan could not but admire the mighty creature looming big below
him, its seventy-five feet of length majestically typifying those
things which all his life the ape-man had admired--courage and
strength. In that massive tail alone was the strength of an elephant.
The wicked little eyes looked up at him and the horny beak opened
to disclose a full set of powerful teeth.
"Herbivorous!" murmured the ape-man. "Your ancestors may have been,
but not you," and then to Pan-at-lee: "Let us go now. At the cave
we will have deer meat and then--back to Kor-ul-ja and Om-at."
The girl shuddered. "Go?" she repeated. "We will never go from
here."
"Why not?" asked Tarzan.
For answer she but pointed to the gryf.
"Nonsense!" exclaimed the man. "It cannot climb. We can reach the
cliff through the trees and be back in the cave before it knows
what has become of us."
"You do not know the gryf," replied Pan-at-lee gloomily.
"Wherever we go it will follow and always it will be ready at the
foot of each tree when we would descend. It will never give us up."
"We can live in the trees for a long time if necessary," replied
Tarzan, "and sometime the thing will leave."
The girl shook her head. "Never," she said, "and then there are the
Tor-o-don. They will come and kill us and after eating a little will
throw the balance to the gryf--the gryf and Tor-o-don are friends,
because the Tor-o-don shares his food with the gryf.
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