the most harmless and defenseless of God's creatures for the mere

pleasure of killing.

In fact, Tarzan had never killed for "pleasure," nor to him was

there pleasure in killing. It was the joy of righteous battle

that he loved--the ecstasy of victory. And the keen and successful

hunt for food in which he pitted his skill and craftiness against

the skill and craftiness of another; but to come out of a town filled

with food to shoot down a soft-eyed, pretty gazelle--ah, that was

crueller than the deliberate and cold-blooded murder of a fellow

man. Tarzan would have none of it, and so he hunted alone that

none might discover the sham that he was practicing.

And once, probably because of the fact that he rode alone, he was

like to have lost his life. He was riding slowly through a little

ravine when a shot sounded close behind him, and a bullet passed

through the cork helmet he wore. Although he turned at once and

galloped rapidly to the top of the ravine, there was no sign of

any enemy, nor did he see aught of another human being until he

reached Bou Saada.

"Yes," he soliloquized, in recalling the occurrence, "Olga has

indeed thrown away her twenty thousand francs."

That night he was Captain Gerard's guest at a little dinner.

"Your hunting has not been very fortunate?" questioned the officer.

"No," replied Tarzan; "the game hereabout is timid, nor do I care

particularly about hunting game birds or antelope. I think I shall

move on farther south, and have a try at some of your Algerian

lions."

"Good!" exclaimed the captain. "We are marching toward Djelfa on

the morrow. You shall have company that far at least. Lieutenant

Gernois and I, with a hundred men, are ordered south to patrol a

district in which the marauders are giving considerable trouble.

Possibly we may have the pleasure of hunting the lion together--what

say you?"

Tarzan was more than pleased, nor did he hesitate to say so; but

the captain would have been astonished had he known the real reason

of Tarzan's pleasure. Gernois was sitting opposite the ape-man.

He did not seem so pleased with his captain's invitation.