Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 117, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1920 — TARZAN AND THE Jewels of Opar [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TARZAN AND THE Jewels of Opar

By EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS

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her Into slavery. Warper aaoapte. plana an expedition to the toeaaure vaulta iMttn the eecret of Ow MMfran the treasure chamber of the Inn Worahtpara A convulsion of Nature eaneae the collapee of the vault Unpriaonlna both men. CHAPTER IV.-Werper recovers from the shock and ttndinc Tarsan apparMtly dead he leaves him. Beekin* a ww to safety Werper to seised by priests of the Flajnin* God. a deconerate race. He is about to be offered up as a sacrifice when the ceremonies are taterrugtod ths appearance of a hunzer-maddened non CHAPTER V.—Believing Tarsan dead Ms black followye return home with the cold. Aotimst M. actin* on Werperto Information, has attacked the Greystoke home, burned ft, and carried off Lady Groystoka. Mugambi, Tarsan e IteutonaaL is •evenly wounded but recovers and fbOows the raMera. duintK vl-uoto Greystoke rocoy; Bleed by La, Mark priestess, whom he had rSSSP l?Sir. H The By Jattor mm the JobilS and covets them. CHAPTER W-Tmsm and Warn* match the former's party return to Utt rained Greystoke home and bury the gold. Tarsan has ne memory of the place. He buries the Joweir. which Warper di*a <R end escapes while Tarsan sleeps rwitpriu V&L —'ReacElng Achmet dorsetoßaghnlfi, Werpertoitojdm of the gold but not of the jewels Lady Oroystoke to there, a prisoner. Achmet dissevers Werper has the Jewels, and foe Belgian, feaghw far bis Ute, escapee with Uw rm CHAPTER DL-Tarsan misses Warper Jut doee_not discover the theft of the leweto. He resumes the life of a wild nan. La and the priests of the Flamins Bad seek Tarsan and Werper to recover the sacrificial knit*. which the latter had mrried off. They capture Tarsan. CHAPTER X.—The priests make ready to offer Tarsan as a sacrifice to the naming God. La offers htm life tn exihaitoe for hts love He refuses, and n Me jungle language calto Tantor. the tte■hant, to his rescue. Tantor comes, but ■ aa insane rage destroys all in his path. Ln frees Tarsan and be saves her from Ke elephant. vaapter XL—The priests an■aped Tantar's rage return to the temple with La. Tarsan remembers the jewels and finding them gone realises Werper has stolen them, He follows the scent of Ke Belgian determined on revenge.

CHAPTER XIL-Lady Greyitok* Wcapes from Achmet Zek and mrit— bar way into the junrie Werper, fleeing from the raider, to made prisoner by Abdul MounX Abyssinian officer in command es soldiers sent to wipe out Achmet ZeTa marauding band. MugamM, seeking Lady Greystoke. Is also captured by Mourak. He sees t£e jewels Werper has, and recocnlxlnx the pouch as the property of Ju* ■mater, steals the sema. replacing them with worthless pebbles, and escapee chapter xin.— wnue pursuing Wur■ar Achmet Eek recaptures Lady Grey* ■take Tanan has taken command of a band of apes, and with them attacks Achmet Zek’s camp, seeking Werper. His wife calls to him but he does not recosniaelwif- The Arabs beat off the apes end carry away their prisoner. Tarun, frith Chalk and Taglat, two great apes, allows them and enters the rillaga CHAPTER XIV.-Werpor Apses to guide Mourak to where Tarsan’s gold is buried. While Tarsan is seeking Werper t Achmet Zek’s camp Taglat carries ofl Lady Greystoka Tarsan’s recollection has been stirred by the sight of his wife, though he did not recognise her, and be starts tn pursuit. On the trail the apeman discovers Werper with the party oi AfrynstnlMUS on the way to the Greys tok* home. Following them be sees them attacked by Achmet Zek’s band. In the fighting Werper escapes and Achmet Zek pursues him. Werpor offers to give the laurels to Achmet in exchange for his Ufa CHAPTER XV.-Whfle MugamN is asleep. Chulk. the ana steals the jewel* from him. Taglat. while carrying off Lady Greystoke, !■ killed by alion His oner escapes. Proceeding in the direction ■C her homo she see* Werper slay Achmet Zek, and believing him to be M Frecoult, accompanies him to the Arabs' camp, where Mohammed Boyd is in command. Werper pretends ho still has the Jewel* •ad a trine to divide them and the pries •f Lady Oreyatoke when they sell he* Into slavery in the north. They set out. CHAPTER XVL-Op the march Mobammed Beyd. with sinister purpose, invades the tent of Lady Oreyatoke. Werper. there with thejame object, kflla him, and convoys Lady Greystoke to the jungle. CHAPTER XVII. Tanan Rscovsra His Reason. 4 As Tarzan let th* pebbles from the recovered poach ran through his fingers his thoughts returned to the pile •f yellow ingots about which the Arabs and the Abyssinlans had waged their relentless battle. Slowly and painfully recollectleo was attempting to rrassfrt Itself, the hurt brain was mending, as the cause og its recent failure to function was being slowly absorbed or removed by the healing proessses ri perfect drculatloa. Tarzan shook Ids head and sighed. Why was it that he could not recollect? At least he was sure that In some way the pile of gold, the place Stara ft lay. tbs subtle aroma of the elusive She he had been pursuing, the memory figure of the white woman, and heiilmseif were Inextricably con nsetod by the to— es a forgotten pari.

If the woman belonged there what better place to search or await her than the very spot which his broken recollections seemed to assign to her? It was worth trying. Tarran slipped the thong of the empty pouch over his shoulder and started off through the trees in the direction of the plain. When he cattie upon the spot great was his surprise and consternation, for the yellow metal had disappeared. The earth, trampled by the feet of horses and men, gave no clew. It was a* though the Ingots had evaporated into thin air. The ape-man was at a loss to know where to turn or what next to do. There was no sign of any spoor which might denote that the She had been here. The metal was gone, and if there was any connection between the She and the metal it seemed useless to wait for her now that the latter had been removed elsewhere. Fer two days he roamed about, killing, eating, drinking and sleeping wherever inclination and the means to Indulge it occurred simultaneously. It was upon the morning of the third day that the scent spoor of horse and man were wafted faintly to his nostrils. Instantly he Titered hts course to glide silently through the branchy In the direction from which the scent came. It was not long before he came upon a solitary horseman riding toward the east- Instantly his eyes confirmed what his nose had previously suspected —the rider was he who had stolen his pretty pebbles. The light of rage flared suddenly in the gray eyes as the ape-man dropped lower among the branches until he moved almost directly above the unconscious Werper. There was a quick leap, and the Belgian felt a heavy body hurtle onto the rump of his terror-stricken mount, The horse, snorting, leaped forward. Giant arms encircled the rider. and in the twinkling of an eye he was dragged from his saddle to find himself lying in the narrow trail with a naked white giant kneeling upon his breast. "The pretty pebbles!” cried the man upon his breast. “What did you do with the pretty pebbles —with Tarran s pretty pebbles T’ The fingers relaxed to permit of a reply. For some time Werper could only choke and cough—at last he regained the powers of speech. "Achmet Zek, the Arab, stole them from me,” he cried; “he made me give up the pouch and the pebbles.” “I saw all that.” replied Tarzan; "but the pebbles in the pouch were not the pebbles of Tarzan—they were only such pebbles as fill the bottoms of the rivers, and the shelving banks beside them. Even the Arab would not have them, for he threw them away in anger when he looked upon them. It la my pretty pebbles that I want — where are they?” “I do not know; I do not know,” cried Werper. “I gave them to Achmet Zek or he would have killed me. A few minutes later he followed me •long the trail to slay me. although be had promised to molest me no further, and I shot and killed him ; but the pouch was not upon his person, and though I searched about the jungle for some time I could not find it.” “I found It, I tell you,” growled Tarzan, “and I also found the pebbles which Achmet Zek had thrown away In disgust. They were not Tarzan’s pebbles. You have hidden them ’ Tell me where they are or I will kill you,” and the brown fingers of the ape-man closed a little tighter upon the throat of his victim. Werper struggled to free himself. "My God, Lord Greystoke,” he managed to scream, “would you commit murder for a handful of stones?” The fingers at his throat relaxed, a puzzled, far-away expression softened the gray eyes. “Lord Greystoke!" repeated the apeman. “Who Is Lord Greystoke? Where have I heard that name before?" “Why, man. you are Lord Greystoke,” cried the Belgian. “You were Injured by falling rock when the earthquake shattered the passage to the underground chamber to which you and your black Waziri had come to fetch golden Ingots back to your bungalow. The blow shattered your memory. You are John Clayton. Lord Greystoke—don’t you remember r “John Clayton. Lord Greystoke!” repeated Tarzan. Then for a moment he was silent Presently his hand went falteringly to his forehead, an expression of wonderment filled his eyes—of wonderment and sudden understanding. The ape-man - relinquished his grasp upon the throat of the Belgian, end leaped to his feet “God!” be cried, and then, “Jane!” Suddenly he turned toward Werner.

“My wife?" he asked. “What has become of her? The farm is in ruins. Toy know. You have had something to do with all this. You followed me to Opar, you stole the jewels which I thought but pretty pebbles. You are a crook! Do not try to tell me that yon are not” : j : _ C “He is worse than a crook.” said a quiet voice behind them. Tarzan turned in astonishment to see a tall min in uniform standing in the trail a few paces from him. Back of the man were a number of black soldiers in the uniform ri the Congo Free State. <' “He is a murderer, monsieur,’* continued the officer. “I have followed hi™ tor a long time to take him back to stand trihl for the killing of his superior officer.” Werper was upon his feet now, goring, white and trembling, - at the fate which had overtaken him even in the fastness of the labyrinthine jungle. Instinctively he turned to flee; but Tarran of .th? Apes reached out a Strang hand and grasped Mm by the shoulder.

“Waltr said the ape-man to his captive. “This gentleman wishes you and so do L When lam through with you he may have you. Tell me what has become of my wife." The Belgian officer eyed the almost ’ naked white giant with curiosity. He could not qui te determine the social status of this strange creature; but he knew that he did not relish the easy assurance? with which .the fellow presumed to dictate when he might take possession of the prisoner. “Pardon me," he said, stepping forward and. placing bis hand on Weeper’s other shoulder; “but this gentleman is my prisoner. He must come with me." - !■ “When I am through wifo him,” re- | plied Tarzan, quietly. “Both the law and the power to enforce It are upon my side,” announced the officer. “Let us have no trouble.” . “Your legal rights are not above bus- i pidon, my friend,” replied Tarzan, “and your power to enforce your commands are only apparent—not real. You have presumed to enter British territory with an armed force. Where is your authority for this invasion? Where are the extradition papers which warrant the arrest of this man? And what assurance have you that I cannot bring an armed force about you that will prevent your return to the Congo Free State?" The Belgian lost his temper. “I have do disposition to argue with a naked savage,” he cried. “Unless you wish to.<be hurt you will not interfere with me. Take the prisoner, sergeant.” I Werper raised his lips close to Tarzan’s ear. “Keep me from them, and I can show you the very spot where I saw your wife last night,” he whispered. “She cannot be far from here at thie very minute.” The soldiers, following the signal from their sergeant, closed In to seize Werper. Tarzan grabbed the Belgian about the waist, and bearing him beneath his arm as he might have borne a sack of flour, leaped forward in an attempt to break through the cordon. His right fist caught the nearest soldier upon the jaw and sent him hurtling backward upon his fellows. Clubbed rifles were torn from the hands of those who barred his way-, and right and left the black soldiers stumbled aside in the face of the apeman’s savage break for liberty. So completely did the blacks surround the two that they dared not fire for fear of hitting one of their own nnmW, and Tarzan was already through them and upon the point of dodging into the concealing mazes of the jnngie when one who had sneaked upon him from behind struck him a heavy blew upon the head with a rifle. In an Instant the ape-man was down ■nd a dozen black soldiers were upon his back. When he regained consciousness he found himself securely bound, as was Werper also. Werper was voluble in hts protests.- He explained that Tarzan was an English lord; but the officer only laughed at the assertion, and advised his prisoner

to save his breath for his defense In court. » • Toward evening the column halted beside a stream, made camp and prepared the evening meal. From the thick foliage of the near-by jungle a pair of fierce eyes watched the activities of the uniformed blacks with silent Intensity and curiosity. Tanan and Werper had been lying bound behind a small pile of knapsacks from the time that the company had halted; but with the preparation of the meal completed, their guard ordered them to rise and come forward to one of the fires where theii hands would be unfettered that thej might eat As the giant ape-man rose, a startled expression of recognition entered the eyes of the watcher in the jungle, and a low guttural broke from the savage lips. Instantly Tarzan was alert, but the answering growl died upon his lips, suppressed by the. fear that it might arouse the suspicions of the soldiers. Suddenly an inspiration came to him. He turned toward Werper. “I am going to speak to you in s loud voice and in a tongue which you do not understand. Appear to listen intently to what I say, and occasionally mumble something as though replying in the same language—our escape may hinge upon the success of year efforts."

Werper nodded In assent and understanding, and immediately there broke from the lipe of his companion a strange Jargon which might have been compared with equal propriety to the barking and growling of a dog and the chattering of monkeys. The nearer soldiers looked In surprise at the ape-man. The officer ap proached the prisoners while Tarzan was still Jabbering, and hatted behind them,, listening in perplexed Interest And deep in the gloomy Jungle amidst the darkening shadows of the falling night a hairy, manlike creature swung swiftly southward upon some secret mission of his own. * * • • To Jane Clayton, waiting in the tree where Werper had placed her, it seemed that the long night would never end, yet end it d<d at within an hour of the coming of dawn her spirit leaped with renewed hope at sight of a solitary horseman ap proaching along the trail. The flowing burnoose, with Its loose hood hid both the face and the figure of the rider; but that it was M. Frecoult the girl well knew, since he had been garbed as an Arab, and he alone might be expected to seek her hiding place. ’ She did not see the black face beneath the white hood, nor the file of ebon horsemen beyond the trail’s bend riding slowly in the wake of their leader. These things she did-notsee at first, so she leaned downward toward the approaching rider, a cry of welcome in her throat At the first word the man looked up, reining in in surprise, and as she saw the black face of Abdul Mourak, the Abyssinian, she shrank back in terror among the branches; but It was too late. The man had seen her, and now he called toher to descend. She realized that resistance was futile, and came slowly down to stand upon the ground before this new captor and plead her cause in the name of Justice and humanity. Angered by recent defeat, and by the loss of the gold, the Jewels, and his prisoners, Abdul Mourak was in no mood to be Influenced by any appeal to those softer sentiments to which, as a matter of fact, he was almost a stranger even under the most favorable conditions. z He looked for degradation and possible death in punishment for his failures and his misfortunes when he should have returned to his native land and made his report to Menelek; but an acceptable gift might temper the wrath of the emperor, and surely this fair flower of another race Should be gratefully received by the black ruler! Many hours later, and as yet Jane Clayton, notwithstanding that she had passed a sleepless night the night before, had scarcely more than dozed. A sense of impending danger seemed to hang like a black pall over the camp. The veteran troopers of the black emperor were nervous and ill at ease. Abdul - Mourak left his blankets a dozen times to pace restlessly back and forth between the tethered horses and the crackling fire. The roaring of lions rose In sudden fury until the earth trembled to the hideous chorus. ( The horses shrilled their neighs of terror as they lay back upon their halter ropes In their mad endeavors to break loose. A Hon, large and fierce, and courageous, leaped almost to the boma, full in the bright light from the fire. A sentry raised fils piece and fired, and the little leaden pellet unstopped the vials of hell upon the ter-ror-stricken camp. lif d'he shot plowed a deep and painful furrow An the Hon’s side, arousiijg all the bestial fury of the little brain; but abating not a whit the power and vigor of the great body. Unwounded, the boma and the flames might have turned him back; but now the pain and the rage wiped caution from his mind, and with a loud and angry roar he topped the barrier with an easy leap and was among the Jjorses. What had been pandemonium before became now an Indescribable tumult of hldeotfs sounds. The stricken horse upon which the Hon leaped shrieked out its terror and its agony. Several about it broke their tethers and plunged madly about the camp. Men leaped from their blankets and with guns ready ran toward the picket line, and then from the Jungle beyond the boma a dozen Hons, emboldened by the example of their fellow, charged fearlessly upon the camp. Amidst the cracking of the rifles

* | and the growls of the carnivora rose the death screams of stricken men and | horses as they were dragged down by y the blood-mad cats. The leaping carnivora and the plunging horses prevented any concerted action by the Abyssinlane—it was every man for himself —and in the melee the defenseless woman was either forgotten or; ignored by her black captors. - I A horse, struck by a stray bullet, feU beside Jane Clayton, a lion leaped across the expiring beast full upon the breast of a black trooper Just beyond, flaping fangs closed with a single Sickening crunch upon the fear-dis-torted face, and the Hon strode back across the body of the dead horse, dragging his limp and bloody burden with him. Wide-eyed the girl stood watching. She saw the carnivore step upon the corpse, stumblingly, as the grisly thing swung between its forepaws, and her eyes remained fixed in fascination while the beast passed within ajfew paces of her. The interference of the body seemed to enrage the Hon. He shook the inanimate clay venomously. He growled and roared hideously at the dead, insensate thing, and then he dropped it and raised his head to look about in * search of some living victim upon which to wreak his ill temper. His yellow eyes fastened themselves balefully upon the figure ot the girl, the bristling Ups raised, disclosing the grinning fangs. A terrific roar broke, from the savage throat, and the great { beast crouched to spring upon this. new and helpless victim. i • * • ! Quiet had fallen upon the camp where Tarzan and Werper lay securely! bound. Silently and powerfully the, ape-man strained at the bonds which fettered his wrists. - The muscles knotted beneath the smooth brown skin of his arms and shoulders, the veins stood out upon his temples from the force of his exertions —a strand parted, another and another, and one hand was free. Then from the jungle came a low guttural,, and the ape-man became suddenly a silent, rigid statue, with ears and nostrils straining to span the black void where his eyesight could not reach. Again came the uncanny sound from the thick verdure beyond the camp. The sentries drew close together, watching the black .spot froth which the voice seemed to come. They dared not approach. Their terror even prevented them from arousing their fellows —they ' could only stand In frozen fear and watch for the fearsome apparition they momentarily expected to see leap from the jungle. Nor had they long to wait A dim, bulky form dropped Hghtly from the branches of a tree into the camp. At sight of it one of the sentries recovered command of his muscles and his voice. Screaming loudly, to awaken the sleeping camp, he leaped toward the flickering watch fire and threw

a mass of brush upon it. - The flames leaped, high upon the re* juvenated fire, lighting the entire ramp, and the awakened men shrank back in superstitious terror from the sight that met their frightened and astonished vision. A dozen huge and hairy forms loomed large beneath the trees at the far side of the Inclosure. The white giant, ,one hand free, had struggled to Ms knees and was calling to the frightful nocturnal visitors in a hideous medley of bestial gutturals, barkings and growlings. Growling, the great apes leaped forward toward Tarzan and Werper. Chulk led them. The Belgian officer called to Ms men to fire upon the intruders; but the negroes held back, filled as they were with superstitious terror of the hairy tree-men, and with the conviction that the white giant who could thus summon the beasts of the Jungle to his aid was more than human. Drawing his own weapon the officer fired, and Tarzan, fearing the effect of the noise upon his really timid friends, called to them to hasten and fulfill Ms commands. Chulk and a half dozen others waddled rapidly for ward, and, following the ape-man’s directions, seized both him and Werper and bore them off toward the jungle. By dint of threats, reproaches and profanity the Belgian officer succeeded In persuading his trembling command to fire a volley after the retreating apes. ▲ ragged, straggling volley it was, but at least one of its bullets found a mark, for as the jungle closed about the hairy rescuers Chulk* who bore Werper across one broad shoulder, staggered and fell. As Chulk went down he dropped Werper, so that the latter fell face downward with the body of the ape | lying half across him. In this position. .the Belgian felt something resting ! against his hands, which were still I bound at Ms back—something that-was not a part of the hairy body of the tape. z | Mechanically the man’s fingfen felt of the object resting almost in their grasp—it was a soft pouch,..filled with small, hard particles. Werper ggqpef in wonderment as recognition filtered through the incredulity of Ms mind. It was impossible, and yet —it was frue! - Feverishly he strove to remove the pouch from the'ape and transfer it to Ms own poeseeslon; but the restricted radius to wMch Ms bonds held Ms hands prevented this, though he did. succeed in tucking toe pouch With its precious contents inside the waistband of his treasure. - .. Tarzan, sitting at a short distance, was busy with the ruMaiutagt-knots of the cords which bound him. Presently he flung aside the last of them and rose to his feet. Approaching Werper he knelt beside him. Far a bmbbssX

ne examined the ape. “Quite dead,” he announced. “It Is too bad —he was a splendid creature,” and then he turned to the work of liberating the Belgian. He freed his hands first and then commenced upon the knots at his ankles. . _ - “I can do the rest," said the Belgian. “I have a small pocket knife which they overlooked when they searched me,” and in this way he succeeded in ridding himself of the ape-man’s attentions' that he might find and open bls little knife and cut the thong which fastened the pouch about Chulk’s shoulder and transfer it from his waistband to the breast of his shirt. Then he rose and approached Tarzan. “Now,” said the ape-man, “keep your promise to me. Lead me to the spot where you last saw my wife.” It was- slow wprk pushing through the jungle in the dead of night behind the slow-moving Belgian. The apeman chafed at the delay, but the European could not Swing through the trees as could his more agile and muscular companions, and so the speed of aH was limited to that of the slowest The two had gone but a short distance when the roaring of distant lions fell upon their ears. The ape-man paid no attention to the familiar sounds until the crack of a rifle came faintly from the same direction, and when this was foHowed by the shrill neighing of horses and an almost continuous fusillade of shots Intermingled with Increased and savage roaring of a large troop of Hons, he became Immediately concerned. “Someone is having trouble over there,” he said, turning toward Warper. ‘TH have to go to them —they may be friends.” “Your wife might be among them, suggested the Belgian, for since he had again come into possession of the pouch he had become fearful and suspicious of the ape-man, and in his mind had constantly revolved many plans for eluding this giant Englishwho was at once his and his captor. At the suggestion Tarzan started as though struck with a whip. “God I" he cried, “she might be, and the Hons are attacking them— they are in the camp. I can teU from the screams of the horses —and there! that was the cry of a man in his death agonies. Stay here, man —I will come back for you. I must go first to them,” and swinging into a tree the lithe figure swung rapidly off into the night with the speed and alienee of a disembodied spirit. For a moment Werper stood where the ape-man had left him. Then a running smile crossed his lips. “Stay here?* he asked himself. “Stay here and wait until you return to find and take these jewels from me? Not I, my friend, not L” and turning abruptly eastward Albert Werper passed through the foliage of a hanging vine and oat of the sight of his feUowman—forever. (TO BE CONTINUED.)

“My Ged, Lord Greystoke!" He Managed to Scream.

Their Guard Ordered Them to Riss.