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.