have detected it. At first he did not translate it, but finally
he realized that it came from the bare feet of a number of human
beings. They were behind him, and they were coming toward him
quietly. He was being stalked.

In a flash he knew why he had been left in that little valley by
Gernois; but there had been a hitch in the arrangements--the men
had come too late. Closer and closer came the footsteps. Tarzan
halted and faced them, his rifle ready in his hand. Now he caught
a fleeting glimpse of a white burnoose. He called aloud in French,
asking what they would of him. His reply was the flash of a long
gun, and with the sound of the shot Tarzan of the Apes plunged
forward upon his face.

The Arabs did not rush out immediately; instead, they waited to be
sure that their victim did not rise. Then they came rapidly from
their concealment, and bent over him. It was soon apparent that
he was not dead. One of the men put the muzzle of his gun to the
back of Tarzan's head to finish him, but another waved him aside.
"If we bring him alive the reward is to be greater," explained the
latter. So they bound his hands and feet, and, picking him up,
placed him on the shoulders of four of their number. Then the
march was resumed toward the desert. When they had come out of the
mountains they turned toward the south, and about daylight came to
the spot where their horses stood in care of two of their number.

From here on their progress was more rapid. Tarzan, who had regained
consciousness, was tied to a spare horse, which they evidently
had brought for the purpose. His wound was but a slight scratch,
which had furrowed the flesh across his temple. It had stopped