It was during this dance that the ape-man first noticed that some
of the men and many of the women wore ornaments of gold--principally
anklets and armlets of great weight, apparently beaten out of the
solid metal. When he expressed a wish to examine one of these, the
owner removed it from her person and insisted, through the medium
of signs, that Tarzan accept it as a gift. A close scrutiny of the
bauble convinced the ape-man that the article was of virgin gold,
and he was surprised, for it was the first time that he had ever
seen golden ornaments among the savages of Africa, other than the
trifling baubles those near the coast had purchased or stolen from
Europeans. He tried to ask them from whence the metal came, but
he could not make them understand.

When the dance was done Tarzan signified his intention to leave
them, but they almost implored him to accept the hospitality of
a great hut which the chief set apart for his sole use. He tried
to explain that he would return in the morning, but they could not
understand. When he finally walked away from them toward the side
of the village opposite the gate, they were still further mystified
as to his intentions.

Tarzan, however, knew just what he was about. In the past he had
had experience with the rodents and vermin that infest every native
village, and, while he was not overscrupulous about such matters,
he much preferred the fresh air of the swaying trees to the fetid
atmosphere of a hut.

The natives followed him to where a great tree overhung the palisade,
and as Tarzan leaped for a lower branch and disappeared into the