Page:Tarzan and the Ant Men.pdf/89

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
TARZAN AND THE ANT MEN
83

moved noiselessly to the tree nearest the antelope. The detachment was not far behind him, though it had stopped the moment the officer saw the game that Tarzan was stalking, lest it be fright­ened away.

The pygmies knew naught of bows and arrows and so they watched with deep interest every move of the ape-man. They saw him fit an arrow to his bow, draw it far back and release it almost all in a single movement, so quick with this weapon was he, and they saw the antelope leap to the im­pact of the missile which was followed in rapid succession by a second and a third, and as he shot his bolts Tarzan leaped forward in pursuit of his prey; but there was no danger that he would lose it. With the second arrow the buck was upon his knees and when Tarzan reached him he was al­ready dead.

The warriors who had followed close behind Tarzan the instant that there was no further need for caution were already surrounding the antelope, where they were talking with much more excite­ment than Tarzan had seen them display upon any previous occasion, their interest seem­ingly centered about the death dealing pro­jectiles that had so easily laid the greatanimal low, for to them this antelope was as large as would be the largest elephant to us; and as they caught the ape-man’s eye they smiled and rubbed their palms together very rap-­