koff had visited Jane Clayton but once since he had locked her in the
tiny cabin. He had come gaunt and hollow-eyed from a long siege of
sea-sickness. The object of his visit was to obtain from her her
personal cheque for a large sum in return for a guarantee of her
personal safety and return to England.

"When you set me down safely in any civilized port, together with my
son and my husband," she replied, "I will pay you in gold twice the
amount you ask; but until then you shall not have a cent, nor the
promise of a cent under any other conditions."

"You will give me the cheque I ask," he replied with a snarl, "or
neither you nor your child nor your husband will ever again set foot
within any port, civilized or otherwise."

"I would not trust you," she replied. "What guarantee have I that you
would not take my money and then do as you pleased with me and mine
regardless of your promise?"

"I think you will do as I bid," he said, turning to leave the cabin.
"Remember that I have your son--if you chance to hear the agonized wail
of a tortured child it may console you to reflect that it is because of
your stubbornness that the baby suffers--and that it is your baby."

"You would not do it!" cried the girl. "You would not--could not be so
fiendishly cruel!"

"It is not I that am cruel, but you," he returned, "for you permit a
paltry sum of money to stand between your baby and immunity from
suffering."

The end of it was that Jane Clayton wrote out a cheque of large
denomination and handed it to Nikolas Rokoff, who left her cabin with a
grin of satisfaction upon his lips.

The following day the hatch was removed from Tarzan's cell, and as he
looked up he saw Paulvitch's head framed in the square of light above
him.

"Come up," commanded the Russian. "But bear in mind that you will be
shot if you make a single move to attack me or any other aboard the
ship."

The ape-man swung himself lightly to the deck. About him, but at a
respectful distance, stood a half-dozen sailors armed with rifles and
revolvers. Facing him was Paulvitch.

Tarzan looked about for Rokoff, who he felt sure must be aboard, but
there was no sign of him.

"Lord Greystoke," commenced the Russian, "by your continued and wanton
interference with M. Rokoff and his plans you have at last brought
yourself and your family to this unfortunate extremity. You have only
yourself to thank. As you may imagine, it has cost M. Rokoff a large