ch
prompted him to interfere, and demand that he be permitted to dress
Tarzan's wounds.

"This gentleman was hit once at least," he said. "Possibly thrice."

"Twice," said Tarzan. "Once in the left shoulder, and again in the
left side--both flesh wounds, I think." But the doctor insisted upon
stretching him upon the sward, and tinkering with him until the wounds
were cleansed and the flow of blood checked.

One result of the duel was that they all rode back to Paris together in
D'Arnot's car, the best of friends. De Coude was so relieved to have
had this double assurance of his wife's loyalty that he felt no rancor
at all toward Tarzan. It is true that the latter had assumed much more
of the fault than was rightly his, but if he lied a little he may be
excused, for he lied in the service of a woman, and he lied like a
gentleman.

The ape-man was confined to his bed for several days. He felt that it
was foolish and unnecessary, but the doctor and D'Arnot took the matter
so to heart that he gave in to please them, though it made him laugh to
think of it.

"It is droll," he said to D'Arnot. "To lie abed because of a pin
prick! Why, when Bolgani, the king gorilla, tore me almost to pieces,
while I was still but a little boy, did I have a nice soft bed to lie
on? No, only the damp, rotting vegetation of the jungle. Hidden
beneath some friendly bush I lay for days and weeks with only Kala to
nurse me--poor, faithful Kala, who kept the insects from my wounds and
warned off the beasts of prey.

"When I called for water she brought it to me in her own mouth--the
only way she knew to carry it. There was no sterilized gauze, there
was no antiseptic bandage--there was nothing that would not have driven
our dear doctor mad to have seen. Yet I recovered--recovered to lie in
bed because of a tiny scratch that one of the jungle folk would scarce
realize unless it were upon the end of his nose."

But the time was soon over, and before he realized it Tarzan found
himself abroad again. Several times De Coude had called, and when he
found that Tarzan was anxious for employment of some nature he promised
to see what could be done to find a berth for him.

It was the first day that Tarzan was permitted to go out that he
received a message from De Coude requesting him to call at the count's
office that afternoon.

He found De Coude awaiting him with a very pleasant welcome, and a
sincere congratulation that he was onc