a button near his hand, and as he
waited for the clerk to respond to its summons he searched through the
papers on his desk for one which he finally located.

"Here, Joubon," he said as the clerk entered. "Summon these
officers--have them come to me at once," and he handed the man the
paper he had sought. Then he turned to Tarzan.

"You have committed a very grave offense, monsieur," he said, not
unkindly, "and but for the explanation made by our good friend here I
should be inclined to judge you harshly. I am, instead, about to do a
rather unheard-of-thing. I have summoned the officers whom you
maltreated last night. They shall hear Lieutenant D'Arnot's story, and
then I shall leave it to their discretion to say whether you shall be
prosecuted or not.

"You have much to learn about the ways of civilization. Things that
seem strange or unnecessary to you, you must learn to accept until you
are able to judge the motives behind them. The officers whom you
attacked were but doing their duty. They had no discretion in the
matter. Every day they risk their lives in the protection of the lives
or property of others. They would do the same for you. They are very
brave men, and they are deeply mortified that a single unarmed man
bested and beat them.

"Make it easy for them to overlook what you did. Unless I am gravely
in error you are yourself a very brave man, and brave men are
proverbially magnanimous."

Further conversation was interrupted by the appearance of the four
policemen. As their eyes fell on Tarzan, surprise was writ large on
each countenance.

"My children," said the official, "here is the gentleman whom you met
in the Rue Maule last evening. He has come voluntarily to give himself
up. I wish you to listen attentively to Lieutenant D'Arnot, who will
tell you a part of the story of monsieur's life. It may explain his
attitude toward you of last night. Proceed, my dear lieutenant."

D'Arnot spoke to the policemen for half an hour. He told them
something of Tarzan's wild jungle life. He explained the savage
training that had taught him to battle like a wild beast in
self-preservation. It became plain to them that the man had been
guided by instinct rather than reason in his attack upon them. He had
not understood their intentions. To him they had been little different
from any of the various forms of life he had been accustomed to in his
native jungle, where practically all were his en