h Tarzan was bound was a stronger one than that of his
boyhood, which had parted so quickly to the chafing of the rough tree
bark. Yet, all the while hunger was growing upon the beasts and the
strands of the grass rope were wearing thinner and thinner. Bukawai
slept.

It was late afternoon before one of the beasts, irritated by the
gnawing of appetite, made a quick, growling dash at the ape-man. The
noise awoke Bukawai. He sat up quickly and watched what went on within
the crater. He saw the hungry hyena charge the man, leaping for the
unprotected throat. He saw Tarzan reach out and seize the growling
animal, and then he saw the second beast spring for the devil-god's
shoulder. There was a mighty heave of the great, smooth-skinned body.
Rounded muscles shot into great, tensed piles beneath the brown
hide--the ape-man surged forward with all his weight and all his great
strength--the bonds parted, and the three were rolling upon the floor
of the crater snarling, snapping, and rending.

Bukawai leaped to his feet. Could it be that the devil-god was to
prevail against his servants? Impossible! The creature was unarmed, and
he was down with two hyenas on top of him; but Bukawai did not know
Tarzan.

The ape-man fastened his fingers upon the throat of one of the hyenas
and rose to one knee, though the other beast tore at him frantically in
an effort to pull him down. With a single hand Tarzan held the one,
and with the other hand he reached forth and pulled toward him the
second beast.

And then Bukawai, seeing the battle going against his forces, rushed
forward from the cavern brandishing his knob-stick. Tarzan saw him
coming, and rising now to both feet, a hyena in each hand, he hurled
one of the foaming beasts straight at the witch-doctor's head. Down
went the two in a snarling, biting heap. Tarzan tossed the second
hyena across the crater, while the first gnawed at the rotting face of
its master; but this did not suit the ape-man. With a kick he sent the
beast howling after its companion, and springing to the side of the
prostrate witch-doctor, dragged him to his feet.

Bukawai, still conscious, saw death, immediate and terrible, in the
cold eyes of his captor, so he turned upon Tarzan with teeth and nails.
The ape-man shuddered at the proximity of that raw face to his. The
hyenas had had enough and disappeared through the small aperture
leading into the cave. Tarzan had little difficulty in overpower