ro
wharf the figure of a heavily veiled woman had hurried down the narrow
tisfied that she had at last reached the place she soug
ight of a richly gowned woman in their midst. Rapidly she approached the slove
here, but a minute since," she asked,
o had approached to listen to the conversation vouchsafed the information that a moment before a
ent," cried the woman, slippi
kly toward the wharf and along it until across the water they sa
be," whisp
d a boat and row me to that
caid afore she sails. She's had steam up for three hours an' jest been a-waiti
nother boat lay moored, and, lowering the woman into it, he jumped
s into his outstretched hand. A single glance at them convinced the fellow that he had been more than well paid. Then he assisted her up t
proclaimed the fact that the Kincaid's anchor was being raised, and a moment later the waiter hear
shore he heard a woman's s
he soliloquized. "I might jest as
There was no sign of those she sought nor of any other aboard, and so she went about her se
in, on either side of which were the smaller rooms occupied by the officers, she failed to note the quick closing of one of the doors before
bing of her own frightened heart seemed to her overwroug
pon the vessel, the purring of the engines, the throbbing of the propeller. She had reached the last door upon the right now, and as s
had upon her drew a single piercing scream from her thr
and, my dear," he said. "Then yo
s. The man relaxed the pressure of his fingers upon her lips, and with a lit
f! M. Thuran!"
r," replied the Russ
be so cruel-even as you-Nikolas Rokoff-cannot be entirely devoid of mercy and compassion? Tell me where he is.
our own fault that you are here. You came aboard voluntarily, and you may take the consequence
he truth of the matter being that Nikolas Rokoff was so poor a sailor that the heavy seas the Kincaid encou
nsavoury cook, who brought her meals to her. His name was Sven Andersse
e very sight of him with one grimy thumb buried deep in the lukewarm stew, that seemed, from the frequency of
all a sinister suggestion was added by the long slim knife that always rested at his waist, slipped through the greasy cord that supported his soiled apron. Ostensibly it was
and a word of thanks when he brought her food to her, though more often than not she hur
whereabouts of her husband and her son. She fully believed that the baby was aboard the Kincaid, provided that he still
ne reason for having him brought aboard the ship-to dispatch him in comparative safety in revenge for his h
s cell, ignorant of the fact that his wife was
he had been unsuccessful. He had hoped to learn through this fellow whether his little son was aboard the Kincaid, but to every question upon t
mer forged on they knew not where. Once the Kincaid stopped to co
and hollow-eyed from a long siege of sea-sickness. The object of his visit was to obtain from her her
band," she replied, "I will pay you in gold twice the amount you ask; but until the
rl, "or neither you nor your child nor your husband will e
ave I that you would not take my money and then do as y
our son-if you chance to hear the agonized wail of a tortured child it may console you to re
the girl. "You would not-coul
d, "for you permit a paltry sum of money to stan
large denomination and handed it to Nikolas Rokoff, who
zan's cell, and as he looked up he saw Paulvitch
mind that you will be shot if you make a single
but at a respectful distance, stood a half-dozen sailors
who he felt sure must be aboar
ght yourself and your family to this unfortunate extremity. You have only yourself to thank. As you may imagine, it has cost M. Rokoff
y you avert the most unpleasant consequences to your wife and child,
hat you will live up to your end of the agreement? I have little
ssian
will live up to our agreement other than my word, but you have before you the assur
at would give us greater pleasure than to order these men to fire. That we do not is be
said Tarzan. "Is my s
re will be no reason for not killing the child, since with you gone the one whom we wish to punish through the boy will be gone, and he will then be to us only a constant source
carry out any sinister threat that Paulvitch had made, and there wa
eing within the realms of probability. But he was determined to give them such a battle as they would neve
eque-book and fountai
he amount?
mous sum. Tarzan could
least. Purposely he hesitated and haggled over the amount, but Paulvitch was obdurate. Fin
rboard bow of the Kincaid. To his surprise he saw that the ship lay within a few hundred yards of land. A
d the directio
set at liberty
t the land before him the mainland of Africa, and he knew that should they libera
h took t
e said to the ape-man. "H
n dem
ilors. Then the Englishman slowly
as rowed ashore. Half an hour later the sailors had returned
ng the departure of the vessel he saw a figure appear
ed him as the small boat that bore him to the shore was on the point of re
e of a little child. Tarzan half started as though to rush through the surf and strike out for the
he Kincaid until it disappeared beyond
bloodshot eyes glared from beneat
and scolded, and from the distance of the
of keen regret for the opportunity that he had wasted because he had been so gullible
owledge that Jane is safe in London. Thank Heaven she,
s had been watching him as a cat watches
ained senses of t
e acute
ncanny sens