TARZAN AND THE LOST EMPIRE
and blood the same as I, and so I think that perhaps you are telling me the truth when you say that you are not a member of The Lost Tribe, because I am sure that they are all ghosts.”
“But when they come to trade with you and when they come to fight with you, can you not tell whether they are flesh and blood or not?”
“They are very powerful,” said Lukedi. “They might come in the form of men in the flesh or they might come as snakes or lions, That is why we are not sure.”
“And what do you think the council will decide to do with me?” asked Tarzan.
“I think that there is no doubt but that they will bum you alive, for thus both you and your spirit will be destroyed so that it cannot come back to haunt and annoy us.”
“Have you seen or heard of another white man recently?” asked Tarzan.
“No,” replied the youth. “Many years ago, before I can remember, two white men came who said that they were not members of The Lost Tribe, but we did not believe them and they were killed. I must go now. I shall bring you more milk tomorrow.”
After Lukedi had left, Tarzan commenced examining the chain, padlock, and the center pole of the hut in an effort to discover some means of escape. The hut was cylindrical and surmounted by a conical roof of grass. The side walls were of stakes set upright a few inches in the ground and fastened together at their tops and bottoms by creepers. The center pole was much heavier and was secured in position by rafters radiating from it to the top of the wall. The interior of the hut was plastered with mud, which had been thrown on with force and then smoothed with the palm of the hand. It was a common type with which Tarzan was familiar. He knew that there was a possiblity that be might be able to raise the center pole and withdraw the chain from beneath it.
It would, of course, be difficult to accomplish this without attracting the attention of the guards, and there was a possibility that the center pole might be set sufficiently far in the ground to render it impossible for him to raise it. If he
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