Page:Tarzan and the Ant Men.pdf/45

Rh lost interest in the newcomer and resumed their indolent lounging about the walls of the court­yard while Tarzan paced to and fro its length, his keen eye searching for whatever avenue of escape chance might provide, and he saw it in the height of the walls, to the top of which a long, running jump would take his outstretched fingers, he was sure; but not yet—he must wait for darkness to shield his attempt from those within the en­closure and those without. And as darkness ap­proached the actions of the other occupants of the courtyard became noticeably altered; they walked back and forth, constantly passing and re­passing the entrance to the shelter at the end of the courtyard, and occasionally entering the first room and often passing to the second room where they listened for a moment before the great slab that closed the outer aperture; then back into the courtyard again and back and forth in restless movement. Finally one stamped a foot upon the ground and this was taken up by the others until, in regular cadence, the thud, thud, thud of their naked feet must have been audible for some dis­tance beyond the confines of their narrow prison yard.

Whatever this procedure might have been in­tended to accomplish, nothing, apparently, resulted, and presently one of the girls, her sullen face snarling in anger, seized her bludgeon more firmly in her two hands and stepping close to