United States or Jamaica ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
This reasoning, though entirely satisfactory to Numgo and Mumga, failed fully to convince Tarzan. However, it gave him a basis for further investigation along a new line. He would investigate the moon. That night he clambered to the loftiest pinnacle of the tallest jungle giant. The moon was full, a great, glorious, equatorial moon.
Pacco, the zebra, and Wappi, the antelope, have those about the herd who keep watch while the others feed, while we, the great Mangani, let Numa, and Sabor, and Sheeta come when they will and carry us off to feed their balus. "Gr-r-rmph," said Numgo. "What are we to do?" asked Taug.
But the moon made no answer to the boasting of the ape-man, and when a cloud came and obscured her face, Tarzan thought that Goro was indeed afraid, and was hiding from him, so he came down out of the trees and awoke Numgo and told him how great was Tarzan how he had frightened Goro out of the sky and made him tremble.
Twice he shook the old ape, then he released his tooth-hold. "Are you God?" he demanded. "No," wailed Numgo. "I am only a poor, old ape. Leave me alone. Go ask the Gomangani where God is. They are hairless like yourself and very wise, too. They should know." Tarzan released Numgo and turned away.
Numgo, overhearing Tarzan's questions, managed to wrest his attention long enough from the diversion of flea hunting to advance the theory that the power which made the lightning and the rain and the thunder came from Goro, the moon. He knew this, he said, because the Dum-Dum always was danced in the light of Goro.
Tarzan spoke of the moon as HE, for all things large or awe inspiring are male to the ape folk. Numgo was not much impressed; but he was very sleepy, so he told Tarzan to go away and leave his betters alone. "But where shall I find God?" insisted Tarzan. "You are very old; if there is a God you must have seen Him. What does He look like? Where does He live?" "I am God," replied Numgo.
"Teeka is Tarzan's," said the ape-man, in the low gutturals of the great anthropoids. "Teeka is Taug's," replied the bull ape. Thaka and Numgo and Gunto, disturbed by the growlings of the two young bulls, looked up half apathetic, half interested. They were sleepy, but they sensed a fight. It would break the monotony of the humdrum jungle life they led.
"Now sleep and disturb me no more." Tarzan looked at Numgo steadily for several minutes, his shapely head sank just a trifle between his great shoulders, his square chin shot forward and his short upper lip drew back, exposing his white teeth. Then, with a low growl he leaped upon the ape and buried his fangs in the other's hairy shoulder, clutching the great neck in his mighty fingers.
Word Of The Day