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READ THE NOVEL- Chapters 1-31 - ERBzine

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Tarzan on Mars<br />

feet. He landed in sprawling, many-limbed anger, rolling over<br />

several times before he could gain his feet. But, by now he<br />

had gone completely berserk. He rose up with a bellowing<br />

shriek of rage and sought out the puny man-thing which had<br />

dared to belittle him in the eyes of his companions. When he<br />

saw Tarzan already standing, waiting for him, he charged<br />

again, to the accompaniment of many growls and screams of<br />

encouragement offered by the other three.<br />

Tarzan waited until Kudg was in precisely the right<br />

position before him, and then, when the frothing monster<br />

reached out to annihilate him, he ducked beneath its arms and<br />

swung a mighty blow into the pit of the other's hairless belly,<br />

at the same time side-stepping the infuriated animal's lunging<br />

charge.<br />

Kudg fell flat on his face, moaning faintly, only semiconscious.<br />

Instantly, Tarzan was on his back. He obtained a<br />

full nelson on the creature and lost no time in pressing the<br />

grip home to its deadliest advantage. With a suddenness<br />

which surprised him, the ape's neck snapped. He felt the<br />

monster go limp.<br />

Then he hurled himself to one side as a great stone club<br />

descended toward him. Instead of striking him, the weapon<br />

struck Kudg and crushed his skull like an over-ripe melon.<br />

Tarzan saw, scented and felt that the other apes were now<br />

bent on tearing him bodily asunder. He was hardly aware of<br />

his own action when he snatched the club from the hand of his<br />

attacker.<br />

But suddenly he had the club. It felt reassuringly heavy<br />

in his ready hands as he swung it about his head and struck<br />

the closest ape on the shoulder with it. He saw that shoulder<br />

splinter, spouting bone and blood.<br />

And the battle was on!<br />

Time, itself, was lost in that swirling, striking, snarling<br />

circle of raw rage and bestiality. Tarzan could only analyze<br />

later, in retrospect, the fact that many times an ape laid hold<br />

199

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