The ape-man realized that probably for the first time his companion
had discovered that he was tailless by nature rather than by
accident, and so he called attention to his own great toes and thumbs
to further impress upon the creature that they were of different
species.

The fellow shook his head dubiously as though entirely unable
to comprehend why Tarzan should differ so from him but at last,
apparently giving the problem up with a shrug, he laid aside his
own harness, skin, and weapons and entered the pool.

His ablutions completed and his meager apparel redonned he seated
himself at the foot of the tree and motioning Tarzan to a place
beside him, opened the pouch that hung at his right side taking from
it strips of dried flesh and a couple of handfuls of thin-shelled
nuts with which Tarzan was unfamiliar. Seeing the other break them
with his teeth and eat the kernel, Tarzan followed the example thus
set him, discovering the meat to be rich and well flavored. The
dried flesh also was far from unpalatable, though it had evidently
been jerked without salt, a commodity which Tarzan imagined might
be rather difficult to obtain in this locality.

As they ate Tarzan's companion pointed to the nuts, the dried meat,
and various other nearby objects, in each instance repeating what
Tarzan readily discovered must be the names of these things in the
creature's native language. The ape-man could but smile at this
evident desire upon the part of his new-found acquaintance to impart
to him instructions that eventually might lead to an exchange of
thoughts between them. Having already mastered several languages
and a multitude of dialects the ape-man felt that he could readily