transpired the previous evening, a grim smile was playing about
the lips of the policeman. He touched a button near his hand, and
as he waited for the clerk to respond to its summons he searched
through the papers on his desk for one which he finally located.

"Here, Joubon," he said as the clerk entered. "Summon these
officers--have them come to me at once," and he handed the man the
paper he had sought. Then he turned to Tarzan.

"You have committed a very grave offense, monsieur," he said, not
unkindly, "and but for the explanation made by our good friend here
I should be inclined to judge you harshly. I am, instead, about
to do a rather unheard-of-thing. I have summoned the officers whom
you maltreated last night. They shall hear Lieutenant D'Arnot's
story, and then I shall leave it to their discretion to say whether
you shall be prosecuted or not.

"You have much to learn about the ways of civilization. Things
that seem strange or unnecessary to you, you must learn to accept
until you are able to judge the motives behind them. The officers
whom you attacked were but doing their duty. They had no discretion
in the matter. Every day they risk their lives in the protection
of the lives or property of others. They would do the same for
you. They are very brave men, and they are deeply mortified that
a single unarmed man bested and beat them.

"Make it easy for them to overlook what you did. Unless I am
gravely in error you are yourself a very brave man, and brave men
are proverbially magnanimous."