"Very well," replied Tarzan, for he knew that he could trust them
to carry out any sinister threat that Paulvitch had made, and there
was a bare chance that by conceding their demands he might save
the boy.

That they would permit him to live after he had appended his name
to the cheque never occurred to him as being within the realms of
probability. But he was determined to give them such a battle as
they would never forget, and possibly to take Paulvitch with him
into eternity. He was only sorry that it was not Rokoff.

He took his pocket cheque-book and fountain-pen from his pocket.

"What is the amount?" he asked.

Paulvitch named an enormous sum. Tarzan could scarce restrain a
smile.

Their very cupidity was to prove the means of their undoing, in the
matter of the ransom at least. Purposely he hesitated and haggled
over the amount, but Paulvitch was obdurate. Finally the ape-man
wrote out his cheque for a larger sum than stood to his credit at
the bank.

As he turned to hand the worthless slip of paper to the Russian
his glance chanced to pass across the starboard bow of the Kincaid.
To his surprise he saw that the ship lay within a few hundred yards
of land. Almost down to the water's edge ran a dense tropical
jungle, and behind was higher land clothed in forest.