"It is my duty to go anyway," said West, "not Stanley's; and I'm going."
"You'd better stay here," advised Tarzan. "You wouldn't have a chance."
"Why wouldn't I have as good a chance as you?" demanded West.
"Perhaps you would, but you would delay me." Tarzan turned away and walked toward the foot of the escarpment.
Naomi Madison watched him through half closed eyes. "Good-bye, Stanley!" she called.
"Oh, good-bye!" replied the ape-man and continued on.
They saw him seize a trailing liana and climb to another handhold; the quick equatorial night engulfed him before he reached the top.
West had stood silently watching him, stunned by his grief. "I'm going with him," he said finally and started for the escarpment.
"Why, you couldn't climb that place in the daytime, let alone after dark," warned Orman.
"Don't be foolish, Bill," counselled Naomi. "We know how you feel, but there's no sense throwing away another life uselessly. Even Stanley'll never come back." She commenced to sob.