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第52节

the return of tarzan-第52节

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the tribe at all。



One or two young bulls who had not been old enough

to remember him sidled up on all fours to sniff at him; and

one bared his fangs and growled threateninglyhe wished

to put Tarzan immediately into his proper place。  Had Tarzan

backed off; growling; the young bull would quite probably

have been satisfied; but always after Tarzan's station among

his fellow apes would have been beneath that of the bull

which had made him step aside。



But Tarzan of the Apes did not back off。  Instead; he swung

his giant palm with all the force of his mighty muscles; and;

catching the young bull alongside the head; sent him

sprawling across the turf。  The ape was up and at him again

in a second; and this time they closed with tearing fingers

and rending fangsor at least that had been the intention of

the young bull; but scarcely had they gone down; growling

and snapping; than the ape…man's fingers found the throat

of his antagonist。



Presently the young bull ceased to struggle; and lay quite still。

Then Tarzan released his hold and arosehe did not wish to kill;

only to teach the young ape; and others who might be watching;

that Tarzan of the Apes was still master。



The lesson served its purposethe young apes kept out

of his way; as young apes should when their betters were

about; and the old bulls made no attempt to encroach upon

his prerogatives。  For several days the she…apes with young

remained suspicious of him; and when he ventured too near

rushed upon him with wide mouths and hideous roars。

Then Tarzan discreetly skipped out of harm's way; for

that also is a custom among the apesonly mad bulls will

attack a mother。  But after a while even they became

accustomed to him。



He hunted with them as in days gone by; and when they

found that his superior reason guided him to the best food

sources; and that his cunning rope ensnared toothsome game

that they seldom if ever tasted; they came again to look up

to him as they had in the past after he had become their king。

And so it was that before they left the amphitheater to return

to their wanderings they had once more chosen him as their leader。



The ape…man felt quite contented with his new lot。  He was

not happythat he never could be again; but he was at

least as far from everything that might remind him of his

past misery as he could be。  Long since he had given up every

intention of returning to civilization; and now he had decided

to see no more his black friends of the Waziri。  He had

foresworn humanity forever。  He had started life an apeas

an ape he would die。



He could not; however; erase from his memory the fact

that the woman he loved was within a short journey of the

stamping…ground of his tribe; nor could he banish the

haunting fear that she might be constantly in danger。

That she was illy protected he had seen in the brief

instant that had witnessed Clayton's inefficiency。

The more Tarzan thought of it; the more keenly his

conscience pricked him。



Finally he came to loathe himself for permitting his own selfish

sorrow and jealousy to stand between Jane Porter and safety。

As the days passed the thing preyed more and more upon

his mind; and he had about determined to return to the

coast and place himself on guard over Jane Porter and

Clayton; when news reached him that altered all his plans

and sent him dashing madly toward the east in reckless

disregard of accident and death。



Before Tarzan had returned to the tribe; a certain young

bull; not being able to secure a mate from among his own

people; had; according to custom; fared forth through the

wild jungle; like some knight…errant of old; to win a fair

lady from some neighboring community。



He had but just returned with his bride; and was narrating his

adventures quickly before he should forget them。  Among other

things he told of seeing a great tribe of strange…looking apes。



〃They were all hairy…faced bulls but one;〃 he said; 〃and

that one was a she; lighter in color even than this stranger;〃

and he chucked a thumb at Tarzan。



The ape…man was all attention in an instant。  He asked

questions as rapidly as the slow…witted anthropoid could

answer them。



〃Were the bulls short; with crooked legs?〃



〃They were。〃



〃Did they wear the skins of Numa and Sheeta about their

loins; and carry sticks and knives?〃



〃They did。〃



〃And were there many yellow rings about their arms and legs?〃



〃Yes。〃



〃And the she onewas she small and slender; and very white?〃



〃Yes。〃



〃Did she seem to be one of the tribe; or was she a prisoner?〃



〃They dragged her alongsometimes by an armsometimes

by the long hair that grew upon her head; and always they

kicked and beat her。  Oh; but it was great fun to watch them。〃



〃God!〃 muttered Tarzan。



〃Where were they when you saw them; and which way

were they going?〃 continued the ape…man。



〃They were beside the second water back there;〃 and he

pointed to the south。  〃When they passed me they were going

toward the morning; upward along the edge of the water。〃



〃When was this?〃 asked Tarzan。



〃Half a moon since。〃



Without another word the ape…man sprang into the trees

and fled like a disembodied spirit eastward in the direction

of the forgotten city of Opar。







Chapter 24





How Tarzan Came Again to Opar





When Clayton returned to the shelter and found Jane Porter

was missing; he became frantic with fear and grief。

He found Monsieur Thuran quite rational; the fever having

left him with the surprising suddenness which is one

of its peculiarities。  The Russian; weak and exhausted;

still lay upon his bed of grasses within the shelter。



When Clayton asked him about the girl he seemed surprised

to know that she was not there。



〃I have heard nothing unusual;〃 he said。  〃But then I have

been unconscious much of the time。〃



Had it not been for the man's very evident weakness;

Clayton should have suspected him of having sinister

knowledge of the girl's whereabouts; but he could see that

Thuran lacked sufficient vitality even to descend; unaided;

from the shelter。  He could not; in his present physical

condition; have harmed the girl; nor could he have climbed

the rude ladder back to the shelter。



Until dark the Englishman searched the nearby jungle for a

trace of the missing one or a sign of the trail of her abductor。

But though the spoor left by the fifty frightful men;

unversed in woodcraft as they were; would have been

as plain to the densest denizen of the jungle as a city street

to the Englishman; yet he crossed and recrossed it twenty

times without observing the slightest indication that many

men had passed that way but a few short hours since。



As he searched; Clayton continued to call the girl's name

aloud; but the only result of this was to attract Numa;

the lion。  Fortunately the man saw the shadowy form worming

its way toward him in time to climb into the branches of a tree

before the beast was close enough to reach him。  This put an

end to his search for the balance of the afternoon; as the

lion paced back and forth beneath him until dark。



Even after the beast had left; Clayton dared not descend

into the awful blackness beneath him; and so he spent a

terrifying and hideous night in the tree。  The next morning

he returned to the beach; relinquishing the last hope of

succoring Jane Porter。



During the week that followed; Monsieur Thuran rapidly

regained his strength; lying in the shelter while Clayton

hunted food for both。  The men never spoke except as

necessity demanded。  Clayton now occupied the section of

the shelter which had been reserved for Jane Porter; and

only saw the Russian when he took food or water to him; or

performed the other kindly offices which common humanity required。



When Thuran was again able to descend in search of food;

Clayton was stricken with fever。  For days he lay tossing

in delirium and suffering; but not once did the Russian

come near him。  Food the Englishman could not have eaten;

but his craving for water amounted practically to torture。

Between the recurrent attacks of delirium; weak though he

was; he managed to reach the brook once a day and fill a tiny

can that had been among the few appointments of the lifeboat。



Thuran watched him on these occasions with an expression

of malignant pleasurehe seemed really to enjoy the

suffering of the man who; despite the just contempt in which

he held him; had ministered to him to the best of his

ability while he lay suffering the same agonies。

At last Clayton became so weak that he was no longer

able to descend from the shelter。  For a day he suffered for

water without appealing to the Russian; but finally; unable

to endure it longer; he asked Thuran to fetch him a drink。

The Russian came to the entrance to Clayton's room; a

dish o

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