tarzan the terrible-第20章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
cial stimulants in the form of cards and dice and roulette wheels。 Yet when necessity bids there are no greater gamblers than the savage denizens of the jungle； the forest； and the hills； for as lightly as you roll the ivory cubes upon the green cloth they will gamble with deaththeir own lives the stake。
And so Tarzan would gamble now； pitting the seemingly wild deductions of his shrewd brain against all the proofs of the bestial ferocity of his antagonists that his experience of them had adducedagainst all the age…old folklore and legend that had been handed down for countless generations and passed on to him through the lips of Pan…at…lee。
Yet as he worked in preparation for the greatest play that man can make in the game of life； he smiled； nor was there any indication of haste or excitement or nervousness in his demeanor。
First he selected a long； straight branch about two inches in diameter at its base。 This he cut from the tree with his knife； removed the smaller branches and twigs until he had fashioned a pole about ten feet in length。 This he sharpened at the smaller end。 The staff finished to his satisfaction he looked down upon the triceratops。
〃Whee…oo！〃 he cried。
Instantly the beasts raised their heads and looked at him。 From the throat of one of them came faintly a low rumbling sound。
〃Whee…oo！〃 repeated Tarzan and hurled the balance of the carcass of the deer to them。
Instantly the gryfs fell upon it with much bellowing； one of them attempting to seize it and keep it from the other： but finally the second obtained a hold and an instant later it had been torn asunder and greedily devoured。 Once again they looked up at the ape…man and this time they saw him descending to the ground。
One of them started toward him。 Again Tarzan repeated the weird cry of the Tor…o…don。 The gryf halted in his track； apparently puzzled； while Tarzan slipped lightly to the earth and advanced toward the nearer beast； his staff raised menacingly and the call of the first…man upon his lips。
Would the cry be answered by the low rumbling of the beast of burden or the horrid bellow of the man…eater？ Upon the answer to this question hung the fate of the ape…man。
Pan…at…lee was listening intently to the sounds of the departing gryfs as Tarzan led them cunningly from her； and when she was sure that they were far enough away to insure her safe retreat she dropped swiftly from the branches to the ground and sped like a frightened deer across the open space to the foot of the cliff； stepped over the body of the Tor…o…don who had attacked her the night before and was soon climbing rapidly up the ancient stone pegs of the deserted cliff village。 In the mouth of the cave near that which she had occupied she kindled a fire and cooked the haunch of venison that Tarzan had left her； and from one of the trickling streams that ran down the face of the escarpment she obtained water to satisfy her thirst。
All day she waited； hearing in the distance； and sometimes close at hand； the bellowing of the gryfs which pursued the strange creature that had dropped so miraculously into her life。 For him she felt the same keen； almost fanatical loyalty that many another had experienced for Tarzan of the Apes。 Beast and human； he had held them to him with bonds that were stronger than steelthose of them that were clean and courageous； and the weak and the helpless； but never could Tarzan claim among his admirers the coward； the ingrate or the scoundrel； from such； both man and beast； he had won fear and hatred。
To Pan…at…lee he was all that was brave and noble and heroic and； too； he was Om…at's friendthe friend of the man she loved。 For any one of these reasons Pan…at…lee would have died for Tarzan； for such is the loyalty of the simple…minded children of nature。 It has remained for civilization to teach us to weigh the relative rewards of loyalty and its antithesis。 The loyalty of the primitive is spontaneous； unreasoning； unselfish and such was the loyalty of Pan…at…lee for the Tarmangani。
And so it was that she waited that day and night； hoping that he would return that she might accompany him back to Om…at； for her experience had taught her that in the face of danger two have a better chance than one。 But Tarzan…jad…guru had not come； and so upon the following morning Pan…at…lee set out upon her return to Kor…ul…ja。
She knew the dangers and yet she faced them with the stolid indifference of her race。 When they directly confronted and menaced her would be time enough to experience fear or excitement or confidence。 In the meantime it was unnecessary to waste nerve energy by anticipating them。 She moved therefore through her savage land with no greater show of concern than might mark your sauntering to a corner drug…store for a sundae。 But this is your life and that is Pan…at…lee's and even now as you read this Pan…at…lee may be sitting upon the edge of the recess of Om…at's cave while the ja and jato roar from the gorge below and from the ridge above； and the Kor…ul…lul threaten upon the south and the Ho…don from the Valley of Jad…ben…Otho far below； for Pan…at…lee still lives and preens her silky coat of jet beneath the tropical moonlight of Pal…ul…don。
But she was not to reach Kor…ul…ja this day； nor the next； nor for many days after though the danger that threatened her was neither Waz…don enemy nor savage beast。
She came without misadventure to the Kor…ul…lul and after descending its rocky southern wall without catching the slightest glimpse of the hereditary enemies of her people； she experienced a renewal of confidence that was little short of practical assurance that she would successfully terminate her venture and be restored once more to her own people and the lover she had not seen for so many long and weary moons。
She was almost across the gorge now and moving with an extreme caution abated no wit by her confidence； for wariness is an instinctive trait of the primitive； something which cannot be laid aside even momentarily if one would survive。 And so she came to the trail that follows the windings of Kor…ul…lul from its uppermost reaches down into the broad and fertile Valley of Jad…ben…Otho。
And as she stepped into the trail there arose on either side of her from out of the bushes that border the path； as though materialized from thin air； a score of tall； white warriors of the Ho…don。 Like a frightened deer Pan…at…lee cast a single startled look at these menacers of her freedom and leaped quickly toward the bushes in an effort to escape； but the warriors were too close at hand。 They closed upon her from every side and then； drawing her knife she turned at bay； metamorphosed by the fires of fear and hate from a startled deer to a raging tiger…cat。 They did not try to kill her； but only to subdue and capture her； and so it was that more than a single Ho…don warrior felt the keen edge of her blade in his flesh before they had succeeded in overpowering her by numbers。 And still she fought and scratched and bit after they had taken the knife from her until it was necessary to tie her hands and fasten a piece of wood between her teeth by means of thongs passed behind her head。
At first she refused to walk when they started off in the direction of the valley but after two of them had seized her by the hair and dragged her for a number of yards she thought better of her original decision and came along with them； though still as defiant as her bound wrists and gagged mouth would permit。
Near the entrance to Kor…ul…lul they came upon another body of their warriors with which were several Waz…don prisoners from the tribe of Kor…ul…lul。 It was a raiding party come up from a Ho…don city of the valley after slaves。 This Pan…at…lee knew for the occurrence was by no means unusual。 During her lifetime the tribe to which she belonged had been sufficiently fortunate； or powerful； to withstand successfully the majority of such raids made upon them； but yet Pan…at…lee had known of friends and relatives who had been carried into slavery by the Ho…don and she knew； too； another thing which gave her hope； as doubtless it did to each of the other captivesthat occasionally the prisoners escaped from the cities of the hairless
