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第26章

the monster men(魔鬼一样的人)-第26章

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smile as brave men have been content to fight and die for since   woman 

first learned the art of smiling。 

     Number   Thirteen   could   have   beaten        back   many   of   the   reinforcing 

party before they reached the deck; but he did not care to do so。                   In the 

spontaneous       ethics   of  the   man    there   seemed     no  place    for  an   unfair 

advantage over an enemy; and added to this was his newly acquired love 

of battle; so he was content to wait until his foes stood on an even footing 

with him before he engaged them。 But they never came within reach of his 



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ready lash。 Instead; as they came above the ship's side they paused; wide… 

eyed and terror stricken; and with cries of fear and consternation dropped 

precipitately back into the sea; shouting warnings to those who were about 

to scale the hull。 

     Muda   Saffir   arose   in   his   prahu   cursing   and   reviling   the   frightened 

Dyaks。      He did not know the cause of their alarm; but presently he saw it 

behind   the   giant   upon   the   Ithaca's   deck   eleven   horrible   monstrosities 

lumbering forward; snarling and growling; to their leader's side。 

     At the sight his own dark countenance went ashen; and with trembling 

lips he ordered his oarsmen to pull for the open sea。                The girl; too; saw 

the frightful creatures that surrounded the man upon the deck。 She thought 

that they were about to attack him; and gave a little cry of warning; but in 

another instant she realized that they were his companions; for with him 

they rushed to the side of the ship to stand for  a moment looking   down 

upon the struggling Dyaks in the water below。 

     Two prahus lay directly beneath them; and into these the head hunters 

were    scrambling。      The    balance    of  the  flotilla  was   now    making     rapid 

headway   under   oars   and   sail   toward   the   mouth   of   the   harbor;   and   as 

Number  Thirteen   saw   that   the   girl   was   being   borne   away   from   him;   he 

shouted a command to his misshapen crew; and without waiting to see if 

they would follow him leaped into the nearer of the two boats beneath。 

     It   was   already   half   filled   with   Dyaks;   some   of   whom   were   hastily 

manning the oars。        Others of the head hunters were scrambling over the 

gunwale。      In an instant pandemonium reigned in the little vessel。 Savage 

warriors   sprang     toward   the   tall   figure   towering   above   them。    Parangs 

flashed。     The bull whip hissed and cracked; and then into the midst of it 

all came a horrid avalanche of fearful and grotesque monsters the young 

giant's crew had followed at his command。 

     The battle in the prahu was short and fierce。           For an instant the Dyaks 

attempted to hold their own; but in the face of the snarling; rending horde 

that engulfed them terror got the better of them all; so that those who were 

not overcome dived overboard and swam rapidly toward shore。 

     The other prahu had not waited to assist its companion; but before it 

was entirely filled had gotten under way and was now rapidly overhauling 



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the balance of the fleet。 

     Von Horn had been an excited witness to all that had occurred upon 

the    tranquil    bosom     of   the   little  harbor。    He    had    been    filled  with 

astonishment   at   sight   of   the   inhabitants   of   the   court   of   mystery   fighting 

under the leadership of Number Thirteen; and now he watched interestedly 

the outcome of the adventure。 

     The sight of the girl being borne away in the prahu of the Malay rajah 

to a fate worse than death; had roused in him both keen regret and savage 

rage; but it was the life of ease that he was losing that concerned him most。 

He had felt so sure of winning Professor Maxon's fortune through either a 

forced or voluntary marriage with the girl that his feelings now were as of 

one    whose     rightful   heritage   has   been   foully   wrested     from   him。    The 

thought      of  the   girl's   danger    and    suffering    were    of   but   secondary 

consideration to him; for the man was incapable of either deep love or true 

chivalry。 

     Quite   the   contrary   were   the   emotions   which   urged   on   the   soulless 

creature who now found himself in undisputed possession of a Dyak war 

prahu。     His only thought was of the girl being rapidly borne away across 

the   glimmering   waters   of   the   strait。   He   knew   not   to   what   dangers   she 

was exposed; or what fate  threatened her。 All he  knew was that she had 

been taken by force against her will。             He had seen the look of terror in 

her   eyes;   and   the   dawning hope   die out   as   the   boat   that   carried   her   had 

turned rapidly away from the Ithaca。 His one thought now was to rescue 

her from her abductors and return her to her father。              Of his own reward or 

profit he entertained no single thoughtit was enough if he could fight for 

her。    That would be reward sufficient。 

     Neither Number Thirteen nor any of his crew had ever before seen a 

boat;   and   outside   of   the   leader   there   was   scarcely   enough   brains   in   the 

entire party to render it at all likely that they could ever navigate it; but the 

young   man   saw   that   the   other   prahus   were   being   propelled   by   the   long 

sticks which protruded from their sides; and he also saw the sails bellying 

with wind; though he had but a vague conception of their purpose。 

     For a moment he stood watching the actions of the men in the nearest 

boat; and then he set himself to the task of placing his own men at the oars 



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and instructing them in the manner of wielding the unfamiliar implements。 

For an hour he worked with the brainless things that constituted his party。 

They could not seem to learn what was required of them。                      The paddles 

were   continually   fouling   one   another;   or   being   merely   dipped   into   the 

water and withdrawn without the faintest semblance of a stroke made。 

     The tiresome maneuvering had carried them about in circles back and 

forth   across   the   harbor;   but   by   it   Number   Thirteen   had   himself   learned 

something of the proper method of propelling and steering his craft。 At last; 

more   through   accident than   intent;  they  came   opposite   the   mouth   of   the 

basin; and then chance did for them what days of arduous endeavor upon 

their part might have failed to accomplish。 

     As   they  hung   wavering in   the  opening;  the  broad strait   before them; 

and their quarry fast diminishing to small specks upon the distant horizon; 

a   vagrant    land   breeze    suddenly    bellied   the   flapping    sail。  The    prahu 

swung quickly about with nose pointed toward the sea; the sail filled; and 

the long; narrow craft shot out of the harbor and sped on over the dancing 

waters in the wake of her sisters。 

     On   shore   behind   them   the   infuriated   Dyaks   who   had   escaped   to   the 

beach danced and shrieked; von Horn; from his hiding place; looked on in 

surprised   wonder;   and   Bududreen's   lascar   cursed   the   fate   that   had   left   a 

party of forty head hunters upon the same small island with him。 

     Smaller and smaller grew the retreating prahu as; straight as an arrow; 

she sped toward the dim outline of verdure clad Borneo。 



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