贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > the monster men(魔鬼一样的人) >

第41章

the monster men(魔鬼一样的人)-第41章

小说: the monster men(魔鬼一样的人) 字数: 每页4000字

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!



whereabouts of the chest from Barunda's uncle and Muda Saffir; and now 

his   principal   interest   in   life   was   to   escape   the   vengeance   of   the   head 

hunters     and   return   to   the  long…house     before    his  absence     should    be 

detected。 

     There he could form a party of natives and set out to regain the chest 

after   Muda   Saffir   and   Barunda's   uncle   had   given   up   the   quest。    That 

suspicion should fall on him seemed scarcely credible since the only men 

who knew that he had left the long…house that night lay dead upon the very 

spot where the treasure reposed。 



                                              126 


… Page 127…

                                     THE MONSTER MEN 



                14 MAN OR MONSTER? 



       When Muda Saffir turned from the two Dyaks who had brought him 

news of the treasure he hastened to the long…house and arousing the chief 

of the tribe who domiciled there explained that necessity required that the 

rajah have at once two war prahus fully  manned。 Now the power of the 

crafty old Malay extended from one end of this great river on which the 

long…house      lay   to  the  other;   and   though    not   all  the  tribes  admitted 

allegiance to him; yet there were few who would not furnish him with men 

and   boats   when   he   required   them;   for   his   piratical   cruises   carried   him 

often up and down the stream; and with his savage horde it was possible 

for   him    to  wreak    summary      and   terrible  vengeance      upon    those   who 

opposed him。 

     When   he   had   explained   his   wishes   to   the   chief;   the   latter;   though   at 

heart   hating   and   fearing   Muda   Saffir;   dared   not   refuse;   but   to   a   second 

proposition he offered strong opposition until the rajah threatened to wipe 

out his entire tribe should he not accede to his demands。 

     The   thing   which   the   chief   demurred   to   had   occurred   to   Muda   Saffir 

even as he walked back from the river after conversing with the two Dyak 

messengers。        The    thought     of  regaining     the  treasure;    the  while    he 

administered   punishment   to       the   traitorous   Ninaka;   filled   his   soul   with 

savage happiness。        Now if he could but once more possess himself of the 

girl!   And why not?         There was only the sick old man; a Chinaman and 

von Horn to prevent it; and the chances were that they all were asleep。 

     So he explained to the chief the plan that had so suddenly sprung to his 

wicked mind。 

     〃Three men with parangs may easily quiet the old man; his assistant 

and the Chinaman;〃 he said; 〃and then we can take the girl along with us。〃 

     The    chief  refused    at  first;  point…blank;   to  be  a  party   to  any  such 

proceedings。      He knew what had happened to the Sakkaran Dyaks after 

they had murdered a party of Englishmen; and he did not purpose laying 

himself and his tribe open to the vengeance of the white men who came in 

many boats and with countless guns and cannon to take a terrible toll for 



                                              127 


… Page 128…

                                      THE MONSTER MEN 



every drop of white blood spilled。 

     So it was that Muda Saffir was forced to compromise; and be satisfied 

with the chief's assistance in abducting the girl; for it was not so difficult a 

matter   to   convince   the   head   hunter   that   she   really   had   belonged   to   the 

rajah; and that she had been stolen from him by the old man and the doctor。 

Virginia slept in a room with three Dyak women。 It was to this apartment 

that the chief finally consented to dispatch two of his warriors。                 The men 

crept   noiselessly   within   the   pitch   dark     interior   until   they   came   to  the 

sleeping form of one of the Dyak women。 Cautiously they awoke her。 

     〃Where   is   the   white   girl?〃   asked   one   of   the   men   in   a   low   whisper。 

〃Muda Saffir has sent us for her。 Tell her that her father is very sick and 

wants   her;   but   do   not   mention   Muda   Saffir's   name   lest   she   might   not 

come。〃 

     The   whispering   awakened   Virginia   and   she   lay   wondering   what   the 

cause of the midnight conference might be; for she recognized that one of 

the speakers was a man; and there had been no man in the apartment when 

she had gone to sleep earlier in the night。 

     Presently   she   heard   some   one   approach   her;   and   a   moment   later   a 

woman's voice addressed her; but she could not understand enough of the 

native   tongue   to   make   out   precisely   the   message   the   speaker   wished   to 

convey。     The    words    〃father;〃   〃sick;〃   and   〃come;〃     however      she   finally 

understood after several repetitions; for she had picked up a smattering of 

the Dyak language during her enforced association with the natives。 

     The    moment      that   the   possibilities   suggested     by   these   few    words 

dawned upon her; she sprang to her feet and followed the woman toward 

the   door   of   the   apartment。   Immediately   without   the   two   warriors   stood 

upon the verandah   awaiting their victim; and as Virginia passed   through 

the doorway she was seized roughly from either side; a heavy hand was 

clapped over her mouth; and before she could make even an effort to rebel 

she had been dragged to the end of the verandah; down the notched log to 

the ground   and   a   moment   later   found   herself   in   a   war prahu   which   was 

immediately pushed into the stream。 

     Since Virginia had   come to   the  long…house  after her  rescue   from  the 

ourang   outangs;   supposedly   by   von   Horn;   Rajah   Muda   Saffir   had   kept 



                                                128 


… Page 129…

                                     THE MONSTER MEN 



very much out of sight; for he knew that should the girl see him she would 

recognize him as the man who had stolen her from the Ithaca。                 So it came 

as a mighty shock to the girl when she heard the hated tones of the man 

whom she had knocked overboard from the prahu two nights before; and 

realized that the bestial Malay sat close beside her; and that she was again 

in his power。      She looked now for no mercy; nor could she hope to again 

escape him so easily as she had before; and so she sat with bowed head in 

the   bottom   of   the   swiftly   moving   craft;   buried   in   anguished   thoughts; 

hopeless and miserable。 

     Along the stretch of black river that the prahu and her consort covered 

that night Virginia Maxon saw no living thing other than a single figure in 

a small sampan which hugged the shadows of the shore as the two larger 

boats met and passed it; nor answered their hail。 

     Where von Horn and his two Dyak guides had landed; Muda Saffir's 

force   disembarked   and   plunged   into   the   jungle。   Rapidly   they   hastened 

along     the  well   known     trail  toward   the   point   designated    by   the  two 

messengers; to come upon the spot almost simultaneously with the party 

under     Barunda's    uncle;   who;    startled  by   the  two   shots   several   hours 

previously;     had   been    cautiously    searching    through    the  jungle    for  an 

explanation of them。 

     They had gone warily for fear that they might stumble upon Ninaka's 

party   before   Muda   Saffir   arrived   with   reinforcements;   and   but   just   now 

had they discovered the prostrate forms of their two companions。 One was 

dead; but the other was still conscious and had just sufficient vitality left 

after the coming of his fellows to whisper that they had been treacherously 

shot by the younger white man who had been at the long…house where they 

had    found    Muda     Saffirt

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的