the beasts of tarzan-第10章
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he dropped the sinuous noose about the maned neck;
drawing the stout strands taut with a sudden jerk。
At the same time he called shrilly to Sheeta; as he drew the
struggling lion upward until only his hind feet touched the ground。
Quickly he made the rope fast to a stout branch; and as
the panther; in answer to his summons; leaped into sight;
Tarzan dropped to the earth beside the struggling and
infuriated Numa; and with a long sharp knife sprang upon him
at one side even as Sheeta did upon the other。
The panther tore and rent Numa upon the right; while the
ape…man struck home with his stone knife upon the other;
so that before the mighty clawing of the king of beasts had
succeeded in parting the rope he hung quite dead and harmless
in the noose。
And then upon the jungle air there rose in unison from two savage
throats the victory cry of the bull…ape and the panther;
blended into one frightful and uncanny scream。
As the last notes died away in a long…drawn; fearsome wail;
a score of painted warriors; drawing their long war…canoe
upon the beach; halted to stare in the direction of the
jungle and to listen。
Chapter 5
Mugambi
By the time that Tarzan had travelled entirely about the coast
of the island; and made several trips inland from various points;
he was sure that he was the only human being upon it。
Nowhere had he found any sign that men had stopped even
temporarily upon this shore; though; of course; he knew that
so quickly does the rank vegetation of the tropics erase all
but the most permanent of human monuments that he might
be in error in his deductions。
The day following the killing of Numa; Tarzan and Sheeta came upon
the tribe of Akut。 At sight of the panther the great apes
took to flight; but after a time Tarzan succeeded in recalling them。
It had occurred to him that it would be at least an interesting
experiment to attempt to reconcile these hereditary enemies。
He welcomed anything that would occupy his time and his mind
beyond the filling of his belly and the gloomy thoughts to which
he fell prey the moment that he became idle。
To communicate his plan to the apes was not a particularly
difficult matter; though their narrow and limited vocabulary
was strained in the effort; but to impress upon the little;
wicked brain of Sheeta that he was to hunt with and not for
his legitimate prey proved a task almost beyond the powers
of the ape…man。
Tarzan; among his other weapons; possessed a long; stout
cudgel; and after fastening his rope about the panther's neck
he used this instrument freely upon the snarling beast;
endeavouring in this way to impress upon its memory that
it must not attack the great; shaggy manlike creatures that
had approached more closely once they had seen the purpose
of the rope about Sheeta's neck。
That the cat did not turn and rend Tarzan is something of
a miracle which may possibly be accounted for by the fact
that twice when it turned growling upon the ape…man he had
rapped it sharply upon its sensitive nose; inculcating in its
mind thereby a most wholesome fear of the cudgel and the
ape…beasts behind it。
It is a question if the original cause of his attachment for
Tarzan was still at all clear in the mind of the panther;
though doubtless some subconscious suggestion; superinduced by
this primary reason and aided and abetted by the habit of the past
few days; did much to compel the beast to tolerate treatment at his
hands that would have sent it at the throat of any other creature。
Then; too; there was the compelling force of the manmind exerting
its powerful influence over this creature of a lower order; and;
after all; it may have been this that proved the most potent factor
in Tarzan's supremacy over Sheeta and the other beasts of the jungle
that had from time to time fallen under his domination。
Be that as it may; for days the man; the panther; and the
great apes roamed their savage haunts side by side; making
their kills together and sharing them with one another; and
of all the fierce and savage band none was more terrible than
the smooth…skinned; powerful beast that had been but a few
short months before a familiar figure in many a London
drawing room。
Sometimes the beasts separated to follow their own inclinations
for an hour or a day; and it was upon one of these occasions when
the ape…man had wandered through the tree…tops toward the beach;
and was stretched in the hot sun upon the sand; that from the low
summit of a near…by promontory a pair of keen eyes discovered him。
For a moment the owner of the eyes looked in astonishment
at the figure of the savage white man basking in the
rays of that hot; tropic sun; then he turned; making a sign to
some one behind him。 Presently another pair of eyes were
looking down upon the ape…man; and then another and another;
until a full score of hideously trapped; savage warriors
were lying upon their bellies along the crest of the ridge
watching the white…skinned stranger。
They were down wind from Tarzan; and so their scent was
not carried to him; and as his back was turned half toward
them he did not see their cautious advance over the edge of
the promontory and down through the rank grass toward the
sandy beach where he lay。
Big fellows they were; all of them; their barbaric
headdresses and grotesquely painted faces; together with their
many metal ornaments and gorgeously coloured feathers;
adding to their wild; fierce appearance。
Once at the foot of the ridge; they came cautiously to their feet;
and; bent half…double; advanced silently upon the unconscious white man;
their heavy war…clubs swinging menacingly in their brawny hands。
The mental suffering that Tarzan's sorrowful thoughts induced had the
effect of numbing his keen; perceptive faculties; so that the
advancing savages were almost upon him before he became aware
that he was no longer alone upon the beach。
So quickly; though; were his mind and muscles wont to
react in unison to the slightest alarm that he was upon his
feet and facing his enemies; even as he realized that
something was behind him。 As he sprang to his feet the warriors
leaped toward him with raised clubs and savage yells; but the
foremost went down to sudden death beneath the long; stout
stick of the ape…man; and then the lithe; sinewy figure was
among them; striking right and left with a fury; power; and
precision that brought panic to the ranks of the blacks。
For a moment they withdrew; those that were left of them;
and consulted together at a short distance from the ape…man;
who stood with folded arms; a half…smile upon his handsome
face; watching them。 Presently they advanced upon him once
more; this time wielding their heavy war…spears。 They were
between Tarzan and the jungle; in a little semicircle that
closed in upon him as they advanced。
There seemed to the ape…man but slight chance to escape
the final charge when all the great spears should be hurled
simultaneously at him; but if he had desired to escape
there was no way other than through the ranks of the savages
except the open sea behind him。
His predicament was indeed most serious when an idea
occurred to him that altered his smile to a broad grin。
The warriors were still some little distance away;
advancing slowly; making; after the manner of their kind;
a frightful din with their savage yells and the pounding
of their naked feet upon the ground as they leaped up and
down in a fantastic war dance。
Then it was that the ape…man lifted his voice in a series of
wild; weird screams that brought the blacks to a sudden;
perplexed halt。 They looked at one another questioningly;
for here was a sound so hideous that their own frightful din
faded into insignificance beside it。 No human throat could
have formed those bestial notes; they