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第3章

the beasts of tarzan-第3章

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So it was that he neither raved nor stormed against fate;

but instead waited patiently for what might next befall him;

though not by any means without an eye to doing the utmost to

succour himself。  To this end he examined his prison carefully;

tested the heavy planking that formed its walls; and measured

the distance of the hatch above him。



And while he was thus occupied there came suddenly to him

the vibration of machinery and the throbbing of the propeller。



The ship was moving!  Where to and to what fate was it carrying him?



And even as these thoughts passed through his mind there

came to his ears above the din of the engines that which

caused him to go cold with apprehension。



Clear and shrill from the deck above him rang the scream

of a frightened woman。









Chapter 2





Marooned





As Tarzan and his guide had disappeared into the shadows

upon the dark wharf the figure of a heavily veiled woman

had hurried down the narrow alley to the entrance of the

drinking…place the two men had just quitted。



Here she paused and looked about; and then as though

satisfied that she had at last reached the place she sought;

she pushed bravely into the interior of the vile den。



A score of half…drunken sailors and wharf…rats looked up at

the unaccustomed sight of a richly gowned woman in their midst。  

Rapidly she approached the slovenly barmaid who stared half

in envy; half in hate; at her more fortunate sister。



〃Have you seen a tall; well…dressed man here; but a minute

since;〃 she asked; 〃who met another and went away with him?〃



The girl answered in the affirmative; but could not tell

which way the two had gone。  A sailor who had approached

to listen to the conversation vouchsafed the information that

a moment before as he had been about to enter the 〃pub〃

he had seen two men leaving it who walked toward the wharf。



〃Show me the direction they went;〃 cried the woman;

slipping a coin into the man's hand。



The fellow led her from the place; and together they walked

quickly toward the wharf and along it until across the water

they saw a small boat just pulling into the shadows of a

nearby steamer。



〃There they be;〃 whispered the man。



〃Ten pounds if you will find a boat and row me to that steamer;〃

cried the woman。



〃Quick; then;〃 he replied; 〃for we gotta go it if we're goin'

to catch the Kincaid afore she sails。  She's had steam up

for three hours an' jest been a…waitin' fer that one passenger。  

I was a…talkin' to one of her crew 'arf an hour ago。〃



As he spoke he led the way to the end of the wharf where

he knew another boat lay moored; and; lowering the woman

into it; he jumped in after and pushed off。  The two were

soon scudding over the water。



At the steamer's side the man demanded his pay and;

without waiting to count out the exact amount; the woman

thrust a handful of bank…notes into his outstretched hand。

A single glance at them convinced the fellow that he had been

more than well paid。  Then he assisted her up the ladder;

holding his skiff close to the ship's side against the chance

that this profitable passenger might wish to be taken ashore later。



But presently the sound of the donkey engine and the rattle

of a steel cable on the hoisting…drum proclaimed the fact that

the Kincaid's anchor was being raised; and a moment later

the waiter heard the propellers revolving; and slowly the little

steamer moved away from him out into the channel。



As he turned to row back to shore he heard a woman's

shriek from the ship's deck。



〃That's wot I calls rotten luck;〃 he soliloquized。  〃I might

jest as well of 'ad the whole bloomin' wad。〃





When Jane Clayton climbed to the deck of the Kincaid she

found the ship apparently deserted。  There was no sign of

those she sought nor of any other aboard; and so she went

about her search for her husband and the child she hoped

against hope to find there without interruption。



Quickly she hastened to the cabin; which was half above and

half below deck。  As she hurried down the short companion…ladder

into the main cabin; on either side of which were the smaller

rooms occupied by the officers; she failed to note the quick

closing of one of the doors before her。  She passed the

full length of the main room; and then retracing her steps

stopped before each door to listen; furtively trying each latch。



All was silence; utter silence there; in which the throbbing

of her own frightened heart seemed to her overwrought

imagination to fill the ship with its thunderous alarm。



One by one the doors opened before her touch; only to reveal

empty interiors。  In her absorption she did not note the

sudden activity upon the vessel; the purring of the engines;

the throbbing of the propeller。  She had reached the last door

upon the right now; and as she pushed it open she was seized

from within by a powerful; dark…visaged man; and drawn

hastily into the stuffy; ill…smelling interior。



The sudden shock of fright which the unexpected attack

had upon her drew a single piercing scream from her throat;

then the man clapped a hand roughly over the mouth。



〃Not until we are farther from land; my dear;〃 he said。  

〃Then you may yell your pretty head off。〃



Lady Greystoke turned to look into the leering; bearded

face so close to hers。  The man relaxed the pressure of his

fingers upon her lips; and with a little moan of terror as she

recognized him the girl shrank away from her captor。



〃Nikolas Rokoff!  M。  Thuran!〃 she exclaimed。



〃Your devoted admirer;〃 replied the Russian; with a low bow。



〃My little boy;〃 she said next; ignoring the terms of endearment

〃where is he?  Let me have him。  How could you be so crueleven as you

Nikolas Rokoffcannot be entirely devoid of mercy and compassion?

Tell me where he is。  Is he aboard this ship?  Oh; please; if such a

thing as a heart beats within your breast; take me to my baby!〃



〃If you do as you are bid no harm will befall him;〃 replied Rokoff。  

〃But remember that it is your own fault that you are here。  

You came aboard voluntarily; and you may take the consequences。  

I little thought;〃 he added to himself; 〃that any such

good luck as this would come to me。〃



He went on deck then; locking the cabin…door upon his prisoner;

and for several days she did not see him。  The truth of the

matter being that Nikolas Rokoff was so poor a sailor

that the heavy seas the Kincaid encountered from the very

beginning of her voyage sent the Russian to his berth with a

bad attack of sea…sickness。



During this time her only visitor was an uncouth Swede;

the Kincaid's unsavoury cook; who brought her meals to her。  

His name was Sven Anderssen; his one pride being that his

patronymic was spelt with a double 〃s。〃



The man was tall and raw…boned; with a long yellow

moustache; an unwholesome complexion; and filthy nails。  

The very sight of him with one grimy thumb buried deep in

the lukewarm stew; that seemed; from the frequency of its

repetition; to constitute the pride of his culinary art;

was sufficient to take away the girl's appetite。



His small; blue; close…set eyes never met hers squarely。  

There was a shiftiness of his whole appearance that even

found expression in the cat…like manner of his gait; and to it

all a sinister suggestion was added by the long slim knife that

always rested at his waist; slipped through the greasy cord

that supported his soiled apron。  Ostensibly it was but an

implement of his calling; but the girl could never free herself

of the conviction that it would require less provocation to

witness it put to other and less harmless uses。



His manner toward her was surly; yet she never failed to

meet him with a pleasant smile and a word of thanks when

he brought her food to her; though more often than not she

hurled the bulk of it through the tiny ca

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