the return of tarzan-第3章

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〃Olga；　Nikolas　is　on　board。　　Did　you　know　it？〃



〃Nikolas！〃　she　exclaimed。　　〃But　it　is　impossible；　Raoul。

It　cannot　be。　　Nikolas　is　under　arrest　in　Germany。〃



〃So　I　thought　myself　until　I　saw　him　todayhim　and　that

other　arch　scoundrel；　Paulvitch。　　Olga；　I　cannot　endure　his

persecution　much　longer。　　No；　not　even　for　you。　　Sooner　or　later

I　shall　turn　him　over　to　the　authorities。　　In　fact；　I　am　half

minded　to　explain　all　to　the　captain　before　we　land。　　On　a

French　liner　it　were　an　easy　matter；　Olga；　permanently　to

settle　this　Nemesis　of　ours。〃



〃Oh；　no；　Raoul！〃　cried　the　countess；　sinking　to　her　knees

before　him　as　he　sat　with　bowed　head　upon　a　divan。　　〃Do　not

do　that。　　Remember　your　promise　to　me。　　Tell　me；　Raoul；　that

you　will　not　do　that。　　Do　not　even　threaten　him；　Raoul。〃



De　Coude　took　his　wife's　hands　in　his；　and　gazed　upon

her　pale　and　troubled　countenance　for　some　time　before　he

spoke；　as　though　he　would　wrest　from　those　beautiful　eyes

the　real　reason　which　prompted　her　to　shield　this　man。



〃Let　it　be　as　you　wish；　Olga；〃　he　said　at　length。　　〃I　cannot

understand。　　He　has　forfeited　all　claim　upon　your　love；　loyalty；

or　respect。　　He　is　a　menace　to　your　life　and　honor；　and　the

life　and　honor　of　your　husband。　　I　trust　you　may　never　regret

championing　him。〃



〃I　do　not　champion　him；　Raoul；〃　she　interrupted　vehemently。

〃I　believe　that　I　hate　him　as　much　as　you　do；　butOh；　Raoul；

blood　is　thicker　than　water。〃



〃I　should　today　have　liked　to　sample　the　consistency　of

his；〃　growled　De　Coude　grimly。　　〃The　two　deliberately

attempted　to　besmirch　my　honor；　Olga；〃　and　then　he　told　her

of　all　that　had　happened　in　the　smoking…room。　　〃Had　it

not　been　for　this　utter　stranger；　they　had　succeeded；　for　who

would　have　accepted　my　unsupported　word　against　the　damning

evidence　of　those　cards　hidden　on　my　person？　　I　had　almost

begun　to　doubt　myself　when　this　Monsieur　Tarzan　dragged

your　precious　Nikolas　before　us；　and　explained　the

whole　cowardly　transaction。〃



〃Monsieur　Tarzan？〃　asked　the　countess；　in　evident　surprise。



〃Yes。　　Do　you　know　him；　Olga？〃



〃I　have　seen　him。　　A　steward　pointed　him　out　to　me。〃



〃I　did　not　know　that　he　was　a　celebrity；〃　said　the　count。



Olga　de　Coude　changed　the　subject。　　She　discovered　suddenly

that　she　might　find　it　difficult　to　explain　just　why

the　steward　had　pointed　out　the　handsome　Monsieur　Tarzan

to　her。　　Perhaps　she　flushed　the　least　little　bit；　for　was

not　the　count；　her　husband；　gazing　at　her　with　a　strangely

quizzical　expression。　　〃Ah；〃　she　thought；　〃a　guilty

conscience　is　a　most　suspicious　thing。〃







Chapter　2





Forging　Bonds　of　Hate　and　？





It　was　not　until　late　the　following　afternoon　that　Tarzan

saw　anything　more　of　the　fellow　passengers　into　the　midst

of　whose　affairs　his　love　of　fair　play　had　thrust　him。

And　then　he　came　most　unexpectedly　upon　Rokoff　and　Paulvitch

at　a　moment　when　of　all　others　the　two　might　least

appreciate　his　company。



They　were　standing　on　deck　at　a　point　which　was　temporarily

deserted；　and　as　Tarzan　came　upon　them　they　were　in

heated　argument　with　a　woman。　　Tarzan　noted　that　she　was

richly　appareled；　and　that　her　slender；　well…modeled　figure

denoted　youth；　but　as　she　was　heavily　veiled　he　could　not

discern　her　features。



The　men　were　standing　on　either　side　of　her；　and　the

backs　of　all　were　toward　Tarzan；　so　that　he　was　quite　close

to　them　without　their　being　aware　of　his　presence。

He　noticed　that　Rokoff　seemed　to　be　threatening；　the　woman

pleading；　but　they　spoke　in　a　strange　tongue；　and　he　could

only　guess　from　appearances　that　the　girl　was　afraid。



Rokoff's　attitude　was　so　distinctly　filled　with　the　threat　of

physical　violence　that　the　ape…man　paused　for　an　instant　just

behind　the　trio；　instinctively　sensing　an　atmosphere　of　danger。

Scarcely　had　he　hesitated　ere　the　man　seized　the　woman

roughly　by　the　wrist；　twisting　it　as　though　to　wring　a　promise

from　her　through　torture。　　What　would　have　happened　next

had　Rokoff　had　his　way　we　may　only　conjecture；　since　he

did　not　have　his　way　at　all。　　Instead；　steel　fingers　gripped　his

shoulder；　and　he　was　swung　unceremoniously　around；　to　meet

the　cold　gray　eyes　of　the　stranger　who　had　thwarted　him

on　the　previous　day。



〃SAPRISTI！〃　screamed　the　infuriated　Rokoff。　　〃What　do　you

mean？　　Are　you　a　fool　that　you　thus　again　insult　Nikolas　Rokoff？〃



〃This　is　my　answer　to　your　note；　monsieur；〃　said　Tarzan；

in　a　low　voice。　　And　then　he　hurled　the　fellow　from　him　with

such　force　that　Rokoff　lunged　sprawling　against　the　rail。



〃Name　of　a　name！〃　shrieked　Rokoff。　　〃Pig；　but　you　shall　die

for　this；〃　and；　springing　to　his　feet；　he　rushed　upon　Tarzan；

tugging　the　meanwhile　to　draw　a　revolver　from　his　hip

pocket。　　The　girl　shrank　back　in　terror。



〃Nikolas！〃　she　cried。　　〃Do　notoh；　do　not　do　that。　　Quick；

monsieur；　fly；　or　he　will　surely　kill　you！〃　　But　instead　of

flying　Tarzan　advanced　to　meet　the　fellow。　　〃Do　not　make　a

fool　of　yourself；　monsieur；〃　he　said。



Rokoff；　who　was　in　a　perfect　frenzy　of　rage　at　the　humiliation

the　stranger　had　put　upon　him；　had　at　last　succeeded　in　drawing

the　revolver。　　He　had　stopped；　and　now　he　deliberately　raised

it　to　Tarzan's　breast　and　pulled　the　trigger。　　The　hammer　fell

with　a　futile　click　on　an　empty　chamberthe　ape…man's　hand

shot　out　like　the　head　of　an　angry　python；　there　was　a　quick

wrench；　and　the　revolver　sailed　far　out　across　the　ship's

rail；　and　dropped　into　the　Atlantic。



For　a　moment　the　two　men　stood　there　facing　one　another。　　Rokoff

had　regained　his　self…possession。　　He　was　the　first　to　speak。



〃Twice　now　has　monsieur　seen　fit　to　interfere　in　matters

which　do　not　concern　him。　　Twice　he　has　taken　it　upon　himself

to　humiliate　Nikolas　Rokoff。　　The　first　offense　was　overlooked

on　the　assumption　that　monsieur　acted　through　ignorance；

but　this　affair　shall　not　be　overlooked。　　If　monsieur

does　not　know　who　Nikolas　Rokoff　is；　this　last　piece　of

effrontery　will　insure　that　monsieur　later　has　good　reason

to　remember　him。〃



〃That　you　are　a　coward　and　a　scoundrel；　monsieur；〃　replied

Tarzan；　〃is　all　that　I　care　to　know　of　you；〃　and　he

turned　to　ask　the　girl　if　the　man　had　hurt　her；　but　she　had

disappeared。　　Then；　without　even　a　glance　toward　Rokoff　and

his　companion；　he　continued　his　stroll　along　the　deck。



Tarzan　could　not　but　wonder　what　manner　of　conspiracy

was　on　foot；　or　what　the　scheme　of　the　two　men　might　be。

There　had　been　something　rather　familiar　about　the

appearance　of　the　veiled　woman　to　whose　rescue　he　had　just

come；　but　as　he　had　not　seen　her　face　he　could　not　be　sure

that　he　had　ever　seen　her　before。　　The　only　thing　about　her

that　he　had　particularly　noticed　was　a　ring　of　peculiar

workmanship　upon　a　finger　of　the　hand　that　Rokoff　had

seized；　and　he　determined　to　note　the　fingers　of　the　women

passengers　he　came　upon　thereafter；　that　he　might　discover

the　identity　of　her　whom　Rokoff　was　persecuting；　and　learn

if　the　fellow　had　offered　her　further　annoyance。



Tarzan　had　sought　his　deck　chair；　where　he　sat　speculating

on　the　numerous　instances　of　human　cruelty；　selfishness；　and

spite　that　had　fallen　to　his　lot　to　witness　since　that　day　in

the　jungle　four　years　since　that　his　eyes　had　first　fallen

upon　a　human　being　other　than　himselfthe　sleek；　black

Kulonga；　whose　swift　spear　had　that　day　found　the　vitals　of

Kala；　the　great　she…ape；　and　robbed　the　youth；　Tarzan；　of

the　only　mother　he　had　ever　known。



He　recalled　the　murder　of　King　by　the　rat…faced　Snipes；

the　abandonment　of　Professor　Porter　and　his　party　by　the

mutineers　of　the　ARROW；　the　cruelty　of　the　black　warriors

and　women　of　Mbonga　to　their　captives；　the　petty　jealousies　of

the　civil　and　military　officers　of　the　West　Coast　colony　that

had　afforded　him　his　first　introduction　to　the　civilized　world。



〃MON　DIEU！〃　he　soliloquized；　〃but　they　are　all　alike。