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第35章

the return of tarzan-第35章

小说: the return of tarzan 字数: 每页4000字

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came in viewit was Horta; the boar。  Here was delicious

meatand Tarzan's mouth watered。  The grasses where Numa

lay were very still nowominously still。  Horta passed

beneath Tarzana few more steps and he would be within the

radius of Numa's spring。  Tarzan could imagine how old

Numa's eyes were shininghow he was already sucking

in his breath for the awful roar which would freeze his prey

for the brief instant between the moment of the spring and

the sinking of terrible fangs into splintering bones。



But as Numa gathered himself; a slender rope flew through

the air from the low branches of a near…by tree。  A noose

settled about Horta's neck。  There was a frightened grunt;

a squeal; and then Numa saw his quarry dragged backward

up the trail; and; as he sprang; Horta; the boar; soared

upward beyond his clutches into the tree above; and a mocking

face looked down and laughed into his own。



Then indeed did Numa roar。  Angry; threatening; hungry;

he paced back and forth beneath the taunting ape…man。

Now he stopped; and; rising on his hind legs against the stem

of the tree that held his enemy; sharpened his huge claws upon

the bark; tearing out great pieces that laid bare the white

wood beneath。



And in the meantime Tarzan had dragged the struggling

Horta to the limb beside him。  Sinewy fingers completed the

work the choking noose had commenced。  The ape…man had

no knife; but nature had equipped him with the means of

tearing his food from the quivering flank of his prey; and

gleaming teeth sank into the succulent flesh while the raging

lion looked on from below as another enjoyed the dinner

that he had thought already his。



It was quite dark by the time Tarzan had gorged himself。

Ah; but it had been delicious!  Never had he quite accustomed

himself to the ruined flesh that civilized men had served

him; and in the bottom of his savage heart there had

constantly been the craving for the warm meat of the

fresh kill; and the rich; red blood。



He wiped his bloody hands upon a bunch of leaves;

slung the remains of his kill across his shoulder; and swung

off through the middle terrace of the forest toward his cabin;

and at the same instant Jane Porter and William Cecil

Clayton arose from a sumptuous dinner upon the LADY

ALICE; thousands of miles to the east; in the Indian Ocean。



Beneath Tarzan walked Numa; the lion; and when the ape…man

deigned to glance downward he caught occasional glimpses

of the baleful green eyes following through the darkness。

Numa did not roar nowinstead; he moved stealthily;

like the shadow of a great cat; but yet he took no step

that did not reach the sensitive ears of the ape…man。



Tarzan wondered if he would stalk him to his cabin door。

He hoped not; for that would mean a night's sleep curled in

the crotch of a tree; and he much preferred the bed of

grasses within his own abode。  But he knew just the tree

and the most comfortable crotch; if necessity demanded that

he sleep out。  A hundred times in the past some great jungle

cat had followed him home; and compelled him to seek shelter

in this same tree; until another mood or the rising sun had

sent his enemy away。



But presently Numa gave up the chase and; with a series

of blood…curdling moans and roars; turned angrily back in

search of another and an easier dinner。  So Tarzan came to his

cabin unattended; and a few moments later was curled up in

the mildewed remnants of what had once been a bed of grasses。

Thus easily did Monsieur Jean C。 Tarzan slough the thin skin

of his artificial civilization; and sink happy and contented

into the deep sleep of the wild beast that has fed to repletion。

Yet a woman's 〃yes〃 would have bound him to that other life

forever; and made the thought of this savage existence repulsive。



Tarzan slept late into the following forenoon; for he had

been very tired from the labors and exertion of the long

night and day upon the ocean; and the jungle jaunt that had

brought into play muscles that he had scarce used for nearly

two years。  When he awoke he ran to the brook first to drink。

Then he took a plunge into the sea; swimming about for

a quarter of an hour。  Afterward he returned to his cabin;

and breakfasted off the flesh of Horta。  This done; he buried

the balance of the carcass in the soft earth outside the cabin;

for his evening meal。



Once more he took his rope and vanished into the jungle。

This time he hunted nobler quarryman; although had you

asked him his own opinion he could have named a dozen

other denizens of the jungle which he considered far the

superiors in nobility of the men he hunted。  Today Tarzan

was in quest of weapons。  He wondered if the women and

children had remained in Mbonga's village after the punitive

expedition from the French cruiser had massacred all the

warriors in revenge for D'Arnot's supposed death。  He hoped

that he should find warriors there; for he knew not how

long a quest he should have to make were the village deserted。



The ape…man traveled swiftly through the forest; and about

noon came to the site of the village; but to his disappointment

found that the jungle had overgrown the plantain fields

and that the thatched huts had fallen in decay。  There was no

sign of man。  He clambered about among the ruins for half

an hour; hoping that he might discover some forgotten

weapon; but his search was without fruit; and so he took up

his quest once more; following up the stream; which flowed

from a southeasterly direction。  He knew that near fresh

water he would be most likely to find another settlement。



As he traveled he hunted as he had hunted with his ape

people in the past; as Kala had taught him to hunt; turning

over rotted logs to find some toothsome vermin; running high

into the trees to rob a bird's nest; or pouncing upon a tiny

rodent with the quickness of a cat。  There were other things

that he ate; too; but the less detailed the account of an ape's

diet; the betterand Tarzan was again an ape; the same fierce;

brutal anthropoid that Kala had taught him to be; and that

he had been for the first twenty years of his life。



Occasionally he smiled as he recalled some friend who

might even at the moment be sitting placid and immaculate

within the precincts of his select Parisian clubjust as Tarzan

had sat but a few months before; and then he would stop;

as though turned suddenly to stone as the gentle breeze

carried to his trained nostrils the scent of some new prey or

a formidable enemy。



That night he slept far inland from his cabin; securely

wedged into the crotch of a giant tree; swaying a hundred

feet above the ground。  He had eaten heartily againthis

time from the flesh of Bara; the deer; who had fallen prey to

his quick noose。



Early the next morning he resumed his journey; always

following the course of the stream。  For three days he

continued his quest; until he had come to a part of the

jungle in which he never before had been。  Occasionally upon

the higher ground the forest was much thinner; and in the far

distance through the trees he could see ranges of mighty

mountains; with wide plains in the foreground。  Here; in the

open spaces; were new gamecountless antelope and vast

herds of zebra。  Tarzan was entrancedhe would make a long

visit to this new world。



On the morning of the fourth day his nostrils were suddenly

surprised by a faint new scent。  It was the scent of man;

but yet a long way off。  The ape…man thrilled with pleasure。

Every sense was on the alert as with crafty stealth he

moved quickly through the trees; up…wind; in the direction

of his prey。  Presently he came upon ita lone warrior

treading softly through the jungle。



Tarzan followed close above his quarry; waiting for a

clearer space in which to hurl his rope。  As he stalked

the unconscious man; new thoughts presented themselves to

the ape…manthoughts born of the refini

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