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第52章

the return of tarzan-第52章

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〃Thank God; land!〃



The girl looked; too; and there; not a hundred yards away;

she saw a yellow beach; and; beyond; the luxurious foliage

of a tropical jungle。



〃Now you may revive him;〃 said Jane Porter; for she; too;

had been haunted with the pangs of conscience which had

resulted from her decision to prevent Clayton from offering

succor to their companion。



It required the better part of half an hour before the

Russian evinced sufficient symptoms of returning consciousness

to open his eyes; and it was some time later before

they could bring him to a realization of their good fortune。

By this time the boat was scraping gently upon the sandy bottom。



Between the refreshing water that he had drunk and the

stimulus of renewed hope; Clayton found strength to stagger

through the shallow water to the shore with a line made

fast to the boat's bow。  This he fastened to a small tree which

grew at the top of a low bank; for the tide was at flood; and

he feared that the boat might carry them all out to sea again

with the ebb; since it was quite likely that it would be beyond

his strength to get Jane Porter to the shore for several hours。

Next he managed to stagger and crawl toward the near…

by jungle; where he had seen evidences of profusion of

tropical fruit。  His former experience in the jungle of

Tarzan of the Apes had taught him which of the many growing

things were edible; and after nearly an hour of absence he

returned to the beach with a little armful of food。



The rain had ceased; and the hot sun was beating down so

mercilessly upon her that Jane Porter insisted on making an

immediate attempt to gain the land。  Still further invigorated

by the food Clayton had brought; the three were able to reach

the half shade of the small tree to which their boat was moored。

Here; thoroughly exhausted; they threw themselves down to rest;

sleeping until dark。



For a month they lived upon the beach in comparative safety。

As their strength returned the two men constructed a rude

shelter in the branches of a tree; high enough from the

ground to insure safety from the larger beasts of prey。

By day they gathered fruits and trapped small rodents; at night

they lay cowering within their frail shelter while savage

denizens of the jungle made hideous the hours of darkness。



They slept upon litters of jungle grasses; and for covering

at night Jane Porter had only an old ulster that belonged

to Clayton; the same garment that he had worn upon that

memorable trip to the Wisconsin woods。  Clayton had erected

a frail partition of boughs to divide their arboreal shelter

into two roomsone for the girl and the other for Monsieur

Thuran and himself。



From the first the Russian had exhibited every trait of his

true characterselfishness; boorishness; arrogance;

cowardice; and lust。  Twice had he and Clayton come to

blows because of Thuran's attitude toward the girl。

Clayton dared not leave her alone with him for an instant。

The existence of the Englishman and his fiancee was one

continual nightmare of horror; and yet they lived on in

hope of ultimate rescue。



Jane Porter's thoughts often reverted to her other experience

on this savage shore。  Ah; if the invincible forest god

of that dead past were but with them now。  No longer would

there be aught to fear from prowling beasts; or from the

bestial Russian。  She could not well refrain from comparing

the scant protection afforded her by Clayton with what she

might have expected had Tarzan of the Apes been for a

single instant confronted by the sinister and menacing

attitude of Monsieur Thuran。  Once; when Clayton had gone

to the little stream for water; and Thuran had spoken coarsely

to her; she voiced her thoughts。



〃It is well for you; Monsieur Thuran;〃 she said; 〃that the

poor Monsieur Tarzan who was lost from the ship that brought

you and Miss Strong to Cape Town is not here now。〃



〃You knew the pig?〃 asked Thuran; with a sneer。



〃I knew the man;〃 she replied。  〃The only real man; I

think; that I have ever known。〃



There was something in her tone of voice that led the Russian

to attribute to her a deeper feeling for his enemy than

friendship; and he grasped at the suggestion to be further

revenged upon the man whom he supposed dead by besmirching

his memory to the girl。



〃He was worse than a pig;〃 he cried。  〃He was a poltroon

and a coward。  To save himself from the righteous wrath of

the husband of a woman he had wronged; he perjured his

soul in an attempt to place the blame entirely upon her。

Not succeeding in this; he ran away from France to escape

meeting the husband upon the field of honor。  That is why

he was on board the ship that bore Miss Strong and myself to

Cape Town。  I know whereof I speak; for the woman in the

case is my sister。  Something more I know that I have never

told anotheryour brave Monsieur Tarzan leaped overboard

in an agony of fear because I recognized him; and insisted

that he make reparation to me the following morningwe

could have fought with knives in my stateroom。〃



Jane Porter laughed。  〃You do not for a moment imagine

that one who has known both Monsieur Tarzan and you

could ever believe such an impossible tale?〃



〃Then why did he travel under an assumed name?〃 asked

Monsieur Thuran。



〃I do not believe you;〃 she cried; but nevertheless the

seed of suspicion was sown; for she knew that Hazel Strong

had known her forest god only as John Caldwell; of London。



A scant five miles north of their rude shelter; all unknown

to them; and practically as remote as though separated by

thousands of miles of impenetrable jungle; lay the snug

little cabin of Tarzan of the Apes。  While farther up the

coast; a few miles beyond the cabin; in crude but well…built

shelters; lived a little party of eighteen soulsthe occupants

of the three boats from the LADY ALICE from which Clayton's

boat had become separated。



Over a smooth sea they had rowed to the mainland in less

than three days。  None of the horrors of shipwreck had been

theirs; and though depressed by sorrow; and suffering from

the shock of the catastrophe and the unaccustomed hardships

of their new existence there was none much the worse

for the experience。



All were buoyed by the hope that the fourth boat had

been picked up; and that a thorough search of the coast

would be quickly made。  As all the firearms and ammunition

on the yacht had been placed in Lord Tennington's boat;

the party was well equipped for defense; and for hunting

the larger game for food。



Professor Archimedes Q。 Porter was their only immediate anxiety。

Fully assured in his own mind that his daughter had been

picked up by a passing steamer; he gave over the last

vestige of apprehension concerning her welfare; and

devoted his giant intellect solely to the consideration of

those momentous and abstruse scientific problems which he

considered the only proper food for thought in one of

his erudition。  His mind appeared blank to the influence

of all extraneous matters。



〃Never;〃 said the exhausted Mr。 Samuel T。 Philander; to

Lord Tennington; 〃never has Professor Porter been more

difficulterI might say; impossible。  Why; only this

morning; after I had been forced to relinquish my surveillance

for a brief half hour he was entirely missing upon my return。

And; bless me; sir; where do you imagine I discovered him?

A half mile out in the ocean; sir; in one of the lifeboats;

rowing away for dear life。  I do not know how he attained

even that magnificent distance from shore; for he had but a

single oar; with which he was blissfully rowing about in circles。



〃When one of the sailors had taken me out to him in

another boat the professor became quite indignant at my

suggestion that we return at once to land。  ‘Why; Mr。 Philander;'

he said; ‘I am surprised that you; sir; a man of letters

yourself; should have 

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