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第60章

the return of tarzan-第60章

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reported to Washington at once。'



〃And would you believe it; Miss Strong;〃 continued Tennington;

〃I had the very deuce of a job to convince the old

fellow that there was not only no rural free delivery; but

no town; and that he was not even on the same continent as

Washington; nor in the same hemisphere。



〃When he did realize he commenced to worry about his

daughterI think it is the first time that he really

has appreciated our position here; or the fact that Miss

Porter may not have been rescued。〃



〃I hate to think about it;〃 said the girl; 〃and yet I can

think of nothing else than the absent members of our party。〃



〃Let us hope for the best;〃 replied Tennington。  〃You yourself

have set us each a splendid example of bravery; for in a

way your loss has been the greatest。〃



〃Yes;〃 she replied; 〃I could have loved Jane Porter no more

had she been my own sister。〃



Tennington did not show the surprise he felt。  That was not

at all what he meant。  He had been much with this fair

daughter of Maryland since the wreck of the LADY ALICE;

and it had recently come to him that he had grown much more

fond of her than would prove good for the peace of his mind;

for he recalled almost constantly now the confidence which

Monsieur Thuran had imparted to him that he and Miss Strong

were engaged。  He wondered if; after all; Thuran had been

quite accurate in his statement。  He had never seen the slightest

indication on the girl's part of more than ordinary friendship。



〃And then in Monsieur Thuran's loss; if they are lost; you

would suffer a severe bereavement;〃 he ventured。



She looked up at him quickly。  〃Monsieur Thuran had become

a very dear friend;〃 she said。  〃I liked him very much;

though I have known him but a short time。〃



〃Then you were not engaged to marry him?〃 he blurted out。

〃Heavens; nol!〃 she cried。  〃I did not care for him at all

in that way。〃



There was something that Lord Tennington wanted to say

to Hazel Stronghe wanted very badly to say it; and to

say it at once; but somehow the words stuck in his throat。

He started lamely a couple of times; cleared his throat;

became red in the face; and finally ended by remarking

that he hoped the cabins would be finished before the

rainy season commenced。



But; though he did not know it; he had conveyed to the

girl the very message he intended; and it left her happy

happier than she had ever before been in all her life。



Just then further conversation was interrupted by the sight

of a strange and terrible…looking figure which emerged from

the jungle just south of the camp。  Tennington and the girl

saw it at the same time。  The Englishman reached for his

revolver; but when the half…naked; bearded creature called

his name aloud and came running toward them he dropped

his hand and advanced to meet it。



None would have recognized in the filthy; emaciated creature;

covered by a single garment of small skins; the immaculate

Monsieur Thuran the party had last seen upon the deck

of the LADY ALICE。



Before the other members of the little community were apprised

of his presence Tennington and Miss Strong questioned him

regarding the other occupants of the missing boat。



〃They are all dead;〃 replied Thuran。  〃The three sailors

died before we made land。  Miss Porter was carried off into

the jungle by some wild animal while I was lying delirious

with fever。  Clayton died of the same fever but a few days since。

And to think that all this time we have been separated by

but a few milesscarcely a day's march。  It is terrible!〃





How long Jane Porter lay in the darkness of the vault beneath

the temple in the ancient city of Opar she did not know。

For a time she was delirious with fever; but after this

passed she commenced slowly to regain her strength。

Every day the woman who brought her food beckoned to her

to arise; but for many days the girl could only shake her

head to indicate that she was too weak。



But eventually she was able to gain her feet; and then to

stagger a few steps by supporting herself with one hand

upon the wall。  Her captors now watched her with

increasing interest。  The day was approaching; and the

victim was gaining in strength。



Presently the day came; and a young woman whom Jane Porter

had not seen before came with several others to her dungeon。

Here some sort of ceremony was performedthat it was of

a religious nature the girl was sure; and so she took

new heart; and rejoiced that she had fallen among people

upon whom the refining and softening influences of religion

evidently had fallen。  They would treat her humanelyof

that she was now quite sure。



And so when they led her from her dungeon; through long;

dark corridors; and up a flight of concrete steps to a brilliant

courtyard; she went willingly; even gladlyfor was she not

among the servants of God?  It might be; of course; that their

interpretation of the supreme being differed from her own;

but that they owned a god was sufficient evidence to her that

they were kind and good。



But when she saw a stone altar in the center of the courtyard;

and dark…brown stains upon it and the nearby concrete of

the floor; she began to wonder and to doubt。  And as they

stooped and bound her ankles; and secured her wrists

behind her; her doubts were turned to fear。  A moment later;

as she was lifted and placed supine across the altar's top;

hope left her entirely; and she trembled in an agony of fright。



During the grotesque dance of the votaries which followed;

she lay frozen in horror; nor did she require the sight

of the thin blade in the hands of the high priestess as it

rose slowly above her to enlighten her further as to her doom。



As the hand began its descent; Jane Porter closed her eyes

and sent up a silent prayer to the Maker she was so soon to

facethen she succumbed to the strain upon her tired

nerves; and swooned。





Day and night Tarzan of the Apes raced through the primeval

forest toward the ruined city in which he was positive

the woman he loved lay either a prisoner or dead。



In a day and a night he covered the same distance that

the fifty frightful men had taken the better part of a week to

traverse; for Tarzan of the Apes traveled along the middle

terrace high above the tangled obstacles that impede

progress upon the ground。



The story the young bull ape had told made it clear to him

that the girl captive had been Jane Porter; for there was not

another small white 〃she〃 in all the jungle。  The 〃bulls〃 he

had recognized from the ape's crude description as the

grotesque parodies upon humanity who inhabit the ruins of Opar。

And the girl's fate he could picture as plainly as though

he were an eyewitness to it。  When they would lay her across

that trim altar he could not guess; but that her dear; frail

body would eventually find its way there he was confident。



But; finally; after what seemed long ages to the impatient

ape…man; he topped the barrier cliffs that hemmed the desolate

valley; and below him lay the grim and awful ruins of

the now hideous city of Opar。  At a rapid trot he started

across the dry and dusty; bowlder…strewn ground toward the

goal of his desires。



Would he be in time to rescue?  He hoped against hope。

At least he could be revenged; and in his wrath it seemed

to him that he was equal to the task of wiping out the entire

population of that terrible city。  It was nearly noon when he

reached the great bowlder at the top of which terminated the

secret passage to the pits beneath the city。  Like a cat he scaled

the precipitous sides of the frowning granite KOPJE。

A moment later he was running through the darkness of the

long; straight tunnel that led to the treasure vault。

Through this he passed; then on and on until at last he

came to the well…like shaft upon the opposite side of which

lay the dungeon with the false wall。

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