For some time Werper entertained the idea of bribing3 Abdul Mourak with a portion of the contents of the pouch4; but fearing that the man would demand all the gems5 as the price of liberty, the Belgian, influenced by avarice6, sought another avenue from his dilemma7.
It was then that there dawned upon him the possibility of the success of a different course which would still leave him in possession of the jewels, while at the same time satisfying the greed of the Abyssinian with the conviction that he had obtained all that Werper had to offer.
And so it was that a day or so after Mugambi had disappeared, Werper asked for an audience with Abdul Mourak. As the Belgian entered the presence of his captor the scowl8 upon the features of the latter boded9 ill for any hope which Werper might entertain, still he fortified10 himself by recalling the common weakness of mankind, which permits the most inflexible11 of natures to bend to the consuming desire for wealth.
Abdul Mourak eyed him, frowningly. "What do you want now?" he asked.
"My liberty," replied Werper.
"I can pay for it," said Werper.
Abdul Mourak laughed loudly. "Pay for it?" he cried. "What with—the rags that you have upon your back? Or, perhaps you are concealing13 beneath your coat a thousand pounds of ivory. Get out! You are a fool. Do not bother me again or I shall have you whipped."
But Werper persisted. His liberty and perhaps his life depended upon his success.
"Listen to me," he pleaded. "If I can give you as much gold as ten men may carry will you promise that I shall be conducted in safety to the nearest English commissioner14?"
"As much gold as ten men may carry!" repeated Abdul Mourak. "You are crazy. Where have you so much gold as that?"
"I know where it is hid," said Werper. "Promise, and I will lead you to it—if ten loads is enough?"
Abdul Mourak had ceased to laugh. He was eyeing the Belgian intently. The fellow seemed sane15 enough—yet ten loads of gold! It was preposterous16. The Abyssinian thought in silence for a moment.
"Well, and if I promise," he said. "How far is this gold?"
"A long week's march to the south," replied Werper.
"And if we do not find it where you say it is, do you realize what your punishment will be?"
"If it is not there I will forfeit17 my life," replied the Belgian. "I know it is there, for I saw it buried with my own eyes. And more—there are not only ten loads, but as many as fifty men may carry. It is all yours if you will promise to see me safely delivered into the protection of the English."
"You will stake your life against the finding of the gold?" asked Abdul.
"Very well," said the Abyssinian, "I promise, and even if there be but five loads you shall have your freedom; but until the gold is in my possession you remain a prisoner."
"I am satisfied," said Werper. "Tomorrow we start?"
Abdul Mourak nodded, and the Belgian returned to his guards. The following day the Abyssinian soldiers were surprised to receive an order which turned their faces from the northeast to the south. And so it happened that upon the very night that Tarzan and the two apes entered the village of the raiders, the Abyssinians camped but a few miles to the east of the same spot.
While Werper dreamed of freedom and the unmolested enjoyment19 of the fortune in his stolen pouch, and Abdul Mourak lay awake in greedy contemplation of the fifty loads of gold which lay but a few days farther to the south of him, Achmet Zek gave orders to his lieutenants20 that they should prepare a force of fighting men and carriers to proceed to the ruins of the Englishman's DOUAR on the morrow and bring back the fabulous21 fortune which his renegade lieutenant had told him was buried there.
And as he delivered his instructions to those within, a silent listener crouched22 without his tent, waiting for the time when he might enter in safety and prosecute23 his search for the missing pouch and the pretty pebbles24 that had caught his fancy.
At last the swarthy companions of Achmet Zek quitted his tent, and the leader went with them to smoke a pipe with one of their number, leaving his own silken habitation unguarded. Scarcely had they left the interior when a knife blade was thrust through the fabric25 of the rear wall, some six feet above the ground, and a swift downward stroke opened an entrance to those who waited beyond.
Through the opening stepped the ape-man, and close behind him came the huge Chulk; but Taglat did not follow them. Instead he turned and slunk through the darkness toward the hut where the she who had arrested his brutish interest lay securely bound. Before the doorway26 the sentries27 sat upon their haunches, conversing28 in monotones. Within, the young woman lay upon a filthy29 sleeping mat, resigned, through utter hopelessness to whatever fate lay in store for her until the opportunity arrived which would permit her to free herself by the only means which now seemed even remotely possible—the hitherto detested30 act of self-destruction.
Creeping silently toward the sentries, a white-burnoosed figure approached the shadows at one end of the hut. The meager31 intellect of the creature denied it the advantage it might have taken of its disguise. Where it could have walked boldly to the very sides of the sentries, it chose rather to sneak32 upon them, unseen, from the rear.
It came to the corner of the hut and peered around. The sentries were but a few paces away; but the ape did not dare expose himself, even for an instant, to those feared and hated thunder-sticks which the Tarmangani knew so well how to use, if there were another and safer method of attack.
Taglat wished that there was a tree nearby from the over-hanging branches of which he might spring upon his unsuspecting prey33; but, though there was no tree, the idea gave birth to a plan. The eaves of the hut were just above the heads of the sentries—from them he could leap upon the Tarmangani, unseen. A quick snap of those mighty34 jaws35 would dispose of one of them before the other realized that they were attacked, and the second would fall an easy prey to the strength, agility36 and ferocity of a second quick charge.
Taglat withdrew a few paces to the rear of the hut, gathered himself for the effort, ran quickly forward and leaped high into the air. He struck the roof directly above the rear wall of the hut, and the structure, reinforced by the wall beneath, held his enormous weight for an instant, then he moved forward a step, the roof sagged37, the thatching parted and the great anthropoid38 shot through into the interior.
The sentries, hearing the crashing of the roof poles, leaped to their feet and rushed into the hut. Jane Clayton tried to roll aside as the great form lit upon the floor so close to her that one foot pinned her clothing to the ground.
The ape, feeling the movement beside him, reached down and gathered the girl in the hollow of one mighty arm. The burnoose covered the hairy body so that Jane Clayton believed that a human arm supported her, and from the extremity39 of hopelessness a great hope sprang into her breast that at last she was in the keeping of a rescuer.
The two sentries were now within the hut, but hesitating because of doubt as to the nature of the cause of the disturbance40. Their eyes, not yet accustomed to the darkness of the interior, told them nothing, nor did they hear any sound, for the ape stood silently awaiting their attack.
Seeing that they stood without advancing, and realizing that, handicapped as he was by the weight of the she, he could put up but a poor battle, Taglat elected to risk a sudden break for liberty. Lowering his head, he charged straight for the two sentries who blocked the doorway. The impact of his mighty shoulders bowled them over upon their backs, and before they could scramble41 to their feet, the ape was gone, darting42 in the shadows of the huts toward the palisade at the far end of the village.
The speed and strength of her rescuer filled Jane Clayton with wonder. Could it be that Tarzan had survived the bullet of the Arab? Who else in all the jungle could bear the weight of a grown woman as lightly as he who held her? She spoke43 his name; but there was no response. Still she did not give up hope.
At the palisade the beast did not even hesitate. A single mighty leap carried it to the top, where it poised44 but for an instant before dropping to the ground upon the opposite side. Now the girl was almost positive that she was safe in the arms of her husband, and when the ape took to the trees and bore her swiftly into the jungle, as Tarzan had done at other times in the past, belief became conviction.
In a little moonlit glade45, a mile or so from the camp of the raiders, her rescuer halted and dropped her to the ground. His roughness surprised her, but still she had no doubts. Again she called him by name, and at the same instant the ape, fretting46 under the restraints of the unaccustomed garments of the Tarmangani, tore the burnoose from him, revealing to the eyes of the horror-struck woman the hideous47 face and hairy form of a giant anthropoid.
With a piteous wail48 of terror, Jane Clayton swooned, while, from the concealment49 of a nearby bush, Numa, the lion, eyed the pair hungrily and licked his chops.
Tarzan, entering the tent of Achmet Zek, searched the interior thoroughly50. He tore the bed to pieces and scattered51 the contents of box and bag about the floor. He investigated whatever his eyes discovered, nor did those keen organs overlook a single article within the habitation of the raider chief; but no pouch or pretty pebbles rewarded his thoroughness.
Satisfied at last that his belongings52 were not in the possession of Achmet Zek, unless they were on the person of the chief himself, Tarzan decided53 to secure the person of the she before further prosecuting54 his search for the pouch.
Motioning for Chulk to follow him, he passed out of the tent by the same way that he had entered it, and walking boldly through the village, made directly for the hut where Jane Clayton had been imprisoned55.
He noted56 with surprise the absence of Taglat, whom he had expected to find awaiting him outside the tent of Achmet Zek; but, accustomed as he was to the unreliability of apes, he gave no serious attention to the present defection of his surly companion. So long as Taglat did not cause interference with his plans, Tarzan was indifferent to his absence.
As he approached the hut, the ape-man noticed that a crowd had collected about the entrance. He could see that the men who composed it were much excited, and fearing lest Chulk's disguise should prove inadequate57 to the concealment of his true identity in the face of so many observers, he commanded the ape to betake himself to the far end of the village, and there await him.
As Chulk waddled58 off, keeping to the shadows, Tarzan advanced boldly toward the excited group before the doorway of the hut. He mingled59 with the blacks and the Arabs in an endeavor to learn the cause of the commotion60, in his interest forgetting that he alone of the assemblage carried a spear, a bow and arrows, and thus might become an object of suspicious attention.
Shouldering his way through the crowd he approached the doorway, and had almost reached it when one of the Arabs laid a hand upon his shoulder, crying: "Who is this?" at the same time snatching back the hood61 from the ape-man's face.
Tarzan of the Apes in all his savage62 life had never been accustomed to pause in argument with an antagonist63. The primitive64 instinct of self-preservation acknowledges many arts and wiles65; but argument is not one of them, nor did he now waste precious time in an attempt to convince the raiders that he was not a wolf in sheep's clothing. Instead he had his unmasker by the throat ere the man's words had scarce quitted his lips, and hurling66 him from side to side brushed away those who would have swarmed67 upon him.
Using the Arab as a weapon, Tarzan forced his way quickly to the doorway, and a moment later was within the hut. A hasty examination revealed the fact that it was empty, and his sense of smell discovered, too, the scent68 spoor of Taglat, the ape. Tarzan uttered a low, ominous69 growl70. Those who were pressing forward at the doorway to seize him, fell back as the savage notes of the bestial71 challenge smote72 upon their ears. They looked at one another in surprise and consternation73. A man had entered the hut alone, and yet with their own ears they had heard the voice of a wild beast within. What could it mean? Had a lion or a leopard74 sought sanctuary75 in the interior, unbeknown to the sentries?
Tarzan's quick eyes discovered the opening in the roof, through which Taglat had fallen. He guessed that the ape had either come or gone by way of the break, and while the Arabs hesitated without, he sprang, catlike, for the opening, grasped the top of the wall and clambered out upon the roof, dropping instantly to the ground at the rear of the hut.
When the Arabs finally mustered76 courage to enter the hut, after firing several volleys through the walls, they found the interior deserted77. At the same time Tarzan, at the far end of the village, sought for Chulk; but the ape was nowhere to be found.
Robbed of his she, deserted by his companions, and as much in ignorance as ever as to the whereabouts of his pouch and pebbles, it was an angry Tarzan who climbed the palisade and vanished into the darkness of the jungle.
For the present he must give up the search for his pouch, since it would be paramount78 to self-destruction to enter the Arab camp now while all its inhabitants were aroused and upon the alert.
In his escape from the village, the ape-man had lost the spoor of the fleeing Taglat, and now he circled widely through the forest in an endeavor to again pick it up.
Chulk had remained at his post until the cries and shots of the Arabs had filled his simple soul with terror, for above all things the ape folk fear the thunder-sticks of the Tarmangani; then he had clambered nimbly over the palisade, tearing his burnoose in the effort, and fled into the depths of the jungle, grumbling79 and scolding as he went.
Tarzan, roaming the jungle in search of the trail of Taglat and the she, traveled swiftly. In a little moonlit glade ahead of him the great ape was bending over the prostrate80 form of the woman Tarzan sought. The beast was tearing at the bonds that confined her ankles and wrists, pulling and gnawing81 upon the cords.
The course the ape-man was taking would carry him but a short distance to the right of them, and though he could not have seen them the wind was bearing down from them to him, carrying their scent spoor strongly toward him.
A moment more and Jane Clayton's safety might have been assured, even though Numa, the lion, was already gathering82 himself in preparation for a charge; but Fate, already all too cruel, now outdid herself—the wind veered83 suddenly for a few moments, the scent spoor that would have led the ape-man to the girl's side was wafted84 in the opposite direction; Tarzan passed within fifty yards of the tragedy that was being enacted85 in the glade, and the opportunity was gone beyond recall.
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1
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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2
eluded
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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3
bribing
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| 贿赂 | |
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4
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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5
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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7
dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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8
scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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9
boded
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| v.预示，预告，预言( bode的过去式和过去分词 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待 | |
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10
fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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11
inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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12
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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14
commissioner
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| n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员 | |
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15
sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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16
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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17
forfeit
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| vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物 | |
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18
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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20
lieutenants
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| n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员 | |
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21
fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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22
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
prosecute
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| vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官 | |
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24
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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25
fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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26
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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27
sentries
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| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
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28
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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29
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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30
detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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32
sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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33
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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34
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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35
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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36
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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37
sagged
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| 下垂的 | |
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38
anthropoid
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| adj.像人类的，类人猿的；n.类人猿；像猿的人 | |
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39
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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40
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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41
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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42
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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43
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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44
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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45
glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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46
fretting
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| n. 微振磨损 adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的 | |
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47
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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48
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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49
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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50
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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51
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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52
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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53
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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54
prosecuting
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| 检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师 | |
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55
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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57
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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58
waddled
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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60
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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61
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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62
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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63
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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64
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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65
wiles
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| n.（旨在欺骗或吸引人的）诡计，花招；欺骗，欺诈( wile的名词复数 ) | |
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66
hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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67
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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68
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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bestial
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| adj.残忍的；野蛮的 | |
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72
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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73
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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74
leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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75
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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77
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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paramount
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| a.最重要的，最高权力的 | |
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grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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80
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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81
gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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82
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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83
veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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84
wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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