At last the glare of the camp fire shone plainly through the intervening trees, and a moment later the giant figure of the ape-man paused upon an overhanging bough4 to look down upon the bloody5 scene of carnage below.
His quick eye took in the whole scene with a single comprehending glance and stopped upon the figure of a woman standing7 facing a great lion across the carcass of a horse.
The carnivore was crouching8 to spring as Tarzan discovered the tragic9 tableau10. Numa was almost beneath the branch upon which the ape-man stood, naked and unarmed. There was not even an instant's hesitation11 upon the part of the latter—it was as though he had not even paused in his swift progress through the trees, so lightning-like his survey and comprehension of the scene below him—so instantaneous his consequent action.
So hopeless had seemed her situation to her that Jane Clayton but stood in lethargic12 apathy13 awaiting the impact of the huge body that would hurl14 her to the ground—awaiting the momentary15 agony that cruel talons16 and grisly fangs17 may inflict18 before the coming of the merciful oblivion which would end her sorrow and her suffering.
What use to attempt escape? As well face the hideous19 end as to be dragged down from behind in futile21 flight. She did not even close her eyes to shut out the frightful22 aspect of that snarling23 face, and so it was that as she saw the lion preparing to charge she saw, too, a bronzed and mighty24 figure leap from an overhanging tree at the instant that Numa rose in his spring.
Wide went her eyes in wonder and incredulity, as she beheld25 this seeming apparition26 risen from the dead. The lion was forgotten—her own peril—everything save the wondrous27 miracle of this strange recrudescence. With parted lips, with palms tight pressed against her heaving bosom28, the girl leaned forward, large-eyed, enthralled29 by the vision of her dead mate.
She saw the sinewy30 form leap to the shoulder of the lion, hurtling against the leaping beast like a huge, animate31 battering32 ram33. She saw the carnivore brushed aside as he was almost upon her, and in the instant she realized that no substanceless wraith34 could thus turn the charge of a maddened lion with brute35 force greater than the brute's.
Tarzan, her Tarzan, lived! A cry of unspeakable gladness broke from her lips, only to die in terror as she saw the utter defenselessness of her mate, and realized that the lion had recovered himself and was turning upon Tarzan in mad lust37 for vengeance38.
At the ape-man's feet lay the discarded rifle of the dead Abyssinian whose mutilated corpse39 sprawled40 where Numa had abandoned it. The quick glance which had swept the ground for some weapon of defense36 discovered it, and as the lion reared upon his hind20 legs to seize the rash man-thing who had dared interpose its puny41 strength between Numa and his prey42, the heavy stock whirred through the air and splintered upon the broad forehead.
Not as an ordinary mortal might strike a blow did Tarzan of the Apes strike; but with the maddened frenzy43 of a wild beast backed by the steel thews which his wild, arboreal44 boyhood had bequeathed him. When the blow ended the splintered stock was driven through the splintered skull45 into the savage46 brain, and the heavy iron barrel was bent47 into a rude V.
In the instant that the lion sank, lifeless, to the ground, Jane Clayton threw herself into the eager arms of her husband. For a brief instant he strained her dear form to his breast, and then a glance about him awakened48 the ape-man to the dangers which still surrounded them.
Upon every hand the lions were still leaping upon new victims. Fear-maddened horses still menaced them with their erratic49 bolting from one side of the enclosure to the other. Bullets from the guns of the defenders50 who remained alive but added to the perils51 of their situation.
To remain was to court death. Tarzan seized Jane Clayton and lifted her to a broad shoulder. The blacks who had witnessed his advent52 looked on in amazement53 as they saw the naked giant leap easily into the branches of the tree from whence he had dropped so uncannily upon the scene, and vanish as he had come, bearing away their prisoner with him.
They were too well occupied in self-defense to attempt to halt him, nor could they have done so other than by the wasting of a precious bullet which might be needed the next instant to turn the charge of a savage foe54.
And so, unmolested, Tarzan passed from the camp of the Abyssinians, from which the din6 of conflict followed him deep into the jungle until distance gradually obliterated55 it entirely56.
Back to the spot where he had left Werper went the ape-man, joy in his heart now, where fear and sorrow had so recently reigned57; and in his mind a determination to forgive the Belgian and aid him in making good his escape. But when he came to the place, Werper was gone, and though Tarzan called aloud many times he received no reply. Convinced that the man had purposely eluded58 him for reasons of his own, John Clayton felt that he was under no obligations to expose his wife to further danger and discomfort59 in the prosecution60 of a more thorough search for the missing Belgian.
"He has acknowledged his guilt61 by his flight, Jane," he said. "We will let him go to lie in the bed that he has made for himself."
Straight as homing pigeons, the two made their way toward the ruin and desolation that had once been the center of their happy lives, and which was soon to be restored by the willing black hands of laughing laborers62, made happy again by the return of the master and mistress whom they had mourned as dead.
Past the village of Achmet Zek their way led them, and there they found but the charred64 remains65 of the palisade and the native huts, still smoking, as mute evidence of the wrath66 and vengeance of a powerful enemy.
"The Waziri," commented Tarzan with a grim smile.
"God bless them!" cried Jane Clayton.
"They cannot be far ahead of us," said Tarzan, "Basuli and the others. The gold is gone and the jewels of Opar, Jane; but we have each other and the Waziri—and we have love and loyalty67 and friendship. And what are gold and jewels to these?"
"If only poor Mugambi lived," she replied, "and those other brave fellows who sacrificed their lives in vain endeavor to protect me!"
In the silence of mingled68 joy and sorrow they passed along through the familiar jungle, and as the afternoon was waning69 there came faintly to the ears of the ape-man the murmuring cadence70 of distant voices.
"We are nearing the Waziri, Jane," he said. "I can hear them ahead of us. They are going into camp for the night, I imagine."
A half hour later the two came upon a horde71 of ebon warriors72 which Basuli had collected for his war of vengeance upon the raiders. With them were the captured women of the tribe whom they had found in the village of Achmet Zek, and tall, even among the giant Waziri, loomed73 a familiar black form at the side of Basuli. It was Mugambi, whom Jane had thought dead amidst the charred ruins of the bungalow74.
Ah, such a reunion! Long into the night the dancing and the singing and the laughter awoke the echoes of the somber75 wood. Again and again were the stories of their various adventures retold. Again and once again they fought their battles with savage beast and savage man, and dawn was already breaking when Basuli, for the fortieth time, narrated76 how he and a handful of his warriors had watched the battle for the golden ingots which the Abyssinians of Abdul Mourak had waged against the Arab raiders of Achmet Zek, and how, when the victors had ridden away they had sneaked77 out of the river reeds and stolen away with the precious ingots to hide them where no robber eye ever could discover them.
Pieced out from the fragments of their various experiences with the Belgian the truth concerning the malign78 activities of Albert Werper became apparent. Only Lady Greystoke found aught to praise in the conduct of the man, and it was difficult even for her to reconcile his many heinous79 acts with this one evidence of chivalry80 and honor.
"Deep in the soul of every man," said Tarzan, "must lurk81 the germ of righteousness. It was your own virtue82, Jane, rather even than your helplessness which awakened for an instant the latent decency83 of this degraded man. In that one act he retrieved84 himself, and when he is called to face his Maker85 may it outweigh86 in the balance, all the sins he has committed."
Months had passed. The labor63 of the Waziri and the gold of Opar had rebuilt and refurnished the wasted homestead of the Greystokes. Once more the simple life of the great African farm went on as it had before the coming of the Belgian and the Arab. Forgotten were the sorrows and dangers of yesterday.
For the first time in months Lord Greystoke felt that he might indulge in a holiday, and so a great hunt was organized that the faithful laborers might feast in celebration of the completion of their work.
In itself the hunt was a success, and ten days after its inauguration88, a well-laden safari89 took up its return march toward the Waziri plain. Lord and Lady Greystoke with Basuli and Mugambi rode together at the head of the column, laughing and talking together in that easy familiarity which common interests and mutual90 respect breed between honest and intelligent men of any races.
Jane Clayton's horse shied suddenly at an object half hidden in the long grasses of an open space in the jungle. Tarzan's keen eyes sought quickly for an explanation of the animal's action.
"What have we here?" he cried, swinging from his saddle, and a moment later the four were grouped about a human skull and a little litter of whitened human bones.
Tarzan stooped and lifted a leathern pouch91 from the grisly relics92 of a man. The hard outlines of the contents brought an exclamation93 of surprise to his lips.
"The jewels of Opar!" he cried, holding the pouch aloft, "and," pointing to the bones at his feet, "all that remains of Werper, the Belgian."
Mugambi laughed. "Look within, Bwana," he cried, "and you will see what are the jewels of Opar—you will see what the Belgian gave his life for," and the black laughed aloud.
"Why do you laugh?" asked Tarzan.
"Because," replied Mugambi, "I filled the Belgian's pouch with river gravel94 before I escaped the camp of the Abyssinians whose prisoners we were. I left the Belgian only worthless stones, while I brought away with me the jewels he had stolen from you. That they were afterward95 stolen from me while I slept in the jungle is my shame and my disgrace; but at least the Belgian lost them—open his pouch and you will see."
Tarzan untied96 the thong97 which held the mouth of the leathern bag closed, and permitted the contents to trickle98 slowly forth99 into his open palm. Mugambi's eyes went wide at the sight, and the others uttered exclamations100 of surprise and incredulity, for from the rusty101 and weatherworn pouch ran a stream of brilliant, scintillating102 gems103.
"The jewels of Opar!" cried Tarzan. "But how did Werper come by them again?"
None could answer, for both Chulk and Werper were dead, and no other knew.
"Poor devil!" said the ape-man, as he swung back into his saddle. "Even in death he has made restitution—let his sins lie with his bones."
The End
The End
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1
discordant
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| adj.不调和的 | |
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smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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10
tableau
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| n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面） | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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lethargic
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| adj.昏睡的，懒洋洋的 | |
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apathy
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| n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡 | |
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14
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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15
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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16
talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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17
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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18
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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23
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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24
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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25
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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26
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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27
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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enthralled
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| 迷住，吸引住( enthrall的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到非常愉快 | |
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sinewy
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| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
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31
animate
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| v.赋于生命，鼓励；adj.有生命的，有生气的 | |
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battering
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| n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 ) | |
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33
ram
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| (random access memory)随机存取存储器 | |
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wraith
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| n.幽灵；骨瘦如柴的人 | |
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35
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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36
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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38
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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39
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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40
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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41
puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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42
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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43
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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44
arboreal
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| adj.树栖的；树的 | |
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45
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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46
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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47
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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48
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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49
erratic
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| adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的 | |
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50
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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51
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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52
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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53
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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54
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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55
obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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56
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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57
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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58
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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59
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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60
prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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61
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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62
laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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63
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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64
charred
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| v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦 | |
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65
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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66
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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67
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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68
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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69
waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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70
cadence
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| n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫 | |
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71
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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72
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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73
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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74
bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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75
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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76
narrated
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| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77
sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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78
malign
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| adj.有害的；恶性的；恶意的；v.诽谤，诬蔑 | |
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heinous
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| adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的 | |
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80
chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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81
lurk
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| n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏 | |
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82
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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83
decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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84
retrieved
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| v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息） | |
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85
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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86
outweigh
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| vt.比...更重，...更重要 | |
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87
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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88
inauguration
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| n.开幕、就职典礼 | |
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89
safari
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| n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队 | |
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90
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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91
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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92
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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93
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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94
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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95
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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96
untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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97
thong
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| n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带 | |
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98
trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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99
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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100
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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101
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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102
scintillating
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| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
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103
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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