The next morning they set out upon the short journey to Tarzan's cabin. Four Waziri bore the body of the dead Englishman. It had been the ape-man's suggestion that Clayton be buried beside the former Lord Greystoke near the edge of the jungle against the cabin that the older man had built.
Jane Porter was glad that it was to be so, and in her heart of hearts she wondered at the marvelous fineness of character of this wondrous1 man, who, though raised by brutes2 and among brutes, had the true chivalry3 and tenderness which only associates with the refinements4 of the highest civilization.
They had proceeded some three miles of the five that had separated them from Tarzan's own beach when the Waziri who were ahead stopped suddenly, pointing in amazement5 at a strange figure approaching them along the beach. It was a man with a shiny silk hat, who walked slowly with bent6 head, and hands clasped behind him underneath7 the tails of his long, black coat.
At sight of him Jane Porter uttered a little cry of surprise and joy, and ran quickly ahead to meet him. At the sound of her voice the old man looked up, and when he saw who it was confronting him he, too, cried out in relief and happiness. As Professor Archimedes Q. Porter folded his daughter in his arms tears streamed down his seamed old face, and it was several minutes before he could control himself sufficiently8 to speak.
When a moment later he recognized Tarzan it was with difficulty that they could convince him that his sorrow had not unbalanced his mind, for with the other members of the party he had been so thoroughly9 convinced that the ape-man was dead it was a problem to reconcile the conviction with the very lifelike appearance of Jane's "forest god." The old man was deeply touched at the news of Clayton's death.
"I cannot understand it," he said. "Monsieur Thuran assured us that Clayton passed away many days ago."
"Thuran is with you?" asked Tarzan.
"Yes; he but recently found us and led us to your cabin. We were camped but a short distance north of it. Bless me, but he will be delighted to see you both."
"And surprised," commented Tarzan.
A short time later the strange party came to the clearing in which stood the ape-man's cabin. It was filled with people coming and going, and almost the first whom Tarzan saw was D'Arnot.
It was quickly explained, however, as were many other seemingly strange things. D'Arnot's ship had been cruising along the coast, on patrol duty, when at the lieutenant11's suggestion they had anchored off the little landlocked harbor to have another look at the cabin and the jungle in which many of the officers and men had taken part in exciting adventures two years before. On landing they had found Lord Tennington's party, and arrangements were being made to take them all on board the following morning, and carry them back to civilization.
Hazel Strong and her mother, Esmeralda, and Mr. Samuel T. Philander12 were almost overcome by happiness at Jane Porter's safe return. Her escape seemed to them little short of miraculous13, and it was the consensus14 of opinion that it could have been achieved by no other man than Tarzan of the Apes. They loaded the uncomfortable ape-man with eulogies15 and attentions until he wished himself back in the amphitheater of the apes.
All were interested in his savage16 Waziri, and many were the gifts the black men received from these friends of their king, but when they learned that he might sail away from them upon the great canoe that lay at anchor a mile off shore they became very sad.
As yet the newcomers had seen nothing of Lord Tennington and Monsieur Thuran. They had gone out for fresh meat early in the day, and had not yet returned.
"How surprised this man, whose name you say is Rokoff, will be to see you," said Jane Porter to Tarzan.
"His surprise will be short-lived," replied the ape-man grimly, and there was that in his tone that made her look up into his face in alarm. What she read there evidently confirmed her fears, for she put her hand upon his arm, and pleaded with him to leave the Russian to the laws of France.
"In the heart of the jungle, dear," she said, "with no other form of right or justice to appeal to other than your own mighty17 muscles, you would be warranted in executing upon this man the sentence he deserves; but with the strong arm of a civilized18 government at your disposal it would be murder to kill him now. Even your friends would have to submit to your arrest, or if you resisted it would plunge19 us all into misery20 and unhappiness again. I cannot bear to lose you again, my Tarzan. Promise me that you will but turn him over to Captain Dufranne, and let the law take its course—the beast is not worth risking our happiness for."
He saw the wisdom of her appeal, and promised. A half hour later Rokoff and Tennington emerged from the jungle. They were walking side by side. Tennington was the first to note the presence of strangers in the camp. He saw the black warriors21 palavering with the sailors from the cruiser, and then he saw a lithe22, brown giant talking with Lieutenant D'Arnot and Captain Dufranne.
"Who is that, I wonder," said Tennington to Rokoff, and as the Russian raised his eyes and met those of the ape-man full upon him, he staggered and went white.
"SAPRISTI!" he cried, and before Tennington realized what he intended he had thrown his gun to his shoulder, and aiming point-blank at Tarzan pulled the trigger. But the Englishman was close to him—so close that his hand reached the leveled barrel a fraction of a second before the hammer fell upon the cartridge23, and the bullet that was intended for Tarzan's heart whirred harmlessly above his head.
Before the Russian could fire again the ape-man was upon him and had wrested24 the firearm from his grasp. Captain Dufranne, Lieutenant D'Arnot, and a dozen sailors had rushed up at the sound of the shot, and now Tarzan turned the Russian over to them without a word. He had explained the matter to the French commander before Rokoff arrived, and the officer gave immediate25 orders to place the Russian in irons and confine him on board the cruiser.
Just before the guard escorted the prisoner into the small boat that was to transport him to his temporary prison Tarzan asked permission to search him, and to his delight found the stolen papers concealed26 upon his person.
The shot had brought Jane Porter and the others from the cabin, and a moment after the excitement had died down she greeted the surprised Lord Tennington. Tarzan joined them after he had taken the papers from Rokoff, and, as he approached, Jane Porter introduced him to Tennington.
"John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, my lord," she said.
The Englishman looked his astonishment27 in spite of his most herculean efforts to appear courteous28, and it required many repetitions of the strange story of the ape-man as told by himself, Jane Porter, and Lieutenant D'Arnot to convince Lord Tennington that they were not all quite mad.
At sunset they buried William Cecil Clayton beside the jungle graves of his uncle and his aunt, the former Lord and Lady Greystoke. And it was at Tarzan's request that three volleys were fired over the last resting place of "a brave man, who met his death bravely."
Professor Porter, who in his younger days had been ordained29 a minister, conducted the simple services for the dead. About the grave, with bowed heads, stood as strange a company of mourners as the sun ever looked down upon. There were French officers and sailors, two English lords, Americans, and a score of savage African braves.
Following the funeral Tarzan asked Captain Dufranne to delay the sailing of the cruiser a couple of days while he went inland a few miles to fetch his "belongings," and the officer gladly granted the favor.
Late the next afternoon Tarzan and his Waziri returned with the first load of "belongings," and when the party saw the ancient ingots of virgin30 gold they swarmed31 upon the ape-man with a thousand questions; but he was smilingly obdurate32 to their appeals—he declined to give them the slightest clew as to the source of his immense treasure. "There are a thousand that I left behind," he explained, "for every one that I brought away, and when these are spent I may wish to return for more."
The next day he returned to camp with the balance of his ingots, and when they were stored on board the cruiser Captain Dufranne said he felt like the commander of an old-time Spanish galleon33 returning from the treasure cities of the Aztecs. "I don't know what minute my crew will cut my throat, and take over the ship," he added.
The next morning, as they were preparing to embark34 upon the cruiser, Tarzan ventured a suggestion to Jane Porter.
"Wild beasts are supposed to be devoid35 of sentiment," he said, "but nevertheless I should like to be married in the cabin where I was born, beside the graves of my mother and my father, and surrounded by the savage jungle that always has been my home."
"Would it be quite regular, dear?" she asked. "For if it would I know of no other place in which I should rather be married to my forest god than beneath the shade of his primeval forest."
And when they spoke36 of it to the others they were assured that it would be quite regular, and a most splendid termination of a remarkable37 romance. So the entire party assembled within the little cabin and about the door to witness the second ceremony that Professor Porter was to solemnize within three days.
D'Arnot was to be best man, and Hazel Strong bridesmaid, until Tennington upset all the arrangements by another of his marvelous "ideas."
"If Mrs. Strong is agreeable," he said, taking the bridesmaid's hand in his, "Hazel and I think it would be ripping to make it a double wedding."
The next day they sailed, and as the cruiser steamed slowly out to sea a tall man, immaculate in white flannel38, and a graceful39 girl leaned against her rail to watch the receding40 shore line upon which danced twenty naked, black warriors of the Waziri, waving their war spears above their savage heads, and shouting farewells to their departing king.
"I should hate to think that I am looking upon the jungle for the last time, dear," he said, "were it not that I know that I am going to a new world of happiness with you forever," and, bending down, Tarzan of the Apes kissed his mate upon her lips.
The End
The End
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1
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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2
brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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3
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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4
refinements
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| n.（生活）风雅；精炼( refinement的名词复数 )；改良品；细微的改良；优雅或高贵的动作 | |
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5
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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6
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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7
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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8
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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9
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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10
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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11
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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12
philander
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| v.不真诚地恋爱，调戏 | |
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13
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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14
consensus
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| n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识 | |
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15
eulogies
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| n.颂词，颂文( eulogy的名词复数 ) | |
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16
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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17
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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18
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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19
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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20
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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21
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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22
lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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23
cartridge
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| n.弹壳，弹药筒；(装磁带等的)盒子 | |
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24
wrested
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| （用力）拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 )； 费力取得； （从…）攫取； （ 从… ） 强行取去… | |
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25
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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26
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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27
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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28
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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29
ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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30
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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31
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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32
obdurate
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| adj.固执的，顽固的 | |
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33
galleon
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| n.大帆船 | |
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34
embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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35
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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36
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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37
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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38
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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39
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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40
receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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