When Clayton heard the report
of the firearm he fell into an
agony of fear and apprehension.
He knew that one of the sailors
might be the author of it; but
the fact that he had left the
revolver with Jane, together
with the overwrought condition
of his nerves, made him morbidly
positive that she was threatened
with some great danger. Perhaps
even now she was attempting to
defend herself against some savage
man or beast.
What were the thoughts of his
strange captor or guide Clayton
could only vaguely conjecture;
but that he had heard the shot,
and was in some manner affected
by it was quite evident, for
he quickened his pace so appreciably
that Clayton, stumbling blindly
in his wake, was down a dozen
times in as many minutes in a
vain effort to keep pace with
him, and soon was left hopelessly
behind.
Fearing that he would again
be irretrievably lost, he called
aloud to the wild man ahead of
him, and in a moment had the
satisfaction of seeing him drop
lightly to his side from the
branches above.
For a moment Tarzan looked
at the young man closely, as
though undecided as to just what
was best to do; then, stooping
down before Clayton, he motioned
him to grasp him about the neck,
and, with the white man upon
his back, Tarzan took to the
trees.
The next few minutes the young
Englishman never forgot. High
into bending and swaying branches
he was borne with what seemed
to him incredible swiftness,
while Tarzan chafed at the slowness
of his progress.
From one lofty branch the agile
creature swung with Clayton through
a dizzy arc to a neighboring
tree; then for a hundred yards
maybe the sure feet threaded
a maze of interwoven limbs, balancing
like a tightrope walker high
above the black depths of verdure
beneath.
From the first sensation of
chilling fear Clayton passed
to one of keen admiration and
envy of those giant muscles and
that wondrous instinct or knowledge
which guided this forest god
through the inky blackness of
the night as easily and safely
as Clayton would have strolled
a London street at high noon.
Occasionally they would enter
a spot where the foliage above
was less dense, and the bright
rays of the moon lit up before
Clayton's wondering eyes the
strange path they were traversing.
At such times the man fairly
caught his breath at sight of
the horrid depths below them,
for Tarzan took the easiest way,
which often led over a hundred
feet above the earth.
And yet with all his seeming
speed, Tarzan was in reality
feeling his way with comparative
slowness, searching constantly
for limbs of adequate strength
for the maintenance of this double
weight.
Presently they came to the
clearing before the beach. Tarzan's
quick ears had heard the strange
sounds of Sabor's efforts to
force her way through the lattice,
and it seemed to Clayton that
they dropped a straight hundred
feet to earth, so quickly did
Tarzan descend. Yet when they
struck the ground it was with
scarce a jar; and as Clayton
released his hold on the ape-man
he saw him dart like a squirrel
for the opposite side of the
cabin.
The Englishman sprang quickly
after him just in time to see
the hind quarters of some huge
animal about to disappear through
the window of the cabin.
As Jane opened her eyes to
a realization of the imminent
peril which threatened her, her
brave young heart gave up at
last its final vestige of hope.
But then to her surprise she
saw the huge animal being slowly
drawn back through the window,
and in the moonlight beyond she
saw the heads and shoulders of
two men.
As Clayton rounded the corner
of the cabin to behold the animal
disappearing within, it was also
to see the ape-man seize the
long tail in both hands, and,
bracing himself with his feet
against the side of the cabin,
throw all his mighty strength
into the effort to draw the beast
out of the interior.
Clayton was quick to lend a
hand, but the ape-man jabbered
to him in a commanding and peremptory
tone something which Clayton
knew to be orders, though he
could not understand them.
At last, under their combined
efforts, the great body was slowly
dragged farther and farther outside
the window, and then there came
to Clayton's mind a dawning conception
of the rash bravery of his companion's
act.
For a naked man to drag a shrieking,
clawing man-eater forth from
a window by the tail to save
a strange white girl, was indeed
the last word in heroism.
Insofar as Clayton was concerned
it was a very different matter,
since the girl was not only of
his own kind and race, but was
the one woman in all the world
whom he loved.
Though he knew that the lioness
would make short work of both
of them, he pulled with a will
to keep it from Jane Porter.
And then he recalled the battle
between this man and the great,
black-maned lion which he had
witnessed a short time before,
and he commenced to feel more
assurance.
Tarzan was still issuing orders
which Clayton could not understand.
He was trying to tell the stupid
white man to plunge his poisoned
arrows into Sabor's back and
sides, and to reach the savage
heart with the long, thin hunting
knife that hung at Tarzan's hip;
but the man would not understand,
and Tarzan did not dare release
his hold to do the things himself,
for he knew that the puny white
man never could hold mighty Sabor
alone, for an instant.
Slowly the lioness was emerging
from the window. At last her
shoulders were out.
And then Clayton saw an incredible
thing. Tarzan, racking his brains
for some means to cope single-handed
with the infuriated beast, had
suddenly recalled his battle
with Terkoz; and as the great
shoulders came clear of the window,
so that the lioness hung upon
the sill only by her forepaws,
Tarzan suddenly released his
hold upon the brute.
With the quickness of a striking
rattler he launched himself full
upon Sabor's back, his strong
young arms seeking and gaining
a full-Nelson upon the beast,
as he had learned it that other
day during his bloody, wrestling
victory over Terkoz.
With a roar the lioness turned
completely over upon her back,
falling full upon her enemy;
but the black-haired giant only
closed tighter his hold.
Pawing and tearing at earth
and air, Sabor rolled and threw
herself this way and that in
an effort to dislodge this strange
antagonist; but ever tighter
and tighter drew the iron bands
that were forcing her head lower
and lower upon her tawny breast.
Higher crept the steel forearms
of the ape-man about the back
of Sabor's neck. Weaker and weaker
became the lioness's efforts.
At last Clayton saw the immense
muscles of Tarzan's shoulders
and biceps leap into corded knots
beneath the silver moonlight.
There was a long sustained and
supreme effort on the ape-man's
part--and the vertebrae of Sabor's
neck parted with a sharp snap.
In an instant Tarzan was upon
his feet, and for the second
time that day Clayton heard the
bull ape's savage roar of victory.
Then he heard Jane's agonized
cry:
"Cecil--Mr.
Clayton! Oh, what is it? What
is it?"
Running quickly to the cabin
door, Clayton called out that
all was right, and shouted to
her to open the door. As quickly
as she could she raised the great
bar and fairly dragged Clayton
within.
"What was that awful noise?" she
whispered, shrinking close to
him.
"It was the
cry of the kill from the throat
of the man who
has just saved your life, Miss
Porter. Wait, I will fetch him
so you may thank him."
The frightened girl would not
be left alone, so she accompanied
Clayton to the side of the cabin
where lay the dead body of the
lioness.
Tarzan of the Apes was gone.
Clayton called several times,
but there was no reply, and so
the two returned to the greater
safety of the interior.
"What a frightful sound!" cried
Jane, "I shudder at the mere
thought of it. Do not tell me
that a human throat voiced that
hideous and fearsome shriek."
"But it did, Miss Porter," replied
Clayton; "or at least if not
a human throat that of a forest
god."
And then he told her of his
experiences with this strange
creature--of how twice the wild
man had saved his life--of the
wondrous strength, and agility,
and bravery--of the brown skin
and the handsome face.
"I cannot make it out at all," he
concluded. "At first I thought
he might be Tarzan of the Apes;
but he neither speaks nor understands
English, so that theory is untenable."
"Well, whatever he may be," cried
the girl, "we owe him our lives,
and may God bless him and keep
him in safety in his wild and
savage jungle!"
"Amen," said
Clayton, fervently.
"For the good
Lord's sake, ain't I dead?"
The two turned to see Esmeralda
sitting upright upon the floor,
her great eyes rolling from side
to side as though she could not
believe their testimony as to
her whereabouts.
And now, for Jane Porter, the
reaction came, and she threw
herself upon the bench, sobbing
with hysterical laughter.
|