tarzan and the jewels of opar()-第20节
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Tarzan leaped straight into the air alighting upon Buto's back but escaping
the mighty horn。
Then Buto espied the lions and bore madly down upon them while
Tarzan of the Apes leaped nimbly into the tangled creepers at one side of
the trail。 The first lion met Buto's charge and was tossed high over the
back of the maddened brute； torn and dying； and then the six remaining
lions were upon the rhinoceros； rending and tearing the while they were
being gored or trampled。 From the safety of his perch Tarzan watched
the royal battle with the keenest interest； for the more intelligent of the
jungle folk are interested in such encounters。 They are to them what the
racetrack and the prize ring； the theater and the movies are to us。 They see
them often； but always they enjoy them for no two are precisely alike。
For a time it seemed to Tarzan that Buto； the rhinoceros； would prove
victor in the gory battle。 Already had he accounted for four of the seven
lions and badly wounded the three remaining when in a momentary lull in
the encounter he sank limply to his knees and rolled over upon his side。
Tarzan's spear had done its work。 It was the man…made weapon which
killed the great beast that might easily have survived the assault of seven
mighty lions； for Tarzan's spear had pierced the great lungs； and Buto；
with victory almost in sight； succumbed to internal hemorrhage。
Then Tarzan came down from his sanctuary and as the wounded lions；
growling； dragged themselves away； the ape…man cut his spear from the
body of Buto； hacked off a steak and vanished into the jungle。 The
episode was over。 It had been all in the day's worksomething which
you and I might talk about for a lifetime Tarzan dismissed from his mind
the moment that the scene passed from his sight。
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12
La Seeks Vengeance
Swinging back through the jungle in a wide circle the ape…man came
to the river at another point； drank and took to the trees again and while he
hunted； all oblivious of his past and careless of his future； there came
through the dark jungles and the open； parklike places and across the wide
meadows； where grazed the countless herbivora of the mysterious
continent； a weird and terrible caravan in search of him。 There were fifty
frightful men with hairy bodies and gnarled and crooked legs。 They were
armed with knives and great bludgeons and at their head marched an
almost naked woman； beautiful beyond compare。 It was La of Opar；
High Priestess of the Flaming God； and fifty of her horrid priests
searching for the purloiner of the sacred sacrificial knife。
Never before had La passed beyond the crumbling outer walls of Opar；
but never before had need been so insistent。 The sacred knife was gone！
Handed down through countless ages it had come to her as a heritage and
an insignia of her religious office and regal authority from some long…dead
progenitor of lost and forgotten Atlantis。 The loss of the crown jewels or
the Great Seal of England could have brought no greater consternation to a
British king than did the pilfering of the sacred knife bring to La； the
Oparian； Queen and High Priestess of the degraded remnants of the oldest
civilization upon earth。 When Atlantis； with all her mighty cities and her
cultivated fields and her great commerce and culture and riches sank into
the sea long ages since； she took with her all but a handful of her colonists
working the vast gold mines of Central Africa。 From these and their
degraded slaves and a later intermixture of the blood of the anthropoids
sprung the gnarled men of Opar； but by some queer freak of fate； aided by
natural selection； the old Atlantean strain had remained pure and
undegraded in the females descended from a single princess of the royal
house of Atlantis who had been in Opar at the time of the great catastrophe。
Such was La。
Burning with white…hot anger was the High Priestess； her heart a
seething； molten mass of hatred for Tarzan of the Apes。 The zeal of the
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Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
religious fanatic whose altar has been desecrated was triply enhanced by
the rage of a woman scorned。 Twice had she thrown her heart at the feet
of the godlike ape…man and twice had she been repulsed。 La knew that
she was beautifuland she was beautiful； not by the standards of
prehistoric Atlantis alone； but by those of modern times was La physically
a creature of perfection。 Before Tarzan came that first time to Opar； La
had never seen a human male other than the grotesque and knotted men of
her clan。 With one of these she must mate sooner or later that the direct
line of high priestesses might not be broken； unless Fate should bring
other men to Opar。 Before Tarzan came upon his first visit； La had had no
thought that such men as he existed； for she knew only her hideous little
priests and the bulls of the tribe of great anthropoids that had dwelt from
time immemorial in and about Opar； until they had come to be looked
upon almost as equals by the Oparians。 Among the legends of Opar were
tales of godlike men of the olden time and of black men who had come
more recently； but these latter had been enemies who killed and robbed。
And； too； these legends always held forth the hope that some day that
nameless continent from which their race had sprung； would rise once
more out of the sea and with slaves at the long sweeps would send her
carven； gold…picked galleys forth to succor the long…exiled colonists。
The coming of Tarzan had aroused within La's breast the wild hope
that at last the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy was at hand； but more
strongly still had it aroused the hot fires of love in a heart that never
otherwise would have known the meaning of that all…consuming passion；
for such a wondrous creature as La could never have felt love for any of
the repulsive priests of Opar。 Custom； duty and religious zeal might have
commanded the union； but there could have been no love on La's part。
She had grown to young womanhood a cold and heartless creature；
daughter of a thousand other cold； heartless； beautiful women who had
never known love。 And so when love came to her it liberated all the pent
passions of a thousand generations； transforming La into a pulsing；
throbbing volcano of desire； and with desire thwarted this great force of
love and gentleness and sacrifice was transmuted by its own fires into one
of hatred and revenge。
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It was in a state of mind superinduced by these conditions that La led
forth her jabbering company to retrieve the sacred emblem of her high
office and wreak vengeance upon the author of her wrongs。 To Werper
she gave little thought。 The fact that the knife had been in his hand when
it departed from Opar brought down no thoughts of vengeance upon his
head。 Of course； he should be slain when captured； but his death would
give La no pleasureshe looked for that in the contemplated death agonies
of Tarzan。 He should be tortured。 His should be a slow and frightful
death。 His punishment should be adequate to the immensity of his crime。
He had wrested the sacred knife from La； he had lain sacreligious hands
upon the High Priestess of the Flaming God； he had desecrated the altar
and the temple。 For these things he should die； but he had scorned the
love of La； the woman； and for this he should die horribly with great
anguish。
The march of La and her priests
