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第16节

tarzan and the jewels of opar-第16节

小说: tarzan and the jewels of opar 字数: 每页4000字

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effect of his assault; but leaped cat…like after his

spear; his hunting knife in his hand。



For an instant the two animals stood motionless。

The tearing of the cruel barb into her side brought a

sudden scream of pain and fright from the mare; and

then they both wheeled and broke for safety; but Tarzan

of the Apes; for a distance of a few yards; could equal

the speed of even these; and the first stride of the

mare found her overhauled; with a savage beast at her

shoulder。  She turned; biting and kicking at her foe。

Her mate hesitated for an instant; as though about to

rush to her assistance; but a backward glance revealed

to him the flying heels of the balance of the herd; and

with a snort and a shake of his head he wheeled and

dashed away。



Clinging with one hand to the short mane of his quarry;

Tarzan struck again and again with his knife at the

unprotected heart。  The result had; from the first;

been inevitable。  The mare fought bravely; but

hopelessly; and presently sank to the earth; her heart

pierced。  The ape…man placed a foot upon her carcass

and raised his voice in the victory call of the

Mangani。  In the distance; Basuli halted as the faint

notes of the hideous scream broke upon his ears。



〃The great apes;〃 he said to his companion。  〃It has

been long since I have heard them in the country of the

Waziri。  What could have brought them back?〃



Tarzan grasped his kill and dragged it to the partial

seclusion of the bush which had hidden his own near

approach; and there he squatted upon it; cut a huge

hunk of flesh from the loin and proceeded to satisfy

his hunger with the warm and dripping meat。



Attracted by the shrill screams of the mare; a pair of

hyenas slunk presently into view。  They trotted to a

point a few yards from the gorging ape…man; and halted。

Tarzan looked up; bared his fighting fangs and growled。

The hyenas returned the compliment; and withdrew a

couple of paces。  They made no move to attack; but

continued to sit at a respectful distance until Tarzan

had concluded his meal。  After the ape…man had cut a

few strips from the carcass to carry with him; he

walked slowly off in the direction of the river to

quench his thirst。  His way lay directly toward the

hyenas; nor did he alter his course because of them。



With all the lordly majesty of Numa; the lion;

he strode straight toward the growling beasts。  For a

moment they held their ground; bristling and defiant;

but only for a moment; and then slunk away to one side

while the indifferent ape…man passed them on his lordly

way。  A moment later they were tearing at the remains

of the zebra。



Back to the reeds went Tarzan; and through them toward

the river。  A herd of buffalo; startled by his

approach; rose ready to charge or to fly。  A great bull

pawed the ground and bellowed as his bloodshot eyes

discovered the intruder; but the ape…man passed across

their front as though ignorant of their existence。

The bull's bellowing lessened to a low rumbling; he turned

and scraped a horde of flies from his side with his

muzzle; cast a final glance at the ape…man and resumed

his feeding。  His numerous family either followed his

example or stood gazing after Tarzan in mild…eyed

curiosity; until the opposite reeds swallowed him from

view。



At the river; Tarzan drank his fill and bathed。  During

the heat of the day he lay up under the shade of a tree

near the ruins of his burned barns。  His eyes wandered

out across the plain toward the forest; and a longing

for the pleasures of its mysterious depths possessed

his thoughts for a considerable time。  With the next

sun he would cross the open and enter the forest!  There

was no hurrythere lay before him an endless vista of

tomorrows with naught to fill them but the satisfying

of the appetites and caprices of the moment。



The ape…man's mind was untroubled by regret for the

past; or aspiration for the future。  He could lie at

full length along a swaying branch; stretching his

giant limbs; and luxuriating in the blessed peace of

utter thoughtlessness; without an apprehension or a

worry to sap his nervous energy and rob him of his

peace of mind。  Recalling only dimly any other

existence; the ape…man was happy。  Lord Greystoke had

ceased to exist。



For several hours Tarzan lolled upon his swaying; leafy

couch until once again hunger and thirst suggested an

excursion。  Stretching lazily he dropped to the ground

and moved slowly toward the river。  The game trail down

which he walked had become by ages of use a deep;

narrow trench; its walls topped on either side by

impenetrable thicket and dense…growing trees closely

interwoven with thick…stemmed creepers and lesser vines

inextricably matted into two solid ramparts of

vegetation。  Tarzan had almost reached the point where

the trail debouched upon the open river bottom when he

saw a family of lions approaching along the path from

the direction of the river。  The ape…man counted seven

a male and two lionesses; full grown; and four young

lions as large and quite as formidable as their

parents。  Tarzan halted; growling; and the lions

paused; the great male in the lead baring his fangs and

rumbling forth a warning roar。  In his hand the ape…man

held his heavy spear; but he had no intention of

pitting his puny weapon against seven lions; yet he

stood there growling and roaring and the lions did

likewise。  It was purely an exhibition of jungle bluff。

Each was trying to frighten off the other。  Neither

wished to turn back and give way; nor did either at

first desire to precipitate an encounter。  The lions

were fed sufficiently so as not to be goaded by pangs

of hunger and as for Tarzan he seldom ate the meat of

the carnivores; but a point of ethics was at stake and

neither side wished to back down。  So they stood there

facing one another; making all sorts of hideous noises

the while they hurled jungle invective back and forth。

How long this bloodless duel would have persisted it is

difficult to say; though eventually Tarzan would have

been forced to yield to superior numbers。



There came; however; an interruption which put an end

to the deadlock and it came from Tarzan's rear。  He and

the lions had been making so much noise that neither

could hear anything above their concerted bedlam; and

so it was that Tarzan did not hear the great bulk

bearing down upon him from behind until an instant

before it was upon him; and then he turned to see Buto;

the rhinoceros; his little; pig eyes blazing; charging

madly toward him and already so close that escape

seemed impossible; yet so perfectly were mind and

muscles coordinated in this unspoiled; primitive man

that almost simultaneously with the sense perception of

the threatened danger he wheeled and hurled his spear

at Buto's chest。  It was a heavy spear shod with iron;

and behind it were the giant muscles of the ape…man;

while coming to meet it was the enormous weight of Buto

and the momentum of his rapid rush。  All that happened

in the instant that Tarzan turned to meet the charge of

the irascible rhinoceros might take long to tell; and

yet would have taxed the swiftest lens to record。

As his spear left his hand the ape…man was looking down

upon the mighty horn lowered to toss him; so close was

Buto to him。  The spear entered the rhinoceros' neck at

its junction with the left shoulder and passed almost

entirely through the beast's body; and at the instant

that he launched it; 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 hemor

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