太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > tarzan and the jewels of opar >

第9节

tarzan and the jewels of opar-第9节

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

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




corral; and drive the herds in from the fields。

She saw her home plundered of all that represented

intrinsic worth in the eyes of the Arabs; and then she saw

the torch applied; and the flames lick up what remained。



And at last; when the raiders assembled after glutting

their fury and their avarice; and rode away with her

toward the north; she saw the smoke and the flames

rising far into the heavens until the winding of the trail

into the thick forests hid the sad view from her eyes。



As the flames ate their way into the living…room;

reaching out forked tongues to lick up the bodies of

the dead; one of that gruesome company whose bloody

welterings had long since been stilled; moved again。

It was a huge black who rolled over upon his side and

opened blood…shot; suffering eyes。  Mugambi; whom the

Arabs had left for dead; still lived。  The hot flames

were almost upon him as he raised himself painfully

upon his hands and knees and crawled slowly toward the

doorway。



Again and again he sank weakly to the floor; but each

time he rose again and continued his pitiful way toward

safety。  After what seemed to him an interminable time;

during which the flames had become a veritable fiery

furnace at the far side of the room; the great black

managed to reach the veranda; roll down the steps;

and crawl off into the cool safety of some nearby

shrubbery。



All night he lay there; alternately unconscious and

painfully sentient; and in the latter state watching

with savage hatred the lurid flames which still rose

from burning crib and hay cock。  A prowling lion roared

close at hand; but the giant black was unafraid。  There

was place for but a single thought in his savage mind

revenge!  revenge!  revenge!







7



The Jewel…Room of Opar





For some time Tarzan lay where he had fallen upon the

floor of the treasure chamber beneath the ruined walls

of Opar。  He lay as one dead; but he was not dead。

At length he stirred。  His eyes opened upon the utter

darkness of the room。  He raised his hand to his head

and brought it away sticky with clotted blood。  He

sniffed at his fingers; as a wild beast might sniff at

the life…blood upon a wounded paw。



Slowly he rose to a sitting posturelistening。

No sound reached to the buried depths of his sepulcher。

He staggered to his feet; and groped his way about

among the tiers of ingots。  What was he?  Where was he?

His head ached; but otherwise he felt no ill effects

from the blow that had felled him。  The accident he did not

recall; nor did he recall aught of what had led up to it。



He let his hands grope unfamiliarly over his limbs;

his torso; and his head。  He felt of the quiver at his

back; the knife in his loin cloth。  Something struggled

for recognition within his brain。  Ah!  he had it。

There was something missing。  He crawled about upon

the floor; feeling with his hands for the thing that

instinct warned him was gone。  At last he found itthe

heavy war spear that in past years had formed so

important a feature of his daily life; almost of his

very existence; so inseparably had it been connected

with his every action since the long…gone day that he

had wrested his first spear from the body of a black

victim of his savage training。



Tarzan was sure that there was another and more lovely

world than that which was confined to the darkness of

the four stone walls surrounding him。  He continued his

search and at last found the doorway leading inward

beneath the city and the temple。  This he followed;

most incautiously。  He came to the stone steps leading

upward to the higher level。  He ascended them and

continued onward toward the well。



Nothing spurred his hurt memory to a recollection of

past familiarity with his surroundings。  He blundered

on through the darkness as though he were traversing an

open plain under the brilliance of a noonday sun; and

suddenly there happened that which had to happen under

the circumstances of his rash advance。



He reached the brink of the well; stepped outward into

space; lunged forward; and shot downward into the inky

depths below。  Still clutching his spear; he struck the

water; and sank beneath its surface; plumbing the

depths。



The fall had not injured him; and when he rose to the

surface; he shook the water from his eyes; and found

that he could see。  Daylight was filtering into the

well from the orifice far above his head。  It illumined

the inner walls faintly。  Tarzan gazed about him。

On the level with the surface of the water he saw a

large opening in the dark and slimy wall。  He swam to it;

and drew himself out upon the wet floor of a tunnel。



Along this he passed; but now he went warily; for

Tarzan of the Apes was learning。  The unexpected pit

had taught him care in the traversing of dark

passagewayshe needed no second lesson。



For a long distance the passage went straight as an

arrow。  The floor was slippery; as though at times the

rising waters of the well overflowed and flooded it。

This; in itself; retarded Tarzan's pace; for it was

with difficulty that he kept his footing。



The foot of a stairway ended the passage。  Up this he

made his way。  It turned back and forth many times;

leading; at last; into a small; circular chamber;

the gloom of which was relieved by a faint light which

found ingress through a tubular shaft several feet in

diameter which rose from the center of the room's

ceiling; upward to a distance of a hundred feet or

more; where it terminated in a stone grating through

which Tarzan could see a blue and sun…lit sky。



Curiosity prompted the ape…man to investigate his

surroundings。  Several metal…bound; copper…studded

chests constituted the sole furniture of the round

room。  Tarzan let his hands run over these。  He felt

of the copper studs; he pulled upon the hinges; and at

last; by chance; he raised the cover of one。



An exclamation of delight broke from his lips at sight

of the pretty contents。  Gleaming and glistening in the

subdued light of the chamber; lay a great tray full of

brilliant stones。  Tarzan; reverted to the primitive by

his accident; had no conception of the fabulous value

of his find。  To him they were but pretty pebbles。

He plunged his hands into them and let the priceless gems

filter through his fingers。  He went to others of the

chests; only to find still further stores of precious

stones。  Nearly all were cut; and from these he

gathered a handful and filled the pouch which dangled at

his sidethe uncut stones he tossed back into the chests。



Unwittingly; the ape…man had stumbled upon the

forgotten jewel…room of Opar。  For ages it had lain

buried beneath the temple of the Flaming God; midway of

one of the many inky passages which the superstitious

descendants of the ancient Sun Worshipers had either

dared not or cared not to explore。



Tiring at last of this diversion; Tarzan took up his way

along the corridor which led upward from the jewel…room

by a steep incline。  Winding and twisting; but always

tending upward; the tunnel led him nearer and

nearer to the surface; ending finally in a low…ceiled

room; lighter than any that he had as yet discovered。



Above him an opening in the ceiling at the upper end of

a flight of concrete steps revealed a brilliant sunlit

scene。  Tarzan viewed the vine…covered columns in mild

wonderment。  He puckered his brows in an attempt to

recall some recollection of similar things。  He was not

sure of himself。  There was a tantalizing suggestion

always present in his mind that something was eluding

himthat he should know many things which he did not know。



His earnest cogitation was rudely interrupted by a

thunderous roar from the opening above him。  Following

the roar came the cries and screams of men and women。

Tarzan grasped his spear more firmly and ascended the

steps。  A strange sight met his eyes as he emerged from

the semi…darkness of the cellar to the brilliant light

of the temple。



The creatures he saw before him he recognized for what

they weremen and women; and a huge lion。  The men and

women were scuttling for the safety of the exits。

The lion stood upon the body of one who had been less fortunate

than the others。  He was in the center of the temple。

Directly before Tarzan; a woman stood beside a

block of stone。  Upon the top of the stone lay

stretched a man; and as the ape…man watched the scene;

he saw the lion glare terribly at the two who remained

within the temple。  Another thunderous roar broke from

the savage throat; the woman screamed and swooned

across the body of the man stretched prostrate upon the

stone altar before her。



The lion advanced a few steps and crouched。  The tip of

his sinuous tail twitched nervously。  He was upon the

point of charging when his eyes were attracted toward

the ape…man。



Werper; helpless up

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 1 0

你可能喜欢的