tarzan and the jewels of opar()-第16章
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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
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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
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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 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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religious fanatic whose altar has been desecrated was trip
