第13章

类别:其他 作者:Edgar Rice Burroughs字数:11390更新时间:18/12/18 14:20:43
Attheendofthethirddaytheymarchedintothevillagegate,andweregreetedbythesurvivorsoftherecentmassacre,towhomTarzanhadsentamessengerintheirtemporarycamptothesouthonthedaythattheraidershadquittedthevillage,tellingthemthattheymightreturninsafety。 IttookallthemasteryandpersuasionthatTarzanpossessedtopreventtheWazirifallingontheManyuematoothandnail,andtearingthemtopieces,butwhenhehadexplainedthathehadgivenhiswordthattheywouldnotbemolestediftheycarriedtheivorybacktothespotfromwhichtheyhadstolenit,andhadfurtherimpresseduponhispeoplethattheyowedtheirentirevictorytohim,theyfinallyaccededtohisdemands,andallowedthecannibalstorestinpeacewithintheirpalisade。 Thatnightthevillagewarriorsheldabigpalavertocelebratetheirvictories,andtochooseanewchief。 SinceoldWaziri’sdeathTarzanhadbeendirectingthewarriorsinbattle,andthetemporarycommandhadbeentacitlyconcededtohim。Therehadbeennotimetochooseanewchieffromamongtheirownnumber,and,infact,soremarkablysuccessfulhadtheybeenundertheape—man’sgeneralshipthattheyhadhadnowishtodelegatethesupremeauthoritytoanotherforfearthatwhattheyalreadyhadgainedmightbelost。Theyhadsorecentlyseentheresultsofrunningcountertothissavagewhiteman’sadviceinthedisastrouschargeorderedbyWaziri,inwhichhehimselfhaddied,thatithadnotbeendifficultforthemtoacceptTarzan’sauthorityasfinal。 TheprincipalwarriorssatinacircleaboutasmallfiretodiscusstherelativemeritsofwhomevermightbesuggestedasoldWaziri’ssuccessor。ItwasBusuliwhospokefirst: \"SinceWaziriisdead,leavingnoson,thereisbutoneamonguswhomweknowfromexperienceisfittedtomakeusagoodking。Thereisonlyonewhohasprovedthathecansuccessfullyleadusagainstthegunsofthewhiteman,andbringuseasyvictorywithoutthelossofasinglelife。 Thereisonlyone,andthatisthewhitemanwhohasledusforthepastfewdays,\"andBusulisprangtohisfeet,andwithupliftedspearandhalf—bent,crouchingbodycommencedtodanceslowlyaboutTarzan,chantingintimetohissteps: \"Waziri,kingoftheWaziri;Waziri,killerofArabs; Waziri,kingoftheWaziri。\" OnebyonetheotherwarriorssignifiedtheiracceptanceofTarzanastheirkingbyjoininginthesolemndance。 Thewomencameandsquattedabouttherimofthecircle,beatingupontom—toms,clappingtheirhandsintimetothestepsofthedancers,andjoininginthechantofthewarriors。InthecenterofthecirclesatTarzanoftheApes——Waziri,kingoftheWaziri,for,likehispredecessor,hewastotakethenameofhistribeashisown。 Fasterandfastergrewthepaceofthedancers,louderandloudertheirwildandsavageshouts。Thewomenroseandfellinunison,shriekingnowatthetopsoftheirvoices。 Thespearswerebrandishingfiercely,andasthedancersstoopeddownandbeattheirshieldsuponthehard—trampedearthofthevillagestreetthewholesightwasasterriblyprimevalandsavageasthoughitwerebeingstagedinthedimdawnofhumanity,countlessagesinthepast。 Astheexcitementwaxedtheape—mansprangtohisfeetandjoinedinthewildceremony。Inthecenterofthecircleofglitteringblackbodiesheleapedandroaredandshookhisheavyspearinthesamemadabandonthatenthralledhisfellowsavages。Thelastremnantofhiscivilizationwasforgotten——hewasaprimitivemantothefullestnow;revelinginthefreedomofthefierce,wildlifeheloved,gloatinginhiskingshipamongthesewildblacks。 Ah,ifOlgadeCoudehadbutseenhimthen——couldshehaverecognizedthewell—dressed,quietyoungmanwhosewell—bredfaceandirreproachablemannershadsocaptivatedherbutafewshortmonthsago?AndJanePorter!Wouldshehavestilllovedthissavagewarriorchieftain,dancingnakedamonghisnakedsavagesubjects?AndD’Arnot! CouldD’ArnothavebelievedthatthiswasthesamemanhehadintroducedintohalfadozenofthemostselectclubsofParis?WhatwouldhisfellowpeersintheHouseofLordshavesaidhadonepointedtothisdancinggiant,withhisbarbaricheaddressandhismetalornaments,andsaid: \"There,mylords,isJohnClayton,LordGreystoke。\" AndsoTarzanoftheApescameintoarealkingshipamongmen——slowlybutsurelywashefollowingtheevolutionofhisancestors,forhadhenotstartedattheverybottom? Chapter18 TheLotteryofDeathJanePorterhadbeenthefirstofthoseinthelifeboattoawakenthemorningafterthewreckoftheLADYALICE。 Theothermembersofthepartywereasleepuponthethwartsorhuddledincrampedpositionsinthebottomoftheboat。 Whenthegirlrealizedthattheyhadbecomeseparatedfromtheotherboatsshewasfilledwithalarm。Thesenseofutterlonelinessandhelplessnesswhichthevastexpanseofdesertedoceanarousedinherwassodepressingthat,fromthefirst,contemplationofthefutureheldnottheslightestrayofpromiseforher。Shewasconfidentthattheywerelost——lostbeyondpossibilityofsuccor。 PresentlyClaytonawoke。Itwasseveralminutesbeforehecouldgatherhissensessufficientlytorealizewherehewas,orrecallthedisasterofthepreviousnight。Finallyhisbewilderedeyesfelluponthegirl。 \"Jane!\"hecried。\"ThankGodthatwearetogether!\" \"Look,\"saidthegirldully,indicatingthehorizonwithanapatheticgesture。\"Weareallalone。\" Claytonscannedthewaterineverydirection。 \"Wherecantheybe?\"hecried。\"Theycannothavegonedown,fortherehasbeennosea,andtheywereafloataftertheyachtsank——Isawthemall。\" Heawoketheothermembersoftheparty,andexplainedtheirplight。 \"Itisjustaswellthattheboatsarescattered,sir,\"saidoneofthesailors。\"Theyareallprovisioned,sothattheydonotneedeachotheronthatscore,andshouldastormblowuptheycouldbeofnoservicetooneanothereveniftheyweretogether,butscatteredabouttheoceanthereisamuchbetterchancethatoneatleastwillbepickedup,andthenasearchwillbeatoncestartedfortheothers。 Werewetogethertherewouldbebutonechanceofrescue,wherenowtheremaybefour。\" Theysawthewisdomofhisphilosophy,andwerecheeredbyit,buttheirjoywasshort—lived,forwhenitwasdecidedthattheyshouldrowsteadilytowardtheeastandthecontinent,itwasdiscoveredthatthesailorswhohadbeenattheonlytwooarswithwhichtheboathadbeenprovidedhadfallenasleepattheirwork,andallowedbothtoslipintothesea,norweretheyinsightanywhereuponthewater。 Duringtheangrywordsandrecriminationswhichfollowedthesailorsnearlycametoblows,butClaytonsucceededinquietingthem;thoughamomentlaterMonsieurThuranalmostprecipitatedanotherrowbymakinganastyremarkaboutthestupidityofallEnglishmen,andespeciallyEnglishsailors。 \"Come,come,mates,\"spokeuponeofthemen,Tompkins,whohadtakennopartinthealtercation,\"shootin’ offourbloomin’mugswon’tgetusnothin’。AsSpider’eresaidafore,we’llallbloodywellbepickedup,anyway,sez’e,sowot’stheuseo’squabblin’?Let’seat,sezI。\" \"That’snotabadidea,\"saidMonsieurThuran,andthen,turningtothethirdsailor,Wilson,hesaid:\"Passoneofthosetinsaft,mygoodman。\" \"Fetchityerself,\"retortedWilsonsullenly。\"Iain’ta—takin’ noordersfromno——furriner——youain’tcaptaino’thisshipyet。\" TheresultwasthatClaytonhimselfhadtogetthetin,andthenanotherangryaltercationensuedwhenoneofthesailorsaccusedClaytonandMonsieurThuranofconspiringtocontroltheprovisionssothattheycouldhavethelion’sshare。 \"Someoneshouldtakecommandofthisboat,\"spokeupJanePorter,thoroughlydisgustedwiththedisgracefulwranglingthathadmarkedtheveryopeningofaforcedcompanionshipthatmightlastformanydays。\"ItisterribleenoughtobealoneinafrailboatontheAtlantic,withouthavingtheaddedmiseryanddangerofconstantbickeringandbrawlingamongthemembersofourparty。Youmenshouldelectaleader,andthenabidebyhisdecisionsinallmatters。Thereisgreaterneedforstrictdisciplineherethanthereisuponawell—orderedship。\" Shehadhopedbeforeshevoicedhersentimentsthatitwouldnotbenecessaryforhertoenterintothetransactionatall,forshebelievedthatClaytonwasamplyabletocopewitheveryemergency,butshehadtoadmitthatsofaratleasthehadshownnogreaterpromiseofsuccessfullyhandlingthesituationthananyoftheothers,thoughhehadatleastrefrainedfromaddinginanywaytotheunpleasantness,evengoingsofarastogiveupthetintothesailorswhentheyobjectedtoitsbeingopenedbyhim。 Thegirl’swordstemporarilyquietedthemen,andfinallyitwasdecidedthatthetwokegsofwaterandthefourtinsoffoodshouldbedividedintotwoparts,one—halfgoingforwardtothethreesailorstodowithastheysawbest,andthebalanceafttothethreepassengers。 Thuswasthelittlecompanydividedintotwocamps,andwhentheprovisionshadbeenapportionedeachimmediatelysettoworktoopenanddistributefoodandwater。Thesailorswerethefirsttogetoneofthetinsof\"food\"open,andtheircursesofrageanddisappointmentcausedClaytontoaskwhatthetroublemightbe。 \"Trouble!\"shriekedSpider。\"Trouble!It’sworsethantrouble——it’sdeath!This———tinisfullofcoaloil!\" HastilynowClaytonandMonsieurThurantoreopenoneoftheirs,onlytolearnthehideoustruththatitalsocontained,notfood,butcoaloil。Oneafteranotherthefourtinsonboardwereopened。Andasthecontentsofeachbecameknownhowlsofangerannouncedthegrimtruth——therewasnotanounceoffoodupontheboat。 \"Well,thankGawditwasn’tthewater,\"criedThompkins。 \"It’seasiertogetalongwithoutfoodthanitiswithoutwater。 Wecaneatourshoesifworsecomestoworst,butwecouldn’tdrink’em。\" AshespokeWilsonhadbeenboringaholeinoneofthewaterkegs,andasSpiderheldatincuphetiltedthekegtopouradraftofthepreciousfluid。Athinstreamofblackish,dryparticlesfilteredslowlythroughthetinyapertureintothebottomofthecup。WithagroanWilsondroppedthekeg,andsatstaringatthedrystuffinthecup,speechlesswithhorror。 \"Thekegsarefilledwithgunpowder,\"saidSpider,inalowtone,turningtothoseaft。Andsoitprovedwhenthelasthadbeenopened。 \"Coaloilandgunpowder!\"criedMonsieurThuran。 \"SAPRISTI!Whatadietforshipwreckedmariners!\" Withthefullknowledgethattherewasneitherfoodnorwateronboard,thepangsofhungerandthirstbecameimmediatelyaggravated,andsoonthefirstdayoftheirtragicadventurerealsufferingcommencedingrimearnest,andthefullhorrorsofshipwreckwereuponthem。 Asthedayspassedconditionsbecamehorrible。Achingeyesscannedthehorizondayandnightuntiltheweakandwearywatcherswouldsinkexhaustedtothebottomoftheboat,andtherewrestindream—disturbedslumberamoment’srespitefromthehorrorsofthewakingreality。 Thesailors,goadedbytheremorselesspangsofhunger,hadeatentheirleatherbelts,theirshoes,thesweatbandsfromtheircaps,althoughbothClaytonandMonsieurThuranhaddonetheirbesttoconvincethemthatthesewouldonlyaddtothesufferingtheywereenduring。 Weakandhopeless,theentirepartylaybeneaththepitilesstropicsun,withparchedlipsandswollentongues,waitingforthedeaththeywerebeginningtocrave。Theintensesufferingofthefirstfewdayshadbecomedeadenedforthethreepassengerswhohadeatennothing,buttheagonyofthesailorswaspitiful,astheirweakandimpoverishedstomachsattemptedtocopewiththebitsofleatherwithwhichtheyhadfilledthem。Tompkinswasthefirsttosuccumb。JustaweekfromthedaytheLADYALICEwentdownthesailordiedhorriblyinfrightfulconvulsions。 Forhourshiscontortedandhideousfeatureslaygrinningbackatthoseinthesternofthelittleboat,untilJanePortercouldendurethesightnolonger。 \"Canyounotdrophisbodyoverboard,William?\"sheasked。 Claytonroseandstaggeredtowardthecorpse。Thetworemainingsailorseyedhimwithastrange,balefullightintheirsunkenorbs。FutilelytheEnglishmantriedtoliftthecorpseoverthesideoftheboat,buthisstrengthwasnotequaltothetask。 \"Lendmeahandhere,please,\"hesaidtoWilson,wholaynearesthim。 \"Wotdoyouwanttothrow’imoverfor?\"questionedthesailor,inaquerulousvoice。 \"We’vegottobeforewe’retooweaktodoit,\"repliedClayton。 \"He’dbeawfulbytomorrow,afteradayunderthatbroilingsun。\" \"Betterleavewellenoughalone,\"grumbledWilson。 \"Wemayneedhimbeforetomorrow。\" Slowlythemeaningoftheman’swordspercolatedintoClayton’sunderstanding。Atlastherealizedthefellow’sreasonforobjectingtothedisposalofthedeadman。 \"God!\"whisperedClayton,inahorrifiedtone。\"Youdon’tmean——\" \"W’ynot?\"growledWilson。\"Ain’twegottalive?He’sdead,\" headded,jerkinghisthumbinthedirectionofthecorpse。 \"Hewon’tcare。\" \"Comehere,Thuran,\"saidClayton,turningtowardtheRussian。 \"We’llhavesomethingworsethandeathaboardusifwedon’tgetridofthisbodybeforedark。\" Wilsonstaggeredupmenacinglytopreventthecontemplatedact,butwhenhiscomrade,Spider,tooksideswithClaytonandMonsieurThuranhegaveup,andsateyingthecorpsehungrilyasthethreemen,bycombiningtheirefforts,succeededinrollingitoverboard。 AllthebalanceofthedayWilsonsatglaringatClayton,inhiseyesthegleamofinsanity。Towardevening,asthesunwassinkingintothesea,hecommencedtochuckleandmumbletohimself,buthiseyesneverleftClayton。 AfteritbecamequitedarkClaytoncouldstillfeelthoseterribleeyesuponhim。Hedarednotsleep,andyetsoexhaustedwashethatitwasaconstantfighttoretainconsciousness。 Afterwhatseemedaneternityofsufferinghisheaddroppeduponathwart,andheslept。Howlonghewasunconscioushedidnotknow——hewasawakenedbyashufflingnoisequiteclosetohim。Themoonhadrisen,andasheopenedhisstartledeyeshesawWilsoncreepingstealthilytowardhim,hismouthopenandhisswollentonguehangingout。 TheslightnoisehadawakenedJanePorteratthesametime,andasshesawthehideoustableaushegaveashrillcryofalarm,andatthesameinstantthesailorlurchedforwardandfelluponClayton。Likeawildbeasthisteethsoughtthethroatofhisintendedprey,butClayton,weakthoughhewas,stillfoundsufficientstrengthtoholdthemaniac’smouthfromhim。 AtJanePorter’sscreamMonsieurThuranandSpiderawoke。 Onseeingthecauseofheralarm,bothmencrawledtoClayton’srescue,andbetweenthethreeofthemwereabletosubdueWilsonandhurlhimtothebottomoftheboat。 Forafewminuteshelaytherechatteringandlaughing,andthen,withanawfulscream,andbeforeanyofhiscompanionscouldprevent,hestaggeredtohisfeetandleapedoverboard。 Thereactionfromtheterrificstrainofexcitementlefttheweaksurvivorstremblingandprostrated。Spiderbrokedownandwept;JanePorterprayed;Claytonsworesoftlytohimself; MonsieurThuransatwithhisheadinhishands,thinking。 TheresultofhiscogitationdevelopedthefollowingmorninginapropositionhemadetoSpiderandClayton。 \"Gentlemen,\"saidMonsieurThuran,\"youseethefatethatawaitsusallunlesswearepickedupwithinadayortwo。 Thatthereislittlehopeofthatisevidencedbythefactthatduringallthedayswehavedriftedwehaveseennosail,northefaintestsmudgeofsmokeuponthehorizon。 \"Theremightbeachanceifwehadfood,butwithoutfoodthereisnone。Thereremainsforus,then,butoneoftwoalternatives,andwemustchooseatonce。Eitherwemustalldietogetherwithinafewdays,oronemustbesacrificedthattheothersmaylive。Doyouquiteclearlygraspmymeaning?\" JanePorter,whohadoverheard,washorrified。Ifthepropositionhadcomefromthepoor,ignorantsailor,shemightpossiblyhavenotbeensosurprised;butthatitshouldcomefromonewhoposedasamanofcultureandrefinement,fromagentleman,shecouldscarcelycredit。 \"Itisbetterthatwedietogether,then,\"saidClayton。 \"Thatisforthemajoritytodecide,\"repliedMonsieurThuran。 \"Asonlyoneofusthreewillbetheobjectofsacrifice,weshalldecide。MissPorterisnotinterested,sinceshewillbeinnodanger。\" \"Howshallweknowwhoistobefirst?\"askedSpider。 \"Itmaybefairlyfixedbylot,\"repliedMonsieurThuran。 \"Ihaveanumberoffrancpiecesinmypocket。Wecanchooseacertaindatefromamongthem——theonetodrawthisdatefirstfrombeneathapieceofclothwillbethefirst。\" \"Ishallhavenothingtodowithanysuchdiabolicalplan,\" mutteredClayton;\"evenyetlandmaybesightedorashipappear——intime。\" \"Youwilldoasthemajoritydecide,oryouwillbe`thefirst’withouttheformalityofdrawinglots,\"saidMonsieurThuranthreateningly。\"Come,letusvoteontheplan;I foroneaminfavorofit。Howaboutyou,Spider?\" \"AndI,\"repliedthesailor。 \"Itisthewillofthemajority,\"announcedMonsieurThuran,\"andnowletuslosenotimeindrawinglots。 Itisasfairforoneasforanother。Thatthreemaylive,oneofusmustdieperhapsafewhourssoonerthanotherwise。\" Thenhebeganhispreparationforthelotteryofdeath,whileJanePortersatwide—eyedandhorrifiedatthoughtofthethingthatshewasabouttowitness。MonsieurThuranspreadhiscoatuponthebottomoftheboat,andthenfromahandfulofmoneyheselectedsixfrancpieces。Theothertwomenbentcloseabovehimasheinspectedthem。FinallyhehandedthemalltoClayton。 \"Lookatthemcarefully,\"hesaid。\"Theoldestdateiseighteen—seventy—five,andthereisonlyoneofthatyear。\" Claytonandthesailorinspectedeachcoin。Tothemthereseemednottheslightestdifferencethatcouldbedetectedotherthanthedates。Theywerequitesatisfied。HadtheyknownthatMonsieurThuran’spastexperienceasacardsharphadtrainedhissenseoftouchtosofineapointthathecouldalmostdifferentiatebetweencardsbythemerefeelofthem,theywouldscarcelyhavefeltthattheplanwassoentirelyfair。The1875piecewasahairthinnerthantheothercoins,butneitherClaytonnorSpidercouldhavedetecteditwithouttheaidofamicrometer。 \"Inwhatordershallwedraw?\"askedMonsieurThuran,knowingfrompastexperiencethatthemajorityofmenalwayspreferlastchanceinalotterywherethesingleprizeissomedistastefulthing——thereisalwaysthechanceandthehopethatanotherwilldrawitfirst。MonsieurThuran,forreasonsofhisown,preferredtodrawfirstifthedrawingshouldhappentorequireasecondadventurebeneaththecoat。 AndsowhenSpiderelectedtodrawlasthegraciouslyofferedtotakethefirstchancehimself。Hishandwasunderthecoatforbutamoment,yetthosequick,deftfingershadfeltofeachcoin,andfoundanddiscardedthefatalpiece。 Whenhebroughtforthhishanditcontainedan1888francpiece。 ThenClaytondrew。JanePorterleanedforwardwithatenseandhorrifiedexpressiononherfaceasthehandofthemanshewastomarrygropedaboutbeneaththecoat。Presentlyhewithdrewit,afrancpiecelyinginthepalm。Foraninstanthedarednotlook,butMonsieurThuran,whohadleanednearertoseethedate,exclaimedthathewassafe。 JanePortersankweakandtremblingagainstthesideoftheboat。Shefeltsickanddizzy。Andnow,ifSpidershouldnotdrawthe1875pieceshemustendurethewholehorridthingagain。 Thesailoralreadyhadhishandbeneaththecoat。Greatbeadsofsweatwerestandinguponhisbrow。Hetrembledasthoughwithafitofague。Aloudhecursedhimselfforhavingtakenthelastdraw,fornowhischancesforescapewerebutthreetoone,whereasMonsieurThuran’shadbeenfivetoone,andClayton’sfourtoone。 TheRussianwasverypatient,anddidnothurrytheman,forheknewthathehimselfwasquitesafewhetherthe1875 piececameoutthistimeornot。Whenthesailorwithdrewhishandandlookedatthepieceofmoneywithin,hedroppedfaintingtothebottomoftheboat。BothClaytonandMonsieurThuranhastenedweaklytoexaminethecoin,whichhadrolledfromtheman’shandandlaybesidehim。 Itwasnotdated1875。ThereactionfromthestateoffearhehadbeeninhadovercomeSpiderquiteaseffectuallyasthoughhehaddrawnthefatedpiece。 Butnowthewholeproceedingmustbegonethroughagain。 OncemoretheRussiandrewforthaharmlesscoin。JanePorterclosedhereyesasClaytonreachedbeneaththecoat。 Spiderbent,wide—eyed,towardthehandthatwastodecidehisfate,forwhateverluckwasClayton’sonthislastdraw,theoppositewouldbeSpider’s。 ThenWilliamCecilClayton,LordGreystoke,removedhishandfrombeneaththecoat,andwithacointightpressedwithinhispalmwherenonemightseeit,helookedatJanePorter。 Hedidnotdareopenhishand。 \"Quick!\"hissedSpider。\"MyGawd,let’sseeit。\" Claytonopenedhisfingers。Spiderwasthefirsttoseethedate,andereanyknewwhathisintentionwasheraisedhimselftohisfeet,andlungedoverthesideoftheboat,todisappearforeverintothegreendepthsbeneath——thecoinhadnotbeenthe1875piece。 Thestrainhadexhaustedthosewhoremainedtosuchanextentthattheylayhalfunconsciousforthebalanceoftheday,norwasthesubjectreferredtoagainforseveraldays。 Horribledaysofincreasingweaknessandhopelessness。 AtlengthMonsieurThurancrawledtowhereClaytonlay。 \"Wemustdrawoncemorebeforewearetooweakeventoeat,\" hewhispered。 Claytonwasinsuchastatethathewasscarcelymasterofhisownwill。JanePorterhadnotspokenforthreedays。 Heknewthatshewasdying。Horribleasthethoughtwas,hehopedthatthesacrificeofeitherThuranorhimselfmightbethemeansofgivingherrenewedstrength,andsoheimmediatelyagreedtotheRussian’sproposal。 Theydrewunderthesameplanasbefore,buttherecouldbebutoneresult——Claytondrewthe1875piece。 \"Whenshallitbe?\"heaskedThuran。 TheRussianhadalreadydrawnapocketknifefromhistrousers,andwasweaklyattemptingtoopenit。 \"Now,\"hemuttered,andhisgreedyeyesgloatedupontheEnglishman。 \"Can’tyouwaituntildark?\"askedClayton。\"MissPortermustnotseethisthingdone。Weweretohavebeenmarried,youknow。\" AlookofdisappointmentcameoverMonsieurThuran’sface。 \"Verywell,\"herepliedhesitatingly。\"Itwillnotbelonguntilnight。Ihavewaitedformanydays——Icanwaitafewhourslonger。\" \"Thankyou,myfriend,\"murmuredClayton。\"NowIshallgotohersideandremainwithheruntilitistime。IwouldliketohaveanhourortwowithherbeforeIdie。\" WhenClaytonreachedthegirl’ssideshewasunconscious——heknewthatshewasdying,andhewasgladthatsheshouldnothavetoseeorknowtheawfultragedythatwasshortlytobeenacted。Hetookherhandandraisedittohiscrackedandswollenlips。Foralongtimehelaycaressingtheemaciated,clawlikethingthathadoncebeenthebeautiful,shapelywhitehandoftheyoungBaltimorebelle。 Itwasquitedarkbeforeheknewit,buthewasrecalledtohimselfbyavoiceoutofthenight。ItwastheRussiancallinghimtohisdoom。 \"Iamcoming,MonsieurThuran,\"hehastenedtoreply。 Thriceheattemptedtoturnhimselfuponhishandsandknees,thathemightcrawlbacktohisdeath,butinthefewhoursthathehadlaintherehehadbecometooweaktoreturntoThuran’sside。 \"Youwillhavetocometome,monsieur,\"hecalledweakly。 \"Ihavenotsufficientstrengthtogainmyhandsandknees。\" \"SAPRISTI!\"mutteredMonsieurThuran。\"Youareattemptingtocheatmeoutofmywinnings。\" Claytonheardthemanshufflingaboutinthebottomoftheboat。Finallytherewasadespairinggroan。\"Icannotcrawl,\"heheardtheRussianwail。\"Itistoolate。Youhavetrickedme,youdirtyEnglishdog。\" \"Ihavenottrickedyou,monsieur,\"repliedClayton。 \"Ihavedonemybesttorise,butIshalltryagain,andifyouwilltrypossiblyeachofuscancrawlhalfway,andthenyoushallhaveyour`winnings。’\" AgainClaytonexertedhisremainingstrengthtotheutmost,andheheardThuranapparentlydoingthesame。NearlyanhourlatertheEnglishmansucceededinraisinghimselftohishandsandknees,butatthefirstforwardmovementhepitcheduponhisface。 AmomentlaterheheardanexclamationofrelieffromMonsieurThuran。 \"Iamcoming,\"whisperedtheRussian。 AgainClaytonessayedtostaggerontomeethisfate,butoncemorehepitchedheadlongtotheboat’sbottom,nor,tryashewould,couldheagainrise。Hislasteffortcausedhimtorolloveronhisback,andtherehelaylookingupatthestars,whilebehindhim,comingevernearerandnearer,hecouldhearthelaboriousshuffling,andthestertorousbreathingoftheRussian。 Itseemedthathemusthavelainthusanhourwaitingforthethingtocrawloutofthedarkandendhismisery。Itwasquiteclosenow,buttherewerelongerandlongerpausesbetweenitseffortstoadvance,andeachforwardmovementseemedtothewaitingEnglishmantobealmostimperceptible。 FinallyheknewthatThuranwasquiteclosebesidehim。 Heheardacacklinglaugh,somethingtouchedhisface,andhelostconsciousness。 Chapter19 TheCityofGoldTheverynightthatTarzanoftheApesbecamechiefoftheWazirithewomanhelovedlaydyinginatinyboattwohundredmileswestofhimupontheAtlantic。 Ashedancedamonghisnakedfellowsavages,thefirelightgleamingagainsthisgreat,rollingmuscles,thepersonificationofphysicalperfectionandstrength,thewomanwholovedhimlaythinandemaciatedinthelastcomathatprecedesdeathbythirstandstarvation。 TheweekfollowingtheinductionofTarzanintothekingshipoftheWaziriwasoccupiedinescortingtheManyuemaoftheArabraiderstothenorthernboundaryofWaziriinaccordancewiththepromisewhichTarzanhadmadethem。 BeforeheleftthemheexactedapledgefromthemthattheywouldnotleadanyexpeditionsagainsttheWaziriinthefuture,norwasitadifficultpromisetoobtain。TheyhadhadsufficientexperiencewiththefightingtacticsofthenewWazirichiefnottohavetheslightestdesiretoaccompanyanotherpredatoryforcewithintheboundariesofhisdomain。 AlmostimmediatelyuponhisreturntothevillageTarzancommencedmakingpreparationsforleadinganexpeditioninsearchoftheruinedcityofgoldwhicholdWazirihaddescribedtohim。Heselectedfiftyofthesturdiestwarriorsofhistribe,choosingonlymenwhoseemedanxioustoaccompanyhimonthearduousmarch,andsharethedangersofanewandhostilecountry。