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。