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the beasts of tarzan-第26章

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as he needed; and then to kill。



Presently the coughing and haemorrhage ceased; and again

the wounded man tried to speak。  Tarzan knelt near the faintly

moving lips。



〃The wife and child!〃 he repeated。  〃Where are they?〃



Anderssen pointed up the trail。



〃The Russianhe got them;〃 he whispered。



〃How did you come here?〃 continued Tarzan。  〃Why are you not with Rokoff?〃



〃They catch us;〃 replied Anderssen; in a voice so low

that the ape…man could just distinguish the words。  

〃They catch us。  Ay fight; but my men they all run away。  

Then they get me when Ay ban vounded。  Rokoff he say leave

me here for the hyenas。  That vas vorse than to kill。  

He tak your vife and kid。〃



〃What were you doing with themwhere were you taking them?〃

asked Tarzan; and then fiercely; leaping close to the

fellow with fierce eyes blazing with the passion of hate and

vengeance that he had with difficulty controlled; 〃What harm

did you do to my wife or child?  Speak quick before I kill you! 

Make your peace with God!  Tell me the worst; or I will

tear you to pieces with my hands and teeth。  You have seen

that I can do it!〃



A look of wide…eyed surprise overspread Anderssen's face。



〃Why;〃 he whispered; 〃Ay did not hurt them。  Ay tried

to save them from that Russian。  Your vife was kind to me on

the Kincaid; and Ay hear that little baby cry sometimes。  

Ay got a vife an' kid for my own by Christiania an' Ay couldn't

bear for to see them separated an' in Rokoff's hands any more。  

That vas all。  Do Ay look like Ay ban here to hurt them?〃

he continued after a pause; pointing to the arrow protruding

from his breast。



There was something in the man's tone and expression that

convinced Tarzan of the truth of his assertions。  More weighty

than anything else was the fact that Anderssen evidently seemed

more hurt than frightened。  He knew he was going to die;

so Tarzan's threats had little effect upon him; but it was

quite apparent that he wished the Englishman to know the

truth and not to wrong him by harbouring the belief that his

words and manner indicated that he had entertained。



The ape…man instantly dropped to his knees beside the Swede。



〃I am sorry;〃 he said very simply。  〃I had looked for none

but knaves in company with Rokoff。  I see that I was wrong。  

That is past now; and we will drop it for the more important

matter of getting you to a place of comfort and looking after

your wounds。  We must have you on your feet again as soon

as possible。〃



The Swede; smiling; shook his head。



〃You go on an' look for the vife an' kid;〃 he said。  

〃Ay ban as gude as dead already; but〃he hesitated〃Ay hate

to think of the hyenas。  Von't you finish up this job?〃



Tarzan shuddered。  A moment ago he had been upon the point

of killing this man。  Now he could no more have taken his life

than he could have taken the life of any of his best friends。



He lifted the Swede's head in his arms to change and ease his position。



Again came a fit of coughing and the terrible haemorrhage。  

After it was over Anderssen lay with closed eyes。



Tarzan thought that he was dead; until he suddenly raised

his eyes to those of the ape…man; sighed; and spokein a

very low; weak whisper。



〃Ay tank it blow purty soon purty hard!〃 he said; and died。









Chapter 11





Tambudza





Tarzan scooped a shallow grave for the Kincaid's cook;

beneath whose repulsive exterior had beaten the heart of

a chivalrous gentleman。  That was all he could do in the cruel

jungle for the man who had given his life in the service of

his little son and his wife。



Then Tarzan took up again the pursuit of Rokoff。  Now that

he was positive that the woman ahead of him was indeed

Jane; and that she had again fallen into the hands of the

Russian; it seemed that with all the incredible speed of his

fleet and agile muscles he moved at but a snail's pace。



It was with difficulty that he kept the trail; for there were

many paths through the jungle at this pointcrossing and

crisscrossing; forking and branching in all directions; and over

them all had passed natives innumerable; coming and going。  

The spoor of the white men was obliterated by that of the

native carriers who had followed them; and over all was the

spoor of other natives and of wild beasts。



It was most perplexing; yet Tarzan kept on assiduously;

checking his sense of sight against his sense of smell; that he

might more surely keep to the right trail。  But; with all his

care; night found him at a point where he was positive that

he was on the wrong trail entirely。



He knew that the pack would follow his spoor; and so he

had been careful to make it as distinct as possible; brushing

often against the vines and creepers that walled the jungle…

path; and in other ways leaving his scent…spoor plainly discernible。



As darkness settled a heavy rain set in; and there was

nothing for the baffled ape…man to do but wait in the partial

shelter of a huge tree until morning; but the coming of dawn

brought no cessation of the torrential downpour。



For a week the sun was obscured by heavy clouds; while

violent rain and wind storms obliterated the last remnants of

the spoor Tarzan constantly though vainly sought。



During all this time he saw no signs of natives; nor of his

own pack; the members of which he feared had lost his trail

during the terrific storm。  As the country was strange to him;

he had been unable to judge his course accurately; since he had had

neither sun by day nor moon nor stars by night to guide him。



When the sun at last broke through the clouds in the

fore… noon of the seventh day; it looked down upon

an almost frantic ape…man。



For the first time in his life; Tarzan of the Apes had been

lost in the jungle。  That the experience should have befallen

him at such a time seemed cruel beyond expression。  Somewhere in

this savage land his wife and son lay in the clutches of the

arch…fiend Rokoff。



What hideous trials might they not have undergone during

those seven awful days that nature had thwarted him in his

endeavours to locate them?  Tarzan knew the Russian; in

whose power they were; so well that he could not doubt but

that the man; filled with rage that Jane had once escaped

him; and knowing that Tarzan might be close upon his trail;

would wreak without further loss of time whatever vengeance

his polluted mind might be able to conceive。



But now that the sun shone once more; the ape…man was still

at a loss as to what direction to take。  He knew that Rokoff

had left the river in pursuit of Anderssen; but whether he

would continue inland or return to the Ugambi was a question。



The ape…man had seen that the river at the point he had left

it was growing narrow and swift; so that he judged that

it could not be navigable even for canoes to any great

distance farther toward its source。  Howeve
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