Chapter 10
The Swede
As the warriors, clustered thick about Tarzan and Sheeta, realized
that it was a flesh-and-blood panther that had interrupted their
dance of death, they took heart a trifle, for in the face of all
those circling spears even the mighty Sheeta would be doomed.
Rokoff was urging the chief to have his spearmen launch their
missiles, and the black was upon the instant of issuing the command,
when his eyes strayed beyond Tarzan, following the gaze of the
ape-man.
With a yell of terror the chief turned and fled toward the village
gate, and as his people looked to see the cause of his fright,
they too took to their heels--for there, lumbering down upon them,
their huge forms exaggerated by the play of moonlight and camp
fire, came the hideous apes of Akut.
The instant the natives turned to flee the ape-man's savage cry rang
out above the shrieks of the blacks, and in answer to it Sheeta and
the apes leaped growling after the fugitives. Some of the warriors
turned to battle with their enraged antagonists, but before the
fiendish ferocity of the fierce beasts they went down to bloody
death.
Others were dragged down in their flight, and it was not until the
village was empty and the last of the blacks had disappeared into
the bush that Tarzan was able to recall his savage pack to his
side. Then it was that he discovered to his chagrin that he could
not make one of them, not even the comparatively intelligent Akut,
understand that he wished to be freed from the bonds that held him
to the stake.
In time, of course, the idea would filter through their thick
skulls, but in the meanwhile many things might happen--the blacks
might return in force to regain their village; the whites might
readily pick them all off with their rifles from the surrounding
trees; he might even starve to death before the dull-witted apes
realized that he wished them to gnaw through his bonds.
As for Sheeta--the great cat understood even less than the apes; but
yet Tarzan could not but marvel at the remarkable characteristics
this beast had evidenced. That it felt real affection for him there
seemed little doubt, for now that the blacks were disposed of it
walked slowly back and forth about the stake, rubbing its sides
against the ape-man's legs and purring like a contented tabby.
That it had gone of its own volition to bring the balance of the
pack to his rescue, Tarzan could not doubt. His Sheeta was indeed
a jewel among beasts.
Mugambi's absence worried the ape-man not a little. He attempted
to learn from Akut what had become of the black, fearing that the
beasts, freed from the restraint of Tarzan's presence, might have
fallen upon the man and devoured him; but to all his questions the
great ape but pointed back in the direction from which they had
come out of the jungle.
The night passed with Tarzan still fast bound to the stake, and
shortly after dawn his fears were realized in the discovery of
naked black figures moving stealthily just within the edge of the
jungle about the village. The blacks were returning.
With daylight their courage would be equal to the demands of a
charge upon the handful of beasts that had routed them from their
rightful abodes. The result of the encounter seemed foregone
if the savages could curb their superstitious terror, for against
their overwhelming numbers, their long spears and poisoned arrows,
the panther and the apes could not be expected to survive a really
determined attack.
That the blacks were preparing for a charge became apparent a few
moments later, when they commenced to show themselves in force upon
the edge of the clearing, dancing and jumping about as they waved
their spears and shouted taunts and fierce warcries toward the
village.
These manoeuvres Tarzan knew would continue until the blacks had
worked themselves into a state of hysterical courage sufficient
to sustain them for a short charge toward the village, and even
though he doubted that they would reach it at the first attempt, he
believed that at the second or the third they would swarm through
the gateway, when the outcome could not be aught than the extermination
of Tarzan's bold, but unarmed and undisciplined, defenders.
Even as he had guessed, the first charge carried the howling warriors
but a short distance into the open--a shrill, weird challenge from
the ape-man being all that was necessary to send them scurrying
back to the bush. For half an hour they pranced and yelled their
courage to the sticking-point, and again essayed a charge.
This time they came quite to the village gate, but when Sheeta and
the hideous apes leaped among them they turned screaming in terror,
and again fled to the jungle.
Again was the dancing and shouting repeated. This time Tarzan felt
no doubt they would enter the village and complete the work that a
handful of determined white men would have carried to a successful
conclusion at the first attempt.
To have rescue come so close only to be thwarted because he could
not make his poor, savage friends understand precisely what he
wanted of them was most irritating, but he could not find it in
his heart to place blame upon them. They had done their best,
and now he was sure they would doubtless remain to die with him in
a fruitless effort to defend him.
The blacks were already preparing for the charge. A few individuals
had advanced a short distance toward the village and were exhorting
the others to follow them. In a moment the whole savage horde
would be racing across the clearing.
Tarzan thought only of the little child somewhere in this cruel,
relentless wilderness. His heart ached for the son that he might
no longer seek to save--that and the realization of Jane's suffering
were all that weighed upon his brave spirit in these that he thought
his last moments of life. Succour, all that he could hope for,
had come to him in the instant of his extremity--and failed. There
was nothing further for which to hope.
The blacks were half-way across the clearing when Tarzan's attention
was attracted by the actions of one of the apes. The beast was
glaring toward one of the huts. Tarzan followed his gaze. To his
infinite relief and delight he saw the stalwart form of Mugambi
racing toward him.
The huge black was panting heavily as though from strenuous physical
exertion and nervous excitement. He rushed to Tarzan's side, and
as the first of the savages reached the village gate the native's
knife severed the last of the cords that bound Tarzan to the stake.
In the street lay the corpses of the savages that had fallen before
the pack the night before. From one of these Tarzan seized a spear
and knob stick, and with Mugambi at his side and the snarling pack
about him, he met the natives as they poured through the gate.
Fierce and terrible was the battle that ensued, but at last the
savages were routed, more by terror, perhaps, at sight of a black
man and a white fighting in company with a panther and the huge
fierce apes of Akut, than because of their inability to overcome
the relatively small force that opposed them.
One prisoner fell into the hands of Tarzan, and him the ape-man
questioned in an effort to learn what had become of Rokoff and his
party. Promised his liberty in return for the information, the
black told all he knew concerning the movements of the Russian.
It seemed that early in the morning their chief had attempted to
prevail upon the whites to return with him to the village and with
their guns destroy the ferocious pack that had taken possession of
it, but Rokoff appeared to entertain even more fears of the giant
white man and his strange companions than even the blacks themselves.
Upon no conditions would he consent to returning even within sight
of the village. Instead, he took his party hurriedly to the river,
where they stole a number of canoes the blacks had hidden there.
The last that had been seen of them they had been paddling strongly
up-stream, their porters from Kaviri's village wielding the blades.
So once more Tarzan of the Apes with his hideous pack took up his
search for the ape-man's son and the pursuit of his abductor.
For weary days they followed through an almost uninhabited country,
only to learn at last that they were upon the wrong trail. The
little band had been reduced by three, for three of Akut's apes
had fallen in the fighting at the village. Now, with Akut, there
were five great apes, and Sheeta was there--and Mugambi and Tarzan.
The ape-man no longer heard rumors even of the three who had
preceded Rokoff--the white man and woman and the child. Who the
man and woman were he could not guess, but that the child was his
was enough to keep him hot upon the trail. He was sure that Rokoff
would be following this trio, and so he felt confident that so long
as he could keep upon the Russian's trail he would be winning so
much nearer to the time he might snatch his son from the dangers
and horrors that menaced him.
In retracing their way after losing Rokoff's trail Tarzan picked
it up again at a point where the Russian had left the river and
taken to the brush in a northerly direction. He could only account
for this change on the ground that the child had been carried away
from the river by the two who now had possession of it.
Nowhere along the way, however, could he gain definite information
that might assure him positively that the child was ahead of him.
Not a single native they questioned had seen or heard of this
other party, though nearly all had had direct experience with the
Russian or had talked with others who had.
It was with difficulty that Tarzan could find means to communicate
with the natives, as the moment their eyes fell upon his companions
they fled precipitately into the bush. His only alternative was
to go ahead of his pack and waylay an occasional warrior whom he
found alone in the jungle.
One day as he was thus engaged, tracking an unsuspecting savage,
he came upon the fellow in the act of hurling a spear at a wounded
white man who crouched in a clump of bush at the trail's side. The
white was one whom Tarzan had often seen, and whom he recognized
at once.
Deep in his memory was implanted those repulsive features--the
close-set eyes, the shifty expression, the drooping yellow moustache.
Instantly it occurred to the ape-man that this fellow had not been
among those who had accompanied Rokoff at the village where Tarzan
had been a prisoner. He had seen them all, and this fellow had
not been there. There could be but one explanation--he it was who
had fled ahead of the Russian with the woman and the child--and
the woman had been Jane Clayton. He was sure now of the meaning
of Rokoff's words.
The ape-man's face went white as he looked upon the pasty, vice-marked
countenance of the Swede. Across Tarzan's forehead stood out the
broad band of scarlet that marked the scar where, years before,
Terkoz had torn a great strip of the ape-man's scalp from his skull
in the fierce battle in which Tarzan had sustained his fitness to
the kingship of the apes of Kerchak.
The man was his prey--the black should not have him, and with the
thought he leaped upon the warrior, striking down the spear before
it could reach its mark. The black, whipping out his knife, turned
to do battle with this new enemy, while the Swede, lying in the
bush, witnessed a duel, the like of which he had never dreamed to
see--a half-naked white man battling with a half-naked black, hand
to hand with the crude weapons of primeval man at first, and then
with hands and teeth like the primordial brutes from whose loins
their forebears sprung.
For a time Anderssen did not recognize the white, and when at last
it dawned upon him that he had seen this giant before, his eyes
went wide in surprise that this growling, rending beast could ever
have been the well-groomed English gentleman who had been a prisoner
aboard the Kincaid.
An English nobleman! He had learned the identity of the Kincaid's
prisoners from Lady Greystoke during their flight up the Ugambi.
Before, in common with the other members of the crew of the steamer,
he had not known who the two might be.
The fight was over. Tarzan had been compelled to kill his antagonist,
as the fellow would not surrender.
The Swede saw the white man leap to his feet beside the corpse of
his foe, and placing one foot upon the broken neck lift his voice
in the hideous challenge of the victorious bull-ape.
Anderssen shuddered. Then Tarzan turned toward him. His face was
cold and cruel, and in the grey eyes the Swede read murder.
"Where is my wife?" growled the ape-man. "Where is the child?"
Anderssen tried to reply, but a sudden fit of coughing choked him.
There was an arrow entirely through his chest, and as he coughed
the blood from his wounded lung poured suddenly from his mouth and
nostrils.
Tarzan stood waiting for the paroxysm to pass. Like a bronze
image--cold, hard, and relentless--he stood over the helpless man,
waiting to wring such information from him 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 Russian--he 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 them--where 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 spoke--in a very low, weak
whisper.
"Ay tank it blow purty soon purty hard!" he said, and died.
