Chapter 10
As the leopard leaped for the great ape Meriem gasped in surprise
and horror--not for the impending fate of the anthropoid, but at the
act of the youth who but for an instant before had angrily struck
his strange companion; for scarce had the carnivore burst into view
than with drawn knife the youth had leaped far out above him, so
that as Sheeta was almost in the act of sinking fangs and talons in
Akut's broad back The Killer landed full upon the leopard's shoulders.
The cat halted in mid air, missed the ape by but a hair's breadth,
and with horrid snarlings rolled over upon its back, clutching and
clawing in an effort to reach and dislodge the antagonist biting
at its neck and knifing it in the side.
Akut, startled by the sudden rush from his rear, and following hoary
instinct, was in the tree beside the girl with an agility little
short of marvelous in so heavy a beast. But the moment that he
turned to see what was going on below him brought him as quickly
to the ground again. Personal differences were quickly forgotten
in the danger which menaced his human companion, nor was he a whit
less eager to jeopardize his own safety in the service of his friend
than Korak had been to succor him.
The result was that Sheeta presently found two ferocious creatures
tearing him to ribbons. Shrieking, snarling and growling, the three
rolled hither and thither among the underbrush, while with staring
eyes the sole spectator of the battle royal crouched trembling in
the tree above them hugging Geeka frantically to her breast.
It was the boy's knife which eventually decided the battle, and as
the fierce feline shuddered convulsively and rolled over upon its
side the youth and the ape rose and faced one another across the
prostrate carcass. Korak jerked his head in the direction of the
little girl in the tree.
"Leave her alone," he said; "she is mine."
Akut grunted, blinked his blood-shot eyes, and turned toward the
body of Sheeta. Standing erect upon it he threw out his great chest,
raised his face toward the heavens and gave voice to so horrid a
scream that once again the little girl shuddered and shrank. It
was the victory cry of the bull ape that has made a kill. The boy
only looked on for a moment in silence; then he leaped into the
tree again to the girl's side. Akut presently rejoined them. For
a few minutes he busied himself licking his wounds, then he wandered
off to hunt his breakfast.
For many months the strange life of the three went on unmarked by
any unusual occurrences. At least without any occurrences that
seemed unusual to the youth or the ape; but to the little girl it
was a constant nightmare of horrors for days and weeks, until she
too became accustomed to gazing into the eyeless sockets of death
and to the feel of the icy wind of his shroud-like mantle. Slowly
she learned the rudiments of the only common medium of thought
exchange which her companions possessed--the language of the great
apes. More quickly she perfected herself in jungle craft, so that
the time soon came when she was an important factor in the chase,
watching while the others slept, or helping them to trace the spoor
of whatever prey they might be stalking. Akut accepted her on a
footing which bordered upon equality when it was necessary for them
to come into close contact; but for the most part he avoided her.
The youth always was kind to her, and if there were many occasions
upon which he felt the burden of her presence he hid it from her.
Finding that the night damp and chill caused her discomfort and
even suffering, Korak constructed a tight little shelter high among
the swaying branches of a giant tree. Here little Meriem slept in
comparative warmth and safety, while The Killer and the ape perched
upon near-by branches, the former always before the entrance to
the lofty domicile, where he best could guard its inmate from the
dangers of arboreal enemies. They were too high to feel much fear
of Sheeta; but there was always Histah, the snake, to strike terror
to one's soul, and the great baboons who lived near-by, and who,
while never attacking always bared their fangs and barked at any
of the trio when they passed near them.
After the construction of the shelter the activities of the three
became localized. They ranged less widely, for there was always
the necessity of returning to their own tree at nightfall. A river
flowed near by. Game and fruit were plentiful, as were fish also.
Existence had settled down to the daily humdrum of the wild--the
search for food and the sleeping upon full bellies. They looked
no further ahead than today. If the youth thought of his past and
of those who longed for him in the distant metropolis it was in
a detached and impersonal sort of way as though that other life
belonged to another creature than himself. He had given up hope
of returning to civilization, for since his various rebuffs at the
hands of those to whom he had looked for friendship he had wandered
so far inland as to realize that he was completely lost in the
mazes of the jungle.
Then, too, since the coming of Meriem he had found in her that
one thing which he had most missed before in his savage, jungle
life--human companionship. In his friendship for her there was
appreciable no trace of sex influence of which he was cognizant.
They were friends--companions--that was all. Both might have been
boys, except for the half tender and always masterful manifestation
of the protective instinct which was apparent in Korak's attitude.
The little girl idolized him as she might have idolized an indulgent
brother had she had one. Love was a thing unknown to either; but
as the youth neared manhood it was inevitable that it should come
to him as it did to every other savage, jungle male.
As Meriem became proficient in their common language the pleasures
of their companionship grew correspondingly, for now they could
converse and aided by the mental powers of their human heritage
they amplified the restricted vocabulary of the apes until talking
was transformed from a task into an enjoyable pastime. When Korak
hunted, Meriem usually accompanied him, for she had learned the
fine art of silence, when silence was desirable. She could pass
through the branches of the great trees now with all the agility
and stealth of The Killer himself. Great heights no longer appalled
her. She swung from limb to limb, or she raced through the mighty
branches, surefooted, lithe, and fearless. Korak was very proud
of her, and even old Akut grunted in approval where before he had
growled in contempt.
A distant village of blacks had furnished her with a mantle of fur
and feathers, with copper ornaments, and weapons, for Korak would
not permit her to go unarmed, or unversed in the use of the weapons
he stole for her. A leather thong over one shoulder supported the
ever present Geeka who was still the recipient of her most sacred
confidences. A light spear and a long knife were her weapons
of offense or defense. Her body, rounding into the fulness of an
early maturity, followed the lines of a Greek goddess; but there
the similarity ceased, for her face was beautiful.
As she grew more accustomed to the jungle and the ways of its wild
denizens fear left her. As time wore on she even hunted alone when
Korak and Akut were prowling at a great distance, as they were
sometimes forced to do when game was scarce in their immediate
vicinity. Upon these occasions she usually confined her endeavors
to the smaller animals though sometimes she brought down a deer,
and once even Horta, the boar--a great tusker that even Sheeta
might have thought twice before attacking.
In their stamping grounds in the jungle the three were familiar
figures. The little monkeys knew them well, often coming close to
chatter and frolic about them. When Akut was by, the small folk
kept their distance, but with Korak they were less shy and when
both the males were gone they would come close to Meriem, tugging
at her ornaments or playing with Geeka, who was a never ending
source of amusement to them. The girl played with them and fed
them, and when she was alone they helped her to pass the long hours
until Korak's return.
Nor were they worthless as friends. In the hunt they helped her
locate her quarry. Often they would come racing through the trees
to her side to announce the near presence of antelope or giraffe,
or with excited warnings of the proximity of Sheeta or Numa.
Luscious, sun-kissed fruits which hung far out upon the frail bough
of the jungle's waving crest were brought to her by these tiny,
nimble allies. Sometimes they played tricks upon her; but she
was always kind and gentle with them and in their wild, half-human
way they were kind to her and affectionate. Their language being
similar to that of the great apes Meriem could converse with them
though the poverty of their vocabulary rendered these exchanges
anything but feasts of reason. For familiar objects they had names,
as well as for those conditions which induced pain or pleasure,
joy, sorrow, or rage. These root words were so similar to those
in use among the great anthropoids as to suggest that the language
of the Manus was the mother tongue. Dreams, aspirations, hopes,
the past, the sordid exchange. Dreams, aspirations, hopes, the
past, the future held no place in the conversation of Manu, the
monkey. All was of the present--particularly of filling his belly
and catching lice.
Poor food was this to nourish the mental appetite of a girl just
upon the brink of womanhood. And so, finding Manu only amusing
as an occasional playfellow or pet, Meriem poured out her sweetest
soul thoughts into the deaf ears of Geeka's ivory head. To Geeka
she spoke in Arabic, knowing that Geeka, being but a doll, could
not understand the language of Korak and Akut, and that the language
of Korak and Akut being that of male apes contained nothing of
interest to an Arab doll.
Geeka had undergone a transformation since her little mother had
left the village of The Sheik. Her garmenture now reflected in
miniature that of Meriem. A tiny bit of leopard skin covered her
ratskin torso from shoulder to splinter knee. A band of braided
grasses about her brow held in place a few gaudy feathers from the
parakeet, while other bits of grass were fashioned into imitations
of arm and leg ornaments of metal. Geeka was a perfect little
savage; but at heart she was unchanged, being the same omnivorous
listener as of yore. An excellent trait in Geeka was that she
never interrupted in order to talk about herself. Today was no
exception. She had been listening attentively to Meriem for an
hour, propped against the bole of a tree while her lithe, young
mistress stretched catlike and luxurious along a swaying branch
before her.
"Little Geeka," said Meriem, "our Korak has been gone for a long
time today. We miss him, little Geeka, do we not? It is dull and
lonesome in the great jungle when our Korak is away. What will he
bring us this time, eh? Another shining band of metal for Meriem's
ankle? Or a soft, doeskin loin cloth from the body of a black she?
He tells me that it is harder to get the possessions of the shes,
for he will not kill them as he does the males, and they fight
savagely when he leaps upon them to wrest their ornaments from
them. Then come the males with spears and arrows and Korak takes
to the trees. Sometimes he takes the she with him and high among
the branches divests her of the things he wishes to bring home to
Meriem. He says that the blacks fear him now, and at first sight
of him the women and children run shrieking to their huts; but he
follows them within, and it is not often that he returns without
arrows for himself and a present for Meriem. Korak is mighty among
the jungle people--our Korak, Geeka--no, MY Korak!"
Meriem's conversation was interrupted by the sudden plunge of an
excited little monkey that landed upon her shoulders in a flying
leap from a neighboring tree.
"Climb!" he cried. "Climb! The Mangani are coming."
Meriem glanced lazily over her shoulder at the excited disturber
of her peace.
"Climb, yourself, little Manu," she said. "The only Mangani in
our jungle are Korak and Akut. It is they you have seen returning
from the hunt. Some day you will see your own shadow, little Manu,
and then you will be frightened to death."
But the monkey only screamed his warning more lustily before he
raced upward toward the safety of the high terrace where Mangani,
the great ape, could not follow. Presently Meriem heard the sound
of approaching bodies swinging through the trees. She listened
attentively. There were two and they were great apes--Korak and
Akut. To her Korak was an ape--a Mangani, for as such the three
always described themselves. Man was an enemy, so they did not
think of themselves as belonging any longer to the same genus.
Tarmangani, or great white ape, which described the white man in
their language, did not fit them all. Gomangani--great black ape,
or Negro--described none of them so they called themselves plain
Mangani.
Meriem decided that she would feign slumber and play a joke on
Korak. So she lay very still with eyes tightly closed. She heard
the two approaching closer and closer. They were in the adjoining
tree now and must have discovered her, for they had halted. Why
were they so quiet? Why did not Korak call out his customary
greeting? The quietness was ominous. It was followed presently
by a very stealthy sound--one of them was creeping upon her. Was
Korak planning a joke upon his own account? Well, she would fool
him. Cautiously she opened her eyes the tiniest bit, and as she
did so her heart stood still. Creeping silently toward her was
a huge bull ape that she never before had seen. Behind him was
another like him.
With the agility of a squirrel Meriem was upon her feet and at the
same instant the great bull lunged for her. Leaping from limb to
limb the girl fled through the jungle while close behind her came the
two great apes. Above them raced a bevy of screaming, chattering
monkeys, hurling taunts and insults at the Mangani, and encouragement
and advice to the girl.
From tree to tree swung Meriem working ever upward toward the
smaller branches which would not bear the weight of her pursuers.
Faster and faster came the bull apes after her. The clutching
fingers of the foremost were almost upon her again and again, but
she eluded them by sudden bursts of speed or reckless chances as
she threw herself across dizzy spaces.
Slowly she was gaining her way to the greater heights where safety
lay, when, after a particularly daring leap, the swaying branch
she grasped bent low beneath her weight, nor whipped upward again
as it should have done. Even before the rending sound which followed
Meriem knew that she had misjudged the strength of the limb. It
gave slowly at first. Then there was a ripping as it parted from
the trunk. Releasing her hold Meriem dropped among the foliage
beneath, clutching for a new support. She found it a dozen feet
below the broken limb. She had fallen thus many times before, so
that she had no particular terror of a fall--it was the delay which
appalled her most, and rightly, for scarce had she scrambled to a
place of safety than the body of the huge ape dropped at her side
and a great, hairy arm went about her waist.
Almost at once the other ape reached his companion's side. He made
a lunge at Meriem; but her captor swung her to one side, bared his
fighting fangs and growled ominously. Meriem struggled to escape.
She struck at the hairy breast and bearded cheek. She fastened
her strong, white teeth in one shaggy forearm. The ape cuffed her
viciously across the face, then he had to turn his attention to
his fellow who quite evidently desired the prize for his own.
The captor could not fight to advantage upon the swaying bough,
burdened as he was by a squirming, struggling captive, so he
dropped quickly to the ground beneath. The other followed him,
and here they fought, occasionally abandoning their duel to pursue
and recapture the girl who took every advantage of her captors'
preoccupation in battle to break away in attempted escape; but always
they overtook her, and first one and then the other possessed her
as they struggled to tear one another to pieces for the prize.
Often the girl came in for many blows that were intended for
a hairy foe, and once she was felled, lying unconscious while the
apes, relieved of the distraction of detaining her by force, tore
into one another in fierce and terrible combat.
Above them screamed the little monkeys, racing hither and thither
in a frenzy of hysterical excitement. Back and forth over the
battle field flew countless birds of gorgeous plumage, squawking
their hoarse cries of rage and defiance. In the distance a lion
roared.
The larger bull was slowly tearing his antagonist to pieces. They
rolled upon the ground biting and striking. Again, erect upon their
hind legs they pulled and tugged like human wrestlers; but always
the giant fangs found their bloody part to play until both combatants
and the ground about them were red with gore.
Meriem, through it all, lay still and unconscious upon the ground.
At last one found a permanent hold upon the jugular of the other
and thus they went down for the last time. For several minutes
they lay with scarce a struggle. It was the larger bull who arose
alone from the last embrace. He shook himself. A deep growl
rumbled from his hairy throat. He waddled back and forth between
the body of the girl and that of his vanquished foe. Then he stood
upon the latter and gave tongue to his hideous challenge. The
little monkeys broke, screaming, in all directions as the terrifying
noise broke upon their ears. The gorgeous birds took wing and
fled. Once again the lion roared, this time at a greater distance.
The great ape waddled once more to the girl's side. He turned
her over upon her back, and stooping commenced to sniff and listen
about her face and breast. She lived. The monkeys were returning.
They came in swarms, and from above hurled down insults upon the
victor.
The ape showed his displeasure by baring his teeth and growling
up at them. Then he stooped and lifting the girl to his shoulder
waddled off through the jungle. In his wake followed the angry
mob.
