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10 - Mad Treachery · Tarzan and the Golden Lion

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Speaker 1: Chapter ten, Mad Treachery, to the northwest of the valley
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Speaker 1: of Opar. The smoke rose from the cook fires of
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Speaker 1: a camp in which some hundred blacks and six whites
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Speaker 1: were eating their evening meal. The negro squatted, sullen and morose,
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Speaker 1: mumbling together in low tones over the meager fare. The whites,
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Speaker 1: scowling and apprehensive, kept their fire arms close at hand.
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Speaker 1: One of them a girl and the only member of
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Speaker 1: her sex, and the party was addressing her fellows. We
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Speaker 1: have Adolph's stinginess and Esteban's brigadoccio to think for the
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Speaker 1: condition in which we are, she said. The fat blueber
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Speaker 1: shrugged his shoulder. The big Spaniard scowled for vy, asked Adolf,
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Speaker 1: am I to blame. You were too stingy to employ
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Speaker 1: enough carriers. I told you at the time that we
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Speaker 1: ought to have had two hundred blacks in our party,
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Speaker 1: but you wanted to save a little money. And now
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Speaker 1: what is the result. Fifty men carrying eighty pounds of
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Speaker 1: gold apiece, and the other carriers are overburdened with camp equipment,
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Speaker 1: while there are scarce enough left for a scurry to
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Speaker 1: guard us properly. We have to drive them like beasts
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Speaker 1: to make any progress and to keep them from throwing
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Speaker 1: away their loads. And they are fagged out and angry.
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Speaker 1: I don't require much of an excuse to kill us
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Speaker 1: all on the spot. On top of all this, they
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Speaker 1: are under fed. If we could keep their bellies filled,
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Speaker 1: we could probably keep them happy and reasonably contented. But
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Speaker 1: I have learned enough about natives to know that if
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Speaker 1: they are hungry, they are neither happy nor contented, even
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Speaker 1: in idleness. If Estebon had not bragged so much about
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Speaker 1: his prowess as a hunter, we should have brought enough
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Speaker 1: provisions to last us through. But now, though we are
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Speaker 1: barely started upon our return journey, we are upon less
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Speaker 1: than half rations. I can't kill game, and that isn't
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Speaker 1: any game, crowed the Spaniard. There is plenty of game,
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Speaker 1: said Krasky, the Russian. We see the tracks of it
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Speaker 1: every day. The Spaniard eyed him venomously. If there is
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Speaker 1: so much game, he said, go and get it yourself.
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Speaker 1: I never claim to be a hunter, replied Krasky. Though
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Speaker 1: I could go out with a slingshot in the pea
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Speaker 1: shutter and do as well as you have. The Spaniard
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Speaker 1: leaped to his feet menacingly and instantly the Russian covered
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Speaker 1: him with a heavy service revolver. Cut that business, cried
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Speaker 1: the girl, sharply leaping between them. Let the block fight,
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Speaker 1: growled John Peeples. If one of them kills the other,
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Speaker 1: there'll be fewer to split the swag. And here we are,
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Speaker 1: and that's that for why do we, Quaro demanded Blueber.
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Speaker 1: There is enough for all over forty three thousand pounds apiece.
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Speaker 1: Then you get mad at me, You call me a
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Speaker 1: dirty Jew and say that I am stingy. But mind cut.
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Speaker 1: You Christians are versa. You would kill one of your
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Speaker 1: friends to get more money. Oh oy, think cut that
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Speaker 1: I am not a Christian? Shut up, growled Roc. Or
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Speaker 1: we'll have forty three thousand pounds more to divide. Bloober
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Speaker 1: eyed the big Englishman fearfully. Come come, Dick, he used
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Speaker 1: in his oiliest tones. You wouldn't get mad at a
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Speaker 1: little chok food. You onto me your best friend. I'm
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Speaker 1: sick of all this grousin, said Roc. I hain't no harbrow,
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Speaker 1: I ain't nothing but a pug. But I got sense
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Speaker 1: enough to know that Flora's the only one in the
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Speaker 1: bloomin bunch whose brains wouldn't rattle around in a peanuts shell.
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Speaker 1: John Blueboo, Krasky and me. We're here because we could
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Speaker 1: raise the money to carry up Flora's plan. The day
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Speaker 1: go there, and he indicated Estebon because his face and
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Speaker 1: his figure filled the bill. There don't any of us
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Speaker 1: need no brains for this work, and there ain't any
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Speaker 1: of us got any more brains than we need. Flora's
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Speaker 1: the brains of this outfit. And the sooner everyone understands
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Speaker 1: that and takes orders from her, the better off we'll
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Speaker 1: all be. She's been to Africa with this Lord christ
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Speaker 1: Oak Fellow before you was his wife's maid, wasn't you, Flora,
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Speaker 1: And she knows something about the country and the natives
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Speaker 1: and the animals, and there don't none of us know nothing.
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Speaker 1: Frock is right, said Krasky quickly. We've been muddling long enough.
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Speaker 1: We haven't had a boss. And the thing to do
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Speaker 1: is make fl a boss from now on. If anyone
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Speaker 1: can get us out of this, she can. And from
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Speaker 1: the way those fellows over there are acting, and he
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Speaker 1: nodded toward the Blacks, we'll be lucky if we ever
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Speaker 1: get out of here with our skins let alone, taking
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Speaker 1: any of the gold with us. Hey, hey, you don't
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Speaker 1: mean to leave the gold, almost shrieked Blueber. I mean
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Speaker 1: that we do whatever Flora thinks best, replied Krasky. If
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Speaker 1: she says we leave the gold, we'll leave it that
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Speaker 1: we do, seconded Throck. I'm for it, said Peebles. Whatever
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Speaker 1: Flora says goes. The Spaniard nodded his assent sullenly. The
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Speaker 1: arrest of us are all for it, Blueber, how about you,
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Speaker 1: asked Krasky. Avelle sure if you say so, said Blueber,
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Speaker 1: went as John says, wuntire ve ain't unzvat's dat. And
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Speaker 1: now Flora said, Peebles, you're the biggin What you say goes.
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Speaker 1: What'll we do next? Very well, said the girl. We
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Speaker 1: shall camp here until these men are rested, and early
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Speaker 1: tomorrow we'll start out intelligently and systematically and get meat
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Speaker 1: for them. With your help, we can do it. When
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Speaker 1: they are rested and well fed, we will start on
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Speaker 1: again for the coast, moving very slowly so as not
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Speaker 1: to tire them too much. This is my first plan,
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Speaker 1: but it all hinges upon our ability to get meat.
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Speaker 1: If we do not find it. I shall bury the
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Speaker 1: gold here and we will do our best to reach
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Speaker 1: the coast as quickly as possible. There we shall recruit
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Speaker 1: new porters twice as many as we have now, and
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Speaker 1: purchase enough provisions to carry us in and out again.
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Speaker 1: As we come back in. We will catch provisions at
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Speaker 1: every camping place for our return trip, thus saving the
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Speaker 1: necessity of carrying heavy loads all the way in and
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Speaker 1: out again. In this way, we can come out light
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Speaker 1: with twice as many porters as we actually need, and
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Speaker 1: by working them in shifts, we will travel much faster
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Speaker 1: and there will be no grumbling. These are my two plans.
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Speaker 1: I am not asking what you think of them, because
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Speaker 1: I do not care. You have made me chief, and
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Speaker 1: I am going to run this from now on as
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Speaker 1: I think best, wellly for you. Roared peebles, that's the
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Speaker 1: Kona talk. Carlocks to hear. Tell the headman I want
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Speaker 1: to see him, Karl said the girl, turning to Krasky,
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Speaker 1: and a moment later the Russian returned with a burly
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Speaker 1: negro o Waza, said the girl as the black halted
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Speaker 1: before her. We are short of food and the men
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Speaker 1: are burdened with loads twice as heavy as they should carry.
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Speaker 1: Tell them we shall wait here and till they are rested,
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Speaker 1: and that tomorrow we shall go out and hunt for meat.
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Speaker 1: You will send your boys out under three good men,
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Speaker 1: and they will act as beaters and drive the game
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Speaker 1: into us. In this way we shall get plenty of meat.
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Speaker 1: And when the men are rested and well fed, we
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Speaker 1: will move on slowly. Where game is plentiful, we will
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Speaker 1: hunt and rest. Tell them that if they do this,
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Speaker 1: and we reached the coast in safety and with all
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Speaker 1: our loads, I shall pay them twice what they agreed
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Speaker 1: to come for, Oi Oi, spluttered Blueber. Twicevot they agreed
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Speaker 1: to come for, oh, Flora vine not to offer them
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Speaker 1: ten percents. That's would be a fine interest on your money.
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Speaker 1: Shut up, you fool, snapped Krasky, and Blueber subsided, though
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Speaker 1: he rocked back and forth, shaking his head in disapproval.
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Speaker 1: The black, who had presented himself for the interview was
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Speaker 1: sullen and scowling. Demeanor brightened visibly. Now I will tell them,
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Speaker 1: he said, and I think you will have no more trouble. Good,
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Speaker 1: said Flora. Go and tell them now, and the black
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Speaker 1: turned and left there, said the girl with a sigh
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Speaker 1: of relief. I believe that we can see light ahead.
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Speaker 1: At last, Swissvots. We promised to pay them, bawled blueber
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Speaker 1: oi Oi. Early the following morning they prepared to set
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Speaker 1: out upon the hunt. The blacks were now smiling and
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Speaker 1: happy in anticipation of plenty of meat, and as they
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Speaker 1: trampled off into the jungle, they were singing gaily. Flora
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Speaker 1: had divided them into three parties, each under a had man,
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Speaker 1: with explicit directions for the position each party was to
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Speaker 1: take in the line of beaters. Others had been detailed
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Speaker 1: to the whites as gun bearers, while a small party
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Speaker 1: of the Escarb were left behind to guard the camp.
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Speaker 1: The whites, with the exception of Esteban, were armed with rifles.
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Speaker 1: He alone seemed inclined to question Flora's authority, insisting that
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Speaker 1: he preferred to hunt with spear and arrows, in keeping
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Speaker 1: with the part he was playing. The Fact that though
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Speaker 1: he had hunted deciduously for weeks yet had never brought
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Speaker 1: in a single kill was not sufficient to dampen his egotism.
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Speaker 1: So genuinely had he entered his part that he really
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Speaker 1: thought he was Tarzan of the apes, and with such
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Speaker 1: fidelity he had equipped himself in every detail, and such
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Speaker 1: a master of the art of makeup was he that,
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Speaker 1: in conjunction with his splendid figure and his handsome face
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Speaker 1: that were almost a counterpart of Tarzan's, it was scarcely
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Speaker 1: to be wondered at that he almost fooled himself as
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Speaker 1: successfully as he had fooled others, For there were men
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Speaker 1: among the carriers who had known the great ape Man,
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Speaker 1: and even these were deceived, though they wondered at the
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Speaker 1: change in him, since in little things he did not
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Speaker 1: deport himself as Tarzan, and in the matter of kills
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Speaker 1: he was disappointing. Flora Hawks, who was endowed with more
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Speaker 1: than a fair share of intelligence, realized that it would
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Speaker 1: not be well to cross any of her companions unnecessarily,
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Speaker 1: and so she permitted Estebon to hunt that morning in
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Speaker 1: his own way, though some of the others grumbled a
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Speaker 1: little at her decision. What is the difference, she asked them,
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Speaker 1: after the Spaniard had set out alone. The chances are
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Speaker 1: that he could use a rifle no better than he
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Speaker 1: uses his spear and arrows. Karl and Dick are really
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Speaker 1: the only shots among us, and it is upon them
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Speaker 1: we depend principally for the success of our hunt. Today,
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Speaker 1: Estemon's egotism has been so badly bumped that it is
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Speaker 1: possible that he will go to last extremity to make
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Speaker 1: a kill today. Let us hope he is successful. I
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Speaker 1: hope he breaks his full nick, said Krasky. He has
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Speaker 1: served our purpose and we will be better off if
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Speaker 1: we were rid of him. The girl shook her head negatively. No,
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Speaker 1: she said, we must not think or speak of anything
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Speaker 1: of that kind. We went into this thing together. Let
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Speaker 1: us stick together until the end. If you are wishing
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Speaker 1: that one of us is dead, how do you know
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Speaker 1: that others are not wishing that you were dead. I
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Speaker 1: haven't any doubt that Miranda wishes I were dead, replied Krasky.
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Speaker 1: I never go to bid at night without thinking that
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Speaker 1: the damned greaser may try to stick a knife into
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Speaker 1: me before morning. And it don't make me feel any
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Speaker 1: kind that told him to hear you defending him, Flora,
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Speaker 1: you've been a bit soft on him from the start,
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Speaker 1: and if I have, it's none of your business, retorted
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Speaker 1: the girl. And so they started out upon their hunt,
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Speaker 1: the Russian scowling and angry, harboring thoughts of vengeance or
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Speaker 1: worse against Esteban, and Esteban hunting through the jungle, was
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Speaker 1: occupied with his hatred and his jealousy. His dark mind
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Speaker 1: was open to every chance suggestion of a means for
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Speaker 1: putting the other men of the party out of the
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Speaker 1: way and taking the woman and the gold for himself.
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Speaker 1: He hated them all. In each he saw a possible
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Speaker 1: rival for the affections of Flora, and in the death
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Speaker 1: of each he saw not only one less suitor for
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Speaker 1: the girl's affections, but forty three thousand additional pounds should
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Speaker 1: be divided among fewer people. His mind was thus occupied
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Speaker 1: to the exclusion of the business of hunting, which should
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Speaker 1: have occupied him solely. When he came through a patch
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Speaker 1: of heavy underbrush and stepped into the glaring sunlight of
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Speaker 1: a large clearing, face to face with a party of
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Speaker 1: some fifty magnificent Ebon warriors, for just an instant, Esteban
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Speaker 1: stood frozen in a paralysis of terror, forgetting momentarily the
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Speaker 1: part he was playing, thinking of himself only as a
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Speaker 1: lone white man in the heart of savage Africa, facing
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Speaker 1: a large band of warlike natives, cannibals. Perhaps it was
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Speaker 1: that moment of utter silence and inaction that saved him,
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Speaker 1: for as he stood thus before them, the Waziri saw
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Speaker 1: in the silent, majestic figure their beloved lord in a
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Speaker 1: characteristic pose. O Bwana Bwana, cried one of the warriors,
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Speaker 1: rushing forward. It is indeed you, Tarzan of the Apes,
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Speaker 1: lord of the jungle, whom we have given up as lost. We,
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Speaker 1: your faithful Waziri, have been searching for you, and even
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Speaker 1: now we were about to dare the dangers of Opar,
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Speaker 1: fearing that you might have ventured there without us and
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Speaker 1: had been captured. The Black, who had at one time
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Speaker 1: accompanied Tarzan to London as a body servant, spoke Broken English,
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Speaker 1: an accomplishment of which he was inordinately proud, losing no
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Speaker 1: opportunity to air his attainment before his less fortunate fellows.
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Speaker 1: The fact that it had been he whom Fate had
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Speaker 1: chosen to act as spokesman was indeed a fortunate circumstance
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Speaker 1: to Miranda. Although the latter had applied himself assiduously to
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Speaker 1: mastering the dialect of the West Coast carriers, he would
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Speaker 1: have been hard put to it to carry on a
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Speaker 1: conversation with one of them. While he understood nothing of
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Speaker 1: the Waziri language, Flora had schooled him carefully and well
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Speaker 1: in the lore of Tarzan, so that he realized now
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Speaker 1: that he was in the presence of a band of
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Speaker 1: the ape Man's faithful Waziri. Never before had he seen
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Speaker 1: such magnificent blacks, clean cut, powerful men, with intelligent faces
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Speaker 1: and well molded features, appearing as much higher in the
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Speaker 1: scale of evolution as were the West Coast blacks above
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Speaker 1: the apes. Lucky, indeed, was Estabam Miranda that he was
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Speaker 1: quick witted and a consummate actor, Otherwise he would have
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Speaker 1: betrayed his terror and his chagrin upon learning that this
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Speaker 1: band of Tarzan's fierce and faithful followers was in this
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Speaker 1: part of the country. For a moment longer, he stood
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Speaker 1: in silence before them, gathering his wits, And then he spoke,
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Speaker 1: realizing that his very life depended upon his plausibility. And
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Speaker 1: as he thought, a great light broke upon the shrewd
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Speaker 1: brain of the unscrupulous Spaniard. Since I last saw you,
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Speaker 1: he said, scovered that a party of white men had
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Speaker 1: entered the country for the purpose of robbing the treasure
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Speaker 1: vaults of Opar. I followed them until I found their camp,
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Speaker 1: and then I came in search of you. For there
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Speaker 1: are many of them, and they have many ingots of gold,
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Speaker 1: for they have already been to Opar. Follow me and
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Speaker 1: we will raid their camp and take the gold from them. Come,
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Speaker 1: and he turned back toward the camp he had just quitted.
12:19
Speaker 1: As they made their way along the jungle trail, Usula,
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Speaker 1: the Wazir, who had spoken English to him, walked at
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Speaker 1: Esteban's side. Behind them, the Spaniard could hear the other
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Speaker 1: warriors speaking in their native tongue, no word of which
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Speaker 1: he understood, and it occurred to him that his position
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Speaker 1: would be most embarrassing should he be addressed in the
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Speaker 1: Waziri language, which of course Tarzan must have understood perfectly.
12:39
Speaker 1: As he listened to the chatter of Usula, his mind
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Speaker 1: was working rapidly and presently, as though it were an inspiration.
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Speaker 1: There recurred to him the memory of an accident that
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Speaker 1: had befallen Tarzan, which had been narrated to him by Flora.
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Speaker 1: The story of the injury that he had received in
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Speaker 1: the treasure vaults of Opar upon the occasion that he
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Speaker 1: had lost his memory because of a blow upon the head.
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Speaker 1: Estebon wondered if he had committed himself too deeply at
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Speaker 1: first to attribute to amnesia any shortcomings in the betrayal
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Speaker 1: of the role he was acting at its worst. However,
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Speaker 1: it seemed to him the best that he could do.
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Speaker 1: He turned suddenly upon Usula. Do you remember, he asked,
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Speaker 1: the accident that befell me in the treasure vaults of Opar,
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Speaker 1: depriving me of my memory. Yes, Buana, I remember it well,
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Speaker 1: replied the Black. A similar accident has befallen me, said Esteban.
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Speaker 1: A great tree fell on my path, and in falling,
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Speaker 1: a branch struck me upon the head. It has not
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Speaker 1: caused me to lose my memory entirely, But since then
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Speaker 1: it is with great difficulty that I recall many things.
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Speaker 1: And there are others which I must have forgotten entirely,
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Speaker 1: for I do not know your name, nor do I
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Speaker 1: understand the words that my other wazir are speaking about me.
13:40
Speaker 1: Usula looked at him compassionately. Ah, Buana, sad indeed is
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Speaker 1: the heart of Usula to hear that this accident has
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Speaker 1: befallen you. Doubtless it will soon pass away, as did
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Speaker 1: the other and in the meantime, I Usula, will be
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Speaker 1: your memory for you good, said Esteban. Tell the others
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Speaker 1: that they may understand, and tell them also that I
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Speaker 1: I have lost the memory of other things. Besides, I
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Speaker 1: could not now find my way home without you, and
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Speaker 1: my other senses are dull as well. But as you say, Usola,
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Speaker 1: it will soon pass off, and I shall be myself again.
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Speaker 1: Your faithful WAZII will rejoice indeed with the coming of
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Speaker 1: that moment, said Usula. As they approached the camp, Veranda
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Speaker 1: cautioned Usula to warn his followers to silence, and presently
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Speaker 1: he halted them at the outskirts of the clearing, where
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Speaker 1: they could attain a view of the boma and the
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Speaker 1: tents guarding, which was a little band of a half
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Speaker 1: dozen Askari. When they see our greater numbers, they will
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Speaker 1: make no resistance, said Estemon. Let us surround the camp therefore,
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Speaker 1: and at a signal from me, we will advance together.
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Speaker 1: When you shall address them saying that Tarzan of the
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Speaker 1: Apes comes with his waziri for the gold they have stolen,
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Speaker 1: but that he will spare them if they will leave
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Speaker 1: the country at once and never return. Had it fulfilled
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Speaker 1: his purpose as well, the Spaniard would have willingly ordered
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Speaker 1: the Waziri to fall upon the men guarding the camp
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Speaker 1: and destroy them all. But to his cunning brain had
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Speaker 1: been borne a cleverer scheme. He wanted these men to
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Speaker 1: see him with the Waziri and to live, to tell
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Speaker 1: the others that they had seen him, and to repeat
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Speaker 1: to Flora and her followers the thing that Esteban had
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Speaker 1: in his mind to tell one of the Askari. While
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Speaker 1: the Wazirri were gathering up the gold ingots from the camp,
15:09
Speaker 1: in directing Usula to station his men about the camp,
15:12
Speaker 1: Esteban had him warn them that they were not to
15:14
Speaker 1: show themselves until he had crept out into the clearing
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Speaker 1: and attracted the attention of the Escari on guard. Fifteen
15:19
Speaker 1: minutes perhaps were consumed in stationing his men, and then
15:22
Speaker 1: Usula returned to Esteban to report that all was ready.
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Speaker 1: When I raise my hand, then you will know that
15:28
Speaker 1: they have recognized me, and that you are to advance.
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Speaker 1: Esteban cautioned him, and stepped forward slowly into the clearing.
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Speaker 1: One of the Askari saw him and recognized him as Esteban.
15:36
Speaker 1: The spaniard took a few steps closer to the boma
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Speaker 1: and then halted, I am Tarzan of the Apes, he said.
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Speaker 1: Your camp is entirely surrounded by my warriors. Make no
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Speaker 1: move against us, and we shall not hurt you. He
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Speaker 1: waved his hand. Fifty stalwart Wazirri stepped into view from
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Speaker 1: the concealing madure of this surrounding jungle. The Askari eyed
15:55
Speaker 1: them in ill concealed terror, fingering their rifles nervously. Do
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Speaker 1: not shoot, caution Esteban, or we shall slay you all.
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Speaker 1: He approached more closely, and his waziri closed in about him,
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Speaker 1: entirely surrounding the Bohmah. Speak to the Muslah, said Esteban.
16:08
Speaker 1: The black stepped forward. We are the Waziri, he cried,
16:12
Speaker 1: and this is Tarzan of the Apes, Lord of the jungle,
16:15
Speaker 1: our master. We have come to recover the gold of
16:17
Speaker 1: Tarzan that you have stolen from the treasure vaults of Opar.
16:21
Speaker 1: This time we shall spare you on condition that you
16:23
Speaker 1: leave the country and never return. Tell this word to
16:25
Speaker 1: your masters. Tell them that Tarzan watches, and that is
16:28
Speaker 1: Waziri watch with him. Lay down your rifles. The Askari
16:33
Speaker 1: glad to escape so easily complied with the mans of Usula,
16:36
Speaker 1: and a moment later the Wazirri had entered the Boma and,
16:38
Speaker 1: at Esteban's direction, were gathering up the gold ingots. As
16:41
Speaker 1: they worked, Esteban approached one of the Askari, whom he
16:44
Speaker 1: new spoke broken English. Tell your master, he said, to
16:47
Speaker 1: give thanks for the mercy of Tarzan, who has exacted
16:50
Speaker 1: a toll of but one life, for this invasion of
16:52
Speaker 1: his country and theft of his treasure. The creature who
16:55
Speaker 1: presumes to pose as Tarzan I have slain, and his
16:57
Speaker 1: body I shall take away with me and feed to
16:59
Speaker 1: the lions. Tell them that Tarzan forgives even their attempt
17:03
Speaker 1: to poison him upon the occasion, that he visited their camp,
17:05
Speaker 1: but only upon the condition that they never returned to Africa,
17:08
Speaker 1: and that they divulged the secret of Opar to no others.
17:11
Speaker 1: Tarzan watches and his Waziri watch, and no man may
17:14
Speaker 1: enter Africa without Tarzan's knowledge. Even before they left London,
17:18
Speaker 1: I knew that they were coming. Tell them that it
17:22
Speaker 1: took but a few minutes for the Waziri to gather
17:24
Speaker 1: up the gold ingots, and before they Ascari had recovered
17:26
Speaker 1: from the surprise of their appearance. They had gone again
17:28
Speaker 1: into the jungle with Tarzan, their master. It was late
17:31
Speaker 1: in the afternoon before Flora and the four white men
17:33
Speaker 1: returned from their hunt, surrounded by happy, laughing blacks bearing
17:36
Speaker 1: the fruits of a successful chase. Now that you are
17:40
Speaker 1: in charge, Flora Kresky was saying, fortune is smiling upon us. Indeed,
17:44
Speaker 1: we have enough meat here for several days. And with
17:47
Speaker 1: plenty of meat in their billies, they ought to make
17:49
Speaker 1: good progress. I will say it myself that things look brighter,
17:54
Speaker 1: said blueber Blimy. They do that, said Throc. I'm telling you,
17:59
Speaker 1: Flora's a What the devil is this? Demanded Peebles. What's
18:03
Speaker 1: wrong with them beggars? And he pointed toward the boma,
18:05
Speaker 1: which was now in sight and from which the Ascar
18:08
Speaker 1: were issuing at a run, jabbering excitedly as they raced
18:10
Speaker 1: toward them. Tarzan of the Apes has been here, they
18:13
Speaker 1: cried excitedly. He has been here with all his waziri,
18:17
Speaker 1: a thousand great warriors. And though we fought, they overcame us,
18:20
Speaker 1: and taking the gold, they went away. Tarzan of the
18:23
Speaker 1: Apes spoke strange words to me before they left, he
18:26
Speaker 1: said that he had killed one of your number who
18:28
Speaker 1: had dared to call himself Tarzan of the Apes. We
18:31
Speaker 1: do not understand it. He went away alone to hunt
18:33
Speaker 1: when you went in the morning, and he came back
18:35
Speaker 1: shortly with a thousand warriors, and he took all the gold,
18:38
Speaker 1: and he threatened to kill us and you if you
18:40
Speaker 1: ever returned to this country. Vat Vat cried, blueber De
18:44
Speaker 1: gold is gone, Oi Oi, and the alchemist to ask
18:48
Speaker 1: questions at once, until Flora silenced them. Come, she said
18:52
Speaker 1: to the leader of the Askari, we will return to
18:54
Speaker 1: the Boma, and then you shall tell me, slowly and carefully,
18:57
Speaker 1: all that has happened since we left. She listened intently
19:01
Speaker 1: to his narrative and then questioned him carefully upon various
19:03
Speaker 1: points several times. At last she dismissed him. Then she
19:07
Speaker 1: turned to her confederates. It is all clear to me,
19:09
Speaker 1: she said. Tarzan recovered from the effects of the drug
19:12
Speaker 1: we administered. Then he followed us with his waziri, caught
19:15
Speaker 1: Esteban and killed him, and finding the camp has taken
19:19
Speaker 1: the gold away, we shall be fortunate, indeed, if we
19:21
Speaker 1: escape from Africa with our lives ay ay, almost shrieked Blueber.
19:26
Speaker 1: They're dirty crook. He steals all our gold once we
19:29
Speaker 1: lose our two thousand pounds into the bargain. Ay Ay,
19:33
Speaker 1: shut up, you dirty jew, growled Throp. If it hadn't
19:37
Speaker 1: a been for you and the daygo, this here thing
19:40
Speaker 1: would never happened with him a braggin about his huntin
19:43
Speaker 1: an not beIN able to kill anything, and you were
19:46
Speaker 1: squeezing every bloomin hate any We' a rotten mess that
19:49
Speaker 1: we are. This here Tarzan bounder has bumped off Estebon,
19:53
Speaker 1: which is the best work what he ever done? Too?
19:56
Speaker 1: Bloody bad you weren't here to get it too. What
19:58
Speaker 1: I got a good mind to do to slit your
20:00
Speaker 1: throat myself? Stay with a gough dick, roared Beebeles. It
20:05
Speaker 1: wasn't nobody's fault as far as I can say. Instead
20:08
Speaker 1: of talking, what we ought to do is go after
20:09
Speaker 1: this ere Tarzan feller and take the bloom and gold
20:12
Speaker 1: away from him. Flora Hawks laughed. We haven't a chance
20:16
Speaker 1: in the world, she said. I know this Tarzan bloke.
20:19
Speaker 1: If he was all alone, we wouldn't be a match
20:21
Speaker 1: for him. But he's got a bunch of his waziri
20:24
Speaker 1: with him, and there are no finer warriors in Africa
20:26
Speaker 1: than they, and they'd fight for him to the last man.
20:30
Speaker 1: You just tell Owaza that you're thinking of going after
20:32
Speaker 1: Tarzan of the Apes and his Waziri to take the
20:34
Speaker 1: gold away from them, and see how long it'd be
20:36
Speaker 1: before we wouldn't have a single nigger with us. The
20:39
Speaker 1: very name of Tarzan scares these West Coast blacks out
20:42
Speaker 1: of a year's growth. They would sooner face the devil. No, Sir,
20:46
Speaker 1: we've lost, and all we can do is to get
20:49
Speaker 1: out of this country and think our lucky stars. If
20:51
Speaker 1: we managed to get out alive, the Ape man will
20:54
Speaker 1: watch us. I should not be surprised if he were
20:56
Speaker 1: watching us this minute. Her companions looked around apprehensively, this
21:00
Speaker 1: casting nervous glances toward the jungle, and he'd never let
21:03
Speaker 1: us get back to Opah for another load, even if
21:06
Speaker 1: we could prevail upon our blacks to return there. Two
21:09
Speaker 1: thousand pounds two thousand pounds, wailed Blueber with all these suits,
21:14
Speaker 1: but it cost me. It's fenty guineas. But I can't
21:17
Speaker 1: ververit again in England unless I go to a fancy
21:19
Speaker 1: dress ball, which I never do. Krasky had not spoken,
21:24
Speaker 1: but it sat with his eyes upon the ground, listening
21:26
Speaker 1: to the others. Now he raised his head. We have
21:29
Speaker 1: lost our gold, he said, and before we get back
21:32
Speaker 1: to England we stand to spend the balance of our
21:34
Speaker 1: two thousand pounds. In other words, our expedition is a
21:38
Speaker 1: total loss. The rest of you may be satisfied to
21:41
Speaker 1: go back brook, but I aim not. There are other
21:44
Speaker 1: things in Africa besides the gold of Opar, and when
21:48
Speaker 1: we leave the country, there is no reason why we
21:49
Speaker 1: shouldn't take something with us that will repay us for
21:52
Speaker 1: our time and investment. What do you mean, asked Peebles.
21:57
Speaker 1: I have spent a lot of time talking with Owasa,
22:00
Speaker 1: clied Krasky, trying to learn their crazy language, and I've
22:03
Speaker 1: come to find out a lot about the old villain.
22:06
Speaker 1: He's as crooked as they make on and if he
22:08
Speaker 1: were to be hanged for all his murders, he'd have
22:10
Speaker 1: more lives than a cat. But notwithstanding that, he's a
22:14
Speaker 1: shrewd old fellow, and I've learned a lot more from
22:17
Speaker 1: him than just his monkey talk. I have learned enough,
22:20
Speaker 1: in fact, so that I feel safe in saying that
22:22
Speaker 1: if we stick together, we can go out of Africa
22:24
Speaker 1: with a pretty good sized steak. Personally, I haven't given
22:28
Speaker 1: up the gold of Opar yet. What we've lost we've lost,
22:31
Speaker 1: but there's plenty left where that came from. And someday
22:34
Speaker 1: after this blows over, I'm coming back to get my share.
22:38
Speaker 1: But how about this other thing, asked Flora. How can
22:41
Speaker 1: Awasa help us. There's a little bunch of a rams
22:44
Speaker 1: down here, explained Krasky, stealing slaves in ivory. Oaza knows
22:49
Speaker 1: where they are working, and we are their main campies.
22:52
Speaker 1: There are only a few of them, and their blacks
22:54
Speaker 1: are nearly all slaves who would turn on them in
22:56
Speaker 1: a minute now. The idea is this, we have a
22:59
Speaker 1: big enough party to overpower them and take their ivory
23:02
Speaker 1: away from them, if we can get their slaves to
23:03
Speaker 1: take our side. We don't want the slaves, We couldn't
23:07
Speaker 1: do anything with them if we had them, So we
23:09
Speaker 1: can promise them their freedom for their help and give
23:12
Speaker 1: Oaza and his gang a share in the ivory. How
23:15
Speaker 1: do you know Oasa will help us, asked Flora. The
23:18
Speaker 1: idea is his, that's the reason I know, replied Krasky.
23:22
Speaker 1: It sounds good to me, said Peebles. I ain't for
23:25
Speaker 1: going home empty handed, and in turn the others signified
23:29
Speaker 1: their approval of the scheme. End of Chapter