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07 - Tarzan Twins by Edgar Rice Burroughs · Tarzan Twins

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  Speaker 1: By Ben Tucker, chapter six. When they awoke, it was
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  Speaker 1: still dark and much colder. The village fires had died
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  Speaker 1: away or had been banked for the night. All was silence.
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  Speaker 1: Yet the boys were conscious that they had been awakened
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  Speaker 1: by a noise, as though the echoes still lingered in
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  Speaker 1: their ears. Presently they were sure of it, a thunderous
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  Speaker 1: sound that rolled in mighty volume out of the dark
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  Speaker 1: jungle and made the earth tremble. Are you awake, whispered Doc. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: did you hear that it's a lion? Do you s'pose
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  Speaker 1: he's in the village? He sounds awful close. Numa was
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  Speaker 1: not in the village. He roared with his nose close
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  Speaker 1: to the palisade, voicing his anger at the stout barrier
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  Speaker 1: that kept him from the tender flesh within. Golly, said Dick,
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  Speaker 1: it wouldn't do us much good if we did escape.
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  Speaker 1: It would be like jumping from the frying pan into
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  Speaker 1: the fire. Do you mean you'd rather stay here and
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  Speaker 1: be eaten by cannibals than try to escape? Demanded Doc. No,
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  Speaker 1: I don't mean anything of the kind. I just think
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  Speaker 1: we haven't much chance of getting out of this mess,
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  Speaker 1: one way or the other. But I sure would rather
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  Speaker 1: try to get out of it than just sit still
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  Speaker 1: and wait to be eaten like Bullala and Ukundu are doing.
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  Speaker 1: Have you any scheme doc for getting away? Not yet.
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  Speaker 1: From what I could understand of Bellaala's gibberish, I guess
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  Speaker 1: they won't eat us for a while. He seems to
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  Speaker 1: think that they will wait until we are fattened up
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  Speaker 1: a bit. But from something else he said, it is
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  Speaker 1: just possible that they are saving us for a big
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  Speaker 1: feast that they have invited a lot of other villages
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  Speaker 1: to attend. Anyway, if we can have a few days
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  Speaker 1: to get a line on the habits and customs of
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  Speaker 1: the village, we will be in a better position to
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  Speaker 1: pick out the best plan and the best time for
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  Speaker 1: making our get away. Jeeve, it's cold. I didn't know
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  Speaker 1: any one could be so cold and hungry and live,
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  Speaker 1: said Dick. Neither did I. It's no use trying to
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  Speaker 1: get to sleep again. I'm going to get up and
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  Speaker 1: move around. Maybe that'll make us warm. But all it
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  Speaker 1: did was to awaken Bollalla and a Kundu, who were
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  Speaker 1: not angry at all at being awakened, and only laughed
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  Speaker 1: when the boys told them how cold they were. Billaala
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  Speaker 1: assured them that one was always cold at night, and
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  Speaker 1: as he and Ukandu were practically naked, the twins felt
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  Speaker 1: a little bit ashamed of their grumbling. Daylight came at last,
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  Speaker 1: and with the rising sun came warmth and renewed vitality.
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  Speaker 1: The boys felt almost cheerful, and now they were so
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  Speaker 1: hungry that they knew they would eat whatever their captors
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  Speaker 1: set before them, however vile it might appear. But nothing
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  Speaker 1: was brought them. In fact, it was almost noon before
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  Speaker 1: any attention was paid them, and then a warrior came
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  Speaker 1: and ordered all four of them out of the hut.
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  Speaker 1: With their guards. They were herded toward the chief's hut
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  Speaker 1: in the center of the village. Here they found many
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  Speaker 1: warriors lined up before the bleary eyed old cannibal. The
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  Speaker 1: chief looked them all over, then addressed the twins. He
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  Speaker 1: wants to know what you were doing in his country,
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  Speaker 1: interpreted Ballala. Tell him we were passing through on the
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  Speaker 1: train and that we wandered into the jungle and got lost,
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  Speaker 1: said Dick. Tell him, we want to go back to
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  Speaker 1: the railway, and that if he will take us, our
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  Speaker 1: fathers will pay him a big reward. Balala explained all
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  Speaker 1: this to the chief, and there followed a lengthy discussion
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  Speaker 1: between the chief and his warriors, at the end of
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  Speaker 1: which Balala again interpreted Chief Gala Gala says he will
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  Speaker 1: take you back after a while. He wants you to
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  Speaker 1: stay here a few days, then he will take you back. Also,
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  Speaker 1: he wants all your clothes. He said, you must take
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  Speaker 1: them off and give them to him as presents if
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  Speaker 1: you want him to take you back to your people.
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  Speaker 1: But we'll freeze, expostulated Doc. You had better give them
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  Speaker 1: to him, for he will take them anyway, advice Balala.
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  Speaker 1: Doc turned and looked at Dick. What are we going
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  Speaker 1: to do about it, he asked, Tell him, we'll freeze
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  Speaker 1: at night without our clothes, Bellaala cried.
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  Speaker 2: Dick.
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  Speaker 1: Balala and the Gala Gala held a lengthy discourse, at
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  Speaker 1: the end of which the former announced that the chief
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  Speaker 1: in insisted upon having their clothes, but would furnish them
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  Speaker 1: with other apparel to take its place. Well, tell him
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  Speaker 1: to trot it out, snapped Doc again. There was much haggling,
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  Speaker 1: but finally the chief sent one of his warriors to
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  Speaker 1: bring a handful of filthy calico rags, which he threw
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  Speaker 1: at the feet of the two boys. Doc started to
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  Speaker 1: argue the question, but Bllala's council, combined with the menacing
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  Speaker 1: attitude of Galagala, convinced the twins that they could do
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  Speaker 1: nothing but comply with the commands of their captor. I'm
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  Speaker 1: going to take the things out of my pockets, said Doc.
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  Speaker 1: They'll probably swipe everything we've got, but if possible, we
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  Speaker 1: ought to try to save our knives, suggested Dick, and
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  Speaker 1: sure enough, the first thing that came out of Dick's pocket,
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  Speaker 1: which happened to be a fountain pen. Galagala held out
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  Speaker 1: his hand to receive a lot of good. He'll do,
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  Speaker 1: the old robber, growled Dick. He wants to know what
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  Speaker 1: it is, said Balala. Tell him, it's a bottle with
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  Speaker 1: something good to drink, it, snapped Doc. Here, I'll show
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  Speaker 1: him how to get it out. Look the old tar baby,
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  Speaker 1: and Doc stepped forward and removed the cap from the pinpoint.
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  Speaker 1: Tell him, he explained to Bellalla. To put the shiny
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  Speaker 1: end in his mouth and then pull up this little
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  Speaker 1: lever here that'll squirt the knives drink into his tummy.
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  Speaker 1: Galagala did as Bollalla directed, A peculiar expression overspread his
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  Speaker 1: evil face, and then he commenced to spit, to the
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  Speaker 1: great astonishment not only of himself but of the assembled warriors.
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  Speaker 1: For Galagalla was undeniably spitting blue. The effect upon him
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  Speaker 1: was astonishing and rather terrifying. He leaped about like a madman,
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  Speaker 1: emitting strange noises, which were interspersed with remarks that the
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  Speaker 1: boys were positive were not at all nice. But the
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  Speaker 1: remarkable part of the performance was that he vented all
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  Speaker 1: his rage upon Bolalla, striking and kicking the poor fellow unmercifully.
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  Speaker 1: Tell him it won't hurt him, yelled Dick. Fearful, now
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  Speaker 1: if the results of Doc's joke, tell him, white men
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  Speaker 1: drink it to make the strong. And when Bellala had
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  Speaker 1: succeeded in transmitting this information to Galagala, the chief immediately
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  Speaker 1: calmed down and apparently was well pleased, though for a
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  Speaker 1: long time thereafter he continued to spit blue. The boys
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  Speaker 1: had now emptied their pockets, but each clung to his knife,
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  Speaker 1: attempting to hide it from the eyes of the greedy Galagala.
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  Speaker 1: The attempt was vain a filthy, pinkish palm was extended
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  Speaker 1: toward Doc, who needed no one to interpret the cannibal's
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  Speaker 1: demands and to gimme, gimmy, gimmey. It was then that
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  Speaker 1: an idea came to Doc that was a little short
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  Speaker 1: of inspiration. His eyes snapped and sparkled. Why not, he
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  Speaker 1: demanded aloud, Why not? What, asked Dick, Watch me, cried Doc.
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  Speaker 1: Gollagalla was becoming insistent. He was demanding in peremptory tones
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  Speaker 1: that Doc delivered the knife forthwith, But Doc did nothing
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  Speaker 1: of the kind. Instead, he held up his left palm
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  Speaker 1: outstretched for silence. Then he opened his right hand, exposing
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  Speaker 1: to view of all the coveted knife. Tell them, he
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  Speaker 1: said to Belala, to watch me closely, and I will
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  Speaker 1: show them a trick they never saw before. Big medicine,
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  Speaker 1: asked Balala. Doc seized upon the words big medisin. He cried,
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  Speaker 1: that's the idea of Bellaala. Tell him, I'm going to
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  Speaker 1: make some big medicine with a capital B. Even Galagala
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  Speaker 1: seemed impressed. As the white boy covered the knife with
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  Speaker 1: his left palm, Doc clasped his hands and blew upon them.
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  Speaker 1: Then he raised them.
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  Speaker 2: Above his head, abracadabra. He shouted, Hallo, presto, change cars
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  Speaker 2: and begone. Now you see it, Now you don't. He
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  Speaker 2: opened his hands and held them palms up. The knife
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  Speaker 2: had vanished.
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  Speaker 1: The chief was greatly puzzled. He looked all about for
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  Speaker 1: the knife, and when he came close to Doc, the
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  Speaker 1: latter reached suddenly toward him and apparently extracted the missing
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  Speaker 1: article from Galagala's left ear. This was evidently too much
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  Speaker 1: for the savage old cannibal. He leaped backwards so quickly
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  Speaker 1: that he stumbled and fell, sprawling over the stool upon
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  Speaker 1: which he had been sitting. The blow to his dignity
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  Speaker 1: had a bad effect upon his temper, none too good
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  Speaker 1: at best. He came to his feet fairly bubbling with rage,
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  Speaker 1: and angrily demanded that the boys removed their clothing and
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  Speaker 1: don the rags that had been brought them. Hang on
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  Speaker 1: to your knife as long as you can, admonished Doc,
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  Speaker 1: I think I can save them both when I get
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  Speaker 1: my new minus four as wrapped around me. How do
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  Speaker 1: you put this stuff on anyway? Ask Balala, advised Dick,
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  Speaker 1: and that Worthy showed the boys how to wrap the
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  Speaker 1: cloth about their hips and carry the end between their legs,
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  Speaker 1: so that a little apron fell down in front and
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  Speaker 1: another behind. All this time the two boys had managed
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  Speaker 1: to conceal their knives, but at last Galagala again demanded them.
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  Speaker 1: Doc was desperate. We mustn't give them up, Dick, he said,
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  Speaker 1: they're the only useful things we have by jiminy crickets,
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  Speaker 1: I won't give them up. He turned to Balala, tell
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  Speaker 1: that fat boy that if anyone takes his medicine away
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  Speaker 1: from us, it will kill him, but that if he
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  Speaker 1: doesn't want us to keep them, we will send them away. Watch.
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  Speaker 1: He exposed his own knife and repeated the mystic signs
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  Speaker 1: and words that he had used before, and the knife
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  Speaker 1: was gone. Then he took Dick's knife and did the
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  Speaker 1: same things. Galagala shook his head. He wants to know
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  Speaker 1: where they are, said Billala. Doc looked about in an
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  Speaker 1: effort to gain time while he conjured some reply that
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  Speaker 1: would put an end to Galagala's search for the knives.
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  Speaker 1: His eyes fell upon the same youth who had attempted
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  Speaker 1: to brain him the previous day while Zopinga had been
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  Speaker 1: escorting them into the village. Doc never could account for
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  Speaker 1: the idea that popped into his head as he beheld
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  Speaker 1: again the hideous features of the young imp who had
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  Speaker 1: come so near killing him. But he always admitted that
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  Speaker 1: it was a good idea for him and Dick, if
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  Speaker 1: not for the black youth. He stepped suddenly close to
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  Speaker 1: the youth and pointed into his ear tell Galagala. He
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  Speaker 1: said to Bellala that our big medicine has hidden itself
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  Speaker 1: inside this fellow's head, and that it won't come out
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  Speaker 1: until we are with our own people. End of Chapter
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  Speaker 1: six