Latest / Tarzan Twins / 05 - Tarzan Twins by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Transcript

05 - Tarzan Twins by Edgar Rice Burroughs · Tarzan Twins

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter four. We must be pretty near the train by
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: this time, said Dick, unless unless, what demanded Doc, we
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: might not be on the right trail, suggested the other.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: We might be lost after all. Gee, don't say that, Dick.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: If we're lost now, we'll never find our way out.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: We'll have to stay in this jungle until we until
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: we what. I don't like to say it, you mean,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: until we die. Doc nodded his head, and the boys
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: moved on in silence, each intent upon his own gloomy thoughts.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Behind them, just out of sight came the Black Warriors,
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: zopinga presently. Doc stopped Dick. He cried, do you smell something?
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Dick sniffed the air. Smells like smoke, he said. It
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: is smoke, exclaimed Doc. And I can smell food cooking too.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: We're saved, Dick, We're saved. It's the train. Come on,
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: and both boys broke into a run. A hundred yards
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: of brisk running brought them to a sudden stop. Before
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: them lay a clearing in the forest at the trail's end.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: In the center of the clearing was a palisade of poles,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: surrounded by an enclosure. Above the top of the palisade,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: they could see the cone shaped roofs of grass thatched huts,
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: and through the open gates that faced them, they could
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: see the huts themselves, and half naked black people moving
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: about outside the palisade. Some women were hoeing in a
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: little patch of cultivated ground. Dick and Doc took one
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: look at the scene before them before they faced one
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: another in silent consternation. So different from what they had
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: expected had been this outcome of their hopes that both
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: boys were shocked into utter speechlessness for a moment. It
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: was Doc, as usual, who first regained control of his tongue.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: We're lost, after all, he said, What are we going
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: to do? Maybe they're friendly natives, suggested Dick. Maybe they're cannibals,
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: suggested Doc. I don't believe there are any cannibals anymore,
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: said Dick. I don't intend to take any chances on
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: that there may be. Let's sneak back the way we came, then,
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: whispered Dick. They haven't seen us yet. Simultaneously, the two
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: boys turned to retrace their steps, and there, blocking the
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: trail they had just trod, stood a huge black warrior,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: scowling savagely at them, and his hand was a sharp spear. Golly,
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: exclaimed Dick. Gee ejaculated Doc. What shall we do? We
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: ought to be nice to him, said Dick. Good morning,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: said Doc politely, with a smile that was nothing if
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: not strained. Nice n morning, isn't it so? Pinga, who
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: had stood silent thus far, now broke into a torrent
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: of words, not one of which the boys understood. When
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: he had ceased, he again stood immovable well, remarked Dick casually.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: I guess we'd better be getting along back to the train.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: Come on, Doc, and he started to move along the
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: trail past Zopinga. Instantly, the sharp point of the spear
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: was at the pit of his stomach. Dick stopped. Zuppinga
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: pointed toward the village with his left hand and prodded
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: Dick with his spear. I guess he's inviting us to lunch,
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: suggested Doc. Whatever he's inviting us to do, I guess
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: we'd better do it, said Dick reluctantly. The two boys
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: turned toward the village. Behind them walked to Zopinga, proudly
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: herding his captives in the direction of the gates. At
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: the sight of them, the women and children working in
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: the fields clustered about, jabbering excitedly. The women were hideous
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: creatures whose ears and lower lips were horribly disfigured, the
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: lobes of the former having evidently been pierced during their
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: youth to receive heavy ornaments which had stretched the flesh
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: until the lower part of the ear touched the shoulder,
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: while their teeth, like those of Zopinga, were filed to
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: sharp points. Though fortunately for the peace of mind of
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Dick and Doc, neither boy understood the significance of this.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: Some of the children threw stones and sticks at the boys,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: and each time a hit was scored, Zopinga and the
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: women and all the children laughed uproariously. Encouraged and emboldened
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: by this applause, one of the older children, a particularly
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: hideous boy, rushed at Doc from the rear and swung
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: a blow at his head with a heavy stick. Dick,
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: while attempting to ward off the missiles that were rained
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: upon him, had fallen a few steps behind Doc, which
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: proved a very fortunate circumstance for his cousin, as the
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: black boy would have cracked Doc's skull if the blow
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: had landed squarely upon its target. Even as the little
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: fiend was in the act of swinging the cudgel, Dick
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: leaped in front of him and seized his wrist with
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: his left hand, dealt the youth a blow in the
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: face with his right fist that sent him sprawling upon
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: his back. Doc turned just in time to witness Dick's act,
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: though he did not fully realize how close and how
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: grave had been his peril, and the two boys instinctively
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: drew together back to back for mutual protection, as each
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: was confident that Dick's attack upon the black youth would
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: bring down the wrath of all the others upon them.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Good old Dick, whispered Doc. I suppose we're in for
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: it now, said Dick gloomily. But I had to do it.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: He'd have killed you. We couldn't be in for anything
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: worse than we were getting before, Doc reminded him. Look
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: at him now. I think it did em good for
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: an instant. The Blacks were so surprised that they forgot
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: to throw anything at the boys. Then they commenced to
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: laugh and jeer at the discomfited youth sitting on the
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: ground nursing a bloody nose, and while they were occupied
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: by this new diversion Zupinga. Hearded the boys into the
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: village and hurried them into the presence of a very
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: fat Negro, who sat in conversation with several other warriors
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: beneath the shade of a large tree. This guy must
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: be the chief, said Doc. I wish we could talk
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: to him, said Dick. Maybe he'd send us back to
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: the railroad if we could explain that that was where
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: we want to go. I'll try, said Doc. Perhaps he
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: may understand English. Say big boy, he cried, addressing the
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: fact Negro, do you savvy English? The black looked up
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: at Doc and addressed him in one of the innumerable
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: Bantu dialects, but the American boy only shook his head.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: Nothing doing along that line, Uncle Tom, said Doc, with
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: a sigh and then brightening. Hey, Parley, vous song glaze.
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: Notwithstanding the bumps and bruises that he was nursing, Dick
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: was unable to restrain his laughter. What's so funny, demanded Doc.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: What's so funny? You're French? Doc grinned. I must be improving,
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: he said. No one ever recognized my French as French
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: before her. French there doesn't recognize it even a speech.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: Why don't you try making signs? I had never thought
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: of that. Good old Dick. Every once in a while
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: he shows a gleam of intelligence. Here go watch me,
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: rain cloud. He waved his hand the Negro to attract attention.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Then he pointed off in the general direction that he
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: thought the railroad lay, after which he said chew chew
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: several times. Then he pointed first at Dick and then
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: it himself. Walked around in a small circle, looking bewilderedly
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: from one direction to another, stopping in front of the
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: black he pointed at him, then at Dick, then at himself,
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: and finally out through the forest toward an imaginary railway,
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: and again said chew, chew, chew, chew. The Negro considered
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: him a moment through red rimmed, bleary eyes. Then he
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: turned toward his fellows, jerked a grimy thumb in the
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: direction of Doc, tapped his forehead significantly with a forefinger,
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: and issued a few curt instructions to Zopinga, who stepped
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: forward and pushed the boys roughly along the village street
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: toward its far end. I guess he understood your sign
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: language all right, said Dick. What makes you think so,
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: demanded Doc. Why he thinks you're crazy and he's not
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: far off as that, sell Zupinga halted before a grass
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: hut shaped like a beehive, with a single opening about
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: two and a half or three feet high, upon either
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: side of which squatted a warrior, armed as was their captor.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: Zupinga motioned for the boys to enter, and as they
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: dropped upon their hands and knees to crawl into the
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: dark interior, he accelerated their speed with the soul of
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: a calloused foot and sent them one by one into
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: darkness that was only a bit less thick than the
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: foul stench which pervaded the noisome den end of Chapter four.