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23 - Brother Men · Tarzan of the Apes

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  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty three, brother Men. When d'arnault regained consciousness, he
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  Speaker 1: found himself lying upon a bed of soft ferns and
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  Speaker 1: grasses beneath the little a shaped shelter of boughs. At
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  Speaker 1: his feet and opening looked out upon a green sward,
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  Speaker 1: and at a little distance beyond was the dense wall
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  Speaker 1: of jungle in forest. He was very lame and sore
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  Speaker 1: and weak, and his full consciousness returned. He felt the
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  Speaker 1: sharp torture of many cruel wounds, and the dull aching
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  Speaker 1: of every bone and muscle in his body as a
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  Speaker 1: result of the hideous beating he had received. Even the
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  Speaker 1: turning of his head caused him such excruciating agony that
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  Speaker 1: he lay still with closed eyes for a long time.
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  Speaker 1: He tried to piece out the details of his adventure
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  Speaker 1: prior to the time he lost consciousness, to see if
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  Speaker 1: they would explain his present whereabouts. He wondered if he
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  Speaker 1: were among friends or foes. At length, he recollected the
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  Speaker 1: whole hideous scene at the stake, and finally recalled the
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  Speaker 1: strange white figure in whose arms he had sunk into oblivion.
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  Speaker 1: Darnault wondered what fate lay in store for him now.
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  Speaker 1: He could neither see nor hear any signs of life
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  Speaker 1: about him. The incessant hum of the jungle, the rustling
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  Speaker 1: of millions of leaves, the buzz of insects, the voices
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  Speaker 1: of the birds and monkeys seemed blended into a strangely
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  Speaker 1: soothing purr, as though he lay apart far from the
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  Speaker 1: myriad life, whose sounds came to him only as a
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  Speaker 1: blurred echo. At length he fell into a quiet slumber,
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  Speaker 1: nor did he awake again until afternoon. Once more he
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  Speaker 1: experienced the strange sense of utter bewilderment that had marked
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  Speaker 1: his earlier awakening. But soon he recalled the recent past,
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  Speaker 1: and looking through the opening at his feet, he saw
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  Speaker 1: the figure of a man squatting on his haunches. The broad,
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  Speaker 1: muscular back was turned toward him, but tan though it was.
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  Speaker 1: Darnault saw that it was the back of a white man,
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  Speaker 1: and he thanked God. The Frenchman called faintly. The man
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  Speaker 1: turned and rising, came toward the shelter. His face was
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  Speaker 1: very handsome, the handsomest, thought d'arnault that he had ever seen. Stooping,
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  Speaker 1: he crawled into the shelter beside the wounded officer and
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  Speaker 1: placed a cool hand upon his forehead. Darnault spoke to
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  Speaker 1: him in French, but the man only shook his head. Sadly,
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  Speaker 1: it seemed to the Frenchman. Then Darnault tried English, but
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  Speaker 1: still the man shook his head. Italian, Spanish, and German
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  Speaker 1: brought similar discouragement. Darnaul knew a few words of Norwegian, Russian, Greek,
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  Speaker 1: and also had a smattering of the language of one
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  Speaker 1: of the West Coast Negro tribes. The man denied them all.
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  Speaker 1: After examining d'arnault's wounds, the man left the shelter and disappeared.
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  Speaker 1: In half an hour, he was back with fruit and
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  Speaker 1: a hollow gourdlike vegetable filled with water. Darnaul drank and
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  Speaker 1: ate a little. He was surprised that he had no fever. Again,
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  Speaker 1: he tried to converse with his strange nurse, but the
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  Speaker 1: attempt was useless. Suddenly the man hastened from the shelter,
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  Speaker 1: only to return a few minutes later with several pieces
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  Speaker 1: of bark and wonder of wonders, a lead pencil. Squatting
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  Speaker 1: beside Darnault, he wrote for a minute on the smooth
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  Speaker 1: inner surface of the bark. Then he handed it to
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  Speaker 1: the Frenchman. Darnault was astonished to see in plain print
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  Speaker 1: like characters a message in English. I am Tarzan of
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  Speaker 1: the Apes. Who are you? Can you read this language?
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  Speaker 1: Darnault seized the pencil. Then he stopped. This strange man
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  Speaker 1: wrote English. Evidently he was an Englishman. Yes, said Darnault,
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  Speaker 1: I read English. I speak it also. Now we may
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  Speaker 1: talk first, that may thank you for all that you
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  Speaker 1: have done for me. The man only shook his head
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  Speaker 1: and pointed to the pencil and the bark. Mon Dieu,
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  Speaker 1: cried Darnault, If you are English, why is it that
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  Speaker 1: you cannot speak English? And then in a flash it
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  Speaker 1: came to him the man was a mute, possibly a
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  Speaker 1: deaf mute. So Darnault wrote a message on the bark
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  Speaker 1: in English. I am pulled d'arnault, lieutenant in the Navy
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  Speaker 1: of France. I thank you for what you have done
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  Speaker 1: for me. You have saved my life, and all that
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  Speaker 1: I have is yours. May I ask how it is
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  Speaker 1: that one who writes English does not speak it. Tarzan's
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  Speaker 1: reply filled Darnault with still greater wonder. I speak only
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  Speaker 1: the language of my tribe, the great Apes who work
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  Speaker 1: for jacks. And a little of the languages of Ten
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  Speaker 1: the elephant, and Numa the lion, and of the other
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  Speaker 1: folks of the jungle. I understand with a human being
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  Speaker 1: I have never spoken, except once with Jane Porter by signs.
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  Speaker 1: This is the first time I have spoken with another
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  Speaker 1: of my kind through written words. Darnault was mystified. It
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  Speaker 1: seemed incredible that there lived upon earth a full grown
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  Speaker 1: man who had never spoken with a fellow man, and
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  Speaker 1: still more preposterous that such a one could read and write.
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  Speaker 1: He looked again at Tarzan's message except once with Jane Porter.
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  Speaker 1: That was the American girl who had been carried into
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  Speaker 1: the jungle by a gorilla. A sudden light commenced to
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  Speaker 1: dawn on d'arnault. This then was the gorilla. He seized
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  Speaker 1: the pencil and wrote, where is Jane Porter? And Tarzan
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  Speaker 1: replied below back with her people in the cabin of
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  Speaker 1: Tarzan of the Apes. She is not dead? Then where
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  Speaker 1: was she? What happened to her? She is not dead.
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  Speaker 1: She was taken by Turcose to be his wife, but
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  Speaker 1: Tarzan of the Apes took her her way from Turcose
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  Speaker 1: and killed him before he could harm her. None in
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  Speaker 1: all the jungle may face Tarzan of the Apes in
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  Speaker 1: battle and live. I am Tarzan of the Apes, mighty fighter,
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  Speaker 1: Darnault wrote, I am glad she is safe. It pains
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  Speaker 1: me to write. I will rest awhile and then Tarzan, yes, rest.
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  Speaker 1: When you are well, I shall take you back to
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  Speaker 1: your people. For many days Darnault lay upon his bed
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  Speaker 1: of soft ferns. The second day a fever had come,
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  Speaker 1: and Darnault thought that it meant infection, and he knew
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  Speaker 1: that he would die. An idea came to him. He
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  Speaker 1: wondered why he had not thought of it before. He
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  Speaker 1: called Tarzan and indicated by signs that he would write.
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  Speaker 1: And when Tarzan had fetched the bark and pencil, Darnault wrote,
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  Speaker 1: can you go to my people and lead them here?
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  Speaker 1: I will write the message that you may take to them,
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  Speaker 1: and they will follow you. Tarzan shook his head and
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  Speaker 1: taking the barque, wrote I had thought of that the
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  Speaker 1: first day, but I dared not. The great Apes come
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  Speaker 1: often to this spot, and if they found you here,
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  Speaker 1: wounded and alone, they would kill you. Darnaux turned on
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  Speaker 1: his side and closed his eyes. He did not wish
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  Speaker 1: to die, but he felt that he was going for
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  Speaker 1: the fever was mounting higher and higher. That night he
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  Speaker 1: lost consciousness. For three days he was in delirium, and
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  Speaker 1: Tarzan sat beside him and bathed his head and hands
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  Speaker 1: and washed his wounds. On the fourth day, the fever
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  Speaker 1: broke as suddenly as it had come, but it left
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  Speaker 1: Darnault a shadow of his former self and very weak.
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  Speaker 1: Tarzan had to lift him that he might drink from
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  Speaker 1: the gourd. The fever had not been the result of infection,
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  Speaker 1: as Darnault had thought, but one of those that commonly
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  Speaker 1: attack whites in the jungles of Africa and either kill
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  Speaker 1: or leave them as suddenly as Darnault's had left him.
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  Speaker 1: Two days later, Darnault was tottering about the amphitheater, Tarzan's
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  Speaker 1: strong arm about him to keep him from falling. They
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  Speaker 1: sat beneath the shade of a great tree, and Tarzan
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  Speaker 1: found some smooth bark that they might converse. Darnault wrote
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  Speaker 1: the first message, what can I do to repay you
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  Speaker 1: for all that you have done for me? And Tarzan,
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  Speaker 1: in reply, teach me to speak the language of men.
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  Speaker 1: And so Darnault commenced, at once, pointing out familiar objects
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  Speaker 1: and repeating their names in French, for he thought that
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  Speaker 1: it would be easier to teach this man his own language,
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  Speaker 1: since he understood it himself. Best of all, it meant
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  Speaker 1: nothing to Tarzan, and of course, for he could not
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  Speaker 1: tell one language from another. So when he pointed to
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  Speaker 1: the word man, which he had printed upon a piece
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  Speaker 1: of bark, he learned from Darnault that it was pronounced um,
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  Speaker 1: and in the same way he was taught to pronounce ape,
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  Speaker 1: sannge and tree arbor. He was a most eager student,
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  Speaker 1: and in two more days had mastered so much French
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  Speaker 1: that he could speak little sentences such as that is
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  Speaker 1: a tree, this is grass, I am hungry, and the like.
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  Speaker 1: But Darnault found that it was difficult to teach him
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  Speaker 1: the French construction upon a foundation of English. The Frenchman
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  Speaker 1: wrote little lessons for him in English and had Tarzan
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  Speaker 1: repeat them in French, but as a literal translation was
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  Speaker 1: usually very poor French, Tarzan was often confused. Darnault realized
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  Speaker 1: now that he had made a mistake, but it seemed
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  Speaker 1: too late to go back and do it all over again,
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  Speaker 1: and forced Tarzan to unlearn all that he had learned,
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  Speaker 1: especially as they were rapidly approaching a point where they
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  Speaker 1: would be able to converse. On the third day, after
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  Speaker 1: the fever broke, Tarzan wrote a message, asking Darnault if
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  Speaker 1: he felt strong enough to be carried back to the cabin.
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  Speaker 1: Tarzan was as anxious to go as Darnault, for he
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  Speaker 1: longed to see Jane again. It had been hard for
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  Speaker 1: him to remain with the frenchman all these days for
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  Speaker 1: that very reason, and that he had unselfishly done so
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  Speaker 1: spoke more glowingly of his nobility of character than even
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  Speaker 1: did his rescuing the French officer from Babonga's clutches. Darnault,
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  Speaker 1: only too willing to attempt the journey, wrote, but you
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  Speaker 1: cannot carry me all the distance through this tangled forest.
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  Speaker 1: Tarzan laughed, May we, he said, and Darnault laughed aloud
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  Speaker 1: to hear the phrase that he used so often glide
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  Speaker 1: from Tarzan's tongue. So they set out, Darnaud marveling, as
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  Speaker 1: had Clayton and Jane, at the wondrous strength and agility
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  Speaker 1: of the ape man. Mid afternoon brought them to the clearing,
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  Speaker 1: and as Tarzan dropped to earth from the branches of
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  Speaker 1: the last tree, his heart leaped and bounded against his
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  Speaker 1: ribs in anticipation of seeing Jane. So soon again, no
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  Speaker 1: one was in sight outside the cabin, and Darnault was
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  Speaker 1: perplexed to note that neither the cruiser nor the arrow
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  Speaker 1: was at anchor in the bay. An atmosphere of loneliness
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  Speaker 1: pervaded the spot, which caught suddenly at both men as
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  Speaker 1: they strode toward the cabin. Neither spoke, yet both knew
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  Speaker 1: before they opened the closed door what they would find beyond.
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  Speaker 1: Tarzan lifted the latch and pushed the great door in
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  Speaker 1: upon its wooden hinges. It was as they had feared,
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  Speaker 1: The cabin was deserted. The men turned and looked at
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  Speaker 1: one another. Darnault knew that his people thought him dead,
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  Speaker 1: but Tarzan thought only of the woman who had kissed
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  Speaker 1: him in love, and now had fled from him while
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  Speaker 1: he was serving one of her people. Great bitterness rose
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  Speaker 1: in his heart. He would go away far into the
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  Speaker 1: jungle and join his tribe. Never would he see one
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  Speaker 1: of his own kind again, Nor could he bear the
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  Speaker 1: thought of returning to the cabin. He would leave that
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  Speaker 1: forever behind him, with the great hopes he had nursed
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  Speaker 1: there of finding his own race and becoming a man
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  Speaker 1: among men, and the Frenchman Darnaut what of him he
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  Speaker 1: could get along as Tarzan had. Tarzan did not want
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  Speaker 1: to see him more. He wanted to get away from
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  Speaker 1: everything that might remind him of Jane. As Tarzan stood
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  Speaker 1: upon the threshold brooding, Darnault had entered the cabin. Many
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  Speaker 1: comforts he saw that had been left behind. He recognized
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  Speaker 1: numerous articles from the cruiser, a camp oven, some kitchen utensils,
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  Speaker 1: a rifle and many rounds of ammunition, canned foods, blankets,
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  Speaker 1: two chairs, and a cot, and several books and periodicals,
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  Speaker 1: mostly American. They must intend returning, thought d'arnault. He walked
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  Speaker 1: over to the table that John Clayton had built so
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  Speaker 1: many years before to serve as a desk, and on
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  Speaker 1: it he saw two notes addressed to Tarzan of the Apes.
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  Speaker 1: One was in a strong masculine hand and was unsealed.
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  Speaker 1: The other, in a woman's hand, was sealed. Here are
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  Speaker 1: two messages for you, Tarzan of the Apes, cried d'arnault,
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  Speaker 1: turning toward the door, but his companion was not there.
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  Speaker 1: Darnault walked to the door and looked out. Tarzan was nowhere,
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  Speaker 1: in sight. He called aloud, but there was no response.
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  Speaker 1: Mon Dieu exclaimed Darnault, he has left me. I feel it.
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  Speaker 1: He has gone back into his jungle and left me
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  Speaker 1: here alone. And then he remembered the look on Tarzan's
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  Speaker 1: face when they had discovered that the cabin was empty.
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  Speaker 1: Such a look as the hunter sees in the eyes
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  Speaker 1: of the wounded deer. He is wantonly brought down. The
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  Speaker 1: man had been hard hit. Darnault realized it now, But
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  Speaker 1: why he could not understand The Frenchman looked about him.
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  Speaker 1: The loneliness and the horror of the place commenced to
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  Speaker 1: get on his nerves. Already weakened by the ordeal of
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  Speaker 1: suffering and sickness he had passed through, to be left
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  Speaker 1: here alone, beside this awful jungle, never to hear a
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  Speaker 1: human voice or see a human face in concent dread
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  Speaker 1: of savage beasts and more terribly savage men, a prey
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  Speaker 1: to solitude and hopelessness. It was awful, and far to
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  Speaker 1: the east, Tarzan of the Apes was speeding through the
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  Speaker 1: Middle terrace back to his tribe. Never had he traveled
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  Speaker 1: with such reckless speed. He felt that he was running
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  Speaker 1: away from himself that by hurtling through the forest like
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  Speaker 1: a frightened squirrel, he was escaping from his own thoughts.
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  Speaker 1: But no matter how fast he went, he found them
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  Speaker 1: always with him. Asked above the sinuous body of Sabor,
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  Speaker 1: of the lioness going in the opposite direction toward the cabin,
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  Speaker 1: thought Tarzan, what could Darnault do against Sabor? Or if
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  Speaker 1: Bolgani the gorilla should come upon him, or Numa the lion,
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  Speaker 1: or cruel Sheita. Tarzan paused in his flight. What are you, Tarzan?
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  Speaker 1: He asked aloud, an ape or a man. If you
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  Speaker 1: are an ape, you will do as the apes would do,
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  Speaker 1: leave one of your kind to die in the jungle
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  Speaker 1: if it suited your whim to go elsewhere. If you
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  Speaker 1: are a man, you will return to protect your kind.
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  Speaker 1: You will not run away from one of your own
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  Speaker 1: people because one of them has run away from you.
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  Speaker 1: Darnault closed the cabin door. He was very nervous. Even
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  Speaker 1: brave men, and Darnault was a brave man, are sometimes
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  Speaker 1: frightened by solitude. He loaded one of the rifles and
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  Speaker 1: placed it within easy reach. Then he went to the
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  Speaker 1: desk and took up the unsealed letter addressed to Tarzan,
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  Speaker 1: possibly it contained word that his people had but left
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  Speaker 1: the beach temporarily. He felt that it would be no
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  Speaker 1: breach of ethics to read this letter, so we took
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  Speaker 1: the enclosure from the envelope and read, to Tarzan of
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  Speaker 1: the Apes, we thank you for the use of your cabin,
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  Speaker 1: and are sorry that you did not permit us the
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  Speaker 1: pleasure of seeing and thanking you in person. We have
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  Speaker 1: harmed nothing, but have left many things for you which
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  Speaker 1: may add to your comfort and safety here in your
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  Speaker 1: lonely home. If you know the strange white man who
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  Speaker 1: saved our lives so many times and brought us food,
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  Speaker 1: and if you can converse with him, thank him also
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  Speaker 1: for his kindness. We sail within the hour, never to return,
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  Speaker 1: but we wish you and that other jungle friend to
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  Speaker 1: know that we shall always thank you for what you
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  Speaker 1: did for strangers on your shore, and that we should
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  Speaker 1: have done infinitely more to reward you both had you
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  Speaker 1: given us the opportunity. Very respectfully, William cecil Clayton, never
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  Speaker 1: to return, muttered Darnault, and threw himself face downward upon
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  Speaker 1: the cot. An hour later, he started up listening something
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  Speaker 1: was at the door, trying to enter, Darnault reached for
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  Speaker 1: the loaded rifle and placed it to his shoulder. Dusk
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  Speaker 1: was falling and the interior of the cabin was very dark,
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  Speaker 1: but the man could see the latch moving from its place.
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  Speaker 1: He felt his hair rising upon his scalp. Gently, the
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  Speaker 1: door opened until a thin crack showed something standing just beyond.
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  Speaker 1: Darnault sighted along the blue barrel at the crack of
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  Speaker 1: the door, and then he pulled the trigger. End of
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  Speaker 1: Chapter