Latest / Tarzan of the Apes / 02 - The Savage Home
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- 0:00Speaker 1: Chapter two, The Savage Home, nor did they have longed
- 0:07Speaker 1: to wait for the next morning. As Clayton was emerging
- 0:10Speaker 1: on deck for his accustomed walk before breakfast, a shot
- 0:14Speaker 1: rang out, and then another and another. The sight which
- 0:18Speaker 1: met his eyes confirmed his worst fears. Facing the little
- 0:22Speaker 1: knot of officers was the entire motley crew of the Fualda,
- 0:26Speaker 1: and at their head stood Black Michael. At the first
- 0:30Speaker 1: volley from the officers, the men ran for shelter, and
- 0:33Speaker 1: from points of vantage behind masts, wheel house, and cabin
- 0:38Speaker 1: they returned the fire of the five men who represented
- 0:40Speaker 1: the hated authority of the ship. Two of their number
- 0:44Speaker 1: had gone down before the captain's revolver. They lay where
- 0:48Speaker 1: they had fallen between the combatants. But then the first
- 0:51Speaker 1: mate lunged forward upon his face, and at a cry
- 0:54Speaker 1: of command from Black Michael, the mutineers charged the remaining four,
- 1:00Speaker 1: who had been able to muster but six firearms, so
- 1:03Speaker 1: most of them were armed with boat hooks, axes, hatchets,
- 1:06Speaker 1: and crowbars. The captain had emptied his revolver and was
- 1:10Speaker 1: reloading as the charge was made. The second mate's gun
- 1:14Speaker 1: had jammed, and so there were but two weapons opposed
- 1:17Speaker 1: to the mutineers as they bore down upon the officers,
- 1:20Speaker 1: who now started to give back before the infuriated rush
- 1:24Speaker 1: of their men. Both sides were cursing and swearing in
- 1:28Speaker 1: a frightful manner, which, together with the reports of the
- 1:31Speaker 1: firearms and the screams and groans of the wounded, turned
- 1:34Speaker 1: the deck of the Fualda into the likeness of a madhouse.
- 1:39Speaker 1: Before the officers had taken a dozen backward steps, the
- 1:42Speaker 1: men were upon them. An axe in the hands of
- 1:45Speaker 1: a burly negro left the captain from forehead to chin,
- 1:49Speaker 1: and an instant later the others were down, dead or
- 1:52Speaker 1: wounded from dozens of blows and bullet wounds. Short and
- 1:57Speaker 1: grizzly had been the work of the mutineers of the food,
- 2:01Speaker 1: and through it all John Clayton had stood leaning carelessly
- 2:04Speaker 1: beside the companionway, puffing meditatively upon his pipe, as though
- 2:08Speaker 1: he had been but watching an indifferent cricket match. As
- 2:12Speaker 1: the last officer went down, he thought it was time
- 2:15Speaker 1: that he returned to his wife, lest some members of
- 2:18Speaker 1: the crew find her alone below. Though outwardly calm and indifferent,
- 2:23Speaker 1: Clayton was inwardly apprehensive and wrought up for he feared
- 2:27Speaker 1: for his wife's safety at the hands of these ignorant
- 2:30Speaker 1: half brutes into whose hands fate had so remorselessly thrown them.
- 2:36Speaker 1: As he turned to descend the ladder, he was surprised
- 2:39Speaker 1: to see his wife standing on the steps, almost at
- 2:41Speaker 1: his side. How long have you been here, Alice? Since
- 2:46Speaker 1: the beginning? She replied, How awful, John, Oh, how awful.
- 2:51Speaker 1: What can we hope for at the hands of such
- 2:53Speaker 1: as those breakfast I hope? Smiling bravely, in an attempt
- 2:58Speaker 1: to allay her fears at least, he added, I'm going
- 3:03Speaker 1: to ask them come with me, Alice. We must not
- 3:06Speaker 1: let them think we expect any but courteous treatment. The
- 3:11Speaker 1: men had by this time surrounded the dead and wounded officers,
- 3:14Speaker 1: and without either partiality or compassion, proceeded to throw both
- 3:19Speaker 1: living and dead over the sides of the vessel. With
- 3:22Speaker 1: equal heartlessness, they disposed of their own dead and dying. Presently,
- 3:27Speaker 1: one of the crews spied the approaching Clayton's and, with
- 3:30Speaker 1: a cry of here's two more for the fishes, rushed
- 3:33Speaker 1: towards them with uplifted axe. But Black Michael was even quicker,
- 3:38Speaker 1: so that the fellow went down with a bullet in
- 3:40Speaker 1: his back before he had taken a half dozen steps.
- 3:44Speaker 1: With a loud roar, Black Michael attracted the attention of
- 3:47Speaker 1: the others, and, pointing to Lord and Lady Greystoke, cried,
- 3:51Speaker 1: these here are my friends, and hour to be left alone.
- 3:55Speaker 1: Do you understand I'm captain of this ship now, and
- 3:59Speaker 1: what I says goes? He added, turning to Clayton, just
- 4:03Speaker 1: keep to yourselves and nobody oll army, and he looked
- 4:07Speaker 1: threateningly on his fellows. The Claytons heeded Black Michael's instructions
- 4:12Speaker 1: so well that they saw but little of the crew
- 4:14Speaker 1: and knew nothing of the plans the men were making.
- 4:18Speaker 1: Occasionally they heard faint echoes of brawls and quarreling among
- 4:21Speaker 1: the mutineers, and on two occasions the vicious bark of
- 4:25Speaker 1: firearms rang out on the still air. But Black Michael
- 4:29Speaker 1: was a fit leader for this s band of cutthroats,
- 4:32Speaker 1: and withal held them in fair subjection to his rule.
- 4:37Speaker 1: On the fifth day, following the murder of the ship's officers,
- 4:40Speaker 1: land was sighted by the lookout. Whether island or mainland,
- 4:45Speaker 1: Black Michael did not know, but he announced to Clayton
- 4:48Speaker 1: that if investigation showed that the place was habitable. He
- 4:52Speaker 1: and Lady Greystoke were to be put ashore with their belongings.
- 4:56Speaker 1: You be all right there for a few months, he explained,
- 5:00Speaker 1: and by that time we'll have been able to make
- 5:02Speaker 1: an inhabited coast somewhere and scatter a bit. Then I'll
- 5:06Speaker 1: see that your government's notified where you be, and these
- 5:09Speaker 1: soon sent a man o water fetch you off. It
- 5:12Speaker 1: would be a hard matter to land you in a
- 5:14Speaker 1: civilization without a lot of questions being asked, and none
- 5:18Speaker 1: of us here has any very convincing answers up all sleeves.
- 5:23Speaker 1: Clayton remonstrated against the inhumanity of landing them upon an
- 5:27Speaker 1: unknown shore, to be left to the mercies of savage
- 5:30Speaker 1: beasts and possibly still more savage men. But his words
- 5:35Speaker 1: were of no avail and only tended to anger Black Michael,
- 5:39Speaker 1: so he was forced to desist and make the best
- 5:41Speaker 1: he could of a bad situation. About three o'clock in
- 5:45Speaker 1: the afternoon that came about off a beautiful wooded shore
- 5:49Speaker 1: opposite the mouth of what appeared to be a landlocked harbor.
- 5:54Speaker 1: Black Michael sent a small boat filled with men to
- 5:56Speaker 1: sound the entrance in an effort to determine if the
- 5:59Speaker 1: fu walder could be safely worked through the entrance. In
- 6:03Speaker 1: about an hour they returned and reported deep water through
- 6:05Speaker 1: the passage, as well as far into the little basin.
- 6:09Speaker 1: Before dark, the barcantine lay peacefully at anchor upon the
- 6:13Speaker 1: bosom of the still mirror like surface of the harbor.
- 6:17Speaker 1: The surrounding shores were beautiful with semi tropical verdure, while
- 6:22Speaker 1: in the distance the country rose from the ocean and
- 6:24Speaker 1: hill and table land, almost uniformly clothed by primeval forest.
- 6:30Speaker 1: No signs of habitation were visible, but that the land
- 6:34Speaker 1: might easily support human life was evidenced by the abundant
- 6:37Speaker 1: bird and animal life, of which the watchers on the
- 6:40Speaker 1: Fualda's deck caught occasional glimpses, as well as by the
- 6:44Speaker 1: shimmer of a little river which emptied into the harbor,
- 6:47Speaker 1: ensuring fresh water in plenitude. As darkness settled upon the earth,
- 6:53Speaker 1: Clayton and Lady Alice still stood by the ship's rail
- 6:57Speaker 1: and silent contemplation of their future abode. From the dark
- 7:01Speaker 1: shadows of the mighty forest came the wild calls of
- 7:04Speaker 1: savage beasts. The deep roar of the lion, and occasionally
- 7:08Speaker 1: the shrill scream of a panther. The woman shrank closer
- 7:13Speaker 1: to the man in terror, stricken anticipation of the horrors
- 7:17Speaker 1: lying in wait for them in the awful blackness of
- 7:19Speaker 1: the knights, to come when they should be alone upon
- 7:22Speaker 1: that wild and lonely shore. Later in the evening, Black
- 7:27Speaker 1: Michael joined them long enough to instruct them to make
- 7:30Speaker 1: their preparations for landing on the morrow. They tried to
- 7:34Speaker 1: persuade him to take them to some more hospitable coast,
- 7:38Speaker 1: near enough to civilization so that they might hope to
- 7:41Speaker 1: fall into friendly hands, but no please, or threats or
- 7:45Speaker 1: promises of reward could move him. I am the only
- 7:49Speaker 1: man aboard who would not rather see both safely dead.
- 7:54Speaker 1: And while I know that's the sensible way to make
- 7:56Speaker 1: sure of our own necks, yet Black Michael's not the
- 8:00Speaker 1: man to forget a favor. You save my life wants,
- 8:04Speaker 1: and in return, I'm going to spare yours, and that's
- 8:06Speaker 1: all I can do. The men won't stand for any more,
- 8:10Speaker 1: and if we don't get your landed pretty quick, they
- 8:13Speaker 1: may even change their minds about giving you that much show.
- 8:17Speaker 1: I'll put all your stuff ashore with ye, as well
- 8:19Speaker 1: as cooking utensils, and some old sales for tents, and
- 8:23Speaker 1: enough grub to last you until you can find fruit
- 8:26Speaker 1: and game. With your guns for protection. You ought to
- 8:29Speaker 1: be able to live here easy enough until help comes.
- 8:33Speaker 1: When I get safely hid away, I'll see to it
- 8:36Speaker 1: that the British government learns about where you be. For
- 8:39Speaker 1: the life of me, I couldn't tell em exactly where,
- 8:41Speaker 1: for I don't know myself, but they'll find you all right.
- 8:47Speaker 1: After he had left them, they went silently below, each
- 8:50Speaker 1: wrapped in gloomy forebotings. Clayton did not believe that Black
- 8:55Speaker 1: Michael had the slightest intention of notifying the British government
- 8:58Speaker 1: of their whereabouts, nor was he any too sure, but
- 9:02Speaker 1: that some treachery was contemplated for the following day, when
- 9:05Speaker 1: they should be on shore with the sailors, who would
- 9:07Speaker 1: have to accompany them with their belongings. Once out of
- 9:12Speaker 1: Black Michael's sight, any of the men might strike them
- 9:15Speaker 1: down and still leave Black Michael's conscience clear. And even
- 9:20Speaker 1: should they escape that fate, was it not but to
- 9:23Speaker 1: be faced with far graver dangers alone, he might hope
- 9:27Speaker 1: to survive for years, for he was a strong athletic man.
- 9:32Speaker 1: But what of Alice and that other little life so
- 9:35Speaker 1: soon to be launched amidst the hardships and grave dangers
- 9:38Speaker 1: of a primeval world. The man shuddered as he meditated
- 9:42Speaker 1: upon the awful gravity, the fearful helplessness of their situation.
- 9:48Speaker 1: But it was a merciful providence which prevented him from
- 9:51Speaker 1: foreseeing the hideous reality which awaited them in the grim
- 9:55Speaker 1: depths of that gloomy wood. Early next morning, their numerous
- 10:00Speaker 1: chests and boxes were hoisted on deck and lowered to
- 10:04Speaker 1: waiting small boats for transportation to shore. There was a
- 10:08Speaker 1: great quantity and variety of stuff, as Clayton's had expected
- 10:13Speaker 1: a possible five to eight years residence in their new home. Thus,
- 10:17Speaker 1: in addition to the many necessities they had brought, there
- 10:20Speaker 1: were also many luxuries. Black Michael was determined that nothing
- 10:25Speaker 1: belonging to the Claytons should be left on board, Whether
- 10:29Speaker 1: out of compassion for them or in furtherance of his
- 10:32Speaker 1: own self interests, it would be difficult to say. There
- 10:37Speaker 1: was no question but that the presence of property of
- 10:39Speaker 1: a missing British official upon a suspicious vessel would have
- 10:43Speaker 1: been a difficult thing to explain in any civilized port
- 10:47Speaker 1: in the world. So zealous was he in his efforts
- 10:51Speaker 1: to carry out his intentions that he insisted upon the
- 10:53Speaker 1: return of Clayton's revolvers to him by the sailors and
- 10:57Speaker 1: whose possession they were into. The small boats were also
- 11:01Speaker 1: loaded salt meats and biscuit, with a small supply of
- 11:05Speaker 1: potatoes and beans, matches and cooking vessels, a chest of tools,
- 11:10Speaker 1: and the old sails which black Michael had promised them
- 11:15Speaker 1: as though himself fearing the very thing which Clayton had suspected.
- 11:19Speaker 1: Black Michael accompanied them to shore, and was the last
- 11:22Speaker 1: to leave them when the small boats, having filled the
- 11:25Speaker 1: ship's cask with fresh water, were pushed out toward the
- 11:29Speaker 1: waiting Fualda. As the boats moved slowly over the smooth
- 11:34Speaker 1: waters of the bay, Clayton and his wife stood silently
- 11:37Speaker 1: watching their departure, in the breast of both a feeling
- 11:41Speaker 1: of impending disaster and utter hopelessness. And behind them, over
- 11:47Speaker 1: the edge of a low ridge, other eyes watched close, set,
- 11:52Speaker 1: wicked eyes gleaming beneath shaggy brows. As the Fualda passed
- 11:58Speaker 1: through the narrow entrance to the harbor, and out of
- 12:01Speaker 1: sight behind a projecting point, Lady Alice threw her arms
- 12:05Speaker 1: about Clayton's neck and burst into uncontrolled sobs. Bravely had
- 12:11Speaker 1: she faced the dangers of the mutiny with heroic fortitude,
- 12:15Speaker 1: she had looked into the terrible future. But now that
- 12:18Speaker 1: the horror of absolute solitude was upon them, her overwrought
- 12:22Speaker 1: nerves gave way, and the reaction came. He did not
- 12:27Speaker 1: attempt to check her tears. It were better that nature
- 12:31Speaker 1: have her way in relieving these long pent emotions. And
- 12:34Speaker 1: it was many minutes before the girl, little more than
- 12:37Speaker 1: a child she was, could again gain mastery of herself. Oh, John,
- 12:43Speaker 1: she cried at last, the horror of it. What are
- 12:46Speaker 1: we to do? What are we to do? There is
- 12:51Speaker 1: but one thing to do, Alice. And he spoke as
- 12:54Speaker 1: quietly as though they were sitting in their snug living
- 12:57Speaker 1: room at home. And that is war. Work. Work must
- 13:01Speaker 1: be our salvation. We must not give ourselves time to think,
- 13:05Speaker 1: for in that direction lies madness. We must work and wait.
- 13:10Speaker 1: I am sure that relief will come, and come quickly.
- 13:13Speaker 1: When once it is apparent that the fualda has been lost,
- 13:17Speaker 1: even though black Michael does not keep his word to us.
- 13:22Speaker 1: But John, if it were only you and I, she sobbed,
- 13:27Speaker 1: we could endure it. I know. But yes, dear, he
- 13:31Speaker 1: answered gently, I have been thinking of that also. But
- 13:35Speaker 1: we must face it as we must face whatever comes,
- 13:38Speaker 1: bravely and with the utmost confidence in our ability to
- 13:42Speaker 1: cope with circumstances, whatever they may be. Hundreds of thousands
- 13:47Speaker 1: of years ago, our ancestors of the dim and distant
- 13:50Speaker 1: past face the same problems which we must face, possibly
- 13:55Speaker 1: in these same primeval forests that we are here today.
- 13:59Speaker 1: Evidence is there victory? What they did may we not do?
- 14:04Speaker 1: And even better, for are we not armed with ages
- 14:08Speaker 1: of superior knowledge? And have we not the means of protection, defense,
- 14:12Speaker 1: and sustenance which science has given us, but of which
- 14:16Speaker 1: they were totally ignorant? What they accomplished Alice with instruments
- 14:21Speaker 1: and weapons of stone and bone, surely that may we
- 14:25Speaker 1: accomplish also, Hot John, I wish that I might be
- 14:30Speaker 1: a man with a man's philosophy. But I am but
- 14:33Speaker 1: a woman, seeing with my heart rather than my head,
- 14:37Speaker 1: and all that I can see is too horrible, too
- 14:41Speaker 1: unthinkable to put into words. I can only hope you're right, John,
- 14:47Speaker 1: I would do my best to be a brave, primeval woman,
- 14:51Speaker 1: a fit mate for the prime evil man. Clayton's first
- 14:56Speaker 1: thought was to arrange a sleeping shelter for the night,
- 14:59Speaker 1: something which which might serve to protect them from prowling
- 15:02Speaker 1: beasts of prey. He opened the box containing his rifles
- 15:07Speaker 1: and ammunition that they might both be armed against possible
- 15:10Speaker 1: attack while at work, and then together they sought a
- 15:14Speaker 1: location for their first night's sleeping. Place. One hundred yards
- 15:19Speaker 1: from the beach was a little level spot fairly free
- 15:22Speaker 1: of trees. Here they decided eventually to build a permanent house,
- 15:26Speaker 1: but for the time being, they both thought it best
- 15:29Speaker 1: to construct a little platform in the trees, out of
- 15:32Speaker 1: reach of the larger of the savage beasts in whose
- 15:34Speaker 1: realm they were. To this end, Clayton selected four trees
- 15:39Speaker 1: which formed a rectangle about eight feet square, and, cutting
- 15:43Speaker 1: long branches from other trees, he constructed a framework around
- 15:46Speaker 1: them about ten feet from the ground, fastening the ends
- 15:50Speaker 1: of the branches securely to the trees by means of rope,
- 15:54Speaker 1: a quantity of which Black Michael had furnished him from
- 15:56Speaker 1: the hold of the fualda. The his framework, Clayton placed
- 16:01Speaker 1: other smaller branches quite close together. This platform he paved
- 16:05Speaker 1: with the huge fronds of elephants ere which grew in
- 16:08Speaker 1: profusion about them, and over the fronds he laid a
- 16:11Speaker 1: great sail folded into several thicknesses. Seven feet higher. He
- 16:16Speaker 1: constructed a similar, though lighter platform to serve as roof,
- 16:21Speaker 1: and from the sides of this he suspended the balance
- 16:23Speaker 1: of his sailcloth for walls. When completed he had a
- 16:28Speaker 1: rather snug little nest to which they carried their blankets
- 16:32Speaker 1: and some of the lighter luggage. It was now late
- 16:35Speaker 1: in the afternoon, and the balance of the daylight hours
- 16:38Speaker 1: were devoted to the building of a rude ladder, by
- 16:41Speaker 1: means of which Lady Alice could mount to her new home.
- 16:45Speaker 1: All during the day, the forest about them had been
- 16:48Speaker 1: filled with excited birds of brilliant plumage and dancing chattering monkeys,
- 16:53Speaker 1: who watched these new arrivals and their wonderful nest building
- 16:57Speaker 1: operations with every mark of keenness, interest and fascination. Notwithstanding
- 17:03Speaker 1: that both Clayton and his wife kept a sharp look out,
- 17:06Speaker 1: they saw nothing of larger animals, though on two occasions
- 17:10Speaker 1: they had seen their little Simian neighbors come screaming and
- 17:14Speaker 1: chattering from the nearby ridge, casting frightened glances back over
- 17:18Speaker 1: their little shoulders, and evincing as plainly as though by speech,
- 17:22Speaker 1: that they were fleeing some terrible thing which lay concealed there.
- 17:27Speaker 1: Just before dusk, Clayton finished his ladder, and filling a
- 17:31Speaker 1: great basin with water from the nearby stream, the two
- 17:34Speaker 1: mounted to the comparative safety of their aerial chamber. As
- 17:39Speaker 1: it was quite warm. Clayton had left the side curtains
- 17:42Speaker 1: thrown back over the roof, and as they sat like
- 17:45Speaker 1: turks upon their blankets, Lady Alice, straining her eyes into
- 17:49Speaker 1: the darkening shadows of the wood, suddenly reached out and
- 17:53Speaker 1: grasped Clayton's arms. John, She whispered, Look, what is it
- 17:58Speaker 1: a man? As Clayton turned his eyes in the direction
- 18:02Speaker 1: she indicated, he saw silhouetteed dimly against the shadows beyond,
- 18:07Speaker 1: a great figure standing upright upon the ridge. For a
- 18:11Speaker 1: moment it stood as though listening, and then turned slowly
- 18:15Speaker 1: and melted into the shadows of the jungle. What is it, John,
- 18:21Speaker 1: I do not know, Alice, he answered, gravely. It is
- 18:25Speaker 1: too dark to see so far, and it may have
- 18:27Speaker 1: been but a shadow cast by the rising moon. No, John,
- 18:32Speaker 1: if it was not a man, it was some huge
- 18:35Speaker 1: and grotesque mockery of man. Oh I am afraid. He
- 18:40Speaker 1: gathered her into his arms, whispering words of courage and
- 18:44Speaker 1: love into her ears. Soon after he lowered the curtain walls,
- 18:49Speaker 1: tying them securely to the trees, so that except for
- 18:52Speaker 1: a little opening toward the beach, they were entirely enclosed.
- 18:57Speaker 1: As it was now pitch dark within their air, they
- 19:01Speaker 1: lay down upon their blankets to try to gain through
- 19:04Speaker 1: sleep a brief respite of forgetfulness. Clayton lay facing the
- 19:09Speaker 1: opening at the front, a rifle and a brace of
- 19:11Speaker 1: revolvers at his hand. Scarcely had they closed their eyes
- 19:16Speaker 1: than the terrifying cry of a panther rang out from
- 19:19Speaker 1: the jungle behind them. Closer and closer it came, until
- 19:23Speaker 1: they could hear the great beast directly beneath them. For
- 19:27Speaker 1: an hour or more they heard it sniffing and clawing
- 19:29Speaker 1: at the trees which supported their platform. But at last
- 19:33Speaker 1: it roamed away across the beach, where Clayton could see
- 19:36Speaker 1: it clearly in the brilliant moonlight, a great, handsome beast,
- 19:41Speaker 1: the largest he had ever seen. During the long hours
- 19:45Speaker 1: of darkness, they caught but fitful snatches of sleep, for
- 19:49Speaker 1: the night noises of a great jungle teeming with myriad
- 19:52Speaker 1: animal life kept their overwrought nerves on edge, so that
- 19:56Speaker 1: a hundred times they were startled to wakefulness by piercing
- 19:59Speaker 1: the screams or the stealthy moving of great bodies beneath them.
- 20:06Speaker 1: End of chapter