Chapter 6
A Hideous Crew
The war-canoe with its savage load moved slowly toward the break in thereef through which it must pass to gain the open sea. Tarzan, Mugambi,and Akut wielded the paddles, for the shore kept the west wind from thelittle sail.
Sheeta crouched in the bow at the ape-man's feet, for it had seemedbest to Tarzan always to keep the wicked beast as far from the othermembers of the party as possible, since it would require little or noprovocation to send him at the throat of any than the white man, whomhe evidently now looked upon as his master.
In the stern was Mugambi, and just in front of him squatted Akut, whilebetween Akut and Tarzan the twelve hairy apes sat upon their haunches,blinking dubiously this way and that, and now and then turning theireyes longingly back toward shore.
All went well until the canoe had passed beyond the reef. Here thebreeze struck the sail, sending the rude craft lunging among the wavesthat ran higher and higher as they drew away from the shore.
With the tossing of the boat the apes became panic-stricken. Theyfirst moved uneasily about, and then commenced grumbling and whining.With difficulty Akut kept them in hand for a time; but when aparticularly large wave struck the dugout simultaneously with a littlesquall of wind their terror broke all bounds, and, leaping to theirfeet, they all but overturned the boat before Akut and Tarzan togethercould quiet them. At last calm was restored, and eventually the apesbecame accustomed to the strange antics of their craft, after which nomore trouble was experienced with them.
The trip was uneventful, the wind held, and after ten hours' steadysailing the black shadows of the coast loomed close before thestraining eyes of the ape-man in the bow. It was far too dark todistinguish whether they had approached close to the mouth of theUgambi or not, so Tarzan ran in through the surf at the closest pointto await the dawn.
The dugout turned broadside the instant that its nose touched the sand,and immediately it rolled over, with all its crew scrambling madly forthe shore. The next breaker rolled them over and over, but eventuallythey all succeeded in crawling to safety, and in a moment more theirungainly craft had been washed up beside them.
The balance of the night the apes sat huddled close to one another forwarmth; while Mugambi built a fire close to them over which hecrouched. Tarzan and Sheeta, however, were of a different mind, forneither of them feared the jungle night, and the insistent craving oftheir hunger sent them off into the Stygian blackness of the forest insearch of prey.
Side by side they walked when there was room for two abreast. At othertimes in single file, first one and then the other in advance. It wasTarzan who first caught the scent of meat--a bull buffalo--andpresently the two came stealthily upon the sleeping beast in the midstof a dense jungle of reeds close to a river.
Closer and closer they crept toward the unsuspecting beast, Sheeta uponhis right side and Tarzan upon his left nearest the great heart. Theyhad hunted together now for some time, so that they worked in unison,with only low, purring sounds as signals.
For a moment they lay quite silent near their prey, and then at a signfrom the ape-man Sheeta sprang upon the great back, burying his strongteeth in the bull's neck. Instantly the brute sprang to his feet witha bellow of pain and rage, and at the same instant Tarzan rushed inupon his left side with the stone knife, striking repeatedly behind theshoulder.
One of the ape-man's hands clutched the thick mane, and as the bullraced madly through the reeds the thing striking at his life wasdragged beside him. Sheeta but clung tenaciously to his hold upon theneck and back, biting deep in an effort to reach the spine.
For several hundred yards the bellowing bull carried his two savageantagonists, until at last the blade found his heart, when with a finalbellow that was half-scream he plunged headlong to the earth. ThenTarzan and Sheeta feasted to repletion.
After the meal the two curled up together in a thicket, the man's blackhead pillowed upon the tawny side of the panther. Shortly after dawnthey awoke and ate again, and then returned to the beach that Tarzanmight lead the balance of the pack to the kill.
When the meal was done the brutes were for curling up to sleep, soTarzan and Mugambi set off in search of the Ugambi River. They hadproceeded scarce a hundred yards when they came suddenly upon a broadstream, which the Negro instantly recognized as that down which he andhis warriors had paddled to the sea upon their ill-starred expedition.
The two now followed the stream down to the ocean, finding that itemptied into a bay not over a mile from the point upon the beach atwhich the canoe had been thrown the night before.
Tarzan was much elated by the discovery, as he knew that in thevicinity of a large watercourse he should find natives, and from someof these he had little doubt but that he should obtain news of Rokoffand the child, for he felt reasonably certain that the Russian wouldrid himself of the baby as quickly as possible after having disposed ofTarzan.
He and Mugambi now righted and launched the dugout, though it was amost difficult feat in the face of the surf which rolled continuouslyin upon the beach; but at last they were successful, and soon afterwere paddling up the coast toward the mouth of the Ugambi. Here theyexperienced considerable difficulty in making an entrance against thecombined current and ebb tide, but by taking advantage of eddies closein to shore they came about dusk to a point nearly opposite the spotwhere they had left the pack asleep.
Making the craft fast to an overhanging bough, the two made their wayinto the jungle, presently coming upon some of the apes feeding uponfruit a little beyond the reeds where the buffalo had fallen. Sheetawas not anywhere to be seen, nor did he return that night, so thatTarzan came to believe that he had wandered away in search of his ownkind.
Early the next morning the ape-man led his band down to the river, andas he walked he gave vent to a series of shrill cries. Presently froma great distance and faintly there came an answering scream, and ahalf-hour later the lithe form of Sheeta bounded into view where theothers of the pack were clambering gingerly into the canoe.
The great beast, with arched back and purring like a contented tabby,rubbed his sides against the ape-man, and then at a word from thelatter sprang lightly to his former place in the bow of the dugout.
When all were in place it was discovered that two of the apes of Akutwere missing, and though both the king ape and Tarzan called to themfor the better part of an hour, there was no response, and finally theboat put off without them. As it happened that the two missing oneswere the very same who had evinced the least desire to accompany theexpedition from the island, and had suffered the most from frightduring the voyage, Tarzan was quite sure that they had absentedthemselves purposely rather than again enter the canoe.
As the party were putting in for the shore shortly after noon to searchfor food a slender, naked savage watched them for a moment from behindthe dense screen of verdure which lined the river's bank, then hemelted away up-stream before any of those in the canoe discovered him.
Like a deer he bounded along the narrow trail until, filled with theexcitement of his news, he burst into a native village several milesabove the point at which Tarzan and his pack had stopped to hunt.
"Another white man is coming!" he cried to the chief who squattedbefore the entrance to his circular hut. "Another white man, and withhim are many warriors. They come in a great war-canoe to kill and robas did the black-bearded one who has just left us."
Kaviri leaped to his feet. He had but recently had a taste of thewhite man's medicine, and his savage heart was filled with bitternessand hate. In another moment the rumble of the war-drums rose from thevillage, calling in the hunters from the forest and the tillers fromthe fields.
Seven war-canoes were launched and manned by paint-daubed, befeatheredwarriors. Long spears bristled from the rude battle-ships, as theyslid noiselessly over the bosom of the water, propelled by giantmuscles rolling beneath glistening, ebony hides.
There was no beating of tom-toms now, nor
blare of native horn, forKaviri was a crafty warrior, and it was in his mind to take no chances,if they could be avoided. He would swoop noiselessly down with hisseven canoes upon the single one of the white man, and before the gunsof the latter could inflict much damage upon his people he would haveoverwhelmed the enemy by force of numbers.
Kaviri's own canoe went in advance of the others a short distance, andas it rounded a sharp bend in the river where the swift current bore itrapidly on its way it came suddenly upon the thing that Kaviri sought.
So close were the two canoes to one another that the black had only anopportunity to note the white face in the bow of the oncoming craftbefore the two touched and his own men were upon their feet, yellinglike mad devils and thrusting their long spears at the occupants of theother canoe.
But a moment later, when Kaviri was able to realize the nature of thecrew that manned the white man's dugout, he would have given all thebeads and iron wire that he possessed to have been safely within hisdistant village. Scarcely had the two craft come together than thefrightful apes of Akut rose, growling and barking, from the bottom ofthe canoe, and, with long, hairy arms far outstretched, grasped themenacing spears from the hands of Kaviri's warriors.
The blacks were overcome with terror, but there was nothing to do otherthan to fight. Now came the other war-canoes rapidly down upon the twocraft. Their occupants were eager to join the battle, for they thoughtthat their foes were white men and their native porters.
They swarmed about Tarzan's craft; but when they saw the nature of theenemy all but one turned and paddled swiftly up-river. That one cametoo close to the ape-man's craft before its occupants realized thattheir fellows were pitted against demons instead of men. As it touchedTarzan spoke a few low words to Sheeta and Akut, so that before theattacking warriors could draw away there sprang upon them with ablood-freezing scream a huge panther, and into the other end of theircanoe clambered a great ape.
At one end the panther wrought fearful havoc with his mighty talons andlong, sharp fangs, while Akut at the other buried his yellow canines inthe necks of those that came within his reach, hurling theterror-stricken blacks overboard as he made his way toward the centreof the canoe.
Kaviri was so busily engaged with the demons that had entered his owncraft that he could offer no assistance to his warriors in the other.A giant of a white devil had wrested his spear from him as though he,the mighty Kaviri, had been but a new-born babe. Hairy monsters wereovercoming his fighting men, and a black chieftain like himself wasfighting shoulder to shoulder with the hideous pack that opposed him.
Kaviri battled bravely against his antagonist, for he felt that deathhad already claimed him, and so the least that he could do would be tosell his life as dearly as possible; but it was soon evident that hisbest was quite futile when pitted against the superhuman brawn andagility of the creature that at last found his throat and bent him backinto the bottom of the canoe.
Presently Kaviri's head began to whirl--objects became confused and dimbefore his eyes--there was a great pain in his chest as he struggledfor the breath of life that the thing upon him was shutting off forever. Then he lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes once more he found, much to his surprise, thathe was not dead. He lay, securely bound, in the bottom of his owncanoe. A great panther sat upon its haunches, looking down upon him.
Kaviri shuddered and closed his eyes again, waiting for the ferociouscreature to spring upon him and put him out of his misery of terror.
After a moment, no rending fangs having buried themselves in histrembling body, he again ventured to open his eyes. Beyond thepanther kneeled the white giant who had overcome him.
The man was wielding a paddle, while directly behind him Kaviri sawsome of his own warriors similarly engaged. Back of them againsquatted several of the hairy apes.
Tarzan, seeing that the chief had regained consciousness, addressed him.
"Your warriors tell me that you are the chief of a numerous people, andthat your name is Kaviri," he said.
"Yes," replied the black.
"Why did you attack me? I came in peace."
"Another white man 'came in peace' three moons ago," replied Kaviri;"and after we had brought him presents of a goat and cassava and milk,he set upon us with his guns and killed many of my people, and thenwent on his way, taking all of our goats and many of our young men andwomen."
"I am not as this other white man," replied Tarzan. "I should nothave harmed you had you not set upon me. Tell me, what was the faceof this bad white man like? I am searching for one who has wronged me.Possibly this may be the very one."
"He was a man with a bad face, covered with a great, black beard, andhe was very, very wicked--yes, very wicked indeed."
"Was there a little white child with him?" asked Tarzan, his heartalmost stopped as he awaited the black's answer.
"No, bwana," replied Kaviri, "the white child was not with this man'sparty--it was with the other party."
"Other party!" exclaimed Tarzan. "What other party?"
"With the party that the very bad white man was pursuing. There was awhite man, woman, and the child, with six Mosula porters. They passedup the river three days ahead of the very bad white man. I think thatthey were running away from him."
A white man, woman, and child! Tarzan was puzzled. The child must behis little Jack; but who could the woman be--and the man? Was itpossible that one of Rokoff's confederates had conspired with somewoman--who had accompanied the Russian--to steal the baby from him?
If this was the case, they had doubtless purposed returning the childto civilization and there either claiming a reward or holding thelittle prisoner for ransom.
But now that Rokoff had succeeded in chasing them far inland, up thesavage river, there could be little doubt but that he would eventuallyoverhaul them, unless, as was still more probable, they should becaptured and killed by the very cannibals farther up the Ugambi, towhom, Tarzan was now convinced, it had been Rokoff's intention todeliver the baby.
As he talked to Kaviri the canoes had been moving steadily up-rivertoward the chief's village. Kaviri's warriors plied the paddles in thethree canoes, casting sidelong, terrified glances at their hideouspassengers. Three of the apes of Akut had been killed in theencounter, but there were, with Akut, eight of the frightful beastsremaining, and there was Sheeta, the panther, and Tarzan and Mugambi.
Kaviri's warriors thought that they had never seen so terrible a crewin all their lives. Momentarily they expected to be pounced upon andtorn asunder by some of their captors; and, in fact, it was all thatTarzan and Mugambi and Akut could do to keep the snarling, ill-naturedbrutes from snapping at the glistening, naked bodies that brushedagainst them now and then with the movements of the paddlers, whosevery fear added incitement to the beasts.
At Kaviri's camp Tarzan paused only long enough to eat the food thatthe blacks furnished, and arrange with the chief for a dozen men to manthe paddles of his canoe.
Kaviri was only too glad to comply with any demands that the ape-manmight make if only such compliance would hasten the departure of thehorrid pack; but it was easier, he discovered, to promise men than tofurnish them, for when his people learned his intentions those that hadnot already fled into the jungle proceeded to do so without loss oftime, so that when Kaviri turned to point out those who were toaccompany Tarzan, he discovered that he was the only member of histribe left within the village.
Tarzan could not repress a smile.
"They do not seem anxious to accompany us," he said; "but just remainquietly here, Kaviri, and presently you shall see your people flockingto your side."
Then the ape-man rose, and, calling his pack about him, commanded thatMugambi remain with Kaviri, and disappeared in the jungle with Sheetaand the apes at his heels.
For half an hour the silence of the grim forest was broken only by theordinary sounds of the teeming life that but adds to its loweringloneliness. Kaviri and Mugambi sat
alone in the palisaded village,waiting.
Presently from a great distance came a hideous sound. Mugambirecognized the weird challenge of the ape-man. Immediately fromdifferent points of the compass rose a horrid semicircle of similarshrieks and screams, punctuated now and again by the blood-curdling cryof a hungry panther.
The Beasts of Tarzan Page 6
