The Monster Men

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

  14

  MAN OR MONSTER?

  When Muda Saffir turned from the two Dyaks who had brought him news ofthe treasure he hastened to the long-house and arousing the chief ofthe tribe who domiciled there explained that necessity required thatthe rajah have at once two war prahus fully manned. Now the power ofthe crafty old Malay extended from one end of this great river on whichthe long-house lay to the other, and though not all the tribes admittedallegiance to him, yet there were few who would not furnish him withmen and boats when he required them; for his piratical cruises carriedhim often up and down the stream, and with his savage horde it waspossible for him to wreak summary and terrible vengeance upon those whoopposed him.

  When he had explained his wishes to the chief, the latter, though atheart hating and fearing Muda Saffir, dared not refuse; but to a secondproposition he offered strong opposition until the rajah threatened towipe out his entire tribe should he not accede to his demands.

  The thing which the chief demurred to had occurred to Muda Saffir evenas he walked back from the river after conversing with the two Dyakmessengers. The thought of regaining the treasure, the while headministered punishment to the traitorous Ninaka, filled his soul withsavage happiness. Now if he could but once more possess himself of thegirl! And why not? There was only the sick old man, a Chinaman andvon Horn to prevent it, and the chances were that they all were asleep.

  So he explained to the chief the plan that had so suddenly sprung tohis wicked mind.

  "Three men with parangs may easily quiet the old man, his assistant andthe Chinaman," he said, "and then we can take the girl along with us."

  The chief refused at first, point-blank, to be a party to any suchproceedings. He knew what had happened to the Sakkaran Dyaks afterthey had murdered a party of Englishmen, and he did not purpose layinghimself and his tribe open to the vengeance of the white men who camein many boats and with countless guns and cannon to take a terribletoll for every drop of white blood spilled.

  So it was that Muda Saffir was forced to compromise, and be satisfiedwith the chief's assistance in abducting the girl, for it was not sodifficult a matter to convince the head hunter that she really hadbelonged to the rajah, and that she had been stolen from him by the oldman and the doctor.

  Virginia slept in a room with three Dyak women. It was to thisapartment that the chief finally consented to dispatch two of hiswarriors. The men crept noiselessly within the pitch dark interioruntil they came to the sleeping form of one of the Dyak women.Cautiously they awoke her.

  "Where is the white girl?" asked one of the men in a low whisper."Muda Saffir has sent us for her. Tell her that her father is verysick and wants her, but do not mention Muda Saffir's name lest shemight not come."

  The whispering awakened Virginia and she lay wondering what the causeof the midnight conference might be, for she recognized that one of thespeakers was a man, and there had been no man in the apartment when shehad gone to sleep earlier in the night.

  Presently she heard some one approach her, and a moment later a woman'svoice addressed her; but she could not understand enough of the nativetongue to make out precisely the message the speaker wished to convey.The words "father," "sick," and "come," however she finally understoodafter several repetitions, for she had picked up a smattering of theDyak language during her enforced association with the natives.

  The moment that the possibilities suggested by these few words dawnedupon her, she sprang to her feet and followed the woman toward the doorof the apartment. Immediately without the two warriors stood upon theverandah awaiting their victim, and as Virginia passed through thedoorway she was seized roughly from either side, a heavy hand wasclapped over her mouth, and before she could make even an effort torebel she had been dragged to the end of the verandah, down the notchedlog to the ground and a moment later found herself in a war prahu whichwas immediately pushed into the stream.

  Since Virginia had come to the long-house after her rescue from theourang outangs, supposedly by von Horn, Rajah Muda Saffir had kept verymuch out of sight, for he knew that should the girl see him she wouldrecognize him as the man who had stolen her from the Ithaca. So itcame as a mighty shock to the girl when she heard the hated tones ofthe man whom she had knocked overboard from the prahu two nightsbefore, and realized that the bestial Malay sat close beside her, andthat she was again in his power. She looked now for no mercy, norcould she hope to again escape him so easily as she had before, and soshe sat with bowed head in the bottom of the swiftly moving craft,buried in anguished thoughts, hopeless and miserable.

  Along the stretch of black river that the prahu and her consort coveredthat night Virginia Maxon saw no living thing other than a singlefigure in a small sampan which hugged the shadows of the shore as thetwo larger boats met and passed it, nor answered their hail.

  Where von Horn and his two Dyak guides had landed, Muda Saffir's forcedisembarked and plunged into the jungle. Rapidly they hastened alongthe well known trail toward the point designated by the two messengers,to come upon the spot almost simultaneously with the party underBarunda's uncle, who, startled by the two shots several hourspreviously, had been cautiously searching through the jungle for anexplanation of them.

  They had gone warily for fear that they might stumble upon Ninaka'sparty before Muda Saffir arrived with reinforcements, and but just nowhad they discovered the prostrate forms of their two companions. Onewas dead, but the other was still conscious and had just sufficientvitality left after the coming of his fellows to whisper that they hadbeen treacherously shot by the younger white man who had been at thelong-house where they had found Muda Saffir--then the fellow expiredwithout having an opportunity to divulge the secret hiding place of thetreasure, over the top of which his body lay.

  Now Bulan had been an interested witness of all that transpired. Atfirst he had been inclined to come out of his hiding place and followvon Horn, but so much had already occurred beneath the branches of thegreat tree where the chest lay hidden that he decided to wait untilmorning at least, for he was sure that he had by no means seen the lastof the drama which surrounded the heavy box. This belief wasstrengthened by the haste displayed by both Ninaka and von Horn toescape the neighborhood as quickly as possible, as though they fearedthat they might be apprehended should they delay even for a moment.

  Number Three and Number Twelve still slept, not having been arousedeven by the shots fired by von Horn. Bulan himself had dozed after thedeparture of the doctor, but the advent of Barunda's uncle with hisfollowers had awakened him, and now he lay wide eyed and alert as thesecond party, under Muda Saffir, came into view when they left thejungle trail and entered the clearing.

  His interest in either party was but passive until he saw the khakiblouse, short skirt and trim leggins of the captive walking between twoof the Dyaks of Muda Saffir's company. At the same instant herecognized the evil features of the rajah as those of the man who haddirected the abduction of Virginia Maxon from the wrecked Ithaca.

  Like a great cat Bulan drew himself cautiously to all fours--everynerve and muscle taut with the excitement of the moment. Before him hesaw a hundred and fifty ferocious Borneo head hunters, armed withparangs, spears and sumpitans. At his back slept two almost brainlesscreatures--his sole support against the awful odds he must face beforehe could hope to succor the divinity whose image was enshrined in hisbrave and simple heart.

  The muscles stood out upon his giant forearm as he gripped the stock ofhis bull whip. He believed that he was going to his death, for mightyas were his thews he knew that in the face of the horde they wouldavail him little, yet he saw no other way than to sit supinely by whilethe girl went to her doom, and that he could not do. He nudged NumberTwelve. "Silence!" he whispered, and "Come! The girl is here. Wemust save her. Kill the men," and the same to the hairy and terribleNumber Three.

  Both the creatures awoke and rose to their hands and knees withoutnoise that could be heard above the chattering of the natives, who had
crowded forward to view the dead bodies of von Horn's victims.Silently Bulan came to his feet, the two monsters at his back risingand pressing close behind him. Along the denser shadows the threecrept to a position in the rear of the natives. The girl's guards hadstepped forward with the others to join in the discussion that followedthe dying statement of the murdered warrior, leaving her upon the outerfringe of the crowd.

  For an instant a sudden hope of escape sprang to Virginia Maxon'smind--there was none between her and the jungle through which they hadjust passed. Though unknown dangers lurked in the black and uncannydepths of the dismal forest, would not death in any form be farpreferable to the hideous fate which awaited her in the person of thebestial Malay pirate?

  She had turned to take the first step toward freedom when three figuresemerged from the wall of darkness behind her. She saw the war-caps,shields, and war-coats, and her heart sank. Here were others of therajah's party--stragglers who had come just in time to thwart herplans. How large these men were--she never had seen a native of suchgiant proportions; and now they had come quite close to her, and as theforemost stooped to speak to her she shrank back in fear. Then, to hersurprise, she heard in whispered English; "Come quietly, while they arenot looking."

  She thought the voice familiar, but could not place it, though herheart whispered that it might belong to the young stranger of herdreams. He reached out and took her hand and together they turned andwalked quickly toward the jungle, followed by the two who hadaccompanied him.

  Scarcely had they covered half the distance before one of the Dyakswhose duty it had been to guard the girl discovered that she was gone.With a cry he alarmed his fellows, and in another instant a sharp pairof eyes caught the movement of the four who had now broken into a run.

  With savage shouts the entire force of head hunters sprang in pursuit.Bulan lifted Virginia in his arms and dashed on ahead of Number Twelveand Number Three. A shower of poisoned darts blown from half a hundredsumpitans fell about them, and then Muda Saffir called to his warriorsto cease using their deadly blow-pipes lest they kill the girl.

  Into the jungle dashed the four while close behind them came thehowling pack of enraged savages. Now one closed upon Number Three onlyto fall back dead with a broken neck as the giant fingers releasedtheir hold upon him. A parang swung close to Number Twelve, but hisown, which he had now learned to wield with fearful effect, clovethrough the pursuing warrior's skull splitting him wide to the breastbone.

  Thus they fought the while they forced their way deeper and deeper intothe dark mazes of the entangled vegetation. The brunt of the runningbattle was borne by the two monsters, for Bulan was carrying Virginia,and keeping a little ahead of his companions to insure the girl'sgreater safety.

  Now and then patches of moonlight filtering through occasional openingsin the leafy roofing revealed to Virginia the battle that was beingwaged for possession of her, and once, when Number Three turned towardher after disposing of a new assailant, she was horrified to see thegrotesque and terrible face of the creature. A moment later she caughtsight of Number Twelve's hideous face. She was appalled.

  Could it be that she had been rescued from the Malay to fall into thehands of creatures equally heartless and entirely without souls? Sheglanced up at the face of him who carried her. In the darkness of thenight she had not yet had an opportunity to see the features of theman, but after a glimpse at those of his two companions she trembled tothink of the hideous thing that might be revealed to her.

  Could it be that she had at last fallen into the hands of the dreadedand terrible Number Thirteen! Instinctively she shrank from contactwith the man in whose arms she had been carried without a trace ofrepugnance until the thought obtruded itself that he might be thecreature of her father's mad experimentation, to whose arms she hadbeen doomed by the insane obsession of her parent.

  The man shifted her now to give himself freer use of his right arm, forthe savages were pressing more closely upon Twelve and Three, and thechange made it impossible for the girl to see his face even in the morefrequent moonlit places.

  But she could see the two who ran and fought just behind them, and sheshuddered at her inevitable fate. For should the three be successfulin bearing her away from the Dyaks she must face an unknown doom, whileshould the natives recapture her there was the terrible Malay intowhose clutches she had already twice fallen.

  Now the head hunters were pressing closer, and suddenly, even as thegirl looked directly at him, a spear passed through the heart of NumberThree. Clutching madly at the shaft protruding from his misshapen bodythe grotesque thing stumbled on for a dozen paces, and then sank to theground as two of the brown warriors sprang upon him with naked parangs.An instant later Virginia Maxon saw the hideous and grisly headswinging high in the hand of a dancing, whooping savage.

  The man who carried her was now forced to turn and fight off the enemythat pressed forward past Number Twelve. The mighty bull whip whirledand cracked across the heads and faces of the Dyaks. It was aformidable weapon when backed by the Herculean muscles that rolled andshifted beneath Bulan's sun-tanned skin, and many were the brownwarriors that went down beneath its cruel lash.

  Virginia could see that the creature who bore her was not deformed ofbody, but she shrank from the thought of what a sight of his face mightreveal. How much longer the two could fight off the horde at theirheels the girl could not guess; and as a matter of fact she wasindifferent to the outcome of the strange, running battle that wasbeing waged with herself as the victor's spoil.

  The country now was becoming rougher and more open. The flight seemedto be leading into a range of low hills, where the jungle grew lessdense, and the way rocky and rugged. They had entered a narrow canyonwhen Number Twelve went down beneath a half dozen parangs. Again thegirl saw a bloody head swung on high and heard the fierce, wild chorusof exulting victory. She wondered how long it would be ere thecreature beneath her would add his share to the grim trophies of thehunt.

  In the interval that the head hunters had paused to sever NumberTwelve's head, Bulan had gained fifty yards upon them, and then, of asudden, he came to a sheer wall rising straight across the narrow trailhe had been following. Ahead there was no way--a cat could scarce havescaled that formidable barrier--but to the right he discerned whatappeared to be a steep and winding pathway up the canyon's side, andwith a bound he clambered along it to where it surmounted the rockywall.

  There he turned, winded, to await the oncoming foe. Here was a spotwhere a single man might defy an army, and Bulan had been quick to seethe natural advantages of it. He placed the girl upon her feet behinda protruding shoulder of the canyon's wall which rose to a considerabledistance still above them. Then he turned to face the mob that wassurging up the narrow pathway toward him.

  At his feet lay an accumulation of broken rock from the hillside above,and as a spear sped, singing, close above his shoulder, the occurrencesuggested a use for the rough and jagged missiles which lay about himin such profusion. Many of the pieces were large, weighing twenty andthirty pounds, and some even as much as fifty. Picking up one of thelarger Bulan raised it high above his head, and then hurled it downamongst the upclimbing warriors. In an instant pandemonium reigned,for the heavy boulder had mowed down a score of the pursuers, breakingarms and legs in its meteoric descent.

  Missile after missile Bulan rained down upon the struggling, howlingDyaks, until, seized by panic, they turned and fled incontinently downinto the depths of the canyon and back along the narrow trail they hadcome, and then superstitious fear completed the rout that the flyingrocks had started, for one whispered to another that this was theterrible Bulan and that he had but lured them on into the hills that hemight call forth all his demons and destroy them.

  For a moment Bulan stood watching the retreating savages, a smile uponhis lips, and then as the sudden equatorial dawn burst forth he turnedto face the girl.

  As Virginia Maxon saw the fine features of the giant where she hadex
pected to find the grotesque and hideous lineaments of a monster, shegave a quick little cry of pleasure and relief.

  "Thank God!" she cried fervently. "Thank God that you are a man--Ithought that I was in the clutches of the hideous and soulless monster,Number Thirteen."

  The smile upon the young man's face died. An expression of pain, andhopelessness, and sorrow swept across his features. The girl saw thechange, and wondered, but how could she guess the grievous wound herwords had inflicted?