The Jungle Warrior

by Andy Briggs

  The silverback grunted again and the wild man’s attention slid from Rokoff to the darkness across the plateau. Rokoff quickly checked the position of the other gorillas, all sheltering under the jungle canopy. When he looked back at the rock he saw only the silverback. The wild man had vanished.

  Rokoff felt something he had not experienced during a hunt since he was a teenager. Panic. Had he been spotted? He scanned the plateau, his head turning so fast he almost struck a tree and gave away his position. There was no sign of the ape-man, but Rokoff hadn’t become a great hunter by assuming his prey was weaker than him. Every animal had guile enough to be respected, this opponent doubly so. He switched the goggles back to thermal imaging, half expecting to see the deadly figure of a man standing over him.

  Instead, the warm hues of the gorillas revealed themselves and with these a faint thermal image of a figure leaping through the tree canopy impossibly fast and, more importantly, away from Rokoff.

  Whatever had spooked the wild man was a blessing and he was thankful for the distraction. Rokoff turned his attention back to the aircraft and wondered what secrets it held, but forced such ideas from his head. He was a man with little room in his mind for anything other than planning the outcome of the hunt. Okeke had placed a very specific order with his top hunter, and Rokoff had to deliver on it.

  He picked up the thermal image of the baby gorilla sitting within the torn aircraft fuselage. With slow, deliberate movements, Rokoff slid his hunting rifle from his shoulder and lined up the young ape in his crosshairs.

  11

  Robbie had struggled to keep up with Jane as she led him along the animal trail, warily checking for any new poacher traps. The beams from their wind-up flashlights shone across the Dum-Dum clearing. Jane beat against a hollow tree and Robbie was surprised by the deep timbre of the sound that rang out. They stood in the rain and waited in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Tarzan appeared. Jane stumbled over her words as she tried to explain the threat Rokoff posed. Concerned for his family, Tarzan took Jane with him. The only words he grunted to Robbie were about following the trail back to the camp and waiting.

  Now Robbie sat in Rokoff’s Land Cruiser to shelter from the rain and decide on what he should do. His nervous fingers toyed with the GPS scanner, which still flashed the location of the discarded tag in the mud. He randomly pressed some of the buttons and flicked through different channel frequencies—stopping on one that was rapidly moving away from him. Tarzan—it had to be. Nothing else could move so swiftly, but he couldn’t guess how Rokoff had managed to tag him.

  His heart was in his mouth when the blip stopped for some time. They had been gone for almost an hour and a half so they must have reached Tarzan’s home. Could they be at the lost aircraft? He stared at the longitude and latitude figures, burning them into his memory. This is what they needed. He headed to the bar debating if this was the right time to tell Clark. Most of the loggers had gone to their shacks for the night leaving only Mister David and Esmée sitting with Clark and Archie. They were discussing the possibility of moving the camp once more to a new area of rare hardwoods their scouts had discovered. They were so wrapped in their conversation that they didn’t notice him enter.

  “We can get the next boatload through to Nigeria,” said Clark pointing to some figures written on a paper. “Get the timber laundered there and we get a damn good price.”

  Robbie glanced at the scanner and saw that Tarzan was now moving back in their direction. This was not the time to tell Clark. Lost in thought, he stumbled into a table with a loud clatter. All eyes turned to him. He must have been a sight—drenched to the skin, covered in mud and clutching the GPS. “What’s up?” said Clark, automatically suspicious.

  Robbie hesitated then told them what they’d found out about Rokoff, and about their warnings to Tarzan. He saw Archie’s hand massage his temples when he told them how Jane had left with the ape-man, but quickly assured him that they were on their way back.

  They all hurried out in the rain to search through Rokoff’s belongings. The equipment in the Land Cruiser was state-of-the-art; some of it was even still in its original packaging. Clark opened a long case, revealing a brand-new hunting rifle.

  “Well, he ain’t taggin’ no apes with this thing. It’d blow a head clean off the shoulders.”

  “Why leave it all here?” asked Robbie.

  “If he’s a contract hunter, then I bet this was all given to him as part of the deal. Car’ll be a rental. He can afford to leave it behind.”

  Almost two hours later Tarzan and Jane returned to the camp and things moved from bad to worse.

  Jane was pale and taciturn. Tarzan was in a volcanic rage. He marched past Archie and the others and immediately set upon Rokoff’s Land Cruiser. Robbie watched, stunned, as Tarzan began sniffing everything, like a bloodhound. He started opening cases and tossing them into the mud. It wasn’t long before he was bellowing with rage and smashed a case through the windshield. He tore the passenger seat from the floor and hurled it through the vehicle, smashing the driver’s door with such force that it took the door clean off its hinges. Then, still in a wild fury, Tarzan climbed onto the roof and howled to the rain with a cry more savage than anything Robbie had ever heard. Tarzan’s fists pounded into the reinforced steel roof until his knuckles bled and he punched a hole through the metal. His wild tantrum seemed to quell and he leaped down, heading straight for Archie.

  Clark’s hand instinctively went for the pistol he always kept holstered to his thigh, but Mister David quickly reached out to stop him. A move that probably saved his life.

  Tarzan glowered at Archie who took an involuntary step back.

  “You bring this on Tarzan!” he growled.

  “I had no idea who Rokoff was, I swear.”

  Robbie was convinced Tarzan was about to strike Archie and he wondered how long it would take for him to reveal it was he, Robbie, who had brought Rokoff into the camp.

  “He’s telling the truth!” said Jane, suddenly positioning herself in front of Tarzan.

  Panic crossed Archie’s face and Clark tensed as if Jane had just stepped in front of a lion, but she didn’t seem afraid and, to their amazement, Tarzan backed down.

  “Rokoff has taken Karnath,” explained Jane.

  Archie looked confused. “What’s Karnath?”

  “Karnath is a young gorilla,” Robbie explained.

  “Killed him?” said Esmée with a gasp, her hand covering her mouth in horror. She had lived through many hardships in the Congo, but had been brought up to respect the gorillas, which were a symbol of hope in her country.

  “No. Not dead,” said Tarzan. “Kidnapped.” The word was thick on his tongue, and Robbie guessed it was a term Jane had just taught him.

  “Why would he do that?” asked Robbie.

  “Pet trade, circus, Third-World zoo. Could be anythin’,” said Clark, a little too knowledgeably. “People offer a good price for exotic pets.”

  The grief on Tarzan’s face deepened and Jane was visibly shaken by Clark’s cold analysis.

  “Tarzan,” said Archie hesitantly, “please, believe us. We would never have allowed Rokoff to come here if we’d known.”

  Robbie was expecting an explosive response from Tarzan—another display of unbridled rage. Instead, the ape-man lowered his head, looked askance at Archie, and said nothing. The simple action brought silence to the camp, broken only by the constant rain. When Tarzan spoke, his voice was uncharacteristically subdued.

  “Archie destroy Tarzan’s land. Bring pain to Tarzan’s family.”

  “We’ll do everything we can to help,” said Archie who, like everybody else, was nervous about where the conversation was going.

  Tarzan spoke in a low voice, and he appeared to struggle with each word. “Tarzan find Karnath. Bring him home.”

  “I’m coming with you,” said Jane almost immediately.

  Robbie watched Archie’s hands clench into fists and the veins in the
side of his neck begin to throb. He stared at Jane as if willing her to retract the words, but said nothing. To his relief Tarzan spoke up.

  “No. Rokoff hunter. Dangerous.”

  “You’re safer here,” Archie told Jane, thankful for Tarzan’s support.

  “No way!” said Jane defiantly. She spun round to face Tarzan, angry with his dismissal. “I’m coming with you. Rokoff is a modern guy, he’s not a jungle animal. He’s more advanced than you. He’s got guns, GPS maps, technology that allows him to see in the dark—have you? If he’s heading out of the jungle then you’re going to need all the back-up you can get. And when my family was taken,” she indicated the loggers with a sweeping finger, “you helped me get them back. I owe you.”

  Tarzan nodded. Robbie suddenly felt Archie and Clark looking at him. Clark’s eyes narrowed a little, prompting him to step up.

  “I’ll come too,” said Robbie. Jane looked unsure so he continued to justify his offer. “Like you said, Tarzan came back for us.” Tarzan’s intense gaze fell on Robbie. The suspicion and anger had transformed into a questioning look.

  “Robbie come,” said Tarzan nodding his head. Robbie was shocked when Tarzan clapped a strong hand on his shoulder and was equally surprised by the next comment. “Robbie help kill Rokoff.”

  “K-kill?” stammered Robbie. “Let’s just figure out how to get Karnath back, OK?”

  “Do we leave now?” Jane asked.

  Tarzan shook his head. “Dark not good to hunt. We leave when sun rise.”

  •••

  With some difficulty, Robbie and Jane finally managed to get Tarzan to check for the GPS tracker the poachers had planted on him. Since his only item of clothing was a torn and grubby pair of cargo shorts it wasn’t long before he found it lodged in a pocket. Robbie destroyed the tracker by smashing it between a pair of rocks.

  Tarzan wouldn’t accept anything from the camp. He didn’t shelter in any of the shacks and he pawed at the hot food Esmée brought him and refused to eat it. He lifted a chunk of meat from the stew and eyed it with disgust.

  “Why burn meat?”

  “That’s how you’re supposed to eat it,” said Esmée. But no amount of explanation of the merits of cooked food could convince Tarzan.

  Instead, Tarzan disappeared into the jungle to rest. Jane slept fitfully, running events over in her mind. She had expected her father to reprimand her for volunteering to leave with Tarzan, but he had said nothing.

  Robbie couldn’t sleep at all. Before they’d turned in he’d managed to snatch a quick conversation with Clark. Clark had purchased a palm-sized camcorder during their last big supply run. He was planning to acquire video evidence of Tarzan and the aircraft, and this trip would be the perfect opportunity for Robbie to get it. The device was waterproof and discreet enough to be stashed in the deep pocket of his combat trousers. It would be best, he thought, to keep Jane unaware of his intentions.

  A further search of Rokoff’s Land Cruiser revealed several more GPS trackers, heavy-duty wind-up flashlights, climbing ropes, field provisions, and medical supplies—everything needed for a long-haul expedition. Archie charged Robbie’s satellite phone and made him swear he would keep in touch about their progress. Robbie was surprised that Archie hadn’t demanded reassurances over his daughter’s safety, but it was clear that he trusted Tarzan’s jungle survival skills.

  Dawn chased the storm clouds away, revealing a pale blue sky. Weighed down with full backpacks, Robbie and Jane waited beside Rokoff’s vehicle. Robbie idly flicked the blade of his machete through the mud, carving out random patterns. He asked for a gun, but Clark refused to give him one.

  “You don’t want blood on your hands, boy,” Clark had warned. “Leave that to Tarzan.”

  Again, Robbie wondered just how much Clark had dug into his past. He had wanted the gun for self-defense against deadly jungle creatures, not to use against the Russian.

  Robbie and Jane waited in silence. He couldn’t see anybody else, but suspected Archie was watching them from one of the cabins. Eventually, Tarzan emerged from the jungle, looking solemn.

  “Now we hunt.”

  The cold statement suddenly made Robbie realize what he was about to get himself into.

  This wasn’t a rescue mission. This was revenge.

  They hurried to keep up with Tarzan as they traveled through the jungle. Robbie had seen how Tarzan carried Jane through the trees, but as the two of them were weighed down with equipment, that was impossible now. Instead, Tarzan would take to the trees to scout ahead then return to encourage them on. The journey was uneventful. Robbie didn’t know if Tarzan was clearing dangers from their path or if animals just instinctively avoided the wild man.

  After hours of exhausting trekking the sun was high in the sky and the humidity had risen, sucking Robbie’s strength with every step until his legs began to shake. He was impressed at how Jane kept ahead of him, never once complaining. She’d changed so much from the bratty girl he had first met.

  “I need to stop,” said Robbie sitting on a fallen log. He expected Tarzan to complain, but he just nodded and then vanished up a tree. “Man of few words,” Robbie muttered before taking a long swig from his water canteen. Suddenly, a deep howling from above almost made him choke. It was answered immediately by a trumpeting sound Robbie recognized.

  With a loud crack the trees suddenly parted and a fully-grown jungle elephant stepped onto the trail. It was Tantor, Tarzan’s companion, who had led his herd to help save Robbie when the jungle rebel Tafari had kidnapped him. Of all the animals, Robbie was most enchanted with being so close to the elephant. Tantor trumpeted loudly, curling his trunk over his head in greeting. Tarzan patted the animal’s rough, hairy flank then gestured to Robbie and Jane.

  “Ride.”

  Far from a sedate stroll through the jungle on Tantor’s back, Robbie and Jane were rewarded with a terrifying race through the undergrowth. Tantor followed snaking trails at a brisk trot that almost shook Robbie from his seat on the back of the elephant’s neck. Jane clung on to him from behind and Tarzan leaped from the branches high overhead, free running from limb to limb, crisscrossing the trail ahead.

  Many times Robbie was forced to duck as the branches whipped too close for comfort and he was convinced it was only a matter of time before he was thrown off.

  Tantor was driven forward by Tarzan’s urgency and the elephant’s pace never ceased, even when the trail started climbing up the gentle mountain slopes. After another few hours they reached a plateau which offered a spectacular view over a stretch of jungle that split into two valleys. They could clearly see several rivers down below, brown stains meandering through the green hillsides.

  “Is this where you live?” asked Robbie, trying to keep the excitement from his voice as he and Jane climbed down from Tantor.

  “No,” said Tarzan. Robbie was disappointed, but tried to hide it. “Karnath somewhere there in danger.”

  A troubled look passed Tarzan’s face at the thought of the little gorilla.

  “Rokoff come this way,” said Tarzan, indicating to the valleys below.

  “He could be anywhere.” Robbie remembered how hopeless he had felt following Jane when she had been lost out here. “How are we supposed to find him?”

  “Maybe he tried to go back to the camp to drive out?” suggested Jane.

  Tarzan shook his head. “Hunter will leave with prey. Rokoff will not return.”

  “If it was me taking Karnath,” said Robbie, ignoring the sharp look Tarzan gave him, “and I wanted to leave unseen, then I would head straight for the nearest river. Problem is, we have two to choose from.”

  Tarzan regarded Robbie thoughtfully, then nodded his approval. The idea obviously hadn’t occurred to him. Tarzan crouched on the ledge of the cliff top, his eyes squinting against the sun. For several minutes he didn’t move.

  “We can’t just wait,” said Jane in frustration. “Every minute we waste, Rokoff’s getting further away.” Tarzan didn�
�t seem to hear. “Tarzan? Are you listening to me?”

  Tantor suddenly brayed, shifting nervously as he sensed something in the jungle—then Sheeta landed gracefully next to Robbie. He froze; being so close to the big cat still unnerved him. Jane displayed no such qualms and ran over to Sheeta, ruffling a hand over his smooth fur.

  “Sheeta! Good boy!!”

  She could have been talking to a pet dog. To Robbie’s amazement, the panther issued a grumbling purr and rubbed the side of his head against her leg, circling playfully around her. Tarzan quickly brought the reunion back to earth.

  “Sheeta!”

  The cat crossed to Tarzan’s side and dropped something he had been carrying. It was a fragment of cloth from a backpack, the same color as the ones the Russians carried.

  “Go!” Tarzan commanded. Sheeta bounded along the cliff top, and gave a quick glance behind to check Tarzan was following, before disappearing into the undergrowth. Robbie hoped they could accompany them on Tantor, but when he looked around the elephant had silently vanished back into the jungle.

  Robbie and Jane quickly went after Tarzan but were immediately slowed down by the dense foliage, which Robbie hacked aside with his machete. Sheeta speeded ahead and Tarzan took to the trees. They eventually made up ground on the steep mountain slope, though they lost sight of Tarzan several times. Once he was gone for almost an hour, but Jane insisted they push ahead, convinced that Tarzan would come back if they were lost. Robbie didn’t share her level of trust, but each time he started to doubt, Tarzan would appear just ahead, hunched on a branch waiting for them.