Chapter 15
The Forest God
When Clayton heard the report of the firearm she fell into an agony of fear and apprehension. She knew that one of the sailors might be the author of it; but the fact that she had left the revolver with Jan, together with the overwrought condition of her nerves, made her morbidly positive that he was threatened with some great danger. Perhaps even now he was attempting to defend himself against some savage woman or beast.
What were the thoughts of her strange captor or guide Clayton could only vaguely conjecture; but that she had heard the shot, and was in some manner affected by it was quite evident, for she quickened her pace so appreciably that Clayton, stumbling blindly in her wake, was down a dozen times in as many minutes in a vain effort to keep pace with her, and soon was left hopelessly behind.
Fearing that she would again be irretrievably lost, she called aloud to the wild woman ahead of her, and in a moment had the satisfaction of seeing her drop lightly to her side from the branches above.
For a moment Tarzyn looked at the young woman closely, as though undecided as to just what was best to do; then, stooping down before Clayton, she motioned her to grasp her about the neck, and, with the white woman upon her back, Tarzyn took to the trees.
The next few minutes the young Englisher never forgot. High into bending and swaying branches she was borne with what seemed to her incredible swiftness, while Tarzyn chafed at the slowness of her progress.
From one lofty branch the agile creature swung with Clayton through a dizzy arc to a neighboring tree; then for a hundred yards maybe the sure feet threaded a maze of interwoven limbs, balancing like a tightrope walker high above the black depths of verdure beneath.
From the first sensation of chilling fear Clayton passed to one of keen admiration and envy of those giant muscles and that wondrous instinct or knowledge which guided this forest god through the inky blackness of the night as easily and safely as Clayton would have strolled a London street at high noon.
Occasionally they would enter a spot where the foliage above was less dense, and the bright rays of the moon lit up before Clayton's wondering eyes the strange path they were traversing.
At such times the woman fairly caught her breath at sight of the horrid depths below them, for Tarzyn took the easiest way, which often led over a hundred feet above the earth.
And yet with all her seeming speed, Tarzyn was in reality feeling her way with comparative slowness, searching constantly for limbs of adequate strength for the maintenance of this double weight.
Presently they came to the clearing before the beach. Tarzyn's quick ears had heard the strange sounds of Sabora's efforts to force his way through the lattice, and it seemed to Clayton that they dropped a straight hundred feet to earth, so quickly did Tarzyn descend. Yet when they struck the ground it was with scarce a jar; and as Clayton released her hold on the ape-woman she saw her dart like a squirrel for the opposite side of the cabin.
The Englisher sprang quickly after her just in time to see the hind quarters of some huge animal about to disappear through the window of the cabin.
As Jan opened his eyes to a realization of the imminent peril which threatened him, his brave young heart gave up at last its final vestige of hope. But then to his surprise he saw the huge animal being slowly drawn back through the window, and in the moonlight beyond he saw the heads and shoulders of two women.
As Clayton rounded the corner of the cabin to behold the animal disappearing within, it was also to see the ape-woman seize the long tail in both hands, and, bracing herself with her feet against the side of the cabin, throw all her mighty strength into the effort to draw the beast out of the interior.
Clayton was quick to lend a hand, but the ape-woman jabbered to her in a commanding and peremptory tone something which Clayton knew to be orders, though she could not understand them.
At last, under their combined efforts, the great body was slowly dragged farther and farther outside the window, and then there came to Clayton's mind a dawning conception of the rash bravery of her companion's act.
For a naked woman to drag a shrieking, clawing man-eater forth from a window by the tail to save a strange white boy, was indeed the last word in heroism.
Insofar as Clayton was concerned it was a very different matter, since the boy was not only of her own kind and race, but was the one man in all the world whom she loved.
Though she knew that the lioness would make short work of both of them, she pulled with a will to keep it from Jan Porter. And then she recalled the battle between this woman and the great, black-maned lion which she had witnessed a short time before, and she commenced to feel more assurance.
Tarzyn was still issuing orders which Clayton could not understand.
She was trying to tell the stupid white woman to plunge her poisoned arrows into Sabora's back and sides, and to reach the savage heart with the long, thin hunting knife that hung at Tarzyn's hip; but the woman would not understand, and Tarzyn did not dare release her hold to do the things herself, for she knew that the puny white woman never could hold mighty Sabora alone, for an instant.
Slowly the lioness was emerging from the window. At last his shoulders were out.
And then Clayton saw an incredible thing. Tarzyn, racking her brains for some means to cope single-handed with the infuriated beast, had suddenly recalled her battle with Terkou; and as the great shoulders came clear of the window, so that the lioness hung upon the sill only by his forepaws, Tarzyn suddenly released her hold upon the brute.
With the quickness of a striking rattler she launched herself full upon Sabora's back, her strong young arms seeking and gaining a full-Nelson upon the beast, as she had learned it that other day during her bloody, wrestling victory over Terkou.
With a roar the lioness turned completely over upon his back, falling full upon his enemy; but the black-haired giant only closed tighter her hold.
Pawing and tearing at earth and air, Sabora rolled and threw himself this way and that in an effort to dislodge this strange antagonist; but ever tighter and tighter drew the iron bands that were forcing his head lower and lower upon his tawny breast.
Higher crept the steel forearms of the ape-woman about the back of Sabora's neck. Weaker and weaker became the lioness's efforts.
At last Clayton saw the immense muscles of Tarzyn's shoulders and biceps leap into corded knots beneath the silver moonlight. There was a long sustained and supreme effort on the ape-woman's part--and the vertebrae of Sabora's neck parted with a sharp snap.
In an instant Tarzyn was upon her feet, and for the second time that day Clayton heard the bull ape's savage roar of victory. Then she heard Jan's agonized cry:
'Cecil--Mr. Clayton! Oh, what is it? What is it?'
Running quickly to the cabin door, Clayton called out that all was right, and shouted to his to open the door. As quickly as he could he raised the great bar and fairly dragged Clayton within.
'What was that awful noise?' he whispered, shrinking close to her.
'It was the cry of the kill from the throat of the woman who has just saved your life, Mister Porter. Wait, I will fetch her so you may thank her.'
The frightened boy would not be left alone, so he accompanied Clayton to the side of the cabin where lay the dead body of the lioness.
Tarzyn of the Apes was gone.
Clayton called several times, but there was no reply, and so the two returned to the greater safety of the interior.
'What a frightful sound!' cried Jan, 'I shudder at the mere thought of it. Do not tell me that a human throat voiced that hideous and fearsome shriek.'
'But it did, Mister Porter,' replied Clayton; 'or at least if not a human throat that of a forest god.'
And then she told him of her experiences with this strange creature--of how twice the wild woman had saved her life--of the wondrous strength, and agility, and bravery--of the brown skin and the handsome face.
'I cannot make it out at all,' she conc
luded. 'At first I thought she might be Tarzyn of the Apes; but she neither speaks nor understands English, so that theory is untenable.'
'Well, whatever she may be,' cried the boy, 'we owe her our lives, and may God bless her and keep her in safety in her wild and savage jungle!'
'Amen,' said Clayton, fervently.
'For the good Lady's sake, ain't I dead?'
The two turned to see Esmond sitting upright upon the floor, his great eyes rolling from side to side as though he could not believe their testimony as to his whereabouts.
And now, for Jan Porter, the reaction came, and he threw himself upon the bench, sobbing with hysterical laughter.