The Return of Tarzan

  Chapter 10

  Through the Valley of the Shadow

  As Tarzan walked down the wild canon beneath the brilliant African moonthe call of the jungle was strong upon him. The solitude and thesavage freedom filled his heart with life and buoyancy. Again he wasTarzan of the Apes--every sense alert against the chance of surprise bysome jungle enemy--yet treading lightly and with head erect, in proudconsciousness of his might.

  The nocturnal sounds of the mountains were new to him, yet they fellupon his ears like the soft voice of a half-forgotten love. Many heintuitively sensed--ah, there was one that was familiar indeed; thedistant coughing of Sheeta, the leopard; but there was a strange notein the final wail which made him doubt. It was a panther he heard.

  Presently a new sound--a soft, stealthy sound--obtruded itself amongthe others. No human ears other than the ape-man's would have detectedit. At first he did not translate it, but finally he realized that itcame from the bare feet of a number of human beings. They were behindhim, and they were coming toward him quietly. He was being stalked.

  In a flash he knew why he had been left in that little valley byGernois; but there had been a hitch in the arrangements--the men hadcome too late. Closer and closer came the footsteps. Tarzan haltedand faced them, his rifle ready in his hand. Now he caught a fleetingglimpse of a white burnoose. He called aloud in French, asking whatthey would of him. His reply was the flash of a long gun, and with thesound of the shot Tarzan of the Apes plunged forward upon his face.

  The Arabs did not rush out immediately; instead, they waited to be surethat their victim did not rise. Then they came rapidly from theirconcealment, and bent over him. It was soon apparent that he was notdead. One of the men put the muzzle of his gun to the back of Tarzan'shead to finish him, but another waved him aside. "If we bring himalive the reward is to be greater," explained the latter. So theybound his hands and feet, and, picking him up, placed him on theshoulders of four of their number. Then the march was resumed towardthe desert. When they had come out of the mountains they turned towardthe south, and about daylight came to the spot where their horses stoodin care of two of their number.

  From here on their progress was more rapid. Tarzan, who had regainedconsciousness, was tied to a spare horse, which they evidently hadbrought for the purpose. His wound was but a slight scratch, which hadfurrowed the flesh across his temple. It had stopped bleeding, but thedried and clotted blood smeared his face and clothing. He had said noword since he had fallen into the hands of these Arabs, nor had theyaddressed him other than to issue a few brief commands to him when thehorses had been reached.

  For six hours they rode rapidly across the burning desert, avoiding theoases near which their way led. About noon they came to a DOUAR ofabout twenty tents. Here they halted, and as one of the Arabs wasreleasing the alfa-grass ropes which bound him to his mount they weresurrounded by a mob of men, women, and children. Many of the tribe,and more especially the women, appeared to take delight in heapinginsults upon the prisoner, and some had even gone so far as to throwstones at him and strike him with sticks, when an old sheik appearedand drove them away.

  "Ali-ben-Ahmed tells me," he said, "that this man sat alone in themountains and slew EL ADREA. What the business of the stranger whosent us after him may be, I know not, and what he may do with this manwhen we turn him over to him, I care not; but the prisoner is a braveman, and while he is in our hands he shall be treated with the respectthat be due one who hunts THE LORD WITH THE LARGE HEAD alone and bynight--and slays him."

  Tarzan had heard of the respect in which Arabs held a lion-killer, andhe was not sorry that chance had played into his hands thus favorablyto relieve him of the petty tortures of the tribe. Shortly after thishe was taken to a goat-skin tent upon the upper side of the DOUAR.There he was fed, and then, securely bound, was left lying on a pieceof native carpet, alone in the tent.

  He could see a guard sitting before the door of his frail prison, butwhen he attempted to force the stout bonds that held him he realizedthat any extra precaution on the part of his captors was quiteunnecessary; not even his giant muscles could part those numerousstrands.

  Just before dusk several men approached the tent where he lay, andentered it. All were in Arab dress, but presently one of the numberadvanced to Tarzan's side, and as he let the folds of cloth that hadhidden the lower half of his face fall away the ape-man saw themalevolent features of Nikolas Rokoff. There was a nasty smile on thebearded lips. "Ah, Monsieur Tarzan," he said, "this is indeed apleasure. But why do you not rise and greet your guest?" Then, withan ugly oath, "Get up, you dog!" and, drawing back his booted foot, hekicked Tarzan heavily in the side. "And here is another, and another,and another," he continued, as he kicked Tarzan about the face andside. "One for each of the injuries you have done me."

  The ape-man made no reply--he did not even deign to look upon theRussian again after the first glance of recognition. Finally thesheik, who had been standing a mute and frowning witness of thecowardly attack, intervened.

  "Stop!" he commanded. "Kill him if you will, but I will see no braveman subjected to such indignities in my presence. I have half a mindto turn him loose, that I may see how long you would kick him then."

  This threat put a sudden end to Rokoff's brutality, for he had nocraving to see Tarzan loosed from his bonds while he was within reachof those powerful hands.

  "Very well," he replied to the Arab; "I shall kill him presently."

  "Not within the precincts of my DOUAR," returned the sheik. "When heleaves here he leaves alive. What you do with him in the desert isnone of my concern, but I shall not have the blood of a Frenchman onthe hands of my tribe on account of another man's quarrel--they wouldsend soldiers here and kill many of my people, and burn our tents anddrive away our flocks."

  "As you say," growled Rokoff. "I'll take him out into the desert belowthe DOUAR, and dispatch him."

  "You will take him a day's ride from my country," said the sheik,firmly, "and some of my children shall follow you to see that you donot disobey me--otherwise there may be two dead Frenchmen in thedesert."

  Rokoff shrugged. "Then I shall have to wait until the morrow--it isalready dark."

  "As you will," said the sheik. "But by an hour after dawn you must begone from my DOUAR. I have little liking for unbelievers, and none atall for a coward."

  Rokoff would have made some kind of retort, but he checked himself, forhe realized that it would require but little excuse for the old man toturn upon him. Together they left the tent. At the door Rokoff couldnot resist the temptation to turn and fling a parting taunt at Tarzan."Sleep well, monsieur," he said, "and do not forget to pray well, forwhen you die tomorrow it will be in such agony that you will be unableto pray for blaspheming."

  No one had bothered to bring Tarzan either food or water since noon,and consequently he suffered considerably from thirst. He wondered ifit would be worth while to ask his guard for water, but after makingtwo or three requests without receiving any response, he decided thatit would not.

  Far up in the mountains he heard a lion roar. How much safer one was,he soliloquized, in the haunts of wild beasts than in the haunts ofmen. Never in all his jungle life had he been more relentlesslytracked down than in the past few months of his experience amongcivilized men. Never had he been any nearer death.

  Again the lion roared. It sounded a little nearer. Tarzan felt theold, wild impulse to reply with the challenge of his kind. His kind?He had almost forgotten that he was a man and not an ape. He tugged athis bonds. God, if he could but get them near those strong teeth ofhis. He felt a wild wave of madness sweep over him as his efforts toregain his liberty met with failure.

  Numa was roaring almost continually now. It was quite evident that hewas coming down into the desert to hunt. It was the roar of a hungrylion. Tarzan envied him, for he was free. No one would tie him withropes and slaughter him like a sheep. It was that which galled theape-man. He did no
t fear to die, no--it was the humiliation of defeatbefore death, without even a chance to battle for his life.

  It must be near midnight, thought Tarzan. He had several hours tolive. Possibly he would yet find a way to take Rokoff with him on thelong journey. He could hear the savage lord of the desert quite closeby now. Possibly he sought his meat from among the penned animalswithin the DOUAR.

  For a long time silence reigned, then Tarzan's trained ears caught thesound of a stealthily moving body. It came from the side of the tentnearest the mountains--the back. Nearer and nearer it came. Hewaited, listening intently, for it to pass. For a time there wassilence without, such a terrible silence that Tarzan was surprised thathe did not hear the breathing of the animal he felt sure must becrouching close to the back wall of his tent.

  There! It is moving again. Closer it creeps. Tarzan turns his headin the direction of the sound. It is very dark within the tent.Slowly the back rises from the ground, forced up by the head andshoulders of a body that looks all black in the semi-darkness. Beyondis a faint glimpse of the dimly starlit desert. A grim smile playsabout Tarzan's lips. At least Rokoff will be cheated. How mad he willbe! And death will be more merciful than he could have hoped for atthe hands of the Russian.

  Now the back of the tent drops into place, and all is darknessagain--whatever it is is inside the tent with him. He hears itcreeping close to him--now it is beside him. He closes his eyes andwaits for the mighty paw. Upon his upturned face falls the gentletouch of a soft hand groping in the dark, and then a girl's voice in ascarcely audible whisper pronounces his name.

  "Yes, it is I," he whispers in reply. "But in the name of Heaven whoare you?"

  "The Ouled-Nail of Sisi Aissa," came the answer. While she spokeTarzan could feel her working about his bonds. Occasionally the coldsteel of a knife touched his flesh. A moment later he was free.

  "Come!" she whispered.

  On hands and knees he followed her out of the tent by the way she hadcome. She continued crawling thus flat to the ground until she reacheda little patch of shrub. There she halted until he gained her side.For a moment he looked at her before he spoke.

  "I cannot understand," he said at last. "Why are you here? How didyou know that I was a prisoner in that tent? How does it happen thatit is you who have saved me?"

  She smiled. "I have come a long way tonight," she said, "and we have along way to go before we shall be out of danger. Come; I shall tellyou all about it as we go."

  Together they rose and set off across the desert in the direction ofthe mountains.

  "I was not quite sure that I should ever reach you," she said at last."EL ADREA is abroad tonight, and after I left the horses I think hewinded me and was following--I was terribly frightened."

  "What a brave girl," he said. "And you ran all that risk for astranger--an alien--an unbeliever?"

  She drew herself up very proudly.

  "I am the daughter of the Sheik Kabour ben Saden," she answered. "Ishould be no fit daughter of his if I would not risk my life to savethat of the man who saved mine while he yet thought that I was but acommon Ouled-Nail."

  "Nevertheless," he insisted, "you are a very brave girl. But how didyou know that I was a prisoner back there?"

  "Achmet-din-Taieb, who is my cousin on my father's side, was visitingsome friends who belong to the tribe that captured you. He was at theDOUAR when you were brought in. When he reached home he was telling usabout the big Frenchman who had been captured by Ali-ben-Ahmed foranother Frenchman who wished to kill him. From the description I knewthat it must be you. My father was away. I tried to persuade some ofthe men to come and save you, but they would not do it, saying: 'Letthe unbelievers kill one another if they wish. It is none of ouraffair, and if we go and interfere with Ali-ben-Ahmed's plans we shallonly stir up a fight with our own people.'

  "So when it was dark I came alone, riding one horse and leading anotherfor you. They are tethered not far from here. By morning we shall bewithin my father's DOUAR. He should be there himself by now--then letthem come and try to take Kadour ben Saden's friend."

  For a few moments they walked on in silence.

  "We should be near the horses," she said. "It is strange that I do notsee them here."

  Then a moment later she stopped, with a little cry of consternation.

  "They are gone!" she exclaimed. "It is here that I tethered them."

  Tarzan stooped to examine the ground. He found that a large shrub hadbeen torn up by the roots. Then he found something else. There was awry smile on his face as he rose and turned toward the girl.

  "EL ADREA has been here. From the signs, though, I rather think thathis prey escaped him. With a little start they would be safe enoughfrom him in the open."

  There was nothing to do but continue on foot. The way led them acrossa low spur of the mountains, but the girl knew the trail as well as shedid her mother's face. They walked in easy, swinging strides, Tarzankeeping a hand's breadth behind the girl's shoulder, that she might setthe pace, and thus be less fatigued. As they walked they talked,occasionally stopping to listen for sounds of pursuit.

  It was now a beautiful, moonlit night. The air was crisp andinvigorating. Behind them lay the interminable vista of the desert,dotted here and there with an occasional oasis. The date palms of thelittle fertile spot they had just left, and the circle of goatskintents, stood out in sharp relief against the yellow sand--a phantomparadise upon a phantom sea. Before them rose the grim and silentmountains. Tarzan's blood leaped in his veins. This was life! Helooked down upon the girl beside him--a daughter of the desert walkingacross the face of a dead world with a son of the jungle. He smiled atthe thought. He wished that he had had a sister, and that she had beenlike this girl. What a bully chum she would have been!

  They had entered the mountains now, and were progressing more slowly,for the trail was steeper and very rocky.

  For a few minutes they had been silent. The girl was wondering if theywould reach her father's DOUAR before the pursuit had overtaken them.Tarzan was wishing that they might walk on thus forever. If the girlwere only a man they might. He longed for a friend who loved the samewild life that he loved. He had learned to crave companionship, but itwas his misfortune that most of the men he knew preferred immaculatelinen and their clubs to nakedness and the jungle. It was, of course,difficult to understand, yet it was very evident that they did.

  The two had just turned a projecting rock around which the trail ranwhen they were brought to a sudden stop. There, before them, directlyin the middle of the path, stood Numa, EL ADREA, the black lion. Hisgreen eyes looked very wicked, and he bared his teeth, and lashed hisbay-black sides with his angry tail. Then he roared--the fearsome,terror-inspiring roar of the hungry lion which is also angry.

  "Your knife," said Tarzan to the girl, extending his hand. She slippedthe hilt of the weapon into his waiting palm. As his fingers closedupon it he drew her back and pushed her behind him. "Walk back to thedesert as rapidly as you can. If you hear me call you will know thatall is well, and you may return."

  "It is useless," she replied, resignedly. "This is the end."

  "Do as I tell you," he commanded. "Quickly! He is about to charge."The girl dropped back a few paces, where she stood watching for theterrible sight that she knew she should soon witness.

  The lion was advancing slowly toward Tarzan, his nose to the ground,like a challenging bull, his tail extended now and quivering as thoughwith intense excitement.

  The ape-man stood, half crouching, the long Arab knife glistening inthe moonlight. Behind him the tense figure of the girl, motionless asa carven statue. She leaned slightly forward, her lips parted, hereyes wide. Her only conscious thought was wonder at the bravery of theman who dared face with a puny knife the lord with the large head. Aman of her own blood would have knelt in prayer and gone down beneaththose awful fangs without resistance. In either case the result wouldbe the same--it was in
evitable; but she could not repress a thrill ofadmiration as her eyes rested upon the heroic figure before her. Not atremor in the whole giant frame--his attitude as menacing and defiantas that of EL ADREA himself.

  The lion was quite close to him now--but a few paces intervened--hecrouched, and then, with a deafening roar, he sprang.