第 45 节
作者:击水三千      更新:2021-02-18 22:45      字数:9321
  accompany you?〃 he asked; and his tone denoted not the least surprise that
  Mohammed         Beyd    had   suddenly     discovered     such   remarkably     sensitive
  characteristics。
  〃I shall go alone;〃 replied Werper; and he passed on and out through
  the narrow opening in the boma; by which the sentry stood。
  A moment later he had entered among the boles of the trees with his
  burden; and when safely hidden from the sentry's view lowered the girl to
  her feet; with a low; 〃sh…sh;〃 when she would have spoken。
  Then he led her a little farther into the forest; halted beneath a large
  tree with spreading branches; buckled a cartridge belt and revolver about
  her waist; and assisted her to clamber into the lower branches。
  〃Tomorrow;〃 he whispered; 〃as soon as I can elude them; I will return
  for you。     Be brave; Lady Greystokewe may yet escape。〃
  〃Thank you;〃 she replied in a low tone。              〃You have been very kind;
  and very brave。〃
  Werper did not reply; and the darkness of the night hid the scarlet flush
  of   shame   which   swept   upward   across   his   face。    Quickly   he   turned   and
  made his way back to camp。            The sentry; from his post; saw him enter his
  own tent; but he did not see him crawl under the canvas at the rear and
  sneak cautiously to the tent which the prisoner had occupied; where now
  lay the dead body of Mohammed Beyd。
  Raising   the   lower   edge    of   the   rear   wall;  Werper   crept   within  and
  approached the corpse。         Without an instant's hesitation he seized the dead
  wrists and dragged the body upon its back to the point where he had just
  entered。     On hands and knees he backed out as he had come in; drawing
  the corpse   after  him。     Once  outside  the  Belgian crept   to   the side   of  the
  tent and surveyed as much of the  camp as lay within his visionno one
  was watching。
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  Returning to the body; he lifted it to his shoulder; and risking all on a
  quick   sally;   ran   swiftly   across   the   narrow   opening   which   separated   the
  prisoner's   tent   from   that   of   the   dead   man。   Behind   the   silken   wall   he
  halted    and   lowered     his  burden     to  the  ground;     and   there   he  remained
  motionless for several minutes; listening。
  Satisfied; at last; that no one had seen him; he stooped and raised the
  bottom   of   the   tent   wall;   backed   in   and   dragged   the   thing   that   had   been
  Mohammed Beyd after him。                To the sleeping rugs of the dead raider he
  drew the corpse; then he fumbled about in the darkness until he had found
  Mohammed Beyd's revolver。              With the weapon in his hand he returned to
  the   side   of   the   dead   man;   kneeled   beside   the   bedding;   and   inserted   his
  right    hand    with    the   weapon      beneath    the   rugs;    piled   a   number     of
  thicknesses of the closely woven fabric over and about the revolver with
  his   left  hand。    Then      he  pulled    the  trigger;   and   at  the   same    time   he
  coughed。
  The muffled report could not have been heard above the sound of his
  cough   by   one   directly   outside   the   tent。   Werper   was   satisfied。      A   grim
  smile   touched   his   lips   as   he   withdrew   the   weapon   from   the   rugs   and
  placed it carefully in the right hand of the dead man; fixing three of the
  fingers around the grip and the index finger inside the trigger guard。
  A moment longer he tarried to rearrange the disordered rugs; and then
  he left as he had entered; fastening down the rear wall of the tent as it had
  been before he had raised it。
  Going to the tent of the prisoner he removed there also the evidence
  that someone might have come or gone beneath the rear wall。                        Then he
  returned to his own tent; entered; fastened down the canvas; and crawled
  into his blankets。
  The   following      morning   he     was   awakened      by   the   excited   voice   of
  Mohammed Beyd's slave calling to him at the entrance of his tent。
  〃Quick!       Quick!〃      cried   the   black    in  a  frightened     tone。   〃Come!
  Mohammed Beyd is dead in his tentdead by his own hand。〃
  Werper   sat   up   quickly   in   his   blankets   at   the   first   alarm;   a   startled
  expression upon his countenance; but at the last words of the black a sigh
  of relief escaped his lips and a slight smile replaced the tense lines upon
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  his face。
  〃I come;〃 he   called to the slave; and   drawing on his   boots; rose   and
  went out of his tent。
  Excited   Arabs   and   blacks   were   running   from   all   parts   of   the   camp
  toward the silken tent of Mohammed Beyd; and when Werper entered he
  found   a   number   of   the   raiders   crowded   about   the   corpse;   now   cold   and
  stiff。
  Shouldering his way among them; the Belgian halted beside the dead
  body  of   the   raider。    He   looked   down   in   silence   for   a   moment   upon   the
  still face; then he wheeled upon the Arabs。
  〃Who   has   done   this   thing?〃   he   cried。     His   tone   was   both   menacing
  and accusing。        〃Who has murdered Mohammed Beyd?〃
  A sudden chorus of voices arose in tumultuous protest。
  〃Mohammed Beyd was   not murdered;〃 they cried。                       〃He   died by  his
  own   hand。       This;   and Allah;   are   our   witnesses;〃   and   they   pointed   to   a
  revolver in the dead man's hand。
  For   a   time   Werper   pretended   to   be   skeptical;   but   at   last   permitted
  himself to be convinced that Mohammed Beyd had indeed killed himself
  in remorse for the death of the white woman he had; all unknown to his
  followers; loved so devotedly。
  Werper himself wrapped the blankets of the dead man about the corpse;
  taking   care   to   fold   inward   the   scorched   and   bullet…torn   fabric   that   had
  muffled the report of the weapon he had fired the night before。 Then six
  husky blacks carried the body out into the clearing where the camp stood;
  and deposited it in a shallow grave。            As the loose earth fell upon the silent
  form beneath the tell…tale blankets; Albert Werper heaved another sigh of
  reliefhis plan had worked out even better than he had dared hope。
  With Achmet Zek and Mohammed Beyd both dead; the raiders were
  without a leader; and after a brief conference they decided to return into
  the north on visits to the various tribes to which they belonged; Werper;
  after   learning   the   direction   they   intended   taking;   announced   that   for   his
  part;   he   was   going   east   to   the   coast;   and   as   they   knew   of   nothing   he
  possessed which any of them coveted; they signified their willingness that
  he should go his way。
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  As they rode off; he sat his horse in the center of the clearing watching
  them disappear one by one into the jungle; and thanked his God that he
  had at last escaped their villainous clutches。
  When   he   could   no   longer   hear   any   sound   of   them;   he   turned   to   the
  right and rode into the forest toward the tree where he had hidden Lady
  Greystoke;   and   drawing   rein   beneath   it;   called   up   in   a   gay   and   hopeful
  voice a pleasant; 〃Good morning!〃
  There   was   no   reply;   and   though   his   eyes   searched   the   thick   foliage
  above   him;   he   could   see   no   sign   of   the   girl。   Dismounting;   he   quickly
  climbed   into   the   tree;   where   he   could   obtain   a   view   of   all   its   branches。
  The tree was emptyJane Clayton had vanished during the silent watches
  of the jungle night。
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  22
  Tarzan Recovers His Reason
  As Tarzan let the pebbles from the recovered pouch run through his
  fingers; his thoughts returned to the pile of yellow ingots about which the
  Arabs and the Abyssinians had waged their relentless battle。
  What was   there in   common   between that   pile   of dirty  metal   and   the
  beautiful; sparkling pebbles that had formerly been in his pouch?                    What
  was   the   metal?   From   whence   had   it   come?      What   was   that   tantalizing