Chapter 13

Son of Tarzan

by Edgar R. Burroughs

CHAPTER 13, SON OF TARZAN by Edgar R. Burroughs
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Meriem, again bound and under heavy guard in Kovudoo's own hut,
saw the night pass and the new day come without bringing the
momentarily looked for return of Korak. She had no doubt but
that he would come back and less still that he would easily
free her from her captivity. To her Korak was little short
of omnipotent. He embodied for her all that was finest and
strongest and best in her savage world. She gloried in his
prowess and worshipped him for the tender thoughtfulness
that always had marked his treatment of her. No other within
the ken of her memory had ever accorded her the love and
gentleness that was his daily offering to her. Most of the
gentler attributes of his early childhood had long since been
forgotten in the fierce battle for existence which the customs
of the mysterious jungle had forced upon him. He was more often
savage and bloodthirsty than tender and kindly. His other friends
of the wild looked for no gentle tokens of his affection. That he
would hunt with them and fight for them was sufficient. If he
growled and showed his fighting fangs when they trespassed upon
his inalienable rights to the fruits of his kills they felt no
anger toward him--only greater respect for the efficient and the
fit--for him who could not only kill but protect the flesh of his kill.

But toward Meriem he always had shown more of his human side.
He killed primarily for her. It was to the feet of Meriem that
he brought the fruits of his labors. It was for Meriem more
than for himself that he squatted beside his flesh and growled
ominously at whosoever dared sniff too closely to it. When he
was cold in the dark days of rain, or thirsty in a prolonged
drouth, his discomfort engendered first of all thoughts of
Meriem's welfare--after she had been made warm, after her
thirst had been slaked, then he turned to the affair of
ministering to his own wants.

The softest skins fell gracefully from the graceful shoulders
of his Meriem. The sweetest-scented grasses lined her bower
where other soft, furry pelts made hers the downiest couch in
all the jungle.

What wonder then that Meriem loved her Korak? But she loved him
as a little sister might love a big brother who was very good
to her. As yet she knew naught of the love of a maid for a man.

So now as she lay waiting for him she dreamed of him and of
all that he meant to her. She compared him with The Sheik,
her father, and at thought of the stern, grizzled, old Arab
she shuddered. Even the savage blacks had been less harsh to
her than he. Not understanding their tongue she could not guess
what purpose they had in keeping her a prisoner. She knew that
man ate man, and she had expected to be eaten; but she had
been with them for some time now and no harm had befallen her.
She did not know that a runner had been dispatched to the distant
village of The Sheik to barter with him for a ransom. She did
not know, nor did Kovudoo, that the runner had never reached
his destination--that he had fallen in with the safari of
Jenssen and Malbihn and with the talkativeness of a native to
other natives had unfolded his whole mission to the black servants
of the two Swedes. These had not been long in retailing the matter
to their masters, and the result was that when the runner left
their camp to continue his journey he had scarce passed from
sight before there came the report of a rifle and he rolled
lifeless into the underbrush with a bullet in his back.

A few moments later Malbihn strolled back into the encampment,
where he went to some pains to let it be known that he had
had a shot at a fine buck and missed. The Swedes knew that
their men hated them, and that an overt act against Kovudoo
would quickly be carried to the chief at the first opportunity.
Nor were they sufficiently strong in either guns or loyal
followers to risk antagonizing the wily old chief.

Following this episode came the encounter with the baboons and
the strange, white savage who had allied himself with the beasts
against the humans. Only by dint of masterful maneuvering and
the expenditure of much power had the Swedes been able to repulse
the infuriated apes, and even for hours afterward their camp was
constantly besieged by hundreds of snarling, screaming devils.

The Swedes, rifles in hand, repelled numerous savage charges
which lacked only efficient leadership to have rendered them as
effective in results as they were terrifying in appearance.
Time and time again the two men thought they saw the smooth-skinned
body of the wild ape-man moving among the baboons in the
forest, and the belief that he might head a charge upon them
proved most disquieting. They would have given much for a
clean shot at him, for to him they attributed the loss of their
specimen and the ugly attitude of the baboons toward them.

"The fellow must be the same we fired on several years ago,"
said Malbihn. "That time he was accompanied by a gorilla.
Did you get a good look at him, Carl?"

"Yes," replied Jenssen. "He was not five paces from me when
I fired at him. He appears to be an intelligent looking
European--and not much more than a lad. There is nothing of
the imbecile or degenerate in his features or expression, as is
usually true in similar cases, where some lunatic escapes into
the woods and by living in filth and nakedness wins the title of
wild man among the peasants of the neighborhood. No, this
fellow is of different stuff--and so infinitely more to be feared.
As much as I should like a shot at him I hope he stays away.
Should he ever deliberately lead a charge against us I wouldn't
give much for our chances if we happened to fail to bag him at
the first rush."

But the white giant did not appear again to lead the baboons
against them, and finally the angry brutes themselves wandered
off into the jungle leaving the frightened safari in peace.

The next day the Swedes set out for Kovudoo's village bent
on securing possession of the person of the white girl whom
Kovudoo's runner had told them lay captive in the chief's village.
How they were to accomplish their end they did not know. Force was
out of the question, though they would not have hesitated to use
it had they possessed it. In former years they had marched
rough shod over enormous areas, taking toll by brute force even
when kindliness or diplomacy would have accomplished more;
but now they were in bad straits--so bad that they had shown
their true colors scarce twice in a year and then only when they
came upon an isolated village, weak in numbers and poor in courage.

Kovudoo was not as these, and though his village was in a
way remote from the more populous district to the north his
power was such that he maintained an acknowledged suzerainty
over the thin thread of villages which connected him with the
savage lords to the north. To have antagonized him would have
spelled ruin for the Swedes. It would have meant that they might
never reach civilization by the northern route. To the west,
the village of The Sheik lay directly in their path, barring
them effectually. To the east the trail was unknown to them,
and to the south there was no trail. So the two Swedes approached
the village of Kovudoo with friendly words upon their tongues and
deep craft in their hearts.

Their plans were well made. There was no mention of the
white prisoner--they chose to pretend that they were not aware
that Kovudoo had a white prisoner. They exchanged gifts with
the old chief, haggling with his plenipotentiaries over the value
of what they were to receive for what they gave, as is customary
and proper when one has no ulterior motives. Unwarranted generosity
would have aroused suspicion.

During the palaver which followed they retailed the gossip of
the villages through which they had passed, receiving in exchange
such news as Kovudoo possessed. The palaver was long and tiresome,
as these native ceremonies always are to Europeans. Kovudoo made
no mention of his prisoner and from his generous offers of guides
and presents seemed anxious to assure himself of the speedy
departure of his guests. It was Malbihn who, quite casually,
near the close of their talk, mentioned the fact that The Sheik
was dead. Kovudoo evinced interest and surprise.

"You did not know it?" asked Malbihn. "That is strange. It was
during the last moon. He fell from his horse when the beast
stepped in a hole. The horse fell upon him. When his men came
up The Sheik was quite dead."

Kovudoo scratched his head. He was much disappointed. No Sheik
meant no ransom for the white girl. Now she was worthless,
unless he utilized her for a feast or--a mate. The latter
thought aroused him. He spat at a small beetle crawling through
the dust before him. He eyed Malbihn appraisingly. These white
men were peculiar. They traveled far from their own villages
without women. Yet he knew they cared for women. But how much did
they care for them?--that was the question that disturbed Kovudoo.

"I know where there is a white girl," he said, unexpectedly.
"If you wish to buy her she may be had cheap."

Malbihn shrugged. "We have troubles enough, Kovudoo," he said,
"without burdening ourselves with an old she-hyena, and as
for paying for one--" Malbihn snapped his fingers in derision.

"She is young," said Kovudoo, "and good looking."

The Swedes laughed. "There are no good looking white women
in the jungle, Kovudoo," said Jenssen. "You should be
ashamed to try to make fun of old friends."

Kovudoo sprang to his feet. "Come," he said, "I will show
you that she is all I say."

Malbihn and Jenssen rose to follow him and as they did so their
eyes met, and Malbihn slowly drooped one of his lids in a sly wink.
Together they followed Kovudoo toward his hut. In the dim
interior they discerned the figure of a woman lying bound upon
a sleeping mat.

Malbihn took a single glance and turned away. "She must be
a thousand years old, Kovudoo," he said, as he left the hut.

"She is young," cried the savage. "It is dark in here.
You cannot see. Wait, I will have her brought out into the
sunlight," and he commanded the two warriors who watched the
girl to cut the bonds from her ankles and lead her forth
for inspection.

Malbihn and Jenssen evinced no eagerness, though both were
fairly bursting with it--not to see the girl but to obtain
possession of her. They cared not if she had the face of
a marmoset, or the figure of pot-bellied Kovudoo himself.
All that they wished to know was that she was the girl
who had been stolen from The Sheik several years before.
They thought that they would recognize her for such if she
was indeed the same, but even so the testimony of the runner
Kovudoo had sent to The Sheik was such as to assure them that
the girl was the one they had once before attempted to abduct.

As Meriem was brought forth from the darkness of the hut's
interior the two men turned with every appearance of
disinterestedness to glance at her. It was with difficulty
that Malbihn suppressed an ejaculation of astonishment.
The girl's beauty fairly took his breath from him; but
instantly he recovered his poise and turned to Kovudoo.

"Well?" he said to the old chief.

"Is she not both young and good looking?" asked Kovudoo.

"She is not old," replied Malbihn; "but even so she will be
a burden. We did not come from the north after wives--there
are more than enough there for us."

Meriem stood looking straight at the white men. She expected
nothing from them--they were to her as much enemies as the
black men. She hated and feared them all. Malbihn spoke to her
in Arabic.

"We are friends," he said. "Would you like to have us take
you away from here?"

Slowly and dimly as though from a great distance recollection
of the once familiar tongue returned to her.

"I should like to go free," she said, "and go back to Korak."

"You would like to go with us?" persisted Malbihn.

"No," said Meriem.

Malbihn turned to Kovudoo. "She does not wish to go with us,"
he said.

"You are men," returned the black. "Can you not take her
by force?"

"It would only add to our troubles," replied the Swede.
"No, Kovudoo, we do not wish her; though, if you wish to
be rid of her, we will take her away because of our friendship
for you."

Now Kovudoo knew that he had made a sale. They wanted her.
So he commenced to bargain, and in the end the person of
Meriem passed from the possession of the black chieftain into
that of the two Swedes in consideration of six yards of Amerikan,
three empty brass cartridge shells and a shiny, new jack
knife from New Jersey. And all but Meriem were more than
pleased with the bargain.

Kovudoo stipulated but a single condition and that was that
the Europeans were to leave his village and take the girl
with them as early the next morning as they could get started.
After the sale was consummated he did not hesitate to explain his
reasons for this demand. He told them of the strenuous attempt
of the girl's savage mate to rescue her, and suggested that the
sooner they got her out of the country the more likely they were
to retain possession of her.

Meriem was again bound and placed under guard, but this
time in the tent of the Swedes. Malbihn talked to her, trying to
persuade her to accompany them willingly. He told her that they
would return her to her own village; but when he discovered that
she would rather die than go back to the old sheik, he assured
her that they would not take her there, nor, as a matter of fact,
had they had an intention of so doing. As he talked with the girl
the Swede feasted his eyes upon the beautiful lines of her face
and figure. She had grown tall and straight and slender toward
maturity since he had seen her in The Sheik's village on that
long gone day. For years she had represented to him a certain
fabulous reward. In his thoughts she had been but the
personification of the pleasures and luxuries that many francs
would purchase. Now as she stood before him pulsing with life and
loveliness she suggested other seductive and alluring possibilities.
He came closer to her and laid his hand upon her. The girl
shrank from him. He seized her and she struck him heavily in
the mouth as he sought to kiss her. Then Jenssen entered the tent.

"Malbihn!" he almost shouted. "You fool!"

Sven Malbihn released his hold upon the girl and turned toward
his companion. His face was red with mortification.

"What the devil are you trying to do?" growled Jenssen.
"Would you throw away every chance for the reward? If we
maltreat her we not only couldn't collect a sou, but they'd send
us to prison for our pains. I thought you had more sense, Malbihn."

"I'm not a wooden man," growled Malbihn.

"You'd better be," rejoined Jenssen, "at least until we have
delivered her over in safety and collected what will be coming
to us."

"Oh, hell," cried Malbihn. "What's the use? They'll be glad
enough to have her back, and by the time we get there with her
she'll be only too glad to keep her mouth shut. Why not?"

"Because I say not," growled Jenssen. "I've always let you
boss things, Sven; but here's a case where what I say has got to
go--because I'm right and you're wrong, and we both know it."

"You're getting damned virtuous all of a sudden," growled Malbihn.
"Perhaps you think I have forgotten about the inn keeper's
daughter, and little Celella, and that nigger at--"

"Shut up!" snapped Jenssen. "It's not a matter of virtue and
you are as well aware of that as I. I don't want to quarrel with
you, but so help me God, Sven, you're not going to harm this
girl if I have to kill you to prevent it. I've suffered and slaved
and been nearly killed forty times in the last nine or ten years
trying to accomplish what luck has thrown at our feet at last,
and now I'm not going to be robbed of the fruits of success
because you happen to be more of a beast than a man. Again I
warn you, Sven--" and he tapped the revolver that swung in its
holster at his hip.

Malbihn gave his friend an ugly look, shrugged his shoulders,
and left the tent. Jenssen turned to Meriem.

"If he bothers you again, call me," he said. "I shall always
be near."

The girl had not understood the conversation that had been
carried on by her two owners, for it had been in Swedish; but
what Jenssen had just said to her in Arabic she understood and
from it grasped an excellent idea of what had passed between
the two. The expressions upon their faces, their gestures,
and Jenssen's final tapping of his revolver before Malbihn
had left the tent had all been eloquent of the seriousness of
their altercation. Now, toward Jenssen she looked for friendship,
and with the innocence of youth she threw herself upon his mercy,
begging him to set her free, that she might return to Korak and her
jungle life; but she was doomed to another disappointment, for
the man only laughed at her roughly and told her that if she tried
to escape she would be punished by the very thing that he had
just saved her from.

All that night she lay listening for a signal from Korak. All about
the jungle life moved through the darkness. To her sensitive ears
came sounds that the others in the camp could not hear--sounds
that she interpreted as we might interpret the speech of a friend,
but not once came a single note that reflected the presence
of Korak. But she knew that he would come. Nothing short of
death itself could prevent her Korak from returning for her.
What delayed him though?

When morning came again and the night had brought no succoring
Korak, Meriem's faith and loyalty were still unshaken though
misgivings began to assail her as to the safety of her friend.
It seemed unbelievable that serious mishap could have
overtaken her wonderful Korak who daily passed unscathed
through all the terrors of the jungle. Yet morning came, the
morning meal was eaten, the camp broken and the disreputable
safari of the Swedes was on the move northward with still no
sign of the rescue the girl momentarily expected.

All that day they marched, and the next and the next, nor did
Korak even so much as show himself to the patient little waiter
moving, silently and stately, beside her hard captors.

Malbihn remained scowling and angry. He replied to Jenssen's
friendly advances in curt monosyllables. To Meriem he did
not speak, but on several occasions she discovered him glaring
at her from beneath half closed lids--greedily. The look sent a
shudder through her. She hugged Geeka closer to her breast and
doubly regretted the knife that they had taken from her when
she was captured by Kovudoo.

It was on the fourth day that Meriem began definitely to
give up hope. Something had happened to Korak. She knew it.
He would never come now, and these men would take her far away.
Presently they would kill her. She would never see her Korak again.

On this day the Swedes rested, for they had marched rapidly
and their men were tired. Malbihn and Jenssen had gone from
camp to hunt, taking different directions. They had been gone
about an hour when the door of Meriem's tent was lifted and
Malbihn entered. The look of a beast was on his face.