登陆注册
15328900000038

第38章

But there was that which had raised him far above his fellows of the jungle--that little spark which spells the whole vast difference between man and brute--Reason.This it was which saved him from death beneath the iron muscles and tearing fangs of Terkoz.

Scarcely had they fought a dozen seconds ere they were rolling upon the ground, striking, tearing and rending--two great savage beasts battling to the death.

Terkoz had a dozen knife wounds on head and breast, and Tarzan was torn and bleeding--his scalp in one place half torn from his head so that a great piece hung down over one eye, obstructing his vision.

But so far the young Englishman had been able to keep those horrible fangs from his jugular and now, as they fought less fiercely for a moment, to regain their breath, Tarzan formed a cunning plan.He would work his way to the other's back and, clinging there with tooth and nail, drive his knife home until Terkoz was no more.

The maneuver was accomplished more easily than he had hoped, for the stupid beast, not knowing what Tarzan was attempting, made no particular effort to prevent the accomplishment of the design.

But when, finally, he realized that his antagonist was fastened to him where his teeth and fists alike were useless against him, Terkoz hurled himself about upon the ground so violently that Tarzan could but cling desperately to the leaping, turning, twisting body, and ere he had struck a blow the knife was hurled from his hand by a heavy impact against the earth, and Tarzan found himself defenseless.

During the rollings and squirmings of the next few minutes, Tarzan's hold was loosened a dozen times until finally an accidental circumstance of those swift and everchanging evolutions gave him a new hold with his right hand, which he realized was absolutely unassailable.

His arm was passed beneath Terkoz's arm from behind and his hand and forearm encircled the back of Terkoz's neck.It was the half-Nelson of modern wrestling which the untaught ape-man had stumbled upon, but superior reason showed him in an instant the value of the thing he had discovered.It was the difference to him between life and death.

And so he struggled to encompass a similar hold with the left hand, and in a few moments Terkoz's bull neck was creaking beneath a full-Nelson.

There was no more lunging about now.The two lay perfectly still upon the ground, Tarzan upon Terkoz's back.Slowly the bullet head of the ape was being forced lower and lower upon his chest.

Tarzan knew what the result would be.In an instant the neck would break.Then there came to Terkoz's rescue the same thing that had put him in these sore straits--a man's reasoning power.

"If I kill him," thought Tarzan, "what advantage will it be to me? Will it not rob the tribe of a great fighter? And if Terkoz be dead, he will know nothing of my supremacy, while alive he will ever be an example to the other apes.""KA-GODA?" hissed Tarzan in Terkoz's ear, which, in ape tongue, means, freely translated: "Do you surrender?"For a moment there was no reply, and Tarzan added a few more ounces of pressure, which elicited a horrified shriek of pain from the great beast.

"KA-GODA?" repeated Tarzan.

"KA-GODA!" cried Terkoz.

"Listen," said Tarzan, easing up a trifle, but not releasing his hold."I am Tarzan, King of the Apes, mighty hunter, mighty fighter.In all the jungle there is none so great.

"You have said: `KA-GODA' to me.All the tribe have heard.

Quarrel no more with your king or your people, for next time I shall kill you.Do you understand?""HUH," assented Terkoz.

"And you are satisfied?"

"HUH," said the ape.

Tarzan let him up, and in a few minutes all were back at their vocations, as though naught had occurred to mar the tranquility of their primeval forest haunts.

But deep in the minds of the apes was rooted the conviction that Tarzan was a mighty fighter and a strange creature.

Strange because he had had it in his power to kill his enemy, but had allowed him to live--unharmed.

That afternoon as the tribe came together, as was their wont before darkness settled on the jungle, Tarzan, his wounds washed in the waters of the stream, called the old males about him.

"You have seen again to-day that Tarzan of the Apes is the greatest among you," he said.

"HUH," they replied with one voice, "Tarzan is great.""Tarzan," he continued, "is not an ape.He is not like his people.His ways are not their ways, and so Tarzan is going back to the lair of his own kind by the waters of the great lake which has no farther shore.You must choose another to rule you, for Tarzan will not return."And thus young Lord Greystoke took the first step toward the goal which he had set--the finding of other white men like himself.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 腹黑娇妻:老公,绯闻见

    腹黑娇妻:老公,绯闻见

    她喜欢他,发奋与他成为同桌。终于,在一次聚会上,她给他下药,和他睡在一起。五年后,她成为歌后苏沐,他是微博拥有无数女友粉、女儿粉的“国民男神”,她和他闹出绯闻,还成为他的“妹妹”。突然有一天,他宣布她与他的婚姻,小公主的身份也被曝光。女友粉和女儿粉们痛哭流涕,那些不支持“兄妹CP”的人纷纷被打脸。
  • 王俊凯我爱的是你爱的我

    王俊凯我爱的是你爱的我

    爱上一个人很容易,忘掉一个人却很难。珍惜彼此,时间是最大的情敌。
  • 娱乐大推手

    娱乐大推手

    以日本东京为起点,吴优一步步实践重生的意义:追逐曾经的梦想!
  • 都市之通天武帝

    都市之通天武帝

    唤醒沉睡的记忆,宅男少年变身高武尊者。这一世傲笑群雄、快意恩怨情仇,诛鬼魅、灭奸邪、重返武道巅峰。
  • Manon Lescaut

    Manon Lescaut

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 异耳闻

    异耳闻

    她是一个能听见奇怪“声音”的一般人。他是一个被称作为道士的警察。这世上,总有些奇奇怪怪的事,有些奇奇怪怪的人。
  • 裁决之主

    裁决之主

    穿越携带系统,强大无需理由。江立重生在这个武道至上,强者无数,种族争霸的世界。拥有系统,就拥有一切。“超级布欧血脉、直死之魔眼、先天灵宝---未来之翼、主神神格、黑洞陨灭炮、大陆震荡架、无上神通---苍穹之手.....”一切你想到的,你想不到的,统统存在。“没错,我就是最终的裁决之主。”---江立======新书,裁决之主,求收藏,求推荐。
  • 阴阳师之我是安倍晴明

    阴阳师之我是安倍晴明

    安倍晴明,一流纨绔,二流名媛,三流阴阳师。她,不愿被权势玩弄于股掌之间,不甘舍身取义而功归他人,不喜因女为悦己者容而强迫自己,宁为纨绔,不做玉姝。她只为自己的信仰而活,管你魑魅魍魉,管你碧落黄泉,一符之间全化为乌有。---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------茨木:只要你想要的,我都可以给你。天狗:你是唯一一个让我动心的女人。莹草:哥哥好像春天的太阳公公一样。妖刀:我会让所有伤害你的人,去死。博雅:我可以一直等,直到你注意我。
  • 男神宠妻无度:老婆快到怀里来

    男神宠妻无度:老婆快到怀里来

    “夏夏,过来!”某男慵懒的坐在沙发上勾着手指,某女和比熊都屁颠屁颠的跑了过去,此时某女才反应过来大吼道:“你居然把你家的狗取名夏夏!我不干了,离婚!”某男挑眉道:“想离婚可以,先爬起来再说!”于是某女被扔到了床上=_=男女主角身心干净,欢迎入坑。
  • 都市狂少

    都市狂少

    偶喜欢美女。偶不是好色之徒。美女喜欢偶,这不是罪过吧?机缘巧合,是祸是福?千里逃亡,异界纵横。是非善恶,一念之间。