第58章

The Ivory Raiders Waziri's warriors marched at a rapid trot through the jungle in the direction of the village.For a few minutes, the sharp cracking of guns ahead warned them to haste, but finally the reports dwindled to an occasional shot, presently ceasing altogether.Nor was this less ominous than the rattle of musketry, for it suggested but a single solution to the little band of rescuers--that the illy garrisoned village had already succumbed to the onslaught of a superior force.

The returning hunters had covered a little more than three miles of the five that had separated them from the village when they met the first of the fugitives who had escaped the bullets and clutches of the foe.There were a dozen women, youths, and girls in the party, and so excited were they that they could scarce make themselves understood as they tried to relate to Waziri the calamity that had befallen his people.

"They are as many as the leaves of the forest," cried one of the women, in attempting to explain the enemy's force.

"There are many Arabs and countless Manyuema, and they all have guns.They crept close to the village before we knew that they were about, and then, with many shouts, they rushed in upon us, shooting down men, and women, and children.Those of us who could fled in all directions into the jungle, but more were killed.I do not know whether they took any prisoners or not--they seemed only bent upon killing us all.The Manyuema called us many names, saying that they would eat us all before they left our country--that this was our punishment for killing their friends last year.I did not hear much, for I ran away quickly."The march toward the village was now resumed, more slowly and with greater stealth, for Waziri knew that it was too late to rescue--their only mission could be one of revenge.

Inside the next mile a hundred more fugitives were met.

There were many men among these, and so the fighting strength of the party was augmented.

Now a dozen warriors were sent creeping ahead to reconnoiter.

Waziri remained with the main body, which advanced in a thin line that spread in a great crescent through the forest.

By the chief's side walked Tarzan.

Presently one of the scouts returned.He had come within sight of the village.

"They are all within the palisade," he whispered.

"Good!" said Waziri."We shall rush in upon them and slay them all," and he made ready to send word along the line that they were to halt at the edge of the clearing until they saw him rush toward the village--then all were to follow.

"Wait!" cautioned Tarzan."If there are even fifty guns within the palisade we shall be repulsed and slaughtered.

Let me go alone through the trees, so that I may look down upon them from above, and see just how many there be, and what chance we might have were we to charge.It were foolish to lose a single man needlessly if there be no hope of success.

I have an idea that we can accomplish more by cunning than by force.Will you wait, Waziri?""Yes," said the old chief."Go!"

So Tarzan sprang into the trees and disappeared in the direction of the village.He moved more cautiously than was his wont, for he knew that men with guns could reach him quite as easily in the treetops as on the ground.And when Tarzan of the Apes elected to adopt stealth, no creature in all the jungle could move so silently or so completely efface himself from the sight of an enemy.

In five minutes he had wormed his way to the great tree that overhung the palisade at one end of the village, and from his point of vantage looked down upon the savage horde beneath.He counted fifty Arabs and estimated that there were five times as many Manyuema.The latter were gorging themselves upon food and, under the very noses of their white masters, preparing the gruesome feast which is the PIECE DE RESISTANCE that follows a victory in which the bodies of their slain enemies fall into their horrid hands.

The ape-man saw that to charge that wild horde, armed as they were with guns, and barricaded behind the locked gates of the village, would be a futile task, and so he returned to Waziri and advised him to wait; that he, Tarzan, had a better plan.

But a moment before one of the fugitives had related to Waziri the story of the atrocious murder of the old chief's wife, and so crazed with rage was the old man that he cast discretion to the winds.Calling his warriors about him, he commanded them to charge, and, with brandishing spears and savage yells, the little force of scarcely more than a hundred dashed madly toward the village gates.Before the clearing had been half crossed the Arabs opened up a withering fire from behind the palisade.

With the first volley Waziri fell.The speed of the chargers slackened.Another volley brought down a half dozen more.A few reached the barred gates, only to be shot in their tracks, without the ghost of a chance to gain the inside of the palisade, and then the whole attack crumpled, and the remaining warriors scampered back into the forest.

As they ran the raiders opened the gates, rushing after them, to complete the day's work with the utter extermination of the tribe.Tarzan had been among the last to turn back toward the forest, and now, as he ran slowly, he turned from time to time to speed a well-aimed arrow into the body of a pursuer.

Once within the jungle, he found a little knot of determined blacks waiting to give battle to the oncoming horde, but Tarzan cried to them to scatter, keeping out of harm's way until they could gather in force after dark.

"Do as I tell you," he urged, "and I will lead you to victory over these enemies of yours.Scatter through the forest, picking up as many stragglers as you can find, and at night, if you think that you have been followed, come by roundabout ways to the spot where we killed the elephants today.

Then I will explain my plan, and you will find that it is good.