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"You will give me the cheque I ask," he replied with a snarl, "or neither you nor
your child nor your husband will ever again set foot within any port, civilized or
otherwise."
"I would not trust you," she replied. "What guarantee have I that you would not
take my money and then do as you pleased with me and mine regardless of your
promise?"
"I think you will do as I bid," he said, turning to leave the cabin. "Remember that I
have your son--if you chance to hear the agonized wail of a tortured child it may
console you to reflect that it is because of your stubbornness that the baby
suffers--and that it is your baby."
"You would not do it!" cried the girl. "You would not--could not be so fiendishly
cruel!"
"It is not I that am cruel, but you," he returned, "for you permit a paltry sum of
money to stand between your baby and immunity from suffering."
The end of it was that Jane Clayton wrote out a cheque of large denomination
and handed it to Nikolas Rokoff, who left her cabin with a grin of satisfaction
upon his lips.
The following day the hatch was removed from Tarzan's cell, and as he looked up
he saw Paulvitch's head framed in the square of light above him.
"Come up," commanded the Russian. "But bear in mind that you will be shot if
you make a single move to attack me or any other aboard the ship."
The ape-man swung himself lightly to the deck. About him, but at a respectful
distance, stood a half-dozen sailors armed with rifles and revolvers. Facing him
was Paulvitch.
Tarzan looked about for Rokoff, who he felt sure must be aboard, but there was
no sign of him.
"Lord Greystoke," commenced the Russian, "by your continued and wanton
interference with M. Rokoff and his plans you have at last brought yourself and
your family to this unfortunate extremity. You have only yourself to thank. As
you may imagine, it has cost M. Rokoff a large amount of money to finance this
expedition, and, as you are the sole cause of it, he naturally looks to you for
reimbursement.
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