| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 1 | 41 | 81 | 122 | 162 |
|
www.freeclassicebooks.com
Their very cupidity was to prove the means of their undoing, in the matter of the
ransom at least. Purposely he hesitated and haggled over the amount, but
Paulvitch was obdurate. Finally the ape-man wrote out his cheque for a larger
sum than stood to his credit at the bank.
As he turned to hand the worthless slip of paper to the Russian his glance
chanced to pass across the starboard bow of the Kincaid. To his surprise he saw
that the ship lay within a few hundred yards of land. Almost down to the water's
edge ran a dense tropical jungle, and behind was higher land clothed in forest.
Paulvitch noted the direction of his gaze.
"You are to be set at liberty here," he said.
Tarzan's plan for immediate physical revenge upon the Russian vanished. He
thought the land before him the mainland of Africa, and he knew that should
they liberate him here he could doubtless find his way to civilization with
comparative ease.
Paulvitch took the cheque.
"
Remove your clothing," he said to the ape-man. "Here you will not need it."
Tarzan demurred.
Paulvitch pointed to the armed sailors. Then the Englishman slowly divested
himself of his clothing.
A boat was lowered, and, still heavily guarded, the ape-man was rowed ashore.
Half an hour later the sailors had returned to the Kincaid, and the steamer was
slowly getting under way.
As Tarzan stood upon the narrow strip of beach watching the departure of the
vessel he saw a figure appear at the rail and call aloud to attract his attention.
The ape-man had been about to read a note that one of the sailors had handed
him as the small boat that bore him to the shore was on the point of returning to
the steamer, but at the hail from the vessel's deck he looked up.
He saw a black-bearded man who laughed at him in derision as he held high
above his head the figure of a little child. Tarzan half started as though to rush
through the surf and strike out for the already moving steamer; but realizing the
futility of so rash an act he halted at the water's edge.
Thus he stood, his gaze riveted upon the Kincaid until it disappeared beyond a
projecting promontory of the coast.
1
6
Page
Quick Jump
|