Tarzan of the apes ep : 2
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
British (England - East Midlands, Leicester) British (General)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
Chapter two of Tarzan of the Apes. This is a lever box recording. All labour box recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Lieber box dot or GE. This recording is by Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs chapter to the Savage home. Nor did they have long to wait for the next morning, as Clayton was emerging on deck for his accustomed walk before breakfast, a shot rang out, and then another and another. The site, which met his eyes, confirmed his worst fears. Facing the little knot of officers was thie entire motley crew of the far wall tha, and at their head stood black Michael. At the first volley from the officers, the men ran for shelter and from points advantage behind masts, wheelhouse and cabin. They returned the fire of the five men who represented the hated authority of this ship. Two of their number had gone down before the captain's revolver. They lay where they had fallen between the combatants, but then the first mate lunged forward upon his face and add a cry of command from black Michael, the mutineers charged the remaining four. The crew have been able to muster but six firearms, so most of them were armed with boat hooks, access hatches and crowbars. The captain had emptied his revolver and was reloading as the charge was made. The second mates gun had jammed. And so there were but two weapons opposed to the mutineers as they bore down upon the officers, who now started to give back before the infuriated rush of their men, both sides were cursing and swearing in a frightful manner, which, together with the reports of the firearms and the screams and groans of the wounded, turned the deck of the fool Waldo into the likeness of a mad house. Before the officers had taken a dozen backward steps, the men were upon them on acts in the hands of a burly ***** cleft, the captain from forehead to chin, and an instant later, the others were down, dead or wounded from dozens of blows and bullet wounds. Short and grisly have been the work of the mutineers of the Fulda, and through it all, John Clayton had stood leaning carelessly beside the companion way, puffing meditative Li upon his pipe. as though he'd been. But watching an indifferent cricket match as the last officer went down, he thought it was time that he returned to his wife less. Some members of the crew find her alone below. Though outwardly calm and indifferent, Clayton was inwardly apprehensive and wrought up, for he feared for his wife's safety at the hands of these ignorant half brutes into whose hands fate had so remorselessly thrown them as he turned to descend. The latter, he was surprised to see his wife standing on the steps, almost at his side. How long have you been here, Alice? Since the beginning, she replied. How awful, John. Oh, how awful. What can we hope for it? The hands of such a cz? Those breakfast, I hope, smiling bravely in an attempt to allay her fears. At least, he added, I'm going to ask them, Come with me, Alice. We must not let them think. We expect any but courteous treatment. The men had by this time surrounded the dead and wounded officers and without either partiality or compassion, proceeded to throw both living and dead over the sides of the vessel with equal heartlessness. They disposed of their own dead and dying. Presently, one of the crew's spied the approaching Clayton's and when the cry of his tomb awful, the fishes rushed towards them with uplifted acts. But black Michael was even quicker so that the fellow went down with a bullet in his back. Before he had taken 1/2 dozen steps with a loud roar. Black Michael attracted the attention of the others and pointing The Lord and Lady Graystone cried. These here are my friends and our to be left alone. Do you understand? I'm captain of the ship now, and what I says goes, he added, turning to Clayton. Just keep to yourselves and nobody our army. And he looked threatening Lee on his fellows. The Clayton's heated black Michael's instructions so well that they saw but little of the crew and knew nothing of the plans the men were making. Occasionally, they heard faint echoes of brawls and quarrelling among the mutineers, and on two occasions the vicious bark of firearms rang out on the still air. But black Michael was a fit leader for this band of cutthroats and with all held them in fair subjection to his rule on the fifth day following the murder of the ship's officers, Land was cited by the look out whether Islander mainland Black Michael did not know. But he announced **** Clayton that if investigation showed that the place was habitable, he and Lady Graystone were to be put ashore with their belongings. You'll be all right there for a few months, he explained, and by that time we'll have been able to make an inhabited coast somewhere and scatter a bit. Then I'll see that your government's notified where you be, and as soon as the man of water fetching off, it would be a hard matter to land you in a civilisation without a lot of questions being asked. And none of us here has any very convincing answers up all sleeves, Clayton reminisced, rated against the inhumanity of landing them upon an unknown shore to be left to the mercies of savage beasts and possibly still more savage men. But his words were of no avail and only tended to anger black Michael. So he is forced to desist and make the best he could of a bad situation. About three o'clock in the afternoon that came about off a beautiful wooded shore opposite the mouth of what appeared to be a landlocked harbour. Black Michael sent a small boat filled with men to sound the entrance in an effort to determine if the fool Waldo could be safely work through the entrance. In about an hour, they returned and reported deep water through the passage as well as far into the little basin. Before dark, the barking teen lay peacefully at anchor upon the bosom of the still mirror like surface of the harbour. The surrounding shores were beautiful, was semi tropical Virge you're while in the distance the country rose from the ocean and hill and table land almost uniformly clothed by Primaeval forest. No signs of habitation were visible, but that the land might easily support human life was evidenced by the abundant bird and animal life of which the watchers on the wall is. Deck caught occasional glimpses, as well as by the shimmer of a little river, which emptied into the harbour and sharing freshwater in plenitude. As darkness settled upon the earth, Clayton and Lady Alice still stood by the ship's rail and salad contemplation of their future abode from the dark shadows of the mighty forest came the wild calls of savage beasts, the deep roar of the lion and occasionally, the shrill scream of a panther. The woman shrank closer to the man and terror stricken anticipation of the horrors lying in wait for them in the awful blackness of the nights to come when they should be alone upon that wild and lonely. Sure, later in the evening, black Michael joined them long enough to instruct them to make their preparations for landing on the morrow. They tried to persuade him to take them to some more hospitable coast, near enough to civilisation so that they might hope to fall into friendly hands. But no, please, or threats or promises of reward could move him. I am the only man on board who would not rather see both safely dead. And while I know that's the sensible way to make sure of our own necks yet black Michael's not the man to forget a favour. You saved my life wants, and in return I'm going to spare yours, and that's all I can do. The men won't stand for any more, and if we don't get you landed pretty quick, they may even change their minds about giving you that much show. I put all your stuff ashore with you, as well as cooking utensils and some old sales for tents and enough grub to last you until you can find fruit in game with your guns for protection, you ought to be ableto live here easy enough until help comes. When I get safely hid away, I'll see to it that the British government learns about where you be for the life of me. I couldn't tell him exactly where for. I don't know myself, but they'll find you all right. After he had left them, they went silently below, each wrapped in gloomy foreboding. Sze Clayton did not believe that Black Michael had the slightest intention of notifying the British government of their whereabouts. Nor was he any too sure but that some treachery was contemplated for the following day, when they should be on shore with the sailors who would have to accompany them with their belongings. Once out of black Michael Sight, any of the men might strike them down and still leave black Michael's conscience clear and even should they escape that fate? Was it not but to be faced with far graver dangers alone, he might hope to survive for years, for he was a strong athletic man. But what of Alice and that other little life so soon to be launched amidst the hardships and grave dangers of a primaeval world? The man shuddered as he meditated upon the awful gravity, the fearful helplessness of their situation. But it was a merciful providence, which prevented him from forcing the hideous reality, which awaited them in the grim depths of that gloomy wood early next morning. There, numerous chests and boxes were hoisted on deck and lowered to waiting small boats for transportation to shore. There was a great quantity and variety of stuff, as Clayton said, expected a possible 5 to 8 years residents in their new home. Thus, in addition to the many necessities they had brought, there were also many luxuries. Black Michael was determined that nothing belonging to the Clayton's should be left on board, whether out of compassion for them or in furtherance of his own self interests, it would be difficult to say there was no question but that the presence of property of a missing British official upon a suspicious vessel would have been a difficult thing to explain in any civilised port in the world. So zealous was he and his efforts to carry out his intentions that he insisted upon the return of Clayton's revolvers to him by the sailors and whose possession they were into. The small boats were also loaded salt, meats and biscuit with a small supply of potatoes and beans, matches and cooking vessels, a chest of tools. And the old sales, which Black Michael had promised them, as though himself. Fearing the very thing which Clayton had suspected, Black Michael accompanied them to shore and was the last to leave them when the small boats, having filled the ship's cask with fresh water, were pushed out toward the waiting for Waller. As the boats moves slowly over the smooth waters of the bay, Clayton and his wife stood silently, watching their departure in the breast of both a feeling of impending disaster and utter hopelessness, and behind them over the edge of a low ridge, other eyes watched close set wicked eyes gleaming beneath shaggy brows as the fall to pass through the narrow entrance to the harbour and out of sight behind a projecting point, Lady Alice threw her arms about Clayton's neck and burst into uncontrolled sobs bravely. Had she faced the dangers of the mutiny with heroic fortitude, she had looked into the terrible future. But now that the horror of absolute solitude was upon them, her overwrought nerves gave way, and the reaction came. He did not attempt to cheque her tears. It were better than nature have her way in relieving these long pending motions. And it was many minutes before the girl, a little more than a child, she wass could again gained mastery of herself. Ho, Jon! She cried. It last the horror of it. What are we do? What are we to do? There is but one thing to do. Alice and he spoke as quietly as though they were sitting in their snug living room at home. And that is work. Work must be our salvation. We must not give ourselves time to think. For in that direction lies madness. We must work in weight. I am sure that relief will come and come quickly when once it is apparent that the fool Waldo has been lost, even though Black Michael does not keep his word to us. But John, if it were only you and I, she sought we could endure it. I know, but yes, dear, he answered gently. I have been thinking of that also. But we must face it as we must face whatever comes bravely and with the utmost confidence in our ability to cope with circumstances. Whatever they may be hundreds of thousands of years ago, our ancestors of the dim and distant past face the same problems which we must face possibly in these same primaeval forests that we are here today. Evidence is their victory. What they did, may we not do and even better for are we not armed with ages of superior knowledge? And have we not the means of protection, defence and sustenance which science has given us but of which they were totally ignorant? What they accomplished Dallas with instruments and weapons of stone and bone. Suri that may we accomplish also, hotshot. I wish that I might be a man with a man's philosophy. But I am but a woman sing with my heart rather than my head and all that I can see is too horrible to unthinkable. to put into words. I can only hope you're right, John. I will do my best to be a brave primaeval woman fit mate for the Primaeval man. Clayton's first thought was to arrange a sleeping shelter for the night, something which might serve to protect them from prowling beasts of prey. He opened the box containing his rifles and ammunition that they might both be armed against possible attack while at work. And then together they sought a location for their first night. Sleeping place, 100 yards from the beach was a little level spot fairly free of trees here. They decided eventually to build a permanent house. But for the time being, they both thought it best to construct a little platform and the trees out of reach of the larger of the savage beasts in homes realm they were. To this end, Clayton selected four trees, which formed a rectangle about eight feet square and cutting long branches from other trees. He constructed a framework around them about 10 feet from the ground, fastening the ends of the branches securely to the trees by means of rope, a quantity of which black Michael had furnished him from the hold of the Fulda. Across this framework, Clayton placed other, smaller branches quite close together. This platform he paved with the huge fronds of elephants here, which grew in profusion about them and over the Franz. He laid a great sale, folded into several thicknesses, seven feet higher. He constructed a similar the lighter platform to serve as roof, and from the sides of this, he suspended the balance of his sail cloth for walls. When completed, he had a rather snug little nest to which they carried their blankets and some of the lighter luggage. It was now late in the afternoon, and the balance of the daylight hours were devoted to the building of a rude ladder by means of which Lady Alice could mount to her new home. All during the day, the forest about them have been filled with excited birds of brilliant plumage and dancing chattering monkeys who watched these new arrivals. And they're wonderful nest building operations with every mark of Keenest interest and fascination notwithstanding that both Clayton and his wife kept a sharp look out. They saw nothing of larger animals, though on two occasions they had seen their little simian neighbours come screaming and chattering from the nearby ridge, casting frightened glances back over the little shoulders and events. Ing is plainly as though by speech that they were fleeing some terrible thing, which lay concealed there. Just before dusk, Clayton finished his ladder and filling a great basin with water from the nearby stream. The two mounted to the comparative safety of their aerial chamber. As it was quite warm. Clayton had left side curtains thrown back over the roof, and as they sat like Turks upon their blankets, Lady Alice, straining her eyes into the darkening shadows of the wood, suddenly reached out and grasp Clayton's arms. John, she whispered. Look, what is it? A man? As Clayton turned his eyes in the direction, she indicated he saw silhouetted dimly against the shadows beyond a great figure, standing upright upon the rich for a moment, it stood as the listening and then turned slowly and melted into the shadows of the jungle. What is it, John? I do not know Alice, he answered. Gravely is too dark to see so far, and it may have been, but a shadow cast by the rising moon. No, John. If It was not a man. It was some huge and grotesque mockery of mad. Oh, I am afraid. He gathered her into his arms, whispering words of courage and love into her years. Soon after, he lowered the curtain walls, tying them securely to the trees so that, except for little opening toward the beach, they were entirely enclosed, as it was now pitch dark within their tiny airy, they lay down upon their blankets to try to gain through sleep, a brief respite of forgetfulness. Clayton lay facing the opening at the front, a rifle and abrasive revolvers at his hand. Scarcely had they closed their eyes than the terrifying cry of a panther rang out from the jungle of behind them. Closer and closer, it came until they could hear the great beast directly beneath them. For an hour or more, they heard it sniffing and clawing at the trees, which supported their platform. But at last it roamed away across the beach, where Clayton could see it clearly in the brilliant moonlight, a great handsome beast, the largest he had ever seen. During the long hours of darkness, they caught but fitful snatches of sleep for the night noises of a great jungle teeming with myriad animal life kept their overwrought nerves on edge so that 100 times they were startled to wakefulness by piercing screams or the stealthy moving of great bodies beneath them. End of chapter.