Adventure stories; Fantasy fiction; Tarzan (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
The warriors who had followed close behind Tarzan the instant that
there was no further need for caution were already surrounding the
antelope, where they were talking with much more excitement than Tarzan
had seen them display upon any previous occasion, their interest
seemingly centered about the death dealing projectiles that had so
easily laid the great animal low, for to them this antelope was as
large as would be the largest elephant to us; and as they caught the
ape-man's eye they smiled and rubbed their palms together very rapidly
with a circular motion, an act which Tarzan assumed to be in the nature
of applause.
Having withdrawn his arrows and returned them to his quiver Tarzan
signed to the leader of the detachment that he would borrow his rapier.
For an instant the man seemed to hesitate and all his fellows watched
him intently, but he drew the sword and passed it hilt foremost to the
ape-man. If you are going to eat flesh raw while it is still warm you
do not bleed the carcass, nor did Tarzan in this instance. Instead he
merely cut off a hind quarter, sliced off what he wanted and fell to
devouring it hungrily.
The little men viewed his act with surprise not unmixed with horror
and when he offered them some of the flesh they refused it and drew
away. What their reaction he could not know, but he guessed that they
held a strong aversion to the eating of raw meat. Later he was to learn
that their revulsion was due to the fact that within the entire range
of their experience, here-to-fore, the only creatures that devoured
raw meat devoured the pygmies as well. When, therefore, they saw this
mighty giant eating the flesh of his kill raw they could not but draw
the conclusion that should he become sufficiently hungry he would eat
them.
Wrapping some of the meat of the antelope in its own skin Tarzan
secured it to his back and the party resumed its journey. The warriors
now seemed troubled and as they conversed in low tones they cast many
backward glances in the direction of the ape-man. They were not afraid
for themselves, for these warriors scarcely knew the meaning of fear.
The question that caused them apprehension related to the wisdom of
leading among their people such a huge devourer of raw flesh, who, at a
single hurried meal, had eaten the equivalent of a grown man.
The afternoon was drawing to a close when Tarzan discerned in the
far distance what appeared to be a group of symmetrical, dome-shaped
hillocks and later, as they approached these, he saw a body of mounted
warriors galloping to meet them. From his greater height he saw these
before the others saw them, and attracting the officer's attention made
signs apprising the latter of his discovery, but the oncoming warriors
were hidden from the view of their fellows by the inequalities of the
ground.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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