The Son Of Tarzan

Edgar Rice Burroughs

ESL Easy Read

Reading Comprehension B1 • Original Text • Português Support

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Fonte original — domínio público

Esta edição ESL Easy Read foi adaptada a partir de The Son Of Tarzan, de Edgar Rice Burroughs, publicado originalmente em data não informada.

A obra original encontra-se em domínio público e pode ser utilizada, reproduzida, distribuída e adaptada de acordo com a legislação aplicável.

Autor

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950)

Estados Unidos

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Verifique a data de publicação e o status de domínio público nos Estados Unidos nas fontes indicadas abaixo.

Brasil

Autor: Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950)

De acordo com a Lei nº 9.610/1998, os direitos patrimoniais expiram 70 anos após a morte do autor, contados a partir de 1º de janeiro do ano seguinte ao falecimento.

Edgar Rice Burroughs faleceu em 1950.

Situação no Brasil: DOMÍNIO PÚBLICO.

Portugal

Autor: Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950)

De acordo com o Código do Direito de Autor e dos Direitos Conexos, a proteção patrimonial dura 70 anos após a morte do autor.

Edgar Rice Burroughs faleceu em 1950.

Situação em Portugal: DOMÍNIO PÚBLICO.

Dados da publicação original

Obra original: The Son Of Tarzan

Autor: Edgar Rice Burroughs

Primeira publicação: data não informada

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Esta adaptação ESL Easy Read

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Introdução

Como ler este livro

Cada livro desta coleção é apresentado em um nível de leitura simplificada, de acordo com o CEFR — Quadro Europeu Comum de Referência para Línguas.

A2 — Básico: indicado para leitores que já compreendem frases simples, vocabulário frequente e textos curtos sobre situações do cotidiano.

B1 — Intermediário: indicado para leitores que conseguem compreender as ideias principais de textos claros e acompanhar uma narrativa com vocabulário e estruturas de dificuldade moderada.

B2 — Intermediário avançado: indicado para leitores que já conseguem compreender textos mais complexos, acompanhar descrições detalhadas e reconhecer uma variedade maior de vocabulário e estruturas gramaticais.

Este livro foi adaptado para o nível B1.

Assim, você pode começar a lê-lo mesmo sem dominar completamente o inglês. O texto foi simplificado para facilitar a compreensão, preservando a história, os personagens e os acontecimentos principais da obra original.

Como usar as notas

No texto de leitura simplificada, cada parágrafo possui um link Pt/En. Esse link abre uma nota com a tradução em português do texto simplificado e o trecho correspondente no texto original em inglês.

No texto original em inglês, o link PT leva diretamente ao parágrafo correspondente na versão em português. Na tradução portuguesa, o link En retorna ao parágrafo correspondente no texto original.

A tradução para o português é feita a partir do texto em inglês simplificado, e não diretamente do texto original. O objetivo é ajudar você a compreender com precisão a frase simplificada que está estudando naquele momento.

O texto original em inglês é apresentado separadamente para a etapa seguinte do aprendizado, quando você já estiver preparado para ler e comparar a obra em sua forma original.

Cada nota contém links que permitem retornar exatamente ao parágrafo que você estava lendo.

Sobre este livro

O Filho de Tarzan é o quarto romance da série Tarzan de Edgar Rice Burroughs, dando continuidade às aventuras da família do homem-macaco. A história segue Jack Clayton, o jovem filho de Tarzan e Jane Porter, que é sequestrado pelo vilão russo Alexis Paulvitch, um antigo cúmplice do inimigo de Tarzan, Nikolas Rokoff. Paulvitch, buscando vingança contra Tarzan, leva o menino para a África, com a intenção de abandoná-lo na selva. No entanto, Jack escapa e é acolhido por uma tribo de grandes macacos, liderados pelo inteligente símio Akut. Criado entre os macacos, Jack torna-se conhecido como Korak, o Matador, e cresce como um jovem selvagem e poderoso. O conflito central gira em torno da luta de Korak para sobreviver na natureza, seu vínculo com Akut e seu eventual encontro com uma jovem francesa chamada Meriem, que também foi abandonada na selva. Juntos, eles enfrentam perigos de feras selvagens e inimigos humanos, incluindo Paulvitch, que continua a persegui-los. O cenário muda do mundo civilizado para a selva africana indomada, enfatizando temas de natureza versus criação e os instintos primitivos que estão sob a superfície da civilização. O tom é aventureiro e acelerado, característico do estilo pulp de Burroughs, com descrições vívidas da vida na selva e sequências cheias de ação. A progressão segue a jornada de Korak de menino sequestrado a senhor da selva autossuficiente, enquanto também explora seu relacionamento com Meriem e seu eventual reencontro com seu pai, Tarzan. O romance mantém um senso de suspense e excitação, deixando a resolução final dos destinos dos personagens em aberto até o fim.

Nota editorial

A tradução para o português e a versão Reading Comprehension B1 foram geradas com apoio de inteligência artificial e submetidas a revisão editorial.

Em caso de dúvida ou observações, fale conosco.

MicMac from Las Vegas LLC
Contato: admin@micmacfromlasvegas.com

Outros livros e materiais

Materiais e outros livros da série ESL Easy Read:

Coleção A Selva de Burroughs

Tarzan of the Apes

The Return Of Tarzan

The Beasts Of Tarzan

The Son Of Tarzan

Tarzan and the Jewels Of Opar

Jungle Tales Of Tarzan

Tarzan The Untamed

Tarzan The Terrible

Tarzan and the Golden Lion

Tarzan and the Ant Men

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle

Jungle Tales Of Tarzan — ESL Easy Read

Tarzan and the City of Gold

Tarzan and the Lion Man

Tarzan and the Lost Empire

Tarzan at the Earth's Core

Tarzan the Invincible

Tarzan Triumphant

The Tarzan Twins

V21 Popup Test

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www.micmacfromlasvegas.com

Reading Comprehension B1

1 - Chapter 1

2 - Chapter 2

3 - Chapter 3

4 - Chapter 4

5 - Chapter 5

Chapter 1

Pt/En A long boat from the ship Marjorie W. was moving down the wide Ugambi river. The crew were resting after rowing upstream. Their ship was three miles away, ready to sail when they returned. Suddenly, all the men looked at the north bank of the river. They saw a strange man standing there, shouting at them with a high voice and holding his skinny arms out.

Pt/En One of the crew members asked in surprise what was happening.

Pt/En The mate said it was a white man. He then told the crew to row towards the man to see what he wanted.

Pt/En When the boat got closer to the shore, they saw a very thin man. He had little white hair that was messy. He was naked except for a cloth around his waist. Tears ran down his face, which had marks on it. The man spoke to them in a language they did not know.

Pt/En The mate guessed the man might be Russian. He then asked the man if he understood English.

Pt/En The man spoke in a broken way, saying he had not used the language for many years. He asked them to take him away from the bad country. After he was on the ship Marjorie W., he told his rescuers a sad story. He had suffered for ten years with hunger, hard times, and pain. He did not explain how he came to Africa. They thought he had forgotten his past because of his terrible experiences, which had hurt him in his mind and body. He also did not give his real name, so they called him Michael Sabrov. He looked very different from the strong but bad Alexis Paulvitch he used to be.

Pt/En It had been ten years since the Russian man had avoided the same end as his friend, the very bad Rokoff. During those ten years, Paulvitch had often been angry about his fate. He felt it was unfair that Nicholas Rokoff had died and stopped suffering, while he had to live through terrible experiences that were worse than death. Death had not come for him, even though he wanted it to.

Pt/En Paulvitch ran into the jungle when he saw Tarzan and his wild people attack the Kincaid ship. He was afraid Tarzan would catch him, so he ran deep into the jungle. There, he was captured by a savage cannibal tribe. These people had been hurt by Rokoff's bad temper and cruelty before. For some unknown reason, the chief of the tribe did not kill Paulvitch. Instead, he made Paulvitch live a life of great unhappiness and pain. For ten years, he was made fun of by everyone in the village. Women and children hit and threw stones at him. The warriors cut and hurt him, leaving scars. He often got very sick with dangerous fevers, but he did not die. He also got smallpox, which left him badly marked and disfigured. Because of the tribe's actions and the diseases, Alexis Paulvitch's face changed so much that his own mother would not have recognized him. His thick, dark hair was replaced by a few thin, pale strands. His body was bent and twisted, and he walked with difficulty. His teeth were gone, knocked out by his captors. Even his mind was not like it used to be.

Pt/En They brought him onto the ship Marjorie W. and gave him food and care. He became a little stronger, but he never looked better. They found him as a broken and damaged person, and he would stay that way until he died. Although Alexis Paulvitch was only in his thirties, he looked like he was eighty. Nature had punished him more severely than his main partner, Rokoff.

Pt/En Alexis Paulvitch no longer thought about getting revenge. He only felt a deep anger towards the man they had tried to destroy, and failed. He also hated the memory of Rokoff, because Rokoff had caused him to suffer so much. He hated the police in many cities he had to run from. He hated laws, order, and everything. His waking life was filled with dark thoughts of hate. He had become like the emotion of Hate itself, both in his mind and in his appearance. He did not interact much with the men who saved him. He was too weak to work and too unhappy to be good company. So, they soon left him alone.

Pt/En A ship named the Marjorie W. was hired by rich businessmen. It had a laboratory and scientists. They were sent to find a natural product that the businessmen were importing from South America for a lot of money. Only the scientists knew what the product was. The search led the ship to an island near Africa, after Alexis Paulvitch had joined them.

Pt/En The ship stayed near the coast for many weeks. Life on the ship became boring for the sailors. They often went on land. Paulvitch also asked to go with them because he was tired of the same, dull life on the ship.

Pt/En The island had many trees and thick jungle near the beach. The scientists were far away, looking for the valuable product that local stories said could be found there. The ship's crew fished, hunted, and explored. Paulvitch walked on the beach or rested under trees. One day, while Paulvitch was sleeping, a large ape woke him by touching his shoulder. Paulvitch was scared. He saw the sailors were far away. The ape touched him again and made sounds. Paulvitch felt the ape was not dangerous. He stood up, and the ape stood with him.

Pt/En Paulvitch walked slowly towards the sailors, with the ape beside him, holding his arm. By the time they reached the men, Paulvitch was sure the ape was friendly. The ape seemed used to people. Paulvitch thought the ape could be worth money, and he decided he would be the one to benefit from it.

Pt/En The sailors were surprised to see the man and the ape walking towards them. They ran to them. The ape was not afraid. It held each sailor by the shoulder and looked closely at their faces. After looking at all of them, it went back to Paulvitch. The ape looked disappointed.

Pt/En The men were happy with the ape and asked Paulvitch many questions about it. The Russian insisted that the ape belonged to him. One man decided to play a joke and poked the ape with a pin. The ape quickly became angry and attacked the man. The man tried to defend himself with a knife, but the ape took it away and bit his shoulder.

Pt/En The other men attacked the ape with sticks and knives. Paulvitch watched them, worried that his chance to make money from the ape was disappearing as the sailors fought it.

Pt/En But the ape was strong and fought back against the many men. It got up from the sailor it had attacked, shook its body, and pushed away the men holding onto it. The ape hit its attackers with its hands and moved quickly like a small monkey, knocking them down one by one.

Pt/En The captain and the mate saw the fight as they arrived. Paulvitch saw them coming with guns, and he knew they would shoot the ape if they got close enough. The ape looked around at the damage it had caused, and Paulvitch wondered if it was waiting to fight again or deciding who to attack next. Paulvitch was afraid the ape might attack him too, even though it hadn't attacked him yet. He thought about the money he could make if he brought the ape to a big city like London. He hesitated for a moment.

Pt/En The captain yelled at Paulvitch to move so he could shoot the ape. But Paulvitch went to the ape's side instead. He was very scared, but he put his hand on the ape's arm.

Pt/En He told the beast to come and pulled it away from the sailors. Many sailors were sitting up, looking very frightened, or crawling away from the animal.

Pt/En The ape slowly allowed itself to be led to the side. It did not try to harm the Russian man. The captain stopped a short distance away from the ape and the man.

Pt/En He told Sabrov to move aside. He said he would put the dangerous animal where it could not hurt any more sailors.

Pt/En Paulvitch asked the captain not to shoot the ape. He explained that the men had attacked the ape first and it was not the ape's fault. He said the ape was gentle and belonged to him. He would not let the captain kill it, thinking about the money he could make in London with the ape.

Pt/En The captain lowered his gun. He asked if the men had started the fight. He turned to the sailors, who had gotten up from the ground. Most of them were fine, except for the one who had caused the problem, who would likely have a sore shoulder for a week.

Pt/En One of the men explained that Simpson was responsible. He said Simpson had hurt the monk with a pin, and the monk had then attacked Simpson and the others because they had all jumped him at once. The man felt they deserved it.

Pt/En The captain looked at Simpson, who admitted he had done it. The captain then went to the ape, keeping his gun ready. He spoke kindly to the ape, which was sitting near Paulvitch and looking at the sailors. The ape stood up and walked towards the captain. It looked closely at the captain's face, like it had done with the sailors. The ape put a hand on the captain's shoulder and studied his face for a long time. It seemed disappointed and sighed, like a person might. Then it looked at the mate and two sailors, sighing again for each. Finally, it returned to Paulvitch and sat down, showing little interest in the other men or its recent fight with them.

Pt/En When the group returned to the ship Marjorie W., the ape followed Paulvitch. The captain allowed the ape to join the ship's crew. On board, the ape looked carefully at everyone's face, showing the same disappointment it had shown before. The ship's officers and scientists could not understand why the ape greeted each new person in this strange way. They thought it might have been a pet, but it lived on a very isolated island. The ape seemed to be looking for someone. For the first few days, it searched the ship. After seeing and examining everyone and exploring the ship, it became uninterested in its surroundings. It even showed little interest in Paulvitch when he brought food. The ape never showed affection to anyone on the ship, nor did it show the angry temper it had displayed when the sailors attacked it.

Pt/En The ape, named Ajax, spent most of its time looking out at the sea, as if it knew the ship was going to a place with more people. Everyone on the Marjorie W. thought Ajax was a very unusual and smart ape. It was also very large and strong for an ape. It seemed old, but its age did not seem to affect its mind or body.

Pt/En The Marjorie W. eventually arrived in England. The officers and scientists felt sorry for Paulvitch, who was in a bad state after being rescued from the jungle. They gave him money and wished him and his ape, Ajax, good luck on their journey.

Pt/En On the ship and during the journey to London, the Russian had difficulty controlling Ajax. He looked carefully at many people, but he did not find the person he was searching for. The large ape then lost interest, only paying attention to faces that passed by occasionally.

Pt/En In London, Paulvitch took Ajax to a famous animal trainer. The trainer was very impressed with Ajax and agreed to train him. In return, the trainer would get a large part of the money from showing Ajax, and he would also pay for Ajax and his owner.

Pt/En Ajax arrived in London, and this was another important event in a series of unusual things that would change many people's lives.

Chapter 2

Pt/En Mr. Harold Moore was a young man who studied a lot and took himself and his work seriously. His job was to teach the young son of a British nobleman. He felt the boy was not learning as much as his parents expected, and he was explaining this to the boy's mother.

Pt/En Mr. Moore told the boy's mother that the problem was not that the boy was not smart. He said the boy was very intelligent and learned quickly, so there were no problems with how he prepared his lessons. However, the boy showed no interest in the subjects they studied. He just finished each lesson quickly and seemed to forget it until the next class. His main interests were physical activities and reading about wild animals and people from uncivilized places. He especially liked stories about animals and would spend hours reading about African explorers. He was even found reading a book about animals late at night.

Pt/En The boy's mother nervously tapped her foot on the rug by the fire.

Pt/En She asked if he was discouraging the situation.

Pt/En Mr. Moore looked embarrassed and moved uncomfortably.

Pt/En He explained that he had tried to take the book from the boy. He added that the boy was very strong for his age.

Pt/En The mother asked if the boy had not allowed him to take the book.

Pt/En The tutor explained that the boy was not bad, but he pretended to be a gorilla. He acted as if the tutor was a chimpanzee trying to steal his food. The boy growled loudly, picked the tutor up, and threw him on the bed. He then pretended to choke the tutor, stood on him, and made a loud noise, which he said was the cry of a bull ape. Finally, the boy carried the tutor to the door, pushed him out, and locked him out of the room.

Pt/En For a few minutes, no one spoke. The boy's mother was the first to break the silence.

Pt/En The mother told Mr. Moore that it was very important to stop Jack from behaving this way. Suddenly, a loud shout came from the window. They both stood up. The room was on the second floor, and a large tree grew near the window. A branch of the tree was close to the window sill. They saw Jack, a tall, strong boy, standing easily on the branch. He was shouting happily as he saw their worried faces.

Pt/En The mother and the tutor ran to the window. But before they reached it, Jack jumped onto the window sill and came into the room.

Pt/En Jack sang a song about a "wild man from Borneo" arriving in town. He danced around his mother and the shocked tutor. Then, he hugged his mother and kissed her on both cheeks.

Pt/En A boy told his mother about a very clever ape that was performing at a music hall. He explained that his friend Willie Grimsby had seen it and said the ape could do many amazing things, like riding a bicycle and eating with a knife and fork. The boy really wanted to go and see the ape and asked his mother to let him.

Pt/En The mother gently touched her son's cheek. She told him no, because she did not like or agree with those kinds of shows.

Pt/En The boy asked his mother why he could not go. He said that all his friends went to such places and even to the zoo, which she never allowed him to do. He felt like he was being treated like a girl. Then, his father entered the room, and the boy asked him if he could go.

Pt/En The father asked his son where he wanted to go.

Pt/En The mother told her husband that their son wanted to go to a music hall to see a trained ape. She looked at her husband in a way that warned him.

Pt/En The man asked if the boy meant Ajax.

Pt/En The boy nodded.

Pt/En The father said he understood why his son wanted to see Ajax. He added that he also wanted to see the ape because people said it was very special and unusually large for an ape. He suggested that they all go to see it, and asked his wife, Jane. But Jane shook her head and asked Mr. Moore if it was time for him and Jack to go to the study for their lessons. After Mr. Moore and Jack left, Jane spoke to her husband.

Pt/En Jane told her husband that they needed to stop Jack from wanting a wild life, which she feared he got from his father. She reminded him how strong the call of the jungle could be for him. She knew how hard he had to fight to resist the strong desire to return to the jungle life he had lived for many years. She also knew that it would be terrible for Jack if the jungle seemed exciting or easy to reach.

Pt/En The man replied that he did not think Jack would want jungle life from him, as he did not believe it could be passed from father to son. He also thought Jane was too strict with Jack. He felt Jack's interest in animals, like wanting to see the trained ape, was normal for a boy his age. He said that Jack wanting to see Ajax did not mean he would want to marry an ape, and Jane had no right to be angry about it. John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, then put his arm around his wife and kissed her. He then said more seriously that Jane had made a mistake by not telling Jack about his early life as Tarzan. He believed that if he had told Jack about his experiences, it might have made jungle life seem less exciting. This way, Jack might have learned from his experience. But now, if Jack ever felt the pull of the jungle, he would only have his own strong impulses to guide him, which could lead him in the wrong direction.

Pt/En Lady Greystoke shook her head, just like she had done many times before when this subject was discussed.

Pt/En She told John that she would never agree to teach Jack anything about the wild life they both wanted him to avoid.

Pt/En Later that evening, Jack himself brought up the subject. He was sitting and reading, then he looked up and spoke to his father.

Pt/En He asked directly why he could not go and see Ajax.

Pt/En His father replied that his mother did not approve.

Pt/En Lord Greystoke asked if the boy truly felt that way.

Pt/En Lord Greystoke avoided the question and said that his wife's objection was enough.

Pt/En The boy decided he would go to see Ajax. He said he was not different from other boys who had visited Ajax and that it had not harmed them, so it would not harm him. He told his father beforehand that he was going, even though he could have gone without telling him.

Pt/En The boy spoke in a calm way, stating facts without being rude or defiant. His father felt admiration for his son's brave and honest behavior and could almost smile.

Pt/En Lord Greystoke told Jack he admired his honesty. He then warned Jack that if he went to see Ajax without permission, he would be punished. He had never punished Jack physically before, but he said he would if Jack disobeyed his mother's wishes.

Pt/En The boy answered "Yes, sir." He added that he would tell Mr. Moore when he had been to see Ajax.

Pt/En Mr. Moore, the boy's tutor, checked on him every evening. This night, Mr. Moore was very careful because the boy's parents had told him to stop Jack from going to the music hall to see Ajax. When Mr. Moore opened the boy's door around 9:30 PM, he was surprised to see Jack dressed and ready to leave through the window.

Pt/En Mr. Moore quickly moved across the room. But it was not needed, because when the boy heard Mr. Moore and knew he was caught, he stopped his plan to go out.

Pt/En Mr. Moore, breathing hard, asked the boy where he was going.

Pt/En The boy answered quietly that he was going to see Ajax.

Pt/En Mr. Moore said he was astonished. But then he was even more surprised. The boy came close to him, suddenly grabbed him around the waist, lifted him up, and threw him face down onto the bed. The boy pushed his face deep into a soft pillow.

Pt/En The boy, who had won the fight, told Mr. Moore to be quiet. He warned him that he would choke him if he did not stop.

Pt/En Mr. Moore tried to move, but it was no use. The boy was very strong, like his father Tarzan. The boy knelt on Mr. Moore, tore strips from a sheet, and tied the man's hands behind his back. Then he turned Mr. Moore over and put a gag in his mouth, tying it around his head. All this time, the boy spoke in a low voice.

Pt/En The boy explained that he was Waja, chief of the Waji. He said Mr. Moore was Mohammed Dubn, an Arab sheik who wanted to kill his people and steal ivory. The boy tied Mr. Moore's ankles together behind him. He said he finally had the villain and would return. Then the son of Tarzan quickly left the room through the open window and climbed down outside.

Pt/En Mr. Moore struggled on the bed, afraid he would not be able to breathe. In his panic, he rolled off the bed. The fall hurt him and made him think more clearly about his situation. He was too scared to think before, but now he lay on the floor and looked for a way to escape. He remembered that the room below was where Lord and Lady Greystoke had been. He thought they might have left, as he had struggled for a long time. He decided to try to get their attention from below. After many tries, he managed to tap his boot on the floor. He kept tapping until he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and a knock on the door. Mr. Moore tapped again with his toe because he could not speak. He tried to roll towards the door so he could tap on its base to be heard. The knocking came again, louder, and a voice asked, "Mr. Jack!"

Pt/En A man from the house came to the door. Mr. Moore heard his voice and tried very hard to shout "come in" because he had a gag in his mouth. The man knocked again and called the boy's name. When there was no answer, he tried the doorknob. At that moment, Mr. Moore suddenly remembered with fear that he had locked the door himself when he came into the room.

Pt/En Mr. Moore heard the servant try the door again and then leave. After this, Mr. Moore fainted.

Pt/En Meanwhile, Jack was happily enjoying the music hall. He arrived just as the ape Ajax's show was starting. He bought a good seat and watched the great ape closely, his eyes full of wonder. The trainer saw the boy's interested face. The trainer knew that Ajax sometimes went into the audience boxes during his show to look for a relative. The trainer thought it would be effective to send Ajax to the box with Jack. He believed the boy would be very scared to be so close to the strong ape.

Pt/En When the ape was called back on stage for an encore, the trainer pointed Jack out to the ape. Jack was the only person in that box. The ape jumped from the stage to Jack's side. But the trainer was wrong if he expected Jack to be scared. Jack smiled and put his hand on the ape's arm. The ape held Jack by the shoulders and looked into his face for a long time. Jack stroked the ape's head and spoke to it quietly.

Pt/En Ajax had never spent so much time looking at someone before. He seemed worried and excited. He made sounds to the boy and touched him gently, which was unusual for him with people. Then, the ape climbed into the box and sat close to Jack. The audience liked this, but they liked it even more when the trainer tried to get Ajax to leave the box. The ape refused to move. The manager became impatient and told the trainer to hurry. But when the trainer went into the box to pull Ajax away, the ape showed his teeth and made angry sounds.

Pt/En The audience was very happy. They cheered for the ape and for the boy. They also made loud, unhappy noises at the trainer and the manager. The manager had accidentally shown himself and tried to help the trainer.

Pt/En The trainer was desperate. He knew that if the ape did not obey, it would not be valuable for shows. So, he quickly went to his room and got a heavy whip. He returned and threatened the ape once. But then, the boy stood up. He grabbed a chair and stood by the ape to protect his new friend. The boy looked angry, and the ape stood beside him, making a low growling sound.

Pt/En It is not known exactly what would have happened next, but it seemed clear that the trainer would have been badly hurt by the boy and the ape, who were both facing him.

Pt/En A man with a pale face ran into the Greystoke library. He said he had found Jack's door locked. He knocked and called, but only heard a strange tapping sound and what seemed like someone moving on the floor.

Pt/En John Clayton quickly ran up the stairs. His wife and a servant followed him. He called his son's name loudly, but there was no answer. Then, he used all his strength to push the heavy door. The door broke open with a loud noise of wood and metal.

Pt/En Mr. Moore was lying on the floor, not awake. Something fell on him with a loud noise. Tarzan jumped through the opening. Soon, the room was filled with light from many electric bulbs.

Pt/En It took several minutes to find the tutor because the door had hidden him completely. Finally, he was pulled out. The cloth in his mouth and the ropes were cut. Cold water was used to help him wake up faster.

Pt/En John Clayton's first question was about Jack. Then he asked who had done this, remembering Rokoff and fearing another kidnapping.

Pt/En Mr. Moore slowly stood up. He looked around the room and slowly began to think clearly again. He remembered the frightening experience he had just had.

Pt/En Mr. Moore told John Clayton that he was resigning immediately. He said that his son did not need a tutor, but someone to train a wild animal.

Pt/En Lady Greystoke asked where he was.

Pt/En Someone answered that he had gone to see Ajax.

Pt/En Tarzan almost smiled. He checked that the tutor was not badly hurt. Then, he got into his car and drove towards a famous music hall.

Chapter 3

Pt/En As the trainer, holding a whip, stopped for a moment before entering the cage where the boy and the ape were, a tall, strong man pushed past him and went inside. The boy's cheeks became a little red when he saw the new person.

Pt/En He said, "Father!"

Pt/En The ape looked at the English lord and jumped towards him, making excited ape sounds. The man was very surprised and stopped moving, like a statue.

Pt/En He called out "Akut!".

Pt/En The boy looked confused between the ape and his father. The trainer was shocked when he heard the Englishman making ape sounds, and the ape answered him.

Pt/En From the side, an old, badly injured man watched the scene. His face showed many different feelings, from happiness to fear.

Pt/En Akut told Tarzan that he had looked for him for a long time. He said that now he had found him, he would come to Tarzan's jungle and live there forever.

Pt/En The man remembered his past life in the African jungle. He recalled fighting with animals like Mugambi, Sheeta the panther, and Akut's apes. He felt a strong desire to return to the jungle, to feel the leaves, smell the forest, and hunt. However, he then thought about his current life: his wife, friends, home, and his son. He seemed to have a difficult decision.

Pt/En The man told Akut that he could not go back to the jungle. He explained that if Akut wanted to return, he would arrange it. He added that Akut would not be happy living with humans, and he himself might not be happy living in the jungle again.

Pt/En The person who trained the ape stepped forward. The ape showed its teeth and made a low, angry sound.

Pt/En Tarzan told Akut to go with the trainer. He promised that he would visit Akut the next day.

Pt/En The ape moved slowly to the trainer's side. The trainer told John Clayton where they could be found. Then, Tarzan turned to look at his son.

Pt/En He told the other person to come, and they both left the theater. They got into a car and did not speak for a few minutes. The boy was the first to speak.

Pt/En The boy asked how the ape knew him and how he had learned to speak the ape's language. He explained that the ape had recognized him and they had spoken in the ape's language.

Pt/En Tarzan of the Apes told his son about his early life. He explained how he was born in the jungle, how his parents died, and how a female ape named Kala raised him. He also described the dangers of the jungle, like wild animals, bad weather, hunger, and fear. He told him these things hoping his son would not want to go to the jungle. However, these were the things Tarzan loved about the jungle. He forgot that his son was listening eagerly and was also the son of Tarzan of the Apes.

Pt/En After the boy was in bed, John Clayton told his wife about the evening. He said he had finally told their son about his life in the jungle. The mother had always thought their son would one day learn about his father's wild years in the jungle. She hoped her son had not inherited his father's strong desire for the jungle.

Pt/En The next day, Tarzan visited Akut. Jack wanted to go too, but Tarzan said no. Tarzan met the ape's owner, Paulvitch, who looked different from before. Akut asked Tarzan to buy the ape. Tarzan asked Paulvitch about buying the ape, but Paulvitch did not give a price. He said he would think about it.

Pt/En When Tarzan came home, his son Jack was very excited to hear about his father's visit. Jack suggested that Tarzan buy the ape and bring it home. Lady Greystoke was shocked by this idea, but Jack insisted. Tarzan explained he wanted to buy Akut and return him to the jungle, and his mother agreed. Jack asked to visit the ape, but he was refused. However, Jack had the address the trainer had given his father. Two days later, Jack found a way to get away from his new tutor. After searching for a while in a part of London he had never seen, he found the small, smelly home of the old man with the pock-marked face. The old man opened the door when Jack knocked. When Jack said he wanted to see Ajax, the man let him into the small room where he and the great ape lived. The man, Paulvitch, used to be neat, but ten years living with cannibals in Africa had made him very dirty. His clothes were dirty, his hands were not washed, and his hair was messy. His room was very untidy and dirty. As Jack entered, he saw the ape sitting on the bed, which was covered in dirty blankets. When the ape saw Jack, it jumped down and walked towards him. The man, not recognizing Jack and worried the ape might attack, stood between them and told the ape to go back to the bed.

Pt/En Jack told the man that the ape would not hurt him. He explained that they were friends and that the ape had been his father's friend in the jungle. Jack said his father was Lord Greystoke and that his father did not know he was there. He mentioned his mother had told him not to come, but he wanted to see Ajax and offered to pay the man if he could visit often.

Pt/En When Paulvitch heard Jack's name, his eyes became narrower. He had been thinking about getting revenge on Tarzan since he saw him at the theater. Weak and bad people often blame others for their own problems. Paulvitch started to remember his past and blamed Tarzan for all the bad things that had happened to him and for the failure of his plans against Tarzan.

Pt/En At first, Paulvitch did not see how he could get revenge on Tarzan by using Tarzan's son. But he realized the boy could be useful for revenge. He decided to be kind to Jack, hoping that something would happen later to help him. Paulvitch told Jack everything he knew about Tarzan's life in the jungle. He learned that Jack did not know about his father's past and that his parents had forbidden him to visit the zoo. He also learned that Jack had to tie up his tutor to get away and see Ajax at the music hall. Paulvitch understood that Jack's parents were afraid he might want to live in the jungle like his father.

Pt/En So, Paulvitch encouraged Jack to visit him often. He always told Jack exciting stories about the wild world he knew well. He often left Jack alone with Akut. Soon, Paulvitch was surprised to find that Jack could communicate with the great ape. Jack had learned many words from the ape's simple language.

Pt/En Tarzan visited Paulvitch many times. He wanted to buy the ape, Ajax. Tarzan said he wanted to let the ape live free in the jungle. He also said his wife was worried. She thought their son might find the ape and want to travel like Tarzan.

Pt/En The Russian (Paulvitch) almost smiled. He heard Lord Greystoke (Tarzan) talking. This was funny because Lord Greystoke had just been talking to the ape, Ajax, like an ape himself.

Pt/En Paulvitch had an idea. He agreed to sell the ape for a lot of money. He would give the ape to a ship going to Africa in two days. Paulvitch wanted the money because the ape was not making money anymore. The ape would not perform on stage after meeting Tarzan. It seemed the ape only wanted to find his friend Tarzan. After finding him, the ape did not want to be with people. The ape would not go on stage, and tried to hurt the trainer once. Jack Clayton saved the trainer by stopping the ape.

Pt/En Besides the money, Paulvitch wanted revenge on Tarzan. He blamed Tarzan for his bad life. The ape's refusal to perform was the latest problem. Paulvitch believed Tarzan told the ape not to work.

Pt/En Paulvitch was mentally unwell. His bad thoughts made him dangerous. However, his plan was clever. It would get him the money Lord Greystoke promised. It would also let him get revenge on Lord Greystoke by hurting his son. This plan was not as cruel as his old plans with Nikolas Rokoff. But it would make Paulvitch safe and blame the ape for not earning money.

Pt/En Paulvitch's plans were working well. Tarzan's son heard his father talking about sending the ape, Akut, back to the jungle. The boy asked his parents to let him keep Akut as a friend. Tarzan was okay with this, but his wife, Lady Greystoke, was very worried. The boy tried to convince his mother, but she refused. She decided the ape must go back to Africa, and the boy must return to school after his vacation.

Pt/En The boy did not visit Paulvitch that day. Instead, he spent his time differently. He had plenty of money, so he easily got several hundred pounds when he needed it. He used some of this money to buy strange things. He managed to bring these items into the house secretly when he came back late in the afternoon.

Pt/En The next morning, after his father had finished his meeting with Paulvitch, the boy went to the Russian's room. He did not know Paulvitch well and was afraid to tell him everything. He worried Paulvitch might refuse to help or tell his father. So, he only asked if he could take Ajax to Dover. He said this would save Paulvitch a long trip and that he would pay him a good amount of money.

Pt/En The boy explained that no one would know because he was supposed to be leaving for school on an afternoon train. He planned to come back to Paulvitch's room after they thought he was on the train. Then he could take Ajax to Dover and arrive at school only one day late. He said this way, he could spend one more day with Ajax before losing him forever, and nobody would be harmed.

Pt/En The boy's plan fit perfectly with what Paulvitch was already planning. If Paulvitch had known what else the boy intended, he would have forgotten his own plan for revenge and fully supported the boy's idea. This would have been better for Paulvitch if he could have seen what would happen in the next few hours.

Pt/En Jack's parents said goodbye and put him on a train to school. But as soon as they left, Jack got off the train. He took a taxi to the Russian man's house. The Russian, Paulvitch, was waiting and seemed very worried. The ape, Ajax, was tied to the bed. Jack asked Paulvitch why. Paulvitch said he thought the ape knew he was going to be sent away and might try to run away.

Pt/En Paulvitch held another rope with a loop in it and kept playing with it. He walked around the room, talking to himself. His face looked troubled and he seemed upset. Jack had never seen him like this, and it made Jack feel uneasy. Finally, Paulvitch stopped walking and stood far from the ape.

Pt/En Paulvitch told Jack to come closer. He said he would show Jack how to tie up the ape if the ape tried to fight back during their journey.

Pt/En Jack laughed and told Paulvitch that it would not be needed. He said Ajax would do whatever he was told.

Pt/En Paulvitch became angry and stamped his foot. He told Jack to come to him immediately. He warned Jack that if he did not obey, he would not be allowed to go with the ape to Dover, because Paulvitch did not want to risk the ape escaping.

Pt/En The boy smiled and walked across the room to stand in front of the Russian man.

Pt/En The Russian man told the boy to turn around so his back was facing him. He wanted to show the boy how to tie someone up quickly.

Pt/En The boy did as he was asked and put his hands behind him. The old man quickly put a rope noose around one of the boy's wrists, tied a few knots around the other wrist, and fastened the cord.

Pt/En As soon as the boy was tied, the man's mood changed. He angrily turned his prisoner around, tripped him, and pushed him hard to the floor, landing on his chest. The ape on the bed made a noise and tried to move. The boy did not shout, which was like his father, who had learned in the jungle after his ape mother died that no one would help him if he fell.

Pt/En Paulvitch reached for the boy's throat. He looked down at his victim with a frightening smile.

Pt/En A man told the boy that his father had ruined him. He planned to get revenge by making it look like an ape killed the boy. He said he would leave the boy alone for a short time, and then the boy would sneak away, and the ape would kill him. He planned to put the boy's body on the bed after he had killed him. Then, he would bring the boy's father to see the ape over the body. The man laughed cruelly and grabbed the boy's throat.

Pt/En The angry ape growled loudly in the small room. The boy looked pale but showed no other fear. He was Tarzan's son. The man's fingers squeezed the boy's throat, making it hard for him to breathe. The ape struggled against the strong rope holding him. He used the rope like a man would, wrapping it around his hands and pulling back hard. The ape's muscles bulged under his fur. The rope held, but a piece of the bed's footboard broke off.

Pt/En Paulvitch looked up when he heard the noise. He became very scared because the ape was now free.

Pt/En The ape jumped onto Paulvitch. The man screamed. The ape pulled him away from the boy. The ape's large fingers dug into the man's skin. The man struggled but could not escape. The ape bit him, and Alexis Paulvitch died.

Pt/En The boy stood up with Akut's help. For two hours, the ape helped the boy untie the ropes on his wrists. Finally, the boy was free. He took clothes from one of his bags, showing he had planned this. He did not ask the ape for help, but the ape did everything he was told. They left the house together quietly. They looked like a normal pair, and no one would guess one of them was an ape.

Chapter 4

Pt/En Newspapers wrote about the death of an old Russian man, Michael Sabrov, who was killed by his trained ape. Lord Greystoke read about this. He was careful not to let his name be connected to the event, but he stayed informed about the police search for the ape.

Pt/En Like most people, Lord Greystoke was most interested in why the ape disappeared. However, his main concern changed when he learned that his son, Jack, had not arrived at school. Jack was supposed to be on a train, but he had not been seen. Lord Greystoke did not think his son's disappearance was related to the ape at first. It took him a month to find out that Jack had left the train early in London. He also found the taxi driver who took Jack to the old Russian man's house. Only then did Tarzan of the Apes understand that Akut, the ape, was somehow involved in Jack's disappearance.

Pt/En After the taxi driver left Jack at the Russian man's house, there were no more clues. No one who was still alive had seen either the boy or the ape after that moment. The owner of the house said that the boy had visited the old man often, but he did not know anything else. The searchers could not find any more information at the old building in London, and they were stuck.

Pt/En The day after Alexis Paulvitch died, a young man got on a ship at Dover with his sick grandmother. The old lady wore a veil and was very weak. She had to be pushed onto the ship in a special chair.

Pt/En The young man insisted on pushing his grandmother himself. He helped her from the chair into their room on the ship. After that, no one from the ship's crew saw the old lady again until they arrived at their destination. The young man said his grandmother was nervous and did not like strangers. So, he did all the work himself, like a cabin steward, to avoid having other people near her.

Pt/En Outside the cabin, the boy acted like any other healthy English boy. He was friendly with other passengers and sailors, and the officers liked him. He was kind and natural, but he also seemed strong and dignified, which made his new friends admire and like him.

Pt/En Among the passengers was an American named Condon. Condon was a criminal who was wanted in several cities in the United States. He did not pay much attention to the boy until he saw him with a lot of money. After that, Condon became friendly with the boy. He found out that the boy was traveling alone with his sick grandmother. They were going to a small port in West Africa, near the equator. Their name was Billings, and they did not know anyone there. Condon asked about their reason for visiting, but the boy did not want to say much. Condon learned enough for himself.

Pt/En Condon tried several times to get the boy to play cards with him. But the boy was not interested. Some other men on the ship looked angry at Condon, so the American decided to find another way to get the boy's money.

Pt/En Finally, the ship arrived at a wooded point. There were about twenty simple metal houses that looked bad against the natural beauty. This showed that people had built a town there. Around the town were the huts of local people, which looked natural and fit with the jungle. They made the white people's buildings look ugly and poor.

Pt/En The boy stood at the ship's edge, looking past the town into the jungle. He felt a little excited. Then, he thought about his mother's loving eyes and his father's strong face, which showed as much love as his mother's. He felt he was becoming less sure of his decision. A ship officer nearby was telling sailors to get ready for local boats that were coming to take the ship's cargo to the small port.

Pt/En The boy asked when the next ship for England would arrive.

Pt/En An officer replied that the ship "Emanuel" should arrive very soon. He said he expected to find it there. Then he continued to shout loudly to the crowd of people who were coming near the ship.

Pt/En It was difficult to lower the boy's grandmother into a waiting canoe. The boy stayed close to her. When she was safely in the canoe, her grandson jumped down after her. He was so busy making sure she was comfortable that he did not see a small package fall from his pocket. It then slipped out completely and fell into the sea.

Pt/En Soon after the boat with the boy and the old woman left for the shore, Condon got into another canoe on the other side of the ship. After agreeing on a price, he put his bags and himself into it. On land, he stayed hidden from a large building that looked like a hotel. It was quite dark before he went inside to find a place to stay.

Pt/En In a room on the second floor, the boy tried to explain to his grandmother that he wanted to go back to England on the next ship. He wanted her to know she could stay in Africa if she wanted, but he felt he must return to his parents. He thought they were probably very sad because he was gone. This suggests his parents did not know about his and the old lady's plans to explore the African wilderness.

Pt/En The young man made a decision and felt better. He had worried a lot and couldn't sleep. He dreamed of seeing his family again. But while he slept, a dangerous American man named Condon was secretly coming to find him.

Pt/En Condon quietly went to the door of the young man's room. He listened to make sure everyone inside was sleeping. He used a special key to open the door without noise. Condon was skilled at opening locks. He entered the dark room. It was hard to see because of clouds covering the moon. Condon moved towards the bed. He thought he would find a boy and his sick grandmother.

Pt/En Condon wanted to steal money from the young man. He checked the boy's clothes but found no money. He thought the money was under the pillows. As he reached under the pillow, the moon came out from behind the clouds, lighting up the room. The boy opened his eyes and saw Condon. Condon realized the boy was alone. He tried to grab the boy's throat. The boy moved to defend himself. Condon felt the boy grab his wrists and noticed the boy's strong muscles.

Pt/En Suddenly, Condon felt other hands on his throat from behind. He looked and saw a large ape holding him. The ape's teeth were near his throat. The boy held Condon's wrists. Condon looked around the room and understood that the grandmother was not there. He was scared by the situation. He tried to push the boy away to fight the ape. He hit the boy. This made the ape attack Condon more fiercely. Condon heard a growl and then nothing more. The ape dragged him down, bit his neck, and killed him. Condon died.

Pt/En The young man was shocked and got out of bed to look at Condon's body. He knew his ape, Akut, had killed Condon to protect him, just like Akut had killed Michael Sabrov before. The young man worried about what would happen to him and Akut in Africa, far from home. He knew that murder was punishable by death, and that an accomplice could also be killed. He thought no one would help them. He believed the people in this wild place would hang both him and Akut in the morning.

Pt/En He wondered if there was any way to escape. He thought for a moment and then felt happy. Money could solve everything and save him and Akut. He looked for his money in his pocket, but it was not there. He searched all his clothes and the floor. He lit a lamp and moved the bed to look everywhere. He even looked near the dead body of Condon. He moved the body and looked under it, but the money was not there. He thought Condon might have tried to steal from him. He searched the room again and again, but he could not find the money anywhere.

Pt/En He felt very sad and desperate. He worried about what they would do. He knew they would be found and killed in the morning. Even though he was big and strong, he was just a scared little boy. He only remembered that they had killed a man and were now with strangers who wanted to hurt them. He had read about such things in stories.

Pt/En He knew they needed money.

Pt/En He went back to the dead body. The ape watched him. The young man carefully took off the American's clothes, one by one, and checked each piece. He looked very carefully, even in the shoes. After checking everything, he sat on the bed. He looked sad and imagined a future where he and the ape would be hanged from a tree.

Pt/En He sat for a long time. Then he heard a noise from downstairs. He quickly stood up, blew out the lamp, and quietly locked the door. He then turned to the ape, having made a decision.

Pt/En He had wanted to go home and ask his parents for forgiveness for his dangerous adventure. But now, he knew he might never return. He felt he had killed another person. He blamed himself for the death, not the ape. He thought money could help him get out of trouble, but he had none. He felt hopeless.

Pt/En He wondered what had happened to his money. He could not remember when he last saw it. He did not know it had fallen from his pocket into the sea when he climbed from the ship into a canoe to go to shore.

Pt/En He then turned to Akut and spoke to him in the language of the great apes, saying "Come!".

Pt/En He forgot he was only wearing pajamas. He went to the open window and listened. A tree was close by. He quickly climbed onto the tree and then quietly down to the ground. The great ape followed him. A jungle was about 200 yards away. He led the way towards it. No one saw them. The jungle hid them, and John Clayton, who would later be Lord Greystoke, disappeared from sight.

Pt/En The next morning, a houseman knocked on the door of Mrs. Billings' room but got no answer. He found another key was already in the lock from the inside. He told Herr Skopf, the owner. Herr Skopf went to the room and knocked loudly. When there was no answer, he tried to look through the keyhole. He lost his balance and put his hand on the floor. He felt something soft, thick, and wet. He looked at his hand in the dim light and saw a dark red stain. He quickly stood up and pushed hard against the door. The door broke, and Herr Skopf fell into the room.

Pt/En Herr Skopf faced a great mystery. On the floor was the dead body of a strange man. His neck was broken and cut, as if a wild animal had attacked him. The man was naked, and his clothes were around him. The old lady and her grandson were gone. The window was open, and the door was locked from the inside. They must have left through the window.

Pt/En Herr Skopf wondered how the boy could have carried his sick grandmother from a second-floor window to the ground. It seemed impossible. He looked around the room again. He saw that the bed was moved away from the wall. He looked under the bed again. The old lady and the boy were gone. But Herr Skopf knew the old lady could not walk down, and she needed help to be carried down, just as she had been carried up the day before.

Pt/En Herr Skopf searched more, but the mystery grew. All their clothes were still in the room. If they had left, they must have gone without clothes or in their night clothes. Herr Skopf was confused. He thought about the old woman, who was too sick to walk and needed help to get to her room. He also thought about her grandson. They had entered the room the day before. They ate dinner in their room, and no one saw them after that. The next morning, only the dead man was in the room. No boats had left the harbor, and there were no trains nearby. There was no other white settlement they could reach easily. It was as if they had disappeared. A man checked the ground below the window, but found no footprints. Herr Skopf felt scared. He thought it was a strange mystery and did not want to think about it.

Pt/En It was a big mystery for Herr Skopf, and it probably still is.

Chapter 5

Pt/En Captain Armand Jacot of the Foreign Legion sat resting near a small palm tree in the desert. He leaned against the tree trunk. His long legs were stretched out on the sand. The captain was relaxing after a long and tiring day of riding his horse through the desert.

Pt/En Captain Armand Jacot was smoking and watching his helper prepare food. He felt happy with himself and his life. Near him, his soldiers were resting after a long day. They laughed and talked while getting ready to eat. Five Arab men, tied up and guarded closely, sat quietly among them.

Pt/En Seeing the prisoners made Captain Jacot feel proud of his work. For a whole month, he and his soldiers had searched the desert for a group of criminals. These criminals had stolen many animals and killed people. They deserved to be punished severely.

Pt/En Captain Jacot had found the criminals a week earlier. In the fight that followed, he lost two soldiers, but many criminals were killed. Only a few escaped. The rest, including the five prisoners, had paid for their crimes. The leader of the criminals, Achmet ben Houdin, was one of the prisoners.

Pt/En Captain Jacot thought about the journey back to the small army post. He imagined his wife and young daughter waiting for him there. He remembered their faces, especially his daughter Jeanne, who looked like her mother. He pictured them smiling when he arrived the next afternoon and felt their soft cheeks against his.

Pt/En A guard called to a corporal, interrupting the captain's thoughts. Captain Jacot looked up. The sun was setting, casting long shadows. The guard was pointing towards the distance. Captain Jacot stood up because he liked to see things himself. He was known as "Hawk" because he noticed things early. He saw small shapes in the distance that were getting closer. He realized they were horsemen. A sergeant ran to him, and the camp became alert. Captain Jacot quickly gave orders. Some soldiers prepared their horses to meet the strangers, while others got ready for a possible fight. He thought the horsemen might be trying to free the prisoners, but they were riding openly, which made him doubt it. He did not believe they could trick him.

Pt/En The sergeant and his soldiers met the Arabs about 200 yards away from the camp. Jacot saw the sergeant talking to a tall man in white clothes, who seemed to be the leader. Then, the sergeant and the Arab leader rode back to the camp together. Jacot waited for them, and they stopped their horses and got off in front of him.

Pt/En The sergeant introduced the Arab leader, saying his name was Sheik Amor ben Khatour.

Pt/En Captain Jacot looked at the new man. He knew most of the important Arabs in the area, but he had never seen this one before. The man was tall, looked old (about sixty or more), and had a rough, unhappy face. His eyes were small and seemed unkind. Captain Jacot did not like the look of him.

Pt/En Captain Jacot asked a simple question, "Well?"

Pt/En The Arab did not waste time and spoke directly about what he wanted.

Pt/En The Arab explained that Achmet ben Houdin was his sister's son. He offered to take Achmet and make sure he did not break French laws anymore.

Pt/En Jacot disagreed, saying it was not possible. He stated that he had to take Achmet back with him to face a fair trial in a civil court. If Achmet was innocent, he would be freed.

Pt/En The Arab asked what would happen if Achmet was not innocent.

Pt/En Jacot replied that Achmet was accused of many murders. If he was found guilty of any of them, he would face the death penalty.

Pt/En The Arab, Sheik Amor ben Khatour, showed Captain Jacot a large, heavy goatskin purse full of gold coins. Jacot guessed it contained a lot of money. After putting the spilled gold back, the sheik held out the full purse to Jacot. They were alone, with the sergeant standing some distance away.

Pt/En The speaker said that Achmet ben Houdin, who was his sister's son, might escape that night. The other person asked a question in surprise.

Pt/En Captain Armand Jacot became very angry. His face turned red, then white. He took a step towards the Arab, clenching his fists. But then he decided not to do whatever he was thinking of doing.

Pt/En The captain called for a sergeant. The sergeant quickly came to him and saluted.

Original English Text

1 - Chapter 1

2 - Chapter 2

3 - Chapter 3

4 - Chapter 4

5 - Chapter 5

Chapter 1

PT The long boat of the Marjorie W. was floating down the broad Ugambi with ebb tide and current. Her crew were lazily enjoying this respite from the arduous labor of rowing up stream. Three miles below them lay the Marjorie W. herself, quite ready to sail so soon as they should have clambered aboard and swung the long boat to its davits. Presently the attention of every man was drawn from his dreaming or his gossiping to the northern bank of the river. There, screaming at them in a cracked falsetto and with skinny arms outstretched, stood a strange apparition of a man.

PT "Wot the 'ell?"ejaculated one of the crew.

PT "A white man!"muttered the mate, and then:"Man the oars, boys, and we'll just pull over an' see what he wants."

PT When they came close to the shore they saw an emaciated creature with scant white locks tangled and matted. The thin, bent body was naked but for a loin cloth. Tears were rolling down the sunken pock-marked cheeks. The man jabbered at them in a strange tongue.

PT "Rooshun,"hazarded the mate."Savvy English?"he called to the man.

PT He did, and in that tongue, brokenly and haltingly, as though it had been many years since he had used it, he begged them to take him with them away from this awful country. Once on board the Marjorie W. the stranger told his rescuers a pitiful tale of privation, hardships, and torture, extending over a period of ten years. How he happened to have come to Africa he did not tell them, leaving them to assume he had forgotten the incidents of his life prior to the frightful ordeals that had wrecked him mentally and physically. He did not even tell them his true name, and so they knew him only as Michael Sabrov, nor was there any resemblance between this sorry wreck and the virile, though unprincipled, Alexis Paulvitch of old.

PT It had been ten years since the Russian had escaped the fate of his friend, the arch-fiend Rokoff, and not once, but many times during those ten years had Paulvitch cursed the fate that had given to Nicholas Rokoff death and immunity from suffering while it had meted to him the hideous terrors of an existence infinitely worse than the death that persistently refused to claim him.

PT Paulvitch had taken to the jungle when he had seen the beasts of Tarzan and their savage lord swarm the deck of the Kincaid, and in his terror lest Tarzan pursue and capture him he had stumbled on deep into the jungle, only to fall at last into the hands of one of the savage cannibal tribes that had felt the weight of Rokoff's evil temper and cruel brutality. Some strange whim of the chief of this tribe saved Paulvitch from death only to plunge him into a life of misery and torture. For ten years he had been the butt of the village, beaten and stoned by the women and children, cut and slashed and disfigured by the warriors; a victim of often recurring fevers of the most malignant variety. Yet he did not die. Smallpox laid its hideous clutches upon him; leaving him unspeakably branded with its repulsive marks. Between it and the attentions of the tribe the countenance of Alexis Paulvitch was so altered that his own mother could not have recognized in the pitiful mask he called his face a single familiar feature. A few scraggly, yellow-white locks had supplanted the thick, dark hair that had covered his head. His limbs were bent and twisted, he walked with a shuffling, unsteady gait, his body doubled forward. His teeth were gone -- knocked out by his savage masters. Even his mentality was but a sorry mockery of what it once had been.

PT They took him aboard the Marjorie W., and there they fed and nursed him. He gained a little in strength; but his appearance never altered for the better -- a human derelict, battered and wrecked, they had found him; a human derelict, battered and wrecked, he would remain until death claimed him. Though still in his thirties, Alexis Paulvitch could easily have passed for eighty. Inscrutable Nature had demanded of the accomplice a greater penalty than his principal had paid.

PT In the mind of Alexis Paulvitch there lingered no thoughts of revenge -- only a dull hatred of the man whom he and Rokoff had tried to break, and failed. There was hatred, too, of the memory of Rokoff, for Rokoff had led him into the horrors he had undergone. There was hatred of the police of a score of cities from which he had had to flee. There was hatred of law, hatred of order, hatred of everything. Every moment of the man's waking life was filled with morbid thought of hatred -- he had become mentally as he was physically in outward appearance, the personification of the blighting emotion of Hate. He had little or nothing to do with the men who had rescued him. He was too weak to work and too morose for company, and so they quickly left him alone to his own devices.

PT The Marjorie W. had been chartered by a syndicate of wealthy manufacturers, equipped with a laboratory and a staff of scientists, and sent out to search for some natural product which the manufacturers who footed the bills had been importing from South America at an enormous cost. What the product was none on board the Marjorie W. knew except the scientists, nor is it of any moment to us, other than that it led the ship to a certain island off the coast of Africa after Alexis Paulvitch had been taken aboard.

PT The ship lay at anchor off the coast for several weeks. The monotony of life aboard her became trying for the crew. They went often ashore, and finally Paulvitch asked to accompany them -- he too was tiring of the blighting sameness of existence upon the ship.

PT The island was heavily timbered. Dense jungle ran down almost to the beach. The scientists were far inland, prosecuting their search for the valuable commodity that native rumor upon the mainland had led them to believe might be found here in marketable quantity. The ship's company fished, hunted, and explored. Paulvitch shuffled up and down the beach, or lay in the shade of the great trees that skirted it. One day, as the men were gathered at a little distance inspecting the body of a panther that had fallen to the gun of one of them who had been hunting inland, Paulvitch lay sleeping beneath his tree. He was awakened by the touch of a hand upon his shoulder. With a start he sat up to see a huge, anthropoid ape squatting at his side, inspecting him intently. The Russian was thoroughly frightened. He glanced toward the sailors -- they were a couple of hundred yards away. Again the ape plucked at his shoulder, jabbering plaintively. Paulvitch saw no menace in the inquiring gaze, or in the attitude of the beast. He got slowly to his feet. The ape rose at his side.

PT Half doubled, the man shuffled cautiously away toward the sailors. The ape moved with him, taking one of his arms. They had come almost to the little knot of men before they were seen, and by this time Paulvitch had become assured that the beast meant no harm. The animal evidently was accustomed to the association of human beings. It occurred to the Russian that the ape represented a certain considerable money value, and before they reached the sailors he had decided he should be the one to profit by it.

PT When the men looked up and saw the oddly paired couple shuffling toward them they were filled with amazement, and started on a run toward the two. The ape showed no sign of fear. Instead he grasped each sailor by the shoulder and peered long and earnestly into his face. Having inspected them all he returned to Paulvitch's side, disappointment written strongly upon his countenance and in his carriage.

PT The men were delighted with him. They gathered about, asking Paulvitch many questions, and examining his companion. The Russian told them that the ape was his -- nothing further would he offer -- but kept harping continually upon the same theme,"The ape is mine. The ape is mine."Tiring of Paulvitch, one of the men essayed a pleasantry. Circling about behind the ape he prodded the anthropoid in the back with a pin. Like a flash the beast wheeled upon its tormentor, and, in the briefest instant of turning, the placid, friendly animal was metamorphosed to a frenzied demon of rage. The broad grin that had sat upon the sailor's face as he perpetrated his little joke froze to an expression of terror. He attempted to dodge the long arms that reached for him; but, failing, drew a long knife that hung at his belt. With a single wrench the ape tore the weapon from the man's grasp and flung it to one side, then his yellow fangs were buried in the sailor's shoulder.

PT With sticks and knives the man's companions fell upon the beast, while Paulvitch danced around the cursing, snarling pack mumbling and screaming pleas and threats. He saw his visions of wealth rapidly dissipating before the weapons of the sailors.

PT The ape, however, proved no easy victim to the superior numbers that seemed fated to overwhelm him. Rising from the sailor who had precipitated the battle he shook his giant shoulders, freeing himself from two of the men that were clinging to his back, and with mighty blows of his open palms felled one after another of his attackers, leaping hither and thither with the agility of a small monkey.

PT The fight had been witnessed by the captain and mate who were just landing from the Marjorie W., and Paulvitch saw these two now running forward with drawn revolvers while the two sailors who had brought them ashore trailed at their heels. The ape stood looking about him at the havoc he had wrought, but whether he was awaiting a renewal of the attack or was deliberating which of his foes he should exterminate first Paulvitch could not guess. What he could guess, however, was that the moment the two officers came within firing distance of the beast they would put an end to him in short order unless something were done and done quickly to prevent. The ape had made no move to attack the Russian but even so the man was none too sure of what might happen were he to interfere with the savage beast, now thoroughly aroused to bestial rage, and with the smell of new spilled blood fresh in its nostrils. For an instant he hesitated, and then again there rose before him the dreams of affluence which this great anthropoid would doubtless turn to realities once Paulvitch had landed him safely in some great metropolis like London.

PT The captain was shouting to him now to stand aside that he might have a shot at the animal; but instead Paulvitch shuffled to the ape's side, and though the man's hair quivered at its roots he mastered his fear and laid hold of the ape's arm.

PT "Come!"he commanded, and tugged to pull the beast from among the sailors, many of whom were now sitting up in wide eyed fright or crawling away from their conqueror upon hands and knees.

PT Slowly the ape permitted itself to be led to one side, nor did it show the slightest indication of a desire to harm the Russian. The captain came to a halt a few paces from the odd pair.

PT "Get aside, Sabrov!"he commanded."I'll put that brute where he won't chew up any more able seamen."

PT "It wasn't his fault, captain,"pleaded Paulvitch."Please don't shoot him. The men started it -- they attacked him first. You see, he's perfectly gentle -- and he's mine -- he's mine -- he's mine! I won't let you kill him,"he concluded, as his half-wrecked mentality pictured anew the pleasure that money would buy in London -- money that he could not hope to possess without some such windfall as the ape represented.

PT The captain lowered his weapon."The men started it, did they?"he repeated."How about that?"and he turned toward the sailors who had by this time picked themselves from the ground, none of them much the worse for his experience except the fellow who had been the cause of it, and who would doubtless nurse a sore shoulder for a week or so.

PT "Simpson done it,"said one of the men."He stuck a pin into the monk from behind, and the monk got him -- which served him bloomin' well right -- an' he got the rest of us, too, for which I can't blame him, since we all jumped him to once."

PT The captain looked at Simpson, who sheepishly admitted the truth of the allegation, then he stepped over to the ape as though to discover for himself the sort of temper the beast possessed, but it was noticeable that he kept his revolver cocked and leveled as he did so. However, he spoke soothingly to the animal who squatted at the Russian's side looking first at one and then another of the sailors. As the captain approached him the ape half rose and waddled forward to meet him. Upon his countenance was the same strange, searching expression that had marked his scrutiny of each of the sailors he had first encountered. He came quite close to the officer and laid a paw upon one of the man's shoulders, studying his face intently for a long moment, then came the expression of disappointment accompanied by what was almost a human sigh, as he turned away to peer in the same curious fashion into the faces of the mate and the two sailors who had arrived with the officers. In each instance he sighed and passed on, returning at length to Paulvitch's side, where he squatted down once more; thereafter evincing little or no interest in any of the other men, and apparently forgetful of his recent battle with them.

PT When the party returned aboard the Marjorie W., Paulvitch was accompanied by the ape, who seemed anxious to follow him. The captain interposed no obstacles to the arrangement, and so the great anthropoid was tacitly admitted to membership in the ship's company. Once aboard he examined each new face minutely, evincing the same disappointment in each instance that had marked his scrutiny of the others. The officers and scientists aboard often discussed the beast, but they were unable to account satisfactorily for the strange ceremony with which he greeted each new face. Had he been discovered upon the mainland, or any other place than the almost unknown island that had been his home, they would have concluded that he had formerly been a pet of man; but that theory was not tenable in the face of the isolation of his uninhabited island. He seemed continually to be searching for someone, and during the first days of the return voyage from the island he was often discovered nosing about in various parts of the ship; but after he had seen and examined each face of the ship's company, and explored every corner of the vessel he lapsed into utter indifference of all about him. Even the Russian elicited only casual interest when he brought him food. At other times the ape appeared merely to tolerate him. He never showed affection for him, or for anyone else upon the Marjorie W., nor did he at any time evince any indication of the savage temper that had marked his resentment of the attack of the sailors upon him at the time that he had come among them.

PT Most of his time was spent in the eye of the ship scanning the horizon ahead, as though he were endowed with sufficient reason to know that the vessel was bound for some port where there would be other human beings to undergo his searching scrutiny. All in all, Ajax, as he had been dubbed, was considered the most remarkable and intelligent ape that any one aboard the Marjorie W. ever had seen. Nor was his intelligence the only remarkable attribute he owned. His stature and physique were, for an ape, awe inspiring. That he was old was quite evident, but if his age had impaired his physical or mental powers in the slightest it was not apparent.

PT And so at length the Marjorie W. came to England, and there the officers and the scientists, filled with compassion for the pitiful wreck of a man they had rescued from the jungles, furnished Paulvitch with funds and bid him and his Ajax Godspeed.

PT Upon the dock and all through the journey to London the Russian had his hands full with Ajax. Each new face of the thousands that came within the anthropoid's ken must be carefully scrutinized, much to the horror of many of his victims; but at last, failing, apparently, to discover whom he sought, the great ape relapsed into morbid indifference, only occasionally evincing interest in a passing face.

PT In London, Paulvitch went directly with his prize to a certain famous animal trainer. This man was much impressed with Ajax with the result that he agreed to train him for a lion's share of the profits of exhibiting him, and in the meantime to provide for the keep of both the ape and his owner.

PT And so came Ajax to London, and there was forged another link in the chain of strange circumstances that were to affect the lives of many people.

Chapter 2

PT Mr. Harold Moore was a bilious-countenanced, studious young man. He took himself very seriously, and life, and his work, which latter was the tutoring of the young son of a British nobleman. He felt that his charge was not making the progress that his parents had a right to expect, and he was now conscientiously explaining this fact to the boy's mother.

PT "It's not that he isn't bright,"he was saying;"if that were true I should have hopes of succeeding, for then I might bring to bear all my energies in overcoming his obtuseness; but the trouble is that he is exceptionally intelligent, and learns so quickly that I can find no fault in the matter of the preparation of his lessons. What concerns me, however, is the fact that he evidently takes no interest whatever in the subjects we are studying. He merely accomplishes each lesson as a task to be rid of as quickly as possible and I am sure that no lesson ever again enters his mind until the hours of study and recitation once more arrive. His sole interests seem to be feats of physical prowess and the reading of everything that he can get hold of relative to savage beasts and the lives and customs of uncivilized peoples; but particularly do stories of animals appeal to him. He will sit for hours together poring over the work of some African explorer, and upon two occasions I have found him setting up in bed at night reading Carl Hagenbeck's book on men and beasts."

PT The boy's mother tapped her foot nervously upon the hearth rug.

PT "You discourage this, of course?"she ventured.

PT Mr. Moore shuffled embarrassedly.

PT "I -- ah -- essayed to take the book from him,"he replied, a slight flush mounting his sallow cheek;"but -- ah -- your son is quite muscular for one so young."

PT "He wouldn't let you take it?"asked the mother.

PT "He would not,"confessed the tutor."He was perfectly good natured about it; but he insisted upon pretending that he was a gorilla and that I was a chimpanzee attempting to steal food from him. He leaped upon me with the most savage growls I ever heard, lifted me completely above his head, hurled me upon his bed, and after going through a pantomime indicative of choking me to death he stood upon my prostrate form and gave voice to a most fearsome shriek, which he explained was the victory cry of a bull ape. Then he carried me to the door, shoved me out into the hall and locked me from his room."

PT For several minutes neither spoke again. It was the boy's mother who finally broke the silence.

PT "It is very necessary, Mr. Moore,"she said,"that you do everything in your power to discourage this tendency in Jack, he--"; but she got no further. A loud"Whoop!"from the direction of the window brought them both to their feet. The room was upon the second floor of the house, and opposite the window to which their attention had been attracted was a large tree, a branch of which spread to within a few feet of the sill. Upon this branch now they both discovered the subject of their recent conversation, a tall, well-built boy, balancing with ease upon the bending limb and uttering loud shouts of glee as he noted the terrified expressions upon the faces of his audience.

PT The mother and tutor both rushed toward the window but before they had crossed half the room the boy had leaped nimbly to the sill and entered the apartment with them.

PT "'The wild man from Borneo has just come to town,'"he sang, dancing a species of war dance about his terrified mother and scandalized tutor, and ending up by throwing his arms about the former's neck and kissing her upon either cheek.

PT "Oh, Mother,"he cried,"there's a wonderful, educated ape being shown at one of the music halls. Willie Grimsby saw it last night. He says it can do everything but talk. It rides a bicycle, eats with knife and fork, counts up to ten, and ever so many other wonderful things, and can I go and see it too? Oh, please, Mother -- please let me."

PT Patting the boy's cheek affectionately, the mother shook her head negatively."No, Jack,"she said;"you know I do not approve of such exhibitions."

PT "I don't see why not, Mother,"replied the boy."All the other fellows go and they go to the Zoo, too, and you'll never let me do even that. Anybody'd think I was a girl -- or a mollycoddle. Oh, Father,"he exclaimed, as the door opened to admit a tall gray-eyed man."Oh, Father, can't I go?"

PT "Go where, my son?"asked the newcomer.

PT "He wants to go to a music hall to see a trained ape,"said the mother, looking warningly at her husband.

PT "Who, Ajax?"questioned the man.

PT The boy nodded.

PT "Well, I don't know that I blame you, my son,"said the father,"I wouldn't mind seeing him myself. They say he is very wonderful, and that for an anthropoid he is unusually large. Let's all go, Jane -- what do you say?"And he turned toward his wife, but that lady only shook her head in a most positive manner, and turning to Mr. Moore asked him if it was not time that he and Jack were in the study for the morning recitations. When the two had left she turned toward her husband.

PT "John,"she said,"something must be done to discourage Jack's tendency toward anything that may excite the cravings for the savage life which I fear he has inherited from you. You know from your own experience how strong is the call of the wild at times. You know that often it has necessitated a stern struggle on your part to resist the almost insane desire which occasionally overwhelms you to plunge once again into the jungle life that claimed you for so many years, and at the same time you know, better than any other, how frightful a fate it would be for Jack, were the trail to the savage jungle made either alluring or easy to him."

PT "I doubt if there is any danger of his inheriting a taste for jungle life from me,"replied the man,"for I cannot conceive that such a thing may be transmitted from father to son. And sometimes, Jane, I think that in your solicitude for his future you go a bit too far in your restrictive measures. His love for animals -- his desire, for example, to see this trained ape -- is only natural in a healthy, normal boy of his age. Just because he wants to see Ajax is no indication that he would wish to marry an ape, and even should he, far be it from you Jane to have the right to cry 'shame!'"and John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, put an arm about his wife, laughing good-naturedly down into her upturned face before he bent his head and kissed her. Then, more seriously, he continued:"You have never told Jack anything concerning my early life, nor have you permitted me to, and in this I think that you have made a mistake. Had I been able to tell him of the experiences of Tarzan of the Apes I could doubtless have taken much of the glamour and romance from jungle life that naturally surrounds it in the minds of those who have had no experience of it. He might then have profited by my experience, but now, should the jungle lust ever claim him, he will have nothing to guide him but his own impulses, and I know how powerful these may be in the wrong direction at times."

PT But Lady Greystoke only shook her head as she had a hundred other times when the subject had claimed her attention in the past.

PT "No, John,"she insisted,"I shall never give my consent to the implanting in Jack's mind of any suggestion of the savage life which we both wish to preserve him from."

PT It was evening before the subject was again referred to and then it was raised by Jack himself. He had been sitting, curled in a large chair, reading, when he suddenly looked up and addressed his father.

PT "Why,"he asked, coming directly to the point,"can't I go and see Ajax?"

PT "Your mother does not approve,"replied his father.

PT "Do you?"

PT "That is not the question,"evaded Lord Greystoke."It is enough that your mother objects."

PT "I am going to see him,"announced the boy, after a few moments of thoughtful silence."I am not different from Willie Grimsby, or any other of the fellows who have been to see him. It did not harm them and it will not harm me. I could go without telling you; but I would not do that. So I tell you now, beforehand, that I am going to see Ajax."

PT There was nothing disrespectful or defiant in the boy's tone or manner. His was merely a dispassionate statement of facts. His father could scarce repress either a smile or a show of the admiration he felt for the manly course his son had pursued.

PT "I admire your candor, Jack,"he said."Permit me to be candid, as well. If you go to see Ajax without permission, I shall punish you. I have never inflicted corporal punishment upon you, but I warn you that should you disobey your mother's wishes in this instance, I shall."

PT "Yes, sir,"replied the boy; and then:"I shall tell you, sir, when I have been to see Ajax."

PT Mr. Moore's room was next to that of his youthful charge, and it was the tutor's custom to have a look into the boy's each evening as the former was about to retire. This evening he was particularly careful not to neglect his duty, for he had just come from a conference with the boy's father and mother in which it had been impressed upon him that he must exercise the greatest care to prevent Jack visiting the music hall where Ajax was being shown. So, when he opened the boy's door at about half after nine, he was greatly excited, though not entirely surprised to find the future Lord Greystoke fully dressed for the street and about to crawl from his open bed room window.

PT Mr. Moore made a rapid spring across the apartment; but the waste of energy was unnecessary, for when the boy heard him within the chamber and realized that he had been discovered he turned back as though to relinquish his planned adventure.

PT "Where were you going?"panted the excited Mr. Moore.

PT "I am going to see Ajax,"replied the boy, quietly.

PT "I am astonished,"cried Mr. Moore; but a moment later he was infinitely more astonished, for the boy, approaching close to him, suddenly seized him about the waist, lifted him from his feet and threw him face downward upon the bed, shoving his face deep into a soft pillow.

PT "Be quiet,"admonished the victor,"or I'll choke you."

PT Mr. Moore struggled; but his efforts were in vain. Whatever else Tarzan of the Apes may or may not have handed down to his son he had at least bequeathed him almost as marvelous a physique as he himself had possessed at the same age. The tutor was as putty in the boy's hands. Kneeling upon him, Jack tore strips from a sheet and bound the man's hands behind his back. Then he rolled him over and stuffed a gag of the same material between his teeth, securing it with a strip wound about the back of his victim's head. All the while he talked in a low, conversational tone.

PT "I am Waja, chief of the Waji,"he explained,"and you are Mohammed Dubn, the Arab sheik, who would murder my people and steal my ivory,"and he dexterously trussed Mr. Moore's hobbled ankles up behind to meet his hobbled wrists."Ah -- ha! Villain! I have you in me power at last. I go; but I shall return!"And the son of Tarzan skipped across the room, slipped through the open window, and slid to liberty by way of the down spout from an eaves trough.

PT Mr. Moore wriggled and struggled about the bed. He was sure that he should suffocate unless aid came quickly. In his frenzy of terror he managed to roll off the bed. The pain and shock of the fall jolted him back to something like sane consideration of his plight. Where before he had been unable to think intelligently because of the hysterical fear that had claimed him he now lay quietly searching for some means of escape from his dilemma. It finally occurred to him that the room in which Lord and Lady Greystoke had been sitting when he left them was directly beneath that in which he lay upon the floor. He knew that some time had elapsed since he had come up stairs and that they might be gone by this time, for it seemed to him that he had struggled about the bed, in his efforts to free himself, for an eternity. But the best that he could do was to attempt to attract attention from below, and so, after many failures, he managed to work himself into a position in which he could tap the toe of his boot against the floor. This he proceeded to do at short intervals, until, after what seemed a very long time, he was rewarded by hearing footsteps ascending the stairs, and presently a knock upon the door. Mr. Moore tapped vigorously with his toe -- he could not reply in any other way. The knock was repeated after a moment's silence. Again Mr. Moore tapped. Would they never open the door! Laboriously he rolled in the direction of succor. If he could get his back against the door he could then tap upon its base, when surely he must be heard. The knocking was repeated a little louder, and finally a voice called:"Mr. Jack!"

PT It was one of the house men -- Mr. Moore recognized the fellow's voice. He came near to bursting a blood vessel in an endeavor to scream"come in"through the stifling gag. After a moment the man knocked again, quite loudly and again called the boy's name. Receiving no reply he turned the knob, and at the same instant a sudden recollection filled the tutor anew with numbing terror -- he had, himself, locked the door behind him when he had entered the room.

PT He heard the servant try the door several times and then depart. Upon which Mr. Moore swooned.

PT In the meantime Jack was enjoying to the full the stolen pleasures of the music hall. He had reached the temple of mirth just as Ajax's act was commencing, and having purchased a box seat was now leaning breathlessly over the rail watching every move of the great ape, his eyes wide in wonder. The trainer was not slow to note the boy's handsome, eager face, and as one of Ajax's biggest hits consisted in an entry to one or more boxes during his performance, ostensibly in search of a long-lost relative, as the trainer explained, the man realized the effectiveness of sending him into the box with the handsome boy, who, doubtless, would be terror stricken by proximity to the shaggy, powerful beast.

PT When the time came, therefore, for the ape to return from the wings in reply to an encore the trainer directed its attention to the boy who chanced to be the sole occupant of the box in which he sat. With a spring the huge anthropoid leaped from the stage to the boy's side; but if the trainer had looked for a laughable scene of fright he was mistaken. A broad smile lighted the boy's features as he laid his hand upon the shaggy arm of his visitor. The ape, grasping the boy by either shoulder, peered long and earnestly into his face, while the latter stroked his head and talked to him in a low voice.

PT Never had Ajax devoted so long a time to an examination of another as he did in this instance. He seemed troubled and not a little excited, jabbering and mumbling to the boy, and now caressing him, as the trainer had never seen him caress a human being before. Presently he clambered over into the box with him and snuggled down close to the boy's side. The audience was delighted; but they were still more delighted when the trainer, the period of his act having elapsed, attempted to persuade Ajax to leave the box. The ape would not budge. The manager, becoming excited at the delay, urged the trainer to greater haste, but when the latter entered the box to drag away the reluctant Ajax he was met by bared fangs and menacing growls.

PT The audience was delirious with joy. They cheered the ape. They cheered the boy, and they hooted and jeered at the trainer and the manager, which luckless individual had inadvertently shown himself and attempted to assist the trainer.

PT Finally, reduced to desperation and realizing that this show of mutiny upon the part of his valuable possession might render the animal worthless for exhibition purposes in the future if not immediately subdued, the trainer had hastened to his dressing room and procured a heavy whip. With this he now returned to the box; but when he had threatened Ajax with it but once he found himself facing two infuriated enemies instead of one, for the boy had leaped to his feet, and seizing a chair was standing ready at the ape's side to defend his new found friend. There was no longer a smile upon his handsome face. In his gray eyes was an expression which gave the trainer pause, and beside him stood the giant anthropoid growling and ready.

PT What might have happened, but for a timely interruption, may only be surmised; but that the trainer would have received a severe mauling, if nothing more, was clearly indicated by the attitudes of the two who faced him.

PT It was a pale-faced man who rushed into the Greystoke library to announce that he had found Jack's door locked and had been able to obtain no response to his repeated knocking and calling other than a strange tapping and the sound of what might have been a body moving about upon the floor.

PT Four steps at a time John Clayton took the stairs that led to the floor above. His wife and the servant hurried after him. Once he called his son's name in a loud voice; but receiving no reply he launched his great weight, backed by all the undiminished power of his giant muscles, against the heavy door. With a snapping of iron butts and a splintering of wood the obstacle burst inward.

PT At its foot lay the body of the unconscious Mr. Moore, across whom it fell with a resounding thud. Through the opening leaped Tarzan, and a moment later the room was flooded with light from a dozen electric bulbs.

PT It was several minutes before the tutor was discovered, so completely had the door covered him; but finally he was dragged forth, his gag and bonds cut away, and a liberal application of cold water had hastened returning consciousness.

PT "Where is Jack?"was John Clayton's first question, and then;"Who did this?"as the memory of Rokoff and the fear of a second abduction seized him.

PT Slowly Mr. Moore staggered to his feet. His gaze wandered about the room. Gradually he collected his scattered wits. The details of his recent harrowing experience returned to him.

PT "I tender my resignation, sir, to take effect at once,"were his first words."You do not need a tutor for your son -- what he needs is a wild animal trainer."

PT "But where is he?"cried Lady Greystoke.

PT "He has gone to see Ajax."

PT It was with difficulty that Tarzan restrained a smile, and after satisfying himself that the tutor was more scared than injured, he ordered his closed car around and departed in the direction of a certain well-known music hall.

Chapter 3

PT As the trainer, with raised lash, hesitated an instant at the entrance to the box where the boy and the ape confronted him, a tall broad-shouldered man pushed past him and entered. As his eyes fell upon the newcomer a slight flush mounted the boy's cheeks.

PT "Father!"he exclaimed.

PT The ape gave one look at the English lord, and then leaped toward him, calling out in excited jabbering. The man, his eyes going wide in astonishment, stopped as though turned to stone.

PT "Akut!"he cried.

PT The boy looked, bewildered, from the ape to his father, and from his father to the ape. The trainer's jaw dropped as he listened to what followed, for from the lips of the Englishman flowed the gutturals of an ape that were answered in kind by the huge anthropoid that now clung to him.

PT And from the wings a hideously bent and disfigured old man watched the tableau in the box, his pock-marked features working spasmodically in varying expressions that might have marked every sensation in the gamut from pleasure to terror.

PT "Long have I looked for you, Tarzan,"said Akut."Now that I have found you I shall come to your jungle and live there always."

PT The man stroked the beast's head. Through his mind there was running rapidly a train of recollection that carried him far into the depths of the primeval African forest where this huge, man-like beast had fought shoulder to shoulder with him years before. He saw the black Mugambi wielding his deadly knob-stick, and beside them, with bared fangs and bristling whiskers, Sheeta the terrible; and pressing close behind the savage and the savage panther, the hideous apes of Akut. The man sighed. Strong within him surged the jungle lust that he had thought dead. Ah! if he could go back even for a brief month of it, to feel again the brush of leafy branches against his naked hide; to smell the musty rot of dead vegetation -- frankincense and myrrh to the jungle born; to sense the noiseless coming of the great carnivora upon his trail; to hunt and to be hunted; to kill! The picture was alluring. And then came another picture -- a sweet-faced woman, still young and beautiful; friends; a home; a son. He shrugged his giant shoulders.

PT "It cannot be, Akut,"he said;"but if you would return, I shall see that it is done. You could not be happy here -- I may not be happy there."

PT The trainer stepped forward. The ape bared his fangs, growling.

PT "Go with him, Akut,"said Tarzan of the Apes."I will come and see you tomorrow."

PT The beast moved sullenly to the trainer's side. The latter, at John Clayton's request, told where they might be found. Tarzan turned toward his son.

PT "Come!"he said, and the two left the theater. Neither spoke for several minutes after they had entered the limousine. It was the boy who broke the silence.

PT "The ape knew you,"he said,"and you spoke together in the ape's tongue. How did the ape know you, and how did you learn his language?"

PT And then, briefly and for the first time, Tarzan of the Apes told his son of his early life -- of the birth in the jungle, of the death of his parents, and of how Kala, the great she ape had suckled and raised him from infancy almost to manhood. He told him, too, of the dangers and the horrors of the jungle; of the great beasts that stalked one by day and by night; of the periods of drought, and of the cataclysmic rains; of hunger; of cold; of intense heat; of nakedness and fear and suffering. He told him of all those things that seem most horrible to the creature of civilization in the hope that the knowledge of them might expunge from the lad's mind any inherent desire for the jungle. Yet they were the very things that made the memory of the jungle what it was to Tarzan -- that made up the composite jungle life he loved. And in the telling he forgot one thing -- the principal thing -- that the boy at his side, listening with eager ears, was the son of Tarzan of the Apes.

PT After the boy had been tucked away in bed -- and without the threatened punishment -- John Clayton told his wife of the events of the evening, and that he had at last acquainted the boy with the facts of his jungle life. The mother, who had long foreseen that her son must some time know of those frightful years during which his father had roamed the jungle, a naked, savage beast of prey, only shook her head, hoping against hope that the lure she knew was still strong in the father's breast had not been transmitted to his son.

PT Tarzan visited Akut the following day, but though Jack begged to be allowed to accompany him he was refused. This time Tarzan saw the pock-marked old owner of the ape, whom he did not recognize as the wily Paulvitch of former days. Tarzan, influenced by Akut's pleadings, broached the question of the ape's purchase; but Paulvitch would not name any price, saying that he would consider the matter.

PT When Tarzan returned home Jack was all excitement to hear the details of his visit, and finally suggested that his father buy the ape and bring it home. Lady Greystoke was horrified at the suggestion. The boy was insistent. Tarzan explained that he had wished to purchase Akut and return him to his jungle home, and to this the mother assented. Jack asked to be allowed to visit the ape, but again he was met with flat refusal. He had the address, however, which the trainer had given his father, and two days later he found the opportunity to elude his new tutor -- who had replaced the terrified Mr. Moore -- and after a considerable search through a section of London which he had never before visited, he found the smelly little quarters of the pock-marked old man. The old fellow himself replied to his knocking, and when he stated that he had come to see Ajax, opened the door and admitted him to the little room which he and the great ape occupied. In former years Paulvitch had been a fastidious scoundrel; but ten years of hideous life among the cannibals of Africa had eradicated the last vestige of niceness from his habits. His apparel was wrinkled and soiled. His hands were unwashed, his few straggling locks uncombed. His room was a jumble of filthy disorder. As the boy entered he saw the great ape squatting upon the bed, the coverlets of which were a tangled wad of filthy blankets and ill-smelling quilts. At sight of the youth the ape leaped to the floor and shuffled forward. The man, not recognizing his visitor and fearing that the ape meant mischief, stepped between them, ordering the ape back to the bed.

PT "He will not hurt me,"cried the boy."We are friends, and before, he was my father's friend. They knew one another in the jungle. My father is Lord Greystoke. He does not know that I have come here. My mother forbid my coming; but I wished to see Ajax, and I will pay you if you will let me come here often and see him."

PT At the mention of the boy's identity Paulvitch's eyes narrowed. Since he had first seen Tarzan again from the wings of the theater there had been forming in his deadened brain the beginnings of a desire for revenge. It is a characteristic of the weak and criminal to attribute to others the misfortunes that are the result of their own wickedness, and so now it was that Alexis Paulvitch was slowly recalling the events of his past life and as he did so laying at the door of the man whom he and Rokoff had so assiduously attempted to ruin and murder all the misfortunes that had befallen him in the failure of their various schemes against their intended victim.

PT He saw at first no way in which he could, with safety to himself, wreak vengeance upon Tarzan through the medium of Tarzan's son; but that great possibilities for revenge lay in the boy was apparent to him, and so he determined to cultivate the lad in the hope that fate would play into his hands in some way in the future. He told the boy all that he knew of his father's past life in the jungle and when he found that the boy had been kept in ignorance of all these things for so many years, and that he had been forbidden visiting the zoological gardens; that he had had to bind and gag his tutor to find an opportunity to come to the music hall and see Ajax, he guessed immediately the nature of the great fear that lay in the hearts of the boy's parents -- that he might crave the jungle as his father had craved it.

PT And so Paulvitch encouraged the boy to come and see him often, and always he played upon the lad's craving for tales of the savage world with which Paulvitch was all too familiar. He left him alone with Akut much, and it was not long until he was surprised to learn that the boy could make the great beast understand him -- that he had actually learned many of the words of the primitive language of the anthropoids.

PT During this period Tarzan came several times to visit Paulvitch. He seemed anxious to purchase Ajax, and at last he told the man frankly that he was prompted not only by a desire upon his part to return the beast to the liberty of his native jungle; but also because his wife feared that in some way her son might learn the whereabouts of the ape and through his attachment for the beast become imbued with the roving instinct which, as Tarzan explained to Paulvitch, had so influenced his own life.

PT The Russian could scarce repress a smile as he listened to Lord Greystoke's words, since scarce a half hour had passed since the time the future Lord Greystoke had been sitting upon the disordered bed jabbering away to Ajax with all the fluency of a born ape.

PT It was during this interview that a plan occurred to Paulvitch, and as a result of it he agreed to accept a certain fabulous sum for the ape, and upon receipt of the money to deliver the beast to a vessel that was sailing south from Dover for Africa two days later. He had a double purpose in accepting Clayton's offer. Primarily, the money consideration influenced him strongly, as the ape was no longer a source of revenue to him, having consistently refused to perform upon the stage after having discovered Tarzan. It was as though the beast had suffered himself to be brought from his jungle home and exhibited before thousands of curious spectators for the sole purpose of searching out his long lost friend and master, and, having found him, considered further mingling with the common herd of humans unnecessary. However that may be, the fact remained that no amount of persuasion could influence him even to show himself upon the music hall stage, and upon the single occasion that the trainer attempted force the results were such that the unfortunate man considered himself lucky to have escaped with his life. All that saved him was the accidental presence of Jack Clayton, who had been permitted to visit the animal in the dressing room reserved for him at the music hall, and had immediately interfered when he saw that the savage beast meant serious mischief.

PT And after the money consideration, strong in the heart of the Russian was the desire for revenge, which had been growing with constant brooding over the failures and miseries of his life, which he attributed to Tarzan; the latest, and by no means the least, of which was Ajax's refusal to longer earn money for him. The ape's refusal he traced directly to Tarzan, finally convincing himself that the ape man had instructed the great anthropoid to refuse to go upon the stage.

PT Paulvitch's naturally malign disposition was aggravated by the weakening and warping of his mental and physical faculties through torture and privation. From cold, calculating, highly intelligent perversity it had deteriorated into the indiscriminating, dangerous menace of the mentally defective. His plan, however, was sufficiently cunning to at least cast a doubt upon the assertion that his mentality was wandering. It assured him first of the competence which Lord Greystoke had promised to pay him for the deportation of the ape, and then of revenge upon his benefactor through the son he idolized. That part of his scheme was crude and brutal -- it lacked the refinement of torture that had marked the master strokes of the Paulvitch of old, when he had worked with that virtuoso of villainy, Nikolas Rokoff -- but it at least assured Paulvitch of immunity from responsibility, placing that upon the ape, who would thus also be punished for his refusal longer to support the Russian.

PT Everything played with fiendish unanimity into Paulvitch's hands. As chance would have it, Tarzan's son overheard his father relating to the boy's mother the steps he was taking to return Akut safely to his jungle home, and having overheard he begged them to bring the ape home that he might have him for a play-fellow. Tarzan would not have been averse to this plan; but Lady Greystoke was horrified at the very thought of it. Jack pleaded with his mother; but all unavailingly. She was obdurate, and at last the lad appeared to acquiesce in his mother's decision that the ape must be returned to Africa and the boy to school, from which he had been absent on vacation.

PT He did not attempt to visit Paulvitch's room again that day, but instead busied himself in other ways. He had always been well supplied with money, so that when necessity demanded he had no difficulty in collecting several hundred pounds. Some of this money he invested in various strange purchases which he managed to smuggle into the house, undetected, when he returned late in the afternoon.

PT The next morning, after giving his father time to precede him and conclude his business with Paulvitch, the lad hastened to the Russian's room. Knowing nothing of the man's true character the boy dared not take him fully into his confidence for fear that the old fellow would not only refuse to aid him, but would report the whole affair to his father. Instead, he simply asked permission to take Ajax to Dover. He explained that it would relieve the old man of a tiresome journey, as well as placing a number of pounds in his pocket, for the lad purposed paying the Russian well.

PT "You see,"he went on,"there will be no danger of detection since I am supposed to be leaving on an afternoon train for school. Instead I will come here after they have left me on board the train. Then I can take Ajax to Dover, you see, and arrive at school only a day late. No one will be the wiser, no harm will be done, and I shall have had an extra day with Ajax before I lose him forever."

PT The plan fitted perfectly with that which Paulvitch had in mind. Had he known what further the boy contemplated he would doubtless have entirely abandoned his own scheme of revenge and aided the boy whole heartedly in the consummation of the lad's, which would have been better for Paulvitch, could he have but read the future but a few short hours ahead.

PT That afternoon Lord and Lady Greystoke bid their son good-bye and saw him safely settled in a first-class compartment of the railway carriage that would set him down at school in a few hours. No sooner had they left him, however, than he gathered his bags together, descended from the compartment and sought a cab stand outside the station. Here he engaged a cabby to take him to the Russian's address. It was dusk when he arrived. He found Paulvitch awaiting him. The man was pacing the floor nervously. The ape was tied with a stout cord to the bed. It was the first time that Jack had ever seen Ajax thus secured. He looked questioningly at Paulvitch. The man, mumbling, explained that he believed the animal had guessed that he was to be sent away and he feared he would attempt to escape.

PT Paulvitch carried another piece of cord in his hand. There was a noose in one end of it which he was continually playing with. He walked back and forth, up and down the room. His pock-marked features were working horribly as he talked silent to himself. The boy had never seen him thus -- it made him uneasy. At last Paulvitch stopped on the opposite side of the room, far from the ape.

PT "Come here,"he said to the lad."I will show you how to secure the ape should he show signs of rebellion during the trip."

PT The lad laughed."It will not be necessary,"he replied."Ajax will do whatever I tell him to do."

PT The old man stamped his foot angrily."Come here, as I tell you,"he repeated."If you do not do as I say you shall not accompany the ape to Dover -- I will take no chances upon his escaping."

PT Still smiling, the lad crossed the room and stood before the Russ.

PT "Turn around, with your back toward me,"directed the latter,"that I may show you how to bind him quickly."

PT The boy did as he was bid, placing his hands behind him when Paulvitch told him to do so. Instantly the old man slipped the running noose over one of the lad's wrists, took a couple of half hitches about his other wrist, and knotted the cord.

PT The moment that the boy was secured the attitude of the man changed. With an angry oath he wheeled his prisoner about, tripped him and hurled him violently to the floor, leaping upon his breast as he fell. From the bed the ape growled and struggled with his bonds. The boy did not cry out -- a trait inherited from his savage sire whom long years in the jungle following the death of his foster mother, Kala the great ape, had taught that there was none to come to the succor of the fallen.

PT Paulvitch's fingers sought the lad's throat. He grinned down horribly into the face of his victim.

PT "Your father ruined me,"he mumbled."This will pay him. He will think that the ape did it. I will tell him that the ape did it. That I left him alone for a few minutes, and that you sneaked in and the ape killed you. I will throw your body upon the bed after I have choked the life from you, and when I bring your father he will see the ape squatting over it,"and the twisted fiend cackled in gloating laughter. His fingers closed upon the boy's throat.

PT Behind them the growling of the maddened beast reverberated against the walls of the little room. The boy paled, but no other sign of fear or panic showed upon his countenance. He was the son of Tarzan. The fingers tightened their grip upon his throat. It was with difficulty that he breathed, gaspingly. The ape lunged against the stout cord that held him. Turning, he wrapped the cord about his hands, as a man might have done, and surged heavily backward. The great muscles stood out beneath his shaggy hide. There was a rending as of splintered wood -- the cord held, but a portion of the footboard of the bed came away.

PT At the sound Paulvitch looked up. His hideous face went white with terror -- the ape was free.

PT With a single bound the creature was upon him. The man shrieked. The brute wrenched him from the body of the boy. Great fingers sunk into the man's flesh. Yellow fangs gaped close to his throat -- he struggled, futilely -- and when they closed, the soul of Alexis Paulvitch passed into the keeping of the demons who had long been awaiting it.

PT The boy struggled to his feet, assisted by Akut. For two hours under the instructions of the former the ape worked upon the knots that secured his friend's wrists. Finally they gave up their secret, and the boy was free. Then he opened one of his bags and drew forth some garments. His plans had been well made. He did not consult the beast, which did all that he directed. Together they slunk from the house, but no casual observer might have noted that one of them was an ape.

Chapter 4

PT The killing of the friendless old Russian, Michael Sabrov, by his great trained ape, was a matter for newspaper comment for a few days. Lord Greystoke read of it, and while taking special precautions not to permit his name to become connected with the affair, kept himself well posted as to the police search for the anthropoid.

PT As was true of the general public, his chief interest in the matter centered about the mysterious disappearance of the slayer. Or at least this was true until he learned, several days subsequent to the tragedy, that his son Jack had not reported at the public school en route for which they had seen him safely ensconced in a railway carriage. Even then the father did not connect the disappearance of his son with the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the ape. Nor was it until a month later that careful investigation revealed the fact that the boy had left the train before it pulled out of the station at London, and the cab driver had been found who had driven him to the address of the old Russian, that Tarzan of the Apes realized that Akut had in some way been connected with the disappearance of the boy.

PT Beyond the moment that the cab driver had deposited his fare beside the curb in front of the house in which the Russian had been quartered there was no clue. No one had seen either the boy or the ape from that instant -- at least no one who still lived. The proprietor of the house identified the picture of the lad as that of one who had been a frequent visitor in the room of the old man. Aside from this he knew nothing. And there, at the door of a grimy, old building in the slums of London, the searchers came to a blank wall -- baffled.

PT The day following the death of Alexis Paulvitch a youth accompanying his invalid grandmother, boarded a steamer at Dover. The old lady was heavily veiled, and so weakened by age and sickness that she had to be wheeled aboard the vessel in an invalid chair.

PT The boy would permit none but himself to wheel her, and with his own hands assisted her from the chair to the interior of their stateroom -- and that was the last that was seen of the old lady by the ship's company until the pair disembarked. The boy even insisted upon doing the work of their cabin steward, since, as he explained, his grandmother was suffering from a nervous disposition that made the presence of strangers extremely distasteful to her.

PT Outside the cabin -- and none there was aboard who knew what he did in the cabin -- the lad was just as any other healthy, normal English boy might have been. He mingled with his fellow passengers, became a prime favorite with the officers, and struck up numerous friendships among the common sailors. He was generous and unaffected, yet carried an air of dignity and strength of character that inspired his many new friends with admiration as well as affection for him.

PT Among the passengers there was an American named Condon, a noted blackleg and crook who was"wanted"in a half dozen of the larger cities of the United States. He had paid little attention to the boy until on one occasion he had seen him accidentally display a roll of bank notes. From then on Condon cultivated the youthful Briton. He learned, easily, that the boy was traveling alone with his invalid grandmother, and that their destination was a small port on the west coast of Africa, a little below the equator; that their name was Billings, and that they had no friends in the little settlement for which they were bound. Upon the point of their purpose in visiting the place Condon found the boy reticent, and so he did not push the matter -- he had learned all that he cared to know as it was.

PT Several times Condon attempted to draw the lad into a card game; but his victim was not interested, and the black looks of several of the other men passengers decided the American to find other means of transferring the boy's bank roll to his own pocket.

PT At last came the day that the steamer dropped anchor in the lee of a wooded promontory where a score or more of sheet-iron shacks making an unsightly blot upon the fair face of nature proclaimed the fact that civilization had set its heel. Straggling upon the outskirts were the thatched huts of natives, picturesque in their primeval savagery, harmonizing with the background of tropical jungle and accentuating the squalid hideousness of the white man's pioneer architecture.

PT The boy, leaning over the rail, was looking far beyond the man-made town deep into the God-made jungle. A little shiver of anticipation tingled his spine, and then, quite without volition, he found himself gazing into the loving eyes of his mother and the strong face of the father which mirrored, beneath its masculine strength, a love no less than the mother's eyes proclaimed. He felt himself weakening in his resolve. Nearby one of the ship's officers was shouting orders to a flotilla of native boats that was approaching to lighter the consignment of the steamer's cargo destined for this tiny post.

PT "When does the next steamer for England touch here?"the boy asked.

PT "The Emanuel ought to be along most any time now,"replied the officer."I figgered we'd find her here,"and he went on with his bellowing remarks to the dusty horde drawing close to the steamer's side.

PT The task of lowering the boy's grandmother over the side to a waiting canoe was rather difficult. The lad insisted on being always at her side, and when at last she was safely ensconced in the bottom of the craft that was to bear them shoreward her grandson dropped catlike after her. So interested was he in seeing her comfortably disposed that he failed to notice the little package that had worked from his pocket as he assisted in lowering the sling that contained the old woman over the steamer's side, nor did he notice it even as it slipped out entirely and dropped into the sea.

PT Scarcely had the boat containing the boy and the old woman started for the shore than Condon hailed a canoe upon the other side of the ship, and after bargaining with its owner finally lowered his baggage and himself aboard. Once ashore he kept out of sight of the two-story atrocity that bore the legend"Hotel"to lure unsuspecting wayfarers to its multitudinous discomforts. It was quite dark before he ventured to enter and arrange for accommodations.

PT In a back room upon the second floor the lad was explaining, not without considerable difficulty, to his grandmother that he had decided to return to England upon the next steamer. He was endeavoring to make it plain to the old lady that she might remain in Africa if she wished but that for his part his conscience demanded that he return to his father and mother, who doubtless were even now suffering untold sorrow because of his absence; from which it may be assumed that his parents had not been acquainted with the plans that he and the old lady had made for their adventure into African wilds.

PT Having come to a decision the lad felt a sense of relief from the worry that had haunted him for many sleepless nights. When he closed his eyes in sleep it was to dream of a happy reunion with those at home. And as he dreamed, Fate, cruel and inexorable, crept stealthily upon him through the dark corridor of the squalid building in which he slept -- Fate in the form of the American crook, Condon.

PT Cautiously the man approached the door of the lad's room. There he crouched listening until assured by the regular breathing of those within that both slept. Quietly he inserted a slim, skeleton key in the lock of the door. With deft fingers, long accustomed to the silent manipulation of the bars and bolts that guarded other men's property, Condon turned the key and the knob simultaneously. Gentle pressure upon the door swung it slowly inward upon its hinges. The man entered the room, closing the door behind him. The moon was temporarily overcast by heavy clouds. The interior of the apartment was shrouded in gloom. Condon groped his way toward the bed. In the far corner of the room something moved -- moved with a silent stealthiness which transcended even the trained silence of the burglar. Condon heard nothing. His attention was riveted upon the bed in which he thought to find a young boy and his helpless, invalid grandmother.

PT The American sought only the bank roll. If he could possess himself of this without detection, well and good; but were he to meet resistance he was prepared for that too. The lad's clothes lay across a chair beside the bed. The American's fingers felt swiftly through them -- the pockets contained no roll of crisp, new notes. Doubtless they were beneath the pillows of the bed. He stepped closer toward the sleeper; his hand was already half way beneath the pillow when the thick cloud that had obscured the moon rolled aside and the room was flooded with light. At the same instant the boy opened his eyes and looked straight into those of Condon. The man was suddenly conscious that the boy was alone in the bed. Then he clutched for his victim's throat. As the lad rose to meet him Condon heard a low growl at his back, then he felt his wrists seized by the boy, and realized that beneath those tapering, white fingers played muscles of steel.

PT He felt other hands at his throat, rough hairy hands that reached over his shoulders from behind. He cast a terrified glance backward, and the hairs of his head stiffened at the sight his eyes revealed, for grasping him from the rear was a huge, man-like ape. The bared fighting fangs of the anthropoid were close to his throat. The lad pinioned his wrists. Neither uttered a sound. Where was the grandmother? Condon's eyes swept the room in a single all-inclusive glance. His eyes bulged in horror at the realization of the truth which that glance revealed. In the power of what creatures of hideous mystery had he placed himself! Frantically he fought to beat off the lad that he might turn upon the fearsome thing at his back. Freeing one hand he struck a savage blow at the lad's face. His act seemed to unloose a thousand devils in the hairy creature clinging to his throat. Condon heard a low and savage snarl. It was the last thing that the American ever heard in this life. Then he was dragged backward upon the floor, a heavy body fell upon him, powerful teeth fastened themselves in his jugular, his head whirled in the sudden blackness which rims eternity -- a moment later the ape rose from his prostrate form; but Condon did not know -- he was quite dead.

PT The lad, horrified, sprang from the bed to lean over the body of the man. He knew that Akut had killed in his defense, as he had killed Michael Sabrov; but here, in savage Africa, far from home and friends what would they do to him and his faithful ape? The lad knew that the penalty of murder was death. He even knew that an accomplice might suffer the death penalty with the principal. Who was there who would plead for them? All would be against them. It was little more than a half-civilized community, and the chances were that they would drag Akut and him forth in the morning and hang them both to the nearest tree -- he had read of such things being done in America, and Africa was worse even and wilder than the great West of his mother's native land. Yes, they would both be hanged in the morning!

PT Was there no escape? He thought in silence for a few moments, and then, with an exclamation of relief, he struck his palms together and turned toward his clothing upon the chair. Money would do anything! Money would save him and Akut! He felt for the bank roll in the pocket in which he had been accustomed to carry it. It was not there! Slowly at first and at last frantically he searched through the remaining pockets of his clothing. Then he dropped upon his hands and knees and examined the floor. Lighting the lamp he moved the bed to one side and, inch by inch, he felt over the entire floor. Beside the body of Condon he hesitated, but at last he nerved himself to touch it. Rolling it over he sought beneath it for the money. Nor was it there. He guessed that Condon had entered their room to rob; but he did not believe that the man had had time to possess himself of the money; however, as it was nowhere else, it must be upon the body of the dead man. Again and again he went over the room, only to return each time to the corpse; but no where could he find the money.

PT He was half-frantic with despair. What were they to do? In the morning they would be discovered and killed. For all his inherited size and strength he was, after all, only a little boy -- a frightened, homesick little boy -- reasoning faultily from the meager experience of childhood. He could think of but a single glaring fact -- they had killed a fellow man, and they were among savage strangers, thirsting for the blood of the first victim whom fate cast into their clutches. This much he had gleaned from penny-dreadfuls.

PT And they must have money!

PT Again he approached the corpse. This time resolutely. The ape squatted in a corner watching his young companion. The youth commenced to remove the American's clothing piece by piece, and, piece by piece, he examined each garment minutely. Even to the shoes he searched with painstaking care, and when the last article had been removed and scrutinized he dropped back upon the bed with dilated eyes that saw nothing in the present -- only a grim tableau of the future in which two forms swung silently from the limb of a great tree.

PT How long he sat thus he did not know; but finally he was aroused by a noise coming from the floor below. Springing quickly to his feet he blew out the lamp, and crossing the floor silently locked the door. Then he turned toward the ape, his mind made up.

PT Last evening he had been determined to start for home at the first opportunity, to beg the forgiveness of his parents for this mad adventure. Now he knew that he might never return to them. The blood of a fellow man was upon his hands -- in his morbid reflections he had long since ceased to attribute the death of Condon to the ape. The hysteria of panic had fastened the guilt upon himself. With money he might have bought justice; but penniless! -- ah, what hope could there be for strangers without money here?

PT But what had become of the money? He tried to recall when last he had seen it. He could not, nor, could he, would he have been able to account for its disappearance, for he had been entirely unconscious of the falling of the little package from his pocket into the sea as he clambered over the ship's side into the waiting canoe that bore him to shore.

PT Now he turned toward Akut."Come!"he said, in the language of the great apes.

PT Forgetful of the fact that he wore only a thin pajama suit he led the way to the open window. Thrusting his head out he listened attentively. A single tree grew a few feet from the window. Nimbly the lad sprang to its bole, clinging cat-like for an instant before he clambered quietly to the ground below. Close behind him came the great ape. Two hundred yards away a spur of the jungle ran close to the straggling town. Toward this the lad led the way. None saw them, and a moment later the jungle swallowed them, and John Clayton, future Lord Greystoke, passed from the eyes and the knowledge of men.

PT It was late the following morning that a native houseman knocked upon the door of the room that had been assigned to Mrs. Billings and her grandson. Receiving no response he inserted his pass key in the lock, only to discover that another key was already there, but from the inside. He reported the fact to Herr Skopf, the proprietor, who at once made his way to the second floor where he, too, pounded vigorously upon the door. Receiving no reply he bent to the key hole in an attempt to look through into the room beyond. In so doing, being portly, he lost his balance, which necessitated putting a palm to the floor to maintain his equilibrium. As he did so he felt something soft and thick and wet beneath his fingers. He raised his open palm before his eyes in the dim light of the corridor and peered at it. Then he gave a little shudder, for even in the semi-darkness he saw a dark red stain upon his hand. Leaping to his feet he hurled his shoulder against the door. Herr Skopf is a heavy man -- or at least he was then -- I have not seen him for several years. The frail door collapsed beneath his weight, and Herr Skopf stumbled precipitately into the room beyond.

PT Before him lay the greatest mystery of his life. Upon the floor at his feet was the dead body of a strange man. The neck was broken and the jugular severed as by the fangs of a wild beast. The body was entirely naked, the clothing being strewn about the corpse. The old lady and her grandson were gone. The window was open. They must have disappeared through the window for the door had been locked from the inside.

PT But how could the boy have carried his invalid grandmother from a second story window to the ground? It was preposterous. Again Herr Skopf searched the small room. He noticed that the bed was pulled well away from the wall -- why? He looked beneath it again for the third or fourth time. The two were gone, and yet his judgment told him that the old lady could not have gone without porters to carry her down as they had carried her up the previous day.

PT Further search deepened the mystery. All the clothing of the two was still in the room -- if they had gone then they must have gone naked or in their night clothes. Herr Skopf shook his head; then he scratched it. He was baffled. He had never heard of Sherlock Holmes or he would have lost no time in invoking the aid of that celebrated sleuth, for here was a real mystery: An old woman -- an invalid who had to be carried from the ship to her room in the hotel -- and a handsome lad, her grandson, had entered a room on the second floor of his hostelry the day before. They had had their evening meal served in their room -- that was the last that had been seen of them. At nine the following morning the corpse of a strange man had been the sole occupant of that room. No boat had left the harbor in the meantime -- there was not a railroad within hundreds of miles -- there was no other white settlement that the two could reach under several days of arduous marching accompanied by a well-equipped safari. They had simply vanished into thin air, for the native he had sent to inspect the ground beneath the open window had just returned to report that there was no sign of a footstep there, and what sort of creatures were they who could have dropped that distance to the soft turf without leaving spoor? Herr Skopf shuddered. Yes, it was a great mystery -- there was something uncanny about the whole thing -- he hated to think about it, and he dreaded the coming of night.

PT It was a great mystery to Herr Skopf -- and, doubtless, still is.

Chapter 5

PT Captain Armand Jacot of the Foreign Legion sat upon an outspread saddle blanket at the foot of a stunted palm tree. His broad shoulders and his close-cropped head rested in luxurious ease against the rough bole of the palm. His long legs were stretched straight before him overlapping the meager blanket, his spurs buried in the sandy soil of the little desert oasis. The captain was taking his ease after a long day of weary riding across the shifting sands of the desert.

PT Lazily he puffed upon his cigarette and watched his orderly who was preparing his evening meal. Captain Armand Jacot was well satisfied with himself and the world. A little to his right rose the noisy activity of his troop of sun-tanned veterans, released for the time from the irksome trammels of discipline, relaxing tired muscles, laughing, joking, and smoking as they, too, prepared to eat after a twelve-hour fast. Among them, silent and taciturn, squatted five white-robed Arabs, securely bound and under heavy guard.

PT It was the sight of these that filled Captain Armand Jacot with the pleasurable satisfaction of a duty well-performed. For a long, hot, gaunt month he and his little troop had scoured the places of the desert waste in search of a band of marauders to the sin-stained account of which were charged innumerable thefts of camels, horses, and goats, as well as murders enough to have sent the whole unsavory gang to the guillotine several times over.

PT A week before, he had come upon them. In the ensuing battle he had lost two of his own men, but the punishment inflicted upon the marauders had been severe almost to extinction. A half dozen, perhaps, had escaped; but the balance, with the exception of the five prisoners, had expiated their crimes before the nickel jacketed bullets of the legionaries. And, best of all, the ring leader, Achmet ben Houdin, was among the prisoners.

PT From the prisoners Captain Jacot permitted his mind to traverse the remaining miles of sand to the little garrison post where, upon the morrow, he should find awaiting him with eager welcome his wife and little daughter. His eyes softened to the memory of them, as they always did. Even now he could see the beauty of the mother reflected in the childish lines of little Jeanne's face, and both those faces would be smiling up into his as he swung from his tired mount late the following afternoon. Already he could feel a soft cheek pressed close to each of his -- velvet against leather.

PT His reverie was broken in upon by the voice of a sentry summoning a non-commissioned officer. Captain Jacot raised his eyes. The sun had not yet set; but the shadows of the few trees huddled about the water hole and of his men and their horses stretched far away into the east across the now golden sand. The sentry was pointing in this direction, and the corporal, through narrowed lids, was searching the distance. Captain Jacot rose to his feet. He was not a man content to see through the eyes of others. He must see for himself. Usually he saw things long before others were aware that there was anything to see -- a trait that had won for him the sobriquet of Hawk. Now he saw, just beyond the long shadows, a dozen specks rising and falling among the sands. They disappeared and reappeared, but always they grew larger. Jacot recognized them immediately. They were horsemen -- horsemen of the desert. Already a sergeant was running toward him. The entire camp was straining its eyes into the distance. Jacot gave a few terse orders to the sergeant who saluted, turned upon his heel and returned to the men. Here he gathered a dozen who saddled their horses, mounted and rode out to meet the strangers. The remaining men disposed themselves in readiness for instant action. It was not entirely beyond the range of possibilities that the horsemen riding thus swiftly toward the camp might be friends of the prisoners bent upon the release of their kinsmen by a sudden attack. Jacot doubted this, however, since the strangers were evidently making no attempt to conceal their presence. They were galloping rapidly toward the camp in plain view of all. There might be treachery lurking beneath their fair appearance; but none who knew The Hawk would be so gullible as to hope to trap him thus.

PT The sergeant with his detail met the Arabs two hundred yards from the camp. Jacot could see him in conversation with a tall, white-robed figure -- evidently the leader of the band. Presently the sergeant and this Arab rode side by side toward camp. Jacot awaited them. The two reined in and dismounted before him.

PT "Sheik Amor ben Khatour,"announced the sergeant by way of introduction.

PT Captain Jacot eyed the newcomer. He was acquainted with nearly every principal Arab within a radius of several hundred miles. This man he never had seen. He was a tall, weather beaten, sour looking man of sixty or more. His eyes were narrow and evil. Captain Jacot did not relish his appearance.

PT "Well?"he asked, tentatively.

PT The Arab came directly to the point.

PT "Achmet ben Houdin is my sister's son,"he said."If you will give him into my keeping I will see that he sins no more against the laws of the French."

PT Jacot shook his head."That cannot be,"he replied."I must take him back with me. He will be properly and fairly tried by a civil court. If he is innocent he will be released."

PT "And if he is not innocent?"asked the Arab.

PT "He is charged with many murders. For any one of these, if he is proved guilty, he will have to die."

PT The Arab's left hand was hidden beneath his burnous. Now he withdrew it disclosing a large goatskin purse, bulging and heavy with coins. He opened the mouth of the purse and let a handful of the contents trickle into the palm of his right hand -- all were pieces of good French gold. From the size of the purse and its bulging proportions Captain Jacot concluded that it must contain a small fortune. Sheik Amor ben Khatour dropped the spilled gold pieces one by one back into the purse. Jacot was eyeing him narrowly. They were alone. The sergeant, having introduced the visitor, had withdrawn to some little distance -- his back was toward them. Now the sheik, having returned all the gold pieces, held the bulging purse outward upon his open palm toward Captain Jacot.

PT "Achmet ben Houdin, my sister's son, MIGHT escape tonight,"he said."Eh?"

PT Captain Armand Jacot flushed to the roots of his close-cropped hair. Then he went very white and took a half-step toward the Arab. His fists were clenched. Suddenly he thought better of whatever impulse was moving him.

PT "Sergeant!"he called. The non-commissioned officer hurried toward him, saluting as his heels clicked together before his superior.

Versão em Português

1 - Capítulo 1

2 - Capítulo 2

3 - Capítulo 3

4 - Capítulo 4

5 - Capítulo 5

Capítulo 1

En O barco longo do Marjorie W. descia preguiçosamente o largo rio Ugambi com a maré vazante. A tripulação aproveitava uma pausa do árduo trabalho de remar rio acima. Três milhas rio abaixo, o Marjorie W. esperava, pronto para navegar assim que o barco fosse içado a bordo. De repente, a atenção de todos os homens se voltou para a margem norte, onde uma figura estranha e magra gritava com eles em um falsete rouco, com seus braços finos estendidos.

En Um dos tripulantes exclamou surpreso.

En O imediato murmurou que era um homem branco, e então ordenou que a tripulação pegasse os remos e remasse até lá para ver o que ele queria.

En Quando se aproximaram da margem, viram uma criatura emaciada com cabelos brancos emaranhados e um corpo fino e encurvado. Ele estava nu exceto por uma tanga, e lágrimas rolavam por suas bochechas encovadas e marcadas por varíola. Ele tagarelava com eles em uma língua estranha.

En O imediato achou que o homem era russo e gritou perguntando se ele entendia inglês.

En O homem falou de maneira hesitante e quebrada, como se não usasse o idioma há muitos anos. Ele implorou que o levassem para longe daquele país terrível. Uma vez a bordo do Marjorie W., ele contou uma história miserável de privação e sofrimento suportados por uma década. Ele não explicou como veio para a África, deixando-os supor que seu passado havia sido apagado pelas experiências terríveis que destruíram sua mente e corpo. Ele deu um nome falso, Michael Sabrov, e não se parecia em nada com o antigo Alexis Paulvitch.

En Dez anos se passaram desde que Paulvitch escapou do destino de seu companheiro, o vilão Rokoff. Muitas vezes durante esses anos, ele amaldiçoou a injustiça que concedeu a Rokoff a morte e o alívio, enquanto o condenava a um horror vivo pior que a própria morte.

En Quando Paulvitch viu Tarzan e suas feras invadirem o Kincaid, ele fugiu para a selva aterrorizado. Ele tropeçou mais fundo, apenas para ser capturado por uma tribo canibal que havia sofrido com a crueldade de Rokoff. Por razões desconhecidas, o chefe poupou sua vida, mas apenas para submetê-lo a uma miséria sem fim. Por dez anos, ele foi o alvo da aldeia, espancado por mulheres e crianças, mutilado por guerreiros e devastado por febres. A varíola deixou-o horrivelmente marcado, alterando sua aparência tão completamente que sua própria mãe não o reconheceria. Seu cabelo ficou ralo e branco, seu corpo encurvado e torcido, seus dentes desapareceram. Até sua mente era apenas uma sombra do que fora.

En Eles o trouxeram para o Marjorie W. e cuidaram dele, alimentando-o e tratando-o. Ele recuperou um pouco de força, mas sua aparência nunca melhorou. Eles o encontraram como um destroço quebrado, e ele permaneceria assim até a morte. Ainda na casa dos trinta, ele aparentava oitenta. A inescrutável natureza havia exigido uma penalidade maior do cúmplice do que do principal.

En Alexis Paulvitch não abrigava mais pensamentos de vingança. Ele sentia apenas um ódio surdo pelo homem que ele e Rokoff falharam em quebrar, e um ódio pela memória do próprio Rokoff, que o levara a tais horrores. Ele odiava a polícia de muitas cidades das quais havia fugido, odiava a lei e a ordem, odiava tudo. Suas horas de vigília eram preenchidas com pensamentos mórbidos de ódio; ele se tornara, tanto mental quanto fisicamente, a personificação daquela emoção devastadora. Ele tinha pouco contato com seus salvadores, sendo fraco demais para trabalhar e sombrio demais para companhia, então logo o deixaram sozinho.

En Um grupo de fabricantes ricos contratou um navio chamado Marjorie W. Eles o equiparam com um laboratório e uma equipe de cientistas para encontrar um produto natural que vinham importando da América do Sul a um custo elevado. Apenas os cientistas sabiam o que era o produto. A busca levou o navio a uma ilha na costa da África, depois que Alexis Paulvitch embarcou.

En O navio ancorou na costa por várias semanas, e a vida a bordo tornou-se monótona para a tripulação. Eles iam à terra com frequência, e Paulvitch, também cansado da rotina entediante, pediu para se juntar a eles.

En A ilha era densamente arborizada, com uma selva espessa que quase chegava à praia. Os cientistas foram para o interior, em busca do valioso produto que rumores locais sugeriam que poderia ser encontrado ali. A tripulação pescava, caçava e explorava. Paulvitch vagueava pela praia ou descansava sob as árvores. Um dia, enquanto os homens examinavam uma pantera morta por um caçador, Paulvitch dormia debaixo de uma árvore. Foi acordado por uma mão em seu ombro e viu um grande macaco agachado ao seu lado, observando-o atentamente. Assustado, olhou para os marinheiros, que estavam a algumas centenas de metros de distância. O macaco tocou seu ombro novamente, emitindo sons plangentes. Paulvitch não sentiu ameaça e levantou-se lentamente; o macaco se ergueu ao seu lado.

En Paulvitch arrastou-se cautelosamente em direção aos marinheiros, curvado, com o macaco ao seu lado, segurando seu braço. Quando chegaram ao grupo, Paulvitch tinha certeza de que o animal era inofensivo. O macaco parecia acostumado a humanos. Ocorreu a Paulvitch que o animal poderia valer muito dinheiro, e ele decidiu lucrar com isso.

En Quando os homens levantaram os olhos e viram o estranho par se aproximando, ficaram surpresos e correram em direção a eles. O macaco não mostrou medo, mas agarrou cada marinheiro pelo ombro e olhou atentamente para seu rosto. Depois de examinar todos, voltou para o lado de Paulvitch, claramente decepcionado.

En Os homens ficaram satisfeitos com o macaco e fizeram muitas perguntas a Paulvitch sobre ele. O russo insistiu que o macaco lhe pertencia e não diria mais nada sobre o assunto. Cansando-se de Paulvitch, um dos homens decidiu pregar uma peça. Ele circulou por trás do macaco e cutucou-o com um alfinete. Instantaneamente, a criatura calma e amigável se transformou em um demônio furioso. O sorriso alegre do marinheiro tornou-se uma expressão de terror enquanto ele tentava desviar dos longos braços do macaco. Ele sacou uma faca do cinto, mas o macaco a arrancou de sua mão e a jogou de lado. Então, o macaco cravou suas presas amarelas no ombro do marinheiro.

En Os companheiros do marinheiro atacaram o macaco com paus e facas, enquanto Paulvitch dançava ao redor do grupo que lutava, murmurando súplicas e ameaças. Ele viu suas esperanças de riqueza desaparecendo rapidamente enquanto as armas dos marinheiros atacavam a fera.

En O macaco, no entanto, não foi uma vítima fácil para os números superiores que pareciam prestes a dominá-lo. Levantando-se do marinheiro que havia começado a briga, ele sacudiu seus ombros massivos, livrando-se de dois homens que estavam agarrados em suas costas. Com golpes poderosos de suas mãos abertas, ele derrubou um atacante após o outro, saltando de um lado para o outro com a agilidade de um macaco pequeno.

En O capitão e o imediato testemunharam a luta enquanto desembarcavam do Marjorie W., e Paulvitch os viu agora correndo para frente com revólveres sacados, seguidos por dois marinheiros. O macaco parou examinando os danos que havia causado, mas Paulvitch não podia dizer se ele estava esperando outro ataque ou decidindo qual inimigo matar primeiro. Ele sabia, no entanto, que assim que os oficiais chegassem ao alcance de tiro, eles acabariam com a fera, a menos que ele agisse rapidamente. O macaco não havia atacado Paulvitch, mas o homem temia o que poderia acontecer se interferisse com a criatura enfurecida. Ele hesitou brevemente, então mais uma vez viu visões da riqueza que este grande macaco poderia lhe trazer assim que o colocasse em segurança em uma cidade como Londres.

En O capitão gritou para Paulvitch sair do caminho para que pudesse atirar no animal. Em vez disso, Paulvitch arrastou-se para o lado do macaco. Embora seus cabelos tenham se arrepiado de medo, ele dominou seu terror e agarrou o braço do macaco.

En Ele ordenou que a besta o seguisse e puxou-a para longe dos marinheiros, muitos dos quais estavam sentados com medo arregalado ou rastejando para longe de seu conquistador sobre mãos e joelhos.

En O macaco se deixou levar para o lado sem mostrar qualquer intenção de atacar o russo. O capitão parou a alguns passos do par incomum.

En Ele ordenou que Sabrov se afastasse, dizendo que iria trancar a fera para que não pudesse machucar mais marinheiros.

En Paulvitch implorou ao capitão que não atirasse no macaco, insistindo que os homens haviam começado a briga atacando primeiro. Ele afirmou que o macaco era dócil e lhe pertencia, e que não permitiria que fosse morto. Sua mente danificada imaginava os prazeres que o dinheiro poderia trazer em Londres, dinheiro que ele não poderia obter sem uma posse tão valiosa quanto o macaco.

En O capitão baixou a arma e repetiu a afirmação de Paulvitch de que os homens haviam começado a briga. Ele se virou para os marinheiros, que já tinham se levantado do chão, nenhum ferido gravemente exceto aquele que havia causado o problema, que provavelmente teria um ombro dolorido por cerca de uma semana.

En Um dos marinheiros explicou que Simpson era o culpado porque havia espetado um alfinete no macaco por trás, o que provocou o macaco a atacá-lo. O marinheiro achou que Simpson merecia. Ele acrescentou que o macaco então atacou o resto deles, mas ele não podia culpá-lo, já que todos haviam pulado sobre ele de uma vez.

En O capitão olhou para Simpson, que admitiu a verdade timidamente. Então ele se aproximou do macaco cuidadosamente, mantendo o revólver preparado, e falou de forma suave. O macaco, sentado ao lado de Paulvitch, levantou-se e veio para a frente, examinando o rosto do capitão atentamente por um longo momento. Suspirou com desapontamento, como fizera com os marinheiros, e depois fez o mesmo com o imediato e outros dois antes de retornar para Paulvitch e não demonstrar mais interesse em ninguém ou na briga recente.

En Quando o grupo retornou ao navio, o macaco seguiu Paulvitch, e o capitão permitiu. A bordo, o macaco examinou cada novo rosto com o mesmo desapontamento. Os oficiais e cientistas discutiram o comportamento estranho, mas não conseguiram explicá-lo. O macaco parecia estar procurando alguém. Depois de alguns dias explorando o navio e examinando todos, tornou-se completamente indiferente, até mesmo a Paulvitch quando ele trazia comida. Nunca demonstrou afeto ou o temperamento selvagem que havia mostrado durante o ataque.

En A maior parte do tempo, o macaco, chamado Ajax, passava na proa do navio, olhando para frente como se soubesse que o navio estava indo para um porto onde haveria mais pessoas para examinar. Todos consideravam Ajax o macaco mais notável e inteligente que já tinham visto. Seu tamanho e força também eram impressionantes. Apesar de ser velho, não mostrava perda de capacidade mental ou física.

En Finalmente, o Marjorie W. chegou à Inglaterra. Os oficiais e cientistas sentiram pena do homem destruído que haviam resgatado da selva. Eles deram dinheiro a Paulvitch e se despediram dele e de seu macaco Ajax.

En Durante toda a viagem para Londres, o russo teve dificuldade em controlar Ajax. O macaco examinava cada novo rosto, alarmando muitas pessoas, mas eventualmente pareceu desistir da busca e caiu em um estado de indiferença sombria.

En Em Londres, Paulvitch levou Ajax a um renomado treinador de animais. O treinador ficou profundamente impressionado e concordou em treinar o macaco em troca de uma parte substancial dos lucros das exposições, além de cobrir as despesas tanto do macaco quanto de seu dono.

En Assim Ajax veio para Londres, forjando mais um elo na cadeia de circunstâncias estranhas que acabariam por moldar a vida de muitos.

Capítulo 2

En O Sr. Harold Moore era um jovem sério e estudioso, de tez amarelada. Ele levava a si mesmo, a vida e seu trabalho — tutorar o filho de um nobre britânico — muito a sério. Acreditava que seu aluno não estava progredindo como esperado e agora explicava isso conscienciosamente à mãe do menino.

En Ele explicou que o menino não era desprovido de inteligência; na verdade, ele era excepcionalmente brilhante e aprendia rápido, então não havia falha na preparação de suas lições. O problema, antes, era que ele não tinha nenhum interesse genuíno nas matérias, tratando cada lição como uma tarefa a ser completada e esquecida. Suas verdadeiras paixões estavam em realizações físicas e em devorar relatos de feras selvagens e da vida de povos incivilizados, especialmente histórias de animais. Ele passava horas lendo sobre exploradores africanos e havia sido encontrado duas vezes lendo o livro de Carl Hagenbeck sobre homens e animais tarde da noite.

En A mãe do menino batia o pé nervosamente no tapete da lareira.

En Ela se aventurou a perguntar se ele desencorajava a situação.

En O Sr. Moore se remexeu com vergonha.

En Ele respondeu que havia tentado pegar o livro do menino, mas que o menino era surpreendentemente forte para a idade. Sua bochecha pálida ficou levemente vermelha enquanto falava.

En A mãe perguntou se o menino não havia permitido que ele pegasse o livro.

En O tutor confessou que o menino não obedecia. Ele era bem-humorado, mas insistia em fingir ser um gorila enquanto tratava o tutor como um chimpanzé tentando roubar comida. O menino pulou sobre ele, levantou-o acima de sua cabeça, jogou-o na cama, fingiu sufocá-lo, ficou em cima dele e deu um grito assustador que chamou de vitória de um macaco-grande. Depois, carregou o tutor até a porta, empurrou-o para fora e trancou a porta.

En Por vários minutos, ninguém falou novamente. Finalmente, a mãe do menino quebrou o silêncio.

En A mãe disse ao Sr. Moore que era muito importante desencorajar a tendência de Jack, mas foi interrompida por um grito alto vindo da janela. Ambos se levantaram. O quarto ficava no segundo andar, e em frente à janela havia uma árvore grande com um galho perto do parapeito. Eles descobriram Jack, um garoto alto e bem constituído, equilibrando-se facilmente no galho e gritando alegremente para suas expressões aterrorizadas.

En A mãe e o tutor correram em direção à janela, mas antes que pudessem atravessar a sala, o menino saltou agilmente para o parapeito e entrou no apartamento.

En Ele cantou sobre o homem selvagem de Bornéu chegando à cidade, dançando uma dança de guerra em volta de sua mãe aterrorizada e do tutor escandalizado, depois abraçou sua mãe e a beijou em ambas as bochechas.

En O menino contou animadamente à sua mãe sobre um macaco maravilhoso e educado que se apresentava em um music hall. Ele disse que seu amigo Willie Grimsby o tinha visto e relatou que ele podia fazer muitas coisas incríveis, incluindo andar de bicicleta e comer com garfo e faca. O menino implorou à sua mãe para deixá-lo ir vê-lo.

En A mãe afagou a bochecha do menino afetuosamente, mas balançou a cabeça. Ela disse a ele que não aprovava tais exibições.

En O menino questionou por que não podia ir, apontando que todos os seus amigos assistiam a tais espetáculos e até visitavam o zoológico, o que ela nunca permitia. Ele sentia que estava sendo tratado como uma menina ou um mimado. Quando seu pai entrou, o menino imediatamente pediu permissão a ele.

En O pai perguntou ao filho onde ele queria ir.

En A mãe explicou ao marido que o menino queria ver um macaco treinado em um music hall, e deu-lhe um olhar de advertência.

En O homem perguntou se ele se referia a Ajax.

En O menino assentiu.

En O pai disse que não culpava o menino e expressou seu próprio desejo de ver Ajax, chamando o macaco de maravilhoso e excepcionalmente grande. Ele propôs que toda a família fosse vê-lo. No entanto, sua esposa balançou a cabeça firmemente e perguntou ao Sr. Moore se não era hora de ele e Jack irem ao escritório para as aulas matinais. Quando eles saíram, ela se virou para o marido.

En Jane disse ao marido que eles deviam desencorajar Jack de qualquer coisa que pudesse despertar seu desejo pela vida selvagem, que ela temia que ele tivesse herdado dele. Ela lembrou John de como o chamado da natureza às vezes era forte para ele, e de suas próprias lutas para resistir ao desejo quase insano de voltar para a selva. Ela disse que ele sabia melhor do que ninguém o quão terrível seria o destino de Jack se o caminho para a selva se tornasse atraente ou fácil.

En John respondeu que duvidava que Jack pudesse herdar o gosto pela vida na selva, pois não acreditava que tais características fossem transmitidas. Ele achava que Jane talvez fosse restritiva demais em sua preocupação. O amor de Jack pelos animais e o desejo de ver o macaco treinado eram naturais para um menino saudável. Ele brincou que, mesmo que Jack quisesse se casar com uma macaca, Jane não teria o direito de se envergonhar. Ele colocou o braço em volta dela e a beijou. Então, mais seriamente, ele disse que Jane tinha cometido um erro ao não permitir que Jack soubesse sobre sua vida inicial como Tarzan. Se Jack soubesse de suas experiências, o glamour e o romance da vida na selva teriam sido reduzidos, e Jack poderia ter aprendido com elas. Mas agora, se o desejo pela selva algum dia o tomasse, ele teria apenas seus próprios impulsos para guiá-lo, o que poderia desviá-lo.

En Lady Greystoke respondeu balançando a cabeça, como fizera muitas vezes antes sempre que o assunto surgia.

En Ela insistiu com John que nunca concordaria em deixar Jack ser exposto a qualquer ideia sobre a vida selvagem que ambos queriam que ele evitasse.

En O assunto voltou à tona naquela noite, desta vez levantado pelo próprio Jack. Ele estava enrolado em uma poltrona grande, lendo, quando de repente ergueu os olhos e falou com o pai.

En Ele perguntou diretamente por que não podia ir ver Ajax.

En Seu pai respondeu que a mãe não aprovava.

En Lord Greystoke perguntou ao menino se ele realmente acreditava nisso.

En Lord Greystoke evitou a pergunta, afirmando que a objeção de sua esposa era suficiente.

En O menino anunciou sua intenção de visitar Ajax, argumentando que não era diferente dos outros garotos que o fizeram sem problemas. Ele informou seu pai sobre seu plano com antecedência, embora pudesse ter ido em segredo.

En O menino expôs seu ponto de vista com calma e objetividade, sem desrespeito. Seu pai não pôde deixar de sentir admiração pela franqueza do filho, e quase sorriu.

En Lord Greystoke elogiou a sinceridade de Jack, mas avisou que a desobediência resultaria em punição corporal, algo inédito para o menino.

En O menino respondeu que sim e disse que contaria ao Sr. Moore depois de ter visitado Ajax.

En O quarto do Sr. Moore ficava ao lado do quarto do menino. Todas as noites, quando estava prestes a ir para a cama, o tutor dava uma olhada no menino. Nesta noite ele estava especialmente cuidadoso porque acabara de ser informado pelos pais do menino para impedir Jack de ir ao music hall onde Ajax estava sendo exibido. Quando ele abriu a porta por volta das nove e meia, ficou muito agitado, embora não completamente surpreso, ao encontrar Jack totalmente vestido e prestes a sair pela janela aberta do quarto.

En O Sr. Moore correu pelo quarto, mas seu esforço foi desnecessário. Quando o menino o ouviu e percebeu que havia sido descoberto, ele voltou como se fosse desistir de sua aventura planejada.

En Sem fôlego de excitação, o Sr. Moore perguntou para onde o menino estava indo.

En O menino respondeu calmamente que ia ver Ajax.

En O Sr. Moore disse que estava pasmo, mas um momento depois ficou ainda mais surpreso. O menino se aproximou, agarrou-o pela cintura, levantou-o do chão e o jogou de bruços na cama, pressionando seu rosto contra um travesseiro macio.

En O vencedor disse-lhe para ficar quieto e ameaçou sufocá-lo se não obedecesse.

En O Sr. Moore lutou, mas seus esforços foram inúteis. O menino, Jack, havia herdado uma constituição notavelmente forte de seu pai Tarzan, e ele lidou com o tutor facilmente. Ajoelhando-se sobre o Sr. Moore, Jack rasgou tiras de um lençol, amarrou as mãos do homem atrás das costas, depois o virou e o amordaçou com o mesmo material, amarrando-o em volta da cabeça. Enquanto fazia isso, falava em um tom baixo e coloquial.

En Ele explicou que era Waja, chefe dos Waji, e que o Sr. Moore era Mohammed Dubn, o sheik árabe que queria matar seu povo e roubar seu marfim. Então, habilmente amarrou os tornozelos do Sr. Moore junto com seus pulsos nas costas. Exclamando que finalmente tinha o vilão em seu poder, disse que iria embora, mas voltaria. O filho de Tarzan então atravessou a sala, esgueirou-se pela janela aberta e deslizou por uma calha até a liberdade.

En O Sr. Moore se remexeu e lutou na cama, convencido de que sufocaria se a ajuda não chegasse rapidamente. Em seu pânico, ele conseguiu rolar para fora da cama. A queda o fez voltar a um estado mental mais claro. Ele percebeu que o quarto onde Lorde e Lady Greystoke estavam sentados era diretamente abaixo, embora temesse que eles tivessem ido embora. Ele decidiu tentar chamar a atenção batendo a bota no chão. Após muitas tentativas, ele conseguiu bater em intervalos. Eventualmente, ouviu passos na escada e uma batida na porta. Ele bateu vigorosamente com o dedo do pé. A batida foi repetida, e ele bateu novamente. Ele rolou laboriosamente em direção à porta. Finalmente, uma voz chamou, perguntando pelo Sr. Jack.

En O homem da casa veio até a porta, e o Sr. Moore reconheceu sua voz. Ele tentou desesperadamente gritar para que ele entrasse, mas a mordaça o impedia. O homem bateu novamente, mais alto, e chamou pelo menino. Quando ninguém respondeu, ele tentou a maçaneta. Naquele momento, o Sr. Moore lembrou-se subitamente, com pavor, que ele mesmo havia trancado a porta ao entrar no quarto.

En Ele ouviu o criado tentar a porta várias vezes antes de ir embora. Então o Sr. Moore desmaiou.

En Enquanto isso, Jack estava aproveitando ao máximo sua visita secreta ao music hall. Ele chegou bem na hora em que o número de Ajax começou, comprou um lugar no camarote e se inclinou sobre a grade, observando cada movimento do grande macaco com admiração. O treinador notou o rosto ansioso do menino. Como o número de Ajax incluía visitar os camarotes da plateia em busca de um parente perdido, o treinador achou que seria uma boa ideia enviar o macaco para o camarote de Jack, esperando que o menino ficasse aterrorizado com a proximidade da fera poderosa.

En Quando o macaco foi chamado de volta para um bis, o treinador o direcionou para o menino, que estava sozinho em seu camarote. O macaco saltou do palco para o lado do menino. Se o treinador esperava que o menino se assustasse, estava enganado. O menino sorriu e colocou a mão no braço peludo do macaco. O macaco segurou o menino pelos ombros e olhou atentamente para seu rosto, enquanto o menino acariciava sua cabeça e falava baixinho com ele.

En Ajax nunca havia passado tanto tempo examinando alguém antes. Ele parecia perturbado e excitado, fazendo sons para o menino e acariciando-o de uma forma que o treinador nunca tinha visto. Então ele subiu no camarote e sentou-se perto do menino. O público gostou disso, mas gostou ainda mais quando o treinador tentou fazer Ajax sair após o número. O macaco se recusou a se mexer. O gerente, ansioso com o atraso, instou o treinador a agir rapidamente. No entanto, quando o treinador entrou no camarote para puxar Ajax, o macaco mostrou os dentes e rosnou ameaçadoramente.

En O público estava em êxtase. Eles torceram tanto pelo macaco quanto pelo menino, enquanto vaiaram e zombaram do treinador e do gerente, que infelizmente se revelou e tentou ajudar o treinador.

En Desesperado, o treinador percebeu que se não subjugasse o macaco imediatamente, o animal poderia perder seu valor para futuras exibições. Ele correu para seu camarim, pegou um chicote pesado e voltou para o palco. Mas quando ameaçou Ajax com ele, viu-se diante de dois oponentes furiosos em vez de um: o menino tinha pulado, agarrado uma cadeira e se posicionado ao lado do macaco para defender seu novo amigo. O sorriso do menino desapareceu; seus olhos cinzentos tinham uma expressão que fez o treinador hesitar, e ao seu lado estava o grande macaco, rosnando e preparado.

En O que teria acontecido a seguir, se não fosse por uma interrupção oportuna, só pode ser adivinhado; mas as posturas do menino e do macaco claramente sugeriam que o treinador teria sido gravemente ferido, no mínimo.

En Um homem de rosto pálido irrompeu na biblioteca dos Greystoke para relatar que havia encontrado a porta de Jack trancada. Apesar de repetidas batidas e chamados, não obteve resposta, apenas um estranho tique-taque e o som do que parecia ser um corpo se movendo no chão.

En John Clayton subiu as escadas quatro degraus de cada vez, com sua esposa e um servo seguindo rapidamente. Ele chamou o nome do filho em voz alta, mas não obteve resposta. Então, usando todo o seu peso e o imenso poder de seus músculos, ele se jogou contra a porta pesada. As dobradiças de ferro estalaram e a madeira lascou quando a porta se abriu para dentro.

En No chão, o corpo inconsciente do Sr. Moore jazia, e um objeto pesado caiu sobre ele com um baque forte. Tarzan saltou pela abertura, e em poucos instantes a sala foi iluminada por muitas lâmpadas elétricas.

En Levou vários minutos para encontrar o tutor, pois a porta o havia escondido completamente. Finalmente, ele foi puxado para fora, sua mordaça e amarras foram cortadas, e uma quantidade generosa de água fria o ajudou a recuperar a consciência mais rapidamente.

En A primeira pergunta de John Clayton foi onde Jack estava, e então quem havia feito aquilo, enquanto a memória de Rokoff e o medo de outro sequestro tomavam conta dele.

En O Sr. Moore lentamente se levantou, cambaleando. Seus olhos percorreram a sala. Gradualmente, ele reuniu seus pensamentos dispersos. Os detalhes de sua recente experiência aterrorizante voltaram a ele.

En Suas primeiras palavras foram que ele estava renunciando imediatamente. Ele disse que John Clayton não precisava de um tutor para seu filho; o que ele precisava era de um treinador de animais selvagens.

En Lady Greystoke gritou, exigindo saber onde ele estava.

En A resposta veio de que ele tinha ido ver Ajax.

En Tarzan mal conteve um sorriso. Depois de confirmar que o tutor estava mais assustado do que ferido, ele chamou seu carro fechado e dirigiu-se em direção a um conhecido music hall.

Capítulo 3

En O treinador hesitou na entrada da jaula, com o chicote erguido, quando um homem alto e de ombros largos passou por ele e entrou. Ao ver o recém-chegado, as bochechas do menino coraram levemente.

En Ele chamou pelo pai.

En O macaco olhou de relance para o lorde inglês, então saltou em sua direção com grunhidos empolgados. O homem congelou de espanto, com os olhos arregalados.

En Ele gritou o nome Akut.

En O menino olhava de um lado para o outro, confuso, entre o macaco e seu pai. O treinador ficou atônito ao ouvir o inglês emitir sons semelhantes aos de um macaco, que o grande macaco retribuiu da mesma forma enquanto se agarrava a ele.

En Nos bastidores, um velho horrivelmente curvado e cheio de cicatrizes observava a cena no camarote, seu rosto se contorcendo em expressões que variavam do prazer ao terror.

En Akut disse que havia procurado por Tarzan por muito tempo. Agora que o encontrara, ele viria para a selva de Tarzan e viveria lá para sempre.

En O homem lembrou-se de sua vida passada na selva africana. Recordou-se de lutar ao lado de Mugambi, de Sheeta a pantera e dos macacos de Akut. Sentiu um forte desejo de retornar à selva, de sentir as folhas e cheirar a floresta. Mas então pensou em sua vida atual: sua esposa, amigos, lar e seu filho. Parecia incerto sobre onde realmente pertencia.

En O homem disse a Akut que retornar era impossível, mas se Akut quisesse voltar, ele providenciaria. Explicou que Akut não seria feliz neste mundo, e que ele próprio talvez não fosse feliz na selva.

En O treinador deu um passo à frente. O macaco mostrou os dentes e fez um som baixo e zangado.

En Tarzan disse a Akut para ir com o treinador e prometeu visitá-lo no dia seguinte.

En O macaco moveu-se relutantemente para o lado do treinador. A pedido de John Clayton, o treinador disse a eles onde poderiam ser encontrados. Então Tarzan virou-se para olhar para seu filho.

En Ele disse ao outro para vir, e ambos saíram do teatro. Entraram na limusine e ficaram em silêncio por vários minutos. O menino foi o primeiro a falar.

En Ele observou que o macaco o havia reconhecido e que eles se comunicaram na língua do macaco, e então perguntou como o macaco o conhecia e como ele havia aprendido aquela língua.

En Tarzan dos Macacos então, brevemente e pela primeira vez, contou ao filho sobre sua vida inicial: seu nascimento na selva, a morte de seus pais, e como a grande macaca Kala o amamentou e criou desde a infância até quase a idade adulta. Ele também descreveu os perigos e horrores da selva — as grandes feras que caçavam dia e noite, secas, chuvas torrenciais, fome, frio, calor, nudez, medo e sofrimento. Ele contou essas coisas na esperança de que tal conhecimento eliminasse qualquer desejo pela selva da mente do menino. No entanto, essas eram exatamente as coisas que faziam Tarzan valorizar a memória da selva — a vida composta que ele amava. Ao contar, esqueceu uma coisa crucial: que o menino ouvindo tão avidamente era o filho de Tarzan dos Macacos.

En Depois que o menino foi para a cama — e sem o castigo prometido — John Clayton contou à esposa sobre a noite e que ele finalmente informara o filho sobre sua vida na selva. A mãe há muito esperava que seu filho um dia aprendesse sobre aqueles anos terríveis em que seu pai vagava pela selva como uma fera nua e selvagem. Ela simplesmente balançou a cabeça, esperando que o forte fascínio que ainda permanecia no coração do pai não tivesse sido transmitido ao filho.

En No dia seguinte, Tarzan visitou Akut, mas recusou o pedido de Jack de acompanhá-lo. Desta vez, Tarzan viu o velho dono marcado por varíola do macaco, não o reconhecendo como o astuto Paulvitch de dias anteriores. Comovido pelos apelos de Akut, Tarzan levantou a questão de comprar o macaco; mas Paulvitch se recusou a dar um preço, dizendo que pensaria no assunto.

En Quando Tarzan voltou para casa, seu filho Jack ficou muito animado para ouvir sobre a visita do pai. Jack sugeriu que Tarzan comprasse o macaco e o trouxesse para casa. Lady Greystoke ficou chocada com a ideia, mas Jack insistiu. Tarzan explicou que queria comprar Akut e devolvê-lo à selva, e a mãe concordou. Jack pediu para visitar o macaco, mas foi recusado. No entanto, Jack tinha o endereço que o treinador havia dado ao pai. Dois dias depois, Jack encontrou uma maneira de se afastar de seu novo tutor. Depois de procurar por um tempo em uma parte de Londres que nunca tinha visto, encontrou a pequena e fedorenta casa do velho com o rosto marcado por varíola. O velho abriu a porta quando Jack bateu. Quando Jack disse que queria ver Ajax, o homem o deixou entrar no pequeno quarto onde ele e o grande macaco viviam. O homem, Paulvitch, costumava ser arrumado, mas dez anos vivendo com canibais na África o deixaram muito sujo. Suas roupas estavam sujas, suas mãos estavam sem lavar e seu cabelo estava bagunçado. Seu quarto era uma bagunça de desordem imunda. Quando Jack entrou, viu o macaco sentado na cama, que estava coberta por cobertores sujos. Quando o macaco viu Jack, pulou e se arrastou para frente. O homem, não reconhecendo Jack e preocupado que o macaco pudesse atacar, colocou-se entre eles e ordenou que o macaco voltasse para a cama.

En Jack disse ao homem que o macaco não o machucaria. Ele explicou que eles eram amigos e que o macaco tinha sido amigo de seu pai na selva. Jack disse que seu pai era Lord Greystoke e que seu pai não sabia que ele estava lá. Ele mencionou que sua mãe o tinha proibido de vir, mas ele queria ver Ajax e se ofereceu para pagar ao homem se pudesse visitá-lo com frequência.

En Quando Paulvitch ouviu o nome do menino, seus olhos se estreitaram. Desde que viu Tarzan novamente no teatro, um desejo de vingança vinha se formando em sua mente. É uma característica de pessoas fracas e más culpar os outros pelos infortúnios causados por seus próprios atos malignos. Então agora Paulvitch estava lentamente relembrando seu passado e colocando na conta de Tarzan todos os infortúnios que lhe aconteceram no fracasso de seus vários esquemas contra Tarzan.

En A princípio, Paulvitch não via como poderia se vingar de Tarzan com segurança através do filho de Tarzan. Mas ele percebeu que o menino poderia ser útil para a vingança. Então decidiu cultivar o rapaz, esperando que o destino jogasse a seu favor. Ele contou ao menino tudo o que sabia sobre a vida passada de seu pai na selva. Quando soube que o menino havia sido mantido ignorante dessas coisas por muitos anos, e que havia sido proibido de visitar os jardins zoológicos e teve que amarrar e amordaçar seu tutor para ver Ajax, Paulvitch adivinhou a natureza do grande medo no coração dos pais: que o menino pudesse desejar a selva como seu pai desejara.

En Então Paulvitch incentivou o menino a vir vê-lo com frequência. Ele sempre explorava o desejo do rapaz por histórias do mundo selvagem, com o qual Paulvitch estava muito familiarizado. Ele o deixava sozinho com Akut com frequência, e não demorou muito para que ficasse surpreso ao saber que o menino conseguia fazer a grande fera entendê-lo. Jack havia aprendido muitas palavras da linguagem primitiva dos antropoides.

En Durante esse período, Tarzan visitou Paulvitch várias vezes, ansioso para comprar Ajax. Ele explicou que seu desejo de libertar o macaco na selva era não apenas pelo bem da fera, mas também porque sua esposa temia que seu filho pudesse descobrir o paradeiro do macaco e, devido ao seu vínculo com ele, desenvolver o mesmo espírito inquieto que havia moldado a própria vida de Tarzan.

En Paulvitch mal conseguiu reprimir um sorriso enquanto ouvia Lord Greystoke, pois menos de meia hora antes ele tinha visto o futuro lorde sentado em uma cama bagunçada, tagarelando com Ajax com toda a facilidade de um macaco nato.

En Durante essa conversa, um plano ocorreu a Paulvitch. Ele concordou em vender o macaco por uma grande quantia, com a condição de que o animal fosse entregue a um navio partindo de Dover para a África em dois dias. Ele era motivado pelo dinheiro, já que o macaco não lhe rendia mais nada — ele se recusara a se apresentar no palco depois de encontrar Tarzan. Parecia que o macaco só tinha se permitido ser trazido da selva e exibido para procurar seu amigo perdido há muito tempo e, uma vez encontrado, considerou desnecessária maior associação com humanos. O treinador tinha tentado usar a força uma vez, mas o macaco quase o matou; apenas a intervenção de Jack Clayton salvou a vida do treinador.

En Além do ganho financeiro, o russo era impulsionado por um crescente desejo de vingança. Ele culpava Tarzan por todos os seus infortúnios, incluindo a recusa do macaco em trabalhar, que ele acreditava ter sido instruída por Tarzan.

En A natureza naturalmente má de Paulvitch havia piorado devido ao sofrimento, distorcendo sua mente e corpo. Ele se tornara perigosamente imprevisível. No entanto, seu plano era astuto o suficiente para levantar dúvidas sobre seu declínio mental. Ele garantia que receberia o pagamento de Lord Greystoke pela remoção do macaco e, em seguida, alcançaria a vingança contra seu benfeitor prejudicando o filho que ele adorava. Esse esquema era grosseiro e carecia da crueldade refinada de seus planos anteriores com Nikolas Rokoff, mas protegia Paulvitch ao colocar a culpa no macaco.

En Os eventos conspiraram a favor de Paulvitch. O filho de Tarzan ouviu acidentalmente seu pai discutindo o plano de levar Akut de volta à selva em segurança. O menino implorou aos pais que deixassem o macaco como seu companheiro de brincadeiras. Tarzan não se opôs à ideia, mas Lady Greystoke ficou horrorizada. Apesar dos apelos do menino, ela permaneceu firme. Eventualmente, o menino pareceu aceitar a decisão de sua mãe de que o macaco deveria voltar para a África e que ele próprio deveria retornar à escola após suas férias.

En Naquele dia, o menino evitou visitar o quarto de Paulvitch e se manteve ocupado com outras tarefas. Como sempre teve dinheiro suficiente, ele facilmente juntou várias centenas de libras quando precisou. Ele usou parte desse dinheiro para comprar vários itens incomuns, que conseguiu trazer para dentro de casa em segredo quando voltou no final da tarde.

En Na manhã seguinte, depois de dar tempo suficiente para seu pai se encontrar com Paulvitch, o menino correu para o quarto do russo. Ignorando o verdadeiro caráter de Paulvitch, o menino não ousou confiar plenamente nele, temendo que o velho se recusasse a ajudar e relatasse tudo ao seu pai. Em vez disso, ele apenas pediu permissão para levar Ajax até Dover. Ele ressaltou que isso pouparia Paulvitch de uma viagem cansativa e também colocaria algum dinheiro em seu bolso, já que o menino pretendia pagá-lo bem.

En Ele explicou que não haveria risco de descoberta, já que ele deveria estar saindo em um trem da tarde para a escola. Em vez disso, ele voltaria ao quarto de Paulvitch depois de ser visto no trem. Então ele poderia levar Ajax para Dover e chegar à escola apenas um dia atrasado. Ninguém saberia, nenhum mal seria feito, e ele teria um dia extra com Ajax antes de perdê-lo para sempre.

En O plano se adequava perfeitamente às intenções de Paulvitch. Se ele soubesse o que mais o menino tinha em mente, provavelmente teria abandonado seu esquema de vingança e apoiado de todo coração o plano do menino, o que teria sido vantajoso para Paulvitch, se ele pudesse prever os acontecimentos das próximas horas.

En Naquela tarde, após se despedirem, Lord e Lady Greystoke viram seu filho instalado em um compartimento de primeira classe do trem que o levaria para a escola. Assim que eles saíram, ele juntou suas malas, desceu do trem e pegou um táxi para o endereço do russo. Ele chegou ao anoitecer e encontrou Paulvitch andando de um lado para o outro nervosamente, com o macaco amarrado à cama com uma corda grossa. Jack nunca tinha visto Ajax preso daquela forma e perguntou por quê. Paulvitch murmurou que achava que o animal havia adivinhado que seria mandado embora e poderia tentar escapar.

En Paulvitch segurava outro pedaço de corda com um laço em uma das pontas, com o qual ficava brincando. Ele andava de um lado para o outro pela sala, falando consigo mesmo em silêncio, seu rosto marcado por varíola se contorcendo horrivelmente. O menino nunca o tinha visto daquela forma, e isso o deixou inquieto. Finalmente, Paulvitch parou no lado oposto da sala, longe do macaco.

En Ele chamou o rapaz e disse que mostraria como prender o macaco caso ele mostrasse sinais de rebelião durante a viagem.

En O menino riu e disse que não seria necessário, pois Ajax faria tudo o que lhe fosse ordenado.

En O velho bateu o pé com raiva e repetiu sua ordem, insistindo que, se o menino não obedecesse, não teria permissão para acompanhar o macaco até Dover, pois não correria o risco de o macaco escapar.

En Ainda sorrindo, o jovem atravessou a sala e parou na frente do russo.

En O homem instruiu o jovem a virar as costas para que ele pudesse demonstrar como amarrar alguém rapidamente.

En O jovem obedeceu, colocando as mãos atrás das costas conforme instruído. Imediatamente, o homem mais velho passou um laço corrediço em um pulso, deu algumas voltas no outro e apertou a corda.

En Assim que o jovem foi amarrado, a atitude do homem mudou. Ele praguejou com raiva, girou o prisioneiro, o derrubou e o jogou violentamente no chão, caindo sobre seu peito. Da cama, o macaco rosnava e se debatia contra as cordas. O jovem não gritou, um traço herdado de seu pai selvagem, que aprendera na selva após a morte de sua mãe adotiva, a macaca Kala, que ninguém vem para socorrer os caídos.

En Os dedos de Paulvitch alcançaram a garganta do jovem. Ele sorriu horrivelmente para o rosto de sua vítima.

En O homem murmurou que o pai do menino o havia arruinado e que ele se vingaria. Ele pretendia fazer parecer que o macaco havia matado o menino e, depois de estrangulá-lo, colocaria o corpo na cama e chamaria o pai. O homem torcido riu e apertou o aperto na garganta do menino.

En O rosnado do macaco furioso encheu o quarto. O menino empalideceu, mas não mostrou pânico, sendo filho de Tarzan. Os dedos do homem apertaram mais forte, dificultando a respiração. O macaco investiu contra a corda, enrolou-a nas mãos e puxou para trás com força imensa. A corda segurou, mas parte da cabeceira da cama quebrou.

En Paulvitch olhou para cima com o barulho, seu rosto feio ficando branco de medo ao ver que o macaco havia se libertado.

En O macaco saltou sobre Paulvitch, que gritou. A fera o puxou para longe do menino, cravando os dedos em sua carne e, com as presas fechadas em sua garganta, Alexis Paulvitch morreu.

En Com a ajuda de Akut, o menino se levantou. Por duas horas, o macaco trabalhou nos nós que prendiam seus pulsos até que se soltassem. O menino, tendo planejado cuidadosamente, pegou roupas de sua bolsa sem consultar o macaco, que obedeceu a suas instruções. Eles saíram juntos, parecendo comuns, ninguém suspeitando que um deles era um macaco.

Capítulo 4

En A morte do solitário velho russo, Michael Sabrov, morto por seu macaco treinado, foi brevemente noticiada nos jornais. Lord Greystoke leu sobre o ocorrido e, cauteloso para não vincular seu nome ao evento, manteve-se informado sobre a busca policial pelo macaco.

En Como o público em geral, Lord Greystoke estava mais interessado no desaparecimento do macaco. Isso mudou quando ele soube que Jack não havia chegado à escola. Durante um mês, ele não relacionou os dois eventos. Então, através de uma investigação cuidadosa, descobriu que Jack havia deixado o trem em Londres e pegado um táxi até a casa do velho russo. Só então Tarzan percebeu que Akut estava envolvido.

En Depois que o motorista do táxi deixou o menino na casa do russo, não houve mais pistas. Nenhuma pessoa viva tinha visto o menino ou o macaco. O dono da casa identificou o menino como visitante frequente, mas não sabia de mais nada. Na porta daquele prédio sujo nos bairros pobres de Londres, os investigadores estavam completamente parados.

En No dia seguinte à morte de Alexis Paulvitch, um jovem acompanhou sua avó inválida a bordo de um navio em Dover. Ela estava fortemente velada e tão fraca que teve que ser levada a bordo em uma cadeira de rodas.

En O menino só deixava ele mesmo empurrá-la, e ele pessoalmente ajudou-a da cadeira para dentro do camarote. Depois disso, a tripulação do navio nunca mais viu a senhora até eles deixarem o navio. O menino até fazia o trabalho do camareiro, explicando que sua avó tinha um problema nervoso e não gostava de estranhos.

En Fora de sua cabine, o menino se comportava como qualquer garoto inglês normal. Ele se misturava com os passageiros, tornou-se popular entre os oficiais e formou várias amizades com os marinheiros. Era generoso e natural, mas carregava uma dignidade e força interior que faziam seus novos amigos tanto admirá-lo quanto gostar dele.

En Entre os passageiros estava um americano chamado Condon, um criminoso conhecido procurado em várias cidades dos EUA. Ele prestou pouca atenção ao menino até vê-lo mostrar acidentalmente um maço de notas. Depois disso, Condon fez amizade com o jovem britânico. Ele descobriu facilmente que o menino viajava sozinho com sua avó doente para um pequeno porto na costa oeste da África, abaixo do equador. O sobrenome deles era Billings, e eles não tinham amigos naquela localidade. Quando Condon perguntou sobre o propósito, o menino foi reservado, então Condon não insistiu no assunto — ele já tinha aprendido o suficiente.

En Condon tentou várias vezes fazer o menino jogar cartas, mas o menino não estava interessado. Os olhares raivosos de alguns outros passageiros do sexo masculino fizeram Condon decidir encontrar outra maneira de pegar o dinheiro do menino.

En Finalmente o navio ancorou perto de um ponto arborizado. Lá, cerca de vinte barracos de metal marcavam a beleza natural, mostrando que a civilização havia chegado. Nos arredores, havia cabanas nativas de palha, que pareciam naturais e combinavam com a selva, fazendo os feios edifícios dos colonos brancos parecerem ainda piores.

En O menino se inclinou sobre a grade, olhando além da cidade para o interior da selva. Um ligeiro arrepio de excitação percorreu seu corpo. Então, sem querer, ele viu em sua mente os olhos amorosos de sua mãe e o rosto forte de seu pai, que mostrava igual amor por baixo de sua força masculina. Ele sentiu sua determinação enfraquecendo. Por perto, um oficial do navio gritava ordens para um grupo de barcos nativos que vinham descarregar a carga para aquele pequeno porto.

En O garoto perguntou sobre o horário de chegada do próximo vapor com destino à Inglaterra.

En O oficial respondeu que o Emanuel era esperado em breve, acrescentando que havia previsto encontrá-lo ali. Ele então retomou seus comentários em voz alta para a multidão empoeirada que se aproximava do vapor.

En Baixar a avó do garoto para uma canoa à espera foi difícil. O garoto permaneceu perto dela e, uma vez que ela estava segura, ele pulou atrás dela como um gato. Concentrado em seu conforto, ele não percebeu um pequeno pacote escorregar de seu bolso e cair no mar.

En Pouco depois de o barco com o garoto e a avó partir para a costa, Condon chamou uma canoa do lado oposto do navio. Após negociar o preço, ele baixou sua bagagem e a si mesmo a bordo. Uma vez em terra, ele evitou o hotel de dois andares com seus muitos desconfortos, esperando até escurecer para entrar e providenciar hospedagem.

En Em um quarto nos fundos do segundo andar, o garoto lutou para explicar à sua avó que havia decidido voltar para a Inglaterra no próximo vapor. Ele queria que ela entendesse que poderia ficar na África, mas sua consciência o obrigava a retornar aos seus pais, que provavelmente estavam sofrendo devido à sua ausência. Isso sugeria que seus pais não haviam sido informados dos planos de aventura que ele e a senhora haviam feito.

En Depois de tomar sua decisão, o jovem sentiu um alívio da preocupação que o mantivera acordado por muitas noites. Ele adormeceu sonhando com um feliz reencontro com sua família. Enquanto isso, o destino se aproximou dele na forma do criminoso americano, Condon, que se movia furtivamente pelo corredor escuro do prédio degradado onde ele dormia.

En Condon rastejou até a porta do quarto do jovem e ouviu até ter certeza de que ambos os ocupantes estavam dormindo. Usando uma chave-mestra, ele destrancou silenciosamente a porta e entrou, fechando-a atrás de si. O interior estava completamente escuro, a lua escondida por nuvens pesadas. Ele tateou em direção à cama. No canto mais distante, algo se moveu com um silêncio ainda mais refinado que o do próprio ladrão, mas Condon não ouviu; toda sua atenção estava fixada na cama onde esperava encontrar um menino e sua avó indefesa.

En O americano queria apenas o maço de notas. Se pudesse pegá-lo sem ser descoberto, tudo estaria bem; mas ele estava pronto para resistir, se necessário. Ele rapidamente revistou as roupas do rapaz na cadeira, mas não encontrou nada. O dinheiro devia estar debaixo do travesseiro. Ele se inclinou e enfiou a mão por baixo. Naquele momento, a nuvem que cobria a lua se afastou, e o quarto ficou iluminado. O rapaz abriu os olhos e viu Condon. Percebendo que o rapaz estava sozinho na cama, Condon agarrou sua garganta. Mas o rapaz se levantou para enfrentá-lo, e Condon sentiu seus pulsos presos pelos dedos esguios do rapaz, que revelaram músculos de aço.

En Ele sentiu outras mãos em sua garganta — mãos ásperas e peludas que alcançavam por cima de seus ombros por trás. Aterrorizado, ele olhou para trás e viu um enorme macaco com presas à mostra. O menino segurava seus pulsos. Os olhos de Condon percorreram o quarto, e ele percebeu com horror que não havia avó — apenas aquela criatura temível. Desesperadamente, ele soltou uma mão e bateu no menino. Esse ato despertou uma fúria no macaco, que rosnou e cravou suas presas na jugular de Condon. Ele foi arrastado para trás e caiu; a escuridão se fechou ao seu redor, e o macaco se levantou de seu corpo morto.

En Horrorizado, o jovem saltou da cama e se inclinou sobre o corpo de Condon. Ele sabia que Akut havia matado em defesa, assim como havia matado Michael Sabrov. Mas aqui na África selvagem, longe de casa, o que seria dele e de seu fiel macaco? A pena por assassinato era a morte, e um cúmplice poderia compartilhar o mesmo destino. Sem ninguém para defendê-los nesta comunidade semisselvagem, ele temia que fossem levados e enforcados pela manhã.

En Ele se perguntou se a fuga era possível. Então sentiu uma onda de alívio, pensando que o dinheiro poderia resolver tudo. No entanto, seu maço de notas estava faltando no bolso. Ele procurou em todas as suas roupas e no chão, movendo a cama e até olhando embaixo do corpo de Condon. Suspeitou que Condon veio para roubá-los, mas não conseguiu encontrar o dinheiro em lugar nenhum.

En O desespero quase o dominou. Ele sabia que seriam descobertos e mortos pela manhã. Apesar de seu tamanho, era apenas um garoto assustado e com saudades de casa, raciocinando com medos infantis. Ele só conseguia ver que haviam matado um homem e estavam entre estranhos hostis, como nas histórias sensacionais que havia lido.

En Estava claro que eles precisavam de dinheiro para sobreviver.

En Ele se aproximou resolutamente do cadáver novamente. O macaco observava de um canto. O jovem removeu cada peça da roupa do americano, examinando cada vestimenta, até os sapatos. Quando terminou, desabou na cama, olhando fixamente para o vazio, imaginando o futuro deles: ambos enforcados em uma árvore.

En Um barulho vindo do andar de baixo o despertou. Ele rapidamente se levantou, apagou o lampião e trancou a porta silenciosamente. Então, resoluto, virou-se para o macaco.

En Ele pretendia voltar para casa e pedir perdão, mas agora sentia que nunca poderia voltar. Acreditava ter matado um homem, culpando a si mesmo em vez do macaco, e pensava que sem dinheiro não tinha esperança de justiça.

En Ele se perguntou o que havia acontecido com o dinheiro. Não conseguia se lembrar da última vez que o vira, sem saber que o pacote havia caído do seu bolso no mar ao escalar o lado do navio até a canoa.

En Ele se virou para Akut e falou com ele na língua dos grandes macacos, ordenando-lhe que viesse.

En Esquecendo que usava apenas pijamas finos, ele foi até a janela aberta. Escutou, então saltou para um galho de árvore, desceu silenciosamente, seguido pelo macaco. Eles atravessaram para um braço próximo da selva, sem serem vistos, e foram engolidos por ela. Assim, John Clayton, o futuro Lorde Greystoke, desapareceu da vista humana.

En No final da manhã seguinte, um funcionário nativo bateu na porta do quarto da Sra. Billings. Sem obter resposta, tentou usar sua chave mestra, mas encontrou outra chave já na fechadura por dentro. Ele relatou ao Sr. Skopf, o proprietário, que veio e bateu na porta. Sem resposta, ele se curvou para olhar pelo buraco da fechadura. Sendo corpulento, perdeu o equilíbrio e colocou a mão no chão para se apoiar. Sentiu algo macio, grosso e molhado. Na luz fraca, viu uma mancha vermelha escura em sua mão. Estremeceu, então jogou o ombro contra a porta. A porta frágil cedeu, e o Sr. Skopf tropeçou para dentro do quarto.

En Herr Skopf estava diante do maior mistério de sua vida. A seus pés estava o corpo morto de um homem estranho. O pescoço estava quebrado e a veia jugular cortada, como se por presas de um animal selvagem. O homem estava completamente nu; suas roupas estavam espalhadas ao redor do cadáver. A senhora idosa e seu neto tinham desaparecido. A janela estava aberta e, como a porta havia sido trancada por dentro, eles deviam ter escapado pela janela.

En Herr Skopf se perguntava como o menino poderia ter carregado sua avó doente de uma janela do segundo andar até o chão. Parecia impossível. Ele vasculhou o quarto pequeno novamente. Ele notou que a cama havia sido afastada da parede — por quê? Ele olhou debaixo dela mais uma vez. Os dois haviam sumido, no entanto, seu julgamento lhe dizia que a senhora idosa não poderia ter saído sem carregadores para levá-la para baixo, assim como a haviam carregado para cima no dia anterior.

En Mais buscas apenas aprofundaram o mistério. Todas as roupas dos dois ainda estavam no quarto; se tivessem saído, devem ter ido nus ou de pijama. Herr Skopf balançou a cabeça, depois a coçou, perplexo. Ele nunca tinha ouvido falar de Sherlock Holmes, ou teria convocado aquele famoso detetive. Pois aqui estava um verdadeiro mistério: uma idosa inválida, que precisou ser carregada do navio até seu quarto no hotel, e seu belo neto haviam entrado em um quarto no segundo andar no dia anterior. Eles jantaram em seu quarto e nunca mais foram vistos. Na manhã seguinte, apenas o cadáver de um homem estranho ocupava o quarto. Nenhum barco havia deixado o porto, não havia ferrovia por centenas de quilômetros, e nenhum outro assentamento branco poderia ser alcançado sem vários dias de marcha árdua com um safari bem equipado. Eles simplesmente desapareceram no ar, pois o nativo enviado para inspecionar o chão abaixo da janela aberta não encontrou pegadas. Que tipo de criaturas poderiam ter caído daquela distância em grama macia sem deixar rastros? Herr Skopf estremeceu. Sim, era um grande mistério, algo misterioso. Ele odiava pensar nisso e temia a chegada da noite.

En Era um grande mistério para Herr Skopf, e provavelmente ainda é.

Capítulo 5

En O Capitão Armand Jacot da Legião Estrangeira sentou-se numa manta de sela estendida ao pé de uma palmeira atrofiada. Seus ombros largos e sua cabeça de cabelo curto descansavam confortavelmente contra o tronco áspero. Suas pernas longas se esticavam retas à sua frente, sobrepondo a manta escassa, suas esporas enterradas no solo arenoso do oásis do deserto. O capitão descansava após um longo dia de cavalgada cansativa pelas areias movediças.

En O capitão Armand Jacot fumava preguiçosamente, observando seu ordenança preparar a refeição noturna. Sentia-se muito satisfeito consigo mesmo e com o ambiente. À sua direita, seu grupo de veteranos bronzeados, livres da disciplina, relaxava ruidosamente após um jejum de doze horas. Entre eles estavam sentados cinco árabes amarrados, vestidos de branco, vigiados de perto.

En A visão dos prisioneiros encheu o capitão Armand Jacot com a agradável satisfação de um dever bem cumprido. Durante um longo e quente mês, ele e seu pequeno grupo vasculharam o deserto em busca de uma quadrilha de saqueadores acusados de inúmeros roubos e assassinatos.

En Uma semana antes, ele os encontrara. Na batalha, perdeu dois de seus próprios homens, mas os saqueadores foram quase exterminados. Talvez meia dúzia tenha escapado; os demais, exceto os cinco prisioneiros, pagaram por seus crimes. Melhor de tudo, o líder, Achmet ben Houdin, estava entre os prisioneiros.

En Dos prisioneiros, o capitão Jacot deixou a mente vagar até o posto da guarnição onde, no dia seguinte, sua esposa e filhinha estariam esperando. Seus olhos se suavizaram com a lembrança. Ele podia ver a beleza da mãe no rostinho de Jeanne, e ambas estariam sorrindo enquanto ele desmontava.

En Seu devaneio foi interrompido por uma sentinela chamando um oficial subalterno. As sombras estavam longas. A sentinela apontou para o leste. O capitão Jacot levantou-se, não querendo confiar nos olhos dos outros. Sua visão aguçada lhe renderá o apelido de Falcão. Ele viu pontos crescendo — cavaleiros. Deu ordens breves. Uma dúzia de homens selou e partiu; os demais se prepararam para a ação. Os estranhos podiam ser amigos dos prisioneiros, mas cavalgavam abertamente, tornando a traição improvável.

En O sargento e seu destacamento encontraram os árabes a cerca de duzentos metros do acampamento. Jacot observou-o conversando com uma figura alta vestida de branco, evidentemente o líder deles. Pouco depois, o sargento e o árabe cavalgaram juntos em direção ao acampamento. Jacot os esperou. Eles pararam e desmontaram diante dele.

En O sargento apresentou o líder árabe como Sheik Amor ben Khatour.

En O capitão Jacot estudou o recém-chegado. Ele conhecia a maioria dos árabes proeminentes em centenas de quilômetros, mas este homem era desconhecido. O estranho era alto, envelhecido e de aparência amarga, com cerca de sessenta anos, olhos estreitos e maliciosos. O capitão Jacot não ficou satisfeito com sua aparência.

En O capitão Jacot o instigou de forma hesitante com uma única palavra.

En O árabe não perdeu tempo e falou diretamente sobre seu propósito.

En O árabe afirmou que Achmet ben Houdin era seu sobrinho. Ele propôs que, se Jacot confiasse Achmet a ele, garantiria que Achmet não transgredisse novamente a lei francesa.

En Jacot recusou, explicando que tal acordo era impossível. Ele insistiu que deveria retornar com Achmet para enfrentar um julgamento civil adequado, onde, se fosse considerado inocente, seria libertado.

En O árabe então perguntou o que aconteceria com Achmet caso ele não fosse inocente.

En Jacot respondeu que Achmet era acusado de múltiplos assassinatos; se condenado por algum, seria sentenciado à morte.

En O árabe, Sheik Amor ben Khatour, revelou uma grande bolsa de pele de cabra pesada de moedas debaixo de sua capa. Ele deixou cair algumas das moedas de ouro em sua mão, todas de ouro francês. Jacot estimou que a bolsa continha uma pequena fortuna. O sheik então devolveu as moedas à bolsa e a estendeu para Jacot. Os dois estavam sozinhos, o sargento tendo se afastado.

En O orador comentou que o filho de sua irmã, Achmet ben Houdin, poderia escapar naquela mesma noite, e o ouvinte respondeu com um som de questionamento.

En O rosto do Capitão Armand Jacot ficou vermelho até a raiz de seu cabelo cortado rente, depois ficou muito pálido. Ele deu um passo em direção ao árabe, com os punhos cerrados, mas então reconsiderou qualquer impulso que o tivesse movido.

En O capitão chamou o sargento, que se aproximou rapidamente e saudou, batendo os calcanhares diante de seu superior.

Chapter 1

Português

O barco longo do Marjorie W. descia preguiçosamente o largo rio Ugambi com a maré vazante. A tripulação aproveitava uma pausa do árduo trabalho de remar rio acima. Três milhas rio abaixo, o Marjorie W. esperava, pronto para navegar assim que o barco fosse içado a bordo. De repente, a atenção de todos os homens se voltou para a margem norte, onde uma figura estranha e magra gritava com eles em um falsete rouco, com seus braços finos estendidos.

Original English

The long boat of the Marjorie W. was floating down the broad Ugambi with ebb tide and current. Her crew were lazily enjoying this respite from the arduous labor of rowing up stream. Three miles below them lay the Marjorie W. herself, quite ready to sail so soon as they should have clambered aboard and swung the long boat to its davits. Presently the attention of every man was drawn from his dreaming or his gossiping to the northern bank of the river. There, screaming at them in a cracked falsetto and with skinny arms outstretched, stood a strange apparition of a man.

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Português

Um dos tripulantes exclamou surpreso.

Original English

"Wot the 'ell?"ejaculated one of the crew.

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Português

O imediato murmurou que era um homem branco, e então ordenou que a tripulação pegasse os remos e remasse até lá para ver o que ele queria.

Original English

"A white man!"muttered the mate, and then:"Man the oars, boys, and we'll just pull over an' see what he wants."

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Português

Quando se aproximaram da margem, viram uma criatura emaciada com cabelos brancos emaranhados e um corpo fino e encurvado. Ele estava nu exceto por uma tanga, e lágrimas rolavam por suas bochechas encovadas e marcadas por varíola. Ele tagarelava com eles em uma língua estranha.

Original English

When they came close to the shore they saw an emaciated creature with scant white locks tangled and matted. The thin, bent body was naked but for a loin cloth. Tears were rolling down the sunken pock-marked cheeks. The man jabbered at them in a strange tongue.

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Português

O imediato achou que o homem era russo e gritou perguntando se ele entendia inglês.

Original English

"Rooshun,"hazarded the mate."Savvy English?"he called to the man.

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Português

O homem falou de maneira hesitante e quebrada, como se não usasse o idioma há muitos anos. Ele implorou que o levassem para longe daquele país terrível. Uma vez a bordo do Marjorie W., ele contou uma história miserável de privação e sofrimento suportados por uma década. Ele não explicou como veio para a África, deixando-os supor que seu passado havia sido apagado pelas experiências terríveis que destruíram sua mente e corpo. Ele deu um nome falso, Michael Sabrov, e não se parecia em nada com o antigo Alexis Paulvitch.

Original English

He did, and in that tongue, brokenly and haltingly, as though it had been many years since he had used it, he begged them to take him with them away from this awful country. Once on board the Marjorie W. the stranger told his rescuers a pitiful tale of privation, hardships, and torture, extending over a period of ten years. How he happened to have come to Africa he did not tell them, leaving them to assume he had forgotten the incidents of his life prior to the frightful ordeals that had wrecked him mentally and physically. He did not even tell them his true name, and so they knew him only as Michael Sabrov, nor was there any resemblance between this sorry wreck and the virile, though unprincipled, Alexis Paulvitch of old.

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Português

Dez anos se passaram desde que Paulvitch escapou do destino de seu companheiro, o vilão Rokoff. Muitas vezes durante esses anos, ele amaldiçoou a injustiça que concedeu a Rokoff a morte e o alívio, enquanto o condenava a um horror vivo pior que a própria morte.

Original English

It had been ten years since the Russian had escaped the fate of his friend, the arch-fiend Rokoff, and not once, but many times during those ten years had Paulvitch cursed the fate that had given to Nicholas Rokoff death and immunity from suffering while it had meted to him the hideous terrors of an existence infinitely worse than the death that persistently refused to claim him.

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Português

Quando Paulvitch viu Tarzan e suas feras invadirem o Kincaid, ele fugiu para a selva aterrorizado. Ele tropeçou mais fundo, apenas para ser capturado por uma tribo canibal que havia sofrido com a crueldade de Rokoff. Por razões desconhecidas, o chefe poupou sua vida, mas apenas para submetê-lo a uma miséria sem fim. Por dez anos, ele foi o alvo da aldeia, espancado por mulheres e crianças, mutilado por guerreiros e devastado por febres. A varíola deixou-o horrivelmente marcado, alterando sua aparência tão completamente que sua própria mãe não o reconheceria. Seu cabelo ficou ralo e branco, seu corpo encurvado e torcido, seus dentes desapareceram. Até sua mente era apenas uma sombra do que fora.

Original English

Paulvitch had taken to the jungle when he had seen the beasts of Tarzan and their savage lord swarm the deck of the Kincaid, and in his terror lest Tarzan pursue and capture him he had stumbled on deep into the jungle, only to fall at last into the hands of one of the savage cannibal tribes that had felt the weight of Rokoff's evil temper and cruel brutality. Some strange whim of the chief of this tribe saved Paulvitch from death only to plunge him into a life of misery and torture. For ten years he had been the butt of the village, beaten and stoned by the women and children, cut and slashed and disfigured by the warriors; a victim of often recurring fevers of the most malignant variety. Yet he did not die. Smallpox laid its hideous clutches upon him; leaving him unspeakably branded with its repulsive marks. Between it and the attentions of the tribe the countenance of Alexis Paulvitch was so altered that his own mother could not have recognized in the pitiful mask he called his face a single familiar feature. A few scraggly, yellow-white locks had supplanted the thick, dark hair that had covered his head. His limbs were bent and twisted, he walked with a shuffling, unsteady gait, his body doubled forward. His teeth were gone -- knocked out by his savage masters. Even his mentality was but a sorry mockery of what it once had been.

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Português

Eles o trouxeram para o Marjorie W. e cuidaram dele, alimentando-o e tratando-o. Ele recuperou um pouco de força, mas sua aparência nunca melhorou. Eles o encontraram como um destroço quebrado, e ele permaneceria assim até a morte. Ainda na casa dos trinta, ele aparentava oitenta. A inescrutável natureza havia exigido uma penalidade maior do cúmplice do que do principal.

Original English

They took him aboard the Marjorie W., and there they fed and nursed him. He gained a little in strength; but his appearance never altered for the better -- a human derelict, battered and wrecked, they had found him; a human derelict, battered and wrecked, he would remain until death claimed him. Though still in his thirties, Alexis Paulvitch could easily have passed for eighty. Inscrutable Nature had demanded of the accomplice a greater penalty than his principal had paid.

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Português

Alexis Paulvitch não abrigava mais pensamentos de vingança. Ele sentia apenas um ódio surdo pelo homem que ele e Rokoff falharam em quebrar, e um ódio pela memória do próprio Rokoff, que o levara a tais horrores. Ele odiava a polícia de muitas cidades das quais havia fugido, odiava a lei e a ordem, odiava tudo. Suas horas de vigília eram preenchidas com pensamentos mórbidos de ódio; ele se tornara, tanto mental quanto fisicamente, a personificação daquela emoção devastadora. Ele tinha pouco contato com seus salvadores, sendo fraco demais para trabalhar e sombrio demais para companhia, então logo o deixaram sozinho.

Original English

In the mind of Alexis Paulvitch there lingered no thoughts of revenge -- only a dull hatred of the man whom he and Rokoff had tried to break, and failed. There was hatred, too, of the memory of Rokoff, for Rokoff had led him into the horrors he had undergone. There was hatred of the police of a score of cities from which he had had to flee. There was hatred of law, hatred of order, hatred of everything. Every moment of the man's waking life was filled with morbid thought of hatred -- he had become mentally as he was physically in outward appearance, the personification of the blighting emotion of Hate. He had little or nothing to do with the men who had rescued him. He was too weak to work and too morose for company, and so they quickly left him alone to his own devices.

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Português

Um grupo de fabricantes ricos contratou um navio chamado Marjorie W. Eles o equiparam com um laboratório e uma equipe de cientistas para encontrar um produto natural que vinham importando da América do Sul a um custo elevado. Apenas os cientistas sabiam o que era o produto. A busca levou o navio a uma ilha na costa da África, depois que Alexis Paulvitch embarcou.

Original English

The Marjorie W. had been chartered by a syndicate of wealthy manufacturers, equipped with a laboratory and a staff of scientists, and sent out to search for some natural product which the manufacturers who footed the bills had been importing from South America at an enormous cost. What the product was none on board the Marjorie W. knew except the scientists, nor is it of any moment to us, other than that it led the ship to a certain island off the coast of Africa after Alexis Paulvitch had been taken aboard.

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Português

O navio ancorou na costa por várias semanas, e a vida a bordo tornou-se monótona para a tripulação. Eles iam à terra com frequência, e Paulvitch, também cansado da rotina entediante, pediu para se juntar a eles.

Original English

The ship lay at anchor off the coast for several weeks. The monotony of life aboard her became trying for the crew. They went often ashore, and finally Paulvitch asked to accompany them -- he too was tiring of the blighting sameness of existence upon the ship.

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Português

A ilha era densamente arborizada, com uma selva espessa que quase chegava à praia. Os cientistas foram para o interior, em busca do valioso produto que rumores locais sugeriam que poderia ser encontrado ali. A tripulação pescava, caçava e explorava. Paulvitch vagueava pela praia ou descansava sob as árvores. Um dia, enquanto os homens examinavam uma pantera morta por um caçador, Paulvitch dormia debaixo de uma árvore. Foi acordado por uma mão em seu ombro e viu um grande macaco agachado ao seu lado, observando-o atentamente. Assustado, olhou para os marinheiros, que estavam a algumas centenas de metros de distância. O macaco tocou seu ombro novamente, emitindo sons plangentes. Paulvitch não sentiu ameaça e levantou-se lentamente; o macaco se ergueu ao seu lado.

Original English

The island was heavily timbered. Dense jungle ran down almost to the beach. The scientists were far inland, prosecuting their search for the valuable commodity that native rumor upon the mainland had led them to believe might be found here in marketable quantity. The ship's company fished, hunted, and explored. Paulvitch shuffled up and down the beach, or lay in the shade of the great trees that skirted it. One day, as the men were gathered at a little distance inspecting the body of a panther that had fallen to the gun of one of them who had been hunting inland, Paulvitch lay sleeping beneath his tree. He was awakened by the touch of a hand upon his shoulder. With a start he sat up to see a huge, anthropoid ape squatting at his side, inspecting him intently. The Russian was thoroughly frightened. He glanced toward the sailors -- they were a couple of hundred yards away. Again the ape plucked at his shoulder, jabbering plaintively. Paulvitch saw no menace in the inquiring gaze, or in the attitude of the beast. He got slowly to his feet. The ape rose at his side.

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Português

Paulvitch arrastou-se cautelosamente em direção aos marinheiros, curvado, com o macaco ao seu lado, segurando seu braço. Quando chegaram ao grupo, Paulvitch tinha certeza de que o animal era inofensivo. O macaco parecia acostumado a humanos. Ocorreu a Paulvitch que o animal poderia valer muito dinheiro, e ele decidiu lucrar com isso.

Original English

Half doubled, the man shuffled cautiously away toward the sailors. The ape moved with him, taking one of his arms. They had come almost to the little knot of men before they were seen, and by this time Paulvitch had become assured that the beast meant no harm. The animal evidently was accustomed to the association of human beings. It occurred to the Russian that the ape represented a certain considerable money value, and before they reached the sailors he had decided he should be the one to profit by it.

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Português

Quando os homens levantaram os olhos e viram o estranho par se aproximando, ficaram surpresos e correram em direção a eles. O macaco não mostrou medo, mas agarrou cada marinheiro pelo ombro e olhou atentamente para seu rosto. Depois de examinar todos, voltou para o lado de Paulvitch, claramente decepcionado.

Original English

When the men looked up and saw the oddly paired couple shuffling toward them they were filled with amazement, and started on a run toward the two. The ape showed no sign of fear. Instead he grasped each sailor by the shoulder and peered long and earnestly into his face. Having inspected them all he returned to Paulvitch's side, disappointment written strongly upon his countenance and in his carriage.

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Português

Os homens ficaram satisfeitos com o macaco e fizeram muitas perguntas a Paulvitch sobre ele. O russo insistiu que o macaco lhe pertencia e não diria mais nada sobre o assunto. Cansando-se de Paulvitch, um dos homens decidiu pregar uma peça. Ele circulou por trás do macaco e cutucou-o com um alfinete. Instantaneamente, a criatura calma e amigável se transformou em um demônio furioso. O sorriso alegre do marinheiro tornou-se uma expressão de terror enquanto ele tentava desviar dos longos braços do macaco. Ele sacou uma faca do cinto, mas o macaco a arrancou de sua mão e a jogou de lado. Então, o macaco cravou suas presas amarelas no ombro do marinheiro.

Original English

The men were delighted with him. They gathered about, asking Paulvitch many questions, and examining his companion. The Russian told them that the ape was his -- nothing further would he offer -- but kept harping continually upon the same theme,"The ape is mine. The ape is mine."Tiring of Paulvitch, one of the men essayed a pleasantry. Circling about behind the ape he prodded the anthropoid in the back with a pin. Like a flash the beast wheeled upon its tormentor, and, in the briefest instant of turning, the placid, friendly animal was metamorphosed to a frenzied demon of rage. The broad grin that had sat upon the sailor's face as he perpetrated his little joke froze to an expression of terror. He attempted to dodge the long arms that reached for him; but, failing, drew a long knife that hung at his belt. With a single wrench the ape tore the weapon from the man's grasp and flung it to one side, then his yellow fangs were buried in the sailor's shoulder.

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Português

Os companheiros do marinheiro atacaram o macaco com paus e facas, enquanto Paulvitch dançava ao redor do grupo que lutava, murmurando súplicas e ameaças. Ele viu suas esperanças de riqueza desaparecendo rapidamente enquanto as armas dos marinheiros atacavam a fera.

Original English

With sticks and knives the man's companions fell upon the beast, while Paulvitch danced around the cursing, snarling pack mumbling and screaming pleas and threats. He saw his visions of wealth rapidly dissipating before the weapons of the sailors.

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Português

O macaco, no entanto, não foi uma vítima fácil para os números superiores que pareciam prestes a dominá-lo. Levantando-se do marinheiro que havia começado a briga, ele sacudiu seus ombros massivos, livrando-se de dois homens que estavam agarrados em suas costas. Com golpes poderosos de suas mãos abertas, ele derrubou um atacante após o outro, saltando de um lado para o outro com a agilidade de um macaco pequeno.

Original English

The ape, however, proved no easy victim to the superior numbers that seemed fated to overwhelm him. Rising from the sailor who had precipitated the battle he shook his giant shoulders, freeing himself from two of the men that were clinging to his back, and with mighty blows of his open palms felled one after another of his attackers, leaping hither and thither with the agility of a small monkey.

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Português

O capitão e o imediato testemunharam a luta enquanto desembarcavam do Marjorie W., e Paulvitch os viu agora correndo para frente com revólveres sacados, seguidos por dois marinheiros. O macaco parou examinando os danos que havia causado, mas Paulvitch não podia dizer se ele estava esperando outro ataque ou decidindo qual inimigo matar primeiro. Ele sabia, no entanto, que assim que os oficiais chegassem ao alcance de tiro, eles acabariam com a fera, a menos que ele agisse rapidamente. O macaco não havia atacado Paulvitch, mas o homem temia o que poderia acontecer se interferisse com a criatura enfurecida. Ele hesitou brevemente, então mais uma vez viu visões da riqueza que este grande macaco poderia lhe trazer assim que o colocasse em segurança em uma cidade como Londres.

Original English

The fight had been witnessed by the captain and mate who were just landing from the Marjorie W., and Paulvitch saw these two now running forward with drawn revolvers while the two sailors who had brought them ashore trailed at their heels. The ape stood looking about him at the havoc he had wrought, but whether he was awaiting a renewal of the attack or was deliberating which of his foes he should exterminate first Paulvitch could not guess. What he could guess, however, was that the moment the two officers came within firing distance of the beast they would put an end to him in short order unless something were done and done quickly to prevent. The ape had made no move to attack the Russian but even so the man was none too sure of what might happen were he to interfere with the savage beast, now thoroughly aroused to bestial rage, and with the smell of new spilled blood fresh in its nostrils. For an instant he hesitated, and then again there rose before him the dreams of affluence which this great anthropoid would doubtless turn to realities once Paulvitch had landed him safely in some great metropolis like London.

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Português

O capitão gritou para Paulvitch sair do caminho para que pudesse atirar no animal. Em vez disso, Paulvitch arrastou-se para o lado do macaco. Embora seus cabelos tenham se arrepiado de medo, ele dominou seu terror e agarrou o braço do macaco.

Original English

The captain was shouting to him now to stand aside that he might have a shot at the animal; but instead Paulvitch shuffled to the ape's side, and though the man's hair quivered at its roots he mastered his fear and laid hold of the ape's arm.

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Português

Ele ordenou que a besta o seguisse e puxou-a para longe dos marinheiros, muitos dos quais estavam sentados com medo arregalado ou rastejando para longe de seu conquistador sobre mãos e joelhos.

Original English

"Come!"he commanded, and tugged to pull the beast from among the sailors, many of whom were now sitting up in wide eyed fright or crawling away from their conqueror upon hands and knees.

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Português

O macaco se deixou levar para o lado sem mostrar qualquer intenção de atacar o russo. O capitão parou a alguns passos do par incomum.

Original English

Slowly the ape permitted itself to be led to one side, nor did it show the slightest indication of a desire to harm the Russian. The captain came to a halt a few paces from the odd pair.

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Português

Ele ordenou que Sabrov se afastasse, dizendo que iria trancar a fera para que não pudesse machucar mais marinheiros.

Original English

"Get aside, Sabrov!"he commanded."I'll put that brute where he won't chew up any more able seamen."

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Português

Paulvitch implorou ao capitão que não atirasse no macaco, insistindo que os homens haviam começado a briga atacando primeiro. Ele afirmou que o macaco era dócil e lhe pertencia, e que não permitiria que fosse morto. Sua mente danificada imaginava os prazeres que o dinheiro poderia trazer em Londres, dinheiro que ele não poderia obter sem uma posse tão valiosa quanto o macaco.

Original English

"It wasn't his fault, captain,"pleaded Paulvitch."Please don't shoot him. The men started it -- they attacked him first. You see, he's perfectly gentle -- and he's mine -- he's mine -- he's mine! I won't let you kill him,"he concluded, as his half-wrecked mentality pictured anew the pleasure that money would buy in London -- money that he could not hope to possess without some such windfall as the ape represented.

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Português

O capitão baixou a arma e repetiu a afirmação de Paulvitch de que os homens haviam começado a briga. Ele se virou para os marinheiros, que já tinham se levantado do chão, nenhum ferido gravemente exceto aquele que havia causado o problema, que provavelmente teria um ombro dolorido por cerca de uma semana.

Original English

The captain lowered his weapon."The men started it, did they?"he repeated."How about that?"and he turned toward the sailors who had by this time picked themselves from the ground, none of them much the worse for his experience except the fellow who had been the cause of it, and who would doubtless nurse a sore shoulder for a week or so.

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Português

Um dos marinheiros explicou que Simpson era o culpado porque havia espetado um alfinete no macaco por trás, o que provocou o macaco a atacá-lo. O marinheiro achou que Simpson merecia. Ele acrescentou que o macaco então atacou o resto deles, mas ele não podia culpá-lo, já que todos haviam pulado sobre ele de uma vez.

Original English

"Simpson done it,"said one of the men."He stuck a pin into the monk from behind, and the monk got him -- which served him bloomin' well right -- an' he got the rest of us, too, for which I can't blame him, since we all jumped him to once."

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Português

O capitão olhou para Simpson, que admitiu a verdade timidamente. Então ele se aproximou do macaco cuidadosamente, mantendo o revólver preparado, e falou de forma suave. O macaco, sentado ao lado de Paulvitch, levantou-se e veio para a frente, examinando o rosto do capitão atentamente por um longo momento. Suspirou com desapontamento, como fizera com os marinheiros, e depois fez o mesmo com o imediato e outros dois antes de retornar para Paulvitch e não demonstrar mais interesse em ninguém ou na briga recente.

Original English

The captain looked at Simpson, who sheepishly admitted the truth of the allegation, then he stepped over to the ape as though to discover for himself the sort of temper the beast possessed, but it was noticeable that he kept his revolver cocked and leveled as he did so. However, he spoke soothingly to the animal who squatted at the Russian's side looking first at one and then another of the sailors. As the captain approached him the ape half rose and waddled forward to meet him. Upon his countenance was the same strange, searching expression that had marked his scrutiny of each of the sailors he had first encountered. He came quite close to the officer and laid a paw upon one of the man's shoulders, studying his face intently for a long moment, then came the expression of disappointment accompanied by what was almost a human sigh, as he turned away to peer in the same curious fashion into the faces of the mate and the two sailors who had arrived with the officers. In each instance he sighed and passed on, returning at length to Paulvitch's side, where he squatted down once more; thereafter evincing little or no interest in any of the other men, and apparently forgetful of his recent battle with them.

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Português

Quando o grupo retornou ao navio, o macaco seguiu Paulvitch, e o capitão permitiu. A bordo, o macaco examinou cada novo rosto com o mesmo desapontamento. Os oficiais e cientistas discutiram o comportamento estranho, mas não conseguiram explicá-lo. O macaco parecia estar procurando alguém. Depois de alguns dias explorando o navio e examinando todos, tornou-se completamente indiferente, até mesmo a Paulvitch quando ele trazia comida. Nunca demonstrou afeto ou o temperamento selvagem que havia mostrado durante o ataque.

Original English

When the party returned aboard the Marjorie W., Paulvitch was accompanied by the ape, who seemed anxious to follow him. The captain interposed no obstacles to the arrangement, and so the great anthropoid was tacitly admitted to membership in the ship's company. Once aboard he examined each new face minutely, evincing the same disappointment in each instance that had marked his scrutiny of the others. The officers and scientists aboard often discussed the beast, but they were unable to account satisfactorily for the strange ceremony with which he greeted each new face. Had he been discovered upon the mainland, or any other place than the almost unknown island that had been his home, they would have concluded that he had formerly been a pet of man; but that theory was not tenable in the face of the isolation of his uninhabited island. He seemed continually to be searching for someone, and during the first days of the return voyage from the island he was often discovered nosing about in various parts of the ship; but after he had seen and examined each face of the ship's company, and explored every corner of the vessel he lapsed into utter indifference of all about him. Even the Russian elicited only casual interest when he brought him food. At other times the ape appeared merely to tolerate him. He never showed affection for him, or for anyone else upon the Marjorie W., nor did he at any time evince any indication of the savage temper that had marked his resentment of the attack of the sailors upon him at the time that he had come among them.

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Português

A maior parte do tempo, o macaco, chamado Ajax, passava na proa do navio, olhando para frente como se soubesse que o navio estava indo para um porto onde haveria mais pessoas para examinar. Todos consideravam Ajax o macaco mais notável e inteligente que já tinham visto. Seu tamanho e força também eram impressionantes. Apesar de ser velho, não mostrava perda de capacidade mental ou física.

Original English

Most of his time was spent in the eye of the ship scanning the horizon ahead, as though he were endowed with sufficient reason to know that the vessel was bound for some port where there would be other human beings to undergo his searching scrutiny. All in all, Ajax, as he had been dubbed, was considered the most remarkable and intelligent ape that any one aboard the Marjorie W. ever had seen. Nor was his intelligence the only remarkable attribute he owned. His stature and physique were, for an ape, awe inspiring. That he was old was quite evident, but if his age had impaired his physical or mental powers in the slightest it was not apparent.

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Português

Finalmente, o Marjorie W. chegou à Inglaterra. Os oficiais e cientistas sentiram pena do homem destruído que haviam resgatado da selva. Eles deram dinheiro a Paulvitch e se despediram dele e de seu macaco Ajax.

Original English

And so at length the Marjorie W. came to England, and there the officers and the scientists, filled with compassion for the pitiful wreck of a man they had rescued from the jungles, furnished Paulvitch with funds and bid him and his Ajax Godspeed.

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Português

Durante toda a viagem para Londres, o russo teve dificuldade em controlar Ajax. O macaco examinava cada novo rosto, alarmando muitas pessoas, mas eventualmente pareceu desistir da busca e caiu em um estado de indiferença sombria.

Original English

Upon the dock and all through the journey to London the Russian had his hands full with Ajax. Each new face of the thousands that came within the anthropoid's ken must be carefully scrutinized, much to the horror of many of his victims; but at last, failing, apparently, to discover whom he sought, the great ape relapsed into morbid indifference, only occasionally evincing interest in a passing face.

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Português

Em Londres, Paulvitch levou Ajax a um renomado treinador de animais. O treinador ficou profundamente impressionado e concordou em treinar o macaco em troca de uma parte substancial dos lucros das exposições, além de cobrir as despesas tanto do macaco quanto de seu dono.

Original English

In London, Paulvitch went directly with his prize to a certain famous animal trainer. This man was much impressed with Ajax with the result that he agreed to train him for a lion's share of the profits of exhibiting him, and in the meantime to provide for the keep of both the ape and his owner.

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Português

Assim Ajax veio para Londres, forjando mais um elo na cadeia de circunstâncias estranhas que acabariam por moldar a vida de muitos.

Original English

And so came Ajax to London, and there was forged another link in the chain of strange circumstances that were to affect the lives of many people.

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Chapter 2

Português

O Sr. Harold Moore era um jovem sério e estudioso, de tez amarelada. Ele levava a si mesmo, a vida e seu trabalho — tutorar o filho de um nobre britânico — muito a sério. Acreditava que seu aluno não estava progredindo como esperado e agora explicava isso conscienciosamente à mãe do menino.

Original English

Mr. Harold Moore was a bilious-countenanced, studious young man. He took himself very seriously, and life, and his work, which latter was the tutoring of the young son of a British nobleman. He felt that his charge was not making the progress that his parents had a right to expect, and he was now conscientiously explaining this fact to the boy's mother.

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Português

Ele explicou que o menino não era desprovido de inteligência; na verdade, ele era excepcionalmente brilhante e aprendia rápido, então não havia falha na preparação de suas lições. O problema, antes, era que ele não tinha nenhum interesse genuíno nas matérias, tratando cada lição como uma tarefa a ser completada e esquecida. Suas verdadeiras paixões estavam em realizações físicas e em devorar relatos de feras selvagens e da vida de povos incivilizados, especialmente histórias de animais. Ele passava horas lendo sobre exploradores africanos e havia sido encontrado duas vezes lendo o livro de Carl Hagenbeck sobre homens e animais tarde da noite.

Original English

"It's not that he isn't bright,"he was saying;"if that were true I should have hopes of succeeding, for then I might bring to bear all my energies in overcoming his obtuseness; but the trouble is that he is exceptionally intelligent, and learns so quickly that I can find no fault in the matter of the preparation of his lessons. What concerns me, however, is the fact that he evidently takes no interest whatever in the subjects we are studying. He merely accomplishes each lesson as a task to be rid of as quickly as possible and I am sure that no lesson ever again enters his mind until the hours of study and recitation once more arrive. His sole interests seem to be feats of physical prowess and the reading of everything that he can get hold of relative to savage beasts and the lives and customs of uncivilized peoples; but particularly do stories of animals appeal to him. He will sit for hours together poring over the work of some African explorer, and upon two occasions I have found him setting up in bed at night reading Carl Hagenbeck's book on men and beasts."

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Português

A mãe do menino batia o pé nervosamente no tapete da lareira.

Original English

The boy's mother tapped her foot nervously upon the hearth rug.

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Português

Ela se aventurou a perguntar se ele desencorajava a situação.

Original English

"You discourage this, of course?"she ventured.

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Português

O Sr. Moore se remexeu com vergonha.

Original English

Mr. Moore shuffled embarrassedly.

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Português

Ele respondeu que havia tentado pegar o livro do menino, mas que o menino era surpreendentemente forte para a idade. Sua bochecha pálida ficou levemente vermelha enquanto falava.

Original English

"I -- ah -- essayed to take the book from him,"he replied, a slight flush mounting his sallow cheek;"but -- ah -- your son is quite muscular for one so young."

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Português

A mãe perguntou se o menino não havia permitido que ele pegasse o livro.

Original English

"He wouldn't let you take it?"asked the mother.

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Português

O tutor confessou que o menino não obedecia. Ele era bem-humorado, mas insistia em fingir ser um gorila enquanto tratava o tutor como um chimpanzé tentando roubar comida. O menino pulou sobre ele, levantou-o acima de sua cabeça, jogou-o na cama, fingiu sufocá-lo, ficou em cima dele e deu um grito assustador que chamou de vitória de um macaco-grande. Depois, carregou o tutor até a porta, empurrou-o para fora e trancou a porta.

Original English

"He would not,"confessed the tutor."He was perfectly good natured about it; but he insisted upon pretending that he was a gorilla and that I was a chimpanzee attempting to steal food from him. He leaped upon me with the most savage growls I ever heard, lifted me completely above his head, hurled me upon his bed, and after going through a pantomime indicative of choking me to death he stood upon my prostrate form and gave voice to a most fearsome shriek, which he explained was the victory cry of a bull ape. Then he carried me to the door, shoved me out into the hall and locked me from his room."

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Português

Por vários minutos, ninguém falou novamente. Finalmente, a mãe do menino quebrou o silêncio.

Original English

For several minutes neither spoke again. It was the boy's mother who finally broke the silence.

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Português

A mãe disse ao Sr. Moore que era muito importante desencorajar a tendência de Jack, mas foi interrompida por um grito alto vindo da janela. Ambos se levantaram. O quarto ficava no segundo andar, e em frente à janela havia uma árvore grande com um galho perto do parapeito. Eles descobriram Jack, um garoto alto e bem constituído, equilibrando-se facilmente no galho e gritando alegremente para suas expressões aterrorizadas.

Original English

"It is very necessary, Mr. Moore,"she said,"that you do everything in your power to discourage this tendency in Jack, he--"; but she got no further. A loud"Whoop!"from the direction of the window brought them both to their feet. The room was upon the second floor of the house, and opposite the window to which their attention had been attracted was a large tree, a branch of which spread to within a few feet of the sill. Upon this branch now they both discovered the subject of their recent conversation, a tall, well-built boy, balancing with ease upon the bending limb and uttering loud shouts of glee as he noted the terrified expressions upon the faces of his audience.

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Português

A mãe e o tutor correram em direção à janela, mas antes que pudessem atravessar a sala, o menino saltou agilmente para o parapeito e entrou no apartamento.

Original English

The mother and tutor both rushed toward the window but before they had crossed half the room the boy had leaped nimbly to the sill and entered the apartment with them.

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Português

Ele cantou sobre o homem selvagem de Bornéu chegando à cidade, dançando uma dança de guerra em volta de sua mãe aterrorizada e do tutor escandalizado, depois abraçou sua mãe e a beijou em ambas as bochechas.

Original English

"'The wild man from Borneo has just come to town,'"he sang, dancing a species of war dance about his terrified mother and scandalized tutor, and ending up by throwing his arms about the former's neck and kissing her upon either cheek.

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Português

O menino contou animadamente à sua mãe sobre um macaco maravilhoso e educado que se apresentava em um music hall. Ele disse que seu amigo Willie Grimsby o tinha visto e relatou que ele podia fazer muitas coisas incríveis, incluindo andar de bicicleta e comer com garfo e faca. O menino implorou à sua mãe para deixá-lo ir vê-lo.

Original English

"Oh, Mother,"he cried,"there's a wonderful, educated ape being shown at one of the music halls. Willie Grimsby saw it last night. He says it can do everything but talk. It rides a bicycle, eats with knife and fork, counts up to ten, and ever so many other wonderful things, and can I go and see it too? Oh, please, Mother -- please let me."

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Português

A mãe afagou a bochecha do menino afetuosamente, mas balançou a cabeça. Ela disse a ele que não aprovava tais exibições.

Original English

Patting the boy's cheek affectionately, the mother shook her head negatively."No, Jack,"she said;"you know I do not approve of such exhibitions."

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Português

O menino questionou por que não podia ir, apontando que todos os seus amigos assistiam a tais espetáculos e até visitavam o zoológico, o que ela nunca permitia. Ele sentia que estava sendo tratado como uma menina ou um mimado. Quando seu pai entrou, o menino imediatamente pediu permissão a ele.

Original English

"I don't see why not, Mother,"replied the boy."All the other fellows go and they go to the Zoo, too, and you'll never let me do even that. Anybody'd think I was a girl -- or a mollycoddle. Oh, Father,"he exclaimed, as the door opened to admit a tall gray-eyed man."Oh, Father, can't I go?"

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Português

O pai perguntou ao filho onde ele queria ir.

Original English

"Go where, my son?"asked the newcomer.

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Português

A mãe explicou ao marido que o menino queria ver um macaco treinado em um music hall, e deu-lhe um olhar de advertência.

Original English

"He wants to go to a music hall to see a trained ape,"said the mother, looking warningly at her husband.

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Português

O homem perguntou se ele se referia a Ajax.

Original English

"Who, Ajax?"questioned the man.

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Português

O menino assentiu.

Original English

The boy nodded.

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Português

O pai disse que não culpava o menino e expressou seu próprio desejo de ver Ajax, chamando o macaco de maravilhoso e excepcionalmente grande. Ele propôs que toda a família fosse vê-lo. No entanto, sua esposa balançou a cabeça firmemente e perguntou ao Sr. Moore se não era hora de ele e Jack irem ao escritório para as aulas matinais. Quando eles saíram, ela se virou para o marido.

Original English

"Well, I don't know that I blame you, my son,"said the father,"I wouldn't mind seeing him myself. They say he is very wonderful, and that for an anthropoid he is unusually large. Let's all go, Jane -- what do you say?"And he turned toward his wife, but that lady only shook her head in a most positive manner, and turning to Mr. Moore asked him if it was not time that he and Jack were in the study for the morning recitations. When the two had left she turned toward her husband.

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Português

Jane disse ao marido que eles deviam desencorajar Jack de qualquer coisa que pudesse despertar seu desejo pela vida selvagem, que ela temia que ele tivesse herdado dele. Ela lembrou John de como o chamado da natureza às vezes era forte para ele, e de suas próprias lutas para resistir ao desejo quase insano de voltar para a selva. Ela disse que ele sabia melhor do que ninguém o quão terrível seria o destino de Jack se o caminho para a selva se tornasse atraente ou fácil.

Original English

"John,"she said,"something must be done to discourage Jack's tendency toward anything that may excite the cravings for the savage life which I fear he has inherited from you. You know from your own experience how strong is the call of the wild at times. You know that often it has necessitated a stern struggle on your part to resist the almost insane desire which occasionally overwhelms you to plunge once again into the jungle life that claimed you for so many years, and at the same time you know, better than any other, how frightful a fate it would be for Jack, were the trail to the savage jungle made either alluring or easy to him."

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Português

John respondeu que duvidava que Jack pudesse herdar o gosto pela vida na selva, pois não acreditava que tais características fossem transmitidas. Ele achava que Jane talvez fosse restritiva demais em sua preocupação. O amor de Jack pelos animais e o desejo de ver o macaco treinado eram naturais para um menino saudável. Ele brincou que, mesmo que Jack quisesse se casar com uma macaca, Jane não teria o direito de se envergonhar. Ele colocou o braço em volta dela e a beijou. Então, mais seriamente, ele disse que Jane tinha cometido um erro ao não permitir que Jack soubesse sobre sua vida inicial como Tarzan. Se Jack soubesse de suas experiências, o glamour e o romance da vida na selva teriam sido reduzidos, e Jack poderia ter aprendido com elas. Mas agora, se o desejo pela selva algum dia o tomasse, ele teria apenas seus próprios impulsos para guiá-lo, o que poderia desviá-lo.

Original English

"I doubt if there is any danger of his inheriting a taste for jungle life from me,"replied the man,"for I cannot conceive that such a thing may be transmitted from father to son. And sometimes, Jane, I think that in your solicitude for his future you go a bit too far in your restrictive measures. His love for animals -- his desire, for example, to see this trained ape -- is only natural in a healthy, normal boy of his age. Just because he wants to see Ajax is no indication that he would wish to marry an ape, and even should he, far be it from you Jane to have the right to cry 'shame!'"and John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, put an arm about his wife, laughing good-naturedly down into her upturned face before he bent his head and kissed her. Then, more seriously, he continued:"You have never told Jack anything concerning my early life, nor have you permitted me to, and in this I think that you have made a mistake. Had I been able to tell him of the experiences of Tarzan of the Apes I could doubtless have taken much of the glamour and romance from jungle life that naturally surrounds it in the minds of those who have had no experience of it. He might then have profited by my experience, but now, should the jungle lust ever claim him, he will have nothing to guide him but his own impulses, and I know how powerful these may be in the wrong direction at times."

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Português

Lady Greystoke respondeu balançando a cabeça, como fizera muitas vezes antes sempre que o assunto surgia.

Original English

But Lady Greystoke only shook her head as she had a hundred other times when the subject had claimed her attention in the past.

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Português

Ela insistiu com John que nunca concordaria em deixar Jack ser exposto a qualquer ideia sobre a vida selvagem que ambos queriam que ele evitasse.

Original English

"No, John,"she insisted,"I shall never give my consent to the implanting in Jack's mind of any suggestion of the savage life which we both wish to preserve him from."

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Português

O assunto voltou à tona naquela noite, desta vez levantado pelo próprio Jack. Ele estava enrolado em uma poltrona grande, lendo, quando de repente ergueu os olhos e falou com o pai.

Original English

It was evening before the subject was again referred to and then it was raised by Jack himself. He had been sitting, curled in a large chair, reading, when he suddenly looked up and addressed his father.

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Português

Ele perguntou diretamente por que não podia ir ver Ajax.

Original English

"Why,"he asked, coming directly to the point,"can't I go and see Ajax?"

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Português

Seu pai respondeu que a mãe não aprovava.

Original English

"Your mother does not approve,"replied his father.

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Português

Lord Greystoke perguntou ao menino se ele realmente acreditava nisso.

Original English

"Do you?"

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Português

Lord Greystoke evitou a pergunta, afirmando que a objeção de sua esposa era suficiente.

Original English

"That is not the question,"evaded Lord Greystoke."It is enough that your mother objects."

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Português

O menino anunciou sua intenção de visitar Ajax, argumentando que não era diferente dos outros garotos que o fizeram sem problemas. Ele informou seu pai sobre seu plano com antecedência, embora pudesse ter ido em segredo.

Original English

"I am going to see him,"announced the boy, after a few moments of thoughtful silence."I am not different from Willie Grimsby, or any other of the fellows who have been to see him. It did not harm them and it will not harm me. I could go without telling you; but I would not do that. So I tell you now, beforehand, that I am going to see Ajax."

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Português

O menino expôs seu ponto de vista com calma e objetividade, sem desrespeito. Seu pai não pôde deixar de sentir admiração pela franqueza do filho, e quase sorriu.

Original English

There was nothing disrespectful or defiant in the boy's tone or manner. His was merely a dispassionate statement of facts. His father could scarce repress either a smile or a show of the admiration he felt for the manly course his son had pursued.

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Português

Lord Greystoke elogiou a sinceridade de Jack, mas avisou que a desobediência resultaria em punição corporal, algo inédito para o menino.

Original English

"I admire your candor, Jack,"he said."Permit me to be candid, as well. If you go to see Ajax without permission, I shall punish you. I have never inflicted corporal punishment upon you, but I warn you that should you disobey your mother's wishes in this instance, I shall."

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Português

O menino respondeu que sim e disse que contaria ao Sr. Moore depois de ter visitado Ajax.

Original English

"Yes, sir,"replied the boy; and then:"I shall tell you, sir, when I have been to see Ajax."

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Português

O quarto do Sr. Moore ficava ao lado do quarto do menino. Todas as noites, quando estava prestes a ir para a cama, o tutor dava uma olhada no menino. Nesta noite ele estava especialmente cuidadoso porque acabara de ser informado pelos pais do menino para impedir Jack de ir ao music hall onde Ajax estava sendo exibido. Quando ele abriu a porta por volta das nove e meia, ficou muito agitado, embora não completamente surpreso, ao encontrar Jack totalmente vestido e prestes a sair pela janela aberta do quarto.

Original English

Mr. Moore's room was next to that of his youthful charge, and it was the tutor's custom to have a look into the boy's each evening as the former was about to retire. This evening he was particularly careful not to neglect his duty, for he had just come from a conference with the boy's father and mother in which it had been impressed upon him that he must exercise the greatest care to prevent Jack visiting the music hall where Ajax was being shown. So, when he opened the boy's door at about half after nine, he was greatly excited, though not entirely surprised to find the future Lord Greystoke fully dressed for the street and about to crawl from his open bed room window.

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Português

O Sr. Moore correu pelo quarto, mas seu esforço foi desnecessário. Quando o menino o ouviu e percebeu que havia sido descoberto, ele voltou como se fosse desistir de sua aventura planejada.

Original English

Mr. Moore made a rapid spring across the apartment; but the waste of energy was unnecessary, for when the boy heard him within the chamber and realized that he had been discovered he turned back as though to relinquish his planned adventure.

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Português

Sem fôlego de excitação, o Sr. Moore perguntou para onde o menino estava indo.

Original English

"Where were you going?"panted the excited Mr. Moore.

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Português

O menino respondeu calmamente que ia ver Ajax.

Original English

"I am going to see Ajax,"replied the boy, quietly.

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Português

O Sr. Moore disse que estava pasmo, mas um momento depois ficou ainda mais surpreso. O menino se aproximou, agarrou-o pela cintura, levantou-o do chão e o jogou de bruços na cama, pressionando seu rosto contra um travesseiro macio.

Original English

"I am astonished,"cried Mr. Moore; but a moment later he was infinitely more astonished, for the boy, approaching close to him, suddenly seized him about the waist, lifted him from his feet and threw him face downward upon the bed, shoving his face deep into a soft pillow.

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Português

O vencedor disse-lhe para ficar quieto e ameaçou sufocá-lo se não obedecesse.

Original English

"Be quiet,"admonished the victor,"or I'll choke you."

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Português

O Sr. Moore lutou, mas seus esforços foram inúteis. O menino, Jack, havia herdado uma constituição notavelmente forte de seu pai Tarzan, e ele lidou com o tutor facilmente. Ajoelhando-se sobre o Sr. Moore, Jack rasgou tiras de um lençol, amarrou as mãos do homem atrás das costas, depois o virou e o amordaçou com o mesmo material, amarrando-o em volta da cabeça. Enquanto fazia isso, falava em um tom baixo e coloquial.

Original English

Mr. Moore struggled; but his efforts were in vain. Whatever else Tarzan of the Apes may or may not have handed down to his son he had at least bequeathed him almost as marvelous a physique as he himself had possessed at the same age. The tutor was as putty in the boy's hands. Kneeling upon him, Jack tore strips from a sheet and bound the man's hands behind his back. Then he rolled him over and stuffed a gag of the same material between his teeth, securing it with a strip wound about the back of his victim's head. All the while he talked in a low, conversational tone.

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Português

Ele explicou que era Waja, chefe dos Waji, e que o Sr. Moore era Mohammed Dubn, o sheik árabe que queria matar seu povo e roubar seu marfim. Então, habilmente amarrou os tornozelos do Sr. Moore junto com seus pulsos nas costas. Exclamando que finalmente tinha o vilão em seu poder, disse que iria embora, mas voltaria. O filho de Tarzan então atravessou a sala, esgueirou-se pela janela aberta e deslizou por uma calha até a liberdade.

Original English

"I am Waja, chief of the Waji,"he explained,"and you are Mohammed Dubn, the Arab sheik, who would murder my people and steal my ivory,"and he dexterously trussed Mr. Moore's hobbled ankles up behind to meet his hobbled wrists."Ah -- ha! Villain! I have you in me power at last. I go; but I shall return!"And the son of Tarzan skipped across the room, slipped through the open window, and slid to liberty by way of the down spout from an eaves trough.

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Português

O Sr. Moore se remexeu e lutou na cama, convencido de que sufocaria se a ajuda não chegasse rapidamente. Em seu pânico, ele conseguiu rolar para fora da cama. A queda o fez voltar a um estado mental mais claro. Ele percebeu que o quarto onde Lorde e Lady Greystoke estavam sentados era diretamente abaixo, embora temesse que eles tivessem ido embora. Ele decidiu tentar chamar a atenção batendo a bota no chão. Após muitas tentativas, ele conseguiu bater em intervalos. Eventualmente, ouviu passos na escada e uma batida na porta. Ele bateu vigorosamente com o dedo do pé. A batida foi repetida, e ele bateu novamente. Ele rolou laboriosamente em direção à porta. Finalmente, uma voz chamou, perguntando pelo Sr. Jack.

Original English

Mr. Moore wriggled and struggled about the bed. He was sure that he should suffocate unless aid came quickly. In his frenzy of terror he managed to roll off the bed. The pain and shock of the fall jolted him back to something like sane consideration of his plight. Where before he had been unable to think intelligently because of the hysterical fear that had claimed him he now lay quietly searching for some means of escape from his dilemma. It finally occurred to him that the room in which Lord and Lady Greystoke had been sitting when he left them was directly beneath that in which he lay upon the floor. He knew that some time had elapsed since he had come up stairs and that they might be gone by this time, for it seemed to him that he had struggled about the bed, in his efforts to free himself, for an eternity. But the best that he could do was to attempt to attract attention from below, and so, after many failures, he managed to work himself into a position in which he could tap the toe of his boot against the floor. This he proceeded to do at short intervals, until, after what seemed a very long time, he was rewarded by hearing footsteps ascending the stairs, and presently a knock upon the door. Mr. Moore tapped vigorously with his toe -- he could not reply in any other way. The knock was repeated after a moment's silence. Again Mr. Moore tapped. Would they never open the door! Laboriously he rolled in the direction of succor. If he could get his back against the door he could then tap upon its base, when surely he must be heard. The knocking was repeated a little louder, and finally a voice called:"Mr. Jack!"

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Português

O homem da casa veio até a porta, e o Sr. Moore reconheceu sua voz. Ele tentou desesperadamente gritar para que ele entrasse, mas a mordaça o impedia. O homem bateu novamente, mais alto, e chamou pelo menino. Quando ninguém respondeu, ele tentou a maçaneta. Naquele momento, o Sr. Moore lembrou-se subitamente, com pavor, que ele mesmo havia trancado a porta ao entrar no quarto.

Original English

It was one of the house men -- Mr. Moore recognized the fellow's voice. He came near to bursting a blood vessel in an endeavor to scream"come in"through the stifling gag. After a moment the man knocked again, quite loudly and again called the boy's name. Receiving no reply he turned the knob, and at the same instant a sudden recollection filled the tutor anew with numbing terror -- he had, himself, locked the door behind him when he had entered the room.

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Português

Ele ouviu o criado tentar a porta várias vezes antes de ir embora. Então o Sr. Moore desmaiou.

Original English

He heard the servant try the door several times and then depart. Upon which Mr. Moore swooned.

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Português

Enquanto isso, Jack estava aproveitando ao máximo sua visita secreta ao music hall. Ele chegou bem na hora em que o número de Ajax começou, comprou um lugar no camarote e se inclinou sobre a grade, observando cada movimento do grande macaco com admiração. O treinador notou o rosto ansioso do menino. Como o número de Ajax incluía visitar os camarotes da plateia em busca de um parente perdido, o treinador achou que seria uma boa ideia enviar o macaco para o camarote de Jack, esperando que o menino ficasse aterrorizado com a proximidade da fera poderosa.

Original English

In the meantime Jack was enjoying to the full the stolen pleasures of the music hall. He had reached the temple of mirth just as Ajax's act was commencing, and having purchased a box seat was now leaning breathlessly over the rail watching every move of the great ape, his eyes wide in wonder. The trainer was not slow to note the boy's handsome, eager face, and as one of Ajax's biggest hits consisted in an entry to one or more boxes during his performance, ostensibly in search of a long-lost relative, as the trainer explained, the man realized the effectiveness of sending him into the box with the handsome boy, who, doubtless, would be terror stricken by proximity to the shaggy, powerful beast.

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Português

Quando o macaco foi chamado de volta para um bis, o treinador o direcionou para o menino, que estava sozinho em seu camarote. O macaco saltou do palco para o lado do menino. Se o treinador esperava que o menino se assustasse, estava enganado. O menino sorriu e colocou a mão no braço peludo do macaco. O macaco segurou o menino pelos ombros e olhou atentamente para seu rosto, enquanto o menino acariciava sua cabeça e falava baixinho com ele.

Original English

When the time came, therefore, for the ape to return from the wings in reply to an encore the trainer directed its attention to the boy who chanced to be the sole occupant of the box in which he sat. With a spring the huge anthropoid leaped from the stage to the boy's side; but if the trainer had looked for a laughable scene of fright he was mistaken. A broad smile lighted the boy's features as he laid his hand upon the shaggy arm of his visitor. The ape, grasping the boy by either shoulder, peered long and earnestly into his face, while the latter stroked his head and talked to him in a low voice.

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Português

Ajax nunca havia passado tanto tempo examinando alguém antes. Ele parecia perturbado e excitado, fazendo sons para o menino e acariciando-o de uma forma que o treinador nunca tinha visto. Então ele subiu no camarote e sentou-se perto do menino. O público gostou disso, mas gostou ainda mais quando o treinador tentou fazer Ajax sair após o número. O macaco se recusou a se mexer. O gerente, ansioso com o atraso, instou o treinador a agir rapidamente. No entanto, quando o treinador entrou no camarote para puxar Ajax, o macaco mostrou os dentes e rosnou ameaçadoramente.

Original English

Never had Ajax devoted so long a time to an examination of another as he did in this instance. He seemed troubled and not a little excited, jabbering and mumbling to the boy, and now caressing him, as the trainer had never seen him caress a human being before. Presently he clambered over into the box with him and snuggled down close to the boy's side. The audience was delighted; but they were still more delighted when the trainer, the period of his act having elapsed, attempted to persuade Ajax to leave the box. The ape would not budge. The manager, becoming excited at the delay, urged the trainer to greater haste, but when the latter entered the box to drag away the reluctant Ajax he was met by bared fangs and menacing growls.

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Português

O público estava em êxtase. Eles torceram tanto pelo macaco quanto pelo menino, enquanto vaiaram e zombaram do treinador e do gerente, que infelizmente se revelou e tentou ajudar o treinador.

Original English

The audience was delirious with joy. They cheered the ape. They cheered the boy, and they hooted and jeered at the trainer and the manager, which luckless individual had inadvertently shown himself and attempted to assist the trainer.

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Português

Desesperado, o treinador percebeu que se não subjugasse o macaco imediatamente, o animal poderia perder seu valor para futuras exibições. Ele correu para seu camarim, pegou um chicote pesado e voltou para o palco. Mas quando ameaçou Ajax com ele, viu-se diante de dois oponentes furiosos em vez de um: o menino tinha pulado, agarrado uma cadeira e se posicionado ao lado do macaco para defender seu novo amigo. O sorriso do menino desapareceu; seus olhos cinzentos tinham uma expressão que fez o treinador hesitar, e ao seu lado estava o grande macaco, rosnando e preparado.

Original English

Finally, reduced to desperation and realizing that this show of mutiny upon the part of his valuable possession might render the animal worthless for exhibition purposes in the future if not immediately subdued, the trainer had hastened to his dressing room and procured a heavy whip. With this he now returned to the box; but when he had threatened Ajax with it but once he found himself facing two infuriated enemies instead of one, for the boy had leaped to his feet, and seizing a chair was standing ready at the ape's side to defend his new found friend. There was no longer a smile upon his handsome face. In his gray eyes was an expression which gave the trainer pause, and beside him stood the giant anthropoid growling and ready.

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Português

O que teria acontecido a seguir, se não fosse por uma interrupção oportuna, só pode ser adivinhado; mas as posturas do menino e do macaco claramente sugeriam que o treinador teria sido gravemente ferido, no mínimo.

Original English

What might have happened, but for a timely interruption, may only be surmised; but that the trainer would have received a severe mauling, if nothing more, was clearly indicated by the attitudes of the two who faced him.

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Português

Um homem de rosto pálido irrompeu na biblioteca dos Greystoke para relatar que havia encontrado a porta de Jack trancada. Apesar de repetidas batidas e chamados, não obteve resposta, apenas um estranho tique-taque e o som do que parecia ser um corpo se movendo no chão.

Original English

It was a pale-faced man who rushed into the Greystoke library to announce that he had found Jack's door locked and had been able to obtain no response to his repeated knocking and calling other than a strange tapping and the sound of what might have been a body moving about upon the floor.

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Português

John Clayton subiu as escadas quatro degraus de cada vez, com sua esposa e um servo seguindo rapidamente. Ele chamou o nome do filho em voz alta, mas não obteve resposta. Então, usando todo o seu peso e o imenso poder de seus músculos, ele se jogou contra a porta pesada. As dobradiças de ferro estalaram e a madeira lascou quando a porta se abriu para dentro.

Original English

Four steps at a time John Clayton took the stairs that led to the floor above. His wife and the servant hurried after him. Once he called his son's name in a loud voice; but receiving no reply he launched his great weight, backed by all the undiminished power of his giant muscles, against the heavy door. With a snapping of iron butts and a splintering of wood the obstacle burst inward.

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Português

No chão, o corpo inconsciente do Sr. Moore jazia, e um objeto pesado caiu sobre ele com um baque forte. Tarzan saltou pela abertura, e em poucos instantes a sala foi iluminada por muitas lâmpadas elétricas.

Original English

At its foot lay the body of the unconscious Mr. Moore, across whom it fell with a resounding thud. Through the opening leaped Tarzan, and a moment later the room was flooded with light from a dozen electric bulbs.

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Português

Levou vários minutos para encontrar o tutor, pois a porta o havia escondido completamente. Finalmente, ele foi puxado para fora, sua mordaça e amarras foram cortadas, e uma quantidade generosa de água fria o ajudou a recuperar a consciência mais rapidamente.

Original English

It was several minutes before the tutor was discovered, so completely had the door covered him; but finally he was dragged forth, his gag and bonds cut away, and a liberal application of cold water had hastened returning consciousness.

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Português

A primeira pergunta de John Clayton foi onde Jack estava, e então quem havia feito aquilo, enquanto a memória de Rokoff e o medo de outro sequestro tomavam conta dele.

Original English

"Where is Jack?"was John Clayton's first question, and then;"Who did this?"as the memory of Rokoff and the fear of a second abduction seized him.

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Português

O Sr. Moore lentamente se levantou, cambaleando. Seus olhos percorreram a sala. Gradualmente, ele reuniu seus pensamentos dispersos. Os detalhes de sua recente experiência aterrorizante voltaram a ele.

Original English

Slowly Mr. Moore staggered to his feet. His gaze wandered about the room. Gradually he collected his scattered wits. The details of his recent harrowing experience returned to him.

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Português

Suas primeiras palavras foram que ele estava renunciando imediatamente. Ele disse que John Clayton não precisava de um tutor para seu filho; o que ele precisava era de um treinador de animais selvagens.

Original English

"I tender my resignation, sir, to take effect at once,"were his first words."You do not need a tutor for your son -- what he needs is a wild animal trainer."

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Português

Lady Greystoke gritou, exigindo saber onde ele estava.

Original English

"But where is he?"cried Lady Greystoke.

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Português

A resposta veio de que ele tinha ido ver Ajax.

Original English

"He has gone to see Ajax."

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Português

Tarzan mal conteve um sorriso. Depois de confirmar que o tutor estava mais assustado do que ferido, ele chamou seu carro fechado e dirigiu-se em direção a um conhecido music hall.

Original English

It was with difficulty that Tarzan restrained a smile, and after satisfying himself that the tutor was more scared than injured, he ordered his closed car around and departed in the direction of a certain well-known music hall.

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Chapter 3

Português

O treinador hesitou na entrada da jaula, com o chicote erguido, quando um homem alto e de ombros largos passou por ele e entrou. Ao ver o recém-chegado, as bochechas do menino coraram levemente.

Original English

As the trainer, with raised lash, hesitated an instant at the entrance to the box where the boy and the ape confronted him, a tall broad-shouldered man pushed past him and entered. As his eyes fell upon the newcomer a slight flush mounted the boy's cheeks.

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Português

Ele chamou pelo pai.

Original English

"Father!"he exclaimed.

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Português

O macaco olhou de relance para o lorde inglês, então saltou em sua direção com grunhidos empolgados. O homem congelou de espanto, com os olhos arregalados.

Original English

The ape gave one look at the English lord, and then leaped toward him, calling out in excited jabbering. The man, his eyes going wide in astonishment, stopped as though turned to stone.

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Português

Ele gritou o nome Akut.

Original English

"Akut!"he cried.

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Português

O menino olhava de um lado para o outro, confuso, entre o macaco e seu pai. O treinador ficou atônito ao ouvir o inglês emitir sons semelhantes aos de um macaco, que o grande macaco retribuiu da mesma forma enquanto se agarrava a ele.

Original English

The boy looked, bewildered, from the ape to his father, and from his father to the ape. The trainer's jaw dropped as he listened to what followed, for from the lips of the Englishman flowed the gutturals of an ape that were answered in kind by the huge anthropoid that now clung to him.

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Português

Nos bastidores, um velho horrivelmente curvado e cheio de cicatrizes observava a cena no camarote, seu rosto se contorcendo em expressões que variavam do prazer ao terror.

Original English

And from the wings a hideously bent and disfigured old man watched the tableau in the box, his pock-marked features working spasmodically in varying expressions that might have marked every sensation in the gamut from pleasure to terror.

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Português

Akut disse que havia procurado por Tarzan por muito tempo. Agora que o encontrara, ele viria para a selva de Tarzan e viveria lá para sempre.

Original English

"Long have I looked for you, Tarzan,"said Akut."Now that I have found you I shall come to your jungle and live there always."

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Português

O homem lembrou-se de sua vida passada na selva africana. Recordou-se de lutar ao lado de Mugambi, de Sheeta a pantera e dos macacos de Akut. Sentiu um forte desejo de retornar à selva, de sentir as folhas e cheirar a floresta. Mas então pensou em sua vida atual: sua esposa, amigos, lar e seu filho. Parecia incerto sobre onde realmente pertencia.

Original English

The man stroked the beast's head. Through his mind there was running rapidly a train of recollection that carried him far into the depths of the primeval African forest where this huge, man-like beast had fought shoulder to shoulder with him years before. He saw the black Mugambi wielding his deadly knob-stick, and beside them, with bared fangs and bristling whiskers, Sheeta the terrible; and pressing close behind the savage and the savage panther, the hideous apes of Akut. The man sighed. Strong within him surged the jungle lust that he had thought dead. Ah! if he could go back even for a brief month of it, to feel again the brush of leafy branches against his naked hide; to smell the musty rot of dead vegetation -- frankincense and myrrh to the jungle born; to sense the noiseless coming of the great carnivora upon his trail; to hunt and to be hunted; to kill! The picture was alluring. And then came another picture -- a sweet-faced woman, still young and beautiful; friends; a home; a son. He shrugged his giant shoulders.

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Português

O homem disse a Akut que retornar era impossível, mas se Akut quisesse voltar, ele providenciaria. Explicou que Akut não seria feliz neste mundo, e que ele próprio talvez não fosse feliz na selva.

Original English

"It cannot be, Akut,"he said;"but if you would return, I shall see that it is done. You could not be happy here -- I may not be happy there."

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Português

O treinador deu um passo à frente. O macaco mostrou os dentes e fez um som baixo e zangado.

Original English

The trainer stepped forward. The ape bared his fangs, growling.

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Português

Tarzan disse a Akut para ir com o treinador e prometeu visitá-lo no dia seguinte.

Original English

"Go with him, Akut,"said Tarzan of the Apes."I will come and see you tomorrow."

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Português

O macaco moveu-se relutantemente para o lado do treinador. A pedido de John Clayton, o treinador disse a eles onde poderiam ser encontrados. Então Tarzan virou-se para olhar para seu filho.

Original English

The beast moved sullenly to the trainer's side. The latter, at John Clayton's request, told where they might be found. Tarzan turned toward his son.

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Português

Ele disse ao outro para vir, e ambos saíram do teatro. Entraram na limusine e ficaram em silêncio por vários minutos. O menino foi o primeiro a falar.

Original English

"Come!"he said, and the two left the theater. Neither spoke for several minutes after they had entered the limousine. It was the boy who broke the silence.

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Português

Ele observou que o macaco o havia reconhecido e que eles se comunicaram na língua do macaco, e então perguntou como o macaco o conhecia e como ele havia aprendido aquela língua.

Original English

"The ape knew you,"he said,"and you spoke together in the ape's tongue. How did the ape know you, and how did you learn his language?"

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Português

Tarzan dos Macacos então, brevemente e pela primeira vez, contou ao filho sobre sua vida inicial: seu nascimento na selva, a morte de seus pais, e como a grande macaca Kala o amamentou e criou desde a infância até quase a idade adulta. Ele também descreveu os perigos e horrores da selva — as grandes feras que caçavam dia e noite, secas, chuvas torrenciais, fome, frio, calor, nudez, medo e sofrimento. Ele contou essas coisas na esperança de que tal conhecimento eliminasse qualquer desejo pela selva da mente do menino. No entanto, essas eram exatamente as coisas que faziam Tarzan valorizar a memória da selva — a vida composta que ele amava. Ao contar, esqueceu uma coisa crucial: que o menino ouvindo tão avidamente era o filho de Tarzan dos Macacos.

Original English

And then, briefly and for the first time, Tarzan of the Apes told his son of his early life -- of the birth in the jungle, of the death of his parents, and of how Kala, the great she ape had suckled and raised him from infancy almost to manhood. He told him, too, of the dangers and the horrors of the jungle; of the great beasts that stalked one by day and by night; of the periods of drought, and of the cataclysmic rains; of hunger; of cold; of intense heat; of nakedness and fear and suffering. He told him of all those things that seem most horrible to the creature of civilization in the hope that the knowledge of them might expunge from the lad's mind any inherent desire for the jungle. Yet they were the very things that made the memory of the jungle what it was to Tarzan -- that made up the composite jungle life he loved. And in the telling he forgot one thing -- the principal thing -- that the boy at his side, listening with eager ears, was the son of Tarzan of the Apes.

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Português

Depois que o menino foi para a cama — e sem o castigo prometido — John Clayton contou à esposa sobre a noite e que ele finalmente informara o filho sobre sua vida na selva. A mãe há muito esperava que seu filho um dia aprendesse sobre aqueles anos terríveis em que seu pai vagava pela selva como uma fera nua e selvagem. Ela simplesmente balançou a cabeça, esperando que o forte fascínio que ainda permanecia no coração do pai não tivesse sido transmitido ao filho.

Original English

After the boy had been tucked away in bed -- and without the threatened punishment -- John Clayton told his wife of the events of the evening, and that he had at last acquainted the boy with the facts of his jungle life. The mother, who had long foreseen that her son must some time know of those frightful years during which his father had roamed the jungle, a naked, savage beast of prey, only shook her head, hoping against hope that the lure she knew was still strong in the father's breast had not been transmitted to his son.

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Português

No dia seguinte, Tarzan visitou Akut, mas recusou o pedido de Jack de acompanhá-lo. Desta vez, Tarzan viu o velho dono marcado por varíola do macaco, não o reconhecendo como o astuto Paulvitch de dias anteriores. Comovido pelos apelos de Akut, Tarzan levantou a questão de comprar o macaco; mas Paulvitch se recusou a dar um preço, dizendo que pensaria no assunto.

Original English

Tarzan visited Akut the following day, but though Jack begged to be allowed to accompany him he was refused. This time Tarzan saw the pock-marked old owner of the ape, whom he did not recognize as the wily Paulvitch of former days. Tarzan, influenced by Akut's pleadings, broached the question of the ape's purchase; but Paulvitch would not name any price, saying that he would consider the matter.

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Português

Quando Tarzan voltou para casa, seu filho Jack ficou muito animado para ouvir sobre a visita do pai. Jack sugeriu que Tarzan comprasse o macaco e o trouxesse para casa. Lady Greystoke ficou chocada com a ideia, mas Jack insistiu. Tarzan explicou que queria comprar Akut e devolvê-lo à selva, e a mãe concordou. Jack pediu para visitar o macaco, mas foi recusado. No entanto, Jack tinha o endereço que o treinador havia dado ao pai. Dois dias depois, Jack encontrou uma maneira de se afastar de seu novo tutor. Depois de procurar por um tempo em uma parte de Londres que nunca tinha visto, encontrou a pequena e fedorenta casa do velho com o rosto marcado por varíola. O velho abriu a porta quando Jack bateu. Quando Jack disse que queria ver Ajax, o homem o deixou entrar no pequeno quarto onde ele e o grande macaco viviam. O homem, Paulvitch, costumava ser arrumado, mas dez anos vivendo com canibais na África o deixaram muito sujo. Suas roupas estavam sujas, suas mãos estavam sem lavar e seu cabelo estava bagunçado. Seu quarto era uma bagunça de desordem imunda. Quando Jack entrou, viu o macaco sentado na cama, que estava coberta por cobertores sujos. Quando o macaco viu Jack, pulou e se arrastou para frente. O homem, não reconhecendo Jack e preocupado que o macaco pudesse atacar, colocou-se entre eles e ordenou que o macaco voltasse para a cama.

Original English

When Tarzan returned home Jack was all excitement to hear the details of his visit, and finally suggested that his father buy the ape and bring it home. Lady Greystoke was horrified at the suggestion. The boy was insistent. Tarzan explained that he had wished to purchase Akut and return him to his jungle home, and to this the mother assented. Jack asked to be allowed to visit the ape, but again he was met with flat refusal. He had the address, however, which the trainer had given his father, and two days later he found the opportunity to elude his new tutor -- who had replaced the terrified Mr. Moore -- and after a considerable search through a section of London which he had never before visited, he found the smelly little quarters of the pock-marked old man. The old fellow himself replied to his knocking, and when he stated that he had come to see Ajax, opened the door and admitted him to the little room which he and the great ape occupied. In former years Paulvitch had been a fastidious scoundrel; but ten years of hideous life among the cannibals of Africa had eradicated the last vestige of niceness from his habits. His apparel was wrinkled and soiled. His hands were unwashed, his few straggling locks uncombed. His room was a jumble of filthy disorder. As the boy entered he saw the great ape squatting upon the bed, the coverlets of which were a tangled wad of filthy blankets and ill-smelling quilts. At sight of the youth the ape leaped to the floor and shuffled forward. The man, not recognizing his visitor and fearing that the ape meant mischief, stepped between them, ordering the ape back to the bed.

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Português

Jack disse ao homem que o macaco não o machucaria. Ele explicou que eles eram amigos e que o macaco tinha sido amigo de seu pai na selva. Jack disse que seu pai era Lord Greystoke e que seu pai não sabia que ele estava lá. Ele mencionou que sua mãe o tinha proibido de vir, mas ele queria ver Ajax e se ofereceu para pagar ao homem se pudesse visitá-lo com frequência.

Original English

"He will not hurt me,"cried the boy."We are friends, and before, he was my father's friend. They knew one another in the jungle. My father is Lord Greystoke. He does not know that I have come here. My mother forbid my coming; but I wished to see Ajax, and I will pay you if you will let me come here often and see him."

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Português

Quando Paulvitch ouviu o nome do menino, seus olhos se estreitaram. Desde que viu Tarzan novamente no teatro, um desejo de vingança vinha se formando em sua mente. É uma característica de pessoas fracas e más culpar os outros pelos infortúnios causados por seus próprios atos malignos. Então agora Paulvitch estava lentamente relembrando seu passado e colocando na conta de Tarzan todos os infortúnios que lhe aconteceram no fracasso de seus vários esquemas contra Tarzan.

Original English

At the mention of the boy's identity Paulvitch's eyes narrowed. Since he had first seen Tarzan again from the wings of the theater there had been forming in his deadened brain the beginnings of a desire for revenge. It is a characteristic of the weak and criminal to attribute to others the misfortunes that are the result of their own wickedness, and so now it was that Alexis Paulvitch was slowly recalling the events of his past life and as he did so laying at the door of the man whom he and Rokoff had so assiduously attempted to ruin and murder all the misfortunes that had befallen him in the failure of their various schemes against their intended victim.

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Português

A princípio, Paulvitch não via como poderia se vingar de Tarzan com segurança através do filho de Tarzan. Mas ele percebeu que o menino poderia ser útil para a vingança. Então decidiu cultivar o rapaz, esperando que o destino jogasse a seu favor. Ele contou ao menino tudo o que sabia sobre a vida passada de seu pai na selva. Quando soube que o menino havia sido mantido ignorante dessas coisas por muitos anos, e que havia sido proibido de visitar os jardins zoológicos e teve que amarrar e amordaçar seu tutor para ver Ajax, Paulvitch adivinhou a natureza do grande medo no coração dos pais: que o menino pudesse desejar a selva como seu pai desejara.

Original English

He saw at first no way in which he could, with safety to himself, wreak vengeance upon Tarzan through the medium of Tarzan's son; but that great possibilities for revenge lay in the boy was apparent to him, and so he determined to cultivate the lad in the hope that fate would play into his hands in some way in the future. He told the boy all that he knew of his father's past life in the jungle and when he found that the boy had been kept in ignorance of all these things for so many years, and that he had been forbidden visiting the zoological gardens; that he had had to bind and gag his tutor to find an opportunity to come to the music hall and see Ajax, he guessed immediately the nature of the great fear that lay in the hearts of the boy's parents -- that he might crave the jungle as his father had craved it.

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Português

Então Paulvitch incentivou o menino a vir vê-lo com frequência. Ele sempre explorava o desejo do rapaz por histórias do mundo selvagem, com o qual Paulvitch estava muito familiarizado. Ele o deixava sozinho com Akut com frequência, e não demorou muito para que ficasse surpreso ao saber que o menino conseguia fazer a grande fera entendê-lo. Jack havia aprendido muitas palavras da linguagem primitiva dos antropoides.

Original English

And so Paulvitch encouraged the boy to come and see him often, and always he played upon the lad's craving for tales of the savage world with which Paulvitch was all too familiar. He left him alone with Akut much, and it was not long until he was surprised to learn that the boy could make the great beast understand him -- that he had actually learned many of the words of the primitive language of the anthropoids.

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Português

Durante esse período, Tarzan visitou Paulvitch várias vezes, ansioso para comprar Ajax. Ele explicou que seu desejo de libertar o macaco na selva era não apenas pelo bem da fera, mas também porque sua esposa temia que seu filho pudesse descobrir o paradeiro do macaco e, devido ao seu vínculo com ele, desenvolver o mesmo espírito inquieto que havia moldado a própria vida de Tarzan.

Original English

During this period Tarzan came several times to visit Paulvitch. He seemed anxious to purchase Ajax, and at last he told the man frankly that he was prompted not only by a desire upon his part to return the beast to the liberty of his native jungle; but also because his wife feared that in some way her son might learn the whereabouts of the ape and through his attachment for the beast become imbued with the roving instinct which, as Tarzan explained to Paulvitch, had so influenced his own life.

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Português

Paulvitch mal conseguiu reprimir um sorriso enquanto ouvia Lord Greystoke, pois menos de meia hora antes ele tinha visto o futuro lorde sentado em uma cama bagunçada, tagarelando com Ajax com toda a facilidade de um macaco nato.

Original English

The Russian could scarce repress a smile as he listened to Lord Greystoke's words, since scarce a half hour had passed since the time the future Lord Greystoke had been sitting upon the disordered bed jabbering away to Ajax with all the fluency of a born ape.

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Português

Durante essa conversa, um plano ocorreu a Paulvitch. Ele concordou em vender o macaco por uma grande quantia, com a condição de que o animal fosse entregue a um navio partindo de Dover para a África em dois dias. Ele era motivado pelo dinheiro, já que o macaco não lhe rendia mais nada — ele se recusara a se apresentar no palco depois de encontrar Tarzan. Parecia que o macaco só tinha se permitido ser trazido da selva e exibido para procurar seu amigo perdido há muito tempo e, uma vez encontrado, considerou desnecessária maior associação com humanos. O treinador tinha tentado usar a força uma vez, mas o macaco quase o matou; apenas a intervenção de Jack Clayton salvou a vida do treinador.

Original English

It was during this interview that a plan occurred to Paulvitch, and as a result of it he agreed to accept a certain fabulous sum for the ape, and upon receipt of the money to deliver the beast to a vessel that was sailing south from Dover for Africa two days later. He had a double purpose in accepting Clayton's offer. Primarily, the money consideration influenced him strongly, as the ape was no longer a source of revenue to him, having consistently refused to perform upon the stage after having discovered Tarzan. It was as though the beast had suffered himself to be brought from his jungle home and exhibited before thousands of curious spectators for the sole purpose of searching out his long lost friend and master, and, having found him, considered further mingling with the common herd of humans unnecessary. However that may be, the fact remained that no amount of persuasion could influence him even to show himself upon the music hall stage, and upon the single occasion that the trainer attempted force the results were such that the unfortunate man considered himself lucky to have escaped with his life. All that saved him was the accidental presence of Jack Clayton, who had been permitted to visit the animal in the dressing room reserved for him at the music hall, and had immediately interfered when he saw that the savage beast meant serious mischief.

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Português

Além do ganho financeiro, o russo era impulsionado por um crescente desejo de vingança. Ele culpava Tarzan por todos os seus infortúnios, incluindo a recusa do macaco em trabalhar, que ele acreditava ter sido instruída por Tarzan.

Original English

And after the money consideration, strong in the heart of the Russian was the desire for revenge, which had been growing with constant brooding over the failures and miseries of his life, which he attributed to Tarzan; the latest, and by no means the least, of which was Ajax's refusal to longer earn money for him. The ape's refusal he traced directly to Tarzan, finally convincing himself that the ape man had instructed the great anthropoid to refuse to go upon the stage.

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Português

A natureza naturalmente má de Paulvitch havia piorado devido ao sofrimento, distorcendo sua mente e corpo. Ele se tornara perigosamente imprevisível. No entanto, seu plano era astuto o suficiente para levantar dúvidas sobre seu declínio mental. Ele garantia que receberia o pagamento de Lord Greystoke pela remoção do macaco e, em seguida, alcançaria a vingança contra seu benfeitor prejudicando o filho que ele adorava. Esse esquema era grosseiro e carecia da crueldade refinada de seus planos anteriores com Nikolas Rokoff, mas protegia Paulvitch ao colocar a culpa no macaco.

Original English

Paulvitch's naturally malign disposition was aggravated by the weakening and warping of his mental and physical faculties through torture and privation. From cold, calculating, highly intelligent perversity it had deteriorated into the indiscriminating, dangerous menace of the mentally defective. His plan, however, was sufficiently cunning to at least cast a doubt upon the assertion that his mentality was wandering. It assured him first of the competence which Lord Greystoke had promised to pay him for the deportation of the ape, and then of revenge upon his benefactor through the son he idolized. That part of his scheme was crude and brutal -- it lacked the refinement of torture that had marked the master strokes of the Paulvitch of old, when he had worked with that virtuoso of villainy, Nikolas Rokoff -- but it at least assured Paulvitch of immunity from responsibility, placing that upon the ape, who would thus also be punished for his refusal longer to support the Russian.

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Português

Os eventos conspiraram a favor de Paulvitch. O filho de Tarzan ouviu acidentalmente seu pai discutindo o plano de levar Akut de volta à selva em segurança. O menino implorou aos pais que deixassem o macaco como seu companheiro de brincadeiras. Tarzan não se opôs à ideia, mas Lady Greystoke ficou horrorizada. Apesar dos apelos do menino, ela permaneceu firme. Eventualmente, o menino pareceu aceitar a decisão de sua mãe de que o macaco deveria voltar para a África e que ele próprio deveria retornar à escola após suas férias.

Original English

Everything played with fiendish unanimity into Paulvitch's hands. As chance would have it, Tarzan's son overheard his father relating to the boy's mother the steps he was taking to return Akut safely to his jungle home, and having overheard he begged them to bring the ape home that he might have him for a play-fellow. Tarzan would not have been averse to this plan; but Lady Greystoke was horrified at the very thought of it. Jack pleaded with his mother; but all unavailingly. She was obdurate, and at last the lad appeared to acquiesce in his mother's decision that the ape must be returned to Africa and the boy to school, from which he had been absent on vacation.

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Português

Naquele dia, o menino evitou visitar o quarto de Paulvitch e se manteve ocupado com outras tarefas. Como sempre teve dinheiro suficiente, ele facilmente juntou várias centenas de libras quando precisou. Ele usou parte desse dinheiro para comprar vários itens incomuns, que conseguiu trazer para dentro de casa em segredo quando voltou no final da tarde.

Original English

He did not attempt to visit Paulvitch's room again that day, but instead busied himself in other ways. He had always been well supplied with money, so that when necessity demanded he had no difficulty in collecting several hundred pounds. Some of this money he invested in various strange purchases which he managed to smuggle into the house, undetected, when he returned late in the afternoon.

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Português

Na manhã seguinte, depois de dar tempo suficiente para seu pai se encontrar com Paulvitch, o menino correu para o quarto do russo. Ignorando o verdadeiro caráter de Paulvitch, o menino não ousou confiar plenamente nele, temendo que o velho se recusasse a ajudar e relatasse tudo ao seu pai. Em vez disso, ele apenas pediu permissão para levar Ajax até Dover. Ele ressaltou que isso pouparia Paulvitch de uma viagem cansativa e também colocaria algum dinheiro em seu bolso, já que o menino pretendia pagá-lo bem.

Original English

The next morning, after giving his father time to precede him and conclude his business with Paulvitch, the lad hastened to the Russian's room. Knowing nothing of the man's true character the boy dared not take him fully into his confidence for fear that the old fellow would not only refuse to aid him, but would report the whole affair to his father. Instead, he simply asked permission to take Ajax to Dover. He explained that it would relieve the old man of a tiresome journey, as well as placing a number of pounds in his pocket, for the lad purposed paying the Russian well.

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Português

Ele explicou que não haveria risco de descoberta, já que ele deveria estar saindo em um trem da tarde para a escola. Em vez disso, ele voltaria ao quarto de Paulvitch depois de ser visto no trem. Então ele poderia levar Ajax para Dover e chegar à escola apenas um dia atrasado. Ninguém saberia, nenhum mal seria feito, e ele teria um dia extra com Ajax antes de perdê-lo para sempre.

Original English

"You see,"he went on,"there will be no danger of detection since I am supposed to be leaving on an afternoon train for school. Instead I will come here after they have left me on board the train. Then I can take Ajax to Dover, you see, and arrive at school only a day late. No one will be the wiser, no harm will be done, and I shall have had an extra day with Ajax before I lose him forever."

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Português

O plano se adequava perfeitamente às intenções de Paulvitch. Se ele soubesse o que mais o menino tinha em mente, provavelmente teria abandonado seu esquema de vingança e apoiado de todo coração o plano do menino, o que teria sido vantajoso para Paulvitch, se ele pudesse prever os acontecimentos das próximas horas.

Original English

The plan fitted perfectly with that which Paulvitch had in mind. Had he known what further the boy contemplated he would doubtless have entirely abandoned his own scheme of revenge and aided the boy whole heartedly in the consummation of the lad's, which would have been better for Paulvitch, could he have but read the future but a few short hours ahead.

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Português

Naquela tarde, após se despedirem, Lord e Lady Greystoke viram seu filho instalado em um compartimento de primeira classe do trem que o levaria para a escola. Assim que eles saíram, ele juntou suas malas, desceu do trem e pegou um táxi para o endereço do russo. Ele chegou ao anoitecer e encontrou Paulvitch andando de um lado para o outro nervosamente, com o macaco amarrado à cama com uma corda grossa. Jack nunca tinha visto Ajax preso daquela forma e perguntou por quê. Paulvitch murmurou que achava que o animal havia adivinhado que seria mandado embora e poderia tentar escapar.

Original English

That afternoon Lord and Lady Greystoke bid their son good-bye and saw him safely settled in a first-class compartment of the railway carriage that would set him down at school in a few hours. No sooner had they left him, however, than he gathered his bags together, descended from the compartment and sought a cab stand outside the station. Here he engaged a cabby to take him to the Russian's address. It was dusk when he arrived. He found Paulvitch awaiting him. The man was pacing the floor nervously. The ape was tied with a stout cord to the bed. It was the first time that Jack had ever seen Ajax thus secured. He looked questioningly at Paulvitch. The man, mumbling, explained that he believed the animal had guessed that he was to be sent away and he feared he would attempt to escape.

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Português

Paulvitch segurava outro pedaço de corda com um laço em uma das pontas, com o qual ficava brincando. Ele andava de um lado para o outro pela sala, falando consigo mesmo em silêncio, seu rosto marcado por varíola se contorcendo horrivelmente. O menino nunca o tinha visto daquela forma, e isso o deixou inquieto. Finalmente, Paulvitch parou no lado oposto da sala, longe do macaco.

Original English

Paulvitch carried another piece of cord in his hand. There was a noose in one end of it which he was continually playing with. He walked back and forth, up and down the room. His pock-marked features were working horribly as he talked silent to himself. The boy had never seen him thus -- it made him uneasy. At last Paulvitch stopped on the opposite side of the room, far from the ape.

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Português

Ele chamou o rapaz e disse que mostraria como prender o macaco caso ele mostrasse sinais de rebelião durante a viagem.

Original English

"Come here,"he said to the lad."I will show you how to secure the ape should he show signs of rebellion during the trip."

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Português

O menino riu e disse que não seria necessário, pois Ajax faria tudo o que lhe fosse ordenado.

Original English

The lad laughed."It will not be necessary,"he replied."Ajax will do whatever I tell him to do."

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Português

O velho bateu o pé com raiva e repetiu sua ordem, insistindo que, se o menino não obedecesse, não teria permissão para acompanhar o macaco até Dover, pois não correria o risco de o macaco escapar.

Original English

The old man stamped his foot angrily."Come here, as I tell you,"he repeated."If you do not do as I say you shall not accompany the ape to Dover -- I will take no chances upon his escaping."

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Português

Ainda sorrindo, o jovem atravessou a sala e parou na frente do russo.

Original English

Still smiling, the lad crossed the room and stood before the Russ.

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Português

O homem instruiu o jovem a virar as costas para que ele pudesse demonstrar como amarrar alguém rapidamente.

Original English

"Turn around, with your back toward me,"directed the latter,"that I may show you how to bind him quickly."

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Português

O jovem obedeceu, colocando as mãos atrás das costas conforme instruído. Imediatamente, o homem mais velho passou um laço corrediço em um pulso, deu algumas voltas no outro e apertou a corda.

Original English

The boy did as he was bid, placing his hands behind him when Paulvitch told him to do so. Instantly the old man slipped the running noose over one of the lad's wrists, took a couple of half hitches about his other wrist, and knotted the cord.

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Português

Assim que o jovem foi amarrado, a atitude do homem mudou. Ele praguejou com raiva, girou o prisioneiro, o derrubou e o jogou violentamente no chão, caindo sobre seu peito. Da cama, o macaco rosnava e se debatia contra as cordas. O jovem não gritou, um traço herdado de seu pai selvagem, que aprendera na selva após a morte de sua mãe adotiva, a macaca Kala, que ninguém vem para socorrer os caídos.

Original English

The moment that the boy was secured the attitude of the man changed. With an angry oath he wheeled his prisoner about, tripped him and hurled him violently to the floor, leaping upon his breast as he fell. From the bed the ape growled and struggled with his bonds. The boy did not cry out -- a trait inherited from his savage sire whom long years in the jungle following the death of his foster mother, Kala the great ape, had taught that there was none to come to the succor of the fallen.

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Português

Os dedos de Paulvitch alcançaram a garganta do jovem. Ele sorriu horrivelmente para o rosto de sua vítima.

Original English

Paulvitch's fingers sought the lad's throat. He grinned down horribly into the face of his victim.

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Português

O homem murmurou que o pai do menino o havia arruinado e que ele se vingaria. Ele pretendia fazer parecer que o macaco havia matado o menino e, depois de estrangulá-lo, colocaria o corpo na cama e chamaria o pai. O homem torcido riu e apertou o aperto na garganta do menino.

Original English

"Your father ruined me,"he mumbled."This will pay him. He will think that the ape did it. I will tell him that the ape did it. That I left him alone for a few minutes, and that you sneaked in and the ape killed you. I will throw your body upon the bed after I have choked the life from you, and when I bring your father he will see the ape squatting over it,"and the twisted fiend cackled in gloating laughter. His fingers closed upon the boy's throat.

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Português

O rosnado do macaco furioso encheu o quarto. O menino empalideceu, mas não mostrou pânico, sendo filho de Tarzan. Os dedos do homem apertaram mais forte, dificultando a respiração. O macaco investiu contra a corda, enrolou-a nas mãos e puxou para trás com força imensa. A corda segurou, mas parte da cabeceira da cama quebrou.

Original English

Behind them the growling of the maddened beast reverberated against the walls of the little room. The boy paled, but no other sign of fear or panic showed upon his countenance. He was the son of Tarzan. The fingers tightened their grip upon his throat. It was with difficulty that he breathed, gaspingly. The ape lunged against the stout cord that held him. Turning, he wrapped the cord about his hands, as a man might have done, and surged heavily backward. The great muscles stood out beneath his shaggy hide. There was a rending as of splintered wood -- the cord held, but a portion of the footboard of the bed came away.

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Português

Paulvitch olhou para cima com o barulho, seu rosto feio ficando branco de medo ao ver que o macaco havia se libertado.

Original English

At the sound Paulvitch looked up. His hideous face went white with terror -- the ape was free.

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Português

O macaco saltou sobre Paulvitch, que gritou. A fera o puxou para longe do menino, cravando os dedos em sua carne e, com as presas fechadas em sua garganta, Alexis Paulvitch morreu.

Original English

With a single bound the creature was upon him. The man shrieked. The brute wrenched him from the body of the boy. Great fingers sunk into the man's flesh. Yellow fangs gaped close to his throat -- he struggled, futilely -- and when they closed, the soul of Alexis Paulvitch passed into the keeping of the demons who had long been awaiting it.

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Português

Com a ajuda de Akut, o menino se levantou. Por duas horas, o macaco trabalhou nos nós que prendiam seus pulsos até que se soltassem. O menino, tendo planejado cuidadosamente, pegou roupas de sua bolsa sem consultar o macaco, que obedeceu a suas instruções. Eles saíram juntos, parecendo comuns, ninguém suspeitando que um deles era um macaco.

Original English

The boy struggled to his feet, assisted by Akut. For two hours under the instructions of the former the ape worked upon the knots that secured his friend's wrists. Finally they gave up their secret, and the boy was free. Then he opened one of his bags and drew forth some garments. His plans had been well made. He did not consult the beast, which did all that he directed. Together they slunk from the house, but no casual observer might have noted that one of them was an ape.

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Chapter 4

Português

A morte do solitário velho russo, Michael Sabrov, morto por seu macaco treinado, foi brevemente noticiada nos jornais. Lord Greystoke leu sobre o ocorrido e, cauteloso para não vincular seu nome ao evento, manteve-se informado sobre a busca policial pelo macaco.

Original English

The killing of the friendless old Russian, Michael Sabrov, by his great trained ape, was a matter for newspaper comment for a few days. Lord Greystoke read of it, and while taking special precautions not to permit his name to become connected with the affair, kept himself well posted as to the police search for the anthropoid.

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Português

Como o público em geral, Lord Greystoke estava mais interessado no desaparecimento do macaco. Isso mudou quando ele soube que Jack não havia chegado à escola. Durante um mês, ele não relacionou os dois eventos. Então, através de uma investigação cuidadosa, descobriu que Jack havia deixado o trem em Londres e pegado um táxi até a casa do velho russo. Só então Tarzan percebeu que Akut estava envolvido.

Original English

As was true of the general public, his chief interest in the matter centered about the mysterious disappearance of the slayer. Or at least this was true until he learned, several days subsequent to the tragedy, that his son Jack had not reported at the public school en route for which they had seen him safely ensconced in a railway carriage. Even then the father did not connect the disappearance of his son with the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the ape. Nor was it until a month later that careful investigation revealed the fact that the boy had left the train before it pulled out of the station at London, and the cab driver had been found who had driven him to the address of the old Russian, that Tarzan of the Apes realized that Akut had in some way been connected with the disappearance of the boy.

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Português

Depois que o motorista do táxi deixou o menino na casa do russo, não houve mais pistas. Nenhuma pessoa viva tinha visto o menino ou o macaco. O dono da casa identificou o menino como visitante frequente, mas não sabia de mais nada. Na porta daquele prédio sujo nos bairros pobres de Londres, os investigadores estavam completamente parados.

Original English

Beyond the moment that the cab driver had deposited his fare beside the curb in front of the house in which the Russian had been quartered there was no clue. No one had seen either the boy or the ape from that instant -- at least no one who still lived. The proprietor of the house identified the picture of the lad as that of one who had been a frequent visitor in the room of the old man. Aside from this he knew nothing. And there, at the door of a grimy, old building in the slums of London, the searchers came to a blank wall -- baffled.

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Português

No dia seguinte à morte de Alexis Paulvitch, um jovem acompanhou sua avó inválida a bordo de um navio em Dover. Ela estava fortemente velada e tão fraca que teve que ser levada a bordo em uma cadeira de rodas.

Original English

The day following the death of Alexis Paulvitch a youth accompanying his invalid grandmother, boarded a steamer at Dover. The old lady was heavily veiled, and so weakened by age and sickness that she had to be wheeled aboard the vessel in an invalid chair.

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Português

O menino só deixava ele mesmo empurrá-la, e ele pessoalmente ajudou-a da cadeira para dentro do camarote. Depois disso, a tripulação do navio nunca mais viu a senhora até eles deixarem o navio. O menino até fazia o trabalho do camareiro, explicando que sua avó tinha um problema nervoso e não gostava de estranhos.

Original English

The boy would permit none but himself to wheel her, and with his own hands assisted her from the chair to the interior of their stateroom -- and that was the last that was seen of the old lady by the ship's company until the pair disembarked. The boy even insisted upon doing the work of their cabin steward, since, as he explained, his grandmother was suffering from a nervous disposition that made the presence of strangers extremely distasteful to her.

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Português

Fora de sua cabine, o menino se comportava como qualquer garoto inglês normal. Ele se misturava com os passageiros, tornou-se popular entre os oficiais e formou várias amizades com os marinheiros. Era generoso e natural, mas carregava uma dignidade e força interior que faziam seus novos amigos tanto admirá-lo quanto gostar dele.

Original English

Outside the cabin -- and none there was aboard who knew what he did in the cabin -- the lad was just as any other healthy, normal English boy might have been. He mingled with his fellow passengers, became a prime favorite with the officers, and struck up numerous friendships among the common sailors. He was generous and unaffected, yet carried an air of dignity and strength of character that inspired his many new friends with admiration as well as affection for him.

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Português

Entre os passageiros estava um americano chamado Condon, um criminoso conhecido procurado em várias cidades dos EUA. Ele prestou pouca atenção ao menino até vê-lo mostrar acidentalmente um maço de notas. Depois disso, Condon fez amizade com o jovem britânico. Ele descobriu facilmente que o menino viajava sozinho com sua avó doente para um pequeno porto na costa oeste da África, abaixo do equador. O sobrenome deles era Billings, e eles não tinham amigos naquela localidade. Quando Condon perguntou sobre o propósito, o menino foi reservado, então Condon não insistiu no assunto — ele já tinha aprendido o suficiente.

Original English

Among the passengers there was an American named Condon, a noted blackleg and crook who was"wanted"in a half dozen of the larger cities of the United States. He had paid little attention to the boy until on one occasion he had seen him accidentally display a roll of bank notes. From then on Condon cultivated the youthful Briton. He learned, easily, that the boy was traveling alone with his invalid grandmother, and that their destination was a small port on the west coast of Africa, a little below the equator; that their name was Billings, and that they had no friends in the little settlement for which they were bound. Upon the point of their purpose in visiting the place Condon found the boy reticent, and so he did not push the matter -- he had learned all that he cared to know as it was.

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Português

Condon tentou várias vezes fazer o menino jogar cartas, mas o menino não estava interessado. Os olhares raivosos de alguns outros passageiros do sexo masculino fizeram Condon decidir encontrar outra maneira de pegar o dinheiro do menino.

Original English

Several times Condon attempted to draw the lad into a card game; but his victim was not interested, and the black looks of several of the other men passengers decided the American to find other means of transferring the boy's bank roll to his own pocket.

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Português

Finalmente o navio ancorou perto de um ponto arborizado. Lá, cerca de vinte barracos de metal marcavam a beleza natural, mostrando que a civilização havia chegado. Nos arredores, havia cabanas nativas de palha, que pareciam naturais e combinavam com a selva, fazendo os feios edifícios dos colonos brancos parecerem ainda piores.

Original English

At last came the day that the steamer dropped anchor in the lee of a wooded promontory where a score or more of sheet-iron shacks making an unsightly blot upon the fair face of nature proclaimed the fact that civilization had set its heel. Straggling upon the outskirts were the thatched huts of natives, picturesque in their primeval savagery, harmonizing with the background of tropical jungle and accentuating the squalid hideousness of the white man's pioneer architecture.

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Português

O menino se inclinou sobre a grade, olhando além da cidade para o interior da selva. Um ligeiro arrepio de excitação percorreu seu corpo. Então, sem querer, ele viu em sua mente os olhos amorosos de sua mãe e o rosto forte de seu pai, que mostrava igual amor por baixo de sua força masculina. Ele sentiu sua determinação enfraquecendo. Por perto, um oficial do navio gritava ordens para um grupo de barcos nativos que vinham descarregar a carga para aquele pequeno porto.

Original English

The boy, leaning over the rail, was looking far beyond the man-made town deep into the God-made jungle. A little shiver of anticipation tingled his spine, and then, quite without volition, he found himself gazing into the loving eyes of his mother and the strong face of the father which mirrored, beneath its masculine strength, a love no less than the mother's eyes proclaimed. He felt himself weakening in his resolve. Nearby one of the ship's officers was shouting orders to a flotilla of native boats that was approaching to lighter the consignment of the steamer's cargo destined for this tiny post.

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Português

O garoto perguntou sobre o horário de chegada do próximo vapor com destino à Inglaterra.

Original English

"When does the next steamer for England touch here?"the boy asked.

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Português

O oficial respondeu que o Emanuel era esperado em breve, acrescentando que havia previsto encontrá-lo ali. Ele então retomou seus comentários em voz alta para a multidão empoeirada que se aproximava do vapor.

Original English

"The Emanuel ought to be along most any time now,"replied the officer."I figgered we'd find her here,"and he went on with his bellowing remarks to the dusty horde drawing close to the steamer's side.

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Português

Baixar a avó do garoto para uma canoa à espera foi difícil. O garoto permaneceu perto dela e, uma vez que ela estava segura, ele pulou atrás dela como um gato. Concentrado em seu conforto, ele não percebeu um pequeno pacote escorregar de seu bolso e cair no mar.

Original English

The task of lowering the boy's grandmother over the side to a waiting canoe was rather difficult. The lad insisted on being always at her side, and when at last she was safely ensconced in the bottom of the craft that was to bear them shoreward her grandson dropped catlike after her. So interested was he in seeing her comfortably disposed that he failed to notice the little package that had worked from his pocket as he assisted in lowering the sling that contained the old woman over the steamer's side, nor did he notice it even as it slipped out entirely and dropped into the sea.

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Português

Pouco depois de o barco com o garoto e a avó partir para a costa, Condon chamou uma canoa do lado oposto do navio. Após negociar o preço, ele baixou sua bagagem e a si mesmo a bordo. Uma vez em terra, ele evitou o hotel de dois andares com seus muitos desconfortos, esperando até escurecer para entrar e providenciar hospedagem.

Original English

Scarcely had the boat containing the boy and the old woman started for the shore than Condon hailed a canoe upon the other side of the ship, and after bargaining with its owner finally lowered his baggage and himself aboard. Once ashore he kept out of sight of the two-story atrocity that bore the legend"Hotel"to lure unsuspecting wayfarers to its multitudinous discomforts. It was quite dark before he ventured to enter and arrange for accommodations.

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Português

Em um quarto nos fundos do segundo andar, o garoto lutou para explicar à sua avó que havia decidido voltar para a Inglaterra no próximo vapor. Ele queria que ela entendesse que poderia ficar na África, mas sua consciência o obrigava a retornar aos seus pais, que provavelmente estavam sofrendo devido à sua ausência. Isso sugeria que seus pais não haviam sido informados dos planos de aventura que ele e a senhora haviam feito.

Original English

In a back room upon the second floor the lad was explaining, not without considerable difficulty, to his grandmother that he had decided to return to England upon the next steamer. He was endeavoring to make it plain to the old lady that she might remain in Africa if she wished but that for his part his conscience demanded that he return to his father and mother, who doubtless were even now suffering untold sorrow because of his absence; from which it may be assumed that his parents had not been acquainted with the plans that he and the old lady had made for their adventure into African wilds.

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Português

Depois de tomar sua decisão, o jovem sentiu um alívio da preocupação que o mantivera acordado por muitas noites. Ele adormeceu sonhando com um feliz reencontro com sua família. Enquanto isso, o destino se aproximou dele na forma do criminoso americano, Condon, que se movia furtivamente pelo corredor escuro do prédio degradado onde ele dormia.

Original English

Having come to a decision the lad felt a sense of relief from the worry that had haunted him for many sleepless nights. When he closed his eyes in sleep it was to dream of a happy reunion with those at home. And as he dreamed, Fate, cruel and inexorable, crept stealthily upon him through the dark corridor of the squalid building in which he slept -- Fate in the form of the American crook, Condon.

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Português

Condon rastejou até a porta do quarto do jovem e ouviu até ter certeza de que ambos os ocupantes estavam dormindo. Usando uma chave-mestra, ele destrancou silenciosamente a porta e entrou, fechando-a atrás de si. O interior estava completamente escuro, a lua escondida por nuvens pesadas. Ele tateou em direção à cama. No canto mais distante, algo se moveu com um silêncio ainda mais refinado que o do próprio ladrão, mas Condon não ouviu; toda sua atenção estava fixada na cama onde esperava encontrar um menino e sua avó indefesa.

Original English

Cautiously the man approached the door of the lad's room. There he crouched listening until assured by the regular breathing of those within that both slept. Quietly he inserted a slim, skeleton key in the lock of the door. With deft fingers, long accustomed to the silent manipulation of the bars and bolts that guarded other men's property, Condon turned the key and the knob simultaneously. Gentle pressure upon the door swung it slowly inward upon its hinges. The man entered the room, closing the door behind him. The moon was temporarily overcast by heavy clouds. The interior of the apartment was shrouded in gloom. Condon groped his way toward the bed. In the far corner of the room something moved -- moved with a silent stealthiness which transcended even the trained silence of the burglar. Condon heard nothing. His attention was riveted upon the bed in which he thought to find a young boy and his helpless, invalid grandmother.

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Português

O americano queria apenas o maço de notas. Se pudesse pegá-lo sem ser descoberto, tudo estaria bem; mas ele estava pronto para resistir, se necessário. Ele rapidamente revistou as roupas do rapaz na cadeira, mas não encontrou nada. O dinheiro devia estar debaixo do travesseiro. Ele se inclinou e enfiou a mão por baixo. Naquele momento, a nuvem que cobria a lua se afastou, e o quarto ficou iluminado. O rapaz abriu os olhos e viu Condon. Percebendo que o rapaz estava sozinho na cama, Condon agarrou sua garganta. Mas o rapaz se levantou para enfrentá-lo, e Condon sentiu seus pulsos presos pelos dedos esguios do rapaz, que revelaram músculos de aço.

Original English

The American sought only the bank roll. If he could possess himself of this without detection, well and good; but were he to meet resistance he was prepared for that too. The lad's clothes lay across a chair beside the bed. The American's fingers felt swiftly through them -- the pockets contained no roll of crisp, new notes. Doubtless they were beneath the pillows of the bed. He stepped closer toward the sleeper; his hand was already half way beneath the pillow when the thick cloud that had obscured the moon rolled aside and the room was flooded with light. At the same instant the boy opened his eyes and looked straight into those of Condon. The man was suddenly conscious that the boy was alone in the bed. Then he clutched for his victim's throat. As the lad rose to meet him Condon heard a low growl at his back, then he felt his wrists seized by the boy, and realized that beneath those tapering, white fingers played muscles of steel.

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Português

Ele sentiu outras mãos em sua garganta — mãos ásperas e peludas que alcançavam por cima de seus ombros por trás. Aterrorizado, ele olhou para trás e viu um enorme macaco com presas à mostra. O menino segurava seus pulsos. Os olhos de Condon percorreram o quarto, e ele percebeu com horror que não havia avó — apenas aquela criatura temível. Desesperadamente, ele soltou uma mão e bateu no menino. Esse ato despertou uma fúria no macaco, que rosnou e cravou suas presas na jugular de Condon. Ele foi arrastado para trás e caiu; a escuridão se fechou ao seu redor, e o macaco se levantou de seu corpo morto.

Original English

He felt other hands at his throat, rough hairy hands that reached over his shoulders from behind. He cast a terrified glance backward, and the hairs of his head stiffened at the sight his eyes revealed, for grasping him from the rear was a huge, man-like ape. The bared fighting fangs of the anthropoid were close to his throat. The lad pinioned his wrists. Neither uttered a sound. Where was the grandmother? Condon's eyes swept the room in a single all-inclusive glance. His eyes bulged in horror at the realization of the truth which that glance revealed. In the power of what creatures of hideous mystery had he placed himself! Frantically he fought to beat off the lad that he might turn upon the fearsome thing at his back. Freeing one hand he struck a savage blow at the lad's face. His act seemed to unloose a thousand devils in the hairy creature clinging to his throat. Condon heard a low and savage snarl. It was the last thing that the American ever heard in this life. Then he was dragged backward upon the floor, a heavy body fell upon him, powerful teeth fastened themselves in his jugular, his head whirled in the sudden blackness which rims eternity -- a moment later the ape rose from his prostrate form; but Condon did not know -- he was quite dead.

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Português

Horrorizado, o jovem saltou da cama e se inclinou sobre o corpo de Condon. Ele sabia que Akut havia matado em defesa, assim como havia matado Michael Sabrov. Mas aqui na África selvagem, longe de casa, o que seria dele e de seu fiel macaco? A pena por assassinato era a morte, e um cúmplice poderia compartilhar o mesmo destino. Sem ninguém para defendê-los nesta comunidade semisselvagem, ele temia que fossem levados e enforcados pela manhã.

Original English

The lad, horrified, sprang from the bed to lean over the body of the man. He knew that Akut had killed in his defense, as he had killed Michael Sabrov; but here, in savage Africa, far from home and friends what would they do to him and his faithful ape? The lad knew that the penalty of murder was death. He even knew that an accomplice might suffer the death penalty with the principal. Who was there who would plead for them? All would be against them. It was little more than a half-civilized community, and the chances were that they would drag Akut and him forth in the morning and hang them both to the nearest tree -- he had read of such things being done in America, and Africa was worse even and wilder than the great West of his mother's native land. Yes, they would both be hanged in the morning!

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Português

Ele se perguntou se a fuga era possível. Então sentiu uma onda de alívio, pensando que o dinheiro poderia resolver tudo. No entanto, seu maço de notas estava faltando no bolso. Ele procurou em todas as suas roupas e no chão, movendo a cama e até olhando embaixo do corpo de Condon. Suspeitou que Condon veio para roubá-los, mas não conseguiu encontrar o dinheiro em lugar nenhum.

Original English

Was there no escape? He thought in silence for a few moments, and then, with an exclamation of relief, he struck his palms together and turned toward his clothing upon the chair. Money would do anything! Money would save him and Akut! He felt for the bank roll in the pocket in which he had been accustomed to carry it. It was not there! Slowly at first and at last frantically he searched through the remaining pockets of his clothing. Then he dropped upon his hands and knees and examined the floor. Lighting the lamp he moved the bed to one side and, inch by inch, he felt over the entire floor. Beside the body of Condon he hesitated, but at last he nerved himself to touch it. Rolling it over he sought beneath it for the money. Nor was it there. He guessed that Condon had entered their room to rob; but he did not believe that the man had had time to possess himself of the money; however, as it was nowhere else, it must be upon the body of the dead man. Again and again he went over the room, only to return each time to the corpse; but no where could he find the money.

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Português

O desespero quase o dominou. Ele sabia que seriam descobertos e mortos pela manhã. Apesar de seu tamanho, era apenas um garoto assustado e com saudades de casa, raciocinando com medos infantis. Ele só conseguia ver que haviam matado um homem e estavam entre estranhos hostis, como nas histórias sensacionais que havia lido.

Original English

He was half-frantic with despair. What were they to do? In the morning they would be discovered and killed. For all his inherited size and strength he was, after all, only a little boy -- a frightened, homesick little boy -- reasoning faultily from the meager experience of childhood. He could think of but a single glaring fact -- they had killed a fellow man, and they were among savage strangers, thirsting for the blood of the first victim whom fate cast into their clutches. This much he had gleaned from penny-dreadfuls.

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Português

Estava claro que eles precisavam de dinheiro para sobreviver.

Original English

And they must have money!

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Português

Ele se aproximou resolutamente do cadáver novamente. O macaco observava de um canto. O jovem removeu cada peça da roupa do americano, examinando cada vestimenta, até os sapatos. Quando terminou, desabou na cama, olhando fixamente para o vazio, imaginando o futuro deles: ambos enforcados em uma árvore.

Original English

Again he approached the corpse. This time resolutely. The ape squatted in a corner watching his young companion. The youth commenced to remove the American's clothing piece by piece, and, piece by piece, he examined each garment minutely. Even to the shoes he searched with painstaking care, and when the last article had been removed and scrutinized he dropped back upon the bed with dilated eyes that saw nothing in the present -- only a grim tableau of the future in which two forms swung silently from the limb of a great tree.

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Português

Um barulho vindo do andar de baixo o despertou. Ele rapidamente se levantou, apagou o lampião e trancou a porta silenciosamente. Então, resoluto, virou-se para o macaco.

Original English

How long he sat thus he did not know; but finally he was aroused by a noise coming from the floor below. Springing quickly to his feet he blew out the lamp, and crossing the floor silently locked the door. Then he turned toward the ape, his mind made up.

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Português

Ele pretendia voltar para casa e pedir perdão, mas agora sentia que nunca poderia voltar. Acreditava ter matado um homem, culpando a si mesmo em vez do macaco, e pensava que sem dinheiro não tinha esperança de justiça.

Original English

Last evening he had been determined to start for home at the first opportunity, to beg the forgiveness of his parents for this mad adventure. Now he knew that he might never return to them. The blood of a fellow man was upon his hands -- in his morbid reflections he had long since ceased to attribute the death of Condon to the ape. The hysteria of panic had fastened the guilt upon himself. With money he might have bought justice; but penniless! -- ah, what hope could there be for strangers without money here?

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Português

Ele se perguntou o que havia acontecido com o dinheiro. Não conseguia se lembrar da última vez que o vira, sem saber que o pacote havia caído do seu bolso no mar ao escalar o lado do navio até a canoa.

Original English

But what had become of the money? He tried to recall when last he had seen it. He could not, nor, could he, would he have been able to account for its disappearance, for he had been entirely unconscious of the falling of the little package from his pocket into the sea as he clambered over the ship's side into the waiting canoe that bore him to shore.

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Português

Ele se virou para Akut e falou com ele na língua dos grandes macacos, ordenando-lhe que viesse.

Original English

Now he turned toward Akut."Come!"he said, in the language of the great apes.

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Português

Esquecendo que usava apenas pijamas finos, ele foi até a janela aberta. Escutou, então saltou para um galho de árvore, desceu silenciosamente, seguido pelo macaco. Eles atravessaram para um braço próximo da selva, sem serem vistos, e foram engolidos por ela. Assim, John Clayton, o futuro Lorde Greystoke, desapareceu da vista humana.

Original English

Forgetful of the fact that he wore only a thin pajama suit he led the way to the open window. Thrusting his head out he listened attentively. A single tree grew a few feet from the window. Nimbly the lad sprang to its bole, clinging cat-like for an instant before he clambered quietly to the ground below. Close behind him came the great ape. Two hundred yards away a spur of the jungle ran close to the straggling town. Toward this the lad led the way. None saw them, and a moment later the jungle swallowed them, and John Clayton, future Lord Greystoke, passed from the eyes and the knowledge of men.

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Português

No final da manhã seguinte, um funcionário nativo bateu na porta do quarto da Sra. Billings. Sem obter resposta, tentou usar sua chave mestra, mas encontrou outra chave já na fechadura por dentro. Ele relatou ao Sr. Skopf, o proprietário, que veio e bateu na porta. Sem resposta, ele se curvou para olhar pelo buraco da fechadura. Sendo corpulento, perdeu o equilíbrio e colocou a mão no chão para se apoiar. Sentiu algo macio, grosso e molhado. Na luz fraca, viu uma mancha vermelha escura em sua mão. Estremeceu, então jogou o ombro contra a porta. A porta frágil cedeu, e o Sr. Skopf tropeçou para dentro do quarto.

Original English

It was late the following morning that a native houseman knocked upon the door of the room that had been assigned to Mrs. Billings and her grandson. Receiving no response he inserted his pass key in the lock, only to discover that another key was already there, but from the inside. He reported the fact to Herr Skopf, the proprietor, who at once made his way to the second floor where he, too, pounded vigorously upon the door. Receiving no reply he bent to the key hole in an attempt to look through into the room beyond. In so doing, being portly, he lost his balance, which necessitated putting a palm to the floor to maintain his equilibrium. As he did so he felt something soft and thick and wet beneath his fingers. He raised his open palm before his eyes in the dim light of the corridor and peered at it. Then he gave a little shudder, for even in the semi-darkness he saw a dark red stain upon his hand. Leaping to his feet he hurled his shoulder against the door. Herr Skopf is a heavy man -- or at least he was then -- I have not seen him for several years. The frail door collapsed beneath his weight, and Herr Skopf stumbled precipitately into the room beyond.

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Português

Herr Skopf estava diante do maior mistério de sua vida. A seus pés estava o corpo morto de um homem estranho. O pescoço estava quebrado e a veia jugular cortada, como se por presas de um animal selvagem. O homem estava completamente nu; suas roupas estavam espalhadas ao redor do cadáver. A senhora idosa e seu neto tinham desaparecido. A janela estava aberta e, como a porta havia sido trancada por dentro, eles deviam ter escapado pela janela.

Original English

Before him lay the greatest mystery of his life. Upon the floor at his feet was the dead body of a strange man. The neck was broken and the jugular severed as by the fangs of a wild beast. The body was entirely naked, the clothing being strewn about the corpse. The old lady and her grandson were gone. The window was open. They must have disappeared through the window for the door had been locked from the inside.

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Português

Herr Skopf se perguntava como o menino poderia ter carregado sua avó doente de uma janela do segundo andar até o chão. Parecia impossível. Ele vasculhou o quarto pequeno novamente. Ele notou que a cama havia sido afastada da parede — por quê? Ele olhou debaixo dela mais uma vez. Os dois haviam sumido, no entanto, seu julgamento lhe dizia que a senhora idosa não poderia ter saído sem carregadores para levá-la para baixo, assim como a haviam carregado para cima no dia anterior.

Original English

But how could the boy have carried his invalid grandmother from a second story window to the ground? It was preposterous. Again Herr Skopf searched the small room. He noticed that the bed was pulled well away from the wall -- why? He looked beneath it again for the third or fourth time. The two were gone, and yet his judgment told him that the old lady could not have gone without porters to carry her down as they had carried her up the previous day.

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Português

Mais buscas apenas aprofundaram o mistério. Todas as roupas dos dois ainda estavam no quarto; se tivessem saído, devem ter ido nus ou de pijama. Herr Skopf balançou a cabeça, depois a coçou, perplexo. Ele nunca tinha ouvido falar de Sherlock Holmes, ou teria convocado aquele famoso detetive. Pois aqui estava um verdadeiro mistério: uma idosa inválida, que precisou ser carregada do navio até seu quarto no hotel, e seu belo neto haviam entrado em um quarto no segundo andar no dia anterior. Eles jantaram em seu quarto e nunca mais foram vistos. Na manhã seguinte, apenas o cadáver de um homem estranho ocupava o quarto. Nenhum barco havia deixado o porto, não havia ferrovia por centenas de quilômetros, e nenhum outro assentamento branco poderia ser alcançado sem vários dias de marcha árdua com um safari bem equipado. Eles simplesmente desapareceram no ar, pois o nativo enviado para inspecionar o chão abaixo da janela aberta não encontrou pegadas. Que tipo de criaturas poderiam ter caído daquela distância em grama macia sem deixar rastros? Herr Skopf estremeceu. Sim, era um grande mistério, algo misterioso. Ele odiava pensar nisso e temia a chegada da noite.

Original English

Further search deepened the mystery. All the clothing of the two was still in the room -- if they had gone then they must have gone naked or in their night clothes. Herr Skopf shook his head; then he scratched it. He was baffled. He had never heard of Sherlock Holmes or he would have lost no time in invoking the aid of that celebrated sleuth, for here was a real mystery: An old woman -- an invalid who had to be carried from the ship to her room in the hotel -- and a handsome lad, her grandson, had entered a room on the second floor of his hostelry the day before. They had had their evening meal served in their room -- that was the last that had been seen of them. At nine the following morning the corpse of a strange man had been the sole occupant of that room. No boat had left the harbor in the meantime -- there was not a railroad within hundreds of miles -- there was no other white settlement that the two could reach under several days of arduous marching accompanied by a well-equipped safari. They had simply vanished into thin air, for the native he had sent to inspect the ground beneath the open window had just returned to report that there was no sign of a footstep there, and what sort of creatures were they who could have dropped that distance to the soft turf without leaving spoor? Herr Skopf shuddered. Yes, it was a great mystery -- there was something uncanny about the whole thing -- he hated to think about it, and he dreaded the coming of night.

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Português

Era um grande mistério para Herr Skopf, e provavelmente ainda é.

Original English

It was a great mystery to Herr Skopf -- and, doubtless, still is.

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Chapter 5

Português

O Capitão Armand Jacot da Legião Estrangeira sentou-se numa manta de sela estendida ao pé de uma palmeira atrofiada. Seus ombros largos e sua cabeça de cabelo curto descansavam confortavelmente contra o tronco áspero. Suas pernas longas se esticavam retas à sua frente, sobrepondo a manta escassa, suas esporas enterradas no solo arenoso do oásis do deserto. O capitão descansava após um longo dia de cavalgada cansativa pelas areias movediças.

Original English

Captain Armand Jacot of the Foreign Legion sat upon an outspread saddle blanket at the foot of a stunted palm tree. His broad shoulders and his close-cropped head rested in luxurious ease against the rough bole of the palm. His long legs were stretched straight before him overlapping the meager blanket, his spurs buried in the sandy soil of the little desert oasis. The captain was taking his ease after a long day of weary riding across the shifting sands of the desert.

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Português

O capitão Armand Jacot fumava preguiçosamente, observando seu ordenança preparar a refeição noturna. Sentia-se muito satisfeito consigo mesmo e com o ambiente. À sua direita, seu grupo de veteranos bronzeados, livres da disciplina, relaxava ruidosamente após um jejum de doze horas. Entre eles estavam sentados cinco árabes amarrados, vestidos de branco, vigiados de perto.

Original English

Lazily he puffed upon his cigarette and watched his orderly who was preparing his evening meal. Captain Armand Jacot was well satisfied with himself and the world. A little to his right rose the noisy activity of his troop of sun-tanned veterans, released for the time from the irksome trammels of discipline, relaxing tired muscles, laughing, joking, and smoking as they, too, prepared to eat after a twelve-hour fast. Among them, silent and taciturn, squatted five white-robed Arabs, securely bound and under heavy guard.

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Português

A visão dos prisioneiros encheu o capitão Armand Jacot com a agradável satisfação de um dever bem cumprido. Durante um longo e quente mês, ele e seu pequeno grupo vasculharam o deserto em busca de uma quadrilha de saqueadores acusados de inúmeros roubos e assassinatos.

Original English

It was the sight of these that filled Captain Armand Jacot with the pleasurable satisfaction of a duty well-performed. For a long, hot, gaunt month he and his little troop had scoured the places of the desert waste in search of a band of marauders to the sin-stained account of which were charged innumerable thefts of camels, horses, and goats, as well as murders enough to have sent the whole unsavory gang to the guillotine several times over.

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Português

Uma semana antes, ele os encontrara. Na batalha, perdeu dois de seus próprios homens, mas os saqueadores foram quase exterminados. Talvez meia dúzia tenha escapado; os demais, exceto os cinco prisioneiros, pagaram por seus crimes. Melhor de tudo, o líder, Achmet ben Houdin, estava entre os prisioneiros.

Original English

A week before, he had come upon them. In the ensuing battle he had lost two of his own men, but the punishment inflicted upon the marauders had been severe almost to extinction. A half dozen, perhaps, had escaped; but the balance, with the exception of the five prisoners, had expiated their crimes before the nickel jacketed bullets of the legionaries. And, best of all, the ring leader, Achmet ben Houdin, was among the prisoners.

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Português

Dos prisioneiros, o capitão Jacot deixou a mente vagar até o posto da guarnição onde, no dia seguinte, sua esposa e filhinha estariam esperando. Seus olhos se suavizaram com a lembrança. Ele podia ver a beleza da mãe no rostinho de Jeanne, e ambas estariam sorrindo enquanto ele desmontava.

Original English

From the prisoners Captain Jacot permitted his mind to traverse the remaining miles of sand to the little garrison post where, upon the morrow, he should find awaiting him with eager welcome his wife and little daughter. His eyes softened to the memory of them, as they always did. Even now he could see the beauty of the mother reflected in the childish lines of little Jeanne's face, and both those faces would be smiling up into his as he swung from his tired mount late the following afternoon. Already he could feel a soft cheek pressed close to each of his -- velvet against leather.

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Português

Seu devaneio foi interrompido por uma sentinela chamando um oficial subalterno. As sombras estavam longas. A sentinela apontou para o leste. O capitão Jacot levantou-se, não querendo confiar nos olhos dos outros. Sua visão aguçada lhe renderá o apelido de Falcão. Ele viu pontos crescendo — cavaleiros. Deu ordens breves. Uma dúzia de homens selou e partiu; os demais se prepararam para a ação. Os estranhos podiam ser amigos dos prisioneiros, mas cavalgavam abertamente, tornando a traição improvável.

Original English

His reverie was broken in upon by the voice of a sentry summoning a non-commissioned officer. Captain Jacot raised his eyes. The sun had not yet set; but the shadows of the few trees huddled about the water hole and of his men and their horses stretched far away into the east across the now golden sand. The sentry was pointing in this direction, and the corporal, through narrowed lids, was searching the distance. Captain Jacot rose to his feet. He was not a man content to see through the eyes of others. He must see for himself. Usually he saw things long before others were aware that there was anything to see -- a trait that had won for him the sobriquet of Hawk. Now he saw, just beyond the long shadows, a dozen specks rising and falling among the sands. They disappeared and reappeared, but always they grew larger. Jacot recognized them immediately. They were horsemen -- horsemen of the desert. Already a sergeant was running toward him. The entire camp was straining its eyes into the distance. Jacot gave a few terse orders to the sergeant who saluted, turned upon his heel and returned to the men. Here he gathered a dozen who saddled their horses, mounted and rode out to meet the strangers. The remaining men disposed themselves in readiness for instant action. It was not entirely beyond the range of possibilities that the horsemen riding thus swiftly toward the camp might be friends of the prisoners bent upon the release of their kinsmen by a sudden attack. Jacot doubted this, however, since the strangers were evidently making no attempt to conceal their presence. They were galloping rapidly toward the camp in plain view of all. There might be treachery lurking beneath their fair appearance; but none who knew The Hawk would be so gullible as to hope to trap him thus.

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Português

O sargento e seu destacamento encontraram os árabes a cerca de duzentos metros do acampamento. Jacot observou-o conversando com uma figura alta vestida de branco, evidentemente o líder deles. Pouco depois, o sargento e o árabe cavalgaram juntos em direção ao acampamento. Jacot os esperou. Eles pararam e desmontaram diante dele.

Original English

The sergeant with his detail met the Arabs two hundred yards from the camp. Jacot could see him in conversation with a tall, white-robed figure -- evidently the leader of the band. Presently the sergeant and this Arab rode side by side toward camp. Jacot awaited them. The two reined in and dismounted before him.

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Português

O sargento apresentou o líder árabe como Sheik Amor ben Khatour.

Original English

"Sheik Amor ben Khatour,"announced the sergeant by way of introduction.

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Português

O capitão Jacot estudou o recém-chegado. Ele conhecia a maioria dos árabes proeminentes em centenas de quilômetros, mas este homem era desconhecido. O estranho era alto, envelhecido e de aparência amarga, com cerca de sessenta anos, olhos estreitos e maliciosos. O capitão Jacot não ficou satisfeito com sua aparência.

Original English

Captain Jacot eyed the newcomer. He was acquainted with nearly every principal Arab within a radius of several hundred miles. This man he never had seen. He was a tall, weather beaten, sour looking man of sixty or more. His eyes were narrow and evil. Captain Jacot did not relish his appearance.

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Português

O capitão Jacot o instigou de forma hesitante com uma única palavra.

Original English

"Well?"he asked, tentatively.

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Português

O árabe não perdeu tempo e falou diretamente sobre seu propósito.

Original English

The Arab came directly to the point.

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Português

O árabe afirmou que Achmet ben Houdin era seu sobrinho. Ele propôs que, se Jacot confiasse Achmet a ele, garantiria que Achmet não transgredisse novamente a lei francesa.

Original English

"Achmet ben Houdin is my sister's son,"he said."If you will give him into my keeping I will see that he sins no more against the laws of the French."

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Português

Jacot recusou, explicando que tal acordo era impossível. Ele insistiu que deveria retornar com Achmet para enfrentar um julgamento civil adequado, onde, se fosse considerado inocente, seria libertado.

Original English

Jacot shook his head."That cannot be,"he replied."I must take him back with me. He will be properly and fairly tried by a civil court. If he is innocent he will be released."

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Português

O árabe então perguntou o que aconteceria com Achmet caso ele não fosse inocente.

Original English

"And if he is not innocent?"asked the Arab.

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Português

Jacot respondeu que Achmet era acusado de múltiplos assassinatos; se condenado por algum, seria sentenciado à morte.

Original English

"He is charged with many murders. For any one of these, if he is proved guilty, he will have to die."

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Português

O árabe, Sheik Amor ben Khatour, revelou uma grande bolsa de pele de cabra pesada de moedas debaixo de sua capa. Ele deixou cair algumas das moedas de ouro em sua mão, todas de ouro francês. Jacot estimou que a bolsa continha uma pequena fortuna. O sheik então devolveu as moedas à bolsa e a estendeu para Jacot. Os dois estavam sozinhos, o sargento tendo se afastado.

Original English

The Arab's left hand was hidden beneath his burnous. Now he withdrew it disclosing a large goatskin purse, bulging and heavy with coins. He opened the mouth of the purse and let a handful of the contents trickle into the palm of his right hand -- all were pieces of good French gold. From the size of the purse and its bulging proportions Captain Jacot concluded that it must contain a small fortune. Sheik Amor ben Khatour dropped the spilled gold pieces one by one back into the purse. Jacot was eyeing him narrowly. They were alone. The sergeant, having introduced the visitor, had withdrawn to some little distance -- his back was toward them. Now the sheik, having returned all the gold pieces, held the bulging purse outward upon his open palm toward Captain Jacot.

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Português

O orador comentou que o filho de sua irmã, Achmet ben Houdin, poderia escapar naquela mesma noite, e o ouvinte respondeu com um som de questionamento.

Original English

"Achmet ben Houdin, my sister's son, MIGHT escape tonight,"he said."Eh?"

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Português

O rosto do Capitão Armand Jacot ficou vermelho até a raiz de seu cabelo cortado rente, depois ficou muito pálido. Ele deu um passo em direção ao árabe, com os punhos cerrados, mas então reconsiderou qualquer impulso que o tivesse movido.

Original English

Captain Armand Jacot flushed to the roots of his close-cropped hair. Then he went very white and took a half-step toward the Arab. His fists were clenched. Suddenly he thought better of whatever impulse was moving him.

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Português

O capitão chamou o sargento, que se aproximou rapidamente e saudou, batendo os calcanhares diante de seu superior.

Original English

"Sergeant!"he called. The non-commissioned officer hurried toward him, saluting as his heels clicked together before his superior.

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