Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan the Untamed Edgar Rice Burroughs

The rain lasted for twenty-four hours and much of the time it fell in torrents so that when itceased, the trail he had been following was entirely obliterated. Cold and uncomfortable-it wasa savage Tarzan who threaded the mazes of the soggy jungle. Manu, the monkey, shivering andchattering in the dank trees, scolded and fled at his approach. Even the panthers and the lions letthe growling Tarmangani pass unmolested. When the sun shone again upon the second day and a wide, open plain let the full heat ofKudu flood the chilled, brown body, Tarzan's spirits rose; but it was still a sullen, surly brute thatmoved steadily onward into the south where he hoped again to pick up the trail of the Germans. He was now in German East Africa and it was his intention to skirt the mountains west ofKilimanjaro, whose rugged peaks he was quite willing to give a wide berth, and then swingeastward along the south side of the range to the railway that led to Tanga, for his experienceamong men suggested that it was toward this railroad that German troops would be likely toconverge. Two days later, from the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro, he heard the boom of cannon faraway to the east. The afternoon had been dull and cloudy and now as he was passing through anarrow gorge a few great drops of rain began to splatter upon his naked shoulders. Tarzan shookhis head and growled his disapproval; then he cast his eyes about for shelter, for he had had quiteenough of the cold and drenching. He wanted to hasten on in the direction of the booming noise, for he knew that there would be Germans fighting against the English. For an instant his bosomswelled with pride at the thought that he was English and then he shook his head again viciously."No!" he muttered, "Tarzan of the Apes is not English, for the English are men and Tarzan isTarmangani;" but he could not hide even from his sorrow or from his sullen hatred of mankind ingeneral that his heart warmed at the thought it was Englishmen who fought the Germans. Hisregret was that the English were human and not great white apes as he again considered himself."Tomorrow," he thought, "I will travel that way and find the Germans," and then he sethimself to the immediate task of discovering some shelter from the storm. Presently he espied thelow and narrow entrance to what appeared to be a cave at the base of the cliffs which formed thenorthern side of the gorge. With drawn knife he approached the spot warily, for he knew that if itwere a cave it was doubtless the lair of some other beast. Before the entrance lay many largefragments of rock of different sizes, similar to others scattered along the entire base of the cliff, and it was in Tarzan's mind that if he found the cave unoccupied he would barricade the door andinsure himself a quiet and peaceful night's repose within the sheltered interior. Let the storm ragewithout-Tarzan would remain within until it ceased, comfortable and dry. A tiny rivulet of coldwater trickled outward from the openin