Тарзан, прийом мавп
His Own Kind
Tarzanhadneverseentheeffectsofafirearmbefore,thoughhisbookshadtaughthimsomethingofthem,butwhenhesawtherat-facedonefingeringthebuttofhisrevolverhethoughtofthescenehehadwitnessedsoshortatimebefore,andnaturallyexpectedtoseetheyoungmanmurderedashadbeenthehugesailorearlierintheday.
SoTarzanfittedapoisonedarrowtohisbowanddrewabeadupontherat-facedsailor,butthefoliagewassothickthathesoonsawthearrowwouldbedeflectedbytheleavesorsomesmallbranch,andinsteadhelaunchedaheavyspearfromhisloftyperch.
Claytonhadtakenbutadozensteps.Therat-facedsailorhadhalfdrawnhisrevolver;theothersailorsstoodwatchingthesceneintently.
ProfessorPorterhadalreadydisappearedintothejungle,whitherhewasbeingfollowedbythefussySamuelT.Philander,hissecretaryandassistant.
Esmeralda,theNegress,wasbusysortinghermistress’baggagefromthepileofbalesandboxesbesidethecabin,andMissPorterhadturnedawaytofollowClayton,whensomethingcausedhertoturnagaintowardthesailor.
Andthenthreethingshappenedalmostsimultaneously.ThesailorjerkedouthisweaponandleveleditatClayton’sback,MissPorterscreamedawarning,andalong,metal-shodspearshotlikeaboltfromaboveandpassedentirelythroughtherightshoulderoftherat-facedman.
