Chapter 12 Tarzan Mistake

Let's go back to the platform of that small train station in northern Wisconsin a few months ago.The smoke from the forest fire enveloped the surrounding scenery lowly, and the choking smoke hurt the eyes of the group of six people on the platform.They are waiting for the train back south. Professor Archimedes Potter's hands are cut behind the "swallowtail" of the long dress Below, walking up and down the platform, under the watchful eye of his faithful secretary, Samuel Philander, who never let his guard down.Twice in the space of a few minutes he had crossed the railroad and walked absently toward a nearby swamp, only to be pulled back in time by the indefatigable Mr. Philander.

The Professor's daughter, Jenny Porter, was talking with William Cecil Clayton and Tarzan in a most unnatural, lifeless manner.Just a few minutes ago, in that small waiting room, the confession of love and the renunciation of rights caused two of the six people in this group to suffer serious setbacks and blows in life and happiness.William Cecil Clayton, Lord Greystoke, was certainly not one of the two. Esmeralda, who was as kind as a mother, circled behind Miss Potter and went around.She's happy—isn't she going back to dear Maryland? She could already see the dim lights of the locomotive through the smog that hung everywhere.Men carry luggage, packages.Suddenly, Clayton yelled.

"Ouch! I forgot my coat in the waiting room." He said and hurried to get it. "Goodbye, Jenny!" said Tarzan, holding out his hand, "God bless you!" "Good-bye!" said the girl flatly, "try to forget me... oh, no, no! I can't imagine you've forgotten me. " "It's all right to forget, my dear," he answered. "I would very much like to be able to forget. It's easier to forget than to think that life should be like this, and it should be like that, and it should be otherwise. However, you will be happy. I believe that you will, you will. You can tell everyone about my decision. I am going to drive my car to New York. I don't want to say goodbye to Clayton. I want to remember his memory forever Good thing. However, he prevented me from getting the only person I wanted in the world, and I was afraid that if I stayed with him for a long time, I would do something harmful to him.”

Clayton ran into the waiting room and stooped to get his coat when he saw a telegram thrown backwards on the ground.He bent over to pick it up, thinking someone had dropped an important telegram.He hastily glanced at it, and immediately felt like a thunderbolt, he forgot the overcoat in his hand, the train coming in, and everything around him, and just stared blankly at the yellow piece of paper in his hand.He read it twice before he realized how much the content of this telegram meant to him. When he stooped to pick up this piece of paper, he was still an English nobleman, a proud, wealthy man with many properties.But a few minutes later, when he finished reading the telegram, he realized that in fact he was a pauper without a title or money.What he saw turned out to be the telegram that Diarnot sent to Taishan:

Fingerprints prove you belong to the Gresto family. Congratulations to Diano He staggered as if he had received a fatal blow.Just at this moment, I heard everyone yelling, urging him to get in the car quickly.The train had stopped on the small platform.He picked up his coat, feeling dazed in front of him.He decided to tell everyone about the telegram when everyone was in the train.He hurried up to the platform, just in time for the front of the car to honk its horn for the second time.The hooks between the carriages jingled, and the train was about to start.They all got into the train and stood on the platform of the Pullman sleeper car, leaning out and calling him to run.It was five minutes before they were settled in their bunks.At this time, Clayton found that there was no Taishan in the car.

"Where did Tarzan go?" he asked Jenny Potter. "In the other car?" "No," she replied, "before he got in the train he decided to drive back to New York by himself. He was anxious to learn more about America and felt he couldn't see much from the train window. He was going back to France, you know. gone." Clayton didn't answer.He wondered how to explain to Jenny Potter the disaster that had befallen him and her.He wondered what would happen if she knew the truth of the matter.Would she still want to marry him?Would she like to be an ordinary Mrs. Clayton?Suddenly, a thought rose from the bottom of my heart: one of them must make a terrible sacrifice.The crux of the matter, then, is, will Tarzan demand his rights back?In fact, Tarzan knew the contents of the telegram long before he quite calmly denied his parentage!But he still believes that Cara the ape is his mother. Isn't it because he loves Jenny Potter?

It seems that there is no other explanation than this.Does his ignorance of the evidence in this telegram, then, mean that he is forever giving up his birthright?If so, what right did he—William Cecil Clayton—have to destroy his hopes?What right had any right to stand in the way of the self-sacrifice of this monstrosity?Besides, Tarzan could still save Jenny Potter from misfortune, why shouldn't he defend her interests?You should know that Jenny Potter entrusted her fate and future to him! After such judgment and reasoning, the first impulse to make the truth known to the world and "return his title and property to the original owner" was completely obliterated by the sophistry of personal interests.But along the way, and for many days afterward, he was always in a mood of melancholy and excitability.Sometimes it occurred to him that perhaps someday Tarzan would regret his magnanimity and demand the restoration of his rights.

A few days after returning to Baltimore, Clayton proposed to marry Jenny as soon as possible. "How fast?" she asked. "The last few days. I must go back to England at once. I want you to go back with me, dear." "In such a hurry, I can't make any preparations." Jenny replied, "I have to wait at least a month later." She is very happy.Let's hope that whatever his reasons for returning to England, he can delay the marriage for a little longer.She has already done a "losing business".However, she is still willing to play this sad role honestly to the end.She was just trying to procrastinate for a while, although she knew there was no reason to do so.His answer disappointed him greatly.

"Very well, Jenny," he said, "I'm very disappointed. My visit to England can be postponed for a month, however. Then we'll go back together." But when a month was about to pass, Jenny found another excuse to postpone the wedding. Frustrated and full of doubts, Clayton returned to England alone. Several letters between Clayton and Jenny failed to get him what he wanted. So he had to write directly to Professor Porter, asking for his help.The old man had always been in favor of the marriage.He liked Clayton, and because he came from an old-fashioned Southern family, he always valued family too much.For his daughter, this is insignificant and worthless.

Clayton urged the professor to accept his invitation to visit London.Naturally, he invited the whole professor's family, including Mr. Philander and Esmeralda.The English aristocrat insisted that if Jenny came to England and broke ties with her old home in America, she would be brave enough to take the long hesitated step. The night Professor Porter received the letter, he announced that he would be in London next week. Soon, in London, Jenny Potter was as rebellious as she had been in Baltimore, and she found all kinds of excuses to delay the wedding.Later, when Lord Tennington invited them to sail along the coast of Africa in his yacht, she was very much in favor of the idea, and insisted that the marriage should not be considered until they returned to London.This voyage will take at least a year.Because they stay where they are interested indefinitely.Clayton secretly cursed Tennington for coming up with such a ghostly idea.

Lord Tennington's plan was to start from the Mediterranean Sea, pass the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, and then sail along the east coast. Whenever he came across a place worth seeing, he would land in port to feast his eyes. Well, one day two ships passed through the Strait of Gibraltar.The smaller one was a handsome, white yacht, sailing straight east, with a young girl standing on the deck.She looked sad, her eyes were fixed on the locket inlaid with diamonds on her chest, and her fingers lazily stroked the exquisitely engraved patterns.She was full of thoughts, and her thoughts drifted far away, to the dark tropical jungle with dense branches and leaves. She wondered if the man who had given her this beautiful necklace—a necklace that meant more to him than it was worth—had returned to his native forest. On the larger ship--it was a liner sailing east--a man and a girl were sitting on deck together, lolling ①The Straits of Gibraltar (the straits of Gibraltar): the passage between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The beautiful yacht sailed gracefully through the calm sea. After the yacht had passed, the man and the girl continued the conversation which had been interrupted by the appearance of the boat. "Yes," he said, "I like America very much. That is to say, I like Americans, because countries are always made up of people. While in America, I met some very pleasant people. I remember a family in your city, Miss Strong, whom I liked very much—Professor Potter and his daughter." "Jenny Potter!" cried the girl in surprise. "You mean, you know Jenny Potter? Ah! She's my best friend in the world. We grew up together, and we've known each other for years! " "Really?" He said with a smile, "it may not be so easy to convince people who have seen you and her." "Then let me explain to you," she replied, laughing. "We've known each other for almost two lifetimes, hers and mine. But, seriously, we're as close as sisters. But now I To lose her would break my heart." "Losing her?" exclaimed Tarzan. "What do you mean? Oh, yes, I see. You mean that if she gets married in England, it will be difficult for you two to see each other." "Yes," she replied, "and the saddest thing is that she is not married to the man she loves. Oh, it is so dreadful! Marrying out of a sense of duty! I think it is It was absurd. I told her my opinion openly, but it was no use. All in all, I strongly disagree with it. Therefore, although I was the only person other than her next of kin who was invited to the wedding, I also Never. Because I don't want to witness such a ridiculous, stupid scene. It is strange that Jenny Porter is very firm in this matter. She thinks she is doing the only thing that can be saved. A matter of her honour. There is no power in the world that can prevent her from marrying Lord Greystoke. Unless Greystock himself resigns, or death separates them." "I'm so sorry for her," said Tarzan. "I'm also sorry for the man he loved," said the girl, "because he loved her, and though I never met him, I can tell from Jenny's account that he must have been a very remarkable man. Listen to her, he lived In the African jungle, among a herd of ferocious apes. He had never seen a single white man until Professor Potter banished them to the beach by rebels, and happened to come to that cottage. The terrible sharp tooth saved their lives, and made a miracle that people can't imagine. And the most amazing thing is that he fell in love with Jenny, and Jenny fell in love with him, even though she didn't betroth herself to Greystoke Only after my lord did I really understand this." "Excellent," murmured Tarzan, racking his brains for an excuse to change the subject.He was glad that Hazel Strong brought up Jenny, but when he himself was the center of the conversation, he was bored and embarrassed.But soon he was relieved from the predicament, because the girl's mother also came to chat with him, and the topic changed naturally. Nothing happened in the next few days, the weather was calm and the atmosphere was fine. The steamer never broke down once, and sailed steadily southward.Tarzan did not spend much time with Miss Strong and her mother.They read on deck, chatted, or took pictures with Miss Strong's camera.Take a walk after the sun goes down. One day Tarzan found Miss Strong talking to a stranger.He had never seen this man before.When he walked over, the man bowed to the girl, turned around and left. "Wait a minute, Mr. Thrane!" said Miss Strong. "You must see Mr. Caldwell. We are all passengers on this ship, and ought to know each other." The two men shook hands.Tarzan glanced at Mr. Seran's eyes, and found them familiar. "I must have seen you somewhere before," said Tarzan, "though I cannot recall where." Mr. Thrane looked very uncomfortable. "I don't remember seeing you anywhere, sir," he answered, "but I may have, as I myself sometimes feel when I meet strangers." "Mr. Thrane has been telling me the secrets of sailing!" explained the girl. Tarzan paid little attention to their conversation, trying to figure out where he had seen this Mr. Thrane before.But one thing is certain, he met this person under a very special situation.After a while, the sun shone, and the girl asked Mr. Thrane to help her move the chair under the shade.At this moment, Tarzan was watching him, and he happened to notice that he was moving the chair clumsily-the wrist of his left hand was stiff and straight.This reminder is enough, Taishan suddenly felt that "the willows are dark and the flowers are bright". Mr. Thrane wanted to find an excuse to leave in a dignified manner.Moving the chair now interrupted their conversation and gave him a chance to get away.He bowed low to Miss Strong, nodded again to Tarzan, turned, and walked away. "Wait a minute," said Tarzan. "If Miss Strong doesn't mind, let me walk with you. I'll be right here, Miss Strong." Mr. Thrane looked uncomfortable.When he got to a place where the girl could not see, Tai Shan stopped suddenly and put a hand heavily on the man's shoulder. "What trick are you playing, Rukov?" he asked. "I'm leaving France as I promised you," said Zhukov darkly. "I understand that," said Tarzan, "but I know you too well to believe that it is purely a coincidence that you are in the same boat as me. Get that thought out of your mind." "Come on," growled Rukov, shrugging his shoulders, "I don't see what you can do to me because of my makeup. This ship is flying the Union Jack, and I have as much right to ride on it as you do. And, you Since I can buy tickets under a pseudonym, I have a reason to take the boat in disguise." "I'm not going to discuss that with you, Rukov. All I want to tell you is, stay away from Miss Strong. She's a decent woman." Zhukov blushed. "If you don't do what I say, I'll throw you into the sea." Tarzan continued, "Don't forget, I'm looking for excuses to kill you!" Said and walked away.Zhukov stood trembling with rage. Taishan hadn't seen Rukov for several days, but Rukov was not idle.He and Balvich stayed in the sleeping cabin, screaming and cursing, swearing and swearing to take the most terrible revenge on Tarzan. "If he hadn't had that information with him, I'd have thrown him overboard tonight," he cried. "I can't let that information die with him! Alexei, you want Not being a complete coward should have found a way to get into his sleeping quarters and find that document." A small smile played on Balvich's mouth. "You're like a 'brainmaster' to both of us, with ideas, dear Nicholas." He replied, "why don't you find a way to search Caldwell's sleeping quarters yourself? " Two hours later, they had good luck.Balvich looked around and saw Tarzan leaving his room unlocked.Five minutes later, the two started to move.While Zhukov was on guard, Balvich quickly rummaged through Tarzan's luggage. Just when he was disappointed and was about to leave the sleeping cabin, he suddenly saw a coat that Tai Shan had just taken off.In the blink of an eye, a document in a public envelope was already in his hand.He glanced quickly at the contents of the document, and a pleasant smile appeared on his face. Balvich is good at this, and he does it very neatly.After he left Taishan's sleeping cabin, even Taishan himself did not realize that anyone had touched his things during the time he was out. Back in their room, Balvich handed the information to Zhukov.The big fellow rang for the waiter and ordered him to bring a pint of champagne. "We must congratulate, my dear Alexei," he said. "It's all luck, Nicholas," said Balvich. "He's obviously been carrying this information with him all along. A few minutes ago, through sheer inattention, he forgot to take it with him when he changed his coat." Take it out. But when he finds out that he has lost the information, he will definitely not let it go. I am afraid he will link this matter with you soon. Since he already knows that you are on this boat, he will definitely suspect you. Zhukov grinned grimly and said: "After this night, he suspects that no one cares." That night, after Miss Strong returned to the cabin below to rest, Tarzan leaned on the railing on the deck and looked at the sea. He took this ship, and he leaned on the railing every night to look into the distance like this, sometimes staying for an hour at a time.Zhukov and Balvich had been watching his every move since they boarded the ship from Algiers, and they knew his habit well. Those evil eyes were fixed on him that night as he gazed thus at sea.After a while, the last walker also left the deck.The night sky was clear, but there was no moon, and something on the deck could be seen. Under the shadow of the cabin, two figures crept over from behind Tarzan the ape.Waves beat against the hull, the propeller hummed and the ship's engine vibrated gently, obliterating the already very light footsteps of the two men. They were already very close to Mount Tarzan, squatting low like football players on a football field.One of them raised his hand and pressed it down little by little, as if issuing a password: one, two, three!Then the two guys rushed to Taishan at the same time, each hugging a foot.Although Tarzan moved very nimbly, this time he didn't even have time to turn his head, so he was forced over the low railing by Cove and Balwyching and was thrown into the Atlantic Ocean. Hazel Strong was looking out at the dark sea from the porthole of her stateroom, Kurokosuke, when suddenly she saw something falling upside down from the deck above and flashing before her eyes.It fell so quickly into the black sea that she couldn't tell what it was, maybe it was a human being, maybe it wasn't, and she listened, hoping to hear the cry that always sounded in such situations: "Help!" But there was no sound, neither on deck nor in the sea. Later, the girl thought that it was probably a bag of garbage thrown by the crew.After a while, she went to bed.