He was armed
precisely as are they, which indicates that he has maintained
relations of some nature with them, and the fact that he is
but one against possibly thousands suggests that these relations
could scarcely have been other than friendly."
"It seems improbable then that he is not connected with
them," remarked the captain; "possibly a member of this tribe."
"Otherwise," added another of the officers, "how could he
have lived a sufficient length of time among the savage
denizens of the jungle, brute and human, to have become
proficient in woodcraft, or in the use of African weapons."
"You are judging him according to your own standards,
gentlemen," said Jane. "An ordinary white man such as any
of you--pardon me, I did not mean just that--rather, a white
man above the ordinary in physique and intelligence could
never, I grant you, have lived a year alone and naked in this
tropical jungle; but this man not only surpasses the average
white man in strength and agility, but as far transcends our
trained athletes and `strong men' as they surpass a day-old
babe; and his courage and ferocity in battle are those of the
wild beast."
"He has certainly won a loyal champion, Miss Porter,"
said Captain Dufranne, laughing. "I am sure that there be
none of us here but would willingly face death a hundred
times in its most terrifying forms to deserve the tributes
of one even half so loyal--or so beautiful.
Pages:
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294