Transition Plan Chapter 26: First Homecoming Part 13 - The Rescuers

After sunset, Tarzan was really worried. Jane was not back - hours late.

Edward said assuringly, "I am sure she stayed to visit. The doctor and his wife are very chatty."

"It doesn't feel right, Edward. I am going into the village."

"Your carriage, sir?"

"No, Edward. Something better. Kerchak."

"Very good sir. May God speed and keep you safe," Edward agreed, and knew any argument with the Master about going out alone in search of Lady Jane was fruitless. Having learned much about the Count's abilities, he doubted anyone on the staff or d'Arnot's people could even keep up with him.

Tarzan got warm clothing on and proceeded at a dead run to the stable, startling the snoozing veneur in his quarters, and went right to his horse's stall.

He spoke urgently in their equine language, "Kerchak and Faith, I am sorry to disturb your favorite oat dinner, but we are going to town together. We may have ourselves a battle."

Kerchak was immediately excited, "We would be delighted to serve, Master Clayton. With your superb new feed, M'Lord, I am getting fat and lazy anyway."

His mate Faith, in the next stall over whinnied slyly, "That is for sure!"

In only minutes Kerchak was outfitted and Jane's saddle was put on Faith.

The veneur was worried, "But sir, I am concerned with you going out alone. Do you need help?"

"Thank you Thomas, but no," and turned to his horses saying, "Let's do this, my friends."

Kerchak reared, whinnied, they took off, with Faith running at a full gallop beside the Master and her mate. Tarzan's eyes narrowed in the cold with the resolve that he had to get to Jane as fast as possible. They avoided the front gate to prevent any argument from d'Arnot's people about his lone pursuit.

The moonlight was bright, and he stopped in mid-stride at a ravine near the river. There lay a wrecked carriage and bodies. The men had been knifed – this was no accident. He was very sad for the coachmen. The horse team was nowhere to be seen, and no tracks were left in the frozen ground. He cried out in anguish and vainly searched the passenger cabin for Jane. There was a sign of a struggle but there was no blood and no body. Jane had been abducted. His anger deepened to find the perpetrators of this crime.

As they were riding he knew he had no idea where Cedric's minions could kidnap a person and hold them. For all he knew the whole town was 'owned' by Cedric's supporters. They had to be nearby though. It was a Sunday, and the trains were not running all day.

He stopped at the doctor's residence, and banged on the door hard. A woman and little girl cried, the terrorized doctor came to the door, and was shocked to see Tarzan, "You must leave Count Clayton, you are in great danger. And so am I if I am seen with you."

"Where is she?" He growled.

The doctor cringed and stuttered, "Th-th- they took her. They threatened me and my family. I… I'm sorry Lord Clayton. I let them take her. I had to."

Suddenly a whishing sound came from behind them. Tarzan ducked, but the doctor took a hunting arrow to his upper chest. He moaned and slumped to the ground and the family screamed. Tarzan instantly turned and threw his knife at the sound. A man fell out of a tree, groaned and landed with a thud. Tarzan rushed to him, and pulled the knife out of the man's heart. He had seconds to live.

He grabbed the man by the throat and snarled, "Where is she?"

"You will never find her, and I won't squeal on the boss. You can't threaten me, I'm already dead," he chuckled, gurgling on his own blood.

Grabbing the man's coat collar more angrily, he growled through clenched teeth, "Where… is… she?"

The man was already dead. Tarzan released his grip on the murderer. Despite the crime against Jane and staff by Cedric and his people, Tarzan was ashamed that he had to kill a man, though the man clearly was trying to murder him and the doctor.

He thought of the irony, "This is civilization? What price do I have to pay to fight this evil? There is nothing like this kind of behavior in the jungle. Even Naima's vendetta with Jane had honor and a purpose."

The evil he was fighting was like a disease growing in his heart though. Tarzan couldn't stop wishing that he'd crushed Cedric's neck when he had the chance in the conference room.

He checked on the doctor, "I'm all right; it's only a flesh wound. He would have finished me off for talking to you, so you have my gratitude. Go!"

He leaped back on Kerchak's back, and was about to rush off, but had no idea where to go. He took a huge sniff of the air. There was no scent of her, no trail he could follow. The ground was frozen with no snow cover, and there were no fresh hoof prints or wagon tracks to follow. He was utterly stymied. Kerchak sensed his frustration immediately.

"I can help, Master."

"How, Kerchak? Tarzan asked in desperation.

"I can talk to the others. They will help us find her," Kerchak said with hope.

"Others? They?"

Faith explained further, "All the other horses in the village. If Lady Jane was abducted and carried to a dwelling, Lord Clayton, a horse would be used. We have no automobiles here yet. There are no 'evil' or 'good' horses. All of us will talk to each other about what humans do. We just have to hear the right question. We all are just used in the affairs of men, and we obey or die."

"You are brilliant, Kerchak and Faith."

"I expect a double helping of carrots in the morning, M'Lord," Kerchak joked.

"Three times for you and Faith, and all your friends in the village if you find her in the next hour."

"If she is still here, we will know, Lord Clayton," reassured Kerchak.

Kerchak's mate Faith whinnied her agreement. She had grown very fond of Jane, "When we find her I will fly like the wind home with her safely, Lord. No one will stop me."

"I am grateful, Faith."

There arose a chorus of whinnies, grunts, and nickers from Kerchak between him and other horses throughout the land. It was not long before there was a reply. The words were too faint and garbled for Tarzan to understand but a few of them.

But he made out one phrase, and exclaimed, "They found her!"

Kerchak saw Tarzan struggle with the equine words, and so translated for him, "The barn on the edge of the village. Twenty furlongs. An elderly farm horse said she pulled a hay wagon with a human hidden in the cargo area, with two very heavy nasty men driving who whipped her. They didn't even feed her afterward."

Tarzan asked, "Alive?"

"She did not know. The woman was limp."

Tarzan ordered urgently, "Go! Take me there. Find a hidden approach; they may be waiting for us."

"Yes Master."

They travelled together swiftly.

The moonlight highlighted the barn. There were a few lanterns glowing, indicating some activity inside. The two horses and Tarzan approached along the inside of a frozen creek noiselessly, below any sight lines of the barn. Both he and Faith caught Jane's scent. There was blood in the air.

Inside the barn, Cedric's henchmen were bragging, "That was too easy, Mugs. The coachmen were weak and never saw that sneak blow."

"Yeah, Gus. Guv'nah Clayton needs to hire himself some real thugs, not those sailors."

They heard a groan from Jane, and Mugs said, "Go smack her senseless again. We can't deal with her being awake. She makes a lot of noise, has been throwing up all night, and makes too many demands. I hope we don't get some kind of jungle plague from whatever's makin' 'er sick."

Gus got anxious, "Why not just 'off 'er now? And both have our way with 'er first? She's a pretty one."

"You know what the boss would do to us if we damage her before he's good and ready. He wants to force the Count to make a bargain for her, get the money for the big deal in Africa, get 'is guard down, and 'off 'em both together. Then the boss is in charge again."

"I hope he gets here soon. We needed a house for this caper, not a drafty old barn."

There was an owl's hoot outside the barn.

"What was that?" Gus stood up in alarm.

"Check it out," Mugs ordered.

"Wh- why don't you?" Gus said fearfully.

"I'm the brains of this outfit, Gus. You're the muscle," noted Mugs.

As the abductor peered out into the barnyard for the noise, Tarzan was above the loft and slipped a rope around him and pulled him upside down in the air, banging him against the barn wall, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Mugs heard the noise, pulled his gun, aimed at Jane, who recoiled, and he yelled, "I'll kill 'er, I swear I will. I don't care a whit about no ransom."

He looked nervously all around the barn looking for Jane's would-be rescuers.

Tarzan appeared in the open barn door and approached, dropped his knife, and raised his hands in surrender. Jane got a frightful look on her gagged face, and shook her head vigorously 'no' to get Tarzan to stop and leave and save himself.

Mugs grinned evilly, "Well how about that. It's 'is Lordship himself. What's the matter - you don't trust your own people to rescue your little woman?"

"I do. Explicitly. You Englishmen have to broaden what you define as a 'person'."

Jane understood immediately, and felt a little relief.

Mugs pulled another gun, a derringer, and pointed it a Tarzan, who froze.

The criminal chuckled, "Well, well, Guv'nah. Looks like I get to move up in Cedric's organization tonight. I get to be the one who kills the Count and the Countess and it won't cost the boss a cent."

The locked side door of the barn snapped and splintered, and crashed on the would-be killer. He screamed. On the outside of the barn was Kerchak. He had reared and leaped on the door, smashing it down on the evil man. Kerchak jumped again on the door now covering the criminal. There was a horrible crunching sound, and the mighty horse gave a victorious whinny. The screaming stopped, and a pool of blood formed under the door.

Kerchak bowed to Tarzan and said proudly, "A relative of mine did that a thousand years ago to save Emperor Charlemagne, Master."

Tarzan bowed back to Kerchak and was not sorry that the assailant was dead, knowing that he had tried to kill both Jane and him, and did kill the coachman and sailors, "I am most grateful Kerchak. We must go. Now. Before others come."

Tarzan unbound and scooped up Jane, who was very shaken from the abduction, Kerchak's deadly attack, and had a bruised cheek and bloody lip from her kidnappers' beatings. She kissed him, "Oh my, Jonathan, thank you. This might sound a little trite, but you really are my hero."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear wife, but I think Kerchak is the real hero here."

She smiled toward and hugged the giant horse. Faith and Kerchak turned to each other in amazement, seeing once again their new Lord and Lady were pleasantly unlike any humans they had ever known.

"Can you ride?" Tarzan asked his mate.

"Yes. Let's get out of this dreadful place."

He helped her mount Faith, and the horse greeted her, "It is good to see you unharmed, Countess."

"Thank you my friend. I am glad you are here for me."

Tarzan, Jane and their horses took off at a gallop into the night no other horse could overtake. They bolted through the thick of the forest to remain unseen on their return to Castle Greystoke on a trail that only Kerchak and Faith knew. Enroute, Jane was fascinated by the story of how their horses found her, similar to how Noni and her flock communicated in the jungle. When they returned to the stable Jane watered them and fed them their carrot reward personally. Tarzan communicated the grim news to Thomas about the carriage and their losses, but he was pleased to see Lady Jane safe. Tarzan gave Thomas detailed instructions on which village and farm families' horses got a delivery of carrot treats from the Clayton's the next day. He did not understand what Tarzan intended with that gesture, but obeyed. Exhausted, Tarzan carried Jane to the Castle. He could see a lot of anxious people in the windows pacing for their safe return.

…

A few hours later, a black carriage with no lamps arrived at the barn. Cedric could tell something was not right. He found the remains of Mugs, and discovered Gus swinging upside down by his feet from the top of the barn.

"Idiot, you let them escape. I should kill you now," snapped Cedric.

Gus begged, "Please sir, no. He found her somehow, strung me up, and his horse squashed poor old Mugs. He was the brains of this operation, but now I think I see them in the mud."

Cedric ignored his useless henchmen, "So… the Count is showing us his jungle fangs, huh? I have other ways to deal with him and his little wife. Clean this up now!"

He turned and left. The unlighted black carriage and black horses disappeared instantly into the night.

Gus was left hanging upside down in the barn and yelled, "Uh, boss, you need to cut me down if I'm gonna clean this up… boss?"

The thug heard the noise of a dozen galloping hooves in the distance and a voice that sounded like the Constable, "Quick! Over there!"

Gus got the empty feeling that he'd soon be hanging from his neck rather from his feet.

…

With a very tearful homecoming and a rapid examination to confirm that Jane was uninjured by Edward and Elisabeth and the rest of the staff, the staff comforted the couple with cups of cocoa and warm blankets in front of the roaring fireplace in the library. D'Arnot's sailors guarded the entrance to the library and patrolled the windows immediately outside the library, in addition to the many men doing guard duties all over the Castle grounds and gates. For the first time in a century, guards patrolled the parapets. Castle Greystoke seemed like an armed camp of ancient times.

The young couple was finally calm enough to go to bed, and for the rest of the night they never let each other go, huddled in their warm nightclothes under the covers and extra blankets. They refused a guard at their door. They couldn't take their eyes off each other.

"Never leave this place again without me, Jane," requested Tarzan emphatically to Jane's still worried look.

"You don't have to tell me that twice, dearest," Jane said, trying hard to melt into his strong arms.

They were silent for a while, just savoring being safely alive together, and she buried her head into his neck.

Kissing the top of her head tenderly, Tarzan asked sheepishly to lighten the somber mood, "I know this sounds crazy now, but how was the trip to the doctor?"

They managed to laugh ironically about what was supposed to be a simple task. He couldn't bear to tell her that the cowardly doctor was the reason she was kidnapped. Fortunately they would be leaving for Africa soon and would never use that doctor again.

Jane had a nervous chuckle, "It went well, and he said I will be all right. We can talk about it more tomorrow. On Christmas Eve. I am very tired now. He said I mostly needed rest."

"That is just fine with me. You didn't exactly follow doctor's orders today, Jane, dear," he kidded.

"Well then, my husband, force me to follow them, please," she whispered as she kissed his nose.

She turned around so Tarzan held her back to his front together they way they always liked to sleep. She nestled into his arms deeper and closed her eyes with her happy secret. He nuzzled her neck. It was not the time to tell him. They were utterly drained. Tomorrow would be perfect, and she knew just when to reveal her news. Sleeping spooned together, just like the first day she was alone with him in the jungle, never got any less soothing and secure to her.

…

Authors Note: Hope you liked this disturbing two chapter arc of Jane's abduction. Yes part of the story was a deliberate 'tip of the hat' to the dogs communicating with each other across London via the 'Twilight Bark' in Disney's "101 Dalmatians" 1961 cartoon movie classic to an equally dire circumstance of the puppies endangered by Cruella de Vil. In this story of the search for Jane's whereabouts, it was different than for Roger, because Tarzan understood most of the horses' communications with each other. In my continuing tribute to other wonderful Disney films, the subtitle for this part of our sequel journey is for the Rescuers. And yes, I could not resist the signature Monty Python movie line that the doctor stated after being shot.