Chapter 33
Captain Mors had to sustain his constant machete swings to hack his way through the thick jungle undergrowth; he wasn't fussed, he had to do the same on several of the planets he visited. What he did find odd is that Tarzan seemed to require no such effort, he traversed the rain forest like it was his home street; he sometimes employed dangling vines to swing from one point to another.
The ape man was an excellent guide though, he pointed out a direction that allowed Mors to exit the jungle promptly. A rocky area with a large chasm was before them and a swamp to their left.
"We must cross chasm." Said Tarzan. "Volcano on other side."
"Is there a bridge?" Asked Mors.
"There bridge." Tarzan pointed at a felled tree that lay over the chasm's width.
"That's hardly the Weidendammer."
The natural tree bridge was thick, stable and easy to get to. Mors was relieved; he did not want to go into the swamp to seek out a proper bridge. Crossing the felled giant was simple, Mors avoided looking down, even though height was a way of life for him. Tarzan stopped to note markings on the barked surface.
"Sabre toothed tiger use this bridge to. We may see him again."
"I would like to kill that monster." Said Mors.
"Tiger away somewhere, eating his meal."
Mors frowned, then lowered his domino mask. What the ape man said just reduced his valued crewman to a tiger's dinner.
When Tarzan stepped of the bridge he began to look around nervously.
"What's the matter." Inquired Mors. "Is the tiger nearby?"
"Not tiger. Something else, this place is tribal territory."
"You mean natives?"
"No, apes."
A loud thunderous noise emanated from within the volcano, like it was erupting, but the ground did not shake. The two League members watched the volcano's mouth half expecting a pyroclastic issue. What they saw was a giant metal dart shoot out of the opening and into the sky leaving a trail of fumes in its wake. A lot of smoke then began to rise out of the now silent mountain.
"What was that?" Asked a bemused Tarzan.
"It was a rocket." Answered Mors. "Totenkopf must be developing rocket science. What we just saw must be a test flight of an early model. That smoke coming out of the mouth is the initial exhaust fumes from the launch."
"Why he build these things?"
"He probably wants to travel to other planets."
It wasn't long before they saw the rocket again, but this time going down. The trail of smoke was clearly visible whereas the rocket itself was hard to make out. It looked like it was going to shoot into the ocean when it changed course to slightly downward trajectory that was nearly horizontal and heading back towards the island. A series of splashes on the ocean surface brought a cessation of the thrusting sound to make way for a crashing noise telling the onlookers that the giant metal dart had ended its flight on the rocky coast at the undeveloped side of this island.
"Totenkopf needs to get back to the drawing board." Said Mors.
The luftpirate activated his back pack radio to contact his airship.
"Captain Brieux, did you notice the rocket?"
"We did Captain. It has crashed on the rocks near us."
"Can you investigate it?"
"Not without revealing our presence."
"Stay hidden. When Lindo and the crewmen return, send him with the boat to have a look."
"OK Captain. Is that all."
"That's all for now. Over and out."
Mors repacked his radio and bid Tarzan to proceed towards the mountain.
Rocks and trees were the terrain here. Mors noted that Tarzan was ever vigilant, he focused on all corners, peaks and trees for some unseen enemy.
Captain Mors was relatively nonchalant until a hand grabbed him by the collar and threw him back. A large rock flew past the space he had just occupied a second ago. Tarzan had just saved him from bad injury. A fierce growl came from the ape that was the source of this peril.
The simian was squatted but would be seven feet tall if it stood upright. It had purple grey hair, an exceptionally high forehead for an ape and a set of mean looking teeth which matched its demeanor.
Tarzan tried a few grunts and growls of the Mangani language. The beast showed no recognition of the ape tongue, it snarled then charged. Tarzan fired an arrow into its torso but the simian horror continued its assault. Lord Greystoke dropped his bow and seized the ape's threatening arm, then jumped aside a millisecond before the simian jaws closed on the space his neck was. Keeping his hold on the hairy arm, he swung the big ape into the trunk of a tree. The stunning effect was so short-lived, it was virtually no time at all. A greater ferocity came over the beast, it was going to charge again when a shot from Mors pistol entered its chest and knocked it to the ground. It was not dead but neither did the bull ape get up.
"I must have hit a crucial nerve." Said Mors. "It cannot move."
Tarzan approached the fallen ape and tried again to communicate with it. After several grunts and growls the paralysed simian made one utterance. Tarzan took out his knife and with one curt slash, cut the ape's throat.
"What did he utter, an insult?" Asked Mors.
"Zinj." Whispered Tarzan. "He was from Zinj."
"I have not heard of Zinj."
"All apes are warned by their parents and chiefs. 'Never ever go to Zinj'. Both Mangani, Bolgani and any other tribe of ape hear a carried down warning. 'Never go to Zinj'".
"You mean this Zinj is here." Asked Mors.
"Not here." Explained Tarzan. "In Congo. It Is a lost city in Congo. But apes who guard it are here."
Mors surmised. "Totenkopf must have found Zinj, he brought a guardian ape here to defend his island."
"Not just one, many." Said Tarzan while examining the body. "This ape has pick marks, claw scratches and teeth marks. He not alone."
A quick visual scan of the immediate area revealed to Mors that they were not about to get ambushed by this ape's brothers.
"Something else to see." Added Tarzan. "Look at eyes, teeth, claws and pecs. What do they remind you of?"
Mors examined the said parts. "The homunculi."
"This Totenkopf make homunculi from apes." Stated Tarzan.