登陆注册
5236600000014

第14章 THE COURSING(1)

Quite a moon went by before I recovered from Tom's shot. At first Ithought that I was going to die, for, although luckily none of my bones were broken, the pain in my back was dreadful. When I tried to ease the agony by rubbing against roots it only became worse, for the fur fell off, leaving sores upon which flies settled. I could scarcely eat or sleep, and grew so thin that the bones nearly poked through my pelt. Indeed I wanted very much to die, but could not. On the contrary, by degrees I recovered, till at last I was quite strong again and like other hares, except for the six little grey tufts upon my back and one hole through my right ear.

Now all this while I had lived in the swamp near the sea, but when my strength returned I thought of my old home, to which something seemed to draw me. Also there were no turnips near the swamp, and as the winter came on I found very little to eat there. So one day, or rather one night, I travelled back home.

As it happened the first hare that I met near the big wood was my sister. She was very glad to see me, although she had forgotten how we came to part, and when I spoke of our father and mother these did not seem to interest her. Still from that time forward we lived together more or less till her end came.

One day--this was after we had made our home in the big wood, as hares often do in winter--there was a great disturbance. When we tried to go out to feed at daylight we found little fires burning everywhere, and near to them boys who beat themselves and shouted. So we went back into the wood, where the pheasants were running to and fro in a great state of mind.

Some hours later, when the sun was quite high, men began to march about and scores of shots were fired a long way off, also a wounded cock-pheasant fell near to us and fluttered away, making a queer noise in its throat. It looked very funny stumbling along on one leg with its beak gaping and two of the long feathers in its tail broken.

"I know what this is," I said to my sister. "Let's be gone before they shoot us. I've had enough of being shot."So off we went, rushing past a boy by his fire, who yelled and threw a stick at us. But as it happened, on the borders of the property of the Red-faced Man there were poachers who knew that hares would come out of the wood on this day of the shooting and had made ready for us by setting wire nooses in the gaps of the hedges through which we ran. Igot my foot into one of these but managed to shake it off. My sister was not so lucky, for her head went into another of them. She kicked and tore, but the more she struggled the tighter drew the noose.

I watched her for a little while until one of the poachers ran up with a stick.

Then I went away, as I could not bear to see her beaten to death, and that was the end of my sister. So now I was the only one left alive of our family, except perhaps some younger brothers whom I did not know, though I think it was one of these that afterwards I saw shot quite dead by Giles. He went over and over and lay as still as though he had never moved in all his life. Death seems a very wonderful thing, Mahatma, but I won't ask you what it is because I perceive that you can't answer.

After this nothing happened to me for a long while. Indeed I had the best time of my life and grew very strong and big, yes, the strongest and biggest hare of any that I ever saw, also the swiftest of foot.

Twice I was chased by dogs; once by Giles's black beast, Nigger, and once by that of a shepherd. Finding that I could run right away from them without exerting myself at all, I grew to despise dogs. Ah! little did I know then that there are many different breeds of these animals.

One day in mid-winter, as the weather was very mild and open, I was lying on the rough grass field that I have spoken of which borders a flat stretch of moorland. On this moorland in summer grew tall ferns, but now these had died and been broken down by the wind. Suddenly Iwoke up from my sleep to see a number of men walking and riding towards me.

They were tenants and others who, although the real coursing season had not yet begun in our neighbourhood, had been asked by Grampus to come to try their greyhounds upon his land. Those of them who walked for the most part held two long, lean dogs on a string, while one or two carried dead hares. They were dreadful-looking hares that seemed to have been bitten all over; at least their coats were wet and broken. I shivered at the sight of them, feeling sure that I was going to be put to some new kind of torture.

Besides the men on foot were those on horseback, among whom Irecognised the Red-faced Man and my enemy, the dreadful Tom. Most of the others were people called farmers, who seemed very happy and excited and from time to time drank something out of little bottles which they passed to each other. Giles was not there. Now I know that this was because he hated coursing, which killed down hares. Hares, he thought, out to be shot, not coursed.

Whilst I watched, wondering what to do, there was a shout of "There she goes!" and all the long dogs began to pull at their strings. Off the necks of two of them the collars seemed to fall, and away they leapt pursuing a hare. The men on the horses galloped after them, but the men on foot remained where they were.

Now I was afraid to get up and run lest they should loose the other dogs on me, so I lay still, till presently I saw the hare coming back towards me, followed by the two dogs whose noses almost touched its tail. It was exhausted and tried to twist and spring away to the right. But as it did so one of the dogs caught it in its mouth and bit it till it died.

同类推荐
  • The Unbearable Bassington

    The Unbearable Bassington

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 雨华盦词话

    雨华盦词话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • CRESSY

    CRESSY

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 春秋左传

    春秋左传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 续幼学歌

    续幼学歌

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 掀翻漫威的男人

    掀翻漫威的男人

    一个混迹在漫威世界里的触手怪。主打幕后流。女主是一对原创的混血姐妹花。
  • 车间传

    车间传

    随着铸造车间平凡岗位上的青年工人——新的一批技校学生到来,在看惯以往技术工人纷纷离开车间,难以留在一线工作的现象而不报希望的时候,郭国柱和他的同学,以及工人师傅们,在车间的生活里,收获着不同的幸福和酸甜。
  • 保持平常心大全集(超值金版)

    保持平常心大全集(超值金版)

    在我们的生活中经常看到,有的人常常在成功的掌声中变得目空一切、得意忘形,有的人则在失败的打击中变得心灰意冷、一蹶不振;有的人在荣誉的光环下变得患得患失、畏首畏尾,有的人因为一时的屈辱把自己整个人生涂得一片漆黑……尽管各不相同,但是都因为缺少了一颗平常心,他们在贫富得失、福祸悲喜面前,既拿不起,也放不下;既输不起,也赢不起。心境失去平静,生活失去平和,整个人生品尝着绵绵无尽的焦虑与惶恐、无奈与苦涩、疲惫与怨怒、失落与惆怅,总是都郁寡欢,终生不得志,总是患得患失,惶恐不安。
  • 妃藏宠爱

    妃藏宠爱

    从死亡边缘爬起来才知道生命可贵,要么一生低调,听之任之;要么摆脱困境,由自己掌握命运之轮。如兮深知,只有强者才能握住自己的命运,在弱肉强食的后宫,她,不能输。帝王的爱能有多少分量,在这个非常时期,她似一颗棋子周旋在两个男人身边,然则回首再望,那份情,是否依然停在原地等待?情节虚构,请勿模仿!
  • 佣兵圣骑大帝

    佣兵圣骑大帝

    半夜王杰打完游戏,关掉电脑沉沉的睡去,醒来后发现来到了另一个世界,“哎呦我去”这是啥情况!佣兵、骑士、贵族、国家、战争,从此在这片战乱的战群雄,成大帝
  • 英雄联盟之永耀传奇

    英雄联盟之永耀传奇

    相似的世界,不同的限韩令。如日中天的ig痛失肉鸡,ts两员大将。面对风云涌动的s8,他们还能像历史中一样爆冷拿下lpl的第一座丰碑吗?华夏一个普通的房间。一个17岁意气风发的天才路人王,对着直播间两百万粉丝亮了亮洁白的牙齿。眼眸中闪烁着银光。“兄弟们,我要打职业!!!”ps:一个少年的电竞梦!
  • 雷武神帝

    雷武神帝

    【全网最火写雷小说】地球特种兵魂穿神武大陆,身怀绝世体质,却被认为是怪胎,受尽屈辱。偶获《九天雷帝诀》相助,从此踏上惊天逆袭之路。以雷炼丹,以雷修武,以雷杀人。人若不服,五雷轰顶!天若不服,雷破苍穹!
  • 不要相信你的耳朵

    不要相信你的耳朵

    你知道的,好多单位都有一个资料室,有的还不止一个;管资料的,要么是个富于图书管理经验的中年妇女,要么是从某个岗位退下来发挥余热的行将退休的小老头儿,还有一种情况就是年纪轻轻;不谙世事的小姑娘,文化不高,没啥本事,甚至长得都不大好看——多半是某个领导的女儿,侄女,小姨子,靠了裙带关系进的单位,又实在没有合适的专业对口部门安插(她压根儿就没有专业可以拿去对口),就放到这么个技术要求不高的岗位上来;在这里呆着的人,往往都很安心,他(她)知道这份工作虽然清贫了点儿,但也轻松,收入也很固定,许多跟自己一样年纪一样文凭一样本事的人都在待岗中。
  • 内战风云一:胜利之初

    内战风云一:胜利之初

    写在前面艰苦卓绝八年抗战,中国人民终于打败日寇,扬眉吐气了。战后,举国上下都渴望休养生息,建设国家。然而,和平竟是短暂的,仅仅十个月后,就爆发了全面内战。三年时间,国家腥风血雨,人民水深火热,国民党政权更是风雨飘摇,最终以败退台湾一隅结束了对中国大陆的统治。历史发生了翻天覆地的转折。从抗战胜利到内战结束,父亲张高峰做大公报记者、特派员,先后在重庆、平津、东北采访,亲历了期间诸多重要事件,发表了大量报道,特别是在内战主战场之一的东北,以及北方政治文化中心北平的经历,更是他记者生涯中最重要的阶段。
  • 一日为师,终生为夫

    一日为师,终生为夫

    “老师,你有女朋友吗?”“没有!”“那男朋友呢?”"……"“我也没有,既然这样那你当我男朋友吧。”“……”“不答应吗?那我委屈一下当你女朋友好了!”肖乔看着眼前这个耍着无赖的学生有些无奈,自他执教以来,他唯一的夙愿就是把木槿这个妖怪给就地正法。木槿看着一脸无奈的肖乔心里暗喜,自他执教以来,她的唯一夙愿就是把肖乔这个衣冠禽兽打回原形。