登陆注册
5255300000020

第20章 THE STORY OF KEESH(1)

KEESH lived long ago on the rim of the polar sea, was head man of his village through many and prosperous years, and died full of honors with his name on the lips of men. So long ago did he live that only the old men remember his name, his name and the tale, which they got from the old men before them, and which the old men to come will tell to their children and their children's children down to the end of time. And the winter darkness, when the north gales make their long sweep across the ice-pack, and the air is filled with flying white, and no man may venture forth, is the chosen time for the telling of how Keesh, from the poorest IGLOO in the village, rose to power and place over them all.

He was a bright boy, so the tale runs, healthy and strong, and he had seen thirteen suns, in their way of reckoning time. For each winter the sun leaves the land in darkness, and the next year a new sun returns so that they may be warm again and look upon one another's faces. The father of Keesh had been a very brave man, but he had met his death in a time of famine, when he sought to save the lives of his people by taking the life of a great polar bear. In his eagerness he came to close grapples with the bear, and his bones were crushed; but the bear had much meat on him and the people were saved. Keesh was his only son, and after that Keesh lived alone with his mother. But the people are prone to forget, and they forgot the deed of his father; and he being but a boy, and his mother only a woman, they, too, were swiftly forgotten, and ere long came to live in the meanest of all the IGLOOS.

It was at a council, one night, in the big IGLOO of Klosh-Kwan, the chief, that Keesh showed the blood that ran in his veins and the manhood that stiffened his back. With the dignity of an elder, he rose to his feet, and waited for silence amid the babble of voices.

"It is true that meat be apportioned me and mine," he said. "But it is ofttimes old and tough, this meat, and, moreover, it has an unusual quantity of bones."

The hunters, grizzled and gray, and lusty and young, were aghast.

The like had never been known before. A child, that talked like a grown man, and said harsh things to their very faces!

But steadily and with seriousness, Keesh went on. "For that I know my father, Bok, was a great hunter, I speak these words. It is said that Bok brought home more meat than any of the two best hunters, that with his own hands he attended to the division of it, that with his own eyes he saw to it that the least old woman and the last old man received fair share."

"Na! Na!" the men cried. "Put the child out!" "Send him off to bed!" "He is no man that he should talk to men and graybeards!"

He waited calmly till the uproar died down.

"Thou hast a wife, Ugh-Gluk," he said, "and for her dost thou speak. And thou, too, Massuk, a mother also, and for them dost thou speak. My mother has no one, save me; wherefore I speak. As I say, though Bok be dead because he hunted over-keenly, it is just that I, who am his son, and that Ikeega, who is my mother and was his wife, should have meat in plenty so long as there be meat in plenty in the tribe. I, Keesh, the son of Bok, have spoken."

He sat down, his ears keenly alert to the flood of protest and indignation his words had created.

"That a boy should speak in council!" old Ugh-Gluk was mumbling.

"Shall the babes in arms tell us men the things we shall do?"

Massuk demanded in a loud voice. "Am I a man that I should be made a mock by every child that cries for meat?"

The anger boiled a white heat. They ordered him to bed, threatened that he should have no meat at all, and promised him sore beatings for his presumption. Keesh's eyes began to flash, and the blood to pound darkly under his skin. In the midst of the abuse he sprang to his feet.

"Hear me, ye men!" he cried. "Never shall I speak in the council again, never again till the men come to me and say, 'It is well, Keesh, that thou shouldst speak, it is well and it is our wish.'

Take this now, ye men, for my last word. Bok, my father, was a great hunter. I, too, his son, shall go and hunt the meat that I eat. And be it known, now, that the division of that which I kill shall be fair. And no widow nor weak one shall cry in the night because there is no meat, when the strong men are groaning in great pain for that they have eaten overmuch. And in the days to come there shall be shame upon the strong men who have eaten overmuch.

I, Keesh, have said it!"

Jeers and scornful laughter followed him out of the IGLOO, but his jaw was set and he went his way, looking neither to right nor left.

The next day he went forth along the shore-line where the ice and the land met together. Those who saw him go noted that he carried his bow, with a goodly supply of bone-barbed arrows, and that across his shoulder was his father's big hunting-spear. And there was laughter, and much talk, at the event. It was an unprecedented occurrence. Never did boys of his tender age go forth to hunt, much less to hunt alone. Also were there shaking of heads and prophetic mutterings, and the women looked pityingly at Ikeega, and her face was grave and sad.

"He will be back ere long," they said cheeringly.

"Let him go; it will teach him a lesson," the hunters said. "And he will come back shortly, and he will be meek and soft of speech in the days to follow."

But a day passed, and a second, and on the third a wild gale blew, and there was no Keesh. Ikeega tore her hair and put soot of the seal-oil on her face in token of her grief; and the women assailed the men with bitter words in that they had mistreated the boy and sent him to his death; and the men made no answer, preparing to go in search of the body when the storm abated.

Early next morning, however, Keesh strode into the village. But he came not shamefacedly. Across his shoulders he bore a burden of fresh-killed meat. And there was importance in his step and arrogance in his speech.

"Go, ye men, with the dogs and sledges, and take my trail for the better part of a day's travel," he said. "There is much meat on the ice - a she-bear and two half-grown cubs."

同类推荐
  • 六十种曲东郭记

    六十种曲东郭记

    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。
  • 樊山政书

    樊山政书

    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。
  • 唐易州龙兴观道德经碑文

    唐易州龙兴观道德经碑文

    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。
  • 陶说说今篇

    陶说说今篇

    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。
  • 春秋公羊傳

    春秋公羊傳

    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
  • 妖孽王爷太难驯

    妖孽王爷太难驯

    她,前世是杀手,冷冰冰的没有经历过任何感情,但是她却拥有所谓的“阴阳眼”他,是幻国的妖孽王爷,有一双异色的眼眸,但这双眼眸,只有一人才能看见——————————————第一次见面:小溪边,洁白的躯体暴露在某男的眼底下,他第一次感受到了心里的悸动,他邪魅的勾起唇角,露出一抹笑意,“…做我的女人。”她身上不着寸缕,没有半分羞涩,只是抬头看着他,柳叶眉微皱,“你的眼睛…”他笑意不减,身体微不可查的怔了怔,接着又听她说,“…很漂亮。”第二次见面:“女人,你似乎一点也不害怕。”他玩味的打量着姿色平凡的她,鲜少有人能够接近他而不打冷颤的,他知道自己的特殊体质。她面无表情的在他旁边看了看,突然来了一句,“王爷,你身边很热闹…”赐婚篇:传闻,丞相家的第五个女儿是个面瘫,且姿色平平,然而这样的一个女子却被皇上赐婚给了当朝的妖孽王爷,于是,引来无数女子的心碎和谩骂,于是,她终年面瘫的脸上,出现了一丝龟裂。“舞儿,不喜欢做我的王妃么?”他招摇着一张妖孽般的脸,亲密的搂着她的腰问道。他体质特殊,周围总是围绕着看不见的东西,且与他接近的人,都忍受不了他周身的阴冷气息,唯独她…她似乎是一个例外,她竟然可以看见他的眼眸和他周围隐藏的“东西”,而且也不怕他的寒冷,最后,他竟贪恋上了她身上的温暖。女人,这辈子你是我的了…王爷,你愿意被我驯服么…——————————————这里是兔子,本人简介无能,内容精彩!
  • 我与拽王子的甜蜜爱恋

    我与拽王子的甜蜜爱恋

    她,外表坚强,内心温柔;他,腹黑冷漠,霸道邪魅。柔弱的她在开学的第一天就惹上了他,不过,她却笑他:有什么了不起的啊,你不就是个子高了点,长得帅了点,脾气冷了点,功夫厉害了点,还有什么呀!切,告诉你,我李雨萱不怕你```````哼!
  • 长城守卫军的诞生

    长城守卫军的诞生

    她又不是有意去买醉,也没干什么伤天害理的大事,只不过失个恋泡了个吧,走回家的时候脚踏了个空,怎么就突然人生地不熟呢。梦中那不甘的情绪,和深埋在自己梦中的背影陌生的地方,熟悉的人。
  • 篮下我为王

    篮下我为王

    人生至此,你是否觉得遗憾?如果给你一个机会,你愿意重塑你的人生吗?当你带着系统回到过去,得到一副无人可敌的身体,你要做什么?锄强扶弱?拯救世界?带领人类冲出银河系?或者每天准时扶老奶奶过马路什么的?算了吧!我没那么伟大,我就是想自由自在地活着,顺便成为NBA历史上最伟大的球员。我要为所欲为,爱我的人加倍爱我,恨我的人睡觉都在咒骂我!既然你想看我的故事,你必须知道以下几件事:詹姆斯的时代不会到来。杜兰特唯一的夺冠方式就是加入我。至于那个摇头晃脑的小学生我他妈连提都不想提,我要打十个!
  • 火影之平民忍者

    火影之平民忍者

    小明穿越了,来到了火影忍者的世界,成为一名平民忍者,开启了一段不平凡的人生!企鹅群:1688892!
  • 星际大唐

    星际大唐

    “我把自己体内的力量,全部都传给了你,我抱着最后的希望,我希望我自己全部的力量能够唤醒,你血脉中皇者的力量,让你能进化到我们族内传说中太阳战士的地步,可惜在你的体内只是有我的力量,没有看到丝毫进化的迹象,我们灭族血仇在也不能够报了,太阳一族到你是真正的完结。”
  • 火影之朝佚千名

    火影之朝佚千名

    新书发布《网游之争霸万界》,求收藏,求各种支持。————————————————————穿越到火影世界的朝佚千名,从一个战争孤儿,靠着熟知未来走势,和精密的算计,一步一步走到忍界最强。……书友群:183375179
  • 马桶蹦出个美猴王:战国奇缘

    马桶蹦出个美猴王:战国奇缘

    穿越战国,带你进入一个新的西游世界!什么猪八戒,沙悟净,龙王三太子,白骨精,蜘蛛精等,所有熟悉的人物,经过重新包装,重金打造,一番彻底的改头换面,均以全新的造型,隆重登场!风骚妖艳的狐狸精,丰满性感的白骨精,妩媚动人的蜘蛛精,纯洁无暇的小龙女,风流倜傥的龙王三太子等!绝对让你难以想象,荡气回肠,叹为难止!故事精彩不断,情节新颖搞笑,绝对让人耳目一新,爆笑连连!废话不多说了,让我们一起穿越吧!
  • 机甲进化传说

    机甲进化传说

    少年无意之中进入基里亚斯世界,成为了魔灵机神的机师,和朋友们一起战斗,成长,之后偶然遇到外星人,与先进的外星文明接触,又陷入已经延续了几百年的星际战争中,最后又戏剧化地与数量惊人的太空怪兽战斗……然而,主宰战争的力量就是——机甲!
  • 我是快乐交往达人

    我是快乐交往达人

    友谊,是人生最珍贵的感情之一,古今中外无数诗人写 出了无数优美的诗句去赞美和歌颂它,我们也徜徉其中,感 受着它的魅力。