登陆注册
5264700000027

第27章 Chapter 5(7)

The huge creature had charged us without warning from a clump of dense bushes where it was lying up after eating. It was met with an avalanche of spears, some of which passed entirely through its body, with such force were they hurled. The charge was from a very short distance, requiring the use of the spear rather than the bow and arrow; but after the launching of the spears, the men not directly in the path of the charge sent bolt after bolt into the great carcass with almost incredible rapidity.

The beast, screaming with pain and rage, bore down upon Chal-az while I stood helpless with my rifle for fear of hitting one of the warriors who were closing in upon it. But Chal-az was ready.

Throwing aside his bow, he crouched behind his large oval shield, in the center of which was a hole about six inches in diameter.

The shield was held by tight loops to his left arm, while in his right hand he grasped his heavy knife. Bristling with spears and arrows, the great cat hurled itself upon the shield, and down went Chal-az upon his back with the shield entirely covering him.

The tiger clawed and bit at the heavy rhinoceros hide with which the shield was faced, while Chal-az, through the round hole in the shield's center, plunged his blade repeatedly into the vitals of the savage animal. Doubtless the battle would have gone to Chal-az even though I had not interfered; but the moment that I saw a clean opening, with no Kro-lu beyond, I raised my rifle and killed the beast.

When Chal-az arose, he glanced at the sky and remarked that it looked like rain. The others already had resumed the march toward the village. The incident was closed. For some unaccountable reason the whole thing reminded me of a friend who once shot a cat in his backyard. For three weeks he talked of nothing else.

It was almost dark when we reached the village--a large palisaded enclosure of several hundred leaf-thatched huts set in groups of from two to seven. The huts were hexagonal in form, and where grouped were joined so that they resembled the cells of a bee-hive. One hut meant a warrior and his mate, and each additional hut in a group indicated an additional female.

The palisade which surrounded the village was of logs set close together and woven into a solid wall with tough creepers which were planted at their base and trained to weave in and out to bind the logs together. The logs slanted outward at an angle of about thirty degrees, in which position they were held by shorter logs embedded in the ground at right angles to them and with their upper ends supporting the longer pieces a trifle above their centers of equilibrium. Along the top of the palisade sharpened stakes had been driven at all sorts of angles.

The only opening into the inclosure was through a small aperture three feet wide and three feet high, which was closed from the inside by logs about six feet long laid horizontally, one upon another, between the inside face of the palisade and two other braced logs which paralleled the face of the wall upon the inside.

As we entered the village, we were greeted by a not unfriendly crowd of curious warriors and women, to whom Chal-az generously explained the service we had rendered him, whereupon they showered us with the most well-meant attentions, for Chal-az, it seemed, was a most popular member of the tribe. Necklaces of lion and tiger-teeth, bits of dried meat, finely tanned hides and earthen pots, beautifully decorated, they thrust upon us until we were loaded down, and all the while Al-tan glared balefully upon us, seemingly jealous of the attentions heaped upon us because we had served Chal-az.

At last we reached a hut that they set apart for us, and there we cooked our meat and some vegetables the women brought us, and had milk from cows--the first I had had in Caspak--and cheese from the milk of wild goats, with honey and thin bread made from wheat flour of their own grinding, and grapes and the fermented juice of grapes. It was quite the most wonderful meal I had eaten since I quit the Toreador and Bowen J.

Tyler's colored chef, who could make pork-chops taste like chicken, and chicken taste like heaven.

同类推荐
  • Her Prairie Knight

    Her Prairie Knight

    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。
  • 田家历

    田家历

    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。
  • 太公金匮

    太公金匮

    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。
  • 清史稿

    清史稿

    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。
  • 困学斋杂录

    困学斋杂录

    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
  • 不是爱情的爱情

    不是爱情的爱情

    三月下旬的一天,许雯总算在电话里听到了史蒙的声音。和平常一样,藏匿了近两个月之久的他不知又从哪冒出来。他说刚下飞机,正在机场的餐厅吃东西。还问许雯想不想过去一起吃?跑到机场吃饭?亏他想得出。对史蒙的即兴之举,许雯倒是司空见惯。但屁颠屁颠地一听他的声音就赶过去,做女人也不能太没分。何况,临走前他们还吵了一架呢。“恐怕不行,我正上班呐。”她声音颤颤的说。“唔,我有两个月没说人话了。”他说。“没错,你从来都只说鬼话。”许雯泄愤似地甩了一句。
  • 汉末之吕布再世

    汉末之吕布再世

    并州飞将吕奉先,身长九尺,膂力过人,手中一杆方天戟,就是天下无双。————————————新书已发《三国之我去买个橘子》简介:奉先,你在此地不要走动。面对战败的诸侯们,董卓伸出了他的大手,脸上带有笑容,不计前嫌的说着:“来,做我儿子吧!”——————————每天早晚两更,请大家多多支持。
  • 傲娇竹马轻点哄

    傲娇竹马轻点哄

    每个人都在等自己的真命天子。真命天子是什么?大概就是那个会和你一起慢慢变老的人,那个会让你生气但是同时又开心的人,那个你很宝贝的人,那个会一直爱着你陪着你守护你的人,那个不知道在多远未来等着你的人。这是一个记录爱情片段的文,一天一个爱情短篇小故事,让你相信爱情,每天变身柠檬精!你们也可以来找我投稿,给我提供素材,告诉我你和他或她的故事。你和星星一样让人心动。
  • 凄月寒清

    凄月寒清

    自她出生时便遭到所有人的憎恨。本应是天之骄子的她,却早早入山,幸而在师傅的庇护下活泼开朗,当所有人的小太阳,但在那个战乱的年代,遇到身世悲惨,千年冰山的他,能否用柔情化开他的一腔仇恨……
  • 村长和他的助手们

    村长和他的助手们

    村虽然是村民们居住的一个小单位,但麻雀虽小,五脏俱全,里面有着无数的大小事,关系着一村人的命运。张振生被推选上村长后,历经了风风雨雨,到处是悬崖峭壁,深渊险壑,他能踏平了前进路上的沟沟坎坎,使村子朝着健康、正确的方向发展吗?
  • 黄瓜地的沙沙声

    黄瓜地的沙沙声

    羊群懒洋洋地上了温泉小路,就停下了。太阳早落山了,德央仍感到了那个女人又黑又浓的长发和阳光辉映着。她双腿修长,腰身纤细,背对着羊群,站在温泉招待所门前。她始终没回头,像是和里面的人说话呢。羊群等得不耐烦了,又迈开步子,向一间被群山和河流包围的小屋靠近。这是尼姑仁杰拉姆的家。主人走了十几天,屋里冷冷清清的,德央摸摸陶火罐,都凉透了。吃过晚饭,德央来到温泉招待所,正遇上服务员。德央说,家里太冷了,给我弄点牛粪火吧?服务员听不懂拉萨话,愣愣地瞪着眼睛,后来,抬起手,拉德央进了里面。
  • 九字剑经

    九字剑经

    何谓江湖,吟到恩仇心事涌,江湖侠骨已无多!何谓江湖,尘世如潮人如水,只叹江湖几人回!
  • 资本的逻辑:应对风险的黄金定律

    资本的逻辑:应对风险的黄金定律

    经济萧条是否是经济转型时期中不可避免的一部分呢?过去35年来经济所获得的空前发展,为这一疑问奠定了基础。在转型时期,生产交换的方法和工具会发生变化,并增加有效的产品及设备;然而,新环境的适应也会造成混乱和损失。研究所谓的危机和萧条的周期,并调查这些纷乱的发生是否的确有其规律性,是一份不无裨益的工作。
  • 旭乱三国

    旭乱三国

    汉末之时,群雄并起。刘旭,一个来自二十一世纪的灵魂穿越者,且看他是如何在这乱世之中,与群星争辉,延续我汉家的辉煌!(开了一本新书:三国之白波风云)
  • 幽默心理和幽默逻辑

    幽默心理和幽默逻辑

    《幽默心理和幽默逻辑》主要内容包括:交流之难源于人性本身、幽默、诡辩和雄辩、把颠倒黑白的胡话转化为幽默等主要幽默心理相关概述。