登陆注册
5421800000112

第112章

Now a low cry of fear rose from the impi, and some turned to fly, but Faku, the captain, a great and brave man, shouted to them, "Stand firm, children of the king, stand firm, these are no Esedowana, these are but the Wolf-Brethren and their pack. What! will ye run from dogs, ye who have laughed at the spears of men? Ring round! Stand fast!"The soldiers heard the voice of their captain, and they obeyed his voice, forming a double circle, a ring within a ring. They looked to the right, there, Groan-Maker aloft, the wolf fangs on his brow, the worn wolf-hide streaming on the wind, Bulalio rushed upon them like a storm, and with him came his red-eyed company. They looked to the left --ah, well they know that mighty Watcher! Have they not heard his strokes down by the river, and well they know the giant who wields it like a wand, the Wolf King, with the strength of ten! Wow! They are here! See the people black and grey, hear them howl their war-chant!

Look how they leap like water--leap in a foam of fangs against the hedge of spears! The circle is broken; Groan-Maker has broken it! Ha!

Galazi also is through the double ring; now must men stand back to back or perish!

How long did it last? Who can say? Time flies fast when blows fall thick. At length the brethren are beaten back; they break out as they broke in, and are gone, with such of their wolf-folk as were left alive. Yet that impi was somewhat the worse, but one-third of those lived who looked on the sun without the forest; the rest lay smitten, torn, mangled, dead, hidden under the heaps of bodies of wild beasts.

"Now this is a battle of evil spirits that live in the shapes of wolves, and as for the Wolf-Brethren, they are sorcerers of the rarest," said Faku the captain, "and such sorcerers I love, for they fight furiously. Yet I will slay them or be slain. At the least, if there be few of us left, the most of the wolves are dead also, and the arms of the wizards grow weary."So he moved forward up the mountain with those of the soldiers who remained, and all the way the wolves harried them, pulling down a man here and a man there; but though they heard and saw them cheering on their pack the Wolf-Brethren attacked them no more, for they saved their strength for the last fight of all.

The road was long up the mountain, and the soldiers knew little of the path, and ever the ghost-wolves harried on their flanks. So it was evening before they came to the feet of the stone Witch, and began to climb to the platform of her knees. There, on her knees as it were, they saw the Wolf-Brethren standing side by side, such a pair as were not elsewhere in the world, and they seemed afire, for the sunset beat upon them, and the wolves crept round their feet, red with blood and fire.

"A glorious pair!" quoth great Faku; "would that I fought with them rather than against them! Yet, they must die!" Then he began to climb to the knees of the Witch.

Now Umslopogaas glanced up at the stone face of her who sat aloft, and it was alight with the sunset.

"Said I not that the old Witch should smile at this fray?" he cried.

"Lo! she smiles! Up, Galazi, let us spend the remnant of our people on the foe, and fight this fight out, man to man, with no beast to spoil it! Ho! Blood and Greysnout! ho! Deathgrip! ho! wood-dwellers grey and black, at them, my children!"The wolves heard; they were few and they were sorry to see, with weariness and wounds, but still they were fierce. With a howl, for the last time they leaped down upon the foe, tearing, harrying, and killing till they themselves were dead by the spear, every one of them except Deathgrip, who crept back sorely wounded to die with Galazi.

同类推荐
  • 昭忠录

    昭忠录

    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。
  • 通玄秘术

    通玄秘术

    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。
  • 大明水记

    大明水记

    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。
  • 环谷集

    环谷集

    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。
  • 明伦汇编家范典叔侄部

    明伦汇编家范典叔侄部

    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
  • 做人活一点

    做人活一点

    成功的机会到处都有,但成功的路上别人对你的阻力和助力的影响是很大的。如果你做人能灵活一点,就能给你带来很多帮助的。 如果你懂得与人相处之道,就可以减少很多敌人,多很多朋友。
  • 身在浮世,心向清欢

    身在浮世,心向清欢

    这本书里,有着26位唐宋文人传奇的一生,以及他们的185首(篇)传世作品。26位文人的生平轶事里,有历史,有政治,有战争,有风俗,让你对一千年前那个充满魅力的时代和那群站成不朽的人们有一个全新而完整的认识。而那185首(篇)作品,作者带着自己的一腔热情和感动,结合当时的时代背景和诗人的经历,跨越时空将它们娓娓道来。
  • 摄大乘论释论

    摄大乘论释论

    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。
  • 较量故事

    较量故事

    无数事实、经验和理性已经证明:好故事可以影响人的一生。而以我们之见,所谓好故事,在内容上讲述的应是做人与处世的道理,在形式上也应听得进、记得住、讲得出、传得开,而且不会因时代的变迁而失去她的本质特征和艺术光彩。为了让更多的读者走进好故事,阅读好故事,欣赏好故事,珍藏好故事,传播好故事,我们特编选了一套“故事会5元精品系列”以飨之。其选择标准主要有以下三点:一、在《故事会》杂志上发表的作品。二、有过目不忘的艺术感染力。三、有恒久的趣味,对今天的读者仍有启迪作用。愿好故事伴随你的一生!
  • 盛宠之一品医妃

    盛宠之一品医妃

    弘昌九年,南梁皇凤祀礼因喋血心疾驾崩。太子凤远珄登基,改年号永兴,立正妃宿帛言为后,封号温禄。永兴二年,正月初,皇帝凤远珄为巩固皇室与千古门第风门联系,以皇后之礼迎风门嫡长女风纱月为妃,封为月妃。彼时,风纱月已身怀六甲。腹中胎儿,自不是凤远珄血脉,于是,太后不允,朝臣不赞同,凤远珄听之视而不见,躁动之人见帝王威严,遂不再异议。三月,月妃诞下一女,帝为之取名云浅,赐字清寒……
  • 为后不恭

    为后不恭

    当这年头,“穿越”无时无刻的发生着,车祸穿、摔崖穿、睡觉穿、就连打个盹都能穿……如果一个不小心竟然穿成了亡国的公主,还不得已嫁给了俊美邪气的皇上,更无奈的是,皇上竟然不爱她还让她做苦力,这算不算倒霉?她接受不了这种赤裸裸虐待,这简直是侮辱自己的人格,她不想过这种没前途的日子,她要反抗,要让那个自以为是的男人败在自己脚下……
  • 喂!你的青春到期了

    喂!你的青春到期了

    到头来,青春,只不过是与自己的一笔买卖。
  • 咋的,就死缠烂打

    咋的,就死缠烂打

    于薇在一次偶然机会下认识了投资商何汝穆、并被安排做他导游,从此就一发不可收拾,狂追。直到多年以后,于薇再回想起这一段往事,不禁跟儿女傲娇感慨得瑟,“知道么,作为一个女人,有时候不能太矜持了……看没看见,你们崇拜的老爹就是再腹黑再毒舌再优质,不还是被我给收服了?!”
  • 英雄传奇

    英雄传奇

    作为一个魔法天才的哥哥,张雄知道自己必须要更努力才行。既然弟弟学了魔法,那作为哥哥的自己自然是以武学为重。他能打出世上最好的剑,磨出世上最锋锐的刀,他只是一个铁匠的儿子,却以武踏世界!
  • 琴操

    琴操

    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。