登陆注册
5421800000085

第85章

There, my father, I am old. What have I do with the battle any more, with the battle and its joy? Yet it is better to die in such a fight as that than to live any other way. I have seen such--I have seen many such. Oh! we could fight when I was a man, my father, but none that Iknew could ever fight like Umslopogaas the Slaughterer, son of Chaka, and his blood-brother Galazi the Wolf! So, so! they swept them away, those Halakazi; they swept them as a maid sweeps the dust of a hut, as the wind sweeps the withered leaves. It was soon done when once it was begun. Some were fled and some were dead, and this was the end of that fight. No, no, not of all the war. The Halakazi were worsted in the field, but many lived to win the great cave, and there the work must be finished. Thither, then, went the Slaughterer presently, with such of his impi as was left to him. Alas! many were killed; but how could they have died better than in that fight? Also those who were left were as good as all, for now they knew that they should not be overcome easily while Axe and Club still led the way.

Now they stood before a hill, measuring, perhaps, three thousand paces round its base. It was of no great height, and yet unclimbable, for, after a man had gone up a little way, the sides of it were sheer, offering no foothold except to the rock-rabbits and the lizards. No one was to be seen without this hill, nor in the great kraal of the Halakazi that lay to the east of it, and yet the ground about was trampled with the hoofs of oxen and the feet of men, and from within the mountain came a sound of lowing cattle.

"Here is the nest of Halakazi," quoth Galazi the Wolf.

"Here is the nest indeed," said Umslopogaas; "but how shall we come at the eggs to suck them? There are no branches on this tree.""But there is a hole in the trunk," answered the Wolf.

Now he led them a little way till they came to a place where the soil was trampled as it is at the entrance to a cattle kraal, and they saw that there was a low cave which led into the cliff, like an archway such as you white men build. but this archway was filled up with great blocks of stone placed upon each other in such a fashion that it could not be forced from without. After the cattle were driven in it had been filled up.

"We cannot enter here," said Galazi. "Follow me."So they followed him, and came to the north side of the mountain, and there, two spear-casts away, a soldier was standing. But when he saw them he vanished suddenly.

"There is the place," said Galazi, "and the fox has gone to earth in it."Now they ran to the spot and saw a little hole in the rock, scarcely bigger than an ant-bear's burrow, and through the hole came sounds and some light.

"Now where is the hyena who will try a new burrow?" cried Umslopogaas.

"A hundred head of cattle to the man who wins through and clears the way!"Then two young men sprang forward who were flushed with victory and desired nothing more than to make a great name and win cattle, crying:--"Here are hyenas, Bulalio."

"To earth, then!" said Umslopogaas, "and let him who wins through hold the path awhile till others follow."The two young men sprang at the hole, and he who reached it first went down upon his hands and knees and crawled in, lying on his shield and holding his spear before him. For a little while the light in the burrow vanished, and they heard the sound of his crawling. Then came the noise of blows, and once more light crept through the hole. The man was dead.

"This one had a bad snake," said the second soldier; "his snake deserted him. Let me see if mine is better."So down he went on his hands and knees, and crawled as the first had done, only he put his shield over his head. For awhile they heard him crawling, then once more came the sound of blows echoing on the ox-hide shield, and after the blows groans. He was dead also, yet it seemed that they had left his body in the hole, for now no light came through. This was the cause, my father: when they struck the man he had wriggled back a little way and died there, and none had entered from the farther side to drag him out.

Now the soldiers stared at the mouth of the passage and none seemed to love the look of it, for this was but a poor way to die. Umslopogaas and Galazi also looked at it, thinking.

同类推荐
  • 广志

    广志

    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。
  • 杨柳枝词

    杨柳枝词

    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。
  • 儿科萃精

    儿科萃精

    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。
  • 李氏小池亭十二韵

    李氏小池亭十二韵

    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。
  • 大乘理趣六波罗蜜多经

    大乘理趣六波罗蜜多经

    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
  • 佛说普贤菩萨陀罗尼经

    佛说普贤菩萨陀罗尼经

    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。
  • 艾泽拉斯的黎明玫瑰

    艾泽拉斯的黎明玫瑰

    “奎尔萨拉斯正获取优势,现在是我们一万年来最光辉的时刻!”“日头之下,无人能及高等精灵的荣光,从荆棘谷的海角,到希尔斯布莱德的旷野。从希利苏斯的沙丘到海加尔山的脚下,到处遍及着我们的足迹!”“我们的国家无比繁荣,我们的军队无比强大!”“现在,迎接属于你们的时刻...黎明玫瑰的时代已经到来,并且即将获得胜利!”“这是我们一起缔造的伟大时代,不论是人类还是精灵,不论长着蹄子或者獠牙,这个崭新的时代,属于我们所有人!”阴暗的街巷中回荡着夏芮丝的演说,清晨的浓雾将整座奈拉玛笼罩,自而坐冰冷的城市中人类居民瘦骨嶙峋衣不蔽体,即使白日也难见阳光。而那些华丽的精灵马车仓促驶过,从不停留。
  • 魔界密闻之太虚传说

    魔界密闻之太虚传说

    生既然不能相伴,那就在死的时候永远相守在一起,不离不弃……
  • 光宣诗坛点将录

    光宣诗坛点将录

    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。
  • 科技新潮(走进科学)

    科技新潮(走进科学)

    本套书全面而系统地介绍了当今世界各种各样的难解之谜和科学技术,集知识性、趣味性、新奇性、疑问性与科普性于一体,深入浅出,生动可读,通俗易懂,目的是使广大读者在兴味盎然地领略世界难解之谜和科学技术的同时,能够加深思考,启迪智慧,开阔视野,增加知识,能够正确了解和认识这个世界,激发求知的欲望和探索的精神,激起热爱科学和追求科学的热情,不断掌握开启人类世界的金钥匙,不断推动人类社会向前发展,使我们真正成为人类社会的主人。
  • 旧爱重提

    旧爱重提

    两年的婚姻里,他们虽然没有爱得天昏地暗,但夫妻间的事他们一样也没少做。然而,突然有一天,在她发现她已经不能没有他的时候,他让律师给她送来了一份离婚协议书……自此,她落魄,穷困,再也走不进他的世界。终于知道,原来,他们曾有过的婚姻,自始至终都只是他为了深爱的女人与她父亲进行的一场交易……相隔四年,在她以为彼此再无交集的时刻,命运却再一次让她遇见他……而这一次,不愿放手的却是他!
  • 静待花开盼君归

    静待花开盼君归

    她是钱庄大小姐许林茵,年幼时遇到了自家管家收养的少年王小虎,是命运的安排让他们相遇,相知,懵懂的年纪也许还未明白什么是爱的时候又让他们分开,但自那时起,他们便开始彼此相惜,哪怕王小虎离开了,许林茵依然坚信他会回来,她能做的,只有等待。再次遇见,他不再是王小虎,而是当朝威风凛凛的四皇子北清王,他实现了自己当初的诺言,并且娶了许林茵,但却让她做了他的妾!人道海水深,不低相思半。海水尚有涯,相思渺无畔。这便是许林茵苦苦等待的结果吗?如花美眷,似水流年,回得了过去,回不了当初。许林茵能接受这样的安排吗?这一定是哪里出了错!
  • 中华营养百味:美女养颜食谱

    中华营养百味:美女养颜食谱

    你是不是天生的美女,是不是天生丽质,这都没有关系,要知道世上没有丑女人,只有懒女人。赶快将自卑驱逐门外,翻开这本《美女养颜食谱》,看看书中都有哪些养颜的秘密吧!先透露一点,这是一本关于食谱的养颜书籍,让你在一日三餐中不知不觉变美人!不相信有这么容易的事吗?那就请你亲自打开书一睹真相吧!
  • 修仙炼道传

    修仙炼道传

    一个平凡的宗门少年只因救下了一个老乞丐,无端遭受迫害,却因此踏上修真界的故事。
  • 一二

    一二

    作者用倒叙的手法讲述了雷力母亲的一生。这个女人怨恨自己的丈夫却依然选择撑起整个家;与儿女关系恶劣却依然不顾一切地为女儿讨回公道;厌恶妹妹的女儿,也就是自己的侄女,却依然收留并照顾她。这样一个在雷力眼中的“女魔头”,骨子里却有着不为外人道的坚强。而与母亲关系僵持、已有十年不来往的雷力,在为母亲奔丧期间,也慢慢地了解了母亲的一生,释然了很多道理。