Caesar & Hussein: Two Classic Novels from the Author of MASTER AND COMMANDER. Patrick O’Brian
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low along the ground. Then I sprang straight at him.
With a shriek of fear he struck at me with a stick, and missed. We fell together, but his skull was cracked like an egg-shell. It was ridiculously easy to kill him.
Then something inside me made me want to roar, and tell the world that I had killed a man. So I roared for the first time. I was almost frightened at the sound I made, and the effect I made on the pigs and goats who had not already disappeared was magical. They ran for the boulders like the wind, and I never thought there was such speed in a pig until I saw them run that day. It was wonderful.
Then I looked down at the man. He had the strangest skin I had ever seen. It was loose and of all colours. Later I got to know that they were clothes, but at the time I was puzzled. He also smelt very strongly, so I left him and went to seek the pig which also smelt of men, but not so badly.
But I was hungry and made no bones about it. I dragged it under a bush and made a good meal, but before I had got half-way through the pig I observed a number of men coming out of the huts — for such were the boulders. It was evident that they were coming to investigate the cause of the sudden return of the flocks.
I saw that they were too many for me to deal with, so dragging the pig into some bushes, I made for a cluster of rocks which would hide me and yet allow me to see what was going on. Once among the rocks I was quite safe, for my coat matched the dull grey perfectly, so I lay in a sort of natural tunnel in which I was invisible. But through a small hole in the farther end I could see what was happening.
The men approached the body of the herdsman, which I had forgotten to hide. This seemed to anger them, and then they examined my tracks, and one old man, a hunter I believe, followed them as far as the place where I had left the pig. It was plain that these men were very foolish, for the wind was blowing from me to them. And if they had had any sense at all they would have smelt me at once.
They found the pig, or rather half of it, and set up a chattering like a lot of frenzied monkeys. They appeared more concerned about the pig than about the man.
Then they held a consultation like I have seen the monkeys do, all speaking at once.
Finally, however, two of them ran back to the village, and after about five minutes returned with five large animals that looked rather like wolves — I found out later they were dogs. The creatures were led to the place where the pig had been found, and they then picked up my track.
Slowly but surely they got nearer and nearer to my retreat, until they reached the first of the rocks. When they got as far as this I turned round in the tunnel and charged out. I took them by surprise, killing one dog and scattering the rest.
Once past the dogs it was plain sailing, for none of the men cared to follow me, even if they could. The dogs pursued me but had little chance of catching me, for though they could run nearly as fast as I, they could not keep it up. I shook off the dogs in about a quarter of an hour, all except one which was of a different breed from the rest, having longer legs and a slimmer body. After running at a breakneck speed for about four minutes, I suddenly leaped into the air, and on landing spread out all my feet and stopped suddenly. The dog could not stop and went careering on in front of me. Then in a few moments I had him pinned down, and despatched him at once. Then I made for the stream to put off the scent, and swam awkwardly down it for a little way.
On getting out I decided to go back to the old cave where I was born, but on reflection I thought that the cave in the side of the bank was more comfortable and nearer the herds. I went towards it, but I had forgotten the jackals who lived there, so I got a shock when on entry they mistook me for something small and set upon me. They soon discovered their mistake, however.
One fled for the stream, and reaching the bank he could not stop and plunged right in, nearly getting drowned. The other got his neck in the way of my teeth, so he made no more mistakes.
That night I slept well, but I woke feeling very hungry, and I thought of going up to the village again; but on reflection I decided not to, as they were sure to be waiting for me. So I decided to go up the mountain, where I knew there were plenty of ibex to be found, and also mountain sheep.
On my way up I passed the old cave. About three hundred feet above the cave the grass ended. Then I was in the part of the mountain which the ibex favoured, where I saw the tracks of a troop of about twenty of them. The tracks led upwards, and soon I found myself in the region where the snow began. I was on a ledge between a sheer face of rock and a drop of six hundred feet, a ledge about a yard wide between the bare rock and destruction. After I had got about one hundred yards, a part of the ledge on which my two hind legs had been resting gave way, and I had barely time to jump forward when about six feet of the thin ledge behind me fell down with a terrific crash.
Now it was impossible for me to go back, as I dare not try to jump, so I went on along the ledge. Soon I came to a corner, and round it I thought I saw one of the ibex disappear. The ledge became a little wider, so I put on a spurt, and rounding the corner I came face to face with a man.
I saw my opportunity and took it. He only looked up for about a second, but I had time to knock him over the edge, and he went scrambling over the side. As he fell he threw out his arms and obtained a grip on the ledge, and there he hung.
Slowly the fingers began to slip, then his right hand lost its hold. His face assumed a horrible expression, and with a despairing cry he slipped, and when I looked over I could only see a heap, which didn’t move.
Then, feeling rather sick, I followed the ledge along and at last came out on a high, bare plain, which was just below the region of snow, where a flock of mountain goats were feeding on the sparse vegetation.
I took advantage of all the cover that there was, but the goats were up-wind of me, so they got my scent before I had time to get very near. The sentinel gave the alarm, and off they went like the wind, going straight up the mountain-side on to the rocks that I couldn’t reach. I caught a kid, however, and picking it up started the return journey. Before I had gone one hundred yards, however, I felt something like a sharp-pointed thunderbolt in my rear quarters. I turned to face this new enemy, and I saw that it was the kid’s mother.
Dropping the kid I awaited the attack of the furious goat. I knew how strong the mother-love was in goats, so I knew that she would fight to the end.
She charged with her long horns lowered. I darted to one side, and with my paw I got in a blow which ripped her open to the shoulder-bone. Then wonderfully quickly she turned and gored me in the side. I leaped clear, and we stood panting and looking at each other for a second. Then I charged, and leaping on to her back I broke her neck.
Then I took up the kid again, and set off home, but by another route. On my way I found my wound was beginning to hurt, so I rested and licked it awhile, thinking as I did so that it was rather curious that I should be wounded by a goat.
I did not notice, however, that the sky was rapidly darkening, so when I started again I had to hurry, for I knew there was about to be a storm. Everything was very quiet, and I was vaguely alarmed, for I had not experienced anything like it before.
Then a cold wind began to hum through the pines, and I began to run as fast as I possibly could towards home. The pain in my side increased, and so did my terror, when I suddenly came within sight of the old cave. Then the storm broke with a blinding flash of lightning and a formidable roll of thunder.
I was not more than twenty yards from the cave, but I was soaked through before reaching it. In the cave I found three hares and a faun, which all darted out when they saw me. Then I lay down and watched the storm.