CHAPTER XII.
A HUNTER'S PLEASURE AND A HUNTER'S PAIN.
Eric took great care not to change Roland's bold and determinedcharacter into one of morbid enthusiasm. He interposed between thestudies an equal measure of physical exercise, fencing, leaping,riding, swimming, and rowing. He was glad that he had to call in noother teacher, and he gained new strength, and maintained his constantintercourse with his pupil, by taking the lead in these recreations.
With Fassbender's help, he also taught Roland to take measurements outof doors. Fassbender was extremely skilful in such work, but heconstantly showed a humble submissiveness towards Roland, which causedEric much vexation; and when he said one day that he should tell hisfriend Knopf how industrious and clever Roland was, the boy tossed hishead in displeasure. He evidently wished to hear nothing more of Knopf;perhaps, too, he had something in his memory of which he would notspeak to Eric.
Eric laid out a shooting-ground for Roland also, not wishing towithdraw him from his accustomed life out of doors, where he had rovedat pleasure; only it was distinctly understood that exercise in theopen air was to come after mental work, never before it.
One great difficulty lay in moderating Roland's passion for hunting.Eric did not wish to repress it altogether, but only to keep it withindue limits. Now, in midsummer, there was only rabbit-hunting, and Clauscame to take Roland out with him. Former teachers had left Roland to goalone with the huntsman, but Eric accompanied them, and Roland drew innew life as they went through the vineyards.
Eric's attention was roused at hearing Claus say that Manna had been anextremely bold rider, even as a little child, and afterwards as agrowing girl, and that her father had always taken her with him on ahunt, where she showed the wildest spirit. Rose and Thistle were thedogs which had belonged to her, and now whenever they heard her name,they noticed it directly, and looked sharply round as if expecting her.
Eric would have liked to ask how it happened that a bold and spiritedgirl, who delighted in hunting, could now be living like a penitent ina convent. It was hard to bring this picture of her, hunting with hergun and with her dogs, into harmony with the picture of the wingedapparition. But he took care to ask Roland no questions, and behaved tothe huntsman as if he had known it all before.
His father had left Roland his favorite dogs, Rose and Thistle; theywere small, but powerfully built, with broad chest and strong back, andthey appeared to understand when Roland praised them. The smaller, thefemale, with red chops and many scars on her head, always licked hishand while he extolled her wonderful courage, and hung her head when hesaid he was sorry that she was not so obedient as the somewhat largermale, Thistle. With sparkling eyes, which seemed to glance with modestpleasure, Thistle looked at Roland when he explained to Eric that thedog would obey only English words, but by their use could be managedperfectly; if he called out to him "_zuruck_!" Thistle looked at him asif deaf; but the moment he said "Come back!" he fell back a foot behindhim.
They passed a low oak-tree; Roland seized a branch, and shook it,crying "Hang!" and Thistle sprang up, caught the branch with his sharpteeth, and remained hanging to it till Roland told him to let go. Roseperformed the same trick, and even outdid herself, for she whirledround several times as she hung, and then, with a sudden jerk, brokeoff the branch and brought it to Roland. The boy and the dogs were veryhappy together, and seemed to understand equally well where they weregoing.
They went by the huntsman's house, where the two ferrets were put intoa basket. On the edge of the wood, Roland took out the pretty littleyellow creatures, which moved in a sort of snake-like way, and putmuzzles on them, caressing them as he did it. They then went into thethicket, where fresh burrows were soon found; over some of the outlets,nets were spread, and Roland was delighted at the skilful way in whichEric fastened them down with pegs, which he made from twigs cut fromthe trees. The ferrets were let loose, and very soon a rustling washeard, and some rabbits came into the nets, and were soon bitten andshaken to death by the dogs. The ferrets were sent in again, and thehunters stood before the holes to shoot the rabbits as they came out;Roland missed, but Eric hit his mark.
Eric was far from saying anything to Roland of the cruelty shown,especially in the net-hunting, and the manner in which the dogs bit atthe eyes of the poor creatures, and never let go till all strugglingceased; he was enough of a hunter to overlook this. Claus knew how tosmother pity by inveighing against the confounded rabbits, which gnawedat the young vines and spoiled them and all that was best in thefields; he imitated one of the peasants who always struck at a rabbitwith his stick, crying,--
"Have I got you at last, you damned--"
After they had gone farther on, Rose went into a hole; and they heardher barking deep down under ground. She had found a fox. The hunter'sexcitement awoke in Eric, and they all stood quietly on the watch.Thistle was also sent into the hole, and his bark was heard far below,but the fox did not come out. Soon Rose appeared with her nose torn andbleeding; she looked up at the hunters and went back into the hole;whining and barking were heard, and at last the dogs came back,streaming with blood, but no fox appeared; they waited long, but invain.
"They have killed him," said the huntsman in triumph; "we shall neverget him."
Roland was full of "tender compassion for the dogs, but Claus consoledhim with the assurance that they would soon get over their hurts.Roland said he could not understand how dogs could bite a fox to death,when a fox had such sharp teeth; the huntsman shrugged his shoulders,but Eric answered:--
"The fox bites sharply, but does not hold on."
Roland looked at Eric in surprise, feeling that he was a man from whomeverything could be learned; all Eric's knowledge had hardly made somuch impression as this single remark.
Again they sent the ferrets into a fresh burrow; only one came out;they waited long and left the huntsman on the spot, but the secondferret was not to be seen. Roland was inconsolable for the loss of thefine little creature, so bright and tame. When Eric said that theanimal would die of hunger in the woods, with its mouth so firmlymuzzled, Roland walked on for some time in silence. Suddenly he put hishand into the basket, took out the other ferret and let it loose, thentook aim and shot it down; he left the dead creature lying undisturbedin the wood, and walked home with Eric without a word. He looked longat his gun; Eric knew that it would be many days before its reportwould be heard again, and so it was.
From the time of this last hunt, a coldness and ill-humor, reluctanceand listlessness, appeared in Roland; he was not exactly rebellious,but did everything without interest, and often looked strangely atEric.
Eric did not know what to do; for several days he was much disquieted,feeling that he was no longer a novelty to Roland, and that the senseof satiety which torments the rich, who never can long enjoy the samething, increased as it was in Roland by his wandering life, wasproducing apathy and discontent in him; he must be taught to greet withpleasure the day which brought no new thing, but only a repetition ofthe day before.
The huntsman came to Eric, took him aside, and said:--
"I've found the ferret that ran away from us."
"Where?"
"In the wood yonder, there it lies with its muzzle on, starved todeath, and eaten up by the ants."
"We will say nothing of it to Roland."
"Certainly not. Do you know what the ferret's name was?"
"No."
"It was Knopf. He only called it 'master,' because you were present. Italways vexed me; Herr Knopf is certainly superstitious, dreadfullysuperstitious, but one of the best men in the world. Roland has toldme in confidence, that, on the journey which he made to force youto come back, a spirit appeared to him in the wood one morning, afairy-princess, as stupid, superstitious men would say,--a wonderfulchild with light curling hair, but she spoke English,--only think,spirits speak English too now,--she came to him early in the morning inthe forest. That's the sort of stuff Herr Knopf has put in
to his head.I don't want to say anything against Herr Knopf; he's a good man, hetaught poor children for nothing, and did good, much good, but beliefin spirits and such nonsense ought to be put an end to. Don't younotice how bad Roland looks now? I think the belief in spirits is toblame for this. Drive it out of his mind right sharply."
Eric doubted whether this was what produced Roland's continuedill-humor, but he was struck by his having told the huntsman somethingwhich he had never confided to him. But he would not force hisconfidence and disturb the boy's mind; he would wait quietly till thecloud passed over.
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