Suddenly Zouhr’s hair stood on end. A thickset lion had appeared on the top of one of the hillocks below him. It was not a yellow lion like those which had attacked the creeper hut, but it was a huge black lion of a kind that was unknown to him. The grass was short under the tree which gave Zouhr shade; the animal caught sight of the man…
Zouhr remained lying on the ground paralyzed. He did not possess Aoun’s strength or impetuosity. He could not drive his lance so deeply into a hard chest, and his club would not break the animal’s vertebrae or crush its limbs. He must take to flight; the tree was too low to give him safety. Below him he saw a crenelated wall which led by a sharp turn to the chain of rocks and was inaccessible to the carnivore.
He started off and bounded down the nearest passage, between the lines of basalt, while the lion descended the hillock with a roar. When Zouhr had reached the passage the brute could no longer see him. Without slackening his speed he took note of the crevices and fissures with great care… He had gone more than 1000 ells before he turned around: his trail was deserted; the lion must have hesitated. Perhaps he was nonchalant like all of his kind and had given up the pursuit. Zouhr hoped he had done so, and went on towards the wall. A loud growl made him tremble all over, and with the corner of his eye he recognized the dark form of the brute. It came upon him with leaps and bounds, more fierce and determined than the tawny lions. Zouhr could hear its panting breath… It was too late for him to reach the chain of rocks. A few more bounds and Zouhr would feel his bones being crushed…
At this moment three projections attracted the fugitive’s attention. They stood out like broken branches, and would allow him, with the aid of a fourth projection, to reach the top of the passage.
The ascent was only possible for an animal with hands or one of light weight. Zouhr jumped and reached the first projection, pulled himself up to the second and then to the third on his hands and feet, and hauling himself onto the last found himself on the crest of the ridge. The lion followed…it made a tremendous leap, and fell back; the rock, which was almost vertical, offered no hold which could support its massive build. Three times it tried the escalade, then with a furious roar gave up the attempt. Its huge face was turned towards Zouhr, the yellow and the brown eyes stared fixedly at one another, full of fury and terror.
The son of Earth asked himself whether he should remain on the crest or descend the other side of the ridge.
There were two ways, one nearer the plain, the other close to the rocky chain, by which the lion could reach the man… So long as the lion remained motionless Zouhr hesitated. The moment he saw it begin to prowl, he decided upon flight, and descending the slope, he started in a northerly direction. He did not run at random, but examined the chain of rocks with the hope of discovering a refuge. His head was giddy and he seemed to see the cavern and the outline of the giant feline.
The lion had again disappeared; perhaps, with the patience of the carnivore, it was lying in wait; perhaps it did not notice the way in… Zouhr scarcely asked himself the question, the urgent need for a shelter absorbed all his sensations; he unconsciously drew nearer to the rocks…
He was 50 steps from his goal, when he realized that the pursuit had begun again. The black lion, retracing its steps, had caught sight of the man once more; its bounds made depressions in the long grasses; the rocks revealed no means of escape, and Zouhr now only followed the instinct of flight… At last the basalt wall was close to him; again a panting sound arose among the rustling of the disturbed vegetable life. Zouhr stopped. His heart was bounding in his breast even as the lion bounded on the plain. The world was swimming before his dilated eyes. Life, which his young body loved, and which up to a moment ago seemed imperishable, was there; death was there also, made suddenly present by the approach of the wild beast… The son of Earth felt as feeble as the ibis in the clutches of the eagle… He no longer had any weapons even; he had only limbs without claws; the cruel fangs would dissect him like a fruit.
That one moment seemed as long as a whole twilight. Zouhr had his choice. On one side was the black lion and on the other the lair occupied by the giant feline. There was no longer time to hesitate. The devourer was six bounds distant from him. Then, in a second, with a giddy suddenness Zouhr resumed his flight; to die—but in the cavern—close to his refuge.
He was engulfed in the jaws of basalt rock, like a sparrow in the mouth of a cobra.
Two roars challenged each other. The massive black form of the lion stood out against the red light, and a creature of enormous stature stretched itself at the back of the lair. Then two bounds, the clashing of claws, the crashing of jaws and the giant feline had conquered. The black lion stumbled, rolled over, and conscious that it had met an unconquerable antagonist, groveled and fled, its lifeblood flowing from a gaping wound.
The other stood motionless, with its rock-like head held high; it watched the invader’s flight, and sent forth a thunderous roar towards the west.
Zouhr had hardly seen the battle. He only knew that the conqueror was the one in whose den he had taken refuge. Lying prone, with his hands on the ground, he waited silent and immovable. He had so completely abandoned the contest that even his fear was numbed; the giant feline destroyed both hope and despair; Zouhr resigned himself to what would follow, as he had resigned himself to pain when the saber-tooth ripped his chest.
The colossus growled for another moment, then with heavy steps and licking a gash which had been made by the enemy’s claws, it went back into its cave. It sniffed at the body of the man lying prostrate at its feet, and put a foot down on him, heavy as that of a gaur. It might tear that quivering flesh without the man making any movement. But the brute did not attempt to rend him, its breath came quite gently; Zouhr guessed that it recognized the smell which had penetrated each day through the fissure in the basalt. Then hope revived, a revolution took place in his young flesh which brought back the thought of life and never ceasing desires… He looked up at the monstrous muzzle and remembering that the brute was accustomed to listening to the human voice, he murmured, “Zouhr is like an antelope under the paw of the lion of the rocks!”
The animal breathed harder, and gently removed its paw. The habit which had grown up between them when they were separated by the rock took on a new form. The Wah divined that every interval of peace increased his chances. All that continues is continued by repetition. As the carnivore had not already devoured the man no doubt it would now never devour him. Zouhr would now never be its prey; there would be an alliance between him and the animal…
Time passed. The crimson fire of the Sun was about to disappear behind the hills. The giant feline had not struck. It listened intermittently to that changing voice which spoke to it. Crouched down before the son of Earth, it sometimes smelt him in order that it might know him better, sometimes it touched him with a velvet paw, as gently as it used to play with those who were born on the same day with it in the maternal lair. Fear coursed like lightning flashes through Zouhr’s body, but each time with less violence…
Darkness was slowly creeping over the eastern clouds, and the entrance to the cave was filled with a violet hue; two stars twinkled and the night breeze blew against the chain of rocks.
Then the giant feline rose up. The ardor of the chase flamed in its eyes, the night air with its smell of prey filled its nostrils. Zouhr knew that once more the moment of life or death was upon him. If the brute confused him with the trembling herb-croppers hidden in the jungle, the son of Earth would never see Aoun again. Several times the great form came back towards the man. The fiery green eyes, that the darkness surrounded as with a halo, fixed themselves on the frail human being… With a final snarl the carnivore left the cavern and gradually diminishing, disappeared into the night.
The warrior said to himself, “The lion of the rocks has made an alliance with Zouhr.”
He went towards the fissure and shouted with a loud voice, “Aoun!”
A short time afterwards he heard th
e step of his companion; the light of a torch shone red about him, the son of Urus saw Zouhr at the entrance to the cave and gave a cry of terror, “The tiger of the Man-Devourers’ country will tear Zouhr in pieces!”
“No,” replied the Wah.
He told the tale of how the lion had pursued him and how he had come to the cave. Aoun listened with stupefaction to the story, first so wild, then so gentle, more wonderful than that of Naoh and the mammoths. The nomad soul, always ready for adventure and eager about unknown things, opened out.
He said with pride, “Aoun and Zouhr are now equal to the chief of the Oulhamrs!”
Then anxiety seized hold of him. He announced, “Zouhr cannot remain in the cavern any longer. I will go around and meet him.”
The two men met again to the south of the chain of rocks; then, having lit a fire on the ledge, they tasted the joy of a complete sense of security; while all around them in the brushwood and the jungle, ambushes were being laid from which the plaintive herb-croppers fled in the darkness, hiding themselves amongst the vegetation or dying under the claws of the carnivore.
VII. The Tiger and the Flame
Aoun and Zouhr often went down to the fissure. When the giant feline was awake, they let it look at their faces and bodies, and spoke to it each in their turn. Aoun’s presence at first aroused its impatience, a deeper breath would expand its heavy chest, sometimes a snarl would mark its distrust and anger. At last the brute got accustomed to mingling the two odors, and when it approached the fissure it did so from a certain confused sense of sympathy, because even wild creatures feel the dullness of solitude.
One evening Aoun said, “It is time to renew the alliance; Aoun and Zouhr will go into the cave on a day when the tiger of the Kzamms has had a successful hunt.”
Zouhr did not refuse, although he was less prompt than his companion in risking his life. The alliance was his work; he often thought of it with satisfaction, and he told himself that there would no longer be any danger for them if they were certain never to be menaced by the lion of the rocks…
One morning they saw the body of a large antelope in the cave. One of its legs had been sufficient to appease the carnivore’s hunger; it was sleeping heavily, tired with hunting and gorged with meat.
“We will go and see him when he wakes up,” said Aoun, “he will not require any prey for two nights.”
They thought of it as they wandered near the river, or rested in the shade of the rocks. The fierce sunlight burnt up the dry ground and gave endless life to the damp places. Hardly a sign of animal life was to be seen on the plain; eagles and falcons hid themselves, cranes and herons remained invisible; only from the distance came the snorting of a hippopotamus as it plunged back into the water, or the form of an alligator could be seen lying on the water in torpid repose.
Towards midday Aoun and Zouhr became drowsy. Then they fell into vague reveries, sitting on the ledge. The rock, which at first had been broiling, grew cool as the shadows lengthened, and a gentle breeze sprang up and played about the men’s chests. They were conscious of many things within themselves which they were unable to express. It was the voluptuous feeling of youth and abundance, the sudden melancholy moods called forth by the thought of their faraway Horde, by the remembrance of hunting scenes, of the departure of the Oulhamrs towards the southeast, of mountains and the subterranean river, and the wonderful pictures which their imaginations drew of the unknown land.
When Aoun half shut his eyes, he could see again the Dholes, hyenas and wolves before their fire screen, the saber-tooth killing the rhinoceros, and himself killing the saber-tooth. His heart began to beat again; victory flowed before his eyes like a river, and the desire to continue his conquests tightened all the Oulhamr’s muscles. He thought of the lions as they prowled around the creeper hut, of the elephants stamping down the soil, the python devouring the antelope. Zouhr’s imagination was haunted by similar pictures, but they took on other forms and details; he preferred to think of the giant feline. Aoun thought of it also and was impatient for the hour of dusk.
When the Sun began to grow red, they went down to the depths of the cave. The beast no longer slept, it had caught hold of the antelope again and was gnawing its shoulder.
“Let us go towards it,” said Aoun.
The son of Earth yielded to the desire of the Oulhamr. His courage was of slower growth, but when a project had once taken root in his mind he was as ready to risk his life as Aoun.
They re-ascended the ledge, then descended to the foot of the chain of rocks. The herds had drunk their fill and were looking for a place in which to spend the night; parakeets made the dusk hideous with their strident shrieks; a gibbon crouched on the ground, then bounded back among the palm-trees. In the sunset light, Aoun and Zouhr walked around the rocks and came close to the cave.
Then Aoun said, “I will go first.”
That was always his way; he went in front of Zouhr and exposed himself first to any danger. This time Zouhr resisted, saying, “The lion of the rocks knows me best. It is better that I should be between him and Aoun.”
There was no pride between the two men. Each one valued the resources that lay within the other and reaped security from them. Aoun considered that Zouhr was right.
“Go,” he said.
He held his club in his left hand and his strongest spear in his right. At that moment he had a better idea of the danger than the son of Earth. They looked at each other; an eagle gave its war-cry on a summit of basalt; six enormous gaurs fled in the glen. Zouhr walked quietly and his form stood out before the shadowy hole. He disappeared. Again he was face to face with the sovereign beast. It stopped tearing the antelope’s flesh; the green fire of its eyes seemed to envelope the form of the Man-without-Shoulders. He said in a low voice, “The men have come to renew the alliance… The time of the rains is approaching, when prey will be hard to find and difficult to take. Then the lion of the rocks will have the cunning of Aoun and Zouhr on his side!”
The giant feline half shut and reopened his eyes, then it rose in its nonchalant strength and came towards the man. Its head brushed against Zouhr’s shoulder, and he passed his hand along the stiff mane. When they are touched, the most savage animals feel confidence. There was no longer any fear in the breast of the son of Earth. Several times he repeated the movement and even slowly rubbed the animal’s spine. The wild beast remained motionless breathing quietly…
Zouhr still hesitated to call his companion when a shadow appeared before the cave. Aoun was there, still holding his club and spear. The giant feline ceased to purr, its thickset muzzle with its shining fangs opened. The skin on its head made great pleats, its muscles contracted and the green fire of its eyes shone phosphorescent.
“Aoun is also the ally of the lion of the rocks,” murmured the Man-without-Shoulders. “Aoun and Zouhr live together in the cave above…”
The monster gave a bound; the Oulhamr grasped his club; but Zouhr placed himself in front of his companion, and the immense chest ceased to heave; the alliance was complete.
They came back on the following days; the giant feline became accustomed to seeing them and desired their presence. The immense solitude of the world was distasteful to him; he was young, and from his birth until the previous autumn he had lived with others of his kind. Down the course of the stream he had had a den on the border of a lake, with his mate. His little ones had already begun to hunt. One night the lake rose tumultuously, the waters overflowed the brushwood, a cyclone carried away the palm-trees, a torrent engulfed the mother with her young, and the male lion, carried down with the big trees, was washed up in the open country…
The old den remained under water for a whole season… The desolate male, had searched for it at first with vehement and dogged anxiety; his roars had summoned his race in the autumn rains; vivid memories had shot through his dull brain… Days went by; the giant feline discovered the chain of rocks and took refuge there from the cataracts of the clouds. An obscure sadness
made his sides grow lean; when he woke in the morning he smelt all around the cavern, and when he brought back his prey, he looked all about him as if he expected to find those who used to share it with him. In the end these recollections became dim and finally disappeared. He grew accustomed to smelling no other creature at his side, but his body could not resign itself to the dullness of being alone…
One evening Aoun and Zouhr accompanied him in the chase. They all three passed into the jungle, where the light of the half moon made patterns on the earth. Alarmed by the smell of the carnivore, the herb-cropping animals awoke in their lairs. They all retreated to the innermost recesses, or climbed into the branches of trees. Those of them who lived in herds warned each other mysteriously of the danger. In the midst of these innumerable lives, he remained as if in a desert. The power of immense bulk was always defeated by the keen senses, the ruses, the agility and the subtleness of the feeble ones. With one movement he could kill the wild ass, the antelope, the wild board or the nilgai; with one bound he could overthrow a horse or even a gaur; but they knew how to hide in impenetrable places, or to vanish into the distance. It was only their numbers that favored the sovereign beast, for it caused them to swarm in every part of the plains, the woods and the jungle.
In spite of all his advantages, when day dawned it often found the great feline, tired with his efforts and out of patience, returning famished to the chain of rocks. On this particular night he was unable for a long time to capture an axis or an antelope. His strong pungent odor, to which was added the more delicate scent of the men, enlarged the limits of the area into which the fugitives took care not to intrude.
At last he lay in ambush on the confines of a jungle and a marsh. Strongly scented flowers spread their smell around, the earth was redolent of musk and rottenness. The men had separated themselves from him and had also hidden, one among the rushes and the other in a clump of bamboos. All the animals had fled. Enormous batrachians roared like gayals; in the distance there was the sound of a galloping herd; an owl flew by on downy wings; then a wild boar passed, tearing up the soil with its tusks…
Helgvor of the Blue River Page 18