Helgvor of the Blue River

by J. -H. Rosny aîné

Time passed. It seemed as if the Chellians had disappeared, but Aoun heard them moving on his left, and knew that they were making their way over the crests to cut off his retreat at the other end of the pass. If they succeeded their victory would be certain. Despite their losses they were still superior in numbers, strength and agility. The Oulhamr alone dominated them, and among the women Ouchr alone equaled one of their warriors; but Ouchr and Aoun were weakened by their wounds. The Oulhamr listened with growing anxiety to the enemy’s movements.

  At last several Chellians became visible. They had reached to within five ells of a ledge, sometimes by climbing on their companions’ shoulders, sometimes by hollowing out steps in the friable schist. To reach the ledge it would only be necessary to cut five or six more steps on a smooth slightly inclined slope. They began to cut the two first. Aoun flung his last spear in order to stop them, but the weapon ricocheted from a projection; he also threw some stones but the distance rendered them innocuous.

  A direct attack appeared to be impossible. The struggle lay between those who were building the raft and those who were cutting the steps. As no attack on the defile was imminent, Aoun sent back two of the women to hurry on the Wah’s work.

  The third step and then the fourth was cut. One more and the Dhole-Men would reach the ledge from which they could storm the crest. The last step appeared to be more difficult to cut than the others, but already a Chellian, mounted on the shoulders of one of his companions, was at work upon it.

  Then Aoun said to those who waited with him, “Go and rejoin Zouhr. The raft must be finished… Aoun will defend the passage alone!”

  Ouchr, having scrutinized the rocks, called the other women; Djeha cast a supplicating look towards Aoun and went off with a faint wail… Bending over the crenelated top, he threw stones, without being able to stop the Chellians. The work was finished. The first warrior dragged himself up to the ledge and was followed by another. Even the chief, who had been stupefied by Aoun’s club, crawled along the schist. Aoun reached the other end of the pass in a few bounds, and went down to the river. The first Chellians were already swarming over the crest.

  “The raft is not finished,” said Zouhr, “but it will bear us to the other bank.”

  At a sign from Aoun, the women seized the extemporized interwoven mass of branches and creepers, and took it down to the river. A prolonged shout was heard: the Chellians were coming… The women hustled one another onto the raft, and the enemy was only 50 ells away when Aoun and Zouhr followed them.

  “Before eight mornings are past we shall have annihilated the Dholes!” growled the son of Urus as the water carried their raft away.

  XVI. The Return to the Cave

  The raft drifted. The eddies of the stream made it turn around and around, or else the current carried it away with alarming swiftness. Several times the Wolf-Women had flung themselves into the water to lighten the raft which, being hastily constructed, was in danger of breaking up. But this expedient had to be abandoned on account of the crocodiles.

  Meanwhile they approached the further bank. Far away in the distance they could see the forms of the Chellians. They would have to cross the river in order to continue the pursuit, and they could not do so in any other manner than that which the fugitives had employed.

  Aoun said to Zouhr, “We must walk till evening. Before four days are over we shall have reached the cave.”

  They looked at each other; the same thought was at work in both their brains.

  “Aoun and Ouchr are wounded,” said the Wah sadly.

  The Oulhamr replied, “If we do not get ahead of them the Dhole-Men will exterminate us!”

  Ouchr shrugged her shoulders disdainfully; her wound was slight. She picked some herbs which she laid upon her hurt, while Zouhr dressed that of his companion. Then the little band moved on again. The road lay through marshy ground and was very rough, but towards evening Aoun and Zouhr began to recognize it. The following day and the one after passed without alarms; they were two days’ march from the chain of basalt rocks; Zouhr multiplied devices to hide their trail. On the fifth morning the chain of basalt rocks appeared. From the top of a hill, near a bend of the river, they made out the long crenelated ridge. Aoun, who was shivering, fixed his ardent eyes on the dark mass and seized the Wah’s shoulder murmuring, “We shall see the tiger of the Kzamms again!”

  A low laugh distended his lips. The refuge in which they had passed days of security, the enormous beast who was their friend, the clear mornings, and the evenings when the red light of the fire played about the platform, came back to him in incoherent and happy pictures… The great Oulhamr turned his face, emaciated by loss of blood, towards Djeha and said, “We can brave 100 Dhole-Men in the cave.”

  Ouchr gave a stifled exclamation. She pointed downstream and they all distinctly saw the Chellians 700 or 800 ells away. They resumed their flight as rapidly as the wounds of the Oulhamr and the woman chief would allow. If they did not reach the chain of rocks before their enemies, they could not save themselves. There were at least 20,000 ells to cover.

  They had gone half the distance, but the Chellians had gained 4000 ells. They were swarming like jackals. The man they dreaded most among their enemies was weakened by his wound: they saw him limping along behind the little band and they shouted their war-cry in joyful triumph.

  There was a short halt. Aoun fixed his eyes on Zouhr, mental as well as physical fever burnt in them. In that terrible moment the Oulhamr held back the Wah by his shoulder… But the howls came nearer; Aoun looked at Djeha, bowed his head towards his bleeding thigh, and measured the distance which separated him from the Dhole-Men.

  He loosed Zouhr’s shoulder with a great sigh, his companion bounded towards the giant feline’s lair, while Aoun conducted the women and children to the cave.

  XVII. The Giant Feline

  When they reached the cave’s mouth, Aoun and the women were only 2000 ells in advance of their enemies. He climbed up to the platform first, with Ouchr, to organize the escalade; then the others arrived in succession. First the children were hauled up; the women followed; the last three were already halfway up when the Dhole-Men threw a shower of sharp stones. They rebounded from the rock. Aoun brandished his last spear; Ouchr and her companions threw stones. The Chellians were still too few in number to attempt an assault, so they retired out of reach of the projectiles, and when the rear guard came up, the Wolf-Women were all safely in the cave.

  It was impregnable. One man or one woman alone could reach the ledge at a time; after that they would have to climb on their companions’ shoulders. One or two javelin thrusts would defeat each attempt.

  The Chellians understood this. They were examining the chain of rocks in the hope of finding another way, but all around the cave the wall of rock was uncompromisingly unscaleable.

  The Dhole-Men did not care. They had only to wait. Hunger and thirst would yield up the besieged to them. Down at the defile they had been able to escape and cross the river. Death would be their portion the day they attempted to leave the cave. What could 11 women and two men do against 20 stalwart warriors?

  When the women were in safety, Aoun placed two of them to watch on the platform and forbade anyone to follow him. Then, having lit a torch, he went down to the deep cavern. He was tortured by anxiety. He thought it was impossible that the giant feline should not have recognized Zouhr, and yet he doubted.

  Halfway down the sound of a growl hurried his footsteps. The fissure was there, through which he had so often spied upon the beast… Suddenly he breathed freely; he had seen Zouhr by the side of the carnivore, two enormous eyes glowed, and a halting whisper greeted the Oulhamr.

  “The lion of the rocks is still the ally of the son of Earth and the son of Urus,” said the Wah.

  It was a moment of dull joy and vast hopes.

  “The Dhole-Men have not followed Zouhr’s trail?”

  “They did not see him separate himself from the others: Zouhr had hidden himself among the
boulders.”

  After having sniffed at Aoun for a long time, the giant feline lay down again and began to go to sleep.

  Aoun resumed, “Zouhr will only go out at night, with the Kzamm tiger…he will attempt nothing against the Dhole-Men till Aoun is strong again… In the daytime Zouhr will only go as far as the pool…the pool is near… Aoun and the women will need water.”

  Aoun sighed. He saw the pool, the river and springs. He was parched with thirst, which was increased by his wounds. He could not help saying, “Aoun is burnt up with thirst…but he will wait till evening.”

  “The pool is close!” Zouhr repeated. “Aoun must drink in order to get well again. I will go to the pool.”

  He went towards the entrance to the den. The giant feline hardly opened its eyes, for it scented nothing unusual. Zouhr glided to the pool. The lie of the land rendered him invisible from a distance. First he drank, then he dipped a primitive leather bottle into the water. It was made of antelope skin and the upper part was fastened together with thorns. It contained sufficient liquid to quench the thirst of several men. Zouhr filled it and got back to the den. Aoun drank the life-giving water in long draughts, and his energy, freshness and confidence returned.

  “Ouchr is wounded also,” he said, “the others can drink tonight.”

  He carried the leather bottle into the upper cave, but, when Ouchr had drunk, he gave some of the water to Djeha also.

  He slept till evening, and his strength and youth worked for him while he slept. The fever decreased, and his wound, which only required rest, began to heal. When the twilight had died down over the jungle, Aoun rose so as to spy out what the Chellians were doing. They had lit a big fire; their thick faces were turned towards the chain of rocks; it was easy to see that they were obstinate in their determination to conquer and destroy.

  The women were racked with agony. Tired out by their long flight they too had slept. They were awoken by a terrible thirst more than by hunger. All turned their distressed eyes towards the Oulhamr, and thought of the water which he had brought in the skin bottle, of which only Ouchr and Djeha had had a share. The confidence of the weak in the strong alternated with fear.

  Ouchr asked, “Where has Zouhr gone to?”

  The son of Urus replied, “Zouhr will bring us meat and water before the night is over.”

  “Why is he not with us?”

  “Ouchr will know that later.”

  He added, noticing that the woman chief turned toward the darkness, “Aoun alone will go down to the depths of the cave! Otherwise we shall be hungry and thirsty.”

  Their feeble brains were at first excited by the mystery, then the women became resigned. It was sufficient that Aoun had given them hope. All the Wolf-Women had experienced times of scarcity and want, all, even the children, had endured long privations and dreadful periods of suspense.

  The stars in the sky continued their eternal course and the Dhole-Men slept. Most of the women had gone to sleep again; even Aoun was resting.

  Towards midnight the sound of a call came up from the abyss and woke the Oulhamr. He lit a torch and went down. The giant feline and the Wah had returned from hunting; the carcass of an enormous swamp deer lay on the floor of the den. The Man-without-Shoulders had already cut off a haunch, which he passed up through the fissure, then he went to get a first leather bottle full of water…

  When Aoun returned with the meat and water there was excitement among the women and a confused re-awakening of hero worship. The cave still contained some wood, left there by the two companions before their exodus. Aoun, after having gone back to fetch more water, lit a fire and had the venison cooked. It was an imprudent defiance. The Chellian watchers informed their chief, who stood up stupefied. The thing was too complex for him. He guessed that there had been wood in the cave, but he thought the flesh must have been that of an animal killed during their flight. Had there been a second entrance the fugitives would have escaped by it… To make sure he sent some warriors to the other side of the chain of rocks.

  They went around the southern spur and tried to make out the crevices and caverns by the light of the Moon. They found nothing but narrow fissures, small crevices and one or two places of shelter under overhanging rocks. They were stopped for some time by the deep gully by which Zouhr had escaped from the lion; when they had passed it they saw a dark cavern… A strong smell was wafted to them on the night breeze; the warriors realized that a wild beast was near and halted. Their own scent spread towards the den. A massive form advanced towards them, a loud roar shook the air, and the terrified warriors fled wildly, having recognized the presence of the most dreaded of the carnivores.

  The chief was confirmed in his opinion that no other outlet was open to the besieged besides the one which his warriors were watching. If any doubt remained in his mind it was dissipated during the following days, for Aoun and the women showed themselves at regular times on the platform: therefore flight was impossible. He needed only to wait and watch. He prepared for the hour to come when he could massacre them all.

  The Oulhamr’s recovery was rapid: his hot blood quickly healed his wound, the fever had disappeared and he spent his time teaching the women to sharpen the stones which served them as missiles. Below, in the cave, Zouhr continued to provide the refugees with meat and water. He accustomed the giant feline to follow him: the beast, obscurely conscious of the useful cunning of the man, consented to be guided. Zouhr foresaw its impulses, and guessed what its actions would be according to circumstances; he fathomed the shades of its moods, and conformed himself to them with so much cleverness that the wild beast attached itself to the Wah more surely than it would have done to one of its own species.

  On the eighth night, Aoun having gone down to take the meat said, “My wound has healed. The son of Urus can now fight the Dhole-Men. Tomorrow night Zouhr will bring the Kzamms tiger to the other side of the rocks.”

  The Wah remained silent for a time. Then he replied, “Listen!… Zouhr noticed this morning that one of the stones in the fissure shook. If we could pull it out, the opening would be large enough to let a man pass, and too narrow for the lion of the rocks to get through.”

  He put his hand on the lowest projecting stone and shaking it, caused it to oscillate. First it moved almost imperceptibly, but gradually it gained in impetus… Aoun, full of admiration, joined his efforts to those of the Wah: his muscular arm made the stone rock. Then he pulled with all his strength, while Zouhr pushed with both hands. First one fragment became detached, then two others. The Oulhamr threw them behind him, and lying flat on the ground penetrated into the den. The giant feline, impatient of this commotion, had ceased to devour his prey. He sprang up in a manner that was almost menacing; but a caress from Zouhr at once appeased him and he sniffed Aoun amicably.

  “We can surprise the Dhole-Men,” cried the Oulhamr.

  The Wah showed him, at the entrance to the cave, a dozen javelins which he had fashioned during his long solitary days, “We will fight them at a distance,” he said.

  On the following day, Aoun and Zouhr made two more javelins, so that their total number was 14. At twilight, the Oulhamr said to Ouchr and her companions, “Aoun and Zouhr will fight the Dhole-Men tonight! Let the Wolf-Women hold themselves in readiness…”

  Ouchr heard with astonishment, “How will Aoun and Zouhr meet?” she asked.

  He began to laugh, “We have enlarged the passage between two caves… We will pass to the other side of the rocks and we will attack the Dhole-Men with our ally,”

  “Aoun and Zomhr have an ally?”

  “They have made an alliance with the tiger of the Kzamms!”

  Ouchr listened, stupefîed. Her soul being simple she did not long attempt to understand. Her confidence in the great Oulhamr was stronger than all possible surprise.

  The warrior went on, “The women must not come down to the plain until they hear Aoun call! The tiger would tear them in pieces.”

  Djeha, who was more surprised th
an the other women, turned her eyes, bright with curiosity, towards Aoun, “Cannot the tiger pass from one cave to the other?” she asked.

  “The entrance is too small for him!” was the reply.

  The wonderful afterglow began to fade in the sky; a pale star began to twinkle. Aoun went down to the lower cave.

  The Chellians’ fire now only shed an uncertain light. Three men however still watched. The others were asleep in a rocky enclosure which made them safe from all surprises. Two of the watchers were dozing; the third, obeying the orders of his chief, prowled around the fire, and lifted his eyes often towards the cave.

  The Chellian had just thrown some small branches on the embers, when looking up he caught sight of a form on the ledge. It was a woman. She bent over the ledge watching him. The warrior stretched out his hand, armed with a javelin, towards her and mocked her silently. His laugh however quickly ceased. At the base of the chain of rocks another human form had come into view, whose tall stature and broad chest it was impossible to mistake. The Dhole-Man considered it for some rime in speechless amazement, and asked himself how the man had dared to descend to the plain. He called the other watchers, who all three brandished their weapons and shouted their alarm cry.

  Aoun now left the rocks. He boldly approached the fire, and when he was within range he flung a pointed stone. It hit one of the watchers on the head, making only a slight wound, for the Oulhamr had thrown it from too far away. Another stone grazed the shoulder of another warrior.

  Vociferous cries resounded, and dusky forms surged from the rocky enclosure on all sides… Then Aoun rose to his full height and replied by giving his war-cry. There was a short pause, during which the Chellians alternately considered the Oulhamr and the place. Two women had now joined the other on the ledge; Aoun alone, and armed only with his club and a few stones, was to be seen upon the plain. The bewildered Dhole chief tried in vain to understand; his certainty that Aoun was alone was blended with vague distrust. The instinct of war triumphed; a guttural voice gave the order to attack and they flung themselves forward. Twenty active bodies converged upon the son of Urus.