（
独宠萌妃）（
灭尽苍穹）（
亲爱的鬼公子）（
我真是大明星）（
遵命女鬼大人）（
总裁贪欢，轻一点）by jack london
a weary journey beyond the last scrub timber and straggling copses, into the heartthe barrens where the niggard northsupposeddeny the earth, arebe found great sweepsforests and stretchessmilin this the worldjust beginninorld’s explorers have known it, from timetime, but hitherto they have never returnedtell the world.
the barrens well, they are the barrens, the bad landsthe arctic, the desertsthe circle, the bleak and bitter homethe muskand the lean plain avery van brunt found them, treeless and cheerless, sparsely clothed with moss and lichens, and altogethe leasthe found them tillperatedthe white blank spacesthe map, and came upon undreamedrich spruce forests and unrecorded eskim had been his intention, (and his bid for fame),breakthese white blank spaces and diversify them with the black markingsmountain chains, sinks and basins, and sinuous river courses; andwas with added delight thatcamespeculate upon the possibilitiestimber belts and native villages.
avery van brunt, or,full distinction, professor a. van bruntthe geological survey, was secondmandthe expedition, and firstmandthe sub expedition whichhad leda side toursome halhousand milesonethe branchesthe thelon and whichwas now leading into onehis unrecorde his back plodded eight men, twothem french canadian voyageurs, and the remainder strapping crees from manitob, alone, was full blooded saxon, and his blood was pounding fiercely through his veinsthe traditionshi and hastings, drake and raleigh, hengest and horsa, walked witall menhis breed wasto enter this lone northland village, andthe thoughtexultancy came upon him,exaltation, and his followers noted that his leg weariness fell from him and thatinsensibly quickened the pace.
the village emptied itself, anotley crowd trooped outmeet him, menthe forefront, with bows and spears clutched menacingly, and women and children faltering timidlyth brunt lifted his right arm and made the universal peace sign, a sign which all peoples know, and the villagers answered ihis chagrin, a skin clad man ran forward and thrust out his hand witamiliar “hello.”he waearded man, with cheeks and brow bronzedcopper brown, andhim van brunt knew his kind.
“who are you?”asked, gripping the extended hand.“andree?”
“who’s andree?” the man asked back.
van brunt lookedhim more sharply.“by gee, you’ve been here some time.”
“five years,” the man answered, a dim flickerpridehis eyes.“but e on, let’s talk.”
“let them camp alongsideme,”answered van brunt’s glancehis party.“old tantlatch will take carn.”
he swung offa long stride, van brunt followinghis heels throughirregular fashion, wherever the ground favored, the lodgesmoose hide wer brunt ran his practised eye over them and calculated.
“two hundred, not counting the young ones,”summed up.
the man nodded.“pretty here’s wherive, outthe thickit, you know more privacy and’ll eat with you when your men get something cooked up.i’ve fotten what tea tastes like....five years and neveastesmell....any tobacco?...ah, thanks, anipe? foire stick and we’ll seethe weed has lost its cunning.”
he scratched the match with the painstaking carethe woodsman, cherished its young flamethough there were never anotherall the world, and drewthe first mouthful oretained meditatively foime, and blew out through his pursed lips slowlyhis face seemedsoftenhe leaned back, anoft blurfilmsighed heavily, happily, with immeasurable content, and then said suddenly:“god!but that tastes good!”
van brunt nodded sympathetically.“five years, you say?”
“five years.”the man sighed again.“and you, i presume, wishknow about it, being naturally curious, and thiufficiently strange situation, andit’sin from edmonton after musk ox, and like pike and the restthem, hadmischances, onlostparty an, hardship, the regular tale, you know, sole survivor and all that, tilrawled into tantlatch’s, here,hand and knee.”
“five years,” van brunt murmured retrospectively,though turning things overhis mind.
“five yearsfebruar the great slave earlymay ”
“and you are...fairfax?” van brunt interjected.
the man nodded.
“letsee...john, i thinkis, john fairfax.”
“how did you know?”fairfax queried lazily, half absorbedcurling smoke spirals upwardthe quiet air.
“the papers were fullitth ”
“prevanche!” fairfax sat up, suddenly alert.“he was lostthe smoke mountains.”
“yes, butpulled through and came out.”
fairfax settled back again and resumed his smoke spirals.“igladhear it,”remarked reflectively.“prevanche waully fellowhe did have ideas about head straps,he pulled through?well, i’m glad.”
five years...the phrase drifted recurrently through van brunt’s thought, and somehow the faceemily southwaithe seemedriseand take form befor years...a wedgewild fowl honked low overhead andsightthe encampment veered swiftlythe north into the smoulderin brunt could not follo pulled outwashour pas northward clouds flushed bloodily, and rayssombre red gloomy woods wituri air wasbreathless calm, noeedle quivered, and the least soundsthe camp were distinct and cleartrumpe crees and voyageurs felt the spiritit and mumbleddreamy undertones, and the cook unconsciously subdued the clatterpota child was crying, and from the depthsthe forest, likilver thread, rosoman’s voicemournful chant:“haaaa, aaa.”
van brunt shivered and rubbed the backshis hands briskly.
“and they gaveup for dead?” his panion asked slowly.
“well, you never came back,your friends ”
“promptly fot.”fairfax laughed harshly, defiantly.
“why didn’t you e out?”
“partly disinclination, i suppose, and partly becausecircumstances over whicaee, tantlatch, here, was down witroken leg wheade his acquaintance, a nasty fracture, anetfor him and got him int some time, gettingstrengt the first white manhad seen, andcourseemed very wise and showed his peopleenhemin military tactics, among other things,that they conquered the four other tribal villages, (which you have not yet seen), and camerulethey naturally grewthinood dealme,muchthat wheas readygo they wouldn’t most hospitable, oupleguards overand watcheddaythen tantlatch offeredinducements,a sense, inducements,to say, andit didn’t matter much one waythe other, i reconciled myselfremaining.”
“i knew your brothean brunt.”
fairfax reached forward impulsively and shook his hand.“you were billy’s friend, eh?poor billy!he spokeyou often.”
“rum meeting place, though,”added, castingembracing glance over the primordial landscape and listening foomentthe woman’s mournful notes.“her man was claweda bear, and she’s takinghard.”
“beastly life!” van brunt grimaced his disgust.“i suppose, after five yearsit, civilization willsweet?whatyou say?”
fairfax’s face tooka stolid expression.“oh, i don’ least they’re honest folk and live accordingthei then they are amazingl plexity about them,thousand and one subtle ramificationsevery single emotion the love, fear, hate, are angered,made happy,mon, ordinary, and unmistakabl maya beastly life, butleastis eashilandering, oman likes you, she’ll notbackwardtelling you so.if she hates you, she’ll tell you so, and then,you feel inclined, you can beat her, but the thing is, she knows precisely what you mean, and you know precisely whatmistakes, n has its charm, after civilization’s fitfu?”
“no, it’retty good life,”continued, afteause; “good enough for me, anntendstay with it.”
van brunt lowered his heada musing manner, andimperceptible smile playedhi philandering,dallying, n also was takinghard,thought, just because emily southwaithe had been mistakenly clawed noad sorta bear, either, was carlton southwaithe.
“but you are ing along with me,” van brunt said deliberately.
“no, i’m not.”
“yes, you are.”
“life’s too easy here, i tell you.” fairfax spoke with decision.“i understand everything,and winter alternate like the sun flashing through the palingsa fence, the seasons arlurlight and shade, and time slips by, and life slips by, and then...a wailingthe forest, and th!”
he heldhis hand, and the silver threadthe woman’s sorrow rose through the silence andjoinedsoftly.
“haaaa, aaa,”sang.“can’t you hear it?can’t you see it?the wome funera hair white lockedskins wrappedrude splendor about me.hunting spearm who shall sayis not well?”
van brunt lookedhim coolly.“fairfax, you aramne yearsthisenoughknock any man, and you arean unhealthy, morbi, carlton southwaithedead.”
van brunt filled his pipe and lighted it, the while watching slyly and with almost professiona’s eyes flashedthe instant, his fists clenched,half rose up, then his muscles relaxed andseemed t, the cook, signalled that the meal was ready, but van brunt motioned bacilence hung heavy, andfellanalyzing the forest scents, the odorsmould and rotting vegetation, the resiny smellspine cones and needles, the aromatic savorsmany cam fairfax looked up, but said nothing, and then:“and...emily...?”
“three yearidow; stilidow.”
another long silence settled down,be brokenfairfax finally witaive smile.“i guess you’re right, va’llalong.”
“i knew you would.”van brunt laid his handfairfax’s shoulder.“of course, one cannot know, bumagine for oneher position she has had offers”
“whenyou start?” fairfax interrupted.
“after the men have had som reminds me, michaelgetting angry,e and eat.”
after supper, when the crees and voyageurs had rolled into their blankets, snoring, the two men lingeredthe dyin was muchtalk about, wars and politics and explorations, the doingsmen and the happeningthings, mutual friends, marriages, deaths, five yearshistory for which fairfax clamored.
“so the spanish fleet was bottledin santiago,” van brunt was saying, wheoung woman stepped lightly before him and stoodfairfax’ looked swiftly into his face, then turneroubled gaze upon van brunt.
“chief tantlatch’s daughter, sortprincess,” fairfax explained, withhonest flush.“onethe inducements,short,make m, thisvan brunt, friendmine.”
van brunt held out his hand, but the woman maintaineigid repose quitekeeping with her generineher face softened, noeatur looked him straightthe eyes, her own piercing, questioning, searching.
“precious lot she understands,” fairfax laughed.“her first introduction,as you were saying, with the spanish fleet bottledin santiago?”
thom crouched downher husband’s side, motionlessa bronze statue, only her eyes flashing from facefaceceaseles avery van brunt,he talkedand on, felervousness under the dum the midsthis most graphic battle descriptions,would bee suddenly consciousthe black eyes burning into him, and would stumble and flounder tillcould catch the gait and g, hands clasped round knees, pipe out, absorbed, spurred himwhenlagged, and repictured the worldthoughthad fotten.
one hour passed, and two, and fairfax rose reluctantlyhis feet.“and cronje was cornered, eh?well, just waioment tilun over t’llexpecting you, and i’ll arrange for yousee him afte willall right, won’t it?”
he went off between the pines, and van brunt found himself staring into thom’s war years,mused, and she can’tmore than twent remarkabl eskimo, she should havittle flat excuse foose, and lo,is neither broad nor flat, but aquiline, with nostrils delicately and sensitively formedany fine lady’sa whiter breed the indian strain somewhere,assured, avery van brunt.
and, avery van brunt, don’tnervous, she won’t eat you; she’s onloman, and noad looking onather tha large and fairly wide apart, with just the faintest hintmongo, you’re a’re outplace here among these eskimos, evenyour fatheid your mother e from?your grandmother?and thom,dear, you’reauty, a frigid, frozen little beauty with alaskan lavayour blood, and please don’t lookme that way.
he laughed and stood up.her insistent stare disconcerte was prowling among the gru would driveaway and place them into safety against fairfax’ thom stretched ouetaining hand and stood up, facing him.
“you?” she said,the arctic tongue which differs little from greenlandpoint barrow.“you?”
and the swift expressionher face demanded all for which “you” stood, his reason for existence, his presence there, his relationher husband everything.
“brother,”answeredthe same tongue, witweeping gesturethe south.“brothersbe, your man and i.”
she shook her head.“itnot good that youhere.”
“after one sleeo.”
“andman?” she demanded, with tremulous eagerness.
van brunt shruggedwas awarea certain secret shame,an impersonal sortshame, andanger againsfelt the warm bloodhis facehe regarded the youn was just was all whole sordid story over again, over and over again,oldeve and youngthe last new love light.
“my man!man!man!” she was reiterating vehemently, her face passionately dark, and the ruthless tendernessthe eternal woman, the mate woman, looking outhim from her eyes.
“thom,”said gravely,english, “you were bornthe northland forest, and you have eaten fish and meat, and fought with frost and famine, and lived simply all the daysyou there are many things, indeed not simple, which younot know and cannot e tnot know whatislong for the fleshpots afar, you cannot understand whatisyearn foair woman’ the womanfair, thom, the womannobl have been womanthis man, and you have been your all, but your allvery little, ver little and too simple, andisalie you have never known, you can never know.
its held himyour arms, but you never held his heart, this man with his blurring seasons and his dreamsa barbari and dream dust, thatwhathas beelutchedform and gripped shadow, gave yourselfa man and bedded with the wraith such manner,old, did the daughtersmen whom the gods foun, thom, thom, i should not likebe john fairfaxthe night watchesthe yearse,the night watches, when his eyes shall see, not the sun gloried hairthe womanhis side, but the dark tressesa mate forsakenthe foreststhe north.”
though she did not understand, she had listened with intense attention,though life hunghi she caughther husband’s name and cried outeskimo:“yes! yes! fairfax!man!”
“poor little fool, how couldbe your man?”
but she could not understand his english tongue, and deemed that she was being trifle dumb, insensate angerthe mate woman flamedher face, andalmost seemedthe manthough she crouched panther like for the spring.
he cursed softlyhimself and watched the fire fade from her face and the soft luminous glowthe appealing woman spring up,the appealing woman who foregoes strength and panoplies herself wiselyher weakness.
“hemy man,” she said gently.“never havnow cannotthahould ever kno canbe thatshouldfrom me.”
“who has saidshallfrom thee?”demanded sharply, halfexasperation, halfimpotence.
“itfor theesayshall notfrom me,” she answered softly, a half sobher throat.
van brunt kicked the embersthe fire savagely and sat down.
“itfor theeall womenirt big, thou art strong, and behold, iver, iatis for theedeal with me.itfor thee.”
“get up!”he jerked her roughly erect and stoodhimself.“thou art the dirtno place for thee, nor the feetany man.”
“hemy man.”
“then jesus five all men!” van brunt cried out passionately.
“hemy man,” she repeated monotonously, beseechingly.
“hemy brother,”answered.
“my fatherchiea power over fiv see that the five villagessearched for thy choiceall maidens, that thou mayest stay herethy brother, and dwellfort.”
“after one sleeo.”
“andman?”
“thy man e!”
from among the gloomy spruces came the light carollingfairfax’s voice.
as the dayquencheda seafog,his song smote the light outher face.“itthe tonguehis own people,” she said; “the tonguehis own people.”
she turned, with the free movementa lithe young animal, and made off into the forest.
“it’s all fixed,” fairfax calledhe came up.“his regal highness will receive you after breakfast.”
“have you told him?” van brunt asked.
“no.nor shalell him till we’re readypull out.”
van brunt looked with moody affection over the sleeping formshis men.
“i shallglad whenarundred leagues upon our way,”said.
thom raised the skin flapher father’ men sat with him, and the three lookedher with swif her face betokened nothingshe entered and took seat quietly, withou drummed with his knucklesa spear heft across his knees, and gazed idly along the patha sun ray which pierceacing hole and flunlittering track across the murky atmospherethe lodge.
to his right,his shoulder, crouched chugungatte,were old men, and the wearinessmany years broodedthei opposite them sat keen, a young man and chief favoriteth was quick and alertmovement, and his black eyes flashed from facefaceceaseless scrutiny and challenge.
silence reignedth and again camp noises perated, and from the distance, faint and far, like the shadowsvoices, came the wranglingboysthin shril thrust his head into the entrance and blinked wolfishlythem fopace, the slaver dripping from his ivory whiimegrowled tentatively, and then, awedthe immobilitythe human figures, lowered his head and grovelled awa glanced apatheticallyhis daughter.
“and thy man, howit with him and thee?”
“he sings strange songs,” thom made answer, “and therea new lookhis face.”
“so?he hath spoken?”
“nay, but therea new lookhis face, a new lighthis eyes, and with the new ersitsthe fire, and they talk and talk, and the talkwithout end.”
chugungatte whisperedhis master’s ear, and keen leaned forward from his hips.
“theresomething calling him from afar,” she went on, “andseemssit and listen, andanswer, singing,his own people’s tongue.”
again chugungatte whispered and keen leaned forward, and thom held her speech till her father nodded his head that she might proceed.
“itknownthee, o tantlatch, that the wild goose and the swan and the little ringed duckborn herethe low lyinknown that theyaway before the facethe frostunknowbe known, likewise, that alwaysthey return when the sunin the land and the waterwaysdo they returnwhere they were born, that new life maand callsthem and the now thereanother land that calls, andis callingmy man, the land wherewas born, andhathin mindanswerism all womenheman.”
“iswell, tantlatch?iswell?”chugungatte demanded, with the hintmenacehis voice.
“ay,is well!” keen cried boldly.“the land callsits children, and all lands call their children hom the wild goose and the swan and the little ringed duck are called,is called this stranger man who has lingered withand who now must go.also therethe caloose mates with the goose, nor does the swan mate with the little ringenot well that the swan should mate with the little ringeit well that stranger men should mate with the womenoay the man should go,his own kind,his own land.”
“hemy own man,” thom answered, “andireat man.”
“ay,ireat man.”chugungatte lifted his head witaint recrudescenceyouthful vigor.“hea great man, andput strengththy arm, o tantlatch, and gave thee power, and made thy namebe fearedthe land,be feared andbe respected.
hevery wise, and theremuch profithi him arebeholden for many things, for the cunningwar and the secretsthe defencea village anushthe forest, for the discussioncouncil and the undoingenemieswordmouth and the hard sworn promise, for the gatheringgame and the makingtraps and the preservingfood, for the curingsickness and mendinghurtstrail an, tantlatch, werame old man this day, werenot that the stranger man came into our midst and attendever, whendoubtstrange questions, havegoo him, that outhis wisdommight make things clear, and ever hasmade thing therequestions yetarise, and needs upon his wisdom yete, andcannot bearlet him go.itnot well thatshould let him go.”
tantlatch continueddrumthe spear haft, and gavesign thatha studied his facevain, and chugungatte seemedshrink together and droop downthe weightyears descended upon him again.
“no man makeskill.”keen smote his breasalorous blow.“i makeow gladlive wheakeoreep through the snow upon the great moose, heraw the bow, so, withfull strength, and drive the arrow fierce and swift andthe heart,meatno man’s kill tastessweetthe meatm gladlive, gladmy own cunning and strength, glad thatdoerthings, a doerthingswhat other reasonlive than that?why shoulivei delight notmyself and the thingo?andis becauselight andglad that iforthhunt and fish, andis because iforthhunt and fish tharow cunning and strong.
the man who staysthe lodgethe fire grows not cunningis not made happythe eatingmy kill, norlivinghim doessayis well this stranger man should go.his wisdom does not make ube cunning, thereno need thatb need arise,gohim foreat the meathis kill, andtaste merithis strength, andit therennot live whendoes our living for us.we grow fat and like women, andare afraidwork, andfet howdo thingsthe man go, o tantlatch, thatmaymen!ikeen, a man, anakeown kill!”
tantlatch turneaze upon himwhich seemed the vacancaited the decision expectantly; but the lips did not move, and the old chief turned toward his daughter.
“that whichgiven cannottaken away,” she burst forth.“i was buirl when this stranger man, whomy man, came among us.annew not men,the waysmen, andheart wasthe playgirls, when thou, tantlatch, thou and none other, didst callto thee and pressinto the armsthe strange and none other, tantlatch; andthou didst giveto the man,didst thou give the hasslept, and fromarmscannottaken.”
“it were well, o tantlatch,” keen followed quickly, witignificant glancethom, “it were wellremember that that whichgiven cannottaken away.”
chugungatte straightened up.“outthy youth, keen, e the wordsth for ourselves, o tantlatch,be old men and w, too, have looked into the eyeswomen and felt our bloodhot with strang the years have chilled us, andhave learned the wisdomthe council, the shrewdnessthe cool head and hand, andknow that the warm heartover warm and pro know that keen found favorth know that thom was promised himthe old days when she was yet know that the new days came, and the stranger man, and that outour wisdom and desire for welfare was thom lostkeen and the promise broken.”
the old shaman paused, and looked directlythe young man.
“andit known that i, chugungatte, did advise that the promisebroken.”
“nor havaken other womanmy bed,” keen broke in.“anave buildedown fire, and cookedown food, and groundteethmy loneliness.”
chugungatte waved his hand thathad not finished.“ian old man anpeak frogoodbe strong and graspbe betterforego power that good e the old dayatthy shoulder, tantlatch, andvoice was heard over allthe council, andadvice takenaffair was strong and hel tantlatcas the greatest man.
then came the stranger man, anaw thatwas cunning and wisein thatwas wiser and greater than i,was plain that greater profit should arise from him than from me.anad thy ear, tantlatch, and thou didst listenmy words, and the stranger man was given power and place and thy daughter, the tribe prospered under the new lawsthe new days, andshallcontinueprosper with the stranger manouold men,two, o tantlatch, thou and i, and thisan affairhead,my words, tantlatch!hearwords!the man remains!”there waong silence.
the old chief pondered with the massive certitudegod, and chugungatte seemedwrap himselfthe mistsa grea looked with yearning upon the woman, and she, unnoting, held her eyes steadfastly upon her father’ wolf dog shoved the flap aside again, and plucking couragethe quiet, wormed forwardhi sniffed curiouslythom’s listless hand, cocked ears challenginglychugungatte, and hunched down upon his haunches befor spear rattledthe ground, and the dog, witrightened yell, sprang sideways, snappingmid air, andthe second leap cleared the entrance.
tantlatch looked from faceface, pondering each one longhe raised his head, with rude royalty, and gave judgmentcold and even tones: “thethe hunterscallunnerthe next village with wordbringthe fightin not see the hou, chugungatte, have talk wit himmayat once,he wouldifight there be, kill, kill, kill,the last man; but letwordforth thatharm befall our man, the man whomdaughter hatwell.”
chugungatte rose and tottered out; thom followed; butkeen stoopedthe entrance the voicetantlatch stopped him.
“keen,were wellhearkenmno harm befall him.”
becausefairfax’s instructionsthe artwar, the tribesmen did not hurl themselves forward boldly and wit, there was great restraint and self control, and they were contentadvance silently, creeping and crawling from sheltehe river bank, and partly protecteda narrow open space, crouched the creeseyes could see nothing, and onlyvague ways did their ears hear, but they felt the thrilllife which ran through the forest, the indistinct, indefinable movementan advancing host.
“damn them,” fairfax muttered.“they’ve never faced powder, buaught them the trick.”
avery van brunt laughed, knocked the ashes outhis pipe, and putcarefully away with the pouch, and loosened the hunting knifeits sheathhis hip.
“wait,”said.“we’ll wither the facethe charge and break their hearts.”
“they’ll rush scatteredthey rememberteaching.”
“le rifles were made t’ll good!first blood!extra tobacco, loon!”
loon, a cree, had spottedexposed shoulder and wittinging bullet apprised its ownerhis discovery.
“ifcan tease them into breaking forward,” fairfax muttered, “ifcan only tease them into breaking forward.”
van brunt saead peer from behinistant tree, and wituick shot sent the man sprawlingthe grounda deat pottehird, and fairfax and the rest tooand, firingevery exposure and into each clumpagitate crossing one little swale outcover, fivethe tribesmen remainedtheir faces, andthe left, where the covering was sparse, a dozen men wer they took the punishment with sullen steadiness, ingcautiously, deliberately, without haste and without lagging.
ten minutes later, when they were quite close, all movement was suspended, the advance ceased abruptly, and the quietness that followed was portentous, couldseen the green and goldthe woods, and undergrowth, shivering and tremblingthe first faint puffsthewan white morning sun mottled the earth with long shadows and streakan lifted his head and crawled painfully outthe swale, michael following him with his rifle but forbearinan along the invisible line from leftright, anlightarrows arched through the air.
“get ready,” van brunt manded, a new metallic notehis voice.“now!”
they broke cove forest heaved into sudde yell went up, and the rifles barked back shar knew their deathsmid leap, andthey fell, their brothers surged over thema roaring, irresistibl the forefrontthe rush, hair flying and arms swinging free, flashing past the tree trunks, and leaping the obstructing logs, cam sightedher and almost pulled trigger ereknew her.
“the woman!don’t shoot!”cried.“see! sheunarmed!”
the crees never heard, nor michael and his brother voyageur, nor van brunt, who was keeping one shell continuouslyth thom bore straight on, unharmed,the heelsa skin clad hunter who had veeredbefore her fromemptied his magazine into the menright and lefther, and swung his riflemeet thethe man, seemingrecognize him, swerved suddenly aside and plunged his spear into the bodhe moment thom had one arm passed around her husband’s neck, and twisting half about, with voice and gesture was splitting the masscharging warriors.
a scoremen hurled pasteither side, and fairfax, forief instant’s space, stood looking upon her and her bronze beauty, thrilling, exulting, stirredunknown deeps, visioning strange things, dreaming, immortall and scrapsold world philosophies and new world ethics floated through his mind, and things wonderfully concrete and woefully incongruous hunting scenes, stretchessombre forest, vastnessessilent snow, the glitteringballroom lights, great galleries and lecture halls, a fleeting shimmerglistening test tubes, long rowsbook lined shelves, the throbmachinery and the roartraffic, a fragmentfotten song, facesdear women and old chums, a lonely watercourse amid upstanding peaks, a shattered boata pebbly strand, quiet moonlit fields, fat vales, the smellhay....
a hunter, struck between the eyes witifle ball, pitched forward lifeless, and with the momentumhis charge slid alongcame barades, those that lived, had been swept far back among the tree could hear the fierce “hia! hia!”the huntersthey closedand cut and thrust with their weaponsbonecriesthe stricken men smote him lik knew the fight was over, the cause was lost, but all his race traditions and race loyalty impelled him into the welter thatmight dieleast with his kind.
“my man!man!” thom cried.“thou art safe!”
he triedstruggle on, but her dead weight clogged his steps.
“thereno need!they are dead, and lifegood!”
she held him close around the neck and twined her limbs about his tilltripped and stumbled, reeled violentlyrecover footing, tripped again, and fell backwardth head strucutting root, andwas half stunned and could strugglethe fall she had heard the feathered swishan arrow darting past, and she covered his body with hers,withield, her arms holding him tightly, her face and lips pressed upon his neck.
thenwas that keen rosefroangled thickecorefee looked about him wit fight had sweptand the crythe last man was dyin waso fittedarrowthe string and glancedthe manher breast and arm the fleshthe man’s side showe bent the bow and drew back the arrowitdid so, calmly and for certainty, and then drove the bone barbed missile straight homethe white flesh, gleaming yet more whitethe dark armed, dark breasted embrace.
m.pi.co
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