Caesar & Hussein: Two Classic Novels from the Author of MASTER AND COMMANDER

Four

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.

That night I was lulled to sleep by the swish of the rain, which came down in sheets. When I awoke in the morning it was coming down as hard as ever; the dark sky was lighted by flashes of lightning, and the stream below was converted into a broad, roaring torrent.

I felt very hungry, and then I remembered the kid which I had put in the back of the cave. I dragged it out and made a good meal. He was very tender, if a little stale.

Then for the rest of the day I licked myself until my fur shone. There was nothing else to do except watch the rain. As the day wore on the lightning and thunder became worse, and several trees were struck. Forked lightning was particularly beautiful, as it played almost incessantly.

The night passed uneventfully. But in the morning I noticed that the stream was swollen to five times its previous size, and every now and then drowned animals floated down. I felt very unwell on account of my wound, which I could not easily get at to lick, and it had begun to fester and throb painfully.

Then suddenly the rain stopped, and there was silence like that which preceded the storm. Soon I heard noises as of animals and birds beginning to move again, and I got up to go down to the stream. Before I had gone far, however, my wound and my weakness through lack of food forced me to stop, and I lay down quite dizzy.

I soon was able to get up and go to the stream, which was very swollen. Here and there on the banks I could see drowned animals, such as goats, pigs and small deer, on whose dead bodies a number of jackals and hyenas were already feeding. But they fled on my approach.

I had a drink and felt better for it. Then as evening was coming on I ensconced myself in a heap of debris which had been washed down, in the hope that some deer or goats might come down to drink. My hopes were fulfilled before I expected, for no sooner had I hidden myself when a half-grown sambhur arrived. It had got separated from its mother in the storm.

I crept up behind it quietly, but it saw me, so I had to charge quickly. I broke its neck quite easily, but my wound had torn open, and I crept back to my shelter carrying the sambhur and bleeding profusely. I lay down for some time, very weak for want of food and loss of blood, and felt very dizzy and soon went into a kind of sleep. I dreamt for the first time. My dream was about the fire in which my mother perished, and I saw her quite plainly just before the pine killed her, and I felt very sad.

I woke with a start, and I observed several jackals in front of my shelter waiting for a chance to snatch my kill. They retreated hurriedly when I got up, but to prevent them taking it when I slept I made a meal there and then, and took the rest up to the cave.

My wound had closed, but I knew that any sharp turn or jerk would bring it open again, so I took quite a long time getting up there. I felt strangely weak and shaky about the legs, and I thought I was going to die. But after finishing the sambhur and having a good rest I felt much better, and next morning I was quite myself again.

I went down to the stream, which had subsided a great deal, and had a drink, which was against my usual custom, for I nearly always drank in the evening like the other animals. But the loss of blood had made me thirsty. After that I wandered down to the ford, which I could not wade as usual, so I swam it.

To my no little amazement, I found that if I kept my body under the water instead of trying to leap out after each successive stroke, I could swim quite well without much effort.

On reaching the opposite bank I struck into the forest, and wandered rather aimlessly away from my usual haunts. By noon I had gone farther than I had ever gone before, and when the sun became too oppressive I ascended a tree and rested in the crotch, about twenty-five feet from the ground; and I watched the insects and animals settling down for the midday siesta.

The monkeys made quite a noise for some time, even after the buzz of the mosquitoes had died down. Soon, however, everything was quiet, and I slept with the rest.

Five

Looking down I saw a large party of ants crawling up the bole of the tree, and the front ones had just reached my tail. They covered the whole of the front of the tree in a crawling mass, but in orderly ranks, guarded by warrior ants on either side, in the front and at the back. These warriors had very large jaws, out of all proportion to their size, and one of them was biting me. I whisked it off and went farther up the tree. Soon, however, the ants reached me again, and I went higher this time accompanied by four frightened monkeys and two small pythons.

The behaviour of these beasts reminded me of the way the animals acted when running from the forest fire. As a rule the pythons would have taken the opportunity of a meal in the form of the monkeys, to which they are particularly partial. However, they just ascended the tree in a panic-stricken sort of fashion.

Then one of the snakes half slipped on a rotten branch, and did not recover till he had fallen nearly three feet. He fell in among the front ranks of the ants. In a moment he was covered with them. They swarmed over his body; he opened his mouth to hiss, and they poured down his throat. They bit away his eyecoverings and blinded him, and before two minutes had passed they had killed him and were taking him away in small sections to their nest.

When they had gone I thankfully descended. I could have gone no higher as the branches were getting thinner, and they would soon have broken beneath my weight.

Having descended I made a bee-line towards the village, as I was feeling too lazy to track deer. In about two hours I reached the edge of the plateau. The flocks were there just the same, but there were six men also.

Stealing up to the edge of the herd, I sprang up a tree with low-spreading branches. The leaves afforded excellent cover and shade, and I remained there unobserved for some time, awaiting my chance for an easy kill.

After half an hour had passed I dozed off to sleep. In a few minutes I was awakened by the sound of humans chattering below, one of whom was pointing to my tail, which I had allowed to drop during my sleep so that it hung down through the branches.

The chattering ceased and one of the men took a bright kind of stick, and resting it on his shoulder pointed it at me. Then there was a tremendous report and a flash of fire which frightened me so that I nearly lost my balance, and then something terribly hot hit me in the shoulder, making a searing gash right to my shoulder-blade.

After that I remember nothing but a blind, unreasoning wave of fury which overcame me, and confused shouts — and my claws and teeth sank again and again in human flesh.

When I calmed down enough to stop the useless killing, I found myself alone covered with blood, with two dead men. I dimly felt sorry that I had needlessly killed these two useless things, for though I was hungry I could not bring myself to eat these smelly men.

I went to a small pond in the wood and had a drink. All the animals had disappeared, so I went downstream, homeward. On the way I was lucky enough to see a small pig which had wandered from the main herd. Fat and well fed, the pig could not run like a wild one, so I caught it with great ease.

I reached home, and while I was washing myself preparatory to eating the pig, I found that I had a large cut on my back, evidently from one of the sharp, shiny things which the men carried. It was not deep, however, and healed in a day or two. The pig, as I have said before, was fat and well fed — so I slept well. For three days I laid up in the cave, contenting myself with small deer that came down every evening to drink at the stream.

In this way I soon got over my wound, except for the old wound in my shoulder which left a permanent scar. I avoided the plateau for about fifteen days, but on the sixteenth I went up to the edge of the plain, and lying down in the rocks I formed a plan. After about a quarter of an hour I circled round the herds — always keeping up-wind of them, until I was within a furlong of the village itself, when I advanced towards the track which they always followed when going into the village. Here I concealed myself in some dense brushwood — awaiting their return.

My plan was this — when they were half way past me, I would spring out roaring, and in the confusion disappear with a buffalo calf, if I could get one, or at the worst a large pig.

I had not long to wait, and soon the foremost horned sheep passed me — but I let them go. Soon the men came, but they did not notice that the pigs and goats seemed a little frightened when they passed me. But the wind was blowing well in my direction, so they did not bolt or give notice that they sensed that I was around.

Soon, however, the pigs and sheep had all passed, and then the great water-buffaloes came by — first the bulls with their great needle-pointed curved horns and wicked-looking red eyes. I did not venture to pull one of these giants down in the sight of the rest.

For though the bulls might have stampeded, the cows would have killed me in an instant, for a buffalo cow with calf is easily the most dangerous beast in my fancy. So I changed my plan and waited for the stragglers.

The main body soon passed, and the stragglers began to arrive. I selected a half-grown bull buffalo and charged — roaring. In an instant all was pandemonium, and the main herd stampeded towards the village, which was what I wanted.

The calf seemed petrified with fear, and I sprang on to its shoulders, and in a moment my teeth had met in the back of his neck.

He fell, but from behind some bushes a small cow buffalo — his mother — came charging. I stood my ground over the little buffalo, being furious at my mistake.

When she was about six feet off I sprang, but not high enough, and she got in a blow with her horns which sent me three feet in the air. Luckily the points missed me, and I twisted in the air and fell on her back, and there I stayed. She dashed through the bushes trying to dislodge me, but I stuck on.

Soon, however, the loss of blood which was streaming from her sides weakened her, and as she slowed up I broke her neck, and she fell with a crash.

Slowly and stiffly I got up; my claws seemed on fire from the strain they had endured, and my back was scarred by the marks from branches.

Looking around I saw that we had left the village far behind, and I was near the great pile of rocks where I had been tracked by the dogs before.

I tried to drag my kill towards them, but I quickly realised that she was too heavy for me. I dragged her a little way, but after twenty yards I had to desist. Then taking her up again I succeeded in getting her to the rocks. The great weight was a reminder that I was not yet fully grown, for I remembered seeing my mother carrying a big buck sambhur with ease.

Once in the rocks I made a good meal, for I knew there was no time to lose. Running back after about half an hour, I picked up the little buffalo.

In the village fires were flaring and a terrific hubbub was going on. Taking it by the neck in my mouth and slinging the body over my shoulder, I set off at a rapid trot for home.

This time I did not attempt to cover my tracks by plunging into the stream.

Far behind me I heard the baying of the dogs, but soon I came to the rocky foot of the mountain, which I knew would leave no tracks.

Gaining home, I slept almost at once.

Next morning I wandered off towards the south until noon, when I slept as usual. Instead of a tree, however, I selected a broad slab of rock over a small stream — overhung by the branches of an aspen. Being tired I slept on and on, little suspecting the danger beneath me.

Six

But I was interrupted by a low hiss, and turning I looked into the face of a large king cobra, which was coiled for a spring, not at me, however, but at something behind me, and towards the left.

Turning sharply, I saw a little brown man crouched like a monkey in some long grass. Then the cobra struck, its head shooting over my tail like a whip-lash. It missed, for the man had dodged to one side and had hit it on the back of the head with a bent stick, and the snake lay motionless on the ground.

All this only took about half a minute, however, but I had time to back out without being seen, for I had never seen any animal like this who could dodge the fastest thing in the jungle.

From my place up a tree which I climbed, I saw him follow my tracks round the rock towards me. Then I lost sight of him, but feeling uneasy I left my tree and concealed myself in the rushes.

Soon I saw him come out of the brushwood, bent double and staring around him. Then he saw a place where I had put my foot in a little patch of mud. He ran to it, and after inspecting it some time he rose with a little whistle of surprise, and disappeared again in the bushes.

Soon after that I came out, feeling hungry. As I have said before, the rock on which I had been lying was over a small pool, and now as it was evening I hoped that some game might come down to drink. So, hiding near the banks, I waited.

In about half an hour there came a sounder of pigs led by a vast boar. Having had some little experience of these boars I knew that it would be better not to touch him or his family, so I let them alone.

Then the pigs began to drink. A few minutes passed, and with a roar a large tiger leapt out of the bushes opposite to me, and the pigs scattered.

One little one ran straight to me, and I secured it without any noise. All the pigs fled except the boar, who stood facing the tiger who, after circling around for a moment, charged.

The boar with great speed leaped to one side, at the same time getting in a blow with his long tusks which opened up the skin from the tiger’s shoulder to half way down the ribs. Then before he could recover the boar had swung round and gored him again.

The tiger roared and began to circle round slowly and cautiously — and then he leapt. The boar was too slow, and lost part of his right shoulder. The tiger retreated and continued these tactics for some time, circling and dashing in and back again.

After a while the boar was a sorry sight; all his head and shoulders were bleeding and the blood obscured his vision.

The tiger suddenly leapt in again, but he over-reached himself, missing his mark as he struck, and the boar, with a grunt, lowered his head, and with lightning speed ripped up the tiger.

As he fell, the boar with one great raking thrust completely disembowelled his adversary, who lay kicking on the ground. The boar drew off and soon the tiger’s struggles ceased and he lay dead.

Then the boar crawled away into the bushes opposite me, and soon after I saw two jackals near the place. In a few moments five more had come, and from the sky the vultures and crows were coming.

Soon I had finished my pig, and I walked out into the open.

As soon as they saw me the cloud of crows and vultures rose and settled on all the trees around. I looked at the tiger’s body and saw beside the main wounds innumerable others all over him.

Having inspected the tiger I went farther south on the trail of some deer. I followed this trail along through what seemed like a beaten track or path until I came to a kind of cross-roads, where another set of deer tracks converged on to the main one. Further along still, I found some more which led into it, and I could tell by the scent that I was coming near to the deer.

Then quite suddenly the sun set and the afterglow set in, and after about five minutes the darkness began to close in.

A month ago I would have been looking for a sleeping-place, but now, oddly enough, I took little notice, for I was growing up and knew that the hunting time for the big carnivores is the night.

I saw the fireflies dancing in among the grasses in front of me, and vaguely I wondered where they got the light from. As I travelled along the deer trails I began to notice a scent in the air which I did not recognise, and as I progressed the smell grew more powerful, until at last I knew I must be very near the beast, whatever it was.

Then breaking through some bushes (I had left the path in my curiosity) I emerged into a clearance, where I saw a huge black shape standing still in a corner.