下载辰思小说免费APP
ThenatlastIunderstoodthatMr。RavenwasindeedAdam,theoldandthenewman;andthathiswife,ministeringinthehouseofthedead,wasEve,themotherofusall,theladyoftheNewJerusalem。
Theleopardessreared;theflickeringandfleeingofherspotsbegan;
theprincessatlengthstoodradiantinherperfectshape。
"IAMbeautiful——andimmortal！"shesaid——andshelookedthegoddessshewouldbe。
"Asabushthatburns,andisconsumed,"answeredhewhohadbeenherhusband。"——Whatisthatunderthyrighthand？"
Forherarmlayacrossherbosom,andherhandwaspressedtoherside。
Aswiftpangcontortedherbeautifulface,andpassed。
"Itisbutaleopard—spotthatlingers！itwillquicklyfollowthoseIhavedismissed,"sheanswered。
"ThouartbeautifulbecauseGodcreatedthee,butthouarttheslaveofsin:takethyhandfromthyside。"
Herhandsankaway,andasitdroptshelookedhimintheeyeswithaquailingfiercenessthathadinitnosurrender。
Hegazedamomentatthespot。
"Itisnotontheleopard;itisinthewoman！"hesaid。"Norwillitleavetheeuntilithatheatentothyheart,andthybeautyhathflowedfromtheethroughtheopenwound！"
Shegaveaglancedownward,andshivered。
"Lilith,"saidAdam,andhistonehadchangedtoatenderbeseeching,"hearme,andrepent,andHewhomadetheewillcleansethee！"
Herhandreturnedquiveringtoherside。Herfacegrewdark。Shegavethecryofonefromwhomhopeisvanishing。Thecrypassedintoahowl。Shelaywrithingonthefloor,aleopardesscoveredwithspots。
"Theevilthoumeditatest,"Adamresumed,"thoushaltnevercompass,Lilith,forGoodandnotEvilistheUniverse。Thebattlebetweenthemmaylastforcountlessages,butitmustend:howwillitfarewiththeewhenTimehathvanishedinthedawnoftheeternalmorn？
Repent,Ibeseechthee;repent,andbeagainanangelofGod！"
Sherose,shestoodupright,awomanoncemore,andsaid,"Iwillnotrepent。Iwilldrinkthebloodofthychild。"
Myeyeswerefastenedontheprincess;butwhenAdamspoke,Iturnedtohim:hestoodtoweringaboveher;theformofhisvisagewasaltered,andhisvoicewasterrible。
"Down！"hecried;"orbythepowergivenmeIwillmeltthyverybones。"
Sheflungherselfonthefloor,dwindledanddwindled,andwasagainagraycat。Adamcaughtherupbytheskinofherneck,borehertothecloset,andthrewherin。Hedescribedastrangefigureonthethreshold,andclosingthedoor,lockedit。
Thenhereturnedtomysidetheoldlibrarian,lookingsadandworn,andfurtivelywipingtearsfromhiseyes。
CHAPTERXXX
ADAMEXPLAINS
"Wemustbeonourguard,"hesaid,"orshewillagainoutwitus。
Shewouldbefooltheveryelect！"
"Howarewetobeonourguard？"Iasked。
"Everyway,"heanswered。"Shefears,thereforehatesherchild,andisinthishouseonherwaytodestroyher。Thebirthofchildrenisinhereyesthedeathoftheirparents,andeverynewgenerationtheenemyofthelast。Herdaughterappearstoheranopenchannelthroughwhichherimmortality——whichyetshecountsself—inherent——isflowingfastaway:tofillitup,almostfromherbirthshehaspursuedherwithanutterenmity。Buttheresultofhermachinationshithertois,thatintheregionsheclaimsasherown,hasappearedacolonyofchildren,towhichthatdaughterisheartandheadandshelteringwings。MyEvelongedafterthechild,andwouldhavebeentoherasamothertoherfirst—born,butwewerethenunfittotrainher:shewascarriedintothewilderness,andforagesweknewnothingofherfate。Butshewasdivinelyfostered,andhadyoungangelsforherplaymates;nordidsheeverknowcareuntilshefoundababyinthewood,andthemother—heartinherawoke。
Onebyoneshehasfoundmanychildrensince,andthatheartisnotyetfull。Herfamilyisherabsorbingcharge,andneverchildrenwerebettermothered。Herauthorityoverthemiswithoutappeal,butitisunknowntoherself,andnevercomestothesurfaceexceptinwatchfulnessandservice。Shehasforgottenthetimewhenshelivedwithoutthem,andthinksshecameherselffromthewood,thefirstofthefamily。
"Youhavesavedthelifeofherandtheirenemy;thereforeyourlifebelongstoherandthem。Theprincesswasonherwaytodestroythem,butasshecrossedthatstream,vengeanceovertookher,andshewouldhavediedhadyounotcometoheraid。Youdid;anderenowshewouldhavebeenragingamongtheLittleOnes,hadshedaredagaincrossthestream。Buttherewasyetawaytotheblessedlittlecolonythroughtheworldofthethreedimensions;only,fromthat,bytheslayingofherformerbody,shehadexcludedherself,andexceptinpersonalcontactwithonebelongingtoit,couldnotre—enterit。Youprovidedtheopportunity:never,inallherlongyears,hadshehadonebefore。Herhand,withlightesttouch,wasononeorotherofyourmuffledfeet,everystepasyouclimbed。Inthatlittlechamber,sheisnowwatchingtoleaveitassoonasevershemay。"
"Shecannotknowanythingaboutthedoor！——shecannotatleastknowhowtoopenit！"Isaid;butmyheartwasnotsoconfidentasmywords。
"Hush,hush！"whisperedthelibrarian,withupliftedhand;"shecanhearthroughanything！——Youmustgoatonce,andmakeyourwaytomywife\'scottage。Iwillremaintokeepguardoverher。"
"LetmegototheLittleOnes！"Icried。
"Bewareofthat,Mr。Vane。Gotomywife,anddoasshetellsyou。"
Hisadvicedidnotrecommenditself:whyhastetoencountermeasurelessdelay？Ifnottoprotectthechildren,whygoatall？
Alas,evennowIbelievedhimonlyenoughtoaskhimquestions,nottoobeyhim！
"Tellmefirst,Mr。Raven,"Isaid,"why,ofallplaces,youhaveshutherupthere！ThenightIranfromyourhouse,itwasimmediatelyintothatcloset！"
"Theclosetisnonearerourcottage,andnofartherfromit,thananyoreveryotherplace。"
"But,"Ireturned,hardtopersuadewhereIcouldnotunderstand,"howisitthenthat,whenyouplease,youtakefromthatsamedoorawholebookwhereIsawandfeltonlyapartofone？Theotherpart,youhavejusttoldme,stuckthroughintoyourlibrary:whenyouputitagainontheshelf,willitnotagainstickthroughintothat？Mustnotthenthetwoplaces,inwhichpartsofthesamevolumecanatthesamemomentexist,lieclosetogether？Orcanonepartofthebookbeinspace,orSOMEWHERE,andtheotheroutofspace,orNOWHERE？"
"IamsorryIcannotexplainthethingtoyou,"heanswered;"butthereisnoprovisioninyouforunderstandingit。Notmerely,therefore,isthephenomenoninexplicabletoyou,buttheverynatureofitisinapprehensiblebyyou。IndeedIbutpartiallyapprehenditmyself。Atthesametimeyouareconstantlyexperiencingthingswhichyounotonlydonot,butcannotunderstand。Youthinkyouunderstandthem,butyourunderstandingofthemisonlyyourbeingusedtothem,andthereforenotsurprisedatthem。Youacceptthem,notbecauseyouunderstandthem,butbecauseyoumustacceptthem:
theyarethere,andhaveunavoidablerelationswithyou！Thefactis,nomanunderstandsanything;whenheknowshedoesnotunderstand,thatishisfirsttotteringstep——nottowardunderstanding,buttowardthecapabilityofonedayunderstanding。Tosuchthingsastheseyouarenotused,thereforeyoudonotfancyyouunderstandthem。NeitherInoranymancanherehelpyoutounderstand;butImay,perhaps,helpyoualittletobelieve！"
Hewenttothedoorofthecloset,gavealowwhistle,andstoodlistening。Amomentafter,Iheard,orseemedtohear,asoftwhirofwings,and,lookingup,sawawhitedoveperchforaninstantonthetopoftheshelvesovertheportrait,thencedroptoMr。Raven\'sshoulder,andlayherheadagainsthischeek。OnlybythemotionsoftheirtwoheadscouldItellthattheyweretalkingtogether;
Iheardnothing。NeitherhadImovedmyeyesfromthem,whensuddenlyshewasnotthere,andMr。Ravencamebacktohisseat。
"Whydidyouwhistle？"Iasked。"Surelysoundhereisnotsoundthere！"
"Youareright,"heanswered。"IwhistledthatyoumightknowI
calledher。Notthewhistle,butwhatthewhistlemeantreachedher。——Thereisnotaminutetolose:youmustgo！"
"Iwillatonce！"Ireplied,andmovedforthedoor。
"Youwillsleepto—nightatmyhostelry！"hesaid——notasaquestion,butinatoneofmildauthority。
"Myheartiswiththechildren,"Ireplied。"Butifyouinsist————"
"Idoinsist。Youcanotherwiseeffectnothing。——Iwillgowithyouasfarasthemirror,andseeyouoff。"
Herose。Therecameasuddenshockinthecloset。Apparentlytheleopardesshadflungherselfagainsttheheavydoor。Ilookedatmycompanion。
"Come;come！"hesaid。
Erewereachedthedoorofthelibrary,ahowlingyellcameafterus,mingledwiththenoiseofclawsthatscoredatthehardoak。
Ihesitated,andhalfturned。
"Tothinkofherlyingtherealone,"Imurmured,"——withthatterriblewound！"
"Nothingwilleverclosethatwound,"heanswered,withasigh。
"Itmusteatintoherheart！Annihilationitselfisnodeathtoevil。Onlygoodwhereevilwas,isevildead。Anevilthingmustlivewithitseviluntilitchoosestobegood。Thataloneistheslayingofevil。"
IheldmypeaceuntilasoundIdidnotunderstandovertookus。
"Ifsheshouldbreakloose！"Icried。
"Makehaste！"herejoined。"Ishallhurrydownthemomentyouaregone,andIhavedisarrangedthemirrors。"
Weran,andreachedthewoodenchamberbreathless。Mr。Ravenseizedthechainsandadjustedthehood。Thenhesetthemirrorsintheirproperrelation,andcamebesidemeinfrontofthestandingone。
AlreadyIsawthemountainrangeemergingfromthemist。
Betweenus,wedgingusasunder,darted,withtheyellofademon,thehugebulkofthespottedleopardess。Sheleapedthroughthemirrorasthroughanopenwindow,andsettledatonceintoalow,even,swiftgallop。
Icastalookofdismayatmycompanion,andsprangthroughtofollowher。Hecameaftermeleisurely。
"Youneednotrun,"hecalled;"youcannotovertakeher。Thisisourway。"
Ashespokeheturnedintheoppositedirection。
"Shehasmoremagicatherfinger—tipsthanIcaretoknow！"headdedquietly。
"Wemustdowhatwecan！"Isaid,andranon,butsickeningasI
sawherdwindleinthedistance,stopped,andwentbacktohim。
"Doubtlesswemust,"heanswered。"ButmywifehaswarnedMara,andshewilldoherpart;youmustsleepfirst:youhavegivenmeyourword！"
"NordoImeantobreakit。Butsurelysleepisnotthefirstthing！
Surely,surely,actiontakesprecedenceofrepose！"
"Amancandonothingheisnotfittodo。——See！didInottellyouMarawoulddoherpart？"
Ilookedwhitherhepointed,andsawawhitespotmovingatanacuteanglewiththelinetakenbytheleopardess。
"Theresheis！"hecried。"Thespottedleopardessisstrong,butthewhiteisstronger！"
"Ihaveseenthemfight:thecombatdidnotappeardecisiveastothat。"
"Howshouldsucheyestellwhichhaveneverslept？Theprincessdidnotconfessherselfbeaten——thatsheneverdoes——butshefled！Whensheconfessesherlasthopegone,thatitisindeedhardtokickagainstthegoad,thenwillherdaybegintodawn！Come;come！Hewhocannotactmustmakehastetosleep！"
CHAPTERXXXI
THESEXTON\'SOLDHORSE
Istoodandwatchedthelastgleamofthewhiteleopardessmeltaway,thenturnedtofollowmyguide——butreluctantly。WhathadItodowithsleep？Surelyreasonwasthesameineveryworld,andwhatreasoncouldtherebeingoingtosleepwiththedead,whenthehourwascallingtheliveman？Besides,noonewouldwakeme,andhowcouldIbecertainofwakingearly——ofwakingatall？——thesleepersinthathouseletmorningglideintonoon,andnoonintonight,noreverstirred！Imurmured,butfollowed,forIknewnotwhatelsetodo。
Thelibrarianwalkedoninsilence,andIwalkedsilentashe。Timeandspaceglidedpastus。Thesunset;itbegantogrowdark,andIfeltintheairthespreadingcoldofthechamberofdeath。Myheartsanklowerandlower。Ibegantolosesightofthelean,long—coatedfigure,andatlengthcouldnomorehearhisswishingstridethroughtheheather。ButthenIheardinsteadtheslow—flappingwingsoftheraven;and,atintervals,nowafirefly,nowagleamingbutterflyroseintotheraylessair。
Byandbythemoonappeared,slowcrossingthefarhorizon。
"Youaretired,areyounot,Mr。Vane？"saidtheraven,alightingonastone。"Youmustmakeacquaintancewiththehorsethatwillcarryyouinthemorning！"
Hegaveastrangewhistlethroughhislongblackbeak。Aspotappearedonthefaceofthehalf—risenmoon。Tomyearscamepresentlythedrummingofswift,soft—gallopinghoofs,andinaminuteortwo,outoftheverydiscofthemoon,low—thunderedtheterriblehorse。Hismaneflowedawaybehindhimlikethecrestofawind—fightingwave,tornseawardinhoaryspray,andthewhiskofhistailkeptblindingtheeyeofthemoon。Nineteenhandsheseemed,hugeofbone,tightofskin,hardofmuscle——asteedtheholyDeathhimselfmightchooseonwhichtorideabroadandslay！
Themoonseemedtoregardhimwithawe;inherscarylighthelookedaveryskeleton,looselyropedtogether。Terrificallylarge,hemovedwiththelightnessofawingedinsect。Ashedrewnear,hisspeedslackened,andhismaneandtaildriftedabouthimsettling。
NowIwasnotmerelyaloverofhorses,butIlovedeveryhorseI
saw。Ihadneverspentmoneyexceptuponhorses,andhadneversoldahorse。Thesightofthismightyone,terribletolookat,wokeinmelongingtopossesshim。Itwaspuregreed,nay,rankcovetousness,anevilthinginalltheworlds。IdonotmeanthatIcouldhavestolenhim,butthat,regardlessofhisproperplace,IwouldhaveboughthimifIcould。Ilaidmyhandsonhim,andstrokedtheprotuberantbonesthathumpedahidesmoothandthin,andshinyassatin——soshinythattheveryshapeofthemoonwasreflectedinit;Ifondledhissharp—pointedears,whisperedwordsinthem,andbreathedintohisrednostrilsthebreathofaman\'slife。Heinreturnbreathedintominethebreathofahorse\'slife,andwelovedoneanother。Whateyeshehad！Blue—filmyliketheeyesofthedead,behindeachwasaglowingcoal！Theraven,withwingshalfextended,lookedonpleasedatmylove—makingtohismagnificenthorse。
"Thatiswell！befriendswithhim,"hesaid:"hewillcarryyouallthebetterto—morrow！——Nowwemusthurryhome！"
Mydesiretoridethehorsehadgrownpassionate。
"MayInotmounthimatonce,Mr。Raven？"Icried。
"Byallmeans！"heanswered。"Mount,andridehimhome。"
Thehorsebenthisheadovermyshoulderlovingly。Itwistedmyhandsinhismaneandscrambledontohisback,notwithoutaidfromcertainprotuberantbones。
"Hewouldoutspeedanyleopardincreation！"Icried。
"Notthatwayatnight,"answeredtheraven;"theroadisdifficult。——
Butcome;lossnowwillbegainthen！Towaitisharderthantorun,anditsmeedisthefuller。Goon,myson——straighttothecottage。Ishallbethereassoonasyou。Itwillrejoicemywife\'shearttoseesonofhersonthathorse！"
Isatsilent。Thehorsestoodlikeablockofmarble。
"Whydoyoulinger？"askedtheraven。
"Ilongsomuchtorideaftertheleopardess,"Ianswered,"thatI
canscarcerestrainmyself！"
"Youhavepromised！"
"MydebttotheLittleOnesappears,Iconfess,agreaterthingthanmybondtoyou。"
"Yieldtothetemptationandyouwillbringmischiefuponthem——andonyourselfalso。"
"Whatmattersitforme？Ilovethem;andloveworksnoevil。I
willgo。"
Butthetruthwas,Iforgotthechildren,infatuatewiththehorse。
Eyesflashedthroughthedarkness,andIknewthatAdamstoodinhisownshapebesideme。Iknewalsobyhisvoicethatherepressedanindignationalmosttoostrongforhim。
"Mr。Vane,"hesaid,"doyounotknowwhyyouhavenotyetdoneanythingworthdoing？"
"BecauseIhavebeenafool,"Ianswered。
"Wherein？"
"Ineverything。"
"Whichdoyoucountyourmostindiscreetaction？"
"Bringingtheprincesstolife:Ioughttohavelefthertoherjustfate。"
"Nay,nowyoutalkfoolishly！Youcouldnothavedoneotherwisethanyoudid,notknowingshewasevil！——Butyouneverbroughtanyonetolife！Howcouldyou,yourselfdead？"
"Idead？"Icried。
"Yes,"heanswered;"andyouwillbedead,solongasyourefusetodie。"
"Backtotheoldriddling！"Ireturnedscornfully。
"Bepersuaded,andgohomewithme,"hecontinuedgently。"Themost——nearlytheonlyfoolishthingyoueverdid,wastorunfromourdead。"
Ipressedthehorse\'sribs,andhewasofflikeasuddenwind。I
gavehimapatonthesideoftheneck,andhewentaboutinasharp—drivencurve,"closetotheground,likeacatwhenscratchinglyshewheelsaboutafteramouse,"leaningsidewaystillhismanesweptthetopsoftheheather。
ThroughthedarkIheardthewingsoftheraven。FivequickflapsIheard,andheperchedonthehorse\'shead。Thehorsecheckedhimselfinstantly,ploughingupthegroundwithhisfeet。
"Mr。Vane,"croakedtheraven,"thinkwhatyouaredoing！Twicealreadyhasevilbefallenyou——oncefromfear,andoncefromheedlessness:breachofwordisfarworse;itisacrime。"
"TheLittleOnesareinfrightfulperil,andIbroughtituponthem！"
Icried。"——ButindeedIwillnotbreakmywordtoyou。Iwillreturn,andspendinyourhousewhatnights——whatdays——whatyearsyouplease。"
"Itellyouoncemoreyouwilldothemotherthangoodifyougoto—night,"heinsisted。
Butafalsesenseofpower,asensewhichhadnorootandwasmerelyvibratedintomefromthestrengthofthehorse,had,alas,renderedmetoostupidtolistentoanythinghesaid！
"Wouldyoutakefrommemylastchanceofreparation？"Icried。
"Thistimethereshallbenoshirking！Itismyduty,andIwillgo——ifIperishforit！"
"Go,then,foolishboy！"hereturned,withangerinhiscroak。"Takethehorse,andridetofailure！Mayitbetohumility！"
Hespreadhiswingsandflew。AgainIpressedtheleanribsunderme。
"Afterthespottedleopardess！"Iwhisperedinhisear。
Heturnedhisheadthiswayandthat,snuffingtheair;thenstarted,andwentafewpacesinaslow,undecidedwalk。Suddenlyhequickenedhiswalk;brokeintoatrot;begantogallop,andinafewmomentshisspeedwastremendous。Heseemedtoseeinthedark;neverstumbled,notoncefaltered,notoncehesitated。Isatasontheridgeofawave。Ifeltundermetheplayofeachindividualmuscle:hisjointsweresoelastic,andhiseverymovementglidedsointothenext,thatnotoncedidhejarme。Hisgrowingswiftnessborehimalonguntilheflewratherthanran。
Thewindmetandpasseduslikeatornado。
Acrosstheevilhollowwespedlikeaboltfromanarblast。Nomonsterlifteditsneck;allknewthehoofsthatthunderedovertheirheads！Werushedupthehills,weshotdowntheirfartherslopes;fromtherockychasmsoftheriver—bedhedidnotswerve;
heheldonoverthemhisfierce,terriblegallop。Themoon,half—wayuptheheaven,gazedwithasolemntroubleinherpalecountenance。
Rejoicinginthepowerofmysteedandintheprideofmylife,I
satlikeakingandrode。
Wewerenearthemiddleofthemanychannels,myhorseeveryothermomentclearingone,sometimestwoinhisstride,andnowandthengatheringhimselfforagreatboundingleap,whenthemoonreachedthekey—stoneofherarch。Thencameawonderandaterror:shebegantodescendrollinglikethenaveofFortune\'swheelbowledbythegods,andwentfasterandfaster。Likeourownmoon,thisonehadahumanface,andnowthebroadforeheadnowthechinwasuppermostassherolled。Igazedaghast。
Acrosstheravinescamethehowlingofwolves。Anuglyfearbegantoinvadethehollowplacesofmyheart;myconfidencewasonthewane！Thehorsemaintainedhisheadlongswiftness,withearsprickedforward,andthirstynostrilsexultinginthewindhiscareercreated。Buttherewasthemoonjoltinglikeanoldchariot—wheeldownthehillofheaven,withawfulboding！Sherolledatlastoverthehorizon—edgeanddisappeared,carryingallherlightwithher。
Themightysteedwasintheactofclearingawideshallowchannelwhenwewerecaughtinthenetofthedarkness。Hisheaddropped;
itsimpetuscarriedhishelplessbulkacross,buthefellinaheaponthemargin,andwherehefellhelay。Igotup,kneeledbesidehim,andfelthimallover。NotabonecouldIfindbroken,buthewasahorsenomore。Isatdownonthebody,andburiedmyfaceinmyhands。
CHAPTERXXXII
THELOVERSANDTHEBAGS
Bitterlycoldgrewthenight。Thebodyfrozeunderme。Thecryofthewolvescamenearer;Iheardtheirfeetsoft—paddingontherockyground;theirquickpantingfilledtheair。ThroughthedarknessIsawthemanyglowingeyes;theirhalf—circlecontractedaroundme。Mytimewascome！Isprangtomyfeet。——Alas,Ihadnotevenastick！
Theycameinarush,theireyesflashingwithfuryofgreed,theirblackthroatsagapetodevourme。Istoodhopelesslywaitingthem。
Onemomenttheyhaltedoverthehorse——thencameatme。
Withasoundofswiftnessallbutsilence,acloudofgreeneyescamedownontheirflank。Theheadsthatborethemflewatthewolveswithacryfeebleryetfiercerthantheirhowlingsnarl,andbythecryIknewthem:theywerecats,ledbyahugegrayone。I
couldseenothingofhimbuthiseyes,yetIknewhim——andsoknewhiscolourandbigness。Aterrificbattlefollowed,whosetalealonecametomethroughthenight。Iwouldhavefled,forsurelyitwasbutafightwhichshouldhaveme！——onlywherewastheuse？
myfirststepwouldbeafall！andmyfoesofeitherkindcouldbothseeandscentmeinthedark！
AllatonceImissedthehowling,andthecaterwaulinggrewwilder。
Thencamethesoftpadding,andIknewitmeantflight:thecatshaddefeatedthewolves！Inamomentthesharpestofsharpteethwereinmylegs;amomentmoreandthecatswereallovermeinalivecataract,bitingwherevertheycouldbite,furiouslyscratchingmeanywhereandeverywhere。Amultitudeclungtomybody;Icouldnotflee。MadlyIfellonthehatefulswarm,everyfingerinstinctwithdestruction。Itorethemoffme,Ithrottledattheminvain:
whenIwouldhaveflungthemfromme,theyclungtomyhandslikelimpets。Itrampledthemundermyfeet,thrustmyfingersintheireyes,caughttheminjawsstrongerthantheirs,butcouldnotridmyselfofone。Withoutceasetheykeptdiscoveringuponmespaceforfreshmouthfuls;theyhauledatmyskinwiththewidespread,horriblycurvedpincersofclutchingclaws;theyhissedandspatinmyface——butnevertouchedituntil,inmydespair,Ithrewmyselfontheground,whentheyforsookmybody,anddartedatmyface。
Irose,andimmediatelytheyleftit,themoretooccupythemselveswithmylegs。InanagonyIbrokefromthemandran,carelesswhither,cleavingthesoliddark。Theyaccompaniedmeinasurroundingtorrent,nowrubbing,nowleapingupagainstme,buttormentingmenomore。WhenIfell,whichwasoften,theygavemetimetorise;whenfromfearoffallingIslackenedmypace,theyflewafreshatmylegs。Allthatmiserablenighttheykeptmerunning——buttheydrovemebyacomparativelysmoothpath,forI
tumbledintonogully,andpassingtheEvilWoodwithoutseeingit,leftitbehindinthedark。Whenatlengththemorningappeared,Iwasbeyondthechannels,andonthevergeoftheorchardvalley。
InmyjoyIwouldhavemadefriendswithmypersecutors,butnotacatwastobeseen。Ithrewmyselfonthemoss,andfellfastasleep。
Iwaswakedbyakick,tofindmyselfboundhandandfoot,oncemorethethrallofthegiants！
"Whatfitter？"Isaidtomyself;"towhomelseshouldIbelong？"
andIlaughedinthetriumphofself—disgust。Asecondkickstoppedmyfalsemerriment;andthusrecurrentlyassistedbymycaptors,I
succeededatlengthinrisingtomyfeet。
Sixofthemwereaboutme。Theyundidtheropethattiedmylegstogether,attachedaropetoeachofthem,anddraggedmeaway。I
walkedaswellasIcould,but,astheyfrequentlypulledbothropesatonce,Ifellrepeatedly,whereupontheyalwayskickedmeupagain。
Straighttomyoldlabourtheytookme,tiedmyleg—ropestoatree,undidmyarms,andputthehatefulflintinmylefthand。Thentheylaydownandpeltedmewithfallenfruitandstones,butseldomhitme。IfIcouldhavefreedmylegs,andgotholdofastickI
spiedacoupleofyardsfromme,Iwouldhavefallenuponallsixofthem！"ButtheLittleOneswillcomeatnight！"Isaidtomyself,andwascomforted。
AlldayIworkedhard。Whenthedarknesscame,theytiedmyhands,andleftmefasttothetree。Isleptagooddeal,butwokeoften,andeverytimefromadreamoflyingintheheartofaheapofchildren。Withthemorningmyenemiesreappeared,bringingtheirkicksandtheirbestialcompany。
Itwasaboutnoon,andIwasnearlyfailingfromfatigueandhunger,whenIheardasuddencommotioninthebrushwood,followedbyaburstofthebell—likelaughtersodeartomyheart。Igavealoudcryofdelightandwelcome。Immediatelyroseatrumpetingasofbaby—elephants,aneighingasoffoals,andabellowingasofcalves,andthroughthebushescameacrowdofLittleOnes,ondiminutivehorses,onsmallelephants,onlittlebears;butthenoisescamefromtheriders,nottheanimals。Mingledwiththemountedoneswalkedthebiggeroftheboysandgirls,amongthelatterawomanwithababycrowinginherarms。Thegiantssprangtotheirlumberingfeet,butwereinstantlysalutedwithastormofsharpstones;thehorseschargedtheirlegs;thebearsroseandhuggedthematthewaist;theelephantsthrewtheirtrunksroundtheirnecks,pulledthemdown,andgavethemsuchatramplingastheyhadsometimesgiven,butneverreceivedbefore。Inamomentmyropeswereundone,andIwasinthearms,seeminglyinnumerable,oftheLittleOnes。
ForsometimeIsawnomoreofthegiants。
Theymademesitdown,andmyLonacame,andwithoutawordbegantofeedmewiththeloveliestredandyellowfruits。Isatandate,thewholecolonymountingguarduntilIhaddone。Thentheybroughtuptwoofthelargestoftheirelephants,andhavingplacedthemsidebyside,hookedtheirtrunksandtiedtheirtailstogether。
Thedocilecreaturescouldhaveuntiedtheirtailswithasingleshake,andunhookedtheirtrunksbyforgettingthem;buttailsandtrunksremainedastheirlittlemastershadarrangedthem,anditwascleartheelephantsunderstoodthattheymustkeeptheirbodiesparallel。Igotup,andlaidmyselfinthehollowbetweentheirtwobacks;whenthewiseanimals,counteractingtheweightthatpushedthemapart,leanedagainsteachother,andmadeformeamostcomfortablelitter。Myfeet,itistrue,projectedbeyondtheirtails,butmyheadlaypillowedonanearofeach。Thensomeofthesmallerchildren,mountingforabodyguard,rangedthemselvesinarowalongthebackofeachofmybearers;thewholeassemblyformeditselfintrain;andtheprocessionbegantomove。
Whithertheywerecarryingme,Ididnottrytoconjecture;Iyieldedmyselftotheirpleasure,almostashappyasthey。Chatteringandlaughingandplayinggladtricksinnumerableatfirst,themomenttheysawIwasgoingtosleep,theybecamestillasjudges。
Iwoke:asuddenmusicaluproargreetedtheopeningofmyeyes。
