Chapter 11. The Swamp Monster

A few joms after, I was informed by the Kohen that there was to be another sacred hunt. Een paar minuten later kreeg ik van de Kohen te horen dat er weer een heilige jacht zou zijn. Через несколько джомов коэны сообщили мне, что предстоит еще одна священная охота. At first I felt inclined to refuse, but on learning that Almah was going, I resolved to go also; for Almah, though generally mistress of her actions, had nevertheless certain duties to perform, and among these was the necessity of accompanying hunting-parties. Сначала я почувствовал склонность отказаться, но, узнав, что Алма уезжает, я решил тоже пойти; ибо Альма, хотя в целом хозяйка своих действий, тем не менее имела определенные обязанности, в том числе необходимость сопровождать отряды на охоте. I did not yet understand her position here, nor had I heard from her yet how it was that she was so different from the rest of them. That was all to be learned at a future time. Все это нужно было узнать в будущем. For the present I had to be satisfied with knowing that she belonged to a different nation, who spoke a different language, and that all her thoughts and feelings were totally different from those of the people among whom she was living. She loved the light, she feared death, and she had never been able in the slightest degree to reconcile herself to the habits of these people. This I could readily understand, for to me it seemed as though they lived in opposition to nature itself. Это я мог легко понять, потому что мне казалось, что они живут в противовес самой природе.

We went out into the daylight, and then I saw a sight which filled me with amazement. I saw a flock of birds larger than even the opkuks. Ik zag een zwerm vogels groter dan zelfs de opkuks. They were called "opmahera." Ze werden 'opmahera' genoemd. They seemed as tall as giraffes, and their long legs indicated great powers of running. Their wings were very short, and not adapted for flight. They were very tractable, and were harnessed for riding in a peculiar way; lines like reins were fastened to the wings, and the driver, who sat close by the neck, guided the bird in this way. Ils étaient très maniables et étaient harnachés pour monter à cheval d'une manière particulière ; des cordes comme des rênes étaient attachées aux ailes, et le cocher, assis près du cou, guidait l'oiseau de cette manière. Each bird carried two men, but for Almah and me there was a bird apiece. An iron prod was also taken by each driver as a spur. Un aiguillon de fer a également été pris par chaque pilote comme un éperon. I did not find out until afterward how to drive. Je n'ai découvert qu'après coup comment conduire. At that time the prospect of so novel a ride was such an exciting one that I forgot everything else. A cette époque, la perspective d'un tour si nouveau était si excitante que j'ai oublié tout le reste. В то время перспектива такой необычной поездки была такой захватывающей, что я забыл обо всем остальном. The birds seemed quiet and docile. I took it for granted that mine was well trained, and would go with the others of his own accord. Je tenais pour acquis que le mien était bien entraîné et irait avec les autres de son propre gré. Я считал само собой разумеющимся, что мой был хорошо обучен и пойдет с другими по собственному желанию. We all mounted by means of a stone platform which stood by the pyramid, and soon were on our way. Nous montâmes tous au moyen d'une plate-forme de pierre qui se tenait près de la pyramide, et bientôt nous nous mîmes en route.

The speed was amazing; the fastest race-horse at home is slow compared with this. It was as swift as an ordinary railway train, if not more so. For some minutes the novelty of my situation took away all other thoughts, and I held the reins in my hands without knowing how to use them. На несколько минут новизна моей ситуации забрала все другие мысли, и я держал вожжи в руках, не зная, как ими пользоваться. But this mattered not, for the well-trained bird kept on after the others, while Almah on her bird was close behind me. Mais cela n'avait pas d'importance, car l'oiseau bien dressé continuait après les autres, tandis qu'Almah sur son oiseau était juste derrière moi. The pace, as I said, was tremendous, yet no easier motion can be imagined. Le rythme, comme je l'ai dit, était énorme, mais aucun mouvement plus facile ne peut être imaginé. Темп, как я уже сказал, был потрясающим, но более легкого движения представить нельзя. The bird bounded along with immense leaps, with wings outstretched, but its feet touched the ground so lightly that the motion seemed almost equal to flying. We did not confine ourselves to the roads, for the birds were capable of going over any kind of country in a straight line. Nous ne nous bornions pas aux routes, car les oiseaux étaient capables de parcourir en ligne droite n'importe quel pays. Мы не ограничивались дорогами, потому что птицы могли пересечь любую местность по прямой. On this occasion we passed over wide fields and rocky mountain ridges and deep swamps and sand wastes at the same speed, until at length we reached a vast forest of dense tree-ferns, where the whole band stopped for a short time, after which we took up a new direction, moving on more slowly. A cette occasion, nous avons traversé de vastes champs et des crêtes de montagnes rocheuses et des marécages profonds et des déserts de sable à la même vitesse, jusqu'à ce que nous atteignions enfin une vaste forêt de fougères arborescentes denses, où toute la bande s'est arrêtée pendant une courte période, après quoi nous a pris une nouvelle direction, avançant plus lentement. The forest grew up out of a swamp, which extended as far as the eye could reach from the sea to the mountains. La forêt a grandi dans un marécage qui s'étendait à perte de vue de la mer aux montagnes. Along the edge of this forest we went for some time, until at length there came a rushing, crackling sound, as of something moving there among the trees, crushing down everything in its progress. Le long de la lisière de cette forêt, nous sommes allés pendant un certain temps, jusqu'à ce qu'à la fin il y ait eu un bruit de précipitation et de crépitement, comme celui de quelque chose se déplaçant là parmi les arbres, écrasant tout dans sa progression. We halted, and did not have to wait long; for soon, not far away, there emerged from the thick forest a figure of incredible size and most hideous aspect.

It looked like one of those fabled dragons such as may be seen in pictures, but without wings. It was nearly a hundred feet in length, with a stout body and a long tail, covered all over with impenetrable scales. It hind-legs were rather longer than its fore-legs, and it moved its huge body with ease and rapidity. Its feet were armed with formidable claws. But its head was most terrific. It was a vast mass of bone, with enormous eyes that glared like fire; its jaws opened to the width of six or eight feet, and were furnished with rows of sharp teeth, while at the extremity of its nose there was a tusk several feet long, like the horn of a rhinoceros, curving backward. C'était une vaste masse d'os, avec d'énormes yeux qui brillaient comme du feu ; ses mâchoires s'ouvraient sur une largeur de six à huit pieds, et étaient garnies de rangées de dents pointues, tandis qu'à l'extrémité de son nez il y avait une défense de plusieurs pieds de long, comme la corne d'un rhinocéros, recourbée en arrière. All this I took in at the first glance, and the next instant the whole band of hunters, with their usual recklessness, flung themselves upon the monster.

For a short time all was the wildest confusion--an intermingling of birds and men, with the writhing and roaring beast. Pendant une courte période, tout fut la plus folle confusion, un mélange d'oiseaux et d'hommes, avec la bête se tordant et rugissant. With his huge claws and his curved horn and his wide jaws he dealt death and destruction all around; yet still the assailants kept at their work. Avec ses énormes griffes, sa corne recourbée et ses larges mâchoires, il infligea la mort et la destruction tout autour ; pourtant les assaillants continuaient à travailler. Many leaped down to the ground and rushed close up to the monster, thrusting their lances into the softer and more unprotected parts of his body; while others, guiding their birds with marvellous dexterity, assailed him on all sides. Beaucoup sautèrent à terre et se précipitèrent près du monstre, enfonçant leurs lances dans les parties les plus molles et les moins protégées de son corps ; tandis que d'autres, guidant leurs oiseaux avec une dextérité merveilleuse, l'assaillaient de toutes parts. The birds, too, were kept well to their work; nor did they exhibit any fear. Les oiseaux, eux aussi, étaient bien tenus à leur travail ; ils n'ont pas non plus manifesté de peur. It was not until they were wounded that they sought to fly. Ce n'est qu'après avoir été blessés qu'ils ont cherché à s'envoler. Pas toen ze gewond raakten, probeerden ze te vliegen. Они попытались улететь только после того, как были ранены. Still, the contest seemed too unequal. Pourtant, le concours semblait trop inégal. Тем не менее, конкурс казался слишком неравным. The sacrifice of life was horrible. I saw men and birds literally torn to pieces before my eyes. Nevertheless, the utter fearlessness of the assailants confounded me. Тем не менее полное бесстрашие нападавших приводило меня в замешательство. In spite of the slaughter, fresh crowds rushed on. Malgré le carnage, de nouvelles foules se précipitent. They clambered over his back, and strove to drive their lances under his bony cuirass. Ils grimpèrent sur son dos et s'efforcèrent d'enfoncer leurs lances sous sa cuirasse osseuse. In the midst of them I saw the Kohen. By some means he had reached the animal’s back, and was crawling along, holding by the coarse shaggy mane. D'une certaine manière, il avait atteint le dos de l'animal et rampait, se tenant par la crinière hirsute et grossière. At length he stopped, and with a sudden effort thrust his lance into the monster’s eye. The vast beast gave a low and terrible howl; his immense tail went flying all about; in his pain he rolled over and over, crushing underneath him in his awful struggles all who were nearest. L'immense bête poussa un hurlement sourd et terrible ; son immense queue volait partout; dans sa douleur, il roula encore et encore, écrasant sous lui dans ses terribles luttes tous ceux qui étaient les plus proches. I could no longer be inactive. I raised my rifle, and as the beast in his writhings exposed his belly I took aim at the soft flesh just inside his left fore-leg, and fired both barrels.

At that instant my bird gave a wild, shrill scream and a vast bound into the air, and then away it went like the wind--away, I know not where. À cet instant, mon oiseau poussa un cri sauvage et aigu et un vaste bond dans les airs, puis il s'éloigna comme le vent, je ne sais où. That first bound had nearly jerked me off; but I managed to avoid this and now instinctively clung with all my might to the bird’s neck, still holding my rifle. Ce premier bond m'avait presque branlé ; mais j'ai réussi à l'éviter et je me suis maintenant instinctivement accroché de toutes mes forces au cou de l'oiseau, tenant toujours mon fusil. Die eerste sprong had me bijna afgeschrikt; maar ik slaagde erin dit te vermijden en klampte me nu instinctief uit alle macht aan de nek van de vogel vast, terwijl ik mijn geweer nog steeds vasthield. Этот первый прыжок чуть не сбил меня с толку; но мне удалось этого избежать, и теперь я инстинктивно изо всех сил цеплялся за шею птицы, все еще держа винтовку. The speed of the bird was twice as great as it had been before--as the speed of a runaway horse surpasses that of the same horse when trotting at his ordinary rate and under control. La vitesse de l'oiseau était deux fois plus élevée qu'auparavant, car la vitesse d'un cheval en fuite surpasse celle du même cheval lorsqu'il trottait à son rythme ordinaire et sous contrôle. Скорость птицы была вдвое больше, чем раньше - так же, как скорость сбежавшей лошади превосходит скорость той же лошади, когда она бежит с обычной скоростью и под контролем. I could scarcely make out where I was going. Rocks, hills, swamps, fields, trees, sand, and sea all seemed to flash past in one confused assemblage, and the only thought in my mind was that I was being carried to some remote wilderness, to be flung there bruised and maimed among the rocks, to perish helplessly. Les rochers, les collines, les marécages, les champs, les arbres, le sable et la mer semblaient tous défiler en un assemblage confus, et la seule pensée dans mon esprit était que j'étais transporté dans un désert reculé, pour y être jeté meurtri et mutilé parmi les les rochers, pour périr impuissant. Every moment I expected to be thrown, for the progress of the bird was not only inconceivably swift, but it also gave immense leaps into the air; and it was only its easy mode of lighting on the ground after each leap that saved me from being hurled off. A chaque instant, je m'attendais à être projeté, car la progression de l'oiseau était non seulement incroyablement rapide, mais elle faisait aussi d'immenses sauts dans les airs ; et ce n'était que sa facilité d'éclairage au sol après chaque saut qui m'empêchait d'être éjecté. Каждую секунду я ожидал, что меня бросят, потому что птица продвигалась не только невероятно быстро, но и совершала огромные прыжки в воздух; и только легкий способ освещения земли после каждого прыжка спас меня от падения. As it was, however, I clung instinctively to the bird’s neck, until at last it came to a stop so suddenly that my hands slipped, and I fell to the ground.

I was senseless for I know not how long. J'ai été insensée pendant je ne sais combien de temps. Ik was zinloos want ik weet niet hoe lang. When at last I revived I found myself propped up against a bank, and Almah bathing my head with cold water. Quand enfin je me suis réveillé, je me suis retrouvé adossé à un talus et Almah me baignait la tête avec de l'eau froide. Fortunately, I had received no hurt. In falling I had struck on my head, but it was against the soft turf, and though I was stunned, yet on regaining my senses no further inconvenience was experienced. En tombant, je m'étais heurté à la tête, mais c'était contre le gazon mou, et bien que j'étais abasourdi, en reprenant mes esprits, aucun autre inconvénient n'a été ressenti. The presence of Almah was soon explained. The report of the rifle had startled her bird also, which had bounded away in terror like mine; but Almah understood how to guide him, and managed to keep him after me, so as to be of assistance in case of need. She had been close behind all the time, and had stopped when I fell, and come to my assistance.

The place was a slope looking out upon an arm of the sea, and apparently remote from human abode. L'endroit était une pente donnant sur un bras de mer, et apparemment éloigné de la demeure humaine. The scenery was exquisitely beautiful. A little distance off we saw the edge of the forest; the open country was dotted with clumps of trees; on the other side of the arm of the sea was an easy declivity covered with trees of luxuriant foliage and vast dimensions; farther away on one side rose the icy summits of impassable mountains; on the other side there extended the blue expanse of the boundless sea. The spot where I lay was over-shadowed by the dense foliage of a tree which was unlike anything that I had ever seen, and seemed like some exaggerated grass; at our feet a brook ran murmuring to the shore; in the air and all around were innumerable birds. L'endroit où j'étais allongé était ombragé par le feuillage dense d'un arbre qui ne ressemblait à rien de ce que j'avais jamais vu, et ressemblait à une herbe exagérée ; à nos pieds coulait un ruisseau en murmurant jusqu'au rivage ; dans l'air et tout autour se trouvaient d'innombrables oiseaux.

The situation in which I found myself seemed inexpressibly sweet, and all the more so from the gentle face of Almah. La situation dans laquelle je me trouvais me paraissait d'une douceur inexprimable, et d'autant plus du doux visage d'Almah. Would it not be well, I thought, to remain here? Why should Almah go back to her repulsive duties? Why should we return to those children of blood, who loved death and darkness? Here we might pass our days together unmolested. Ici, nous pourrions passer nos journées ensemble sans être inquiétés. The genial climate would afford us warmth; we needed no shelter except the trees, and as for food, there were the birds of the air in innumerable flocks. Het gemoedelijke klimaat zou ons warmte geven; we hadden geen beschutting nodig behalve de bomen, en wat voedsel betreft, er waren de vogels in de lucht in ontelbare zwermen.

I proposed this to her; she smiled sadly. "You forget," said she, "this season of light will not last much longer. In a few more joms the dark season will begin, and then we should perish in a place like this." "Are there no caverns here?" "Oh no. This country has no inhabitants. It is full of fierce wild beasts. We should be destroyed before one jom." Мы должны быть уничтожены до одного дня ". "But must we go back?" said I. "You have a country. Where is it? See, here are these birds. They are swift. They can carry us anywhere. Come, let us fly, and you can return to your own country." Almah shook her head. "These birds," said she, "cannot go over the sea, or through these endless forests. My country can only be reached by sea." "Can we not hurry back, seize a boat, and go? I know how to sail over the water without oars." "We certainly might leave the country; but there is another difficulty. The dark season is coming, and we should never be able to find our way. Besides, the sea is full of monsters, and you and I would perish." "At any rate, let us try. I have my sepet-ram." Ik heb mijn sepet-ram." "We could never find our way." "Only tell me," said I, "where it lies, and I will go by the stars." "The trouble is," said she, "that even if we did succeed in reaching my land, I should be sent back again; for I was sent here as a sacred hostage, and I have been here four seasons." But in the midst of this conversation a sound arrested our attention--heavy, puffing, snorting sound, as of some living thing. Mais au milieu de cette conversation, un son arrêta notre attention, un son lourd, soufflant, reniflant, comme celui d'un être vivant. Hastily I started up, rifle in hand, and looked; and as I looked I felt my nerves thrill with horror. Je me précipitai, le fusil à la main, et regardai ; et tandis que je regardais, je sentais mes nerfs frémir d'horreur. There, close by the shore, I saw a vast form--a living thing--full sixty feet in length. It had a body like that of an elephant, the head of a crocodile, and enormous glaring eyes. Its immense body was covered with impenetrable armor, and was supported on legs long enough to allow it to run with great speed. It differed in many respects from the monster of the swamp--the legs being longer, the tail shorter and thinner, and its head and jaws larger and longer. I shrank back, thinking of seizing Almah and hiding. But I saw that she had already taken the alarm, and with more presence of mind than I had she had hurried to the birds, who were standing near, and had made them lie down. As I turned, she beckoned to me without a word. I hurried to her. She told me to mount. I did so at once; she did the same. Scarce had we mounted than the monster perceived us, and with a terrible bellow came rushing toward us. Almah drove her goad deep into her bird, which at once rose and went off like the wind, and mine started to follow. Almah a enfoncé son aiguillon profondément dans son oiseau, qui à la fois s'est levé et est parti comme le vent, et le mien a commencé à suivre. Almah dreef haar prikstok diep in haar vogel, die meteen opsteeg en weer weg ging als de wind, en de mijne begon te volgen. The vast monster came on. His roar sounded close behind, and I heard the clash of his tremendous jaws; but the swift bird with a bound snatched me from his grasp, and bore me far away out of his reach. Away I went like the wind. Almah was ahead, looking back from time to time, and waving her hand joyously. So we went on, returning on our course at a speed almost as great as that with which we had come. By this time the novelty had in part worn away, and the easy motion gave me confidence. A cette époque, la nouveauté s'était en partie usée, et le mouvement facile m'a donné confiance. I noticed that we were travelling a wild, uninhabited, and rocky district by the sea-side. Before me the country spread far away, interspersed with groves, terminating in forests, and bounded in the far distance by mountains. The country here was so rough that it seemed as if nothing could pass over it except such creatures as these--the opmaheras. Le pays ici était si rude qu'il semblait que rien ne pouvait y passer, sauf des créatures telles que celles-ci, les opmaheras. Het land hier was zo ruig dat het leek alsof er niets overheen kon komen behalve zulke wezens als deze - de opmahera's.

At length we arrived at the spot which we had left--the scene of the hunt. Eindelijk kwamen we aan op de plek die we hadden verlaten - het toneel van de jacht. We could see it from afar, for the opmaheras stood quietly around, and the men were busy elsewhere. As we drew nearer I saw the vast body of the monster. They had succeeded in killing it, yet--oh heavens, at what a cost! One half of all the party lay dead. The rest were unharmed, and among these was the Kohen. Les autres étaient indemnes, et parmi eux se trouvait le Kohen. He greeted me with a melancholy smile. That melancholy smile, however, was not caused by the sad fate of his brave companions, but, as I afterward learned, simply and solely because he himself had not gained his death. When I saw that there were no wounded, a dark suspicion came over me that the wounded had again been put to death. I did not care to ask. The truth was too terrible to hear, and I felt glad that accident had drawn me away. It was all a dark and dreadful mystery. These people were the most gentle, the most self-sacrificing, and the most generous in the world; yet their strange and unnatural love of death made them capable of endless atrocities. Life and light seemed to them as actual evils, and death and darkness the only things worthy of regard.

Almah told me that they were going to bring the monster home, and had sent for opkuks to drag it along. Almah m'a dit qu'ils allaient ramener le monstre à la maison et avait envoyé chercher des opkuks pour le traîner. The dead were also to be fetched back. Les morts devaient également être récupérés. There was no further necessity for us to remain, and so we returned at once.

On the way, Almah said, "Do not use the sepet-ram again. You can do no good with it. You must not make it common. Vous ne devez pas le rendre commun. Keep it. The time may come when you will need it: you are not fond of death." I shuddered.

"Never forget," she said, "that here death is considered the chief blessing. It is useless for you to interfere in their ways. Вам бесполезно мешать им. You cannot change them." Some more joms passed. Прошло еще несколько джомов. The bodies were embalmed, and Almah had more victims to crown with garlands in the horrible cheder nebilin. Les corps ont été embaumés et Almah a eu d'autres victimes à couronner de guirlandes dans l'horrible cheder nebilin. De lichamen werden gebalsemd en Almah had nog meer slachtoffers om te kronen met bloemenslingers in de afschuwelijke chedernebilin. Тела были забальзамированы, и у Альмы было больше жертв, которых можно было увенчать гирляндами в ужасном хедер небилин.