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第29章

nada the lily(百合娜达)-第29章

小说: nada the lily(百合娜达) 字数: 每页4000字

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round the world。 I went back to the cave; and feeling that I must do
something lest I should go mad; I drew to me the carcase of the great
dog…wolf which I had killed; and; taking my knife of iron; I began to
skin it by the light of the moon。 For an hour or more I skinned;
singing to myself as I worked; and striving to forget him who sat in
the cleft above and the howlings which ran about the mountains。 But
ever the moonlight shone more clearly into the cave: now by it I could
see his shape of bone and skin; ay; and even the bandage about his
eyes。 Why had he tied it there? I wonderedperhaps to hide the faces
of the fierce wolves as they sprang upwards to grip him。 And always
the howlings drew nearer; now I could see grey forms creeping to and
fro in the shadows of the rocky place before me。 Ah! there before me
glared two red eyes: a sharp snout sniffed at the carcase which I
skinned。 With a yell; I lifted the Watcher and smote。 There came a
scream of pain; and something galloped away into the shadows。

〃Now the skin was off。 I cast it behind me; and seizing the carcase
dragged it to the edge of the rock and left it。 Presently the sound of
howlings drew near again; and I saw the grey shapes creep up one by
one。 Now they gathered round the carcase; now they fell upon it and
rent it; fighting horribly till all was finished。 Then; licking their
red chops; they slunk back to the forest。

〃Did I sleep or did I wake? Nay; I cannot tell。 But I know this; that
of a sudden I seemed to look up and see。 I saw a lightperchance;
Umslopogaas; it was the light of the moon; shining upon him that sat
aloft at the end of the cave。 It was a red light; and he glowed in it
as glows a thing that is rotten。 I looked; or seemed to look; and then
I thought that the hanging jaw moved; and from it came a voice that
was harsh and hollow as of one who speaks from an empty belly; through
a withered throat。

〃'Hail; Galazi; child of Siguyana!' said the voice; 'Galazi the Wolf!
Say; what dost thou here in the Ghost Mountain; where the stone Witch
sits forever; waiting for the world to die?'

〃Then; Umslopogaas; I answered; or seemed to answer; and my voice;
too; sounded strange and hollow:

〃'Hail; Dead One; who sittest like a vulture on a rock! I do this on
the Ghost Mountain。 I come to seek thy bones and bear them to thy
mother for burial。'

〃'Many and many a year have I sat aloft; Galazi;' answered the voice;
'watching the ghost…wolves leap and leap to drag me down; till the
rock grew smooth beneath the wearing of their feet。 So I sat seven
days and nights; being yet alive; the hungry wolves below; and hunger
gnawing at my heart。 So I have sat many and many a year; being dead in
the heart of the old stone Witch; watching the moon and the sun and
the stars; hearkening to the howls of the ghost…wolves as they ravened
beneath me; and learning the wisdom of the old witch who sits above in
everlasting stone。 Yet my mother was young and fair when I trod the
haunted forest and climbed the knees of stone。 How seems she now;
Galazi?'

〃'She is white and wrinkled and very aged;' I answered。 'They call her
mad; yet at her bidding I came to seek thee; Dead One; bearing the
Watcher that was thy father's and shall be mine。'

〃'It shall be thine; Galazi;' said the voice; 'for thou alone hast
dared the ghosts to me sleep and burial。 Hearken; thine also shall be
the wisdom of the old witch who sits aloft forever; frozen into
everlasting stonethine and one other's。 These are not wolves that
thou hast seen; that is no wolf which thou hast slain; nay; they are
ghostsevil ghosts of men who lived in ages gone; and who must now
live till they be slain by men。 And knowest thou how they lived;
Galazi; and what was the food they ate? When the light comes again;
Galazi; climb to the breasts of the stone Witch; and look in the cleft
which is between her breasts。 There shalt thou see how these men
lived。 And now this doom is on them: they must wander gaunt and hungry
in the shape of wolves; haunting that Ghost Mountain where they once
fed; till they are led forth to die at the hands of men。 Because of
their devouring hunger they have leapt from year to year; striving to
reach my bones; and he whom thou hast slain was the king of them; and
she at his side was their queen。

〃'Now; Galazi the Wolf; this is the wisdom that I give thee: thou
shalt be king of the ghost…wolves; thou and another; whom a lion shall
bring thee。 Gird the black skin upon thy shoulders; and the wolves
shall follow thee; all the three hundred and sixty and three of them
that are left; and let him who shall be brought to thee gird on the
skin of grey。 Where ye twain lead them; there shall they raven;
bringing you victory till all are dead。 But know this; that there only
may they raven where in life they ravened; seeking for their food。
Yet; that was an ill gift thou tookest from my motherthe gift of the
Watcher; for though without the Watcher thou hadst never slain the
king of the ghost…wolves; yet; bearing the Watcher; thou shalt thyself
be slain。 Now; on the morrow carry me back to my mother; so that I may
sleep where the ghost…wolves leap no more。 I have spoken; Galazi。'

〃Now the Dead One's voice seemed to grow ever fainter and more hollow
as he spoke; till at the last I could scarcely hear his words; yet I
answered him; asking him this:

〃'Who is it; then; that the lion shall bring to me to rule with me
over the ghost…wolves; and how is he named?'

〃Then the Dead One spoke once more very faintly; yet in the silence of
the place I heard his words:

〃'He is named Umslopogaas the Slaughterer; son of Chaka; Lion of the
Zulu。〃

Now Umslopogaas started up from his place by the fire。

〃I am named Umslopogaas;〃 he said; 〃but the Slaughterer I am not
named; and I am the son of Mopo; and not the son of Chaka; Lion of the
Zulu; you have dreamed a dream; Galazi; or; if it was no dream; then
the Dead One lied to you。〃

〃Perchance this was so; Umslopogaas;〃 answered Galazi the Wolf。
〃Perhaps I dreamed; of perhaps the Dead One lied; nevertheless; if he
lied in this matter; in other matters he did not lie; as you shall
hear。

〃After I had heard these words; or had dreamed that I heard them; I
slept indeed; and when I woke the forest beneath was like the clouds
of mist; but the grey light glinted upon the face of her who sits in
stone above。 Now I remembered the dream that I had dreamed; and I
would see if it were all a dream。 So I rose; and leaving the cave;
found a place where I might climb up to the breasts and head of the
stone Witch。 I climbed; and as I went the rays of the sun lit upon her
face; and I rejoiced to see them。 But; when I drew near; the likeness
to the face of a woman faded away; and I saw nothing before me but
rugged heaps of piled…up rock。 For this; Umslopogaas; is the way of
witches; be they of stone or fleshwhen you draw near to them they
change their shape。

〃Now I was on the breast of the mountain; and wandered to and for
awhile between the great heaps of stone。 At length I found; as it
were; a crack in the stone thrice as wide as a man can jump; and in
length half a spear's throw; and near this crack stood great stones
blackened by fire; and beneath them broken pots and a knife of flint。
I looked down into the crackit was very deep; and green with moss;
and tall ferns grew about in it; for the damp gathered there。 There
was nothing else。 I had dreamed a lying dream。 I turned to go; then
found another mind; and climbed down into the cleft; pushing aside the
ferns。 Beneath the ferns was moss; I scraped it away with the Watcher。
Presently the iron of the club struck on something that was yellow and
round like a stone; and from the yellow thing came a hollow sound。 I
lifted it; Umslopogaas; it was the skull of a child。

〃I dug deeper and scraped away more moss; till presently I saw。
Beneath the moss was nothing but the bones of menold bones that had
lain there many years; the little ones had rotted; the larger ones
remainedsome were yellow; some black; and others still white。 They
were not broken; as are those that hyenas and wolves have worried; yet
on some of them I 

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