They were very quiet for a long time and Og tested the air with his keen nose and listened for the slightest sound coming down the cave, for he was afraid that he might hear the scraping of the big snake pursuing him. All was quiet, and after a time in which he made certain that the reptile5 was not following him, Og breathed a sigh of relief and rested more comfortably.
The cave into which he had plunged6 went in an entirely7 different direction from the one into which the tree folk had disappeared and Og regretted this. Once again he felt that dreadful loneliness stealing upon him. The companionship[147] of the tree folk, even though it had not been as intimate or as congenial as would have been the company of his own kind, had meant a great deal to the hairy boy and he was sorry that they had been separated. In a vague way he wondered what was happening to them. He doubtless would have felt lonelier if not envious10 had he known that, even as he rested there, the ape men were swarming11 out of the cavern into which they had plunged and, their recent terrifying experience forgotten, were romping12 on the side of another mountain that looked out on a new palm-grown valley reaching southward.
Og wondered where the cave he had entered led to, if indeed it led anywhere save into the bowels13 of the mountain. With his loneliness, a sudden indescribable fear of the dark, damp passage settled down on him. He began to feel as if he were a prisoner doomed16 to stay there underground with the bats and other loathsome17 denizens18 of the caves.
This fear spurred him into action, and although he was still panting with the exertion19 of the chase, he began a feverish20, almost panic-stricken search for a way out of the cave. The darkness was dense21 and heavy; almost oppressive. To be sure,[148] he still had his flickering22 torch but the feeble rays of this only served to make the blackness of the cave seem heavier. He began to feel as if this darkness was pressing in upon him, trying to smother23 him, to bury him alive there under the great mountain that he knew was above him.
He started forward again, hurrying down the cave as fast as he could. Sometimes it narrowed down to openings so small that Og was almost afraid to try to crawl through them, and each time the boy wondered whether he had come to a blind end of the labyrinth24 of underground passages. But always these narrow passages widened out again, though some of them were at times so narrow that he could hardly force his body through them without scraping hair, and even skin, from hips25 and shoulders.
On and on he traveled. Time seemed long to Og down there in the blackness and now and then he despaired at ever getting out again. Yet he kept on courageously26. He must find a way out. He must get into the sunshine once more. He could not go on forever wandering about down there in the blackness.
Vague fears began to obsess27 him; needless fears brought on by the oppressiveness of the[149] blackness. What if another earthquake should occur? What if the cave walls should give way and the great mountain above him should sag15 downward? What if one of these huge pendant stalactites should drop upon him and pin him down to hold him a prisoner there in the cave until he died of hunger or thirst? Thoughts of hunger and thirst made him both hungry and thirsty. Og’s nerves were fast going to pieces under the strain. He plunged madly on, half frantic28 now in an insane desire to find the exit to the cave, and he worked himself into a state of almost complete collapse29.
But just when he had reached utter despair, something happened that helped him to master himself and find his poise30 and lost courage once more. The narrow cave suddenly widened out a little more than usual and as Og stepped into the small room-like vault31 in the rocks, an odor that was most disgusting assailed32 his nostrils33. By the light of the torch he beheld34 bones scattered35 about the floor of the cavern, bones of all shapes and sizes, some partly gnawed37 and some with shreds38 of decomposed39 meat still clinging to them. It was the den14 of some animal that Og had blundered[150] into, and his nose told him that it was the den of a great cave tiger.
For a moment Og was petrified40 with fear. But presently he beheld huddled41 in a far corner the shapes of two cub42 tigers, dead now and rotting.
Og could see that they had been dead for some time and his brain quickened by fear and all that he had recently gone through told him that these were cubs43 of the female tiger he had slain44 weeks before. They had starved to death there in the cave when their mother did not return.
Og smiled grimly, for he was glad to rid the world of the whelp of this ferocious45 cat. But he smiled, too, because he realized that all his recent panic had been groundless. From the den he could look down along the passageway ahead of him and see, not far off, a shaft46 of soft, warm light that he knew was sunlight. The exit to the cave was close at hand.
The hairy boy did not linger. He made for the entrance and presently he and the wolf dogs found themselves on a ledge47 overlooking a valley that extended away northward48. And as he stood there, below him Og beheld a figure moving; a man, and one of his own kind.
Og gave a loud halloo, and waved his smoking[151] fire torch toward him. The hairy man in the valley looked up at him thoroughly startled, then as he saw Og move to climb down from the shelf into the valley, he gave a cry of fear and dashed off toward some cliffs on the other side of the valley. Og paused and with disappointment on his face, watched him go. Then the hairy boy beheld the cliffs toward which the man was running and his heart gave a great bound. The cliffs were pockmarked with holes that Og knew were the cave dwellings49 of the hairy men. And at the alarm cry of the running hairy man, heads appeared at many of these holes and looked out across the valley, while from various points in the woods, other hairy men and women appeared and ran scrambling50 up the cliff to dodge51 into their home caves for protection.
Og descended52 into the valley as swiftly as he could. The tiger had worn a narrow, but well defined trail from his den into the forest on the valley bottom, and Og had little difficulty in following it. Presently he was running through the forest, with the wolf dogs romping after him. It was a long way across the valley but the hairy boy was so eager to reach the colony of hairy men that he never noticed the distance. He[152] plunged forward recklessly, making a great noise, and occasionally shouting in pure joy at having found his own people once more.
After a time he arrived at the foot of the cliff. Here, at the base of the almost perpendicular53 wall, was a great rock-strewn flat, where the hairy folk doubtless worked and played. Above in the cliffs were a number of holes and crevices54, from which looked many curious faces. Og stood below and shouted upward:
“Hallo. I am returned. The son of Wab has come back. I am Og now. I have won my name.”
But in answer came a chorus of shouts of derision, and from several doorways55 stones came pelting56 down, and Og was forced to duck and dodge as the ugly missiles whizzed by.
“Stop, stop. You are my people. I am the son of Wab. Wab, the mighty57 hunter. Where is he?” cried Og, from behind a boulder58 whence he had dodged59 to avoid further stones that were hurled60 at him.
The hairy boy was startled to receive an answer from close at hand.
“I am here, O stranger. I, Wab, once the mighty hunter. I am here ready and waiting for you, O, stranger. If you are death come take[153] me. I am no longer of use to any one. I, the mighty hunter, am blind and an outcast.”
The voice came from behind a nearby boulder and, looking, Og beheld the crouching61 form of a powerful man across whose face were many scars, one of which had wiped out both of his eyes. It was as if a great claw-armored paw had at some time raked him and all but torn his face away. Yet despite this disfigurement Og recognized him as Wab, the mighty hunter, and his father.
“Father, I have returned. It is your son,” cried the hairy boy, running to his side.
“No. Not my son. My son perished in the great fire that drove us from our homes many moons ago. You are Death. I know. I heard the others shouting that you were coming from the den of the tiger, with a tiger skin over your shoulders, and a wand of mysterious power in your hand; a wand from which fire and smoke flashed. I know you. You are Death. Not my kin9 but kin of the cave tiger, whose claw marks I bear on my face. The tiger sent you to avenge62 the blows of my stone hammer. She feared to come back herself even though she knew I was blind. She feared me and she sent you instead. But I am ready to go with you, Death. I am an outcast[154] among my people. I am blind and helpless and therefore useless. I cannot get my own food and no one has time to get it for me. They throw me scraps63 and bones to gnaw36 upon sometimes. They help me up to my miserable64 little cave sometimes. But when they are in a hurry and run to save their own precious lives, they forget me and leave me here, a blind man, to scramble65 up the cliffs as best I can or to remain here and be killed.
“They left me to-day when they ran from you in dread8. They left me here. I sought to hide myself behind this stone. But when you called Wab, I knew that you were Death and I knew you had come for me. So I am ready to go. Take me.”
Og was kneeling beside the man now. “No, no,” he cried, “I am Life, not Death, for you, my father. I have slain the tiger that has crippled you so. I come with a mysterious wand, true. It is a wand of fire. I have conquered the Fire Demon66. I can make him come from stone and do my bidding. He guards me against the chill of night. He dispels67 the blackness. He keeps me safe from the sabre-toothed one and all other animals. I have tamed the wolf dog too. They are my companions now. I have won me a name. I am Og, your son Og, and I have come back to protect[155] you, to care for you, to hunt for you, and to fight for a place in the sun for you. It is well.”
“It is well. If this be true then I am happy. If you are my son, you have been reborn to me. You have been reborn from the fire. Og, Son of Fire, are you, and my son, too. And now if this be true help me, my son, up the cliff to my miserable cave, where we may talk together.”
And Og reached a strong arm under that of his father, once the mighty hunter, Wab, and together they climbed the narrow trail up the cliff. And the wolf dogs followed slowly after.
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1
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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12
romping
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| adj.嬉戏喧闹的，乱蹦乱闹的v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的现在分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜 | |
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13
bowels
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| n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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sag
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| v.下垂，下跌，消沉；n.下垂，下跌，凹陷，[航海]随风漂流 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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smother
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| vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息 | |
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labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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25
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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courageously
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| ad.勇敢地，无畏地 | |
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obsess
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| vt.使着迷，使心神不定，（恶魔）困扰 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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poise
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| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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35
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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gnaw
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| v.不断地啃、咬；使苦恼，折磨 | |
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gnawed
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| 咬( gnaw的过去式和过去分词 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物 | |
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38
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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39
decomposed
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| 已分解的，已腐烂的 | |
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40
petrified
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| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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41
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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42
cub
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| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
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cubs
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| n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 ) | |
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44
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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45
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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46
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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47
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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48
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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49
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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50
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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51
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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52
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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53
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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55
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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56
pelting
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| 微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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59
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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60
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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61
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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62
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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63
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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64
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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66
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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dispels
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| v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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