But as he approached the cave he experienced a sensation of fear and dread5. He knew instinctively6 that something was wrong, for the fire in the doorway8 had burned down to just a smouldering heap of dying embers. Og knew that Wab would never have been so inattentive unless something had happened.
Hastily he went forward calling, but as he entered the big cave his heart fell, for Wab was not about. He noted9 instantly that one of his stone hammers was gone from its accustomed place and that Wab’s cherished flint knife had disappeared[191] from the cleft10 in the rock wall where he always kept it.
The strange demeanor11 of the wolf dogs added a great deal to the discomfort12 that these observations caused him, for so soon as they entered the cave they bristled13 and growled14 and stepped about in stiff-legged anger just as they always did when Gog visited the cave. They sniffed15 at the ground, too, and trotted16 a little way from the cave in the direction of the forest.
Og could almost read the problem, but just then two hairy men, Big Face and Crooked17 Feet, passed, going toward the spring, and when they saw Og they told him of how they had seen Wab go off hunting with Gog that morning.
In an instant the whole situation dawned on Og. Gog had taken his helpless father off into the forest and Og instinctively knew that treachery of some sort or another was afoot.
He heaped sticks onto the fire and sat down for a few moments to think things over. Night was coming on. The forest would be a terrible place to travel in at night. But he thought too of his father and the terror that must come upon a man all but blind who might be left to wander about in the forest alone.
[192]
That thought was enough for Og. He must find his father. He must risk any dangers or any of the night terrors to find Wab. Hastily he made two fire brands and ignited them. Then, arming himself also with stone hammer and a long flint knife, he called to the wolf dogs. The animals he quickly made to understand just what was wanted of them, and when they did know their mission they bounded forward despite the fact that they were tired, and with noses to the ground followed the trail of Wab and Gog, while Og swung along behind them at a remarkably18 swift pace despite the fact that he too was tired from his day’s efforts.
Into the black fastness of the forest they plunged19, their only light being the glimmer20 from Og’s torches. Despite his courage and the importance of his mission, Og could not stifle21 the natural, instinctive7 fear that possessed22 him as he dodged23 in and out among the trees, his eyes and ears alert for any signs of danger.
Southward they swung toward the mountain range that cut their valley off from the valley of the warm lands beyond, and presently they began to mount the thickly wooded slopes. Strange night noises they heard aplenty. To most of these[193] the wolf dogs paid little heed24, but when from afar they heard the terrifying roar of a cave tiger and the answering challenge of some wandering cave leopard25, the hair on their backs bristled. So did that of Og, and he actually trembled with fear despite the stoutness26 of his heart. This traveling at night through the forest was a fearsome thing to do, and time and again he was tempted27 to seek the shelter of some huge bowlder, and build a great fire beside which to spend the remainder of the night.
But the thoughts of his father somewhere here in the terrible forest, and without fire (for Og knew that Wab, or Gog either, would never travel with a fire in his hand the way he did), spurred the hairy boy on to move faster and put aside the desire to build a big protective fire at least until he had found his father.
Upward on the mountain side they climbed, the wolf dogs following closely the trail that Gog and Wab had taken. On and on they pushed, soon panting and out of breath. Og’s lungs were pumping, too, and he sucked in air in great gasps28; but still he climbed and kept pace with the hurrying dogs.
Soon they reached the gently rolling summit,[194] where if it had been daylight they could have looked into the valley below. But as they halted there a brief space to catch their breaths, Og gave a loud and startled grunt29, for from below him, and in the direction the wolf dogs were straining to go, rolled up to him a loud, booming sound. Og had little difficulty in recognizing it as the war noise of his old captors, the tree people. And this all added to his feeling of alarm, for he could tell by the volume of the sound that there were many ape-like men below there in the valley and they were very angry.
If Og and the wolf dogs had hurried before now, they fairly raced through the blackness of the forest. Down the slope they crashed, the booming noise growing louder and nearer at every step. And as they plunged forward both Og and the wolf dogs grew more and more excited, until presently the hairy boy found himself beating his chest with one clenched30 hand and roaring at the top of his voice while the dogs set up a fierce barking that added to the general din31 of the occasion.
Suddenly the booming sound, which now seemed close at hand, stopped and Og became aware of big forms swinging among the branches of the[195] trees. Sticks came pelting32 down out of the blackness, too, and he could see myriads33 of green eyes glowing at him and he could hear teeth gnashed and clicked together. Still he rushed forward until presently he broke into a clearing where was massed a horde34 of milling, chattering35 tree people.
His coming, however, caused panic and consternation36 among them. They saw his flaming firebrand and they scattered37 and fell back. And the parting of the mass left a lane open that extended to a huge rock where, with their backs to this wall, stood Gog and Wab, each with a blood-smeared stone hammer clutched in his hand while before them laid a pile of writhing38 bodies of tree people. Og could see at a glance that it had been a terrible battle and that Gog and Wab were all but done for. Indeed, Gog, dripping blood from a hundred terrible wounds, staggered and swayed as he stood there, and Wab had to lean against the rock for support.
At Og’s coming the conflict ceased for most of the ape people scattered and took to trees where they stared down, chattering loudly and gnashing their teeth in anger and fear. Og strode across the bodies of the fallen ones and, standing39 there[196] beside Wab, his burning torch held high, glared about.
By the light of the flickering40 flames he could see great, long-armed, crouching41 forms all about. Some of these he recognized as the powerful fighters of Scar Face. And presently he discerned the old fighter himself, coming slowly toward him, grimacing42 and chattering and holding up his hands as a sign of peace. Og beheld43 him with interest and not a little pleasure, for often he had thought of him and wondered whether he had been able to escape the terrible forest fire that he had started when he stole a firebrand and ran off into the forest with it.
By grunts44 and signs, Og showed his peaceful intention too, and presently Scar Face communicated the fact that the hairy boy had not come to wage war on them, for the chattering and scolding ceased and slowly some began to approach, while others, the trouble over, scattered among the trees and became lost in the night.
Og turned his attention then to Gog and Wab, both of whom had collapsed45 and now lay huddled46 and forlorn at the base of the big bowlder. Eagerly Og searched his father for signs of life, for he feared that the old hunter had passed on[197] because of the many wounds he had received, and it was with great relief that he discovered still a strong heart beat.
Gog, however, had fared far worse than Wab. Fierce and terrible as a fighter, and valiant47 in battle too, the old leader, his treachery forgotten in the lust48 of combat, had carried the brunt of the fight from the very beginning, wielding49 a mighty50 hammer and crushing skulls51 right and left. The consequence was that the tree people had attacked him with utmost fierceness, as scores of bleeding wounds testified. When Og examined him he found the old leader all but dead. Indeed, even as the hairy boy leaned over him, Gog’s heart stopped beating and Og turned from him with a shudder52. The fierce old warrior53 had passed on to the land of dead men.
By signs and grunts Og made Scar Face understand that he wanted to carry the unconscious Wab back over the mountain and into the valley of the hairy people, and when the tree man understood he was quick to lend his tremendous strength and between them they carried the limp form of Og’s father up the slope to the top of the mountain. There Scar Face refused to go farther, so Og shouldered the burden alone and picked his[198] way slowly down the rocky, wooded slope, with the wolf dogs, tails drooping54, at his heels. It was a hard journey for the tired hairy boy, and day was breaking over the eastern mountain tops before he reached the council grounds and the friendly shelter of the big home cave, where he could rest once more and care for the many wounds of his father.
THE END.
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1
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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2
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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3
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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4
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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5
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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6
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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7
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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8
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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9
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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10
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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11
demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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12
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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13
bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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14
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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15
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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16
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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17
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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18
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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19
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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20
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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21
stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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22
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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23
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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24
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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25
leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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26
stoutness
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| 坚固，刚毅 | |
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27
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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28
gasps
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| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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29
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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30
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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32
pelting
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| 微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的 | |
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33
myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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34
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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35
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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36
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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37
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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38
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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39
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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40
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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41
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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42
grimacing
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| v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的现在分词 ) | |
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43
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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44
grunts
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的第三人称单数 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说； 石鲈 | |
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45
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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46
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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47
valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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48
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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49
wielding
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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50
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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51
skulls
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| 颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜 | |
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52
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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53
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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54
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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