Quest of The Dawn Man

by J. H. Rosny

  “The pool is close!” Zouhr repeated. “Aoun must drink in order to get well again. I will go to the pool.”

  He went towards the entrance to the den. The giant feline hardly opened its eyes, for it scented nothing unusual. Zouhr glided to the pool. The lie of the land rendered him invisible from a distance. First he drank, then he dipped a primitive leather bottle into the water. It was made of antelope-skin and the upper part was fastened together with thorns. It contained sufficient liquid to quench the thirst of several men. Zouhr filled it and got back to the den. Aoun drank the life-giving water in long draughts, and his energy, freshness and confidence returned.

  “Ouchr is wounded also,” he said, “the others can drink to-night.”

  He carried the leather bottle into the upper cave, but, when Ouchr had drunk, he gave some of the water to Djeha also.

  He slept till evening, and his strength and youth worked for him while he slept. The fever decreased, and his wound, which only required rest, began to heal. When the twilight had died down over the jungle, Aoun rose so as to spy out what the Chellians were doing. They had lighted a big fire; their thick faces were turned towards the chain of rocks; it was easy to see that they were obstinate in their determination to conquer and destroy.

  The women were racked with agony. Tired out by their long flight they too had slept. They were awoken by a terrible thirst more than by hunger. All turned their distressed eyes towards the Oulhamr, and thought of the water which he had brought in the skin bottle, of which only Ouchr and Djeha had had a share. The confidence of the weak in the strong alternated with fear.

  Ouchr asked, “Where has Zouhr gone to?”

  The son of Urus replied, "Zouhr will bring us meat and water before the night is over.”

  “Why is he not with us?”

  "Ouchr will know that later.”

  He added, noticing that the woman-chief turned towards the darkness, “Aoun alone will go down to the depths of the cavel Otherwise we shall be hungry and thirsty.”

  Their feeble brains were at first excited by the mystery, then the women became resigned. It was sufficient that Aoun had given them hope. All the Wolf-Women had experienced times of scarcity and want, all, even the children, had endured long privations and dreadful periods of suspense.

  The stars in the sky continued their eternal course and the Dhole-Men slept. Most of the women had gone to sleep again; even Aoun was resting.

  Towards midnight the sound of a call came up from the abyss and woke die Oulhamr. He lighted a torch and went down. The giant feline and the Wah had returned from hunting; the carcase of an enormous swamp deer lay on the floor of the den. The Man-without-Shoulders had already cut off a haunch, which he passed up through the fissure, then he went to get a first leather bottle full of water. . . .

  When Aoun returned with the meat and water there was excitement among the women and a confused te-awakening of hero-worship. The cave still contained some wood, left there by the two companions before their exodus. Aoun, after having gone back to fetch more water, lighted a fire and had the venison cooked. It was an imprudent defiance. The Chellian watchers informed their chief, who stood up stupefied. The thing was too complex for him. He guessed that there had been wood in the cave, but he thought the flesh must have been that of an animal killed during their flight. Had there been a second entrance the fugitives would have escaped by it. . . . To make sure he sent some warriors to the other side of the chain of rocks.

  They went round the southern spur and tried to make out the crevices and cavems by the light of the moon. They found nothing but narrow fissures, small crevices and one or two places of shelter under overhanging rocks. They were stopped for some time by the deep gully by which Zouhr had escaped from the lion; when they had passed it they saw a dark cavern. ... A strong smell was wafted to them on the night breeze; the warriors realized that a wild beast was near and halted. Their own scent spread towards the den. A massive form advanced towards them, a loud roar shook the air, and the terrified warriors fled wildly, having recognized the presence of the most dreaded of the carnivores.

  The chief was confirmed in his opinion that no other outlet was open to the besieged besides the one which his warriors were watching. If any doubt remained in his mind it was dissipated during the following days, for Aoun and the women shewed themselves at regular times on the platform: therefore flight was impossible. He need only wait and watch. He prepared for the hour to come, when he could massacre them all.

  The Oulhamr’s recovery was rapid: his hot blood quickly healed his wound, the fever had disappeared and he spent his time in teaching the women to sharpen the stones which served them as missiles. Below, in the cave, Zouhr continued to provide the refugees with meat and water. He accustomed the giant feline to follow him: the beast, obscurely conscious of the useful cunning of the man, consented to be guided. Zouhr foresaw its impulses, and guessed what its actions would be according to circumstances; he fathomed the shades of its moods, and conformed himself to them with so much cleverness that the wild beast attached itself to the Wah more surely than it would have done to one of its own species.

  On the eighth night, Aoun having gone down to take the meat said, “My wound has healed. The son of Urus can now fight the Dhole-Men. Tomorrow night Zouhr will bring the Kzamms tiger to the other side of the rocks.”

  The Wah remained silent for a time. Then he replied, “Listen! . . . Zouhr noticed this morning that one of the stones in the fissure shook. If we could pull it out, the opening would be large enough to let a man pass, and too narrow for the lion of the rocks to get through.”

  He put his hand on the lowest projecting stone and shaking it, caused it to oscillate. First it moved almost imperceptibly, but gradually it gained in impetus. . . . Aoun, full of admiration, joined his efforts to those of the Wah; his muscular arm made the stone rock. Then he pulled with all his strength, while Zouhr pushed with both hands. First one fragment became detached, then two others. The Oulhamr threw them behind him, and lying flat on the ground penetrated into the den. The giant feline, impatient of this commotion, had ceased to devour his prey. He sprang up in a manner that was almost menacing; but a caress from Zouhr at once appeased him and he sniffed Aoun amicably.

  “We can surprise the Dhole-Men,” cried the Oulhamr.

  The Wah shewed him, at the entrance to the cave, a dozen javelins which he had fashioned during his long solitary days, “We will fight them at a distance,” he said.

  On the following day, Aoun and Zouhr made two more javelins, so that their total number was fourteen. At twilight, the Oulhamr said to Ouchr and her companions, “Aoun and Zouhr will fight the Dhole-Men to-night! Let the Wolf-Women hold themselves in readiness. . . .”

  Ouchr heard with astonishment, “How will Aoun and Zouhr meet?” she asked.

  He began to laugh, “We have enlarged the passage between two caves. . . . We will pass to the other side of the rocks and we will attack the Dhole-Men with our ally.”

  “Aoun and Zouhr have an ally?"

  “They have made an alliance with the tiger of the Kzamms!”

  Ouchr listened, stupefied. Her soul being simple she did not long attempt to understand. Her confidence in the great Oulhamr was stronger than all possible surprise.

  The warrior went on, “The women must not come down to the plain until they hear Aoun call! The tiger would tear them in pieces.”

  Djeha, who was more surprised than the other women, turned her eyes, bright with curiosity, towards Aoun, “Cannot the tiger pass from one cave to the other?” she asked.

  “The entrance is too small for him!” was the reply.

  The wonderful after-glow began to fade in the sky; a pale star began to twinkle. Aoun went down to the lower cave.

  The Chellians’ fire now only shed an uncertain fight. Three men however still watched. The others were asleep in a rocky enclosure which made them safe from all surprises. Two of the watchers were dozing; the third, obeying the orders of
his chief, prowled round the fire, and lifted his eyes often towards the cave.

  The Chellian had just thrown some small branches on the embers, when looking up he caught sight of a form on the ledge. It was a woman. She bent over the ledge watching him. The warrior stretched out his hand, armed with a javelin, towards her and mocked her silently. His laugh however quickly ceased. At the base of the chain of rocks another human form had come into view, whose tall stature and broad chest it was impossible to mistake. The Dhole-Man considered it for some time in speechless amazement, and asked himself how the man had dared to descend to the plain. He called the other watchers, who all three brandished their weapons and shouted their alarm cry.

  Aoun now left the rocks. He boldly approached the fire, and when he was within range he flung a pointed stone. It hit one of the watchers on the head, making only a slight wound, for the Oulhamr had thrown it from too far away. Another stone grazed the shoulder of another warrior. . Vociferous cries resounded, and dusky forms surged from the rocky enclosure on all sides. . . . Then Aoun rose to his full height and replied by giving his war cry. There was a short pause, during which the Chellians alternately considered the Oulhamr and the place. Two women had now joined the other on the ledge; Aoun alone, and armed only with his club and a few stones, was to be seen upon the plain. The bewildered Dhole chief tried in vain to understand; his certainty that Aoun was alone was blended with vague distrust. The instinct of war triumphed; a guttural voice gave the order to attack and they flung themselves forward. Twenty active bodies converged upon the son of Urus.

  He threw one last stone, then took to flight. His pace seemed to have diminished; the swiftest among his pursuers were gaining upon him, and the others, excited by the imminence of the capture, followed with great rapidity. At times it seemed as if the Oulhamr stumbled; sometimes again he appeared to make a great effort to gain ground, which he immediately lost. The chief was only thirty ells from the fugitive when he approached the spur which terminated the chain of rocks. The Chellians howled with triumph. . . . Aoun with a sort of lamentation, swerved and took refuge among the rocks. They formed a series of gullies, which all ended, towards the south, in a wider pass.

  The chief stopped, threw a rapid glance around, and commanded several warriors to bar the other outlet, while he sent eight men in direct pursuit.

  A fierce laugh rang out, then a roar, and a huge body sprang down among the rocks.

  “The Dhole-Men are about to die!”

  The giant feline was already upon the Chellians. Three men fell, their bodies ripped up, a fourth rolled on the ground his throat torn open. . . .

  Aoun and Zouhr had climbed a flat rock; their bows twanged; arrows pierced the enemy’s chests, their thighs and shoulders, while the carnivore emerged from the rocks, crushed one fugitive and tore another to pieces.

  Panic seized the Dhole-Men. Bewildering mystery mingled with the horror of death in their dull brains. The chief himself fled. Aoun had regained his full strength. Bounding like a leopard he overtook the rear guard, and his club crashed on their hard heads. . . .

  When the Chellians got back to the circle of rocks there were only eight of them left: the others lay stretched on the grass, either dead or incapable of taking any further part in the struggle.

  “Let Zouhr stop the tiger of the Kzamms,” cried Aoun.

  Sheltered in their stronghold, the vanquished men again became formidable. Despair was upon them; wielded between the crenellations their spears might kill the brute.

  The giant feline allowed himself to be restrained. He saw his prey scattered all round. He calmly seized a dead body in his jaw and went towards his den.

  For a little while uncertainty held the son of Urns motionless. Then he said, "Zouhr will accompany the Kzamm tiger. He will then come back by the higher cave and tell the women to hold themselves in readiness!”

  The Wah and the giant feline disappeared behind the rocks: Aoun began to pick up the spears and to withdraw them from the bodies, then he went slowly towards the Chellians. He caught sight of them between the interstices of their wall; he could have killed several of them, but the soul of Naoh was in him, full of deep pity: "Why did the Dhole-Men attack the Hairy Men. . . . Why did they want to kill Aoun and the Wolf-Women?”

  His ringing voice had a sad tone in it; the Chellians listened to him in silence. The deep chested chief rose up between two boulders and made as if he would attack him. The Oulhamr lifted his bow and went on, "Aoun is stronger and quicker than the Dhole chief! and he can kill him at a distance.”

  Up above them the women were uttering shouts of triumph. They had watched the vicissitudes of the struggle, the extraordinary apparition of the wild beast, and their souls were full of mystic confidence. Djeha was the first to go down, then Ouchr, then the others, except one who stayed to guard the cave.

  They clustered round Aoun, and gazed at the rocky circle with somber interest; remembering their sufferings they cast insults at the Chellians. The Dhole-Men remained silent, but they were strong and resolute, holding their long spears in readiness. Their position was impregnable; without Aoun’s presence, they would have been the strongest. With the exception of Ouchr, not one of the women could have resisted their attack; they knew it, and despite their hate, moved about with great caution.

  When the Wolf-Women drew nearer the fire, however, they took pleasure in throwing branches, brushwood and grass on it. It soon revived and the flames leapt up magnificently. The women brought wood from all directions, crying, “The Dhole-Men dare not fight! They will die of hunger and thirst!"

  Gradually, as the stars turned towards their setting, or rose in the East, anxiety and impatience began to grow. The besieged appeared more formidable. The besiegers feared a trap; none of the women dared sleep. . . . Even Aoun and Zouhr began to think it would be necessary to fight.

  The Wah said, “We must force the Dhole-Men to leave their refuge."

  By dint of hard thinking an idea had come to him.

  “They cannot resist fire. . . . Aoun, Zouhr and the women will fling flaming brands at them!” he said.

  The Oulhamr gave an enthusiastic cry. Both of them began to cut branches, and expose their points to the flames. Then they called the women, and the Wah having explained the proposed stratagem to them, they all took burning brands in their hands and flung themselves upon the stone circle.

  A rain of fire fell upon the Chellians. ... At first they resisted, but their chests swelled with fear and fury. Suffocated by the smoke, made giddy by their burns, little by little any peril seemed preferable to that which threatened to destroy them without giving them a chance of fighting. . . .

  The thick-set body of the chief rose up on a boulder, he bounded forward with a hoarse howl, and seven warriors rushed after him. Aoun ordered the women to beat a retreat. Twice the bows twanged and two Dhole-Men fell. Five of the remaining six charged the group of women and the Wah; the sixth rushed upon Aoun, who stood apart. The son of Urus flung a new spear which grazed his opponent’s shoulder, then, rising to the full of his magnificent stature, he waited. He might have fled, and so tired otit his adversary; he preferred to fight him. It was the broad-shouldered chief, with a head like a block of granite, who advanced upon him. He brandished his spear and also an enormous horn. The weapon came in contact with the club, swerved, turned aside and returned to earth like a thunderbolt. Aoun’s chest was bleeding, but his club broke the chief’s bones. He fell on his knees and dropped his spear, with the resignation of a vanquished wild beast, knowing that his end had come. Aoun had picked up his club and did not lower it. His breast contracted with a strange feeling of disgust; that movement of pity which was his weakness, and the weakness of Naoh, came upon him . . .

  Below them two women lay stretched on the grass, but Zouhr’s spears and javelins had done their work: three Chellians groaned in the agonies of death; the Wolf-Women finished them off. A fourth, the youngest of the party, mad with terror, ran towards Aoun. When he found h
imself in close proximity to the enormous club, his muscles gave way and he fell prostrate.

  The women rushed forward to kill him; the son of Urus spread out his arms crying, "His life is in the hands of Aoun.”

  They stopped, their faces contracted with hate; then, hearing the groans of those who had been wounded in the first encounter, they went off to hack their bodies to pieces. Aoun listened gloomily to their cries of agony and vaguely rejoiced that Djeha had not followed her companions.

  THE HORDE

  Aoun, Zouhr and the Wolf-Women remained for a month in the chain of rocks. Only one woman had died; four others were hurt; Aoun’s wound was not serious. Now that they were delivered from the Chellians they were masters of the savannah, the jungle and the river. The giant feline eliminated all other wild beasts by his mere presence. Thus life was ample and easy. Aoun and Zouhr tasted the pleasure of repose in full measure, after all the perils they had passed through. Zouhr loved those dreamy hours, when all kinds of remembrances and pictures surged up in his mind. His soul knew the sweetness of thoughts of the past, which had been transmitted to him by a race destined to extinction. He only woke up to devise traps for game, or to gather edible roots.

  Even in repose Aoun was a prey to tumultuous instincts and to confused desires, which filled his whole being. His senses were continually surprised by the subtle curves of Djeha’s young body, by her lovely floating hair, and the changing lights in her eyes. Everything about her seemed perpetually to renew itself, like the early mornings on the river, and the flowers on the savannah. Sometimes a movement of revolt shot through the wanderer’s breast. He became like other men, and despised weakness; his instinct of tenderness changed to a rough and bellicose mood, and he turned towards Ouchr, prepared to ask her to celebrate the marriage rites of her race, by flinging Djeha on the ground and wounding her bosom with a pointed flint.

  The women asked for no other existence than their present one, which gave them such profound security. They lost the desire for liberty, and were content to place their destiny in the hands of the great Oulhamr. The future had no place in their limited imaginations; after their many misfortunes they desired nothing but the tranquil abundance which they enjoyed at present, and which was renewed every morning and evening. They even allowed Aoun to liberate the two prisoners. He had conducted them himself to the place where the stream and the river divided.