Best Fantasy Stories

Chapter 10 THE SACRED HUNT

Chapter 10

THE SACRED HUNTOn that very jom the Kohen informed me that they were about to

set forth on the "sacred hunt," an event which always occurred

toward the end of the season, and he kindly invited me to go. I,

eager to find any relief from the horrible thoughts that had taken

possession of me, and full of longing for active exertion, at once

accepted the invitation. I was delighted to hear Almah say that she

too was going; and I learned at the same time that in this strange

land the women were as fond of hunting as the men, and that on such

occasions their presence was expected.

The sacred hunt was certainly a strange one. I saw that it was

to take place on the water; for a great crowd, numbering over a

hundred, went down to the harbor and embarked on board a galley, on

which there were a hundred others, who served as rowers. The

hunters were all armed with long, light javelins and short swords.

Some of these were offered to me, for as yet no one supposed that

my rifle and pistol were instruments of destruction, or anything

else than ornaments. My refusal to accept their weapons created

some surprise, but with their usual civility they did not press

their offers further. It was evident that this hunting expedition

was only made in obedience to some hallowed custom; for the light

of the sun pained their eyes, and all their movements were made

with uncertainty and hesitation. With these a hunt by sunlight is

the same as a hunt by night would be with us. There was the same

confusion and awkwardness.

The Kohen was in command. At his word the galley started, and

the rowers pulled out to sea with long, regular strokes. I was

anxious to know what the expedition was aimed at, and what were the

animals that we expected to get; but I could not make out Almah's

explanations. Her words suggested something of vague terror, vast

proportions, and indescribable ferocity; but my ignorance of the

language prevented me from learning anything more.

We went along the coast for a few miles, and then came to the

mouth of a great river, which seemed to flow from among the

mountains. The current was exceedingly swift, and as I looked back

it seemed to me that it must be the very stream which had borne me

here into this remote world. I afterward found out that this was

so—that this stream emerges from among the mountains, flowing from

an unknown source. It was over this that I had been borne in my

sleep, after I had emerged from the subterranean darkness, and it

was by this current that I had been carried into the open sea. As

we crossed the estuary of this river I saw that the shores on

either side were low, and covered with the rankest vegetation;

giant trees of fern, vast reeds and grasses, all arose here in a

dense growth impassable to man. Upon the shallow shores the surf

was breaking; and here in the tide I saw objects which I at first

supposed to be rocks, but afterward found out to be living things.

They looked like alligators, but were far larger than the largest

alligators known to us, besides being of far more terrific aspect.

Toward these the galley was directed, and I now saw with surprise

that these were the objects of the sacred hunt.

Suddenly, as the galley was moving along at half-speed, there

arose out of the water a thing that looked like the folds of a

giant hairy serpent, which, however, proved to be the long neck of

an incredible monster, whose immense body soon afterward appeared

above the water. With huge fins he propelled himself toward us; and

his head, twenty feet in the air, was poised as though about to

attack. The head was like that of an alligator, the open jaws

showed a fearful array of sharp teeth, the eyes were fiercely

glowing, the long neck was covered with a coarse, shaggy mane,

while the top of the body, which was out of the water, was incased

in an impenetrable cuirass of bone. Such a monster as this seemed

unassailable, especially by men who had no missile weapons, and

whose eyes were so dim and weak. I therefore expected that the

galley would turn and fly from the attack, for the monster itself

seemed as large as our vessel; but there was not the slightest

thought of flight. On the contrary, every man was on the alert;

some sprang to the bow and stood there, awaiting the first shock;

others, amidship, stood waiting for the orders of the Kohen.

Meanwhile the monster approached, and at length, with a sweep of

his long neck, came down upon the dense crowd at the bows. A dozen

frail lances were broken against his horny head, a half-dozen

wretches were seized and terribly torn by those remorseless jaws.

Still none fled. All rushed forward, and with lances, axes, knives,

and ropes they sought to destroy the enemy. Numbers of them strove

to seize his long neck. In the ardor of the fight the rowers

dropped their oars and hurried to the scene, to take part in the

struggle. The s*******r was sickening, but not a man quailed. Never

had I dreamed of such blind and desperate courage as was now

displayed before my horror-stricken eyes. Each sought to outdo the

other. They had managed to throw ropes around the monster's neck,

by which he was held close to the galley. His fierce movements

seemed likely to drag us all down under the water; and his long

neck, free from restraint, writhed and twisted among the struggling

crowd of fighting men, in the midst of whom was the Kohen, as

desperate and as fearless as any.

All this had taken place in a very short space of time, and I

had scarce been able to comprehend the full meaning of it all. As

for Almah, she stood pale and trembling, with a face of horror. At

last it seemed to me that every man of them would be destroyed, and

that they were all throwing their lives away to no purpose

whatever. Above all, my heart was wrung for the Kohen, who was

there in the midst of his people, lifting his frail and puny arm

against the monster. I could endure inaction no longer. I had

brought my arms with me, as usual; and now, as the monster raised

his head, I took aim at his eye and fired. The report rang out in

thunder. Almah gave a shriek, and amid the smoke I saw the long,

snake-like neck of the monster sweeping about madly among the men.

In the water his vast tail was lashing the surface of the sea, and

churning it into foam. Here I once more took aim immediately under

the fore-fin, where there was no scaly covering. Once more I fired.

This time it was with fatal effect; and after one or two convulsive

movements the monster, with a low, deep bellow, let his head fall

and gasped out his life.

I hurried forward. There lay the frightful head, with its long

neck and shaggy mane, while all around was a hideous spectacle. The

destruction of life had been awful. Nineteen were dead, and

twenty-eight were wounded, writhing in every gradation of agony,

some horribly mangled. The rest stood staring at me in

astonishment, not understanding those peals of thunder that had

laid the monster low. There was no terror or awe, however—nothing

more than surprise; and the Kohen, whose clothes were torn into

shreds and covered with blood, looked at me in bewilderment. I said

to him, out of my small stock of words, that the wounded ought at

once to be cared for. At this he turned away and made some remarks

to his men.

I now stood ready to lend my own services, if needful. I

expected to take a part in the tender attentions which were the due

of these gallant souls, who had exhibited such matchless valor;

these men who thought nothing of life, but flung it away at the

command of their chief without dreaming of flight or of hesitation.

Thus I stood looking on in an expectant attitude, when there came a

moment in which I was simply petrified with horror; for the Kohen

drew his knife, stooped over the wounded man nearest him, and then

stabbed him to the heart with a mortal wound. The others all

proceeded to do the same, and they did it in the coolest and most

business-like manner, without any passion, without any feeling of

any kind, and, indeed, with a certain air of gratification, as

though they were performing some peculiarly high and sacred duty.

The mildness and benevolence of their faces seemed actually

heightened, and the perpetration of this unutterable atrocity

seemed to affect these people in the same way in which the

performance of acts of humanity might affect us.

For my own part, I stood for a few moments actually motionless

from perplexity and horror; then, with a shriek, I rushed forward

as if to prevent it; but I was too late. The unutterable deed was

done, and the unfortunate wounded, without an exception, lay dead

beside their slain companions. As for myself, I was only regarded

with fresh wonder, and they all stood blinking at me with their

half-closed eyes. Suddenly the Kohen fell prostrate on his knees

before me, and bowing his head handed me his b****y knife.

"Atam-or," said he, "give me also the blessing of darkness and

death!"

At these strange words, following such actions, I could say

nothing. I was more bewildered than ever, and horror and

bewilderment made me dumb. I turned away and went aft to Almah, who

had seen it all. She looked at me with an anxious gaze, as if to

learn what the effect of all this had been on me. I could not speak

a word, but with a vague sense of the necessity of

self-preservation, I loaded my rifle, and tried in vain to make out

what might be the meaning of this union of gentleness and kindness

with atrocious cruelty. Meanwhile, the men all went to work upon

various tasks. Some secured lines about the monster so as to tow it

astern; others busied themselves with the corpses, collecting them

and arranging them in rows. At length we returned, towing the

monster astern.

I could not speak until I was back again in the lighted rooms

and alone with Almah; then I told her, as well as I could, the

horror that I felt.

"It was honor to those brave men," said she.

"Honor!" said I. "What! to kill them?"

"Yes," said she; "it is so with these people; with them death is

the highest blessing. They all love death and seek after it. To die

for another is immortal glory. To kill the wounded was to show that

they had died for others. The wounded wished it themselves. You saw

how they all sought after death. These people were too generous and

kind-hearted to refuse to kill them after they had received

wounds."

At this my perplexity grew deeper than ever, for such an

explanation as this only served to make the mystery greater.

"Here," said she, "no one understands what it is to fear death.

They all love it and long for it; but everyone wishes above all to

die for others. This is their highest blessing. To die a natural

death in bed is avoided if possible."

All this was incomprehensible.

"Tell me, Almah," I said—"you hate darkness as I do—do you not

fear death?"

"I fear it above all things," said Almah. "To me it is the

horror of life; it is the chief of terrors."

"So it is with me," said I. "In my country we call death the

King of Terrors."

"Here," said Almah, "they call death the Lord of Joy."

Not long after, the Kohen came in, looking as quiet, as gentle,

and as amiable as ever. He showed some curiosity about my rifle,

which he called a sepet-ram, or "rod of thunder." Almah also showed

curiosity. I did not care to explain the process of loading it to

the Kohen, though Almah had seen me load it in the galley, and I

left him to suppose that it was used in some mysterious way. I

cautioned him not to handle it carelessly, but found that this

caution only made him the more eager to handle it, since the

prospect of an accident found an irresistible attraction. I would

not let it go out of my own hands, however; and the Kohen, whose

self-denial was always most wonderful to me, at once checked his

curiosity.