scowled. “How does he know anything?” he said. “Not natural—some kind of witchcraft, that’s what it is.”
“Oh, don’t be stupid!” Jack said. “Dogs can hear and smell things that we can’t. Wytt can, too. That’s all it is. Didn’t you have dogs in Cardigal?”
“My cat always knew when the weather was going to change,” Ellayne said, “before any people thought it would.”
“I wish I had a crossbow,” Martis said, “in case one of those giant birds comes along and it’s hungry.”
“I wonder how they taste,” Jack said. He was hungry enough to eat a giant bird.
But all they had was eggs and berries and water from the spring. The stars came out in overwhelming numbers, and Ellayne thought she’d never seen them so bright and brilliant. If you looked at them hard enough, you’d almost think you could hear them singing. Again she thought, as she’d thought so many times since coming down from Bell Mountain, “It sure doesn’t look like God’s about to end the world!” But to say so would only start an argument with Jack and spoil her enjoyment of the stars.
Without noticing it, she drifted off into sleep—to wake with a start when Wytt chirped piercingly, right next to her ear.
They all woke, not only in response to Wytt’s alarm, but because something was noisily shaking the waxbushes behind them. They heard stems and branches snapping, and a series of deep, thunderous grunts that made Ellayne come out in gooseflesh. Martis sprang to his feet, gripping the short spear in both hands.
“Everybody be still!” he whispered.
Jack and Ellayne froze; but Ivor let out a howl of terror and took off running before anyone could hold him back. “Ooh!” he wailed, even as he ran.
And there was a great crash in the bushes, and out of them burst a great black bulk that tore straight through their campsite, knocking Martis down. Dulayl screamed and tried to bolt, but he was hobbled and Martis caught him. Ham just lowered his head and brayed.
Jack jumped up. Ivor was already just a little black dot on the plain, pursued by a four-legged something that looked too big to be fast, and ran with a peculiar rocking gait, but wasn’t losing any ground to Ivor. It bellowed almost like a bull—but not like any bull that any farmer in Obann ever heard.
Martis dragged Dulayl back with him. “Get the saddle, Jack!” he cried. “It might not be too late to save him!”
Saddling a frightened horse at night, when seconds count like gold, was a maddening business. But Martis got it done, threw himself onto Dulayl’s back, and spurred off after Ivor and the beast. Already the children had lost sight of them; but they still heard the beast bellowing.
“What in heaven was that!” Ellayne cried.
“Too dark to get a good look at it,” Jack said. “Just some burned big animal!”
Wytt couldn’t tell them what it was. It was something that he’d never seen or smelled before, and he didn’t have a word for it. The most he could say was that it was a big black thing, something like a wild hog, but not a hog.
“A pig as big as an oxcart—poor Ivor!” Jack said. “Still, it’s hard to imagine a man running away from a pig.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of wild boars?” Ellayne said. “It takes a pack of dogs and a bunch of men with spears to hunt a wild boar. There was a boar in Abombalbap that ravaged a whole kingdom, and no one could kill it.”
“Poor Ivor,” Jack repeated.
After a long time Martis came back without him. He dismounted with a sigh.
“I was too late,” he said. “The beast trampled him, and that was that. I’m sorry, but the ground’s too hard for burial and we have a long way to go tomorrow.”
“You mean he’s dead?” Ellayne cried. Martis nodded; but he was thinking about himself. What had made him try to save a man he hardly knew, to whom he owed nothing, who could give him nothing in return, and whom he hadn’t even liked very much? Had he caught up to
“Oh, don’t be stupid!” Jack said. “Dogs can hear and smell things that we can’t. Wytt can, too. That’s all it is. Didn’t you have dogs in Cardigal?”
“My cat always knew when the weather was going to change,” Ellayne said, “before any people thought it would.”
“I wish I had a crossbow,” Martis said, “in case one of those giant birds comes along and it’s hungry.”
“I wonder how they taste,” Jack said. He was hungry enough to eat a giant bird.
But all they had was eggs and berries and water from the spring. The stars came out in overwhelming numbers, and Ellayne thought she’d never seen them so bright and brilliant. If you looked at them hard enough, you’d almost think you could hear them singing. Again she thought, as she’d thought so many times since coming down from Bell Mountain, “It sure doesn’t look like God’s about to end the world!” But to say so would only start an argument with Jack and spoil her enjoyment of the stars.
Without noticing it, she drifted off into sleep—to wake with a start when Wytt chirped piercingly, right next to her ear.
They all woke, not only in response to Wytt’s alarm, but because something was noisily shaking the waxbushes behind them. They heard stems and branches snapping, and a series of deep, thunderous grunts that made Ellayne come out in gooseflesh. Martis sprang to his feet, gripping the short spear in both hands.
“Everybody be still!” he whispered.
Jack and Ellayne froze; but Ivor let out a howl of terror and took off running before anyone could hold him back. “Ooh!” he wailed, even as he ran.
And there was a great crash in the bushes, and out of them burst a great black bulk that tore straight through their campsite, knocking Martis down. Dulayl screamed and tried to bolt, but he was hobbled and Martis caught him. Ham just lowered his head and brayed.
Jack jumped up. Ivor was already just a little black dot on the plain, pursued by a four-legged something that looked too big to be fast, and ran with a peculiar rocking gait, but wasn’t losing any ground to Ivor. It bellowed almost like a bull—but not like any bull that any farmer in Obann ever heard.
Martis dragged Dulayl back with him. “Get the saddle, Jack!” he cried. “It might not be too late to save him!”
Saddling a frightened horse at night, when seconds count like gold, was a maddening business. But Martis got it done, threw himself onto Dulayl’s back, and spurred off after Ivor and the beast. Already the children had lost sight of them; but they still heard the beast bellowing.
“What in heaven was that!” Ellayne cried.
“Too dark to get a good look at it,” Jack said. “Just some burned big animal!”
Wytt couldn’t tell them what it was. It was something that he’d never seen or smelled before, and he didn’t have a word for it. The most he could say was that it was a big black thing, something like a wild hog, but not a hog.
“A pig as big as an oxcart—poor Ivor!” Jack said. “Still, it’s hard to imagine a man running away from a pig.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of wild boars?” Ellayne said. “It takes a pack of dogs and a bunch of men with spears to hunt a wild boar. There was a boar in Abombalbap that ravaged a whole kingdom, and no one could kill it.”
“Poor Ivor,” Jack repeated.
After a long time Martis came back without him. He dismounted with a sigh.
“I was too late,” he said. “The beast trampled him, and that was that. I’m sorry, but the ground’s too hard for burial and we have a long way to go tomorrow.”
“You mean he’s dead?” Ellayne cried. Martis nodded; but he was thinking about himself. What had made him try to save a man he hardly knew, to whom he owed nothing, who could give him nothing in return, and whom he hadn’t even liked very much? Had he caught up to
Similar Books
