"'Will you hush? will you hush?' said Cut-in-half, giving him heavy kicks, for he was afraid that his cries would be heard; but at the end of a moment there was no more danger: poor Gringalet cried no more, struggled no more; on his knees, as white as a sheet, he shut his eyes and shivered as if it had been January. Meantime the ape beat him, pulled his hair, and scratched him; and from time to time, the wicked beast stopped to look at his master, absolutely as if they understood each other. As for Cut-in-half, he laughed so loud, that if Gringalet had cried, the shouts of his master would have drowned his cries. It would seem as if this encouraged Gargousse, for he was more and more cruel to the child." "Oh! you sanguinary ape," cried Blue Cap. "If I had hold of you by the tail, I would spin you round like a mill--just like a sling, and I would crack your conk on the pavement." "Rascally ape! he was as wicked as a man!" "There are no men so wicked as that!" "Not so wicked?" answered Pique-Vinaigre. "You forget old Cut-in-half! Judge of it--this is what he did afterward: he unfastened the chain (which was very long) from the bed, took the child, more dead than alive, from the paws of Gargousse, and fastened him at one end of it, with Gargousse at the other. There was an idea!" "It is true, there are men more cruel than the most cruel beasts." "When Cut-in-half had done this, he said to his ape, which appeared to understand him, "'Attention, Gargousse! they have led and shown you, now in your turn you shall show Gringalet; he shall be your ape. Come, hop, stand up, Gringalet, or I say to Gargousse, 'Speak to him, fellow!'" "The poor child had fallen on his knees, his hands clasped, but not able to speak; his teeth chattered in his head. "'There! make him walk, Gargousse,' said Cut-in-half to his ape; 'and if he is sulky, do as I do.'