And, surely I had presently failed in wind and limb, because of the
leapings and chargings that I did make; and because of the weight of the
armour, that was not overmuch, yet to be considered; but that I fainted
not, was by reason of the wondrous hardness and leanness that I was
grown to, with so constant a journeying and strait living; for the
tablets did keep the strength in a man, though, truly, they eased not
the yearnings of the belly.
And lo! even the brutish man did grow weary, and the hot breath and
body-stink to come from him; and surely who shall wonder, for always he
did rush to and fro upon me, with the monstrous rock to crush me. And
sudden, I leapt unto the right of the man, thinking within me that I did
perceive a chance that I should cut him upon that side; but, truly, he
was less awearied than I did know; for he came very sharp upon me, and
had me between him and the wall of the Rock; and surely I had no room to
make escape, and had died in a moment, but that I made a sudden sham
toward the left with the Diskos, as that I should leap that way. And in
the same instant, I did go to the right with a strong bounding; and
immediately did come in upon the Humpt Man from that side; and I put my
fortune of life to the stroke, and stood anigh to the man, and I smote
him across the middle part, before that he did wot of my intent. And the
blow slew the man very surely, and did nigh cut the mighty creature in
twain. And surely he fell, half leaping even as he died, so that the
monstrous rock that was in the hands of the brutish man, did crash down
almost upon my feet, and I leapt very high that I should escape the
thundering of the rock; for in verity, I was near slain in that last
moment of the life of the Humpt Man. But yet I lived and came free of
death, and did have a relief of happiness about my heart, as you shall
believe.
Yet, truly, I was much shaken; and a little weakness took me, so that I
was fain to go down upon the rock-shelf, that I have back my strength.
And presently, I was grown steady again, and I took my gear, and did
haste down the Rock, and so was come presently to the earth again. And I
saw the first of the Humpt Men that I did slay, lying very quiet a
little off from the bottom of the Rock; so that I went round upon the
other side to avoid the man; for it was no pleasure to mine eyes or to
my heart. And, truly, it did trouble me always to make a death.
And when I was come round upon the other, which was the seaward, side of
the Rock, I perceived that I was yet shaken; and I remembered that it
were wise to eat and drink and rest a little, before that I did go
further upon my way.
Now, as I did sit there at the bottom of the Rock, I looked upward at
the strange crown thereof; and until that time, I had been taken up with
the fight and with gazings this way and that to see whether there came
others of the Humped Men to work me an harm.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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