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NIGHT brings rest; night brings solace; rest to the weary, solace to the sad. And to the desperate night brings despair. |
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The moon has sunk to early rest; but a thousand stars are in the sky. The mighty mountains rise severe in the clear and silent air. In the forest all is still. The tired wind no longer roams, but has lightly dropped on its leafy couch, and sleeps like man. Silent all but the fountain’s drip. And by the fountain’s side a youth is lying. |
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Suddenly a creature steals through the black and broken rocks. Ha, ha! the jackal smells from afar the rich corruption of the courser’s clay. Suddenly and silently it steals, and stops, and smells. Brave banqueting I ween to-night for all that goodly company. Jackal, and fox, and marten-cat, haste ye now, ere morning’s break shall call the vulture to his feast and rob you of your prey. |
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The jackal lapped the courser’s blood, and moaned with exquisite delight. And in a moment, a faint bark was heard in the distance. And the jackal peeled the flesh from one of the ribs, and again burst into a shriek of mournful ecstasy. |
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Hark, their quick tramp! First six, and then three, galloping with ungodly glee. And a marten-cat came rushing down from the woods; but the jackals, fierce in their number, drove her away, and there she stood without the circle, panting, beautiful, and baffled, with her white teeth and glossy skin, and sparkling eyes of rabid rage.7 |
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Suddenly as one of the half-gorged jackals retired from the main corpse, dragging along a stray member by some still palpitating nerves, the marten-cat made a spring at her enemy, carried off his prey, and rushed into the woods. |
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Her wild scream of triumph woke a lion from his lair. His mighty
form, black as ebony, moved on a distant eminence, his tail flowed
like a serpent. He roared, and the jackals trembled, and immediately
ceased from their banquet, turning their heads in the direction
of their sovereign’s voice. He advanced; he stalked towards them.
They retired; he bent his head, examined the carcass with condescending
curiosity, and instantly quitted it with royal disdain. The jackals
again collected around their garbage. The lion advanced to the fountain
to drink. He beheld a man. His mane rose, his tail was wildly agitated,
he bent over the sleeping Prince, he uttered an awful roar, which
awoke Alroy. |
