|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 47
CHAPTER XII.
An hour after the conversation with Odile, Sperver and I were riding
hard, and leaving Nideck rapidly behind us.
The huntsman, bending forward over his horse's neck, encouraged him with
voice and action.
He rode so fast that his tall Mecklemburger, her mane flying, tail
outstretched, and legs extended wide, seemed almost motionless, so
swiftly did she cleave the air. As for my little Ardenne pony, I think he
was running right away with his rider. Lieverl� accompanied us, flying
alongside of us like an arrow from the bow. A whirlwind seemed to sweep
us in our headlong way.
The towers of Nideck were far away, and Sperver was keeping ahead as
usual when I shouted--
"Halloo, comrade, pull up! Halt! Before we go any farther let us know
what we are about."
He faced round.
"Only just tell me, Fritz, is it right or is it left?"
"No; that won't do. It is of the first importance that you should know
the object of our journey. In short, we are going to catch the hag."
A flush of pleasure brightened up the long sallow face of the old
poacher, and his eyes sparkled.
"Ha, ha!" he cried, "I knew we should come to that at last!"
And he slipped his rifle round from his shoulder into his hand.
This significant action roused me.
"Wait, Sperver; we are not going to kill the Black Pest, but to take her
alive!"
"Alive?"
"No doubt, and it will spare you a good deal of remorse perhaps if I
declare to you that the life of this old woman is bound up with that of
your master. The ball that hits her hits your lord."
Sperver gazed at me in astonishment.
"Is this really true, Fritz?"
"Positively true."
There was a long silence; our mounts, Fox and Rappel, tossed their heads
at each other as if in the act of saluting one another, scraping up the
snow with their hoofs in congratulation upon so pleasant an expedition.
Lieverl� opened wide his red mouth, gaping with impatience, extending and
bending his long meagre body like a snake, and Sperver sat motionless,
his hand still upon his gun.
"Well, let us try and catch her alive. We will put on gloves if we have
to touch her, but it is not so easy as you think, Fritz."
And pointing out with extended hand the panorama of mountains which lay
unrolled about us like a vast amphitheatre, he added--
"Look! there's the Altenberg, the Schn�eberg, the Oxenhorn, the Rh�thal,
the Behrenkopf, and if we only got up a little higher we should see fifty
more mountain-tops far away, right into the Palatinate. There are rocks
and ravines, passes and valleys, torrents and waterfalls, forests, and
more mountains; here beeches, there firs, then oaks, and the old woman
has got all that for her camping-ground. She tramps everywhere, and lives
in a hole wherever she pleases. She has a sure foot, a keen eye, and can
scent you a couple of miles off. How are you going to catch her, then?"
"If it was an easy matter where would be the merit? I should not then
have chosen you to take a part in it."
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|