Chapter 13 15.Meet the wolves at night

When night came, it was the dark night of the crescent moon, and the moon could not see a shadow at all.Only a faint point of starlight illuminates the plain.In the sky, the zodiac star is hidden in the dark fog.The Guamini River flows quietly, like a long sheet of oil sliding down the plane of the mica stone.Feather insects, caterpillars, and bamboo insects were tired enough during the day, and they were all resting, and the silence of the desert enveloped the boundless grassland. All three of them were governed by common laws, lying straight on the haystack and sleeping soundly.The horses were exhausted and all fell to the ground. Only Taojia, a good thoroughbred horse, still slept standing up, with legs straight, resting as handsome as when moving, ready to arrive at the owner's call.The courtyard was peaceful, and the coals in the stove were gradually dying out, shining the last red light in the quiet night.

However, just before 10 o'clock, Tarcaf woke up after a short sleep.He frowned intently, and his ears were listening: he was evidently about to hear a small sound.After a while, a vague look of uneasiness crept over his often expressionless face.Was it a wandering group of Indians, or a herd of black tigers, water tigers, or other beasts that abound in the river regions?He felt that the last hypothesis was the most likely, and he glanced at the fuel in the yard, looking even more disturbed.Yes, that heap of dry clover will soon burn out, and will not long hold back those daring beasts! At the moment, Tarcaf had no choice but to wait and see what happened.So he waited, half lying on the ground, with his hands on the ground, his elbows on his knees, his eyes motionless, like a man awakened from a dream by sudden anxiety.

An hour passed.If it weren't for Tarcaf, anyone would feel relieved to go back to sleep when they heard that there was no sound outside.However, where the outsider feels no danger, the Indian's keen senses and his natural instincts can foresee the impending danger. When he listened carefully, Toka let out a faint hiss.Its nostrils stick out towards the exit of the yard.Takaf straightened up suddenly. "Taoka feels hostile," he said. He stood up and stepped out to look carefully at the plain. It was still silence, but it was no longer tranquility.Tarcaf vaguely saw many dark figures floating silently beyond the clover bushes.Scattered streamers are flickering, more and more from all sides, bright for a while, dark for a while, just like many phosphorescent fires dancing on a large lake like glass.Outsiders will definitely think that it is the fireflies that are common in Panpa District, but he will not be mistaken.He knew what kind of enemy was coming.

He loaded his gun and watched from the side of the post. Not long after he waited, there was a strange mix of barks and trombones on the grassland.The sound of the carbine gave the strange voice an answer, and immediately there were countless terrifying clamors. Glenarvan and Robert awoke with a start, and rose to their feet. "What's the matter?" asked Robert. "Is it an Indian?" Sir asked. "No, it's Aguara".Takaf replied. Robert looked at Glenarvan. "Aguara?" "Yes, it's the red wolf in Pampa," the sergeant replied. Both took up their guns and ran over to Tarcaf.Tarcaf told them by signs, calling their attention to the plain from which came the dreadful cry.

Robert took a step back involuntarily. "Aren't you afraid of wolves, my boy?" "Not afraid, ser," he answered in a firm voice, "and, with you, I have nothing to fear." "Very well. These red wolves are not much of a beast either, and as long as they don't come too often, I don't care about them." "Leave it alone! We've got plenty of guns, let them come!" "When they come, tell them to suffer well!" Sir said this in order to ease the child's heart. In fact, he couldn't help being terrified when this large group of wild beasts attacked in the dark.There may be hundreds of red wolves coming, and three people, no matter how powerful their weapons are, it is not easy to gain the upper hand in a fight with so many wild beasts!

Tarcaf said "Aguala", and Glenarvan knew that it was the Indian's name for the red wolf.This kind of carnivorous animal has the body of a big dog, its head is like a fox, its coat color is cinnamon red, and there is a row of black mane fluttering along its back. Go out of the cave and sleep in the cave during the day. The pastures that raise livestock are most afraid of it, because it dares to attack cattle and horses when it is hungry, causing great losses to the local area.Individual red wolves are not very scary, but packs of hungry wolves are different. People would rather kill a jaguar or a black tiger than a group of red wolves, because tigers and leopards can fight head-on, and wolves But in front, back, left, and right, it can't be beaten.

This time, as soon as Colinarvan heard the howling in the Pampa area and saw the many black figures jumping around on the plain, he knew that there were many red wolves gathered on the banks of the Guamini River. No one wants to eat a few mouthfuls before going back to the nest.The situation at that time can be said to be extremely thrilling. At this time, the encirclement circle formed by the pack of wolves is gradually shrinking.The horse woke up too, and made an expression of extreme terror.Only Taojia was kicking the ground, trying to break the rein and rush outside.Its owner kept whistling to dissuade it before it settled down.

Sir and Robert guarded the entrance to the yard.Their guns were loaded and ready to fire on the first row of red wolves.Suddenly Tarcaf seized the weapons they had raised to aim. "What does he mean by that?" asked Robert. "He won't let us shoot!" "why?" "Perhaps because he thinks the time has not yet come!" Tarcaf didn't tell them to shoot because of timing, he had a more important reason.Jazz knew right away when he picked up his bullet pouch and turned it over to show it was almost empty. "What's the matter?" the child asked.

"What? We need to conserve ammo. We've had a hunt today and we're almost out of ammo. Less than twenty rounds left!" The kid didn't answer. "Aren't you afraid, Robert?" "Don't be afraid, ser." "Okay, my boy!" At this time, another shot was fired.A cowardly wolf rushed forward and was killed by Tarcaf.The rest of the wolves, who had advanced in close formation, retreated and huddled together a hundred paces from the yard. Immediately Tarcaf beckoned to Sir, and Glenarvan went to take his place.Tarcaf ran to move all the burnable things in the yard, piled them at the entrance of the yard, and threw a burning coal.Presently a curtain of flame was drawn across the darkened sky, and through the gaps in this curtain it was seen that the plain was brightly illuminated by the backlight of the fire.Only then did Glenarvan realize that there were so many red wolves to resist in front of him: he had never seen so many wolves gathered together, nor had he seen such ferocious wolves.The fire net that Takaf set up to deal with them stopped them at once, but at the same time accelerated their anger.

Unexpectedly, several wolves went straight to the edge of the fire pit and burned their front paws. One after another, the howling and jumping pack of wolves rushed up, and shooting could not stop them.Within an hour about 15 dead wolves had fallen on the grass. Things are a little bit better now.As long as the ammunition is not exhausted and the fire net is still deployed at the gate of the courtyard, the wolves will not be afraid of charging.But once the ammunition is exhausted and the fire net is extinguished, there is no way to resist the wolves, so what should we do? Glenarvan looked at Robert and felt sad.He forgot himself and thought only of the poor boy, who seemed to have shown courage beyond his years.Robert's face was gray and white, but his gun was still in his hand, and he was determined to wait for the angry wolf to attack.

At this time, Glenarvan calmly considered the situation at that time, and decided to come up with a thorough solution. "In an hour's time we'll be out of ammo and out of fire. We can't wait until then to make up our minds." So, looking back at Tarcaf, gathering the few Spanish words his brain had to offer, he began to talk to him, interrupted by intermittent gunshots. It is more difficult for the two of them to reach the level of understanding.Fortunately, Glenarvan knew the habits of the red wolf, otherwise, he would feel very inexplicable about Tarcaf's words and gestures. Even so, it took him a quarter of an hour to convey Tarcave's answer to Robert. "What did he say?" asked Robert. "He said that no matter what, we must support it until dawn. The red wolf only comes out at night, and returns to its den in the morning. It is a night wolf, afraid of the sun, and it is an owl among wild beasts!" "Then, let's resist until dawn!" "Yes, my boy, but there's no ammo to do with a knife." At this time, Tarcaf had already shown them an example: one ran hard to the edge of the fire net, held a knife in his long arm, stretched out the fire net, and retracted the bloody knife. Fire and ammunition were almost out.Towards two o'clock in the morning, Tarcaf had thrown the last bundle of firewood into the fire pit, and there were only five rounds of ammunition left. Glenarvan looked around, feeling very sad. He thought of the children around him, of his companions, of all the people he loved, and Robert remained silent.Perhaps, in his naïve fantasies, he did not yet feel that death was at hand.But the Jazz had thought of it for him.He seems to have seen the inevitable tragic picture: a living child being swallowed by hungry wolves!He couldn't restrain the impulse of emotion, dragged the child into his arms, hugged him tightly, kissed his forehead, and at the same time, two lines of tears flowed out of his eyes involuntarily. Robert was still smiling at him. "I'm not afraid!" he said. "Not afraid, my boy, not afraid!" answered the sir, "you are right, and in two hours' time it will be daylight, and we shall be saved. Well fought! Tarcaf, well fought! My Barbara Good man of Targonia!" he cried again.At this time Tarcaf was killing two large wolves with the butt of his gun that were trying to jump over the fire net. However, under the red light that was about to go out, he saw the large pack of red wolves rushing forward in a dense formation. This bloody battle is approaching the final moment, and the flames are gradually lowering.The originally brightly illuminated field gradually returned to darkness, and at the same time, the scaly eyes of the red wolf appeared in the darkness.In a few minutes, the whole pack would be pouring out into the yard.Tarcaf fired the last shot and killed another wolf.Out of ammunition, he stood with his arms crossed, his head dropped to his chest, as if in thought.Was he thinking of a risky, crazy way to fight off the mad pack of wolves? At this time, the attack of the wolves changed.They seemed to run away, and the deafening trumpets suddenly stopped.A dead silence hung over the plain. "They go away!" said the child. "Maybe." Glenarvan listened to the voice outside. But Tarcaf guessed what he meant, and shook his head at him.He knew that those beasts would not give up their delicious food unless the sun forced them to return to their nests. The moment they guessed, the enemy's strategy had obviously changed. They no longer want to rush into the yard head-on, but the danger their new tactics pose to people is greater and more urgent.The red wolves, seeing that the front door was tenaciously guarded by fire and knives, all went around the yard and attacked from behind. In a few moments all three of them heard their claws scratching at the half-rotted stake.Many strong legs and bloody maws have protruded from the cracks of the shaking pillars.The horse was terrified, broke the rein, and ran wildly in the yard.Glenarvan threw his arms around the child to protect him until his last breath.Perhaps, in order to escape death, he was trying to rush out of the courtyard, when his eyes suddenly fell on Tarcaf. Tarcaf circled the yard like a wild animal in a cage, and then suddenly ran up to his horse, which was impatient with impatience.He put the saddle and bridle on the horse, carefully, not forgetting even a strap and a button.The growl continued to grow, and he didn't seem to care.Jazz saw him doing this with grief and panic. "He's leaving us!" he exclaimed, seeing Tarcaf about to mount. "He! Will never leave us!" said Robert. yes!Tarcaf not only refused to abandon his friends, he was thinking of sacrificing himself to save them. Taojia is ready, it bites the iron, jumps and jumps, its eyes are full of anger, and flashes of lightning, it already understands the master's meaning. When Tarcaf seized the mane, Glenarvan seized him by the arm with an impatient hand. "Are you going?" he said, pointing to the field where there were no wolves at that time. "Yes" Tarcaf replied.He understood the gestures of his traveling companion, and then he said a few words in Spanish, which meant: "Taojia! Good horse, hurry up. Lead the pack of wolves to chase it." "Ah! O Tarcaf!" cried Golinarvan. "Quick! Quick!" repeated Tarcaf.Here, Glenarvan, almost speechless, explained to Robert: "Robert! My boy! Do you know?! He's going to sacrifice himself for us! He wants to run elsewhere, leading the wolves to chase him! " "Tarcaf, friend!" cried the child, throwing himself at Tarcaf's feet, "my dear friend, do not leave us!" "No! He won't leave us!" Glenarvan turned his head and said to Tarcaf again: "Let's run together," he said, pointing to the two startled horses leaning against the post. "No," replied Tarcaf knowingly, "no. Poor horse, startled. Toka, good horse." "Well then!" said Glenarvan, "don't let Cataf leave you, Robert, he has inspired me to do what I should do! I'll ride! Keep him with you." He grabbed Taojia's rein and said, "Let me do it!" "No!" Takaf replied calmly. "I must go!" cried Glenarvan, taking the rein, "let me go! Save the boy! I entrust him to you, Tarcaf!" In his excitement, Glenarvan sandwiched English into Spanish and spoke together.But what does language matter!At this critical juncture, where gestures speak for themselves, they quickly understood each other.Glenarvan was going, but Tarcaf refused.The dispute between the two prolongs, and the danger is approaching every second.The stump behind the yard was scratched and bitten by wolves, and it was about to break. Neither Golinavan nor Tarcaf had any intention of giving in.Tarcaf pulled Golinavan to the entrance of the yard, pointed to the wilderness without wolves, and used excited words to make him understand that there is no need to delay. If the strategy of riding a horse to lure wolves fails, the people left behind will be more dangerous. He also said that only he understands Taojia's temperament, and can use its strength and quickness to seek everyone's safety.Glenarvan was so confused that he refused to listen to him and insisted on going by himself.Suddenly, he was pushed violently and pushed aside.Taojia jumped up, with her front hooves in the air, and jumped over the line of fire and a row of wolf corpses impatiently, while a child's voice yelled. "Forgive me, ser!" It was too late, but soon, the two of them could hardly see Robert, who was already on the horse's back, grabbed the mane, and disappeared into the darkness. "Confused boy! Robert!" cried Glenarvan." But even Tarcaf, who was beside him, could not hear the cry.A terrifying roar erupted at the same time.It turned out that the red wolves rushed to chase the horse like a swarm, and all ran westward in unison, as fast as a ghost. Tarcaf and Glenarvan hurried out of the yard.At this time, the plain returned to calm, and they could only vaguely see a black curve moving far away in the night.Golinarvan lay down on the ground, terrified and desperate, clasping his hands tightly.He looked at Tarcaf, who was smiling, as calm as ever. "Taojia, what a horse! Child, you can do it! You must be saved!" He kept talking, nodding in approval. "What if he falls off his horse?" "It won't fall!" Notwithstanding Tarcalf's confidence, the poor sergeant was anxious till daylight.He didn't even feel that he was out of danger.He was going to see Robert.But Tarcaf would not let him go, saying that other horses could not catch up with Taojia, and Taojia would definitely leave the pack of wolves far behind, and if he wanted to find Robert, he would not be able to find him in the night, and he would surely To wait until dawn. At four o'clock in the morning, the east gradually turned pale.After a while, the thick fog in the sky gradually became pale silver.The dew sprinkled all over the plain, and the wormwood swayed in the morning breeze. Now it's time to find Robert. "Go!" said Tarcaf. Golinarvan said nothing, and jumped on the horse that Robert had been riding.In a short time the two were galloping westward, returning in a straight line that their traveling companions would not leave. They ran quickly for an hour, looking for Robert from side to side, and fearing to find his bloody body.Golinarvan drove the horse with spurs, which almost pierced the horse's belly.At last they heard gunshots, one after the other in a regular pattern, apparently flare guns. "There they are!" cried Golinarvan. They drove their horses faster, and after a while they joined forces with Paganel's small party.Glenarvan involuntarily screamed again.Robert was there, still alive and lively, on Togga's back, and the horse neighed merrily at the sight of its master. "Ah! my boy! my boy!" cried the Sir, with an expression of indescribable love. Both he and Robert dismounted at the same time, and ran to embrace each other.Then Thakal hugged Robert tightly in his arms again. "He's still alive! He's still alive!" the Jazz kept calling. "Yes, I'm still alive, all thanks to Toka!" Tarcaf did not wait for this word of gratitude from Robert, but ran to thank his horse.At this time, he was talking to the horse, hugging its neck and kissing it, as if human blood flowed in the veins of that fine horse. After a moment of intimacy, he turned to Paganel again, pointed to Robert and said, "Good man!" He also praised Robert with the common Indian saying "courage", saying: "His spurs have never trembled!" Then Sir put his arms around Robert, and asked him: "Why you, my boy! Why don't you let me or Tarcave take that last risk to save you?" "Sir," said the boy with the last He replied in a grateful tone, "Shouldn't I do the risky sacrifice? Tarcaf has saved my life. You, you are going to save my father's life!"