Catching up a spear from the bundle at his feet he was just in time to receive the Eskimo, who sprang in on him with the intention of coming at once to close quarters. His rush was very furious; probably with a view to make it decisive. But the agile Leo was equal to the occasion.
Bending suddenly so low as to be quite under his opponent"s desperate thrust, he struck out his right leg firmly. Koyatuk tripped over it, and ploughed the land for some yards with his hands, head, and knees.
Considerably staggered in mind and body by the fall, he sprang up with a roar, and turned to renew the attack. Leo was ready. The Eskimo, by that time mad with pain, humiliation, and rage, exercised no caution in his a.s.sault. He rushed at his rival like a mad bull. Our Englishman saw his opportunity. Dropping his own spear he guarded the thrust of his adversary"s with his right arm, while, with his left fist, he planted a solid blow on Koyatuk"s forehead. The right fist followed the left like the lightning flash, and alighted on Koyatuk"s nose, which, flat by nature, was rendered flatter still by art. Indeed it would be the weakest flattery to a.s.sert that he had any nose at all after receiving that blow. It was reduced to the shape of a small pancake, from the two holes in which there instantly spouted a stream of blood so copious that it drenched alike its owner and his rival.
After giving him this double salute, Leo stepped quickly aside to let him tumble forward, heels over head, which he did with the only half-checked impetuosity of his onset, and lay p.r.o.ne upon the ground.
"There, Anders," said the victor, turning round as he pointed to his prostrate foe, "surely Grabantak"s son has got enough of blood now to wipe out all the insults he ever received, or is likely to receive, from me."
Grabantak appeared to agree to this view of the case. That he saw and relished the jest was obvious, for he burst into an uproarious fit of laughter, in which his amiable warriors joined him, and, advancing to Leo, gave him a hearty slap of approval on the shoulder. At the same time he cast a look of amused scorn on his fallen son, who was being attended to by Merkut.
It may be observed here that Merkut was the only woman of the tribe allowed to go on this war-expedition. Being the chief"s wife, she had been allowed to do as she pleased, and it was her pleasure to accompany the party and to travel like the warriors in a kayak, which she managed as well as the best of them.
Grabantak now ordered his men to encamp, and feed till the gale should abate. Then, calling Leo and the interpreter aside, he questioned them closely as to the condition of the Poloese and the numbers of the white men who had recently joined them.
Of course Leo made Anders give him a graphic account of the preparations made by his enemies to receive him, in the hope that he might be induced to give up his intentions, but he had mistaken the spirit of the Eskimo, who merely showed his teeth, frowned, laughed in a diabolic manner, and flourished his spear during the recital of Amalatok"s warlike arrangements. He wound up by saying that he was rejoiced to learn all that, because it would be all the more to his credit to make his enemy go down on his knees, lick the dust, crawl in his presence, and otherwise humble himself.
"But tell him, Anders," said Leo, earnestly, "that my white brothers, though few in number, are very strong and brave. They have weapons too which kill far off and make a dreadful noise."
Grabantak laughed contemptuously at this.
"Does the Kablunet," he asked, "think I am afraid to die--afraid of a noise? does he think that none but white men can kill far off?"
As he spoke he suddenly hurled his spear at a gull, which, with many others, was perched on a cliff about thirty yards off, and transfixed it.
"Go to the boat, Anders, and fetch my rifle," said Leo in a low tone.
When the rifle was brought a crowd of Eskimos came with it. They had been closely observing their chief and the stranger during the conference, but remained at a respectful distance until they saw something unusual going on.
"Tell the chief," said Leo, "to look at that peak with the solitary gull standing on it."
He pointed to a detached cone of rock upwards of two hundred yards distant.
When the attention of the whole party was concentrated on the bird in question, Leo took a steady aim and fired.
Need we say that the effect of the shot was wonderful? not only did the braves utter a united yell and give a simultaneous jump, but several of the less brave among them bolted behind rocks, or tumbled in attempting to do so, while myriads of sea-fowl, which cl.u.s.tered among the cliffs, sprang from their perches and went screaming into the air. At the same time echoes innumerable, which had lain dormant since creation, or at best had given but sleepy response to the bark of walruses and the cry of gulls, took up the shot in lively haste and sent it to and fro from cliff to crag in bewildering continuation.
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Grabantak in open-mouthed amazement, when he beheld the shot gull tumbling from its lofty perch, "Do it again."
Leo did it again--all the more readily that another gull, unwarned by its predecessor"s fate, flew to the conical rock at the moment, and perched itself on the same peak. It fell, as before, and the echoes were again awakened, while the sea-birds cawed and screamed more violently than ever.
The timid ones among the braves, having recovered from their first shock, stood fast this time, but trembled much and glared horribly. The chief, who was made of sterner stuff than many of his followers; did not move, though his face flushed crimson with suppressed emotion. As to the sea-birds, curiosity seemed to have overcome fear, for they came circling and wheeling overhead in clouds so dense that they almost darkened the sky--many of them swooping close past the Eskimos and then shearing off and up with wild cries.
An idea suddenly flashed into Leo"s head. Pointing his rifle upwards he began and continued a rapid fire until all the bullets in it, (ten or twelve), were expended. The result was as he had expected. Travelling through such a dense ma.s.s of birds, each ball pierced we know not how many, until it absolutely rained dead and wounded gulls on the heads of the natives, while the rocks sent forth a roar of echoes equal to a continuous fire of musketry. It was stupendous! Nothing like it had occurred in the Polar regions since the world first became a little flattened at the poles! Nothing like it will happen again until the conjunction of a series of similar circ.u.mstances occurs. The timid braves lost heart again and dived like the coneys into holes and corners of the rocks. Others stood still with chattering teeth. Even Grabantak wavered for a moment. But it was only for a moment. Recovering himself he uttered a mighty shout; then he yelled; then he howled; then he slapped his breast and thighs; then he seized a smallish brave near him by the neck and hurled him into the sea. Having relieved his feelings thus he burst into a fit of laughter such as has never been equalled by the wildest maniac either before or since.
Suddenly he calmed, stepped up to Leo, and wrenched the rifle from his grasp.
"I will do that!" he cried, and held the weapon out at arms-length in front of his face with both hands; but there was no answering shot.
"Why does it not bark?" he demanded, turning to Leo sternly.
"It will only bark at my bidding," said Leo, with a significant smile.
"Bid it, then," said the chief in a peremptory tone, still holding the rifle out.
"You must treat it in the right way, otherwise it will not bark. I will show you."
Having been shown how to pull the trigger, the chief tried again, but a sharp click was the only reply. Grabantak having expected a shot, he nervously dropped the rifle, but Leo was prepared, and caught it.
"You must not be afraid of it; it cannot work properly if you are afraid. See, look there," he added, pointing to the conical rock on which another infatuated gull had perched himself.
Grabantak looked earnestly. His timid braves began to creep out of their holes, and directed their eyes to the same spot. While their attention was occupied Leo managed to slip a fresh cartridge into the rifle un.o.bserved.
"Now," said he, handing the rifle to the chief, "try again."
Grabantak, who was not quite pleased at the hint about his being afraid, seized the rifle and held it out as before. Resolved to maintain his reputation for coolness, he said to his followers in imitation of Leo:--
"Do you see that gull?"
"Huk!" replied the warriors, with eager looks.
Leo thought of correcting his manner of taking aim, but, reflecting that the result would be a miss in any case, he refrained.
Grabantak raised the rifle slowly, as its owner had done, and frowned along the barrel. In doing so, he drew it back until the b.u.t.t almost touched his face. Then he fired. There was a repet.i.tion of previous results with some differences. The gull flew away from the rock unhurt; one of the braves received the bullet in his thigh and ran off shrieking with agony, while the chief received a blow from the rifle on the nose which all but incorporated that feature with his cheeks, and drew from his eyes the first tears he had ever shed since babyhood.
That night Grabantak sat for hours staring in moody silence at the sea, tenderly caressing his injured nose, and meditating, no doubt, on things past, present, and to come.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
LEO VISITS FLATLAND AND SEES AS WELL AS HEARS MUCH TO INTEREST HIM THERE.
The result of Grabantak"s meditation was that, considering the nature and wonderful weapons of the men by whom Amalatok had been reinforced, he thought it advisable to return to his own land, which was not far distant, for the purpose of adding to the force with which he meant to subjugate the men of Poloe.
"We are unconquerable," he said, while conversing on the situation with Teyma, his first lieutenant, or prime minister; "everybody knows that we are invincible. It is well-known that neither white men, nor yellow men,--no, nor black men, nor blue men,--can overcome the Flatlanders.
We must keep up our name. It will not do to let the ancient belief die down, that one Flatlander is equal to three men of Poloe, or any other land."
"The Poloe men laugh in their boots when they hear us boast in this way," said Teyma gently.
We draw attention to the curious resemblance in this phrase to our more civilised "laughing in the sleeve," while we point out that the prime minister, although of necessity a man of war, was by nature a man of peace. Indeed his name, Teyma, which signifies peace, had been given him because of his pacific tendencies.
"What! would you not have me defend the Flatland name?" demanded Grabantak, fiercely.
"No, I would have you defend only the Flatland property," replied the blunt minister.
"And is not Puiroe my property?" growled Grabantak, referring to the barren rock which was the cause of war.
"So is _that_ your property," said Teyma, picking up a stone, "and yet I treat it thus!" (He tossed it contemptuously into the sea.) "Is that worth Flatlander blood? would you kill me for _that_? shall Eskimo wives and mothers weep, and children mourn and starve for a useless rock in the sea."