86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 |
1 | 74 | 149 | 223 | 297 |
curve, and stood winding him. Then, as a rise in the ground hid him,
they tailed out, the Master Horse leading, and approached him spirally.
He was as ignorant of the possibilities of a horse as they were of his.
And at this stage it would seem he funked. He knew this kind of stalking
would make red deer or buffalo charge, if it were persisted in. At any
rate Eudena saw him jump up and come walking towards her with the fern
plumes held in his hand.
She stood up, and he grinned to show that the whole thing was an immense
lark, and that what he had done was just what he had planned to do from
the very beginning. So that incident ended. But he was very thoughtful
all that day.
The next day this foolish drab creature with the leonine mane, instead
of going about the grazing or hunting he was made for, was prowling
round the horses again. The Eldest Mare was all for silent contempt. "I
suppose he wants to learn something from us," she said, and "Let him."
The next day he was at it again. The Master Horse decided he meant
absolutely nothing. But as a matter of fact, Ugh-lomi, the first of men
to feel that curious spell of the horse that binds us even to this day,
meant a great deal. He admired them unreservedly. There was a rudiment
of the snob in him, I am afraid, and he wanted to be near these
beautifully-curved animals. Then there were vague conceptions of a kill.
If only they would let him come near them! But they drew the line, he
found, at fifty yards. If he came nearer than that they moved off--with
8
8
Page
Quick Jump
|