HOW CARPALIM WENT HUNTING FOR FRESH MEAT, AND HOW A TROPHY WAS SET UP.
[Illustration: Initial W.]
While they were thus chatting and feasting, Carpalim suddenly cried
out: "Are we never to have any fresh meat? His Highness makes us
thirsty enough, but this salt meat quite finishes me. Wait a moment! I
am going to fetch you here the thigh of one of those horses which are
burning over yonder. No fear of their not being roasted enough!"
As he was springing up to do this, his quick eye caught sight, just
at the edge of the wood, of a large stag, which had come out of the
forest, attracted doubtless by Panurge's big bonfire. Carpalim ran
towards the stag with such fleetness that he seemed to have been shot
from a cross-bow, and caught up with him in a moment. Even while he was
bounding along, he was holding his hands up in the air, with all his
fingers spread open, and, in that way, he caught four great bustards,
seven bitterns, twenty-six gray partridges, sixteen pheasants, nine
snipes, nineteen herons, thirty-two red-legged partridges; and he
killed moreover with his feet, by kicking here and there, ten or twelve
hares or rabbits that chanced to start up in his path and hadn't time
to get away; fifteen tender young boars, and three large foxes. First
killing the stag by striking him on the head with his sword, he picked
him up and, while joyously returning along the road, gathered together
his hares, rabbits, boars, and foxes. And from as far as could be
heard, he began to cry out:--
"Panurge! Panurge! Vinegar! Vinegar!"
[Illustration: CARPALIM CATCHES SOME FRESH MEAT.]
The good Pantagruel, having his back turned to the road, thought from
this that Carpalim surely must be sick, and so ordered that vinegar
should be at once brought. But Panurge, who happened to be looking out,
had already noticed what Carpalim had about him, and told Pantagruel
that his valet was carrying a fine stag around his neck, and around his
waist a belt of hares. Wise Master Epistemon at once made nine handsome
wooden spits in the old style. Eusthenes, wanting to be useful, helped
him to skin the game; while Panurge placed two of the dead men's
saddles in such a way that they served as andirons. The prisoner was
made cook, and at the very same fire where his friends were burning,
the poor cook roasted Carpalim's venison. Of course, everybody enjoyed
the fresh meat after so much salt meat, and became very gay and chatty.
Panurge evidently thought his friends were getting too noisy, for, of a
sudden, he cried:--
"We had better think a little about our affairs, so as to decide in
what way we will conquer our enemies."
"That is well thought on!" said Pantagruel.
He at once turned to the prisoner, and, wishing to frighten him still
more, said: "My friend, tell us here the truth, and do not lie to us
in any one single thing, if thou dost not want to be eaten alive, for
they say I am he who eats little children. Give us, therefore, the
order, the number, the strength in guns, of thy army."
"My lord," answered the prisoner humbly, "know for truth that in my
army there are three hundred giants, all clad in armor, and wonderfully
tall giants they are, too,--not quite so tall as Your Highness, save
one who is their chief, who is called Loupgarou, and who is armed with
anvils. Besides these giants, there are one hundred and sixty-three
thousand foot-soldiers, all armed with the skins of hobgoblins, and
all strong and valiant men; eleven thousand, four hundred men-at-arms;
three thousand, six hundred double cannon, and quite too many
arquebusiers to count; and ninety-four thousand pioneers."
"That is all very well, so far as it goes," said Pantagruel, dryly;
"but is thy King there?"
"Yes, sire, the King is there in person. He is known among us as
Anarchus, King of the _Dipsodes_, which is the same as saying the
Thirsty People, because you have never yet seen a people so thirsty by
nature or with such throats for drinking. The giants guard the King's
tent."
"Enough!" said Pantagruel. "Brave boys, are you willing to follow me?"
"May Heaven confound those who would leave you!" cried out Panurge.
Then the party began to joke one another about the prisoner's report,
and to boast about the glorious feats each one was going to do on the
giants who guarded King Anarchus' tent.
As was his habit the noble Pantagruel laughed at all the nonsense, but,
in the midst of a good shaking, he suddenly thought of what was really
before him.
"Gentlemen," he said, "you reckon without your host. I am rather afraid
that, if you go on much longer in the way you are now, it will not be
dark before you are in such a state that those Thirsty People can come
here and maul you with pike and lance. So, then, children, let's be
marching. However, before we leave this place, in remembrance of the
courage you have just shown, I wish to erect here a fine trophy."
[Illustration: THE TROPHY.]
This was a happy idea, and everybody was at once busy--singing
meanwhile pleasant little songs--in setting up a high post. This done,
they hung up on the post a great cuirassier saddle, the front-piece of
a barbed horse, bridle-bits, knee-pieces, stirrups, stirrup-leathers,
spurs, a coat of mail, a battle-axe, a strong, short, sharp sword, a
gauntlet, leg-harness, and a throat-piece,--all spoils from the poor
horsemen whose bones were then lying half-charred on the sands.
And this was the trophy which Pantagruel raised.