[Illustration]
The next day Fire-tamer, who had been hunting in the Swamp, returned to
the Ammi, with a piece of burning wood. Having seen a tree struck by
lightning, which was nearly consumed, and thinking he understood the
habits of the beast, he raked in the ashes till he found this brand.
Bringing it with him, he thought, as the fire curled on the end of it,
like a snake, that he had caught a wood-eating animal.
“There he comes with a little one,” said Koree, as Fire-tamer approached
the Ammi. Gimbo was horrified, and ran away. The rest, though prohibiting
its introduction the day before, had suffered so much during the night
from cold, that they were now willing to give it a trial, which Gimbo
thought very inconsistent in them.
Fire-tamer laid it down, when, to the surprise of all, it did not run
away. He then brought leaves to feed it, when it flamed up, or became
“mad,” as they thought. None, however, would come near enough to feel its
effects; when they said it was of no use as a warmer.
[Illustration: THE WOOD-EATING ANIMAL IN THE CAMP OF THE AMMI.]
“Wait till he shakes himself,” said Fire-tamer, “and you will get a
fanning from his wings that will warm you all over.”
He then fed the monster with brush, when to the surprise of all, who
now approached with confidence, it ate greedily, and soon warmed them
perceptibly.
“See how he cracks the bones with his teeth,” said Pounder, in admiration
of its strength, as the fire crackled and the sparks flew.
“See what a dust he kicks up,” said another, as he observed the smoke.
A spark at this moment flew out and lighted on Pounder, who gave a growl,
and said the beast had snapped at him. He could scarcely be restrained
from attacking it with his fists.
All were gratified, however, at the warmth produced; for the day was
cold, and they had not on their clothing, or else did not know how to use
it. They accordingly huddled about the fire, and soon came to regard it
as a necessity.
“How can we keep it from running away?” asked one, who thought of their
misfortune when they should be without it.
“How can we take it with us when we move?” asked another. “I would not
like to take hold of it or lead it.”
“Fire-tamer can catch another,” answered Koree, “for he is skilled as a
hunter of this monster, as well as a manager of it.”
They wondered most at the voracity of the beast, who ate all the brush
and logs they could carry to him.
“He grows bigger at once on what he feeds,” said one, as the fire
increased with the supply of several trees; “see how fat he is getting,
and how he struggles at his meals. One would think the tree is alive at
which he is eating, and that he is fighting to kill it, as when a tiger
eats an alligator.”
When the fire died down, and it was not convenient to get more wood,
Cocoanut-scooper threw in some vegetables and fruits, saying:
“I wonder if he will eat these. He seems, like a hog, to eat everything.”
But the fire continued to become less, and all were surprised that it was
fastidious about its food, and would eat nothing but wood.
More wood was, accordingly, brought, and soon the monster had reached its
full size again.
“It does not pay to keep this animal,” said Oko; “it takes all our time
to carry food to him. Loose him that, like the urus, he may wander
through the forest and feed himself.”
“He will eat the whole forest and us too, if he gets loose,” replied
Fire-tamer.
Several approached so near that they got burned, so that many doubted the
utility of the beast on account of its danger. One who got a whiff of
smoke in the face thought he was being attacked, and discharged a dart at
the monster.
“I am afraid to sleep at night with this brute in the camp,” said one;
“he will eat us all before morning.”
“When he appeared last night in the sky,” observed another, referring to
the Aurora, “he did not harm us.”
The people, however, were divided, some wanting to get rid of him, and
others to keep him. When it got warm the beast became unpopular, which
was about the middle of the day; but as it cooled off toward night, he
was more in favor.
“He must be thirsty,” said Pounder; “let us bring water and give him a
drink.”
So saying he went to a pool, and, filling a gourd, poured water on the
fire, which had become low from lack of fuel. The fire immediately went
out, to the surprise of all.
“He hates water and has run into his hole,” said Pounder.
“Let us dig him out,” said Koree, who thought he was a kind of woodchuck
that could be easily unearthed.
On examination, however, they found no hole into which he could have
crawled, and so gave up digging.
“He will come out of a volcano soon,” said Fire-tamer, “and I shall watch
for him in the mountains.”
Gimbo was profoundly thankful, however, that he was gone. He had
worshipped him as a god out of fear; but now that water destroyed him,
he worshipped the water instead, as a greater spirit, and he was nearly
converted to the religion of the Lali, who had great faith in the power
of water, and especially of the water of the great Swamp, in which the
winged Alligator dwelt.
As evening came, however, with its dampness, they again suffered, and
doubt came with their discomforts, and they slept uncertain whether fire
should be the companion of their lives.
And the night was full of stars and Gimbo of fleas, and as they passed
each other on the way of time the problems of life were unfolding to
reason.