CHAPTER XXX.
HOW CARPALIM WENT HUNTING FOR FRESH MEAT, AND HOW A TROPHY WAS SET UP.
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: — " Panurtre !
Panurge !
Vinegar!
Vinegar!"
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 Pauurge, 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 f Jj very same fire where his friends were burning poor cook roasted
CARPALIM CATCHES SOME FRESH MEAT.
Carpalim's venison. Of course, everybody enjoyed the fresh meat after so much salt meat, and became very gay and chatty. Pauurge 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 (l\ 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. Be-O sides 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.
THE TROPHY.
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."
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.
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE STRANGE WAY IN WHICH PANTAGRUEL OBTAINED A VICTORY OVER THE THIRSTY PEOPLE.
THEN the trophy had been raised, Panta-gruel had his prisoner brought before him and sent him away with these words : — " Get thee back to thy King in his camp, and tell him what thou hast seen. Be sure you tell him to be ready to welcome me to-morrow, at noon. All I am waiting for are my galleys, which are on the sea. As soon as they come which will be to-morrow morning, at the very latest, I shall prove to thy King, by eighteen hundred thousand men and seven thousand giants, — each of those giants taller and larger than thou see'st me here, —that he has been an idiot to attack my country."
Of course, in all this talk about having an army on the sea, Panta-gruel was only trying to frighten the King of the Thirsty People.
The prisoner made haste to assure Pantagruel that he was his humble slave, and that he would be only too glad, not only if he never should see his people again, but, also, if he should be allowed to fight under the Prince against them. Pantagruel shook his great head at this. No ! no ! he must leave at once, and do what he had been told to do. He gave him at the same time a box full of a strange paste, made with some grains of black chameleon-thistle, steeped in brandy, ordering him to place this in the hands of his King, and say to him that, if he could eat even one ounce of the mixture without wanting to drink after it, he would be able to resist Pantagruel and his whole army without fear.
Then the prisoner began to wring his hands, begging Pantagruel in the hour of battle to have pity on him.
" After thou hast announced all to thy King," answered Pantagruel, gravely, " put all thy trust in God, and He will never forsake thee. Look at me ! I am, as thou canst see, mighty. I can put millions of troops in the Yet I place no reliance on my strength or my skill; but all my trust is in God, my protector, who never abandons those who have their faith in Him. Go, then," he added more kindly, " and, if thou wishest no evil to happen to thee, turn thy back on bad company."
When the prisoner had at last got away, the good Giant turned to his fr i e n d s, saying : "My children, you do not tell lies; ways lawful in war enemy. This is why I have made that had armies on the sea, and, also, that make an assault on their camp till to-morrow at noon. But I have sent a paste that will put them all to sleep to-night, so that they will not be prepared to receive my attack to-morrow, at noon.