CHAPTER XII. FRIENDS AND FOES
Coming, in one of the channels, upon what seemed a little shrub, theoutlying picket, I trusted, of an army behind it, I knelt to look atit closer. It bore a small fruit, which, as I did not recognise it,I feared to gather and eat. Little I thought that I was watched frombehind the rocks by hundreds of eyes eager with the question whether Iwould or would not take it.
I came to another plant somewhat bigger, then to another larger still,and at length to clumps of a like sort; by which time I saw that theywere not shrubs but dwarf-trees. Before I reached the bank of thissecond branch of the river-bed, I found the channels so full of themthat it was with difficulty I crossed such as I could not jump. In oneI heard a great rush, as of a multitude of birds from an ivied wall, butsaw nothing.
I came next to some large fruit-bearing trees, but what they bore lookedcoarse. They stood on the edge of a hollow, which evidently had oncebeen the basin of a lake. From the left a forest seemed to flow intoand fill it; but while the trees above were of many sorts, those in thehollow were almost entirely fruit-bearing.
I went a few yards down the slope of grass mingled with moss, andstretched myself upon it weary. A little farther down stood a tiny treefull of rosiest apples no bigger than small cherries, its top close tomy hand; I pulled and ate one of them. Finding it delicious, I was inthe act of taking another, when a sudden shouting of children, mingledwith laughter clear and sweet as the music of a brook, startled me withdelight.
"He likes our apples! He likes our apples! He's a good giant! He's agood giant!" cried many little voices.
"He's a giant!" objected one.
"He IS rather big," assented another, "but littleness isn't everything!It won't keep you from growing big and stupid except you take care!"
I rose on my elbow and stared. Above and about and below me stood amultitude of children, apparently of all ages, some just able to runalone, and some about twelve or thirteen. Three or four seemed older.They stood in a small knot, a little apart, and were less excitedthan the rest. The many were chattering in groups, declaiming andcontradicting, like a crowd of grown people in a city, only with greatermerriment, better manners, and more sense.
I gathered that, by the approach of my hand to a second apple, they knewthat I liked the first; but how from that they argued me good, I did notsee, nor wondered that one of them at least should suggest caution. Idid not open my mouth, for I was afraid of frightening them, and sureI should learn more by listening than by asking questions. For Iunderstood nearly all they said--at which I was not surprised: tounderstand is not more wonderful than to love.
There came a movement and slight dispersion among them, and presently asweet, innocent-looking, lovingly roguish little fellow handed me a hugegreen apple. Silence fell on the noisy throng; all waited expectant.
"Eat, good giant," he said.
I sat up, took the apple, smiled thanks, and would have eaten; but themoment I bit into it, I flung it far away.
Again rose a shout of delight; they flung themselves upon me, so asnearly to smother me; they kissed my face and hands; they laid hold ofmy legs; they clambered about my arms and shoulders, embracing my headand neck. I came to the ground at last, overwhelmed with the lovelylittle goblins.
"Good, good giant!" they cried. "We knew you would come! Oh you dear,good, strong giant!"
The babble of their talk sprang up afresh, and ever the jubilant shoutwould rise anew from hundreds of clear little throats.
Again came a sudden silence. Those around me drew back; those atop of megot off and began trying to set me on my feet. Upon their sweet faces,concern had taken the place of merriment.
"Get up, good giant!" said a little girl. "Make haste! much haste! Hesaw you throw his apple away!"
Before she ended, I was on my feet. She stood pointing up the slope. Onthe brow of it was a clownish, bad-looking fellow, a few inches tallerthan myself. He looked hostile, but I saw no reason to fear him, for hehad no weapon, and my little friends had vanished every one.
He began to descend, and I, in the hope of better footing and position,to go up. He growled like a beast as he turned toward me.
Reaching a more level spot, I stood and waited for him. As he came near,he held out his hand. I would have taken it in friendly fashion, buthe drew it back, threatened a blow, and held it out again. Then Iunderstood him to claim the apple I had flung away, whereupon I made agrimace of dislike and a gesture of rejection.
He answered with a howl of rage that seemed to say, "Do you dare tell memy apple was not fit to eat?"
"One bad apple may grow on the best tree," I said.
Whether he perceived my meaning I cannot tell, but he made a stridenearer, and I stood on my guard. He delayed his assault, however, untila second giant, much like him, who had been stealing up behind me, wasclose enough, when he rushed upon me. I met him with a good blow in theface, but the other struck me on the back of the head, and between themI was soon overpowered.
They dragged me into the wood above the valley, where their tribelived--in wretched huts, built of fallen branches and a few stones. Intoone of these they pushed me, there threw me on the ground, and kickedme. A woman was present, who looked on with indifference.
I may here mention that during my captivity I hardly learned todistinguish the women from the men, they differed so little. Often Iwondered whether I had not come upon a sort of fungoid people, with justenough mind to give them motion and the expressions of anger and greed.Their food, which consisted of tubers, bulbs, and fruits, was to meinexpressibly disagreeable, but nothing offended them so much as to showdislike to it. I was cuffed by the women and kicked by the men because Iwould not swallow it.
I lay on the floor that night hardly able to move, but I slept a gooddeal, and woke a little refreshed. In the morning they dragged me to thevalley, and tying my feet, with a long rope, to a tree, put a flat stonewith a saw-like edge in my left hand. I shifted it to the right; theykicked me, and put it again in the left; gave me to understand that Iwas to scrape the bark off every branch that had no fruit on it; kickedme once more, and left me.
I set about the dreary work in the hope that by satisfying them I shouldbe left very much to myself--to make my observations and choose my timefor escape. Happily one of the dwarf-trees grew close by me, andevery other minute I plucked and ate a small fruit, which wonderfullyrefreshed and strengthened me.