Page:The further side of silence (IA furthersideofsil00clifiala).pdf/122

 the elephant, and is reputed to outmatch even him in strength. Then, as the light increased, Pandak Âris could see the black hairy hide, the gray belly, the long fringe of shaggy hair at the monster's throat, the smoking nostrils, wide open and of a dim red, and the cruel little eyes glaring savagely at him.

Almost before he knew what he had done, Pandak Âris had grasped his pârang in both hands, and with the strength of desperation had drawn its long, keen edge across the brute's throat. A torrent of blood gushed into the man's face, blinding him, and the sĕlâdang, snorting loudly, stamped with its off forefoot. The heavy hoof alighted upon Pandak Âris's left arm, crushing it to a jelly, but the wounded limb telegraphed no signal of pain to the brain, which was working too absorbedly on its own account to be able to take heed of aught else.

Furious with pain and rage, the sĕlâdang tried again and again to gore the man with its horns, but the buttress roots baffled its efforts, and all the while the pârang worked by Pandak Âris's still uninjured hand sawed relentlessly at the brute's throat. Very soon the bull began to feel the deadly sickness which comes before death, and it fell heavily to its knees. It floundered to its feet again, bruising Pandak Âris once more as it did so. Then it reeled away, sinking to its knees again and again, while the blood pumped from the widening gap in its throat. Presently it sank to the ground, and after repeated attempts to rise, and tearing up the earth in its death-agony, it lay still forever.