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:—
"panurge! panurge! vinegar! vinegar!"
engraving
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."
engraving
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.
