Rahan. Episode Eleven. The Men with Heavy Legs. by Roger Lecureux. A Puke (TM) Comic.

Rahan.

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Episode Eleven.

The Men with Heavy Legs.

Back "Chinca"! This meat belongs to Rahan!
Rahan, who was away from his fire fetching dead wood, heard the "Chincha" too late.

The strange beast, half-dog, half-cat, was already leaping on a quarter of meat where the son of Crao had made the mistake of dropping his knife.

The lynx's fangs snapped close to the weapon and he immediately disappeared into the copses taking his theft with him.

Page Two:

Rahan lunged forward.
His ivory knife was so precious to him, that to recover it, he was ready to face the beast with his bare hands.

But the fight did not take place, because a heavy rain suddenly fell, erasing the traces of "Chincha" the lynx.

The "Chincha" will devour the meat and Rahan will never find his knife again.
The wind was now blowing in gusts.

And the son of Crao dug a shelter to protect himself from the hurricane which he felt was imminent.

He had just snuggled up in a niche in the rock when the winds, the rain and the thunder raged at the same time.
The Tornado swept through the great forest with savage violence.

Page Three:

Rahan knows that the wrath of heaven does not last long!
The stronger they are, the shorter they are!

And indeed, it was soon calm.
The great black shades tore in the sky and the bamboos of the forest straighten towards the reappearing sun.

Rahan will never find the trail of "Chincha”!
He will have to make himself another weapon!
In these fierce times "Those-who-walk-upright" the.

Men only knew the club, the spear, or the stone axe.
Fewer still were those who hunted with bows.

The ground suddenly shook under the monster charging the son of Crao.
Only Rahan's legs can help him! Rahan must flee!

Page Four:

To flee would have been wisdom.
But Rahan was reluctant to do so before fighting.
Furious, he seized one of the very long bamboos broken by the storm.

He waited for the monster, the point of this huge spear forward.
And the woolly Rhinoceros ran straight at the man.

The shock was terrible!
Rahan held his weapon firmly, but suddenly it bent.

Zinc!
And he felt himself suddenly thrown backwards, into the bushes!
Rahan, who was unaware of the flexibility of bamboo, had no time to reflect on the present phenomenon.

The Rhinoceros had turned around and was charging again.
The danger was so close that only instinct could aid him.

Page Five:

And this instinct commanded in him a strange reflex.
That of leaving the ground, of clinging to the bamboo.
Ra-ha-ha!

The monster's horn mowed down this ridiculous perch and the son of Crao once again rolled in the grass.

But his victory cry thundered however!
Ra-ha-ha!
Rahan does not fear you anymore!
He now knows how to dodge your attacks!

At the third charge of the rhinoceros it was no longer instinct that guided Rahan but lucid reflection.
Approach! Approach!

He rose this time with lightness, leaping over the woolly spine of the monster, falling supplely behind it!

Page Six:

Undoubtedly because of its useless attacks, the pachyderm moved away heavily.
Leaving the clearing to this invulnerable enemy.
Ra-ha-ha!
You flee!

Rahan thoughtfully watched his long bamboo lance for a long time.
Here is the difference between "Those-who-walk-upright" and the other species, he thought.

Animals always fight in the same way.
The man imagines new tricks, new weapons, new displays!

Rahan wanted to verify his discovery.

Ten times, twenty times, he ran, suddenly driving the long bamboo into the ground, rising, and falling fifteen paces further!
Ra!

Page Seven:

Had it not been for the loss of his knife, perhaps that day when the son of Crao invented the pole vault would have been marvelous.

Rahan flies almost like a bird!
It is not this puddle of water that will stop him!
Intending to cross the little pool.

Rahan made the mistake of forgetting the slime!
No sooner had he left the ground than the bamboo sank under him.

And he found himself wading through stagnant water!
It was at the same time that shouts resounded!

He was pulling himself up on the muddy bank of the pond when the men appeared.
From their cries and their brandished axes, he knew he could not avoid a fight!

Page Eight:

Indeed, a few moments later.
Back! Back! Rahan hates to fight with "Those-who-walk-upright"!
Let him go on his way!

The long bamboo hissed mowing down the legs of the boldest attackers.

The ardor of the son of fierce ages was such that he managed to break the circle of men.

And disappear into the thickets of the forest.
Rahan has gained only a respite.
He does not know this forest.

And the hunters will catch up with him quickly!
But why do "those-who-walk-upright" act like this?
Why fight? Why kill yourself?

Page Nine:

"Those-Who-Walk-Upright" are one horde!
The great horde of men!
One day all the clans will admit it and will not kill each other anymore!

But that day was still far away and Rahan had to flee.
He sometimes used his bamboo pole to cross an obstacle.

He was jumping a big uprooted tree when.
Argh!

He fell into a deep trap that the tree trunk had concealed from him!

A moment later, still dazed, he caught a glimpse of his Bamboo stuck high above him, in the branches hiding the pit.

Page Ten:

The earthen wall has smooth and the thin vines hanging from it were too fragile to climb up.

If Rahan does not escape from this trap he will be captured by the hunters!
What? What? Grrh!

A growl had just sounded in the pit and he spotted the wild beast lurking in the shadows.
The “Chincha”!

The lynx, which had been surprised for a moment by the fall of the man, picked itself up to pounce.

You are trapped, too, and you are furious!

The beast pounced, bellowing a savage cry. Its claws gripped the shoulders of Rahan, who fell.

Page Eleven:

Man and beast rolled in the shadow of the trap.
Rahan was trying to ward off the claws of this savage from his face.

The Claws.
The fangs.
The cruel gaze of the feline.
Claws again, and again.
Rahan rolled onto his side.

And suddenly felt a soft, wet mass against his cheek.
He quickly turned his eyes.
And.

His knife was still stuck in the quarter of meat!

Screaming with joy, he seized the ivory handle and snatched the weapon.
Ra-ha-ha!
It is Rahan’s turn to claw, “Chincha”!

Page Twelve:

The beast's eyes seemed to cross as the blade plunged into his side, straight into the heart.

Then his eyes closed as his clawed paws stiffened.
He was dead!

Rahan, still panting, leaned against the wall.
He had, of course, just saved his life.
But he was still captive.

Recovering his ivory knife however, restored his confidence.
How many times had he given silent thanks to this knife!

When the hunters come to visit their trap, they will find Rahan there.
They will then be able to finish him off in this pit, like a wild animal!

Page Thirteen:

No! Rahan is not a "Chincha"!
He will escape from the trap!
The ivory blade was already attacking the wall, digging a small niche.

Shortly afterwards the captive had dug a second, then a third.
But this earth was too friable and crumbled.

And when Rahan tried to climb his "staircase", these holds crumbled under his weight!

Rahan cannot escape this way, he thought to himself!
He must find something else.
Another idea!

Oh! The bamboo!
The “Other idea”, revealed itself suddenly for the son of Crao to see.

Page Fourteen:

Rahan knows!
The bamboo pole was large enough to allow him to climb out of the pit.
But how to reach the Bamboo?

He pulled on a thin vine, and it broke off without effort.

And attached his knife to the end of the long vine.
The rest will depend on the attitude of Rahan.

Of attitude, the son of the fierce ages had more than anyone else.
At the first throw, the knife fell on the bamboo.

A snap, and the line knotted onto the pole.
Another jolt, and the pole, unstuck, fell into the trap!

Page Fifteen:

A moment later, Rahan was slowly climbing towards the opening of the trap.
His bamboo did not reach to the opening.

And he knew it was in danger of collapsing.
But he spotted a strong root to which he could cling.

His practiced ear had alerted him to the approach of the hunters.
They were still in the distance, and he heard only muffled cries.

But these cries, these calls, become clearer from moment to moment.
They will arrive just when Rahan emerges from the trap!

Rahan’s fingers finally closed on the root.
And the Bamboo pole straightened as it was relieved of the weight.

Page Sixteen:

Despite the peril that still awaited him, the son of Crao could not restrain himself from issuing his cry of victory as he came out of the pit.
Ra-ha-ha!

And he distinguished the men all around him lying in ambush.
They are worried, thought Rahan.
They don't understand how Rahan could escape from their trap!

The hunters were indeed hesitant.
But this hesitation would not last.
And Rahan knew it!

He bent down, and his head disappeared into the pit.
His fingers brushed the end of the bamboo pole.
Come!
Come! Rahan still needs you!

When he straightened up, the hunters launched their attack.
They came running from everywhere, surrounding the son of Crao like choice game.

Page Seventeen:

One man preceded the others.
This one, no doubt, desired single combat.
He had it!

The Bamboo struck him to the ground.
Kill him! Kill him!
Thwack!
And the horde resumed its assault.

But these hunters were suddenly immobilized, bewildered.
Rahan was charging them!
A single man charged at thirty, and this was beyond their comprehension.

For what was this curious enemy hoping, with his cumbersome bamboo stick?
To scare them?

Fifty steps still separated Rahan from his adversaries.
Forty.
Thirty.
Twenty.

Page Eighteen:

The son of Crao had torn himself off the ground.
Jumping over the whole group of hunters.
Dumbfounded.
Oh!

And he fell behind them and ran away laughing.
Ha-ha-ha! The "Heavy-legged men" don't know how to hunt birds!

Their amazement dissipated, and the men chased Rahan.
They threw their axes at the fugitive.

Yes, running towards the blue granite cliff.
The enemy will be stopped by the great obstacle!
We have him!

But Rahan was not fleeing at random.
Rahan was no beast.
Rahan was a thinking man.

Page Nineteen:

He knew how inaccessible to the "Men-with-heavy-legs" was the overhanging ledge, towards which he directed his course.

Rahan will ask of you what he has never demanded!
If you help him, he is safe!
If you betray him, he is dead!

It was at the foot of the steep cliff that the son of the fierce ages seemed to bend himself.
But perhaps he had underestimated the leap to be made.

For the ledge suddenly seemed to him higher than the bent bamboo.

That was when he felt he had to use the "Nerve" of his pole!
He jerked his back and abandoned it.

Page Twenty:

He brutally fell back onto the platform.
But no matter his crushed muscles.
He had once again triumphed!

Below, the horde regarded the pole as if it was a magic item.
Fear nothing!
It is just a simple bamboo in your forest!

Do like Rahan brothers! Observe nature.
It is rich in things that can help men.
Men like you.
Men like Rahan!

Rahan may return to this territory, when you have understood that "Those-who-walk-upright" must not hunt their own kind like game!
Farewell!

Yes, the son of Crao was only a man.
And yet when his silhouette stood out against the mountain ridge, in the blaze of the sun, one would have said that he was a god of fierce ages.

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