Rahan. Episode Fifty-Three. The Little Man. by Roger Lecureux. A Puke (TM) Comic.

Rahan.

Show more

By Roger Lecureux, drawn by Andre Cheret.
Episode Fifty-Three.

The Little Man.

Where does this water come from?
Rahan wants to know!
Although the rain had stopped, a fine trickle of water still flowed from the rock under which Crao's son had taken shelter.

Rahan Understands!
The tears of heaven gather in the "Wooden Spring"!
By chance the drops, sliding from one leaf to another, fell into a burst bamboo where they streamed.

Rahan had not discovered any watering hole since he wandered in this territory.
So he drank for a long time before sinking further into the forest.

Page Two.

The sun has returned and its rays pierce the foliage.
The bellowing of a deer rose in the distance when.
Oh!

At the end of the crossed branches the skulls were enormous, bigger than those of the great "Four-hands" but they were nevertheless the skulls of men!

Was this a clan's tribute to its dead?
Was this a warning?
A threat?
The son of Crao did not know how to say it.

All his attention was already attracted by something else.
It was the “Wooden Front” that Rahan heard.
It came to die there!

The deer was lying in the clearing, its side pierced by a spear.
He had to flee for a long time before collapsing.
The hunter who killed him was undoubtedly far away!

Page Three.

As he approached the deer, the son of Crao could not hold back a cry of astonishment.
No! This. It is impossible Rahan must be dreaming!

What he had thought was a spear.
Was an arrow!
The head, as long as a hand. It left no doubt.
The bow that launched this arrow must be bigger than Rahan!

Rahan had to make an effort to pull out the arrow.
He was about to achieve this when a terrible voice thundered behind him.

Oh!
Do not touch the “Front of wood” little man!
It belongs to Oham!

Page Four.

The man who emerged from the thickets was five or six heads taller than the son of Crao!
This giant must have been of colossal strength.

Ha! Ha! Ha!
You have nothing to fear from Oham, little man!

Rahan instinctively drew his knife.
But he remained motionless, terrified by this extraordinary apparition.

And the giant observed him, an amused smile on his lips.
Oham will lead you to his people!
It has been a long time since they have seen a little man!

Page Five.

As the huge hand was about to grab him, Rahan reacted.
Do not come near! Rahan does not fear Oham!

The son of Crao was ready for unequal combat!
But this fight did not take place.
You are brave, little Man! You will please my brothers!

Rahan had no time to dodge.
With a simple tap the giant threw him to the ground!
Oham's hand struck with the force of a club.
Plak!

He only regained consciousness later.
A solid vine bound his hands.
Stand, little man!

The giant was joyfully pulling the long line that he had tied to his wrist.
The deer seemed to have little weight on its shoulders.
Rahan is not a slave! He will escape faster than you think!

Page Six.

Rahan may have been able to untie the link and flee.
But he wanted to take back the knife that Oham had confiscated from him.
So he let himself be dragged into the forest.

They were crossing a clearing when the sight of a large stump gave him an idea.
You cannot imagine what awaits you Oham!

The son of Crao suddenly darted, overtook the giant, and leaped over the stump.

And passed under it again with astonishing agility.
Oham, surprised, had no time to react.

Ra-ha-ha-ha!
The vine wrapped around his ankles and he lost his balance.

Page Seven.

A moment later the giant was tied to the stump and Rahan, recovering his knife, freed himself.

You have fire in your blood, little man!
No one has ever defeated Oham like this!

Oham is strong enough to break this vine.
But he will not be fast enough to catch up with Rahan!

Abandoning the giant who was bracing himself against the stump to break the line, the son of Crao disappeared into the thickets.

He walked for a long time until a river stopped him.
A waterfall, on the other bank, flowed into this river.
If Oham cannot crawl on water, Rahan has nothing to fear from him!

Page Eight.

Barely had he dived when his blood froze.
From everywhere fish arrived, whose terrifying voracity he knew.

He had already seen "Piranhas" shred and devour a man in a few moments.

So he returned in all haste to the bank, narrowly escaping the disturbing swarm.
Rahan will have to stay on this shore!

Unless he kills a beast to attract the “Piranhas”!
The son of Crao set out in search of game which, if thrown into the river, would cause a diversion.

But he discovered no trace.
Luck is not on Rahan's side!

Page Nine.

Oham will free himself but Rahan will not have to fear his arrows!
The giant's bow was so powerful that Rahan could barely draw it!

Crao sometimes spoke of the very tall men who live in the forests.
Rahan did not believe him.
He thought Crao wanted to amuse the clan!

But now, Rahan knows that "Very Tall Men” exist!

While the son of Crao was walking along the river, Oham had in fact freed himself.
His face showed no anger.

This little man is brave and cunning.
Oham regrets that he ran away!

Page Ten.

Rahan, however, arrived at the foot of a very tall tree.
Large vines hung from the branches, all the way to the ground.

From above, Rahan will be able to observe the surroundings.
Perhaps he can discover a place to cross the river!

A moment later the son of Crao climbed into the branches.
The foliage concealing the landscape from him, he had to climb further.

He was soon so high that he experienced a feeling of vertigo.
If Rahan fell, his limbs would shatter on the ground!

And that was when laughter broke out around him!
Giants were there crouching in the darkness of the foliage!

Ha-ha-ha! The little man is hardly careful!

Page Eleven.

One of the giants, the leader no doubt, advanced on the big branch.
We saw you arrive with a bow that was too big for you.
And it turns out that one of us has not returned from hunting!

What have you done with Oham, little man! Speak! Speak!
The man's long stick made dangerous circles.

The son of Crao withdrew his knife.
Rahan will explain to you.
But do not force him to kill you!

The stick hit his legs with so much force that Rahan slipped on the branch and fell into the void!
Ha-ha-ha!

A lightning reflex made him grab a vine.
He plunged his cutlass into it.

Page Twelve.

And the giants, dumfounded, saw him descend to the ground!
The day has not come for Rahan to join the territory of shadows!

The ivory blade sliced through the fibers slowly, almost too slowly.
He was finally reaching the ground when a voice spoke to him.

Very good, little man. Very good!
Oham!
The giant's powerful arm girdled him tightly!

A moment later Orak and his people came tumbling down from the tree, laughing.
It was Oham who captured the little man!
It is Oham who will decide his fate!

The little man has shown a lot of courage!
Oham decides he must live!
He can stay with us if he wants!

Page thirteen.

Oham has the right to demand this.
But if the little man stays with us he will live on your share of meat and your water ration Oham!

Rahan will not be a burden on your clan!
He will leave this territory at sunrise!

A little after.
Why do you live in the trees, Oham?
We do not live there. We take refuge there when danger threatens.

When my people did not see me come back from hunting, they thought there was danger.
Here, little man, drink.
Oham carefully held out a bamboo container.

The water seems sacred to your clan!
It is!
There is no source in this area and we have to fetch water from the other side of the river!

Page Fourteen.

However, it is dangerous to go to and from the waterfall.
On each expedition the "piranes" which infest the river devour one of ours!

Formerly, we were ten times the fingers of both hands!
Here are those who survived!
His Companions that Oham designated had only around thirty left.

But why doesn't the Clan live on the other side of the river, on the side of the waterfall!?
Because the game lives on this side, little man!

Oham spoke with resignation and the son of Crao felt moved.
And the river water?
Those who wanted to drink became very ill, then died!

We still have the rains.
But they are rare and the little water we collect is quickly used up!

Page Fifteen.

Orak is a brave and just leader and, if we had water, we would be the happiest of clans!
Come on, Oham should stop moaning!

Tomorrow we will go hunting together!
Drink a little more, little man.
Oham is not thirsty!
Rahan guessed that the giant was lying to give him his share.

He observed the bamboo where the precious water shone.
And an image suddenly came to his mind, that of another bamboo, split this one where the last drops of rain were streaming.

Yes, Oham! Tomorrow we will go hunting!
We will go to flush out the water from the waterfall!

Look, Oham. Look what we'll do.
With a blow of his knife, the son of Crao sliced a piece of bamboo along its entire length.

Page Sixteen.

Pour some water on it, Oham.
Do not be afraid. They will soon have all the water they want!

The giant delicately poured a few drops which rolled down those of the bamboo and passed onto the second.
This is what we will do in a bigger way above the river!

We will draw water from the waterfall and our "bridge" will bring it back to this shore!

But it's impossible, little man!
The Piranhas will never give us time to do such a thing!
The "Wood Front" you brought back will keep them away.

Nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of the son of Crao.
If everyone acts together, everything will go very quickly!
We must submit Rahan's idea to Orak!

Page Seventeen.

It's useless, little man! Orak heard everything.
Your project is wonderful and Orak agrees with you!
You will have the help of the whole clan!

From daybreak, in fact, everyone set to work.
Advised by Rahan, some split thick bamboos, others cut solid forks.
The hollowed out bamboos were finally assembled using vines.
The wooden aqueduct measured nearly thirty meters, but it was a light burden for the men of Orak.

Barely had the big deer been thrown into the river when the surface seemed to bubble.
The piranhas were attacking from all sides!
Onward brothers!

Leading by example, Rahan dove in.
If he had to swim, the giants who followed him had only to walk.

Page Eighteen.

And while the piranha’s attacked the deer carried away by the current, the forks were deeply planted in the bottom of the river.

Pulling the bamboo which would make the junction between the aqueduct and the waterfall, the son of Crao had already reached the other bank.

Cries of fear suddenly rang out.
The Piranhas have returned!

The voracious fish which had completely devoured the great deer were moving upstream.
They were so numerous that the multitude darkened the surface!

The forks were planted but the men of Orak would no longer have time to adjust the "Aqueduct"!
Abandon it brothers! Return to the bank, quickly!

Page Nineteen.

No! This project will bring happiness to our clan!
You have to execute it! Keep going! Keep going!

Orak the leader went to meet the wave of “Piranes”

Orak will sacrifice himself for the happiness of his people!
With a lump in his throat, the son of Crao saw the leader waver in the midst of the disturbing swarming.

Orak's torn legs disappeared in a reddish swirl. And while the piranhas fought over his flesh.

The “Water Bridge” could be firmly put in place.
We must never forget Orak, brothers you will owe water to his sacrifice!

We will not forget him little man!
And we will not forget you either!
Oham and his companions returned to the other bank.

Page Twenty.

When the son of Crao fixed last bamboo, just under a net of the waterfall. A clamor arose.

The water surged in the hollow of the "Bridge", crossing the river, pouring out at the feet of the amazed giants!

It would flow like this day and night, from the season to the green leaves.
Until the leafless season.
Storms may break this "Bridge".
But Oham and his people would know how to rebuild it!

When they looked up, over there, on the other bank, the “little man” had disappeared!
Goodbye little man.
May good spirits accompany you!

Once again faithful to his destiny, the son of fierce ages left behind grateful beings.
But Rahan did not think of that.
He thought of the sacrifice of Orak, of the courage that "Those-who-walk-standing" can show when they love their fellow human beings.

Index:
https://rumble.com/v3486cm-rahan-index-of-episodes-by-roger-lecureux..html

Show less