Rahan. Episode Sixty-Seven. By Roger Lecureux. The Bird that runs. A Puke (TM) Comic.

Rahan.

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Episode Sixty-Seven.

By Roger Lecureux, drawn by Andre Cheret.

The Bird that runs.

Horrified, the son of Crao froze when he saw the head on the ground.
Because even in those wild times, it was rare for “Those-who-walk-upright” to behead each other!

Horror gave way to astonishment when the face came to life.
Go on your way, hunter.
Gahoa must atone for his faults!

Buried, up to his chin, the man must have suffered.
But he was not complaining.
Rahan will take Gahoa from the earth trap!

Page Two.

While the knife dug and dug, Gahoa protested.
Stop, “Hair of Fire”!
You are violating the custom of the Clan!
Stop!

But the son of Crao did not rest until the victim of torture was freed!
Mine will turn their anger against you!

Rahan hates seeing “those-who-walk-standing-up” suffer!
But what fault did Gahoa commit to deserve such cruel torture?

Gahoa was hungry.
Very hungry.
He ate a sacred egg!
It was right for the clan to punish him!
But Gahoa would have been freed by sunset!

My brothers are fair and loyal!
But their anger will be great when they know that you have violated our custom!
Run away from here, “Firehair”!
Flee our territory!

Page Three.

And Gahoa himself fled into the thickets, admonishing Rahan who was left to be perplexed.
Did Rahan do something wrong? No! Rahan is right!

Soon after, the son of wild ages, wandered here and there looking for food, when.
Oh! Are these the “Sacred Eggs” that Gahoa spoke about?!

The eggs lay in a hollow in the sand, and resembled stones.
But they were indeed huge eggs, as big as “fruits of wood.”
Eggs like he had never seen!

Rahan was holding out his hand when a loud cackle came from behind him.
Oh! The strange birds!
If they shout like that it means the eggs belong to them!

The son of wild ages had never met ostriches before.
The silhouette of these birds amazed him.
Crao sometimes spoke of "The Running Bird"!

Page Four.

As he approached, the panicked ostriches scampered away on their long legs, their necks stiff like bamboo.
Ha-ha-ha!
That is right! These birds do not fly.
They run!

Then began a merry pursuit.
But Rahan means you no harm! He just wants to see you up close. To touch your plumage!

Amused, Rahan picked up the pace.
His fingers reached out to grip a plumed tail.
And.

Oh!
Rahan begs your pardon, “Bird who runs!
A splendid feather, thick and silky, remained in his hand!
The ostriches were already far away.

The son of Crao returned to the eggs, which a large reptile was contemplating!
Rahan discovered the eggs before you, “Boak”! They are his!

Page Five.

Rahan had always hated snakes.
Like this one, that raised its threatening head.
Do you hear “Boak”?! Rahan will not let you eat his eggs!

The branch whipped him with such violence that his flesh burst!
Ra-ha-ha!

He recovered heavily, breaking an egg whose contents spilled out.
And Rahan exclaimed that the yellow was bigger than his fist!
Just one egg could satisfy the hunger of a hunter!

Rahan does not believe these eggs are "Sacred".
But they will be very precious to him!
Cries of men arose in the distance and the son of Crao, grieving more for his "Find" than for himself.

Hid the two eggs under a layer of clay.
Gahoa has undoubtedly found his own.
They are approaching.

Page Six.

Indeed, Gahoa was accompanied by hunters who searched the thickets.
But Rahan, who knew the art of hiding, was not discovered.

They could come back.
Rahan will leave his eggs in their hiding place!
As night fell, he lit a fire by which he intended to watch.

But fatigue got the better of him and he did not wake up until dawn.
He observed the still warm ashes and.
The eggs?

Cracked under the effect of the heat, the clay mass revealed the eggs.
Which rang curiously under the point of the knife.

Rahan remained immobile.
Although he expected to find a clear, sticky liquid.
He discovered under the thin “skin-of-stone”, another white and firm egg.

Page Seven.

His delight grew even more when he noticed that he could cut egg slices!
Therefore, the “clay” burned in the fire, has this wonderful power!

Hum, Rahan has never had an egg this good!
He would like to know if “clay-earth” also makes meat or fish better!

The son of Crao, shortly after, was lying in wait at the edge of a stream.
Trout were swimming in the clear water.
Their movements were lively and precise.

If a raft had a tail like these fish, Rahan could drive it wherever he wanted!

Rahan never missed an opportunity to observe nature.
And always took advantage of his observations.
But, in the meantime, he spied a superb trout.

Page Eight.

His hand plunged with incredible suddenness.
His fingers grabbed the fish, just behind the gills.
Ra-ha-ha!

Shortly after, this fish was wrapped in clay and placed on the heated fire.
Rahan just has to wait!

Playing with the long and soft ostrich feather, the son of Crao observed the clay which slowly cracked, when.

You will not escape us “Hair of fire”!
By rescuing Gahoa before his time, you challenged us!
The hunters who launched themselves were not armed, but numerous.

And not only ado you challenge the clan, but you have outraged a "Running Bird"!
And you ate a sacred egg!
Indignant, the chief pointed to the large feather and the remains of the shell.

Page Nine.

Then, intrigued, he leaned towards the fire.
But what demon are you to eat earth!
Rahan does not eat the earth.
But what he is cooking inside!

With a blow of his knife, Rahan broke the baked earthenware mold.
A delicious smell escaped.
What? What?

The astonishment of these men did not diminish their anger.
You know things that our clan does not know “Hair of fire”!
But that won't spare you the punishment you deserve!

May our law be respected, brothers!
Let “Fire Hair” meditate on his faults until the next return of the sun!

Ten men rushed forward, which the son of Crao tried to resist.
Ra-ha-ha!

Page Ten.

Although unequal, it was a fair and honest fight.
The hunters showed firmness, but not hatred.

And Rahan was finally knocked to the ground.
His wrists were tied.
You are stupid hunters!
Rahan hopes you will understand it one day!

Other men were already digging a hole, with sticks in their hands.
Rahan will suffer the same punishment as Gahoa!

Indeed, the son of Crao was pushed into this hole, which was filled again.
And if Fear consumes you, you can always beg for the clemency of the clan!

Ha-ha-ha! “Hair of Fire” is a prisoner of the earth.
Like his fish of the clay!
The hunters disappeared, abandoning their captive to the burning fire of the sun.

Page Eleven.

It was impossible to free himself from the earth trap, and until the end of the day Rahan suffered from thirst.

But, at dusk, a man crept towards him.
It was Gahoa.
Drink, “Fire hair”, drink!
Gahoa cannot do anything else for you!

And Gahoa disappeared into the darkness.
A long night began for the prisoner.
A night of anxiety.
Rahan is at the mercy of the first beast that passes by!

Wild animals were roaming in the forest and suddenly, a panther appeared in the moonlight.
She approached.
Rahan will join the territory of the shadows.

When the feline raised her clawed paw, the son of fierce ages, dominating his fear, did not utter a word that could have excited the beast.
He held his breath and closed his eyes.

Page Twelve.

When he reopened them, the beast, without doubt finding no interest in this lifeless "Thing", was walking away.
Rahan has never been so scared!

With the day, a new danger was presented, more unexpected but just as worrying.
The Birds who run!

Very interested, the ostriches surround him.
The boldest one gave him a quick peck.
Then another.
These blows were painful but bearable.

Fearful of being harassed with pecks which, sooner or later, would put out his eyes, the son of Crao howled.
Ra-ha-ha!

And the frightened ostriches scattered around.
Had it not been for his situation, this frantic flight would have made Rahan smile.

Page thirteen.

The hunters reappeared shortly after.
The punishment is over "Fire hair"!
We will free you!
If you wish, you can stay with us!

With ardor, the men cleared the earth.
Was “Hair of Fire” not afraid?
Yes. Rahan was very scared!

Our clan loves those who admit their fear!
Rahan was pulled out of the hole when a howl of terror rang out.
The “Nandouk”!
The “Nandouk”!

In an instant, it was panic.
The hunters were running away from all sides, shouting a word that the son of Crao did not know.
And he understood the cause of this fear.
A fantastic animal was approaching.
Twice as tall as a man, this monstrous bird, like the ostriches, seemed incapable of flight.
Its legs were massive, its neck thick and its beak enormous.

Page Fourteen.

Hoping that this monster would flee like the "Running Birds", Rahan uttered his cry.
Back Nandouk!
Ra-ha-ha!

But the bird, far from fleeing, charged!
The son of Crao, his hands still hampered, did not have time to dodge!

Ah!
A peck of incredible violence threw him to the ground!
And the rest was terrifying.

The Nandouk jumped around Rahan who was writhing desperately on the ground to avoid the pecks, any one of which could have dis-embowelled him!

Ten times this monstrous beak plunged towards him.
And he managed to avoid it ten times!
Rahan is doomed if he does not manage to get up!

Page Fifteen.

Between two attacks he managed to stand up.
Fleeing was his only chance to survive!
Ra-ha-ha!

Rahan never imagined that he would one day run away.
From A bird!
His restrained hands unbalanced his running and the "Nandouk" was already on his heels!

A terrible blow to the back threw him to the ground again!
Argh!

He had an instinctive reaction and his freed hands broke his fall!
The monster's blow had broken his Bonds.
Ra-ha-ha!

He immediately stood up and faced the "Nandouk" which was preparing a new attack.
Clutching his faithful ivory knife gave him hope.

Page Sixteen.

But this hope immediately dissipated.
He could not approach to strike.
And he refused to throw the cutlass for fear of missing a vital organ and finding himself disarmed.

Rahan knows how to triumph over you, “Nandouk”!
The son of Crao suddenly rushed towards the forest, pursued by the giant bird.

An instant later, he ducked into the branches where the monster could not follow him.
But it remained on the lookout under the tree!

And Rahan, who was making a strong lasso, did not want anything else.
You are going to fly for the first time in your life, "Nandouk"!

The bird, which observed the man with its cruel eyes, did not react even when the long loop sprung from the foliage.

Page Seventeen.

It slipped over her plumage, fell onto the ground, and was ready to snare her enormous legs.

And Rahan plunged into the void!
Ra-ha-ha!

He was finishing tying the vine to a root when the hunters came running.
You will no longer have to fear the “Nandouk” brothers!
In fact, the monstrous bird was suspended by its legs, and it was now at the mercy of these men.

Rahan achieved something that our hunters have wanted for ages!
He deserves the “Feather of Bravery”!
Plucking an ostrich feather from his loincloth, the chief offered it to the son of Crao.

Would Rahan also have the right to eat the sacred eggs?
Rahan will have this privilege!
But not my brothers!

Page Eighteen.

Why this interdiction?
Because the “Running Birds” are the main food of the clan.

If we ate their eggs.
There would be no more "little ones", therefore no more "Big ones" and therefore no more eggs!
And we would experience famine!
Rahan recognized the wisdom of this reasoning.

He stayed for some time among these men who now cooked the flesh of the "Running Birds" in clay molds.

But Rahan could not integrate into this clan.
There was so much left for him to discover!
And his knife, that morning, pointed out to him the immense lake.

A lake whipped by the wind.
A lake where it would be difficult to steer a skiff.
And it was then that he thought of the lively trout.
Of the trout, and their tails!

Page Nineteen.

The following days often found him on the lookout.
He needed skins to make a sail.

And under the amazed eyes of the hunters his boat slowly took shape.
To those who cried for a miracle, the son of fierce ages always revealed his secrets.

He spoke of trees carried away by the river, which had given him the idea of building platforms.
Floating shapes.

He spoke of the dead leaves sliding on the trees, which had inspired him with the idea of “skins-pushed by-the-speaking-wind.”

Rahan's observations, as we have said, always found an application.
So he designed what would be the “tail” of his raft!

Page Twenty.

And the day of farewells came.
Our clan will not forget you “Hair of Fire”!
And we want to make you an offering!

Men approached, holding out eggs of the “running birds”!
They were cooked in the “ground of Clay”!
May they allow you to go far away! Very far!

Rahan plunged his fork covered with skin into the water.
And this “Rudder” was a marvel!

The assembled skins swelled in the wind.
The raft launched itself away from the shore.
Maybe one day Rahan will return, brothers!

The raft, docile, obeyed the combined forces of man and the wind!
Towards which unknown land was he sailing?
The son of fierce ages did not care, still amused as he was by the white escort of the seagulls.

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

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