Rahan. The Son of the Ferocious Ages! Episode 137. By Roger Lecureux. Those without Language.

Translated by the Son of the Puke Ages.
Index:
https://rumble.com/v3486cm-rahan-index-of-episodes-by-roger-lecureux..html

Source of Rahan Comics:
Philippe Ropers.
https://vk.com/topic-203785966_47424128

Rahan.

The Son of the Ferocious Ages!

Episode One hundred and Thirty-Seven.

By Roger Lecureux, drawn by Andre Cheret.

Those without Language.

Attacked by a clan of chimpanzees, the son of Crao was unable to escape the multitude.
Back "Four-Hands"! Do not force Rahan to kill!
Greek! Greek!

You wanted it!
Greek!

Oh!
The ivory knife was torn from his fingers by a vociferous monkey!

Page Two.

The inexplicable fury of his assailants redoubled when he finally managed to break their circle.
Ra-ha-ha!

But he did not have time to reach the forest.
The "Four-Hands" will not pursue Rahan into this watering hole!

The son of Crao was wrong to hope that this deep excavation would provide him with refuge.

The screaming pack stood out against the sky.
A hail of projectiles rained down on him.
Hum! Rahan has thrown himself into a trap!
You would be ashamed of your son's stupidity, Crao!

Oh!
The monkeys had just pushed a huge rock into the well.

Which he only escaped by diving sharply under water.
Rahan is at the mercy of the "Four-Hands"!
They will not let him out of the well!

Page Three.

He cautiously returned to the surface and was surprised.
The Monkeys had disappeared and he heard their cries diminish.
Rahan was confused.

The "Four-Hands" probably thought they had killed Rahan!
How will Rahan find his knife?

Oh! So that was it.
That is the hunter, who saved Rahan!
In the distance, the monkeys disappeared into the forest, fleeing from a man who was waving torches.

An instant later.
Rahan thanks you, brother!
Without you, the "Four-Hands" would have sent him to the "Territory of Shadows"!
Hum!

What clan do you belong to? Where are yours? Behind that hill?
Hum.

Oh! Rahan understands! You cannot speak. You are mute!
Mum.
The man opened his mouth, revealing a stump of tongue.

Page Four.

This vision reminded Rahan of a tragic day in his childhood when the chief of the river clan had tried to cut out his tongue.

And how he had escaped this cruel torture by stealing the chief's knife.
This ivory knife, which had become his.

Rahan could have been mute like you, brother!
Rahan has no chance of finding the "four-hands" and his knife before daybreak.
Will you took him to your people!?
Hum!

The Man nodded, but placed his finger on the son of Crao's lips.
You Do not Want Rahan To Speak!? Understood! Rahan will be silent!

Respecting the man's silence, Rahan followed him to a village that stretched along the edge of the forest.
What. What. Are all those of this clan mute!? Are they all "Without-Language"?

Men, women and children approached as silently as shadows. Their leader brandished a club.
Rahan must make them understand that he is a friend!

Page Five.

I am Rahan, the son of Crao! And Rahan greets his brothers!
These words rang out like thunder in the silence that weighed on the village.

And unleashed the leader's fury.
Rahan did not have time to dodge the blow.
Zlang! Argh!

When he regained his senses, he was tied to a stake, away from the village.
Why are those "Without-Language" so inhospitable? Maybe they hate those.
Who speak!?

Oh! You come to deliver Rahan?
Mum.
The man who had saved him from the "Four-Hands" was approaching furtively.
He made a gesture of helplessness.

He pointed to the chief's hut.
Hum!
He pretended to rock a very young child.
Hum.

Then pretended to run away towards the forest, taking the child with him.
Hum.
Page Six.

Rahan understands the chief's son has been kidnapped but by whom?
Huh!?
The mute, with a skeptical pout, pointed at Rahan.

What!? The chief thinks Rahan kidnapped his son?
But he is crazy!
What. What is he going to do to Rahan?

With a new gesture, the man pretended to cut out a tongue.
No!
Rahan will not let his tongue be cut off! Rahan is innocent and you have to help him! Deliver him!

The man had an expression of sadness and helplessness and disappeared towards the village.
He is scared! Rahan can only count on himself!

Rahan must escape the "Language-less!" He must!
The thought of the horrible torture that awaited him increased tenfold the energy of the son of Crao.
He managed, after terrible efforts, to shake the stake.

He was finally going to extract it from the ground when.
Too Late!
Page Seven.

The chief, who had seen him, had emerged from his hut and was hammering on a curious skin gong.
Bang! Bang!

And these men, alert, rushed towards the captive still shackled to the stake he had just pulled out of the ground.
The heavy burden was a terrible handicap.
But the son of Crao knew how to make it an effective weapon.
Ra-ha-ha!

Mowing down his attackers, he made a breach in their ranks and rushed towards the nearby forest.
Rahan will not go far, the "Language-less" will catch up with him quickly!

No cry rose up behind him, but he knew he was being hunted.
And the stake hampered his escape.
They are getting closer! Oh! That rock!

He was cutting his bonds on the edge of the rock when.
Oh! You again!
Rahan hopes you will not betray him!

Page Eight.

Friendly but anxious, the mute pointed out the shimmering expanse of the marshes.
Hum!
You think Rahan's salvation is on this side!? Rahan believes you!

The man slipped away as Rahan cautiously stepped into the marshes.
Rahan may escape the "Language-less" but he will not find the "Four-Hands."
Nor his knife!

The sun was rising when he found dry land again. Monkeys were vociferating in the foliage.
Oh! So you're the one who kidnapped the chief's son?

The monkeys were fighting over a very young child.
Rahan will not let you torment this little man, "Four-Hands"!

The son of Crao was climbing into the branches, when!
Oh!

He narrowly avoided the fatal blow.

Page Nine.

Hanging from the vine, the monkey was already returning to the attack.
Ra-ha-ha!

But the son of Crao dove.
And he gripped his legs!

The monkey had let go and both of them were falling into the void.
The fall was so brutal that Rahan believed his limbs were broken.

But the monkey's body had absorbed the shock and he was only stunned.
The ivory knife lay a few steps away.
The "Four-hands" is just stunned!

Rahan's blood ran cold. The angry monkeys up there had just pushed the baby into the void.
No!

The son of Crao shot like an arrow towards the child who fell, fell, and fell.

Page Ten.

He had caught the small body before it crashed to the ground.
Ra-ha-ha!

While the dejected "Four-Hands" were making noise under cover, he observed this little man with emotion.
And to think your father thought Rahan had kidnapped him!

And suddenly.
The baby babbled like all human babies.
Acue! Acue! Cue!

Yours are not born without tongues. They could speak!
You are right, "Fire-Hair"! Ours could talk!

Rahan was ready for a fight, but the old couple who came out of the bushes were quite harmless.
Welcome, "Fire Hair"!
Where do you come from with this child?

Rahan has managed to escape from a clan of tongue-less men. This little man is the son of their leader.
The son of Crao related his adventure.

Page Eleven.

Ba-Hork is the cruelest of leaders, Rahan!
But you have nothing to fear here! Ba-Hork and his people do not venture into the swamps!

This old man was mistaken.
Since dawn, behind their leader, the "Language-less" were looking for Rahan.

Who was now learning strange things.
In the past, in the time of our fathers of our fathers, of our fathers.
Our clan obeyed a good and brave chief.

But this chief, during a fight with a buffalo, had his tongue cut out and lost the power of speech.

Out of respect for the chief whom they venerated, our ancestors decided to no longer speak when they were in his presence.

But when this chief died, the sorcerer demanded that this custom be perpetuated!
From generation to generation, silence became the law of the clan!
Those who violated it were banished from the clan, as we were!

Page Twelve.

But nowadays, the cruel Ba-Hork mercilessly enforces the law!
Whoever dares to utter a word, just one, has his tongue cut out.

Rahan was indignant!
This is as stupid as it is barbaric!
Those-who-walk-upright need words to better understand each other!

Alas! The elders of the clan having lost the habit of language.
Their children will never know how to speak. Except those!

Some children who were playing in the cave ran to greet the astonished son of Crao.
What! What?
Welcome to you, hunter, with hair of fire!

But where do these little men come from?
Children of the clan sometimes go into the marshes.
Ha-Chouk and I pick them up.

And we teach them to speak!
We hope to live long enough to raise them into men and women who will oppose the tyranny of Ba-Hork!
Page thirteen.

Our clan's language will not die! Maybe we will make Ba-Hork's son a hunter who talks!
Rahan was moved by the courage of these old men.

But suddenly a clamor broke out.
Alert! Alert! Ba-Hork and his people are coming through the marshes! They are heading this way!

The clan has never ventured into the swamps!
If Ba-Hork finds us, he will kill us all. Us and the children!

It is Rahan that those without language are looking for!
Rahan will lead them in another direction!
The son of Crao was already in the foliage.

To divert the "Language-less", he had to get himself noticed.
That was easy.
Hum! Hum!

Rahan is ready to face you in fair combat, Ba-Hork!
Hum!
Enraged by this challenge, the chief rushed towards the tree, forgetting all caution.

Page Fourteen.

And he suddenly sank into the mud up to his waist, up to his torso!
Help! Save me! Save Ba-Hork!
Rahan cannot do anything for him. He is lost.

The one who had imposed the tyrannical law of silence spoke and shouted. But the clan did not react.
Do not abandon Ba-Hork! Help! Help.

On the contrary, murmurs of relief arose as he disappeared, sucked into the mud-that-devours.
Ba-Hork speaks. Ba-Hork violates custom!

Since Ba-Hork. Speaks. We have the right. We speak too.
Condemned to silence for so long, these men had difficulty finding the words to express their thoughts.

Yes, brothers. You have the right to speak. And you should never have abandoned it!
You should have defended it, like those two did!

Old Ha-chouk and his companion approached, surrounded by their small group of children.
We saw Ba-Hork join the shadow territory. And we think the clan will need us!

Page Fifteen.

The "Language-less" expressed their amazement with difficulty.
The older ones remembered these two old men.
Mum There is, Mum So long ago. Mum.

Others recognized their children who had been missing for so many seasons.
Hum. My little.
I will teach you to talk, mother!

Everyone was digging into their memory. Forgotten words came back, shouted like cries of victory.
Language is a weapon for those who walk upright!

It allows them to express their feelings, to transmit their knowledge and their experience.
Thanks to you, the language of the clan has been preserved like a treasure!

This adventure in the territory of those “Without-Language” was coming to an end.
His destiny called the son of Crao elsewhere.

The last vision he had of this clan, a few days later, was that of little men practicing to speak.
With their parents!
Repeat with me: farewell and thank you, “Hair of Fire”!
Farewell and thank you, “Hair of Fire”!