Rahan. Episode 138. By Roger Lecureux. The Baton of the Chief. A Puke(TM) Comic.

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 Eight.

By Roger Lecureux, drawn by Andre Cheret.

The Baton of the Chief.

The smoke rising from the distant volcano reminded the son of Crao of the tragic night.
That night of long ago when the blue mountain had decimated his entire clan.

This "Mount-that-thunders" will not be long in getting angry either!

And woe to those who find themselves in the path of the "Mud of Fire"!
They know it well!

But this one was wide and deep and some beasts, maneuvering their jump, disappeared into the abyss.
Poor "Two-horns!"
But what are those waiting for to flee too?

Page Two.

The smoke he saw was from a campfire.
"Those-who-walk-upright" can do nothing against the anger of a "Mountain-that-thunders!"
Nothing but flee!

As he leapt through the vines, incantations reached him.
Rahan must warn this clan of the danger that threatens it!

Hum. That is not how they will avert the danger!

May the good spirits of the mountain spare us the wrath of the "Mountain-that-thunders"!
May they protect our clan!

Enough of the supplications, brothers!
Gather your weapons and your provisions and flee! Flee while there is still time!

What right do you have to come and give us orders, "Fire-Hair"!
Who are you? A god?
No, I am called Rahan, the son of Crao!

Page Three.

And Rahan has never yet seen the "spirits" appease the anger of the "Mountains"!
A blast rang out. A geyser of fire rose into the sky. The volcano was erupting!
Waroom!

A shiver of fear ran through the hunters.
Order the clan to retreat to the gorge, Ra-Hik!
Look. The mountain vomits its entrails!

The spirits will protect us from the "Muds-of-fire", Orlak!
We will stay here! You owe me obedience!
Ra-Hik was indeed brandishing the sharpened baton, emblem of command.

And why are you the leader, Ra-Hik?
Because my father was the chief and he himself was the son of a chief! This is our law!

When a law is bad, change it! A good leader is not necessarily the son of the previous one!

I am also the chief, because I am the most skillful!
Ra-Hik was already throwing a long spear forcefully towards Rahan.

Page Four.

Between whose feet it stuck itself!
A good leader is not necessarily the most skillful!

The son of Crao did not even try to dodge the attack.
But I am also the strongest. And I will prove it to you!

A good leader is not necessarily the strongest, Ra-Hik!

The Good Leader is the wisest and the most courageous, the most lucid, and the most devoted to his brothers!

The good leader would be the one who would not implore the "Spirits" but would do everything to snatch his own from the wrath of the "Mountain-that-thunders"!

Incessant explosions now shook the volcano, and its sides were covered with torrents of incandescent lava.
Varoom!

Page Five.

We will soon be surrounded by streams of fire, Ra-Hik! We must flee to the gorge!
Ha-ha-ha! The Gorge!

And how will you cross the gorge!?

I do not know yet, Ra-Hik.
But I know that we have to flee. I know that we can only count on ourselves!

A tribe of panicked monkeys fled into the foliage.
Would "Those-who-walk-upright" have less wisdom than the "Four-hands"!?

The clan lay prostrate around Ra-Hik who had resumed his incantations.
May the "Spirits" of the mountain spare us!
Let them protect our clan!

"Those-who-walk-upright" can only count on themselves! Rahan thinks like you, Orlak! Come! Come!

As Orlak leapt after the son of Crao, Ra-Hik shouted,
These cowards are afraid! Kill them! Kill them!

Page Six.

The spears missed the fugitives by too much for it to have been clumsiness!
Yours only reluctantly obey Ra-Hik, Orlak!

A moment later, they were stopped by the Chasm.
On the other side, we will no longer have to fear the "Mud-of-Fire"!
But how to jump? We are not "Two-horns"!

Rahan has crossed gorges this wide before, Orlak! Help him tie these vines!

The son of Crao had previously used this method.
The solid branch flew, and became stuck between the rocks on the opposite wall.

The volcano that thundered incessantly, always vomiting its fiery entrails.
Under Rahan, it was a dizzying void.

It is your turn to pass Orlak! But what are you waiting for?
On the other side of the chasm, Orlak hesitated.

Page Seven.

Uh. If mine decided to flee with this single vine, it would be panic! I will send you some more!

A moment later, Orlak sent out more vines that Rahan tied securely to the rocks.
Orlak could have fled alone! But he thinks of his clan! This is how a true leader should act!

Waroom.
I will try to convince Ra-Hik!
The sky was glowing red above the volcano, "fire stones" were raining down from all sides.

Come on, Brothers! Rahan and I have thrown vines over the chasm! Come on!
We still have a chance to escape the "Mud-of-Fire"! Come on!

Stay! The "Spirits" will soon come to our aid! Oh!
A volcanic spray had just struck nearby, setting fire to the undergrowth.

Causing a panic!
To the Gorge! To the Gorge! Quickly!
To me! Follow me!

Page Eight.

Oh! To me! To Me!
Three large felines emerged from the thickets, mad with fear and rage, and threw themselves on Ra-Hik.

Whose clan, in frightened groups, rushed towards the great gorge!
Orlak has finally managed to convince them.
But where is he? Where is Orlak? Where is he?

Orlak had come to the chief's aid but seemed unaccustomed to facing the "Sabre-toothed Tigers"!
Argh!

He was collapsing under the clutches of one of them when a battle cry thundered out.
Ra-ha-ha!

Rahan had learned from Crao how his mother and father had been torn to pieces by "Goraks!"
So he hated those monsters!

Ra-ha-ha!
The ivory knife brought death twice.
And the victorious clamor of the son of fierce ages rose!

Page Nine.

Ra-Hik had been seriously injured.
Let me die here, Abandon me to the "Mud-of-Fire"!
No, Ra-Hik! If we can save you, we will save you!

When they reached the gorge, a clamor greeted him.
Thanks to the vines, they had transferred to the other side, and the clan was now safe.

I. I will never have the strength to.
You have to find it, Ra-Hik! Hold on to me Ra-Hik!

The incandescent torrents of lava were getting closer.
The son of Crao was already above the void, as nimble as a "Four-Hands."

But he could not help Orlak, to whom Ra-Hik clung.

You. You. Behaved, as "Fire-Hair."
Orlak said. You, you saved the clan. And you, tried, to, save me.

You, you deserve to become, the leader. Take Orlak. Take quickly, quickly, quickly!
Ra-Hik had grabbed the Baton of Command from his belt and offered it to Orlak.

Page Ten.

He only had time to grab the Baton.
Argh!
Ra-Hik had just let go, and was spinning in the void!

The clan saw him disappear into the depths of the abyss.
If Ra-Hik was not a good leader, he was not a bad man!
May the "Territory of Shadows" welcome him as he deserves!

You said that a true leader should be courageous, clear-sighted and devoted to his people!
Rahan thinks so!

So, we have the choice between two leaders. Between Orlak and you!
No, brothers, you have no choice. Your leader will be Orlak!

Would you be surprised if Ra-Hik designated you?
No, brothers.
Orlak will be your leader because he has proven that he deserves it!

On the other side of the gorge where a stream of lava was pouring, the forest was now on fire.
In the time of the wrath of a volcano, a clan had lost a leader and had given itself another.
This is how things sometimes went, at the dawn of the wild ages.