September 2, 2025 • 20 mins
Discover the enchanting world of Day And Night Stories, featuring fifteen captivating short tales by Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE (1869 ‚ì 1951). Renowned as one of the most prolific ghost story writers, Blackwoods work blends the supernatural with the ethereal, inviting readers into a realm of wonder and intrigue. A journalist and broadcasting narrator, he has been acclaimed for his consistently exceptional storytelling, with literary critic S. T. Joshi noting that his contributions stand among the finest in the genre. Immerse yourself in these timeless narratives that explore the mysteries of life and the unknown.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Story eight of Day and Night Stories by Algernon Blackwood.
This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Story eight
Kane's atonement. So many thousands to day have deliberately put
self aside and are ready to yield their lives for
an ideal that it is not surprising if few of
(00:21):
them should have registered experiences of a novel order, For
to step aside from self is to enter a larger world,
to be open to new impressions. If powers of good
exist in the universe at all, they can hardly be
inactive at the present time. The case of two men
who may be called Jones and Smith occurs to the
(00:42):
mind in this connection. Whether a veil actually was lifted
for a moment, or whether the tension of long and
terrible months resulted in an exaltation of emotion, the experience
claims significance. Smith, to whom the experience came, holds the
firm belief that it was real. Jones, though it involved him, too,
(01:04):
remained unaware. It is a somewhat personal story their peculiar relationship.
Dating from early youth, a kind of unwilling antipathy was
born between them. Yet an antipathy that had no touch
of hate or even of dislike. It was rather in
the nature of an instinctive rivalry. Some tie operated that
(01:27):
flung them ever into the same arena with strange persistence,
and ever as opponents. An inevitable fate delighted to throw
them together in a sense that made them rivals. Small
as well as large affairs betrayed this malicious tendency of
the gods. It showed itself in earliest days at school
(01:48):
at Cambridge, in travel, even in house parties, and the
lighter social intercourse. Though distant cousins, their families were not intimate,
and there was no obvious reasons and why their paths
should fall so persistently together. Yet their paths did so,
crossing and recrossing in the way described Sooner or later,
(02:10):
in all his undertakings, Smith would note the shadow of
Jones darkening the ground in front of him, and later,
when called to the bar in his chosen profession, he
found most frequently that the learned counsel and opposition to him,
was the owner of this shadow, Jones. In another matter, too,
they became rivals. For the same girl, oddly enough, attracted both,
(02:35):
and though she accepted neither offer, of marriage during Smith's lifetime.
The attitude between them was that of unwilling rivals, for
they were friends as well. Jones, it appears, was hardly
aware that any rivalry existed. He did not think of
Smith as an opponent and as an adversary. Never he
(02:57):
did notice, however, the constantly recurring meeting for more than once.
He commented on them with good humored amusement. Smith, on
the other hand, was conscious of a depth and strength
in the tie that certainly intrigued him. Being of a thoughtful,
introspective nature, he was keenly sensible of the strange competition
(03:17):
in their lives, and sought in various ways for its explanation,
though without success. The desire to find out was very
strong in him, and this was natural enough, owing to
the singular fact that in all their battles he was
the one to lose. Invariably, Jones got the best of
every conflict. Smith always paid, sometimes he paid with interest. Occasionally, too,
(03:43):
he seemed forced to injure himself while contributing to his
cousin's success. It was very curious, he reflected much upon it.
He wondered what the origin of their tie and rivalry
might be, but especially why it was that he invariably lost,
and why he was so often obliged to help his
rival to the point even of his own detriment. Tempted
(04:05):
to bitterness, sometimes he did not yield to it. However,
the relationship remained frank and pleasant. If anything, it deepened.
He remembered once, for instance, giving his cousin a chance introduction,
which yet led a little later to the third party
offering certain evidence which lost him an important case, Jones,
(04:28):
of course winning it. The third party, too angry at
being dragged into the case, turned hostile to him, thwarting
various subsequent projects. In no other way could Jones have
procured this particular evidence. He did not know of its existence.
Even that chance introduction did it all. There was nothing
(04:49):
the least dishonorable on the part of Jones. It was
just the chance of the dice. The dice were always
loaded against Smith, and there were other instances of similar kind.
Mind about this time. Moreover, a singular feeling that had
lain vaguely in his mind for some years past took
more definite form. It suddenly assumed the character of a
(05:11):
conviction that yet had no evidence to support it, a voice,
long whispering in the depths of him, became much louder,
grew into a statement that he accepted without further ado.
I'm paying off a debt, he phrased it, an old,
old debt is being discharged. I owe him this my help,
(05:31):
and so forth he accepted it. That is as just,
and this certainty of justice kept sweet his heart and mind,
shutting the door on bitterness or envy. The thought, however,
though it recurred persistently with each encounter, brought no explanation.
(05:51):
When the war broke out, both offered their services as
members of the O. T C. They got commissions quickly.
But it was a chance remark of Smith's that made
his friend join the very regiment he himself was in.
They trained together, were in the same retreats, and the
same advances together. Their friendship deepened under the stress of circumstances.
(06:14):
The tide did not dissolve, but strengthened. It was indubitably real. Therefore, then,
oddly enough, they were both wounded in the same engagement,
and it was here the remarkable fate that jointly haunted
them betrayed itself more clearly than in any previous incident.
Of their long relationship. Smith was wounded in the act
(06:36):
of protecting his cousin. How it happened is confusing to
a layman, But each apparently was leading a bombing party,
and the two parties came together. They found themselves shoulder
to shoulder, both brimmed with that pluck which is complete
indifference to self. They exchanged a word of excited greeting,
(06:56):
and the same second one of those rare opportunitiesies of advantage,
presented itself, which only the highest courage could make use of.
Neither certainly was thinking of personal reward. It was merely
that each saw the chance by which instant heroism might
gain a surprise advantage for their side. The risk was heavy,
(07:17):
but there was a chance, and success would mean a
decisive result, to say nothing of high distinction for the
man who obtained it if he survived. Smith, being a
few yards ahead of his cousin, had the moment in
his grasp. He was in the act of dashing forward
when something made him pause. A bomb in mid air,
(07:38):
flung from the opposing trench, was falling. It seemed immediately
above him. He saw that it would just miss himself,
but land full upon his cousin whose head was turned
the other way. By stretching out his hand, Smith knew
he could feeld it like a cricket ball. There was
an interval of a second and a half. He judged,
(08:00):
He hesitated perhaps a quarter of a second. Then he acted.
He caught it. It was the obvious thing to do.
He flung it back into the opposing trench. The rapidity
of thought is hard to realize. In that second and
a half, Smith was aware of many things. He saved
his cousin's life, unquestionably, unquestionably, also, Joan sees the opportunity
(08:25):
that otherwise was his cousin's. But it was neither of
these reflections that filled Smith's mind. The dominant impression was another.
It flashed into actual words inside his excited brain. I
must risk it, I owe it to him. And more besides,
he was further aware of another impulse than the obvious one.
(08:48):
In the first fraction of a second, it was overwhelmingly established.
And it was this that the entire episode was familiar
to him. A subtle familiarity was present. All this had
happened before. He had already somewhere, somehow seen death descending
upon his cousin from the air, yet with a difference.
(09:12):
The difference escaped him. The familiarity was vivid. That he
missed the deadly detonators in making the catch, or that
the fuse delayed, he called good luck. He only remembers
that he flung the gruesome weapon back whence it had come,
and that its explosion in the opposite trench materially helped
(09:32):
his cousin to find glory in the place of death.
The slight delay, however, resulted in his receiving a bullet
through the chest, a bullet he would not otherwise have received. Presumably,
it was some days later, gravely wounded, that he discovered
his cousin in another bed. Across the darkened floor. They
(09:53):
exchanged remarks. Jones was already decorated, it seems, having snatched
success from his cousin AND's hands, while little aware whose
help had made it easier. And once again there stole
across the inmost mind of Smith, that strange, insistent whisper.
I owed it to him, But by God I owe
(10:14):
more than that. I mean to pay it too. There
was not a trace of bitterness or envy, now, only
this profound conviction of obscurest origin that it was right
and absolutely just. Full honest repayment of a debt incurred.
Some ancient balance of account was being settled. There was
(10:37):
no chance injustice, and caprice played no role at all,
and a deeper understanding of life's ironies crept into him.
For if everything was just, there was no room for whimpering.
And the voice persisted above the sound of busy footsteps
in the ward. I owe it, I'll pay it gladly.
(10:58):
Through the pain and weakness, the whisper died away. He
was exhausted. There were periods of unconsciousness, but there were
periods of half consciousness as well, then flashes of another
kind of consciousness altogether. When bathed in high soft light,
he was aware of things he could not quite account for.
(11:19):
He saw it was absolutely real, only the critical faculty
was gone. He did not question what he saw. As
he stared across at his cousin's bed, he knew perhaps
the beaten, worn out body let something through at last.
The nerves, overstrained to numbness, lay very still. The physical system,
(11:43):
battered and depleted, made no cry. The clamor of the
flesh was hushed. He was aware however, of an undeniable
exaltation of the spirit in him. As he lay and
gazed towards his cousin's bed across the night of time,
it seemed to him the picture stole before his inner
(12:03):
eye with a certainty that left no room for doubt.
It was not the cells of memory in his brain
of to day that gave up their dead. It was
the eternal self in him that remembered and understood the
soul with that satisfaction which is borne of full comprehension.
He watched the light glow and spread about the little bed,
(12:26):
thick matting deadened the footsteps of nurses, orderlies, doctors. New
cases were brought in, old cases were carried out. He
ignored them. He saw only the light above his cousin's
bed grow stronger. He lay still and stared. It came
neither from the ceiling nor the floor. It unfolded like
(12:48):
a cloud of shining smoke, and the little lamp, the sheets,
the figure framed between them. All these slid cleverly away
and vanished utterly. Stood good in another place that had
lain behind all these appearances, a landscape with wooded hills,
a foaming river, the sun just sinking below the forest,
(13:11):
and dusk creeping from a gorge along the lonely banks.
In the warm air, there was a perfume of great
flowers and heavy scented trees. There were fireflies, and the
taste of spray from the tumbling river was on his lips.
Across the water, a large bird flapped its heavy wings
as it moved downstream to find another fishing place, for
(13:35):
he and his companion had disturbed it as they broke
out of the thick foliage and reached the river bank.
The companion, moreover, was his brother. They ever hunted together.
There was a passionate link between them, born of blood
and of affection. They were twins. It all was as
clear as though of yesterday. In his heart was the
(13:57):
lust of the hunt. In his blood was the lust
of woman. And thick behind these lurked the jealousy and
fierce desire of a primitive day. But though clear as
of yesterday, he knew that it was of long, long ago.
And his brother came up close beside him, resting his
bloody spear with a clattering sound against the boulders on
(14:21):
the shore. He saw the gleaming of the metal in
the sunset, he saw the shining glitter of the spray
upon the boulders. He saw his brother's eyes look straight
into his own, and in them shone a light that
was neither the reflection of the sunset nor the excitement
of the hunt. Just over it escaped us, said his brother.
(14:42):
Yet I know my first spear struck it followed the
fawn that crossed, was the reply. Besides, we came down wind,
thus giving it warning. Our flocks, at any rate, are safer.
The other laughed significantly. It is not the safety of
our flock that troubles me just now, brother, he interrupted eagerly,
(15:04):
while the light burned more deeply in his eyes. It
is rather that she waits for me by the fire
across the river, and that I would get to her
with your help. Added to my love, he went on
in a trusting voice, the gods have shown me the
favor of true happiness. He pointed with his spear to
a camp fire on the farther bank, turning his head
(15:26):
as he strode to plunge into the stream and swim across.
For an instant then the other felt his natural love
turn into bitter hate. His own fierce passion unconfessed, concealed
burst into instant flame. That the girl should become his
brother's wife, sent the blood surging through his veins in fury.
(15:49):
He felt his life and all that he desired go
down in ashes. He watched his brother stride towards the water,
the deer skin cast across one naked shoulder, when another
object caught his practiced eye. In mid air. It passed suddenly,
like a shining gleam. It seemed to hang a second,
(16:10):
then it swept swiftly forward, past his head and downward.
It had leaped with a blazing fury, from the overhanging
bank behind. He saw the blood still streaming from its
wounded flank. It must land. He saw it with a secret,
awful pleasure, full upon the striding figure, whose head was
(16:31):
turned away. The swiftness of that leap, however, was not
so swift, but that he could easily have used his spear. Indeed,
he gripped it strongly, his skill, his strength, his aim.
He knew them well enough. But hate and love, fastening
upon his heart, held all his muscle. Still. He hesitated.
(16:54):
He was no murderer, yet he paused. He heard the roar,
the ugly thudud, the crash, the cry for help too late,
and when an instant afterwards his steel plunged into the
great beast's heart, the human heart and life he might
have saved, lay still forever. He heard the water rushing past,
(17:16):
an icy wind came down the gorge against his naked back.
He saw the fire shine upon the further bank, and
the figure of a girl in skins was wading across,
seeking out the shallow places in the dusk, and calling
wildly as she came. Then darkness hid the entire landscape,
yet a darkness that was deeper, bluer than the velvet
(17:39):
of the night. Alone, and he shrieked aloud in his
remorseful anguish. May the Gods forgive me, for I did
not mean it. Oh that I might undo, that I
might repay. That his cries disturbed the weary occupants in
more than one bed is certain, But he remembers chiefly
(17:59):
that the nurse was quickly by his side, and that
something she gave him soothed his violent pain and helped
him into deeper sleep. Again. There was, he noticed, anyhow,
no longer the soft, clear, blazing light about his cousin's bed.
He saw only the faint glitter of the oil lamps
down the length of the great room, and some weeks
(18:22):
later he went back to fight. The picture, however, never
left his memory. It stayed with him as an actual
reality that was neither delusion nor hallucination. He believed that
he understood at last the meaning of the tide that
had fettered him and puzzled him so long. The memory
of those far off days of shepherding beneath the stars
(18:45):
of long ago remained vividly beside him. He kept his secret, however,
in many a talk with his cousin beneath the nearer
stars of Flanders, no word of it ever passed his lips.
The friendship between them meanwhile experienced a curious deepening, though
unacknowledged in any spoken words. Smith, at any rate, on
(19:07):
his side, put into it an affection that was a
brave man's love. He watched over his cousin in the fighting,
especially when possible, he sought to protect and shield him,
regardless of his own personal safety. He delighted secretly in
the honors his cousin had already won. He himself was
(19:27):
not yet even mentioned in dispatches, and no public distinction
of any kind had come his way. His b c
eventually well. He was no longer occupying his body. When
it was bestowed, he had already left. He was now conscious,
possibly of other experiences besides that, one of ancient primitive
(19:50):
days when he and his brother were shepherding beneath other stars.
But the reckless heroism which saved his cousin under fire
may later ensrune another memory, which at some far future
time shall reawaken as a hallucination from a past that
today is called the present. The notion, at any rate,
(20:12):
flashed across his mind before he left. End of story
eight
Story eight of Day and Night Stories by Algernon Blackwood.
This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Story eight
Kane's atonement. So many thousands to day have deliberately put
self aside and are ready to yield their lives for
an ideal that it is not surprising if few of
(00:21):
them should have registered experiences of a novel order, For
to step aside from self is to enter a larger world,
to be open to new impressions. If powers of good
exist in the universe at all, they can hardly be
inactive at the present time. The case of two men
who may be called Jones and Smith occurs to the
(00:42):
mind in this connection. Whether a veil actually was lifted
for a moment, or whether the tension of long and
terrible months resulted in an exaltation of emotion, the experience
claims significance. Smith, to whom the experience came, holds the
firm belief that it was real. Jones, though it involved him, too,
(01:04):
remained unaware. It is a somewhat personal story their peculiar relationship.
Dating from early youth, a kind of unwilling antipathy was
born between them. Yet an antipathy that had no touch
of hate or even of dislike. It was rather in
the nature of an instinctive rivalry. Some tie operated that
(01:27):
flung them ever into the same arena with strange persistence,
and ever as opponents. An inevitable fate delighted to throw
them together in a sense that made them rivals. Small
as well as large affairs betrayed this malicious tendency of
the gods. It showed itself in earliest days at school
(01:48):
at Cambridge, in travel, even in house parties, and the
lighter social intercourse. Though distant cousins, their families were not intimate,
and there was no obvious reasons and why their paths
should fall so persistently together. Yet their paths did so,
crossing and recrossing in the way described Sooner or later,
(02:10):
in all his undertakings, Smith would note the shadow of
Jones darkening the ground in front of him, and later,
when called to the bar in his chosen profession, he
found most frequently that the learned counsel and opposition to him,
was the owner of this shadow, Jones. In another matter, too,
they became rivals. For the same girl, oddly enough, attracted both,
(02:35):
and though she accepted neither offer, of marriage during Smith's lifetime.
The attitude between them was that of unwilling rivals, for
they were friends as well. Jones, it appears, was hardly
aware that any rivalry existed. He did not think of
Smith as an opponent and as an adversary. Never he
(02:57):
did notice, however, the constantly recurring meeting for more than once.
He commented on them with good humored amusement. Smith, on
the other hand, was conscious of a depth and strength
in the tie that certainly intrigued him. Being of a thoughtful,
introspective nature, he was keenly sensible of the strange competition
(03:17):
in their lives, and sought in various ways for its explanation,
though without success. The desire to find out was very
strong in him, and this was natural enough, owing to
the singular fact that in all their battles he was
the one to lose. Invariably, Jones got the best of
every conflict. Smith always paid, sometimes he paid with interest. Occasionally, too,
(03:43):
he seemed forced to injure himself while contributing to his
cousin's success. It was very curious, he reflected much upon it.
He wondered what the origin of their tie and rivalry
might be, but especially why it was that he invariably lost,
and why he was so often obliged to help his
rival to the point even of his own detriment. Tempted
(04:05):
to bitterness, sometimes he did not yield to it. However,
the relationship remained frank and pleasant. If anything, it deepened.
He remembered once, for instance, giving his cousin a chance introduction,
which yet led a little later to the third party
offering certain evidence which lost him an important case, Jones,
(04:28):
of course winning it. The third party, too angry at
being dragged into the case, turned hostile to him, thwarting
various subsequent projects. In no other way could Jones have
procured this particular evidence. He did not know of its existence.
Even that chance introduction did it all. There was nothing
(04:49):
the least dishonorable on the part of Jones. It was
just the chance of the dice. The dice were always
loaded against Smith, and there were other instances of similar kind.
Mind about this time. Moreover, a singular feeling that had
lain vaguely in his mind for some years past took
more definite form. It suddenly assumed the character of a
(05:11):
conviction that yet had no evidence to support it, a voice,
long whispering in the depths of him, became much louder,
grew into a statement that he accepted without further ado.
I'm paying off a debt, he phrased it, an old,
old debt is being discharged. I owe him this my help,
(05:31):
and so forth he accepted it. That is as just,
and this certainty of justice kept sweet his heart and mind,
shutting the door on bitterness or envy. The thought, however,
though it recurred persistently with each encounter, brought no explanation.
(05:51):
When the war broke out, both offered their services as
members of the O. T C. They got commissions quickly.
But it was a chance remark of Smith's that made
his friend join the very regiment he himself was in.
They trained together, were in the same retreats, and the
same advances together. Their friendship deepened under the stress of circumstances.
(06:14):
The tide did not dissolve, but strengthened. It was indubitably real. Therefore, then,
oddly enough, they were both wounded in the same engagement,
and it was here the remarkable fate that jointly haunted
them betrayed itself more clearly than in any previous incident.
Of their long relationship. Smith was wounded in the act
(06:36):
of protecting his cousin. How it happened is confusing to
a layman, But each apparently was leading a bombing party,
and the two parties came together. They found themselves shoulder
to shoulder, both brimmed with that pluck which is complete
indifference to self. They exchanged a word of excited greeting,
(06:56):
and the same second one of those rare opportunitiesies of advantage,
presented itself, which only the highest courage could make use of.
Neither certainly was thinking of personal reward. It was merely
that each saw the chance by which instant heroism might
gain a surprise advantage for their side. The risk was heavy,
(07:17):
but there was a chance, and success would mean a
decisive result, to say nothing of high distinction for the
man who obtained it if he survived. Smith, being a
few yards ahead of his cousin, had the moment in
his grasp. He was in the act of dashing forward
when something made him pause. A bomb in mid air,
(07:38):
flung from the opposing trench, was falling. It seemed immediately
above him. He saw that it would just miss himself,
but land full upon his cousin whose head was turned
the other way. By stretching out his hand, Smith knew
he could feeld it like a cricket ball. There was
an interval of a second and a half. He judged,
(08:00):
He hesitated perhaps a quarter of a second. Then he acted.
He caught it. It was the obvious thing to do.
He flung it back into the opposing trench. The rapidity
of thought is hard to realize. In that second and
a half, Smith was aware of many things. He saved
his cousin's life, unquestionably, unquestionably, also, Joan sees the opportunity
(08:25):
that otherwise was his cousin's. But it was neither of
these reflections that filled Smith's mind. The dominant impression was another.
It flashed into actual words inside his excited brain. I
must risk it, I owe it to him. And more besides,
he was further aware of another impulse than the obvious one.
(08:48):
In the first fraction of a second, it was overwhelmingly established.
And it was this that the entire episode was familiar
to him. A subtle familiarity was present. All this had
happened before. He had already somewhere, somehow seen death descending
upon his cousin from the air, yet with a difference.
(09:12):
The difference escaped him. The familiarity was vivid. That he
missed the deadly detonators in making the catch, or that
the fuse delayed, he called good luck. He only remembers
that he flung the gruesome weapon back whence it had come,
and that its explosion in the opposite trench materially helped
(09:32):
his cousin to find glory in the place of death.
The slight delay, however, resulted in his receiving a bullet
through the chest, a bullet he would not otherwise have received. Presumably,
it was some days later, gravely wounded, that he discovered
his cousin in another bed. Across the darkened floor. They
(09:53):
exchanged remarks. Jones was already decorated, it seems, having snatched
success from his cousin AND's hands, while little aware whose
help had made it easier. And once again there stole
across the inmost mind of Smith, that strange, insistent whisper.
I owed it to him, But by God I owe
(10:14):
more than that. I mean to pay it too. There
was not a trace of bitterness or envy, now, only
this profound conviction of obscurest origin that it was right
and absolutely just. Full honest repayment of a debt incurred.
Some ancient balance of account was being settled. There was
(10:37):
no chance injustice, and caprice played no role at all,
and a deeper understanding of life's ironies crept into him.
For if everything was just, there was no room for whimpering.
And the voice persisted above the sound of busy footsteps
in the ward. I owe it, I'll pay it gladly.
(10:58):
Through the pain and weakness, the whisper died away. He
was exhausted. There were periods of unconsciousness, but there were
periods of half consciousness as well, then flashes of another
kind of consciousness altogether. When bathed in high soft light,
he was aware of things he could not quite account for.
(11:19):
He saw it was absolutely real, only the critical faculty
was gone. He did not question what he saw. As
he stared across at his cousin's bed, he knew perhaps
the beaten, worn out body let something through at last.
The nerves, overstrained to numbness, lay very still. The physical system,
(11:43):
battered and depleted, made no cry. The clamor of the
flesh was hushed. He was aware however, of an undeniable
exaltation of the spirit in him. As he lay and
gazed towards his cousin's bed across the night of time,
it seemed to him the picture stole before his inner
(12:03):
eye with a certainty that left no room for doubt.
It was not the cells of memory in his brain
of to day that gave up their dead. It was
the eternal self in him that remembered and understood the
soul with that satisfaction which is borne of full comprehension.
He watched the light glow and spread about the little bed,
(12:26):
thick matting deadened the footsteps of nurses, orderlies, doctors. New
cases were brought in, old cases were carried out. He
ignored them. He saw only the light above his cousin's
bed grow stronger. He lay still and stared. It came
neither from the ceiling nor the floor. It unfolded like
(12:48):
a cloud of shining smoke, and the little lamp, the sheets,
the figure framed between them. All these slid cleverly away
and vanished utterly. Stood good in another place that had
lain behind all these appearances, a landscape with wooded hills,
a foaming river, the sun just sinking below the forest,
(13:11):
and dusk creeping from a gorge along the lonely banks.
In the warm air, there was a perfume of great
flowers and heavy scented trees. There were fireflies, and the
taste of spray from the tumbling river was on his lips.
Across the water, a large bird flapped its heavy wings
as it moved downstream to find another fishing place, for
(13:35):
he and his companion had disturbed it as they broke
out of the thick foliage and reached the river bank.
The companion, moreover, was his brother. They ever hunted together.
There was a passionate link between them, born of blood
and of affection. They were twins. It all was as
clear as though of yesterday. In his heart was the
(13:57):
lust of the hunt. In his blood was the lust
of woman. And thick behind these lurked the jealousy and
fierce desire of a primitive day. But though clear as
of yesterday, he knew that it was of long, long ago.
And his brother came up close beside him, resting his
bloody spear with a clattering sound against the boulders on
(14:21):
the shore. He saw the gleaming of the metal in
the sunset, he saw the shining glitter of the spray
upon the boulders. He saw his brother's eyes look straight
into his own, and in them shone a light that
was neither the reflection of the sunset nor the excitement
of the hunt. Just over it escaped us, said his brother.
(14:42):
Yet I know my first spear struck it followed the
fawn that crossed, was the reply. Besides, we came down wind,
thus giving it warning. Our flocks, at any rate, are safer.
The other laughed significantly. It is not the safety of
our flock that troubles me just now, brother, he interrupted eagerly,
(15:04):
while the light burned more deeply in his eyes. It
is rather that she waits for me by the fire
across the river, and that I would get to her
with your help. Added to my love, he went on
in a trusting voice, the gods have shown me the
favor of true happiness. He pointed with his spear to
a camp fire on the farther bank, turning his head
(15:26):
as he strode to plunge into the stream and swim across.
For an instant then the other felt his natural love
turn into bitter hate. His own fierce passion unconfessed, concealed
burst into instant flame. That the girl should become his
brother's wife, sent the blood surging through his veins in fury.
(15:49):
He felt his life and all that he desired go
down in ashes. He watched his brother stride towards the water,
the deer skin cast across one naked shoulder, when another
object caught his practiced eye. In mid air. It passed suddenly,
like a shining gleam. It seemed to hang a second,
(16:10):
then it swept swiftly forward, past his head and downward.
It had leaped with a blazing fury, from the overhanging
bank behind. He saw the blood still streaming from its
wounded flank. It must land. He saw it with a secret,
awful pleasure, full upon the striding figure, whose head was
(16:31):
turned away. The swiftness of that leap, however, was not
so swift, but that he could easily have used his spear. Indeed,
he gripped it strongly, his skill, his strength, his aim.
He knew them well enough. But hate and love, fastening
upon his heart, held all his muscle. Still. He hesitated.
(16:54):
He was no murderer, yet he paused. He heard the roar,
the ugly thudud, the crash, the cry for help too late,
and when an instant afterwards his steel plunged into the
great beast's heart, the human heart and life he might
have saved, lay still forever. He heard the water rushing past,
(17:16):
an icy wind came down the gorge against his naked back.
He saw the fire shine upon the further bank, and
the figure of a girl in skins was wading across,
seeking out the shallow places in the dusk, and calling
wildly as she came. Then darkness hid the entire landscape,
yet a darkness that was deeper, bluer than the velvet
(17:39):
of the night. Alone, and he shrieked aloud in his
remorseful anguish. May the Gods forgive me, for I did
not mean it. Oh that I might undo, that I
might repay. That his cries disturbed the weary occupants in
more than one bed is certain, But he remembers chiefly
(17:59):
that the nurse was quickly by his side, and that
something she gave him soothed his violent pain and helped
him into deeper sleep. Again. There was, he noticed, anyhow,
no longer the soft, clear, blazing light about his cousin's bed.
He saw only the faint glitter of the oil lamps
down the length of the great room, and some weeks
(18:22):
later he went back to fight. The picture, however, never
left his memory. It stayed with him as an actual
reality that was neither delusion nor hallucination. He believed that
he understood at last the meaning of the tide that
had fettered him and puzzled him so long. The memory
of those far off days of shepherding beneath the stars
(18:45):
of long ago remained vividly beside him. He kept his secret, however,
in many a talk with his cousin beneath the nearer
stars of Flanders, no word of it ever passed his lips.
The friendship between them meanwhile experienced a curious deepening, though
unacknowledged in any spoken words. Smith, at any rate, on
(19:07):
his side, put into it an affection that was a
brave man's love. He watched over his cousin in the fighting,
especially when possible, he sought to protect and shield him,
regardless of his own personal safety. He delighted secretly in
the honors his cousin had already won. He himself was
(19:27):
not yet even mentioned in dispatches, and no public distinction
of any kind had come his way. His b c
eventually well. He was no longer occupying his body. When
it was bestowed, he had already left. He was now conscious,
possibly of other experiences besides that, one of ancient primitive
(19:50):
days when he and his brother were shepherding beneath other stars.
But the reckless heroism which saved his cousin under fire
may later ensrune another memory, which at some far future
time shall reawaken as a hallucination from a past that
today is called the present. The notion, at any rate,
(20:12):
flashed across his mind before he left. End of story
eight
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