CHAPTER XXVIII.
Now the battle raged on all sides. Not one but many went forth from each army, and were engaged in groups fighting hand to hand, or throwing missiles. The sudden appearance of Sosee, which revived the hopes of the Ammi, who thought the girl and the end of the war were both within their grasp, increased their fury when they saw her followed by a captor, and a general rush was made to take the field and the girl by storm.
First Pounder entered the combat, and was met by an ape from the north country. This ape was descended from a long line of heroes; Sookaloo was his father, who had fought bumble-bees in the meadows about the great springs, and there the bones of his kindred repose. This ape, advancing to meet Pounder, drew the battle toward him. Both clenched and opened their jaws, and soon both were in each other’s arms and teeth. Anger and strength met in Pounder, and were united for the death of his antagonist. But this was delayed awhile, and struggles, growls and blood were yielded instead. Then weakness followed, and at last darkness gathered about the eyes of the ape; his thoughts took flight, and quiet settled over him even in battle.
Striding over his body Pounder now rushed on to new conquests, impatient for more strife. A great gorilla-like monster next met him, approaching from afar. With thoughts of death in his eye, he came walking on his hands, swinging his great body between them, like a huge kettle between two posts. He appeared to be walking and sitting at once.
“Come you to bring new honor to these arms?” said Pounder. “I will soon bear your death about me as a trophy, and those that I send out of the world will not be lonely beyond the Swamp.”
As when Day and Night meet at dawn, and, in hot contest redden the whole sky with blood, and, Night being slain, Day moves on over the sky in undisputed and undivided sway, so these mighty heroes met, and in the battle the ape was overcome and sank from the contest, while Pounder, rising like the sun from the death of Night, marched on victorious over the scene, and was lord of the field.
On again rushed Pounder, like Hector at Troy; and the Apes, seeing their warriors fall at his strokes, feared to engage him in single combat.
“Let us attack him together,” they said; and two great apes stood up to meet him, like twin mountain peaks approached by a storm. One met his fist with his eye and saw no more that day; the other seized his arm and in that grasp laid hold of Death, whom none survive; and as he fell the dull earth reëchoed the crash to the mountains, which he alone did not hear.
Terror now took hold of all that beheld the mighty Pounder, and they fled from his advance as peasants working in a field flee from an approaching flood, some to be overtaken and destroyed, and others to escape to a safe place in the highlands. Pounder now chased, instead of fought, the Apes, hunting for a foe with whom to measure his strength and with difficulty finding one.