Judas Kiss
He stumbled over a root and the cry that pursued him rose even higher. He saw a shelter burst into flames and the fire flapped at his right shoulder and there was a glitter of water. Then he was down, rolling over and over in the warm sand, crouching with arm up to ward off, trying to cry for mercy.
But no mercy was to be had. The savages surrounded Ralph, their chant ringing in his ears.
"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"
Spears came thrusting towards him, tearing into his flesh. Frantically Ralph searched for a gap in the circle of death.
A group of littluns stood off to the right, and he struggled to push past them, half running, half crawling. The spears of the other boys ripped into his back as he tried to outrun his own death.
Ralph broke out, and in a desperate last attempt, used all his energy to run as fast as he could towards the flaming forest. The savages followed until the edge of the woods.
"Let him go," commanded Jack as he watched his adversary's form disappear into the smoke. "He can't escape our fire, so he won't be any trouble for us."
During the next days the tribe lived well. The pigs had been driven out by the fire, and were easily picked off by the hunters. So easily that soon there were no more swine to be found on the island. And the fruit trees had been destroyed during the fire.
All the boys gathered around the unused cooking fire, to hear the Chief announce what was to be done.
"Patience!" Jack bellowed to the tribe. "Our hunters will find food, as they always have, even at the start. There are more pigs, and we will find them, and slaughter them!"
There was cheering throughout most of the crowd, but some of the tribe remained silent. One of these boys was Roger.
"I say we rid ourselves of his incompetence," Roger told his followers at a meeting that night. "Who needs Jack Merridew?"
"Not us!" the group called out.
"Who's with me?" Roger hollered.
"We are!"
"Let's go!"
The boys charged off into the darkness, underneath the moon that would soon be full.
Everyday more boys left Jack to join the new tribe. Finally the group loyal to the Chief was less than fifteen strong, and less than half of these were biguns.
"I'm chief, you obey me," Jack commanded those left. "We hunt, and if any of the traitors get in our way, they will meet the ends of our spears!"
All the boys went on the hunt with their chief; moving silently through the creepers in a last attempt to prove Jack's might. They had been searching for the entire day when Percival heard a noise.
"Uh, Chief sir.I.uh.heard a.a pig, sir."
Jack turned and hit him hard in the jaw. "Don't lie to me! I'm Chief, I would have heard a pig if there was one!"
"Chief, we heard it too," said Samneric, as they came up to stand on either side of Jack.
"How dare you challenge me! If it weren't for me, you'd be as dead as your friend, Ralph. Or maybe that stick sharpened at both ends could have been used, with another one to be put beside it!"
"But."stammered Samneric.
"Shut up, and get out of my sight!"
A shrill shriek filled the air, the cry of a wounded animal.
"It sounds like a pig, Chief," stated Bill hesitantly.
"Of course it sounds like a pig," Jack retorted. "That's what it's supposed to sound like. But it's not; it's a trick, a dirty trick! That is the beast, yes, the beast. It is upset that we didn't give it Ralph's head, and now it wants us instead!"
"What should we do?" asked Samneric, not quite believing, but not daring to challenge the explanation.
"We drive it back to the mountain."
A strong wind blew in from the east, powerful and warm. It struck the mountaintop, raising the parachute of the dead man resting there. A stronger gust came in, and the body began to rise up, away from the mountain, towards the beach where the first tribe had lived.
Roger sat with his tribe on that beach. "The trap is set, and soon we will have Jack where we want him. It is only a matter of time."
"But what if it doesn't work?" asked one of the boys.
"Oh, it will. How could he resist.a pig?"
The British Officer looked down from his plane at the island below, at the German parachute drifting down towards the burnt trees. He marked down the coordinates, double-checking to make sure they were correct. Someone would need to be sent to investigate this island, a possible enemy outpost.
It wasn't until evening, under the now full moon, that Jack and the remnants of his tribe arrived at the beach. The Chief stopped as he saw Roger and the other boys who had joined Roger standing around the body of a sow.
"Welcome Jack," Roger said. "We have been waiting for you."
"Why, so you can take the rest of my tribe, traitor!" Jack snapped.
"No, not at all. We know now that we need you."
"Need me? Why?"
"You are chief. You are strong. You have fire. You are a hunter. So, we invite you to feast with us on this kill, and forgive us for betraying you." Roger stepped forward with his hand outstretched.
Jack looked at Roger, and stepped forward. "You mean to join my tribe again?"
"Yes, Chief."
Jack took Rogers hand in his own, and they shook.
"So, we're.even?"
"Yes," Roger said with a mile, "we're even." With his other hand, he grabbed Jack's knife from its sheath, and placed it at his former chief's throat. "But not for long," he said, and with that he plunged the blade into Jack's neck. As the bleeding body fell, Roger took the broken spectacles from Jack's belt.
He turned to Samneric, Bill, Percival, and the others in that tribe. "Will you join us, or him? If you wish to be a part of my tribe, come, join us as we celebrate with this feast." He turned to his own tribe. "We have fire, let the feast begin!"
A British plane flew overhead.
"Have arrived at my destination sir," the pilot reported over the radio.
"Any signs of life?" his commander's voice questioned.
"No sir.Wait. I see a fire, I repeat, a fire."
"Well then I guess our scout was correct, the Germans are there."
"What are my orders, sir?"
"Bomb them."
"Yes sir, with pleasure."
He stumbled over a root and the cry that pursued him rose even higher. He saw a shelter burst into flames and the fire flapped at his right shoulder and there was a glitter of water. Then he was down, rolling over and over in the warm sand, crouching with arm up to ward off, trying to cry for mercy.
But no mercy was to be had. The savages surrounded Ralph, their chant ringing in his ears.
"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"
Spears came thrusting towards him, tearing into his flesh. Frantically Ralph searched for a gap in the circle of death.
A group of littluns stood off to the right, and he struggled to push past them, half running, half crawling. The spears of the other boys ripped into his back as he tried to outrun his own death.
Ralph broke out, and in a desperate last attempt, used all his energy to run as fast as he could towards the flaming forest. The savages followed until the edge of the woods.
"Let him go," commanded Jack as he watched his adversary's form disappear into the smoke. "He can't escape our fire, so he won't be any trouble for us."
During the next days the tribe lived well. The pigs had been driven out by the fire, and were easily picked off by the hunters. So easily that soon there were no more swine to be found on the island. And the fruit trees had been destroyed during the fire.
All the boys gathered around the unused cooking fire, to hear the Chief announce what was to be done.
"Patience!" Jack bellowed to the tribe. "Our hunters will find food, as they always have, even at the start. There are more pigs, and we will find them, and slaughter them!"
There was cheering throughout most of the crowd, but some of the tribe remained silent. One of these boys was Roger.
"I say we rid ourselves of his incompetence," Roger told his followers at a meeting that night. "Who needs Jack Merridew?"
"Not us!" the group called out.
"Who's with me?" Roger hollered.
"We are!"
"Let's go!"
The boys charged off into the darkness, underneath the moon that would soon be full.
Everyday more boys left Jack to join the new tribe. Finally the group loyal to the Chief was less than fifteen strong, and less than half of these were biguns.
"I'm chief, you obey me," Jack commanded those left. "We hunt, and if any of the traitors get in our way, they will meet the ends of our spears!"
All the boys went on the hunt with their chief; moving silently through the creepers in a last attempt to prove Jack's might. They had been searching for the entire day when Percival heard a noise.
"Uh, Chief sir.I.uh.heard a.a pig, sir."
Jack turned and hit him hard in the jaw. "Don't lie to me! I'm Chief, I would have heard a pig if there was one!"
"Chief, we heard it too," said Samneric, as they came up to stand on either side of Jack.
"How dare you challenge me! If it weren't for me, you'd be as dead as your friend, Ralph. Or maybe that stick sharpened at both ends could have been used, with another one to be put beside it!"
"But."stammered Samneric.
"Shut up, and get out of my sight!"
A shrill shriek filled the air, the cry of a wounded animal.
"It sounds like a pig, Chief," stated Bill hesitantly.
"Of course it sounds like a pig," Jack retorted. "That's what it's supposed to sound like. But it's not; it's a trick, a dirty trick! That is the beast, yes, the beast. It is upset that we didn't give it Ralph's head, and now it wants us instead!"
"What should we do?" asked Samneric, not quite believing, but not daring to challenge the explanation.
"We drive it back to the mountain."
A strong wind blew in from the east, powerful and warm. It struck the mountaintop, raising the parachute of the dead man resting there. A stronger gust came in, and the body began to rise up, away from the mountain, towards the beach where the first tribe had lived.
Roger sat with his tribe on that beach. "The trap is set, and soon we will have Jack where we want him. It is only a matter of time."
"But what if it doesn't work?" asked one of the boys.
"Oh, it will. How could he resist.a pig?"
The British Officer looked down from his plane at the island below, at the German parachute drifting down towards the burnt trees. He marked down the coordinates, double-checking to make sure they were correct. Someone would need to be sent to investigate this island, a possible enemy outpost.
It wasn't until evening, under the now full moon, that Jack and the remnants of his tribe arrived at the beach. The Chief stopped as he saw Roger and the other boys who had joined Roger standing around the body of a sow.
"Welcome Jack," Roger said. "We have been waiting for you."
"Why, so you can take the rest of my tribe, traitor!" Jack snapped.
"No, not at all. We know now that we need you."
"Need me? Why?"
"You are chief. You are strong. You have fire. You are a hunter. So, we invite you to feast with us on this kill, and forgive us for betraying you." Roger stepped forward with his hand outstretched.
Jack looked at Roger, and stepped forward. "You mean to join my tribe again?"
"Yes, Chief."
Jack took Rogers hand in his own, and they shook.
"So, we're.even?"
"Yes," Roger said with a mile, "we're even." With his other hand, he grabbed Jack's knife from its sheath, and placed it at his former chief's throat. "But not for long," he said, and with that he plunged the blade into Jack's neck. As the bleeding body fell, Roger took the broken spectacles from Jack's belt.
He turned to Samneric, Bill, Percival, and the others in that tribe. "Will you join us, or him? If you wish to be a part of my tribe, come, join us as we celebrate with this feast." He turned to his own tribe. "We have fire, let the feast begin!"
A British plane flew overhead.
"Have arrived at my destination sir," the pilot reported over the radio.
"Any signs of life?" his commander's voice questioned.
"No sir.Wait. I see a fire, I repeat, a fire."
"Well then I guess our scout was correct, the Germans are there."
"What are my orders, sir?"
"Bomb them."
"Yes sir, with pleasure."