youth doing the Boss Chimp walk, erect and clumsy. Slowly the group diminished to a few shocks of dark hair, then passed out of sight.
All this time, Chimp stood at gaze, his mouth open, his eyes blinking occasionally. The hunters were well out of sight when he moved. He dashed his spear into the ground, then snatched it out. He ran forward a few steps, then reeled. He knelt slowly, feeling his ankle without looking at it. He looked only at the place where the hunters had been. He bowed forward, his head between his hands. He put his forehead to the ground. He burst into tears. He howled. He rocked to and fro, up and down, in the flattened grass and when he had cried as much as there was crying in him, he thrust out his legs and lay there, his face against the crushed stems.
The shadows and cries of birds roused him at last. They were returning to roost and talking over the affairs of the day as they went. To Chimp, their message was plain and urgent. He knelt up with a jerk and stared at the red mess of the sunset. He leapt to his feet and whirled round as if there might be a leopard behind him—then whirled round again and reeled. In the warm air, goosepimples rose all over his skin. He clenched and bared his teeth—and when he let them apart for a moment they chattered. He began to run after the hunting group, but stopped, then ran in a circle. He stopped again and gripped himself with his arms. Tears chased each other down his face but he made no sound. A problem was all round him and through him but he had no word for it, nothing was like it, he had never had a problem to solve before. He was neither sick nor old; but he was alone.
Opposite the sunset a white shoulder pushed up over the mountains. She rose as was natural, over the Place of the Women, far away. Chimp knew she was fully with child and she did not add to his fear. She neither threatened nor invited, but was placidly sunk in her own business and allowed men to hunt. But as Chimp peered round through the changing light he found no comfort for he heard the noises of animals increase at her rising. She allowed them to hunt too. He settled to a clumsy trot through the grass. As if some instinct had been triggered, he aimed blindly towards where he knew there was higher ground—over there, through the milky light, where the ravine opened out to a wide water hole and the rocks of the foothills began. The stones of his bolas thumped on his thigh and he gripped his spear as if it were the wrist of a friend. The Sky Woman rose higher, floated free. Far away over the plain he heard the scream of a gripped zebra and he reeled as he ran. The Sky Woman flooded him with her light and ignored him. He staggered to a halt and knelt in the grass. His mouth was wider open and sweat streamed off him. He stayed there, and for a while heard nothing but his heart. He collapsed on the ground, his face sideways, his breath stirring up little clouds of dust. Before his face, he saw how the last dregs of redness had faded from the mountains where the sun had left them. Blue and green seeped away into the earth. The hyaenas and the hunting dogs were out. He heard them and he saw them. There were eyes everywhere, like sparks of cold fire. He got up and began to make his way forward again. He no longer ran but darted then stopped and looked and listened. The ground fell away to the waterhole and as he came near there was a sudden flurry, plunging, snorting and the clatter and rumble of hooves as the animals that had been drinking there fled away. He shuddered and bared his teeth.
Yet he was safe though he had no way of knowing it. He brought with him the menace of a whole line of light brown creatures that struck from afar; and to those with little thought or no thought at all, his mere appearance was enough. So safely he stole forward and upward into the shade of rocks and trees, and presently, the shadow of a high cliff. It was not vertical and he laboured up it from knot to
All this time, Chimp stood at gaze, his mouth open, his eyes blinking occasionally. The hunters were well out of sight when he moved. He dashed his spear into the ground, then snatched it out. He ran forward a few steps, then reeled. He knelt slowly, feeling his ankle without looking at it. He looked only at the place where the hunters had been. He bowed forward, his head between his hands. He put his forehead to the ground. He burst into tears. He howled. He rocked to and fro, up and down, in the flattened grass and when he had cried as much as there was crying in him, he thrust out his legs and lay there, his face against the crushed stems.
The shadows and cries of birds roused him at last. They were returning to roost and talking over the affairs of the day as they went. To Chimp, their message was plain and urgent. He knelt up with a jerk and stared at the red mess of the sunset. He leapt to his feet and whirled round as if there might be a leopard behind him—then whirled round again and reeled. In the warm air, goosepimples rose all over his skin. He clenched and bared his teeth—and when he let them apart for a moment they chattered. He began to run after the hunting group, but stopped, then ran in a circle. He stopped again and gripped himself with his arms. Tears chased each other down his face but he made no sound. A problem was all round him and through him but he had no word for it, nothing was like it, he had never had a problem to solve before. He was neither sick nor old; but he was alone.
Opposite the sunset a white shoulder pushed up over the mountains. She rose as was natural, over the Place of the Women, far away. Chimp knew she was fully with child and she did not add to his fear. She neither threatened nor invited, but was placidly sunk in her own business and allowed men to hunt. But as Chimp peered round through the changing light he found no comfort for he heard the noises of animals increase at her rising. She allowed them to hunt too. He settled to a clumsy trot through the grass. As if some instinct had been triggered, he aimed blindly towards where he knew there was higher ground—over there, through the milky light, where the ravine opened out to a wide water hole and the rocks of the foothills began. The stones of his bolas thumped on his thigh and he gripped his spear as if it were the wrist of a friend. The Sky Woman rose higher, floated free. Far away over the plain he heard the scream of a gripped zebra and he reeled as he ran. The Sky Woman flooded him with her light and ignored him. He staggered to a halt and knelt in the grass. His mouth was wider open and sweat streamed off him. He stayed there, and for a while heard nothing but his heart. He collapsed on the ground, his face sideways, his breath stirring up little clouds of dust. Before his face, he saw how the last dregs of redness had faded from the mountains where the sun had left them. Blue and green seeped away into the earth. The hyaenas and the hunting dogs were out. He heard them and he saw them. There were eyes everywhere, like sparks of cold fire. He got up and began to make his way forward again. He no longer ran but darted then stopped and looked and listened. The ground fell away to the waterhole and as he came near there was a sudden flurry, plunging, snorting and the clatter and rumble of hooves as the animals that had been drinking there fled away. He shuddered and bared his teeth.
Yet he was safe though he had no way of knowing it. He brought with him the menace of a whole line of light brown creatures that struck from afar; and to those with little thought or no thought at all, his mere appearance was enough. So safely he stole forward and upward into the shade of rocks and trees, and presently, the shadow of a high cliff. It was not vertical and he laboured up it from knot to
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