The passage of Yabebirí
Cuentos de la Selva by Horacio Quiroga
In the river Yabebirí, which is in missions, many stripes, because "Yabebirí" means precisely "Rio-de-las-rays." There are so many that sometimes it is dangerous to put one foot in the water. I met a man who was bitten by a stingray in the heel and had to walk half a league limped to reach his house, the man was crying and falling in pain. It is one of the strongest pain can be felt.
As in the Yabebirí there are also many other fish, some men go to hunt with dynamite bombs. They throw a bomb into the river, killing millions of fish. All fish that are close to dying, even when big as a house. And also all the little ones die, they are useless.
Now, once a man went to live there, and did not want to throw dynamite bombs, because he had pity on the little fish. He was not opposed to fishing in the river to eat, but did not want to needlessly kill millions of small fish. The men who threw bombs were angry at first, but as the man had a serious nature, although it was very good, the others went to hunt elsewhere, and all fish were very happy. Were so happy and grateful to his friend who had saved the little fishes, hardly knew what was coming to the shore And when he walked through the smoking coast, stripes followed him crawling through the mud, very happy to join his friend. He knew nothing, and was happy in that place.
It happened once, one evening, a fox came running up to Yabebirí, and put his feet in the water, shouting:
- Hey, stripes! Light! Here comes the friend of yours, wounded.
The stripes, who heard it, anxiously ran to the shore. And they asked the fox
- What? Where is the man?
- He's coming! Cried the fox again. He fought with a tiger! The tiger comes running! Surely you will cross to the island! Give way, because it is a good man!
- You bet! You bet we're going to give way! Answered stripes. But what is the tiger, that's not going to happen!
- Watch it! Cried the fox still not forget that it is the tiger!.
And hitting a jump, the fox came back into the bush.
Just had to do this, when the man pushed aside the branches and when everything was bloodied and torn shirt. The blood fell down her face and chest to his pants, and pants from wrinkles, the blood fell to the sand. Staggered to the edge, because I was very hurt, and went into the river. " But just put one foot in the water, the lines that were piled deviated from its path, and the man came to the chest with water to the island without a stingray stung. And as he fell unconscious in the sand, by the large amount of blood lost.
The lines had not yet had time to feel sorry at all to his dying friend, when a terrible roar made them leap into the water.
- The tiger! The tiger! Cried all, darted to the shore.
Indeed, the tiger who had fought with the man and that he had been pursuing had reached the coast of Yabebirí. The animal was also severely injured, and blood ran down his whole body. He saw the man down as if dead on the island, and launching a roar of rage, jumped into the sea, only to kill him.
But scarcely had he put a paw in the water, he felt as if he had nailed eight or ten terrible nails on their feet and jumped back: they were the lines, defending the pass of the river, and had been stuck in full force The sting of the tail.
The tiger was snoring in pain, with the leg in the air and seeing all the water from the muddy shore as if they removed the mud from the bottom, he realized they were the lines that did not want to miss. And then he shouted angrily
- Ah, I know what it is! It is you, damn stripes! Get out of the way!
- We do not go! "Answered the stripes.
- Get out!
- We do not go! He is a good man! No right to kill!
- He has hurt me me!
- The two have been wounded! These are matters of you on the mountain? Here is under our protection! ... Not happening!
- Step! Seen roared the tiger.
- OR NEVER! , Responded the stripes.
(They said "not ever" because they say those who speak Guarani in Misiones.)
- Let's see! Still roared the tiger. And back to take momentum and take a giant leap.
Knew that the tiger stripes are almost always on the shore, and thought that if I could take a big jump might not find more lines in the middle of the river, and could well feed the dying man.
But the lines had guessed and ran all the middle of the river, passing the word:
- Outside the bank! Underwater cried. Inside! At the canal! In the canal!
And in a second army stripes river rushed in, to defend the pass, in time than the tiger gave his huge leap and fell in the water. Fell overjoyed, because at first felt no sting, and believed that the lines had been all in the bank deceived ...
But I just took a step, a shower of stings, like stabbing pain, I stopped short: the stripes were again, that the legs were stinging bites.
The tiger wanted to continue, however, but the pain was so excruciating that screamed and ran like crazy back to shore. And he burst into the arena side, because I could not suffering over and belly up and down as if tired.
What happened is that the tiger was poisoned with the venom of the stripes.
But even though they had defeated the tiger, the stripes were not quiet because they feared that the tiger came and tigers, and many more ... And they could not defend more step.
In fact, the mountain roared again, and appeared the tiger, which became mad with rage when he saw the tiger lying on its side on the sand. She also saw the muddy water by the movement of the stripes, and went to river. And almost touching the water with his mouth, he shouted:
- Stripes! I happened!
- No way! "Answered the stripes.
- There will be a single line with a tail, if not give way! roared the tiger.
- While there is no tail, not happening! -Answered them.
- For the last time step!
- OR NEVER! "Cried the stripes.
La Tigra, enraged, had inadvertently put one foot in the water, and a line, moving slowly, just to nail all the sting through his fingers. AI roar of pain the animal, stripes replied, smiling: - It seems that we still have a tail! But the tiger had an idea, and with that idea between the eyebrows, he walked away from there, skirting the river upstream, and without saying a word.
But the lines also understood this time what the plan of his enemy. The enemy plan was this: to cross the river on the other hand, where the stripes did not know he had to defend the pass. And a huge anxiety seized then stripes.
- It's going to pass the river above water! Cried. We do not want to kill the man! We must defend our friend!
And desperate thrashing in the mud, to muddy river.
- But what we do! -Said. We do not know swimming light ... The Tigra will happen before the stripes know they are there to defend the pass at all costs!
And do not know what to do. Until a very intelligent hairline suddenly said:
- There! What will the gold! The gold are our friends! They swim lighter than anyone else!
- It is! "Cried all. What are the golden!
And in an instant voice and other time spent were eight or ten rows of gold, a golden army of swimming upstream at full speed, and that they were leaving grooves in the water like torpedoes.
Yet, barely had time to give the order to shut out the Tigers, the tiger had already swum, and was now to reach the island.
But the stripes had already run to the shore, and as soon as the tiger was standing, stripes descended on their feet, rid stings. The animal, angry, mad with pain, roaring, jumping into the water to blow clouds of water slap. But the lines were still rushing against his legs, blocking his path so that the tiger turned, swam again and went to lie down in turn to the shore, with its four legs monstrously swollen, there was not going to know eat the man.
But the stripes were also very tired. And what is worse, the tiger and the tiger had finally up and went into the bush.
What would they do? This was very anxious to scratches and had a long conference. At last they said:
- We know what it is! Are going to get the other tigers and will come all. They'll come all the tigers and they will happen!
- OR NEVER! Shouted the younger lines and did not have much experience.
- Yes, they will, classmates! Sadly, the older respondents. If many will eventually happen ... Let's ask our friend.
And they all see the man, they had not had time yet to do, to defend the passage of river.
The man was always lying, because he had lost much blood, but he could speak and move a little. Stripes in an instant told him what had happened, and how they defended the way to the tigers who want to eat. The wounded man was moved a lot with the friendship of the lines that had saved his life and shook hands with a genuine love for the lines that were closer to him. And then said:
- There is no remedy! If tigers are many, and want to spend, spend ...
- They shall not pass! "Said the girls stripes. You are our friend and not going to happen!
- Yes, they will, classmates! "Said the man. He added, speaking in a low voice: The only way would be to send someone to the winchester house to get to many balls ... but I have no friend in the river, out of the fish ... and none of you can walk on land .
- What then? "Said the anxious lines.
"Okay, let's see ..." said the man, stroking his forehead, as if remembering something. I had a friend ... a carpinchito who grew up at home and playing with my children ... One day he came again to the forest and I think living here in the Yabebirí ... but I do not know where is ...
The stripes gave a cry of joy: - I know! We know it! He has his lair in the tip of the island! He once told us about you! We will send for soon! Said and done: a big gold flew down the river to look for carpinchito, while the man dissolving a drop of dried blood on the palm of the hand, to make ink, and a fish bone, which was the pen, wrote in a dry leaf, which was the paper. He wrote this letter: Send me the carpinchito the winchester and a whole box of twenty-five bullets.
As he the man to write, the whole mountain shook with a dull roar, were all the Tigers who came to start the combat. The stripes shall keep the letter head out of the water would not get wet, and gave it to carpinchito, which ran out from grassland to take her to the man's house.
And it was time, because the roar, though still distant, rapidly approaching. The stripes then the golden met who were waiting for orders, and shouted:
- Lightweight, comrades! Walk up the entire river and give the alarm! That all stripes are ready across the river! That they are all around the island! We'll see if they will happen!
And the golden army flew immediately upstream and downstream, making streaks in the water with the speed that you take.
It was not across the line that did not receive Yabebirí order to concentrate on the banks of the river, around the island. From everywhere, from the stones, the mud, from the mouth of the gullies, across the entire Yabebirí, stripes came to defend the passage against the tigers. " And ahead of the island, crossing and recrossing gold at full speed.
It was time, again, a huge roar rocked the same water from the shore, and the Tigers led to the coast.
There were many, it seemed that all missions were tigers there. But the whole Yabebirí also boiled stripes, who took to the shore, ready to defend at all costs the pace.
- Step to the tigers!
- No way! "Answered the stripes.
- Step, again!
- Not happening!
- There will be check, stripe or a son or grandson of line. if not give way!
- It is possible! "Answered the stripes. But neither the Tigers nor the sons of tigers, or the grandchildren of tigers, not all tigers in the world will go through here!
Responded well stripes. Then the Tigers roared seen:
- Step call!
- OR NEVER!
And the battle began. With a huge leap tiger jumped into the water. And they all fell flat on a real stripes. The stripes are peppered the legs to sting, and each wound the tiger roared in pain. But they defended themselves to claw gesticulating wildly in the water. And the stripes were flying through the air with his stomach slit open by the claws of tigers.
The Yabebirí like a river of blood. The stripes were dying to hundreds ... but the Tigers also received terrible wounds, and withdrew to lie and roar on the beach, horribly swollen. The lines, trampled, broken by the feet of tigers, they did not desist; ran continually to defend the pass. Some flew in the air, fell back to the river and rushed back against the Tigers.
This fight lasted half an hour terrible. AI after that half hour, all the tigers were again on the beach, sitting fatigue and roaring in pain, not one had passed.
But the lines of fatigue were also broken. Many, many had died. And those that remained alive said:
"It can withstand two attacks like this. That gold will get reinforcements! Let them come at once all the lines that are in the Yabebirí!
And the golden again flew upstream and downstream, and were so light that left furrows in the water like torpedoes.
The stripes were then to see the man.
- We can not resist anymore! "I said sadly stripes.
And even some streaks were crying because they saw they could not save his friend.
- Go away, stripes! "Said the wounded man. Leave me alone! You have already done too much for me! Let the tigers pass!
- OR NEVER! Shouted the lines in a single cry. While there is a single line in the Yabebirí alive, which is our river, the good man who will defend us out before us!
The wounded man exclaimed, happy:
- Stripes! I'm almost dying, and I can hardly speak, but I assure you that once you have the winchester, we'll have to spree for a long time, this I assure you!
- Yes, I know! "Answered the lines excited. But they could not conclude from speaking, because the battle recommenced. In effect, the Tigers, who had already rested abruptly got up, and crouching like someone jumping, roared:
- One last time, and once and for all step!
- Not EVER! -Rays responded by jumping to the bank. But the Tigers had jumped into the water in turn and restarted the terrible struggle. All Yabebirí now from shore to shore was red with blood, and blood was foam in the sands of the beach. The broken lines flying through the air and roaring tigers of pain, but no one was down a step.
And the Tigers not only fell, but they advanced. In vain the golden army was going at full speed upstream and downstream, calling the lines: the lines had been completed, all were fighting off the island and half had died. And those that remained were all wounded and helpless.
They realized then that they could not stand another minute, and the tigers will, and poor lines, they preferred to die rather than surrender to his friend, threw last time against the Tigers. But everything was useless. Five tigers and swam towards the shore of the island. The stripes, desperate, shouted:
- To the island! Let all the other bank!
But it was late, two more tigers had been laid to swim, and in an instant all the tigers were in the middle of the river, and there was more than their heads.
But then an animal, a poor little furry red and swimming at full strength across the yabebirí: it was the carpinchito, which reached the island carrying the Winchester and shot in the head so as not to get wet.
The man gave a great cry of joy, because it was time to go in defense of the stripes. He asked the carpinchito that pushed him with his head placed on its side, because he just could not and in this position and Winchester loaded with lightning speed.
And at the precise moment that the stripes, torn, crushed, bleeding, were in despair having lost the battle and that the tigers would devour her poor friend hurt, in that moment they heard a bang, and saw that the tiger went ahead and stepped on the sand and gave a great leap and fell dead, his head pierced with a bullet.
- Bravo, bravo! " "Cried the stripes, wild with joy. Man has the winchester! We're saved!
And clouded all the water really mad with joy. But the quiet man continued shooting, and every shot was a new tiger dead. And each fell dead tiger roared, stripes responded with great shocks of the tail.
One after another, as if the lightning struck between their heads, the tigers were shot and dying. That lasted only two minutes. One after another they went to the bottom of the river, and there ate palometas. Some boyaron later, and then accompanied them to the golden Paraná, eating them, and making the water jump for joy.
Soon the lines, with many children, were again so many as before. The man was healed, and was so grateful to the lines that had saved his life, he moved to the island. And there in the summer nights tend liked was smoking on the beach and the moonlight, while the stripes, speaking slowly, it showed the fish that did not know him, telling the battle with allied that man, had once against the Tigers.
No related posts.
