Read Online Dragon of the Mangrooves by Yasuyuki Kasai - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Yasuyuki Kasai
Ads: Link
of the food hierarchy. Although fundamentally a solitary animal, crocodiles sometimes herd together in between breeding seasons.
They say a crocodile has acute senses of sight and hearing. The pupil of its eye is set vertically like a cat’s. It can see prey in dead darkness and is sharp-nosed, as well. It is easy for a crocodile to smell faint scents of blood far away, so it can locate other animals even in muddy water with poor visibility.
A crocodile fixes its aim and skillfully hides its huge trunk under water, leaving only its eyes and nostrils inconspicuously on the surface. Then it approaches its prey slowly and silently. Once the prey enters the effective range, the crocodile pounces upon it with lightning speed. The power of its jaws is enormous. It can crush the skulls of cattle easily. If the croc doesn’t kill its prey on the spot, it immediately drags the prey into the water and suffocates it.
Quite contrary to its gigantic body, its stomach is small. A crocodile can’t swallow its prey in one gulp like a snake does. It drags the kill to a favorite place and hides it there. Then it savors the half-rotten meat bit by bit, leisurely tearing it off with sharp teeth. Though the kill is hidden, in the case of a big carcass, its odor and blood soon attract other crocodiles, creating a herd. As they rush at the prey and fall over one another, it causes quite a commotion. However, it’s not a hindrance for them all. It is often preferable to tear off pieces while the prey is held firmly on the other side. So these banquets hardly develop into scuffles.
They say that locals in the coastal area of Burma often disappear abruptly while scrubbing or washing. More than a few incidents happen every year. They vanish suddenly in most cases, although body parts of the missing persons are found later, torn unpleasantly on some occasions. Locals believe this is the work of crocodiles.
Pondgi said his uncle had been missing for three years after having gone to a mangrove near Sandoway to set weirs. All the family had gone out to search for him many times, but the only thing they had ever found was his masterless sampan adrift on a creek.
This was all quite inappropriate for pillow talk. Sumi was overwhelmed by the fact that such formidable animals inhabited the Burmese waterfront.
As Shimizu said, the Army usually didn’t fear crocodiles and other animals; their purpose was to murder troops. Compared with modern weapons, which could burn up a city in an instant, an animal was next to nothing, however fierce it might be. When this war broke out, soldiers were more ferocious than now.
Some might have wanted to kill a croc and eat it if things hadn’t changed. But now the whole situation had changed completely.
Enemies cornered them with material superiority. Starvation and fatigue gnawed at every soldier not issued enough weapons to defend himself. Darkness and only a few geographic advantages were all the refuges left for the Japanese, but their soldiers truly controlled neither.
Sumi recalled Sebek again.
Minoru Kasuga was dreaming of a day when he had been a schoolboy. He had been playing with his friends at a Hachiman shrine after school, as usual.
His hometown had a splendid shrine surrounded by tall cedars. It even had a hall for Noh performance in the precinct. Locals not only respected it as a religious institution but utilized it as a festive center of their community. For chil-dren, it was their favorite playground. They used to spend time there until sunset, playing every kind of game like tag or hide-and-seek.
In the dream, he had brandished a twig like a sword and had run after one of his schoolmates. They had played swashbuckling ninja. But his friends had disappeared from view, one by one, as if they had become real ones. And he had been left alone at dusk. Feeling uneasy, he had walked along to the shrine.
To a lone child, the presence of the shrine and the holy territory had been getting stronger
They say a crocodile has acute senses of sight and hearing. The pupil of its eye is set vertically like a cat’s. It can see prey in dead darkness and is sharp-nosed, as well. It is easy for a crocodile to smell faint scents of blood far away, so it can locate other animals even in muddy water with poor visibility.
A crocodile fixes its aim and skillfully hides its huge trunk under water, leaving only its eyes and nostrils inconspicuously on the surface. Then it approaches its prey slowly and silently. Once the prey enters the effective range, the crocodile pounces upon it with lightning speed. The power of its jaws is enormous. It can crush the skulls of cattle easily. If the croc doesn’t kill its prey on the spot, it immediately drags the prey into the water and suffocates it.
Quite contrary to its gigantic body, its stomach is small. A crocodile can’t swallow its prey in one gulp like a snake does. It drags the kill to a favorite place and hides it there. Then it savors the half-rotten meat bit by bit, leisurely tearing it off with sharp teeth. Though the kill is hidden, in the case of a big carcass, its odor and blood soon attract other crocodiles, creating a herd. As they rush at the prey and fall over one another, it causes quite a commotion. However, it’s not a hindrance for them all. It is often preferable to tear off pieces while the prey is held firmly on the other side. So these banquets hardly develop into scuffles.
They say that locals in the coastal area of Burma often disappear abruptly while scrubbing or washing. More than a few incidents happen every year. They vanish suddenly in most cases, although body parts of the missing persons are found later, torn unpleasantly on some occasions. Locals believe this is the work of crocodiles.
Pondgi said his uncle had been missing for three years after having gone to a mangrove near Sandoway to set weirs. All the family had gone out to search for him many times, but the only thing they had ever found was his masterless sampan adrift on a creek.
This was all quite inappropriate for pillow talk. Sumi was overwhelmed by the fact that such formidable animals inhabited the Burmese waterfront.
As Shimizu said, the Army usually didn’t fear crocodiles and other animals; their purpose was to murder troops. Compared with modern weapons, which could burn up a city in an instant, an animal was next to nothing, however fierce it might be. When this war broke out, soldiers were more ferocious than now.
Some might have wanted to kill a croc and eat it if things hadn’t changed. But now the whole situation had changed completely.
Enemies cornered them with material superiority. Starvation and fatigue gnawed at every soldier not issued enough weapons to defend himself. Darkness and only a few geographic advantages were all the refuges left for the Japanese, but their soldiers truly controlled neither.
Sumi recalled Sebek again.
Minoru Kasuga was dreaming of a day when he had been a schoolboy. He had been playing with his friends at a Hachiman shrine after school, as usual.
His hometown had a splendid shrine surrounded by tall cedars. It even had a hall for Noh performance in the precinct. Locals not only respected it as a religious institution but utilized it as a festive center of their community. For chil-dren, it was their favorite playground. They used to spend time there until sunset, playing every kind of game like tag or hide-and-seek.
In the dream, he had brandished a twig like a sword and had run after one of his schoolmates. They had played swashbuckling ninja. But his friends had disappeared from view, one by one, as if they had become real ones. And he had been left alone at dusk. Feeling uneasy, he had walked along to the shrine.
To a lone child, the presence of the shrine and the holy territory had been getting stronger
Similar Books
