Read Online Lord Tyger by Philip José Farmer - Free Book Online
Authors: Philip José Farmer
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you and come down to face you, and the glory of His being would make you curl up and smoke away, like fat left too long on the pan."
"I would tell Him a few things and perhaps pull that long white beard of His."
Mariyam had put her hands to her ears and moaned and rocked back and forth. "Blasphemy! Blasphemy! Surely you will suffer the pains of hell!"
"The boy has great spirit," Yusufu said. "He is afraid of nothing."
Now, this morning, as Ras started to walk across the plain toward home, he saw the Bird of God for the first time in somany weeks he could not count them. The sun had risen above the mountains by the breadth of his hand. The bird was so far away that he could not hear its wings. Nor would he have seen it if it had not reflected the sun. Thereafter, by straining his eyes, he could catch it now and then, especially since it flashed three more times.
Suddenly, another great bird appeared. It was closer to him, so he could hear its roar and see its outline. It flew from the sky as if the sky were a blue skin with a blue pimple that had burst and shot out a black knot of corruption. It startled him and even sickened him. For a moment, he thought that Igziyabher had sent another bird out to finally punish him for his deeds and his loud, boastful words.
He murmured, "But why should He wait so long? I have done nothing that I have not been doing for a long time."
He hefted his spear. If this bird carried an angel, or Igziyabher Himself, the bird would have to settle down on the ground to let the passenger out. When the angel, or Igziyabher, stepped out to confront Ras, he had better be prepared to dodge quickly. If he didn't, he was going to get the iron point of the spear in his belly.
Mariyam had said that angels and their Maker were invulnerable to the weapons of men. Maybe so. But they had better have hides thicker than a hippo's. Ras had driven his spear into more than one hippo. And if the being in the bird truly had a hide of iron, he would still know he had been in a fight before he conquered Ras.
The second bird became larger and noisier. It was high above Ras and going past him. Ras sighed with relief. Evidentlyit had no designs on him.
Standing beneath it, he could see that it was different from the Bird that nested on the pillar. The wings extended stiffly out to both sides, as a fish-eagle's when it rides the currents of air. But these were not attached to the shoulders, but to the underside of the body, which in shape reminded him of the body of a fish.
Like a fish's also was the color: silvery gray. It bore markings, letters much like the letters in the books he had found in the old cabin by the lake when he was a boy.
This bird did not have the peculiar round claws that hung at the ends of the skinny legs beneath the Bird of God. It did not have any legs or claws. Perhaps these were folded up and held close to the body, hidden in the feathers, as they were with many of the small birds when they flew.
It shot above him at a height even above that of the pillar, which must rear a thousand feet. The Bird of God had changed its course now and was heading straight for the intruder. The two were on a level with each other and closing in swiftly. They were about to meet over the low hills just south of the lake when the stiff-winged bird lifted its left wing and veered to the right. It completed a half turn while climbing, continued to go up, and then turned back toward Ras. The Bird of God flew upward at a slant on the trail of the stiff-wings.
Sunlight flashed off the front of the intruder and of the front of the Bird of God. For a second, Ras saw two flashes of red from something dark sticking out of the side of the pursuer.
Then they were overhead, and the chop-chop-chop and the growl of the second bird mingled. Abruptly, flame gouted from the rear of the stiff-wings and smoke bannered out. Thestiff-wings turned again and headed straight for the Bird of God. This whirled and went back to the
"I would tell Him a few things and perhaps pull that long white beard of His."
Mariyam had put her hands to her ears and moaned and rocked back and forth. "Blasphemy! Blasphemy! Surely you will suffer the pains of hell!"
"The boy has great spirit," Yusufu said. "He is afraid of nothing."
Now, this morning, as Ras started to walk across the plain toward home, he saw the Bird of God for the first time in somany weeks he could not count them. The sun had risen above the mountains by the breadth of his hand. The bird was so far away that he could not hear its wings. Nor would he have seen it if it had not reflected the sun. Thereafter, by straining his eyes, he could catch it now and then, especially since it flashed three more times.
Suddenly, another great bird appeared. It was closer to him, so he could hear its roar and see its outline. It flew from the sky as if the sky were a blue skin with a blue pimple that had burst and shot out a black knot of corruption. It startled him and even sickened him. For a moment, he thought that Igziyabher had sent another bird out to finally punish him for his deeds and his loud, boastful words.
He murmured, "But why should He wait so long? I have done nothing that I have not been doing for a long time."
He hefted his spear. If this bird carried an angel, or Igziyabher Himself, the bird would have to settle down on the ground to let the passenger out. When the angel, or Igziyabher, stepped out to confront Ras, he had better be prepared to dodge quickly. If he didn't, he was going to get the iron point of the spear in his belly.
Mariyam had said that angels and their Maker were invulnerable to the weapons of men. Maybe so. But they had better have hides thicker than a hippo's. Ras had driven his spear into more than one hippo. And if the being in the bird truly had a hide of iron, he would still know he had been in a fight before he conquered Ras.
The second bird became larger and noisier. It was high above Ras and going past him. Ras sighed with relief. Evidentlyit had no designs on him.
Standing beneath it, he could see that it was different from the Bird that nested on the pillar. The wings extended stiffly out to both sides, as a fish-eagle's when it rides the currents of air. But these were not attached to the shoulders, but to the underside of the body, which in shape reminded him of the body of a fish.
Like a fish's also was the color: silvery gray. It bore markings, letters much like the letters in the books he had found in the old cabin by the lake when he was a boy.
This bird did not have the peculiar round claws that hung at the ends of the skinny legs beneath the Bird of God. It did not have any legs or claws. Perhaps these were folded up and held close to the body, hidden in the feathers, as they were with many of the small birds when they flew.
It shot above him at a height even above that of the pillar, which must rear a thousand feet. The Bird of God had changed its course now and was heading straight for the intruder. The two were on a level with each other and closing in swiftly. They were about to meet over the low hills just south of the lake when the stiff-winged bird lifted its left wing and veered to the right. It completed a half turn while climbing, continued to go up, and then turned back toward Ras. The Bird of God flew upward at a slant on the trail of the stiff-wings.
Sunlight flashed off the front of the intruder and of the front of the Bird of God. For a second, Ras saw two flashes of red from something dark sticking out of the side of the pursuer.
Then they were overhead, and the chop-chop-chop and the growl of the second bird mingled. Abruptly, flame gouted from the rear of the stiff-wings and smoke bannered out. Thestiff-wings turned again and headed straight for the Bird of God. This whirled and went back to the
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