До Адама
Chapter XVII
Itmusthavebeenadeliberatelyexecutedplan.Increasingbeyondthelimitsoftheirownterritory,theyhaddecidedonmakingaconquestofours.Sorrytheconquest!Wehadnochanceagainstthem.Itwasslaughter,indiscriminateslaughter,fortheysparednone,killingoldandyoung,effectivelyriddingthelandofourpresence.
Itwasliketheendoftheworldtous.Wefledtothetreesasalastrefuge,onlytobesurroundedandkilled,familybyfamily.Wesawmuchofthisduringthatday,andbesides,Iwantedtosee.TheSwiftOneandIneverremainedlonginonetree,andsoescapedbeingsurrounded.Butthereseemednoplacetogo.TheFire-Menwereeverywhere,bentontheirtaskofextermination.Everywayweturnedweencounteredthem,andbecauseofthiswesawmuchoftheirhandiwork.
Ididnotseewhatbecameofmymother,butIdidseetheChatterershotdownoutoftheoldhome-tree.AndIamafraidthatatthesightIdidabitofjoyousteetering.BeforeIleavethisportionofmynarrative,ImusttellofRed-Eye.Hewascaughtwithhiswifeinatreedownbytheblueberryswamp.TheSwiftOneandIstoppedlongenoughinourflighttosee.TheFire-Menweretoointentupontheirworktonoticeus,and,furthermore,wewerewellscreenedbythethicketinwhichwecrouched.
Fullyascoreofthehunterswereunderthetree,dischargingarrowsintoit.Theyalwayspickeduptheirarrowswhentheyfellbacktoearth.IcouldnotseeRed-Eye,butIcouldhearhimhowlingfromsomewhereinthetree.
Afterashortintervalhishowlinggrewmuffled.Hemusthavecrawledintoahollowinthetrunk.