第8部分(第1/7 頁)

狼圖騰（英文版）3（4）

“The　wolves　e　at　night；”　Batu　said；　“so　we　relieve　him　then。　He’s　never　taken　gazelles　during　the　day；　so　we　came　instead。　We　can　work　faster。”

The　winter　sun　lay　low　in　the　sky；　appearing　to　settle　close　to　the　land。　The　blue　sky　turned　white；　as　did　the　dry　grass；　the　surface　of　the　snow　began　to　melt；　forming　a　glittery　mirror。　Humans；　dogs；　and　carts　had　a　spectral　quality。　The　men　put　on　their　sunglasses；　while　the　women　and　children　covered　their　eyes　with　their　flapped　sleeves。　A　few　of　the　cowherds；　who　suffered　from　sun…blindness；　shut　their　eyes；　but　not　in　time　to　stanch　the　flow　of　tears。　The　big　dogs；　on　the　other　hand；　were　either　watching　wide…eyed　at　bounding　hares　or　sniffing　the　side　of　the　road；　where　foxes　had　recently　left　tracks　in　the　snow。

As　they　neared　the　site　of　the　encirclement；　the　dogs　discovered　something　new　on　the　slope　and　raced　over；　leaving　frenzied　barks　in　their　wakes。　Those　that　were　still　hungry　tore　into　gazelle　carcasses　the　wolves　had　left　behind。　But　Bilgee’s　Bar　and　a　few　of　the　team’s　better　hunting　dogs；　their　hackles　raised；　ran　over　to　where　the　wolves　had　left　droppings　in　the　snow；　searching　the　area　to　determine　how　many　wolves　there　had　been；　how　powerful　a　force；　and　which　alpha　male　they　had　followed。　“Bar　recognizes　the　scent　of　most　of　the　Olonbulag　wolves；”　Bilgee　said；　“and　they　recognize　his。　The　way　the　fur　on　his　neck　is　standing　up　is　a　sure　sign　that　it　was　a　large　pack。”

As　the　riders　entered　the　hunting　ground；　they　sized　the　scene　up　by　keeping　their　eyes　to　the　ground。　All　that　remained　of　most　gazelles　on　the　slope　were　heads　and　a　scattering　of　bones。　Bilgee　pointed　to　the　tracks　in　the　snow　and　said；　“Some　of　them　came　back　last　night。”　Then　he　pointed　to