Chubak refused to obey the order. Almambet had nothing to do but take off his own garment and boots. The bare-foot prince approached the sly wild duck which was about to escape. There was difficulty in catching a wild duck which was expert in swimming. The neck of Almambet was almost totally submerged by the water. Owing to the uneven bottom of the lake, he could not shoot an arrow. The sly wild duck sprinted toward the abdomen of the horse of Chubak. Shortly after that, it flew into the blue sky in force from the rear of the horse. None of the forty warriors could find the whereabouts of the wild duck because of its extremely high speed. Almambet did his best to trace the duck in the lake. However, he did not make it and became very upset at losing the target of deliberately prepared chase. Just at that time, a shot was clearly heard opposite the lake. It turned out that the sly white duck was shot to death by Bakai. The duck was caught lurking behind a tendril of cloud by the old man. The Khitan prince rejoiced with wild excitement and rushed to the dead duck.
Bakai kept in mind what the white wild duck was like. He kept a close eye on what was going on in the lake, firmly holding his hunting gun. He trained his gun on it and fired a shot as soon as the sly white wild duck sprang up into mid-air. Hearing the shot, Manas also rushed toward the scene. He had no idea of what’s going on right there. The naked Khitan prince dismounted from his horse and began to wear broad smiles at sight of the corpse of the duck. He took it up from water and spat at it for several times before tying it
Legend of Manas
to the saddle of Manas. Almambet put on the clothes and boots sent to him by Chubak, who felt rather embarrassed about what to say before the naked prince. “Let’s go, guys. We’ve got rid of the first invisible sentry. Now let’s take a break and eat something first. We will encounter many an invisible sentry later on. We should not be reckless at it,” said the Khitan prince, who put on his clothes in great haste.
Almambet kept silent while eating the food. He was thinking about how to cope with the second sentry – a white big-head sheep.
“That white big-head sheep is supposed to keep watch at a peak every six days. While standing at the peak, it can get a bird’s eye view of what’s going on in the surroundings. I have figured out the daily timetable of the creature. If we press forward without calling a halt tonight, we’ll make it to the high peak tomorrow morning. We have to eliminate the big-head sheep before it scales the peak. Otherwise, it will spot our grand army and send the information to Konurbai instantly,” said Almambet.
The Khitan prince divided all the warriors into nine teams. They were arranged to guard the nine valleys and rivers respectively. Manas offered to make an ambush at Chionkolter Mountain. That was the only way which must be passed if the big-head sheep wanted to make its getaway. In addition, Bakai was responsible for guarding a zigzag mountainous path at Tetirjilerg Valley. The mountainous path was easy to be crossed. In terms of the detailed description of the Khitan prince, the big-head sheep was a male argali sheep with the short dark grey hair. In addition, shiny iron wires were wound around the horns.
Almambet told his teammate Chubak: “My dear pal, you’d better go with me to cut off the big-head sheep’s retreating way. And it is much better for us to kill it before it goes onto the mountain. You’d better not shoot at random. It’s better for you guys to take spells at shooting. Whoever shoots the big-head sheep to death should not cut its head off instantly. Instead, its corpse should be put on at the scene with its head pointing to the north.”
After giving the order to others, the two warriors rushed to the mountain swiftly. After dismounting from their horses, they climbed onto the steep cliff furtively. At that moment, the white morning twilight shaped like eyebrows penetrated the clouds and was shed on the earth with gentle breezes blowing constantly. A large number of cobblestones would be found scattered in the
Manas Goes on an Expedition to Save Compatriots from Adversity
53
yellow Gobi desert. If someone trod on those cobblestones, the sound of steps would go far away. It seemed that someone was playing the tunes on a special kind of stringed instrument called Komuz. (1) In order to impart the messages, the Khitan people would reclaim the desert in such a unique way.
The Khitan prince felt that the mysterious big-head sheep was fast asleep behind an age-old pine. While taking off his boots and socks, he told Chubak: “Let me get closer to the creature slowly. You keep motionless right here. I’ll kill it soon.”
Chubak crept forward in the wake of the Khitan prince. Meanwhile, he asked the Khitan prince not to leave him alone. “One of the credit of killing the big-head sheep ought to go to me. I’ll manage to fulfill our goal. Any beast would never escape unhurt under my hunting gun,” he said. Without accepting the advice, he insisted on keeping abreast of Almambet. The Khitan prince had no way out, saying: “As a very intelligent creature, the big-head sheep will find both of us quite easily if we go forward together. If so, our efforts will be made in vain. Or you are to get closer to it. Just remember that you must creep forward so as not to be spotted by it. I will stay put.”