What Chubak could see was nothing but a towering and thick pine which had grown for ages. Out of misgivings, he totally forgot the advice of Almambet. He stood up and looked around cautiously. Almost at the same time, the sly big-head sheep found Chubak. The sly argali sheep seemed to have already figured out the intention of the Khitan prince. “The bubblehead kept looking around. Someone must have set a trap in order to surround and snare me! I’ve got to go right now!” the argali sheep thought. In order to seek the best chance for the purpose of making his getaway, the big-head sheep kept turning his head. Judged by the swaying branches of the tall pine, Chubak also drew the conclusion that the big-head sheep must be hiding near the pine. Holding his breath, he set his hunting gun on a huge rock in order to kill the animal.
Just like what the Khitan prince had expected, the big-head sheep ran away through the mountainous path swiftly. Chubak trained his gun on the animal and then fired a shot. However, the bullet narrowly grazed the left part of the
1: A plucked musical instrument of Kyrgyz people. Almost all the Kyrgyz adults can play it. It has become one of the important symbols of the nationality.
Legend of Manas
sheep’s abdomen. A small piece of sheep skin with the size of a felt cap fell down. The big-head sheep was startled to jump from the rock into the deep valley at once.
The barefoot Khitan prince crept forward, holding a shotgun in his hand. He opened his eyes widely, trying to look into the distance. What astonished him most was that Chubak remained extremely dumbfounded right there. However, the big-head sheep spared no effort in running toward a cave which was a stone’s throw from the pine tree. “If it enters the cave, the whole stuff will be screwed up,” he thought. Regardless of the sharp rocks, Almambet kept on chasing the sly creature without a stop. The sharp rocks left a number of cuts on the bare feet which bled repeatedly. But he was still painstaking in pursuing after the animal. Having seen someone had cut off its retreat to the cave, the sly animal turned about instantly and headed for a meandering path instead.
Having passed a total of three valleys, the panic-stricken big-head sheep was finally headed off by the Khitan prince. The big-head sheep smelled the body odor of the prince in the gentle breeze. The sheep had no choice but to head for the shady slope with a view to making his getaway at last. Almambet put his gun onto a rock and trained it on the animal once again. A king-sized bullet punctured the neck of the big-head sheep and the sly animal fell onto the ground instantly. The pursuit was full of surprises and the subsequent demise of the evil animal made the Khitan prince catch his breath out of pleasure. However, he felt a sudden pain from his badly mangled bare feet. He could not move at all as if his feet had been pegged down on the ground closely. In the eyes of Almambet, that was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. And he let out a cry owing to the great pain caused by the bleeding feet. The bare feet of the prince were totally mauled by the uneven rocks on the meandering path. What impressed people most was that part of his hamstring was broken and the white bones even protruded from the opening. “Chubak, how could you have mangled my long-conceived scheme!” the prince shouted. Having seen Bakai, the Khitan prince felt extremely saddened at the pain he had suffered. “My respectable uncle, I have shot the big-head sheep to death. But I cannot move right now. My misfortune was caused by Chubak’s disobedience. May I trouble you to enable the sheep head to point to the north? Just let the corpse lie down on the ground and don’t damage it. Now it’s time to use its
Manas Goes on an Expedition to Save Compatriots from Adversity
55
blood to treat my feet,” the prince said to the old man.
The old man did without hesitation as the prince had suggested. In addition, he cut apart the sheep’s trachea with a knife and then sprayed the sheep blood onto the badly mangled feet of Almambet. All of a sudden, the openings on his feet healed at once and the prince could walk without any difficulty once again. Manas and other warriors also rushed to him in a hurry. Chubak came up to the prince leisurely while whistling a tune. “What on earth are you doing? Why do you apply the blood to the feet?” Chubak asked curiously.
“Oh, man. Your shotgun missed the sheep. If the big-head sheep runs into the cave, all of our strategic schemes will be doomed to failure. Even the expedition will be doomed to failure in the end. My hamstring was almost broken while I spared no effort in chasing the wicked beast. It is with the help of sheep blood that I have already recovered soon,” Almambet said. In addition, he asked someone else to apply the sheep bile to the wounds. In no time, gushes of blood repeatedly spurting from the openings coagulated. Chubak was so ashamed that he could say nothing right there.