Page:Iracéma, the honey-lips (1886).djvu/45

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IRAÇÉMA.
31

Tupan is sacred; none shall touch him; all shall serve him."

Irapúam raged; his hoarse growl rumbled within his muscular chest like the noise made by the Sucury[1] in the depths of the river.

"The wrath of Irapúam՚s anger will not let him hearken to the old Pagé! It will fall upon him if he dare to withdraw the Stranger from the vengeance of the Tabajaras."

At this moment the venerable Andíra, brother of the Pagé, entered the cabin. He grasped the terrible tomahawk, and a still more terrible fury gleamed in his eyes.

"The vampire comes to suck Irapúam՚s blood, if indeed it is blood and not honey[2] that runs in the veins of him who dares to threaten the old Pagé in his wigwam."

Araken stayed his brother.

"Peace and silence, Andíra !"

The Pagé raised his tall thin stature, and appeared like the angry viper[3] who crouches on the ground the better to spring upon his victim. His wrinkles waxed deeper, whilst his shrunken lips displayed his white and sharpened teeth.

"Let Irapúam venture one step more, and the wrath of Tupan shall crush him with the weight of this lean and withered hand!"

"At this moment Tupan is not with the Pagé," replied the Chief.

The Pagé laughed, and the sinister laugh seemed

  1. ↑ Sucury or Sucurin, a gigantic serpent which lies in deep rivers, and can swallow an ox. The word comes from suu, an animal, and cury or curu, a snorter, "the snorting or hissing beast."
  2. ↑ Si é que tens sangue e não mel nas veias. The meaning of the word Irapúam is "round honey." It must be remembered that Irapúam taunted Andira farther back about his name, which means "old vampire," and this was his retort.
  3. ↑ In the original Caninana.
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