Tibetan Mastiff Notes

Chapter 13 Fighting the Wolves (3)
I know why Uncle Duoji didn't give it away, it's because of the last time he sold the mastiff.The uncle still feels a little angry, but the brotherhood among the same race is far more important than being angry.But the uncle couldn't put down his face, and Uncle Tashimu would feel even more embarrassed.

When I drove the sheep to the tent of Zhaximu's family, Tashimu and his wife were very moved, they held my hand and said some words of gratitude.I said that Uncle Dorji asked me to send it over. After winter, when the ewes have lambed, life will get better and better.

Uncle Zhaximu burst into tears and scolded himself for being blind.He gladly accepted the sheep from Uncle Duoji, and then took out the two remaining bottles of old wine and asked me to bring them back to Uncle Duoji.With the help of several herdsmen in the prairie, Uncle Tashimu's family finally settled down on the prairie.

It was already cold, and Yang Jin said that her husband came back, and she had to take her daughter home. Before leaving, she gave me a pair of lamb leather gloves made by herself.Gesang and I went to see her and Nima off, and Dahei followed.Dahei was already a little staggering when he walked, and the area under his belly was obviously much bigger.Mao Mao and Da Hei walked side by side, licking the hair on Da Hei's neck, like the last kiss before parting, which made me a little jealous.However, Dahei didn't feel too sad. Those who have to leave will eventually go, and those who want to come will still come. Dahei can always go with the situation, and no matter what happens, he can deal with it calmly. Now she is still so calm, Say goodbye to Maomao by roaring into the sky.

Yang Jin took Nima and Maomao away, only to make the uncle's tent look very deserted, an old man alone guarding his flock of sheep and a few cows.Gesang and I often went to help the uncle, and when we were free, the three of us sat cross-legged and chatted together.I just found out that Uncle Cai was a hunter when he was young, and he often went hunting in the mountains. That's when he met Grandma Yangjin.

Gesang was very interested in hunting, so he pestered the uncle to tell us about it, and the uncle couldn't help it, so he had to start telling us stories about his past.I asked the uncle: "What kind of prey do you hunt, because some animals are protected by the state, do you know if it is a crime?" Then the uncle smiled and said: "It used to be for living, just eat enough. Why do we think so much? But we hunters also know in our hearts that some animals cannot be killed. We want to hunt those animals that are very common in large numbers, or animals that are harmful to the grassland, such as wild rabbits. I also shot a few wild sheep, and I would also shoot roe deer.” I said, “The roe deer is a state-protected animal.” Then the uncle said, “Yes, you don’t need to know about it before, just know that you have to eat to fill your stomach. When you understand these principles Afterwards, Yang Jin was born, and hunting was not a stable life, so I put away my guns and grazed on the prairie." I asked again: "Is there any hunting in the sky? Are those big flying birds easy to hunt?" In fact, My concern was the range of the homemade shotgun, since Gesang had been pestering me to take him out hunting.To practice marksmanship, it is best to shoot birds, although it is very difficult for Gesang.Only then did the uncle say: "We Tibetans have the custom of water burial and sky burial, so we don't eat anything that flies in the sky, and we don't eat anything that swims in the water. Since we don't eat it, of course we don't beat it."

I nodded deeply. I really don’t know if I don’t ask. After asking, there are so many “inside stories”.

Only then did the uncle start to talk about it. Every time before hunting, he must first light an oil lamp, read the six-character mantra, and then take a photo in front of the Buddha statue in the small shrine. If the lamp is blown out by the wind, the next day You can't go hunting in the mountains, because it's the Buddha warning you that there is danger.Gesang interjected and asked, "Is it really dangerous?" Then the uncle nodded seriously, and said, "One time the wind blew out the lamp. At that time, Grandma Yangjin was pregnant with Yangjin and wanted to mend her body. I I insisted on entering the mountain the next day, but unexpectedly I met a bear. If I hadn’t rolled down the hillside, the bear might have torn me apart. Since then, as long as the lights are out, I will never Going up the mountain, the Buddha has love."

Thirteen, the danger is coming quietly

Gesang was anxious to hear about the hunting, but he was not very interested in these pre-hunting matters.

Only then did the uncle tell us the story of his hunting wild sheep.At that time, wild goats were the main hunting targets, and they were large in size, weighing two hundred catties.Larger wild goats weigh more than ten kilograms with the horns on their heads alone. This kind of goat is also called big-headed wild goats.People cut off the heads of big wild goats, and when the meat is dry, rotten, and turned into bones, it is very valuable to sell them.I just remembered that in the mani piles that are often seen on the prairie or on the wasteland, there is often a huge sheep skull piled up beside the stone pile, which should be the skull of a big-headed wild goat.

Every time I hunt wild goats, I have to enter the mountain before dawn. If the sun fills the hillside, the wild goats will withdraw and cannot be hunted.Wild goats have a very keen sense of smell, and people can't stand in the wind, the wind will blow people's smell down, and all the wild goats will run away.Only then did the uncle say that that time, he hit two wild goats, which were too big to carry down the mountain, so he had to ask a family at the foot of the mountain to help them transport them down with yaks.Before leaving, he cut off the heads of two wild goats and gave them to others.

Gesang couldn't get enough of it. He wanted to hear how he shot, how he aimed, how he shot, how the sheep died, and whether he struggled after he died.His mind was entirely on the hunt.

Only then did the uncle smile helplessly, and told Gesang: "At that time, hunting was for livelihood, but now it's different. The country doesn't advocate hunting. Didn't it mean to protect wild animals? Why do you like these people who kill and kill?" What? It’s better to kill less!” Gesang said: “Practice marksmanship, that is, go out to hunt wild rabbits, and I will be a soldier like my elder brother in the future! To be a sharpshooter, how can you be a sharpshooter if you don’t know how to shoot? Only then did the uncle shake his head with a smile, and said, "Wild rabbits are not easy to shoot. Haven't you heard of the three caves of cunning rabbits?" Gesang became stubborn and said, "Anyway, I just want to fight, and I want to practice marksmanship."

I thought it was funny, I didn't expect Gesang to have such a soft spot for guns like I did back then, he will definitely be a sharpshooter in the future, for nothing but his stubbornness and strong interest in guns.My prediction was correct. Gesang really became a sharpshooter later on. His proficiency and proficiency in guns was hardly inferior to mine, which was comparable to Heizi's magical skills.

Only then did the uncle talk about the hunting and killing in the past, and he felt a little repentant. He always had the idea that he had killed too many animals, so his wife died of illness early. It was his wife who took the lives of the creatures he killed.Gesang continued to pester him with further questions, wanting to hear more about hunting. I saw that something was wrong with Uncle Rangcai's expression, so I stopped Gesang and told him: "If you want to practice marksmanship well, you have to listen to it." Yes, I have to go out to practice. Uncle is also tired, let's go back, brother will take you out to practice marksmanship tomorrow."

Gesang jumped up excitedly, shouted long live, and happily ran back to the tent to prepare. He took out the gun and cleaned it again and again, and prepared bullets and gunpowder.I had no idea that during the period when I went to see a doctor in Shigatse, this kid got a large jar of gunpowder from somewhere, and even had a detonator and fuse, and the equipment was complete.

Under my coercion and questioning, Gesang told me that he secretly traded a sheep for a past shepherd.Those people had gunpowder and guns. They wanted to get another gun, but my father refused, saying that they already had one at home, so they only wanted a bag of bullets.

The next day, I took Gesang out to practice guns as promised. I wanted Dahei to stay at home and watch over the flock. Because Mao Mao left, there are only two mastiffs left on the prairie, and Dahei’s belly is getting bigger and bigger every day. Dahei, I am afraid that there will be troubles if I take it out, so how can I be worthy of Dahei.

But Uncle Duoji insisted that we take Dahei out together. He said he was afraid of danger, so I said: "No, Dahei's belly is so big, she needs to rest now. Let's walk on the nearby hillside, God Hei will come back." Uncle Duoji nodded and agreed, in fact, he was also worried about Dahei, but he couldn't let us go.Dahei knew that we were going to go hunting, so he dragged his big belly and went outside to see us off.

I touched Dahei's head, and Dahei licked my hand. This has become a tacit understanding between me and Dahei. It is in this silent way that Dahei and I communicate with each other and are moved by each other.

"Let's go, let's go!" Gesang urged impatiently, and I hugged Dahei at last before leaving.

We went around a hillside, and Gesang said, "Go farther away. Rabbits are very smart near where people live." Unexpectedly, we walked farther and farther, and we walked around two hillsides. It was noon, and the front appeared A river. Gesang said he was hungry and wanted to eat first, so he took out the dried mutton in his bag and handed it to me. I looked at the clear river and licked my lower lip.

Why didn't I think of fishing for fish before?Eating mutton every day made me almost grow a whole body of wool. When I saw a river at this time, the idea of ​​fishing and eating suddenly popped up in my mind.Gesang asked me why I kept swallowing, and handed me the water bottle.I asked Gesang, "Have you ever eaten fish?" Gesang said, "I haven't, is it delicious?" I deliberately lured him, smacked my mouth, and said repeatedly, "It's delicious, it's so delicious, it's really delicious. Delicious!" Gesang licked his lips and said in a low voice, "Our Tibetan rules prohibit eating fish. Eating fish is a big taboo. Not only is it not allowed to eat, but you are not even allowed to catch it. scold me."

When I heard that Gesang didn't seem to agree with it, maybe he didn't want to eat fish, but he thought it was fun, so I felt a little depressed.But I really wanted to eat fish, so I said, "Then I'll eat it myself. Come on, bring all the equipment, my brother will teach you how to make a simple bomb today."

As soon as Gesang heard that it was related to being a soldier, he became excited and stopped eating the mutton. He handed me the gunpowder bag and looked at me with great interest.I fumbled in my bag for a long time, and found a tin box, which was exchanged by Gesang and others. I poured out the can, filled it with some finer sand, put gunpowder and detonators in it, and buried the fuse. The fuse was filled with some coarse sand and gravel on the outermost side, and finally the canning box was fixed tightly.

Gesang asked: "What are those sand and gravels used for?" I didn't answer, but asked him: "Have you ever seen a shotgun? Do you know what those small marbles in the shotgun are used for?" Gesang suddenly realized, and said: "Oh, I see!"

I randomly picked a place rich in aquatic plants, ignited the improvised bomb, and threw it over.

The canned food box exploded in the water, and I saw the fish at the bottom were blown up and rolled, so I hurriedly dragged Gesang downstream, then took off my shoes, rolled up my trousers, and stood in the shallow water to catch the fish.Gesang had never done such a thing before. He was very novel and found it very interesting, so he rolled up his trousers up to his thighs and jumped into the river.The river water in autumn is very cold, making people shiver with cold.

I caught a few fish whose bellies were blown up, jumped ashore, and told Gesang: "Many of those fish were stunned by the current, and they will swim away after a while. Just enough to eat, there are endless people." , people are not inexhaustible!"

"The sky is endless for people, and the sky is endless for people!" I learned this from Yang Jin.I found that the prairie really taught me a lot of things that I couldn't learn in the busy city. In addition to being sophisticated in the world, it is more about returning to the basics and introspecting.Gesang adhered to the rules and refused to eat fish. He just thought it was fun, he picked up the fish one by one, and then let them go.I don't prepare grilled fish, I think it's too troublesome, so I cut it into sashimi.

Tibetan compatriots are also used to eating raw meat, but they don't eat birds or fish.Gesang insisted on refusing to eat fish.

After playing for a while, we packed up our things and walked towards the hillside. I don't know how many hills we turned over, and finally we lay down under a grassy slope.Gesang said, "I found a rabbit hole ahead. Let's wait for a while. The rabbits will come out after a while. They stay in the hole for a long time."

Lying down, hiding, waiting, aiming, shooting, the prey fell to the ground in the sound of gunfire, and the bullet hole on the forehead was bleeding out. This is what I have done, and it is also what I am most familiar with and love.Now, lying quietly in the grass, I seem to experience the feeling of the past again.

I taught Gesang how to use the resources around him to hide himself subtly, integrate himself with nature, wait, wait until the prey appears, and then pull the trigger at the right time.Once you shoot, you must never miss, because the opponent will not give you a second chance to aim.

Gesang is indeed a natural gunner. Although he is only a teenager, when I told him these things, he listened very carefully and did a good job.The most rare thing is that he can lie there all the time, staring at the front, motionless, like a piece of grass or a stone on the prairie.

With the gun in Gesang's hands, Gesang controlled the life and death of the rabbits.I turned over and took a breath, looking at the white clouds floating in the sky, thinking how much I missed the happy time when I used to wear my beloved sniper rifle in the jungle and hide.Maybe some people feel that the life and training in the army is painful, but in my opinion, it is a kind of incomparable happiness.

I lay on my back on the prairie, feeling very uncomfortable, thinking of Dustpan and them, I felt so uncomfortable that I wanted to cry, only those who love to serve in the army and have served in the army will understand my feelings, and only they will not cry because of me nose and laugh at me.When I was most uncomfortable, I thought of Dahei again. Fortunately, there is still Dahei who can comfort me. Maybe she is watching me from afar.I was thinking about some messy things, suddenly, the gun rang out, I shuddered, and hurriedly asked: "Is it dead?"

I am used to asking "is he dead" instead of "whether he was hit", because a real shooter is killed as soon as he makes a shot, and the prey has only the choice of death, and there is a saying that he can escape if he is not hit.

Gesang was obviously too immature, so he said unconvinced: "It ran away. I clearly saw that it was hit on the hind leg, how could it still run?" I laughed and scolded him: "You are so stupid, hit the head, understand? ?Choose a deadly place to fight. Once you make a shot, you can no longer give the opponent a chance to escape. If you are a fighter, you aimed at your enemy just now. If you don’t kill him, now he has already rushed to grab your throat !"

Although I don't like to show off myself, once I leave the army, I try my best to behave like an ordinary person in reality, but I still can't help but want to teach Gesang a few words.Gesang nodded seriously, and then called himself an idiot. He was very studious, and sometimes he would even ask questions cheekily, especially when it came to things like guns.I suddenly regretted that Gesang was a natural gunslinger material, I don't know if it is right or wrong to teach him this way?

Gesang had already chased the rabbit in the direction where the rabbit was fleeing, and I followed, and found a rabbit hole ahead, and then found several holes not far away. It seems that the three caves of the cunning rabbit that people say are true ah!I don't know which is the real hole, and I don't know which hole the rabbit is hiding in. Gesang is much smarter than me in this regard.He told me: "Fake holes are usually dead holes, and the digging is not deep, so you can find it out once you dig it out." I advised him: "Do rabbits bite people when they are in a hurry? Just dig it out with your hands like this?"

Gesang found a twig, poked it into the hole, poked it twice, and told me: "This is a dead hole." Then he went to poke another hole.While he was doing this, I suddenly felt the grass behind me move. It wasn't the wind blowing, but the wind brought by the prey when it jumped. "Gesang, the rabbit has escaped!"

Gesang hurriedly turned his head to take aim. A rabbit with a broken leg was still running desperately, but it didn't run fast or jump far. The broken leg caused it a lot of trouble.Gesang had a murderous look on his face, and the effort of holding the gun to practice aiming every day was finally not in vain. He pulled the trigger and hit the rabbit in the head.

With a bang, the rabbit rolled in mid-air and fell into the grass.Gesang happily ran over and brought back the prey to show me. Although the bullets were not powerful, the rabbit was small, and its head had been beaten to pieces and bloody.For a cute little animal like a rabbit, I couldn't bear to look any further, so I turned my head.I taught Gesang how to shoot, but at this time, I regretted it from the bottom of my heart. I was really afraid that Gesang would become a powerful killer in the future. His talent for guns is not something ordinary people can have.

The shot was fired, and when he saw the blood, Gesang was aroused to fight even more like a mastiff. He suggested: "Let's go a little further and hunt big game!"

I looked at the sky and said, "No, I've traveled such a long way, if I go any further, I won't be able to go back before dark, and your father will be worried. Besides, it's really not safe, sir. Hei didn't come together, and if something goes wrong, that earthen gun may not be able to protect the two of us."

The prairie is full of dangers, especially when the night comes. Although I am also worried about leopards, bears and so on, I am most worried about the wolves on the prairie at night.Because people only have two hands after all.

Gesang, whose fighting spirit was aroused, walked forward boldly and vigorously. He held the prey in his left hand and carried the earthen shotgun high on his right shoulder. I didn't want to discourage him, so I had to follow him first and then Find a time to persuade him to go back.I was wrong, the time has passed us, but I have not yet perceived the danger that is quietly coming.A pack of wolves has been following us silently for a long time.

Wolves are different from humans. Their unique claw structure can make no sound when walking, and their elusive style makes it impossible to speculate on their whereabouts.I admit that I don't know much about animals like wolves.The wolves are like a group of moving snipers, changing positions while tracking, stalking, tracking, changing positions again, and finally choose a suitable time to strike.

(End of this chapter)