The fox fell, blood gushing from where thebullet had pierced her chest and seeping into theloose sand, which instantly turned dark brown.Her eyes were still open, gazing at the blue skywith helpless sadness, while two tears stood atthe corners of her eyes. The poor cub stillclutched at her teat, sucking greedily at theblood-stained nipple that yielded no milk.
Beardy was dazed and frightened. “ Heav-en, " he said, putting his head in his hands."What have I done?"
He flopped down on the sand, looking firstat the dead fox and her wailing cub and then atthe gun in his listless hand. All his life he hadthought hunting justified, but today he was be-wildered, wondering if he had done right. Hefelt the desert expanding, squeezing and pressingdown on him. Men were so insignificant here, solonely and helpless.
A man came walking towards them over thedesert. He was coughing as he walked, and in asingle night he had become much older: sandfilled the wrinkles on his face; he had lost his hatand his gray hair was all disheveled; his bent嵌滿了沙塵的眼角流出來，通過蒼黑凸出的顴骨靜靜地淌落在下邊幹渴的沙土上，很快被吸幹了。他垂著頭，默默地跪坐著。驀然。想起了什麼，他的手摸索著，從背兜裏掏出兩隻小狐息，跟地下的那隻放一塊兒，拿起水壺給這三隻嫩弱的失去母親的小生靈喂起水來。
可這三隻小狐患，都不吃他的水，吱吱嘰嘰地啼哭著，拚命向母親的身體爬去。那隻最弱的小患被大的撞倒了，半夭亂掙著四肢翻不過身來。它們各自咬住了一隻奶子，小嘴上沾著血
老沙頭的臉抽搐了一下，驀地站起來，朝大胡子一步步走過去。大胡子一動不動，·木呆呆地站在原地，等候著對方的懲罰。老沙頭離他一步遠站住，鐵青著臉，兩隻眼睛像冰冷的刀刃般盯著對方，一句話不說。猛然，他一把奪過大胡子還握在手中的那杆老獵槍，往膝上一磕，撅成兩截，舉起來向沙漠深處拋過去。同時爆發出野獸般的咆哮和咒罵：“你這該死的老沙妖！一切禍根都是你呀！我真恨你卜··…是誰把你從瓶子裏放出來的！是誰？”body seemed about to fall with the next gust ofwind. But he proceeded with firm steps, follow-ing the track of the fox. Suddenly he stoppedand stood, not believing what he saw, rooted tothe ground, rubbing his old eyes with his sleeves.After a while, he advanced slowly, knelt downbeside the fox and caressed her head with shud-dering hands. With trembling fingers he closedher tearful eyes while two bitter tears rolled fromthe sand-filled corners of his own over the dark,protruding cheekbones on to the dry sand, whichinstantly absorbed them. He knelt there quietly,his head bowed. Remembering something, hefumbled in his bag and produced two fox cubs,which he placed beside the one on the sand, thenbegan to give the three motherless cubs water.
None of them drank. All crawled laborious-ly towards their mother, the weakest falling flatin the struggle, unable to right itself for a longtime. Each took a blood-stained nipple.
Sandy's face twitched. He rose abruptly andwent towards Beardy, who stood there woodenlyawaiting punishment. Sandy halted in front ofhim with a stern face and cold, boring eyes,then grabbed Beardy's gun, broke it on his knee