sbdcsierra Chapter 322 The Eagle Taming Expert of Eagle Village
Chapter 322 The Eagle Taming Expert of Eagle Village
Li Ju'an complained to Uncle Chen, "This isn't training an eagle at all. Before the eagle has even matured, we've already exhausted ourselves."
Uncle Chen also stared wide-eyed at the two men, whose dark circles looked like pandas, and burst into laughter.
As night deepened, the two eagles were surrounded by darkness, their blindfolds tightly restricting their vision. Drowsiness washed over them like a tide, causing them to yawn frequently, their heads nodding gently with their weary rhythm, as if they might drift off to sleep at any moment.
Seeing this, Li Ju'an gently touched the tiger's rump with his toe. The tiger instantly woke up and its tail involuntarily swished, causing the thin hemp rope tied to it to sway gently.
The rope was cleverly connected to a ball of rope suspended in mid-air. As the tiger moved, the ball of rope began to rise and fall. This sudden swaying caused the two eagles, who were already unsteady on their feet, to sway even more, almost falling off the rope. They hurriedly rallied themselves, gripped the swaying rope tightly with their sharp talons, and regained their footing.
A night passed. Li Ju'an fell into a deep sleep, while Uncle Chen lay down fully clothed on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and slept soundly.
Big Tiger glanced at its sleeping master, then raised its dog eyes and stared at the eagle that was still dozing off, nodding its head. Then it fiercely swung its tail.
Big Tiger looked quite melancholy, as if he were saying: How come you guys are even more dog-like than me, a dog?
As dawn broke, the torrential rain subsided, turning into a gentle drizzle. A soft knock broke the silence inside the wooden door of the duty room.
Zhao Pao pushed open the door and came in, carrying with him a bit of the dampness from the rain. He was wearing a slightly worn old-fashioned plastic raincoat, every crease telling a story of past storms. He skillfully took off the hood of the raincoat, and as soon as he stepped into the duty room, his gaze involuntarily fell on the corner.
There, two listless eagles were tied to two hemp ropes, their wings drooping, their eyes revealing a sense of helplessness and sorrow.
Nearby, Li Ju'an and Lao Linyuan and Lao Chen were lying down fully clothed, breathing evenly and deeply, fast asleep, their snores filling the air.
Zhao Pao's gaze continued downwards, and the hunting dogs noticed his arrival, turning their heads to look at him with their intelligent eyes.
Big Tiger, his face full of worry, flicked his tail and tugged at the rope, making it twitch twice. The two eagles on the rope also shook their legs and trembled from side to side.
Zhao Pao was stunned when he saw this, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Li Ju'an! What the hell are you doing?! You can't just mess around with this thing like that?"
His voice was loud and clear, full of energy. His loud shout almost startled Li Ju'an and Old Chen so much they tumbled off the edge of the kang (heated brick bed).
Old Chen's leg jerked, and with a sudden, sharp kick, he landed squarely on Li Ju'an's backside, sending most of Li'an's body tumbling out. Li Ju'an was stunned. He opened his sleepy eyes and said, "What are you doing, training the hawk?"
Zhao Pao from Eagle Village was so angry he almost laughed, let out two cold laughs, and was so angry he could hardly breathe, unable to say a word. He took a few deep breaths before pointing at the eagle, laughing and crying at the same time, and shouted, "Are you two training the eagle? Why didn't you play a couple of tunes and have the hunting dogs dance for the eagle so you two could have some fun?"
The eagle, hearing someone enter, was still somewhat defiant, flapping its wings wildly in a very unruly manner, though it hadn't yet realized the seriousness of the situation.
Li Ju'an said, "That will take seven days."
Zhao Pao sneered and said, "If you keep training eagles like this, even if you train them for seven days, let alone seven months, they still won't obey you. It's no use if you train them to death; they still won't eat the chicken in your hand."
There are no falconers in the Xingan Mountains. Most falconers who know how to train falcons are gathered in the tribes of the nomadic Kazakh people. They have passed down the ancient tradition of hunting with falcons for generations, and this skill flows in their lives like blood.
During the falconry training process of the Kazakh people, a special bond that is hard to describe gradually develops between the hunter and the falcon. The falcon seems to become an indispensable member of the family, and there is a deep affection and trust between them.
Falconry is mostly carried out in the harsh winter, when the earth is covered in snow and the temperature drops to freezing. To ensure that the falcons keep warm and calm, hunters carefully wrap them in soft swaddling clothes, as if protecting young lives.
Besides the Kazakhs, the Naxi people also have a long tradition of falconry, though their methods differ slightly from the Kazakhs'. After capturing a desired falcon, the Naxi begin training it in a unique way. They sew the falcon's eyelids shut, only removing them after several days. This custom is not merely physical restraint, but also a way to temper the falcon's will and spirit.
The Kyrgyz people have also lived with eagles for generations, and their methods of training eagles are unique. They also prefer different breeds of eagles to tame.
In that remote Eagle Village, Zhao Pao and his fellow villagers share the ancient Kyrgyz heritage in their blood. They are a glimmer of light among the stars of that valiant people, their roots deeply embedded in the vast land of the upper reaches of the Yenisei River in southern Siberia, intertwined with the blood of the Di people who migrated north from Ordos. They are known either by the name "Ge Kun" that resounds throughout the grasslands, or by the title "Xiajias" that commands respect in all directions.
Time has passed, and this ancient tribe has migrated and settled in the embrace of the Greater Khingan Mountains. Today, the people of Yingtun no longer adhere to the traditional Kyrgyz way of life. The yurts unique to nomadic peoples have become a warm silhouette in their memories. Like many ordinary hunters, they live in simple mud-brick houses, or even more sturdy brick houses, closely connected to the land.
In terms of diet, they have changed from the past hand-pulled mutton and milk skin to local Xinganling roasted catfish and stewed pheasant soup.
Ranch Captain Wang had once been invited to Eagle Village and took a liking to the beautiful white felt hats on their uniforms. Zhao Pao even gave him one. It was his favorite white felt hat made of wool.
Zhao Pao angrily pushed Li Ju'an aside and said earnestly, "Look at you, you two eagles have been up all night, and you're still very wary. You need to get things moving and get things done."
Li Ju'an quickly brewed a pot of tea for Zhao Pao.
This guy is a skilled falconer, an expert in falconry. Zhao Pao had promised to teach him how to train falcons, and this wasn't the first time he'd done something like this—apprenticeship. When you become an apprentice, it's all about sincerity.
Li Ju'an grinned and stuck close to him, saying, "We still have to wait for the old master to come and see what he does. We can't learn anything by just blindly following along, hearing a few words here and there."
Zhao Pao chuckled coldly. He had long known that Li Ju'an wanted to steal the eagle-training techniques of Yingtun, and he had also seen him chatting and exchanging cigarettes with several eagle handlers from his village. Now that he had brought out two sub-adult eagles, he wanted Zhao Pao to take notice.