(i) Steelzer/CrZ/Triumph
The Beast from Gevaudan.
part _one_
There is a lot of written evidence about individual
cases of attacks that occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries when wolves
established a reign of real terror by ceasing to score
livestock and taking on people. But none of these stories
cannot be compared in cruelty with that which tells about the giant
wolf that tormented one of the corners of France and carried away in two seconds
half a year, more than sixty human lives.
This story began in the summer of 1764, when a huge wolf
jumped out onto a lawn in the mountains of Loser province and rushed at
a woman who looked after the herd. Fortunately, she survived, although
and was badly injured, thanks to the fact that, as often
it happens that her bulls, united in the face of a common danger,
They rushed at the wolf and forced the beast to get away.
But the predator apparently tasted human blood, and this
the attack marked the beginning of a dark period in history
remote area of France, which can only be compared to
atrocities committed by man-eating tigers in Kumaon district in
India and the lions known as the man-eaters of Tsavo, who prey in
East Africa inthe beginning of our century.
To the wolf who ran away growling on that warm July day,
carrying away shreds of her clothing in his teeth instead of the victim’s body, it was necessary
take a special place on the dark pages of immortal folk
legends. This animal, which seemed to be enchanted, with
truly diabolical luck escaping pursuit and trap,
went down in history as the Beast of Gevaudan.
At first, they did not attach much importance to the incident, and after
for several weeks it was almost forgotten by the inhabitants of this not very
populated area. The matter took a more serious turn,
when in July near the small village of Abat she died
fifteen year old girl. Her body was partially gnawed
beast.
Then in September 1764, with paralyzing surprise,
followed by three more attacks and three more deaths: one girl and
two boys. They believed that the killer was the same beast, because
all attacks were carried out in the same way: the victim was knocked down
with a swift throw. The wolf is a large animal, and its weight is
flight is enough, especially if the front paws hit the chest,
to knock even a large person to the ground.
This beast usually killed its victims with one bite to the face,
which he then tore into huge and razor-sharp
teeth. If the person did not die immediately, shock and blood loss with
soon completedstarted... By autumn the wolf had perfected his
tactics and added an adult woman to the number of his victims. He was
clearly encouraged by the ease with which he achieved his goal.
By early November, the death toll had reached ten. Gevaudan
terror gripped, and the frightened inhabitants of small villages
felt like we were under siege. The population's anxiety has reached such levels
scale that the government sent there to capture the beast
a detachment of dragoons, under the command of Captain Jacques Duhamel. (By the way,
it was this area of France that saw the most strange and
sinister cases of lycanthropy...)
Unfortunately for the residents, the efforts of the soldiers, who are confident and
smiling, clanking their weapons and shining their gear in the sun,
appeared in Gevaudan in 1764, were doomed to failure, although
they killed almost a hundred wolves in the local forests. In December,
when the dragoons finished their work, the inhabitants were sure that
the danger has been eliminated.
As soon as the detachment left this district, the huge wolf made a new
The attack, moreover, ironically, it happened on Christmas Eve.
Death overtook a 7-year-old boy who was terribly tortured
beast. A few days later the shepherd became the victim, and until the end
year, two girls were mauled and partially eaten by a wolf.
The panic that gripped the population can easily be imagined, and
stories that spread in the area,actively fed the rumor that
the authorities are actually trying to catch not a wolf, but a werewolf,
supernatural creature that can attack with impunity
and kill.
In early January 1765 there were reports of several
new victims, and the church declared war on the beast. The bishop himself
held a prayer service for the safety of residents, but despite everything
spiritual measures, the wolf continued its terror. Over the next few days
he killed several more girls and women, and the fear of him
spread as the beast expanded its zone
activities, visiting all the new villages scattered around.
In mid-January, a huge wolf attacked a group of children,
playing near the village of Vilare, and grabbed the smallest one. But he doesn't
took into account the courage of his friends: three older guys, grabbing
stones and sticks attacked the beast, forced him to abandon the victim and
take flight. Although the wolf bit these little ones
brave men, the life of the youngest child was saved.
For the residents it was a victory and an example to follow. Wolf
however, for some time he was afraid of groups of people, soon he ate
a girl of twelve and a teenager of fourteen. As already
It was noted that the objects of this creature’s eerie activity were in
mainly children and women, but this feature in behavior soon
has changed.
Wasthe end of January, when the wolf apparently decided to change
tactics. A rather scary, but very important incident occurred:
several people who took part were able to give clear and
associated report of the incident and describe the animal in detail. Wolf
attacked three workers in broad daylight. Luckily they had
nerves of iron, and they did not panic.
The struggle continued, as it seemed to the workers, for several
minutes, although in reality it did not last even 30 seconds. People
with frightening screams and curses they tried to pierce the beast
with a pitchfork, and he tried to get to their throats. After a while
the wolf ran away growling, but those who defended themselves did not know exactly
whether they succeeded in wounding him or not.
The lucky trio hurried to the nearest village to
quickly tell about what happened. They informed the authorities that
the wolf was a large adult animal, with coarse reddish fur;
that he attacked in a horizontal position, and then stood up on
reared like a horse and beat with his front paws. Over the next few
days, the wolf showed his vindictiveness - he killed two women and
child.
Those lucky ones who found themselves outside the region, in
which people continued to die from wolf claws and teeth,
showed some skepticism about the fact that all these bloody
the wolf does the work.The majority, of course, attributed everything very
an insidious werewolf, others believed that it was something else
animal.
The dexterity with which the beast carried out its attacks, as well as
his ferocity and ruthlessness suggested
supernatural monster. For several months of terror the wolf
brought such horror to the villages that their residents began to arrange
raids. One of them involved a group of thousands of people. Although in
forests and killed many large wolves, to everyone's disappointment, neither
one did not resemble a cannibal. That all efforts turned out to be
in vain, it became clear in early February, when the next victim
a young guy became a wolf.
He was severely wounded, but survived thanks to his
a dog that defends its owner with incredible courage
attacked the wolf and forced him to abandon his prey. Then, in
mid-March, the monster tore the girl into pieces. And it became
It is obvious that things are taking a serious turn. The news has reached
Paris, and Louis XV ordered action to be taken against the beast from
Gevaudan. The search began for a brave man capable of
outsmart the wolf.
This man turned out to be Philip Doneval, a famous hunter,
who killed over a thousand wolves in Normandy. Having received the king's order,
Doneval immediately went to Gevaudan. His son was with himhelpers and the strongest and most reliable hunting dogs.
And people continued to die. In the spring of 1765 they were bitten to death
several more children, although one of them was saved, but he
died soon from severe wounds. From the end of February to the end of March
at least 14 people died, mostly children and young people
women. The villages were filled with rumors that the beast was the size of a donkey, with
a huge tail and a brown stripe along the body.
Meanwhile, Doneval and his son began to comb the territory and
They have already killed about 20 large wolves, but the ice eater is not among them
it turned out. The peasants' enthusiasm for them soon changed
to evil mistrust.
One strange thing gave a special flavor to all these atrocities.
trait of the wolf, namely the choice of prey. The wolf could almost always
kill a sheep or a cow, but he didn’t do it. He was lying in wait
man and attacked him, although this was associated with enormous
a danger that threatened the wolf himself. This is very strange
circumstance, and it cannot be fully explained with the help
modern knowledge.
Tigers, for example, became cannibals due to hunger - in
mainly because due to the wound they received they could not pursue
their natural prey and were therefore mistaken for people who
they don’t run as fast as antelopes or gazelles ;) But huge
the wolf was driven to cannibalism by something completely different, and the true
incentiveThe motives for his attacks are shrouded in darkness...
The wolf, becoming more and more impudent, one day attacked
equestrian Jumping from the thicket onto the horseman as he approached
place of his ambush, but, having flown out of the saddle, the man was still able
fight back, jump on a horse and escape.
A year has passed since the first attack of this beast, and as if in
To commemorate this anniversary, a wolf killed a girl. Another girl
saved herself by climbing onto a cliff. But her trials were not over:
her parents found her only three days later. By this time
The child's mind was clouded...
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