The Modern Theory of Instinct 



over the ground and the pools of blood. 

 The Ox becomes aware that this is not his sta- 

 ble; his eyes turn red with terror; he strug- 

 gles; he tries to escape. But an iron ring is 

 there, in the floor, firmly fixed to a stone flag. 

 The man passes the rope through it and 

 hauls. The Ox lowers his head; his muzzle 

 touches the ground. While an assistant 

 keeps him in this position with the rope, the 

 butcher takes a knife with a pointed blade, 

 not at all a formidable knife, hardly larger 

 than the one which I myself carry in my 

 breeches-pocket. For a moment, he feels 

 with his fingers at the back of the animal's 

 neck and then drives in the blade at the 

 chosen spot. The great beast gives a shiver 

 and drops, as though struck by lightning: 

 procumbit humi bos, as we used to say in 

 those days. 



I fled from the place like one possessed. 

 Afterwards, I wondered how it was possible, 

 with a knife almost identical with that which 

 I used for prizing open my walnuts and ta- 

 king the skin off my chestnuts, with that in- 

 significant blade, to kill an Ox and kill him 

 so suddenly. No gaping wound, no blood 

 spilt, not a bellow from the animal. The 

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