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In the Voltai
Range bands of hunters, usually from Ar, stalk the larl with the mighty Gorean
spear. Normally they do this in single file and he who leads the file is called
First Spear, for his will be the first spear cast. As soon as he casts his
weapon he throws himself to the ground and covers his body with his shield, as
does each man successively behind him. This allows each man to have a clean cast
at the beast and provides some protection once the spear is thrown."
"The most significant reason, however, becomes clear when the role of the
last man on the file, who is spoken of as Last Spear, is understood."
"Last Spear must remain standing, and if the beast still lives, receive its
charge with only his drawn sword. He does not hurl himself to the ground in
order that he will remain conspicuously in the larl’s field of vision and thus
be the object of its wounded, maddened onslaught. It is thus that, should the
spears miss their mark, he sacrifices his life for his companions who will,
while the larl attacks him, make good their escape. This may seem cruel but in
the long run it tends to be conservative of human life…."
"First Spear is normally the best of the spearmen because if the larl is
not slain or seriously wounded with the first strike, the lives of all, and not
simply that of Last Spear, stand in considerable jeopardy. …Last Spear is
normally the weakest of the spearmen, the least skilled. Whether this is because
Gorean hunting tradition favors the weak, protecting him with the stronger
spears, or tradition scorns the weak, regarding him as the most expendable
member of the party, I do not know. The origin of this hunting practice is lost
in antiquity, being as old perhaps as men and weapons and larls."
Priest-Kings
Pages 19-20
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