Black Devil (Italian: Il diavolo nero) is the fourteenth episode of the third season (The Two Tigers) and the sixty-sixth overall episode of the animated series, Sandokan.
Plot
In Bhutan, Singa (the priest possessed by Suyodhana and locked up in a tower) has starved himself to death. The demon, set free through a crack in the wall, flies out and swoops down on a herd of horses. He then possesses the black stallion that is leading the herd. Our heroes are heading towards the south of China, in the direction of Siam. When, all of a sudden, the earth begins to shake: a herd of wild horses, led by a black stallion, is being chased by a group of horsemen with harsh expressions. Sandokan and the others observe the scene from the top of a hill and see the horsemen as they push the wild herd inside a gorge without any exit. But the black stallion, thanks to sudden jerks and rearing up into the air, frees himself and runs into their direction. He only comes to a halt a few feet away from them. Randi growls as they are all fascinated by the horse’s beauty. The horsemen chase after him determinately, but the stallion takes them off guards with its speed. The journey continues and a couple of hours later our heroes notice the horsemen as they return in a sad state. One of them has even been killed.
Kammamuri feels the horse chasing him, but every times he turns around the horse just disappears. One night, while the others are sleeping, Kammamuri senses the presence of the black stallion. He gets up and heads towards the horse; the black horse seems to strike him. Sandokan and Yanez get up in turn and there’s no sign of Kammamuri. Then he suddenly appears riding the Black Devil, as he has named his horse. But Randi just goes on growling, since he senses the evil that dwells inside the animal.
During their journey towards Siam, they come across a village where the horsemen arrive as well. As soon as they see the stallion, an argument immediately flares up since they want the animal back considering they were the ones who captured the herd. They also accuse our friends of witchcraft since they do not believe that Kammamuri could have ever broken in the horse without some sort of magic. The squabble would have probably gone on for a while if it weren’t for an elderly man who proposes to allow the horse and the boy participate in the Boz-Kashi. This is something similar to polo and rugby, in which the horsemen compete against each other for a goatskin ball full of sand and water. It’s a very violent game, but Sandokan’s team finally wins with Kammamuri in the lead on his Black Devil.
As they draw closer to Siam, our heroes notice the change in landscape, with the jungle getting thicker and thicker – so much so that they are forced to leave their horses behind. They need a big elephant and they are trying to make a bargain with some locals. Kammamuri is unhappy and Sandokan knows the reason why. In fact, when the locals lead the Black Devil away, the animal breaks away from them and returns to Kammamuri. But instead of looking for a pat, the horse tries to bite him and if it weren’t for Randi he probably would have been successful in doing so. Now he’s up against Kammamuri again, and when he is about to beat down on him a gunshot explodes from Marianne’s pistol.
So Black Devil charges Marianne, who shoots once more and the animal then slumps down to the ground. Kammamuri wants to say goodbye to the horse, but with one last outburst Black Devil tries to bite the child who immediately withdraws his hand. They sadly head off towards Siam while a fly is circling around the horse’s body.
Characters
Main
Supporting
- Singa (possessed by Suyodhana)
- Black Devil
- Village Elder
- Kashi
Villains
- Suyodhana (who possesses Singa and Black Devil)
