flooding, bellowing, torrentlike, about that bend in the draw, raced to safety.
We stod in the grass, about a hundred yards from the draw. I kept my hand on my kaiila's neck. It was still trembling. The mass of the animals which, stampeded, had come running through the draw, was now better than a pasang away. Here and there single animals roamed. Some even stopped, lowering their heads to graze.
"Let us return to the draw," said Cuwignaka, mounting up.
I joined him and, slowly, our kaiila at a walk, we returned to the narrow draw. Its floor was torn with the passage of the animals. Many of the hoofprints were six and seven inches deep.
"The animals were probably isolated in the other end of the draw," said Cuwignaka. "Then a bull was cut out and run down the draw, to be felled where we found him."
"Is that likely?" I asked.
"I think so," said Cuwignaka. "Sometimes animals take shelter in a draw, or, running into one, begin to mill, and, for a time, will stay there, sometimes until morning."
"It was a trap," I said.
"Not really," said Cuwignaka. "We were told to unharness the kaiila. We were told to picket them, in effect, at hand."
I nodded.
"No harm was intended to come to us," said Cuwignaka.
We then, on our kaiila, entered the draw, straightening
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ourselves on our kaiila as they descended the sloping entrance between the dirt sides.
"The meat is gone," said Cuwignaka, in a moment. "It is torn apart, destroyed, trampled, scattered."
Here and there I could see pieces of meat, trodden into the dust.
"We could save some of it," I said, "gather it and wash it later, at the camp."
"Leave it for the flies," said Cuwignaka.
"The travois, too, are destroyed," I said.
"Yes," siad Cuwignaka.
The poles were broken and splintered; the cross pieces were shattered; the hides were rent. Bindings and harness were scatered about.
I surveyed the ground floor of the draw, the trampled, half-buried meat, the remains of the travois. Many of the bones even, of the animal on which we had been working were crushed and flung about. The carcass itself, most of it, had been moved several feet and flattened, and lay half sunk in the dust of the draw. The force of even a single kailauk, with its speed and weight, can be a fearful thing. In numbers, it is awsome to contemplate their power.
Cuwignaka dismounted and began to gather in the rawhide bindings and pieces of harness from the shattered travios. They might be used again.
"I will help you," I said. I dismounted, and joined him. Our kaiila, not moving much, stayed close to us.
"The head is there," said Cuwignaka, indicating the head of the beast we had skinned, and had been fleshing.
"Yes" I said.
"When we are finished," said Cuwignaka, "we will take it out of the draw. We will take it up to the surface."
"All right," I said.
"Someone is coming," I said.
We looked down to the bend in the draw. About it, slowly, his kaiila walking, came a single rider.
"It is Hci," said Cuwignaka.
Hci halted his kaiila a few yards from us. He was naked save fr the breechclout and moccasisns. About his neck was the necklace of sleen claws. Across his thighs was a bow. At his left hip was his quiver. His arrows, extracted from their targets, the meat identified, at this time of day, would have been wiped clean of blood, even the lightning grooves inscribed
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in the long shafts. Stains would remain, of course, at the base of some of the feathers.
"Hou, Cuwignaka," said Hci.
"Hou, Hci," said Cuwignaka.
Hci looked about the draw. "You have lost the meat," he said.
"Yes," said Cuwignaka.
"That is not good," said Hci.
"No," said Cuwignaka.
"Your travois, too, have been destroyed," said Hci.
"Yes," said Cuwignaka.
"I told you the herd was too close," said Hci. "I told you to withdraw from this place."
Cuwignaka was furious, but did not speak. We knew that these
We stod in the grass, about a hundred yards from the draw. I kept my hand on my kaiila's neck. It was still trembling. The mass of the animals which, stampeded, had come running through the draw, was now better than a pasang away. Here and there single animals roamed. Some even stopped, lowering their heads to graze.
"Let us return to the draw," said Cuwignaka, mounting up.
I joined him and, slowly, our kaiila at a walk, we returned to the narrow draw. Its floor was torn with the passage of the animals. Many of the hoofprints were six and seven inches deep.
"The animals were probably isolated in the other end of the draw," said Cuwignaka. "Then a bull was cut out and run down the draw, to be felled where we found him."
"Is that likely?" I asked.
"I think so," said Cuwignaka. "Sometimes animals take shelter in a draw, or, running into one, begin to mill, and, for a time, will stay there, sometimes until morning."
"It was a trap," I said.
"Not really," said Cuwignaka. "We were told to unharness the kaiila. We were told to picket them, in effect, at hand."
I nodded.
"No harm was intended to come to us," said Cuwignaka.
We then, on our kaiila, entered the draw, straightening
page 65
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
ourselves on our kaiila as they descended the sloping entrance between the dirt sides.
"The meat is gone," said Cuwignaka, in a moment. "It is torn apart, destroyed, trampled, scattered."
Here and there I could see pieces of meat, trodden into the dust.
"We could save some of it," I said, "gather it and wash it later, at the camp."
"Leave it for the flies," said Cuwignaka.
"The travois, too, are destroyed," I said.
"Yes," siad Cuwignaka.
The poles were broken and splintered; the cross pieces were shattered; the hides were rent. Bindings and harness were scatered about.
I surveyed the ground floor of the draw, the trampled, half-buried meat, the remains of the travois. Many of the bones even, of the animal on which we had been working were crushed and flung about. The carcass itself, most of it, had been moved several feet and flattened, and lay half sunk in the dust of the draw. The force of even a single kailauk, with its speed and weight, can be a fearful thing. In numbers, it is awsome to contemplate their power.
Cuwignaka dismounted and began to gather in the rawhide bindings and pieces of harness from the shattered travios. They might be used again.
"I will help you," I said. I dismounted, and joined him. Our kaiila, not moving much, stayed close to us.
"The head is there," said Cuwignaka, indicating the head of the beast we had skinned, and had been fleshing.
"Yes" I said.
"When we are finished," said Cuwignaka, "we will take it out of the draw. We will take it up to the surface."
"All right," I said.
"Someone is coming," I said.
We looked down to the bend in the draw. About it, slowly, his kaiila walking, came a single rider.
"It is Hci," said Cuwignaka.
Hci halted his kaiila a few yards from us. He was naked save fr the breechclout and moccasisns. About his neck was the necklace of sleen claws. Across his thighs was a bow. At his left hip was his quiver. His arrows, extracted from their targets, the meat identified, at this time of day, would have been wiped clean of blood, even the lightning grooves inscribed
page 66
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
in the long shafts. Stains would remain, of course, at the base of some of the feathers.
"Hou, Cuwignaka," said Hci.
"Hou, Hci," said Cuwignaka.
Hci looked about the draw. "You have lost the meat," he said.
"Yes," said Cuwignaka.
"That is not good," said Hci.
"No," said Cuwignaka.
"Your travois, too, have been destroyed," said Hci.
"Yes," said Cuwignaka.
"I told you the herd was too close," said Hci. "I told you to withdraw from this place."
Cuwignaka was furious, but did not speak. We knew that these
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