words of Hci, to that extent, could be sworn to by Bloketu and Iwoso.
"But you did not listen," said Hci. "You chose, rather, to deliberately disobey a warden of the hung."
"Why did you do this?" asked Cuwignaka.
"Now you have lost the meat," said Hci.
"It is you who have destroyed the meat!" said Cuwignaka. "You have destroyed meat!"
Hci sat quietly on the kaiila. "I could kill you now, both of you," he said, "but I do not choose to do so."
I did not doubt but what Hci spoke the truth. We had only one knife with us, a cutting knife. Hci was mounted, and had his bow.
Hci then, quietly, rode towards us. When he reached our vicinty he stopped his kaiila. He indicated the head of the kailiauk. "That is to be taken out of the draw," he said. "Take it up to the surface."
"I will do so," said Cuwignaka.
Hci then, not hurrying, rode past us and made his way up the draw, some pebbles slipping back, on its slope, from the movement of his kaiila paws.
We finished our work, coiling the rent harness and bindings from the travois. We slung them about our shoulders.
"I must leave the Isbu," said Cuwignaka.
"Why?" I asked.
"I am a shame to my brother," said Cuwignaka.
"This head will be heavy," I said. "If we are going to get it out of the draw, let us do so now."
"Yes," said Cuwignaka. We then, between us, carried the
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head up, out of the draw, and, some fifty yards or so from the draw, placed it on the level.
"Why are we doing this?" I asked.
"The kailiauk is a noble animal," said Cuwignaka. "Let the sun shine upon it."
"This is interesting to me," I said.
"What?" asked Cuwignaka.
"This business," I said.
"What business?" he asked.
"This business about the head," I said. "This was important, apparently, to both you and Hci, that it should be brought up from the draw, that it should be placed on the level, that it should be put, I gather, in the sun."
"Of course," said Cuwignaka.
"IN this, do you not see," I asked, "you are both Kaiila, you not less than he. In the end, you are both of the Isbu."
"But I am a shame to the Isbu," said Cuwignaka.
"How is that?" I asked.
"I have lost meat," he said.
"You did not lose meat," I said. "Hci is the one who lost the meat."
"I guess you are right," said Cuwignaka. "No one, though, will believe it."
"Hci is well known in the camp," I said. "You may be surprised who might believe you, and not him."
"Maybe you are right," smiled Cuwignaka.
"You should not be distressed," I said. "You should be proud."
"Why is that?" asked Cuwignaka.
"You have brought four loads of meat back to the village. I doubt that anyone has done as well."
"That is pretty good, isnt it?" said Cuwignaka.
"It is marvelous," I said.
"But men are stronger then women," said Cuwignaka. "They can cut meat better."
"But the men are needed for the hunt," I said.
"Yes," said Cuwignaka.
"And you are a man," I said.
"Yes," said Cuwignaka. "I am a man."
"Let us get the kaiila now," I said. "It is time to go back to the village."
"Four loads," said Cuwignaka. "That is pretty good, you know,"
"It is marvelous," I assured him.
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"I am ready to go back to the camp now," said Cuwignaka.
"Good," I said.
Chapter 7
BLOKETU AND IWOSO COME VISITING
"He beat me," wailed Winyela, running up to me. "He beat me!"
"You are in the presence of a free man," I said, indicating Cuwignaka.
Swiftly she fell to her knees, and put her red hair to the dust. Her hair, sometimes braided, was now, as usual, unbraided. She, like most other girls, whether of the red savages or not, wore it long and loose. Among the red savages, of course, free women commonly braid their hair. The lack of braiding, thus, usually, draws an additional distraction between slaves and free women of the red savages. The most common distraction, of course, is skin color, the slaves almost always being
"But you did not listen," said Hci. "You chose, rather, to deliberately disobey a warden of the hung."
"Why did you do this?" asked Cuwignaka.
"Now you have lost the meat," said Hci.
"It is you who have destroyed the meat!" said Cuwignaka. "You have destroyed meat!"
Hci sat quietly on the kaiila. "I could kill you now, both of you," he said, "but I do not choose to do so."
I did not doubt but what Hci spoke the truth. We had only one knife with us, a cutting knife. Hci was mounted, and had his bow.
Hci then, quietly, rode towards us. When he reached our vicinty he stopped his kaiila. He indicated the head of the kailiauk. "That is to be taken out of the draw," he said. "Take it up to the surface."
"I will do so," said Cuwignaka.
Hci then, not hurrying, rode past us and made his way up the draw, some pebbles slipping back, on its slope, from the movement of his kaiila paws.
We finished our work, coiling the rent harness and bindings from the travois. We slung them about our shoulders.
"I must leave the Isbu," said Cuwignaka.
"Why?" I asked.
"I am a shame to my brother," said Cuwignaka.
"This head will be heavy," I said. "If we are going to get it out of the draw, let us do so now."
"Yes," said Cuwignaka. We then, between us, carried the
page 67
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
head up, out of the draw, and, some fifty yards or so from the draw, placed it on the level.
"Why are we doing this?" I asked.
"The kailiauk is a noble animal," said Cuwignaka. "Let the sun shine upon it."
"This is interesting to me," I said.
"What?" asked Cuwignaka.
"This business," I said.
"What business?" he asked.
"This business about the head," I said. "This was important, apparently, to both you and Hci, that it should be brought up from the draw, that it should be placed on the level, that it should be put, I gather, in the sun."
"Of course," said Cuwignaka.
"IN this, do you not see," I asked, "you are both Kaiila, you not less than he. In the end, you are both of the Isbu."
"But I am a shame to the Isbu," said Cuwignaka.
"How is that?" I asked.
"I have lost meat," he said.
"You did not lose meat," I said. "Hci is the one who lost the meat."
"I guess you are right," said Cuwignaka. "No one, though, will believe it."
"Hci is well known in the camp," I said. "You may be surprised who might believe you, and not him."
"Maybe you are right," smiled Cuwignaka.
"You should not be distressed," I said. "You should be proud."
"Why is that?" asked Cuwignaka.
"You have brought four loads of meat back to the village. I doubt that anyone has done as well."
"That is pretty good, isnt it?" said Cuwignaka.
"It is marvelous," I said.
"But men are stronger then women," said Cuwignaka. "They can cut meat better."
"But the men are needed for the hunt," I said.
"Yes," said Cuwignaka.
"And you are a man," I said.
"Yes," said Cuwignaka. "I am a man."
"Let us get the kaiila now," I said. "It is time to go back to the village."
"Four loads," said Cuwignaka. "That is pretty good, you know,"
"It is marvelous," I assured him.
page 68
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I am ready to go back to the camp now," said Cuwignaka.
"Good," I said.
Chapter 7
BLOKETU AND IWOSO COME VISITING
"He beat me," wailed Winyela, running up to me. "He beat me!"
"You are in the presence of a free man," I said, indicating Cuwignaka.
Swiftly she fell to her knees, and put her red hair to the dust. Her hair, sometimes braided, was now, as usual, unbraided. She, like most other girls, whether of the red savages or not, wore it long and loose. Among the red savages, of course, free women commonly braid their hair. The lack of braiding, thus, usually, draws an additional distraction between slaves and free women of the red savages. The most common distraction, of course, is skin color, the slaves almost always being
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