the party, Hedra
motioned that he heard something. The group came to a quiet halt and they all listened.
The faint sounds of mammoths feeding soon came to their ears.
Hedra motioned them to gather around
him and he began speaking in hushed tones. “Menla, I want you and Cano to move
down and separate a calf from the herd. We will hide on each side of these
trees. You will drive the calf this way; we will kill it as it tries to
escape.”
“Bana, I want you to strike the first
blow, go for the throat and strike deep. We need to bring it down
quickly. The herd will come to the aid of the calf.”
“Moki, it will be your job to have
fire ready to keep them away. Have a small fire on each side of the
trees. When the calf passes, light the fires and then join us in killing
it.”
The plan was a good one and had
worked before with minor variations. The mammoths were predictable. They were
huge and a man alone stood no chance of killing one. The calves were not
only smaller they were also inexperienced. Usually they could be separated from
the herd if the hunters were skillful and they could be surprised. If they survived
youth, they learned that there was safety in the herd. The problems the hunters
faced were how to approach the mammoths without being detected and how to
separate a calf from the herd without being killed.
Hedra, Bana, Moki, and Loki worked
quietly to gather tall grass for their fire. They were out of sight of
the mammoths and there was no wind to carry their scent. There were
tall trees on each side of their ambush site. They piled the dry grass so
that it could be ignited quickly, but also it would serve as a place to hide
until the fire was lit.
In the mean time, Menla and Cano had
moved off to the entrance of the valley where they could see the mammoths
grazing. Cano liked Menla, because not only he was Ceola’s father, but
also because he was treated like an equal when they were together. He was an
effective hunter and understood the way of the woods and animals. When he
talked people listened. If he did not have anything to say, he kept
quiet. Some said he should lead the clan, but he showed no interest in
becoming its leader. He cared for his family and provided for its needs
with a quiet competence. Since his mate Tayla had been killed at the
river, he had lost his ready smile.
“Cano, if we are to separate a calf
from the herd we must be careful.”
Cano knew he was not talking to hear
his own voice. The message was clear, move like a shadow and make no fast
movements or noise.
They crawled through the tall grass
at the edge of the large meadow. It was a large area, which was mostly grass,
but with a few small bushes scattered across it. The herd of mammoths was
at the far end of the valley, almost as far away as a man could see. The
leader appeared to be a huge female. The animals were too far away to be
certain of their sex or their status in the herd. However, the biggest was
usually a female. They were spread out over a large area as they grazed.
Menla motioned Cano to move closer.
Speaking in a whisper he said, “They have poor eyesight, but their long noses
can pickup our scent easily. To get close to them we must not be there.”
Cano looked at him questioningly.
“Are you saying that we must be there, but not be there?”
Menla smiled, “Yes, I’m glad you
understand.”
Cano was bewildered “Understand? I
feel like Loki in a turkey fight. Please tell me how I can be there and
not be there.”
“If we are there and they know we are
there we are in trouble. If we are there and they do not know we are
there, then we are not in trouble. What we must do is to appear not to be
there.”
Cano slowly began to smile and to
understand. “I think I know what we must do, but I’m not quite sure how.”
Menla nodded “Our problem is not with
the mammoths, but with ourselves. We must understand what is to be done, and
then determine how to do
motioned that he heard something. The group came to a quiet halt and they all listened.
The faint sounds of mammoths feeding soon came to their ears.
Hedra motioned them to gather around
him and he began speaking in hushed tones. “Menla, I want you and Cano to move
down and separate a calf from the herd. We will hide on each side of these
trees. You will drive the calf this way; we will kill it as it tries to
escape.”
“Bana, I want you to strike the first
blow, go for the throat and strike deep. We need to bring it down
quickly. The herd will come to the aid of the calf.”
“Moki, it will be your job to have
fire ready to keep them away. Have a small fire on each side of the
trees. When the calf passes, light the fires and then join us in killing
it.”
The plan was a good one and had
worked before with minor variations. The mammoths were predictable. They were
huge and a man alone stood no chance of killing one. The calves were not
only smaller they were also inexperienced. Usually they could be separated from
the herd if the hunters were skillful and they could be surprised. If they survived
youth, they learned that there was safety in the herd. The problems the hunters
faced were how to approach the mammoths without being detected and how to
separate a calf from the herd without being killed.
Hedra, Bana, Moki, and Loki worked
quietly to gather tall grass for their fire. They were out of sight of
the mammoths and there was no wind to carry their scent. There were
tall trees on each side of their ambush site. They piled the dry grass so
that it could be ignited quickly, but also it would serve as a place to hide
until the fire was lit.
In the mean time, Menla and Cano had
moved off to the entrance of the valley where they could see the mammoths
grazing. Cano liked Menla, because not only he was Ceola’s father, but
also because he was treated like an equal when they were together. He was an
effective hunter and understood the way of the woods and animals. When he
talked people listened. If he did not have anything to say, he kept
quiet. Some said he should lead the clan, but he showed no interest in
becoming its leader. He cared for his family and provided for its needs
with a quiet competence. Since his mate Tayla had been killed at the
river, he had lost his ready smile.
“Cano, if we are to separate a calf
from the herd we must be careful.”
Cano knew he was not talking to hear
his own voice. The message was clear, move like a shadow and make no fast
movements or noise.
They crawled through the tall grass
at the edge of the large meadow. It was a large area, which was mostly grass,
but with a few small bushes scattered across it. The herd of mammoths was
at the far end of the valley, almost as far away as a man could see. The
leader appeared to be a huge female. The animals were too far away to be
certain of their sex or their status in the herd. However, the biggest was
usually a female. They were spread out over a large area as they grazed.
Menla motioned Cano to move closer.
Speaking in a whisper he said, “They have poor eyesight, but their long noses
can pickup our scent easily. To get close to them we must not be there.”
Cano looked at him questioningly.
“Are you saying that we must be there, but not be there?”
Menla smiled, “Yes, I’m glad you
understand.”
Cano was bewildered “Understand? I
feel like Loki in a turkey fight. Please tell me how I can be there and
not be there.”
“If we are there and they know we are
there we are in trouble. If we are there and they do not know we are
there, then we are not in trouble. What we must do is to appear not to be
there.”
Cano slowly began to smile and to
understand. “I think I know what we must do, but I’m not quite sure how.”
Menla nodded “Our problem is not with
the mammoths, but with ourselves. We must understand what is to be done, and
then determine how to do
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