The Elk-Dog Heritage Read Online Free PDF Page A

around. Everything was in readiness.
    â€œBadger,” he called, “you will make no move of any kind!”
    â€œOf course, my chief.” The other smiled sarcastically. Heads Off, flanked by Sees Far and Standing Bird, rode slowly forward to meet the strangers. Observing the ritual, the approaching strangers stopped halfway between the two groups and waited. Heads Off and his cortege cautiously rode to a conversational distance and reined their horses to a stop. Beyond the mounted Head Splitters, he could see at the far side of the meadow the women and children of the enemy group as they huddled together. Warriors circled protectively, as in his own band.
    The other chief raised a hand in greeting, using both the spoken and sign languages. Heads Off spoke none of the other’s tongue, but the sign talk was universal. He returned the greeting.
    There followed diplomatic small talk of the weather and hunting. Heads Off stated that the People had just come from the flint quarry, where they had replenished their supply of the stone.
    â€œYes, you will need many weapons,” retorted the other smugly. “Your young men have much to learn.”
    The emissaries of the People gripped weapons hard, but made no move. Any reply was up to their chief. Heads Off, his calm
exterior belying his tension, glanced at Sees Far. It was only to be hoped that that warrior, with his recent family tragedy, could control his emotions. If he were to strike out in anger, a bloody conflict would follow. Sees Far appeared calm and under control. He was a methodical thinker, and the gravity of the moment was clear to him. After all, thought Heads Off grimly, the object of the wrath of Sees Far was actually more within his own band than with the enemy. What a strange situation.
    â€œMy chief,” he signed in answer to the other, “ all men have much to learn.” There was only a trace of a veiled threat.
    The wrinkles around the eyes of the enemy chief tightened just a trifle, and he smiled a hard smile. He had heard of this hair-faced chief of the People, and recognized him by reputation. A calm-appearing but a dangerous man, it was said. This would be a good point to terminate the meeting.
    â€œSo be it,” he signed briefly, “until we meet again!” He turned his horse, exposing his back to the young hair-face with perfect confidence, and rode slowly back toward his own band.
    The People did likewise, and the two groups circled each other warily and parted, continuing their respective directions.

6
    Hunting was good, with warm days and cool nights, and the People prepared much dried meat for the winter. Some was pounded fine, mixed with melted suet, nuts, and berries, and stored in lengths of buffalo intestine in sausage-like rolls.
    Many robes were cured, and skins tanned for the making of garments. During the long warm days of the Moon of Falling Leaves the People prepared the lodges for winter. In the space behind the skin lining of each lodge, normally used for storage, armfuls of dry grass were stuffed as protection against the onslaught of Cold Maker.
    It was a busy time. Even the troublemakers were occupied with hunting and storage of provisions, and the disquiet subsided somewhat. Thus there was a respite from stress within the band. It began to appear that the potential for trouble was lessening. Heads Off was afraid, however, that this was misleading. He knew, and Coyote verified, that the mild weather of the following spring would make the young men restless. Then would come the time of trouble, as they began to flex young muscles in the Moon of Greening Grass. The chief hoped that he would be able to create enough diversion to prevent any major incidents. Perhaps, even, to keep the band moving without permanent camp until after the Sun Dance in the Moon of Roses. That might be worth a try.
    But for now, Sun Boy’s torch grew weaker, and his daily run across the sky grew shorter. Long lines