quietly.
The circle was closing more slowly as they neared the horses, though the horses didn’t seem very skittish as yet. Pell continued trying to catch up to his position, trying to walk quietly but feeling as if the horses would s urely be spooked soon. I f by nothing else, simply by the pounding of his heart in his chest.
Suddenly one of the horses looked up! As the hunters slowed their pace even further, the other one looked up as well. The larger one swung its head about nervously, but all the hunters had become stationary. After a bit, the horses resumed their grazing. A small hand wave from Roley started everyone moving in again. Suddenly the horses looked up again—the larger one pranced around the smaller in a little circle. They both bolted toward the opening between Roley and Denit. The two hunters began shouting and waving their arms. Pell began running for his position. He had to close the circle. His absence was making the normally weaker section where the two points came together even more gaping. Roley and Denit successfully turned the horses back. But, as if it were a nightmare come true, now they headed for the hole Pell was supposed to have closed!
Pell ran faster than he thought he had ever run in his life—but it obviously wasn’t going to be fast enough! He felt terror detonate, as if he were running away from one of the night cats, rather than toward his own prey. The horses were going to get away and they were going to do it through the hole he had left while daydreaming! In desperation he skipped a step and hurled his spear. It was wide! With a sick sensation he saw his spear fly straight and true toward Tando, no it was going to be short!
No! The spear skipped off the ground and flew into Tando’s running feet. Pell saw as in slow motion, Tando’s arms flying out as he fell. Then Tando struck the ground, hard . The horses pounded away. Pell stumbled to a stop.
With great dread and a pounding heart he walked toward where Tando lay, praying to all the spirits that Tando would bounce back to his feet and say he was OK. But Pell could already tell that that wasn’t going to happen. Pell noticed that his own hands were trembling; in fact his whole body was shaking like an animal in its death throes. Suddenly and desperately, Pell’s bladder was full and he had to urinate—then there was a spasm in his crotch and a warm feeling spread down the inside of his thigh.
As Pell neared the group around Tando, he felt as if he were walking in a dream. He saw the hunters turning intermittently to look at him as he approached. Their countenances seemed to Pell much like the Evil Spirit masks that some of the healers wore at summer gatherings. He heard the word “Pell” repeatedly but seemed unable to understand what else was being said. Pell’s ears rung, his head felt light and his knees felt weak. He looked at Tando’s legs and, with relief, saw no blood or other sign of injury—then he realized that Tando was holding his left wrist… It was deformed. It was bent back at an angle.
Tando was white as the chalk of the Cliff .
Pell swayed, wondering momentarily if he was going to be able to keep his feet. Roley solved that problem by taking one quick stride and cuffing him to the ground. The blow which the mighty Roley delivered in an almost offhand way to the side of Pell’s head demonstrated once again the frightening physical power that made Roley their leader.
Roley stood furiously over the semiconscious, but nonetheless cowering, Pell, “First you daydream and get out of position! Then you rush to get back into position and frighten the horses! Then… then, you break the most important rule of the hunt. Over and over I say ‘Don’t throw your spear towards other hunters!’ Of course, you miss! E veryone knows you can’t hit anything ! But somehow you do manage to hit Tando ! I declare you ginja! Ginja forever! We’ve kept you in the tribe out of respect for your mother and your
The circle was closing more slowly as they neared the horses, though the horses didn’t seem very skittish as yet. Pell continued trying to catch up to his position, trying to walk quietly but feeling as if the horses would s urely be spooked soon. I f by nothing else, simply by the pounding of his heart in his chest.
Suddenly one of the horses looked up! As the hunters slowed their pace even further, the other one looked up as well. The larger one swung its head about nervously, but all the hunters had become stationary. After a bit, the horses resumed their grazing. A small hand wave from Roley started everyone moving in again. Suddenly the horses looked up again—the larger one pranced around the smaller in a little circle. They both bolted toward the opening between Roley and Denit. The two hunters began shouting and waving their arms. Pell began running for his position. He had to close the circle. His absence was making the normally weaker section where the two points came together even more gaping. Roley and Denit successfully turned the horses back. But, as if it were a nightmare come true, now they headed for the hole Pell was supposed to have closed!
Pell ran faster than he thought he had ever run in his life—but it obviously wasn’t going to be fast enough! He felt terror detonate, as if he were running away from one of the night cats, rather than toward his own prey. The horses were going to get away and they were going to do it through the hole he had left while daydreaming! In desperation he skipped a step and hurled his spear. It was wide! With a sick sensation he saw his spear fly straight and true toward Tando, no it was going to be short!
No! The spear skipped off the ground and flew into Tando’s running feet. Pell saw as in slow motion, Tando’s arms flying out as he fell. Then Tando struck the ground, hard . The horses pounded away. Pell stumbled to a stop.
With great dread and a pounding heart he walked toward where Tando lay, praying to all the spirits that Tando would bounce back to his feet and say he was OK. But Pell could already tell that that wasn’t going to happen. Pell noticed that his own hands were trembling; in fact his whole body was shaking like an animal in its death throes. Suddenly and desperately, Pell’s bladder was full and he had to urinate—then there was a spasm in his crotch and a warm feeling spread down the inside of his thigh.
As Pell neared the group around Tando, he felt as if he were walking in a dream. He saw the hunters turning intermittently to look at him as he approached. Their countenances seemed to Pell much like the Evil Spirit masks that some of the healers wore at summer gatherings. He heard the word “Pell” repeatedly but seemed unable to understand what else was being said. Pell’s ears rung, his head felt light and his knees felt weak. He looked at Tando’s legs and, with relief, saw no blood or other sign of injury—then he realized that Tando was holding his left wrist… It was deformed. It was bent back at an angle.
Tando was white as the chalk of the Cliff .
Pell swayed, wondering momentarily if he was going to be able to keep his feet. Roley solved that problem by taking one quick stride and cuffing him to the ground. The blow which the mighty Roley delivered in an almost offhand way to the side of Pell’s head demonstrated once again the frightening physical power that made Roley their leader.
Roley stood furiously over the semiconscious, but nonetheless cowering, Pell, “First you daydream and get out of position! Then you rush to get back into position and frighten the horses! Then… then, you break the most important rule of the hunt. Over and over I say ‘Don’t throw your spear towards other hunters!’ Of course, you miss! E veryone knows you can’t hit anything ! But somehow you do manage to hit Tando ! I declare you ginja! Ginja forever! We’ve kept you in the tribe out of respect for your mother and your
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