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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

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  Also by

  Buffalo Hunt

  Copyright Page

  1

  Eagle Woman moved gracefully around the dance arena, stepping precisely to the beat of the big dance drum. She had been a warrior sister for three seasons now, a priestess of the Elk-dog Society. Admiring glances from young warriors of the band told her reassuringly that she made a fine appearance as she fulfilled the ceremonial function at the opening of the Warriors’ Dance.

  Her white buckskin dress, with intricate quill work, was of the finest, reflecting her skills and those of her mother. Her glossy hair was parted and braided flawlessly, shining with blue-black highlights like the wing of a crow.

  It was said that her looks were much like those of her grandmother, Tall One, at the same age. The older woman, still handsome in her maturity, was said to have been the most beautiful of her generation. She was the wife of Heads Off, chief of the Southern band of the People, known as the Elk-dog band because of their skill with the horse.

  To that couple had been born two sons of distinction. The younger was now medicine man of the band, skilled in prediction, in healing, and, most of all, with the buffalo. It was said that of all medicine men in the entire tribe, none had stronger buffalo medicine than that of Owl.

  The elder son, called Eagle from his earliest days, was now a respected subchief, one of the most important leaders of his warrior society. That was, in fact, how his daughter had become a warrior sister.

  Eagle Woman enjoyed the ceremony, the pageantry, and the responsibility of the honored office. Besides, there were other advantages. She wished some day to marry and to raise strong warriors and capable women of the People. Yet there had been no suitor that came close to her ideals. A very independent girl, she had preferred competition with the young men rather than romance.

  As children in the Rabbit Society, both sexes received instruction in the use of weapons and in athletic skills. The young daughter of Eagle had been aggressive and talented in her learning. Soon the others were jokingly calling her by her father’s name, adding the feminine “woman.” As names sometimes do, the appellation stuck, and she became Eagle Woman. The girl gloried in the implication and pushed harder to perfect the warrior skills.

  Her masculine pursuits may have frightened away some suitors. Yet others seemed intrigued by her differences, and the persistence of one or two was becoming annoying. It was with some degree of relief, therefore, that Eagle Woman accepted the honor of becoming a warrior sister.

  This position required a vow of chastity, so in effect she could decently sidestep any unwanted proposals. Her reason was the best. Her office in a warrior society forbade such activity.

  There was only a slight gnawing of doubt in the back of her mind. Sometimes in the darkness, in the privacy of her own sleeping robes, Eagle Woman wondered. Was there something wrong with her? She had watched her contemporaries pair off in marriage until no woman her own age remained single. Even one of the other warrior sisters had resigned the honored office to marry.

  Now, at nearly nineteen summers, Eagle Woman was the oldest unmarried woman in the tribe. Basically, however, she was happy with her lot. Her demeanor radiated confidence and satisfaction, which may have only added to her beauty.

  Eagle Woman continued to step around the circle to the beat of the drum and the chant of the song, moving right to left with the other two warrior sisters. She passed her brother, Bobcat, seated at the edge of the arena, and he smiled proudly at her. He was two summers older, mischievous, and teasing, but he was obviously proud of his sister, her position of honor, and her well-recognized reputation for beauty.

  The girl did not return his smile but maintained the stolid dignity of the ceremony. Straight before her and stiffly upright stood the eagle feather in each hand, symbolic of far vision and courage.

  She passed others of her family as she circled. Her grandfather, the chief, sat with Tall One, both now showing the snow of many winters in their hair. The People had prospered under the leadership of Heads Off and the Elk-dog medicine he had brought from his far tribe. There were hardly people alive now who remembered a time before the horse. It was as if the Elk-dog had always been.

  Eagle Woman stepped past the point where her own parents were seated, acknowledging their presence with a glance. Eagle was seated with his left leg extended before him, rather than squatting or sitting cross-legged like most of the People. He had walked with a limp since before Eagle Woman could remember. There had been a stampede during a buffalo hunt, with the young warrior swept away by the frantic animals. Badly injured, he had been missing for six moons, given up for dead. There had been strange circumstances about his rediscovery, but she could not remember. Something to do with her uncle Owl, the medicine man.

  Suddenly Eagle Woman almost jumped, startled by the gaze of a young man at the circle’s edge. She knew him well, had known him all her life. He was Long Walker, son of one of the chiefs of the Elk-dog band. The two children had always been rivals. On the few occasions when Eagle Woman had been bested in athletic skills or proficiency with weapons, her opponent had been this young man. At times she had hated him for his ability. Always he was a relentless competitor, keen and quick, ready to laugh at her discomfiture in defeat.

  Now she read a new expression in the smiling face. His gaze was one of unabashed admiration. The girl was shocked, because she had never thought of him in this way. Long Walker was a rival, a competitor, not a potential romantic figure. She was irritated by his bold stare and shrugged him off with a toss of her raven braids. Outwardly she remained perfectly stoic, still wondering at this turn of events.

  She knew that Long Walker had no wife. That was a matter of some wonderment in the band, too. He was quite eligible. Though still living in his parents’ lodge, he owned many horses in his own right. His lack of interest in marriage had led to whispered speculation as to whether he might choose to be a woman-man. Still, he had not yet started to cross-dress, and he had a good reputation in the hunt.

  Again Eagle Woman was irritated at herself for even wondering. What matter to her if some conceited young warrior wanted a wife or not? It was no concern of hers. She had better things to think about.

  2

  Let it be said, to the credit of Long Walker, that he did not
push his courtship too hard. In fact it may be doubtful that he considered it a courtship at first.

  Perhaps it seemed to both of the young people, as they rediscovered each other, that they were only renewing a childhood friendship.

  Through the Moon of Falling Leaves, the two met frequently for walks in the warm sunny afternoons. They watched the long lines of southbound geese thread across the bright blue of the autumn sky, trumpeting their collective babble of sound.

  The Moon of Madness followed, and then the Moon of Long Nights. During this and the Moon of Snows, there was little opportunity to meet. Sometimes, during one of the long evenings, various families would gather to smoke, visit, and gamble with the plum stones. Then the two rediscovered friends would have an opportunity to talk.

  After the Moon of Hunger, when all things began to stir in the Moon of Awakening, they found more time together. Cold Maker retreated back to his lodge in the icy northern mountains, and it was more pleasant to be outside. They could take long walks again and watch the flight of the geese on their return journey.

  It is true that the things they talked about were the days of learning in the Rabbit Society. They laughed together over incidents of many summers past. They spoke of the stern discipline of their teachers, including Standing Bird, grandfather of the young man, and Long Elk, kinsman of Eagle Woman.

  “Remember when we were supposed to be practicing with the throwing sticks and went swimming instead?”

  The girl nodded, laughing.

  “And Beaver nearly drowned. We pulled him out and pretended that he fell in and we had to save him!”

  The young people would have been surprised if they had known how aware of the entire incident Long Elk had been. He and Standing Bird had privately chuckled over the way the children had handled the crisis. At one point the watching Long Elk had nearly rushed from concealment to rescue the drowning boy. But the other children had acted appropriately, and a lesson had been learned. That, after all, was the purpose of the Rabbit Society.

  The couple would also have been surprised if they had seen the smiles, whispers, and nodding of heads among the women of both families. Both young people were past the usual age of marriage, and it was with a great deal of satisfaction that both sets of parents viewed this developing relationship. There was some degree of relief that the two appeared normal, after all, merely slow in developing the expected interest in homemaking.

  And the choice appeared perfect. The two families had been close for generations. No better match could be imagined.

  Oblivious to all this, the two principal figures continued to enjoy each other’s company, as friends and equals. Their conversations, supposed by all to be romantic interludes, were actually discussions of unromantic things. They talked not only of the past, but of the present. There was certainly more of tribal politics than of courtship in their long talks.

  Both could remember the Big Council after the death of Many Robes. It had been important because of the election of a new Real-chief to preside over the entire tribe. Many Robes had been Real-chief, and a good one, as long as most of the People could remember. He had been very old.

  After his death, the chiefs and subchiefs of the five bands had met at the Big Council to choose his successor. Both Long Walker and Eagle Woman had been at an impressionable age during this period and were aware of the long discussions among the People. At the time it had been boring and tedious. The children would rather have gone out to play. Yet somehow the proceedings had left enough of an impression that they had retained more than average interest.

  Eagle Woman was aware that her grandfather, Heads Off, was for a time considered for the position of Real-chief. His foreign background, though, had eliminated him from nomination. In the end, Black Beaver of the Mountain band and White Antelope of the Red Rocks band had been rejected because of age. The Eastern band, long considered foolish and eccentric, presented no viable candidate, and the office of Real-chief returned to the Northern band of Many Robes. His successor was a dynamic and respected young warrior named Rides-the-Wind for his daring feats on horseback.

  Eagle Woman had been greatly moved, anyway, at the importance of her relative. She had developed an awareness of family which would mean much in her future life.

  Thus she and Long Walker talked of such things, rather than the small talk which would have been expected in such a situation. There was talk of weapons and of the skill of young Stone Breaker. This young man had inherited both his father’s name and his expertise in fashioning flint shards into knives, spear points, arrow heads, and tools.

  They spoke of the warrior societies, now three separate organizations, which had been formed before these young people could remember. Besides the Elk-dog Society, named for its horsemen, there were two others. The Bowstrings traced their existence back to before the horse; they were the original Warrior Society of the People. This was the more politically conservative group, honoring the tradition of the old ways and usually doing their fighting on foot.

  Equally respected, however, was the newest of the warrior groups, the flamboyant Blood Society. This radical, young organization had been ousted completely from the tribe a generation ago, earning its way back only through devotion to tribal loyalty.

  On arrival at manhood, a young man would accompany his elders on a major hunt. If he distinguished himself well in skill and courage, he would be invited to join a warrior society, usually the one of his choosing.

  “Walker,” the girl spoke suddenly, after one of their long discussions, “I want to join a warrior society.”

  “But, you are already in the Elk-dog Society.”

  “No, not as a sister, I mean as a warrior.”

  It was at this precise moment that Long Walker was guilty of an error in judgment so far reaching that it changed the course of the history of the People. The young man could have asked for more information. He could have simply agreed, or approved, or asked why, or any one of a number of other actions.

  But Long Walker did none of these relatively harmless things. He was to regret many times in the coming moons that he had had no more insight. For he did the one thing that would rock the tribal structure to its base and cause him to curse his own stupidity.

  Long Walker laughed.

  3

  It was not at all unusual for a woman of the People to participate in a buffalo hunt. Usually it was some young wife accompanying her husband in a carefree spirit of fun and games. There would be time later to settle down to the care of children and the lodge.

  The People had always been proud of their women. They had a reputation for beauty, but also for athletic ability. Early training in weapons and the hunt was given to both boys and girls. Many of the young women—tall, slender, and long-legged, as the accepted norm—were quite proficient with weapons. It had been only a few winters ago that the women of the band had been instrumental in the defense of the village. The Elk-dog band had been at low fighting strength because of the political trouble with the Blood Society. Their traditional enemy, the Head Splitters, had discovered their weakness and had launched an all-out attack on the winter camp of the Elk-dog band.

  The Head Splitters had also had an opportunity to observe firsthand the effectiveness of the women’s skill with weapons. The wives of the Elk-dog warriors had defended the strip of woods on the flank, counting many honors. Songs and stories recounted the victory and the women’s part in it.

  Women of the People also held higher status than women among some neighboring tribes. They could own property and could speak and vote in the council.

  So it was not unheard of that young Eagle Woman, daughter of Eagle, announced that she would go on the next buffalo hunt. The unusual aspect was unspoken. Only two people knew, at that point, that her motive was more than to have a good time. Only Long Walker and Eagle Woman herself knew that she intended to use this hunt to qualify herself for application to the Elk-dog Society. Long Walker had tried in vain to dissuade her, but his attem
pts only made her angrier and more determined. Aiee, he should never have laughed, he now realized too late.

  Meanwhile Eagle Woman prepared herself for the hunt. She practiced endlessly on her horse, riding swiftly past and thumping a well-aimed arrow into the grass-stuffed skin target at every pass. She had chosen the bow rather than the lance. It required perhaps more balance and dexterity but less brute strength.

  From his place of concealment, Long Walker watched and shook his head in despair. As a user of weapons the girl was good, without question. In his heart he already knew she would succeed in the hunt.

  She must make at least one unassisted buffalo kill. Then she could request induction into the Elk-dog Society. There was the formality of acceptance, but as far as Long Walker knew no qualified warrior had ever been refused. It was an accepted step, a ritual progression into manhood. Manhood? Long Walker shook his head again, frustrated and uncomfortable.

  Perhaps the most distressing thing to Long Walker was his own inability to walk away from it. A season or two ago he would have found the situation uproariously laughable. It would still seem so, if it were any other girl. But now, just as he and the tall daughter of Eagle had rediscovered each other, she had developed this crazy idea of warrior status. Perhaps she had gone mad. Still, her every action was precise, sensible, and efficient—appropriate, at least, to the effort at hand. She was behaving as any normal young man approaching the time of elevation to membership in a warrior society.

  And again, that did not befit a woman of the People. At the age of Eagle Woman, some eighteen summers, most were married. All other unmarried women were busy developing their skills in sewing, cooking, and preparing skins. Most girls far younger than Eagle Woman had started to collect the small items necessary for the time when they would have their own lodges. There would be the small flint knives and scrapers, bone awls for sewing, and perhaps a supply of sewing sinew.

  Many girls also started very young to collect their cooking stones. Skill in choosing and use of the stones was a major factor in developing a reputation as a superior cook.