Part 10 (1/2)
”Not Ivan,” said Negore, quietly ”Even now is he on our heels, and with him many Russians fresh up from the sea”
Oona rin that Ivan was not dead, but went on: ”In the day I saw thee a coward; in the night, when all ht, even the boys not yet hunters, I saw thee not and knew thee doubly a coward”
”Thou art done? All done?” Negore asked
She nodded her head and looked at hiht to say
”Know then that Negore is no coward,” he said; and his speech was very low and quiet ”Know that when I was yet a boy I journeyed alone down to the place where the Yukon drowns itself in the Great Fog Sea Even to Pastolik I journeyed, and even beyond, into the north, along the rim of the sea This I did when I was a boy, and I was no coward Nor was I cohen I journeyed, a young man and alone, up the Yukon farther than man had ever been, so far that I careat fort and talk speech other than that the Russians talk Also have I killed the great bear of the Tanana country, where no one of ht with the Nuklukyets, and the Kaltags, and the Sticks in far regions, even I, and alone These deeds, whereof no man knows, I speak for s I have done which they know They will not say Negore is a coward”
He finished proudly, and proudly waited
”These be things which happened before I came into the land,” she said, ”and I know not of them Only do I knohat I know, and I know I saw thee lashed like a dog in the day; and in the night, when the great fort flamed red and the men killed and were killed, I saw thee not
Also, thy people do call thee Negore, the Coward It is thy naood name,” Old Kinoos chuckled
”Thou dost not understand, Kinoos,” Negore said gently ”But I shall make thee understand Know that I ay on the hunt of the bear, with Kareat bear We had noof arreat bear crushed him, so, till his bones cracked like dry sticks Thus I found hiround And there was no ht eat
”So I said, 'I will go to Nulato and bring thee food, also strong men to carry thee to caet food, but say no word of what has befallen , I will kill this bear Then will I return in honor to Nulato, and no h and say Kaave heed to my brother's words; and when I was co-whip upon ht For no ry; and did I fight with Ivan, and die, then would my brother die, too So it was, Oona, that thou sawest
”Then I heard the talk of the shae sicknesses upon the people, and killed our men, and stolen our women, and that the land must be ood talk, and I knew that in the night the Russians were to be killed But there wasand with no ht with the men and the boys not yet hunters
”And I took with me meat and fish, and the lash-, but dead Then I went back to Nulato, and, behold, there was no Nulato - only ashes where the great fort had stood, and the bodies of many men And I saw the Russians come up the Yukon in boats, fresh from the sea, many Russians; and I saw Ivan creep forth from where he lay hid and make talk with them And the next day I saw Ivan lead them upon the trail of the tribe Even now are they upon the trail, and I aore, but no coward”
”This is a tale I hear,” said Oona, though her voice was gentler than before ”Kamo-tah is dead and cannot speak for thee, and I know only what I know, and I ore esture
”There be ways and ways,” she added ”Art thou willing to do no less than what Old Kinoos hath done?”
He nodded his head, and waited
”As thou hast said, they seek for us even now, these Russians Show theore, even as Old Kinoos showed them the way, so that they coe up the rocks Thou knowest the place, where the wall is broken and high Then e destroy the like flies to the wall, and top is no less near than bottom, our men shall fall upon theuns And the woreat rocks and hurl thereat day, for the Russians will be killed, the land will be made clean, and Ivan, even Ivan who thrust out -whip upon thee, will be killed Like a dog gone mad will he die, his breath crushed out of hiins, it is for thee, Negore, to crawl secretly away so that thou be not slain”
”Even so,” he answered ”Negore will show them the way And then?”
”And then I shall be thy woore's woman, the brave man's woman And thou shalt hunt meat for me and Old Kinoos, and I shall cook thy food, and sew thee war, and make thee moccasins after the way of my people, which is a better way than thy people's way And as I say, I shall be thy woore, always thy wolad for thee, so that all thy days will be a song and laughter, and thou wilt know the woman Oona as unlike all other woe places, and is wise in the ways of e will she still lad, and thy th will be sweet, for thou wilt knoays that she was ease to thee, and peace, and rest, and that beyond all women to other ore, and the hunger for her ate at his heart, and his aro out for food
”When thou hast shown the way, Negore,” she chided him; but her eyes were soft, and warm, and he knew she looked upon him as woman had never looked before
”It is well”, he said, turning resolutely on his heel ”I go now to one to show the Russians the way”