Is-A-Man (A J.T. Edson Standalone Western)

by J. T. Edson

  With the stave of the bow at its maximum flex, and arrow held against the tension of the string, Should-Be-A-Boy made certain of her aim. When satisfied, she uncurled the fingers of her right hand and felt the missile being propelled forward. Never had time seemed to be passing so slowly. Her heart was pounding against her ribs so hard she felt sure the pronghorn must hear it and be frightened into taking flight. What was more, the arrow seemed to be travelling in such slow motion it was certain to be detected and evaded long before it arrived.

  Neither eventuality occurred!

  Speeding across the intervening space far more swiftly than the girl’s emotional state led her to assume, the arrow made contact exactly at the position she intended. Passing between the ribs, the vertical sharp pointed head impaled the heart. Giving a bound as it felt the impact, the doe was dying even as it alighted. Its legs crumpled and it toppled on its side to kick spasmodically a few times before becoming still.

  Regardless of the wild elation which flooded through her, the training in archery received by Should-Be-A-Boy had been so thorough it caused her to react instinctively. Without the need for conscious guidance, while bending her legs slightly to crouch almost completely concealed behind the foliage, her right hand reached up to fetch an arrow from the quiver and nock it to the string with the shaft resting on the shallow V where her left thumb encircled the handle of the bow.

  By the time the doe had fallen, with her head raised no higher than was needed to let her keep the animals under observation, Tuinep’ was already making her draw and picking out the next of the herd which she intended to try and take. Waiting to find out what the reaction to the collapse would be, Annie was confident that she could fell it as easily as she had the doe provided they did not take flight. While several yards further away from her place of concealment, her objective was somewhat larger and offered a similar aim at the chest cavity.

  Although Annie realized other of the pronghorns would produce more tender meat, she had no intention of selecting such a one for her next target. Trophy hunting was not the sole province of the white sportsman. Desiring to acquire something with which to give an indication of her ability in the future, she chose the master buck of the herd as best suited for the purpose. His horns were as long and massive as any of their kind she had ever seen, having a length almost equal to that from the tip of the nose to the crown of his head. Not only would they and the skull look most impressive surmounting the coup pole which she would place outside the entrance to her tipi, adding scalps and other indications of her prowess as a warrior which she had no doubt would be forthcoming on being accepted as one, but they would serve as a lasting reminder of her first successful hunt.

  Judging by appearances, Tuinep’ considered she would be able to achieve her ambition. Although the herd buck gave a startled grunt and bounded into the air, he stopped on alighting. Looking all around, because of the position behind the bushes she had taken, he failed to locate the cause of the doe’s collapse. Nor, as the girl was downwind from him, was he given a warning by catching her scent. Having let out startled grunts, the other members of the herd were moving about restlessly and staring at the stricken creature. Then, as their leader gave no sign of taking flight, they resumed their feeding.

  Satisfied it would be all right to do so, Should-Be-A-Boy straightened her legs and eased herself slowly until once more able to draw and line the arrow waiting to be loosed. Before she could attain this, she heard human whoops ringing out. Glancing over her shoulder, she discovered they were originating from further along the top of the cliff down which she had descended, where it made a gentle curve which would allow her and the pronghorns to be seen. On returning her gaze to the front, a surge of anger flooded through her as she saw almost every member of the herd looking towards the source of the sound. The white hairs on their rumps started to erect and flash. At the same time, the acrid warning scent they were emitting was carried to her by the wind.

  While the smell was far from pleasant and she possessed a keen pair of nostrils, the girl paid it not the slightest attention. Her only thoughts, which were not of endearment, were given to the stupidity of her companions. Already disturbed by the doe going down, the herd buck let out an explosive snort which she concluded was a signal to inform the others of what he wanted them to do. Having made it, he twirled and ran with the rest following.

  Even as Annie was thinking of what she would say and do when her companions joined her, she realized all might not be lost. Because of the position from which the commotion had occurred, the pronghorns were cutting across at an angle leading them past her hiding place. What was more, they would be going past much closer to her than they were before.

  There was no time for Should-Be-A-Boy to feel mollified by the discovery!

  Realizing she would still be offered a broadside shot at her objective as he went past, concluding that Ka-Dih was still regarding her favorably, Annie felt sure she would still have a chance of achieving her ambition!

  Already travelling at a very fast pace, the buck led his herd into view!

  Aware of what was needed when shooting at a moving target, the girl turned her bow until she was leading the big buck by a good twenty-five feet. Satisfied she had made sufficient allowance for the various factors involved, still swinging at the waist, she released the string. As the stave vibrated, he heard the sound and put on a spurt which his followers duplicated.

  There was a muffled thud as the arrow connected with hide and flesh!

  Nevertheless, Annie was amazed and even mortified by what she saw!

  Instead of achieving her objective, Should-Be-A-Boy watched the third animal behind him going down as a result of what—but for one thing—would have been a perfect neck shot. Despite hardly being able to believe any animal could be moving at such a speed, she realized she must have underled her intended quarry by at least ten feet and her victim had inadvertently run into the path of the speeding arrow. However, while disappointed at having missed such a prime trophy, she drew some consolation from noticing her victim was a buck of fair dimensions.

  Not that Tuinep’ wasted time in regretting the loss, or giving self congratulation!

  Even as she was arriving at her conclusions, the girl was sliding another arrow from the quiver. Nocking it, she drew and, aiming swiftly yet as carefully as circumstances allowed, she loosed it after the departing herd. Despite the urgency and her desire to make another kill, she had not sent the missile in the hope of procuring an indiscriminate hit. Instead, she had directed it at the buck bringing up the rear of the herd. Flying as directed, the arrow caught him just in front of the left hipbone. Despite the distance it had covered, it still retained sufficient driving power to range forward and down until the head come out at the right side of his neck.

  The elation which Annie felt over having made such an excellent shot changed to disappointment as, in spite of her believing the arrow was well placed, the buck showed no sign of even breaking stride. Knowing he and the others were now beyond any distance at which she could hope to achieve anything further against them, even if she should whistle up her horse and set off in pursuit, she watched in growing amazement as he ran on. Then, after having covered about seventy-five yards, his front legs suddenly gave way. Going down, he rolled over and over in a series of somersaults until halting. When he came to a halt, it was obvious to her that he was dead. To her further gratification, she realized that she had for the second time hit the animal at which she had aimed.

  ‘Which of you started yelling?’ Annie demanded, her tone and demeanor menacing, looking around from her task of eviscerating the second of the pronghorns as the rest of the hunting party rode up.

  ‘I did,’ the elderly man in the lead replied.

  ‘You!’ Should-Be-A-Boy gasped, letting the blood smeared blade of the Green River knife sink until it was dangling by her side instead of being retained in the threatening fashion.

  ‘Yes,’ Feeds Many confirmed. ‘Although th
e chief of the herd started feeding again, he was alert to the danger and would have seen the movement of your bow no matter how carefully you tried to use it. Then, knowing where the danger lay, he would have led them away from you. By shouting, we caused him to go past you at shooting distance.’

  ‘We’ll eat well tonight,’ commented Always Hungry, the youngster who Annie had suspected of causing the disturbance. ‘You have done well, Tuinep’.’

  ‘Very well,’ the tsukup seconded and the others rumbled their excited concurrence. Then his seamed brown face creased in a smile and he went on, ‘Go home, tuivitsi and take the pronghorns to your family that all may know just how well you’ve done.’

  ‘My thanks, naravuh,’ the girl replied, realizing the term employed by Feeds Many had not been a mere slip of the tongue. Trying to keep the pleasure she was experiencing from being obvious and knowing what was expected of a warrior, even a tuivitsi, under such circumstances, she continued, ‘However, the two bucks will be sufficient for that. Keep the doe and may you and your party enjoy as good a hunt as I have had.’

  Twelve – You Did That Well, Tuivitsi

  Despite contemplating with pleasant anticipation the festivities which would celebrate her first successful efforts as a grown up hunter, Annie Singing Bear did not allow it to make her lose the watchfulness she had been taught was essential at all times when travelling. Therefore, as she was riding along, she was constantly gazing about her. No small animal darted away without her noticing it and birds taking flight also drew her attention. Even as recently as that morning, the sight of an armadillo, a raccoon or a few Eastern cottontail rabbits scuttling for cover would have sent her after them. Neither would prairie chickens gathered on their booming grounds, with males indulging in their elaborate courtship antics, nor a flock of considerably smaller bobwhite quail, have been overlooked in the growing urgency of the quest for food.

  Because of her sense of elation, such small creatures no longer aroused any interest in the girl!

  As a reward for her activities earlier in the day, Should-Be-A-Boy had been allowed to take one of the pack horses which the tuinep’ on the training expedition had brought to transport the results of their efforts and it was carrying the two pronghorn bucks lashed to its saddle. With such trophies to display and her elevation to the status of tuivitsi, which would be accepted by everybody on seeing her triumphant return to the village, she felt she could ignore lesser quarry.

  Nevertheless, the sight of a dozen or so whooping cranes on a distant slope was sufficient inducement for Tuinep’ to decide to turn in that direction. Largest of all the birds which came the way of the Pahuraix during the changing seasons of the year, because of their size, comparative rarity and being extremely difficult to take, their flesh was regarded even more highly than that of the smaller sand hill crane, wild turkey, or various kinds of water fowl, hunted by the Nemenuh when available. xxvi Therefore, they were not to be despised by one who had at last been allowed to leave behind the childhood quest for more insignificant creatures. To be able to kill even one of them, in addition to the three pronghorns she had brought down that morning, would add to the acclaim she had already earned.

  Telling herself that Ka-Dih was clearly giving a sign of continuing his favor, Annie also knew she would need as much skill as she had shown when stalking the pronghorns if she was to benefit from it. Never one to shirk a challenge, she started to ride slowly in the direction of the big birds. Satisfied she was still beyond the distance where they might decide she was dangerous and fly off, she kept the packhorse following her blue roan gelding. It was her intention, when closer, to leave both animals in some convenient shelter and complete the stalking on foot.

  Before arriving at the position she had selected for dismounting, Should-Be-A-Boy had her attention distracted. Regardless of her desire to add to the approbation already acquired that day, she did not forget her training. Between studying the cranes, she also kept her surroundings under observation. While doing so, certain marks on the ground caught her eye and, drawing nearer, what she discovered put thoughts of the birds from her mind.

  Swinging from her saddle so as to be able to carry out a closer examination of the tracks which had come to her notice, having acquired considerable skill at reading sign, Tuinep’ drew conclusions she did not care for. They had been made by three horses, one of which was probably being led and carrying a lesser load than the others. The animals and their riders were not in sight, but that offered little inducement for her to relax. From the direction the hoof marks had come and were going away, it seemed likely that the makers were selecting a route by which they could travel without allowing themselves to become too obvious. Furthermore, she estimated they were not very far ahead.

  There were two disturbing factors about the discovery and about her summation!

  Firstly, although the other horse was unshod, the signs proved that one ridden horse and the animal being led had on the pieces of metal which white men and Mexicans were said to consider necessary to attach to the hooves of their mounts, whereas the Nemenuh and the rest of the Indian nations did not.

  Secondly, unless they turned aside, the direction being taken by the riders would lead them to the Pahuraix village!

  Considering the message she had read from the tracks, Should-Be-A-Boy was not enamored of the conclusions which were suggested!

  Over the years, the girl had seen white and Mexican traders accompanied by Indians paying visits to the village. However, they invariably arrived in greater numbers and with either wagons or several pack animals carrying their wares.

  On the other hand, while Tuinep’ could not claim personal contact, she had heard the ‘soldiers’—as her mother described such warriors in the English language they and Annie Wishart employed when together or if wishing to talk privately in the presence of other members of the band—being discussed by braves who could. By all accounts, they frequently made use of Indians of various tribes as well as white men, Mexicans and mixed bloods to scout for them when riding the war trail. Nor did the presence of the led horse rule out the possibility that two of them had been sent with orders to locate her people. No Comanche would need to do so when riding on such a mission, but the pair ahead probably lacked the skills of the Nemenuh and needed to carry provisions to sustain them if their search was expected to be long in duration.

  Deciding that she was getting nowhere by merely standing and wondering what the riders might be up to, Annie was not alarmed by the realization that there was only one way she would be able to satisfy her curiosity. Nor did she experience any disappointment over knowing that doing so would compel her to call off the attempt to collect one or more of the whooping cranes. Rather she was pleased with the latest turn of events. She considered they were proof that Ka-Dih was presenting her with a chance to win acclaim beyond any which would be forthcoming as a result of a successful hunt. If she should be correct about the two men being scouts seeking the village, she would gain far greater approbation by either preventing them from doing so or giving a warning of their presence.

  If circumstances presented her with a choice, because she would be offered an opportunity of counting coup on an enemy, Should-Be-A-Boy concluded she would prefer the former contingency!

  Swinging astride the blue roan gelding, Annie glanced at the pack animal. Because of what it was carrying, she had no desire to leave it behind. A bear, a cougar, or pack of wolves, any of which might be in the vicinity, would be all too willing to obtain such an easy meal as the tethered horse and its burden. After a moment’s thought, she concluded there was nothing as yet to prevent her taking it along. It was sufficiently well trained to follow without fighting the lead rope, or needing any attention, so she could keep it with her until she came into sight of her quarry and was able to form an idea of what kind of opposition she would be facing.

  Riding forward, following the tracks, Tuinep’ alternated between glancing at them and studying the terrain ahead with an even gre
ater care than she had previously shown. After covering about two miles, she received her first sight of the riders. She was still too far off for her to make out more than the basic details, such as the third animal being a loaded packhorse. Noticing each man was carrying a rifle of some sort across his lap, she decided they were an Indian with white hair suggestive of one no longer young and a somewhat taller white man with a similar stocky and thickset build. At such a distance, being aware that the other bands of Nemenuh were not the only ones with that kind of physique, she was unable to see sufficient to even guess at which tribe the former belonged. However, the clothing worn by the latter was more like that she had heard described when warriors were speaking of ‘ride plenties’, rather than the blue colored attire of the soldiers.

  Whoever the pair were, Should-Be-A-Boy soon com eluded she had little to fear from either as far as her presence being discovered was concerned. She was putting to use all she had been taught about such matters to lessen the chance of being detected and, although each glanced behind on a couple of occasions, neither gave any indication of having seen her. Nevertheless, she did not let herself be lulled into a sense of over confidence. Nor, in spite of their lack of vigilance, did her eagerness to count coup for the first time cause her to behave in an impetuous fashion. Having learned the value of patience and planning before taking action whenever possible, she put the precept into practice and considered the ramifications of the situation. As a result of the conclusions she formulated, being satisfied they could not arrive in the vicinity of the village before the following afternoon at the earliest, she decided against moving in to deal with them while the daylight lasted.