A thousand deaths by Jack London

“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 coward when I journeyed, a young man

and alone, up the Yukon farther than man had ever been, so far that

I came to another folk, with white faces, who live in a great 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 my

people hath ever been. And I have fought 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 myself. Let my

people speak for me of things 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 know what 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 name now, Negore, the Coward.”

“It is not a good name,” Old Kinoos chuckled.

“Thou dost not understand, Kinoos,” Negore said gently. “But I

shall make thee understand. Know that I was away on the hunt of

the bear, with Kamo-tah, my mother’s son. And Kamo-tah fought with

a great bear. We had no meat for three days, and Kamo-tah was not

strong of arm nor swift of foot. And the great bear crushed him,

so, till his bones cracked like dry sticks. Thus I found him, very

sick and groaning upon the ground. And there was no meat, nor

could I kill aught that the sick man might eat.

“So I said, ‘I will go to Nulato and bring thee food, also strong

men to carry thee to camp.’ And Kamo-tah said, ‘Go thou to Nulato

and get food, but say no word of what has befallen me. And when I

have eaten, and am grown well and strong, I will kill this bear.

Then will I return in honor to Nulato, and no man may laugh and say

Kamo-tah was undone by a bear.’

“So I gave heed to my brother’s words; and when I was come to

Nulato, and the Russian, Ivan, laid the lash of his dog-whip upon

me, I knew I must not fight. For no man knew of Kamo-tah, sick and

groaning and hungry; and did I fight with Ivan, and die, then would

my brother die, too. So it was, Oona, that thou sawest me beaten

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like a dog.

“Then I heard the talk of the shamans and chiefs that the Russians

had brought strange sicknesses upon the people, and killed our men,

and stolen our women, and that the land must be made clean. As I

say, I heard the talk, and I knew it for good talk, and I knew that

in the night the Russians were to be killed. But there was my

brother, Kamo-tah, sick and groaning and with no meat; so I could

not stay and fight with the men and the boys not yet hunters.

“And I took with me meat and fish, and the lash-marks of Ivan, and

I found Kamo-tah no longer groaning, 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 am

here, Negore, 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 must know thee of my own eyes for no

coward.”

Negore made an impatient gesture.

“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 them the way, Negore, even as Old Kinoos showed them the way,

so that they come, unprepared, to where we wait for them, in a

passage up the rocks. Thou knowest the place, where the wall is

broken and high. Then will we destroy them, even Ivan. When they

cling like flies to the wall, and top is no less near than bottom,

our men shall fall upon them from above and either side, with

spears, and arrows, and guns. And the women and children, from

above, shall loosen the great rocks and hurl them down upon them.

It will be a great day, for the Russians will be killed, the land

will be made clean, and Ivan, even Ivan who thrust out my father’s

eyes and laid the lash of his dog-whip upon thee, will be killed.

Like a dog gone mad will he die, his breath crushed out of him

beneath the rocks. And when the fighting begins, 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 woman, Negore’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 warm parkas and strong, 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 woman, Negore,

always thy woman. And I shall make thy life glad for thee, so that

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93

all thy days will be a song and laughter, and thou wilt know the

woman Oona as unlike all other women, for she has journeyed far,

and lived in strange places, and is wise in the ways of men and in

the ways they may be made glad. And in thine old age will she

still make thee glad, and thy memory of her in the days of thy

strength will be sweet, for thou wilt know always that she was ease

to thee, and peace, and rest, and that beyond all women to other

men has she been woman to thee.”

“Even so,” said Negore, and the hunger for her ate at his heart,

and his arms went out for her as a hungry man’s arms might go 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 make talk with the chiefs, so that they may know I am gone to

show the Russians the way.”

“Oh, Negore, my man! my man!” she said to herself, as she watched

him go, but she said it so softly that even Old Kinoos did not

hear, and his ears were over keen, what of his blindness.

Three days later, having with craft ill-concealed his hiding-place,

Negore was dragged forth like a rat and brought before Ivan – “Ivan

the Terrible” he was known by the men who marched at his back.

Negore was armed with a miserable bone-barbed spear, and he kept

his rabbit-skin robe wrapped closely about him, and though the day

was warm he shivered as with an ague. He shook his head that he

did not understand the speech Ivan put at him, and made that he was

very weary and sick, and wished only to sit down and rest, pointing

the while to his stomach in sign of his sickness, and shivering

fiercely. But Ivan had with him a man from Pastolik who talked the

speech of Negore, and many and vain were the questions they asked

him concerning his tribe, till the man from Pastolik, who was

called Karduk, said:

“It is the word of Ivan that thou shalt be lashed till thou diest

if thou dost not speak. And know, strange brother, when I tell