So now he walked down to her crude lodge in back of the Four Families’ camp to
do the one thing that seemed even more difficult than the decision to read those
papers. He had to say good-bye.
And so I must get to this man, he told her. He is the only man with
sufficient power to save me and to whom this information will be meaningful. He
might save me only because I do him this service.
She nodded, although she didn’t seem happy. You mean to go alone?
. The very question startled him. I can see no way to do otherwise.
She seemed slightly hurt, but she covered it. Have you ever been down the river
before? Do you know the skills of the canoe? Can you swim?
No, I have never been there, and I have no real knowledge of the canoe, but I
can at least swim.
I have never been down that far, she admitted. My husband, however, had to go
many days now and then to deliver messages and to trade with other medicine men.
The river grows wide and often deep. It took both of us to manage the canoe in
many dangerous parts of the river.
He stared at her. Are you saying that you wish to come along?
This is my world. I was raised in it, and I know it well. You would not have
come this far without me. You will not reach this man without me, either. This I
know, and this you know as well.
But we are talking weeks in the wild, and then a place strange to both of us
and filled with danger. I will probably die, or fail and die, but if I do not
try this I will certainly die. For you, though, it is far more foolish. A
Hyiakutt woman among strange tribes—you know what might happen. The city will be
even worse. Cutthroats, thieves, murderers, violators of women, and women of no
honor. If something happened to me, there would be no one who spoke Hyiakutt.
Even together, you could speak only to me.
There is no one else I would need to speak to, she told him seriously. And if
you die, what happens to me will be of little consequence. Do you not know that
now? Are you blind or so removed from us that you think of us as less than
human?
Her comments both touched and stung him. There is nothing more false than if I
say I do not love you, he responded, feeling suddenly empty, even ill. Yet, do
you not understand what my condition is? I am dead!
That may be true, she responded. It will surely be true if you keep believing
it. Now, though, you must for once turn from yourself, spoiled little boy that
you are, and think of me. I understand your condition well. Until you came, I
had been dead for years.
He felt sudden shame. What she says is the truth, he admitted to himself. I am a
spoiled, self-centered little boy. Never once, other than in sympathy, had he
ever really thought of her side in this. Who would not prefer a sentence of
death to one of a living hell?
You do not have to marry me, she told him. I will come with you in any case.
No, he responded. Let us seek out the medicine man. If we are both in the
Demon’s Lair, then let us be truly one there.
There had been no elaborate ceremony; although Hyiakutt weddings could be
fabulous and complex affairs, all that was truly required was a small ritual
binding to one another by a medicine man who served as witness before the Great
Spirit, Creator of All, and that was it. Arranging for the canoe was more
difficult, although the marriage provided an excuse as long as neither of them
mentioned that the canoe was not likely to be returned.
They finally made their arrangements, then went back to his hogan to gather up
the papers and other documents. It was only then that he remembered the jewel
box and opened it. Cloud Dancer was amazed at the number, size, and beauty of
the pieces.
This was to finance the courier’s journey, he told her. Now it will do the
same for us.
But—it was hers, not ours, she objected. Will it curse us as it did her?
I doubt it. The jewels were intended as a means of payment no matter where in
the world she might travel. I am now her heir because I took on myself her
secrets and her mission. None has a greater right. Here—let us empty this into a
leather pouch for the journey.
Why? The box looks sound.
Perhaps, but we will not take it or most of the papers. The knowledge in the
papers is such that the demons will continue to search until they find them or
until they are certain that they have been destroyed. I had to break her grip on
the case to get it, so there is no way to restore things the way they were, but
there is a way at least to gain more time.
He removed a few sheets from the notebooks. These were not complete but would
support his story should he be doubted. He had carefully selected them for this
purpose and because in no case was it obvious that they were missing. He doubted
that the hunters had a word-for-word catalog of what the courier carried; if
nothing obvious was gone, then they might think they had everything.
Careful not to leave any specific tracks or signs, Hawks and Cloud Dancer
trekked up to the death site, which was still much as he’d left it. Choosing a
particularly secluded area near the body, Hawks opened the case and scattered
the contents around, papers and all. The jewel box he tossed a few meters away.
He had been as careful as possible to remove any fingerprints from the cases; he
wasn’t too certain about the papers, but he doubted the hunters could get much
there. He knew as a trained investigator that if there was an obvious
conclusion, searchers rarely took the time to examine the most minute flaws in a
scenario to discover what was really there. A historian was, after all, a
detective first.
I hope it will look like someone just came through and discovered the body,
then got the case, examined it, threw the papers away because they could not
read them, and took the jewels, he told her. It is a believable scene. If it
remains undiscovered even a few more days, then weather and the forest life will
age them and partly destroy them, lending even more support to my version of
things and covering our tracks still further.
They went back to his place. It was the custom of the Hyiakutt that a newly
married couple go off into the wilderness by themselves for a period of time
after being joined, and he was counting on that to explain his absence.
He had brought very little from his other life, and decided to take only some of
the pencils and paper along with the few items of spare clothing and portable
utensils. She had even less, so they were able to make a blanket-wrapped pack
not too bulky to fit in the canoe. The pack would also serve as a
counterbalance. Cloud Dancer prepared as much food as she could, but clearly
they would have to forage for a large part of their meals. That meant taking at
least a knife, bow, and spear and the all-important flintstone.
She gave her art to the Four Families, saving only a few items, most
particularly two identical headbands of colorful but traditional design. She
gave him one and kept the other. Their preparations finished, they both sat on
his bed, and on impulse he put his arm around her and drew her to him, then
kissed her. She held him even tighter, and things developed from there. It was
the first time they had so much as kissed or held each other close.
Cloud Dancer considered Hawks a brilliant man but totally naive in things
practical, an area in which she excelled. It was, in fact, one thing that made
them a good match. She, however, had little experience in lovemaking, and while
he had been without a woman for a very long time, his schooling in that subject
had come in a far more cosmopolitan environment. She surrendered to him, letting
him take complete control. And then they slept together on the too-small bed of
straw, and both were content.
There was a change in her next morning: She seemed somehow gentler, softer, full
of joy and beauty. And, he realized, he didn’t feel all that bad himself,
considering the circumstances. He knew that whatever happened, he had made the
right choice. He just hoped she had.
Feeling set? he asked her. No second thoughts?
If we died right now, I could feel content, she responded. Is it like
that—every night?
If the two are in love, it can be. Still, we have a long, strenuous journey
ahead. There will be times when we are both too tired.
She laughed. Then we must do it in the mornings. Come. Let us go down and see
how well you manage a canoe.
Not well, it turned out. The small craft was well designed and well built, but
it required not only sure control of the paddles but also delicate weight shifts
to keep everything in balance. Although there was an autumn chill in the morning
air, both completely disrobed to avoid any damage to their precious clothing,
and it was a good thing. They took a number of cold baths that morning and more
than once had to pull an overturned canoe to shore. They were fortunate, they
knew, that the craft was so well designed: at least it did not sink.
One day’s practice for a river as treacherous as the Mississippi was not at all
adequate, but both were aware that their lives were now all risk and that
somewhere a hidden clock was running. They would leave the next day, and she
would captain the boat.
Thunderstorms rumbled through that evening, giving them some cause for concern,
but the next day dawned unnaturally warm and sunny, as was the way with autumn.
They went up to say farewell to the Four Families, trying not to make it seem a
final one. Cloud Dancer was somewhat unnerved to discover that she suddenly had
status and position once again with these families who alone would brave the
winter here while the bulk of the tribe was far to the south. The medicine man
gave the couple some totems and holy paints to ward off the evil spirits and
bless their marriage, and finally they were allowed to go. By this time it was