heavens.
And when the stars had exploded to dance within the night sky and go
still again, he whispered tenderly against her ear, 'My love, you are
worth it indeed.'
They stayed by the water a little while longer. Whatever came in the
future, Tess knew that she would dream of this place as long as she
lived.
She began to shiver, and he covered her in the doeskin dress once again,
and then he suggested that they return to the tepee in the village.
They slept that night alone together in the teix~ where she had been
taken earlier that day. They slept, having shed their clothing once
again, wound into one another's arms within the warm shelter of an
Apache blanket.
When morning came, they were still together.
During the next few days, they were Nalte's honored guests. They
attended the ceremonies for his sister, Little Flower, and Tess was
amazed to find that she had discovered a strange peace here, living with
the Apache. Nalte spent time with the two of them. Sometimes he ignored
Tess and engaged in long conversations with Jamie in his Apache tongue.
But sometimes he spoke in English, including Tess. Once, when they were
alone, Jamie having gone to join a bunting party, Nalte took it upon
himself to teach her something about the Apache ways.
He explained to her about the Gan,' or Mountain Spirit Dancers. In their
masks, they impersonated the Mountains Spirits. They evoked the power of
the supernaturals to cure illness, drive away evil and bring good
fortune. They assembled in a cave, and under the guidance of a special
Gan shaman, they donned their sacred costumes. They held great power,
and therefore they were obliged to honor severe restrictions.
They were not to recognize friends once they were in their attire, nor
were they to dance incorrectly or to tamper with the sacred costume or
clothing once it had been left within a secret cache. To disobey any of
the restrictions could bring calamity down upon the dancer or his family
or tribe. To disobey could bring about sickness, madness, even death.
'We are a people of ritual,' he told her.
'We celebrate the Holiness Rite and the Ceremonial Relay. For the
Holiness Rite the shaman must go through arduous procedures, imitating
the bear and the snake, and curing the people of the powerful bear and
snake sicknesses.
The Ceremonial Relay tells us of our food supply--game and the harvest
of nature. Runners symbolize the sun and the animals, and the moon and
the plants. If the sun runners win, game will be in plenty for us. If
the moon runners win, then we will feast on the harvest of the plants.'
'You live a good life here,' Tess said.
'I live a good life, yes, but I fear the day when white men come to take
it from me.'
'But surely, here' -- 'They will come, the white men will come. War will
tear apart the mountains, and blood will stain the rivers. It is
inevitable.
But when the time comes, I will remember you, and Slater, and I will
know that all whites are not the same. Yes, it is good here. Now. And
