'It is real,' I said. 'I do not know, beyond that, whether or not it occurred ina medicine vision.'
'I have never seen such a beast,' said Grunt.
'They are not indigenous to the Barrens,' I said.
'You think it is now in the Barrens,' said Grunt.
'I am sure of it,' I said. 'And I think, too, that there may be several others,as well.' I did not know what had been the fate of the Kurii who had been withthe mercenary captain, Alfred, of Port Olni. It was possible, of course, thatthey had been destroyed in the attack on his column and the wagon train.
'Are you a hunter?' asked Grunt.
'In my way,' I said.
'The Barrens are large,' said Grunt.
'Do you think the hide is Kaiila?' I asked.
'I obtained it from Dust Legs, who obtained it from Kaiila,' he said. 'Whetheror not it is originally Kaiila, I do not know.'
'I must venture to the country of the Kaiila,' I said. 'To do so, you will haveto pass through Fleer country, and the lands of Sleen and Yellow Knives,' hesaid.
'As far as I know, I have not broken their laws,' I said.
'You are white,' said Grunt. 'You may be attacked at their pleasure, whether ornot you have broken their laws.'
'I understand,' I said.
'You are leaving in the morning?' he asked.
'Yes,' I said.
'You understand the dangers?' he asked.
'I think so,' I said.
'I will accompany you,' he said.
'You need not do so,' I said.
'It is already summer,' said Grunt 'I did not come this far to turn back.'
'You, too, would go eastward, then?' I asked.
'Yes,' he said.
'Is it your intention to go to the land of the Kaiila?' I asked.
'Yes,' said he. 'I have business there. I was there last summer.'
'Have you a bargain to keep?' I asked.
'Yes,' he said, 'and it is important that I keep it. It is important that Imaintain my integrity with these people, that I speak, as it is said, with astraight tongue.'
'When are you to be there?' I asked.
'In Kantasawi,' he said, 'the moon when the plums are red.' This was the moonfollowing the next moon, which is known variously as Takiyuhawi, the moon inwhich the tabuk rut, or Canpasapawi, the moon when the chokecherries are ripe.
'Will this give you time to return to Kailiauk?' I asked. Otherwise he wouldhave to winter in the Barrens. The red savages themselves sometimes found itdifficult to survive the long and severe winters, particularly if the huntingwas poor.
'Two moons will be sufficient to return to Kailiauk,' said Grunt, 'If one doesnot stop for trading.' The two moons he had in mind, as I later learned, wereCanwapegiwi, the moon in which the leaves become brown, and the moon knownvariously as Wayuksapiwi, the Corn-Harvest Moon, or Canwapekasnawi, the moonwhen the wind shakes off the leaves. The autumnal equinox occurs in Canwapegiwi.
'What is important about Kantasawi?' I asked.
'It is the moon during which the Bento herd enters the country of the Kaiila. Itis a time of the gathering of the Kaiila, of great hunts and dances.'
'I would welcome your company,' I said. I did not question him further on thenature of his business with the Kaiila.
'It is then decided,' said Grunt. 'We shall leave, and together in the morning.'
'Good,' I said.
The girls, in their neck shackles, of course, did not know of our decision, norof what might be involved in it. This was appropriate, for they were merelyslaves.
'On the way to the country of the Kaiila, I would like to examine the field ofthe killings, the massacres,' I said.
Grunt looked at me, puzzled.
'I have determinations to make there,' I said.
'It is not far from here,' he said.
'I thought not,' I said.
'It will not be pleasant,' he said.
I nodded. Yet I must determine if Kurii were among the fallen, and, if possible,their number.
'Tonight,' said Grunt, getting up, 'you may use Priscilla, if you wish.'
'No,' I said, 'not tonight.'
15 The Fleer
'Here,' said Grunt, pointing down from the saddle of the lofty kaiila, 'you seethe wagon tracks, the ruts?'
'Yes,' I said. We found them where they had emerged from a small stream. Thetracks were several days old.
'It will not be far now,' he said.
'You have seen the smoke?' I asked. I referred to the slow liftings of smoke,rising from low buttes, behind us and to our left, and before us, and to theright. The distance between the two fires was probably some ten to fifteenpasangs.
'Yes,' said Grunt, 'but its intent is not hostile, as I read it. It is, rather,informational. It is doing little more than marking our passage.'
Such signals are common on the plains, but perhaps not so common as mirrorsignals. The code in mirror signals, conveyed by the pacing and number offlashes, is very similar to that of the smoke signals. The signals,incidentally, are not a substitution cipher, for the languages of the redsavages, not being written languages, in any conventional sense, do not have astandardized alphabet or syllabary. The signals, of which there are some fiftyor sixty, have conventionalized meanings, such as 'We are Kaiila', 'Who areyou? ,' Go back', 'we have counted coup' and 'we are returning to camp'. Thecommon smoke signal is produced by placing greenery, such as branches, leaves orgrass, on a fire. The smoke produced is then regulated in its ascent by theaction of a robe or blanket, the manner of its releasing being a function of theconventions involved. At night such signals can be conveyed by the number andplacement of fires, or by a single fire, alternately revealed and concealed bythe action, again, of a robe or blanket. Other common signaling methods,incidentally, involve such things as the use of dust cast into the air, themovement of robes and the motions imparted to a kaiila.
'I do not care to be under surveillance in this fashion,' I said.
'In a way it is heartening,' said Grunt. 'You see, they are letting you see thatyou are under surveillance. If their intentions were hostile, or immediatelyhostile, they would not be likely to be so open about the matter.'
'That is true,' I admitted.
'As I read the smoke,' he said, 'it is saying that a small party of white men ismoving eastward. The smoke on the right is merely acknowledging the receipt ofthis message.'
'I hope you are right,' I said.
'That would be the customary reading,' said Grunt 'To be sure, the customarymeanings are sometimes rearranged to conceal the true meaning. For example, amessage which commonly means that kailiauk have been sighted may, byprearrangement, be understood to communicate an intention of attack to acollaborative
