'Set a champion against me,' I said. 'I will fight him, and, if successful, eachof the others, in turn.'
'I am Blotanhunka,' said he. 'I will not risk my men in that fashion.'
'It is then all or none,' I said.
'Yes,' said he.
I stepped back, further. 'I am ready,' I said.
'Do not fight,' said Grunt. 'These are Isbu Kaiila, All Comrades. There areseventeen of them. They, each of them, are skilled warriors. All have countedcoup. You would be, doomed.'
'You would fight, would you not?' asked Canka.
'Yes,' I said.
'Tatankasa,' said Canka.
'Red Bull',' translated Grunt 'It would make my heart heavy to have you killed,' said Canka. The kailiauk bullis 'Tatanka. The suffix 'sa' designates the color red, as in 'Mazasa', 'RedMetal', 'Copper. The expression 'Kailiauk' is used by most of the tribes for thekailiauk, which is not an animal native to Earth. The expression 'Pte' designates the kailiauk female, or kailiauk cow. It is also used, colloquially,interestingly, for tire kailiauk in general. This is perhaps because the «Pte» is regarded, in a sense, as the mother of the tribes. It is she, in the finalanalysis, which makes possible their hunting, nomadic life. Like any similarpeoples, the red savages have generally a great reverence and affection for theanimals in their environment. This is particularly true of the animals on whichthey depend for their food. The useless or meaningless slaughter of such wouldbe unthinkable' I am ready to fight,' I said.
'Do not be a fool,' said Grunt.
'I am ready,' I said to Canka.
'There is an alternative,' said Grunt. 'Can't you see? He is waiting.'
'What?' I asked.
'The collar,' said Grunt.
'Never,' I said.
'Please, Tatankasa,' said Canka.
'Please,' said Cuwignaka.
'Please,' said Grunt.
Numbly I unbuckled my sword belt. I wrapped the belt out the sheaths, the swordsheath and the knife sheath, and handed the objects to Grunt. I was disarmed.
Words were spoken. One of the savages, he at the left of Canka, Akihoka, leapedto the ground. Canka threw him a collar. It was tied on my neck.
I regarded Canka. I was his slave.
The hands of Akihoka fastened themselves in the collar of my tunic. I was to bestripped naked before them.
'No,' said Canka.
Another warrior approached me, with thongs and a rawhide rope. Another jerked myhands behind me. I was to be bound, and put on a tether, like the mere animal Inow was, only a slave.
'No,' said Canka.
The warriors then withdrew from me, puzzled, and remounted their lofty beasts.
Canka then turned his kaiila about. He looked over his shoulder at me. 'Followus,' he said.
'Very well,' I said.
'Howo, Winyela,' said Canka to Winyela. He pointed to a place in the grass nearthe left flank of his kaiila.
'Quick,' said Pimples to Winyela. 'Run to the place he has indicated. It is theplace for you to follow his kaiila, the lace of a slave.'
Swiftly Winyela ran to her place beside the kaiila. There she stood with herhead down, submissively.
'Good,' said Pimples.
'Winyela,' said Canka.
She lifted her eyes to his.
'Winyela,' said Canka, again. In this context he was not saying her name so muchas reminding her of what she was.
'Say, 'Ho, Itancanka, ' said Pimples.
'Ho, Itancanka,' said Winyela.
'Good,' said Pimples.
Canka, then, in good humor, set his heels to the flanks of his kaiila and,slowly, the beast walking, took his way from the place. The girl, stripped andbarefoot in the grass, her throat tied in his beaded collar, hurried alongbeside him, taking care to remain exactly in her place.
'I am ruined,' said Grunt.
'You are ruined?' I asked. 'I am a disarmed slave.'
'There is something strange about that,' said Grunt. 'You have not beenstripped, or tied. I do not understand it.'
'Winyela, too,' I said, using her new name, 'has not been tied.' We looked afterthe retreating warriors. Winyela was hurrying along at the left flank of Canka'skaiila, a girl's running place by the beast of her master.
'Have no fear,' said Grunt. 'In the collar of Canka the red-haired beauty willlearn her slavery well.'
'You still have most of your trade goods,' I said.
'And I am among them, Master,' said Pimples. 'Surely I am worth something.'
'Lie on your belly,' said Grunt.
'Yes, Master,' she said, immediately complying. She had spoken withoutpermission.
'The red-haired girl,' said Grunt, looking after the warriors, 'was forMahpiyasapa, civil chief of the Isbu. Last year when I was in the country of theKaiila, he put in an order for such a woman. Such a woman was on his want list,so to speak.'
'Doubtless when Canka returns to the main camp he will surrender her toMahpiyasapa,' I said.
'Do you think so?' asked Grunt.
'No,' I said.
'I am thirsty,' said Cuwignaka, sitting down in the grass. 'And I am faint withhunger.'
These were the first signs of weakness which he had showed. How shamed andfoolish I suddenly felt. How little consideration, how little attention, we hadgiven him.
I hurried to the pack kaiila and fetched from it the water bag. Grunt, from hisown stores, brought forth some dried, pressed biscuits, baked in Kailiauk fromSa-Tarna flour. We watched him eat and drink. We did not feel that his stomachwould be ready yet for the meat of kailiauk. We had some from the Dust Legs. Itwas in sheets, cut almost as thin as paper, dried in the prairie sun, layered ina flat, leather envelope, a parfleche, originally scaled with a seam of hardenedfat. By confessing his need for drink and food before us Cuwignaka had, in hisway, honored us. This was the sort of thing that a Kaiila warrior would belikely to do only among those whom he considered his friends and comrades.
'Meat,' said Cuwignaka.
Grunt and I exchanged glances but, in the end, we fetched Cuwignaka some of thestrips of dried kailiauk meat.
He sat, cross-legged, in the grass, and ate some. 'It is enough,' he said. Hethrust back the remainder to Grunt, who inserted it in the opened parfleche.
'I am now ready to go to the camp,' said Cuwignaka.
'You are in no condition to travel,' I said.
'I am ready,' he said.
'You will ride,' I said.
'I can walk,' he said, rising unsteadily to his feet. He picked up the lance,using it as a staff to maintain his balance.
I began to remove my things from my kaiila, with the exception of the bridle,the saddle and saddle blanket.
'What are you doing?' asked Grunt.
