'Yes,' I said. 'You wish now that only such a slavery was yours.'
'Yes,' she said.
'But it is not,' I said. 'You are a slave in the Barrens.'
'Yes, Master,' she said.
'Tatankasa!' cried Cuwignaka. 'Come quickly!'
I leaped out of the pit.
'There!' cried Cuwignaka, pointing upward. 'One of the Kinyanpi!'
I shaded my eyes.
'It is not a wild tarn,' said Cuwignaka. 'There is something on its back.'
'Yes,' I said.
'It must be a man, bent over,' said Cuwignaka.
'But, why?' I asked.
'He is perhaps trying to conceal that the tarn is not wild,' said Cuwignaka.
'Perhaps he is wounded,' said Hci, fitting an arrow to a bow.
'You are sure you have been seen?' I asked.
'The captured tarn was seen,' said Cuwignaka. 'I am sure of it. The bird changed its direction. Too, by now, doubtless we have been seen.'
'It is circling,' said Hci.
'We cannot hide the caputred tarn,' said Cuwignaka.
'Our plans are foiled. Our hopes are dashed,' said Hci.
'One of the Kinyanpi, having made this determination, having detected our presence in the tarn country,' I said, 'would presumably return to his camp, later to return with others.'
'Why is he still circlin?' asked Cuwignaka.
'I do not know,' I said.
'What is it, Master?' asked Mira. She had emerged, frightened, from the pit. She stood a little behind me, and to my left. I did not strike her. I had not ordered her to remain in the pit.
'We are not sure,' I said.
'I think the bird intends to land,' said Cuwignaka.
'That is incredible,' I said. 'Surely one warrior of the Kinyanpi would not wish to challenge three armed men.'
'It is going to land,' said Cuwignaka. 'I am sure of it.'
'You are right,' I said.
'Why does the warrior not show himself?' asked Hci.
'I can see legs,' said Mira.
'I will go a bit behind the path of the bird's approach,' said Hci, exercising the tension in the small bow he had armed. 'Then when the warrior dismounts he may, if we wish, be easily slain.'
I nodded. A man's shield can protect him in only one plane of attack.
'Why would he land?' asked Cuwignaka.
'I do not know,' I said.
The bird soared towrds us and then, several yards away, turned its wings, braking, and hovered for a moment in the air, its clawd dropping, and then landed.
We closed our eyes, briefly, against the storm of wind and dust which temporarily assulted us.
Mira threw her hand before her mouth and screamed. 'Withdraw,' I told her.
I went forward and seized the guide-ropes, or reins, of the tarn, as the Kinyanpi fashion them, seen clearly to be based on the jaw ropes used generally in the Barrens by the red savages to control kaiila. This suggests that the Kinyanpi had probably domesticated kaiila before tarns and that their domestication of the tarn was achieved independently of white practice, as exemplified, say, by the tarnsmen of such cities as Thentis. The common guidance apparatus for tarns in most cities is an arrangement involving two major rings and six sraps. The one- strap is drawn for ascent, and the four-strap for descent, for example.
'What could have done this?' asked Cuwignaka, in awe.
I heard Mira, a few yards behind us, throwing up in the grass.
'I am not sure,' I said.
Hci came up to join ys, from where he had been crouching down in the grass.
'Aiii,' he muttered.
'What do you think?' asked Cuwignaka.
'Never have I seen anything like this,' said Hci. To be sure it was awesome to contemplate the forces and pressures that could have done it.
The tarn, besides its rude bridle, wore a girth strap.
I glanced back at Mira. She was on her hands and knees in the grass, sick.
She was correct that she had seen legs. The knees were thrust under the girth strap. There were also thighs and a lower abdomen. There was no upper body.
'I do not understand this,' said Cuwignaka, in a whisper.
'Only something from the medicine world could have done this,' said Hci.
I looked up, scanning the sky. Whatever had done this must still be about, somewhere.
'Why has the bird landed?' asked Cuwignaka.
'It is a domestic tarn,' I said. 'Probably it wishes to be freed of the remains of the rider. It saw men.'
'I am uneasy,' said Cuwignaka.
'I, too,' said Hci.
'This is great boon for us,' I said. 'Remove the legs from the girth strap.'
'How is that?' asked Cuwignaka. He and Hci removed the legs from the girth strap and discarded them in the grass. Sleen could find them later.
I patted the tarn on the neck. 'This is a domestic tarn,' I said. 'It is trained. Not only will it be unneccessary to break it but it will be of great use, in a brace harness, in training the two tarns we have already caught.' This is a common method of training new tarns.
'Mira!' I called, sharply.
She ran to me and knelt before me, putting her head to my feet.
'You may be pleased to learn,' I told her, 'that for our purposes we now have tarns enough. It will no longer be necessary, at least at this time, to put you out again on the tether.'
'Thank you, Master!' she cried and, almost uncontrollably, half sobbing, kissed my feet in gratitude.
'Destroy the tarn pit,' I said, 'and address yourself to the task of concealing all signs of our activities here.'
'Yes, Master,' she sad, leaping to her feet.
'And take that tether from your ankle,' I said.
'Yes, Master,' she said, and knelt down on one knee, her hands at the knot.
'We will fetch the kaiila and attach them to the travois,' I said. 'We will take this tarn to our temporary camp.'
'Yes, Tatankasa,' said Cuwignaka.
'We do not wish to remain in the open longer than necessary,' I said.
'No, Tatankasa,' said Hci.
I glanced down at Mira. She was now sitting in the grass, her fingers fighting the knot.
'If you have not finished with your work here before we leave,' I told her, 'follow the travois tracks in the grass back to our temporary camp.'
'Yes, Master,' she sobbed.
'Tonight,' I said, 'after food and woman, losing not time, we shall proceed toward Two Feathers.'
'Good,' said Cuwignaka.
'Our plans proceed,' I said to Hci, 'expeditiously and apace.'
'Splendid,' said he.
'Master!' sobbed the girl.
'What?' I asked.
