At last, they both stopped their chanting, and they gazed at one another, neither acknowledging nor saying any words at all. And, had he the means to speak her language, he would have told her how precious her help had been this night. As it was, he gave his drum and mallet to her, saying only, "Safe…keep…them…for me."
It was an honor he was bestowing upon her, but he didn't know how to convey the meaning of what he'd said, and so he merely smiled at her.
When she nodded, he gave her another grin, then turned around and waded through the water back to the white man. He began his song once again, hearing her sacred echo of it, and then he placed his hand palm down over the injury, but not touching it, and, using a circular and pulling motion, he sang and he sang to Sun, the Creator.
Because his eyes were closed, he didn't see how it happened; he only knew what had taken place because the object jumped suddenly up into his palm as though it were attracted there. Quickly, he placed his fingers around the bullet, and, in relief, he sighed. Then, bringing up his hand, he spread his palm open.
There it sat: the bullet. It was bloody and black, as would be expected, but it was now inhispalm, not within the white man's body.
But, the wound was now openly bleeding, and, taking handfuls of the healing water, First Rider let the water take away the "evil spirit" of the bullet, as well as the "bad wishes" of the one who had shot the man, Henrik.
Turning slightly around, First Rider motioned to the girl to come forward. She did so, and as soon as she had come in close to him, he asked, "Strip…of…skin…deer. Need…now. You…can get?"
"I will try. Could thee use my petticoat as a bandage instead?" she asked, raising her skirt slightly to show him.
He shook his head. Only now did he see she wasn't wearing his shirt and leggings. "Skin…only." He was about to turn back toward the white man when a thought occurred to him, and, stretching out his arm toward the girl, he opened his palm and showed her the bullet.
"Yes, sir," she said. "I saw what thee did. It was as if thy palm pulled up the bullet." And, then she cried.
Reaching out, First Rider caught hold of her hand and, turning his palm upside down, let the bullet fall into her hand. He said, "You…keep. You…helped. Good…omen…this. You keep."
"I will," she said, her lips shaking as she spoke. "I will get thee a skin of the deer, also. Thank thee." And, then she cried again and was gone.
First Rider watched the young girl as she stood up to her feet and sprinted toward the only other woman in camp—Matsowá'p. Because he knew Matsowá'p was wise in many ways, he felt assured he would soon have the skin he required to help stop the flow of blood.
She was a pretty girl, this daughter of the white man, and someday, he thought, she might make some man a good wife. He, however, did not include himself in the role. He was already in love with the beautiful daughter of Chief Flying Hawk.
Turning back to the white man, First Rider continued his vigil to cleanse the wound, and, using pressure, he brought the two sides of the wound closer and closer together. And, all the while, he sang the healing songs, the ones he had heard so long ago.
****
"What do you mean, your people are on the move to come here?" asked Czanna of Stands Strong.
"Did you not see the scout on the hill waving his blanket?"
"Ah…no, I did not," she answered him. "There was a scout, other than you or my brother, on a hill?"
"Áa,over there"—he pointed—"and he was waving his blanket, telling me our people are on their way to Fort Benton toengage in trade. A fireboat is expected there in less than a few movements of the sun, bringing many new trade items to the people. My people are, perhaps, two, maybe three suns south of us."
"He said all of this with his blanket?"
"He did."
"Oh" was her only response. But, after a moment, she asked, "By 'sun,' I assume you mean a day?"
"Áa,I do."
"And, by 'fireboat' you must be talking about a steamship?"
"Áa."
"So, I will be meeting your people after all." She paused for a moment in thought. "I must remember to thank the good Lord about your having the wisdom to not enter into our treaty yet. Otherwise, I fear I would be inclined to take the same steamboat away from here, and then, I fear, all I have been charged to do here would be lost. I bow again to your good sense."
He smiled at her. "I know my people, and I know this, my country. Were I in your own country, you would be wise, while I would be unknowing."
"Yes, perhaps, though I doubt it." She sighed. "You are wise in so many ways I do not understand. Even if we were in my country, I think you would still be sensible and aware of many aspects about the environment that would have escaped my notice. And, this is another reason why I seek to have your alliance."
His response to her words was to merely smile at her.
