Liliann backed up a little from him and turned away from their embrace, gazing at the lodge fire where buffalo ribs were roasting over the hot coals, and so caught up was she in her thoughts, she barely noticed how the delicious smell of the meat scented the air.
How was it that she knew First Rider's song? She had first heard him sing it when he had been engaged in healing her father, and then he had sung it again when he had caused the stick to fall out of her eye.
In truth, she didn't know how she was able to sing the unusual words and the song's odd melody. All she had been aware of all those years ago was that when First Rider had sung the first few bars of the song, she had known exactly how to add her own voice to his. Perhaps she could learn melodies and words quickly?
She frowned. No, she knew this wasn't true. She could barely recall the strains and words of much of the church music she had sung in the local cathedral all those years ago in Hungary.
Truly, she had never given the song much thought until now. When First Rider had been attempting to heal her father, it had seemed natural for her to join her voice to his, especially since the fate of her father—whether he were to live or die—had been resting upon First Rider's ability as a medicine man.
Had she been trying to ease First Rider's burden? Yes, this must have been the cause of her ability to sing the unusual song. Just as a man might find an unusual power when tested in battle, so, too, had she found an inner strength to memorize words and melody, strange though the lyrics and tune had been.
Yes, this had to be the cause.
She said, "Me own self thinks I was a-tryin' to ease thy burden…since the fate of me own father had been thrust upon thine own shoulders."
From behind her, First Rider put his arms around her and brought her buttocks in toward him as he leaned down to place a wet kiss upon her neck. He murmured, "It matters not how you know song; ill people get well…when I use song…and you sing it…with me."
"But, it be not me! It be thou doin' the healin'."
She could feel him shaking his head behind her as he said, "Spirit of Sun, the Creator, alone, heals. Not me. Not anyone else. But…Creator works…through you…and me. You…might not notice. But…I see it. You come with me."
"I would be pleased to come with thee, but…"
He began to sway his hips in toward her, then he leaned down to kiss her neck again and said, "We eat ribs, here roasting over fire. Then go to chief's lodge. When return here…make love."
"Aye. Aye, I be wantin' thee in the same way," she replied, adding the motion of her own hips to his. And, she purred, "Ah-h-h, I do love thee, me own husband. I do love thee."
****
And, so began Liliann's initiation into the world of the medicine man's ways of healing the sick.
She knew a little about it, of course. She had, four years ago, often heard the rapid beating of the medicine drum when a medicine man was doing the best he could to heal a person, the beat of the medicine drum being different from the rhythm of the drums used in dances. Back then, she had heard the songs and had seen the dances of the medicine men, but she knew nothing about how they healed; nothing at all.
She had also witnessed phenomenal healing—that of her father and herself. And, there were a few others. But, beyond these few facts, she knew nothing.
She was surprised when, before leaving to attend to the chief's first wife, First Rider drew out his paints and covered first his own face and then hers in long vertical lines as well as smaller streaks, using the color most beloved and sacred to the Creator—red. But, she said not a word.
Looking into her eyes, First Rider seemed to understand her confusion, and he said simply, "Creator guides…my hand. Gather bags there." He pointed to several poles where four different parfleche bags hung. "All needed. Know not…what White Necklace Woman's sickness is. Now come. We go. Follow me."
She did as he instructed and soon found herself entering into Chief Yellow Hawk's lodge. Since she didn't know what to expect, she was surprised when she was warmly welcomed into the chief's lodge by the chief and his two other wives. She had assumed that no one there would wish her to be present, she being a white woman and a foreigner to the medicine man ways. But, this was clearly not so.
Glancing quickly around the lodge, Liliann noticed the chief's other two wives and their seven children seated on the opposite side of the tepee from where the chief's sits-beside-him woman was lying, and Liliann was quick to notice the atmosphere of gloom which haunted the inside of the tepee.
But, First Rider appeared to either not notice the low-spirited ambiance of the environment or he chose to ignore it. As First Rider squatted down at the woman's side, Liliann sat down beside him, but far enough away from him so as to not be in the way.
His first action was to extract his medicine pipe from its bag, along with the tobacco he used to fill the small bowl at theend of his pipe. Then, arising to step to the fire, he took up a coal and lit the tobacco.
Inhaling the smoke from the pipe, he first blew the smoke up to the Creator, and then down to the earth, then to each of the four corners of the world, before he at last began his prayer. But, because he spoke in the Blackfoot language, she could only catch a few of his words.
As soon as the prayer was finished, he passed the pipe to the chief before continuing the healing ceremony. After the chief had smoked and First Rider received the pipe back, he placed it on top of its beautifully beaded buckskin case.
Next, First Rider extracted his paints from one of his bags, and, scooping up a large blob of red paint, he carefully spread it over White Necklace Woman's face and arms. When done, he brought out his medicine drum and mallet from its own parfleche bag and began to beat the drum in the fast pace Liliann had often heard in the Pikuni camp of the past.
Next, he came up to his feet and danced around the woman.
Liliann had rarely observed the dances of a medicine man, they being done within the privacy of the sickened person's lodge. And, she had to admit—but only to herself—how strange the dance appeared. First Rider swung around and around the woman, bending low toward her while his steps were like the prancing of a pony. Then he would straighten, would look up, and yelp. Over and over he repeated this same dance around the woman.
At last, and while still dancing and beating his drum, First Rider began his song, singing it over and over to the fast beat. Liliann didn't know whether to add her voice to his or not, but when First Rider nodded at her, Liliann knew what he was asking and she added her voice to his, and, at the same time, she wished with all her heart for the woman's recovery.
