[Illustration]
Turgen was wakened next morning by the cold rushing in through the
chimney of the now dead komelek. He jumped out of bed, revived the
fire, put water to boil for tea and then stepped out of the yurta.
Before him were the mountains enveloped in a thick white-gray fog. He
peered in the direction of the cliff where he expected the rams, but
could see nothing. Anxiously he waited. They must come! The fog must
lift! He had promised the children.
When the rising sun sent its first golden threadlike rays into the sky,
slowly, slowly the fog moved up the mountains. Fearing to miss a moment
Turgen shouted from the door of the yurta: “Tim! Aksa! Get up! It is
time!”
The children scrambled from their beds and still in their bare feet
rushed to join Turgen. With eyes opened wide to miss nothing of the
spectacle, they saw for the first time day break over the mountains.
It was a dazzling sight. And as the mist gave way before the power of
the sun, there were the rams--shadowy silhouettes, then the whole herd
seen sharp and clear.
[Illustration]
The leader was standing in front by himself, with the others ranged
around him. They were posed as for a show.
“Look,” Turgen was saying. “There beside the old fellow is my Lad. See,
he is looking straight at us. I am certain he has told them about us.”
“Oh, they are beautiful!” Aksa exclaimed.
To her, their beauty was enough. But Tim’s thoughts went farther. “I
hope they will always come to this mountain,” he said.
“They will if we care for them and love them,” Turgen assured him.
The three stood without moving, watching as the leader ram signalled to
the herd and led them down the mountain out of sight. Even then they
were reluctant to let the moment go. The rams and the mountain against
the red-gold sky was something to keep forever.
Tim broke the silence, and his voice was a little sad: “Eh, Turgen, I
do want them to live in health so that we can enjoy them if only from
a distance. God save them from hunger and cold and wild beasts and
hunters.”
“So long as I live,” Turgen answered, “they will eat well and be safe
from hunters. But what will become of them after I die? This is my
worry.”
Impulsively Tim caught Turgen by the arm. “Then I will feed and
protect them. I promise you.”
“And I, and I, too!” Aksa exclaimed.
Turgen put his arm around the children. “Wonderful!” he said. “You make
me very happy. Feed the rams, love and protect them. The Good Spirit
will reward you for it, as He has rewarded me.”
Indeed, at that moment Turgen felt himself to be the happiest of men.