THE WOOING OF SHE WOLF
And so they trotted into the forest. But She Wolf ran ahead of No Man to
show that she was not afraid of him.
Old One Eye, who was just awake, heard them as they passed up the valley
below his cave. And he said, “that is No Man and he is running with She
Wolf, I do not see why she has accepted the advances of such a weak
good-for-nothing. He will make her do the hunting while he sits in the
cave and scratches on bone.”
She Wolf and No Man trotted steadily for two hours until they had come to
a good hunting ground. And as they ran their noses and ears twitched.
Presently and of one accord they stopped, and She Wolf pointed to a
dense thicket of alders that stood about a pool of a stream. They could
hear the occasional clink of hoofs on submerged stones, and a sound of
cropping and munching.
She Wolf and No Man dropped to the ground, and crawled to the alders and
into them as silently as two serpents. A buck with a fine head was wading
in the midst of the pool and feeding among the lily pads.
There was no way in which She Wolf could get at him with club or spear,
and she had about made up her mind to rush into the pool, on the chance
of striking before he could get away. But it was a poor chance and she
knew it. Still she gathered herself to spring, and just then—twang—she
turned with a snarl, for she had forgotten all about No Man and his bent
stick. No Man was looking innocently at his right hand, and holding the
bow in his left.
“You don’t even know enough to keep still,” said She Wolf angrily, “no
wonder everybody despises you.”
“Look in the pool,” said No Man imperturbably.
The open place that the buck had occupied among the lily pads, was red
and oily with blood. But the buck had gone.
“He went out upon the other side,” said No Man. “Let us follow him.”
So they waded thro’ the pool and the stones clicked under their feet, but
this time it was No Man who went ahead.
Here and there the leaves of the alders were splashed with blood, and
some of the sharp tracks that the buck had made as he leaped were full of
blood.
The track led out of the alders, across a gray marsh and into a thicket
of beechnut bushes and wild raspberries.
Out of the midst of this thicket the buck suddenly sprang, clear to the
hooves, and leaped away. His antlers were laid back on his shoulders and
he made a noise that was between a whimper and a scream.
They came upon him further on in another thicket, but he could not get
up, he could only look at them with his great brown eyes, and tremble.
There was a bunch of blue feathers that seemed to be sprouting from his
side. Every now and then the buck turned his head and licked the feathers
with his rough tongue.
She Wolf was now thoroughly afraid of No Man and she was sorry she had
come into the forest with him. Therefore, to give herself heart she
stepped forward and hit the buck a terrible blow with her club, right
between the eyes.
“Take your knife and cut off some meat,” said No Man, “for it is a good
time to eat.”
She Wolf did what she was told, and for the first time in her life. When
they had eaten as much as they could, No Man said:
“Now, we will go and drink.”
They found a place above the alder pool, where the brook grass was sweet
and soft to lie in, and the brook tinkled clear and cold among the stones.
No Man lay on his belly and drank till he swelled. Presently he rose with
dripping face and mouth.
“When I have drank,” said She Wolf, “I shall sleep as is my custom. But
if you come near me, I will take my club to you.”
“Drink,” said No Man.
She Wolf placed her club and her spear and her knife carefully to one
side, and lay down to drink. When she had finished she started to rise,
pushing against the ground with her hands. But No Man who had possessed
himself secretly of the club, now brought it down on her head so that she
pitched face downward into the stream.
No Man dragged her out and waited patiently for her to recover
consciousness.
After a time she came to, but she was dazed and looked about
uncomprehendingly.
“Which is the stronger of us?” said No Man. Then She Wolf knew that No
Man had struck her, and she sprang at him furiously, her big sharp teeth
flashing, and her lips curling. But her hands were empty and No Man
struck her again with the club.
“They are all alike,” he repeated as she lay for the second time
insensible on the grass. “Some are stronger than others, but no one of
them is so strong as a man.”
As she lay insensible, her lips twitched and she groaned.
“She will not wish to fight with me any more,” said No Man.
She opened her eyes. But they were not the eyes of a woman; they were
those of a frightened animal.
“Which is the stronger of us,” said No Man.
“You are the stronger,” said She Wolf.
And she crawled to his feet, whining and moaning.
“Will you come and live in my cave?” said No Man.
But She Wolf was not yet conquered, and she made a crafty snatch for the
club. Failing in this she flung herself on the ground, for she made sure
No Man would kill her.
“I will show you who is the master,” said No Man.
And he took up the spear and beat her with the handle. But She Wolf did
not scream or cry out. She grunted only and moaned a little, for knowing
that she had found her master, she took a certain pleasure in the blows.
No Man did not stop beating her until he was tired of plying the spear
handle.
For the second time she crawled to his feet whimpering and seeking to
ingratiate herself with him.
“I will go to your cave,” she said.
“That is good talk,” said No Man “and I will not beat you any more
to-day.”
She Wolf whimpered and touched his feet.
“There is a thorn in your foot,” said No Man, and he drew it out for her.
At that tears gushed from She Wolf’s eyes and she sobbed, and it was
because her master had been kind to her.
“This,” said No Man to himself, “is something that I have never seen
before. It may be that I have struck her too hard and that she will die.
And that will be a great trouble for she is very alluring.”
But She Wolf did not die; and she abode with No Man for three days in
that place, and afterward she went with him to his cave, and fawned upon
him.
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