Daughter of the Eagle Read Free Page A

limb and more graceful of movement, a girl of the People was a prize for a Head Splitter to capture.
    For all these reasons Long Walker became increasingly apprehensive for Eagle Woman. He could see no way in which he could protect her from the mounting threats to her safety if she persisted in this course of action. That is, he could not protect her from herself.

    He rose from his place of concealment, where he had been watching the girl’s practice, and walked back toward the village. Angry and frustrated, Long Walker tossed a rock at a yapping dog that irritated him. The animal retreated with a yelp. If only all his worries could be banished so easily.
    A young man on horseback was riding through the camp, calling an announcement. Long Walker hurried forward to listen.
    The message was simple. The scouts had discovered a large herd of migrating buffalo moving into the greening area. The medicine man had burned last year’s dry grass at the proper time, and the Moon of Greening had come with the returning herds.
    There would be a great buffalo hunt tomorrow.

4
    Eagle Woman, tense with the excitement of the hunt, held her gray mare in line with the other hunters as they approached the top of the ridge. On her right Long Walker smiled a nervous smile of encouragement at the girl.
    She knew he disapproved of her efforts. He had scarcely bothered to conceal that he had watched her every day at her practice. The knowledge affected the girl with mixed emotions. She was indignant that he should be so presumptuous, yet at the same time she was pleased. It was a good feeling to have a loyal friend such as Walker.
    Eagle Woman tried constantly to reassure herself that this was the only basis for the warm sensation she felt when she thought about him. Of course she had no romantic interest in Long Walker. He was a friend, a good-natured competitor, whose company she enjoyed. Nothing more.
    Besides, he had laughed at her. At the very memory, she gave her glossy braids a toss over her shoulder in indignation. At least Long Walker had had enough insight to refrain from repeating the error.
    She looked straight ahead, a reassuring right hand resting
on the neck of her horse. The animal had been a gift from her father. Cat quick, the mare was called Gray Cat by family and friends. It was descended directly from her grandfather’s First Elk-dog, Lolita, and had much the same appearance and agility, it was said. Eagle had trained the little mare well, and confidence on the part of the girl had resulted in an effective team. The animal thoroughly understood the pursuit of the buffalo. There was no way to teach that. It would either be there or not.
    The riders were now topping the grassy ridge, and Eagle Woman could see the dark shapes of numerous buffalo ahead. The mare’s ears pricked sharply forward at the scent. Eagle Woman balanced carefully, alert lest the mare jump unexpectedly, but the animal remained calm.
    On the left Long Elk, leader of the hunt, signaled forward, and the line moved at a faster walk. The scattered buffalo were becoming alert now. A nervous old cow lifted her head to catch the scent and moved uncertainly back and forth. Her vision was not acute enough to identify the approaching figures. Other animals, previously resting, were lumbering to their feet now, peering confusedly at the approaching hunters.
    A shift in the light breeze suddenly allowed a whiff of human scent to drift in the direction of the herd, and an individual animal here and there started to trot away. Some merely stood and stared, still trying to visually identify the approaching line of hunters.
    Long Elk kneed his horse forward, lance at ready, and the other hunters followed quickly. In the space of a few heartbeats the buffalo herd was running wildly, with the riders gaining rapidly.
    Eagle Woman clutched her short bow and guided the horse forward with her knees, searching for a target. The gray mare, understanding the purpose of