Free The Scalp Hunters by David Thompson Page A

how were their minds to meet? He pressed his palms to his temple.
    â€œSomething the matter?”
    â€œMy head hurt from too much think.”
    â€œYou try too hard. Things will come to you naturally if you let them. All in good time, as us whites like to say.”
    Dega refused to give up. “How minds meet?”
    â€œOh. When two people who don’t see eye to eye work things out so they do see eye to eye, we call that a meeting of the minds.”
    His despair mounting, Dega almost groaned out loud. Somehow they had gone from minds to eyes and back again. Here he wanted her to be proud of how well he talked, but again and again he became mired in confusion. Part of the problem was that he couldn’t grasp the nuances of the white tongue.
    â€œDon’t look so glum. You’re doing fine. My pa says that when he first met my ma, they had to communicate by sign for the longest time. She picked up his tongue quick, but he had to work hard at learning Shoshone.”
    The mention of sign caused Dega to glance at the Arapaho, who was staring sadly into the flames. Dega imagined he was thinking of the friends he had lost. Dega should feel sympathy, but he felt something else. “Think maybe I learn sign talk quick.”
    â€œI’ll teach you if you want, but it might be better to stick with English until you get that down.”
    Dega looked across the fire, into her eyes. “You like him?”
    â€œWho?”
    Dega nodded at the Arapaho.
    â€œHe’s nice enough,” Evelyn allowed. She remembered the look Dega had given her earlier, and herintuition flared. “Why do you ask? You’re not jealous, are you?”
    â€œWhat be jealous?”
    Evelyn hesitated. He might take it the wrong way. “Jealous is when you like someone and don’t want anyone else to like them.”
    â€œNo. I not jealous.” Dega wasn’t being honest. He had felt a twinge of…something…when she was signing to Plenty Elk. Something he never felt before, something raw and hot and disturbing.
    â€œOh.” Evelyn was disappointed.
    Waku had been listening with keen interest without being obvious he was listening. His wife’s comments had kindled his curiosity. As near as he could make out, though, his son and Evelyn King did not act as he and Tihi did when they courted. If they were in love, they were hiding it, even from themselves. Yet there was no denying the looks they gave each other, usually when the other wasn’t looking. As he saw it, it would be a good while before they grew close enough to contemplate sharing the same lodge—his, or any other.
    From out of the dark came a grunt.
    Evelyn leaped to her feet with her Hawken in her hands. “That was a bear.” She hoped a black bear and not a grizzly. The latter was much more likely to attack.
    Dega rose, too, and notched an arrow to his bow. “Fire keep bear away.”
    â€œNot a griz. Not if it’s hungry enough.”
    Everyone listened and waited in tense expectation. The grunt was repeated, only closer.
    Turning, Evelyn saw a pair of glowing eyes. They were almost on a level with her own. “Don’t anyone do anything rash,” she whispered. “Dega, translate for your mother and sisters.”
    Eager to please her, Dega did.
    Little Miki edged over to Tihi and clasped her arm. “Mother?”
    â€œBe still and it will go away.”
    Plenty Elk stood and faced the bear. Raising his arms above his head, he let out with a loud screech.
    Evelyn jerked the Hawken to her shoulder. She had her thumb on the hammer, ready to curl it back, but the bear wheeled and melted into the darkness with a parting snort. Forgetting herself, she said to the young warrior, “That was a darned fool stunt. You could have gotten us killed.”
    Plenty Elk lowered his arms. ‘Question. What you speak?’
    Leaning the Hawken against her leg, Evelyn signed, ‘You maybe make bear