Free Nakoa's Woman by Gayle Rogers Page A

hair,” Atsitsi observed. “Much red.” She looked deeply depressed. “Body—face—all nice.” Suddenly she brightened. “Nitanna better. Nitanna more beautiful.”
    “Tell me of Nitanna.”
    “Nakoa’s woman. Most beautiful woman in Blackfoot nation. White woman nothing by Nitanna! Nakoa love Nitanna and marry her in moon of Sun Dance. She come with Kainah then. She daughter of Kainah head chief.”
    “How nice for both of them.”
    “Not nice for you. Then you go to Siksikai.”
    “I don’t want to talk about it.”
    “By damn—there Anatsa!” Atsitsi had picked up the water paunches and now she quickly put them down. “I no want to go now. I not see Anatsa for long time and now I look.” She was staring at the young girl who had started to bathe by herself in a quiet and secluded cove of the river.
    “What are you staring at?” Maria asked crossly.
    The girl in the cove left the water and for a moment revealed herself to them. She was piteously frail and thin.
    “See?” said Atsitsi.
    “See what?” Maria asked impatiently.
    “No woman! No titty! Nothing!”
    “You old fool. She is just thin. Look, she is putting on her dress. Now, can we go?”
    “See closer. Wait until she pass.” Atsitsi settled her great hulk and waited for the Indian girl to walk by.
    “Do you want to carry the wood back or the water?” Maria asked her.
    “Paunches. They don’t scratch.”
    “Where do the men bathe?” Maria asked.
    “Here. In afternoon. You want to hide in bush to peep at Nakoa?”
    “Please! Be quiet!” Maria said sharply.
    The Indian girl had finished dressing, and after gathering some scrub wood, walked toward them with great difficulty.
    “Why, she’s crippled!” breathed Maria.
    “Ugly. Always ugly like that!”
    “Being crippled isn’t ugly.”
    “Leg dragging like that damned ugly.”
    “Why don’t the others wait for her?” asked Maria.
    “Hurry back to husbands after bathing. Sleep together in afternoon.”
    “She has no husband?”
    “Now who screw that?”
    Maria shuddered at her cruelty.
    The girl reached them, and as she passed, Maria gave her a warm and friendly smile. She smiled shyly back and Maria saw with surprise that this was the same girl who had directed her to Natosin’s lodge.
    “See what mess,” Atsitsi hissed. “Own brother-in-law won’t sleep with her.”
    “You have no heart, do you? Don’t you know she suffers for what she is?”
    “Better she suffer than Atsitsi. Still big mess.”
    Furious with the old woman, Maria began to gather the scrub wood. “Why don’t you help me?” she asked Atsitsi impatiently.
    “You carry wood. You gather wood.” She reached for the paunches that Maria had filled. “Now why so much by-damn water? Can’t leave any for poor river?”
    “Don’t spill any on yourself,” Maria answered. “You will die.” Carrying the wood, Maria walked rapidly toward the village.
    “Wait for me, by damn!” Atsitsi shouted.
    “Move your by-damn feet!” Maria shouted back. Ahead of them, the crippled girl was nearing the village. Two men rode out to meet her and while they were talking to her, Maria could see that she kept her face shyly averted.
    Maria’s heart went out to this Indian girl, Anatsa. They were both in an alien world in which there was no compassion for either of them. The two men were now riding toward her and Atsitsi. It was her captor and his friend. Nakoa glanced at her only briefly and then rode on to Atsitsi. The old woman put down the paunches and bared her gums in a grin. Nakoa spoke to her and she began to scratch in delight. She suddenly stopped scratching and looked at Nakoa in astonishment. Nakoa and his friend rode toward the river, and Atsitsi stared after them.
    Maria walked back to her. “What is the matter?” she asked. “Did he ask you to marry him?”
    Atsitsi kicked over one of the water paunches. She was going to kick over the other paunch, but Maria shoved her away from it.
    “Leave