Chapter XVII

           Itwasintheearlyfallofthefollowingyearthatithappened.AfterhisfailuretogettheSwiftOne,Red-Eyehadtakenanotherwife;and,strangetorelate,shewasstillalive.Strangerstill,theyhadababyseveralmonthsold—Red-Eye’sfirstchild.Hispreviouswiveshadneverlivedlongenoughtobearhimchildren.Theyearhadgonewellforallofus.Theweatherhadbeenexceptionallymildandfoodplentiful.Irememberespeciallytheturnipsofthatyear.Thenutcropwasalsoveryheavy,andthewildplumswerelargerandsweeterthanusual.

           Inshort,itwasagoldenyear.Andthenithappened.Itwasintheearlymorning,andweweresurprisedinourcaves.Inthechillgraylightweawokefromsleep,mostofus,toencounterdeath.TheSwiftOneandIwerearousedbyapandemoniumofscreechingandgibbering.Ourcavewasthehighestofallonthecliff,andwecrepttothemouthandpeereddown.TheopenspacewasfilledwiththeFirePeople.Theircriesandyellswereaddedtotheclamor,buttheyhadorderandplan,whileweFolkhadnone.Eachoneofusfoughtandactedforhimself,andnooneofusknewtheextentofthecalamitythatwasbefallingus.

           Bythetimewegottostone-throwing,theFirePeoplehadmassedthickatthebaseofthecliff.Ourfirstvolleymusthavemashedsomeheads,forwhentheyswervedbackfromthecliffthreeoftheirnumberwereleftupontheground.Thesewerestrugglingandfloundering,andonewastryingtocrawlaway.Butwefixedthem.Bythistimewemaleswereroaringwithrage,andwerainedrocksuponthethreementhatweredown.