The Dream Time by Henry Treece

Author:Henry Treece
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Childrens
ISBN: 0340174641
Published: 1967-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

9.

they set off before the dusk came down. Wander went in the same boat as Twilight. Adder led the rest of the war-men. Wander would not let Twilight paddle the boat, but did it herself in homage to him. He tried to say that he would not go, but they would not listen to him. And that night they pulled in to the river bank close to where it met the sea. The next morning, before dawn, they rose silently and went on their way down the coast. Before the sun had got to its full strength they came in to the little haven where the village of the Fish Folk was. The Fish Folk thought that their own men were coming back, and ran down the shore to meet them.

Then they saw who it was and started to cry out and throw sand on to their heads. Some of the old men and women rolled on the shore in misery and stuffed shells and seaweed into their mouths. They were most afraid.

Adder called out for Twilight to let the war-men rush up and spear them as they lay, but Twilight said, ‘No, they are suffering enough in their sadness. I am not the one to make them suffer more. Would you want your own old folk and women hurt?’

Wander said in a hard voice, ‘You would wipe out a pack of wolves, wouldn’t you? Would the Fish men have shown us any kindness? You will gain no love from these people by sparing them. They will not think you are a greater chieftain.’

Twilight said, ‘I do not care what they think. I do not want anyone to love me because I spare their lives.’

Just then a group of the young women came down the shore with ash on their heads, wailing, and Twilight saw that the one who led them was Blackbird. She did not know him for a time, and when she did she stood before him with her head bowed, waiting for him to have her speared.

He went closer to her and said, ‘There is no cause to be afraid of me, Blackbird. Once you took care of me and led me through the forest safely. I could not hurt you after that.’

He smiled at her, but she did not smile back. She said, ‘I left you on the shore here and went with Shark. You should punish me for that. I deserve it, so punish me.’

But Twilight took her by the hand and said, ‘I do not think of it. Shark forced you to go. All has turned out well, so why should you think of it? Tell me, where is the clay owl I made for you when we were wandering together?’

Blackbird said, ‘Shark would not let me wear it. He said it was too strong in magic for a girl like me. He put it on the shelf in his house to be prayed to and to bring luck to his folk.’

Wander said in scorn, ‘It has not brought much luck.

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