Geronimo by George Edward Stanley

Author:George Edward Stanley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks

The First Buffalo Hunt

One morning, shortly after the water challenge, some of the braves in the village decided to have a contest to see who could shoot an arrow the farthest. They asked Goyahkla and Alchise to join them. Several of the younger warriors came to watch.

Goyahkla and Alchise gave each other quick, knowing grins. An invitation to such a contest meant that the warriors of the village now believed Goyahkla and Alchise were far enough along in their coming-of-age rituals for them to be considered braves, too.

Goyahkla was the first to shoot. He pulled his best arrow out of the quiver and aimed. He pulled the bowstring back as far as he could and let it go. The arrow went higher and farther than he had ever shot one before.

Goyahkla felt like jumping up and down and shouting, but he knew that braves did not do such things. Still, he couldn’t help being proud. He hoped that Usen wouldn’t be angry with him.

He could tell from the looks on the warriors’ faces that they were impressed.

When all the other braves had finished, it was Goyahkla’s arrow that had gone the farthest. Several of the warriors slapped him on the back and congratulated him.

“You will kill many buffalo if you always shoot like that,” Nautzile told him.

“You will kill many deer and antelope, too,” Kadinschin said.

Cadete, another one of the warriors, stepped up and gave Goyahkla a hard look. “You will also kill many Mexicans and white eyes,” he said.

Goyahkla blinked. He had long wanted to go into battle, but this was the first time he had ever thought about killing anything except animals to eat.

“We are at peace now, Cadete,” Kadinschin said. “We will not talk of killing men.”

Cadete’s nostrils flared. He turned to Kadinschin. “But there will soon be war, Kadinschin! The Mexicans and the Americans are taking over our lands,” he said. “Goyahkla and the rest of the braves need to think about killing these invaders instead of always thinking about killing game.” With that, Cadete stalked off.

For several minutes, no one said anything, then Nautzile turned to the braves and said, “We warriors challenge you to a footrace!”

The braves cheered.

Goyahkla knew that the braves who won these contests were always the first to be invited to go on a large game hunt with the warriors.

Several other warriors had now joined the group.

“We will race barefoot to the largest of the two mesas and back,” Nautzile said.

The warriors and the braves took off their moccasins. Goyahkla’s feet were already toughened by having played barefoot in the village. He had purposely kept them that way knowing that one day he would be tested by having to race the warriors without his moccasins.

The warriors and the braves lined up.

Nautzile shouted, “Go!”

The group raced out of the village toward the two mesas. Goyahkla was quickly ahead of the other braves but behind most of the warriors. Only Alchise was close to him.

Goyahkla remembered what he had learned on the race up the mountain with his mouth full of water.

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