for the deep snow. Our knives and clubs were tucked into our leather belts.
My two brothers, Kàg (Porcupine) and Wàgosh (Fox), were with me. Kàg was a fierce warrior and had a dent in his head from a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) war club many years ago. The wound had long since healed, but he still suffered at times from unexplained head pain. My other brother was younger than Kàg and me. Wàgosh was a good tracker and hunter, but he had yet to be tested in battle.
The other two hunters were married to our sisters. Mònz (Moose) was a large man who carried three lances and no arrows. Mònz lost his two fingers on his right hand next to his thumb in battle with the Nippissing. Without these fingers Mònz could not draw a bowstring, but he was very expert with the lance in war and hunting.
The last hunter, Makwa (Bear), always walked as the rear guard of our column and was forever vigilant. Makwa was not from our tribe, the River People; he was Sàgaiganininiwak (People of the Lake). Makwa was the eldest and a veteran warrior and hunter.
Also with us were Kàg’s twin sons who were close to leaving their childhood and had not yet been given a warrior’s name. They were Agwingos (Chipmunk) and Esiban (Raccoon). Agwingos and Esiban were responsible for collecting firewood, tending the fire, looking after the dogs, and learning all they could. The dogs were brought along to help run down any game we found, to guard the camp, and also to help carry what we killed back on a travois when we had enough for our needs. As a last resort the dogs were also used for food if our hunt turned out to be unsuccessful.
On our sixth day of walking, we came upon a deer that had fallen through the ice along the shore of a small lake, enabling us to slay it without much effort. Our hope was Nokomis (Earth Mother) would supply us with more than this small doe. After thanking Nokomis for the deer, we dressed it and hung it in a large tree out of sight. We were starting to get nervous as we travelled farther north, because at the best of times the Nippissing people were not tolerant of anyone hunting in their lands.
The day was getting colder and the snow was getting deeper. This cheered us up. With deep snow our chances of finding and killing any large game increased greatly. We were now wearing our àgimag and making good time. We had been keeping to the woods along a small river, partly for concealment and also to stay out of the biting wind. When the sun was high we stopped to eat. Agwingos and Esiban had a fire going and we roasted on sticks some of the deer that we had earlier killed. Melting snow on a piece of bark held above the fire gave us water to drink, and we were soon on our way again.
Soon after our departure the dogs got a scent of something and Wàgosh found fresh signs of a big ayàbe mònz (bull moose). This large animal would sustain our families for a long time.
We picked up our pace and the dogs were running and howling with the excitement of the hunt. Agwingos and Esiban were straining to keep up with us, and we soon came out into a clearing where fires years ago had destroyed the trees. There we saw that the moose was struggling to get through the entanglement of downed trees and deep snow. The large miskoz-i animosh (red dog) had him by the rear leg and the moose kicked him off a couple of times before the other two dogs reached the prey. Both went for the moose’s head. The smallest of the three was clamped onto the nostrils and the bull was violently shaking his head and bellowing, trying to disengage him. The more the moose shook, the deeper the pìsà animosh (small dog) clamped onto the nostrils. The small dog was covered with blood and froth from the bull. The wàbàndagawe animosh (white dog) had been caught by the large antlers and was thrown about twenty-five feet by the massive neck strength of the animal. As she hit the ground, a large gush of air could be heard leaving her body, accompanied by a shrill yelp. The dog was up immediately, rushed the bull, and clamped onto the large neck with a renewed viciousness. The snow around the big bull and dogs was red with blood from the four animals. The sound of the dogs barking and the moose’s bellowing brought bumps to my skin. There was nothing like the thrill of a hunt to make me feel like my blood had been given a sudden rush through my body.
Mònz was running ahead of the rest of us toward the death struggle of the dogs and moose. In quick succession he hurled two of his lances into the back of the bull. We loosed our arrows and the big moose started to falter. With the dogs upon him, two lances and ten arrows into him, he was on his knees. He was still bellowing and fighting off the dogs, but his lifeblood was slowly leaving him. By now we had drawn our clubs; avoiding his huge swinging antlers, we started hitting him on the head, crushing his skull.
Within minutes the huge animal let out a sudden rush of air from his lungs, causing blood to run from both his nostrils and mouth. This was his final act. We all thanked Nokomis for this gift to her children and started cutting. The warmth of the bull’s insides after we had started to butcher him helped keep our hands warm. The dogs were rewarded with the intestines and Mònz was given the heart, as he was the first to strike. Kàg and I worked on cutting around the head and legs to peel off the hide. Agwingos and Esiban were given the job of removing the lances and arrows from the carcass. They also had the job of cutting the horns off, which would be used to make fish hooks, arrow and lance heads, and other weapons. The women would also make utensils out of the huge rack. Our people would use every piece of meat, bone, and hide that we could carry back from this giant of the forest.
Wàgosh and Makwa had gone back into the woods to cut small trees down so we could make pimidàbàjigan (travois) for the dogs and odàbànàks (toboggans) to transport the moose back to our village. We used pieces of his hide to hold the meat on the travois. With the extra weight of the bull and the doe, our return trip home would take three days longer.
Sound carries a long distance in the wintertime, and I was wary that the echoes of this kill would bring unwanted attention from any Nippissing in the area. As these thoughts went through my mind, the small dog stuck his head into the air and I could see his nostrils flare. Then he started to growl. Looking in the direction that he was pointed, I realized my worst fear.
2
The Encounter
IN THE DISTANCE, ALONG the tree line, I picked up some sudden movements. We were hunting in the Nippissing territory and any intrusion would not bode kindly with them. The Haudenosaunee had been raiding their villages lately, and they would defend their hunting grounds with blood against all intruders.
With the growing length of the winter, food would also be at a premium with the Nippissing. They would want this moose for their families just as much as we wanted it for ours. The huge animal affected more than just the Nippissing and Omàmiwinini hunters’ lives. Without the life-sustaining meat, starvation would not be far behind for either tribe’s families. This dead beast could both prevent, but also cause, more death in the future.
With Wàgosh and Mònz cutting poles in the woods along our back trail, they would have no way of knowing that we were about to be set upon. They were probably at least ten or more minutes away. We would need them and quickly. I motioned to Agwingos and Esiban to come toward me, without causing any suspicion to the hunters who were silently coming upon us. I asked the twins to take the red dog and to find Wàgosh and Mònz’s trail and bring them back as quickly as possible. They were to tell them that we were in danger. I instructed the boys that when they left they were not to run until they reached the cover of the tree line. This was so they would not draw attention to the fact that they were any more than a couple of young boys shirking their duties and going off on a walk.
As soon as the boys left, I told Kàg and Makwa what I had observed and what my suspicions were. We decided that we would continue with the butchering, not letting our adversaries know that we had spotted them. It would take the boys at least ten or fifteen minutes to get to where our companions were. They would not be able to get back to assist us for at least twenty minutes to half an hour, so Kàg, Mònz, and I had to be prepared. While working, we took turns watching the progress of the enemy. They had stayed inside the tree line
