Ju’wasi Hunting Story

A hunting story, an excerpt from The Old Way.

Hunting stories, told by hunter-gatherer men in special chant-like voices.

Mythlike accounts of actual hunts.

Ai! What?

Is that an ear? Yes, an ear!

There's his ear against the sky,

He's in the bushes,

Just there, the edge of the bushes.

I watch it.

Yes, it moves, he turns a little,

a little, hi!

he lifts his head, he's worried, he sniffs,

he knows!

He looks, I'm down low, down low, just very quiet,

down low, he doesn't see me! He's safe, he thinks.

He turns around.

I am behind him. I creep forward, eh!

I creep I creep,

I am just that far, eh! just that from me to there,

quiet, quiet, I'm quiet, I'm slow,

I have my bow,

I set the arrow.

Ai! I shoot. Waugh!

I hit him! He jumps.

Ha ha! He jumps!

He runs.

He's gone!

I shot him. Right here, just here the arrow went in.

He jumped, he ran that way, going that way,

but I got him.