14
PARTISAN REVIEW
cause the Old Ones brought us from the other mountain we can see far
off: They had hunted us a long time ago there. We must be careful of
Them and keep out of sight. I knew my brothers were right, but I can't
stop thinking of Them. I want to be with Them. I want Them.
Next day I went down and found Them digging in the earth and one
or two came up close and stretched their mouths and clapped their hands
together. They were pleased. Soon it rained. They all went off into their
huts when the rain began. I followed Them. I wanted to be with Them
near their tame fire. At the first hut They shouted at me and waved their
arms but the next one was where the Female was and she stopped Them
from sending me off again. I was afraid for a long time , standing outside
the hole in the hut, seeing how the flames were leaping softly inside, but
the Female kept making movements with her hands that I knew meant,
Come in, and at last I went in and sat as far from Them and the fire as I
could with my back to the logs of the wall. The fire leaped safely there,
red and wonderful and warm on my legs that I stretched out, and outside
the rain was cold. On the flame was a stone that was hollow and in it was
food, and then they put some of the food on a flat thing like a stone and
gave it to me. I ate the food and said in my own way that I liked it. They
talked a lot, They never stop talking, then They came one by one, always
afraid, to touch me, touch my stiff rough hair, touch my face and arms.
Then one, a half-grown one, a boy, put his hand down to my tender
place and laughed and pulled - at this they were angry and one hit him
and he made a loud noise and water fell out of his eyes.
The Female stroked me with her soft hands that have no hair on
them.
Her long soft hair was close to me and I put my hand to her hair, but
she jerked her head and moved away from me back to where she sat with
the others.
I stayed in the hut that day while the rain came down cold and then
when it grew dark I was going out but They showed me I could stay. So
I slept that night as I do in our cave, sitting with my back against the wall,
my arms wrapped around myself for warmth, because my brothers were
not there to hold. But next day it still rained and I began to be afraid of
my brothers: they might think They had killed me and then come to
thrown stones at Their houses. So I held up my hands to Them and
shook them a little up and down and made a noise that for us would
mean, I am sad to go, and went out into the rain and came back up here.
I told my brothers. But now they were not only angry, they were
afraid. I could see they didn't like to be close to me. They kept smelling
me: that meant the smell of The Others was on me. That night when we
went to our cave for safety and sleep they huddled together at the end of
the cave and I was by myself just as I had been the night before with
