I woke up two times that I remember. It was dark the first time. I didn't know where I was or what I was doing there. I passed out or fell asleep and the next time I woke it was daylight.

I tried to move and I couldn't. The pain that shot through me was bad, and I guess I passed out again. I know I didn't want to move if it could be avoided.

The next time the world came back into view, a boy was standing at the edge of the cliff above me, and he was looking down at me.

I could see surprisingly well. I saw the Indian boy standing at the top of the cliff, looking down at me.

"You going to scalp me," I asked in plain English.

He laughed and shook his head. He spoke to me. He didn't speak English, except I understood most of it. He wanted to know if the griz lying up there was my kill.

I answered him.

"Yes, I kilt it," I said in Pawnee. "Are you real or am I dreaming again?"

I don't know how long I'd been down there. I dreamed so much, how did I know I wasn't dreaming, except I never spoke Pawnee to anyone but Maw.

"This would be your rifle?" he asked, holding up my Hawkin.

"Yes, that would be my rifle."

"You leave a lot of things lying around, don't you?"

I wanted to laugh but I was afraid to move.

"You going to scalp me," I tried again.

He laughed.

"Tell me how you got yourself down there, and I won't scalp you."

This was tricky. I used English in places I didn't know the Pawnee word.

He seemed to understand.

I was a little bit nervous when I opened my eyes, he was next to me. He didn't have a knife. I couldn't make up my mind if I was dreaming him, except when he tried to move me, I screamed.

"Don't try to move me," I said.

"You can't stay here."

"How'd you get down here?" I asked, wondering how he got down there. There's a path right over there," he pointed.

I was sure that was Pawnee and I looked where he pointed.

The next time I woke up, I was on something soft. There were two poles with a blanket and hides were under me. It was soft and my leg was no longer up behind me the way it had been. He'd put a splint on my leg and he was dragging the sled I laid on.

The next time I woke, I smelled deer meat cooking. The Indian boy was sitting a few feet away turning meat over a fire.

I tried my Pawnee on him again. If he was a dream, maybe he'd answer in some Pawnee I knew.

"Where are my skins?" I blurted, remembering my gear.

"You're lying on them."

"You shot a deer?"

"You shot deer. I cook deer. Hungry?"

The more he said the more confused I got. If he was a dream, he was convincing. He handed me deer and it tasted just like deer.

"Were you watching me?"

"Want to know what white boy is doing on my mountain," he said.

It was all too confusing as he dragged me on a comfortable bed. I was lying on my hides. The ride was rough and I fell asleep and woke up.

My griz? I wanted my griz. It's how I prove to Paw I'm a man?