سگ سفید هندی‌ها

CHAPTER FOUR

The White Dog of the Indians

His thin tail began to wag from side to side and his black eyes shone in his old white face. Somewhere, not too far away, were human beings. His world!

The next day the old terrier was still weak and exhausted after the adventure with the bear. There was blood all over his aching body.

All day he lay on the grass in the warm fall sunshine, sleeping deeply. He wagged his tail when one of his friends came near.

The Labrador was now very hungry, but he wasn’t a skillful hunter. He spent the day searching for food.

In the evening, at last, he succeeded in catching a small animal. He ate the delicious, warm meat quickly.

They slept in the same place that night and most of the following day. The weather continued warm and sunny.

By the third day the old dog seemed better and was able to walk around comfortably. So, in the late afternoon, they started their journey again.

They walked slowly along the road for a few kilometers and arrived at a small lake. They were sitting at the side of the lake when the young dog suddenly turned his head.

He could smell wood smoke far away. Seconds later, the old dog smelled it too and got up. His thin tail began to wag from side to side and his black eyes shone in his old white face.

Somewhere, not too far away, were human beings. His world! He couldn’t refuse their invitation: they were cooking something delicious.

He hurried off toward the wonderful smell. The young dog followed more slowly and the cat ran past them both.

The smell was coming from wood smoke, rice, and chicken. When the hungry animals looked down from the hill, they saw some small boats by the side of a lake.

Near the boats were six or seven fires, and tents in the trees. In the light of the fires they could see the flat, brown faces of North American Indians, talking in the firelight.

The men looked colorful in jeans and bright shirts, but the women were dressed in dark colors. Two young boys, the only children there, were moving from fire to fire.

They were helping to cook the rice and meat. Some of the men lay back from the fires, smoking lazily. They talked quietly to each other.

The old dog couldn’t see all this clearly. But he could hear and smell everything and couldn’t wait. He walked carefully down the hill because his shoulder was still aching.

One of the boys looked up and watched the terrier. Bodger came out of the shadows and into the firelight, friendly and sure of a warm welcome. His tail wagged from side to side and he had his big, ugly smile on his face.

There was a surprised silence and then the smaller boy started to cry. He ran to his mother and the Indians all started talking excitedly. For a second the old dog didn’t know what to do.

Then he walked toward the nearest boy, hopefully. The boy ran away, but his mother came toward the old dog. She spoke some soft words to him, touched his head, and smiled at him.

The old dog wagged his tail against her legs, happy to be near a human being again. The two boys moved closer. The other Indians came nearer, too.

This was what the old dog loved. There were people all around him. They gave him meat and he ate it hungrily. They laughed and gave him more.

Soon he grew tired and lay down, warm and happy. Then he looked up at the hillside for his two friends.

Next, the long-legged, blue-eyed cat came out of the darkness. He walked up to the dog and calmly took a piece of meat from him.

The Indians couldn’t stop laughing. The two little boys lay on the ground, kicking their legs with excitement. The terrier loved children and started playing with them.

All this time the young dog stayed on the hillside, watching his friends below with the Indians. He saw the cat, well fed and happy, lying by the fire in the arms of one of the sleepy children.

He saw one of the Indian women washing the blood from the terrier’s body. Then she put a piece of meat on the grass in front of the old dog. The hungry Labrador watched as the terrier ate it.

When the fires began to burn low, the Indians got ready for bed. But the old dog and the cat were comfortable and didn’t move. The young dog on the hillside started barking.

When they heard him, the other two woke up. The cat jumped down from the arms of the sleepy little Indian boy and ran toward the terrier.

He shook himself and walked slowly after the cat, away from the warm fire. The Indians watched silently. They didn’t try to stop the animals. Only the mother called out softly, saying goodbye to the travelers.

The old dog looked back once or twice, but he could hear the Labrador’s loud bark. Then the two animals disappeared into the blackness of the night.

The Indians never forgot their two visitors. The old dog became the famous “White Dog of the Indians.” “He was sent to bring us luck,” they said. “We welcomed him, fed him, and looked after him. We will have great luck in the future.”