Pard was stone dead. I didn’t have time to ponder it.
That red-paint injun grabbed his bloody hair and sliced off the top of his scalp with a long steel blade. I heard of this practice, but this was the first time I seen it with my own eyes.
He turned and clubbed me good across the face, knocking me back into the water. He seized my ankle and started hauling me toward the bank. Once there, he put his knee in my back and lashed up my wrists with a hank of sinew.
All around me I heard shrieks and screams.
These was devils.
Vivid and tense story telling–great imagery and the voice rocks.
There’s an intriguingly distanced voice to this. I think it’s the “I’d heard of this practice, but this was the first time I witnessed it”. By the way, while I’m quoting, shouldn’t “he put his knee in his back” be “he put his knee in my back”?
Good catch. I edited it a bit. Not quite satisfied with this piece even so, but thanks for reading.
Grisly, but then one has to ask why the devils felt the need to attack them in the first place.
Dear Josh,
Frightening. Great voice that tells so much about the scene. Well drawn.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Savagery, nicely told.
The voice is perfect for this gruesome scene. ‘Course, they weren’t “savages” till we came ’round…
Excellent consistent voice. Plenty of grit in his ability to observe in such a dreadful situation.
I’m wondering what other horrors the narrator has endure, for his tone to be almost detached as he’s practically being torn apart. Wow.
I like the narrators detached recounting of a horrendous scene. Nice job.
I have a feeling the narrator is not as innocent as he makes himself out to be :-)
The voice in this is spot on! A grisly tale indeed.
What I would love to know is how he survived to tell the tale. Although I’m not sure I’d want to know what he went through before he escaped.
Great voice and style in this piece, well done
As so many have already said, I like the voice in this narrative. A well written grisly tale.
Ouch… the voice really make it harder..
Sounds like youve been watching the latest Coen brothers movie, too! Hard to imagine the hardships of those times, both of the scalper and the scalpee. You make us feel his fear.