65: The First Saber

The first *横刀* came off the small forge at the dusk of the third day of the third moon of the second year.

Wang Er had — by the small specific accumulating making of the past three months — drawn perhaps twelve small specific palms of bog-iron from the third and fourth and fifth smeltings of the second winter. He had folded the iron, slowly, in the small specific old way Lao Wen had taught him at the small wooden table at the long evenings: the small specific seven folds of an upper-hills smith's specific saber-iron, with the small specific layering of the bog-iron's small carbonaceous slag at the alternating folds, drawn and beaten and folded again at each. By the dusk of the third moon's first day, the small specific seven-folded bar lay at the small forge's anvil. By the dusk of the third day, Wang Er — at the small specific careful work of a smith's son who had, in the past three months, taken the small specific old saber-method of an old militia officer's old saying as the small specific accumulating reading of his hands' first true work — had drawn the bar into the small specific shape of the *横刀*.

The blade was perhaps the length of two of his forearms set end to end, as Lao Wen had said.

The single curve at the lower edge — Lao Wen had described it on the small wooden table by chalk at the second moon — was, by the small specific reading at the dusk of the third day, at the small careful even reading of an old officer's small saber.

The lame brother had — by the small specific accumulating making of the past three weeks — fitted the small specific wooden handle. The handle was of an upper-hills oak from the lower edge of the grove, shaped by the lame brother's hands at the small specific accommodating grip of a young hunter's hand. The small specific copper wire — Lao Wen had taken it, at the second moon, from the small specific old chest at the foot of his cot, where the wire had been laid for an unfound year — was wrapped around the handle in the small specific careful spiral of an old officer's old saber.

The first *横刀* was — by the small specific reading at the dusk of the third day of the third moon — finished.

Wang Er laid it at the small wooden table.

He stepped back.

He did not, at the small wooden table, speak.

Lao Wen took the saber up.

He held it across both palms.

He turned it, slowly, by the small specific accumulating reading of an old officer at sixty whose hands had not held a saber of his own in nineteen winters.

He said in the small low voice: *smith's son. The blade is — by the small specific reading at an old officer's eye — at the small specific reading of an upper-hills smith's first saber. The single curve is, by the small specific reading, slightly less pronounced than my old saying at the chalk drawing. By the small specific reading at the next saber, the smith's son will adjust. The first saber, however, is — by the small specific honest measure — a saber that holds.*

He turned the blade.

He laid it back at the small wooden table.

He bowed, very slightly, at the small wooden table.

He said: *smith's son. Thank you.*

The smith's son nodded.

He said in the small low voice: *master. The first saber is — by the small specific reading I am giving — the master's. The second, by the small specific reading at the next two moons, will be mine. The third, by the small specific reading at the spring of the third year, will be the big brother's. By the spring of the fourth year, the boy's. The lame brother — by the small specific reading of his work and his foot and his small specific defensive holding-place — has said he does not, by the small specific reading, need a saber of his own. The lame brother will, by his own saying at the small fire of the second moon, keep the small specific spear-and-knife combination at the small corner against the south face."*

Lao Wen looked at the smith's son.

He nodded.

"Smith's son. The first saber is — by the small specific reading I am accepting — mine. We will lay the second by the dusk of the fifth moon."

He took up the first saber. He went to the small low altar at the back of the hut. He laid the saber, slowly, beside the small wooden tablet with the three names and the small carved horse.

He bowed once at the altar.

He turned and came back to the small wooden table.

The brothers were quiet.

That spring, the work of the small specific weapons-making went on. The smith's son worked the second *横刀* through the fourth and fifth moons. The lame brother fitted the handle. By the dusk of the fifth day of the fifth moon, the second saber was finished. Wang Er — by the small specific reading at the lame brother's careful joining and his own slightly improved curve — had improved at the second piece. The blade hung at the back of the hut on a small specific peg the lame brother had made for it.

The smith's son had — by the small specific reading at the dusk of the fifth day — his own *横刀*.

By the small specific reading at the noon of the third week of the fifth moon, the household was — by Lao Wen's small specific accumulating teaching at the small clear ground — at the small specific shape of a small five-man unit that could, at any small specific event of any small specific band's approach, defend itself.

Heizi, at the bow, was at thirty paces' six-of-ten dead center. His shooter's posture was at the small specific shape of a young hunter's small accumulating second year. He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the spring of the second year — laid in the small specific careful first reading of the saber's blade-and-foot work. He could, by the small specific reading at Lao Wen's eye at the small clear ground, hold the small specific guard against an attacker's small specific specific approach for perhaps seven thrusts.

Wang Er, at the saber, was at the small specific accumulating reading of a smith's son's slow honest weight at the saber's small careful work. He was — by the small specific reading at Lao Wen — at the small specific *thrust-and-set* of a smith's son's accumulating second year.

Tie-zhu, at the small specific defensive holding-place at the corner against the south face, was at the small specific accumulating reading of an apprentice's careful work at a small specific corner. He could — by the small specific reading at the noon — hold the corner against an attacker's small specific small approach for perhaps the time it took the smith's son and the big brother to come at the attacker's flank.

An Ashi, at the small specific bow's first reading and the small specific arrow-making, had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four moons — also begun, at the small specific encouragement of Lao Wen at the second moon, to lay in the small specific second reading of a small light blade. The blade was a small specific knife the smith's son had made for him at the third moon — perhaps the length of a man's hand and a half, with the small specific hilt that fit the boy's small thin grip. The boy had — by the small specific reading at the spring — begun to walk the small specific knife at the close-quarter exercises Lao Wen laid at the noons.

The household had, at the dusk of the third week of the fifth moon, by the small specific reading of an old officer at sixty, the small specific shape of a small five-man scouting unit at its small specific second formation.

By the small specific reading at the noon of the first day of the sixth moon, the lame brother — at the small specific eye-station at the upper edge of the bear-back's eastern face — reported, at the morning fire of the same day, what Heizi had been waiting for.

He said in the small low voice: *master. Big brother.*

"Yes, lame brother."

"By the small specific reading at the noon yesterday — at the small specific careful walking I did up to the eye-station after the bow practice — I saw, at the small specific lower contour about three *li* east, a small specific cooking-fire's smoke."

"How many men, by the small specific reading."

"By the small specific reading of the small thin shape of the smoke and the small specific careful watching of perhaps a quarter hour from the eye-station — perhaps four. Possibly five. Not more. The cooking-fire was at the small specific lower contour beside the small specific watercourse where the contour bends north. They had — by the small specific reading — been there perhaps half a day."

Heizi looked at the lame brother.

He looked at Lao Wen.

Lao Wen nodded.

He said in the small low voice: *the small specific four. The small specific accumulating intermittent tracks at the past three moons, lame brother — were they four?*

"Yes, master. By the small specific reading of the past three moons' tracks — four to six, with four being the small specific consistent reading."

"Yes."

He looked at Heizi.

"Lad. The small specific four are — by the small specific reading — perhaps the small specific same band that has been at the contour for the past half year, in the small specific intermittent way of a small specific band that has been working a small specific accumulating route. They will, perhaps, in the next two weeks, by the small specific reading, move along the contour past the bear-back. They will, by the small specific reading at the past three moons' direction, go north. They will not, perhaps, come up the western face."

He paused.

"They have not — by the small specific reading at the past three moons — come up. They are — by the small specific reading — moving on a small specific other small specific business. They are not, at this small specific noon, looking for our hut."

He paused once more.

"But — but the small specific accumulating reading is, by the small specific careful eye of an old officer, that the small specific four-band will, in the next year, find us. The small specific found-ness will be — perhaps — at some small specific accident of a peddler's mention at a small specific lower hamlet. Perhaps at the small specific inadvertent column of our smoke at some specific dusk. Perhaps at the small specific eye of the leader of the band, at some small specific dusk at the lower contour, when the small specific banked column of our smoke at a particular angle of the wind catches his eye."

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the household has, at this dusk, perhaps a year before the small specific four-band finds us. Perhaps less."

The brothers were quiet.

Heizi nodded.

He said in the small low voice: *yes, master.*

"Lad. The work continues. The work of the bow at thirty paces. The work of the saber at the small clear ground. The work of the lame brother's defensive holding-place at the corner. The work of the boy at the small light blade. The work of the smith's son at the small accumulating making of the next sabers. The work of the daily shape at the small wooden table at the morning's *Analects* and the evening's *Daxue*. The work goes on. We will — by the small specific reading at the next year — be ready."

"Yes, master."

That summer, the household took three deer at the small specific work of three blinds. Wang Er, by the small specific accumulating reading of his second year at the bow, took one of the three at his own draw. Heizi took the other two. The boy made the arrows. The lame brother read the herds at the small specific eye-station.

By the small specific reading at the small slab at An Ashi's quartermaster's noon arithmetic of the seventh moon, the household was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past spring's bog-iron and the past summer's deer and the past spring's wild greens and the past spring's gathered roots — at the small specific shape of an upper-hills household that could, by the small specific honest measure, sustain itself for perhaps three years without any small specific outside trade.

It was — by the small specific reading at this noon — the small specific shape of an upper-hills household that had, by the small specific accumulating reading of two years, become independent.

Lao Wen, at the small wooden table at the noon of the first day of the eighth moon, said in the small low voice: *lads. The household has, at this noon, taken the small specific shape of a self-sufficient small five-man unit at the upper hills.*

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the household has, at this noon, become the small specific household that the small four old comrades' small specific accumulating ledger had, in the third moon of the year before last, sent up the path to me to receive."

He paused once more.

"That is — that is the small specific naming I am giving at this noon."

The brothers nodded.

That afternoon, Heizi at his place at the small wooden table opened the small finished indigo pouch and laid the small folded square of pale yellow silk with the *生* on the small wooden table. He did this, by the small specific accumulating reading of the past two years, perhaps once every several moons — at small specific moments of the household's small accumulating naming or at small specific moments at the small wooden table when the small specific reading at the small bound *Analects* gave him a small specific phrase that, by the small specific reading at the past six months' study, he had not until then read.

He laid it, on this afternoon, beside the bound *Analects*.

He looked at the four-stroke shape.

He thought, for one beat, about his sister.

He filed it.

That evening at the small fire, Lao Wen took down from the small wooden corner-shelf a small new piece of work. It was a small folded length of paper — not the small bark Heizi had been writing on for the past two years; small folded paper of the kind a magistracy clerk would have had at his desk.

He laid it on the small wooden table.

He said in the small low voice: *lad.*

"Yes, master."

"This is paper. The small specific paper of the magistracy. I have kept, at the small wooden corner-shelf, a small specific accumulating supply of perhaps thirty sheets, against the small specific reading at any unfound year I would, by the small specific way of an old scholar, need to write. The small specific writing has not — in nineteen winters — come. The lad, by the small specific reading at the small bound *Daxue* and the past two years at this hut, has reached the small specific small accumulating year at which the small specific writing on paper, by the small specific reading of an old scholar, becomes a small specific work. We will, in the small accumulating long evenings of the next four moons, lay in the small specific work of the lad's first writing on paper."

He paused.

"By the spring of the third year, the lad will be at the small specific reading of an old scholar's small specific small letter."

Heizi looked at the small folded paper.

He nodded.

"Yes, master."

The work, in the small unhurried way, went on.