66: The Closer Smoke
The closer smoke came up at the small specific noon of the third week of the ninth moon.
The lame brother had — by the small specific accumulating eye-station work of the past two moons, which had been at every dawn and at certain noons by Lao Wen's standing instruction — not seen any small specific cooking-fire's smoke at the lower contour for perhaps six weeks. The small specific four-band had — by the small specific reading of the past tracks at the lower contour — moved north at the second week of the seventh moon, and had not, by the small specific reading, returned. The household, by the small specific reading at the small wooden table at certain noons of the eighth moon, had — perhaps — concluded that the small specific four-band's small specific accumulating route had taken them past the bear-back's small specific arc and into the further northern country.
It had not.
At the small specific noon of the third week of the ninth moon, the lame brother — at the eye-station's small specific upper bald rock, after the dawn's small specific careful walk Lao Wen had laid for him as the first work of every day since the ninth moon's first week — came down to the hut at the third hour after dawn. He came down faster than his usual careful pace.
He stopped at the small clear ground in front of the south face.
He said in the small low voice: *master. Big brother.*
"Yes, lame brother."
"At the lower contour, perhaps two *li* east, at the small flat place by the small narrow watercourse where the contour bends. Cooking-fire smoke. Not at the small specific lower-contour distance the four-band had been at. Closer. Perhaps half a *li* closer."
Heizi looked at Lao Wen.
Lao Wen, at the small wooden stool, set down the small bound *Daxue* he had been at.
He stood up — slowly.
He said in the small low voice: *how many.*
"By the small specific reading at the small upper bald rock — five. Possibly six. Four with the small specific carriage of the past four-band by the small specific reading of two months ago. One — possibly two — additional. They are — by the small specific reading at the small specific way they sat at the cooking-fire — at the small specific resting of a band at a small specific small accumulating debate."
"What kind of debate."
"By the small specific reading of the small specific way the leader of the band — the same man with the short bow as the past two months, lame brother — was sitting apart and looking up at the small specific western ridge at intervals of about every quarter hour: the leader was — by the small specific reading — looking up. He was looking at the bear-back."
Lao Wen closed his eyes for one breath.
He opened them.
He said in the small low voice: *they have seen our smoke. At some specific dusk of the past two moons, by some small specific accident of the wind. They have not, perhaps, decided yet — by the small specific reading of the lame brother's small specific reading of the small accumulating debate — what to do with the small specific seeing. They will, at this noon, at the small specific lower contour, decide.*
He paused.
"Lame brother. Go back up to the eye-station. Watch them. By the small specific reading you have been giving me at every morning's report, you will know — within the quarter hour — whether they break camp east, west, or north. If they break camp west — toward our small specific lower edge of the bear-back's western face — come down at the run. We will, by the small specific reading at the small clear ground, prepare."
The lame brother nodded.
He went back up.
He went up at the small specific careful working pace of an apprentice's foot that had — by the small specific accumulating reading of the past six months at the salve and the past year and a half at the hut — at last reached the small specific working pace of a young man's whole body. He went up.
Lao Wen turned to Heizi.
"Lad."
"Yes, master."
"By the small specific reading at the noon — the small specific household has perhaps a quarter hour, perhaps the rest of the morning, perhaps the afternoon, before we know whether the band is coming up. We will — by the small specific reading I am giving — prepare for both readings."
"Yes, master."
"The smith's son will — by the small specific reading — string the bow at the small specific cold-weather method, and lay the small hempen quiver of arrows at the small clear ground beside the south face, at the small specific position where the lad will, if the band comes up, take the first shot from the small specific covered place of the south wall's brush."
"Yes, master."
"The boy will — by the small specific reading — bank the small fire at the rock-face hollow at the small specific lower banking that gives no smoke. The small clay-pot chimney will — by the small specific reading — be capped with the small specific wooden cap I have at the small wooden corner-shelf. The small banked fire's small live coal will, by the small specific reading at the small accumulating wood, hold for perhaps a day without giving any small specific smoke."
"Yes, master."
"The lame brother, when he comes back — by the small specific reading I am giving — will be at the small specific defensive holding-place at the corner against the south face, with the spear-and-knife. He will hold the corner. The boy will be at the small specific small light blade at the position behind the lame brother, in the small specific second line. The smith's son will be at the saber, at the small specific position fifteen paces east of the south face's small clear ground, in the small specific way of the *thrust-and-set* he has been training. The lad — the big brother — will be at the bow, at the small specific covered place against the south wall's brush, at the small specific position where the lad will, if the band comes up, take perhaps three shots before the small specific draw of the close-quarter saber."
He paused.
"And I will be — by the small specific reading I am giving — at the small specific spear, at the small specific position behind the small low front wall."
The brothers nodded.
"Yes, master."
That afternoon, the household — at the small specific accumulating reading of the past two years' preparation — moved into the small specific positions Lao Wen had laid.
The boy capped the small clay-pot chimney with the small specific wooden cap. He banked the small fire at the rock-face hollow at the small specific lower banking. He came back. He took up the small light blade at the small specific position behind the lame brother's defensive corner. He stood.
The smith's son strung the bow at the small specific cold-weather method. He laid the small hempen quiver at the small clear ground beside the south face. He took up the saber from its peg at the back of the hut. He went to the small specific position fifteen paces east of the south face. He stood.
Heizi took the bow from the smith's son's hand. He nocked the first arrow loosely against the bowstring. He went to the small specific covered place against the south wall's brush. He knelt. He waited.
Lao Wen took the old militia officer's spear from above the cot. He unwrapped it from the small folded hempen cloth. He took it up at the small specific careful grip of an old officer at sixty whose hands had not held the spear at any small specific real moment in nineteen winters. He went to the small specific position behind the small low front wall. He stood.
The lame brother came down at the second hour after the noon at the run.
He stopped at the small clear ground in front of the south face.
He said in the small low voice: *master. They are coming up.*
"How many."
"Four. The leader and three others. They sent — by the small specific reading at the eye-station — one man back east, perhaps to keep the camp at the lower contour. The four are coming up the small specific old herder's path. They will be — by the small specific reading at my last seeing — at the foot of the path in perhaps a quarter hour. At the lip of the small flat hollow at the bear-back's foot in perhaps a half hour. At the small clear ground in front of this hut in perhaps an hour."
Lao Wen nodded.
He said in the small low voice: *lame brother. Take the small specific position at the corner. Take the spear and the knife. Hold the corner.*
"Yes, master."
The lame brother took the spear from the small wooden table and the small knife from his belt. He went to the small specific corner against the south face's eastern wall. He stood. He set his back against the wall. He laid his bad foot at the small specific working angle his past six months at the corner had been training.
The household was — by the small specific reading at this hour — at the small specific shape of a small five-man unit at its small specific defensive position.
The hour passed slowly.
Heizi, at the small specific covered place against the south wall's brush, did not move. He kept the bow at the small specific ready. He listened.
He listened — by the small specific accumulating reading of the past two years at the watches — for the small specific shape of the silence into which a small specific sound of four men's footfalls on a small old herder's path would, at the small specific last quarter of the hour, come.
The shape of the silence in this hour was — by the small specific reading at his ear — different from any silence Heizi had been in at this hut in the past two years. It had the small specific accumulating presence of four men coming up the western face. The presence was — by the small specific reading — at the small specific lower bend; at the small specific middle; at the small specific second turn; at the small specific upper bend; at the small specific top.
By the third quarter of the hour, Heizi could hear them.
He heard the small specific fall of a sandal on the snow at perhaps thirty paces.
He heard the small specific low voice of the leader — speaking, by the small specific reading at thirty paces, in the small specific accent of a southern Hebei man with some small specific time spent further west, with the small specific intermittent slang of a band's small specific accumulating language.
The voice said — by the small specific reading at twenty-five paces — *quiet, you. The smoke was here. At some small specific dusk in the past two moons. Find it.*
Heizi did not move.
He nocked the arrow more firmly against the bowstring. He drew, very slowly, to a quarter draw — not yet to the full. He waited.
He waited at the small specific reading of an old officer's small specific careful saying at the past two years: *the first shot is at the moment the small specific man's small specific weight is on the small specific forward foot, at the small specific instant before the small specific other foot comes down. The shot at that moment is — by the small specific reading — the small specific shot the man cannot dodge.*
The four came up over the small upper bend of the path.
They came into the small clear ground in front of the south face of the hut.
The leader was first — the man with the short bow, perhaps fifty, by the small specific reading the lame brother had given six months ago at the lower contour. He had on his shoulder the same small short bow.
The bow was unstrung.
Heizi understood, at the small specific moment, that the leader had — by the small specific accumulating reading of the cold weather and his own small specific old hunter's saying about a strung bow in cold weather — kept the bow unstrung at the climb.
The bow could not, at this moment, be drawn.
He saw — by the small specific reading at the small specific covered place against the brush — the leader's small specific eye come up across the small clear ground, take in the south face of the hut, take in the small clay-pot chimney with its small specific wooden cap, take in the small absence of any small specific smoke from any small specific banked fire — and he saw the leader's small specific eye narrow at the small specific reading of the small unsmoking chimney as the small specific signal that something at this hut had been waiting for him.
The leader took one step back.
He turned his head — to call to the three behind him.
He did not — by the small specific reading at the small instant of his small specific weight transferring onto the small specific forward foot in the turning — finish the call.
Heizi drew.
He drew to the full draw at his ear. He aimed — at the small specific window of the heart, by Lao Wen's old saying — at the small specific shoulder of the leader.
He held — for one breath.
He breathed out.
He loosed.