63 By the time HE made HIS run, there was fire everywhere, and he couldn't find his target in the smoke. Coming back around he came in lower not realizing that he was too low.
64 Just as he released his Thunder, several bullets ripped through his ship from a volley off the wall. His controls became sluggish, the ship wanted to turn right all the time, and he had a hard time keeping her nose up. There was also a burning pain in his backside. He reached down under him, and his hand came up, soaked with blood.
65 He was way off course, and knew he wasn't going to make it. Watching the terrain he looked for a field. He spotted one that looked big enough and swung the ship around. He almost hit the trees going in, and the landing was a lot rougher than his injured body would have liked, but when the ship came to a halt, he was still alive.
66 He climbed out, gathered brush, and was about to put a match to it, and burn the ship, when he heard a noise behind him. He turned to see four men with rifles pointing towards him but a short distance away.  One of the men came closer and looked at him carefully then spoke to him in his own language. When this didn't work, he spoke in Spirits language.
67 "You are a Child of The Lords?" he asked, "You fight Oneness?"
68 Sleepy Crow nodded. The man smiled, swung his rifle over his shoulder, and seized Sleepy Crow. "Be not afraid!" he announced, "We friends, herdsmen, worshipers of Goat God. Why you burn flying thing? Magic no work? Gone away?"
69 "It's damaged," explained Sleepy Crow. "I could fix it, but it would take many men with a long rope to get me back into the air."
70 "We help you fix," announced the man. "Hide you

Page 793

Go To The Next Page