we could. We barely saw the hind part of what must have been a wild boar recede into the undergrowth. On the ground in front of the burrow laid our friend, and his injuries showed the ancestors were beckoning to him already. He tried to talk, but nothing we could make sense of. Soon, he was at peace. We laid him to rest the best we could. The grave was shallow as we had no tools to dig with, but we piled stones on top to prevent forest animals from getting at him.
We continued the journey, speaking little, for the death of our friend and our shameful behavior weighed heavily upon us.
A few nights later, we made camp near a river. We huddled together around a small fire,on the other side? The ground was fairly stable and the going steady. We spoke little so as to concentrate on the task at hand. But that didn’t help the person at the front of the line, for he stepped on what appeared to be shrubbery, but which hid a gap in the path and sent him tumbling down the side of the mountain. There was nothing we could do for the fellow. We peered down the side of the mountain and saw his broken and twisted form far below: it was evident he was no longer with us. We made camp at the place and remembered our three friends in the ways of our forefathers. It was impossible to sleep, lest we join our fallen friend. In