They arrived at the Apache ranch just in time to see several cowboys coming in on their ponies. Begay and Cern got out of the truck and approached them as they unsaddled the horses and turned them loose in a corral. 

Begay got several nods of recognition but one of them looked at Cern and said, "Hey, I know you! You were at the casino last night!"

"Joe? So you really are Apache. Thanks for letting me use your guitar."

"Hey, it was a pleasure. You really are pretty good."

"So this is your day job?"

"Right. This morning we rounded up the herd and moved them to another piece of rangeland."

"One where the grass has had a chance to come back?"

"Yeah. Begay's been preaching the gospel to you, huh?"

"More like singing to the choir, but yes."

Cern's eyes wandered to where some of the young men were setting up a target against a stack of hay bales. Others were stringing bows.

"You practice a lot?"

"It's an Apache thing."

"Warrior tradition?"

"Uh huh. We practice from horseback too, when the horses are fresh."

"Is that the reason for the short bows and odd shooting stance?"

Joe looked at him. "Don't say 'odd' too loud. We tend to think everyone else does it wrong. Come on, let me show you."

Cern glanced at Begay, but he just smiled and nodded. As they walked closer to where the boys were shooting, Cern heard a "thwip, thwip, thwip," in quick succession. When he looked there were three arrows in the target. But there was only one shooter.

"How'd he do that?"

"Watch."

While the first boy collected his arrows and got out of the way, another stepped up to the mark. He held his bow and three arrows clutched in his left hand. When he raised the bow he held it almost horizontal. With his right hand he reached over the top of it and flipped one of the arrows onto the bow. In one smooth motion he slid it back, nocked it, and drew it on back for a quick release. By the time the first arrow hit the target, he had the second ready to follow, and the third after that.

"Wow! Pretty tight group, too. Can you all shoot like that?"

Joe nodded. "We've been told it's not often that you can take down a buffalo with one arrow. And if you're not quick, you may not get another chance."

"Same might apply to mounted troops with repeating rifles."

Joe looked at Cern. Neither man cracked a smile.

Cern and Begay watched while the boys took turns, until all of them had shot several times. When Joe's turn came again he looked back at Cern, and said, "Want to try it?"

Cern said, "I'll need a little help," and stepped forward.

Joe handed Cern his bow, and showed him how to hold the arrows in the same hand. "You made these arrows?" 

 They were wooden arrows, with stone tips, and fletched with what looked like crow feathers.

"Andy did. He makes the bows too." Joe motioned to one of the other shooters, who nodded to them.

Cern said "Nice work," to Andy, and examined the bow more closely. It was a flat bow, a little over three feet long, with a double recurve so that when it was strung but not drawn the tips pointed straight out to the sides. The front surface above and below the handle was almost two inches wide, tapering to the tips. It was painted with a red, white and black diamond pattern. 

"Very nice." 

Andy looked pleased. 

Cern said to Joe, "Tell me if I do something wrong." 

 Then he made his hands be Joe's hands and held the bow in front of him. He checked the way his left hand held the arrows, and twisted the tips so the nocks would line up with the string. Then he raised the bow up level and slipped the first arrow back and nocked it. Slowly, but still all on one motion, he drew it back and leveled it at the target. When it felt right, he let it go.

He watched as the arrow flew to the target, hitting a bit high and to the right. When he looked back at the bow, he was a little surprised to see that his hands had already knocked the second arrow, so he drew and released that one too. It flew true, but he had overcorrected slightly, so he put the third arrow between the others.

Joe said, "Damn! Dema was right. You are a quick study!"

"You didn't say anything, so I knew I was doing okay."

"Speaking of Dema, where is she? I kind of wish you had brought her along."

"Me too. But she had to go back to Chicago. I have to settle for Begay now."

Everyone laughed, Begay most of all.

They walked to the target and Cern retrieved the arrows. He still held the bow, reluctant to let it go, as the others began talking about the fine points of shooting, especially from horseback. While they talked, Cern began strumming the bowstring. He held an arrow against the string to vary the pitch.

It was Joe who first noticed what he was doing. "Hey! That's Rick's song."

"He's playing Rick's song on a bow?"

"A string is a string," said Cern. He looked around, spotted an empty bucket by the corral, kicked it over so it was upside down and set the end of the bow on it. Then he started strumming again.

"A bow for a guitar and a bucket for an amp! How about that shit!"

"Wait till I tell Rick and the guys!"

Cern finally relinquished the bow and arrows back to Joe, and tipped the bucket back upright. After a quick look over at Begay he said, "I think it's time for us to go. See you guys later. Thanks for the lesson."