“The Woman who Rode Away” is written by D.H. Lawrence. This story is about a 33 years unnamed adventurous white American woman. She was not satisfied in her life. She had dull husband and two childrens. Her husband was fifty three (53) years old who came from Holand to America. He had owned silver mines in The Siera Madre mountain ranges of Maxico. But, his Silver mines had closed down after the Great War.
Her husband became no too real to her both physically and mentally. He kept her in an invincible slavery and slavish monotony. So, she decided to leave her husband as she felt like a prisoner with her husband. She longed for something more in her life. She was fascinated by the account given by Lederman and she prepared her mind to experience of adventuring mountainous areas to know the known especially where the Chilchui Indian tribes lived. So, she readied to look for Chilchui Indians to “Know their Gods”, customs and religions.
The woman started her journey on riding stout roan horse. She traveled across a valley over the various step places. She passed great trees and deserted mining settlements.
The woman got down from the horse to drink and saw some natives but she did not care them.
The woman continued her quest or research. When it was night, she camped in a valley near a stream. There, she heard ‘Wailing shrick of mountain lion’.
When the first rays of sunlight observed, then the woman got up and again set off her journey. But she had not any destination, “She did not know where she was going, or what she was going for.”
When she reached a height of nine thousand feet above the sea-level over the hills and valleys then her horse jumped suddenly. She saw three dark-faced men. One of them enquired her sex, family, home place and destination. She informed them that she wanted to visit Chilchui Indian to know their Gods and their houses. They were surprised at her adventurous spirit and womanhood.
Along with the three men, the woman again started their journey through the rocky slopes to up the stony trail. After travelling some hours by moonlight, the woman and the three men camped at the foot of rocks and spent the night. The woman was so tired as if she were frightened of died.
Next morning, they again started their journey. They felt that they were climbing to the roof of the world. Eventually, the stony slope downwards to a valley three thousand feet below with trees, the river and cluster of low flat sparkling houses. The woman continued to descend and also rested in a groove of trees.
Suddenly, they met three men there. In the young Indian addressed, the old chief asked the woman whether she wanted to bring white man’s God to Chilchui hills. The woman replied negatively and informed that she was tired of white man’s God, so she came there to look for the God of Chilchui. Also, she mentioned that she would like to serve the gods of chilchui.
The old chief and the two men carried her on a woolen hammock through the field and the woods to the central square. After that, she was lead to their village. She became a prisoner and was regularly drugged.
At
last, they began a ceremony of sacrificing the woman with her consent or
permission. It was believed that sacrificing her would bring the sun and the
moon back to the people of Chilchui. The old shaman held (past form of hold)
a knife over the woman. He readied to strike her with the knife. Then, the old
man would strike, and strike home, accomplish the sacrifice and achieve the
power.
But, the fatalistic passivity of the woman during all the happenings is quite striking. The mastery that man must hold and that passed from race to race.