Meri said with a smile, “Venison for supper.”
Again, Bill thought, somewhat sourly. He was fast becoming tired of eating mainly meat and was beginning to crave real vegetables.
“Too bad we don’t have any carrots or potatoes to throw into the pot,” he said.
They grounded the canoe and Meri hopped out first, rifle at the ready. Grabbing the canoe with her free hand, but looking around to maintain awareness, she pulled it further ashore so Karen could climb out. The two then pulled the canoe even further, enabling Bill to get out without having to jump into the river.
The area on which they landed was a flat piece of ground on a meander between two small streams, with a hill between them. I bet there’s a town here on Earth, Bill thought.
Meri went to the downed doe and began cleaning her kill, while Karen identified where they would establish camp. Bill kept watch while Karen set out the tripwire lines. Once they were set, she gathered fuel for a fire. Using his foot, Bill cleared a small area for the campfire. Karen then gathered some stones from the river’s edge and created a small stone ring in the clearing.
By the time Karen was done getting the campsite established, Meri had cut up enough of the deer to make a hearty stew. Casting about, she found some edible plants to include in the meal.
Once the fire was going, the need for Bill to remain on watch was lessened, so each Explorer set up their own hammock.
They were camped under some large oak trees, so Karen had them collect acorns. “Might as well leach them tonight. That way we can use them tomorrow.”
After supper, the three settled into their evening routine of personal hygiene, care of equipment, and trading off sleep for standing watch.
Morning dawned clear, which Bill was grateful for. With the narrowness of the river’s channel and the steepness of the mountains surrounding them, if there was substantial rainfall the river’s flow would increase dramatically. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with the rapids of an unknown river at flood stage.
It was only a matter of a few minutes before the hammocks were taken down and packed away, and a breakfast of grilled venison with dandelion greens devoured.
The day’s journey was an easy drift downriver with a few Class I and II rapids. Not being familiar with the river, Bill had no idea if this would be the extent of the rapids or if they could expect worse, so he brought the subject up.
“When we break for the night, see what you can pull up on the tablet,” Karen said.
Bill estimated that they made twenty-five klicks that day, thanks to a fairly swift stream flow combined with paddling. The location they pulled out was another of the rare flat spots along the river, this one on the south side.
After setting up camp, and while Meri prepared the evening meal, Bill pulled out his tablet and began reviewing the data on the river.
“From what I can tell, we’ve got plenty of whitewater before we hit the junction of the next river,” he said after a few minutes. “Not sure what type of rapids, but we should probably stay on our toes, and get off this river before any rain swells it.”
“Good idea. I’ve seen rivers go from Class II to Class IV rapids overnight with a heavy rain,” Karen said.
Of course, once stated, the prophecy was fulfilled.
Not long after climbing into his hammock after second watch, Bill heard a spattering of raindrops hit the fly. Man, I hope this is just a shower, he thought. His hopes were dashed as the rainfall became heavier. Soon it felt like Bill was inside a drum. It didn’t stop him from sleeping, though.
When he awoke several hours later, it was still raining. And warmer. Looking out from under his hammock’s fly he could see the ground around him was soaked, and the light was muted by the clouds and rain.
He retrieved his boots and put them on. He also dug his poncho from his pack and, carefully exiting the hammock, he put on the poncho as quickly as possible. He couldn’t avoid getting wet, though; by now the rain was a steady downpour. Grabbing his rifle, he made his way over to the smoldering fire, where Karen sat on a log, also dressed in a poncho.
The river had risen overnight; it was rapidly rising over the flat area where they had landed, and the current was moving swiftly.
“What’s the plan?” he asked Karen, as he sat next her on the log.
“We can either wait it out or get on the river as fast as possible and hope we don’t hit anything worse than yesterday. If we wait, it might rise high enough to force us off this site and up onto the slope over there.” Karen pointed to a steep slope at the edge of the campsite.
“Not much room to pull the canoe up,” he noticed.
Karen nodded. “Yeah. Looks like we’re between a rock and a hard place.”
“More like a rock and a wet place,” Bill said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. Karen just shook her head and muttered, “Why me, Lord? Why?”
Meri climbed out of her hammock. Donning here poncho, she joined the two. “So?” she asked.
“I’m thinking downriver,” Karen said. “If I’m correct, this is a tropical depression we’re dealing with, which means we’ll be getting even more rain. The faster we can get someplace safer, the better we are. So, let’s break down camp. Breakfast will be on the river.” She looked directly at Bill. “And that doesn’t mean fish!”
Ten minutes later the camp was broken down and the canoe packed. Everyone wore their primary survival gear under their PFDs and had rifles slung over their backs over their ponchos. If the main gear was lost in a capsize situation, they would at least have some survival equipment.
Karen made sure that the packs and remaining survival equipment were lashed to the bottom of the canoe. “Hopefully, we won’t lose anything,” she said, looking at their handiwork.
The three climbed into the canoe in their usual positions and started down the river. Almost immediately Bill could feel the difference in the water flow. When they had landed last night, it had been swift, but not like this. In seconds they were pulled along by the current, faster than before.
While Meri and Karen worked to keep them from bashing into any rocks, Bill struggled to steer the canoe from the rear.
The rain came down in sheets, oftentimes obliterating their view. Bill felt the sweat pouring off his body, the moisture trapped between him and the poncho. It was like having to swim in a warm tub, increasing his level of discomfort.
The river was impressively powerful, and they began to encounter larger and larger rapids, mostly in the Class IV and V level — much too intense for them.
“Hey, Karen,” Bill shouted above the storm, “this river’s too rough.”
Karen nodded, then shouted, “Meri, keep your eyes peeled for a safe spot to pull in. Let’s get off this river.”
The three continued to fight the river, desperately seeking a flat spot to land on.
Suddenly, Meri turned back to the others and screamed “Falls!”
For a second, nobody responded. Then Karen yelled, “Pull over port!” The three paddled as hard as they could and managed to reach the steep shore. Meri jumped out and held onto the canoe, which started to swing stern first downriver. Bill continued paddling to try and remain in place while Karen scrambled to the front and over the side onto land. She grabbed ahold the canoe, which was rocking in the churning waters. Bill could hear the sound of the falls just downriver.
Karen and Meri both grasped the canoe, stabilizing it somewhat.
“You’ll have to jump out and drag the tail end to shore,” Karen yelled.
Bill dropped his paddle in the bottom of the craft and gingerly stepped out of the canoe on the landward side, the fierce current tugging on his legs. As he tried to reach the shore, his foot slipped on the moss-covered rocks, and he fell face first into the water. The shock caused him to lose his one-handed grip on the canoe, and he was immediately swept away.
He heard Meri yell, “Bill!”, but it was too late. The current had ahold of him and was sweeping him downriver, f
eet first and face down.
Face up, feet first, he recalled from his training, and tried to turn around so his face was up. Just as he did he went over a waterfall, cracking his head on a rock as his feet went over the edge.
Sharp pain caused his mind to flare, and then, nothing.
38
When Bill came to, he was groggy, and it took him a while to wrap his mind around his situation. His head hurt, his mouth was dry and tasted like somebody had shoved a dirty sock into it, and he couldn’t move his right leg. Slowly moving his head around, he found that he was in his sleeping bag and under a lean-to, and that it was daylight. Sunlight was streaming into the lean-to, which meant it wasn’t raining any more. Further movement of his head induced nausea, so he decided not to move it anymore, shutting his eyes instead.
When next Bill opened his eyes, it was dark. The light of a flickering fire reflecting off the underside of the lean-to. His eyes were gummy and his mouth still tasted like a dirty sock. Scratch that, he thought, a freakin’ cat used my mouth as a litter box.
Motion caught his attention. He turned toward the source of it and saw Karen sitting next to him.
“How you feeling?” she asked in a low voice.
He tried to answer, but could only croak.
Karen grabbed a canteen, unscrewed the top, then reached under his shoulder and raised him so he could drink. Bill became dizzy, but after a moment nodded that he was okay. He reached for the canteen and took a sip. After the first couple of sips, he realized just how thirsty he was and took several large swallows, almost choking on the refreshing liquid. Karen then gave him a couple of pain relief pills. He finally stopped drinking long enough to answer.
“Feel like shit. What happened?”
“You went over the falls and fell about three meters or so. On the way, you cracked your head, broke a leg, and practically drowned.”
Bill moved the top of the sleeping bag aside and looked down. His left leg was immobilized with two sticks and strips of cloth binding them. That and a pair of underpants were all that he was wearing
He swallowed and looked away. “How’d I get here?” he asked, pulling the sleeping bag back over himself.
“Your crazy wife jumped in over the falls and grabbed you before you got too far away. That’s one awesome lady.”
Bill’s eyes widened. “Is she okay?”
Karen pointed to Bill’s other side. He turned his head. Meri’s hammock was strung just outside the lean-to.
“Yeah. Sleeping. It’s been a rough couple of days.”
“Days? How long have I been out?”
“Two. Want to sit up regular? My arm’s starting to give out.”
“Sure.”
Karen set him back down and retrieved a pack to put behind him. Bill was able to sit up on his own, only getting slightly dizzy with the initial effort. Karen arranged the pack behind him.
Leaning back with a sigh, Bill asked, “Lower leg?”
“Yep. Fibula. You got lucky. I think we set it pretty well, but without an X-ray machine, it’s anyone’s guess. I guess we’ll know more in about six weeks. But you won’t be able to really use it without a splint for at least three months.”
“Shit!”
“Yeah. Shit. Sucks to be us. On a positive note, at least it wasn’t the tibia and it didn’t break through the skin, so we don’t have to worry as much about infection.”
The pain meds soon kicked in and Bill drifted back off to sleep.
Bill was awakened by the sound of somebody singing softly. Meri now sat where Karen had been the night before, rifle draped across her crossed legs. There was a dull ache in his leg, but nothing that he couldn’t bear.
“Hey,” he said.
Meri stopped singing and looked his way. A smile rapidly grew on her face and she reached over and gave him a kiss, rubbing her hand through his hair.
“Hey, yourself,” she said after pulling back. “How you feeling?”
“Better than the first time I woke up, that’s for sure.”
“Good. Want something to eat or drink?”
“Yeah, but I need to go to the bathroom first.”
“Then you might need this.” Meri picked up a handmade crutch. It was a simple forked stick,the fork padded in leather and the bark peeled off.
It took a bit before Bill could stand. First, he had to flip over onto his stomach, then push himself up onto his knees. Once on his knees, he was able to use his good leg, along with the crutch, to rise to a standing position. He was a bit shaky but soon settled down. The pain in his leg was still there, a dull drumbeat with every heartbeat, but not enough to cause him too much discomfort.
Supporting himself with the crutch, he looked around. Meri pointed him to a slit trench latrine on the far side of the camp.
Bill hobbled over to the latrine, making sure to minimize the amount of weight he placed on his broken leg. He knew from his medical training in Survival School that one could walk with a broken fibula as long as there was some form of support, such as the makeshift splint he was wearing, but he didn’t want to chance damaging it any more than necessary.
Once at the latrine, he felt grateful be be a male who could pee standing up. Yeah, squatting down for a shit’s gonna be real interesting.
Finished, he hobbled back to the bed and with a bit of struggle, and a lot of help from the crutch and Meri, flopped down on his sleeping bag.
Meri held a canteen out for him to wash his hands. He managed to keep most of the water out of his bed. With more of her assistance, he got dressed. She removed his splint while he pulled his pants over his legs, and once his pants and socks were on replaced the splint. He decided to keep his boots off for the time being.
“Hungry?”
“I could eat.”
She handed him a small pot filled with stew. A spork was already in it, so it was just a matter of digging in and eating his first meal in days. It didn’t take long before the stew was gone.
Meri took his pot and utensil and cleaned them with sand and water.
“Don’t get used to this domestic lifestyle where I do all the cooking and cleaning,” she joked as she poured boiling water over the spork and into the pot, sterilizing them.
“Promise I won’t. But can I enjoy it right now?” Bill asked with a grin.
Karen crawled out of her sleeping bag, holding her rifle in one hand and covering her mouth with the other as she yawned.
“Hey, look who’s finally awake,” she said. “How you feeling?”
“A lot better than the other day, that’s for sure.”
“Good. You feeling well enough to travel?”
Bill thought about it for a moment. “As long as we take it easy. No way I’m gonna be carrying a pack or doing anything really physical for a couple of weeks, at least.”
“More like a couple of months,” Meri said.
“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Karen said. “You ride in the middle, I’ll be in the stern, and Meri stays in the bow. That way we’ll have somebody who can actually use a bow in the premier spot, somebody who can move with at least some small degree of agility in the back, and we’ll use your strong back in the middle.”
“Hmm. Strong back, weak mind thinking going on there?” Bill asked with a touch of humor.
“You said it, Sparky, not me,” Karen said with a grin.
“Yeah, I think that’s manageable,” Bill said.
“Great. You up for leaving now or do you want to give it another day to see how you’re feeling?”
“Gimme a day to figure out how to use this thing,” Bill said, pointing to the crutch.
“Sounds like a plan,” Karen said. “We’ll head out first thing tomorrow. In the meantime, take it easy but try using that thing so you’re not so helpless. Last thing we need is to have you eaten or something.”
Reaching behind the pack Bill was resting on, Karen pulled out his rifle and handed it to him.
“Here, you might want this,” she said.
“We think it hit the same rock that gave you the concussion,” Karen said.
“No sense keeping it on,” Bill said and unlatched the quick-release lever holding the scope onto the picatinny rail. “Guess that’s why the Corps keeps the iron sights on.”
“Yep, two is one and one is none,” Meri said, referring to the Corps attitude toward redundancies and backups.
Damaged scope in hand, Bill wondered what to do with it. He didn’t see the sense in carrying dead weight, but he also knew the Corps didn’t like leaving too many artifacts lying around in the event another hominid species existed on the planet under exploration. And since they’d already seen Neanderthals on Planet 42’s Eurasian continent, he was particularly concerned about discovery.
As if reading Bill’s mind, Karen said, “Just smash it some more with a rock and throw the pieces in the river. They’ll eventually get covered up with sediment.”
“Here, give it to me. I’ll do it.” Meri held out her hand.
While Meri was at the river, Bill inspected the rifle. He could tell it had been cleaned, as there was no rust or dirt on it. Looking at Karen with a raised eyebrow, she raised her chin in Meri’s direction.
Bill nodded, then turned his attention back to the rifle, inspecting the chamber to ensure it was loaded. It was. He then ejected the magazine: it was full. He replaced it, tapping the bottom upward into the rifle to ensure it was seated properly.
“I guess I’m good enough to stand watch if either of you need some more sleep,” he said, as Meri came back into the camp.
“Naw, we’re good,” Karen said. “Well, other than a broke ASS, that is,” she finished with a grin.
The Corps of Discovery Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3: A multiverse series of alternate history Page 41
