by Jack L Knapp
"You people stood there and watched a responsible member of your community be attacked! And did nothing to help him! Suppose I hadn't been available? What would have happened? The next time it might be you, and it might not be a man but an animal. Suppose Sal decides to just watch while a dire wolf is gnawing on your leg?
"Get your asses back to work, now!"
Cowed, the tribespeople wandered back to the cook-fire. Lee caught Matt's eye and winked. He understood; a valuable lesson had just been administered. The tribe would act next time instead of simply looking on.
Matt watched the two women working on Tex. Finally Elizabeth stood up.
"No real serious injuries. He might have a couple of teeth loosened, but there's nothing I can do. They'll either reseat themselves or he'll lose them. Maybe it might cause him to rethink the 'friendly fighting' he mentioned. You didn't spend a lot of time, taking him down."
"Elizabeth, that's as friendly as I know how to fight. Two of those blows could have killed him if I'd changed them just a little. I don't know if he's aware of that."
"We'll point that out when he wakes up. We'll get him back to the campfire, Matt. Do you really intend to force him to leave? He's probably not going to be in shape to defend himself for a day at least. He's got bruises already forming, and he may have a concussion."
"No, let him stick around until he's recovered. After that, it depends on his attitude. If he uses his fists on another member of the tribe, I won't take it easy on him. He'll remember the next lesson a long time...if he survives it."
"I'll tell him, Matt. Now let me take a look at your face."
"I'm all right, Elizabeth."
"I'm sure you are, but I've got a wash with some herbs in it to clean scratches and scrapes. You've got a good one on the jaw and cheekbone. Looks like the skin is split over the cheekbone."
"OK, I might have a bruised shoulder too. Nothing much. Go ahead and wash the cut and I'll get back to work."
#
Matt left the kitchen area with Sal's crew. They were soon at work, some sawing wheel disks and others splitting boards from a log. Two men were whittling pegs from a dried oak branch. The pegs, used in the boxes that held salt, nuts, and a few other things, had proved durable. Similar boxes would keep cargo in place on the carts.
The boxes would be needed. Some of the pottery being turned out now resembled ancient Greek amphorae in shape. Unlike an amphora, these vase-like containers didn't have the ring-shaped handles molded in to the neck. Instead, the containers had larger flat bases for easier transport in the carts. They now held dried fruits and vegetables, sealed against insect or rodent damage by carved plugs. The plugs in turn used rawhide and beeswax for a gasket, keeping the contents of the jug dry and safe; this also kept the wooden plug from cracking the container by absorbing moisture and swelling. Usually.
Some of the dried material was already being used. Breakfast now featured pancakes made from acorns.
The acorns were shelled, then placed in boiling water to remove tannins. The water was poured off...at some point, it would be used to tan leather...and the nut-meat dried and ground into flour. Served with honey, the pancakes made a welcome addition to breakfast.
Dried persimmons and mulberries also filled some of the containers. Matt recalled the tasty hot drinks that Lilia had prepared from dried berries and honey. They'd be very welcome during the next winter!
But the accumulating fruits and nuts added a concern; summer was ending; the tribe needed to move on. Hopefully the carts would be finished by the time Lee returned. The men were working as fast as possible. The real limit on cart manufacture was the lack of available steel tools. The few they possessed needed frequent sharpening and were now showing other signs of wear.
Perhaps they could find iron ore, even coal? Some of the former captives they'd rescued professed to know how to smelt and refine iron. Even if coal couldn't be found, it should be possible to extract iron from the ore by using charcoal.
But it would have to wait. For now, the priority was getting to a place where they could build defensible structures. They would need shelter, food, a dependable water supply; there was still so much to do. And winter would be on them soon, whether people were ready or not.
#
Lee arrived that afternoon and brought a group of a dozen people with him.
"What happened, Lee?"
"Matt, the slavers are back. Not those we fought, but the ones they were selling to. They've been sending out their own raiding parties, taking one or two people at a time. They usually snatch young ones, sneak in and are gone before people can react. But one bunch ran into a group of hunters from a small town south of here and there was a fight. A few of the people I brought in escaped, the others are the ones who fought the slavers. The escapees joined the hunters and they were heading north, away from where the raiding party had been going, when we found them. There were still raiders alive when they broke off contact, and the ones who'd escaped just wanted to get away without leading the raiding party back home.
"They know a lot more about the country south and west of here than I could have found out, so I brought them to you. They're pretty hungry. My scouts shared what food we had but it didn't go far. I figured it was better to bring them here rather than go hunting to feed them. There's no telling where that capture party went after the fight, and only a few of these folks still have spears. The rest aren't armed at all."
"We can feed them, Lee. Why don't you see Margrette and get enough for them and your guys? I suspect you're hungry too, since you gave the refugees your food."
Lee nodded. "I could eat. But they needed the food more than we did."
#
Matt visited Piotr's work location. He was there now, patiently crafting arrows. If he'd even been present during the fight, it hadn't taken him long to resume work.
Piotr had accumulated a stock of large feathers from tribe members and several flint chunks for raw materials. He now spent his mornings finding suitable arrow material, straightened the shafts in the afternoon, then chipped points before assembling everything into arrows.
"Piotr, you need a couple of assistants."
"I like the work, Matt. I get out in the mornings and the arrows I'm building now are good quality. Bows, too; I've built quite a few and I've got a supply of sinew for bowstrings."
"Nothing wrong with your quality, Piotr, but we're going to need more than you can turn out working alone. Lee just brought some new people into camp and they'll need weapons. I think we need a larger reserve, too. It looks like we're going to be in a fight. The slave raiders are gone, but the people they sold to are back. They're sneaking in and picking off a few here and there from towns and the only way to stop them is to make it really expensive.
"If they lose a few raiders every time they come north, they'll understand that it's not worth it. So we're going to need a lot of arrows. Maybe you could do the chipping and let someone else bring in raw materials, maybe do the assembly for you. Could you do that?"
"I guess so, Matt. If you can find me a couple of people, I'll do what I can."
#
The newcomers were waiting at the cook-fire. Margrette and Colin were slicing fresh steaks from a bison that had just been brought in. Callie and a few other women were roasting the meat on skewers. Two loaves of bread, produced from flour made by grinding ripe grain seeds and nuts, were waiting.
The first meal would be simple, meat and bread. The strangers wouldn't complain.
Some of them could help Margrette prepare the next meal. As for the rest, Matt would see where they could be most useful.
Some might not fit in, but the people they'd rescued from the slave raiders had proved valuable additions to the tribe. Hopefully, these would too. Eventually. For the moment, hunger was uppermost on their minds.
Matt quietly got the attention of Colin, Lee, and Lilia. Motioning, he walked away from the campfire. The others joined him in a few minutes, Colin wiping his hands on a ragged piece of d
eerskin as he came.
"Didn't have time to wash, Matt. That soap works but it's pretty harsh. Maybe the next batch should have less lye, more fat."
"We can pass it on, Colin. But right now I wanted to talk about the people Lee brought in. We've had good luck with the others that joined us after that fight with the slave raiders. I think we should try the same approach with the new ones.
"I'll talk to them about the area they've come through. Lee, we need to work up a route to follow if they have enough information, otherwise you're going to have to put out extra scouts every day. They'll need to bring us information about camping spots, water, hazards, whatever we need to know so we can plan the day's travel. You're the one in charge of scouts so I want you in on those discussions. You'll also need to assess the new people’s weapons skills, if any. They'll need replacement weapons and training whenever we can find the time.
"Colin, see what jobs they can do. You'll know better than I what needs doing. If any of them can help Piotr, he could use a couple of assistants. I don't know if Sal needs help, but an extra pair of hands is always welcome. You can ask him what he needs to get things moving faster. It may not be possible, but you can at least ask.
"Lilia, find a place for them to camp and see if we can get them bedding. Put up temporary shelters, but don't spend a lot of time on it. I want to be away from here as soon as possible.
"Plan on every trained bowman, and that includes the women, being armed all the time now. Pass the word about what happened, tell everyone to be careful. If the capture parties decide to travel up this far, I don't want them to grab any of our people."
"What happens if they do, Matt?"
"I don't know, Lee. My first instinct is to go after them. At the same time, I understand that my responsibility is to the tribe. I can't leave them undefended. It could take a week, two weeks even, to catch up to the snatch party. There's no guarantee of success either; we could waste a lot of time and never catch them."
Lee hesitated. "There's one other option, Matt."
"What's that? If you've thought of something I missed, let's hear it."
"I was thinking of Tex. He's got at least one, maybe two or three horses ready to ride by now. What about training a couple of people to ride, use them for mounted patrols or to go after anyone who's captured?"
Matt thought about it. "It's an idea. But can we depend on Tex? There's no telling about him right now. He might leave as soon as he’s able.
"Next year we can try the same method he did, chase down some horses and tame them. It will take us a lot more time than it took him because we'd be learning how, but it could be done. We have a problem right now, though, and I don't know if Tex can be part of the solution."
"I'll talk to him, Matt. It might be better coming from me."
"Go ahead, Lee. But meantime, pass the word to everyone. The best answer right now is not to let people wander around without protection. Make sure they know about the capture parties. If someone's out gathering vegetables, make sure there are at least two guards nearby."
The others nodded and the meeting broke up. Matt headed back to the fire. It was time to talk to the new additions.
#
Matt found much to think about after the conversations. This world was different geologically from the Earth of downtime. The Rio Grande Rift and the river that flowed through it was likely shorter here than it had been downtime. Instead, a wide seaway now extended into the area that would be known downtime as the Big Bend. The Rio Grande itself was a formidable barrier, too, more than a mile wide just above the seaway. The broad river branched and flowed through a substantial delta, a haven for birds and fish as well as a number of transplanted people.
But a different society had evolved across the seaway; a number of huge estates had grown up, with labor provided by slaves or peons depending on how one defined the terms. Anyone located within a week's travel north of the seaway was in danger of being captured. There was always a need for more labor on the estates, similar to the plantations once found in the old North American colonies.
What the owners lacked in technology, they made up in brute human labor.
#
Lee found Matt two hours later.
"Matt, Tex is gone. He left Elizabeth after she treated him and headed for his horses. The horses are there, but the only sign I found of Tex is a place where a scuffle happened.
I think the capture parties followed us, and they've grabbed Tex."
Chapter 31
"I've got half a mind to let them keep him!"
"You don't mean that, Matt."
"Probably not, Lee. But Tex would probably lead a revolution if they ever got him south of that seaway your refugees mentioned! Still, he helped us when we were fighting the slave raiders, so we owe him. Did you see any other tracks?"
"Laz is looking at that now. Couple of others went with him, Piotr and Marc. Piotr has sharp eyes. If there's anything to be found, he'll find it."
"I'll be going after Tex, Lee. Who do we leave in charge of security while we're gone?"
"Laz would be my choice, but he's been left behind a couple of times already. I think he wants to go this time, and I know I do."
"What about leaving Piotr in charge?"
"He could handle it, I think. I don't think anything will upset him."
"Get people together as soon as Laz is back. I'm about to see if I can ride Tex's stallion."
"You think you can ride that thing, Matt?"
"I think I need to try. I've ridden before, but never bareback. And I never rode very far, maybe four or five miles once. I'm just hoping the skill will come back. Maybe it's like riding a bicycle."
"What's a bicycle, Matt?"
"I'll explain some other time. What I've got in mind is loading up with my bow, spear, a couple of dozen arrows slung on the horse plus what I can carry in my quiver. I'm going to loop around and get ahead of the raiders. Whenever I get the chance, I'll slow them down. I'll need a lot of arrows because even if I don’t have a good target, I’ll drop an arrow in the middle of the group to force them to scatter and take cover. You and the rest should be able to catch up that much faster."
"That should work. If you can ride the horse, that is."
"Time to find out, Lee. I'll be down at the corral. Tell Piotr he's going to be left in charge and he'll need to see that the horses are moved every day or so. I'll take Sal with me to the corral. I might need help, catching that stallion."
"I'll tell Piotr when he gets back from looking at the tracks. I'll see about finding you some extra arrows, too."
Matt took Sal along and went to the corral. The horses were calm, grazing on the short grass. The stallion saw them and stood watching, head up, ears pointed forward.
"Matt, you know how to use a rope like Tex does?"
"No. What I have in mind is just open up a loop and walk up slowly. If the horses bolt, I might try that honey trick Tex mentioned. But if I use a big loop and get close, maybe I can catch the horse."
"I'll watch, Matt. But if that horse decides to attack you, we'll have horsemeat for supper!"
Matt grinned and picked up a reata from Tex’s equipment. There was also a square of leather and a wide band he thought was the girth strap Tex had been using when he rode up. The hackamore appeared simple to use, even though it had only one rein for controlling the horse.
Matt's riding had been done using two reins. Still, if Tex had done it, Matt could; he would only need to figure out what cues the horse responded to. Stopping the horse would likely use the universal signal, lean back slightly and tug on the rein.
Matt built a six-foot loop in the reata's end and held it ready as he walked toward the stallion. The horse watched alertly for a moment, then spun and bolted. The mares joined him, circling past Matt where he stood in the middle of the corral.
Matt held the loop ready and kept up with the horses, walking in a small circle in the middle of the corral. He needed to walk only a short distance w
hile the horses ran the much wider circle, just inside the downed trees Tex used for his 'fence'. Dust rose, churned up by the hooves. Matt sneezed and kept walking. The horses soon stopped and Matt walked slowly toward them again.
Half an hour later he finally managed to toss the open loop over the stallion's head. The horse immediately stopped, understanding the feel of the reata. The loop drew tight as Matt pulled slowly on the rawhide. With the loop snugged tight around the horse's neck, Matt led and the horse followed him obediently.
A few onlookers had come down to see what Matt was doing. Among them were the two men who'd been assisting Tex, José and Ernesto. Matt noticed them as he led the stallion to where Tex's equipment lay.
"Either one of you know how Tex puts all this stuff on the horse? I could probably figure it out, but the horse will be more comfortable if I do it the same way Tex does."
The two men conferred briefly. "We know how it is done, Señor Matt. Would you like for us to tack up the horse for you?"
Clearly the two had been picking up Tex's speech pattern as well as learning his methods. Matt was happy to let them apply their knowledge. In two minutes the men were finished. The horse had submitted quietly while José fitted the hackamore and Ernesto fastened the saddle pad in place.
"No stirrups. Well, I'll just have to do the best I can."
" Señor Matt, Tex grabs the long hairs of the mane at the base. This is the withers, and that is where you hold the mane."
"I know what a withers is!"
"Yes, Señor Matt. Would you like me to hold my hands to help you mount? I do this for Ernesto."
"You and Ernesto have been riding, José?"
"Yes, Señor Matt. But Tex has not allowed us to ride outside the corral yet. We are permitted to ride in the old corral before we drag the trees away to make the new corral."
"Sure, hold your hands in place. Maybe I can learn how Tex mounts the horse another time."
"You will need to know if you get off the horse, won't you?"
"You're right. But let me try riding first. I'll stay in the corral until I'm sure I can stay on the horse. At least this one's not as big as what I rode downtime. I don't have far to fall!"
