Eric looked closely, "a fossil?" he asked.
Yasu shook his head, "no, bone."
Eric nodded, "fairly recent then. A crocodile you think?"
"A lot like it," Yasu responded, "from the size of the head very large; 15 meters or so if it's in scale." Yasu continued, "probably no concern right now since it's the dry season, but these dry stream beds are likely flooded during the rainy season. Odds are that's what brings them this far from the river."
"Yeh, and what brought you here? A little out of the way isn't it?"
Handing his rifle to Eric, Yasu placed a tape measure next to the skull, pulling it out and locking it into position. "Oh, I just heard some noise. Not sure what it was though." Then he stepped back and took out his camera for several pictures, commenting, "too bad we can't bring it back for study, but I don't see how we could even lash in on."
October 30, Year 1
The humidity and swarming insects, coupled with the heavy vegetation, made progress difficult. The undergrowth was wet with condensed humidity and the remnants of the morning rain, leaving Eric soaked with a combination of his own sweat and the forest's moisture. Streaks of blood covered his face where he had been scratched by thorns or branches, or where some biting insect had ignored the insect repellant.
Eric was exhausted, with the straps from his pack digging into his shoulders, with his soaked feet adding to his discomfort. The vegetation had become progressively heavier and more tropical as they made their way toward the river, and the expanses of swampy lowland made progress increasingly difficult. Without the network of game trails it would have been impossible, but it was no simple matter to locate trails that went in the direction they wanted.
This was their second day on foot, and they were coming near their goal, the bank of the northern tributary; and within minutes he could see glimpses of the open water through the trees. As he reached the riverbank Eric slumped to the ground with his back against a tree, not bothering to remove his pack, too tired to even get a water bottle out. Yasu, who was following close behind, followed suite, with an "enough is enough." It was five minutes before either had energy enough to release their packs and get water and some snacks out.
As they rested Eric and Yasu looked out upon the river. It wasn't really the Great River yet, but still the North Branch. Downstream about two kilometers they could see the break in the bank where the North and South Branch met, creating the combined stream. But even here the North Branch, considerably smaller than the South Branch, was nearly half a kilometer in width.
So far the exploration had been only partially successful. While there were many signs of animal life in the forests it was mostly at treetop level where small animals and numerous brightly plumaged birds proliferated, with a small pack of creatures resembling small pigs the only larger animals encountered. The quantity and variety of trees, many hardwoods ideal for construction, but also softer woods, met their expectations and provided the long-term resource needed.
Topu and Mike had found some mineral signs which merited further investigation, but no sign of hydrocarbons. This was their last and most ambitious probe, all the way to the river; with most of the final thrust on foot, an exhausting trip with the weight of the inflatable boat and the small, folding motor. They were now over 300 kilometers to the southwest of where they had entered the river valley, and once out of here would start their search for a place where they could drive or winch their vehicles out of the valley.
Eric got to his feet and unpacked the inflatable boat while Yasu unpacked the small portable motor. It took over an hour to make camp and inflate and prepare the boat, by which time twilight was descending.
The following morning . . . .
The next morning they were up early, ate breakfast, secured the camp, and were on the water before seven. They didn't need to use the motor and were content to let the boat drift slowly downstream with occasional help with the paddles. The water roughened as they reached the junction where the wide South Branch joined to form the combined river, but once past the junction the speed of the river slowed and it widened to where the further shore became a blur without details. Here, less than 15 kilometers below the junction, Eric estimated the width of the river had become well over a kilometer in with, with the shoreline lowering and the surrounding land becoming progressively lower and more swampy as the river slowed. Beyond the bank the land and trees began to resemble a mangrove swamp, the bank pierced periodically by channels that opened to water filled lowlands covered with water plants.
As they allowed the current, supplemented by light paddling, to carry them downstream an abundance of wildlife, missing during their journey through the forest, was visible. Included were massive horned animals the size of an elephant standing in shallow water feeding on water plants bordering the bank. They, and numerous smaller herbivores, watched curiously as they passed, without any signs of alarm.
From time to time the silence was punctuated by loud roars from the water filled lowlands, sounds which they hadn't heard upstream. Investigating, they left the river and paddled through one of the channels in the bank for several hundred meters where they reached a pond, before quickly retreating upon observing several crocodile like creatures, which they guessed was the source of the skull found earlier. Also, it was the source of the sound. Yasu had been right about their size, several appearing a full 15 meters in length as they lay largely submerged or sunning on the banks. When they moved, however, it was evident their legs were considerably longer than Earth varieties, suggesting also higher speed on land.
Up to this point they had drifted near the northern bank, but now headed out into the stream to cross to the southern bank. Once there they continued their path downstream through the combination of paddling and drifting, staying within 20 meters of the shore.
The south shore proved to be much like the north, the shallow banks covered by heavy vegetation, occasionally punctuated by the entrance to one of the water filled basins. During the spring floods the river would almost certainly flood for several kilometers in both directions. They had never really seen the river at its maximum width; by the time they reached orbit most of the flooding was past, but even then the river had still been far beyond its banks.
The day was damp and oppressive with the heat and humidity, with any breeze blocked by the bordering trees. The heavy growth overhanging the water's edge would have provided welcome shade except for the ever present swarms of insects that forced them to stay a distance from the shore. By noon they had reached their planned turnaround point, roughly 30 kilometers south of the junction, and decided to stop for lunch and a short break. Yasu pointed to an open area on the bank slightly ahead of the boat. "That looks like a good place to stop; it looks like a watering spot for animals. Let's pull in there." Without waiting for or expecting an answer, Yasu turned the boat inshore and beached it on the shallow gravel slope.
Stepping into the shallow water and pulling the boat ashore, Yasu stretched to relieve his cramped muscles as Eric climbed out and looked around the clearing. The damp ground near the water was heavily trampled by hoof marks where animals had come down to drink at the river.
Eric examined the small clearing above the bank, brushing away the hovering insects. "There's been a lot of traffic here," he said, "and some of the signs look fresh." Pointing to an opening in the trees at the other end of the small clearing he added, "that looks like a fairly heavily traveled path. If you want to start getting lunch ready I'm going to follow it for a way and see where it leads; and maybe scare up some game. I'll be back in 15 minutes or so. As soon as I get the bug spray from the pack."
Getting the bug spray, both Eric and Yasu gave themselves a good dose, and Yasu also got the portable heater to make coffee. Eric headed to where the path started and, scrambling up a shallow bank, started down the path which was clearly heavily traveled; in fact traffic had crushed any vegetation, leaving mud and puddles of standing water. Eric knelt to examine the grass, som
e of which was even then returning to a more upright position, showing that something had recently passed. Unslinging his rifle, Eric moved cautiously and silently along the path, feeling some of the excitement he always felt when in unfamiliar country not knowing what lay ahead. He could feel the blood pumping with the increased adrenaline flow.
The path dipped through a wet area and then angled to the southwest to avoid one of the water filled basins, anything beyond ten meters blocked by the trees. As Eric moved down the path the only signs of life the fluttering as a bird, startled at his approach, as it flew off into the treetops. Gradually the path began to straighten, and the dense riverbank foliage thinned. Finding an opening in the trail Eric knelt to rest, the swarm of insects around his head held at bay by the bug spray. He estimated he was about 400-500 meters from the river, but still on all sides the heavy undergrowth obscured any view. Refreshed, Eric again rose to his feet and continued along the trail.
After several more minutes Eric stopped at a sound ahead and to the right of the trail. Kneeling, with his rifle pointed in the direction of the sound, he listened for anything unusual; but hearing nothing he rose slowly and moved cautiously down the path at a crouch, his rifle at the ready. Suddenly there was a 'snapping' sound ahead, and Eric again stopped and listened. Nothing; no sound except the birds chattering in the canopy above. As he was about to get to his feet he felt a sharp pain in his head, followed by spiraling darkness.
Several days later . . . .
Topu Mobutu and Mike Ford parked their landrover next to that of Eric and Yasu and, jumping to the ground, examined the other parked vehicle. Seeing the clearly marked trail into the woods, Topu followed it for several hundred meters, and then returned to the trucks. It had taken them nearly a day from base camp to follow the trail to where the landrover was parked, and it was getting too dark to go any further tonight; visibility was becoming increasingly limited. There was no sign of anyone having been in the clearing or near the vehicle recently, and traveling a short distance down the trail they found no sign of recent passage, only the periodic blaze marks on the trees. This was hardly unexpected, any footprints would have been washed away by the daily rains in any case.
Eric and Yasu were long overdue; they should have been back at their landrover days earlier. Topu and Mike had waited two full days at the base camp, assuming that unexpected difficulties in reaching the river could have delayed them, but then decided to start out to meet them in case they had run into trouble.
Topu started to unload the camping gear as he said to Mike, "better camp here for the night. We can't follow the trail very far tonight in any case. We'll get an early start in the morning." Mike nodded assent, and started to help with the unloading. While he was busy making camp and starting supper, Topu climbed back aboard the landrover and flipped the switches' of the position finder and radio on. First he pushed the button to transmit their position to New Athens, then switched to radio mode. Within minutes he was deep in conversation with Carter explaining what they had found and their next step.
Topu was worried, although he tried not to show his concern to Mike. Both Yasu and Eric were too expert to be this far off schedule, and he was certain that they had run into a serious problem. The trail was marked clearly enough that they should be able to follow it without difficulty, and they should be able to make better time than Yasu or Eric had, parts of the trail cleared by their earlier passage and without carrying the heavy load. But if they didn't encounter them before they reached the river they were at a dead end since they didn't have a boat to continue on.
Late the next day . . . .
Topu sat on a dead log and used his shirtsleeve to mop the perspiration from his forehead and face, shifting his body back and forth to cause his shirt to wipe away some of the moisture coursing down his back. He had hoped they could reach the riverbank by tonight, and they would have if they hadn't inadvertently taken the wrong turn where the trail branched, but that hope was glimmering fast with the falling darkness. The wrong turn had cost them over an hour, and in another hour it would be too dark to travel. With dusk approaching they had little time to find a campsite.
Finding no open area they had stopped at a depression formed by the torn-up roots of one of the fallen forest giants, deciding to make do. It was nearly totally dark by the time camp was made, a fire started, and the evening meal underway. They made short work of their supper, and rolling up in their sleeping bags fell rapidly to sleep, their fatigue overcoming the still sticky night air.
The next morning . . . .
Topu awoke with a start. The sun was already up but little of its light penetrated to the forest floor. As he cleared his sleep-clouded mind the aroma of freshly brewing coffee reached him, making him think sleepily that Mike was already up. Turning his head, expecting to see Mike by the fire, Topu was startled to see Yasu sitting on the bole of the fallen tree, watching him.
"I couldn't bear to wake you," Yasu said, "you were sleeping like a baby. I almost passed you by; the river's only about 300 or so meters further. It's surprising we didn't hear each other."
Both Topu and Mike were rapidly on their feet and bombarding Yasu with questions. "What had happened? Where was Eric?" Over breakfast Yasu detailed what had happened on the river, and later on the trail. His face was grim.
He had waited for Eric for over a half hour at the clearing, and when he didn't return had followed the trail to try to locate him. He found no sign of Eric or any sign of a struggle, but had found some blood on the grass. At first he assumed Eric had shot some game and was tracking it, so he sat and waited for several minutes, calling out to Eric. When there was no response he had searched the woods nearby, but found nothing; no sign of struggle or passage. He had spent the next day and a half following the trail, traveling what he estimated at over 30 kilometers. But while trampled grass was evident he had found no sign of Eric or signs of any animals large enough to carry off a man. As time passed the signs of passage began to fade; if anything was ahead on the trail it was moving fast, faster than he was.
Giving up the search he had returned to the riverbank and taken the boat back upstream to where they had embarked, which he reached last night. This morning he was up at earliest light and started back up the trail to where the landrover was parked. He had almost passed Topu and Mike by, and would have if it hadn't been for the still lingering smell of the smoke from their fire of the night before.
The first priority now was to get back to the land rovers and report Eric's disappearance. Yasu didn't know what the next step could be, except to send an expedition to follow the trail where Eric had been lost to its end. The most logical conclusion was he had been carried off by a large cat or something else, in which case they'd never find the body anyway.
CHAPTER 7: Torgai
Hath crouched near the embers of the cooking fire watching the strange creature they had caught. It was still alive, but hadn’t awakened from the blow he had dealt to its head with his throwing rock, although its breathing seemed regular. To make sure it couldn't escape or attack them if it awakened he had secured it to a tree with a vine tied around its neck. The creature wasn't as tall as the Torgai, but looked strong, and might be dangerous.
Never had he seen an animal like that, and he had never heard of one even in the legends of 'the people,' as the Torgai thought of themselves. It walked on its hind legs just like the Torgai, and wore a strange kind of clothing that was different from anything he had ever seen. It even carried strange tools that might be weapons. It certainly didn’t look like the Torgai, even though he knew some Torgai who lived far away were sometimes larger or smaller than they were, and sometimes had a different fur color. This thing didn’t even appear to have fur except for the patch on its head.
Hath had no idea what it was. No animal he had ever seen or heard of wore clothing or used tools or weapons, although he had heard some of the 'near men' sometimes carried sticks or clubs they used as weapons.
Hath had never
seen one of the 'near men', but he had talked to Torgai who said they had. He had been told they walked upright like Torgai but were much shorter and completely fur-covered, and didn't wear clothes or have fires, but were afraid of the Torgai and ran away whenever they saw one. While none lived near Hath's village or hunting area he was told that the Torgai who lived near them didn't bother them and considered them harmless.
Well, this creature certainly wasn't one of the 'near men'. This creature both used tools and wore clothes, and had hardly any fur, less even than the Torgai. And they were even able to use a boat.
But Hath was confused as to what he should do now. The creature, in spite of its lack of hair and ugly flat face, was too like the Torgai to consider eating, and the Torgai rarely kept pets or any animals except their herd animals used for food. Maybe it had been a mistake to capture it, possibly it should just have been killed or left alone; then he wouldn't have this problem.
Hath and his group had been returning to their village from the 'gathering', and had just finished hiding their boat and building a litter for their injured companion, when one of the Torgai noticed the boat approaching. At first, while the boat looked strange, they had thought the passengers were Torgai from some other village. Not knowing who the strangers were they had quickly sent the litter bearers with the injured Torgai up the trail, and he and two of the other hunters had hidden near the clearing to watch. But when the strangers got closer it was clear from their hairless, 'flat' faces they weren't Torgai.
When the creatures reached shore the surprise was even greater. While they wore clothes like the Torgai, the clothes covered the stranger's entire bodies, and didn't look like animal skins. One of them even made a fire come from a box. If they were a strange form of Torgai from some distant tribe they were certainly very different. And their smell was also very different.
The First Colony: Book I: Settlement Chronicals Page 8
