by Allan Joyal
Yveney frowned, but dashed off as I looked around. There were several trees growing on the side of the path away from the slope. I walked over and pushed on several. One bent over the instant I put weight against it, but two others were firmly rooted.
The two trees had cedar like bark, with only a few rough spots. Both tree trunks were about a foot in diameter. I paced off the distance between them. They were about eight feet apart, but it looked like my idea might work.
I was considering how we would turn the carts and wagons around so we could lower them safely when Amalya ran up. “Yveney said you needed me.”
“I told her to get Gertrilla first and then you and Joelia if you were awake. I hope she didn’t wake you up,” I said.
“She did, but I was about to get up. Gerit was talking all of the furs. What is the problem?” Amalya said with a giggle.
I pointed toward the suddenly narrowing path. “The path narrows too much for us to take the carts down the normal way. It looks like we’ll have to use ropes and lower them directly down the slope. I believe we have enough ropes, but it’s not something I have a lot of experience in.”
Amalya looked first at the narrow path and then at the slope. “We can probably do it,” she said. “I’d prefer if the rope was longer. We could set up mules on the ground and use them to provide a counterweight. Instead we’ll have to have them up here, which means we might end up with one getting injured.”
“How so?” I asked.
Amalya looked down at the slope again. “If a wagon or cart slips it could drag the mules. That would almost certainly injure them or even kill them. But I think we can handle it. I’ll want Gerit, Verval and Joelia to help up here. I’ll probably need Hencktor as well. He’s got the strength to backup the others.”
“You don’t want me?” I asked warily.
Amalya laughed. “I want you down at the bottom of the slope. You have a level head, and we’ll need that to untie the carts and get them out of the way quickly. I’d suggest you have Lawus with you to help get the mules into harness.”
“Into harness?” I asked.
“To pull the carts out of the way once they are down in the valley,” Amalya said.
Gertrilla ran up to join us. “Yveney told me that we have a… Oh my, she wasn’t kidding. Ron, is there no other route down to the valley floor?”
“Not that we can find quickly,” I said. “We’d probably have to head back up towards the pass and see if we find another game trail wide enough to take the carts. That might mean going back to the crossroads and heading south. But who knows how many days that would add to the trip.”
Gertrilla was looking at the path. She traced it with her finger as she slowly turned and followed the route down the path and across the ford.
“Well, I think we can get the animals across the ford,” she said. “But we will have another problem.”
“Another?” I asked as I looked at the path.
Gertrilla pointed across the river. “Did you look across the river? The forest comes down to the water. We’ll need to have extra people involved if we don’t want animals wandering off in the trees.”
I looked out across the ford. Immediately I could see that Gertrilla was right. There were trees within ten feet of the riverbank. They were close enough together that any large groups of animals would quickly get scattered.
“Can you bring them down in small groups of ten or so and have your herders follow them all the way to the meadows in the valley?” I asked. “Hopefully Soldrin will be back in time to help guide you.”
“What about the wagons?” Amalya asked. “I hadn’t even thought to look over there.”
“Get me a horse or a couple of mules, one of our spare harnesses and wake Al. He and Jeff are going to be chopping trees. We need them to open up the path to the valley. I’ll probably help them while the herds are moved,” I said. “Let’s get back to camp, and I’ll explain the situation.”
“I’m sure everyone is willing to help chop down trees,” Amalya said.
“We can’t leave the wagons with no guard,” I said. “I’m not all that happy that Gertrilla and the herders will be heading to the valley without escort. I’m tempted to send Lenoir with them as a precaution. There could be predators in the valley.”
“Like what?” Gertrilla asked.
“Wolves for one. Heck, I don’t know what animals lived in these lands when the empire was here or what strange creatures the wizards created. For all I know that pond contains a crocodile that eats souls,” I said.
“Nah, there’s nothing in the pond,” Gertrilla said. “Corwar dropped a rock in it last night to see if anything reacted.”
“I really wish he’d be a bit more careful. What if the creature had the ability to strike him,” I asked.
“With what?” Gertrilla asked.
“A very long tentacle,” I said quietly. “But it is nice to hear that he was interested. He’s probably going to have to be in charge of protecting the herd that is in the valley while we get everything else there. I am so not looking forward to cutting through that much forest.”
“We might be able to run the carts along the riverbank,” Amalya said. “That would mean we only have to cut the trees that would force the wagons into the water if we move around them.”
“We need to cut a path anyways,” I said. “Someday we’ll want to follow the river to the ocean. And we’ll need a way to bring in the wood we cut down. So chopping down the forest is necessary. The one thing I like is the trees don’t look too tall. Cutting them shouldn’t be too dangerous or difficult.”
“How are tall trees more difficult?” Amalya asked.
“I’m not the right person to ask. I just know that when and where I grew up we were warned that lumberjack was a very dangerous career with a high rate of fatal accidents,” I said. “But I don’t know what factors influenced that. I do know that most lumberjacks are working on cutting down pine trees which can grow a lot taller than any tree I see over there.”
We walked back into the camp. I could see Joelia standing up as she finished pulling a vest on over her blouse. The young woman gasped and turned quickly as Gertrilla stepped on a dried stick. “Who’s there?”
“Just the messengers,” I said. “I see Yveney woke you. Where did she go?”
“Here,” Yveney said waving from the fire. Our large tripod had been placed over the fire and a cauldron was hanging just out of the flames. “I thought I’d see about warming up some soup to help everyone wake up. So you have a plan?”
I held up a hand. Yveney nodded as I inhaled a great breath. “Everyone! Wake up!” I bellowed. “We need to have another quick meeting!”
Groans and complaints rang out from around the fire. Heather sat up slowly to glare at me as Lydia threw a blouse in my direction. I shook my head and looked at Yveney.
“I guess you do,” Yveney said quietly.
“Ron! Do you need the herders?” Oleiana shouted. “Haydee, Piemal, and I are watching over the herd. If we move we might lose animals.”
“Only three herders?” I asked Gertrilla.
“Most of the animals are sleeping,” Gertrilla said. “And only a few will wander into the trees. But that’s helped by the small amount of grass available. Once we start to move them and they get hungry.”
I nodded. “Can you move them if I just let you take all the regular herders? I know that’s only seven of you, but if each of you moves ten or so once they are on the valley floor, you should have more than enough.”
“Can I have Mary and Lenoir for the descent? And additional help at the ford would be welcome. The sheep in particular won’t want to get wet,” Gertrilla said.
Mary stumbled over by the fire. “Ron, I was enjoying some sleep. Why are you shouting?”
“We have a full day of fun planned. It turns out that the path we are on is too narrow to take the carts down,” I said. “And then the forest gets too close to the riverbank, so Al and Jeff need to play lum
berjack.”
“How bad?” Jeff called out. “I didn’t really look yesterday.”
“Hard to say, but the trees don’t appear to be taller than forty feet or so. The bluff we are on is maybe eighty feet, and from a distance they appear only half as tall as the cliff. It’s still going to require a lot of work to cut them down,” I said.
“So just a path to get to the meadow we saw?” Al asked. “Can we use the riverbank?”
“You can, and we’ll help as we can. My plan is that the herd will move first, so it’s out of the way. Then we’ll get the carts down to the valley floor. Amalya thinks we should be able to belay them down. Once that’s done, we can have everyone move to help cut the rest of the path,” I said.
I noticed that a dozen sheep were moving past the camp and heading down the trail. Haydee was following them while one of the female sheepdogs trotted at her side. The young woman smiled broadly.
“We found a ford?” Heather asked.
“Directly at the bottom of the path, but the path narrows so we can’t take a cart down it,” I affirmed. “And since Haydee has the first of the animals on their way, I’ll even volunteer to help chop trees. We can’t move the first cart until the majority of the herd is down the path, So, Al, Jeff, come join me as soon as you can.”
I spun on my heels and headed over to the wagon carrying the majority of our tools. I found one of our wood axes and picked it up, throwing it over my shoulder before following Haydee down the path.
The camp burst into activity as I left. I could hear Victoria and Lydia speaking simultaneously.
“Ron shouldn’t have to do everything,” Lydia complained. “And I doubt he’s eaten. Kariy can you work up something a bit heartier to eat? Yveney, did Krysbain said how far he plans on going?”
The answer was lost as I followed Haydee for the half-mile walk to the point the path narrowed. The sheep balked for a moment at following the narrow path, but Haydee used a series of whistles and the dog accompanying her carefully coaxed the sheep into a single file and got them moving down the path. I held my breath as we watched the sheep trot along a path that was not much wider than they were.
Haydee seemed very unconcerned as she followed the sheep. They reached the bottom without incident and then formed into a tight knot as the sheepdog circled them.
“That’s a well-trained dog,” I said. “And the herd responds nicely.”
Haydee giggled. “We have three rams. This one responds best to me. But where do I go now?”
I walked around the herd and looked at the river. The ford was easy to identify. The river was making a sweeping left turn, and a sizable sand bank had built up as the river widened and slowed. “We stay on the sand bank and cross,” I said as I strode out into the water.
Chapter 11: Chop, Cut and Repeat
The feeling of the warm water enveloping my legs finished waking me up. I had expected the water to be cold, but it was almost pleasant to wade through. I watched the riverbed as I walked.
“Ron?” I heard Haydee call out when I was halfway across. I stopped and looked back to the shore. The young girl was standing there and looking at the water. “I’m not sure where the sand bank ends. Is there a way to mark it? It would help the other groups too.”
The eight-year-old girl looked frightened as she stood at the edge of the water and gazed at me. I looked behind her and could see nothing that would work to mark the path. “Let me check,” I said as I turned to look at the far bank.
The river in this area appeared to run too swiftly for large groups of reeds to grow up, but I could see several saplings growing on the shore. I waved to Haydee and strode out of the river to head over by the saplings.
“What are you doing?” she shouted as I approached the first sapling and hefted the axe.
I used the axe on the sapling. The tree was so thin that it snapped around the axe as I swung it. The branch was perhaps seven feet long. I left it on the ground and moved to the next sapling.
About ten minutes later, I set the axe on the ground and started collecting the eight saplings I had chopped down. Haydee glared at me as I carried the saplings to the riverbank.
“What are you doing?” she asked again. “You ignored me!”
“Sorry,” I said as I waded back into the river. I made sure I was walking along the downstream edge of the sandbank. Every four feet or so I took one of the saplings and planted it in the sandbank. “I figured that I could use these as markers. Give me a moment, and I’ll have the ford marked out.”
Haydee said nothing as I walked to the shore, pushing a total of four saplings into the riverbed. Once I had marked that, I waded upstream and began using the saplings to indicate the upstream limits of the ford.
I had finished and was wading out of the river when Haydee shouted. “It’s so big!”
I looked back. The ford was maybe fifteen feet wide. It got about two feet deep at one point, but the flow was gentle, and it was easy to cross. “It’s a slow spot in the river,” I said. “I’d suggest staying near the middle, but I expect that the sheep will have their own idea.”
Haydee laughed as I turned to pick up the axe I had left. “I’ll get this part of the herd across. I hear Oleiana and Yveney bringing the rest down.”
I looked across the river to look at the bluff. There was a large flock of sheep just beginning to follow the narrow path leading to the ford. Someone was shouting instructions, but the babbling of the river made it impossible to make out. The shouts did not sound angry or frightened, so I moved to the trees and began looking for the best way to start cutting a path.
The trees here were not big, but most had a solid and bushy crown over trunks that rarely were bigger than two feet in diameter. The crowns meant that they were spread out and rarely were two trees closer than about ten feet apart, so I was able to find the one closest to the river on line with the midpoint of the ford. I decided to start with this tree and then turn westward once we had a path wide enough to bring a wagon.
I started working on bringing down this first tree. The axe made a satisfying thunk and pieces of bark flew with my initial strike. Time would be an issue, so I blocked out the shouts from the river and began working to bring the tree down.
After forty swings of the axe the tree trunk let out a crack and the tree slowly fell. The crown fell to the north of the stump.
“Nice aim,” Al said as I relaxed and watched the tree fall. “Although we’ll have to dig the stump out to get a cart through.”
“We did that last time,” I pointed out. “You ready to bring down the forest?”
“We came down ahead of the cattle,” Jeff supplied as the two men walked up to me. “What is the plan here?”
“We need a path to the meadow we saw about a mile east of here,” I said. “It was inside the valley. But it looks like we have trees down to the water’s edge most of the way.”
Al looked over the jagged stump my work had left behind. “How many times did you swing the axe?” he asked.
“I didn’t count,” I admitted. “About forty I think. I was a bit worried about how the tree would fall and took a few extra hits to undercut the tree.”
Al nodded. “We can get started I guess. Lydia and Amalya have the carts organized. But what about the herds? Will they be safe?”
“Let’s work quickly,” I suggested as I put my axe on my shoulder and started walking northward to the next tree.
This tree stood eight feet north and about four west of the one I had just chopped down. The crown of the first one got in my way at first, but after using the axe to shatter a couple of the branches from the downed tree, I was able to clear a spot around the trunk so I could stand and swing.
I was just getting into a rhythm when Al called out. “How do we determine what to cut?”
“I thought we’d leave one line of trees next to the river,” I said with a grunt. “It might help hold the soil together and will provide shade for anyone fishing in the future. After that,
we need a path to the west wide enough for the carts and wagons. For now that’s all, we’ll be taking out more of these trees once we have a permanent campsite selected.”
“So?” Al asked.
“Figure leave any tree within eight feet of the riverbed and then take out all trees between eight and twenty or so,” I groaned out as I continued to chop at the tree. “The only exception was the first one I took out to give us a way to get the carts from the ford to the path we’ll cut.”
As I said cut the tree I was working on broke with a loud crack. I scrambled backwards as it fell to the east, nearly landing on me. It crashed on top of the tree I had previously downed.
“That was close!” Jeff called out as I continued to stumble backwards.
“It didn’t fall the direction I intended, that’s for sure,” I admitted. “Let’s all make sure we are careful.”
“We’ll do that,” Al said as he started walking towards another tree. He paused in front of it and then looked over at one almost directly east from the one I had just felled. “Jeff, that one next,” he said.
The duo began working on bringing down the two trees. I put the head of my axe on the ground and leaned on the shaft as I caught my breath. I was watching them when a hand touched my right shoulder.
I glanced over and noticed the dark gray skin of the hand. “Cimbra,” I said lovingly.
“You left without breakfast,” she scolded me. “You need to eat something.”
“Nothing was ready,” I pointed out. “And Yveney was right; this is going to be a problem. The trees come down fairly easily, but it’s going to tire everyone to cut this path.”
“And everyone is going to help,” Cimbra said firmly. “Now Kariy fixed up some cheese for you. She said it’s the last of the cheese we had, and that we’ll need to make our own in the future.”
She handed me a quarter wheel of white cheese. It smelled strongly of brine, but I took a bite as Al and Jeff both stepped back from the trees they had been chopping.
Al looked over at Jeff. “I’d say you need to finish first,”
“I’m going to try to drop it eastward,” Jeff said. “That way it won’t get in the way of the next tree we work on, but you should move just in case.”
