by Doug Kelly
He shook himself vigorously and then ran away, soon disappearing behind the woods after ascending the grassy slope.
Hauk had watched his friend’s daring swim with painful anxiety. The fear of a strong current overpowering Aton or an eddy drowning him was unbearable. When Aton was out of sight, Hauk fixed his attention across the moving water, on the land where their hope of safety was. While he brooded about how he would fare against the current when it would be his turn to swim across, he ate some shellfish that nature had so generously strewn all over the wet sand. It was a wretched meal, but it was still better than eating nothing. The opposite shore formed one vast bay, which was destitute of all vegetation, but the land behind it was thick with greenery.
In a forested area, Aton found enough fallen wood to make a raft. In the same area, he gathered green vines to lash the logs together so the raft could float across the current and stay securely together as it did. Making the craft near the shore, and also a length of rope from twisted vines to tow it as he swam, he wrapped and tied the cordage around his waist, attached the other end to the raft, and swam back across the channel. The current pulled at the raft, and that burden caused an incredible strain on Aton’s ability to swim. His body began to cramp as he neared the opposite shore, and his lungs and muscles felt as if they were burning from the exertion. Hauk waded out as far as he could and helped his friend pull the raft to the beach. On the shore, Aton collapsed to his back and stared into the clear blue sky. His lungs heaved for air like bellows on a blacksmith’s furnace, craving for oxygen.
“You look tired,” Hauk facetiously stated.
Between gasping breaths, Aton replied. “I’m hungrier than I am tired. I’ll have enough time to sleep when I die.”
“Don’t die just yet. You still have to get all of our belongings over there.” Hauk handed Aton some shellfish from the beach. “Eat and get back your strength.”
Aton chewed and swallowed amid gulps for air, then stood and removed the rope from his waist. It dropped to the sand, and he kicked the end toward Hauk. “Your turn.”
Hauk groaned, picked up the rope, and tied it around his waist. “I’m not a good swimmer.”
“Just kick and pull at the water until you get to the other side.”
“What if I can’t do it?”
“Hold on.” Aton put the bag of treasure on the raft. “If you drown you’ll never get a chance to spend it.”
After loading the raft with half of their supplies, Aton followed him as far as he could into the channel’s current, and gave the raft a hefty push before turning to wade back to shore. On the dry sand, he ate the remaining shellfish that Hauk had found. Each mouthful felt and tasted like warm snot.
Opposite the peninsula, the beach from which Aton had just swum with the raft consisted of sand, covered with small black stones. Along the shoreline, a perpendicular sandstone cliff spanned to the north. It continued as far as the eye could see, but near their location, where the wall turned inland at the peninsula’s base, the cliff was lower, curved toward the interior, and disappeared as the rising slope next to it merged with the plateau at the top of the cliff, creating an elevated mesa that connected to a lush forest. On the upper plateau, near the cliff’s edge, only a few trees were visible. It was a flat tableland. However, greenery was not lacking to the right, beyond the precipice. They could easily distinguish a packed mass of great trees, which extended beyond the limits of their view. All of this lush vegetation had relieved their hearts, so long wearied by numerous days on the water. Lastly, beyond and above the plateau, at a distance of about a day’s walk away, glittered a summit that reflected the sun's rays. It appeared to be a small mountain, but it was actually a dormant volcano that the violent impact of the asteroid had brought forth from the bowels of the earth, unquestionably the work of ancient, violent, subterranean convulsions that now only visited the current population of humans through the stories and fables that had passed down from generation to generation.
Hauk returned more tired than Aton had been, because he had pulled the raft across the current twice, his first traversal while burdened with a full load. It was Aton’s turn again. After loading the raft with the remaining supplies, he tied the rope around his waist and then ventured back into the water. With a lighter load than Hauk had just pulled, and because Aton towed the raft as Hauk swam behind and pushed, they got through the current splendidly, arrived without difficulty on the opposite shore, and quickly dried themselves in the sun. They sat down and discussed what to do next while they recuperated from the crosscurrent swim.
“We need food,” said Aton.
“Yes, and shelter, too,” said Hauk, as his eyes scanned the unfamiliar landscape that surrounded them, and the seemingly infinite vastness of lake that blocked any chance of leaving in that direction. “Do you know where we are?”
“No.”
Aton’s answer was abrupt, but Hauk could see that gears were turning inside Aton’s mind. He waited for his friend’s thoughts to condense and precipitate into a rain of wisdom.
“We do need food,” Aton firmly stated again, “and we need shelter, too. So let’s go look for shelter and find food on the way.” He pointed to where they were going to travel, up the slope and in the direction of the dormant volcano, which would be at least a day's journey away if they could survive a trip through a forest as thick and inhospitable as a jungle. “We need to get to that mountain. From its summit, we’ll be able to look around and see what surrounds us.”
“When do you want to go that far?”
“Soon, but we need shelter and food first. After we have a safe place to sleep, get rest, recuperation, and plenty of food, we’ll go to the top of its peak, look around, and maybe see where we are.”
They left everything on the beach beside the raft and went toward the cliff. They both walked to the foot of the rock wall towering over the beach, which at this location was far from the lapping waves of the lake. At its highest point to the north, the cliff rose to a stature that was three times the elevation of the tallest cypress tree, but its height receded along its great length, toward the south end, near the peninsula’s bay. It was a wall of what appeared to be sandstone and a conglomeration of angular rocks of varying sizes, which the waves had begun to tear away at locations where the beach meandered close to it. Toward the top of the cliff fluttered myriads of waterfowl with long, flat beaks. They were a very noisy flock. Those birds nested in great numbers in the crevices and hollows of the wall.
Aton and Hauk went to where the rock wall turned inland. At this place, the sloping hill appeared to rise gently enough to allow the men to climb. They went up the rising ground, up a hill covered with lush vegetation. A river had cut a channel down the slope. The incline that this stream flowed down on its way to the bay had created the current through the channel that separated part of the bent peninsula from the mainland. They needed fresh water, so they both knew it was important to settle near a good source of drinking water such as this. The little river could provide a source for thirsty game, too, so it would also be a good place for hunting. Before they began to follow the stream, they harvested mussels from the sandy riverbank. They ate their fill. That appeased their hunger for the time, but not their thirst, which increased after that meal. They needed fresh water, so they decided to follow the stream to observe its origin before drinking from it, but not before Aton and Hauk took the precaution of collecting an ample supply of mussels, completely filling their pockets. They continued to climb the hill and walked parallel to the little river as they did. Two hundred paces farther upstream they stopped, drank, and ate more raw mussels.
The rising ground merged with the top of the cliff and spread into a plateau, but this mostly flat land also had a rock wall protruding from it, although it was much smaller in comparison to that which went north, following the lake’s shore. On the plateau, a violent subterranean force appeared to have sheared the land; it had thrust it upward and had created the secondary clif
f, thereby leaving the vast mesa beside it as a reminder of its former level. On the main plateau, below the base of the smaller rock wall, the creek that flowed past their feet had hollowed out its path to the bay.
They looked for some cavity in the inland wall that would serve them as a retreat, but in vain; everywhere the wall appeared smooth, plain, and perpendicular, nothing large enough into which a man could venture. However, at a meandering bend of the stream, they found a cave; it was actually more like a fissure, penetrating into the upper cliff. The convulsions of nature had formed a pile of stratified rocks along the length of this crack, which made a roof and ceiling, therefore creating the illusion that it was a cave. Through a sandy passage, they penetrated quite far into the vertical fissure. Columns of sunlight were actually present through some gaps in the fallen rocks. Sunlight had entered through the openings that were between the large stones, but with the light also came air, and with the wind, a draft from the exterior. However, they thought that by plugging some of the openings with a mixture of rocks and sand, and covering it with thatch, they could render this crevice habitable.
They left the cave and began to walk along the bank of the river. The flow here was quite rapid, and some dead wood drifted down with the swift current. After walking for a while, they arrived at an angle in the river where it turned toward the left. From this point, they pursued its course through a forest of magnificent trees. Between varieties of beautiful trees sprang up large cypress whose branches spread wide, and clumps of Spanish moss seemed to hang from the branches as if they were waterfalls suspended in the air. In the long grass, Aton felt that his feet were crushing dry branches that sounded like cracking whips when they broke.
“Firewood,” Aton remarked.
They easily collected the wood. The fallen timber, being very dry, would burn rapidly. It was not even necessary to chop the trees, because an enormous quantity of dead wood was lying at their feet, but they still lacked an efficient method of transporting it. Therefore, it was necessary to carry a considerable amount to the cave, but a load of wood that two men could carry in their arms would not be sufficient.
After picking up a bundle of wood in his arms, Aton dropped it to the forest floor, frustrated. “There has to be a faster way.”
“Do you want to build a shelter here, to be closer to our supply of wood?”
“That will take too much time.” Aton bent at the waist and rested his hands on his knees. He was tired and hungry. “The rock shelter is good enough for me, and it’s already near fresh water. That’s a good spot.”
“Yes, it’s by the water,” said Hauk. “Build another raft, Aton. Let’s float it down to the shelter.”
Aton stood tall and stretched. He admitted that he should have already thought of that, and his lack of forethought embarrassed him. Exhausted and hungry, fatigue was dimming his tired mind. Aton, followed by Hauk, directed his steps toward the river, each burdened with a load of firewood. On the bank, they found a great quantity of dead branches in the midst of the tall grass. Aton paused for a moment to catch his breath. He took in the scenery during a moment of quiet reflection, and he thought that by judging from this area’s desolate appearance, human feet had probably never stepped anywhere near where they were. Although the area was thick with flora and fauna, it appeared as though they were the only two people in the entire world, surrounded by a dense jungle.
Aton began to make his raft in a little bay, created by a bend in the stream, which broke the current. They placed some long pieces of wood next to each other, lengthwise, and then they fastened the logs together with green vines. They had built a raft on which they would stack all the firewood they had collected. They finished the work, and the moored craft was waiting for them to send it into the current, but transporting the firewood would have to wait. After stacking the loads of wood, they decided to go to the upper plateau, to have a more extended view of the surrounding terrain.
Nearly two hundred paces behind the angle formed by the river around the wall, the cliff died away in a gentle slope to the edge of the forest. They began their ascent, and reached the higher elevation in a short amount of time. From there, they proceeded to the point above the bay.
On attaining it, they cast their first look upon the lake. It was one vast, watery desert. As for the coast, it also was solitary. They saw no one. From this higher elevation, they examined the coast with great attention. Stretched out below them was the sandy shore. The rocks that were visible appeared like ominous gravestones in the water. Beyond the shore, the lake sparkled beneath the sun's rays. To the south, they could not see how far the land continued in that direction; they would need a higher elevation to attain that view. At the northern extremity of the bay, the outline of the shore continued to a great distance in a wider curve. There, the shore was low, flat, and with great banks of sand. They then looked toward the east. The mountain, which appeared to be the distance of at least a day’s journey away, was first to capture their attention. From the beginning of its slope to within a close distance of the lake’s shore, vast masses of woods had spread and created a dense forest. Then, from the edge of this forest, a grassy plain sprawled to the north, scattered irregularly with groups of trees. The water of the little river sparkled intermittently in the distance, and they could trace its winding course back toward the base of the mountain, where it seemed to have emerged from behind it. For some time, they examined the land on which fate had cast them. They saw no signs of people, and still had no detailed idea of their exact location or the best course to escape this jungle.
Then they returned, following the southern crest of the rock platform, bordered by a long fringe of jagged stones. Hundreds of birds lived here, nestled in the crevices of the rock wall. Hauk, jumping with excitement, startled a whole flock of these winged creatures.
“Eggs!” cried Hauk.
They attentively examined the cavities in the sandstone, and they found eggs in some of the hollows. They collected a few dozen and began to descend toward the watercourse after Aton found some thin, flexible bush branches, and quickly wove a basket to carry their bounty of food.
When they returned to their pile of firewood, it was noon. They were ready to float the wood to the rock shelter. Aton did not intend to let the raft go away in the current without guidance, and he did not mean to stand on it and navigate. Aton, an accomplished hunter and woodsman, was never at a loss when there was a need for ropes. He rapidly twisted green vines, and made a rope like the one that he had used to pull the raft across the current in the channel. He fastened the plant-fiber rope to the rear of the raft, and Aton held it tightly in his hand while Hauk, using a fallen branch as pole, pushed the raft away from the bank and kept it in the current. This succeeded beyond their expectations. The enormous load of wood drifted down the current. Before long, they arrived a few paces from the rock shelter.
Hauk went down the slope to the sandy beach to retrieve their belongings, and he brought back all of their supplies to the cave. With Aton’s hatchet, he selected a dozen small trees, just big enough in diameter that he could wrap his two hands around each one. He chopped them down. Then he dragged the trees to the riverbank and let them fall across it, one by one, and lashed them tightly together with sturdy vines. They now had a bridge to cross the running water. Aton’s first task, after unloading the raft, was to render the cave habitable by stopping up all the crevices that had made it drafty. Wet clay, mixed with sand, stones, and twisted branches, closed the gaps that had opened their new home to the shifting winds. He covered all of these modifications with thick layers of thatch to protect them from the rain. At the side, they kept one narrow and winding opening to function as the chimney. Through this crevice, the draft would lead out the smoke and make the fire draw. They divided the cave into two rooms, one for a living area and the other for storage of firewood and other supplies. It was a crude shelter for the weary travelers, but it would keep them warm and dry, and the ceiling was high enough that they
could stand upright, at least in the living area, which occupied the half of the shelter closest to the entrance. Fine sand covered the floor and contaminated all of their possessions, but considering their circumstances, they were pleased with their shelter.
Now, they only had to make a fire ring to prepare a cooked meal. Hauk placed large, flat stones on the ground at the opening of the narrow passage. This, if the smoke did not take the heat out with it, would be enough to maintain a comfortable temperature in the shelter. They stowed their wood in the rear, farthest from any potential floating red embers, and Hauk placed some logs and brushwood into the fire ring.
The afternoon was nearly over and they had accomplished much in establishing a place to stay, an encampment, but certainly not a place in which they desired to be inhabitants for an extended length of time. They were castaways, and each needed to leave their past behind them, but they had not expected to sentence themselves to exile. No, this was only temporary, and after they recuperated, they desperately wanted to leave this place in their wake, too.
Their curiosity as to the extent of their solitude in this wilderness enveloped them. Therefore, when they went back to the beach to look for more food to cook in their new fireplace, they also looked for any trace that people had ever visited here. The shore was solitary, not a hint of a mark from humans. No one had even disturbed a pebble. They did not see even a trace of evidence on the sand, not a solitary human footstep on any part of the beach. It was clear that no one ever visited this portion of the shore. Just in case they were not able to make a fire, they collected some more shellfish, which they had already resolved they could eat raw, and then silently retraced their steps to their dwelling. It was early evening when they re-entered their cave.
Hauk sat down on a rock, without saying anything. Exhausted with fatigue, he felt as if he were dying of hunger and did not have the strength to utter a word. He sat there, gathered his strength, and watched Aton try to start a fire. Aton began by making a pile of dry tinder, which consisted of wood shavings and dry grass. Earlier in the day, while filling the drafty gaps of the rock shelter’s crevices, Aton had found an ancient empty aluminum soda pop can, partially crushed, but the concave bottom had remained intact. In the forest around his home, he had found other refuse of the Americans, none of much good use, but this relic had a special purpose of which Aton was already aware. He had already rubbed the bottom of the aluminum can with a slurry of clay and water to polish it; the metal shone like a mirror. Outside their cave, he could see the sun closing the distance to the horizon over the water. Pointing the concave bottom at the bright, late-evening sun, he concentrated the sun’s reflection onto his tinder. The intensely of the light concentrated, and a pinpoint of hot light began to make the kindling smoke. He held it carefully, as steady as he could, and with a quickly beating heart, saw a small yellow flame appear in the wad of dry grass. He quickly, but gently, blew on the smoldering tinder to augment the flame, carefully held the pile of burning tinder in his palms, and ran back inside to the fireplace. After gently placing it down, he stacked thin twigs onto the small emerging flames in such a way that the air could easily circulate, and the dry kindling would continue to burn. He knelt down before the ring of stones and encouraged the flames to continue growing with gentle puffs of his breath. They heard a little sputtering, and a large yellow flame sprang up, making a thick smoke that choked them and burned their eyes, too. An instant later, the thicker dry wood crackled and an orange flame, assisted by Aton’s vigorous blowing, sprang up in the midst of the shadowed darkness. The flat stones made a wonderful fireplace. The smoke went easily out the narrow passage; the makeshift chimney drew, and warmth radiated across the living area.
