by Jean M. Auel
At first Ayla didn't see anything except some reddish-coloured rounded flint outcroppings, which had been a common sight on all the walls. Then, high on the wall, she noticed some black marks that did not look natural. Suddenly her mind made sense of what her eyes were seeing. Painted on the wall in black outline were the shapes of mammoths. As she observed more closely, she saw three mammoths facing left, as though marching out of the cave. Then behind the last one, the outline of the back of a bison, and slightly confused with that, the distinctive shape of the head and back of another mammoth facing right. A short distance and a little higher up was a face with a distinctive beard shape, an eye, two horns, and the hump of another bison. Six animals in all, or enough of an impression to identify that many, had been painted on the wall. Ayla felt a sudden chill and shuddered.
'I've camped in front of this cave many times, and I didn't know these were here. Who made these paintings?' Jondalar asked.
'I don't know,' Zelandoni said. 'No one knows for sure — the Ancients, the Ancestors. They are not mentioned in the Elder Legends. It is said that long ago there were many more mammoths around here, and woolly rhinoceroses, too. We find many old bones and tusks yellowed with age, but now we rarely see the animals. It has become quite an event when they are spotted, like the rhinoceros those boys tried to kill last year.'
'There seemed to be quite a few where the Mamutoi live,' Ayla said.
'Yes, we went on a big hunt with them,' Jondalar said, and added thoughtfully, 'But it is different there. It's much drier and colder. Not as much snow. When we hunted mammoth with the Mamutoi, the wind just blew the snow around the dry grass still standing on the open land. Here, when you see mammoths heading north in a hurry, you know a big snow storm is on the way. The farther north you go, the colder it is, and after a certain distance, it gets drier too. Mammoths flounder in heavy snow, and cave lions know it and follow them. You know the saying "Never go forth, when mammoths go north," ' Jondalar said. 'If the snow doesn't catch you, the lions will.'
Since they had stopped, Zelandoni took out a new torch from her backframe and used the one Jondalar was holding to light it. Although his was not burned out yet, it was smouldering and had been giving off a lot of smoke. When she was through, he hit his torch against a stone to knock off the burnt charcoal from the end, which caused it to burn brighter. Ayla felt her baby still squirming a little in the blanket on her back. Jonayla had been sleeping, the darkness and the motion of her mother walking lulling her, but she might be waking, Ayla thought. Once they started walking again, the infant settled down.
'The men of the Clan hunted mammoth,' Ayla said. 'I went along with the hunters once — not to hunt, women of the Clan don't hunt — but to help dry the meat and carry it back.' Then, as an afterthought, she added, 'I don't think the people of the Clan would ever come into a cave like this.'
'Why not?' Zelandoni asked as they walked deeper into the cave.
'They wouldn't be able to talk, or maybe I should say they couldn't understand each other very well. It's too dark, even with torches,' Ayla said. 'Besides, it's hard to talk with your hands when you are holding a torch.'
The comment made Zelandoni again aware of her odd way of saying certain sounds, as was often the case when Ayla talked about the Clan, especially the differences between them and the Zelandonii. 'But they can hear and they have words. You've told me some of their words,' she said.
'Yes, they have some words,' Ayla said, then continued to explain that to the Clan, the sounds of speech were secondary. They had names for things, but movement and gestures were primary. It wasn't only hand signs, body language was even more important. Where the hands were held when the signs were made, the posture, bearing, and stance of the person communicating, the ages and genders of those both making the signs and to whom they were given; and often barely perceptible indications and expressions, a slight movement of a foot or hand or eyebrow, were all part of their sign language. One couldn't even see it all if one focused only on looking at the face, or just listening to the words.
From an early age, children of the Clan had to learn how to perceive language, not just hear it. As a result, very complex and comprehensive ideas could be expressed with very little obvious movement and even less sound — but not over a great distance or in the dark. That was a major disadvantage. They had to see it. Ayla told them of one old man who had been going blind, who finally gave up and died because he couldn't communicate anymore; he couldn't see what people were saying. Of course, sometimes the Clan did need to speak in the dark, or shout over a distance. That was why they had developed some words, used some sounds, but their use of speaking words was much more limited. 'Just as our use of gestures is limited,' she said. 'People like us, the ones they call "the Others", also use posture, expression, and gesture to speak, to communicate, but not as much.'
'What do you mean?' Zelandoni said.
'We don't use sign language as consciously, or as expressively, as the Clan. If I make a beckoning gesture,' she said, showing the movement as she explained, 'most people know it means to "come". If I make it quickly or with some agitation, it implies urgency, but from any distance there's usually no way to tell if the urgency is because someone is hurt or if the evening meal is getting cold. When we look at each other and see the shape of the words or the expressions on a face, it tells us more, but even in the dark, or in a fog, or from a distance we can still communicate with almost as much understanding. Even shouting from a great distance, we can explain very complete and difficult ideas. Such ability to speak and understand under almost any circumstance is a real advantage.'
'I never thought of it that way,' Jondalar said. 'When you taught the Mamutoi Lion Camp to "speak" the Clan way with signs, so Rydag could communicate, everyone, particularly the youngsters made a game of it, had fun giving each other signals. But when we got to the Summer Meeting, it became more serious when we were around everybody else but wanted to let someone from the Lion Camp know something privately. I remember one time in particular when Talut was telling the Lion Camp not to say something until later, because there were some people nearby that he didn't want to know. I don't recall what it was now.'
'So, if I understand you correctly, you could say something in words, and at the same time say something else, or clarify some meaning privately, with these hand signs,' the One Who Was First said. She had stopped walking, and the frown of concentration indicated that she was thinking of something she felt was important.
'Yes, you could,' Ayla said.
'Would it be very difficult to learn this sign language?'
'It would be if you tried to learn it completely, with all of its shades of meaning,' Ayla said, 'but I taught the Lion Camp a simplified version, the way children are taught at first.'
'But it was enough to communicate,' Jondalar said. 'You could have a conversation … well, maybe not about the finer points of some point of view.'
'Perhaps you should teach the zelandonia this simplified sign language,' the First said. 'I can see where it could be quite useful, to pass on information, or to clarify a point.'
'Or if you ever met one of the Clan and wanted to say something,' Jondalar said. 'It helped me when we met Guban and Yorga just before we crossed the small glacier.'
'Yes, that too,' Zelandoni said. 'Maybe we could make arrangements for a few teaching sessions next year, at the Summer Meeting. Of course, you could teach the Ninth Cave during the next cold season.' She paused again. 'You're right, though, it wouldn't work in the dark. So they don't go into caves at all?'
'They go into them; they just don't go in very far. And when they do, they light the way very well. I don't think they would go this far into a cave,' Ayla said. 'except alone, or for special reasons. The mog-urs sometimes went into deeper caves.' Ayla vividly recalled a cave at the Clan Gathering, where she followed some lights and saw the mog-urs.
They started walking again, each caught up in private thoughts. After a while Zelandoni started
singing again. When they had gone another distance that was not quite as far as it had been to the first paintings on the walls, the sound of Zelandoni's voice developed more resonance, seemed to echo from the walls of the cave, and Wolf began to howl again. The First stopped and this time faced the right wall of the cave. Ayla and Jondalar again saw mammoths, two of them, not painted but engraved, plus a bison, and what appeared to be some strange marks made with fingers in softened clay or something similar.
'I always knew he was a zelandoni,' the First said.
'Who?' Jondalar asked, although he thought he knew.
'Wolf, of course. Why do you think he "sings" when we come to the places where the spirit world is near?'
'The spirit world is near, here in this place?' Jondalar said, looking around and feeling a touch of apprehension.
'Yes, we are very close to the Mother's Sacred Underworld here,' said the Spiritual Leader of the Zelandonii.
'Is that why you are sometimes called the Voice of Doni? Because when you sing you can find these places?' Jondalar said.
'It's one reason. It also means that sometimes I speak for the Mother, as when I am the Surrogate of the Original Ancestress, the Original Mother, or when I am the Instrument of She Who Blesses. A Zelandoni, especially One Who Is First, has many names. That's why she usually gives up her personal name when she serves the Mother.'
Ayla was listening carefully. She really didn't want to give up her name. It was all she had left of her own people, the name her mother had given her, although she suspected 'Ayla' wasn't exactly her original name. It was only as close as the Clan could say it, but it was all she had.
'Can all Zelandonia sing to find these special places?' Jondalar asked.
'They don't all sing, but they all have a "voice", a way to find them.'
'Is that why I was asked to make a special sound when we were examining that small cave?' Ayla asked. 'I didn't know that would be expected.'
'What sound did you make?' Jondalar asked, then smiled. 'I'm sure you didn't sing.' Then turning to Zelandoni he explained, 'She can't sing.'
'I roared like Baby. It brought back a nice echo. Jonokol thought it sounded like there was a lion in the back of that little cave.'
'What do you think it would sound like here?' Jondalar asked.
'I don't know. Loud, I suppose,' Ayla said. 'It doesn't feel like it would be the right sound to make here.'
'What would be the right sound, Ayla?' Zelandoni asked. 'You will have to be able to make some sound when you are Zelandoni.'
She paused to think about it. 'I can make the sound of many different birds; maybe I could whistle,' Ayla said.
'Yes, she can whistle like a bird, like many birds,' Jondalar said. 'She is such a good whistler, they will actually come and eat out of her hand.'
'Why don't you try it now?' the Donier said.
Ayla thought for a while, then decided on a meadow lark, and brought forth a perfect imitation of a soaring lark. She thought she heard more resonance, but she would have to do it again in another part of the cave, or outside, to be sure. Somewhat after that, the sound of Zelandoni's singing changed again, but in a slightly different way than it had before. The woman motioned to the right and they saw that a new passageway opened out.
'There is a single mammoth down that tunnel, but it's quite a long ways, and I don't think we should take the time to visit it now,' the Donier said, and added in an offhand way, 'There's nothing in there,' indicating another opening almost directly across on the left. She continued singing past another passage opening off to the right. 'There's a ceiling in there that brings us close to Her, but it's a long walk in and I think we should wait until we're coming out to decide if we want to visit it.' Somewhat farther on she warned them, 'Be careful ahead. The passageway changes direction. It makes a sharp turn to the right, and at the turn there is a deep hole that leads to an underground section of the cave, and it's very wet. Perhaps you should follow me now.'
'I think I should light another torch, too,' Jondalar said. He stopped and took another one out of his backframe, and lit it from the one he was holding. The floor was already wet with small puddles and damp clay. He snuffed out the torch that was nearly burned out and put the stub in a pocket of the pack he was carrying. It had been drilled into him from a young age that one didn't litter the floor of a sacred place unnecessarily.
To rid it of the burned ash, Zelandoni tapped the torch she was holding on a stalagmite that seemed to be growing up from the ground. It burned more brightly immediately. Ayla smiled when she caught sight of Wolf. He brushed against her leg and she scratched behind his ears, a reassuring touch for both of them. Jonayla was moving around again as well. Whenever Ayla stopped walking, the baby noticed it. She would have to feed her soon, but it seemed that they were heading into a more dangerous part of the cave, and she wanted to wait until they were past it. Zelandoni started out again. Ayla followed and Jondalar brought up the rear.
'Watch your footing,' the First said, holding the torch high so that the light spread out more. It lit a stone wall on the right, then suddenly it disappeared, but a glowing light outlined the edge. The floor was very uneven, rocky and covered with slippery clay. The moisture had seeped through Ayla's footwear, but the soft leather soles gripped well. When she reached the lighted edge of the stone wall and looked around, Ayla saw the large woman standing behind it, and a passageway continuing on to the right.
North, I think we're heading north now, she said to herself. She had been trying to pay attention to the direction they had been moving since they entered the cave. There had been a few slight turns in the passageway, but they had travelled essentially west. This was the first major change in direction. Ayla looked ahead and saw nothing beyond the light of the torch held by Zelandoni, except the dark, yawning intensity found only in subterranean depths. She wondered what else there was farther on in this cavernous hollow.
Jondalar's torchlight preceded him around the edge of the wall that changed their direction. Zelandoni waited until they were all together, including Wolf, before she spoke. 'A little ways ahead, where the ground levels out, there are some good stones to sit on. I think we should stop there and have something to eat and fill our small waterbags,' she said.
'Yes,' Ayla said. 'Jonayla has been moving around waking up, and I need to feed her. I think she would have been awake some time ago, but the darkness and movement while I walked have kept her quiet.'
Zelandoni started humming again until they reached a place where the cave resonated with a different sound. She sang with more tonal clarity as they neared a small side tunnel on the left. She stopped where it opened out.
'This is the place,' she said.
Ayla was glad to unload her haversack and spear-thrower. They each found a comfortable stone and Ayla took out three mats woven of the cattail leaves to sit upon. As soon as she moved her infant to her breast, Jonayla was more than ready to nurse. Zelandoni took three stone lamps out of her pack, a decorated one made of sandstone, which Ayla had seen her use before, and two of limestone. The stone of all of them had been shaped and abraded into small bowls with straight handles formed on a level with the rim. The First also found the carefully wrapped package of wicking materials and extracted six strips of dried boletus mushroom.
'Ayla, where is that tube of tallow you had?' the woman asked.
'It's in the meat parfleche in Jondalar's backframe,' Ayla said.
Jondalar took out the food packages and the large waterbag that he had been carrying on his back as well and brought them to Ayla. He opened the rawhide meat container and she pointed out the intestine stuffed with clean white grease that had been rendered from the hard fat near the kidneys, which gave it a little more body. He brought it to the Donier.
While Jondalar refilled the small waterbags each had with them from the large one he carried, Zelandoni put some globs of the tallow into the bowls of each of the three stone lamps, and used her torch to start them melting. She then
laid two dried mushroom wicks into the pools of melted fat in each of the lamps so that more than half the length of each absorbent strip was in the liquid fat, leaving two small ends sticking out over each rim. When she lit them they sputtered a bit, but the heat drew the fat into the wicks and soon they had three additional sources of light, which made it seem quite bright inside the absolute darkness of the cave.
Jondalar passed out the food that had been cooked during their morning meal for their trek inside the cave. They put pieces of roasted red deer meat into their personal eating bowls, and used their cups for cold broth with cooked vegetables from another waterbag. The long pieces of wild carrots, small round starchy roots, trimmed thistle stems, shoots from hops, and wild onions were quite soft and required little chewing; they drank them into their mouths with the soup.
Ayla had also cut up some meat for Wolf. She gave it to him, then settled down to eat her own food while she finished nursing her daughter. She had noticed that though he explored a little during their walk, Wolf didn't stray too far. Wolves could see amazingly well in the dark and sometimes she could see his eyes from the dark recesses of the cave reflecting even their small light. Having him nearby gave her a feeling of security. She felt sure that if something unforeseen happened to make them lose their fire, he would be able to lead them out of any cave using only his nose. She knew his sense of smell was so keen, he could easily retrace their steps.
While everyone was quietly eating, Ayla found herself paying attention to her surroundings, using all her senses. The light from their lamps illuminated only a limited area around them. The rest of the cave was black, a rich, all-encompassing darkness that was never found outside even in the deepest gloom of night, but while she could not see beyond the glow of the small double fires in each of their lamps, if she tried she could hear the the soft mutterings of the cave.
She had seen that in some areas the ground and stones were fairly dry. Others glistened with shimmering wetness as water from rain and snow and melting runoff seeped slowly, with inestimable patience, through earth and limestone, accumulating calcareous residue on its way, and depositing it drop by drop to create the stone icicles above them and the rounded stumps of stone below. She could hear faint soft drips, both nearby and farther away. After time beyond measure, they joined into the pillars and walls and draperies that shaped the inside of the cave.
