In The Beginning

by Richard Webber

  Chapter Thirty Six

  It took a total of five months to build the entire city. While the city was being completed, the fields were nurtured to fruition using everything I had learned and been able to teach the tribe about farming, from irrigation to using manure to help the plants grow larger and stronger.

  The fields were truly magnificent. They stretched as far as the eye could see; the wheat fields were almost ready to harvest and the fruit and vegetable plants were healthy and loaded with produce. Though none of the trees would produce this year, every other crop was excellent. Since the crops were almost ready to harvest, we would soon have enough food and we could begin to move the rest of the people to the city.

  The city proper also was ready. The storage barns were complete and ready to accept the fields’ bounty, and all the houses had been built and were ready to be occupied. All the people had worked very hard and built a beautiful city; a city they could be proud to live in.

  I especially liked the public building, the one in which I would hold my court. It sat on the edge of the river, with a large fire pit and plenty of space for gathering and talking, something I knew the people would take full advantage of as soon as they arrived.

  When the two tribes combined, the total number of people living in the city would be about two hundred. Though we had built extra houses, I knew that enlarging the city by building more homes and public buildings would be a continuing job.

  Since we had improved the health and eating habits of our tribe there were now many more births than deaths, and I expected the same thing to happen with the northern tribe as they embraced our way of living. Also, the northern tribe had lacked women, and once we were more comfortable with each other I expected there to be marriages, which would mean more children.

  Additionally, I still planned to eventually bring the two other tribes into the city to make one combined tribe. At that point I would be the leader of the only kingdom on earth, which would make me the most powerful man on earth.

  All that remained was to move the people and their personal belongings, along with the rest of the farming implements and the animals, from the old village to the new city.

  I had decided our tribe should arrive first, before the northern tribe. Since I expected life to be chaotic for a time once the Northerners arrived, I wanted our people to choose their homes and get settled into the routine of life in the new city. It should not take long, but they would still need some time to feel at home.

  Gadu would leave for the northern village the same day I left for my village. Though my tribe had much more to transport to the city, given that his journey was much longer, my people would be here sooner and have plenty of time to get settled in before the northern tribe arrived.

  I wanted to make sure there was complete integration of the two tribes into one, so I decreed that when my tribe chose the homes in which they would live, there could be no more than two homes in a row with inhabitants from our tribe. This would insure that everyone would have people living next to them from the other tribe.

  The Northerners that had been in the village and the city with us had become almost fully integrated into our tribe. They had been among us for about five months, and in that time had learned enough of our language to easily communicate. They could do almost any work our tribe could do, and although they were not yet experts at some of the more complex jobs like weaving and making small wooden objects, they had become very good farmers.

  As in any group of people, there were a few individuals that were difficult to get along with, but for the most part the Northerners were well liked and they behaved the same as anyone from our tribe.

  Once the city was fully complete, I allowed everyone to chose and move into their homes. Catto, Gadu and I made sure that this was a very methodical operation, with the homes chosen and agreed upon in advance, and the newcomer’s houses mixed in amongst our tribe members. The move out of the communal huts in the temporary camp went smoothly, and everyone was thrilled to finally be in their own house.

  Kalou and I also moved into our new home, but since I was going back to the village for the big move to the city and she was well along in her pregnancy, Alata, one of the older women in the tribe, agreed to stay with Kalou until I returned.

  While I was gone, Catto would be in charge of completing the final tasks on the last few houses, and breaking down and removing the temporary camp that we had all lived in for the last five months. Though it had served us well, that space was part of the animal pastures that we would need when I returned from the village.

  Two days after we moved into our new homes, Gadu and I left for our villages. Gadu traveled with ten other men, while I went alone, with fifteen men following behind at their own pace.

  Every month when we had traveled from the village back to the city we had transported as much of the food, animals and equipment as we could manage. But even with so much already moved, there was still an enormous amount of work to do. We had to carry the belongings of every family in the village back to the city, move most of the animals, and transport the remainder of the large, bulky items.

  We would use the cattle to pull slides, which were harnessed to them much like a plow. The cattle could pull the slides easily, and on them we would place the larger items such as looms and heavy farm implements that were too heavy for a person to carry. The cattle had pulled slides loaded with grain and other items on the earlier trips, which had saved the backs of many men.

  When I entered the village I could see the people were ready to load up, and I felt the anticipation in the air. I was in high spirits and found Cadune as soon as I arrived. “It looks like everybody's ready to move!”

  “Yeah, we've been working hard since your last trip. We can leave whenever you want; almost everything is packed and ready to go.”

  “Excellent, the rest of the men will be here tomorrow, so we’ll leave the morning after that. How is everyone doing?”

  “They're looking forward to being back together as a tribe, but many of them are very sad. The people that are still here are the young families and the very old. The elderly have lived in this village for many, many years, and most of the women that are still here have never been farther than the nearest spot that they could gather potatoes. These are the least adventurous people in the tribe, and this move is very difficult for them.”

  “I understand. Change is never easy, and there has been nothing but change since I arrived in the village. But I believe all the changes have shown to be for the best, and so too will this. Though it will be different, it will be better.”

  “I agree, but change doesn’t always look good when it’s happening, does it?”

  I couldn’t disagree with that. Cadune and I would talk more that evening, so I went to check on the farm tools, to make sure we left enough behind for the men that would be staying in the village. I was going to leave a small group of unmarried men here for the rest of the growing season to take care of what little remained of the crops. When the final harvest was brought in the produce would be transferred to the city. After that the only reason for going back to the village would be to gather fruit and olives from the trees, which we would need to do for a few years, until our new trees were fully productive.

  I spent what was left of the day going over the preparations. Cadune had been very thorough, and we were as ready as we could possibly be.

  Dinner the following night had a subdued air. Leaving their homes and all they had ever known was very difficult for these people. There were more than a few tears shed around the fire that night, but eventually everyone went off to their huts. I did not sleep, and in the morning I woke the village at the break of dawn. I knew that no matter how prepared we were, it would still take a lot of time to get everyone moving in the right direction.

  The morning went as I expected, with some confusion and questions, but well before the sun had climbed to midway we were moving steadily towards the city. The travel between the city a
nd the village during the previous five months had worn the grass down to the bare ground and made a noticeable trail, and this made the journey a little easier.

  But even though the road was easy, we would still be slow. Traveling by myself I could make this trip in about half a day if I pushed. A group of men moving quickly could do it in an easy two days. Our previous trips with supplies and animals had taken a long, hard two days, pushing from sunup to sundown. Given that we travelled with the elderly and the young, all that we had to carry and all the animals we herded, this trip would take much longer. If things went smoothly, I hoped to arrive by the evening meal four days hence.

  Once again I was impressed by the resiliency and strength of my people. Though the trip was difficult for them, they pushed themselves hard to make the best progress they possibly could. Because of this we arrived at the city before midday on the fourth day.

  The rest of the day was a whirlwind. The move had been well planned and Kalou and Catto had everything ready for our arrival, but it was still extremely hectic. I was occupied with making sure the animals got into the correct pastures and were fed and watered, the farm tools were put away in the proper places, and the stores of food were placed into the public barns. It was dark before I finally got home, where I found Kalou waiting for me with a plate of food.

  I was so glad to see her. Since she was in charge of getting the people moved into their new homes and was also swamped with responsibilities, we had barely seen each other all day.

  After a long embrace I asked her, “So how did it go today? Is everyone in their new homes? Are they happy?”

  She smiled, a weary smile, but a smile nonetheless. “Yes, they’re finally moved in. And I think that everyone, even the old ones, is very happy with the city and their new homes. Tomorrow will be a day of new beginnings, of finishing moving in and showing everyone where things are in the city.”

  She continued, “The ladies that have been cooking for us are going to have a great feast tomorrow night at the public house. They have been getting ready for days, and it will be incredible. But how about you? You look exhausted. How was the trip?”

  We talked for a short time about what I had done the last few days, but we were both so tired that we were soon asleep, my plate of food untouched.