In The Beginning

by Richard Webber

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  Almost three months to the day after we moved into the city my first son was born. I named him Enoch, and in his honor I also gave the name Enoch to the city I had built. Kalou was strong, and the birth went well for both mother and child. Though her pain was great, as childbirth always is, she recovered quickly and was soon back to full strength.

  Enoch was healthy and beautiful at birth, and soon after he was born it became apparent that Enoch favored me both in coloring and size. He had my eyes and hair, which were both lighter than his mother’s, and he was large and very strong. It gave me great pleasure to know I would have a son that followed after me, one which I could train to be like me and lead the people as I did.

  After everyone moved into the city I started the practice that on the first day of the week I would hold court in the public building. This was a time for anyone that had a grievance to be heard. All parties involved had a chance to speak, and the grievance could be against anyone, for any reason. At these meetings I would uphold the law as I saw it, and I would do my best to speak words of truth.

  I tried to be just and fair, and although I know I made mistakes, I did my best. Kalou would sit by my side at these meetings to emphasize that she was second in power in the city, and I would sometimes quietly consult with her. I wanted to make the point, subtle but sure, that leadership of the city stayed in my family; that Kalou was second after me and someday my son would lead the people.

  I heard through people loyal to me that for a time Aron tried to stir up the Northerners regarding what he called the oppression of my leadership. But everyone was busy farming and establishing their households, and since they enjoyed the abundance of food and their new city, no one gave any credence to his words and he quickly faded into obscurity.

  I was the leader of the city and my absolute authority was recognized by everyone, but I had an established hierarchy of leaders under me. I met with my three top men Catto, Cadune and Gadu every week, and they would follow my direction to ensure the city operated smoothly and in an organized manner.

  When Enoch was six months old I went to Kalou and told her that I needed to go on a journey and she would lead the city in my absence. Life was very good both at home and in the city. Enoch was healthy and growing, and we were all content, and she wasn’t happy to hear me say I was going away. She could tell from the way I spoke that this was not a normal trip to the old village, and she became alarmed. Even now, Kalou still had not resigned herself to the fact that I was cursed to be restless, and I could not stay put for long before my nature forced me to push ahead.

  She began to question me, “What’s going on? Where are you going? How long will you be gone?”

  “Kalou, calm down. Everything’s going to be fine. You knew this would happen sooner or later. It’s time for me to bring the other tribes into the city. I'm going to travel to the south first; they’re the next tribe I want to join with us. Next year, or perhaps the year after that I will go across the great river, and the eastern tribe will also have to join with us. Then I’ll be done, and I won’t leave our home any more than I have to.”

  Kalou looked at me with concern, “You make it sound so easy Cain, like you’re just going to walk into their villages and ask them to move far across the land to a new home and a new tribe. You think they’ll be so thrilled that they will just follow after you! But what if they don’t want to join with us? What if they fight with you and try to hurt you? What if something happens along the way, fierce animals or sickness or treachery? It’s a very long journey to either of those villages, and anything can happen. What would we do without you?”

  “Kalou, do you forget what I did all those years before we were married? I traveled this entire land. I was always gone for many weeks, and sometimes months at a time. And you know no person can harm me since I still have the mark of God upon me. Nothing is going to happen to me; I am the smartest, strongest man in the land. These people are weak and ignorant, and I need to bring them into our city for their own good. That has always been my plan, to join all the people together under my rule, and I won’t rest until it is done.”

  “Look how happy the people that were once Northerners are. Those that came early and helped us build the city are barely recognizable from us anymore. They speak our language fluently, and they are some of our best farmers. They have happily learned and accepted our ways in little more than a year. None of the Northerners would ever go back to their old life, of living from day to day in little huts and eating only meat. I know that what I did to make them join us was the right thing, even if I did it for selfish reasons and not just for their good.”

  “Now I will go to these other tribes and I will tell them of our ways. I will bring other men with me, and we will have our food and clothing and our weapons. I will show evidence to these people of the superior way of life in my city. It will be obvious to them that we are a people of strength and power, a people that is better than they are. They will want to follow me!”

  After I finished speaking Kalou just looked at me in silence for a few moments, until finally she said quietly, “And what if you are wrong? What if they see what you call our superior ways, and they still don’t want to join with us?”

  “As you can imagine Kalou, not joining us isn’t going to be an option for them. I made the decision long ago that every tribe in this land will become one tribe under my leadership.”

  “Why Cain, why must you force everyone to join with us? Why not leave them alone and let them live their lives as they wish?”

  I looked at her, concerned, “Kalou, don’t you know after all these years? You still don’t understand? I am smarter and stronger, and I know what is best. I need to change these tribes into a people that are like me. A man made in God’s own image.”

  She looked into my eyes for a very long time, and at last she spoke, “When you were made in God’s image were you made to be like Him physically, or were you made to be like Him in your soul and your mind, in the way you think and act and know right from wrong? From what I have learned through you, I think your God wants you to be like Him in your heart, in the way you love and act with others. I do not think God made you in His image in order for you to force all people to live like you want them to live, under your rule in a city of your making.”

  It disturbed me that Kalou would question my heart and the reasons for my actions. That was what my brother and God had done so many years ago, and though I now realized my thoughts had not been right at that time, I had grown more selfless. I taught the people all that I knew and I led them the best I could, and although I did some things for my own gain and to achieve the goals I had set for myself, it was also to help them. I did nothing for purely selfish reasons.

  A scowl came to my face, and trying to control my emotions I spoke through tight lips, “What God wants is not the issue. I know what I need to do and why. All people must come into our tribe under my leadership. It is for their own good. I decided this long ago, and I will not stop until I have finished what I started.”

  “Whenever I start to believe that he has really changed, the old Cain comes through. He still thinks that he is superior to us. He can't see that it's only our bodies that are different. When will he understand that our minds and souls are the same as his?”

  Kalou opened her mouth to say something, but paused and after a moment closed it and slowly shook her head. Finally she said, “You will do what you will do, and I cannot stop you or talk sense to you. But someday I think you will learn the truth of what your God wants from you. I only hope you learn before it is too late.”

  I consciously decided not to continue this conversation. She was getting too close to areas I preferred not to speak of. “Now you speak in riddles. Don’t worry Kalou; I will come back to you and Enoch safe and sound. ”

  “I am sure you will Cain, but it is not your body I am worried about.”

  The next day I told my leaders of my plans for leaving. Whi
le they had known this was something I desired to do, they were still surprised that I was actually going.

  I laid out all the details for them. I would take ten of our largest and strongest men, and we would be clean and groomed and clothed in our finest woolen garb, carrying our bows and finely made spears and knives. We would have with us food that could travel for a long distance, bread and cheese, dried meats and fruits. Even dried foods that were made for travel would be better than anything these people had ever seen.

  I would talk with the leaders of their tribe and convince them of the superiority of our ways, how they should join us and become like us, strong and healthy.

  They nodded as I spoke, understanding my plan. When I was done speaking, the first question out of Catto’s mouth was the same as Kalou’s had been.

  “But what if they don’t want to join with us?”

  “As Gadu knows, I can be very persuasive. I will demonstrate the superiority of our ways. When they taste the food we have brought them, see our fine clothes, our strong men and the power of our bows, they will be persuaded. After they have seen all this and are told their only choice is to join us, they will not refuse.”

  Gadu spoke up, “Though it was humbling to be forced to leave our homes, everyone is now happier. We have plenty of food and a much better life. But it is not an easy thing, and a strong leader could convince his people it is better to fight than join. We were easily defeated by you in battle, and we saw all your food with our own eyes. If this had not happened I don't think Aron would have been convinced, and we almost certainly would have fought before joining. I think you need to be prepared for them to refuse, because that is a strong possibility.”

  I nodded, “I understand. I will make it perfectly clear that if they refuse me I will return with many men, and they will be forced to join us anyway. All people must live in this city; it is not an option to disagree with me. Someday people will go out from here and start new cities, but first everyone must live here and become like us. If I need to use force to make people become civilized, I will do so.”

  They all nodded, even though I don’t think everyone was pleased by my statements. I told them we would leave in three days time, and we discussed which men should go with me. Early in the morning three days later we gathered at the public house, where we put on the heavy packs containing everything we needed for our journey to the southern tribe.

  We wore our finest clothes dyed in deep hues of many colors, and we carried our bows, arrows and both throwing spears and stabbing spears. With our large size and colorful garb we looked like a special group, and I knew there was no way we could be denied.

  The southern village was many leagues away, and I expected the journey there to take at least fourteen days of steady walking. I did not expect to return to the city for over a month, and although I would almost certainly return unharmed, there was always the possibility that we would have to do battle with the other tribe.

  If this was the case, there was no certainty that all of us would return to the city. Everyone knew this was a possibility, which was why most of the men we had chosen were single. After saying good-bye to our friends and families we started to the south, taking the first steps of a very long journey.

  We passed through our old village on the second day and rested there. We no longer had anybody living in the village, having taken the last of this year's harvest to the new city. We would return to harvest the fruit and olive trees again next year, but the village was beginning to fall into disrepair. That night we ate some apples we were able to gather from the trees, and we left early the next morning with potatoes and carrots gleaned from the old fields.

  It had been several years since my last trip south and the journey was longer than I remembered, but this was probably because I was forced to travel more slowly. Though we passed through occasional woodlands, the wide, flat plains stretched far before us. It was difficult to get enough meat for the men since we stayed in the valley to travel faster, but I went into the forest to our west every couple days, coming back each time with a deer.

  We pushed ourselves hard and were able to make excellent time, reaching the southern hills that separated our section of the valley from theirs in only twelve days. The southern hills were fairly low, and covered with an older forest which continued down to the floor of the great valley.

  The hills served as a minor barrier, really more of a defining line, separating the wide, grassy plains of the northern end of the valley where my tribe lived from the remainder of the plains that continued on far to the south.

  About five years earlier I had traveled to the southern end of the great valley to explore the tall mountains that formed the border; to see what they held, and perhaps even venture through them and beyond. It had taken me weeks of steady travel to reach the mountains, and I had not liked in the least what I found at the end of the journey. Fierce lizards, huge and frightening, the like of which I had never dreamed of in my worst nightmares, roamed those soaring mountains and the valleys held within them. In only a few days I was overjoyed to exit that mountain range with my life.

  On my way south I had passed east of the village moving fast on the plains, but I took the time to observe their village in secret on my slower return journey.

  The valley was much the same on the southern side of the dividing hills as it was where we lived; broad plains interspersed with occasional young woodlands. In all my travels I had discovered that there was little difference anywhere in this huge valley from one place to another, except for the water supply. While there was an abundance of streams that could support a village of hunters, there was a limited supply of rivers large enough to support a city that wanted to grow crops.

  We camped for the night on our side of the hills, less than two days from the Southerners village. We had not seen any sign of hunters, which was as I expected since they would normally hunt either on the far side of these hills or in the foothills of the western mountains. Even so, it was possible that we had been seen, so that night I scouted far ahead, ranging almost to their village, but I saw no activity. By morning I was confident we had not been spotted, and if we were careful in our travels through the hills tomorrow, our arrival would be a complete surprise.

  We moved slowly and carefully the following day, and were able to camp less than a league from their village, in a small hollow where we could rest unseen. That evening I scouted to the very edge of the woodland near their village, which was set in an excellent location. They had placed it on the edge of the plains, tucked in the crook where the dividing hills joined the range of mountains which ran to the north and south. The tribe had ready access to the forest for hunting and foraging, and a small stream ran out of the mountains and flowed just north of their village, providing them with ample water.

  The following day when the sun was high in the sky I emerged from the woodlands, walking slowly and carefully through the tall grass towards the village. I had chosen this time to approach because I knew the village would be least occupied at midday, which would eliminate some of their advantage in numbers. Most of the tribe’s hunters would be in the forest, and many women would be out foraging for potatoes or berries. I assumed the tribe’s elders would not go hunting, and that was who I needed to talk with today.

  I was followed at a distance by my men. Though they could be clearly seen, they were far enough away that a spear would not be able to reach them. At that distance they would not pose a great threat, and since there were only ten of them the village should still contain enough men to outnumber us. Little would the villagers know that with my men’s bows and throwing spears we could kill at least twenty of their men before they ever knew what had happened.

  I was noticed by some children playing in the grasslands soon after I exited the woods, and by the time I got within a stone's throw of the village everyone was there, watching me as I approached. Every available man, about twenty from what I could see, was standing at the front of the group with
their spears held ready. The people looked just as I had expected; thin, dirty, and clothed in animal skins. There were probably close to sixty people all together, and every single one of them seemed to be shouting as loud as possible in the old language, the gist of the outcry being that I should stop where I was.

  I finally did so once I was close enough to make them a little uncomfortable, and lifting my hands to show I was unarmed, I called out in the old language, “Greetings, I am Cain. May I speak with your elders?”

  My question silenced them briefly, but almost immediately they began talking more quietly among themselves while watching me and my men, who continued to stay well back from the village. I waited, my hands raised and open. After an extended discussion two older men and one younger man broke away from the crowd and slowly approached me. When they had closed approximately half the distance between us they stopped and called out to me, “You come to us alone.”

  I wanted to make the villagers believe we posed no threat, so in the old language I shouted over my shoulder to my men, “Sit down and rest.”

  I walked forward to join them, keeping my hands up and open. Their eyes were drawn to my head as I approached, and as I closed the gap I saw the familiar looks of uncertainty and fear come over their faces. The men I now stood directly in front of, and the larger group of men, women and children at the villages’ edge all stared in silence. Even from a distance the villagers could see I was not to be harmed.

  Even if they had not seen my mark, I was still an imposing sight. I was significantly taller and broader than they were, and with my coloring and clothes I appeared alien in every way. My appearance combined with the mark I carried had thrown them into confusion.

  When I reached the men I said, “Greetings, I am Cain. We have travelled far to come to your village.”

  The oldest man of the three had recovered his composure, and he spoke bluntly, “Why are you here?”

  I had studied the men as I approached, and I thought he would be the leader. The youngest man held a spear and I was confident he was there only to protect the two older men, while the other older man had seemed hesitant and trailed back as they walked towards me. The speaker had come towards me boldly, watching me carefully the entire way. I saw no fear in his eyes now as he looked me up and down, only curiosity and assessment.

  I had expected this question, and I gave the speech I had prepared to tell them just what I wanted them to know. “We are from the village far up the valley, the village your tribe left many, many moons past. We have known of your village and have wanted to visit you in friendship. We bring you gifts of food, and hope to tell you of our ways, ways which have given us much food, more than we can eat.”

  As always with these people, food was the way to get their attention. The three men had been appraising me as I spoke, looking at my clothes, sandals, my fine knife, and repeatedly returning their eyes to the mark upon my head. At the mention of food every eye became fixed upon me, giving me their complete attention.

  The leader questioned me, “Food, what do you mean you bring food? Do you kill too much meat for your tribe to eat?”

  “We grow food in the ground by our village, and this food we eat with our meat. We grow more than we can eat, and as you can see,” and here I gestured over my shoulder to the men sitting on the ground far behind me, “we have grown large and strong because of all our food.”

  My statement caused the confusion I expected, “What do you mean you grow your food in the ground? How can you do this?” asked the leader.

  “If you want I can explain later how we grow our food. But we have carried much food here for you. The bags my men carry are heavy and full of many things to eat. If you allow they will approach and give you the bags, or if you want they will go back in the forest and leave the bags for you to gather. I would like you to have the food and I want to tell you what it is.”

  The leader immediately said, “How do we know this food will not make us sick?”

  I was impressed. This was a very good question, and not one many of these people would ask when offered food. “I or any of my men will eat the food with you, to show you it is good. We are here to help your people, not hurt you.”

  As you would expect, he was still suspicious, “Why do you want to help us? What are we to you?”

  I told him my standard lie, a lie I had spoken more times than I could count. “I have come to this land from far away. I came here to teach people my ways so they could live better lives. I have taught the people of the tribe you see with me, and they are now strong and healthy.”

  He was persistent. “But why do this? Why do you care how we live?”

  “I just want to help people,” I answered simply and somewhat honestly. In the last years I had realized that I really did want to help these people live better. It was no longer only about gaining power for myself.

  He looked at me, accessing me carefully. After a long pause he finally said, “Alright. Have your men leave their bags and go back to the woods. I want only one man to remain with the bags, but he must hold no weapon.”

  I called back over my shoulder to the men, relaying these instructions. They returned to the edge of the forest, leaving only Shadan, one of my most intelligent and trusted men.

  Turning to his men, the leader indicated that some should get the packs. Curious and eager, ten men quickly ran out to where Shadan waited, and grabbing the bags they and Shadan returned to the village. I and the leaders joined them as all the people gathered around us in curiosity.

  “Should we go to your fire, where we can taste and talk about this food?” I asked the leader.

  He shook his head empathically, speaking loudly to everyone gathered around. “I want all our men around us with their spears ready should the other men return. All the women and children stay here to see this food.”

  Speaking directly to me and Shadan he added, “You and your man give me your knives.”

  Shadan looked at me and I nodded, and we both turned our knives over to the leader. “Keep that safe,” I said, “it is very precious to me and I will want it back.”

  He examined my beloved knife closely and I could tell he was impressed. He said, “This is a fine blade and I shall return it when you leave us. Now, what have you brought?”

  From that point on the afternoon passed very quickly. Before we started I insisted that we methodically go through each bag. I would take out the contents and Shadan and I would eat a small portion to show them it was safe. Then I would explain what the items of food were before giving any to the leaders and the people.

  The first three bags I opened contained bread. I did this on purpose, because bread was an item absolutely foreign to them, something not grown in the ground but made from many different ingredients. We had brought several different types, plain wheat bread, bread with rosemary and other herbs baked in, and sweet bread with nuts and dried fruit inside.

  The people were amazed at the flavor and variety, and though they did not understand when I explained how we grew the wheat and baked the bread, it was clear that they were impressed. They were even more impressed when I told them we lived many days to the north, and the bread was baked before we left.

  Since I wanted to show them a bit of everything we were able to achieve with our civilization, we had brought more than just food. While the people tasted the bread I opened another bag, and taking out plates, spoons, and other cooking utensils, I explained what they were and how they were used. After this I took a bar of soap from the bag and explained its function. Soap seemed to make less sense to the people than the plates and spoons, but I thought it was necessary to try.

  I took fine cloaks out of a bag and presented them to the two leaders. I told them how we had made the cloaks; that we raised sheep which provided the wool and then turned the wool into clothing. This silenced the crowd. They could not understand the concept of raising animals to provide food, much less making clothing out of their coats.

  After they
had eaten much of the bread and looked at the cloaks, kitchen utensils and soap, we began to go through the remaining bags. These bags contained various samples of delicious food and produce. We had brought with us an incredible variety of foods; shelled pecans and walnuts, olive oil, honey from our hives, fresh fruits and vegetables, and several types of dried meat and fish.

  As they tasted the food I described to everyone what each item was; how it was grown, used and eaten. These different foods had been brought because they were both delicious to eat and easy to carry, and they also showed these people the full range of what we ate while emphasizing the limited diet on which they subsisted.

  The tribe loved our food. I told them if the Elders would allow me, that evening I would make a meal for them from the meat their hunters killed combined with carrots, potatoes and spices. The leaders appeared uncomfortable with the idea of letting me stay and cook for them, but the people enthusiastically shouted their loud approval.

  The entire time I had been talking and handing out the food and other items, Shadan had also been talking with the people. I had chosen Shadan to come with me because I knew the people would be comfortable with him in a way they could not be with me, since I was a foreigner and marked in a way they could not understand. But I specifically chose Shadan because he was tall, strong and handsome, as well as intelligent and friendly. Dressed in his woolen tunic, with sandals on his feet and clean hands and face, he emphasized the great contrast between us and the dirty, fur clothed men of their tribe.

  I could see that the way several women of their tribe were openly staring at him was beginning to make Shadan uncomfortable, bringing a broad smile to my face.

  Finally I couldn’t resist, and I said in our language, “Shadan, I don’t think you will have any trouble finding a mate in this tribe. Which one do you like? They all seem to want you.”

  He didn’t think this was amusing, and he sounded a little worried as he replied, “That’s not funny Cain. Some of these women are getting touchy, and they’re actually starting to make me a little nervous.”

  “That's probably because in this tribe the women choose the mate.”

  He took an abrupt step backwards as he literally shouted, making everyone around him jump in surprise. “What! Are you serious?”

  I laughed so hard it hurt my sides, which caused everyone to fall silent as they stared at us. I quickly composed myself, and in the old language apologized and told them I was having a little fun with my friend. Everyone returned their focus to the food, but the elders immediately asked about the language Shadan and I had spoken.

  Not wanting to give too much away, I told them it was the common language we used as a tribe, since all the tribes in the land had slightly different tongues. This was true, even using the old language it was sometimes difficult for us to talk. Although the old language was the original common tongue, over time each tribe had developed unique words and inflections, so they all spoke somewhat differently.

  They immediately wanted more information about the other tribes we interacted with, being both suspicious and curious about what I had just said. I had hoped for this reaction and asked them if we could speak privately. By this time we had gone through all the packs, and the people had excitedly tasted everything they could get their hands on. The elders put their heads together and conversed briefly while looking at me occasionally over their shoulders, and then turned back to me and nodded.

  As the leader motioned me to follow and turned towards the village, he shouted out orders. “Leave the rest of the food alone! We will taste more later, after the hunters return.”

  He put a strong man in charge with orders to keep close watch on Shadan, as well as the rest of my men, who could be seen far across the field sitting at the edge of the forest. Then telling several additional men to come with us, he led me to a hut in the center of the village.

  This meeting felt very much like the one I had with Garon years before. Even the hut was similar, small and closed in, with no hole to let out smoke. I sat facing the two tribal elders who were flanked by strong men with spears, while two additional men stood behind me.

  I was impressed. I felt the elders had reacted very capably to our sudden appearance. They had set up guards and been suitably suspicious of our intentions. In my opinion they had acted appropriately, in such a way as to show me they were both wise and strong. I believed that what I now had to say would not be dismissed out of hand, nor would it be taken lightly.

  After we sat the leader looked me up and down for a long time, and then simply said, “Talk.”

  Once again I introduced myself, “I am Cain, and I am a foreigner to this land. I came to live with the tribe from north of here many years ago. I came to help the people live better; to show them how to grow food to eat and raise animals that would cloth them and be their food. I was successful. As you can see from Shadan, the people are healthy and strong. The food is abundant, and the tribe has grown to many people, with many new babies. Everyone is happy.”

  “We were joined by another tribe, a tribe that lived even farther to the north. That tribe had only meat to eat, and never enough of it. They wanted to live like us with plentiful food to make them strong. Together we built a new, larger village, one with good huts to live in and many large huts just to hold all the extra food we grow.”

  Here I paused, and the lead elder spoke, “I am Lakaan. I lead the people along with Jattar,” indicating the other elder. “I know that you did not come all this way just to give us gifts of food. Why are you here? Speak truthfully.”

  I answered bluntly, with no attempt at deception, “I have come to offer you a new home with us. We want to help all the people of this land, and our tribe has a much better way to live. My people are happy. They have new tools and ways of hunting and growing food that have made their lives better in every way. We have land at our village and huts where you can live, and we want you to join us.”

  I could see Lakaan was taken aback by my direct answer. There was a long silence as if everyone was holding their breath, as all in the room considered what I had said.

  Finally Lakaan replied, “You called them your people. But you are a foreigner, different from all of us and even those in your own tribe. Also, you are a very young man. How is it that you are the leader of two tribes? What happened to their elders?”

  I considered my answer, and then replied, “I am not so young as I look. I have walked the earth for many years, perhaps even longer than you have yet walked. I came from a far land, filled with much knowledge of how to grow food, raise animals and make tools to help people live better. In my land that was how we lived. Because of my wisdom, knowledge, and physical strength, I am the leader of all people that live in my village, and the elders acknowledge this. That is how it is, and how it will remain,” I finished firmly, looking Lakaan straight in the eye.

  He considered me for a long time, and then said, “So you will live forever?”

  Now this was a question no one had ever dared ask. Because of my physical abilities I knew many of my own people believed this was true, and it was in my best interests to let them continue to believe it.

  I answered Lakaan quietly, “I do not know the answer to that question. Perhaps I will, but I believe my days are numbered, though I know they will be very, very long.”

  He let that drop but continued to stare at me appraisingly, even while the other men in the room murmured back and forth. Eventually he spoke again, “Where does this mark that rests upon you come from? I know I cannot harm you, but I know not why. My heart is put in distress by even the thought of hurting you; though killing the man that is with you would not be a problem. What causes this mark and the knowledge of it within me?”

  Here again I gave him a direct answer, though it was not entirely truthful. There was no reason to hide God from Lakaan. Even though the mark God had given me was because of the great evil I had done, I saw no reason that I should not make it appear to have been done as a goo
d thing; something that was done to allow me to help people.

  I told him, “There is only one God and He has power over all the earth. He has given me this mark as protection so none may harm me as I bring my ways to all people in this land.”

  He immediately barked a short, harsh laugh, scoffing, “One God, that is stupid! Even a child knows many gods have control over the land.” Everyone in the hut joined him in laughter.

  When the laughter began to die down, I quietly replied, “No, there is only one, and this is a fact. He gave me the mark you see, and this is but one small evidence of His existence. He has all power. He made the earth and everything on it. There are no other gods except ones you have created in your own mind.”

  The quiet, confident tone in which I made this statement caused all in the room to stop their laughter, looking at me in surprise and curiosity.

  After another long moment while he considered my mark closely, Lakaan finally said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, “You cannot prove a God.”

  Looking then to the man seated beside him he continued, “I will discuss this with Jattar and we will give you our answer after the meal, but I see no reason to join your tribe. Our people are happy here. We already have huts to live in and animals and potatoes in the forest to eat. We have lived here for moons uncounted. Your food is no reason for us to leave the land of our fathers and live in your village under your rule.”

  I nodded, and once again I spoke. I had left this for last, not wanting to make any unnecessary threats. “There is one last thing I must tell you. In addition to the food we grow and the animals we raise, I have brought to my people much knowledge of tools. Some simple tools I have already shown you, such as the plate and spoons that we eat with. Other tools are used to prepare and water the fields where we grow food, while more tools allow us to make this cloth I wear from the coat of the sheep.”

  Here I paused as I looked around at every man in the room. This was delicate. It was imperative that they understand what I was implying, but I needed to be subtle enough that I did not obviously threaten them and force them to react out of pride.

  “We also have made new tools that we use for hunting. We now have spears that we can throw for a very long distance. Spears that fly straight and true and can bring down a large deer or boar at thirty paces.”

  Their eyes widened at this statement, and I could see that some wanted to speak, but I continued on, “We also have a new tool that shoots a small spear very, very far. With this small spear a hunter can kill a deer at over one hundred paces. With these weapons my men are very strong. One hunter is worth five hunters in the forest.... or in a battle.”

  I knew Lakaan and Jattar heard me, but I was not sure if the rest of the men heard my final comment about battle. When I stated that my tribe had spears we could throw to kill a boar at thirty paces, they reacted with doubt. When I said we had small spears that could kill a deer at over one hundred paces, the room broke out into full-fledged, uproarious laughter. They thought this to be an absolutely ridiculous statement. Of course to them it would be impossible; something they couldn’t even imagine.

  I waited for the laughter to die down, then allowing just a hint of anger to color my voice I said, “You laugh, but if I had come to you in furs and told you I possess clothing such as I wear, would you have believed me? If I came to you with no bread or carrots or fruit but told you it existed, would you have believed me? No, you would not have believed. You would have thought me a madman, and with good reason.”

  “I brought you proof of these things so you will know I am not mad, but speak the truth. Why do you now laugh when I tell you of the small spears, arrows as we call them? The arrows exist. They wait on the edge of your forest, and there are many more in my village. I am not false, I speak only the truth!”

  The room was now silent as they considered the existence of these weapons.

  After giving them a moment to think, I continued, speaking directly to Lakaan and Jattar, “I would like you to discuss all I have told you and shown you this day. It is my sincere desire, as well as all the many people in my tribe, that your tribe joins with us. We could never be satisfied if you denied us this honor.”

  My words brought complete silence to the room, as every man there considered all that I had said.

  After a thoughtful pause Lakaan said, “You have given us much to consider. Leave me with Jattar to discuss this matter. You are free to return to my people, but I insist that you do not speak to them of your offer to join your tribe. That decision can be made only by the elders.”

  “I understand Lakaan, but please consider my offer carefully. I trust in your wisdom to do what is best for your people.”

  Rising, I left the hut to return to the gathering escorted by three guards. I believed I had left them with few options. The evidence I had brought of our food and our civilization was not to be denied, while my subtle but obvious threat had given them much to discuss regarding the consequences of refusing me.

  Even though I felt confident the elders would realize they had no choice but to join our tribe, I sent Shadan back to the other men to wait in safety. Though I could not be harmed, he did not have the protection I had should they decide to resort to violence.

  The afternoon had passed quickly, and the first group of hunters returned shortly after I rejoined the people. The women that had been gathering potatoes in the forest also returned, and all these new people created another uproar and forced me to answer the same questions we had gone through earlier.

  The village had taken on a festive air as everyone began to look forward to the feast I had promised. There were still two groups of hunters in the forest, and when they returned I would prepare the stew I had offered to cook for them. I gathered some of the women, and together we cleaned potatoes, carrots and onions, getting everything ready to cook. By the time we were finished with this, the last of the hunters had arrived and the meat was ready to start cooking.

  The elders had not yet returned to the gathering, and this was beginning to make me uncomfortable. Since the choices were so very clear-cut, I felt there should have been little to debate. Perhaps I had been too subtle with my threats, and I should have bluntly stated what I said to the northern tribe. They had only two options, join us or die.

  I put these thoughts to the back of my mind and talked with the tribe around the fire as dinner cooked. They continued to ask questions about my village and my people, and the more information I gave them about how we lived, the more excited they became.

  The food was now ready to eat and still the elders had not joined us at the fire. I sent one of the men that had been at our meeting to ask if they would join us in the meal, and he did not return.

  I had just come to the conclusion that this visit had gone badly and I would need to get out of there, and I was about to make a quick retreat to join my men when the elders appeared at the fire. Their arrival was greeted by the eager shouts of the rest of the villagers, who had been restlessly awaiting them to begin the meal. My eyes immediately found Lakaan among the crowd. Our eyes met, and with his subtle nod my anxiety disappeared.

  I moved through the crowd to join Lakaan and Jattar, and when we came together Lakaan spoke to me quietly, “You were very... persuasive. We will join with your tribe. After the feast we will tell the tribe of our decision.”

  Speaking to both Lakaan and Jattar I said, “You have made a wise choice for your tribe. You will not be disappointed.”

  With a sharp look, Lakaan replied, “As far as we could see, there was no real choice to be made. If we believed what you told us, and we decided that we did believe you, we had no option but to join with your tribe.”

  I nodded. This was true.

  He continued on, “I ask you to leave us after the feast so we may speak as a tribe. Tomorrow I will talk with you again and we will discuss how this move to the north will take place.”

  “That is a good plan,” I said.

  Turning, I
shouted to the crowd that had been watching and waiting as Lakaan and I spoke quietly together, “Now let us feast!”