In The Beginning

by Richard Webber

  Chapter Forty

  After the passing of two years you would have been hard pressed to tell a Southerner from a Northerner, or for that matter, anyone from my original tribe. The Southerners had learned our language and the skills necessary to living in the city, and were now fully blended into our tribe.

  As a people they had retained their enthusiasm for life and were a positive addition, their joy balancing out the somewhat dour nature of the Northerners. The men tended to favor the building trades, and though some became farmers, most had quickly taken to building houses and tools, and several were coming to be some of our finest woodworkers and craftsmen. This balanced nicely with the northern men, who in general had become farmers, loving to work the soil.

  My second son Garon, named after the elder I had so admired, was six months old when I once again came to Kalou.

  “It is time for me to go the eastern tribe. The Southerners are now one with us, and I want to add the final piece to our people.”

  She nodded, resigned. She had known it was only a matter of time before this happened. “I can only hope that tribe is as happy to join with us as the Southerners were. They have been such a wonderful addition to our city. The joy they have for life is good for all of us.”

  I nodded, “I agree. I hope the easterners will join us so eagerly, and be able to add so much to our tribe.”

  “When will you leave? And how long do you think the trip to their village will take?”

  “We will go at the next new moon. I plan to take several of the same men with me, since they did so well the last time and they know what to expect. The trip to reach their village is not as long in distance, but it is a much more difficult and interesting journey. We will need to build rafts to cross the great river; that is one of the two obstacles between their village and our city. It should take four or five days to get to the spot at the river where I want to cross. Once we have crossed it will take at least another fourteen days to traverse the waterless plains and reach the foothills we will travel through to get to their village. That is, if they are still in the same location. It has been over ten years since I last crossed the river and saw their village.”

  “Do you think it will be as easy with this tribe?”

  “I hope so, but I cannot truly believe I could be that blessed. I will try the same approach and hopefully I will have the same result. I'm looking forward to getting all the people together into one city. I want to be able to focus all my energy on this place and what I have built here. I feel like I'm always looking over the horizon, focused on the next thing I have set for myself to do. Once this final tribe is here with us, I will have completed what I started.”

  Kalou laughed, “It's funny to hear you say that. Cain, you will never be done. You will always have something you are working on or trying to achieve. I don’t think you know how to rest.”

  I ruefully agreed, “You’re probably right. There always seems to be something... Well, I'll call the leaders together tomorrow and we will talk of my plans. If all goes well we'll leave in about ten days.”

  The next day I gathered my council of leaders. As the city had grown the council had grown, and it now consisted of Kalou, Catto, Cadune, Gadu and Sharot, the man from the southern tribe that had come forward to protect Lakaan and Jatar at my initial meeting with the Southerners. He had proven to be a strong and intelligent man, and had shown excellent leadership with Shadan on the trip north from the Southerners’ old village. Shadan had come to depend on him during the trip, and he had continued to be an active leader to his people after they joined our city. He had been the obvious choice of a Southerner to add to my leadership council.

  I told them of my decision to travel to the east and meet with the tribe that lived across the river. As with Kalou, they knew it had only been a matter of time before I made this journey, and they were not surprised.

  Shadan would once again be second to me on the trip, and he had final say on the men that would accompany us. Most of those he chose had gone to the south with us and only a few were married, though none of them yet had any children. Shadan had married one of the southern women last year, which made him the butt of many jokes from the men that had been on the first trip and seen how the southern women admired him.

  Although the southern tribe had joined with us gladly, that was no guarantee that the eastern tribe would feel the same way. There was a distinct possibility that they would attack us, either on first sight or after they heard our offer and the ultimatum that they had to join with us. I was glad none of the men with me had children, as I would not want anyone to leave behind a fatherless family. Though I would almost certainly not be harmed if it came to a fight, the same was not true for my men.

  We were able to prepare for this trip quickly since we knew we were taking the same items with us as we did on our trip to the south, and we left on our journey eight days after the meeting with my council. Once again we carried large, heavy packs containing food for our journey, as well as food to share with the eastern tribe. We wore travelling clothes but we carried our fine clothes in our packs, and we all had both bows and throwing spears.

  It was early in the morning when we parted from our families and crossed the bridge to the east side of our river for the start of our journey. We would cut across the wide plains to the northeast, to a large forest that ran right up to the river about four days hike from our city. Though traveling to the northeast would make for a longer journey than going due east, we could cut all the logs we needed to build rafts for the crossing in the forest at the river's edge.

  We would need to cross the river with twelve men and a large amount of gear, and this would require two rafts to be built. The river was a huge obstacle, and since none of the other tribes had knowledge of boats or was comfortable swimming, I was curious as to how the Easterners had crossed the river when they separated from the original tribe.

  When I had gone exploring across the river years before, the eastern village was set in the hills at the edge of the eastern mountains, many leagues past the river across barren grassland devoid of any water. I expected the trip there to require more than fourteen days of difficult travel once we crossed the great river.

  My usually sharp mind remembered few details of the eastern tribe. I had scouted the village from a distance, watching the people from behind some brush as I lay on top of a small knoll. I remembered seeing nothing out of the ordinary, but yet for some reason I had not liked the look of their village. Though they had appeared to be just another small, barbaric tribe similar to the rest and I could not put my finger on anything specific, I vaguely remembered being disturbed by a sense of sadness. After watching them for part of a day I had become impatient and moved on, being anxious to explore the tall mountains to the east.

  We reached the river’s edge on the fourth day and followed it north until we arrived at the woodland where grew the trees we would use to fashion rafts. It was easy work and we were soon finished building wide, stable rafts that the men could feel secure sitting on as we crossed the river. We also made a flat board for each man to paddle with.

  I had come up with the idea for a raft on my previous crossing of the river. Though I was a good swimmer, the river was extremely wide and fairly fast, and I had wanted to cross it with a pack and gear. At first I had planned just to lash my pack onto a log and swim it across, but that idea had quickly evolved into a raft.

  I had found a fallen tree and lashed together three pieces of log to give me a stable platform to sit on. I then made a board from a smaller piece of wood and used this to paddle across the river. My progress had been slow and I had drifted down the river quite a distance, but I got across safely and easily. I planned to do the same thing with my men, except we made larger rafts which could carry six men apiece. It was important that they be very stable, as none of the other men could swim. Even though they were brave and they didn’t talk about it, I knew they were all frightened of crossing the river.

&n
bsp; Early the following morning we set off. There were twelve of us total, so we placed six men on each raft with three paddling on each side. All the precious cargo was balanced carefully in the center of the rafts. We connected the rafts together with a long rope, so if there was a problem and anyone fell off, I would be able to swim to them in time to help.

  We had made the rafts broad and long, and I think they were probably impossible to tip over. Though progress was still fairly slow, since there were six paddling on each raft we crossed the river much more easily than I had thought we would. In short time we stood on the other side, safe and dry. We pulled the rafts as high as we could onto the land, since we would need them again to return to our own shore.

  There were no trees on this side of the river until you reached the foothills. Though you could see the mountains rising far off in the distance, the grasslands seemed to spread away from the river endlessly. I knew from my previous journey that once I reached the foothills of the mountains there would be water, but that was days away.

  While this was not a desert or a wasteland, there was only grass. There was no water, no animals, no plants for food and no wood to burn. None of the things that a human needed to survive existed on the wide grassland before us. Knowing this, I made sure we brought many water bags, as well as food that did not require cooking. It would take approximately fourteen days of hard travel to cross this grassland, and it would be the sternest test my men had ever faced. But these were some of my finest men, strong, intelligent and brave; men that could fight, farm or hunt. If they couldn’t do it, it couldn’t be done.

  As I thought about the challenges that faced us in reaching this tribe’s village, I again wondered how they had crossed the river and this grassland to get to where they now lived. I wondered if they had a strong leader and the intelligence to develop items such as rafts and water bags, or if God had once again been involved in shaping the course of men.

  Knowing the people as I did, I doubted they had crossed the river and grasslands on their own. I considered how God had interacted with my parents throughout their existence and how He originally brought my tribe though the wasteland and put them in this land, a land with all the plants and animals they would ever need. God's hand was in everything, and it now occurred to me that He had brought these people to this land for His own reasons. I was curious to see what would have caused Him to so thoroughly separate these people from the rest, and I hoped it was for some reason that would be useful to me.

  We traveled steadily every day, walking with minimal breaks from sunup until after the sun went down. We headed due east, trying to get to the hills as quickly as possible. Once we reached the hills we would travel south towards where the village had been located on my previous trip, though it had not given me an impression of permanency at the time.

  To save energy we talked very little as we walked. When my men did talk, one of the favored topics was how happy the women of the southern tribe had been to meet the men of our tribe. There was animated discussion regarding which man should be the first to meet the tribe with me, since Shadan was now married to one of the southern women.

  The last words from Shadan’s wife when we left the city were orders that he was not allowed to meet the tribe with me. Though Shadan insisted she was only joking, everyone had a good time teasing him about meeting the eastern tribe, and the rest of the men often discussed whether he was even allowed to talk with their women.

  Pushing ourselves hard, we were able to reach the far hills in twelve days, which was a very good time. Though we saw no one as we walked, on the grasslands a group as large as ours would stand out, so anyone watching from the hills knew we approached. The final two nights I scouted far from our camp, but I saw no sign of any humans.

  We were all relieved to reach the hills without issue, and turning to the south we soon found water. This was very good, since even though we left the river with many full water bags, most of the men had no more than one day of water left.

  The hills were lightly wooded and very pleasant; it was obvious there was an abundance of game living in them. We travelled due south, though we actively scouted by ranging far in all directions. One of the men found the day-old tracks of an individual in the hills farther to the east, but we saw no other signs of man.

  Since we were still at least two full days north of where the village had been ten years earlier I did not really expect to find any sign of humans, so I was very surprised to hear it was the tracks of a single man. Normally, a hunter never went out alone. There was too much chance of an individual being attacked by a bear or large cat, so in every tribe the hunters and gatherers travelled at least in pairs, and usually in groups of three or more. A man traveling alone days from his village indicated a rogue or an outcast, though it was possible he could be an adventurer.

  Finally traveling back to the village must have jogged my memory, because as we walked south my previous visit to the eastern village slowly came back to me.

  My goal had been to explore the far mountains and beyond, so I had spent less than a half day observing the village and tribe from a distance, hidden in the shadows of the forest. It was hard to put my finger on it, but this village had seemed somehow depressed, and much more somber than my village. The people had moved slowly and seemed downcast and quiet. It had been odd to me at the time, but I was so distracted by thoughts of what I would find on the other side of the mountains that I had not been fully focused on the village. After part of a day I had left them and my thoughts of them behind, and I had been so focused on returning home that I had not bothered to visit them again on my way back through several months later.

  We travelled quickly the next day, continuing to scout far out in all directions as we traveled. A few times we came across the tracks of solitary men, and we identified that there were at least two different men hunting alone in this part of the hills.

  That day I saw a lone traveler out on the plains to our south. With my far-reaching eyesight I was able to see he carried an antelope on his shoulders and he was traveling fast, moving due east towards the forested hills. Individual hunters ranging about; something was going on here that I didn't understand, and I was bothered by this.

  As we went further south the gloom I had felt when I watched the eastern tribe began to return even more strongly. Though I could not identify the source of my unease, as my mind went back over the impression I had years earlier I began to feel less and less comfortable.

  When we stopped for the night I posted extra guards. Telling my men to lay low with no fires, remain at this camp and stay hidden until I returned, I left the camp almost immediately.

  I had to find the village and see what awaited us. Though the forest was lovely, open and vibrant, the further south we went the more weighed down it seemed to be. I had never felt so oppressed, and I had to find out what was going on.

  I went quickly and silently due south. Though I normally did not carry any weapons beside my knife, tonight I carried both a bow and a short, heavy spear, the kind we used when hunting boars. Though I ran easily through the night, I still went faster than any normal man could sprint. In the dim light I was able to clearly see where I was going and take note of my surroundings. I was so focused that everything seemed to move more slowly than usual around me.

  The further south I travelled the more signs of man I saw. I noted two areas where kills had been made and the animals gutted, as well as a large potato patch where gatherers had recently been digging.

  By the middle of the night I could tell from the signs that I was getting very close to the village. I slowed my pace and began to tread more cautiously; I needed to see any guards before they saw me. I picked my way through the trees and saw a slight glow in the sky, indicating the presence of a fire just a little to the south and east. I moved towards it carefully, making not a whisper in the night.

  The village was located in the center of an open meadow, and I could faintly hear running water on the far sid
e. There was a half moon tonight, and in the faint moonlight it appeared to be a normal village, made up of a number of small huts that were set back from the forest’s edge for safety. They had a fire burning very low in the center of the village, and I could see one figure seated near it.

  I wondered if my dark feelings of apprehension were called for; there was nothing here out of the ordinary. I sat, watched, and waited, knowing that only time would rid me of my unease.

  The night slowly passed without issue. After quite some time I saw a figure move out of the shadows of a hut and start around the outskirts of the village. I had felt someone watching, but even my eyes had not been able to pick him up in the shadows. He walked slowly, pausing frequently, and he finally disappeared around the corner of another hut. I faintly heard the low murmur of two voices in conversation, and a few moments later he returned, sauntering slowly back to his original position. I now knew they had at least three guards posted.

  Just about this time the wind changed. It had been blowing lightly from the east, which had allowed me to approach the village from the north. It now shifted just enough to the south that the scent of the village came clearly to me.

  I was immediately overcome with revulsion! Shocked, I could not believe the vile stench that reached my nose. I still remembered how both the people and villages of the other three tribes had stunk when I first encountered them, but this stench reeked far, far beyond the smell of those tribes.

  This smell was beyond foul and caused me to gag involuntarily. I could definitely smell raw human waste, but that was the least of the stench. The air was saturated with the overwhelming reek of rotten meat and other noxious odors that I could not yet identify.

  I knew I had not smelled the village on my previous trip, because I could never have forgotten this odor. It smelled like death.

  My unease had been replaced by a palpable feeling of dread. I rose and moved slowly around the village to the east, circling through the trees. I had to get away from the smell, and I thought I could get a better view of the village from that side. I took my time and moved silently, just in case they had a guard stationed in the forest, but I encountered no one. I finally reached a position where I could clearly see the village’s fire pit and the man seated before it. Just as I got comfortable in my position behind a large tree, another guard walked to the fire and threw a couple more logs on it. The logs flamed up, and in just a short time the center of the village began to glow brightly.

  When I positioned myself to watch the village from my new spot, I had noticed there was something fairly small directly in front of me about halfway to the village. In the dim light I could not make out what it was, but I knew it wasn’t a guard. As the fire burned higher the village came into clearer view, and I now realized with horror what stood before me. Stuck on a pole between the forest and the village was a human head!