“Do you want me to look after that wound on your arm, Ghee?” he asked.
“No, it’s just a little thing,” Ghee replied.
“It’s gaping open,” Akrumtry interjected.
“So, we take my route,” Ghee said without gloating, ignoring the comment about the gaping wound.
“We do,” Akrumtry said, “but it is not the wise choice.”
“It’s days shorter,” Ghee said.
Akrumtry did not reply.
They gathered up the skins that remained on the ground and began to trek to the spot on the horizon that Ghee had selected.
The day was cloudy and there were intermittent rain squalls.
In some places it was difficult to follow the trail. The land was open and the rains had washed out some of the lower levels.
“I hate this route,” Akrumtry said, annoyed. “It leaves us so open. Any observer from the forests in the distance could spot us with ease.”
“We’ve never met anyone on this trail,” Ghee said.
“We’re about to,” Maber said.
“I told you,” Akrumtry said, looking at the man running towards them from the northwest.
“Well, there’s no place to hide out here,” Ghee said.
The three men stood there—waiting.
After some time the runner approached, carrying a single spear. He arrived and spent a very brief time regulating his breathing. Then, he said, “Our village is sick. You must turn away.”
“We plan to cross the mountains at the bald one,” Akrumtry said, pointing to a tall mountain straight ahead with a treeless feature on the top. “There’s a pass there where we can go through without climbing to a high level.
“I know the one. Then, I will lead you until you are across. There is much sickness here.”
“Very well,” Ghee said with a sense of relief.
The man began a slow jog and the others followed. This pace was much faster than they had used at any time on the trek. It took Maber a little time before he could regulate his breathing to something other than gulps of air. Maber’s mouth was extremely dry from hard breathing.
The route definitely took a different turn from what Ghee had in mind when he began. They went through brushy areas and into rocky soil were they noticed numbers of snakes. The leader kept his pace throughout the jog. He seemed tireless. Akrumtry began to wonder whether the man was leading them into an ambush, but he pushed the idea from his mind. There was nothing they could do about that now.
In an area where there were some trees by a small stream, they rested briefly under a tree that provided welcome shade.
“I am Lag of the Ipeicuptet,” the jogger told them. “My people have great sores on their skin and they die. I was leaving my people to find a healthier place. I don’t want to be sick like they are.”
“How do you know that you aren’t already sick?” Ghee asked.
“I don’t think I could have done all this running if I were sick.”
“Probably not,” Akrumtry said.
The men gathered their things and resumed the jog. They had reached the bottom of the bald mountain. Lag started up still at a jog. There were trees at the lower levels.
Akrumtry said, “Lag, please slow to a walk. I’ve been injured and this jogging is making my wound bleed.”
Immediately, Lag slowed to a walk. Maber wished that Akrumtry had said something earlier. The walk uphill was much easier. Ghee also was relieved.
They were about a third of the way up the mountain when they decided to stop for the evening. They were in forest and Akrumtry and Ghee felt more at home. Ghee, Maber, and Lag set up lean-tos encircling the hearth fire. Akrumtry built a fire. Lag went off into the forest and returned with a small horse.
“Are there others in this area?” Ghee asked Lag.
“No. Not until we cross the mountain. Why are you crossing the mountains?”
“We go to the gathering. It is at the gathering where we can find wives and avoid close relatives. I’d have thought you’d know about the gathering, since you live out here.”
“I never heard about it. Is it far across the mountain?”
“At least a moon,” Akrumtry said.
“We don’t normally travel that far to the west—to the east, yes, but to the west, no.”
The men ate and then banked the hearth fire and crawled into their leantos for the night. Far away wolves howled to each other. The sound was a bit sad, but for some reason Maber smiled, contented, as if the sound belonged uniquely to this place. He went black.
In the morning they didn’t eat but rather reached the summit and began to follow Lag down the mountain.
“We’re going down, Lag,” Akrumtry shouted.
“Well, of course,” he replied. “You said you wanted to cross at the pass. We slept at the pass last night.”
“Oh,” Akrumtry replied, dumfounded. This was not the route he remembered, though they were heading west and clearly had crossed the mountain.
One half moon passed. At the head of the line traveling west, Lag spotted a camel. He signed for the others to wait in quiet. He crept up on the camel and in two spear throws, Lag had managed to kill the animal. They would eat well.
They stopped to bleed the camel and tend to the butchering process. Ghee made a fire and they ate camel cooked on sticks.
Ghee thought camel had never tasted so good. He asked Lag, “Do you know the land of the Maikumata people?”
“I do. It lies to the northwest. We can reach their territory in four suns.”
Akrumtry was heartened at the distance they covered by jogging. It was so much faster, and he felt that once he became accustomed to it, it was no more tiring than walking. He realized that whole populations could not do it. Children and the old or injured would not be able to keep the pace, but for the young, it was wonderful.
“While we are stopped here, let me look at that wound, Akrumtry,” Maber said.
Akrumtry opened the belted skin and Maber examined the wound carefully. “It’s doing better than I expected,” he said with a tinge of wonder.
“It must be the run,” Akrumtry said with a chuckle.
“Maybe so,” Maber said and began to think of all that Akrumtry had opened as possibilities by the casual comment. “Let me take a look at the wound on your arm, Ghee,” Maber added as a precaution.
Unlike the wound on Akrumtry’s side, the wound on Ghee’s arm was ugly looking. Pus drooled from it.
“You should have let me take care of this when it happened,” Maber muttered.
“What do you mean?” Ghee asked. He couldn’t see it well, since it was on the back of his arm.
“It’s gone bad,” Akrumtry told him.
“Then, can you go ahead and clean it and burn it while we’re here,” Ghee asked feeling his stomach turn as he said it. He did know what could happen if the wound were not treated quickly, once it had gone bad.
Akrumtry and Lag had set up the cooking sticks over the fire. The meat had just begun to put its savor in the air. Maber put a stick of just the right size at the edge of the fire after having used his small knife to clean the wound. Maber would never understand why anyone would put off tending to something like that. He took the firebrand he’d prepared and touched Ghee’s wound with it, holding it there for a brief time. Ghee had the knowledge not to move while the burning took place, but he had to cover his mouth to reduce the volume of his scream.
“I think that should make it heal now, Ghee,” Maber told him.
“Thank you.” Ghee wanted to jump around and scream and shout at the pain, but he knew that was childish and he had to leave childish things behind in his life. He just bore the pain as quietly as he could.
Akrumtry and Lag passed around the cooking sticks with meat sizzling on them. They ate the meat after a short cooling period. The juice ran down their faces. Maber was the only one with a real beard. His beard caught a lot of the meat juice. They each thoroughly enjoyed the meat. Maber washed off
his face and beard after eating.
The men quickly continued the trek. They were not really following a trail, but they were heading northwest. Akrumtry had a sense that Lag could be something he wasn’t, but he knew no way to prove it one way or another except to follow. He remained irritated that Ghee had won the contest, for he knew the other route well.
They reached an easily fordable part of a small river. Before they crossed, Lag said, “Across this little river is the territory of the Maikumata. I hope you know them well, for they do not like others to enter their lands.”
“We are their people who migrated east. We speak the same language. They will know us.”
“Will they accept me?” Lag asked.
“Yes. You are with us,” Ghee assured him. “The same is true for Maber.”
The men continued. After they had gone a way, Akrumtry said, “I know where we are now. Follow me.” Leading now, he felt badly about his evil thoughts regarding Lag. He had been taught to be cautious, though. He dismissed all those thoughts and began to grow excitement at seeing his western relatives.
After a couple of days, they had their first encounter with the Maikumata. Instead of rushing forward or trying to find a strategic place to hide, Akrumtry told them all to set up a place to sit and to remain silent and let the Maikumata speak first. He knew his western family members were aware that they had been seen, since they made themselves very obvious. They had a protocol and Akrumtry was following it. The Maikumata approached directly. Akrumtry noticed they were led by Tu. He and Tu were friends.
“Oh, I can’t believe it. Akrumtry, my friend!” Tu said as they approached. To the other western Maikumata he said, “These are our people. Relax.” To Akrumtry he said, “Is that Ghee?” Akrumtry nodded affirmatively. “And who are these?”
Akrumtry introduced the others and very briefly told the story of each. He explained they were there for the gathering to find wives. That brought off a great amount of laughter from the western Maikumata.
“Why do you laugh?” Akrumtry asked.
“Why else would four men as bedraggled as you are be wandering this expanse of nothingness?” he asked. “Rise up and come with us. You’ll be home before the dark comes this day.”
The men were filled with hope and joy to know that their long trek was about to end. They followed the men who did not jog but rather walked in a brisk manner.
Before the men reached the village, they could smell it. The population had swollen easily to four times its normal size. The smells were varied, some good; some not so good.
Two of the Maikumata ran ahead to announce the approach of the Tua from the eastern sea. The reception of the news was enthusiastic. People ran from the village to see the arrival of their relatives.
Akrumtry noticed that many of the people did not look like Maikumata at all. He was curious. But the welcome was chaotic and soon all four of the men were separated from each other as the western people began to ask question after question. Until a large voice rang out, “Stop the noise,” Chief Trajamuranta shouted above the din. “What have we become? Remember your manners. We will all hear the new arrivals at the fire tonight. Until then, leave them alone so they may rest from their travel. Merang? Where’s Merang? Oh, there you are. Take them to the shelter where they can be together.”
The four men separated themselves from the people who circled them and followed Merang, glad for the opportunity to be free of the surround of people.
“There are four spaces right here along this wall,” Merang told them. “Put your possessions beside your sleeping places. There is a guard in this structure. Keturnatey,” he called out. The guard stepped away from the side of the opening and showed himself. “Guard the things of these people well,” he ordered. Keturnatey nodded, acknowledging the order.
The men set up their sleeping places and propped their spears against the wall. Keturnatey came over and quietly suggested they lay their spears beside the sleeping places wrapped in a turn or two of one of their sleeping skins, not prop them against the wall for all to see. They did. When they had nearly finished, Murantanmo came into the structure and told the men to follow him.
He led them to a place where many were seated near the fire that had just been lit. They were to sit near the chief. No one needed to explain that this was an honor, but then these people were their people.
Hunters had brought their early morning kills and the meat had been cooking for a long time. The women and girls had been scouring the area for greens and nuts and berries and had added greatly to their choice of foods. The foods had been arranged atop a long log. There were wooden planks set upright on the ground where people could lay their food choices.
Aimettual, a young woman of fourteen years, had noticed Maber. She was fascinated with his thick beard. He was quite stocky, which her people were not. He had brown hair, not black, and his hair had a bit of a curl to it. She thought him utterly appealing, finding it hard to wait until the fire that night to hear his story. Her friend, Garalumuta, thought Akrumtry was appealing. They watched the men from a distance, giggling about what they thought they’d learn about them.
“You have found no other men attractive, Aimettual?” Garalumuta asked her.
“No. I don’t care for any I’ve met so far. One pursues me, and he fails to listen to what I tell him. The chief will speak to that tonight.”
“You talked to Trajamuranta about that?”
“Yes. It’s a problem for me and a few other women I’ve talked to.”
“We have rules,” Garalumuta said.
“Some people from strange places don’t know our rules. We have one more moon for this gathering. I’m not willing to put up with that man for one more day.”
“I understand.”
“And you, you find the man with the wound on his side appealing?” Aimettual asked.
“You think that’s what that is?” Garalumuta asked.
“What else could it be? If you look to the bottom of the belted area, you can see what may be a bit of drainage. It’s hardly noticeable, but the man must have been injured.”
“To travel from the eastern sea to here and not be injured would be an amazing accomplishment.”
“I agree. But you have the skills to see to his wound, if that is one.” Aimettual laughed quietly.
“Yes, I do find the man interesting. I’d like to know how he acquired his injury and why it is he seems so confident. I’d like to hear his voice. There are many things I wish to discover about that man.”
The girls were fortunate, for their parents and consequently they were seated near the chief on the opposite side from the four new arrivals. They were face to face though unintended. There was a seating array that depended on the chief’s designation. That designation was not to be breached.
The people ate and after all was cleaned away, the chief rose. All became silent as he stood.
“We have had quite a large number of guests at the gathering this year. We have to thank Wisdom for guiding all the people here.” He paused a moment staring at the sky. “We have this gathering to join men and women from distant places to keep the people strong. We do have some rules here, and we expect the rules to be obeyed. Any disobedience to the rules will cause immediate banishment from this land. Any one banished who refuses to leave will die.” He paused. “Are there any questions?”
There was silence.
“The first rule is that women can say NO to any advance by a man. If a woman says NO and the man continues to advance, he will be banished. No woman is forced to accept a man. That is a rule we will not change. There have been some attempts to pursue women here who have said NO. I know who these people are. Any further effort in those pursuits will result in immediate banishment. You know who you are. Do not try my patience, for I have none on this issue.”
“The second rule is that any two who wish to join must come to me. Not someone else—me. I will either give permission or not, based on what I know. Once I agree,
consider the two joined for the rest of their lives. No further pursuit is permitted.”
“The third rule is that where they live is to be decided by the two who join. No one else. If they are having difference of opinion and cannot resolve it, they are obliged to come to me and I will solve it.”
“The fourth rule, and it should be the first, is respect Wisdom, respect me, and respect all others. I do not wish to entertain violations of this rule. I deal very harshly with any infringement of this rule. Any questions.”
There was dead quiet.
“In this place we do not offend Wisdom. Wisdom is the old name for the spirit many now call Creator. We still use the term Wisdom. Joining is a sacred event. It is two who come together to make a life for themselves and their children as long as they live. It is not something to enter into lightly. Some of you will enter into it lightly. Some of you will mistake lust for love. Some of you will place high value on appearance rather than the person. Do that at your peril. I urge you to think as well as to feel. Go with Wisdom.” The chief sat down.
Slowly those seated began to rise. Aimettual wasted no time. She walked boldly to Maber and told him she wanted to come to know him. She also said that her friend was shy but wanted to know Akrumtry. Maber was astonished but touched Akrumtry and told him what he’d heard. The three walked to where Garalumuta stood. The pairs met and then the pairs went their separate ways to wander under the starry sky.
“Why me?” Maber asked, amazed that anyone so lovely would want to know him.
“Because you are different, but you don’t appear arrogant. I want to sit with you and have you tell me your story. Come with me and I’ll show you my special place for talking.”
The SealEaters, 20,000 BC Page 25
