Storiesonline.net
-------

                                Snatched
                                by cmsix

Copyright© 2007 by cmsix


-------
Description: Camping in Alaska for a little fishing and hunting. My vacation started out wonderfully, then went to SHIT! But suddenly things were looking up again.

Codes: MF ScFi TimeTr
-------



-------

Chapter 1


The feeling had been with me all day and I didn't know what was causing it. Somehow I just felt like someone or something was watching me, but I knew that wasn't possible. No one could be watching without me knowing.

Since my arrival on Margata I'd been lucky, no doubts about that, but I didn't need to rely on luck anymore. I'd become a first class woodsman in my time here, even though I'd had to use the learn by doing approach. Believe me, it was the only approach available.

No, I wasn't here of my own volition. I didn't know why I was here, I didn't know how I got here, and I didn't really know where I was, exactly. Well, I knew where I was in relation to where I'd been last night, and last week, and I even remembered everywhere I'd been since I'd arrived, about eighteen months ago. The trouble was I didn't know what planet I was on, or at least I didn't know where it was in relation to earth, the planet I'd been born on. I did know its speaking inhabitants called it Margata.

This heavenly body was a lot like earth, and I was thankful for that at least. It had forests, streams, lakes, mountains, rivers, oceans, prairies, and deserts. I'd seen all those with my own eyes. There were edible plants and animals, a sun to give me daylight and two moons to put light on the subject when the sun was down. In fact the moons were the first things to let me know for sure that I wasn't still on earth.

On the second night of a planned two week stay for mostly fishing but some hunting, in Alaska, I had been removed from Earth, whether I wanted to be or not. All I knew for sure was that someone with a lot more on the ball than any earthman had wanted me here. I hadn't had a hint so far of what they wanted me here for.

In my original condition, preflight - or pre-whatever-happened - I wouldn't have lasted two weeks, well with a lot of clawing and scratching I might have made four. Plans and preparations had been made though.

That last night on earth I'd slipped into my two-man tent and into my artic sleeping bag on my twin bed sized airbed and gone almost instantly to sleep. I'd been planning to get up early for my first fishing session.

Of course I had plenty of food and supplies to last for two weeks, the amount of time I planned to spend in the first place. I had my synthetic stocked sporterized M1, my Glock, and more ammunition than I could possibly need in two weeks. I also had my fishing tackle and plenty of lures. For a recreational camping trip I was well prepared.

When it came down to moving to a different planet entirely, I was not well prepared. Two weeks worth of food will not suffice to allow time for acclimation to and learning about a different home planet.

After my first day of some disbelief and mostly panic, and a night I had a hell of a time sleeping during, I got some relief the next morning. There was new information in my head. I know that sounds stupid but that's the best way to put it. I just knew things I hadn't known when I went to bed and tried to go to sleep the night before.

For instance, that's how I knew I was on Margata, the forth planet out from its sun. That's also how I knew qaka, a roe deer size and type animal, was good to eat. That's how I knew zwangi were the easiest fish to catch and probably one of the best to eat, and also how I knew they'd usually hit a Tiny Torpedo,  a top-water lure commonly used in bass fishing.

My new knowledge later let me know that mendop, the apple-looking fruit I was thinking of trying would make me sick for days and that the kwaldap was a sort of citrus clone that was very good for me and tasty too.

I didn't even know what all I now knew, because things only popped up when they seemed needed. Like the mendop info made itself available seconds before I pulled one off its bush to take a test bite.

Mendops could be eaten, by the way, but they had to be thrice boiled first, draining away the water each time, a little like poke salad. I also knew that they were even more edible if fried in bacon grease. Of course I wasn't clued in on exactly where to get bacon grease, or bacon either.

This store of knowledge, combined with several timely warning jolts, had saved my ass many times since my second morning here. I'm still firmly convinced that during my first days here I must have been in some type of protective custody situation. Else one or more of the Kwagi would have stumbled on me, and that would have surely been unhealthy for me in the state I was in at that time.

Kwagi were what they called themselves and they were decidedly odd to my way of thinking. They looked like, or very like, a normal human from earth and they seemed to operate on a near identical basis, albeit on a several thousand years in earth's past basis.

They were slightly larger than humans, with most of the men coming in at six foot five or a little better and most of the women ranging from five-eight to six feet.

At six-two and two hundred and forty five pounds, I was a fairly large man on earth. I'm a shrimp here, since I haven't seen an adult male Kwagi that looked an ounce under two-eighty.

To me they seemed smarter and farther along than what I'd thought Cro-Magnon might have been. They seemed to live together in small groups of thirty or so and they either built crude structures or lived in caves if they were available. Of course there was a ritual song and dance when a male wanted to join an established group.

Said ritual was why I hadn't attempted to join any of the groups I had managed to keep from encountering. You see, to join you had to fight your way in.

It normally wasn't a fight to the death or even to serious injury. Winning was not required for entrance, and after the fight, if you were banged up alarmingly, you would be tended to as if you'd been a member all along, even if you weren't going to be allowed to join the group you'd still be nursed back to good health.

These amenities didn't keep me from noting that the fight was usually between the newcomer and the largest member of the established group, or Calak, as they called their small tribes. You fought the largest man, or rarely a slightly smaller man who was probably a much better fighter. You fought the Zakat - the Calak's leader.

All this knowledge had been gathered by me or revealed to me from my new facts. Other provisions had also been made to help me get along on my own here. Most of them, the tangible things, had been in the cache of supplies and equipment that had joined my other supplies the night of my trip, but some had appeared at times when whoever or whatever put me here decided I needed them.

That first day of don't know whether to shit or go blind was pretty much a nonproductive time for me. I didn't even notice that all my camping supplies and equipment had come with me and had in fact been supplemented, and I didn't bother to do anything but fret and worry, not even eating one bite.

By the next morning I was very hungry and even that subsided when I started looking in my things for food, because my things had changed. I'd had them all in traditional camping type storage. You know what I mean, an enormous backpack and a couple of large duffle bags. The M1 was in a hard case and so were both my rods and reels. My remaining fishing gear was in a large tacklebox.

When I discovered that my things had made the trip and started digging in them for food I found them all now stored in what had to be custom made aluminum cases and a large trunk of the same manufacture. It was the size of a big steamer trunk and it was designed to stand on end and open like a steamer trunk did. It even had a set of drawers on one side and a type of closet metaphor on the other.

With only a little examination and fumbling around, I found that all the cases would interlock and ride in a well-balanced state on the two wheeled loading type dolly that had been provided. The dolly was designed for rough terrain in that it had pneumatic tires approximately eighteen inches in diameter and they looked like nothing so much as extra heavy duty bicycle wheels.

A cursory inventory showed me that I had about twice as many sets of clothes as before, nearly three times as much food and oddly I had a thousand extra rounds of ammunition for my M1 and fifteen hundred more rounds for my Glock. I was happy when I saw this since it came up from my new facts that the M1 would be perfect for hunting both the qaka, one of which I'd seen at a distance, and the thaka, a large herbivore seemingly of the bovine persuasion that did not taste just like chicken.

I'd spent three more days in my first location before I got an urge, that I'm not sure was mine alone, to move on. After packing all my equipment and placing it on the dolly as I'd been subtly informed it should be, I left, heading in the direction my new senses told me was north by northwest.

Somehow, the dolly seemed to be perfectly balanced and to travel in near silence. I was sure I was making more noise than it did, and I'll brag and say that even then I was a pretty good woodsman.

Later I found that I must be every bit as good in the woods as I thought, because I walked up to within a hundred and fifty yards of one of the thakas as it grazed in a large clearing. Knowing that this was a chance for some fresh meat that I would surely need soon, I stood the dolly up, unslung my M1, and took a rest against the space age steamer trunk. Just before I fired I got my first jolt.

You wouldn't really call it a jolt, I guess. It wasn't painful, but it was a noticeable quick tensing and releasing of all the muscles along my backbone, something you wouldn't normally do very often, if ever. It did get the message across that I probably shouldn't fire. I didn't, but wondered why it had been ill advised. I took hold of my dolly again and moved off, resigning myself to more of my precious packaged food again tonight.

As often happens, things made more sense in the morning. After making a pot of coffee and frying some previously freeze dried sausage, I happened to notice a new aluminum case lying on the other side of my dolly/trunk combination. Someone had left me a gift in the night.

Examining it, I got an inkling of the reason for what had happened to me yesterday just before I was about to fire. The six-foot long by eighteen-inch square case held a compound bow, two dozen arrows, plus other supplies and equipment for bow hunting. Probably the report from the shot I'd been planning to make would have been troublesome.

The arrows had screw-on points and screw-on fletching units, and the shafts were made of some material that I couldn't identify. There was also a separate case with a hundred extra arrow shafts, dozens of extra arrow points and fletching units. No doubt they were disassembled for more compact storage, since my cart was now going to be a little bulky.

The shafts weren't metal, or didn't seem to be, but they weren't carbon fiber either. I don't guess it mattered as long as they worked as expected. A few seconds later I laughed when I noticed a three-foot diameter foam type arrow backstop, complete with a target and a folding stand to hold it in place for practice.

I was fairly competent with a bow, even though I hadn't had one with me for the hunting and fishing vacation I'd thought I was taking in the first place. Even being an accomplished archer didn't mean I could pick up a new bow, one unlike any I'd used before and with arrows I'd never tried before, and be accurate without at least a little practice.

After eating a little more and finishing off the coffee I'd made, I set the target up and put practice points on the arrows to give the new bow a try. It was amazing.

Any archer can tell when he's using a quality bow; this one was better than any I'd ever had. Its action was smooth and powerful and the bow seemed custom made for me by someone who knew what they were doing. It probably was.

With a couple of hours practice I was good enough to take game. I know I could have easily taken the thaka I'd been about to shoot yesterday. Later in the day I got a qaka from a little farther out, but it was pretty much a non-event.

Gutting and skinning the qaka was less trouble than a whitetail deer would have been and in an hour and a half I had it cut up and was cooking a haunch. I had it spitted over a small fire and when I wondered if there were parasites here that might cause me trouble in undercooked meat, my new knowledge let me know that there were none that could infest me.

Ah yes, my first qaka kill, I remember it well even though it had been eighteen earth months ago to the best of my reckoning. That was then as they say and this was now.

I no longer worried about finding food since it was plentiful - walking, swimming, or growing. The game here was slow to learn that I could kill them from such distances and the fish were downright whores for almost any artificial lure.

Qaka and Thaka did have a good understanding of the dangers of getting into spear casting range of Kwagi hunters and they were constantly watchful. I assumed they considered me more of the same. My arrows were almost always their last surprise. I hadn't had even one get away from me yet.

The Kwagi didn't do that well, though they did well enough. They were usually armed with what seemed to be fairly high quality spears tipped with the expected flint point. The ones I'd observed, usually from high up in a tree, were good hunters. Still it was a lot more difficult to get within fifty yards that seemed to be their normal comfortable range.

The Kwagi also needed more kills than I did since there were many more mouths to feed. I know that a group of thirty or so isn't that large, but it does require a lot more meat than a group of one.

I felt fairly safe watching from a tall tree if I could arrange it, because I never saw the Kwagi climbing any. It seemed to me that they would want to sometimes, to get a better look around if nothing else, but I never caught them at it, and I had observed them often.

I was planning to petition a Calak for entry as soon as I decided on the one I thought would be the most promising. A petition with my fists, as it were. I hadn't made up my mind yet though, and I'll admit I was still trying to figure out the details of their mating customs and find the available female that seemed the most attractive.

Up to now I hadn't been able to tumble to the details. Things would be rocking along swimmingly with nothing that seemed out of the ordinary to me, and then a couple would be paired off and the marriage ceremony underway without anything going on beforehand. Nothing I could discover anyway.

There was no obvious courting ritual evident and by the light of two silvery moons I never caught any of the unattached slipping around at night. It seemed that by mutual community consent a couple would just pair up one morning and the festivities would begin shortly. These shindigs always lasted three days and they usually covered the same ground.

The bride and groom would pair off one morning and stay together all day, talking and flirting and the like. Any duties they might normally have were on hold while almost all the rest of the Calak made preparations for the feasting the next day that would last into the night.

Bright and early the next morning there would be a short ceremony by the Matatu, their medicine man equivalent I think, and then the couple would still stay together but the eating would begin for everybody. About midway through the afternoon the drinking would begin.

I don't know what they drank but I do know that it got them very drunk and I also know that the Matatu was the one responsible for making it. Of course it had to be made ahead of time, and I'd observed that Matatus usually spent three or four days out of each week working on the process.

It seemed there was always a large skin container over a fire and it was used only for this process, also, there was always someone tending the fire, day and night. They didn't stay with it the whole time but the older children would share the duty of sending someone to visit it often.

When a Matatu decided that a batch was ready, they'd smother the fire with soil, let things cool off, and then dip the brew, gajee, out with a wooden bowl that was only used for this process. They poured it into bags that I knew were made from thaka stomachs, because I'd watched Matatus making them.

At any rate, the drinking lasted until few could stand on their own, usually fairly late into the night. There were always a few who were not allowed to get roaring drunk and were cut off from the gajee supply about an hour before sunset.



-------

Chapter 2


The third day was always reserved for hangovers, and almost everyone had a big old good un because almost everyone had been shitfaced the day and night before. Adding to the injury was that it seemed cleaning up any vomit that had been sprayed around the day before was done while heads were still pounding, and with those that had been forced to stand watch doing a lot of laughing at the ones that suffered and cleaned up.

I watched several of these from start to finish but I never could discover what set it off. It was almost like the two woke up one morning and just knew somehow that it was time to get hitched so they could do the nasty. As I said, I never got a hint that any nasty was done before a ceremony. This in itself was strange to me.

Back to my present state, I still felt like someone was watching me and I still knew that they couldn't be. At least nothing I had discovered here so far could be watching, since I'd already proved to myself that I knew a lot more about hiding from them than they'd ever be able to learn about sneaking up on me.

One thing that helped me immensely was their scent. The smell wasn't unpleasant at all, neither the men nor the women, but it was blatantly obvious to me. I could even tell whether I was getting close to a man, woman, boy, or girl from the smell and I could tell from at least three hundred yards. It was something that had seemed very strange at first. In fact, it wasn't just them; I seemed to have the nose of a bloodhound since coming to Margata.

Finally, after about two hours of feeling strange I did catch the scent of someone and in a few minutes I could tell that several Kwagi were approaching. I had only my bow and my Glock with me and I decided to climb a tree and watch to see what was coming.

Lying on a fairly large limb about twenty-five feet up let me see them first. It was a complete Calak on the move, and a larger one than I'd ever seen before at that. This particular area was new for me and I'd only been snooping around here a few days, but still, this was a big bunch. As they came closer I got a count; there were fifty-two adults, probably fifteen adolescents and twelve smaller children, and that didn't count the babes that were being carried.

It was obvious at once that they were moving, since major moves were the only times the men did wholesale beast of burden duties. All the men in this Calak, except the Zakat and the Matatu, were pulling travois. It seemed a little strange to me that they'd never thought of trying to capture and train a thaka to do the grunt work.

Thaka weren't as large as cattle or oxen from earth, but some of them reached the height of a donkey or a little larger, and all of them seemed to be built more robustly than any donkey I'd ever seen. I figured they would be perfect for such work. At least they'd have been better than having to drag the damned thing by hand. Oh well.

Staying still, I watched until a few more than half of them passed under or near the tree I was in. Just then the feeling hit me again, but hard this time. It was almost like one of the warning jolts I sometimes felt. I was nearly beside myself with worry when I discovered the cause. Right away the answer to the mating mystery revealed itself.

She was a redhead, which was fairly unusual anyway. Most of the females were blonde, and by a wide margin. I'd estimate that sixty percent were blonde, twenty-five percent were brunette, about ten percent had black hair and only about five percent were redheads. This one had the darkest wine red hair I'd seen on this planet, maybe on earth either.

To top it off she had dark green eyes and was beautiful, perfect. Since she was looking directly back into my eyes and smiling slightly I knew that I had finally sorted out the mechanism by which they found their mates. There was no doubt in my mind. I also knew somehow that tomorrow would be the day. I jumped off my limb.

It was shocking to the ones that saw me come down. Three of the men who witnessed my descent were so surprised that they dropped their travois. The women around them that didn't happen to see my stunt squawked and complained a little but those that had seen me stood stupefied. Soon word was moving out from about the center of the group toward each end.

Five minutes later the Zakat and Matatu walked up. The Zakat spoke right out with the normal greeting to an outsider who came alone to a Calak.

From the first I'd realized that my ability to understand the Zwangi's language had been helped along by whoever had put me here. Since then I'd listened clandestinely to plenty of them and practiced to myself often enough to feel confident I could communicate, but my learning curve had been too steep to be completely my doing. I was happy about it now though.

"Who are you stranger and why come you among us?" the Zakat asked me.

"I am Carl and I come to join you."

"Are you ready to fight then," he asked.

"I am ready."

He handed his large and fairly ornately decorated spear, a sort of ceremonial one that denoted his rank, to the Matatu as travois were being dropped and people were spreading out into a large circle to give us room for this little ditty.

As I mentioned, I'm six two and weigh nearly two fifty. This Zakat, who wouldn't even tell me his name until this was all over, looked to be every inch of six foot ten and I'm sure he wasn't even a biscuit shy of three hundred pounds. Just my luck my soon to be was traveling with the biggest mother-fucker I'd seen since I got here.

It didn't matter though, because I knew if I put up even a half assed fight he wouldn't kill me and I'd probably be allowed into his Calak. But hopefully I could do better than that. These fights didn't involve hitting the other man, with fist or anything. They were more like a sort of stand up wrestling but knockdowns and slinging around weren't uncommon.

I'd never been a big martial arts devotee but I had come across a little training, and I knew that even the little I'd had was more than he'd been exposed to. He came charging at me at once and it was duck soup to step aside and give him a shove that sped him up until he fell. There was an immediate gasp from the crowd.

He was a game big bastard though. His next trick involved running at me headlong with his arms spread so I couldn't slip out of the way this time. It was another mistake but he couldn't know it.

Since peewee football I'd been a linebacker and with my size a scholarship had me playing college ball against offensive linemen that were nearly as tall as he was and heavier by a long shot. I ran at him just as hard as he was coming at me and put my right shoulder to the center of his chest. It knocked him back on his ass and I landed on him when he hit the ground; rolling off and popping back up before the air quit whooshing out of his lungs.

Since he had no way to know I wouldn't want to be Zakat, even if I did win, he kept at it. This type of fight wasn't only for entrance to a Calak. It was also the way the leader made himself the leader. It was perfectly Kosher for me to win and then decline the office of Zakat, but he couldn't know I would, and most men that were Zakat probably wanted to remain Zakat. I was sure he did.

I had to knock his ass over eleven times in all before he realized that he could not beat me, now or probably ever. He finally gave up the ghost when he knew he was worn out.

"You have bested me, Carl. You are now Zakat," he said, giving the semi-ritual concession speech, such as it was.

"No, I am not Zakat. I am young and strong, but I am not wise. You are still Zakat. May I join your Calak?"

"Yes, Carl. I, Shaton, welcome you," he said, finishing the song and dance by telling me his name.

Good old Shaton wasn't the only one that was winded. That big bastard had been a load more than once during the dustup, and I'd been getting a little out of breath myself right at the last.

When I happened to get a glimpse of the redhead sneaking a peek at me it made everything seem worthwhile. It also showed me I'd probably just ignored the mating signs of the couples I'd watched so often, then again I'd probably never have noticed anything that subtle.

Shaton called a lunch break for now, and he couldn't have been any happier about it than I was. I could do with a bite or two to eat, and this would be the first meal since I arrived that I didn't have to fix myself. It was surprisingly good.

I knew at once that it was qaka inside the almost corn tortilla type thing a woman handed me about an hour later. All the older boys and younger, unmated men of a Calak pretty much ate together and they were usually served by a few of the mated women who seemed to rotate the duty.

I could tell right away that the women knew something about cooking qaka that I hadn't learned yet. In fact they knew a whole lot about cooking it that I didn't know. I'd never even paid much attention to the tortilla type thing it was wrapped in though I'd seen them. Hell, they were good on their own.

Finishing my lunch as quickly as possible, I left to go fetch my cart. It was hidden where the trees were a little thicker, about a quarter mile away. There was no sense telling anyone about it so I didn't bother to mention my departure, I didn't know anyone anyway, but I did give the redhead a quick look just before I trotted off.

On earth I could have never trotted a quarter of a mile, not after I'd been out of college and away from football for about a year. Here on Margata I'd worked myself back into excellent physical shape, hell, I had to. It wasn't like I could call a cab when I needed to go somewhere. Here it was ankle express or stay where you are. Fifteen minutes later I was back with my cart and the shifty stares got started.

Of course no one asked me a damned thing, even though every one of them made sure to take several looks. I couldn't blame them. I was pulling two perfect examples of the wheel along behind me and even a caveman could see that it beat hell out of a travois. For my next trick I was probably going to need to discover how to make more wheels.

We traveled the rest of the day, and probably made six or seven miles, stopping for the night earlier than I would have expected. I also noticed that the camp they put together seemed to be a little more substantial than I'd have thought they needed for sleeping one night and moving on in the morning. I wasn't considering what I knew was coming tomorrow, but I guess somebody was.

No one said a thing when I put down a small tarp and spread my sleeping bag for the night. My sleeping furs didn't look a thing like theirs but no one seemed to notice. I didn't even consider putting up the tent or inflating my airbed. Surprisingly I didn't have a bit of trouble dropping right off to sleep after the evening meal.

Lying around slug-a-bed wasn't on the program the next morning. As soon as I woke, thoughts of the redhead were the only thing on my mind and I needed to find her, right now. It was the strangest damned feeling and it was a little unsettling. There was no mistaking what I was supposed to do and as soon as I found her I could tell she knew the same thing.

"I am Shaeta," she said, when we walked up to each other.

"I am Carl," I said, though I knew she'd probably heard it yesterday, before the fight.

"We will mate tomorrow," she told me.

I was a little bit lost here. There was probably some ritual speak expected out of me, but damned if I knew the words. I'd have to wing it.

"Nothing could make me happier," I said.

By the look on her face I knew it wasn't exactly what she was expecting to hear, but the way her smile grew wider and wider let me know it was plenty good enough. I'd seen enough of these meetings to know I was supposed to put an arm around her waist and hug her pretty close now and I was more than happy to. It was odd, but it just felt right to do it somehow.

Shaeta gave me a little surprise of her own then. The normal reaction, when the male put his arm around the female to hug her, was for her to lean against him and just appear content. That wasn't what Shaeta did though. She turned, pressing herself against me and wrapping her arms around to give me a full frontal hug, and she squeezed me tight. Of course I returned the favor but I did wonder what made the difference.

After a few seconds we unclenched and then stood together holding hands for a few minutes, just looking at each other. This action was more like normal and I decided that I hadn't fucked something up after all. Shortly Shaeta started telling me things about her life but she didn't ask any questions about mine and didn't even seem curious.

Here was something I could not know about. I'd never been able to get close enough to listen in on this type of conversation. It seemed though, that Shaeta didn't intend to ask about my life. I counted that as a good thing. She told me all about her friends and family, and even gave me a sort of rundown of what her day-to-day life was like. She even admitted being anxious for the wedding ceremony to be done so she could introduce me to all her friends.

"Especially Katia, she's my best friend," she said, emphasizing best fairly strongly.

"We've known each other since we were tiny and we even learned to walk and talk together. I've always had Katia around and she's always had me," she said.

I didn't know how to respond to this or even whether I should. Shaeta didn't seem to be expecting comments out of me and so I didn't volunteer anything. She went on at some length about Katia though, and soon she started leading me around and telling me who everyone was.

She didn't point to them or anything, just made me understand who was who. She also didn't introduce me to anyone and it seemed that the others all understood she wouldn't. In fact, the only ones that ever looked our way were the smallest children. Often one or the other of them would look at me or Shaeta and smile, or try to talk without being able to get the job done yet. Any of them that were old enough to be able to walk and talk on their own seemed to completely ignore us.

I still don't know if it was my internal store of new knowledge or whether the light just finally shined. Shaeta needed to give me all this information because I'd have no way of knowing anyone. I was a stranger here.

Understanding came more fully and I realized that since every boy left his mother's Calak shortly after he was old enough to hunt and fend for himself, he would need this kind of information when he found a mate. The tidbit that came next was definitely from my new knowledge.

No boys ever mated a female they grew up with. They always left their mother's Calak and they were not welcome to come back for a visit until they had a mate of their own.

In other words, after they were old enough to be sent from their mother's side, they had better be able to fend for themselves. Not only that, they had to be able to get along alone long enough to get big enough to fight the leader of a Calak.

As I said earlier, they didn't have to be able to win the fight, but they had to at least be able to make a good showing. I'd witnessed a couple where the challenger was sent on his way, presumably for not giving a suitable accounting of his fighting skills.

Man, that was a pretty tough row to hoe. Just imagine being sent away from your home and family when you were around sixteen and then not being able to get into another family until you thought you could give an offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys a good fight, one on one. Talk about survival of the fittest. No wonder these guys were all so big.

It was time for me to quit this wool gathering and start paying more attention to what Shaeta was saying. She was giving her new mate the lowdown on how the cow ate the cabbage in her Calak and no doubt I'd need to retain some of this information. We spent the rest of the day with her giving me the straight scoop on everyone in their rather large group.

As the sun was going down, Shaeta told me that it was time for her to return to her mother's home for her last night with that family. It sounded a little odd to me since no one had even put up a temporary shelter. This was just a traveling camp and everyone was sleeping in the open on the ground. I didn't comment though, I just told her I would also be happier after we were mated.

I went back to my trunk and dolly, where my tarp and sleeping bag were, rolled out the bag, and lay down, drifting off almost at once.



-------

Chapter 3


The next morning I woke to someone shaking my shoulder. When I was fully conscious and stood up, he told me his name was Caltort and that he was Shaeta's father. He encouraged me to eat soon so he could get me ready for the ceremony.

Previously I'd naturally been more interested in watching the goings on of the women; I'd never paid any attention to the male's part in things. It made sense though, for my prospective father-in-law to take me under his wing.

He led me off away from the camp until we came to a creek and then we both had a cold bath, a very damned cold bath at that. As soon as we were done he gave me a walk through for the ceremony and since the ones I'd seen before were short, it didn't take long.

Basically, I was to stand quietly and look respectful while the Zakat and Matatu did the talking. I was to respond in the affirmative to any and all questions. Shaeta would do the same, we would be mated, and the feast would begin, followed about mid afternoon by the beginning of heavy drinking.

Next, Caltort explained the birds and the bees to me, or at least Margata's analog of such. He told me what went where and gave his estimate of how long it should stay there and what it should do while it was there. He advised me to always be careful and gentle while handling my mate, unless she made it plain that I was being too careful and too gentle. His last advice was that I should always stop when she asked me to stop.

All in all I thought it was a very good way to do things. He never asked me if I had any previous knowledge and he went forward as if I had none at all. The explanation of what went where was in a more clinical vein than I would have thought them capable of and the advice to be careful, gentle, and to stop when I heard stop was very sensible advice for any newlywed male. In fact, if it was heard and heeded on earth it would probably save thousands of lives and millions of marriages every year.

With the instructions over, after we were dressed again Caltort and I headed back to the campsite. Food was already being scattered around. They had been cooking since yesterday and no doubt some of it went on through the night. It seemed like a lot of trouble to go to for a new member to me until I realized it wasn't about me. It was about Shaeta. This was her Calak, and I was getting the benefit of her status.

About an hour later Shaeta made her entrance, I joined her and we walked over to Zakat and Matatu for the show to go on. It was almost over before it started, and then the party was on, and not a minute later Shaeta took me over for my first bite of food from her hand.

Formerly I hadn't paid much attention to this part of the ceremonies I'd watched from afar, but it made sense when we did it. Everyone was waiting for Shaeta and I to start eating first. She led me to a big place where most of the food was gathered, picked up two large shallow wooden bowls, and handed them to me.

My job was to hold the bowls and hers was to lead me around while she put a little bit of everything in them. Occasionally she would offer me a tidbit with her fingers, feeding me from her hand. I had no doubt that there was some symbolic meaning to all this but the specifics escaped me.

Soon enough both bowls were full and Shaeta led me to a place that had obviously been set aside for our use. There was some type of fur on the ground, we sat on it, she took her bowl from me, and then we ate. Occasionally she would feed me something from her bowl and I got the notion I was supposed to return the favor from mine, and I did. All in all it was rather pleasant.

Paying attention, I tried not to gobble my food and get ahead of her. When our bowls were probably three quarters empty Shaeta told me that she couldn't eat another bite. Then she asked me if I could finish hers as well as mine. Almost without my help, my mouth asked her if there were others in camp that didn't have enough to eat and that might like to have it.

Wondering where that had come from and what it meant exactly, I sure as hell didn't know why I'd said it. I mean, if I'd thought there was anyone in this group anywhere that was doing without food I'd have been glad to make sure they didn't do without it any longer if I could do anything about it.

Call me generous, or call me stupid, but I'd never felt there was any advantage to anyone going hungry. Still, it didn't seem like there was much chance for that to be happening in this Calak.

Be that as it may, after I said what I said, Shaeta's face took on a ten thousand watt smile and she actually squealed out in happiness. I could see most of the men that heard it look around toward her, but strangely none of the women did. In fact they seemed to be making a pointed effort not to look, though I could tell that a lot of them had new small smiles on their faces.

Glancing toward Zakat and Matatu just then, I saw that they must know something about what had just happened, or what I'd just done. They were both looking at me, not Shaeta, and the two of them had a kind of pleased but surprised look on their faces.

After we'd finished eating, Shaeta had me up and on a tour of introductions, to women. Her best friend, Katia, was first. Katia had black hair, blue eyes, and her titties were every bit as big as Shaeta's, in fact the two of them were pretty much the same size in all directions.

Shaeta's mother, Shata, was next and then I met Caloe. Caloe was Shata's sister and I had already met her mate, Shaton, the Zakat. Caloe also just happened to be Kaita's mother. These little revelations let me know that I had married into the upper class around here. That was comforting in a way but daunting too. No doubt I would be expected to become an upstanding citizen. I hoped I could bear up under the pressure.

After about an hour of walking around and meeting only women I started wondering about it. Almost like clockwork it came to me that men were a lot more persnickety about their names and who knew them. I would only get the name of a man from him. Happening to hear someone else speak another's name might let me know it, but it just wasn't the same as being told by the name's owner.

It was reassuring in a way, because Caltort had given me his name right off the bat. Of course everyone had heard my name when I told Shaton before we fought, but it was almost as if that really didn't count. I could tell that these customs were going to take some getting used to.

It shouldn't have been a big surprise for me since it went on to some extent for anyone that got married, even on earth. It was even more of a change when you married a person from a different country or lifestyle than the one you were accustomed to. It was just a fact of life.

Here I was on a completely different planet and marrying into a different culture in more ways than anyone from earth ever could have. At least I assumed this, since I'd never heard of anyone on earth marrying a woman from a different planet. Of course it was possible that someone had but then again, I wouldn't have known about it anyway.

Shit, I was rambling to myself. The bottom line was that I needed to pay close attention to my new mated life. I was in for even more changes now and it would behoove me to try keeping on top of them.

Women's names were different from men's though, or learning them was done via a different process. My mate was taking me around and introducing me to the other women, and also introducing them to me. More light shined for me as I realized that every woman and girl too, for that matter, was going to know my name right away while many, if not most, of the men weren't going to know it and I wasn't going to know theirs.

All the men knew what I looked like already and presumably could recognize me as a member of their Calak now, if not from the introductory fight, then surely from the mating ceremony and now this feast and the upcoming community drunk. I was slowly realizing that the women ran the Calak.

Shaton was Zakat but he had come into an established Calak, just as I had. He'd had to fight for his entrance ticket. The women were the stability of a Calak, they kept it going as men came and went. A man was always Zakat but he hadn't been raised in the fold, so to speak, and his rank was always only the next fight away from demotion. The Zakat would come and go, almost like an elected official, but the ones who actually made the Calak an ongoing group were more constant.

The women made the Calak. I wondered how I'd failed to make the connection during all my time observing them and then realized that I wasn't supposed to. The Zakat was always the one who settled disputes in any Calak, he was the judge and jury; that had been easy to discover even from a distance. The Zakat also controlled who entered the Calak; he was the gate keeper.

Zakat was the titular head of a Calak but with my newfound understanding I could see that the position was supposed to make it seem he was in complete control. In a roundabout way he was, but down at the nuts and bolts level he wasn't. In actual fact he was a convenient figurehead and enforcer for the women, and they disguised their authority behind his bulk.

My entrance must have been a surprise, or at least the manner of my entrance. I'm pretty sure I would have been accepted without winning but I'm also fairly certain that the fact that I did win was a shocker for them. Just looking at the two of us, not many would have guessed I could defeat Shaton.

Like I'd said, I'm young and strong, but Shaton was no doddering fool. He wasn't so old as to be diminished in his physical attributes. I'd compared him to an offensive lineman and he would stack up well against any of them. Better than most probably, since he didn't spend such a large percentage of his time battering against and being battered by other very large men. He stayed in shape because it was a natural consequence of the way they had to live, but he hadn't been hammered into disrepair by constant battles.

The gajee appeared after my introductions to all the women were over. Matatu had the young helpers bring out over a dozen skins of it. At first I wondered if it would be enough for such a large Calak. It was more than I'd ever seen for a ceremony but this was also the largest Calak I'd ever seen.

My first sip of gajee, delivered in a wooden cup by my new mate, relieved all thoughts of shortage. It was a pleasant tasting drink, very palatable, but obviously strong. I took only a small sip but it made me shiver slightly like a shot of Everclear would. It must be over one hundred and fifty proof and I decided right away that my share of it would be small.

Returning the favor for Shaeta by holding the wooden cup to her lips let me know right away that she would not be exercising the same restraint I planned on. She practically gulped down the whole cup. I also realized at once that we would not be consummating our union tonight. As if for conformation my new knowledge let me know that it wasn't a custom here.

Actually, that was fine with me. It was a traveling camp, and even though Shaeta had pointed out the hut we'd been given in honor of this occasion, it had not been erected. I had no desire to plow my virgin bride's furrow out on a pallet with everyone else sleeping out on their own pallets. More information popped into my awareness then and let me know that these females didn't have hymens.

Now there was a blessing if I'd ever heard of one. In my opinion a hymen was probably the most worthless bit of flesh ever evolved. I could get along fine never knowing whether my mate had experience before we were wed, and I nearly rejoiced in knowing that I wouldn't have to deal with the pesky, often painful, membrane.

Damned if more information didn't come along to let me know that premating sex was never even considered by males or females here. This information thing was getting to be a caution. I found myself hoping against hope that it didn't inform me about details that I might not want to know. All its help had been fine so far, but there were certain things that I thought were just as well left unexplained.

Just as I'd expected Shaeta was drunker than two skunks within an hour. It wasn't as bothersome as I'd feared though. She was a happy drunk and in fact, most of them seemed to be. I noticed that Zakat and Matatu were firmly in control of their wits too and it was also apparent that they had noticed I'd kept my senses.

It just seemed to me that it was my responsibility to, even if I'd wanted to be puking my guts out later and nursing a pounding headache tomorrow. Hell, I had bested the Zakat after all. I hadn't wanted to take his job, but to me that didn't mean I wasn't responsible for the well being of the Calak now. All the men were, of course, but it seemed to me that I was more so.

A role in the leadership or anything like that was not on my wish list, but I was determined to be one of the first to the fights when we had them. And Kwagi Calaks did have fights. I didn't know any specifics of this Calak's history, but I had seen smaller ones come to blows over territory more than once. I'd even seen one Calak move into another one's area to root them out before, twice in fact. With our large size I doubted we would run into anything like that.

Time for conjecture came to an end just then. Shaeta slapped her hand to her mouth as if she could hold in what was surely coming out soon. I went to her side and led her away from the festivities and also away from anything we would have to clean tomorrow if she emptied on it.

My poor new baby didn't even have a commode to hug a minute and a half later as her system started making sure that she didn't die from alcohol poisoning. I idly wondered if Margata even had any buffalos that could hear her calling to them.

Whether or not the Zwagi had cloth or canteens was unknown to me so far, but in preparation for this celebration I'd filled my army surplus canteen earlier and hung it to my web belt. Additionally I'd pocketed a washrag. When Shaeta finally gave up on dry heaving I wet the rag and cleaned her face, mouth, nose, and gave a good try at removing the little she'd sprayed onto her clothes.

She thanked me drunkenly and profusely as I attended to her and then promptly lost consciousness as I picked her up into my arms and headed toward our sleeping furs. At least she had pointed the furs out to me before she got into her cups. She didn't even stir as I put her to bed and in seconds she was making the sweetest little snores.

My self-imposed job for the rest of the night was keeping my eye on the spot where she was sleeping, but I watched everything else too. I knew there was practically no danger to a gathering this large and with this many fires going but practically wasn't good enough. Shaton and Matatu were both walking around with their sober eyes open and so were a few others. I intended to help them.

The revelry was over by one AM and by two Shaton had come by, and let me know that I should get some sleep.

"You should get some sleep. They will need you tomorrow more than they need me," I said.

He gave a short laugh and then gave me a genuine smile. The rest of the night was uneventful. More than that really, it was boring and that was a good thing as far as I was concerned.



-------

Chapter 4


Surprisingly I wasn't sleepy at all the next morning. Needless to say the partiers weren't up with the dawn as they usually were. I knew that my new bride would not be fixing my breakfast this morning. I wasn't going to let her even if she tried. I fixed a pot of coffee and warned up a few of yesterday's feast's leftovers in one of my smaller skillets, thankful that I'd remembered to collect some before they were put away.

Shaeta groaned lowly three times before she finally managed to get her bloodshot eyes open and then she looked like she wished she hadn't. No, she wasn't looking at me in disgust after thoughts of what she'd done, as in mating me. I could almost feel her head pounding myself.

She didn't want to drink the water I offered but I kept at her until she did and then I made her drink another cup. She almost rebelled when I asked her to eat something but I convinced her that she would feel much better if she did as I asked. She had decided that I really was trying to help by this time and so she did it.

"Now, it's time for me to reveal one of my secrets to you," I said, after she finished the breakfast she hadn't really wanted to eat.

"Secret. What secret?" she asked.

I handed her one of my stock of Percodan. Percodan is a powerful pain medication. Normally using it for a hangover is contraindicated. Not because it won't do a bang up job, but because it can become addictive. Since my entire supply amounted to thirty-nine after she took the one I handed her I wasn't worried about that. I only had those because one of my best friends on my old earth had been a pharmacist.

"What is this?" she asked.

"It is the cure for your headache," I said.

"You mean this will make my head stop pounding?" she asked, looking at me with awe in her eyes.

"Yes, it will probably make everything stop hurting, but I only have thirty-nine more, and after they are gone you will be back to the pounding after a celebration, just like everyone else," I said, and gave her a short laugh to make sure she knew I was teasing her.

"If it makes this pounding stop there won't be any more celebrations for me, or at least there won't be any more gajee. Everyone told me but I had to try it this once. I did not find the experience very pleasant," she said.

"I noticed," I said.

"Oh, don't remind me. Now I must go and see what kind of mess I made that needs cleaning up. I hope that thing does help."

"I don't think you have any mess to clean up," I said.

"I must have. I can remember vomiting everywhere," she said.

"I can too, but I led you out away from everything before you got started. No one expects you to clean up the grass out there," I said, pointing to the place I'd let her do her duty last night.

"I remember you were there, but weren't you sick also?" she asked.

"No, I didn't drink any gajee except that first sip you gave me. After that first taste I knew what would happen and I don't like gajee or what it does anyway," I said.

"I have found a wonderful mate. I can't believe my luck," she said.

"Just keep reminding yourself of that, often."

She laughed then but stopped when it hurt. I told her that it would probably be half an hour before the pain went away, and that it would leave faster if she drank more water. By now she believed me and drank another cup of water right away.

Thirty minutes later my stock went even higher in Shaeta's eyes because her headache was gone and her mother told her that yes, I had made sure she didn't soil anything. Shaeta considered herself very lucky to pull her first big drunk and have basically nothing bad to bother her the next day. Her friend, Katia, was not amused.

Katia hadn't had anyone to look after her and this was the first celebration she'd been old enough to participate in. Not only was her head pounding, she had upchucked all over her own furs. At least she hadn't done it on anyone else's. Instead of teasing her, Shaeta was getting geared up to help her clean things up.

Sensing that it would be a good move, I dug out another pill and followed them to the stream to wash Katia's bedding. I took a cup with me also. When we were out of site of everyone else I had Katia drink a cup of water and eat one of the last energy bars I had left. She balked but Shaeta told her not to be silly and that it would help.

"I can share a pill with her too if you think she can keep a secret," I said, to Shaeta while we were out of Katia's hearing.

"Yes, she can. I will make sure she does. And I will let her know that you do not have many," Shaeta said.

" We do not have many, and I cannot get more," I said, and then took it to Katia.

She looked as if she didn't believe me but Shaeta set her straight again and she swallowed the magic with another cup of water. I told them to sit and rest until it took effect and then I took the bedding to the creek and dealt with her mess.

They hadn't noticed me slip off with it, but when I came back they were surprised to find out I'd cleaned it up already.

"But Carl, that is woman's work," Katia said.

"There is only work you can do or can't do. No work belongs to a woman or a man. I know how to clean up bedding," I said.

"But other men would make fun of you for doing it," Katia said.

"That would be unfortunate. It would make me want to make fun of them when they were lying on the ground, after I knocked them on their asses," I said, laughing a little to let them know it was mostly in jest.

"But almost all of them are bigger than you," Katia said.

"Zakat is bigger than Carl also," Shaeta said, "I don't think any of the men would laugh at Carl if he washed your bedding in the middle of camp. Surely a second one wouldn't."

"You are right. I wasn't thinking of that," Katia said, and she got quiet after that.

Shaeta helped me spread Katia's bedding on some bushes to dry and we mostly sat around doing nothing while it did. We talked some but mostly about nothing much. I didn't really have much to talk about yet, since I was so new and Shaeta and Katia seemed to have something on their minds but they didn't share it. Actually, it seemed to me that they were making sure they didn't mention whatever it was.

Ten minutes later Katia wasn't quiet any more. She jumped up from the log she'd been parked on and laughed.

"I can not believe what a man you found up in a tree, Shaeta," Katia nearly shouted, "the pounding is gone completely and even my leg isn't sore from where I bruised it, like it was this morning."

"He is a treasure already, and I had forgotten that he was in a tree when I first saw him. What were you doing up in that tree Carl?" Shaeta asked.

"I was watching."

"What were you watching from a tree?" Katia asked.

"Everything that was on the ground. I was also waiting for your Calak to pass?"

"But why?" Shaeta asked.

"I'd felt as if someone was watching me all day, but I knew no one was. Then I smelled your Calak and I decided to climb into the tree and wait."

"You smelled our Calak?" Katia asked.

"Yes. I had noticed it off and on for a few days, but you had traveled closer that day and I couldn't believe how large it was."

"You could tell how many were in our Calak from the smell?" Shaeta asked, clearly amazed.

"Yes, I have always been able to, but I've never told anyone before now," I said, lying slightly for brevity. I wasn't about to tell them that I hadn't had such a splendid sense of smell on my previous planet.

"I don't think you should tell anyone else either," Katia said.

"I hadn't planned to."

"I still don't understand why you wanted to watch our Calak," Shaeta said.

"I wanted to see if my mate was in your group," I said, slapping a four-bagger.

Her smile lit up her face but she didn't say anything.

"I want to go back there right away, to make sure there isn't another one like you hiding up in a tree," Katia said, and then laughed when Shaeta did.

"There aren't any more like me. If there had been anyone else around there I would have known," I said, avoiding any potential trap being set by innuendo.

"I guess you would have smelled them," Katia said, joking again I was sure.

"Yes, like I smell your mother coming to check on you," I said.

Katia and Shaeta gave me a wide eyed look and thirty seconds later when Caloe walked up their eyes got even wider. They seemed astounded.

"There you are. I was worried that you felt too bad to wash your furs," Caloe said, obviously to Katia.

"I feel fine, wonderful even, and I didn't even get to wash my furs. Carl did it for me," she said, and I could tell it surprised Caloe but she didn't comment on that.

"Is that why you two were looking so surprised at Carl when I came up, because he washed your furs?" Caloe asked.

"No, we were already over that shock. We were looking surprised this time because he told us you were coming about a minute before you walked up," Katia said, and now Caloe couldn't hide her surprise.

"I see," she said, but it was plain that she didn't. It was also obvious that she didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she shifted gears.

"We are cooking now. Come and help when your furs are dry," she said.

"I will watch the furs and bring them when they're dry. You two can go back now if you need to," I said.

At least this wasn't a shock to them, but I did get the feeling it was unusual. They took me up on it though and the three of them headed back toward the camp.

An hour or so later the furs were dry so I rolled them up and went back. Shaeta saw me coming and had me put them near ours. I thought this was a little strange, since it was a good way from Shaton and Caloe's furs but I didn't comment and I tried not to even wonder about it. I didn't want any damned information popping up right now.

No one said a cross word about me walking into camp with Katia's furs and I assumed they knew better, thought it was none of their business, or had too much hangover still hanging on. I didn't really give a shit anyway.

After the meal was over I spent the rest of the day mostly on my own. Shaeta and Katia stayed close to Caloe and Shata all afternoon, and then even closer when the cooking started. We had our supper just before sunset. Shaeta brought my bowl of grub first and then went back for her own. She and Katia joined me minutes later and we didn't speak much as we ate.

I was happy to see that she didn't bring nearly as much food as we'd taken from the feast after our wedding. I like food as much as the next guy, but it was possible to get too much of a good thing.

Most people here went to bed and to sleep after sunset. There was really no point in doing anything else, especially in a traveling camp like this. The night before had been a special case of course, but tonight wasn't one. To be sure, there'd be men assigned to guard the sleepers, but I wasn't asked to join the rotation tonight.

I felt a little awkward as we were bedding down. I'd never been able to watch this particular part of the proceedings before. That was because I'd never observed a mating ceremony taking place while a Calak was traveling.

In a normal camp a hut would have been constructed for the new couple and they would have already spent their first night in it. We didn't have a hut yet. Nobody in camp was sleeping in a hut in fact. It was too much trouble to construct one during traveling.

I assumed that Shaeta and I would sleep together now and the furs that had appeared for us indicated that I was correct. I was at a disadvantage over the exact specifics of getting into bed with my new mate though. It turned out to be a non-event.

We sat around near our furs, talking with Katia until it was fully dark and then both Shaeta and Katia began taking off most of their clothes. I did the same and soon enough we were bedding down.

That left me wondering about what would be expected under the covers tonight. My dick wasn't wondering, it was just hoping and it was at attention already just in case it was going to be called into service. I doubted it would be and Shaeta confirmed my suspicions.

"I hope we will find a new camp site soon so we can build our hut," she whispered, once we were in bed.

"I do too."

That let me know that she didn't expect to do any fucking out in the open and even though my dick didn't like it, I did. Fucking just wasn't much of a spectator sport to me.

That didn't keep Shaeta from snuggling right up against me and giving me a serious goodnight kiss. Her body felt fantastic against mine and it was even better when she turned over a few minutes later and worked her way back against me and into the spoon situation. I put my arm around her and we settle down to sleep.

Shaeta and Katia were both awake and out of the furs before dawn the next morning, but I didn't stir yet. I had been able to observe the general morning behavior of traveling groups before.

Almost always the women would wake and dress before the men woke, or at least before they began to stir. This morning I kept still but I was able to perv on both Shaeta and Katia as they dressed and it led to an interesting discovery.

Of course I'd known that Shaeta had not been completely naked the night before when we went to sleep, but I hadn't seen the details of what she was wearing to bed, so to speak.

This morning I saw that it seemed to be an undergarment made of carefully tanned soft skins. They were made with what I'd have thought of as crude stitching on my old world but I knew that it was about as delicate a stitch as they could manage with their limited tools and materials.

Her garment was basically a sort of shift; it managed to cover most of her breasts and came down slightly lower than her bugger. Of course any bending over gave me a peep show. I'll admit that even as a newly married man I spent most of the few minutes while they dressed trying to get good looks at Katia.

Katia was beautiful too, and I realized that soon I'd be able to see plenty of Shaeta. I might not get another chance like this to ogle Katia for quite a while. In any case it didn't last long. Most of the camps women were dressed quickly, and then Shaeta leaned down to shake my shoulder.

I could tell that she was surprised to see that my eyes were open and that I was smiling at her. She smiled right back and then damned if she didn't wink. She then pretended that I wasn't awake yet and shook me again.

"Carl, you've been such a fine mate so far, don't turn into one of those that is hard to shake from the furs," she said, and I thought it might be for Katia's benefit.

"Do I need to come help you roll him out, Shaeta," Katia asked, in a quiet teasing taunt.

"No, I'm awake," I said.

They were perving on me in seconds since I stood right up and my dick was standing also. I'd slept in my briefs, boxer briefs at that, and both of their eyes went directly to the white garment as I stood. I couldn't know whether they were looking at my bulging dick or the odd white garment, but I didn't care. In seconds I was dragging up my jeans and then sitting on my ass to lace up my boots.

My clothes did not look like anyone else's but no one had questioned me about them yet. I guess they didn't appear so different during the day but as I put them on I knew that Shaeta and Katia now realized that they were very far from ordinary. They didn't say anything either but they sure paid attention as I dressed.

Part of my disguise so far had been the overshirt or tunic type outer garment I'd made for myself shortly after I came here. It looked more normal, and almost like what all the other men wore. Not a woman here could have hoped to copy my fine stitching, but then again, none of them had a proper needle and thread, yet.

No one else seemed to be paying us any undue attention this morning and that was good enough. Shaeta and Katia drifted over toward their mothers and that made my morning so far, since I knew they were going to fix a little something for breakfast.

One serious drawback to finding my mate in a travel Calak was that I was mostly at loose ends on days of no traveling. I didn't know any men to talk to and Shaeta was often busy cooking. Or at least that's what I expected. No matter, we would surely travel today so I wouldn't be left with nothing to do.

I'm not sure if my next thought was mine or instigated by whatever it was that often gave me little hints, but I realized suddenly that I would need a couple of poles for a travois and pretty damned quickly too.

I opened my trunk and took out my Wyoming Saw II's case and my Glock, attaching both to my web belt. I doubted anyone would notice and if they did, they did. I also grabbed my handy hatchet and hooked it on too, then I was off.

My two saws had been worth more than their weights in gold since I got here. I still had good thoughts of the day I'd been stumbling around in Cabela's and happened to see them. I wanted one at once and ended up buying both the original smaller one and the II model, which was larger.

They had removable blades, slightly like a normal hacksaw, but there were blades for meat, bones, and wood available; there were even hacksaw type blades. I made sure to get plenty of each type at the time.

The saws would disassemble to fit in belt pouches and they were as handy as a pocket on a shirt. They were probably my most valuable and useful tools since I'd been put here.

Seconds after grabbing the saw I was off to find travois poles, and twenty minutes later I had two cut and stripped of branches. I knew that in a few minutes I was going to be a minor spectacle but there was nothing I could do about it so I grabbed my new poles and walked back to camp.

If my loading dolly and trunk hadn't been a showstopper yesterday, I was expecting my travois to do the job today. For the last six months I'd known that sooner or later I would have to join a Calak, or else spend the rest of my life jerking off.

With my ability to watch them I knew pretty much what was required, especially when they were traveling. The men carried most of the weight while traveling and they did it with travois, which they pulled themselves. I'd had to come up with a workaround since I had to pull my cart; I wasn't leaving it anywhere.

With a lot of experimentation followed by the trial and error technique I had come up with a way to add a travois off the back of my cart. It was simple to find the best place to attach the poles and how long to cut them. Things were set up so that once attached, the cart's wheels would carry most of the weight.

A travois is a good first step for carrying more weight than a man can simply pick up and leave with, but the wheel is miles ahead. My travois pole ends would still carry some of the load but careful adjustment let most of it rest on the wheels. I was pretty sure that even pulling both the cart and the travois would end up being easier than pulling a travois alone.

That odd arrangement wouldn't be the only thing that looked strange when we started packing either. It had taken nearly two months to do it the old fashioned way, but instead of using animal skins to support the load between the travois poles I had taken the time to tie a custom cargo net. Made of rawhide thongs it wasn't very attractive, but it would get the job done easily.

I stopped my travois construction when the meal was ready and walked toward the smell of food. When I spotted Shaeta and Katia I saw that they were waiting on me to show and already had food in hand, or in bowls I guess you'd say.

It didn't take long to eat the light meal but Shaeta had a question for me after we were done.

"Carl, what do you call that thing you pull with your possessions in it?" she asked.

"There are several names since it is actually more than one thing. I think that cart is the best name for it though, until I have time to show you all about it," I told her, but I could tell she was still wondering about something.

"Will you be able to put all our things on it?" she asked, a few seconds later.

"No, that's why I cut poles for a travois," I said.

"Oh," she said, looking relieved for a few seconds and then asking, "Do you think I can pull the cart then?"

"No, you don't need to. I will make the cart pull the travois and I will pull the cart," I told her, but I could tell she wasn't getting the picture.

"I don't understand?" she said, finally.

"I am not surprised, but it will be much easier to understand after I am doing it. All you'll have to do is watch. Just trust me this time. I've done it many times before, for practice. I knew I'd need to be able to carry my mate's things while traveling and I've already made sure I'd be able to," I said.

For some reason that little speech was yet another showstopper. Shaeta and Katia both looked at me like I had an extra eye or something and their mouths dropped open. Shaeta recovered first though and she said she wouldn't worry about it anymore if I had things worked out. She and Katia made a retreat then and headed directly for their mothers.

Going back to the travois construction site I hoped I hadn't said something that turned out to be a major fuckup. If I had though, I had, and would just have to deal with it later. I knew everyone would want to be leaving soon, in fact I wondered why it didn't look like anyone else was packing up.

There wasn't time for me to worry about that now though. I tied the net to the poles and made sure everything was ready to tie the front of the travois to the cart.

Now that everything was ready I had time to look around at the others and noticed that they were only starting to get packed now. I still didn't understand what they were waiting on but I didn't waste much time trying.

I rolled the two poles up in their own net, put them over my left shoulder and then took hold of my cart's handle with my right hand and went looking for Shaeta. I found her near where we'd slept. She had our furs rolled up and ready to go and there was quite a stack of other bundles near her.

"Are you ready to load the travois my mate?" I asked, as I came up.

"Yes, everything is ready," she said.

"Good, maybe if we go ahead and get ready to leave some of the others will shake off the sleep. Have you noticed that all of them seem to be lost this morning?" I asked her, and she laughed.

"They are deliberately moving slowly to give you time to cut travois poles and then try to trade for a big hide to go between your new poles," she said, and then giggled.

"They will be standing around scratching their asses when we leave then, I guess. I'm not going to add to my load by putting a heavy hide onto my travois. I have it ready to travel now. Do you have any small things that are delicate and need special care?" I asked her, and it seemed to stump her again, for a few seconds anyway.

"All those things are in my pack," she said.

"There's no sense in you carrying a pack unless you just want to. There's room for it in my trunk," I said, and when I saw that she was confused by the word I set down the travois poles and then opened my trunk.

Women are just funny sometimes I guess. I don't know why she was so surprised; surely she'd seen it open before. Maybe she hadn't paid any attention to it. She was paying attention now though and she paid even closer attention when I placed her whole pack over in the closet side and then shut the trunk again.

She looked like she was still trying to come to grips with this little maneuver when I unrolled the netting, fastened the travois poles to the trunk, and then spread out the poles and put the small sapling stiffener in place to keep them spread, back at the wide end.

"Now, my beautiful mate, what do we need to put on here first?" I asked.

I hadn't been paying any attention to the others near us but now I noticed that Shaton, Caloe, Shata, Caltort, Katia, and even Matatu were looking at me, and clearly amazed.

Shaeta recovered first and began pointing out what we needed to load. I started piling it on the net and hell, it didn't seem like much at all, though it ended up covering a lot of the space. We still had room for more though when I was done.

"We have room for more on here, do you think there is anyone who is too heavily loaded? I can carry at least fifty more pounds with no trouble," I said to Shaeta.

For some reason I got that ten thousand watt smile from her again and another squeal. She made it worth the effort then by grabbing hold of me and giving me a serious kiss. By the time that was over those who'd been watching had scattered.

"The healing woman always has more than she and her mate can easily carry. Do you think you could help them?" Shaeta asked.

"Of course I can. I'm sure that her things are very important to everyone. If some of them are small or need special care they can go into the trunk with your pack," I said.

"I will go and offer your help then," Shaeta said, and walked off.

She and Darita, the healing woman came back in a few minutes and Darita was carrying a small package. It was obvious to me that she didn't really trust me to carry anything that was important and I wondered what this charade was about. I didn't question them though.

By the time they reached me I'd already taken the travois back off the cart, opened the trunk and when Darita handed me the bundle I put it near Shaeta's pack, closed the trunk, and put the travois back to it.

At first I thought it had all been a little odd, but what did I know. It made sense that the healing woman wouldn't trust me with anything valuable or fragile. No doubt her things were as important to her as anyone's would be to them. If she came to trust me later her mate could get a little relief, if she didn't it was no skin off my ass.

Shaeta seemed at a loss for something to do after that. We were just standing by the cart and travois and watching everyone else at work trying to get ready to go. I didn't say anything about it, even though I wondered. This had seemed like a very organized Calak when I'd seen them moving but this morning they acted like they were lost.

Suddenly Shaeta looked at me and just burst out laughing, she wasn't even able to stop for nearly a minute but somehow I could tell she wasn't laughing at me. She was able to stop and catch her breath shortly.

"What was so funny? I asked, grinning like a dummy I know.

"I was laughing at the others. It suddenly hit me that you had ruined their fun and now you are making them look like they don't know what they are doing.

"You are standing around waiting on them with your travois loaded and ready to go. You have even offered to carry extra weight for the healing woman and already have it loaded also.

"They were expecting you to be running around trying to cut poles for your travois and having to make an unequal trade so you could get a suitable skin to hang between the poles.

"Mother already thought you were the smartest man she had ever seen after you bested Shaton and refused to be Zakat. Now she is even more convinced. She and Caloe are standing around now sniggering at Caltort and Shaton while they are trying to get loaded and ready to move on," she said.

"Well what kind of dunce would take a mate without being prepared to carry her things and take care of her?" I asked.

Shaeta burst into laughter again and tears were streaming from her eyes before she could get stopped again.

"Every one of them," she finally managed to get out, waving her hand around to signify every man in camp and then laughing even harder.

I couldn't stop myself, I laughed long and loud too but at least I didn't get so far as losing my breath and tearing up over it, like Shaeta had.

Katia couldn't stand it any longer and she came over to join us. I could tell that she had to find out what we were laughing about and it was the first things she asked but I let Shaeta tell her.

"I'm laughing at something Carl asked me," Shaeta told her.

"Well what did he asks?"

"He asked what kind of a dunce would take a mate without even knowing how to make a travois or having a skin to make it with?" Shaeta said, and it caused Katia to howl herself.

I was beginning to worry that everyone else would think, or know, that we were making fun of them. What if they did? They'd been standing around scratching their asses waiting for a chance to make fun of me. Good enough for 'em.



-------

Chapter 5


Finally everyone seemed ready to go. Zakat and Matatu took their place in the lead and things were about to move. Katia walked back to us after fetching her pack and I was astonished by its size.

"Shaeta, ask her to put that on our travois. I don't want your best friend walking around with a bent back," I said.

"It isn't that heavy, it's just bulky, but if you can carry it also I'm sure she will let you," Shaeta said.

"Of course I can carry it."

"Carl wants you to put your pack on our travois, Katia. He's worried about your back," Shaeta told her, and I knew from her tone that it meant something more than I realized, but all I could do about it now was wonder.

Katia made it even more worrisome when she gave me her own version of the ten thousand watt smile as she unshouldered her pack and put it onto the travois. Thankfully the others started moving while we were taking care of this little detail.

When everything was in place I made sure the girls weren't in the way and then yanked hell out of the cart's handle. I'd already learned that getting it moving in the first place was the hardest part. The cart leaned toward me of course, swiveling around its axle, and that momentum caused the whole thing to move, getting me underway.

Previous trial and error adjustments had let me balance the ungainly looking rig so that I was basically carrying about forty to fifty pounds of weight via the handle. It was enough to give me good traction and let me lean away from my grip to put most of the work on my thigh muscles. It was almost easy to keep the thing moving once I got it started, especially on level ground.

Shaeta and Katia were frankly amazed at my fast start.

"Did you practice that too?" Shaeta asked.

"Of course. I'll be dragging this thing all day for many days, it only made sense to try and find the easiest way to do it," I said.

They both laughed at that but I didn't care. Now that I was within the group and could observe more closely, it was easy to see that my way was a lot better than theirs. With the cart's wheels and the leverage it gave me I only had to support the extra fifty or so pounds and I could just as easily balance the load so I didn't even have that much, or any weight on me. The weight I carried ended up making it easier to manage the cart and travois rig.

An hour later I also knew I was in much better shape than most of the men. I'm not saying that there was a lot of extra fat on them or anything like that, but since I'd wound up here I'd made a point of running a little at least every other day. Running was good for building endurance and by now I could easily pace myself and run most of the day if I needed to. I wasn't even tired when Shaton called for the first break, about two hours after we'd started.

It seemed to me that we were going to end up taking an easier time today than they normally would have. No doubt many of them were still suffering the after effects of the gajee and they were probably wondering if I could keep up the pace. My guess was that none of the heavy drinkers would complain about taking it slow today.

I wouldn't have had a bit of trouble traveling day and night except for the load. I hadn't done any practicing pulling this much weight and there was no doubt my legs and thighs would be sore tomorrow. It took only a glance at Shaeta to remind me it would be well worth it.

The break lasted at least half again longer than I expected it too, and I was beginning to worry that someone else might be having a harder time than expected. Shaeta and Katia stayed right with me most of the time but we didn't do much talking.

At the next break we ate some type of pemmican that they used for the midday meal while traveling and again the break was longer than I expected.

It's fairly boring playing the part of a beast of burden all day and by the time we'd stopped for the night I'd been trying to decide if I wouldn't be better off with some type of harness arrangement that would let me keep my hands free while I pulled my rig along.

Since I wasn't actually supporting any weight except as much as I needed to for pulling, there'd be no point in something that would fit around my neck or shoulders. Maybe a harness around my waist would let me do just as well though, and end up letting me have most of my upper body free.

When we stopped for the night I put thoughts of a harness aside when Shaeta told me that we would be staying here at least three or four days.

"That's fine with me, but what will we do here. Is someone else going to be mated?" I asked.

"Not that I know of. We are stopping because Zakat thinks we should do some scouting to see if we want to settle near here anywhere.

"Also, Matatu needs to make some gajee, he says he needs to replenish his supply after our ceremony," she said.

"Do I need to help him with anything?" I asked.

"He wouldn't let you help with anything important, they are always secretive about the making of gajee. He would be pleased if you'd help gather wood for the fire though, especially since the last ceremony was for you and I.

"Mother and I will be cooking some special treats for him while we're here, to let him know we appreciate him," she said.

"Then I will gather some special firewood for him, to let him know I appreciate him too," I said, trying for a little touch of my former weird humor.

She gave me the oddest look for a second and then it went away. I didn't know if I'd said something wrong or not. I did appreciate Matatu though, hell, I appreciated everyone that had anything to do with me having Shaeta for a mate. I still had a hard time believing that lucky stroke.

I noticed almost at once that our furs ended up being right beside Katia's or else hers were by ours. That was fine with me, since it might let me get a better early morning peep show tomorrow. In fact, it looked almost as if they had been put there just for such a happy event to occur.

I just sat on my big ass while the women were cooking but I did it with my ears alert. From my eavesdropping I learned basically what the scouting would involve. The men were choosing up sides for hunting parties and they'd be fanning out to see if they could do any good. Plentiful game in an area made it a better place to stay a while.

I already knew that the game was thick here since I could smell it. I decided that I'd go hunting alone the next day, after I picked up a little firewood for Matatu. I kept my ears peeled until Shaeta and Katia came over with our supper, but didn't hear anything else that amounted to much.

Shaeta had a big smile on her face when she and Katia showed up. Hell, I couldn't keep one off mine either. Not only was my mate a real beauty, her friend was one too. I could get used to eating my meals with these two.

"And what are you grinning so about my mate," Shaeta asked, as they reached me.

"How do you expect me to keep a big smile off my face when my beautiful wife and her equally beautiful friend come to bring me a wonderful meal?"

Shaeta looked very pleased with my comment but Katia blushed to the roots of her hair. Neither of them mentioned it though and I decided that they were both pleased somehow but that Katia's blush must be because she was still unmated. Maybe the mating changed them somehow. I doubted it, but it must at least change their attitude. I didn't feel like I could let it go at that though.

"I'm still marveling at my luck. Only a few days ago I was climbing trees to watch people go by. I didn't have a mate or even a Calak and now I'm a member of the biggest Calak I've ever seen and mated to one of the two most beautiful women in it. To top it off, the other beauty is my mate's best friend. How could I end up so lucky?"

Even Shaeta blushed this time and Katia was redder than a beet.

"Enough, enough, mercy," Shaeta said.

"What?"

"Stop long enough for us to eat anyway, then you may start again if you must," Shaeta said, and I knew damned well that she would welcome more now, or later, no matter what she was saying.

"If I must, I'll stop."

"He acts as if he is nothing special. All he's done is best the Calak's Zakat and them let him keep his place. He takes care of his wife and her friend after the celebration and he sits around laughing at all the other men while they are still waiting to cheat him in a trade for a hide that he doesn't even want or need," Katia said.

"Topping that he is carrying more weight than any of them and when you came by he even took over your load. It's exciting to wonder what he'll do next," Shaeta said.

I was pretty sure what I was going to do next though. My amazing sense of smell had already let me know there was a cow and calf pair of thaka nearly a mile from camp. After I gathered some wood for Matatu in the morning I was going to take the cow and if possible I'd capture the calf. It smelled like it was a very young one.

"No need to wonder my beautiful mate. Next I'll be doing exactly anything you ask me to do. I'm also smart enough to understand that the best way to keep a beautiful mate happy is to listen to her closely and try my best to do exactly as she tells me to."

Both their mouths dropped open at once and they stared at me wide eyed.

"I can not believe your luck, Shaeta," Katia said, after a minute that seemed like twenty.

"I can't either. Who'd have thought I could find such a man, and up in a tree at that," she said, and then giggled.

"I'm going to be looking up from now on when we travel," Katia said.

We all laughed after that. When we'd finished eating they dealt with the bowls by snatching out handfuls of dried grass and using it to wipe them clean, then they returned them to where ever they were kept.

The sun was down shortly and we undressed and got into our furs. Shaeta rolled toward me at once and gave me a big kiss, and I couldn't resist slipping a hand down to run up under her short sleeping shift and fondle one of her wonderful cheeks. She sighed when I did and pressed herself closer to me.

"I hope we can make our camp here, I am growing impatient," she whispered.

"Be careful what you wish for, it might come true."

"I hope it does come true," she said, grinding against me lightly now.

"We'll just have to move our camp a few days later," I said.

"Why?"

"Because you'll scream so loud the first few nights that all the game will be scared away," I said.

She shivered against me after I said it, almost panting. I'd noticed that a few newly mated couples made a hell of a lot of noise the first night or two. It was almost always the woman doing the moaning and groaning and the next day she would be strutting around like she had caught the cock of the walk. I knew I was bragging to Shaeta but I thought I could get the job done too.

Later she turned over and spooned her ass up against me. My dick was like stone anyway, so I fumbled around a little and got my boxer briefs down to my knees. I could almost feel that Shaeta was about to ask me what I was doing, but she didn't, and I reached down and separated her legs enough to let my dick spring up between them. It nestled right up against her vulva and she trembled and gasped at my trick.

"Oh, you are evil, Carl," she said, but her tone didn't support the words.

"You keep my dick hard all the time so you might as well keep it warm too," I whispered, and she trembled again.

Hell, in for a penny, I slid my hand up under her light tunic and took hold of a titty so I could worry the nipple. She sighed this time and after a couple of minutes I felt her start squirming her hips a little. When I started kissing around on her earlobe and then nibbling at her neck she made me quit.

"Oh Carl, if you don't stop you'll have me screaming tonight, out in the open," she said, panting.

"Will you be sorry?"

"Not tonight I won't, but I will be very embarrassed tomorrow, and all the other women will be so envious.

I relented on the kissing and nibbling but I didn't take my dick out of its new warm home and I didn't release the titty I'd captured. I did stop teasing the now throbbing nipple though. We were asleep shortly.

I woke as soon as Shaeta moved the next morning. False dawn was providing plenty of light for my viewing pleasure and I was looking forward to the show. It surprised me though, when Shaeta shook me slightly with her hand, as if to make sure I was awake, then she looked at my eyes to see if they were open. She smiled when she saw they were.

Katia was climbing our of her furs seconds later and as she got to her knees in what I'm sure was an unintentional imitation of the dog style position, her tunic-like shift climbed up over her ass and I got a perfect look at her pretty pussy, framed between the backs of her lovely thighs. My dick got a little jolt of its own then but I'm pretty sure my benefactors didn't have a damned thing to do with it. I could just see a little hint of her jet-black fringe as she spread her legs slightly to stand.

I hadn't paid any attention but Shaeta had been watching my eyes and she smiled widely when she knew I'd had a good look at her friend's cooter. Then she licked her lips and I'm not sure if it was intentional or just an unconscious reaction. Either way it seemed like a terribly sexy notion to me.

I was up and dressed almost as soon as they were. I told Shaeta that I was going for the wood for Matatu right away and that I had some traveling food I could eat for breakfast. It was plain that she didn't understand what my hurry was.

"I have to get an early start on your excitement for the day," I said, and she smiled remembering the conversation last night no doubt.

She was surprised when I removed the dolly from the trunk, but no one else seemed to notice. I was going to use it to bring Matatu's firewood back. I already had my web belt on and I only opened the trunk to get my Estwing carpenter's hatchet. I didn't think it would be even nearly as useful as the saw that was hanging on my belt but I took it just in case.

I wasn't two hundred yards from the clearing we'd camped in before I came across an oak like deadfall. It wasn't even completely dried out yet. By breaking off what I could and sawing off what I couldn't it took me only an hour to cut and break up quite a load of firewood for my dolly.

There were several surprised looks when I came back with it, but the look on Matatu's face was priceless. He even thanked me graciously for my efforts.

Damned if I hadn't made it back in time to get a little breakfast from my mate and it was easy to see she was proud of what I'd done. She was a curious one though.

"Are you going to see about joining one of the groups that will be hunting this morning?" she asked.

"You know how they all stand around so long trying to decide what to do. I don't have time for that if you want some real excitement. I think I'll go by myself. They'll just have to do their part without me," I said, grinning.

She gave me a big grin in return and I went over to my trunk to fetch my bow and quiver out of the long add-on case it had arrived in. I also dug out a thirty-foot length of sash cord I'd used before as a makeshift lariat. It wasn't nearly up to snuff for any serious roping, but I wouldn't try to rope anything serious while afoot anyway.

Ten minutes later my loading dolly and me were leaving the campsite. I was heading directly toward the cow and calf I could still smell easily.

They were grazing in a very small clear spot nearly a thousand yards from camp. I cut my pace as I approached and nocked an arrow when I left the cart, still about two hundred yards from them. There was no breeze this morning and I was worried that they would smell me before I could get close enough for a shot.

The cow thaka kept her nose to the grass though and when I was within a hundred yards or so I loosed the arrow and it took her low in the chest. I knocked another arrow quickly and sent it her way too, just for luck.

One of them got her heart and maybe both. She didn't drop on the spot but she didn't really know which way to run. That didn't keep her from trying it though and damned if she didn't head directly my way. I stood as still as possible and by the time she saw me she was done for anyway.

The calf had come with her of course, even though it hadn't known what happened. It was confused now since its mother was lying down. It paced around her and wasn't paying a bit of attention to me, as I crept closer.

I was able to get within twenty feet of the calf and it never noticed me. Luck was with my roping arm too, since I dropped the limp loop over its head on the first try. I had it pulled snug before the calf understood what was going on.

Of course it tried to get away from me, but it probably didn't even weigh a hundred pounds yet, and it couldn't escape. I was going to choke it down if I had to but I didn't. I snubbed off the sash cord around a small tree and just let the calf pull against it until it was too tired to fight any longer. It went to the ground finally, fighting to catch its breath.

When I approached it didn't even have the strength left to try getting up. I did my best not to frighten it any more, and after an hour or so of petting and stroking it while it rested, it wasn't afraid.

Thaka's heads were not exactly bovine looking. They were much longer from muzzle to eyes than a cow while not quite as long as a horse's head would be. Still, there was plenty of room and an acceptable shape for a hand tied halter and I made one out of the sash cord's other end after the calf had settled down.

With the halter in place I took the other end's loop off the calf's neck and tied it to the tree. I don't think it even tested the arrangement while I dealt with its mother's body.

Both arrows were buried deeply in her chest and I removed them by twisting until the arrowheads unscrewed themselves from the shafts. I cut her throat after that but the bleeding was basically over with by that time. It took only a few minutes to fetch the dolly and secure her to it.

It was time for a break and to see if I could get the calf to follow on the lead I'd made for it. I was mostly just hoping this would work. It was a lot easier than I'd expected.

My next trick was getting back to camp pulling easily eight hundred pounds of dead thaka and leading her calf. Remarkably the calf didn't give me any problems but the damned dead mother gave me plenty. She was heavy, maybe one of the biggest thaka I'd ever seen.

It had taken probably two or two and a half hours to find the pair, kill the mother, settle the calf, and then load the mother onto my dolly. It took easily two hours to get the fat bitch back to camp, and it was only a thousand yards. If I'd called out for help someone would have probably come running, but they would have scared the calf and it would have ruined my grand entrance.

It was a grand entrance too. Most of the men were still out scouting, as in hunting and fucking off, but the women were amazed when I came in hauling the thaka on my cart and leading its calf on my rope. They were stupefied in fact, barely believing what they saw.

Shaeta and Katia were the first two to regain a semblance of normalcy and they came to me to help nearly as soon as they saw me.

"You have outdone yourself this time my mate," Shaeta said, and I could tell she was nearly bursting with pride.

"You have in fact, Carl. I have never heard of a man bringing back a thaka by himself, especially without gutting it. You saved all the best parts that way though," Katia said.

I don't think that the calf had even registered on them yet, but in a few more seconds Shaeta noticed it.

"Carl, why did you bring the calf without killing it?" she asked.

"Well, it could walk easier than I could carry it, but that isn't the real reason. I intend to raise it and when it is big enough I'll let it pull my travois," I said, stumping everyone who heard it.

"Will it do that," Caloe, who'd just come up, asked.

"It will if I train it to. It probably won't be nearly as hard for me as it is for you women to train the men," I said, grinning wide.

She looked flustered at first and so did all the others that were watching, which was almost every woman in the Calak. Then most of them laughed. It started with Shaeta and Katia, then Caloe joined in, and then all of them.



-------

Chapter 6


As things settled down a little I asked Caloe where I should take the thaka to gut it. Usually the men gutted their kills where they made them and then brought them back for the women to skin and cut up. I didn't know if this was plain laziness or what. There were a lot of usable parts inside a thaka that went to waste when they were field dressed, unless the men went to the trouble of bringing them back.

Caloe told me if I'd take it back out away from the campsite about a hundred yards or so that she and the others would take it from there, and I was happy to.

My next trick was going to be fetching the small come-along from my trunk and hanging the thaka from a stout tree-limb for them, but they were cutting parts off before I had the dolly out from under it, and I didn't want to seem to be telling them how to do their jobs.

Shaeta and Katia had held the calf's lead while I moved it's former mother and when I got back to them they were mostly just staring at it with amazed looks on their faces.

"Why don't you go over and introduce yourselves?" I asked.

"It won't understand what we say," Katia said.

"No, but if you let it see what you smell like it will know you, and if you pet it gently it will like you. You have to approach it slowly at first though, so it won't be frightened," I said.

"I just don't understand why it lets us do this at all. Why did it follow you back here?" Shaeta asked.

"I spent about an hour getting it settled down after I got the rope over its neck. And I spent another thirty minutes or so teaching it to follow where the halter tugged it. It isn't really old enough to know anything else to do.

"It's been following its mother around since it was born and now she's gone and we're all it has. If I'd left it where it was it would have been dead tomorrow or the next day anyway. Something would have killed and eaten it," I said.

"But it doesn't know that yet, does it?" Shaeta asked.

"Probably not, but it doesn't know anything else either, except that it wants some water, some grass, and some milk. Unfortunately it isn't going to get any more milk. I hope it can get by on just grass," I said.

"I hope so too. I kind of like it," Katia said, and then she walked slowly over toward the calf.

It didn't mind at all and actually seemed glad to have some company. Shaeta was right on Katia's heels. The calf liked their attention and within half an hour it would follow them without the need of tugging the lead. They were thrilled.

It dawned on me then that they had probably never even considered touching a live animal before. I knew that there was a kind of wild dog here, though they weren't numerous, yet none of the kwagi had ever mentioned having pets or anything like a watchdog. That would be a trick for another day though.

About two hours before sunset, groups of men started returning and most had two or three kills. Shaton, Matatu, and Caltort's small group was the only one that returned empty handed and that was expected because they hadn't been hunting. They were just exploring farther in the direction we'd been traveling.

The group that had done best was the largest one. They'd killed a bull thaka that was nearly as big as the cow I'd taken, and they also had two qaka. All the other groups had two or three qaka, but I was a big surprise to them when they found out I'd brought in a thaka on my own and that didn't even mention the calf I'd led in with me. I noticed that they didn't seem nearly as happy about it as the women had.

Hopefully it wasn't jealously rearing its ugly head already, but then again I knew it would sooner or later. There wasn't a chance in hell of any group of humans this large getting along without some friction.

My entrance had been unusual and my ways were somewhat different. I knew that sooner or later someone was going to want to put me in my place. The trouble was that none of them thought they could and I'm sure that didn't make me any more likable.

Not all the men were that petty though, and I got a surprise before the meal that night. Jagbac sought me out and introduced himself, giving me his name from the get go. I gave him mine back and then he asked me about the thaka and how I'd killed it.

As I told him, I left out the fact that I'd used a bow and arrows to do it. He didn't ask if I'd used a spear because I doubt he considered any other possibility. I'm not sure they even knew about other types of weapon.

When he asked how I captured the calf I was glad to show him the sash cord lariat and even demonstrate how it was done. He was amazed with it from the start and clearly wanted one, though he didn't asks.

Mentioning that I didn't have any more of the cord that was long enough for a lariat led to explaining that lariat meant a rope with a sliding loop on one end for capturing things. A few more minutes telling him that this rope wasn't really strong enough for anything but the smallest animals was next. I went on to tell him I intended to try plaiting a proper lariat out of rawhide.

He seemed to follow my explanations well and I hoped he would have an interest in learning to use a rope after I'd had time to make one or two. There was an even better animal than a thaka on Margata for beast of burden duties, but it would take more than sash cord to catch one. Unless I got as lucky as I did with the calf.

Cashda seemed to be nearly clones of horses. They even looked amazingly alike and I had an odd feeling that they hadn't really evolved here but might have arrived in a manner similar to mine. There wasn't much talk of cashda among the kwagi because they had practically no use for them.

They couldn't get close enough to kill them with spears for some reason they didn't understand, and they hadn't thought of trying to herd them over a handy cliff or anything of the sort.

I had my own suspicions as to why they couldn't get close enough. If the Cashda had the type sense of smell I did the kwagi would continue to only acquire them after a lucky accident, where one broke its leg and was found by a kwagi before being found by other carnivores.

Of course if they did have a super sense of smell, I couldn't slip up on them any better than anyone else could, but I knew about running them off a cliff and I also knew about trapping them in a small blind canyon, draw, or the like. Knowing it would work ahead of time was more than half the battle.

Still it would be pointless to spill the beans until I could try my hand at making a few lariats. One thing was certain about training a horse, or Cashda, especially a grown one. If you didn't have a good rope you were shit out of luck.

Available food broke up my powwow with Jagbac and though I'd enjoyed it I was ready to eat. We had stew made from parts of my early arriving kill and everyone seemed happy enough about that. I was surprised that Katia seemed to be preening and making a fuss over me nearly as much as Shaeta did, but it didn't hurt my feelings one damned bit.

In fact, my dick started throbbing when I remembered the peek I'd had of her naked honey-pot this morning. It was funny, but Shaeta looked at me almost as soon as I thought that, and damned if she didn't give me such a smile. As a matter of fact, Caloe gave me a little grin not ten seconds later. Weird if you asked me.

When we headed for our furs I knew something was up. It wasn't overt or anything, but Katia's furs were now on the other side of ours and even closer than they had been the night before. After we were settled down for sleeping, it dawned on me that I was now between Shaeta and Katia and there wasn't very much distance between me and the latter.

I tried not to get Shaeta too revved up tonight when she gave me a kiss but I didn't keep my hands off her either. After she'd turned over and wiggled her ass back against me I made sure to put my hard dick where it belonged, right between her legs. I didn't try to put it up her, yet, but I wanted to make sure it knew the way home, and she gave a contented sounding sigh as I took over a titty.

When I woke the next morning it was almost as if Shaeta was waiting for my eyes to open before she moved. She did an odd twisting around on her butt kinda and the next thing I knew I was staring right at her pretty wine-red beaver. She even opened her legs a little so I could get a good look. Hopefully my x-ray vision didn't scorch anything important.

I was speechless and it was probably a good thing. Shaeta had the creamy skin of a redhead, kinda. It looked smooth and luscious but it wasn't the alabaster that you might expect. She didn't have many freckles either and none you could see when she was dressed. She did have a wonderful spray of them around her bush though and it made me lick my own lips when I saw them.

Shaeta gave a delightful little laugh at that and then she was up and pulling on her clothes. I lay still and watched the whole thing; especially enticed by the way she wiggled her sweet looking ass as she shimmied into her skin dress.

When I was up and in my pants, Shaeta leaned over as I was lacing up my boots and asked me whose was prettier. I knew at once that she was asking about the views I'd had of her spice-box pie and Katia's. Somehow I saved my self with my question in return.

"Which moon is the most beautiful?"

She laughed at me and then she and Katia scampered off. It was a hopeless question since the moons were practically identical. They did some type of complicated dance with each other across the sky every night. They seemed to be constantly revolving around each other somehow and it was impossible to tell one from the other. It was for me anyway.

After breakfast this morning we didn't split up to go hunting again. We had an executive meeting. I guess it was actually more like a stockholders meeting since everyone was there and could speak if they wanted to. Shaton, our Zakat, wanted to know if everyone approved of making a permanent camp here.

It wouldn't really be permanent, but that's how they referred to a camp meant to last until some changing condition made them leave. Usually that change was in the form of diminishing game close to the camp. Everyone agreed that the hunting would be good here and the women said that the gathering prospects were also excellent. Shaton had the last word of course since this was not a democracy, but he did listen to everyone who wanted to say something. None of them wanted to leave right away.

Things were going well until an asshole spoke up after the campsite was approved. I'd seen him before; he was hard to miss. He might have been even slightly larger than Shaton. I sensed that he tried his hardest when fighting for entrance to the Calak, probably wanting to come in right away as Zakat, but it was only a guess on my part.

He wanted to know why there was a live thaka in the camp and specifically wanted to know when it would be killed. I didn't even wait for Shaton to say anything. Hell, it was my thaka.

"The thaka is mine and it isn't going to be killed," I said, after standing.

"Why should you be allowed to have a live thaka in our camp?" he asked, and he didn't even try to make it sound polite.

"Why shouldn't I be? As you said, it is our camp, not yours. I killed its mother and no doubt you ate some of her last night. I brought the calf here for my own reasons and I will keep her for my own reasons," I said, and really that should have been the end of it. He knew damned well it wasn't his place to say anything about it.

"And what if I kill the thaka?" he said, and the rumblings from others reinforced my thoughts that he was over the line.

"What would you do if someone stole something of yours," I asked, and most of the men's mouths dropped open.

Stealing was a bigger crime than killing to the kwagi. It was probably the most dishonorable crime there was, except for rape, and that was practically unthinkable. I had hit him what he must have considered a low blow.

"I would fight them and beat them until they returned what they stole," he said, and he was getting wound up to say more but I cut him off quickly.

"If you kill my thaka, I will fight you and beat you until it is alive again," I said, and it was followed by silence.

Clearly he couldn't make it alive again after he killed it, but the point went home. Before they were through thinking about it I had a suggestion.

"Why don't we just fight now before you kill it? It will save wear and tear on my thaka and it will save me the bother of killing you," I said.

I was adding insult to injury and it was my intention. To me it was obvious that he only wanted an excuse to fight me, and there was no point denying him, but I wanted to make him say it. At least I could see that he realized he had been trapped. I'd implied that his life meant less to me than the life of a thaka calf. He had to fight me now, or suffer the indignity of my public insult.

"Fine," he said, "we shall fight."

I thought it was the best way and that the sooner we got it over with, the better off we'd be. Maybe he'd picked the fight just to gain some place in the pecking order as he saw it, or for some other reason. Perhaps he'd just shot his mouth off and overloaded his own ass. It didn't really matter.

Even though he was a good bit bigger than me I knew he was about to get his ass kicked. We were staying here now and I didn't have to worry about him needing to move out with us tomorrow. I knew it would still be mostly a chest bumping affair but I also knew I could have hurt Shaton badly last time if it had been my intention.

I didn't intend to hurt this one either, or not any more than necessary at least. I did intend to make sure he didn't ever want to fight me again.

One thing I liked a lot about the kwagi was when it came time for a fight it wasn't seen as some despicable resort to needless violence. Hell, they had to fight one way and then another just to stay alive. There weren't a bunch of cops running around in black and whites and eating donuts. You took care of you and yours here or they didn't get taken care of.

Everyone was spread out around a big clear spot in minutes while we went to the middle, stripped to our waist, and got ready to rumble.

I let him make the first charge and I'll be dammed if he didn't do exactly the same thing Shaton had, as if he hadn't even been watching our fight. He wound up getting shoved in the back the same way too and falling down.

Maybe it was a standard way of fighting or something, because his next move was the same as earlier too. He came running toward me with his arms spread wide like Shaton had tried but this time I ran toward him even faster. It was quite a collision and as I expected he wrapped his arms around me, thinking of giving me a good squeezing no doubt.

I'd thrown him a curve right at the last though and he didn't even seem to understand the implications. Just before we slammed together I'd raised both of my arms straight up. When he wrapped me up my arms were left free.

As soon as he started squeezing, I put my hands on top of his shoulders, gave a little hop supporting my weight on my hands and back-heeled him on the backs of both thighs, just above the backs of his knees.

Of course he fell over backward and of course I was right on top of him to make sure there wasn't one bit of air left in his lungs, not to mention the way his head had slammed into the ground.

I popped right up like Jack out of the box, since there was no way he could keep his hold around me after that fall, and then I waited for him to catch his breath. I knew damned well he was already plenty tired of this fight after only two charges. He had to gasp and wheeze for nearly five minutes before he was in any shape to continue. Finally he got back on his feet and then he tried to make a quick dash at me, as if I hadn't been paying any attention to what he was doing.

I just did a good form tackle on him and I didn't hold back from driving into him as he hit the ground like I had with Shaton. He was back to gasping and wheezing after that and I also knew he had lost some hide off his back, because I'd lost a good bit from my elbows.

It took longer this time and when he got up he was wary. I didn't mind and for his sake I hoped he would decide to give it up. He didn't and he finally took another run at me. I waited until he was fully committed and then hit him low, lifting with my back and legs. He went over my head and the throw made him do a full somersault. He landed on his back again.

This time the whack he took to his head put him out. It sounded awful too when his lungs finally decided they should take another breath, because it was strictly on automatic; it made almost a howling sound as he unconsciously sucked in air for all he was worth.

I walked over to take a look at him then. He would probably make it. His neck didn't seem broken and neither did either of his arms or legs. He was lying completely still except for the breathing though and his eyes were closed for the count.

"I'm thirsty," I said, looking at Shaton, "will you call me if he wants to fight more when he wakes up?"

"I've always known he wasn't very smart, but if he is that stupid I think we might as well just kill him," Shaton said, and he sounded serious.

"The fight is over then?" I asked.

"Yes, it is over." Shaton said, and damned if he didn't laugh.

Katia nearly beat Shaeta to me then but not quite. They wanted to tend to my wounded elbows, which were scraped and bleeding. I told them to just come to a stream with me so I could soak them in water.

"Why would you do that?" Shaeta asked.

"It will clean out the dirt and grass from the cuts, but even better, if the water is cool enough the bruises will not be very bad at all," I said.

"How do you know that?" Katia asked.

"I have been in a fight before, many in fact," I said, and it seemed to satisfy them.

They led me to a stream I hadn't found on my own yet and I just stripped off my clothes, briefs and all, and got in. Both of them gave me a good looking over when I did it but only Katia had the decency to blush afterward.

The water was colder than I expected but that was good. I stayed in until my teeth were chattering and you should have seen the looks on their faces when they saw how much my dick had shriveled up from the cold. I laughed at them.

"What is funny?" Shaeta asked, and her tone wasn't so gentle.

"It shrinks in cold water. It will come back soon," I said, and laughed again.

She did blush this time and then she and Katia laughed together, no doubt they'd both wondered what had happened.

They gave me a little grief when I got back in a few minutes later but I told them it was better to suffer through the cold now than be so sore all over tomorrow.



-------

Chapter 7


When I finally got out to dry off I noticed that Shaeta and Katia kept taking surreptitious glances at my dick, making sure it came back up to specs I guess. Fair was fair, they'd both let me have a good look at their goodies and there was no sense trying to hold out on them. They seemed satisfied by the time I pulled my pants back on.

My opponent was still out when we got back and it had been longer than an hour at least. I walked over toward him and no one was there except a young boy holding a stick. I guess he was watching to make sure nothing came up for a bite.

I looked the big man over. His color was good so he probably hadn't hurt himself inside anywhere, except in the noggin. When I looked closely at his closed eyes I could see movement under the lids so I figured he'd come around in a while. The three of us left the boy with his charge and headed back toward the center of camp. Things had been going on while we were gone.

Apparently there was some sort of pecking order I wasn't aware of or some plan I didn't know, but spaces were being marked out for the placement of huts and semi-permanent fire circles. Caloe showed Shaeta where we would be as soon as we walked up and she gave Katia some instructions about things to do in preparation for their hut. Most of the men were gone again, cutting poles and such no doubt.

"Did you see the big one when you came back?" Caloe asked.

"We did. He is hurt inside his head, but it will be better soon. I could see his eyes moving behind the lids. He will probably be sick to his stomach for a day or two at least and he won't be able to do anything useful. He will only fall down if he stays on his feet trying to work," I said.

"I was afraid of that. But, how did you know?" she asked me, showing surprise at the end.

"He has been in a fight before is what he told Katia and I," Shaeta said, and then giggled like a schoolgirl when Caloe smiled.

"He must have left some other poor fool sleeping on the ground then too," Caloe said.

"He isn't really sleeping. His head is confused inside and it is trying to sort itself out. Even when he comes back to his senses he will not be completely over it," I said.

Caloe gave me such a look then, as if to remind me not to tell my granny how to suck eggs, but then she let me slide.

"I think I should go cut some poles for our hut then. Does anyone else need help with that while I'm gone? I'm very good at cutting poles," I said.

"I think everyone is able to take care of their own needs so far, except for him of course," Caloe said, pointing to where the guy was still laid out.

"Will his family be able to do it without him?" I asked.

"He doesn't have a mate. He wants one badly and he is a good worker when he isn't being disagreeable, but Breezus has never found him," Caloe said.

"Is that what you call the feeling I had when Shaeta came walking under the tree I was in?" I asked.

"No," Caloe said, and laughed, "Breezus is the spirit that gives you the feeling."

"Oh, I didn't know. I noticed the feeling right away but I didn't see Breezus give it to me," I said, smiling.

"Most men don't even realize that something has actually happened to them, they just see their intended mate and charge ahead. We have told almost none of them the name of Breezus either, so don't share the knowledge with any other men," she said.

"I won't. If he had no mate, do you happen to know if he even has a hut that needs poles?" I asked Caloe.

"Yes, he has a nice hut and it needs sixteen poles, most of them at least fourteen feet long," Caloe told me, but it was plain she was wondering why I wanted to know.

I thought that was a little odd. It seemed obvious to me that if I was going to cut poles and wondering how many someone else needed, I was probably going to cut some for them too.

She didn't say anything else though and I didn't either. Shaeta told me that she thought our new hut, a gift from her family because of our mating, would need twenty poles and that they should be eighteen feet long.

I left a few minutes later with my cart, my axe, hatchet and my big Wyoming saw. I already knew that what they cut for poles was usually a young birch tree, or at least what looked like a birch to me, kinda. I didn't know what they actually called them but I knew where some were because I'd passed right by them when I went for the thaka.

I hadn't looked them over very closely on my previous trip but the pole material was perfect. It seemed that every one of them was about the same three inch diameter and as straight as if they'd been made for this exact use. It took almost no time to cut them, even though I had to use the sashcord to put a strain on them from another tree to keep the kerf from closing on my saw.

I didn't bother trimming them to length, or at least I didn't measure them. I just used my axe to clear away smaller limbs and then I topped them with the saw, just before they started branching near the top.

Hauling them was a trick but not that difficult. I used some of the cutoff pieces to make short siderails for the cart and then pyramided the poles on it longway, with the wheels about in the middle. As they were nearly loaded I slid the top few back and forth until I had the weight pretty much balanced on the wheels and then I started pushing.

It was a hell of a load but probably not much more than the big thaka, and when I got tired, I stopped and rested.

It was a little odd to me that no one asked about my way of carrying the poles when I came back with them. No one but Shaeta at least. I just told her there was no sense bringing them back one or two at a time when the cart was just as happy to only have to do it once. She slapped me on the arm for that smart assed remark, but she laughed too. Then she noticed how many I had.

"But Carl, why did you cut so many?" she asked.

"I went ahead and cut poles for the big guy's hut. He won't be able to even think about doing it for days, maybe weeks. Did he even get up yet?" I asked.

"Yes, about an hour ago, and it was exactly like you said. He was sick to his stomach, worse than even gajee makes you, and he can't stand up by himself. The healing woman went to see about him and told him to just sit around for a day or two. She is going to have someone bring his food to him, but she said for him not to try eating today," Shaeta told me.

"Tell me what we need to do with our poles and then I'll carry the other's over to wherever he is going to put up his hut," I said.

"You can just put ours down here anywhere. I don't plan to use them before tomorrow. We will sleep in the open again tonight," she said.

I unloaded all except the ones we didn't need, the ones I'd cut for him, and then I started pushing the cart that way. I found him on his pallet, sitting there and still looking loopy. I didn't know if he could even make sense talking yet but I thought I'd try.

"Hello, I've cut poles for your hut. Are twenty enough?" I asked.

He looked at me like he didn't understand what I said and I was about to ask him again but he finally spoke.

"Twenty are more than enough, but why did you do it?" he asked.

"You need them, and I was already cutting mine so I asked how many you might need. When I learned it I cut yours too," I said.

"But I fought you and wanted to kill your thaka," he said, sounding as if now everyone had a thaka calf they were proud of.

"We had a disagreement and we fought to see which of us was right. Do you think the spirits would let me win if I weren't right?" I asked.

"Sometimes the spirits seem to let things like that happen," he said, and it came out more clearly than I would have expected.

"Maybe, but then again, maybe the one who loses just doesn't realize he was wrong to start with and the spirits knew that even if he didn't," I said.

Probably I was taking unfair advantage of him, filling his head with spirit mumbo jumbo while he was addled, but I wasn't going to stop, and it was mostly for his own good. If he made me fight him again I was going to try my best to kill him and I felt sure I could.

He was too damned big and strong to be running around working on his own agenda. I was going to make him see things my way or get rid of him. I don't mind people who have reasonable objections to what I want to do. He hadn't been like that though.

He couldn't have given a shit about the thaka, he just wanted a chance to fight me as a sort of pecker check. Well, he'd come out on the short end. If he tried to be a good citizen after this he'd do ok, if he didn't I was going to let him push up dasies.

"Thank you for cutting poles for my hut. My name is Denac," he said.

"My name is Carl, Denac. I hope we can be friends soon. I see that you are in pretty good shape for the night, since it doesn't feel like it will rain. You will still feel bad tomorrow and I'm sorry for that but you didn't give me a choice.

"After my mate has done with the hut building tomorrow I will come here and put your hut up for you. You can sit near and watch to make sure I do it the way you want it done," I said.

"But why would you do that for me?" he asked.

"Someone needs to do it for you. You will not be able to for days. You are a member of my Calak, I would do it for anyone in my Calak that needed it. Probably for anyone even if they weren't in my Calak," I said, then I unloaded the poles and took my cart back home. That sounded good even if it wasn't standing yet, home.

When I got back to Shaeta she was still fussing with the waiting parts of the hut. She showed me where it was to be erected and told me the size it would be and since there was still plenty of daylight left I started putting the poles up.

The first three would have been a bothersome bitch if Shaton and Matatu hadn't been standing around and decided to help me. After that it was all cruising. No one seemed to notice that I wasn't using an axe to trim the poles to length and I didn't mind a bit. The saw made things go easily twice as fast as trimming with an axe would have.

By the time supper was ready I had all the poles up and the spreaders lashed into place on the inner circumference. The frame was finished and ready to put the skins on tomorrow. Shaeta was beaming at me when she and Katia brought our supper.

"I can't believe you got done so much faster than the other men," Katia said, after we'd finished eating.

"I had to work faster since I need to put up Denac's hut tomorrow," I said.

"I still don't understand why you'd do that for him," Shaeta said.

"Someone needs to, and I'm the reason he can't," I said.

"He is the one that wanted to kill the calf," Katia said.

"He didn't really care about the calf, he just wanted to fight me. I'll bet he tried very hard to win when he fought Shaton," I said.

"He did, and mother was worried for a while. We were sure he wanted to be Zakat," Katia said.

"You were right, I'm sure. No doubt he is also disappointed that he does not have a mate after a long time with this Calak, and he was probably jealous that I found one the very day I joined it."

"You're right, that must be it. I still don't know why you would build his hut?" Shaeta said.

"He didn't understand either, but he is grateful. He told me his name and I told him mine. I will build his hut and I will try to do anything for him that he can't do until he is able to take care of himself again," I said.

"But why?" Katia asked.

"Because I don't want to kill him, and if he starts something with me again I'm going to. He is too big and strong and too frustrated to keep around unless I can make a friend out of him.

"The whole Calak will be better off with his strong back around for help, as long as he is in a good mood. I even think he will have a mate soon if he stops brooding over it, and brooding over not being Zakat," I said.

"Mother said today that it might have been better if he hadn't come to," Shaeta said.

"It might have been, but maybe not. It doesn't matter though. He is not a good fighter and if he causes more trouble I will do away with him," I said.

"But he nearly won when he fought Shaton," Shaeta said.

"They are both very big and very strong and they have never had to learn how to fight. I'm not nearly so big and strong as either of them, so I had to learn how to do it a better way.

"I'd have only had to hold Denac's head a certain way as he was falling backwards the first time today to make him die right away. I didn't do it because I think I can help him be at peace with himself and with the rest of us. If I can't I will kill him next time," I said.

"I don't see how it could have killed him just from you holding his head a certain way," Katia said.

"Push your head back as far as you can and see if it doesn't hurt," I said.

"Of course it will hurt," she said.

"What do you think would happen if you were standing and fell flat on your back, like Denac did today, with someone else holding your head as far back as it would go."

"Oh, it would have hurt him even worse," Shaeta said.

"Do you think you would have noticed today if I had one arm behind his head and one under his chin as we were falling?" I asked.

"I would have thought that was more normal. I wondered why you weren't holding onto his head," Shaeta said.

"I wondered too. It looked a little odd for your arms not to be holding onto something as you fell, or as he fell," Katia said.

I had my arms up to break the fall I knew was coming after I kicked his legs from behind. I didn't want my head to slam into his. That would have hurt me," I said.

"But wouldn't it have hurt you if you were holding his neck back?" Shaeta asked.

"Yes, it would have hurt, but it wouldn't have killed me," I said.

"But how do you know all that," Katia asked, and then Shaeta beat me to my favorite line.

"Because he's been in a fight before. I'm beginning to believe he's been in a lot of them," she said.

"Well, he must be good at it, he hasn't let them make his face ugly or break his teeth," Katia said, and then she blushed about the backhanded complement.

"He is handsome, isn't he?" Shaeta asked.

"Yes, he is very handsome," Katia said, agreeing.

They got the better of me with that one and I blushed, dammit.

We talked a little more until the sun went down and then we got undressed and into bed. At least the sleeping furs hadn't moved during the day this time.



-------

Chapter 8


After a sound kissing, Shaeta turned over and scooted back against my front. I had taken the expedient of removing my briefs completely tonight and I put my dick up in its new favorite spot so it would stay warm. Shaeta sighed again when I took hold of a titty.

I don't know how long I'd slept when movement woke me but it must have been a few hours. I realized the disturbance had been someone joining us in our furs and since they snuggled right up against me, I had a pretty good idea it must be Katia.

Shaeta made me sure then.

"Turn over and show her what it feels like," she whispered.

"Show her what what feels like?" I asked.

Shaeta didn't say anything, she just reached down and squeezed the head of my dick. Mine was not to reason why. At least that's what my dick was telling me.

I rolled over and since Katia was facing me now I put a lip lock on her and gave her a good kissing of her own. It was easy to tell that she liked it.

She didn't waste any time putting her back to me though, and soon enough I snuggled up against her.

I didn't tarry either and when she was close I could feel that her shift had moved up and her naked asscheeks were pressed to my groin. She noticed it too and shivered.

I used my hand to make a little room and then she spread her legs more on her own. It only took a hip wiggle for my dick to plop up against her vulva, and I even noticed a few little crinkly pinpricks from her sable pelt. I let my hand make a slow slide up her thigh then, across her belly, and finally onto a titty. Her nipple was already swollen but that didn't stop me from trying to make it harder.

Just as with Shaeta, when I nibbled on her neck and ear she started to tremble and it didn't take her long to asks me to stop.

"Stop that kissing and nibbling. It feels too good and I'll be yelling if you're not careful," she whispered.

I did as she asked but I didn't let go her titty and I let my dick lay right where it was. I was back asleep in minutes.

I don't know how I slept through Katia's exit but I did. When I woke again it was still pitch black out and somehow I knew it was hours before sunrise. I could also tell that Shaeta had somehow shucked her sleeping shift.

I've always heard that nothing will turn a man's stomach faster than two warm tits in his back. Unfortunately I couldn't turn over at the moment because someone had a good grip on my dick, and they were kissing and nibbling on my neck and earlobe.

When she noticed that I was awake, Shaeta started slowly stroking her hand up and back on my dick. I was all for it for a while, but I had to make her stop.

"This time its you that has to stop, or I'll yell out."

"I know, but it seems like it would almost be worth it," she said.

"Do what you like, but we'll have to go wash the furs if you keep it up."

"Will we have to wash the furs after our hut is finished?" she asked, after she quit stroking.

"No, I'll have a better place to put it then," I said, "and you'll be the one yelling. Yelling loudest, anyway."

"Do you promise?" she asked.

"I promise."

She released me then and turned over to our normal position, I snuggled up to her and put dicky in his favorite place. Surprisingly I went right back off to sleep.

We were up and dressed the next morning without a hint of a peep show for me. Oh well. Today was going to be a busy day.

I didn't realize it until after breakfast, but we were at the head of the line for the younger boy's help since I had put my frame together first. In fact mine was the only one ready yet.

This part was easy for me. All I had to do was hand the boys up onto the structure and then they laid on the skins and stretched them, tying them in place after they were tight. It was easy to tell they were well practiced at this, since they were done with the whole hut in a little less than an hour. Our home was ready.

"Now what my mate?" I asked Shaeta, after the boys moved on.

"Now my mate must stay out of the way while I finish on the inside. If you are going to help Denac you might as well go tend to it," she said, so I did.

Denac was up, and sitting today instead of reclining. He even smiled at me when he saw me coming. I smiled back.

"I am really surprised that you meant it and I am very pleased. Thank you again Carl," he said.

"You are welcome Denac," I said, and then I got to work.

I had the poles trimmed to length and then up, with the help of Shaton and Matatu again, in what seemed no time. They had come over not long after I got there. It was a little embarrassing that Denac kept bragging on me the whole time, but I didn't say a thing about it.

I was done a little later and had even finished lashing the spreaders in place. Shaton and Matatu had left and Denac and I just talked a little, mostly about nothing until lunch rolled around.

Shaeta came to bring us something to eat and I noticed right away that Katia was not with her. I didn't mention it though and finally decided it was for the best after all. We had a pleasant lunch and Shaeta left with the bowls.

The tarping crew arrived not much later. I called them that to myself because what they were doing was about like putting a tarp on something and tying it down. I lifted a few of them in place and they must have been tired of this game already because they had it over with in short order.

Denac thanked them profusely as they left.

"Now, what would you like inside first, Denac," I asked.

"Do you have time to spare to help me move my things inside?" he asked, as if he couldn't believe I would.

"No, but I have time to spare to do it with you telling me what to do. I do not want you to set back the progress you have made already, and I know as well as you do that your balance isn't what it needs to be yet," I said.

"You are right, but how do you know it?" he asked.

"I have been in a fight that I didn't win before," I said, and I was glad to see that it made him laugh.

"I don't know how anyone was able to best you," he said.

"That's how I learned to fight so well. You learn much more from the fights you lose than the ones you win," I said, and that finally got him to stop talking and start thinking.

Moving his things into the hut didn't end up being much of a problem. It wasn't that he didn't have much, it was because his stuff was mostly all the same.

He had furs, spears, skins, and some tools. With no woman he hadn't collected things for cooking, cleaning, and other tasks that the women took care of. He had a lot, it just wasn't a lot of little things.

He tried to thank me to death as I left, but I wouldn't let him.

When I got back to my new hut Shaeta and Katia were still inside, working, and I wasn't allowed in. I didn't mind and I tracked down the calf to fool with it unless someone else needed something. Nobody seemed to need anything now except a visit from the lightweight boys to spread the skins onto their hut frames.

The calf was munching away, doing duty as a combination lawn mower and fertilizer. It looked up when I approached and then went back to eating. I decided it needed a name and I thought Buttercup was an excellent one. I'd have to run it up Shaeta's pole and see if she saluted.

Rudely interupting Buttercup's meal, I tied the sashcord onto the halter I'd made for him and started leading him a little. He didn't want to go at first but it didn't take him long to figure out that I wasn't going to leave him alone until I finished this game. I led him around the outside of the camp in a big circle and then back around, turning him loose where I caught him. He was catching on and would do fine.

Katia and Shaeta were out of our hut and helping with the meal by the time I got back from Buttercup's walk. I didn't dare go into the hut now, just in case it was a no no.

I took a seat not far from the cooking frenzy and was rewarded for my patience half an hour later with a bowl of supper and a warm body to sit on each side of me. Damned if I couldn't grow accustomed to this. I idly wondered if we'd be able to get along with Katia's mate when she got one.

It wasn't a bit too soon for me when the sun started heading for the hills, or down behind them was more like it. Sure enough there was a type of ritual we had to go through when we first entered the hut but thankfully it was only us holding hands as we went inside, and Katia was the only witness.

Shaeta had brought a burning twig with her and she lit a small fat-fueled lamp that was hanging from a thong suspended across from one side of the hut to the other. It didn't give much light but it was plenty for me to take a good look at my naked mate for the first time. She was taking advantage of the light too, checking me out.

We didn't spend much time on the visuals and soon enough we were lying in the furs and I was worshipping her body with my mouth. I did a lot of praying at her titties. I could tell that this wasn't exactly what Shaeta expected but she seemed fine with my change of plans.

She was thrilled when she learned that the kissing wasn't going to stop at titty level and she trembled as I kissed across her flat belly. She was almost shaking as my lips toyed in her pubes and when my tongue found her clitty trying to stand up for a look it made her let out her first loud moan by batting it back down.

I figured she was warmed up enough now for a serious pussy licking so I moved down to get between her lovely thighs. She spread them quickly, and I think she expected the fucking to start. Not yet. We had plenty of time.

Like earth, sorta, the sun at this time of year stayed up for about fourteen hours a day, that left at least ten full hours of darkness. That basically meant ten hours of uninteruppted playtime if I could hold out.

When I put my mouth directly to Shaeta's pussy she couldn't hold still, she bucked it up to me and then I turned my tongue loose to do its best job. She was babling and crying in pleasure less than five minutes later and when I made her come for real the first time she just howled.

I kissed and nibbled my way back up her body, setteling between her legs as I went, putting my lips to hers, and plunging my tongue into her mouth. I already knew kissing this way wasn't common here. I didn't know if she'd ever had a good taste of her own pussy either, and I suspected that she hadn't, but she got one then and she must have loved the way she tasted, because she nearly sucked my tongue out of my mouth.

When I raised my hips to let the one eyed snake look for its hole Shaeta showed me someone had given her some pointers. She took hold of junior and aimed him at the spot. I pressed it up her slowly but firmly and it seemed like a long way home.

In four strokes I was buried, and her hugging and squeezing let me know she couldn't have been happier about things so far. I couldn't help noticing that Shaeta's pussy didn't feel exactly like an earth woman's pussy either.

In several ways, every pussy feels different when you're inside it, but usually the differences are not as noticable as Shaeta's. There seemed to be more substance to her vaginal walls somehow, and though I was trying to enjoy the fuck, it nagged at me a little.

At once I could almost feel some new knowledge getting set to reveal itself to me via my seeming internal wikipedia. I did my best inpression of shouting  stop that  inside my head. Damned if it didn't work. Just in time too; Shaeta's difference was starting to feel better with every thrust of my hips.

My own estimation of what it must be formed then, without the mental intervention I'd shut off. Shaeta's pussy had more muscles than other's I'd enjoyed. By slowing down I could even feel things as she seemed to be gripping my shaft with muscles I was pretty sure earth women just didn't have. It wasn't nearly as strong as a fist could grip, but it was more than just noticable and it felt delicious, so I put my full attention back on what we were doing together.

I set up a good full length stroking and before long her beautiful legs wrapped themselves around my waist, and the fucking started in earnest. I was glad that long fingernails were not in fashion among kwagi women, if they had been my back would have been ripped to shreds.

I hoped I wasn't getting carried away, but I began hammering on Shaeta after that. She seemed like she loved it, and even though she screamed her way through most of it, I think she was proud of my work. When we finally went off together I felt faint and I know damned well she did.

She quieted down and we whispered and cooed to each other while we rested, nibbling, kissing, and licking on each other. I kept a hand teasing one nipple or the other and Shaeta let me know that she really liked having my tongue in her mouth.

We must have drifted off for a while, because the light she'd lit was out when I opened my eyes later. Shaeta was still sleeping but that came to a stop when my tongue went back to work on her nipples. Damned if we didn't play the same old game and we both won again.

I'm guessing that we woke right at sunrise. I knew what woke me but I didn't know what, if anything, I'd do about it. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to ignore this but at the moment it seemed like a complete fuckup. I needn't have worried, because as soon as she opened her eyes I could tell that Shaeta knew it too, and she smiled the widest one I'd seen on her yet.

"I can't believe what a man you are and I can't believe how good Breezus is to me," she said.

"Then it is real, the feeling I have?" I asked.

"Yes, it is real. Katia will mate with us," she said.

"What will the other's think," I asked.

"No one would dare question the calling of Breezus, and no woman will doubt that it is real. They will be able to sense it as soon as we find Katia. I think she is still asleep though. Some of the men will think you one of the luckiest and some will feel sorry for you.

"The women will all know that Breezus has given us to you because you are too much man for one woman. I was almost sure it would happen before you let me sleep the first time. When you woke me up later I knew for sure and after that I just hoped it would happen before you loved me to death," she said, smiling so that I could tell it even in the dark.

We dressed quickly after that and I was a little ashamed of myself when I noticed that Shaeta was moving gingerly. She grinned at me after she was dressed though and told me it hurt so good she could barely stand it.

"I was expecting it anyway," she said, "My mother warned me about men like you."

We made it out of the hut and nearly to the central fire before Katia came flying out of her parents hut and raced to jump into my arms.



-------

Chapter 9


"I am Katia," she said, from my arms and to both of us.

"I am Shaeta."

"I am Carl."

"We will mate tomorrow," Katia told us.

"Nothing could make us happier," Shaeta told her, for both of us.

I could tell from the look on Katia's face that Shaeta had already told her about my reply the first time.

We spent the rest of the day together, much as Shaeta and I had spent our first day. I really didn't need all the information Katia doled out again but neither Shaeta nor I begrudged her the chance to give the spiel she'd no doubt been training for, just as Shaeta had.

Later, near sunset, she did the same as Shaeta had and left us to spend a last night in her mother's home.

Shaeta and I returned to our hut, undressed, and then held each other until we fell asleep. I knew damned well that Shaeta would be sore and I didn't even think of getting anything started.

We woke before sunrise the next morning and were dressed and outside just as the sun was peeking out. Caloe and Shaton were there to greet us and I thought it was a little odd that Caloe was here tending to business with Shaeta while Katia needed to get ready for her mating ceremony but I held my tongue. Shit, the women knew what they were supposed to be doing.

Shaton and I found a place in the creek to bathe but he didn't bother with much of the spiel that Caltort had given me. He did ask if I had any questions but I couldn't think of a one and he seemed just as glad about that. We returned to camp, grabbed a mouthful or two and then he left while I waited. Shaeta came back later too, and we waited together.

About an hour wait served this time too and then Katia made her entrance. Shaeta and I joined her in front of Zakat and Matatu and we looked respectful and answered when asked while they did their thing. The rest of the day went about the same as my mating with Shaeta. Katia filled all our bowls nearly to the brim with food and we sat together and ate, mostly feeding each other the tidbits.

She asked us pretty much the same questions that Shaeta had asked me, except for a few extra that concerned whether we were both willing to share her and share ourselves with her. Oddly those last seemed to touch me the most and I think they both noticed that I got a little misty eyed.

Shortly after we'd finished eating I got another round of introductions to all the women. We pretended this was the first time we'd met and the ceremony was a little odd in another way also. Katia introduced Shaeta to all the women too. Hey, it was jake with me. Being from earth I thought I understood all parts of how odd circumstances could bend normal occasions into surreal comedy, as long as you were taking a detached look.

When time for the drinking to begin came, I thought I knew what was coming but it turned out I didn't really. Katia could remember her recent big drunk just as well as Shaeta could. I only took one sip and I don't think they had that much. I was pleased with them and happy, until I saw Denac heading for the line up.

My mates were not amused when I told them we needed to intercept him, but I held their feet to the fire and they came with me.

"Congratulations Carl, you are the first man I've ever known who had two mates," Denac said, as we came up to him.

I thanked him and then introduced him to my mates. I knew I was on stable ground making introductions this way. Denac returned the favor informing both of them of his name, which of course, they already knew, but pretended not to.

"Denac, I don't want to tend to your business for you, but I feel that I must try to convince you not to drink any gajee today or tonight, or even for many more days, maybe as much as a month," I said, and even Katia and Shaeta seemed offended by my request.

"I'm sorry Carl, I didn't realize I wouldn't be welcome at your mating ceremony," he said, and I realized my mistake at once and knew I had to correct it.

"No one is more welcome at this ceremony, Denac. No one! If you were in good health I would hold up a bag and pour the gajee down your throat if you wanted me too. But you aren't in good health. You may not believe me, but I know what I am talking about. Your head was injured inside during our fight.

"It will take many more days for it to heal properly and the gajee will make it worse, not better. I'm sure you know how your head pounds the day after drinking very much gajee. Yours will hurt much worse and your vision will get blurry again," I said, and I knew I had hit a chord somewhere from the look on his face.

"But how did you know my vision was blurry, Carl, I told no one, not even the healing woman," he said, and he was truly surprised that I had known.

"The same hurt has been done to me before, Denac. I thought I told you that, the very same hurt. It took me weeks to get over it, and I might as well tell you now that it will always be easier for that type of hurt to happen to you again. That is just the way your head works inside. I am sorry that it happened but I can't take that back. All I can do is try to make you know what to do to get well and what not to do to make it worse.

"Please Denac, I will beg if it will help, please do not drink any gajee until I say you are well again," I said, and realized I meant it.

"Carl, no one has ever worried about me like this, or taken it on themselves to look out for my best interest. I am honored that you have. I will not drink the gajee ever again unless you say you don't mind, even after you've told me I'm well. I am honored," he said.

"May we come to your fire and visit a while then. My mates seem to be very familiar with the mating feelings lately and maybe some of it will rub off on you," I said, and to my surprise it made Denac blush crimson, but he smiled and led the way back to his hut.

Katia and Shaeta had both stiffened when I mentioned the mating feelings and they had good reason to. I had nearly let the name of Breezus slip off my tongue. I was thankful that I'd caught myself in time.

Denac's fire was banked when we got there and he only put a small amount of wood on. It was more than enough though because it wasn't cold at all, it was warm in fact and hell, the sun was up. Still it was normal to keep at least a small banked fire going most of the time.

For one thing, for most of them anyway, a fire was a fairly large pain in the ass to start. They knew about flint, but even with flint, starting a fire isn't all that damned easy. Of course it was no problem for me because I knew about Zippo, and I happened to have a quart of lighter fluid in my steamer. Even though it was warm and still light out I noticed that Denac did not have much firewood. I would fix that problem tomorrow.

Somehow the girls took to Denac in short order. I don't know whether it was because of the change in his attitude I thought I'd noticed or what, but we were all laughing and joking in a few minutes. They even started lightly teasing him over which of the unmated girls he liked best.

On earth this might not have been a welcome thing in some places and wouldn't have even been safe in others, but it was relatively benign here on Margata. Rape and abuse weren't unheard of here but they were very rare, and the girls didn't tease him overmuch.

We ended up spending the rest of the time until almost sunset talking with Denac. I could tell he was thoroughly enjoying himself and to tell the truth I was too. Before we left I told him that I would be gathering some firewood tomorrow and that I'd be sure to bring him some when I came back.

He tried to protest and say he would be able to get his own but I talked him out of it and encouraged him to rest and to tell me if he thought he needed anything. In fact I made him promise that he would.

I really didn't understand why I had taken to him so but I knew it wasn't that unusual. On earth it wasn't a bit strange for two men who had been in a fight to become friends afterward.

After all, it might not be the best of times but it was an intense and personal encounter they had shared. Besides, I think that the fight had changed Denac somehow. I had barely known he was in the Calak before it but his behavior since the fight did not coincide with what I'd heard about him before.

Not thirty steps away from his hut Shaeta told me the same thing I'd just been thinking.

"Before tonight, I never knew the Denac we were just talking to," she said.

"He has certainly changed since the fight," Katia said, agreeing.

"You must have hurt him more than you thought, or else you knocked some sense into him," Shaeta said, to me.

"It does seem that his attitude has changed since the knock on his noggin, at least from what I've heard about him since then. I never really knew him before. I've also heard that men often change in ways you wouldn't think of when they feel that they have been near death," I said.

"Do you think that he nearly died," Katia asked.

"The type of injury he had is unpredictable. Maybe he was near death and maybe he wasn't. What matters more though is if he thought he was near death. If he thought that he was it might make more difference than whether he really was near death or not," I said.

"You are right about that. Sometimes, when you believe something it can affect you whether what you believe is correct or not," Katia said.

"Well, he was almost always disagreeable before, at the least. If the fight and injury change that I think it was more than worthwhile, even for him.

"Before tonight the only thing I thought he was good for was finding bee trees and getting their honey," Shaeta said.

"Yes, he's always been able to do that, and though they sting him all over, it doesn't seem to cause him much trouble. Honey is always welcome," Katia said.

"What do you do with the honey comb?" I asked, knowing that I was making an abrupt change of subject, but realizing that they must not know about candles.

"We squeeze every bit of the honey out of it that we can, and then the healing woman uses a little bit of the comb for something. Not much of it though. Mostly it is thrown away," Shaeta said.

"Never let that happen again if you can possibly help it," I said.

"It won't be hard to keep all you want, but what can you do with it," Katia asked.

"It will be so much more fun if I show you, but believe me, when I do show it everyone in camp will be delighted," I said.

"If you say so, but now I'm anxious to know," Katia said.

"Then make up your minds together. I will tell you now if you want to know, or I will show you first if you want to wait. I think you will like seeing it better than you will like hearing about it though," I said.

They didn't even have to talk it over much, and they decided to wait until I could show them. I was thrilled because I'd already seen that all they had in the way of portable light was the little oil lamps that were fueled with fat. Candles would be a much better way.

The ceremony was still going on when we got back to the big central fire. Or maybe I should say that the drinking was still going on. It wasn't really so much drinking though.

The damned gajee was so strong that there wasn't a lot of actual drinking, just some drinking and then waiting around until you thought you could drink some more, sort of a getting up your nerve for another round type of thing. Hell, if they swilled it down like frat boys at a kegger they would all die of alcohol poisoning.

The three of us sat around and mostly watched. Some of the antics were funny and some just stupid. As the evening wore on the funny gave way to more and more stupid, and then almost at the same time most of the drunks just passed out. The main thing to take care of now was making sure no one passed out on a fire, or that they hadn't wandered away from camp and become unconscious out in the woods.

My mates and I left it to the ones who had been appointed as watchers and retired to our hut. I now knew that unlike earth, the mating night here was not for the traditional deflowering. Since the bride and groom were normally drunk as two dogs after the party, the first fucking was usually reserved for the second night of wedded bliss, at the earliest.

We were up at first light the next morning and I'll admit that we did a little laughing at the others as they woke, pissed and moaned about their heads pounding, and then got started cleaning off any vomit they had spread indiscriminately.

Many of them groaned again when breakfast was ready and barely a third of them could even get anything down. Apparently the youngsters were in on the fun too because they seemed to be especially loud during their playing today.

Standing around watching last night's drunks suffer wasn't on my agenda this morning though, and with no headaches or vomit misdeeds to worry about my two mates didn't seem to want my help as they put the finishing touches on our hut, brought Katia's things over, and no doubt rearranged everything in it twice. They even promised to keep an eye on the calf that I hadn't made any progress toward naming Buttercup, yet.

Since they didn't need any help from me I told them I'd go exploring, and they agreed it was probably a good time for me to get more familiar with our new surroundings.

That was exactly what I had in mind. I thought there were probably several simple things I could come up with to help us, and the whole Calak, with a little poking around. Like the candles I'd thought of earlier.

I had one precious asset that most of them didn't have much of. I had knowledge of later discoveries and materials from my previous life, not counting what my internal helper seemed willing to share when the spirit moved it.

It was as simple as taking a walk out into the woods and keeping at it. I took a different direction this morning and within twenty minutes I was heading up slightly, into some hills. They weren't very high ones, yet, but I could see that they kept climbing off into the distance.

After moving over two of them I spotted a wide slow-moving stream between me and the next hill. From my current elevation I could see that it headed here from the north and took a sort of bend back away from us along these hills and took off to the west for probably a mile or so, trending back southward at the limit of my view from here.

Making my way downhill and to it, I saw it was fifty to sixty feet wide and rather slow moving. It had obviously been here for hundreds of years and my own experience helped me out now.

Most of our eating and drinking was done from wooden bowls and cups. They served the purpose but must take a hell of a lot of work to make.

There was almost surely clay in this small river and clay meant pots, if it was suitable clay. That was about the extent of my knowledge though. I knew that the uses for clay pots and such were practically unlimited. I also knew that their utility was dependant on what type of clay you had to work with.

In the modern world things like that were already well understood, and you bought ceramic articles you needed in the ready to use state. Here it would be up to me to make them, or show others how to make them. Unfortunately I didn't know if this clay I might have found was suitable, and I didn't have any ideas about ways of finding out if it was or not, except by trying.

What I did know about making things from clay was threadbare at best. I knew you had to mix it up, do your best to get the air bubbles out of it, form what you wanted, let it dry for a few days and then fire it to make it mostly permanent. That was pretty much the drill, but I was sure there were specific ways to take care of the details and I didn't know any of them.

My new knowledge buddy was ominously silent right about now. I didn't know whether shutting it up earlier had offended it, it didn't know anything about clay and pottery, or it thought I needed to find out for myself. It didn't matter, because finding out for myself seemed best to me.

After a little thinking I decided that the best way to get started was to make something and see if it worked. If it did, I'd try to improve on the next item and if it didn't I'd try to figure out what went wrong. It sounded simple enough to start with.

Of course there was more to it than that. I had an entrenching tool that I could have used to try digging out some clay but it was back in my cart. What the hell, I wasn't going to make anything very big to start with. I took off my boots and pants and waded in, trying to make sure I didn't step on anything sharp.

After about thirty minutes of fucking around I located some mud I thought was suitable with my feet, and I stooped over and pulled out a wad with my hand. It wasn't much trouble to wash the ordinary dirt away and keep building on my ball of clay. Ten more minutes of playing in the water gave me a mostly round ball of clay about the size of a softball.

Out on dry ground again I mixed it around with my hands, flattening it out and folding it over time and time again until I thought it was mixed enough. How did I know? I didn't, it was just a guess.

The next step, as best I could remember, was smashing it repeatedly into a wall or something similar to get the air bubbles out, and I didn't have a fucking wall. It wasn't hard to find a large, mostly smooth, rock for this, and a little time spent throwing it onto the rock and then wadding it back up to repeat seemed like it did the trick

A strong wish for a rolling pin was my next trick but I didn't really expect one to appear. It didn't take long to figure out that it is harder to make a cup or bowl out of wet clay than you'd think, especially freehand. No, of course I didn't have a potter's wheel and I wasn't about to fuck around and try building one until I was sure I could make something useful with anything I formed on one.

So, I made three cups freehand, and it took damned near two hours. Then I ended up leaving them on the rock for a couple more hours to let them dry out enough to take back with me. While they were doing that I took off for more exploring.

Of course I had put my boots and pants back on when I came out of the river earlier so I had to take them back off, wade across it, and put them on again after I dried off a little myself. I could have settled for looking around on the camp's side of the river, but where's the adventure in that?

It didn't take me five minutes after I was dressed again to find something that made me glad I'd gone to the trouble of crossing the small river. I spotted hoof prints almost as soon as I had my clothes and boots back on.



-------

Chapter 10


There was no way in hell I could deal with a Cashda now even if I had hold of one. Well, maybe if it was a foal, but probably not if it was grown enough to make it without its mother's milk. That didn't mean I wasn't happy to find there were some close to us. If nothing else I wouldn't have many problems hunting them.

With my rifle I could take one from long distance. I examined a lot of the hoof prints and as I'd seen before, they looked exactly like prints that horses left, only much bigger, they were easily half again the size of any earth horses I'd ever seen. It seemed that there were at least ten that had come here to drink and maybe as many as fifteen mature animals, while probably four yearling sized and maybe six to eight foal sized were in the bunch too.

I headed out in the direction they'd gone, hoping to get a look at them. I'd seen some from a long distance twice before, but from the talk about them I probably couldn't get very close, even if I was on their trail.

Two more hill climbs let me know I was wrong about that too. When I topped the second one from the river I could see the little band down in a small draw. I was probably within two hundred yards of them. There were fourteen mares, one stallion, five yearlings, and seven foals. They were grazing and it was obvious that they didn't know I was around. I thought it was a little odd though that they were all bays, but I guess stranger things could happen.

It seemed to me that I had been right with my first speculation about them. Somehow the Cashda, or the ancestors, had come from earth. My nose didn't do its amazing job on them and apparently theirs weren't doing that trick with me either.

In a way it made sense if they had come here from earth somehow. I had the ability for phenomenal nose performance on things that were native to Margata. If these Cashda, or horses, weren't native then it made sense that I wouldn't be able to smell them that well.

Just then the herd stallion made a loud snort, and glancing at him I could tell that he'd smelled me the old-fashioned earth way, probably. They didn't run off in a panic but they did start grazing away from me, and that was ok. I doubted they'd leave the area completely and I had no immediate use for them anyway.

The next hour or so I spent walking downstream and then back up it. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but it didn't hurt to see what was coming to drink here. I didn't see anything else out of the ordinary, or I didn't recognize it as such if I did.

Crossing back over the river involved another undressing and dressing and I was glad that my cups seemed dry enough to move now. I could tell that they would still be fragile but I'd just have to be careful.

Lunch had come and gone by the time I returned, but my mates had saved me a few tidbits. They were very curious about what I was bringing back with me and so I set them down near our hut and told them what they were.

"You mean after you get them hot in the fire they will stay that way?" Katia asked.

"Maybe. We'll just have to see what happens. If the mud was the right type, and if I let them dry enough before firing them, and if I haven't done something else wrong they should stay the same from then on.

"If it goes wrong somewhere I'll have to see about thinking of something else to do. I know that it can work, I just don't know exactly how."

"Well, I hope you can make it work. Bowls and cups take a long time to make and they don't last so long either. If these made out of mud from the river will work they should be much easier than days and days of carving and polishing a cup out of wood," Shaeta said.

"They will be even easier than you think, and more useful too, if I can get it right. Cups and bowls aren't the only things you can make this way. After I have it perfected I should be able to make large bowls for keeping food in and for cooking in," I said.

"You mean we might be able to put them in a fire and they wouldn't melt and turn back into mud?" Katia asked.

"They would not turn back into mud. They might crack or break, but even then they would not go back to being mud," I said.

This was plainly amazing to them, but they seemed to be giving me the benefit of the doubt. Shaeta had a good thought next though.

"Maybe you should not tell anyone else until you have made at least a few that work," she said.

"You are certainly right about that."

"The calf seems to want to go where we go now, it is almost like it gets lonely without us," Katia said, changing the subject.

"I don't wonder, it is accustomed to being with its mother and now that she is gone it might be lonely. It will get over that, with time. Is anyone complaining?" I asked.

"No, most of the women have learned to just shoo it away when it comes too close, and none of the men would say a word even if they didn't like it. They even seem reluctant to shoo it away," Shaeta said.

"I don't want the calf causing any trouble. Be sure that the women understand that I don't expect them to let it become a bother. I will make a pen if I need to."

"What is a pen?" Katia asked.

It was harder to explain than I'd have thought, but I finally used some of the scraps from the hut building to cobble up a small demonstration of a fenced enclosure. They understood easily after that but thought that it would be a lot of trouble.

"Maybe, but think how the men and even the women would like it if we had several grown thakas to pull all the travois. That would leave most of the men free for other duties during any traveling the Calak does," I said.

"But what other duties?" Katia asked.

"Why, anything the women think they should be doing," I said, giving maybe the first politically correct statement on Margata.

"My mother was right," Katia said, "You are very smart for a man."

"Maybe, maybe not. Have the two of you decided where you'd like for me to stack our firewood?"

They had and they showed me. With my saw, hatchet, and axe strapped onto my cart I headed back out in the direction of the place I'd killed Buttercup's mother. Then I spent the next three hours gathering, cutting, and splitting firewood.

Carting firewood on my dolly was a hell of a lot easier than hauling any damned thaka. There was no way in hell I could pile more than about a hundred and fifty pounds of wood on it. I had three cartloads and of course it took three trips. I stacked two loads where my mates had showed me it belonged and then I carried the last one to Denac.

He seemed happy to see me and I could tell almost at once that he was doing much better. I still wouldn't let him help with unloading and stacking the wood but he stood around and talked to me.

"I went walking out in the forest today and I have located a big bee tree. When you think I'm well enough I want to go and get the honey," he said.

"That is great, but unless there is some reason to get it right away I may have something that will help make it much easier," I said, thinking of making ceramic containers for it.

"That would be good, and there is no hurry. I hope you have discovered a way to keep the bees from stinging me so much," he said, and laughed.

"I hadn't even thought about that, but I did when you mentioned it and I think I do know a way," I said.

"How?"

"Bees do not do well in smoke. You should be able to help yourself a lot by building a small fire near the tree and having someone pile leafy brush on the fire to keep the smoke thick. It won't be perfect but it will help a lot," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure how much it will help, but I do know that bees do not like smoke at all, and I know it will help some. What kind of clothes do you wear when you do it?" I asked him.

"Just my normal clothes," he said.

"I have an idea that might help with that too. I will see if I can get my mates to make something that will keep at least some of the bees from getting to your tender spots," I said.

"That would be very good. Do you like honey?" he asked.

"I think everyone likes honey, but what I would like to have is the comb when the honey is out. I have an idea for something to make with it," I said.

"There is something you can make with the comb?" he asked.

"Yes, there is something very useful I can make with it," I said.

"I can probably find some honey comb tomorrow," he said.

"Don't you think the bees will object to your taking it?" I asked, joking him a little.

"I saw a spot where there was a fire, but it wasn't a big fire. For some reason it didn't burn many of the trees, but it did get them so hot they died anyway, almost as if the fire had been started and suddenly it rained and put it out.

"Anyway, it is a fairly large area and there's a chance a bee tree was among those killed. Maybe the comb is still there. It looks like it happened in the last year or two," he said.

"It wouldn't hurt anything to go look," I said.

"I will go with you anytime you would like. It isn't even very far," he said.

"Maybe we can go tomorrow, I will check with my mates to make sure they don't have plans for something they want me to do," I said, as I was leaving.

"I will be happy to show you anytime," he said.

My mates were helping get supper served when I made it back near the central fire, and they brought me a bowl right away, and brought their own too, sitting down on each side of me.

"How do you get firewood so fast?" Shaeta asked, while we were eating.

"It isn't that hard with my cart. It makes it much easier to carry," I said.

"Shaeta and I can see that, though no one else seems to pay it any attention. It isn't the only thing though; you must have some different way to cut it too, because the ends are always straight and smooth. No one could do that with an axe," Katia said.

"Yes, I do have a special tool for cutting wood, but I only have two, and one is very small, so I haven't made a point of showing everyone. I don't understand myself why no one else has asked about it. I will show you the tool when we are in our hut," I said.

They seemed mollified, but I noticed that they didn't waste any time cleaning our bowls and returning them to where they were kept.

Shortly after we'd finished eating we were in our hut. It wasn't quite dark outside yet, so we left the skin folded back. That made it easier for me to show them the saws but stay mostly concealed from everyone else.

They had no trouble seeing that it worked, since I demonstrated with a small piece of the firewood. It took a lot longer to make them understand how it worked.

"How did you ever think of that and how did you make it?" Katia asked, and I braced myself mentally for what I had to do.

My mind was already made up, that I wasn't going to lie to them about this. They had been too good to me and I wasn't going to return the favor with deceit. I know most men have no trouble lying for pussy but I had never been one of them.

Actually, I thought that a lot of the lying that went on for that purpose was not necessary in the first place. There was almost always a better way to go about it. For instance, keeping your mouth shut and just getting on with the physical courtship almost always worked if anything was going to.

Many times lying about something would make things, whatever they were, easier at the moment. Even more times than that, it would come back to bite you in the ass later. Whether you lied for money, help, or pussy you were going to be found out sooner or later and it usually cost you more in the end than telling the truth from the start would have. So now I had to tell my mates the truth.

"I didn't think of it and I didn't make the saw. They came with me when I came here, like many things I have. The cart for instance, or my clothes, or almost anything I have," I said.

"You came from another world," Shaeta said, but at least she didn't sound upset about it, which was astounding in itself.

"Yes."

"We are the luckiest two women on Margata," Katia said, and I knew she would not be gainsaid, but I sure wondered why she thought it was lucky.

"I knew that," Shaeta said, "but I had no idea we were this lucky."

"Well I'm not such a prize," I said.

"We didn't want a prize, we wanted a good man, and what you've told us is only proof that you are. We knew already anyway. It does answer some questions that we couldn't even really form though," Shaeta said.

"What?"

"I almost wondered about your cart, as you call it, but couldn't quite until you told us you were Meseeka," Katia said.

"I'm what?"

"Meseeka. You have already lived on a different world and you've come to live on another, ours," Shaeta told me.

"How do you know about that? I didn't know about it until it happened to me," I said.

"Our mothers told us, and the other women, but they don't speak about it much. We don't know how or why it happens. It is said there might be Meseeka among us but that we wouldn't know unless they told us. That's probably why we couldn't think to ask questions about your things," Katia said.

"They never told us that a Meseeka might not even know it. We only really know about, or have stories about, one woman. She was the first healing woman and she has been gone for many lifetimes," Shaeta said.

"I know I can speak for Shaeta and tell you that we both feel honored to be your mates. We did even before you told us," Katia said.

"Yes, we are honored, but I think we should still make sure to tell him what to do. He is still a man," Shaeta said, and then they laughed at me.

"I would be hurt if you didn't," I said.

"Is the use you have for honeycomb something you learned on the other world," Shaeta asked.

"And the cups, those too?" Katia asked, before I could answer Shaeta.

"Yes, to both. I still want to wait until I have some honeycomb to show you, but the cups are called ceramics where I came from, and many things are made from them. If I have the right kind of clay and can do things the right way we will be done with wooden cups and bowls," I said.

"We will wait for anything you want to show or tell us, and we will try not to bother you about things you don't want to tell us," Katia said.

"I will tell you everything I know if you want to listen, but not tonight. I have a new mate to make scream tonight," I said, and it made them both blush and giggle; then it made Shaeta close our door flap.

"Oh," Katia said, "we need a burning twig to light the lamp."

"No we don't," I said, fishing my Zippo out of my pocket and doing the deed.



-------

Chapter 11


That little trick certainly went over well, but they didn't quiz me about it like I'd thought they might. Maybe they had other things on their minds at the moment. They didn't waste any time getting their clothes off and then helping me off with mine.

Soon I was examining them both in the weak lamplight and wishing I had candles already. As I'd pretty much suspected they were nearly the same size and had almost matching curves and valleys. Coloration was the most apparent difference.

Shaeta's lighter skin tone, with her pink nipples, looked lovely beside Katia's slightly darker skin and darker brownish tips. Shaeta's eyes were a dark but nearly sparkling green and Katia's were the bluest ones I'd ever seen. Looking them over made my dick the hardest one I'd ever even heard of.

Shaeta took a metaphorical backseat tonight so Katia could get her introduction to dick, no doubt. Katia was so excited that she could hardly contain herself. She flopped down to the furs as soon as I'd let her.

"Oh please, come and do it. I heard every scream Shaeta made the other night and they made me so excited," Katia said.

"I live to serve," I said, joining her on the furs, with Shaeta lying on the other side of her at once.

I started at the top of Katia's beaver and began kissing my way up and over her flat belly. She shook and trembled for my whole trip and when I latched my lips around a nipple she moaned.

Shaeta didn't realize it but she gave away their secret almost at once, whispering into Katia's ear about what was coming next and how it was going to feel. As I licked and sucked Katia's nipples Shaeta really let the cat out of the bag.

"Bite them a little," she said with a husky voice as I sucked on one of Katia's nipples, "She likes to have them nibbled firmly."

"Well don't just stay up there whispering to her, come down here and help me with one," I said.

They both sucked in gasps at that and then looked at me, seeming to expect the worst.

"What, did you think I wouldn't like that? It is making me burn inside. Come Shaeta, come help. Don't think she'll hesitate to help me with you later," I said, and she was convinced.

After a minute or two I left the titties to Shaeta's tender mercies and kissed my way back to Katia's booger. Things were already dripping down there and I saw that as I climbed between Katia's legs, Shaeta whispered something in her ear. What ever it was made Katia moan very loudly.

My tongue on her pussy made her moan even louder and as I licked her from asshole to appetite her hips started bucking and then straining to get more of the tongue work moved to her pussy. Finally I relented and used my lips to put suction around her clitty and then batted it side for side with my tongue tip. She exploded.

I didn't give Katia much time to rest from that first come. If the truth were known, I was ready for some pussy. She was back with us enough to spread her legs widely in seconds and then Shaeta pulled the best trick yet. She took hold of my throbbing dick and swabbed the head up and back in Katia's groove before lining me up for a landing.

When I touched down I kept going. With five pushes and pulls I had found the bottom and I set up a rhythmic stroke. I saw that Shaeta was tweaking Katia's nipples a little but mostly just watching.

"Shaeta, show Katia how I like to kiss," I said, and she didn't waste any time doing it.

There was no telling whether Katia had been more excited to start with or if Shaeta's kiss was just too much of a surprise, but seconds later she ripped their mouths apart, laid her head back and howled.

She showed me then that her inner muscles were even stronger than Shaeta's had been, or else she was just trying harder. Her pussy's tunnel squeezed a come out of me, and it was a damned good one. I collapsed onto her heaving panting body, heaving and panting myself. I wanted to roll my weight off her but didn't have the strength. Seconds later we all seemed to be sharing one kiss between the three of us. It's good work if you can get it.

To my surprise, Katia seemed to recover about an hour before I'd have thought she would be able to, as in about ten minutes after we'd hit the big one. I knew damned well I could never come back that fast, or I'd thought that at the time.

There is something about two naked women kissing and hugging and fondling each other that is very inspiring. Especially when they're both five ten and have impossibly large firm titties. Not to mention that they were squeezing each other's titties and pinching each other's nipples. Did I mention that they had only recently learned how to french kiss? I thought I had forgotten that.

Their performance was a dick inflator from the word go, and by the time Shaeta had Katia on her back again, working on her titties from above, I was ready for another round.

"Shaeta, lick her pussy," I said.

"But we've never done that to each other," she said, with a voice that was even more husky than before.

"It's about time you started then. Get busy," I said, giving her a playful slap on the beautiful ass she had pointed in my direction.

"Oh, yes Carl," she said, and put her beautiful knees between Katia's beautiful legs, to get started.

Of course I hadn't mentioned that I'd be giving her some help she might not really need in a minute or two.

Shaeta's tongue affected Katia about like an electric shock would have. Her body tensed all over for a second as Shaeta's tongue found her slit and then she moaned louder than I knew a woman could. Apparently Shaeta was delighted with the taste because she was licking for all she was worth in seconds.

Sensing my cue, I knee walked up behind Shaeta's wonderful shaking ass and placed my own dickhead this time. She tensed a little herself as she felt my German helmet nosing around between her labia and then she groaned into Katia's pussy as I pushed for home base. Of course this forced a loud groan out of Katia too.

I was busily long dicking Shaeta in a few seconds and she went back to work on Katia, who was panting for home herself by now.

"Shaeta, tell me, did my dick feel different coming in with Katia's juice already on it?" I asked, and it was damned sure the right thing.

First, the mere thought of it pushed Katia over the edge with Shaeta following obediently right behind her. Shaeta didn't leave me though, managing to keep her ass pressed back against my groin and showing me that she had more inner grip than she'd revealed two nights before. It was so thoughtful of her that I just had to share some come, though I have no idea how.

You might think that an all around squeezing like that wouldn't be such a turn on, but I don't mind telling you that you are wrong, wrong, wrong. The feeling was so wonderful and so different from what I was used to that I gave it up for her right away. In seconds we were all piled up on each other, barely able to lick, tickle, and suck. It probably took me at least twenty seconds to fall soundly asleep.

I woke for a few seconds later that night and discovered we were all in and under the furs, and that I had one beauty snuggled up on either side of me. It made me want to see whoever had brought me here and kiss them right on the mouth, if they even had one.

I could barely believe how good I felt the next morning when Katia and Shaeta woke me by taking turns leaning over my face and swinging their titties and nipples to drag across my lips. It was wonderful and it made me want to shut my eyes again and pretend to be asleep for the rest of the day. Finally I couldn't resist and I latched onto the next nipple with my lips.

They laughed at me over that and soon we were all up, dressed and heading outside. They went directly to the fire to help with the meal, which was just getting started. I wandered out to Buttercup, gave his ears a few scratches and then found a convenient bush to water. It made me realize that a privy was something I needed to show them soon.

Back near the fire I saw Denac was with us and he looked even better today. I walked over to him.

"Do you think we can check for a burned out honey tree today?" I asked.

"If you want to we can, and I've been thinking about it. None of the trees were burnt badly and if we find one it may still have honey in it."

"That would be even better wouldn't it?" I asked.

"Yes, it would. I can hardly think about how nice it would be to get honey without all those stings," he said.

We cut our conference short then, since Shaeta and Katia came over bringing both of us a bowl of breakfast. Denac had a hard time letting up on his thanks long enough for them to go back and get their own. We waited to eat until they returned. I knew it was only polite but I hadn't expected Denac to realize it.

After we'd eaten I told my mates what we were up to and made sure they knew I could stay to help them if they needed me for something.

"We will just be working in and around the hut this morning. Go ahead and see if you can find it. We are still anxious about the comb and what you are going to do with it," Katia said.

I went by my cart for my hatchet and Glock. I thought about taking the rifle too, but decided that it probably wasn't necessary. Denac detoured us by his hut and I learned that many of the skins I'd moved into it for him were actually skin bags to hold honey. He wanted to be prepared if we did find a tree with some.

The burned out place was odd to say the least. It was like he'd said. It seemed that a fire had started and then been rained out or something. As we walked around looking I found the reason it had started at least.

It wasn't the Tunguska event by any stretch, but it was apparent to me that a meteorite had struck here. There was even a small crater near the middle. Apparently it had been hot enough to touch off a fire, and it was almost as apparent that rain had started falling not much later and put it out. I wondered if there would be an iron center to that crater, but saved that thought for later.

I also knew that Denac had been right about a honey tree, since I'd been able to smell it nearly a quarter mile away. I didn't hurry to it though. I let Denac prowl around until he found it.

The bees had an entrance hole about twelve feet up, but we wouldn't be able to reach it without putting something together to climb on. The fire had been hot enough to damage any low limbs and they had since fallen off.

I used the back of my hatchet to tap on the trunk and found that it was fairly solid for about the first four feet and then the sound changed as I kept going up.

"How do you get the honey out, Denac?" I asked.

"It is better if we can cut the tree down, but with one that sounds this solid we would probably just try to knock a hole near the bottom of the hollow and drain the honey that came out into bags.

"After we had drained any that was out of the comb we would try to make the hole larger to pull the comb out through. That is usually the time the bees cause the most trouble, as if the first wasn't enough.

"Often we have to leave for a day or two to let the bees give up and leave," he said.

"I'm betting that it makes the bees very mad," I said.

"Yes, that is usually when I get stung the most, when we have to do it like that. Someone has to stay near to hold the bags and then to change them when one is full," he said.

"We are going to have an easy day today though," I said.

"You are right about that, but I should have brought my axe," he said.

"We won't need it, but I'm going to ask you not to tell anyone how we did what I'm going to do," I said.

"I won't mention it, and they probably won't asks anyway," he said.

He set down most of the bags and showed me a small wooden trough he had made to put under the hole once he'd made it. The trough had notches on one end that held the bag to it.

I asked him if he was ready to catch honey and he said he was, so I had him step back a pace or two, warned him to put his fingers in his ears, and then fired through the tree, near where I estimated the bottom of the hollow was.

Denac was amazed but his instincts took over when honey started coming out of the hole I'd made. While he dealt with that I went around to the other side of the tree to see if there was an exit hole. There wasn't, but there was a noticeable bulge with some splintering around it.

This would work fine for collecting honey but it wouldn't be worth a shit for getting the comb. No matter, after most of the honey was out we could cut the tree down and work at a more convenient level.

"How is it going, Denac," I asked.

"It is doing well, but it would be better if it were faster. I'm guessing there is a lot of honey in this tree that isn't being held by comb. Maybe the fire melted the comb and has let all the honey out into the hollow. I hope I have enough bags for it," he said.

"Do you have any more in your hut?" I asked.

"Yes, several more."

"Then why don't I do this part while you go back for them," I asked.

"It might be better if you went back. You could probably get back with the bags faster and it will be easier to change them with two people. I haven't had any trouble walking since day before yesterday, but I'm not sure I can run yet," he said.

"Are the bags all in the same bunch of furs?" I asked.

"I have the bags nearly right in the middle of my hut's floor. I had my hands on all of them and I should have brought them in the first place. I had no idea we'd find such a big tree," he said.

"I'll go get them and come right back. Will it be all right if I ask my mates to come and help?" I asked.

"Of course. They might want to see the honey coming out. Most people never get a chance to see it without getting stung, and most aren't that curious," he said, and then we laughed about it.

I took off for the camp and found his bags within ten minutes. It took nearly ten more to get Shaeta and Katia to come with me though. It wasn't that they didn't want to; they had been making clothes and trying the sizes as they went. It wouldn't do for them to stroll out into the trees in the state of undress I found them in.

When we reached Denac it was just in time. The bag was nearly full. I held the trough in place and he talked Katia through placing the new one while he tied off the full one. Things went more smoothly than I would have expected.

With that tended to, I held the trough and bag while I told Denac and the girls how to squeeze the air out of the disposable foam type ear plugs I'd fetched from my cart while the girls had been dressing. It was a good thing that I preferred the disposable type, since I'd had a fresh box of two hundred and fifty pairs with me on my hunting and fishing trip.

Even though they were meant to be used once and then discarded, they could be reused as long as you cleaned them every now and then. If you were too lazy to do that you could just suffer through the fungus infection you were likely to get.

Once our ear protection was in place I put another hole right beside the first one, running around to check the other side again. We were still in luck, though I could tell if I did it again we'd be trying to stop up a hole on this side.

Denac had been right about the girls watching the honey come out of the tree. They were fascinated by the process, and the honey just kept coming too. The damned tree had a lot more in it than we could have guessed.

We had six bags already tied off and Denac was working on the seventh when I thought to ask him if anyone else had any bags.

"I don't know, but Caloe might. I know that she usually turns them inside out and tries washing them after they are empty, but I've never asked her what she does with them after that. We have never needed this many before," he said.

The girls volunteered to go back to see if anyone had anything that would do and they were going to take a bag of honey each back with them, but I asked them to just go ahead in case it took a while to find something that would work, so they took off trotting. I hoped they came up with something, because if they didn't I was going to feel like any honey we wasted was my fault for being in a hurry to get at some honeycomb.

Nothing of the sort happened though. Of course Shata and Caloe had some of the old bags and they were even mostly clean, if a bit sticky still. I got the impression that they had never been used a second time before but they were perfect now, and needed too.

The bags weren't the only thing that came back though. Almost everyone, except for the few that had helped Denac before, came out to take a look at the miracle find. None of them stayed for the duration, like Shaeta and Katia did, but they all came out and gave it a good looking at.

It was well passed time for lunch before Denac said it was running too slowly to matter now. He had used up all his ten bags and six of the twelve used ones that Caloe had produced.

Meanwhile I had been eyeing the honey flow myself and had found some small fallen branches about a hundred yards from the tree. It hadn't taken much knife work to make two tapering plugs for the bullet holes I'd installed. When Denac gave up the ghost I placed them in the holes and drove them in snugly.

Denac gave me a look of curiosity but he didn't ask any questions, so I volunteered.

"There must still be honey on up in the tree that is slowly dripping down. With the holes stopped up, it will pool in the bottom and maybe we can get another half bag or so tomorrow," I said.

"That is good thinking and you are probably right. When we break one open there is always honey clinging all around the insides even after we have dipped most of it out," he said.



-------

Chapter 12


I considered us through for the day, because I could tell that Denac had done enough in his condition, even if he didn't think so. He was all set to start chopping the big tree down but I knew that it would not do a thing good for his head. It wasn't too hard to convince him we needed to take the rest of the day off.

When he looked around to grab a bag to take back he was puzzled for a few seconds, since there was only the last one remaining. Shaeta and Katia had hold of it together and they looked like they meant to carry it back themselves.

"But where did it all go?" Denac asked.

"We told the other men that came to stand and watch you two working to take it back to camp as they went," Shaeta said.

"Well, it wasn't exactly us that told them. We mentioned it to mother and she mentioned it to daddy and things took a life of their own after that," Katia said, and then the two of them laughed, followed by Denac and I.

They took off with the honey bag while Denac and I looked around a little more. I showed him where the fire had started and told him I thought a falling star had done it.

"You may be right. All the ones I've seen looked to be on fire when they were falling," he said.

"I will tell you a secret about them," I said, and he looked at me with obvious curiosity.

"What?"

"They sometimes have a very hard core that can be useful if you can find it. After we have the tree down and tended to I hope to dig down and see if the core is still there," I said.

"I will help. Just tell me what we need to do," he said.

"Good, we will see after we are done with the tree, I want some honeycomb badly," I said.

"Do you mind if I asks you why?"

"No, and I don't mind telling you. My mates asked too, but I told them they would like it better if they waited to see what I had in mind. I think you will like it better if you know why I want it now.

"If we melt the comb and then keep dipping a small grass stem into it, it will harden again on the stem and begin to build up a coating. It takes time, but when you are done you will have a candle.

"You can light the part of the stem that is still sticking out from the candle and it will keep burning for a long time. The flame melts the wax and it moves up the stem and burns. It will give light for hours. It isn't very much light, but you don't need much when it is night and there is practically none anyway," I said.

"I can see where that would be a big help. I am anxious to get the comb now and see you make a candle," he said.

"I am too," I said, but I didn't tell him it was so I could have more light to see my mates naked.

We went back to camp then and ate our delayed lunch. Shata had made sure some was saved for us and Shaeta told me why later.

"Mother has always made sure to do something nice for Denac anytime he finds honey and brings it in. This will not be the only thing either. Watch and see what he gets to eat the next day or two, maybe it will even last longer. Mother likes honey better than anyone in the Calak," she said.

"Yes, even more than my mother does. That is one reason that Denac has never been chastised over much for his disagreeable behavior. Everyone likes honey but no one likes finding and getting it. Denac has always made up for his poor behavior with his excellent skills at finding it," Katia said.

"There is no telling what you will be rewarded with if you have made him pleasant to be around," Shaeta said, and then they both giggled.

"Have either of you decided what to name the calf?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Are we going to name it?" Katia asked.

"Yes, I think we should, and we should do it before it gets big enough for everyone to see how much help it will be," I said.

"Why?" Shaeta asked.

"So they won't be tempted to call it Zakat or Matatu," I said.

"Do you really think it will be that helpful?" Katia asked.

"How much do you think others would like a man that could pull six travois by himself?"

"He would be everyone's best friend, even if he were disagreeable all of the time," Shaeta said.

"When the calf is grown he will easily be able to do that, and with the way people are treating it now it will always be in a good mood.

"I think we should name it Buttercup," I said.

"But what is butter?" Katia asked.

"It is a type of food made from milk. We won't have any butter until I can get some female calves and raise them like we are doing Buttercup," I said.

"We will just have to wait then, but I don't see any reason not to call this one Buttercup if you want to. As you told Denac, it is your calf," Shaeta said, and Katia agreed, so it was a done deal.

They went to help their mothers and the other women then, since it was about time to get supper going, even though Denac and I had just had our lunch. He had gone back to his hut to rest after he finished.

I was at loose ends for the moment so I tracked down Caloe and had to ease her away from the meal preparations. I was hoping that the newly arrived honey and my part in getting it would aid my case. I wanted some hides to make a rope from and I knew that we had gained several lately.

Even though we had the new arrivals I knew that hides were always important and I didn't know how many they'd had before they started their move. Still, I was going to ask.

I knew better than to waste her time hemming and hawing and so I just spit it out. I wanted three to four hides to make something and I asked her what I needed to do to get them.

"We have plenty but we haven't had time to tan them yet," she said.

"Excellent, I do not need for them to be tanned. I only need to scrape the hair and flesh off them," I said.

"Oh, they have already gone that far. What are you going to make," she asked.

"Do you remember the small rope I caught Buttercup with?" I asked, forgetting for a moment that she would not know the name yet.

"Buttercup?"

"The calf. We only just decided on its name and I forgot that you wouldn't know yet," I said, explaining.

"Buttercup. It has a nice sound, but I don't know what butter is," she said.

"It is made from milk and is good to eat, but mostly only with other things. It will take a while before I can catch some female calves and raise them until they are old enough to give milk. After I have we can make butter," I said.

"But how is it made?" she asked.

"It is a little complicated, but it is called churning. I have something else to make before we can churn the milk, even if we had it," I said.

"I will just take it on faith. If you want only the raw hides you can have several, especially since you seem to have little trouble bringing them in with the meat and organs still inside them," she said, and then laughed.

"I'm happy to bring them in like that. They are not fun to gut," I said.

"If you can convince the other men of that you will be one of my favorites," she said.

"Better than that, if I get a rope or two made all the men will be able to bring their kills back like that, and with less trouble than gutting," I said.

"Then you may have every hide here," she said, and I could see that she was serious.

"I only need three or four for one rope, but I'm hoping I can get Jagbac to make one for himself also. If he does I will teach him how to use it and he can help me with other things once he has it, if he will," I said.

"I will be glad to let you have four hides, or even more if you need them, to make your rope. Once I see it I'm sure that you can have more for a rope for Jagbac too, if you need them. I wish I understood how you will make ropes out of them though," she said.

"If you have time I can show you something that will let you understand it."

"I will make time, show me please," she said.

It only took a couple of minutes to walk to the hut and find a short piece of the sash cord. I did and returned, showing Caloe how it was machine plaited. She was amazed with that, and when I told her that a much stronger rope could be made by cutting the skins into slender thongs and plaiting them like the sashcord she was more amazed.

In fact I think she was skeptical, but she led me to a kind of storage hut that had gone up without my notice and let me pick out four hides. I took what looked to be the largest four and then we left. She went back to her cooking and I took the hides to our hut.

Of course the hides were stiff since they were completely dry. I'd have to wet them so they'd soften a little, one at a time, and then cut thongs from them while they were still damp.

I had no idea how long this would take but did know it could be done. I also knew I had a couple of Xacto knives and several blade for them. Long ago I'd learned how handy they could be when camping, especially if you ended up with a thorn or splinter in your hide, your own hide.

Mealtime was too near to go off to a stream for hide soaking now. It would be pointless anyway since night was coming soon and light would be needed to cut thongs, no matter what kind of knife I had.

I set the hides to the side in the hut and hoped I hadn't put them in the way of any thing my mates had in mind. If I had it would be easy enough to move them.

At supper I found out that Denac wasn't the only one who had a few extra treats. I was a beneficiary of the largess myself and I didn't mind it a bit. It wasn't like anyone was going hungry or anything like that. Denac and I just happened to get a little something that was extra tasty. I didn't even know what it was, but it was good.

Of course my mates spied the hides as soon as we entered the hut. They put me to the question right away but at least they were gentle. If I'd had any idea what would have happened I would have told them about it as soon as I thought of it.

As I explained what I needed they told me it sounded much too complicated for a man to do. They were experienced hands at cutting thongs and let me know right away they were going to do it.

They were a little shocked that I wanted so much cut into thongs and that I wanted them to be as long as they could manage, hopefully sixty-five or seventy feet each, but they still cheerfully claimed the duty.

When I showed them the Xacto knives I'd planned on using they were thrilled with them. They'd never had any type of knife so small and so durable either. When they found out that it was simple to sharpen them after they were dull they liked them even more.

"I feel a little guilty letting you do so much work to make my rope," I said.

"Nonsense. We do things like this all the time. You're a man, go out and kill something to eat while we do it. And if you get another thaka, with a female calf this time, so much the better," Katia said, and then the two of them giggled.

They were a little frisky after I put out the oil lamp but I made them confess that they were still sore down there were most of the fun took place. They claimed that a little fun in the furs would still be wonderful, but I knew they were putting that on, so I told them that I was probably too tired to do a proper job tonight.

We snuggled down naked into our furs and I went to sleep with a beautiful head resting on each arm. Things like that can make a man happy to go to sleep and even happier to wake up the next morning.

As soon as we woke, right at sunrise, I could tell that something had my mates' attention.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Breezus has done a small job in the night," Shaeta said.

"Do you know who it was?"

"The woman is Jekaycey but we can't tell who the man is. We won't know until she finds him, and she is probably still sleeping in her hut with her parents," Katia said.

I remembered who Jekaycey was at once; she was one of the tallest women in the Calak. She was a little older than most of the other unmated females too, and I'd wondered about it from the time I first got the details. I got a little inkling of my own then, but I'm sure it wasn't any Breezus letting me in on things.

The process of elimination was what I used. She was the biggest single female and guess who was the biggest unmated male? Right in one, Denac. Apparently Breezus, or someone, had decided that he was acceptable after the braining I gave him. I just had to let my mates know how clever I was.

"I guess Denac won't be without a mate much longer," I said.

"You should not make fun of it, Carl. Mating is a serious thing. Shaeta and I both hope that Denac will find a mate soon, but he has been here a long time without one and it is probably hopeless," Katia said.

"And how long has Jekaycey been old enough for mating?" I asked.

"Longer than Denac has been with us. Caloe and mother have almost given up on her ever finding a suitable mate. Matatu even said that her intended mate might have been killed trying to find our Calak," Shaeta said.

"It just shows that men should not be spouting off when they are over their heads. He may be Matatu but he is still a man, trying to make sense of things that don't concern him," Katia said, and then they both looked at me and laughed.

I got my chance to laugh at them not two minutes later. We were barely out of the hut before we saw Jekaycey heading almost directly toward Denac's hut, just as he was coming out with a dazed look on his face that hadn't been put there by a blow to the head.

My mates both turned to look at me, open mouthed, and amazed. I acted as if nothing was happening and they finally regained control.

"Seems to me that sometimes men are not spouting off just because you think they are," I said, keeping a serious look on my face for about five seconds before ruining the effect by bursting into laughter.

"We should make him fetch his own breakfast this morning Shaeta," Katia said.

"With mother and Caloe still tasting the honey he and Denac got yesterday, how much chance do you think there can be that it will happen," Shaeta said.

"Damnation, can you believe it? We have been outsmarted by a man. Tell no one, and if he does, we will lie about it," Katia said, and then we all laughed again.



-------

Chapter 13


If ever there was a match obviously made in heaven it was Jekaycey and Denac. From their first dreamy rendezvous that morning it was plain to see if you only looked.

Denac's near worshipful demeanor made it seem he should have a hat, so he could have met her with it in his hands, and the genuinely pleased smile on his face fit him perfectly then, as it never could have before.

Jekaycey's mood matched his and it made me wonder if I'd looked like that when the spirit had moved me. Then I realized that I must have looked exactly like that twice. One thing was certain; Denac would not be helping me with the tree today.

That didn't mean today wasn't meant to be the day the tree came down though. Or I knew for sure that someone thought it should. Maybe my benefactors and Breezus just hadn't bothered to get together to check their calendars of events. Things had been arranged, though I didn't make my discovery until after we'd had our breakfast.

With Denac out of any work related action for three days, and with my mates rushing into their thong cutting as soon as breakfast was over, I was on my own again today. I gave Buttercup a walking but even though he seemed happy to have the attention there was only so much time I could use up with him.

We had been lucky to get the camp up and going without a rain, and it made me remember my trunk and other things that were just too bulky to come into the hut. I had a small type of shed in mind for it all as I headed that way. When I got there thoughts of shed building went onto the back burner.

It wasn't the first time I'd received a gift from my travel agents, but it had been a while since the last one. They made up for it with this. Leaning against my trunk was an eight-foot two-man saw, and a four-foot topping saw. The eight footer wasn't made as a strictly crosscut or felling saw, it was for double duty and could be used as a ripping saw too.

There were also six wedges, two ten pound sledges, two splitting mauls, a two pound hammer and a three pound, and two carpenter type handsaws, one eight point and one five point. I also had a largish box of files, three Arkansas stones, and four sheath knives, and other small tools and things.

My benefactors hadn't left my mates out of the goodies either. Some of the new items must be presents for them; two Bowie knives with ten inch blades, and two six inch drop point hunters. One really odd inclusion was a four-inch by eight-inch piece of aluminum screen wire, like window screen. I didn't have a clue what it was for. Last but not least was a pair of Red Wing lineman's boots, a climbing harness, and a set of tree climbing spikes.

Of course the two-man saw was the star of the show and it was no doubt for felling the bee tree we'd robbed yesterday. The sledges and wedges would be needed to keep the kerf open as we made our way through. They and the mauls would also come in handy later to split firewood.

The mating dance that Jekaycey and Denac were involved in would make cutting the damned tree down too much of a pain in the ass today, no matter what my friends wanted. They should have sent me a couple of decent shovels if they wanted action right now. I could dig for the meteorite by myself with a good shovel.

Oh, I could work on the tree today all right, but not fell it. I could top it by myself, even though it wasn't the safest of things to do. Actually, though I was glad to have the equipment for topping, I didn't think it would really be needed on the bee tree. It wasn't all that tall in the first place.

Sure, there was a chance it would break apart when it fell, especially since it had a big hollow portion and not to mention the serious scorching it had received. It wouldn't really matter though. Firewood was all it was good for now. I didn't care how badly it mangled any comb that might be in the hollow and we surely had enough honey, for the time being anyway.

Looked to me like my shed building gig was still a go. First I'd have to deal with my new things though. They hadn't come with handy dandy cases like everything else, except for the one holding the files, stones, and other small things. There was not a chance in hell I'd try to put them into the hut without warning my mates this time, and asking if it was all right.

Meeting them as they were coming back from a stream where they'd soaked two of the hides, I followed to where they had a spot picked out to work. As they got to it, I noticed they had some type of lapboard to use while they were cutting. It must have been a hell of a job for whoever made them. They had to have been split off a large log and then sanded smooth with real sand.

Before they got started I led them to my cart and showed them the new arrivals. I'd expected them to be very surprised but they weren't. I couldn't stop from asking them about it.

"The medicine woman story we told you about tells of her receiving gifts during the night sometimes. We do not know what they were anymore, even though we know the names of some of them. After this long though we don't know what the names mean.

"One time during a big sickness she received some syringes and some vials of antibiotic. Another time she received some scalpels. I don't remember the other things though," Shaeta said.

"Do you know what antibiotic is?" Katia asked.

"Yes, it is a type of medicine and it is pushed into the body with a small needle that has a tube down its center. This is done with a syringe. Scalpels are small and very sharp knives used to cut into a person's body," I said.

"Suture. That was something else. She got some suture. What is suture," Shaeta asked.

"Suture is a type of small thread that is used to sew a body closed again after it has been cut. They will work for accidental cuts or for cuts the healing woman might make with a scalpel," I said.

They were satisfied with the information, so I told them about all the things I'd received and showed them the items. They had no trouble understanding after I explained each thing.

The lineman's boots were the strangest things to them, or the climbing spikes and the harness at least. They couldn't understand my fascination with climbing trees. I gave up trying to explain it after a few minutes. They agreed that of course I should put the new items inside the hut, and they also approved of me building a shed. They even encouraged me to put the tall case my bow was in inside.

With at least a few marching orders I got to work and they went over to a large deadfall that we had all been using as a sort of community couch. They sat down and after a few minutes they were busily cutting the rawhide into thongs.

Their work perch reminded me that I could use the two man saw to fell larger trees than they normally did. Solid wood furniture made from sections of a tree's trunk would be heavy, but the saw could make it easier to obtain.

After storing my bow's case and my new arrivals in our hut, I left with the cart, hatchet, Glock, and topping saw. I was going for a few more of the birches and maybe a small oak that I'd try splitting shingles out of if I could find one I thought I could manage on my own.

This was not the best time of the year to cut shingles, I knew that, but there wasn't really much choice. I needed a shed, now; I couldn't wait for winter to come to send the sap down to the roots. I'd have to do the best I could and then do it again this winter.

Five hundred yards from camp I turned around and headed back, for my M1. I'd smelled a vendal, or something very similar. I'd only seen two in all my time on Margata and since they were similar to the black bears of earth I'd steered clear of them.

The scent hadn't been exactly the same as the two others, and it was more than a half-mile off, still, they were dangerous, much more aggressive than earth's black bears. A half-mile wasn't that far away either. This was serious.

After I told my mates, they were worried, hell I didn't blame them, I was worried too. Since they'd told me about the Meseeka I didn't worry about others seeing my M1 and I fetched it next. Shaeta and Katia followed me and kept insisting that I tell Zakat. I relented and started looking for him.

He and Matatu were near the center of camp, discussing something with Caloe, Shata, and Caltort. I hated to interrupt but felt like I had to.

"Zakat, there is a vendal near our camp, maybe half a mile away," I said, not bothering with pleasantries.

After that shocker it was obvious that my slight breach of protocol wasn't even considered.

"Are you sure?" Matatu asked.

"No, but nearly so. It didn't smell exactly like the other two I've seen before but it was very similar. It is a vendal or something very like it," I said.

"We will gather all the men then, and go see. They can be very dangerous. Sometimes they can be frightened off if there are enough men with spears," Zakat said, and then we were about it.

Even Denac was pulled from his pre-mating daze when he heard the news, but Zakat told him to stay in camp in case the vendal found it before we found the vendal. Denac didn't like it but I could tell he understood the reason.

Someone had to stay in camp and since he was still recovering from his concussion he was a natural choice. Zakat left two other men also, the next two largest, and all the boys older than ten were told to get their spears too, to help guard the camp.

There was no way it could slip by us, not with my Margata enhanced sense of smell, but I didn't mention it. I did spend a lot of time hoping we could scare the bastard off while we were walking toward it. I didn't want to have to use the M1 with everybody watching; then again, I wasn't about to let them try killing it with spears.

Two hundred yards from camp I knew that it was coming closer and I was beginning to think it wasn't a vendal. With it closer now, the differences in the scent were more noticeable.

We came up on it not quite a half-mile from camp, and it was eating, but it wasn't a vendal. Shaton called it vadeesey. The mother fucker was bear like all right. Grizzly bear like, but bigger. It had to be nearly eighteen feet tall when it stood on it's hind legs and I was glad as hell I'd thought to grab a couple more of those chicken shit clips for the M1. Currently it was stuffing itself on the thaka it had surely killed not long ago.

Everyone was shocked when we saw it and I could see them getting revved up to try and plan a way to kill it. They were determined not to let it get any closer to camp, and no wonder. It had to weigh three thousand pounds at least.

"Zakat, tell everyone to get behind me. I will deal with it," I said, and stepped forward with the M1 to my shoulder.

They were all shocked again and clearly wondered what in the hell I thought I could do with the big son of a bitch. I didn't have time to talk though. We were already within two hundred yards of it and I wanted to put some lead into it right now.

Taking a rest over a nearby oak limb, I commenced firing. I was very familiar with the rifle and knew exactly how it was sighted in. The cross hairs would be three inches high at this range.

The first shot took it near the mouth and it was a fairly solid hit, but it stood up from its meal and headed our way on its big hind legs. I knew it was standing for the improved view while it tried to locate us.

Switching my point of aim to its chest I fired as quickly as I could re-acquire the target. I knew damned well I was hitting it but it didn't fall. Mentally cursing after the eighth and last shot of the clip, I reached for another one and did the thumb busting reload faster than I ever had before.

The god-dammed furry monster looked twice as big when I put the scope on it again and it was down on all fours, coming faster. No doubt it knew exactly where we were now.

With it low-running now I was back to headshots and five more of them did the trick. I didn't have any idea why in the hell it had taken so many shots because I was positive that every one had been a good hit.

Zakat and the others were standing there in shock, but with their spears ready to cast. They all seemed to realize it was dead at the same time, and damned if they didn't seem to be giving me a hurrah, or what they considered one. I'm sure they were thrilled that the monster was no longer running toward us at its breakneck speed.

Zakat was in control again after a few seconds and he sent two men back to fetch most of the women, and half the others back to fetch their travois. I went with them to get my cart, and some more ammunition.

It didn't take ten seconds for Caloe and Shata to get the women moving after they got the news, and I had a chest swelling walk back, pulling my cart and walking between my mates. Shaeta told me that the Calak had never killed a vadeesey before, and Katia asked me if it was as big as she'd always heard.

"I don't know what you've heard, but it looked almost as tall as our hut to me. It was frightening," I said, not a damned bit ashamed to admit it.

"Were many men hurt," Caloe, who had come up beside us asked.

"None," I said, and she gave me one of those looks that say bullshit.

Her skepticism was understandable. Probably half of us would have died trying to kill that giant with flint tipped spears, if not every damned one of us.

By the time we reached the carcass the healing woman was practically giddy. She had run ahead as fast as her feet would carry her and when she found she had nothing to do she was amazed, and thrilled.

The other men were nearly as bad, and they actually cheered me. Then they formed a line and every damned one of them came up to tell me their name, every fucking one. I made sure that both Katia and Shaeta stayed with me so I could keep up with them all.

I realized they knew all the names already, but I wanted to make sure I had a grip on the ones that weren't there, and hadn't given me their names.

Even with all these women to deal with the carcass it would be night before things were finished. Zakat asked if anyone had brought their fire kit and I spoke up first, since I never went anywhere without my Zippo. He put several of the other men gathering kindling and wood for fires and asked me if I would get them started; I was happy to.

The way those women swarmed that bear was amazing. They were taking out guts and organs in minutes and then they started skinning. I passed my hatchet to Shaeta on the sly so they wouldn't have to cut the bones with their stone headed models and no one seemed to notice the difference, except Katia, Caloe, Shata, and the healing woman, and they weren't talking. I tried to watch Zakat and Matatu while it went on and even they didn't notice how quickly things were going.

My attempted head shots had made a fucking bloody mess of the things head, but when they broke its skull open to get the brain I could see I hadn't put one round into it and I could tell why. Not only was it lower in the skull than I could have imagined, it was only about the size of a hardball, maybe smaller.

I'd watched when they'd taken the heart out too and I hadn't hit it either. Again, it was lower than I thought. Its aorta was shot to hell though and its lungs were not in good shape either. All in all things had come out well. I didn't have any choice; cause if I'd had one, shooting at a monster like that with anything thirty caliber would have been none of them.

It was only about an hour after sunset when the last load headed back to camp, and that was me and my dolly. I had the skin and a few of the internal organs and it was easily three hundred pounds. Shaeta and Katia were lighting my way with a couple of torches they'd made.

Of course the work wasn't done even after it was all back to camp, but it was far enough along that the rest could wait until tomorrow. Everyone was tired and we all took to our huts right away.

Katia and Shaeta couldn't stop bragging on me, especially to me, and they said that the medicine woman thought I was the best man that had ever been born.

"She seems to take it as a personal insult when one of her flock is injured, and she is so happy that you kept any of them from even getting a scratch that she doesn't know what to do. You have made a powerful friend in her," Shaeta said.

"In our mothers too, they are very happy you are in out Calak now, very happy. Even daddy is happy, or should I say happier," Katia said.

That couldn't be bad, having all the big wigs on my side. I didn't see where it would hurt a damned thing.



-------

Chapter 14


Even though we'd been hard at it last night, for the first hour or so at least, we were up just before sunrise today. We weren't the first ones moving though, since I saw Charga - Jekaycey's father - leading Denac out toward a nearby stream for a bath and some father-in-law type advice.

This morning also brought my first chance to see some of the mate-to-be's preparations. I don't know what went on in that hut, but there was a constant stream of women in and out of it.

Of course most of the women were working away on the bear from last night. My mates seemed to have acquired the duty of dealing with its hide and they both were scraping hell out of it while I mostly stood around.

Denac came back toward camp about an hour or so later and I'll swear he was shining like a new penny. I don't know if his new father-in-law had told him to bathe or to polish himself. I stood near him while he waited anxiously for Jekaycey to join him. He tried to keep up with conversation, but it was easy to see he was just too nervous.

Denac was tongue tied again when Jekaycey came to join him and then they were off to face Zakat and Matatu for the ceremony. It was over in what seemed no time, and I wondered about that a little. It had seemed a lot longer to me both times I'd gone through it. No one else looked like anything had changed though. Shaeta and Katia stood by me while the newly mated couple headed to the feast first.

I did get a bit of inspiration from the ceremony though but it was the oddest thing. I was looking at Jekaycey and trying to imagine what she would have looked like with an earth type bridal veil. Thoughts of a veil made me remember the small rectangle of screen wire that had been with my recent gifts. Now I new exactly what it was for.

It was so I could make a veil for Denac, or a bee helmet anyway. I guess they weren't really called helmets but with tanned skin for a covering, I could sew the screen wire in place and we could eventually cover Denac almost completely to keep the bees away from him while he did his thing. I was pretty sure he was going to love this mating present.

The rest of it was almost exactly like the two times I'd been mated. They ate, had a little talk, and then Jekaycey took him around and introduced him to all the women. Shaeta and Katia ran me off before their time came and then let me join them again when it was done.

I worried about the gajee drinking but decided that if Denac wanted to drink like a fish at his mating ceremony I wasn't going to do anything except make sure he didn't fall into a fire. He only wetted his lips with the cup Jekaycey offered him though and then she followed suit. I'd known the women were the smarter ones all along, but she was just rubbing it in.

Later, as the drinking progressed, Katia, Shaeta, and I joined Jekaycey and Denac to talk while we all watched the rest get shitfaced. Right at sunset Denac and I did have to snatch up a man that had fallen into the edge of a small fire. As soon as we had him on his feet again he went back for another cup. We headed for our huts after that and I was asleep almost at once.

The next morning we were out for breakfast even earlier, or at least we were out so my mates could help make it. Many of the women had been as drunk as the men the night before and just weren't able. Of course this was slightly ameliorated by the fact that most of last night's drunkards didn't want anything to do with breakfast.

Denac and Jekaycey were out almost as quickly and he stood around with me while she helped the others putting the food together. I gather that it was only the second time Denac had been in any shape to get a good picture of what the morning after looked like when you weren't hung over. We tried not to laugh too loud.

After we'd finished eating, we asked our mates what we should be doing this morning and I think Katia and Shaeta had been giving Jekaycey some advice, because she spoke right up.

"It would be wonderful if you did whatever you need to do a little farther from camp. We have things to take care of and we don't want you two underfoot," she said, and then smiled a killer one at Denac.

"We can take a hint," I said, and asked Denac if he was up to felling an X bee tree today.

We went by my hut for my cart, wedges, sledge, and the new saw. Denac was very curious as we started toward the tree and even more curious when I told him he needn't bother going for his axe.

Just take a second to think about what a pain in the ass it would be to try chopping down a large, fire hardened, hardwood tree with and axe that had a stone cutting head. Get the picture?

He didn't ask any questions, but when we got to the tree and I started explaining how we were going to use the saw he was amazed.

Whoever made my saw had done a damned good job of sharpening it before they sent it to me. We had that fire hardened oak sawed nearly half way into in less than an hour. Then my mistake came to me. We hadn't pulled the pegs I'd installed to drain any remaining honey.

We went back to camp for a couple of bags and went right back to the tree. Denac placed his short trough and I pulled a peg, and the honey draining was on again. There was a lot more than I'd thought there would be, but we didn't worry about running out of bags this time, since we had kept the pegs handy.

We used them when the first bag was full, while Denac tied it off and replaced it, then we pulled the peg again and nearly filled the second bag.

I put the pegs back even though the honey had stopped coming, and after Denac had the bag tied off we took them back to camp. Caloe was very proud of us, not to mention Shata's big smile.

Back at the tree we didn't tarry and an hour later it was time for someone to yell  timber  but we never. The damned tree didn't even break up; all it did was fall over and lay there.

Even with the tree down we needed a way into the hollow. I tapped around on what I thought was the hollow part and got a better idea of where it was exactly. We used the saw again to make a deep cut across the stump end and then another one about six feet on up the trunk from there, and the wedges worked fine to split up along the edges.

It worked better than you'd have thought it would and in another hour we had what seemed almost like a lid we were lifting off a box, albeit it was all rounded. The hollow part was enormous. Of course it was no bigger than the tree, but it was so big from bottom to top.

We didn't really have all the honey out either, though we'd thought we must have. The comb wasn't melted on the side that had been away from the hottest part of the fire and I knew that there was probably a quarter as much honey in the tree as we'd already taken out.

"I don't think there are enough old bags to hold all that honey," Denac said.

"You're probably right, but it doesn't really matter. We'll just cut the hollow part out of the rest of the tree and take it into the camp on my cart. Believe me, Shata and Caloe will find a way to store the honey," I said.

"You're right, but I would never have considered that."

"I am always trying to think of a way to make things easier on me," I said.

"That is very good. I believe I'll be trying to spend more time near you, except when you are finding vadeesey. I hate to admit it, but I was secretly glad when Zakat told me to stay in camp to try protecting the women if it bypassed all of you.

"I knew it wasn't going to bypass anyone. I hoped no one would be hurt too badly, but I never thought it would be possible," he said.

"That was very wise of you, Denac. I would have preferred if no one had come with me for the vadeesey. If I had been alone I would have climbed a tree before he ever noticed me. My rifle could have dealt with him just as easily from up a tree, and they can't climb them," I said.

"Maybe you should have told the others," he said.

"I considered that, but I was afraid they would think I was bragging. I did tell them to leave it alone and let me deal with it though. All's well that ends well anyway, and we will be enjoying the vadeesey for some time," I said, and it made him howl with laughter.

It was even easier to saw the hollow portion out of the downed tree, since it was horizontal now and we could use the saw more easily. I cut the end walls as thin as I thought I could get by with and what we had left didn't weight more than about four hundred pounds. It was nearly easy to push it into camp on the cart, especially since there were two of us.

Caloe didn't care if it was easy or not, she was just happy when we did it, and I was glad to see her give Denac such a big smile and so many kind words. She didn't slight me either, but I could tell that she knew Denac needed a little stroking.

When the women first started working on the hollow portion I could tell that Shaeta or Katia had already spread the word about saving the comb. The first thing they did was start removing the melted portions and saving them in a large wooden bowl. When I asked they were glad to give me a slightly smaller bowl and as much comb as I could press into it.

Denac came with me when I had a bowl full of relatively honey-less comb. I took it to my hut and fetched a saucepan out of my steamer trunk. It was an eight-quart size that I often used for cooking while camping. Of course that was back before I had two mates to do my cooking for me. I had the comb in it and over a small fire in minutes.

Our mates couldn't stand it, seeing us over by the hut and doing something that looked a lot like cooking to them. I think they came over to make sure we weren't getting in over our heads.

"Not to worry dears, I am preparing the honeycomb surprise I promised," I said.

"What honeycomb surprise?" Jekaycey asked, and I realized that she didn't even have a hint.

"Carl has been very mysterious about something to do with honeycomb. He said he would tell us, but he thought we would like it better as a surprise," Shaeta told her.

"Much as I hate to, we should leave them to their mischief. I didn't realize he could do it so soon after finding the comb," Katia said, and they left.

It didn't seem all that soon to me, since Denac and I had been working all morning to get to this stage. Just as the comb started melting it was time for a meal and I set it off the fire and we went over to see about our part of it.

This meal seemed even more fun than previous ones because of course Jekaycey joined us. At last I didn't feel like the only one that was being pampered by his mates. Jekaycey made sure to let Denac know just how much she liked honey herself.

"I've always loved it, but I felt sorry for the way the bees stung you so. This will taste even better knowing that you didn't have to go through it this time," she said.

"I don't think he is going to ever have to go through it again," I said, and it was a conversation stopper.

"But how," Denac asked.

"It came to me while you and Jekaycey were being mated by Zakat and Matatu. We already have everything we need to make it, but I'm sure my mates won't let me do anything but tell them how it should be done. I am not sorry about that though."

"But what will you make?" Jekaycey asked.

"We will make a suit for Denac that covers him everywhere, and with no holes that will let the bees in. We will try to make it of light hides, but he won't have to wear it very long," I said.

"But Carl, how will I see out of it?" Denac asked.

"Wait here, I will bring the answer."

I went to my trunk again and retrieved the small rectangle of screen wire that had come with my latest gifts. I showed them all that it was easy to see through it when I was back.

"We will cut out a hole this size in the skin that covers your face and sew this in its place. You can see through it but the holes are tiny and the bees cannot get through. The rest will just involve making a garment that we can close completely everywhere else," I said.

They talked about it for a few minutes and the three women decided that it was too clever for words. Jekaycey was the happiest about it, with good reason, but my mates were also very happy. By now they didn't want to see Denac stung any more than they wanted to see me with whelps all over.

"We should go tell mother right away," Shaeta said.

"Why not let me show you the rest of it first. I have a way of sewing that uses a special tiny awl. It will be needed to attach the screen," I said.

"Yes," Jekaycey said, let us wait and surprise them after the suit is finished.

That decided it, they had a plan now and since there was no hurry at all to find more honey they were tickled. I think they intended to enjoy the little trick they had planned.

They had a little trick planned for me too, but they didn't wait long to spring it on me. After most everyone was done eating, Zakat bellowed for them to gather around to hear an announcement. I could almost feel that my mates knew what was coming and had neglected to tell me about it. I was right.

Zakat called me up to him and then gave a short speech thanking me on behalf of the whole Calak for killing the vadeesey without letting it injure a single person. That wasn't even the worst of it.

Caloe, Shata, and the medicine woman had taken all the vadeesey's claws and teeth and made them into some sort of necklace for me to wear on special occasions, like mating ceremonies and such. Of course I was embarrassed, but there was no getting out of it. They even made me put the damned thing on so everyone could see me wearing it.

Shit, it felt like it weighed twenty pounds and it rattled like hell every time I moved. I knew I was going to really dread the next mating.

Part of the awkwardness of the necklace was that all the teeth and claws were tied onto a thong that went around my neck. I couldn't help thinking it would be less cumbersome and even look better if they'd been able to drill through the claws and teeth and just run the thong through small holes. I didn't think there was even one drill bit in my things, but there was at least a chance I had one in my junk box. I'd look later.

Finally the meal and the announcement was over, letting Denac and I escape back to the candle project. I started warming the comb again and as what I had in the saucepan melted I added to it, until it all liquefied.

Denac had been busily cutting small strands of dried grass to five-inch lengths while I was working on the comb and by the time it was ready he had plenty of them.

I can tell you right now that making candles by dipping string in wax, pulling it out to cool a little and then dipping it again is one more pain in the ass after another. I'm sure that both of us looked silly standing around most of the afternoon holding a short string in each hand. I knew I'd have to come up with a better way, soon.

Still, we managed to make about fifty candles by working at it steadily until time for the evening meal. That didn't mean we weren't tired of it, but I was glad to see us with fifty candles that were four inches long and nearly an inch in diameter. Hell, they even worked; we tried one.

We had just enough time to cut off some large wood chips to serve as bases and mount about ten candles before we went to eat. I warned Denac not to try putting the wick to his fire to light the candle but to light a twig and light the candle from it. We were planning a big surprise after the sun went down, but only for our respective mates tonight.

I don't know how it turned out in Denac's hut but it was a hell of a hit in mine. The girls couldn't believe that I was holding light in my hand, until they saw it was a fire. After that they couldn't believe I was holding fire in my hand.

They were so excited that they both wanted me to go and show their mothers right away. I wisely declined and produced the two wood chip and candle flashlights I'd made just for them, even giving them one each for their mothers.

"Remember to tell them the wax that drips off will be very hot and that they should set it somewhere that is level so the wax that doesn't burn will build up on the wood chips. We can use that again for more candles."

"Can we put it in the bowls, like the fat?" Shaeta asked.

"Yes, and I hadn't thought of that yet. We can, but we will have to pour it in while it is hot and put a wick in before it cools. We should be able to make special holders for it out of the clay from the river. Maybe the three cups will be dry enough to try firing tomorrow."

They listened, but by now they wanted to get to their mothers before any potential fucking got under way.



-------

Chapter 15


Waiting patiently for my mates to return turned into dozing off. I don't really know how long they were gone but they were happy as hell when they got back.

Both mothers and fathers had been amazed, along with Matatu and the healing woman who'd both been called over to see it. Caloe sent word that she would provide help for me tomorrow to make more of them.

At first I wasn't so happy about that but on further consideration I knew it would be best. What I needed to do was teach the women how to do it and then explain clearly how it worked. They could probably come up with a better way to do it if they understood the process completely.

My mates pushed me to my back after the talking was over and they showed me that they were very proud of the candles.

When we woke the next morning I was at first grateful that no  spooky  feelings were letting me know something was about to happen, and then a little let down about it. A few seconds later, when my mates started squirming around just before waking, I decided that I wasn't down about one damned thing. I busied myself teasing nipples until their eyes sprang open, almost at the exact same instant.

"He is feeling full of himself this morning after his wonderful surprise last night," Katia told Shaeta.

"He has a right to. I was certainly feeling full of him shortly after we got back from our demonstration," Shaeta said, and then blushed a little.

"Would you believe it, I had that same feeling just after you did," Katia said, and then damned if they didn't both start giggling at me.

"We need more of those feelings, Katia. We have to practice more because it always seems he gets the better of both of us."

"I'm not sure we should, remember, every time we get him going, he gets twice as much practice as either one of us. If he gets any better we are going to have to beg Breezus for another help mate," Katia said.

"I'm not sure about that, I think we should wait until he has our bellies swelling first. We might need some relief after that happens though," Shaeta said.

Man, that hit me right where I lived. Maybe it is typical of a male, but I hadn't even been thinking about the natural consequences of the fucking we'd been doing. They were probably both right, men just couldn't be trusted to think ahead, at least I now knew that I couldn't be.

We got out of our furs and dressed then, heading outside to see what the day had in store for us. I still had a storage shed in mind but just before they brought me a bowl of breakfast I decided it was time to try firing the three cups I'd made.

When Denac and Jekaycey showed up I could tell by her gait that all that yelling and screaming she'd been doing last night, the noises that had been such an inspiration to my mates and I, had left her a little sore herself.

Then I took a look at Denac and wondered if his face wasn't going to be sore soon, from the way he was smiling it so hard. I couldn't let this chance slip by.

"Denac, if you don't stop smiling so wide your face is going to get stuck that way," I said, and of course it made everyone look at him.

"Do not annoy me this morning. I am a little angry at you," he said, but didn't let up on the smile.

"Angry, at me?"

"Yes, not three days after we fought and you knocked me senseless I found my wonderful mate. Now I am angry that you didn't do it two winters ago. Jekaycey and I worked very hard last night just trying to catch up," he said.

"You don't have to tell us that, Denac," Shaeta said, "We heard how hard Jekaycey was working. I think the whole camp did."

I could almost see Denac's chest swelling with pride as Jekaycey's face started turning that delicious red from embarrassment, then she laughed.

"I'm not sure if I was working or being worked on. It doesn't matter though, as long as he doesn't forget what he did," Jekaycey said, and it was Denac's turn to blush.

We joked and teased a little more while we ate but as the women were taking the dishes away Shaeta reminded me that the cups might be a good place for me to start this morning. Since Denac seemed to be waiting for me to find us something to do today I showed him the cups, explained what they were for, and what still needed to be done about them. He came up with a great idea.

"If we need to heat them, slowly at first, and then keep the fire going, maybe we should cut the bee tree up some more and use its wood. It is dry already and maybe it won't get too hot at first," he said, and that's what we did.

We took the cart and the two-man saw and went back to the bee tree we'd felled. Cutting it into eighteen-inch lengths, we stopped when we had four sections and then carted them back to camp, setting them off away from things. It only took about an hour with the sledges and wedges to split them up into small pieces.

While Buttercup hung around grazing near us, we burned the grass off a small spot and then placed the cups in the center of it, then we stacked the smallest pieces of split wood around them and lit them. As it got going we put more wood around it until later the burning wood was completely covering the cups. We kept it going all day, even eating in shifts at lunch.

We considered staying with it in shifts during the night but gave that up as a bad job. There were three women that needed tending to as well. So we built the fire up once more after eating supper and then took the night off, for other duties.

Since Denac and I had been occupied practically all day, I had missed out on the candle demonstrations my mates and their mothers had been doing. Apparently they had taken time to show every woman and girl, except for those six and younger, the candles - taking them into a hut where a candle was lit and closing the outer flap for the show and tell. They had been bursting with pride all day and were intent on showing me how much they appreciated me.

Apparently they had done quite a bit of discussing the matter too, and as soon as they had me naked and on my back with two candles to provide illumination, they sprang their surprise on me. Since I had been so bold as to lick their tasty pussies they had decided that it might not be so bad to put their mouths to my dick. Of course I was all for this decision, and I did my best to explain exactly how it should be done while they were experimenting.

With new knowledge, the urge to use it often sometimes goes to the extreme. By the time they finally decided that they just couldn't get me hard again, no matter how they sucked, I was afraid they had licked my poor dick raw. I tried to be a good sport about it though and I was intending to give them both a good licking before I was just too tired to do anything.

That's when I learned that they were already completely over their previous uncertainty about licking each other. I'm pretty sure I got to watch the very first sixty nine between two women on Margata. It was an inspiring sight, and I only wished I'd had the energy remaining to participate.

At breakfast the next morning I noticed that almost all the women and even a few of the men kept giving me little smirk type grins. It took me nearly an hour to figure out what caused them. They thought that I had been the instigator of the yelling and moaning coming from our hut last night. What the hell, who was I to ruin their dreams, I just puffed out my chest and swaggered a little.

Denac and I went to the scene of yesterday's experiments as soon as we could get away. Everything was mostly cool now and it was no trouble to dig out the cups. They were as expected, or hoped for. A trip to the stream with them showed that water had lost its position of influence on this particular mud.

Of course they didn't look like much, since molding clay by hand alone doesn't yield such beautiful work, but they were good enough. Denac and I even took experimental drinks from them.

No matter what they looked like, when I showed my mates they insisted that Caloe and Shata were the next to see, and so they were. The two were pretty impressed by my trick, since they could see that the cups must have been mud at some time. They were not prepared for my next trick though, in fact nobody was.

I took a stick and cleared off a little spot near the edge of the cooking fire, then placed one of the cups, full of water, on the fire. There was quite a stir when it just sat there until the water started boiling. I removed it from the fire using two sticks. Everyone that had been watching was speechless, but Caloe and Shata got their voices back first.

"How can we make more?" Caloe asked.

"I can demonstrate how I did it easier than I can explain. We will need to go to the river first so I can show you the mud that I used. It won't work if you just use mud you make yourself," I said.

Almost before I knew what was happening a trip to the river was being planned. Caloe, Shata, Zakat, Matatu, and healing woman were going to accompany Denac, Jekaycey, Katia, Shaeta, and I to the river. I didn't know why so many were going but it didn't make much difference.

When the food was ready, we ate, and then our troupe headed for the river. Once there I shucked my boots and pants and waded in, being careful again where I stepped to avoid a cut foot.

After a few minutes Caloe couldn't stand it anymore and asked if I wasn't frightened that I might fall into the water. It made me realize that probably none of them could swim a stroke, so I walked back out onto the bank and took off my shirt too.

"I am not afraid to fall into the water. In the first place it is not deep or fast moving here, and I could just stand back up. Besides, I can swim," I said, stepping back into the river and showing them what the American crawl looked like.

When I flipped onto my back to just float and scull with my hands I could see that they just could not believe it, even though they saw it. They all gasped when I did a couple of overhand backstroke pulls in the upstream direction. They were mostly too shocked to even ask me questions as I got out again.

"It is easy to learn and I'll teach you all, but right now we need to get back to the lesson I came here to teach. We will have more use for cups, bowls, and pots than we will for swimming."

Before we were done I got a pretty good look at every titty present, because all the women shucked their clothes and joined in the mud hunt. All the men did too after a while, except Matatu, and I'm sure there was no way his dignity could allow it, besides, he wasn't going to be stomping around in a river gathering pot material.

When everyone but Matatu had a softball sized glob of clay, we got out and put our clothes back on, then headed to camp where the mud pies were constructed. I encouraged them to try making something that they thought might be useful after it had been fired. This took a lot more explaining, and we ended up with many more cups, but some other things too.

Matatu was not too proud to asks if a large bowl could be made, and so I gave them a demo of rolling the clay between the hands to form a coil, then I showed them how to lay one coil on top of another to build up for a larger bowl, or for anything really.

When they had used up their clay I had them put their items aside and I explained about some other ways to do it. Explaining a potter's wheel was a difficult bitch of a talk. I resorted to a lot of two-dimensional drawings in the dirt and I was still pretty sure they didn't understand. Finally, I called a break so Denac and I could go back to the felled bee tree for more materials. Buttercup even decided he would come with us but I don't think he approved of the place once we got there and started cutting another slice off the trunk.

We did our best to cut a four-inch slice, near where we'd cut the hollow out. It ended up better than I could have hoped and we went back to camp with a four-inch thick disk, more or less circular. Everyone gathered 'round again and with a short limb for illustrating my point about the wheel, and the axle it had to turn on, I finally got it across. I knew they couldn't fathom how that would help make pots, but at least they understood what I needed to make next for it.

When we finally broke up this session, Caltort followed me back toward my hut and it turned out that he thought he understood what I was trying to make and wanted to discuss it further. I was happy to help him try to get a grip on it, and within an hour he had come to understand how spinning the wheel would help shape the clay on it.

"When will you begin to make it?" he asked, as we noticed that supper wasn't very far off.

"I don't really know. I would like to do it soon, but I am also anxious to make my rope and I think Katia and Shaeta are nearly done with cutting the thongs.

"Yes, Caloe told Shata of the rope and Shata told me. It sounds like it could be very useful and I am anxious to see it. While you are working on it would you mind if I tried to make this wheel for the pots?" he asked.

"No, certainly not. I am not looking forward to making it at all and if you want to I will be glad to help you if I can. Mostly it will be a lot of cutting and smoothing of wood," I said.

"I will try it then. I think I will enjoy trying to make it," he said, and then it was time to eat.

At supper, after Denac and I had a bowl of food and the girls had all returned with theirs it was obvious that everyone was a little tired from the day's activities. There wasn't much talking or teasing after we ate and we went to our huts before sunset was over. I was asleep almost as soon as I lay down.

For some reason the mood of the day seemed subdued the next morning also. My mates were affectionate as we dressed but they didn't seem as happy as usual, even though they didn't mention it.

After we ate it was obvious that something was up though. Zakat came to see me and asked if I would come along on a journey of several days with he and Matatu.

"Matatu has had a vision of a place that will be much more suitable for our Calak to live. He says he thinks it is four or five days that way," he said, pointing southwest.

"I will be glad to accompany you while you look for this place," I said, though I was lying, a little at least.

Leaving my mates here was not my first choice; in fact, being away from them at all wasn't very appealing. Still, if Zakat and Matatu were going tromping off into the sunset I wanted to go along to make sure they got back. Sure, it put all my projects on hold, but then again, no one was as capable of looking out for them as I was. There'd be safety in numbers here at our camp, relative safety anyway. Things on a journey might not be so safe.

My mates' moods seemed to have improved by the time breakfast was ready. They had already heard from Caloe about the journey, and while they didn't much care for the idea either, they were resigned. Most of the rest of the day was spent getting things ready for traveling.

We left after breakfast the next morning. Including Zakat and Matatu, there were eight of us in all. We kept up a steady walking pace but the trip was uneventful. When we stopped to sleep the second night of our trip, Matatu told us we would arrive the next morning and that we'd be able to tell if the area he was seeking was going to be suitable. I had a few minutes to miss Shaeta and Katia after I lay down, but was asleep shortly.



-------

Chapter 16


We woke just before sunrise the next morning and Zakat wanted to get moving right away, we chewed on travel food as we left.

About an hour later, Matatu had just finished telling us that we were within half a day of our destination, and we were passing through a meadow the trail had opened onto, headed for the other side.

I guess it was because of the breeze at our backs and helped along because I was walking beside Zakat and Matatu with the other five behind us, but I never smelled the attackers that were hiding down in the meadow's tall grass ahead of us.

They popped up when we were within thirty-five or forty yards. There were nineteen of them and the type of attack they pulled was unheard of on Margata, so far at least. Their leader threw his spear as soon as he showed himself and it took Zakat in the upper chest on his right side, going directly through his pectoral muscle and on in pretty deeply.

The others in our small group were stunned for a second and for some reason none of the attackers threw any more spears. I was shocked but not stunned, and I whipped the M1 off my shoulder and went to work.

Everyone in our group knew what the rifle was capable of, and in this case I wasn't shy about revealing it to our attackers. An M1 only holds eight shots before you have to reload with one of those little chickenshit clips. The action stays open after the last shot and you place the loader clip in the back of the magazine area and push the new rounds down into the magazine to reload.

I didn't even try to fuck with that now though. When I'd fired eight rounds I dropped the M1 and palmed my Glock. The loud reports from the rifle had confused our attackers, and no more spears had come our way. When I started in with the Glock, with its different but even louder thunder, confusion turned to panic.

I had downed one with each of the eight shots in the M1 and three with the Glock before they could even figure out what was doing it. Eleven of the original nineteen were on the ground crying and moaning, or not even able to make a sound. I wondered about Zakat but Matatu would have to take care of him.

The eight left standing dropped their spears when I stopped firing for a second and then they all went to the ground, in a sign of surrender. I knew they must be scared shitless but figured at least one would panic shortly and try to run off.

"Do not move until I tell you you can. I will kill any of you that stand up again," I said, yelling it.

I hadn't made five steps in their direction when one of them couldn't stand it any longer and stood up to run. It wasn't even a difficult shot and he went right back to the ground with most of what might charitably have been called brains pushed out through the big new hole in his face.

"Do not stand up if you want to live any longer," I said, yelling again, while I stood still and waited for a new target. After a few seconds I turned my head to see what was going on behind me.

Matatu and Jagbac were kneeling beside Shaton, tending to his wound I guess. I could see that the spear had been removed but I couldn't tell what kind of shape he was in or even if he was still alive.

It wasn't exactly my place to, but I called to the other men to come help me collect the spears and weapons from those lying in the grass now. They seemed to be glad to do it, no doubt wanting some direction now that our Zakat obviously wasn't up to it.

When we reached them, the ones that weren't wounded were all trembling in fear. In fact, the wounded that could pay attention were doing some trembling of their own, including the big blonde leader. He'd been my first target and in the excitement I'd pulled the shot, taking him about where his spear took our Zakat, in the upper right chest, instead of through his heart like I'd intended.

He would probably live, if I let him, but I was pretty sure I wasn't going to. The others with me spread out at a word and removed all weapons from every one of the captives, dead or alive. I then asked them to tie up any that weren't wounded too badly to move on their own. I stayed right beside the wounded leader.

Men's names meant something on Margata. The only acceptable way to learn someone's name was by them telling it to you. Normally, if names were to be exchanged they were divulged by mutual consent. You were allowed to ask another man for his name, but it wasn't uncommon for him to refuse to tell you. Even refusal wasn't a grave insult, but of course, if someone had made the effort and you refused, the two of you were probably never going to be close.

I wanted to know what to call this big blonde spear-chucker on the ground but I damned sure wasn't going to ask him. I walked to what appeared to be the smallest one of the bunch, he was only a little over six two and probably weighed no more than two-thirty.

"Get up," I said, kicking him in the side, but not viciously.

He did get to his feet but was still trembling. I shoved him back toward his fallen leader, and then pointed at the man on the ground.

"What is this one's name?" I asked, making sure he knew I was actually demanding he tell me.

This was a crude intentional insult to both of them. Even though blondie was wounded, he was still conscious and able to speak. The unwounded one I'd fetched seemed mortified that I would asks him. My asking was an insult to him and to the leader. He didn't answer, and I put my Glock to his stomach.

"I've never felt the sting of the Glock," I said, knowing that he wouldn't know what a Glock was but also knowing that he'd just seen what it did to the one that tried to run, and to many others.

"I've heard that it burns worse than the hottest coal, all the way through your body. It will rip your organs open and let your blood run out onto the ground, but if I shoot your stomach it will also let what's in your stomach run out into you to make you fester inside.

"It takes days of pain and suffering for you to die if the Glock stings your belly. Days of crying for water and then crying more loudly after you drink it. Tell me his name or I will have the Glock sting you," I said, and he pissed himself, but he still wouldn't tell me.

"May I borrow your axe?" I asked, calling to Jastal, one of the men that had come with me.

"Yes. You may borrow it anytime," he said.

"Bring it to me please, I am going to cut off this ones hands and feet before I let the Glock sting him to death. He will have to crawl and beg for food in the next world," I said, and it even shocked the men with me; they winced at the thought. It was more than the one I was asking could bear.

"Kaglao. His name is Kaglao, he is our Zakat," he said, and then collapsed to the ground, moaning, and begging for his life.

I rolled him over with my booted foot.

"Where is your Calak?" I demanded.

"We don't have a Calak. We are our own Calak, we have no women," he said from the ground, still moaning in disgrace.

"If you have no Calak, he is not Zakat, he is nothing but a man and a fool - and the rest of you are nothing but bigger fools for following him.

"He has wounded our Zakat though, a true Zakat, and he will pay for it. If our Zakat dies you will all pay.

"I will not let this fool Kaglao live much longer. Will you watch them please while I go for something from my pack?" I asked Dastar, who was nearby also.

Dastar agreed and I walked back to where Matatu and Jagbac were trying to help Shaton. Matatu did have some wisdom about such and he had already packed Shaton's wound with some of his herbs and put a bandage on it. I saw that they were doing all that could be done, so I walked to my pack and fished out my small Wyoming saw, assembled it, and took it and the pack back to the capture point.

Kaglao had scraped up some courage while I was gone and he was berating his followers, especially the one that had revealed his name. He'd been able to push himself up into a sitting position and with his new courage, he started in on me as I approached.

I didn't say anything, I just kicked him right in the teeth, breaking at least a few of them and canceling his sitting position in favor of one flat on his back again.

"Bring some of those that aren't wounded up here to hold this fool still," I said, toward the men that were watching.

Soon enough all the unwounded attackers, except the one that was still lying on the ground moaning in shame, were gathered around me. I had them take hold of Kaglao and warned them to keep him still. With a stout rawhide thong from my pack, I tied his leg off very tightly above the ankle and then lay it over my pack and had one of the captives sit on it, to hold it still.

Then I took my small bow type meat saw and sawed his foot off. I'll probably be able to remember his screams until I die. It was gruesome and nearly sickening for me, and I was the one doing it. I thought it was necessary though, and when that foot was severed, I tied off his other ankle and cut off that one.

His hands were a little more trouble, since he tried to fight even harder, but he'd lost some serious blood by now and he tired quickly. After he couldn't find any more strength to fight he started crying and begging. It was now pitiful along with being gruesome, and for what he'd done to us it was extreme punishment.

But he hadn't just started today. They had much too large a group for that. There was no telling how many other men they'd killed and who knew what else they'd been up to. They were all too well fed to my way of thinking.

After Kaglao was handless and footless I removed the thongs I'd used to keep him alive for the process and he bled out quickly. I gathered his hands and feet to carry off so his spirit couldn't find them and then we moved all our mobile prisoners by where Matatu and Jagbac were sitting beside Zakat.

"Matatu, I have killed Kaglao, the one that wounded our Zakat, and taken his hands and feet before he died. I will start a small fire and burn them before we leave.

"These fools," I said, pointing to our prisoners, "thought that Kaglao was their Zakat, even though they did not have a Calak, and had no women with them. I believe they are lying about something though, and I think we should at least question them with hot coals before we kill them. Maybe, if they tell us the whole truth, and don't force us to burn them too badly, we can release them after they have carried our Zakat back to our home."

"You have done well, and it is a good plan. What of their others that are wounded?" he asked.

"I go back to kill them now," I said.

I reloaded the Glock on my way back and one head shot each took care of the wounded. They were of no use to us and if they happened to live somehow they represented the possibility of danger later. Better this way.

Margata was a world of plenty, mostly, and it wouldn't have been a big risk to just leave them where they were, but what was the point of being stupid about it. I couldn't see any possibility of any of the wounded ever being helpful, to us anyway, and they were the ones that opened the ball. Hell, I'd felt worse for Kaglao while I was removing his hands and feet.

Once a dog learns to steal eggs from your chickens, you can't teach it not to steal them. If the dog is worth something, or means something to you, your only recourse is to take better care that it can't get to the hen's nests. If the dog is basically useless it is better to just kill it and be done. I considered myself killing useless dogs.

By the time I got back to Matatu and the others there was no need for a fire for anything but burning Kaglao's hands and feet. Matatu told me later that our prisoners were nearly fighting for the chance to spill their guts before I fired the third shot doing away with the wounded. They had begged him to be next to confess.

It turned out that there had been a Calak, of sorts anyway. At least they did have a few women hidden out. They had fourteen adult women, five near adults, and one girl child of six years. None of them were there by choice; they had all been kidnapped. Four more men were watching over the captive women while this raid was supposed to be going on.

I was about to ask what in the hell they had wanted with us but Matatu gave me the answer first. They had seen us and assumed that we were just the advance party for a moving Calak. They intended to kill our Zakat and then take over the Calak if they could.

If Kaglao wasn't able to defeat the next man in line to become Zakat, his minions were going to slip into the traveling camp at night, killing every man they could and stealing the women. They had pulled a big fuckup though. There was a moving Calak coming this way, but it was a day behind us.

We had done a good deed for someone else without even realizing it. The task at hand though was rescuing the women that were being held captive. As soon as we were able to construct a litter so that Zakat's new slaves could carry him in style, we left for their camp.

I kept questioning the men one at a time while we traveled. As one of them rotated out of the four carrying the litter, I had him come and walk by me and asked him for details, and then took the next to be relieved and asked for the same details. I located two that were trying to deceive me via this method and I wondered how stupid some men could be and still remember to breathe.

Approximately a mile and a half before we came to their camp we stopped while I tied the hands and hobbled the legs of all our captives, except for those carrying the litter. I left their hands free.

I took the time and spent some of my limited bankroll of duct tape, giving each of our captives a shiny gray gag, wrapped tightly all the way around their head and covering their mouths completely. They weren't going to shout a warning, or anything else until it was removed.

Matatu and I, with Zakat's input, planned to spread our men out around the camp and try to take the guards alive. It would have worked easily and should have saved a lot of wear and tear on the guards, but it was not to be.

Jagbac and I had approached the camp, staying hidden as best we could, and were within fifty yards. The women were cooking on open fires and all the younger girls were helping except for the girl child. She was still too small to help and she was playing quietly not far from the others.

She was, that is, until one of the guards walked by and took some fun by giving her a butt stroke to the abdomen with his spear. Of course the child cried out, and of course her mother came to see what the trouble was. When she saw what must have happened she threw the flint knife she'd been working with at the offending guard and hit him squarely in one eye.

He dropped his spear of course and yelled for help. The other three guards hadn't been paying attention until after the child cried out, but they turned to see what the cause was and were just in time to see the woman throw her knife.

One of them raised his spear to cast it and I barely got off a shot in time to make an entrance wound in one ear and presumably and exit wound out the other. The two uninjured, so far, guards turned to see what the hellacious noise had been cause by and it gave me a nice center of mass opportunity on both of them. I nearly took it, but realized at the last second that they were too shocked to do anything.

"Lay down your spears or die. That is your choice," I said.

I'd been expecting that they would not do it, but they surprised me. I guess the loud noise or the sudden demise of their companion had put the fear into them. They stood still while Jastal came up to tie their hands and hobble their feet.

By now the noise had even caused the little one to stop crying, though it hadn't taken the first offenders mind off his ruined eye, he was still wailing. Now that the excitement was over I just walked into the camp and approached the mother that was now seeing to her bruised baby.

"Excuse me, but I am Carl and we've come to see if you women are being held here against your will?" I said to the mother. She had turned to face me as soon as I spoke.

She seemed doubly surprised. First, no doubt by my announcement of my name, especially since there were obvious enemies present - even if one was still sobbing. Second by what I'd said about them being held against their will.

"Yes, we are, but you must leave, there are others and they will be back soon," she said.

"The ones that can come back are back, but they are our captives. Kaglao and many of the others are dead," I said.

That was it for her, she was overwhelmed and couldn't think of anything else to say. The other women and girls had been listening though and some of them thought of a few questions, or a few hundred.

"Please, let me ask my Matatu and Zakat to come into camp and help me explain," I said, and then turned to Matatu and motioned for them all to come in.

Of course the women had never seen duct tape before, no one had except the ones with me and those that were now wearing it. I'll have to say that it was a big surprise to them, especially after I explained what it was doing wrapped around the mouths of the tied and hobbled men.

After I explained, one of them asked fairly innocently, "But how will they eat and drink with that covering their mouth?"

"I don't really know," I said, "If they can think of a way, it's fine with me and if they can't, that's even better."

"Indeed," said the girl child's mother, "The beasts killed every man in our small Calak, and even all the boy children, down to the smallest. Since then they've kept us as slaves, fucking us at their whim and I've even seen them eyeing the young girls."

"She's right," said a different woman, "The only ones that acted like humans were the two that only fuck each other."

Now that was something I hadn't heard about in my time here, and from the gasps of the other women, I thought that it might be knowledge I probably wasn't supposed to have.

"Well, if those two are still alive, we will spare their lives if you all agree. The others we have are working on earning their next breath with every one they take, or they had better be. I hope that one crying on the ground doesn't mean anything pleasant to any of you."

"He doesn't, least of all him," the mother of the small child said, and the others agreed at once.



-------

Chapter 17


"Good, I was looking forward to giving him the same sendoff I gave Kaglao. Nothing is more foul than a grown man that will take sport by hurting a child."

The women were all looking at me then, even the young girls. The small one, in her mother's arms, was staring wide eyed at me, even though I thought she could barely understand what I was saying.

"How did you dispose of Kaglao then," the mother finally asked.

"It was a little extra work after he was wounded seriously, but I was glad to do it. I made his men hold him down while I cut off his feet and then hands. As we speak he must be begging somewhere on the next world."

This was another shocker for the women and they stayed quiet for a while. Meantime Matatu had some of our prisoners do away with the body, after he gave them their instructions he approached me, pulling me to the side for a private conversation.

"Carl, I think you should let me deal with this man on the ground," he said.

"Matatu it is a gruesome task," I said.

"I know it must be, Carl, I could feel your torment when you dealt with Kaglao. Still it is something that I think will help both our world and the next one, and I think you have been through enough today. I will deal with this one, or if I can't I'll make his own fellows do it. I too saw what he did to the child," Matatu told me.

I hadn't gotten a bit of a charge out of cutting up Kaglao, and I'd done it mostly to let his followers know that their asses were up shit creek, and that was the good news about the rest of their day. If Matatu would do away with the piece of shit that was still rolling around bawling it was fine with me.

"I will get my saw for you. It will make it easier," I said.

"Maybe we should give your magic saw a rest too, Carl. We have axes and I'm good with one," Matatu told me.

I let it go then and not ten minutes later, after Matatu gave the duct-taped prisoners a little pep talk, they grabbed up their former friend and left with him. I wondered about Matatu being the only one in charge of the party, until I saw Jagbac and Jastal slipping silently into the woods to watch things while they were unnoticed. I quit worrying about Matatu after that.

Even though they must have walked half a mile away from camp we still heard the asshole screaming while Matatu, or whoever had to, worked on him. It was nearly an hour later when they returned with only his hands and feet. Matatu waited until he was back with the rest of us before he gave them the worst news yet.

"We have been lenient so far, but the next one of you that gives us trouble will leave this world completely blind and without his hands, feet, or manhood," he told them.

It might not sound so terrifying to someone from earth, depending on their beliefs. To any of the people of Margata it was more than terrifying, because they didn't have beliefs. They all knew they were going to another world when they died here and they knew that if they lost something here it would not be replaced for their next life. Whether it was true or not, it was true to them and they knew it in their bones.

And who was to say they were wrong? Certainly not me, I was already walking around on my next world. It was plain and simple to me too. I didn't know whether a God or a spaceman had moved me here, but I was on my second world already, and that was a personally observed fact.

Our Zakat was feverish by now, in spite of all the doctoring and praying the Matatu had done to him and for him. The formerly captive women had fixed a big meal for us, and I'd even relented and removed the tape from our temporary slaves to let them eat also. After the meal I could see that Matatu was exercised over something and it only took one question to find out what it was.

Matatu was a medicine man in most ways you'd normally associate with one, but he wasn't a healing woman Healing women weren't so in touch with the spirit world but they did know a hell of a lot more about healing, or helping people heal.

Our Calak only had one, and of course she stayed at home, too valuable to come out on this exploring adventure. There were more hurts and sickness for her to deal with at the camp than there would be on our trek, and after all, we did have Matatu for first aid.

An even stranger coincidence for me was that I'd left my first aid kit at the camp too. I didn't have that many things in it, but I did have some veterinary penicillin tablets and some aspirin to go along with the stronger pain pills. Since I'd been a kid, messing with my horses, I'd always kept some antibiotic handy.

Even though I'd quit fooling with horses after college, I still kept a little of the penicillin and a few other horse remedies close. I knew as well as the vet that most of the same medicine would work on humans. Breaking up a few one-thousand milligram horse tablets to take myself was one hell of a lot cheaper than going to the doctor if I had some shitty chest infection or sore throat from a cold or the flu.

We were here though and it was back at camp. I know it was stupid of me, no one in camp knew shit about it and it was useless to them, even if they did happen to need it.

The girl child's mother came over then and asked me about Zakat. She could see as well as anyone that he was wounded and not doing that well. No one could miss the way Matatu was pacing around him.

"Carl, I am the healing woman in our Calak. We kept it from the animals that were holding us here, and I don't have any of my medicines any longer, but I would like to help your Zakat if I can," she said.

"Will you talk with Matatu?" I asked.

"Yes."

In twenty minutes it was a done deal. She was busily hunting in the woods for two types of plants she said she needed to help Zakat. She told us one was to make a salve and the other was to brew a special tea. She had three of our original party with her too, just to make sure nothing bothered her in the woods.

It was nearly sunset when they came back and she was carrying two different types of plant, so evidently she had what she'd gone after. In no time flat one of the women we'd found was beating hell out of one of the plants in a sort of stone bowl with a little stone mortar.

The healing woman had a small animal stomach hanging over the fire, boiling some water for tea. It had only taken her a few minutes to pluck off two hands full of leaves from the other plant she'd come back with and they would go into the water for tea as soon as it boiled.

After the leaves were in the water and it had boiled for about another minute or two she moved the bag and tripod from over the fire to let it cool. While that was going on she took over for the gal doing the plant smashing, added some animal fat she'd had somewhere to the mix and got down to business on the salve.

It was fully dark by now and the only light was from torches we'd made and put up and the fire. I'd guess it was nearly ten PM when the tea was ready for Zakat to drink and after she'd made him drink three wooden cups full she cleaned around and in the wound with water and then some of the tea. After that she covered the whole thing with the salve, making him sleep without his tunic on and on his back.

Strangely he dropped off almost right away, but the healing woman stayed with him all night I guess. She stayed with him after daybreak too, and until it was time to eat a little breakfast, which all the other women had cooked.

She left instructions with Matatu for her patient's care while she slept and then she went into one of the shabby huts to rest. She'd also told Matatu that she didn't have any more rendered fat and that she'd need some to make more salve. He explained the problem to me and told me she'd said that fat from a thaka was best.

I knew this was my cue, because I'd already proven myself the best hunter of our Calak. Kwagi were excellent hunters, they had to be to survive, but they didn't have nearly the sense of smell I'd come here with. Hell, I felt for them since I hadn't either on earth.

At any rate I could smell a thaka from a long distance and I could even tell how far away he was, usually. Jagbac offered to go with me and help carry it back, if I got one. Of course they all knew that I'd be back with one in a few hours. They'd seen me do it before and they didn't even doubt it.

As soon as we were clear of the camp I smelled a thaka, and for once I was glad that it seemed to be a small one. Jagbac and I approached it slowly and within forty minutes we were carrying it between us on a stout birch trunk I'd found and felled with my saw. The women were very surprised when we came into camp with it, but they knew exactly what to do and they didn't waste any time getting started.

Apparently the healing woman had left instructions for someone to wake her when the noon meal was ready. She came out of her hut looking none the worse for wear, and actually seemed cheerful. I guess if I had been rescued from the captivity of rapists I might look cheerful the next morning too, or maybe not.

She bypassed her meal and went directly to check on her patient, our Zakat, and I went with her. Zakat didn't look any worse but he didn't look any better either. I was pretty sure that nothing she had or could make would give him very much help fighting the infection he surely had going on. The tea she made probably alleviated the symptoms but it wasn't really doing anything for the cause. The salve was keeping him from acquiring more, at best.

"He has sickness inside and all we can do is make him eat good food while we hope his own body can win the battle. The tea will make him more comfortable, but it can not heal him," she said, echoing what I'd just been thinking.

"I was afraid that was the case," I said, ignoring the look she gave me and continuing, "We must get him back to our camp as soon as possible. If he can live til then, I have something that might save him."

"What do you know of healing? You are a man, and not even Matatu," she said, and I could tell she was getting cranked up to give me a going over.

"I am Meseeka. Did you not see my weapon that saved your daughter?" I asked, hoping like hell that Shaeta and Katia had been telling me the truth about things like me being common knowledge among the women.

They must have been right on the money. The healing woman's impending tirade stopped right in its tracks.

"We should make haste then. He will last several more days, at least, but the longer it takes the more he will suffer," she said.

I called Matatu then and we talked it over. He agreed almost at once, and he went to speak to our bearers. I don't know what he told them, but when we left an hour or so later, they took off trotting with Zakat. I went with them and the healing woman said that she would do the best she could and for us to stop and wait for her if Zakat got worse.

I wasn't about to. His pain might get worse but he'd just have to bear up. The rest of our party traveled with the women to keep them safe, and I went with Zakat and urged his bearers on. Matatu thought it was dangerous for me, so I promised to kill any of them that gave me the least amount of trouble, and I did it loudly so they could hear.

We hadn't pussy footed around on our trip out, but we hadn't been trotting either, or even walking fast. We had stopped for lunch every day, even though it was just traveling food, and we'd taken about a two-hour rest each noon.

The bearers and I didn't take any significant breaks on the way back. I did try to trot them a mile and then walk them a mile, but the only stops were to let them drink if we crossed a creek. We hadn't even bothered with any traveling food. We were back in camp within twenty-four hours, but since we came in not long after midnight we caused quite a commotion.

The bearers were worn completely out. Even though they'd been able to alternate, and we'd only been able to walk at night instead of trot. I had them set Zakat down near his hut and Caloe was out of it within minutes of our arrival. I explained to her what had happened and let her know that Matatu and the others were coming this way with the women we'd rescued.

"But who are these that carried Zakat?" she asked.

"They are some of the attackers that are trying to save their own lives by saving Zakat. I will watch them until others are awake to take over, then I must get something from my hut for Zakat," I said, but made sure to keep my voice low.

Our healing woman was out now and she was giving orders to anyone who could hear to get a fire going and some water boiling. She went directly back to her hut for her medicines after she saw that the fire was being resurrected.

Caltort and Denac showed up at nearly the same time and they agreed to take over the prisoners. I asked them to keep them moving around until they stopped the panting. I didn't want them to just lay down and die, since they had done a good job. I headed to my tent after that and met Shaeta and Katia coming out of it to see what was happening.

"Carl, you are back," they said, almost at the same time.

"Yes, Zakat was wounded and I brought him back. The others will be coming later and they're bringing some women we rescued. I will tell you all of it later, but now I must get something for Zakat from my things. Can you two come and hold candles for me."

Of course they could, and it was a damned good thing they did. My first aid kit was in my trunk and there was damned little light tonight since the sky was overcast.

I found the horse caplets and broke one in half. It would be a strong dose, even for someone as big as Shaton, but I figured he needed it. When I got back to him the healing woman was making some sort of tea, but when I talked to her I could tell that she was already expecting me to be bringing something.

Whether Shaton wanted any medicine or not, when the healing woman approached him with it he took it without giving her any grief. He had to; the healing woman did not take backtalk from anyone. She even got him to eat some traveling food first, like I asked her to. Like the other healing woman that we'd found, ours stayed right beside Zakat, and when the tea was ready, she got some down him right away.

I figured I'd done all I could for now, for Shaton anyway, so I found Denac and Caltort and gave them the short version of what had happened. I pointed out the two that were lovers and told them that they were the best of the lot, and that they were not very responsible for what had happened to Zakat.

"None of the rest injured Zakat, but they were ready to until I convinced them not to. For the record, they all ran as hard as they could to get him back here in time to be tended to. I don't think we should kill them all unless Zakat does not recover. If he does get better I think we should let him decide their fate.

"Don't let anyone that watches them misunderstand though. If any of them cause the slightest trouble, kill that one at once. I am trying to be patient with them, but there's no sense in being silly about it. I'm sure we aren't the first ones they attacked, and all but the two I mentioned have been raping the women that they captured," I said.

Caltort looked practically livid with that last but it was nothing like the clouds that formed around Denac. For a second or two I thought he would blow a gasket, or start foaming at the mouth, Finally he just threw his head back and roared, and it was loud enough that I know it woke anyone that was still asleep.

"I'm sorry, Carl, but I had to do something. I could feel a rage enclosing me. I had to try to let it out," he said, and looked sheepish.

"I know exactly how you feel, Denac. When the leader of this band of fools threw his spear into Zakat I killed eleven of them before I could make myself stop, and then I killed their leader shortly after that.

"When we came up to their camp, we saw one of the men they left as watchers, strike a small girl child in the stomach with the butt of his spear, for sport. I have never even heard of men as vile as these. I doubt they can redeem themselves, but I still think Zakat should decide, if we can wait for him."

"You are right. It is his decision. I will try my best not to kill any of them before he can make it," Denac said, and Caltort agreed.

I was worn out myself, now that the excitement was wearing off, so I went to my hut and let my mates put me in the furs. I'm not even sure that I didn't fall asleep before they had my clothes off me.



-------

Chapter 18


I did not wake before sunrise the next morning, and in fact I barely made it out before noon. It was a good thing I'd left the other half of the antibiotic with the healing woman and asked her to give Shaton half of it after about six hours, and the other half six hours later.

My mates were not with me when I woke and I wouldn't have expected them to be. I dressed and made my way outside and toward the central fire. I hoped food could appear from somewhere soon. It did.

It was nearly as if Shaeta and Katia had been waiting and watching the hut to see when I'd come out. They had a bowl of food ready for me before I could even get seated in our normal spot. I thanked them and started eating, and I'm pretty sure my table manners, or bowl manners, were not the best.

"How is Zakat?" I asked, after I'd stuffed it all in.

"He looks much better this morning than he did last night. He doesn't even seem very weak," Katia said.

"Are you sure he was as sick as you thought?" Shaeta asked.

"Yes, the medicine we took from my trunk is very powerful. I'm sure it is what is helping him. He was not doing very well even though the other healing woman did her best," I said.

"There is another healing woman?"

"There was one being held captive by the men that attacked us. I'm sure that Zakat would have died if she hadn't helped him as soon as we found her," I said.

It was only a beginning on the explaining I was going to have to do and I knew it. I didn't blame them a bit because I knew that this type of thing just didn't happen very often. I cheated though and told them about the two men that fucked each other, and that sent them to their mothers right away, leaving me in peace for a while.

They weren't gone very long though, and they returned with their mothers in only a few minutes. I was surprised that most of the questions were about the two men lovers, and I was pretty glad I didn't know much about them.

"You will just have to wait until the women get here. That reminds me of something I'm wondering about. Will we take the women in?" I asked.

"If they want to stay with us of course we will. Didn't you say that these attackers killed all their men?" Caloe asked.

"Yes. One of the women told me they even killed all the boys, down to the youngest."

"I don't understand how any man could do such," Caloe said.

"I think they were confused by the one they called their Zakat. He was not really a Zakat though because they didn't have a real Calak. How can you call it a Calak if the women have to be held against their will?" I asked.

"You can't. That was no Calak, and the women they were holding knew it I'm sure," Shata said.

"But this leader they had, what makes you think he caused it all?" Caloe asked.

"He was easily big enough to have made his way into a Calak if he'd tried. He was either rejected when he tried or he never tried. He was a dangerous man though. I am glad he is dead," I said.

"It is better. They can worry about him in the next world," Caloe said.

"I don't think they will worry about him much," I said.

"Why do you say that?"

"I took his hands and feet before I sent him off. I cut them off with my saw and we burned them after he died. The only thing I see him doing in the next world is begging," I said.

"It is good enough for him. I hope he has a long life there," Shata said, and Caloe seemed to agree, but I could tell that she was disturbed by it.

That wasn't the end of the powwow though. Caloe had a lot more questions for me. Many of them I couldn't answer because I just didn't know. She asked so much about the ways of the faux Calak and its leader that I couldn't tell her. I knew it was frustrating for her, since I knew that she would be the one deciding on the fate of our former attackers.

On the face of it things would seem simple, but they weren't really. These were not grown men, even if they were larger than most grown men I'd ever met. Their ages probably ran from sixteen to nineteen. Old enough to leave their birth Calak but only coming old enough to try to join another one, and certainly not old enough to know better.

Kaglao was older. I don't know how old and probably we'd never know, but he was old enough and smart enough to sucker the young men he ran across into joining his Calak that wasn't a Calak.

In a way I felt sorry for them. They were turned out to make their own way and suckered in by Kaglao. He must have seemed knowledgeable and no doubt he had a strong personality. The trouble was, he was a piece of shit. On one hand it was hard to blame the young men he gathered to him, but in another way it didn't matter.

The knowledge couldn't be unlearned now. Growing up is a process, and when you learn something that makes it easier for you, you're likely to fall back on it later if need arises. They had learned to kill and take. Could we teach them that type behavior was wrong, and insure they wouldn't backslide? I doubted it but thought we should try. Not because I felt that they had some mystical right to live. That's horseshit.

Every life is not precious; in fact, babies are pretty damned easy to come by, and with a little organization they're easily raised. I know the mothers don't think like that but it's the damned truth. On the world I came from there were a hell of a lot more people than it could safely support and the numbers were growing all the time. If I didn't think I could drive the shit Kaglao put in these heads out, I'd shoot every fucking one of them myself.

That didn't mean they couldn't be useful, and if they lived they were going to be useful. I didn't intend to make slaves of them, but I was going to end up in charge of them and they were going to do things I wanted done, if they got to live.

Caloe and Shata finally decided they had all the information that I had, and they left me in peace. I was glad about it. I didn't mind telling them what I knew but I didn't know enough about it to matter. They kept coming up with questions that I couldn't answer and there was no point in my helping them speculate.

Going over to where Denac was still guarding the attackers, I decided that there was no sense in letting them sit on their asses all day. We were going to have to feed them, for a while anyway, and we might as well get something out of it.

"Denac, do you think the two of us can keep control of them if we take them to the burned out place to make them work?" I asked him.

"I don't see why not, they haven't been causing any trouble," he said, and damned if one of them, the one I'd made tell me Kaglao name, didn't open his mouth and prove Denac wrong.

"We are not going to work unless you let us join the Calak," he said, in a defiant voice that made me wonder where he'd found the courage.

I shot him in the abdomen as soon as I could get the Glock out.

"You just couldn't wait to see what it feels like when the Glock stings your belly, could you. Are you happy now that you know?"

He didn't seem very happy. He had a hand over the entrance wound and was screaming as loud as he could stand to. I asked Denac to keep an eye on the others while I went to my trunk, where I fetched one of my few plastic ties.

He was still screaming when I got back and by now there was a crowed around him, a crowd from our camp.

"What has happened?" Caloe asked, when I got back.

"That one," I said, pointing out the obvious culprit, "decided he didn't want to live much longer. He said that he was not going to work unless we let him join the Calak. There is no need for us to feed him and let him live if he isn't going to work."

"I can see the sense in that," Caloe said, and seemed to realize that the rest of the show was for the benefit of the prisoners left alive.

I went over to the howling one, slit his trouser's waist cord and then pulled them off him, leaving him naked below the waist. Of course this brought another question from Caloe and I was glad to have it.

"What are you doing now?" she asked.

"Matatu warned every one of them that they would be leaving this world without their hands, feet, eyes, or manhood if they caused more trouble. It seems that they think our Matatu was not telling them the truth, as if that were even possible," I said, and then looped the tie around the base of his penis and top of his scrotum, pulling it as tight as I could.

"I have to do it this way so he won't bleed to death before I am done," I said.

"Very well. If Matatu has spoken we must not fail to keep his word for him," she said, and then left.

I kept hoping that this would get nauseating for me, but as I'd feared, it wasn't as bad as last time, even though I had the additional gruesome tasks. At least Denac helped me with the hands and feet, and his way was better.

After I'd removed the balls and dick, I stabbed his eyeballs. They were harder to penetrate than you'd have thought, or they were harder than I thought they'd be anyway.

Denac was sure he didn't need to tie off the hands and feet to keep him from bleeding to death before it was finished. He used his axe, which was the biggest one I'd seen here so far. It took him one stroke each for the offending appendages and he was done. It was probably easier on the patient too. At least he died a lot faster.

Of course this had taken time and it was getting too late to get any work out of them today, except for the upcoming burial detail for their former companion. We rode herd on them while they carried him about a mile from our camp and then dug a grave with their hands. I decided to give them a pep talk while they were digging, albeit a short one.

"I hope that the rest of you finally understand that I'm not going to put up with any trouble making. Every one of you will leave just like this unless you can learn that you are not a bunch of warriors destined to rule the world. You are nothing to me unless you can make yourself useful. If you don't want to try that, then speak up now in a polite tone and I'll kill you quickly without removing any parts. If you make me angry you'll end up just like the others have."

They must have been listening because their grave digging took on a will. They had him in the hole in less than an hour and they'd covered him up fifteen minutes after that. We led them to a stream to let them wash the dirt off and then back to camp for supper.

I kept asking myself, all though the meal, if I was getting too bloodthirsty, and I convinced myself that I wasn't. The ones that didn't decide to be responsible citizens were going to die. We couldn't afford anything else. I still didn't enjoy the mutilations but I did still think they had a chance of convincing the others that obedience was far easier than any alternative we were giving them.

Just before the meal I checked with Darita, the healing woman, about Shaton. He was sleeping at the moment but she said he seemed much better. I went for three more of the thousand milligram caplets and gave them to her, telling her that I thought a quarter of one four times a day would be best. I started to bring some aspirin but decided not too. His fever wasn't very bad and I didn't want him to feel so much better that he decided he needed to get up and around.

After the meal was over, Denac and I led the prisoners out into the woods to take care of bodily needs and then found a place not far from the fire for them to sleep. Chalti helped Denac and I tie all their hands behind them and then each of their legs to one of the other's legs. Yes, I knew it would be uncomfortable for sleeping.

"Tomorrow, if none of you makes us kill him, we will let you sleep without being bound," I said, and then took a seat on a nearby rock to do the first guard duty.

Chalti came to relieve me a few hours later and I went to my hut. My mates were sleeping but woke as soon as I started getting out of my clothes. They seemed very solicitous of my needs but strangely more quiet than usual. We were asleep in minutes.

Even though I got to bed late the night before I was still well rested when I woke, mainly because I'd slept til noon the day before. My mates seemed in a much better mood this morning too, and we left our hut with them going to help with breakfast and me headed over to check Denac and his brood.

"Any trouble last night, or this morning?" I asked him.

"None. I believe they realize that it is time for them to relearn how to live in a Calak, instead of like a pack of wild animals," he said.

"We can only hope so, for their sake," I said, as we took them toward camp for the meal.

Caloe and Shata had a plan of their own in mind for the prisoners. It seemed like a sort of carrot and stick approach to me and I hoped that it would work.

Breakfast was as good as any we'd ever had this morning and it was plentiful. No one stinted on the food our guests received either. In fact, all the women of camp seemed to be stuffing them full. It was easy to see that the young men were surprised, and also pleased.

Damnation, I was pretty well pleased myself. This was my first morning back as far as a regular breakfast went, and my mates made sure I had plenty, along with their lively company. Of course Shaeta started in with the questions first thing after we were done eating.

"What is on your agenda for today, our hero?" she asked.

"What is this hero business?"

"You are now a hero, for a while at least. You have saved our Zakat's life, rescued many women, and you have protected us all from these wild loners," Katia said, helping her co-mate out with the teasing.

"If you two aren't careful my next trick will be teaching the both of you what a spanking is," I said, teasing.

"We already know what spankings are," Shaeta said, falling for it.

"Good, then maybe all I'll have to do is remind you."

"That is the problem with having a hero for a mate. Mother is so grateful to have daddy back and still breathing that she would probably help him hold us still," Katia said.

"As if she and my mother wouldn't have anyway after he and Denac found more honey than we have ever seen at one time before, not to mention those candles," Shaeta said.

"It's probably a good thing that we've already finished the dreadful thong cutting task he gave us," Katia said.

"Have you really?" I asked.

"Yes, and we think that you may have more thong than you planned on," Shaeta said.

"How many of the long ones were you able to get?" I asked.

"There are eighteen that are sixty feet long, and dozens of others that are shorter. The shortest one is thirty feet," Katia said.

"That is wonderful. We can make three ropes with the eighteen sixty-foot ones," I said.

"What do you mean we? You can show Katia and I how to do it and we will make them. You have more important things to do," Shaeta said.

"What important things?" I asked.

"How should we know? Just do something else that makes life easier, like the candles, or the pots, or find another big bee tree. We will make these lariats, as you call them, just show us how," Katia said.

So I did. I showed them how bundle the thongs and keep them damp and then showed them how to do the six strand plait. It only took them a minute or so to see what I was doing, and it seemed they understood at once why the thongs had to be in separate bundles as they worked.

They almost caught on too well in fact, and I had to stop them.

"Why do we need to stop?" Shaeta asked.

"We need to make you something else, before you do much of this at a time," I said.

"What something else," Katia asked.

"Something I should have showed you much earlier. I will get you started on the first pair and then I'm sure you can discover a way to make them even better than I can show you," I said.

"Fine, but what?" Shaeta asked, again.

"Gloves."

"What are gloves," Katia asked.

"They are made from animal skins and you put them over your hands to keep from getting blisters and calluses as you work. They are good for tasks like this, where you have to keep doing the same thing over and over," I said.

"Well show us then. We've never seen gloves."

We went to my steamer trunk then, since I knew I had at least one or two needles and some thread. I'd never been camping anywhere that I didn't end up tearing something that needed a few stitches, and I always brought some needles and thread. When I found my sewing kit I knew at once that it had been expanded upon.

My mates were thrilled when I showed them the needles and the thread. Of course they were familiar with the process, but had never seen a needle. Their method used tiny awls made from bone and rawhide or leather thongs for thread.

When they sewed something, they pushed a hole into the material and it had to be large enough to push the end of a thong through. When they had the thong through they had to grasp it on the other side and pull it tight. The holes had to be much larger to make this work, since the thongs had to be larger. It took them maybe ten microseconds to understand how much better the needles and thread would work.

Our next job was finding a suitable hide to make gloves from, but that wasn't really a problem. When the three of us went to see Caloe about it she told us to look through the skins and hides and see if there was anything that would do.

"If there isn't we will send most of the men out today to hunt for a suitable animal," she said, and she never even asked what we wanted it for.

We found a qaka skin that was perfect almost right away. Back at my steamer I amazed them again with a pencil, of all things. Of course they'd never seen anything like it, and when I had Katia lay her hand on the hid and traced around her fingers, the handprint I drew was new and wonderful. It was so wonderful that they ran me off right away.

"We see what to do now. Go on about your business. Go and show the wild one something wonderful. Cutting poles for the shed you said you wanted to build, or something else useful," Shaeta said, letting me know I'd been dismissed.



-------

Chapter 19


Leaving them to it was fine with me. The gloves were mostly for them anyway, now at least, and I'd never been much at sewing. I went to find Denac and his charges.

The girl's idea about poles for my hut wasn't a bad one, but there was something else I wanted first. I'd brought my Boy Scout compass and entrenching tool; Denac, Chalti, the prisoners, and I were about to start searching for iron.

"Do you think they will be more cooperative this morning Denac?" I asked, when I reached them.

"Yes, they seem to have had a change in attitude. If they backslide we may have to find out which one is causing it and get rid of him too. Sooner or later all those that are left will have good manners," Denac said.

"I think we should take them to the burned out section and let them look for parts of the star that fell," I said, and we headed that way.

Our work crew was amazed when they found out what we wanted to do, and after I explained that there was something useful buried from the impact they seemed nearly thrilled to be looking for it.

"No matter how small or trivial any rock you find near the crater seems, bring it to me. The compass will let us know whether or not it is valuable," I said.

Right away we had to make half of them back off so there would be room to work. I handed one of them the entrenching tool and set him to digging. The others we let work were to take away the refuse he developed and then those that weren't working would go through it, looking for rocks to test.

It was nearly twenty minutes before they came to me with a rock that was from the meteorite. I was almost positive from the way it looked, but sure enough, when I held it against the compass the needle swung directly to it. We called for a break and I let every one of them see the demonstration.

It was barely the size of my fist and was obviously iron, or so I thought. Of course I'd never seen an iron meteorite, or any other type for that matter. I at least knew that many meteorites contained iron of some sort. I was working on a hunch that I might be able to make something useful out of whatever we found.

Within two hours I knew that a fix of some sort was in. The others didn't realize it, but when they found a large specimen after digging down about eight feet, and reported that it was too heavy to lift, I went to take a look. It was a plant.

There was no doubt it had fallen from the sky, but it hadn't come from outer space, or at least it hadn't come via the normal route of a meteor. It was a damned anvil. It wasn't what you'd normally think of as an anvil but that's what it was for. It had the general size of a normal anvil but had been disguised to make it appear more natural looking.

It was basically a big glob with a suspiciously flat top and bottom, and an almost perfect horn. These were the main features of any anvil and the rest of it was just a big blob that got wider toward the flat bottom to form a suitable base. I figured it was as close to normal looking as it could be made and still function.

It suited me fine. It would work and it beat the hell out of trying to make one, or make do with something else. Now if we could just find the handy dandy supply of metal I needed. I hated the thought of trying to actually cobble up the method for making steel.

More digging found several oddly convenient samples of what I needed. I even thought about continuing to search and dig to see if we were going to run into a coal seam, but I decided that it wasn't necessary. I hadn't figured out a way to make bricks yet, and especially a way to make firebrick that would be able to withstand the type of heat I'd need to do any serious blacksmith work.

After they knew the anvil had to come out they finished digging around it and did the deed. It probably weighed a hundred pounds more than it needed to, but that wouldn't hurt anything, except where moving it from place to place was involved.

The anvil and the smaller iron pieces we kept finding were going to be useful, someday, but other things needed to be made first. A bellows came to mind, but I thought it would be easy. A way to carry the damned anvil, and the iron stock they were finding seemed a more immediate need.

Even though we'd just settled in here, there was nothing to say we wouldn't be moving on soon. This camp was in a good location, but it was temporary. I had a feeling that the nomadic nature of their lives would have to end for any real progress toward civilization to get started.

Think about it. Nothing of real lasting value could be accumulated if the Calak was going to continue to move around. Their current lifestyle involved moving to a new place, setting up shop, and then staying until they had fouled their nest sufficiently to make moving on necessary.

They didn't even build privies. Like wild bears, they shit in the woods. Sooner or later they would be walking around stepping in shit. That was not a healthy way to conduct life, even though it was natural, to a certain extent.

It wasn't natural in another way. This was a large Calak and therefore they developed a lot of shit. No doubt that was a vote in favor of having smaller Calaks. With fewer members they would create less of a mess where they made their camps. They would also be less of a strain on their local environment. Building shitters wouldn't cure the pressure on the local wildlife, but it would make things more pleasant and it was mandatory for more permanent settlements.

Leaving the compass to Denac, I walked back toward camp, wondering if the technology of outhouses would be my next otherworldly revelation to my Calak. Even if it was going to be it would have to wait.

As I got to camp, Caltort was spreading the word that he'd seen Matatu and the others approaching. The welcoming committee was just starting to gather, and it included almost everyone. What the hell, I joined in.

Zakat couldn't be kept on his pallet for it either. No matter how Caloe and Darita scolded, he was determined to meet Matatu on his feet. He even seemed much healthier than he had any right to be, but I thought the excitement was doing a good bit of it, and his male posturing was helping with the rest.

At any rate, when the new women walked into camp behind Matatu, Zakat and his condition was basically forgotten. Caloe, Shata, and all the rest of the Calak's women descended on their new sisters and the party was on.

For probably an hour there was nothing but old home week going on among the women. They greeted and exchanged names and then they moved over toward the back side of camp and had a conference where no men were welcome, or even permitted.

For my part, I was thankful. At last Shata and Caloe would get the details they wanted and I wouldn't have to provide them. It wasn't that I didn't want to explain the details to them; I didn't know the details. That hadn't spared me the third degree, but now I wouldn't be needed for enlightenment and it made me happy.

Our noon meal was only about an hour and a half late. With the first blush of the news over, all the women, even the new arrivals, went to work and had the food ready in nearly no time. When my mates brought me my share it was evident that they were very happy about the new arrivals.

"You have risen even higher in the women's estimation," Shaeta said, as she and Katia came to join me.

"Oh. What have I done now?" I asked.

"You saved those women, and you rid this world of Kaglao. The women told us that your estimation of him was correct. He was charismatic toward the young men he gathered and he had no interest in teaching them how to live correctly," Katia said.

That statement was slightly repugnant to me at face value but I changed my mind almost at once. Living correctly had an odd and ominous ring to someone from twenty-first century America where personal freedom was the mantra. It took me only a minute or two to realize that we had personal freedom here too, but that we couldn't be nearly as tolerant toward the ones who's personal freedom didn't include working for a living.

There was no room for a welfare state in this time and place. Not so fast though, there was some room. Men or women who were injured or sick were taken care of, our Zakat being a recent example. He could not fend for himself at the moment, and he was being tended to by the Calak, even though he was not producing.

Of course there was the expectation that he would return to productivity, or at least the hope, but that wasn't the whole of it. There weren't examples in this Calak at this time, but I had observed other Calaks who tended to members who were very old and even some who were obviously injured beyond returning to work. Of course the best medical care they had was also available to all. So it was a sort of welfare state, or more correctly, a type of socialism or communism.

At least I hadn't been dropped into some olden days farce of democracy, which was a badly flawed system from its inception. For a second I wondered how things would have turned out if Kaglao and his group had entered a mythical democratic Calak and hung around for the next election. Then I flashed on a runt like W running for Zakat and nearly spit out my food when I burst out laughing.

"What is funny," Katia asked.

"Nothing from this world my mate. It was a thought from my last one," I said, admitting it.

"Was it a wonderful place?" Shaeta asked.

"Some things were wonderful, but mostly it had been completely ruined by the time I was born. There were so many people that even the air was fouled. We had wonderful inventions, but more people than the world could support," I said.

"How many people?" Katia asked.

Somehow they knew about what I thought of as Arabic numbers, a little at least. They could all count to a hundred, and even though I was sure they could go farther if they needed to, they didn't need to. I tried to think of a way I could explain it to them, and couldn't. Then I gave it a shot.

"If you started counting them, you would not finish before more were born and had reached four or five years old," I said, not knowing if I was correct in my figures but understanding that it would at least give them some idea. It did, but they couldn't believe it.

Much to my relief they lost interest after that. There was no point in giving them the rundown on my old home, since the information was mostly useless to them. I did have knowledge we could use now but going over gee-whiz population numbers and details wasn't part of the useful stuff. We finished our meal without much more talking and they left to join the women again.

Denac, Chalti, and the prisoners were ready to head back to our worksite and I let them go ahead while I fetched my modern type axe and a handsaw.

Most of our guest were searching the diggings for more of the magic rocks that made the needle swing while Denac and Chalti stood around. There was quite a pile of them waiting for me to examine and I figured my first task was to teach Chalti and Denac how to operate the compass. Of course it was easy.

With that done Denac and I took two of the guests with us to find the makings for a heavy-duty travois. It wasn't going to be possible to move that anvil with a travois that used a skin for holding up its freight. My cart would carry it, but I didn't want to get that started, since I would need my cart for other things the next time we moved. Besides, we had the glorified ladder built in less than an hour.

As soon as we got back to the dig site with our new heavy-hauler I discovered we'd need another one. The men were still digging and scratching for the magic rocks and they already had a bunch. I estimated that the weight of discovered iron now doubled the weight of the anvil. Shit, this was going to cause problems, especially if it turned out that the meteor iron was truly useful, and I had no doubt that it was.

We needed a wagon of course. Hell, we needed an everything. No help for it though, I'd just have to start building and hope I could teach others to do part of it. Then I had a brainstorm, but thankfully nothing was damaged.

Building a wagon was going to be a bitch. First because there was no lumber available and secondly there were no wheels. Of course the idea of the wheel is simple, but just think about the execution. We could saw tree trunks crosswise and get disk of wood to try using as wheels, but even if they worked they would be piss poor.

Tree trunks only look round if you aren't paying close attention, up close and personal they aren't round, they are roundish. Every deviation from round would be apparent while you were trying to pull your wagon, especially when you were trying to pull it by hand. Nearly round wheels added to kinda flat ground would end up being mostly impossible with human power.

There was no doubt we'd start out that way, probably with two wheel carts. I'd need to show the others the advantages of the wheel and the cart to get them interested in building a wagon and better wheels. To make decent wheels we were going to have to make the outer rims of iron. To make the rims we'd need to build a useable forge and to build a forge we had to make firebrick. No doubt about it, we were going to be working our way toward wagon wheels.

I already knew what humans used before they had wheels and these humans were using it, the travois. What I needed now was the logical next step, and I knew what that was too - a tame animal that could pull a travois. Buttercup was a good step but it would take much too long for him to grow into usefulness. I might as well concentrate on finding a way to catch some of the horses and start trying to train them. At least that was something I knew how to do and had done before. Meanwhile it was more of the industrial strength travois and moving the iron rocks the hard way.

Denac, the two helpers, and I went back to work and built two more. We made these wider and used much smaller cross pieces, to keep the rocks from falling through. By the time we were finished with them it was time to pack up what we had already and head back to camp.

Loading the travois didn't end up taking much effort; then again, we didn't get even half of the iron loaded. It seems they'd had much better luck as they spread out a few feet from the original hole the anvil had made after it stuck. My blacksmithing supplies were in very good shape, so far.

When we got to camp Caloe wondered what in the hell I'd been up to and I explained as best I could.

"If I heat these rocks very hot, and pound them with one of my hammers, I can make useful things from them. For instance, I can make knives like the one I have," I said.

She didn't need any further explanation about my knife, or the ones I'd given Katia and Shaeta. She helped me pick out a place to pile my new treasures and then we had the travois unloaded and stored in plenty of time to eat with everyone else.

Apparently Caloe had decided that I would have mentioned it if our guest hadn't been on their best behavior. When their food was delivered it was obvious that they'd received plenty. Even the women they'd held captive seemed to bear them no ill will, and I thought that was remarkable. This was also the first time since his injury that Zakat ate sitting up, with the rest of us. I hoped he was truly on his way to being well.

Denac and Jekaycey ate with Shaeta, Katia, and I. He did the explaining about the rock gathering expedition. Of course that wasn't good enough since it didn't include what the rocks could be used for, so I was next in line for a grilling.

"The rocks are a special type, since they were the main part of the falling star. I hope that I can use them to make knives, spear tips, and maybe even more of the needles. They are similar to what the needles are made of," I said.

This got the women excited. Katia and Shaeta had clued Jekaycey in on the needles right away, and it turns out she'd made a pair of gloves for herself and had then helped with the rope plaiting. It made me remember that Jagbac had been interested in a rope from the start.

"How are the thongs holding up, do you have enough for another rope?" I asked.

"Not now, unless it is a short one. There are more skins though, and we could cut more thongs easily. In fact, I think Jekaycey is much better at it than we are. Why, do you think you will need another one?" Shaeta asked.

"Jagbac was interested in one at first and I'm sure he still is," I said.

"Then there is no problem. Matita, his mate, is the best at cutting thongs in the whole camp, and besides, she watched what we were doing most of the day. We will tell her tomorrow that Jagbac wants a rope too," Katia said, and when Jekaycey and Shaeta nodded in agreement I knew the matter was settled.

The women took the bowls back to clean them up and put them away while Denac and I sat on our asses. I decided to see if he would take over the prospecting for tomorrow.

"Denac, do you think you and Chalti can handle our work crew without me tomorrow?" I asked.

"Look at them." he said, waving a hand toward where they were lying around looking stuffed, "The women of this Calak are very smart. Those wild ones have never eaten this good, probably not even at the Calak they were raised in. They will do nothing to get them sent away. Didn't you notice how hard they worked today, not only at the digging but when the two helped us build those travois?"

"They did seem to get right after it. If you and Chalti can keep them busy tomorrow I think I am going exploring," I said.

"Are you going alone?" he asked.

"Yes, but I must. I will be looking for a way to capture some of the cashda. I have already seen a small herd of them across the river behind us."

"I don't see how you can. They have a way of knowing anytime we get near, no matter how slowly we move and how quiet we are," he said.

"I know that, but they can't tell about me. I can know the same way they know. They can get your scent from very far away, the same way I had the scent of the vadeesey from so far. I also know they can't get my scent because I can't get theirs. I've been within a couple of hundred yards of the small herd across the river," I said.

"So you must go alone after all. I will make sure nothing goes wrong with the new workers while you do it, but I don't see how you can possibly capture any cashda alone," he said.

"I don't plan to capture them tomorrow. I will be scouting to find a way that you and the others can help me."

"I just don't understand then. If they can get our scent from so far away how could we possibly help?" he asked.

"You will help by letting them get your scent. I will try to find a place we can drive them into that has only one way in or out. Once we have them in it we can discover a way to capture them," I told him.

"I am glad you are doing it then. Just thinking about it is making my head hurt again," Denac said, and then bellowed out his laughter.

We parted then and I joined my mates in our hut. I was surprised to see that they had several candles burning and were sewing in their light.

"Will you work all night also, now that you have candles?" I asked, after I entered.

"No, but we can work for a while. You can entertain us with your plans while we do. We are making gloves for Matita, since we have these needles that make it so much easier," Katia said.

"I can't complain about that. I should have remembered that Jagbac wanted a lariat. He had asked me about one and I just forgot," I said.

"It does not matter, we will have the gloves ready tomorrow and Matita can try using them while cutting the thongs for his. We are done with yours, by the way. All we need to do now is treat it with some fresh brain and then it will be ready," Shaeta said.

"Why do you need to treat it?" I asked.

"We always treat anything made of rawhide if we intend for it to last very long. You will see. The lariat will be better after we have treated it. Of course you will need to kill something for the fresh brain we need," Katia said.

"I will probably do it tomorrow. I am going exploring," I said.



-------

Chapter 20


"And what are you going to explore," Shaeta asked.

"I will be looking around on the other side of the river. There is a small herd of cashda that waters near where we dug the clay. I am going to try capturing them," I said.

"But why, and how? I have never even been able to see one, most people haven't," Katia said.

"They are from another world also, or at least that is where they started from. Kwagi can't get close to them because they can get your scent from so far away, just like I can. They can't get my scent from so far like I can't get theirs. I have already been within a few hundred yards of them," I said.

"I still don't understand why you want them now. We will not be pulling our travois to another place for a long time," Shaeta said.

"You mean we probably won't be. You know that Matatu already wants to explore another location. That is how we got into the scrape with the loners in the first place.

"Besides, pulling travois is not all that cashda are good for."

"I have heard they are good to eat, but I don't think anyone in our Calak has ever tasted them," Shaeta said.

"They are even better for something else I know of. They can be trained to let you ride on their backs."

That got their attention and I knew they were having a hard time believing it.

"I have done it in my last world. With proper training the cashda will not even mind. They can carry a man all day without becoming too tired.

"If I had one, I could go far away to hunt, kill a large thaka, and then use a travois on my cashda to bring the thaka back while I rode on its back. They are very useful," I said.

"Well you have done as we asked anyway. You have entertained us while we made the gloves for Matita. Now we are done and we can blow out the candles and let you entertain us in the furs," Shaeta said, and that's just what happened.

Of course we were up with the sunrise the next morning. As we dressed my mates had a little surprise of their own for me.

"Nita and Lanita will be eating with us this morning," Katia said.

"Who are Nita and Lanita?" I asked.

"Nita is the healing woman you found and Lanita is her small daughter," Shaeta said.

"Oh, I didn't know their names. The small one is so cute, but when I saw her last she had just been hurt by the asshole that Matatu took care of later."

"We know. She told us all about it," Katia said.

"Nita did?"

"No, Lanita did. You are her hero as well as ours. She's the one who asked if they could eat with us, and apparently she wants to do it from now on. It embarrassed Nita when she asked me," Shaeta said, "but I thought it was very nice. It will be good for Katia and I to know more about dealing with children."

That made my ears perk up, since it seemed to indicate that a baby or two might be appearing in a while.

"No, do not go strutting around like you've done something yet. We saw that glint in your eyes. You have been doing your duty for sure, but we are not with child yet, neither of us," Katia said, and then they both laughed at me.

"Maybe I should work harder at it."

"You won't be working any harder unless Breezus sends us another helper. My throat is nearly raw from the screaming you made me do last night," Katia said.

"Mine too," Shaeta said, agreeing.

"It is like a woman always told me when I was younger. She said that children were fun coming in but hell coming out," I said, and got a laugh of my own.

Denac was waiting by our usual spot so I joined him while my mates joined his to go and get our food ready. I spotted Nita near the cooking fire but I didn't see Lanita. In fact, I didn't remember seeing her since they made it to our camp. She was probably sleeping late this morning. I had already noticed that the children normally stayed in the huts until the morning meal was ready.

"So, are you ready to go on your exploration?" Denac asked.

"Yes. I am anxious to get the cashda captured. It will take weeks to train them just for pulling the travois."

"It will be a terrible job for you. How will you handle them alone for all that time," he asked.

"I'm hoping that someone will help me."

"But how can they if the cashda can get their scent so easily?" he asked.

"It will not matter if they have your sent after they cannot escape. They will become accustomed to you. Once they see that we mean then no harm they will not be so frightened. You will see. After we have them for a while they will see it as normal, or almost normal."

"I will take your word for it, and if it is somehow possible that one day I'll be able to touch one it will make me happy. I never thought I'd touch a live thaka until you brought Buttercup to our camp, and now it seems I'm stumbling into him nearly every day," Denac said, grinning.

My mates, Jekaycey, Nita, and Lanita headed our way with food about then. Nita seemed a little uncomfortable to be doing it and Lanita was almost hiding behind her mother's skirts. At least they hadn't forgotten the purpose of the trip and had plenty of food with them.

"Good morning, Nita, and Lanita. I am happy to see you this morning. I'm thrilled to have breakfast with the woman who saved our Zakat," I said.

"I too. I feel honored," said Denac, joining right in.

At least it put them slightly at ease and even Lanita didn't seem so shy now. As they all found a place to sit Lanita was looking around for a spot when I spoke up again.

"Come, Lanita, I have saved a place for you," I said.

She eyed me cautiously and then came to stand in front of me, looking to see if she could find the place.

"But where?" she asked, finally.

"Right here," I said, picking her up and putting her in my lap. It made her giggle.

"Now, let's see what my wonderful mates have made for our breakfast," I said, holding up my large bowl and eyeing it. "Do you see anything you might like?"

She didn't speak but pointed to a tidbit. I picked it up at once and popped it into her open mouth. She seemed to nearly sigh with contentment and when I glanced at Nita, mostly to make sure I wasn't out of line, I saw that she had tears running down her cheeks. She wasn't balling her eyes out or anything but she was crying silently, a little. At least she smiled at me when she saw me looking.

Lanita didn't notice anything going on but it was easy to tell that she was happy. She waited patiently while I got a bite and then she'd point to what she wanted as I chewed. I was surprised at how right it felt to hold her and feed her like that and damned if I didn't nearly tear up myself. After all she was very brave for such a young child and it seemed she was remarkably resilient too.

After we'd finished eating the women left with the bowls, but Lanita stayed on my lap.

"Have you met Buttercup, Lanita?"

"Who is Buttercup," she asked.

"Buttercup is my thaka's name."

"I didn't know it had a name. I have seen it, but mother told me not to bother it," she said.

"Well, you should not go near Buttercup unless someone bigger is with you. I don't think Buttercup would try to hurt you, but it might decide to play and maybe get too rough. We can go see him now though and I will introduce you," I said.

Of course she was all for it and damned if Buttercup wasn't too when we got to him. He was very curious about Lanita but when I had her pet his neck he stood very still, no doubt hoping she wouldn't stop anytime soon. Lanita could barely stop giggling as she did it.

A few minutes later Lanita was glad to ride on my shoulders and I took her back near the center of camp where Jekaycey, my mates, Nita, and Caloe were talking.

"Who is going to take care of my little princess while I am gone today?" I asked, as I approached them.

"I guess that honor will revert to me," Nita said, grinning.

"Be sure to feed her well at lunch. I won't be back by then, but I'll be here for supper to make sure she is full for the night," I said.

"We will see that she is well fed my mate. I'm sure we won't match the excellent job you did at breakfast, but we will try our best to perform under pressure," Katia said, mocking me.

"Very well, if she is happy when I return I might not even spank you tonight," I said. It made Katia and Shaeta laugh at me, but it made Nita blush furiously.

I fetched my rifle from our hut then and latched my hatchet onto my web belt. In minutes I was headed for the river crossing. When I got there I shucked my boots, socks, pants and even underwear to cross. Walking around all day in wet clothes didn't appeal to me.

On the other side I dressed and scanned around for hoof prints at once. I didn't see any. That was the bad news. The cashda could very well have moved out of the area and if they had I was going to be pissed. I started toward the last place I'd seen them but I didn't feel optimistic.

Forty-five minutes later I was there but the cashda weren't. I did find some prints though and while they weren't fresh, they had been made since I was here before. It took a few minutes casting about to decide which way I thought they'd gone.

There's a lot of difference in trying to follow a trail of hoof prints made by horses that are being ridden and trying to follow horses left to their own devices. When not being directed by man, a horse does not go in a straight line; it grazes, pulling up grass here and then there but not moving in any particular direction. Horses usually don't decide they need to go somewhere and head that way in a straight line. They just amble along, kinda.

I spent two hours following their ambling, and even though I felt I was still less than a mile from our camp, I was sure I had walked ten. I was well and truly tired of this game already. Let me tell you it was a real mood elevator when I found them.

They had passed through a sort of opening in hilly terrain into what looked at first like a large natural clearing. It wasn't though. It was what you might hear called a box canyon in the cowboy movies. Of course it was nothing like a box, but it did have only one entrance/exit suitable for horses. The good part was that I was standing in that entrance and the horses were already inside.

The open area was probably over a hundred and fifty acres and almost all of it was clear for some reason. Men could make it out the other end by climbing a rocky hillside, but I was pretty sure the horses, or cashda, couldn't. They were stuck in there until I left, but of course I was stuck here. I was afraid if I left they would make their exit.

This was too good of an opportunity to let slide. If I had to I was going to fence the whole two hundred and fifty yards of the entrance with nothing but my hatchet and hard headedness, but I hoped I wouldn't have to.

Cursing myself for a dumbass for not telling anyone about the near universal three shot distress signal, I pointed the M1 toward a bank and fired three shots one after the other, spaced out just enough to make three distinct noises. All I could do after that was hope they'd notice and send someone to investigate. Then again, I could start blocking the entrance.

There were plenty of small post oaks scattered around and I started cutting then and trimming branches. The entrance had trees growing in it too, and they were thick enough that I wouldn't have to worry about post if I could figure a way to attach the rails I was cutting. I guessed at the quarter hours and fired three more shots on them, hoping someone would catch on.

I'd felled eight of the small trees and fired the signal seven times before I heard Denac yelling my name. I replied as loudly as I could and sat down on my ass for a break. He and the whole captured crew came up a few minutes later.

"Was that a signal for us to come, Carl?" Denac asked.

"Yes, and I was stupid not to tell you about it before I left. I'm glad you caught on."

"I didn't. In fact I didn't notice it until your mates asked us to come and check on you. I will be sure to listen for it next time though," he said.

"That's why I feel so dumb. If I'd told you about it beforehand you would have realized I needed some help right away."

"Yes, that's right. You don't look injured though. What do you need help with?" he asked.

"Look up into that clearing."

They all walked through the small bunch of trees then and looked. They were amazed to get this close a look at cashda.

"Now we will see if they are good to eat. I have heard they are but have never tasted them," one of the wild ones said.

"I hate to disappoint you, but you won't get to see now either, unless one is hurt accidentally. We are not hunting them for food. We are going to capture them. Once we have, and I've trained them, you will see that killing them for food is a terrible waste," I said.

None of them argued but I could tell that only Denac had any idea of what I was talking about. It didn't matter, they didn't need to know now, they needed to build fence. Meanwhile, they were the fence. The cashda could easily get their scent now and they weren't about to come near this place.

"What must we do now Carl?" Denac asked.

"Will you stay here and keep them from leaving? I will go back to camp and get more tools so we can close it off."

"Yes, we will stay. I can see that there is no other way out for them and they aren't going to approach us. Is there anything we can do while you are gone?" he asked.

"Take my hatchet if you'd like. You can cut more trees about the size of these I've cut and we will make a fence when I get back."

He took it and they started right away. I headed back to camp. I was going to get my axe, a saw or two, and everyone that would come help.

My mates mobbed me when I got back and so did Nita and Lanita. I think Nita thought I had been hurt, but after looking me over she decided to believe me when I said I hadn't been. Lanita hadn't seemed to be worried, she just wanted back in her spot for another shoulder ride and I obliged her.

"What was happening Carl? We thought you were signaling for someone to come help you. At least we did after we heard it the third time," Shaeta said.

"I was signaling, because we have had a wonderful stroke of luck. That small band of cashda is up in a slight canyon that only has one way out.

"Denac and the others are keeping it closed up now, and I've come back for more help and some of my tools. I intend to keep the cashda there until I can capture and train some," I said.

"How many will you need to help, and do you need to take anything else with you?" Caloe, who had come up, asked.

"Six more men would be plenty. I will take some tools and some rawhide thong to tie small trees to large ones would help too."

"We have many shorter thongs from those that we cut," Shaeta said.

"We also have many short thongs that we use. We try to always keep plenty," Caloe said.

"Good. I would like to use the shortest that I can, to keep from wasting longer ones. We will not need them always, and after we have the cashda trained we can use them in halters and such as that," I said, forgetting for a second that most people wouldn't know what in the hell I was talking about.

Even though most of them didn't understand what I was up to, there was no shortage of volunteers, especially since I had come back soaked nearly to the waist from not stripping down to cross the river this time. I found my axe and a handsaw and my mates found plenty of thongs and then we were off. My mates would not stay behind this time and as I was leaving I could see that Lanita definitely wanted to go too.

What the hell, we weren't going to be doing anything dangerous, so I asked Nita if it was all right.

"It is fine, because I want to come too. I have never seen a cashda, except from very far away, and surely not from so close."

So we were off, with what seemed half the Calak.

All of us walked directly into the river and got soaked and then we moved on to the small clearing. When we reached Denac and the others I knew right away that we'd have much more help than we needed, for this project at least. It didn't matter much though, since in this case more could be better. It didn't take me long to explain how to make a fence and it didn't take them much longer to get right to work. I never even had to put Lanita on the ground and I could tell she loved her perch.

"Lanita and I are going to take a closer look at the cashda now. I'd let everyone come, but they won't be as afraid of me as they would of all you, and the more that come the more frightened they'll be. Don't worry, everyone will get to see them soon enough," I said, looking at Nita mostly to make sure she didn't balk.

She seemed almost as excited, as I knew Lanita was, so I turned and headed directly for the cashda, telling Lanita not to wave her hands around.

"I wasn't thinking of it, but why do you say not to?" she asked, innocently enough.

"It would frighten them."

"But I am very small and they look very large," she said.

"I know, but you are up high on my back now, and they don't know you are not very tall. Besides, quick movements scare them anyway, until they are accustomed to them."

We didn't speak anymore as we approached the cashda. Their milling about became more agitated but they didn't panic. They trotted off several times, but there weren't a lot of places they could go. They weren't about to get closer to the other end and even more people, so they just moved off one way and then the next as I kept trying to get closer.

One thing I noticed, as we got near was that they were huge. If I had to guess I'd say that they were Clydesdales, in fact they almost certainly were. I wondered why in the hell whoever put them here had chosen this breed, but I wasn't sorry about it. Clydesdales were intelligent horses and fairly easy to train, or so I'd heard.

There was no way I was going to be able to get very close, but they did settle down a little and quit moving off until I was within a hundred feet or so. I had no illusions about roping one of them on foot and taking command though. They were wild horses, no matter the breed, and they weren't going to be trained easily. It would take a lot more patience, as in slow work, to get any use out of them.

Meanwhile, Lanita had been thrilled to be so close to them, especially after she noticed the youngsters following after their mothers.

"What will you do with them after you catch them?" she asked, finally.

"I will teach them to let me ride on their back."

"Can you do that?" she asked, clearly amazed.

"I taught you to ride on my shoulders didn't I?"

"Oh Daddy, that isn't the same, I wanted to ride on your shoulders," she said, giggling again.

"I have taught other cashda before, and I think I can do it again."

"Will you take me for a ride after you have?" she asked.

"Didn't you know? One of them will be for you?"

"You are so nice to me. I was sad when that Kaglao killed my Daddy, and I am still sad about it sometimes, but I am happy that you saved us and I'm very glad to be with you now," she said, with the sincerity only a child can use.

I was crying myself now, tears dripping from my eyes. I didn't say anything for a few seconds, fearing I'd just wail if I opened my mouth. Finally I thought I had my emotions under control.

"I didn't know your daddy, Lanita, but I'm sure he was a fine man. I am glad that you are with us now though and I hope you will always be happy."

We'd seen enough for now so we returned to the fencing project. It was nearly done, or the directions I'd given them were nearly completed. Unfortunately I had to expand on the specifications.

"Denac, they are much bigger than I thought, and obviously much stronger too. I think we should add three more rails to the fence," I said.

"Maybe we should, but it is getting near dark and I doubt we'll have time today. I think the best thing to do is for some of us to stay here. They have water available from that stream near the west wall, and they won't approach this end if some men stay," he said.

"You're right, but who will stay?"

"We will," said one of the loners.

"All of you?" I asked.

Even though he said yes, I looked at each of them, hoping I could tell if they were being deceitful. I didn't sense it, so I looked a question to Denac.

"I think it will be better that way. They can show us that they aren't complete fools by taking on responsibility," he said.

"Very well, but some of them should come with us to bring back food and their bedding.

"Decide among yourselves which of you will be coming to fetch your bedding and supper," I told them.

After they decided I had them gather wood for a fire and then did the Zippo trick to get it going for them. I even promised to show them how it was done if they did a good job tonight. We left after that with four of them coming with us.

At camp the four rolled up all the bedding and then waited for their rations to be prepared. I noticed that Caloe sent them off with as much as they could carry, and they seemed happy about it. Lanita and I went to visit Buttercup while supper was being prepared for the rest of us, and then we were quick to get in our places when it was time to eat.

We didn't talk much as we ate, but when we were done Nita had a question for me.

"Carl, you act almost as if you have done this before. Have you?" she asked.

"Yes, I've done something similar. Not this exactly, but it was close enough. This will take longer though."

"Then I will stop wondering whether it will work as you say," she said.

As Nita and Lanita left for the night to go to their hut, I gave Lanita a kiss on the cheek and then she gave me one. My mates and Nita smiled over it but no one said anything.



-------

Chapter 21


After we'd entered our hut my mates began teasing me about my new sweetheart, and I admitted openly and freely that I thought Lanita was a little treasure.

"Good. Here's hoping you start thinking of Nita that way too, and soon," Shaeta said.

"Of course Nita is a treasure. What Calak wouldn't be thrilled to have two healing women?"

"That isn't what Shaeta was talking about. The treasure she meant would be a little closer to your hut, especially at night," Katia said, and they both giggled.

"I haven't even considered such a thing. Should I? Do you think Breezus will put us together?"

"No, that is not Breezus' job. When a mated woman loses her mate, as Nita has, it is usually left up to a man in her Calak to take her in, with her permission of course," Shaeta said, explaining.

"What do you two think? Is it something you want?"

"We are your mates, mighty hero, we will obey your every whim so that we don't earn one of your fearsome spankings," Katia said, and she nearly got all of it out before they both started laughing at me.

"Even men are not stupid enough to believe that," I said, and it only caused them to laugh harder. Finally Shaeta caught her breath.

"Yes, we would like for Nita and Lanita to join us, even if we didn't like her so much already. She is a woman with a child and she needs a man to take care of her and her baby. For me, I think that Lanita has already made her choice and is busily going about making sure she gets you. She is very affectionate to Shaeta and I too," Katia said.

"In that case we wouldn't have a chance of avoiding it if we wanted to, and I can't think of a single reason to avoid it. As a man I may be just a dummy, but if the two of you want this, and Lanita wants it, and Nita wants it - I'll just give in and declare myself the winner. How should I do this?" I asked.

"You must ask her to become one of your mates. If she agrees, there will be a small ceremony with Zakat and Matatu, but there will be no feast or night of gajee drinking," Shaeta said.

"Don't worry my mate. Lanita will fall asleep early each night, and probably won't wake no matter how you make us scream. If she does she will pretend to be asleep anyway. Unless she giggles, but she will try not to," Katia said.

It sounded logical to me after they had it all explained. They told me if Nita agreed the ceremony could be tomorrow night, before supper, and that Nita and Lanita would just move into our hut with us. Hell, the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea.

Nita wasn't over five years older than Shaeta or Katia and she was every bit as desirable. In fact, thinking of what I could tell about her figure through her clothes made my dick hard. Poor Shaeta and Katia had to help me relive the pressure. For some reason I slept like a baby afterwards.

As soon as I woke I realized I'd be asking Nita and Lanita to join our family, but that wasn't all I knew. I'd had a delivery during the night. I wanted to go check things out right away, but didn't. We dressed and headed for breakfast.

Almost as if they knew what was going to happen, Denac and Jekaycey didn't eat with us this morning. It didn't cause us to miss out on company though, for Nita and Lanita were there. Lanita came to sit in my lap as the women went to get our food.

"Would you like to come and live with Shaeta, Katia, and I?" I asked, as soon as she was settled in my lap.

"What about my mother?" she asked.

"Why I want her to come and live with us too. I want her to be one of my mates," I said.

"It would be wonderful. Do you think she will? Lanita asked.

"I hope so. What do you think?"

"I think she will. She has been lonely since Kaglao killed my Daddy. She cries at night sometimes when she thinks I'm already asleep."

"Maybe I can stop her crying," I said.

"I hope so. I hope you can make her squeal, like Daddy did," Lanita said, and then giggled.

"You will probably giggle if I do," I said, teasing her.

"Of course I will giggle if I hear it. What are children for if not that," she said, and smiled.

When the three of them returned I decided not to wait until we'd finished, and I thought I might as well use my talk with Lanita to any advantage I could.

"Nita, Lanita and I have decided that we would like for you to join Shaeta and Katia as one of my mates. It would make us both very happy. Wouldn't it Lanita?"

"Yes Mother, it would make us very happy, and I promise not to giggle too loudly if he makes you squeal at night," Lanita said.

It surprised not only Nita, but Katia and Shaeta too. They recovered quickly enough though and did some giggling of their own, along with another pretty blush up Nita's neck.

"I will be happy to join with you Carl, and to become one of your mates, if Katia and Shaeta agree," Nita said.

"Of course we agree," Shaeta told her, "Carl is much too well trained to ask you without our approval first."

This surprised Nita, and I don't think it was what Shaeta said, but that she said it in front of me. She was at a loss for words for a few seconds.

"No need to look so surprised. When we asked Carl about training the cashda he said he would have an easier time training them than women had training men," Katia said.

That was it for Nita's control and she burst out laughing, keeping it up until tears were streaming.

"I don't know what's so funny," Lanita said, "I didn't have a bit of trouble training you to hold me in your lap and feed me."

The rest of us lost it then while Lanita sat in my lap smiling at her own joke. She was too smart to be so young, but I knew she would keep things interesting.

One of the best things for men about living in this time and place was that the women took care of all the little details and usually got huffy if a man tried to help them. The men didn't need to worry their thick skulls about domestic duties.

After we'd eaten, all of them left me to my own devices, even Lanita, while they were off to clean and put away the bowls then buttonhole Matatu and Zakat about the evening's upcoming nuptials. At least Denac came over to join me after they'd left.

"Jekaycey told me something was going to happen this morning that we would interfere with if we ate with you. By the look of it you'll be getting a little more crowded in your hut," he said, teasing me, or trying to.

"I suspect that's why Shaeta had me build it so large to start with. It seemed too big at the time, but now I think she planned on Katia's arrival from the start," I said.

"Better you than me," he said, laughing.

"Don't count yourself out yet, Denac. Seems to me that Jekaycey has found a friend among the new women too. Remember, yours is not to reason why," I said.

"What does that mean?" he said.

"It means that your best policy with a mate is to always listen carefully and then try to do exactly what she tells you to do."

He roared with laughter and then told me he considered it the best advice he'd ever had.

"You are right. After all, she has control of most of my food and all of my pussy," he said, and laughed loudly again with me joining him this time.

"What are you two up to?" Jekaycey asked, as all the women in question came back.

"Denac and I were just talking about how nice it was to have women in our lives so that we would know what we were supposed to be doing."

"Well it can't be any better than having a man who appreciates you and who will mind," Katia said.

"One who is well trained you mean," I said.

"There is that too," Jekaycey said.

You two should run along and play now. We have things to take care of," Shaeta said, and then they all, including Lanita, laughed at us.

"Come along Denac, we have been dismissed," I said, leading him around to the back of my hut.

"Aren't we going to the canyon where the cashda are?" he asked.

"Yes, but I had a feeling when I woke that something had been left for me in the night."

Something had, some things in fact, as in more than one. I spotted a pair of posthole diggers first and then saw two round point and two flat point shovels. Lying near them were a nice drawknife, a spoke shave, a tenon cutter, and a hub-boring tool. Stacked beside these were eight wagon wheel rims. I was almost ecstatic. I would have been thrilled with only the rims, since they would be by far the hardest mandatory items to make. I could have managed without some of the tools, but not without the rims, or not nearly as well anyway.

A little more investigation let me find a shingle cutting froe, a brace, a nice box of bits for the brace and a couple of dozen chisels, some for wood and some for metal. Last but certainly not least was a set of blacksmithing tongs. I knew that the shed was going to need to be moved forward on the agenda, but by now I thought it needed to be workshop size instead of just a shed.

"What is all this, Carl?" Denac asked.

"There are several new things that will serve us well later, but for today these will be invaluable. They are posthole diggers."

"What are postholes?" he asked.

"We will have to put post into the ground to make other fences for catching and training the cashda. They will not let us just walk up to them and hop onto their backs."

"I can understand that. I'm glad that you seem to know how to go about it, and I am anxious to learn," he said.

I took a shovel and let Denac carry the posthole diggers and we headed for the canyon. Half way to the river we did an about face and headed back for my stash of new tools.

When we got there I picked up the brace and the box of bits and other tools, grabbing a two-pound hammer while I was at it. As we'd been heading out the first time I had come across the idea of using pegs to hold the fences together instead of rawhide thongs. Pegs were easier to make and would probably be stronger anyway.

We stopped at the river to get naked below the waist for the transit. This was getting to be a bother and I wished it wasn't necessary, since it was time consuming and the reward, dry clothes, seemed small.

Most of our crew was sitting around on their asses, just now recovering from the breakfast that four of them had gone after this morning. They got to their feet as soon as they saw us though and were anxious to do something, anything it seemed.

We left half of them adding to last night's fence but I told them to only cut more trees for rails, and that I'd come and show them how to make the attachments later. Denac, the other half of our workers, and I walked on into the now enclosed pasture.

We had the cashda captured already, sorta. They couldn't get away, but there was still plenty of room for them to avoid us. I did a little planning and then showed everyone how posthole diggers worked. I was surprised to see them all waiting anxiously for their turn to try them out.

The rest of the day was mostly old-fashioned work. We had to cut more trees for the posts, and then some smaller ones to make dowels to use as pegs. Luckily the newness of the diggers hadn't worn off before all the holes were in place, and there'd been quite a few needed.

Once we had the pen built, we started on the chute I'd decided to use instead of trying to rope these monsters with the rawhide lariats. I wasn't nearly as worried about breaking a lariat as I was about being dragged all over creation if I actually roped something that didn't want to be roped.

Shortly after noon our food was delivered and I was happy for the break. My mates, Nita, and Lanita had come with the group and I ate with them, holding Lanita in her now expected seat. I'll admit that I let the break run longer than it really needed to. As they left, Shaeta reminded me not to stay until dark tonight, since I had an appointment.

Even though the chute had to be larger and stronger than any I'd ever seen, and though we had to tamp hell out of all the posts, not to mention the pain in the ass of cutting dowels, drilling holes for them, and hammering them in turned out to be, we still had things eighty percent done by about an hour before sunset.

I told the workers that they could come on back to camp tonight, since I was sure the cashda couldn't get out, but they said they'd stay just in case. Half of them did return with us to pick up food for them all, but every one of them said they'd rather stay out to make sure nothing went wrong.

The mating ceremony for Nita, Shaeta, Katia, and I took place before the meal. I was glad it was short and that all of the women we'd rescued looked happy about it. I hoped they would put their ordeal behind them and get on with their new lives, though I figured it would take more time.

We ate together after the business was taken care of, with Lanita in my lap and all my mates and I clumped together onto the one large rock that was getting too crowded for such. I needed to take a day off from cashda tomorrow and build some damned furniture, or at least cut some logs into manageable sizes so we could drag them up for seats. We weren't the only ones that were scrambling for a place to sit.

Later, when we headed to the hut Shaeta told me I'd be seeing a little surprise when we got inside. I wondered what could be surprising inside the hut but once I entered I couldn't miss it. Our hut seemed to be carpeted now.

Of course it wasn't a carpet, the floor was completely covered with furs. It didn't take that many either, since they'd finished with the giant vadeesey's hide without me noticing. In fact, I hadn't even seen them working on it.

"How did you ever get it ready so soon?"

"Almost everyone helped some. It doesn't take that long when there is plenty of help," Katia said.

"But why did we end up with it?"

"Because you're the one that killed it, silly. Not only that, you killed it before it injured anyone at all. Darita did a lot of the work, since you saved her so much patching up," Shaeta said.

"I have never seen a vadeesey fur off the vadeesey. How did you ever kill it, Carl?" Nita asked.

"With the weapon you saw me using at the loner's camp. It came with me. It was still a close thing though. Vadeesey take a lot of killing."

"Well, I think it is wonderful, and so soft," Lanita said, from where she lay squirming on it.

We talked a little and then undressed and went to sleep. Even though I enjoyed seeing them all bare assed in the candle light, I was just as glad that it seemed to be custom for sex to start on the second night after you were mated, or later. It wasn't that I didn't look forward to dipping my wick in Nita, but it seemed more comfortable somehow if you didn't rush to bed and start fucking.

It was slightly surprising but not alarming the next morning when I woke and discovered that Lanita was sleeping comfortably on my chest. When I moved a little her eyes opened and then she gave me the cutest little smile.

"Good morning Daddy," she said, and I nearly choked up.

"Good morning my little princess. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, and it was even better after I found this comfortable spot," she said, giggling.

"Well we'd better wake everyone else up. Something important is going to happen soon."

"What?" she asked.

"Breakfast, of course. What could be more important?"

"Oh Daddy. You men are all the same. Always looking forward to your next meal."

She was right in one, but I wasn't ashamed in the least. Even though I wasn't sure what I was eating most of the time, it was always delicious.

All were awake by now and it was another treat to watch my mates wriggling into their clothes. More so this morning since I had a new one. I was surprised that Lanita could dress herself with only a little help tying on her moccasins, and it gave me a good feeling to do that chore for her.

Lanita and I went to tell Buttercup good morning while my mates headed toward the main fire to help with the cooking. After a little attention for the calf, I spotted the four from the horse canyon who had come to fetch breakfast for everyone over there. We went to meet them and I was happy because it was going to save me some wading.

After a greeting I explained that I needed all but two of them to come back to camp after they'd eaten.

"Two can watch the cashda for the day. I have some things we need to do near the fallen star. Be sure to bring all the tools back with you, we'll need them today," I said, and they agreed that they'd pass the word.

Lanita led me over to sit by Denac and wait for our food then. I explained to Denac that I'd be making furniture today.

"What is furniture?" he asked.

"Mainly we'll be making something to sit on while we eat. These rocks are getting crowded and there aren't enough of them anyway. Most people have to sit on the ground."

"You are right about that, but what will we make?" he asked.

"The trees near where the star fell are all dead, but most are still standing. They are dry now and we can fell them and then cut them up and bring them here. It would be better if a few of the cashda were already trained to work, but we can make do by hand this time. At least we have plenty of help now to use the saw."

"Yes we do. Plenty. Have you noticed that all of them seem to be trying very hard to please?" he asked.

"Yes, but it seems like even more to me. I think they really like to learn new things and that they don't mind working for their supper while they're learning. They have already been very useful to us."

Our conversation died off when the food appeared, until we'd finished. Then Katia asked me what excitement I had planned for the camp today.

"Furniture."

"What is furniture?" she asked, just as Denac had.

"Furniture is something to sit on that isn't a handy rock. Denac, the workers, and I are going to the burned out place and we'll be cutting some of the dead and dried out trees to bring back here for people to sit on, especially while they're eating."

"That makes sense, but won't it be too much work? Especially since we won't be able to move it when the camp moves," Nita said.

"By the time the camp moves we might be able to move it, but that's no matter. Surely we'll be here long enough to get some use out of it, and besides, I don't want to sit on the ground to eat. My tools will make it easier to cut anyway."

"Well I won't complain if we have something better to sit on," Shaeta said.

The workers must have wolfed down their food, because they were back at camp half an hour after we'd finished eating. They seemed anxious to get going, so we did.

They were assholes and elbows after I told them what I wanted, and there was really nothing much for Denac and I to do. There was no chance we'd get a turn at the saw when we taught the others how to use it.

After they had several of the trees down I had them start cutting them up. We cut about forty two-foot sections off to use as single  chairs  and ten eight foot sections for putative  couches . The handy part was that we could roll them back to camp without much bother.

We had our new dining suite back to camp before eleven and I asked Caloe about the best places to put them. She was very surprised but happy about it. She showed me where she thought the best spots would be and so we got to it.

Once we had them arranged around I had the guys start in with wedges and the sledgehammer. We split off flat surfaces on the longer log  sofas  for easier seating and then sawed up what we split off for more firewood. We were done in time for lunch and everyone seemed to drop by to thank Denac and I, as if we'd done the work. I explained who had done the hard part and that Denac and I had mostly watched them work.

Caloe was really surprised after lunch when I approached her for placement advice of shithouses. It didn't take much explaining for her to see the advantages and she helped me pick out a spot that was well away from camp, but close enough to be handy.

Denac and the guys were surprised when they found out what our next project was, and Denac couldn't seem to see the need for it.

"What is the thing that usually causes a Calak to move, Denac? Don't they usually leave when it is too hard to keep from stepping in shit when they walk somewhere?" I asked.

"You're right. It is either that or a lack of game from all the hunting," he said, admitting it.

"Well, with decent places to shit and cashda to carry us out further away from camp for hunting, we can move less."

Four of the men were digging the holes for our waste and the rest were cutting small trees for the construction. Denac was helping with the shovel work and I was mostly watching when Matatu came over to talk with me.

"Carl, Zakat thinks he is well enough to make another try at our journey. Can you go with us in the morning?" he asked.

"No, and I am not going to let Zakat go either. Even if he thinks he is well enough, he isn't. I don't want to have to build another litter so we can carry him back in a mad rush. I also have some important things that I'm doing right now and I can't leave them."

"But Zakat is insistent that we go, and I feel the need strongly," he said.

"Very well, if you insist. Have both the healing women and Caloe come to me and tell me that Zakat is well enough to go, and I will let him. I still do not have time to go with you, but I will let him leave if they agree. If they do not tell me he is well enough, he isn't going."

"What gives you the right to make such a decision? You are only a new member of our Calak. I am Matatu," he said.

"I don't want to get into an argument about it. I have the right because I am the best fighter in this Calak. You, and especially Zakat, know it. If you don't want me in the Calak any longer all you have to do is tell me to go. I will take my mates and any that want to go with me and make my own Calak," I said.

He left in a huff, but I knew he'd get no backing from anyone else. I was pretty sure that if I packed up to leave and form my own Calak, Matatu would end up being alone in a Calak of one.

I wasn't trying to throw my weight around; it was Matatu that had been trying to pull that shit. What he was being drawn to could very well be important to us, but I wasn't giving up a chance to ride there just so he could get to it faster. He could just get glad in the same moccasins he got mad in for all I cared. I respected him, but he wasn't the end of the world. In fact, he was beginning to remind me of a preacher, and they were people I didn't hold in high regard at all.

The little scene kept eating at me and finally I decided that my mates and I were going to make a journey of our own, if I could talk them into it, of course. We'd move over near the cashda for a few days, or even a week or two. It would let me spend more time getting them going.

We had one shitter finished by an hour before supper, and Denac assured me he could get the others up tomorrow, but he was suspicious.

"Where will you be tomorrow, Carl?"

"I am planning on moving my mates and I over to stay by the cashda for a few days. Matatu has decided it is time to go exploring again. He asked me to go and I told him no, so he went off in a huff.

"He may very well have a vision about a wonderful place to live, but I don't have one. Besides, I don't want to have to spend a day and night running back and carrying Zakat again, and I know Zakat is not well enough to travel yet."

When we got back to camp Caloe came to see me right away, but it wasn't to tell me Zakat was well enough to travel. In fact, it was the opposite.

"I grow tired of Matatu and his vision of a wonderful place. Shaton is not well enough to go off again and he knows it. I thank you for telling him that you won't go," she said.

"That isn't all I told him. I told him that Shaton was not going unless you and both healing women said he was strong enough. I will not let Zakat leave without your permission and the healing women's approval," I said.

"But how will you stop him. He can be pig headed sometimes," she said.

"He couldn't best me when he was healthy. I don't want to do it, but I will fight him again for the leadership if he insists on going. I know that he is brave, and I think he is the best we have for Zakat, but if he can't see that it is foolish to take such a trip while he isn't well, he is no longer fit to be Zakat," I said.

"You are right, and even I didn't think of that," I am going to explain things to him now. I expect you to make him see the light if I cannot," she said, and then left.

I figured that would be the end of it but it wasn't. Darita and Nita came to me, and I knew something was wrong since they seemed to be coming for a consultation in their professional capacity as healing women.

"Carl, I don't know what is happening to Zakat, but he isn't thinking right. It started this morning when he wouldn't take the dose of medicine you gave me for him. He has not acted like himself all day," Darita said.

"Have you been giving him the tea?"

"Yes, he will still drink the tea," she said.

"Well do not make him any more of it. I think it is a combination of things. The infection he has is making a last all out effort to save itself from the medicine I gave you. You know he would not have lived without it don't you?"

"Yes, when you brought him back I was sure he would not live. The tablets you gave me for him have done something I have never seen, but it seems all of it will be for nothing now," she said.

"We can hope not, and at least he will know by the morning that he isn't in shape to be going on a journey. His fever will climb in the night, especially without the tea.

"He will be sweating all night and probably even worse in the morning. Maybe he will listen to reason then, if he doesn't, we will tie him down and make him take it. It is the fever that is making him talk this nonsense," I said.

"It must be. I have seen that happen before," Darita said.

"I have too, but I never understood it," Nita said.

"I think the fever has made his brain too hot to work right. He will be better after he is well, if he gets well," I said.

At least things settled down a little when it came time to eat. After we were finished Caloe came to see me again.

"It seems like Zakat is not doing so well now. At least he knows now that he cannot go with Matatu tomorrow. He was mad when I told him what you said though," she said.

"I don't doubt that he was mad, but I can't help that. I would rather have him alive and mad at me than call me his friend as he died. Did Darita and Nita tell you what he did about his medicine?"

"No, I haven't talked to them, except to send for them to look at him again, and perhaps give him some tea," she said.

"Zakat would not take my medicine this morning. I asked them not to give him any tea tonight. I think we need to remind him he is not well. The tea doesn't help against his infection; it only makes him feel better. I think he has been feeling too good."

"The nerve of him. Refusing his medicine like some naughty child. Believe me, he will be sorry for it and I'll bet he never does it again," she said, and then rushed off.

I don't know if Shaton was in any shape to understand the ass chewing he got when Caloe went into their hut. I do know that everyone else in the Calak heard and understood every word. But that wasn't the last of it.

Matatu had a respected position in the Calak, but he was an old man, and not much over six three to start with. Caloe was easily six one and she worked hard every day. After she laid the law down to Shaton she found Matatu like a heat seeking missile, but she was an ear-seeking missile.

She grabbed him by the ear, I swear she did, and hustled him off from the camp and then had her second serving of chewed ass. She called him everything but a human and told him that he would starve to death right in the middle of camp if he dared mention his journey again before she gave him permission. And finally, the thing was settled.

Needless to say the rest of the Calak was quiet. They seldom got such a clear example of just exactly who was running the show, but there was no doubt in anyone's mind at the moment. Matatu and Zakat were welcome to strut around and puff out their chest when things were going smooth, but Caloe had spoken, and no one dared gainsay her.

It was all I could do to keep from laughing; I had to bite my tongue. I was afraid that Lanita could feel me trembling and in seconds she let me know I had reason.

"Daddy, are you frightened or trying to keep from laughing?" she asked, whispering it in my ear.

"How did you know I was trying to keep from laughing?" I whispered back.

"I wasn't sure, but I didn't think you would be frightened, even though I was, a little at least. What was Caloe so mad about?" she asked.

"First, she was mad at Zakat for not taking his medicine, and second, she was mad at Matatu, just in case he had something to do with it."

"That's just silly. Everyone knows they must take the medicine the healing woman gives them. No one wants to be sick," she said.

"You'll see later, but sometimes men do things that aren't good for them."

"I'll bet Zakat won't pull that trick again though, and I think that probably hurt Matatu's ear pretty badly, being dragged around by it," she said.

"You're probably right, but I'm glad that I don't know for sure. I always take my medicine."

"That's a good Daddy. If you keep that up we probably won't have to talk bad to you very often," she said, and damned if she didn't laugh at me.



-------

Chapter 22


We headed for our hut then but I knew the talking would last and last after we were in it. I was right, and even Lanita sat around in the little circle my mates had formed, at least I hoped she didn't intend to get her licks in too. I was surprised when we heard someone scratching on the skin that served as a door.

Shaeta invited them in and it was Caloe. She was still a little flushed around the neck but I could tell she was pleased with herself, and she told us about it almost right away.

"It felt good to put that meddling fool in his place for once. The very idea of him telling Shaton he needn't take any more of the medicine. That's right, I pried it out of Shaton, even though it was like pulling teeth.

"I am not going to put up with that kind of thing. We have a healing woman; in fact we luckily have two healing women now so that people who are hurt or sick can get well. We don't need that idiot gajee maker going behind their backs causing things like this. I swear that if Shaton dies, Matatu will not see the next sunrise alive. I will kill him myself. Shaton may be bullheaded sometimes, but I've grown fond of him," she said.

"I don't understand why he would tell Zakat he didn't need anymore medicine," Nita said.

"I'm sure I know why, and I'm sure he didn't intend any harm. He just doesn't have any understanding of what was going on with Zakat. He probably thought the medicine was keeping Zakat weak now that he was cured. After all, he did look like he was well and he probably thought he was well himself.

"Matatu has ants in his pants to get over to see the place his vision showed him. I'm anxious to see it myself, but going again would be like leaving for a hunt before you made a spear. I can't see that there is a rush. The place isn't going to leave if we don't find it tomorrow.

"All Matatu has accomplished is even more delay. It will take three or four extra days for Zakat to be back to where he was before he stopped taking the medicine. It is unfortunate too, because it will take even more medicine now and my supply is not unlimited.

Caloe left us shortly and we were finally able to blow out our candles and get to sleep. I didn't even take time to explain to my mates that we were moving near the cashda for a few days. There'd be time enough to explain in the morning.

And there was. I told them after breakfast and they didn't question me about it. They merely started packing up things they thought they'd need, and there wasn't even that much. Lanita wanted to tell Buttercup goodbye for a while, and when they heard her ask they all shooed me away with her, saying I'd only be in the way.

After Buttercup's farewell, Lanita and I went back to the hut and everything was ready. Denac had even brought all of the workers over to carry things.

"I will keep two of them here to help finish the privies and then we might come over later this afternoon," he said, and then we were off.

Lanita laughed at me when I had to take off my pants and boots and such to cross the river but she was a good sport and held them for me while we did. It seemed like it took ages to get over and dress again but it was only minutes. Finally I had another brainstorm and asked if there were any vines that grew to good thickness and fairly strong.

"I've seen some often, but I don't know what they're called. What can you do with them?" one of the workers asked.

"I would like to make a long rope to stretch across the river. If we had one, we could make a raft and use the vines to pull it back and forth, that way we wouldn't get wet and we wouldn't have to take our pants off every time."

"But what is a raft?" Nita asked.

"They are made by tying dry logs together, and they will float, even with people on them. You can get on the raft on one side, pull yourself to the other side with the rope, and then get off. You don't have to get in the water."

"If I have time I will look for some of the vines today," said the worker that had claimed to know about them.

"You will have plenty of time to look, since that is now your job for today. You and one more will take my hatchet and go look for the vines. Bring back all that you can."

There was another snag when we got to the canyon. One of the two there was injured. He had an impressive bruise on his right thigh and it only took me a second to know how he got it. Nita knelt to look at and probe around on his leg but I started the third degree.

"How did you get close enough for one of them to kick you?" I asked, before he could open his mouth.

"How did you know what happened?" he asked, amazed.

"I've seen someone that has been kicked before. So how did you get close?"

"It isn't hard after a while. We walked around and around them, getting closer and closer, but not walking straight toward them. After a while they seemed like they were ignoring us. They didn't seem mad or frightened at all by then, but when I walked up behind one of them, it kicked me just as I said something to him," he said, pointing to the one that had been with him.

"You startled it. It wasn't paying you any attention and had probably lost track of where you were. When you spoke it was startled and it did what cashda always do when something comes up behind them while they're unaware. It kicked first and found out what was behind it later."

"The bone is not broken and with a few days rest he should be fine. It is quite a bruise though," Nita said.

"The cashda are large, strong, and have big hard feet. I'm surprised the leg isn't broken. I will show you all how to keep that from happening, but one of the best ways is to keep talking the whole time you are walking near one.

"For all their lives, anything that was sneaking up on them was trying to kill and eat them. You should always make sure not to sneak up on them," I said.

The rest of us headed to our pen project then and we had it finished completely before noon. We walked back to the opening and I was happy to see that my mates had food ready and had finished setting up our bedding and such.

After we'd eaten it was back to the salt mines, but the chore turned out to be easy. The pen was near the water supply and it didn't take much hazing to move all the cashda into it. After the gate was closed I climbed the fence and maneuvered around until I had one into the mouth of the chute, then it was easy to send him to the end, and one of the guys pushed a couple of short logs through behind him so he couldn't back out.

I was surprised that the stallion, the one I'd happened to catch, didn't raise more of a fuss when he discovered what had happened. He stayed fairly calm though, and after about an hour of speaking softly to him and touching him gently he was more than used to me. The next step would be the hardest, but there was something I needed to make, or get made, before we started that.

I gave the helpers some instructions about approaching slowly and petting gently and had them all stay close to the stallion. I even had them pull up grass for him and feed him from their hands. They seemed happy to do it for some reason, so I left them at it and went to fetch my mates.

My mates, and Lanita were sitting around in the trees and plaiting on the rawhide thongs they'd had left over from the lariats.

"Good, you're already working on the next thing I need," I said, as I joined them.

"What is that?"

"I will need a halter for the stallion, and eventually one for each of them," I said.

"You must show us what a halter is then," Nita said.

"Bring a shorter piece of the rope you've made and I will," I said, and Katia brought the one she was working on.

By the time we got to the pen and the stallion he was at ease with people. He might as well have been, there were two petting on him and two pulling up grass for his culinary delight and even one that was going back and forth to the little stream, bringing him water by the double handful. Pampered was the first word that popped into my head.

The girls, and especially Lanita, were happy to be so close and thrilled when they were able to pet it. After a while I got around to showing them what I needed in the way of a halter. It was much easier to explain with the cashda handy and Katia was even able to estimate the lengths they'd need to make by laying the short piece she was working on along his head and around it. Meanwhile, Buster munched on the treats he was brought and didn't cause much trouble.

Shaeta and Nita went back to our spot to gather the rest of the rawhide thongs they'd brought and when they returned they all went to work. Lanita and I went over to the pen's fence and stood there looking at the horses. It didn't take long for the youngest two colts to amble over to see what was going on.

I told Lanita she should offer them some grass, as if they didn't have plenty on the ground, but when she did it they were glad to munch it out of her hands, and soon enough they'd let her pet their muzzle a little before they backed off.

Lucky for me there was a handy tree near the chute. It was about fourteen to sixteen inches in diameter. After we'd finished our introductions to the youngsters I took the saw and removed all the low limbs from the tree, making it a serviceable snubbing post. By the time I was done the girls had finished the double strength halter I'd ordered and I was amazed at their progress.

It took about a half hour to get it on the stallion and the plaiting finished to keep it on him. Since we didn't have anything like a buckle, we just finished it to him.

We still had at least two hours before sunset so I decided to get on with it. I took two of the lariats they'd already finished and looped them through the halter and around the poll of the stallion's head. When I was ready one of the guys opened the front of the chute and another one urged the stallion out into the open. I made sure to keep the rope snug against his head so he would understand that he wasn't loose. At least I hoped he would understand.

Thirty minutes later I was suspicious that something had been done to the horse's disposition from afar. A wild horse is just never that easy to deal with. I wasn't complaining, but I knew something was up.

He wasn't trained or anything like that, but he never put up much of a fight at all. I had him following on the lead and stopping when I said  whoa  within half an hour. It was almost spooky. When I tied him to the snubbing tree he tried to pull away two or three times and then stood there patiently. I was amazed. I'd trained dozens of horses, but had never encountered one like this.

I tried an experiment about half an hour before sunset. I let him loose from the snubbing post and removed the doubled lariats, leaving only the halter on him. When he discovered he was free he trotted off about fifty yards and stopped to crop grass. I walked toward him then and when I was within ten yards he moved as if to go about his business elsewhere, but when I said whoa, he stopped and waited for me. That was just unbelievable, but it didn't make me mad or anything. I'd take any help I could get, from anyone.

We headed for our mini-camp then and all the talk was about the cashda. My mates were amazed that I could make that one do what I did, but finally I had to admit that I was as baffled as they'd been. There was no explaining what had happened.

"When are you going to ride him, Daddy?" Lanita asked, after we were back to our camp.

"As soon as I can, baby, and with the way he's acting it might be early in the morning."

"I want to see it. I have never seen a man ride a cashda. I have never even seen one until now and today I got to pet them. You are turning out to be a very fun Daddy. I think I might keep you," she said, and then laughed.

We had our supper and crawled into our furs. I was asleep almost at once.

Breakfast the next morning wasn't the usual feast of the main camp but there was plenty and it was good. After we'd finished, most of the guys and I headed back to the pen.

The two men that had gone after vines the day before had done a hell of a job. I was pretty sure they'd brought back more vines than we could use, but I was happy about it. The vines were about three quarters of an inch thick and would make an excellent rope for a raft crossing, but they had been covered with small branches and leaves. Right now my vine men were removing same.

When we reached the pen, I went in and hazed a big mare into the chute and in minutes she was in the same place the stallion had been yesterday, with practically the same result. I left the guys to get acquainted while I walked toward the stallion.

He was cropping grass about forty yards from the pen, and he didn't even try to move off this time. I tied a short lead rope to his halter and started back toward our temporary camp.

Lanita came to greet us and she gave Buster's muzzle a good petting as we walked on to camp. All three of my mates were up for a little petting of their own when we reached them. Damned if Buster didn't seem to be enjoying the limelight.

After a little indulgence I put my mates to work. The halter was fine for leading, and I thought it would probably work well enough for a bridle with the way Buster now seemed to want to do what I wanted him to. I explained what reins were for to my three lovelies and they went to work with the rawhide. Within an hour I not only had reins, but they had a loop on one end of each one so they could be attached or removed at my wish.

"I guess it is time for the truth to be found."

"What truth?" Nita asked.

"The truth of whether he will let me ride or not."

I led him out to a clear space, checking the ground for obvious rocks in case worse came to worst, and then turned to mount him. That's when I realized there was no way I could do it on my own. Buster was just too damned tall, probably every bit of eighteen hands. Luckily the two vine masters were nearby and I called them over, showing both of them how to make a step with their hands and having one do it.

In seconds I was astride Buster and heartily thankful that he didn't seem to know what bucking was. With a normal horse I would have never tried this so quickly, but with everything going so well, I'd pressed on, and it had been fine, so far.

The next part wasn't so easy, but it wasn't really a chore either. It took several tries with one of the men urging Buster from behind, but after a few more minutes he got the idea that my heels in his ribs meant that I wanted him to move.

Next was teaching him to turn from the reins but it is always fairly easy unless the horse is just contrary and Buster wasn't. He already knew what whoa meant, and after a few times of pulling back on the reins when I said it, he got the hang of that too.

There was no doubt that Buster had a lot more to learn, but with the basics in place the rest would come with repetition and practice.

"Save a place for me girls, I'm going to the main camp to show off," I said, waving to them.

In fact I wasn't going right this second, since I had to wait for the guys to open the gate, but they did it quickly. One of them had a question though.

"How will you get back on after you get off to take off your boots and pants?" he asked.

"I won't get off. Do you think the water will reach me up here?"

"Oh. No, I don't guess it will."

It only took five minutes to reach the river and Buster walked right across as if it were nothing. Of course it was nothing to him. He did tense up as we entered the camp though, but he wasn't the only one.

Even though I was sure that everyone knew what I was trying to do, it was apparent that none of them had thought I'd actually be able to. They were shocked speechless when I rode Buster up into their midst, Caloe seemingly most of all.

"I say ma'am, could you spare a drink of water for a dry traveler?" I asked her, and it was still a few seconds before she moved.

"But how?" Shata asked, not even able to finish her question.

"And so quickly?" Jekaycey said.

"Well, Matatu is in a hurry for another try at his journey, so I thought I'd better bare down on the cashda."

This brought more than a few sniggers, and Matatu deserved every one of them. In fact I still had a touch of the red ass over his stupid trick. The way I saw it, a little dose of humiliation wouldn't hurt him. Maybe it would even do some good.

To gain and keep respect you needed to act responsibly and a reminder wouldn't ruin his life. Currently he wasn't bothered by anything I could say, because he was still staring openmouthed at me on my perch, just like Denac was.

"Well, Denac, what do you think?"

"I'm ashamed to say it, but I don't know what to think. I didn't doubt you'd be able to do it, well maybe I did, but I thought it could happen someday. I had no idea that today would be the day though," he said.

"Yes, today was the day, but this is only the easy part."

"Easy part?"

"Yes, the hard part will be teaching men and women to ride."

"But it looks easy from here," he said.

"I'm sure it does. The bee stings don't hurt the ones who watch you gather honey from far away either, do they?"

"Yes, you're right. The pain is in the details," he said.

"Do you see what is holding me on up here?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact I don't."

"That's because there is nothing holding me on, but my knowledge of how it is done. Believe me, it does hurt if you fall off," I said.

"Maybe I should stick to building privies, at least that didn't hurt," he said, and then laughed.

"None of that now. I think you should send your workers back across the river for now and let Jekaycey help you gather your nerve for tomorrow. I'll expect you over there early for your first lesson," I said, and then laughed myself.

The men that had been helping Denac with the outhouses followed me as I rode back toward our temporary camp. They couldn't keep up though. Even at a walk the giant cashda moved twice as fast as they did, and of course they had to stop to remove anything they didn't want soaked in the river. Hopefully I could deal with that chore later in the day. Meanwhile, lunch was served when I made it back.

It was tasty and filling and since table manners were not a big concern here and now, I stuffed myself rapidly. Thankfully my mates took it as a compliment to their excellent cooking.

After the meal I got half the guys started on vine plaiting, a three plat seemed good enough to me, and then I took the others back to the pen to make wranglers out of them. I'd decided that a heavy-duty halter wouldn't be necessary unless we came to cashda that didn't behave as well as Buster had, and that didn't seem likely.

I looped the end of a shorter piece of the rawhide rope into an impromptu halter on the mare in the chute and had one of the men lead it out, and start leading it around.

"Don't worry about anything except teaching it to come when you tug on the lead and stop when you say whoa," I told him.

I corrected his first mistake then, when he turned around to face the cashda and tried to pull it toward him.

"Turn around and lead it, you aren't big enough to pull it anywhere and it will never follow you if you face it. If it won't move out at first, tell me and I'll get it started," I said.

I wasn't needed to get it moving though. When he turned around he did have to pull pretty hard at first, but the mare caught on quickly and he was soon leading her all around the place.

I sent one of them into the pen to haze in the next candidate and he got the job done fairly quickly. Then the petting and hand feeding began. I left them then and went back to our camp, where I'd left Buster to the tender mercies of my mates and Lanita. It's a wonder they hadn't petted a bald spot on his hide.

I didn't really have a gripe coming though. While I'd been riding him to the other camp they had braided up every scrap of thong they had into ropes of several different lengths.

"These cashda are going to be wonderful, aren't they?" Katia asked, when I got back.

"I think they are. Just imagine what the next move will be like when they are doing all the carrying. There are several more things we need to make for them and it will require some work to make sure they have enough to eat during the winter, but they can do so many things for us that we just can't do for ourselves."

"What things do we need to make?" Shaeta asked.

"Sooner or later every one of them will need a halter, bosal hanger, bosal, and mecate. They will also need a set of hobbles each."

"What are those things?" Nita asked.

"I will have to show you and see if I can help you figure out how to make them. I have used them all before but never paid much attention to how they were made.

"A bosal is a sort of rawhide plaited oval that goes around their nose. The bosal hanger keeps it in place and the mecate is for reins and a lead rope. It is tied onto the back of the bosal. The mecate is often plaited out of the long hairs of the horses tail."

"And what of hobbles? What are hobbles?" Nita asked.

"Hobbles go around the cashda's front feet to disturb their stride. With hobbles on they can't run or even walk fast. You hobble them at night when you don't have a pen to keep them in. That way they can graze and move about but can't get very far away."

"I see," Shaeta said.

"That reminds me, we will need to make some harness so they can help us with pulling things, but it can wait until later. For now, if I can find a way back onto Buster I think I should let you all have a ride behind me."

"Can he carry two at one time? Nita asked.

"If we could fit on him he could probably carry us all, but we won't try that."

I noticed a handy boulder nearby and led Buster to it. He obliged me by standing still and I was able to mount. When I rode back to my mates it was Lanita's turn first, of course. Nita lifted her up within my reach and I swung her on behind me.

"Hold on tightly around my waist and we will go," I told her, and she did.

I rode about half way around the perimeter of the big clearing and then stopped to put Lanita in front of me. I could tell she liked it much better this way, but she was so excited she never uttered a word until we were nearly back to the women.

"Oh, Daddy. It is grand, I love this riding," she said.

I took them all for a spin around the ranch and they reacted almost exactly the same. They could easily see that we were traveling faster than they could walk even though Buster never trotted a step. They all loved it, and no wonder. It beat hell out of walking.



-------

Chapter 23


After the last of my passengers had taken their turn I rode Buster down to the river where the raft making was supposed to be going on. I barely made it in time for the christening. They had been working their asses off and that was no joke.

The rope they'd plaited out of the vines was tied between trees on each side and there was also a rope attached to either side of the raft and tied to trees on the other end so that the raft could be pulled back and forth if it happened to be on the wrong side when you wanted to use it. When they saw me they demanded I try it first. It worked as expected and they had even put up a stout short rail in the middle so people that weren't pulling the rope would have something to hang onto.

I went across and then back across and got one of them to help me back onto Buster. Next I rode him to the main camp to make the happy announcement. Nearly two dozen people followed me back to the river to see what I was talking about.

I left it with the crew that had built it to explain how it worked and rode back to my mates. I didn't see any sense in our sleeping here another night since things were going so well now. Surely I could cobble up a set of hobbles and ride Buster back and forth, and with the raft it would be easier to let the workmen come back and forth to eat their meals without having to undress and redress both ways.

I told my mates the plan and they agreed and began packing up what they'd need to take back while I rode out to tell the other men. They seemed happy enough about it too and said they'd come back to camp before sunset.

Lanita got the honor of riding back with me while my mates walked. They didn't mind of course, since walking was the only way they'd ever traveled up to now. They were excited when they saw the raft in action, but had to stand in line with the others that were trying it out, so Lanita and I were home ahead of them.

Matatu approached me after I'd dismounted and apparently he had come to his senses. He apologized profusely but I cut him off after a little.

"You don't owe me an apology Matatu, and thank goodness you don't owe Caloe one. Zakat will be well in a few days and everything will be back to normal.

"But next winter, or maybe the one after that, you will owe a deep apology to a mother who loses her child, or a man or woman who loses their mate, because your foolishness caused me to use more medicine on Shaton than he would have needed if you hadn't interfered.

"I have a good supply of it, but sooner or later it will be gone, and I can't make any more. That medicine came with me. What you have done is killed the first one that needs it after it is gone."

He was stunned, and he should have been, because it was exactly what he had done. We could hope that more would be provided but that was all we could do, hope. I sure as hell didn't have any idea how to make penicillin and no one else here did either.

Matatu was taking it hard though, harder than I'd expected. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and I could see that he was truly ashamed of himself now. I felt like I had to give him some relief if I could, and I thought of a way.

"Beg the spirits to replace the medicine Matatu. There is a chance that they will. They often send me things in the night and there is a chance they will send more medicine. Ask them for it."

He didn't say anything and he left right away. I didn't know where he was going and I had put it out of my mind by the time my mates arrived. We spent the time before supper making a set of hobbles for Buster and we even got them on him and showed him how they worked before it was time to eat.

Denac and Jekaycey were in our normal spot when we headed that way, but now we had the super heavy-duty furniture to sit on. She and Denac were together on a log about four feet long and there was one probably eight feet long for my mates, Lanita, and I. Lanita and I sat down while Jekaycey and my mates went to get our food.

"I am very impressed with all you've done, Carl. The raft across the river was something we could have made but never thought of, but riding the cashda was something we could have never done," he said.

"Yes, you could have done that too, but didn't think of it. I'll admit it would have been much harder for you to catch them. Hell, I lucked out myself when I did it so easily. Still, it doesn't matter who did it now that we have them. It will be much easier to catch more from the backs of the ones we already have," I said.

"I can see how it would be, but how many do we need?" Denac asked.

"I think one for every man and woman will be enough, with a few extra to pull travois or wagons."

"That seems like so many, will all of us need one?" he asked.

"No, it wouldn't be necessary for all of us, but who do you think will want to walk while others are riding, especially since those that are riding can cover so much more ground in a day?"

"I see what you mean, but that brings me to my next question. What is a wagon?"

"It is for carrying things, almost like a travois, but much bigger, and with wheels similar to my dolly. Surely you remember how much easier it is to carry things with my dolly."

"Yes, I do remember. It would have taken several men to bring the hive section of that bee tree here without your dolly, and with it the two of us were able to do it," he said.

"Yes. A wagon has four wheels and can be much bigger than my dolly. It can also be pulled by a cashda. They are very good for carrying things, but it will take time to build them. In fact, it will take time and trouble to build the wheels."

Our discussion was over then because the women arrived with the important part of the evening. Nita handed me the bowl for Lanita and I, and soon everyone was merrily chewing. Our supper this evening was especially tasty.

Caloe came to our place not long after we'd finished eating, and she looked worried. She didn't waste much time letting me know what she wanted.

"Carl, I saw Matatu talking with you earlier and now he seems to be acting strangely. He didn't even come out of his hut to eat, and he seems to be wailing and begging the spirits for something. I think it is more medicine, but I don't understand. Do you think I was too stern with him about Shaton?" she said.

"No, you were not too stern, and if you asked him now he would tell you that what you did was nothing. He came to me to apologize for his behavior earlier and he is begging the spirits because I told him what he had done. What he was going to cause."

"What will he cause?" she asked.

"He has caused it already, it just hasn't happened yet. The medicine I gave for Zakat cannot be made here, even if I knew how. I only have so much, and when it is gone it will be gone. Matatu's stunt will cause me to use more on Shaton than I would have needed to if he had kept taking it and kept resting until he was well."

I could see right away that she understood what that meant. In fact Nita, Katia, Jekaycey, and Shaeta seemed to understand too. Denac did not understand, and he had the kind of manners that allowed him to ask questions if he wondered about something. It was one of my favorite things about him.

"But why will that matter, Carl. What would make Matatu wail and beg the spirits about that?" Denac asked.

"Because my friend, after I have used the last of the medicine to help others get well, Matatu will know who he killed with his traveling tantrum."

"Who he killed. What do you mean?"

"The next one that needs that type medicine after it is gone will die, and Matatu will know he caused their death, and mostly for nothing. I encouraged him to beg the spirits for more of the medicine. They brought it here with me when I came, and they often leave things for me. I believe that if Matatu is sincerely sorry for what he has done they might replace it."

"For his sake, I hope they do. He is suffering now for his behavior, I can hear it in his voice as he pleads," Caloe said.

"Yes, he is suffering, but he is not dying of sickness. I hope the spirits replace the medicine too. Not only for the sake of one more person saved, though that is important, but also to help Matatu face what he has done and become wiser.

"When people ask you to be their leader, they do it because they think you will help them have a better life, they don't make you the leader so that they can serve your whims. I think Matatu forgot that for a while."

Well, I'd thrown a wet blanket on the earlier good feelings around the dining area, but I couldn't feel bad about it. I wasn't going to let Caloe think she had caused Matatu such grief. He had caused it himself, and even that was encouraging. It was reassuring that he was so despondent now that he learned what the long term costs of his little fit were going to be.

"Don't worry Daddy, it will come out for the good, you'll see," Lanita said, and patted my cheek solemnly, which made me grin at her.

"Things are already wonderful for me, now that I have you to hold my lap down," I said, and it made her giggle and the world seemed right again.

We headed for the hut then, and I was excited knowing that we'd be sleeping on the bear rug. I was a little suspicious that Lanita seemed to fall asleep almost right away, but I put it out of my mind. If she saw what was going to happen, she saw it; it wouldn't do her any damage.

Nita seemed a little nervous, but she'd get over it. I wasn't a bit nervous as I perved on her naked charms, perved on all my mates actually. They returned the favor and all watched me undress. Then Katia and Shaeta laughed at Nita when I finally dropped my drawers.

"Oh!" was all she said when she saw the swinging meat.

"We have been blessed," Katia said.

"It looks like it," Nita agreed, and giggled nervously.

"I guess now you understand why we were happy to have someone to help us with that thing," Shaeta said.

"Yes, I think I'm getting the idea, and I promise to do my part," Nita said, and didn't sound as nervous when she laughed this time.

She was surprised again when I gave her a going over with kisses and tongue work. Her nipples were fascinating, since they were larger than Katia's or Shaeta's. I supposed it might have been from breast-feeding; in fact I hoped it was. If true it meant that Katia and Shaeta might acquire that optional extra someday.

Nita was panting and petting by the time I put my mouth to her pussy, and it surprised her so that she let out a little shriek. It didn't take her long to decide that she liked it though, and she didn't squeal when she went off the first time. She did a lot of moaning though. Especially when Katia and Shaeta took over a titty each.

When I finally shoved it up her I was surprised that, even after childbirth, she was every bit as tight as Katia or Shaeta had been. After a few strokes she was just as enthusiastic too. Poor thing couldn't last though, she was done for before I even got close, but it didn't matter. I had two more to take care of and with the help of the good lord and a stout dick, I did my duty, finishing in Katia while Shaeta was still catching her breath from her ordeal. Then I did what men are supposed to do after sex. I fell asleep nearly at once.

I woke the next morning with a little bundle of joy on my chest again, and I woke because she was playing in the hair and decided to see if she could pluck one out. She could. She was smiling widely at me when my eyes opened.

"You must have been very good to mother last night. Look at her, she is smiling in her sleep," Lanita told me, and when I looked Nita did seem to be smiling.

I was up and dressed in minutes and it turned out to be a good thing, since Matatu was outside calling for me just after I got my boots tied.

"Carl, Carl, come see," he said from outside, and I figured the spirits, or whoever, had sent him something.

I left the girls to their dressing and went out to greet Matatu.

He was holding a damned plastic medicine bottle, just like you get in any pharmacy on earth, complete with a child safety cap. I almost laughed but decided that it wouldn't be right. He handed it to me at once.

"I am so happy, Carl. Is this enough medicine to replace what I caused to be wasted?" he asked, anxiously.

Since the bottle was complete with a label I read it. There were supposed to be thirty-six 1000-milligram penicillin caplets in the bottle, at least that's what Eckerd Drugs claimed.

"You must have impressed the spirits with your prayers, Matatu. This is five times more than the extra Zakat will need. You have turned misfortune into a gift," I said, and the relief nearly made him stumble.

"I am so thankful. After you made me see what I'd done I felt so ashamed," he said.

"Well, now you can be thankful that you have not only recovered what we'd lost but have also made it possible to save five more people that may need the medicine."

He left as my mates came out, but I could tell he was happy about the way things turned out. I also wondered just what in the hell our unknown and unseen benefactors were up to. But, like a Texan should, I didn't look a gift horse... 

As my mates joined me outside, Katia asked what Matatu had wanted.

"He brought the replacement medicine the spirits sent him last night. Apparently he impressed them with his sincerity. They even sent more than he caused to be wasted."

"Hopefully he learned a lesson from this," Nita said.

"What lesson Mommy?" Lanita asked.

"That men should be mostly seen and not heard," Shaeta said, and I could tell she barely beat Katia to it.

"Don't pay any attention to them Princess. Just keep remembering who is going to get you a pony," I said, lifting Lanita and swinging her up onto my shoulders.

"What's a pony, Daddy?"

"A pony is a Lanita sized cashda," I said.

"That sounds like an excellent idea Daddy. Just tell me if they give you any more trouble and I'll deal with them for you," she said, giggling.

"Maybe we should let them have their way, at least until after we've had breakfast."

"It's funny Daddy, you seem much smarter than Mommy told me men were going to be," Lanita said, and giggled again.

I carried Lanita over so we could say good morning to Buttercup and let her pet him a little, then we walked out to greet Buster too. He actually seemed glad to see Lanita and was quick to put his muzzle within her reach for a petting.

"He is so big, Daddy. He must be very strong," she said.

"I'm sure he is, and he will be much help for us. All of them will when we have them trained."

It was time for breakfast then so we joined Denac and were waiting when the food arrived. There was always plenty of food, or at least there had been plenty since I got here, and it seemed they brought even more over this morning. I didn't ask any questions, I just stuffed Lanita and myself full and was happy about it.

Caloe came over not long after we finished eating and told us that Zakat seemed better again, though she thought it would be better if Darita and Nita left him off the tea.

"He is better through no fault of his own. He can just continue to suffer with the aches and pains. If the tea does something else to help him it would be different, but since you told me that it only makes him feel better, I think he deserves to feel bad for a while. I was very worried after his trick," she said, and I sure as hell wasn't going to argue with her.

Denac headed for the cashda canyon without me this morning, since I'd be riding over anyway and would probably pass him on the way. I went to Buster and he was kind enough to stand still beside one of the seats we'd cut so that I could mount.

By the time I got to the big pasture, the others were already at the small pen and they had another mare out with one of them leading her around. Hell, they were getting good at this. They even had another one in the chute and were working away at sacking it out, even though they weren't using sacks and didn't realize that was what they were doing.

I rode over to check on them and decided that they were doing fine.

"Denac, are you ready to try it yourself?" I asked.

"I might as well be, it is time I know," he said.

"Good, that's the spirit. Take Busters reins and lead him around so that the two of you can become accustomed to each other. I will see if that big mare will cooperate with me."

He took Buster's reins and started walking off with him. It was just for drill, of course, but I thought it would help calm Denac. I was pretty sure Buster was as calm as he was going to get already.

The mare wasn't as cooperative as Buster had been, but she wasn't a lot of trouble either. She was a little fractious at first, but I already knew that she had settled down quickly yesterday when one of the helpers had been leading her around.

After I'd led her for about half an hour, I put the new reins my mates had made onto her halter and one of the guys helped me onto her back. She didn't exactly buck, but she did crow hop a little. It was no trouble to hold on and she cut it out after a few jumps. I worked with her for another hour or so and decided it was time for Denac to get aboard Buster.

To save the backs of our helpers, since Denac was so damned big himself, I had him lead Buster up beside a large boulder and then had him get on from that step. He took it more gracefully than I'd expected. I explained about gripping around the cashda's barrel with his inner thigh muscles and told him about using his heels to get motion and pulling on the reins to stop, or to turn. Then we were off, kinda.

We settled for riding around in the large open area for now. I wanted to get Denac used to the simple things first. The mare I was riding had settled nicely, and though she didn't know as much as Buster yet, Candace was coming along nicely. I felt confident that we could ride back to camp for lunch.



-------

Chapter 24


It was hard to believe, but Denac seemed like a natural. He wasn't doing everything perfectly but he was learning fast and when I mentioned something he should do differently he usually wanted to know why. This kind of attention to detail could only mean he was intent on doing a good job. Practice is always helpful, but practice with constant striving to improve is always a better way to do it.

We rode around the large canyon for about an hour and I decided it was time to make our exit and see some new places. I was wearing my Glock on my web belt, but if we were going far I wanted to take my M1 too, and I wanted to take most of the rest of the afternoon to ride and look around. I called to one of my wranglers and asked him to let us out.

We rode to camp first, since I wanted the rifle and also because it was getting time for the noon meal. Jekaycey's face was the first one I noticed when we got there, and it was because she was smiling so wide at seeing Denac up on Buster. My mates, all three of them, put a little strut in their step too from our showing out, and Lanita made her way to us at once.

"Can I have a ride Daddy?" she asked.

"Of course you can, in fact, I think it's time for you to solo."

"What is solo?" she asked.

"I think you can ride Buster by yourself, though I should probably lead him while you do it."

"That sounds like fun too. Let's try it," she said.

I let Denac hold Candace and I took Buster's reins and led him off a little. When I put Lanita on his back I had her grab two hands full of mane and then I led Buster around camp. Most of the people were clearly amazed and I could almost see it dawning on them that if Lanita could do it, they probably all could.

I gave Lanita a nice long ride, about fifteen minutes or so, and then let her down. Denac and I hobbled Buster and Candace then and let them graze. It was time for our lunch too. Denac and I barely made it to our sitting logs and I'd just pulled Lanita into my lap when the women arrived with our food.

"You two aren't wasting any time learning to ride the cashda," Jekaycey said, as we began eating.

"Why would we? The sooner we get the people and horses trained the easier it will be on everyone. Which of you four want to be the next to learn?" I asked.

They were strangely silent for a few seconds, mostly looking at each other, and then Jekaycey spoke up and said that she would try it.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Jekaycey, but you aren't going to try it. You are going to learn to do it. You have to, this is something no one can get by without learning," I said, and then grinned at her.

"All right then. I will be the next one to learn it," she said.

"Good, now that's settled we can get onto the important part of noon, the food."

After we'd eaten I asked how we were doing for thongs and got a big surprise.

"We are doing very well. Matita has been cutting away since you made your first ride over to camp. She also said to thank you for showing us about gloves. We all thank you for that, since they are a great help for almost everything," Shaeta said.

"Yes they are. Mother loves them," Katia said.

"Everyone loves them. It is so nice to be able to work without ending up with your hands raw and chapped," Jekaycey said.

I wondered to myself if I'd have to teach them about manicures next. I wouldn't mention it to them but I wouldn't shy away from helping if they thought of it themselves.

After the meal was over I fetched my M1 and Denac brought two spears out of his hut. As soon as I saw him on Buster's back, holding his spears in one hand and the reins in the other I thought of Ayla, from "The Clan of the Cave Bear," but it wasn't because he resembled her.

It made me think of what she'd called her spear thrower. It was what most people called an atlatl. They would be easier to make than a bow and arrows but I didn't know whether they could be as effective. We could find out later though, for now we were going exploring.

The next decision was which way we should go. Finally I decided we should go back across the river and check on our wranglers and the cashda first.

All seemed well when we arrived, and I was surprised to see several of the guys leading horses. Well four anyway. The rest were getting acquainted with the one currently occupying the chute. One of them had seemed to become their leader and so I called him off to the side and introduced myself by name.

He was shocked, or nearly so, that I would reveal my name to him, and he stared openmouthed for nearly a minute before he remembered what was happening and told me he was call Jortah.

"Jortah, I want you to take command of all the men that came with you. You are not to drive them to work harder but merely give them any instructions I give you. You have earned this position because I see that they already pay attention to what you say, and that you are the hardest worker.

"I can't tell you yet that you will be allowed a place in the Calak, but I will speak up for you if it comes to discussion. I can tell you though that the women who were your captives will probably have the deciding voice," I told him.

"We all now realize that what we did was terrible, and I'm sure most of us knew it all along. All we can do now is try to make amends by working as hard as we can," he said.

"That is an attitude which will serve you well. Denac and I are going exploring north of here. If you hear my rifle fire three times close together, send someone to see if we need help. Remember, it is three shots that is the signal, not two, four, or any other number. I will probably repeat the signal with time if we do need help, mostly to aid whoever you send in finding us."

He agreed that they would all listen for the signal. I told him to keep working on gentling the horses and teaching them to lead, but warned him that they should be especially gentle when the time to deal with the younger ones came.

Denac and I mounted up then and left the cashda's canyon. We went back east and then north again, heading the way I'd gone the first time I found this group. We kept our eyes mostly on the ground, looking for more tracks.

We probably covered five miles to get three from the canyon, but finally I spotted some tracks that were moving north. I had a decision to make now and I pulled up so Denac and I could discuss it.

"I think I should go on alone Denac and that you should go back to the canyon. By moving a little farther to the west and continuing to go north I believe I can get on the other side of this group and start them moving toward the canyon we used to capture the others," I said.

"It might be difficult for you, but I understand that they can sense me much sooner than they can sense you. Do I need to do anything else?" he asked.

"Have the leader I appointed tell all the men to put the cashda we have back into the catch pen, and then all of them need to go back to camp, all of them. They should also open the canyon's gate as wide as possible when they leave. I'm going to try moving any cashda I can find into the canyon, even if I have to stay out all night to do it," I said.

"I will do as you say, and I will tell your mates and Lanita what you are up to," he said.

"Be sure to listen for the signal and have someone pay attention all night. If I can get them in the other canyon I might need some help and I will signal if I do," I said, and he agreed he'd do that also.

We swapped horses before he left. Candace was doing fine by now, but Buster would be an asset with other horses simply because he was a stallion. If he seemed to be getting into a pissing contest with another herd stallion I'd just shoot his foe and be done with it.

One of the things I really liked about Margata was that there was very little brush in the way of things. There was some, but it never seemed to get too thick. I had little trouble moving about a quarter mile to the west and then turning north.

An hour later I knew that I was north of the small band. The hoof prints had already let me know that they were more of a normal sized horse than these giants we'd already captured. Another thing I'd noticed was that some of the prints looked like they were made by donkeys, of all things.

I'd only seen the group once, and that was from about five hundred yards as I passed them by. There were many more of them than I'd thought and the tracks Denac and I had picked up must have been from a smaller group heading this way.

It was probably around three o'clock or a little later before I felt like I was in position to try to start them moving. I was within four hundred yards of them, almost directly north of where they were grazing. I pulled out the Glock and fired one shot then put it back in its holster. It got their attention for sure.

Every head, both horse and donkey turned toward me. When I headed their way they did exactly what I expected they would, they headed away from me, after that I kept moving and they did too.

This wasn't as remarkable as it might seem. I didn't get close enough to them to cause panic and they were obviously heading in a direction they'd traveled before. The river and the terrain practically funneled them the way I wanted them to go. Of course I could scatter them by pressing too close, but I wasn't going to do that.

About an hour later, as we neared the river, they turned off to the right, heading toward the canyon our cashda were in. This was no surprise either because from the tracks I'd seen at first I'd known the place was popular with horses, or cashda.

They were a little suspicious when they headed into the canyon and found our fence blocking their way. They weren't alarmed though and found the gate soon enough.

They might have just moved on at the fence, but the two bunches, the ones we'd captured and the ones I'd hazed down here caught each other's scents about then. There was a short bout of whinnying and braying and when the entrance was located, the entire band I'd found today, donkeys and all, made their way inside and headed for the capture pen.

While they were having a greeting party, I dismounted, fired the three shot signal, and closed the gate after Buster and I entered.

We just stood by the fence until Denac and all the workers arrived. They were happy about my good work and I was too. Finally Denac noticed the donkeys.

"What is the difference in the very small ones?" he asked.

"Those are not cashda, they are donkeys. They seem similar and they are, but they are not the same. They are very useful too though. The can carry a surprising amount of weight for their size and they need less food and water.

"Their best use though is that the male donkeys can breed with the female cashda. The offspring is called a mule, and mules are probably the most useful for hauling. They are also more resistant to disease and to predators, but they are also often called stubborn.

"They will not always do what you want them to do. This is because people often ask them to do things that are dumb from the start. For instance, a mule will not let you work it to death while a cashda will."

"But why would you want to work one to death?" he asked.

"Usually you don't want to, but people sometimes don't pay enough attention to how much work they are making a cashda do."

"So, in other words, mules are better to use if you don't really know what you are doing?" he asked.

"Something like that; Let's just say that mules are better for some things and cashda are better for others."

"What are cashda better for?" Denac asked.

"You can't tell now, because none of those are mules, but cashda just look better. You will see after we raise some mules. Horses also seem better to ride, but some mules make excellent riding stock."

"I think I will just wait and see when we get some mules. Can't we try to catch some, like we caught the cashda?" he asked.

"There won't be any until we raise them."

"But how can that be?" he asked.

"Mules do not occur in nature and they can not breed or even be bred. You only get mules from mating a male donkey with a female cashda. Whether the mule you get from that mating is a male or a female, it can not have offspring, except very rarely."

"I don't see how that's possible," Denac said.

"I don't either, but that is just the way it is. I am not lying to you. I don't know the whys or wherefores but I do know the facts on the ground."

"Oh. It is one of those things that no matter how much you wonder, you will never understand," he said.

"Exactly."

"Best not to even wonder then," he said.

"But I'm wondering about food," I said.

"You have missed supper, but I wouldn't be surprised if you could get something to eat if you asks politely when we get back to camp," Denac said, and laughed.

"I think at least half of you should stay here tonight and make sure the new arrivals don't try to get out," I said, to Jortah.

He agreed and picked out a group to stay, including himself. The rest of them came back with Denac and I. Denac had ridden Candace to come over and he and I didn't have to bother with a raft ride to get back, so we were home faster.

My mates and Lanita were waiting at the edge of camp, and it seemed at least half of the others were up waiting with them.

"Were you hurt," Nita asked, as soon as we arrived.

"No, the signal doesn't always mean someone is hurt. It does always mean they want or need help though."

"I'm glad you aren't hurt, but what did you need help with?" Katia asked.

"I captured another band of cashda and a smaller band of donkeys."

"What are donkeys?" Caloe asked.

When Denac didn't give a kwagi word for them right away I knew they must be unknown completely to them.

"It is sort of like a cashda, but much smaller. It is hard to explain, but you can see them tomorrow if you come over there. They are very good at carrying things on their back and they can carry more than you'd think," I said.

"Can they be ridden too?" Shaeta asked.

"Lanita, or other small children might be able to ride them, but a grown man could probably carry a donkey more easily than the donkey could carry him."

"Are they that small?" Jekaycey said.

"They are too small for grown people to ride them, but they are good for carrying loads, and they can also pull travois, though not travois as big as cashda can pull. I think we now have plenty of them," I said.

"Well come along then my mate, and we will make sure you have plenty of supper," Nita said, and I followed to our log sofa, pulling Lanita into my lap after I sat.

"That is good thinking Daddy, I might be able to force a little more food down also," she said, teasing me.

"Good. I'll need something to do while chewing."

"Tell me about the new cashda," she said.

"They are not as large as the ones we had already. They are actually a different type of cashda. They seem to be excellent though, and they might be handier for all but the largest men. They are easily large enough to carry any of the women."

"That is good to hear," Jekaycey said, "I was dreading the thought of being on the back of one of those giants."

"At least the new cashda have put your ordeal off for a few days. I will need to see about getting their training started tomorrow. I think they will be better for most riding, except for the larger men, like Denac and a few others."

"Good is right. Does that mean I can now use Buster most of the time?" Denac asked.

"I think that would be the right thing to do. He is really kind of a bother for me to mount. He is a good cashda, but too big for me really," I said.

"Candace didn't seem to have any trouble carrying me, but she is not as obedient as Buster was," Denac said.

"She will probably do better with time."

"She didn't make any big problems, but some things didn't seem to come as easily to her, some of the things I wanted to do anyway," he said.

"You will find out later that Buster is more likely the exception to the rule. Candace's behavior is more nearly normal."

"Well, it wasn't bad or anything," he said.

My bowl of food arrived then and I closed off my end of the conversation. Lanita let me give her a few bites, but not many. She was plainly already full to the brim.

It was fully dark by the time I finished eating and I was ready to go to our hut. Lanita had been yawning for the last ten minutes and my mates seemed like they were ready for a little sleep also, so we adjourned as soon as Katia had cleaned out and put away the bowl I'd eaten from. It felt very comfortable to lie down and be surrounded by beautiful women.

All seemed well when I woke the next morning. Lanita was on my chest and waiting for my eyes to open.

"Good morning Daddy, did you sleep well?" she asked, smiling.

"Yes I did, how about you?"

"I must have. I don't even remember being put to bed," she said.

"It's good that you are well rested today then. Maybe you can come over and pick out a donkey. Since I caught them, I say that you get your pick."

"But what will I do with a donkey?" she asked.

"Why, anything you want to."

"Oh Daddy, you're so silly sometimes," she said, grinning even wider.

We dressed, and after kissing all my mates, Lanita and I went out to tell Buttercup, Buster, and Candace good morning. By the time we'd finished the food was nearly ready, so we went over to sit by Denac.

"What is our plan for today, Carl?" Denac asked, when we arrived.

"I don't have a plan for today. I'm just going to go back to the cashda canyon and see what occurs to me. I'm afraid that the donkeys could get out if they really wanted to, but I don't think they will since they seem to be traveling with the cashda, and the cashda can't get out."

"How could the donkeys get out if the cashda can't?" he asked.

"That's another thing about donkeys, they can travel over much rougher country than cashda. Their feet are smaller and they have better balance besides."

"Well, let's hope they are still over there this morning and we can see what to do about it if they seem to be interested in leaving," he said.



-------

Chapter 25


When Denac, Lanita, and I arrived at the horse and donkey ranch is was apparent that the donkeys were not dissatisfied with their new accommodations. There were fourteen of them, and six were following the guys around while the other eight were leaning against the pen's fence to visit with the large cashda in it.

Jortah came over as we dismounted.

"What did you call the small ones? They don't act a bit like the larger ones do."

"They are donkeys, and they are usually a little curious when they don't feel threatened," I said.

"Well they don't seem to feel threatened at all then. Most of them tried to help us eat our breakfast. We actually had to shoo them away, and some just wouldn't go," he said.

The smallest of the bunch proved his point for him then. It was an adult male but barely larger than a Great Dane. It came directly up to Lanita, to introduce himself I guess.

Lanita was not put off by its forwardness, and soon it was rubbing its head against her as she petted over most of it. Finally she must have remembered what I'd told her.

"I want this one Daddy. I'm going to name him Nosey," she said.

"It looks like a very good name for him. Do you want me to put a halter on him so you can teach him to follow when you lead?"

"Not just yet. I think he will follow me anyway. He seems to like me," she said, and grinned.

"Have it your way then. Nosey is your donkey."

Nosey took this opportunity to show us all what kind of sounds donkeys made. He gave us several lusty Hee Haws and Lanita, though surprised at first, loved it. She was laughing along with him in seconds and the rest of us joined in. When Lanita started walking away from him, he fell right in step beside her, heeling almost as well as any dog I'd ever seen.

I told one of the guys to keep an eye on Lanita and Nosey and then turned my attention to the new arrivals. There were even more than I'd thought.

As I mentioned, fourteen of them were donkeys, three males and eleven females. One was a large male, probably fourteen hands or better, one was medium sized at around eleven hands, and then there was Nosey. He was the runt of the litter and couldn't be much over nine hands, if that. Most of the females were between ten and twelve hands. I could tell right away I'd end up with some big mules if that large male would cooperate.

The horses in this bunch looked to be quarter horses, though they couldn't actually claim to be, since the AQHA somehow owned the term. No matter, they couldn't sue us here and if these weren't quarter horses there ain't a cow in Saltillo.

There were two mature stallions among the band of sixty-one horses. One was clearly dominant but he tolerated the other. Of course the other had already learned to keep out of the dominant's vicinity. The lead mare, a big bay, was also easy to spot, since she seemed to be busily herding the others, especially as I walked near them.

As I approached, the dominant stallion headed my way. He wasn't being especially aggressive, just doing his job. He interposed himself between the herd and me while the lead mare bunched them and moved them further from me. I noticed that the other stallion took up what you might think of as a secondary defensive position.

This action was normal, since they knew by now that they couldn't hope to flee and get away. It wasn't even a bother, since all I wanted to do was get a feel for what we had.

Along with the stallions were twelve yearlings, sixteen foals, and thirty-three mature mares. They all seemed to be in good health and were remarkably large for quarter horses, all of the mature ones seeming to be at least fifteen hands. The stallions were larger, and the dominant one was nearly sixteen hands.

They were all well muscled too and I knew they were a major asset. Even though quarter horses had poor working shoulders for harness work, they could still drag a travois if necessary and they could certainly carry riders, hell, that's what they were for. I was anxious to get a halter on the dominant stallion.

That was going to be a trick though. We still had the larger models in the pen to deal with and I didn't intend to release them to try getting the new arrivals in process. Besides, there were too damned many of the new ones to put in the pen, especially before the others were out of it.

The smart thing was to be patient, finish with the Clydesdales and let the Quarter Horses become more accustomed to us. No one told you I was smart though.

"Denac, I think that these are going to act a little more like I'm used to," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"We're going to have to earn rides on their backs, with hard work," I said.

"How can we do that?"

"I think your part is going to be holding on to a rope. My part is going to be roping one for you to hold onto.

"First thing, I need to get two of the lariats; then I'll try to rope the one that's keeping between us and the others. If I can get a loop on him I'll hand you that rope as I try to get the other on him while you're hanging on and trying to slow him down," I said.

"Are you sure this is the normal way to do it?" he asked, and I couldn't lie.

"No, it isn't. The normal way to rope a wild cashda is from the back of another cashda," I said.

"Then why don't you do it from Buster or Candace?" he asked, logically.

"Because the normal way also includes a saddle for the roper to sit on. A saddle is a leather seat that has a band going all the way around the back and chest of the horse you are riding on to rope from. Without the saddle, if I rope him he will just drag me off," I said.

"I see. Are you sure this is safe, roping from the ground?"

"No, but I hope it is. At any rate, the most we're likely to lose is the rope," I said, explaining.

"Can't we just pick it back up?" he asked.

"Yes, we can, but it will probably be shorter."

"How would it get shorter, just from this roping," he asked.

"If the horse gets loose after we rope it, it will run off. While it is running the rope will still be around his neck and it will drag on the ground behind him as he runs. Sooner or later he will step on the rope with one of his four feet. When he does the rope will tug hard on his head and neck and he will tug back and the rope will probably break," I said, explaining again.

"I see. So I should hold onto the rope if I possibly can, but release it if I feel in danger?" Denac asked.

"Exactly. It is a judgment call on your part. We should go back to camp first though."

"Why should we?" he asked.

"We have left an important piece of equipment there."

"What have we left?" he asked.

"Our new gloves and the lariats. It will be much better if the rope slides out of your gloves than out of your hands. If you don't have your gloves on we will be treating your cut up hands a little later," I said.

"I am very glad that you can plan ahead so well. I can see where the rope sliding through my hands could be painful."

"The way I know so much about it is that I once tried something similar without gloves. I'm not exactly planning ahead, I'm remembering how much it hurt that other time," I said, and damned if he didn't laugh at me.

I spoke to Jortah to let him know what was going on and then called Lanita over to tell her, and asked if she wanted to go. It was horseback riding so of course she wanted to go, but that wasn't all.

"Daddy, can Nosey come with us?" she asked.

"Well, he can't ride with us, there isn't room."

"Daddy, I know that. He can follow us though," she said.

"He might run away if we let him out of the fence."

"I don't think he will. He likes me an awful lot, I can tell," she said.

"Well, he is your donkey and if you want him to follow us we will let him. We can probably catch him again later if he runs away, and you might be right about him staying with us."

The guy who'd been watching Lanita and Nosey gave Denac and then me a leg up and then handed Lanita up to me. He headed to the gate then to let us out and Lanita asked him to please let Nosey out also. He was happy to, and I'm not so sure he was looking forward to Nosey coming back.

The only snag was when we reached the river. Nosey wasn't convinced that he should bail off into the water. He had been trotting along right beside Lanita and I until then, but he balked for a second at the water, but when we rode on in he finally followed, and then Lanita laughed.

"Poor Nosey. No wonder he didn't want to follow us, his feet won't reach the bottom. He has to swim," she said, and laughed some more.

When we reached the other side we turned around to wait for poor Nosey but he made it with no trouble. I should have known what was coming but I didn't think about it. Poor Nosey came up right beside Lanita and then shook his skin all over like a dog shaking off water.

Lanita squealed when the water hit us, but we weren't drenched or anything. She told him "Bad Donkey" but Nosey didn't seem like he felt chastised in the least. He just stood around waiting until we rode on and then he fell right in step.

When we reached the campsite it didn't take five minutes for Nosey to draw a crowd. All the adults came around and looked but the other children were enthralled. I let Lanita down and she went over to them with Nosey following. He was in hog heaven soon since they all wanted to pet him and scratch his ears. I could tell he reveled in the attention.

My three mates were paying attention too and they could barely keep from laughing.

"Is that what you called a donkey," Nita asked.

"Almost, but smaller."

"What?" she asked.

"It is a donkey, but it is by far the smallest one I've ever seen," I said.

"Did Lanita decide that she just had to have it?" Nita asked, trying not to start laughing again.

"I'm not sure."

"Look at them, what do you mean your not sure?" she asked.

"I'm not sure if Lanita picked Nosey, or Nosey picked Lanita. He came right over to her as soon as we dismounted over there.

"I just hope she doesn't make us let it sleep in the hut," I said, and then they all did laugh at me again.

"You can't be hungry again so soon, why did you come back now?" Katia asked, since she was the first to regain control.

"Denac and I came back for our gloves, and two lariats. We are going to try roping one of the new cashda," I said.

"What is roping, and why are you going to do it, whatever it is," Shaeta asked.

"And why will you need your gloves," Jekaycey asked, as she walked over to join the inquisition.

"Roping is catching something with a lariat. We need the gloves because it won't want to be roped and it will surely try to run away, lariat and all, after we rope it," I said.

"Oh, that would be very hard on your hands. I see why you need your gloves. It's a good thing you showed us how to make them," Katia said.

"Yes, and it's a good thing Jekaycey made Denac a pair if he is going to help. I can imagine what shape his hands would be in when he got to me or Darita," Nita said.

Katia and Shaeta went to our hut then and came back with two lariats and my gloves while Jekaycey went to fetch Denac's gloves. We mounted up with the aid of some of the log furniture then, and I called to Lanita.

"Are you and Nosey going back with us?"

"I think I'll stay here and make sure everyone gets to meet Nosey. After we have finished petting him we want to take him over and introduce him to Buttercup," she said.

"That's fine, but get an adult to go to see Buttercup with you. He and Nosey might play too rough together at first and I don't want anyone to get hurt," I said.

"We will watch them closely so you don't worry," Caloe said, surprising me, mostly because she was right in with the children petting Nosey, and damned if Shata didn't seem to be waiting for a turn.

When we were back inside our giant cashda pen I decided to try this out on the largest male donkey first. I hadn't done any roping in years, and I knew it was a hell of a lot different on foot than it was horseback. It would be a little easier but it would still be different.

Surprisingly the donkey seemed to be cooperative. He didn't try to run away when I approached, even though I was already swinging the loop. He saved the biggest surprise for next though. When I dropped the loop over his head on the first try he just stood there and gave me such a look. I was almost embarrassed from it.

The big sorrel stallion preformed more like I expected. When Denac and I approached he was suspicious and soon enough, he was between the mares and us, and the lead mare was herding them again. It was obvious that he'd never seen a rope before, how could he have? Still he was eyeing the way I was swinging it and he tried to jerk his head away when I threw it toward him.

He didn't get it done though and the loop settled around his head and then fell down on his neck. I jerked it with my wrist before he pulled it tight and managed to get it snugged around his neck, up near his head. He was not amused, and began backing away from me right away.

Denac had been ready for this and he took hold of the rope at once; handing me the other one that he'd been holding. The stallion's instincts saved the day for us.

His natural inclination was to try backing away first, and it gave me time to get another loop on him before he turned his ass to us to really run. With two on him we were able to move apart and pull from each side, keeping him from turning. That did not mean he was done. In the end it was a close thing as to whether he was going to tire before Denac and I did. We won, but only by the hardest.

He was still wary after he gave up on the pulling, but his sides were heaving from the effort, and after all, we weren't really doing him any harm. As he stood there spraddle legged, huffing and puffing, I began approaching him slowly, talking to him softly and making sure not to get too close too fast.

It took half an hour for me to work my way up to Red and he was well rested by the time I got there. I guess he had decided to give me the benefit of the doubt though, because he didn't pitch a fit when I finally got a hand on him to stroke him gently and scratch around his ears. They all seemed to be suckers for that.

Luckily I'd remembered, just after Red got tired, that we didn't have a halter for him yet and that we wouldn't have one until my mates made it. I asked Denac to ride back to camp and see if they'd come over and fix me up. By the time they got back, Red and I were almost pals, but I wasn't doing nearly as well with him as Lanita was with Nosey.

Yes indeed, Lanita and Nosey had come back across with Nita, Katia, Shaeta, and even Caloe and Shata. The hell of it was Nosey was now obviously dry.

"How did he get across the river without getting wet this time?" I asked, when they were near.

"He rode on the raft with us," Caloe said, "He didn't seem to want to at first, but when we all got on he decided he would too."

I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at that picture, but I had to. I didn't think Red would get the joke, and I didn't want any static out of him right now.

My mates must have been giving the halter situation some careful thought in the past day or so. They had several partially made models in hand. I saw that the halters were finished on one side and ready to be put together on the other side after the size was determined. I also noticed that these were eight-strand plait instead of six-strand. I guess they figured that out for themselves because I knew I hadn't showed them an eight-strand plait.

Red was not amused to be getting fitted for a halter, even though he didn't know what it was. Katia gave him some pleasant attention first though and he was convinced to soldier on. She took it back off him to finish most of it after she had the size right and it only took a few more minutes to finish it completely after it was back on.

When they handed me the lead they'd already made I saw it was eight strand too, and it was probably a good thing.

Red gave more excitement for the dollar. He did not want to learn to be led and he didn't want to learn to stop when I said whoa. He was a fine horse though and I knew it would be worth the effort, no matter how long it took. In a situation like this, the horseman had to have the patience, because there's no advantage to the horse to have any. The worst thing you can do is get into a fight with it.

There is a tremendous amount of difference between training a horse and breaking a horse. Breaking one will work and it is a lot faster, but training one without any fighting always leaves you with a better horse. It is often tempting to ball up your fist and give one a good whack, but it is usually counter productive. It's usually better to just be insistent and not give up. The horse is the one that needs to give up, every time.

After about an hour and a half Red was doing much better. He would follow when I led out and he would stop when I said whoa and stopped myself. That was plenty to teach him in this first lesson. The snubbing tree was next.

Teaching a horse to stand when tied is another very important lesson. The best thing you can do is make sure it never breaks away the first time. If they are able to break their rope or halter it seems that they always give it another try when they are tied. I was glad that the girls had learned the new eight-strand plait, and I went ahead and tried it with only one lead.

Red went ahead and did his damnedest to break free. He was calm enough when I tied him to the tree and he stood there quietly until I'd walked away and left him alone for about ten minutes. After that the pulling match was on, and it was Katie bar the door. He worked himself into even more of a lather than he had when Denac and I had been holding him with the lariats. It was a little more than half an hour before he gave up the ghost.

"These smaller ones fight much more than the bigger ones did," Shaeta said.

"I told you I thought it was strange how Buster and Candace gave up so quickly. Apparently Red was not inclined to let us get by so lightly."

"I think we were lucky that he didn't break the rope or the halter. We'll have to make some changes to them, make them stronger. I was sure something was going to break any minute," Nita said.

"I was worried about that myself, but it wouldn't hurt to make a few that are stronger," I said, agreeing.

"How long are you going to leave him there?" Caloe asked.

"Probably for the rest of the day, at least," I said.

"Why so long?" Shata asked.

"I don't know why it does it, but leaving them alone and just tied to a post seems to always make them behave better," I said.

"Maybe it is like with young children. If they get fractious it almost always makes them act better if you make them go into the hut and lie down, and stay there," Caloe said.

"Isn't it lucky that I never make you do that, Mommy?" Lanita said, and every one of us just howled.



-------

Chapter 26


At last it was close enough to noon for a meal to be a good possibility. Denac and I mounted up, and of course Lanita wanted to ride. Nosey knew he needed to go too, and away we went.

Showing that he was a very smart donkey, Nosey joined the others for the raft ride over the river instead of following us. He had to gallop to catch up after he was across, and he berated us with several hee haws while he was at it. This announced our return to camp.

Nosey and Lanita didn't get much adult attention this time, but most of the children still wanted to stand near Nosey. He was perfectly willing to let them pet him, often.

When the food was ready Lanita came with me and we took our normal spot. Of course Nosey came too, but when he realized that there wasn't a bowl of food for him, he made do with grazing while we were having lunch. He did trot over to have a few words with Buttercup, but they whispered and we couldn't hear what they were talking about.

"Daddy, where will Nosey sleep tonight?" Lanita asked, between bites.

"Anywhere he wants to I guess. Do you want to put some hobbles on him so he won't wander off," I asked.

"I don't think he will. I can tell he likes it here. Will he be safe while we're asleep?" she asked.

"I'm sure he will be, unless he gets into something in camp and messes it up, and that is a possibility."

"I don't think there's much worry about that. Even if he turns over something he will still be ok. Nosey has friends in high places," Katia said, and then she, Nita, and Shaeta giggled.

"What?" I asked.

"Mother just loves Nosey for some reason. She thinks he is just the cutest thing. She even had Daddy moved outside on his pallet so he could meet Nosey. I think Daddy likes him too," Katia said.

"I'm sure he likes Nosey, since he has already told Nosey his name," Shaeta said, and they laughed again.

"Can Nosey have a travois of his own Daddy?" Lanita asked.

"I will make one for him if you think you need it. Will you have a lot to carry during the next move?" I asked.

"Not so much, but I don't want him to feel left out if all the other cashda and donkeys have one," she said.

"We'll make sure he has one by the time we move then," I said.

Caltort came by after we'd eaten and before we headed back. He wanted to know if I could look at something he'd been working on, and Denac and I left with him. I'd noticed I hadn't seen him around much for the last few days and I guess whatever it was had been keeping him busy.

I knew what it was as soon as I saw it, but I could hardly believe what a good job he'd done from that one explanation I'd given him. He'd made a potter's wheel and it was much better than I'd have thought he could do. When I gave it a spin it turned so smoothly I wondered if he'd discovered bearings. In a way, he had.

It was built into a four-legged table; the legs were all lashed to stout pegs that had been driven into the ground, so the whole arrangement was very stable.

The amazing thing was how smoothly the wheel turned. It was apparent that Caltort had spent a lot of time fitting the collar of hardwood that the vertical axle turned inside of and also that he had lubricated it with some type of fat or oil. The bottom of that axle turned in a sort of hardwood cup that kept it in place and also supported the weight. This was kept full of the same lubricant.

"It looks nearly perfect Caltort, you must have spent a lot of time with it," I said.

"I did at that, but it is still wanting. It can be turned by hand against the edge of the wheel, but that seems to move the whole thing and disturb the work," he said.

"That is easily fixed, but I'm still marveling over how well this operates," I said.

"Well this is my sixth try. I have made it and remade it. It seemed every time I got it going a better way to do it occurred to me," he said.

"Well I think I can suggest an improvement that won't require any changes to what you have. Let me see if one of my mates will help us out."

We headed back to where I'd left them but they were all now near the central fire so we tracked them down. Of course they all wanted to help when I mentioned what we were working on.

What I wanted now was a belt, sort of. I had them take part of one of the eight-strand lead ropes they were working on and plait the ends together to make it an endless loop. Caltort was mystified by now.

When we got back to the potter's wheel I had him raise the turntable so that I could put the loop around the vertical axle. I used a short piece of a tree limb I found on the ground nearby and put it through the other end of the loop, giving the loop a quarter twist. Then, by holding the piece of wood horizontally, keeping it tight to the vertical axle and twisting it in my hands, the horizontal rotation was transferred to vertical rotation of the wheel's axle.

"Now that you see how it works, you can build a shaft here with a handle on it for making it turn. One person can crank the shaft while the other works at the wheel," I said.

"I think I do see. I will try it and come for you if I run into something that doesn't seem to work," Caltort said, but that was about all he got out, because I could tell that he was going over it in his mind already.

That was a good thing; he was already better at this type of construction than I could be, even though I knew how it worked. The quality of the workmanship he had displayed let me know he was the man for the job. I might have done as well with modern tools if I'd had them, but Caltort had basically made the potter's wheel by cutting raw wood with sharp rocks. That wasn't the type of job I could do well at.

Lanita decided that she'd stay around camp again this afternoon so she and the other youngsters could play with Nosey. Denac and I mounted and rode back over to the ranch. I wanted to check on Red and see about how we were coming along with the other larger cashda.

Red was standing three legged by the snubbing tree and seemed fully resigned to his fate. I wasn't convinced yet though, so I left him there and after dismounting I went to see Jortah. I was impressed.

Jortah had made a few changes, not in procedure but in resource application. Now there were only three men doing the initial gentling in the chute, and he had one doing the final fittings to the in progress halters my mates had put together.

These halters were more than half done and after the initial settling down when a new cashda was in the chute, the halter finisher fitted the halter and finished plaiting it together. After the candidate was good and calm, one of the others would start leading it and teaching it to whoa.

All the men that weren't involved gentling or leading a cashda were constantly walking around among the others and the donkeys. They hadn't tried to catch any; they were only walking around letting the cashda get accustomed to their presence. It was good thinking on Jortah's part and I told him so.

"I thought it was a good idea too, but it wasn't mine, he thought of it," he said, pointing out one of the heaviest built of them all. The guy was only about six-four but he looked very strong and probably weighed two-seventy-five. He saw us pointing to him and came over. He gave Denac and I his name, Jonalton, right away so we returned the courtesy.

"Jortah tells me that you thought of this way of getting a head start on gentling the cashda."

"Yes, it just occurred to me that they would become more comfortable with us if we were among them but not really bothering them," he said.

"It was good thinking. Have you tried any men walking around in the pen with the larger ones?"

"We didn't think of that. The only ones who go in there are when someone enters to put another one into the chute," he said.

"I think you should try it, and remember, we will want to be able to put a halter on and lead even the young ones in the pen. You must be very gentle with them especially, but remember, if they kick you it will hurt."

He went over and climbed into the pen then and began milling around, almost like the cashda were. It confused them at first, since they apparently noticed that they were being put into the chute one at a time and there was already a subject being treated.

After they decided the chute wasn't about to be loaded again, some of them, especially the smaller ones, began to get curious about Jonalton. In a few minutes one of them approached him and then the others drifted over. He was hurriedly pressed into petting and scratching duty.

Leaving them to it, Denac and I found a handy boulder and remounted. I decided that we should try riding among the cashda and donkeys ourselves, maybe as a preview to what they had coming.

Hell, I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. The cashda didn't seem a bit put out that Denac and I rode Buster and Candace in among them; even the lead mare didn't get disturbed. The secondary stallion made a small attempt to posture at first, but when Buster snorted loudly at him, and bowed his neck, that was all over.

After about an hour of mingling I decided to go over and start leading Red around some more. I left Denac and Buster at it and went back toward the pen, calling Jonalton out of it.

"Have you watched me riding?" I asked him.

"Yes, every time I get the chance," he said.

"Do you think you're ready for your lesson?"

"If not I will make myself ready," he said.

I told him how things went for nearly half an hour, emphasizing that slow gentle movements were the best policy if possible. I explained how to pull the rein gently for steering while making sure the other rein lay against the cashda's neck on the other side. We wanted all of them fully trained to neck reining as soon as possible so an early start was best.

After a few more explanations and tips I led Candace to the mounting rock and had him get on. He heeled her gently and away they went. I'd told him to ride out away from the group for the first half hour or so, to get accustomed to what it was like in privacy.

I headed for Red then, and I'm sorry to say he didn't seem a bit glad to see me. He came around slightly when he realized I was releasing him from the snubbing tree, and his attitude improved when I led him away. He even seemed to be paying more attention as I had him start and stop over and over.

We spent about an hour and a half doing nothing but this. I made a clicking sound with my mouth when we started walking and said whoa when we stopped. We practiced this over and over.

My next trick was to walk him a little way, stop him and then go lean on him. I started out leaning against him and after probably another hour I could lean over his back gently and then lift my feet, putting all my weight on him.

I know you're going to say that in the cowboy movies they always just saddle up and let 'em buck. That's fine if you want to be in a cowboy movie, but remember, in the movies they use stunt men to do that shit and they get big bucks if they get broken bones while trying it. They also don't actually have to try to teach the horse anything either.

An hour or two of leading a horse around and leaning on it like I was doing will do more to accomplish what you want than a dozen times bucking it out with them. I'm not saying that you'll never come across a horse that bucks anyway the first time, or maybe even the first two times. I am telling you that they will be few and pretty far between. The last thing you want to do to a horse is surprise it. Don't believe me? Ask anyone that's ever slipped up quietly behind one.

Leaning on Red this way let me know that I could probably get astride him without much bother now. I led him over to a clear spot and signaled for Jonalton and Denac to join me, and they rode over too.

I put my lead rope around behind Red's neck and brought the free end down to tie to the halter too. Next we all petted and stroked around on him for about ten minutes, then Denac made a stirrup with his hands and I used it to step up and put a leg over Red's back. He didn't even react, so I gently eased my weight onto him until I was sitting there like a big assed bird.

Red didn't really do anything and that's about as good an outcome as you can have. I told Jonalton to take hold of the halter and lead him off a few steps. When Red still didn't cut up I had Jonalton turn him loose, picked up the rein and clicked liked I'd been doing for him to move out. The rest of it was just refining the process. I think Red was almost as tired as I was when it was time to go back to camp.

We left Candace with Jonalton and I told Jortah that he was next up for learning to ride tomorrow, and that he'd be performing on Candace while Jonalton learned how to train up his own mount. He actually grinned about that.

After one of the guys opened the gate for us, Denac, Buster, Red, and I headed for the river. Red didn't think much more of crossing the river than Nosey had. He had it to do though, and I'm sure he realized it when Buster just waded on in. I nearly had to lift my feet to keep from getting them wet, but not quite.

We didn't draw such a crowd this afternoon when we rode in, but people still looked. It was easy to tell that I was on a different cashda and I'm sure they took note of it. I know Jekaycey did because she mentioned it when she, Lanita, Nosey, Katia, Shaeta, and Nita came over to greet us.

"Let me tell you that I appreciate you for finding some shorter cashda before my lesson," she said.

"We do too," Katia said, "I think it will be much easier to learn to ride one of those, since there isn't so far to fall."

"That is one of their good points. Unfortunately they aren't as cooperative as Buster and Candace were, so it might be a few days before we have enough of them trained to get started on your lessons," I said.

"You are probably going to need to train some of those loners to help you do it then. I think mother wants you to hunt for a day or two. We still have plenty of rawhide, but we are using a lot of it and we need to get some more in the works," Shaeta said.

"I was wondering about that myself. I have selected an overall leader for the loners and a head wrangler. I have taught the wrangler to ride already and tomorrow I will teach their leader to ride while one of the cashda teaches the wrangler how to train it."

"But what is a wrangler?" Shaeta asked.

"A wrangler is one whose duties are mostly dealing with cashda and donkeys. The skills he needs to learn are somewhat specialized and it is better if the one that does it pays more attention to that than to other things."

"Well you should train up some wranglers then, because a little fresh meat wouldn't hurt anything either," Nita said.

"Your wish is my command, at least until I'm out of your sight. I think Denac and I can take the first hunting trip aboard cashda tomorrow. Are you up for it Denac?" I asked him.

"Since you've come here, Carl, I think I'm up for anything. You have taught us a lot of new and exciting things," he said.

"That reminds me. Caltort said he wanted to talk to you again after supper. He seemed pretty excited about something himself," Katia said.

"Good, I hope he wants to show me that the potter's wheel is ready for testing."

Denac and I dismounted then and took Buster and Red over to hobble them. I had to show Red how hobbles worked, and he didn't like them any better than any other horse I'd ever known about. He got used to them though, and soon he and Buster were doing some serious grazing.

Denac and I headed for our seating logs and made Lanita and ourselves ready for a little feed of our own. When it came it was as good as ever. Between bites Lanita told me she thought Nosey would do fine at night since he could go and stand around with Buster and Red.

"I really like Red, Daddy. His color is so nice and I like the white on his feet and legs and that spot on his head. The big cashda have pretty much the same things, but I think it just looks better on Red," she said.

"Well, Jekaycey and your mommies all seem to think they're going to like the smaller cashda too. They think it will hurt less if they fall off the smaller ones."

"I don't understand grownups sometimes. Why would they want to fall off?" she asked, and then spoiled it by giggling.

"We must not question the women, Lanita. They know best," I said, making sure to keep a straight face.

"I've always thought you were very smart, Daddy, and that just proves it," she said, but giggled again.

After the meal I took off to find Caltort. He didn't really have any questions, because he had it working perfectly. He'd attached the cranking mechanism to the stand for the potter's wheel with braces that he'd lashed into place and when he worked the crank the wheel started spinning as expected. He'd even got some more clay and tried it out.

"Did it do well when you tried it?"

"Oh yes, it worked very well for the little time I got with it? Shata has decided that it is too important for a mere man to use, even though I built it. She did ask if I could make some more though," he said, smiling.

"Hopefully gathering the clay is also too important to trust to a man."

"As a matter of fact they decided it was. I don't guess I need to add that I was pleased with that decision," he said.

"I can imagine. I have something else made of wood I would like to discuss with you. Do you think you could make some planks?" I asked.

"I might be able to if I knew what they were," he said.

A discussion of planks and their possible manufacture followed, and then I explained what I wanted the first ones for. Of course then I had to explain what bricks were, and firebrick too, but he caught on quickly.

"You mean that if we make enough of these bricks we can build things out of them, and that we can build fires inside the things if we make the firebrick?" he asked.

"Yes. In fact, one of the first things we should build is an oven to heat the things made on the potter's wheel. It will make them much better if we cook them in the oven. You can also cook food in an oven made that way, but you don't need to get it as hot."

"That all sound good. You might have noticed that I am very fond of food," he said.

"I am fond of it myself. We should probably wait until after Matatu has inspected his vision place before we build a food oven though, but an oven for the pots could be much smaller, especially the first one."

"I'm glad you told me about the ovens. I think the planks should be the next thing I try to make," he said.

"Then come with me to my hut. I have a special knife that I think will help you with it."

We didn't actually go into the hut, because the drawknife was still in with the other things that had come at the same time. I still hadn't had time to build a shed, but at least I'd covered my things with one of the tarps I had.

It only took a few minutes to explain how to use the drawknife and only a little longer to teach him how to sharpen it when it got dull. He left with it right away, wanting to get in some practice before the sun went down.

Lanita, Denac, and I went to check on Buster and Red before we settled down, and Nosey came along too. He gave them a short bray when we got there and then went over so they could all sniff around on each other. It was a little odd to me, but Buttercup was with them too, apparently wanting to be one of the gang.

We went to our huts then and I was happy to find my mates in mine. Shaeta told me that Caloe and Shata thought it would be great if we could get a thaka or two tomorrow, or anytime in the next week.

"How many do you think you can handle at once?" I asked.

"I know we have dealt with four or five at once before; that was before you joined us. We might even be able to do more now since you gave us the knives and we've learned to use them. They are much better than the ones we can make," Katia said.

"Yes they are. I love the one you gave me," Nita said.

"Good, doing things more easily is almost always better, but it will probably be better if I wait until day after tomorrow to go hunting. There is something I want our helpers to build before I go," I said.



-------

Chapter 27


The next morning I woke knowing there'd been yet another delivery during the night. I even knew what had come, and I was very pleased. I was also pleased that I woke before Lanita, who was asleep on my chest as usual. I wiggled to wake her up and grinned wide when her eyes opened.

"Good morning my little princess, how did you sleep?"

"Very well," she said, "Especially with this nice fur for comfort," she explained, rubbing her hand in the hair on my chest, and then laughing.

We were surrounded by sleeping naked women so we got to enjoy wiggling and squirming until we woke them too. Finally Nita rose to sitting and looked around.

"Lanita, where is Nosey, didn't he sleep in here with us last night?" she asked.

"You know he didn't mother. He was keeping watch outside with Buster, Red, and Buttercup," Lanita said.

"I'm sure he was protecting us," Nita said.

"In a way they probably all were, except maybe Buttercup. I doubt anything can sneak up on the cashda or the donkeys," I said.

"But wouldn't they just run off if they sensed something coming that was dangerous?" Shaeta asked.

"Nosey might, but I doubt it from the way he hangs around Lanita. Buster and Red can't get away fast enough with those hobbles, so I think they would start causing a commotion."

"You are probably right, but it is time to get up and get moving. Something seems odd though," Katia said.

"I believe you are right, and if you sense what I already know, you are going to be happy soon," I said.

"Happy about what?" Katia asked.

"Let's get dressed and go see."

So we did, and it didn't take long. We went back behind the hut before they even headed out to cook. The saddles were sitting up on end with the pads and blankets for each laid over their tops.

"What is all this?" Nita asked, since she was the first able to get her wits together and form a question.

"They are called saddles. You put them on the cashda's back, fasten the girth strap, and then you can ride with much more comfort and stability. I will have to tell you more about them after breakfast," I said.

Lanita and I took a swing by the privies and then headed to see Buttercup and the whole gang. Nosey told her hello in his normal braying way and Buster and Red even gave us a little snort before they went back to pulling up grass. As we left Nosey came with us.

We went to our log sofa and sat down to join Denac. When I told him about the saddles and explained what they were for he was anxious to see them himself. He also had a question.

"How many of them are there?"

"I counted and there are eight, one for you and one for Jekaycey, one for me, and one for each of my mates and Lanita. The other one is all disassembled so it will be easy to see how they are made. They can be copied that way.

"There were also adjustable halters and other things for putting on the horses' heads instead of the halters that we have been making. They will make our hunting trip much easier. In fact they will make everything to do with the cashda much easier."

"That is good. Riding on Buster's back is not the most comfortable thing. If these saddles help it will be much better. Still, even if we didn't have them, riding a cashda beats walking every time," Denac said, and smiled.

I smiled too, because the food arrived about then. It was apparent that my mates had taken the time to let Jekaycey in on the saddles' arrival. She was curious now too, but they waited patiently while we ate.

After we'd finished and the bowls had been taken care of we all went back to the saddles and I explained everything I could. I showed them the example for making more and explained about the tree, and told them it was made of thin wood covered in wet rawhide that was sewed together and then allowed to dry. We also found a few essential tools for helping to make them.

There was even a partially made bosal, mecate, bosal hanger, and brow band to show how they were made, and of course a setup to go with every saddle. Denac's saddle was the biggest one I'd ever seen. That was only right though, because Denac was the biggest man I'd ever seen and Buster the biggest horse, or cashda.

After show and tell was over, Denac held Buster and I showed him how to place the blanket and pad and then how to saddle him up. Next we looped a lariat around Busters neck, just in case, and put the headstall, browband, and bosal on him and then I made my first try at tying the mecate's reins and lead rope knot, damned if I didn't get it right.

We finished up with Buster by making adjustments to the fit of his headgear, making sure the bosal hung correctly and that the rein was just right for Denac to use. Since it looped from one side of the bosal's heel around and over the saddle horn and back to finish the knot and make the lead rope it was a little bother, but we got it done. For now we coiled the lead rope and tied it to a saddle string.

We repeated the procedure on Red and then went back to Buster. Denac was very appreciative of the stirrups. He could now mount Buster on his own, though it took a couple of tries before he decided I was right about putting a foot in the left stirrup and then hopping up, concentrating on pressing up with that foot and not trying to pull yourself up by your grip on the saddle horn and cantle.

The saddles were all double rigged and I was thankful for that, but I knew I'd have to keep an eye out to make sure everyone got the front girth tight enough and kept the back one loose enough.

After attaching my best riata and the handy rifle scabbard that came with my saddle, I put the M1 in it and we mounted. We were off for the rodeo grounds then. Actually, I hoped that today's rodeos were few and far between.

Jortah and Jonalton were the first to greet us when we rode up, but they didn't have a cashda in the chute yet and all the others joined them. They were amazed by the saddles and some of them even noticed the hackamores. Questions came hot and heavy for a few minutes, but I made them stop when they started asking where this stuff came from. It was a need to know thing, and they didn't need to know.

"I want to assure you that everyone will have a setup just like it soon. My mates and some of the others are probably already copying the examples we have. In fact, Denac and I will be heading out in the morning for thaka hunting and I know that some men already left after breakfast for the same thing. We are going to need many more hides to make our tack."

"We also need all of you to continue what you are doing. We will need two of the large cashda to take with us when we hunt. All they need to be trained for is pulling a travois, but Jonalton will need to show them how to follow on a lead rope behind a rider on another cashda first," Denac said, explaining.

They nearly ran from us then, hurrying to their jobs. I had to call Jortah and Jonalton back to talk with them further.

"The first thing is to take one of the mares that will already lead and walk her with a longer rope. After you think she is used to it, one of you should mount up and take the rope to start leading her that way. We will need two of them ready by tomorrow morning. Don't forget to use whoa every time you stop. I'm hoping that they will stop where they are when you say whoa and not come up to you."

Denac and I left then. They could do this as well as we could and I wanted to get in more practice with our mounts. We kept at it until we thought it was nearing time for lunch, and we went back to camp to see if we were right.

We were. Denac and I hobbled Buster and Red and then found our logs. Lanita was waiting for us and I pulled her into my lap. Nosey went off to visit Buster and Red and our mates arrived with food shortly.

"Mother told me that you were going hunting tomorrow, Daddy," Lanita said.

"Yes, Denac and I need to bring back some thaka so there will be plenty of hides to make saddles and hackamores," I said.

"Do you think you can catch a mate for Buttercup?" she asked.

"I hadn't even thought about it, but I'm sure we can. In fact, after the hard work your mothers did on the lariats we might even be able to bring back a grown thaka or two. If I can rope a mother, she will have to follow me back and her calf will follow her," I said.

"That sounds like it could be ever so much fun, but will the grown one be nice?" she asked.

"Not at first. I'm sure it will have to be hobbled or tied all the time for the first little bit, but after a while it might come to like it here, if not we will just eat it," I said.

"At least it would be fresh and tasty that way," she said, and laughed.

Denac and I didn't tarry after lunch. We removed the hobbles, tightened the girths and mounted, heading back to the horse canyon. Our ranch hands were just finishing their meal when we got there.

I noticed right away that all the grown cashda were out of the pen, and that one of the yearlings was in the chute now. Before I could even asks, Jortah told us that they had two mares they thought were ready to pull travois. He pointed them out, they were both tied to the snubbing tree.

Denac and I rode over and dismounted. We tied one end of my lariat to one of their halters and then Denac mounted and I handed him the other end of the lariat.

"Lead out Denac, and we'll take it to the main camp. It will probably take the women some time to fashion something to use for attaching the travois."

I mounted to follow and we were on our way. We even had no trouble crossing the river.

Back at camp it didn't take long to get my mates, Jekaycey, and Matita started making a wide strap to hold up the ends of travois poles by running it over Matilda's withers. All that was left was cutting a couple of practice poles and adding a band to the harness to go across Matilda's chest. Caltort had come over and he said he'd put a travois together for testing use, so Denac and I went back for the other mare, Gertrude.

When we were back at camp with Gertrude we found that Caltort and Jagbac had nearly finished the first training travois, and that it was already on Matilda and the pulling harness was finished. They had even put on several small cross members across the travois poles to keep the skin from dragging the ground.

"If you are going to bring back thaka, those braces will probably be needed, and the extra weight won't mean much to the cashda," Caltort said.

"I think you're right."

"Should I make another one for the other cashda?" he asked.

"I don't think there is a need. We will be taking the travois cashda with us when we go to hunt, and dragging empty travois out would be too much trouble. We'll just take the harness they are making and throw a travois together if we have something to bring back.

"The one you made will let us teach the cashda how to pull it and it will make a good pattern for the ones we'll no doubt need to make after Matatu gets to go visit his vision site and comes back anxious to move us all," I said, and then he laughed with me.

After I mounted Red, Shaeta handed me the end of the long lead rope and I led Matilda off. She was a little skittish about the travois following her so closely at first, but it didn't take her long to settle down. I returned after about fifteen minutes of practice.

Lanita was standing by Denac when I got back, so I told her to hop on the travois and see how it rode. She was happy to, but when I took off with her, Nosey noticed that she was leaving and he brayed loudly and then trotted to catch up. We were barely out of the camp before every one of the youngsters had rushed to the edge to watch.

By the time I returned, Matilda was an old hand at this, so I stopped and invited the other children to climb aboard. There was barely room for all of them. I told them to grab hold so they wouldn't fall off and away we went. I gave them about a thirty-minute ride, and I saw that even with fourteen children riding, Matilda wasn't even breathing hard.

Denac and I unhitched Matilda and then went back over to fetch Gertrude for her travois training. When we hitched her up she gave even less trouble than the little bit Matilda had. Of course Lanita and the other children were hanging around in case they could get another ride. After some preliminary training for Gertrude I obliged them.

When the joy ride was over, Denac and I took a long lead each and returned Gertrude and Matilda to the ranch. I planned on leaving from its side of the river in the morning anyway and there was no sense hobbling them all night near Red and Buster. There was a lot more grazing available in the canyon anyway, and the less horseshit we had over here, the better. Denac and I got back to camp about half an hour before supper, and we sat on our big asses until food arrived.

Caloe came by to tell us that the men who'd hunted today had done well. They had brought back six thaka, and four qaka. That was good news, and she also said they'd be going out again tomorrow.

After the meal and the clean up, my mates, Jekaycey, and Matita huddled up and went back to work trying to figure out how to copy our new items, and they kept at it until dark. Lanita, Nosey, and I did our best to entertain ourselves til then.

Things seemed normal the next morning when I woke. Lanita was lying comfortably on my chest, waiting for my eyes to open.

"Good morning, Daddy. Are you still going hunting today?" she asked, as we got up and dressed.

"I plan to, unless something else comes up."

"What else could come up and keep you from it?" she asked.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be planning on going."

"Well why don't you plan on taking me out to see Buttercup, Nosey, Buster, and Red then?" she asked.

So that's just what we did. We even had Denac along with us after a few minutes. I could tell that he was a little antsy about the trip, but I thought it was more along the lines of anticipation.

Breakfast was great and our mates had a couple of day's worth of traveling food packed up for us too. Denac and I saddled up, said goodbye, mounted up, and rode off across the river. Just as we got to the gate of the cashda canyon there was a little breeze and I caught a sniff of something familiar.

"Denac, go on in and see if the mares are haltered and ready to travel. I want to go eastward a little right now and I'll be back shortly," I said, and he agreed.

What I wanted to do was ride into the breeze for a minute or two. I thought I'd smelled several thaka and I might as well find out if I was right.

In ten minutes I knew I had been, right that is. I could sense several thaka in a bunch, more than I could count, and they had to be within half a mile or so. Thinking about it I had seen them bunch up into small herds before, but I never really knew why, since they usually seemed to travel in groups of two or three.

It didn't matter. While I was seeking out their scent a flash of cowboy movie came back to me. A cattle drive was what we needed, or a thaka drive. It would be a hell of a lot better if we could get on the other side of this small herd and drive them into the canyon than it would be to shoot a few and have to haul them back. I returned for Denac and some talking.

I called all the guys to join us and told them what I thought I'd smelled and also what I thought I wanted to do about it. They were enthusiastic and Jortah thought that if I could encourage the thaka to come between the two rocky hills just to the east of our entrance, he and the guys could build a temporary fence directing them into this canyon.

"I think that will work perfectly. Let's go and take a look at what you'll be getting into," I said, and we did.

They'd need to build nearly a hundred yards of fence, but it wouldn't have to be very strong or long lasting. In fact, we'd probably want to take the rails right back down, even if we left the post in place for later use.

They put off cashda training for now and started right to work on the blocking fence. After watching them work for about fifteen minutes I knew they'd have it ready before we could get the thaka to it, if we could even herd them at all. Denac and I mounted again and took off, leaving Gertrude and Matilda where they were.

An hour later I knew they'd have plenty of time to get the fence finished. We had located the thaka, but hadn't gotten on the other side of them yet. We were working our way around them now, but we didn't want them to get anxious about it so we were staying well clear.

For most of the way I had been explaining what we were going to do to Denac. He thought he had a handle on what needed to be done. Hell, I hoped I did. I had no idea whether the thaka would stay together and move along as we hazed them from the back, or if they'd just scatter, every thaka for itself.

When we'd worked our way behind them we spread out and moved toward the bunch. They weren't interested at first, but as we got closer they noticed and started moving away from us. At least they seemed to stay together. Unfortunately, they were trying to move off to the south and if allowed to they'd take a different path than the one leading to their capture.

I had to put Red into a lazy lope to cut them off and turn them back. He cooperated but clearly didn't understand what we were trying to do. That made sense since he was completely untrained so far.

The thaka must have decided that Red needed a little experience in working cattle, because they tried their best to do exactly what we didn't want them to do every time. It seemed to be working because Red acted like he was catching on. Thank goodness Denac realized he couldn't be any help, so he backed off to stay out of the way.

After nearly an hour of going back and forth, turning them one way and then the next, the thaka finally turned in the direction we wanted them to go. Denac came up closer then and we kept them moving. Fifteen minutes later we had them in a sort of draw between two sets of hills that led back to our canyon. They could have climbed up and over the hills at this point, but it would have been tough going for them and they had no reason to think they weren't escaping.

Thirty minutes later the hills forming the sides of this passage had grown more rocky and steeper; fifteen minutes after that the thaka were within sight of the fence. They went right up to it and some of them leaned against it before they decided the way was blocked and started looking for an exit. It didn't take them long to find the now widened gate and they entered our ranch grounds.

The guys had been keeping out of sight up in the rocks opposite the entrance. When the last thaka walked in the gate they started coming down, and it was easy to see that they were as surprised as Denac and I had been. We had captured over eighty thaka, including the youngsters.

As best I could tell we had five adult males and around forty adult females. Twenty of the cows were nursing young calves. There were also eighteen yearlings still tagging along near their hopefully bred mothers. It was an astonishing haul, and Denac and I hadn't even needed to kill a single one.

We left Jortah directing the dismantling of the fence; we'd decided to leave the post in place. Denac and I went over to spread the word of our success. We got to camp just in time for lunch, but everyone there was surprised.

We loosened the girths on our mounts and hobbled them, then headed for the dinner log. Lanita was waiting for us.

"Daddy, I thought you were going hunting for thaka," she asked, as I sat down and pulled her into my lap.

"Denac and I both went hunting, and did we ever find."

"But we listened and never heard your rifle," she said.

"That's because I didn't fire it. That doesn't mean we didn't get some thaka, because we did."

"But how? With spears?" she asked.

"No, we got them with Red and Buster."

"Really it was Red that did most of the work," Denac said.

"But how did Red kill the thaka?" Lanita asked.

"He didn't kill them. He made them walk to the canyon and go in through the gate."

"Daddy, are you pulling my leg?" she asked.

"No, but I can tickle it if you'd like."

"That's enough teasing Daddy. Tell me what happened," she said.

"Wait until your mommies and Jekaycey are here with lunch, so I can tell it once."

"Oh, all right. I can wait," she said.

"I hope you will have enough energy after lunch to go over and help with the thaka."

"How can I help?" she asked.

"Well, you can at least watch and tell us what a good job we did. I think there are about twenty that are even younger than Buttercup."

I was saved by the food then, since Lanita didn't have time to get any more questions out before I popped a tidbit into her mouth. My mates were getting revved up to tease me about coming back so early from my hunting trip without any thaka, when Lanita spilled the beans.

"Well just how many did you bring back?" Shaeta asked.

"Eighty in all, or maybe a couple more than eighty."

That was a show stopper, or a question staller at least. It didn't stall them long though. I just put them off and told them they'd have to come over and see for themselves.

After we finished eating, Denac, Lanita, and I rode over to the ranch while Jekaycey and my mates headed that way walking. Of course they let the cat out of the bag as they came and about half of the Calak came with them.

Jonalton and a couple of the guys were already out walking around among the thaka, trying to get them used to company I guess, and of course about half the donkeys were in on the deal too. The thaka were by no means calm about it, but they weren't in a panic either.

Everyone that came over from the camp had a real hard time getting a grip on that many thaka in one spot, and captured at that. Caloe was the first one to tumble to the implications.

"Carl, aren't those young ones with them?" she asked.

"Yes, there are about twenty females with nursing calves and about twenty females with yearlings following them around, even though they aren't nursing any longer," I said.

"Do you think they will keep having young even though they are stuck in here?" she asked.

"I'm almost sure they will."

"Do you think we could actually raise them?" she asked.

"I'm sure we can. In a few more years we'll probably have so many that we don't even need to hunt much. Until we have enough, we will only eat a few of the males we raise and save all the females to raise more."

"That sounds like an excellent plan, but you'll have to go out again and get some thaka for skins won't you?" she asked.

"Unless we run across another bunch like this to capture. I knew that already though. I think we can butcher two of the adult males we have here, but we'd probably better wait and see what the others bring in before we do it," I said.

"You're right, four more groups left this morning to hunt," she said.



-------

Chapter 28


After a little time talking about the thaka herd and how to handle it, Denac and I decided to go on and start our hunt. We could go back out the way we had this morning and camp well away from here. We might find another small herd or at least we would surely find a few to shoot. After all, we were already set up with food, our bedding, and the cashda were ready. We kissed our mates and Lanita and mounted up.

We practically followed yesterday's trail out again, and when we came to the spot where we'd found our herd we kept going. I noticed that the forest seemed a little thicker for a while, but occasionally we'd come to a large clearing, usually fifty acres or so, and a couple looked to be nearly a hundred. We stopped and made a camp about an hour before sunset.

We were by a small stream at the edge of one of the clearings. After watering the cashda, we hobbled them and then removed all the tack and harness, except the halters. We dug into our traveling rations, ate what passed for supper, and unrolled our bedding and went to sleep.

It must have been several hours later that I woke, with both moons nearly directly overhead. Buster was snorting and I could see well enough to tell that all of them were looking off in the same direction.

I stood up, trying to see what was bothering them, but even in the moonlight I couldn't. Nothing to do but lie back down and wait for whatever would happen. Nothing did, and I went back to sleep after the horses lost interest in whatever it was.

Denac and I woke just at sunrise the next morning. We both watered a tree and started on our traveling breakfasts before he noticed that we had some extra cashda and pointed it out to me.

"Well I'll be damned. That must have been what caused them to wake me up last night," I said.

"But what are they?" he asked.

"We called them Shetland ponies where I came from. They are like cashda, only smaller. They seem to like the company they're in though and I hope they follow us home," I said.

"Can't we drive them home like we did the thaka?" he asked.

"Maybe, but probably not, besides it would be too much bother and we really do need to get some more thaka," I said.

"There is that, since it's what we came to do in the first place," he said.

We saddled Buster and Red and put the leads onto Gertrude and Matilda before we removed the hobbles, then we mounted. I sat still for a few minutes, mostly to see what the ponies would do. They just stood around as if they were supposed to or something.

They had backed off as soon as Denac and I started moving around, but they had probably been here for hours before we woke, so we weren't a surprise to them. After hanging around us while we were sleeping they probably figured we were harmless.

Just as I was thinking about moving off I caught a scent of thaka. I could tell that there weren't nearly as many as the day before, but it was faint and I knew it was out on the edge of my normal scent range. I told Denac about them and we headed out. Sure enough the Shetlands came with us, trailing Gertrude and Matilda, all nine of them.

I was right about the thaka being at the limit of my scent, they were probably three quarters of a mile from us, and by the time we were within sight I could tell that there were three males, and four females with no young. We were still probably four hundred yards from them when we stopped and I dismounted to fire.

After finding a handy stout limb about the right height, I settled in to use it as a rest, acquired my first target, and started firing. The first two I took didn't even have time to realize they were in danger. The others knew something was wrong, but they didn't seem to be able to connect the loud noise and us with their predicament. I managed to get them all.

Our cashda had already heard the M1 so they weren't agitated. The ponies hadn't heard it before, but when the bigger cashda didn't cut up, they decided they wouldn't either, I guess. Anyway, when I mounted and we headed to the kills they came right along, and they hung around grazing with our stock while Denac and I built two travois and loaded the thaka onto them.

"This sure beats gutting one and cutting it up where you kill it," Denac said.

"Yes it does, and the women will be a lot happier about it too. Just think, all we had to do was ride out, spend the night, get up and shoot seven thaka, cut their throats to bleed them, and put them on the travois.

"The women will be proud of us for it and more than happy to do the rest. We barely had to do more than take a nice ride for the fun of it," I said.

He laughed at me about it, but dammit, I was right. This was the way to hunt. Go out and do the manly deed and then bring the work back to the women. Hell, they even preferred it that way, and damned if the ponies didn't follow us all the way back.

When we reached the gate to the canyon I got down, opened it wide, remounted, and then Denac and I walked the whole parade on in, ponies and all. One of the donkeys spotted the Shetlands and brayed like hell. When the Shetlands heard it they forgot about us and rushed up to greet the donkey.

Jortah was surprised, but he came trotting over to see what was going on.

"They're called Shetland ponies, Jortah, they found us and then followed us home," I said.

"Should we treat them like the other cashda and donkeys?" he asked.

I noticed then that he had about twenty of the adult quarter horses in the capture pen, and that two guys were petting and scratching on one of the mares in the chute. Damn, he was doing a good job, or they were.

"Might as well when you get to them. It won't hurt anything," I said.

Meanwhile, we had a small snafu. The dead thaka were on this side of the river and the women who'd rather skin and cut them up themselves were on the other. Jortah said he'd hold the lead for Gertrude and Matilda while we went back to camp for further instructions.

Denac and I took off then, I'm sure he was hoping, like I was, that someone would feed us after the details were straightened out. We'd missed lunch after all.

I found Caloe right away when we hit camp, and dismounted to give her the news. She gave me some of her own then.

"You need to have some of your workers help us then. We can skin and cut up the thaka, but we need some help processing the hides.

"The other men that went hunting yesterday brought back five more thaka, and they've gone hunting again today. I'm glad that everyone has done so well, but the work is backing up on us," she said.

"That's no problem. I'm sure they'd all be glad to help if you'd like for them too. In fact, I'm not above it myself," I said, grinning.

"That will work well. If you can get the skins scraped and stretched we can handle everything else. You didn't happen to bring the ones you killed back without gutting them did you?" she asked.

"Of course, but we can do that too if you'd like," I said.

"No, that isn't what I was getting at. I was hoping you hadn't done it yet. I do have something I want you to do though.

"While your helpers are working on the skins, I want you and Denac to start giving all the men lessons on using a cashda to pull a travois. Every one of the other thakas came back minus some of the best parts," she said.

"We'll be happy to do it, but where do you want to take care of the thaka I brought? I'm not sure we can get them across the river very easily," I said.

"I'll let Katia gather a group to go take care of them over there. Can you bring them down near the river?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Good, do that please, and I'll send Katia and some others over to deal with them.

I mounted again and Denac and I went back across the river.

"I'll have to say that things seem to be working out well for us, and I'm pretty sure you are the cause of it," Denac said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I probably should say that things have been going better than I could ever have imagined since you knocked me out. I'd have you do it again, but I don't think I could stand it if life got much better," he said, and laughed.

"Well, you should consider this too. In a few days we're going to have to teach Zakat and Matatu how to ride the cashda. We can always hope that at least one of them falls off. Just think how hard it will be to keep from laughing at them," I said, and he went ahead and got his laughing over with just from the thought of it.

When we took the travois leads and headed for the river, Jortah told us he could send four men to help right away, and damned if they didn't come running and catch us before we got there.

Katia, Shaeta, and Nita came down a few minutes later with several other women, including Shata, and they brought six thaka skins with them. When they made it across Shata took over.

After all the thaka were off the travois, she sent two of the guys off to cut saplings for stretching frames and everyone else started cutting and skinning. Denac and I were summarily dismissed and sent to eat.

"Jekaycey is fixing you two some lunch," Shata told us.

We tried pulling the travois across the river, now that they were unloaded, and it worked well enough. It would have been a bother if they'd had skins covering them, but we'd just used small cross members when we built them and they were no problem.

Lanita and Nosey found us while we were hobbling our mounts and travois cashda so they could graze while we ate.

"Daddy, I heard that you and uncle Denac brought back seven thaka," she said. She was clearly excited and she had made Denac's day with the same breath.

"Yes we did, but that's not all we brought back," I said.

"I knew it, I just knew that was why you wanted them," Denac said, laughing.

"Of course it was," I said.

"Of course what was?" Lanita asked.

"You and Nosey will get to see as soon as uncle Denac and I finish our late lunch. Do you want some?"

"No, aunt Jekaycey fed me at lunch and she packed me full," Lanita said.

"Good, that means more for me."

"Well... Maybe I will try a few of the best bites," she said, grinning, but when time came she didn't.

Jekaycey brought Denac and I a bowl of lunch then and sat with us while we ate.

"I can never remember this Calak having so much meat come in at one time," she said, "and we don't really even need it so much right now."

"No, but we need the leather and the meat comes with it," I said.

"I know, but it just seems that it's easier now," she said.

"Yes, but in a few years it will be even easier when all we have to do it go pick one from the herd to slaughter," I said.

"Yes, I've been thinking about that too. We won't even have to dry so much for winter," she said.

"No, but we should probably cull them thoroughly as soon as it is cold enough to freeze the meat. We will have to find them enough food for the winter, and that isn't easy," I said.

"That's right. I hadn't thought of that, but we will have to find something for them to eat," Denac said.

"But what can we feed them," Jekaycey said.

"Hay."

"What is hay?" Denac asked.

"It is grass that you have cut down, let dry, and then tied into bundles for storing. It takes a lot of it, but it isn't too much work. It is work, but not too much, and the children can help with it, since the bundles are very light," I said.

"I think it might be fun to make bundles of food for Nosey," Lanita said.

"Good, keep remembering that," I said.

"Oh Daddy, Nosey doesn't eat that much, does he?" she asked.

"You might find it hard to believe, but even nosey probably eats around forty or fifty pounds per week," I said.

"Oh my, that is a lot of grass to pull up," Lanita said.

"Yes it is, but we won't have to pull it up. I'll make some tools to cut it, and they can do a good job. You'll see later; we still have plenty of time.

Since Caloe had already told us what she wanted out of us next, Denac and I found Caltort and Jagbac to start with the cashda leading lessons. It isn't so complicated to teach someone to lead a cashda but it is important to go over the whole process of interacting with them. One lesson wouldn't be enough; it would take several.

Jastal and Chalti came over before we'd gotten very far along and I started over with them. Before long Denac was watching leading practice while I continued with the spoken lessons.

After I'd run down a little it was time to take Chalti and Jastal over for something to lead themselves. Lanita agreed that she wanted to go see her surprise so I mounted and Jastal handed her up to me. Nosey, who seemed too smart for a donkey, walked along with the two of them, no doubt intending to catch a raft ride.

Lanita was thrilled when she saw the ponies, but she waited for Nosey to arrive before she went to greet them. He wasn't long coming though and soon it seemed that he and Lanita had picked out a pal among the Shetlands. All of them seemed to get along together, but there was one who just happened to be a perfect size for Lanita to ride, it seemed to be their favorite.

After I dismounted, Chalti, Jastal, and I walked over to talk with Jonalton and I managed to delegate their training to him. After all, what good is a manager if he can't train his replacement? Meanwhile I now had time to visit with Nosey, Lanita, and Jeffry, Lanita's new pony.

Jeffry and Nosey were busily grazing together now and Lanita was between them, petting first one and then the other. Lanita was the only one that paid me any attention when I came over.

"See how well they get along Daddy. I'm very lucky to have you to bring me nice presents," she said, grinning.

"Well, I didn't exactly bring Jeffry and his friends. They found us while Denac and I were sleeping last night, and when we woke they were all just grazing with Buster, Red, Gertrude, and Matilda."

"But how did they get back here?" she asked.

"They followed us when we went hunting and then they followed us back here. When I opened the gate so Denac and I could ride in and bring Gertrude and Matilda and their travois in, Jeffry and his friends came on in too. It was almost like they knew you'd be over here in a while to pet them."

"Oh Daddy, they didn't know that," she said, laughing.

"They might have. As soon as they saw the donkeys they all ran together for a talk and the donkeys might have told them about you."

"Daddy, you're so silly sometimes, but I really like it," she said, still laughing and giggling.

"When do you want to learn to ride Jeffry?"

"Are you sure he is big enough for me to ride?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. He won't get any bigger; he's fully-grown now. You won't be able to keep riding him after you've grown some, but you can probably use him for a few years. After that he can retire and hang around with Nosey, or maybe some smaller child will want to ride him then."

"Ok, if you're sure, I will wait a couple of days until he is more familiar with us and then I will learn to ride him. It looks like I'm going to have to learn first, before Jekaycey or any of my mommies will try it," she said, and she was probably right.

"Why don't we go over and find your halter, headstall, and bosal to make sure that they fit Jeffry," I asked.

"That is a good idea. I'll need to teach him to follow when I want to lead him. It doesn't seem like he wants to be as much of a pet as Nosey does," Lanita said.

I mounted Red and was able to swing Lanita up behind me then. When we headed for the gate, both Nosey and Jeffry followed us. I was surprised and I think that Lanita was too, a little at least. The big surprise was at the river though. Lanita, Red, and I went off into the water and crossed, but Nosey led Jeffry over to stand by the grounded raft. Apparently he was waiting for someone to cross and intended for he and Jeffry to catch a ride. Jeffry looked like that was fine with him.

One of the guys who were working on the skins saw them and came over to oblige. When he got onto the raft Nosey followed right away, and then Jeffry came along after a little coaxing. They were across the river, feet dry, in minutes and they came on to follow us while the worker took the raft back across.

Back at camp, many of the rest of the women were working on the bunch of thaka that the other hunters had come back with, there were six more. I saw that the skins were being rolled up as soon as they were removed and figured my guys would have more work to do with them. Caltort had even been called back from his pottery wheel chores and was busily assembling more racks for drying the meat.

A smokehouse. It seemed to pop into my head that we needed a smokehouse, and we needed it pretty damned quickly at that.

"Denac, will you ride back over and bring the cashda training to a halt. I need all the guys that aren't helping with the skins over here for some light work."

"I'll be glad to. What are we going to do?" he asked.

"We're going to build a smoke house."

"What is a smokehouse?" he asked.

"Bring the men and you'll see."

He left and I went to my stash to collect the saws, axes, and hatchets that I had. By the time the guys were back I was ready.

I'd forgotten to tell Denac that we'd need Gertrude and Matilda, but he'd had a couple of the guys bring them anyway and I was glad about it. We took off toward the burned off section and found a good stand of post oaks near it. It was felling and limb stripping after that. Within thirty minutes Gertrude was on her way skidding eight of them back to camp and we were working on a load for Matilda. I asked the one leading Gertrude away to warn Caloe that we would be late for supper.

We worked until nearly sunset and we still weren't done. We had enough small logs for a good start but not enough to finish. The others hadn't waited supper on us, but they had saved plenty to feed us. Caloe came over while Denac and I were eating and asked what I had started in such a rush.

"A smokehouse," I said.

"What is it for?" she asked.

"It is a little like a hut to cure meat in. I will build a strong building and we will hang the sections of meat from the roof, then we can build a smoky fire inside. The meat will cure with much less work and the hut will keep out sneaky animals," I said.

"If it works that will be much better than scattering all the meat out on racks and building many fires," she said.

"I think so, and I know it works, I'd just forgotten about it," I said.

Everyone was pretty tired by the time it was dark. Even Lanita seemed to be tuckered out. We were asleep nearly as soon as we lay down.

We were up with the sun the next morning though, and it was back to work as soon as breakfast was over. The women still had thaka to deal with, but Caloe had asked that the hunters take a day or two off, so they came with Denac, the loners, and I. We had plenty of logs for the smoke house before lunch.

Lunch today was a lot more meaty than usual. Of course their main method of cooking meat was either in a big stew or roasted over an open fire. I'd clue them in to using an oven as soon as I got time but for today it was roasted meat mostly, and that was fine with me.

With all the extra help we were done with the smokehouse before dark, even after taking a break for supper. With so much meat to deal with, I'd made it twenty by twenty, or as close to that as I could guess. I noticed that many of the men were very curious about the notched log construction, and they also seemed to approve of the shed roof method.

I'd said we were finished, but we hadn't actually put on the roof yet. Tomorrow would be the day I taught them how to cut wood shingles. Right now though, it was time for sleeping again, and once again I was more than ready.

After breakfast the next morning we were right back in the burned section. We needed something to cut wooden shingles out of and the standing dead trees would have to do. I picked out two of the larger ones and with the big crosscut saw we had them down within an hour.

With the trees down I had the men start on one end cutting off sections of the trunks, eighteen inches each. I took the first one that came off, and while some of the men kept cutting, I used a couple of wedges to quarter the first one and then took the froe I'd been gifted with and a hammer and started splitting off shingle candidates.

I'll admit that I didn't do so well at first, but a little practice had me producing acceptable shingles. I let Caltort have the next turn and he spoiled most of the fun. Now that he knew what we were trying for it didn't take him long to get right into the swing of things. He was doing much better than I'd ever hope to in no time. In fact, he did so well that I turned the training over to him, taking a couple of guys with me to see about putting the shingles we had so far to good use.

Lunch was right on time today, but none of us that were working on the smokehouse tarried after we'd eaten. We had the roof in place within an hour after eating and then we were busy hanging the meat inside it.

It didn't take long for me to decide I'd miscalculated. We had to take off from hanging meat and put up some post inside because we were hanging more weight than I'd designed for. The rafters were sagging in the middle.

Curing the problem wasn't a big job though, and we actually got to take nearly two hours off before suppertime. It had been a lot of work but the smokehouse would be well worth it. I'd also noticed that by working alongside them, most of the Calak's men had come around to thinking that the loners in our midst were hard workers, if nothing else.

I knew something was up the next morning as soon as I woke. Apparently Lanita knew it too, and she even knew what it was. She told me as soon as I opened my eyes and looked into hers.

"Can you feel it Daddy? Breezus has found a pair during the night. I wonder who it is?" she asked, and then giggled. That woke the rest of my girls and soon they were giggling and wondering too.

We dressed and went outside, but it only took minutes to discover who was going to be mated. It was more than shocking for the two of them though; it shocked everyone in the Calak, and all the loners, to their bones.



-------

Chapter 29


Breezus had provided a surprise, big time, but there was nothing we could do but get over it. It didn't bother me so much and I knew nobody would complain, but it was a little unsettling for some of them.

Jonalton had been waylaid by the spirit, and it didn't take long for Janita to find him. She was bitten just as hard as he'd been, and things progressed as they normally did.

I learned that it wasn't so much out of the ordinary for a man who hadn't joined the Calak already to be mated with one of its women. I remembered that no one had remarked on it when it happened to me, but I hadn't thought it through yet. Turns out I didn't have to, because Caloe came over and clued me in.

"Carl, Shaton is not well enough to fight yet, so someone from the Calak must do it for him," she said.

"Fight who?" I asked, letting her know I was not as smart as Lanita claimed.

"The loner must fight his way into our Calak, or he and Janita can not stay after they are mated," Caloe said, speaking slowly and distinctly, as if to a child.

"I'm guessing that means I'm elected," I said.

"Who else. You bested Shaton after all," she said.

"Very well. How hard should I fight him?" I asked.

"Breezus has made his wishes clear. Still, I don't think it means you should let the loner become leader of our Calak," she said.

"Do not worry about that. He will not win. I guess I will just let him try as long as he wants to, and do my best not to hurt him. I can't afford to have him limp to his mating," I said, and it made her laugh.

Finally things settled down enough for breakfast to take place. I even tried to restrain myself to keep from being stuffed during the fight.

Things were pretty civilized after that. The whole Calak turned out to watch, of course, and my mates fretted over me for a while, but eventually Jonalton and I were facing each other in a clear spot not far from camp. I waited for him to attack, since he was the one that had to fight.

His act was remarkably like Shaton's and Denac's had been. He came charging at me, and I sidestepped and tripped him. He tried the arms held wide charge and got more of the same. Hell, I wasn't even getting winded, so I let him keep it up as long as he would, and finally, when he was nearly too out of breath to keep going, I grabbed an arm when he came at me again and threw him over my hip, ending up sitting astride his belly and holding his arms to the ground above his head.

"It was a good fight Jonalton, but you lose. I'm sure you did enough to join us though, so catch your breath and get back to your new mate to be," I said, and then grinned at him.

I didn't think much more about it, and went to find Denac so we could get back to the cashda. We'd pretty much put them on hold during the great smokehouse erection. He surprised me as soon as I found him.

"You really are a much better fighter than any of us, Carl. I should have known more than anyone, but I guess the bump on my head kept me from realizing it," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"It was easy to see while Jonalton was doing his best to earn his way into the Calak. He never had a chance of even knocking you off your feet once, did he?" he asked.

"No. I didn't want to be knocked off my feet."

"I saw that, and so did everyone else. All of the loners paid very close attention, and I'm sure they know now they'll need to do more than just fight to get in," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"No man that watched the fight can have any doubts. You can't be beaten in that type of combat, probably not in any kind if it's one against one," he said.

"I hope I can't be. As I said, I'm a very experienced fighter."

"I know now that you meant it. I'm anxious to see how the others will do today?" he said.

"What?"

"Now that they know there is no chance of winning while trying to fight their way in, watch them. They will work twice as hard as they have been," he said.

"I thought they'd all been doing a good job as it was," I said.

"They have been, but watch today, they will work even harder. Not only do they know it will take more than fighting to get in, they also know that they will be allowed a chance to enter," he said.

"If you say so. In fact I hope they are all allowed in sooner or later. I think we've rid ourselves of the bad ones already. No doubt the others are guilty of some bad things, but I think they are over that foolishness now," I said.

"You are probably right, and none of them are slackers. Good leadership was probably all they needed to start with," he said.

Buster, Candace, Gertrude, and Matilda had all done a little log skidding while we'd worked on the smokehouse. Red was the only one that had taken those days completely off. He'd done nothing but graze and provide more horseshit. He showed me that he was feeling a little frisky when I saddled him, but didn't give me any trouble otherwise.

Lanita came over just before Denac and I mounted up.

"Daddy, I think today is the day I should start learning to ride Jeffry," she said.

"Very well my princess. Denac and I will go over to the ranch and fetch your charger. We'll be back with him shortly and I'll start with your lessons," I said.

"Maybe you'd better take me with you. He will follow me better than he will follow you," she said, and it made perfect sense.

We were over, and back with Jeffry in what seemed no time. Jortah had the others going on gentling and training cashda again, and it did seem like they were working even harder at it than they had been.

Of course, when we got back with Jeffry, and it became obvious that Lanita was about to get riding lessons, we drew a crowd. Right up front were three anxious mothers to keep a close eye on things, not to mention the equivalent of two anxious grandmothers.

The halter and leading were first on the agenda, but it was hardly needed. Jeffry would follow Lanita without the halter and lead rope, and he was perfectly willing to go when she clicked her tongue and stop when she said whoa. I had her lead him around a while anyway, just for appearances.

Lanita had to have help with saddling, because she wasn't strong enough to lift her saddle yet. Still I made sure she knew exactly what to do and how to do it. After Jeffry was dressed properly for riding I had her lead him around some more so he could get used to the saddle.

Half an hour later, when I lifted her aboard, it was a non-event. Jeffry took off walking when she clicked her tongue and it only took him a couple of tries to learn what she wanted when she pulled on the reins. I wasn't even sure whether she was training Jeffry or he was training her. They were getting along well, no matter which way it was going though, and Nosey was right with them most of the way.

By the time lunch rolled around Lanita was on her way to being an accomplished horsewoman. She'd wanted to ride over to the ranch and we had. Since Jeffry was so much shorter, I thought she'd probably get wet during the crossing, but she surprised Denac and I by standing in the saddle as he waded to the other bank. The saddle skirts got a little wet, but she stopped on the other side and pulled up grass to dry the stirrup, fenders, and the other wet parts.

She surprised me again when we got over in the pasture.

"You two might as well pick out horses for my mommies and aunt Jekaycey while you're here. They will all want to learn to ride after lunch," she said.

"Your wish is my command my princess," I said.

"You'll do fine as long as you remember that attitude, Daddy," she said, and then laughed with Denac.

The guys had about half the quarter horse mares trained to lead now, and most of them would even carry a rider, though they didn't know much about it yet. I picked what I thought were the four best, including the lead mare, and Jortah came with us while we all led one back across the river, even Lanita.

At first I was skeptical about her leading a cashda across the river while standing in the saddle, but she managed it with no trouble. We even had time to teach all the new mares about hobbles before lunch.

Denac, Lanita, and I could do no wrong at lunchtime and it was obvious that the women involved made sure we had plenty to eat. I could tell they were all excited about what they figured was coming and I was happy about it. I knew that once they were riding, everyone else would want to do it too. I just didn't realize how strongly the urge would take hold.

After we'd eaten, the lessons began, but the four students weren't the only ones with us. Shaton was almost completely well by now and he was also in attendance. Of course Matatu had figured out that the next time we tried to find his vision camp we'd be riding so he was there, along with Caloe, Shata, Jagbac, Matita, Caltort, and several others. I was glad in a way, since if they were paying attention it wouldn't take as long for them.

Jekaycey and Nita did acceptably well and I really couldn't find anything to complain about, but Katia and Shaeta were outstanding. It was almost as if they knew what their mount was up to before it did. I was very pleased with the afternoon's lessons, and I even had a tentative schedule for my next five pupils. Shaton, Matatu, Caloe, Shata, and Caltort were dying to get their chance.

The only thing that slowed the riding lessons during the next six days was the lack of saddles. All those we had were pressed into constant service. Moved from horse to horse as we went. The hostlers across the river were turning out riding stock at a good pace, and after the first day of training, there were several more women, and a few men working on making more saddles, and they were doing a damned good job.

The first saddle they finished was for Shaton, and it was well made, if not as cosmetically perfect as the ones that had come from afar. It was perfectly serviceable though, and since it had been modeled after Denac's it was just right for Candace and Shaton to come to an understanding.

The only slow day was the day after the mating drunk. With all the new members and near members there were plenty of hangovers again, and there were few around who wanted riding lessons that day. Still, the very next day we were back in full swing.

Three days after the hangovers, I decided it was time to take Matatu to look for his vision site. Summer was beginning and if we were going to move before winter, it was time to see where we were headed and make sure it was going to be suitable. There was no real problem, since we could easily winter right where we were, but Matatu was sure the new site would be better.

I spent the next day getting things ready for our trip. Darita knew how to use the penicillin now if she needed too, and she knew where I kept it. I split the supply and took half with us, just in case.

Shaeta and Katia would be staying while Nita was coming with us. Lanita would stay too, and she promised that she wouldn't give Shaeta or Katia any trouble. I could tell that she wanted to come with us, but knew that wouldn't be sensible.

Two days later we left right after breakfast. Denac was on Buster, Shaton was riding Candace, and Matatu rode Matilda. Gertrude was pulling a travois loaded with our bedding and some food. I rode Red, and Nita was on Bessie, the lead mare from the bunch of quarter horses. As we trotted mostly, I could tell that we were traveling a little more than twice as fast as when we'd tried the trip earlier on our feet.

Our path took us exactly over the place where we'd been attacked before, but we didn't even slow down there. None of us saw any need to travel by the place the loners had been camping either. On the second afternoon of traveling we found the place Matatu was seeking, and it was even better than his vision had told him.

It was just too perfect for us to have happened naturally, but I didn't care and I didn't mention it. There were two very large caves and they were only the beginning. The whole thing was in a large canyon/clearing type area, with low rocky hills surrounding it. One set of them off toward the side of the largest cave would make a perfect place to keep the cashda and thaka herds we were accumulating and it was basically another blind canyon affair, enclosing what had to be five hundred acres of mostly clearing with maybe fifty to a hundred acres of wooded area near the rear part. We'd only need to build about two hundred yards worth of fencing to make it secure.

The cave that was perfect for our use as housing was easily large enough for three times our number. It would need some serious cleaning inside, since several different types of animals had used it on and off in the past. It would be a hell of a lot better for us during the upcoming winter though. Hell, there was even a small stream running through over on one side. Naturally occurring or not, Matatu had found us one hell of a great location.

The caves and the natural cattle/cashda pasture weren't the only things in this location's favor. There was another big clearing on the side away from our prospective cattle keep, and it was surrounded by a thickly forested region. I was sure that the game would be thick nearby. We would have turned around and headed directly back to spread the good news if it hadn't been late in the day.

We cleaned off a nice spot in the cave we were going to move into and built a fire to warm up supper, and then spread our sleeping furs for the night. We went almost directly to bed after eating, since we were all anxious to head back first thing in the morning.

Even though we were anxious to leave soon after first light the next morning, we got a late start. The cave kept us from seeing first light. Of course the sun was closed out of our huts too, but not nearly as completely as it was in this cave. We woke, but the sun was well up before we did.

We ate quickly and headed out for home, antsy the whole way. When sunset came none of us wanted to stop for the night but riding on in the dark, even with the two moons would have been foolish, and for nothing besides. We rode until sunset and then made a fire to warm our supper, going directly to the furs after we'd eaten.

We weren't late waking the next morning and we ate and left in a hurry, making excellent time on this last leg of our trip. We were back at camp to spread the news two hours before supper.

Lanita ran to me as soon as I'd unassed Red and I picked her up to swing her around and give her kisses while she giggled.

"What did you find Daddy?" she asked.

"We found a wonderful new place to live, and I think we'll be staying there for many years," I said.

"What is so good about it?" she asked.

"It has two large caves and a nice big place to keep the cashda and the thaka. They will have plenty of grass and we'll only need to build a little bit of fence to keep them from wandering off. There is even a big cave they can get into when the weather is bad," I said.

"It sounds wonderful. When will we start moving?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but it will take longer to get ready to go now. Everyone will need to finish their riding lessons, and we will have to teach the thaka how to travel together without wandering off," I said.

"How will you do that?"

"Mostly we will have to practice driving them with cashda. At least we can get started on it while they are in their big pasture across the river."

"I hope it doesn't take too long," she said.

"I don't think it will. In fact, maybe we should drive the thaka there first, and leave some of the younger men to watch over them while we move everyone else. It might not be best for us all to try traveling at the same time," I said.

"I thought Calaks always moved all at the same time," she said.

"I think they always have before, but I'm not sure it will be best this time. At least I'm not sure we should try to take all the thaka with us. Maybe we will leave them here with a few to watch over them until everyone else has moved," I said.

"I'm sure you will find the best way to do it," she said, "If you can't figure it out I'm sure the women can tell you the best way."

"Maybe I'll just let you and Jeffry take the thaka," I said, tickling her.

I knew who would really decide the way we moved though, and I was pretty sure she would get my opinion first. Caloe would make the final decision, and then she'd have Shaton announce it like it had been his choice. That was fine with me, because she knew more about moving a Calak than I did.

Most of the rest of the day was spent in small groups of gossiping. Shaton was able to speak to only a few people before Caloe had him in their hut and was no doubt giving him the third degree. Katia and Shaeta did the same for Nita and I for about an hour, and then we were called in for a few words with Caloe too.

"Tell me about it Carl. From what I've heard so far these caves sound like a better place for us than this one," Caloe said, as soon as Nita and I were in the hut.

"They are a much better place, and not only for the people. There is a larger place to put the thaka and cashda and even a cave they can get into when the weather is bad.

"There will be many advantages to living in the caves. They are cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than huts can ever be. The thaka and cashda will also be closer to us and easier to take care of there. Also, it seems that the forest there will have even more game than here," I said.

"How are we going to move all the thaka?" she asked.

"We will have to drive them there with men riding cashda. It will be bothersome but we only have to do it one time. I do think we should move them either before or after we move everyone else though," I said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"There will be too many problems if we try to do it all at once, and too much confusion. We can either drive the cattle first, and leave some men there to watch over them until everyone else makes the move, or we can all move first and leave a few men watching the thaka where they are, and come back for them after we have moved."

"I see, and I think you are right. I think we should move ourselves first though, and then come back for the thaka," she said.

"You are probably right. Everyone will be even more familiar with riding the cashda after they have made the move," I said.

"We will also need a few days to pack up everything and to get it loaded onto the travois," she said.

"Not only that, we will need to fit many of the cashda with travois and I need to make my two wagons also," I said.

"You have mentioned them before, but I still don't understand what they are and how they can carry as much as you say they will," she said.

"The best way for you to understand is for me to build one. I will ask Caltort if he can help me tomorrow and we will try to get one ready for your inspection," I said.

"You might just as well go ahead and make both of them. There is no need for me to inspect them. If you say they are worth the trouble I do not need to understand. I will just see what they do when they are doing it," she said, and after a few more minutes we were turned loose.

Supper that day was a little late, but the time waiting for it was not boring. I think I did more talking in those few hours than I had the whole time I'd been here. It wasn't so much that there were a lot of details to explain, it was that everyone seemed to want to hear them in person. Denac, Nita, and I were talked out by the time the food came.



-------

Chapter 30


Finally we were in bed and after my mates decided that Lanita was doing at least a passable job of pretending to be asleep, they got down to business on me. Nita claimed the right for the first ride, but I managed to do justice to all them. I had to, because they didn't intend to let me sleep until I had.

I woke with Lanita on my chest again the next morning and she was smiling at me when my eyes opened. I tickled her a little and then we got up and dressed, managing to do it without rousing the others. Lanita was trying not to giggle out loud as we left the hut.

"Oh, Daddy, they will be so surprised that they slept late and that we made our escape without waking them," Lanita said.

"Maybe, but we'll have to make sure they don't sleep much longer. Remember, they're the ones that bring breakfast."

"You're right, maybe we should go right back and wake them," she said.

"No need to worry, we were awake already, we just let you slip out," Nita said, as the three of them came out too.

"They have tricked us Daddy," Lanita squeaked.

"Doesn't matter, they can trick me as often as they like, just as long as the meals come on time."

"You do have a point there Daddy. Let's go visit Buttercup and Nosey, and all the others," she said, and so we did.

When breakfast was ready, we were ready for it. It was nice to have a real meal again instead of warming up traveling food. It was also nice to have Lanita in my lap waiting to be fed.

"What will we do first, Carl," Denac asked, as we finished.

You and Caltort and I will figure out how to make the wagons first, and then I think it will be you and I gathering material for Caltort while he makes them. I already know that he is much better at working with wood than I am," I said.

"He is better at it than anyone I've ever seen. Not only that, but he seems to like it," Denac said.

We found Caltort a few minutes later and he did seem excited about building something new. It took quite a bit of explaining and examples to get the idea into his head.

First I showed him exactly how my dolly worked, again, and then I took him to the large wheel rims that I'd been provided. It took a pencil and paper for me to finish explaining how the wheels had to be made, but with a couple of drawings and a few experimental uses of the tennon cutter, wheel borer, spoke shave, and the other tools, he thought he could get going right away.

That left Denac and I to get started but we grabbed a couple of the loners to help too. I didn't know the names of these two yet, but I did know they were the two who preferred each other's company. Hell, that was jake with me. They were also two of the largest and hardest working.

They weren't quite as large as Denac or Shaton, but they didn't miss it much. Though they weren't built like he'd been they reminded me of the Chicago Bear's defensive lineman, Refrigerator Perry. He'd always been called biscuit by his teammates, since they claimed he was only one biscuit shy of three hundred pounds. Our two gay cavemen were probably just about that, and they always seemed very clever when working with their hands, their big hands.

Since we needed dried wood, even if it was more trouble to cut, we went back to the burned section. We felled a large oak that was remarkably straight for about twenty-five feet. After it was down, we cut the trunk into two twelve-foot sections and then started sawing one down the long way for boards. This is not the easiest way to acquire lumber, but it was the easiest way available to us, at the moment.

Cutting slabs off the trunks wasn't the only sawing that had to take place either. We had to saw down the length to cut off the round edges left by the tree's curved outer surface and we also had to saw the wide cants into two or more twelve foot boards. Leaving them twenty to thirty inches wide was just an invitation for them to split.

We all worked our asses off. We'd enjoyed about all the sawing we could stand by lunchtime and I knew damned well we didn't even have enough cut for one wagon yet, not to mention that it was only roughed out.

When we went back for the noon meal we found that at least Caltort had been making progress. He had Jagbac helping him too, and they seemed to be doing well so far. They were cutting out and shaping felloes first and they had made real progress. The bad part, as far as Denac and I were concerned, was that we couldn't even use more help effectively. We had the available tools in use, and while one more man might be helpful to give breaks, it really wouldn't speed up the process any.

After lunch, Jagbac and Caltort came out where we were cutting and took a look around, mostly looking for material. Caltort figured that there would be plenty he could use that we had been forced to discard, and he was right. He and Jagbac cut off plenty from the trees we'd felled. They found just what they needed above where we'd cut out our twelve-foot sections. Jagbac also clued me in on how I could use some extra labor.

All we were cutting would need to be sanded smooth somehow, and that was going to be even more labor intensive than what we were doing now. He suggested I get someone started on it right away. Then Denac told me he could get that done, so I let him. He took off for a while and I helped with the sawing.

Denac was back with four men in about thirty minutes. They were regular members of the Calak. They grabbed up a twelve-foot plank each and headed for the river with them. Not to get them wet or anything, but for the sand they'd be using to smooth them out. Just as the last one left with his work, Chalti and Jastal came out to help with the cutting, and Denac eased me off to one side.

"We needed you to show us how to do this Carl, but I have a handle on it. I think you should get back to what you're best at now, training cashda and people to ride them. If we run into something we can't handle we know where to find you," he said.

"You're sure? I'll admit I'd much rather work with the cashda, but I don't want to put the hard work off on someone else just because I don't like it so much," I said.

"Carl, there are men sitting around camp wishing they had something to get busy on. Go teach a few of them how to drive the thaka," Denac said, and I decided I just might.

While walking back to the campsite I realized that men weren't the only ones I needed to introduce to cowboy ways. Katia, Shaeta, and Nita needed to learn too. It wasn't only because Katia and Shaeta were by far the best riders besides me either.

We didn't have enough Clydesdales for all the men to have one, and there were few men that didn't seem to be too large for the quarterhorses. There were about four of the younger boys who were old enough to learn to drive cattle and still small enough to ride quarterhorses, but that was it.

We needed about twenty or so more Clydesdales, especially since the wagons would need two each to pull them. This didn't even consider the fact that quarterhorses were much better for driving cattle.

The Clydesdales were acceptable for moving cattle, but they didn't pay attention to what the thaka were doing. The rider had to furnish all the know-how when using a Clydesdale. With the quarterhorses it didn't take much training to have your mount start helping you without much direction.

It wasn't that the Clydesdales were stupid about the thaka; it was more like they weren't really interested in them. They did well enough, but their hearts weren't in it, and they weren't even nearly as nimble on their feet.

Strangely the donkeys appeared to enjoy driving the thaka also. They were too small for any but the youngest children to ride, and though we'd given them some training, they weren't really interested in carrying a rider, they would, but they didn't like it much. What they would do was help with the herding on their own, without a rider.

I didn't understand why, but they seemed to enjoy it. I'd even seen Nosey at it, and he wasn't a bit ashamed to run up and bite a thaka on the ass if it didn't go where he intended for it to. I nearly fell off Red from laughing the first time I saw him do it.

It seemed that we'd need to find some more Clydesdales if we could, or else many of the men would have to walk to the new place, or ride in the wagons along with our freight.

But right now I needed to turn my mates and a few other women into drovers. I found the girls with a few other women, still working on saddle and tack construction, and asked them to take a break for a powwow.

"I hate to put more work on you women, but I don't see how to keep from it," I said, to get the ball rolling.

"What do you need for us to do?" Nita asked.

"I need to teach you how to herd the thaka."

"I thought that the men would do most of that," Matita said.

"It would be better if they could, but as it turns out they would be at a disadvantage."

"Why?" Shaeta asked.

"The quarterhorses are just better at working with cattle," I said.

"What are quarterhorses, and what are cattle?" Katia asked.

"Quarterhorse is what we called the cashda that aren't the largest. Cattle is what we called beast similar to the thaka," I said.

"Oh. I had wondered that there wasn't a different name for the different cashda. It's obvious that they are not the same. So quarterhorse is what you call the smaller ones. What did you call the big ones?" Shaeta asked.

"Clydesdales, they were normally used to pull things and carry loads, even though they can be ridden too. Most people where I was from were smaller. In fact I was a rather large man there," I said, explaining.

"I have noticed that what you call quarterhorses seem to be straining to carry the larger men," Matita said.

"Yes, they can do it, but they will be too tired before a day of it is over. They are not very good for pulling a load either. Their shoulders don't fit the harness well," I said.

"I don't see that there is anything we can do about it. We will just have to learn to drive the cattle. I hadn't thought about it, but I should have. Counting on my fingers should have told me that there aren't enough of the larger cashda, the Clydesdales, as you call them," Nita said.

"I'm glad you understand. I feel bad about putting this on you too, but I don't see another way," I said.

"I see another way," Shaeta said, "but not completely. Won't it be very helpful if we find some more of the Clydesdales?

"It won't make them any better at driving the thaka, but as you said they can do an acceptable job. If we had enough so all the men had one to ride, they could help with the thaka, even if the Clydesdales aren't the best for the job.

"I don't mind learning to drive the thaka, in fact, it sounds like fun to me, and the cashda will be doing most of the work. I do think that we should try to find some more of the Clydesdales though," Katia said.

"I think we should explain this to Caloe before we decide on anything. Maybe she will figure out a better way," Shaeta said.

"That is an excellent suggestion my mate. I'm afraid I was about to overstep my authority," I said, and grinned, and then they gave me a good laughing at.

We needn't have worried though. Caloe had caught sight of our little get together and she came up about then. I explained the whole thing again, and since they'd had a few minutes to think about it, the women shared some of their views too.

In the end Caloe decided that I should train about a dozen women to work with the thaka from cashdaback and after I had them started, I should take off with my mates and see if I could find more of the Clydesdales. Hell, it sounded like a plan to me, but I added that I thought Denac and Jekaycey should come with us, and Caloe agreed that would probably be best.

Thankfully she had decided days ago that we didn't need any more thaka for hides right now. Even though the saddles and other tack were using up quite a bit of it, they were using tanned leather mostly and not so much rawhide.

They'd had more leather than rawhide when we started the hunts, so things were working out well so far. The offshoot was that the produce of the hunting had been tended to now and there were enough women to cook and work around camp and some of them could take time off to learn to be cowgirls.

Saddle production had also progressed much faster than I'd have thought it would. Twenty had been finished already. They didn't have cotton or any type of string really, so the front girths had to be made of plaited leather, but it hadn't been a problem. Cotton twine would have been better, but the leather did an acceptable job. It would just need more care after each use than cotton would have.

We chose up sides and headed for the ranch. We had developed a somewhat awkward system for the horses by now. It was awkward in that we kept all the horses across the river, but at least we'd put up a couple of large huts to keep the tack in. When we got over there, I noticed that the guys were putting up another hut, and no doubt the ever-increasing tack production was making it necessary.

Jortah and Jonalton came to greet us, and in a few minutes I'd explained what we were up too. Jortah had a couple of guys start gathering horses for us while we let Jonalton help us find acceptable saddles and bridles for everyone.

I was surprised when the first saddle he came out of a hut with was Lanita's, the one that had come special delivery with our first bunch. I looked around and spied her, she laughed and admitted she'd been keeping out of my sight.

"Jeffry and I want to do our part Daddy, see, even Nosey is here to help," she said.

"When we had our mounts saddled, we split into two groups. Lanita, Jekaycey, my mates, and I mounted up for our first try with the thaka while Jonalton took the others for some general riding practice. No doubt he was glad to, since Janita was among them.

The thaka weren't exactly what you could call trail broke yet, but they were about as close as you could get them without taking them for a trip out of the canyon. The guys had pretty much practiced them to death lately. That didn't bother me one bit. I wasn't looking to see how good my mates could do with wild cattle, I just wanted to give them some practice, and a few pointers.

As I'd expected, Shaeta and Katia caught on quickly and Nita wasn't far behind. Lanita turned out to be the star of the show though, or her team did. Nosey was right there with Lanita and Jeffry and any thaka that went afoul of their wishes was dealt with promptly and none too gently. It didn't take Nosey thirty seconds to teach Jeffry that a good bite could do wonders.

I think Lanita was having a hard time holding on for laughing at their antics. She, Nosey, and Jeffry weren't satisfied with just moving the thaka in the direction indicated, they went busily about making sure the group they were tending to stayed bunched tightly.

The biggest surprise was the other donkeys. Once they caught onto what we were doing they joined right in, as if they were sheepdogs or something. They didn't work as hard at it as Nosey and Jeffry did, but they did keep things going. I was pretty sure we weren't going to have a bit of trouble moving our thaka when the time came.

We knocked off for the day about an hour before sunset.

On the way back to camp Shaeta, Katia, and I praised Lanita and Nosey for their hard work, while Nita scolded us, saying we were going to make her head to big for her to carry. Nosey let her know what he thought about it with a lusty hee haw.

At supper Denac told me that Caltort and Jagbac had commandeered the first two loggers, the gay men, to help them with the wagon project. It seemed that Caltort had also noticed how well they worked with their hands. It was fine with me. He did give me an uneasy feeling just before the food came though.

"They would like to talk to you after supper," he said.

"Who, Caltort and Jagbac?" I asked, wondering why they'd use Denac as a go between.

"No, the two loners that worked with them," he said.

That got me wondering what in the hell was coming up. I had no objection to talking with them, but just couldn't figure out what they wanted. I'd find out more about it later, no doubt.

Sure enough I did find out more about it, and it made me uncomfortable for a while. They introduced themselves to me by name. Bruca and Charlon were their names and of course I told them mine, though I'm sure they'd already heard it.

"We have noticed that even the healing women come to you for advice sometimes and we'd like for you to help us if you know of a way," Charlon said.

"I'd be glad to help you if I can. Do you have a sickness?" I asked.

"We don't know if it is a sickness or even if it can be cured," Bruca said.

"We don't know why we like each other's company over the company of women. We don't know why it happened and we don't understand it. Is it a sickness," Charlon asked.

"No. It is not a sickness, I do know that. I don't know why it's the way you are, but I do know that it isn't a sickness and it isn't even new to me. I have seen such things many time," I said, and I could tell that was a shocker for them.

"But we have never heard of it before," Bruca said.

"How many people have you told about your situation?" I asked.

"No one, but you. I'm sure everybody knows it though," Bruca said.

"Let me tell you something about people, all people. When a person or a few people are doing something that they consider different, or maybe even wrong, they usually feel that it is obvious to others. Often it isn't that obvious, and almost as often it isn't wrong, even though some others might think it was wrong."

"I don't understand what you are telling us," Charlon said.

"The first thing I'm telling you is that your feelings for each other aren't wrong, and that you did nothing wrong to cause them. The second thing I'm telling you is that they are nobody's business but yours. The third thing I'm telling you is that you are overly sensitive about them because they are different and you know they are different.

"I am much more different than you two are. That doesn't mean I'm wrong, does it? I didn't ask to come here, but I'm here now and must do the best I can. You didn't ask to have the difference you do, but you have it and you must do the best you can. If it bothers someone else it is their problem, not yours.

"What usually is done when two men can't get along, or when one man wants to cause trouble with another man?" I asked.

"If it becomes too troublesome the men fight each other," Charlon said.

"Exactly, and you both seem large enough to take care of yourselves," I said.

"Neither of us wants to fight. We do not like it," Bruca said.

"Do you think I like to fight? I don't. It was very hard on me to fight Denac. I knew that I'd have to hurt him, and I didn't want to. You weren't here to see it, but I'm sure you've heard about it since you came here. If you haven't I will tell of it."

"We heard, of course we did. In fact Denac himself told us about it," Charlon said.

"What did he tell you?" I asked.

"The first thing he told us was that he was wrong and then he said that the fight and the injury were the best thing that had ever happened to him," Bruca said.

"He is wrong about that, but not exactly wrong. I believe if he thought about it more closely he would know that the best thing was that he earned a friend, no matter how he went about it.

"You two have earned me as a friend, with your hard work. I'm sure that neither of you bothered the women that you were holding captive, and I would bet much that you didn't even harm a single one in their Calak.

"You were in bad company and didn't know what else to do about it, so you went along. I'm guessing now, but I believe you hated most of it."

"I did, I hated it. At first Kaglao made it sound exciting, but when we attacked the small Calak and killed the men, and boy children, I couldn't do my part. It made me sick inside, for days," Charlon said.

"I also. It was like I'd killed my own father, though I killed no one," Bruca said.

"Good. I'm glad you felt that way and even though you only went along, you deserved to feel bad. It was a terrible thing you were involved in.

"But you've felt bad, and you regret your actions. Now, forget it as much as you can. It is done and it is over. You have to go on.

"I would advise you to stop trying to hide your feelings for each other without making a spectacle of them either. You are different, but you are not wrong. Some of the others might be uncomfortable about your feelings for each other. It will be easier for them if you don't make a point of them. They will also come to grips with it more easily if you aren't obviously hiding the way you feel.

"That doesn't mean you are wrong or that you are hiding anything. It means you are trying to save them discomfort. There is no sense to pointing out their failures to them."

"But what are their failures," Bruca said.

"If they begrudge you being different, they lack the ability to understand that everyone is different. No two people are the same. Everyone in this, or any Calak is different from anyone else. I'll bet that even the two of you don't like exactly the same things. Every person is different in some way. It is foolish to point it out for hurtfulness.

"If someone pesters you about your difference, let it go if you can but fight them if you can't let it go. If you let it go and it still becomes a problem then it is likely that I will notice it and talk to them, by hand."

"Maybe, but Zakat will be well enough to do the Calak's fighting sooner or later, and he might not see it that way," Charlon said.

"That does not matter. I cannot tolerate that kind of abuse by one man in this Calak for another. Those are the kinds of things that make me angry.

"We have a large Calak, and more time when we don't have to work as hard. That gives time for many to have nothing they need to do. If someone uses that time to cause trouble, I will find something they need to be doing, even if it has to be fighting me."

"But you aren't the leader, and those things are his job," Bruca said.

"I am not the leader because I chose not to be the leader. I won my fight with Zakat, but let him remain the leader because I knew that he was doing a good job. I do not lord that over him, but I will still do what seems right to me, until someone shows me that they can best me. If they do, and I can't live with their leadership, my mates and I will leave."

That gave them pause and it also provided a good place to end our talk. They seemed like they had plenty to think about already, so we broke up and I found my mates and Lanita and we went into our hut for the night.



-------

Chapter 31


Somehow I managed to wake first the next morning. Not wanting to miss a golden opportunity, I tickled Lanita awake. She was easy to reach since she was sleeping on my chest, and when I stopped and she caught her breath after the laughing, we were all awake.

"That was mean Daddy," she said, though she didn't really sound like she was telling the truth.

"I'm so sorry, but I love to hear you laugh. From now on I'll try to make sure you are already awake before I start tickling you."

"Why don't you just promise not to tickle me ever again?" she asked.

"Because tickling you is too much fun to stop completely."

"You were right mother. Men do have such silly ways sometimes. At least you have one that is a good hunter," she said, and then we all laughed.

After a trip to the privies, Lanita and I headed for Nosey and Buttercup. Nosey helped close the distance by herding Buttercup toward us. Since the horses usually stayed across the river at night now, Buttercup was the only one Nosey had to look out for. I hoped he wasn't becoming too bossy.

"When are we going to look for more cashda, Daddy?" Lanita asked, after we'd made it to our log sofa.

"I'm not sure. Maybe one of your mommies will tell us while we're eating," I said.

"Well I think we should practice on the thaka today and then go tomorrow," she said.

"Then you women should put your heads together and decide. I'm here to serve," I said.

"Oh Daddy, you know they'll do it anyway you want to do it," she said.

"They have so far, but you are supposed to be asleep when we're doing that," I said.

"Daddy, that wasn't what I was talking about," she said, and looked indignant.

"Oh. You meant they'd let me decide when to go looking for more cashda?" I asked.

"Of course I did, and you knew it. It was a good joke though, even if I'm much to young and innocent to know what you were talking about the first time."

"Well, I hope you're not too young and innocent for a good breakfast, because here it comes. Maybe we can talk about our cashda hunt after we eat."

And that's exactly what happened. My brain trust, with Jekaycey's help, decided that tomorrow morning would be a good time to take our trip. They even decided that another day of cowgirl practice would probably be enough, but as normal, things changed.

When we arrived at the ranch, Jortah was glad to see us. I saw that he had Candace in the capture pen by herself and it wasn't long before I found out why. All the prospective mounts were already leading by now and none of them had been in the pen yesterday.

"Something is wrong with Candace. She is acting very peculiar. Buster, Red, Bob, and most of the male donkeys and Shetlands also seem to be very interested in what is going on with her," Jortah said, when we'd reached the pen.

"Candace is horsin'," I said.

"What is that?" Jortah, and damned nearly everyone else asked at the same time.

"Candace is announcing to the world, via her scent mostly, that she is ready for one of the males to get her next foal started," I said.

"Huh?" Jortah asked.

I spent the next thirty minutes explaining the equine estrus cycle to everyone on this side of the river. Mostly they were amazed. Of course after the first few statements most of the loner guys, and Denac did a lot of blushing about it, since I explained the difference in the way mares and women went about it. The women didn't blush; they were mostly trying not to laugh at the men.

"But what should we do about it?" Denac asked.

"I think the rest of you should try to practice for your upcoming cowboy duties while I cross the river and have a few words with Caloe," I said.

"What does mother have to do with it?" Katia asked.

"I just want to make sure that she wants me to tend to the stock as I see fit. I feel like she will, but I don't want to cut her out of the decision making process," I said, and took off back for camp.

As I'd expected, Caloe didn't give a rat's ass about the details of which horse or donkey screwed which horse, or donkey, or Shetland either as a matter of fact.

"I have no opinion about this, Carl, and no way to even form an informed one. Until you just mentioned it I didn't consider such to even be a question, much less an option. Do as you see fit with anything about our livestock, as long as it doesn't harm Nosey that is," she said.

When I reached the ranch again I saw that my mates, Denac, and even Lanita and Nosey were busily making the thaka herd do maneuvers. At least I had Jortah and Jonalton and the guys to help arrange the mare rape. That didn't mean they had any idea of what I was up too.

"Now that I know it is all normal, can't we just turn Candace out again?" Jortah asked.

"If we wanted Buster to do the deed we could, but it would be dangerous for all the male donkeys, Red, Buster, and all the male cashda, Shetlands, and donkeys," I said.

"Why would it be dangerous?" Jonalton asked.

"Because some, even many of them would fight each other for the privilege of mating Candace. It is their normal behavior in the wild," I said.

"But it doesn't look like any but Buster, Red, and the other quarterhorse stallion could even get the job done. The rest are not tall enough," Jortah said.

"Yes, but they don't know that and they aren't thinking ahead. They want to try; it is in their nature.

"Besides, I want the largest donkey to at least try. If it can get the job done I want it to. I want it to try with all the female Clydesdales and with at least some of the female quarterhorses. I want some mules," I said.

"Then how will we let it try without all the fighting you talked about?" Jonalton asked.

"By putting it in the pen with Candace," I said.

Even that wasn't as easy as it should have been. The biggest donkey had been taught to lead and had even been ridden by a couple of the younger boys in camp. That didn't mean he was thinking straight today though. I ended up having to rope him before we could get him to cooperate. He changed his tune though when he finally realized he was going to be put into the pen with her.

Of course he had to be roped again a little later, because Candace wasn't actually receptive to the idea yet. She'd just come in during the night, just started her estrus. I'm sure that the donkey would be happy to get some early practice but Candace didn't see it that way. She'd let him know that there'd be no sexual congress today by kicking the shit out of him right away.

"What is wrong now, Carl," Jortah asked.

I gave another little horse-fucking lesson then and told them we'd try again tomorrow. Of course this put our cashda gathering expedition on hold, but it couldn't be helped. I wanted to take time to teach Jortah, Jonalton, and most of the other guys how to run a breeding operation.

We went back to our normal chores then, kinda. I let Denac and the girls keep driving the thaka around in an orderly circle while the guys and I caught the rest of the male horses and donkeys. They'd all be spending the next few days across the river, hobbled and grazing if we weren't riding them. I even spent some time riding Bob, the other quarterhorse stud. He seemed every bit as good as Red and he caught on fast. I wished I knew which of the mares had been his mother.

I hobbled him before lunch and I was glad that Denac and all our prospective drovers rode over to eat. I clued Denac in that Buster needed to spend the night over on this side of the river, to keep him from trying to get in with Candace.

I spent some time that afternoon with Caltort and the wagon makers. Caltort's current wheel-making efforts were the most critical and he, Jagbac, Bruca, and Charlton were doing a great job. Jagbac and Charlton were working on felloes while Bruca was busily making spokes. Caltort was concentrating on hubs. They were the hardest of course, but he was making good headway.

"Exactly how will we keep them together, Carl?" Caltort asked.

"Once we have them assembled we will heat the rims and it will cause them to expand. We will put them on the wheels while they are hot and when they cool they will keep everything together," I said.

"But how will we handle the hot rims?" he asked.

"Very carefully," I said, and Caltort gave me such a look.

"Guess what, Daddy," Lanita said, the next morning when I opened my eyes to see her snuggled up on my chest.

"I don't have to guess, I can feel it too. I'm sure we'll see who the candidates are after we get dressed and outside," I said.

"I don't understand you sometime. Most men never know until the pair finds each other," she said.

"I'm just smarter than the average Daddy," I said.

"You are that. You are very clever about a lot of fun things. I'm glad I have you now," she said.

"Well, lets see if we can wake the others and get them outside," I said.

"We are all awake, my mate, we are only pretending to be asleep so you can have your morning conversation with Lanita," Katia said, and then the three of them laughed at Lanita and I.

"Good then. See Daddy, mommies can be trained too," Lanita said, and then squealed with laughter as her mommies ganged up on her for a tickling frenzy.

As soon as we were outside we saw Nosey. It was easy to see he and Jeffry had been lording it over the rest of the stock, since they and Buttercup were the only ones that weren't hobbled. All the horses and Shetlands were taking it well, but some of the other donkeys seemed to have their panties in a wad about it. I decided we could let all the donkeys wander and Lanita and I removed their hobbles after our visit to the shitters. By the time we were done with that chore breakfast was ready and we rushed to our log.

"What will we work on today, Carl?" Denac asked, as Lanita and I arrived.

"I think Lanita wants to practice being a cowgirl again today," I said.

"You are right. I think I have it down now, but the rest of them can use some more practice. That doesn't hurt my feelings either, though, because it is much more fun than hanging around the camp all day," Lanita said.

"It sure is. In fact I like it much better than cooking," Katia said.

"I think I will too, as soon as my butt stops being sore," Nita said, and Jekaycey agreed with her at once.

After breakfast was done and the bowls were cleaned we saddled up. As soon as we mounted and started to leave we had to get right back on foot. All the donkeys were intent on going with us and that wouldn't do. We didn't need any of the males over there causing trouble. We had to hobble them again. They were none too happy about it either, especially since the females came with us. Strangely, Nosey stayed with them.

When we got to the pen I could see that Candace was feeling a lot closer to her male friend today. It was a little sooner than I would have expected, but mares all operate on their own internal clock about things like this. When we let the donkey in with her this time there was more squealing and less kicking and within twenty minutes he'd talked her into it. She turned her ass to him with her tail held out of the way. I was glad that Lanita and Jeffry had been the first to ride off. I don't know why, but I was.

The donkey was barely tall enough to get the job done, but he managed it. I'm pretty sure that he was even happier about it than I was.

"Is that all there is to it?" Jonalton asked.

"Pretty much. He will need to mount her at least every other day until she stops letting him, though," I said.

"It looks like he wants to try again any minute now," Jortah said.

"I'm sure he does. In fact I wouldn't mind a little private time with Jekaycey right now," Denac said, and laughed.

"Well neither of you donkeys need it today. We might as well let the four-legged one take a shot every day though.

"Do you think you can see to it Jortah?" I asked.

"I don't see any problem. We'll just let him in every morning and then take him out when he's done," he said.

"That will probably do it. If any of the other mares come in, just treat them the same way, especially the Clydesdale mares. I want Sir Longears to have a crack at all of them," I said.

Denac and I left it to him then and we went to join our mates and their companions. They had saddled their mounts and started with the thaka parade again. Denac was the only one on a Clydesdale. All the women were on quarterhorses and they were doing so well that I decided we might as well take a turn outside the fence. Denac volunteered to open and close the gate for us.

I let Katia and Shaeta lead us out. They rode on outside the gate while the rest of us had the thaka make one more circle. When the first of the herd cleared the gate Katia was guarding the path to the river and managed to turn them toward where Shaeta was going to lead them back the way they'd come. Its rocky hills would help keep them contained until they figured out they weren't getting away.

As it turned out they didn't even try. We drove them out past the place Denac and I found them and then turned them around and drove them back to the ranch. Not a one of them gave us any trouble. By the time the practice drive was over it was close enough to lunchtime for government work, so we all rode back to camp.

After lunch, Denac, Lanita and I were elected to keep out from underfoot for the rest of the day. Nita told us that they would be busy packing for our expedition. Our only instructions were to stay close enough so that we could be summoned if our help was required, and it turned out that it wasn't.

Since we both understood that we'd be traveling far from the Calak's cooking the next day, Lanita and I made sure we ate all we could hold when suppertime came along. We'd get another sit-down meal in the morning but after that it would be traveling rations, unless we killed something edible on the way.

Sunrise saw us out the next morning and Lanita, Nosey, and I went to see Buttercup and then visited all the hobbled donkeys and Shetlands before breakfast was served. Then we got down to the business of eating much more than we should have. I nearly groaned when I had to mount red as we were leaving.

Of course my mates and Jekaycey had packed plenty of food and it was now safely on the travois that Matilda would be pulling when we hitched her to it on the other side of the river; still, it was the thought that counted.

I really had no reason to start out toward the place Denac and I had found the first bunch of cashda, but I did, since I had no reason not to either. We could all ride together for the first mile or so, but after that I'd have to move on alone.

Any new horses, donkeys, or Shetlands would be able to get the scent of my companions well before I'd be close enough to catch their scents. After about a mile I'd go on alone to see if I could find anything. I'd taught Nita, Katia, and Shaeta the basics of firing the Glock just after supper the night before and it was now strapped to Nita's waist. So if something came up they could signal me with it and I'd be able to signal them with the M1. They were going to wait an hour when we parted and then try to follow my trail.

I was discouraged within an hour and more so after the second one. I hadn't seen a single cashda track or picked up even the slightest whiff of any scent. I'd passed two small groups of fifteen or twenty thaka, but it was small consolation. If we didn't find any cashda we might try our hand at driving them to the ranch on the way back, but it wasn't what we were after. At noon, I stopped and hobbled Red to wait for the others to catch up, and they did about an hour later.

We had a light meal and then I took off again, with them intending to head out in an hour, as before. I had one other companion this time, after Lanita's suggestion. She'd thought that Nosey should go with me.

"Even if he can't understand that we want to catch more cashda, he will still probably be able to smell them before you can, and it's likely that he'll want to go visit," she'd said.

I think she'd probably been right, so Nosey came with me, even though I was sure that Red would most likely do as good a job. But even with Nosey, Red, and I sniffing we didn't smell a thing by two hours until sunset, so I stopped, hobbled and unsaddled Red, and sat down to wait. When the others caught up the women fixed a meal and after it was done we spread our furs and went to sleep.

During the night we weren't lucky enough to have a handy band of Clydesdales join us, and in fact we didn't even attract one Shetland. Bummer. We did have a better breakfast than I'd been expecting though and after it was over Nosey, Red, and I headed on out.

Two hours later I got my first whiff of cashda. It was Nosey that smelled them first and he gave them a short hee haw, then he took off trotting. I didn't try to follow, since there was no point in it yet. I needed to wait until the others caught up so I could give them the news. In fact I started back the way I'd come to catch them and stop them as far from here as I could. The closer they came, the more likely their scent would alarm our prey.

I came up to them about forty-five minutes later and had them take a trail break where they were. Lanita had the first question for me.

"Where is Nosey," she asked.

"He kept going. I think he wanted to make first contact," I said.

"He'll probably just tell them to come on and join us," she said.

"We can always hope, but I doubt they will. I could tell that they were Clydesdales though. I think it will be better if I ride Buster and see if they'll wait around even if they smell me."

It didn't take long to switch my saddle to Buster's back and I cheated and wheedled a couple of substantial snacks out of the women, even though it wasn't eleven AM yet. After I'd eaten them, Buster and I were off in search of Nosey.

We caught sight of him about an hour and a half later. He was with the bunch of cashda and they didn't seem to be frightened by the time they must have caught my scent. They were somewhat agitated though, but I got the feeling it wasn't over my smell.

Surprisingly they let Buster and I get within a hundred yards or so before they became more agitated. I was surprised that the herd stallion didn't come out to challenge Buster, at least, but he didn't. In fact I couldn't locate the herd stallion. The only mature males I saw didn't look all that mature. It was a little strange.

Buster and I stayed where we were for about half an hour, and Nosey came over for a few minutes and then went back. Somehow his visit seemed to settle the others a little.

I mounted Buster again after the wait and rode closer. They didn't seem panicked by my approach but they did move away slightly as I got near. Finally I saw what was causing their discomfort.

What must have been the herd stallion was down, and not moving. I knew it couldn't be just resting, because it didn't get up when I'd been noticed the first time. Then I saw that it would never get up again.

It wasn't dead, but it would be soon. Its left cannon bone was obviously broken, and from the amount of blood on the ground around him I knew that he was probably near death.

I guessed that was why the others hadn't moved on yet. Probably they simply hadn't decided who was going to run the show now. Maybe they were waiting for him to get up and wouldn't leave until they knew he was dead. I couldn't figure out how he'd broken the leg, but that really didn't matter.

Since I was so close now, I could tell that none of the other mature stallions were really all that mature. The lead mare was obviously older than any of them and no doubt she intended to play a role on determining just who the next herd stallion would be.

I decided to take a gamble. I unsaddled Buster and then removed his bridle and halter, turning him completely loose. He stood still for a couple of minutes and then I swatted him on the rump. It was probably the smartest thing I'd ever done, since he went directly to the lead mare and with a little sniffing and squealing he let her know that he was the new lead stallion.

The largest two of the other stallions came over but they weren't in Buster's class and he knew it as well as they did. After a few minutes one of them must have decided he had to at least make a show out of it, so he bucked up his nerve and made a half-assed charge toward Buster. Buster returned the favor, bumped into him and then bit him for causing trouble, and that appeared to be that.

The next hour was spent with me sitting near the saddle and watching as Buster went around and introduced himself to every female, snorting loudly anytime one of the other males tried to get close. It was quite a performance.

He even found one that must have been coming into her estrus, because he called a halt to the show and mounted her on the spot. From the way she squealed and kicked him a time or two I'm sure she didn't think she was up for any action yet, but Buster wasn't taking no for an answer and a few judicious bites around her withers convinced her to go with the flow.

A few minutes after he'd poled the gal good and proper, Buster lowered his head and began to graze. No doubt this is the horsey equivalent of smoking a cigarette. The lead mare followed suit a couple of minutes later and before you know it they'd all forgotten about me and started back on their normal daily business of turning grass into shit. There was no real rush so I sat around for another hour.

Nosey was grazing near me when I decided that it was time to get going. I looked at him and asked why he didn't go get Lanita. He didn't answer me; he just pulled up another tidbit of the green stuff.

I picked up Buster's halter then and headed for him. He acted normal, as I thought he would, and since he didn't give me any shit the others didn't either. When I led him back to where the saddle was I saw that the others began drifting slowly that way too. In fact they seemed to watch while I put the hackamore and saddle back on him.

When I had him saddled I mounted and headed back toward Denac and the others. The rest of the band just kept grazing. Nosey wasn't having any of that though. He went over to the lead mare, looking every bit the Chihuahua attacking the Great Dane, and bit her on the ass. She moved out then and the others followed, with Nosey taking up the drag position. It was the damndest performance I'd ever seen and I decided that I was never going horse gathering again without taking every donkey that wanted to go.

It only took about an hour to get back to the others. When this new herd came into scent range of Denac and the others, they were a little anxious for a few minutes, but Buster's calm manner and Nosey's little teeth straightened all that out. My mates, Lanita, Jekaycey, and Denac were baffled as I came riding up leading more than we'd hoped to find.

Lanita lost her amazement first though, and she mounted Jeffry, riding him around the bunch and joining Nosey at his self-appointed tail gunner job.

Since we still had at least three hours until sunset, and since our ownership of all the cashda flesh could still come into question, in their eyes at least. I decided that we needed somewhat of a firmer hold on them. I fetched my lariat from Red's saddle and then led Buster back to the lead mare. She barely noticed when I slipped the loop around her neck and then twisted a makeshift halter type loop around her muzzle.

It took some time to get her to follow as I led, but Nosey helped out here too. Soon enough I had a real halter on her and left her for Denac to hold while I went back for another one.

The second mare was harder to catch, and I had to actually rope her. She pitched a little bitch about it, but it wasn't serious and I had her haltered soon enough too. We'd only brought half a dozen or so empty halters with us, but by using them and the ones off the other horses we managed to get twelve of the new crop in a halter before the girls built a fire and started supper. Since we'd tried to pick the mares that seemed most mature I thought we could get by for the night.

We had a good meal, and after scattering our hobbled horses among the others I felt we'd could reasonably expect to end up with most of our new stock still here in the morning. We built up the fire and found our way into the furs.



-------

Chapter 32


Wonder of wonders, nothing untoward disturbed our sleep that night and all our newfound stock was still hanging around when we woke. They didn't get excited when I went out walking among them either. Most of the stallions still steered clear of me, but for some reason the mares didn't seem to. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for a few minutes there.

Then I remembered I'd left the herd's former stallion where I'd found him, without even spending a round to put him out of his misery. Of course that might have been unwise at the time, but I could have at least ridden back to finish him after the herd was at our temporary camp.

I was so ashamed of myself that I saddled Red to ride back that way before breakfast. It was probably a useless gesture, but I felt I needed to do it. Nosey must have agreed since he came with me.

The stallion was dead when we got there, but he hadn't been for long, and it was apparent that he'd been attacked during the time I'd been gone. I didn't see where any big chunks had been bitten out of him, but there was a dead bitch wolf not far from him and the way her head was caved in let me know that he'd done it, but now I had another problem on my hands.

The bitch had obviously been nursing, milk was leaking from her teats. I guess the milk making process kept going even during death, and maybe a little longer. I wasn't worried about that, but I did know there were some wolf cubs that would soon be starving to death, and they probably weren't that far from me.

Of course Jean Auel's Ayla and Wolf came to my mind right away. Hell, if dogs came from wolves to start with, we could sure put some to good use around the camp if we could get hold of the cubs.

I mounted Red again and rode right back to our camp, explaining what I had in mind as soon as I got there. Lanita was nearly beside herself with enthusiasm for this project. Since Nita had treated people that had been attacked by wolves before she wasn't so sure, but she finally came around.

My mates and Lanita came with me while Denac and Jekaycey stayed with our new stock. Half an hour later we were working our way out from the dead wolf, hoping to find her orphaned children.

Of course Nosey was the one who found them and he hee hawed us to the den right away. I could tell from the sound of their growling that they were bigger than I'd expected them to be. No wonder their mother had seemed so skinny. If there were many of them they must have been a load on her system.

At first I'd imagined sticking my hand in and pulling them out. That was before I knew they were actually old enough to growl so, even though it did sound a little feeble. I knew that their little teeth were probably as sharp as needles. I didn't try a damned thing until I fetched and put on my gloves.

The way it turned out, the rawhide gloves were great for this job. As soon as I put my hand in, one of the little bastards bit down on it. I pulled my hand back and he held on tight, assuring that he was captured right away. Lanita scooped him up at once. It didn't take her five minutes to have him settled down, especially since she'd been smart enough to bring a few scraps from our breakfast with her. It was literally eating out of her hand in no time.

Yes, I had run off without thinking about anything to put them in. Luckily my mates weren't that dumb. Nita, Katia, and Shaeta each had an empty skin bag with them and they proved large enough to hold all nine of the crew, a bumper crop to say the least. I figured they might be as much as eight weeks old, but that was a pure guess.

When we got back to Denac, Jekaycey, et al, they had everything loaded, the travois hitched to Matilda, and were set. We took a few minutes to dig out some food for the cubs and to give Jekaycey and Denac a chance to fondle them too. We mounted up and headed home a few minutes later. Nita, Katia, and Shaeta rode drag this time while Lanita helped me in scouting our way back.

Once we were close enough so the river and the hills made escape for the new Clydesdales impossible, Lanita and I had our mounts break into a slow lope and we went to the canyon's gate.

Jortah was on the ball this morning and he had one of the guys waiting near the gate to open it in case we made it back. He did the deed while Lanita and I moved past it as a sort of catch crew in case our new herd wanted to go on past. Luckily, they didn't think of it and just followed Denac and Jekaycey in.

We dismounted after the gate was closed and then decided to get the tack off Buster and let him resume his new herd stallion duties among the newcomers. We needed to get something figured out so we could start training the new stock.

While Buster went over to sniff around his new harem, Jonalton told me that Sir Longears had just done his daily duty to Candace. That was a good thing, but our new breeding program was occupying the pen we needed for our regular training. I hated to think about taking the time to build another pen that we'd have to abandon in a week or so anyway. Lanita came up with a workable solution right away.

"They all stay over here now Daddy, so why don't you bring Candace and Sir Longears over to the camp to hang around with Nosey and Buttercup. Can't they just wear hobbles to keep them from wandering off too far?"

"You are such a smart little thing, and cute too. That's a great idea. All we'll need to do is take the hobbles off Sir Longears when it's time for him to do his duty."

The details were arranged without much problem. Jortah had one of the guys put a hackamore on Candace and ride her across the river. We intended to put a halter on Sir Longears but it turned out we didn't even need to do that. As soon as the guy rode Candace away Sir Longears was hot on their trail. I hoped the guy could get someone over there to help him with the hobbles.

Meanwhile, we had a little rodeo to get started, but even that worked more easily than we could have hoped for. Our pen wasn't large enough to hold the whole new group, since it was much larger than the original one with Buster.

I took the time to get a good count, and even though I'd been looking at them and working with them for more than a day now, it was still surprising. There were thirty-one mature mares, seventeen of them had nursing foals and there were twelve obvious yearlings. We also had four young but mature stallions.

Our biggest problem was keeping the nursing mares out of the pen, but with some judicious use of the gate we managed it. I wanted the four young stallions in that pen too, but while it wasn't as big a need it was more complicated. They simply wouldn't cooperate. I gave up on that just before we took a break for lunch.

I'll admit I was glad to get back to the main camp's cooking, and I'm pretty sure that Lanita was too. We had a good meal and just after it was done Caltort came over with some great news. He had his first wagon wheel assembled, and he was anxious to try putting the rim around it.

There was even better news when I went to take a look at things. Caltort hadn't mentioned it, but the part making seemed to be done with. I could see stacks of spokes seven more hubs and an uncountable number of felloes. Apparently they had gone ahead and made all the parts before they put the first wheel together.

We talked it over and decided that the best way to do it was by setting the assembled wheel on flattened blocks of scrap timber and then heating the wheel rim and using the tongs to lower it over the wheel. In fact it was the only way I could see to get the job done. I left Caltort and Jagbac getting things ready and headed back to the ranch.

Jortah had things rocking along in the training pen when I reached it. There was a mare in the chute and they were babying her into submission. The four wild stallions were bunched up together away from most everything else but I figured they could just wait until the rest were in the fold, so to speak.

With nothing much needed out of me right now, I took a halter and lariat and headed for one of the mares that hadn't made it to the pen yet. I might as well see if I could do things the old-fashioned way, for a while at least.

The lead mare, who still had a foal nursing, let me walk right up to her and put on a halter. It wasn't a big surprise since she'd worn one that first night we captured them. I didn't have Nosey here to help me, but she cooperated anyway and soon enough I was leading her around. Since the snubbing tree was vacant right now, I spent an hour leading her and then tied her to it. She didn't like it much but she didn't pitch a fit, and she quit trying to pull away after about fifteen minutes.

Caltort and Jagbac were probably near ready to deal with the hot wheel by now, so I walked back to camp to check on them. They were about to send someone after me so things worked out fine.

It was all Caltort and I could do to lift the rim out of the coals with the two pairs of tongs that we had. There was nothing tricky about it, that damned rim was just heavy. We managed to get it about halfway onto the wheel and then I let he and Jagbac finish things with hammers and a lot of pounding. There was nothing I could do for them now except cheerleading and they didn't need it, so I went back to the ranch and spent the rest of the day leading another of the wild mares around.

When it came time for supper I was more than ready, and I was worn nearly completely out too. I wasn't the only one though. Katia, Nita, Shaeta, and Lanita had spent almost all day on their cashda. Riding in and among the thaka and cashda that weren't currently being trained. They'd even taken to including the unoccupied cashda into their practice cattle drive routine.

The next morning, when I woke, I realized that we'd let Lanita have too much fun the day before. She was still sleeping soundly in her own little spot, and so were all my mates. I even managed to get up, dressed, and out of the hut without rousing them.

We weren't the only ones that had been hard at it yesterday though. On my walk to the privies I noticed that Caltort and Jagbac had assembled another wheel yesterday afternoon. I also spied something I hadn't noticed before. One of the wagon boxes looked nearly complete, it even had a seat built on already.

For a minute I wondered who'd done this, then I figured it must have been Bruca and Charlton. It only took a single look to know they were doing a bang up job. It isn't easy to build something like that with no nails or other hardware but they'd done it. Wooden pegs and dowels were holding it together, and they required a hell of a lot of work.

By the time I got to Buttercup, Candace, Nosey, and Sir Longears I could see the latter was ready to do his duty. He had his dick run out and it was plain he was doing his best to figure out a way to pole Candace with his front feet hobbled. I decided to help him out and removed the hobbles. He didn't waste any time after that, and he didn't have the strength to complain when I hobbled him again after the deed was done.

Figuring that it was time for breakfast, I went to our log and took my seat. Denac was there and Jekaycey was already around the cooking fire but Lanita hadn't showed and I didn't even see a one of my mates anywhere.

"I guess I'd better go see if they're up yet. I think they're still asleep," I said.

"Keep your seat, I see the curtain on your hut opening now," he said, and when I glanced that way I saw Lanita coming out first.

I got up anyway and went over to show her the way to the privies. Of course she knew the way, but I wanted to see what they had to say. Their moods weren't strictly in my favor at the moment.

"Why didn't you wake us up Daddy?" Lanita asked, leading the charge.

"Because you all looked too cute to disturb," I said, saving my own ass with that one comment.

"I guess you were probably right," Lanita said, and then took my hand and led me to the privies, whether I needed to go or not.

For my sake I didn't, but Lanita was not to be denied on her morning visit to Buttercup and his friends. By the time she came out Nosey was with us and we made our inspection of the stock.

"Daddy, Sir Longears seems a little sluggish this morning. Do you think he is sick?" she asked.

"No, he's just winded. I removed his hobbles earlier and let him do his duty to Candace. He'll be back to normal in a few more minutes."

"Oh. I'm sorry I missed it," she said, and giggled.

"Well, let's get back to the log before we miss breakfast," I said.

"When you're right Daddy, you're right."

It was obvious that my mates weren't the only ones to sleep in this morning though. When Lanita and I got back to Denac, he was exactly as I'd left him, foodless. We could see that the cooking was still going on and so we waited patiently.

"Uncle Denac, how does it feel to have the herd stallion as your personal mount?" Lanita asked.

"It makes me jealous," Denac said.

"Jealous?" Lanita asked.

"Yes, Jealous. I wish I was the herd stallion," he said, and laughed.

"You probably wouldn't want to be for long. How do you think you'd like all those mares kicking you when you came to court?" Lanita asked.

"Carl, have I ever told you how smart I think Lanita is? That's the best advice I've ever had about letting my wanter overload my doer," Denac said, and we laughed at him about it.

The food came not long after that and we were mostly quiet while we ate. After we were done, plans for the day were made before the girls returned with the dishes.

We spent the next six days mostly getting ready to get ready for our move. Caltort, Jagbac, Bruca, and Charlton finished both wagons and they turned out much better than I'd anticipated, but it was easy to see that they were going to have to make two trips.

The smokehouse had done a bang up job, but the abundance of meat was much more than the Calak usually carried for a move. The hunting that produced the meat had been done so we could get enough hides, but there was no sense in wasting the meat now that we had it, and it would make more than one wagon load by itself.

Of course we could use many more travois now, or at least larger ones, with more overall carrying capacity, but with the new supply of hides we would need every one of them.

There was also a project I wanted to finish before we left. We had gathered a lot of the metal from the meteor strike, but I knew there was still a lot more. We were going to need every scrap by and by, and it would be a major pain in the ass to come back later to finish our dig. It looked like we would need at least another week to get to the point where we could even start loading up.

Then I woke one morning to Lanita's smiling face and I knew as soon as my eyes opened that Breezus wanted to make sure we didn't forget about mating. There was another pair that would find each other in a few minutes. We hurried to dress and get outside so we could have a chance to see the spectacle.

We barely made it. Silveata latched onto Jortah not five minutes after Lanita and I finished our visit to Buttercup and Nosey. At least Candace had finished her cycle two days ago, so she and Sir Longears were back across the river. It didn't matter to Jortah and Silveata one wit though.

Of course this meant another fight, for the sake of Jortah's official entrance. I was surprised though when Caloe asked me to do the honors again.

"I think Shaton is fit by now, but I'm not inclined to let him participate if you will do the job again," Caloe told me, after she'd managed to hustle me off to the side.

"I don't mind at all Caloe, as long as it is what you want to happen," I said.

"It is, but I want Shaton to resume the duty after we are moved to the new caves. I do have another request of you though. I want you to teach Shaton your method of fighting, if you will. It is obvious to everyone that you are the best. Not only that, but you seem to be able to do it with less damage to either party. Except for that time with Denac," she said.

"Yes, I'm sure I'll have no trouble with Jortah. I simply know more about what is going on during a fight. I'll admit that Denac had made me angry before we fought, and at that time I wasn't as sure of my methods, or of Denac's lack of method. All in all though, I think it's come out for the best," I said.

"You think? I can tell you that your fight with Denac has done more than come out for the best; the change in him has been a miracle. Before the fight, his one redeeming skill was his ability to find and acquire honey. Now, he is one of the most responsible and productive members of this Calak," she said.

"I'll agree with that, but I don't think the fight did it. I think he was so happy about finding that I wanted to be his friend that it changed his entire attitude," I said.

"Whatever it was, if you ever think you can do it for someone else, don't hesitate," she said.

It was settled then, the fight was on and I was the Calak's designated champion. It went almost exactly the same as Jonalton's trial did, but by now I wasn't sure whether Jortah was actually trying to win. I got the notion somehow that he was trying his best to make a good showing but had no intention of winning even if he thought he could. Didn't matter anyway, because he kept on coming until I threw him and told him to quit.

He did manage to get more banged up than Jonalton had though, so I advised Silveata to escort him to the creek, which was much smaller and colder than the river, and make him soak in the cold water for at least an hour. She said she'd see to it.

I was able to go on about my normal business for the rest of the day, without getting caught up in the mating festivities, in fact most men managed to get out of that stuff. Lanita and I crossed the river and spent the morning, until lunch, working with the cashda. We even returned after lunch for more of it.

On the day after drunk recovery day, all the loners and I left the cashda to Jortah and Jonalton and went back to our prospecting. We didn't even bother to take our finds back to camp; we just piled them near the crater. By the end of the day we had what must have been nearly eight hundred pounds of additional material, and I decided we'd found almost all of it.

After breakfast the next morning the loading was on. All the travois had been built and the harness manufactured. Every man, woman, and child that was old enough to ride had a full set of tack, including a saddle, and I'd built a small travois for Nosey. He even took it fairly well when Lanita and I hitched him to it for a practice pull.

All the loners except Bruca and Charlton were staying at the ranch with the thaka and most of the donkeys. Jortah and Jonalton and their mates, plus their mate's fathers and mothers were staying too, in the guise of providing adult supervision. It took no little time to carry enough food for six days over there for them.

We brought all the cashda over to the camp side of the river and hobbled them for the night, since we planned to be up and hitching them at first light, or maybe even a little before. We spent our last night at this camp in the open, since all the huts had already been taken down and packed.

We did wake right at false dawn the next morning and breakfast consisted of traveling food, which was already laid out. Eating it didn't take much time and the hitching and saddling was on. I helped Bruca and Charlton with the wagons first, they were going to drive one each, and had been practicing. I spent the next half hour prowling around to see if anyone needed help but everyone seemed to have things down.

Nosey was the last one to get his travois, and I'd made sure it was lightly loaded. After it was done, I put Lanita on Jeffry and mounted myself. Shaton got the signal that everyone was ready and away we went. It started out much better than I'd expected and we made good time too.

It took less than an hour for me to decide that Bruca and Charlton had the worst of it. Our wagons were very sturdy and seemed to be holding up fine, but we hadn't tried to include anything fancy like springs into the construction, not even on the seats. Hell, we didn't have anything to make springs out of anyway. Since the wagons had no springs and there was no such thing as a road here and now, their asses were taking a pounding.

I talked it over with them at the first break, after about two hours, and we all decided that they'd actually be better off without the seats. It would give them room to stand and their legs could take the abuse much easier than their butts. So we pulled the seats off and put them with the freight. If they hadn't needed to be in the wagons to apply the brakes every now and then they'd have been better off just riding one of the team.

Our traveling was causing a lot of disturbance in the forest and fields we passed though. I'd encouraged everyone to spread out as we went and take an impromptu survey of what we were bypassing, in case they spotted something we might want to acquire. It was always nice to know about bee trees, berry vines, and other edible and useful things. I knew that Nita and Darita were trying to watch for anything they recognized as a useful medicinal plant.

Lanita and I were riding wide of the group too. Nosey had wanted to come with us, alas he had his travois duty and he'd stayed with the freight haulers, even though it was obvious he hadn't liked it.

The Calak was traveling generally west-southwest and Lanita and I were basically paralleling them but probably a quarter mile to the north side. Just before it was time for our noon break I caught the scent of what could only be another Calak, and it was probably half a mile northeast of where we were.

I took Lanita back to the group at the break and asked my mates, Denac, Jekaycey, and Shaton if they wanted to ride out and see if we could find the Calak I'd sniffed out.

"We could go I guess," Shaton said. "Do you have some reason you think we should?"

"No pressing need that I know of, I just feel that it might be good to introduce ourselves."

"We've done that before and it won't hurt anything. I'll stay here, but I think it might be good to at least make contact with them," Caloe said, and that sealed the deal.



-------

Chapter 33


By the time we were within five hundred or so yards of the Calak I knew something was wrong, and I signaled for a halt.

"I can smell sickness at the Calak, and I think it is from wounded men. I even think I could smell that some of them are dead, newly dead," I said.

"Can you be sure it isn't some disease?" Shaton asked.

"No, I can't be sure, but I don't think that's what it is. Maybe I should go ahead and check to be sure. I will signal you with two quick shots if it seems safe for you to come ahead. If it is more than two, wait for me here for at least an hour, and then return to the others if I don't come back in that time."

They agreed and I went ahead. I found much distress in the Calak when I got there. They were so distracted they weren't even amazed by me riding up on a cashda. I dismounted and hobbled Red about a hundred yards from their camp and then walked in.

It was a smaller Calak than ours; actually it was more like the normal size, probably twenty-five adults, and maybe five or six children of various ages. The alarming thing was I could see several dead bodies and a few more men lying on the ground, obviously injured. As I approached, three women came to meet me.

"My name is Carl. My Calak is moving through not far from here. I came to see if you were having problems and to ask if you needed help. We have two healing women," I said.

"How did you even know we were here?" the obvious leader of the three asked.

"Are you the leader's mate?" I asked her.

"I was. He was killed in the night. I ask again how you knew we were here?"

"I am Meseeka. My sense of smell is very acute. I could smell your Calak from where I was riding, and when we came to introduce ourselves I could smell injury and death," I said.

The other two women gasped when I told them, but the leader's widow only asked another question.

"You said we, are there other's with you?" she asked.

"Yes. My mates, our Zakat, and a friend stayed back and let me come to make sure it wasn't disease that I sensed," I said.

"Oh. That was wise of them, and yes, if you can help we would appreciate it. My name is Mayta, this is Shalene and this is Geeta," she said, pointing to the other two women.

"Do not be alarmed, but I am going to make two loud noises to signal the others to come here," I said, and after they nodded understanding I pulled the Glock and fired two shots into the ground.

They still flinched at the noise and the others in the camp were all looking our way now, but none of them approached. Shaton and the rest of my group rode up shortly and everyone except Nita stopped and hobbled their mounts near Red to walk the rest of the way. Nita rode right up to me, handing me her reins and taking her medical bag from where it was tied to her saddle before she dismounted.

"Can you send someone back to the others to ask Darita to come also," she asked me.

"Yes, do what you can and I'll send for her and the rest of the medicine," I said, and she headed to what was obviously the Calak's own healing woman, who was bent over attending to an injured man.

When the others reached me Shaton and Denac said they would go back for Darita, while Shaeta, Jekaycey, Katia, and even Lanita went on to the camp to help.

"Can you tell me what happened?" I asked Mayta.

"Yes. A group of six loners came yesterday and wanted to join our Calak. We told them that there were only two unmated women here and that we felt no more than two of them should join us. The largest of them wanted to fight to see if he would be accepted and so it was done. Zakat defeated him, but we did accept him into our Calak; however, he did not want to join us after he was defeated and they all left.

"I thought it was very odd that he had been accepted but then didn't want to join, but it didn't seem to matter. It did matter though. Last night they all crept into our camp. They made some noises outside, pulling at the hut where we store our hides. It woke Zakat and he went out to see if it might be a wolf or something else trying to steal meat.

"As best we can tell, three of them were waiting outside the hut, and they attacked Zakat with clubs and knives as he came outside. He shouted and the other men woke and came out to help him.

"Our men were able to drive them off, killing four of them and wounding the other two, but they killed Zakat and another man, and wounded five more. Natalia, our healing woman says two of our men will probably die from sickness of their wounds," Mayta said.

"That is awful. Our Zakat was wounded badly a few weeks ago and it was also by a band of loners, or by their leader at least. They were holding women captive, women from a Calak they attacked in the night also. They had killed all the men, and some of them even killed all the male children," I said.

"We heard of that, from a younger male that was wounded in the attack. He found his way to us and we have been trying to help him recover, but he still has a fever that Natalia cannot seem to cure," Mayta said.

"Maybe Darita and Nita can help him too. Our Zakat had a bad infection also, but they were able to cure it. They will probably be busy for now, but will look at him when they are done with the wounded here," I said.

Denac and Shaton came riding back up then, with Darita, Caloe, Caltort, and Shata in tow. They all dismounted near Red, except Darita, who rode on to me, leaving me her mount to deal with.

Caloe was the first of the others to reach us, and I introduced her to Mayta, and the others and let her take over the conversation while I went to see if I could help Nita and Darita with their work.

Almost right away I saw why Natalia had thought at least one of the men wouldn't make it. He was sliced across his abdomen from one side to the other, just above his navel. The other one had an even longer wound down and across his back. Without serious disinfection and stitches both of them would probably die of infection. Just then I thought of something in my steamer trunk that hadn't crossed my mind since I joined Shaton's Calak, soap.

I had two unopened bars of Ivory and one partially used one. They weren't disinfectant soap or anything like that, but I knew they would go a long way toward cleaning the wounds, if the men could stand it. I called Nita to me and explained. She thought it was worth a try.

I hobbled the horses Nita and Darita had ridden up and took Red's hobbles off and mounted. I knew there'd be a lot of fumbling around looking for my soap, since the trunk was on a travois now, instead of its cart, but there was no help for it. Right at the last I asked Caloe who was in charge of our group.

"I didn't tell anyone anything, I just came along. Shata, perhaps you should go back and get them settled in for a short stay," she said, and Shata agreed so Denac took the hobbles off the horse she'd ridden here.

It didn't take Shata and I long to get back. She took over and let everyone know we'd be staying here at least for tonight. Chalti helped me get my trunk off the travois and I found the soap and my soft bristle hairbrush almost right away. I also grabbed the eight-quart saucepan that I hadn't used in quite a while.

Nita was waiting for me when I got back, and I took a few minutes to explain what she needed to do with the soap. I felt stupid for not using it on Shaton when he was wounded; then again, I hadn't had it with me then either. She looked a little dubious. So I explained that it was going to hurt like hell to the men, but that it would be worth it to save their lives, even if they didn't think so while they were being treated. I suggested that she have them bite on something leather while she was working.

Damned if that hadn't been prophetic. They did use a folded piece of leather to keep from screaming and from the way they bit down on it and the way the muscles in their necks and back corded up it was plain that they needed it.

I watched the whole thing, on both of them. I wanted to make sure that Nita scrubbed hard enough without overdoing it. I needn't have worried; she did it exactly as I would have. They both ended up with a nice pink foam over their cuts.

There had been a slight delay after we boiled the brush in the saucepan so we could boil some more water for rinsing and let it cool. Here and now there just wasn't a good way to cool boiled water, and we had to go through the whole thing twice.

Stitching them up was another amazing torture for the two. Of course the needles had to be boiled also, and I worried about what we'd do when the little bit of sterile suture I had was used up, but that was a worry for another day.

Of course the other men had assorted big gashes that needed to be dealt with too, and it required the same amount of boiling the brush and the water for each iteration. It was nearly dark before Nita, Darita, and Natalia finished with all the patients.

The young male from Nita's former Calak was the last one they looked at. Nita was glad to see him alive, after thinking he'd been dead all this time. She asked me to look at him with her.

His wound was healed by now, but it only took the back of my hand against his forehead to tell he was still running a low-grade fever. I was certain that a course of penicillin would fix him up, sooner or later, and we started him with half of a one-thousand milligram tablet.

Since I assumed we were finished doctoring, I was happy. It turned out that we still needed to give more instructions though. Everyone assumed that the men should return to their huts, but I put my foot down. The nights were warm now and there was nothing in the huts that could do them any good and plenty in them, where people lived so closely together, that could do them harm. There was a lot of grousing and complaining but I had to insist, and finally Mayta backed me up.

In the first place we didn't even have anything for proper bandages. The Calak had supplied some of their thinnest skins for wraps, but there hadn't been time to boil them and then dry them, and I had considered them the lesser of two evils. I didn't intend to take any more chances.

Denac had arranged for the bedding for my mates, Lanita, and I to be brought here and he'd even sent my steamer trunk, in case I might need something out of it. I considered it a good way to lead by example since we would be sleeping in the open too. I did realize that I'd been lax by not teaching my people to make soap though, and I intended to cure that lapse as soon as we were settled into our new home.

Sleeping out in the open made sure that we'd be awake at first light the next morning. Nita, Darita, and Natalia went to check their patients and administer the next dose of penicillin as soon as they were dressed, while Shaeta and Katia helped the Calack's women with breakfast.

Not five minutes after we'd finished eating, Denac rode up and told me that Caloe wanted to speak to me as soon as I could get back to their campsite, so I saddled Red, told my mates and Lanita about the summons, and then Denac and I rode back.

Caloe didn't waste much time with preliminaries.

"I would like for you and your family to stay here with these people while the rest of us finish this trip. While you are here I want you to convince them to join us. They are too small to stay separate now, and they don't even have a Zakat. Mayta doesn't think any of the remaining men will make a suitable Zakat, but she is hesitant to have them join us," Caloe said.

"Do you have any idea why she is hesitant, and do you think I can be more convincing than you were?" I asked.

"I actually think she is more traditional than we are. I believe she would accept things gracefully if you offered to fight for the leadership of their Calak. You know that it is probable you would have no trouble doing it. It is likely that none of the remaining men would even fight to be Zakat," Caloe told me.

"Don't you think they would resent it?" I asked.

"That is something you need to discuss with Mayta, but under the circumstances I don't believe any of them will be offended. Many times men know they are not fit to be Zakat, and often they do not want to be."

"What of Mayta. Where will she expect to end up?" I asked, since I had a suspicion about it.

"Usually, when a Zakat is killed and his mate is a widow, she joins the family of the man that replaces him."

"Is that the only way?" I asked.

"There is never an only way. It might well be acceptable for her to become another mate for Shaton, if you do not intend to try for leadership in our Calak again."

"I do not intend that at all. I believe you know by now that I can do much more for our Calak if I am not Zakat. I will do my best to convince her either way, but I would rather she join you and Shaton. I think she was a good leader for them and she can probably be much help for you, if you will allow it," I said.

"Shaton and I have always been together and we have never considered another mate for him. I will admit that I am curious about it, especially now that I see how well you and your family do. I believe I would like it."

Needless to say this sort of negotiation was baffling to me. Think about trying to convince an American wife that she would be happier if she had a co-wife if you want insight into what I was thinking. I agreed to talk with Mayta though, and see what she had on her mind.

I didn't rush right back to the other camp, for obvious reasons. I was trying to think of ways to approach this little meeting with Mayta. Finally I decided to just see if she'd spit out what she had in mind.

There was still plenty of time for a talk before lunch when I got back, so I looked Mayta up. When I suggested that she bring her Calak into ours she didn't waste much time with double talk.

"I think it would be better if you entered our Calak as Zakat and then made that decision, or let your mates make it," she said, in as succinct a job of getting to the heart of the matter as I think I'd ever heard.

"I will be glad to do that, as long as you understand taking us into the other Calak is what I will do."

"Caloe told me you were probably the smartest and most plain spoken man I would ever meet. I see that she was right. You wouldn't want to be Zakat of your own Calak? Wouldn't you rather be our Zakat than be a member of that Calak?"

"No, for several reasons. The main one being I could be Zakat of that Calak if I wanted to be a Zakat. I won my fight with the Zakat when I entered the Calak. I refused to be the Zakat and let Shaton remain in that position," I said.

"I did not know that, and it makes me wonder why?"

"Because I was about to be mated and it would be the first Calak I'd have been in. I wasn't raised in a Calak. I knew that I wasn't up to the job. At that time I didn't even realize that the women made all the decisions," I said, and it was clear that I'd shocked her with it.

"But now, don't you think you and your mates can do an acceptable job as leaders of the Calak?"

"I'm sure that we could do an acceptable job, but it wouldn't be as good a job as Shaton and Caloe do, and it would be a waste of my best talents. I can do much more for the Calak if I'm free to be away from it when I need to be," I said.

"I don't understand how that can be."

"It would sound too much like bragging if I told you everything, and you might not believe me anyway. Three or four days in our Calak would convince you though.

"You haven't asked about the cashda we are riding, but I will tell you that I captured them all. It was my idea to do it, and I am the one who taught the others how to train the cashda to carry them and to work with the travois.

"Another reason that I would not hesitate to join them if I were Zakat here is the place they are going to live. It is by far the best place I have seen for a Calak. There are two large caves there, and either one would easily hold twice the numbers of the combined Calaks."

"But from what Caloe told me it would be a larger Calak than any I've ever heard of. How will we be able to find enough food and game?"

"We are already taking enough meat with us to last for half a year, and we have nearly eighty live thaka at our last camp that we will be moving to the new location as soon as we can. There are more than a dozen of the Calak staying at our last camp to tend them until we can come back for them.

"Also, since we now have the cashda to ride, we can roam much farther for game and we can bring it back more easily."

"I see, but what of me. Will you take me as one of your mates if you can become Zakat here?"

"That is up to you. I would gladly take you as another mate, but I will not remain Zakat when we rejoin my original Calak. I will also tell you that Caloe hopes you will mate with she and Shaton. With a Calak so large she will need the help," I said, and it was easy to see that it closed the deal.

"Very well. If you can win the fight, we will do as you think best. I also think that joining Caloe as another mate for Shaton will be best for me," she said.

"Good. I'm sure it will be best for all of us. Do any of the men here wish to fight me for Zakat?" I asked.

"I think Mondaut will. He is the largest man here, and I think it will be best if you win, but he is very strong," she said.

"I will do my best not to hurt him," I said, and it made her mouth drop open in surprise.



-------

Chapter 34


Once our talk was over, Mayta made the happy announcement that I wanted to be the next Zakat. After Mondaut put forward his own claim for the spot it didn't take long to gather a crowd. Of course my mates and Lanita fretted a little, and if I hadn't been so sure of the technique he'd use I might have done a little fretting myself.

Mondaut wasn't quite as tall as Denac, but he wasn't far off it. He was probably an inch shorter, but I figured he might be as much as twenty pounds heavier. The comforting thing was he seemed to be running a little to seed. At least it was apparent that he was carrying a little more padding than Denac, though you wouldn't call him fat by any means.

Once we were facing each other across the grassy plane, Mondaut showed me the first difference in style. He was waiting for me to charge just like I usually waited for others. It was going to be a damned long fight if he kept it up. He didn't though. When he saw I wasn't going to budge he started his charge.

Now that he was back to what I'd expected, I started toward him at full speed, slipping past right at the last and tripping him. He was faster than I'd expected because he was back on his feet before I'd stopped and turned around. He came at me again and as usual he had his arms wide this time.

I charged too, but instead of trying to sidestep, I lowered my shoulder and let him have it right in the chest. I didn't wrap him up and drive him into the ground though, but I didn't really need to, and I could tell he was stunned. I backed off and waited for his next move.

There wasn't a next move. I guess he'd figured out by now that he didn't stand a chance, and it wasn't like he had to make a good showing to join the Calak, he was already a member. I was counting on him to be a big asset for our combined group.

Mayta asked me if I wanted her to tell everyone that we'd be joining my former Calak, and I told her I'd appreciate it.

She must have told the women while they were cooking and naturally the women told their men. I didn't see anyone that looked disturbed about the news or even surprised. That was great with me. The food was also a welcome change. Some of it was familiar of course, but there was definitely a different flavor; not better necessarily, but different and equally as tasty. My mealtime buddy even commented on it.

"Daddy, this lunch taste different. It is good too though. I think I like it," Lanita said.

"I know I like it, and just think, the cooks are joining us."

"Yes, I'm glad of it, even though I feel sorry for the men that were hurt and killed, and for their mates too. Still, it will be better, especially now that we have found Slidaha. I always liked him and he was nice to me. There are also some children near my age, and I'll get to show them to Nosey," she said.

"Yes you will, and it looks like you'll get to show them sooner than you thought. Look behind you."

"Nosey, did you get lonesome for me?" she asked him, after she'd turned around and spotted his approach.

Nosey replied with a couple of good hee haws that got the attention of everyone. He walked on up to us and I think the little snort he gave was to show his displeasure about being left behind. All was right after some ear scratching though.

After lunch was over Lanita and Nosey struck out to visit and meet the children here. Nita came back to fetch me and we joined Darita and Natalia for a walk around visit to all the patients.

Slidaha was first on the list, and he was doing even better than I'd expected. The beginning double dose and the two subsequent doses of penicillin had done wonders for him. The two men that were in the worst shape seemed remarkably improved too. There had never been a chance for infection to get started on them, and though they were certainly weak and very sore, their wounds already appeared to be healing.

The only one with a setback was a man who had a long gash on his outer thigh. I knew it had been carefully stitched by Nita, but most of the stitches were torn out now, and Natalia told me he refused to rest, saying he was not hurt badly enough to lay around.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked him, after I looked at the secondary mess he'd made of his wound.

"Yes, you are my new Zakat," he said.

"Good, I'm glad you understand. The healing women will have to clean your wound once more and then sew it together again. You are injured and I will not waste medicine on you if you refuse to do as the healing women say.

"When they are finished this time, you will lie still on your pallet until they give permission for you to move around," I said, making sure he didn't think it was a suggestion.

"But my wound is not that bad," he said.

"And how do you know more about it than the healing women? If you continue to defy them, I will have your pallet put on a wooden frame and have you tied to it. Do not keep acting as if you were a naughty child," I said, and left before he made me slap him.

The whole little scene just reinforced my decision not to be a Zakat, or not for long anyway. It also made me wish for plaster of Paris. With just a little of it we could have put his whole leg in a cast, so there'd be no chance he could open the wound again. The itching inside the cast that would come later would also have been poetic justice for his recalcitrance.

It was a big surprise to me that the one dumbass was practically all I had to deal with. Well, he and Mayta too. She had distanced herself from her position of authority, and it was overloading my mates with questions from the other women. I found her for another short talk.

"Mayta, you were the Zakat's mate here and these are still your people. You will be the Zakat's mate again as soon as we join my other Calak. I'd appreciate it if you would just act as if everything here was basically the same, as far as you can. I will back up any decision that you make, have no fears about your authority," I told her, as soon as we were away from the others.

"Very well, I was unsure of my position."

"Well don't be. My mates and I don't want to manage a Calak. You already know how to do a wonderful job and we would appreciate it if you kept on doing it. I'm sure that all your members will appreciate it also," I said.

This bother could have been avoided by using my head a little bit in the first place. I had taken Mayta for granted and left her wondering what was going to happen. I should have spent a little time asking for her assistance in the first place, instead of assuming she would just keep doing what she'd been doing all along. Well, it was fixed now, I hoped. I left to find Nosey and Lanita.

Alas, they'd thrown me over for the company of other children. Nosey was standing around looking smug if you asked me. Lanita and the children were bringing him pulled up grass by the handful, except for the smallest girl, who was busily attending to the scratching of his ears. The Life of Riley popped into my head as I watched.

When I told Shaeta I was heading back for another talk with Caloe she said she'd let the others know. I saddled Red again and took off and it was a good thing I did.

The first thing I saw when I arrived was Denac, and he, Chalti, and Dastar were loading two travois with meat that we'd cured in the smokehouse and other stored food.

"What is happening Denac?"

"Caloe asked us to send two travois of food to your Calak," he said.

"I'd rather you didn't. Would you hold on for a few minutes until I talk to her?"

"Yes, we will wait," he told me.

I found Caloe and told her I appreciated the thought but wanted to decline.

"But why? If they don't need the food we can just bring it with us when we come back to get them," she said.

"I know, but food isn't the problem. Most of their men and women too are sitting around with nothing to do but think about the attack and what they've lost. I want to take all the men hunting and bring back something for the women to work on," I said.

"I should have thought of that myself. It is an excellent idea," she said.

"I would like to take two Clydesdale mares with me though, so I can start showing them what a help they are, if it is all right."

"Of course it is fine. You brought us all the Clydesdales, and all the other cashda too. Take all that you need, and if Denac and Dastar can help, take them too."

It was back to Denac then to give him the new plan. I'd been afraid he'd be a little put out about having to load the meat and food and then having to turn around and unload it. He might have been until I asked if he'd come and help me.

"Yes, I'll be glad to and I know Jekaycey will too. Go on back to your Calak and she and I will bring the cashda after we unload the travois."

"Shall I come too?" Dastar asked.

"I would appreciate it if you can, but there may be some work," I said.

"I will be glad to come and I know that Jaylea will too. No matter if you find work I'll still like it. The things you do are always interesting. We will come with Denac," he said, and I headed back.

Back at my new kingdom I asked Mayta if the women could handle cleaning a few thaka or qaka.

"Yes, easily, but we don't need the meat very badly. Do you need to hunt for the others?" she asked.

"No, I had to go over and stop them from sending two travois of cured meat and other food. I want to have a hunt to take our men's minds off the attack, and I thought it would help the women if they had something to do also, unless there is too much for them now," I said.

"No, there isn't really enough right now, and you have made a wonderful suggestion. By all means, take the men hunting. It will do them good even if you don't find anything," she said.

I went to find Mondaut next, and surprised him by giving him my name right away. Of course he knew it already but now I was officially telling him my name. Even though it was obviously a surprise, he replied with his.

"I need your help. I do not know the men yet but I want to have a short hunt. Can you go to the others and see if any of them want to come with me?"

"Of course I can, and I'm sure they will all want to come. It is too bad about the man you chastised for tearing his wound back open. He is the best hunter in the Calak and I'm sure he will be disappointed that he cannot go," he said.

"Let me go talk to him before any of the others can tell him then. Once I'm with him, then you can start telling them," I said, and he agreed.

Kneeling beside the jackass, I told him my name was Carl. It seemed a little odd, but he told me he was Jalta almost right away.

"I've been told that you are the best hunter in this Calak. Is it true?" I asked.

"It was, before this injury," he said, and seemed like he might sull up again.

"It will be again if you let that heal properly. If you do let it heal, I will show you a new weapon that is better than anything you have ever seen. It will let you make a kill from a hundred yards away if you learn to use it well," I said.

"What kind of weapon could let me do that?" he asked, obviously curious now.

"It is called a bow and it uses arrows to kill. We have not made any yet, but I know how and we have men in our Calak who are very good at making things from wood. The arrows are like small spears, but the bow flings them out very far and very fast. It will take much practice, but you will be able to do well with it."

"And you will show me how to make one and how to use it?" he asked.

"I will, though it will probably be better if the men I mentioned make them. You will get all the help you can use if you want to make your own though."

"It seems odd that you would offer to do this for me after I caused the extra trouble," he said.

"It is called the carrot and the stick approach?" I said.

"What?"

"I have already threatened you with the stick, now I am showing you the carrot," I said.

"But what is a carrot?"

"It is something good to eat, but I haven't seen any here yet. That is just what the method is called. I have told you the bad part and now I am offering a reward if you will do as I ask," I said.

"I think I understand then. If you will show me the new weapon, I will not do one thing unless the healing women say I can," he said, and I could tell it was a promise.

"Good, then I can tell you some bad news. I am taking all the men who aren't injured and who want to go on a hunt. It is to give them something to do and take their minds off what happened with the attack.

"I told you about the bow and arrows to help keep your mind off the attack and your injury. Believe me, you will be very happy with the bow and arrows. Not to mention having a cashda to carry kills back for you without even the need to clean or gut them," I said, and it was easy to see that was another carrot.

I made sure all my mates and Lanita knew what I was up to, and then met with the men Mondaut had gathered. They all had their spears, and I had my Glock and M1 but I didn't intend to use them unless it was necessary. Denac and Dastar had arrived and they would be leading the Clydesdales.

A short conference with Mondaut set us in the direction he thought would be best for hunting and we were off. Twenty minutes later I caught the scent of five thaka and told them. They seemed skeptical but with a few words from Denac and Dastar they were willing to withhold judgment.

We slowed our pace considerably and managed to find the small group of prey. There were four cows and one bull, plus three nursing calves. Since they were a little larger than Buttercup, I thought we might as well try roping them after their parents were deceased.

When I told the new men that plan they were astonished, but they agreed to try making sure they didn't injure any of the calves. Since he knew the men much better, I let Mondaut organize the kill, and I could tell he'd come up with a good plan. They stalked slowly up to and around the thaka and on his signal the spears flew. It was a done deal.

Now the calves were standing around wondering what in the hell was wrong with their mammas. Denac and I approached them slowly, swinging our loops.

Damned if we didn't both make a catch with our first throw. The calves were quite agitated now, especially the ones we'd caught. The other one backed off about fifty yards and watched the proceedings closely.

Denac and I reeled ourselves up to our captives next, but took our time doing it. When we reached the calves we spent about fifteen minutes gentling them as best we could while the other calf and all the men, except Dastar, looked on with amazement.

Finally I thought that Dastar might be able to keep control of the one I had by using a couple of thongs, and I asked him and the others to approach slowly and in as non-threatening a manner as they could.

Dastar and I tied the thongs into a loop and lead rope, such as it was, for the calf I had, and I took my lariat back to try for the other one. Damn, that was a job and a half.

It took nearly half an hour to shuffle up close enough for a quick throw, since the calf was very wary to begin with. I think Denac and Dastar leading his mates off finally did the trick though. I snagged him with my first try and while a couple of the other men and I tried to gentle him, Denac and Dastar gave the remaining hunters some quick travois building instructions that they probably didn't need.

They did require advice for putting the travois on the cashda though but it went smoothly. When they finally discovered that we'd just be loading the dead thaka onto the travois, without the bother of cutting off any parts, they were fully in favor of our new methods.

Later, when we came back into camp with five dead but still whole thaka and leading the three calves the Calak's original women were surprised, but very happy, and they took to skinning and gutting with a will.

They were especially happy that it hadn't taken nearly as long as they'd expected and there was still plenty of time before dark for them to finish. The only thing that gave them pause was the appearance of the live calves.

Lanita and Nosey took charge of them right away though, and the other children joined in shortly. The calves were well on their way to being pets before any parts of their mothers were even roasting. We were well fed and ready for sleep by the time our late supper was done, and Lanita was especially happy about the, now hobbled, companions for Buttercup.

My mates and my furs were welcome when I finally was able to make my way into them.



-------

Chapter 35


Damnation! I wondered what in the hell Nosey was up to at this hour of the night. I knew I must have been asleep for hours, but I also knew it was at least a couple more before dawn. No matter, I was awake now, and I made my way out of the furs and started on with my clothes.

As questions started flowing from my mates I finally got a whiff of what Nosey was complaining about, and I wanted to go kiss him. It was a vendal, probably about six hundred yards or so from us.

"It's a vendal, not very far away either, wake everyone," I said, to my mates.

By the time I was dressed it was obvious that they wouldn't need to wake many, and I was glad to see that Mayta and most of the other women were building up the main fire, and a couple of others. I made my way to Jalta's pallet.

"I know you want to get up, but don't. I'll have someone bring your spears for you and I want you to stay here unless the vendal makes it past me. Your job is to protect the women and children if it comes to that," I said, and he agreed but he didn't like it one bit.

It wasn't even necessary to ask anyone to fetch his spears though, because Mondaut came up with six of them in his hands a few seconds later. I could also see that others were arming the rest of the wounded men. I stood and told all them the same thing I'd told Jalta.

With that settled I found one of my flashlights in my saddlebags and turned to the group of able bodied men to give them a pep talk.

"Stay here at camp to guard the women and children. I think I can take care of the vendal, but I need the rest of you to stay here in case I can't. It isn't very close yet and it might not even come here. If it tries I will stop it," I said.

"Will you use the weapon you told me about?" Jalta asked, from his pallet.

"No. I have an even better weapon, but I can't make more of them for others. I wish I could. I have already killed a vadeesey with it and the vendal should be easier. Still, it is never a sure thing, especially in the night. You will hear the loud noise when I use it," I said, then I flicked on the light and headed for the smell.

As I left camp I realized again what a great help my unnatural sense of smell was to me here. It was too damned bad my eyesight didn't work better as well, but it didn't. I felt that I could see a little better in the dark, but it wasn't so apparent. When I was clear of the campfire's light I switched off the flashlight and stopped to let my eyes adjust.

Of course the two moons were doing a great job, but even they weren't so much help in the forest, still I could get around without tripping on things and my nose was leading the way.

I'd guessed that the vendal was somehow following our scent trail back from where we'd made our kills earlier in the day, but when I found it I knew that was wrong. It was minding its own business, scratching around under a large fallen and rotting tree, probably digging for grubs or some such. What the hell, that was his bad luck.

No matter, it was too damned close to our camp to let be. I took a rest on a low limb probably a hundred and fifty yards from it and held the flashlight alongside the M1's barrel, switching it back on again.

The light caught the vendal's eye right away and he looked directly toward me. I shined the light right in his eyes, hoping to ruin his night vision, and left it there for several seconds. Then I moved the light down toward its chest and tried to pick it up through the scope. When I managed to I shot twice, waited a few seconds and shot twice again.

He was wounded for sure, but not down yet, even though it was obvious I'd done a lot of damage. I put my eye to the scope again and managed two more shots. They must have been good hits also, because he was knocked down. I kept the light on him and waited, watching. He never made it back up, though he tried for a few minutes. Finally he slumped completely to the ground.

Approaching cautiously, I kept the light on him as I slung the M1 back on my shoulder and pulled the Glock. When I got close I could see that he was still breathing, but there was also a lot of blood running out of his mouth. I watched for nearly ten minutes until breathing got very ragged and then stopped, then I returned to camp.

"He is dead," I said, as soon as I was back.

"It is a miracle," Mayta said, right away.

"No, not a miracle, but damned lucky at that. Is anyone up for helping me load it onto a travois so we can bring it to camp?" I asked, and every man there was.

Mondaut had even paid enough attention earlier so that he could hitch a mare to the travois, put on her lead rope, and take off her hobbles. In minutes we were ready to leave to pick up our bonus meals. A loud Hello the camp from the direction of Caloe's Calak brought us to a halt before we'd even started.

It was Denac, come to see what the trouble had been and to make sure we didn't need more help.

"It was just a vendal, Denac. It wasn't even headed our way, but Nosey smelled it and woke us up. I guess he thinks it's better to be safe than sorry," I said.

"Nosey is right, and I assume no one was hurt."

"No one but the vendal. It is waiting peacefully in the woods for us to come and give it a ride to camp," I said.

"Naturally, to a man like you who had already killed a vadeesey by himself, a vendal is of little import," Denac said, and then laughed at me.

"Well, it didn't keep my ass from puckering, if that's what you're asking."

"There is no shame in that. I might as well go and help you load it," he said, and came along with us.

By the time we had the damned big thing back in camp false dawn was starting. I was glad for the meat and the big fur by now, but also glad we'd gone to sleep as soon after dark as we could. Denac had already gone back to his furs, or more likely to his breakfast. The others intended to leave nearly at first light.

The early morning vendal killing seemed to give the whole Calak a new confidence, especially in me. I didn't mind, but also didn't fail to tell them all that Nosey was the one who spread the alarm. No doubt the concept of a watch donkey was new to them, but it was apparent Nosey had gained quite a few friends anyway.

Breakfast was good and the early start had me ready for it. We didn't have the handy logs for mealtime here, but I found a nice big rock that let me sit and hold Lanita in my lap. We enjoyed our meal and then went to visit with our stock while the women were cleaning up.

I spent most of the time before lunch meeting, greeting, and getting to know the people. We'd soon be joining Caloe and Shaton's Calak but it would be better on these people if they were familiar with someone. I also happened to make a great discovery of my own.

Jocato exchanged names with me as soon as I approached him. I had been wondering what he was up to, and he was happy to show me. Jocato had discovered some iron of his own. When I asked he said that it had fallen from the sky. When I told him that we'd done the same thing he wanted to know if we'd been able to make anything from the metal.

"We haven't yet, but we collected very much of it. We are going to set up a special fire to heat it in at our new location," I said.

"I have tried heating it, and it does help a little, but I have only been able to pound the smallest pieces into anything useful. It seems that the material would help in many ways, but it is difficult to work with," he said.

"You will get plenty of time to work with it and some good tools too when we get to the new site. I will also teach you how to make a much hotter fire. When you can get the metal to glow red from the heat it is easier to work."

"Doesn't that make it too hot to pound on. Won't it burn your hand as you strike it with a rock?" he asked.

"It would if you used a rock, but I have some hammers made of similar material and they have a handle attached to them. You can pound the metal without the need for your hand to get near it."

"Yes, that would work, I should have thought of it myself. I am anxious to try this when we join the others," he said.

Lanita was waiting patiently on the rock when our lunch was delivered and I was glad to have a chance to talk to all my mates. I had been paying more attention to what they were up to this morning than they thought I had been.

"I saw you gathering the teeth and claws from the vendal, are you perhaps planning to enhance a certain necklace?" I asked, and they all blushed.

"You have caught us," Katia said, finally.

"I think we should discuss this before you get any farther along. I wouldn't mind wearing a necklace with a few of the teeth and claws, but with all of them it is just too big. It is already too big even before you add more," I said.

"But with more it will be even more impressive," Nita said.

"And who is impressed when it stays in the hut because it is already too big and cumbersome to wear?"

"He is right. He hasn't worn it but the one time," Shaeta said.

"It just so happens that I now have something that will make the necklace much easier to make. I will show you how to use it, and then you can make a necklace for all of us from both sets of teeth and claws.

"Don't you think it will be even more impressive when I provide a necklace for all my mates and children?" I asked, and I could see the light shining.

"That is an excellent plan," Katia said, and they all grinned and then came over to give me a little impromptu petting.

"Now, when will you show us the new way to make the necklaces?" Nita asked, after they'd all given me a couple of kisses and patted my ass a time or two.

"As soon as we get to the new caves. It would be to much of a distraction to start on that now," I said.

"Well, we can wait," Shaeta said.

They all went back to work but Lanita and I decided to take a ride, so we saddled Jeffry and Red, called Nosey and took off. We went to the main trail we'd been on first and sure enough the others were gone.

We kept exploring but didn't find anything worth mentioning, and we headed back to the Calak about two hours before lunch.

It was a little odd for me, but I was bored. Lanita and Nosey joined the other children. They were still enthused with the calves and even happier when Nosey and Lanita came to join them. For me though there wasn't really much to do.

More hunting would be senseless, since with the late night vendal hunt we now had more meat than we could possibly use during the few days we'd be here. The vendal would provide a little variety, but was really just overkill for our supplies. I could see that most of the men were sitting around without much to do either.

What the hell, I walked over to the closest one and asked if he'd check with the others to see if any of them wanted to get started on learning to work with the cashda, and he started asking around right away.

If I'd thought far enough ahead it would have been nice to have kept a couple of saddles that would fit the mares the others had left with us. I hadn't though so it would only be training them to lead. Still, it was better than nothing.

Every man showed up to watch and learn, every damned one of them. They even carried the pallets of the two with the worst wounds and Jalta, who couldn't really walk without doing damage to his stitches.

Using my head for something this time, I realized that Red and the girl's mares could do fine for leading practice, and even Jeffry seemed like he wouldn't mind training a few men himself. So we had a respectable number to work with.

It turned out better than I'd first thought it would. These men didn't know anything about it after all, and they were anxious to learn. It was mostly talking and giving hints for me, but I enjoyed it, it passed the time until lunch, and I could tell that the men appreciated my efforts.

After the break for lunch we got right back to it, and this afternoon I showed them how to attach a travois and we let Jalta and the other two non-ambulatory patients take a ride on it. Hell, they'd have to make a real trip on one in a few days, so they might as well find out what it was going to be like.

After supper that night Katia asked if I was going to start teaching the men to ride also. I explained that the saddles for Gertrude and Matilda had gone along with the others, to our new camp.

"Surely our saddles will do for a day or two," she said.

"Of course they would work well enough, but your new Zakat was too stupid to think of them. He was also too dumb to see about teaching some of the women to ride also," I said.

"You can't think of everything Daddy. You even forgot to ask Jeffry and I if we would teach the children that are large enough to learn," Lanita said.

"Well, at least we will have something useful to do tomorrow," I said, and promptly laid down to sleep.

I was the one who had to be roused out the next morning, but Lanita didn't wait very long. She began tickling me from her perch on my chest as soon as all my mates were gathered around to watch my eyes open.

"What a nice way to wake up in the morning," I said, "The only thing better I could think of would be breakfast in bed."

"Oh, Daddy, even you aren't that lazy. Get out of the furs and put your clothes on. We need to check on our stock," Lanita said, so I did.

While my mates headed for the cooking fire Lanita and I found bushes to water and fertilize, then we headed for Nosey and the three calves. We weren't even bothering with hobbles for the calves, since Nosey was easily capable of keeping them in line. A donkey that wasn't afraid to bite a full grown Clydesdale mare on the ass for encouragement wasn't afraid of three young thaka in the least. Besides, from the way the children had been petting the calves since they'd come here, we probably couldn't drive them off if we wanted to.

Apparently there'd been some discussion about the difference in the way this Calak usually prepared food and the way Caloe's did, because this morning the difference was more noticeable and also changed a little too. I asked my mates about it while I was stuffing in all I could.

"They use some different herbs and spices and do a few other things differently too. We are having vendal this morning and, to me, they do a better job with it than I've ever tasted before. It's also more tender," Katia said.

"It is very good," Lanita said, "and not as hard to chew."

The leading and riding lessons were on again after breakfast. We now had two saddles for the men and three for the women and of course Lanita and Jeffry provided the equipment for the children. The time seemed to fly by and lunch arrived sooner than I'd expected.

We had more vendal for lunch, and this time there was a type of vegetable that I didn't recognize in with it. I started to ask what it was but it was all so tasty that I didn't bother. Hell, I wasn't going to do any cooking and who knows, it might have been on a strictly need to know basis. I didn't need to know, I just needed to eat.

We went back to the riding lessons after lunch, and by the end of the day everyone here, except the three that were too badly injured to try it and the two babes in arms, had taken several turns.

About two hours after lunch Denac and Jekaycey rode up to camp, and I was a little surprised they were back so soon, but happy to see them.

"Did we get back sooner than you expected?" Denac asked, after dismounting.

"Yes, but I'm glad to see you anyway. How did you make it so quickly?"

"I owe it all to the quick thinking of my mate. When we arrived at the caves yesterday just shortly before dusk, everyone was too excited to start unpacking yet, they all had to explore. Jekaycey did some of it too but she mentioned to me that if we were up and gone before breakfast that I wouldn't have to help with all the unloading.

"Of course I was all for that, not that I wanted to get out of work or anything, I was just worried about you. Anyway, Jekaycey suggested to Caloe that we would volunteer for the arduous duty of leaving at first light the next morning and coming to make sure everything was going well here. Caloe gave her blessing and here we are," he said, and couldn't help from grinning like a fool.

"Caloe told me she'd send Caltort and some others tomorrow, with plenty of cashda, travois, and both the wagons so we can move your Calak to join our new site," Jekaycey said.

"Aren't we going to be a day or so late making it back for the others and the thaka?" Nita asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Won't they run out of food?" she asked.

"They will probably run out of what we left, but surely they won't starve with eighty or so thaka hanging around. If they go hungry a day from not slaughtering one it is there fault," I said.

"You are right and I didn't even think of that. I'll bet I would have if I were in that spot though," Nita said, and laughed.

Denac asked if I could use he and Jekaycey's mounts in the practice, but I declined. Buster and the mare had done their part today already and no doubt needed a little breather, besides our rotation for training was doing well as it was so we left things as they were until supper and then we ate and went to bed, or to furs.

The next morning we were having vendal again and Jekaycey and Denac both raved over it. It wasn't that it was so much better, or not to me anyway, it was just that it was good and it was different. I guess that did make it better, for a while anyway.

We laid off any equestrian practice today and spent most of the morning making things ready to pack up. We expected Caltort and the others to arrive near sunset today and we'd want to start packing early in the morning.

Caltort and company threw us a curve just after lunch, when he came riding into camp leading both wagons and fifteen men riding and leading fifteen travois Clydesdales. It was overkill for hauling this Calak but I was glad of it anyway.

"How did you get here so soon?" Denac asked Caltort when he dismounted.

"We started after lunch yesterday. Almost everything was unloaded by then, even if it wasn't put away. Caloe asked us to get started and we did. We slept on the trail last night and left at first light," he said.

"Well, it will save a day and that can't hurt a thing



-------

Chapter 36


We had plenty to do for the rest of the day, but none of it was arduous. Mostly packing things we wouldn't need for our next few meals and making travois. We had supper well before the sun set and then were in our furs as it did.

The next moring I was surprised when I woke. Most of the women, including my mates were already cooking. Lanita and I found some convenient bushes and then greeted Nosey and his calves before sitting down to join Denac and wait for food.

We had it soon enough and I watched the others as I ate. I was glad to see that most everyone from Caloe's Calak was mingling with and eating near those of my Calak. It seemed they also realized that these newcomers would need some extra attention to help them feel at home.

Though I'd worried about it a little, loading the three wounded men turned out to be almost no trouble. They could all move under their own power if they were just careful about it. A smart move by Caltort came in very handy too.

I guess he'd assumed that I'd teach the others to ride as quickly as I could, and they had packed a saddle for every travois cashda in the wagons. Since they'd brought so many cashda, and the wagons, no one had to walk. I'm not sure those that were riding in the wagons would ever want to again, but at least they didn't have to walk. We made excellent time.

In fact the women had made sure we would make better time than normal. They had traveling food made up for us and we had lunch without even stoping. Our only breaks were one at midmorning and another at midafternoon and they were just to give the stock a breather. Since Caltort and the others had brought so many cashda, they were all lightly loaded and the pace didn't seem to bother them at all.

Still, there was no chance we'd make it in one day's travel, so we stopped while there was still plenty of light and had a normal meal at suppertime. By going to sleep early again we were well rested for breakfast, and were on our way quickly, reaching our new home about an hour after noon.

I for one was glad to be here, even though I knew I'd be leaving again the next morning, but looking around I saw that no one had moved into the cave yet, and I wondered about it. Caloe clued me in when I asked.

"No one but Matatu has chosen a spot in the new cave. We decided it was his right for first choice since his vision led us here. We also decided it was your right for second choice," she said, smiling at me.

"No, I will not make that choice. My mates can assume that duty," I said.

"You see how smart he is mother? Not only smart enough to get out of being Zakat, he is also smart enought to know his wives know best," Katia said.

"Then his wives should rustle their leaves into the cave and decide on the place they want. Everyone else is waiting on them," Caloe said.

"Yes mother, but we need to know where the cooking fire is going to be. Have you picked out a place for it yet?" Katia asked.

"I'm afraid we'll have to put it outside. If we don't the cave might get too smoky," Caloe asid.

"I don't know. I think there might be a way for the smoke to get out through the top. I don't remember it getting smoky when we were here before, and we built a fire inside," I said, interrupting but not minding if I did.

"I guess we should try that first then. We can make a fire and then pile some leaves on it to make a lot of smoke, that will let us know for sure," Caloe said, and with a few instructions from her it was underway.

As I'd expected, the smoke went nearly striaght up and disappeared. I couldn't tell where it was going but that didn't matter, as long as it left. With that decided my mates convened a pow wow and soon enough they'd make their choice.

It was more of the same for the others after that. I was glad to see that my former Calak wasn't slighted in the choosing order. Mayta was already working well with Caloe, straightening out such details.

While my mates spent the rest of the day getting our new area arranged, I spent my time getting prepared for the trip back to the old campsite tomorrow. We wouldn't be taking any travois with us, since it was senseless to freight empty travois, but we did need to make sure we took enough harness, saddles, and tack - both for the hauling and for the extra people that would be riding back with us.

During supper Lanita had a big decision to make. Of course she wanted to ride Jeffry and go back with me, but she was torn by what she considered her duty to make sure the new thaka calves and the new children were assimilated into the fold here.

"I hate to send you off without me Daddy, but I'm afraid I should stay here and help all the new children get used to their home," she told me, from my lap.

"I understand, cutie pie. Sometimes we must make choices between two things we want to do," I said, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Katia and Shaeta had also decided they needed to stay at the caves to help get things organized, but Nita was going with me in case some medical emergency came up. Nita gave Lanita copious instructions about minding Katia and Shaeta while we were gone. We all heard "Yes mother" from Lanita several times before we went to sleep.

We didn't have to worry about sleeping late in the cave the next morning. Nosey had assumed the duties of alarm donkey. He had walked into the cave, nudged me awake and then done the same for Lanita. We were all up and dressed in a few minutes.

"Daddy, how are you going to be able to do without Nosey on the trip. Remember he is very good at watching out for us while we sleep," Lanita asked, once we were seated on a rock and eating our breakfast.

"Believe it or not, that is something I've been worrying about. We'll have to do the best we can though, because I want Nosey to stay to watch over you, Katia, and Shaeta," I said.

"It's too bad the baby wolves are still so small. They might be able to do things like that later, but they are still too young," Nita said.

"I haven't even checked on them. In fact, I hadn't even thought about them again," I said.

"They were one of the first things I looked for when we got here. Jaylea and Katita have taken over caring for them. They seem to have grown already, but they are still to young to be trained to do anything," Lanita said.

"We'll just have to do the best we can on our own I guess," I said, just as Nosey and two of the other donkeys came up.

I'll swear it seemed that Nosey was introducing us to them, and to make it seem official I named one Wilbur and the other Orville. They actually seemed pleased somehow, but I figured I was making that up.

"I think Nosey has picked them to go with you Daddy," Lanita said, and it did seem like he might have.

Denac, Caltort, and the others that were going joined me shortly and we started hitching the wagon teams and then haltering the cashda that we would be taking along. The wagons were already loaded and after saying a few goodbyes we were off. Damned if Orville and Wilbur didn't follow right along.

Within an hour it was obvious that our main holdup was the speed that the wagons held us too. I didn't have any worries about the wagons standing up to a faster pace, but I knew that Bruca and Charlton were taking an even worse beating than the wagons were.

After we'd stopped for a meal, I suggested that they try saddling and riding one of their lead cashda. They wouldn't be able to use the wagons' brakes but there weren't any real hills that might be dangerous on this trip anyway, especially since the wagons we so lightly loaded. The experiment met with their approval after only five minutes and we were able to pick up the pace a good bit.

It was still too far to try and travel in one day but we knew we were more than halfway there by the time we stopped to warm up some of the traveling food for the night. After we'd eaten and hobbled the cashda we found our furs.

The next morning we ate quickly and headed out again. I knew we'd be lucky to make it to the old site before sunset, but we did, and after unhitching the wagon teams we went on across the river to the ranch. Everyone was glad to see us.

They had run a little short of meat, but instead of slaughtering one of the herd they did a little hunting and got three qaka to tide them over. They were just cooking supper as we arrived, and they even had enough for us.

Of course they wanted to hear the news and they were amazed when Nita started in telling about the other Calak that had joined us.

"But what of their Zakat, will he fight Shaton for leadership?" Jonalton asked.

"He's already fought me once and lost, I don't think he is really anxious to fight me again," I said.

This confused them until my mate sang more of my praises, including the tale of my short lived stint as Zakat. Finally we went to furs again. We needed to be up early in the morning after all.

After breakfast almost all the men crossed the river to load the wagons. It wasn't going to be complicated, it was just going to be a lot of work, and it was.

We were finished by lunch time, but we were also worn out. It's hard to believe how much work it is to load what amounted to small stones. The problem was there were so many of them. My best estimate was over a thousand pounds in each wagon. We spent the rest of the day getting everything else, except the thaka, across the river and loaded onto travois.

I'd have never believed a herd of thaka could become barn sour, or valley sour, but early the next morning I found out that ours had, sorta. When we were ready to go we had no trouble bunching them, but when we began moving them they wanted to turn and go in the normal circle as we approached the open gate. We had practiced them into a routine and no doubt they thought they were doing what was required and we were the ones fucking up.

We let them make one circle and then headed them off and through the gate on the next try. Jonalton was already out there to lead the way this time and as the herd exited he heeled his cashda and headed for the river. Now that they had someone they recognized to follow they did a good job, barely slowing at the river and plowing right on through.

A few of the guys stopped to help Bruca and Charlton harness their teams and get the wagons going but most of us stayed with the herd, keeping them tightened up, for the fist bit anyway. The donkeys had also decided that they were supposed to help and they did so with enthusiasm.

I'd never held with the notion that driving cattle was some sort of romantic endeavor, like the cowboy movies portrayed it, and this trip let me know I'd been right not to. There isn't one damned thing to recommend it as far as I'm concerned. It was like a cold or the flu, you just had to make it through to the end. Not only that, we had to work shifts through the night to keep the idiots from getting back up and wandering off.

Thankfully the whole trip was just boring drudgery, and we encountered no excitement along the way. We made it to the new camp about an hour before sunset on the third day and I know I'm not the only one that felt like dismounting and kissing the ground. Hell, I'm sure even the thaka were glad it was over. We now needed to build fence, but it was going to wait until tomorrow. At least it was if I helped.

I headed for the mouth of our new cave dormitory and was I ever surprised when I made it inside. Even though we were inside now, everyone had still erected their huts. It looked so odd to me at first, but then I realized that without the huts there would be zero privacy. I guess other arrangements could have been made, with privacy screens and such, but what the hell, the huts worked fine and after all, we already had them.

Mine was right where I expected it to be and my mates were near it, waiting for Nita and I.

"It's good to have you two home," Katia said.

"Yes, Mommy and Daddy, I'm so glad you're back. I felt lonesome with only two mommies and no daddy around," Lanita said.

"Didn't Nosey keep you company," Nita asked.

"Oh, he did his best, but you know he has guard duty at night, and besides, I don't think he really likes to come into the cave," she said.

"Well I'm glad to be in the cave, even if we don't have anything to sit on during supper. I can start curing that tomorrow," I said.

"And I guess you think we should cure your lack of supper now?" Shaeta asked.

"I would like that very much."

"Well mark off a spot on the floor to sit and we'll go get it," Katia said, and the three of them left.

"How was the trip, Daddy. Did you do anything fun?" Lanita asked me, once she was settled onto my lap.

"Not one fun thing that I can remember. It was all very boring, except for when we were loading the meteor stones, and that was just tiring," I said.

"What are you going to do with those rocks. I know you said they fell from the sky in a shooting star, but why are you carrying them around?" she asked.

"They are of a special material, and after I build a forge I'll be able to heat them and pound them into useful things with my hammers," I said.

"What kind of things?"

"First I think I'll try making arrow points, and next will probably be knives," I told her.

"Arrows are those very small spears you shoot with your bow aren't they?" she asked.

"Yes, and they need very sharp points. I'm going to try to show some of the others how to make their own bows. They won't be like mine but they should do fairly well."

"Why can't they be like yours?" she asked.

"We don't have the little round wheel like things for the ends, and they are what gives my bow so much more power. Maybe later we can try to make some of them, but I think it will be best to make more normal bows first."

"Well maybe, but not first. First we are going to eat, and here comes the food,"



-------

Chapter 37


We had a wonderful supper that night and my mates energetically welcomed me into our new home. I slept like a baby after it was over.

We would have all slept in the next morning except for Nosey. He came into the cave just after sunrise and commenced braying. Lanita told me that Nosey had assumed the job on his own. It was all I could do to keep from laughing at our alarm donkey. He was doing me a favor though, since he woke all the cooks right on time.

Lanita and I needed a few tries to work out a suitable morning routine here. Our walk to the outhouses was now a walk out into the edge of the woods since we didn't have any outhouses yet. Pissing behind a tree still got the job done though, even if it did remind me of the work to come.

Shaton came by our hut right after breakfast and had some news for me. I was elected to get the new shithouses erected since I had designed the process in the first place. I didn't mind because I grabbed a few of the horse wranglers, gave instructions, and then I went on my way.

It was more nearly fair than it sounded. I intended to get the arrangements for the cashda and thaka sorted out. Of course we would need a fairly long fence to close them into the blind canyon near our cave but we would need some other pens too. Not least of which would be a large one to stack hay in. A barn was out of the question before winter but we did have to make sure the cashda and thaka couldn't get to the hay ahead of time.

The list of things we had to get done seemed never ending, and most of it fell on the men. The women were as busy as one armed paper hangers themselves, what with looking for what grew where and gathering whatever was ready to be gathered.

It was nearly six weeks before we had the place in acceptable shape for practically permanent residence. The shit houses were in operation and the fences and pens were built. I hadn't made any progress on a forge yet; in fact I was still trying to decide what to do about firebrick. I knew they were different from normal brick but didn't know how to make them.

Progress was being made in the bow department. Almost all the men knew a little about working with wood and when I explained what they needed to do to make their own bows several of them said they'd try first, understanding that it was going to be a trial and error type of thing.

Shaton and I slipped off for a couple of hours every third or forth day. I gave him fighting lessons. He wanted to resume his natural duties as gatekeeper for the Calak and I was happy to make him even better at his job.

My first real job was breaking him of the habit of grappling at the drop of a hat. A few times of depositing his charging ass on the ground got him the message. The next trick was teaching him a few throws. A sidestep and a yank on an outstretched arm or a large foot pushed between the legs of the other idiot as he went by seemed good enough to me. I explained that moves like this were for when he had a lot of time and didn't particularly want to damage the challenger.

For other occasions, when damage to the opponent wasn't a concern, I taught Shaton the value of a fist applied to a nose or jaw. We did not use any live fire demonstrations for this. I liked my nose just the way it was and I was pretty sure that Caloe and Mayta would not be pleased if I brought Shaton back to camp with his nose broken and bloody.

After a few days of shadow boxing I talked Caloe, Mayta, and my mates into constructing a heavy bag for practice. I didn't think that a normal speed bag would help much. Shaton wasn't going to run into any boxers and fast combination punches weren't going to come up. I envisioned a two hit fight at the most. Shaton would hit his challenger and the challenger would hit the ground, likely staying there for quite a while. Regular use of the heavy bag did increase the force of our punches though, even if it didn't make us quicker.

Actually, I didn't think that fisticuffs would be needed very often, since doing damage to the challenger was usually not in the plans, but you could never tell when an asshole that needed a lesson in manners would show up.

Lo and behold several assholes showed up at the same time. We'd been at our new camp probably three months when it happened. They weren't the first to come around wanting to join us. In fact two young men had petitioned us already and they'd both been accepted even though they had zero chance of winning their entrance battle. Since they'd been game and seemed healthy and respectful Shaton hadn't even used any of the new tricks I'd taught him. He just did the normal thing and won because he was so damned big and strong.

We knew from the first that our new guest weren't going to be acceptable though. In the first place there were eighteen of them, which was not normal in any sense. Along with numbers they all had shitty attitudes. They seemed to be spoiling for more than an entrance fight from the get go. To a man they were insulting braggarts.

Shaton and I had a short talk before the formal fighting began. He'd already decided that none of them were going to be allowed to join us and he wasn't going to give them the fight they were probably expecting. He planned to just throw the first one around unless he felt he just had to use his fist.

Of course the whole camp came out to watch the festivities. Thankfully our people stayed fairly clear of the group that wanted to be accepted. This was normal behavior but I was glad about it today. I could almost feel that something was going to go wrong and I wanted a clear field of fire if trouble started.

Almost from the first things went to hell. Kowtal, the first in line for the tussle, was nearly as tall as Shaton and didn't miss matching his weight by twenty pounds. He did the normal thing, running at Shaton like a madman. Shaton sidestepped, grabbed one of Kowtal's arms and flipped him ass over teakettle.

Kowtal took offense right away and pulled a knife from under his tunic. This was clearly against the universal rules, and since Shaton and I had not practiced unarmed combat against a knife-wielding opponent, I pulled my Glock and gave Kowtal a little present in his abdomen when he charged Shaton again.

The new group didn't have any idea what the loud noise had been but they did know that their leader was out of it now. It didn't seem to give them pause though, and almost at once they began advancing with their spears at the ready. They must have been pretty stupid. They were heavily outnumbered for the type of combat they seemed to expect. Of course they had zero chance with me along for the fun.

I just turned to face them and started knocking them down. I think I'd already shot three of this bunch before they realized that I was making the noise and that every time I did one of them fell down and started bleeding.

I only had to shoot two more before they caught on that this was not the way to do things. They all did an about face and started running away. I had to shoot two more and yell for them to stop several times before they did.

Soon enough the twelve that were still able to move had dropped all weapons and were standing in a group, mostly shaking with fear. Their clothing was in better shape than it had any right to be and they seemed well fed. I was pretty sure that they must have some women somewhere and I also assumed that the women had to be captives. I was getting tired of shit like this happening in paradise.

Shaton, Denac, and Mondaut had caught up with me by now and a few others were coming along. I asked them to bind the captive's hands behind them and when they were done I approached the biggest one remaining.

"Where is your camp?"

"We are bachelors, we don't have a camp?" he said, defiantly.

I shot him in the right ankle and after he stopped screaming I asked again.

"You have ruined me, I'll never tell you now," he said, though his defiance wasn't as evident as before.

"I know you are stupid, but it seems odd that even you can be this dumb. Your death was assured after you attacked our camp. The only question now is whether you will have a quick and painless death or will suffer great pain for days before you die.

"You have another choice now. Do you want to tell me where the camp and your captives are, or do you want us to remove your hands and feet so you will be a cripple beggar in the next life?"

It took him about three seconds to start spilling his guts. One of the others started berating him for it so I shot that one in the belly too. Denac tied thongs around his lower legs and forearms and began removing his feet and hands while he screamed and no doubt wished he'd kept his mouth shut in the first place.

After we had the story out of the one I shot in the ankle and after Denac had finished with his charge I gave mine a quick shot between the eyes and we hazed the ten still in good health back toward the camp. Denac took a little pity on his man before we left and he cut off the thongs that were keeping him from bleeding out.

Caltort volunteered to tie all the captives together with a long rope while Denac, Shaton, Jonalton, and I saddled horses. We were all going on the trip and of course Nita, Lanita, Shaeta, and Katia were coming along too. Just as we were about to leave I saw that Bruca and Charlton had hitched teams to the wagons and were intending to come along. I was happy they'd thought of it.

When I told the surviving attackers to lead us to their camp they didn't hesitate. It's a wonder what a fast fair trial and swift punishment can do to inspire obedience in the remaining malcontents. They didn't waste a second before moving out and there wasn't a hint of backtalk. I didn't even consider letting them ride in the wagons and give directions.

We arrived at the makeshift camp in a little over two hours. There were two armed men, boys actually, riding herd on twenty-two young women in the camp, and strangely there were no children. I guess it wasn't that strange since the women were all young. I found out later that they'd been stolen from their respective homes during mostly silent raids at night.

The two that had been left behind were shocked when confronted by their bound friends and they were even more distressed to see the rest of us following on horseback and obviously ready for any fight they could put up. When Shaton told them to drop their spears and keep their mouths shut or die on the spot they paid attention, for a while anyway.

Complications started for me when Breezus let the beautiful strawberry blond know that I was soon to be her mate. He mentioned it to me also and it didn't take Nita, Shaeta, Katia, or Lanita long to figure out why I was looking at her with that silly smile on my face.

No doubt it was destined to be, but still it was unfortunate. The latest two captives could also see what was happening when I approached the young lovely. One of them screamed for me to stay away from Kally because she was his woman. The Glock shot to his mouth was the kindest thing I could think of for him.

He wasn't going to be allowed to live anyway and a quick death surely beat losing his hands and feet. I had no doubt he'd piss and moan and admit to even more crimes if I let him keep breathing. I doubt he would have seen it that way so I didn't even give him the option. Kally ran to me as soon as I holstered the Glock, hugging and kissing me everywhere she could reach. Thankfully my other mates came forward to introduce themselves and welcome Kally into our family.

Nita introduced herself first and then made excuses to see about the other captive women. Apparently they were in good shape because before very long Bruca and Charlton were loading things into the wagons.

Denac and Shaton took care of our prisoners by the simple expedient of slitting their throats. If it had been me I would probably have been willing to give the survivors the chance to earn an attempt to join our Calak later. No doubt Shaton still had a dose of the red ass over what Kowtal had tried on him and it sealed the fate of the others.

Breezus was busy during the loading too and every man that had come along got a new mate, whether they needed one or not. Like me, none of them complained. Hell, why would they. It would be perfectly acceptable to their current mates and all of the new women were young and pretty, if not beautiful. Kally was beautiful though and I felt a slight twinge from having the most beautiful mates in our Calak. No matter, I could probably get over any guilt pretty quickly.

The trip back home was uneventful. Most of the new women rode back in the wagons but after Kally bucked up her courage and asked to ride with me the other soon to be mated did likewise. I still think that my current mates put Kally up to it.

When we made it back Jekaycey was the first one to spot a woman riding behind her mate and she must have known what was up right away. She rushed to them before they could even dismount and she was hugging and cheek kissing Kimbe promptly.

Attention to her antics was short lived though, since Breezus wasn't through yet. He gave his high-sign to all the rest of the new women and chaos ruled our camp. We'd be having twenty-two matings day after tomorrow. Luckily our camp was now well squared away and we'd have time for a proper celebration.



-------

Chapter 38


Even though I thought I knew what was coming I was mistaken. This would be a large mating, day after tomorrow, but it was not going to be like any other I had witnessed. Oh, Kally and I got a little time to walk around and be alone but it wasn't much. My mates commandeered her after about an hour and took her away.

They weren't the only current wives that separated their man from his new intended either. It took a little thinking but I figured it out.

These women, or girls really, didn't have the benefit of being in the Calak they'd grown up in. They didn't know anyone here and knew nothing about the specific ways we did things, even though I'm sure they had a general idea. The other women were giving them a crash course in who was who and what was what, and where the twain should meet. After catching the hint I was surprised at how well it seemed to be working out.

The new arrivals and the women catching them up on things weren't the only busy parties. Everyone was doing something. We had a hell of a feast coming and there would be plenty of cooking and other preparations to make. The good part was I didn't really have to do a damned thing about any of it. In fact that was the good part for several of us and we drifted into a group and fucked off together.

Even though the mass mating ceremony worked most of the camp's women hard, they lived over it. Not in fine fettle though. The celebration was hard on everyone that got started on the liquid refreshment.

I'd assumed that Matatu's stock of the alcoholic beverage he seemed to be making almost constantly would run out before anyone got really shitfaced. Wrong. Apparently he had more saved up than I imagined. In fact everyone that even drank it was completely out of their mind before they quit, and quite a few thought it was just grand.

The next morning they weren't doing so well, but it was always that way. It seemed it was even worse this time too. They were able to pull themselves together and clean up last night's messes but only by the hardest. It was fully two days later before all the laying around, pissing, and moaning died down.

It didn't really matter much. Our new camp was well sorted out by now and most of the building was completed. We were well on our way to being ready for winter and things everywhere seemed to be going as they should.

On the other hand things seemed different for me. It was nothing I could specifically point to but I had a feeling something was missing. A presence that I'd never really been specific about seemed to be gone.

Since I'd come to Margata via whatever magic brought me here I'd had the feeling that something was keeping tabs on me. I didn't have that feeling any longer. In fact I felt alone in my head now, even though I'd never felt like something else was actually in there with me. It was hard to explain.

Finally I came to the conclusion there'd be no more gifts when I woke in the mornings and went to check out my things. No more wagon wheel rims, no more saddles, and no more handy medicine. Somehow it didn't really distress me. I'd already received so many valuable things to help me, and the whole Calak really, and it would just be bad manners to complain about having the tap turned off.

When I joined my mates and Lanita in the furs that night they were eager to have at my body and I didn't mind if they did. Kally didn't get with the program like the others but it was understandable. She'd been insatiable since the ceremony and was sore from her excesses. I found I was still able to give all of them all they wanted but I didn't feel slighted that Kally thought she needed a night off. I didn't have a damned bit of trouble falling asleep.

As if I'd been completely imagining things yesterday, I woke the next morning with a familiar feeling. I knew that there was something new among my things. For the first time in quite a while I was excited to go take a look. Lanita was still sleeping and I didn't even take time to wake her.

I was stunned when I saw the new arrival. It was a 3 in 1 Lathe-Mill-Drill combination, complete with hundred's of bits and tools to use with it. There was also a small still setup for alcohol production and a generator unit with an alcohol powered small engine.

In a different box, book after book of instructions and plans for small projects were shoehorned in. In a quick look through them, the one that seemed most detailed was for creating the cam pulleys for compound bows. Another big book seemed to be about making iron and steel - starting with how to find and evaluate the ore.

This setup would be useful for thousands of things and I was very happy, nearly ecstatic about its arrival. The bad part was I now knew for sure somehow this was the last of the gifts I'd be receiving. Sort of a going away present I guess. It put a small damper on my elation and I now knew for sure there'd been some type of presence with me and it was no longer there.

It almost felt like when my parents had let me know my time as a child was over and I needed to think about what I was going to do with the rest of my life. They'd hoped that getting a job would be one of the first things that came to mind. They didn't toss me out of the house or anything like that. They just let me know I was being weaned, sorta.

Maybe I was being weaned again. Weaned from the unexpected but appreciated deliveries of needful things I'd always been so happy to get. Whatever my benefactor had been, it was letting me know it was done benefacting. All in all they had been fair with me, whoever they were. I hadn't asked to come for this trip but I wasn't displeased with the way things had gone so far. Now it was once again time for me to be on my own.

Not exactly though. I was respected in my Calak and by the standards of the times I was filthy rich. Attacks and schemes by the wild ones we encountered kept us on our toes but there'd been nothing devastating to come from them yet and by now we were well prepared to deal with them. In fact, if I could get some compound bows on the way we'd be pretty much unassailable.

Things were about as good as they could get for me now. I missed some of the things that had been available in my former life but overall, I wouldn't even consider going back if I could. There I'd been basically a loner, here I was a family man with women I loved and who loved me back.

Life here had been pretty much an adventure from the get go, but lately it had settled down and I found I liked it that way. I still didn't know how or why I was here but I didn't care any more, as long as I got to stay.


-------
The End
-------
Posted:  2007-01-15
Last Modified: 2008-01-28 / 12:10:12 pm
-------
http://storiesonline.net/
-------