The SealEaters, 20,000 BC Read online

  “It is a good land, Chief.”

  “Do you want to find your people or would you rather remain here?”

  “Chief,” Emuka said with great temerity, “I came here with the hope of finding a place our people could live, for we are squeezed between the great wall of ice and mountains where my people now live. I also had another desire. I have wanted a wife since I was old enough to have needs. We had to have approval of each of our elders to take a wife. One elder would never give approval to anyone. I yearn for a wife. Is it possible that you have someone who would be my wife? If so, I would stay here and live my life. If not, then, I should soon move on.”

  The chief looked at Emuka. He was impressed by the man. He had all the good qualities he wanted to see in his people. “I will talk to two people. Then, I will let you know.”

  Emuka was overjoyed. For some undefinable reason, he felt certain the chief would find him someone who would be his wife. He was swimming in hope. The two walked back to the little village.

  That evening, the chief found Emuka after dinner. He told him to follow. Emuka did as he was bidden. He saw a young woman standing by the tree to the east. The setting sun shown on her. She was beautiful. Emuka had not seen her before. She smiled.

  The chief looked hard at Emuka. “She is my niece. She will be your wife. There were two of our young women who wanted to become your wife. I thought about you and what I know of you. Kik is the best woman for you. You will take her as wife tomorrow. Now, you may talk alone.” Emuka and Kik walked up the hill where earlier Chief Dai had spoken with Emuka. From the pond they could see all three trees, the name of the village, Three Trees, she told him. They were wonderful spreading oaks, very old and graceful. She climbed them when she was a young child. Their time together, though short, showed that the chief had chosen well.

  Kik knew Emuka’s story. She made conversation easy and walked with him while they talked. She took his hand and placed it around her, resting his hand on her shoulder. Emuka was terribly excited. He had thought for many years that he’d never have a wife. This was bliss. Kik explained that he’d have to start making a hut early in the morning so all would be ready for that night. They stood arm-in-arm looking at the expansive sky with its dark reds, oranges, yellows. Kik had been dissatisfied to be wife to any of the men in their group. Her alternative was to go to her mother’s people far away to find someone outside her group. If she had refused all men prior to age twenty-five, the chief would have to select one for her and she would be bound to him. That was the way of the Maiket. She had almost reached twenty-five.

  Meanwhile, Turakia, talked with Adn. Adn was Turakia’s older sister. Adn listened to her sister’s disappointment at not having been chosen.

  “He’s my father. That should have counted for something.”

  “He had to choose the right person for the Stranger,” Adn replied. “He cannot play favorites.”

  “But it’s not fair!” Turakia wailed.

  “Sister, you should have accepted Iviron. He loves you more than anyone. He still does.”

  “Iviron is boring.”

  “He is a fine hunter. He is a good man. And you wait for the last moment, just like Kik. Will our father have to find a husband for you, too?”

  “But I wanted Emuka!”

  “You are a whiner. Only a very few people here know anything at all about Emuka. You are creating your desires on baseless fantasies.”

  “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Turakia replied credibly, but her thinking place festered. She was not satisfied.

  Adn watched Turakia for days. She knew her sister very well. In some bad way, she expected Turakia to try to do something terrible to Kik or Emuka. She could resort to some very mean revengeful deeds, Adn knew first hand. On the third day after Emuka had taken Kik as his wife, Adn watched Turakia furtively steal down to the bog. Adn could not wait. She sought out her father.

  “What is it daughter?” Chief Dai asked her, realizing something was very serious.

  “I hope I’m wrong, Father. Turakia was outraged that you chose Kik for Emuka. I tried to reason with her to no avail. I have watched her because she can be vengeful.”

  “I know you have taken the brunt of her mean spiritedness for years.”

  “This morning she headed to the bog. I fear what she has in her thinking place. Knowing her, it is unlikely she’ll rest until she has reeked her vengeance on either Kik or Emuka or both.”

  “You watch from the west end and I’ll watch from the east. If you see her, find me. Either way, I will stop her and search her. If she carries anything poisonous, I’ll do with her what I should have done long ago.”

  Adn nodded, having no idea what he meant and not wanting to know. She went to stand watch. There were only two ways to and from the bog.

  As it was, Chief Dai was the first to see her return. Sure enough she came from the bog.

  He hid himself behind one of the large tree trunks. She’d have to walk past him.

  When she did, he stepped out in front of her, startling her.

  “What’s in your bag?” he asked.

  “Something for dinner,” she replied coolly.

  “Good! I’ll take that and because of your consideration, I’ll ask Nagangna to cook it up for you now.”

  Turakia looked horrified, and she was unable to mask her horror as her father’s words came too quickly.

  “That displeases you?” he asked.

  “Well,” she replied.

  He took her bag and dumped the contents on the ground. There were five different poisonous plants on the ground. She looked at him in terror.

  “Pick up every single piece,” he told her.

  She did while he watched. Each piece went back into her bag. She’d spent a very long time making the bag. It was very special to her.

  Chief Dai took the bag by the middle of the carrying strap and grabbed Turakia by the arm. He grasped her arm so tight that the circulation of blood was seriously impaired. She dared not make a sound.

  They walked to the central hearth and he dropped the bag into the fire. Fire ate the bag and plants in moments.

  She kept wondering how he’d known what she had been doing. She thought her wait had been long enough.

  The chief took her to his large structure and called to one of the men for some leather strips. He began to tie Turakia’s hands behind her. He gagged her. He tied her feet together. She wept. He ignored her.

  Chief Dai looked at his daughter. She was a beautiful woman. If any man were to describe what he wanted a wife to look like, it would be Turakia. Her way of being was not something anyone should really want to live with. It had gone on too long. Once he had her tied, and gagged and assured himself that she could no longer move, he dropped her just inside his place.

  He found Buph working with Emuka.

  “Buph, I would speak with you.”

  “Yes, Chief?”

  “Do you still hunger for Turakia?”

  “I know it’s weakness, Chief, but yes. We had wonderful times when we were children together.”

  “How much do you hunger for her?”

  “I’d do anything for her.”

  “How about for your people? Would you ever put your people at risk?”

  “Of course not!” he replied indignantly.

  “I want Turakia gone. She picked poison today to try to do away with either Kik or Emuka or both. I burned the poison and that bag she loves. You still think you want her?”

  “She was willing to kill two people?”

  “Yes. She wanted me to let her be Emuka’s wife. I chose Kik instead. She is filled with vengeance.”

  Buph was shocked terribly. He had always thought that Turakia was given the least in everything. She had been certain he believed that. It was an effective way to use him as she used many others. She was acutely aware of her manipulations. Buph had avoided the truth.

  “Chief, how can I believe that?”

  “If you take her and don’t
believe that, Buph, you’ll be dead in a year. She’s like a beautiful bag on the outside, but inside is a privy bubbling with sickness.”

  “Chief, I need to re-think this. Can I return to you after thinking?”

  “Of course, but I need to act on this swiftly.”

  “It will not take me long. I want to talk to my brother, Moah.”

  In a short time, Buph returned. The chief stared at him, arms crossed, waiting.

  “Chief, I have concluded that I need to rely on reason, not emotion. For someone to be willing to kill others because she failed to obtain what she wanted, that’s too much for me. I am not equipped to live that way. I have to admit I didn’t want to believe you, but I’ve never found you willing to lie. I have found Turakia in lies. You have finally shattered my dream.”

  “You’re a good man, Buph. Go now, and do not ever ask about what I do.”

  “Yes, Chief,” Buph replied emotionally spent.

  The chief nodded to an older man, a huge man with a broken nose. He was older than the chief by ten years. He was his cousin. They had been the greatest of friends since childhood.

  “Ot, take her. The boat is prepared. I want you to take her south. Take her to where you cannot go any further south without entering the sea. We went there once, remember?”

  Ot nodded.

  “Leave her there alone. Are you up to the task? Do you want anyone else to go with you?”

  “I’m up to it, Cousin. It’s past time to do this thing. I’d have pushed you harder had she not been your daughter.”

  The chief went over and embraced Ot. “Do you want anyone else to go with you?”

  “No, this is best done by me alone.”

  “Then, my Cousin, go with good speed and return to us safely.”

  “I will return. I will return to let you know the deed is done.”

  “Very well. The boat is provisioned well.”

  “Of that I was certain.”

  Ot went to the chief’s large hut and picked up Turakia. He gently placed her in the boat and covered her with a skin. He pushed the boat out into the river and departed for the sea.

  After the morning ceremony, Moah showed Emuka the spears he’d made. Emuka was truly impressed and showed the spears to Chief Dai. The chief ran his fingers over the tools and raised them as if to throw. He smiled a broad smile at both men.

  “Would you like to use these on a hunt today?” Moah asked Emuka.

  “I thought this day would never come. Yes, of course.”

  Moah’s wife brought a backpack which she held while Moah shrugged into it. She handed the water bags to Emuka. The two left the camp. They traveled far into the highland to the south. Emuka had found some fresh scat from a bear. Both men were alert, for they wanted to see any bear before it saw them, and bear scent filled the air. They were among the trees when they noticed the scat. Signs of the animal made it seem that it had moved out of the forest into the grassland. They both knew that these bears were carnivores and could move at speeds in excess of anything they could. They had three spears apiece, and if they encountered a bear it might take at least that many.

  Moah elbowed Emuka. “There, down at the bottom by that pond.”

  Emuka saw the bear and dared to breathe a sigh of relief. He did not lay down any of his alertness. Both watched, unmoving.

  Moah motioned for them to move back into the forest quietly. Emuka followed him with great care. No birds sang in the trees, and Moah was jittery. He wondered whether they missed something. In time, they relaxed a little, but the bear had definitely added a level of caution. They had been careless. It wouldn’t happen again that day.

  Emuka touched Moah’s shoulder. He pointed, moving his arm slowly. There in the field to the north was a small camel, just the right size for them to transport back to the village. Both of the men chose a spear from what they carried. They laid down the others. They crept closer and closer to their target. At the signal from Moah, the two thrust with all their strength and both spear points hit the camel right near its left foreleg attachment. The camel went down. Emuka gathered their spears while Moah went to the camel to cut its throat. He joined Moah and the two began to attach the camel to a spear shaft they’d use to transport the animal home.

  Moah taught Emuka their hunting success song and they sang it as they walked to the village. It was a song of thanks to the animal for its life-giving gift, to the Great Creator for making the animal, and to their hope that the food would impart strength and health to their people. When they reached Three Trees, they turned the spear carrier over to the younger men who’d take it to butcher.

  Noticing the return of Emuka and Moah with the camel, Buph took the time to pick up his broken spear point at his hut, the spear point he’d turned into a knife, and he handed it to Yul, who was beginning to remove skin from the camel. He asked Yul to let him know how well it worked. He expected it would be seen as an improvement, but he kept that thought to himself.

  Little ones were running about as the men returned to the gathering place. A small boy of about three to four years ran right into Emuka’s legs. The boy looked up, startled. Running in the walking places at Three Trees was not done. The boy knew that, but he had tried without caution to catch up to the other boys he wanted to join.

  Emuka stooped down, looking at the little one.

  “What is your name?” he asked

  “Boo,” the boy replied head bowed.

  “What does Boo mean?” Emuka asked.

  The boy didn’t understand.

  Emuka smiled, “Slowly, Boo,” he told the young boy.

  Boo looked at him quizzically and then left to find the other children.

  Kik learned Emuka was back and came to find him.

  They embraced. Then Emuka said, “Kik, what does Boo mean?”

  “It’s an apology.”

  “I do need to work on learning this language! A little boy just ran into me and I asked his name. He said, ‘Boo,’ so I said, ‘Slowly, Boo,’ which clearly he didn’t understand.”

  Kik laughed gently, “Well, no, that would be like saying ‘Slowly, forgive me,’ which would make no sense.”

  “I understand. Please help me, Kik. I learn too slowly to satisfy me. Can you teach me so I learn faster?”

  “Certainly, I’ll try, Emuka. Also, ask Chief Dai, Buph, and Moah to help.”

  The two of them walked to the water gourds. Emuka was very thirsty.

  They rested against the huge trunk of one of the oak trees. Emuka thought he had never been so happy. Kik reached for his hand. He looked at her smiling face.

  “Emuka, I think I grow life in my belly.”

  “You—don’t—mean,” he choked the words out.

  “Yes, I do mean that if all goes well, you will be a father.”

  Emuka was overwhelmed. He put his hands to his face as tears fell from his eyes and he felt that wasn’t manly.

  “Are you sad?” she whispered.

  “Of course not,” he replied squeezing the words out. “I am the happiest man alive.” He embraced her letting his tears find routes to the sea through her hair.

  He thought of the tree. He remembered his parents, Whug and Gemu. They had children even as a branch has smaller branches. He would be a father. He never expected to have a wife let alone children. His branch would branch. He felt overwhelmingly blessed.

  “It is custom not to talk about the baby I carry in my belly until it is obvious to all. Please, Emuka, do not share this information. Not only do you need to learn the language better but also you need to learn custom.”

  “I understand. My teaching is in your hands. Please provide information as fast as possible. I want to fit here. This is the best part of my life, and I would like to savor it as deeply as I can.”

  Two women arrived holding themselves back slightly. They carried grass bags that were lightly stained.

  “Emuka, I must go now. We are going to look for foods for tonight’s dinner.”

 
Emuka nodded. His whole emotional component was so filled he feared it would burst if he spoke.

  A boat came up the river quietly. Ot pulled the boat to shore concealing it carefully in the vegetation. He went directly to find Chief Dai. The two entered Chief Dai’s hut without speaking.

  “It’s the right thing to have done, but it was painful,” Ot said quietly.

  “It had to be—for the Maiket’s future. I will grieve behind my face,” the chief replied also very quietly.

  “I, too, will grieve behind my face,” Ot said. “I will leave now to visit my mother’s people upriver.”

  “Thank you, Ot. I understand. I wish there were a place where I could retreat.”

  Ot touched his shoulder. “I understand,” he whispered.

  Emuka decided to walk along the small river that passed by the place. He stood and gathered as much composure as he could. He left without looking about or making eye contact with others. He wanted to be alone. He followed the river beyond where he had been. Exploring had never been something which drew him. He needed to expend energy. He passed some women at the water’s edge. They were washing something, but he didn’t take time to see what it was they washed. In keeping with his hunter instinct, he kept lookout on his surroundings. The day was sunny, warm, quiet.

  The river bank lowered nearer the water as he walked. He mused that the Maiket chose their site well. If floods came, they were well protected. They also had high enough ground to see the surrounding area so they were protected from any who might want to make war. This was a good land. A large brown bird flew by, followed or chased by another bird, not quite so large. He squinted to see the details of the birds. He realized he needed to learn the names of the animals and their habits, for not only did he need to fit in but also he would have a son to teach. The thought of a daughter never crossed his thinking place. Tonight he’d ask Kik to teach him the animals and their habits. He would practice until he learned them well.

  Emuka passed a log by which he saw a snake with a triangular shaped head. He knew they were poisonous, and he took great care to keep his distance.

  Far away, at the edge of a wooded area, Emuka saw either mammoths or mastodons. He was unsure which from that distance. He wondered whether the hunters sought them. He had his doubts, because most hunters who killed them wanted to display the tusks in some fashion at their living area. He had seen no evidence of bones or tusks of such animals. He would add that to his questions.