Chapter Fifteen
We finally emerged from the forest and crested one last rise. The hills quickly fell away, and below us I saw their village. The sun setting at our backs cast a warm glow over a small collection of huts on the edge of an enormous valley which extended beyond my view in all directions. Straining my eyes in the fading light, I saw large open plains stretching far into the distance. The monotony of the grassy plains was broken by frequent stands of trees and an occasional small forest. Light reflected off numerous waters flowing through the valley, and far to the east the light shown dimly off one particularly large river.
The village was set a short distance from the bottom of the hill we were descending, in the midst of a large section of grassland. A stream ran past the village just north of the last building. Whether by chance or good planning I did not know, but someone had chosen an excellent location for a settlement. I could see at a glance that this spot, with the water and the abundance of open meadows, would be perfect for farming or keeping flocks, while it was also close to the forest for hunting and gathering firewood and food. This was exactly where I would have established my village.
I turned to Kalou and gave her a genuine smile. “It’s beautiful,” I said.
She smiled back, obviously pleased by my reaction to her home. As we walked down the long, sloping hillside towards the village, I examined the huts. I saw they were crude structures as I had expected, though interestingly enough they were made of grass. It appeared that the tribe bound clumps of long grasses together to form the walls and roofs of their buildings. I saw only a single doorway in each hut, with no windows or chimneys; they were very simple structures. I saw no smoke coming from any of the individual huts, but a large fire burned in the center of the village.
I counted sixteen huts of varying sizes, and I estimated there were about eighty people gathered in the open area around the fire. I was pleased. The valley looked like a perfect place to farm, and the tribe was of a good size; I felt optimistic about my future as we continued down the long hill towards the village.
We were finally noticed in the waning daylight, and a cry came to us from the people below. In mass they surged towards us, shouting as they came. We reached the edge of the village at the same time as the tribe, and when they saw me they stopped abruptly, their shouts dying in their throats. An eerie hush fell over the crowd, and I felt quite uncomfortable. Every eye was fixed on me as they stood frozen and staring.
Our group paused about ten paces in front of them. After a brief moment of silence Nadar spoke, and he spoke to the villagers for quite some time. It was a bit difficult for me to follow, but with what I had learned through the day I understood a good amount of what he said.
Three old men had come to the front of the group and Nadar spoke directly to them, essentially ignoring the rest of the people. While he did not appear frightened, he was obviously uncomfortable as he gestured towards me, pointing at my forehead several times. From the looks on the faces of those assembled in front of us, I knew they also could see the mark on my forehead, and they appeared puzzled and fearful. At one point Nadar indicated the deer, and I knew he was telling them I had killed it and given it to the tribe. This brought broad smiles to several faces, and a few people even rubbed their bellies.
The old men continued to look sternly at our group; obviously bringing me here was a serious issue. One of the old men asked a question, and Nadar continued talking, pointing at my head once again while he answered. Although I saw a number of knives and long throwing knifes being held by tribe members, none were held in a threatening manner, and I had no fear.
I took this opportunity to look closely at the people assembled in front of me. The difference in the ages of the tribe was of great interest to me. Those gathered ranged from a few infants held in the arms of their mothers, to the very old men that obviously led the tribe. The only people I had ever seen before today were my family, and we had all been mature adults for many years. To see a mix of people from babies to the elderly was a new experience for me.
I saw my initial estimate was correct; there were about eighty people before me. Most of them were youths or men and woman that were in the prime years of their lives. The elderly were a minority, and I guessed that given their hygiene and way of life, most never had the chance to get old. This realization gave me the oddest feeling.
Death, even getting old, was something that never came up with my family. I wondered how many years these people lived? Some of them looked so very old, many years older than my parents, but I knew that was impossible. It occurred to me that these people would not have the same lifespan that I expected to have.
There was a pause in the discussion, and everyone looked at me expectantly. I smiled, lifted my open hands in a sign of peace and said in my own language, “Hello, I am your king.” I thought this quite funny, as no one had any idea what I meant.
I followed this by saying a word in their language that Catto had taught me earlier, “Friend.”
A few in the crowd smiled back at me, but the old men were obviously not convinced. Another brief discussion followed, and then several things happened at once. The deer, rabbit, and remaining potatoes were taken in the direction of the fire, along with Kalou and Andoc, the older, less intelligent hunter.
I could see they were happy to have the food. Although nobody in the tribe appeared to be starving, it was obvious from the way they acted that food was central to their lives. As she was pulled along by the crowd Kalou glanced back, piercing me with her searching gaze. Others in the crowd also looked back as they returned to the fire, most of them staring at my forehead. Although most of them just seemed to be curious, some were frowning and to my eyes appeared quite distressed.
The Elders are unhappy. I hope they do not send him into the forest tonight. I think he can help our tribe. He has great power and much to teach us. But there is something about him that makes me uncomfortable. He is very... proud.
I was escorted towards the huts by Nadar and Catto, as well as an additional five men who had surrounded me. We followed the three old men. I believed Catto was brought along because he had quickly learned to speak with me, while the five additional men were with us for either protection or intimidation. We arrived at one of the larger huts, and pushing aside the animal hide door, we went inside.
While I was interested in the construction of the hut, I was not able to examine it in any detail as my attention needed to be fixed upon the old men. What happened in this hut tonight would be the single most important event towards deciding my future with this tribe.