Chapter 20

Kosta was on the floor now too. He and the others had been changed to allow them to handle magic. Again the only nonparticipants were the men I recently acquired.

The next morning we left the dock. We were fully charged and used the power to sweep the large rocks to the sides of the main channel if it was necessary. We headed up the Epoo river to find the source of the metals we needed. By adjusting the speed we cleared the river, we were able to keep ahead of the ship's progress. Along the way we built places to pull in and tie up for the night even if we didn't use them. This was done for the same reasons a province or a state provided rest stops along a busy highway.

On the third day we spotted a wooden ship powered by twenty rowers and it had a simple mast and sail. When it saw us it pulled abruptly into the shore and the crew fled without even tying it up. Their ship was secured while some of us gave chase. We were able to stop five men and convinced them to return to their ship. They had been frightened of our size and thought we could only be magical to move the way we did. Magic was something a sailor wanted to avoid at all costs and a big ship equated with big magic.

The crew were told that a ship like ours could do what we did without the use of magic. They were also told that we used magic for providing fuel and food. This the sailors could readily understand.

On the return trip to their ship, we found where the various ores came from or at least where they were purchased. The information about the ore was vague and was probably a lie foisted on them. The place where metal was exchanged for goods or copper coins was a reality.

The five crew members stood by their ship as ours headed upriver. The waves of our children brought none in return.

The Epoo was quite long and wide with many tributaries. We passed villages but as before they were usually deserted by the time we got there. It was not only the fishermen spotting us but it was the throb of our diesels and the splash of our props. We might have done better with a glamour of a small ship or even used invisibility.

The water and sediment was tested as we travelled. It was not just the metals we needed but other important materials. The material for crystals was always in need. To perform some major spells we would have to rely on some stored power to augment our own.

The girls experimented with a divining rod trying to find minerals whenever we hit land. There was some information in the books we had read but we had very few magical books on the ship. Malochuck had only left some there to impress his guests.

Sonya and I had written out what we knew or suspected and this was available to the others on the ship. Some spells we kept hidden though. I knew that I had to have an edge even with my own family.

Everybody was doing experiments and recording the results. This was all public knowledge so the wording was critiqued until everyone became as clear as possible in their meanings. The bomas were not quite a failed project but less effort was expended on them. Other animals were examined that would do what technology had done before.

The spell that Tanta had on her could be used on a bird or a bomas just as easily. The creature could be sent out to record data then return to upload the information. We could cover a much wider area with their assistance. Our magical eye worked well close to the ship and some birds did bring back information if they could find the ship again.

The majority of the modda had been brought onboard and were now studied. The foals when they came were sure to be babied by a lot of children. The base on the 'Lady' had to be expanded from its humble beginnings to support all the people on the ship. Our menagerie had grown too and now looked like a major metropolitan zoo. We were currently covering three square kilometres in area and more was planned when enough crystals were produced and then powered up.

The mass of our abode was not transferred to the ship. She was still floating high in the water. This was beneficial when we travelled up some of the shallower areas.

Meetings I figured were a major waste of time but when you had dedicated people, the gathering could work. We listed our goals and an expected method to accomplish them. The family was then allowed to make suggestions or to even alter the goals themselves. This on the surface looked confusing but in fact worked fairly well. This produced a wide array of alternatives and it turned out that some of these were much easier to follow. This meant that everybody had a say in what was happening and worked harder when their own ideas were used. More meetings were needed to winnow down the ideas to what we could realistically expect.

We found the transfer site for the metals but it was only temporary. With a short debate a landing party was picked and outfitted with what we could afford to give. The modda, that were not ready to foal, were put ashore. Western saddles had been made much easier in the base environment and were fitted to the animals. Food and charged crystals went and so did our best camping equipment. Three of the former crew went with their wives and older children to find out what was needed but to also train all of them. A flock of birds much like hawks went as their extended eyes and ears. Two hyena like creatures would act as trackers and to spot potential trouble. Communications with this type of creature was tenuous but it did exist at times.

There was a great deal of hand waving when the brave explorers left. I was not worried about security. They were well protected but I felt like a father seeing his children go out on their own to work and wondering how well they would do or if they would get hurt in some accident.

Our present location received an upgrade to the dock and the removal of quite a few boulders that had been just beneath the water. After tidying up the area we continued up the river sniffing for what we needed.

The tributary we were on stopped at a falls. There was enough water falling and the height was good enough to warrant a generator. We just filled in the charts though and sent the birds and our eye above the falls. While we waited, the ship was evacuated and we set up a temporary camp just to be on land. Like the docks we built for permanence and for beauty now that we were not pressed.

It was just getting dark when some of the birds returned to be fed. We found the area of the river above to be much different than the deep gorge we had been recently going through. There was a large savanna and we found herds of many kinds of animals including the modda.

We would have sent a larger detail to find the mines but we didn't have the required number of animals. A large portion of the crew had been born in Texas. The two facts came together very quickly and I got hundreds of calls to gather in some of the animals.

I said at the meeting that had to be called, "The ship can make a three hundred and forty kilometre journey up another tributary in three days with no problems. If we have to move obstructions, we can be up to two weeks getting to that point. I suggest that all of those rowdy Texans climb the escarpment and proceed to herd the animals toward our staging area. The ground distance should be only a third of that covered by the ship. With a few modda domesticated as the drive continued, the more foot weary will get a chance to ride. I think that Captain Harris lead this drive as he has some vacation time coming."

There was a lot of cheering and some of it was directed at the Captain because he was stuck on the ship all the time. Mental communications showed that he was worried about the safety of the ship but he also knew that the ship would not come to harm.

The great exodus was planned over the next few days as more birds came and went with information. Equipment was designed and made because a great many others wanted to go too. Shore parties floated to the top of the escarpment and scouted the area before deciding on a staging area. People and material floated back and forth but eventually everything was in readiness.

Under a drizzle, five hundred and thirty seven individual started their hike. The younger children stayed on the ship and cried that they were not allowed to go on this expedition. It took a long time for that many people to leave and some had to stay. Some were either excited or sad but the majority were both.

Shipboard life had required that everybody keep in shape. The crew and their families had slimmed down and then put on muscle. It was regimented and should have been resented but when the truth was communicated the necessity was seen and accepted. Everybody that was going, was well able to finish the trip and look for adventures right after. Though I was not going this time there were a great many conductors available to take care of difficulties. Almost all of them were superior in abilities to what Yossich was.

The last person floated upward and formed security for the tail of the column with a dozen more. I was now the Captain of the ship or at least when I was on watch. The anchor was pulled aboard and secured even if we were not at sea. I followed all of the rules. I knew I would catch shit whether I was the owner or not.

We drifted backwards and used our minds to nudge the ship so it stayed in line with the current. Our speed was about seven kilometres an hour but still fast enough for me. I never tired of the scenery. Four hours down river we were able to swing the ship around in an area free of obstructions. We could now use the wheel to adjust movements as we were using the engines now.

Malochuck had installed bow thrusters because he hated people that had to come out to help him. We had improved on them and now they allowed us to steer from the front of the ship too. We followed the chart we had made but still watched the river. With the diesels doing less work we were able to come on more of the river folk. Some had hidden in the trees as we passed and again we waved at them if we knew they were watching.

Sonya took the watch after me. I loved to be with her but I also knew that she wanted to do this alone. She got a kiss and I left.

Instead of working on magic I did something much better and stayed with my children and all of the others that were too young to go on the expedition. We ate and exercised. A good many of the newcomers just stayed in their beds and slept. Magic was the best for cleaning up messes and even odours. This job was done even better than what a nanny would do on earth.

The activities were run like preschool but had to include higher grades because of age or intelligence. There was no shortage of articles and ideas to stimulate the young minds. PK was practised the same as finger painting had been in my day. Games with this in mind were done with two players or with teams.

The older boys that were conditioned to please males went on the hike. They took many of the other boys including Kosta and one of his young friends. The other was too young and remained here with us.

We passed the tributary we wanted then turned the ship around when we could to make the return. The first ten kilometres were easy with only a few obstructions that had to be moved. After that though it took more of our time to do what was necessary for the ship's safety.

This tributary was winding and it would be difficult to move a ship our size without magic though it possibly could be done. One section ran very swiftly and the gorge was narrow. The engines were running full out and we had to help them with our own efforts to get through this area. The altitude changed as we moved back and forth through the bends in the river. It was actually the bends that slowed the water as it cut one mighty grove in the rock.

As the days passed we transported food and equipment to the two groups. Some articles had to be altered only after they were tested more fully. Both groups had run across small groups of humans but usually they ran if they could. The ones that were stopped were questioned and then food given or something to compensate them for their troubles.

Some small groups of animals we wanted were surrounded and then rendered unconscious. Some of the young if small enough were sent back. It was a lot of work when the object was distant or massive. The young were put into our area for livestock and then treated for what ailed them. Experiments were done right away to see what we could do to improve the breed.

New findings came in all the time from animals to plants to insects. Samples came too if they were small. This was a great time to me and I was happy to learn. I think most of the others had the same feelings. The families were very close to one another which would not happen back on earth.

The next day at almost noon we rounded a bend to see what the birds had reported. There was a rapid change in elevation and a long stretch of rapids. To remove the rocks would destroy the land downstream because the water could run even faster.

We had another meeting and suggested using the spell I used before to move the ship but this time not tinker with time. The possibility of levitation was mentioned but there was no way to do this. The historic and none-magical approach was to make a set or two of locks.

The 'Lady' was anchored and we sent out more birds to get an idea of the land. Some of the family went ashore to see what was visible on foot. I insisted they go in large groups of adults and then they could take some of the older children.

We made our own discoveries and the children were proud to have assisted. We found the best way to climb the fifty six metres. A kilometre back was another possible way for the water to flow. It rose much more abruptly but there was room for locks. Most of us left the ship to walk the land and get a feel for the area. The proponents of this plan gave me all the good points though we would have to move more than three quarters of a million cubic metres of rock and overburden.

The committee mentioned that we could dig a long channel to be close to our work then build a gate to hold the water. We had to divert the water with magic to fill the lock. When we were at the correct height we made an additional step which required another gate and more water. Eventually we would be at a large bend that was above the rapids.

We were here to learn, so I voted on the matter but involved the other two groups so they could have some input. With no other options we started the work. One improvement I made was a tunnel dug through the rock from the water above and along the line of our excavating. Nature would fill the locks not magic.

There was room to place the rock we removed constructively. The land was terraced with rock we removed and the soil put behind it. The rock we cut was in standard sizes and like children we used it to construct buildings.

This should have been an arduous job but the family and even the children enjoyed the creative work. We made a giant edifice that made us feel good and I subtly reminded those on the expedition that this could never have been done on earth without alerting the world.

We made love a great deal of the time. We needed the power for the task at hand. Even with our full compliment we would have to stop and charge the crystals.

The gates were made of wood. If we had metal we would have used it but it was only available for the hinges. Gates were constructed in the larger gates to drain the water. This was all intended to be used by humans one day that had little or no magical powers. Docks were built below the locks to tie up boats waiting to climb the escarpment. Large stone homes reminiscent of what were seen on the 'Flintstones' were made to use up the rock. Some structures were three stories high with external steps.

Parties had to go and cut wood further from the gorge and I was the only one that could control the shearing action though the rest helped. When the wood was dragged back on carts we made just for this job. The locals came out to watch but stayed hidden far from the worksite.

Each of the second set of gates was heavier than the rocks we were picking up. We had to have a lot of power and be very close so this time we worked beside the articles we would be lifting. This was done quickly because it took a lot of power to just hover.

The ship was already in the lower lock. She moved into the next one when the plug at the upper end of my tunnel was removed. It still took an hour to raise the ship to the next level but it was much easier than moving the water too. The plug was reinserted and we began on the last lock. The stone here was much higher than the level of the river. To do a good job, we cut the rough top off all of the area then the new rock we cut and placed had a suitable foundation.

Over the next six days we cut and placed the majority of the rock. We made beautiful homes close by and stacked precut rock for homes to be built further away.

The last set of locks were just as large as the first and just as heavy. When the way was clear, we entered the last lock and the gates closed behind us. We rose twenty metres and faced the last section that separated the locks from the upper river. This area got a wide slot cut into each side in addition to the original cut.

Not only were the neighbours watching but the two other groups were looking through our eyes when the last portion of rock was removed from deep in the new channel we had cut. There was some celebrating done. In the process we made a lot of energy and I think one child. This made me doubly happy.

We tidied up the site the next day and left on our journey. There were more rocks in the channel but they were handled much more deftly with all the practice we had made.

Two days later we came on a large savanna. The drivers were not here yet. They had altered their assignment so that they would not be just waiting her for days. We continued with our river clean up until we got to a very large lake that must be the size of Lake Erie. Unlike that lake, this one was deep. Instead of just moving rock aside for the last ten kilometres, we deepened the channel but narrowed it considerably. I didn't want more water leaving the lake than what was now flowing out now.

This area had five more rivers flowing into this lake to keep the water level up. An island in the middle got a lot larger as we built a base for ourselves here too. The family was very interested. Some of the rock had the elements we needed for crystal production.

We actually had little time to do more. The moddas were coming close to the river. We headed back and in the best spot cleaned up the bottom and side so we would have a good dock. Since this may be a good inland port we made more docks for future use. This whole area now had to be prospected and we would now have a lot of moddas to carry us.

The moddas stopped a kilometre from the ship and were pushed from behind by those that were compelled to go further by our drivers. Before they would scatter I gathered a lot of energy and cast a spell to make the animals docile and sleepy.

With crystals carried by hand we walked to the animals and cast the spell again to those we could not reach. Behind came our people riding moddas bareback and seemingly enjoying it. We had a heartfelt reunion and listened to the women bragging that they had got pregnant somehow. It seemed to be a joke because the men were going to do the same thing before the women stole their fire.

Work didn't stop for long. The moddas were separated into those we wanted and those we didn't. Good stock had to be left for the next generation too. Our choices were headed to the ship and were transported magically to our modda section. There was not enough room for all of the good choices so a hundred or so stayed to watch the giant herd and we went looking for more of the crystal material.

I greeted Captain Harris warmly and saw that he now wore a Stetson and a pair of revolvers at his waist. A rifle was in a scabbard at the saddle. He wore leather chaps and what looked like a homespun shirt with a kerchief around the neck.

"I see you are going back to your roots Captain."

"Not really sir, I was born in Maine. The regilla just happened to work well with what we were doing. The rest are doing it for fun too and the kids love it. They're all strong and quick. They ride these funny horses as if they were born in this land."