Chapter 4

Making a gift of that small, commonplace knife was the act that sealed the friendship between our two groups. The knife was a normal tool for me, but for them it was like a gift from heaven. However, there was one fear that I could not remove from my mind. That was that these people might discover the other tools, and the cooking vessels made of iron, and feel that they could take them from us by force. However, I need not have worried as the elders gave some commands and meat, both dried and fresh, was loaded into a basket woven from small tree branches and laid at my feet. I was relieved to see that these people valued the knife so much that they were willing to share their supply of food with us.

By now, the sun was low in the sky as the days were shorter at that time of year, so I felt that it would not be wise for me to attempt to return to our cabin in the dark when I was not familiar with the land. I could easily lose my way or fall into a hole or even be attacked by some wild animal, so I decided to ask if I could spend the night in their camp and return to my companions in the morning when I could see clearly.

Of course, I was not able to converse with them, but by using sign language, I was able to make them understand that I wanted to sleep among them for the night. When the elders understood what I wanted, they spoke to the man who I believed was named Beothuk and he led me to a tent. Lifting the flap, he indicated that I should enter and when I did, he followed me inside.

The shape of the tent was conical as I had noted earlier. Now, I was able to see that the animal skins were draped over long poles that were positioned around the bottom of the structure and leaned at an angle so that they met and supported each other at the top. In the centre of the tent there was a small fire burning in a hearth fashioned from a rough circle of stones. The smoke from the fire escaped through an opening at the top of the tent, so the air was less smokey than that in our cabin which did not have any means of letting smoke escape apart from opening the door if the smoke became too much to bear. To one side of the fire, there was a supply of dried branches to replenish the fire if necessary. There was also a heap of animal skins and Beothuk motioned for me to lie on them. It appeared that this would be my bed for the night. Apart from the fire, the wood, and the skins, the tent was empty of any other articles.

I had eaten well, and now I had a soft bed for the night. This was going to be the most luxurious and comfortable night that I would spend for many years. In fact, the night was made more special later.

First, when Beothuk had left, I exited the tent and looked for a place to piss. I had already seen that these people had no shame about pissing in public, but I was not sure how they would react if I did the same. So, I stepped behind the tent to conceal myself from view as much as possible. There, I was able to piss without drawing attention to what I was doing.

Then I re-entered the tent, and, after adding some dried wood to the fire, I went to examine the pile of skins. I discovered that they seemed to be from the same animal as the clothing and tents were made. When I sat on the pile of skins, I discovered that they were very soft – much softer than anything I had slept on in the past two years since my father had died and I had been forced to leave the comfort of my childhood home and begin to learn to be a sailor and fisherman.

With a sigh of contentment, I took off my boots and then lifted two of the skins from the top of the pile. Using them to cover myself like blankets, I stretched out on my new, comfortable bed. The warmth of the fire and the heat generated by my body soon had me almost asleep. Almost, but not quite, as the noise of the flap entrance to the tent being raised and let drop quickly had me awake and again fearful that someone was about to do me harm.

However, I soon realized that I did not have to be afraid of being murdered in my sleep. By the light cast by the fire, I saw that my nocturnal visitor was the young girl who had smiled at me and to whom I had lent my knife. I raised myself on one elbow as she approached my bed and watched in surprise as she lifted the skins that covered me and slipped into bed beside me.

I started to ask her what she was doing, but then I realized that she and I did not have any language in common, so I stopped talking and turned my attention to her body. She was short in stature, with a rounded face and a flattened nose. Her black hair was long, but it was braided and oiled, so it remained clear of her face which was also daubed with the red ochre that seemed to be traditional for both men and women. She was dressed in the typical clothes of animal skins that I had seen both men and women wearing.

Besides the strange colour of her face, I noticed her smell. It was a mix of woodsmoke from the cooking fire, congealed blood from the meat she had been cutting, and the animal skins she was wearing. But that first impression soon became less important as her body pressed against mine urgently, and her hand reached between my legs. I was 15, so in an instant I was aroused. I was not a virgin, but I had not been with a female for more than six months since we set sail from Getaria, so her hand on my male member swiftly had it straining against the cloth of the short skirt that covered my manhood.

We both fumbled with our clothing until I was able to turn to face her and she guided my member into her warm and slippery sheath. Our congress did not last long as I was unable to control myself and I deposited my seed deep inside her after only a few minutes of thrusting. I rolled off her soft body thinking that I would soon be able to resume our coupling, but she took me by surprise by leaving the warmth of the bed and, without a backward glance, exiting the tent.

I was confused but also contented and I soon allowed sleep to overtake me.

The sound of people going about their daily tasks woke me when it was barely daylight. The skins that covered me were warm and I was reluctant to leave the most comfortable bed I had slept in for many years, especially as the fire had gone out since I had not tended it, and I could feel a chill in the air. However, I knew that I had to face the task of leaving my hosts and carrying the basket of meat back to my companions who would probably be wondering whether I was still alive.

After pulling on my boots, I lifted the flap of the tent and looked outside at the early morning bustle of activity of people starting their daily routines. When I exited the tent, I looked for the young girl who had so willingly shared my bed and her body, but there was no sign of her. Instead, my guide from the night before, Beothuk, saw me yawning and stretching in the frosty air of the dawn. Smiling, he came to me and gripped my arm in greeting. Then he offered me some dried meat to eat. It was clear that I had been accepted as a trusted friend of their tribe.

Half an hour later I was on my way back to our cabin with the basket of meat strapped to my back. I also had a bundle of animal skins carried on my shoulder. These had been a gift from the tribe’s elders. My impulsive gesture of donating my knife to the tribe was being rewarded many times over it seemed.

The walk back to the cabin went smoothly as I was accompanied by Beothuk. There was mist rising from the frost on the ground as the sun began to warm up the earth. The light filtering through the trees that had mainly lost their leaves cast shadows on the trail we followed.

The atmosphere, the sounds of the birds in the forest, the light and shade on the path, the bundles that I carried, but most of all the recollection of what had happened the night before made me feel glad to be alive and to forget for some time that I was far from home with no assurance that I would ever see it or my family again.

And how my companions greeted me assured me that they were also glad that I had not only survived but also had returned with gifts that would make our lives easier.

The meat was taken away by the cooks, and the animal skins were examined, rubbed, felt, sniffed, and generally tested by all of my companions. At last, we would be able to stay warm if the weather became colder.

Beothuk left us silently and was soon lost from sight among the trees.

Then my friends began to bombard me with questions about what had happened after I had left them the previous day. As quickly as I could, I explained what had occurred in the camp, and how I had traded a small knife for the food and skins I had returned with.

Of course, I did not tell them about my night visitor and what we had done. That was not their concern, and besides I was the youngest crew member, so I knew they would tease me endlessly if I told what had occurred.

The subject of the natives and their treatment of me led to a discussion about the weapons and tools that they used. We were all surprised that they did not appear to have any experience of steel or iron but relied on stone to tip their arrows and spears and also to use as tools for cutting meat. At the same time, we admired their ingenuity and skill in using these rudimentary stone tools to kill and skin the large animals that we had often seen coming to the stream to drink.

We had frequently debated different ways to trap and kill these animals which were larger than the deer that we were familiar with, but we had been unable to devise any plan that would be sure to be successful. Now, these savages who did not construct houses or who had no knowledge of metal had demonstrated that they were superior to us in some ways by being able to kill these large animals.

After the excitement of discussing this first encounter with other humans in this strange land, our captain suggested that we should continue to learn more about them because it was obvious that they knew how to survive there, and also because they might be able to help us repair our ship when the weather became milder after the winter weather ended.

We had been so busy constructing our cabin, catching fish, scavenging the shore for shellfish and other edible sea creatures, fetching water from the stream, cooking and generally surviving that we had not thought much about how we were going to be able to return home. Now, we considered the captain’s suggestion, and we all agreed that this was a good plan.

However, to make this plan succeed, we needed to know more about the savages, about their language, and about whether they would be willing to help us. Almost without discussion, all eyes turned to me. Instantly, I realized that the group had selected me for the task of making friends with the savages. They knew that I had already taken the first steps of friendship with them, and they also knew that I had a facility to learn languages, as demonstrated by my ability to speak Castilian, Portuguese and some Arabic in addition to my native Euskara. I did not want to appear too eager to volunteer for the task, but inside I was delighted at the thought of spending more time getting to know the tribe, and particularly one special female.

The plan that evolved was for me to take some items that the tribe should find useful. We could not give them any of our important tools, but a line with iron fishhooks might be an acceptable gift. As the tribe was camped at some distance from where we had been washed ashore, we were uncertain if they had the ability or the means to fish in the sea. I also suggested that they might welcome an iron cooking pot as an improvement over their pots made of clay. As they did not seem to have a wheel, the pots that I had seen were not well made and appeared to be fragile and probably did not last long. An iron pot would be a huge improvement, and it would also be a status symbol for the elders who would probably take control of it.

In exchange, we hoped that we would receive more meat and possibly furs as the weather had started to show signs of becoming colder. We were sure that there would be snow, and this would limit our fishing and scavenging, so meat would be a welcome addition to our diet. Of course, furs would be welcome to help us through the cold weather, but we were not sure if the tribe wore these as I had only seen them wear animal skins.

The next morning, after a final farewell from my companions and last-minute instructions from Juan, and with their good wishes ringing in my ears, I left our cabin to make my way back to the camp of the savages. This time, I carried an iron cooking pot, a fishing line from the ship with 6 iron fishhooks attached, another steel knife that had belonged to the captain, and as much smoked fish and salted cod as could be packed into the cooking pot. By now, I had a good idea of the way that led to their camp, so I did not need a guide as before.

When I arrived at the top of the hill at the edge of the clearing where their camp was situated, I stood for a moment to take in the sight of what everyone was doing. The majority of those who were working were women, while the men seemed to sit chatting in small groups, and the children ran about, shouting and laughing noisily, while chasing and being chased by dogs.

Smoke rose from the central cooking fire, and the scene looked very peaceful in the early morning autumn light. I was not sure what was going to become of my life, but from what I saw, I believed that all would be well. With that thought in mind, I left the shelter of the trees and made my way down to the camp.

The dogs saw me first and gave warning to the tribe by barking loudly. It seemed as if everyone turned to look in my direction, ready to repel any human or animal attacker, but when he saw who I was, Beothuk rose to his feet and leaving the small group of men he had been sitting with, walked in my direction and stretched out his arms in welcome to me.

I was very glad to have received such a warm welcome as it made me feel unafraid and unconcerned for my safety. When he saw that I was carrying gifts, he led me immediately to the tent of the older men. I laid the gifts I had brought at their feet and waited for their response. The knife was the first gift that they picked up, perhaps because they already knew what to expect from having handled the one I had given them previously.

From the comments they made, it was obvious that this was a valuable gift and that they were grateful to me for giving it to them. I picked up the iron cooking pot and also picked up a small stone. Then I struck the pot with the stone, making it ring. The sound startled them, but I could see that they were thinking about why the stone had not broken the pot when I hit it hard a second time.

Next, I picked up the line with the iron fishing hooks attached to it. Taking a piece of wood that was lying by the communal fire, I sank one of the hooks into it, and then pulling on the line, I lifted it into the air. The group of men looked at me quizzically, but did not respond as they had done when they examined the knife. So, I walked to the place where meat was being cut up and using a hook, I lifted a piece of meat into the air. This caught their attention, but when I took one of the smoked fish I had brought and inserted the hook into its mouth and then hoisted it in the air the idea of how to use these hooks finally dawned on the group.

Now that they had seen the gifts of iron that I had brought, I showed them the salt cod. I found a gourd with water and used it to fill the pot, which I then set directly on the fire to cook instead of placing it beside the fire as they did with their pots made of dried clay. The group looked intently as they waited for the pot to break from the flames, but when it did not and the water began to boil, they nodded their understanding at how this pot could make their life so much easier. Finally, I placed the dried cod in the pot and waited for it to boil before removing the pot from the fire. I carefully drained the hot water from the pot before refilling it with fresh water and replacing it on the fire again. I was sure that this demonstration would allow them to cook the salted cod I had brought with me and avoid poisoning them with too much salt.