Chapter 13

Chief John left the Chief’s hut area and walked down to the camp entrance. There he found two guards, who were sitting side by side with their spears planted by their sides, and holding on to them loosely The men did not even look up when John walked slowly towards them. Someone coming from inside the camp seemed of no interest.

John changed all that.

“Guards! To your posts!” The two men jumped and looked at each other before glancing at John. They had to think about where their posts actually were. When that memory kicked in, the walked slowly to the two positions, one on either side, and tried to look alert. John noted that their spears were only about five feet in length, and wanted to know why.

“Who gave you your weapons for guard duty?” he demanded to know.

One of the men stammered, “They are our own spears, Chief,” for he had now recognised John as the visiting Chief who had suddenly become their new chief. “We bring them here when it is our turn to be on duty. Were we doing wrong?” “No, you weren’t. It is the tribe that was failing you. The tribe should have provided more effective spears. What could you do if a band of wanderers rushed the camp entrance?” “I don’t know, Chief. Sound the alarm?” “That is about all you could do. Your spears are useful only for close in-fighting. The are useless at holding back attackers. We must change that, and give you a better chance of defending the tribe.” He stood for a moment and looked across at the entrance. It was a well-worn track, about ten feet wide in total, due to the slopes on either side; too wide for these two men with their short spears to defend. What was need was a barrier that could be swung in at short notice to close the gateway, and swung back at quieter times.

He made up his mind, to be decisive on the spot. His mind suddenly recalled a barrier using X-style ends and one or more crossbars wrapped with barbed wire, and he amended this notion to current times.

“We need a barricade, a moveable barricade, that will stretch across the entranceway.” He described his idea of a barricade, telling of a three log connection between the centre and upper parts of the Xs, and the space inside to be filled with bushes that had sharp barbs all over them.

“That will be placed ready to deploy at a moment’s notice; and the duty guards will be issued with long spears to be able to thrust at enemy warriors before these enemies can get close. You will retain your personal spears for close defence.

Another thing: your guard procedure was lax. You must learn to challenge every person arriving at the gateway, from either side, and establish that they are friends rather than enemies ... If an enemy sneaked in from the side of the camp, he might come here to prevent the barricade being deployed. Do understand my concerns?” “Yes, sir!” they both replied with alacrity, and the talkative one asked, “Who is going to make the barricade? Can we go ask the Maker?” “He is a busy man for the moment, but if I show him my design, he can direct other assistants to do the actual making of the barricade unit. He will need the dimensions of this gateway at its widest point where you can walk through, and that is where we will place it at our time of need. You can measure it for him, so don’t get it wrong.” The men relaxed, thinking that the discussion was over. They were wrong.

John continued, “My other concern was perimeter defence. This campsite is too open to flanking manoeuvres. Anyone can sneak in from outside between the huts around the edge of camp. We need to close off such easy access. The simplest solution will be to dig deep and wide trenches for invaders to fall into.” “Eh? But how will our hunters, berry pickers and nut gatherers get in and out? They will have to use the front gateway.” “No. We can use temporary bridges across the trenches, using rough planks. The moment we think we are likely to be attacked, we pull these bridging planks back, leaving just the trenches. The main energy expense is in digging the trenches. Once they are in place, they need little maintenance to keep them functioning.” The voluble guard was not convinced.

“Surely the invaders can just jump over the trench?” “Yes, if they know it is there. What you do is use thin branches across the trench, to disguise it from cursory glances. The thin branches can’t carry a person’s weight, so they fall through if they stand on the spot.

Any invader is not going to creep in during daytime, and at night they would not see the hidden trench. No, from past experience, it should work well if done right.” John halted as he realised that this was another memory that had crept in, that of building and disguising defensive trenches. His memory told him it was part of his military training, and he was pleased to have that earlier assumption confirmed. Now if only he could remember at least something about the folk who sent himÖ Yeah, that would be the day.

He got the guards to direct him back to the Maker’s workshop, and found that man hard at work, coffin making. When he saw John, he gesticulated to the corner. There, three completed stretchers were parked in an upright stance, leaning into the corner. John pulled one out to look it over. The hide carrying the weight was stitched neatly at each side with rawhide thongs knotted carefully at the ends. John was impressed with the workmanship.

“Is someone calling to collect these?” “No. I was going to take them to the hut as soon as the bearers were gathered.” “Do you mind if I carry them there myself? I want to make sure the girls will be comfortable in them, before we start out.” “We? You going with them, Chief?” “Yes. I will be the guide and the protective guard in case we meet with Stripies or something.” “Oh, yes. The others will be strangers to the route.” “That is the case. We ñ John’s Tribe - have kept ourselves to ourselves until recent days. Now that I have two tribes to look after, we must make changes in both tribes. I want both tribes to become better places for everyone, men and women.” “Ah. I had heard that you wanted changes. Women treated the same as men, eh?” “Look at it this way: are all mean treated equally?” “More or less. Some are cleverer than others, so get better positions within the tribe. Like me: I am the best at making things, so I get this responsibility.” “Right. So it is not because you are a man. It is because you are best at this work?” “Naturally.” “So why not if a woman is good making things, shouldn’t she get a chance at being another Maker? There is room for more than one, isn’t there?” “I never thought of it that way. If she is good with her hands, she could become one of my assistants and learn to do the job. Yes, why not? I find your thinking interesting, Chief.” “Good. Now, I had better get these stretchers over to where they are needed.” John heaved the three stretchers up and balanced them on his shoulder until he felt comfortable carrying them, held in place by one hand. He set off for the Chief’s hut, knowing that the one he wanted was next to it. He was there very quickly, and tapped on the wall beside the curtain.

A woman in her twenties came out, and John introduced himself.

“Hello. I am Chief John. I have brought three stretchers for when the girls are carried to my other tribe. How are they doing so far?” “I am Marla, Chief; one the tribe’s healers. In this case, the healing is more needed inside their heads, though their bodies have been bashed around, and their sex parts damaged. We have applied the healing salve we got from your tribe ñ your other tribe - and that has soothed the hurts. They need time to heal properly; time with a lot of care and attention. Can you promise that at the other tribe?” “I can. I have two women who know about such care needs, so they will organise what is required. Had the girls been washed clean before the salve was applied?” “They have. We healers took note of the instructions that came with the salve: clean the body well before using. Is there a special reason for this method of use, Chief: do you know?” “As it happens, I do. If a body is not clean, then cuts and bruises allow little animals too small to be seen, to creep into the body and cause further illness. I am sure you know of cases where even after an injury is well treated, the patient dies of sickness.” “That happens, yes. You think it is because of animals too small to see?” “No. I KNOW it is that reason. I come from a place where such knowledge is standard, and few people die like that. The salve includes herbs that help to kill these invisible animals, but starting off with a clean body makes the treatment much simpler and more effective.

I have made clear that all midwives and the expectant mothers must be washed clean before childbirth, for exactly the same reason. With washing, you can expect deaths in childbirth to reduce drastically, and that will raise the tribe’s respect for you. A healer’s task is to prevent deaths, not allow them to happen through lack of knowledge.

Please see that these rules are enforced, for the good of the patients and for the benefit of the medical practitioners.” “Yes, Chief. Any word on how they are to be taken to the other tribe’s healers?” “A squad of bearers should be coming shortly to carry the girls to safety. As there are just the two of us for now, I want to check that each girl will be able to lie comfortably in the stretcher. Are they awake enough to let us know?” “I am not sure, but we can see if they lie without complaint. Come inside with one of your machines and we can try.” John took in a stretcher, and laid it down beside one of the girls. The healer told her, “This is Chief John. He is going to have you transported to where you get well again. We need to see if this contraption is comfortable for you. We will move you on to it and lift you up.” They did that, and she did not moan; in fact tried to help herself in the move. John directed the healer, and they both lifted together, and the girl was lying in the stretcher between them. John asked her, “Is that fairly comfortable, young lady?” “Yes, Chief John. It is fine.” She hesitated, then went on, “Mama wanted me to marry you, Chief, to cement relations between our tribes. That idea will be gone now.” “Why?” John wanted to know.

“Because I have been despoiled.” “That was not your fault, and you will recover. I will speak with your mother later.” “Daddy is dead, and most of the family?” “Yes, but you three older girls will recover. Your mother is suffering from shock and is unconscious for now. She should recover as well, if her mind can take it. Can we lay you down again, until the bearers arrive?” “Yes, Chief. Marla has treated us well, as far as she can.” “I know. You will receive good care at the other tribe. I have healers available there too.” “We have to check that your sisters are okay with these stretchers now.” John and Marla repeated the procedure with the other two stretchers and their loads, and it was clear there was no problem. The stretchers seemed well made and able to carry the patients in relative comfort, so John was happy.

He waited outside for the bearers to arrive, and shortly they turned up, curious about their task. John went over the procedure of how to lift the stretcher with a patient, both ends lifted simultaneously so as not to let the patient slide of at one end or the other, and kept horizontal to avoid spilling the patient out to the side.

He had to get two of the men to go into the hut and lift the eldest girl in the stretcher, to see what John was talking about. John stood beside the stretcher to prevent accidents, until the men totally understood their responsibilities. John was all set to go, but remembered that outdoor conditions might not be consistently pleasant, so flung another pelt over the girl’s body and legs. The bearers then carried the girl outside,, so the others could see how she was carried, down at their arms length. John explained that this was easiest posture for the bearers to keep going for a long distance.

“We need six to carry, and the other two will act as replacements as soon as one pair gets tired, until they are ready to resume carrying. The replacements are important for helping whichever pair needs relief for carrying, or a bearer needs to stop for the call of nature. Summon me if a patient needs to pee or shit, and I will supervise lifting her out so that she can do that, and lifting her back again.

If she shits, I, Chief John, will wipe the girl’s bottom with leaves, so that she will not lie with any discomfort. You gentlemen will act like a responsible father and not look where you need not look. I will do the same, as far as is possible. These girls are not just patients, they are the daughters of a Chief and deserve respect, so only a Chief can be allowed to help them fully with their calls of nature. Is that clearly understood?” Getting a series of “Yes, Chief” responses, John was satisfied about preparations, and went back inside to brief Marla. She raised her eyebrows as John described his proposals, and then offered to come along as the bottom wiper.

“A Chief should not have to wipe bottoms, sir!” “Marla, it is a waste of your time to come along and back, just on the off chance that bottoms may need to be wiped. This is a task that I will feel privileged to accomplish, as part of my homage to Chief Mongo. I am sure he would approve.” “You are probably right, sir. Thank you. Can I give you some of the soft leaves we use for the task?” “That is a kind thought, both for the girls and for me. Thank you again, Marla, for looking after the girls.” Someone must have notified the Wise Woman of their impending departure, for she appeared as they were moving the girls out of the hut on the stretchers.

“Hold! She commanded. “Chief John, are you leading this group?” “Yes, ma’am.” “Then let me speak with the girls before you leave.” She asked the bearers to cluster the stretchers round her, so that she could speak to all three girls at once.

She leaned over to check that each girl was awake, and spoke to her nieces.

“Girls, I have approved your transportation to Chief John’s cave for further recovery and treatment. He is a Chief of great honour and may be relied on in all things. I have spoken. Have a good journey.” She stood up and stepped back, waving the bearers onward. John raised his eyebrows at this commanding attitude, and shrugged. It suited him, he thought. As Mongo’s sister, even though she kept it quiet, she had the regal bearing of a Chief. He followed the parade towards the camp gateway.

As they got to it, the bearers were challenged by the duty guards, this time brandishing long pike-like spears. John stepped forward and intervened.

“This convoy are with me, gentlemen, but you were quite correct with your challenge. Well done.” “Thank you, Chief John. The Maker says we will have our barricade ready before tomorrow.” “Excellent! Glad to hear it.” “Oh, and he says he will shortly implement your order about trenches at the sides of the camp.” “Even better! It is good to see my instructions being carried out so expeditiously.” The parade resumed their march onwards, and John told the lead man at what point he needed to switch to another track.

“I will get ahead and stand at the junction, to make it easy for you to spot where we turn off.” That matter concluded, they walked on silently, allowing the girls to sleep with only a few forest noises to be heard. It also allowed John to listen for any predators that might appear.

Fortunately their trek remained undisturbed, and through sleeping on the journey, the girls did not need to answer the calls of nature. John was pleased to find he was still challenged before reaching the clearing.

“Halt! Who goes there?” John held up his hand, and replied, “Chief John and party.” “Pass, Chief John. How many in the party?” “Eight others and three patients for our healers.” The guard at once switched from official challenge to caring woman.

“Shall I summon the healers to here, or can the patients wait to be inside?” “Wait until they are in the cave, Feelia. They need a lot of rest and careful caring from women.” The guard rushed up the slope to warn the others of the arrivals, and when they got there, new hands were ready to take gold of the stretchers. The tired bearers were glad to hand over their charges to others.

John demanded that the bearers be fed and watered immediately, as they had done a good job.

As soon as he had finished speaking, Numa was by his side.

“What happened John? You went to find out the situation after getting a message, and you return with three injured girls on stretchers. What happened when you got there, love?” John tried to be succinct.

By the time I got there, Chief Mongo had been killed by the Shaman, as also had been his sons and youngest daughter. The older girls had been badly beaten and raped, and due to be killed shortly, I estimated, so I shot the Shaman myself, to stop the carnage. The Chief’s wife, Bertha, is in a coma caused by shock, so unable to function. I rescued the injured girls, got them some treatment on the spot, then shipped them back here for more extensive treatment and care. Sheila and Vickie will have some idea of how best to treat girls in that condition, so get them onto that job. You will have to attend to the tribal matters b y yourself.

The stretcher bearers will need to be sent home once they have been fed and watered, and had a rest. They did an excellent job with only on-the-job training.” “So, that meansÖ the tribal law of succession... “ “Yes. Challenger becomes Chief. In this case the Shaman simply murdered Chief Mongo, and in effect became Chief, but I intervened and killed him, so I became Chief by the same tradition. I am now Chief of both tribes.” “Ah, I get it. You have become more powerful, my love. Did you pickup any wives by that leadership change?” No, of course notÖ except... “ “Except what?” “Except the eldest daughter told me her mother had planned to marry her to me, to cement the alliance between our tribes, but could no longer do so, as she had been despoiled.” “Ah, yes. That was the case, when women were property, It is different now. You told them the new rules before you left?” “Yes. They understand that men and women are to be treated equally.” “So that old rule need not apply. I shall speak with this child, and make my own assessment of her, before I make up my mind.” “Yes, dear. Whatever you say. I am tired after a long and strenuous time away.” “Go to our furs, I will get Gomla or Raka to come to you with food and drink, and some comforting, later.” “Yes, dear.” John found himself almost stumbling as his exhaustion caught up with him. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open until he got his food handed to him by a concerned wife. He gulped it as quickly as possible, washed it down with whatever drink she had brought, and handed back the empties. He lay down, closed his eyes, and slept.

He was woken by a hand shaking his shoulder, and when that was not enough to get him to open his eyes, a kiss was bestowed on his lips. He had to open his eyes to see which girl was kissing him, and found Vickie looking into his eyes.

“Wake up, double Chief! You are a busy man, but we need a quick decision.” This woke him up more, and he sat up. The cave seemed a bit colder, but that may have been from him being wrapped in furs. He engaged gears in his mind, and asked, “What do you need a decision on, my love ñ and my lovely?” She grinned at the compliment, but got down to business.

“How many dogs and medical kits do we expect to see, and how do we change the request? We could do with more survival knives for the tribe, as we only have the one at present.” “Oh, I think scrub off the picture and substitute a new one.” “Scrub off WHAT picture, dummy, and where?” “Did Raka not tell you? No, probably she thought it was secret, not for dissemination. Sorry, love. My mind was on other things; I thought you knew. The stuff that has appeared from our time; that was a request from us.” “How the HELL did you manage to communicate with our people back there if you know nothing about them?” John blushed. “Raka spotted some pictograms above the map in the back of the cave,. So I scratched some amendments ñ basically a picture of a red cross first aid box to indicate a medical box. They were send with the dogs. It looks like the system only words with live animals; including humans, but you can add metal objects to the load and both come through.” Vickie frowned as she absorbed this. “Then why send you, me, and Sheila through naked? That does not make sense.” I have concluded that they were experimenting with this system, whatever it is ñ a time machine of sorts. They though it would work only with live bodies, so they assumed that meant unclothed. That is why the three of us came through without any clothes. The extras came through attached to us. In my case, the leather belt holding the bolts and in Sheila’s case the string tie to her toilet bag. By the time they sent you through, they deduced that I needed a sharp weapon for close fighting, so sent the survival knife along with you.

It has all been trial and error testing.” “So tell me about this map and the pictograms, John.” “A patch of wall in the dark part of the cave is flat and has a wall map incised on it, showing our surroundings up to a few miles from here. I had just accepted it as a static extra, but Raka noticed symbols in a narrow panel above the map. It showed a man and two women. That had to be a message from our senders; that was clear. I tried to send a message back by drawing a medical box and a number, next to the first symbols. It seems to have gone through, for medical boxes have been arriving. They must have decided that dogs would be useful to us, so used them for the live part of the sending. Half-grown pups were chosen as adaptable and reliable for our needs.” “So the two boxes per pup is probably their maximum load?” “I think they used a smaller animal in the hopes of increasing the metal extras. What came through today?” “One pup and three boxes this time.” “They are trying to find the maximum equipment they can send with an animal, and what size of animal is the minimum: they are still experimenting with possibilities,. So the system or machine is very new. I don’t like the way they are going about this. It smacks of amateur research, being rushed along. They must have an object in mind for their project; but what is it?” “You think they are a bunch of amateurs? But they are experimenting with sending human beings, John! There are rules about such things ñ or I mean there is bound to be, even if I don’t know what they are.” “I agree with you, Vickie, but if all this being done against the rules of our time, then they are effectively criminals in what they are doing. And what exactly is their intent with it all? They must have a target in mind.” “Beats me, John. I was just glad to find myself back with you again. How it happened, I still haven’t a clue, but they must have known you and I were an item. I am fairly sure the slung Sheila back here to get rid of her and provide you with pussy from your own period, before they thought of adding me. Do you think there may be some genetic component in their plans for us?” “Unlikely, Vickie. You and I can’t have paired up for some genetic-based attraction, and Sheila was never on my radar, I am pretty sure, particularly if as you say she was a thorn in everyone’s side at the time. She isn’t now.” “No. She has changed a lot, but so have you, John. Here you have adopted the persona of a tribal chief, with al the powers that come with that position. I would never have viewed you as that kind of person when you were my boyfriend, for you would not have fitted with me at all. I am coming to the conclusion that this mechanism that tossed us here also caused changes in our personality; but changes for the better. I don’t think the people who sent us here anticipated that. They are probably puzzled that we are not doing what they sent you to do.” John was more pragmatic.

“I don’t care how I became as I now am, Vickie. I am happy with my life ñ in general ñ though I am saddened by the massacre at the Farfarers. I have abilities that were developed by my military experience; of that I am certain, and I am using these abilities and talents to help people who should be helped. I am happy that you are here with me, but I am also happy with the other women now in my life. I have made an assumption that my pheromones were altered to make me more attractive to women and more attracted to them also, otherwise why would I know about pheromones and such? That may also explain why you are showing no signs of jealousy about being one wife of many. You must have seen that.” “Yes, I was astonished that you have so many wives, and that I was so easily persuaded to join your group of wives. My astonishment failed to make me spurn you. I loved you back there, and I love you here, even though I have to share you.” “Can I see this map and its labels, John?” “Sure. We just need a lamp each, and simply follow the safety rope into the darkness.” John had slept in his clothes, and would go for a wash later, but he felt that Vickie needed to observe the map and notations above.

After warning others as to where they were going, they made their way to the map, and John held his lamp up for Vickie to see.

“My God! That is like a hand-drawn version of an Ordnance Survey map!” John replied, “Now that you mention it, that is exactly what it is like. O.S. maps have appeared in my memory again, and the symbols here have been copied directly from O.S. examples. The tree symbols tell you what kind of forest is in that spot. I think the forests around here are subtropical.” So where are the symbols you mentioned? Oh, I see them: up at the top.” “That’s them. The figures used on toilet doors, for men and women: one man and two women. That is what they know of us; they know nothing about the other women who are locals. Next to the figures you will see the medical box sign, and the number. Somehow this panel has a two-way connection. They sent us the map and the basic data on people sent, and we used it to ask for medical assistance. They added the dogs for us. Can you think we else we should ask for?” Vickie looked worried.

“Almost everything we could ask for either needs electrical power, which we don’t have, or is too advanced to be kept in good repair here. Even clothes from our time would wear out, and any personal items such a sanitary towels and tampons would run out eventually with nothing to replace them. We are best in the long term, to make use of what we can find locally.” John told her, “All I can think of are survival knives, as I can make things with them using local wood, and these blades stay sharp a long time. They usually come with a sharpening steel, so they should stay in god condition for many years. How many do you think we can ask for and expect to get?” “Huh, that is anyone’s guess. Have a bash at fifty, and see how many turn up.” “You want us to become an army, with so many sharp weapons?” “I didn’t say that. They are incredibly useful tools; that is the point.” John saw her argument.

“I can have a go at that,” agreed John. “Now, if Raka didn’t talk about these figures above the map, can I assume the same about the library?” Vickie stared at him. “We have a library? Where, and how?” “We have found it, but not explored it yet. The contents may give us some clues about the senders and their plans for us. We need to plan an expedition to the library, and be prepared to make an inventory of everything that is there. My thought is to split it into several mini-libraries: one of educational books worth exploiting; one of factual works for use by university-level students, and one of books that possibly merit burning: the sort of book that someone like the Shaman would like to read.” “John, sometimes that kind of book should be kept as an example of what should be avoided. If they exist merely as a spoken-off work that cannot be produced, they may become legends.” “Anyway, that goes on the back burner. There are more urgent matters, such as how the rescued daughters of Chief Mongo are doing. Are they still alive? How are they being looked after?” “Sheila is pleased with their response to her treatment. Her latest version of the healing ointment is more powerful, she says; more fully anti-bacterial in nature, not just palliative. She told me that getting the ingredients fresh from the plants boosts the effectiveness of the drugs. I have heard that before, I think: that must be another memory returning.” “Glad to hear it, Vickie love. I really like being with you, even not having sex just now.” “Make the most of the opportunity, my man. My period is due shortly.” “I will, though I will be happy if your period doesn’t arrive at all.” “Want to be a daddy, do you?” “I want to be Daddy to your children, Vickie; to OUR children.” “I can live with that, John my darling man.” “Unfortunately for now, I have to get back to the Farfarers for the funeral of Mongo and his children. Don’t tell the three girls about it. I don’t want them more upset. I’ll just report to them how their father was buried with great ceremony and the respect of the tribe.” “That sounds nice. Make sure it goes that way, John. Do you require your guard of honour with you, for this formal occasion?” “I shouldn’t think so, for this funeral is an internal matter of the Farfarers, and my guard are from this tribe. Many of the Farfarers will be feeling guilty that they didn’t prevent the massacre of the Chief’s family. They probably expected a one-to-one takeover, and are still in shock over the reality. I think that is why I was so readily accepted as the new Chief, so I don’t want to rock the boat.” “Sounds sensible. You believe you will be safe, though? Most thugs have cronies, remember.” “I know. I will take my survival knife and keep it in my tunic for emergencies. That should be sufficient. I will have my crossbow slung on my back, as well, for that, and my belt of bolts, is my trademark as Chief John.” “Okay, I will let you go on that basis. I just didn’t fancy losing you so soon after marrying you, my love.” She emphasised that with a passionate kiss on his lips.