Chapter 26

Jean looked at Vickie and Sheila accusingly. “You want to expand his harem, do you? Weird women!”

Vickie responded sharply, “No harem, Jean; that is something different. We are all his wives, loved and loving. He doesn’t have any concubines; we all have the power of decision for ourselves. Our decision was to be wife to him, and we are enjoying that position. The only drawback is not getting as much physical love as if we were just one couple, though I have heard that some couples do not have as much sex as others.”

“You are serious, are you?”

“Very much so, Jean. You are too much biased by society’s norm back home. Here, there is not the same social pressure as back home. Love is what counts, rather than rules laid down by lawmakers. I have the man I wanted as my husband, but so do Sheila, Numa and the others. Why deprive them of what they want out of love?”

“I’ll sleep on it, but I still have my doubts about what you girls see in him, to share him so much.”

That evening, John did his best to prove himself a good husband, but could only prove it to several of his wives before falling asleep. The others sought his attention in the morning, preventing him for getting up early.

As a result, he had a late breakfast before attending to Chief Numa for any duties she wanted. Numa sought his help with defence training for the newest warriors in the tribe, but quietly told John, “Leave out those two deserters for the moment. Tell them you are too busy to work with everyone, so you have to prioritise the females for now, as they need more of the basic training.”

John replied just as quietly, “You are being extra careful, my love. That is fine, but don’t let it get to you. You may be too suspicious.”

She waved him off, “I can take care of my suspicions, John. Don’t worry about it.”

John concentrated on tuition for the rest of the morning. He noticed that the two men took an interest in this activity, until Numa came to give them jobs that needed done. They attended to these tasks at once.

Everyone had settled down to the mid-day meal when a messenger arrived from the fishing village. This was not the lad Fresno this time, but a younger fellow. He was told to eat first, then impart his message afterwards. He gulped down the stew that was offered to him, saying, “This makes a nice change from fish; but I suppose that for you, fish would be a nice change from meat stew?”

The woman he was speaking to agreed with this assumption.

“But what brought you here? Soap? You smell as if you need a bath, after a long trek to here.”

“I did hear of such a thing as soap, but it is difficult to get hold of. I will enquire about it after I have passed on my message.”

“Have you eaten enough?”

“Yes, thank you; it was delicious.”

“Then I will take you to our Chief Numa, and she will accept your message, if she has finished eating.”

“But I was told to take the message to Chief John!”

The woman frowned at him. “High Chief John is the husband of our Chief Numa. He will be there as you deliver your tale, I assure you.”

He was taken to Chief Numa, and he presented himself to her.

“Chief, I was sent with this message to get it to High Chief John, but I am told that he will get the message as soon as you do.”

Numa smiled at him. “This man beside me is High Chief John. You can speak to us both at the same time. What is your name, my man?”

“Ashoka, Chief Numa.”

“Thank you. What is your message and who does it come from, Ashoka?”

“It comes from the elders of the village, Chief Numa. They ask me to tell you about the second Big Ship that arrived last night, just before dusk. It was frightening to behold, as we thought it held more pirates, and there were some of our people on board the damaged ship.”

“A terrifying sight indeed, Ashoka. What happened at the time of its arrival?”

“The new ship sailed in close to the anchored ship, and people started to climb from the new ship to the older one. They held weapons in their hands, but our people did not have weapons so cowered well back, scared to do anything to stop them.”

“And?”

“And the new people demanded to speak with whoever was in charge, so they explained that they were all former captives of the pirates, so none of them were in charge. They said that they were on board to locate food stores and any useful equipment.”

“They then wanted to know what had happened to the pirates, and when our folk told how they had poisoned themselves by stealing beans from the fisher huts, they laughed in delight. The one who was leading these new people on board asked whose idea was it to poison the pirates, and our people said it was a Chief from another village; the same Chief who had brought down fire from above on the ship to disable it.

The man looked surprised, and asked about this ‘fire’ from above. All we knew was what we had been told, as we were locked inside when it happened. And the man scowled, but let that pass without comment.

John stayed silent, so Numa spoke instead. “A fairly accurate summary of events. What happened then?

“They told our people that the pirates had stolen the ship from their colleagues, some of whom escaped in a small boat to a safe place. The remainder of the crew had been killed by the pirates without thinking about how they would be able to sail our boat. ‘Stupid people!’ The man said, adding ‘No wonder they fell for such an old trick.’ That was his words, Chief, as they were told to me. I don’t know what they meant by an old trick.”

John intervened, “I do, Ashoka. They sound like civilised people, so I presume they did not harm anyone?”

“No-one, High Chief John. The simply ordered everyone off the ship and ferried them back to the shore. Then they started repairing the ship. I don’t know what they were doing, but they scurried all over the ship to check the damage, then they brought out a new sail and installed it on the mast in place of the one that had been destroyed.

By this time it was almost dark, so we could not see from the shore what exactly they were doing, but they had torches with them for light; torches that seemed to burn for a lot longer than a branch of wood would burn. They placed these torches in holders around the ship and worked on in the night.

At first light this morning, I was detailed to come here and report these things to you, as you would need to know what had happened to the damaged ship. As I left, I noted that they were still working on the ship.”

John asked, “Did you, or whoever was present, notice what weapons they held in their hands?”

“All I was told was that they held weapons that were not spears or clubs or knives; more like long knives, but they were shiny, the people said.”

“Good grief!” exclaimed John. “That sounds like bronze swords!”

Ashoka looked blank and said nothing, not understanding what was meant by this statement. John turned to his wives, but mainly to Numa, saying, “Wherever they come from, these seamen have a bronze age civilisation; that’s how they were able to build such large ships!”

Sheila interrupted, “If they had bronze weapons, then how come the first crew were slaughtered? Didn’t they have access to their weapons?”

John shrugged. “We will never know, dear, unless the other seamen can tell us. It may be that they were surprised, and the swords were hidden away aboard the ship. If the weapons had been easily spotted, the pirates would have grabbed them and used them for themselves. They are probably still in their hiding places, just like an armoury in a modern vessel is not readily available.”

Numa wanted to know, “What is this ‘bronze’ description? It is a word I do not know.”

John put it to her, “It is like a stone that can be melted at a very high heat, then when it cools it becomes very hard. Bronze is what we call a metal, and is formed by joining two metals together: copper and tin. We have none of these metals at the moment, so bronze is irrelevant to our current conflicts.”

“If it is irrelevant, how does it happen that these seamen have such metal weapons?” Numa demanded in a puzzled voice.

“Irrelevant to us for the moment, pet. They will be going away and won’t bother us, is my assessment. I would be more concerned if the invading army had metal weapons, but from what I have heard so far, they don’t. It might be interesting to get the seafarers to fight that army, but I get the impression that they keep themselves to themselves; a good plan all round.”

Numa now pursued a new angle. “If you can’t get the people aboard these ships to intervene, what is to happen about your idea about drugs from local plants? Have you got anything planned?”

“The general concept is there, but not the detail. I have to work with Sheila on what the possible sources are, then measure the drug’s levels of efficacy, and also work on the distribution system that will be needed. There has to be a method of encouragement for the distributors to do their best. Normally, that would be by a financial inducement, but in this age, that avenue is not available.”

“You mean, some sort of payment?” Numa pushed further.

John was amazed that she had the conception already in her mind.

“You have it in one, Numa. Is there something you want to suggest?”

“If you don’t mind my interfering, John. I don’t want to distract you from working out your plans.”

“Not at all, my love. It is not interfering to make suggestions. At times, good ideas come from unexpected directions. What is in your mind?”

“Give the distributors a slice of the proceeds. I presume the users will be exchanging a trade item for the drug. Let them keep half of all the trade goods that they collect, and they will be happy to get more users for the drug. You don’t need a lot of return for the drug, just enough to cover the value of production.”

“Of course. I should have thought of giving them a cut of the proceeds, shouldn’t I? Has anyone any idea of what trade goods we should ask for?”

Vickie gave a short laugh. “John, past experience shows that military personnel will happily swap military gear, cigarettes, or food packs for desirable commodities such as drugs or sex. This is a chance to take some of their gear from them, with little chance of any comeback.”

John looked anew at his wife. “Vickie, you surprise me with your brilliance at times. That sounds a marvellous plan.”

She smirked. “You forget that I am a university graduate, my man.”

“Yes, but it was not a science degree, as I recall.”

“You learn a lot at university, beyond your degree subject. By the way, do you have a degree?”

John coloured before replying to this jibe.

“Not your usual degree, but I took many education courses in the army. We had to know a lot about physics and chemistry, to understand the effects of the weapons we might be deploying. It may not a be a formal degree, but it was useful knowledge, all the same. I am more of a practical man.”

Sheila intervened, “Knowledgable enough to know something about the characteristics of plant opiates?”

John blushed again. “Not formally: the army didn’t offer courses like that, but in our work we had to deal with drug addicts and pushers, some of whom targeted our boys, so we learned a great deal for that job. A lot of terrorists were also drug addicts, I can tell you.”

Sheila nodded. “That may be enough for me to explain to you what I find here. There is a wide range of plants that harbour opiates. Some plants need a goodly amount of processing to release the addictive chemical, but others are much simpler for producing the drug such as you want to use. That is what I would aim for.”

John declared, “Instead of staying here to be embarrassed further, I am going to the map in the cave, to indicate that Jean has been assassinated per instructions.”

“How are you going to do that, John?” Numa questioned.

“I’ll just add on the reply bar a minus one in numerals, as that is easy to scratch there. That tells them there is one less person, and they will assume that to be Jean.”

“Sneaky!” murmured Sheila.

“Sensible,” John retorted. “They won’t concern themselves with her any more. She is free of them.”

He collected his oil lamps, checked that the line was still in place, and went off to make his symbolic message above the map. He was back in a surprisingly short time.

“That was pretty easy, girls. I am getting good at this lark.”

Numa then reminded him, “There is this message from the fishing tribe. Are you going to do anything about it? I should think those seamen on the new ship will not hang around very long.”

“Dammit, you are right. I had best get there smartish, and see what I can find out about them and their intentions. They might simply be traders, and currently the fishers have nothing but fish for trading. We can offer them soap and new boots, and herbal medicines.”

Sheila told him, “Don’t offer an immediate supply of medicines, John. I don’t have much of a stockpile, and these new arrivals have just about cleared me out of abortion medicine. We can take orders, for delivery next time they call, if there timetable fits ours.”

“I’ll get on my way as soon as I have an afternoon snack to take with me. I wonder if the sea people supply good quality longbows? That would make a good trade for medicines.”

His comments were ignored this time, for they did not want to delay him further. He donned his new pair of heavy duty moccasins, and was soon on his way, remembering the hours it would take to get there.

Finally the cleared are around the fishing village came into his ken, and he look seawards to spy out the visitors. There was nothing to see, just an empty bay bereft of large shipping. He slowed his pace, recognising that his intent to meet the sea people was foiled, and took his time recovering from his fast walk, before entering the village.

The usual children spotted him and reported his presence, so he was welcomed by the deputation of tribal elders. He noted that Fresno was with them, but whether as part of that team of officials or merely as an adviser, he could not tell at this juncture.

“Hello there!” he greeted them. “Your visitors appear to have left.”

The eldest of the group spoke first.

“It is so. The mostly ignored us, as we showed no enmity towards them. They worked on the original big ship, making temporary repairs to the woodwork, and rigging a new sail to replace the damaged one. They also embarked a crew to sail her. As soon as they were ready, with the tide high enough, they left, with the damaged ship leading and the other ship tailing her to keep an eye on how she was sailing. They looked a competent bunch.”

“Did they say they would be back, to trade or anything?”

The elder paused before replying, “They said they might be back, but if they did return, they would arrive in greater number and better prepared for any violent activity b y the locals.”

John shrugged. “It is what we should expect. They won’t be caught napping next time. They will return fully prepared to fight anyone who dares to attack them. I hope you explained that they were pirates, and not representative of the local tribes?”

“We didn’t get much of a chance to talk to to them, but when they asked us about the men who had attacked and taken over their ship, we explained that they were invaders from elsewhere, and nothing to do with us, for they had enslaved many of the local tribesfolk. The responded by saying ‘Steer clear of them in the future. If we meet them, they will regret it.’ and then they left us.”

“They didn’t ask about trading?” John persisted with his questions.

“Well, they did ask what we had for trading, but when we told them, only fish, they said, ‘We don’t need fish’, and departed.”

John blurted out, “Damn stupid for traders! They should have at least told you what THEY had for trading, so you would know for the future. That is the trouble with people who think they are more advanced: they don’t stop to think straight. One track minds!”

The elder gave him a smile. “That was what we thought as well. Those who think they are superior can be very stupid at times. We are simple fishermen, but we endeavour to keep a good head on our shoulders.”

“I have noticed,” said John. “Your colleague Fresno proved to be a very capable man to have as a friend.”

“Ah, yes; Fresno. You appear to have put ideas into his head.”

“I did that,” admitted John. “He showed considerable aptitude and flexibility of thought as we went about protecting your village from the invaders. I have informed him, as High Chief of my people, that I consider him to have the potential to be a Chief himself in the future.”

The elder blinked in surprise.

“He did not reveal that to us, but he said that you had encouraged him to do great things; much more than he thought he was able to do. Your own actions were exemplary, and he has noted from them how you thought and worked out your tactics. He was much impressed. We are very grateful for your assistance, High Chief.”

John acknowledged this accolade, but switched the subject.

“Can I take it that your village will be trading your fish with our two tribes, in exchange for soap, hair shampoo, and moccasin footwear? We might later be able to offer medicines, but with the recent influx of former captives, we have applied our existing medicines to assisting them back to health. Among the treatments was one to abort any pregnancies arising from rape by the pirates. Surprisingly, a few declined the option of abortion, and opted to have their babies.”

“We can understand such an attitude. Children become adults according to the tribe and its child-rearing practices, rather then who fathered them. It also helps prevent parents being too closely linked to other members of the family in their blood connections. Being too closely related can be bad for one’s health in the long run; that is what we found a long time ago, so we encourage new blood from time to time.

That is why we accepted a fair number of the captives who come from fishing villages; they will add to our future population’s sustainability.

John revealed that this concept was not new to him.

“We apply similar practices in our own tribe, and we are encouraging it in our associate tribe: the Farfarers. Most of the former captives who have come to us will be assimilated into one or other of our two tribes for this reason among others. Among the people who have come to us are two men who formerly belonged to the invading army, but decided to abscond. Have you heard anything of them?”

The head elder admitted, “No, I am afraid not. No such men have come near us.”

“Pity. It would have been useful information.”

“Why? - if I may ask.”

“No problem. They came to us and wanted to join our tribe, but as they are deserters from the invading army, we are uncertain whether they are genuine or sent to infiltrate us. That is all.”

“That is all you need to know: their truthfulness?”

“Yes.”

“Then we can send you our shaman on loan. He has a high reputation for being able to tell when someone is telling lies or telling the truth. He has never been known to be wrong.”

“Good grief! I have heard of such people, but did not expect to find one here.”

“If we may send him to you, it will be one way in which we can thank you for your help.”

“I gladly accept your offer. If he can return with me, we might be able to get there before dark.”

Inside the village, John was introduced to Mabana the Shaman. He was a middle-aged man with a white beard and bright blue eyes that seemed piercing to look at. John could see how his reputation could be brought about by his visage alone.

“I High Chief John, and also Shaman to two tribes. I am pleased to meet you, Mabana. You have a reputation to uphold. I have two men whom I need to know as to their reliability. You must get them to speak to you, and thereby determine their truthfulness. Are you up to that challenge?”

The man peered closely at John, as if trying to determine his power. At last he seemed satisfied with what he saw, and replied to his chief elder instead of John. “High Chief John is a good man, trying to do his best for his people. Mabana will do his best for High Chief John, and determine the truth.” He switched his gaze to John, and asked, “When do you wish to leave?”

“As soon as we are ready, Mabana. We have a trek of several hours in my time measure, perhaps three times two hands times two hands the length of this village to walk, so start with a trail pack with you for snacks on the way. I have that with me, but enough for myself only.”

Mabana had to contact his family to let them know where he was off to, promising to return as soon as possible next day.

Then he and John set off again. John checked that the Shaman was able to wield a spear and use it if required. Their trip took more or less the anticipated time, for they encountered no worrisome animals.

John’s appearance was expected, but his companion was not. He was looked on as a visiting stranger, which is what he was. John had to introduce him to Numa.

“Chief Numa, this is Mabana, the Shaman of the fishing village tribe. He has come with me to accomplish a minor task.”

Numa grimaced. “Another Shaman? I hope he is not as self-centred as another of our acquaintance.”

Mabana said, indignantly, “Madam Chief, I am a responsible member of our village, and have a good reputation to uphold. Please do not besmirch my status without evidence.”

John added, “The elders of his village support his claim, Chief Numa.”

Numa settled down.

“Very well. You have my apologies, Shaman Mabana. Others have had some bad experiences in the past, and a feared Shaman was one of these experiences.”

“Ahh.” He became more understanding. “In that case, I withdraw my complaint, Chief. You have my sympathy, for I have heard how some Shamans abuse their position ... as do some Chiefs.”

Numa sat back and pondered.

“I too have to agree with you, Mabana. Such Chiefs are usually badly advised. In the case of myself, I am advised by my husband, High Chief John.”

Mabana spun round to stare at John.

“You are High Chief and also her husband and adviser?”

“For my sins, yes. I am also husband to the Chief of the Farfarers tribe.”

“Someone is very fortunate, then, sir.”

“You don’t know the half of it, Mabana.”

“Very well. I thank you both for your welcome and hospitality. High Chief John tells me I can stay the night before walking home.”

Numa looked surprised. “You arrive this evening and leave in the morning? What minor task are you here for, then?”

“High Chief John wishes my opinion on two men in your tribe. I have a reputation for seeing lies and truth in what people say to me. It is at times a blessing and at times a curse.”

“In that case, wait here, while I have them summoned.” Numa stood and walked to one of the women who stood at a respectful distance, and issued instructions to her. The woman turned and left at once.

Numa returned to her Chief’s seat.

“While we wait, tell me of your meeting with the sea people, John.”

“Alas, they were gone by the time I got there, and they took the other ship with them, as their possession. It was disappointing that I could not speak with these seafarers.”

“What a shame. You could have learned a lot from them, my darling.”

“Indeed so. I had to find out as much as I could from the elders of the village. It was not much, as the sea people were a suspicious lot – not surprising, considering what befell the other crew.”

“But you don’t know exactly what happened to that crew. The pirates may not have killed them; perhaps just left them on shore somewhere.”

“That is a possibility, my dear, but we have no means of telling. Those on the other ship did not say anything to the villagers in that regard.”

The two summoned men appeared from the ring of onlookers.

“Chief, you asked to see us.”

“Ah, yes. Come here, gentlemen. I want you to meet this man. He is a Shaman of some repute, and is able to say when a person is telling the truth, or is lying. High Chief John has invited him here to question you both. This is merely to confirm your stories are accurate, you realise.”

They both suddenly looked apprehensive, as would anyone in that position, for no-one speaks 100 per cent truth all the time. Mabana was prepared for that reaction, and after a glance to Numa and getting her nod, he spoke.

“Gentlemen, minor discrepancies in your truthfulness make no difference to your overall pattern of truth. If you are confident that in general you are speaking the truth, that will show up in how I assess you; but if you are telling deliberate lies, that also will show up in a similar manner. My past record is of always being correct in my overall assessments, so be assured of that fact.”

One of the men asked, tentatively, “What will happen if you reject us, Shaman?”

“That is up to the tribe that is sheltering you. It has nothing to do with me. I merely see and report what I see. The power of judgement is not in my hands.”

Numa looked over to John for a hint, but he merely smiled, and gestured at her to take the lead. After all, she was Chief, and this was her call. She spoke to the enquirer.

“That judgement will depend on what is told about you. You may be reprimanded and allowed to stay with your woman, or you may be banished, alone; or you may be given a more severe and permanent punishment if your transgression is deliberate and with an intent to undermine this tribe; or you may be cleared entirely.”

The man saw a veiled threat of execution in her words, and gulped. The other man said and did nothing.

Mabana gestured to the first man to come forward to him. The man tentatively did so, and stopped three feet from the Shaman, who then spoke again.

“Tell me your story, from the beginning”

The man hesitantly started to describe his doubts about the army’s actions, and hearing about a large group having disappeared, wondered if he could just disappear too. He went on to tell of making his plans, and how he went about getting away without being seen; then his travels that had led him in this direction, and meeting the other deserter, then them finding the two girls that were now with them, and deciding to settle down somewhere safe.

He finished his tale, and the Shaman nodded, waved him back, and gestured for the other man to come forward. This one did, with less hesitancy, and started when told to do so.

He explained that initially he was a loyal member of the army, then he started hearing of desertions, and asked his sergeant about them. His sergeant listened, and said, ‘leave it with me’. A week later, the sergeant called him to a private conversation and said, “I have been asked to send a man to investigate what has become of a group that was sent to the sea coast on a mission.”

He asked me to go on the search, to see what I could find. He had selected me because I had queried stories of desertion, so he felt confident in my loyalty.

This was true at that time, but as I met more and more of the locals, I found that they were not enemies as such, merely victims of our army’s progress; and I began to sympathise with them. When I met my friend here, we joined forces and later met our women, who had been on the run from our army for a long time. They were fearful of being caught and raped, so it took time to convince them that we had no ill feelings towards them and would protect them. They agreed to travel with us, as long as it was a direction away from the army, and gradually we became closer.

By the time we got here, they had decided we were worth pairing with, so we made them our wives, and we are all happy. Of my initial tasking, I kept quiet about that fact, and made out I was a simple deserter like him. It has become true, over the weeks we have slunk about the forest trails in various directions.”

As he told his story, the first man looked astounded at what the other was saying, then worried, and finally calmed down. The Shaman took all this in, and asked them both to stand before Chief Numa while he delivered his determination of the facts.

“Chief Numa, these two men have told me the truth. You will have noted that the second man changed to the truth from the story he had given you originally. This was because he recognised that lying would not work with me. Instead, he decided that I would view his change of heart and see that it was a true change of heart.

It was indeed, so I can tell you that the first man always told his true story, and the second man has at last switched to the true version of his life. My assessment is that they should be acceptable for joining your tribe, as long as the second man is kept on a careful watch for a considerable time, in case he changes his mind again. I am sure he will have no objection to being watched.”

Chief Numa gazed intently at the two men.