Chapter 5

Bugger! John said to himself, fed up with his lot.

His introspection was interrupted by Tarka, who introduced the two teenagers.

“Chief John, this is my young friend Skola, who seems to want to join my family; and this is my sister, Raka, who has no attachments at present. In the tribe, as head of my family, I was responsible for deciding her future, but in your tribe, all is different, as they will soon understand. Girls, John is Chief of John’s Tribe.”

Both girls bowed to the Chief, as was his entitlement in their past experience. John raised his eyebrows, but said nothing about the gesture. He spoke to them.

“Welcome to John’s Tribe, ladies. I have news for you. In our tribe, women are treated as equal to men in value to the tribe. Accordingly, you have the same status as men, which means you have less power over men’s actions, and more power over your own.”

The girls paused to absorb this philosophy, and seemed stunned at the strange concept. Raka enquired, “Why do you say we have equal status, but less power over men’s actions, Chief John? It does seem puzzling to me.”

“Think about it, Raka. Up until now, you women had the power to influence men through seducing them to your wishes, being pleasantly subservient but subtly controlling how the men think. Now you will have to argue your case, equal to equal. It is that simple.”

Raka turned to Belory, saying, “This man is far too clever for us, Belory. He must be a great Chief indeed. I think I might marry him.”

Belory told her, “I said he already has two wives and three concubines, Raka. You are a bit late.”

Raka nonchalantly responded, “Then he is a powerful man indeed, worth marrying.”

John, seeing that he had been efficiently sidelined, decided to retake the initiative.

“That depends on whether a man and woman love each other, Raka. You and I have only just met.”

She used a hand to flick her hair to one side, impetuously, having made up her mind.

“Love comes AFTER you marry me, Chief. I like the look of you, and you are a man of power, approved of by my brother, whose judgement I follow. If he says you are a fine man, then that will suit me. You will find me easy to love, and I have no doubt that I will love you and give you fine children.”

Tarka laughed joyfully.

“That’s my younger sister, John. She was always sharp, that one, and she still is. She was too sharp for the men in our tribe to want her as a member of their family, but you could do worse than have her as a wife. Whether she will fit in with your other wives is another matter entirely!”

Raka rounded on her brother. “I will make sure we all get on fine, Tarka! Give me a few minutes, and they will be asking for me to join them.”

John told her, “Very well. My wives are Numa and Noma, with Sheila in training for the same position. Talk to them and try to convince them that you will not be a threat to them.” He smiled at the prospect. He suspected he would be hearing from them shortly.

He wondered if the arrival of Tarka’s sister and her friend would prevent Tarka going off on the expedition they had arranged.

“Tarka?” he asked. The man extricated himself from Skola’s excited grip, and paid attention.

“Yes, John?”

“Do you need time to bond with your new woman?” Skola dimpled at the description of her as Tarka’s woman.

Tarka turned to look at her, then gave attention to Belory.

“My love, what do you think?”

She mentally praised the new tribal tradition, and said, “I think she needs to discover what she is letting herself in for, so take her away and fuck her. I hope you have consulted with John about lovemaking.”

“John? What is she talking about?”

John smiled gently, and told him, “She has been talking to my women about lovemaking, I think. Let’s have a quiet chat in private before you start doing anything in that line.”

Slightly confused, Tarka allowed John to draw him over to a quiet corner of the cave, where John explained how he made love to his women. Tarka was surprised, indeed shocked at some of what he learned, but agreed to try it with Skola.

An excited but uncertain Tarka took Skola to the sleeping area of the cave, to introduce her to sex with him before she bound herself to him as a second wife.

John watched their departure, Belory also watching with a smirk on her face. She told John, “Your women praised your sex techniques as magnificent. I hope Tarka learns them fast, so I can have the benefit too. He can practice with Skola. That girl is certain to stay with us after having such an experience as that,” she predicted.

John thanked her for her comments, adding, “What can you say about Raka that would help me?”

Belory patted him on the arm. “You poor man, you will not know what hit you! That girl has only one target: the best for her and her future, and if she is married to you, that future will include her husband and family. Whatever happens, she will be at your side, fighting for you.”

“But what about Numa and Noma?”

“Oh, yes, your other wives? They will be swept into Raka’s area of influence. She will not usurp their position, just add herself to your marital group and act as a strong support for your family unit.”

“Wow!”, exclaimed John. “What will that do to me?”

“Who knows? But she will not disappoint you, John.”

A little while later, as John was watching the last of his newly washed females coming back clean from the stream, Numa came marching up to him.

“Husband! Did you authorise that ... Raka ... to speak to me about her becoming another wife?”

“I did, wife. I wanted your opinion after speaking with her. Will she make a useful addition to our family or not?”

“She seems to think so; in fact she was adamant! I quizzed her on her abilities on wifely duties, and she had good answers to all my questions, except on lovemaking techniques. There, she knows nothing, being still a virgin, surprisingly. I then asked her in what way she could assist with making our family a friendly and comfortable unit. The cheeky bitch told me that she would make certain of that, and all I had to do was tell her what was wanted, and she would make adjustments accordingly. That girl has answers for everything, except for sex. She doesn’t know much about sex apart from hearsay.”

“So what’s your verdict, my love?”

“When I was a little girl and asked my mother what a particular vegetable was like, she would say, ‘taste it and see’, so for this girl, I would say ‘fuck her and see if she will fit in. If you approve of her, then we can accept her. She brings many talents with her. She knows food plants in detail; for instance which are only edible when cooked.”

“Thank you, Numa. I have been blessed to have you as my first wife, even if it was through fortuitousness. You are a wise woman indeed.”

She leaned forward and kissed his nose.

“You’ll get more tonight, my love; AFTER you have fucked that wildcat into submission. Make her willing to do anything to get the experience again and again; just like Sheila found.”

John smiled and kissed her lips tenderly. “You are a wonderful woman, Numa.” She was prepared to agree with that estimate, without bothering to admit it aloud.

What she did say was, “You will need to go out hunting tomorrow. We are running low on meat, or what we have will start to go off now. We also need more skins to make into clothes, as we do not have cloth made, not having a loom yet. Your insistence on washing means that all of us girls need at least two tunics to wear, assuming you don’t demand we walk around unclothed. I suspect you would like to see that! You will do that hunting for us, my love?”

“It is my responsibility. I will. Are you bothered as to what I bring back? Some animal skins may be better for clothing and moccasins than others.”

“Most will be fine, but nothing too large. We don’t have enough mouths to use all the meat of a large animal. A few smaller ones is fine, my love. That can be done every day or two.

Now, a question. In the morning, do you want the fire to be started on a different spot, so that we can leach the cold ashes – you did call it leach?”

“You have it right, my dear. Use a minimal amount of water. Put the ashes in a cloth – not a skin – and pour the water slowly into the ashes, or dunk the tightly-closed cloth into the water. You let the water soak through the ashes and drip into a container of some kind – one at least as large as the water container. It has to be able to permit boiling of the water. What do we have in that line?”

“We have no spare cloth at present. That needs a loom plus access to animal hair or plant fibres for spinning into thread for making cloth. It might be easier to trade for cloth, if we have something to trade with. We have a couple of gourd rinds that act as bowls for anything we need to hold, liquid or seeds. I could use a pointed piece of obsidian to make holes in an old skin. The water will drain through the holes, eh? That and the gourd bowls should do the job, I think,” Numa opined.

John gave his approval to her suggestions, then informed her of something else.

“While I am out hunting, I will look around for any unwanted visitors, in case someone is searching for Raka and Skola.”

“A wise thought, my husband. We should prepare several more spears for protection, should anyone creep past you. Every girl should have a spear, in our tribe.”

“Likewise a wise precaution, my love. Everyone should remain inside the cave, or together as an armed group, even if an attacker appears to run away. You are more exposed outside the cave, and that running person may be live bait, leading you to a prepared trap.”

“You speak true, like a good hunter or warrior. You know such things, my love, so we will listen and follow your admonitions. For the moment, we will all stay inside, and throw one or two spears if an intruder gets too close.”

“Good idea. A straight spear flies more accurately than a spear that has bends in it, so select well. Who is good with throwing spears?”

“None of us, really. Our spears are used more for close stabbing work. The idea of throwing them is unusual.”

“Well, find the best spears, and get two or three people to practice throwing one at a target. Getting some practice means less thinking time in a battle.”

Numa saw sense in this, while John again thought: a military instruction again! Possibly he had been in some kind of military position, back wherever he came from. Such training might prove useful here, he concluded.

Gomla appeared, her hands full.

“Chief, we have retrieved all your little arrows – bolts, I think you call them – and I have washed them with a little bit of your soap. Do you want any other bolts washed?”

“Dammit, yes; I forgot. Hang on till I get my belt.”

He fetched it and selected all those bolts that he had used since arrival here. He laid them on the floor, and accepted the clean bolts from Gomla. He placed these in position in the belt, and picked up the used ones.

“If you can wash these, Gomla, I would be most grateful. You are making yourself indispensable, my dear.”

She put on a wide grin, answering, “That is what I hoped for, my Chief. Perhaps eventually an upgrade?” She turned her grin to Numa, who was quick on the uptake.

“I will take that as a request for wife status in the near future, Gomla. A little more of the same attitude, and I think we can make a deal.”

John stared at Numa, realising that his chief wife was negotiating another wife around him. Gomla nipped off with the bolts for cleaning, before John could say anything.

John chuckled after she had left.

“Do I get a say in the negotiation, Numa, or is it a done deal between you ladies?”

Numa turned a studied and serious face to him. She declared to him, “Husband, I am exerting my duties as Chief Wife, to enhance your status by increasing your number of wives. Only the most powerful of Chiefs can have as many wives as you will have soon. Of course, that occurrence will also enhance the status of your Chief Wife.”

She allowed a little smile to curl her lips. John raised his eyebrows.

“I am discovering that what you sow, you also reap. You are a clever woman, Numa. I am fortunate to have you by my side.” He leaned over and kissed her lips.

She preened. “Thank you, husband.”

John asked, “Have all the girls been well washed, Numa?”

“They have. It was a great experience for them, too. I know it was for me.”

“Strategy, Numa. We have to plan for what happens around us. We prepare for any eventuality, and arm ourselves accordingly. We need everyone to learn how to use a spear, and even how to throw it, in an emergency. How capable do you think our tribe is, in that regard?”

“Do you mean against animals, or against people?”

“Against anything, dammit! You can be hurt by people or animals, so the preparation is for both. Men will not expect a girl to be be able to fight with weapons, so that gives you an extra power element: that of surprise. If a man does not expect to be attacked, he is easier to kill.”

Numa was more surprised than ever. “You expect us to be able to fight hunters?”

“I do. Being girls does not make you stupid, or handless, does it? Much though some men may think that way? Our tribe is in it to win it.”

“Of course I was aware of that, but ... oh, I see. The hunters will think we are stupid and incapable of using a weapon so will not be prepared for us? Clever, but you will need to train us, John.”

“I am aware of that. It is just that first, I want to go hunting for anyone looking for the new two, or the three concubines. It is better to attack than defend, you see. However, you do need some basic training, just in case I am not around when a man or an animal threatens you.”

“I am up for that, John. What do I have to do?”

“First, everyone has to have access to at least one spear, preferably two. Next, I need to demonstrate how to deploy a spear against a person or an animal: the techniques differ, but the impetus is the same. You have to be prepared to use the spear properly. If you don’t kill with that first thrust, the man or animal might become more dangerous, so you must strike in the correct place on the body.”

Numa nodded her understanding.

“We have to think as if we were men, as if WE were hunters, you mean.”

“Exactly. Having a weapon is no help if you are not prepared to use it, and use it effectively. A half-hearted push towards the man or animal is worse than useless; it could be fatal.”

“Will you show me, John? Will you show all of us?”

“That is my intention. We need to get all you girls lined up with spears, ready to copy my actions as I show how to use a spear., but I don’t have much time.”

Numa was on her feet. “I must see about the spears, John, and I will warn the other girls. Do you expect Sheila to use a spear as well? She may already know.”

“Include her. She told me she would learn. It will help her discover what she does and does not know about fighting. I might be surprised.”

John sat back down to think. The girls should be able to tell him the general direction of the Farfarers tribal site, for that is where he would expect any present intruders to come from. If he could set up some trip wires across possible paths or routes through the forest, using vines at a low level, he might hear them curse when they tripped. That would give him advance warning. These might not work well in daylight, but in twilight or dark, they would be very effective.

He did not have time to install pits, and there were no defined paths where a pit could be dug and covered with brushwood. Pity, as a few sharp stakes in the bottom of a fairly shallow pit could be great defensive measure, always assuming that a spade or shovel could be obtained. The great advantage of such traps is that one could claim they were intended for animals, to disable them for later killing. The fact that the same would apply to humans preparing to attack was incidental!

If they were going to be here for a while, it would be simple to trample down the basics of a single pathway. That would attract people to use it as the simplest means of moving forward; but it would of necessity have to run a considerable distance towards the tribal territory, but not too far. One didn’t want innocent wandering hunters following the trail to here. Probably make a small clearing at the tribal end of the trail, as if for spying out the land.

That would be seen as understandable, in the eyes of a marauding band, for it was what they would do themselves; they just would not think of a staked pit ahead of them. His attention turned to digging implements. A spade could be manufactured out of a single piece of tough wood, but it would take some carving to achieve.

The return of Numa gained his attention. She carried a bundle of spears.

“Here, husband. This is all the spears we have; more than the number of people, I think.”

John eyed her as she laid them down.

“Do you know about counting, Numa?”

“Yes. One, two, three, four, hand. That is all.”

“My view of numbers is: One, two, three four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Ten plus one is eleven; ten plus two is twelve, ten plus three is thirteen, ten plus four is fourteen, ten plus five – a hand - is fifteen. Do you see the pattern?”

“Each number has its own name, but all the ten plus numbers from thirteen end in -teen, meaning ten-plus?”

“That’s it. What is ten plus six?”

“Six-ten: sixteen?”

“And ten plus seven?”

“Seven-ten: seventeen?

“Correct. When you get to ten plus ten, the name is twenty: think of it as two-tens: twenty.”

“Very clever. Why do we need such large numbers?”

“For a large collection of something: spears, for instance, or wives!”

Numa started at this, and declared in astonishment, “You expect to have so many wives?”

“No, but I might have that many spears. How many do we have?”

“I have not counted, just collected them together.”

“Well, count them now.”

She dutifully went through with the count, and John had to remind her about some of the numbers, but she ended at ‘eleven’.

“That is more than we need, John.” She counted all the people on the cave, and agreed with herself. “Yes, it is more than we need for each person to have a spear, including you, my man.”

“Consider the concept that if you make a spear for throwing, and you throw it, what do you have to defend yourself with?”

“You have nothing: bad plan. So we should have two each?”

“Only for those that will be throwing a spear. Those who will simply stab will work with one. Now, we plan for the worst scenario: You lose all your spears and are herded back into the cave. We prepare for that eventuality by hiding a few spears inside the cave.”

“Inside?, but the bad people will see them.”

“Not if they are hidden. Where could you hide a spear?”

“Hide it? There is no place where it would be out of sight!”