Chapter 16

Cramona offered, “I need to rest, John, but I enjoyed that experience. Can I do it some more again later?”

“Just as well you stopped, for this tree is near the toppling point. Watch.” John examined the tree and how much of the wood was still to cut through. He reckoned not much more than another inch to make it fall, so he applied himself to that task until he felt the first movement of the trunk and whipped out the chain and halted the power. He then stepped back smartly to be clear, and waited. Sure enough, a slight breath of wind caught the upper part of the canopy, giving the necessary push to start the break at the bottom of the trunk. With a sharp crack, it separated the trunk from the stump and the tall tree fell just where he wanted it. Two down, one to go. Now more experienced, the pair took turns wielding the power of the chainsaw and after one battery was empty and another of the power packs was almost drained, the third tree fell rapidly to the ground. After a rest they went to the lopped branches to cut these into sections that could be rolled back to the village for whatever use they had for such wood, but John thought about the battery power level and what the village needs might be, so told Cramona that they should stop and consult with the Headman before cutting too many branches. Cramona laid a hand on John’s arm, and leaned in to give him a kiss.

“What brought that on, Cramona?” he asked in surprise.

“I just feel so comfortable with you, John. This feeling has developed over the last week or so, and increased once I saw you with your other wives in your old tribe. They looked at you with love, not fear. That had a strong effect on me. Today, you worked with me to bring this bi-cycle to the village, and you never once raised your voice in anger; you were patient with me all the time. Now you have allowed me to operate your cutting tool that is so dangerous. You trusted me to not harm you with it, when it would be so easy to do such a terrible thing, even by accident. That trust was not asked of me, just expected. You treated me as a person to be respected and, well, loved enough to place your life in my hands. I love you for that confidence you have in me, and now you are showing that you treat the fisherfolk as worthy people. Do you feel the same way about the others from the Mountain tribe? Can you trust them to do what is right, and not act as Gobango?”

“Cramona my dear, that is just me being myself, as my parents expected me to behave. I treat everyone as being good and reliable people unless they show themselves not to be worthy of that respect. You ladies earned that respect by the way you reacted to me when I offered you a choice of leaving the Chief’s hut for your family home or staying with me. You chose me, without coercion, and that was enough for me.” She gave him another kiss, and beamed at him, adding, “I think we will gladly give you children, my love.”

“Thank you, Cramona. Now I must get back to my day’s work.” John checked their batteries, and they had drained six of the eight batteries he had brought with the chainsaw, and the first battery was still on charge. It had not made much progress on the power level, despite plenty of sunshine. He decided that one solar charger was not going to be fast enough to recharge the batteries being drained to enable them to continue locating and cutting more mahogany trees. It would be best to call it a day and see if they could store the chainsaw in the village until he could return with more charged batteries that he could dig out from the second storeroom, or take the charger and the used power packs home for charging at leisure. They loaded the bike with the chainsaw and its extras, and wheeled it to the village. They were soon escorted by the admiring youngsters, all the way to the Headman’s hut. He was at the doorway to greet them.

“That was an unusual and loud noise that your magic cutting blade made, John, but you certainly knocked down these three huge trees. What is to happen to them?”

“I have to come back in a few days, perhaps longer than that, to cut up the lopped side branches into chunks that are easily rolled if they are round, or dragged to your village for whatever you need wood for. The trunks need to be moved to the shore for eventual collection by the sea merchants. They will give you a good trade deal for them.”

“But you cut them down with your magic blade. Shouldn’t you get the benefit?”

“I have more trees located further along the coast. When I cut those down, I’ll trade them for myself instead. Now, I stopped today as I need to recharge the batteries I was using for the tool. Batteries are like magic boxes that give me power for my cutting blade, but they need to sit in another box for the sunshine to give them more power again. I intended to leave my sunshine box and one battery in it, but it works on a very slow magic, so it is best if I take that home with me until I have full power packs again, for my next trees to be cut down. I will also cut the thicker lopped branches into lengths that suit your needs.” The Headman was agreeable to this request, but had his own suggestion.

“If you were to cut slices of these thick branches, such that the slices could become the seats of stools, and lengths of thinner branches to act as legs for the stools, we can make holes in the seat for the legs to fit in; then we would use fish glue to stick the legs securely in place.” John nodded approvingly.

“Good idea, sir. If we did a lot of these, including the branches of trees I cut down later, you perhaps could trade such stools to other tribes near you.”

“We could, but the stools must be well made to be worthy of trading. That takes time, but it would be productive time. We can have young men cutting straight young trees for making into rollers for moving the large tree trunks, so when they have made sufficient rollers they can change to making stools of varying heights, for adults and for children. When you come back, we can show you made stools to let you know the leg lengths.”

“That would work, for mahogany as a wood looks good, and as stool seats they would be excellent. You could smooth the top surface with sand; using rough sand to start with, then finer sand to produce a smoother finish. I am sure you have beehive wax or other material to make the smooth surface shiny.”

“Clever idea, that of using sand; we have plenty of it. Wet sand or dry sand?”

“Dry sand moves more easily, but if you could get a layer of sand glued to leather, then when the glue is dry the sand should stay in place and be more effective for smoothing the surface of wood. It is an easy task to hold the leather to move the sand across the surface, particularly so if you can stick the leather to a block of wood that you can get your hand round for a good grip.”

“That is interesting. If we made many of these leathers with sand stuck securely to them, within a wood block, then I see that being worth trading as a smoothing tool. Our beaches will provide the various sizes of sand, but inland tribes would not have access to enough such sand to make their own. That could be a successful item of trade.”

“My apologies for leaving so soon, but my wife Cramona and I must get back home with all our tools before dark. Give my regards to your Shaman; I was surprised not seeing him around.”

“He went off to see somebody; another shaman, I think, from his few words. He seemed disturbed.”

“Well, when he gets back, tell him: if he has a problem, don’t hesitate to let me know if I can help.”

“I will do that. You are a good friend to him, High Chief.”

“I try to be a good friend to all my friends, not just to those of my tribal grouping.”

“Grouping? You call two tribes a grouping, High Chief?”

“Not quite two. I am now Chief of the Mountain tribe, through no fault of my own, but I hope to appoint a local man as the new Chief as soon as possible. I will remain as High Chief, to act as their adviser. That is why I call it a grouping, Headman.”

“Interesting. You keep expanding your little collection of tribes. My village is almost part of it by the way we interact. If we offered to join your grouping, would I remain as Headman: what you call Chief?”

“Of course. Our grouping is for the self-interest of all. I have no desire to be the man of power; more the wise man and adviser to everyone. Each tribe or village should remain as they were; like a family remaining as a family even if the family doctor is advising on family planning.”

“Doctor? What is that?”

“Sorry; a term from my old life in a faraway land. It is a combination of shaman and midwife, sort of. The point I was trying to make is that the adviser is there to be listened to, when you have need of his advice on a question. He doesn’t tell you how to run your tribe or village.”

“That sounds very reasonable, High Chief. I will discuss that idea with the elders of the village.” With that, John and Cramona left the village, and collected the solar charger and battery on the way past the felled trees. It took them as much time on the return trip as when they came to the fisher village, due to pushing and balancing the bicycle machine. It was only as they were part way that John stopped with a short curse.

“Damn. I forgot to talk to the fisherfolk about selling them a bicycle or two.” Cramona was conciliatory.

“John, my dear man, you can speak to them on your next visit. It was not essential that it be today.” He stared at her, then took her face in his hands and kissed her.

“You are correct, Cramona. You have a sensible outlook on life.”

“I had to be practical about what could happen. My life under the control of Gobango was not likely to be long, I feared. I took things day by day, expecting the worst, until you came along and changed my life for the better, my John.”

“I hope it will always remain that way, Cramona.” She hesitated, then asked, “John, will you please fuck me on our way home? I want to feel you in me again as my husband.”

“One correction, Cramona my love: I don’t fuck my ladies; I make love to them.”

“But you are still fucking, aren’t you?”

“It is a matter of what else is involved in this sexual interaction, my dear. If you and I are fucking, but doing it together because we want to show each other that we love them; it is lovemaking. Gobango just fucked you ladies; nothing more. Understand the difference?”

“I do. Will you make love to me, my husband, before we arrive home?”

“I will be delighted to do so, Cramona. You have shown yourself to be a good loving wife today, and I want to love you in return.” They found a spot where they needed a rest from pushing the bicycle and its load, and took the opportunity to make love in a sheltered corner where they would be shielded from both the weather and any passing predatory animals. When they arrived back at the cave, unexpectedly early, there was some concern that they might have encountered problems, but John quickly reported to Chief Numa that the three trees identified for felling had indeed been felled, but that the high number of depleted power packs had forced them to return.

“We either need to take several days to recharge all these batteries with the two chargers we have, or get out another pair of solar chargers from the second storeroom, to speed up the charging process. What I would prefer is to leave the charging in the hands of Shiela, Vickie, and Jean, and take myself back to the Mountain tribe and see what the best choice of Chief is available. These ladies have some knowledge of solar chargers and batteries, and are able to read the instruction manual for charging.”

“I will arrange that duty. John, remember that Gomla, Gimla and Gerva are all due to give birth in the next week or two or three. Please try to be back for these events.”

“Of course. I will do my best to obey your command, Chief Numa.

“Do your best, Chief John of the Mountain tribe.”

“Should I take some trade samples with me, do you think?”

“Try them with our new laundry soap. We have made a great deal of the stuff, trying to get the consistency, hardness, and block size sorted out. Get the soap makers to give you some small sizes to hand out as samples, and one of the final product to show them what it looks like. That is the ... what did you call it to me? Bargain Basement? whatever that is. You can show them your own body soap and liquid hair soap, but make it clear that these are the top quality items that will take more trade power to obtain them.”

“Sounds a fair assessment, my darling Numa. Take care of our baby boy while I am away at my Chiefly duties.”

“Hmmm. Talking about Chiefly duties, you had better take a wife or concubine with you, so that you don’t want for sex each night; not one of the pregnant ones who are not able enough for long walks, so one of these new ones that will be familiar with the tribe. Suggestions?”

“Tricky. Not one of those who lost parents or who were afraid to go home to an unloving family; They would find it upsetting. Perhaps Bravura or Travana would be best. I’ll ask.”

“Leave the asking to me. I will summon them and see what they think. I will tell the others that I chose them to be your companions on the journey, so that they will not blame you for not taking them. These two might both want to go with you, so they can get some loving for themselves; I know I would.”

“I always delight in making love with you, my dear Numa. Do let me know when you are able to have sex again.”

“Kiss me before you leave me to get ready, John.” He did so, and found her hand on his member, she was noting its willingness to come erect at a touch.

“Yes, I think your rod likes the idea, High Chief.” He made up a new pack to include some sample bars of each kind of soap, plus a larger bunch of laundry soap, then asked Raka to prepare some of her flavoured spring water in a leather pouch, as a test of how it survived travelling and the time factor. To be a true trade item it had to be robust enough for long distance travelling with a trader. He was not sure whether leather was the best carrying container. Once Raka handed him the spring water pouch, he place it in his pack and added a good supply of trail food for the journey, and was closing up the pack when he felt hands on his shoulders. He turned and found Bravura and Travana standing beside him. Travana announced, “Chief Numa has appointed us as your bed companions on this trip; isn’t that wonderful?” John opened his arms and welcomed them both into his embrace.

“Sounds good to me, ladies. No monthlies due, I hope?”

“Not in the next few days anyway, John. You are safe to make love to us as often as you like.”

“Then let’s get back to the Mountain tribe. I have business to do there, to make sure the tribe will behave better in future.” The two of them dashed back to say farewell to their friends and fellow wives and pick up their own small packs, then the trio left. It took them much the same time going back as on their previous trip, even with stopping to make love as often as Bravura and Travana insisted. He checked that they were happy to get pregnant, and they assured him it was their intention to achieve this during the trip or on the way back. When they finally got to the Mountain tribe, he looked to see if there was any sign of a precautionary guard, but all he found was one teenage lad looking bored. He was greeted by Travana, “Hey, Tano; how’s things?”

“Quiet. I have to stand here for hours, just because we are supposed to guard the tribe. Nobody told me what I was guarding against, or why me on my own.” John told him, “That is bad. Not you, but the people in charge of your work. Standing there, exposed, is not a good idea. At a minimum, you should be behind a shield, or a barrier at the entrance, and preferably not on your own. What if you have to go away for a shit or a pee?”

“Oh, I just leave to do that; no-one comes along for most of the time anyway.”

“So, if I want to slip inside the camp, all I need to do is stay hidden, then as soon as you leave to do your shit or pee, I walk in unopposed. Is that what is meant to happen?”

“No, but who is going to want to do that: walk in like that?”

“Possibly someone like Gobango. Would you like to see someone like that back again?”

“No, that would be very nasty.”

“What training have you had with that spear, Tano?”

“What do you mean, training? I know how to use a spear.”

“You do? Ladies, stand to the side while Tano demonstrates what he can do. Tano, I am a nasty stranger, attempting to get into your camp. Try to stop me.” John stepped towards Tano, who swung his spear to point it at John. John swung his pack and pushed the spear to one side, then moved close and punched Tano in the stomach, not too hard. The young man folded in half as his breath left him, and collapsed on the ground. John allowed him a moment to start to recover, than helped him to his feet.

“Do you now see what I mean about needing training. Half the women in my other tribe could defeat you easily, Tano.” The youngster grunted, complaining, “You hurt me, Chief.” Then he realised what John had just complained, and reacted like any boy.

“Women could defeat me? You surely don’t mean that, Chief?”

John looked at him seriously.

“I DO mean that, Tano. Our women are trained in spear fighting so that they can defend the tribe. At least half of them could remove your spear and knock you down without any difficulty. Some training would be good for you, young man.”

“Yes, sir. I see that. You didn’t have to hurt me though, to demonstrate that you are a warrior.”

“Hurt you? Not much. I pulled my punch so that you would hardly be hurt at all. Your self-worth is what was harmed. That was merely a demonstration that training in spear fighting is important. Anyone detailed to guard the camp should be competent with the spear. Do you have a good teacher of spear-fighting within the tribe’s ranks?”

“Umm ... I don’t know, Chief; not as far as I know, anyway. No-one has talked to me about it.”

“I had better institute a programme of how to fight, for both men and women.”

“The women as well? Here?”

“Yes. Most women can disable a man simply by kneeing him in the crotch. Ever had that happen to you?”

“No, sir ... Chief.”

“It is very painful, I assure you from experince; don’t antagonise a woman who knows how to do that.”

“I will keep that in mind, Chief, and ask round for someone who knows spear fighting. Are you going to your hut now?”

“We are. My companions are now my wives. You may know Bravura and Travana.”

“I’ve seen them around. Didn’t Gobango... ?” John stepped in with a raised hand before he could say more. Tano flinched in expectation, but John did not strike him. Instead, he put the facts straight.

“I rescued them, Tano. They have recovered from his beatings, and chose to become wives to me. I am pleased with that decision.”

“Oh. I see. They don’t have a problem as a result of Gobango?”

“Not now. My tribe has herbal potions that do marvellous things. Such problems have left my ladies.”

“You are not just a tough guy, Chief. You care about people as well.”

“That is how we all should be, Tano. Tribes run more smoothly if we all care for each other.”

“I assume you know how to get to your hut, Chief?”

“I think I remember that, but Bravura and Travana can help me if I get confused.”

“I’ll leave you to it, then, Chief. Perhaps later you can teach me a few tricks about spear fighting.”

“I will be delighted to offer guidance, Tano. You deserve to know how to fight well.” John and his two wives made their way to the Chief’s hut, and the women swiftly examined it to see if it had been looked after in their absence. They soon told John that someone had been in and tidied it up, clearing away rubbish and setting up the makings of a new fire; not that it was currently cold outside. Travana told him, “Someone has made sure that the hut was prepared for your return, Chief John. That is a good sign; either that they are afraid of you or that they like you enough to prepare for your return.” John responded, “I hope it was the second of these, Travana. Who should I be consulting on my return?”

“Probably the top man among the council of elders. You’ll need to check who that is now, in case it has changed due to infighting among them.” John told a passing tribeswoman that he would like to see the leader of the elders as soon as convenient. He didn’t stipulate where, as the assumption would be the Chief’s hut. When the man arrived, it was the same senior man John had spoken with before.

“Welcome back, Chief. What is your desire?”

“Thanks. Nice to see you again. I want a summary of what has happened here while I was away, and a note of any problems which need my attention. If there are problems which I should attend to, and you withhold them from me, I will be most displeased, and I am not a man you want to displease.”

“Chief, I assure you that there is nothing of importance that should demand your decision. We have been making a start on your preferred social changes, though these go slowly. It will take time for these to be fully implemented, but they will be done. The woman who has joined us on the council has been helpful in our deliberations. That surprised me, but it seems you were right. She advised on how women of the tribe will view certain proposed decisions, and we have altered them, based on her advice. We are temporarily without our Shaman, I have to tell you, Chief. A messenger came and spoke with him, and after that he apologised and said he had to go to an important meeting but he didn’t know how long he would be gone.”

“Interesting. I heard that a similar messenger arrived at my other tribe, seeking the Shaman, but when he heard that the Shaman was absent, he left without leaving a message. The Shaman of the fisher village we trade with is also away for an unknown reason. That is an unfortunate coincidence; Coincidences like this are not to my liking.”

“Perhaps when that Shaman returns to your other tribe, he may have heard about the message.”

“Unlikely, as that Shaman is myself.”

“You are a Shaman, Chief?”

“I am. I perhaps mentioned that a person can have two occupations at the same time, like a hunter and a trader, or a trader and a cook. In this instance, I am a Chief and a Shaman. Get used to the idea; it will make our tribe more powerful in future, if many of our adults can train to be warriors as well as their normal occupation.”’

“People like me?”

“Only if you are fit and well and want to learn something new. We need our leaders in a fight to be as well trained as the simple warrior. That way, the leaders can made decisions based on knowledge of real fighting and not simply someone’s opinions about fighting. Lack of real knowledge should mean lack of ability to lead. A bad leader is a disaster. To get back to your Shaman, what is he like? What is your opinion of him as a Shaman and as a man? Is he respected, valued?”

“Generally, he is respected for his work, but he said nothing against Gobango taking over the tribe; that was a fault.”

John interrupted, “What did the rest of you as a council say about Gobango?” The man coloured up as he admitted, “Nothing. We were too scared of him; he was a killer.”

“You expected the Shaman do do something, though?”

“He might have had some magic that could change things, we thought.”

“As a fellow Shaman, I can tell you that our magic is more a matter of the power of influence and wise advice, than physical intervention. The mentality of a killer is almost impossible to change; any change of behaviour comes from inside, not from exterior magic, and Gobango had no possibility of change, for he worked from emotion and not rational thought. A Shaman has more power if the tribe is with him. If the tribe does not support him, his power is diminished. He acted wisely in the circumstances.”

“Your argument is well made, Chief. Do you want to know about him as a man?”

“I did ask that.”

“He is not married, and never has been, so has no children. He spends more time with men, and one man in particular is a special friend who has been close to him for years.”

“Ah, I understand. He is a man who prefers a man to a woman. That is uncommon, but not actually very rare. He will otherwise be a valued friend to many people, I think.”

“That is so. You seem to have a wide-ranging view of society, Chief John.” John smiled at him. “I have met many people in my time, and learned to accept that we are not all the same, nor do we all have the same sexual orientation built into us. In the same way, things that happen to us in our childhood, youth, and early manhood all conspire to give us a viewpoint on life that stays with us. It is a challenge to overcome such influences. Having encouraging parents is a great advantage, and if your father is a powerful man, that gives his children future advantages that other children do not have. Life is unbalanced, but we all have a chance to restore some of that balance, in a small way or a large way. That is my reasoning for allowing women to have the same opportunities that men have. They should not be deprived because of past defects in society. Society should always be aiming for improvements of all kinds. To stand still is to die, eventually; you need to move on, to survive.”

“So you say that tradition is not based on predestination? Many say that the traditional ways are meant to be, because that is the way the world works; predestined to be that way.”

“An intriguing argument, which is fatally flawed. If all is pre-ordained, there can be no such thing as unlawful killing. You see, if the killing is preordained, the killer has no responsibility for his actions. So if that was so, I could kill you now, and everyone would be happy because it was pre-ordained. Does that proposition make sense?” John answered his own question, “No. Everyone is responsible for his actions, and so they should be if there is such a thing as justice to prevail. Tradition is simply the decisions made in the past, and for the past. Such decisions may no longer be appropriate, and must be replaced by decisions that suit today. What do you have a Chief for, other than to make decisions. All these actions and responsibilities show that there is no such reality as predestination. We have to make our own future better by changing old traditions for new traditions based on new knowledge. My decisions as Chief are based on such needs for the future.”

“Your wisdom is better understood by me now, Chief. I did not previously see the vision which you have for the future. Is it the vision of a Shaman or the vision of a Chief?”

“A bit of both. I see with the eyes of a Shaman and the eyes of a Chief. Both have the long-term good of the tribe among their responsibilities. I am a Chief here, but I am Shaman for my other tribe, so I see life from both perspectives.”

“Ahh...” said the elder. “That can be useful. You don’t intend to cause any disturbance within the tribe?”

“Not if I can avoid it. Distubances are usually bad for everyone. That is why I didn’t want to immediately impose my policy about gender equality. It has to come about, but there are good ways and bad ways for change to be introduced. Slow is generally the best, but if certain men were being obstructive, then pressure to speed things up would be the result.”

His listener got the message.

“I think you have nothing to worry about. Is there anything new that you want to see happen? Just so I am warned in advance.”

“That is a reasonable request. What I propose is that the tribe should select a new Chief, to replace me.” Shock appeared on the other man’s face.

“What? You have just taken over! Why should you want to leave us again so soon?”

“It is very simple. This tribe will be happier if its Chief was one of them that they trust, and not an outsider, no matter how well-meaning the outsider might be.”

“Oh.” That was all the man could find to say. John went on, “Have a think about possible recommendations. The proposal is to find a man who is well-liked, is a responsible person in the community, can be relied upon to make good decisions for the benefit of the tribe rather than of benefit to himself, and is not the type to back down to any bully that comes along. That is a pretty formidable set of requirements, but if you can find someone who fits these requirements, and whom I approve, you will be able to get rid of me all the sooner.”

“Will you repeat that list again, so I can commit it to memory? That will make it easier to get the council to hear the list accurately; otherwise, you may have to tell the whole council this list.” Seeing the logic of that, John repeated himself, almost word for word, and the head elder left to pass on this message. John relaxed, and allowed his companions to cuddle with him. They were able to treat their new husband as a friend with no nasty tendencies, and that was great relief. Their lives were now great, they had recognised, which was why they volunteered for this trip. Coming back here to the tribe was no longer a matter of fear; not when they had John with them.