Chapter 29

“Oh, I see. It is an ‘us’ and ‘them’ simplicity. If you were the same, you were us, but if you were different, you were them; no other options.”

“That’s it. And you don’t have to be truly different; just be from outside your tribe or country. If there are troubles within your community, it is easier to blame people from outside as the problem, rather than sort out your own problems. It is very easy to blame these ‘outsiders’ or ‘immigrants’ that want to enter your territory, as ‘must be’ criminals or rapists or whatever; even though the true, measurable, facts are that your own locals are worse than these outsiders when they are allowed in. The facts seldom count, when you are using opinions as your measure of worthiness.”

“But that sounds weird! People surely don’t act like that?”

“They do, if they have a loud voice and want to distract the people from existing problems that you are not solving for them. Someone like our Chief or High Chief might act like that.”

“You don’t believe Chief Numa or High Chief John might say such nasty things, surely?”

“No, I don’t; not if everyone else keeps a close eye on them. If they say something that is sheer opinion, it is up to the rest of us to ask where the information came from, and is that information true and accurate.”

Chiska was adamant. “That should be fairly easy. We all see both of them on a regular basis, so they would have trouble hiding important facts.”

“That is true,”admitted Jean. “It works on a small basis – a tribe or village. It becomes more difficult to keep control of a leader if he is in charge of a much larger population group. It is easier for such a man to accuse his challengers of telling lies to cut down his power; then it is his word against theirs, and being in power gives you more ways of getting back at anyone who challenges your authority. I don’t know what the best answer is, to such abuse of power.”

Chiska was dubious about Jean’s scenario.

“I can’t see such things happening, Jean, so just forget about it. As long as I know I am being treated as normal; that is all that I want to know.”

John reported to Chief Numa, telling her what he thought was the most appropriate answer, and asked her opinion.

She looked askance at him before replying, “John my darling, you didn’t come to me, expecting anything other than agreement, did you? You and I know each other well enough to be able to speak for the other at any time. I concur with your judgement.

What is your real reason for discussing this?”

John gave an embarrassed chuckle. “You do know me so well, Numa my love. It was what I heard about what had happened to Chiska that made me angry. A bunch of men thought it was acceptable to rape a woman simply because she was not interested in any of them. Not in my neck of the woods, or my part of the forest! I want to go to her tribe, seek out these criminals and get them punished. What do you think of that plan?”

“Well, in theory it is fine, but in practice, how are you going to identify them, nearly a year after the event? Always assuming you can find her tribe, for they may have moved home.”

“You women always see the practical problems in getting justice, Numa, but I want justice for this woman if I can. Even if I can’t find out the exact men who did the deed, if I can put the fear of death into them for the future, perhaps other women might be spared that treatment. Getting away with such a crime only encourages them to repeat the offence.”

“This is truth, my love. However, good though you may be at fighting as an individual, facing a gang of men is not advisable on your own. If you go on this quest, you need to have two warriors beside you at all times. That is my decision.”

John stared at her, taking her meaning.

“At all times, Numa? That is not an easy task. How many men do we have to spare for this quest? It could take up to a month to locate the tribe, investigate and find the criminals, and see about punishment for them. How many of our men can we spare from our small tribe?”

“That is a question that can only be answered by your own previous decisions, darling. You made men and women equal within the tribe, so two warriors does not have to be two men, does it?”

“Uh ... I suppose not. Hoist by my own petard, it seems! Sorry, Numa, that is a phrase from my old world. It means your own past decision comes back to bite you. In this case, having made the genders equal, a warrior only needs to be fully competent to suit the task. Do you have any particular warriors in mind?”

“In another circumstance I would volunteer myself, but I have my duties here, so perhaps Noma could be one of them, and the other might be Jeeka.”

“What? Jeeka is only just fifteen. You want one of my guards to be a fifteen-year-old girl? Sorry – a woman.”

“Jeeka has been here since she arrived with Malloka, and has been learning how to be a woman in our tribe. She has practiced the warrior lessons and has done well. Did you not notice that?”

“Actually I did. She has performed very well, but I was more concerned with her age and stature.”

“John, while she is still growing taller all the time, she is not small now; almost as tall as Noma.”

“She is? I had not noticed that. I was concentrating on her abilities, not her height, though I did note that she has developed in her breast size. She does not let her breasts get in the way of fighting a training bout.”

“Well? Do you accept that Noma and Jeeka could be adequate guards for you on your venture?”

“I think so, but I would like to test them for a day or two before confirming that.”

“Right. I’ll speak to Noma, and promise her that I will suckle her baby while she is away with you. She is almost ready for fucking again. She has healed up very fast, thanks to your healing magic. Jeeka wanted to marry you from the start, but you put her off as too young. If she and Noma go with you, she can do her own testing, to find out if you would be acceptable as a husband.”

John blushed. “So that is what you meant by having them beside me at all times? You meant in my bedroll.”

“If that is what it takes to be watching out for you, my love, then yes. Not both together, for one will have to be on watch duty while the other fucks you. That is a much happier arrangement than having male warriors with you.”

John almost gagged. “The idea of male guards like that appals me!”

He recovered, to smile. “Now, your plan is much more agreeable. All I have to do is be certain that the females are up to standard for protection duties.”

Numa declared, “That is your responsibility, John. See to it.”

Noma was agreeable once she was assured that her baby would be looked after and breast fed by her older sister. Jeeka was delighted at the challenge and promised to be the best that she could be for John. She ventured, “Will you be making love to me, John? I mean when we are doing guard duty?”

“Numa has approved that chance, Jeeka. It is not a guarantee of marriage, but marriage will be a more likely possibility in the near future. You must be aware of how many women are already married to me, so there is no exclusivity on offer. You may be better off with a man of your own choice.”

“High Chief, you are already my own choice; you ought to know that, for I told you so when you rescued us.”

“And you have not changed your mind, Jeeka?”

“No, and I never will.”

John gave in.

“Very well. Speak to Chief Numa and let her know what you have to say. Our Chief is the final decider of who gets to marry me.”

It took two days before John and his team were ready to leave. He was now happy with their response levels, and that they knew when to intervene and when not to act. Each woman would carry a good spear and her own bow, with a quiver of arrows slung over a shoulder, hanging at hip level. John had his usual crossbow and bolts, and all three had a steel survival knife at the waist. All three were competent with all their weapons, so John was satisfied that his party was ready for any eventuality.

The fishers who found her were from the village they knew, so they decided to travel to that village and cadge a lift on a fishing boat to near where Chiska was collected from the shore. From Chiska’s descriptions, John knew roughly the distance inland to where her tribe lay, and they would take it from there.

The fisherfolk were amenable to John’s request, not only because anything the High Chief asked for was likely to be acted on, but because one of their best fishing spots was in that general location. He was told, “If you return to the shore near the same spot, we should be there within a day or so, and you can signal to us for transportation. That is better than walking all the way back here.”

John saw the sense in this, and accepted the offer if they needed a boat trip back.

The trio spent the night in the village, and had a good breakfast of cooked fish before leaving. They were at the shore before the middle of the day, and were dropped off. John, Noma and Jeeka all scouted for a trail leading inland, but only found signs of animal tracks. They used those that pointed inland and that made their progress fairly fast until they had to divert from the animal track that was leading in the wrong direction. This slowed them down, with John doing necessary hacking at thicker places, but many times there was enough clear ground between trees to allow them to keep moving directly inland.

Several hours later, Noma told John, “I can smell camp fires, John. The tribe must be fairly close by.” Jeeka agreed, “I can smell the smoke too.

“Your sense of smell is greater than mine, Noma and Jeeka. Steer me in the right direction, and we’ll find out where they are. We may have to be quieter from now on.”

It was good advice, for within a few more minutes even John could smell the tribe’s fires and cooking smells. They slowed and took care to watch all around them, looking for perimeter guards such as their own tribe used.

There were none found, and at last they found the main track into the camp. John reminded his guards, “As far as possible, let me do the talking, ladies. You stick to the guarding.”

John led the way along the main track, ignoring anyone they met and heading straight for the centre of the camp or village. At last a warrior carrying a spear was curious enough to demand who they were and what they were doing here.

John informed him, “I am High Chief John and I am here to meet with your Chief. Where is he to be found?”

The warrior looked John over, ignoring the women with their weapons as no more than ceremonial extras for a chief’s status, and said, “That is the Chief’s hut over there, if you need to disturb him. He has a nap around this time of day.”

“Thank you. What is his name, so that I can address him correctly?”

“He is Chief Andromo, and is an important man; best not to interrupt his nap.”

“Very well. Is it acceptable if I and my guards do a bit of sparring practice while we wait?”

“Guards? Where are your guards? Have you left them out in the forest?”

John stared him in the face and asked, “Are you blind, man? Can you not see the guards that are beside me?”

The man whirled, and his gaze settled on the woman and the teenager. He bristled at the implication.

“But these are women!” he exclaimed.

John nodded. “Well, your eyesight is not defective, but your insight is lacking. Do you not see the weapons they are carrying?”

Both woman smiled sweetly at the warrior, lifting their spears to him, and he blustered, “They cannot be guards. Women cannot be guards!”

John smiled amusedly. “You are contradicting your eyes, young man. You can see they are guards, but your mind does not want to accept the truth. Would you care to try sparring with Noma here? She has not long had a baby, so is not as fully competent as she will be in another week or so, but she could easily defeat you today.”

“High Chief, you jest!”

“No jest. Noma, are you willing to spar with this warrior, to test his ability with the spear?”

“Of course, but he might need some help against me.”

The warrior bristled at this affront, and demanded, “Stand and show by your actions instead of your words, you upstart woman!”

Noma bowed, took two steps backward, and offered her bow and quiver to Jeeka to hold. “If you don’t mind, my dear. I need to show this warrior how to use a spear.”

The warrior growled and charged forward, spear pointing ahead of him, directly at her body. Noma stood steady and as he got close, stepped to one side and swung the butt of her spear strongly in a circular motion, connecting with the warrior’s horizontal spear and forcing it upwards. He had to either let go of it or lose his balance, and his hands chose to let it go. Noma took an extra step to the side and continued her spear’s circular swing, ending with the spear point touching the warrior’s side. The man stumbled forward, confused by this.

“Touche! as my husband says. In a real fight, you would be dead.”

The man recovered and picked up his spear, proclaiming accusingly, “That was an accident! I dropped my spear.”

Noma looked him in the eye and offered, “Care to try again? Are you prepared to be bested twice by a married woman with a baby?”

The man pulled himself up and declared loudly, “I do not fight with women! That would demean me in the sight of my chief!”

John chuckled, “Especially if you lost! I think you were loud enough to wake your Chief.”

Sure enough, a blinking Chief staggered out of his hut, demanding, “What is going on here? Why all this noise?”

The warrior drew himself up and declared, “This man wishes an audience with you, Chief Andromo.”

John made a needed correction. “Actually, I merely said I was here to meet you, Chief Andromo; nothing was said about an audience, for I am no simple tribesman. I am High Chief John, and I am here with a formal complaint against your tribe.”

By this time, the activities and kerfuffle had drawn a small crowd from the other huts, interested in what was being said. The Chief had to respond in a way that would maintain his position.

“A complaint? What sort of complaint could you have? We are a peaceful tribe, offending no other tribes.”

“The complaint goes back nearly a year in time. I am here to speak on behalf of the woman Chiska, who seeks redress for an attack on her.”

“Chiska? Who is this Chiska?”

The warrior reminded him, “She was an unmarried woman who disappeared around that time, Chief.”

“Oh? You know about her? What could she have to complain about?”

“Chief, there was a rumour going around the men of the tribe that she would not go with any man, and a bunch of hotheads set about her one night in the forest and she was never seen again; she may have died.”

“Why did I not know about this?” he demanded, but John intervened, “It was probably because you do not pay attention to what is happening in your tribe, Chief Andromo.”

“Don’t play nasty with me, you ... what did you say your name was?”

“High Chief John, the overchief of three tribes far to the north of here. That is who I am: a man of power, according to the shamans.”

Chief Andromo looked at John with new eyes.

“You have very pale skin for a man of power, High Chief. Such insipid colouring does not go with power.” He noticed the two women standing beside John. “You bring two women with you. Are they gifts?”

John laughed broadly at this idea. “Never. They would strongly object to such a suggestion, and would probably kill you if you tried to touch them!”

“No-one kills a Chief!” he declared stoutly.

“I became Chief of the Mountain tribe after I killed their Chief, not that long ago, so killing a Chief is not so strange, I assure you.”

Andromo became wary.

“Are you threatening to kill me as well?”

“Certainly not. All I want is for you to rule your tribe as a good Chief should. Men acting offensively to a woman should be punished, don’t you think?”

“Offensively? What do you mean by that, High Chief?”

“I mean that Chiska was attacked and raped by a number of your men, such that she was forced to flee and hide, fearful for her life. Her injuries were substantial.”

“Where is your evidence for such a claim, man?”

“She and her baby are the evidence, Andromo. She eventually gained shelter and found her way to one of my tribes, where she was treated for her injuries by our healers, and was found to be pregnant as a result of the multiple rape.”

“How can that be evidence like you say? She could have fucked any man!”

“Unlikely, as she is one of these women who are attracted only to other women, just as some men are only attracted to other men. I am sure you have heard of such people. A woman who has no interest in men can only become pregnant if she is forced to have sex by one or more men; that is by rape. It happened in your tribe, and she was forced to flee for her life.

That is why I am here, asking you to punish the rapists.”

“There is no way I can identify them, even if it happened like you said it did.”

John noticed a young woman among the crowd of watchers, waving her hand to catch his eye. He beckoned to her.

She came forward, asking, “Are you talking about Chiska, mister?”

“I am. Do you know her?”

“Yes, mister. She was my friend. Is she alive?”

“She is fine now, and learning to be a warrior in anticipation of meeting these men again.”

“Good. Can you take me with you when you leave? Please. I would not be safe here, now that I have talked.”

“Of course. If that is what you want, we will abide by your choice. Is that so, ladies?” He turned to look at Noma and Jeeka, seeking agreement. Noma replied, “Yes, she can come with us, John.” and Jeeka said, “Yes, she would fit in fine; she is not afraid to speak for herself.”

Chief Andromo asked the talkative woman, “Who are you and what do you know about this ... incident?”

“If you were interested in running the tribe properly, you would know who I was, Chief Andromo. I am Berila, I am unmarried, and I have heard people talk about these rapists, but I was too scared of what they might do to me if I spoke up. I can only speak now because I am able to leave.”

Chief Andromo demanded, “What are their names, Berila?”

“The names I was told were Gorbo, Rubido, Fiasco, and Derlo. There may be one other, but I am not sure of his name.”

The Chief looked to his warrior adviser, “Is this accurate testimony, Bravo? On your word as my leading warrior?”

The warrior looked downcast, but admitted quietly, “The names match those that I heard in the rumours, Chief. There was mention of another but without a name. That is all I can say. I have not looked further into it, as I thought the woman had vanished forever and so there was nothing that could be done.”

Chief Andromo was silenced for now, and John took the opportunity to tell him, “Now is your chance to show that you are in charge of this tribe, and that raping women is not allowed in your tribe. I have brought it before you, and will leave you to deal with them as you see fit. You are the Chief, the man in charge.

People of any tribe should not believe they can do what they want behind the Chief’s back.

I shall take this young women back with me to meet Chiska. I am sure she will be more comfortable within our tribes, where woman and men are treated as equals.”

This brought another shock to the face of Chief Andromo, so John explained, “In my tribes, both genders have equal opportunities to take up a trade or occupation, and most of the adults train as warriors to protect the tribe in an emergency. These two women with me are my guards, here as my protectors in case anyone tries to harm me. Your warrior here already knows this.”

“Bravo, is this true?” he demanded of the warrior.

Brave hung his head in shame again, before answering.

“Chief, it appears to be the case. This older one appears to be proficient with the spear. She showed me a trick that I had not encountered before.”

Noma snorted, “That was just one of many tricks I have learned with the spear. I have also trained with the bow and I can fight with my knife as well, if I have to. To be a warrior in our tribe is much more demanding than just calling yourself a warrior. It means training in all the moves that a real fighter needs. Remember that, Bravo.”

Bravo said nothing, which in itself said a lot.

Chief Andromo remarked, “Your women can certainly talk a good fight, High Chief.”

“They can fight a good fight as well, Andromo. I trained them, so I know. You can take my word for it, or someone can suffer if they don’t believe my word.”

“I see.” Chief Andromo recognised this as a direct challenge and saw the way out. “I am sure in that case, we don’t need to bother your women ... your guards, High Chief.”

“Thank you, Chief Andromo,” replied John, reverting to the man’s title in his reply as a sign of respect. “I am honoured by your response.”

“Do you wish to stay the night in our tribe, High Chief, or have you other pressure on your time?” Andromo strongly suggested.

John recognised this as dismissal, as did Noma and Jeeka. Jeeka handed the bow and quiver of arrows back to Noma, who donned them for marching back on the trail. Berila stepped forward and joined them, carrying nothing but the domestic knife that was tucked into her tunic.

John declared, “Alas, I am a busy man. I have other matters to attend to, now that I know your authority will be upheld in this tribe, my friend. I bid you farewell, for we have far to go.”

John turned around and walked off the way they had come in, and his guards fell in behind him, spears to the ready, each one with eyes to the side, alert for any sign of attack. Berila took up the rear, watching out for anyone following them. She was rightly being cautious, John knew. It showed her fears to be real.

As they came to the edge of the encampment, John spoke softly to them all, “Beware of attacks from the forest, ladies. It is the sort of sneaky move I would expect. I might use it myself on another occasion. Berila, in any attack, drop to the ground and stay low for your own protection. You are not trained to fight.”

She nodded, saying, “Yes, High Chief.” She recognised this as an order that had to be obeyed.

A few minutes later, Numa whispered, “Man smell to my left,” and Jeeka said, “Same with me; left,” and all prepared for an attack from the left, spears to the fore, and John loaded his crossbow with a bolt in case he got a chance to use it. Berila moved to the right, to be out of the line of the fighting. All their eyes flickered over the surrounding forest, Berila checking the right, in case there was one that did not smell enough to be noticed.

Stupidly, the agressors all burst out of the forest, yelling and brandishing their spears, intent on killing the group in one mad dash at them with their spears.

The well-prepared quarry merely waited and picked their targets, avoiding the ineptly-wielded weapons by an easy move to the side, then thrusting as soon as the charging man came within reach and stabbing him fiercely in the belly. Immediately dropping the embedded spears, they switched to their knives and moved in close to the others who were behind the first assailants. This allowed them to attack the attackers with a lunge and slash to the exposed throat.

In only a few seconds, all five men were on the ground, some screaming in pain, others gurgling blood from the cut throat, hands having dropped the spears to clutch at their throats as they died wordlessly.

The noise brought people rushing from the camp, for screaming was always a worrying sign. They were led by a spear-brandishing Chief Andromo, who expected to find his visitors as the victims. Instead, all three were standing, back to back in a defensive position, in case any more attackers appeared. Berila was cowering at their feet, still in shock at the attack, amazed at her new friends’ calmness.

Seeing the Chief’s arrival, John remarked loud enough to be heard over the screams, “I think your rapists have condemned themselves, Chief. They attacked us here, but we were prepared for them. My guards killed the majority of the attackers, I think, but we might have doubled up in one or two of our kills. It is not always clear in the frenzy of battle.

There are three of them still screaming. Do you want to interrogate them, or just execute them?”

The Chief got his knife out and swiftly despatched the screamers without farther thought.

He told John, “It is enough that they attacked my visitors. That is a capital crime with me. If they happen to be also the rapists, then we have concluded both matters at one blow. I thank you and your fighting women for your evident abilities. Five men coming from ambush, yet you defeated all of them? Amazing. I no longer doubt your women’s fighting prowess.”

John ordered, “Guards, retrieve your spears, now that the men are dead.”

Jeeka and Noma pulled their spears out of the bodies and he nodded his approval as the women cleaned their weapons against the nearest tree trunk, then wiped the tip across their victims’ clothing. Noma solemnly told the Chief, “We thank you for your recognition, Chief Andromo. It saves harming any other warriors just to show we know what we are doing.”

Jeeka added, “And the rest of the women of our tribe are trained in the same way, Chief. Chiska is also being trained to be a warrior. Today’s events will save her having to come back and kill the rapists by herself.”

She ended this with a broad impish smile, sweet as can be, that made the Chief shudder.

“High Chief John, please depart in peace before anything else happens. Our tribe cannot afford more losses of men. Before you go, do you want their wives and children to come with you with all their goods? It is your entitlement as victor.” He apologised to John’s guards, “The rules assume the High Chief is responsible for all the deaths, so he gets the spoils, just like in a war battle.”

John ran his hand over his chin.

“I have enough wives to cope with already, so as long as you guarantee their women will be treated honourably by the tribe, I will leave them with you. These wives have done nothing to deserve ill-treatment, as far as I know.”

A man close behind Andromo chipped in, “Except for Cramba, Dolo’s wife. She encouraged him, as she disliked Chiska.”

“You swear that is so, Jerko?” chief Andromo asked.

“I do, Chief.”

“So Dolo was the fifth of this bunch. If his wife acted with him, then she is banished from the tribe, to carry nothing except her knife and a day’s food. No others?”

Jerko was positive. “No others, Chief. Cramba warned the other women not to say anything about Chiska’s disappearance. Some of the rapists’ women were even frightened of their own man and what he might do to them if they spoke of it. That is what I was told. The rumours came from the men themselves bragging of the rape.”

Andromo was determined to be a good Chief.

“Then I decree that these widows are free to either choose another man to marry, or do without a man if they so wish. If they remain on their own, the tribe will support them, so the tribe would be wise to persuade them gently to join another family that can take on a widow with or without children.”

John put in his bit.

“Chief Andromo, a married man is wise to listen to his wife’s counsel before any major decision. In the same way, giving women the same rights as men could be good judgment in the long term. It has proved that way in our tribes, which are now able to stand up for themselves at any time.”

Andromo looked serious before his face burst into a broad and cheeky smile.

“I shall consult my wives about such a proposal, High Chief, and see what they think about it.”

John smiled back, saying, “Thus speaks a wise chief. Tread safely, my friend. Farewell again.”

They shook hands, wrist to wrist, and parted amicably. John left the tribe to deal with its dead men, and the four of them marched off on their way home.

There was no definitive trail to follow, so John’s team slowly made their way through the trees towards the sound and smell of the sea, John in the lead. By the time they were there, it was early evening, so there was no chance of a boat coming before the next day at the earliest. John sought a site for a shelter, and after a scout up and down the beach found a spot between several boulders, just large enough for them to sleep as a group, if somewhat close together. He fashioned a framework of branches between the boulders, the branches supported by uprights inside the space, to make a protection overhead, and the women gathered small leafy branches to lay on top as a roof. Berila was detailed to find dry moss among the trees for them to lie on inside their shelter, and it was all completed well before dark.

Noma informed Berila, “I am now going to fuck John, as he is my husband and the father of my son. You can look away if you don’t want to see. Jeeka knows all about fucking, having seen John perform before, so I don’t have to warn her in advance.”