Chapter 3

During our mid-day meal, Mother said, “Luna asked me to go with her to refill our water jugs.” She smiled and stopped talking.

I asked, “Did you talk about me and Teal?”

“Of course.” Again, Mother stopped speaking. She was having fun with me, so I had to be patient and ask the right questions.

“What did you talk about?”

“We discussed Teal’s mate price.”

“Did you negotiate and what was the final mate price?”

Mother must have been as impatient to tell me of their talk as I was to hear what had been said. She said, “Luna asked for four deer. I was able to get her to come down to three deer, which she and I knew was the usual price for a mate as good as Teal.”

“If Luna knew she would accept three deer, why did she ask for four deer?”

“Tomms, you men must think with your male parts. Luna had to make Teal seem to be more valuable than three deer, so Teal’s status would be higher. She and I also knew that dropping the price from four to three deer would improve our statuses as negotiators. We all know that a good negotiator who is selling something always asks for more than they will settle for and when they are buying something they counter with less than the seller’s offer price. Settling on a mate price of three deer made us both look like good negotiators.”

The more I learned about women, the more confused I became. I just didn’t understand how they think.

I knew a mate price was paid over a period of time, so I said, “So, I have to pay Luna three deer as Teal’s mate price. When does she want the three deer?”

“You can give her the first deer at any time. She will have to process and dry the meat and treat the skin. She will let you know when she is ready for the second and third deer.”

“Can Teal and I walk together now?”

“No. You have to wait until Luna announces to the tribe that you are to be Teal’s mate. Once she tells the tribe, you can walk with her; but someone in Dat’s family must be with you at all times.”

I knew it was part of the tradition for two people who are to be mated to be accompanied by someone, and I also knew it was common for the couple to make a game of slipping away from the person assigned to watch them. Teal and I are both smart, so the game should be fun. If we were able to slip away from the person watching us, we would not mate, but we would be able to give each other more pleasure than we could while being watched. It wasn’t until many seasons later that I learned that the watcher often allows the daughter to slip away, if she was trusted to not mate with the man. Of course, sometimes the trusted daughter became overwhelmed with passion and mating takes place.

I would have to talk with Kore again about going deer hunting. He had agreed to help me kill the deer I needed to pay Chuck and Paul, and bring them back to camp. But now, I needed even more deer than I had originally planned to kill to pay Teal’s mate price.

A deer weighed far more than Kore and I would be able to carry in one trip to camp. We could carry a quarter of the deer by ourselves and would have to tie the remainder of the meat high in a tree, so predators could not get to the meat. That meant five trips to get the four quarters, skin, entrails, and head of one deer back to camp. Kore would be giving me a lot of help, so I would have to give him at least one deer for his time and effort. If I gained as many women as I thought I would, I would have to kill more deer so all of us would have enough to eat during the coming cold season.

I now owed Chuck and Paul three deer, and I owed Luna three deer. That is six deer that I now owed. If I give Kore one deer and killed one for my family, I would have to kill a total of eight deer. That is a lot of deer for just two men to kill and carry back to camp. I could ask my other friends to help me carry all of the deer I killed back to camp, but it was normal to pay a helper for that much time and effort, so that meant killing even more deer.

I would also be going out to hunt with the tribe’s hunters, so I would be very busy during the coming growing and hot seasons. I would be fortunate to be able to complete all of my personal hunting before the arrival of the cool season, which came before the cold season.

I waited until I thought Kore would be finished eating his early-day meal before I left to go to his cave. He and his three mates had just finished their meal when I arrived.

“Kore, I need to talk with you about helping me gather the deer for Teal’s mate price. Luna has not announced Teal and I are to be mates yet, but Teal’s mate price is three deer. I also need to pay Chuck and Paul three deer. That is six deer that I will need to bring back to camp. If you help me with all of those deer, it only seems right that I should give you at least one deer for you and your mates, and I will also need at least one deer for my cave.

“I could ask more people to help me carry the deer back to camp, but that would mean I would have to kill even more deer.

“Are you willing to help me gather eight deer or should I ask others to help us?”

“Tomms, bringing eight deer back to camp is a lot of work in addition to our hunting for the tribe. When will you need the deer?

“I was thinking of getting Luna her first deer and then Chuck his first deer; I can then get a deer for Paul. Paul and Chuck’s mates and Luna will need time to process their first deer. If Luna and Chuck’s mates aren’t ready for their second deer, I can get a deer for your cave. By then, Luna and Chuck’s mates should be ready for their second deer. While they are processing their second deer, we can get a deer for my cave. When she is ready, I will get Luna her last deer.”

“Tomms, that much hunting will take most of the next two seasons. My mates and I will need more than one deer before the cold season arrives. I will talk with my mates, but we will need two or possibly three deer to see us through the cold season.

“You will take one of the widows and her children to your cave when you move out of the Widow’s Cave. You will need more than one deer for your cave to feed everyone through the cold season. I would plan on us gathering more than a double hand of deer and we have three seasons to do that; we can do that much work without help from others.

“We may want to gather even more deer for the cold season, if we have enough time. Talk with your mother about how many deer you will need for your cave. We have to start hunting now to finish before the cold season begins.”

I am glad I talked with Kore. As I walked back to the Widow’s Cave, I realized that Kore has been teaching me how to be the man in my family. One of the most important of the lessons I learned from him is to talk with your women about what they need for the cave. Like many unmated men, I thought I knew what I would need to set up and live in a cave. I also realized my mother and Tonni were teaching me what Kore hadn’t taught me. If things continued like this, I would be well-trained when Teal moved into my cave.

“Mother, when I talked with Kore, he suggested I talk with you about how many deer he and I will need to gather for our cave to last us through this coming cold season. I know we will need enough food for Teal, Tonni, you, and me, and the widow I take from the Widow’s Cave and her children will also need to be fed.

“Who do you think I should take with us to the new cave and how many deer will we need?”

“Picking your widow is your decision to make, Tomms. Which of the widows do you like?

“I like three of the older widows, but I don’t think I would like to be with any of them permanently. I really like two of the younger widows, Gail and Lisa, and they seem to like me. I think I would be happy with either of them, and they each have three children.”

Have you considered Leta and Alba?”

“Not really. They are pleasant and nice to look at, but affection is important and I don’t feel affection for either of them.”

“Do you want me to talk with Gail and Lisa?”

“Yes. It would be best to make a decision now, so we can make plans for moving to the new cave. How long will it take for you to talk with them, so I can decide who to take with me, and when should we plan to leave the cave?”

“I know them both very well. All I will be asking is would they want to go with you to your cave. You should be able to make your decision tonight. The Widow’s Council will not have a problem with you choosing either of them. I will have to tell the Council who will be going with you, but we could move to the new cave as soon as tomorrow.”

“That is good, but tomorrow, I have to go on the hunt with the other hunters.”

“That is okay. Tonni, your new helper, her children, and I can move our things to the new cave while you are hunting. Tonni and I still have some of the food we stored for the cold season left, so we should have enough to eat for several days.”

“Mother, my hunter’s share of what we bring back tomorrow should be enough for the three of us, but three more women and a baby may be more than my share will provide for.”

“Now that the cold season is over, Tomms, the six of us can search for tubers and other things to eat. Your hunter’s share and what we can find should be enough for us for now. If you and Kore bring back and share a deer soon, we will all have more than enough meat for the coming season. Just tell me who you would prefer as your widow.”

The choice of my widow was a big decision, so I went to the stream to think. There was a place where the sight and sound of the water falling into a pool was relaxing. I always went there to think.

Gail and Lisa were both pleasant to be around and they were both nice to look at. I had watched both of them work in the cave and they were both very good workers; I would like living with both of them. I then thought of the sisters who lived with them. I had the same problem with both pairs of sisters. They were all pleasant to be around and good workers. While they weren’t as pleasant to look at as Gail and Lisa, they weren’t unpleasant to look at. I would be happy having either pair of sisters live in my cave.

I sat thinking about who to select when it occurred to me that I was forgetting what I was being taught about decisions concerning living in my cave. Teal would be first in the cave. She should say who I should choose to have as my widow. I wasn’t supposed to approach Teal yet, but my mother could talk with Luna and Teal. Luna and Teal both knew Gail and Lisa; they would not require time to get to know them. They would also know if they were good mates for their dead mates, and that would be important to everyone in the cave. I would ask Mother to talk with them.

Kore and I would not get a deer for my cave for many days if we did what I told Kore. I considered the order of who I would give deer to that I had described to Kore. I decided we should get a deer for us after I gave Paul his deer. When they were ready, I could give Luna and Chuck the rest of their deer. Kore and I could hunt for ourselves while we were waiting. If we did things that way, there should be adequate time for our women to dry more than three of our deer before the cold season began. Before talking with Kore again, I should ask my mother what she thought of my new plan.

It would be time for us to eat our late-day meal soon. I stayed at the pool for a while longer to relax and think about the days between now and the start of the next cold season. When I was comfortable with my thoughts, I returned to the Widow’s Cave.

During our meal, I said, “Mother, you were right about Kore and I getting a deer for us soon. I will have to give Luna, Chuck, and Paul a deer, and then Kore and I can get a deer and share it between our two caves. Then I can get Luna and Chuck their remaining deer. Kore and I can hunt for us while we wait for Luna and Chuck to be ready for another deer. Kore and I can gather as many deer as we will need to feed our two caves through the cold season. How many deer do you think it will take to feed our cave from now through the end of the cold season?”

My Mother and Tonni looked at each other and then started discussing how much meat we would need. They also talked about what it would take to dry that much meat and how many tubers and other things they would have to gather before the cold season.

Mother and Tonni finally came to an agreement. Mother said, “We will need a minimum of three large deer. Teal, Tonni, your helper, her daughters, and I will see that other food is gathered and stored for the cold season.”

“Good, I will talk with Kore again tomorrow. I have considered who I should take with me as my widow. I would be happy with either Gail or Lisa. This is an important decision and Teal should be involved. It occurred to me that Teal and Luna may know something about how good of a mate Gail and Lisa were to their dead mates. I can’t talk with Teal yet, so would you talk with her and Luna about who would be the best widow for me to take with us?”

“Tomms, it is good of you to think of consulting your women about matters like this. Teal and Luna will approve of your wanting to know what they think. Tonni and I will talk with Luna and Teal tomorrow, while you are hunting. We will let you know what they say after you return from the hunt. After you decide, I will let the Widow’s Council know who you will take. The day after tomorrow, we will move all of our belongings into the cave and we women will go out and gather tubers while you and Kore hunt deer.”

Tonni said, “You will be a great leader in our cave, Tomms, if you continue to consult your women.”

I smiled and thought to myself, How can I be a great leader when I am doing what my women want me to do?

When I arrived at the hunters’ gathering point, Kore said, “Last night Kamil told us that today we are to hunt pigs. That is why you see so many people here.

“Kamil sent two hunters out and they found a small herd of more than a double hand of pigs. The hunters said there is a gully near the herd, and I know the area. When we get to the area, some of the experienced hunters will get in the gully and prepare to spear the pigs as the rest of us drive them toward the hunters. Pigs will attack hunters, so we use a special pig spear. It is longer than a bison spear with a flint tip that is similar to an aurochs tip and it has a crossbar lashed to it so a pig can’t run up the spear’s shaft to get at the hunter.

“You and I will be with the people driving the pigs to the hunters. What we will do is form two lines, one line on each side of the pigs with four hunters behind the pigs. The idea is to move the pigs at a slow pace, so we can keep our lines on each side of the herd. To do that, the lines have to move at the same pace as the pigs.

“If a pig tries to approach a line, the people wave their hands and shout to turn the pig back to its herd. Our lines will guide the herd to the gully. Once they are in the gully, our lines will be on each side of the gully to keep them from climbing out, and the people behind them will keep the herd moving toward the hunters. The one thing we do not want to do is to make the pigs run. Since they can run through the brush faster than we can, they will escape. A slow pace slightly faster than a slow walk is best. If they start running in the gully, it will be more difficult for the hunters to spear them; a running pig can be dangerous for a hunter.”

Kore took my borrowed spear and lashed a thick crosspiece to its shaft, about three hand lengths above the spear’s tip. When he gave it back to me, he said, “It isn’t as good as a pig spear, but it will do for this hunt.”

I wondered how many special types of spears I would need, and how many extras I would need of each type of spear. That is probably the reason Chuck and Phil were so busy.

Kamil showed up and got us organized, and then we left on the hunt. I noticed a number of the people had carrying poles and lengths of leather strips, so we wouldn’t have to cut poles to bring back the pigs. We walked for close to two hours to get to the area near the pigs. As we approached the area, we could see the pigs digging in the ground looking for something to eat. Kamil sent twelve hunters into the gully to find a good place to wait for the pigs. He then led the rest of us around the place where the pigs were digging.

When the pigs were between us and the gully, Kamil had us form two lines. The leader of each line would guide his line to one side of the herd and far enough away that we would not startle the pigs into running. Kore and I were at the ends of and between the two lines with another pair of hunters. Kamil moved in behind the four of us. We were the hunters who would drive the pigs while the others kept them contained between the lines.

Kamil gave the signal and the leaders of the two lines started walking toward the gully. When the end of the lines started moving, Kore and I started walking toward the pigs. At first, I thought the pigs were going to charge us, but then they turned and started moving toward the gully. We kept them moving at a fast walk. When our right line reached the gully, it turned to the right and started moving along the top of the gully. When the left line reached the gully, they went down into the gully, up the far side, and turned right to walk along the top of their side of the gully.

When the pigs reached the gully they went down into the gully. There were people to their left and at the top of the far side of the gully, so they turned to the right and started moving toward the waiting hunters. Kore, I, and the other two hunters moved into the gully and followed the pigs. It wasn’t long before we could hear the pigs squealing as the hunters speared them. In a loud voice, Kamil shouted, “Get ready.“

Kore had told me that this was the time the pigs might turn away from the hunters and try to escape. The people along the sides of the gully would scare any pigs that tried to climb out of the gully back into it. The four of us would try to scare the pigs back toward the hunters, and if necessary, we would spear any pig that continued to come our way.

Suddenly three pigs were running at us. We jumped up and down shouting and waving our hands and spears. One pig turned back, but the other two kept coming. Kore and I were to the left of the other two hunters, so we braced ourselves to spear the pig that was running at us. The second pig was trying to go around the other two hunters. I focused on keeping my spear’s tip pointed at the pig’s chest and to the side of its head, and tightening my grip on the spear shaft. Kore was doing the same thing. When the tip started into the pig’s chest, I leaned into my spear and crouched low to take the force of the impact as Kore had told me to do. We stopped the pig and pinned it to the ground. Kore told me to pull my spear back and thrust it back into the pig. He had me do this while he kept the pig pinned to the ground until it died.

When the pig finally died, we stepped back and checked the other pair of hunters. They were still busy killing their pig. When the two pigs were dead, we started moving toward the hunters again, and all four of us were ready for another pig to charge us. We met the hunters without being charged by another pig. The hunters had killed seven pigs and told us three had gotten by them. I remembered Kore telling me pigs were fast when scared and it wasn’t unusual for a few pigs to get past the hunters.

Kamil was happy at the nine pigs we had killed. After bleeding them and removing the entrails we did not want to keep, we tied a pig to nine carrying poles. With four people to each pole, we made good time getting back to the camp. The rest of us would carry the poles we did not need, and we would occasionally swap jobs with the people carrying the pigs.

After we arrived at camp, Kamil talked with me. “How was it to make your first kill, Tomms?”

“It felt good, but I felt fear when I saw the pig charging Kore and me.”

“Fear is a normal thing in the life of a hunter, Tomms. You can be proud of yourself. Kore told me you stood and met the pig like an experienced hunter. Overcoming one’s fears and doing what needs to be done is a good thing in a new hunter.

Kore told me you will be moving into your new cave tomorrow. How many people will be living in your new cave?”

“Right now there will be me, two adult women, three women who are almost adults, and a baby; after I pay her mate price, Teal will join us.”

“That is good. After today, you will be given a larger hunter’s share, since there will be more people in your cave for you to feed. I do not envy you. Six adult women living together can be a lot of trouble in a cave, if they don’t get along with each other. There can be trouble even if they do get along.”

“Has Luna agreed to a mate price?”

“I don’t believe she has announced me as Teal’s future mate, yet.”

“Three days from now, we will be hunting bison again. It will be your first time participating in a bison hunt. Listen to Kore and do what he tells you to do. You will need to learn the hand signals hunters use when moving toward a kill, so they don’t make noise by talking. Have Kore teach you’re the signals.”

Tonni and Sind joined Kore and me to help us carry our shares of the kill back our caves. The Women’s Council was there to collect the Women’s Cave’s share of the kill, and I would be giving my share to the Women’s Council when we arrived at the Widow’s Cave. On the way back to our caves, Kore and I agreed that tomorrow we would hunt deer.

Tonni, Mother, and I talked as we ate our late-day meal. I told them about the hunt, and they told me about their day.

Mother said, “Toni and I talked with Luna and Teal about who you should pick as your widow. They believe Gail and Lisa would both be good choices. Teal prefers Lisa. Before Lisa took a mate, she helped Teal learn how to find and gather tubers. She also knew Gail at that time, but she didn’t have the friendship that she had with Lisa. Who do you want me to ask if they will move into our cave tomorrow?”

“Talk with Lisa first. If she doesn’t want to go with me, ask Gail if she is interested.”

Mother and Tonni smiled, and Tonni said, “Good choice, Tomms.”

Mother asked, “Luna wanted me to ask when will you deliver the first deer?”

“Kore and I talked on the way home. We will go hunting tomorrow. If we kill a deer, we will deliver the first quarter of the deer to her tomorrow, and the remainder of the deer by the end of the next day. The day after that we will go bison hunting for the tribe.”

Tonni asked, “When will you and Kore get a deer for us?”

“I need to deliver a deer to Chuck and Paul first, then we can get a deer for us. We will divide the deer between our cave and Kore’s cave, so you will only have to dry half a deer.”

Mother asked, “Will you and Kore be giving a portion of your kill to the Widow’s Council?”

“We didn’t discuss that so I don’t know. What do you suggest?”

“It would be a good idea to give them some of the kill. Keep the skin and brain, and give them the entrails. We will need to cure the skin and make warm clothing for the cold season, and to sleep on and under when it is cold. I will ask Sind if she needs more skins, and if so, we can share them.”

When we finished eating and talking, Mother left to go talk with Lisa. An hour later, Mother returned with Lisa, her baby, Audra, and Jeri. They were carrying their sleeping furs. Mother told me, they would collect the rest of their belongings tomorrow, and move them directly into our new cave. Tonight, they would join us and sleep in our area of the cave.

Lisa asked where I slept and I pointed to my sleeping furs. She took her furs to mine and rearranged the furs so two people could sleep together. Audra and Jerri placed their furs and the baby’s furs close to where Tonni and Mother slept. When Lisa finished she rejoined us to talk; I could see lust on her face.