Chapter 19

“The bear attack means we can’t leave, at least not before spring. We’d have had to travel light, move fast, and even after we found a good location we’d have had to build a shelter and collect supplies before winter. It would have been tough, even with all of us healthy. Now, even after his arm heals, it’s going to take time for Lee to regain his strength. We’ve got to spend the winter here. It’s going to get cold. We’re south of the mountains, but even so, winters are probably harsh.

“The Futurist told me he was transplanting me to an Earth that’s at the end of the ice age, the Pleistocene, meaning that we’ve got a problem. We’ve used wood for cooking, but when winter sets in we’ll need to keep the fireplace going all the time for warmth. If the winter is as cold as I expect, we’re going to need massive amounts of wood for fuel.

“We’re also going to have to store enough food to last us for at least four months. That means harvest all the fruits, nuts, and vegetables we can gather, eat what we need, but dry the excess for winter. We’ve also got to preserve as much meat as we can, which means we’ll need a lot more salt than we’ve got on hand. Animals are already scarce around here. The last trip was successful, but only because we hunted a long way from here, and then we had to leave half the carcass because we couldn’t drag it back.

“For now, someone has to stay behind with Lee. As soon as he’s able to take care of himself, we can hunt as a party of four. But he’s not, so three of us will go on the next hunt.

“Next absolute necessity, I’ve got to cut enough firewood to keep us alive through the winter, and it’s going to be nearly impossible. I can’t exert my full strength, using the small axe; the handle’s too short, the blade’s too light, and it’s intended for use by only one hand. All of which means I’m not getting my back into the swing. It’s better than nothing, but it’s meant for gathering limbs, not cutting trees, and there’s already a nick in the blade from chopping through bone. Maybe the Futurist made a trade-off; what he gave me is handy for carrying and doing light tasks, but it’s certainly not the choice for chopping trees. A bow-saw would have been much better.

“The Futurists got too creative, I think; the best axe would have been a heavy single-bitted axe with a long handle, something twice the weight of the one they gave me. It should also have been made of soft steel with a harder edge, not the pattern-welded steel they used. I’m guessing, but I think that no one on Earth Prime has used an axe for centuries! They knew that the best knives and swords are made of pattern-welded steel, wootz or Damascus as some call it, and thought the axe should be made from that too.

“Matt, what is a bow saw?” Lee asked.

“It’s a different kind of blade for cutting things,” I explained. “It’s something like the swords we captured, but it has notches and sharp projections called teeth along the edge. It cuts by sliding back and forth through wood. Even a small one would be helpful...”

Lee interrupted, “Would you be interested in a large saw? I saw a pair of things such as you’ve described, and also an axe that is larger than the one you have. They are hanging in an open shed at the mine. Maybe the miners use them.”

I muttered something under my breath. I should have thought of that! “They probably do, Lee, for timbers to support the mine roof. I’ll probably have to steal some of theirs, but first, I need to finish my bow. That should take me another day or two at most, because the shaping is done. All I have to do now is glue sinew along the back to give it additional draw weight. My arrows will work okay for the time being, but later I’ll make better ones.”

“There’s always more to do,” commented Lilia, and Sandra and Millie nodded agreement.

Neither had said much while we discussed our situation. I wondered if they were unhappy about changing from owners of the cabin and totally in charge to being two among five. For that matter, they appeared to have less ability and less knowledge to contribute than the rest of us. Hopefully, it would work itself out because there was no going back to the way things had been.

“For every need, it seems like there’s a solution, but the solution then opens up more needs that have to be met,” Sandra said. “How would you steal the tools without the guards noticing? Even if you aren’t killed during the raid, how could you escape without leading them back here?”

“You’re right, Sandra,” I agreed. “I would have to be careful. We can’t outfight them, there’s not enough of us for that, and you’re also right about not wanting them following us back here. If they catch me while I’m stealing the tools, I might not get away. But if I can get a head start, I know how to discourage pursuit!”

“How would you do that?” Millie asked. She looked worried. I had been their only support between the time I found them, up until Lee and Lilia discovered the cabin, and that also likely had a bearing on why they seemed quiet. There had also been those other activities; darkness provides opportunity for getting to know someone and appreciate their good qualities! No, they wouldn’t want to lose me.

I hoped.

“Mantraps,” I answered. “They’ll try to follow once they realize they’ve been raided, and if they’re competent trackers they’ll know there were at most one or two people involved. There are more of them, meaning they won’t be worried, so they’ll almost certainly come after me. I’ll put traps along the escape route ahead of time, things like snares, spiked deadfalls or shallow pits with sharpened stakes, and I’ll hide the traps with leaves. That will slow them down, especially if there are injuries, and they might decide that a few missing tools aren’t worth the cost.

“Before the raid, I’ll leave a trail away from the cabin. It won’t need to be elaborate, just enough to lead the pursuers into the traps. As soon as I’m sure they’re following, I’ll change direction, hide my tracks, and eventually circle back to the cabin after making certain no one is still following me.

“I don’t expect to kill anyone, and for that matter the traps may not stop them. But they’ll have to slow down, and even if they keep coming they’ll be following a false trail. I’m hoping that will be enough. We don’t have a choice; I’ve got to have the tools if we’re going to survive the winter.

“The raid will take at least a week, but better tools will help me make up for lost time. I’ll have to select locations for the traps, prepare them, then mark the locations so I don’t blunder into one myself. I’ll also need a place where I can break the trail. I’ll set a few traps beyond that point so they’ll keep thinking that’s where I’ve gone, which will give me time to hide my tracks before I head back to here.

“I’ll need moonlight, so I can spot the markers. It will also encourage the guards to run faster, at least until they begin hitting the traps. The whole operation will take close to a month, and if it takes longer than that we’re in serious trouble.

“After I get the tools, we’ll have to start cutting all the wood we can. We’ll still need to hunt, but that can be done after the first cold spell. Trapping will keep us in meat for daily use if I set out more than I’ve been doing, but we still need more and bigger skins. We’ll need the fat too.

“We’ve got to have warm clothing. Deerskins likely won’t be heavy enough, but maybe if we make them into parkas with pockets they’ll work. Stuff rabbit fur into the pockets for warmth ... it’s not as if we’re short of that stuff, and we’ll also need warm furs for bedding. Musk oxen have heavy coats, maybe not suitable for clothing but ideal for bedding. They’re around, I’m guessing, and we might even take a few bears.”

“Matt, you’re not seriously proposing to hunt one of those short-faced bears!” Lilia exclaimed.

“I don’t intend to face it on the ground, Lilia, but any of the bears will have thick fur and a lot of fat. Short-faced bear, black bear, grizzly; if we can trap one, we’ll stay out of reach and kill it with arrows, and maybe we won’t have to. I’m thinking of a pit trap, with sharp branches planted in the bottom. It would be a lot of work, but it could be done.

“For now, I suggest that while I work on my bow, the rest of you make the stag-moose skins into knee-high leather boots. The skin is thick enough, it should last through the winter. Lining the boots with rabbit-fur or fur-felt will provide added warmth.

“After the first snow, we can haul meat on lightweight sleds. We can transport a lot more meat and move faster, plus the meat will keep without salting and drying. Tracking animals through snow is easier too. Lions and other big cats, I think they’ll head south.

“Cold weather and snow are helpful in another way. Bears hibernate, even the big short-faced ones. Spearing a sleeping bear, while the others wait outside? Maybe, if that’s our only choice, but I think we’ll have others. The bison won’t move as long as they can find graze, even under the snow, and the deer might stay around too. They browse on branch tips, so they’ll be around for a while.

“I’m guessing that our main danger during the hunts will likely come from wolves. They’ll follow the bison herds, picking off stragglers and weak animals, so we’ll have to keep a sharp watch. I wouldn’t want to fight a pack of wolves for a carcass!”