Chapter 12

“Wow!” Karma was full of awe. “You are indeed a great Shaman, High Chief. You know so many wonderful things and can be a great teacher to us all, of how the world works.”

A call from the perimeter guard caught John’s attention. It was the arrival of another trader. John wondered what he might have brought.

It was a surprise. The trader brought his trader pack, but also two teenage women. As they arrived today’s cave guard, Jean of the FBI, demanded what business he had.
He announced, “First, I have brought two women who are seeking the tribe where men and women are equal. Is this the tribe?”

The guard agreed, “Yes. As you see, both guards are women, so you have come to the correct place. What causes you to seek us, ladies?” she directed her question to the women, who were staring at this pale-faced woman who looked so fierce.

Slightly cowed by the sight, the elder said, “We seek refuge from a man who wanted to take us for his women, and we objected. Our Chief said we could not object, so instead we sneaked out and later found this trader who had heard of tribes where women had rights.”

Jean replied, “Indeed women have rights. My job in the tribe is to enforce peace, and that includes the rights of women. To come into our tribe, you need the permission of our Chief.”

One woman moaned, “Another Chief making the decisions, like the one we fled from?”

Jean smiled gently and said, “Our Chief is Chief Numa, a woman with a small child. I think you worry overmuch.”

The relief on their faces told the truth of their earlier words. Jean asked them, “Your names, ladies, so that I can announce you?”

This formality brought them back to reality.

“Um ... I am Braka and this is my sister Broka. We are of ... of no tribe now.”

“Naturally enough. Ages?”

“Eighteen and sixteen; we are both women.”
“I can see by your breasts that you are mature women. Any children?”

This inquisition was starting to trouble the pair, and Braka made a strong declaration on behalf of them both.

“Neither of us has a child as neither of us is married.”

Jean pointed out, “Marriage is not essential for a woman to birth a child, but I accept your words. Come with me.” Jean raised her voice. “Visitors for Chief Numa!” and the word got passed round the cave to where Numa was sitting with her baby. She passed her child to one of the other wives she was chatting to, and made her way to the Chief’s throne near the entrance, and sat on it, adopting a severe stance to suggest her Chiefly status. Jean noted this and led her charges over to Numa.

She bowed formally to Numa and declared, “Chief Numa: These two visitors are refugees seeking the tribes that treat men and woman as equals. They are sisters aged 18 and 16. The elder is named Braka and the younger is Broka. They are unmarried and have no children. They wish to join our tribe. I did not enquire if they were virgins, Chief.”

Numa pretended to frown, then said, “I am not concerned with their untouched status, Jean, but I would hear their story. One does not leave a tribe and seek us out without a good reason. Who will tell the tale?”

Braka pointed to her ample chest.

“I am the elder, so I speak, Chief. My sister and I were daughters of our tribe’s shaman, but when he got sick and died, our mother ran away as she was afraid she would be blamed for the disaster. This left us with no protector, and a man we dislike tried to claim us as his women. We objected and appealed to the Chief, but he declared that as we were now unattached women we had no power within the tribe and so had no right to object. That night we took our essentials packs and slipped out of the village, not knowing where we might find safety. After a day of walking, we met the trader Garodo and he told us that he knew of some tribes where women had rights, if we wanted to go there.

We did, and here we are. We would like the trader to be thanked for his kindness, if your highness will allow that. He was kind to us for the whole journey, which speaks well of him.”

Numa smiled at Braka and spoke to the guard.

“Jean, will you see that Trader Garodo is well fed for his kindness, and tell him why he does not pay for the meal and any other while he conducts his business with us?”

“I will attend to that, Chief Numa.”

She turned and left, leaving Numa to complete the interview.

“Now, girls, what talents do you have, that might contribute to our tribe?”

Braka informed her, “I am skilled at weaving cloth, Chief, and Broka is still learning that trade. We are both good at foraging for nuts and berries; we weave our own baskets to collect them.”
“Interesting,” was all Numa said, then. “Tell me, what material did you use for making the baskets?”

“Mostly a variety of harrar,” said Braka; “thin pliable ones.” Numa immediately knew that they were talking of the ‘bamboo’ that John had mentioned when he discovered it growing here., so she nodded to show her understanding. The plant grew in all sizes, from a narrow grass to tall trees.

“We can always use basket-makers,” she told the young women. “We make baskets to attach to special transport vehicles we are putting together. The baskets carry the cargo, so have to be strong while fitting securely to the bicycle at the front or rear.”

Jean found the trader then went over and spoke with him.

“Trader, I am instructed to offer you a meal, courtesy of our Chief, for your kindness in bringing these women here, and unharmed. Such good behaviour gets rewarded in our tribe. You will be fed by us while you are conducting your business with us. What is your name, so that I can introduce you to our cooks?”

“I am known as Garodo. My birth tribe is many many days walk from here, but I have been a trader for some years now and other traders work with me in directing goods to where they command the best price. I have come here in part as I was told that you sought earth fruits from the southern continent.”

“Earth fruits? I am unclear about that, but my husband John might be the one to speak to.”

“If I may speak with him after I have eaten, madam ... Jean, did she call you?”

“Yes, I am Jean, one of the wives of John.”

“You have a very pale skin, Jean. Do you come from the north? I am told some northern people have paler skin than locals here.”

“You may be right, though there are various shades of skin colour in the north. This world has a wide range of peoples, thanks to the Great Mother.” Jean had learned to invoke the Great Mother as the local deity.

Jean introduced Garodo to the ladies of the cookfire.

“This trader is named Garodo, ladies. He escorted two women here safely under his protection, and the Chief wants him rewarded by being well fed. Can I leave him with you to see to that?”

The cooks approved of the man’s actions, and the ordered reward. They asked him about his preferences, and when he looked the women over speculatively, they quickly amended it to “Food preferences, of course!”

“Pity. I would love a good cook as a wife. With all my travelling, I haven’t settled down with a woman yet. Settling down and travelling as a trader do not mix well.”
One of the ladies speculated, “You need to find a woman who likes travelling and can cook, then all your loneliness will disappear. You only have to worry about what to do when your woman starts to have children.”

“Oh, yes. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Mmm ... maybe I could adopt a tribe to use as my base, and work from there on a regular tour of tribes, coming back to my base regularly.”

Another of the cooks suggested to him, “A base would allow you to keep a store for some of your goods, instead of carrying all your stock around. Your wife could look after your store of goods. No sense always taking stuff that only a few tribes want, when you could carry lots of what is popular.”

Garodo observed, “You women are not slow at thinking, I can see. Why are you just cooks? You could be so much more!”

They both laughed, and one said, “Why are you just a trader, when you could be so much more, Garodo?”

He was offended. “That is not fair! I am good at being a trader.”

“Yes, and we are good at cooking. Everyone in this tribe thinks our food is wonderful, so that is all the reward we need: appreciation for our talents.”

“Oh. I get you. You like cooking and do it well, so everyone is happy. Your husbands must be very pleased as well.”

“Well, mine is, I grant you, and he likes to show me how much; but Jenna here can’t find a man who she likes enough to marry.”

Garodo looked over at the indicated Jenna, and liked what he saw. True, she was a little on the pudgy side, but that would be from not doing much strenuous work outside. She was nearly as tall as he was, had a cute nose and sparkling eyes, and her long brown hair tied behind her head so as not to get in the way when cooking. Why was she so picky about a man?”

Stung into action, he dared to ask that question.

“What’s the problem, Jenna? What was wrong with all the men who might want to have you as a wife? Clearly you are not the problem, so it must be them.”

Jenna took on a sad face as she answered him.

“Both my sisters were not so picky, and their men turned out not to be as nice as they had seemed. One husband caused my sister a lot of bruises, and the tribe banished him for ever, saying he was not fit to be part of the tribe. That left her with two young children, but the tribe helps to look after them. She still regrets ever marrying him.

My other sister chose a man who was noted as a good hunter, but a bit reckless because of his pride. He killed a paramool and was gloating about what a great hunter he was, when he was attacked by a a large predator that had been hiding near the paramool. He was killed almost immediately, and the predator made off with his paramool prize. His friends found his body when they came down from the trees where they had been sheltering, for they had heard the predator and were afraid. They survived, but he didn’t because of his bravado.

That is why I am wary of taking on a man.”

“Jenna, that is not fair on your sisters or yourself. Everyone has to make choices in this world, and there are always risks in these choices. I might choose to visit a tribe which has recently been attacked and they will now attack first and ask questions afterward. That could be very dangerous for me, but I have no control over what happened to them to make them act that way.

Husbands who make bad decisions, that they need not take, are another matter. These are examples of human stupidity. The one chose to behave badly, and got banished; the other chose to not take decent care, and suffered for it.

You can do your best to choose wisely and avoid the braggarts and abusers if they show signs of having such tendencies, but if they act normally before they marry, how can you tell what might happen? Ask his associates about him before you consent to anything, and that wil help you decide. The world is full of risks; all we can do is reduce the chances of bad things happening.”

Jenna stared fixedly at him as he spoke, and her married friend Chara commented, “There speaks a man of some wisdom, Jenna.”

“Hush, Chara,” admonished Jenna. “I can see for myself that he talks sense. How long are you staying, Trader Garodo?”

He spread his hands in uncertainty.

“It depends on what trade I get, Jenna. I need to speak with Jean’s husband, apparently. He seems to be the one seeking these earth fruits.”

“Earth fruits?” Jenna queried. “Never heard of such fruits.”

“Neither had I until a fellow trader asked me to deliver them for him. He said they came from a long way away so were valuable, but valuable to one person is not necessarily valuable to another. That is how us traders do our business: finding goods that are not valuable at one tribe and trading them to another tribe that thinks they are valuable. It often depends on shortages in some places or varying demands from different Chiefs. Part of my business is in assessing the balance so that I end up satisfied with my trades.”

Jenna was looking at Garodo with renewed interest, and Chara noticed. She remarked, “Why don’t I leave you two to discuss what Garodo might like to try next of our fare?”

She got up and walked swiftly away, while the other two continued their mutual admiration exhibition. She went to find John, and met him coming back to the cave from the stream, carrying a gourd of clear water.

“Ah, there you are! High Chief, our visiting trader says he has what he called earth fruits for you. Please talk to him about these strange objects, but don’t disturb him until he and Jenna come to some sort of understanding. I am guessing that they are possibly finding themselves on the way to becoming a couple.”

John looked at her with interest.

“Chara, isn’t it? One of our cooks?”
She nodded and added, “And Jenna is another cook, but has not found a man she trusts enough to marry. I think she is about to change her mind.”

John chuckled, “I am glad to hear that. Are we going to lose her, or are we going to gain him, do you think?”

“The odds are that he will decide he needs a base to store his goods, and a wife to take care of them, and any children they might later have. Trading is a lonely business, but with a wife to come home to, he may be a lot happier and perhaps a better trader as a result.”

“I defer to your female judgment, Chara. You ladies know more about affairs of the heart than we men ever will. Did you say, earth fruits?”

“Yes, that was the term he used. It is new to me.”

“Earth fruits ... hmm ... pommes de terre? Apples of the earth?”

“Sorry, High Chief ... apples? What is that word?”

“Oh, fruit of a tree from another part of the world, and a language from yet another part of the world; both describing a plant found in this part of the world, but far to the south of us. Life can be complicated, Chara.”

“Thank the Earth Mother that we have you as our Shaman to interpret the world for us, High Chief.”

“I just do my best, Chara, and sometimes my insight helps us.”

At Chara’s urging, John prepared to meet the trader as soon as she advised the moment for interruption. For a while he sat on a log seat well away from the cook fire while Jenna and Garodo had their tete-a-tete. It amused him to watch their antics, just like young teenagers sussing each other out. As he thought about it, he realised that here, being a teenager was already adulthood, and that Garodo was not much more than twenty, and Jenna was almost the same age. It reminded him of Karma being only nineteen as well, and how many of his wives were under the age of twenty. The oldest ones were those from the America of his era: Vickie, Sheila, and Jean, whose expectation or intention of such early marriage had been nil.

At last he saw Garodo lean forward and kiss Jenna. She welcomed the kiss, putting her hands to his head to hold him there, so John took that as an agreement towards a possible marriage. He could break in now and not spoil things for them, provided he made it clear that he was happy for them. He stood and walked over to them.

“Hello, Jenna. Who is this fine man in front of you?”

“Oh, it is you, High Chief. This is Trader Garodo, a fine man indeed. He is not married as he feels being always on the move is bad for a family life.”

“Really?” John showed surprise. “I should have thought it was the other way around; that a trader who is married has some incentive to do well and return home in triumph to his wife and children.”

Garodo blushed at this description.

“I am a man of principle, High Chief. I do not want to upset a wife by being absent for too long.”

“Garodo, if your wife knew you were dependable, she would be willing to wait. In addition, if you kept your store of goods where your wife was, she would be able to look after it for you, and you would have to come back to restock your pack at regular intervals. It is something to think about. On the matter of stock, I am told you have something to show me.”

“Oh, yes; a few round plant things like giant seeds. I was told they were earth fruits, whatever that means, and that they come from high ground in the southern continent.”

“Sounds interesting, Trader. Please show them to me – provided you and Jenna have concluded your deliberations.”

“Oh, yes. Jenna is a lovely woman with fascinating ideas and many abilities. She is a great cook – oh, of course you know that!” He turned back to Jenna to apologise for his blathering, but she reached out and touched his cheek.

“It is grand that you mentioned my cooking, Garodo; one can never have too much of a good thing, so speaking of my abilities is fine by me.”

John intruded, “If you two lovebirds will allow me, I want to take Garodo to his pack and see these fruits that he talks about.”

Jenna waved them away, but gave Garodo a quick kiss on the cheek before he left. Chara grinned happily as the matchmaker, and whispered something to Jenna, causing her to blush.

Garodo had to look for where his pack had been laid. It was heavy, so not likely to be moved much. Ah, there it was, near the cave entrance, just under the overhang and so sheltered from the elements. Getting there with the High Chief at his heels, he untied the thongs that held it closed, and rummaged among the contents. The roots or fruits or whatever they were, were encased in a basketry bowl with a tied-down lid. He fetched it out and laid it in the floor, to explain it before he opened it.