Chapter 13

I get up early and sit outside waiting for the sun to come up. One thing I notice is that washing with the olive oil soap sure cuts down on the bug attacks. We have mosquitoes, but what I hate worse is the little stinging flies. They know you are there if you are hot and sweaty.

This might be a good time to hunt deer. I call up the computer and check the swamp area in the next valley and - le voila' (well, this area IS like France) — there are the deer. There are several button bucks we can take and not impact the herd. When Sarbun, Nella, and Algossi come out, I switch off the computer.

I ask Algossi to only water the chickens and leave them in the pen. During breakfast, I announce that we are going to hunt some deer for a little variety in our diet. We gather our bows and arrows, and we set off with Nella and Algossi trailing behind with the wheelbarrow.

On the way to the valley with the swamp, I tell Sarbun we are hunting only the deer with the bumps on their head. She is eager to learn as I tell her they are called button bucks and that they are young males, of which there are plenty. I consider telling her what buttons are, but, nah!

We discuss using the same trick of pretending we are not looking at the hunted. She is to shoot one on her side and I will pick one on my side. We can thin out the young bucks every year and still leave a sizeable herd.

I whisper to Nella and Algossi, "Stay back here, but come quickly with the wheelbarrow when I call. Do you understand?" After their assenting nods, Sarbun and I continue on.

We approach with the wind in our faces so we don't alert them early. They hesitate as we get nearer, hoping we are going to pass by them. When our presence gets too much for one of the females, she jumps and starts to bolt off. This leaves the fawns and the yearlings trying to hustle along with them. We shoot and watch the rest run off.

Mine goes down with a grunt; I think it's a heart shot. Hers is a lung shot and her buck goes off out of sight, so we stay in wait for ten or fifteen minutes. The waiting seems like forever. We go off after it by following the trail of blood. He hasn't gotten far.

I haul that one back to where the other one is and we yell for Nella and Algossi.

Between me carrying one and everyone else wheeling the other, we start back. It is too hard to take the full wheelbarrow up the hill, so we head down valley a ways. I decide to gut the deer after a couple hundred yards.

I want the smells away from the swamp area. I like being able to hunt here a couple times a year. I don't want the scent to scare the deer off to another hiding place.

I instruct Algossi to dig a hole as deep as he can. The women help me gut both deer quickly. We throw the guts into the hole and cover it up before we continue on.

When we get back Sarbun starts building fires and the rest of us start butchering and slicing meat. Button bucks are lean - but not as lean or tough as a grown deer - and definitely don't taste as gamey. When we get close to done, I have Algossi let the chickens out. He takes his spear and crossbow and follows behind them.

The women want to roast some ribs. I salt two racks of ribs and rub brown sugar into them. We don't have barbecue sauce, but who cares. This is the Stone Age, for Pete's sake.

The ribs are propped up over the fire with sticks and the drying racks are right above them. The ribs cook quickly and we have a great lunch.

About the time I am going to take Algossi his meal, a pack of about a dozen dogs shows up. They aren't wolves, but a mixed bag of different breeds, none of which look very specific. They don't exactly look tame, either, but wild and dangerous. These have been attracted by the blood smells and have probably trailed us from where we shot the deer.

We try yelling and that doesn't make them leave. Sarbun and I shoot half of them before the rest decide to leave.

They head off towards Algossi trying for a cheap kill on the chickens, but Algossi shoots one when they get close enough. When Sarbun and I come up behind them, they finally decide to leave.

I want to just bury the dead dogs, but Sarbun reminds me that Nella's people would love to have the dogs as food. I tell her that is fine.

I don't eat dog.

For me it is more about disease than it is any civilized notions. As a child, I once took in a stray Cocker Spaniel that had been loose for a while. The dog had six types of worms, so it cost a lot of money to get the dog cleaned up and healthy. What an awful memory!

Nella and Algossi want to go, of course, to visit their people. We need to leave soon so the women and I quickly gut the dogs. Algossi puts the chickens up and gives them lots of water as we will be away overnight. It is after noon, so we have to hustle to get there. I slip left-over ribs into zip-lock bags for sustenance.

I am not eating any dog.

Sarbun stays behind to take care of the jerk meat. As we leave, I notice she is already packaging the pieces that are already dry enough.

"If the dogs come again and there are too many, go into the cabin and bolt the door. We can shoot another deer. I only have one mate," I say as I kiss her on the cheek and hug her good-bye.

We put the dead dogs on the impromptu wheelbarrow. By the time we get to the mouth of the valley we know there are too many dogs to carry. We toss two off the wheelbarrow and continue on. Off in this direction, I don't care what might come after them. We take turns pushing and pulling the wheelbarrow.

We get to Goris' camp well past mid-day. Goris and Beke and Doubek greet us and seem glad to see us. I have Nella and Algossi with me so they meet me as friends, without their primitive spears.

"You have come back already, Steve. Are you looking for more women? If you are, I do not think I can trade with you after the last time. You are too good at trading," Goris smiles.

"Ha, ha, you are a good neighbor. I will not take advantage of your generosity. We killed these dogs because they were trying to get our deer meat. I do not like to eat dogs, so we are bringing them to you. Better to share it than to have the meat go to waste," I explain.

"You bring meat and want nothing in return? It is good to have a generous friend like you, as long as you are not trading for women." Goris laughs. Surely he thinks I am a silly man for giving away what he calls food.

I don't eat dog meat.

"I am not looking for more women. I already have more women to care for than most men. One wife is enough," I tell him.

"That is too bad. I still have many women here. Are you sure you don't need another wife or helper?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure. The two I have are excellent workers and they get along well together. Algossi is already a good hunter of small game and helps me a lot. Why would I want to change that?"

"I do not know, I am just hoping. Since you were here last, two young girls have become women. I now have even more women who need to have mates and be fed during the coming winter. My men barely hunt any more. The extra women are a heavy burden now. In the winter my people will starve."

"Let me see the new women. I doubt I will be interested, but I might as well look at them. Maybe one can be another helper. In a few years Algossi will need a mate." Algossi gives me a look like the cat that ate the mouse.

"I would love to trade one of these hungry mouths away if you think you can feed them."

"Yes, I know that I can feed them. Killing the food is easy for me. Keeping the other animals away while we prepare the food seems the tricky part."

Goris motions his mate to him and whispers in her ear. She returns a minute later with two teenage girls. As usual, we can't see anything with the stiff hide tunics they are wearing. They both are pleasant enough to look at, though.

"Algossi, come over here."

"Yes, Steve." Algossi comes to stand by me.

"I am trading with Goris here for a young girl. She will be your mate when you have reached manhood. Do you prefer one of these girls?"

"Yes, Glaiss is nice," and he points to the shorter girl. At first I think he is calling her 'Place.'

"Thank you Algossi, I will make arrangements for you."

Goris explains, "Normally it is the young man who pays the bride price, but in this instance he is not a man yet and it will be better for all of us if this can be done now."

"Yes, I agree. I brought the dogs as a present because you regard them as a delicacy. I do not bring anything to trade this time."

Goris smiles and says, "Oh, no, here we go like last time. I think after the trading I will not even have a tent when you leave. You are too good a trader."

"What if I can get you some more meat? Are there any herds nearby that I can hunt for you?"

"We found out yesterday that there are Musk Oxen in the next valley."

Of course, he has to pick a difficult quarry. "Will your people help me after I kill them?"

"Yes, the hunter only provides the meat. The women will take care of cutting up the meat and preparing it."

I know musk oxen form a defensive formation when threatened. They will sometimes run to a higher elevation, then turn and stand shoulder-to-shoulder in a circle. With their heads lowered, they form an impenetrable wall.

The young are protected in the center of the circle. Musk oxen stampede easily and sometimes young calves become separated from the herd and are lost. Their defense mechanism makes them easy prey but possibly quite dangerous.

After bantering for a while, Goris agrees to five grown musk oxen as bride price for Glaiss.

Goris, Algossi, and I go to assess the situation. It is about an hour's walk to where the musk oxen are. I see that they will be easier to shoot if they are closer to some trees that Algossi and I can climb into.

At a good distance from the herd, I tell Goris to wait while Algossi and I climb the trees over there, upwind of the musk oxen. "After we get in the trees, we will wave to you. I want you to walk towards the oxen, very slowly. That will make them move over to where we are and we can shoot them.

"As soon as three oxen have fallen, go quickly to get your helpers. We will stay here to keep predators away."

"That sounds like a good plan. I can see why you are such a good hunter. I will move them to you and then go get my people to take care of the meat."

Algossi and I move slowly and quietly over behind the trees and work our way up. We climb up about ten feet into two trees and wave to Goris.

Goris spends 20 minutes or so working them nearer to us. We pick five adults who do not have calves attached and start the slaughter. We don't bother worrying about whether they are male or female.

After the few shots, Goris dutifully sneaks away a short distance, and then runs to his people.

The slaughter is quick and we stop after we have five down. The other musk oxen move several hundred yards away. They do not understand what is happening but the smell of blood alarms them enough to leave the immediate area. They don't even know where we are when we shoot them.

And that is how Algossi ends up with Glaiss as a mate.

Goris' people take care of the meat. Between the dogs and the oxen, they are set for food for a while. We spend the night there, but Glaiss sleeps somewhere else; I don't know where.

The next morning we are up early and Glaiss appears with a meager bundle of belongings. On the way back home, Glaiss and Algossi walk quietly and steal tentative glances at each other. When we get back home, I call out to Sarbun and she comes out to greet us.