Chapter 120

Nothing disturbed my sleep except a few dreams of my mates naked and teasing me. I woke at sunrise, rolled up my sleeping furs, and dug around for the last of the food they had packed for me. Now I would get acquainted with the others or go hungry.

After eating I dressed again. I had slept in my mail but without my tunic. I put it back on now and made sure to fasten the ties which pulled it up around my neck so it would completely cover the mail.

I tied my new necklace back on then and laughed to myself about it. Geera and Dieta had done a good job, but to me it seemed to be just a way of bragging. There were an awful lot of lion and bear claws and teeth tied around my neck now.

My mates had also done well at making my tunic look fairly normal even though it was cinched at my waist with the web belt which held my Glock in a ready position. I pulled on my pack, slung the M1 over my shoulder, and started walking down the canyon toward the Neanderthal's camp.

Not long after I'd turned up into their cul-de-sac I saw some women about three hundred yards farther in. They noticed me at once too. They quit their gathering and turned quietly back to their camp. They didn't run away screaming as Gema and Merita had when they first saw me, but they did leave, not seeming to run but even so they got away quickly.

I was within two hundred yards of the edge of their camp when six men approached me - led by the one I'd seen scolding the mother and her twins. I assumed he must in fact be the leader.

All the men carried their heavy spears, but none were holding them in a threatening manner. I walked right up to within five feet of the leader, who was standing a little ahead of the others, and I held my hands up, palms forward toward him.

"I am John. I live at a camp not too far from here and I have come to trade," I said.

"I am Grotondo, the leader of this camp. I will talk of trade with you. Come, we are about to eat," he said, turning and walking back toward his camp, the others now leading the way.

He led me back near the entrance to their cave where there were large rocks and some pieces of logs arranged for sitting. He had a particular log he was used to sitting on and he went right to it. It was big enough for three or four to sit on where it was lying and he motioned for me to sit near him.

"Gratata, we have a stranger visiting, bring food for him also when it is ready," he said, raising his voice and speaking toward the mouth of the cave.

All the men who had been with him found seats and a few other men from the camp came to join us. Grotondo told them my name and that I had come to trade. It was the extent of the conversation for now. Apparently Grotondo was going to do most or all of the talking and he didn't seem like he intended to start until after we'd eaten.

I suppose it was Gratata who brought a large bone plate of something to Grotondo and then another one to me in a few minutes. She didn't speak though and Grotondo didn't speak to her. No introductions were made and she was given no more explanation of my presence.

More women came out then bringing food to the remaining men with us. I saw no others outside the cave. They were eating inside if they were eating. No youngsters were in sight even though I had seen several yesterday. We ate in silence. I didn't know exactly what I was eating, though I could tell it was some type of roasted meat and some, unknown to me, vegetables.

After we were finished Gratata appeared and took away the plates she had brought. Then the other women came and fetched the plates they'd brought to the other men.

"I will talk to John about trading now," Grotondo said, facing the other men.

They didn't reply, they all just got up and walked into the cave. It was a little surprising, but I was on their turf and wanted to do things their way.

"What did you bring to trade?" Grotondo asked, cutting right to the chase.

"Salt, I brought much salt," I said.

I had set down my pack and M1 before I sat and now I opened the pack and removed the pouch, which held probably twenty to thirty pounds of salt. I put it on the ground between him and me and opened the top, showing him it was all salt.

Without saying a word Grotondo stuck a finger into it and then into his mouth. I wondered what else he thought might look like salt and not be salt, but I didn't say anything. In my experience it might have been sugar, but they had no refined sugar here and now.

"It is very much salt. What do you want to trade for?" he asked, and though I knew he didn't intend it his face betrayed he wanted the salt.

"I have come to trade for a mate - if you have any unmated women I want," I told him, and managed a straight face.

"We have three women who have never been mated. We also have a woman whose mate was killed two summers ago. She has two daughters who have just become women last spring. I will go and talk to the others now," he told me, and then got up and went into the cave.

I was a little confused by his statement. He had said three women who had never been mated and then he mentioned the widow's daughters as unmated women too. Did this mean he had five women who had never been mated or did they have some custom about girls not mating as soon as they became women? I figured I'd find out sooner or later.

The whole thing was a little strange to me now I was into it. I'd seen plenty of new people and I was clearly different from them, but they didn't seem at all curious. None had seemed to stare openly at me and there had been only the few questions from Grotondo. Things were a little odd.

Grotondo came back out of the cave then and I assumed the women who were following him were those he'd told me about. There were three young women leading, and then the mother I'd seen being scolded yesterday. She was followed by her two daughters. They came out and all lined up in front of me saying nothing.

It was clear from this presentation and from the body language of the women they were on display and it was my choice. None of them looked disturbed about it though and in fact the mother seemed to be putting her best foot forward. Standing tall and actually smiling at me when I looked her over.