Chapter 8

There was only one caravan route through this part of the area, so Zithrusa and John were able to find out that the last caravan hadn't passed by yet. They set up their home to the side of the trail and waited, using the time in various ways. John hunted alongside the trail, in the direction the traders would be coming from, so he wouldn't miss them, and Zithrusa completed making some very fine clothing for John, and cooking up some long lasting trail bread. They had plenty of cheese put by for the journey already.

John took a pair of antelope, or they looked like antelope to him, and it didn't make any difference what they really were. He (with Zithrusa's help) prepared them in thin slices and dried them in the smoke of the fire, and in the rays of the sun. Depending on what kind of deal he could make with the Caravan master, he wanted to be prepared to feed themselves for awhile. Finally, after waiting beside the trail for a week, John spotted the caravan in the distance, and hurried back to the tent. The caravan arrived in the late afternoon, and the caravan master, recognizing that a single tent would only be camping near the trail for one reason, to conduct some business with a caravan, called for the train to halt for the night. John waited until they were situated before drawing nigh to the Caravan master.

At the proper distance, John called out his greeting, both his hands visible. The Caravan master called for two stools and some date wine, and bid John to join him. They sat about eight feet apart, and a servant or slave poured two tiny glasses of the wine for them. It was just enough for the ritual, but not enough to cost much if it turned out that there was no profit to be had from talking with John.

"What barter do you have?" Asked the Caravan master.

"I wish to work for you, and to travel with you towards the rising sun, as far as you go." Began John, mentally preparing himself for a bargaining session.

The Caravan master groaned to himself. He didn't need another ignorant tribesman tagging along. He wasn't carrying high value goods, well, high enough to warrant caravaning it all the way from Tyre to Sinae. He had bought raw silk skeins, and carried them all the way to Tyre to have them dyed with the sea whelks there. It was the only way to get silk of that color, although blue plant dyes were found just about everywhere, the dark pink or burgundy color imparted by the rotting sea shells was found only in the far west. He was now carrying the silk back, colored the Tyrian purple, both the darker version which was dyed at night, and thus caught some night in its weave, and the lighter rose or dark pink which was dyed in the daylight. It was the same tank it was dipped into, and the night dipped thread was more costly for some unknown reason.

"I have all the workers I need." Grunted the Caravan master. "More than I can feed, it seems at times." He continued discouragingly.

"Then you need me, I will provide meat for everyone as we travel." Said John with confidence.

"So you know the route we take?" The Caravan master challenged suspiciously.

"It matters not, the fates have given me a charmed bow that never misses, and which points out the nearest game." John bragged. He knew it was risky putting the credit on his bow, but he could always say the spell was broken if anyone stole the bow and couldn't get it to work for them, and it was better that the credit didn't go to himself, where there could be a charge of witchery or sorcery. Anyone could possess an enchanted object, and not be suspected of possessing magic of themselves.

The Caravan master was interested, a man with a bow that never missed was a valuable person to have on a long journey through chancy lands. He signaled for the slave to pour another round of date wine. "It is still three hours before dark, can your magic bow seek game before nightfall?" The caravan master wondered.

"John signaled Zithrusa, who approached with the bow, treating it in a way appropriate to handling an object of powers. John performed some hocus pocus and consulted his 'Spirits', and felt that he could sense a large predator following along beside the caravan, more curious than hungry.

"My bow tells me that there is game near, that I could hunt before dark, but it would not be meat for eating, and I would need a steady horse to bring it's pelt in with. I ween it would overtax our old ass."

The Caravan master was astonished, such a fur to overtax the sturdy little donkey would be of value enough to pay their way as passengers, not workers. "Very well, bring me the fur of the game that isn't for meat, and we can talk more." It was a win win situation for the caravan master no matter the outcome, so there was no cost to his agreeing to the deal. He signaled for a calm, blind mare to be led up, and told John he would see him before dark.

John rode the horse in the direction the 'Spirits' told him the giant carnivore was. He would need all his skill to kill it with arrows, no matter how accurate he was. He wondered what he would find. When he got close, from the down wind side, he left the horse, telling her to be still, and crept off towards the beast to see what he could see.

He crept up a short rise on his belly, and almost didn't see it at first. It was only the lashing tail which gave him the creature's location. It looked more like a stuffed toy than what John would consider a tiger, being shorter of body, quite stocky, and having rounded ears like a bear. It's color was almost yellow rather than orange, and it had a ruff somewhat like a male lion's but much less bushy.

It was stalking a young shepherd and his flock of sheep, which were unaware of his presence due to the tiger being down wind from them as John was down wind from the Tiger. It was a large beast, easily out massing their donkey, which was admittedly rather small. John could tell by the movements of the tail, if it meant anything like what a house cat's tail would mean, that the large male tiger was about to attack.

John drew his bow, and when the Tiger raised and wriggled his bottom preparatory to charging, John, not knowing if it's target was a sheep or the shepherd, fired an arrow into the tiger's rear, using the convenient little round bulls eye as his aiming point. The Tiger jumped, straight up into the air, letting out a snarl which startled the sheep into flight, followed a second later by the shepherd who turned to see the rampant tiger doing acrobatics fifty feet behind him.