Chapter 31

Joulnar, Tovar, and I went back to the meadow and picked out a good hut to use as a smoker. In fact I found two good candidates so we loaded one up and drug it up by the entrance to the cave and went back for the other one and put it on the other side of the cave entrance. I grabbed a couple shovels and we started to dig a fire pit in the first one. The ground was kind of hard so it was slow going. A couple other men came by and asked what we were doing. So we put them to work. I thought about how we would need dried grasses and clay. So we recruited more men to go cut grass and sent Harlou on the tractor with the wagon and some hand sickles for the grass and I took the truck back down to the river. We took a couple more shovels with us and started loading the bed with sand and clay. Soon I felt we had enough to start with so we came back to the smoker. I signaled Harlou with the air horns to come back too. When we both got back I saw we had enough to start with so I got my wheelbarrow and then put some wet clay, some sand and some of the grass. I had Harlou get a pail of water and I mixed the mess with my hands. I had some help from a couple other men as well. Once we had mixed it up like I wanted, I wheeled it into the hut. I then grabbed a handful and spread it on the walls pretty thick down at the bottom. Once the others had the idea, I was told, “Please rest Leader Bob, and we can finish this, now that we know what you want.”

I didn’t argue much and stood back and watched. The fire pit was about a foot and a half deep and about 3 and a half across. So I had them stop that. I called Gerona over and had her and Fretail take the truck and tractor back down to reload. Several men went with them when I told them we need much more. This was going to work very well. Before they left we unloaded the truck bed and the wagon so they could leave empty. We had run out of materials before they came back, so the men and I talked about what I was doing and why. They thought that this was a much better idea and we could smoke more meat this way than they had done previously.

I said, “I noticed this when I killed the cave lion for Dignar’s camp. They had to have about 15 fires to smoke all the meat I brought them. I mused that we would need several hooks made to hang the meat on.” They didn’t know what I meant so as I was describing a hook, I had a better idea. “We will build drying racks. They are like the travois’ but a little different. I drew on the ground a basic tic-tac-toe design, but with a much larger center square. I then drew lines close together ending just past the center square. I then drew lines the other way in a cross hatch pattern. I said we would make these racks and then put them permanently inside the smoker. We would get to a certain height with the wattle and install the side legs tying them in, so we could still work inside. Then continue with the wattle until we came close to the top smoke hole. Then when everything was dry inside we could then add the cross hatched branches to hold the meat.

Everyone scratched their heads for a minute and then saw the great advantage of this. I said, “Once we are done with the racks, we just have to add the meat and start the fire and close the door.”

They looked at me again and I said we would have a wood door like a fur hide but it would be able to be closed so animals could not get inside. They still were unsure of this but I told them that they would understand once we got to that point.

I had Tovar come with me and taking an ATV we went down to their old huts again. This time I selected a hut with some small but straight sticks. I needed something like three quarters of an inch thick and at least as long as the hut was wide. We found several and cut them loose and loaded them on the front basket of the ATV. We went back up to the smoker and the workers had gotten about 2 feet up the walls. I had them tie in the four longest poles in the hatch pattern I wanted. “Ok now put more clay on the wall to this height and I made a mark on both sides of the wall about 18 inches up from the first poles. We ran out of daylight and materials before they reached the second tier, but they saw what I was after and could carry on without me. I took a piece of rope and cut it to 18 inches long and said to use this rope to measure when to put the next poles in. I showed the men with the first set measured off my cut lines and they nodded like they knew. I would see later if they did.

The next thing we would need is some hickory logs to chop into chips or small logs. I also wanted an oak tree so I could saw some planks to cover the fire pit to further limit the oxygen to the fire. But they would need the tractor, the wagon, and the truck, so that only left the ATVs to haul logs.

At supper in the big cave, I welcomed everyone to their new camp. I said, “Joulnar is still your headman, Tovar is his second in command, but I am your leader. This is my camp, but this is also your camp. We have many things to do to be ready for the winter. And possibly more people who want to join us. So we have to get ready for them as well. I know the unmated men feel we have slighted you putting you all in the back corner of the cave, BUT, I want no sneaking up to the unmated women’s area. That is why the families are between you. If an unmated man wants to see an unmated woman, then they can talk and see each other out here in the main room. But I do not want any of you sneaking off to be alone. This space is large enough that you can be together and no one around you, but still be seen by others. This is a rule I believe in as firmly as I believe in no mate beating. So you are now warned. Now on to pleasant news, I already have the pleasure of announcing that we will have a new couple soon. My daughter Mertir has accepted the advances of a young messenger Outher. I approve of their intention of mating and Mertir’s mother, Marlit also approves. Is young Outher’s parents here this evening?” An older couple stood up. “And you are?”