Chapter 5

I may have been cozened, or I may have made the best exchange of my young life. I decided to make the best of it when I drifted into a savage encampment in a morning fog, before I was aware. I sculled to the shore, and taking up my tin of nails, leaving all my other worldly possessions behind, I strode to a fire before the largest skin hut, and seated myself. The inhabitants looked askance at me in curiosity, but offered me no molestations, unless you count the small naked urchins who tumbled about me, touching my hair in curiosity and awe, and fingering the cloth of my shirt. I was left to my own devices for a long while, and was just determining to leave, reacquire my boat, and continue my lonely voyage, when a youth of my age came, and reaching his hand down, dragged me to my feet, and to a circle of stones some three body lengths across. There he stripped his skin tunic and shoes, and bid me do the same, in the universal language of young men to try passage, and contest.

I was unsure of the local rules, which in my voyages had come to realize varied in custom. I looked in intent confusion, and motioned to two of the other boys about, and sat back down. It took a little bit, but eventually two of the boys entered the circle and assayed to determine their relative status. There was only grappling and tripping, no blows or gouges or biting. The contest lasted until one was pinned down and couldn't extract himself, and went limp. or until one of the wrestlers was shoved from the stone circle. I smiled and nodded as I stood, removing my shirt, and putting my belongings in a pile. I entered the circle.

The original young lad also entered, and we started with clasped hands, by which we attempted to pull each other into a grapple. I found that although he was wiry and strong, I was stronger, by reason of hauling my boat over land around rough water, and dragging my sledge about laden with deer, and sculling the long day away. He was tricky, though, and several times almost precipitated me from the circle. The growing audience was vocal in its appreciation of our contest, and eventually I managed to wrap him up, exert himself as he would, and he went limp.

Next, I guess I was accorded to be a Man, and a man entered the circle, but when I went to clasp his hand, he waved me from the circle, and another man joined him there. They lay down side by side, heads to feet, hips aligned, and performed a peculiar leg wrestling, each lifting his leg in unison past vertical twice, and on the third locking knees with their opponent striving to roll him backward in a somersault, while gripping the ground with arms and back and neck, to prevent themselves from being so overturned. I paid closest attention, and thought I saw the trick of it.