Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country (10 page)

The men agreed, after an acrimonious argument, not to play or joke with poisoned spears. Dael, who was most apt to offend in this way, promised to refrain, and made his men promise too. Dael would keep his word; for all his unsettled faults, that could be counted upon. As it happened, the Ba-Coro did not much like the poison formerly favored by the wasp people. Accidents frequently happened, often self-inflicted, and the men had already begun to avoid using it.

Aniah had long meditated on Dael's afflictions, and realized that he could not quell the fire that burnt inside of him. But he spoke to Dael—not for the first time—as a father would to his son: “The time will come that you will leave us and go far away, for you have that within you which will not let you be happy with any people. You must seek your destiny alone, and in time you will.” Then the old man addressed the chiefs once more with glittering eyes, charging them to protect their friendship and unity, which was the backbone of their strength. He was trembling and short of breath and could not speak for very long. It was to be Aniah's last advice to the Ba-Coro, well remembered by those who loved him.

Dael, not to be restrained by Aniah's admonition, now demanded the speaker's staff. He had scarcely contained his rage, but now it came forth in an unexpected way. Pointing at Zan-Gah with the rod, and shaking it at him the entire time he was speaking, he loudly asserted that his twin had been to blame for the attack of the red men.
“I wanted to burn the bridge behind us to protect our rear! These painted people could have been prevented from following us! Now Oin is wounded, and we are lucky it is no worse!” (Oin could be heard whimpering a short distance away.)

Dael made no sense to thoughtful people. The red men had been ahead, not behind, and it seemed extremely unlikely (although not impossible) that they had crossed the bridge behind the Ba-Coro and somehow gotten to the red rocks before them for an ambush. Besides, their crimson camouflage was not a technique quickly improvised. Probably, it was a long-standing method employed by people who had always lived within this red land—and not on the other side of the chasm where natural colors were more subdued. Nevertheless Dael's friends applauded his speech with the pounding of spears and loud grunts of assent, and were not soon quieted.

Dael continued when it became possible: “It is your fault, Zan-
Gah!
” he cried, still shaking the rod. “Yours and that great hulk of yours who kicks out fires. These red men came at us because we failed to destroy the bridge!” Dael was extremely angry, and Zan made no reply. He did not wish to quarrel with his own brother before the entire council. It would only make things worse. How could he hope to deal with the poisonous mixture of grief and fury that swayed and misshaped Dael's thoughts? His eyes fell from Dael's eyes to his torso. For some reason Dael's tattooed chest was much more hairy than his own. Zan had to confront the fact that he no longer liked his twin brother. He loved him but he did not like him. He pitied him, feared him, and feared for him.

Dael turned to Chul, pointing at him as the cause of the attack because he had preserved the bridge, and moreover accusing him of being laggard in the fight. Chul received the rebuke with a shrug. He had been carrying Aniah at the time of the attack, and was actually some distance away. Chul said not a word. He just pointed to the scar on his leg. Every one of the older men remembered how Chul had once brought a bloody battle to a victorious conclusion with a spear stuck in his thigh the whole time. This was the remains of that injury. Many could still hear Chul's dreadful cry of war, and well recalled the fierceness with which he had led the attack despite the wound.

Chul did not even answer the other charge concerning the bridge. He only scoffed that Dael seemed not to know his front from his behind. The men laughed at this, and several women, listening from the sidelines, tittered audibly. Dael's pride was hurt and his anger was greater than ever.

Dael threw down the speaker's rod furiously. He had no more to say. The meeting, long afterwards remembered as “the council of blame,” came to an end. Feelings were more intense than they had been in several years, and the division was deeper than before. Aniah would have said a few more words of conciliation, but he was so weakened by his exertions that he was physically incapable of doing so.

A few days later the aged and revered chieftain died. For a brief time the rival factions forgot their quarrels as universal respect was paid to a great leader. A huge barrow was amassed over his remains, directly under the majestic stone arch, which would usher the Ba-Coro into the Beautiful Country.

 

 

 

 

It was late winter when the Ba-Coro arrived at the land Zan called Beautiful, and although it was not very cold, a fresh, untouched snow was on the ground and delicately laced the trees. Nobody seemed to notice the loveliness of the newly whitened landscape; snow was cold to those who walked on it, not beautiful.

Yet the journey was not as difficult as it might have been. When one knows where one is going it is easier, even if not a step is saved. The people, always sensitive to the need for water, gathered around the lake facing the waterfall. The cascade, which had been frozen into a solid stream, was beginning to melt, and was dripping, rather than running with its usual thunderous fall. The lake was still frozen, but the shell of ice was too thin to walk on.

It was difficult to build fires because of the moisture everywhere, but fortunately a few women had preserved dry tinder for just such situations. As they labored to kindle it, the men were free to seek materials and build shelters. Here Rydl, who knew something of the wasp men's abodes, showed the cave dwellers how to weave
slender branches around saplings to construct rudimentary houses. Later they would smear them with mud to seal them from the chilling winds, or perhaps some tar could be found. That is what the wasp people used—and what had burned so brightly when their nests were torched. The next night it snowed again, but the people were warm in their huts by then. Rydl did not mind that Sparrow stayed with him in the hut they built together.

A week later most of the snow had melted and was streaming in rivulets to the little brooks that ran into the lake. The ice on the lake was gone except for the distant shady side of it, near where the waterfall was. The cascade was thawing too, and occasionally giant spears of ice came crashing down.

Life was returning to the land. There might be reverses in the weather, but spring was visibly arriving. The flinty skies of winter came less and less to freeze the blood, and soon fled from the southern breezes. A more genial climate made itself at home. Zan and Pax, happy with their new surroundings, had their own hut and woke up smiling each day. Dael had a shelter too, more open than theirs and a distance away. He still avoided Zan and Pax, keeping company with his own group and giving commands to his subordinates to build for him. There were two groups of huts now, not one.

The transformation that spring brought was lovely to see, and lifted everyone's spirits. As the snow gradually retreated, the reluctant buds began to show themselves, followed by glowing and flamboyant blossoms that ringed and colored the glistening water. The island in the middle
of the lake came to life too. Its white birch trees were still there, only taller, with a few dead trees keeping company with the living. Every morning they saw the same doe drinking or grazing on the lake's far side, and the broad-winged egrets cast their reflections when they flew low over the still water's surface. Who could fail to rejoice at the sight of unfamiliar, brightly colored birds and the sweet and varied sounds of their mating calls?

The Ba-Coro flourished in their enchanting new home. Babies were being born. Food was plentiful. And the men began to explore the new area hopefully. It appeared that most of their good fortune was yet to come. Best of all, the troublesome division seemed to be healing. People were too dependent on each other for the breach to last for very long, and Dael contemplated whether he should mend his relationship with “the wasp-child,” as he called Rydl. Dael did not want to defeat his enemy in a fight. He already knew that he was the stronger man. No, he wanted to humiliate Rydl as Rydl had humiliated him. He waited for his chance, but Rydl was too clever for him. Dael found himself watching and studying him.

Rydl was always busy with his projects and inventions. It was one of his quirks (which Dael found unforgivably effeminate) that Rydl was artful about his appearance. Rydl learned to sew smaller skins together with a needle of bone and fibers of animal ligament for thread, attractively patching differently colored pelts. He was by far the best dressed of the Ba-Coro, tailoring and decorating his garments much more than was common among them. Dael found his primping disgusting.

However, Dael's feelings were quite different when Rydl tried combining the virtues of the spear and the sling. Weapons interested Dael, and his fancy enemy was engaged in improving them. Rydl had reasoned that if a sling could make a rock go faster and farther, might it not increase the speed and power of a spear's thrust? After many attempts Rydl had given up on the sling. It was too supple and could not be controlled. But he devised a spear-thrower of wood that used the same principle as the rock-thrower. In effect it lengthened the throwing arm, just as a sling did. It was more rigid than the sling, and it worked amazingly well. Dael, who often observed Rydl from a distance, was impressed. He saw, as Rydl practiced, that his spear sailed considerably farther than his own did; and when it hit the target, it penetrated much more forcefully. After only a short time Dael swallowed his pride and asked Rydl to show him how it worked, and Rydl did. The spear, lighter and slenderer than usual, was laid on a short grooved staff with a tooth-hook to hold it in place; then the spear was flung with the staff, not directly by hand. And how it flew! Dael immediately adopted Rydl's invention, and soon all the men were using it. Now they were better armed than ever. Thereafter Dael treated Rydl with some respect, although it might be a long time before they could feel friendship for each other.

Rydl had other problems. He noticed how sad Sparrow had lately become in his presence, and how she tended to follow him with her eyes when she thought he was not looking. She seemed to be expecting something that did not come, and it weighed on her heavily. The speaking
lessons became more somber and businesslike. They did not sing or laugh together as before.

“Why don't you marry that poor girl who loves you?” Chul asked him without ceremony one day. “You need a wife, and anyone can see that she is willing.” Rydl responded with a thoughtful and quizzical smile but said nothing.

Sparrow always tried to please Rydl by speaking, but she could only make uncouth sounds for all her efforts, except when she sang very softly to herself. Then she would try to shape the words Rydl had taught her:

The w-w-wolves h-h-howl,
The b-b-birds s-s-sing,
And Sp-Sp-Sp-Sparrow sp-speaks her n-n-n-name.

Rydl overheard one morning and assured her that she was making fine progress. She looked deeply and sadly into his eyes and tried desperately to say something without singing it. On occasion Rydl touched her face, mouth, and even her tongue in an attempt to aid her; and now Rydl came very close, hoping to help stabilize her speech. With painful difficulty Sparrow now spoke her first sentence: “I l-l-l-love you R-R-Rydl.”

Rydl almost jumped when he heard these broken words, surprised to hear anything coherent, but especially startled to hear
that
! It was plain that Rydl did not return her strong affection. Sparrow blushed at her words, and then turned deathly pale, looking directly in Rydl's eyes and waiting for a reply. None came. Rydl would have her
believe that he did not quite hear her, and attempted to continue the lesson as if nothing remarkable had been said. But it
had
been said, and Sparrow, unable to endure his silence, ran away.

The lessons stopped after that. From then on Sparrow looked coldly at Rydl, or turned away when he passed. She no longer kept him company. Rydl was saddened, but he was sadder when Sparrow started to give Dael marked attentions in his presence. She slept very near Dael's hut now, and sometimes brought him food and gifts. She did him small services, and walked beside him whenever she could. And worse, Dael encouraged her with friendly looks and touches, knowing well how Rydl would take it. Dael had decided to win her heart, and that could be his revenge on Rydl. For once Dael would win, he thought with satisfaction. For once Dael would get the best of “the wasp-child.”

Dael contemplated handing Sparrow over to Oin, but Sparrow herself was not as bashful and shamefaced as Oin was in the presence of females. Dael did not want her for himself, and was only laughing at her and Rydl. Sparrow certainly was not interested in Oin! She detested both him and his brother who had so often jeered at her.