John and Argent by cmsix

Chapter 57

Grotondo was riding on the seat with me in the lead wagon and he tried not to be amazed by the viciously bright spotlight. He couldn't help himself though and he asked me about it.

"It was a gift from the spirits and it has come in very handy." I said but offered no further explanation.

I switched the light off when he told me that we were approaching Jadatako's camp. We stopped well before we entered the glow of the fire and Grotondo got off and went to find Jadatako. He was back with him in a few minutes and this leader was as amazed by the horses and wagons as anyone else had been. He tried to ignore them as he spoke to me though.

"I am Jadatako, the leader of this camp." He said, holding his palms forward.

"I am John and I am the leader of my own camp that is far up the river." I replied.

"You are all welcome here. Grotondo has told me of you difficulties with Nutaro and how you dealt with him, that makes you doubly welcome." He said.

"When a man says he is going to kill me I believe him and try to kill him first. In this case one of my helpers killed him and another of them killed Cardollo. It was a good thing for them, as they both wanted a mate of your people. One of them even got a new mate who already had a child."

This put just a little damper on Jadatako's enthusiasm; it didn't last long though. He said that Grotondo had told him we wanted to stay the night and trade in the morning and he was all for it. He invited us to join his camp in the feast they were having. They were celebrating the coming of the winter and also the last mating of the year in his camp.

I knew that they did not usually have much of a celebration over matings and he volunteered this information as if I didn't. He had assigned his oldest daughter, the last unmated woman in the camp, to his best young hunter today. The hunter was the last unmated man in camp and both he and the woman had expected to be mated before the winter came. Jajaboto, the young hunter, had been pleased when he found out that today was the day and he went hunting to celebrate. By some stroke of luck he was able to kill two bison and now the whole camp was celebrating and a large portion of one of the bison was cooking.

Jadatako asked us to bring our furs and come with him then, saying that he would show us to a place in the cave where we could sleep tonight. I went to the buckboard to get Deimeta, her furs and mine. She was sitting up and looking out wide-eyed at the fire and the crowd around it.

"Are they having a feast John? She asked expectantly.

"Yes they are Deimeta."

"I hope that they will let me join it." She said.

"You are the daughter of a large camp's leader now Deimeta, they will let you do whatever you like or we will leave and go to our own camp. In my camp I have twenty-two mates, that is more mates than you have fingers and toes, and when we get there they will all want to meet you and take care of you. You won't know how happy they will be that I have found you until you get there but I can tell you that they will be very happy."

"It sounds so wonderful John, thank you." She said.

"Thank you Deimeta for agreeing to be my daughter."

I picked up our furs with one arm and Deimeta with the other and since everyone else was ready Jadatako led us into the cave. There was a large open area near the front and he told us that we could spread our furs there. I set Deimeta down and began. Tulaara had already finished spreading she and Danlo's furs and she asked if I would like for her to finish with mine.

"I can do this easily enough but would you mind trying to help Deimeta clean up a little?"

"I will be glad to help her, she is a very polite child and I could never understand why Nutaro was so cruel to her." She said.

"I think Danlo has put an end to all that."

"Yes, it seems that he has but it is almost too good to be true. Why don't you come with me Deimeta and we will wash before the feast begins." She said.

I had hoped that Tulaara would at least wash Deimeta's face and hands and straighten out her hair a little. I was surprised when she took Deimeta to where she had put her things and rummaged around in them for a minute. She came up with what looked like a small rabbit fur and a much bigger deerskin. The rabbit fur had been tanned with the hair still on but the deerskin hadn't. She also had found a little skin bundle with no telling what inside and to my surprise she brought out a tunic and some trousers that must have belonged to her son. She took Deimeta's hand and led her to Sahto's new mate, spoke to her for a moment, and then she and Deimeta went outside.

I guessed that she had asked Weeahta to watch over her son while she was gone to take care of Deimeta. She needn't have worried about Malooto though, he was right beside Danlo and they were talking. It didn't look like they would get far from each other anytime soon. It looked like fun to me and so I went over and sat down by them. Danlo and I talked to and played with Malooto for nearly an hour until Tulaara and Deimeta came back in.

The change in Deimeta was dramatic. Tulaara had obviously given her a complete bath. She had also washed and somehow combed Deimeta's long dark hair. Deimeta shined like a new penny and since her face was clean now her big brown eyes seemed to sparkle. It was easy to see that Deimeta felt much better for the ordeal. She even had on clean clothes and they were a pretty good fit, she and Malooto were about the same size anyway, except that he was heavier. No doubt this was a result of Deimeta's ordeal at Nutaro's direction. When they got to us I stood up, thanking Tulaara, and then picking Deimeta up in my arms.

"Who is this pretty girl you have found Tulaara?"

"It is me John, Deimeta. Don't you know me?" Deimeta said.

I held my head back and looked her over as if I wasn't sure.

"Why it is Deimeta, I didn't realize you were so pretty before." I told her and the smile she gave me made my efforts worthwhile.

I shifted her to sit in the crook of my left arm and as she put her little arms around my neck I thanked Tulaara again and turned to go outside. Walking over near the roasting fire we could see a big haunch of bison being cooked, suspended on a spit and being turned occasionally. There were several watertight baskets filled with some vegetable dish or the other and several wooden bowls with tea brewing in them.

Most of the camps people were outside talking or just watching. I noticed that a few of them seemed to have some odd looking devices that could only be different types of drums. There were small, medium and large examples. Some were hides stretched over frames and others looked like hollowed out parts of trees. There were a few that were made out of large bones and even one from the skull of some large animal. All at once a man started striking up and down the length of a hollowed limb that was about five inches in diameter and probably three feet long.

As he continued making the altering tones with his carved mallet the person with the skull began striking it on different areas, also producing different notes but strangely in rhythm with the limb beater. One of the skin drummers started a low steady beat then and one by one the others joined. This went on for a few minutes before a chant started. There were no words in this song, just a chanting of different tones. Some right on the beat and later others joined in dividing the drumbeats and finally a type of melody could be discerned. It continued for maybe ten minutes and then, as if on some signal only the performers knew it all ended on the same beat.

The whole thing left me with a slightly sad feeling somehow but I couldn't really put my finger on it. I was able to tell that the smells of the food were leaving me with a hungry feeling and after just a few more minutes the eating started.

Grotondo was sitting on a piece of a large log by Jadatako and when he caught my attention he motioned for me to come and sit with them. I had barely parked my ass and arranged Deimeta on my lap when Tratieta, Jadatako's mate came out with two hipbone plates, one for Grotondo and one for Jadatako. Before Grotondo began eating he also spied Georgo.

"Shaman, come, eat with us." He said and Georgo did come over and sit with us.

Tratieta must have been paying attention somehow because when she returned she had two more of the plates and gave one to me and one to Georgo. She seemed to just now notice that I had Deimeta in my lap.

"I bring food for girl too?" She asked me, which was a novelty in itself, having one of their leader's mates speak up.

"I think that Georgo and I can probably pack her full from our plates but thank you for asking." I replied.

Deimeta had steadied the plate in her lap since she was sitting in mine. I reached down and retrieved some type of vegetable that resembled a tiny ear of corn to me. I waved it in front of Deimeta's mouth and she caught on quickly and opened wide to receive it. I tried one myself then and it was good but it didn't taste anything like corn to me.

Georgo was into the game now too and was waving a small piece of meat toward Deimeta's mouth, she opened up and took it and gave a little sigh as she chewed. I could tell that Deimeta liked our attention and I was enjoying giving it to her, Georgo was too. We continued playing the food game for a little while but when I noticed that Deimeta wasn't opening up as quickly I stopped to ask her.

"Have you had enough for now Deimeta?"

"I think I have John, the game is fun but I feel full for now. Do you mind if we stop for a while? She asked.

"We don't mind Deimeta. Maybe we can play again later. Perhaps I should put you on my shoulder and pat your back, like mothers sometimes do for their babies."

"Oh John, I'm not a baby anymore." She said and actually giggled for the first time since she'd joined us.

"Maybe not but you're my daughter now and I might do it anyway."

I picked her up off my lap and turned her over my shoulder then, patting her back and sure enough she did burp. When I put her back down she had a tiny blush on her face and a very big smile and then she giggled again. I hugged her closer and as I did she sagged toward me.

"See Deimeta, you did need to burp. Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, I feel better than I ever remember feeling." She said and sighed again.

I felt my own pulse in my throat for a second and I had to think of something else to keep tears from leaking out of my eyes. I glanced at Georgo, who had not let his eyes stray from her since we'd sat down. I could just see a few escaping the corners of his eyes.

Deimeta felt comfortable now and she dropped off to sleep in my arms in only a few minutes. Out of nowhere it seemed, Tulaara came over and offered to take her to her furs to sleep.

"Malooto is already sleeping and I will put her with him if you like." She told me.

"That will be fine Tulaara, thank you." I said as I surrendered Deimeta.

Georgo and I pretended that nothing out of the ordinary had gone on while we sat and watched the festivities. Tratieta brought first Jadatako and then Grotondo a wooden cup of something to drink then she was right back with a cup for Georgo and me. I tasted it and knew it was their version of bruga. It wasn't a Long Neck by a long shot but it was good enough and actually reminded me of homemade beer that another guy and I made when I was in college.

The bruga was making the rounds by now and the weird music started back up. It had a more stable beat this time and after it was going pretty good, and most people had downed a cup or two of bruga, a sort of dancing broke out. It wasn't really dancing like I'd ever seen before and it didn't even match up to what you'd see in a National Geographic film but it was definitely a type of dancing. Mostly they just seemed to hop from one foot to the other and try to keep up some semblance of moving with the beat. There was no organization to it and it was pretty much every man or woman for themselves. I felt sure that it was a lot more entertaining to watch than to participate.

Soon enough they stopped adding wood to the fire and after a little while it died down and things got fairly dark at the big party. I went into the cave, headed to my furs for the night. I looked over and saw Deimeta and Malooto sleeping but I couldn't let well enough alone. I went over and roused Deimeta, picking her up and bringing her to my furs to sleep with me. She was asleep again as soon as I put her down and when I lay down I put a protective arm over her and dropped right off into a sound sleep myself.

I woke early the next morning and managed to get my moccasins on without waking Deimeta. I intended to let her sleep as long as she would. Luckily I saw that Georgo was up too and he was headed out of the cave. I followed him quickly hoping he would know the way to their pisser. He did and we watered some bushes together.

"We will suffer without coffee this morning John." He lamented after we'd finished our individual ritual dick shaking.

"No we won't Georgo. My mates have taken better care of us than that." I told him.

"Did you bring some coffee then?" He asked and he looked so excited about it that I almost laughed at him.

"I did better than that and if you can find us some water we will be in business before long."

He rummaged in the big wagon, unknowingly pushing aside the bag with the forty-cup "Party Perc" in it and found a cooking pot that my mates had packed. It would probably hold about a gallon and he set off with it at once. While he was gone I set up the percolator and plugged it in to the battery and fuel cell wiring that the wagon had for operating the loading winch. When Georgo got back with the water and he saw the coffee pot his face lit up brighter than any kid's on Christmas morning.

"That won't be enough water Georgo." I told him.

"Good, very good. Pour it in and I'll go back and get more." He said.

It took him three trips and I had everything else ready, even fishing out some mugs, before he was done. When the water was in the pot I put the stem and the coffee basket in it and then put the lid on and flicked the switch. The little brewing light came on and since Georgo was studying the process intently he remarked about it at once.

"That is just to let you know that it is working. Soon you will see the coffee jumping into this little part at the top and falling back down."

"How long will it take to be ready to drink?" He asked.

"It will only be a few minutes but it will seem like all day if you stay there and watch the whole time."

He thought about that for a few seconds.

"You are right. If I stay here and think of nothing else it will seem like forever before it is done. I'm going back into the cave and watch Deimeta sleep, that will be more entertaining." He said and left.

I didn't mind Georgo watching the coffee perk of course but I did want a little time to myself so that I could use the palm. I got it out of my things and tried to contact Argent. His answering message came back at once.

"John, we are enthralled with your latest actions." He sent.

"Yes but could we save that until later, I might not have much time right now. I want to know if you will check Deimeta over to see if there are any things about her health that I should be worrying about."

"You should know by now that we pay more attention to you than that. I've assured you that we don't read your thoughts but we could have hardly failed to see that Deimeta had come to mean a great deal to you in a short time. We checked her over thoroughly yesterday right after that rather unpleasant Nutaro dismissed her from the inspection."

"Then she is in good health?" I asked.

"She was in much better shape than I would have guessed. She was suffering from malnutrition of course and her development has been retarded slightly but there will be no permanent physical effects from her ordeal. She was lightly infested with an intestinal parasite but we engineered a custom anthelmintic for her as soon as we discovered them and we transferred a dose of it into that first piece of Roweea's bread that Georgo gave her. She passed the dead parasites last night just before Tulaara bathed her. All she needs now if normal food and a little attention. I have no doubt that she will get all the attention she can bear as soon as your multitude of mates get their eyes on her. In fact she seems to be getting quite a lot of attention from you and Georgo." He sent.

"I am glad to know that she will be all right. I didn't worry about her health until this morning."

"She will be fine John, we will make sure of it." He sent.

"Thank you so much Argent, this means a lot to me." I sent and signed off.

After that enlightenment I did what I had suggested to Georgo that he shouldn't, I watched the coffee perc. It was done in about five minutes and I took the first cup. Georgo was out about five minutes later for a cup and then Danlo followed behind him. I teased Danlo a little about getting a son but he was no dummy and shifted right back on me about my new daughter. Realizing that there was no way I could win this teasing match I shut up and sipped my coffee.

After a while Jadatako came out and when he saw us gathered around the back of the big wagon he came over. He eyed the wagon suspiciously while he came toward it and when he did finally reach us I could tell that he was very curious about what we were drinking but he didn't seem to want to ask about it.

"Would you like to try some of the coffee Jadatako? It will taste bitter at first and you may not like it. If you drink a whole mug though you will probably begin to like it."

"Why would you drink it if you do not like the tastes?" He asked the age-old question.

"I have been drinking it for years now and I don't remember why I started. I will get you a cup to try and you can make up your own mind." I told him and found another of the plastic insulated mugs.

"I can tell you why I like it; drinking a mug or two of coffee will make you feel like doing something, more so than you normally would." Georgo added.

"I will try it then and hope it makes me feel like doing something because the bruga from last night makes me feel like I should go back to my furs and lie down again." He told us.

I poured him a mug and even put the top back on the mug for him. When I handed it to him I warned him that it was very hot and that he should be careful with the first sip. He was careful but finally determined that it wasn't too hot for him and took a decent mouthful, swallowing it quickly.

"It is a little bitter and it taste strange but it isn't unpleasant." He told us and took another sip.

We stood around without talking much and concentrated on drinking our coffee. All of a sudden I was swept by a craving for a cigarette about two feet long. Its funny how the habit tries to restart itself every now and then when it catches you in a weak moment and when I was smoking I had always liked to have a cigarette or two with my morning coffee.

A few minutes later Tulaara came out with Malooto; Weeahta and Deimeta were with them. They led the children around toward the facilities, which Georgo had shown me this morning. They came back shortly and when Deimeta looked toward me I held my arms open to beckon her. She smiled widely and came over; I picked her up and told her good morning.

"Good morning to you too John, what are you and Georgo and all the others drinking?" She asked.

"We are having our coffee, would you like to try some?"

"Does it taste good?" She asked.

"Not at first it doesn't but it is hot and it will help you wake up in the mornings. Why don't you try a sip of mine and if you can bear it I will get you some of your own."

"Ok, I will try yours first." She agreed.

I warned her that it was hot and handed her the mug. She had to use both of her hands to hold it but she was finally able to get a sip and she made a twisted face at once.

"You are right, it does not taste very good at first. It must get better later though since you are all drinking it." She said and took another sip.

"It wasn't so bad that time, maybe I should try some of my own." She said.

I set her down and turned to look in the wagon to get another mug. I was surprised when I saw a smaller mug, about half the size of the others, sitting right where I couldn't miss it. Apparently Argent was keeping an eye on our early morning coffee klatch. I opened the top, filled it with coffee and replaced the plastic lid; handing it to Deimeta and reminding her that it was hot and probably hotter than mine had been. She tested it carefully and then took a sip.

"Maybe I can come to like it after a while, it doesn't taste so bitter now." She said.

"Maybe you can, if you do we can have some coffee every morning and you already have a mug that is just the right size for you."

Weeahta, Tulaara and Malooto were still standing there as if waiting on Deimeta. I offered them all some coffee but the women declined and Tulaara didn't really give Malooto a chance to accept. That was just as well though because he was only four and while he was as big as Deimeta he was not as aware of what was going on around him yet. He seemed to be mostly just impatient to go.

"I will keep Deimeta with me for now, thank you both for taking care of her when she woke." I told them and then they went back into the cave.

The rest of my men came out in ones and twos and all of them were delighted to see the coffee pot in operation. Deimeta and I moved to the other side of the wagon and I sat on the tailgate putting her in my lap. None of us talked much, we were mostly content to sip our coffee and enjoy the morning.

When everyone had finished drinking their coffee I noticed that Jadatako was busily examining his cup. I think he was trying to figure out how the top was removed. I showed him and he marveled at it so I told him that he should keep it as a gift from me. He was hesitant at first and admitted to me that he didn't really like the coffee. I laughed and told him that even if he didn't want coffee he could still use the cup to drink other things. This satisfied him and he smiled and thanked me for it, turning to his cave to put it up no doubt.

Grotondo hadn't made an appearance yet and I wondered what was keeping him sleeping. He finally came out a few minutes later and I could tell at once that the bruga was doing him wrong this morning. He made a pilgrimage to the pisser and then came back around.

"Is your head pounding Grotondo?"

"Yes, it is always so when I drink bruga. I always hope that it will not be so bad for me this time but it is always the same. I drink bruga and feel good at night and the bruga has its revenge in the morning." He said.

There was some coffee left and some water too. I got a mug of water for him and dug around in my kit for some aspirin. I told him to swallow the two white pills with some water and then drink the rest of the water. He did and then I got him a mug of coffee. We had the usual discussion about the coffee but when I told him that this would all help his head he was happy to try it. I left him with his coffee and took Deimeta over to sit on the rocks we had used for seats last night. I could smell food cooking from that spot and I decided that it was a good place to be.

Sure enough Jadatako was out to join me in a few moments and Georgo too. When Grotondo finished his coffee he came over also. We hadn't been there long before Tratieta and another woman of Jadatako's camp came out with plates for us. I asked Deimeta if she was ready for breakfast and she told me that she had eaten before they came outside.

"Tulaara has told us how Nutaro made them treat the little one and we made a plate for her and Malooto as soon as she woke, it makes me hurt inside to think that she did not have enough to eat while everyone around her had plenty." She said and it was easily the boldest statement I'd heard from any of the Neanderthal women I'd met.

"It made me hurt inside also Tratieta and I thank you for tending to her."

"I am happy you killed him. We knew that he was worthless after he deceived Jadatako but we never knew that he could be so cruel to a child. You have done everyone a service and we should be thanking you." She said and then left, I didn't even have time to tell her that it wasn't me that killed Nutaro.

Tulaara came out with Danlo's plate then and Weeahta with one for Sahto and one for Talvo and other women came out with food for all the rest of the men. We ate mostly in silence since it seemed to be their custom. After we were through and the women had retrieved the plates and cups Jadatako dismissed all of his men and it was clear to me that Georgo must have given all of mine the lowdown on trading etiquette because they all got up with him and went into the cave with the others. Danlo picked up Deimeta to take her inside also.

Grotondo didn't waste much time telling Jadatako what we wanted to trade for and after he'd finished Jadatako surprised us.

"I would not take salt from John for the widows here that have no mate nor for the unmated woman who has no man to mate her this year. As Tratieta has said, John has done us a service in Nutaro's former camp and we are grateful. I will call Tratieta and ask her to tell the women to pack at once." He said and did just that.

While she was gone to tell the women the trading talk was finished. I started to object but since Grotondo was doing the trading I didn't. Jadatako went into the cave and left Grotondo and me alone.

"I didn't intend to just take the women without giving something in return."

"You have given something in return John, though it may not seem like much to you since it was accomplished so easily. I'm sure that Jadatako has probably been planning all along to repay Nutaro for his poor treatment. You have made all that unnecessary now and have saved Jadatako the bother and the danger. Now he can feel like he has repaid you for the help." Grotondo told me.

I decided to keep my mouth shut about it and be satisfied. I hadn't known I was doing Jadatako a service but if he thought I had I wasn't going to make a big thing of it.

All at once my companions began coming out of the cave, well not all at once but a definite migration had begun. Sleeping furs were being loaded and a few other things, including the belongings of the two widows and the unmated girl that would be leaving with us. I got one last mug of coffee before we would have to pour the rest out and I wasn't surprised to see that Georgo was right behind me for another round. We emptied and packed up our coffee shop then.

I spied Deimeta near my wagon and so I went to her, picking her up and placing her on the seat. I climbed up myself then and sat by her. Grotondo was the last to board and after checking to make sure that everyone was ready I got directions from him and we headed off.

I could tell that Deimeta was feeling much better today than she had yesterday. She was looking around and generally being amazed that the horses were pulling us along and that we didn't have to walk. Grotondo had told me to head further downriver and so we were. He explained that he hadn't intended to come this far at first but that we probably had time since we were getting an early start this morning.

We pulled near another camp within an hour. Grotondo had me stop well back from camp and let him down. He entered the camp by himself and I was happy to let him. Georgo spoke to a woman who was standing outside starring at us; she summoned a man for inside one of the two caves. It was the camp's leader; he and Grotondo talked for a few minutes but it wasn't really very long. Then Grotondo followed the leader into the cave. A few minutes later they came back out and walked into the other cave. They were in there for a few minutes and came back out, Grotondo heading toward me and the leader going back into the cave he'd come from.

When he reached me Grotondo explained.

"Chatamtato does not like to deal with people like you John, neither I nor anyone else I've ever talked to knows why. I wasn't going to come to this camp for that very reason. When I talked to Jadatako he told me that if we had time we might try to trade with Chatamtato in this manner since Jadatako didn't think Chatamtato had any real animosity for people like you. For some reason he will not trade with them though." Grotondo explained.

"Well did he seem receptive to trading and did he have widows here?"

"He has three widows, all with children and there are four unmated women that he will have no mates for this winter. If things go as he expects he will have four boys who become men next year but also six girls who will become women. He is telling the widows and the unmated women to pack now and I have traded him one of the bundles of salt for them. He was very pleased and he hasn't even seen the salt yet. I came to get it and take it to him." Grotondo said.

He retrieved one of the salt bundles and headed for the cave that Chatamtato had entered. He was in there for a while and when he came out the three widows were following him carrying their children. All the children were young and the oldest seemed younger than Malooto who was four. Some of the other women were bringing the widows' belongings and yet another woman went into the second cave and when she came out she had the four unmated women in tow. The unmated women were carrying their belongings.

I got down and welcomed the women while Danlo and the other men stored the belongings in the wagons. We helped them all find a place to sit and had only marginal difficulty convincing them that this strange mode of transportation was safe. Tulaara finally told them the obvious; we had all come here this way and weren't damaged. This logic was plainly unassailable and after a few minutes talking among themselves they climbed aboard.

"Was he pleased with the salt?" I asked Grotondo after we were moving again.

"He was delighted, so much so in fact that he said he was going to reconsider his position of trading with people of your type. I believe he now thinks that there might be much profit in it." Grotondo said and then looked at me and laughed.

"Do you realize that salt won't seem so valuable after I have traded a lot of it around." I asked him.

"I have known it from the first. It is only so valuable now because it is scarce. That is one of the reasons that I wanted to come with you, to make sure that none of the others got the feeling that it was to be easily had from now on. I too have much salt now, thanks to you, and I do not want it to lose its value." He said.

I began to wonder a little about Grotondo then and his intelligence had gone up considerably in my estimation. I thought it was very perceptive of him to understand supply and demand so clearly.

We headed back upriver this time and later when we passed Jadatako's camp again, we waved to those we saw outside. Before we got back to Raalto's original camp we followed a tributary off to the left and came to Kodontolo's camp.

I was getting a little hungry by now and I knew that everyone else must be too. We stopped short of the camp again and Grotondo got down and preceded us. He went into a cave and stayed there for nearly half an hour, coming back outside then and signaling for the rest of us to come up.

When we got into the camp Grotondo and a man I assumed was Kodontolo were there waiting for us. I climbed down and helped Deimeta down and before I had time to turn to speak to Grotondo and the other man Tulaara came to get Deimeta, saying that she would go and get her something to eat.

"There is no need for that, you are guests here and we are glad to have your visit. Our women have the meal almost ready and you may take the child into the cave. Tell them that Kodontolo said for them to feed her at once. Grotondo has told me what has befallen the child and I will do my part to see that she is not hungry." He said.

This surprised me a little but from the look on Tulaara's face I could see that she was nearly floored. It made Kodontolo's stock rise quite a bit in my estimation. Tulaara picked Deimeta up in her arms and carried her into the cave and Weeahta was right behind her with Malooto. The other women and men were unassing the wagons by then; the women and children went into the cave and the men all stayed out with Grotondo and I.

Kodontolo motioned for us to move to his outdoor cafe then and we took seats on the rocks that were placed around for just the purpose. He began a little talk then.

"I am very happy that you have come to visit me and my camp John. We have seen you and the horses and those wagons, as Grotondo told me they were called, a few times when you were traveling nearby. I have been very curious about them. How do you make the horses pull them?" He asked.

"We catch the horses and then we must train them to do as we wish. It takes some time but they are very helpful after they are trained. I didn't realize that you had ever seen them before."

"We did not intend to let you see us since we did not know you or know what you were doing or why the horses were helping you. We also saw some of the horses with something dragging behind them but I don't see any like that now." He said.

"That was a travois and it can be used to carry things also. It is useful if the path is very rough or too narrow for the wagons to use."

"I see. Is it very hard to catch horses and train them?" He asked me.

"It is not so easy to catch them, especially if you do not have some to ride to help you. After you have one or two to ride it is easier to make wild horses go into a place where they can not get out, such as a blind canyon."

"Oh, I understand now myself. We have had horses, bison and even aurochs wander into our camp and through it before, catching themselves in the big area behind it. We were always happy when it happened because it made them so easy to hunt when they were trapped back there." Grotondo said, talking about his giant cul-de-sac.

"You do have the perfect place to capture horses if you can get some in there Grotondo." Kodontolo said.

"Yes it is good for it and the next time horses wander in there we are going to catch them instead of killing them. John has let Brundolo come to his camp for a while and he is teaching him how to train and care for the horses." Grotondo said.

"That is good for you and your camp. I wonder John if you and I could come to an agreement so that you would take one of my men and teach him some of these things. Grotondo has told me that you have come to trade and maybe we can work that into the trade." He said.

"We do not have to work it into the trade because I would be glad to do it for you anyway." I volunteered.

"But what type of trade did you want to make with me then?" He asked.

"If you have widows here or unmated women that do not have a prospective mate, I would like to trade for them. I know that widows are considered unlucky but they haven't been unlucky for me."

"I do not consider them unlucky either but I know that most do. There are two widows in our camp as I'm sure there must be widows in most camps. I do not think they are unlucky and most of my men do not either but all my men have a mate already and there are two unmated women with no man to mate. It is hard for a man or a woman to go through a winter, cooped up in the cave most of the time, and not have a mate. I will trade you the two widows and the two unmated women for this training of one of my men if you will trade." He said.

"I will trade but you must take some salt into the bargain, as I have said I would train your man anyway. I will also send him back to you with a horse of his own and a travois." I told him.

"You are too generous John, you must come and trade with me more often." Kodontolo said and then laughed a little.

Women started coming out of the cave then with food for us and this killed the talking. I realized while we were eating that Kodontolo had not dismissed his men or mine during the trade talks and I wondered if that was his general way of doing it or if the trading had just started before he expected it. No matter it was done now.

After the meal was finished and while the women were clearing up the dishes the widows and unmated women came out. Tulaara and the other women had apparently prepared them for the horses and wagons already because they did not seem afraid of them. Our other women had helped bring the possessions out and they were loading them into the wagons. I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of the widows had two children. She had one young boy, who looked to be seven or eight years old, and one very young one that could not walk yet. The other widow had a young child too and it seemed maybe three or four years old.

We were loaded up and had said our goodbyes in only a few more minutes. Grotondo said that he knew of one more camp nearby if I wanted to go to it. He told me that the leader was an honest man but that he was not as hospitable as Kodontolo.

"Dracto will come somewhere between Chatamtato and Kodontolo. If we were going to arrive at mealtime he would not hesitate to feed us but he would probably seem cross about it even though nothing would be said. He will trade without doubt if he has widows or unmated women. He is one, like most of us, who feel that widows are unlucky and he does not like to have unmated women underfoot during the winter either. I have known of him trading them away before winter, if he had no man to give them to, and then having to trade to get mates for boys that became men the next year." Grotondo said.

It was only a few miles up to the caves of Dracto's camp. They had three caves close together. Apparently someone had seen us coming because Dracto was the first person we saw as we came close. At first he looked as if he were feeling a little belligerent but when he noticed that Grotondo was with us his body language changed visibly. I stopped short of him and Grotondo got down and went over to talk. The rest of us stayed in the wagons. After a few minutes Grotondo signaled for me to come to them.

Dracto might have been a little unfriendly but that was fine in my book, we weren't hungry and Dracto didn't waste much time to do his trading. He was to the point about it and in only a few minutes he told us that he would trade three widows, all with very young children, and two unmated women. He called into the nearest cave and his mate came to him. He told her to have the widows and the unmated women come to us and he also told her to bring him something but I didn't understand what he said.

A few minutes later the three widows and two unmated women came out and lined up more nearly like I'd seen before. Dracto's mate brought him a wooden bowl and he told me that he would trade the widows and the unmated women for the bowl full of salt. It would probably hold seven or eight pounds and so I told him we had a deal.

He told the women to get their things and he handed me the bowl. I asked him if it would be all right if some of the other women with us helped the new women gather their things and he agreed.

I went to the big wagon to get the salt and when I got there I asked Tulaara to get some of the others to help the new members and a few of them took off to do it. I opened the fifty pound container of salt that I'd had loaded before we left and I filled the bowl, closed the container and went back to give it to Dracto. While walking back I noticed that he and Grotondo were not even talking. When I handed him the bowl he called his mate to come and get it and she did.

The women were coming back out now and were soon loaded into the wagon. Grotondo and I said our goodbyes to Dracto and we left. It was all very matter of fact and it suited the hell out of me. When everyone was on board and settled we turned the wagons around and headed home. We would probably be able to make it back to our camp before sunset.