The savage wilderness, p.5
The Savage Wilderness, page 5
I saw the look of apprehension on his face as he neared the bear fur; I had left the head on and the eyeless skull seemed to terrify him. He gave me a nervous smile, “I will sit here.” He pointed to the gunwale.
I laughed, “Just so long as you do not fall in. Now tell me again, where is the boundary of your people’s land?”
He pointed south and west, “There is a large river there although I have never seen it. Many other rivers flow into it and we call it the River of Peace. It runs north to south.” I was pleased that Snorri had taught him the words for the points on a compass. It made life much easier for me. “Few people live on its banks for it is the boundary between our tribes and war is forbidden along it.”
He had told Gytha and me that before and I had asked him to confirm in case he had changed his story. I was pleased that he had not. “And the people on the other side of the river, they are not your tribe?”
“No, they are the Penobscot; their language is like ours but they have different customs. We fight them sometimes for they raid us for slaves and we retaliate. Heads are taken as trophies and displayed outside our camps. The Penobscot do not travel as much as we do. Sometimes they just send hunting parties to gather animals or catch fish but their homes are similar to ours.”
“So, do they live on the coast, in the summer, like your people?”
He shrugged, “I will be honest, Captain, I do not know for certain. What I do know is that when you find a wide river mouth that is the River of Peace and there will be few people, if any, living along its banks.”
I had to trust this boy for the Norns had sent him to me and Gytha’s faith rested upon the both of us. I reasoned that if there were none along the river then I could find its source and be able to view more land than if we explored on foot. I knew that we would, eventually, have to explore.
“And your people live on the side where the sun rises?” He nodded. If I found a tributary which looked promising then I would have to take one to the western side of the river for Bear Tooth’s tribe knew and feared us. Of course, Bear Tooth had never seen this river and he had, certainly, never approached the coast from the sea. It would have to be up to me and my experienced eyes to find the likeliest place for a river mouth. I did not mind our sedate pace for I was looking to the west and the slow speed gave me time to evaluate what I saw. The land would be higher on the two sides of the estuary; they might not be much higher but they would be an indicator. Birds would be another. Where freshwater met the sea there was always a great deal of wildlife in the water and the birds would take advantage and the larger the river the greater the number of fish. We had been travelling for four hours when I saw the combination of birds in an area with higher ground on either side of a low-lying section. I headed to the south-west knowing that if I was wrong, we could still sail down the coast and look for the real river. To seaward we passed small islands but they were smaller than Bear Island and I dismissed them as places of interest. As we closed with the shore, I saw that there were many inlets but all appeared too close to be the mouth of the river we sought. Bear Tooth had no idea of distance, not at sea, at least.
I spied neither fires nor birch bark boats and that pleased me for I did not relish having to fight my way up a river. We passed one large river mouth but as it looked more like a bay and less like an estuary, I dismissed it. It was getting on for dusk and I had just taken a reading from the compass and turned the hourglass when I saw, just ahead, what looked like an estuary. Certainly, the entrance was narrow and so I headed along the coast. Bear Tooth had told me of an island, the natives called it Sebascodegan Island, and he said it was at the mouth of the bay which led to the river we sought. He said that the Penobscot tribe had made a natural cairn to mark their land. I had the crew looking for an impressive pile of stones and when I saw such a cairn on the south-eastern tip, I grew hopeful. I wondered if we would make the river before dark. If not, we would have to risk landing on an island which might be occupied.
In the distance I spied what I thought might be the mouth of the river; there were no large trees there but low lying and scrubby trees which were the sort which Bear Tooth had told me grew at the mouths of such large rivers. At home, it had not been so. I saw the churning waters which marked the meeting of river and sea.
I decided we had sailed far enough and we could halt. “This may well be it, Ebbe and Stig, nock an arrow, just in case but make them stone-tipped!”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Bear Tooth, you will have to be ready to lower the mast if we hit trouble.”
He nodded nervously for although we had practised all of these manoeuvres and actions, doing them quickly when there was danger, was a completely different matter.
“Do not worry, we should not need to do so for the wind is from the north and east, it will take us some way up the river.” He nodded again. “Ebbe you have the steerboard side; tell me when it is clear to turn.”
“Aye Captain!”
The motion of the ship became more violent as we approached the meeting of the sea and river water. That could not be helped. The three youths had all been told to hang on if the water became violent. I had the steering board to hold and I was less troubled and I had my feet braced against the thwarts. I saw that there were rocks which littered the estuary but there looked to be a clearer patch of water which suggested a channel. Ebbe would have to confirm that fact.
His voice was clear as he shouted, “Now, Captain!” And I put the steering board over to take us through the tidal race.
The bow rose and then fell, showering Ebbe and Stig as it did so. We slowed slightly. Had I had Ebbe or Stig on the sheets and stays we might have been able to adjust the trim and make a more comfortable passage but Bear Tooth had the least experience of any aboard ‘Jötnar’ and I said nothing preferring to ride it out.
The river mouth was wide, perhaps three hundred paces and, to our right, I saw larger trees and forests. To the larboard side, the trees were smaller and they suggested another island. Bear Tooth had said there were many islands between the river and the open sea. So far, his description had been very accurate. The river narrowed dramatically and I saw streams entering the river from the west. It became just a hundred paces wide but the channel remained deep. Darkness would soon be upon us and we had not found a place to land. And then Stig shouted, “Captain, to larboard, I see a beach and what looks like a tiny stream.”
I put the steering board over. “Ebbe, Stig come and help Bear Tooth. When I give the command then lower the sail. We have enough way and the wind is pushing us west. I had learned to sail on this snekke and I knew just what it would do in almost any situation. “Now!” As the sail came down, I was already pushing hard to larboard and the bow grated along the sand of the tiny beach. The drekar would have ripped out her keel but ‘Jötnar’ managed it with no problems at all.
“Bows!”
Ebbe and Stig jumped into the water with nocked bows looking for danger. The two of them leapt ashore and I gave the rope to Bear Tooth, “Tie us to the largest birch tree.” I slipped over the side and stood in waist-deep water holding the stern of the snekke. Bear Tooth was a quick learner and he wound the rope around the tree and then pulled back towards the river to use the strength of the tree to pull the snekke out of the water. As soon as the snekke moved I pushed it until it was half in and half out of the water. I held up my hand, “Tie it off.”
Ebbe and Stig had taken the initiative and headed into the woods while Bear Tooth and I had beached the boat. The trees were relatively open on this side of the river but it was getting dark and I wanted to know that we were secure before I risked lighting a fire and making camp. I took out my sword. I saw Bear Tooth’s eyes widen. Even in the gloom of dusk it still shone and I knew that the natives had nothing that was like it.
“Bear Tooth, find wood for a fire.” While he did that, I stored my compass and hourglass in my chest.
Night fell within a few moments of the drawing of my sword and I began to worry about Ebbe and Stig. It was with some relief that I saw them both appear down the side of the small stream which fed the River of Peace. “There are no trails, captain, either human or animals. If animals do come down to the water they do not do so in herds.”
“Good, get a pot of water and our food. We will sleep aboard the snekke tonight but we will eat ashore. Hot food will help us on the morrow and the fire will keep away the biting insects.”
Bear Tooth had shown us, on the island, a plant whose leaves could be burned and which seemed to lessen the number of insects. I knelt next to the kindling and used my steel and flint to spark and ignite the dried grass which lay beneath the pyramid of dried wood. Bear Tooth never tired of watching us make fire. His own people made fire but they had no metal and had used a piece of wood twisted and turned next to the kindling. He had told us our way was quicker. I saw him watching me closely and decide that I would allow him to do that the next time.
He picked some greens while I cut up a mixture of horse deer and whale meat into small chunks and Ebbe and Stig arranged some logs around the fire. Then they half-filled the pot and hung it from the tripod we had brought. When we had left Larswick we had shown great foresight, as a clan, by buying many things, such as large pots and tripods which we could never have fashioned in this new world. The Norns had spun well and the threads were so complicated that I could not see how they could ever be undone. They waited until the fire had caught before they hung the pot and then I dropped the meat and fish into the water. Bear Tooth ripped the greens and then dropped them in too.
As we sat, watching the flames heat the pot and then the pot begin to bubble, I handed around the ale skin. We each took a drink. Bear Tooth did too. He knew what beer was and enjoyed it. As he passed it to Ebbe I said, “Do your people have beer?”
He nodded, “Yes, Captain, but it is not as good as this. It is made from pines. My people would prefer this.”
I wondered at that. Perhaps war was not the way we ought to approach these people. We had things we could offer them to make their life better. What if I could discover iron here, in this new world? We did not need gold for we had neither kings nor taxes, merchants nor markets. On Bear Island we bartered. Bear Tooth told us that was the way of his people for whatever was in short supply was expensive. I had much to think on. Before we retired for the night, I placed some logs and branches around the camp to trip anyone trying to sneak up on us and Bear Tooth put the pungent plant’s leaves on the fire. I loosened the rope so that the snekke floated and any who tried to get at us would have to splash in the small stream. That done I wrapped myself in my bear fur and slept.
I dreamed and I knew that Gytha was speaking to me. She was speaking in my head but I heard not a word and I was just aware that her mouth was moving. I saw Ada and I saw Lars but I know not how I saw them. What I did hear was music and I wondered what it was until I realised it was a lullaby my mother had sung to me when I was young. Then all went black and I dreamed no more.
I woke before dawn and I knew that some noise or movement had woken me. I was awake in an instant and I stared over the gunwale. My hand was on my sword but I moved only my head from beneath the bear fur. I saw a pair of white-tailed deer. They were drinking close to the rope which tied us to the tree and that must have woken me. As I lifted my head they were startled and hurtled off back into the woods. Just to be safe I picked up Ebbe’s bow and arrow and waded ashore. The deer had jumped over the timber and we were safe. The fire had died but the ashes were still warm. I made water and drank a mouthful of the ale. Going back to the snekke I woke the others.
“Make water and then eat for we leave before dawn.”
Chapter 4
This was the first day of our adventure in what appeared to be a wilderness or would it prove to be a bountiful garden? Time alone would tell. This time we had to tack up the river which took time and, in many ways, this helped us for it allowed us to examine the river banks more closely. As this was the border between tribes who occasionally warred, I had expected there to be more animals watering along its banks. I mentioned it to Bear Tooth who suggested that the small rivers were less dangerous. He pointed out that the banks were steep and somewhat rocky and if an animal fell in it would be hard to regain dry land. He was proving to be a mine of very useful information. We saw fish in the water and also snakes. Bear Tooth counselled against putting our hands in the water as, in his experience, every such reptile was poisonous. We obeyed with alacrity! The river did not narrow as much as I had expected and for the first mile or so remained about the same.
The river turned at one point to head due west and we gained speed as we did so. It only lasted for a hundred or so paces and then turned due north. A helmsman needed his wits about him on this river. The river appeared to be littered with islands and, as noon approached, I decided to stop at one of them and explore. We could make a good camp with plenty of time to examine what lay around us. That proved easier said than done and we passed three tiny islands, totally unsuitable for a camp as well as four larger islands with no landing place. I could now see why animals shunned this river and I wondered if we should take a side river which might suit our people more. Finally, we found an island with just one tiny sliver of a beach. We almost missed it but Ebbe had sharp eyes and he spied the beach beneath the overhanging trees. It was a perfect place to land for we would be hidden from the Penobscot side of the river. We lowered the sail and the mast and rowed in.
This time I put the snekke beam on to the shore and we pulled her securely up under the trees. After tethering her we took ashore simply what we would need to cook and our sleeping furs.
“We will explore the island but we will do so together.” I was aware of Rek’s death. I did not want one of my young ship’s boys to fall foul of some animal. I handed a bow and a handful of stone-tipped arrows to Bear Tooth. I had my spear and sword. I looked up and saw that the island had a high point. “We will head for that and we will watch all the way. If we can hunt then we will do so but it is not important for I wish to know what is here.”
The three nodded but I saw the excitement in their eyes. They knew that they would be the envy of every boy in the clan. Even Bear Tooth felt part of the clan as his actions and words so ably demonstrated. I headed up what looked like a game trail but, to be truthful, I was not hopeful. From the hoof prints I spied, there appeared to be no horse deer on this island. As I wound my way up through the trees, I saw what looked like squirrels with long ears but they scurried away along the ground so quickly I had no idea what they were except that if they had been squirrels, they would have raced up into the trees. At one point I found animal dung that looked like a wolf, dog, fox or a large cat. I sniffed it and deduced it was a cat but a larger cat than I had ever encountered. We also found plants that were unpleasant. We avoided nettles as every sensible person did but we brushed against other plants and felt pain and our flesh burned. Bear Tooth apologised when Ebbe was thus burned for he had assumed we knew what they were.
I shook my head, “Bear Tooth, we come from a land which is not like yours. You must tell us of all the dangers in this land!”
“I will, Captain, and I am sorry.”
I smiled for I could see he was making an effort. “I am not angry but we are one clan and we watch out for one another.”
He smiled, “I am of your clan?”
I smiled back, “You are now!”
A change came over Bear Tooth then for it was as though he made a conscious decision to cease being a Mi’kmaq and become a Fox! We also found briars and brambles which impeded our route. The game did not use this path and we were breaking trail. It was not easy. When we reached the high point, I could see nothing. I would have sent Bear Tooth up the nearest tree but he would see with Skraeling eyes. “Ebbe, climb the tree and tell me what you can see.” He nodded and went to climb. “Do not shout your answer down. Wait until you descend.”
“Aye, Captain!”
It seemed to take an age and I began to fret but, eventually, he slid down and shook his head, “To the east, west and north there is forest stretching as far as the eye can see. To the north is a piece of water which looks larger than a river.”
“A tarn?”
“It could be but the water moves.”
I nodded, “We will descend but we will go that way and walk around the island.” I pointed to the south-west. “We look for game. I need to know what animals we can hunt.” I was disappointed for there was less here than on Bear Island. As we walked down, I worked out that, if we wished to find the horse deer, we would have to find the mainland and head inland. I did not want to risk the land of Bear Tooth’s people and that meant heading to the west and the land of the Penobscot. What we did discover were the bones of animals which had been hunted but, from the condition of the bones, it was an animal which had hunted them.
As we cooked our food, I asked Bear Tooth about such predators. “There are wolves and large wild dogs which both hunt in packs. The dogs can be captured and trained and we use them to hunt the moos. There are foxes,” he smiled, “you are the Clan of the Fox and I do not think you hunt them.”
“We have hunted them but we are the Clan of the Fox for, like the fox, we are clever and can adapt wherever we live.”
“Then there are the large,” he used a word I had never heard and could not pronounce. I asked him to describe the animal. “It has sharp teeth and two are like fangs. Its claws are deadlier than the wolf and it does not bark.”
I nodded, it sounded like a large cat. There were such animals back on the mainland in the land of the Picts; they were wildcats and they had been known to take small children and babies. There were no such creatures on Bear Island; perhaps the bears had killed them. It was a danger I had not anticipated. Such cats could ambush and, if they were like the wildcats of the land of the Picts then, unlike the wolf and the dog, they could climb and that made them dangerous.
