Ghosts of the Siege

by Steven Abernathy

Because of Kray’s heritage, the boy knew his tribesmen would accept no less that a large buffalo skin from him to prove his manhood and his bravery. Kray, however, had other plans. He intended to travel into the morning sun to the area in which the tribal elder had killed the evil green beast and slay one of the creatures himself. The journey would require many days, possibly a full cycle of the moon, but the boy didn’t care. He had much to prove.

  Nine days into the journey brought the boy to a bluff overlooking a river. While he had no way of knowing it, Kray was standing on the site that would become Savannah, Georgia in the very near future. He had seen no alligators. As he gazed at the river a voice spoke sharply behind him, making him jump and quickly turn to face a group of native men with dress and weapons unfamiliar to the boy. They looked formidable, but were laughing at Kray’s reaction of fright when he was startled by the voice. Their mirth made Kray angry. One of the group was wearing a necklace made of large sharp teeth like those in the mouth of the alligator in the shaman’s tent back in the village. The boy was suddenly very interested in getting to know these warriors, and his anger quickly gave way to questions and interest in the group.

  Their language was strange to Kray, but they pieced together a method of communication with a combination of hand gestures, drawings in the dirt, and a few common words virtually all tribes in the southeast had assimilated from early Spanish explorers. The men comprised a hunting party from a Yamacraw village a half day’s journey to the north. They quickly understood the purpose of the boy’s journey, having a similar indoctrination into manhood within their own culture. Kray feared the men would laugh once more when he explained his quest to find and kill a large alligator, and was surprised when they treated his goal with great respect. The one with the necklace explained with their makeshift words and signs the Yamacraw belief that there were benevolent gods and there were evil gods. The creature called alligator was descended from the evil gods, and was a powerful creature filled with both strength and malevolence from this world and from the realm of the gods. To hunt an alligator alone required bravery that was beyond the capacity of most mortal men. To kill an alligator in single combat imbued the victor with the powers of the alligator, to be used for good or evil at the warrior’s election. Men of the Yamacraw tribe had killed many alligators through the years for the plentiful meat found in their long tails, the man explained, but they always attacked the beasts with large hunting parties. Even with six or eight warriors attacking one beast it was not unusual for men to be seriously injured or killed.

  “If you succeed in killing this beast, this descendent of gods,” the Yamacraw warrior said, “I hope you choose to use its powers for the good of your people. My father’s father was the last of my people to kill an alligator by himself. He was our greatest tribal leader.” He then shocked Kray by removing his necklace and placing it around the boy’s neck. “My grandfather killed this alligator many seasons ago, and used the beast’s powers only for good. He made the Yamacraw a great and prosperous people. The creature you attack will be pure evil, as was the beast from which these teeth came.” He touched the necklace as he spoke. “Perhaps the beast you face will feel fear when he looks upon this necklace. Perhaps it projects a strong power of good from my grandfather and his deeds that will help you to overpower the evil you fight.”

  The warriors then directed Kray to a swamp a day’s walk to the north of their village. Alligators were abundant in this swamp, they assured the boy. He would have no problem finding his prey. Killing a large alligator, however, was another matter entirely.

  The Yamacraw men then told Kray of an exciting event that had brought them to the bluff. There was a great ocean only a few miles to the east of the river. Scouts had sent back reports of a great canoe in this ocean. This giant craft, many times larger than any canoe the warriors had ever seen, was as long as ten of their lodges and had large poles, as thick as a big man, standing on its deck and stretching into the sky. On these poles were stretched giant skins that caught the wind and propelled the vessel across the water. The men told Kray they had heard of such vessels that brought Spanish white men to villages far to the south, but they had never seen one. The canoe was reported to have sailed toward the mouth of the river which ran beneath the bluff. The men hoped the great vessel would continue upriver, and had decided to wait on the bluff to see this great sight and to provide protection for their village if the men on the canoe proved to be hostile. The excitement of the Yamacraw braves was contagious, and Kray desired to see this giant canoe for himself and perhaps bring the story of meeting white men back to his village. But he also wanted to be on his quest to kill a giant alligator, and was particularly excited now that he was wearing a powerful talisman made of teeth taken from one of the beasts by a great brave. Touching the necklace with his fingertips, the boy knew this new talisman would bring him victory. He decided to hunt the alligator first, then return to the Yamacraw triumphant from his battle and take the time to see the giant canoe.

  He said his farewells to the Yamacraw warriors and proceeded north according to their directions to a large swamp a day’s journey from the bluff overlooking the river. It was dusk when he arrived in the described area. As he waded through knee-deep water in the waning light, the boy could hear grunts nearby which were similar to the noises the warriors had mimicked as alligator sounds. Several times he heard great splashes in the water. On one occasion the splash was so near he could feel the water displaced around his legs. Not wishing to face one of the evil beasts in the water and in the dark, he moved quickly onto an area of higher ground and built a large fire to keep the beasts at bay. Night sounds in the swamp were far different from those he knew at home, and it was with no small amount of fear that he sat through the night with his back against a gnarled, old cypress tree with large roots that extended to his right and left. Protected on three sides, he watched with wide eyes for any beast that might attack from the front. At some point sleep overtook him.

  Kray awoke an hour after dawn to an unfamiliar mewling noise that seemed to be coming from behind the cypress tree. Before moving, the boy looked all around the part of his tiny island he could see for any evidence of danger. Seeing none, he slowly and quietly arose and peeked around the tree. His eyes widened as he saw four alligators lying on the bank parallel to each other facing the water on the far side of his island. The term ‘far side’ is misleading, for the entire island was less that twenty-five feet across, and much of that diameter was taken up with the large base of the cypress tree. The beasts were of medium size, at least according to what the Yamacraw had told him. The largest of them was not more than ten feet long, shorter that the skin the old man had brought back to the Ocmulgee shaman many years before. Kray wanted his victory to be over the largest of the beasts, something the people of his village would sing about for generations. The boy realized he must chase these unworthy beasts away before he could begin his hunt for the giant alligator, and he decided without much thought that a direct attack would be the best. Without hesitation, he screamed a warrior’s cry and swung his spear as he charged the animals, all of which were facing away from him. In only four long strides he had advanced to a point between the tails of the middle two. They had been resting so close together that their attempts to turn and snap at him were hindered by the adjacent beasts. The two on the outside quickly gave up their defense and slid into the water. As the alligator on the boy’s immediate left began to move into the swamp, the one on his right swung his mighty tail and knocked Kray onto his back. The beast quickly turned and charged the boy with a roar and an open mouth filled with many sharp teeth. Kray had managed to hold onto his spear when he fell, and he jabbed the point into the snout of the alligator. The jab did little damage, but the animal must have felt pain, for it immediately halted its attack and glared at the boy through its evil, reptilian eyes for a long moment before backing into the water. For what seemed like several minutes the beast remained submerged except for those evil eyes
, which remained just above the water as they continued to stare at the boy.

  Kray suddenly screamed in pain. He had been so mesmerized by the hypnotic stare of the eyes protruding from the swamp that he had failed to notice the alligator creeping up behind him. Perhaps his talisman, the necklace given him by the Yamacraw brave, had protected him, for the beast that bit into his left arm with incredible strength was only an adolescent, less than four feet long, with the same evil eyes as its elders but without the strength or the skill to defeat an Ocmulgee Indian brave. Kray’s immediate reaction was to throw mud into the small alligator’s eyes. It was enough to make the animal release his arm and back away. Kray stood, now watching in all directions for more attacks. He removed his hunting knife from its sheaf and cut away several inches of the soft deerskin from one leg of his breeches. The boy grimaced as he did so, not from pain, but from the realization that his mother had spent hours making the breeches for him and she would be saddened by his destruction of her work. Perhaps she would be understanding when she knew he was binding the wounds from his battle against evil swamp beasts with the swatch of skin from her creation.

  Kray rekindled his fire and spent much of the day performing the warriors’ ritual he had been taught by the tribal shaman. The ceremony called upon the spirits of his ancestors and gods recognized by the Ocmulgee to strengthen and protect him during the upcoming battle. The boy was certain that with the help of his own tribal spirits in combination with the necklace given him by the Yamacraw tribesman he could prevail against any enemy. While he believed in and depended upon the spirits, he also kept an eye on the swamp throughout the ritual, depending upon his own skills to fight off any attackers. The only doubt in his mind was emphasized by the throbbing of the wound where the small alligator had bitten him. If a baby beast could do that, what would a greater evil be able to do?

  As if the vile alligator gods knew the boy’s intent, it was in the late afternoon when the swamp was still lit by the sun but shadows of the large cypress trees were longer than the trees themselves that a great splash and roar was heard near Kray’s little island. Alligator eyes emerged from the water all around the island, glaring his way as if in anticipation of some great event. In the distance the boy could see a giant animal swimming his way and watched in awe as the gauntlet of beasts encircling his island parted in deferential fashion to allow the monster to approach. The creature was as long as three men were tall. Its back was wide and covered with rough, green armor that, to Kray, looked impervious to any spear or arrow. Its large eyes were green and yellow, with a vertical black elliptical slit in the center. The eyes bespoke an evil greater than anything the boy had ever imagined. He shook off a chill and prepared for battle. After firing two arrows and watching them ineffectually bounce off of the armor, Kray discarded his bow and stood tall at the edge of his island awaiting the beast’s arrival while holding his spear in one hand and his knife in the other.

  The alligator rushed onto the island with speed greater than Kray had imagined was possible for a beast its size. The boy extended his spear and jabbed the creature in the snout, causing it to stop momentarily and shake its head. A few drops of blood dripped from one of its nostrils. The giant did not back up, but turned to one side and lashed out at Kray with its massive tail, sweeping the boy’s legs out from under him. As Kray lay stunned on the ground the creature charged at him, mouth open for a quick kill. Seconds before the sharp teeth would have sliced into his torso, the beast’s fetid breath brought the boy to full awareness. He reflexively stuck his arm into the creature’s mouth while holding his knife with the blade pointed upward. The knife was over a foot long, and as the alligator attempted to close its powerful jaws the blade sliced into the roof of its mouth, causing the beast to open wide and back away with a roar of pain and anger.

  Alligators around the island had moved closer, with several of them taking tentative steps onto the shore. The giant beast roared a warning while shaking its large head back and forth until the phalanx of smaller animals moved back into the swamp. The great beast turned its attention back to Kray, staring sullenly at the boy for several minutes and watching closely as he stood tall and grasped his spear with both hands. The alligator suddenly charged, roaring with mouth opened wide while racing toward its prey. Kray had always remembered the old man’s tale about killing his alligator with a spear thrust into its mouth, and braced himself to do the same to this beast as it charged. When the beast was only a few yards away, Kray began his own charge with his own roar as he aimed the point of his spear toward the giant. The boy’s spear was fully five feet long, and surprise was apparent in his eyes when all but a few inches of the shaft penetrated into and beyond the beast’s mouth. Kray withdrew his hands as the animal began to close and watched as its sharp teeth snapped off the short portion of the shaft that protruded beyond the incisors. He could not know that the spear tip had penetrated deep enough to puncture the great animal’s heart, and that the hate exuding from the beast’s eyes was the result of its vision of the boy who had brought about the end of its life.

  The beast breathed its last while half in and half out of the swamp. Kray carefully watched the water all around his island, looking for other alligators that might charge him to avenge the death of the one that must have been their leader. To his surprise, the swamp was empty. Total silence reigned, with even birds and small creatures of the swamp standing quiet, apparently paying homage to the death of the monster. He sat on his haunches and watched the giant for a long time to be certain it was dead. Evening shadows were turning to dusk, and the boy decided to drag the monster completely out of the water before rebuilding his fire for light and beginning the process of skinning the beast. He had not even thought to consider that the great animal weighed well over a thousand pounds, but quickly found he was incapable of dragging the dead weight even a slight distance. Ever the pragmatist, he turned his attention to finding wood and building up his fire while he considered the problems of skinning a prize of such size and weight.

  Just before darkness engulfed the swamp Kray heard a nearby shout. He peered into the shadows of the swamp for several minutes before seeing a group of men slowly approaching his island. The boy’s hand reflexively grasped the hilt of his knife while watching the group, but after only a moment he recognized them as the group of Yamacraw warriors he had met on the river bluff. One raised a hand in greeting and Kray returned the gesture before motioning for them to join him. Kray recognized all but one of the seven men who waded onto the small island, an older man who wore a headdress of eagle feathers and elaborate arm bands that seemed to have been made of silver and gold. He carried with him a long spear, possibly seven feet in length, which Kray assumed was a ceremonial token of some kind due to the elaborate decoration of the shaft with more eagle feathers, silver and gold, as well as painted designs.

  The men stood in a line facing Kray for several silent minutes until the old man nodded to the brave standing next to him. Utilizing their makeshift language, the warrior explained that the older man was their tribal chief. When he had heard of the Ocmulgee boy’s intent to battle with an alligator, the chief had insisted he travel with a group to observe this brave young warrior as he fought the beast. They had hidden in shadows not far from Kray’s island and watched the entire epoch battle. The chief nodded to the group once more, prompting each of the warriors to kneel before the boy and remove knives from their scabbards to place at the feet of the boy. The warrior who spoke for the group explained that they were paying a great honor to the boy who had proved his bravery and his status as a great warrior. The Yamacraw would sing of this day and this great warrior for many generations. When the warrior stopped speaking, the chief stepped forward and held out the ceremonial spear to Kray. The warriors had not been expecting this gesture, and each of them gasped with surprise and watched with eyes wide and mouths opened as the boy stood motionless for a moment before reaching out to take the spear. The chief reached out and placed a hand on the
boy’s shoulder before speaking a few words Kray did not understand. He then smiled and stepped back into line with the other braves.

  Kray looked at the group’s spokesman, who was still shocked into silence at what had just transpired. Finally the chief barked a monosyllabic command, causing the spokesman to focus his vision on Kray. He slowly explained that the chief of their tribe was viewed by their people almost at a level with the gods. He never approached anyone as he had just done to Kray; rather, he commanded his subjects to approach him. He never spoke directly to others, but had braves to speak for him. He never ever intentionally touched a warrior, and the warrior had never heard him offer words such as he had just spoken directly to the boy. “The chief said your bravery exceeds any he has ever seen. He said you are beyond a man, beyond a warrior. He said he does not know your people, but he knows if you are anything less than a chief among them, they are fools. He says that among the Yamacraw you will forever be known as a chief, an equal to himself, and that your name will forever be held in the highest honor among our people.” The spokesman said that he, personally, was stunned at the chief’s actions, but agreed completely with his sentiments. He explained that two of their group would accompany the chief back to their village and the other four, including himself, would remain to help Kray manage the great weight of the beast while skinning it and bringing it back to the Yamacraw village for the people to see. The warriors would then help the boy transport the great beast, along with the ceremonial spear and a great story of bravery, back to his own village.

  It was two days before Kray and his Yamacraw friends made it back to the village. A great feast had been planned to celebrate the new warrior’s great courage and the Yamacraw chief’s recognition of a new chief in their midst. With Kray’s permission, the warriors had taken many pounds of meat from the alligator’s massive tail and brought it to the village to be prepared as part of the gala. During the revelry a runner came into the village bearing news that the great canoe which had been spotted several days before had finally entered the mouth of the river and was slowly working its way upstream in their direction. Kray’s party was brought to a close sooner than the boy chief might have desired so most of the villagers could travel to the bluff to see this great sight.