The Thinking Rocks

by Butkus, C. Allan

  They were interrupted by shouts from the leader. He had seen the young man returning with the woman. She appeared to be about Gennos's age and had long dark hair, which fell, down her back. Her only clothing was a breechcloth. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she was a female. Even though she was smeared with mud and her hair was tangled, she stood tall. The younger man had tied her hands together and there was a leather noose around her neck. He jerked on the noose harder than necessary, and pulled her toward the fire. She had to keep her hands to her throat to keep from being choked.

  The tall man rose quickly and stalked over to the younger man, said something and then hit him in the face with his right hand. The younger man said something and was rewarded with another blow. He didn't respond again, he stood still awaiting the next blow. The girl stood silently watching. The tall man said something again and motioned toward where they were tied. The younger man pulled her roughly along behind, as he approached the place where the other captives were tied. He gave a jerk on the leather loop that sent her sprawling to the ground at his feet. She hit the ground heavily. It was apparent that she had been hurt, but she fought back a sob. She said something to the young man and was rewarded with a kick in the side, which knocked her over. He tied her to the tree with the others, and then started to turn toward his fire.

  Gennos called out to the younger man, "Why are we tied up like this? We've come in peace. Who are you?"

  The younger man looked at him questioningly, but didn't respond. He looked again at the girl and said something. She responded with a few short words. He looked at Gennos once again, murmured something that they couldn't understand and walked back toward his own fire.

  Gennos smiled at the girl and asked, "Who are you?"

  She looked at him for a long moment before answering. She was able to free one hand enough to touch her chest, and then she said, "Na’pe". She turned her head, in a questioning manner, pointed toward Gennos with two fingers out and the palm of her hand upward, but remained silent.

  Gennos understood immediately, "Gennos", he tried to duplicate her hand gesture, but he was tied too tightly. He was rewarded by a shy smile for the girl.

  Gennos nodded toward Cano, and said, "Cano".

  She looked over at him, smiled, then touched her chest and said "Na’pe". She pointed to Cano and said "Cano".

  Cano smiled back and nodded toward Dola, "Dola" he said.

  She looked at the boy, smiled and touched her chest and said "Na’pe", then pointed to Dola and said "Dola".

  They were interrupted by the tall man's appearance. He swaggered up and said something that no one could understand, except possibly the girl. When he was greeted with silence, he kicked dirt at them then banged his chest and said "Lomasi". He stood there glaring at them for a moment, and then he turned around and walked back to the others in his group. As he approached the group he said something and everyone laughed.

  Gennos looked over at the girl and said "Lomasi" in a quiet voice and then spit on the ground. The girl nodded, and then she also spit on the ground.

  In the next few hours they learned, by gesture and pointing at different objects that they could communicate in a very basic way. The tall man was the leader and was named Lomasi, the man with a cut head was Lork, the other man was Hopi, and the young man was Morf. They were members of a clan that was up river from here, it was called the Clan of the Long Arm.

  Na'pe was able by gestures to explain that she was their prisoner and been stolen from her clan. She lived far downstream on the banks of the Mother's River.

  Gennos was intrigued, he gestured that he thought this river was a big river

  Na’pe frowned and shook her head, she motioned that her river was much larger and much wider.

  Enemy campground

  The captives spent the night tied to a gnarled tree near the river. Their captors had tied them to the tree in such a way that they could not reach the knots on their bonds, or any of the other captives’ bonds.

  Finally morning came and Morf came over and untied Na'pe's hands, and then he had her put a noose around her neck. Then holding the other end of the noose, he led her back to the campfire so that she could prepare food for her captors.

  When he woke up, Cano's head was sore and he was stiff from being tied up. He looked over at his brother and nodded then looked around until he found Dola. He was lying on his side and appeared to be still asleep.

  Gennos spoke first, "Well, we found out if these people were friendly or not."

  Cano frowned, "We made a bad mistake this time. Next time, if there is a next time, we will have to be a little more careful." He thought for a moment before continuing, "I have a hard time understanding these people. It's hard enough to stay alive. There are many ways that we can meet death. Now we find that we have to fear our own kind. It doesn't seem right. We did them no harm.”

  Gennos kept his eyes on their captors near the campfire as he spoke, "I know what you mean brother. We came in peace; we brought them food, even if it was their kill. We aren't a threat to them. But, I'll tell you something you already know; they are a threat to us."

  Cano nodded toward the fire, "They seem to think they can do what they want because they attacked and captured us. We will have a hard time with these men. From what Na'pe told us they are used to doing things the way they want to. We are going to have to try to use that against them. She said they take those who are captured back to their clan and use them as they please. If we are going to escape, we have to do it before we get there."

  Gennos said, "You are right. If the rest of the people at their clan are like these men, I don't want to meet them. They seem to enjoy hurting people, and even each other." He hesitated before continuing. "We will have to plan on how we will escape. They will watch us closely. I think we should act like we are afraid of them and that we have given up."

  Cano smiled at his brother, "I'm sure I won't have any trouble looking like I'm afraid of them, they scare me. I know when I'm around something dangerous. We can watch them and find how they do things. When the time comes, we will have to move fast."

  "I think that you are right," said Gennos, "We learn what they do and how they do it. We look frightened and do what they say. We must avoid trouble if we can. They must believe they have control and that we are no threat."

  Cano looked over at Dola who had been quietly listening. "You try to stay out of the way, we don't want you to get hurt," he said.

  Dola said, "I might be able to get them if I get the chance. I'll watch them and see what I can do."

  Cano replied swiftly, "Don't, and I really mean it, don't do anything that will get you in trouble. We will plan together. We need your help. What we don't need is to have you hurt or dead. We have to trick these men. They must think that they are in control. If we have to crawl before them, then that is what we will do. When we escape, they will be the fools." He looked into Dola's eyes for a long moment before continuing, "You are member of our Clan, and we work together. They will learn that their ways are not the same as our ways. What we are going to do is show them our ways are better than their ways. Do you think you can play a fool for a while?"

  Dola answered quickly, "Yes I can do it, I'll watch you and see how it's done." He looked over at Gennos and smiled.

  Gennos looked over at Cano to see his reaction to the comment, "Brother, I'm sure he belongs in our Clan."

  Cano tried to appear angry, but his eyes gave him away. "After we are free I think I will take the time to throw somebody in the river."

  Gennos kept his eyes on the campfire as he spoke, "Na'pe can help us learn to speak the way they do. She knows these men and the way they do things. I think we should avoid letting them know we understand what they mean. We may have to accept some punishment for not understanding what they say."

  "I think you are right." Cano said. "She knows the way back to her clan, she can help plan an escape, and she will be good to have her along after we escape." He thought for
a moment before adding, "We know what the river is like upstream, we can talk to Na'pe later and plan our escape."

  "Don't forget brother, our captors know the river up stream too; they live up that way."

  Cano answered, "Good thinking, we should plan as best we can, and act when we have the chance."

  Gennos spoke quietly and kept his eyes down, "Lomasi is coming this way, its time to begin pretending we have given up."

  When Lomasi was several paces away, he called out loudly to them.

  The captives turned as far as their bonds would permit, but they all kept their eyes down.

  Lomasi walked over to where Dola was tied, looked at him for a moment before removing a rawhide noose from his carrying pouch. He spoke harshly to Dola and put the noose around his neck. He then untied his hands and motioned for him to rise. Dola was slow in obeying and Lomasi gave a strong jerk on the rawhide and sent him sprawling. Lomasi spoke again, and Dola scrambled to his feet before he could be jerked down again.

  Lomasi's face changed slightly, it was probably as close to a smile as he ever got. He pulled Dola along over toward the fire. It was apparent that he was enjoying the power he had over the boy. Soon Dola was helping Na'pe near the fire.

  Hopi came over to the brothers and stared down at them contemptuously. He motioned for Gennos to stand.

  Gennos tried to stand but couldn’t because of his bonds. He nodded to Hopi and said, "The straps are too short, and I can't stand."

  Hopi looked at him questioningly and then motioned him to sit. He then took a rawhide noose out of his carrying pouch as Lomasi had done, and tossed it to Gennos.

  Gennos caught it, opened the loop and with some difficulty, and slid it over his head .He kept his head and eyes down as he tossed the end back to Hopi.

  Hopi moved forward and untied the strips that held Gennos to the tree. He stepped back and said something as he gave a jerk on the rawhide.

  Gennos stood and moved forward with his eyes downcast. He was the perfect model of a captive with no spirit.

  Hopi took him down to the river’s edge, where some fishing tackle was scattered on the ground. He motioned for Gennos to start fishing.

  Gennos noticed that there were some fly covered scraps of deer intestine. He turned to Hopi and held up his hands so that they could be untied.

  Hopi motioned “No”. He pointed toward the river and pushed Gennos roughly forward.

  Lomasi had come up behind Hopi and said something that caused Hopi alarm. Lomasi walked up to Gennos and stared at his deformed leg. He said something to Hopi and turned quickly toward Gennos and kicked him in his bad leg. Gennos fell heavily to the ground and then slipped in the mud as he tried to rise. His tormenter grabbed the end of the noose that Hopi held and jerked it violently, causing Gennos to be pulled down into the mud once again. He wasn't done yet; he dragged him along the riverbank, turned and dragged him back again. He didn't speak at all, but the look on his face spoke volumes about the type of man he was.

  Gennos had managed to get his fingers between the noose and his neck before it could be pulled too tight. He was covered with mud and humiliated, but he wasn't seriously hurt. But he did have to fight to control his emotions. He wanted to choke the life out of his tormentor, but instead he rolled on the ground pretending to gag. He didn't have to act much to portray the roll of a beaten powerless captive. He kept his head down and avoided eye contact.

  Lomasi was enjoying himself. He stepped forward and raised the strap to strike. Gennos raised his hands to protect his face from the blow. Lomasi lowered the strap and said something to Gennos in a soft voice. Gennos looked up; trying to understand what had been said. Like a snake Lomasi struck. The strap cut across his face, drawing a line of blood. He tightened the noose and pulled Gennos's face up next to his. With his free hand he wiped some of the blood from Gennos's cut, held it up, and then licked it from his fingers as Gennos watched. He then hissed something and pushed Gennos's face away from him. Gennos fell back into the mud.

  Lomasi said something to Hopi, which appeared to frighten him; he backed up a step as Lomasi spoke. The leader raised his hand to strike Hopi, but he paused and then lowered his hand and stalked away without another word. Hopi gave an audible sigh of relief before turning to Gennos and motioning him to start fishing.

  Gennos knelt and took a gouge from the ground. It was a sharp piece of straight bone splinter with a groove in the center. Tying a rawhide line to the center of the gouge he baited the primitive hook with deer intestine. He checked it for tightness, and then he cast it out into the river. It had barely settled in the water before there was a splash and he had a fish hooked. He pulled it to shore quickly, and removed the gouge. He tossed the silver fish up on the bank where it flopped futilely. He quickly baited the hook again and cast it into the water. He lost the next two fish, but he got three after that. He cast some quick glances at Hopi who was sitting in the shade watching him fish. It was apparent that he would be fishing all day.

  Cano had been watching what was going on at the riverbank. He had been infuriated when his brother was being beaten; he had tried to break his bonds, but had only succeeded in making them tighter. He marveled at his brother's self control. He hoped when his turn came he would be able to do as well. He could feel anger swelling inside of his chest. It was a strange feeling and he didn't like it. He knew that if they were to escape they would have to follow their plan. He had his doubts about being able to control himself. Knowing what you should do is one thing he thought, but being able to do it was something else.

  He noticed that Lomasi was coming over toward him; it's my turn now he thought. Lomasi silently placed a noose around Cano's neck. Cano kept his eyes down and tried to appear frightened, he found it wasn’t hard to pretend. He was led over to the fire where Na'pe and Dola where working. They were making baskets out of strips of river grass; Na'pe's fingers seemed to fly as she wove the baskets. Dola was working on one also, but he was slow. Lomasi spoke to Na'pe and pointed toward the river where the tall grass grew. She nodded understanding, and then motioned to Cano. After repeated motions and words he understood that they were going to the river's marsh and collect the grass for more baskets.

  Cano was intrigued with the idea of making the baskets from grass. His people had only used hides to make containers to carry things. The baskets that Na'pe and Dola had been making looked like they would be difficult make. But the more he thought about it, the easier they appeared. Dola was working quickly to avoid Lomasi's anger.

  Na'pe kept her head down, but motioned toward where Lomasi was standing and cutting the leaves from a willow branch, he was making a switch. "Beware, he will hurt you. Soon," she said in a soft voice.

  She had barely uttered the words when Lomasi came over and hit Cano across the shoulders with the switch. It sent a shaft of pain through his body and he wanted to snatch the switch away and beat him with it. Instead he let out a whimper and fell to his knees. Lomasi stepped forward and struck him repeatedly across the face and shoulders. Cano had to fight to control his emotions and not attack. He fell down on his side and continued to whimper. Dola was behind Lomasi and was having a hard time controlling himself; he wanted to come to the aid of Cano. He started to pick up a burning branch from the fire to strike Lomasi. From the ground Cano saw what he was going to do and called out, "No, No, please No!" Lomasi thought that he was begging for mercy and struck him again. Dola understood and dropped to the ground with his head lowered, he sat there shaking with frustration.

  Lomasi tired of beating Cano and slowly lowered the switch. He snarled at the three captives and motioned toward the river. Na'pe motioned to Cano, come. He rose timidly to his feet, keeping his eyes down. He moved forward with a shuffling pace. It was easier to talk about being a timid captive than to play the part. He had to keep his eyes down; if Lomasi could look into them he would see the hate and determination he felt.

  Lomasi forced the captives toward the river and into the marsh. He carried
his switch in one hand and his throwing spears in the other. They all still had nooses around their necks, but Lomasi didn't bother with them. He had his spears and they all knew it would be futile to try and escape.

  They worked until the sun was starting to set and then they were forced to carry the bundles of grass back to the camp. It was hot work and they only had the water from the river to drink. They had not had any food to eat since they were captured. Finally they had gathered enough suitable grass to satisfy Lomasi and he signaled that they were to return to camp.

  When they were about halfway back to the camp, they came to a stand of trees that had branches hanging over the path. Na'pe was in the lead and was followed by Dola, and finally by Cano who has in front of Lomasi. The captives passed under the branches without incident, but as Lomasi approached, a large black and green snake dropped out of one of the trees directly into his path. It landed in a squirming mass that quickly coiled and raised its flat triangular shaped head toward Lomasi. Its lifeless black eyes bored holes in him as it flicked its tongue in his direction. Lomasi shrieked in fear and jumped back before tripping over a rotten log and falling to the ground. Unfortunately for him there was a nest of smaller snakes in the rotten log and they tried to slither to safety. In their haste to escape they crawled all over him, he kicked and tried to push them away, he screamed at them. Lomasi was fortunate in that the nest did not hold poisoned snakes, but he lost control of his bladder and wet himself. By the time he regained his feet, the snake that had dropped out of the tree was gone. All there was to testify to the event was the rustle of the leaves as the rest of the snakes made their escape.

  The captives heard his exclamations as he fell and they saw the snakes crawling over him. They were surprised and didn't move. Na'pe was the first to recover; she looked to Cano and motioned with her hand toward the deep brush ahead, "Go?" Cano quickly thought about their chances of escaping now, he rejected the idea because they had no plan and Lomasi would easily be able to hunt them down. They would be better off if they played the part of subdued captives. He looked at her and shook his head no; then he spoke in a low voice, "Not yet." She seemed on the verge of bolting off alone, but then she nodded and stood still with her head down.