The Thinking Rocks

by Butkus, C. Allan

  The turtle must have realized that it was getting farther away from the safety of the water, so it spun around and started scuttling toward the river. Cano was amazed at how fast the turtle could move on land, it appeared clumsy, but it covered ground quickly. Cano dropped his spear and lunged forward and grabbed the turtle's tail; it was relatively long and provided a good grip. At first it ignored the added weight and kept moving toward the water, dragging him along. Then, without warning, it spun around and struck again. This time its beak shaped mouth nicked his hand and almost caught his thumb. He released the tail and rolled away. The turtle headed for the water again. Cano looked at the blood on his hand, took a deep breath, and thought,’ this might not have been such a good idea after all.’ He hesitated only a moment and then launched himself after the turtle. This was now a battle of wills. This turtle was not going to escape, he thought. He got a good grip on the tail and a hind leg. He twisted and used all of his strength to drag the turtle to the side and then he rolled the turtle on to its back before it could get into a position where it could bite him. The turtle was big and turtles don't get this big without learning how to survive. It first moved its heavily clawed feet around trying to get a grip on something in order to roll itself over. Nothing was close enough to help it. Next, it stretched its neck out as far as it could and then turned its head back so that its chin was on the ground. It arched its neck and pulled its legs in on one side, slowly and with difficulty it started to turn itself over again. It had almost made it when Cano rushed forward and rolled it onto its back again. It hissed and struck, Cano again smelled the foul stench that came from the turtle. He moved back and took a deep breath. The turtle started to roll over again. Cano knew that he couldn't keep pushing the turtle over; he had to do something quickly. He retrieved his spear and as the turtle stretched its neck out again, he drove his spear at it. Because of the turtles speed he missed again and the turtle was able to get a good bite on the spear shaft. Cano tried to pull the spear free, but the turtle refused to let go. Cano heard a cracking noise and the turtle bit through the spear shaft; it spit the shaft out and turned its head toward him hissing. It looked at him with black beady eyes, as if to say "You Next". Cano stepped back and then looked down at his broken spear. How do I kill it now? He thought. The turtle tried to turn itself over again by stretching its neck out. Cano had an idea; he drove the spear shaft into the ground near the turtle's head. It struck with lightning like speed and got a deathlike grip on the shaft. Cano pried the shaft away from the turtle and in so doing; he stretched the turtle's neck out farther. The turtle refused to release its hold on the shaft. Cano held the spear shaft in the ground with one hand and then pulled out his Canohawk. He swung it down with all of his might and was rewarded with the sound of a bone breaking. The turtle refused even then to release the spear shaft. Cano struck repeatedly until he had chopped the turtle's head completely off. The head still didn't release the shaft. The turtle's life blood pumped out onto the ground. The clawed feet continued to thrash ineffectively. It was dead, but it didn't seem to know it.

  Cano looked down at the turtle. He was glad to have it, the meat should be good and there was a lot of it. It was much heavier than he was. It would feed them for many days. The problem now, how to get it back to camp. He looked around for some vines so that he could tie it and the drag it back to camp. He walked a short distance up stream and then turned and walked down stream, but he couldn't find any suitable vines. He sat down next to the headless turtle that was still trying to swim its way to safety, upside down. He looked around at the tall grass; it would be good for making baskets. Then he had an idea; he could weave some of the grass together as Na'pe had showed them. Instead of making a basket, he made a long strand of twisted grass. When he tested it he found it too weak. He didn't give up; the idea was a good one. He kept trying different patterns of weaving until he found one that was strong enough. He then found that by braiding several of them together he had something that would work. It took some time, but finally he had enough of it to be able to tie it to the turtle.

  He retrieved his broken spear and saw that the turtle's head still had a death grip on it. The head was so heavy that it was difficult to lift. He started to see if he could pry the head off the shaft, but then he had an idea. I'll leave it there, its proof of how dangerous the turtle was. Then another thought came. This was another lesson from the Great Spirit. I have started to forget what I was taught, he thought. He sat silently thinking for sometime. The turtle had wanted to live as much as I wanted it dead. Its death was a struggle for survival. Even after it was killed it refused to accept its own death, it kept trying to escape. He looked down at the futilely swimming turtle. Still it was trying to return to its life. He knelt and placed his hand on the turtle's shell, being careful to avoid the clawed feet. "I thank you for your life and for the lesson you have given me. I shall remember, and honor the memory of you," Cano said. He started to rise, but hesitated. "I too shall not give up, I will keep trying.” He then rose, and moved away from the dying giant.

  Next, he located the spear point that had been bitten off and tucked it carefully into his loincloth. He took the braided grass in one hand and the spear in the other and started to drag the turtle back to camp. It was difficult and he soon found that it was easier if he tied the grass rope around the spear shaft. Then he was able to drag the shell along without his hands being cut by the grass. He found that by pulling the turtle through wet grass and shallow water, the turtle shell slid easily over the mud and grass. The only problem he had was when he tried to cross a deeper stretch of water. The turtle somehow righted its self and tried to swim away. Cano was startled, but managed to drag it back to land. It was difficult to believe that a headless turtle would try to swim away. He smiled to himself; he could see trying to convince Gennos that a dead turtle swam away.

  When he was half way back to camp Cano was questioning the wisdom of killing the big turtle. Next time I'll go for something lighter, he thought.

  When he reached camp he was breathing heavily. Na'pe got excited about the turtle. Cano had given her one of the small spearheads he had found in the cave and she used it to cut out the turtle from its shell. She called to Gennos and asked him to gather some green wood stakes so that she could cook the meat. When he deposited an armload of them at her feet, she gave him a dazzling smile for his work. She soon had juicy pieces of turtle steak roasting over the fire. When she had that done, she also placed smaller pieces on short stakes and rocks near the fire to dry them.

  Cano sat down and looked around the camp. The smell of the fire and the roasting meat made him feel good. The river could be heard softy running by and there was a slight breeze that blew the tall grass in slow waves. The danger from Lomasi seemed to be slipping away as the days passed. He looked around for Dola, but he was not to be seen. When he asked Na'pe about him she just pointed upstream, but she kept working on the turtle shell. Cano settled back and relaxed. It was a good day to be alive.

  Meanwhile upstream, Dola and the fearful frog killer Whiteface were gathering their share of the group's food. He let Whiteface keep any of the frogs she caught. To be truthful, when she got a frog she quickly devoured it. He didn't want to take the chance of getting bit in a dispute over a frog.

  Whiteface was tracking an elusive frog and Dola was wading through a stand of thick rushes when he saw a nest of water bird eggs near a tall dead tree. He moved toward them quickly, but still he watched the waters in order to avoid any snakes that might be near. He had just reached the nest when the dead tree came to life. It charged him with a blood chilling squawking hiss. He leaped back, but the tree had suddenly changed into a long beaked water bird. It was taller than he was and it came straight for his eyes. He threw up his arms, but the bird had the element of surprise on his side and it was incredibly fast. Its razor sharp beak missed his eye, but cut a deep furrow in his cheek. He knew he was cut, but he felt no pain. The bird struck again, the beak got him in the
chest and the bird nipped off a small piece of flesh. Dola stumbled back trying to get away from the flashing beak; he drew his hand across his cheek and found blood. His feet became entangled in the swamp grass and he fell. The bird continued its attack. Dola rolled over and tried to crawl away, the bird attacked the back of his head and shoulders. The bird seemed to be everywhere with its stabbing beak and flapping wings. He continued to try and roll away so that he could reach his spear, but the bird was too fast. Suddenly there was a flash of black and the bird stopped attacking. Dola saw Whiteface attacking the bird. It was almost comical if it wasn't so serious. The small wolf barked and lunged at the bird that towered above her. The water hampered her movements but she carried on the attack. Rushing in and then charging away before the lightning-like beak could find her. The water was a help for the bird. Its thin legs moved without restriction, conversely the little wolf was slowed by it. This did nothing to slow her attack; what she lacked in size she made up in noise and confusion.

  Dola was able to locate his spear and charged at the bird. He came at the bird from the side, and the bird leaped away with a flap of its wings. Suddenly there was silence, the bird looked from side to side at its attackers, and the little wolf looked to Dola. He took a breath and decided that the best way to finish this fight was by using his spear, but before he could draw back to hurl it, the bird made its move.

  The bird wanted no part of fighting two foes at the same time. It looked from one to the other and then leapt into the air with a flapping of its huge wings. Dola started to throw his spear, but stopped for fear of loosing it in the tall grass. He had enough trouble without having to explain how he lost his spear.

  Silence again settled on the area. Whiteface waded over to Dola and rubbed against his legs. Kneeling down Dola patted her head. "You are a good wolf, you helped me. I will not forget." He leaned down and picked up the small wolf, she started licking the blood from his face; soon she had cleaned the wound. Gently he set her back down. Although his face and chest hurt it was his pride that was hurt the most. He shook his head; Cano gets scars from a bear and a mammoth. What do I get? Pecked in the face by a bird, he thought. Even then, a small wolf saves me. I will have to work on this story before I'll be able to tell of it at the campfire. Still shaking his head he waded over to the nest and gathered the eggs and then headed back toward camp.

  Before he reached camp Cano came rushing toward him, weapons in hand. "Are you all right? I heard noise and thought you might be in trouble." He noticed Dola's cheek, which was bleeding again. "What happened?"

  "It is nothing. I had a little trouble, but I'm all right." Dola was embarrassed and didn't want to talk about his encounter.

  Cano wasn't going to be put off with an answer like that. "There was much noise and now you return to camp bleeding. Tell me what happened; was it a bear or a gator that you fought with?"

  Dola knew that sooner or later he would have to tell what had happened. "It was a bird that cut me. It was hidden and I didn't see it until it attacked me. It was a big bird and Whiteface saved me. When I got my spear it flew away." He could see the disbelief on Cano's face fade into a smile. "Really, it was a bird that did it, a really big bird," Dola said.

  Cano smiled as he started to understand, "I understand, a big bird bit you and the little wolf chased it away."

  Dola started on toward camp, "I don't want to talk about it now."

  Cano followed him toward camp, "I think I understand, it was a very big bird."

  By the time they reached camp, Cano was in the lead. He called to Gennos and Na'pe, "Dola is all right. The noise that we heard was Dola fighting with a bird. He said it was a very big bird and Whiteface helped chase it away. She probably saved his life. He doesn't want to talk about it so please don't ask for details." Cano was almost doubled over with laughter by the time he had finished. Although, they weren't sure of what the joke was, both Gennos and Na'pe were smiling too.

  Dola went over to the fire and gave Na'pe the eggs and the frogs he had caught. Then he moved off by himself and sat with the little wolf at his feet.

  He didn't know it at the time, but this was the first time in history anyone had received a Hidden Bird Scar, for valor in a fight.

  On Dark Waters

  ‘It had been a good day,’ Cano thought. They all had the chance to relax after days poling and paddling the dugouts. The weather was hot. But they had food and water, and an occasional breeze helped cool them. There were tall large leafed trees which provided relief from the sun.

  Gennos had found some river clams near where they were camped. Na'pe showed him how to open the clams with a small sharp stick. They had a strong smell and were quite small; there wasn't much in one to eat. The only real advantage that they had was that there were many of them around. The shells were sharp and they had to be careful when wading to avoid being cut. Na'pe piled the empty shells near the fire for some future use.

  Gennos had returned to the river and caught several large fish. After cleaning them he brought them to Na'pe who was working at the fire. She arranged the fish on stakes of green wood near the fire, so that they would dry out.

  Na'pe had taken time to find some roots near the riverbank that were good to eat. She had washed them and then slit the coarse outer skin off to reveal the tender white flesh inside. She chopped these into short lengths and piled them near the fire.

  Dola and the little wolf had returned from exploring and were lying near the fire. Dola was cleaning the frogs he had speared and Whiteface was waiting for her share of the hunt. As each frog's legs were removed, the rest of the frog was given to the wolf. She sat to the side worrying the growing pile of frog bodies. She was also working on developing her wolf growls. Na'pe had given Whiteface the turtle’s tail and a fragment of the shell. All in all, the little wolf was content with her pack.

  Cano was sitting across the fire from Gennos, "This has been a good day, and we needed food and rest."

  Gennos smiled back at his brother, but didn't answer him. Instead he turned to Na'pe and said, "Did you enjoy the day?"

  Smiling back she answered, "It was almost like being back with my clan. I thank you both. No, that isn't right," she paused for a moment. “I thank you all," she said as she looked over at Dola. "I didn't dare hope that I could escape and return to my people." Pausing again she thought for a moment, "You are different from my people, but when we get to my clan, I'm sure you will like us." She hesitated again staring into the fire, "I was sure I would never get away from Lomasi. When they captured you, I was sure that I would be a slave forever." She sat thinking for a little while, but no one interrupted her thoughts. Then she looked up at Gennos, "You gave me hope, and then you gave me back my freedom. How can I ever thank you enough?"

  Before Gennos could answer, Cano did. "I'm sure if you give him the chance he will think of something."

  Gennos blushed, and then casually he flicked a hot ember of wood over at Cano.

  Cano rolled away from the ember, but the smile didn't leave his face. "You are right Na'pe, but you gave us something also. Friendship." After a few moments of thought he continued, "Lomasi is bad, but he is also gone. Each day we move farther away from him. He is becoming only a bad memory."

  Na'pe looked worried," I don't think he has given up. We not only escaped from him, but we made a fool of him. He won't forget that or give up easily."

  A smile spread its way around the fire as they remembered his fall into the river.

  Cano looked over to his brother, "We were lucky that day that we had Dola and his magic spear to protect us."

  "That is true," Gennos said. "But I think that Na'pe is right, Lomasi will not give up. We are far ahead of him, but he will follow us until he gets to us or he dies. He knows that he must get us before we get to Na'pe's clan."

  "If that is true," said Dola, "shouldn't we try to get to Na'pe's clan quickly, shouldn't we be traveling faster?"

  Cano answered, “I have been thinking about that. There ar
e some things we must do. We need food and rest, we found that here. Next we must learn to use the spear-throwers. Then we must find a way to travel faster on the river."

  Gennos nodded, "I think if we stay another day here it will be safe enough. We can gather shafts and make throwing spears. Then we can practice with them. If we can learn fast enough, we will not need to fear Lomasi."

  Na'pe looked worried, "Lomasi is bad, and I will feel better when we reach my clan." After a moment she continued, "My father will speak with the Clan leader, "If Lomasi is close they will find him." She smiled, "I would not want to be Lomasi if my father catches him."

  Cano nodded and then said, "Does anyone have any ideas about how we can travel faster on the river?"

  His question was answered by silence as they thought about the problem. Finally it was Dola who spoke, "I have a question. Do we need both dugouts?"