The Thinking Rocks

by Butkus, C. Allan

  Gennos was interested, "But you were here with Lomasi, and now you return. Maybe this is only a bad place for some."

  She looked at him for sometime before answering, "You may be right, but I don't like the place. There is death near and you can feel it when you are there."

  "I can understand what you say, but there is death everywhere. We can only live by killing. Maybe this place is like any other. It could be that you felt badly because Lomasi had you in his power when you were here last," said Gennos.

  She looked into his eyes before answering, "As I said, you may be right, yet I would like you to tell me these things again after we leave Black Bayou." Then she added, "If we do. The place is evil."

  Gennos tried to smile, "I will, and then you will know that we have passed through it without harm." He wanted to cheer her up, "You may have forgotten, but we have Dola and his spear that is there to protect us."

  She wasn't cheered, "It will take more than a spear to get us to safety."

  There was little talk. Before the sun was overhead the river started to change. The trees along the banks were taller and the trunks wider. The branches hung down. There was no wind and the current was slower, it was difficult to see where the river was going. There were plants in the water that were strange; they were round and flat. They floated on the surface of the water. Some of the plants had white flowers on them. Some had frogs on them that escaped with a soft "Plunk" as the dugout approached. Sometimes bubbles would float to the surface as if something was below the surface, yet nothing could be seen. Occasionally a plant would soundlessly float to the surface, roots and all. Although the water was flat and clear, it had a brownish cast to it. As they moved farther into the bayou it became darker because of the tall trees. There were long strands of moss hanging from the tree branches. Many of the branches were dead and some had fallen into the water. There were small leaves and some twigs floating on the surface of the water, but nothing indicated any river current.

  Na'pe's voice broke the silence; she spoke softly, "The water in the rivers that we have traveled was muddy. The waters here are clear. Where those trees grow," she pointed to the trees with the large bases and the short nubs growing in the water, "The waters are browner. We think that the trees make the water brown and still." She stopped for a few moments; she was listening to something. "Do you hear the soft "YUK---YUK" sound?" They all listened and then nodded. "Those are the sounds of gators, little gators." She continued, "Little gators mean that there are big gators around too. It is not possible to have one without the other. Beware."

  Cano was watching the waters near the dugout when he was startled to see a flicker of movement, like a passing shadow. Then a huge pointed head broke the surface of the bayou; it was much larger than his head. Its black eyes were unblinking and seemed to swell out of the head, and there were spike-like spurs surrounding them. It had a fearsome bony beak that curved downward over its lower jaw. It was colored a greenish brown and some type of growth was growing on it in patches. The body below the head was of appalling proportions. There were large bony plates covering the body and its front legs ended with long curved claws. The head rose out of the water on a neck that was as big as Cano's waist. It continued moving up from the water until the head was level with the top edge of the dugout. The unblinking eyes seemed to stare into his heart. It silently and slowly opened its bony mouth; it was all white inside. There appeared to be a red worm twisting and wiggling in the bottom of the mouth.

  It took Cano several moments to realize that it was a huge turtle that was looking up at him. The turtle that he had killed was only half the size of this one. A spear of fear ran through his body. Was the spirit of the turtle here for revenge? Before he could move or do anything, the ominous head slipped below the surface without causing a ripple, and was gone as quickly as it had come.

  Cano looked to the others in the dugout to see if anyone else had seen the turtle. They all appeared to be looking elsewhere. He looked back to where the turtle had been, but of course there was nothing to be seen. He started to doubt that he had seen anything.

  As they moved along through the tall trees and the water plants, they were overwhelmed by the silence of the place. Even when there was a sound, it only seemed to intensify the silence that followed. No bird sang, the water was silent, and even the "Yuk—Yuk" sounds had died.

  Even though the water had a brownish cast, it was clear enough to see the bottom. They could see dead tree branches on the bottom and small silver fish that flashed away as they approached. The water was about as deep as the dugout was long.

  Dola, who was squatting in the front of the dugout, saw what looked like a large log that was submerged just below the surface. It was as large as the dugout. The log seemed to move slightly. Dola looked from the log to the water around it for signs of a current; there didn't appear to be any. The log was still drifting slowly. Strange, he thought. The log had strange bark on it; the pattern was the same over most of the trunk. One end appeared to be broken off; it was splintered and sharp looking. Then a strange thing happened. The log started to move backward slowly. As it came along side of the dugout, Dola saw that the log wasn't a log. It was a huge fish; it must have been the same kind that had killed Hopi. Dola turned and caught Na'pe's attention, he pointed to the fish.

  She looked at him questioningly at first and then caught sight of the fish. "Gar" she said softly.

  Gennos and Cano heard her speak and turned to the place she was looking. Cano caught his breath when he saw the fish, then he reached for his big spear.

  Na'pe motioned to him to stop and said, "No, if you strike him, he can knock us all into the water. He will attack the dugout."

  Cano understood, but he kept his spear in hand and ready.

  As the fish stopped swimming backward, the dugout drew closer. The Gar was near the surface and it watched the dugout through its large round eyes. The fish's body was long and thin, its fins were near the tail. The mouth was long and narrow; it was filled with jagged teeth. The only movement that it made was with the small fins below its gills; they seemed to flutter slowly.

  It must have determined that the dugout was no threat. It made a leisurely movement with its tail and it glided away.

  There was a collective sigh from the occupants of the dugout.

  As they drifted through the bayou, they saw many more Gars resting near the surface. Many were as big as a man, but there were many more that were only as long as a man's arm. They appeared to be feeding on frogs and small fish.

  As they floated farther into the bayou, it appeared to be a forest in the water. The strangely shaped trees blocked the sun and it was difficult to tell where to go or where you had just been. Na'pe appeared apprehensive, but confident. She watched the trees and the sky when it could be seen. She peered at the water and motioned softly which way they were to pole the dugout. As they progressed it continued to get darker, even though the sun was overhead. The branches of the trees were high and little sunlight was able to penetrate them.

  In some places there were huge spider webs that stretched between the trees. The spiders varied in size, as did their webs. Some of the spiders were as large as a man's hand, while others were almost too small to see. Dola used his pole to tear down the webs and brush them aside so the dugout could get through. When one of the unlucky spiders would land in the water, fish appeared from nowhere to devour it. As they approached a large web that was high above the dugout and stretched between two trees, Dola pointed. The dugout coasted until it was below the web. They saw the bones and some feathers from a small bird that had been caught by the web and then killed and eaten by the spider. They poled the dugout away quickly in case someone decided to drop in unexpectedly.

  Cano looked past Dola and saw something strange moving in the water. It was swimming with its head high above the water. As he watched he saw that it was a snake. It seemed to be crawling across the water. He remember that someone had told him that snakes that swim
with their heads above the water were deadly, and those that swim with their heads in the water are harmless.

  "Dola, watch out for snakes in the water. Try to keep them away from the dugout," said Cano excitedly.

  Dola saw the snake and tried to use the pole to keep it away from the dugout. "I see him."

  Na'pe saw the snake and she confirmed Cano's thoughts when she said, "Those can kill, keep it away from us."

  "I will," said Dola.

  The snake continued to evade Dola's pole and stayed headed for the dugout. Dola shortened his grip on his pole and attempted to get the tip of it under the snake and flip it away. The snake dodged the pole and went out of sight underwater. It was very fast and difficult to see, even in the clear waters of the bayou.

  "Its too close, I can't get my pole to reach it," Dola said. "I think it’s still headed for the dugout."

  There was a scramble for spears in the dugout. Soon everyone was scanning the water around the dugout for signs of the snake. Gennos saw the snake's head appear beside him and drove his short spear down into the body behind the head. The snake hissed and twisted its body around the spear. Holding the spear by the end, he lifted the impaled snake from the water and flipped it and the spear away from the dugout.

  The snake made a large splash when it landed. Even at this distance the snakes hisses could be heard as it tried to twist free of the spear. Finally after raising bloody foam, the snake broke free of the spear. It turned and started swimming back toward the dugout. Even with the gaping hole in its body it came quickly, it seemed to glide across the surface in twisting loops.

  When it was in range, Dola smashed his pole down onto its head. It twisted away, and then with surprising speed it struck at the pole. Dola swung again and hit the hissing snake, driving it underwater. It disappeared, only to reappear and strike at the pole again. Before Dola could swing again the snake started to climb his pole toward the dugout. He gave a shout and twisted the pole attempting to dislodge the climbing snake. The snake was coming fast and he couldn't shake it loose, so he threw the pole and snake away from the dugout. They landed with a splash and the snake disappeared into the water.

  Na'pe called out, "Watch the water; it will still try to get here."

  They all turned their attention to the water around the dugout. The snake appeared in the water next to Cano. It coiled its body in a series of S's as it lay on the surface, and then attempted to leap from the water. It was able to get its head over the edge of the dugout; but the rest of its body was still in the water. Before it could use its grip on the dugout to pull itself in, Cano struck with his Canohawk and severed the head from the body. The body twisted away toward the bottom of the bayou, but the bloody nub and head fell into the dugout. Cano flicked the head into the water with his Canohawk.

  Everyone in the dugout except Na'pe was smiling. She was scanning the water and the trees overhead. Cano's smile faded as he saw the worried look on her face. "What's wrong, do you see something?"

  "Not yet, but I'm worried, sometimes -------" She stopped and pointed. Another snake was swimming toward the dugout. It was swimming with its head high out of the water.

  "Don't worry, I can take care of it," he said. When the snake was nearer he swung his pole so that it just skimmed the water, it struck the snake in the head and the cracking of bones could be heard. It twisted away, turning loops in the water. Cano smiled and looked over at Na'pe, his smile faded as he saw her pointing at the water in front of the dugout. Another snake was swimming toward Dola. He hadn't had time to retrieve his pole after throwing it away with the first snake, but he had picked up his spear and was poised to attack the snake when it was within range.

  Cano heard his brother shout and he turned in time to see him smash another snake at the side of the dugout. He twisted around and looked to the rear in time to see yet another snake, this one dropped from a tree branch. Soon another followed it from the same tree.

  Na'pe called out again, pointing toward her side. More snakes were coming. It was as if they had received a signal from the dying snakes and they were coming to attack the dugout. More snakes dropped from the trees and the water seemed to be alive with twisting death.

  Cano didn't answer; he was busy smashing snakes. He heard a growl from the front of the dugout and turned in time to see Whiteface attack a snake. Instinctively she grabbed it behind the head, her milk teeth stabbed in until the bones broke. The snake was dead, but it didn't know it. It also had instincts, it threw its coils around the pup and started to squeeze. The little pup was brave, she was being hurt, but she wouldn't let go of the snake's head.

  Dola moved without thinking, he grabbed the snake's tail and with a snapping motion was able to unwind the snake from Whiteface's body. Still the little wolf wouldn't let go of the snake's head. The snake was stretched out and Dola was able to chop off its head, with his Canohawk. The pup shook the snake’s head one last time and then cast it aside. Dola flipped the body of the snake into the bayou.

  Gennos and Na'pe were now deeply motivated, and they had the dugout moving surprisingly fast. The waters on all sides of the dugout appeared to be alive with snakes.

  Na'pe sensed danger behind her, and as she turned, she saw the pointed head of a snake emerge from some of their supplies in the bottom of the dugout. It must have dropped from a tree. Its white mouth was spread wide and its front teeth dripped a clear slime that was death. Before she could twist away Gennos's Canohawk struck, and the head lay snapping on the supplies. Gennos grabbed the snake by the tail and was rewarded with a strike from the bloody nub where its head used to be. It caused him to yell and twist back as he flipped the body overboard. He smiled shyly at Na'pe. Pointing to the bloody mark on his arm he said, "Its blood, not mine." He then tossed the snake's head out of the dugout.

  She looked at him and said, "I owe you my life."

  He smiled at her, "I would like that. I will trade you my life for yours."

  They looked at each other wordlessly; their bodies were speaking so loudly that they wouldn't have been able to hear words, even if either of them could have spoken.

  Dola called from the front of the dugout, "Look!" He pointed to the water. The snakes were disappearing. A snake would be swimming, there would be a swirling in the water, and the snake would be gone. They had no idea what was happening but they liked it. The water was boiling around the dugout. The mystery was solved as a snake neared the dugout. As Cano raised his pole to strike it with his pole, a brownish streak smashed into the snake and sped away with it. It was one of the Gars they had seen earlier. The Gars were feeding on the snakes.

  They stopped poling and let the dugout drift ahead. The waters stilled as the last of the snakes vanished below the waters of the Black Bayou. They scanned the water and trees for signs of more snakes. None could be found.

  A glimmer of movement behind the dugout caught Cano's eye. As he watched he saw a flickering of shadows under the water, something big was coming. The surface of the water broke quietly into a "V". As he watched, he saw that it was the giant Gar they had seen earlier. It glided up along side of the dugout and then slowed without visible movement. It floated along beside them.

  Gennos like everyone else was looking down at the Gar. He murmured, "There is much Mana here, this is a powerful force. A Gar killed Hopi, which helped us to escape. Now Gars save us from the snakes. The Great Spirit has sent it as a sign. It is easy for us to forget the power of the Great Spirit. It is times like this that we need to be reminded that we are not as powerful as we like to think. I believe that His message to us is, “Don't Forget.” They all sat quietly looking at the majestic form in the water. Gennos stood slowly; he put one hand on his chest, and stretched his other arm out with the palm facing down toward the Gar. "We thank you for our lives and for the lesson you have given us."

  As if on queue and without visible movement the Gar glided past the dugout and then out of sight.

  Cano heard a bird start to sing and then noticed
rays of sunlight shining down on to the waters. The dugout was still moving forward, but no one was poling. A meager current was moving them. It was flowing in the same direction that the Gar had traveled. They were leaving the Black Bayou.

  Hindered Passage

  The half submerged dugout wallowed its way downstream. There were more islands, and the trees were tall and ominous. The dugout contained two men and much pain.

  Morf was exhausted. His arms kept moving as if in a dream. He caught himself nodding off to sleep and then would jerk awake. The sleep was a welcome relief from the pain in his back and arms. There was no pain in his water soaked legs. They had no sense of feeling at all. The hollow pain in his stomach was a constant call for food. They had not eaten in two days. Lomasi was obsessed and wouldn't stop to eat or rest. All Morf could think about was food and rest. His mind began wandering; I was such a fool to come on this journey. Lomasi had been friendly before they left the clan. ‘Some had warned me not to go, but I was young and wanted adventure;’ he said to himself. ‘It all seemed so long ago. Now I sit here in the water, with no food, my arms hurt, and all I want is sleep. This is not the way that I thought adventures happen. Death has come to us, only Lomasi and I are left. Those we chase have proved that they aren't the fools we thought.’

  As his mind wandered it caused a smile to steal across is face, as he remembered Lomasi's fall into the river. Then the smile faded. He would never be able to tell anyone about it. If he lived and got back to his clan, he wouldn't dare tell of it. He was sure that Lomasi would kill him for it. The more he thought about this adventure, the less he found himself smiling. When they had first stolen the girl and headed home it was fun. The trouble began when they captured the others. We thought that we were smarter then they were. It is obvious that we were wrong. They not only escaped, but they laughed at us as they did it. That is what pushed Lomasi to blindly chase them. Everyday we are getting closer to the girl's clan. We could end up as slaves, or dead. I am the one that wants to escape now, but I can't because I'm the hunter.