The men reached the top of the hill and looked over at me; they were tired and in desperate need of a break. “Relax men. We camp here for the night,” I said.
They dropped their packs and plopped down next to them to catch their breath.
“This is the perfect spot for camp,” Cadman said through the heavy breathing.
“Why is that?” I asked.
“Because he’s tired,” Frank said.
“It could be almost anywhere, and it’d be perfect,” Cadman said with an exhausted laugh.
Amos had built a ring for the firepit out of the scattered rocks and was gathering some dry shrubs and grass to start a flame. Hunter and Monty leaned against the large tree to relax and I walked to the northern edge of the hill and looked out over the landscape. This would be the spot of our hunt, the land told me so. The tracks might have been a few days old, but I knew the herds would be returning. Amos walked up behind me; his hissing pistons giving him away. Even with the adjustments, I could still hear the hissing once he was close.
“Did you notice the tracks on this side of the hill?” I asked him as I pointed down.
“I did. Only a few days old, it seems, just like the ones on the trail.”
“More down there in the sandy spots. Means they stuck around here for a time, not just passing through. Looks like plenty of grass down there for them to graze.”
“Good. We might run into them soon,” Amos adjusted his eyes and scanned the area. “I see the signs of a herd through here. Semi fresh droppings and multiple tracks.”
“Good, just another day or so and we’ll catch up,” I said. Something told me that the herd would return to that spot, but I didn’t want to tell him that, just in case my instincts were wrong.
“You eatin’ tonight, Chief?” he asked.
I nodded and turned toward the fire, “Dry meat?” I asked.
“Salted meat tonight. I’ve been holding it until we needed it. Looking at the men, they could do with something a bit more fresh.”
Amos returned to the fire and retrieved some salted strips of meat from his pack. He set them down on a flat rock that was just off to the side of the fire, but close enough to be hot.
“What? No dried mystery meat tonight?” Cadman joked.
“I could give you that if you prefer. I’ll just split your share between the rest of us,” Amos said.
“No, no, no! No need for that nonsense,” Cadman said.
Amos reached back into his pack and pulled out a sack of nuts and poured them out on the hot stone next to the meat.
“That looks like a proper meal to me,” Frank said.
I remained in my spot at the northern edge of the hill and watched as my men rested and chatted amongst themselves. This was a good group of men and I enjoyed listening to them be themselves. I knew I was pushing them hard every day, but I had to get them to this spot. This is where I believed the game would be, and this is the spot that I would be parting ways with the group. I would head farther north while I left them to stay in this area to hunt and prepare the meat for storage and transport. Each of us had a pouch of salt in our packs for preparing the meat and several burlap sacks for transporting whatever meat we were able to get. We tried not to let any part of the animal go to waste. Every part of an animal is useful to us in some way.
We all rose early the next morning, the air was chilly, and the fire had dwindled. Amos stood and walked to the northern edge of the hill to relieve himself as I gathered some dry grass from around the tree. Hunter and Monty were quietly shivering while waiting for the fire to kick up. Frank and Cadman tried to fight the morning as they remained in their spots, covered with sheep skins.
The early morning chill clung to the grass and covered it with a thin layer of moisture. It wasn’t going to be easy to start the fire, but everyone was waiting for it. As I struck the flint and steel, Amos walked over and crouched next to me; he looked around at the men and signaled for them to gather close, “You guys want fresh meat tonight?”
“Of course,” Cadman said. The others nodded their heads, as did I.
“Get your guns. There’s a herd just to the north. Be quiet and patient, they are still a bit off,” he said quietly. Frank and Cadman jumped to their feet and ran over to their guns. Hunter and Monty suddenly forgot about being cold and grabbed their weapons. I leaned over to where my bed was for the night and grabbed my gun belt, and Amos retrieved his rifle and checked the chamber.
The group gathered at the northern edge of the hill and crouched to keep out of sight. The herd of sheep was walking our way as they fed on the dew-covered grasses and shrubs. There was one large ram at the rear of the herd, he kept a look out for danger as the three smaller rams and six ewes fed.
“Leave the large ram,” I said quietly. “Take the younger rams and females.”
Amos adjusted his eyes for a moment as we all waited for the herd to get closer, “Call your shots,” Amos began. “I got the ewe with the crooked left horn.”
“I got the ram with the broken horn,” I said.
“The ram right next to yours,” Frank said.
“The one with the dark patch on the back,” Cadman said.
“Far left side of the herd, the older female,” Hunter said.
“Next to her, the young ram,” Monty said.
I slid back away from the edge, “I’m going around the hill to get closer. Wait ‘til you hear my shot, then shoot quickly.”
I did as I said and stopped near the bottom of the eastern slope of the hill. I crouched behind a large boulder and waited for the perfect moment. I looked to the top of the hill and watched as Amos flipped up the sight on his rifle, I couldn’t see the others, but knew they were ready. As I lifted my gun and peered through the scope, I put the cross hairs on the ram with the broken horn and followed him. With the magic coursing through my revolver, I knew that I could take the ram at any time, but I had to wait for the herd to get closer, the other men had regular rifles and had to worry about range. Normal bullets are affected by gravity and wind, so the shooter needs to aim above the target to compensate. The farther the target, the higher they need to aim. I looked up again and Amos was watching me. I held up my hand with all digits spread out to signify a five second count. I lowered a finger, then a second, followed by a third, then I gripped the gun with both hands to steady my shot.
I squeezed the trigger and watched the bullet hit my target just above the shoulder. Blood poured instantly from the wound and before he could fall, I heard the five other shots and watched as the remaining members of the herd ran off to the north, leaving behind the six that were either dead, or dying.
“Woohoo!” Cadman yelled as he jumped to his feet and ran down the rocky hill; Frank followed right behind him. I looked up and nodded my head to Amos. It was a good kill, for all of us. I holstered my gun and walked over to my kill. It was a large ram, but looked to be still quite young. These sheep seemed to be larger than the sheep we have hunted in the past. I knelt beside the ram and grabbed it by the one full horn.
Ever since I started hunting, I would kneel over a kill and say a short prayer to the ancestors, thanking them for the success of the hunt and for the life of the animal I killed. I know better now, I still gave thanks for the life, but I thanked the forces, “Thank you for your life, my friend. Thank you earth, for the bounty you have given us this morning,” I said quietly.
“Bounty indeed,” Amos said behind me.
I looked up, “They’re larger than normal,” I said as I looked back down.
“They are. The earth has blessed us.”
I looked up at Amos again, “Thanks for not thanking the ancestors.”
“No need to fake it around you, now.”
He turned and went over to his kill and I looked around at the men who had wasted no time in cleaning their kills. I pulled my knife out of its sheath that was tied to my boot and got to work cleaning my own kill.
Nothing went to waste; we used as much as we coul
d. We even used bones as handles for our knives and axes, even as pistol grips. The horns had many uses, including carrying water, and for buttons to hold our pants up and shirts closed. The intestines could be used for cording of all sorts. I carry with me a sheep’s bladder to haul water on my hunting trips. In our world, waste could lead to death. We never know what might be needed for our survival. Everything we have comes from, either nature or scrounging and repurposing old things.
Once our kills were skinned, gutted and chopped up, we headed back to the hilltop. We carried the meat and other useful parts of the sheep back in the skins which would be tanned and used as clothes, pouches, or whatever else we could make from them.
“Monty, would you and Hunter make a smoker?” I asked. Without hesitation, the two men began to gather up rocks to build a housing for the meat to smoke overnight.
It was nearly noon before the smoker was built and ready for use. We all had our meat carved up into thin slices, to smoke easier, and our skins were stretched out on makeshift frames made of branches and large stones. Each of us carried with us a pouch of salt to help preserve the meat and we rubbed it in to each slice of meat before placing our spoils near the smoker, waiting our turn.
The smoker was small, only enough room for one or two kills at a time. It was only fair that Monty and Hunter to go first; they built it after all. Our smoking process had been refined to perfection over the years and it could be done in only a matter of four or five hours, depending on the thickness of the meat. I sliced my meat very thin, it made the salt’s job easier and the smoking process went by a lot faster.
Each of us took a small portion of our kills and tossed them on the fire; it had been quite some time since we had fresh meat, and we were all anxious to sink our teeth into a nice juicy cut of sheep.
“Boy, that meat looks amazing,” Cadman said.
“Looks amazing?” Frank asked. “Smells amazing. My mouth is watering, just thinking about.”
“That big one there better have my name on it,” Amos said pointing to the largest cut on the fire.
“You gotta fight me for it, old man,” Cadman said laughing.
“Think you might lose that fight, Cad,” Frank said.
Cadman looked to the meat over the fire, then to Amos and then back at the meat, “You might be right, Frank,” he said. “That one will work for me,” he said pointing to a smaller piece.
Amos smiled and sat up a bit taller for a moment to enjoy his easy victory.
“Which one is yours, Chief?” Frank asked.
“Smallest piece in there,” I paused a moment. “And whichever one you want.”
Amos laughed, Frank thought a moment, then joined in the laughter. I leaned my back against the tree and watched as the levity continued. Much like everyone else in the camp, the men on the hunting party with me were more like a family, with Amos being the grumpy uncle. Each of us knew how far we could push the jokes and the light-hearted insults and we knew when to back off if we, or someone else had taken it too far. We knew which buttons to push on each other to get whatever response we wanted and how to lift spirits if needed.
We stayed up through the day and night, waiting, smoking, tanning, talking and napping off and on. I couldn’t sleep that night, so, by fire light I decided to pull out my death book. I wanted to impart some wisdom on my son, or daughter, but couldn’t think of the right words. A few moments later, as I stared across the fire at Hunter and Monty talking, the right words came to me.
If there was only one thing you take from this book, let it be this. The most important people in your life are the people in your family. Every person who lives within the walls of our camp is a member of your family. You will struggle together, laugh together, cry and mourn together. You will know everything about them, and them, you. These are the people you will see every day, the mothers, the fathers, the sons and daughters. You will find your life partner among them and have children who will play with theirs. You will witness births, deaths, marriages, fights, love and hate. You will watch some fall, and others rise to greatness.
You must trust them, and they must trust you. You will put your life in their hand, and you will have theirs in yours. Never treat your people like subjects to be ruled over. You are a leader.
I heard the hissing of the knee brace and looked up at Amos; he took a seat next to me and grunted as he did.
“Sounds like old age is finally catching up to you,” I said.
He pulled a small pouch from his side pocket and removed a tool. He looked at me a moment, then he began to adjust the brace.
“That thing hurt?” I asked.
“No, but sometimes it slips out of alignment and pinches a nerve. The terrain here is the culprit this time.”
I watched him tinker in wonderment. After all the years I’ve known him, I still couldn’t believe that the brace was truly part of him, connecting to the bones in his leg. It was a work of pure genius, just like the goggles that were part of his head; they needed no strap to hold them in place, just two small pegs on either side that held them on.
Both of these great gadgets were made for him by Dr. Hives. He was the camps best engineer, not really a doctor, everyone just called him Dr. Hives because he was skilled at small and intricate workings, much like a surgeon. He passed his knowledge on to his children, Mona and Kelly. The girls had become even better than their father and over the years they had made improvements to the brace and goggles for Amos, who was always grateful for the upgrades.
“You still plan on leaving us?” Amos asked.
I didn’t tell him that I was leaving, so his question shocked me, caught me off guard.
“I saw your map, it’s not the same as the one you gave me. It has more lines on it,” he said.
“I have to.”
“Have to, or want to?”
“Both, maybe.”
“Is that wise?” he asked as he put his tool back into the pouch and closed it.
“My path lies out there. In the deep valley,” I said confidently.
“The deep valley? People have not traveled there in many years.”
“Everything in my heart tells me it’s the right thing.” I closed my book and put it into my pack, “I see it in my sleep, Amos. I hear the sounds of the valley. A slight breeze flowing through leaves on the tall trees. I feel the moist blades of grass between my toes. I smell the fresh air.”
“There is no fresh air in the deep valley.”
“Maybe not for a long time, but I know it’s there now.” I paused a moment and studied his reaction. “Amos, I know that it was your job to be the voice of opposition, the voice of reason, whatever you want to call it, and you did a great job for my father, but that is no longer your job. I need you to believe in me, trust me, and when I have an idea, I need you to shut the hell up and let me do things my way. I am not my father. I am not my grandfather. I am Jacob, and I’m going to do things my way, traditions be damned.”
Amos sat in silence for a moment before speaking, “What do we do while you are gone?” Amos asked.
“Stay here. Hunt. More herds will be through here. Do you remember the spot where we rested after the canyon?”
“Yes, it was nearly a mile north of it.”
“Once the hunting is over and you have enough meat to last the winter, go there and wait for me. It will be a while, a week, maybe longer, but I will join you there.”
Amos turned to the group around the fire, then turned back to me. “When are you leaving?” he asked.
“Before they wake.”
“If they sleep. Are you going to tell them?”
“Hell no, I’ll let you do that.”
Amos chuckled a moment, “So, I get to explain why their chief has abandoned them?”
“Well, I wouldn’t use the word, abandoned, but yes.”
Chapter Five
I didn’t sleep at all that night, as I waited for my chance to leave. Once the men in the group were all out, I grabbed some smoked
meat, placed it in my bag and snuck out of camp. Consulting the compass on my hand and wristband, I headed north and slightly east. I walked with a proud stride, knowing that I was doing what was right. I would venture into the deep valley where I knew I would find the land of plenty I was looking for.
As I walked along the rocky terrain I began to realize just how alone I really was in the vast landscape. The sounds of nature echoed in the moon lit early morning, or perhaps they only echoed in my mind. Creatures scurried all around me, the hoots of a distant owl which was answered from afar, the sounds of bats locating their prey in the cool sky. I began to grow a bit nervous, everything in nature was either prey, or predator. I was certain to be somethings prey; something was out there stalking me and waiting for just the right moment to strike. Nothing would be left of me, and nobody would know the truth of what happened. My paranoia grew as I released the strap that held my weapon in its holster, just in case I needed to draw quickly, and rested my hand on the grip.
I saw shadows moving all around me, and glowing eyes watched every move I made. It was difficult for me to move quickly through the rocks, so I took my time, not wanting to twist an ankle or fall and break a bone. Unlike Amos, my bones could be broken, and relatively easily. I hugged a low cliff face to my left side, knowing that I would only have to defend one side, making me feel at ease, kind of.
Nearly three hours of walking had passed before the sun decided to rise. As it rose, it became warmer, making my trek easier. The land beneath my feet was no longer rocky and rugged, it was now just hard packed dirt with grasses and shrubs becoming more abundant. I noticed Joshua trees in the distance, which gave the appearance of people, or creatures watching over me.
A fallen tree to the right side of my path looked like it would make a perfect place to rest, so I removed my pack and set it down next to me. I pulled out some meat and ate it with a handful of nuts. As I sat, eating my meal, my thoughts turned to the camp, and more specifically, my mother and her student. I wondered what they were doing at that moment. It was just after sunrise, that was when they held their meditation and ‘earth connecting’. Karline once explained it to me. When they clear their mind and control their breathing, they aligned their heartbeat to that of the earth’s. This helped the magic flow freely and opened their minds to new and greater things. I thought that I should give it a try, after all, I was realizing that I too had something special in my veins.
Jacob's Reign: A Journey Beyond Page 4