High on a Mountain

by Tommie Lyn

  Itahcah and Tenahwosi stood in front of Gòrdan’s house, waiting for Ailean. When he awoke and came outside, Itahcah handed him the hoe. Tenahwosi motioned for Ailean to accompany them, and they set a rapid pace down the valley toward the southwest.

  Gòrdan watched them go, glad that Ailean would have a home of his own, a place to live where, perhaps, he could find peace and contentment. He went inside to finish the preparations for his trip to Charles Town.

  ____________

  As Ailean traveled along the dim trail behind the two men, he watched for landmarks so that he could find his way back to Gulahiyi village. The next afternoon, his escorts stopped in a small valley with a wide stream running through it. They used signs to explain to Ailean that the valley was his and walked with him around the borders of it so he would know its extent.

  When they came back to the middle of the valley, Tenahwosi surveyed the wooded land. “How will Asgayagiga live?” he said to Itahcah.

  “Like any man lives.”

  “But he has no shelter. He has no tools to build a shelter. He has no food and no weapon to hunt for meat.”

  Itahcah shrugged.

  “We must show him how to make a shelter. I’ll cut saplings, and you go bring some meat,” Tenahwosi said.

  “But we still have to go to the other villages to tell them about Asgayagiga. We don’t have time to do all that.”

  “Go bring some meat,” Tenahwosi said.

  Ailean stood by listening to the conversation without understanding any of it. He watched as Itahcah frowned and walked away. Tenahwosi beckoned for Ailean to come with him to a stand of small trees near the stream.

  Tenahwosi took a small stone axe from a belt around his waist and chopped down six of the trees, trimmed the branches from them and cut them to the same length. He picked up one of them and gestured for Ailean to do the same. Ailean gathered the other five into his arms and followed Tenahwosi to a level spot not far from the stream.

  Tenahwosi talked as he worked, explaining to Ailean what he was doing, but Ailean learned from watching, not from the words. Tenahwosi used Ailean’s hoe as a makeshift shovel to dig a hole. He set one of the poles into it and tamped the dirt around it. He marked the spots for the other five poles, and Ailean took the hoe from him and dug the holes for them. They continued working and erected a small temporary shelter with leafy branches interlaced over it for a roof.

  Ailean borrowed Tenahwosi’s axe and cut a small sapling. He trimmed the branches from it and sharpened one end. He went to the stream, squatted on the bank, watched and waited. When a fish swam within reach, Ailean speared it and jerked it out of the water.

  Tenahwosi laughed. “Asgayagiga won’t starve after all.”

  Ailean looked at him, wishing he could understand what the man said. He found some dry sticks, gathered some dead leaves and grass and built a fire. He put the fish on a stick and held it over the fire. When it was ready, he held it out to Tenahwosi to let him have the choicest bit. Tenahwosi smiled and broke a piece from the fish.

  “Wado,” he said.

  Ailean nodded. He pointed to the shelter. “Wado.”

  It was almost dark when Itahcah returned with a haunch from a deer, wrapped in the deer’s hide. Ailean added more wood to the fire, and Tenahwosi stuck forked branches into the ground on either side of it to make a spit. They suspended the haunch over the fire, sat and watched while it cooked.

  The next morning, Tenahwosi and Itahcah departed and Ailean had never felt more lonely. He explored the valley, planning, thinking about where to start clearing the land for planting. Since it had been under cultivation before, clearing it wouldn’t be as arduous a task as clearing the cypress swamps had been at The Oaks. Nor as hard as clearing the field which had been his share on the croft.

  As he walked the valley each day, Ailean found it harder and harder to think about his future plans. What did it matter where he planted oats if there was no one to share them? Why be concerned with pasturage for cattle if no one would be with him to share the milk, butter and meat?

  Ailean was grateful Ani-Tsalagi had given him the valley, but he wished he had someone to share it with. It was worth nothing to him if he lived in it alone.

  ____________

  When the last customers left the tavern, Latharn poured himself a drink and downed it in one swallow. It wasn’t enough, but it would have to do until he could retreat to his room with a bottle. He grimaced, took a breath and started wiping whisky spills off the bar with a dirty rag.

  The door swung open, and two men entered. One of them was William Thornton, a local store owner Latharn recognized. Thornton came to the bar while the other took a seat at a table.

  “A bottle of whisky and two glasses.” Thornton laid coins on the wooden counter and joined the other man at the table.

  Latharn picked up the money and dropped it with a metallic clink onto the other coins in the small box beneath the bar. He carried the requested items to the men’s table and returned to his station. He finished wiping the bar and stood behind it, arms crossed, rag in hand, leaning on the cracked plaster wall. He watched the two men pour themselves shots of the whisky he craved.

  “I don’t see how you do it,” Thornton said. “I think I’d go crazy if I had to live with them savages.”

  “Savages?” Gòrdan MacAntoisch said. “I’m from the Highlands of Scotland. The Lowlanders and English call us Highlanders savages and barbarians because we’re different. But I’ll tell you, William, if Cherokees and Highlanders are savages, there are just as many savages living inside English skins. There’s no group of people anywhere which hasn’t its own share of both good people and bad.”

  “Gòrdan, I apologize if I offended you. I just—”

  “You should hear what the English and their supporters did to some of my countrymen after The Rising in ’45. If you want a description of savagery, you should listen to Ailean MacLachlainn tell about it.”

  Latharn dropped his rag. His chest constricted, and, for a moment, he couldn’t draw a breath.

  ____________

  Day by day, Ailean grew more lonely in his beautiful valley. At last, the loneliness became too great to bear, and he set out on the trail to Gulahiyi. The closer he got to the village, the faster he walked.

  When he was close by, he stopped to look through the underbrush for fallen wood he could take to Kutahyah. He gathered a large pile of sticks and broke them into short lengths. The sun started its descent to the western horizon, and he knew the women would be returning to their homes from the field.

  Ailean gathered the bundle of wood into his arms, entered the village and walked through the settlement to Kutahyah’s house.

  He stopped at the door and called, “Osiyo.”

  In a moment, Kutahyah appeared at the door. She greeted Ailean with a smile. She noticed the bundle in his arms, and her smile grew broader. She gestured for him to bring it inside and showed him where to lay the wood. She indicated that he should sit on the mat by the fire.

  An older woman, at work peeling cane into splits, glanced at Ailean but gave him no further notice. He assumed she was Kutahyah’s mother. He watched Kutahyah’s graceful movements as she prepared this meal for him, their wedding meal. She poured some water into a metal trade pot, placed it over the fire and put pieces of squash and other vegetables into it. She mixed batter, wrapped it in corn husks and laid it in the coals. Kutahyah sat with her eyes lowered modestly as she waited for the food to cook.

  When it was ready, she poured the vegetables into a bowl and gave it to him. She retrieved the ash bread from the fire and peeled the husks from it. Ailean accepted the bread and began to eat. Kutahyah stared into the flames but glanced at him occasionally as he ate.

  Ailean nodded and made gestures he hoped conveyed his pleasure with the meal. Kutahyah seemed to understand, and she smiled at him. He pointed to her, to himself and clasped his hands together. Her smile grew larger, and she nodded assent. And he made signs he hope
d she would understand, signs that meant he wanted her to go with him.

  Kutahyah spoke to her mother and gathered some things, blankets, tools and other objects, and placed them in a large basket. She also filled a smaller basket with corn and other food items from the storehouse behind her mother’s home. She slipped a tumpline over her head, past her shoulders and secured it across her chest. She suspended the large basket from it, letting it rest against her back, and picked up the basket of food.

  By the time Ailean finished eating, she stood by the door, waiting.

  I guess Gòrdan was right, Ailean thought as they strolled side by side through the village. We’re married now.

  He glanced at Kutahyah, and the anticipation of beginning a new life with her beckoned him forward, tightened his muscles, made him wish they had already arrived in his valley. Excitement made his steps quick and light, the ball of each foot resting on the ground a brief moment before he pushed forward. Again and again, he had to slow his pace to match Kutahyah’s.

  Once, he looked down at her and she raised her eyes to meet his, and the desire he’d felt on the mountain at the sight of her awakened and filled him. And an immediate sense of remorse followed, erased the craving, and he came to a standstill.

  Ailean stood rigid as a cold torrent of guilt poured over him, through him. Mùirne was his first love. She had given her life for him, and he was being unfaithful to her memory. How could he do this? But he remembered the aching loneliness of living by himself and knew he couldn’t bear it. Not ever again.

  Kutahyah, who’d taken a few steps after he stopped, paused and turned to him. Ailean looked at her, saw the softness in her eyes as she looked up at him. He swallowed, brushed his hair from his face. With slow, deliberate steps, he walked at her side.

  FORTY-THREE

  “Excuse me,” the bartender interrupted. “Did you say ‘Ailean MacLachlainn?’“

  Gòrdan frowned. “Aye, I did.”

  “You know MacLachlainn?”

  “Aye.”

  “Where is he?”

  The intensity of the man’s manner, the hard glint in his eyes, disturbed Gòrdan. “Why do you want to know?” he asked.

  “I…I’ve known him for years. I heard he disappeared and, well, I’ve been worried about him.”

  “You don’t have to worry about him. He’s all right,” Gòrdan said, and turned back to his conversation with William Thornton.

  He regretted having mentioned Ailean’s name in a public place. He hoped his thoughtlessness and loose tongue wouldn’t bring trouble to Ailean. But the intent expression on the bartender’s face disturbed him, and he glanced over his shoulder at the man again.

  Gòrdan changed the subject. “I need more muskets, William. And pots. And knives. I can’t leave without a full load of—”

  “Sorry, but I don’t have much. The other traders almost cleaned me out. You should have been here two weeks ago,” William said.

  “I guess I’ve got no choice but to wait for the next ship,” Gòrdan said. “Unless…I could go up to George Town, see if I could get some trade goods there.”

  “No, no,” William said. “You don’t want to do that. Just wait here. There’s bound to be a ship in any day now. Besides, you need to let your horses rest before you set off anywhere. They look in need of rest and a good feed,” he said.

  “I suppose you’re right. It’s just hard to sit and do nothing while I wait.”

  ____________

  Latharn listened to the discussion between the two men while he tried to appear nonchalant and unconcerned. But there was no other mention of MacLachlainn. This trader knew the whereabouts of MacLachlainn, but he wasn’t going to tell Latharn where that was. He would have to find out some other way.

  ____________

  Ailean wanted to stop for the night while it was still light, and he picked the first level place he found. But Kutahyah shook her head, and they continued on. She rejected several sites he chose, insisted on continuing along the trail until she found a spot that suited her.

  She set her baskets down, took a blanket from the large one and spread it on the ground. She sat on one side of it, rummaged in the smaller basket, and brought out pieces of venison. She offered some venison to Ailean, and he accepted it with gratitude.

  She gazed up at Ailean, and he knew she wanted him to sit beside her. He joined her on the blanket, his shoulder brushing hers, and the excitement he’d felt as they walked down the village street stirred within him again.

  A rosy glow from the setting sun filtered through the trees and came to rest on Kutahyah. Ailean’s excitement transformed to desire, and he yearned to touch her soft, deerskin-clad shoulder, wanted to run his hand over the sleek hair that flowed down her back. But his tangled emotions—desire for Kutahyah and longing for Mùirne—mingled with the guilt he felt for wanting Kutahyah and threatened to smother him. He had to get past these conflicted emotions, had to push them aside.

  He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. She turned her face to his, her soft brown eyes filled with emotion. And an image of blue eyes full of love for him rose from his memory, hung suspended between them. Abruptly, he got to his feet and walked away.

  ____________

  Kutahyah, hurt and confused, watched as he disappeared between the trees into the deepening dusk. What had she done to offend him? She wanted him so much…why didn’t he want her? Was there something wrong with her? She waited for a long time, but he didn’t return. She sighed, lay down on the blanket and tried to sleep.

  ____________

  Ailean sat under a large oak tree and leaned back on the rough bark, consumed by his inner turmoil. Taking Kutahyah away from the village had been a mistake. Once again, his impetuosity had led him to make a rash decision, one that could hurt Kutahyah. He hadn’t thought beyond the fact that he was lonely and needed someone. And that he was attracted to Kutahyah. He acted on what he wanted with no contemplation of what the outcome might be.

  When will I ever learn?

  As much as he wanted her, he didn’t know if he could ever reach past his memories to touch her, to love her. He considered taking her back to her mother’s house in the morning, but he knew he couldn’t disgrace her by doing that. And he also knew he couldn’t endure the loneliness of his empty valley anymore. He needed Kutahyah as much as he wanted her. He’d have to find some way to get beyond his tortured past.

  While it was still dark, he went back to the blanket and lay down beside Kutahyah. She was lying on her side, and he lay on his side behind her, facing her. He slipped his arm over her waist and pulled himself close. The faint scent of wood-smoke that arose from her clothing comforted him. He cuddled next to her, rested his cheek against her silken hair and fell asleep.

  ____________

  When the half-light of the new morning crept over the mountains, Kutahyah awoke to find Ailean beside her. He had wrapped his arms around her as he slept, had gathered her to himself. She lay still and quiet, not wanting to wake him. She enjoyed this closeness but wished for more. She wasn’t sure what had driven him away the night before, but she was glad he was beside her now.

  ____________

  Ailean awoke when the sun had fully risen. He lay for a while, drowsing, drinking in the satisfying closeness to another human being. As he awakened more fully, he realized they should have been far along the trail already and knew they needed to be on their way. He reluctantly pulled his arms away from Kutahyah.

  “We need to go,” he said, wishing he knew how to speak to her in Tsalagi.

  She sat up, and he pointed to her, then to himself, made walking motions with his fingers and pointed toward the west. Kutahyah smiled and stood. Ailean got off the blanket, and she folded it and put it into the large basket. She suspended the basket from the tumpline, took more dried venison from the container of food and handed a piece to Ailean. They chewed the meat as they walked the trail.

  ____________

  The trader didn’t c
ome into the tavern the next day or the following one. Latharn decided he’d go to the dry goods store to get information from William Thornton. Latharn meandered through the store looking at various items while Thornton served a customer. When the woman left, he turned his attention to Latharn.

  “Anything particular you’re interested in? That’s some fine calico you’re looking at. Need some for the wife?”

  “No. What I need is some powder and shot.”

  “My supply is pretty low, but I may have enough for you. If you don’t need much. The traders just about cleaned me out. But if I don’t have enough for you right now, there should be a ship in any day.”

  As they discussed the amount Latharn needed, he slipped a few questions into the conversation.

  “That man you came in the tavern with, he’s a trader?”

  “Yes. Lives with the Cherokees up in the mountains. Has a pretty good trade with them.”

  “How far is it from here?”

  “Probably a week on horseback, maybe a little more. I don’t know for sure. Never been there myself.”

  “He mentioned a man, my…ah…friend…Ailean MacLachlainn. Did he say anything more about him later?”

  “No. Just that the man made quite a stir up there. Cherokees even gave him some land for a farm.”

  Latharn completed his purchase and left the store.

  ____________

  When they arrived at the makeshift shelter, Kutahyah set to work to make it livable. She cut canes from the canebrake which grew along one part of the stream, split them and wove mats of the cane splits. She fastened the mats between the poles that formed the corners and the doorway and plastered them with clay from the bank of the stream. She made a roof of mats and covered it with thatch, and she made a bed. The crude shelter began to seem like a home.