"What a gift from God," Benedito whispered to Agostinho. "Abhaya's good deed will surely reflect well on us as his employers."
"Indeed. But I have been watching Abhaya, and he seems increasingly uncomfortable with all the attention."
"Perhaps he is just shy, speaking to those of higher caste."
"Perhaps."
* * *
Abhaya had thought that he would be summoned as soon as they arrived at the palace, but of course protocol required that the raja first receive his sister, then greet her guests and examine their presents. It was therefore several hours before he was ready to speak to Abhaya.
Abhaya wasn't accustomed to addressing even a single royal person, let alone two, and by the time the summons came, he was in a state of some agitation.
The first words, at least, were reassuring. "Thank you for saving my Brahmin," the raanni said.
"Indeed, you must be rewarded," added the raja. "My vizier has a fat pouch of gold for you."
Abhaya prostrated himself, then rose. "A thousands thanks, great lord, but I must tell you . . . it was all Chinna's doing."
"Chinna?"
"Yes, my elephant. I gave no specific orders; it was she who realized what was to be done. The coin, of course, will help me feed her, but the praise should be hers alone."
Abhaya prostrated himself again.
The raanni, the raja, and their advisors went into a huddle. There was much murmuring in the audience hall.
The raja made a small gesture, and his herald called for silence.
"It is clear from your explanation that you are even more praiseworthy than I thought at first. You are clearly honest, since you didn't seek to steal praise that you thought was the rightful due of your elephant. But more than that, you have clearly trained your Chinna so well that she knew what to do without your giving a specific command. That is, I think, the highest level to which an elephant rider can aspire.
"Where is my commander of elephants?"
"Here, my lord."
"Have you inspected the elephant?"
"Yes. She is bhadra, as you would expect from her actions on the road. A very excellent female."
"Female, hmm. . . . Not really suitable for the army, then. Do you own the elephant, boy?"
"No, I lease her."
"Very well. My commander of elephants will pay your owner a fair price for her, and then she will be donated in my name to the Temple of Padmanabha here in Trivantrum." Padmanabha was the 48th, 196th, and 346th name of Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranãma.
The raanni cleared her throat. "And I hereby declare that she is to receive a stipend for her upkeep from the throne of Kollam, and be awarded the title of Gajam Raanni." It meant, "Elephant Queen."
"I thank you on her behalf, great ones," said Abhaya. He wiped away a tear. "When would I need to say goodbye to her?"
"Goodbye? There is no need to say goodbye. Don't you want to still be her mahout?"
"Of course, but would a temple accept me . . ."
"Don't worry about it," said the raanni. "With the Brahmin you saved speaking on your behalf and our royal favor, even one of lower caste than you would be acceptable."
"And I have something else to give you," said the raja, "to remind your new colleagues of why you have been honored, and by whom. Indeed, it is in one of the gifts from Grantville the foreigners brought me." He whispered something to a servant, who left the audience room and then came back with a round object in his hand.
"Here it is, a very appropriate token of my esteem. My advisors tell me that it is a good luck charm, and the writing beneath it is a chant to activate it."
Agostinho, in the audience, was taken aback. "But that's not—"
"Shut up," said Benedito. "Don't even think of correcting the raja on so trivial a matter. There's a time and place for pedantry, and this isn't it."
Abhaya inspected the token. It bore a picture of an elephant, whose blue back, adorned with stars, clearly represented the vault of the heaven, and whose legs and trunk were painted red, the most auspicious of colors, and one associated with Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy. Elephants, of course, were considered to be lucky animals, which is why Abhaya had so much wedding business.
"What do the words say?" Abhaya looked at the Portuguese expectantly.
"That's your cue," Benedito said to Agostinho. "Just give them the pronunciation, no translation." Agostinho complied.
Abhaya listened carefully, and then repeated the magic words:
"I LIKE IKE."
* * *
Author's Note
The Indian words in this story are mostly from Malayalam, the language of Kerala, and not the more familiar Hindi. However, since the Hindi words raja and Brahmin have become English words, I have used them instead of their Malayalam equivalents (e.g., raajaavu). My thanks to G. B. Keshava and K. Gupta for their linguistic assistance.
If I Had a Hammer
Written by Kevin H. and Karen C. Evans
April 1635
East of Arpke village
Dieter Schwarzkopf crouched on one knee and looked up at his partner, Finn Kelley O'Donnell.
"Ah, there you are." The huge Irishman raised his hammer with both hands. "Hold still, my lovely." He swung the hammer down and smashed his target in the head.
Dieter jumped back out of the way. "You didn't have to hit it so hard, you know. Half-way with one blow. You're making the rest of the crew look like slackers. Besides, you'll wear yourself out in an hour doing that. "
Finn raised his hammer to his shoulder and took a couple of steps down the line, with Dieter following. "No, Dieter, it's like smashing clods in the field. My brothers and I did that all day every day; and picked up rocks, and planted, and hoed. Much easier working as a mercenary, if you ask me. As for this small job, I'm just here to pass the time away."
Finn and Dieter were no longer mercenaries. They were now working for the Grantville Central Railroad. When Dieter Schwarzkopf was released from his mercenary company, he heard from a cousin that there were jobs building roads. This road they were building was unlike any other road they had ever seen, though. Instead of packed dirt or cobblestones, this one was made of steel.
So he and his good friend, Finn Kelley O'Donnell, originally of Ireland, now worked as a spike team. Finn was the driver, and Dieter was the setter. To be sure, hauling steel rails and swinging a hammer was hard work. But it put silver in their pockets, and no one was shooting at them.
Another swing, and another spike was snug up against the rail. Before Dieter could set another spike, the blast of a horn shattered the air. Finn wiped his face with his kerchief, and glanced at the sun. "Looks to be lunchtime. I wonder if she'll talk to me today?"
Dieter frowned. Finn talked of nothing else lately. "She didn't talk to you yesterday, or the day before. What's so special about today? Do you think she will notice you among the four hundred men on this site?"
Finn's face spread into a huge grin. "Dieter, my lad, Wednesday has always been lucky for me."
As they stacked their tools, Dieter worried. That look on Finn's face always meant trouble. But he said nothing as they hurried into line at the cook tent.
They stepped up to the serving tables and Dieter started complaining. He was always more comfortable when he was complaining. "You be careful, Finn. Your Wednesday luck has only gotten me into trouble so far."
He was served a pile of boiled turnips and cabbage from the first pot. "I heard that the Dutchman has an eye for her. He's told anyone who will listen that she is his. And he's the captain of this job site. If you want to keep your job, you'll stay out of his way. They say he killed a man last month for speaking to her."
Finn was just ahead. "I'm not worried about the Dutchman." He grinned. "You didn't see the way she looked at me yesterday. I think she loves me already."
* * *
The woman filling the steins was the subject of Finn's obsession. Her red hair and green eyes were not the only things that held
everyone's attention, there was also her smile. Roselynde was truly a beauty.
She was aware of her affect on the men, but tried to ignore their attention. Roz wanted neither their puppy-like adoration, nor their lascivious attentions.
Today, as Dieter and Finn approached, she hardly even looked up. She smiled at the man ahead of them. "You must have really worked up a thirst out there this morning. Careful, now, or you'll slop it all out of the stein."
The man ducked his head, blushing, then gingerly picked up his tray and his beer, and hurried off out of her sight.
Roselynde filled two more steins. "Well, come along, then. Who's next? You're holding up the line." She smiled most of the time. But it was a kind of impersonal smile that didn't quite touch her eyes. She was determined to avoid attachments at this point in her life, so she was a little surprised when one of the men addressed her directly.
"Mistress, you're as lovely as this warm spring day." He stepped up and treated her to a winning smile.
It kind of reminded Roz of a hungry wolf. It was huge, and had lots of white shiny teeth. "My, aren't you the largest creature I've seen today."
He swelled a little larger at her compliment. "And you the bright ray of sunshine that lights our way."
Roselynde smiled as she always did. But she turned around quickly toward the tun. She could feel the heat on her face and didn't want anyone to see her blush. What am I doing blushing? I can't let any of these rough men think they can have their way with me! "Don't you be thinking that I'm fooled by your silliness, now."
He reached for one of the steins. "Silly it's not, mistress. I'm blinded by your loveliness."
Roselynde watched as he and his friend started to walk away from the serving line. She couldn't take her eyes off of the big one. He truly was a sight. He stood at least a head and a half over most of the men around him. Few were as broad of shoulder, either. And his dark hair and blue eyes drew her attention more than she wanted to admit. Why hadn't she noticed this man before?
The sounds of a disturbance across the track from the mess tent drew her back into reality. Crashes and oaths rattled out of the shanty housing the company office. The Dutchman, captain of the work crew, stepped out into the sunshine, still shouting. The office was a small shed on skids so it could be dragged to the next site every time the road crew moved.
Roz hurried to pick up some dirty steins, but the Dutchman plowed through the crowd toward the food line. "You there, that big Irish oaf. You've no right to speak to Roselynde. She is a lady, and above the likes of you."
All the sounds of laughter and conversation around the mess tent dropped into silence as deep as a snowy morning. Roz turned and saw the big man carefully set down his tray and stein. He smiled, but this time the wolf look was a little more prominent.
The Dutchman was not as large, but his anger seemed to make him almost as tall. His speed increased as he stepped forward, and his beard bristled as he glared into the icy blue eyes of the Irishman.
"Roz, is this man bothering you?" He tried to put his hand protectively on her arm.
Roselynde avoided his touch. "Now that's quite enough. This young man wasn't bothering me, but you are. Go back into the office and pick up the mess you made of your lunch. If you want any more, you'll have to come and get it yourself. I'm busy."
His mouth opened and closed as he tried to think of something else to say.
Roselynde turned her back. "Get out of my sight, all of you." She carefully didn't look at him or anyone else.
* * *
Dieter watched the whole confrontation from the hillside where he ate his lunch. Finn finally joined him and threw himself down, but didn't eat. Dieter let him fume for a moment, then said, "I told you to be careful. Did you see how much the Dutchman wanted to kill you?"
Finn wasn't listening. As usual.
"Ah, Dieter, it was wonderful. I was right, she already loves me. I knew it the first moment ever I laid eyes on her. And now . . ."
Dieter interrupted. "And now what? She stopped the Dutchman from killing you because it would shut down the road crew for the rest of the day. She doesn't care a pfennig for you."
Dieter watched Finn pick at his food, and worried again. "Finn, you're really going to get us in trouble this time, I can just feel it."
West of Arpke village
After midnight
Gijsbert Keese watched a man in a black cloak appear from the trees and slip across the meadow in the moonlight. Then the man blended back into shadow.
He was nervous, and when he didn't see the cloaked man for a moment, he whispered, "Are you alone?"
The cloaked man edged into the moonlight, and pushed off his hood. "Of course, you fool. I know that we can't be found out. After all, we are conducting illegal activities."
Gijsbert said, "It's always good to check. I have the shipment for you. But I couldn't get it all . . ."
The man in the cloak exploded. "What? I told you I needed it all. The war continues on the coast, and we have men to feed. And they're paying a pretty penny." He started pacing.
Gijsbert kept silent. He was afraid of the man in the cloak. And he knew from experience that it was better to wait out the temper than to try to explain.
Finally the pacing stopped. The cloaked man's eyes were piercing in the pale moonlight. "I guess I'll have to take what I can get. How much do you have?"
"I was saying that I couldn't get it all because the woman who runs the kitchen was counting everything. And I've been unsuccessful convincing her to cooperate. But I brought everything I got before she started inventory. There are several barrels of flour, salt pork, and wine. I didn't get the beer."
"Yes, yes. That will have to do. Let's get it loaded on the carts and out of here. I don't like meeting you so close to the village. It's too likely that we'll be seen."
With a good deal of grunting and struggle, they rolled the barrels over to a waiting cart. Without another word, the man in the cloak climbed up to the seat, and gathered the reins. "I expect to see you next week with the full order. Don't disappoint me again."
* * *
Dieter's week went from bad to worse. Finn worked as hard as ever, but all he could talk about was Roselynde. "She has the sweetest voice. Wouldn't she sing like a whole choir of angels?" Even worse, "Never have I seen such eyes. Dieter, have you ever seen anything as beautiful as Mistress Roselynde's eyes?"
Dieter worried more and more. Should he push Finn into action, or was it better to endure the constant talk?
One evening when Finn began washing up for dinner, he was telling Dieter in great detail everything he had noticed about Roselynde from her small feet to the wispy hair that slipped out of the pins.
The more Finn talked, the more a frown threatened to pull Dieter's brows together into one great dark brow. Finally, he could stand it no more. "Finn, I've listened to you talk about that woman for days now. Are you just going to talk me to death, or are you going to do something about it?"
Finn stood up straight, and wiped the water streaming in his eyes. "Well, I've been talking very politely to her each day. Isn't that enough?"
"You clod, of course not. All the men in the lunch line speak politely with Roselynde. In fact, I greeted her myself this morning. But you've been too busy acting like a mooncalf to know that. Finn, do you hear me?"
There was a pause. "Yes, Dieter, I do. You're saying that I need a plan. I need to do more than enjoy speaking to her at lunch."
Finn was silent for the rest of the evening. And that night Dieter was surprised when Finn went right to sleep.
Friday afternoon, Dieter was still worried. Finn still wasn't talking. Not a word as they placed spikes in the long rail.
Finally, the horn blew for quitting time. Dieter watched Finn washing up, and decided he needed to know what was going on in his head. So he threw a wet towel at him.
Finn pulled the wet towel off his face, and whirled. There was mayhem in his icy blue eyes. "Dieter, what's the matt
er with you?"
"Are you all right? Not a word about Roselynde, or anything else for that matter. Have you decided that you don't love her after all?"
Finn smiled sadly. "Of course not. I love her still. But you were right to tell me to make a plan. And I think I have one."
If Dieter had been worried before, he was downright fearful now. "What sort of plan, Finn? You aren't going to do anything that I'll have to save you from, are you? Remember that time in Rothenberg when you found . . ."
Finn laughed. "This is nothing like that time. And those two girls were really exaggerating when they . . ."
"Whether they were exaggerating or not is not the issue. What I need to know is how much trouble I'm going to get into trying to save your worthless neck this time."
Finn said nothing.
"Okay, Finn, what is this amazing plan? Does it involve killing anyone, because the company frowns on that."
"Of course not. It's really very simple. I'm going to get some flowers, go over to the women's tent, and tell Mistress Roselynde that I want to marry her."
He was inordinately pleased with himself. Dieter could tell that Finn thought this was the perfect and flawless plan. "That's your plan? Give her flowers and propose marriage? You know nothing about her. What if she's married already? What are you going to do then?"
It was obvious that Finn had never thought such a thing. "Why would a married woman be working in a place like this, I ask you?"
"Because, you lummox. Maybe her husband is working here too. Or maybe she really is the Dutchman's intended."
"Bite your tongue, Dieter Schwarzkopf. She would never consent to marrying a man like that. She's a much better sort."
Dieter plowed on, ignoring all objections. "You like Roselynde because she is a very good woman. Isn't it possible that someone of this high caliber will already be spoken for?"
Grantville Gazette Volume 25 Page 23