The Earth's Children Series 6-Book Bundle

by Jean M. Auel

  “I wonder why Beladora and the children got sick, but not the rest of us,” Levela said. “At least not yet.”

  “If you haven’t by now, you probably won’t,” Ayla said.

  “I was worried that someone might have set evil spirits on us because they were jealous that we were making a Journey,” Beladora said.

  “I don’t know,” Ayla said. “Did you anger anyone?”

  “If I did, I didn’t mean to. I was excited about seeing my family and my Cave again. When I left with Kimeran, I didn’t know if I ever would. It might have seemed like I was bragging,” Beladora said.

  “Did anyone at the First Cave of South Land Zelandonii talk about anyone who had stayed there before you? Or was anyone sick when you were there?” Ayla asked Kimeran.

  “Now that you mention it, some people did make a crossing before us, more than one group, and I think their Zelandoni was taking care of someone who was sick,” Kimeran said. “I didn’t ask, though.”

  “If there were evil spirits present, they may not have been directed at you. It may be that they were left over from the people who were there before you, Beladora, but some sickness happens without anyone wishing it on you. It just seems to get passed around,” Ayla said. “This fever with red spots might be one like that. If you get it when you are young, you don’t usually get it after you are grown. That’s what one Mamut told me. My guess is that all of you had it when you were children, or you’d be sick, too.”

  “I think I do remember a time when a lot of us were sick at a Summer Meeting,” Jondecam said. “They put us all together in one tent, and once we got to feeling better, we felt special because we were getting so much attention. It was like a game; I think we had spots, too. Do any of you remember?”

  “I was probably too young to remember,” Levela said.

  “And I was just enough older that I didn’t pay any attention to younger children, sick or not,” Jondalar said. “If I didn’t get sick then, I must have had it when I was so young, I don’t remember. What about you, Kimeran?”

  “I think I do remember, sort of, but only because my sister was in the zelandonia,” the other tall man said. “At a Summer Meeting, there’s always so much going on, and youngsters from the same Cave tend to stay together. They don’t always notice what others are doing. What about you, Ayla? Have you had the red-spot fever sickness?”

  “I remember occasionally being sick and having a fever when I was growing up, but I don’t remember if I ever had red spots with it,” Ayla said. “But I didn’t get sick when I went with a Mamut to the Mamutoi Camp that had the sickness, so that I could learn something about it, and how to treat it. And speaking of that, I want to go out and see what I can find to help you feel better, Beladora. I have some medicines with me, but the plants I want grow almost everywhere, and I’d rather have fresh ones if I can find some.”

  Everyone filed out of the tent except Kimeran, who stayed to look after Beladora and her children, as well as Levela’s child.

  “Can’t I stay here, mother? With them?” Jonayla asked, indicating the other children.

  “They can’t play right now, Jonayla,” her mother said. “They need to rest, and I’d like you to help me find some plants that I can use to make them feel better.”

  “What are you looking for?” Levela asked when they got outside. “Can I help you?”

  “Do you know yarrow, or common coltsfoot? I also want willow bark, but I know where that is. I saw some just before we got here.”

  “Is yarrow the one with the fine leaves and tiny white flowers that grow together in a bunch? A little like carrots, with a stronger smell? That’s one way you can tell the difference, from the smell,” Levela asked.

  “That is a very good description,” Ayla said. “And coltsfoot?”

  “Big roundish green leaves that are thick, white, and soft underneath.”

  “You know that one, too. Good. Let’s go and find some,” Ayla said. Jondalar and Jondecam were standing by the fireplace outside the tent, talking, while Jonayla was nearby, listening. “Beladora and Gioneran still have some fever. We are going to look for some plants to help bring down the heat. And something to help the itchiness of all of them. I’ll take Jonayla and Wolf.”

  “We were just saying we should collect more wood,” Jondalar said. “And I was thinking that I should look for some trees that would make good poles for a pole-drag or two. Even when Beladora and the children get better, they might not be up to a long walk, and we should start back to Camora’s Cave before they start worrying about us.”

  “Do you think Beladora will mind riding on a pole-drag?” Ayla asked.

  “We’ve all seen the First riding on one. She seems to like it. I think it has made the idea less frightening,” Levela said. “Why don’t we ask her?”

  “I need to get my gathering basket anyway,” Ayla said.

  “I’ll get mine, too, and we should let Kimeran and Beladora know where we’re going,” Levela said. “And I’ll tell Jonlevan we’re going to get something to make him feel better.”

  “He’ll want to go, since he is better, especially when he finds out that Jonayla is going with you,” Jondecam said.

  “I know he will,” Levela said, “but I don’t think he should yet. What do you think, Ayla?”

  “If I knew the area better and knew where we were going, it might be all right, but I don’t think so yet.”

  “That’s what I’ll tell him,” Levela said.

  “I’ll take Beladora,” Ayla said. “Whinney is more accustomed to pulling a pole-drag,” It had been several days since they found the missing families, but Beladora still wasn’t entirely recovered. If she pushed herself too soon, Ayla was afraid she might end up with a chronic problem that could make the rest of the Journey more difficult.

  She didn’t add that Racer would not be a good horse to pull her travois because he was harder to control. Even Jondalar, who was very good with him, sometimes had difficulty when the stallion got a bit fractious. Gray was still young, Jonayla even younger in terms of ability, and with Whinney dragging the travois behind her, it would be more difficult for Ayla to use the lead rope to help her daughter control the horse. She wasn’t sure that they should make a pole-drag for Gray.

  However, the large tent the other travelers had been camping in while people were sick was assembled from their smaller traveling tents and some extra hides, and the third travois could hold the tent poles and other things they had made while they had stopped that they might otherwise have left behind. The children were very much improved, but still tired easily. The pole-drags would also provide a place for them to rest while they were traveling without having to stop. Ayla and Jondalar wanted to return as quickly as possible. They were sure the ones who were waiting for them were wondering where they were.

  The night before they planned to leave, they organized as much as they could so they could leave quickly. Ayla, Jondalar, Jonayla, and Wolf used their own traveling tent. In the morning, they made a quick meal of the leftovers from the night before, and packed everything on the pole-drags, including the backframes they usually wore to carry their essentials—shelter, additional clothing, and food—with them. Though the adults were used to carrying them, they found it much easier to walk without the heavy loads. They got off to a good start and traveled farther than they customarily did, but by evening, most people were tired.

  While they were drinking the last of their evening tea, Kimeran and Jondecam brought up the idea of stopping early to go hunting so they would have something to bring with them when they met Camora’s relatives. Ayla was concerned. The weather had cooperated so far. There had been a little shower the night Ayla and Jondalar found the other travelers. It cleared up after that, but Ayla didn’t know how long it would stay that way. Jondalar was aware that she had a good “nose” for weather, and usually knew when rain was coming.

  It wasn’t exactly a smell that suggested rain; she thought of it as a special tang in t
he air and often a damp feel. In later times, some would refer to the ozone in the atmosphere before rain as fresh air; others who had the ability to detect it thought it had a metallic tinge. Ayla didn’t have a name for it and found it hard to explain, but she knew it, and she had perceived that hint of coming rain recently. Slogging through mud and pouring rain was the last thing she wanted to do right now.

  Ayla woke up when it was still dark. She got up to use the night basket, but stepped outside instead. There was still a glow from the coals in the fireplace in front of the tent that gave enough light for her to go to a nearby bush instead. The air was cool but fresh and as she headed back to the tent she noticed that the true black of night had shaded into the midnight blue of pre-dawn. She watched for a while as a rich deep red flooded the eastern sky, highlighting a mottled pattern of dark purple clouds, followed by a dazzling light that turned the red sky more fiery and spread the clouds out into bands of vibrant color.

  “I’m sure it’s going to rain soon,” she said to Jondalar when she went back into the tent, “and it is going to be a big storm. I know they don’t want to arrive empty-handed, but if we keep going we might get there before the rain starts. I would not want Beladora to get wet and cold just as she is getting better, and I dislike the idea of having everything get wet and muddy when if we hurry we might avoid it.”

  The rest woke up early, planning to start out not long after sunup. Everyone could see dark clouds gathering on the horizon, and Ayla was sure they would soon be in for a downpour.

  “Ayla says a big storm is coming,” Jondalar told the other two men when they brought up hunting. “She thinks it would be better to hunt later, after we get there.”

  “I know there are clouds in the distance,” Kimeran said, “but that doesn’t mean it will rain here. They look pretty far off.”

  “Ayla has a good sense of rain coming,” Jondalar said. “I’ve seen it before. I don’t necessarily want to have to dry out wet clothes and muddy footwear.”

  “But we only met them at the Matrimonial,” Jondecam said. “I don’t want to ask for their hospitality with nothing to give in return.”

  “We were only there a half a day before we left to look for you, but I noticed that they don’t seem to be familiar with the spear-thrower. Why don’t we ask them to come hunting with us and show them how to use it. That might be a better gift than just bringing them some meat,” Jondalar said.

  “I suppose … do you really think it’s going to rain that soon?” Kimeran asked.

  “I trust Ayla’s ‘nose’ for rain. She is seldom wrong,” Jondalar said. “She’s been smelling rain for a few days and she thinks it will be a big storm. Not one that we’ll want to get caught in without good shelter. She doesn’t even want to stop to cook a midday meal; she says we should just drink water and eat traveling cakes along the way, so we can get there faster. Now that Beladora is getting well, I don’t think you want her to get soaked.” Suddenly he had another thought. “We could get there more quickly riding on the horses.”

  “How can we all ride on three horses?” Kimeran asked.

  “Some people could ride on the pole-drags and others double up on the horses. Have you ever thought about sitting on a horse? You could sit behind Jonayla.”

  “Maybe someone else should sit on a horse. I’ve got long legs and I can run fast,” Kimeran said.

  “Not as fast as a horse,” Jondalar said. “Her two children can ride on the pole-drag with Beladora. It would be a bumpy ride, but they have already done it a few times. We could move the gear on Racer’s pole-drag to Gray’s. Then Levela and Jonlevan can ride double on Racer with me. That leaves you and Jondecam. I thought he could ride on the pole-drag, or he can ride behind me, and Levela and her young one can be on the pole-drag. That leaves you riding double with Ayla or Jonayla. With your long legs, it would give you more room if you ride with Jonayla, since she rides so close to Gray’s neck. Do you think you could hang on to a horse with your legs while you are sitting on her? You could also hold on to the pole-drag ropes. Whoever rides double with me can hang on to me. We won’t ride too long like that—it would tire the horses—but we could cover a good bit of ground a lot faster if we let them run for a little while.”

  “I see you’ve been thinking about this,” Jondecam said.

  “Only since Ayla told me of her concerns,” Jondalar said. “What do you think, Levela?”

  “I don’t want to get wet if I can avoid it,” she said. “If Ayla says it’s going to rain, I believe her. I’ll ride a pole-drag with Jonvelan like Beladora if it means we’ll get there faster, even if it is a little bumpy.”

  While the water was heating for tea, the loads on the pole-drags were rearranged, and Ayla and Jondalar got everyone settled. Wolf was watching from the side with his head tilted at an angle as though he was curious about what was going on, which was emphasized by his cocked ear. Ayla caught sight of him and smiled. They started out slowly at first, then with a look between them, Jondalar signaled Ayla, then gave a shout.

  “Get ready, and hold on tight,” he said.

  Ayla leaned forward, instructing her horse to run. Whinney started into a fast trot; then her gait changed to a gallop. Though it wasn’t as fast as it would have been if she hadn’t been dragging the travois, she did gain considerable speed. The horses behind followed her lead and the urging of their usual riders, and picked up their pace. Wolf ran along beside them. It was exhilarating for Jondecam and Kimeran, and breathtaking, if a little frightening, for those holding on tight to the pole-drags as they bumped over the rough ground. Ayla paid close attention to her horse, and when Whinney started to labor under the strain, she slowed her down again.

  “Well, that was exciting,” Beladora said.

  “That was fun!” both the twins said together. “Can we do it again?” Ginadela asked.

  “Yes, can we do it again?” Gioneran asked.

  “We’ll do it again, but we have to let Whinney rest a little now,” Ayla said. She was pleased with the distance they had traveled in their short burst of speed, but they still had some ways to go. They kept going, but at a walk. After she felt that her horse was rested, Ayla called out, “Let’s do it again.”

  When the horses started running, the riders hung on, knowing now what to expect. The ones who had been frightened were not as frightened this time, but it was still exciting to move with greater speed than any of them could have run, even those with the longest of legs.

  The native wild horses, which had been tamed but not domesticated, were very strong and tough. Their hooves needed no protection from rocky ground, they could carry or pull a surprisingly heavy load, and their endurance was well beyond what might be expected. Though they loved to run, the horses with the extra loads could sustain the pace for only a limited time, which Ayla watched very carefully. By the time she slowed them back to a walk, and after a while signaled them to take off in a run a third time, the horses even seemed to be enjoying it. Wolf did too. It seemed like some kind of game. He tried to anticipate when they would start to run again and get a head start, but he didn’t want to get too far ahead because he was keeping pace and needed to predict when they would slow down.

  By late afternoon Ayla and Jondalar were beginning to recognize the region though they weren’t sure, and didn’t want to miss the trail they needed to take to reach the Cave of Camora’s people. It had been Willamar who knew the region. Going at a slower pace made everyone notice the changes in the weather. The air was damp and the wind had started to pick up. Then they heard a resounding rumble and the roaring crack of thunder and not long after saw a flash of lightning and it wasn’t very far away. They all knew a big storm was almost upon them. Ayla began to shiver, but it wasn’t just the sudden blast of cold damp air. The rumbling and roaring reminded her too much of an earthquake, and there was nothing she hated more than earthquakes.

  They almost missed the trail, but Willamar and some of the others had been keeping a watch for them fo
r several days. Jondalar was very relieved when he saw the familiar figure waving at them. The Trade Master had seen the horses approaching from some distance away, and had sent one of the people up to tell the Cave that the horses were returning. At a distance, when Willamar didn’t see anyone walking alongside the horses, he was afraid they hadn’t found anyone, but as they drew closer, he saw more than one head above the backs of the horses, and realized they were riding together. Then he saw the pole-drags and as they pulled up, people on them.

  People from the Cave were rushing down the path. When Camora saw her brother and her uncle, she didn’t know which to run to first. They solved her dilemma when both of them ran to her and hugged her together.

  “Hurry, it’s starting to rain,” Willamar urged.

  “We can leave the pole-drags here,” Ayla said, then they all hurried up the trail.

  The travelers stayed longer than planned, partly to give Camora a chance to visit with her kin, and for her mate and children to get to know them. The Cave was a more isolated band of people, and though they went to Summer Meetings, they didn’t have any close neighbors. Jondecam and Levela considered staying with Jondecam’s sister, perhaps until the travelers could stop and pick them up on their way back. She seemed hungry for company and news about people she knew. Kimoran and Beladora definitely planned to leave when the First did. Beladora’s people lived at the end of their proposed Journey.

  The First had been hoping to leave within a few days, but Jonayla came down with measles as they were getting ready to go, which delayed their departure. The three Zelandonia among the travelers gave remedies and instructions to the resident Cave on how to care for those who developed the contagious disease, explaining that they were likely to get sick, too, but that usually it wasn’t too serious. The local Zelandoni had become acquainted with the First and Jonokol while Ayla and Jondalar were looking for the others, and had grown to respect their knowledge.

  The people of the Ninth Cave told stories of their experiences with the sickness and made it seem so commonplace that the people didn’t feel quite as nervous about getting sick with it. Even after Jonayla started to feel better, Zelandoni decided that they should postpone leaving until the people of the Cave started to show symptoms so the three of them could explain how to care for those who got sick and what herbs and poultices would be helpful. Many of the Cave did get sick, but not all of them, which made the First think that at least some of the people had been exposed to measles before.