The Days of Peleg

by Jon Saboe

  It struck him that they were about as far from any civilization as one could get, and they were still enjoying human creativity and ingenuity. This would not be lost in his report upon returning home. Of course, Serug would still spoil it all by asking, ‘What’s the source?’

  When the performance had ended, Commander Irawaru stood and began to speak and Kupé sidled over to Peleg to assist in translating. Irawaru began an address on how they had been forced to leave their homes, and Peleg relayed this to Captain Phaxâd.

  Irawaru and his men had lived in a great seaport called Tiwanaku near the coastline of the large continent that Kupé claimed was further to the east. They were ruled by devotees to the Great Serpent God, Viracocha, who created life and around whom the cosmos revolves. Apparently, the dissension of Irawaru and his followers centered around their belief that Mamaquilla, the goddess of the moon, was more powerful than Apu Inti, the sun god.

  The argument was that, although Viracocha devoured the moon every month, the moon was resurrected anew; thereby demonstrating its superior vitality. Also, Mamaquilla regulated the months and tides, and, although the Sun was essential, Mamaquilla was the most miraculous and ingenious of the gods made by Viracocha.

  This might have been tolerated until Irawaru, who had been the high priest in Mamaquilla’s temple, received the revelation that the lunar deity was not female, but male. His name was Mara’ma, and this discovery had clearly solidified his greatness over Apu Inti.

  For this, Irawaru and his followers had been rounded up, escorted to the coast, and placed on a raft with a small sail, few supplies, and some pots of fresh water, and sent out to sea; banished. If they felt that Mara’ma was so powerful, perhaps he would save them.

  Somehow, through the mercy of Mara’ma, they had traveled for four months before arriving on this island. They had eaten nothing but fish and bird, but the greatest struggle was fresh water. They had rinsed their sail and made a canopy with a depression that delivered small amounts of distilled water to the waiting pot. They had inverted one of their pots and created a small makeshift still and collected the vapor which condensed at the top. They had sucked the freshwater out of fish eyeballs and bones, and even been forced to drink small amounts of seawater, which, although it made them sick, did not kill them when taken in small enough quantities. They dared not eat much without a supply of fresh water.

  When all had seemed lost, Mara’ma had sent gentle rains which they collected and stored. Finally, Mamacocha, the Great Mother of the Sea, had sent a storm which had deposited them on the shores of this land—sickly and with their craft destroyed; but, sustaining only five casualties, they offered prayers of praise and thanksgiving in their songs and hearts.

  Mara’ma had vindicated them, and now they would wait for him and his assemblage of Atua to retrieve them and bring them to their reward when the time was right.

  When Peleg had finished the last of this translation, the evening was abruptly over. Irawaru bowed his head good-bye, and Kupé took Peleg and Phaxâd from the dining hut.

  Instead of going towards the Urbat, Kupé steered them down another path which apparently ended at his own quarters. He said, “I wish to share with you, something.”

  Inside, he went to a small shelf which had rolls of papyrus. He selected one, and opened it for Peleg.

  As Peleg oriented himself, he slowly realized that this was a partial outline of the far-eastern continent—apparently the one from which they had been banished. It had been drawn recently, obviously after their arrival, and he memorized as much as he could.

  Kupé then pulled out other scrolls which contained written language, more maps, and some astronomical references in writing which neither Peleg or Phaxâd recognized.

  They communicated slowly but excitedly late into the night until the impatience of Captain Phaxâd forced them to continue their discussion on the way back to the ship where they abandoned their exchange to be resumed at another time.

  “You will have enough votes, soon.” Dumuzi’s deep black eyes bored into Mentor Salah’s mind as the mental projection advised him from afar. “Between your supporters and your wife’s students, you will certainly be able to call for a No-Confidence Vote and have that no-head Reu-Nathor removed.”

  It did not occur to Salah to ask how Dumuzi knew so much of local events. He only knew that his health and energy had returned with great vitality since the day that Inanna had found him on the floor of his meditation chamber.

  He had been rescued from complete emotional, physical, and psychic collapse, and would trust anything that Akkadian Enkidu of the Utu Historical Council told him.

  Chapter 14

  Caught

  “Are the demands of science subject to morality, or do they define it?”

  In the darkest part of the night, just before dawn, the crew was awakened by a large extended roar in the distance. Looking out towards the beach, they could see fiery plumes and streams of glowing lava flowing from a crack high on the side of the towering Rana’kao. The summit was crystal clear, even though it was on the southwestern end of the island.

  After a few minutes, it abated, and the silence that followed was accentuated by the amplified sound of sea waves, which had grown much larger, lapping at the sides of their vessel. The ship returned to sleeping.

  In the morning, everything was covered with a fine black ash.

  Irawaru and his men hurried towards their sacred mountain the moment they heard the rumblings. Bursts of incandescence shot through the night sky, and a low red light radiated from its side.

  Surely the Atua would look towards the flashes and view the monuments which had been constructed in their honor. They ran quickly. If the gods arrived and there was no one to greet them, they might depart and never return. As he slid from behind the towering mountain in front of them, Mara’ma flooded the area with his reddened light, and guided them, allowing them to run faster.

  By the time they neared the base of Rana’Kao, the noise had subsided and only a fading orange glow remained above them. They gathered around the platform which now held two carvings honoring Mara’ma. The settling air smelled of sulfur.

  The Atua had not come. The outburst from the volcano had been extremely short on this occasion, and they probably hadn’t had enough time to make the trip. Of course, they would have known in advance that this volcanic event was only going to last a few minutes.

  As their sense of anticipation dwindled, Manu and the others stood silently, forming an ellipse around the monuments which now could be seen only as a silhouette against the night sky. A different smell caught Manu’s attention, and he turned to the side.

  A faint heat signature glowed off to the right, and he went to it. The other men followed, and the smell of carbon became more pronounced.

  They found a small patch of ground that had been cleared in a circle. In the middle were the burnt remains of small pieces of wood. A campfire. And next to it were footprints made by a man who wore the shoes of the visitors. Someone with very large feet.

  They all looked to their commander for a response. It arrived slowly and deliberately.

  “The intruders have knowingly and willfully trespassed on our sacred place of meeting. Our contract of honor with them is now void.”

  The men assigned to care for the crops rose with the sun and headed for the beach. When they arrived at their crops, they were startled to find every corner of each field guarded by two islanders, each holding a flaming torch. As they drew closer, the non-verbal threat became clear. No words were needed to understand that their crops, which had just reached knee-height, would be burned to ashes if they advanced any further.

  There was no way to rush them, as they clearly indicated their readiness to toss the flames into the field at the slightest provocation.

  With the stalemate acknowledged, the foreman, Zisudra, instructed his men to do nothing and returned to the ship to inform the Captain.

  Zisudra pounded on Captain Phaxâd’s door,
and the second it opened, he shouted, “They’re stealing our crops!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They’ve surrounded our fields with torches, and intend to destroy them if we won’t give our harvest over to them.”

  Phaxâd was instantly awake. “Get Peleg, and meet me at the boat.”

  When they arrived at the primary field, the situation was unchanged. Men with blazing torches held menacingly over the plot stood ready to drop them.

  “What is the meaning of this!” yelled Captain Phaxâd, forgetting that none of them knew a word he was saying.

  “Hold on,” said Peleg. “Kupé is arriving right now.”

  He turned to the approaching man.

  “You wish to destroy the crops which we grew on the land you so graciously allowed us to use?”

  Kupé held out a small, elongated piece of stone. “Commander Irawaru has ordered us to destroy your crops, and if necessary, your ship if you do not turn over the man who wears this shoe.”

  Peleg looked down, and realized that Kupé held a cast of a footprint in his hand. Only one man on the island had feet that large.

  “Where was this made?”

  “Last night we went to the mountain to greet the Atua, but they chose not to descend because one of you non-believers had desecrated our place of meeting. We found a campsite with footprints like these.”

  Kupé looked him directly in the eye.

  “You will turn him over to us at once.”

  It was not a question.

  Captain Phaxâd could not understand anything that was being said, but the turmoil in his stomach could only mean one thing. Thaxad!

  Peleg turned to Phaxâd, who interrupted him before he could speak.

  “Let me guess. The owner of that shoe was caught visiting their statues.”

  Peleg gave a surprised look. “How did you know?”

  “I’m the Captain.” He nodded calmly. “I also know who belongs to that footprint. I will stay here as a show of good faith and I want you to go and get Mentor Thaxad. You may find that he didn’t sleep much last night.”

  He paused, suddenly angry. “I ordered him not to go there.”

  Peleg nodded, then said to Kupé. “I will return with the man who wears that shoe. He visited your meeting place against the orders of our Captain. Please accept our request for forgiveness.”

  Kupé was resolute. “We will remain here.”

  As Peleg ran back to the ship, Captain Phaxâd ordered the rest of his men to draw back from the fields.

  Peleg returned with Thaxad, who shot hurried, apologetic glances at Captain Phaxâd. The Captain, in return, ignored him. There was no need to question Thaxad. He knew why he was here, and Phaxâd nodded to Peleg, indicating that this was the man, and he should begin his negotiations.

  Peleg turned to Kupé and said, contritely, “This is the man who was examining your monuments yesterday. He meant no dishonor. He is most amazed at your workmanship, and wished to study and give respect to chemists and other of your craftsmen.”

  Kupé appeared to have heard nothing. “Your tall crewmember visited our sacred meeting place after we had instructed you very carefully not to. This was our one simple request in exchange for our hospitality and the free use of our land and resources.

  “Your crops and any materials gleaned are now forfeit as you have violated the terms of our agreement.”

  Peleg looked around for any help that Phaxâd could give him, but realized that he understood nothing of the transaction.

  “They say our agreement is canceled,” Peleg said to the captain.“We broke it by violating their travel restrictions.”

  Phaxâd scowled slightly and said, “I was afraid it would come to this. We all will share in the guilt of Thaxad.” He thought for a moment. “See if there are any options. We must have our grain and supplies. Perhaps they can give Thaxad some kind of punishment.” He glared at Thaxad. “If it’s severe enough, I won’t have to do it myself.”

  Peleg turned to Kupé. “We regret the actions of this man whom we call Thaxad. We do not wish that his offense would bring harm to us and encumber our mission. If there is a way that he can be tried by your laws, perhaps we can agree to this in exchange for our crops and materials.” He tried to make meaningful contact with Kupé’s eyes, but Kupé refused.

  “You fail to understand the severity of the tall one’s actions,” Kupé said, “and the cause of our distress. His presence prevented the Atua from descending last night. His fire defiled our place of meeting, and his defiance engenders our total distrust of you and your crew.”

  Peleg glanced over towards Thaxad and muttered under his breath.

  “Why did you have to start a fire?” he said quickly so that Kupé could not understand.

  “I was doing some experiments,” the tall Mentor explained. He shrugged. “I damaged nothing. Tell them I am very sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

  Peleg cut him off and turned to Kupé.

  “If Thaxad is responsible for the Atua not appearing, then perhaps we can confine him so that he will not be seen. The Atua will be pleased that you have dealt with him, and…”

  “Do not attempt to explain our beliefs to us,” Kupé declared.

  “I apologize. I simply meant that if he was out of sight, he could no longer offend your gods.”

  Kupé appeared to think about this.

  Peleg pressed forward.

  “Thaxad is our chief chemist and scientist. His curiosity got the better of him. But he is very knowledgeable. While he is confined, you will be free to visit and ask him whatever you will, and he can teach you all manner of science and wisdom.”

  “What use have we of your technology?”

  Peleg was taken aback. Before he could reply, Kupé had raised his arm, sweeping it back over his head towards a large rock.

  Commander Irawaru stepped from behind the rock and approached Kupé. They spoke in low, fast tones, and Peleg hoped they were discussing his offer. However, in all probability, they were getting ready to carry out their sentence and torch their crops. He looked back at Phaxâd, who could only shrug and wait.

  Kupé turned back to Peleg.

  “We reflect the mercy of Mara’ma and are fair and honest men. We agree that the one named Thaxad should be punished solely. However, you are not fair and honest men; therefore we do not trust you to confine him as you say. You are non-believers with no basis for right and wrong.

  “Our offer is this: We shall take Tall Thaxad and confine him ourselves, making sure that he is always out of the light, and never beneath the open sky. Only in this manner will we allow you to harvest the crops and continue to collect materials which we have so graciously bequeathed to you.

  “In addition, you will be restricted to this beach and the immediate woods. Armed guards will be placed as a sentry around this location and no one will be allowed to pass. You will harvest your crops and then leave our land, never to return.

  “Tall Thaxad will be freed to continue with you at that time.”

  Peleg quickly relayed this to Phaxâd, who nodded with cheerless relief. “At least they’re not going to execute him.” He glanced at Thaxad. “I’ll have to wait until we leave to decide how I wish to deal with you.”

  Peleg turned back to Kupé, bowing slightly. “We shall accept your merciful offer, and thank you again for the use of your land. Thaxad shall go with you.”

  Kupé made a small hand gesture to Irawaru who then shouted out a short list of commands. Immediately, the men who were surrounding the fields extinguished their torches and came to him. They stared at Phaxâd and his men with looks of disappointment. Peleg could not tell whether they were upset that their new visitors had betrayed them, or simply sad they hadn’t been allowed to torch the fields.

  They loosely tied Thaxad’s wrists with a small strip of braided vine and placed him between two islanders. As they prepared to leave, Peleg tried to catch Kupé’s attention, but was ignored. He started to follow them an
d as he approached, Kupé spun and looked directly into Peleg’s eyes for the second time that day.

  Peleg was stunned at the hurt and betrayal he saw in them. He spoke quietly and earnestly.

  “Please, Kupé,” he started. “Please accept our apologies. We meant no harm.” He looked into Kupé’s face, but there was no recognition.

  Peleg pressed for a response.

  “Will you return so we can continue our studies?”

  Kupé’s eyes suddenly focused and he asked, “Are you a worthy student?” It was clear from his tone that the answer was ‘no’.

  He turned and followed his compatriots into the forest. Two of the men stopped at the edge of the clearing and assumed a guard stance. They had little fear that the men from the Urbat would defy them. They had demonstrated their complete control over the crops and supplies.

  Over the next several weeks, the men continued their farming and hunting under the vigilant and incriminating eyes of Irawaru’s men. Their guards were discreet and stayed in the background, but their presence could always be felt. The crew of the Urbat knew they were on probation, and no one dared to venture beyond the designated region.

  Peleg continued his observations and calculations. He tried to make use of the maps and charts that Kupé had shared with him earlier in an attempt to plan for the continuation of their mission.

  One evening as Peleg was observing from the ledge where he always stood to accurately record the sunset, he was disturbed by a rustle from behind.

  Kupé was approaching him, and held a small scroll in his hand. He wordlessly handed it to Peleg who unrolled it and began to read.

  It contained what looked like a shopping list, but had symbols that Peleg did not recognize. He looked up at Kupé.

  The islander spoke. “Tall Thaxad has convinced me that you are an honorable student. We have recorded the formula for our wall and he has been able to translate it for you. In exchange, he has shown us much of his own chemistry.