Darwin's World: An Epic of Survival (The Darwin's World Series Book 1)

by Jack L Knapp

  Final work on Cindy’s bow continued until we were ready for sleep. She could try it tomorrow, and if it wasn’t strong enough, I would glue on sinew backing that evening.

  “We should be ready to hunt day after tomorrow. Lilia and I will be the primary hunters but everyone will bring their weapons. We’ll continue hunting after we bag something, Millie and Sandra will skin and quarter the meat for transport. Laz and René will help, then haul meat to the mine as soon as the hunt’s finished. Millie and Sandra will bring our portion of the meat back here.

  “Cindy will stay at the cabin with Lee; until she’s had a chance to practice, I’d rather have Millie and Sandra with us. The plains are just too dangerous for someone who’s not ready.

  “A sled or two, something like our stone boat but lighter, will make transporting meat easier. I don’t expect to get more than two hundred pounds of meat from an animal and a light sled will make hauling it easier. We can’t use the sled in the grasslands, the clumps are too high and they grow too close together, but it should work fine after we’re back under the trees. The grass is short and there aren’t many bushes after you get back under the trees.

  “We’ll cut out the larger bones and leave them, the head and lower legs too. The less weight we haul, the better. Ideally, we’ll only transport what’s edible. Use the hides flesh-side-up to protect the meat. Laz and René can pull a sled and still be ready to drop the straps and use their spears, Lilia will go along for added security or I’ll go myself, whichever seems best.”

  Laz asked about using the heavy spears.

  “They're tip-heavy. They don’t have the right balance for throwing, but they work fine for thrusting or hacking. I’m mostly right-handed, not quite as good left-handed, so my right hand goes near the butt of the spear to provide power. I’ve rounded off the ends to make it easier to push with your palms, but you probably won’t need to do that.

  “Put your left hand a foot or so behind the blade to guide it, then use that strong right hand to provide power. You can brace it against your hip, use your legs and get your body into the thrust. Don’t hold back; it’s not easy to punch that spear point all the way in.

  “You can use the same grip to swing the blade. A chop works if you’re in too close to thrust. That’s one advantage of using the steel blades, it gives you an option that flint-tipped spears don’t have. Even so, the best option is usually the thrust. The object is to get the steel into the vitals, the heart, lungs, or brain. Hacking kills by blood loss, so it’s unlikely to finish the critter before it kills you.

  We went through a few slow exercises until they had the hang of using the spears. They could have benefited from more practice but summer would end soon. We needed meat for ourselves as well as for trading.

  Lee could teach Cindy to use her new bow while we were gone.

  #

  We ate an early breakfast and departed. We had packed the night before, so we lost no time getting on the trail.

  I led, Laz and Sandra followed, René and Millie trailed behind Sandra. Lilia was rear guard. Lee and Cindy seemed content to remain behind.

  Did the pairings mean anything? Was an attraction building between the couples behind me, maybe also between Lee and Cindy? Social rearrangements seemed to be happening; I’d assigned people to the various jobs because they seemed to work best that way, and if relationships grew because of that it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

  Nothing had happened around the cabin, so far as I knew. I'd wondered if Lee and Sandra had established a relationship before Cindy arrived; they’d had the privacy. Lilia had taken Sandra with her on some of her foraging trips, leaving Lee and Millie alone. Lee was young, but grown-up enough; maybe something had happened there too.

  Time would tell.

  We camped early and ate a cold supper. Conversation was low-voiced around the small fire, kept going to keep animals from getting curious, and the conversations soon lagged. I took first shift, the rest slept. Lilia relieved me at midnight and I got some sleep too.

  There was a small stream to cross tomorrow morning, so we could take turns bathing before continuing on. Human scent might be the difference between success and failure; it was worth taking a few minutes to reduce our smell.

  #

  There was indeed something going on; Lilia and I stood watch while the others washed; they acted more like couples than casual bathers sharing the same water hole!

  They stood guard for us, keeping their paired arrangement while Lilia and I bathed. If our baths went faster than the other four…well, they were younger and we had more responsibility. But there had clearly been shifts in the group’s social arrangements.

  #

  Full sunrise found us watching over the grassland. Sandra and Laz shared a tree, Millie and René had their own tree. I climbed one a few yards off to the left, Lilia went off to the right, giving the four least-knowledgeable people protection. We settled in to watch.

  I saw no animals nearby. There were huge, slow-moving masses far out on the grasslands, too big, too far away, and too dangerous. Killing something that size was only the beginning; we’d still have to butcher the animal and carry as much meat as possible back across that dangerous plain. Much meat would unavoidably be left behind. The predators would be waiting too, ready to exploit any opportunity.

  Mammoths? Elephant-sized ground sloths? The animals were probably at least a mile away. Whatever they were, they appeared to be grazing in small groups.

  There were bison in herds of perhaps a hundred or more, huge things compared to the ‘buffalo’ I’d seen downtime. Closer than those distant giants, some were almost near enough to where we waited. One herd was grazing in our direction. Maybe, if they kept on coming...

  But not yet. I kept watching.

  The animals had the wooly coat of American bison but wide, spreading horns instead of the short curved horns found downtime.

  The herd was extremely dangerous to hunters on foot, lone animals probably less so. We could try for one if it got close enough to the trees. My new bow was a powerful weapon and I had gained considerable skill in using it, and Lilia also had skill, although her bow wasn’t as powerful as mine.

  Meantime, even if we never got a shot at the bison, there might be camels or stags. We might also see horses or pigs, much safer quarry for hunters on foot.

  The pigs were around. They had torn up the ground as they searched for roots.

  I would need about twenty people to hunt sloth or mammoth. We’d need them not only to kill the beast but to butcher it and transport the meat. Otherwise, we’d have to leave meat behind. I didn’t like the thought. I was still modern enough to believe that killing was wrong unless we intended to use the meat.

  Darwin’s World was my world now. There were dangers, sure, but I liked this world just as it was. It might kill me, but everyone dies, and I wouldn’t go quietly!

  Predators had to be there in the grass, even if I hadn’t seen them. The grasses moved against the wind from time to time.

  I was watching the bison herd when I heard a faint murmur. It sounded like Sandra’s voice. Exasperating; this was no way to act while hunting! I descended and slipped toward their tree, the voices becoming louder as I got closer. I murmured myself, scolding them in the harshest voice I could muster.

  I continued past the tree where Millie and René waited, but heard nothing. I went on to Lilia’s tree and called her.

  She joined me on the ground. She had seen the bison and had also seen the large animals; she thought they were likely mammoths.

  “I don’t see any way we can get to that herd. Some of us would get killed. They’re big and thick-skinned enough to take a lot of killing, and we can’t escape because of the thick grass. There are predators too; I think we wait and see if they keep coming this way.”

  “I can confirm the predators. I spotted two lionesses and there may have been more, but two of them were together for a while before they split up. I glimpsed another one tha
t might have been a male, bigger than the two females. They’re following the bison.”

  “If that’s the case, they’re heading our way. I hope they can’t climb trees! But you and I need to share a tree, Lilia. If there are lions, two people are better defensively than one.”

  I took a minute to let the other four know about the lions. A low call up their trees took care of that. They were well hidden in the foliage. They needed to be concealed, but it would help if they also watched!

  Lilia and I selected a tree between the ones occupied by the others. Climbing it wasn’t easy, but we managed.

  It got easier as soon as we were about ten feet up. Limbs were closer together, smaller but still strong enough. We took up positions, separated but close enough to easily hear each other.

  Lilia murmured after a short time, “Look there. That’s definitely a male. See the mane?”

  I looked, but saw nothing at first. The lion was barely visible, but then he moved and finally I saw the mane. It was dark brown in color while the rest of the animal was a tawny shade. The lion was creeping slowly toward the bison.

  “Lilia, if the lions attack, the herd will scatter. If any of them run this way, we might be able to take one. I’d prefer a yearling bull or cow but only if the lions stay with the rest of the herd. It’s too dangerous otherwise, stealing prey from hungry lions.”

  We waited, but nothing happened for the next half hour. I lost sight of the lion.

  The big animals had drifted toward us as they grazed. They were now no more than a hundred yards away.

  Chapter 23

  The bison grazed, insects buzzed, we waited. And waited. I finally decided that the lions had gone in search of easier prey.

  Wrong! There was a thunderous roar from out in the grass! The old bull lumbered in that direction, head down and tail up, finally stopping between the threat and his cows and yearlings. He snorted loudly, and clumps of grass and dirt flew up as he pawed the ground.

  The herd also showed signs of anxiety. They shifted around, the yearlings moving to the center, the cows surrounding them, all looking in the direction where that coughing roar had come from.

  Suddenly, two tawny streaks shot from the grass across the herd from us and landed on a cow. One had claws sunk into the animal’s withers while the other paw hooked the animal’s nose, pulling back in an effort to break her neck. Grip secured, the lioness bit the back of the cow’s neck. The other lioness had the loose skin of the cow’s throat in her jaws, attempting to strangle her. The doomed cow collapsed and the others scattered.

  Even as they panicked, most instinctively kept their matriarchal pairings. Most had run farther into the grass, but not all; a cow and yearling had stampeded past us, finally slowing about a mile on. The pair were no more than a hundred yards from the nearest tree.

  “We might be able to take one by using the trees for cover. If they’re in range, we’ll try for the yearling. The old cow might be harder to kill and I’d rather not wind up with one of her horns stuck in my guts.

  “We’ll stay together. Make sure you’ve got everything, we won’t be coming back this way.”

  I led off, the others followed, Lilia was rear guard. If the cow happened to be closer, I would take her instead of the yearling; the farther away from the trees, the more hazard, so I would take the less-desirable animal if that reduced our danger.

  I stole along, watching for threats while looking ahead to where the pair of bison had stopped. Well back in the covering woods, I still looked for trees we could easily climb. The lions probably had gone after the herd and some were feeding on the dead cow, but there was no certainty. Some of them might have come this way.

  We slipped through the trees, estimating distances. Finally we’d come nearly a mile, so I slipped toward the forest’s edge. The two bison were still there, out in the grassland. I signaled the others to stop and eased ahead.

  Lilia came up beside me and whispered, “Are they too far?”

  “Well, they’re too far away to shoot from here. They're two hundred yards out, maybe two hundred fifty. The lions, I just don't know. They must have gone after the rest of the herd or stopped to feed, because these two aren't acting as alert as they would if a lion was around. I can’t believe any other predators would be around lions that are actively hunting. Even dire wolves wouldn’t attack that many, not in this thick grass.

  “We’d be taking a chance ourselves, but we need the meat and the lions aren’t around. We could try slipping upwind through the grass until we’re close enough to shoot. Put a couple of arrows into the yearling, he’s the one nearest to us anyway. When the cow runs off, we put ropes on the carcass and just drag him to the forest. We can field dress him after we’re back in the woods, dump the parts we don’t want. What do you think? Too much of a chance?”

  “No, I think you’re right, the lions will be feeding farther away. It’s dangerous, but going hungry this winter is dangerous too. We need the meat and skin, the help we’re getting from the mine has to be paid for. I think we have to try.”

  I explained our plan to the rest. “Lilia and I will try for a shot. But we’re going to need help after we kill the yearling. We’ll wrap a pair of ropes around the head, grab on, and drag him back here. We’ll field-dress the carcass and skin it, then break the carcass down into five or six parts to make it easy to transport. Nobody takes on a lion if there’s any way out of it, just climb the nearest tree if you're threatened. Any questions?”

  The others looked scared or determined, depending. Lilia had her bow, quite adequate for anything short of a mammoth, Millie had my old bow, and Sandra had the crossbow. Laz and René had their heavy spears. We were as ready as it was possible to be.

  Our companions split into pairs, each pair by a tree they could climb if threatened. I took a deep breath, glanced at Lilia, and bent forward. I crept out into the grass and she followed close behind me.

  I wasn't liking the feeling at all, but as Lilia had said, we needed the meat.

  The yearling was grazing but the cow was nervous, raising her head every few seconds to look around and sniff the breeze.

  Feeling naked, I stole around the heavy clumps of grass. The trees had always been nearby since I arrived on Darwin’s World, but every step I took now put me farther away from the trees. I had to do this, but I didn’t have to like it!

  Was Lilia as nervous as I was? Was she doing what I was, hiding fear while I concentrated on the task at hand?

  I estimated we’d come about a hundred yards into the grass when I slowly straightened up to have a look.

  The bison were closer. Either we’d moved faster or they had drifted toward us. Ten yards, maybe a bit more, and we would be in range.

  Finally I judged we were close enough. I glanced at Lilia, nodded, and slowly stood up while bringing my bow to full draw. I glimpsed Lilia doing the same. She probably got her arrow off a fraction before I did; my heavier bow was a lot harder to pull.

  Both arrows thumped into the yearling bull. He bolted ahead twenty yards and fell. I could hear him kicking the grass, but I couldn’t worry about that.

  The cow hadn’t run away. The yearling had been about thirty yards away when we shot, the cow about fifty, but she’d seen me stand up. Tail up and head down, she charged. I dodged to the side and crouched behind a large clump of grass, and she hesitated. Maybe she'd lost me, maybe she couldn’t decide whether to go after Lilia or go back to the yearling, still kicking.

  The others, back at the treeline, had seen what happened; now they ran toward us. Sandra was close enough; when the cow paused she shot the cow with the crossbow. The heavy bolt struck just forward of the withers and punched in with a thump. The cow dropped.

  I wasn’t certain she was dead; the bolt might have gone into the spine, or it might have only stunned her. I wavered for a moment, wondering whether to use another arrow or go in with my spear; Lilia moved up and her arrow went into the side of the cow’s skull from a range of only a few yards
, which answered that question.

  In the space of seconds we had killed two of the huge animals. I had dropped my bow and grabbed my spear before Lilia shot, more from reaction than reasoned thinking. I was still holding it as Laz and René came up. Millie followed behind them.

  The lioness chose that moment to charge. So much for my analysis of what the lions would be doing!

  We had taken her intended prey, but she had no intention of losing it to insignificant humans! She would swat the presumptuous things aside, then enjoy the bison as her reward.

  I heard no growl, just the warning swish as she came through the grass. She made two fast jumps toward us and I had almost no time to prepare.

  “LAZ! RENÉ! Spears!”

  I grounded the butt of my spear, point toward the lioness; by chance I was on the left. Laz was a step behind me and René was on the right, closest to the lioness. Her third or fourth leap put her into the air on a level with my head, mouth wide, fearsome fangs exposed as the claws reached for me.

  She hit three spear points, two of them braced against the ground, shafts pointed up at a shallow angle and blades tracking her as she came. René didn’t have enough time to brace his spear, but he was holding it firmly and stuck the point deep into her shoulder. My own point landed low, skidding off the breastbone before plunging deep into her belly. The entire blade had gone in and part of the shaft as well, driven in by her falling weight.

  Laz had managed the best placement of all. His spear was now half-buried above the spot on the breastbone I’d struck. The blade had sliced into the neck between the shoulders and gone into the body. The heart, lungs, and major arteries are in that area.

  She sank back on her haunches, then tried to rise. I still had a solid grip on my spear, so I yanked it sideways, pushing in deeper and causing the blade to slice organs and vessels in the abdomen. She glared hate at me even as she died. I gave a couple more tugs on the shaft to widen the cut in the body, then pulled as hard as I could. The spear resisted, but finally pulled free with a sucking sound.