Death on the Trek by Kaye George Read Free Book Online Page A

Hama, Hapa, and Panan conferred together after Vala helped Panan to sit by the other two.
    The rest squatted and caught their breath.
    * * *
    Enga Dancing Flower was hungry. She wondered if she was hungry only in her mind, because she knew how little food they had, or if she was truly hungry from the fast pace they had kept up for half a day. She knew, as did all of the tribe, that she needed to eat an extra amount to feed the growing baby inside her. Enga was the only female carrying a baby. That would not be a good thing for the tribe if they were settled. That was because the tribe needed always to have more babies. Members were often lost. The Hamapa were sometimes slain during the hunt, sometimes fell ill and did not recover, and sometimes had other accidents. To replace those who were lost, more needed to be born. On the trek, however, having only one pregnant female was easier.
    Now she felt pains. Were they in her stomach? Or were they in the sac of the baby? She wrapped her arms around her knees as she squatted, and held tight, her fingers squeezing the color out of her knuckles.
    Tog came up behind her and put his strong fingers on her shoulders. He rubbed them and she felt her shoulders lower and her mind relax. She uncurled her fingers and flexed them.
    He sat behind her and she leaned against his broad, solid chest. She moved only her eyes to see that Panan One Eye had returned to the side of Vala and was tossing Sooka in the air to amuse her.
    Are you in pain? Tog asked. I felt your aching just now.
    I was , Enga answered. But my distress is easing. I think I am just hungry. But we will all be hungry before we reach the end of this journey. I must not complain, but must learn to accept these feelings.
    I will give you part of my share of the jerky when we stop for the night.
    That was as it should be, but she was glad he was doing the right thing.
    At last, the Elders nodded at each other and stood to listen to Hama address the tribe.
    Hama held her arms high and turned her face up to Mother Sky.
    The tribe stirred. She was going to give them a Pronouncement.
    “Hoody!” she spoke aloud. The tribe heard the word, Listen! They obeyed.
    “Yaya, Hama vav.”
    Yes, the Most High Female speaks.
    “Hamamapapa nasa ba wa Mikino. Hamamapapa poos wa Dakadaga kal dy.”
    The Hamapa cannot stay near the Mikino. The Hamapa must go where the Spirit of Mother Sky goes to sleep each day.
    She closed as she always did.
    “Dakadaga sheesh Hamamapapa.”
    The Spirit of Mother Sky, bless the Hamapa.
    Hama raised one arm slowly in a great arc, indicating that they must make a journey in a large circle that took them far from the Mikino. Only then would they be able to move in the direction they must go. Some more progress was made before they stopped for sleeping. A few of the remaining pieces of jerky were passed around and each person took one bite. Tog made Enga take two. She could have eaten many pieces. Her stomach made noises like an animal.

Chapter 8
    The flat land was endless. It was the same every day. For all of her life before this trek, Enga Dancing Flower had rejoiced when she saw Sister Sun appearing after dark time. A new day had meant good things then. It had meant being safe with her tribe, being with her birth-sister, being near Tog Flint Shaper—and getting closer and closer to him. Every new sun was cause for joy.
    Now she groaned when a new sun appeared above the rim of Brother Earth. It meant another long walk across land that looked exactly like all the other land. Another dark time in a place that looked just like the last one. The only differences were that sometimes there was a bit of water, a trickle from a stream. Some of the water they found was still and tasted sour. When there was no water, they were careful to sip slowly out of the gourds they carried.
    What if this land never ended? Could it go on and never stop, never change?
    Everyone was so tired. They got more hungry every day.
    Fee Long