Chapter Ten
Building of the Slay
[To Hudson Bay]
The Sleigh
[Rock-art, by Stern-toes]
It was coming to the end of the eighteenth month of their trip, at which time they had decided to stay within this area [forty-four months since they had left the Valley of the Caves]. They started thinking about creating a big sled to carry their things over the glaciers that remained ahead of them. Also Little Bird-turtle kept up the language classes she was teaching, had started to teach that is, and all were communicating quite well now, if not by gestures, by words and sounds, and expressions: for in all, it was quite natural for her to teach: she was cleaver enough to pick up things from Stern-toes and Big-chest, and even the Eskimos, putting them together here and there, and added one language to them (or one language within a lopsided language to start)) creating a language you could say)), with several more symbols so each one could retrieve them out of observation— empirical data you might say.
New Styles of Language
It was during the last few days before they got ready to take their adventure to another level, when Big-chest had a dream-vision, he saw a fortress half built in the middle of a wooded area, a great open area below the glaciers, an area that was somewhat tucked into, or tucked in-between two glaciers. The original inhabitants had moved out of this area except for one white man remaining, an old, very old white man at that, and he was waiting for him—waiting for Big-chest to arrive. He told Toma and Little Bird-turtle about this vision quest, and they marveled at how he was willing to share his information, in such a trusting manner. And both told the rest of the group, and all gave their word they would follow him until he found this particular spot; now they had a destination which enlightened them, and there would be finality to this ongoing migration. Big-chest never knew loyalty, but he felt for once in his life, like a leader, a king, and also obligated to give it to his people in return.
For several months, the group killed wild game to create a huge slay, using much of their skins, such as from the reindeer hunts, Toma and Tundra had. Yes, like brothers they’d chase the relative large game across the tundra, and parts of the glaciers until they crippled the beast, killed it, and then ate it, along with skinning it. But as close as the two brothers were, Tundra knew something was changing, this is, Toma was always feeling the pull of, Toornag (as he called the Evil Spirits) away as he’d kill the animals. He seemed sometimes to be more into their diabolical world more than the reality of the hunt—if anything, in a way he was being looked upon as animal-dumb by the others, and even his brother; Jaguar-eyes was disturbed of this also, for his father was much in the vein of that.
Bear hunting was kept to a minimum during the following weeks and months, but there was the love of bear meat among the Eskimos. Tundra had refined his spear to look more harpoon like now, and it seemed to kill the bears easier, if not quicker, that was with Jaguar-eyes assistance in the knowledge he learned by the Stone-builders of Mesopotamia—thus using knowledge from two minds, a better weapon was produced
Ę
Forty-four months
Of Isolation
[Behavior within the group,
And what others thought about others]
1
Jaguar-eyes
Jaguar-eyes like all the rest, was becoming restless within the group; on one hand, liking the security of one place, yet knowing they’d have to leave, and Big-chest made everyone feel safe, so the world outside the group was becoming impossible to conceive to live without, kind of like National Socialism. He often questioned why Big-chest would cheat on his beautiful young wife for a less beautiful woman. Yet he was not taking anyones inventory, he did the same, yet his wife was not necessarily as beautiful as his, or as young.
2
Half-bird
Little Bird-turtle’s sister was Half-bird, at this juncture of the trip she had lost one child, and was now with child again. The routine of life in the camp seemed natural and she tried to make the best of it; she was optimistic for the most part. She was concerned about Toma, as were many others, yet she sensed she’d hurt her sister for they both had a seers quality, and she was his rival. Yet she seemed to have a second insight, feeling or sensing, in the back of Toma’s mind was a cloud of despair. For herself, she had her high points of despair also, over the loss of a child, but it was more sadness and wanting revenge, not a disorder type illness, not like Toma’s. She’d find herself daydreaming often, actually picturing herself in a tree with a big rock waiting for the three-headed beast-dog to come by, and she’d drop it. She never figured how she got that five-ton rock up that tree, but then in dreams you can do most anything.
3
Toma &
Tattoo-Woman
In their limited language, said Tattoo-woman to Toma [Tr. *for translated]:
“You’re very quiet tonight Toma dear,” she was a sexual deviant like Big-chest was, and to a certain degree still is [at this point of the story anyhow], but she was more cunning than he in this area.
“You’re not happy about something?” she questioned.
Said he, as if in a lost tower of reality, who could in a blink of an eye take everyone with him, should he kill himself (for it is clear with some people, as with Toma, you do not know what disaster lies beyond that face):
“Of course not; I say look at these inspirited filled beasts.” Toma dreaded conversations now, unless they were one-sided, his side for the most part, and Tattoo-woman catered to that, even though it was fairly new for her.
Some kind of unholy spiritualism seemed to have had taken over his personality and everyone were lambs to him, thus, just waiting to be saved or slain. He even got to the point he didn’t like anything dead around him very long, like flowers, or even meat. He was eating more greenery now, when possible.
4
Little Bird-turtle
‘Red Roses tell you of Love,’ a song once played in the mist of disaster, and, as if it was the last thirst of life, eerie as it may sound, Little Bird-turtle was happiest of the lot. And each day she’d walk along the cliffs and look for eggs and rush back to the Assemblage and give them to Big-chest, whom would give them to one of the girls for dinner. In-between, she counseled the women, and listened to the couples as they found complaints amongst themselves, she would (unknowingly perhaps) point out their blind spots, things others may see within your behavior, but you don’t. She was for the most part, shielded from the megalomaniac pressures of the world outside the Assemblage; and she had a way with language. She could make out the zigzagging sounds people were trying to make words out of and translated them into a tongue-language, as she called it. She had heard about Big-chest’s wild days, of how human life or any life meant nothing to him, as monomaniac as anyone could be. And here he was, the leader of all: did not life touch him she asked herself. Yet he had the famous gaze, he’d look you right in the eyes; harmless he may be in meeting him, calm and quiet voiced, but thunder and lightening was behind that waxed-masked face of his, so she told herself.
5
Stern-toes
Stern-toes liked the bonfires at night. Warm they were to his body, and soothing. Plus he liked his free time, thinking time away from all, even his wife. He’d lay by the fire, his abode not faraway, watch the flickering of it, the fire flapping and furling about, as the night would go on; as folks approached him, he’d pretend he was half asleep so they’d not bother him and go to the other side of the fire; half curled up like a fetus. In fear of Tattoo-woman sweeping him up in the middle of the night, his wife would wake him, chase him back into their dugout, reluctantly.
His wife saying [Tr.]:
“Yes, Stern-toes, I dare say, I don’t understand you,” then often he’d fall to sleep as he continued on trying to get his attention. Oh, but the whims of the Tattoo-woman was most famous within the Assemblage.
6
Pekingg-girl
Pekingg-girl noticed most couples quarreled, and quarreled in a harsh way they could. She tried to imagine why, for she didn’t. Perhaps she had said to herself: ‘It’s simply too outrageous,’ she had remembered enough of her mother’s wisdom not to get Big-chest mad. He also knew she was in her mid-twenties, middle-life, if not a tinge later for most women of the day.
Pekingg-girl gazed outside her abode, child in hand, gazed at Big-chest a ways away talking to a few of the group members, his ugly face floated before her, his forehead being slopped back and having locking edges to its sides; dark-brown eyebrows, jaw heavy, a slant to it, hands like rocks. And his neck was as round as her waist.
For some reason at times she’d hopelessly cry, possibly to get out the strain of the trip; she would stand if need be, in the rain, she stood still, desolate, ungainly, Big-chest started to notice this in her, and would walk back to her, put his hands on her light shoulders, not too heavily. And he knew at that point, she wanted attention, often to make love, and she like that, but he sometimes was too forceful, and his weight would almost suffocate her, He made love, she told herself, like burning wood, like wood on top of wood burning through her. But it was his way, and she ha taught him some things, as to take it slower, enjoy the gift of sex. Big –chest did not lack the spark, only the harness.
prior to their leaving their previous long staying hamlet by the ocean front, they captured the wolf family (the very one that had killed Half-bird’s child) along with several other wolfs, thereabouts—the very ones that had three heads I must add, but they needed them all to be quite honest about it, all for pulling of the sled; the three-headed beast was the leading dog, for the other dogs; they even devised harnesses for them all, and their family.
The sled was made up of all natural animal items, such as: the skin of the bear and walrus and deer. And the hair of the reindeer used for tying things; nothing was made out of wood (only used for fire), for there were no nails, all fastened together with bones, and ivory, as was the: skis under the sled, that were used to slide across the surface of this Arctic land, slide along the snow and ice much better then walking and carrying their furnishings; and oil from the whale was used to wax it, and all sorts of uses came from the walrus, even his bones were used. Everything was tightly put together, and the wolves were used to pull—as mentioned— across the Arctic onto and into the Pole region, as the rest of the group pushed behind, or walked along side.
