Wednesday, February 10, 2016

THE ADVENTURES OF THE BRONZE HORSMEN--HUNT FOR THE WOLF CLAN,
By Dave Mallegol



3000 BC

Chapter #1


Daven and the Botai

It was an early midsummer morning when I awoke to the smell of pan cakes and tree syrup, a new breakfast meal we had learned about from our friends, the Finns.  I had been thinking about these people lately, even without the pleasant reminder provided by the food, since members from their clan were expected to arrive at our village today.

My wife, Ildiko, called to me, “Good morning, Daven.”  I rolled over in our sleeping rack.  Our fifteen-year-old son, Marc, and his fourteen-year-old brother, Arno, were already out of our pit-house, and our twelve-year-old daughter, Liffey, was helping her mother with the cooking.  Their chatter was good to hear as I stretched and got up.  I pulled on my horsehide pants and shirt and washed my face in a clay basin.  I pushed my long black hair away from my face and  went to my beautiful, brown-haired wife of almost seventeen years and hugged her, lifting her off the ground.  She laughed and I put her down to hug my daughter in the same manner.

After a delicious breakfast, I said goodbye and headed to the horse pit-house where I found Marc and Arno grooming and feeding our horses.  Most of the work was already done, so there was not much for me to do except smile my appreciation.  One horse, called Boomer, was the animal I usually rode, but I had a second stallion that was a son of the very first wild horse we tamed, the great steed that my older son, Mikl, had caught and called Gray Boy. 
 
Last year we extended the side of our horse pit-house, which is a structure built partially below ground, to make room for additional mounts.  My sons and I added water to the trays for all the horses in this pit-house, along with fresh hay and grains that our clan’s women and men gathered each week.  We had just finished with these chores when I heard a familiar voice call to me, “Daven, you old man, what is this I hear that you are the lead hunter for this village, once again, after all these years?”

It was my good friend, Victor of the Finns.  He and his second in command, a man called Saabs, had arrived, along with their wives.  I greeted both men with the hunter’s clasp, a custom whereby each man grabs the forearm of the other.  That was not enough of a greeting for old friends, so a big bear hug followed.  I had not seen Victor and Saabs in two years, and I would never forget how I had met them initially when I needed their help to defeat the primitive warriors known as the Smolens, fifteen years ago.  This current visit was to discuss the recent raids by an unknown aggressor, so once again our meeting involved an enemy.

I smiled and said, “Yes, Victor, what you have heard is true, I am the lead hunter once again.  But I am glad of it.  I was gathering dust and getting bored, and to tell the truth I missed leading the men.  I will explain just how this came about and bring you up-to-date with what is happening here at the Botai village.  But Ildiko is cooking for you at our pit-house, so let’s walk as I talk.  She has made some of your famous pan cakes, and they are waiting for you.”

On our way to my pit-house, I said, “As you might remember, after the war with the Smolens, I gave up my responsibilities as the lead hunter and turned the duties over to a man called Nicholas, the younger brother of Alex, our new leader—or as we call him, our Oldson.”

Victor replied, “I certainly know Alex, and I remember his brother too.  But I hated to see you step down.  You are the best hunter I have ever known, and when it comes to war, there is no one who comes close to you.  I feel sorry for those who might be on the wrong side of the next war with you, now that you are back from gathering cob webs.”  He laughed.

I nodded and said, “I hope we never see another war.  I have had enough of them.  You might recall that my old friend, Bruno, was in favor of both of us stepping aside so others could lead.  Bruno told me that he had been the Oldson of the Botai for long enough.  I remember when he said, ‘It is time for others to take over and for you and me to roam the mountains and explore new lands.’  His words sounded good to me at that time.

Bruno had a large family with his second wife, Jewel, and several married children from his first wife, who was deceased.  I had three children, and I wanted to be free to spend more time with Ildiko and to explore to the north with Bruno and see country that none of us has ever been to, so I stepped down.  It was a good decision for Bruno but not a good one for me.  I missed my job as lead hunter every day.

Saabs asked me, “Where did Alex come from?  I thought you told me once that he was not a Botai by birth.  Am I right?”

“You are right,” I replied.  “Alex was not born a Botai.  He comes from a Russian tribe far to the north.  He was taken captive by the Mongols many years ago when he was still a boy.  He cannot remember the name of the village where he comes from.  We rescued him and his brother from the Mongols, as well as Jewel and her evil sister, Tangee, and several others.  Some of the captives stayed with our relatives, the Krasnyi Yar, and some came here to live at the Botai village.”

“How is it that Alex became the leader of a clan he was not born into?” Victor asked me.

“Alex was a leader from the first day he arrived, and he was the right choice to succeed Bruno. He is smart, strong, and well respected, especially among our young hunters, yet the experienced men follow him easily as well.  Our wise elders agreed that he was the best man to lead the Botai.  You probably recall his winning the wrestling contests at the Summer Gatherings for many years.  Alex was ready.  However, our new lead hunter, Nicholas, was not fully prepared at that time to lead the hunters, so I stayed at his side as his mentor.”

Victor asked, “I assume this new man did not do so well, and you took over again?”

I responded, “Nicholas was a very good hunter and did quite well.  He just needed more experience.  I was his trainer and guide as he worked his way into his new role.  I was there to advise him and teach him.  I did this by letting him come up with his hunt plan by himself, and I reviewed it with him before we went on the actual hunt.  After the hunt, Bruno and I went over what happened and if we felt it was a success or not.  We also talked about what we could have done better.” 

Saabs asked, “How well did this man called Nicholas do?”

“Nicholas progressed very well.  He led many hunts for bears, aurochs and horses.  Bears and horses present danger, but aurochs are the most difficult animal to kill because of their huge size and power.  They weigh many times more than a horse, but while they are very strong they are slow.  We simply wound them and follow them and wound them again and again until they are so weak that they cannot run anymore.  Then they stand and face us.”

Victor laughed.  “I imagine you have found the bears easier to kill.” 

“Yes, but only because we now have trained dogs from your man called Lions.  Before this, I would say that bears were the most dangerous of all.  Now, the dogs do most of the work.  But hunting horses is another story.  They are fast, and they fight, kick and bite when they are attacked.  As you know, we Botai are somewhat different from you Finns because we hunt for meat more than we herd animals, although we now graze sheep just like you.”

“So what happened with Nicholas?” Victor asked, still pressing for why I resumed the role as lead hunter of the Botai.

“The last horse hunt was where Nicholas had a problem.”  We neared my pit-house as Victor and Saab’s wife approached from another direction, and our conversation stopped for greetings.
__________________________________________________________________ 
Robert L. Bacon
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