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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