Eagle People (8 page)
His people could work some copper and some bronze, but steel they'd not mastered. A good steel blade was valuable and hard to find.
Mongoose neared, her left arm bleeding slightly, and she said, “Check our wounded and dead. I want them taken to the center of the village now. Some of these warriors have spear points and swords of steel, collect all of them. Georgia, once the dust clears, take a few men and gather all the arrows you can from both sides. I suspect the arrowheads used by this clan are also steel. Any stray horses and gear must be collected.”
“I will do so.”
Ella returned and said, “The Dark Mountain People attempted to enter the village center, but were beaten back and they've suffered heavy losses.” In her hand, she held a strange looking weapon, of the likes Amon had never seen before except in pictures in their library.
“What do you have there?” he asked.
“I don't know the name of it, but it shoots short arrows and with much force. When I killed the man with an arrow, he released one arrow by accident and it went completely through a horse and what looked to be two enemies on the other-side. I know our long bows are strong, but I've never seen this weapon before.”
“It is called a crossbow and we've known about them for years. But our images in the library only show the completed weapon, not how to make one. By taking this one apart, we may soon be able to reproduce these in large numbers.”
One warrior neared and said, “We found a few shields of metal, but they're not heavy. They are of better quality than our wooden shields and are strong.”
“Weight is the main reason we only have shields made of wood, because we'd need a horse to carry a cast iron shield into battle.”
“Mongoose said one of the shields is yours, as well as a long knife with a good steel blade.”
The Eagle people had blacksmiths, and they could make knives and swords from found metals, such as old leaf springs, files, and other metals, but they were unable to made anything as fine as was recovered from today's battle. The weapons today were true works of art and made by master craftsmen.
“I have a sword I took from a young man I killed, so my weapons are all much improved.”
Mongoose walked near and said, “Help carry our dead and wounded to the shaman. All of his assistants need to report to his lodge. Go over the grounds once more and look for any weapons we may have missed.”
Amon walked to her and said, “Ella took this from a man she killed.”
“We discovered four others, so have her take you to where the dead man lies and take his arrows. Over the next few days, I'll have Levi, the elder, take one of the weapons apart and study them. I think he and his men can soon start making them for us. Your shield, spear, and new knife are leaning against your lodge by the door.”
“Thank you for remembering me.” Amon said just above a whisper.
“What woman does not remember her lover? I'll visit you tonight, and you can show me how grateful you really are.”
He gave her a wink and said, “I must see to the new horses and get the names of our dead and wounded. While we have new weapons, they came at a high price.”
“The cost of freedom is always paid in blood. Go, we will talk later, my husband.”
That night, as Mongoose lay beside Amon, she said, “Levi and his men are sure they can duplicate the crossbows, with his only concern being the triggers. The arrows will need to be made from hard woods, such as oak or walnut.”
Rubbing the flatness of her stomach, he asked, “The shields and sword blades made of what metal? They looked like steel to me, but I cannot believe the Black Mountain People are that advanced.”
“Levi said the steel was of a better quality than any he'd ever seen, and he thinks machines were used to produce the weapons.”
“Machines? Where could the weapons come from, because no people I know have machines or can make steel.”
Mongoose smiled and said, “There was writing on each weapon and it looks to be Japanese.”
“How in the hell would Japanese made weapons end up in our hands?”
“Levi is our most learned man, and he thinks the Japanese are trading the weapons and gear for furs, minerals, male and female slaves, or other things they desire. He also suggested female slaves may be used for barter to the foreigners, as they desire our women.”
“Have they come so far inland that the Black Mountain People are trading with them?”
“He, of course, could not say for sure, but he thinks the People of the Sea are trading with the Japanese and then, in turn, trading with the Black Mountain People. What they are taking in trade we can only guess. But by attacking us, they may have been looking for slaves and any valuables we may have.”
“With the new weapons, why didn't they overrun us?”
“I think the weapons made them too confident and they did not really have a battle plan, but then again, Uriah discovering them may have made them change their plans. I would have struck shortly before dawn, will all my warriors in one strong wedge.”
He kissed her on the cheek and said, “I love you, my wife.”
“And, I love you, husband, but now I must return to my lodge as a war chief of The Eagle People.”
“When we are older, we can once again live as man and wife.”
“I dream for that day, but until then, we both do our best to protect The People.”
Early the next morning, right after the sun was peeking over the trees, Levi stood in front of Mongoose and Amon, with a crossbow in his hands. He smiled and then said, “We can duplicate this weapon easily, but our problem may be the strings and not the triggers, as I first suspected. I have a number of men working now, attempting to weave something strong enough to handle the force delivered when the trigger is pulled. I can assure you, the force of a released arrow will penetrate a man easily, but not a steel shield or armor made of heavy metal. Since few wear armor on battlefields, it will do what the normal warrior needs, very well. For ambushes, it'll be deadly.”
“If we work out the string problem, can we mass produce them?”
“We can establish an assembly line like Ford did in his early car factories, but we'll never be able to make hundreds a day. I'd suspect closer to twenty-five or so. Then the arrows will need to be made, and in large numbers. It does little good to have a weapon without something to shoot from the blasted thing. The arrows can be made using our lathe, which you know uses foot power, so it'll actually take longer to make the arrows than the bow—but I'm working on that too. We have an unlimited source of walnut, hickory and oak trees.”
Suddenly Ella ran to Mongoose and said, “Come quick; Shaman Julian needs to talk with you, and hurry.”
Mongoose laughed and asked, “What's the big hurry, has someone had a baby?”
“No, much worst than that, he thinks some of the Black Mountain People had small pox.”
Amon's mouth dropped open and he muttered, “Please, God, no.” His gut tightened at the thought.
“Is he sure?”
“He was painting the two captives for the fire poles today and discovered they were both covered in what looked like little red pimples. Both complained of fevers last night, but we ignored them. Some of the bodies of the men slain in battle also have a few red dots, but only on their foreheads and cheeks. The insides of the mouths of the captives were nasty looking, and their mucous membranes were covered in dots.”
Levi suddenly said, “My God, the whole tribe has been exposed to this disease, and many will die!”
Mongoose left with Ella, and Amon said, “I know little of the illness, except it kills about thirty to forty percent of those who come in contact with the disease. But now that I think on it a bit more, I think there are three or four different types of the pox, too.”
“It'll hit the young and old the hardest, you know this, right?” Levi asked.
“Yes, of course. I need to see the shaman.”
“Go and see what you can learn, my son, and remember to pray for all of us.”
The shaman was in his lodge, and a spirit helper opened the door and motioned Amon inside. All were sitting in the dirt around a fire, and looking gloomy. Lucian indicated a spot to his right for Amon to sit.
Once Amon was sitting, the shaman said, “The two Mountain warriors are dead, killed by my hands. I have confirmed, by double checking at our library, that they did in fact have small pox. It comes in many forms, but the ill had the least deadly form of the disease. It is called ordinary-type smallpox, or the medical term is variola major, not that anyone in this lodge cares.”
“What can we expect with the disease?” Monsoon asked.
“From what I read, from about 12 to 14 days from exposure, perhaps a few days earlier or later, the disease will become active, or in other words, the symptoms will start to show. At first there will be vomiting and diarrhea, backache, and fever. At that point we will pretty much know what we have on our hands. Three weeks later, the patient will either be safe or dead.”
“Can we treat it?”
“We can only keep them hydrated and feed them a drink mixed with a little salt and honey, and we use meat broth. But, no, there is no real cure or treatment of the illness. The Ancient Ones had a vaccine that worked well, but it, as you know, is no longer available.”
Amon said, “I think I read someplace that most of those that die, die between the tenth and sixteenth day after becoming ill. Did you read that as well?”
“Yes, of course, but I think the young and very old may die sooner. They are weaker than a warrior.”
Mongoose said, “By now, the whole village has been exposed, and we must post guards to keep others out that may want to visit us. If other villages send us a message, they could carry the illness back with them.”
“That is true,” the shaman said, “and no one can enter or leave the village for at least a month. If someone needs to speak with us, they must speak at a distance.”
Amon asked, “How will we care for the dead? We are sure to have some.”
“The bodies must be burned, along with their clothing and belongings. I fear our fires will burn long and hot. Some of us will not get ill, because our ancestors may have had the disease or received the immunization for it. I am unsure how that works in bloodlines, and can find nothing in our library on this information. I expect at least forty percent of us to die, and there is nothing we can do to prevent it from happening.”
Mongoose thought for a few minutes, and all that was heard was the snapping and popping of the fire. Finally, she said, “We must spend the time before the illness hits, gathering water, salt, honey, and meat. The meat we can sun dry, and there is a salt lick just a few miles north of us. Honey, I'm unsure of, except some of the women may know were it can be found. In a few minutes, Ella, you be the village crier and inform everyone we must talk as a people. I must tell our people what is to happen.”
“When do I go?” Ella asked.
“Now, and have them assemble in front of this lodge.”
Amon gazed into her eyes and asked, “How do you tell a people that within a month, four out of ten of them may be dead?”
“I will tell them all we know, what we expect, and explain why we must prepare now. Honesty is the best way to handle this and I will tell them myself.”
“But I am the shaman.”
“True, but a leader leads and does not hide behind the cape of a shaman. I will speak of this and not you, because it is my responsibility.”
