The Trek: Darwin's World, Book II (The Darwin's World Series 2) (17 page)

Matt made the rounds and repeated the same short speech whenever he found people together. The tribe had been relatively fortunate. The only serious injury was Robert, victim of the two gunshots that Pavel had gotten off before the rifle jammed.

The rifle needed cleaning, but the stoppage was a simple stovepipe jam where a brass cartridge case had failed to eject completely. Matt pulled back the charging handle and pried the stuck case out of the extractor. He would clean the rifle tonight when the tribe stopped for the day. It would probably fire if he needed it, but for now his bow was more reliable.

Leaving the rifle unloaded, magazine inserted and safety on, Matt laid it with the rest of his gear on the cart that would be pulled by Sandra and Millie. He recovered his bow and picked his own arrows out of the collection salvaged by Lee’s crew. Two would need repair, but the others were usable, if bloody. Matt put them in the quiver and slung it over his shoulder. Elizabeth returned his knife and camp-axe, newly cleansed of blood.

Lee found him in camp where Matt was munching on a slab of the meat Margrette had prepared.

“All done?”

“Yes. I turned the captives loose…they weren’t happy, but I pointed out what had happened to Pavel. They understood. I left the bodies in a pile across our trail. Animals will scatter the bones, but they’ll be a warning as long as the drag marks are visible.”

“The rest of it too?”

Lee nodded.

“Pick the freshest people you’ve got, put two of them out on point, two on flank security. We’re moving out.”

Half an hour later the tribe was gone, wheels creaking. The sound slowly faded in the distance and a thin trail pointed northwest.

#

Behind them, a line of crude spears, collected from those who’d had them, stood across the trail that led to the slavers’ village.

Atop each spear was a slack-jawed head, chopped from a dead guard by his companions. Matt had left a mute warning of what the slavers could expect should they follow.

Pavel got a final honor, although it was doubtful he’d have appreciated it.

His head faced down the trail from the center of the line.

Chapter 15

By Matt’s rough estimate, the tribe had traveled perhaps ten miles by late afternoon. This was far enough to leave the carnage from the fight well behind. Scavengers would be after the bodies, but they wouldn’t follow the tribe.

As for the slave raiders, if they followed Matt intended to be ready.

Lee had found a place where the stream widened and flowed over a sandy bottom. Matt consulted briefly with Colin, then decided to cross the stream before setting up camp.

Lee took charge of transporting Robert, still unconscious, across to the campsite. He looked shrunken; the wound and subsequent crude amputation had taken a lot from him. Matt touched Robert’s forehead. It felt warm, almost hot, and the touch got no response.

Matt spoke to Margrette where she worked by the kitchen fire, newly started.

“Robert’s going to need broth or something like that when he wakes up, Margrette. Maybe that willow bark tea you used before? Talk to the Wis…uh, Elizabeth…about that. She might know of other herbs you could include.”

“I’ll take care of it, Matt. Just as soon as I’ve got food cooking, that will be my next priority.”

Matt nodded, then left to find Lee and Colin.

“Lee, guards out as soon as you can. Rotate them around every hour or two tonight, say two people patrolling around camp until just before dawn, then add two more. Pair them up and tell them to keep a sharp lookout. The slave raiders have a lot more experience at raiding than the guards. The raid this morning might even have been their first attempt and the rifle didn’t do them much good.

“Our people are going to be tired, but we can’t quit just because we’re tired. We all got a little soft, living at Riverbend Camp. It’ll take a few days before we’re able to do fifteen miles a day. Plus we had that fight this morning and it took a lot out of everyone. Some are going to start remembering what they did, so if they’re tired they’ll get to sleep easier. Killing people is never easy, even when you know it has to be done.

“That reminds me, check your security people too, make sure they’re not having problems. I’ll pass it on to Colin to do the same; I’m putting him in charge of the camp until Robert recovers. Sal, too…he’s a responsible guy, and he ran the maintenance crew at the mine, so I’ll give him a job with more responsibility. He’s already built the kitchen fire-pit and put up a couple of forked sticks with a crosspiece for cooking. I’ll talk to him about having a latrine dug and putting up a shelter for Robert.”

“I’ll talk to my folks, Matt. Let me know if there’s anything else you need, all right?”

“I will. I’m thinking we travel on for a week or so, then take a break for a few days to get caught up on things that need doing. Keep looking for a stream or a spring for water, someplace that also has shelter from weather and that offers advantages if we need to defend our camp.

“Once everything is set up, you can send someone reliable to scout our back trail. We don’t know what those slave raiders will do. They may not be willing to let us keep going. I’d like as much warning as I can get if they decide to come after us. It will be work, but I’ve got a few ideas to make them sorry if they do.

“Meantime, I found those bows we kept, the ones we replaced when we made stronger ones. Even the arrows were saved; we had to make new ones because the older ones flexed too much. They didn’t have a stiff enough spine to be used with the new, stronger, bows.

“The new guys have the old bows now, except for Cindy’s, and Shani has that one. We’ll need a lot more arrows. I’ll start teaching Piotr what I know about knapping flint points for the new arrows and spears.

“Someone can take those short swords we salvaged after the fight and start removing the handles. We should have enough now to put steel blades on everyone’s spear, maybe even make a few replacements. Some will break eventually, so having spares ready will be a plus.”

“We’ve got enough, Matt. We ended up with about thirty of them after the fight. All of the raiders we killed had at least one, and the ones we turned loose had one or two.”

“Talk to Sal. Tell him to leave a couple of the short swords with handles. I want to make one of them into a saw, file some fine teeth into the blade and use very little set to the teeth. Elizabeth had a hard time taking Robert’s arm off. She needs a bone saw.”

Lee nodded. “I’ll take care of it, Matt. You need to rest too.”

“I’ll rest as much as I can. Who’s your most reliable assistant?”

“Probably Laz. Marc is good too.”

“Which one is the better archer?”

“That’s probably Marc. Laz has more power, but Marc rarely misses.”

“OK. Put Marc in charge of teaching our new guys to shoot. Have him set up archery butts down by the stream. They can use small branches with lots of leaves, tie them tight, set them up and start the new guys shooting at them from close range. I’d like them to shoot at least a hundred arrows each day until they’re skilled.”

“Uh, Matt…I don’t think they can count. They didn’t come from the future. They’re like me, if it’s more than what I can count on my fingers, I get lost. Shani and Bella are that way, Cindy too I think.”

“Oh, my. I didn’t think about that. All right, I’ll work on it. Tell him to have them shoot as much as they can, then turn them loose after supper’s ready. They can turn in after they eat.”

#

Matt found Lilia and the two ate supper in companionable silence. Matt spoke as they were finishing.

“I need a schoolteacher. If you were picking someone for the job, who would it be?”

“That's a tough one, Matt. Maybe Millie? Why?”

“We’ve got a few people who have never learned to do simple arithmetic. I’m guessing they can’t read, either. Can she teach the basics, reading, writing, and arithmetic?”

“Matt, I don’t know. But I’ll find out. I’ll look at other people too, see if there’s someone better or at least someone who could assist her.”

“Sounds good. How’s Piotr settling in to the group?”

“He’s doing fine. He’s a hard worker, helps everyone get their camp ready. He’s staying next to our new woman, Marja. I don’t know if you noticed that.”

“I hadn’t, but I’m not surprised. I haven’t had time to notice much of anything lately, what with the security problems and deserting guardsmen and escaping slaves!”

The two shared a grin.

“Maybe it will get easier now that we’re moving, Matt.”

“Maybe. But I’m going to delegate, delegate, delegate. You’re my contact with the other women, the one I turn to when I need answers. Lee’s the general and chief cop. If we ever need one, that is. Marc’s teaching archery, Millie’s the education department, Colin will see to running the camp at night, Elizabeth is the medical corps, and I’m going to just sit back and let them solve all our problems!”

“Sure you are, Matt.” The two laughed and Matt left to see how Robert was faring.

Elizabeth was clearly worried.

“He’s not responding. I tried to slip a bit of that herb tea I made in his mouth, but it dribbled out. He’s feverish. I just don’t know…”

“Elizabeth, you’ve done all you can. Let Shani or Bella watch him for a while. Take a break, get some of Margrette’s tea with honey, talk to a few other people. There’s nothing you can do here that Bella can’t do.”

“You’re right, Matt, I could stand a break. Can you send Bella to me?”

Matt nodded and left.

He toured the camp. People were working, although most showed the signs of what they’d done during the day. Finally Matt decided to call the various activities off.

“Start gathering at the cookfire, people. I’ve got a few things I need to say, and it’s better to say them there.”

A few minutes later found people around the fire, waiting.

“It’s time to stop working and get some sleep. We’re going to be stiff and sore tomorrow, all of us. There are things to do, but there are always things to do. Guards are going to be out tonight, watching for animals and those slave raiders who held Bella and Shani. It may be necessary to call you out during the night if you’re needed. For now, everyone’s had food and some of Margrette’s excellent tea.

“We’ve had a long day. I know you’re worried about Robert, but there’s nothing left that anyone can do. We’ll do our best to care for him, but it’s up to him now. I just wish we had medicines, even alcohol, but we don’t. One day, when we get to our new home, we can set up a distillery and begin developing better medicines, better ways to care for our sick and wounded.

“For now, the best thing we can do for Robert is let him recover on his own. I know you want to visit, but he won’t realize you’re there. He’s getting the best care we can give him and Elizabeth, the Wise Woman, will be with him all the time or her assistant Bella will be. He won’t be unattended until he wakes up.

“Everyone else, get some sleep. We’ll start archery practice tomorrow after we stop for the day. There’s also going to be a school for our youngest, and anyone else who can help or who wants to learn will be welcome to attend. Education is a community effort, and that’s the way we’ll treat it. Defense, too, all of us are responsible for defending our camp. Keep your weapons sharp and always nearby.

“If you have questions about our supplies, talk to Margrette. Colin is the guy to ask about setting up camp every day. Sal will be working on our carts and building things. They’re necessary activities, so if he needs your help, give him a hand. Women, if you’ve got a problem, see Lilia. She’ll either solve it or pass it on to one of us who can.

“When Robert recovers, he may decide to make other arrangements, but let’s do it this way for now.

“If we find a good spot to camp, we’ll also stop early tomorrow. Let everyone catch up on rest, do what needs doing, recover from what we’ve already had to do. If you’ve got ideas or suggestions, bring them to me or one of my deputies. I’m going to depend on you, all of you.”

Matt stopped talking, and tired people headed for their beds. He went back to where his own small extended family was camped, found one of the folding chairs and sank into it. He intended to rest for a moment.

Lilia found him a little later.

“Matt, it’s either more problems or a boon. Sandra’s pregnant.”

“Oh, my. I have no idea what to do about that.”

“You don’t have to do anything. Women have been taking care of this forever. We’ll take care of Sandra too when she needs our help.”

Matt nodded and leaned back. His eyes closed and he soon nodded off.

Lilia woke him a little later.

“Matt, come to bed. I’ve got your sleeping furs ready. Tomorrow will come when it comes. You need rest too. We’re depending on you now, all of us.”

Matt nodded and rose from the chair. He was asleep as soon as he lay down.

Sandra woke him the next morning. Matt stumbled off to take care of morning needs, stretching aching muscles over-used the day before. He’d felt this way before…but that had been downtime, and he’d been quite elderly then, not to mention sick!

Margrette had a hot mug of tea waiting at the kitchen fire and Matt drank it gratefully. It helped. When had she gotten sleep? She would need a full-time permanent assistant or two. Someone…he would find someone. Maybe Colin could help.

Elizabeth and Bella found him there. Elizabeth’s eyes were puffy, Bella was more solemn than Matt had seen her since she joined the tribe.

“Matt, Robert died. It happened during the night. Bella was with him. He never regained consciousness. She told me about it when I woke up.”

Matt sighed.

“Elizabeth, Bella, you did the best you could. I’ll tell everyone else when they wake up. We’ll meet here, by the fire. If you could cover Robert’s body for now, maybe find one of the lightweight deerskins…?”

Elizabeth nodded, and taking Bella by the arm went back to where Robert’s body lay.

One more chore Matt would have to take care of. He wasn’t certain what to do…this was the first time that a death had occurred in camp.