Valley People by Evelyn J. Steward (best e reader for epub .txt) 📖

attached them to his carrisack. Sweat appeared on his brow and he kept moving on downwards through a valley full of green trees and trees in full flower so that many scent and colours assaulted his being. Stopping for a while, he rooted around under some trees and found a cache of nuts. A rock soon smashed the husks. They were a treat from the dry bread and he gobbled them up with relish. Satisfying to the pallet and his empty stomach. He tried again and found a small cache of different nuts, ones he loved but saved them for the following day.
Chual moved on cautiously as he had spied a tiny deer up ahead. Silently he took his slingshot and made ready to caste. One good shot and it was dead. Now he had meat for supper. After gutting the animal, he slung it over his shoulders and kept walking. There were usually greens of some sort beside the river and he would make a grand meal out of what the region provided. As he joynryed, he looked for flint and found some near a rocky outcrop. Another special stone would provide him with the means to make a fire and cook the meat. He saw no-one as he moved along and guessed that any villages lay further perhaps in the next valley?
He stopped late afternoon. The trees whispered and rattled in the breeze. The mountains were tall and they would soon hide the last of the sun’s rays. He found dry wood and grass to set his fire going. The cooking had been done by the village woman but he had often been out hunting and had to learn to cook meat for himself. He made a tripod and skewered the deer onto a damp stick, stretching it over the fire. Rotating the meat was not easy but he did what he could and so as time passed and the sky grew dark, the meat was cooked on all sides.
Chual was not greedy but the succulent meat was tempting and he ate more than he had planned. The nuts and some greens, though raw, completed his meal.
For eight days Chual tramped along a natural trail through other valleys and saw no one but on the ninth day he spied smoke spiralling up to the sky. It was a long way away but it was people. Then it dawned on him to wonder if these people would be friendly. Moving carefully, he headed towards the smoke spiral, killing three fat deer on the way. These were forest deer and not very large. He gutted them and swung them onto his shoulders. If he went in bearing a gift, surely it would seem he came in peace?
There was a compound and several small huts. One large hut stood in the centre of the village. Plenty of people were out and about doing normal things like pounding meal, making arrows, drying animal skins, cooking food. He broke out of the forest and held out the deer in front of him. Several men moved towards Chual, surrounding him. Children left their games and ran up to stare at him. Women left what they were doing and huddled into the large hut, staying within the shadowed interior.
He held out the deer, a large smile on his face. For a moment no-one moved, then the men moved around and formed a guard around him in the shape of an arrow tip. From the large hut a tall man emerged and walked towards Chual. He spoke.
“Are you offering us meat friend?” The man looked Chual up and down trying to discern what sort of man he was.
“I am. I wish a bed for the night and these are my payment.” He motioned to the deer.
“Well then, come and welcome.” The man gave the others a signal and they stepped back and returned to what they were doing. The women were beckoned out and they too carried on with their work.
Two woman relieved him of the deer and went to skin them. Chual wished he had killed more as there seemed to be lots of people and he knew the deer would not go far amongst so many. The village headman, for that was what he apparently was, guided Chual towards the hut.
“Come good fellow. Join us while the women cook the food. I am Goodram. We have lots to talk about. Where do you come from? What is your name and what do you do?” Goodram cast a glinting eye over Chual’s clothing all stained with dirt and blood from the travelling and gutting. “Do you like to smoke? We have tobacco. A rare commodity here but a trader came up last summer and we still have some left. I think we can get you some clean clothing too.” He signalled to one of his men and gave him orders regarding a new set of clothing. “Now, come inside and enjoy the evening with us.”
Chual felt tired after his long trek down to the village and so concurred with Goodram, walking into the hut behind the headman. Torches were lit and Chual looked in wonder at the sumptuous interior. Cloth of many colours was hung on the walls in swathes, some glinted in the torchlight. Bedding was set at one end of the hut and that was covered in the fine cloth as well. Pillows covered half the bedding and he wondered who slept on such a bed. A fire was crackling loudly in the centre in what looked like a pecked out large rock. Chual wondered how many hands had trundled that into the space and how long it had taken to make the deep depression in it so that fire could burn without harming anything.
“So, my friend, what do they call you and where do you come from?”
“I am called Chual, my village is eight days higher up in the mountains. We have had a hard winter so I left to take my chances somewhere else. I didn’t really belong there.” And here he told the story of is father moving from his old village and finding the one he had just left. “So you see, I am searching for my old village but have no idea where it is. My father always said it was to the south, and this is to the south.”
“Well, it is so long ago, my friend , that I do not remember anyone leaving our village. Maybe it was further down from here? Anyway, we will look after you well, for a few days, if you wish?” Goodram look hard at Chual trying to read his thoughts.
“I would like to rest up a little before I go on. I could hunt. For that is what I do.”
“Good. Good. We could use a good hunter and some more of this fresh meat.” Goodram indicated
The food just placed before them. “Eat hearty friend, this looks tasty and will satisfy you.”
Chual felt his stomach grumble as the scents of the cooked food waft up to his nostrils. He had to admit to himself he was hungry.
“Have some of our brew friend Chual. Wash the good food down with some good liquer,” said Goodram. He lifted up a jug and poured some liquer into a horn drinking cup. It frothed at the top. Chual seldom drank back in the other village but he felt at home here and so picked up the frothing cup and drank heartily. Then he spooned up some of the deer stew. It was good. Lots of strange flavours but he liked what he tasted and ate fast. When his dish was empty it was re-filled. He did not notice that Goodram was eating slowly of a much smaller portion. His cup was refilled too, many times. Chual did not notice when it was he passed out but later on in the night he opened his eyes and found he was on the bed and not alone. A beautiful girl lay beside him, languishing in happiness, a smile on her face. Chual sat up in bed and found his head thrummed like the sound of a waterfall. Pain shot through his temples as the aftermath of the liquer attacked his brain.
Chual found himself to be naked and quickly grabbed some clothing set beside the bed on a low stool. Once dressed, he walked slowly towards the opening. A blinding sun hit his eyes and momentarily he ducked back into the shade of the hut.
“Goodram,” he shouted.
“Yes, my friend,” answered Goodram as he suddenly appeared around the side of the hut.
“You tricked me. How dare you ply me with liquer and then sent your woman in to lay with me.
“Did you not enjoy the night friend Chual?”
“No, you tricked me.” All the rage that was within him from the other village, burst forth at Goodram. “How dare you do this to me without even asking if I wanted to lay with her, with any of your women? I am leaving here. I want my things now and I will change into then and be on my way.”
“Oh but friend Chual, I cannot allow that. You are new blood, we need new blood for the children.” A slight nod and several men gathered around Cual and tied him with ropes, taking him back into the hut.
“What are you doing?” cried Chual as he struggled against the bindings, kicking where his leg was loose before that too was bound tightly to the other leg. The dumped him on the bed and tied him to firm stakes he had not noticed were there the previous night. All lights were extinguished so that it became dark inside the hut where he was lying. It seemed he stayed there a long time but finally a woman came in with some food. She fed it to him slowly and although his was seething inside at being hand fed, he was hungry and ate what was given him. He needed his strength.
“At least two days passed and at night he was in pitch darkness. Again he was visited by the woman he had woken up with that first night. He knew it was her as she had a certain scent that his brain recognized. At first he resisted but she wafted something under his nose and under the scent he succumbed. Next morning he found his legs untied but his arms were still bound. His head was muzzy but