Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2012 10:08:02 +1300
From: Arthur <artcart65@vodafone.co.nz>
Subject: The Thread Chapter 8


				THE THREAD


				 CHAPTER 8


				 BY ARTHUR



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After the sun had disappeared under the horizon, the salt flats, for a
short period, emitted the heat of the day and, as it dissipated into the
cooling night, Ben Ahmed Safir urged a little more haste and for any
stragglers to close up on the main caravan, at the rear rode ten or so
older men on horse back, they hurried the few slow starters until we were
all in a closed mass of moving animals and people.

There was very little noise as we trudged through the salt flats, the stars
twinkling off the crystals as we disturbed them with the hoofs of the
animals and the shuffling of men's feet, the pace was as fast as it
could be, the dangers inherent on these flats was not a wild story and all
of us knew it.

Hour after hour we trudged at a fast pace, the creaking of equipment and
the soft swearing of tired men filled the night air as we moved ever
onward, my own throat was dry from the disturbed salt in the air and my
eyes were now red rimmed and smarting from the same particles as were all
the others, and still we moved at the fastest pace possible.

Occasionally you would here the stumble of someone as they missed a step or
tripped over something on the ground, by the first rays of the dawn light,
we could almost see the end of the flats as they shimmered under the rising
sun, we had made good time but still it would be close to another two hours
before we could find protection in a far off oasis, the faint outline of
the tall palms barely visible as though floating on water appeared out of
the shimmering salt.

As the sun rose higher, Ben Ahmed Safir urged more speed, those who had
been on foot were now taken up by other riders and they doubled towards the
only safety visible too us, the sense of urgency now overtook the whole
caravan as the heat rose at an astonishing rate, even with the protection
of my Dragon cloak, I could still feel the increase, the salt magnifying
the heat by the second.

The animals could now smell the water of the oasis and their pace
quickened, it took all of the riders strength to hold them to a steady pace
so that nothing would be lost, including riders, it was almost two hours
when we came into the shade of the tall palms and even I could now smell
the fresh water waiting for us.

As the last of the caravan came to a halt, Ben Ahmed Safir shouted out
orders for the animals to be watered before any man could do the same, as
the younger boys and teens went about this task, the men set about raising
the tents and the women began to sort out food for cooking, those who had
been detailed as guards set themselves around the edge of the oasis and
kept their eyes open for unwanted visitors.

Slowly the camp came together, the tents were up, the women were cooking
the first meal of the long crossing and the animals were settling down to
rest after the frantic dash across the flats, children were running around
laughing and playing games as they waited for their food, the men not on
duty as guards, were sitting back relaxing, it had been a mad dash and few
felt like expending energy unnecessarily.

Finally the meal was served and the men talked about the crossing, it had
been a good one and no one was lost, nor had they lost any animals, Ben
Ahmed Safir was a happy man, not all crossings went this well, we would now
stay for two days at the oasis to fully recover and allow the animals to
rest completely, from here on there would be other watering places but the
worst of the trip was now over, there were only bandit raids to watch for.

The area we were to venture into was now well beyond the reach of the
Pharaoh or his minions, the Emperor of the north was now far from my
thoughts, the pull of the Thread was now stronger than ever, my mate was
not far away now, every bone and muscle in my body was singing with the
pull, every morning brought new and stronger emissions for me to wipe away
before rising, this was not helped by the nocturnal sounds of the other
boys in the tent.

The meals were filling and spicy, dates were served at every meal but they
also had a rice dish, something I had never had before, rice was unknown in
my lands, the meat dishes were either goat or fat tailed sheep, the Bedou
seemed to have a particular liking for the eyes of the sheep but they were
not too my taste at all.

There were other habits that took me by surprise as well, they would eat
only with their right hand, the belief that the left was used to clean ones
self after certain bodily functions and therefore deemed unclean for
eating, the rice would be balled up into bight sized pieces with the right
hand, dipped into the stew and then popped into the mouth to be chewed, it
took a little to get used to this form of eating, but, once mastered, it
seemed to add flavour to the meal as it was more relaxed and a lot of
stories were told as we ate.

After the meal, the men would sit and talk about what was to be done the
next day, any family disputes were also settled at this time, Ben Ahmed
Safir told me that men were more inclined to agree with a full stomach than
when hungry, I think it also had a lot too do with his over all demeanour
of power that he projected without effort.

The following two days were used to rest, for my boys they used the time to
once again hone their fighting skills, this was also helped with some of
Ben Ahmed Safir's older guards, who showed the boys some new ways that
helped them as most were of smaller size than grown men, what most of the
boys did not realise, was that the Guardian's magic would keep them of a
similar age and size once they reached their eighteenth year, to outsiders
they would always look like teens, these benefits of the Guardian would
stay with them for as long as they served under me and, if all went well,
that could be a very long time.

On the morning of the third day, the animals were once again loaded, the
children rounded up along with the goats and sheep, and the caravan was
under way once more in the usual long strung out line, the pace was gentler
than the mad dash across the flats and everyone was relaxed except for the
vanguards who's job it was to keep us from walking into any ambush that,
may be set up ahead of us.

For the next two weeks we travelled in peace, of the talked about bandits
we saw nothing, the land around us turned from sand dunes to rocky flats,
the path through these gardens of rocks was well worn by years of use by
the caravans of the past, it appeared that the road was well used as it
meandered from one watering hole to the next in an apparent random pattern
although always moving southward.

We were now well adapted to the desert style of life, the boys had tanned
those parts open to the sun and all had taken up the mode of dress of the
Bedou, that is, the loose flowing blue cloth jacket and pants with their
heads wrapped in the long turban cloth which was also pulled across their
faces when the wind blew soft sand into the air, it was now difficult to
tell who was a boy and who was a Bedou, only I along with Shemba and Simba
remained as before, I with my cloak of Dragon hide, as much for its
protection as its magical powers, and the two freed slave boys now dressed
in their small white cloths around their waist, which left their shiny
black skin to glow in the sunlight, they seemed totally unaffected by the
heat.

It was shortly after, that we came to a large river, it was very wide and
the water rushed past the banks in a torrent, in the distance I could hear
the deep rumble of a water fall, it was here that we were to leave Ben
Ahmed Safir and his people, they were now heading westward while we would
try to maintain our journey south.

That evening, the Bedou put on a great feast for us as a parting gift, the
old man, Ben Ahmed Safir's father, also gave a small gift to each of the
boys, when I offered to pay for our travel with them, Ben Ahmed Safir,
politely refused on the grounds that the boys had been excellent guards and
this had been the first time they had made this trip without loss of life,
in return he gave Gregor a special necklace and myself a strange whip.

The necklace was of something like bone but had a soft yellow tinge to it,
it had a circle at the top and then a flat length bisected by two cross
bars, Ben Ahmed Safir told Gregor it was a special talisman of the old
people and would keep him safe in times of trouble, the strange whip I was
given was made from the tail of something called a rhinoceros, it had a
handle of the same yellow bone of the necklace topped with silver, it was
very flexible and I was told it came from the far south where these large
beasts roamed in the thousands.

Both Shemba and Simba were now very animated, they said they could smell
the fresh air of their lands, it was the first time in a number of years
that they had been so close, our only problem now was to cross the fast
flowing river without losing anyone, trying to swim was not an option,
Shemba told us that there may be a village further east that would have a
means of crossing so we could continue our journey.

The next morning, we parted company with the caravan, as they disappeared
into the trees on a westerly course, we packed our few belongings and
turned east, the loud sound of the rushing river filled our ears as we
moved out with a spring in our steps, Shemba and Simba more so than any of
us, coming home was a major factor for them.

For three days we walked through ever thickening forests, at night the
sound of strange beasts could be heard in the distance, each night our
guards were doubled in case of attack by either beasts or humans, we were
now in a land of many dangers and could not rest in the hope of nothing
happening.

On the morning of the fourth day we came across a small village, it was
perched on the very edge of the river bank, along the shore were many small
wooden hand made boats, they were very narrow and seemed too fragile for
the river that rushed past, as we entered the village, Shemba called out in
his own language, from one of the grass covered huts came an old man, while
he was bent with age, his size and demeanour told us he was an important
man in this small village.

His skin, like that of Shemba and Simba, was the darkest of blacks but his
eyes showed a deep life of their own, I was to learn that he was not only
the head man but also the witch doctor or shaman, in this small village he
was the ultimate power, above him was only the king of these lands, this
was the far outskirts of the Mandingo lands.

As Shemba talked to the headman, the old mans demeanour changed markedly,
suddenly he was totally subservient to the small boy, Shemba talked on
quickly in his own language and the old man only stood and nodded that he
understood, it was strange to watch, but it almost seemed that the smaller
boy grew as he talked, it was only an illusion but the conversation was
definitely being led by Shemba.

After a few minutes, Shemba turned to me and said.

"The headman will have as many canoes for us as we need, he is going to
call all the young men to come out and get them ready, he has also offered
us some extra young men to escort us southward, he says there is tribal
fighting about four days south, it would be best if we accepted his offer."

"Thank you Shemba, tell him we accept his offer and would offer
something as a gift for his help."

"A gift is not need, Great Elephant, it is his pleasure to please one
such as yourself, I am sure his king would not like him to refuse you
help."

"Thank you Shemba, as long as it is not trouble for him."

Shemba turned to the old man and spoke quickly, the old man nodded and
turned away to call out loudly for his young men, within an hour we were
all on the river, the canoes, though narrow and of shallow draft, seemed
stable in the hands of the men with the oars, the strength they used to
cross the river was making their skin shine with sweat and their young
muscles bulge with effort but we made good progress, we could not cross
directly but had to go with the flow of the water while angling for the
other bank.

Close to half an hour later we were being helped ashore, joining us were
twenty young men and older teens armed with long spears that had very long
metal blades, they wore only a small animal skin breechclout, they also
wore a thin strip of some spotted animal skin, it was soft yellow with
black spots and was tied in a thin band around their head, they were
completely bare apart from these simple clothes, in one hand the long spear
and on their other arm they carried a small round shield made of dark wood
covered with a black and white cow hide, the extra guards led us with ten
in front and ten following behind, these young men and teens moved with a
dance like grace, it looked as though they could move this way for days
without rest.

As we moved through the forest, one or other of the teens would run off to
the left or right, a short time later he would return with a wide smile
showing the whitest of white teeth and over his shoulder would be a large
bird or small deer, this was to be our dinner, the cat calls of the older
teens and men brought much laughter to others.

Two hours later and we were at the very edge of the belt of forest, before
us stretched mile upon mile of open grass lands, broken only here and there
by a small hillock that rose from the grass like a hump, it was for one of
these humps that the vanguard led us.

When we reached the hillock, ten of the new guards took up a sentry post,
they formed a ring around us facing outward, I was amused at first by their
stance, with one hand leaning on their long spear, they would stand on one
foot and raise the other up until the foot was tucked against the other
knee, they looked like one legged men, Shemba explained, after he saw me
smiling at the stance, it was a restful way of standing for long periods
but also kept the guard alert.

The younger teens that had caught game, set about preparing it for cooking,
it took no time at all for a large fire to be lit while others ran out into
the grasslands and began looking or occasionally digging for roots, by dusk
there was ample food on the fire and the new guards were chatting
animatedly amongst themselves as we relaxed back onto the still warm
ground, they would not let us help in any way, Shemba said it was their
duty to look after us.

I began to have thoughts about who these two young boys might be, when even
an old respected man bows to their will, they must be of some importance, I
had my suspicions but kept my thoughts to myself, I was sure that in time
we would all be told why the two boys were obeyed with such alacrity.

As the food was cooking, other guards began to spread out and, with their
long spear points, began to cut down a very prickly bush, this they piled
around our circle with a narrow opening in the middle, Shemba told me it
was to keep the larger wild beasts out during the night, the small gap
would be filled in when the night fell, then we would all be safe until
morning and the night guard could be halved.

Under the bright light of the stars, and with our bellies full of fresh
meat and cooked roots that had a sweetness to them that I did not
recognise, we all lay back on the soft grass of the hillock and drifted
into the deep sleep, broken now and again by the deep roar of some wild
animal far out in the grass land, the night air was warm and smelled fresh
and clean.

Some of the foods supplied by the hunters were strange, of those was a
large snake, it took two of the teens to carry this monster of the
grasslands but when cooked tasted similar to chicken and the single snake
fed all of us heartily, this apparent bare grassland held many delightful
secrets under its long waving stalks and the teens seemed to know every
little trick it held.

For ten days we moved at a steady pace, each evening brought something new
to the table, my boys had divested themselves of the Bedou garb and now,
because of the high humidity, wore little more than the native boys
although they still kept their armour close and at the ready, it took only
a few minutes for them to suit up, the new guards were fascinated with the
Mythral armour and weapons, especially the long bows and their power once
they had seen them in action during practice.

At mid morning, on the tenth day, we crested a high ridge, during the last
three days I was sure I had seen men far off in the distance pacing us as
we moved, of the tribal fighting we saw nothing, it had been a peaceful
journey the whole ten days.

Below us, in a wide grass valley and about half and hours journey away,
stood a huge village of grass huts surrounded by a large well built wooden
wall, the ground around the village was covered with many small farm plots,
in the distance I could see great herds of cattle being tended by what
looked to be very young boys.

I watched as, from the large village there streamed what looked like an
unending torrent of young men, all armed with the usual long spears and
dressed similar to our own teen guards, at the sight of so many armed
soldiers, my boys quickly set about donning their armour and readying their
weapons although the numbers would easily defeat us, they were not going to
give way without a fight.

I watched from the ridge as the many new warriors formed up in long ranks
of about twenty wide and ten deep, there were, once they had formed up,
about ten of these Phalanx of warriors, at their head stood a very large
figure, even from this distance, the man was huge, on his head, unlike the
warriors, he wore long white feathers of some strange bird, around his
biceps and calves, he had wide bands of spotted animal skin adorned with
small brown seed pods, I was to learn later that they were a special rattle
that clacked as he moved, it was a signal to others of who this giant of a
man was.

In one hand he held the normal long spear, in the other, some form of long
handled club, it had a long handle and at the top was a round knob, and I
was to learn later it was called a Knobkerrie and could crush a mans skull
with ease, all the other warriors had only the spear, at a signal from the
large man, the warriors began to chant a single word and beat the shaft of
their pears on their shields, at this they also began to move forward, all
in step with a high lift of their legs to stamp down hard on the bare
ground.

The steady stamping made the very ground shake and the rattle of their
shields set birds to take flight, they moved towards us at a steady and
even pace, at this, the extra guards that had been with us quickly went to
the ground and knelt with the heads on the turf, only Shemba and Simba
stood upright holding hands as the terrifying mass of warriors came closer,
my swordsmen took up a defensive ring around me with Peitro close by my
side, the archers stood in two lines just behind, their bows filled and
drawn ready.

The noise grew as the warriors came closer, their stamping and shouts
shaking everything within range, at a point close to where they could run
at us, Shemba and Simba raised their joined hands and called out as loud as
they could with their young voices, it was not so much as words but more of
a ululating sound that was as high pitched as the strongest of whistles.

At the sound of the two boys voices, those getting ready to charge our
small group, stopped in their tracks and looked up, the large man also
stopped in his stride and leaned forward as though to see clearer, with a
single gesture of his club, the large man began to stride forward with
certain determination as though he could not quite believe he had heard the
sound from the two boys.

As the lead warrior grew closer, the two boys shouted with joy and took off
running towards the huge man, their voices calling a single name, the large
man suddenly stopped and dropped his weapons as he opened his arms for the
two excited boys too jump into, if it were not for my Elvin sight I would
not have seen the tears in the mans eyes, the two boys had come home and
their father was waiting for them with open arms, I had never seen a
happier sight, from the massed warriors came a huge deep sigh, it was as if
they too had been waiting for the boys return to their home.

At this show of family love, my boys began to relax, although the other
guard boys still stayed on the ground with their heads down, after a few
minutes, where I watched as Shemba and Simba chatted excitedly with their
father, the large man looked up at us on the ridge, lifting his weapons
from the ground he called out loudly to his warriors, as one they called a
strange name, to my ears it sounded much like "Bayete" and then the
drumming on their shields started again.

At this sign of battle, my boys once again took up their arms in readiness
to defend us, the massed warriors below us then began to move into long
lines with a large gap between them, the once tight phalanx were now two
columns of five men in width, with the Large man and the two boys at its
centre, suddenly, Shemba released his fathers hand and came running towards
us alone.

When he was close enough to call out, Shemba told me that his father wanted
to invite us to his Kraal as his guests, the warriors would be there to
escort us in safety, a combined sigh of relief went through my boys as they
lowered their weapons once more, in his own language, Shemba then talked to
the other guards still with their heads on the ground, when he had finished
speaking, all the guards leapt to their feet and took up a guard position
around us in two lines and Shemba then led us down to meet his large
father.

When we arrived before his father, Shemba introduced us to him, the man was
a giant, his warriors were also very tall and well built, but this man
stood another head taller than all of them, too us smaller boys he was of
gigantic proportions, I could almost feel my neck strain as I tried to look
up into his face.

First in his own language and then in the common trading language, Shemba
introduced us, I caught his name as being, Simba Aali, the name he gave for
me was Tembo Aali, the huge giant looked down at me and for the first time
I saw his large white teeth, the front four were filed into sharp points, I
was to learn later why this was done.

After much talking back and forth through Shemba, we were directed to
follow the large army of warriors back to the Kraal, when we entered, it
turned out to be two Kraals, one inside the other, the outer Kraal was for
the farmers and warriors, the inner one was for Simba Aali and his family,
which I was to find out very quickly, was almost like a village within a
village.

As we entered the second Kraal, I saw that there were very few men but
about fifteen women were silently working at various tasks, around them ran
many children of all ages but the eldest looked to be no more than about
eight years, when I asked Simba who the children were, he simply said.

"Oh those are all our brothers and sisters; my father has fifteen wives
but he is young yet so he will have more as he grows older, Shemba and I
are his first sons, that is why he was happy to see us return."

A man with so many wives must be a very virile man, the thought of one man
with so many women was a knew concept for me, I did understand that the
Arab men of the north had many women in harems but usually only a few
wives, this man must be very strong to have so many, I had counted as many
as thirty children, his nights must be filled with pleasure.

In the centre of the inner Kraal was an open grass thatched hut, the sides
had been removed to let any small breeze blow through to keep it cool in
the heat of the day, sitting inside was an old man, he was dressed in the
barest of animal skins and was wearing a feathered head dress, around his
neck was a string of old bones, this was their shaman/ witch doctor, the
centre of all decisions made by Simba Aali, we were led to the hut and
asked to sit as women began to appear with large wooden plates of food and
a form of drink that smelled lightly of corn.

All of the talking was done in the local language except for when either
Shemba or Simba translated for us but most of the chatter was about the two
boys and how they had disappeared from their fathers Kraal, it was at the
end of the large meal when we were brought more into the tale and both
Shemba and Simba translated for us.

When all were finished eating, we were directed to another very large hut,
it was now put aside for our use only, the many very young children that
ran around were told in no uncertain terms that when we were in the hut, we
were not to be disturbed by their playing, there were many small smiles and
energetic nods from the youngsters but I could tell they had no intention
of obeying their father, the advent of so many strange white skins was to
much temptation for young minds to ignore.

That first night in the Kraal of Simba Aali was peaceful and, only
occasionally interrupted by some muted drumming far outside the Kraal, when
the first rays of daylight lit the interior of our new home, Shemba came
running in to awaken us, he was excited and begged for us to rise quickly,
outside the women had prepared another feast to break our fast and the
Kraal was a hive of activity, naked children ran around laughing and
shouting as the adults tried to work around them, of Simba Aali, there was
no sign.

After breakfast, we were asked to go out into the main Kraal, there we saw
a large cleared space in the centre of the village, on a small platform, in
a large wooden throne type chair, sat Simba Aali, he was resplendent in
animal skins and long white feathers, in his hands he still held the two
weapons we had seen him with the previous day.

Shemba directed us to a place on the platform but one step below Simba
Aali, there we were to sit on tanned animal skins like some sort of
potentate, I was amazed at the variety of skins, some were like those I had
seen on the foreheads of the warriors but were the full size skins, of
yellow with black spots, others where of a sandy or tawny colour, still
others were of black and white stripes, all were softly tanned and very
comfortable to sit upon.

Once we were settled in comfort, the old man standing beside Simba Aali,
called out in the high pitched and squeaky voice of the aged, at this call,
all the women that had been around the circle, fell back as far as they
could, from the open gates of the Kraal came rank upon rank of warriors,
all were in step and their feet sounded like drums on the hard packed
earth, their black skinned bodies shone with the sweat of their exertions
as they half marched and half danced forward, their shields rattled with
the cadence of the march.

When they had all filled the circle around where we sat, the loud chant of
"Bayete" went up three times, with the lifting of one hand, by Simba
Aali, there was total silence, I had no idea how many warriors there were
but it was in the thousands and not a single sound could be heard as Simba
Aali rose to his feet, I felt the presence of a body beside me and turned
to see Simba settling down between myself and Gregor, Shemba settled on the
other side with Peitro.

In a voice filled with power and strength, Simba Aali began to speak in his
language to the assembled warriors, Shemba and Simba took turns to
translate for us as the large man gestured to us and to the small
contingent of guards that had brought us safely here, the massed warriors
listened in complete silence until Simba Aali had finished and sat back in
his wooden throne, again the massed voices of the warriors took up the
chant of "Bayete" until Simba Aali lifted his hand once again.

When the silence had settled, Simba Aali called out for the young guards
that had brought us to his Kraal and protected his sons; Simba took up the
translation as Simba Aali spoke to the young guards.

"He says that he is grateful for their protection of his two long lost
sons and that they have done well to protect and bring them safely home,
for this he would give them all a reward fitting for such brave young
warriors, in the afternoon, each warrior could go among his heard and
select three cattle each to take back to their village as reward for such
valuable service to their king, also the word would go out to other
villages that, these warriors were now under the protection of the king, as
well, when each reached his age of 25 summers, he would come here and join
the kings guard as would their sons and their sons sons."

As Simba Aali sat back on his throne, Shemba explained what the gift of
three cattle too each warrior meant, in their society, cattle were worth
even more than five wives, for the warriors to receive three of the kings
heard each was spoils beyond belief for such young men and the fact they
now had the trust of the king to enter his own personal guard when they
came of the right age, was tantamount to giving them a gift from the gods,
the guards, who had been kneeling on the earth with their heads on the
ground up until this moment, looked up and joined in the chorus of
"Bayete", they were then allowed to leave the front of the circle and
move back with the other warriors.

Simba Aali then told everyone that in the afternoon, he and his guests
would go on a hunt, their new friend Tembo Aali and his men would now hunt
their name sake and slake their thirst in the blood of their namesake,
Shemba told me quietly that this was a test of our manhood as the king
still looked at us as though we were children but the name Shemba had given
too me had to be proven, at this stage I still did not know what an
elephant was nor what it looked like, I only hoped it was something small
and not too dangerous for us to tackle with bows and swords, there is
something to be said about the ignorance of youth as I was to find out in
no uncertain terms.

As we sat, there was more of the corn drink brought for us and the warriors
and women began to dance, raising the dust and sending long ululating calls
out into the far distance, as the sun rose higher, large umbrellas made
from animal skins were brought out to cover us and the king but the
warriors and women continued to dance as though it was a pleasant day out
and the heat did not seem to affect their strenuous gyrations.

When the main heat of the day had subsided a little, Simba Aali called
loudly and the dancing stopped as if their strings had been cut, quickly,
many warriors formed up in ranks and the king stood up and beckoned us to
rise with him, as we did, Shemba then translated his father's words for
us.

"My father says, it is time for him too see if your name is true, he has
sent scouts out and has found your namesake, while he can see you carry no
weapons, he understands that you have other ways, he says that if you can
face you namesake and make him lower his head to you, then you are truly
Tembo Aali, your warriors may keep you safe and if the old one charges,
they may use their weapons to protect you, but, if the old one does charge,
then you can not have his name and must find another."

This sounded confusing for me as I did not even know who or what this Tembo
was, as any prideful youth would do, I smiled and nodded in acceptance,
what else could I do, looking back now I feel I could have learned to run a
lot faster or not even let myself get into these situations without first
knowing what it was about.

During our stay I had left my hood back but kept my long hair under the
cloak and covering my ears, I was not ready as yet to fully reveal myself
although I did attract a lot of looks from their old shaman when he though
I was not watching, I knew deep inside that he felt my magic but kept it to
myself for now.

We left the village altogether, there were countless warriors ahead and
behind us as we moved out onto the vast grasslands, for so many people, it
was very quiet and only the soft shuffling of bare feet in the grass made
any sound at all, the swishing of the grass blades as they brushed the many
warriors legs was almost a hypnotic tune.

After some time we came to a small ridge above a deep vale, down in the
hollow was a tall tree with wide spread braches and, under its shade stood
what I would describe as a mountainous animal, it was taller than two men
and had a bulk equal to that of ten men, its legs were like small tree
trunks, its skin, even from this distance I could see, was all wrinkled and
lay in folds over its body, its head was the thing that gave me most pause,
the ears were large enough to cover the roof of a hut and, its nose was
beyond understanding, it hung to the ground in a long hose like projection,
on each side of the long nose were two very long yellowish teeth, they
looked to be longer than Simba Aali was tall and at the jaw, were thicker
than a man's thigh, if this was Tembo, then he was a very formidable
beast, it was not until I got close enough that I truly began to realise
just how much beast it was.

We came down off the small ridge and began to approach the beast slowly, as
we neared it, the beast lifted its head and, with a toss of its might head,
lifted its nose into the air and gave out a cry much like a trumpet as it
flapped the enormous ears and raised dust from its back, I could also see
that this beast was very old, it took a step forward and we all stopped as
it swept its head from side to side, showing us its deadly long teeth, it
was now I began to realise that I was well out matched with this Tembo.

Shemba whispered in my ear and I stood rooted to the spot as the animal
looked us all over with its small eyes which looked to be full of anger and
the pain of old age.

"You must go forward alone; your archers can follow you but must stay
back so that you greet the old one alone."

I nodded my head, I had no idea what or how fast this huge mountain of
flesh was, I decided to remove all my clothing so I would have the freedom
to run fast if needed, I began to remove my cloak and other clothes, when
my hair came free and my ears were exposed, there came a deep rumbling
whisper from the massed warriors, I had no idea what they were saying and,
one look at the behemoth took my thoughts away from the warriors very
quickly.

Once I was finally down to only the small thin breechclout that I wore
under my cloak, I pulled my hair back into a tail and tied it with a thin
piece of hide I carried in my belt for such occasions, with a last look at
my very frightened friends, and trying to quell the shaking in my legs, I
stepped forward towards this great beast, its grey colour blending well
with the dark shade of the tree.

At each step forward, the beast would shake its head and flap its ears but
did not make any other movements but at the same time its eyes never left
me, when I was some thirty paces from it, I could almost feel the tensing
of its muscles, to try to allay its fears, I knelt down and placed my left
hand in the soil, feeling for any ley lines, I was almost knocked over by
the magic throbbing through the ground of this ancient place, my head
filled immediately with visions from the long past, among them many of the
same old beast and its forebears.

Concentrating on the figures of the beast, I let my mind run towards this
one, from the very ground came a deep rumble, it was as though I could hear
a low drum through my hand, with sudden clarity, I was seeing myself
through the eyes of this very old beast as I knelt on the ground, to this
beast I was as much a curiosity as a threat.

For the next few minutes, my head was filled with images of this old beasts
past life, it had been a very long one and he had now come to this place of
secrecy to spend his last days alone and away from his tribe, he had little
time left and his old bones ached with age and his massive stomach could no
longer work to feed him.

For a short time we communed with each other until I fully understood his
needs, at this I asked for his blessing before he passed on his way to the
kingdom of Creator, the beast agreed that it was his time and asked that he
may go quickly and without pain, to this I agreed and gave him some
comfort, in exchange he agreed to approach me and give me his blessing.

I stayed on my knees as the great beast moved towards me, I was no longer
afraid as we had made our peace and the ancient beast only wanted to meet
the Creator, slowly he neared, when he was less than one pace away, he
lifted his long thick nose and laid it gently on my shoulder, then, with
great effort, he also knelt on the ground with his bright but rheumy eyes
fully on me, at a blink from him, I raised my right hand and laid it on his
massive head, from the thick nose came a long soft sigh and the beast
rolled sideways and went to meet Creator.

>From the massed warriors far behind me, came a loud roar and cries of
"Bayete" rent the air, the sound of a thousand running feet filled
the vale as they came forward to look at the huge beast, Shemba was quickly
by my side, his eyes wide with awe and a little fear as he looked upon the
massive beast lying by my side.

"This will bring much meat for the Kraal and its teeth are the biggest
ever seen, they will be a great trophy for you."

"No, Shemba, the beast must be left alone, he is not for eating, this is
his chosen place to journey to Creator and we can not take from him
anything but his mighty teeth, they were given to me by his word as a
symbol of his long life, only they can be removed, his flesh must be left
for the ground, it is his wish."

"Then, Tembo Aali, it shall be done as you ask."

Shemba turned to his father and related what had been said, the giant of a
man looked down at me and smiled his spiked tooth smile and nodded, it
shall be so, he gave orders and the warriors immediately set about removing
only the great teeth, once completed, it took four men to carry each tooth
back to the Kraal, that night, Simba Aali, gave orders for another Kraal to
be constructed beside his own, the two great teeth would be set in the
ground as the gateway to my own Kraal.

It seemed that every person in the great Kraal joined to build the new
Kraal for me and the boys, within a week it was completed and a great party
was held to celebrate, the mighty teeth were its gateway and told everyone
who lived there, little did I know at the time that we would stay here for
some months, in which time we learned the language of the Mandingo and many
new friends were made, it was also to be the first time I saw what a fierce
war was to these large and strong people.




TBC.


Artcart65@vodafone.co.nz