AllFreeNovel
Share Us
31
SAMUEL
After a week of solid traveling along the river at night and then sleeping during the day, they had finally set up camp. Exhausted, everyone needed sleep. For diseased feet, he treated them with antifungal medications and a balm for healing. Remaining on the boats at night and only walking a few miles during the day helped rest their wounds.
The small convoy of boats meant overcrowding to get all the Ularan men, women, and children on board. Samuel convinced them to wear the T-shirts he purchased, thinking they would attract less attention than if they were almost naked. He also distributed caps with either baseball, football, or basketball emblems embroidered on the front. None of it made sense to the Ularan people, yet they did what he asked. Some women and children giggled. The men only stared back with serious expressions, and he sensed they felt mocked for wearing the outside world’s clothing.
As the light of dawn fell upon the earth, their silhouettes were now visible from the shore.
The river had widened. The hats and T-shirts helped to obscure their identity. Bare legs and feet were concealed by the side of the boat, along with arrows, darts, pots of poison, food, and tweed bags of belongings lining the curiaras’floor.
Another night passes, sailing the water without being questioned. When they find an uninhabited section of a sandy riverbed, he leads them ashore, pulling the canoes on land and into the trees to be out of sight. A simple chore leaves the warriors weak.
Besides the fish captured in nets hanging over the edge of the canoes, Samuel needs to arrange food to sustain their energy. The fish serves as food for breakfast, or is it dinner since they’ll sleep during the day?
The women set up camp by starting a fire, then tying hammocks to the trees, and untangling mosquito nets. The men grab their blowpipes and wander deeper into the jungle. Samuel remains with Kaikare. They roam the nearby jungle, picking leaves and berries to use as medicine. His natural medical stock is low, and most detest taking Western world medication.
A twig snaps. And Kaikare spins to see what’s behind them. After staring at nothing but tree trunks and palm leaves, they’re satisfied no danger is present and finish collecting enough plant food to provide the community for at least the day.
After transporting the clay pots off the curiaras, they collect water from the plants and stems of bamboo. Water is poured into the pot over the fire. Kaikare grinds the leaves and drops the pulped mash into another pot of water. Samuel speaks to each woman about her health and the well-being of her husband and children. Being informed helps with his decision on how to treat and what his next move will be. Most want to remain here as they feel safe.
The men arrive home with several monkeys and two snakes, enough food to get them through the day. The fish is being served as he speaks. Kaikare has the medicine boiling in the water. The women will serve the snakes and monkeys soon.
Everything looks promising.
They manage around five hours of sleep before the camp comes to life, and the men decide to go out in search of more food. Something larger is necessary to feed the community.
Dusk falls upon the camp, and the men haven’t returned, so Samuel distributes the fruit and berries he and Kaikare had scavenged. Originally, the stock was for the hours sailing the river, but with food scarce, he needs to focus on the present day.
With daylight diminishing, the atmosphere in the camp becomes restless, with the men and warriors not returning to camp.
With barely enough light to guide them, Samuel grows concerned and asks the elders to whistle and make animal sounds for the warriors to recognize so the sound guides them back to camp. A sequence of coos and whistles erupt every fifteen seconds. In the distance, a faint whistle echoes, and more men belt out whistles to lead their people in the right direction. In this strange land, trees surround them like twenty-story buildings, and the thick undergrowth hinders sight of anything beyond several yards away.
He understands the warriors are trained hunters and marked tree trunks, slashed palm leaves to guide them ‘home,’ yet they’re in another country and, if caught trespassing, their poison arrows might be useless against powerful guns.
Another whistle sounds closer to the camp.
The men push through the palm leaves. Subtle cheering erupts when the warriors appear with three peccaries, inverted with legs tied to a bamboo branch. They tell stories about their hunt as the women prepare the meal and spear each pig to be smoked over the fire while they sleep. The excitement is a relief knowing how forlorn the people have become, yet in the back of Samuel’s mind, he’s alerted to the killing of protected animals in an unfamiliar location. The Ularans view pigs as food and part of the circle of life. Eat what they need and give back to Mother Earth. Rules beyond their community and the Western world’s law about animal protection is foreign knowledge. Samuel struggles to find the words they understand when explaining how their behavior could be dangerous at every step of their journey.
The smoke wafts around Samuel, and it helps to mull the continual buzz of mosquitoes circling his head. He misses the days where fires in Ulara continually burned, giving a distinct aroma to jolt his memories.
Memories of good times comfort him to sleep, disguising the terror expanding in the back of his mind.
Deep sleep never lasts.
A bright light burns through his eyelids. Samuel rolls over and squeezes his eyes shut, hoping the tightness will block out the light. His thoughts confuse him as they’re unaccustomed to experiencing sunrise in the thickest part of the jungle. Something sharp pokes his back. He twitches.
Another poke to his shoulder, only this time he senses aggression.
Samuel flings himself forward in the hammock, the gentle sway of the hammock offering split seconds of relief from the light shining directly in his eyes. He lifts an arm to shield the brightness until his eyes adjust.
A flashlight.
Spanish words.
Clothed men.
Another light shines from behind, and metal reflects in the light.
