North Wind by Michael Hale

Author:Michael Hale [Hale, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Michael Hale
Published: 2019-06-15T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Jennifer hurried back with William literally stepping on her heels.

Chad saw them coming and took notice of the urgency in their steps. He excused himself and hurried to meet them.

William failed miserably at hiding the guilt that was written all over his face.

Chad knew immediately that it was surely bad news. “What did you do, William?”

Jennifer stopped in front of Chad and gripped his jacket. She blurted out, “Barrow knows we’re here. William went to have a … well, let’s just call it a discussion, shall we?”

Chad scowled, “Damn it, William! I thought we were in agreement. We discussed …”

“There’s nothing we can do about it now,” Jennifer said interrupting him. “He feels bad enough already.”

Chad shook his head, “Okay, okay … there’s too many of us for him to try anything stupid. We’ll be out of here soon enough and then we’ll leave him far behind.” He looked over his shoulder, “Let’s fill Brice in later. We don’t want the chief hearing this.”

Chief Diamond had taught them about the edible foods found in the woods. He showed them samples of safe mushrooms, and the ones to steer clear of. He described the Tuber, an Indian Cucumber Root, and the Garlic Mustard ground covering plant with its tiny white flowers, both very nutritious to eat. He warned them to avoid the Moonseed fruit, a grape-like berry that is poisonous to humans.

“You’ll find plenty of fish along the way, and crayfish in the shallower rocky areas.” He snickered, “Jennifer’s been nipped many times by the little buggers; she’s an expert at catching them.”

Jennifer winced and kissed her finger tips. “How could I forget. I had to shake hundreds of them off before I learned how to avoid those pinchers.”

They all laughed.

“There is nothing more I can …” Chief Diamond hesitated, movement on the river drawing his attention.

Twin canoes with two men in each were paddling in from the bay.

The elder crossed his arms and watched with concern. He said to Brice, “Please keep everyone here; I must see who they are and what it is they want.” He left to greet them.

The four strangers saw the old elder approaching and held up their right hands in a symbol of friendship. Their clothing had been tanned from the hides of moose and beaver. Their skin was dusky dark like the Waskaganish people, and their canoes were decorated with similar symbols.

Jennifer examined them and pointed out, “They’re from another tribe, probably from the west.” Her voice carried a hint of alarm, “They wouldn’t travel this far without good reason.”

Two teenage boys ran to the side of their elder. Both boys were bare-chested and muscular for their age. They had long black hair tied into waist-length ponytails that mimicked their chief’s. They waded into the water, grasped the fronts of the boats and pulled them onto shore. Each boy stabilized a canoe so the visitors could exit cleanly.

The newcomers and the chief spent ten minutes exchanging greetings and quietly discussing the reason for their visit.

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