Travellers #1 by Jack Lasenby

Author:Jack Lasenby [Jack Lasenby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781775532309
Publisher: Random House New Zealand
Published: 2014-07-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Finding a Nest

Next day Hagar sent me into one of the caves for some lengths of wood. Fallen rubble made it hard to get inside. The back of the huge cave disappeared in darkness.

Hagar dug leaves and dirt out of some holes in the ground while I dragged out the timbers. We wedged the long pieces upright, lashed others across. It made a loom Hagar would have to stand to work at.

“I’ll help you set it up,” I said.

“It’s just the same as the small looms.”

“I want a go on the big one.”

“You can, some other time. Now you must take the animals out.”

“I’ll leave Mak with you,” I said. Hagar had heard wild dogs during the night.

Hagar knew I wanted to watch. The wrinkles deepened about her eyes, and she stared at me until I grinned and looked away.

“You’ve still got to catch a hawk,” she said.

Bar led the animals up the creek, and we climbed to the top of the cliffs. Grass stretched everywhere about us. Bar and Mak investigated a patch of scrub, and Nip followed, copying them. She would often look at what I was doing, to find out what it was I wanted, and then join in.

“You’re like me trying to learn from Hagar,” I told her.

The lake was dark-blue today, dashed silver where waves broke. The wind blew in our faces. I was leading, and Nip was scouting when I sent her ahead, rushing back when I whistled or lifted my hand. I had not seen a single hawk. We came through some scrub and there was a deer feeding head down. I nocked an arrow. It rustled across the air. I heard it hit, saw the flights quiver. The deer bucked and galloped.

I patted Nip for standing. She wanted to chase, but Hagar had warned me, “You’ll never control her if she runs on deer.” I leashed and let her lead to where the deer collapsed.

Hagar had set up what looked the beginning of a large blanket. She had drawn a design in the dirt, what looked like dark triangles, probably brown, emerging from a lighter background of what must be natural wool. She saw me look and stood in front. All right, I thought to myself. Then I wouldn’t tell her I’d shot a deer.

When I returned with the carcass on a donkey I could tell she knew why I hadn’t told her. Well, I thought, I’m not going to let her make me lose my temper. She sniggered to herself and began making her usual stew.

After seeing to the animals I returned sniffing the smoke. There was abundance at the Hawk Cliffs: firewood, hot and cold water, rabbits, hares, deer. There were the cliffs, the grass, the trees.

“I’d like to stay here.”

“How would you feed the animals in winter? They would die. Then where would you get the wool to make clothes and blankets? How would you make a new tent? You’d have no milk, no cheese. Last night you wanted to have a look at Orklun.

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