Chapter 18
Lake of the Rainbow Fish
Vultures descended upon what was left behind when the tribe marched into the land of legend.
Amidst the center of the parade, Eku walked with Ingwe to one side, Yathi on the other.
Yat and Dokuk paced nearby, along with Kolo, Dala and Longo and waka-waka young people.
Rain fell gently and the people wore loincloths and vests of cured skin with full satchels on their backs.
Eku no longer carried an ula-konto; instead, he held Ingwe’s hand.
The hunters led the parade across a dirt and leaf-strewn shoreline beside bright green water grass that ended at gray water, flat and textured by rain.
A dense forest rose immediately beyond the shoreline.
Eku wondered whether the waterway was actually a river anymore, or the start of the endless lake.
The day after they left the site where they battled the bubinzwana, he could still see the shoreline on the opposite side, but the next day, there was only water.
The people marched with a somber spirit.
Several more fighters had died as a result of injuries suffered in the battle against the bubinzwana.
And several more were hurt enough to be carried on travois, a person to each corner.
But there was a strong undercurrent of survivors’ jubilance, as each step took the tribe closer to the place for which they were destined.
Two yaka-yaka had now passed since the Abantu left the southern shores, but in just a few more days, the journey would end at their new home.
***
Four days after leaving the site of the battle the flat shoreline changed.
The embankments were steep, with pale and flat rocks uniform in appearance, but different sizes, as if jostled into place by Umawa over deep time to form a ring around a vast tub of water.
The people were forced to march where the land flattened, a bit away from the water, until a hill rose abruptly before them, as though Umawa thrust a great mound into their path to say, you should not progress past this point.
The tribe stopped to make camp.
Eku followed the hunters to the highpoint of the hill.
Rocky and nearly barren, only scrub brush and wispy grasses grew.
But with no trees the view was unobstructed in all directions.
The water spread to the north and off to the right as far as one could see.
To the left there is a stretch of flat land, but in the distance, Eku can make out the water of the lake again.
From the peak of the hill the hunters discern they have been walking a narrow peninsula that jutted into the southern end of the lake, bifurcating the body of water.
One of the hunters quipped it was like this was the butt end of the lake, and the peninsula was the crack of an ass.
The hunters decide to cross the peninsula to see how the water looks from the other side.
***
Eku spends a good part of each day with Tiuti.
Surprisingly, Eku finds his time with the old master enjoyable.
He expected grueling exercises and harsh lessons, but the old master mostly just talked.
They walked and talked.
Or sat and talked.
Tiuti did a lot of talking, for sure.
Do not think that Uwama is far. She is always with us. Uwama and Umawa are inseparable. Uwama has his children, Ulanga and Yanga. Uwama has Ulayo, but more importantly, her water runs everywhere there is life. That is why Uwama is the mother of all life. She is the rain, the rivers and here, we have found her greatest river and now, her greatest lake.
***
He visits with Ingwe.
He tries to talk to Yathi, but settles into an exhausted sleep.
While the hunters were still exploring inland, he woke one night to the calls of monkeys that sounded like babies crying.
Eku can tell it is almost morning and gets up.
Goes into the forest.
In addition to the baby crying monkeys are other noises.
Harsh screams. A variety of high pitched screeches. Coughs and whistles and snoring grunts. Many of the sounds were unpleasant. For sure.
And sometimes whisperings, almost like human tongue, and Eku learned they were the communal raspings of tiny monkeys with enormous eyes that only came out at night.
Monkeys, as it turned out, similar in appearance to the monkeys that cried like babies.
Small bodies with enormous eyes and hands much like a human’s.
They only stay in the trees.
Eku recognizes this is another strange land. Full of surprises.
The hunters return.
***
They head inland west between ridges and onto a narrow plain to the river
(about 4 miles from the edge of the high ridge).
On the other side of the peninsula is a river that feeds into the lake.
An abundance of life.
A world separate from the rest.
As though waiting for their arrival.
Of all the lands Eku was to see, the peninsula that bisected the bottom of the enormous lake was the most different.
None of the giant beasts of shatsheli-lambo, but the density of life seemed greater.
Birds and bats and small beasts were in abundance.
No more waterfowl, but the trees and bush and grass spawned a never-ending variety of fowl, cuckoos and bats.
//
Blackish plumage with waka-waka white spots, the stocky, pigeon-like bodies were permanently bowed so the thick neck and featherless head was always posed to stab the next tasty seed or insect.
The birds hunted in flocks and rose at the approach of the humans with explosive wingbeats, the surprisingly loud noise surely designed to alert the many other birds that were always near.
Settling in the nearest tree until the human parade moved along.
repetitive, faster and faster to a staccato, sounding almost like a cicada ramping up from the treetops
//
A ground stalking bird.
Tall, like an ostrich, but not so large and streamlined for running.
Both the body and head are shaped like an adze-shaped ax head, powerful wings folded tight against a muscular body.
Powerful legs, obviously built for running.
The fast-running birds did fly, though reluctantly, taking off surprisingly quick for such a heavy bird, using powerful wing strokes to rise only as high as the tallest tree, moving in a straight line far enough to alight on the ground, away from ….
//
Grass eating antelope with a hint of laza, the horns spectacular curving elegantly back, featuring dark and pale ridges like a zebra, making the Bwana eager to obtain them.
The mothers put an end to the bidding wars with a curfew on when the beasts could be hunted.
//
Giant bats, with bodies the size of a jackal pup, hanging dark and triangular, somehow forbidding and fragile at the same time. The bodies were a lustrous, dark brown with a hint of red, the wings orange-brown, almost the same color as the skin of the brightly colored plums upon which they feasted.
The bats hung in colonies of waka-waka individuals, easy to spot from the ground, and easily within range of an ula-konto and especially, the guka-hombe, which was quickly being adopted amongst all the hunters.
But bats were not good for eating. The fur, as it turned out, was soft and delicate, but the sinew was mostly useless, making harvest not worth the effort.
//
Bokmakierie - yellow and green, high-pitched, three syllable tunes back and forth. Usually with brown plovers and black starlings nearby, all of them looking for insects.
Cuckoos, similar to turacos, with orange chests performing repetitive exchanges.
Long-tailed widow - interesting look, has white and red stripes like a red-winged blackbird, sounds almost like high pitched laughter….
//
Termite mounds, like miniature mountains, some nearly perfectly conical, others irregular with bumps and bulges rising out of the thick grass, reminding him of naked vulture necks emerging from plumage.
Eku almost missed the cat.
A reddish coat and stripes the same shade as the brown grass.
Stalking.
Crouched low.
Muscles visibly tense, as though trying to sink into the ground by gripping it tightly.
Eyes focused in a way that tells Eku its prey was near.
The cat suddenly leaped forward; at the same time, an explosion of wings.
Waka white-spotted fowl burst upward.
For a tiny moment, Eku thought the cat had completely misjudged its charge, then watched in disbelief as the cat took another bound forward then launched a spectacular leap into the air—at least as high as three adults on top of the other.
Snatching one of the birds out of the air with its front paws.
Eku instantly thought of flying monkeys.
The tail was surprisingly short.
When the cat licked its bloody jowls he saw a long, pink tongue and briefly, canines comparable to a leopard; though, the cat itself was smaller than a leopard by about a half.
//
They reach the river.
Eku vows to up his skills yet another notch, so that he can sneak up even upon a fowl in the high grass….
That night Eku dreamt.
A mighty tree was before him.
Like one of the magnificent jungle trees, but even larger, as though stretching branches to the clouds.
He leapt like the cat into the lower branches.
Leapt upward through branches, like he was a black and white flying monkey, surging higher and higher
Reached the uppermost branches and leaped for the stars.
Flapped his arms and began flying!
Now he was the fish eagle.
Soaring above the great tree.
Looking down at the village.
Though it was dark, he can see people sleeping because he now has the eyes of an eagle.
Flapped his arms to go higher, to see further up the lake.
Water with mountains to each side, stretching infinitely into the distance.
Eku wanted to go higher, but the ground—even the great tree—was small beneath him.
He drifted down in a spiral.
Flapped his arms to settle slowly through the branches of the great tree until his feet were back on the ground.
***
The new home.
Even more spectacular than any of them could have dreamed.
A paradise.
All of the women are on the same cycle and there is a wave of pregnancies.
The tribe’s first laba-ini will be enormous.
The second will be even bigger.
//
Ulanga rises over the hills to the right. His fire touches the end of the encampment closest to the river, which is where the shelters are, because of the easy access to water.
A communal area is set up along the beach. Perfectly made without any work!
Dung pits are dug. Strict rules enforced.
Iliwi-kelele-abantu. The place upon the rocks for the people (they are all abantu now).
//
The sand is different. Grittier than the sand of Uwama, but softer, almost like sand mixed with dirt. The trees grow close to the water. Sycamore, straight out of the beach.
Other large trees on the beach have a bark rugged and rigid, like the heavy armor that covered a wenya’s back. Ovoid leaves in clusters.
This does not happen on the shores of Uwama.
There is wind and the lake has waves, but not like Uwama.
The waves roll into shore with a bristle of whitecap, gathering mud as they tumble up the gradual slope.
The people can swim with no fear of being carried out to sea….
//
Wattled plovers of black and white chasing each across the brown sand shouting, “hey-hey-hey-hey-hey.”
Swifts and bee eaters provide aerial displays.
Sweet singing barbets, whistling woodpeckers with bright red heads and last but not least, the irreplaceable honeyguides, birds that looked like miniature hawks and guided an observant hunter to where bees have hidden their great stores of honey combs.
//
Rocks stacked along the shoreline like rows of misshapen and different sized eggs, the upper half of the rocks closest to the water, rounded and smooth and bleached pale, but dark on the lower half, making Eku think the height of the water was higher in the past.
//
The north-east end is boxed in by the high point on the north and iliwi-kelele-abantu, the inlet for the rafts in between.
A place always shady and moist.
huge ferns
tasty berries
groves of fig and plum.
Eku is practicing to be invisible and observes the monkey.
Long proboscis for a nose.
Long legs and arms, similar to the flying monkeys of the Mantel forest, but without the athleticism. Heavier. With a round stomach, probably from eating so much of the shoreside fruit.
The monkey stood and took a step toward Eku.
He watched the primate, raising the spear into a two-handed stabbing position. His mind automatically registered the physiology of the monkey, where he would direct a stabbing thrust if the beast was silly enough to charge.
Nope.
Bluffing, just like a monkey.
Eku blurted the first sound he could think of—“Boo!”
The monkey crouched and took two steps back.
Offered Eku a quizzical look then scampered away.
***
Iliwi-kelele-abantu
In the inlets where the rafts are the water is crystal clear.
When the people swim they see small fish of all colors.
All of the fish are similar in body structure, but remarkably different in coloring.
There were many fish of red, laza or green colors. Others are iridescent, showing different colors depending on the direction one looked.
//
Vines with kidney shaped leaves.
Small trees with drooping branches with long drooping leaves with many pinnacles, like the feathered leaves of giant palm only much smaller.
//
Eku finally had a moment to himself.
Climbs to the top of iliwi-kelele-abantu.
From the high point you can see west across the peninsula to the water on the other side (less than 4 miles).
The village is accessible from only one direction—the plain behind.
A place as if Uwama had decided to create a special spot, just for humans to appreciate the majesty of what lay before them.
Sat on a log.
Rocks protruded from the ground.
Tough junipers fill the spaces between the rocks.
Eku has a carving knife from his uncle Lume.
Beautifully crafted. The handle is thick, heavy, carved from root-wood while still green, shaped to fix the narrow blade securely into place.
The blade was small compared to the handle, dark gray and about the size of Eku’s thumb, just a sliver of isipho-gazi, but sturdy and sharp enough to slice human hair with no resistance.
A true carving knife for precision work.
Eku enjoyed carving.
He liked many things the izik-kosa did.
And he especially liked making a spear for Kolo.
The izik-kosa matched each weapon to the person.
He gripped the spear with his left hand and stroked with the right.
Studying each sliver of wood as it came off the blade.
Periodically lifted the spear and balanced it on the flat of his palm.
Eyed the haft while moving his arm to undulate the length up and down, feeling the balance through his hand while his eyes moved up and down the length of the shaft so his mind could match the two together and identify where more trimming was necessary.
Lost in thought, he barely noticed Lume’s labored breathing when he trudged up the hill; though, he sure felt the log shift when his uncle sat next to him.
Eku let him catch his breath and Lume asked, “How come you are not wearing your necklace?”
He looked at his uncle as though the answer were obvious, but said, “It is too big. And heavy.”
Lume clicked in understanding. “Maybe wear it for special occasions?”
Eku lolled his head around as though not sure. “I like keeping it in my sealskin satchel. And looking at it sometimes. I wish I could see the beast the fang came from.”
Lume quickly clicked yes and no and grunted for emphasis before saying, “From far away.”
Eku giggled. “For sure.”
Lume watched Eku for a moment.
The left hand maintained a secure grip while the cutting hand moved precisely, the way he taught him. Eku had found his own rhythm, feeling the grains of the wood, paying attention to each exposed growth ring.
“That is good carving. For Kolo?”
Eku clicked yes.
“Too bad about your ula-konto.”
Eku had a melancholy smile. “I wish I still had it, even though I will not be a hunter. I miss throwing and practicing.”
Lume stuck out the lower lip. Gave Eku a moment, then said, “I can make you another one.”
Eku’s hands stopped.
His mouth fell open.
Wide eyed, he stared at his uncle.
Such a thought was simply too enticing.
Too good to be true!
Lume looked at Eku with a blank expression.
Among his many gifts, Yathi’s father was good at making complicated things simple, a trait he would pass on to his youngest child.
But what was he getting at now?
Finally, as though a bit exasperated, Lume said, “Who told you an izik-ikiz cannot have a ula-konto?”
There was no stopping the huge smile that spread across Eku’s face.
Lume let loose with a hearty chuckle.
Eku’s face quickly got serious and he said, “An adult ula-konto, like father’s. The killing blade tipped with isipo-igazi. And I want to watch when you make it.”
Lume rubbed his chin and matched the earnest look on his nephew’s face. “An adult ula-konto, eh?”
“My first ula-konto was heavy, at first, but my arm got stronger. Then it was perfect.”
The lip stuck out. A small moment later, Lume clicked and said, “You will grow.”
He got up to lumber away, grumbling words from a song about how the best roots always grew at the top of a hill, before calling over a shoulder that he would let Eku know when work began with the selection of a sapling for a proper haft.
Eku almost shouted after him that next would be a javelin.
But one thing at a time.
He had to be patient.
He was not finished growing into an adult.
***
Kaleni said. “That is what has happened each time we enter a new land. There are new beasts. Beasts on four legs and on two legs. We should expect more of both.”
//
Krele threw an arm around Tiuti’s waist and playfully tickled his ribs, “Thanks in no small part to you, Eku will accomplish more than any of us.”
A smile finally broke Tiuti’s weathered features and he said, “For sure.”
//
Eku sat with Ingwe on a grassy spot on iliwi-kelele-abantu.
There were large and flat rocks wonderful for sitting and picnicking.
Waka-waka young people congregated around a fire pit ringed by logs for seating.
The lake lay below, spread flat and dark, mountains distant to either side, stretching endlessly into the distance.
The fire, just lit, hissed and popped and glimmered flames white and yellow.
Ulanga had escaped behind the mountains.
The expanse of water below began to reflect the first twinkle of stars.
For the first time since laying eyes on Ingwe, Eku was distracted by someone else.
Yathi, of course.
Eku kept leaning to glance past the top of Ingwe’s head.
Sisi leaned snuggly against his strong, young shoulder as Yathi stared over the water with a look of such delirious happiness that Eku could barely suppress laughter.
Further along, Eku saw Yat, familiar now in short hair, with Dokuk, who every day looked a little less sad.
There was Kolo, with Dala and Longo, mingling amongst waka-waka young people.
Tar and Maz stood a bit separate; though, Odi and Tuve hovered nearby, forever hopeful.
Eku turned his gaze north across the lake of never ending freshwater and began to imagine the adventures to come.