Chapter 24
My First Council Meeting and More Recruiting, 9-10 K
(SD to AL, 1377-8)
Before winter settled in, we had my first council meeting. Kaidu reviewed the three campaigns. He felt the Northern Hotcangara would not revolt again, since surely the last of their hotheads were dead, and none of those who had trained with us had joined in the conspiracy. In fact, it was they who kept us informed of the whole scheme. Still, we would keep the Ordu in their country just in case. The Southern Hotcangara and Chikasha campaigns had ended them as any sort of threat. The former were reduced to about one fair-sized city, the latter to barely enough people for a town. If the Southern Hotcangara gave us any more trouble, we would move any survivors north of the Wazhazhe. If the Chikasha remained quiet, perhaps it would be possible to preserve their unique identity. He did like the fact that they had tried the sneak attack and was amused at the method I chose to repel it.
He then announced that word had come that the Taunika and the Pantch would both confederate with us. Some elements of the Hasinai also had sent word that they wished to leave the Kadohadacho and confederate with us. I mentioned that Smoking Mirror had said that would happen. I urged that we accept them, adding that separating from the Kadohadacho might dilute their excessive religious cult, since the latter were the principle proponents of it. No word had come from the Pansfalaya, but I would perhaps be meeting with some of their eastern neighbors in the spring. I explained what I had heard about them. Since they had an elite ruling class in each city and apparently did not cooperate among themselves, but were rather rapacious and much given to show, it had been suggested that I would make a better impression if I wore a lot of “finery” and brought them gifts. I thought it would be better if I didn’t since it would give the impression that we approved of stratified societies and accepted their values. I was open to suggestion, of course.
“In the time of Chingis,” Kaidu began, “any Mongol could come up to him and speak his mind. Any Mongol could rise through the ranks to the highest positions. There was no real ‘elite’ until we conquered the Hanjen in their so-called Middle Kingdom. We let ourselves get corrupted into forming classes. Of course, we considered the Hanjen beneath our lowest classes and didn’t trust them at first. But in time we did accept them and, before long, listened to their intrigues and destroyed ourselves. That will not happen here. Any elites you encounter must come to know that they will have no standing among the Mongols unless they earn it. They will receive no deference, no bribes, and no compromises. If they confederate, we will not interfere with them openly, but their young men will be exposed to our ways and will likely adopt them. In time they will find themselves alone in their towns. If they refuse to join us, but promise to live in peace, we will not be naive enough to trust them, but will recruit spies and watch them very carefully. We will not prevent any of their people from joining us on their own, nor will we return to them any who do. In time I expect they also will find themselves alone in their towns. It is the ‘elites’ who are our enemies. The Hotcangara revolts were led by them, and with good reason. They have lost everything, but the rest of the people have only lost the burden of the elites. I think we have fully isolated them, but I don’t expect them to fade away. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they were trying to get the Southeastern towns united against us.”
“Would it perhaps be better,” Givevneu asked, “if we did not risk Raven on any further recruiting expeditions to such stratified societies?”
“Indeed,” Donduk added, “would we not be sending him to certain death?”
“It is not completely free of risk.” Kaidu shrugged. “But Raven is a curiosity and as such commands interest. Also, the elites may be craven, but they are not stupid. Surely the lessons of the north are not lost on them. Besides, I would not ask him to go anywhere he was not willing to go, and I trust his judgment completely. Indeed, Raven, if you think it best, we will send you with an army.”
“A small escort would be enough,” I said, “enough men to rout a sneak attack and conduct a fighting retreat if necessary, perhaps a few hundred men. It would also be a good way to convince them of my ‘status’ so I would be received in the cities, without bedecking myself with annoying bangles.”
They all had a good laugh, and Kaidu told me to pick up an escort from the Wildcats next spring. Since all these people had no general name, but only called themselves after their cities, we decided to refer to them as the Southeastern towns, unless I could come up with more specific names, or there proved to be unrelated groups beyond them. My maps indicated that there was only a limited amount of land left in that area unless there was a large peninsula at the extreme position. Perhaps I would be able to find out the following spring.
In the east, the Mingue had remained very quiet and had been most cooperative. It would be interesting to see if they would continue to do so under Juchi’s scrutiny. They were still a considerable, if divided, force and so should remain under watch, but they did not have an elite class, and their women, who had a lot of clout among them, greatly favored peace with us. The Leni lenape and all their neighbors had agreed to confederate with us, as had the northeastern groups. Since most of these latter also had no real group name, but many village names perhaps we should call them the Northeastern Bands. To the south of the Leni lenape, the groups all around the large bay, had also agreed to confederate. They seemed to be related to the Leni lenape and also were named for their villages, so we could call them the Great Bay Tribes. South of these, our mappers had found yet more Leni lenape relatives on an inland from a large sound enclosed by a thin line of very narrow barrier islands. This group sent observers to the Bear Ordu and would decide later about joining us. There was a group south of them that was not related to them, but our mappers had not yet contacted them.
The odd, unfriendly red-painted group on the island off the northeast coast was finally contacted through the good offices of one of the Northeast Bands that was friendly with them. They call themselves the Beothuk, and while they looked more like the Inuit than the Northeastern Bands, they spoke a very strange language. They would prefer to be left alone. The Inuit bands in the North Country were not really recruited since we would prefer not to renew our acquaintance with the icy north, and they could do quite well without us. The same held true for the various Tinneh bands in the far north. Some of them had joined us, and occasionally a few more come, but we would not actively recruit them either.
The mountains to the east of the Tsoyaha and the west of the Great Bay Tribes contained a nation called the Tsalagi. We had no reliable information on them. The Tsoyaha claim than they lived in caves and ate people, and the Leni lenape claimed that they drove them south into the mountains during their migrations long ago. In other words, we would have to find out about them for ourselves. Perhaps I would be able to visit them the following year as well.
No hostilities were foreseen for the next year, but a few new tumen would be formed in the spring. These would consist of five forest and three plains tumen. The Turtle and Goose Ordu would be encamped on either side of the Kubilai River not far from its mouth on the Great Bay. The Panthers would be placed near the eastern coast at a point roughly midway between the Great Bay and the deep bay at the mouth of the Wendat River. This would be near a river the mappers had called Kennebec after the band living on it. The Pheasant Ordu would be placed on the East Tsoyaha River well upstream near the mountains. The Beaver Ordu would be placed just north of the point where the Kadohadacho River joined the Missi Sipi. This last Ordu would have extra horses and be trained as a plains tumen as well as a forest tumen. The three plains Ordu would include the Horse, the Duck, and the Cormorant. The Horse would be placed on the north bank of the Red River well west of the Hasinai lands, but just north of the Titskan watitch areas to facilitate their joining us. The other two would be on the west bank of the Mongol River, the Ducks at the point where the Chahicks River joined it and the Cormorants at the point where the Black Hills River joins it.
We did not use any of the gunpowder in the recent hostilities since the foes didn’t warrant it. Kaidu thought it best to use it only when necessary so as not to waste it. In time, when training was complete, there would be an artillery section in each tumen, fully equipped with cannon, rockets, and the several kinds of shells. Of course, all Ordu were already equipped with the new fire arrows. Also, everyone was pleased to have matches again.
Givevneu reported that still there were no epidemics among the Ordu in the new land. The tribal shamans he had spoken with had no knowledge of any such things, claiming that they never happened in the land. He was a bit concerned about that, but his own people also never had had anything like an epidemic in their history, so it was possible that epidemics were merely a curse of civilization, and would occur later on. I mentioned that the Hanjen had shown that epidemics were caused by agents of infection rather than by civilization—although the one may foster the other. He said that, of course, agents caused them, had not he many times fought against the ke’let that attacked the Ordu in the old land? Perhaps the ke’let had not yet found us. It was a wonder and we were growing into a great people.
Donduk said that he was certain the Mingue would give us no more trouble. He was not sure how much use we would be able to get from the Northeastern Bands. They were fairly small and widely scattered in the north, and larger and almost sedentary in the south. Most of their time was understandably spent looking for food, although the southern groups did raise some crops. They had sent some young men to us, but almost all had refused to return to their band. Still, there was no hostility, and he had maintained large stores of grain to ensure that any who needed it could get it from the Ordu. The Leni lenape and the Great Bay Tribes, on the other hand, needed no help at all. The former had sent trainees and most of them had returned home. The latter would begin sending men this spring. He expected it would be the same with them. Perhaps, if time permitted, I should visit them also.
I reported in depth on my journey of the past year, touching on the Xinesi’s impotent hostility, the aloofness of the “Sun” and his people and the traits of the Pansfalaya that made them ideal recruits. I mentioned that we would hear this winter whether I would be welcomed at the large city Thliotombi had mentioned. In any case, I would revisit the Pansfalaya and try to visit the Tsalagi as well as any of the Southeastern towns that would receive me. If possible, I would try to finish mapping the coastline, or at least get some idea of its extent.
The meeting broke up and we were told that we would meet again in early spring before I left. I told Paula that it looked like I would be gone again, this time leaving earlier and returning later that usual. I suggested that she spend the spring and summer with Padraig and Mathilde. That helped cheer her up. I had hoped I would be able to visit them the following year also, but events made that impossible. Padraig’s mappers had never returned, and he had sent another group to find out what happened. If they did not return in the spring, he would have to send a large force west. We made it up to visit Henry once the river froze. The children really enjoyed the sled ride. Doqus and Henry both thanked me for helping Ussu. I exaggerated his role in the running battle a bit for them. They agreed to send young Henry and Christina along with Paula to visit Padraig and Mathilde.
In late winter, I took Paula and the children back up to stay with Henry until they went west. I returned home and, after the uneventful council meeting, set out south with Smoking Mirror. When we arrived at the Owl Ordu, we were told that a visitor was waiting to see us. We went to the yurt where he was staying and found a rather older man who was tall and thin with very dark skin and a big hook of a nose. He was wearing a cotton tunic bound with a colorful belt. His long black- and gray-streaked hair was tied back off his shoulders. He wore no ornamentations at all. Smoking Mirror was shocked to see him.
“Tlacuectli!” he exclaimed. “Is it really you? When did you come? How did you find me?”
“My son, your manners.” He chuckled. “You have not introduced me to your pale friend.”
“Raven”—Smoking Mirror turned to me—“this is my father, Tlacuectli. He is back from his homeland at last. I have so much to tell him.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Tlacuectli.” I smiled. “Your son has told me many wonderful things about you. Perhaps I should leave you two alone to catch up with each other.”
“No, no.” Tlacuectli shook his head. “Stay with us. I was sent by Tezcatlipoca’s ‘brother’ to win him back from the evil influence of the pale witch. But from what I’ve seen, he made the right decision. You don’t make a very convincing witch.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been called a witch before.” I laughed. “Should I be flattered?”
“What it means,” Smoking Mirror interjected, “is that the Xinesi feels powerless on your account.”
“Indeed,” Tlacuectli agreed, “his world is falling apart around him. He curses the day you came to visit him. His confederation is shrinking, and his prestige has evaporated. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he is viewed with pity by the rest of the Hasinai. He’s been making sacrifices of captives to the god whenever he can. He’s afraid to attack any of your confederates so he’s had to attack the people of the Natchez towns. I hope the rest of the Kadohadacho put him away before he does something foolish.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Smoking Mirror shook his head. “He is a very proud and stubborn man, but he was very good to me. I hope he will stop resisting the inevitable and come around.”
“You have not seen him recently,” Tlacuectli said. “His frustration has driven him mad. He wanted me to kill Raven and you if you resisted me. Imagine, kill my host and my own son. He will only find peace in death. But after listening to him, I felt I had to warn you. Besides, I only returned there to see you. And once I found out where you were, I followed.”
We sat down, and Smoking Mirror brought him up to date on all that had happened, even showing him the maps and how he had learned our writing. Tlacuectli was interested in the writing, since his people as well as other people spread out to the south and east of his use a form of picture writing. It sounded like a rather more graphic version of Hanjen. He claimed that his people’s pictures could be recognized to some degree, unlike the sample I showed him of the Hanjen characters. He felt that our script was definitely easier to learn. He was quite taken with the maps and gave us a rough idea what was south and west of our maps. He insisted that there was no connection between the eastern and western seas. The land along the east coast went south, then southeast from our map’s end. There was then a large peninsula jutting out northward into the sea, and after that the land continued eastward as far as anyone knew. The western sea came close to the eastern sea beyond the peninsula, but he was certain they didn’t join. He described the cities in his high valley and hoped we would both come down for a visit soon. Much had changed since Smoking Mirror had last been there. I was surprised that he invited me as well, but told him it would be unlikely that I could make such a trip for a while, since my duties were rather demanding.
He asked if we’d consider trading the horses and iron implements or even the marvelous matches. But I explained that we could only give horses and iron to our allies. The matches could be traded, but would be dangerous to transport over large distances. Besides, what would his people have for us? He opened his pack and took out some brightly colored feathers, some pieces of a rather inferior jade, some of the turquoise Talaswaima had pointed out, a large quill filled with gold shavings, and some little beans. I had to admit feathers were popular with the locals as would be the jade, turquoise, and gold. Actually, the gold would probably be well received by the Mongols also. The beans seemed an odd trade good. At this he laughed, and told me to wait a bit. He took some of the beans, ground them up to a fine powder, dissolved the grounds in hot water like a soup or a thick tea, added some strange ingredients, and then presented me with a small amount of a dark liquid. It was very aromatic, rather bitter, and oddly stimulating.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Chocolatl,” they both answered together. Tlacuectli added, “It is highly prized by all people in the south and perhaps you can see why. It is even used as a medium of exchange. It only grows only on trees in the jungles along the coasts and is not easy to harvest. The city that controls a grove of such trees is wealthy indeed.”
While the bean tea was good, I was surprised that it was used as an exchange medium since it was consumable. We had learned that many of our locals here in the north prize a bead made from a type of shell as a form of exchange, which was, in a way, no stranger than gold or silver coinage, except that it was perhaps more accessible to the general population, at least along the coast. We had not really found any need for currency since everyone received what he needed as long as he did his fair share. Still, I wasn’t too sure what we could practically trade with the southerners that they would want. I suggested that Tlacuectli look around for whatever was not proscribed that he thought might be useful in the south. He said he had a few ideas and would like to set up trade between his people and us. I wished him luck and excused myself so he and his son could talk in private for a while.
I went to see Kuyuk. I mentioned to him Tlacuectli’s interest in trading and recommended that it be allowed as long as it didn’t include iron or horses. He agreed and added that perhaps we should send some people along with him as helpers to spy out the land and report back. I had to admit that was a good idea, but wondered if Tlacuectli would see through it. The next day, we took our leave of Tlacuectli and the Owl Ordu and continued on our journey. We finally reached the Wildcats by mid spring. Thliotombi had left word that the city would receive me but to wait until his return before setting out for it. Since we had a little time, I decided to visit one of the nearby Tsoyaha towns.
The town was palisaded on three sides but open on the fourth since it was a steep cliff overlooking the West Tsoyaha River. Their houses were made of wood and plastered with reddish clay, the whole thing covered with bark or wooden shingles. The women didn’t seem to use face paint very much, but the men did. There was little tattooing and no head deformation. The men wore their hair in the roach style like the Chikasha, although some of the older men favored a turbanlike headdress. They were not heavily ornamented, but did wear colorful sashes, decorated with shells. They were tall and not as dark as their southern neighbors. They reminded me more of the Ocheti shakowin. We returned from the town, and Thliotombi was still not at the Ordu, so I went to visit a small chiefdom on the middle reaches of the West Tsoyaha. These proved to be a scattering of small villages on both sides of the river with no clear capital, but one town, Koasati, that claimed some sort of preeminence over the others. It’s chief, Hildis Hadjo, welcomed me, and I found they spoke a language close enough to the Pansfalaya that I could understand it. They, of course, knew what had been going on and had fully expected a visit. They were willing to confederate simply for protection, since various enemies had pressed them hard in recent times and their cities had been declining. I assured them that the Wildcats were close at hand and could be quickly brought up to help them in need. Again I returned to the Ordu, and this time, Thliotombi was there.
He greeted me warmly and told me that he was delayed since he had been trying to get a more definitive decision from his people as to whether or not they would join. He had been surprised that there was disagreement among the shamans as to whether they should join. He admitted that he had been certain they would all see the same thing when they looked into the future, but they hadn’t. The predictions included certain death if they joined, certain death if they didn’t join, we would bring them great pestilence, we would save them from great pestilence, we would attack them anyway, we would save them from a great invasion, and finally, it didn’t matter if they joined us or not, since we wouldn’t be around long enough to affect their future. In any case, they wanted to confer with me at the holy hill again.
Before we set out, I advised Jebei that the little chiefdom had decided to confederate with us and would be sending some of their young men for training. He should send word to the Tsoyaha of their new status and perhaps set up a yam system through the Tsoyaha country to them. We set out toward the southwest to see if any one had moved into the lands of the Chikasha. Not surprisingly, we did find the area occupied with a few new towns. The new residents were not Chikasha, but called themselves Shaktci homma, or the Red crayfish people. They were indistinguishable from the Chikasha and, indeed, had been their western neighbors, but assured me they were much more peace loving and wouldn’t dream of attacking us, especially since I was accompanied by a force strong enough to destroy them. I gave them the usual recruiting speech, and they promised to give it much serious thought. Thliotombi told me later that they would join if the Pansfalaya joined but not otherwise.
We moved on south into Pansfalaya country and enjoyed their warm hospitality in each town we encountered. Still, the majority seemed to be quite noncommittal. At length, we reached the holy hill and found a very large gathering of chiefs and elders. If any thing, it was larger than the original one. The majority of the shamans had been at the shrine for some days. They had purified themselves, starved themselves and in general tried to open themselves up to the spirits to arrive at a consensus about the future of the people if they became connected with us. They had finally achieved that consensus and were prepared to advise the assembled chiefs and me what it was. Their spokesman would be the eldest. He proved to be one Kiliahote, a remarkably wizened, skinny, wrinkled specimen, with very dark skin for a Pansfalaya and deep-set black shinning eyes. When he spoke, his voice was remarkably deep and powerful for such an ancient.
“Hear me, my people,” he croaked in an almost sepulchral tone, “the spirits of our ancestors have spoken to us from the mound of our birth. The strangers from the northwest will bring us both good and evil. The good is readily apparent in the marvelous beast that serves them and the hard metal they make from stones. They will bring peace to the land and all will thrive. Then one day, they will bring great pestilences to the land and many will die. Whole towns will disappear in death. Only the strongest will live. But in the end those who survive will be stronger and will again flourish. So when the truly great evil comes out the rising sun, we will be able to drive it away and we will not die. The spirits would have you join with this people so you may live.”
The hush on the crowd was palpable as the old man took his seat. I looked at the shamans to see if he had indeed spoken for all of them, but could find no hostility, no dissent. I wondered what pestilences we would bring to the land. If we had brought any with us, they should have broken out by now, for we had already been here some years. I hated to think we would bring death to the land and wondered if I could or should try to stop it. After all, the sage said that it would in the end make the people stronger, so they could resist the evil out of the rising sun. What evil could come from the east? Was there a large island offshore peopled by a powerful race that would one day fall on us? Or was the whole thing a hallucination brought on by starvation, which just happened to favor us? I would have to talk to Givevneu about this; perhaps he could make some sense out of it. My grandfather George would call it a lot of nonsense and my grandfather Peter would call it witchcraft, but I long suspected there might be something to all this mystical stuff, not a lot, but something. Time would tell.
Meanwhile, the chiefs each got up to proclaim their desire to join us, not as confederates but as full members. They wished to remain where they were, of course, and hoped we would send people down to train them in our ways as soon as possible. I have to admit I was overwhelmed by it all. At best I had thought that perhaps a few of the towns would confederate and perhaps a few of the people would join us as had Thliotombi, but the whole people, a tribe larger than the Ocheti shakowin, joining us was more than I dared dream. I assured them that they could remain in place and we would happily send down people to train them. I dashed off a detailed dispatch to Kaidu telling him of our good luck and urging immediate action to cement the relationship. They played one of their “ball games” and served a feast to mark the occasion. The men with me from the Wildcat Ordu mentioned that the Tsoyaha also played this game and it was catching on in the Ordu, but they were not good enough at it to take on the Pansfalaya just yet. I rather hoped the game wouldn’t become a source of friction, but it didn’t seem to among the Pansfalaya.
After a few days, we took our leave and started due east toward the great city. In two days, we crossed the river that marked the end of Pansfalaya land. I had already named a large river in the midst of their land for them, so I called this one the Union River to commemorate their joining us. Late the next day, we began to come upon some very small scattered farming hamlets. The people were scantily clad and hard at work in the fields. They viewed us with some temerity and were much relieved when we not only didn’t bother them but also made an effort to avoid their fields. Early the following morning, we came upon a bluff overlooking a fair-sized river on the eastern bank of which were several towns and villages and one large city in view. We moved along the bluff in full view until we reached a point opposite the city. Then we descended the bluff and moved across the river.
As we came out on the eastern shore, a procession came out of the city to meet us. The procession was led by people blowing on a kind of flute much like we had seen in our first Pansfalaya town. The chief, however, was borne in a litter. He wore a rather elaborate copper headdress and was heavily ornamented with copper and shells. He had a robe or cape made of shell beads. Those carrying his litter were also heavily ornamented as were the entourage bringing up the rear. This last group was armed with long javelins and carried shields. There was some head deformation among the group, including the chief. The chief’s litter was ceremoniously set down before us, and the chief addressed us. He introduced himself as Steek-cha-komico, welcomed us to the city and tried to present me with some gifts. I explained that I was not allowed to give or receive gifts, but would accept his hospitality while I explained my mission. I could see that he was disappointed that I wouldn’t be giving him any gifts, but the size of my entourage gave him pause, so he led us back into the city. There were three fairly large mounds and a number of smaller ones surrounding a large open space. On top one of the large mounds, some sort of ceremony was in progress, very likely of a religious nature. We were led to another of the large mounds, and the chief was carried up it in his litter. I dismounted and followed him with Smoking Mirror and a few of the soldiers. The house on top the mound was quite large, very much like the house of the Great Sun of Natchez. The interior was much like those of the Pansfalaya only more ornate.
We were seated, and after the usual weed burning, I gave the usual talk. I was surprised how similar their language was to that of the Pansfalaya. I asked Thliotombi about it later, but he insisted that they were no more closely related to his people than were the Chikasha. The chief listened intently to my spiel, then asked if we would join them in a brief raid on a neighboring group of towns in order to demonstrate the advantages of their joining us. I replied that we had not been sent to him to help him attack his neighbors, just to offer him the possibility of joining us or not. We would make the same offer to his neighbors, if they were willing to hear us out. Furthermore, if he did join us, he would not be allowed to attack any neighbor without permission from the Khan. Also, should he not join, while his neighbor did, any attack on them would be considered an attack on us, and we would descend on him and destroy him. He said that we would not have asked him to join if we didn’t need him, so we would have to prove to him that he needed us before he’d join. I told him that he had seriously misinterpreted our needs and his value to us. Indeed, we were doing him a favor allowing such a small group as his to join us. We had no intention of proving anything to him; he would have to take or leave the offer either on my word alone or by sending representatives to observe at one of our Ordu.
He asked me to withdraw while he conferred with his advisors. So we went back down the mound and looked around the city. There seemed to be centers for artisans around the city. There were potters, bead makers, hide tanners, and even food handlers in specific areas. There were yards for the disk-shaped stone game on the north side of the city near some large buildings. There was a sweathouse on the southern end of the town as well as the temple shrine. There were larger houses in the northeast corner, which were probably for the elite, while more humble abodes were found in the other areas. Finally we were called back to the chief.
“If I joined you,” he asked, “would I be second only to this Khan of yours?”
“No,” I replied, “but you would be allowed to stay in charge of this city, as long as you discharged your responsibilities worthily.”
“Do you expect me,” he thundered, “to give up all my authority and subject myself to the whims of your Khan?”
“I did not come here with any particular expectations,” I answered. “I merely present you with our offer and you can e