Chapter 39
The Barbarian Pox, 19-20 K
Smallpox Epidemic, 1387-8)
George came into the tent with a very concerned look wondering, he later admitted, if his mother had died. I motioned him to sit.
“I have an important mission for you. You are to translate this message from Kuyuk into the old language and take it to Juchi where you will translate it back again for him. You must go right after I send back Kuyuk’s messenger with my reply. Once you reach, Juchi you will have to stay with him no matter what happens. Can you do this?”
“Yes, of course, Father.”
“Good. Here is the message and some paper. Translate it here and now, and I’ll look it over when you are done.”
His eyes grew wider when he read the message, but he quietly went to work and did a very good job of translating the message. I admonished him not to tell anyone about the message or his mission but be ready to leave on my notice. I then told him to send in Smoking Mirror. While I waited for the latter to arrive, I composed my reply to Kuyuk. I had just finished it when he came in.
“Who do we attack next?”
“Read for yourself.” I handed him Kuyuk’s message.
“What will you do?” he returned the note.
“This is my reply: ‘It is impossible for me to fully comply with your latest order. Therefore, after doing what I can, I am placing myself under arrest and turning myself in to you at once. I should be there by early summer. I am dismissing my staff and the tumen.’”
“You will not obey the Khan?”
“I can’t. He is wrong to move against Juchi, and I cannot be part of it. What I would like to do before I go is to make you governor of Uluumil Kutz and give you my staff. I suspect it will be safer for you and the staff if you remain here out of sight, rather than follow me to my doom. I should think it would be best if your wife and family could join you. I can probably get word to you if he tries to move against you. But I suspect the worst he would do is order you to arrest Juchi. If he does, you could go ahead and make a vague attempt to do so.”
“What would you have done if Kuyuk had ordered you to arrest me?”
“Arranged a hunting ‘accident’ and sent you off to Cuba by boat, while reporting your ‘fate’ to Kuyuk. However, he would not have ordered your arrest (that is reserved for the Khan’s family); he would have ordered your execution. The same awaits me when I reach him, or, perhaps on the way.”
“Then why go? Why not have your own ‘accident’ and disappear to Cuba?”
“Because then my family would be executed in my stead. No, I decided long ago to throw in my lot with the Mongols, and I will not now run from my fate.”
“What about George?”
“He will be leaving on a mission shortly, but you know nothing about it.”
“I see. I am willing to do what you ask. As it happens, my wife is on her way here now. I was going to ask you to let me stay here for a while anyway since I have grown weary of war. Still, I have thrown my lot in with you and would gladly join you on this journey if you would have me.”
“Thank you, my friend. I would indeed enjoy your company, but I value you too much to risk your life. If you return as my companion, you would suffer my fate. I would be a poor friend to ask that.”
“And I would be a poor friend not to offer.”
“You can do more here. If Juchi survives to become the next Khan, the Khanate will be a better place, and you must help him, for the sake of our children.”
“I will do as you ask. It may sound strange, but I am relieved to discover that you would disobey orders for the sake of a friend. There were times when I felt you were too mindless in carrying out orders. Still, I do not feel this is your last journey. I am sure we will meet again.”
When he had left, I sat down and wrote a long letter to Paula and a shorter one to Padraig both in the old language. I told Paula about what had happened and urged her not to worry about me but to do what she could to protect the children. I assured her of my love for her and dared to hope that we would meet again. I asked her to translate the letter for Padraig (he never learned the old language). In it, I asked him to send Paula and the children to a safe place and not be able to find it should he be called upon to do so by Kuyuk. I thanked him for his friendship and many kindnesses to my family. I called in a messenger and ordered him to take the messages to the Antelope Ordu by the quickest route and tell no one of his destination or his origin. He saluted and left. Once he was well under way, I called in Kuyuk’s messenger and gave him my sealed reply. I told him to take it back to Kuyuk at once. He saluted and left immediately. I then called in my staff and told them that I was returning to the Eagle Ordu at once. I would not need them, just a small escort would do. They would now serve Smoking Mirror, the new governor of Uluumil Kutz. As they left, I nodded to my son and watched from the entrance of my tent as he mounted and headed east toward the coast on his way to Juchi. Then I called in the tumen commanders and gave them their marching home orders. It was perhaps a bit risky to have only one tumen here, but with the help of the Putun Maya, I was certain we would know about any revolt long before it materialized. In any case, the Dogs would set about training a native tumen as soon as possible.
My work done, I walked about the camp and drank in all the sights, sounds, and smells. It had been quite an adventure, my life had been good, and I had no complaints. That night I slept very well. The next morning, I selected a small contingent from the Huaxteca and started on my way back. I went at a good pace but certainly not a messenger’s pace. It wouldn’t do to arrive in Kuyuk’s presence shortly after my message. Once I had passed through Huaxteca country, I dismissed my escort to visit their families and continued on alone.
It was a strange journey. With no mission on my mind, I was truly able to just enjoy the trip. I didn’t carefully notice landmarks or dutifully make maps, but rather reveled in the natural beauty, noticing the subtle changes in vegetation and animal life as I moved north along the coast. I found myself disinclined to hunt, but just ate my dry rations at a yam or more often spent the night at one of the many villages where I was no stranger. I told no one about my likely fate, but instead very much enjoyed their company, trading tales, completely at ease for the first time since I was a child. I felt utterly at peace.
When I pulled into an Ishak village one evening, I was greeted warmly, as usual, and told that there was another visitor there also. This turned out to be Mazatl, Smoking Mirror’s wife. She was happy to see me, and I told her that Smoking Mirror was now governor of Uluumil Kutz and regaled her and her two children with tales of the campaign and Smoking Mirror’s significant contribution. The children were still a little young to fully understand, but puffed up appropriately. They both had the odd Nahual-type name, the boy was Seven Ocelotl (Chico Ocelotl) and the girl was Three House (Yeyi Calli). I assured them they would love Uluumil Kutz and urged them to learn the language and explore all the ruins. The next morning as we made our farewells, Mazatl took me aside for a private word.
“I know what you think awaits you at the Eagle Ordu, but you are wrong, you still have much to do.”
“How can you know? Did Smoking Mirror write you?”
“No. My mother had a vision.”
“Your mother? I don’t remember meeting her.”
“She didn’t choose to meet you when you visited our town. She told me that morning that my future husband was among those coming in from the west riding strange beasts. Needless to say, she has the piercing sight.”
“What was her vision?”
“She saw you as an old man writing in a book. I showed her the Mongol writing I had learned, but she said it was another writing, and you were writing your own story and all you had seen.”
“But how do you know about my current journey?”
“She told me I would meet you on my way, and I should tell you that you would not die at the Eagle Ordu.”
“She didn’t elaborate?”
“No. Sometimes she feels one should only be told what one needs to know. She didn’t tell me who in your party that day would be my husband, but said I would know at the right time.”
I thanked her and continued on my way, turning north away from the coast. I didn’t know what to make of her mother’s message. I had heard about some people foreseeing the future, but I couldn’t imagine what would stay Kuyuk’s wrath. No Khan could lightly dismiss disobedience, but it gave me something to think about as I turned the possible scenarios over in my mind for most of that day. That evening, however, I reached another village, put the whole business out of my mind, and went back to enjoying the trip.
The rest of the journey was most pleasant and uneventful. I fully expected to be intercepted at any moment by a group of guards and put in chains for the rest of the trip, but it didn’t happen. Everyone greeted me like an old friend, and no one seemed to have an inkling that I was headed for any difficulty. I began to wonder if the messenger had failed to reach Kuyuk. Occasionally, there would be an accident, and a message wouldn’t get through. However, there was nothing to do now but continue on my way. It was full summer when I reached the Owl Ordu. There again, I was greeted warmly and had to recount the part of the campaign after their departure for the commander, Tsakaka-sakis, and his staff. I noticed that they were all wearing new raw silk shirts, but didn’t comment on it.
The next morning, I moved north on the last leg of the journey. It only took a few days to reach the Eagle Ordu, and still no one came to arrest me, and in the yams along the way no mention was made of any evil fate awaiting me. Even as the Ordu came into view, nothing seemed amiss. The sentry waved me through without comment. I continued into the Ordu and pulled up at Kuyuk’s yurt. I asked one of the guards to announce me, but he told me to go rest up from the journey, Kuyuk was aware that I was here and would see me later. Puzzled, I went to visit Okuh-hatuh. He wasn’t in, but was at a great meeting of shamans in the west. He was due back that night. I went to the yurt I had left five years before and was greeted enthusiastically by all my neighbors. I chatted with them a bit, then went in and cleaned up. Then I sat and waited for Kuyuk’s summons. It came at night. I had just dozed off while reading an old book when one of his guards announced himself outside my yurt. He urged me to come at once. No chains, no arrest. I was waved in quickly by the guards and found myself standing alone in front of Kuyuk who was sitting gloomily in the candlelight. He eyed me coldly for a while, and I remained silent, as was the custom.
“I suppose you wonder why you are still alive?”
“Yes, frankly, I do.”
“Don’t let it give you any hope. Your life is still, of course, forfeit. However, you still may have a service to perform for me. A service that, most regrettably, no one else can perform.”
“A service?”
“I never liked you. I was certain you could not be trusted and one day would betray us. But Kaidu always insisted you were the most faithful of all his men, and he trusted you above the rest of us. Kaidu has proved the fool. What you are is lucky. It is criminal how lucky you are. Had you betrayed me sooner, I would have enjoyed purging our ranks of you and your Ferengi brethren. You are a cowardly, vile, conniving, and untrustworthy race, and I only regret that Khan Ogedai’s untimely death prevented the total destruction of your spawning ground. It would have been better had we overrun your puny race instead of the Hanjen. We would still rule in our world instead of having to come into another world as vagabonds and start all over again. And if we did, we wouldn’t have our present problem, and you could die, as you richly deserve. On the other hand, perhaps you are not the hope my son thinks you are.”
“Juchi is here?” I ignored his diatribe.
“I have no son named Juchi,” he screamed at me. “I refer to Ogedai. He seems to think you alone can help.”
“How?”
“Are you familiar with the so-called barbarian pox?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Is there a cure?”
“No, but there is a marginally effective treatment and a very effective prevention.”
“A prevention?”
“Yes, I read a treatise on it in Khanbalikh and asked about it. I was shown how it was done and even did it on Paula and myself.”
“And it really works?”
“The treatise insisted that it was always effective, although not always pleasant.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it involves giving someone a mild case of the disease to prevent the more virulent form. Depending on the relative mildness of the given disease, it can be pleasant or not. Mine was quite mild.”
“And you and your wife cannot now get the pox?”
“No, we are immune just like anyone else who has survived the disease. Surely there are some among the Mongols who survived the disease, for it was always breaking out in the old Khanate.”
“The ones with the scarred faces, like Batu?”
“Yes.”
“And you can perform this prevention technique?”
“With the right ingredients, I can.”
“What would you need?”
“I would need to go to the infected people, find one who survives the disease and is the least discomfited by it, gather the scabs from his sores, and use them to give the disease to those who show no symptoms. They in turn would likely have an even milder version of the pox, and their scabs would be used to further spread the immunity. The more often it is done, the milder the disease.”
“The Hanjen always have the most disgusting cures for diseases.” He grimaced. “How do you impart the disease with the scabs?”
“They are ground into a powder and blown into a nostril.”
“How can you say such a thing without retching?” He choked. “And you have had this done to yourself?”
“Yes, it was not particularly unpleasant.”
“As I said, you are lucky. Only the most incredible luck would have made you read and remember the one thing that can save your worthless hide now. You will go to the Salmon Ordu at once and stop the epidemic before it reaches us here. Then all of us will undergo your treatment of prevention.”
“The pox has stricken the Salmon Ordu? Usually it kills most of those infected.”
“And so it has. And it has not stopped there. It is quickly killing all the people thereabouts as well. You must stop it first from moving east, then from moving south. How much help do you need?”
“I can only take those who have survived the disease to help me. It would be monstrous to take anyone else.”
“That would only be a handful.”
“As more are treated, more can help.”
“So be it. If you can stop the disease, you and your family will be exiled instead of killed. Go quickly. I’ll send your help after you.”
I returned to my yurt and gathered all I would need, some supplies and the hollow metal tube I had kept all these years. I was most concerned about when it had started, for it tended to spread very quickly. Winter would often stop it, and sparse population, but not much else. I jotted down a note to Okuh-hatuh telling him of the Hanjen treatment (boiled mallows mixed with garlic and rice), but cautioned him that it was only marginally effective. Mallows were found locally, and we had brought garlic and rice with us, but only the former was widely used, the latter had given way to other grains over the years. I had some rice in storage and got it and what mallows and garlic I could find among my neighbors to takewith me. I slept until first light, then set out full speed along the yam system toward the Salmon Ordu. When I reached the Hawk Ordu, I showed my brother the metal tube and urged him to make me as many as he could and send them to me as soon as possible along with more of the ingredients of the Hanjen treatment. While there, a few of my helpers showed up. All were much older than I was and quite vigorous for their age. All also bore the mark of their disease and a grimness about their mission.
I had almost reached the Antelope Ordu before it occurred to me that I couldn’t trust Kuyuk to keep his word about exiling me. If Smoking Mirror was right about my blind loyalty, perhaps at last I was beginning to see. At least I would be in a position to help my family. The Antelope Ordu was buzzing about the epidemic. Padraig had decided that it would be best if everyone left the Ordu and scattered in all directions except west before the epidemic hit. He held everyone up when he heard that I was coming. It turned out that about the time my notes to him and Paula arrived, he had received an urgent note from Ogedai about the outbreak of the epidemic in the Salmon Ordu. Ogedai was alarmed at the virulence and fast spread of the disease and wisely made special arrangements for the transmission of messages to prevent the disease from spreading that way. Even so, it had been moving eastward inexorably and was already reported among the Nimipu. Padraig had mentioned the disease to Paula before sending her off to safety, and she had told him about the procedure I had done to prevent her from contracting the disease. He, in turn, had sent a note to Ogedai about it in hopes that word would reach Kuyuk, and I might be spared. I thanked him for his efforts but mentioned my doubt that Kuyuk would keep his word. He agreed that I was likely right.
Still, I had my work cut out for me. If the epidemic broke out that long ago, I would have to move as soon as possible. I told Padraig to keep his Ordu intact for now. I would start the process in the yams among the Nimipu and work my way back to the Antelopes. I would have to send people in all directions as soon as I had sufficient scabs from a mild-enough version of the disease. I told him that when I got back again, I would find Paula and treat the children. Until then, he should leave them where they were.
We moved out immediately along the yam network, and after several days, reached a station near the Nimipu frontier where the attendants were down with the disease. I sent one of the men on to the Salmon Ordu to get some of those who may have survived the disease to join me. Meanwhile, we tried to make the attendants as comfortable as possible. Two families of Nimipu attended the yam, and all but one old woman was down with the disease. The children were the worse off at the moment, although their mothers had already died by the time we got there. The younger men were also in very bad shape. The mildest case seemed to be a man about my age, a Mongol who had been on his way to the Salmon Ordu to visit his brother. I got his scabs as soon as they were fully formed. He was pleased that he could be of some help. One by one the others died. We did manage to nurse back one of the older men of the yam, but all the others did not recover. We buried the dead and prevailed upon the recovered traveler and attendant to stay and keep the station open for now.
We moved back to the previous yam, and I explained the situation to them. I suggested that only the middle-aged and older men take the treatment at this time, the rest should move on to the east until I had a safe enough batch for them. The young left, and I treated those left behind. All quickly came down with the disease, and we nursed them as best we could with the Hanjen treatment.
All but one of these eventually recovered, but only one had a fairly mild version of the disease, so again I only gathered his scabs. I was a little surprised that the disease was still so virulent. We continued on to the next yam and went through the same procedure. This time all of the cases were of the milder sort and all survived. At the next yam, I felt confident enough to treat all of the attendants and all of their families. Again the cases were fairly mild, but we had some trouble with the children and only brought them through with great difficulty. At the next yam, I sent the children away, and only treated the adults. This worked quite well, and I had a good “harvest” from them. Still, until I could safely treat the children, I wouldn’t feel it was ready for general use. Before we left the yam, a group of volunteers from the Salmon Ordu arrived. They were all marked with the telltale scars and all looked haunted by what they had seen. They told me that the disease had broken out shortly after one of the Koryo ships had put into the Ordu. First those unloading the ship fell ill, and then it spread. The Salmon Ordu was now reduced to a skeleton. Only a few of the older men had not contracted the disease, and only a few dozen of those who had contracted it survived. Ogedai was not among the survivors. He was spared at first and tirelessly worked to help the sick. Then his wife and children got the disease and quickly succumbed. Before long, he, too, came down with it. He was one of the last in the Ordu to die of it. The situation in the villages was worse. Whole villages were dead; with no one to nurse the sick, all had died. The rest of the survivors were busy burning the dead in the surrounding villages. The epidemic was now raging among the Nimipu and even the Nomo and Salst, although it seemed to be skipping around and some villages had been spared so far.
We went on to the next yam and again treated all, even the children. This time all had a much milder form, and I had trouble getting very much of a “harvest” from them. While there, a shipment of the metal tubes arrived from my brother along with a good supply of rice, mallows, and garlic. By now, my helpers were well enough trained, and the material was suitable, so I sent them in all directions to find and treat as many of the still healthy people as they could find. I continued toward the Antelope Ordu yam by yam. Soon I was able to move more quickly since the disease was so mild that it barely slowed any but the children down, and I didn’t have to tarry while nursing them all back to health. I made provision for “harvesting” before I went on, however, and urged them to send it on to me as soon as it was available. By the time I reached the Antelope Ordu, I had an excellent supply and was able to treat the entire Ordu and still have enough left to treat my children. Once there were enough sufficiently recovered to take care of the rest, I urged them to also start treating the yam attendants to the east and then went to find Paula.
She and the children were in the high plateau above the Yellow Canyon, and I found them near one of the hot springs. They were gathering in supplies for winter and already had a good deal of dried meat. They were a beautiful sight. I had left Uluumil Kutz thinking I would never see them again, and here they all were. My heart leapt—it was wonderful. I explained to the children of what the treatment consisted and how they would all come down with a very mild form of the disease, but would then never have to fear it again as long as they lived. They all bravely came forward for the treatment, although Ignace was concerned that they wouldn’t be able to hunt for winter while they were recovering. I assured him that I would hunt while they were incapacitated and wouldn’t leave until all were well again. And, indeed, I hunted while Paula nursed them, and we had a sweet interval as a family for a change.
I felt I had to go back and continue the work to make sure the treatment reached as many people as possible, but asked Paula to keep the children here so that if Kuyuk changed his mind, at least I could be sure they were safe. She reluctantly agreed, but warned me that she would not have much of a life without me. I promised to do nothing foolish and return to her as soon as decently possible. I also decided to send some trusted men from the Antelopes to protect them since raging epidemics tend to affect people in strange ways, turning some into marauding savages and, also, wild animals would be emboldened after encountering such feeble resistance among the sick and might attack the healthy.
When I got back to the Antelope Ordu, Padraig readily assigned a small contingent to guard my family. They considered it an honor since I had saved them from the epidemic. I trained and sent out groups from among the Antelopes, especially to go to the local villages of which they personally knew. I was particularly concerned about the Nomo and the Newe since they were so isolated. I then led another group of them to the Ox Ordu. Since it was mid fall, half of the Oxen went hunting for a few weeks while the other half were treated. When the hunters returned, they would also be treated. I trained another large group to treat the Siksika and the Kensistenoug and suggested that they could continue north and east in the spring. I moved on to the Hawk Ordu. Once the Hawks were recovering, I had the most able go and replace all the yam attendants between them and the Eagles. I treated the attendants as a group at the Hawk Ordu.
When I arrived at the Eagle Ordu, I found Kuyuk far more bitter than grateful. It was as if he held me personally responsible for Ogedai’s death. I let him rant and rave as long as he wished. Then I reported on the progress so far and urged that I continue the program in the south in case it broke through from the west coast. I was sure it would not spread north in the winter, but it would really wreak havoc in the heavily populated south. He waved me on with seeming disinterest, and I left. I went to see Okuh-hatuh.
“You have saved us all, Raven,” he greeted me.
“No, some nameless Hanjen physician saved us. I merely remembered his treatise.”
“Your note helped me understand the nature of the disease. If mallows and garlic were thought to help, then it weakens the heart and is accompanied by a high fever. The rice could easily be exchanged with another grain, since it serves to keep up the patient’s strength. I wished I could have studied with these Hanjen of yours. They are quite clever in their use of herbs.”
“Yes, they have always been noted for that. I will show you the technique for preventing the illness, and you can be in charge of treating the Eagle Ordu. I think it best I move on to the Owls as soon as possible.”
“I would be honored, but why the haste? I have heard that the disease has been stopped.”
“I’m afraid it may have spread south along the west coast and could hit the heavily populated areas in the south, where I spent the last five years conquering.”
“I have noticed a coldness in Kuyuk when he talks of you. Is there something between you I could try to smooth over?”
“No, it would be best if you didn’t mention me to him. He very much wants to execute me and instead had to turn to me for help. He would be likely to strike out at anyone who spoke favorably of me.”
“How did this evil happen?”
“He ordered me to arrest Juchi, and I refused.”
“Arrest Juchi! Why?”
“He claimed Juchi was plotting against him. It is more likely that he wanted Ogedai to succeed him, but had already named Juchi as his successor. Now I don’t know what he’ll do. He has no other son and doesn’t get along with his brothers. Hopefully he will either reconcile himself to Juchi or die before he has officially repudiated him.”
“What will Juchi do?”
“Bide his time and watch his back. I don’t think he’ll move against his father no matter what happens. He knows it would tear apart everything that Kaidu worked to build. And that he would never do.”
“I will do what I can for Kuyuk. He is a most unhappy man since Ogedai died. Perhaps you hadn’t heard, but Ogedai’s family was with him at the Salmon Ordu, and none survived.”
I showed him what to do and moved on south. Once the Owls were treated, I sent elements of them eastward to continue the work in the southeast this winter, then move north in the spring. I continued on south to the Horse Ordu. Here there was no sign of disease, and no one had yet heard of it. I went on to the Coyotl Ordu that had been set up along the middle course of the Thanuge River the previous year. Some word had filtered in to them about the epidemic. Elements of the A’-a’ tam had passed on whispers of a great death among the people of the coast. Trade had ended, and all were afraid to cross the Western Desert. Many of the people were moving east in fear, and quite a few of these were camped around the Horse Ordu. Once the efficacy of the treatment was explained, all were eager for it, and again I trained some Ordu members from each of the western tribes to return to their people with the treatment.
It was only when I reached the Lizard Ordu that I encountered resistance to the treatment. I had to demonstrate it on myself first, even though I explained that it would not make me ill at all because I had already undergone the treatment. Once it was clear no harm would come to me, some of those who had served with me stepped forward and accepted treatment; then the rest also went along. There was also resistance among some in the Totonaca Ordu. The Olmeca and the Maya were the most resistant. I had written a letter explaining the situation to Smoking Mirror, and he had come to Coatzacoalcos to meet me and help with the program. The resistance did not surprise him. He told me that although the Maya accepted him and the new “regime,” they resisted any change in their way of life. There had been reports of occasional human sacrifice and the underground survival of priests and cult. As long as it was not open, he tolerated it. The Maya were a most kind, generous, and friendly people, but their stubbornness was unsurpassed by any he had met in his travels. He tried a demonstration before a large group of Maya, in which he treated his wife and children and a few volunteers. It did get a few to go along, but rumors ran in all directions about the sinister “true” purpose for the treatment, and it was impossible to gauge how effective the program was. I was able to send a crew to Juchi to treat him and his staff, including George. Kuyuk had made no further move against him, so he was still in the area called Tamoan Chan (Land of the Mists) by the Maya, and was acting as governor. He was in a town called Mixco in the southern highlands. These Maya also greatly resisted the program.
In the western high country, there was much less tro