CHAPTER 10
The excitement of the dance acted like a tonic for the slaves during the ensuing month. More slaves ate their meals with Monty and his group, pushing the number on the hillock past forty. Some continued to eat on the hill, others found it was becoming too crowded and took their meals at tables pulled out from the caves. Monty encouraged his immediate team of Ernie, Alicia, Thelma, Syd, and Jeff to move around the groups and gauge the appetite for revolt. Deng Lee understood that Joshua was suspicious of him, and so he and his two friends did not eat with Monty on a regular basis.
Rebecca was ecstatic. Her interest in nursing was eclipsed by her feelings for a man. She understood desire, understood the feelings that drive a woman and her beloved into each others arms, and made her want to fling herself naked on Syd’s body, to clasp him and to entwine her limbs around his.
“You seem to be very distracted,” the Doctor observed, perturbed because he guessed the reason. “Nursing requires your full attention.”
The clinic was a large single room wooden structure with window skylights in the peaked roof. A door at one end was for the slaves. The door at the other end led into the camp commanders headquarters. The clinic was unusually busy. The dance had produced a number of sprains and strained muscles.
“You will see what else the dance will produce,” the Doctor said. “Nine months from now we’ll be delivering babies.” If other women felt like I did after the dance, Rebecca thought, the Doctor may well be right.
The Doctor’s full attention was also not on his work. His need to develop a scheme to get Syd moved was becoming obsessive. There seemed to be no easy way.
The Doctor had every reason to be concerned about his suit for Rebecca. At the post-shift gatherings, she and Syd now sat close together, talking, sometimes holding hands, or just listening to the others, happy to be beside each other. Through the flaxen-like fabric of their coveralls, she could feel the warmth of his body, and dreamed of the time they could lie with each other. When the others moved out of easy earshot, their conversation became more intimate.
On one occasion, she asked him, “Will you always be kind to me? Sometimes women come to the clinic who have been beaten by their men.”
“Oh, I would never beat you very often,” he replied, screwing up his face to look stern and serious. “Perhaps once every two or three rotations.”
She gazed at him in shock and horror until she realized that this was another example of that strange humour that he brought from planet Earth.
“Besides,” he continued, “I would never do anything to get your father mad at me.” They both laughed.
“My father is very kind to my mother. Even when he is angry with her and scolds her, he would never harm her. She just smiles at him, and his anger cools like the air between the suns. I hope you will be as kind as he is.”
Syd thought of Joshua’s “kindness” to the slaves, but felt it would be inappropriate to pursue the comparison. “You don’t have to worry about how I will treat you. I love you. I worship you. I will never hurt you.”
On another occasion, she voiced a fear that had been bothering her for some time. “You have so much more knowledge than I do. Will you not lose interest in me and seek out one of the women from your world?”
She looked away from him as she said this. The near strap of her coverall had fallen loose off her shoulder. He could see the breast swelling to the nipple, and the sight drove out all thought but the thought to have her. He could not answer for a moment as he tried to cool and contain his passion. She turned to him in alarm — was he indeed losing interest?
He swallowed hard and looked away. “My knowledge here is mostly useless. You have more knowledge about how to cope with life on this planet than I have. You even have a more complex job than I do. You’re brilliantly clever to have learned to speak the way you do, and to become a nurse in such primitive circumstances. Our group admires and respects you. In addition, I love you.” He pulled up the errant shoulder strap and tightened it. He kissed her on the lips as they parted, not a long, lingering kiss as he would have liked but a quick peck so as not to unduly antagonize the watching parents.
It was a decision by the camp commander that helped the Doctor achieve his goal. At a meeting to which he and Joshua were summoned, the camp commander announced his intention to set up another camp.
“We are concerned,” the monotone computer voice explained, “that gold recovery along the river will soon diminish. Our assays have determined that the resource is thinning. We know that gold was discovered where the Doctor’s brother was overcome by an avalanche. We will dispatch slaves there to prospect the area and to establish whether there is sufficient gold resource to set up a camp. Warriors will be stationed at the site to supervise the slaves and to carry out the assays. To begin, we will assign a small team of slaves. It is our command that you identify slaves suitable for this important mission. You may withdraw for your deliberations. Bring us an answer by the setting of this sun.”
The Doctor drew Joshua away from the clinic for their discussion. He did not want Rebecca to hear. They sat on a grassy bank that overlooked the clinic.
The Doctor let Joshua mull over the problem for awhile, laboriously coming up with names. Then the Doctor suggested Monty and some of his group, such as Ernie, Syd and Jeff.
“But these boys are the best I have,” Joshua protested. “Monty and his group produce the most gold. I can’t lose them. Why don’t we send Joe, Tommy and Johnny.”
The Doctor shook his head. “Joshua, if you recommend people like Joe who won’t perform and fail, it will hurt you. You have to recommend Monty and his group, because they are the best and most likely to succeed. Imagine how grateful the camp commander will be if your recommended slaves produce the results he is looking for.”
“But if my gold weights go down, the boss man will be angered.”
The Doctor put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Joshua, don’t worry if gold production slips — the camp commander has told us he’s expecting the rate of recovery to go down. Besides, no matter which four you take out of your operation, your gold recovery has to go down because you will be working with less people. Therefore, it’s to your advantage to put forward the four best people you have. They like to do a good job, even as slaves.”
Joshua thought for a moment and then stared deep into the Doctor’s eyes. “It’s Syd, ain’t it? If he’s away for a long time, Rebecca might forget him. I could agree to this because I’d rather have you as a mate for my daughter. Why the others? I don’t trust Monty. As long as he’s here, I can watch him. I can’t watch him if he’s far away.”
The Doctor flushed. “Yes, you’re right. I would like to see Syd transferred away. As for Monty, what deviltry can he get up to? He’ll be guarded day and night by the Warriors. What can he do? Where can he go? He won’t do anything wrong, because he’ll be concerned about the members of his group that he leaves behind, particularly his girlfriend. You really don’t have to worry. Monty and his men will perform well. They’ll find the gold that the camp commander believes is there, and they’ll help set up another camp. The camp commander will be grateful to you and to me for recommending them.”
In the end, he agreed with the Doctor. At the sunset meeting, they gave the four names to the camp commander.
“Highness,” the Doctor said, “If success is possible, these four will make it happen.”
The first inkling Monty and his group had that something was amiss was Rebecca departing for her shift at the clinic, tears streaming down her face. “I love you — always,” she said to Syd as she passed him, to join the waiting Warrior.
Joshua had had a difficult time that morning. He carefully explained to her that the camp commander had selected four men, including Syd, to prospect for a new camp.
“All the boss man said to me was who are the four best men you have. I gave him the names because they are the best. Then he said he wants to start a new camp and these four will prospect for gold in the mountains. If they find enough gold, then the boss man will make a new camp and we’ll move there. If not, then they come back. One way or another, you’ll see your Syd again.”
Rebecca could not be comforted. Emily put an arm around her, and the two sobbed together. “If he loves you,” Emily said, “he’ll wait for you. This is a test.” Rebecca was not interested in tests. She wanted to be near Syd and to persuade her father that she and Syd should couple.
Joshua knew his daughter would be disappointed, but she had worried him with her cries of abject anguish and intense sobbing. He hated to see her so unhappy and felt guilty about his own role. He was relieved that Rebecca did not seem to blame him, but accepted his story that he had not known why the camp commander wanted the names. The arrival of the Warrior put an end to the discussion.
Joshua cautioned her as she left, “Now don’t moan and groan about this with the Doctor or the boss man. There is nothing we can do.”
As Rebecca left with the Warrior, Syd began to chase after her, but Monty stopped him.
Joshua stood at the top of the hillock and announced the camp commander’s decision to prospect for a new camp. “The boss man picked four men to do the prospecting.” He pointed to Monty, Ernie, Syd and Jeff. “You’re the four. Pick up your personal things and then follow me to the smelter house to load provisions and equipment you will need. The Warriors will go with you.”
“How long will we be gone?” Syd asked.
“Don’t know. Until you find gold or not.”
“Do you know where we’re going?” Ernie asked.
“To the mountains where the Doctor’s brother lies. There is gold, but no one knows how much.”
Monty felt a sense of anxiety. They could be gone a long time. Could his group carry on without four key members? He could see they were shocked by the news, particularly since the projected prospecting seemed so open ended.
“What happens if we find sufficient gold for a new camp?” Monty asked.
“Then we’ll move to the new camp ”
“Why were we selected?” pursued Monty.
“The boss man thinks you’re the best.”
Alicia also felt the choice was suspicious. “Did you help with the selection?”
Joshua waved his arms impatiently. “I’m not gonna answer all these questions. Ask the boss man the next time you see him. Now fetch your things and follow me to the smelter house.”
But Monty pressed the issue. “What about our women? Can we not take our women with us?”
“Mr. Joshua,” Syd broke in, “Rebecca and I love each other. We wish to couple. Will you allow us to couple before I go?”
Joshua regarded them in amazement. They were challenging a direct order from the camp commander. “I’ll say again — I’m not gonna answer all these questions. The four that the boss man picked are the four that have to .go. The women stay here. There’s no time for more talk. We gotta go now.”
Monty addressed the group before leaving. “Look, it’s important that you keep up your daily contact like we’ve been doing. Don’t take this as any kind of setback. If there’s enough gold, this camp will eventually move and we’ll all be together again. If not, we’ll be back here. Remember — each one of us is a leader and is responsible for the others. But if you need a team leader, then I suggest The Songbirds Trio act as the team leader. This is not adieu — this is au revoir.”
He embraced Alicia and kissed away the tears that were slowly coursing down her face. Ernie and Thelma hugged a long moment. Jeff looked completely disconsolate. The meal gatherings and the rotation entertainment had meant a lot to him. Sylvie felt sorry for him and leaned over and kissed him. She turned to Syd: “Don’t worry. We will look after her.”
Syd shook his head. “Alicia is right. Our selection is not as innocent as Joshua makes out. He wants us out of the way. Actually, it must be me he wants gone. He doesn’t want me as his son-in-law.”
Monty put an arm around his shoulder “Syd, we can’t change the order. Let’s carry out our task as fast as we can. Then, hopefully, we’ll all be together again.”
Monty walked over to Deng Lee. “Lee, I’m counting on you to keep Joe off their backs. My gut tells me he’ll try to take over.” Deng Lee nodded and they shook hands.
Slowly, they followed Joshua who had waited, controlling his impatience, for the group to make its farewells.
Monty sat on a tree stump, thirstily quaffing a mug of the weak beer. He was stiff and sore from the back-breaking work of clearing a camp site and setting up the tents to house the humans and the six Warriors. There were four large tents: two for the humans for sleeping and eating, one for the Warriors, and one for the tree cutting equipment, and other supplies.
It had taken them fourteen red sun shifts to clear and set up the campsite along the river that flowed through the valley. They started work in the waning hours of the yellow sun, paused and ate during the brief twilight, and worked the entire red sun shift. After the post-shift meal, they slept, guarded in their tent by one of the Warriors. The Warriors had found a patch of mucky ground not far from the campsite and took turns feeding. The river was shallow enough to allow the humans to bathe. Each shift, an aircraft arrived delivering food and drink, supplies and equipment.
Monty watched Syd operating a battery driven machine resembling a backhoe, digging out the stumps of the trees they had felled along the river bank. The Warriors had reported their core samples indicated a rich vein. The two men were clearing a space further along the river so they could begin digging. Ernie and Jeff had climbed up the mountain and were panning the stream where Robert had reported finding gold. Three of the Warriors had accompanied them. Monty could just make them out through a break in the trees. The two men were above the snow line, but the Warriors stayed below it.
Monty looked far up the mountain, fearfully watching for moving snow that would herald the start of an avalanche. Even if he saw something happening, there was not much he could do except shout a warning and hope they would hear it.
He finished his beer and strode past the backhoe to the spot where he had left off cutting trees. He picked up the chain-saw device and cut a notch on the side of a tree.
He made the horizontal cut on the other side just above the notch, and then stepped quickly back as the tree fell away from him. He cut down two more trees and then looped chain around them. Syd came up with the backhoe, and Monty secured the chain to the machine’s shovel. Syd dragged the trees past the tents to the other end of the camp. The growing pile of felled trees would be sawed into lumber to build the camp if the gold find proved worthwhile.
A chorus of angry chipping sounds greeted him as he moved to cut the next three trees. The forest was not without its indigenous creatures. The woods abounded with squirrel–like animals, the size of small beavers. They seemed equally at home on the ground or in the trees and were obviously annoyed that their habitat was invaded.
“Sorry, fellows, but I’ve got my orders.” Monty continued cutting trees and the animals dispersed deeper into the woods. A droning sound reminded him of the other creature that occupied the woods. Much like a hummingbird, it hovered and flitted among the flowers that clothed the forest floor. He guessed these were the birds that Rebecca and Sylvie had referred to when talking about bird attacks and bird bites. However, they seemed harmless enough, and rarely came close to him.
Apart from the fact that he missed his group intensely, and would have liked nothing more than to put his arms around Alicia, he was rather enjoying the adventure of setting up a new camp and prospecting for gold in a different setting. Even in the valley, the mountain air was cooling, even bracing, and washing and splashing in the river stimulating.
There was no heavy supervision on the part of the Warriors. The four humans rested when they wanted to, drank the weak beer or the fresh river water when they felt the need, and planned their day’s work with little input from the Warriors. The latter seemed satisfied with progress, and left them to it.
The Warriors understood that the humans were eager to finish their task so they could rejoin their comrades. The Warriors declared that it was their goal, too: they preferred the barracks and their colleagues.
By the end of the shift, Monty and Syd had cleared a sufficient length along the river to make digging and searching for a gold vein possible. Ernie and Jeff returned and brought with them enough gold to make further exploration feasible.
“There’s lots of gold coming down that stream and it must be accumulating at the bottom here,” Ernie announced to the Warriors at their post-shift conference. “We followed the stream all the way down the mountain, and there was gold everywhere. There’s another stream further along that should be explored.”
“If the Warriors agree,” Monty suggested, “Ernie and Jeff should explore that further stream, and Syd and I will start digging along the cleared river bank.”
The Warriors readily agreed. The four men were allowed to sleep and rest through the entire yellow sun, and began their shift before the red sun lifted over the mountain tops. Ernie and Jeff moved off accompanied by only one Warrior. Monty and Syd began the arduous task of digging.
They selected a site and Syd stripped away the top soil with the backhoe until the underlying gravel was revealed. The two men dug into the gravel and sluiced the material. The first few forays were fruitless but then gold grains and nuggets began to appear as they dug deeper. They staked out the site and repeated the procedure a few yards away. Again they were successful and moved further along the cleared area. The Warriors followed along behind them, taking more core samples and storing them for delivery to their assay lab.
Monty was concerned about Syd. Since his separation from Rebecca, he had lost much of his usual ebullience and was often taciturn and withdrawn. At the mid-shift break, Monty tried to cheer him up. “We’re making good progress, Syd. I believe we’ll soon complete our task. The assays will prove very shortly that there’s enough gold or not and, one way or the other, we’ll all be together again. If it’s a go for this place, I’m sure they’ll move the clinic here.”
Syd took some comfort from Monty’s positive outlook. “I just need to see her again. Being close to her every day made slavery tolerable. I still think Joshua selected us to get rid of me.”
“Perhaps he did. But it won’t help him in the long run, since we’ll all be back together at some point. He may even give in then if Rebecca demands you as her mate.”
They continued with their work the rest of the shift, convinced by the frequent discoveries of gold that they had uncovered a particularly rich trove of treasure. Jeff and Ernie returned from prospecting the further stream.
”We went well above the snow line to the source of the stream.” Ernie reported. “It literally bursts out of a hole in the rock face and flows so quickly down that it doesn’t freeze. We found gold all the way down to the valley floor. If we clear along the river, I’m sure we’ll find good veins.”
The Warriors’ monotone computer replied: “We are pleased with the progress you are making, but we must await the results of the ore assays. At your next work shift, two of you continue to clear along the river, and the other two dig for gold.”
They ate their post-shift meal. Afterwards, the four men sauntered in the cool twilight along the river, trailed by a Warrior. They walked past the staked digging sites, and Monty pointed out the glint of gold in each excavation.
“There’s definitely lots of gold here,“ Ernie said. “There was gold all along the stream we panned. By the way, Monty, here’s some interesting information. When we got to the top of the stream, there was a cave beside the water source. The Winds of Dawn were gusting down so strongly that we stepped into the cave for a moment’s shelter. The cave was large enough to stand in, but we couldn’t see how deep it was.”
“Why is this interesting information?”
“Well, if we ever escape, there’s shelter there, and it’s above the snow line.”
Monty thought for a moment. “Ok, let’s assume our couple of dozen get away and we can shelter in the cave and it’s large enough. The question becomes — how do we keep ourselves fed and protected from the mushrooms?”
“Moses did it,” Jeff said. “But he had God on his side. I don’t think God knows we’re even here.”
Syd put a hand on Monty’s shoulder. “That’s how the West was settled — people living off the land, shooting everything that got in the way.”
“There are lots of examples,” Ernie said. “How about the Yugoslav partisans during World War Two. They were hounded by the German army, but managed to hold their own.”
Monty shrugged. “Sure, there are lots of examples, but in each case, the people had weapons and were supported or reinforced. Here we’re alone and facing aliens with armed rocket ships and lightning bolts. We need some kind of breakthrough to make revolt possible.”
They continued to clear away the trees along the river and reached the further stream. The Warriors collected core samples as the work progressed, but Monty continued to see daily evidence that the deposit was large and rich. The weeks stretched into months as they laboured to complete the task as fast as possible. At the end of the shift, exhausted, they were often silent as they ate, occasionally lapsing into halting, desultory conversation.
Jeff sometimes played on his harmonica to cheer them up. “You know,” he said during a mid-shift break, “you’re not going to believe this, but I often think of Sylvie and I miss her.”
Monty felt a twinge of jealousy — there were times when he thought of Sylvie too. “But, Jeff, you’ve known her for years and you never made any approaches.”
“Yeah, I know. Life seemed so futile anyway. I didn’t think I had a chance. For awhile I was put off by our religious differences. But what does that mean here? Then again, she’s taller than I am, but now I say to myself, the need for a man to be taller is an Earth convention. Besides, she kissed me when we left, and I haven’t forgotten that.” He stared at the three of them. “You’ve all got women waiting for you back at the other camp. Why shouldn’t I have someone?”
Ernie looked positively uncomfortable. “Ah, c’mon, Ernie,” Jeff continued, “we’re not blind. We can all see there’s something brewing between you and Thelma. And why not? We’re here for life. Why not find somebody nice to couple with?”
They all nodded and went back to work.