After a simple breakfast of porridge and mint tea, the group packed and slowly climbed the next hill to the south, the grass still wet with morning dew.
From the top of the hill, they could see the westward road below them in a narrow valley. While they sat and watched, enjoying the sunshine as morning fog began to clear, three different parties passed by on the road below, two with handcarts and one lone horseman.
When no one could be seen on the road in either direction, Rini began to lead the way down the grassy hillside.
Suddenly a strange chirping sound came from Ilika’s bracelet. “Everyone back up to the top, quickly, no discussion!” he ordered as he turned and began striding up the hill.
Something in the teacher’s voice convinced his students this was no lesson or test. Mati arrived first and moved well back from the top. Everyone else arrived moments later.
“What’s going on?” Toli asked loudly, fear showing in his eyes.
Ilika sternly put his finger to his lips, then motioned for everyone to gather around the donkey. “A large group of horses on the road. Rini, crawl to the edge and see what you can see, but without being seen.”
The slender lad wiggled his way forward until he could just glimpse the road between blades of grass. Everyone could hear hooves on the road below.
Rini reached back with one hand and held up four fingers.
About a minute later, he stood up and returned to the group. “Soldiers.
Gone around the next bend.”
“How did you know?” Buna asked Ilika, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“My . . . um . . . magic box . . . which works with my . . . magic bracelet . . .
can sense . . . vibrations. Back at the shack, I set it to tell me if more than one horse was walking or running nearby.”
“Wow . . .” Neti said, her mouth hanging open.
Kibi frowned in thought. “Because . . . soldiers never travel alone?”
“That’s what I’m hoping.”
They waited a few more minutes. Ilika checked the screen on his little device, and Buna tried to see, but he closed it and slipped it back into his saddlebag.
She stuck out her lower lip for a moment, but then grinned.
They attempted the crossing of the road again, Rini still leading, and this time were able to disappear into a tree-lined ravine on the far side.
“Math game,” Ilika announced as they rested before beginning the ascent.
“I’ll give an addition, subtraction, or multiplication problem to the next person in line. They solve it, then make a new problem using the answer and another number, and give it to the next person. This is teamwork, not competition. Kibi, four plus three.”
There was silence as Kibi pictured the quantities in her mind. “Seven.
Miko, seven minus two.”
Everyone seemed to be in good spirits. The problems started out simple, but slowly got harder as they climbed higher up the ravine.
“Mati, three times ten,” Rini said.
Ilika looked worried for a moment, but he was soon able to relax.
“Ten . . . twenty . . . thirty!” Mati answered. “Sata, thirty plus eleven.”
“Forty . . . one!”
Ilika’s eyes opened wide with surprise. But his students seemed to sense they were getting in over their heads, and several subtractions followed. Then Toli got another turn.
“Buna, thirteen times three!” he said proudly.
As the seconds ticked by, Buna’s face grew red and silent tears gathered in her eyes.
“Toli, you messed up,” Boro scolded.
“I . . . I’m sorry, Buna.”
Buna dried her tears, but didn’t say anything. A few minutes later they came out of the trees onto a grassy hilltop. Everyone was hot and tired, so they stopped to rest.
“From a captain’s point of view, I have criticism for both Toli and Buna,”
Ilika began. “Toli forgot the object of the game. I don’t think he was trying to hurt Buna, he was just showing off, and that destroys trust.”
“It’s also a good way to destroy a relationship with a very nice girl!” Neti said with vinegar in her voice.
Toli continued looking at the ground.
“I agree. Now to Buna. Instead of using her head and telling Toli she couldn’t do the problem, she got stuck in her feelings. Feelings are wonderful things, but they work very slowly, they express themselves poorly, and they are terrible at math.”
A few others smiled.
“When off-duty, everyone on a ship sometimes shows off, and sometimes experiences deep feelings. When on-duty, either one of those can get us killed.”
For the next few minutes, everyone was quiet. Buna scooted close to Toli and put her arm around him. He turned to her and held her close.
Deep Learning Notes
A small map show the area west and south of Farmer Keni’s farm.
Ilika used the term “magic” when referring to his bracelet and data processor.
Would his students have understood the devices any better is he had used the words “electronic” or “computer”?
Ilika continued to teach his students about life on a ship by pointing out that feelings (whether Toli showing off, or Buna feeling sorry for herself) had no place when on-duty, and could be dangerous. Although we have all read stories and seen movies in which heated conflicts take place right on the bridge of a ship, in reality such a ship would be lucky to make port.