ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

CHAPTER 11~ Whaling with the Makah

Word of Chief Hontu-qui's instructions to Mauk-sis-a-noop spread quickly through the crowd of people that surrounded Laura and Jon Max. The people's excited voices rose from a murmur to a roar in seconds. The whale hunters began heading for the beach, followed by their friends and families.

Thirty feet away, the two 5th graders saw Qua-yuta talking to his father and pointing in their direction. Mauk-sis-a-noop nodded his head, and the two Makah walked towards their new friends.

"Qua-yuta has brought an important matter to my mind," said the master harpooner. "He is sure that Ike'tal would bless our hunt if we invited you two to join us."

Laura and Jon Max were stunned by the invitation. They had both been silently wondering what Mauk-sis-a-noop would say if they asked to go along. But here he was, asking them first!

When they didn't answer immediately, Qua-yuta became worried that they might say no. Anxiously he said, "Please honor us by accepting. Your sharp eyesight and great courage will be very helpful."

Laura glanced at Jon Max, and she could tell from the look on his face that he was just as eager to go along as she was.

"We'd love to go with you," Laura said. Then she looked little embarrassed. "But . . . I don't think we'll be much help. We're not as strong as the men who row, and I don't really believe that our eyesight is any better than yours."

Mauk-sis-a-noop smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. You're both very good at finding unexpected ways to help. Just think what you've done for our village already." He glanced toward the beach, then he said, "We must go quickly. The canoes are ready to put to sea."

Jon Max and Laura followed Qua-yuta and Mauk-sis-a-noop as they hurried to the waiting fleet of canoes. The last of hunters were climbing aboard after hugging their wives and children good-bye. The ropes were being untied from the posts in the sand. Dozens of men and women wadded out into the water and started pushing the canoes away from the beach.

The canoe reserved for the master harpooner, his son, and their two guests was the last to be launched. Mauk-sis-a-noop stood tall in at the very front of his canoe, with Qua-yuta seated directly behind him. Jon Max and Laura sat behind the Makah boy. There was barely room for them amidst the supplies and equipment that filled the canoe.

The rowers turned to look back towards the beach. They raised their paddles high in the air for a moment, a salute to the people on the beach who were waving to them. The entire village and all the newly arrived visitors shouted with thunderous volume.

The rowers turned back around, and their paddles all came down and plunged into the water. In perfect unison they began making quick, powerful strokes. The canoe surged forward so hard that Jon Max and Laura actually rocked back for a moment. They followed Qua-yuta's example by holding onto the edge of the canoe.

The rest of the fleet was out ahead of Mauk-sis-a-noop's canoe, sliding along through the calm water as their rowers paddled in perfect unison. But the master harpooner's canoe was manned by the strongest rowers in the tribe. Jon Max and Laura watched in awe as their canoe caught up quickly with the fleet and passed right through the center of it, with canoes passing them on both sides.





The setting sun was close to the horizon, and the evening sky held a kaleidoscope of bright red clouds which blazed ahead of the racing fleet. As they went passed the other canoes, she marveled at the ripple and flex of the back muscles and strong arms of the rowing men. Each canoe held thirty of these powerful rowers, and each group of men moved like a single mighty engine which sent the canoes slicing through the water at an impressive speed.

A slight breeze blowing towards shore was combining with the wind created by their forward motion, and the two time traveling 5th graders enjoyed the feel of the rushing air on their young faces as Mauk-sis-a-noop's canoe pulled out in front of the fleet and took the lead. The rowers in the other canoes strained to keep up with the master harpooner as he stood at the front of his canoe, scanning the ocean ahead. His eyes were narrowed to slits, and his face was grim and emotionless.

Qua-yuta turned and spoke for the first time since they had left the beach. "Our luck will have to be very good to find the whales before it gets too dark. The sun will be below the horizon soon."

"What will we do if we can't find the whales before it's dark?" said Jon Max. "Go back to the village and start again tomorrow?"

"No. We'll light the torches and keep searching." Qua-yuta wore a worried look. "We can only hope that Ike'tal will lead us to the whales."

Mauk-sis-a-noop turned and looked down at the young people. He allowed his grim face to be softened by a smile for a moment. "Trust the spirit helper of the sea, my son. Ike'tal will not fail us. We have honored him by bringing our two remarkable visitors." He flashed a quick grin at Laura and Jon Max.

Qua-yuta's worried look was replaced by a smile. His father's confidence gave the Makah boy renewed hope. "Yes, father, I understand. Surely we will find the whales . . . with the help of Nu konee and Sho karee."

Laura and Jon Max beamed with pride, and they grinned at each other for a moment. Then they turned their attention to the sea ahead, joining Mauk-sis-a-noop and Qua-yuta in their diligent search for the pod of whales which Chief Quelequem had told them about.

Mauk-sis-a-noop raised his hand and motioned towards the north. The rowers on the right side of the canoe lifted their paddles from the water, while the rowers on the left continued to paddle. Slowly the canoe began a gentle turn to the right. The rowers in the other canoes did the same thing, and soon the fleet was moving parallel to the shoreline.

Laura looked to her right at the distant beach. She estimated that they were almost half-a-mile out to sea. She turned to Qua-yuta and said, "How does your father know which direction to turn? What if the whales go in the other direction?"

"The whales will be heading north this time of year, Sho-karee. Chief Quelequem and his people passed the whales a short time ago and arrived at our village slightly ahead of them."

Jon Max had been listening to the conversation. "Oh, I see. So, the whales have probably gone past the village by now."

"Yes," said Qua-yuta. "We should catch up with them very soon. I just hope they don't dive to feed on a school of fish before we get to them. We might go right over them and not even know it."

The ocean was almost a flat expanse of blue-green glass, with a gentle swell that rolled slowly towards the distant shore on Laura;s right. The sea breeze had died away. The only breeze which she could feel was the gentle air against her face as the canoes slide along through the calm water. The only sound was that of the big wooden paddles as they dipped into the surface — every paddle in every canoe touching the smooth water at the same moment, in perfect unison.

Laurea looked around at the paddlers her and at the paddlers in the other canoes. Their faces were expressionless, their eyes fixed on the ocean ahead, scanning back and forth, searching for the whales.

The tall man directly behind Laura glanced down at her for a moment and smiled. Laura smiled back and turned to fix herr eyes on the sea ahead, hoping to be the first to spot the whales.

Jon Max was also peering at the smooth water ahead. He knew enough about whales to realize that if these giants of the sea came back to the surface after being submerged, the first thing they would do was blow the stale air from they're lungs, using the "blow holes" on top of their bodies. This would spray a tall fountain of water into the air, making the whales easy to spot.

The fiery red disk of the setting sun had touched the western horizon. The bright glare on the smooth surface of the ocean was making it difficult to see, even though it was off to their right as the canoes headed north.

While Laura continued to scan the sea ahead in search of the pod of whales, she suddenly had an idea. she glanced back to be sure the men behind her weren't watching her too closely, She leaned forward, lowered her head, and spoke in a whisper.

"Gazmo? I have a question — but you must answer in a whisper so nobody else will hear you."

Laura was shocked when Gazmo's voice suddenly filled the air, speaking so loudly that everyone in the canoe would be able to hear it!

"You don't need to worry about that,Laura:” said the voice of the little electronic device on her belt. "Whenever Gidget and I speak to you and Jon-Max, you're the only ones who can hear us."

Laura turned quickly and glanced at the paddlers behind her. She was amazed to see that none of them acted like they had heard the strange, disembodied voice of Gazmo. She glanced over at Jon Max and saw that he was still staring at the ocean ahead.

It's true! thought Laura in amazement. I'm the only one who can hear Gazmo! Cool . . .

Laura turned back towards the front of the canoe and lowered her head again to speak to her amazing little lifeguard unit hooked to her belt, hidden from the people around her by the holographic disguise that made Laura look like an ordinary Makah child, dressed in traditional clothing.

"I . . . I didn't know that," sher whispered. "Okay, that's good. Now listen, I was wondering about something. Could you and Gidget use your electronic senses to find out where the whales are?"

"Yes, we can. The pod of whales is currently swimming due north, ahead of you, but about three hundred feet closer to the beach."

Laura peered in the direction Gazmo had indicated. She saw nothing but the gently rolling expanse of ocean.

"I don't see them," she whispered.

Jon Max glanced over at Laura with a worried exression. "Uh-oh, you're not getting sea sick are you?"

Qua-yuta heard Jon Max and gave Laura a look of sympathy. "You shouldn't have eaten so many of those nuts, Sho-karee."

"I'm fine, really," Laura said impatiently, eager to be left alone so that she could get back to her conversation with Gazmo.

Qua-yuta turned back towards the front. Laura silently mouthed a few words to Jon-Max. I was talking to Gazmo . . . about whales.

"Ooooh," whispered Jon-Max, instantly understanding. "Now, why didn't I think of that?"

"Think of what?" Qua-yuta said, curious about all the whispering his friends were doing.

Laura smiled at her friend and said, "I was just . . . whisper a few words to Ike'tal, the spirit helper of the sea."

Jon-Max almost chuckled, but he quickly suppressed the laughter when he realized that Qua-yuta would be insulted by it. The young Makah boy didn't notice Jon Max's quick smile. He was nodding his head as he gave Laura a look of approval.

"Very good, Sho-karee. Perhaps Ike'tal will give you a sign about where to find the whales."

"Uuum . . . well . . . as a matter of fact --" Laura hesitated, wondering what she should say. She pointed in the direction Gazmo had described, ahead of the canoes, but slightly to the right, closer towards the shore. "I have a very strong feeling . . . that the whales are in that direction . . . and not very far ahead."

Qua-yuta turned quickly and studied the area Laura had pointed to. There was still no sign of the whales. The young Makah looked back at his friend and held her gaze for a long moment, then he said, "Did those keen eyes of yours spot something over there, Sho karee?"

"No, I haven't seen anything," Laura said slowly, "But . . . that's where they are." She held Qua-yuta's gaze, begging him with her eyes to believe here and not ask too many questions about how she knew the whales were there.

Qua-yuta looked puzzled by Laura’s look of total conviction, but finally her look of sincerity convinced the young Makah. He turned to his father, who still stood tall at the very front of the long canoe, searching the sea for the whales.

"Father, Sho-karee has spoken to Ike'tal. The spirit helper has told her that the whales are over there."

Mauk-sis-a-noop turned to gaze at his son for a long moment, then he looked in the direction Qua-yuta was pointing. After a moment, he turned back around and gave Laura a long, silent look, his face stern, his eyes seeming to burn with their determination to find the whales.

Laura held his searching gaze without wavering, without smiling, without even blinking.

Finally, Mak-sis-a-nook lifted his gaze to the paddlers while he raised his right arm high in the air. The paddlers watched silently as the master harpooner turned back towards the front of the canoe and brought the arm down to point in the direction which his son had indicated.

The canoes slowly turned in that direction, angling slightly towards the shoreline. Several minutes passed as the canoes closed on the area. Qua-yuta strained forward, his eyes riveted to the area they were approaching. Jon Max and Laura knew that their Makah friend would be embarrassed and ashamed if it turned out he had mislead his father.

Laura lowered herr head again to whisper to Gazmo. "Please tell me we're almost there. Gamzo, are you sure about these whales?"

"Very sure," said Gazmo confidently. "In fact . . . look around."

Suddenly the canoes were surrounded by the sleek, gleaming backs of the whales as they came gliding to the surface, cruising along next to the canoes as if these long wooden boats were just part of their group. Laura and Jon-Max gasped at the beauty of the scene around them. Several whales bumped the canoes, and all the rowers quickly raised their paddles to protect them damage.

A loud hissing sound split the air as one of the whales blasted water from its blow hole, and the other whales did the same as their rolling gray backs broke the surface. A torrent of sea spray rained down on the canoes, drenching their occupants.

The serious expressions on the faces of the Makah were replaced by wide grins and glad sounds of laughter as they allowed the whales to slid slowly pasted them while the canoes drifted along.

Mauk-sis-a-noop gave his son a happy look of pride, then he turned to Laura and said, "Truly, you are a special child. You hear the voices of the sea, the earth, and the sky."

Jon-Max leaned close and whispered, "Not to mention the voice of a little box on your belt, eh?"

Laura shushed her friend quickly, then she chuckled with him as they both watched Mauk-sis-a-noop direct the paddlers to move along with pod of whales. Again the rowers brought their paddles down and sent the canoes surging forward. As the fleet of canoes trailed along behind the pod of whales, Mauk-sis-a-noop studied the great sea giants with a practiced eye.

With a few hand signals to his rowers, Mauk-sis-a-noop directed his canoe to pull up alongside one of the immense animals, just twenty feet from it.

Qua-yuta reached down and lifted one of long harpoons from where it lay along the edge of the canoe. He started checking the harpoon carefully to make sure it was ready for it's deadly task, along with it rope, which was coiled neatly in a basket nearby.

As they watched Qua-yuta ready the harpoon, the smiles faded from the faces of Laura and Jon Max. This was not the part the whale hunt they had been looking forward to. They knew what was about to happen.

But they also knew that the survival of the Makah tribe had depended on the success of their whales hunts for hundreds of years. These tough and determined people were not here to bring death to whales, they were here to bring life to their people.

The sun had slipped below the horizon, and the western sky was as a blood red that seemed to foretell what was about to happen.

Mauk-sis-a-noop turned and held out his hand for the harpoon. As Qua-yuta handed it to him, Laura saw another harpooner who was standing at the front of a canoe that had pulled up next to the whale on the other side. A harpoon was held ready in his right hand, next to the man's shoulder.

Trailing along a few dozen feet behind the whale was a third canoe with a harpooner standing ready. The eyes of the harpooners in the two other canoes were fixed on the master harpooner.

Mauk-sis-a-noop lifted up his own harpoon next to his right shoulder. He placed his feet wide apart, his right foot in the very prow of the canoe, his left foot planted on the seat next to his son. For a long moment Mauk-sis-a-noop stood poised, watching the slow rise and fall of the whales mighty back as it surged up from the water and eased back under the surface. Air was rushing noisily in and out of the blow hole each time the whale's back lifted from the smooth surface of the sea.

For Laura it seemed to happen in slow motion. She saw Mauk-sis-a-noop lean so far back that the hand which held the harpoon was, for a moment, directly over her head. Then his strong right arm whipped forward and sent the harpoon hurtling towards the slick, gleaming back of the whale. The long, shaggy cedar-bark rope spun out of the basket as the harpoon sank into the whale.

Instantly the other two harpooners hurled their own missles of death.

The rowers in all three canoes began to paddle backwards vigorously, putting a safe distance between them and the whale. The rope which connected the floatation bladder to the harpoon continued to uncoil as all three canoes withdrew.

Just as the third harpoon pierced its hide, the whale began to churn the water as it rolled its body over and over, trying to fling the sharp objects loose. As it did so, the ropes attached to the three harpoons wound around it.

Qua-yuta lunged towards the bundle of inflated sealskin floation bladders which were directly behind Jon-Max. The boy from the future squeeze over against Laura to give Qua-yuta room. But before the Makah youth could get hold of the bladders and heave them over the side, the last of the rope was snatched from the basket, and the sealskin bladders were yanked up from the bottom of the canoe. The balloon-like bladders slammed into Qua-yuta and bounced him back towards the canoe's prow. He sprawled at his father's feet as the bladders shot over the side of the canoe and plowed through the water towards the rolling whale.

Suddenly the whale stopped rolling, and it's wide tall surged up from the water and lifted high in the air as the wounded animal dove, trying to escape. The tail sank quickly, and the three groups of floation bladders bobbed on the surface for a moment. Then suddenly they too sank below the surface as they fleeing whale pulled them under.

The rest of the whales, frightened by all the thrashing of their wounded brother, also dove out of sight. The surface of the sea became calm and quiet again.

Jon Max and Laura helped Qua-yuta up from the bottom of the boat. The Makah boy gave his father a quick shame-faced look and then knelt at the master harpooners feet.

"Father, I failed in my duties. I was not quick enough with the — "

"Quiet, my son. We can discuss this later. The whale is coming."

The Makah in the other canoes were turning their heads left and right, searching the surface of the water for any sign of where the whale would re-surface. They knew the whale could not stay down long with three harpoons in it, attached to three sets of inflated sealskin bladders.

Qua-yuta quickly prepared a second harpoon for his father and handed it to him. The harpooners in the other canoes were also ready. Jon-Max and Laura sat motionless and silent, watching the Makah prepare for their next assault on the great sea giant. Less then a minute passed, but it seemed much longer . . .

Suddenly a flurry of bubbles surrounded the canoe on the other side of the one nearest the master harpooner's canoe. Mauk-sis-a-noop bellowed a desperate warning to the men in the canoe — but it was too late. The massive whale came surging straight up out of the depths beneath the canoe. Its huge head grazed the side of the canoe as it rose from the water and flipped the boat completely over, spilling the men and their equipment into the the water.





As Jon Max and Laura watched with wide-eyed wonder, the whale went up until half its body towered in the air above the overturned canoe, surrounded by a torrent of water. Then, like a great tree falling in the forest, the whale arced towards the second canoe while the men in it frantically dove into the sea. The whale came crashing down and smashed the canoe in half as it plunged back into the ocean, sending a cascade of water in all directions which nearly swamped the surrounding canoes.

The wounded whale was heading straight for the Mauk-sis-a-noop's canoe, but the master harpooner calmly knelt in the prow of the boat and shouted, "Stow your paddles! Hold onto the sides!"

The rowers threw their paddles to the bottom of the canoe and grabbed the rough wooden sides. Laura had to fight a panic-driven urge to leap from the canoe, but she followed Jon Max's example and gripped the edge.

Just before the immense head of the whale slammed into the side of the canoe, the sea giant dove under it, and Laura felt the canoe tremble and rock as they whale's long body racked along the underside. Then, as the tale went beneath the vessel, there was a loud thump, and canoe lurched upward for a instant.

Behind the whale, shooting through the water like miniature speed boats, the three clusters of floatation bladders came rushing towards the canoe as they were dragged along by the ropes attached to the imbedded harpoons. When they reached the canoe, they bumped against it and then were forced under by the fleeing whale. They popped up again on the other side of the canoe and continued bobbing along in the whale's wake, sending water shooting up as they plowed through the surface of the sea.

"Rowers, begin the pursuit!" shouted Mauk-sis-a-noop. The men grabbed their paddles from the bottom of the canoe and plunged them into the water. The men in the other canoes did the same. Within seconds the fleet was racing along in pursuit of the whale.

"What about the men whose canoe was broken?" Jon Max said to Qua-yuta.

"And the ones whose canoe turned over?" said Laura.

"Don't worry about them," Qua-yuta said, never taking his eyes off the clusters of floatation bladders that marked the location of the retreating whale. "They're all excellent swimmers, and they'll get the overturned canoe back upright quickly."

"Will they try to catch up with us?" said Jon Max.

"No, they can't do that. They've lost most of their equipment, food, and water. And the one canoe won't be big enough for all of them."

"You mean . . . some of them might drown?" Laura said in a horrified voice.

Qua-yuta turned and smiled at his concerned friend. "No, Sho-karee, they won't drown. They'll take turns clinging to the sides of the canoe until they're close enough to swim to shore."

Laura and Jon Max looked at each other for a moment, but neither spoke, even though they were thinking the same thing. These whale hunts were a bit rougher than we thought!

Mauk-sis-a-noop was standing tall in the prow of the canoe again as the fleet raced along at top speed, closing the distance between themselves and the injured whale. Laura saw that the bare chests of the mean were gleaming with sweat in the warm, early evening air. she could hear the sharp explosions of their breathing with each stroke.

The fleet of canoes was strung out in a long line, one behind the other, with only a few feet between the prow of each canoe and the stern of the one behind it. Looking back along the line, Laura marveled at the way every rower in every canoe was in perfect synchronization. They were all copying the rhythm and speed of the master harpooner's lead canoe. It was the flag ship of fleet, and the other canoes looked like perfect mirror images.

Mauk-sis-a-noop turned around and faced his rowers. "Prepare for relay rowing!" he said in a loud voice. As he gave the command, he raised his left arm straight above his head, then he raised his right arm and slapped his hand firmly onto his left formarm.

It was a signal to other canoes, and they all reacted to the command at the same moment. The first pair of rowers in each canoe contined to row, but the second pair behind them lift their paddles and laid them across their thighs, resting their weary arms. The third, fifth, and seventh pairs also continued to row, while the pairs between them rested.

This pattern continued until one half of the rowers were resting while the other half continued to row. The rowers slowed their pace to conserve their strength. The fleet had closed the distance between it and the whale to less than one hundred feet. The first mad dash for freedom had now slowed, probably because the wounded amimal was tiring. It had caught up with its pod, and the group was moving along at a steady speed.





"What happens now?" Jon Max said in a quiet voice, almost afraid to ask.

"We'll follow the whale as it continues to tire itself by pulling the floataion bladders behind it. When it tries to dive, the bladders will make it difficult to stay under. Even so, we'll have to be careful not to loose it in the dark."

The sky had deepened to a dark blue, and the brightest stars were beginning to show. The air was noticeably cooler than it had been earlier, and breeze was blowing towards the land. A flock of seagulls went by overhead, heading inland to roost for the night.

"Rowers, change relays!" ordered Mauk-sis-a-noop, standing again so that the other canons could see his arm signal. This time his right arm was raised, while his left arm was bent so he could slap his right forearm.

The men who had been resting lifted their paddles and took over the task while the other men laid their paddles onto their laps and rested their weary arms.

Qua-yuta reached into one of the bags of food at his feet. He pulled out bags of nuts, along with bundles of dried fish and deer meat. He began to portion out the food onto small woven mats of cedar bark. After preparing the first few of these, he stacked them carefully so that the meat and nuts were sandwiched between the mats. Then he lifted a stack of six mats and stood up carefully.

"I must take the evening meal to the rowers," he said as began to make his way between the first two men, who were resting.

"Let me do that, Qua-yuta," said Laura “You get more of the meals ready while I take this first batch."

Qua-yuta smiled gratefully and began preparing another group of food ladden mats, with Jon Max helping him. As Laura made her way carefully among the rowers, heading towards the six in the very back, she saw the first group rowers in each of the other canoes doing the same thing — preparing rations of food for the whale hunters.

"Get done with that quickly, my son," Laura heard Mauk-sis-a-noop say. "We must light the torches. The whales will dive soon."

This is going to a very long night, Laura thought to herself.

NEXT: CHAPTER 12 ~ Death of the Sea Giant
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)