ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

CHAPTER 13 ~ Trading with the Chinook

The cold, clear water of the river splashed right into Laura’s face as she clung to the side of the canoe while it was carried along rapidly by the rushing water.

Twenty feet ahead of her canoe were two more, and three others were following behind. The line of six canoes which were weaving back in forth like a snake as they maneuvered to avoid the sharp rocks that jutted up from the river. The churning surface of the water caused the canoes to bob up and down like cars on a bumpy dirt road.

Another fountain of water leaped up from the raging surface next to the canoe and doused Laura It also splashed Jon-Max in the face as he sat directly in front of her. The boy from the future turned around to give his friend a wide, excited grin. His face was drenched, and water was dripping from his chin. His clothes were soaking wet. As Laura looked at Jon-Max, she remembered that his clothing were real clothes, not a holographic image being projected by Gidget. Both she and Jon-Max were wearing garments they had received from their new Chinook friends by trading gifts they had gotten from the Makah during their pervious time-traveling adventuire.

"Wow! This is really fun!" Jon-Max exclaimed above the roar of the torrential water. But the boy's smile faded quickly when he saw the look on his friend's face. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

Laura wiped the water from her face and then nodded quickly, but she wasn't smiling. She was too busy watching the large rocks that the canoe was narrowly missing as it rocketed along, propelled by the Chinook Indians who were sitting behind her They were paddling energetically, causing the canoe to go even faster than the rushing water of the river!

The river was flowing along between the steep rocky sides of two cliffs. High above, Laura saw green trees and bushes lining the tops of the cliffs. But down at water level there was nothing but steep rock. Even if the Chinook Indians had wanted to stop the canoes, they couldn’t' have done so!

And if the canoes turned over in this swift and rolling torrent, it would mean death to most of the people in them . . .

"I thought your name meant Braver than the Beast," said a voice from behind Laura . "Is this the first time you've ridden in a canoe, Sho-karee?"

Laura turned and gave the young Chinook boy behind her an annoyed look. In a steady voice, her said, "Certainly not, Eyult-taness. I'm just a little worried about these little canoes you Chinooks use. I'm used to the big, strong ones which my friends, the Makah, use when we go whale hunting together."

The smirk on Eyult-taness' face faded slowly and was replaced by a look of scorn and disbelief. After a moment, he said, "But our canoes are longer than three tall men. How much larger can the Makah canoes be?"

Laura tried to look very unimpressed by the twenty-foot dugout canoe in which she was riding. Laura glanced from one end of the canoe to the other, pretending to study its length. Finally the time traveling 5th grader said, "Well, the Makah canoes are three times as long as yours. And, of course, they are very strong. The Makah have to make them strong, because sometimes the whales leap out of the water and land on the canoes."

Eyult-taness laughed loudly in disbelief. "Now you are just telling me stories, Sho-karee. Whales cannot leap out of the water and land on canoes!"

"Oh, no?" said Laura She called out to Jon-Max. "Hey, Nu-knoee! Tell this doubting boy what happened when we first harpooned that whale last week."

Jon-Max turned around with a big grin and said, "First it dove down under the fleet of canoes. Then it came right up under one canoe, turning it over. The whale shot waaaaaay up into the air, and when it came down it landed smack on top of another canoe. Man, that was some big whale!"





Jon-Max turned back around to face ahead, and Laura just smiled smugly at Eyult-taness for a moment, then she too turned back to watch the roaring river ahead. She knew that Eyult-taness would be silent while he thought over this new bit of information.

The news that the Chinook canoes were smaller and less sturdy than the Makah canoes had given the young boy a much-needed lesson in humility. Eyult-taness' name meant Proud Child, and he was convinced that his tribe could do everything better than anybody else. He was several years older than the two time travelers, and he was constantly treating them as if they were too young to know anything he did not already know.
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Although Laura had told Eyult-taness that she and Jon-Max had been with the Makah a week ago, the two 5th graders had actually traveled from 1770 to 1800, using the Anywhen device, after leaving the Makah village by the sea. Gidget and Gazmo had suggested that 1800 would be a good year to visit the Chinooks as part of their journey through American history.
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Suddenly the fast-moving little river widened, and the cliffs on each side dropped behind as the water settled into a gentle flow that carried the canoes along through a dense forest.

Minutes later, the little river flowed past the edge of the forest and out into a large river, a wide and slow-moving expanse of green water that looked gigantic compared to the turbulent little river the canoes had just left. The paddlers turned the six Chinook dug-out canoes to the right and began paddling upstream against the slow, steady current of the wide river.

Laura knew that this was the Columbia River, and it served the Native Americans of the Northwest Coast as a kind of “highway”. Many different tribes used this river to travel for hundreds of miles in their swift canoes, to explore, trade, and meet other tribes. Jon-Max and Laura were traveling with a group of Chinook who were heading for the "Dalles", a section of the river just a few miles ahead.

The two time-traveling 5th graders had been visiting with the Chinook in their village for almost a week, and they had learned many fascinating things about this wonderful tribe of Native Americas.

Laura and Jon-Max had enjoyed their visit with the Chinook, but they knew it was now time to move on to their next time-travel destination, and they had already agreed on where to go next. Laura felt herself growing excited just thinking about it!

The only thing left to do here with their new friends the Chinook was to experience one of their famous trading sessions with other tribes. These trading sessions took place at the Dalles, a section of the Columbia River in what would someday become Washington state. The Dalles was a place were dozens of tribes from all along the west coast of America and the south-west part Canada came to trade tools, clothing, weapons, food, and many other things.

The Chinook had become the most successful traders of all the Northwest Coast Indians. They had even invented a special language that all the other tribes learned to use when they came to trade with each other. This special "trade language" was a combination of words and phrases from all the tribes that traded at the Dalles. Even though the various tribes spoke very different languages, they could still communicate with each other when they came to trade by using the "trade language".

As the paddlers propelled the six canoes along the calm surface of the Columbia River, Eyult-taness tapped Laura on the shouder. She rurn to face her new friend.

"Before we became so busy with the swift water back there, you were telling me about what your friends, the Makah, did after they killed the whale."

Laura turned sideways on her seat to face Eyult-taness, and she continued the description of the whale hunt she had been giving her young friend before the canoes had reached the swift and turbulent part of the river\. Jon-Max turned around too and joined the conversation.

"Tell him about the clever way they clean off the skeleton after they've taken all the whale meat they want," Jon-Max said — a wicked look in his blue eyes which showed how eager he was to share a really gross description with his new friend.

"Yes, tell me that part!" Eyult-taness said excitedly.

"I'll get to that soon enough," Laura said with visible impatience. "First I have to tell you how we got the whale back to shore."

Eyult-taness looked disappointed, but he continued to listen with great interest.

"Well," began Laura " After the whale was dead, several of the whale hunters dove into the water and swam around the whale, tying ropes around it. Then they tied the other ends of the ropes to the backs of the canoes, and the rowers started paddling back towards the village as hard as they could."





"I can't imagine the strength it must have taken to move such a big animal!" said Eyult-taness, staring down into the clear water next to the canoe as he imagined the scene.

"It took all six of the canoes to do it," Jon-Max added. "The rowers had to work in rotation, with half of them rowing while the other half rested."

Eyult-tanes suddenly appeared skeptical, and he spoke in a teasing tone.
"And what exactly was the brave Sho-karee and Nu-konee doing all this time,"

"The same thing we did during the hunt," Laura said proudly. "We helped by making sure the rowers had water and food whenever they needed it. Sometimes we even massaged the shoulders of the resting ones . . . to help their tired muscles recover."

Eyult-taness gave the two 5th graders a look of scorn. "That sounds like women's work to me. I would have been rowing with the other men," he said, wearing a smug smile.

Knowing that Eyult-taness was trying to be insulting, Laura felt her fists clench in anger, and a dark look came over the 5th grader's face. But Jon-Max, seated behind her, laid a gentle had on his friend's arm to calm her down. Then, speaking in a very cool and casual voice to the boastful young Chinook, Jon-Max said, "Yes, you're probably truje. But the Makah master harpooner choose us to be his special assistants because we're smart -- not because we're strong. And I’m sure you would have better at rowing than . . . well . . . thinking."

Eyult-taness's face turned as red as a ripe raspberry, and the muscles bulged in his neck for a moment as he glared at the two 5th graders. He opened his mouth to fire back an angry reply, but he stopped cold when he felt a large hand clamp down on his shoulder from behind. A stern voice spoke a few quiet of words of warning to the boy.

"Do not forget what your father has taught you about showing courtesy to our guests," said the large man sitting behind Eyult-taness.

Eyult-taness' anger was quickly replaced by a guilty look as he turned around and answered in a low and respectful voice. "Yes, my uncle. I did not mean to insult our quests."

The Chinook brave spoke in a low, sarcastic tone. "Oh no, I'm sure you didn’t. And now perhaps you should let Sho-karee finish the story of the whale hunt."

"Yes, my uncle," Eyult-taness replied meekly. The two 5th graders exchanged quick smiles, then Laura resumed her story.

"We arrived at the shore near the village right after sunset, after towing the whale for two whole days. The men were exhausted, but the job wasn't finished, so they joined the villagers as everybody pitched in and tugged on the ropes, pulling the dead whale slowly up onto the beach."

"The tide was coming in," Jon-Max added, "and that helped a little. Small waves were breaking on the shore, and these waves were pushing the whale towards the beach each time one rolled past it."

Eyult-taness chimed in with enthusistc question. "How long did it take you to finally get it all the way onto the beach?"

"About two hours, I guess," Laura said. "It was dark by then, and we were working by the light of torches."

"By this time, Jon-Mmmm – I mean, Nu-konee and I were so tired we could hardly keep our eyes open. We hadn't had a good night's sleep in the past forty-eight hours, and we had worked hard for two straight days during the whale hunt."

"Brother, you got that right!" exclaimed Jon-Max. "We were both so sore for the next two days after the hunt that we could barely move."

Eyult-taness opened his mouth to say something about how he could have handled the work better than they had, but he remembered E'taneesh, his uncle, sitting behind him, so he closed his mouth quickly and just nodded for Laura to go on with the story.

"Lucky for us," Laura continued, "the mother of our friend, Qua-yuta, sent us off to bed. The work of cutting up the whale meat and dividing it among the families in the tribe was a big ceremonial thing that the chief was in charge of. So, we couldn't help anyway."

"That made poor Qua-yuta really mad," remembered Jon-Max, "because he thought he was a big-deal adult now, since he'd been on several whale hunts with his father."

Eyult-taness looked disappointed as he said, "So, you didn't get to see them cut up the whale?"

"No, and we're sure glad that — " Laura began but a quick elbow in the ribs from Jon-Max stopped her abruptly before she could confess that they were glad they hadn't watched the cutting up of the whale. She realized that Eyult-taness would make fun of them for not wanting to watch the grisly task. Hastily the 5th grader continued her story.

"Uh, I mean — we're sure glad they told us we could come back and watch them divide up the next one!"

This answer satisfied the envious Chinook boy. He was silent for a few seconds as he pondered the amazing story which his new friends had told him. As much as he hated to admit it, these two young visitors had seen and done things which greatly impressed the arrogant boy.

After a few seconds, Eyult-taness remembered the part of the story that Laura hadn't told him yet. "You said they had a clever way to clean off the bones after they'd taken the meat they wanted.

"Oh yeah, right!" said Laura. "I almost forgot that part. Well, after the chief and the elders had divided up all the whale blubber, the whole tribe pitched in and tugged the carcass back into the water, a few hundred feet from shore."

"What good does that do?" said the impatient young Chinook.

Laura glanced at Jon-Max and gave him a quick nod, knowing that he would like to help tell part of the adventure. Jon-Max gave his friend a grateful smile and took up the story.

"They leave the carcass in the water near the beach for a week or so, and during that time the fish and crabs eat away all the meat that's left on the bones. What they get back when they pull the skeleton ashore again is fairly clean skeleton. They use the bones to make all kinds of cool stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Eyult-taness asked.

"Oh, things like bark shredders and bark beaters, cutting boards, clubs, and wedges. They also use them to make handles for things, like knives."

As he finished speaking, Jon-Max glanced toward the front of the canoe and noticed that they were nearing the beginning of the Dalles — the twenty-four-mile-long stretch of rapids and waterfalls that cascaded through a deep and rocky canyon. The Native Americans of the Northwest Coast could not go further up the enormous Columbia because of these rapids. For this reason, the region here at the downstream end of the Dalles had become a trading center for dozens of different tribes.

A mile ahead of the six canoes, the sandy riverbanks on both sides were dotted with canoes and the people who had come to trade. As the Chinook and their two guests from the future drew closer to the meeting area, they were greeted by glad shouts and friendly waves from people who recognized them.

Minutes later, Laura and Jon-Max were strolling along the river bank among the people, studying the contents of each of the heavily loaded canoes which had been pulled up onto the sand so that customers could walk around each canoe and view the merchandise available for trade. There were over a hundred canoes lined up on each side of the river, and the 5th graders saw people from dozens of different tribes.

They saw Native America's who had just arrived from far away, their canoes empty and ready to receive the trade goods they had come to acquire for their families back home.





Eyult-taness had stayed with his uncle, E'taneesh, and the other men from his tribe so he could watch and learn as they bartered for the things their families needed.

Both of the time traveling 5th graders were wearing the leather backpacks they had been given by the Ice Age Indians, and the backpacks were filled with gifts they had acquired from both the Makah and their new friends, the Chinook. They had jewelry, moccasins, woven mats, and other things which they could trade if they saw something here they would rather have. Rolled up and tied to the top of the backpacks were the hand-made, cold-weather clothing the Ice Age Indians had given them.

Many of their friends in the Chinook tribe had admired the amazing garments. Some of the Chinook had even tried to acquire the garments in trade, but the two 5th graders from the future had decided to keep the cold weather clothing until they saw what they could trade them for at the Dalles.

As Laura and Jon-Max were walking along the riverbank passed dozens of canoes loaded with trade goods, Jon-Max suddenly flashed a wide, bright grin.

"Hey, I just realized why this all seems so familiar," he said to his friend.

"Why?" said Laura

"It's just like a big yard sale!"

"Ooooooh, yeah!" said Laura, glancing up and down the beach as she noticed the similarity between the sprawling riverside trading area and the multi-family yard sales she had been to with her family back home.

"Ah, but the yard sales back home never have cool stuff like this place. They mostly have stuff like dishes and old furniture.""

Laura nodded and continued to examine the trade items in the canoes they were passing. "The only problem is that I can't make up my mind what I want to get."

"Don't be in any hurry," Jon-Max said in low voice. "Let's watch the other people and learn how to trade in a smart way. Getting something you want here is not like buying stuff in the stores back home. We can't just ask how much something costs and then pay for it with our credit cards."

Laura chuckled as they continued to stroll along, admiring the things they saw in the canoes. There were woven baskets and mats from the Makah. They saw blankets, hats, and animal pelts from the Blackfeet. Several canoes were loaded with corn, squash, and beans from the Cheyenne. There was even beautiful silver and turquoise jewelry from tribes as far south as the Navajo.

They also saw several people who were carrying the things they offered for trade as they walked around among the crowd. An old women walked by wearing dozens of necklaces around her neck, bracelets around both arms, and leather bags tied to her belt which were filled with rings and other items.

The old woman stopped and let Laura and Jon-Max examine her merchandise. Each necklace was made up of a thin piece of soft leather that held a beautifully carved object made of wood, stone, or whalebone, with beads of jade and silver strung on each side. The carvings ranged from delicate little fish and whales, to larger figures of animals such as bear and wolf's heads. The bracelets on her arms were made of pure silver, with turquoise inlays.

Laura was eager to get something from the old woman, but che couldn't decided which item to get, and she was not sure what to offer in trade for it. So, after spending several minutes trying to decide what to do, Laura told the old woman she would come back later and make her choice. The woman smiled and thanked Laura then she strolled off in search of her next customer.

Laura and Jon-Max saw E'taneesh, the uncle of Eyult-taness, join a group of men and women from a Northern Cheyenne tribe. Casually E'taheesh asked a few questions about a group of beautifully painted pots that were lined up along the sandy riverbank next to one of the merchandise-filled canoes. Some of the pots were filled with nuts, and others were filled with beans. The largest pots were filled with corn, still on the cob and unshucked.

The two 5th graders inched closer to the adults and listen carefully to the conversation, hoping to pick up tips on how to be good traders.

E'taneesh spent several minutes in a friendly debate with a young Cheyenne trader over the price of the pots and their contents. He started out offering four beaver pelts for ten of the smaller pots and five of the large corn-filled pots. The Cheyenne man shook his head slowly and said he would have to get at least eight beaver pelts and three fox pelts for such fine pots, filled with such delicious food.

E'taneesh agreed that the pots and the food were very fine indeed, but he said his beaver pelts were the finest of all the tribes along the Columbia river. The Cheyenne man nodded politely and said he was sure the pelts were very fine – but that perhaps the beaver pelts where he came from even better than that.

The two men spent over twenty minutes going back and forth with counter offers and boastful claims about how good their own merchandise was. Finally they agreed on a deal – six beaver pelts and one fox pelt for eight small pots and three large ones. E'taneesh shook hands with the Cheyenne man and went to get the animal pelts.

While E'taneesh had been making his deal with the Cheyenne man, young Eyult-taness had been standing with a Cheyenne teenager further down the river bank, working on his own deal. Laura and Jon-Max joined the two boys just as Eyult-taness finished the deal and was shaking hands with the Cheyenne youth.

"Look what I have!" Eyult-taness said proudly as he held up a bow and a quiver with several arrows. "With these I will be the greatest hunter in our tribe. Greater even than my uncle, E'taneesh. He thinks he is the best shot in our tribe – but I'm better. With this bow, I can prove it. Then they will give me a new name, one that suits a great warrior and hunter.'


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Eyult-taness's face showed a hint of anger as he finished speaking. Jon-Max and Laura knew that he resented the fact that his name meant "proud child", a name he had been given because he tended to boast so much.

"It looks like a fine bow," Jon-Max said politely, choosing not to comment on Eyult-taness' bragging remarks about his uncle.

"This bow doesn't just look fine!" Eyult-taness said quickly. "It is fine! It is a better bow than you'll ever have, Nu-knoee. I doubt that a child as young as you would even know how to use one of these."

Jon-Max's pale face flushed red with anger for a moment, and without thinking before he spoke, he shot back an angry reply.

"No, I've never shot a bow before, but it couldn't be too hard — if you can do it!"

Laura tried hard not to laugh at this cutting insult, but a quick giggle escaped before she could stop it. Eyult-taness shot an angry look at her and then stepped up so close to Jon-Max that his nose was almost touching the 5th grader's face as he spoke in a low, threatening voice,

"If you think it's so easy to shot a bow, Nu-konee, perhaps you and Sho-karee would like to compete with me to see who is the best."

Jon-Max didn't even blink as he bravely stared Eyult-taness right in the eye and said, "You're on, buddy. When do we start?"

A small crowd had gathered to listen to the argument, and most of the men were grinning as they listened to these two young boys challenge each other to a contest.

Suddenly the arrogant boy's uncle shouldered his way through the crowd and stepped up next to Eyult-taness, a stern look on his face when he saw the taller, older boy standing over Jon-Max in such a menacing manner.

"Eyult-taness!" he said in a sharp but low voice. "You are shaming our family with your words and actions!"

Eyult-taness turned to the man and said, "He insulted me, Uncle! And he did in front of all these people."

E'Taneesh looked at Jon-Max for a moment. "Is this true, Nu-konee?"

Jon-ax quickly gave an answer that was both truthful and respectful. "Yes sir, I did. I'm sorry."

Laura was just as quick to defend her friend. "But Eyult-taness insulted him first, sir!"

"I did not!" Eyult-taness blurted out. "They started it, not me!"

"Silence!" E'Taneesh snapped at his nephew. "This has gone far enough! You will both apologize for your behavior."

After a long silence, Eyult-taness muttered something which may-or-may-not have been an apology. Jon-Max felt his anger quickly fade, and his usual good-matured personality quickly returned. But after the insulting way Eyult-taness had acted towards him, the thought of letting the arrogant Chinook boy off so easily bothered Jon-Max.

And so, Jon-Max grinned at Eyult-taness and said, "Yeah, I'm sorry, too. But can still have that shooting match you challenged us to?"

Eyult-taness was stunned and confused by that fact that Jon-Max had gotten over his anger so quickly — something which the hotheaded Chinook boy could never have done. But he was even more stunned by the fact that Jon-Max seemed so willing to compete with him in an archery contest. It suddenly occurred to Eyult-taness that if Jon-Max wanted to have the contest, perhaps he was actually good with a bow. And if that were true, Jon-Max might actually beat him!

E'Taneesh gave Jon-Max and Eyult-tanees a puzzled look, then he said, "What's this about a shooting match? Did my nephew challenge you to one, Nu-konee?"

"Yes, sir," said Jon-Max, wearing a mischievous smile. "He wants to use his new bow to prove that he's a better shot than his uncle. He told us so."

A burst of laughter came from the surrounding crowd of people as they heard what Jon-Max said. Eyult-taness' face darkened from both anger and embarrassment, and he glared at Jon-Max with silent rage. But E'Taneesh wore a faint smile as he looked down at his boastful nephew, and after a moment he spoke in a quiet voice.

"I think we would all like to see a demonstration of your great skill with a bow, Eyult-taness. Come with me and we'll set up something to serve as a target. Then, after everyone has finished the noon meal, you can show us all how good you really are."

E'Taneesh turned and walked back through the crowd of chuckling people. Eyult-taness hestitated for a moment, still glaring at Jon-Max, then he whirled around quickly and stalked off after his uncle. The crowd burst out laughing again, and then several adults stepped forward to pat Jon-Max on the back for handling the situation in such a cool manner.

As the crowd broke up and people went off to spread the word about the up-coming archery contest, Jon-Max turned to his friend.

"Well, now . . . I guess we better find a couple of bows – and learn how to shot them," he finished, looking less confident than he had a few moments earlier.

"Have you ever shot a bow before?" said Laura.

"Nope . . . but I've always thought it looked cool," said the 5th grader from 2058. "I wonder how hard it really is?"

A voice spoke from close by, startling the two time traveling 5th graders.

"It isn't very hard – if you have the right bow."

Laura and Jon-Max turned around to find a young boy standing near by. It was the Cheyenne teenager who had traded the bow to Eyult-taness. He gave Laura and Jon-Max a friendly smile as he held out his hand.

"I am Poke-Moh-kav. Do you know my language? Can you understand me?"

The two 5th graders couldn't explain that Gidget and Gazmo were translating everything they heard into English. And anything they said to him would be translated into his language. So, they just nodded and smiled while Jon-Max introduced them both as they shook hands.

"Yes, we understand you. My name is Nu-konee. This is my friend, Sho-karee."

"You speak my language very well," said Poke-Moh-kav. "Most of the people of the Chinook tribe just use the trade language."

"The Chinook tribe?" said Laura confused for a moment. Then suddenly she understood. "Oh! You think we're Chinook kids because of the clothes!" She chuckled and looked down at the Chinook garments which she and Jon-Max had gotten in trade from their friends in the Chinook village.

Jon-Max was chuckling too as he explained. "We're not actually Chinook. We come from a tribe very far away. We're just visiting the Chinook for awhile. My friend and I are on a journey together, to learn the ways of other people and then take this knowledge back to our tribe."

"That's wonderful!" the boy said enthusiastically. "My father would not let me go on trading trips with him until I was older than you are." Poke-Moh-kav began to look around as if he were trying to find someone. "I would like to meet the other people in your families."

"Oh, our families aren't with us," said Laura "We're traveling alone."

"Really?" said the Cheyenne boy, looking very surprised. "But you seem so young to be traveling without any adults."

Laura laughed and then said, "Yeah, people keep telling us that. But we've done pretty well so far. Just last week, for example, we went whale hunting with the Makah. Have you heard of that tribe?"

Poke-Moh-kav's mouth hung open for a second. "Of course I have! We have traded with the great whale hunters many times," he said in an awed voice. Then he looked a bit skeptical. Choosing his words carefully so as not to offend Jon-Max and Laura, he said, "But is what you've told me really true? I mean . . . you're not just . . . having some fun by telling me a story?"

Jon-Max gave the boy a reassuring smile. "No, we're not just telling you a story. And we're not just bragging, the way Eyult-taness does."

Poke-Moh-kav's eyes were bright with wonder as he looked at his new friends. He studied their faces closely for a moment, then he said, "I do believe you. When that boy's uncle asked you if you had insulted his nephew, you did not try to lie about it, the way he did. And so, I think you're telling me the truth now."

"You said your name was Poke-Moh-kav. What does that mean?" said Laura.

The boy looked puzzled for a moment, then he said, "But if you speak my language, you would know that it means Gray Bobcat."

"Oh, uh . . . right," Laura said quickly, knowing that she could not explain that Gidget's and Gazmo's translation mode was programmed to leave the names of people just as they were spoken, without giving their meaning. "Uh . . . I guess there's a few words in your language we don't know yet."

"Oh, of course!" Poke-Moh-kav said quickly, looking embarrassed. "I didn't mean to insult you. My name comes from the words po'o, which means gray, and mohkave, which mean bobcat."

He pronounced po'o as "poke", with a very soft "k" sound, and he pronounced mohkave as "moh-kav", with a short "a".

"Gray Bobcat, huh? Cool name," said Jon-Max.

"I have never heard names like yours before," said Poke-Moh-kav. What do they mean?"

"Nu-konee means Hunter of the Snow Cat," Jon-Max said proudly. "And Sho-karee means Braver than the Beast."

Poke-Moh-kav was looking skeptical again, but he tried to hide it so as not to offend them. Carefully he said, "These are the names your parents gave you?"

"Oh, no," said Laura. "They aren't our childhood names. They're the adult names we earned after we saved a hunting party from a giant snow cat."

Poke-Moh-kav couldn't decide whether to laugh at Laura’s unbelievable story or call her a liar, but his father had always taught him to treat other people with respect, so he decided not to comment on the matter.

Jon-Max could see that Poke-Moh-kav was having trouble believing the story, so he decided to change the subject.

"What tribe are you from?"

"I come from the Tsitsistas, which simple means the people. But other tribes call us the Cheyenne, which means people of strange speech. Our language is very different from the languages of other tribes. That's why I was so surprised that you spoke our language so well. Who taught you to speak it?"

This was not a question either of the 5th graders could answer honestly, so Jon-Max just said, "Oh, uh . . . we learned it from two very wise friends name Gidget and Gazmo. They know just about everything."

"Thank you," both Gidget and Gazmo said in unison, startling the two 5th graders. But since the futuristic devices were speaking in the special way that only Laura and Jon-Max could hear, Poke-Moh-kav didn't know why his new friends suddenly looked so surprised.

Quickly Jon-Max said, "You said that learning to shoot a bow was not hard if we had the right bows. What did you mean by that?"

Poke-Moh-kav chuckled and said, "I meant that a warrior must have a bow that is the right size and strength for his own abilities. That boy I traded the bow to thinks he is as strong as a full-grown adult – so, he chose the strongest bow I had."

"The strongest bow?" Laura said with a puzzled look. "I thought all bows were about the same."

Poke-Mah-kav couldn't hide his amazement at Laura’s statement. "Oh no, Sho-karee, that's not true at all! A bow that has been made for a young learner is much easier to pull back than a bow made for a great hunter— like my father, for example. His bow is so strong, I can barely pull it half-way back!"

"Ah-ha! I think I get it!" said Jon-Max. "Eyult-taness thinks he's as strong as an adult. So, he chose a bow that's too strong for him to handle."

"That's right, Nu-konee. The bow I traded to Eyult-taness is almost as strong as my father's bow. Eyult-taness will not be able to shoot it very well, because he won't even be able to pull the arrow all the way back to his cheek, as it should be."

Laura and Jon-Max looked at each other and broke into wide grins as they realized what this meant. Eyult-taness would loose the archery match because the boastful boy [i]had choosen the wrong bow!

"Poke-Moh-kav, do you have any bows that are made for young learners like us?" said Jon-Max.

"Of course, Nu-konee. My father and I brought many bows to trade. His bows are the finest ever made, and he is teaching me the craft."





"Great!" said Jon-Max. "And can you teach us to shoot a bow that's the right strength for a beginner?"

"I'm sure I could, Nu-konee. After all, your names mean Hunter of the Snow Cat and Braver than the Beast. I'm sure that brave young hunters like you would both learn very fast."

"Terrific!" Jon-Max said excitedly. "Now all we have to do is figure out what we've got in our backpack that you'll take in trade for two bows, along with two quivers, several arrows . . . as well as a crash course in how to shoot like Robin Hood!"

NEXT: CHAPTER12 ~ The Archery Contest
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Captain Starlight]

I'm surprised that your story doesn't have more replies from the members who have read it, since all the chapters have plenty of "views" by people who have visited All Sci-Fi. In fact, Chapter 10 - Making Ready for the Hunt, has over 2,000 views, and it was posted just two weeks ago.

The illustrations are a nice touch, too.