Isle of Woman (Geodyssey) Read online

  Ember knew that was a good thing, because the men had beenxs bluffing: they had used up all their stones. But the cat didn’t know that. So it had given up when it was at the point of victory, because no man would have stepped onshore while that fearful predator was there. They would not even have approached it, had they not been very hungry and had the protection of the water.

  Then men took hold of the carcass and dragged it to the water. There it floated, making it easier to move. They hauled it along until they reached the crackling place. Then they dragged it out and rolled it right into the heart of the crackle.

  There was a horrendous sizzle and big cloud of vapor that delighted Ember. The fire was trying to eat the giraffe! But it couldn’t; it could only burn it, making a special smell. The smell of burned mouse, only bigger.

  There was a cry from the lookout. “Ape!”

  Everyone looked. There were many apes coming, attracted by the commotion. They wouldn’t have come while the cat was there, but it was gone. They wanted to know what was happening here, and whether there was anything good to eat.

  The men moved into the lake. Some went to fetch some of the stones they had thrown. But though the apes were dull, they knew about stones. They charged over in a mass and swept up the remaining stones and hurled them at the men. Each ape was much larger than each man, and had much stronger arms. The men retreated back into the lake and ducked down as the stones came.

  Ember took a breath and held it and went down under the water. She heard splashing near her, but didn’t know whether it was from a man or a stone. The stones could not hurt anyone under the water, but it was hard to stay down long. Ember had to come up to breathe.

  She saw that the apes had used up the stones and lost interest. They were wary of the crackling place, not understanding fire, and they didn’t like the smell of the roasting flesh. So they moved on, disappointed. They were strong, but stupid.

  The men came out. The giraffe was still cooking, and the smell was very strong now.

  They brought out the special stones, the ones with the sharp edges, and as the fire died down they used these to slice across the hide so they could pull it off, and to slice across the meat so they could get pieces. They passed these around, and Ember and her mother got to bite into the meat. It was tough, and not as good as fresh fruit, but after the fire they hadn’t found much fruit.

  Then Ember and her mother walked to the new place the men had found, beyond where the fire had been. It was a big tangle of thorns and nettles and stingy plants, but there was a hole in it for them to get through. No bad animals would come for them here! Ember settled down with her mother, huddling close for warmth as the night cooled, and others lay close on either side. Tomorrow they would make a better shelter, and hope it didn’t burn soon. But the fire had helped feed them today.

  Ember was satisfied. She took the stone out of her mouth, which she had preserved despite eating the hot meat, and tried to focus on its prettiness. But it was too dark now for her to see, so she put it back in her mouth for tomorrow.

  This day’s activities show the manner Homo habilis used his tools and his wits to survive in a sometimes hostile environment. He entered the water to avoid the prairie fire, and used the water also as protection from large predators, such as Megantereon, a saber-toothed cat the size of a lion. He used available fire to cook the body of Sivatherium, a short-necked giraffe that stood seven feet tall and had antlers. He used thrown stones as weapons, and chipped stones as knives for carving flesh or fruit, and maintained caches of such stones in scattered places so that supplies were usually handy. He used thorny brambles to make safe shelters. Thus water, fire, stone and brambles all were tools. He was smart enough to take advantage of the situations in which he found himself, so he got by though he was by no means the dominant creature of the region.

  The “ape” was a cousin, a parallel hominid, the vegetarian Australopithecus boisei: as big as a modern man, and strong, but relatively stupid. He prospered for perhaps a million and a half years, far longer than Homo habilis, but was in the end a nonsurvivor. It may be that when the climate changed he was no longer able to forage effectively, while the “handy man,” on the fringe, was able to scrounge his way along and survive.

  CHAPTER 3

  * * *

  FIRE

  Homo habilis gave way to Homo erectus (HO-mo e-REK-tus), “upright man,” about one and a half million years ago. He approached modern human size and had a larger brain than his predecessor, and was well equipped to survive. Indeed, he was to conquer the world. About one million years ago the Sahara desert of northern Africa greened somewhat for a time, allowing Homo erectus to pass north and spread across Europe and Asia as well as remaining in Africa. But it seems that his evolution continued most progressively in Africa.

  There is some evidence that this man used fire, but it is inconclusive. Did he use fire intentionally, or did he avoid it, or did he take advantage of it when he had a chance? Perhaps a few people found ways, in special circumstances.

  BLAZE was eight years old and ready for something better. The fiery birthmark on his forehead set him apart from the other children of the band, making him the object of a certain distrust and sometimes ridicule. His older half-brother Ashfoot had protected him somewhat, but now Ashfoot was thirteen and a man. He had gone out alone with a spear and run down a small deer and killed it. It had taken him two days, pursuing the animal day and night, following its tracks by moonlight and guessing when he had to, but he had done it. So Ashfoot was a man, and had joined the camp of the single men, and was no longer near enough to help Blaze. Ashfoot could go out to seek a woman of another band when he felt ready. He had proven himself. But how could Blaze do the same? His main interest was fire—and fire was supremely indifferent to him.

  Today fire was near, however. It was burning in a nearby valley, after a storm. That was funny, how fire came from water, when water always stopped fire. But Blaze thought he knew how it happened. Sometimes there were fire flashes in storms, as if the water was casting out the fire in its mist, and these fire flashes in the air might start the fire on the ground. Then it would burn until it encountered water, or ran out of dry grass to eat. Whenever there was a fire, Blaze went to investigate, on the pretense of looking for fleeing game animals. His sharp eyes found such animals often enough to make this claim legitimate. But actually it was the fire itself that fascinated him. He never dared get too close to it, for it was hot and fierce and unpredictable, but he explored it as well as he could without getting burned. He had become a private expert on its ways.

  He took his small spear, which was a dry stick he had sharpened against a stone and baked in the sun, making it hard. He had used it for small game, but lacked confidence in it for anything larger than a rabbit. It was mainly for defense, to point at a predator and keep it at bay. Maybe it couldn’t kill a big cat, but it could damage an eye or gullet, and that might be enough. He hoped. He also kept an eye out for climbable trees, and tried never to be far from one. Trees had always been the friends to his kind, because few bad predators climbed them.

  He crested a hill and paused, looking down into the shallow valley beyond. There was a shelter there, not big enough to house a band, but obviously of human design. It must be a foreign hunter, because none of Blaze’s band lived separately. He would have to go back and tell the others of this intrusion, because this was home territory.

  But before he could move, a woman came out of the shelter and saw him. She signaled. She wanted him to go to the shelter.

  Blaze was in doubt. She was adult and he was a child, so he should obey. But she was a woman and he a boy, so he didn’t have to. He had to answer only to his mother. Also, this woman was foreign, so might be an enemy.

  Then another figure came out. It was a boy somewhat smaller than Blaze. No—it was a girl, because there was no bulge of substance between her legs, no penis. The fur was smooth throughout.

  The woman did not signal again, but
waited for him to obey. Blaze stood, trying to decide what to do. But the girl did not hesitate. She walked toward him, spreading her hands in the signal of friendly meeting. It was remarkable for a girl to approach a stranger; usually they were very cautious.

  As she approached, he saw that she was nicely formed, with even limbs, light fur, and a pretty face. She seemed to be about his own age, though smaller. She smiled, showing even teeth. Her prettiness was marred only by a little twitch on her left cheek, as if she were trying to shake a fly loose in the manner an animal did. She stopped when she was close and tapped her chest. “Ember,” she said, using the word for the remnant of a fire.

  Suddenly he knew he liked her. “Blaze,” he said, tapping his own chest, using the word for bright fire.

  She smiled again, recognizing their affinity. She reached out with her open hand, the fingers curving up in invitation.

  Blaze reached out and took the hand with his own, accepting it. They stood that way for a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes. He saw now that hers were green, a shade he had seen only once before: when he looked into still water and saw his ghost image. He touched his cheek with his free hand, pointing to his own eye, then to hers. “Green.”

  She nodded, agreeing, and smiled a third time. This time he smiled with her, accepting the expression as he had her hand. They had met only this moment, yet he had already found more favor with her than with any girl of his band. Maybe she had been teased about that cheek, just as he had been about his forehead.

  She turned and walked toward the woman, gently tugging him along. He went with her, oddly enjoying her presumption.

  She led him to the woman, who had waited stolidly throughout. “Blaze,” Ember said, indicating him. Then, indicating the woman to him, “Mother.” As if that hadn’t been obvious.

  But then Ember tugged him on to the entrance of the shelter. He saw that it was not well made, being more like something a woman would throw up for overnight. They looked in. There was a man lying there. He was still, and there was the smell of blood. He had been injured, and now was perhaps dying. Flies were buzzing.

  Now Blaze understood their situation. Ember’s father could no longer protect them, and they needed help.

  He would return to the band’s camp and tell them. Men would come and decide what to do. They would help the man if they could, and if he died, someone might take Ember’s mother. That depended on how well she could work and gather, and whether her body was appealing.

  Blaze faced back the way he had come. “Camp,” he said, pointing.

  “Camp,” Ember agreed. Then she kissed him on the ear.

  Blaze was over the ridge and out of sight of the family before he realized just how much he had liked that kiss. Ember had shown that she liked him, though she had seen the mark on his forehead. No girl had done that before. Of course the boys and girls of the band didn’t kiss each other much anyway, since none of them would grow up to mate with each other. The boys would all go out to find the girls of other bands, and would become members of those bands, while other men would come to the home band to find girls. Blaze wasn’t sure why this was so, but did not question it.

  In a sense he had gone out and found a girl of another band. But it didn’t mean anything, because he was not yet a man. Still, at this moment, if he were to choose a girl, Ember would be the one.

  Soon he reached the camp. “Man!” he cried, pointing back. “Down.” He made the gesture of lying on the ground. “Woman. Girl.”

  This was important news. Three men followed him back to the neighboring valley. Blaze was afraid that the foreign family would be gone, and he would be blamed for giving a false alarm. But the shelter remained, with the woman sitting outside it, and the girl beside her.

  Blaze went a little ahead, so they could see him, and know that these were friends he was bringing. “Blaze!” he called, to make it certain.

  The men checked. One went in to touch the wounded one. He emerged, shaking his head negatively. “Gone,” he said.

  The woman nodded. She had known it. So had Ember, who looked unhappy.

  The men considered the woman. One gestured to her to stand. She did so. He walked around her, studying her contours. He tugged on the longer fur of her head, and pinched her buttock. She was healthy. She should be an asset to the band, especially since she had a healthy child with her. He nodded affirmatively, looking at the others. They nodded, agreeing. The woman would do.

  The man pointed toward the camp. He gestured, indicating that the woman should go that way. She started walking.

  Ember came to Blaze. She walked beside him. He knew she was glad that his band was accepting her and her mother. Now they would not die unprotected.

  As it happened, the woman was fertile, making her interesting to the men of the band. She was not young, but she was new, and therefore novel, and her odor was attractive. She was not committed to a member of the band, so they all wanted to mate with her. But she had to be chosen by one, and agree to stay with him, and his existing mate had to agree too. That was the way of it. As it happened, most of the women did not wish to share with a stranger; that was why they stayed together in the band, with women they knew, and accepted the suits of foreign men singly or in compatible pairs. However, one man’s mate had died; he had been about to depart to look for another, but now he took this one. She accepted him, and he lay her on a mat and sank his hard penis into her immediately. By that token she was his; all who witnessed the act knew it.

  In a moment it was done. The woman got up, and now the other women acknowledged her. She would not be harassed by them or by other men. Her receptivity remained, stirring the desire of the other men, but they had no recourse; she served the desire of only the one. Soon that desire reappeared, for he had not had a woman for some time, and he copulated with her again. No one thought much of it, but Blaze found the act fascinating, and wished he knew how to do it. But his penis hardened only by its own will, not his; and in any event he had no girl with whom to experiment. He envied the boys who had the ability to try it, even if they had access only to girls who were beneath the age of maturity and so lacked interest.

  Meanwhile the fire still burned in the neighboring valley, and animals from that region were passing through this region. Unfortunately they were grown and healthy, impossible to bring down in the open. Only when foolish ones got caught in the dead-end gully could they be trapped and attacked and killed. Several men had staked out that valley, lying hidden, waiting for an unwary animal to make that mistake, but the local animals knew better.

  Blaze had an idea. If the fire could come here, it might drive the animals into that gully. Then there could be much fresh meat. The fire normally chose its own course, heedless of the convenience of men. But could there be a way to change its course? He wanted to find out.

  He set out, as he had before. Then he heard something. Ember was following him. He could warn her away, for she was after all a girl, but he didn’t. He let her catch up with him and they went on together. He gave no other signal, because it would only lead to teasing by the other children, but the fact that he allowed her to accompany him was significant. It meant that they were friends, and the others took note, just as they had when the man had copulated with the new woman. It was important to know who associated with whom, for in the event of trouble friends stood up for friends. Boys normally stood up for boys, and girls for girls, but it was not absolute.

  Ember, it turned out, had good legs, and was able to keep up with his rapid stride. Women learned to move well, because foraging was not always conveniently close. If there was hunting to be done, the men set camp near that, and the women simply had to range farther for the berries, fruits, nuts and tubers they specialized in. Ember was free now because her mother was busy taking up the continuing attention of her new man, and had to stay close to the camp where her man was, or else go out with him. Once his jealous early desire passed, she would join the foraging women. At present the others were shari
ng their foraging with her, and she would share hers with them when they needed it. A child was not expected to forage with strangers; she had to be with her mother, until she became a woman and was taken by a man. Probably Ember was not eager to remain in the camp while her mother was active in a way Ember could not share, as she did not know the other children. So she stayed with Blaze.

  And Blaze was very glad to have her with him. He felt a kind of propriety, because he was the one who had found her and her mother, but it was more than that. She liked him, and was willing to show it. Their eyes matched. Their names matched. Did she like fire as he did?

  They skirted the valley where Ember’s father lay. The creatures of the field and forest would chew up the body and scatter the bones, and the smell would be bad for awhile. It was best just to let it happen. Next year when the band passed this way again, there would be little if any trace. Few would even remember, or care if they did. But he saw Ember looking sad, and understood why: she had lost her father, who perhaps had treated her kindly.

  They came to the fire. It had passed this region and gone elsewhere, but a number of fallen branches still crackled and there were clumps of smoking vegetation.

  “Oooo,” Ember breathed, her eyes shining. Now it was clear that she was just as interested in fire as he was. Joyed by this discovery, he hugged her and kissed her ear, returning her expression of the prior day. She laughed and hugged him back. That felt very good.

  Then they explored the remnants of the fire. Ember found a branch that was burning on one end, and clear on the other. She touched it, tentatively, then put both hands on it and picked it up. She held the smoking torch, chortling with her accomplishment: she was holding fire!