Chapter 16 It continued to rain during the night and black clouds  continued to darken the west. Doteogas shamans felt concerned that the storms might betoken the events of the war. Deganawida agreed at once. The war in Oneida country is certainly bad. Men are dying there and at the border of Ganeogaono country even now, which is why we must not delay. The rain of the last few days had muddied the trails. Water still dripped from the eaves of the houses, even after the sun and wind had scattered the last of the clouds. The faith-keepers relit the All Clans Fire and burned tobacco leaves to carry their prayers heavenward, but the stored branches were damp. The flame sputtered and the breeze sent the ashes back to earth. Deganawida thanked them for their efforts. Even without tobacco and fire, you can send your prayers to the Good Mind daily with the songs I taught you. The False Face and Cornhusk Societies shook their turtle rattles twice as hard to alert the good spirits to keep the travelers well being in mind. With a final look around, Ole hefted his pack, secured its side straps, and tied a water pouch to his belt. The first part of the journey would be overland, and for that, they would need to carry the canoes. It was a half-days journey to the first stream wide enough to carry them south to the Long Lake. The Norns alone know if Ill return, Ole told Ingrid when they reached the edge of the planting field. Only she, of all the people here, could have taken his meaning. We must leave it in their hands and hope they spin your thread true and strong, his sister replied. Ill be asking Thor to watch over you. So few remember him, I dont think hell be too busy. He could not keep back a smile. Before he stepped back, he added a final thought. I hope Runs Fast knows what he gained. She squeezed his hand and nodded, then glanced questioningly toward Jekonsaseh. He lowered his eyes. Shes a shaman, he said with a touch of regret. Keep your wits about you, Runs Fast advised. Not every warrior will be as blunt as Claw. They wont want peace and will try to kill Deganawida to prevent it. I know, Ole replied. Deganawida said some warriors will be loath to forgo their revenge for past killings. Well be on guard. Wolf Clan Mother rested her hands on Oles shoulders. Red Hair, your are my newest grandson. Our ways are new to you. Let Scout be your teacher. If you can return home to Doteoga, do so. If not, die bravely. Ole clasped the ivory grip projecting from his steel knifes sheath, to indicate his consent. Scout gave his mother a last hug. Ill teach him what he needs to know, he said. Scouts wife watched solemnly, but they had already said their farewells. He touched his fist to his breast to both her and to Wolf Clan Mother. For Doteogas advantage and our mission. Come, Red Hair. With a final nod to his sister, Runs Fast, and his adopted grandmother, Ole turned to follow him along the faint trail that led south to Long Lake. Deganawidas white birch canoe and a war canoe were enough to hold all of them. The war canoe was capable of carrying half a dozen men. Claw and his nephew Six-Pebbles would travel with Deganawida and Hiawateh. The nine reached the narrow river by midday and set the canoes to water. Jekonsaseh sat with Scout and Ole, Twisted Nose, Beaver Tooth and Fisher. Since there were enough men on board, she did not ply a paddle, but sat in the prow to watch for high rocks and rough water. Several times, Fisher looked from Jekonsaseh and Ole, but Ole kept his thoughts inside. The narrow river opened into Long Lake. Ole had lived beside a fjord since childhood and been on the ocean more than any man here. Even so, he was impressed at the length of the Long Lake, Kanyatarak Warote, as the Ganeogaono called it because he had never seen such a lake. They came upon it from the northeast. The east and west banks were far but visible, one to the other, but in the south, there was nothing but water. He could not see the southern bank. He suspected it must be a fjord, leading from and to the ocean. To test it, Ole scooped up a handful of water and licked it. He expected it to taste of salt, but it was drinkable. During the last hour before evening, they brought the canoes ashore and prepared their camp. Six-Pebbles, Beaver Tooth and Fisher prepared their hominy mixed with fish in a cooking bag suspended over their campfire. They declined Oles offer of help. You have the right to shave your head, Beaver Tooth said. Youre a warrior; not a youth. Jekonsaseh would not have healed your wounds otherwise. She might have. In any case, Im new to your ways, Ole reminded him. You fought the Algonquin and beat them, Fisher said. Ole could not deny it. In any case, youre not a youth, Six-Pebbles concluded. If you dont want to help the older people make their plans, youre welcome to stay with us. We werent close enough to hear your entire story when you arrived. Perhaps you could tell us about your travels and your wars. Wont you sleep with Jekonsaseh again, tonight? Beaver Tooth asked. What? asked Six-Pebbles looking up with a grin. Theres more to Red Hairs story than I thought. Ole stared at Beaver Tooth harshly, but Six-Pebbles continued to look to Ole for an explanation. Deganawida said he wouldnt lie with a woman until his mission is over. Jekonsaseh is a shaman like him. Shell need to keep her mind clear to do her part in Deganawidas work. It was what he had told himself, although she had not mentioned it at all. Is the hominy ready? Six-Pebbles nodded at his explanation and turned his attention back to the cooking bag. Almost. Against the pale sky, the stars stretched far over the water. Only one small fire still burned at the campsite to keep wolves at bay. Deganawida sang their evening prayers and then they stretched out to sleep. Ole amused the boys with stories about the Inuit and how they trained their dogs until the sounds of their breathing told him they slept. He turned from his side and rested his head on his clasped fingers while thoughts of Jekonsaseh played through his mind. She remained so close wrapped in her squirrel mantle; it was impossible for him not to think about their time together. She had known Hiawateh from childhood. Deganawida filled her thoughts now, and Ole must accept that. The others did not know the turmoil that filled her soul at the thought of facing her father. Deganawida had said he would not lie with a woman until his work was finished. From the moment they entered Doteoga, when she saw him standing beside Doteogas All Clans Fire, he had felt her withdrawal. Their need for each other seemed submerged under the great task she meant to help Deganawida accomplish. Ole had lost much in his life, his mother and grandfather, then his country, and finally his father and brother who had remained behind on the Inuit islands. All that remained important had been Ingrid, but now she was safe in her new home with Runs Fast. Wolf Clan Mother charged him to obey Scout and to guard Deganawida. That had to be enough. Finally, he felt settled enough in his mind to sleep. At first light, Ole felt his chin and thought to shave the new growth again. He mixed the grease that remained of their meal with cold ashes and added water as Runs Fast had taught him during their travels. This was what the warriors did, he said, when they shaved the heads of a new warrior, leaving only the scalp lock. Ole rubbed his palms briskly. When he reached the overhang above a smooth bit of water, he spread the suds over his chin and cheek, and beneath his nose. Fisher found him leaning over the bank staring at his reflection in the still water while he slanted his steel bladed knife against his cheek. He shaved in short strokes. Your face hair grows faster than ours, the boy observed. Yes, it does. Ole did not look up but continued to shave. Deganawida would have enough to contend with without having to account for the stranger among them. The sun had darkened Oles face. He intended to keep his hair hidden from strangers under a cap, as he had when they gone through Algonquin country. When he finished, he cleaned his knife on river sand, then dipped it in the water and dried the knife on his shirt and returned it to its sheath. Only afterward did he wipe his face dry. Why dont you shave your hair, too? People will think youve never been in battle and think less of you. Ole tugged at his braids, thinking. This is a peace mission, not a war. Deganawidas head is not shaved except for his warriors crest like the Ganeogaono men. Yet, we follow him and go where he says to go. No one could take him for a coward. Fisher walked back to their camp with him. They paddled smoothly over the water. In the shallows, long-legged birds fished for their breakfast. Fisher, being youngest, expressed the most doubts. Ive never been in battle. If we make peace with the Onondaga, how will I ever earn my warriors scalp lock? How will a woman take me for her husband? Jekonsaseh left off looking ahead of them to study the boy. Fisher swung his head making his braids swing around his head, as if they were an irritation. Does the Creator always desire us to live in peace? Sometimes war is necessary, she said. When one man seeks to take all power to himself, there is no cure for it. Tododaho has caused too much misery. There was nothing to do but oppose him, until now. Only an outsider, who had no stake in our war, could show us how to end it. That man is Deganawida. Ole wondered if they remembered she spoke about her own father. Are we going to have to kill Tododaho Beaver Tooth asked. Deganawida will know what we must do when we find him, she said. Our first task is to gain followers for Deganawidas plan, a man from each clan and his nephew, or if he has no nephew, one his war leaders assign. Deganawida is right, Scout said. The Good Mind understands war. He fought his brother in Earth Mothers womb because it was necessary to restrain him. Our world has fought long enough. We need to rest now so harmony can return to the Haudenosaunee. There will be other wars, wars we can only win by joining forces. Deganawida says fighting between our nations is like fighting in a family. No one can really win and the resentments will tear us further apart until we are nothing. The Haudenosaunee must be strong when enemies attack from the outside. Ole had not heard Scout say so much since he arrived in Doteoga. He looked to the older man and lifted his brows, impressed at his logic. Scout gave him a brief nod and continued his paddles strong stroke without missing his rhythm. The warrior saw the future of Deganawidas plan clearly. Ole decided he would be a good man to follow and learn from, after the prophet. The river ran south swiftly, and proved so full of fish so that hunting did not become necessary. At each place they stopped, townspeople made their party welcome. It seemed Deganawida had sent dreams of his coming to the shamans. These came out to receive the band of travelers. Many Ganeogaono minds were to be challenged by the prophets plan for peace, and gained to Deganawidas cause. Their numbers grew as they progressed. Claw met every challenge as to whether Deganawida really came from the Good Mind. Women sent them away with smoked meat and pemmican. As the days passed and the moon waxed and waned, they came to Oneida country. The women gave them pounded corn to cook into their evening meals. Many more canoes had joined their procession westward on the bordering river between the Haudenosaunee Nations and the southern branch of the Algonquin. One evening before they reached Lake Oneida, they stopped for the night to prepare their evening meal. We will leave at first light, Deganawida said. I am anxious to reach the stronghold of Oneida on their own lake. We have seen the destruction of longhouses and planting fields. We have seen the unburied remains of warriors, taken apart and picked clean by wolves and vultures. The survivors will need food and the help of the healers among us. While the young people prepared the last meal of the day, a stranger from the Otter clan came upon Ole shaving at the edge of the lake. He had just finished, put away his knife and dried his face. You care more about that knife than you do about your face, he said. His casual tone did not fool Ole, but put him on his guard. Whats your name, Ganeogaono, and why is your hair long? Ole turned around slowly. They call me Red Hair. Im from a far tribe where warriors keep their hair. Im adopted. He hoped to divert the conversation away from his knife, but he saw the other mans eyes, even as he donned his open buckskin shirt. He clasped both edges of the shirt, so that his right hand was never far from the knife. You should do as your adopted people do, he said. I advise you as a friend. Deganawida says we are all to be brothers. If he intended his suggestion to as friendly advice, why did it sound like a challenge? Why were the short hairs on Oles neck rising? What is your name, Oneida? he asked. Long Eye. He pronounced eye Ogah, the Oneida way, instead of Okara, but Ole got the gist. The Haudenosaunee languages were closely related. Let me see your knife. He held out his hand for it. There was another, a chert knife with a bone grip, tied to Oles legging below the knee, but he felt naked without the steel blade close to his chest. Its getting too dark. Lets go closer to the campfire so you can see. I can see well enough here. Give me your knife, Brother. He reached out and nearly gripped Oles knife before Ole clasped him below his elbow and stopped him. I give you advice now. Dont touch my knife. Long Eye pulled back and brought up his other hand with a flint knife in it. He lunged at Ole. Ole had been prepared by the others stance. He twisted just enough to get a good hold on Long Eyes knife hand. He grappled with him for a long moment until he had him in the hold Scout taught the younger men. With another twist, Ole lifted Long Eye head over heals, and tossed him into the lake. Ill kill you, the Oneida muttered, spitting out water when he came up. But were brothers, Long Eye, Ole said, taking a few heavy breaths between words. Let me help you out of the water and back to camp. We mustnt disappoint Deganawida by acting like children. We should be able to settle this like men. He held out his hand to help Long Eye out of the water. Then you agree to fight for your knife? the other asked. No. I promised this knife to the service of my clan mother. I cant give it away or trade it, but Ill show it to you. It has a long history, and theres magic in the hilt. Ill tell you the knifes story if you agree to make peace with me. Were followers of Deganawida. He taught us his songs of peace and dedicated us to help him bring peace and unity to all the Haudenosaunee. If we cant believe in him enough to make peace between ourselves, his mission doesnt hold a chance of succeeding. Jekonsaseh looked up when Ole and Long Eye, with his hair still dripping, returned to camp. They squatted before the light of the campfire. Ole brought his knife out of its sheath and unwrapped it of the sinew he used to increase its strength. When it was unwrapped, he handed the knife to Long Eye, all the while tracing with his finger the marks carved in the hilt and talking. Others drew near to listen. Hiawateh and Deganawida looked toward her, questioning, as if she might discern the meaning of what they witnessed. I believe Red Hair has made a friend, she said. He has grown in our life. The next time we invite him, if we need his power, I dont think hell be quite so opposed to joining us. Ole glanced toward the shamans who sat around a different fire. He couldnt have heard them, but he felt they were speaking about him. Is Jekonsaseh your lover? asked Long Eye who had not missed the look the two had shared. She was, once, Ole admitted. It seems, now, that it was very long ago, when I was still a youth in the ways of our people. * * * The Huron children clasped their bundles tightly as they ran over the stones by the rapids. Will he be there? Do you think well see Father Mist? a girl asked. Ive seen him before. Hes not very frightening, one of the boys said. Hes so old, his hair is the color of the mist from the falls. He likes girls, especially when theyre old enough to sleep with him. He says it makes him feel young again. How would you know that? asked the girl. I know because my older sister told me. Hes been there forever. My sister couldnt grow a baby in her belly. Our clan was angry and thought her husband must be worthless if he couldnt give us a baby. The clan might have thrown out her husband and gotten her a new one, but she liked him. They sent her to the god for a week and when she came back to her husband, she became pregnant. He did the magic to make her fertile. He likes to help our women that way. I think Ill like him if I see him, the girl said. My mother made him corn bread with dried grapes inside. She flavored with last years maple syrup. Hell be happy and all our wives will get new babies. Hes such a kind god; so easy to please with only food and a young woman from time to time. The three children hurried to the edge of the curved falls. There are many caves. Do you think hell see us? asked the youngest child. I want to see him too. Yes, repeated the girl. The roar of the falls is so loud, I cant hear my own words. This is much louder than the rapids over the stones in the river. He always knows when we come. He came to a large stone near the cliff edge. Here He indicated a large flat stone. Set down the baskets of food here. Lets wait for a little while before we go home. The old man looked up and sniffed. It was hard to heard above the sound of the water, but he had learned to listen to the words people thought well enough. There were children, three of them by the sound of the thoughts that reached his ears. They were young, but they had brought him treats. It was practical to be thought of as a god. He supposed gods werent deaf, but he had no reason to regret his life. He had made his choice long ago and he had good memories, enough to last to the end of what had been a very satisfactory life. Before that end came, he hoped the Creator would send another would come to replace him, someone who would live in his cave. It had been good to help quicken life in the wombs of barren Huron women. They always appreciated his efforts, and their clans did, too. No one else looked after then as he did. Someday, the united Haudenosaunee would defeat them, but that was hundreds of years in the future. Father Mist never questioned what he knew. He just accepted it as he accepted the rest of his life -- the women who were sent to him, the robes the women made to keep him warm, the food the children brought. His knowledge of the future must come from the mind of the Creator. Questioning it would be impious. He came out of his cave to receive his gifts. The children stared. Of course, his long, white hair flew about his head. He looked the way an old god should look, he thought, especially the god of the Great Falls. He looked into the baskets, then smiled and thanked the children. Thank your mothers, he said. Father Mist, can I touch your hair? asked the girl. This close, he could comprehend the movement of her lips and tongue as well as seize the thoughts from her mind. It was as good as hearing. He sat down and invited her to come closer. Feel, he invited. He lifted a lock his hair to her, as white as the mist and nearly as long as he was tall. He wasnt very tall anymore, and, he thought, if he continued to get older, his hair might catch up. The girl stroked his hair. Sparks flew to her hand and she jumped back, shaking her fingers. Dont be afraid, Father Mist said. I like girls very much. Maybe youll visit me again, when you get older. When I get a husband, if he cant give me a baby, I will, she said boldly. Will you still be here? Probably, he replied. The boys werent quite as brave as the girl was, but they seldom came to him. A little awe in children was a good thing, so they could remember they had visited a god. He thanked them formally for their presents, and wished them and their families a good winter. They bowed as they retreated from the Great Falls. Father Mist lifted his baskets. Before he returned home, he felt an urge to look east. Suddenly, his legs felt weak and he sat down on the great stone. Guess what? he asked the air, as if the Great Mind were sitting above the waterfall right beside him. Deganawida is following his destiny. Theyre on their way. 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