Chapter 11
I realised that until now, I had never really experienced any
hardships in my life. Yes our life, especially through the winter months, was
tough. We were regularly at the point where we might have died from
starvation. But true hardship is not about physical pain, it is about not
having loving people around you. You can be warm and well fed, but have
the hardest life imaginable.
I remembered the days back in the gorge, when the snow lay deep on
the ground, and the temperatures dropped so that we had to wait hours for
enough water to thaw on the fire for us to drink. Every year there was a period
of about one month when we literally had nothing to eat. A few hunters would go
out and catch a reindeer or two. These are not stupid animals, and it was
essential that our people did not leave it so long that we had becomes fatigued
with hunger. You get used to this way of living, and the pain of an empty
stomach is ignored. It was therefore important that we noted when this
time might occur in advance, before it was too late. Catching a reindeer
involves a lot of energy. We first tracked the reindeer herds moving
across deep snow. They knew well how to avoid us, choosing routes over
snow covered streams and rivers. Here their weight allowed them to cross,
whereas our weight would, likely as not, drop us through into the icy waters
below. When a reindeer was caught, it was brought home, often over long
distances. It's most valuable dietary contribution was to be found in its
stomach. Reindeer live off scrapping lichen and mosses from rocks deep
under the insulating layers of snow. This disgusting green slim was
essential to our survival, because it contained the vital nutrients we
needed to stop out teeth drop out, and our bones bend, and we knew it.
Parents coaxed their obstreperous children to eat this revolting stuff,
and really it was only hunger that had any power of influence over us.
The green mush was washed, and boiled. To make it more palatable it
was cooked with strong spices, and lumps of rock salt. Then as a
community, all seated together, we would eat it as if it were the greatest of
all delicacies. It was a comical sight as you can imagine. While we
ate, old familiar songs extolling the delights of reindeer stomach were sung. This
was when our refugee friends, who already suffered greatly, not being used to
surviving harsh winters, really knew we were completely mad. I am sure
they made plans to escape as soon as they could, and go back to their former
lives, feeling that death and imprisonment might be more pleasant than staying
another year with us.
But I had three new chums, all about my size, and although we did
not speak each other’s languages, we instinctively stuck together and cared for
each other in a wonderful way. Thus if one were given left over food from
a sailors meal, or a warm scarf, it was shared later with the others, without a
moment’s thought. Gradually I picked up the Oshlo language, from various
sources including our rough, but pleasant enough cook. He spoke largely
though cuffs of the ear, and threatened cuffs, but also spoke in single words,
which always makes learning a new language that much more straightforward.
Gradually the conversations between sailors became intelligible, and I
was able to sift out the punctuating swear words. I realised how helpful to the
learner these expletives are, as they slow down the torrent of words into a
lilting rhythm.
Yewdis, was a dirty, pale skinned boy, with a pronounced stutter.
He had a toothy grin which I liked. As we began to communicate more
and more I learned that he was from an island a long way from Oshlo, and he
thought all his family had been killed. He had been here for longer than
anyone else. I learnt that I had replaced a girl who had recently died.
Her dead body had been thrown into the fiord, and Yewdis was still
grieving. They had been very close. He took me to the spot when he
had last seen her body. We gazed down into the deep water, and I joined
him in grieving for this unknown sister.
Honya, my next companion, was a very short, skinny girl. She
had short black tightly curled hair. She was a chatterbox, and it took me
a while to understand her. She had wonderful glowing eyes, and a great
courage, which I admired.
Kinti, was my final new sister. Her initial approach to me was to
ignore me completely. For a number weeks I hadn't a clue what was going on, or
whether I had offended her. I tried to discuss this with Honya, but she
could not understand what I was on about. Kinti seemed fine with the
others. Was it something to do with the loss of their old companion? Then
Kinti did something that reassured me that we would be OK. And from that
moment our relationship was sealed. It was also an act that was to prove
to be of great significance for us all. We knew that on our own we were as
nothing, like ants under the table. But together we were a band, a gang, and
mercifully this bond was one I came to see as strong as our abseiling lines.
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