Chapter 19
As we slowly and painfully (I refer to poor Yewdis' sore head)
wended our way back towards Jokou, much had been happening which was later
related to me in detail during future long winter nights.
Tilda was free, but she had heard news that greatly alarmed her.
She skilfully made her way back to our home, arriving just few days after
the two who had recently investigated our disappearance. Her return,
physically unscathed, was a miracle. The rejoicing at her return was tempered
with the distress at the loss of the eleven. With the whole community
gathered, mourning and agonising over each one of us, Tilda explained some new
significant information which affected the existence of the whole community.
She had gathered, during her imprisonment in the headman's harem,
that the stories from the East were filtering though about the ravages of a
terrible plague. Whole towns and cities were reported to have been wiped
out. No one was spared, both rich and poor. Travellers from the
east had arrived in Jokou and just collapsed and died. A great terror was
being kindled. No one knew what to do with these corpses. Each was covered in
brushwood and burnt where they fell. The town of Jokou became a place of
superstation, where everyone was suddenly under suspicion.
There was much discussion about what this might mean for our
community. Our contact with the outside world had up until now been
limited. Our way of life was felt to be so different from that of our
neighbours. Although we were not a versed to meeting new people, we did find it
a challenge, and finding interests in common took up much discussion. The
questions that presented themselves now were numerous. There was anxiety
about whether the missing eleven may already have circumed. Some wondered
whether precious Tilda might be unwell herself. What about the trickle of
refugees who made it to our community, would they be safe? No one thought about
whether our contact with others would lead to our community being infected.
It was another job for Ediopha, our judge. She and her brother
spent much time ruminating in silence. At the next meeting of the people
they shared their thoughts. This disease that was tearing through the
human population was like a wildfire. It was a natural force with similar
powers to volcanos or earthquakes. We had to trust that we would have the
strength to endure it. We should try not to be afraid. Surely we
would lose loved ones, but we were used to losing loved ones. The key was
to appreciate those around us now. We knew that it was likely that other
tribes might come to us, because our tribe had a reputation of caring for the
suffering, and we did not have a tradition of hostile resistance. As
mentioned before, the main thing that protected us from the evil intentions of
others was our willingness and ability to live up in the gorge lands, in
amongst bears, wolves and icy winters.
It was agreed that small parties of our people would go out and
prepare the other communities of our tribe for this fearful news. We also
made some plans to prepare for the worst, by stock piling more food for the
winter months than would normally be needed. My people wondered how long
they would have to endure this illness. There was a sense that we were
blessed to have been forewarned.
The differences between tribal communities were exacerbated by
this bad news. Concerns were certainly believed, but other communities
decided to isolate themselves even more. Some even decided to uproot and
move further into the frozen north, informing us not to expect their return for
a number of years. I was proud to hear that our community, to all
outsiders considered 'a peculiar people', remained wedded to the idea that we
had something to offer Jokou. Jokou, that town that had robbed our people
of its most treasured possession, its own people. We knew that there were
a few bad apples in that town that spoils it for the rest. Most simple
poor folk looked to our people for hope and inspiration, and we honoured them
for this.
Tilda then took charge of organising teams of people on standby to
be ready to offer aid to Jokou, ready If disaster came. We knew that even
in prosperous Jokou, the winters hit them hard, and this was but three
moon-months away. The prosperous are generally also week and susceptible.
My lot were as tough as whale hide.
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