Ice Pack Crossing

The ice pack held tight the vessels of the tall ones, and work on their oyster grounds was now impossible.  Yet, for the Nubbins this was a chance to use the frozen pack as a quick way to reach the large raft of white-winged scoters or Melanits, as they call them, which fed on mussels in the waters just beyond the point.  The Melanits were prey of many hunters this year, for it was a very hard winter.  Thus, the little men set out to warn them of the tall ones who laid in wait in their blinds.  

Travel across such ice would surely be unsafe for humans, but Nubbins are very light, and have the ability to leap great distances from a standing position, thus they can jump from ice flow to ice flow, using them as stepping stones.  One also needs to remember that most of these little people have been gifted with the ability to run at a very high speeds, thus they can actually dash across the top of open water if need be, but this ability is rarely called upon, and it is not known how many of them can do this.

Hantar led the group in the pre-dawn, dim light quickly moving from ice block to ice block, and soon all had crossed the upper harbor and were on the beach just below the great island.  As they walked along they found that the ice had scrapped up oyster clusters and deposited them along the rack line during the last tide. Younger members of the clan were instructed to search amongst the ice piles and gather up these oysters, so they could be stored and used later in the winter.  Discovering this unforeseen bounty was considered a gift of the great one; thus these oysters would be eaten at a future celebration meal. 

When they reached the point, they found the Melanits close to shore.  Hantar waved to them, and a large group of these sea ducks swam in to greet him.  Hantar spoke to them in a wavering whistle, and brought news of the tall ones, who hunted nearby, and warned them to stay here south of the bay.  The ducks flapped their wings, signaling they understood, and swam off to continue feeding.

The little men then headed back along the western beach, the upper reaches of which were scoured for useful debris and “special finds.”  A large number of brightly colored Pecten (Bay scallop) shells were found, and this delighted the party, for these shells were highly prized, especially the orange-red ones.  Satchels were filled with the shells and the group then picked up their pace as the sun was just about to rise.  They crossed the dune field where the headlands met the marsh and wound their way along the deer trail up into the woods and back to the valley.

The Coldest of Days, Warmest of Sights

Ice now covered the inner bay, and the deepening cold kept most of the giants out of the woodlands and moors, so Nubbin patrols were more frequent just before dawn and at twilight.  On this day Hantar and the trophers came upon a large flock of snow buntings or cheyws, as they called them.  Their song, which the little people reveled in, includes a ‘cheyw’ sound, but also consists of a warbling, throaty long rattle, and buzz.   These birds of the arctic were highly regarded by the Nubbins, for they flew to the coldest of regions to nest, and their plumage of white in great flights of many birds was said to be like blowing snow itself.  The birds are not seen every winter, so this appearance pleased the members of the patrol, and they stopped for a long while watching and listening to the birds as they fed on seeds left by the grasses in areas where the snow had been blown off atop the moors.  Every now and then a bird would hop up to grab at the seed left on a grass stem, and this made the little men laugh.

Then a marsh hawk startled the flock and they took off in unison, turning in flight all at one time, as if one of them directed, ‘Now!’  The hawk buzzed the patrol, Hantar waved at the gray hunter, and the men headed west to the top of the bluff.  From here they marched south to the marsh and crossed the dunes to the beach.  Seals, or as they called them, Otari, were up on the beach.  The patrol walked amongst the animals, which grunted when their heads were patted, a feat that no human would have gotten away with; for like all animals, the seals recognized the natural spirit of the little men, and thus were pleased to be touched by them. The patrol continued down the beach collecting sea weed that had washed up in the previous storm.  This particular species was known by them as dulsa.* Red in color. it was used by the Nubbins to make a hearty soup.

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*This word dulsa, similar to dulse, a red seaweed used by the Vikings and Celts for centuries in various dishes, would lead one to believe this spelling must be of that origin.

The Kind Deed

When Atnas and Retsbrew reached the lodge, Hantar and the trophers had just finished storing the fire pits stones.  The first light of dawn could be seen in the East, and Atnas asked the workers if they would like to share in a morning meal of Akan bread and honey before they departed to their respective dens.  They sat at the lodge table, and when finished, Atnas told the others of Retsbrew's concerns, and all agreed that some doubt and fear was part of the coming new year.  But Hantar reminded the younger members of the many times they encountered the giants, often saving them from the sea.

“I cannot recall a time when we were in real danger, but there have been those encounters where we were discovered, and we know there are those among them who remember our presence.  For us it remains fortunate that other giants laugh at the stories told about us.”

“But there was one time when I thought ourselves captured.  A working crew of five was sent to cut and gather chansa wood for the new dens that were soon to be built on the hillside to the west.  We were pulling the gathering sled designed by Dipuc.   The sled made use of the rails laid by the giants for their great iron horse and attached wagons.  Dipuc found that by laying skids at their width, we could easily move the sled along with almost no sound, and using the darkness of each night, we were to move much timber."

"Then one evening set with the heaviest of mist, we came to where the rails cross the first hardened path of the giants and found a deer here to be injured by one of their iron wagons.  This wagon had left its way and was now hit hard against a giant pine.  There was a giant - a woman - pleading for help, and we found her beneath the front of the wagon. A child was crying inside, but we could not see it.   The male giant we knew was beyond saving, and the smell of that which brings fire filled the air around us, so we acted quickly.  We lifted the wagon and pulled the woman out and into the grass beyond.  Dipuc administered to her, while we went back to get the child.  The door of the wagon we could not open, so our ax was set upon the glass to break.  We got the child out, and she was in need of compress upon her head.  Each was provided the healing and sleep herbs, and as we stood to ponder our next action, another iron wagon set upon us."

"Giants leaped out toward us, and I saw what my eyes believed at that moment to be a net.  So as not to be caught, we scrambled back to the sled, unseen, I think, for the fire at the damaged wagon was now lit and forced the others to pull the wounded two back from its heat. They never discovered our position.  Now my vision of us caught in a net was of course unfounded, for they came to help their members, yet I’m sure they wondered how their kin became so placed upon the ground.”

Retsbrew asked what happened to the woman and the child, and before Hantar could reply, Atnas said,  “She was scorned by the others for the story she told of the rescue.  At her dwelling she was told to keep.  Many moons later, she left this at the site of the encounter.”  Atnas then held up a large wooden panel, on which was painted the images of five rescuers standing over the little girl.  The depiction was quite accurate.  On the back of the panel was a phrase; no one knew its meaning at first.  But the giant who wore the yellow feather told Atnas the words to mean: My thanks to you!

A Sense of Change

Atnas and Retsbrew were the last to leave the valley, and as they traveled the old path that led across the moors that night, Atnas sensed that Retsbrew was troubled.

“You are not yourself, my friend, this eve.  Are you taken ill?”

Retsbrew replied, “No master, I’m not ill, but have doubt within myself that eats at my spirit.”

“What doubt is this, Retsbrew?”

“Well, there seems to be much that is amiss and I fear for us.  The stones of the bluff are now in jeopardy; you have told us you will be leaving to meet the great one; the giants are surrounding us, making our travel, like this night, always at the time of darkness.  I fear these things, Atnas, and doubt that faith alone can overcome them.  We have never moved the stones… And the giants… What is their purpose in entering every woodland and valley?”

“Ah, you may be the youngest of the lodge brothers, but you are the most perceptive.  Your curiosity is generated by what you witness. I can only tell you that there are many things which you will learn in time; but as for the stones, there has been one occasion when we were called upon to vote and then to move them.  Many years ago, long before you were born to Lady Charlin, the giants decided to build a massive guide light for their seaman.  The site chosen was high on the great clay cliffs of the north, and to our dismay it came to pass that when they dug the foundation, a stone monument much like the one at the bluff was found.   The earth that covered it was witness to the fact that our ancients placed it there, likely just after the great ice retreated."

"Now to that day we did not know of its existence, but as soon as it was uncovered we could sense it being there.  We felt its presence even at great distance. The elders feared the giants having possession of such a powerful formation and voted to move the stones upon nightfall the next day; and it was so done.  The stones were taken to a site further south and after a guidance ceremony, were reburied to the depth where they were found.  They remain there to this day.   Like the bluff stones, we know they had a meaning and held strong special powers.  But unlike the bluff stones, these were found by the giants, so our vote to move them was less troublesome.  The bluff stones are only imperiled by the sea, which is part of this place and who we are.  There lays the difference in what to do; and the question of moving them becomes more difficult."

“Yes, Atnas, I understand, and I know that the giants found other stones near the lodges at the valley of great trees; and recall that you were only able to retrieve one of them.”

“This is true, Retsbrew.  The giants were making their path wider near the range of their great cannons and came upon the monument.  Their master had the others leave the stones in place for the night, and that is when I found them. Knowing I could not wait till morning, I took the stones one by one and so placed them upon their path to cause them confusion and wonder.  The crows stayed with them until the next morning and have told us that the stones were then taken up by these tall ones.  But the bottom sacred stone I was able to carry back with me to a holding lodge, where we thought it would remain safe."

"As to the purpose of the giants, it is not ours to decide or wonder, for the great one continues to send them.  Their children are born in nine moons, but few births among our own have been seen in so many seasons.  I, like you, wonder upon all of this, but I know the spring eagle told us to trust in one of them, and this we must do, for our place here may well depend upon that faith."

The Taking of Time

The elders gathered in the grove of ancient scrub oaks which stood upon the eroding cliff.  It is here where stones were piled many years ago, and for the Nubbins this assemblage of rounded rocks became a way to measure how much of the cliff was taken each winter by the northeast storms.

The crows kept vigil as the little men looked down on the beach, for they knew the tides of the feast season were unusually high and the storm of that final week had likely taken its toll on the steep embankment.  Atnas paced off the distance, and found that the stones were now just 11 cobits* from the edge.  

Hantar recorded the measurement in their log, then told the others, “On this day last more than 24 cobits stood against the sea.  There shall be few comings of the spring eagle before these stones will need to find a new home.”  Some of the elders nodded in agreement, but Retsbrew, who stood away from the group and looked out at the ocean, seemed bothered by that prediction and spoke up.  

“It has never been our place to move the stones.  They were set by those before us, and these markers of our place should remain as they were set.  Our teachings tell us so.” Atnas put his hand on Retsbrew shoulder then walked over to the stones and stood looking at the carefully balanced pile. A moment of silence passed before Atnas offered his own thoughts.  

“We are faced with yet another taking of time.  As Retsbrew has spoken, these were set upon this place long before any of us walked the paths of the great forest.  A question is now before us, and I ask you, do we answer that question or is it not for us to answer?  Is it meant for these stones, put upon this site many moons ago, to be lost to the sea, or do we follow the suggestion of finding them a new home?  We know only through the scrolls that these stones and many others like them were set by those before us.  They mark special places such as these old oaks. They provide direction and a way for all. Yet, perhaps there are some like these that simply measure time, and as they are taken, the distance of our long journey grows shorter.  Or perhaps the stones are meant to be part of that which nourishes the beach to our South, for we know it grows from the sands here taken."

"At the feast next we must decide on how to proceed.  In the meantime, Hantar will keep watch over the stones in case their place here is no longer safe before our decision.  For now, we know that the trophers will return this day and our lodge will be readied by nightfall for the great cat, who will take his new den. Let us return and make ready for that event and our final reading.”

After a mid-day meal of akarn porridge and huckleberry rum, the elders went to the lodge, where Atnas greeted each of them with the hug as was the custom of this last day.  He then called upon Resmis to do the final reading.  Resmis stood and as the glow of the scroll lit their faces, he began to read.  

“It is said that on this twelfth day, three men of great learning and fine wealth, who had met together to find reason for a new star, traveled to find its origin; and after many suns, they came upon the young boy, who now served both his father and his mother.  They were puzzled by his presence, yet knew he was the subject of their search.   The youngster pointed to the star and said to them, “You have come a long way, but your place here is that which you seek.  These fine gifts I give to my father to keep for all time and to share with those who believe.  They will find their way into story, a history to keep. But come now into my house, and meet my mother.  Here you will find peace and a wondrous rest. 

So it is recorded in this sacred scroll.”

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*11 cubits may well be a Nubbin measurement term which we would call ‘cubits’.  11 cubits is a ‘rod’ or 5.5 yards or 16.5 feet.  If in fact this is the case, then the cliff had eroded more than 17 feet since they measured it last.