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!
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