Carack

Ch5 p3

Cam walked someway along the ridge before turning and going up hill for a short time and then he turned back toward the river, then scrambling down a bank he re-entered the river and Gerent followed. Ahead of them, wading in the waist high current down stream, he could see Wampa and then, mysteriously, Wampa seemed to suddenly disappear from sight.  As they approached the place where he had disappeared the roaring noise told Gerent that they were at the edge of the falls.

‘No,’ he said to Cam, ‘No you can’t be serious! We can’t jump, its suicide!’

‘The pool below is deep, as boys we have all played here, you see how Wampa went most willingly, you’ll find it safe enough. Jump!’ said Cam.

‘No!’ said Gerent backing up.

‘Jump!’ came N’zar’s stern voice from behind him and Gerent felt himself given a mighty shove that sent him into space and falling down with the cascading water.

The plunge into the deep pool took his breath away as the water was icy and the roaring noise drummed in his ears. He felt himself pushed under by the weight of the descending water and then tumbled around like an odd sock in his mother’s washing machine. He banged his knee on a rock and came to the surface gasping for air. He was pulled along in the river rapids and washed around bends hitting rocks on the way down. After what seemed an age and after much buffeting he felt a gravely riverbed beneath him and panting from the exertion of fighting the river, he scrambled to stand up. Glancing around he saw Wampa climbing out onto the bank just downstream, by a clump of trees and so, tired and soaked he made his way to join him.

‘N’zar pushed me!’ he complained in an angry voice to Wampa.

‘Yes, that’ll be the way of him’ said Wampa, totally undisturbed by this news and concentrating on spreading his cloak out to dry. Next, a dripping Cam joined them on the bank, who was followed a few minutes later by N’zar.

‘We must lose no time,’ said N’zar before Gerent had a chance to complain about his treatment at the waterfall, ‘Lest we give up our advantage, perforce we must keep going. Make sure thou dost dry out as much as possible as we traverse this open ground under the sun.’ He led the way in a brisk march.

‘Well!’ said Gerent and fell in behind, ‘I just hope my mail shirt doesn’t rust that’s all!’ Cam turned round.

‘You have a hauberk on?’ he asked in wonder, ‘Lucky you didn’t drown then!’

‘Thanks a bunch!’ said Gerent disgruntled. The march went on in silence for some time; the movement and the sun meant that Gerents bandages were only wet with sweat by the time N’zar called a halt for a rest. While they sat, near a small brook under the edge of the trees at the foot of a hill, Cam climbed a tree to check on their pursuers.

‘No sight, no sound, no sign.’ he said when he came back down.

‘Tis good,’ said N’zar, ‘Wampa thy idea worked, well done. Now must we seek food and then some place of shelter where we can safely spend the night. Methinks we cannot try any of the local farmers for aid; they’d either betray us or be put at risk by our presence. Tis possible we must sleep out tonight, up in these woods I think. As for food, tis too early for berries and too dry for stalks, twill be hard but we must gather what we can to eat raw, as a fire wouldst be a sure signal of our location.’  After they had all had a drink from the stream they set off once more. N’zar led the way uphill back under the trees, it was cooland pleasant to begin with and aided the uphill climb.

There was little breath for talk as they went along and Gerent watched in awe as Wampa stepped aside every now and then to pick leaves, which he tucked in his cloak. Gerent had no idea what plant life was edible unless it came in cellophane wrapping with an ‘eat by’ date on it. He realised that Wampa was not as simple as he had first thought when they met on the knoll. Gerent’s sandals gave out at last during the climb and he eventually un-strapped them to walk barefoot, suppressing the frequent cries he wished to give as he trod on thorns or stones. By the time N’zar found a small fern enclosed clearing for them to rest in for the night Gerent’s feet were bleeding from several small cuts. They sat around in tired silence and Wampa shared out the leaves that he had found to eat.

‘They are not very pleasant tasting like,’ he said in an apologetic tone, ‘but they be whollsome enough.’ Gerent thought they were the sourest tasting things he had ever had, but like the others, he was grateful for anything. He thought about the last day at the castle, the amount of food at the feast and his ‘light lunch’ with Morvah. Recollecting Morvah made him shudder and be glad that they had got away, now all he had to do was convince N’zar that he was on his side. Although even to himself he could not explain why he had been so enamoured and suportive of Madron and Morvah one minute and not the next. If he could not explain it to himself, he reasoned, how could he explain it to anyone else? Once they had finished eating Cam and N’zar went to scout the area to ensure they had not been followed and that they would be safe there the night. Wampa told Gerent that they had covered enough ground to be well away from the castle and that no one came this way, as people did not like this area of the woodland. Gerent found tiredness overtaking him and when N’zar and Cam arrived back, saying it was safe for all that they could see, he was glad to be able to just roll over and try to sleep.