Chapter 2: Exhaustion
It had been fifteen springs sense Thirsty Horse was born and twelve summers when the first trees appeared beside the now beloved Horse Knee River that snakes down to the bottom of the Great Basin. Slowly the small pond grew to a very large and a very deep lake. Somehow, somewhere little fish started to appear along the shoreline of the new Great Lake.
Two summers ago the Great Lake stopped rising, the shoreline had remained at the same level. The chief elders and a couple of the Ancient Ones, the ageless Grandfathers, decided to follow the shore line toward the rising of the sun. They knew that the water must have been going someplace, filling another basin or possibly making wending river. It could also be going back underground. They knew something was happening to excess water; otherwise the Great Lake would still be growing.
A great forest started to grow; many of the trees are now very tall, as high as six men standing on top of the one others' shoulders. Most these trees remained green year round and the leaves are like needles’ growing in bunches on every branch. The Ageless Grandfathers said that they are called “Pine Trees,” or “Evergreen Trees”.
Birds also began to show up when the trees were just two men tall. They ranged in all sorts, sizes, and shapes making their nests in these tall trees. Each type of the bird groups has their own song that they would whistle and or chirp to each other. Many other birds started to show as well, many of these birds swam upon the waters, making their nests along the shoreline or making island nests that would float on top of the shore line yet remain in waters.
Other wild creatures slowly started to appear. There were at first small furry creatures, and then larger creatures started to appear, including small gray and red haired dogs called foxes. Something was calling them back to their ancestral home. Maybe it was the waters that were beckoning them back. Whatever the case may have been, hunting was becoming better, and food was becoming bountiful again.
The Ancient Ones began to teach the elders of the great tribe how to hunt and what animals was to be gathered for food and clothing. The elders in turn began to teach their offspring how to gather food and at the same time respect the wilderness as a home and a special gift given by Great Father.
Tong and his friends would often seek permission to go out, to practice their skills in hunting and tracking wild game. They are always reminded to take only what could be eaten in a single meal. They are also reminded to take plenty of water for drinking and to rest often, so they would not be overcome by the summer heat.
Because the young men have their tribal testing during their thirteenth year, they were considered to be men or warriors within the tribe. These tests consisted of following an animal’s trial, survival in the wilderness for seven sun rises, seven sunsets while not getting lost. They had to put into practice all their survival skills they had learned growing up. These young men were sent out in-groups of four or five, depending upon the number of “young men” that is to be tested this was to make sure that no one was to go out alone. The final test was bravery.
Each young candidate was to be escorted deep into the woods and was instructed to go further in a certain direction. He was not to stop until the sun had set. This young candidate was to remain alone in the woods all night and have no fire once he had eaten his evening meal. Each was to be judged fit, courageous and unwavering in his duties. Once having been judged fit according to the traditions of the elders, he would become an adult male of the tribe. Not one candidate knew that an elder or his father had followed him into the wildness. The elder or father was to observe the candidate and to protect him if need be. Not one warrior knew how he was being judged but he would now he had either passed or failed the test.
Today Thirsty Horse and two of his friends left to hunt for a large game, like a deer for the mid-summer feast. Taking their horses and plenty of water they set out toward the south to following Horse Knee River to its source. They then turn toward the west skirting the edge of the great barren region to the south.
About noon they sought out some shade to eat a small meal. They hobbled their mounts before they allowed them to graze. While the your warriors were eating their deer jerky, a cellaret of a person appeared from the desert staggering, falling to his hands and knees. Slowly this person rose to his feet only to collapse face down. The three young men set there watching this stranger, to see if he could get back up onto his feet. He did not move.
Joseph McNair rose to his feet first and rushed out to the fallen stranger, in order of not spooking the horse and gathered up the reins. Before he mounted the horse he checked for his many water bags. He then rode the horse onto the desert toward Joseph, Crippled Deer, and the fallen stranger.
As he arrived, Crippled Deer looked up and said, “This person, this man is sick. I think he had too much sun.”
Thirsty Horse asked, “How do you know? “ Realizing that it should be obvious from the direction he was coming from.
“Outside of walking in the desert, responds Crippled Deer. “He is very pale and cool to the touch. I don’t think he has much of a fever but he is not breathing very well, very shallow and it appears that he is having the cramps. I also believe he might be suffering from severe heat exhaustion, almost heat stroke.”
Thirsty Horse dismounts and the three young men lift the stranger up, laying him crosswise on the horse. They head toward the wooded area for shade and gently pulled the man down until the stranger’s feet touched the ground. Crippled Deer remove his own blanket from the back of his saddle while Joseph removes one of his full water bags from his horse. Thirsty Horse continues to hold the man up on his feet so that Crippled Deer could wrap the blanket around him. The two young men lower the man down onto the ground, while Joseph begins to pour water over the man and the blanket. Thirty Horse and Crippled Deer removed their own water bottles from the saddles and begin to pour water onto the blanket and all. Thirsty Horse and Joseph sent Crippled Deer back to the community for help and more water.
While they waited, this stranger’s face remained pale looking, and was still drowsy. For several hours they kept the man and the blanket moist and done everything they could to keep him cool.
By evening Crippled Deer finally returns with the medicine man and two elders. One of the women came along to assist with the care of the stranger. The elders constructed a stretcher that is to be pulled behind one of the horses. While all this was going on the stranger was starting to feel better. Even though he is still weak, it has been decided that more water was to be dispense on him and the blanket.
When the stretcher was ready he was loaded onto it very gently. Even though the ride was rough going, the rescue party took their time to ensure the safety of this stranger. They had to know from where he had come from.
To be continued.....Stay tuned!
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