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Saturday, May 25, 2013

The Hunting Trip

          The first day of our hunting trip was a beautiful day to be outdoors. White, puffy clouds decorated the sky. The chirping and chattering of birds could be heard coming from all directions. The forest was filled with endless pine trees, ash, and maples. The abundance of green leaves and pine needles made it difficult for me to see too deep into the woods. I began to wonder how I would be able to shoot any arrows accurately in this thick environment.
          “These woods haven’t been cleared for years,” said Tisquantum. “The people who used to do the burning have all passed away from the plague.”
          “What do you mean, burning?” I asked.
          “They’ll burn part of the forest each season to keep it from growing too thick. If one part is burned one season, it will be left to regrow the following season while another part is burned.”
          “And now there aren’t enough people to do this?”
          “Not yet. And the forest can grow back quickly. Sometimes faster than a village can grow back.”
          
          “Eat no fish today,” Quadequina told me the day before we left, “for tomorrow we hunt.”
          “Why no fish?” I asked.
          “The deer can smell your breath,” he said. I thought he was joking, but he was dead serious. A few other men joined our hunting party, and none of them ate fish or smoked tobacco the day before we left. We woke up early on hunting day, and I took a bath in one of the cold creeks nearby. It was cold as ice, but it sharpened my senses. Our hunting party included Quadequina and Tisquantum, three other Pokanoket men, and Oguina. I found out that it actually wasn’t that rare for women to sometimes join a hunting party. If larger animals were killed, the women would help skin and butcher the beast on the spot and then help haul it back to the village.
          After our baths, we rubbed some musky-smelling leaves and flowers on our arms and legs and put on our breech-clouts. Wearing little clothing made us more sensitive to our surroundings and more apt to pay attention to rustling twigs or crunching leaves. We drank plenty of water, but ate just a small breakfast of maize and deer jerky.
          “Be always on the alert,” said Tisquantum. “Look for the deer in every object you see. A hundred deer will see you before you see one. When you find that one, you must act first.”
          We were blessed by the village shaman, and off we went, heading west into the trees. There was no speaking once we were far out from the village. I wore green and black face paint and had my hair and skin slicked with fresh oil to keep off the mosquitoes. We tracked quietly through the woods in a spread out rectangle formation. We used voiceless signals for communication such as sign language and low whistles. I was taught to walk with precision. Every step was checked. Every moving branch or spot of color in the forest was studied patiently, no matter how far off in the distance it was. We hunted up wind so the animals ahead couldn’t smell us while also trying to keep between the animals and the sun so we had the best light.
 
      Tisquantum told me earlier about some of the different methods the Pokanoket used to capture deer. It wasn’t always possible to simply track one down and shoot it with arrows. Ingenuity was often required. Sometimes the Indians would cover their heads with grass or reeds and then crawl up on a deer in the open until they were within fifteen or even ten yards, and then rise up to a kneeling position quickly and fire their arrows or throw a spear. Sometimes a group of Indians would encircle the deer from various directions, herding it towards a river or lake to trap it where it might be captured in a net or shot down.
          I started out that first trip with small targets. I tried hitting a squirrel. Then a bird. No success on either, but I was getting closer. We made camp on the first night in an open field and slept under the stars. We had a small fire pit where Quadequina roasted the squirrels that he and Oguina had killed. We unstrung our bows at night to keep the shape of both the bow and the sinew firm. The sinew had to constantly be checked for stretching because it was apt to loosen if it became wet or too hot. Checking our arrows each night was also a must because over the course of a day’s hike the feathers or heads might become unsettled or loose. While we attended to our gear, Tisquantum quietly told us stories about the amazing things he had seen in Europe, but I was so exhausted I fell asleep before he was finished.  

--from Time Trip #3: 
Witness to the First Thanksgiving




TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4
KILLING FOR COUNTRY  
Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1
THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 
Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2
A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3
WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 
Available at Amazon.com!  

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Under Siege


Then the children watched as a gang of young men dressed in brown shirts and pants approached the synagogue just a few doors away and began throwing bricks through all the windows.
“No!” Marga gasped.
Other villagers threw torches into the synagogue and within seconds a large fire began to swell inside the sanctuary. Soon the flames were burning through the wooden roof.
“Who are those people?” asked Zammie.
“I don’t know,” said Marga. “I don’t recognize any of them.”
Marga noticed a few of the men who were wearing brown military shirts began walking towards her house. Nearly everyone in the street was carrying a torch in one hand and a large rock in the other.
“They’re coming this way!” said Marga.
“Are they gonna hurt us?” asked Susan. Her eyes were filled with terror.
Marga could hear her father and Grandpa talking downstairs. “Let’s go downstairs. Follow me!” she said.
Marga led the other children out of her room and down the hardwood steps. When the children arrived downstairs they found Frederick, Edith, and the Grandparents standing in the dark. They were all looking out the front windows.
“Stay back!” said Edith when she saw Marga.

“What are they doing, mother? Why are they burning the synagogue?” asked Marga.
At that moment a brick flew through the kitchen window with a loud crash and landed on the floor. Susan began crying and ran to her mother.
“Everyone, this way!” said Frederick. He herded his parents and the children towards a small room in the back of the house just as a second brick flew through another window and landed on the floor next to Zammie’s feet. Chipped shards from the brick and glass shot up and stung Zammie’s bare shins on impact. He was grateful he had put his shoes back on.
“Watch out, Zammie! Are you okay?” asked Kyla.
“I’m fine. Follow Mister Silbermann!”
Everyone went into the small room. Frederick kept the door open a little to make sure no torches were thrown inside the house. Grandma and Grandpa held each other close. Edith held one daughter in each of her arms. All three of them had tears streaming down their faces.

--from Time Trip #4: Killing for Country




TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4
KILLING FOR COUNTRY  
Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1
THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 
Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2
A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3
WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 
Available at Amazon.com!  






Thursday, May 2, 2013

Bonsai!


The three children walked along the streets through the busy market area until they turned along a narrow road leading past a tram station and into a residential neighborhood. The houses were larger than the ones the cousins had seen ten years earlier. They had all been built within the previous few years and they still looked new.
Sadako’s house was a split-level structure made of bamboo and plaster with one side built up to three stories. There was a plum tree out front next to two bonsai trees. One was manicured into the typical “informal upright” style but the other was formed using the bankan or “twisted” technique where the trunk zig-zags back and forth towards the top. Narrow walk paths marked with rounded stones and green vegetation led from house to house. It was a peaceful neighborhood, but the nearby tram station disrupted the tranquility each time one of the cars rolled in for a stop.

          Sadako led the two cousins up onto the wooden porch of her home. Various pairs of sandals and shoes were lined up near the sliding door. Sadako took her shoes off and quickly flipped them towards the end of the line. Zammie and Kyla placed their shoes down with a little more care. Sadako threw the front door open and walked inside.
          “Mom! I’m home!”

--from Time Trip #4: Killing For Country




TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4
KILLING FOR COUNTRY  
Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1
THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 
Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2
A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3
WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 
Available at Amazon.com!