The Land of Painted Caves - Jean M. Auel [109]
Ayla kept the horses at a slow walk so as not to tire them. Zelandoni talked to Jondalar, who felt like walking and had gotten off Racer and was leading the brown horse along the marked trail. It was a rigorous uphill climb and as they ascended, the landscape changed with deciduous trees that became brush that was interspersed with taller conifers. Wolf kept disappearing into the woods, then would materialize from another direction.
After about five miles, the trail led them to the entrance of a large cave high up in the hills of the watershed between The River and West River. It was well into the afternoon by the time they reached the place.
“That was much easier than walking up,” Zelandoni said as she stepped down from her seat on the pole-drag, not even waiting for help from Jondalar this time.
“When do you want to go in?” Jondalar asked, going to the entrance and looking in.
“Not until tomorrow,” Zelandoni said. “It’s a long way in. It will take all day to go in and come back.”
“Do you plan to go all the way in?”
“Oh, yes. All the way to the back.”
“Then we should probably set up camp here since we’ll be staying at least two nights,” Jondalar said.
“It’s still early. After we set up camp, I think I’ll look and see what is growing around here,” Ayla said. “I may find something nice for our evening meal.”
“I’m sure you will,” Jondalar said.
“Do you want to come? We can all go,” Ayla said.
“No. I’ve already seen some outcroppings of flint coming out of the rock walls, and I know there’s some inside the cave, too,” Jondalar said. “I’m going to take a torch and go in and look.”
“What about you, Zelandoni?” Ayla said.
“I don’t think so. I want to meditate a bit about this cave, and I want to check the torches and lamps and think about how many we will need. And what else we should bring in with us,” the One Who Was First said.
“It looks like a huge cave,” Ayla said, stepping inside, peering into the darkness, then looking up at the roof.
Jondalar followed her in. “Look, here’s another piece of flint coming out of the wall, right near the entrance. I’m sure there’s more deeper inside,” he said, his excitement evident from the sound of his voice. “It would be heavy to carry very much of it out, though.”
“Is it this high all the way in?” Ayla asked the woman.
“Yes, more or less, except at the very end. This is more than a cave. It is a huge cavern—actually there are many large rooms and tunnels. There are even lower levels, but we won’t need to explore them this time. Cave bears have come in here in winter; you can see their wallows and scratchings on the walls,” the First said.
“Is it big enough for the horses to walk in?” Ayla asked. “Maybe with a pole-drag, so we could take some of Jondalar’s flint out?”
“I think so,” Zelandoni said.
“We’ll have to make blaze marks on our way in to make sure we can find our way out,” Jondalar said.
“I’m sure Wolf could help us get out if we get turned around,” Ayla said.
“Will he come in with us?” Zelandoni asked.
“If I ask him to,” Ayla said.
The area had obviously been used before; outside the entrance, the ground in places had been leveled, and several fireplaces set up, evident by the ashes and charcoal, and fire-burned rocks around them. They selected one to reuse, but added stones from another one around the edge, and made a spit for roasting using some forked branches wedged in with stones and greenwood sticks that would be used to impale the food. Jondalar and Ayla unhitched the horses, removed their halters, and led them to an open patch of grass nearby. They could take care of themselves, and would come at the sound of their whistles.
Then they all set up a traveling tent