The Land of Painted Caves - Jean M. Auel [357]
36
“Mother! Mother! ’Thona is here! Grandam finally came!” Jonayla cried, running into their lodge to announce the news, and then running out again. Wolf followed her in and out again.
Ayla stopped to think about how many days it had been since she had asked to have someone go for Marthona. She touched a finger to her leg as she thought about each day, and could count only four. Marthona must have been eager to come, as Ayla knew she would be, if a way could be found to get her here. She stepped out of the lodge just as four young men of approximately the same height lowered the stretcher on which Marthona was sitting from their shoulders to the ground. Two of them were Jondalar’s apprentices; the other two were friends who happened to be nearby when the request for litter bearers was made.
Ayla looked at the contrivance upon which Marthona had been carried to the Summer Meeting. It consisted of two poles from straight young alder trees, placed parallel to each other with strong rope woven across them diagonally, creating a diamond pattern. Shorter shafts were woven through the ropes at intervals between the long poles to give some added stability. Ayla was sure that Marthona, who was an experienced weaver, had a hand in making it. The woman sat on a couple of cushions near the back and Ayla reached out a hand to help her stand up. Marthona thanked the young men as well as several others, who apparently had traded off the job of carrying the former leader.
They had spent the night before in the small valley of the Fifth Cave with the few people from that group who had stayed back from the meeting, along with one of their Zelandoni’s acolytes. They were all quite interested in Marthona’s mode of transportation. A couple of them wondered to themselves if they could find some young men who might be willing to carry them to a Summer Meeting. Most of them would have liked to attend; they all felt they were missing out when they had to stay back because they were not able to walk the distance on their own legs.
When Jondalar’s apprentices brought the stretcher into the lodge, it occurred to Ayla that their services might still be needed. “Hartaman, would you and Zachadal, and maybe some of the others be willing to carry Marthona around the Camp, if she needs you? The walk from here to the zelandonia lodge and some of the other camps might be a little too far for her,” Ayla said.
“Just let us know when you need us,” Hartaman said. “It might be best if you could tell us in advance, but there is likely to be at least one of us around most of the time. I’ll talk to some of the others and see if we can work out a way to make sure someone is here who can go and get more to help.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Marthona said. She had heard Ayla’s request as she walked in the entrance. “But I don’t want to keep you from your own activities.”
“There isn’t that much to do anymore,” Hartaman said. “Some people are planning to go hunting, or visiting relatives, or back home soon. Most of the ceremonies and feasts are over, except for the Late Matrimonial and whatever big event the zelandonia are preparing now, and no one seems able to find Jondalar lately, but he always does more training in the winter anyway. It’s fun to carry you around, Marthona,” Hartaman said, with a grin. “You can’t believe how much attention we got just walking into Camp with you.”
“Well, it seems I’ve become a new amusement,” Marthona said, smiling back. “As long as you really don’t mind, I may call upon you for your help now and then. I’ll tell you the truth, I can walk much better for short distances, but I can’t go very far even with a walking stick, and I hate slowing everyone else down.”
Folara suddenly came bursting into the summer lodge. “Mother! You’re here! Someone just told me you had come to the Summer Meeting. I didn’t even know