She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep when a noise startled her. Instantly she was alert, her hand dipping into her backpack to grasp her phaser. She looked up, trying to trace the source of the noise. Her eyes focused on the opposite bank. She sat up quickly, sucking in her breath.
A native woman was standing there, staring across the stream at her, a frightened look on her face. Perhaps she had come down for a drink and had seen the sleeping captain. The woman wasn’t naked like all the others Kate had seen from the photos. This one was wearing an animal skin that covered her breasts and another one wrapped around her waist. She was heavy-set, dark and hairy.
Kate wanted to run but felt paralyzed. The woman said something. Her odd language triggered Kate’s brain into action. She slipped her hand off of the pistol and found the Ute. She flicked the switch on the side. The woman repeated her call, but made no attempt to cross the stream.
The captain knew she was still too weak to escape. If the woman was traveling with men, Kate would have to fight her way out. Her hand found the reassuring butt of her phaser again and waited.
The woman turned and called out. From the trees came two other women, dressed similarly to the first. They stopped when they spotted the strange woman. Another one called out to Kate. This time, she felt she couldn’t ignore them.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand you,” she said. “As you can see, I’m not from around here.”
Her language floored the three women. Their voices were raised and in minutes, four other women came out of the trees. No men. That was strange. They not only stared at Kate, but they also looked in the trees up and down the river, as if expecting a trap.
That gave Kate a little hope. It was possible they might share the same enemy—the men who kidnapped her crew. She decided to try a little experiment.
Slowly, she stood and came closer to the edge of the stream, carrying her backpack with her. The women jabbered and backed up. Aha! They were more afraid of her than she was of them. Of course, if she were unarmed, she’d be terrified too.
“It’s OK,” she said, taking her hand out of her backpack and holding both arms up. “I come in peace.” I’ve always wanted to say that.
Now what? she wondered. Kate hesitated to cross the stream. Being surrounded by these women—all of whom seemed taller than her—would be intimidating. Certainly, they’d want to touch her, to feel her smooth skin and pluck at her strange clothes. They might try to grab her pack.
Kate knew it was all about attitude. If she acted afraid, they’d be superior. If she acted like the captain she was, however…
She squared her shoulders and waded across the stream. The women scattered. Some ran back into the trees, others fled up and down the water’s edge. Kate stopped moving immediately. She waited until they began creeping back toward her.
“It’s OK,” she said again. “Talk to me. My Ute needs to hear you.”
Cautiously, they came closer. One woman seemed braver than the rest and approached Kate. She stood about two inches taller than the captain. Her animal skins were adorned with shells that had been tied on with thin strips of bark. On her head, she wore some sort of helmet made out of sections of thick tree bark. It made her look medieval.
She spoke in that strange language. Kate shook her head, then shrugged. She didn’t even know if her gestures meant the same thing here. At least it’s a start.
Another idea occurred to her. She put her hand up to her mouth, feigning hunger. She had food in her pack, but if she could pretend to be lost and hungry, they might sit down with her long enough for the Ute to learn their language.
The woman slowly nodded. She stepped aside and indicated that Kate should accompany them. Kate fell in behind her and the group of women followed. They wound their way through the trees for about a kilometer until they came to a clearing. A firepit was set up in the center, surrounded by lean-tos. There were more women here. Again, no men.
Were they hiding out from the slave traders?
When they spotted Kate, their voices were raised, some in alarm. They surrounded her. As she had expected, they touched her clothes, brushed their hands over her smooth skin. When someone pulled at her backpack, she recoiled and said, “Don’t touch that!”
The shell woman spoke up and the women backed off. Kate nodded to herself—the woman was the leader. She wanted to learn her name. Kate got her attention. Patting her chest, she said, “Kate.” Then she reached out to her. “What’s your name?”
The woman nodded once and said, “Sulala.”
“Sulala,” Kate repeated, nodding. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
Sulala said a few words to two of the women and they scampered off toward one of the lean-tos. She indicated that Kate should sit near the fire. After the searing heat of the plain, the last thing she needed was a fire, but to be polite, she sat, albeit as far away from the flames as possible.
“Fire,” she said, pointing.
“Hobatt,” the woman said.
Kate reached into her backpack and found the Ute. Careful not to let them see it, she pressed the button to record the equivalencies. “Fire, Hobatt,” she repeated. She and Sulala identified three other nouns and programmed them before the two women returned with food.
It was a meager meal. Mostly roots, berries and nuts. There were two bites of a dried meat of unknown origin. It supported her theory. The women were hiding out and they weren’t having much success hunting for food. Kate was savvy enough to know that while for her this could only be considered a snack, to these women, they were presenting her with a banquet. She expressed tremendous gratitude and ate sparingly. She wanted to share some of her pouches of food, but decided to wait. They may not understand why she asked for food when she had some with her.
After she ate, the women seemed to relax a bit. They sat around, chatting to each other, trying to share words with Kate and have some successes. Each time she found an equivalent, she dutifully recorded it into her U.T.
The women eyed her backpack. They were clearly curious to find out what was in it—and why Kate kept reaching into it. After nearly an hour, when their feeble attempts at conversation dragged, Kate decided to show them. She retrieved the Ute from her pack and held it up. The women shrank back, confused.
“No, it’s all right,” she assured them. She checked the device. The display light glowed yellow. Thank god! She thumbed the response switch.
“My name is Kate.” The UT spoke her words in their language. Several of the women screamed, some fled. Only Sulala remained quiet, although she appeared distressed.
“I mean you no harm. This box will help us talk. You may speak now.”
Sulala opened, then closed her mouth. Kate hoped the Ute was able to convey her message. Finally, she said, “What … [unknown] is this?”
She guessed what the Ute had failed to translate. “It’s not magic,” Kate said. “It is a common tool in my country. We use it to talk to new people we meet. Like you.” She indicated all of them. They began drifting back.
“You are … [traveler-lost]?”
Kate nodded. “Yes, from land far away. There are others like me here. They got lost. I must find them.”
“Where did you lose them?”
“In village.” She pointed southwest. The mention of the village frightened the women.
“Many … [enemies-opponents] in Lakapit.”
“I know. My friends are held captive. I must get them.”
Sulala shook her head. “Can not do. Men will take you.”
Kate looked her in the eye. “I must. I am, um, in charge of them.”