The Lost Tribe Pt. 03

"Jason, we found it. Look it's like the others only this one seems to have collapsed a little. That's why she was able to see it from above. Hand me a flashlight."

With flashlights in hand, they entered the cave. The floor was littered with small stones, the handiwork of Morning Dove no doubt, and there were spider webs in various parts of the cave, but for not being used in a very long time, it appeared to be in very good shape.

On one side of the cave there were the remnants of a bed; the vegetation and animal skin blanket were completely dried out and covered with dust. Jason's light fell upon what appeared to be a pile of objects that seemed to be placed almost as a monument to their owner. Carefully using the flashlight to lift the top object he turned to Anna.

"Looks like a loincloth."

"What's that," she asked, pointing to a large leather belt folded onto itself.

"If I'm not mistaken it's a gun belt and a gun." He said as he carefully unfolded the dried out leather. "Look, there's something written on the inside, there's initials, ZH, this belonged to Ezekiel Hawke. He was here, we've got the proof."

"What's that, it looks like some sort of book."

"Give me a little more light." He said as he placed his flashlight down so he could use two hands to pick up the book and carefully open it.

"It's a journal. The journal of Ezekiel Hawke."

While he was slowly placing each of the treasures that they had found into his backpack, Anna reached down to pick up a small leather pouch, which had been hidden under the journal. Pulling on the drawstring, she carefully opened the pouch and spilled its contents into her hand.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"I've only seen one metal that shines like that. It must be. Zeke indeed found his gold. Too bad he was never able to profit from it like his father had done."

Putting the gold back into the pouch, she placed it in Jason's backpack and they quickly swept the rest of the cave for anything else of value. Finding nothing, they turned and left the cave, signaling to Morning Dove that they had found what they were looking for and that they were coming up.

After a cursory look around the rest of the valley, seeing that nothing appeared to be disturbed, they climbed the hidden trail back up to the rim and joined her. After a quick explanation as to what they found, the three hikers headed back the way they had come. It was a very jubilant pair of treasure seekers that joined Carlita and Maria at the dining room table.

While the women examined the rest of the items, Jason began to read the journal. The beginning pages detailed life at the mine. How the miners suffered from the heat, the occasional cave-ins, and the daily boredom of the work.

Jason skipped over some blank pages and discovered what he had hoped he would find.

"My name is Ezekiel Hawke. I was captured by female warriors and held as a prisoner. I don't know if any of the others that were with me survived, I doubt it. The only one who could have gotten away was Samuel Strong. I had sent him to town to pick up supplies just before the attack occurred. I hope he made it.

At first, I thought they were going to kill me too; but when they brought me to who appears to be the tribal priestess; she explained to me in the language of my mother's people that no harm would come to me if I obeyed their rules and performed well. When I asked what they wanted me to do, she would only say that it would done during the full moon.

I had never been with a woman before that first night. They say that too much of a good thing is almost as bad as not having enough. Let me tell you it is a whole lot worse. They had me take four of the young warriors that first night, and only let me stop when I could no longer perform. Then it started again the next night and every night there after until all had had a turn.

Then I was allowed to rest until the next full moon. I was only told that it was my task to get every young warrior pregnant. This went on for nearly eight months before any of them became pregnant. It took three more months before all of them were pregnant. Once they were all pregnant, I thought that they would allow me to leave. The priestess explained to me that none of previous males had ever been allowed to leave. She had argued on my behalf that I should be allowed to remain in the valley if I did what they told me, worked hard and promised to not be with any of the women until the next time they needed me.

I have watched the ten babies that I helped make, grow into young beautiful women. How can they ask me to do that with them? It would be wrong, against everything I was taught.

I have been told that the ceremony, as they have called it, will take place again in six more moons. I don't think I'm going to last that long. I can't work as hard as I used to. If I work for too long a time, I can't breathe. At times, if I bend over and then straighten up, I get dizzy and practically fall over. I've noticed something new, my ankles and feet are beginning to swell if I stay on my feet for too long.

God help me, I only have one moon left before I have to do it again. I do not want to do it; it will kill me for sure. Either way I'm going to die."

Jason looked up; the three women were looking at him as if they knew.

"When we saw the tears begin to run down your cheeks we knew it was over.

___________________________

Jason was brought back to the moment as he turned at the end of the hallway. Directly across from him was the entrance to Ancestry Hall. Opening one of the double doors, he stepped into the room, triggering the lights to turn on. He stood at the entrance, his gaze moved slowly around the room. Carlita had worked her magic once again. The mural ran completely around the room, starting at a height of five feet off the floor and stretched upwards to the twelve-foot-high ceiling. It depicted life in the valley. She had managed to incorporate the likenesses of nearly everyone who had lived there during her lifetime and at Anna's urging, she had placed a pair of identical teenaged twins, walking hand in hand with a red haired teenager. 'His future wives,' Jason thought as a smile came to his face.

Scattered around the room were display cases, revealing the story of the tribe. Joshua Hawke had a large display. His biography was prominently displayed, as well as a copy of his will and the story that it told. The journal of Samuel Strong was featured in the next case. In the next case were the belongings of Ezekiel Hawke, his Colt Peacemaker and holster, along with his loincloth and his pouch of gold. Centered on the top shelf was his journal, brief as it was, it told the story of how the tribe had survived to the present day.

Next came the case displaying the research notes of Jason and Maria, along with a narrative written by Jason about his quest from its start to its ultimate ending. There was also a family tree, which depicted Joshua and his decedents and followed as best as Maria could show it, how each generation was related to the next. It was the craziest family tree that Jason had ever seen; especially when it came down to him, his children, and his children by his children; not to mention his three wives.

Finally, there was a bookcase containing books written about the Pima and the Hohokam Indians and two computer workstations for additional research. In the center of the room was a long conference table and chairs, along with two groupings of casual chairs for reading or just meditation and contemplation.

Noise coming from the kitchen broke Jason's train of thought. With a contented sigh, he turned, shut the lights, and went to investigate what the commotion was all about.

When he entered the kitchen he discovered that nothing was out of the ordinary, it was just the morning crew coming to work to begin the preparations for breakfast for sixty tribesmen and guests. They would also be preparing the banquet hall for this evening's event.

___________________________

Jason sat at the head table along with Anna, Maria, and Carlita. As he gazed out over the assembled tribe and guests, he could not help the feeling of pride that filled his heart. These were his people and he was proud of all of them and what they had accomplished. He also realized that of the original members of the tribe that had left the valley that night, thirty-nine remained, and of those, twenty-eight were his children.

Satisfied that it was time, he stood and moved to the podium.

"May I have your attention please?" When everyone became quiet, he began to speak.

"I want to thank you all for coming tonight. This is truly a momentous occasion. We are here to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of our tribe's exodus from the valley and our entrance into the modern world. Ladies and gentlemen, and I couldn't always say that, I would like you all to rise for a moment of silence as we give thanks to the Great Spirit for guiding us along our journey."

The entire room rose as one and a moment of silence was observed.

"Thank you, please remain standing as we remember those who have passed before us, those whose ashes remain in the valley of the dead, but whose spirits have joined with the Great Spirit. I would also like to add to those, Starry Sky, who is the only member to pass over from those who first settled here with us.

"Thank you.

"Something like what we have accomplished is not the result of one person. I would like to thank the three women that are seated at the table with me. Without their help, none of this would have been possible. Please stand when I call your name. Anna, Soaring Eagle, the last High Priestess of the tribe, my first wife, was given a daunting task as a child. She was sent to live among the moderns to learn their language and their ways. Then she returned to the tribe to learn the language and the ways of the tribe. She was also given the knowledge that she was destined to be the last High Priestess and would see the tribe leave the valley. She lived her life among you, knowing what was going to happen, but not knowing when. It was her task to hold the tribe together until everything was ready.

"Maria and Carlita, the twins who were banished from the tribe at their birth and grew up with Anna as sisters; they were given the task of assisting their sister from afar. They were told to look for the one who was going to be searching for the tribe and to steer him towards his goal. They did a superb job and once they succeeded, were asked to be my keepers. I thank the Great Spirit that they were able to convince me that it would be far better for us all to become lovers and ultimately, they too, became my wives.

"Jenny and Becky Hawke, my loving daughters; they had to put up with our most unusual family life; always having to explain why their mothers had the same husband. They volunteered to become part of this tribe, first as young helpers during those first days here. Then, after their education, they came back to live and work among us. Jenny, or should I say Dr. Jennifer Hawke has run our clinic for the last ten years. Becky Hawke has been the only teacher that our school has ever had. She has educated both children and adults for over fifteen years.

"I think they all deserve our profound thanks for a job well done."

When the applause died down, he continued.

"We have come a long way in the last twenty years. I will go by generation starting with the eldest. Starry Sky was the only one of her generation to leave the valley. As an elder of the tribe, she felt she was too old to learn a new language, but that did not stop her from helping in the kitchen and the school whenever she could. She adored all the children, especially her daughter, Angry Sky and her granddaughter. On a personal note, 'Starry, I kept my promise.'

"The next generation, who I'll call, the first warriors, were twenty-two when I first met them. They had never met a man before and were very curious indeed. 'Right, Morning Dove'. They came to our village as grandmothers, already set in their ways. Yet, all eventually learned English and most received their high school equivalency certificates. They worked here in the village, some in the kitchen, some in the gym and spa, some as guards at the entry gate, and some as lifeguards at the pools.

"The next generation can only be called the impatient ones. For them the modern world was an ever-present temptress calling to them. They grew up fast and were very opinionated. Moreover, thanks to Angry Sky and Summer Rain, they were the most knowledgeable in the relations between a man and a woman of all the generations before the ceremony. They were the catalysts for the exodus from the valley, and once here, they adapted quickly to the modern world. So much so, that several of them left the village choosing to live totally in the modern world. Some married and had additional children. All have returned here for tonight's celebration and I am pleased to say that several have indicated that they would like to return to the village. Know that all are welcome to return.

"Finally, we have the babies. They came here as infants, having never known anything of life in the valley. They have had the easiest time adapting to life in the modern world. They grew up speaking two languages, English, the language they were taught in preschool and school, and Pima, the first language of their mothers and grandmothers. They grew up with all the modern conveniences and have seen first-hand the technology revolution. They graduated from our school, went on to high school and college, some will go on even further as well. They are truly adults of the twenty-first century.

"One more note, one of the babies, the child of Summer Rain and her husband, Michael, is the first male child to be born to any member of our tribe in at least one hundred years. Anna's grandmother, Running Deer, told us that no male child had ever been born in her lifetime. And, no, he does not have red hair. It is a good thing that he was not born up in the valley, can you imagine what his life would have been like having thirteen sisters all the same age. Life certainly would never have been boring that is for sure. I almost forgot, they have named him Joshua.

"One more thing, while you're here, take some time to study our history in our Ancestry Hall. For you husbands and boyfriends in the group, it will be especially useful in understanding what motivates the actions of your wives or girlfriends.

"On that note I'd like to close my remarks, so we can enjoy all the great food and drinks that have been provided for us.

"As of this moment, I declare that our transition into the modern world is complete."

The End

I want to thank you for reading my story. I would appreciate any comments that you care to make. This has been my COVID 19 story. It has been what has kept me sane for all these months.

SR