Trekmaster. James B. Johnson

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СКАЧАТЬ we move the many kilometers or miles I can never keep them straight with baggage and women and children and lodges to the west to look for better hunting grounds.

      The sharp lava had cut my feet through the hide sandals, and I feared I would lose the left foot. Nor did I make it to the bottom of the gorge as Jones had done. An encounter with a killer snarv took my left eye. I saw no food and I could not go any farther so I returned and we moved our long-time encampment.

      —from Commandante Walter Hernandez Fernando Coronado:

      Yep, we run them injuns off and took this fine farm land. Some little distance from the west coast, but upon a fine plain of its own. Protected on two sides by mountains with a river running between them across our plain. My servant, old Bearpaw, tells tales of strange creatures which we’ve heard was our legacy from the Before Time when our ancestores flew here from the stars and earthe and all, not real interesting if you got to go out and slaughter a sheepalo for evening chow and all, but what the hell, I got Bearpaw for that work, don’t I? Anyway, Bearpaw’s a good old boy and him and me we get along fine, he’s almost convinced me to go to see myself for the adventure. He acts like it’s something he’s gotta do before he ups and dies, but I am tired of working the fields and making other people work them fields so I just might take him up on it.

      ...so together, me and Bearpaw made it up the second ridge. I’ll tell you, hadn’t it been for Bearpaw, may he rest in peace, I’d of never made it half that far, but I couldn’t very well let a injun do something that I couldn’t do, could I?? That there gorge—a real devil’s dip—was full of snarves, and so was about the first third of the big ridge. The second third of the big ridge was strange vapors, killing vapors, some of which burned eternally flames. No single one man could have lived through that alone. Bear Ridge grows some tough hombres, but.... Anyway, the third tier was hell on weather. Stuff I din’t really understand. But on we went and Christ it was cold as the cellars of hell. Bearpaw was like a man driven by hordes of deevils. Atop Big Bear Ridge, there was this flat place, see? Wind blowing like God was awailing. !But the view! On the other side of the big ridge, what land!! Looked like you could drop seeds on the ground and they’d grow right there without no supervision or any of that farming crap. But clouds and weather moved in ‘tween and couldn’t see no more.

      ...damn near frozen when we sat to rest it was so high a altitude and Bearpaw, he just stood there and here came these whistles and Bearpaw dropped the vine ropes he was reweaving and ran to them and I never saw him again. Frightening apparitions, the devil’s work. Fat, like inflated sheepalo bladders. Strangest thing I ever seen. I started to follow but they was all gone quick, the two of Them and old Bearpaw, who I’d really got to like even if he was a injun and all. Would of liked to see them better.

      ...one of Them had dropped this stone, see? It was blue with red fire in it and seemed to dance about...or was it red with blue fire dancing? It seemed to change so often, you coun’t really tell....

      —from Chief Mathiew Mohammed Bearpaw II:

      My grandfather had called from the dreamworld and I knew what I had to do. First we hunters gathered and provided food for our people for weeks then we burned their crops and scared them off and out of our land. This old mexican man made me take this book and read it. He said I’d know what to do with it. And then I read it and was amazed and had to retrace some of the writings to see ’em, will add pages later it is so interesting.

      ...on this day I go out to find my grandfather. Or his spirit.

      ...never did find him. but there was this gem, just like old Coronado had and we had buried with him for it was our and his customs, and the people thought that it was okay since maybe it contained his spirit and nobody wanted to cart around another man’s spirit and ail.

      ...though the snarv had almost disembowled me, I found this stream and the minnows ate most of the maggots out that I hadn’t ate and I healed well enough...never did understand, for I sensed them around me when I lay unconscious and almost dying. It could have been them for I crossed the first ridge with the help of God and in Devil’s Dip that damn snarv got me—and then I woke and found myself back on this the human side of the ridges...grandfather Bearpaw’s spirit?????

      —from Alyouishes Longstreet:

      I was the only one who climbed the mother of the mountain; and they’ll probably try again next year when the season is right, but knowing what I do, none of those wimpish limp-dicks will ever return, you gotta be tough, and I mean mean.

      —from Sir Lance Phillips:

      ...of my brothers, I saw nothing after I surpast them in the climbing. Doubtless, their bones add to the soil on the ridges or in the gorge. And the stone? Well and fine it was, almost a gift and I had nothing to give in return, but he seemed, if it was a he, a right fine fellow. And you know? I sort of understood what he was telling me, though the grunts and motions and whistles and sniffs he seemed to be using to communicate were certainly out of my experience. But I felt good about our companionship, you know? Too bad there ain’t a lot of them poor indians left, maybe they couida helped explain. His eyes, like some fish, capable of seeing 2 ways at once. Do their minds register 2 pictures? He....(Note: remainder of this section obliterated with black substance which could have been blood. Francisco Shepherd)

      —from Mark Trevan:

      ...so my father, the King, dispatched all his children—save the girls—and whoever came back first would be King after him. But we had to have proof and obviously the proof is in the gem.

      ...would have made it too, goddamn their tough hides. Damn sister hadn’t beaten me to it. Amazing Grace had disobeyed father. Maybe old Aygee had talked or communicated better with them, those strange ones, weather was horrible, poor sister, and she fell down on this side of Teddy Bear ridge and broke her neck. I buried her there, and took her gem, for I was certain father wouldn’t want a girl to take over the kingdom, which he renamed for the stone I then carried to Crimson Sapphire. And I was correct, he believed I had made the Trek, which I had, and I told the truth. After all, I could have lied, could I not?

      ...and both my sons, the twins, returned alive, too, which was unusual since I had not completed the Trek myself and knew what it was like? Now I am pressed with making a decision about a successor before I allow them to write in this here log?

      —from Francisco Shepherd:

      Forced out of the mountains, we migrated to Crimson Sapphire, and brought our books with us. The joint rule of the twins had torn the kingdom asunder and there were no further entries in the Log. I, the youngest son, had worked my way up in the army for a while and, then discovering my book learning (for did not our family religiously maintain secret and sacred tomes for our children?) the generals took me as an advisor. In that capacity, I was able to locate more written word. My position became quite secure. Because of the fine army, we had no competitors within our territory now—but the twins were ruining the kingdom with their bickering. The generals asked me for a solution and did not like my answer. Learning? Education? These qualifications for the Kingship? Not hardly, they replied. These were fine fighting men and understood only the sword and bow and tactics. I could, at least, applaud their loyalty to Crimson Sapphire in not overthrowing the twins. For they were smart men and saw the example of what had happened to the twins. The Trek book interested them and they were intelligent enough to choose from royal blood or at least blood of nobility for continuity of the crown. Unfortunately, by that time, I was a nobleman, and when the plan was announced, my son determined to go.

      Though I am not a Trekmaster myself, I make these entries in the interest of both history and continuity since the twins failed to carry out their responsibilities in these pages.

      My son, I am now proud to СКАЧАТЬ