own plot of land surrounding it. The houses were more traditional to the accepted impression of jungle tribes, in that they appeared to have been made from mud and then glazed, with straw rooves covering them. They were of differing sizes but none could be described as small.
People emerged from the buildings as the tribesmen passed with their prisoners. Ignatious noted that, like all the other tribes they had encountered, the adult women were naked to the waist with girls of all ages varying between complete nakedness and half nakedness. The same applied to the males but Ignatious’s eyes were drawn to the opposite sex. He would need to concentrate on his prayers if he and his party were allowed to live.
Going on through the streets, a throng of villagers joining the troupe as they went, they finally came upon what appeared to be a village square. Unusually, though, it was situated at the rear of the village rather than the centre, and it backed onto an ever-steepening hill covered by a carpet of greenery to its top. At the foot of the hill and opposite where they now stood, was a short porch made of natural woods from the area, and this covered a wide door made from the same timbers.
As they stood, uncertain of what was to come next, the door opened and a very tall man appeared, dressed in a colourful gown that reached to the ground, covering his feet. His skin was of an even more prominent gold than the captors. Again, the features were more European than Indian and he stood around seven feet tall, the average of the tribe being something in the region of five feet ten to six feet. Clean-shaven, his hair was long and golden and his eyes were a startling blue.
The man, clearly a leader, spoke, directing his stare to Christian. “You come in friendship and you wish to bring news of your God to the people of this village.” It was a statement, not a question. The amazing part was, that he spoke in excellent English!
Recovering from the initial shock, Christian confirmed the mission. He then stepped forward, his hand outstretched in greeting, a smile intending to give reassurance. Before he had moved three feet, he was met with a clutch of pointed spears thrust before him, wavering no more than inches from his face.
The tall man spoke, quietly. “You will never touch any part of my person, Father Christian,” he said, dumbfounding the missionaries with his knowledge of the priest’s name. “You will never visit me, or contact me in any way. Nor will you be allowed to enter this portal or what lies beyond the hill.” The Leader then waved an arm and the tribe began to melt away, leaving Christian and his companions alone.
“I will allow you to live,” the man continued, as I do not wish to interfere with your mission. I am satisfied that you mean no harm to the people, so you may live here for as long as you wish. You will be provided with suitable accommodation and you may help the tribe with their daily work, if you so desire. However, there are rules to be followed.” He adjusted his flowing sleeves and commanded the group to sit. They obeyed without quibble.
“Firstly, you must not interfere with the day to day tribal activities. Whatever they do, whether you approve or not, you must not become involved.
You may preach your religion and seek converts as you wish but no pressure must be put on any person.
If you wish to assist in any way, you must seek permission from the Elder, who is known as Kaba. He is distinctive in that he stands as tall as myself and he has a short, utterly white beard. You will not accept that he will be aged at 200 years, but that is what he is.
You must seek his permission on anything that concerns the tribe in any way. He is not obstructive and will allow you much freedom so do not attempt to deceive him. He will spot your deceit immediately.
If you wish to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh with any, be it male or female, seek his permission. Should you take a partner without permission, the punishment will be most severe and final. In most cases, your request will be granted.
Food is for all and you may freely share in this, whether or not you have assisted in its gathering.
You will find this an unusual tribe. While they live generally in the way befitting of such peoples; ways handed down through the centuries, they possess many powers that are above your own civilisation.
You, in your world, have forgotten how to remember, for instance. You need paper and electronic means. Your early ancestors, not having that facility, had to remember everything and their brains, in that respect, evolved along those lines. The power of the mind is infinite and the people here have developed some of that power and put it to good use. Today, you witnessed a demonstration of that with the young boy. He willed the beasts to go away and they did. Animals are also brought to the tribesmen in the same way and provide food. It is not necessary to arrange hunting parties.
On a cultural plane, you will find that the people have different values to yours. There are no marriages, for example. People create children that are cared for by the natural mother but she accepts help from other women and men.
Boys and girls are deemed old enough to indulge in sexual behaviour as soon as they feel ready. Touching of bodies, whether their own or someone else’s, is not a matter of concern but it is carried out in private, as is any sexual matter. The only deviation to this is when indulging in celebrations. It may shock you, due to your cultural restraints, but all females give their virginity up to the Elder in the first instance. He treats them with proper care and teaches them the methods of providing pleasure to the men. After this, they may go with whomsoever they wish, providing permission is granted by the Elder.”
The missionaries were dumbfounded. This behaviour was totally foreign to their culture and religious beliefs.
“There are things in this place that you may find incredible but, again, you must not become involved. The people here live a happy and contented life. Apart from my group, to whom the tribe will refer to as Gods, there is no social status except for the Elder. As a consequence, there is no envy, no jealousy and, therefore, happiness reigns. Now, go in peace and may you enjoy your time here.”
At that, the door swung open and the ‘God’ disappeared back into the hillside. As the door closed, the bewildered group stood and turned towards the dwellings, stunned and amazed at the incredible man.
As they began to walk, a figure appeared at the perimeter. It was the Elder. Again, it had to be said, the man presented a striking figure. Tall and erect, walking at a casual pace, he wore a long, flowing white gown. The golden skin was more of the shade of the tribe but the eyes were blue!
As the missionaries neared, he spoke: “Welcome, friends. You have had the rules of our society explained to you and you will be expected to adhere to them.” His language was a strange mixture of Portuguese and Spanish, but could still be understood. “Come with me and I will show you to your accommodation. After you have settled, you may meet the villagers and, after that, you may do as you please.” He turned and led the visitors away.
Ignatious turned in his sleep and muttered something unintelligible. He turned back and then again, ending up on his right-hand side, his expression serene.
Life in the tribal community was good. The missionaries gradually formed regular daily meetings where they were able to tell of their Christian beliefs and encourage the villagers to convert to His faith. They seemed to have no particular religious beliefs except that they constantly referred to their Gods being here with them, in the form of the extraordinary Leader and his company who resided over the hillside in an area forbidden to all except in dire emergency, such as life-threatening illness or threat of battle. The tribe could ably account for themselves in any battle, using the power of their minds but it was not considered to be a total defence against weapons such as those used in modern warfare. The best defence was the one that existed — the fact that the tribe was undiscovered.
Although Sister Vasquez tended to the sick on occasion, the tribe seemed to provide an excellent medical service of their own. Injuries received from accidents when in the jungle, were amazingly dealt with, cures being effected in days when in modern society they would have taken weeks or even months to cure. Broken bones were a matter of three days in the fixing, ending as good as before the break. Fevers were of no real consequence, recovery coming within hours due to the injection of some fluid into the arm, or leg, by means of an extremely fine hypodermic syringe fashioned from delicate reeds found near the clear-water stream. Cuts and gashes were treated
