“Aye. We still have some time to travel but that is our destination.”
“I look forward to meeting Juan again, this time not as an adversary. I am glad he was not harmed in the attack by my people.”
“He’s a good man,” Buono agreed. “I’d die fighting at his side.”
Antonio rubbed the scars on his right arm as he thought of the attack on Juan’s ships. He looked up at Anton who manned the wheel. Anton had been a fierce in battle which surprised him because Anton was a very thin man and appeared sickly.
Buono considered Antonio. He had been uncertain about Juan’s order to present the Calusa warriors to Spain but was now glad he had been given the opportunity. Antonio and he had become close.
It took some time for the warriors to be allowed free from their chains. But soon they began to trust Buono and Buono began trusting them. A month into the journey, the chains were removed.
By Spain, they were as civilized as any of Buono’s crew. Two more interesting men had never been presented to the King.
Soon after Buono left to cross the waves of the Atlantic, Juan and the rest of his men traveled north. The sandy beaches gave way to forests and then to mountains.
They had been deep in the mountains for nearly two months when they came upon a valley. In the northwest corner of that valley, the sun mirrored off a body of water. From their arrangement on the mountain, Juan’s eyes followed the flow of the water as it came in from the west before disappearing into the far mountains of the horizon. They had found the Snake River.
The moment was very surreal and caught Juan’s breath. It was Eduardo who brought him back to reality. “People.”
Juan blinked as if returning from the haze a daydream and looked at Eduardo’s outstretched finger. Juan’s gaze followed to a village on the north bank of the river.
Juan paused to gather his thoughts. “We will rest today,” he decided. “I know you men are strong but I’m an old man.” The men laughed. “We’ll rest tomorrow as well for tomorrow we begin traveling by night.”
The following evening, the camp was packed and Juan summoned the men around him. “We’ll march west across the backside of this ridge. I don’t know what awaits us as we reach the Snake River but we’ll be ready. We are killers: if we’re discovered and the men of the village below attack, they’ll feel Spain in their guts.”
“Aye and in their flanks!” was called out. The men laughed in approval.
Juan smiled at his men. “We’ll continue until we reach the west inlet of the river. Eduardo,” Juan called out, “lead them.”
Eduardo led the way westward but it was dodgier than they anticipated. The mountain was treacherous. The ground offered loose rocks and small crevices that made walking slow. Two of the men twisted an ankle and one twisted a knee. Slow as it was, however, they continued to move.
During the day they rested and Juan kept his eyes on the village. One day as he was observing the settlement, Eduardo joined him. “Have you seen dwellings such as these before?” Eduardo asked.
“They are unlike any I have seen in quite some time,” Juan replied.
The buildings of the village were wood and were long, some perhaps thirty feet, although they appeared to be much narrower in width. They had only one entrance as far as Juan could tell. In each roof was a small hole from which a single trail of smoke dissipated. “I have seen these buildings in the Northlands.”
“The Northlands? You’ve been there?” Eduardo asked surprised.
“Aye, I was an ambassador from Spain to those lands. Very cold as you would imagine. The men there build great halls similar to those below, although in the Northlands they are larger and inside, the kings host great feasts. They are a very sturdy and interesting people. I look back on those years with fond memories.”
Juan stared off as he remembered the mighty kings he had known. Some of the most fearless warriors and most cherished friends he had met there. Many of them were dead by the time he returned to Spain; the life of a Northman was often cut short by an axe or sword.
He realized he had been lost in thought and looked over at Eduardo. The soldier regarded him with great respect and admiration. “I believe we would find the men below a remarkable people as well,” Juan commented.
“Thank you for your thoughts, sir. Also, your watch is over. I have come to relieve you.”
“Do a better job of paying attention than I do.” Juan flashed a smile before disappearing down the backside of the mountain.
Just before dark, Juan woke to a commotion. He instinctively grabbed his sword and opened his eyes. He ran towards the noise and saw the commotion was an animal in the camp. Some of the men tried to seize the animal as it made its getaway with some of the salted deer.
The animal was cornered against boulders and it began gnashing small, sharp teeth at the soldiers, growling its displeasure. Its bushy tail twitched in anger and the black stripe across its eyes added to the robber mystique.
The animal found an escape route and took it: right through one of the soldier’s spread legs. Then, it disappeared down the mountainside. The soldier was punched in the arm for letting the animal get away and blushed as the other soldiers laughed.
They packed up camp and traveled ten miles that night. The terrain had become less rocky and the ground flush. As the morning sun rose, they looked out over a second valley at the end of which loomed a large mountain.
They made camp and
