The Lastoc of the Annumpi: Preparations (Part 14)

Tuesday, 27 May 1801

Finn

The grass was still damp with dew as Finn raced along the narrow path to the beach at Arena Amarilla. Every so often he’d jump as high as he could trying raise his head above the feathery seed heads of the tall grass. He’d been doing this as long as he could remember, and he knew that someday soon he’d make it. For now he had to settle for leaping and smacking the seed heads. The ripe ones would explode when he hit them and the air would be full of the tiny seeds. Later he’d find seeds in his hair, down his shirt, and stuck to his pants. He’d even found seeds in his ears.

Finn ran to the beach to carry a message from Big James and Pau. The sailors who brought Big James and Little Jimmy to the grass were coming back this morning with the men’s things. Big James and his son had decided not to wait for the unloading and had come on ahead. It was Finn’s job to take a message that Big James had written to the sailors, then lead them through the grass to the destroyed bridge. Finn squeezed the note from Big James in his left hand. He couldn’t imagine being happier than being the one picked for an important job.

When Finn reached the sand, he was running full out, wildly out of control. He planted his foot on the sand and stumbled when his foot slid. He yelped and threw his hands out to break his fall. The note flipped into the air and slowly tumbled down the beach tossed about by the breeze. Finn landed spread-eagled on his back. The sailors unloading the longboat stopped what they were doing and started laughing at the silly boy who’d exploded out of the grass. A sailor reached down and peeled the note from his shin. He carried it to the first mate, then went back to unloading the ship.

“Boy,” called the first mate. “Are you Finn?”

“I am, sir,” said a blushing Finn.

“On your feet sailor or you’re on report,” roared the first mate. Finn scrambled to his feet. “Jennings, Baker,” the first mate called. “Take this landsman to the captain and deliver this note. Try not to drown the little sod.”

Finn was tossed into the jolly boat and told to sit still or they’d feed him to the sharks. Finn was pretty sure there no sharks in the tiny bay, but he sat motionless just to be safe. The sturdy sailors soon cleared the bay and were beside the sloop,which was anchored in the deep passage. Finn looked up the side of the ship, which was rhythmically rising and falling and had no idea what to do. One sailor tied the jolly boat to the anchor chain while the other stood up and lifted Finn with one arm. He tucked the boy under his arm, told him "to be still for God’s sake", then climbed up the hanging ropes as easily as walking up a flight of stairs. He dropped Finn onto the deck and handed the message to an officer who carried it to the captain. 

Finn was on his feet and staring around wide-eyed. He’d never been on a ship before and the buzz of activity was dazzling. Finn stepped out of the way of men mopping the deck and felt air under his foot. He began to tumble through the opening in the taffrail that they had used to board the ship. His arms pinwheeled and a fortunate motion of the ship pushed him toward the deck. A hand clamped on his shoulder and yanked him on board.

“Jennings,” a stern voice called, “Keep an eye on our little friend here. There are so many ways to get killed on a ship.” Jennings nodded and took Finn from the captain’s grip. “On second thought, let’s get him back on land. Have Mr. Martin get the longboat and we’ll see what we can do help Big James O’Brien.”

A dazed Finn was dropped into the jolly boat and rowed ashore. He was told to sit on a particular dune and stay put until the men were ready to carry the goods to Big James. Meanwhile, he better not get hurt or die or anything, because it was more than the sailor’s job was worth. Finn sat.

It took about two hours to get everything off the boat and ready to move. Finn watched them unload item after item and he couldn’t begin to name any of them. He had no idea what they did. Finn would have loved to have free rein to mess around with them, but he knew that things were too serious for that to happen, so instead, he picked up the box he was given to carry and led the men through the grass to the bridge and Big James.

When the sailors left the grass and spotted Big James there was a great deal of hollering and loud greetings. Finn set the box he carried on the ground and wondered if his arms would ever stop aching. He walked over to a water pump, splashed water on his head, and then drank huge gulps of cold water. He filled the bucket and carried it to the sailors.

Finn stretched out on the ground and watched the sailors work. They were assembling an intricate cat’s cradle of ropes and pulleys. Manuel was working on the boat they’d carried from the bay. He was attaching iron rings to the gunwales. The rings had with some kind of clamp built into them. Before he could study the construction any further, Pau called him and told him to go back to the shore and tell the captain that they’d need two more hours.

Finn walked back Arena Amarilla. It was not yet lunchtime, but he was hungry and tired. He decided to stop in the kitchen on the way back from the bay and see what he could scrounge. He was thinking of food when he stepped on beach and saw that something was very wrong. He threw himself back into the grass and ran a short distance off the path. He flattened himself behind a low rock and waited to see if he’d been seen. 

The American ship that had brought Big James things was gone. He could see a Spanish frigate standing of the shore. Numerous boats were rowing to and from the ship. At least twenty sailors were on the beach. They were building two cannon placements at either end of the beach. Finn could see that the cannons were aimed to hit a boat on either side if it tried to land on the narrow beach. Finn carefully crept back to the path and began to run. He had to tell Pau that Major Morales had landed on the beach. 

Finn reached a turnoff and stopped. The path split and one leg lead to the safe house. He knew that Rose and some of the kids would be there by now. He decided he had to warn them before finding Pau. He found Rose, Ethna, and all the younger children. Rose could see that he was upset so she left the shelter and walked a few steps down the path with him.

She managed to calm Finn down and he was able to talk to her. “Sailors. On the beach. Guns and cannons,” was all he could say. 

“English or Spanish,” she asked. 

“Spanish,” he said.

Rose told him that he’d done the right thing to warn them, but now he needed to run as fast he could to tell Pau. Finn sprinted away and found Pau about ten minutes later. 

Pau listened to Finn and quickly decided that they needed to identify the troops. Pau and Finn hurried back to the beach. Big James gave them a sausage to eat along the way.

Finn told Pau about warning Rose and was thrilled when Pau told him that was the smart thing to do. Pau said he’d check on them on the way back. They reached the edge of the grass along the beach and lay down. Pau looked for a while and said that they were Spanish, but he couldn’t tell anything else. 

“I’m going back,” said Pau. “You stay here and keep watch. If anything changes, you come tell me or Big James. If they leave the beach, if more land, come tell me. If they start to move into the grass, warn Rose and then come tell me fast. I’ll send Ronan to check on you in three hours. Don’t let them see you.”

Finn nodded and said, “I don’t have a musket or knife or anything.”

Pau replied, “I didn’t tell you to attack them, I said watch them. Use you brains, not your muscles. Understand?”

“Yes,” said Finn embarrassed.

Pau disappeared into the grass and Finn settled in to watch the sailors on the beach.

Rose

After breakfast was eaten and everything was cleaned and put away, the O’Brien women held a meeting. They decided that Rose, Ethna and the children should go to the safe house that had been built on the site of Lemuel’s hut. They thought that the children needed to learn the way to the safe house and how to act once they were there. So Rose and Ethna rounded up the children and paired older children with younger ones. The twins tried to sneak away, but Ethna spotted them and called them back. After a brief lecture on the seriousness of this business, each child was given something to carry to the safe house to begin laying in supplies. 

The children were appropriately solemn for the first ten steps or so when Ossian, at four years old the youngest of the eight children, tripped and rolled into his sister Theresa’s legs bringing them both down. They were carrying blankets which somehow twisted around the squirming pair creating a large, lumpy knot. The twins dropped the empty water barrel they were carrying and grabbed the ends of the knot. Soon they were swinging the trapped pair and the other children were diving under them or jumping over them. Marial flopped on top of the swinging knot and brought the whole mess down. The twins pretended to trip, then dove on top of the writhing pile.

Ethna and Rose swept in before all the children could join the pile. Ethna rapped Daniel on the skull while Rose dragged Michael off the pile. There was then released a wave of chastisement of Old Testament proportion, although Ethna’s threat of smiting consisted mainly of a flick of her forefinger to an inattentive ear. The cutting edge of the women’s voices connected directly to the base of the children’s brainstem seizing control of the little legs and arms. Ethna and Rose said make a line and there was a line. They said walk silently and the line walked silently. The children knew that they had gone too far, and that their only choice was obedience. For a while. Until the women’s voices released control of their bodies. The soft earth muffled their footsteps. The only sound was Ethna quietly pointing out the trail markers and Ossian’s intermittent, half-choked sobs.

Rose walked at the back of the line so that she could keep a watch on the children, but Ethna kept drawing her attention. Her daughter would twenty soon. There had already been roundabout discussions of marriage with mothers of eligible sons from the area who just happened to stop by for this or that. Rose pictured those boys and imagined how miserable a marriage to Ethna would make both of them. Fiona and Margaret where fourteen and fifteen. They were good girls, smart and pretty. They were comfortable living in the grass. They fit in. In a few years, they would make good wives and good mothers. They would be the strong, intelligent women who worked alongside their husbands to make a living in the difficult land. But not Ethna.

Ethna was different, thought Rose. She always had been. Since she’d been able to walk, she spent more time around Maria than around children her own age. Since she was thirteen or so, she’d spent more time with Maria than with Rose. This had hurt Rose for awhile, but she could see that as Ethna grew older, her time with Maria had sharpened and focused her restless mind. Her tall, awkward body now moved with a gracefulness that echoed Maria’s. The seed of rebellion than was born in Ethna flowed into a proud flower, a rose, like me, Rose thought smiling, a rose of deep crimson. But with thorns, lots of thorns. 

At one time, Rose was afraid that Ethna was merely mimicking Maria and that Maria was treating her as a pet that she would cast off when Ethna ceased to be cute. But after Maria and Ethna had their first serious clash and had patched things up a few days later, Rose felt better about their relationship. She saw that as much as her daughter looked up to Maria, she would stand up for herself and challenge her hero. The two fiery young women had grown as close as sisters, explosions and all.

The ragged line of children halted by a branch of one of the small streams that ran through the tall grass. Ethna had decided the little ones needed a rest. The children set down their loads and walked over to the water to drink. Ossian peeked at Ethna and saw her head was turned. He discreetly, as discreet as a four year can be, splashed his cousin, Marial, who shrieked. Marial loved any excuse to shriek, and returned the splash with such vigor that Declan, innocently standing by his young cousin Ossian, was soaked. The shriek had severed the link and the children reclaimed their brainstems. The battle was on. 

Ethna was descending on the backsliders like an avenging angel, when Rose called her over. “Let them play a while,” she said. “We’ll need their attention at the safe house, and we'll get it easier if they’ve run around a bit.” Rose could tell that Ethna did not approve, so she suggested that Ethna walk on the safe house and make sure that the men had completed construction. Ethna gladly accepted the opportunity to escape the carnage in the stream.

Rose watched her daughter walk away and thought that maybe the capitol was the place for Ethna. Rose had lived there for a few years while her husband was alive. She knew there were opportunities there for attractive and intelligent young women. She also knew that were many more dangers. Rose didn’t have the money to protect Ethna in the capitol. She didn’t have the social standing either. Perhaps Maria would go to the capitol and take Ethna with her. But if Maria married Eduardo they would stay here. Rose knew that Eduardo, her youngest brother, would have a difficult time in the capitol also. 

Before Ethna could return, the children had worn themselves out and flopped down in sunny spots to dry off. Several were already sleeping. Rose glanced at the sun, deciding how long they could rest so they could complete their task and return to the house for lunch. Ethna returned and reported that the safe house was ready. The much subdued band struggled to their feet, lifted their packages, and started down the path. Rose noticed that Ethna and the older kids had quietly taken the burdens of the younger children.

The group reached the safe house, which the children insisted on calling the play house. Rose and Ethna organized the unloading and stacking of the goods. Rose then sat the children on the floor and pulled a crate over  to sit on. She began to explain to the children about the purpose of the safe house. Before long most of the younger children had nodded off, so Rose talked to the older kids. She paired up the older children and assigned two younger children to each pair. The older ones were responsible for getting the children to the safe house, in case no adult was around. 

Rose was interrupted by Finn barging through the door. He had been running and he looked terribly upset. He tried to speak and gasp for air at the same time. Rose knew that the children would respond to Finn’s agitation, so she steered him outside. After managing to calm down, Finn told her about the sailors on Arena Amarilla. Rose sent Finn to tell the others, after telling him that he did the right thing warning her. Finn ran off and Rose called to Ethna. She quickly told Ethna about the sailors. Ethna suggested that they let the younger children sleep and quietly explain to the older children about the situation. Rose agreed and they returned to the safe house.

The Twins

Daniel and Michael wolfed down their breakfasts and then executed their escape plan. When the adults weren’t looking, the boys slid from their chairs to the floor under the table. They swiftly crawled the length of the table carefully timing their pace to avoid the many swinging legs. When they reached the end of the table, they crawled into the pantry and climbed out a small window, dropping about eight feet onto the dirt of the yard and then ran to the bridge. For the past four days they had been kept out of the men’s way and they were determined to avoid being part of the children’s group yet again.

The men were discussing how to build a bridge across the swollen river. This technical discussion failed to hold the boys attention. Instead they found sticks and began to play war. The versatile sticks switched from being muskets to swords on demand, although their useful life, and their length, was quickly shortened by their sword fighting technique. The twins subscribed to the hit your opponents sword as hard as you can method of fighting which resulting in pieces of sticks flying about indiscriminately. 

When one of the wayward pieces hit Big James on the leg, he turned around to see what was going on. The twins had dropped their swords and were trying on their most innocent expression. Big James walked over, picking up a stick on the way. He reached the boys in a few long strides and flicked their sticks to them with the tip of his. “The idea, gentlemen,” he said in a drill sergeant’s basso profundo, “is to stick the pointy end into your opponent, not to hit his sword.”

He took a step back and raised his stick. The boys looked at each other and then grabbed theirs. “When you are ready, gentlemen,” said Big James. The boys breathed deeply, lifted their sticks and pointed them at James. Then they ran straight at him. Big James lowered his stick and waited for the boys to close on him. When they were within reach he faked an attack and then suddenly stepped to the side. The boys had lunged and were plunging their fearsome weapons into the air that had rushed in fill the space were Big James had just been. 

Big James flicked his foot and tripped Daniel. He threw his stick over the falling Daniel and between Michael’s legs. The boys hit the ground hard. Big James stepped between the fallen warriors and grabbed the back of their shirts with one hand each. He lifted the twins and placed them on their feet. Before he could say anything, Pau called to him and pointed to the grass. Finn was leading a line of sailors who were carrying the supplies needed to make a ferry.

“You boys better go back to the house,” Big James said. “I see Ethna and Rose over there with the little ones. They’re looking around and I’ll bet they’re looking for you. They probably need your help. Now git.” He gently tossed them in the right direction.  Ethna spotted the twins and waved them over to her. They were caught and it was back to the children, but the brief escape and sword fight was worth whatever misery Ethna would heap on them.

Eduardo

Saturday, 24 May 1801

Eduardo and Victor, having slipped away in the storm, were having a difficult time making their way to the capitol. Parts of the road were washed out by the flooded river and the passage through the foothills was littered with fallen rocks and downed trees. It took them three days to get clear of the storm damage, and they were further slowed by the crowds leaving the capitol. Word had spread that the British were invading and people were heading to the protection of the countryside. 

The men decided to stop at an inn to rest the animals and see what information they could gather. They led the horse and mules around to the livery only to find it jammed with00000000000. fine cavalry horses. The owner of the livery knew Eduardo from his frequent visits to the capitol, so he promised him that he’d find a place for the animals. Eduardo and Victor hoped the inn keeper would be as generous to them.

As they feared, there were no rooms, but they decided to eat before going to find a room elsewhere. The dining room was jammed with calvary. The officers were seated at a table off to the side and were deep in a heated discussion when Eduardo unceremoniously pulled out a chair and sat down at their table. He waved Victor to an empty seat at the end of the table. 

Several officers reached for their swords, but Major Rojas signaled to them with a wave of his hand to put them away. “Eduardo O’Brien, what are you doing here?,” asked the Major while slapping Eduardo on his arm. 

“I was looking for you and Roberto,” answered Eduardo tersely. 

Major Rojas waited for a minute before responding. Then looked around the crowded, noisy room. 

“Roberto is outside,” said the Major rising from his seat. “Let us join him.”

Two officers rose to accompany the Major, but he told them to stay and finish their meals. He would send for them if he needed them. The two officers sat down, both staring at Eduardo memorizing his features. Victor stayed behind which seemed to placate the officers.

Outside the inn, the men found Captain Roberto Rojas, who had been checking on his horse’s injured leg. Roberto and Eduardo greeted each other warmly. They were the same age and had spent much of the past five years together in the capitol. They’d met at the Paris Society, a secret group of men who admired the French Republic and who sought to break away from Spain. Major Rojas, Roberto’s father, was one of the founders.

The three men found a bench in a quiet spot around the side of the inn. The Major told Eduardo that things were moving quickly. The storm had delayed the English, but they should be in the capitol by  Thursday. General Morales had replaced the batteries at the mouth of the harbor with troops loyal to him. They would allow the British to sweep into the port in the early morning hours and take or sink the three Spanish ships docked there. The British would land marines and two companies of muskets loyal to Morales. Rojas himself was in charge of the cavalry and it was his job to cut off the Spanish troops trying to escape the capitol. Morales was coming in from the North with the pick of his calvary and a company of muskets. He was planning a triumphal entry. 

“If things go as planned, we will be a British colony with a tyrant in charge,” said Major Rojas. “As for me, I am not planning on throwing off the Spanish only to exchange masters.” The Major then told Eduardo that the Society had been carefully manuvering the military so that officers who were loyal to Spain or Morales were isolated. Officers who were Society members had been positioned to take command of the troops after the Spanish were routed by the initial attack.

“We will let Morales and the British drive the Spanish from the capitol, then we take the capitol from the British,” said Roberto. “For the plan to work, Morales must not reach the capitol. He must be seen to have avoided the hard work, while we have blood on our swords. We will be the ones who have fought for our country.”

Major Morales then gave Eduardo his orders. He and a company of calvary under Captain Roberto would ride ahead and select an ambuscade along the route. A company of musketmen would follow them on quick march. They would also have four horse drawn light field pieces.  They would be outnumbered by Morales' men, but they would have surprise on their side. The soldiers were on their way north when they ran into Eduardo. Now he and Victor must turn around and help them find the best place for the ambush.

Eduardo smiled and told them of the perfect place. He also said he could raise about forty men. All he asked was a chance to ride into the capitol  to visit a friend who was holding something for him. The Major stood up and told Eduardo to follow him. They walked around to the livery where a tarp had been lashed over the cart Victor had driven. Four musketmen were guarding the cart. Roberto lifted the corner of the tarp and revealed two rectangular crates. Several smaller crates were packed tightly around them. 

“Forty-eight Baker rifles, eight crates of munitions, and four kegs of powder,” said Roberto. 

“But how?,” asked Eduardo. “How did you know?”

Rojas smiled and patted him on the back. “We are very careful to keep an eye on munitions, even ones stolen from the British,” Major Rojas said. “Anyone can start a revolution. Victory is more difficult. We plan to win this one and are taking no chances. Come. You and Victor may share our rooms. Get some rest. You leave at dawn.”

*****

Tuesday, 28 May, 1801

Early Tuesday morning, Eduardo led Captain Rojas and a small detachment of calvary to a ford in the river. It was still impassable, so they searched up and down the banks for a place to cross. After determining that it was not possible to cross to the O’Brien side of the river, Eduardo guided the men up into the foothills to the high camp. They were met by several Bryants who were working on the ambush site. The Captain and his lieutenant discussed the site. They approved of the location, but the camp was too high. The angle was too steep for muskets and field guns. Work on the camp stopped while they searched for a lower position.

Eduardo, meanwhile, went with Brandon and Robert Bryant to find an observation spot that commanded the road. They needed a way to spot Morales’ troops in time to spring the trap. They found an outcropping of rock that allowed them to see far down the road and also signal below them to the Captain’s troops.  Robert stayed on duty and Brandon went to arrange for others to take shifts. From this vantage point Eduardo could see the washed out bridge and the activity swarming around it. He climbed down to the high camp, tied four Baker rifles onto his saddle, filled his paniers with cartridges, and powder horns, and rode to the bridge with two of the officers who had been guarding the rifles.

By the time Eduardo and the officers reached the bridge the ferry was in place. Ronan and Luis were pulled across and the took the horses to William Bryant’s place. The men and rifles were pulled back across the river. The officers drew Pau, Big James, Little Jimmy, and Miguel aside and began training them on the rifles. Eduardo went to the house to find Maria, but ran into Pau first. Pau told him about the Spanish ship. Eduardo decided to go to Arena Amarilla to investigate. 

Eduardo quietly slid down next to Finn and scanned the beach. He recognized the ship and knew that its captain was a member of the Paris Society, however he couldn’t be sure that the captain was still in command.  Without a spyglass he couldn’t identify the man on the quarterdeck. He waited for a while as Finn pestered him with questions. 

He silenced Finn when he noticed that another group of men were boarding a longboat. The crew rowed the boat toward the shore and Eduardo concentrated on the Lieutenant steering the boat through the rocks. When the boat landed, Eduardo was certain he recognized the Lieutenant from the Society. He told Finn to stay hidden, then walked to officer. 

Finn relaxed when saw the two men embrace and greet each other warmly.   Eduardo waved for Finn to join them. “These men are from Major Rojas,” said Eduardo. “I will take the Lieutenant and the marines with me. You take these men to the safe house. They will protect the children. The others will guard the beach to prevent Morales from escaping or receiving reinforcements.” 

Maria

Maria’s task was to set up a sick bay in her office. Her dissection table and instruments would do double duty on the living. She assembled her supplies and made a list of additional materials she would like to have on hand. She decided to go to the bay and see if the ship’s surgeon had any of the supplies she needed.

She slipped out the side door to avoid the children who were being rounded up for their trip to the safe house. She felt a little guilty for not helping with the children. After all, she would be going right past the safe house. But she was preoccupied with thoughts about how quickly things had gotten out of hand. She was certain that she could have talked to Cupido and resolved the problems between them, but now they were caught up in events from the capitol and people would be killed. There was nothing she could do anymore. The men had reached for the guns and they would not listen any more. Instead of collecting specimens and working on her manuscript, she would be attending to wounds and watching people die. And after the battle, the soldiers would move on, but the Valenzuelas and the de la Vegas would be left to tend their wounded and bury their dead while living in sight of each other.

A little way past the empty safe house, Lemuel stepped out of the grass onto the path in front of Maria startling her. He was holding a curved iron blade about seven inches long. The blade had a socket for a handle that bent away from the blade at a twenty degree angle. It was covered in rust and had a rotted piece of wood extending about two inches from the socket. Lemuel held the blade tightly in his raised hand. He stepped toward Maria, who took a step backwards. Lemuel’s face was flush with excitement. Maria looked him in the eye and tried not to show fear.

“I was looking for you,” Lemuel said. “I wanted to show you this.”

“What is it?,” Maria asked. She struggled to keep her voice calm.

Lemuel reached into a pocket of coat and pulled out his battered copy of “The Lastoc of the Annumpi.” He handed her the book and said, “Page one hundred twenty-eight.  See the drawing?  I think this is a grapi.” 

Maria turned to page and saw a drawing of an Annumpi carrying a scythe-like tool with a blade remarkably similar to the one that Lemuel was holding. The book said the grapi was “the oddly contorted, razor-sharp crook of the Annumpi. The crook is angled so that the Annumpi can sweep the area under the spoltal to defend against mantriti attacks.”

“May I look a little more closely, Lemuel?,” Maria asked. 

“Of course,” he replied, placing the tool on a patch of gravel and stepping aside so she could come closer. Maria knelt down by the blade and placed the book next to it. While she compared the blade to the picture, Lemuel cut a reed and laid it next to the blade as if it were the handle extending about four feet from the blade. Maria had to admit the drawing and the blade were similar. 

“Where did you find this?,” she asked. 

“I’ll show you,” Lemuel said.

He left the path and made his way through the thickest part of the grass that Maria had ever seen. She followed him, all the time wishing she was wearing her work clothes instead of a dress. Lemuel very carefully parted the grass and helped her clamber over a section of broken ground. They came to a wet, swampy area that Lemuel skirted before following a path of large flat stones leading through the swamp. “I think someone put these stones here,” Lemuel said. “I’ve not seen stones like them anywhere else in the grass,” Maria agreed. 

The stones stopped at a open area about twenty-five yards across that rose slightly out of the swamp. In the center of the clearing was a further slight rise. The rise was flattened and about four feet higher than the clearing. The mound was about ten feet in diameter and shaped like a rounded rectangle.

“I found this place when I was looking for somewhere to a built a shelter,” said Lemuel. “I thought I could dig in to the center of the mound and cover the opening with reed thatch, but when I started digging I found this blade. Then I found bones, including some that I don’t think are human. I put everything back in the mound and replaced the dirt. Today I was finally strong enough to come here and dig out this blade. I think it is a grapi. I think this an Annumpi burial mound and it contains bones of spoltal. What other animal would the Annumpi bury with them?”

Maria looked from the grapi, she found herself accepting the name without even realizing it, to the mound, thenRose to Lemuel. “Lemuel,” she said, “I don’t know what to say. This is so much to consider. There's no time now to make a proper examination of this site, but I promise you that when things settle down, you and I will return to this place and see what is here. Is that alright with you?”

“It is,” he said and he extended his hand. They shook hands, then carefully made their way through the swamp. As they followed the path to the beach, the two flipped through the pages of the book looking for more descriptions of Annumpi life to inform their search.