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have found nothing.
Perhaps the Forest will give us nothing, and the Forest Spirit is turning away
from us."
Blade shook his head. "No, Swebon. That was not my vision. The Forest Spirit
has already given you all you need to win these battles. It merely asks you to
see them in new ways." Blade wanted to make this point very clear from the
start. It would answer the objections of those people who were simply afraid
of anything new. Swebon wasn't one of them, but not all the Fak'si would be
that intelligent.
"And your vision has shown you these new ways?" asked Swebon. He didn't sound
completely convinced, but he did sound ready to listen.
"Yes. The second vision that I was promised has come."
Blade started explaining. The best weapon the Forest People had against their
two great enemies was the bow. It could strike from a distance, and it could
strike with enough power to kill. Or at least it could if it was changed.
The bows the Forest People had now were weak. They could not shoot an arrow
far enough or hard enough. They could not reach a vital organ of a Treemen or
penetrate the armor of a Son of Hapanu.
"A stronger bow is all you need," said Blade. "I have looked at your arrows.
They are as good as you need. I have also seen your archers shoot, and know
they can shoot well.
"I know there is no one wood in the Forest that can make such a strong bow.
But I saw that if a man used several different woods, he might make such a
bow."
With the help of his sketches, Blade continued his explanation. He was
proposing a laminated bow, built up by gluing together layers of different
kinds of wood, and perhaps bone and sinew as well. The present bow of the
Forest People was like the English longbow, carved out of a single piece of
wood.
Unfortunately the Forest had no tough but flexible woods like ash, elm, or
yew, so the single-piece bows were weak. Blade was proposing something more
like the Turkish or Mongol horsebows, which could penetrate mail at two
hundred yards.
Making a laminated bow required choosing materials carefully, and then gluing
them together so that they stayed together under stress. The only way to pick
the right woods was by experimenting, but Blade already knew what glue he was
going to use.
"Kohkol sap should do very well," he said. "It must be boiled longer, so that
it will be stronger than it is now. But that should not be hard to do."
The laminated bow was Blade's most important idea, but not his only one. "It
will be some time before all the Forest People can have strong bows," he said.
"Also, even the most powerful bow will not kill a Treeman if it does not hit
him in a vital spot. I know how to make any arrow you may shoot hurt a
Treeman, no matter where it hits him." Blade hesitated. "I now speak of
matters which perhaps belong
only to the chiefs and priests," he went on. "If I speak wrongly, will it
remain between us?"
Swebon nodded. "I swear not to be angry at anything you say. I also swear that
no priest who would be angry shall hear any of this from me."
"Good." Blade explained. If the Shield of Life could act as an anaesthetic, it
might also act as a tranquilizer. Made much stronger and smeared on the point
of an arrow, the Shield of Life could numb the muscles and slow the movements
of a Treeman. Then the Forest People could close in and kill him.
Blade was rather surprised that the Forest People hadn't long since developed
poisoned arrows and darts on their own. The natives of the Amazon basin used
such weapons freely. On the other hand, the
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Forest People had plenty of metal for weapons and their bows were powerful
enough for hunting birds and small game. They hadn't needed a really deadly
weapon until recently.
Swebon's frown deepened as Blade explained this new use for the Shield of
Life. When Blade was finished, the chief lay back in the bottom of the canoe
and stared up at the sky. He was silent for so long that Blade thought he'd
gone to sleep. At last he sat up.
"It is not our custom to let a man who is neither chief nor priest work with
the Shield of Life. The priests will not like this change." He held up a hand
as Blade was about to speak. "I do not like it myself.
But the Forest changes. Perhaps the ways of the Forest People must change
also."
"I think so," said Blade. "I would not ask this if I did not think so."
"I know you would not," said Swebon. "Therefore I say go and do what you will
with the Shield of
Life. But go into the Forest and do your work where no one can see you. Then
no priest can say a word against you until your work is done. If you do what
you promised, so many will speak for you that no priest will be brave enough
to speak against you."
Blade wasn't surprised to find that Swebon's common sense and shrewdness
extended to politics, but he was glad.
One point remained to be settled, though. Blade knew it was the most important
point of all. He also knew it was the one where he and Swebon would be most
likely to quarrel.
"Do you wish me to go entirely alone into the Forest?" Blade asked.
"No. You will need other hands to help you, and other eyes to watch your back.
I would go with you myself, if I could leave the village for so long. But I do
not think that would be wise. My brother he still looks at your Meera with
desire& "
"I understand. But he will not be able to do anything against her. I am taking
her into the Forest with me, to be my other hands and eyes."
Swebon started so violently he set the canoe rocking. By the time it steadied,
he was staring at Blade as if the Englishman had suddenly grown a second head.
Finally he sighed. "Blade, I do not understand this. You have not lain with
the woman since you made her your captive. Yet you will take her with you into
the Forest, to learn your secrets. Then perhaps she will stick a knife into
your back and run away to her people with all she has learned." Swebon's voice
was rising almost to a shout. "Blade, I must ask it are you mad?"
"Not mad. I only follow my vision. It has told me "
"Curse your visions!" growled Swebon. Then he sighed. "Go on. What tricks have
they told you to play on the Fak'si now?"
"No tricks," said Blade quietly. "My second vision only told me that I should
not worry if other tribes learn my secrets. In fact, the vision told me to
give the secrets to them. So it does not matter what Meera learns or where she
goes. I hope " He broke off, because Swebon's face was twisting violently in
both rage and surprise. For a long moment Blade wasn't sure the chief wasn't
going to attack him.
Then Swebon took a deep breath. "Why, Blade? I ask only that. Why? The Fak'si
have taken you in, been your friends "
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