Mar

They called him Mar, strong, agile, and fast for a human. Without question the best hunter in his tribe, and so, those on the hunt with him usually counted on a kill.

The females of his tribe, not yet spoken for, considered him the most desirable as a partner. Many of the females already chosen might have preferred him, if the titters about him might be taken for true , but of course, it fell to the elder males in the tribe to decide these things.

If a male were to die, his female could be selected by an unattached male first, and if not chosen then, a male with only one female could select her for any purpose he saw fit.

Because the first female was with child much of the time, the second female could be used to help cook or care for the children. Naturally, both females were often pregnant at the same time.

The custom in tribal law held that a male could reject one wife for a new one if the first had not birthed a male child after two pregnancies. A necessary custom since male children were needed to help with the work of the men.

Mar had reached the age of choosing a mate. He would take his time to find one who was compatible with his wishes and his healthy lust. As was his right, he had already sampled a number of the most suitable females, usually when they were out picking berries or foraging for herbs. None had denied his wishes because of his obvious strength and his health. He hadn’t selected yet, but it wasn’t a concern for the time being. His father still had need for many things to be done. And, his lessons from his father, and grandfather, about dealing with the elders, and judging the strengths and weaknesses of other tribes and villages hadn’t been fully completed.

The policy of Mar’s village didn’t sanction precipitating a fight with another tribe but the possibility that others might want to attack them for their territory, their women, or both required constant awareness.

Mar evolved into a prime example of the requirements needed in the early, human male-species. He was usually patient and tolerant and seemed to prefer to negotiate to gain his desires. When he did fight he was relentless. He used his intuitive powers, athletic skills, and quickness of foot to defeat his opponents.

His strength was already a distinct advantage in both winning and avoiding confrontations. Neighboring tribes knew him to be a brave warrior, a man to be respected and feared, as was his father and his father before him. Naturally, others occasionally challenged him so they might enhance their own reputations; most often to their own regret.

Killing one another in tribal wars was not frequent among the tribes, there were too many natural enemies in the world in which they lived. It was only if a tribe was reputed to be weak and without leadership that a war would occur. This served to insure the survival of the fittest.

However, the challenge in primitive games between tribes kept most tribes satisfied. These games of hunting prowess, running, and rock lifting, served as a diversion for the villagers. They were an excellent social exercise for the political bonding that created stronger alliances among them, keeping their mutual adversaries at bay. To insure these bonds, respected tribal leaders often took a woman from another village.

                         *****

Mar had seen a woman in a nearby village that caused a stirring within him, she seemed brighter and stronger than most of the women in her tribe.

And being more outspoken, her boldness intrigued him, because the women of his tribe were very condescending, they seldom voiced an opinion about anything. He had assumed all women behaved like this. So, he questioned if he liked this boldness in a woman. Yet, she was very well proportioned for a female of her time, and for Mar, exciting to look at. Her dark hair glistening in the light of day and the movement of her body gave him the excitement in his loins. Possibly she would go berry picking within his hunting grounds one day and he could have her.

Within a few weeks, as if it were destined because he had thought it, the girl appeared in the area of his intended hunt for the day. Earlier someone mentioned they had seen some wild boar in this area. Most men would avoid such a place for fear of these beasts. They were truly dangerous. It took courage and great skill with the club and spear to bring one down– to Mar a definite challenge. It would add to his reputation as a hunter to carry one into his village.

He encountered the girl before he saw the boar and his mind titillated him with taking her and enjoying her womanly attributes. This proved to be an almost fatal mistake for he had dropped his club, spear and his loin covering to make his conquest simpler. She turned to him, at first with a look of astonished fear, and after observing his obvious intent, with a look of playful scorn. What followed was a combination of comedy and near tragedy. She turned to run from him, the custom in this form of encounter, she could not appear to be too easily overcome.

He cut her off in a few strides and made some very obscene gestures, also typical, when he first heard the unmistakable grunt of the boar. Then, they both saw him. The animal, a hunter’s prize, reached over waist high to Mar, probably a full weeks meals for two families. Then he realized the only weapon he had wasn’t intended for this type of contest.

He grabbed the girl and literally dragged her back to where his weapons lay along with his loin covering. He lurched for the weapons and spun on the animal. The boar snorted angrily and moved swiftly within a few feet when Mar judged, correctly, he could not fully turn himself to avoid the consequences. He thrust the highly sharpened spear accurately and it entered between the leaping beast’s neck and shoulder. Next, as Mar used the full weight of his body to force the spear handle down to the ground, the boar went up and over both of them and thudded a few feet beyond. Before the beast could recover Mar clubbed it behind the skull and it died within seconds. Mar immediately began the task of bleeding the boar and removing the unwanted organs.

The girl, recovering from the shock of their near disaster, quietly took in the sight of the fascinating hunter. He could have her if he wanted, but not now. She scolded him, as only his mother would have dared, for allowing his lust to almost kill them both. Then she berated him for how ridiculous he now looked, with his shrunken manliness forgotten, in his clear intent to prepare the prize for his village. She shrugged her shoulders and slung her dark hair over them to expose her ample nursing-orbs as she stomped back to her village. She knew his eyes followed her for as long as he could see her. Her intent, to Mar had been calculated and effective. She would see him again, probably on his terms; at least he would think they were.

                          *****

This adventure, could be viewed an insight into both the intelligence potential and the emotional turbulence of the relatively new human experience. The capability of rational thought during the physical act of feeling emotion is not replicated in any other form of life.

For Mar to traverse from the anticipation of his lustful desire to making a life saving, skillful plan of attack on the beast, within only seconds, could be seen as astonishing.

Emotion is a function of humankind that serves to give dimension to its awareness. Intelligence can define a situation to a human, but emotion alerts the human as to its immediacy. When the balance between the two is disturbed, the potential for disaster is incalculable. But, to continue...

Mar was not disappointed when he returned to his village. First they showed awe at the size of the boar and then much praise for the hunter. Everyone gathered to hear the tale of the conquest. He spoke truthfully about everything except the girl; not because of shyness about his amorous adventures, he simply didn’t want to explain who she was and why she was so close to their territory. Mar viewed it as a minor transgression and he saw no reason to magnify it by making an issue in front of the entire village. Today served as a time for celebration.

Later he would seek his father’s advice about her village and the best way to see her again. Oh yes, he would see her again, and she would know that he knew about many things, including how a man takes a woman, and not just for his own pleasure!

                          *****

Mar's village offered a combination of caves and primitive thatched structures. The caves, obviously used mostly in the cold weather and the rain. They also protected the permanent fire, which needed constant tended. His people had no desire to go back to the dark life before fire. Getting fire, and bringing it back from another village, could be considered a major embarrassment, and led to much scorn from other villages. Larger villages were known to go to war on weaker ones rather than negotiate for fire. Many had three or four fires in different caves, constantly tended, to prevent the possibility of one burning out and leaving them at someone else’s mercy. If a fire-tender proved negligent in his responsibility the penalty was severe and immediate. It demanded a brutal beating and sometimes even death. Fire held its importance as man’s most precious resource.

There were rumors that fire could be made from stones and sticks. This seemed to be unfounded gossip. Who could perform such magic? Common knowledge said that the God people in the sky created fire. They threw giant fire sticks at the earth when they were angry. A few of the most courageous warriors had captured some of this fire from forest fires and brought it to their villages. Many people experienced fear that the Gods would punish them for this theft.

Man's survival instinct had kept him alive during storms and other dangers by warning him to take cover in sheltered areas. But this did not dampen his curiosity to speculate as to the various uses of fire. Besides having the capacity to warm the tribe in cold weather, many hunters had tasted the cooked meat of animals after a fire and considered it a special treat. Even some vegetation tasted better if cooked but not quite burnt.

The fire created daylight at night, which meant, if it could be contained an element of safety existed. Virtually all animals were known to be frightened of the fire, so it wasn't surprising that man would devise plans for its uses.

Mar's grandfather had been one of the warriors that captured the fire after a thunderstorm that had produced little rain and much fire. It had been particularly hot and dry that year and the underbrush became very brittle and flammable.

Normally, drenching rains that made the fire capture almost impossible, followed the thunder and lightening. So the arid weather could be both good and bad. Without rain the fires would burn down lower and it made capture easier. But, with the dryness came the wind, which could spread the fire rapidly. This made the capture risky because of wildlife stampedes and the added possibility of being burned in the shifting gusts. The brave ones knew they would have to get close enough to the fire to grab a branch long enough to transport back to their village without burning them in the process.

Naturally these hunters who captured the fire would be revered in their villages. Mar envied and loved his grandfather for this. He wanted to emulate his grandfather and father's bravery. His father had shown him many secrets that had helped him become a respected hunter.

                            *****

As limited as the verbal skills of early man were, their emotions filled some of the void for them. Anger and happiness were easily spotted and demonstrated, likewise fear and lust. Contemplating a problem, or allowing curiosity to weave its web in the mind could sometimes be observed also. This meditating process, often aided by accident or coincidence, had been responsible for many discoveries.

Mar involved himself in this contemplative process on this day. He squatted with his hands supporting his head as his arms rested on his knees, staring into space. His thoughts were centered on the subject of fire.

He recalled a day when he’d been far too close to a rockslide and barely lunged, stumbling into a nearby cave until it subsided. He’d noticed some small fire sticks leaping from some of the rocks as they tumbled against one another. He’d forgotten the incident until now, but hearing the rumors of hunters making fire captured his awareness. He knew something of sticks and rocks himself, so this is where his attention focused.

He remembered how, that day, one rock had landed on some dry leaves, and when another struck it, a fire stick had leapt into the leaves. He thought he saw a brief flurry of what might be smoke. He wished he’d inspected the leaves after the slide; but, of course, he’d been concerned for his immediate safety, and never really gave it any thought until this very moment.

Another incident he recalled was grinding a spear stick against a large rock to sharpen the point. After rubbing it for a good while he’d touched the end to test its sharpness, and burned his fingers. His thoughts were hazy, but his curiosity poked at him like that sharp stick.

                            *****

He grabbed his spear and club and hurried off to the caves where the rockslide had nearly killed him.

This time he was careful to determine there would be no such reoccurrence as before. There were many stones in the area and he selected several that seemed the right size for his experiment. He began pounding different ones together to see which would create the tiny fire sticks. Finally, after several failed attempts, he tried some coarse white rocks he remembered were in the area where the slide had trapped him. Maybe these made the fire sticks as they glanced off of one another. He held one rock steady and then, with the other, made a striking motion glancing one off of the other. He giggled hoarsely when he saw it, it wasn't any longer than his little finger and it went away quickly, but it was definitely a fire stick! He repeated this several times and created five or six more fire sticks that went away as soon as they appeared, now for the dry leaves.

He gathered the leaves and some dry moss, and also, small sticks that would fire quickly. He arranged the dry leaves and moss in a small pile and picked up his rocks and began striking, at first slowly, then more rapidly as he saw the need for many fire sticks. It took a few minutes and he had to control his anger. Fortunately, one of the attributes of a good hunter was patience. At last, smoke appeared! More tries and each time more smoke. He could hardly contain his glee, and his frustration; smoke, but no fire. Faster and faster he struck; so the smoke was continuous. He bent and started to blow, at first too hard, and then lightly until flames appeared. Now he dropped the rocks and grabbed two of the sticks and poked them into the dancing flames. He laughed as his fire took hold and he felt good inside.

                          *****

Mar's instincts first told him to run and get the people of the village to see his magnificent accomplishment. Then he bellowed at his stupidity. He didn't need to bring them to the fire. He could take his stones and rebuild a fire for them to see from the beginning.

This represented something he knew would help the hunters in his village. They could now set up camp and feel safer on their overnight hunts. He felt a genuine pride of doing something for the good of the entire tribe. It is doubtful his thoughts went much beyond that.

When he returned to the village he went directly to his father's thatched hut. He did not go in, he simply set his two white stones down outside and went about the business of gathering more dry leaves and moss, along with some small sticks and a few larger ones. This odd behavior drew some attention, especially when he began piling up the leaves and moss in such a tiny circle. Fires were started with bigger circles, partly contained with rocks to prevent it from spreading. Then a lit branch was brought out from the cave fire to start it quickly.

When Mar squatted with his two hand held stones, and started striking them together toward the leaves, there were giggles and some playfully pointed grunts and gestures. What new game had he devised? In a few minutes, however, some could see the fire sticks jumping toward the leaves, then the smoke, and finally flames. Their giggles stopped and then silence for a moment. The collected crowd moved, first backward as though from fear, then forward when they could see Mar busily tended the miraculous blaze.

There were oohs, and ahs of genuine awe. This young hunter had made truth out of rumor. A real hero. Soon, most of the hunters had stones and were squatting all over the entire village trying to make the fire miracle. Mar went from hunter to hunter and helped them and laughed with them when the blazes started. Sometimes they were in such obvious awe they couldn’t get the fires started because they were laughing and shaking so much. It became great fun and reason for a grand celebration.

Mar's father and grandfather were very proud, he could see it on their faces. He could not remember being so filled with joy and pride. For a moment he thought of the girl, what would she think? She already knew of his value as a great hunter. But this something a man would be remembered for. The accomplishment of a real warrior. She could not rebuke him now.

He had discussed the girl with his father and had let him know she was something special to him. His father contemplated the matter gravely, but also fair. They would need to go to the girl's village and see if she might be available to bargain for, although now, the bargaining represented more than property. Mar had something much more valuable that would bond the two tribes, far better than property. They made plans to go to her village the next day.

                            *****

Late the next morning they arrived at the neighboring tribal village, much the same as their own, and although cautiously observed, tolerated. Visits were treated with a certain ceremony of respect, especially so when the visitors were of the obvious stature of Mar, his father, and the grandfather. These were men of reputation and skill as warriors and hunters.

It was whispered that the girl, Ona, had a liking for this Mar, sought after by several of her tribesmen, but had not, as yet, been awarded. Maybe a definite purpose for this visit?

The father and grandfather sat with some men they recognized and said little. They were content to let Mar be the center of attention. Quickly he set up his demonstration, which went much like the previous day.

By now he exhibited efficiency at this new skill he put a little more drama into his act. This heightened the sudden fear and then the awareness of what he’d done. The oohs, and ahs were far more audible, and once he’d built the fire to acceptable size he got up and took the hand of one of their warriors. There were sounds of amazement when he handed the warrior his stones and helped him to start his own fire. The rest went exactly the same with Mar racing from place to place, helping, chuckling, and approving of their efforts. Though only early afternoon on a reasonably warm day, there were fires all over the village and another great celebration.

                           *****

Mar had already spotted the girl, Ona, who’d remained apart, but very interested in this handsome young man she knew would come for her one day. She had to purposely hide her excitement at the manner in which he’d conquered the rest of the village. He would certainly be a leader soon. No, he was already a leader. He could have her if he asked. So, while she daydreamed, he had quietly walked up to her and stood before her. She felt embarrassment that she had allowed herself to lose her awareness and self- control. No matter, his smile completely warmed her long before she could think of a complaint. They moved quietly together to a place where they could be alone. Several eyes followed them, most approvingly, and no one attempted to follow. The accepted form. When they returned all would know if they were suited for one another.

Mar had been surprised when, instead of allowing him to mount her while on her hands and knees, she turned toward him and presented herself while on her back. He soon realized he had learned another way to start a fire. This girl was as skillful as he. When they returned to the village it had been obvious they would leave together to start their own family.

Mar's father had sought out Ona's father and there had been no objection to a union. He felt proud that the brave warrior had selected his daughter.

Only one young man had challenged Mar to a rock-lifting contest, but had been unable to lift the first rock Mar had selected. The man laughingly conceded Mar won because of the great strength from the excitement in his loins. Mar did not disagree.