After about four days the stench of the dead animals was stifling. This brought the crows, ravens, and turkey vultures who were trying to get their share, in company with the coyotes and wolves that were lurking around. Chasing all these scavengers away kept the camp dogs busy day and night.
While the women were doing the butchering, warriors were carrying what they could to the canoes. It was at this time that a meeting of the family heads convened.
“The warriors who have been carrying meat and robes to the canoes tell me that maybe they should start off for our summer home with what is already loaded. I agreed with them and came up with a plan to help us speed up the journey home for everyone. They say that in the next day they will have forty-five canoes loaded. My suggestion is to send ninety warriors home. There is still several days’ work here to do. If we wait to finish, the trip home will be cumbersome with one hundred and fifty canoes and only one hundred and thirty warriors to help paddle. The warriors say that they can make the round trip in nine or ten days. When they return downriver, they will be able to meet our people as they are returning and help them from there.”
“Mahingan,” said Pangì Shìshìb, “if we send ninety warriors home, we will be left with only forty men. What happens if the Haudenosaunee arrive?”
“Our scouts tell us that they have not seen any activity from across the big lake, plus the Wàbanaki will be here until the end. It is an easier trip for them because they will be going with the current of the big river home. After the ninety warriors leave, we will be leaving in groups of sixty-five, including ten warriors, in twenty-five canoes over the next several days. As the ninety start to come back to us, they will be able to relieve our loads and give us extra manpower in the canoes.
“I see your plan now, and it is a good one,” said Pangì Shìshìb.
“Do we all agree then on the final plan?”
“Yes, Mahingan,” they all said in unison.
“Fine, let’s get started. The ninety will leave now.”
Over the course of the next several days, all the groups left. My group was the last one. I had nine warriors with me. There were my three brothers, the two warrior women Agwanìwon Ikwe and Kìnà Odenan, Minowez-I, his son Nigig, Makòns, and Miskwì. Furthermore, we had fifty-five women and young boys divided into twenty-five canoes.
“Mitigomij, we are finally heading home.”
“Yes, brother, but I have a feeling that the Haudenosaunee will still make their presence felt. We have to be cautious and anticipate that a few of the ninety will reach us in good time.”
Wàgosh and Nigig, who were standing near Mitigomij and me, also expressed their concerns of our enemy from the south.
“Don’t worry. Kitchi Manitou has been with us up ’till now. He’ll watch over us until we are safely home.”
The first day of our trip home was uneventful. We divided the warriors among ten of the canoes. Each warrior’s canoe had a young boy in it. The other fifteen canoes had three paddlers each, mostly women. Four of the warrior canoes took the lead, two in the middle and the final four safeguarding the rear boats of the small group. The warriors had been positioned so that if there were any trouble they would be near by to lend a hand. In my boat, I had a boy named Pashkwadjàsh (Coyote), the small white dog, and Ishkodewan. The boy was the same age as the twins and asked many questions about the sìbì. He was good company and a strong paddler. His father was one of the ninety warriors who had left nine days ago. The boy’s mother did not make the trip because she had a very young daughter to care for that was born last fall. Each canoe was loaded with as much meat and robes as it could handle. Near dusk, we portaged at the big rapids and made camp. Sentries were posted, and for watchdogs they had my wolf and the small dog. All was well so far.
The party awoke the next morning to rain. We decided to continue, but if the winds came up we would head to shore. We travelled until our next portage and stopped for the day as the weather had worsened.
At this encampment, there were lean-tos from our previous trip downriver. There we waited out the weather and stayed dry. The next morning would hopefully bring a break in the conditions.
The following day the weather started to break. The plan was to eat and then with a bit of luck we would be able to leave before the noon sun. The ninety had been gone ten days now. In the next day or two, the first couple of groups would start reconnecting with the returning warriors. With the extra boats and labour, this would hasten their return trip. Our expectation was that we would see the warriors in a couple of days. The four groups that left after the warriors would not make very good time. With only ten men in each group, the portages would be time consuming. We would have to make many trips during the portages because of all the meat and robes that were in each canoe. The women were an immense help but could not carry as much as a man. We kept a few travois to help us with the transporting of the buffalo meat and the robes on the portages, but it was still a burdensome time.
We were able to get away before the noon sun and calm water ensured the easiest travel since we had started the trip home.
After we had been out on the river for quite awhile, Mitigomij doubled back with his canoe.
“Mahingan, Makadewà Wàban has appeared along the shore twice. When he shows himself like that, it only means one thing. He sees something he does not like. Someone must be following us!”
“Mitigomij, there is a big bend in the river up ahead. We can put ashore there, and then we will be able to look back onto the river for a great distance. If anyone is following us, they will come into our view at that spot.”
As soon as we reached the bend, we told the rest of the people to continue. We did not have to wait long. Down the river, we could see boats appear.
“Haudenosaunee, my brother?”
“I would think so, Mitigomij. I see six canoes and probably eighteen to twenty warriors. They will not attack us on the river. They probably do not know how many warriors there are with us. They have seen all the canoes we have and are leery about an attack. My guess is that they will put a few scouts ashore and try to see what we have, and it is quite possible they will have already done that. When that happens, they will know that we do not have many warriors. Our women only carry knives and do not have the skills of a warrior. We will have to come up with a solid plan to rout this group. Our returning warriors are probably still at least a day away from meeting us. The rain, unlike us, wouldn’t have slowed them down at all, but they won’t be here to help with this problem.”
We got into our canoes and started back to our group. When we arrived, we pulled along side Minowez-I and his son. Telling him what we had seen, we started to talk about a plan of defence.
“Our warriors are outnumbered two to one, but we might be able to have an element of surprise,” I said.
“We’ll have to split our meagre warrior group up. Minowez-I, I will leave two of my brothers, Kàg and Wàgosh, with you and your son. With me I will have Mitigomij, the two warrior women, Makòns, and Miskwì. We will take two canoes, but the meat will have to be divided amongst the remainder, enabling us to travel more quickly. The enemy is at least a part of an afternoon behind us. They are coming slowly. I am sure their plans will be to attack us in the next morning or so. Try to push the people to hasten their speed.”
“Mahingan, we’ll be fine. Our warriors will soon be meeting us and we all will be safe. I will have Kàg lead the group and Nigig, Wàgosh, and I will guard the rear. Be careful, my friend. The Haudenosaunee are to be feared and not taken lightly.”
“They have yet to meet us. It is the Algonquin that should be feared.”
I hastily gathered my small force together. Because we did not have to go far from the river, I could take Mitigomij with us. He was by far the most fearsome warrior of our tribe and that big cat of his had proven his worth many times. The two young warriors still had