*  *  *  *

Jeanne seemed quite stricken by Josephine's seizure. She shook her
head when Freud held up the dreamgum, and stepped away from the group
for a few minutes. They could hear her murmured prayers.  It was
obvious that little more could be done that night, and, exhausted, the
lazari slept, save their guards and Jeanne, who seemed intent on a
vigil for most of the night.

Shaka had watched the turmoil caused by the dreamgum but stayed
apart. On his watch, he silently shifted his sharp gaze about,
watching for invaders or deserters in the lonely dark.

The Rivervalley glowed in the dawning of the morning sun, but even
that golden light did not make clear the plight of the missing
companions or the fate of the group itself.

Josephine seemed more introspective than usual, and studiously avoided
the alcohol and dream gum remaining in her grail, her face still pale.
Looking a little uneasy at first, Josephine spoke to the group, her
voice gradually growing steadier.

Josephine: "I... I don't know what happened. I apologize to all of you."

She looked at the ground for a long moment before continuing.

Josephine: "I don't know what my...dreams? visions? mean, but..."

A pained look crossed her face and she rested her hand lightly on her
chest, over her heart.

Josephine: "I feel that whatever happened to Glenn is... bad, to say
	    the least. We must find him."

She half-smiled her deprecating smile and added a little less vehemently,

Josephine: "And... I need to stay away from that dream gum."

Jeanne addressed the others next.

Jeanne: "Well. We have little trail to follow to find our friends,
	 what shall we do next? It would seem we are back to the
	 question of who will stay and who will leave. If any are
	 allowed to."

Jeanne: "I have spent much time thinking and praying over this
	 question, and it seems that I have my answer. While I wish to
	 make my pilgrimage, now is not the time for that."

She grinned wryly.

Jeanne: "But someone will have to show me how to build a hut if that
	 is what we are here to do."

Tjar stood steadfastly, a hard look on his face.

Tjar: "First we must agree among ourselves. Let us vote now, and
       decide what our course shall be and who shall direct it!"

Charles: "I will agree to a vote, I said so before.  I do not change
	  my mind on such matters.  If you all vote (or some majority)
	  to follow Tjar, so be it. We should find Glenn, for if he
	  has disappeared than an enemy is close at hand or among us."

Charles: "Building weapons and shelter is next, but again, perhaps
	  this 'vote' is the next step.  I care not."

Josephine: "We need to stick together, build a home, and get Glenn and
	    the other woman back. Now, I don't know about starting a
	    government or running one, for that matter, but we need to
	    build shelter and make a safe place... a haven, if you
	    will."

Hypatia took a stick and made markings on the ground with it.

Hypatia: "Here, I mark each of our names, in Greek"

She pointed to each word, and to each person, for Shaka's benefit.

Hypatia: "Let us all turn around, and each take the stick and make a
	  mark beneath the name of the leader we would have."

The others agreed, and one by one they scratched marks in the
dirt. When the last had finished, they all turned around. Beneath
Florence's name was a single mark; two appeared by Tjar's. The other
six clustered below Charles's symbol.

Charles nodded at the group. 

Charles: "Very well."

He turned to Tjar.

Charles: "This is an acceptable vote?"

Tjar grudgingly agreed.

Charles: "Then let us plan a course of action."

Shaw: "Well, it would look as if Glenn is either dead or as good as
       dead with out his grail. Cleopatra however looks to have either
       swam off or been takes aboard a boat, unless she was swallowed up
       by some sort of sea monster..."

He laughed.

Shaw: "or river monster as the case may be"

Shaw: "Either way, we know to little about where we are now..I propose
       a scouting expedition, by boat, a few hours up river and a few
       river down river. We could be back by evening, and it would pay
       to know who our neighbors are. Perhaps my self and one or two
       others could go, and the rest stay and look for more clues."

Josephine: "I will scout with Shaw."

Charles nodded.

Charles: "Let us split ourselves into groups of 2 or 3 people and
	  spread out in the shape of a fan, one going inland and one
	  group along the river, while Shaw and Josephine do the same
	  by boat."

Charles: "We should return here before the midday Grail has fired, and
	  compare what we have learned...Then we can build shelter."

Charles: "I was sure that God had placed us together for a plan, but I
	  was presumptuous to assume I would know God's Plan... I am
	  chastised.  While we search for Glenn, we should all search
	  our hearts and minds as well, and decide what paths we
	  should follow."

Charles spoke to Shaka in Bantu.

Charles: "Split up. Find Glenn. maybe Fight Enemy. Eat Food. Build hut."

Charles, and Shaka formed one party, and began to head inland,
perpendicular to the River.  Florence, Hypatia, and Tjar made up
another, and walked north, paralleling the water's course.  Shaw and
Josephine decided to sail downRiver first, and soon passed Jeanne and
Freud, the third group, who took the southern path.

In this section of the River, the water, though dark, flowed gently
between the widely-spaced shores. Shaw and Josephine watched the banks
as they sailed southward, keeping close to the west bank to avoid the
ever larger cluster of ships docked at Temuchin's village on the east
bank. The light winds were running astern, providing the sleek boat
with extra speed. 

While they sailed, Shaw showed Josephine how to handle the boat's
lines, as he called the ropes, and she told him more about her days in
Paris. Neither spoke of Josephine's visions of the night before. As
the midday meal approached, they sighted a village on the west bank,
centered, as most were, about the grailstone. They put in and found
themselves among a group of English-speakers who invited them to fill
their grails and rest.

The two disembarked warily, and inserted their grails into the
stone. When the fire blazed, they joined the villagers for their
meal. A woman, who introduced herself as Lila, asked them from where
they came.

The three groups returned to the grailstone in the late morning; Shaw
and Josephine remained on the River, not due to return until
nightfall.  They acquainted one another with their similar lack of
findings. No trace of Glenn or Cleopatra had been found, and their
walks had not taken them far enough to observe other civilizations on
this side of the River. Jeanne observed, frowning, that the cluster of
boats seemed thicker at Temuchin's docks, on the other Riverbank.

The group put their grails into the grailstone and waited for the
fiery eruption that signaled that the miracle of manna would be
repeated again. They found themselves privileged to witness the miracle
of rebirth as well.

A pile of towels sat next to the naked bodies of each of the new
arrivals. There were three men in all. One was a blonde-haired,
blue-eyed man of perhaps five-and-a-half feet, with well-proportioned
features and European complexion. Another was a short Asian man, lanky
of frame and heavy of brow, looking terribly pale. The last was rather
a rather non-descript Caucasian of average height.

As each of the new resurrectees began to stir, they found themselves
faced with an assorted group of three women and four men. With the
exception of a tall, powerful black man who carried a scythe with a
metal blade, all were light-skinned. A muscular man with reddish-brown
hair seemed to be the leader of the group.

The group watched them warily as they awoke, and bid them welcome in
French and English.