Still hiding in the bamboo, Louis tensed, ready to spring forth should
the tribe prove hostile. His only sound was a whisper to Mandragola
and Mishima. "We should let Shaka attempt to convince them." he
hissed. "However, we should protect him if they move to attack."
Mishima nodded silently in return.

Mandragola eyed the Zulu, looking for a woman he might take hostage
for their safety, should it come to a fight. 

Briefly eyeing the bamboo, Shaka faced the man who had come forward
from the Zulu and scowled. Again he spoke in Zulu.

"You, who name yourself Pala." he challenged the other. "You say you
do not know me, and this puzzles me.  You speak the language of the
people, but you have not heard of Shaka?  King of the Zulu?  I do not
know much about the nature of this place, but I think I understand
what has happened here.  All the spirits of the people of mother earth
come here when they die, even people from strange lands the Zulu have
never heard of.  Here they are born young again, with their bodies
hairless and circumcised strangely.  And when they die, they are born
again, next to this river."

Shaka paused and pointed to the river before continuing.

"I know the name of all the Zulu chieftains before I took the tribe
and turned it into a nation.  You were not one of them.  And yet you
say you do not know of me, and yet I have spoken to people who were
born in strange lands long after I died who knew of me.  Surely my own
people would know me."

As Shaka raised his scythe in a combat stance, the three in the bamboo
prepared to attack, but waited for the conversation to end. To their
surprise, Shaka continued speaking, unobstructed, and the other
responded.

"I have not the shield of our people," Shaka concluded, "nor the spear
I taught them to use.  I hold the scythe of the devil, and I will use
it to bring the this land under one rule.  The Zulu warrior will be
the tip of my spear, if you truly are what you claim to be.  Pala, I
challenge your leadership of these people."

"I was no king," Pala responded, "and no chief, but a headman. Yet of
these people, I have most claim to chieftainship and they have chosen
me to lead them. I am a man of the Zulu clan of the Nguni, a keeper of
fields and herds. If you would prove yourself King, you must do that
which only the a King could do -- call on the ancestors, perform a
sorcery, bring rain."

The other Zulu murmured at their leader's words, and looked
expectantly at Shaka.

			      *  *  *  *

In the silent darkness, peering out toward the grailstone, the fire,
and the people seated in a circle about it, the lazari each fell into
reveries, mesmerized by the flicking light.

			      *  *  *  *

Before dinner, Charles had spoken with Shaw.  "I did not mean to
exclude you as a translator, your help has been invaluable to our
group.  Please accept my apologies."

Shaw chuckled and wave his hand.

"Do you know," Charles continued, "how we might catch fish or
creatures in this this river, if there be an fish or creatures in
here?  I have no knowledge of my previous time here, and do not know
if fish exist.  They would be a fine change to the diet, and would
provide us with skin for parchment and bone for tools.

"However, I am not adept at catching fish.  Would you teach me so that
we might catch them together?"

"I am not much of a fisherman myself," Shaw replied, "but there are
many fish in this river and I have seen people catch them. It should
not be to hard to catch something I suppose. We'll see what we can do
at daylight. But for now," he yawned, "I think I'll rest." 

After Shaw had left, Jeanne sought Charles out and the two spoke
quietly for some time.

"I have left my crosses behind," she began. "They were too large to
bear away from the settlement; as time permits I will perhaps make a
smaller one to carry on my person. Would you wish one, also?"

Charles smiled at Jeanne and nodded. "Your devotion does you
credit. We must never forget His Love."

A hopeful look crossed Jeanne's face.  "Are you, by chance, a priest?
I have not been shriven, nor received Eucharist once since waking in
this place and I feel directionless..."  She lowered her voice even
further.  

"My guiding voices have left me, and He does not speak to me here. My
days are dark and I know not what He wishes of His humble servant,"
she finished.

			      *  *  *  *

"I'm sure there must be some rules and laws behind this place," Ehrich
had said to Freud, "Someone behind a curtain that we don't see.  But
not everything is necessarily subject to science, something may sit
outside of science and so not be concerned with rules or laws.  I have
never found such a thing, but if I ever will, I'm sure it will be in
this place."

Freud sighed softly. "Even science may concern itself too much with
rules, or not enough with laws."

Josephine had a curious look on her face as she watched Shaw sleeping.
Frowning slightly, she contemplated the River and how to best steer
the boat, half-listening to the conversations of the others. Smiling a
brilliant smile, she invited Ehrich to join her, and asked him eagerly
about his life on earth.

"Did you, perhaps," she queried, "get to visit Paris?  I, myself,
lived there during the roaring '20's.  Quite a wild time, if I do say
so myself. I have to admit, I managed to raise a few eyebrows from
time to time."

She winked and sort of hummed to herself, her eyes encouraging
responses.

Ehrich shook off the stunned look he had had around Josephine since
learning when she had died, and nodded.  "Yes, I was in Paris, London,
Berlin, and several other cities several times in the early twenties.
I must say though, I don't recall you, so maybe you raised eyebrows
after my time, or I didn't put in enough effort keeping track of what
was happening around me.  Although Paris at that time, I'm sure, would
have paid a beautiful black woman a lot of attention."

Josephine arched her eyebrows and smiled at Ehrich. "Why, thank
you. Perhaps you're worthy of attention yourself."

Ehrich began to busy himself with calisthenics. Josephine flashed him
another smile and joined in to the extent that she was able while
steering the ship. Her movements included more isometric and
stretching exercises.

			      *  *  *  *

Breaking out of their memories, the group again looked out at the
firelit gathering by the grailstone. Jeanne told the others that they
appeared to be the people she had witnessed performing a human sacrifice.

Charles shuddered.  "I do not think it wise to put our boat in at this
grailstone.  We are on a mission of reconnaissance, not of engagement.
It is night, and we would need to sleep or stay awake all night.
There are a score of them, and less than half that many of us.  The
grailstone will not give food until morning.  I think if we push on
north, we will be at the next Grailstone by morning by the time it
fires."

"I would rather tighten my belt and lose a meal, then have my belly
filled with sharp rocks." Charles grins. Freud shivered and nodded.

Benjamin's tone also signified approval. "Or we might sail to the
stone across the River."

"Should we not speak with them?" Ehrich suggested. "Need we distrust
them?"

"Perhaps if one of us who has seen the ritual were to swim closer to
the River's edge and observe, we could make a more intelligent
decision?" Josephine suggested.

A low-voiced chanting began from the circle, and Shaw shook his
head. "It's them all right."