Chapter 2

Kraighten Days

 I walked to the river with our kettle to get water while Tonnison started the stove and began cooking bacon. On my way I passed a small group of villagers. They watched me with curious eyes but remained silent. When I returned with the water, I tried to speak with them. I gave them a friendly nod, which they returned. “Good fishing around here?” I asked, pointing to the river. They just shook their heads without answering. Among themselves they spoke in a language I couldn’t follow, probably Irish. As they talked, they kept glancing at me. I attempted another question, but there was no understanding between us. When Tonnison called my name, I smiled politely at the villagers and walked back to our camp. “These villagers don’t seem to speak any English,” I told Tonnison as he turned the bacon in “That’s not surprising in this area,” he replied. “People in such remote villages rarely meet outsiders.” I sighed. “We should have asked our driver to help us talk to them. It feels strange that they don’t know why we’re here.” Tonnison nodded but continued cooking in silence. After eating, we made plans for the next day. Then we smoked our pipes, closed our tent flaps, and prepared for sleep. “Do you think the villagers might take our things?” I asked in the darkness. “I doubt it,” Tonnison said. “Especially since we’re camping so close by. Besides, we can lock most items in the chest, except for the tent, of course. That made sense to me, and soon we both fell asleep.” We woke with the early morning light and went for a swim in the cool river. Afterward we dressed, ate breakfast, and prepared our fishing gear. Once we finished eating, we secured everything in our tent and walked to a spot my friend had discovered on his previous visit. We spent the entire day fishing, moving slowly upstream. By evening we had caught many fish. Back at the village, we cooked and enjoyed most of our catch. We saved some for our breakfast and offered the rest to the villagers who had gathered to watch us. Their faces showed great appreciation. The next few days followed a similar pattern. Plenty of fishing and good meals. The villagers became friendlier, and we noticed that they never disturbed our belongings when we were away.