Dag nodded, “I understand. Unfortunately, I don’t have the people to spread out and get it for ourselves. Maintaining an outpost here, and an outpost on the river, and we have a new one up the beach a way where they will be shipping us down the supplies to make the liquid rock you see going up on the outside walls of the fort.”

Hendden looked at him, “You’re asking me to challenge my father?”

Dag shook his head. “You don’t have to openly oppose him to bring some people with you to join my clan. It would allow you to build a real future. You might not become chief like you would in your current clan, but you and your children would all live better than you ever could, holding to the traditional ways.” He let out a long sigh, “It is a big decision, and I’m not asking you to make it quick. I just think you should think long and hard about it. After all, what is a chief for, if not to lead his people to prosperity? Your father’s ways leave all of you just one run of bad luck from disaster.”

Hendden looked crest fallen, “I understand.”

Dag smiled at him, “There is no hurry to decide. You’re roughly the same age as Bren. Maybe talk to him about the choice he recently made, and the circumstances that more or less pushed him into it. I think you might find out that you’re not alone in all of this. I’d be surprised if there aren’t young men, and especially young women in all of the clans who aren’t trying to think of a way to make the leap. They just don’t want to abandon those who depend on them. Change is always hard, but the right change can bring prosperity not only for you, but every generation after you.” Dag walked off after that. He thought it best to leave Hendden alone to think things over. Either decision he made, Dag had already decided that he would get from him the location of the tar pits. Even if it cost him something he didn’t want to let go of, it was too valuable to allow to become lost to them if something happened to Hendden on a hunt.

He put all of it out of his mind for the moment, and went off to see how the trading had been going. He hadn’t noticed as many people around the fort, but they may have conducted their trades earlier. With the permanent presence they now had in the area, there wasn’t quite the rush to get there as soon as they arrived. He hoped that was what had happened, and they weren’t still hard feelings from last year, leading to some sort of informal boycott.

Population

Changes

Dag mostly stayed holed up in the fort for the next few weeks. Lavern was heavy with child, and he didn’t want to be out on a hunt if she went into labor. He spent much of his time with quill and papyrus, writing down his knowledge. It made for tedious days, but evenings were spent with his family. John was well past the walking stage, and talking up a storm. Dag had always assumed that one day he would get married and have a family, but had been in no hurry for any of it. Now, he couldn’t think of anything more rewarding. Even given all of the changes he had brought to the lives of so many here, teaching John to count brought him more personal fulfillment.

A little excitement came when Ajax decided to take one of the girls of Bren’s tribe as a wife, in addition to Shirley. Dag just knew it was going to be nothing but drama, but surprisingly, without the social conditioning to expect exclusive pair bonds that were so common in his old world, everyone more or less accepted the situation for what it was. Lavern told him that there was plenty of petty jealousy between the women, but from what Dag could see, it was far less than what many women of his time had with their mother-in-laws. Dag just chalked it up to women sorting out the pecking order. Men did the same thing, and there was always rivalry between them, even those who were closer than brothers, so just because women did it differently, he didn’t see it as something worthy of interfering with.

As for himself, Lavern was all the headache he needed. He smiled at that thought. She was a good woman and had really stepped up to make their little clan function. She headed off more trouble and headaches for him than she ever caused. That didn’t mean she wasn’t a pain in his ass from time to time. Thinking on relationships here versus those that he knew back in his old world, and things seemed simpler. Emphasis placed on what worked for the people involved, and very little outside social pressures from either religion or secular cultural norms. Best of all, there was no ‘war between the sexes’ that had become the entrenched social norm in the old world. Here, men knew that they needed the women in their lives, and women knew that without a man’s provision and protection, their lives and the lives of their children would be brutish and short. Dag gave a mental sigh as he amended more brutish and shorter, but he was working to offset all of that.

He had been so caught up in his thoughts and his writings that Jack caught him completely off guard when he stormed into the little supply room that Dag was using as an office. The boy’s eyes were a bit wild, and he was out of breath as he gasped, “Dag, we have a situation. I don’t know what to do, and I think you’re going to need to sort it all out.”

Frowning, Dag reached for his bow, and checked to be certain his axe was still at his belt as he headed for the door. “What now?”

Jack stammered, “I... I’m not completely sure. I just know that there are two groups of people at the gates, and they’re screaming at each other.”

Dag rolled his eyes. Nothing like going in blind, he thought to himself as he hit the ground just inside of the gates, which Jack had ordered closed when he saw hordes of people streaming their way. He glanced up to see Jill had gotten the other archers up on the wall, just in case this turned ugly. Dag called out to the shield men that he still had inside, and three of them formed up around him. “Open the gate, but stand ready to close it again if this goes bad,” he informed Jack.

Everyone pulled back a bit when they saw Dag and three armed men step out of the gate. He looked the groups over, and found to his surprise, one side had Ajax, Bren, and Hendden, along with about two dozen men and four times that of women and children. The other side was Hendden’s father and a lot of the clan chiefs. The group with the clan chiefs were nearly all men of middle years and what looked to be a few of their adult sons.

Dag roared and both sides when silent, “What the fuck is going on here?” Only Ajax and a few on his side understood the question, as it was asked in English.

Ajax came forward, “Bren and Hendden were talking about our home, and how Bren was now one of us. Hendden said that he was thinking about it too. Others wanted to come and ask if there was room for them, but then the chiefs got word of it, and came out to stop them.” Axel shrugged, “I tried to tell everyone that they would need to talk to you about all of this, but when the chiefs started to smack around those who didn’t obey them and go back, it got a little out of hand. I thought we could at least keep them safe in the fort until it was all sorted out.”

Dag hung his head in frustration. He really didn’t need this. Voting with their feet was the most democratic option he could think of, but did he really need all of these mouths to feed? Could he feed them? Assuming, of course, he could trust them to do their part, and not backstab him in an attempt to seize power. “Okay...” He turned to the chiefs, “Do you really want to bring this trouble to my door? Haven’t you learned anything about bringing angry mobs against my walls and archers?” When he saw their faces pale and then redden, he knew he had struck fear in them, and that they were wanting to bluster to cover it. So, instead of allowing them to do so, he turned his back on them and addressed the others. “You only think that you want to come to my clan? We work hard all the time and not just on hunt days.” He shook his head. “I’ll bet the others didn’t tell you about that part. Everything in life is a trade, and you’ll trade plenty of bad for the good you’ll get.”

He turned away from them as well before they could reply. He looked up to Jill, “Anyone storms the gates or throws the first punch, shoot them.” That order delivered in a loud calm voice settled on both sides. He turned back to the chiefs, “Who I let in my clan is my business, and if you want to go to war with me over it, you know how that will end. I don’t really want all of these mouths to feed, but the choice is mine and theirs, not yours. If you can’t abide by that, I can make certain you have no other choices, ever again.” They were angry, but also within bow shot and would have a long run to get out of range.

Ajax spoke up, “If we send them back, they will just attack them out away from our protection.” To his credit, he didn’t make it a plea for help or an accusation that there wouldn’t be.

Dag nodded, “I know.” He looked over at the rather large gathering of people, “They know it too. So, I want all of you to think about that. If you want to camp up here close to the walls, I will see to it that you aren’t attacked, but if at the end of the day, no place is found for you, the chiefs will see it as defiance and they will not forget that you stayed. So, last chance to just call it even and go back with your chiefs. Any who stay that don’t find a home with us...” Dag shrugged so that they could fill in the rest.

There was a murmur on both sides, and a small handful of women moved over to the chief’s side of the dispute. Dag saw that they all had children, and couldn’t take the chance that they wouldn’t be wanted. He almost regretted his decision to put it to them like that, but he only wanted those who were really wanting to be a part of his clan. If they thought that they could just run home if things got rough, they were no good to him.

Dag nodded, “There you have it. My people inside, and hopefuls find a place to bed down within thirty paces of the wall.” He looked over at the chiefs, “Leave. I have a mess to sort out, and I won’t have all of you here making it worse.” To his surprise, they all looked as if they had eaten bad fish, but they all turned and walked away without another word.

◆◆◆

Testing

Dag really didn’t need this headache. This would push his clan up to nearly three hundred people, assuming that he took all of those wanting to join. He knew that for every Bren or Hendden in the crowd, he would have at least one who was likely to be more trouble than he was worth. He was brooding about it, and knew he was being moodier than he should be over the situation. So when Lavern had one of her mood swings and called him out on it, after indulging him for two hours, he snapped at her, and then felt bad when she went to tears.

Had he not been in such a foul mood, or had she not been pregnant, they would have probably handled it better. She would have explained her suggestion before nagging at him, or he would have not taken the nagging personally and asked her what she suggested. Neither of those happened, and they had a blowup. One of the few in their time together.

It wasn’t until after the fight, and the makeup sex, that she finally said what was on her mind. He was still coming down from some really good sex, and was relaxed enough to hear it, without all the added stress. “I don’t understand why you just don’t put them to work. You can see who they are by how they handle it. If they complain or try to duck out on the work, you can send them away. If they work hard and look like they are going to fit in, then give them a shot at it.”

Dag took a long exhale, “That isn’t a bad idea. Some will still slip through, and it is harder to deal with them once they are part of the clan than it is to get rid of them first, but that should get rid of most of the problem children up front. Like panning for gold... pick out the shiny bits and toss the rest.”

Lavern kissed his cheek, “What is gold?”

Dag laughed, “That must be why I love you... you don’t know about gold or diamonds.” She still looked at him confused, and so he kissed her. “Where I came from, gold is a very special shiny sort of rock. Men would give it to women as a sign that they could provide for them. Some women were very demanding in how much they wanted, and so it became a joke between men. Until the joke wasn’t funny anymore and men started to kill each other over places to get the gold.” He shook his head in the dark, “I’m way oversimplifying it, but at the root, I think that might have been the start of it all.”

Lavern asked him in a whisper, “Will you be mad if I said that I would like some gold, if only to see what all the fuss was about?”

Dag sighed, “No, I’m not mad. I’ve thought about trying to hunt for some, as it does have its uses, but I don’t know that I want to dump that on our world just yet. I promise, if I decide to get some, and can find any, I will make you something out of it.” He pulled her in close for a kiss. “Sleep now. We have a busy day when the sun comes up.”

Industry

Working Test

Dag put them all through their paces over the next few weeks. Clearing trees and gathering usable timber became the name of the game. Large trees that he wouldn’t have even tried to take down before now were on the chopping block. He wished that he had brought along a saw, but he didn’t have one. So, without the proper tools, he threw bodies at the problem. To his surprise, it worked, at least well enough to eventually get the job done.

While the men were felling trees and using levers, ropes, and pulleys to manhandle them to the river, the ladies were gathering up brush and burning them down to make charcoal. The charcoal became much less of a necessity now that the tar pits had been discovered, but there were some things which really just did better with charcoal, and since he had the workforce now, he put them to it.

Dag knew that it would likely take them weeks to ferry all of this down river to where it would be used, and maybe just as long to move it from the river to the castle or village. Even so, it made a fantastic filter for those who really wanted to be with them, and those who were just seeking an easier life. Even those who just wanted an easier life were productive until they broke and scurried back to the clan chiefs to beg to be let back into the fold. Dag found Lavern’s idea to be one of the best things he had stumbled across since being in this crazy world.

Dag was happiest that Bren and Hendden led by example. They were out coordinating the work, but weren’t scared to get their hands dirty right along with the new recruits. Dag had let them in on the secret. He knew that they would spread the word, but it was better that it came from them, rather than come as an edict from on high. Also, having himself and his own people working right beside the new people was a big benefit. Made the new folks feel more like part of the clan, and not just slave labor.

The food supplies that had been brought for trading were locked up for feeding the extra new people. It meant that they would get a little less in the form of trade goods, but trying to trade with people who didn’t understand the concept had never really brought in all that much. Feeding the people working, on the other hand, was bringing in results. By the time they were ready to leave the Gathering, Dag had enough lumber to build two solid wooden river docks. One here at the gathering that was started as soon as the flood waters went down enough, and one down at the mouth of the canal.

Dag hoped that the addition of the two docks would make moving goods along the river a whole lot easier. Especially as each dock with have a crane to pull goods from the boat and up onto the land. They were mostly simple block and tackle systems, but the big change would be the addition of a ratcheting gear on the windlass to allow the loads to be moved with far less wasted effort.

More than all of this, though, they weeded out about twenty percent of those who had originally wanted to come with them. It wasn’t that Dag couldn’t use every able-bodied willing worker, but he didn’t need dead weight, and this proved that the ones who came with were, whatever their other issues may be, not dead weight.

◆◆◆

Food Production Expansion

This was the first year that Dag had expected a real and substantial grain crop. However, those dreams flew right out the window with the addition of all the extra people. With all the extra mouths to feed, he ended up using all of his previous year’s harvest, as well as anything they traded for, as seed to plant. It likely meant taking a big step back in his selective breeding efforts, but figuring that quantity has a quality all of its own, he set crews to work digging irrigation trenches off of the main canal, and got busy planting every cereal of grain he could lay his hands on.

Without a plow, Dag had to improvise to get fields of the size he needed planted. He would add enough water to turn a section to mud, then run his cattle or sheep over it to churn up the ground. Then he followed behind, sewing seed. He wasn’t going to be producing anything like the yields of industrial agriculture, but with a little organic fertilizer from the animals, and the rich layer of mud brought down by the river flooding, he had every hope that the crop would at least be a modest success.

So that no one got too wore out with farming, Dag organized plenty of hunts as well. Most of these were simple efforts to bring in food to last them the next few weeks, but occasionally, he would use the corrals to push in livestock that increased their breeding lines. It wasn’t a perfect solution, as finding fodder for them all was still an issue. What it did allow was the occasional fresh meat alternative to salted and smoked meats.

Unfortunately, Dag had next to no time to be out working with them in a hands on fashion. After Lavern delivered their twin girls, he found himself practically living in the sea. Between lobster traps and spearing large fish that could really make a difference with the number of people they had now, he was a busy, busy man.

With all the extra women who came along, Lavern and Oona had organized an impressive butcher and preservation system. An animal could be brought in to one end of the setup, pass through a dozen hands, and be ready for smoking on the other end in a matter of minutes. All of this accomplished with only stone knives. Dag was suitably impressed. If he ever managed to find copper and tin, he promised himself that they would get real bronze knives and not have to deal with the stone knives again.