THE DEPRIVED...Chapter 4...Part 17.

A continuation of my book.

Walking Tom had lit a large bonfire just beyond the camp and Sam watched as the flames cast shadows on the ground. He had not seen Bag Of Bones or the girl since they had gone into the tent and O’Connor had not said a word. Sam and the old man had roasted a part of the sheep and eaten it with gusto. The old man had cut up the rest of the sheep into parts and put some out to dry while he bundled up the rest in skin and buried it along with the rest of the putrefied meat they had fed on earlier. The three Aborigines, Walking Tom, Jim Who Whistles and John No Longer had disappeared and it was close to midnight when they suddenly appeared out of the gloom, naked and with new white markings down arms and legs which made them seem almost like skeletons as they began to dance in an almost trancelike state.
“Come and watch them.” called O’Connor, bringing Sam out of the shack to join the old man who was seated on the ground in front of the dancing men.
“Why are they dancing?” queried Sam, mystified as each of the dancing men came to him and touched his head with their thin wooden spears.
“Wait and see, Sam.” chuckled O’Connor.
Sam felt somewhat uncomfortable, his eyes turning towards the tent where Bag Of Bones had come from. Following her came the young girl, her face and body totally decorated in forms of dotted white markings. Bag Of Bones led the girl to Sam’s side and made her sit down before going back into the tent and staying there. The dancing men seemed to grow louder and more wilder in their steps, sometimes jumping over the fire before rushing up to Sam and then to move away again as Sam jumped up in alarm.
“Sit down.” ordered O’Connor. “They mean you no harm.”
“Then what is going on?” exclaimed Sam as the three dancing men each rushed at him again with spears threatening.
“They’re marrying you off!” exclaimed a delighted O’Connor.
“Me? Married?”
Sam had jumped to his feet, his eyes wide. The dancing stopped as Sam had risen, the three dancers now watching Sam.
“Sit down, you fool!” hissed the old man, pulling at Sam’s leg.
Sam sat down again and the dancing resumed.
“If you don’t get hitched to the girl they’ll walk off and we’ll starve to death!” said O’Connor urgently.
Sam sat silent, his mind whirling as he tried to make sense of what the old man had said. In his heart he knew the girl did not appeal to him. The fact was that Sam had never been attracted to women. It was as if he had lost the feelings for intimacy of any kind many years ago, with the death of his mother. There was too much of a fire for revenge which burned away deep within him, the savage need to revenge the death of his mother. Sam sat quietly, knowing that should the Aborigines walk away and not return then he and the old man would die of starvation once all the food was gone, perhaps even turn to cannibalism when hunger killed off all sense of morality. It was at that time Sam decided to find a way out of this wilderness and to reach civilisation, even if that meant capture and an extreme of punishment. Sam sat and allowed himself to be married to the young Aborigine girl seated next to him. If it was a ceremony of marriage, Sam made no sense of it. The three Aborigine men continued to dance wildly and rush at him with spears raised until they all held the spears over their heads and turned their backs on the audience and calmly walked away into the darkness.
“That’s it!” exclaimed O’Connor as he rose to his feet. “You’re now married to this young girl and have to spend the night with her in the tent that Bag Of Bones has prepared.
“What do I do?” asked Sam as he also rose.
“What do you do?” cackled the old man. “You take her into the tent and make love to her, that’s what you do. And then you give her a name, like I gave Bag Of Bones her name.”
The girl still sat with her eyes closed. From her mouth came a soft chanting.
“Go on!” urged O’Connor. “Take her otherwise she will walk away. The others have not gone. They are sitting out there in the darkness and watching, so get on with it!”
Sam stood up and, reaching down a hand he lifted the girl up and led her to the tent where Bag Of Bones had kept her. Bending low he pulled back the tent-flap and entered. The girl followed him into the tent. On the floor were laid Kangaroo skins which had strange markings on them, while to one side lay Bag Of Bones. Sam stared at the old woman before motioning that she should leave. The old woman took no notice of Sam’s determination to have her leave and continued to lay there as Sam drew the young girl down onto the skins. Having never been intimate before and unsure of the act, Sam closed off his mind and committed the act in a raw and unprofessional way and disliking the whole affair. Bag Of Bones watched the act carefully, her mouth widening into a grin as Sam rose from the girl and made his way out of the tent, the feeling of sickness taut in his stomach.
“Was it alright? Did you do it?”
Sam looked over to where the old man sat in front of the shack. As O’Connor spoke, Bag Of Bones came out of the tent followed by the girl and, without a word, the old woman led the girl off into the darkness.
“Where are they going?” asked Sam, bewildered.
“Bag Of Bones has taken your wife back to her tribe so they can examine her to be sure she has made love with you. Then she will come back in the morning and you will have to give her a name.” explained O’Connor.
Sam shook his head, not understanding.
“What name shall I give her?"
“Whatever you think will suit her.” replied O’Connor as he rose to go into the shack.
Sam went to follow him but O’Connor held up a hand.
“No.” he said. “You have to sleep in the tent all night. Remember that the boys are still out there and watching what you do."
Sam returned to the tent and lay the rest of the night as he tried to think of a name for the girl. He also spent some time in planning how to get back to civilisation and suddenly coming to an idea, decided that he would put his plan into operation as soon as he could.

O’Connor had been right because at the first light the three Aborigine men appeared along with Bag Of Bones and the girl. The girl looked shyly at Sam then broke into a widest grin when Sam smiled at her.
“I will call you She Who Smiles.” determined Sam, touching at the girl’s shoulder.
The men looked at each other before trying to say the words and then jabbering away at the girl who seemed to be bemused by the attention though she continued to grin widely. Sam walked back into the shack while the girl and the old woman built a fire and began to cook.
As Sam and O’Connor came out of the shack, Walking Tom, Jim Who Whistles and John No Longer came one at a time to look straight into Sam’s eyes then jabber away in their strange language before touching his shoulder with their spears. Sam looked at O’Connor for interpretation.
“They have accepted your marriage and blessed you.” said the old man simply.
It was after breakfast as Sam and O’Connor walked down to the river that Sam broached the subject of getting Walking Tom to show him where he and the others had got the sheep from. He further explained that, should the men ever walk off then he would know where to go to get a sheep so they would not starve.
“That sounds a good plan just as long as you don’t get caught or lead others back here.” returned the old man.
“I will go back and see if I can make Walking Tom understand what I want.” determined Sam after promising he would not get caught or bring others back with him and he left O’Connor panning as he made his way back to the camp.
Walking Tom looked at Sam intently as Sam tried  to explain with signs and words what he wanted him to do. Walking Tom either seemed not to understand or he did and played a game which the Aborigines liked to do, imitating Sam’s moves as Sam printed marks in the earth, drawing the shape of a sheep and rubbing at his stomach. Jim Who Whistles, John No Longer, Bag Of Bones and She Who Smiles had joined in the game, all copying and exaggerating each motion Sam made before laughing wildly. Sam went and got the sheep skin, bringing it out of the shack and laying it on the floor. He pointed at the skin on the ground before turning to point out into the distance. He then pointed at himself and then to Walking Tom. It was Bag Of Bones who seemed at last to grasp what Sam wanted and spoke to Walking Tom in their language. Walking Tom nodded his head and pointed out into the distance. Sam made a motion of sleeping, his head to one side over closed hands, indicating they would sleep first and start early the next morning.