Glee and Linee’s daughters are in the fields playing with Elder Mother’s chick. Elder Mother calls to her chick to get her too focused on her hunting lessons.
The three girls then hear a horn in the distance coming from the main road. The girls rush to the main road yelling “Travelers!”
They hop up on the fence to get a better view. Soon several figures start cresting a small hill. It is a caravan of Holstaurs pulling and pushing covered wagons being led by a male Sheepfolk and a Goatfolk beating out a rhythm on a drum. The youngest says “Wow! Those are Holstaurs. They are huge!” the Holstaurs tower over the men leading them and the girls can feel their steps through the fence as they get closer.
The leader signals the drummer to stop when they reach the girls. The Holstaurs stop when the drumming stops.
The leader says to the girls with a smile on his face “Tal-a-de, Tal-a-do?[1]” as he tips his hat to them.
The Eldest of the three says to the others “Get uncle Glato!” and the youngest runs back to the house. The Eldest then says the leader “One Dilly[2]!”
The leader says “One Dilly” and seems to start to think about something.
The Eldest then says “Uh, Go… Go mo…Go moto.”
The leader says “Go moto ta e?” with a smile on his face.
The Eldest says “Yes that!” She was trying to tell him to wait for someone to speak to.
Glato and Glee are smoking a pipe when the youngest gets back to the house yelling “Uncle Glato! Uncle Glato! There’s a Trader on the main road!”
Glato says to Glee “Thought I heard a travel horn blown earlier.” He puts out his pipe saying “Time to do my other job” and gets up to follow the young girl.
Glato soon approaches the caravan saying to the leader “Tal-a-de, Tal-a-e.[3]”
The leader says “Tal-a-e” and shakes Glato’s hand. After a brief conversation, Glato says to the girls “They are from the logging camp and have some wood for Bidi. I’ll lead them to his farm.”
The girls say in almost unions “Can we come along?”
Glato says “Ask your folks.” He then says something to the leader who signals the drummer to start up again. The Holstaurs start moving again when they hear the drumbeat.
The girls quickly run back to the house saying “Mom, dad! Can we go with uncle Glato to Bidi’s farm?”
Glee says “You have done all your chores. So I don’t see why not.” The girls start running back to the caravan.
Linee yells “Be back before sunset!”
The girls quickly catch up with the caravan. The eldest starts trying to talk to one of the Holstaurs in what little Traders Tongue she knows. It looks at her but keeps walking without saying a word to her. She calls to Glato saying “Uncle Glato, They aren’t responding to me. Am I being rude?”
Glato speaks to the Trader of the caravan, who responds with a laugh and tells Glato something back.
Glato says to the eldest “They don’t speak Traders Tongue.”
She says back to him “Then how is he directing them?”
Glato speaks to the Trader again and then says to the eldest “They were told to follow him and to walk while the drum is being beaten. Also, the lead one shares his native tongue.”
She says back “Oh, I just wanted to ask if we could ride on one of the wagons.”
Glato speaks to the Trader. The Trader turns to the lead Holstaurs and says something to him. The lead Holstaurs then starts yelling back to the rest of the Holstaurs.
The Holstaurs pulling the wagon next to the girls looks at them with a smile and nods. He then yells to the Holstaurs at the back of his wagon. One stops pushing the wagon and quickly scoops the girls up and puts them on the wagon before returning to pushing the wagon.
Soon the caravan is approaching Bidi’s farm. Some of Bidi’s farmhands see it come and go to get him. Glato leads the caravan up a road to Bidi’s home. Bidi greets Glato and the trader saying “What took so long?”
Glato says something to the Trader and the Trader responds. Glato says “They had to wait for more orders before sending it.”
The girls are still sitting on a wagon. One of the girls speaks up “Uncle Glato, this isn’t all for Bidi?”
Bidi says “No girls, I just need one wagon worth.” Bidi turns to the Trader saying “How much?”
Glato has a quick conversation with the Trader, then says “a thousand Dinies.”
Bidi is taken back by the price and says “I can get twice as much for half that cost here! What gives him the right to demand such outrageous price?”
Glato speaks to the Trader and after a bit of conversation with Glato verifying something, Glato says “This wood is from the Avaos forest and is a very hardwood.”
The girls jump off the wagon as the other farmhands pull back as well. The middle child says “aren’t those woods home to a monster that can’t be killed?”
Glato says “It seems our stranger friend manage to talk to it and make a deal with it.”
Bidi says “I’ll be the judge of this wood.” He picks up a hammer and a large nail as he walks up to the cart of wood. He places the nail on the wood then slams the hammer into the nail. Everyone hears a loud metallic clang upon impact. Bidi stands there for a second looking stunned by the impact. He then says to Glato “Does he accept goods for payment?”
Glato talks to the Trader and says to Bidi “Yes, and a few of the Holstaurs are willing to stay and work to build the fence.”
Bidi says “and bet for an additional cost.”
Glato talks to the Trader and then says “Actually, a few want to return to the camp. So they are willing to work here before heading back. So it’s a separate deal.”
Bidi says “I’ll give them free room and board as long as they show progress on the fence. Meals are on them.”
Glato talks to the Trader and the Trader talks to the lead Holstaur who talks to the others. After a moment, the lead Holstaur speaks to the Trader and the Trader speaks to Glato. Glato says “agreed.”
One of the Girls says to Bidi “How are you going to instruct them where to build if you can’t speak to them?”
Bidi says “They know their job. All I have to do is show them where to work.” He then asks Glato to find out their tongue and sends a runner into town to find someone who speaks it.
Bidi has them move the wagon closer to his storehouse and makes a few exchanges to equal the price of the wood. Glato then talks to the Trader and the group moves out. The Girls see the caravan start heading back to their farm. The youngest says to Glato “Where are they going now?”
Glato says “I offered to let them stay at your farm for at least the night.”
The middle daughter says “Mom and dad aren’t going to like this.”
Glato says “Leave your parents to me. I’m sure they will be okay with it.”
[1] I Trade, Do you Trade.
[2] One Dilly = one penny
[3] I Trade, Trade with you.
