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Chapter 12
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"CALEB" Chapter XII Richard Lovelace I wonder what time it is? I thought to myself, as I started to roll over and go back to sleep. Hmmm, I thought, I'm not really sleepy...so...I think I'll just get up before the family, enjoy an early walk and watch the sun come up. I dressed quietly in warm clothing, put on some high top walking shoes, slipped a small but powerful flashlight in my pocket and silently let myself out the door onto the porch. As I looked over the area that I could see from Dr. Karoll's porch, I thought to myself that I would like to see one of the communal living areas of those who had not yet attained the standing of men like Dr. Karoll. I remembered that Alice had pointed to a hill about two miles distant and told me that it was five miles from the house in a straight line to a community on the other side of that hill. After a moment's consideration, I stepped back inside, wrote a short note to explain my absence, picked up for a precaution the belt with a two edged six inch blade sheath knife that Dr. Karoll had given me to carry during our camping trip, and started out for my destination. The sky was getting light in the east as I reached the crest of the hill and I took time out to experience the break of dawn in silence. Looking on ahead from my vantage point, I saw that lights were visible from the community. It was another hour before I reached the edge of a beautifully landscaped quadrangle of multiple dwelling units with a park and recreation buildings in the enclosure. The area immediately surrounding the community was cultivated but in a manner quite unlike any farm I had seen. I resolved to ask about it when I got back. "Good morning, sir. We are grateful and honored to have you visit us." A young man of good appearance with a girl beside him had turned aside from his direction toward one of the buildings and approached me. "Why, uh, good morning to you," I said in surprise at this kind of greeting from a stranger. "Will you have breakfast with us in our com-house?" The girl asked this and I looked directly into her eyes as she spoke. It seemed to me that there was a mixture of admiration and anxiety in them. How I could be the source of these feelings was beyond me. "Well," I hesitated in some confusion, "well, yes, I'll be glad to." "Thank God you have come, sir, thank God!" the girl spoke intensely. "Please, Marie, say no more until after devotions and breakfast," the young man gently admonished her. Now I was mystified and could not conceive how I was precipitating the emotions displayed. We walked together silently after that and entered a large dining hall along with several hundred other people whose ages appeared to range from twenty to thirty-five. They were not of the same make-up as Dr. Karoll's family or anyone that I met in association with him. It was my impression that they represented a less refined class and there did not appear to be a great amount of difference between the least and the best of them. This is not to say they were inferior people but only that they were not striking for their fine physiques nor did they noticeably appear to have the same qualities of leadership or educational background of the people I had met thus far. In a few moments, we took our places at one of the tables for four which were scattered throughout the hall amongst the larger ones, seating perhaps twenty people each. After all were seated and quiet, a great bronze gong was sounded three times, sending out a pleasing note which vibrated through my body and gave me a thrilling sensation in my spine. Following this, all sat in deep silence for a space of about eight minutes. A choir of twenty or thirty voices then sang something that reminded me of a Gregorian chant. The great gong sounded once more, and then all stood with bowed heads. A prayer for guidance through the day, thanksgiving for the gifts of life and provision for all the needs of body and soul was spoken by two voices in unison, a deep male and a mature female voice. It was for me a soul stirring experience. Waiters then took orders quickly and breakfast was before us in only minutes. We ate in silence except for beautifully orchestrated music with melody and rhythm similar to the popular songs which were perennial favorites that I remembered. When breakfast was over, the people at the larger tables filed out, while many who sat at the smaller tables delayed leaving and became engaged in conversations. Everyone who had not left the hall seemed to have noticed me. Their reactions were puzzling. My presence had definite implications of something momentous for the community from the way it affected them. I was not dressed differently to any noticeable extent and the only way I could easily have been picked out from among them was by the harness belt over my chest with the inlaid silver Crusader's Cross. It held Dr. Karoll's knife sheath a little forward of my left arm pit and just above my waist at a forty-five degree angle. The knife belt was designed so that the knife could be withdrawn easily and quickly with the right hand. The knife itself was double edged, razor sharp and the handle had finger grip grooves. It had a striking appearance for the fine workmanship on it and the sheath and belt were of matching qualities. "All right, Marie," the young man said, "now our Noble-Con should be given your story and the reason why we have not been able to put things in order without waiting for his visit." I would have spoken then to ask about the title given me and the meaning of his words, but before I could frame my questions the girl began in an earnest tone, "Sir, I do not wish to say more about the incident other than that I give you my word before God that I gave him no indication in any way that I admired him or would care to have his attentions. He persuaded me to go with him alone away from our quadrangle with a story that he was sent by a close friend of mine. He said that he was walking with her and that she had discovered an unusual herb growing in the woods for which she knew I had been searching." The emotions that arose as she told me this were too much for her to contain. She paused to regain some control of herself. The young man touched her hand lightly and after she had dried the tears that had begun to roll down her cheeks, she began again. "The child I bore only a month ago was put to death according to law, but as you know, it is necessary that the man should have the choice either to meet his accuser on The Rock or whoever stands in their place or else confess. He will not confess and no one here is able to meet him on The Rock. Jonathan," she nodded toward the young man, "would do it but the match would be hopelessly uneven and I have begged him not to. No one else in our Com will offer, especially since the first Noble-Con was killed. I and others now walk in fear and disgrace." Before she had finished speaking a small gathering had quietly formed all around our table. All looked solemn and expectant and I felt they showed a certain awe and respect toward me from their manner. I hardly knew what to say in response to what had just been told me. I was silent for a moment as I tried to fathom why I had been accosted and then given such an account as though it were some duty of mine to correct it. Just then another person joined the group and spoke directly to me but for all to hear. "Caleb has been informed that you are here and he is on his way over with his con-blade on." These words had the effect of putting an electrical charge in the air. No one spoke further but the group began to disperse and convey some information to those still in the hall as they departed. It appeared to me that they were telling something important from the reactions I could see from those nearby. "Come, we must go to the Rock for you to meet him." The girl stood as she spoke and took my hand. I found myself being lead into a central area of the quadrangle that was laid out like a park with winding walks, trees, shrubs, benches, and a clearing in the center where there was a round platform about ten feet in diameter. It was quite flat and appeared to be cut from solid granite. The clearing was about a hundred and twenty feet across and a number of persons had already begun to gather as though there was something about to transpire on the platform. I was bewildered now, for it was obvious that my presence had stimulated all the activity that was taking place. I could not restrain my desire to know what was happening any more. Observing and listening to the conversation had not enlightened me as to what was going on. My first question amazed the young man and the girl. "Why did you refer to me as a Noble-Con?" I asked the young man. "But, sir, no one but a Noble-Con would dare enter a strange community wearing a contender's knife and the symbol of the order. Surely you know that you must fight Caleb until one of you has been killed. All know the custom. A Noble-Contender must fight when he finds there is someone to be confronted. All know about Caleb and Marie. You must fight! You will be forced to by the people now. Don't you know this?" "My God! I didn't know. This is Dr. Karoll's knife, not my own. I was just out for a morning walk through the woods. I only took it for protection. He didn't tell me about it." I blurted this out in short disconnected sentences aghast at the idea of a knife fight to the finish. "You're not a Noble-Con?" both said at once in a stunned whisper. Then the girl began to cry silently and the young man was utterly downcast. "Oh, I can't stand to see another man killed because of me. Oh! I just can't. Oh, Jonathan! Can't you stop it somehow?" Jonathan didn't speak but looked shattered. Then his face took on a strong set. They were both silent for a space of about fifteen seconds, then he took a long slow breath and said, "I'll face him, give me your knife." At this the girl let out a moan and began sobbing quietly. Now the picture was clearing up. My mind was racing to assemble the bits of information I had into something rational. The girl and the young man were clearly in love and she had been taken advantage of by Caleb. There was evidently a medieval-like custom which allowed such injustice to go uncorrected unless some man was willing to publicly make the accusation. But once accused, the wrong doer had the right to confess and accept the established penalty for his wrong or face his accuser in a hand to hand battle to death with the regulation weapon, the fighting knife I had ignorantly strapped on my chest as I left the Karoll home a few hours earlier. I did not see how the term `Noble-Con' applied but it was evident that my wearing Dr. Karoll's knife and belt into the community was the sign that I was one. This meant that I would accept, if need be, the task of standing up for a local citizen. Now I found myself, by happenstance, expected to act for Marie as the accuser and to face Caleb on The Rock, unless, of course, my appearance should intimidate him into choosing to confess rather than to fight. I had no choice but to accept my role or else see Jonathan save me from it in a battle that he plainly considered to be sure death for himself. There was no way for me to allow that and live with myself, or face Alice, or anyone, for that matter. After a long moment of painful silence, I spoke softly but decisively. "No, Jonathan, it's my battle." I was silent and thoughtful and, as the two of them turned toward me, I asked, "Tell me anything you can about Caleb that may help me." As I said this, I lost all concern for my own safety. A certain sense of joy at having made a man's choice filled me and I began to feel a righteous indignation with the human weakness that had so terribly hurt Marie and humiliated Jonathan. Now that I looked at it like a man, my thoughts were clearer and I began to plan my strategy. Several others had gathered in close to us during this conversation, and I noticed Marie was gaining command of herself, although she was being supported on either arm by a friend. Jonathan had shown himself a hero in the eyes of all who had witnessed the incident. For an instant, I wondered if I had any reason to be more optimistic about the outcome than Jonathan. This idea I quickly dismissed and turned my thoughts to what my approach should be when Caleb did arrive. "Caleb is a big man," Jonathan answered my question. "He may not be as quick as some but his size and his long arms give him an overpowering advantage. He has always used his size and strength to assert himself." "Why, that's a coward's way," I commented. Then, after a moment's thought, "How does he hold his knife?" "Right straight in front of him...he points it at a man's throat and with his legs apart, his knees bent and his toes pointing out, he slowly walks toward him, holding his left arm outstretched to the side as if to keep a man from trying to dodge around him. Even in this position he stands half a head taller than an ordinary man. About this time someone handed me a rolled sheet of heavy paper with a red cord tied around it and a large ink marking pen. "Here is the confession scroll, sir. We swear it to be accurate." I unrolled it and read the large clear print down to the place for Caleb's signature. I could understand why Caleb was inclined to fight rather than sign the scroll. It described his act briefly and outlined his acceptance of the penalty, which included seven years of intensive training in mental and physical disciplines and his submission to an operation that would make him incapable of repeating his crime or fathering a child. A lot better than the electric chair or the gas chamber or life imprisonment, but still a difficult correction to accept, I thought. I turned to Jonathan and asked, "How do I confront him?" "You and Caleb stand at opposite sides of The Rock and one of us carries the scroll from you to him. After he reads it, you ask him to sign it and bring it to you or meet you in mortal combat upon The Rock." Jonathan and the others were plainly confused when they saw that I was not familiar with the proceedings. About that time I saw Caleb a full head above the crowd, making his way toward the other side of The Rock. He probably weighed over two hundred eighty pounds and I could see that he was able to easily over-power most men with his strength. But I also saw he had a good appearance except that the cast of his features was that of a man with undisciplined emotions. To look upon his face gave me a pang of sympathy. His inability to earn the friendship and love of his fellows had brought the frustration that caused him to use his powerful frame aggressively. It saddened me to fight a man with childish emotions but there was little choice now. I could see the wisdom in the penalty designated by the scroll. How incredible to find myself in such a predicament, I thought. The crowd backed away and gave Caleb a path ten feet wide as he approached. When he stepped directly on the other side The Rock, he stood glaring with, I felt, a certain apprehension. As he began to look me over, his face showed relief and then an unpleasant smile. There was little question that he was confident of the outcome of an encounter with an opponent as unimposing in appearance as myself. Without commenting, I handed the scroll to Jonathan. He carried it over the Caleb and held it out toward him. Caleb whipped out his knife and struck the scroll from his hand, partly cutting it in two. Then he turned and grinned at me. Speaking not a word, I slowly detached my knife harness without removing the knife from its sheath and I stripped to the waist. Pausing a moment to add impact to my strategy, I carefully removed the knife from its sheath and laid it upon the surface of the stone in front of me. Looking straight in Caleb's eyes, I reached over deliberately, picked up the knife, and held it pointed at an angle over my left shoulder and then drew it down slowly, bringing the razor sharp edge against my bare chest just below the collar bone. The edge sliced into the layer of flesh over my rib cage, giving me a bloody but harmless gash about six inches long. My action was not anticipated and several people gasped. Then I spoke softly and sincerely. "Caleb, I deeply regret that I must kill you." With that I leaped up upon the rough stone platform and waited at the center for Caleb to approach me. The smile and all semblance of cocky self assurance faded from his face when he saw me standing above him with blood running down my chest. Directly, he mounted the stone and was moving toward me just as Jonathan had described. It was painful to me to see the emotions upon his face as he got closer. I felt like I was about to kill an emotionally erratic person whose failure was that he lacked self control rather than being of a wilfully criminal nature. I held my ground in the stance of a boxer. The knife in my right hand was drawn back to my shoulder like I cocked my right fist when I had boxed. My left was extended forward with an open hand to grasp for Caleb's right wrist to stop his knife, if need be. As he moved in closer I weaved my upper body in a feint forward to the right, danced back a short step, and went into a crouch with my left hand held up toward his knife hand. He moved forward as I did this and I leaped one step to the right, sprang toward him in a low crouch, straightened up in close, and shooting my left hand out to grasp his knife arm, I threw a knife blow with my right to his midriff, like I would throw a body punch. Caleb let out a cry of shocked surprise, put his left hand over the wound, dropped his knife arm to his side and let the knife slide from his fingers and then began to cry like child, begging me not to kill him. I stood back not knowing what to do and feeling like a bully who just won a contest in which the other party had not had a fair chance. "Please, don't kill him, sir. Let him sign now, please let him sign now," Marie spoke in a strained voice. "I'll sign," Caleb sobbed. "He needs a doctor," I said. "He needs one quickly or he'll die." My knife had gone in to the hilt and I knew he was bleeding internally. As I spoke these words, I suddenly felt the strain of what I had just gone through. My normal strength was still far from being fully restored since Dr. Karoll had been working with me. The loss of some blood, the great emotional stress, the exertion of the fight, and the shock of delivering a severe knife injury to a fellow human all at once became overwhelming; and I felt my legs buckling under me as I fainted dead away. In what seemed only a momentary lapse into unconsciousness to me, I was apparently picked up and delivered by air ambulance to Dr. Karoll's home, for when I opened my eyes again I found myself in my own room with both Alice and Dr. Karoll standing anxiously beside my bed. "Oh, Father? He's opening his eyes. I know he'll be all right. I know he will!" Alice's voice was full of concern. "Of course, he will, dear. There is nothing to worry about at all. There is no injury but the shallow cut on his chest and that will heal easily." I was surprised to find myself in bed for I hardly realized that I had been unconscious at all. I reached first to feel my chest to see if there was a gash. My hand encountered a dressing cloth held in place with surgical tape. Then my senses began to clear some. "Alice! Dr. Karoll! Am I glad to see you! I thought I had seen my last of you or anyone! What a mistake I made!" Then after a pause, I said, "How is Caleb? Will he live?" "Caleb will live, David. He was taken immediately to a skilled surgeon and his wound treated to prevent his death," Dr. Karoll answered me softly. "You were wonderful, David. Marie told me all about it. We're so grateful that you were able to act as you did and yet not be harmed." There was no mistaking that what I had done was worthy of admiration and respect in Alice's eyes. At this moment, Louise, Dr. Karoll's wife came in bringing me some hot broth. She set it down on the table beside me, and taking charge in a manner that seemed natural and becoming to her, she told me that Dr. Karoll said I had no serious injury but, nevertheless, she wanted me to take the broth and be left alone to rest. "Please, Mrs. Karoll," I asked earnestly, "I would like to have Dr. Karoll explain to me what happened and why. I'm sure I couldn't rest for wondering how everything came about to put me in such a predicament." Dr. and Mrs. Karoll talked this question over and he convinced her that no harm would come of my sitting up in bed to learn about my experience. |