4.

During the latter part of winter, Cornelius celebrated his fourteenth birthday. Winter, trying to draw to an end, continued to hang on, long and stubborn.

With the passing of the seasons, Cornelius and Giuseppe were not the only offsprings in Santo’s dwelling. There were two younger brothers and three sisters. Cornelius and Giuseppe, growing taller and older, became inseparable. They slept together, they fished and hunted together, they ate together and they worked together. Giuseppe lived a life full of laughter and fun, while Cornelius remained serious and studious. To their parents, the contrast in attitudes made the only notable differences in the boys.

To their grandfather, he saw two other differences setting them apart. He saw the difference in their sizes. Giuseppe nearly sixteen stood three and a half cubits tall and Cornelius, as he neared fourteen, stood only a fist shorter.

Their devotion to their siblings marked one other different trait. The two younger brothers clung to Cornelius, while the three girls followed after Giuseppe.

Cornelius, one day short of fourteen, and Giuseppe two years older, grew in leaps and bounds. Their mother complained constantly of having to work on skins and woolen garments for them.

Each boy wore waterproof leather boots, woolen leggings and shirts as under clothes and sheepskins reversed as outer garments. A wide leather belt cinched their clothes around their waist. In severe weather they wore a great woolen cloak. It hung around their shoulders and down below their knees.

Santo said as he sat by the fire and watched his wife sewing, “Sofia, they will both be as big as or bigger than anyone in the clan.”

“Yes, they will and I continue trying to keep them in garments. If I do not, they might freeze to death.”

“I doubt that, my love. They are so full of energy. They would run naked in the snow and not notice the cold.”

“Do not put any ideas in their heads.” Sofia looked down to the far end of the room, where the two boys were throwing knives in a contest. “Must they throw those knives in the house?” she asked Santo.

“Wife, it gives them something to do and besides they need to know how to use a knife. You never know when they might need to use one.”

“Oh, Santo, we have not seen raiders in years. Just when are they going to need to use a knife?”

“Wife, you just never know what the future brings. That is why I have taught them to use the bow and arrow.”

“Using the bow, arrows and knife is important for hunting, not hurting someone.”

“What if a bear should come down out of the mountains? Would it not be good if the boys defended themselves and their brothers and sisters?”

Sofia pushed her sewing aside and stomped out of the room. As she left, she snorted, “Men!”

Santo called out, “Giuseppe, Cornelius, come to the fire and we will talk.”

Without a word they returned their knives to the leather sheathes and came to the fire.

Santo said, “Sons, tomorrow we will go deer hunting. Our meat is not low, but if we made a fresh kill it would make me feel better about the rest of the winter.”

Giuseppe, almost like a child, clapped his hands and laughed. “Good, I love to hunt.”

Cornelius studied his father. “Where shall we hunt, Father?”

“I thought we might go across the Agno and hunt between it and the Adige. I doubt anyone is out hunting, and we should have good fortune.”

Cornelius frowned. Even at an early age of fourteen he looked at every side of the issues facing them.

“Father, what about the Turdo clan? They totally claim the land between the two rivers.”

“You are right, Cornelius, but I do not think we will have any trouble from them. For a week I have watched from the third level. No one has moved across the area. I can see to the smoking chimneys in the village Legnago. There have been no tracks or movement for a week, other than deer. I have seen many deer in the thick brush to the north where the rivers meet. We will go up the east side of the river and cross when we are even with the brush. We will hunt in the brush, and when we have our deer, we will come home the way we went.”

Cornelius asked, “What if the Turdo clan comes?”

“Son, we will be on our side of the markers. Your great grandfather and the great grandfather of the Turdos set the markers. The clan claims only half way between the two rivers.”

Cornelius still frowning, said, “I do not trust the Turdos.”

“Do not concern yourself, Son. We will be fine.”

Giuseppe asked, “Are we taking horses?”

“Yes, Son, We will take them until we cross the river. We can tie them in the brush on the east side and use them to bring the deer home.”

Both boys grinned at their father and at the prospect of a hunting trip.

Santo asked, “Cornelius, do you know what day tomorrow is?”

Cornelius looked confused, “What day? No, Father, I do not.”

“It is your birthday. Tomorrow you will be fourteen.”

Giuseppe punched him in the ribs. “My, we are growing old.”

Cornelius only grinned at his big bear like brother, “Not as old as you, you big” His voice trailed off as they began to wrestle. In a flash they were on the floor. Sofia came back into the room, drawn by the commotion.

“Boys, Boys! Stop fighting in the house. Go outside if you must fight.”

Both boys smiled, “Yes, Mother.” They bolted to their feet and rushed outside to roll and fight in the snow. Soon there would be many boys from the other houses joining in the snow fight.

Sofia stunned, but laughingly said, “Did you see how quickly they minded? Just give them any reason to roll and fight in the snow and they will. We will have wet garments in the entire dwelling when they return. I do not think they will ever grow up. They only have fighting, hunting, fishing and more fighting on their minds.”

“Better hunting and fishing, than watching some of the young girls around the compound. I have seen a couple eyeing Giuseppe. He is big and strong. He is very handsome, wife. He will make a good catch for some girl.”

“You are right, but not some girl from the clan. We cannot have him marrying some cousin. He needs to visit Lonigo or Este and look for a girl.”

“Woman, he is only sixteen.”

“Santo, you forget, you focused your eye on me when you were seventeen and I became fifteen.”

“Even before then, woman. When you used to bath in the river back of your father’s dwelling I would watch. I watched you when you were not over twelve.”

Sofia’s mouth flew open and her hand came to her face as she turned red.

She sputtered, “Santo! You never told me you watched me. Why, I could! Why, Santo!”

“You were beautiful then, Sofia. You were just beginning to.”

“Santo hush! The children might hear you. You can tell me when we go to bed.” She wore a most mischievous grin on her face, “Go fetch the boys. It is time to go to Carlos’ house for Cornelius’ birthday celebration.”

“Oh, I almost forgot about the surprises.”

“Then go fetch them!”

Santo rose to his feet and went to a window. He shouted down from the second level, “Boys, come in. I have something I need for you to do.” He stood listening to the boys holler and shout. They did not hear him or were ignoring him. His tone of voice changed, and he called down, “Boys, now!”

Both boys appeared as if by magic, looking up at their father.

Giuseppe said, “Yes, Father.”

“Clean the snow off and come in. Your mother has new garments for both of you. Now move!”

The boys raced inside the lower level and began beating the snow from their fur-lined hats and coats. In moments, they raced up the stairs to the living area.

Cornelius arrived first and asked, “Yes, Mother, you wanted us?”

“Here take these garments and go put them on. I want to see how they fit.” She held up new woolen leggings and long tunic tops for the boys. “These will keep you warm when you go hunting tomorrow.”

The boys thanked their mother and raced up the stairs to the third floor and to change into their new garments. New garments were a rare item in the houses. Most clan members wore the hand downs from some older cousins, brothers or even fathers.

Cornelius almost shouted, “Oh, it is a great event when you receive new garments.”

“Well, my brother, this is one of those great events. I will admit, I can not remember the last new garments.” He struggled into his new leggings and tunic.

“Giuseppe, you are quite handsome in those new woolen leggings, wool top and deerskin coat,” Cornelius observed.

Giuseppe bowed from the waist, “Thank you kind sir, will you direct me to the girls?”

Cornelius snorted, “Girls! Who needs girls?”

“Cornelius, you are blind? Did you notice the sister of Luigi’s wife giving you looks?”

“What looks?”

“My brother, you are blind. Never mind. I have my mind set on a girl from Este.”

Cornelius asked, “Who?” Then sudden realization hit him. He asked another question, “The baker’s daughter?”

“Oh, so you are not as blind as you let on.”

“Giuseppe, it would take a blind man to not see how the two of you make eyes at each other. She hangs around when we go to the village. She keeps smiling up at you.”

“Cornelius, if you will not tell, I will tell you a secret.”

“What?”

“I kissed her, when we were down by the river last summer. She kissed me back. I think kissing makes us betrothed. Does it not?”

“Giuseppe, you are crazy. Real crazy! She is so little and you are so big.”

“What has that to do with anything? I like kissing her. We have kissed several times and each time we kissed and kissed.”

“Giuseppe, what if you, it is like I said, you are so big and she is so little! You know what I mean! You might hurt her!”

Giuseppe smiled, “I would be very tender and careful.” A far away look crossed his eyes. Cornelius knew his brother pined, like a lovesick calf. The girl from the village captured Giuseppe’s heart.

Cornelius grumbled, “Why argue?” Then he shouted with pure glee, “Oh, come on. Let us show Mother these garments and thank her again. We can wear these to the feast tonight.”

Vito’s clan entered Santo’s dwelling, until it bulged at the sides. They came to celebrate Cornelius’ fourteenth birthday. There were many gifts. The most treasured gifts were the deerskin coat from his Grandmother Anna and a bow with many arrows from his Grandfather Vito.

He shouted with joy. “I will use these to hunt deer tomorrow. I know I will have great fortune with these gifts.” He hugged his towering grandfather and kissed his grandmother.

At this celebration Santo made a proposal. “I have one idea I want to propose. I think we should close the front of the fighting platform along the wall and use it for keeping livestock, especially in the winter.”

A brother asked, “What are you talking about, Santo?”

“I speak about the walkway running along the outer walls. We can put cattle under the walkway.”

His brother still seemed confused. Cornelius added, “You know, the one where men stand on top to shoot arrows over the wall at any attacker.”

The man reared back, slapped his leg and let out a big, “Ah!”

Santo continued, “I figure we could easily keep ten times the stock by using the extra space. I have stepped the length of the platform, and it is over one hundred long steps. Each area between the dwellings is almost fifteen steps.”

As usual the clan voted to accept Santo’s proposal without a voice of disagreement.

Then Santo stood again, “I have another important proposal.” This proposal turned out to be a very startling announcement. “I think we should buy Carlos the boat he is wanting.”

The clan broke into an uproar of conversation, shouts and questions.

Once more Vito stood and shouted, “Enough! Enough!” The clan grew silent. “We will think and talk in calm voices until time to take the harvest to the coast. If Santo feels we should let Carlos buy the boat, then we should give it consideration.”

Carlos angered and upset by Santo’s announcement jumped to his feet and shouted, “Why, did Santo have to agree with me for you to decide to think about the boat?”

Vito stood and faced his oldest son. “Santo thought of the clan first. Your desire to have the boat shows you were only thinking of Carlos. We needed to add to the compound first. We needed a great meeting hall. Santo thought of these things. Carlos, we do not know if the idea will work. We do not know if the people will buy from us.”

“I told you what I heard from the villagers.”

“Yes, we know. That was some time ago and things may have changed. We needed to spend our time building the addition on the compound before we look into the boat.”

Carlos’ face grew black with anger, “I, we could have tried the boat long ago and made a profit.”

“Perhaps my son, but we are farmers and herders of cattle, sheep and goats. We grow figs, olives, hay and grain. What do we know of being merchants?” He shook his fist and shouted, “Nothing!” He shouted again, “Nothing!”

Carlos still not satisfied, asked, “Santo, why now?”

“Carlos, we will have finished the eight new dwellings and will have the great hall built before time to go to the coast. There will be many more men to go with us. You said, ‘If we were not able to sail the boat up the river, we might pull it up the river with the extra men. I just thought” His voice faded.

Carlos interrupted, “You thought, that is what we hear in this clan, what Santo thinks.”

“I just wanted to have enough men to pull the boat.” Santo thundered back.

Vito came to his feet and shouted, “Enough! Enough! This is Cornelius’ celebration, and I will not allow bickering over the boat or anything. Is that clear?”

The room grew quiet as the clan watched Carlos. His face still showed his fury, but he bowed to his father’s wishes.

“As you say, Father, we will think on the boat until time to go to the coast.”

The celebration slowly came back to life. Cornelius, never upset over the outbreaks of the men, only laughed. He knew, any time they gathered, an argument usually occurred.

He never saw an argument come to blows, but he wondered if Carlos and his father might have fought if Vito did not interfere. Some day Carlos would head the clan. Cornelius knew there would be many changes, when the time came. Then there might be blows.

The celebration continued well past the midnight hour. This year, Cornelius and Giuseppe stayed for the celebration until the festivities ended.

The following morning both boys were sat at the table eating when their father joined them.

“My, you two are up bright and early.”

“We are ready to go hunting, Father.”

“I suspected you were. Let me eat and we will be off.”

The three, father and two sons, expected one of the best days of their lives. Santo dressed in his great fur coat and matching head cover. The boys wore their new clothes and fur hats. Cornelius carried his new bow and arrows. They rode their horses north to the grove of brush. Here Santo planned to cross the river. To their surprise there were deer scattered in among the trees. In places the wind blew away the snow, and the deer were able to scrape the crusty white covering away and find food.

Finding the first deer, Giuseppe, with notched arrow, raised his bow to make the kill. He did not see Cornelius do the same thing. He felt a hand on his shoulder and his father, motioned with his head toward Cornelius. Giuseppe looked at Cornelius as his father laid his hand on Giuseppe’s shoulder to restrain him from shooting. Smiles of camaraderie spread across the faces of the father and son. They would let Cornelius make the first kill.

Before midmorning Cornelius brought down a second fine deer. The third, he only wounded, and it ran across the ice to the other side.

“Do we want to chase the deer, Father?”

“Yes, we do not want to leave a wounded animal to suffer.”

They crossed the ice packed river and entered the woods. As they searched for blood on the snow, they heard a shout. A big giant of a man dressed very similarly to Santo and the boys came out of the trees.

He thundered, “What are you Vito Clansmen doing on this side of the river?”

Santo smiled and replied. “My son wounded a deer, and we were trailing it. We did not want to leave a wounded animal.”

“Just like you Vito’s. You cannot even kill a deer cleanly. I will tell you what you are going to do. You are going to remove your foul self and your two sons of a pig off our land.”

Santo suddenly stopped, as his face grew dark and he studied the man for a moment. Ignoring the insults he asked, “How did this land become yours?” He seemed to grow larger as he glared at the intruder.

The angry man thundered again, “We run our cattle on this land. It is ours!”

Santo said, “As I remember, your claim only comes half way from the Adige River to the Agno River. There are markers set showing the dividing line.”

“We have decided to change the markers. We now own the land to the Agno River.”

“Oh, then I guess we are on your land?” asked Santo. He shifted his weight.

“Yes!” blustered the big man. “And I want you off and off now!” He bellowed and made threatening motions.

Santo stood his ground, “Then I guess you will have to put me off.”

With no warning the man charged Santo, but Santo expected the charge. He sidestepped and the charging man slipped and fell face first on the slick icy ground. He hit very hard and lay still for a moment. Then he scrambled to his feet, wiping his bleeding nose. He rubbed the skinned place on his cheek. Glaring and cursing he pulled a long knife from the sheath on his belt.

“Now, I will cut you from the crotch to your throat!” He feigned at Santo with the knife.

Santo stepped out of the way and laughed. “You will have to do become better, my clumsy friend.”

This brought a snarl from the man’s throat and he charged Santo again. This time Santo caught the outstretched arm holding the wicked knife. As the man went by Santo, he jerked the man’s arm around and up between his shoulder blades. The combined weight and leverage placed on the arm by Santo caused the bone to snap. The sound filled the cold still air.

The man screamed, “You have broken my arm. You sorry Vito, I should have killed you.” He began cursing Santo.

Santo hit him full in the face with his fist. The man’s head snapped back and he fell on his back in the snow, unconscious. Cornelius saw the man’s mouth open and close. He saw several missing teeth.

As these events transpired, Giuseppe and Cornelius stood transfixed watching the struggle. Cornelius, holding his bow with an arrow notched, prepared to shoot the wounded deer.

With shouts two men broke from the cover of the forest. They carried long javelins and ran toward Santo.

Cornelius recovered first, “Father! Look out!”

Santo turned and saw the two charging men. They were still some distance from him. He reached down and retrieved the knife from the downed man. He held it in his left hand and drew his great sword with his right. He crouched awaiting the charging men.

Cornelius, with his vice, yelled, “No!” He then raised the bow and arrow, and with perfect aim drove an arrow into the leg of the first man. The man stumbled and fell to the ground, screaming and holding his leg. With swift hands Cornelius reached for another arrow and notched it on the bowstring. With very steady and sure hands he drew his bow again. This shot hit the second man in the upper right shoulder and whirled him around. He grabbed his shoulder and fell screaming in pain.

To everyone’s surprise still another man rushed from the woods, brandishing a great sword. Cornelius notched still another arrow as Giuseppe drew his throwing knife. At the same moment Cornelius released his arrow and Giuseppe hurled his knife, Cornelius’ arrow reached the man first, hitting him in the throat. The man came to a halt grasping his throat, gurgling as he drowned on his own blood. Giuseppe’s knife buried itself up to the guard in the man’s chest. He staggered backward and fell on his back in the snow. Blood stained the white covered ground beneath the dead man.

The forest grew still and the animals and birds of the forest made no movement. Not one sound came from the two wounded men. They expected to be killed at any moment. Cornelius notched another arrow. He pointed it at the two men.

The first man rolled to his knees and begged. “Have mercy. Have mercy.”

Cornelius, beside himself, shouted in question, “Why should I show you mercy? You would have killed my father.”

Whimpering the man still begged, “Show mercy, young man. Please show mercy.”

The attacker knew the code of the land.

Santo calmly remarked, “You know if you attack someone, you might pay with your life.”

The man nodded, but remained silent. He knew, to show mercy was taken as a sign of weakness, but to beg for mercy was below contempt.

Santo added, “You know, no quarter is asked and none given.”

The man cowed on the ground, whimpering.

Santo concluded, “He is a coward and now begs for quarter.”

The second man joined in the chorus begging for mercy.

Santo took charge, “This is disgusting. Cornelius, put the bow down.” He turned to the attackers. “You have horses?”

“Yes, they are tied back in the brush.”

Santo picked up the weapons and handed them to Giuseppe. “Hold these. We will use them to prove these men attacked us. We will tell their clansmen how two boys defended their father and stopped the attack.”

The two men on the ground moaned louder when they heard Santo’s decree. They begged to a new song, “Oh, Sir, please kill us. Do not shame us by telling how these two lads defended you. Kill us! Kill us!”

Santo snorted, “It is even more disgusting to hear grown men beg for death and not mercy. Boys, let this be a lesson to you.”

They only nodded, but they understood the implications of such actions.

Santo only looked at them and spat, “Dogs!” You are coward dogs!” He motioned to Cornelius, “Go bring their horses. We will take them back to their clan. We want their people to see how two boys, fourteen and sixteen, defeated them. We want their clan to see these cowards.”

Cornelius found the four horses back in the timber and led the horses back to the scene of death and carnage. “Cornelius, while I place these men on their horses, will you fetch ours?”

He answered, “Yes, Father.” Then, facing Giuseppe, he asked, “Can you hold my bow and arrow with those weapons?”

“Yes, I can. Just put them over my arm. Your aim flew true and straight to the target, little brother.”

“Thanks, Giuseppe. You were deadly with your knife. All of our practice certainly benefited us this day.”

They smiled at each other as Cornelius turned to retrieve their horses. When he returned Santo helped the men on their horses. “Remember your bow and arrows.”

“Yes, Father,” Cornelius replied.

“Now mount, Cornelius. I want you to notch an arrow. If one of these dogs tries to run, kill him.”

“Yes, Father,” Cornelius responded as he mounted and took his weapons in hand.

Santo led the other two horses over to Giuseppe. “Son, let me hold those weapons and you mount. Then I will mount.”

Santos ordered the wounded men, “You three lead. You make one move to run and Cornelius will shoot you.”

“Cornelius, you follow them. I will come next, and Giuseppe you follow leading the horse with the dead man.”

The line of horses and men wound through the brush and trees. Shortly they broke into an opening where the Tudor clan’s dwellings and compound were located.

As soon as they broke from the trees they heard the cry of alarm. The main gate opened and several men rushed out to stand in front of their stockade.

Approaching the clan’s compound Santo saw the walls were mostly wood and not very well constructed. There were guard towers at each corner of the clan’s fortress, but they were wooden and appeared to be of weak construction.

Santo observed, “This wall is one the barbarians from the mountains would love to attack. It is not of stone like the Vito clan’s compound.”

The closer they drew to the gate the more excited the watchers became.

Santo raised his hand, with the palm out and called a greeting. “We come in peace.”

One of the men in the front of the gate called back, “How can you come in peace when you carry weapons and have three of our men prisoner and one dead?”

“We come bringing them back to you as a sign of peace. We could have killed them and left them. We could have dumped them at your gate and taken their horses. We did none of those things. We brought these cowards back as a sign of peace.”

“We do not understand.”

Santo said to the boys, “You stop here. I will ride a little closer and talk. Cornelius, keep your bow ready.”

Santo took the lead rope of the horse with the dead man. He spoke to the three wounded men, “Ride forward and stop in front of your elder.”

The three men, with bowed heads rode forward and stopped in front of a short square man.

Santo asked, “You are the elder of this clan?”

“Yes. Who are you?”

“I am Santo, son of Vito.”

“I know of your father. What has happened here?”

“My sons and I were hunting. We wounded a deer and followed it across the Agno River. This one,” Santo pointed at the dead man, “Came out of the brush saying we were on your property. When I disagreed he attacked me and these three came rushing to aid him.”

The short man looked at the three wounded men. “How did these three receive their wounds and how did he die?”

“I broke his arm,” said Santo, pointing at the one man. “My sons wounded these two and killed this one.” He motioned at the dead man.

The man asked, “Your sons?” He looked them over, “Why, they are only boys.”

“Yes, but they are very good with the bow and arrows and knife. I stood outnumbered and they defended me.”

“Did these men have weapons?”

“Yes, these two spears, this short sword, this broad sword, and these javelins.” He handed the weapons to the elder of the clan.

The elder stood stunned. “You are saying your sons killed one and wounded the other two?”

“That is correct.”

“You broke this man’s arm?”

“Correct.”

“Did they beg for quarter?”

“Yes.”

The man’s shoulders slumped, “I am ashamed. Four grown men defeated by one man and two boys.”

“I am sorry for your loss.”

“No, I am sorry you brought this scum to our gate. Now we will attend to them for their offenses and their cowardice.”

The three men began to weep and beg. Other men dragged them from their horses and led them inside the compound. The elder looked at Santo. “What was this about you being on our property?”

“They said they moved the markers and your land ran completely to the Agno. We were on the east bank of the Agno.”

“Those dogs, they have lied, tried to steal your land by moving the markers and then brought disgrace on our clan as cowards. We will take the dead man and bury him. At least he died in battle and honorably. As a peace offering, will you take the four horses and use them as yours?”

Santo nodded his head and said, “You do us honor and we thank you. May you have a bountiful harvest this fall.”

“And may your harvest be good in the fall.”

Santo spoke to the boys. “Cornelius, put away your bow. Each of you lead a horse and I will bring these two. Let us go home.”

By the time they rode to the brush and entered the trees the neighboring clan returned to their compound walls. The gates closed. As they rode into the forest they heard several screams.

Santo noted, “That is the fate of cowards and thieves. They cut their throats.”

Giuseppe pointed to their right as they neared the Agno, “There is the third deer. He did not go far after Cornelius shot him. Can we put him on one of these horses?”

“No, my son, we will carry the three deer on our horses. These four horses are bounty, and the clan will decide what is to be done with them. We cannot use them for work until it is decided. Besides, you and I will have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Why, Father?”

“Son, Cornelius killed three deer. We killed none.”

“But, Father, you, you held up your hand, and, and he used his bow and arrows.”

“Yes, son, but the family will want to know why we did not hunt with our bows and arrows.”

“I guess, Father.”

“There is another thing, Giuseppe.”

“What, Father?”

“We will have quite a story to tell and one which will take their minds off the deer. You and Cornelius will be looked up to as warriors. You have killed a man in defending a member of the family. Of Vito’s sons, only Carlos, Aldofo, Pietro, Felix and your father have killed defending the compound. We were very young men then, but we drew blood for the clan. The two of you are now defenders of the clan.”

“Where was Pasquale?”

“In bed ill with a fever,” replied his papa. “He has always felt inferior and less than a man over the matter.”

They rode in silence. Santo’s pride swelled at the thought of the boys. They did not flinch in the presence of danger. They did not run from the charging men or become ill after killing, as many do. They were men, and the clan would be proud of them. He looked at both boys and wondered what passed through their minds.

Giuseppe smiled as if nothing happened. Santo saw the smile on his face broaden as he adjusted the deer on the back of his horse. Little did Santo know what occupied Giuseppe’s mind. Giuseppe thought only of the very pretty baker’s daughter.

Cornelius’ face was set and somber. Santo worried when he saw the look. He would never dream the incident did not upset Cornelius. In fact he relished the encounter. He relived the scene over and over. He analyzed the events and tried to determine if he overlooked a better way to defend their father and kill the man. He, for the first time, planed strategy.

He planned to only wound the men, but when the last one came out brandishing his great sword and his father stood defenseless before the charging man, he had no choice.

He thought, “All I did was defend father and killed the man.”

He smiled to himself, “Giuseppe is really good with the knife.” Then his thoughts turned back to recounting the conflict and thinking about the events of the afternoon.

At the compound, excitement erupted over the fresh meat for the clan. Suddenly, the clan’s attention turned to the four horses. When Santo did not dismount from his horse, there were even more questions. Finally, Santo lifted his hand and the clan grew quiet.

“I come, bringing bounty.” The clan again broke into a babble of voices. After some time the clan grew quiet.

Vito asked, “What bounty?”

“My sons have honored the clan. Cornelius killed the three deer.”

Applause and shouts filled the air. Some minutes passed before the clan grew still.

Vito bragged, “He is as good a marksman as I.”

“We were attacked by four members of the neighboring Turdos Clan.” There were shouts to arm the men and attack the Turdos. Santo held up his hands.

Vito shouted, “Gather your spears, swords and shields. We will teach them a lesson.”

Santo did not move from his horse. Instead he held up his hands for quiet. When the clan became still and quiet, he continued, “When the first one charged me I broke his arm. Cornelius wounded two attackers, and he and Giuseppe killed the fourth. Cornelius killed with his bow and arrow and Giuseppe with his knife.” The clan broke into cheers and shouts of joy and congratulations.

Vito shouted, “They are brave like their grandfather.”

“We took the four men and their weapons to their clansmen. Those clansmen were shamed, and they asked us to take the horses as a peace offering and bounty.”

Shouts of elation erupted from the clan. For half an hour they shouted and danced around the two boys.

Vito shouted above the din, “My son and his sons showed bravery and wisdom.”

When they were finally still Santo spoke, “Today, we have two young clansmen who have become men. They have drawn blood defending a member of the clan. We have two new warriors!” The crowd again erupted into a frenzy of excitement and adulation for Giuseppe and Cornelius.

Vito’s voice was heard above the crowd. “These are the issues of my loins!”

Even Carlos became excited and shouted with his father, “My brother and his sons have brought honor to the clan.”

Despite the cold, the three deer were dressed and cooked over open fires in the center of the compound. They celebrated Cornelius’ birthday the day before, but in the evening they celebrated Cornelius and Giuseppe and called them men. They were called men of strength, wisdom, bravery, and great stature. The boys only grinned and bowed their heads. They became men of the clan.