Part 2 (6)
The sun was almost at its climax. Babida the lumberjack and the young Bodo walked at a fast pace. They stopped by a lake on the way. They drank some of its pure water. Finally, they decided to bathe to refresh their whole bodies and annihilate the effects of the sun's rays. Done, they resumed their journey.
After a persisting effort, they reached the foot of the forbidden mountain. They lifted their eyes and spotted the summit at over a thousand and five hundred meters.
Despite the difficulty of the task, the two scouts carried on their mission. The young Bodo showed incredible stamina.
Babida was impressed as the teenager made him remind of himself at the same age.
Just a few more meters and they would get to the top of the summit.
"Wait!" Babida enjoined the youngster.
"I felt something striding on the other flank of the cliff." He stated with certainty.
"Trail me and move only if I move!" He commanded Bodo who did as he was told.
Babida began to crawl like a lizard. Each of his movements was now made with delicacy. Bodo copied on him. After a moment they reached the summit.
"Wait!" Babida ordered once again.
He crawled to the opposite flank of the mountain, looked down, and saw a big crater in a landscape largely dominated by tall green herbs.
He stood back on his feet and said to the youngster: "Follow me, brave lad!".
Then they began to move down the rocky flank of the cliff at a slow speed. After arduous labor, they touched the wet ground. Babida kept the lead and walked toward the cavity he had remarked when they were on the summit. Boda tailed him.
A few meters from the immense hole, the lumberjack with a hand sign commanded Bodo to stop his progression. He began to crawl again. He neared the cavity. He tried to peep inside but it was obscure. He could not perceive anything.
"I need fire," Babida whispered to Bodo.
"However, I don't know how I can make it." He expressed his regrets.
"But I have matches with me." The young warrior surprised the logger.
"How come?" Babida asked.
"I am a smith. I smelt plenty of swords and for that, I am constantly making fire. So I always bring matches with me wherever I go". Bodo explained while putting his right hand in the right pocket of his silk trousers, then took out a box of tiny Ikoro sticks with phosphorus on the edge. He then passed it on to Babida.
"Thank you, brave lad!" The woodsman said to him.
"Wait for me here!" Babida ordered. He stood up and went backward.
He looked for a tree, found one, and cut off a branch with his axe. He then returned to the crater. Bodo had remained still.
"Okay, here we go!" Babida whimpered.
He opened the matchbox, gripped a thin stick, and rubbed its head against the red strip on the side. It caught fire. He directed the flames on the leaves of the branch he had just sectioned. They ignited as well.
Babida approached the crater. He extended his right hand and looked inside. The hole depth was about fifteen meters. He noticed fragments littering the ground and was confused by what it was. So he called on the young Bodo.
"Young lad, come closer!" The lumberjack murmured while making a hand sign.
Bodo crawled toward the crater.
"Look at the bottom! What could be these broken pieces?" Babida asked him.
The young soldier glared at the fragments intensively and replied: "But this is a bird's fractured shell."
Babida was struck by the youngster's statement. He stared at him as he had just realized where they had set their feet, and commanded loudly: "Young lad, run, run, run, run away!".
