The Burakan weren’t the only ones participating in the test; in fact they went last. A few of the Keldara men were lined up to try their hand and as Mike watched the first one lift the stone, Russell wandered over to get in the line.
“Going to try your hand, Russell?” Mike called.
“Going to show them how it’s supposed to be done, Kildar,” the former Ranger called back.
The first Keldara hefted the stone on his legs, then up to hold it with it mostly across his forearms, and staggered forward. As he crossed the line the whole group of Keldara began clapping, in time, on their thighs with a few of his friends yelling encouragement and trying to speed the clapping up. He dropped it halfway back, had to get it back up, and finished in about a minute and a half.
The other Keldara went one by one, most of them dropping the rock at one point or another and only one finishing in under a minute.
Then it was Russell’s turn. The massive former Ranger had found some chalk somewhere and first chalked his hands, then bent at the knees and got the rock up, getting his hands all the way under it and twisting them in a complex fashion. Once it was in place, he took off.
Instead of the stagger that the Keldara effected, he did the first part of the course at a fast walk, the stone held all the way off his legs and freeing them up so he could really move. He finished in less than forty seconds, which the Keldara seemed to find amazing.
When he finished the course, despite blowing hard at the effort, he hefted the stone up and over his head, finally tossing it away from him and stepping back with a bow.
“Show off,” Mike said when the Ranger strolled over. He was still breathing in and out slowly and deeply, but the effort clearly hadn’t significantly strained him.
“The thing’s about five-fifty,” he said, handing Mike a block of chalk. “Strongman competitions use one that’s about eight hundred. This is easy time. The thing to do is get it all the way up and hook your fingers,” Russell whispered, demonstrating the finger lock. “You have to let the weight fall mostly on your right index finger; it keeps the fingers locked that way. Then just go.”
The Burakan were next and Mike watched carefully. His competitors used the same technique as the regular Keldara and mostly made about the same time. The exception was Oleg, who hefted the stone nearly up to his chin and took off at a fast walk like Russell. He just had the muscles to hold the damned thing up that high, even without using the finger lock. He made the course in just under fifty seconds. Still not as good as Russell, but Mike’s time to beat.
Mike suddenly realized that his competitive streak had taken over as he walked over to the stone. All SEALs had a competitive streak; you had to have one to make it through BUDS and on the teams. He wasn’t intending to win the trial, if it came down to cases he’d throw one of the competitions. But he was damned well going to hang in as long as he could.
Mike looked at the stone, slowly chalking his hands and considering the course. When his hands were well chalked he bent at the knees and got the thing up on them without much of a struggle. He’d worked with weights that were heavier but not much and this thing was just awkward. He hooked his fingers under the rock as Russell had shown him and then stood up. It was solid. Sure that he had it, he stepped off as fast as he could.
He was fine on the first length but something about the turn made his fingers start to slip. He still managed to keep a hold on the stone but he had to slow down to keep it from slipping. He still made it across in respectable time, just about the same as Oleg.
He still had enough of a hold to heft the thing up in a clean jerk over his head and toss it off like Russell.
“Very impressive, Kildar,” Father Mahona said. “The next test is the test of the wood.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Caber toss,” McKenzie said, quietly, as the Keldara moved over to the next course. “I’ll join in. The technique is like what Russell showed you on the stone, but you have to get a run going and really toss it. Watch me.”
The log was about ten feet long and “the thickness of a man’s thigh.” Mike wasn’t sure if it had been cut the night before by one of the other Burakan or if it was an old log, but it had been stripped of bark and sanded. There was a line on the ground and a flat area behind, apparently for the run up. Although Mike was trying to figure out how you were supposed to run with the damned thing.
A few of the Keldara lined up as Father Ferani explained for the non-Keldara.
“The contestants will pick up the log with their hands and run up to the line. Then they will toss it as far as they can. The first point that any part of the log lands on is the distance and that is the measurement for this competition. The competitor must not cross the line either before or after they release the log or the toss is disqualified.”
The first Keldara got the log up vertical then bent down and got it up on his right shoulder. He backed up with the thing precariously balanced on his shoulder and ran forward, stopping at the line to throw it out. The log went forward still more or less vertical and the bottom touched the ground about ten feet out. It looked pretty respectable to Mike.
The rest of the Keldara tossed one by one, leaving divots from seven to eleven feet out, with one of them dropping it on the run; then it was McKenzie’s turn.
Like Russell he had chalked his hands and at the beginning he started much like the Keldara, getting the log vertical. But he put it on his left shoulder and balanced it carefully, his hands locked underneath, before starting off on a run.
He ran faster than most of the Keldara but the big difference was in the toss. He turned at the last, throwing the thing backwards, his feet just at the edge of the line. The log, instead of staying more or less vertical, described a parabola in the air with the end impacting first. It gave him a good six to eight feet beyond the longest toss of the Keldara.
“Don’t go as close to the line as I did,” McKenzie said, walking over to Mike. “But toss it from your left and over. The body helps you get the lift on it and you can flip it over that way. The arms are also more suited for that sort of toss with a weight that strong. Put more strength into your right arm, too. Walk the distance off before you start and turn one step before the line.”
The other Burakan went one at a time. Most of them were around the same distance as the other Keldara. Oleg was the exception. The massive Keldara still used the same technique, but he had the strength to really loft the damned thing, getting it to turn over like McKenzie and getting it nearly as far.
Mike ignored the eyes on him as he walked off the course, getting the distance just right and trying the turn. He marked the spot to start on the turf with his heel and then went over to pick up the log. He got it up easily enough, but balancing it was a different story. He was afraid he’d drop it on the run but put that out of his mind.
He carefully walked to the starting point, then staggered forward as fast as he could, keeping the log balanced, turning at the marked point and tossing it over his back like McKenzie.
When he turned around he had to grin. The divot that his log had dug was right on top of Oleg’s.
“Looks like it’s you and me, buddy,” Mike said to Oleg as they walked to the next test.
“You are formidable, Kildar,” the Keldara admitted. “As should be. It will be an honor to beat you.”
“That’s the spirit,” Mike said. “I think you’re going to lose a Kildar on the test of the bull.”
“Watch me, carefully,” Oleg said, seriously. “The other tests have their dangers. But the test of the bull is the true test of courage. You must first play with it and then stand your ground, letting it come to you before grasping the horns. That is the moment of truth; if you flinch you will be badly injured or killed. I would hate to see that happen.”