The House of Crow

Chapter 8

The cookfire lit the room of the cabin as the aroma of bear stew filled the air. LeRue sat on the earthen floor, his back resting against the log wall. He"d rolled a blanket and tucked it under the knee of his injured leg. It felt better since he"d lanced the pocket of blood that had formed. It wasn"t broken, and the whiskey he had poured on the cut had kept infection away. He hummed a French tune as he worked, tightening the seams of his moccasin. LeRue looked up from his work when movement across the room caught his eye.

The owner of the cabin lay on his stomach, his face turned towards LeRue. The light from the fire danced across his bearded face, his eyes were open. Like a cat watches a bird, he watched LeRue pick up the hickory staff and haul himself upright.

“Ol" Ephraim (the bear), get you too?” asked the wounded man.

“No, my horse kicked me. You kill"t the bear; hide is outside on a stretcher. Big one it was.”

“How long has it been?”

“I figure you were down one, maybe two days before I found you. It"s been a few days since then. Think you"ll live?”

“Hell, the way I feel, don"t know if I want to!”

“You worked damned awful hard at staying alive. Hate to lose you now.”

“Reckon I"ll stick around then. Do I smell bear meat cooking?”

“That and a bit of venison I had, you feel like eating do you?”

“Maybe I"ll have a bit of broth.”

The Present

Uncle Bill moved in his chair and stretched his long legs, crossing them at the ankle. “That"s how your grandpa met LeRue.”

“My grandfather killed a Grizzly Bear with a knife! I"ve read adventure stories about the Mountain Men, but my grandpa was one, and he killed a bear with a knife!”

Uncle Bill smiled, “There"s also the story about the time he fought the man-bear. LeRue and grandpa decided to trap together. They"d been bringing in prime furs every day. It was near the end of the season; LeRue and your grandpa were working a river. Both were knee-deep in the water, each working a bank. Now on grandpa"s side, there was a high bank undercut by the river. LeRue had just replaced a trap and took a look-see over at grandpa. Grandpa was working on a tangled floatstick when on that high bank, a bear rose up right above him. LeRue reached for his rifle…”