Mister Slaughter by Robert R McCammon

Author:Robert R McCammon
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2013-12-08T16:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

THEY had penetrated possibly a mile and three quarters into the thick forest that lay alongside the road directly across from Constable Abernathy’s house before Walker said, “We’ll stop here.”

The decision had a strategic importance, because the place he’d chosen was among a group of large boulders in a slight hollow overhung by pines. Working quickly, Walker found a series of fallen treelimbs that, with Matthew’s help, he placed overhead in a criss-cross pattern between a pair of the largest rocks. Smaller branches and handfuls of pine needles were then spread across this makeshift roof to provide further shelter from the drizzling rain. Matthew had no qualms about getting wet tonight, but he was appreciative of any measure of comfort.

Walker wasn’t finished with their camp, though, for as soon as the shelter was done he went to work preparing a fire using broken-up pine needles and small bits of pine bark and papery white birch bark that were as dry as he could find. The tinder was sparked by not the rubbing of two sticks together, which Matthew had expected, but by the method any English trapper or leatherstocking might have used, the striking of a flint and a small piece of steel. Walker worked intently but patiently, adding more bark and then broken branches to the little tongues of flame. Soon, they had a not unrespectable fire and a decent amount of warmth.

The Indian had previously shed his bow and quiver, as well as his fringed knife belt and his rawhide bag. He sat with his back against a boulder, warming his hands, and then he opened the bag and removed from it a fist-sized, black and oily-looking hunk of dried meat. He sliced some off with his blade and gave it to Matthew, who didn’t particularly care if it was beef, venison, bear meat or beaver tail. And it might have been beaver tail, for its pungence, but it was chewy in the mouth and went down just as well as brisket at Sally Almond’s. Walker ate some, cut Matthew another piece and himself a second, and then returned the rest of it to the bag.

“Is that all?” Matthew asked.

“It’s enough.”

Now Matthew knew why the man was so thin. But even though Matthew was still famished, there was no asking for anymore, and that was that. Now that he’d had some time to sit and stretch his legs out, he wondered if he could ever stand up again. Truly, the morning was going to bring a battle of mind over matter. Sitting in the warmth and the orange light, he felt how very tired he was, how very near the edge of absolute collapse. Yet he knew also that when he closed his eyes he would see the carnage in John Burton’s cabin again, and hear the buzzing of the flies.

True to his claim, Walker had found the crushed place in the thicket where Abernathy’s mare had thrown Slaughter. The Indian had knelt down and found Slaughter’s tracks

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