The Survivor by Paul Almond

Author:Paul Almond [Almond, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Historical, General, Cultural Heritage
ISBN: 9781552789674
Publisher: Natl Book Network
Published: 2011-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

“That brush pile we’ve been making, we’ll burn it after there’s snow on the ground,” said James a few evenings later. “Maybe Christmas time. Make a nice bonfire in celebration.”

Catherine paused as she was laying out their supper in the semi-dark of the cabin, the trees masking the dying light of the sun.

He caught her look. “Something on your mind, Catherine?”

“I have been giving this winter some serious thought, my dear.” She reached out and touched his arm. “You seem to know so much about how to survive, I see that. Getting it all from those Micmac. But —”

So that was it, he thought. The Micmac. Had the time finally come? “Can you see all right?”

“Not really. But we don’t have a lot of whale oil... Are you changing the subject?”

“Not at all.” James went to the shelf, took down the lamp and placed it by them. Had he better start in? “Well, I do have some things I could go over...”

“Good.” Although she had tried to make that sound casual, James knew a lot would hang on his reply.

He plucked a brand from the fire with tongs. “Well, I did live in the woods all one winter with a Micmac family.” He held the brand to the wick, and watched until, after a few moments, it caught fire. “That’s how I learned to snare small animals, how to trap, even how to shoot with a bow and arrow —”

“You told me all that, James. But you didn’t tell me you lived with a family.” He saw her studying his face. “How about those trout?” he sat back, prevaricating. Made motionless by his story, she recovered and began to dish up their meal. “Of course, sorry.”

“It was the only way to survive. They were a wonderful family, in fact: the mother I called Full Moon, and her brother, One Arm.”

“No husband?” Beside his four fried trout, she added a slab of cornmeal bread.

“Big Birch? Oh, he had died in a fishing accident. That’s the reason I was there, because the brother, you see, had a withered arm, and couldn’t really shoot with a bow and arrow. So the Chief asked me to go with them.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Well, enjoy isn’t really the word.” James put the lamp on the rough table between them and sat to eat. “I learned a tremendous amount —”

“And so you and Full Moon... Her with no husband and you single...”

“No no, Catherine she had grown-up children. Don’t jump to conclusions. Look, I did learn a lot from them all.”

“All?”

“Oh yes, well there were Full Moon’s two children.” He paused, then eating slowly, went on. “They saved my life, in fact.” James noticed her quickening interest but went on, “In fact, I was coming back from a trapline in early spring, and I went to cross a stream on an icy log, and slipped and fell in. It was hellish cold, I can tell you. I got soaked. Anyway, I just got out and kept walking.

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