The days flew by in a flutter of activity. Bedding must be gathered, laundry washed, clothes selected, and the satchels packed; the list seemed endless. For a girl who had only made two trips in her whole life, once as a runaway and the other to her new home in Oregon, the tasks seemed overwhelming. Each evening Dirk helped Selena organize the necessary items. For the first time since her marriage, she looked forward to their evenings alone. They had a common goal to perpetuate conversation. Dirk taught her how to spin flies for trout fishing. He pulled out an old cast iron cauldron and gave her simple recipes to cook over the open fire. As the day approached, she found herself almost giddy with anticipation.
The day arrived before Selena felt completely prepared. Dirk insisted they leave early to allow plenty of time to leave Wade at the farm and still make camp by nightfall. Julia noticed Selena’s eyes twinkling with excitement the minute they arrived. And true to form, the older woman took every opportunity to point it out to Dirk whenever Selena’s back was turned.
Without a doubt, the hardest part for Selena was saying goodbye to Wade. She almost couldn’t do it. Wade clung onto Selena with his arms snaked around her neck and his face snuggled into her shoulder. “I’m going to miss you so much, Mama.”
“Dirk, are you sure Wade will be alright without us?” Selena‘s voice cracked as she pleaded for assurance.
Dirk felt his chest tighten as he watched his wife’s eyes fill with tears. Selena loved Wade almost as much as he did. He found that remarkable.
“He’ll be fine!” Julia intervened and took Wade from Selena’s arms.
Minutes later the wagon rolled away from the house. “Luvs, luvs,” Wade yelled from the front porch. His little hand waved with gusto. Selena looked over her shoulder until Julia turned and entered the house. She brushed away the tears trickling down her cheeks with her sleeve.
The pair rode quietly together for some time, each lost in their own thoughts: Selena aching for Wade, Dirk mentally itemizing each article intended for the trip and recounting whether or not he remembered to pack it into the wagon. After several hours, Dirk inched forward on the seat and began to push the horses harder. Selena sensed their destination must be close.
“You know, during the Lewis and Clark expedition, elk thrived in the Pacific Northwest. Supposedly, the explorers killed 147 elk alone during their winter at Fort Clatsop.”
Dirk’s abrupt comment startled her from her thoughts. She stared at him briefly before responding, “That’s seems like quite a few.”
“It was, but over the last few years, the herd’s diminished. They say that the Oregon legislature wants to pass a law to prohibit elk hunting because there are only a few pockets of herds left here and there. Fortunately, we live near one of those pockets, so our group almost always comes home with something.”
She smiled to herself as his words tumbled out with his excitement. “How do you find them?”
“Well, we spend the first day just looking for their signs. You know, scat, tracks, scrapes on the trees. Once we locate those clues, the tracking becomes easier.
“Why is that?”
“Elk tend to travel within a five mile radius. Once we find a signs, we know they are somewhere nearby.”
“If there are only a few pockets left in the state, why are they still prevalent here?”
“I’m not exactly sure. Elk prefer food, water, shelter, and space, all abundant in Oregon. The timber gives them the perfect place to shelter during the stormy winters, but why here, near us? Who can say?”
The silence prevailed again as their thoughts diverted separate ways, and then converging back to the present, Selena said, “I’ve never even seen an elk. Are they the size of a moose? I’ve seen pictures of a moose.”
“Not quite. Moose are larger, usually between 5-7 feet tall; a full grown elk runs about foot shorter---deer, a foot smaller yet.”
Selena nodded, feigning interest. “Do they all stay together?”
“What? Elk and deer?”
“No,” she clarified, “the males and females?”
Questioning her impetus for this information, he continued a little unsettled, “The males gather around sociably in their own clusters, but it’s a lead cow, not a bull, that manages the herd. During the rut,” he looked over at her awkwardly, “you know the breeding time,” he repositioned himself on the seat, “the bulls separate from one another and begin to gather their harem, fight off their opponents, and breed. The wilderness becomes quite a raucous place. Younger bulls desiring a cow of their own, linger around the edges of any given harem watching for a window of opportunity, sometimes at the cost of their lives. The noise is intense. Bugling can be heard for miles as the males threaten each other and call for a mate. We’ll arrive right in the middle of the rut. It usually occurs near the end of September but seems to correlate with the weather. Sometimes it happens a little later if the warm summer air lingers. After the rut, the bulls leave the harem to live a solitary life on their own or with other bulls. The cows, immature bulls, and older calves continue on together with the lead cow. As hunters, we always hope that we find one of those prize solitary bulls- the trophy.” Dirk’s eyes gleamed. Selena marveled. Dirk hadn’t talked so much in the whole three months of their marriage.
“Have you ever found a solitary bull?”
“No, I usually just come home with a cow; that gives me enough meat for the year, and plenty to share with Julia and the boys. A bull can weigh up to 1000 pounds!”
“Oh, so you really don’t need to find a bull then?”
Dirk stared at her incredulously. “Well, no, I wouldn’t need a bull, but…” he paused. How did a man express his desire to conquer? He looked at her again and saw her eyes twinkling with laughter.
“Sorry, I just couldn’t help it,” she responded, smiling. “My younger brothers went after the local foxes with as much ferocity and excitement as you. I understand,” she spoke softly.
Dirk smiled. He was glad she did.
Within minutes the wagon rolled into a small town. They planned to meet the other couples here. Selena stretched her tense legs. She hated introductions. Today would be especially hard, three young women, all friends to each other, but unknown to her. Her inhibitions and past shrouded her like the clouds overhead, and she found herself anxious and alone. Dirk watched her and sensed her growing anxiety. “You’re going to fit right in,” he comforted.
Amazed at his perception, Selena sat up a little straighter on the seat. She wished he hadn’t noticed. “I’ve had little time for friendships in my life. Laura and Julie were so easy to get to know; I guess I feel a little overwhelmed at meeting everyone new at once.”
They pulled up in front of the post office in Vernonia, the designated meeting place. “Looks like we’re the first to arrive,” Dirk said. “I’ll tell you about the group while we wait for the others.” He let the reigns rest over his knee as he turned to face her on the seat. “Walt worked with me for years at The Oregonian. He has traveled all over the West coast even as far as San Francisco covering stories for the paper. I promise you, he will keep us entertained with interesting stories around the campfire. You’ll find his wife, Cindy, kind. They have three young children. Lewis and Barbara met me over four years ago when they moved here from Montana. Lewis is an avid hunter and will oversee the hunting expedition. Barbara is quiet, so I really can’t tell you much about her, but Cindy and she are close friends. Matt and Evelyn are newer to our group. Matt grew up with Lewis, and he just moved here a few years ago to rekindle their friendship. I like Matt…” Dirk paused as his mind wandered over lingering memories. He continued, senseless to his long delay, “but I haven’t known his wife very long.” Dirk jumped down to the ground and slung the reigns around a post . “Hmm, I guess, I’m not much help telling you about the women, am I?”
“I feel like a schoolgirl again. I guess in some ways we really never grow up, do we?”
As they stretched their legs from the journey, Selena heard the first wagon arrive. Gravel sprayed out from under the wheels as the horses slowed their pace. A burly man jumped down from the wagon, losing no time in greeting Dirk as he did so.
“Been here long?” Without waiting for an answer he continued on with the news that the other couples followed just behind them. Selena glanced up at his petite wife. She stayed seated, seemingly content to do so.
“Evie, come on down and move around a little before we head on further,” her distracted husband yelled up at her.
“I’m fine,” came her stoic answer.
“That gal! Never seems to need to stretch anything.” The man grabbed Selena’s hand. “Matt Harper! Glad to meet you. Heard you arrived a few months back and happy to see ya join‘in the hunting party. Hope to get us a few elk this year…” Words streamed from his mouth as he simultaneously pumped Selena’s hand in greeting.
Rumbling wagons obscured his final words as the rest of the carriages rolled to a halt. “Lewis, thought you’d never arrive. What’d you do, return home for some forgotten item?” Turning in a flurry, Matt moved on to the next wagon, and Selena breathed a sigh of relief willing the blood back into her pulsing hand.
Dirk made his way over to greet the new arrivals, and Selena followed. Walt swung down from the wagon, pounded Dirk’s back and then turned to help his wife down as well.
“Golly, we’re a pair of newlyweds without the kids!” Cindy chuckled, smiled up into her husband’s eyes and sized up Dirk’s new bride in one fell swoop. Laughing, she reached out and grabbed Selena’s hand and introduced herself. “I’m Cindy. So glad to finally meet you, Selena. Dirk wrote us of his marriage, but we weren’t sure we’d see you on this trip,” she said, giving Dirk a look that intimated he would hear more from her about that later.
Selena stared at Dirk. Her husband never ceased to amaze her. Wondering when and where he had the time to notify his friends, she turned to meet Barbara who had now joined the group. The conversations lasted several minutes before the men, anxious to move on and set up camp before dark, motioned the parties back to their wagons.
When they eased their wagon back on the road, Dirk questioned Selena, “Well, what do you think?”
“I think it’s going to be an exhausting week!” Dirk looked at Selena and smiled as she widened her eyes in despair.
Over the next few hours the group scurried around the chosen camp site, placing wagons, building campfires, raising rain tarps and hanging perishable foods high in the trees as protection from predators. Unsure how best to help, Selena watched in awe and spun in circles of ignorance.
As the weather looked promising, the campers planned to sleep outside around the fire. Evie, however, preferred to set up her bedding inside the wagon. “It’ll rain eventually, and I’ll be ready” was her apt reply. Selena decided to follow suit. Dirk looked relieved when she mentioned her plan. Frankly, he had not thought through the sleeping arrangements until he watched the married couples dropping their bedrolls near one another around the campfire, and he sighed with relief when Selena opted to follow Evie’s sensibility.
After hours of preparation the campers gathered around the fire and talked late into the night. For added warmth, each hovered over the steaming mug of coffee in their hands, but as the night continued to cool, Selena began to shiver. Saying good-night to the others, she made her way to the wagon. The late-harvest moon illuminated the tree trunks casting a lattice of shadows on the ground. She looked up at the bright moon blazing its brilliance into the dark night. An orange glow softened its edges. The wind whipped her hair sending another ripple of shivers down her back. She stepped on a log Dirk set on the ground under the wagon bed and climbed up and over the edge. Her bones ached from the bumpy ride earlier that day. She groaned with relief as she slipped into the soft layers of bedding. Drifting off to sleep, she heard the frogs croak a noisy melody, but her mind choose to linger on the little boy she left behind.
“Caw-caw”. Delighted to find the trees laden with food, the crows awoke the campers at the crack of dawn with their incessant screeching. Adding to the chaos, Matt attacked the unwanted visitors with vigorous expletives, swinging sticks, and raging threats. The morning had begun. The weary campers struggled out of their bedrolls to begin the necessary breakfast preparations; all that is but Evie. She remained wrapped up tight in a seemingly soundproof wagon, unaware of her bedraggled companions nearby. While the men revived the fire back to life, the other women headed for the stream with pans to collect water for the day. As their footsteps crushed the carpet of needles beneath their feet, the damp ground emitted a sweet aroma of pine. Selena drew in a deep breath letting the brisk air fill her senses with its fragrance. They returned soon, and in short order the coffee spewed the beckoning smell of morning. While the bacon fried, Lewis strategized the plans for the day.
Sitting on the edge of the wagon nearby, Selena marveled at the beauty around her. Under the towering fir trees, a thick layer of pine needles and crumpled leaves mingled together. They tumbled over and betwixt the rich soil, creating a rolling carpet. Overhead, a few vibrant-colored trees still clung greedily to their horded possessions. The rest, the abandoned leaves, blew here and there as gusts of wind periodically surged through the campsite, a premonition of the coming winter. Behind the wagons a rugged path led down to the rock-strewn river bubbling with energy and hopefully dinner. Rising above, the sun slowly warmed the cold ground producing patches of fog down in the meadow below the river. The scene enthralled a girl brought up on the flat plains of the Midwest. Even after several months in Oregon, she never tired of the intense beauty that surrounded her here. Enthralled, she drank in the view.
“What do you think?” Dirk’s voice startled her. Handing her a steaming cup of coffee, he waited for her response.
“Beautiful. I’ve never seen such terrain.” Turning from the view to face him, she brushed her fingertips through her hair trying to bring some semblance of order to her disheveled appearance. “How’d you sleep?” she asked.
“Not well; the first night’s the hardest. I realized how much I’ve aged since last year as I tried to unkink my limbs this morning. That or I slept on a tree root.”
“I guess Evie knew best; I slept fine. Thanks for encouraging me to bring all those old quilts.”
Dirk lowered his voice to a whisper, “Speaking of Evie, I can’t believe she’s still sleeping.”
“I’m not sure how she slept through the ruckus this morning,” Selena responded.
“Maybe that’s how their marriage works; she can’t hear!” He winked before turning to join the men. Selena found herself disappointed as he left her side. His presence, so estranged a few months ago, now felt comfortable compared to the looming reality of a day spent with strangers. She longed for him to stay at the campsite, but knew that was out of the question. With a sigh she swallowed the burning acidic liquid and hopped down from the wagon to join the women nearby.
“I figure we’ll find scat a mile north of here, similar to last year. Elk tend to remain where the conditions suit their fancy, and this area provides all they need.” Lewis scratched an imaginary map in the dirt at his feet. “Let’s scope out the herd and eye the size of any maturing bulls before scouting around for those independent prize bulls. Ladies, if you pack us up some grub, we promise to stay out of your way until later this afternoon.”
An hour later Selena watched the last man stroll out of sight; reluctantly, she turned back to face her new companions. With fear and trepidation she approached the others around the campfire.
“It’s such a beautiful day; let’s go find our apple tree and make some applesauce,” Cindy suggested turning to include Selena as she approached the small group.
Selena sighed with relief. She learned early in her previous life to hide behind a scurry of activities, some necessary for survival physically, some necessary for survival emotionally. Whatever the impetus, gathering apple drops and canning applesauce with Johnny epitomized the fall. Amazed, Selena watched the women unfurl their necessary supplies. Jars, knives, and apple baskets appeared from various hidden stores like a magician she once watched at a traveling circus who pulled a wiggling rabbit from his hat. Thankful for purpose, she matched their fervor, and within minutes the women began the hike down to the valley below their campsite. Selena lingered behind with Evelyn on the trail glad for a quiet partner. The warm weather belied the imminent fall days, and Selena enjoyed letting her eyes roam the sweeping beauty.
“Here it is; I found it!” Barbara shouted back to the stragglers. “Wow, it looks like a bumper crop this year. How many jars did we bring?”
As Selena turned the corner, she viewed the burdened tree, its boughs heavy with the green fruit. Surprised by the color, she asked, “What type of apple is it?”
“Who knows? The tree probably rooted by a stray traveler spitting out his seed by the river, or a bird transplanting a distant variety in his droppings. It makes the best applesauce though, tart and flavorful. I’ve never had better. I try to reseed a tree in my own yard each year, but never succeed.” Cindy admitted.
“My little tree stands about four feet now,” Evelyn’s voice stunned the women for a split second before they erupted in excitement.
“Really? Evie, tell us how you did it?” her friends cried in unison.
Overcome by the attention, the woman cowered slightly before admitting, “Last year, I came down to the field early the morning we left and snipped a few sapling branches. I wrapped them in some ground bone meal that I brought from home. I lost several, but three rooted just fine.”
The girls fawned over the stoic woman, begging for her to help them do the same this year. Selena watched as a small twinkle of light sputtered in the eyes of the hardened face. So, Evelyn did have feelings behind that mortared exterior.
“Oh, but wait, we don’t have any bone meal!” Barbara interjected through the excitement.
“I brought some,” Evelyn matter-of-factly countered, to the rejuvenation of ecstatic delight among the two women.
Evelyn surprised Selena by turning to her, “Would you like a root as well?”
“My goodness, I hardly know what trees we already have on the property. I guess I’ll need to ask Dirk about that.”
The women stared at each other briefly with some unspoken message Selena did not understand and then silence prevailed while they each plucked fruit from the abundance before them. “How much applesauce do you make each year?” Selena ventured to ask.
“Depends on the weather,” Barbara said.
“…And how long it takes the men to find the herd.” Cindy interrupted. “Some years it rains terribly, and we commiserate under the tarp most of the week. Barbara and I learned to take advantage of every beautiful day picking because then if the weather turns wet, we have plenty of apples to keep us busy. How many jars did we can last year, Evelyn?” Cindy asked.
“63,” Evie retorted the tidy answer.
“Walt hates packing up the jars. He tries to deter me every year. They rattle during the whole trip. But as he loves the taste of this sauce better than any from our trees at home, he succumbs.”
“Don’t overload your basket, Selena,” Evie warned with authority, “it’s a long hike back when the basket’s too heavy.”
The girls picked the baskets full in no time and then hauled the cumbersome load up to the campsite. They spent the rest of the morning repeating the process over and over. Within an hour of finishing, the men arrived back at the campsite. Selena marveled at how quickly the time had passed, and she noticed with pleasure Dirk espy the bulging baskets and give her a knowing nod of “so that’s what the women do while we’re away.” She felt a warm flutter of companionship with this man tug at the corner of her heart.
Lewis, Matt, and Walt boisterously expounded on their morning tracking the herd. Untangling the web of superimposed conversation, Selena grasped that they suspected the herd moved to the northeast of the camp, but had not yet been located. It appeared that the men would continue this daily stalk until they located the exact site. Once they determined the position, they would plant themselves nearby early in the morning to begin the hunt.
“Girls, you keep that rifle handy,” warned Matt, “we found evidence of cougar scat nearby. I guess they’re prowling around looking for some easy prey.”
Selena shuddered; glad once again for her chosen bed site in the wagon.
“We’ll get a little rest after lunch and then set out near dusk to look again.”
The afternoon loomed ahead of Selena, but she found it filled quickly with lunch, clean-up and dinner preparations. When the men finally headed off later in the day, Dirk surprised her by remaining behind. “Normally, I stay back and catch some fish for dinner.” He answered her unspoken question. “Cougars usually prowl at dusk; not that I don’t trust you gals with a weapon, but I’d rather stay nearby when I know they’re in the area. I’ll head down to the river to fish.” Turning to Selena he asked, “Would you like to try your hand at it?”
She nodded quicker than she intended and felt the eyes of the women watching them head down to the river.
When they reached a rocky alcove, Dirk sagaciously instructed Selena on the techniques necessary to keep their afore-created flies in the river and out of the trees behind them. It proved more difficult to accomplish than she expected. For the first half hour, Dirk spent more time extracting her flies from the bushes and trees than fishing himself. She appreciated his untiring patience. After some time, her skills improved enough to eliminate her need for his assistance, and Dirk spread out to find his own area of the river to conquer. She watched her husband leap agilely from the large boulders near the riverbed onto the smaller weather beaten rocks strewn across the swirling eddies. “Stay near the edge of the river, Selena” he called back to her over his shoulder. “The water doesn’t look deep, but there are several spots that are. Your dress would be dead weight if you fell in.”
Selena switched her line back and forth over her head, trying to snap her wrist consistent with Dirk’s instructions. The stillness of the meadow, a backdrop to the gurgling river, hypnotized her. Time blurred with the rhythmic maneuver of the line. As she cascaded the line systematically over her head, she noticed a small blur whirl by her and wondered if she had snagged a leaf. The line plunked back into the water. As she plucked the line out again, she gasped. The tiniest little fish glided once again over her head attached to the line. “Dirk, I think I caught something,” she cried out laughing, but only momentarily, because as the small appendage plopped once more back into the river, a larger predator struck her line. Wham! Her pole bent into a hideous arc as her heart simultaneously began to pound with excitement and fear. Inadvertently, she stepped into the water to brace herself as the tension hit the line. Before she could cry out for Dirk, she found him at her elbow. “Dirk, take the pole! I don’t know what to do,” Selena cried.
Ignoring her plea, he cautioned emphatically, “Don’t let the pole drag you into the water; keep that dress away from the current.” Making sure she stepped back away from the danger a sufficient distance, he continued, “Grip the pole firmly, but don’t let the fish drag too much of the line away from you. Good. Now, pull the pole gently to the left. Slowly!” he warned. Her excitement pulsated down the rod swaying the pole erratically. “We need to tire this fish out before bringing it toward you. Keep it away from that tree sunk in the water! The fish will try to dive there and break the line.” Selena’s heart pounded audibly in her ears. Exhausted from hours of apple picking, her arms fiercely complained.
The fish with concerns of its own darted back and forth frantically from one area of the river to another, careening here and there in desperation. Selena’s dress now drenched at the bottom swirled in the shallow water. After what seemed like forever, Dirk advised her to slowly reel in the line while he grabbed the net. Trembling now from the adrenalin pumping through her veins and the wet dress clinging around her legs, she methodically reeled in the fish as Dirk scrambled over a rock to net it. “Try and make it swim into the net,” he yelled back to her. She gasped; amused by the idea that he thought she controlled this fish. Her only objective was to keep the fish on the line and herself out of the river. He’d have to deal with the direction that creature was headed. With a smooth scoop, she watched astounded as Dirk lifted the bulging net for her to see. The silver mottled back loomed large in the net while the white underbelly thrashed against its encasement. Selena stared at the massive creature.
“Looks like you caught yourself a small salmon headed upstream to spawn,” he yelled to be heard over the noisy river.
“Small? That’s the largest fish I have ever seen!” she exclaimed.
“Ah, this is just a little one!” he teased. Selena turned away as he lifted a stick to put the fish out of its misery.
“This fish weighs about 8 pounds. I’ve seen salmon weigh as much as 40 pounds in the Columbia River.”
She awaited his laughter, but there was none. Incredulous at the void, she continued, “Really?” She hesitated for a minute before proceeding. “Well, if that had been the case, the fish might have caught me!”
Dirk eyed his thin wife. “You may have a point there.”
Exhausted from the ordeal, Selena sat on a large flat rock nearby, spreading the bottom of her dress out across its lingering warmth. Dirk caught a few more small trout and efficiently filleted the salmon before they hiked back to the camp with their catch. As he gave her his hand to help her down off of the rock, a high shrill pierced the air. Selena’s head jerked upward, shocked by the eerie cry echoing down the ravine. Within seconds a distant exchange reverberated back only this time the scream howled as if in agony.” Dirk gave Selena a nod, “Bugling.”
“And the females find this enticing?” Selena blurted out; she couldn’t help herself.
“Apparently so.” Dirk tipped his head down, trying not to let her see his laughter.
By the time they arrived back at the wagons, Selena was shivering. Climbing into the wagon, she changed into warm, dry clothes while Dirk expounded their tale to the other women. The thin canvas walls separating her from the party did little to muffle the story, and her heart beat faster as she sensed his pride in her success. No one had felt any pride in her, or for that matter, any emotion at all about her for so long. She ran her fingers through her hair, wondering what a sight she must be. It mattered that he noticed her. Preemptive to any further thoughts, however, Matt’s resounding voice bellowed that the men had returned to camp.
While Selena and Dirk fished, the other women had finished the first batch of applesauce. Selena found the resultant dinner remarkable. The fresh caught salmon smoked over the open fire was like nothing she had ever tasted in her life. Her table in the past held little that compared. Poverty provided little variety. During the past years, she ate only that which came out of a tin or jar, most old overstock her employer graciously offered to her. Growing up in a large family, food hadn’t been much better. The family lived off the garden and the barn, but hungry working brothers got their share first and left little for the girls. This meal fresh from the river would never be forgotten.
After cleaning up dinner, the couples sat around the blazing fire, the women each swaddled in a warm shawl while the men discussed their findings, strategized the next day’s reconnaissance, and then settled on the Spanish American War as their favorite topic.
“Know anyone that went over to the Philippines with Colonel Summers this May?” Matt asked Walt. “I wondered if you just might decide to go yourself and cover the story with the troops.”
“Can’t say that I didn’t relish the idea,” Walt admitted, “but there are enough young men without little ones skilled enough to go and anxious for action. Cindy likes me home.” He nodded towards his wife, and she moved a little closer to him by the fire.
“I keep reading and hearing more details of Theodore Roosevelt and his team,” Lewis said. “Rough riders’, they call themselves. Honestly, that man’s got gumption. How old is he?”
“Forty.” Matt pushed another piece of wood on the fire.
“How did a New York politician fair as a cavalryman?” interposed Dirk skeptically.
“Amazing. You know he spent years ranching in the Dakota Badlands! A friend of mine in Montana knew him before he moved to that ranch in the Dakota Territory. What a reputation he had in Montana! He lives life; I’ll tell you that! The stories I’ve heard match a man that would charge up San Juan Hill!” Lewis added.
“Did you hear how he singlehandedly caught some boat thieves?” Matt interrupted vehemently.
“See now, that’s how a story grows.” Lewis interjected. “Not quite singlehandedly! His two ranch hands played a small part in that escapade as well. Read all about it in one of my journalist papers.”
Dirk smiled into the fire. He’d missed this wild bantering.
“Yes, I read about that.” Walt then began to weave his magical web to ensnare them all. “What a story! Seems as if Roosevelt set off trekking mountain lions near his ranch, but the next day when he went outside to renew the pursuit across the Little Missouri River, he found his skiff gone.”
Walt poked the fire, letting the statement allure his listeners. “Now you have to understand the mindset of these cowboys. In the middle of the Dakota Territory, law rests in the hands of its brusque occupants. No one waits for a lawman to arrive. And besides, officially, Roosevelt was a sheriff. So although the boat could easily be replaced, in this sheriff’s mind, justice needed to be served.”
“What did he do?” Barbara asked.
“Theodore and his ranch hands built a makeshift boat to brave the ice-jammed river.” Looking around the group gathered at the fire, he paused momentarily. “Have you ever seen an ice jam? I can tell you they’re dangerous in their own right! The frozen river breaks apart into large hunks of ice. Think of a log jam but replaced by huge shards of frozen water! Try maneuvering down a river full of that! Sheets of ice with dangerously sharp edges slide over one another as the swollen river roars with the melting rush. Now keep perspective: all this for a measly old boat!
“It’s the principle,” interrupted Matt as he slammed his fist down on the log where Evie sat. She never even flinched. Selena watched her amazed. Nothing seemed to phase her.
Unhampered, Walt continued to spin the next strand of his web. “They took three days to build the new boat to recapture the old one. When they finished it, they set off for another three days on a journey down this frozen river in March!”
“What happened?” Matt stepped into the snare.
“Eventually, they stumbled upon the over-confident thieves, who really never expected anyone to find them.”
“Why not?” questioned Barbara, obviously very much intrigued.
“Well, for one thing, they had stolen the only boat they knew of within twenty miles; who would come after them? Obviously, they didn’t understand whose hornet’s nest they had stirred up! It took Roosevelt over eight days to bring the men to town for sentencing. Theodore needed to split up from his ranch hands because of supplies, so by the end of the eight days he marched the men to town by himself, the final 36 hours without sleep. You can imagine what a stir his arrival into town with these boat thieves caused! No one could believe this odd cowboy hadn’t just hung the lot of them. Even the thieves realized their good fortune. I heard they later wrote Roosevelt letters from prison asking him to visit. Guess, they understood that they wouldn’t have survived in anyone else’s hands.”
“Well, the man sure has courage!” Lewis piped in. “If he doesn’t get himself killed first, he might just win his run as governor of New York!”
Fulfilling Dirk’s prediction, Walt fascinated them with his interesting stories, but Selena found the long day begging her to end it. Thankfully, Evelyn’s curt, “It’s time for bed,” set them all straight. Selena found herself appreciating Evelyn more each day.