Muck and Mr. Lindsay were in the band office with Mr. Highboy and Chief Ottereyes. The storm had come up very suddenly–“It happens sometimes,” said the Chief. They had radioed the Highboy goose camp, but the grandparents had seen no sign of the five youngsters yet.

Both the Chief and Mr. Highboy said not to worry, and didn’t seem particularly worried themselves, but Muck and Mr. Lindsay were definitely worried.

“Jesse knows what to do,” Mr. Highboy kept saying. “Jesse and Rachel know the bush.”

 

Abraham and Hilda Highboy had known the storm was on its way since shortly after noon. Abraham had heard the wind in the high trees and knew. They considered radioing the village to let them know, but it was Rachel and Jesse coming out. They’d be okay.

Hilda had been in the cooking tent since morning. She had a huge fire going and she had four geese trussed and hanging from the main poles out over the centre, where they were spinning on their tie lines and sizzling in the waves of rising heat. Every once in a while she would take a bowl and catch the grease drippings. Perfect for bannock, she said to herself. The kids would be hungry when they arrived.

Abraham had skinned a beaver he had trapped the day before and had stretched the pelt for curing outside. The beaver meat was cooking in a slow pot held high over the main campfire. The entire camp smelled of food. But it was not the cooking smells that were making Abraham’s nose twitch. He did not like the smell of the wind bearing down on them, gusting direct from the north, the temperature dropping.

Even the dogs were uneasy. Abraham was one of the last Waskaganish trappers still working with sled dogs. He could have bought a Ski-Doo, but he stuck with the dogs because he had always loved working with them, and, besides, what could a snow machine ever tell you? The dogs were letting him know the storm was a bad one. They were nervous, and selfish. He had noticed them fighting over the meat; a storm like this made everyone, man or dog, think survival. The only thing good about the temperature going down further was that soon it would be too cold to snow. Soon, he figured, he would be able to see enough to travel in the dark. If he had to.