Fair Land, Fair Land Read Free Page A

toothless smile. Looking at him
for an instant, Mack thought how poor a specimen he appeared. Broken
mouth, pinched-up face, thin and gangly frame. Yet he was the best
member of the crew.
    " You might think I can't chaw," Higgins
answered, "but I got some grinders in back, up and down both,
and they team up good. My mouth's waterin', but time you brought us
fresh meat, I could build enough saddles for the cavalry."
    " Hey, wait, Hig," Mack said. "You said
you heard a shot?"
    "Thought I did."
    " How about it, Summers?"
    " Could have. Up the line a ways a cow elk
stepped out — only real meat in Oregon, I reckon — and stood
waitin' for me to shoot, and, hearin' your men callin' like with
empty bellies, I obliged. The carcass ain't so far, all gutted out,
ready to cut up and load."
    One of the riders said, "Coodbye to that goddamn
salmon," and another followed with, "I just changed my
mind. Never before now did I think the Lord would provide."
    " Botter, Insko," Mack called out. "Catch
up a couple of pack horses and fetch that meat." He turned to
Summers. "Can they find it?"
    Summers said to the men, "Stick close to the
bank. The critter's out in the open. I got it flagged."
    While Botter and Insko rode out to catch pack horses
and Moss went to keep watch on the stock, Mack said, "Looks like
you're the answer to prayer, Dick."
    " Thank the elk. Me, I been livin' on wild
chicken. Any more of them, and I'll grow feathers or lay an egg."
    " Now to get a good fire going," Mack said.
    " A miracle you want now," Higgins answered.
"Wood wet as water but not much wetter'n me. Rain's let up
anyhow. You got ideas about a fire, Dick?"
    " I've built some."
    " Want to build another?"
    " What you been burnin'?"
    Mack answered, "What we can drag in. Downed
stuff. Dead fall. What else?"
    Summers was silent.
    " I suppose you know something better?" Mack
hadn't meant to let the edge of irritation get into his voice.
    Summers gave him his smile. "You can make out
all right. Done it so far."
    "Looky here, Dick," Higgins said. "Don't
get shit in your gizzard. We're askin', friendly."
    Not for the first time Mack felt grateful to Higgins.
The man had a habit of seeing and setting things straight.
    "Was it me," Summers said then, "I'm
thinkin' I would knock off the low-growin' branches from pine trees.
Most of 'em's dead.
    Most of 'em's dry, bein' sheltered by them growin'
above."
 
    Mack looked up at the great trees that rose around
the camp. The first branches were far beyond reach, sprouting out
fifty or more feet over their heads. "Good idea," he said,
"if we had some trained monkeys."
    Higgins picked up an ax. "I know where some runt
stuff is at. Red meat deserves a good fire, not like sour salmon."
    While he was gone, Summers asked, "You got an
old piece of wipe rag — it don't need to be big — and some
grease?"
    " Rags, sure, but grease?"
    " Nice bacon fat," Summers said, grinning.
    " Last I saw of it was far down on the Platte.
But, hey, what about axle grease? I don't know why we brought it
along. No dry axles since we left the wagons."
    " Might do. Won't hurt to try."
    Mack went to the packs and returned with a strip of
cloth and a bucket.
    Summers spread grease on the rag, sprinkled powder
from his horn on the grease and worked it in.
    " Do you always go to such pains?" Mack
asked.
    " Nope. It's just you wanted a good fire quick
for them steaks."
    Higgins came back with an armload of branches.
Summers took one of them, got out his knife and began cutting
shavings, thin as ribbons. Nothing but a razor-sharp blade could do
that, and Mack wondered how the man kept his knife in such shape.
    Summers put the shavings over the rag, added some
fine twigs, poured a bit of gunpowder under one end of the rag and
withdrew flint and steel from his possible sack. He rubbed the powder
from his hands on his pants legs and then struck a spark. The bit of
powder went up in a puff but still ignited the rag. As the fire
spread sputtering along it,