After the camp was set up, and the foodstuff put away, the dishes were washed and they were just sitting around enjoying the beautiful scenery, and the smells of the woods, The gentle breeze, and the setting of the afternoon sun. They all kind of settled into a quite calm. The blazing of the fire, with the miriad of colors. Yellow, and reds, magentas and slight blues. The willowy flickers blowing slight with the soft breeze was most calming to the day. A chance to relax and unwind from the rough terrain, and sudden noises that had made the horses rebel and jump.
They all put their feet against the boulders, around the fire and shared the beers, Ennis had packed for them. Buds naturally. He didn't know the kind the women drank, he just hoped they weren't too picky, and would take what ever choice he made without sayin much. They both agreed it was fine with them. He was relieved, thats the only kind of beer he ever drank unless Jack brought some new fangled thing for them to try. Some ok, some not so good. But they always drank them no matter. When it comes right to it. Beer is beer pretty much.
Ms Proulx asked" Ennis, you want to tell us about that bear story now?"
He looked up from the fire and said. "Well there really ain't much to tell."
I was bringing our weekly food stuff, mostly beans them days. Back on up here, when I hit that creek we passed a ways back. And right in the slap dab middle was a bear. The mules spooked, the horse reared up, and i landed on my head face down in the river gravel. Them duma... stupid mules took off and ran up the hill scattered purt near all o our supplies all over the dang mountain. I didn't get back here till way past dark." "Jack was purty mad, was worried too I spect. Anyways he was yellin at me about being late, and his bein hungry and nothing but beans to eat. When he got down here. Until he seen that i had a cut on my head from hittin my head on the ground. Then he was a mite changed in attitude. He asked me what in hell happened. Then took his own scarf, dipped it in the hot water and handed it to me. Soes I could clean the cut up." When I let him know that all we had left purty much, was the beans, he started bitchin again. Bout bein sick a beans." " Was gonna kill one a the sheep. "" Soes we'd have some meat for a change." "Anyways I told him we'd git in trouble from old man Aguirre, for killin the sheep." "He vowed as how nobody would notice one sheep outa a thousand missing. Coulda happen by natural means." "Anyhow I told him I'd
stick with beans. But jack he wouldn't do it. Decided we would go and hunt for some game to help out." "So even tho it wasn't allowed, we killed a big elk. Had nuf meat for the most of the summer offen that big buck."
" Well Ennis sounds like you and your friend had a pretty good summer that year then." "Yes maam we sure did. We surely did." He remarked with a bit of a smile and a remembered summer he could not relate, but it kept him fairly warmed inside. "Yes we did, and thats an fact." but he couldn't tell her about that. nope that was just for him. An Jack.