Journey Days of Henry McAlister
                               CHAPTER TWENTYONE
                           Chapter twenty-one-part one

     Henry quietly closed the door to the cabin and shook off the snow from his coat, the small wood stove barely giving out any heat into the cabin as Henry tried to warm his hands in front of its dying ember filled core.
     “Is that you Henry?” Asked Katherine, her eyes half open.
     “Yes,” said Henry solemnly.
     “Did you have any luck?”
     “No, I followed a lot of rabbit trails but I didn’t even get a shot off, I’m sorry.”
     “Don’t be sorry, you tried. I’m sure you’ll get something next time.”
     “I can’t stand it, this is terrible. My not being able too…”
     “Henry stop it, this isn’t your fault, stop blaming yourself, you’ll have better luck tomorrow, take your wet clothes off and rest.”
     “Maybe I will, how are you feeling?”
     “Fine, I’m just tired, I can’t seem to get warm,” Katherine said her eyes closing.
     “You can’t let the stove go out, you’ll freeze in here.”
     “I know dear, I’m just tired,” Katherine replied, pulling the hide blanket tighter under her chin while pulling her knees up closer and making herself smaller in the corner of the bench.
     “You just need some food, I’ll go out again tomorrow morning.”
     “I know, I know, let’s just rest for a little while, I’m so tired.”
     “Henry are you in there?” Bellowed Pierre from the corridor.
     “Yes, who is it, what do you what?”
     “It’s Pierre, I have something I’d like to talk to you about.”
     “Can’t it wait until morning? I’ve just returned from hunting.”
     “That’s what I want to talk to you about.”
     Henry quietly slid the cabin door shut behind him and said, “What’s so important that it can’t wait until morning?”
      “No need to get yourself riled up. I seen you come back. Looked to me as if you had no luck hunting.”
     “Yes that’s right, every critter is staying quiet because of the snow I suspect. I’ll be heading out again in the morning. All I saw was a few rabbit tracks that lead nowhere.”
     “It must be a heavy burden for you, what with you having your fiancée to take care of and all. I suspect that if it weren’t for her you would of gone along with Mr. Buchanan and tried to make it to Skagway.”
     “What’s your point? You said you had something you wanted to talk to me about, is that it?”
     “Easy boy. I’ve lived in mountains like these for almost twenty years now and I know every animal track and sign there is. I’ve lived and breathed in em, trapped and hunted most every kind of animal there is.”
     “So. So what?”
     “Well, seeing how we’re stuck here together I thought maybe I could ease your burden a mite and do some hunting for you and your fiancée.”
     “What? Why would you do that?”
     “I hear tell that you struck it rich in the Klondike and…”
     “Something like that, but not as much as people have been saying.”
     “I’m sure that’s true, I’d be willing to supply you and your fiancée with fresh meat for…”
     “How much? How much do you what?”
     “I’m a modest man of modest means but I have a have a hankering for some of the good life I’ve seen. Now that I’m older the wilderness is wearing on me.”
      “How much?” Said an agitated Henry.
      “As I’ve said I’m a modest man and the way I figure it there won’t be any of us getting out of here any time soon, so I figures I can supply you and your misses with enough fresh meat until we’re rescued, for two hundred dollars.”
      “Until we’re rescued for two hundred dollars?” Henry said, excitement and relief passing over his face.
      “Each.”
      “Henry stepped closer to Pierre and looked square into his eyes and said, “I don’t have that much on me, I had it all transferred to the First National Bank in San Francisco. I kept only enough for expenses on this trip.”
      “That’s right sensible of you and I suspected as much. No matter, you can pay me when we get to San Francisco. Course you’ll have to pay for my passage also.”
     “Very well, but how do I know you can live up to your side of the deal?”
     “Well,” laughed Pierre, “you can’t pay me iff’n your dead, now can you? I’ll see to it that you have enough to eat.”
     “If anything happens to Katherine, the deals off, is that understood?”
     “Of course. Here take this,” said Pierre, reaching into his hunting bag and retrieving a rabbit. “Snared it this morning, as you can see I mean what I’m about. It’ll be enough until I get back.”
     “Where are you going?”
     “I figured I’d move my belongings into the Caboose there, more private, seeings how the conductor’s not going to be using it any more, then I’ll be heading out. Hunting Henry, hunting, I have mouths to feed.”
     “What about the other passengers?” Asked Henry.
     “What about em? Oh, as I see it, they can fend for themselves, unlessen they have two hundred dollars,” laughed Pierre as he went down the passageway.
                                                              #
To be continued...