Believe you me. He knows Russell.”
“But how?”
“Cause he was one of ’em.”
“One what?”
“A Silencer.”
The cabin was quiet for a moment. Finally Keer-ukso asked the question all of us were thinking. “What is a Silencer?”
“It’s a mountain man, of course. A trapper. One of the most famous ones.”
I had never given any consideration to what Mr. Russell had done prior to coming to Shoalwater Bay. Fur trapper. He surely dressed the part, with his buckskins and rifle.
“Russell worked for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company years ago. Trapped for them. Beaver. Otter. You name it. If it had a hide, he killed it.”
It was easy to picture Mr. Russell trekking through the snowy, windswept mountains, carefully tracking animals. Living a life of solitude, with only his horse for company.
As if he knew what I was thinking, M’Carty said, “Russell worked with four other men.”
“I thought all mountain men trapped alone.”
“That’s just talk. Ain’t too many men fool enough to live in the wilderness by themselves. If an animal don’t get you or a storm don’t kill you, your own mind’ll turn on you for lack of someone to talk to.”
“What about the others?” Jehu asked.
“Well, the other men Russell trapped with were Elijah Barnett, Toby Winston, Jack Meares, and a fellow named Abe Black.”
“My Mr. Black?” I asked.
“Your
Mr. Black?” Jehu demanded.
“I hardly think that you are in a position to say anything. At least Mr. Black’s a gentleman. At least he wasn’t trying to trick me into—”
M’Carty held up a hand for silence.
Jehu and I stared at each other furiously.
M’Carty shook his head. “Yes, Jane, I believe the man you met was the same man who trapped with Russell.” He swallowed hard. “Anyhow, the five of them trapped along the Snake River and into the mountains. They called themselves the Silencers on account of the fact that they didn’t leave so much as a rustle of an animal behind them.”
Keer-ukso cracked a smile.
“How long did they work together?” I asked.
“I reckon they trapped for near about four years before the accident. This was well over twenty years ago now. They were all young men back then, every one.”
“The accident?”
M’Carty’s face turned grim. “As Russell tells it, they were trapping along a river, high in the mountains. Now, rivers are where most trappers work ’cause that’s where beavers are found. The critters build their homes right in the water. You jest set your trap, put some scent on it, and if you wait long enough the animal will come on out and walk himself right into your trap.”
Jehu whistled admiringly.
“Sounds easy, but it was a hard way to make a living. Especially if you were a company man. All your equipment wasrented from the company, and so that came out of your pay. You had to work real hard, too, to turn a profit and make it pay off.” M’Carty took a breath. “And then of course there’s the grizzlies.”
“Grizzlies?”
“See, beavers like to live near the rivers. But so do the grizzly bears. They do their fishing there. Many a trapper’s been killed by a grizzly while trying to catch a beaver. On the day Abe Black died, they were along a river.”
“Died?” I whispered. “But he’s not dead! I ate supper with him, I tell you—”
M’Carty held up a finger for quiet. “And I tell you that Abe Black died that day in the mountains.”
I shook my head.
M’Carty’s voice was pitched low as he described the terrible day. “It was early spring, but there was still snow on the ground. The men had finished for the day and were setting up camp. Except for Abe Black. He said he was going to check one last time on the beaver traps he’d set earlier that day. He didn’t want no beaver getting trapped and then some other varmint coming along and eating it before he got to it. So there he was checking on his trap when all of a sudden a grizzly bear came behind him and
“But how?”
“Cause he was one of ’em.”
“One what?”
“A Silencer.”
The cabin was quiet for a moment. Finally Keer-ukso asked the question all of us were thinking. “What is a Silencer?”
“It’s a mountain man, of course. A trapper. One of the most famous ones.”
I had never given any consideration to what Mr. Russell had done prior to coming to Shoalwater Bay. Fur trapper. He surely dressed the part, with his buckskins and rifle.
“Russell worked for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company years ago. Trapped for them. Beaver. Otter. You name it. If it had a hide, he killed it.”
It was easy to picture Mr. Russell trekking through the snowy, windswept mountains, carefully tracking animals. Living a life of solitude, with only his horse for company.
As if he knew what I was thinking, M’Carty said, “Russell worked with four other men.”
“I thought all mountain men trapped alone.”
“That’s just talk. Ain’t too many men fool enough to live in the wilderness by themselves. If an animal don’t get you or a storm don’t kill you, your own mind’ll turn on you for lack of someone to talk to.”
“What about the others?” Jehu asked.
“Well, the other men Russell trapped with were Elijah Barnett, Toby Winston, Jack Meares, and a fellow named Abe Black.”
“My Mr. Black?” I asked.
“Your
Mr. Black?” Jehu demanded.
“I hardly think that you are in a position to say anything. At least Mr. Black’s a gentleman. At least he wasn’t trying to trick me into—”
M’Carty held up a hand for silence.
Jehu and I stared at each other furiously.
M’Carty shook his head. “Yes, Jane, I believe the man you met was the same man who trapped with Russell.” He swallowed hard. “Anyhow, the five of them trapped along the Snake River and into the mountains. They called themselves the Silencers on account of the fact that they didn’t leave so much as a rustle of an animal behind them.”
Keer-ukso cracked a smile.
“How long did they work together?” I asked.
“I reckon they trapped for near about four years before the accident. This was well over twenty years ago now. They were all young men back then, every one.”
“The accident?”
M’Carty’s face turned grim. “As Russell tells it, they were trapping along a river, high in the mountains. Now, rivers are where most trappers work ’cause that’s where beavers are found. The critters build their homes right in the water. You jest set your trap, put some scent on it, and if you wait long enough the animal will come on out and walk himself right into your trap.”
Jehu whistled admiringly.
“Sounds easy, but it was a hard way to make a living. Especially if you were a company man. All your equipment wasrented from the company, and so that came out of your pay. You had to work real hard, too, to turn a profit and make it pay off.” M’Carty took a breath. “And then of course there’s the grizzlies.”
“Grizzlies?”
“See, beavers like to live near the rivers. But so do the grizzly bears. They do their fishing there. Many a trapper’s been killed by a grizzly while trying to catch a beaver. On the day Abe Black died, they were along a river.”
“Died?” I whispered. “But he’s not dead! I ate supper with him, I tell you—”
M’Carty held up a finger for quiet. “And I tell you that Abe Black died that day in the mountains.”
I shook my head.
M’Carty’s voice was pitched low as he described the terrible day. “It was early spring, but there was still snow on the ground. The men had finished for the day and were setting up camp. Except for Abe Black. He said he was going to check one last time on the beaver traps he’d set earlier that day. He didn’t want no beaver getting trapped and then some other varmint coming along and eating it before he got to it. So there he was checking on his trap when all of a sudden a grizzly bear came behind him and
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