The Adventures of Tom Malley Vol. II
The Winter of Pleasure
“Sophia smiled at his dodging Loraine’s attempt to get him to say something so she could pretend her feelings were hurt. “We are low on venison or there would be more.”
It was then that he noticed he had been given a full bowl and they only had a small bit of broth in their bowls. Without further comment, he stood up and retrieved his coat, hat, mittens and musket then headed for the door.
Neither woman worried, as they knew he couldn’t go very far as it wasn’t possible to see more than thirty feet. They both laughed as they decided he would go to see about his horses then stay in his shelter until the cold drove him back inside. They even tried to decide how long he would be gone, as they knew neither could stay out in this cold more than fifteen minutes at a time.
Tom walked straight to the corral and checked the stock. They were cold but still alive. He went inside the shelter and started a fire so the heat would keep the water in the hollowed out log from freezing. With any luck, it would also warm up the air where the animals were standing.
Once that was done, he saddled Spud and led him out of the corral. He mounted the cold horse and slowly headed him down the hill and into the valley where the game was sure to be lying down to escape the cold.
Luck was with him as just before reaching the valley floor, he walked right up to an injured buck. The animal had a broken leg and wasn’t far from freezing to death. In an instant, he brought the musket to his shoulder, sighted down the barrel and pulled the trigger. The animal dropped without any movements of surprise. As he walked up to the dead animal, he could see where another buck had driven his antlers into the side of this one. His lungs were pierced as well as his right front leg broken. This buck was almost dead and it was a blessing that he made his suffering go away.
The time he spent with the Indians had given him a further appreciation for the gift of life this animal was providing. So he took a moment, and gave thanks for the animal’s life that he had taken to keep the family alive. While he didn’t believe in all the gods that the tribes believed in, he did give thanks to the one God he was raised to believe in.
Using the rope, he hung the corpse up by the antlers and gutted him. He worked fast as there was also a wolf pack that used this valley as part of their hunting grounds. By the time he finished, his hands were so cold he could barely feel his fingers. He washed the blood off with snow then put the mittens back on before laying the stiffening carcass across Spud’s haunches. With the snow blowing very hard, he walked Spud back up the hill toward the cabin. It was a three mile walk and very cold, but he managed to lead the horse right to the cabin.
Once there, he dropped the dead deer beside the door of the cabin then took Spud back to the corral. While there, he made sure water was available and there was some warmth coming from the shelter. He also placed several logs on the fire before walking back to the cabin. He hoisted the deer up on his shoulder, opened the door and walked inside. Quickly, he turned and closed the door behind him.
Sophia and Loraine had decided to act as if they didn’t notice he had left but when he entered the cabin with a deer over his shoulder, both jumped to their feet. They helped him hang the nearly frozen carcass where the fire could warm it up enough so they could skin it and prepare the meat for storage.
Both women were amazed he had gone out hunting game in a blizzard. He was cold but didn’t seem to hardly notice the weather was so bad. They had been talking and had both agreed that this weather would surely kill anyone that ventured out in it. They had even thought that Tom was sitting in his shelter beside a warm fire. Neither had suspected he had actually gone out to bring them food.
While the deer thawed, the two women prepared their knives and spoke in French about what a skilled hunter Tom was. They speculated he had learned to hunt and survive in the Rocky Mountains from the Indians. They had seen many men demonstrate their skills but none seemed to do things that needed to be done like Tom did. He was a young man that didn’t need to boast about his abilities; instead he showed his skills when it was necessary.
When ready, Tom assisted the women in skinning the deer and was still surprised at how skillfully they handled their knives. Both women worked so well together that the young man was in their way. They laughed and commented in French about him much to his dismay. He even told them it wasn’t polite to speak about someone when they didn’t understand what was being said. Both women just laughed at his boyish charm and blew him a kiss.”
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