When I got up the next morning just as daylight was starting to lighten the eastern skyline, I was anxious to get started on the two gypsy caravans. However, my ladies quickly let me know that they had other plans for me.
As I was about to sit down to breakfast, Running Deer said, "We will need meat for the coming winter. You need to hunt so we can stock up. We also need skins and furs for winter. You should also take Standing Bear with you, to show him how to hunt."
"I was planning on working on the wagons today. There's lots to do to get them ready to use on the road, and I don't want to waste any time getting it done."
Even to me, it sounded like I was whining... I gave myself a mental shake and bucked up. There had to be an efficient way to handle both priorities. In almost the same thought, the obvious answer made me feel stupid.
"Still, hunting for winter is just as important. I think we can do both -- we'll hunt in the morning, which is the best time anyway. Then I can work on the wagons in the afternoon and evening while you ladies do your thing with the carcasses. What do you think?"
The women folk allowed as how that might just work when they realized it would also allow them to attend to their other chores and household duties without rushing them.
With a plan firmly in place, Bear and I quickly finished breakfast then went to find Grandpa to see if he would like to go hunting with us. He was at the main house with the others, just finishing his own breakfast. I considered myself an early riser, but these folks were usually up and doing well ahead of me.
I said, "Uncle Henry, the girls say we need to stock up on meat for winter. I guess they're not used to the way that the white men eat yet, plus they don't seem to care much for beef; they would rather have Buffalo, venison, or any other wild meat. So... looks like I need to go hunting. Do you want to come along?"
"Sure! Sounds better than hanging around here all day." Grandpa grinned.
"They want me to bring Standing Bear with us, too. They say he needs to learn the ways of the forest and how to hunt. I thought he might be too young, but they were really insistent. Do you think maybe we should take the other boys with us also?"
Grandpa shrugged, then smiled broadly. He explained his thoughts on the matter, which jived nicely with my own.
"Well, by our standards the boys are a mite young, but by Indian standards, they're well past the age where they would begin learning their hunting skills. All of them would already have been taught some of the basics by now -- especially the two older ones. By their age, Bear and Brad would already have taken small game, and maybe gone with the older hunters for the bigger animals. So, with that in mind it won't hurt a thing to take them along.
"They might be a bit young yet to try and shoot large game by themselves, but they can sure watch and learn. I think the two older boys might be able to try a couple of shots, as long as we supervise them."
I could see Grandpa's enthusiasm grow as he warmed to the subject. As I listened, I got into the spirit of it, too. This could be a fun experience, and of course, if we managed it properly, would just add to the bonding that Bear and I already seemed to be enjoying.
"Yeah! That should work! I think I might have just the rifle for them to start with. It's not big enough to be used on large game, but it's perfect for rabbits and prairie chickens. It's the Model 39 Marlin .22 Lever, a very good gun for somebody to learn to shoot with. Matter of fact, I have two of them."
Grandpa raised an eyebrow when I mentioned the name 'Marlin' and rattled off a bunch of questions: "Is that a gun by John Marlin? I heard about him. I thought he only made revolvers and hideout guns. If it's one of his, then it'll be good because John Marlin makes nothing but the best. I didn't know he made .22's. The only .22 I knew of until now was the Smith and Wesson .22 long. It's only been out for a few years."
"Yep, it's a John Marlin rifle, but it's actually based on his model 1893 from my time. Still it looks enough like a '73 Winchester, unless you look too close, that it should be fine for the boys. I'd forgotten about the Smith and Wesson round. That's good. My rifles are .22 Long Rifle, but will handle a .22 Long just fine, so if we ever run out of my ammunition, we'll still be able to get some. It should be a long time, though, if we're careful, because I have several thousand rounds. One of the stores from my time had a big sale and I bought several bricks."
The 'big store' was Walmart, but I wasn't going to explain that particular up-time concept to Grandpa. Maybe, I mused in a pipe dream, if we twisted this timeline just right, the depredation of small town shopping and small business by the chain box stores and Sam Walton's in particular, could be avoided. I did explain to Grandpa that a 'brick' was a box of 20 boxes of 50 rounds. He understood right away.
"Well, that sounds like just the ticket for Standing Bear and Brad as a starter. They sound like fun rifles. I'm gonna have to try one of them varmints out myself. We can take Davy and Jake along too -- they can hold the horses. This should really make for a fun hunt."
I didn't know if Grandpa's enthusiasm stemmed more from the idea of the hunt, the chance to try out an up-time weapon, being with the boys, or a combination of all. I suspected all, but heavily weighted on the being with the boys. After all, kids were his biggest single joy.
Now that we had that out of the way, and Grandpa fully on board, I began to plan the details. "So, how do you want to do this? Will we take the wagon or just a couple of pack horses?"
Grandpa replied, "I think it might be faster if we're all mounted and just take a couple pack horses with us. That way we won't have to stick to any roads like we would have to with a wagon because some places around here the trees are awful thick. We might not be able to carry as much but at least we won't need to worry about the wagon making it through the bush."
