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Kennedy said, "Lemme give ya a tip, pardner." He shuffled closer to Robinson. "Since ya musta broke outta th' stockade, they'll be a'comin' after ya. Crawford, he'll be th' one who's a'gonna come trackin' ya. He'll gitcha, too. He's th' bes' manhunter these here eyes ever did see."
"Aw, bull," said Morisson.
"Take m'word fer it," continued the trapper, addressing himself to Robinson. "Y'all better git so far back in the mountains he'll never find ya."
Morisson snorted. "He jus' wants us t'go where them Utes can grab us."
"Listen," said Kennedy, "ye'd have some chance with them Utes. Ya gots no chance at all wi' Crawford. You as good as said once he catches up t' yez."
Placing a hand on Kennedy's shoulder, Robinson said, "We must tie you before we move on."
"Tie me?!" He tried to pull away but Robinson's grip prevented him.
"Gonna nose 'round," mumbled Morisson as he stalked outside.
"You go an' leave me all trussed up like a dang turkey an' I'll starve to death."
"You will not starve," Robinson quickly got the man bound and stretched out on the barn floor. "Sergeant Crawford will find you."
In a lower voice the trapper said, "Lissen, pardner, I was you, I wouldn't trust Morisson as far as I could spit. He ain't nuttin' more'n an animal. Not quite right in the noggin, neither."
"Maybe not," Morisson said, coming back into the room. "But I'm a'walkin' 'round on my own two feet an' yer layin' there hogtied." He was carrying a half-filled gunnysack, and Kennedy's rifle.
"What do you have with you?" Robinson asked.
"Not near 'nuff," said the giant. "His flower's full o' dang weevils an' th' bacon's turnin' a sickly shade o' green."
"Why do you want it?"
"We gotta eat, boy."
"We have been eating." Gently, Robinson took out the sack of borrowed provisions and the rifle out of Morisson's mighty hands.
"But we gotta have a gun!"
"Why?"
" 'Cause we....."
"Your wound will take many days to heal. You will not be able to use a rifle until it does," said Robinson. "And I will not. Leave it, Mr. Morisson. Let us move on now."
Morisson poked a foot at the rifle on the floor. "What're we leavin' this ol' toad alive fer?" he said. "Y'know he's a'gonna shoot his mouth off t' Crawford."
"What will he tell him? That we came, that we passed by. Crawford will know that." He guided Morisson to the doorway and turned to the prone Kennedy. "Do not waste your strength in struggling. Sergeant Crawford will be here soon."200Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zW1iDAa6r
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Morisson let his breath out in a long dry sigh. He dropped to his knees and stumbled sideways until he was resting against the trunk of a tree. "I gotta rest," he said, clutching at his wounded shoulder. "I can't go no more for a little."
Robinson knelt beside the wounded giant and examined the wound. "There is a chance of infection," he said. "Wait here."
"I don't feel up t' goin' no place right this here minute."
Robinson went angling among the tall trees, searching for certain wild plants. He found what he was looking for. Then, slowly, he straightened. He turned and looked towards the far horizon, towards the ridge of blue mountains. He nodded to himself before returning to Morisson.
"More o' them weeds?"
"These will halt the infection," Robinson applied some leaves of the wild plants he'd gathered to the bullet wound.
"I knowed th' Injuns fool 'round wi' this kinda stuff. Never figured as how they did no good."
"Two ridges over," said Robinson, "up there. Can you see?"
Grunting, the big man shifted until he could squint up through a corridor of trees. "Yep, it's smoke."
"That would be a campfire."
"It's them Utes," said Morisson.
Still watching the white smoke rise and fade into the blue sky, Robinson asked, "How well do you know these mountains?"
"I knowed 'em real good."
"Then you can take me to the place where you last saw my father."
"I done tol' ya that already. That is, if them Utes don't come down on us."
"We must go there soon then," said Robinson. "With no more stopping to settle old scores."
"'Twas somethin' what hadda be done, droppin' in on Kennedy. It got rid o' them dang chains, didn't it?"
Robinson said, "Now we will wait."
"Wait? Where? Here?"
"As good a place as any."
"But we shouldna oughta wait. Crawford, he'd catch up," said Morisson. "I thought you was anxious t' git a'goin'."
"You need several hours of rest because of your shoulder. We will wait," said Robinson. "Are you hungry?"
"Sure am," answered the bearded giant. "I'm always hungry. Hell, I been hungry all m' life, far back as I kin remember."
Assuming a cross-legged position on the ground beside Morisson, Robinson asked, "What do you remember, Mr. Morisson?"
The big man rested his back against the bole of the tree. "Cherry, m' sister Cherry. She was th' only one what didn't never laugh at me. All th' rest o' 'em...."
"What cause did you give them to laugh?"
"None at all, didn't hafta. They could jus' take a look at me an' laugh. I always been like this, too big an' ugly fer m' own good."
"Perhaps," said Robinson, "you gave them cause for fear."
"Well, I ain't very smart, smart 'bout figurin' out people," said Morisson. "But I know I'm more n' strong 'nuff t' make 'em quit laughin'. All I gotta do is catch 'em, git a'hold o' 'em."
"Then they would fear you."
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"Cherry was not afraid," said Robinson. "Yet she did not laugh."
"'Course not, bein' m' sister 'n all."
"You have many sisters, many brothers."
"Nope. Jus' her, jus' Cherry."
Robinson grieved for the pain he heard in Morisson's voice. After a moment he said, "If you plant rice, rice grows. If you plant fear, fear grows."
"I dunno whatcher talkin' 'bout," said Morisson. "If I didn't keep folks scared o' me they'd...."
"People like Morisson?"
"Yeah, him. Kennedy's scared o' me, fer sure."
"And so he shot you. Is that what you wished?"
Morisson twisted, his broad back scraping the tree trunk. "I jus' want.....I jus' want that they should leave me be....Stop laughin' at me. They jus' laugh an' laugh until....until I wanna kill 'em."
"So you sought to turn their shouts of laughter to cries of fear."
The giant's head bobbed up and down, "Yup, sure did scare 'em, didn't I?'
"But who is the more fearful, Mr. Morisson, they or you?":
"You don't make no sense," Morisson told him.
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