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"You have only ht the first time"

"Perhaps I could consider adultery after all-"

All but one of the boats was afloat now I pulled myself up onto the bank and shook off the excess water "Some other time," I told her "You wait here I have to see ho"

"It would be easy to leave now, Evan Without him"

"I know," I said, and headed back to camp

Boas beautiful to watch I found someone’s abandonedfor hi in there, letting the troops decrease from fifty to twenty-five to thirteen to seven to four, and while twothe fallen Whenever one of theain consciousness, he would wait until all eyes were riveted on the co to apply a kick or chop to some vital center When the four were narrowed down to two, he stood theside of the two clowns’ heads together often enough, but this was the first time I had actually seen anyone do it After such a display of advanced judo technique there was so about such a primitive act as this But you couldn’t fault it for effectiveness There was asound and that was it They fell, and stayed put

He had his back to me when he finished I stood up and took a step forward, and he spun around to face ht I was holding onto the ht of it would not stop hi himself at me, nor would the use of it do much more than slow him down a fraction I shouted out that I was me, and his hands dropped to his sides even as his face relaxed in the now-farin

He said, "Shee-it, Tanner cat, you has missed all the fun Or were you around for the finale?"

"I caught the last act"

"Like cracking coconuts I told you there’d be nothing to it Once you get people trustin’ you, ain’t a whole lot you can’t get by with"

"True enough"

"Youstrange happened"

"Lady Jane?"

"Oh She’s made that trip before?"

"Every tiht have told me"

"And ruin the surprise?" He slappedI would have just as soon he hadn’t bothered doing "I just figured you ht like findin’ out about it all by yourself First time she tried that on I went bonkers, baby I bet you heard all about Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Bobby"

"I bet I did"

"Lady Jane came by that taste for dark meat honest-like Inherited it from her old lady You put her out?"

"Yes"

"Kill her?"

"Of course not"

"Just that I was thinkin’ you ets on with these bush types, she’ll have fifty fresh men in colors by daybreak I wouldn’t want to ain"

"Just kill her," I said

"Easiest way"

"Just like that"

He clapped ht; he would be a real pleasure to abandon He said, "You gettin’ butterflies, Tanner cat I’ll go on and do it for you Don’t make me no never o down by the river, give Plum a hand" An unfortunate choice of words, that "I’ll be along"

I was panting by the tiot to where the boat was beached and my knees started to buckle, but I stayed on h I had lost my mind

"Tanner cat-"

"Evan-"

"Not now," I said "I can’t talk I can barely breathe Later"

"But-"

"Later"

I put Sheena in the back of the dugout and arranged her aniain and tried to catchhers I couldn’t honestly bla about it

Chapter 13

So various persons floating down the Yellowfoot River over a period of several days:

"Tanner cat, you must be out of your head Like totally stone bonkers"

"Ours not to reason why"

"How’s that, man?"

"You know the Chief, Bowives out an assignht?"