the Captain said. “He tried to shoot me,” I replied. “If the canteen hadn’t stopped the bullet, I would be dead.” “Oh, I was there! Not sayin’ you weren’t justified. He was a vicious little dude, when you total everything up. But—if his dad hadn’t had me in a death grip at the time, I think I woulda fallen over giggling when you socked little Kyle.” “You’re the one who decided how to dispatch those hunting dogs.” “Do. Not. Bring up the dogs. That kid made a choice. Those poor dogs didn’t have a say in the matter.” I sat next to the Captain, arms around my knees, as our raft drifted creakily downriver. We would float until nightfall, then find a place to sleep, to forage. We had left the man and his son tied up by the shore. Once I took care of the boy, the Captain and I were able to hold down Carter. The man shouted and spat in the shallow water as we roped his wrists together. As I made my way onto the raft, the old man above us began to blow into his whistle again and again in anger.
