Blue Moccasin believed the name ridiculous, and that no one would use it. Blue claimed the poor child might even end up being called "Q" instead of William—and wouldn't that stunt a young man's life!
When told of the battle, Blue Moccasin had wished to view the carcass, but business pinned him in Philadelphia, and then winter had settled in.
The cold season had allowed correspondence between James Cummens and William Hawk. Interests beyond the battle of giants along the Juniata developed, and business between the Baumhauer iron mongery and Cummens burgeoned.
William Hawk developed a clever ship's lantern that was gimbaled to roll or pitch with a vessel's movement and that would remain burning in the worst of gales.
James Cummens vowed that he could sell all that Baumhauer and Hawk chose to make. That business venture tied Hawk to the forges as it did the two apprentices hired to produce the lanterns in volume.
Now it was summer, and James Cummens had come alone to the Little Buffalo. He and Quehana had departed almost immediately for the Juniata to view the scene of the animal's ambush and to discover whatever remained of the man-monster. Rob expected Blue Moccasin would be disappointed.
Rob said, "He's been laying out for nearly a year, so there might not be much left."
Blue Moccasin was not as sure. "You said that you dragged him onto a slab of rock and covered him with brush. His bones should still be there."
"Some of 'em will be, but animals will have chewed on them. They like the salt in the bones and they sharpen their teeth on them."
"Thank you, Quehana. A city dweller like myself would not know these wilderness facts as would a genuine frontiersman like yourself." Blue's sarcasm was powerful.
Rob's eyebrow rose a touch. "I will always be here to assist you, oh message carrier."
The sat their horses overlooking the site of the battle with the beast-monster, and Rob pointed out the great tree that had blocked their path.
"Someone worked hard chopping out the log, but they made it wide enough for even a big wagon—which is probably what they had to get through."
He pointed up at the root mass still disguising the hollow behind it.
"The animal had sunk himself into the mud, and all I could see was his eyes. If he had been one lick smarter he'd have closed his eyes and listened until he was sure I was close enough. That's how I would have done it."
Blue Moccasin's voice sounded sincere, but his words were not. "Wise is Quehana—the day after the battle."
Blue spoke more seriously. "I think we should stop calling this thing an animal. Only a human could plan the ambush you have described. Was it a him or a her?"
"It was a him, of course, and you are right. From now on we will call him, Him."
"Quehana, you are indeed a linguist."
"Forget the name. Let's get down and see what's left."
"I've studied a lot of dead bears, Blue, and I am always surprised by the small bones that hold up all that muscle and hide. This thing might be like that with an ordinary looking skeleton."
"Not according to your interminable descriptions, Rob, and as Ironhawk supports some of your claims that this creature was unusual, I expect to find something we haven't seen before."
Rob said, "Well, he's lying under that dead brush right there." His finger pointed. "We had the devil's own time getting a mule to pull the thing. It smelled so bad of rotten meat I'd have rather inhaled buzzard puke."
Blue was admiring. "You are a font of special wording this day, Quehana. I must remember your pithy descriptions for use at the Ladies Civic Assembly."
They pulled the long dead branches away and studied the carcass. Animals and exposure had brutalized the body. Little more than bones remained.
Blue Moccasin was astonished. "The bones are huge, Quehana. You did not enlarge your story.
"His head is twice the size of an ordinary skull, and look at the jaw. If he had chosen to bite, he would have matched a bear."
Rob shuddered almost in sympathy. "Not with those teeth, Blue. They are worn and nearly rotted away. He must have had a continual tooth ache. No wonder he was so mean."
Quehana pointed to a collarbone. "See how that one's busted clean through, Blue?" The Arrowmaker's satisfaction came through. "That's where I hammered him with my rifle."
Blue picked the broken shaft and point of Ironhawk's arrow from within the bone pile. He shook his head in awe. "You say that this was in his guts, probably in a kidney, and he seemed not to notice?"
"Yep, and that wasn't all." Rob shook debris from the chewed upon breast bone. "See this hole?" He pointed to a ragged puncture near the center of the sternum and scratched in material below the bone's resting place until he found something. He held it up for Blue Moccasin's inspection.
"This is the ball I shot into him on the first day. It hit darned near center. A fine shot when you come to think on it. He was moving and twisting, and I was fighting to get a clear shot when he . . ."
Blue's upheld palm halted the description.
"Spare me another repetition of the tale, Quehana. If I had already repeated it within a hundred lodges I could not know it better."
Voice grumpy, Rob said, "Well, seeing is a lot different than just hearing, Blue.
"Now, what do you want to do?"
Blue appeared surprised. "Why load all that remains onto the mule, Quehana. That is why we brought him."
"Everything? All this rotten fur, the finger bones, everything?"
"Everything! And Rob, look at this!" Blue was elated. "He had only three fingers on each hand. This figure will become the most remarkable display in our university’s museum. I have never seen anything like this, and I doubt any others will have."
Blue snuck a secretive glance at Quehana. "I believe we will call Him the Americanus Cumenus, after the scholarly citizen who brought the specimen to the museum."
Rob picked up the giant skull and stared into the empty eye sockets remembering the insane glare that had turned his blood to ice. For an instant he could again feel the death grip of the mighty arms closing around his body and the stench of the beast-man once more clogged his nostrils. He shrugged away the memory and turned to his friend.
"Now, Blue, I know that you’re trying to rile me a little with that idea of naming Him after you, but it isn’t working.
"First of all you’d best remember that I’ve never claimed to have killed this thing-—this Him."
Rob frowned. "Second, a name like Him is going to get mighty annoying, Blue, I doubt anyone else will settle for it.
"Third, it was Ironhawk that finished him off, and I doubt you’re willing to do the Hawk out of any recognition coming from bringing down this fine museum specimen."
They argued amiably as they gathered the beast-man’s remains, and Blue was pleased with what they were finding.
"Almost everything is here, Rob. A lot of the bones are badly chewed, and some of the bigger ones have been cracked for their marrow, but the professor can make plaster-of-Paris pieces to replace whatever is missing."
He was particularly excited by the remnants of fur that had covered the specimen's back. "You say, his entire body was covered with a pelt like this?"
"Well, not the palms of his hands, and his skull was hairless, including his jaw. He didn’t have to shave, that was for sure.
"You’re going to take all of this?"
"Everything including this rag he used for a breechcloth. Professor Schwitzer will be fascinated."
Rob was disdainful. He straightened and stretched his body like a great mountain cat.
"You go right ahead, Blue. Body saving is more your kind of work than mine. I’ll just stand guard over here out of the way."
Blue grumbled, "I was really planning to put your name in the story, Shatto, but if you do not help you will be left out."
Rob seemed to give the threat serious consideration before commenting.
'I'll tell you what, Blue. Seeing you like digging up bodies, I'll take yo
u to a lot of them here in the Endless Hills. You can dig at 'em as much as you like."
Rob paused, "And you can just leave me out of every single one of those stories as well."
About Roy Chandler
Roy F. Chandler retired following a twenty year U.S. Army career. Mr. Chandler then taught secondary school for seven years before becoming a full time author of more than sixty books and countless magazine articles. Since 1969, he has written thirty-one published novels and as many nonfiction books on topics such as hunting, architecture, and antiques.
Now 87 years of age, Rocky Chandler remains active and still rides his Harley-Davidson across the continental United States.
He divides his time among Nokomis, FL, St Mary's City, MD, and Perry County, PA,
Rocky Chandler: Author, Educator, Soldier, Patriot
in 2012
Books by Roy Chandler
Reading order of fiction books in the Perry County Series
Friend Seeker
The Warrior
Arrowmaker
The Black Rifle
Fort Robinson
Ironhawk
Song of Blue Moccasin
Tim Murphy, Rifleman
Hawk's Feather
Shatto
Chip Shatto
Ted's Story
The Boss's Boy
Tiff's Game
Cronies
The Didactor
The Perry Countian
The Sweet Taste
Old Dog
Gray's Talent
Ramsey
Shooter Galloway
Shatto's Way
All Books By Publication Date
All About a Foot Soldier, 1965 (A colorful book for children)
History of Early Perry County Guns and Gunsmiths (With Donald L. Mitchell), 1969
A History of Perry County Railroads, 1970
Alaskan Hunter: a book about big game hunting, 1972
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes and Barrel Marks, 1972
Tales of Perry County, 1973
Arrowmaker, 1974
Hunting in Perry County, 1974
Antiques of Perry County, 1976
The Black Rifle, 1976
Homes, Barns and Outbuildings of Perry County, 1978
Shatto, 1979
The Perry County Flavor, 1980
Arms Makers of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1981
The Didactor, 1981
Fort Robinson: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, the years 1750-63, 1981
Friend Seeker: A novel of Perry County PA, 1982
Gunsmiths of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1982
Perry County in Pen & Ink, 1983
Shatto's Way: A novel of Perry County, Pa, 1984
Chip Shatto: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, the years 1863-6, 1984
Pennsylvania Gunmakers (a collection), 1984
Firefighters of Perry County, 1985
The Warrior, A novel of the frontier, 1721-1764, 1985
Perry County Sketchbook (And Katherine R. Chandler), 1986
A 30-foot, $6,000 Cruising Catamaran, 1987
The Gun of Joseph Smith (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1987
The Perry Countian, 1987
Hawk's Feather - An Adventure Story, 1988
Ted's Story, 1988
Alcatraz: The Hardest Years 1934-1938 (With Erville F. Chandler), 1989
Cronies, 1989
Song of Blue Moccasin, 1989
Chugger's Hunt, 1990
The Sweet Taste, 1990
Tiff's Game: A work of fiction, 1991
Tuck Morgan, Plainsman (Vol. 2) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1991
Death From Afar I (And Norman A. Chandler), 1992
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes All New Volume 2, 1992
Behold the Long Rifle, 1993
Death From Afar II: Marine Corps Sniping (And Norman A. Chandler), 1993
Old Dog, 1993
Tim Murphy, Rifleman: A novel of Perry County, Pa. 1754-1840, 1993
Choose the Right Gun, 1994
Death From Afar Vol. III: The Black Book (And Norman A. Chandler), 1994
The Kentucky Pistol, 1994
Ramsey: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, 1994
Gray's Talent, 1995
Hunting Alaska, 1995
Last Black Book, 1995
Death From Afar IV (And Norman A. Chandler, 1996
Morgan's Park (Vol. 3) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1997
White Feather: Carlos Hathcock USMC scout sniper (And Norman A. Chandler), 1997
Death From Afar V (And Norman A. Chandler), 1998
Ironhawk: A frontier novel of Perry County Pennsylvania 1759-1765, 1999
Sniper One, 2000
One Shot Brotherhood (And Norman A. Chandler), 2001
Shooter Galloway, 2004
The Hunter's Alaska, 2005
The Boss's Boy, 2007
Pardners, 2009
Hawk's Revenge, 2010
Antique Guns (included above)
History of Early Perry County Guns and Gunsmiths (With Donald L. Mitchell), 1969
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes and Barrel Marks, 1972
Arms Makers of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1981
Gunsmiths of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1982
Pennsylvania Gunmakers (a collection), 1984
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes All New Volume 2, 1992
Behold the Long Rifle, 1993
The Kentucky Pistol, 1994
Hunting
Alaskan Hunter: a book about big game hunting, 1972
Choose the Right Gun, 1994
Hunting Alaska, 1995
The Hunter's Alaska, 2005
Sniper Series
Death From Afar I (And Norman A. Chandler), 1992
Death From Afar II: Marine Corps Sniping (And Norman A. Chandler), 1993
Death From Afar Vol. III: The Black Book (And Norman A. Chandler), 1994
Death From Afar IV (And Norman A. Chandler), 1996
White Feather: Carlos Hathcock USMC Scout Sniper (And Norman A. Chandler), 1997
Death From Afar V (And Norman A. Chandler), 1998
Sniper One, 2000
One Shot Brotherhood (And Norman A. Chandler)
Gun of Joseph Smith Trilogy (Young Adult)
Gun of Joseph Smith, The (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1987
Tuck Morgan, Plainsman (Vol. 2) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1991
Morgan's Park (Vol. 3) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1997
Children's Books
All About a Foot Soldier, 1965