Chapter 5

Ed made incredibly good time driving the next day and a half, and soon the foursome was on the last thirty miles of the road leading to the wild and primitive Black Snake River.

It was about twelve o'clock in the afternoon; the air was crisp and clean, and a brilliant freshness seemed to pervade the entire landscape.

"Ummm! It smells so gooood!" Fran chirped as she inhaled the fresh mountain air.

"Yeah," Ed said, "a little better than breathing that damn smog, eh?"

"A lot better," Fran said with a bubbly chuckle.

"There should be a little town just up the road," Sam said. "It's called Carson. We'll pick up a fellow there who will go with us about thirty miles up the river and will drive the car back here. We'll raft back to Carson and then go home."

A small, hand-carved wooden sign on the side of the road loomed into view: CARSON POP 37 "That's it," Sam said.

"Better go slow," Ed replied, "or you're liable to pass it right up!"

There was a clearing in the road ahead and a group of very picturesque, well-kept buildings skirting the sides of the clearing. The buildings were made of exquisitely cut logs and were perfectly squared and cut, didn't sag, and were evidence of fine and careful craftsmanship by whoever had built them.

A neatly lettered sign over one of the buildings read: CARSON BROTHERS RAFTING TRIPS "That's the place!" Ed said.

Two men stepped outside. One was small, wiry and had a full, rugged beard. The other man caught everyone's eyes: he was absolutely gigantic in stature; six foot five at least!

He appeared to be at least half Indian, evidenced by his sleek, shiny hair which was tied back behind his head. His face was ruddy and weather beaten through years of rugged hiking in the hills and backwoods of this incredibly wild terrain. He wore a pair of faded jeans and a flannel shirt bedecked his powerful, V-shaped torso.

"I'm Carl Carson," the smaller man said, "this here's my guide, Buck Kingtree."

Buck didn't speak, but merely smiled, his dark eyes darting between the fiery figure of Fran and the exotic form of Mary.

"Are you the people who need some escort up the river?"

"Yes," Ed said, "we called in."

"You ever rafted on the Black Snake before?" Carl asked.

"No," Ed replied, "as a matter of fact, we've never rafted before."

"Oh, Jesus, Mr.," Carl said, "you mean you're gonna try to take on this country all by yourself! Hey, this ain't no RV park, that river'll kill you if you don't know how to use it!"

There was a brief, nervous exchange between Sam, Ed, Frank, and Sally.

"But we've got maps of the whole area, including the river," Sam said, an effort to reassure Ed, Fran, and Mary.

"Maps, eh," Carl said as he spit a long, brown stream of tobacco juice between the crack in his two front teeth, "Let's see em!"

Ed pulled out his backpack and jumped out of the car and spread out the map on the hood. Carl and Buck bent down to examine the maps and both of them issued a cackling chorus of raucous laughter.

"Shit, man," Buck said, in a deep resonant voice, "these are no good! Look! You see! The river, she's wild and she's strong, and she rips and chews up dirt and earth and she's different every week!"

"Buck's right," Carl said. "These maps aren't accurate. Hell, they're a year old at least. If for some reason your raft got messed up and you couldn't use it and tried to hike out of there using these maps, you'd get lost and die!"

"Well," Sam said, "don't you have some more up-to-date maps we can buy?"

"Man," Carl said, "I'm trying to tell you, there ain't any maps that are any good for old Black Snake. We here in Carson know the river because we live it."

"What you're trying to tell me," Sam said, "is that we need a guide."

"Yes, sir," Carl said. "You sure as hell do. If you don't have one, you'll get swallowed up!"

"Well, can you go with us?"

"I'm afraid not," Carl said, "I've got to hang in here and keep an eye on things, but Buck here can go along with you. He knows these hills and the river a lot better than I do."

"O.K., O.K.," Ed said, "sounds good."

There was a brief nod of agreement among Mary, Ed, and Fran.

"I'll go get my gear," Buck said as he stepped back into the wooden log building.

"I'll take you all up there," Carl said, "and drive your four-wheeler back here."

"It's a deal," Ed said.