"No," Auntie Joy said, aghast.

"Ayapu," Auntie Vi said, appalled.

"Alaqah!" Auntie Edna said, deeply offended.

"Kate," Jack said.

She went for broke. "Not to mention all those Outside hunters he flies out to Round Island to take walrus illegally for their tusks."

Auntie Balasha went so far as to put a hand to her breast and nearly swoon from shock.

"Kate!"

She couldn't hold it back any longer and burst out laughing. The four women joined in, rollicking back and forth on their logs, teeth flashing, bellies shaking, hands clapping. The sound was loud, merry and unmistakable. Aleuts, one, Anglos, zip.

A slow grin spread across Johnny's face, and Jack mopped a heated brow. "Sheesh," he said, "you broads sure are hard on a couple of simple guys just trying to follow the hallowed Western tradition of raping the environment."

"Well, aunties," Kate said, draining her mug, "thanks for the tea. I'd better head on down the creek."

Jack shot up next to her. "Why? They aren't fishing, so they won't be delivering."

"You never know," Kate said. "Maybe they won't be able to stand Meany catching all that fish in their faces."

"Meany?" Auntie Joy said sharply. Auntie Vi looked at her.

Kate couldn't read either face, and her brows came together in a slight frown. "Yeah. The processors have dropped the price of reds to fifty cents a pound. The fleet's on strike. All except for Meany," she added, watching Auntie Joy. "Both his drifter and his setnet site have their nets in the water. The fish are hitting big-time, too. Even at fifty cents a pound, he'll make money."

Auntie Vi started to say something and Auntie Joy cut her off. "That one always make money." She snorted. "All he good for."

Kate looked at Auntie Vi, who was studying her toes with complete absorption. "Okay then," she said, rising to her feet and dusting unnecessarily at her jeans. "I'm off."

Next to her, Jack looked over at the four aunties, clearly uneasy at being left to their mercy. Kate saw the look and dropped her voice. "Don't worry, Jack, they're nice, kind, cuddly old ladies. They won't hurt you."

Jack's expression told her what he thought of that estimate of his hostesses, and she was hard put to keep her face straight.

"You come back tomorrow, Katya," Auntie Joy said firmly. "We catch lots, we need help with the cleaning and the hanging. You come back and help."

"Okay, auntie. Just as long as I don't get stuck with fire detail."

"Fire detail?" Jack said apprehensively. "What's fire detail?"

Kate refrained from telling him that fire detail was tending the fire in the smokehouse. It had to be maintained around the clock. It couldn't be too big and it couldn't be too small, and it could never, ever be allowed to go out. If the fire went out, the smoke went with it, and if the smoke went with it, the salmon would be ruined, and if the salmon were ruined, there went this year's smoke fish. It was an important job, maybe the most important job, and definitely the most tedious.