Louise glanced at us and without hesitation walked over to the man in the car. She squatted down beside him and lifted the hem of her skirt to dab the tears from his face. I couldn’t understand what she was saying but her voice soothed all of us, low and cooing. The man’s breath stuttered. I saw the man smile at Louise and roll his wet face in the folds of her skirt. When he looked up again he was lovestruck.

In the sunlight Louise’s hair seemed firelit. We were all gawking at her but she only looked back at Yellow Knife. “Baptiste will help you,” she said. “He’ll get you out of here.”

“Thank you,” the man said.

“Don’t worry. Don’t you worry,” she said.

“Yes,” the man said, spellcaught, “yes.”

“You have a rope?” Yellow Knife asked, though he did not appear to be addressing either Railer or me. I didn’t fight. I went to my trunk and came back with a rope.

“We’ve already tried to right the car,” I said.

“I see that,” Yellow Knife said. As always, he had me. I shifted my weight, tried to look important.

“Aren’t you going to help him?” Railer said to me. “Go help him.”

“Boys,” Yellow Knife said, “help like yours he doesn’t need.”

“What are you going to do?” I said, too eager. I realized I must have sounded childlike to him and to Railer, too ready to submit to his authority. I was glad that Yellow Knife ignored me. He harnessed the horse quickly and then gathered the rope up as he made his way to the side of the car. “Easy,” he said to the horse though the horse hadn’t budged. Yellow Knife tied a strangle knot to the door handle and worked it down tight while the man squinted up at him with admiration. “It’s going to be fine,” Louise said to the man, and he saluted her.

“Step back now, Louise.” Yellow Knife put his arm up and corralled her behind his back. He clicked his tongue and without further prompting the horse began stepping back, pulling the rope taut. “Easy now,” Yellow Knife said. We heard the rope tick. “Easy, easy,” Yellow Knife said. I watched the horse whoa back, throwing his head up. I could see the muscles straining in the big stallion’s chest. The horse heaved back and I heard the door screech and then loosen. The hinges of the door were broken. I worried that the door might break loose and crack the man but I decided to shut up. I had lost my power over the situation. I’d done enough damage to chime in with my two cents. The door held tight.