BooksBarbecue
Back The Trickster Save as PDF
Chapters (74)
  1. The Trickster
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Contents
  5. Preface to the 20th anniversary edition
  6. Introduction
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. Keep Reading
  70. FURNACE
  71. Acknowledgements
  72. About the Author
  73. ALSO BY THE AUTHOR
  74. About the Publisher

‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.’

He was at the bird. McEwan was glaring at Henderson as though this were all some elaborate and disgusting charade he and the Indians had plotted together.

‘Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors.’

Hunting Wolf stood over the corpse and sprinkled a ring of what looked like herbs round the body. There were two funerals going on now.

‘And deliver us from temptation. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.’

The men muttered, Amen and instantly turned their attention back towards the Indian and the bird. The body lay prettily in its new dark circle, the snow already coating its lifeless feathers.

Chief Hunting Wolf looked at Henderson.

The white-faced minister thanked God that the Indian could not speak English, when the chief pointed down at the poor broken creature and said softly in Siouan,

‘It has begun.’

17

‘Quit that, Jess, would ya!’

Billy pulled Jess’s tiny fists out of Bart’s substantial fur, where she had buried them up to her chubby wrists. It was her second attempt to pull out handfuls of the coarse grey coat and she went at it as though it was her job. She chuckled as Billy held her arms, but her brother was annoyed.

‘Leave him alone.’

Bart was unmoved. His pale blue eyes watched brother and sister wrestle while he sat sphinx-like on the rug, mouth shut and head erect.

Billy loved Bart, and although he loved Jess too, well kind of, he wasn’t going to let her bug him. Sam had bought Billy the dog for his seventh birthday and it was the best birthday present in the whole world. A guy at Sam’s work bred huskies and Billy was allowed to go and choose from a litter of four pups squalling and mewing under their mother, their eyes barely open. He saw Bart right away. Bart, because he was just like Bart Simpson in the cartoon, the way his hair stuck straight up like that from his head.

Sam and Katie had laughed.

‘Yeah, cool, Billy,’ said Sam, balancing Jess on his hip. ‘Don’t call one of nature’s majestic miracles anything noble like Prince or Nanook. Just go right ahead and name him after a drawing that says eat my shorts.’