As promised, the flowage of Gilead Creek was very pretty. The country around Elysium was steep, with the pasturage concentrated along the creeks. As they rode up hill that first day they encountered little groups of Isabel’s cattle, all cows with calves at their sides.

“Good-lookin’ animals, Isabel.”

“Thank you. I leave them out here until the winter, unless it looks like being exceptionally harsh unusually early. I like to have a look at them now, see where we are, get a rough count, make sure I haven’t lost too many of this year’s calves, check on the first-time mamas.”

“Good ranchin’ practices, those.”

***

They reached their destination in mid-afternoon. It was a small camp with a porch, a cook stove, a cold-water sink, a table with two benches, and a single bedframe. The creek was just down a sandy path from the porch; steam rising from a pool suggested this spot had been chosen because the hot springs Halcion was famous for broke through here. Isabel said that several smaller creeks flowed into Gilead for several miles upstream from the camp and there were cows to inspect all along the smaller creeks.

Mal unloaded the pack horse and made camp while Isabel went back down and counted the last bunch of cows they had passed. Mal cleaned up Fat Ninny, whom Isabel had insisted he ride, and the pack horse, hobbled them and put grain in their feed bags. A spring poured water into a horse trough and also provided water for the camp. It was a handy arrangement, he thought.

He built a fire in the cook stove just to drive the damp chill out of the camp. Isabel’s bedroll went on the bedframe, his on the porch. He unpacked the food hampers and put what Ellie had sent into the mouseproof containers under the work counter. She had sent beans and rice, which he had expected, but also dried fruit, apples, coffee, summer sausages, eggs, bacon. He discovered a bottle of excellent whiskey and in one of the hampers was a collection of meat in a container that would keep it frozen for several days. It was