Chapter Nine

Alistair liked to tell stories about his hunting trips. He told one with particular fervor about a time he and his men hunted a bear in the Zulu’s forest. One of his men wounded it with a sword buried into its side. He paid for that blow with his life.

Later, they tracked the bleeding beast to its cavernous lair. Alistair insisted he enter the cave alone to finish the bear off. The story ended there, the bear presumably killed.

Lawrence ignored Alistair’s stories. Janice said he talked too much. Alistair did not seem to mind.