Urien Galloway - A Mountain Man Is Born

By John J. Law

Ezra Galloway was a mountain man, a trapper and trader. He and his partner, Jonah Woodrow, had set up a small trading post. One of their best customers, and friend, was an Indian by the name of Le Renard Rapide, or the Swift Fox. During their visits, where the 'liquid fire' was usually consumed by the men in great quantities, Ezra and Jonah would often ask Le Renard to recant to them the story of the great gauntlet, the coming of age ritual for young braves within Le Renard's tribe.
During one such visit and the recanting of the Indian's tale, a little too much 'liquid fire' had been consumed. Ezra, a generally mean tempered man, began to taunt Le Renard and suggest that his coming of age story was more of a tall tale. With the whiskey consuming his better judgement, Le Renard overreacted and killed Galloway. As an act of revenge, Le Renard was then shot and killed by Jonah.
Elanor Galloway was with child when her husband, Ezra, was killed. As per his request, she named his last son Urien. Having been less than happy with the way his eldest son had been born such a sickly child, Ezra had held high hopes for the newest son, Urien, that the child would become a hunter and trapper, following in his father's footsteps.
The French and British began to war between themselves and everyone not from either country was caught in the middle. The tribe to which Le Renard had belonged took sides with the French and helped to attack the trading post. Urien was fifteen at the time and proved himself to be a skilled fighter. Captured by the tribe, young Urien was spared from death and allowed to run the gauntlet himself. Hated by the chief's son, Urien proved himself to be more than a great warrior, he proved himself to be an honorable man. Urien would continue to live with and learn from the Indians, and go on to become a great trapper and hunter, a mountain man, like his father.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Hulsey Books
• Release date: Dec 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223308171

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE  

Business Partners

I'll be away for some time, Eleanor. You take care of everything while I'm gone, Ezra Louis Galloway instructed his wife, Eleanor, before he went off on another of his frequent hunting trips. There was less affection and more authority in his words when he spoke to his wife. 

Eleanor Galloway respectfully acknowledged her husband's words. Beside her stood their kids. George, their eldest, stood beside her. He was thin and pale, the result of being a sickly child since birth. This did not really endear him much to his father, as Ezra Galloway was a stern and tough man. He wanted his eldest son to be as strong and tough as he was. Ezra wanted a son that could one day be a trapper like he was. He looked to his eldest son for that privilege, but George clearly was not cut out for his father's work. This earned him only his father's ire.

You take care of your mother, Ezra said.

His voice was cold and distant to George, and George could feel his father's disappointment ringing through his words.

Yes, Pa.

His other children, Wendell, Simon and Alice all did not seem to feel sadness or longing that their father was leaving. Like Eleanor, they were used to Ezra leaving on his forays into the forest. They knew that this was their father's living. He would hunt and skin animals to bring back to their cabin, which also served as Ezra's trading post. Such forays were common and to be expected. However, Eleanor and the kids did not really miss Ezra every time he left them. He gave them few reasons to really miss him. When he was at home his presence was heavy and burdensome. He was an intimidating and dominating presence. All the family members felt his anger and heavy hands at one time or another.

Eleanor was particularly relieved to see her husband leaving. It was not easy having Ezra around, but she did not want him to beat her now, especially because of the child that she now bore. Her stomach was round, and the child was fast-approaching. Ezra expected it to be a boy and would have nothing less. Because of his disappointment with George, Ezra did not want to have any other child but a boy. In his mind, the young baby would somehow be able to follow in his footsteps and become an even better trapper than he was. Eleanor was actually more than a little afraid because of this. She was afraid of what would happen if the baby did not turn out to be a boy. If that happened, she was not sure if Ezra would be able to handle it well. 

I will not be long gone, woman. I shall return with more supplies to tide us through. Of that you can be certain.

Definitely. If there's one thing you can count on, it's Ezra Galloway bringing back supplies. That's why I went into business with him, a voice came from afar.

Eleanor and Ezra recognized the voice that approached them. Jonah Woodrow rode towards them. Woodrow smiled as his horse approached Eleanor and Ezra.

Seeing me off, are you, Jonah?

That I am, Ezra. I'm counting on you to bring more supplies for our little trading post here. It would be good for all of us.

Don't worry, Jonah. You can count on me to have it restocked when I get back. We'll be able to sell a lot of good supplies to any man that passes through here.

Of that, I have no doubt, partner.

Ezra nodded politely at Jonah. They had been business partners for a few years now. It was a mutually beneficial partnership for the two of them. Ezra would always freely admit that he would never have been able to put up the trading post if he didn't have Jonah's savvy with money. Jonah would also freely concede that he needed Ezra's skills as a trapper and hunter for the trading post to be constantly stocked. Both were fairly happy with their business arrangement. Ezra, however, would not be too happy if he knew of Jonah's other interests aside from their business.

Well, I'll be moving out now. You all won't have to wait too long for me. I'll be back after a month with the supplies we need.

Take care of yourself, Ezra.

Eleanor and Jonah watched as Ezra and his horse slowly disappeared into the horizon. From where they were standing, it seemed as if Ezra was riding off into another world. This was not too far from the truth, and both Eleanor and Jonah knew this. After all, this was a time when the settlers had barely settled into the new land. Most of America had yet to be discovered or settled, and there was always the danger of being killed by an animal, an Indian, or anything in between.

You really shouldn't let him treat you the way he does, Eleanor.

Jonah had all the confidence to speak to Eleanor like this now. Ezra was far away, and the kids had retreated back into the cabin. They held hands freely now, not afraid of Ezra spotting them, or of the kids discovering their illicit tryst. Deep down inside of them, Eleanor and Jonah had a feeling that the kids probably already knew about their relationship. They probably just didn't tell their father, because they loved their mother dearly, and they had little love for Ezra who was frequently of an ill temper and a heavy hand.

I'm sorry, Jonah, but you do know that he still is my husband.

Jonah winced at Eleanor's words, even as he clasped her hand tightly. Her words cut him deeply, deeper than any blade could cut through the skin. After all, Jonah Woodrow loved Eleanor Galloway very deeply. He loved this married woman with all his heart and soul. The moment he laid eyes on his business partner's wife, he had fallen in love with her. Jonah knew that it would probably be nothing but trouble for all of them, but he still pursued her. Eleanor was also of a like mind. Even when Ezra was abusive, she did not want to cheat on him. However, Jonah was insistent, and very much more agreeable and caring than Ezra ever could be. She found herself drawn to Jonah despite everything. They were both drawn to each other. Now, hearing those words from Eleanor's mouth pained Jonah very much. He knew that she was merely stating a fact, and Ezra was still her husband by law. Despite that, he could not help but wonder why Eleanor seemed to honor him despite his brutish behavior towards her. Surely, he treated her much better than he ever could, even if theirs was an illicit affair.

That doesn't give him the right to treat you and your kids as such, Jonah shot back.

Eleanor shook her head. No, I guess not. Still, what we are doing here is wrong, Jonah. We're not honoring Ezra. He goes out there risking his life to provide for our kids. He helps your business enterprise. The man is very hardworking and willing to sacrifice everything for the people that matter. This is just wrong.

Jonah shook his head, and his eyes rolled over. He could not believe this woman. How could Eleanor honor a man who made it a point to beat her so frequently? She still carried the bruises of Ezra's foul temper. There were also clearly scars inside of her that Eleanor had.

She just didn't know that she had them, or did she? Did she still honor Ezra despite everything he had done to her? Jonah turned and twisted that thought around his head. He turned it around and examined it with genuine curiosity, as a young toddler would turn a raisin around with his stubby fingers. There was genuine curiosity in Jonah's mind. He could not, for the life of him, understand why Eleanor valued Ezra so much. He definitely did not deserve such affection and his curiosity was tinged with more than a little resentment.

Are you saying that you do not want us to continue our illicit relationship?

Eleanor shook her head and held his hand even more tightly now. I meant no such thing. Is it not like in the Good Book? Don't we all cherish the things that the serpent brings? Didn't Adam and Eve partake of the forbidden fruit? And did they not enjoy it, even if in the end it brought them only ruin and shame for generations to come?

Jonah felt more than just a tinge of resentment in Eleanor's words. What was she saying? That he was the spawn of the devil here? Somehow, that just didn't sound right, especially after all the long nights of love that they had shared together. His grip on her hand loosened just a little bit.

So, what are you saying then, my dear? That I am some serpent come to tempt you?

Eleanor gave Jonah the strangest reply to his query. It was the most unexpected of replies. She chuckled lightly. She couldn't help herself. Jonah could be so sensitive in matters of the heart, and this was something that amused Eleanor to no end.

What's so funny, woman? I don't understand.

Oh, Jonah, you can be so sensitive sometimes, you know that? I did not mean that you were a serpent, in the truest sense. I simply meant that you are irresistible. I am drawn to you, and my heart belongs to you. I cannot help myself. You are simply too easy to love.

Jonah smiled at Eleanor. This was something he wanted to hear, and it sounded a lot more pleasant to his ears now.

That's more like it, Eleanor. Now what do you say we celebrate that love that we have for each other? It will be at least a month until Ezra returns, and we will have that time all to ourselves.

Eleanor found herself smiling and clasping Jonah's hand even tighter, despite herself. It was always this way, and she was used to it by now. She did not even try to fight her feelings anymore. I would like that very much, Jonah, she said.

CHAPTER TWO

The Badger

Ezra Louis Galloway crouched behind the bushes. He had been crouched behind them for quite some time now, and this was by no means an easy task. Ezra was a rather large and stocky fellow and crouching like that to compress his large frame did take a lot out of him. His limbs started to get sore from keeping crouched and still, and he desperately wanted to stretch and limber up. If he could not do this, he at least wanted to curse from his aches. Ezra, of course, did neither. He knew that he had to be quiet and still if he even wanted to have a chance at getting some badger pelt.

Come on, show yourself already, Ezra mused.

Ezra was starting to get impatient, but he kept his composure. The stream was a familiar watering hole of badgers in the area. Ezra knew this to be true, and some badger just had to show. Ezra knew this to be a fact, but he had been crouched here for what seemed to be an eternity. No animal had turned up for some time now, and this was quite unusual. Ezra was starting to get impatient.

Damn animals are starting to get smart. No, impossible. I just have to wait a little longer. Surely one of them little varmints are bound to show.

It was smart advice for himself, and Ezra followed it. It was the only advice that Ezra could follow, considering his situation. He had planned this hunt for some time now and had patiently set up a trap for the animal. It was all in a day's work for Ezra who plied his trade as a trapper and hunter. 

For a moment Ezra began to doubt his abilities as a trapper and hunter. Perhaps he was a tad too noisy or clumsy when he planted the trap in this spot. One could never tell with these things, and they were always alert for even the slightest hint of dangers in their surroundings. His mind wandered back to when he planted the trap. It played out each scene in his head, from when he cut the wood, and sharpened them to a fine point. He remembered when he tied the small shards of wood together like a small fence, with the sharp tips on the top. He remembered digging up the small hole in the ground and planting the trap. The spot was right. The droppings and the scent everywhere indicated that badgers frequented it. Ezra himself spotted one of the animals here before, but not when he was particularly hunting them. 

No, he was sure they would be here and on this spot. He chose it right and dug a shallow hole in the ground. Ezra planted the trap in the ground and quickly covered it up with some dirt. He made sure the ground was loose and shallow, and even placed some choice berries that he knew badgers found irresistible. The bait was spread generously around the area, and he was sure that any badger would instantly spot it. It was placed right before the trap, and any badger would surely fall right into those spikes, impaling themselves. All would go well as long as he wasn't spotted setting everything up. That possibility began to plant new seeds of doubt in Ezra Galloway's mind.

He began to wonder if any badger had spotted him planting the trap and had made haste to get out of the general area. After all, they were very skittish animals, and would run and turn tail at the slightest sign of danger. He also knew that the animals were also capable of playing dead, or even attacking if they were truly desperate. Yes, Ezra Galloway had been trapping for some time now, and he knew that badgers were small, ornery creatures. Such creatures often packed a lot of surprises and this could make them more of a pain to hunt than a regular deer. 

Yes, Ezra resigned himself to the fact that with badgers, you never really knew what to expect. Every good trapper worth their salt knew this, and there was really no reason to doubt himself, especially when dealing with badgers. No, they were simply doing what they always did, the unexpected. When hunting them, a trapper simply could not expect his best plans to work out exactly as he planned. No, there had to be room for some kind of unexpected stuff. This was