The Epicest Story Alive

8/4/2019 The Epicest Story Alive

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Coureur De Bois

The weak fire flickered among burnt chips of bark, as the heavy snoring of weary men

disrupted the quiet night. A single man crept forward and used a stick to poke the worn

chips of wood, rearing up the fire once more. He stripped a sheet of bark from a silver

birch tree and pulled out an old quill pen, which he dabbed in a berry mixture, andstarted to write.

Dearest Caroline, he wrote.

The journey was long and strenuous. Most of the men are tired, but we are still

plodding on. I shouldve expected this. Mr. Claude warned me the life of a coureur de

bois was a hard one. The Indians are very generous. They taught us many things, such

as-

A twig snapped on the left of the man. He froze, and slowly raised his eyes from the

makeshift paper. He slowly brought his hand to the knife, which was lovingly carved bythe Indians, and stroked the bony blade. His hand started the shake. He didnt want to

die; he was still so young, at only 23 years old. He had so much to live for! Another

snap. He stopped breathing and concentrated on the sounds of the forest. A lone owls

hoot. A challenging howl from a wolf. Then silence. He waited for another half minute

before he finally exhaled. The bushes in front of him rustled. Panicked, he closed his

eyes. It was the end of him. A single man stepped out of the bushes and into the

clearing.

Edmond? The man said, bemused. What are you doing? Edmond peeked at the

man with one eye, and then opened the other. His whole body relaxed from the fetus

position he was in.

Oh. Hi George. I thought you were one of those hostile Indians the Huron were

talking about. George snorted loudly, but quickly turned to the snoring men. A man

started to stir, but then fell asleep soon after.

Lazy pigs. He was spat in their direction. If it werent for these slothful men, we

would be at our destination by now. There should be at least 2 people on guard, but

no. Their sleep is first. Edmond glared at him, and George chuckled uneasily. Hey,

nature calls. Edmond rubbed his eyes and curled up in his buffalo robe.

Go to sleep, George. The Huron arewatching over us. He mumbled slowly. Not

soon after, George could hear Edmonds steady breathing. He crouched down, next to

the fire and silently guarded the men. He saw a glimpse of brown on Edmond. George

shuffled to Edmonds side, and picked it up. It was Edmonds letter. Without a second

glance, he tossed it into the fire, watching it slowly burn into the flames.

Chapter 2 A Brand New Day

It was late morning, and yet the men still had to clear the camp. George tried to hurry

them up with loud, obnoxious sighs, which got on everyones nerves. AHuron man

walked over to Edmond.


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Your friend acts like no one does any work, and yet he is the laziest man in this

group. The man strung a bow and playfully aimed the arrow at George. Edmond

chuckled nervously and motioned to the untidy camp, trying to say that he still has work

to do. The man nodded his head politely and went off to help the other men. Edmond

stretched and yawned, trying to stall the working process for a little while longer. He

never expected the life of a coureur de bois to be like this. The Kings intendant keptgoing on about how the life was full of action and adventure and there was danger at

every corner. It was just basically canoeing, then camping, then canoeing some more.

Where was the excitement in that? He sighed and helped a fellowman roll up the

buffalo robe.

Agh! Stupid flies! George and the rest of the men laughed as Edmond tried to swat

away the black flies. A Huron hunter rolled his eyes, and gathered a few plants from

near by. He crushed them into a poultice, and rubbed it into Edmonds exposed skin.

Its called bay leaf. Its an insect repellent. He waved a few leaves into the air.

Anybody wants some? Were going to be heading into buggy territory so you better

prepare. As he spoke he was already rubbing some onto his body. A couple of men

reluctantly stepped forward to receive some, and grudgingly kneaded it into their skin.

Edmond glanced at the Huron man timidly.

Thanks he trailed off. The man rolled his eyes and shoved a canoe oar at his chest.

Its Coda. He said, helping 2 other men lifta canoe into the frothing river. Edmond

dropped his jaw.

You expect us to ride down thatriver with that thing? Coda glared at Edmond.

Trickling water might be old, but shes reliable. George scoffed.

Theres a reason why its called Trickling Water. Cause even that will make this canoe

fail desperately. Edmond chortled, but then was quickly stopped by Codas black

glare. George and Edmond quickly hustled into the canoe, and grabbed their oars.

They learned the basics from the Huron, and now their skills will be tested.

They pushed off from the shore and the small canoe quickly sped down, faster than

dirt attacks freshly washed clothes. George and Edmond tried to slow down the canoe

with their oars, but no avail. The canoe crashed into a rock bulging from the centre of

the river and they went spinning.

AGHHH! They screamed. And not even a manly scream, a pathetic woman scream.

The canoe, guided by only the rapids, spun around wildly. It was nice knowing you,

Ed. George whispered, the terror taking away his voice.

Same. Edmond clutched the side of the canoe, knowing for surethat it was the end.

Suddenly two canoes emerged at the side of their canoe. Were saved! Edmond

cheered. But before they Huron even considered saving them, they had to have a nice,long laugh, at their fear-frozen faces.When the Hurons canoes gently hit the shore,


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Edmond ran out to lie on the thorny coast. Sweet, sweet land. Edmond breathed. I

never thought Id see you again. George, arrogant as always, tried to act aloof, but

instead tripped himself in the process, and landed in a patch of brambles. All the men

guffawed at the spectacle. Justice has been served. Edmond said, smiling.

The forest was eerily mute, as the coureurs de bois and their allies stalked through the

bush. The comforting sound of the woodland animals had disappeared, and was

replaced with silence. The men shuffled forward uneasily, obviously sensing that

something was wrong. The Huron silently drew their bows, and crouched down, waiting

for the danger to emerge. Seconds passed into minutes. The Huron slowly relaxed,

believing the jeopardy had passed. All of a sudden Indians leapt out of the bushes with

precision, shooting arrows at the surrounded men. In all of the excitement, Edmond

dropped his knife, and quickly reached for his spear, randomly jabbing men in all

directions. Men attempted to run away, but were quickly shot down by the cruel arrows.

Edmond crawled next to Coda, who was busy firing arrow after arrow at the Indians.

Algonquians! he hissed, shooting an arrow at an Indians shoulder blade. He went

down to the fetal position, grasping the wounded shoulder. Ive shouldve known. We

are in their territory. He yelled something Huron to his friends, and started to back

away from the scene.

Get as many of your men as you can and leave! he yelled, trying to over shout the

battle cries of the Algonquin. Get as far away as you can and make camp. My men will

try to follow your trail. Now go! he gave him a go-ahead shove, and swiftly

disappeared. Determined to complete his mission, Edmond grabbed Georges shirt

and forced him to follow him into a small patch of brambles along the side of the

battlefield. It was hard for the Algonquians to see it, and was a perfect defense spot.

Grab as many men as you can and make them wait right here. He ordered him,

letting go of his shirt and running off. He found John, bravely defending himself with a

knife against an Algonquians spear. Edmond used his knife and made a deep gash

down the Indians leg, waiting until he howled with pain before he withdrew his blade.

He shouted Codas orders to John, who obediently ran to Radisson, who then spread

the word to Robert. It continued until most of the Algonquians were either wounded or

had fled, before Edmond allowed to men to run.

After the excitement of the battle died down, the men slowly started to recover from the

shock.

I brought one down with only two arrows! Samuel said proudly. Robert snorted, and

smacked Samuels empty quiver.

I saw John shoot down one with asinglearrow! Robert imitated Johns neat, exact

movement with surprising accuracy.

My Lord, Robert. I didnt know that the Huron taught you how to do something

useful. Radisson said, with a mischievous smirk. Edmond laughed with the men, butthen abruptly stopped.


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Wheres George? he asked, with no reply from the other men. I said, wheres

George? he said, with more intensity. The men scuffed their feet uncomfortably. The

heavy weight of realization crowded down on him. He shook his head, trying to deny it,

and shrunk down to the fetal position he was so used to.

The men looked at each other, communicating with their eyes. They stopped, set down

their weapons, and started to make camp. Samuel hunted for firewood. Robert set up

out the robes, and Radisson brought out pieces of pemmican from the small pouch on

his waist and handed them out. As soon as camp was settled, the men turned to

Edmond, mentally urging him to move from his vigil. Slowly, inch-by-inch, Edmond

took out the rabbit skin flask and passed it around. The men gulped down their water,

parched from todays work, and after everyone had anice, long drink, they gave it back

to Edmond, who already crawled into bed, even though it was yet to be sunset. They

watched with pitying eyes, as Edmond slowly cried himself to sleep.

The men woke up at early morning to the sound of Indians. They tensed. Was it moreterritorial Algonquians? Then the familiar language of the Huron relaxed them. They

got up, rolled up their buffalo robes and put out the weak fire. They all finished their

jobs, and looked down at Edmond, expecting him to once again lead the group. He was

still curled up in his bed. Samuel mustered enough courage to approach Edmond.

Edmond? Its time to go. Edmondwoke up hours ago, but kept quiet, while trying to

keep his emotions in check. His best friend was gone. He mightve been unbelievably

obnoxious, but he was the only one who would actually hang out with him. He lifted

himself off the buffalo robe, while the Huron helped Edmond pack up his things, and

off they went, continuing the journey.

Radisson caught up to Edmond and matched his pace. He looked at Edmond

expectantly, as if he expected him to be all happy cheery. Edmond tried to hide his

scowl. He knew that Radisson was younger than him, and that he looked up to

Edmond for guidance at this stuff. Him being a tender age of 17, being forced to work

at New France to help support his family.

Listen, Radisson, I knew you thought that the Trading Posts were boring, and being a

coureur de bois promised a life of adventure, not to mention lots of money, but cant

you consider going back to the Trading Posts? Its a lot safer. Radisson kept his lips

pursed, quietly pondering what Edmond said.

Do you remember Des? Hes the scrawny kid, not much of a recruit, the one that

carries all the stuff? Edmond nodded, not really listening. Radisson hesitated. Hes

my brother in law. My sister made me promise to keep him safe. Hes only 16, after all.

Did you notice that he isnt with us right now? Edmond looked away. He put his own

needs before others. That wasnthim. If George were here he wouldve told him to

help other people before him. Well actually he would put in some snide remark, but

that wasnt as dramatic. He muttered a hasty good-bye to Radisson and ran up to the

Huron.

He tried to look casual as he nonchalantly asked, Where are we going? The Huron

exchanged glances, and then looked back at Edmond.


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Were heading up to our camps. Well be able to treat the wounded, and pick up

some furs for the trade. Edmond thanked them, and then slowed down, walking in

silence. He had to consider some things. Why on earth did he become a coureur de

bois? Instead of fun and adventure, they faced danger and death. They had to rely on

themselves and themselves alone to survive, and if it werent for the Indians, theywouldve been dead on day three! All the bugs and poisonous plants were gigantic

obstacles for people who didnt know anything about the new wildlife. Even though the

coureurs de bois worked for their personal gain, the Indians still stuck with them. He

frowned. He didnt want to take advantage of them, but what choice did he have?

After many days of walking, they finally stopped at a large campsite. There were Huron

people everywhere, all busy at their tasks. When they finally noticed the arrivals, they

approached with broad smiles. It was all a sudden blur- everyone was hustling about,

finding shelters and unpacking. It wasnt till ten minutes later when Edmond was

noticed standing about before Coda led him to a tent. Exhausted from the long journey,

he unraveled his buffalo robe and collapsed into a deep sleep.

He was back at the trading posts. It was an ordinary day, everyone being organized and

orderly. The Indians traded in furs for guns and pans. Nothing new. He was working as

the man who examines the furs. Before he gave the okay mark to the Indian, he

overheard Mary-Anne and Agnes gossiping about the latest news on New France.

Have you heardabout this new job the King made? Its unbelievablyatrocious. Agnes

leaned in to hear better.

Well, Mary-Anne? What are you waiting for? Spit it out. Mary-Anne giggled.

Theres a band of men going out to trade directly with the savages. Theyre the

middlemen of the trade. Theyre calledwhat were they again? Oh yes. They call

themselves coureur de bois. Its French for Runner of the woods.

I know what coureur de bois means. Snapped Agnes, but Edmond didnt bother

paying attention to the rising catfight. He thought of being free from the trading posts.

Getting to actuallydosomething. The mere ideas of it made his head spin. He ignored

the impatient Indians protest and threw down the fur.

Mr. Claude, Im going to be a coureur de bois! For a moment there was silence.

Then the room exploded with laughter. Mr. Claude pointed a round finger at Edmond

and spluttered,

You? Youre just a scrawny little kid. Do you know how hard it is to be a coureur de

bois?You wont make a year working at the Trading Posts, never less a coureur de

bois. Edmond scowled and stomped out the door, mutteringangrily to himself. The

Indian man followed suit. Edmond, quickly realizing that someone was following him,

spun around angrily.

What do you want?! he yelled, clearly annoyed that someone followed him just to rub

in the embarrassment.


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The Savage, for once, was quiet. Follow me. He said, barely a whisper. Edmond

grudgingly followed, trying to make as much disgruntled noises as he could during the

walk.

Ugh, how much longer. Man, this is taking forever! Are we there yet? no matter how

much he griped and groaned the savage didnt make a sound, though he occasionallyrolled his eyes at Edmonds immaturity. After an hour of walking, he finally stopped.

Here we are! he announced, trying to hide his pride as he showed Edmond what they

have been walking so longfor. Edmond couldnt see anything so grand. It was just an

Indian camp. Even though this was the first camp he ever saw, he heard the tales of

Indian villages. They were very simple, the houses werent decorated, and they were

just made for shelter. Campfires were roasting meat around the village, and savages

were everywhere, looking at Edmond with hostility and curiosity. The Indian man

stepped forward and gestured toward Edmond.

He wants to be a courer de bois. He said sarcastically. Once again, people startedlaughing at him. Edmonds cheeks went hot but he forced down his embarrassment

and shoved past the savage. The looks the savages gave him were priceless.

When I was younger, my mother always told me to live my dream, but I knew she

always wanted me to work for money. Wanting to make her happy, I went to New

France to find a good job. Instead of good pay, I work long hours into the day, and for

what? The satisfaction of the King? To please the wealthy? Once, in my life, I want to

do something special. I know you guys can help me achieve this, so are you going to

help me or what? The Indians looked at each other and exchanged pitying words.

They spoke to the savage in front of Edmond, and he turned to him.

Youll be joining the other Coureur de bois here at sunrise. Pack up your things and

dont be late. Another savage handed the man a matching set of clothes and he shoved

it into Edmonds chest. With another glare he spun around and left. Edmond stared

down at the clothes. Was he supposed to wear them for the next day? He then realized

that this was an incredibly stupid idea. How was he supposed to switch to a new job

without any idea on what to do? Exhaling slowly, he left the village, trying to ignore the

piercing glares the Indians made behind his back.

He woke up the next day a couple hours before dawn. He figured that since it would

require a lot of time to pack up and find the village, he might as well get there mighty

early. He prepared his clothes last night. After examining them he noticed that it came

with some necessities other than a pair of trousers. A pouch drooped at his waist, full of

medicine and chips of food. A flask for water hung around his right shoulder. He

posed in front of his looking glass. He was ready.

As he stepped into the camp, he was overwhelmed by the sure amount of people there.

Some of them were Indians, who packed fur into packages and tucked them away in

canoes. Snowshoes were strapped to the backs of the Indian. But there were coureur de

bois. Edmond looked at them with awe. They were just standing tall, letting the sun fall

on their well-toned bodies. Most of them were older than him, but there were a few

gawky adolescents, just like him. One of them stepped up to Edmond brightly.


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Hey! Im George. He chirped, holding out his hand cheerfully. Edmond glared at

him warily. Georges happy face disappeared, and looked him up and down.How did

a kid like you get stuck with a job like this?

Edmond frowned. What do you mean? George rolled his eyes.

Did your mother force you to do this? Dont worry, mine did too. Edmond looked

shocked.

B-but they said it was full of adventure- George snorted.

Adventure? Theres nothing but work here. And for what? So the King gets to bathe

in money? This is nothingbut a scam. Leave while you can. Edmond backed away

quickly, but was stopped by a firm hand.

There you are! And fully uniformed too. Come on, we have a schedule to run. Before

Edmond could protest he started dragging him along. He got shoved to a canoe, wherea man was trying to lift one side of it. He looked at Edmond expectantly.

Are you going to help or what? he growled. Edmonds heart plunged, and yet he

knew he had gotten himself into a mistake that he himself had made.

Edmond awoke to the sound of cooking meat. The sizzling smells of salt pork made his

mouth water, as he propped himself against his robe, which was neatly tucked away at a

wall. A young woman, dressed in fine leather and fur, was stirring away at a frying pan.

Noticing that Edmond was awake, she smiled and tipped the meat onto a plate, and

handed it toward him. He took it warily, and looked up at her.

Who are you? he questioned, obviously not trusting her. The woman smiled, and

handed Edmond some sort of napkin made from animal.

Im Kobet. You better eat, your men will be leaving soon. Edmond felt awkward lying

down while Kobet was standing up, so he patted the space next to him.

Want to sit and rest for a bit? he said, gawkily. Kobet chuckled, heading toward the

tent flap.

Ill see you later, Edmond. She said mysteriously as she left. Edmond frowned, but

after looking at the tempting meal, he started to dig in.

After he finished his food and stepped outside, he was greeted by Coda.

Hey, Edmond. Look whos here. With a smirk, he shuffled to the right to be

replaced by George. Edmonds eyes widened.

No. Way. He said, trying to wake up from his dream. George motioned for a scrawny

kid to come over to him. He patted his back.


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This kid right here, Des saved my life. I was looking for Robert but an Algonquin guy

attacked me from my right. If it wasnt for him, I wouldve been dead. Des grinned.

George motioned to the packs of fur awaiting them. Im going to head to the trading

posts to trade this stuff in. You want to come? It will be a dangerous journey, full of

hostiles, bugs, and starvation. Only the bravest ones make it out alive. George said

sarcastically. Edmond grinned and grabbed his spear.

Are you kidding? You bet.

Months Later:

Edmond was lying against his canoe. They had worked a backbreaking 17 hours that

day, and he was trying to save up his energy for the oncoming work. After lying down

tranquilly, he decided to listen in on the mens gossip.

Have you heard?

Heard what?

Radisson and Des. They left the French.

What? No way.

You bet your birch bark canoe its true. Anyways, they went over to the British cause

the French caught them with illegal goods. They took like all of those furs away.

Sweet corn on the cob!

Okay. They tried to convince the British King that there was a bunch of furs near

Hudsons bay. They left with two ships, but one of them had to go back since there was

a leak or something. The other ship came back with a barrels full of fur.

Thats amazing!

Yeah. King Charles the 2ndthats their King- Gave his cousin Prince Rupert the rights

to the land surrounding the rivers that went into Hudsons bay. They made this

company called the Hudsons Bay Company.

Well. Isnt that creative.

Oh ha, ha Robert.

Edmond reclined, looking up to the sky. He couldnt believe it. The scrawny kids

turned into creators of a whole new land. He closed his eyes and smiled, finally at rest.

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The Epicest Story Alive