Rondeevoo time is special time fer mountain folk.  It’s like one big party with everone doin stuff ta make it happen.  One real special rondeevoo happened in the Fall of ‘89

We wuz ta meet up on the banks of the Curtis Crick bout the time the leaves was turn’in.

As “Many Steps”, “Windy” and me was pullin in, “Wapiti Dung”, “Rut Runner”, “Tracker”, “Bones”, “Little Fawn”, “Cherry” and many more were already camped and havn fun.

It looked to be some real shin’in times.

Twernt long afor everone of the Willow Creekers was there and the fire started with one of last years char sticks.

The booshway “Tracker’ spoke of past days and we all did some yarn tellin.

Now to be the booshway a guy has to out shoot all the shooters at the rondeevoo.  That’s what old “Tracker” had done back in’88.  So to get things roll’in he calls out for the shoot’in ta start.

Fer the next two days we poured powder and rammed ball.  Shoot’in  plumb sometimes and hav’in flighers the next.

Everone had excuses sept’in one and all he did was harangue us older folk.

Now “Many Steps”, he be but a sliver off a beaver sharn and has only been out where we could see him fer 12 year, but that old boy could plumb ‘em ever time.

Shook “Muskrat”, “Cherry” and “Dry Dog” up so much they all three took their patch knives ta lunch.  Somewheres out ahind the firen line there be three pieces of mighty fine “Green River” stainless.

Well it ended with the last shoot fer another year and after all the shoot’in scores was added up the results had “Many Steps” out shin’in all us.

So in traditional mountain fashion “Tracker” handed over the talkin stick and the “silver Slug” to “Many Steps”–            BOOSHWAY FOR ’90!

Bears Butt

Sep-Oct 1989