Crow Mary

While Farwell is absent, a man named Sam Stiller appears at the camp. The man is looking for Farwell and asks Crow Mary if she is his “squaw.” Following the hospitality customs of her tribe, she offers him food. He questions her, wondering where Farwell found her, and she only responds that she is Crow. Stiller tries to give her whiskey, but she refuses. He suggests that she see him later in his tent, as Farwell would not mind sharing her.

Crow Mary wonders about Farwell’s character. She stays alert with her gun during the night but hears Stiller riding away. She finds a note that he has left for Farwell, in which he writes that a sheriff is looking for him and that Crow Mary needs better training because she was unfriendly. Crow Mary gives the note to Jeannie, who describes Stiller as “the worst of the wolfers” (112). He and Mr. Dubois hate each other because Stiller tried to poison his dogs. Finally, Crow Mary asks for Jeannie’s help with reading.

When Farwell returns, Crow Mary is dressed like Jeannie, trying to show him that she is adapting to his world. Farwell is happy, but she affirms that she is Crow. When she mentions Stiller, Farwell explains that the man once saved his life. He is angry at Stiller when Crow Mary explains his behavior, but he changes the subject. The following morning, the couple leaves for Cypress Hills, and Crow Mary is sad to leave Jeannie.

On the way to Cypress Hills, Crow Mary feels depressed. They stop for the night, and Crow Mary and Farwell sleep under the stars. She realizes that Big Cloud’s memory has faded. She asks Farwell how he feels about their marriage, and he responds that he has fallen in love with her and admires her confidence and “determination.”

Crow Mary asks Farwell about his post in Cypress Hills. He responds that there is “real money” in the North, where traders can still sell whiskey to Indigenous tribes. When Crow Mary expresses her worries, Farwell argues that it is “what they want for their pelts” and that while other traders deceive them, he does fair trade (120). Since Crow Mary still questions whiskey trading, Farwell confesses part of his story. He tells her that he is not proud of things in his past; he worked hard as a fur trader and wanted to buy a ranch but lost all his money. Farwell still hopes to buy one after working his trading post. Crow Mary still thinks of the destructive effects of alcohol on Indigenous villages, but she remembers that the Métis drank and remained well. She also had her own experience with it and survived.

Crow Mary and Farwell continue their journey north and encounter decaying buffalo carcasses on the way. Farwell explains that wolfers are responsible: White men do not respect the buffalo as Indigenous people do. Crow Mary is stressed, as the buffalo are central to Crow people’s life.

The couple finds a place to camp, and Stiller appears. Farwell welcomes him as an “old friend,” but Crow Mary feels upset. Stiller decides to stay with them for the night. Stiller offers them whiskey, but Farwell refuses to drink, saying that he would not be able to stop if he started. Stiller asks Farwell about the trading post, saying that “Indians” are “heathens” and not smart for trading. Crow Mary becomes furious. Farwell and Stiller remember their time as soldiers during the Civil War, and Farwell says that he will always be grateful to Stiller for saving him when he was wounded.

Stiller leaves in the morning, and Farwell and Crow Mary continue their journey. They look at the stars that night, with Crow Mary discussing their sacredness. Thinking about his discussion with Stiller, she asks if he drinks whiskey. Farwell confesses that he had an alcohol addiction and that it was the reason he lost his money. He stresses to her that he is now sober. He pleads with her to trust him, and, understanding his need, she comforts him.

Crow Mary is surprised to learn that white men also abuse alcohol, and she wonders how it can be that despite their knowledge of many things, they do not know “the sacredness of life” (130). She finally turns to the moon, the Old Woman, and though she wants children, she asks the moon to wait until the right moment to let her become pregnant.

Crow Mary appreciates that Farwell admires the land’s beauty. When Crow Mary asks him why he left his home to travel west, Farwell tells more stories about his life. His mother died when he and his brother were children, and his father’s second wife did not like Farwell. At 15, he left for New York to be a lawyer but abandoned his studies and started working in construction. He was drafted during the Civil War, but he cannot talk more about his experience. After the war, he found a job at Fort Peck and came west.

The couple is a day away from Cypress Hills. As they camp for the night, Farwell warns Crow Mary to be alert for any grizzly bears. Crow Mary, however, is more anxious about meeting Stiller and other white people at Farwell’s post. She remains alert, as they are in the shared territory of the Blackfoot, Cree, and Assiniboine, who are Crow enemies.

Crow Mary admires the beauty of Cypress Hills, looking at the landscape, the trees, and the animals. She does not fear the animals, but she fears the human wolfers who inhabit the place.

Crow Mary spends her days helping Simon, the Métis cook. Farwell explains the fort’s structure and shows her a small building that will be their home, but Crow Mary wants her tipi. She asks him about other whiskey traders, and he says that the adjacent Solomon’s fort does not do fair trade. Crow Mary and Farwell admire the landscape from a hill when they see a grizzly bear attacking a buffalo calf and then being injured by its mother. Farwell wants to move the injured grizzly away from the post, and Crow Mary decides to go. Up close, she marvels at the bear’s size, remembering the Crow braves’ bear hunting. After Farwell shoots the bear, Crow Mary must shoot the bull, but she remembers Big Cloud’s death and freezes. Farwell ultimately kills it. Crow Mary sees Solomon’s fort in the distance and feels a “terrible dread.” She has not revealed to Farwell that she has been tormented by “violent dreams” since arriving at Cypress Hills.

Alexis Lebombarde and his wife, Nancy, arrive at Farwell’s fort. Lebombarde is hired as an interpreter, and Crow Mary notices that they are a beautiful Métis couple. However, Nancy is cold toward her.

The next day, Mr. Dubois’s dog runs to Crow Mary’s dog, and Jeannie arrives at the fort. The two friends are happy to reunite, and Jeannie confides in Crow Mary that she is pregnant. They stroll around the fort, and Crow Mary shows her discomfort about her new home. Jeannie explains that in the north, it is good to sleep inside and be protected from the cold. When Crow Mary tells her that Mrs. Lebombarde does not like her, Jeannie explains that when some people “try to make others feel bad it’s because they don’t feel good about themselves” (148). Crow Mary is relieved that Jeannie is with her to guide her and help her with English. Crow Mary confesses that writing is hard, and Jeannie suggests that the two correspond.