Medicine Walk

Deirdre buys Eldon and Frank the items they need for their journey. For the first time, there is a sense of connection between Frank and Eldon as they ride out into the wilderness seeking a place for Eldon to die gracefully like a warrior. At first, Frank is embarrassed when Eldon rides the horse “sloppily” (42) and smells of alcohol, “a rotted high smell like a dead thing” (43). Eldon notices that Frank didn't bring any food, but Frank catches plenty of fish for them to eat. Eldon is surprised that Frank can start a fire with only natural materials such as straw. Eldon begins to tell Frank about his life, and it becomes clear that Eldon never had a chance to acquire the skills and wisdom that Frank has. From an early age, Eldon had to work and "scavenge" (47). Because Eldon was a “half-breed,” neither community accepted Eldon, and survival was difficult. Frank begins to get a better sense of Eldon and understands that they both were dealt a bad hand in life: “[H]e had an idea of him as a small kid, and when he stood up finally with his arms full and made his way back to the camp he understood that he bore more than wood in his arms” (50).