He quickly switched to satellite images of the Alaskan heartland and the extent of the ashfall.
The eruption seemed to have originated about ten miles to the southwest.
The Cody area had just caught the edge of the ash plume. Luis studied the topographic map, looking for a sensible route to grid Hb27 that would keep the herd away from settlements.
His best bet was to take the mammoths directly north, bypassing Cody as best he could, to get them as quickly as possible out of the ash field to clean grazing and water. That would be a diversion from his planned route east—and would mean adding days to his already delayed schedule.
Kanut emerged from the tent, eyes darting about. “Looks like hell out here.” He nodded to Luis’s tablet. “You got anything on that?”
“Take a look—the ash has spread for miles.”
The trooper’s face dropped as he looked at the eruption’s damage. “Damn. I better call headquarters.”
Luis called after him, “If you really want to do the people of Alaska a favor, you’ll forget you ever saw the mammoths—or me. I’m sure the cops will have better things to do than chase me.”
Kanut grunted. “Like I said, that’s above my pay grade.” He walked a few steps away, dialing his satphone. “This is Wildlife Trooper Robbie Kanut . . . Yes, I’m all right. Up Dirty Dog River, about five miles from Cody. I took shelter with a hiker . . . What is it that blew? Never heard of it.”
Disgusted, Luis considered bashing the trooper over the head to make his escape with the mammoths.
But maybe drastic action wouldn’t be necessary—Kanut had left his rifle inside the tent.
While Kanut was occupied with his call, Luis ducked into the tent and quickly emptied the Browning’s magazine. At the first opportunity, he’d dump the cartridges into a handy river. Kanut didn’t seem like a bad man, just a dutiful one. But if he thought his duty meant slaughtering Luis’s mammoths, Luis wasn’t going to make it easy.
Luis tossed Kanut’s pack and blanket out of the tent and began untying the guylines.
“My helicopter’s in Cody,” Kanut told the phone. “Hell no. Not till the sky’s clear and a mechanic’s cleaned out the engine. I’ll have to hole up here until . . . Yeah? . . . How far? . . . Well, I’ll ask around and let you know.”
Luis felt a moment of relief—Kanut hadn’t said anything about the mammoths. Saved by a volcano—for the time being.
Kanut ended his call and turned to Luis, face grim. “It was some little volcano called Mount Taktuq, only ten miles south of here. There was no warning—no one even knew it was primed to blow. They said it’s still erupting. They’ve evacuated Coldfoot and shut down the Dalton Highway as a precaution. With ash in the air, all flights are grounded everywhere north of Fort Yukon.”
He eyed Luis rolling up the rainfly, and his mouth hardened, perhaps at the recollection that they weren’t camping together by choice. But he said nothing, just stepped a few paces away to make a call to his wife.
By the time Kanut came tromping back, Luis had finished stowing the tent and repacked his backpack.
“Your family all right?” Luis asked. Not that he cared, but it seemed polite to ask.
“The family’s fine, just scared to death. Karen’s mother’s with them, too nervous to stay by herself. Jesus, I don’t know when I’m gonna get home. I guess I’m stuck in Cody until I get cleared to fly.”
“You better get on your way,” Luis said. “People in Cody might need help.”
He laid out the harnesses, wishing Kanut would leave already. The mammoths were just out of sight, reluctant to approach with the stranger standing there. And without Brandon’s help, it would take longer to harness and load them.
Kanut seemed in no hurry. He just stood, stroking the light stubble on his chin. “You gonna ride that elephant all the way to wherever it is you’re going?”
“That’s the idea.”
Kanut nodded at the sacks of supplies. “You seem pretty well provisioned. Got first aid supplies and all in there?”
“Why? You worried about me?” Luis tapped his foot in impatience. “Don’t be. Brandon and I packed everything we’d need, including medical supplies, for a month in the bush.” It might be forever if this lazy flatfoot didn’t get out of his way.
Kanut stroked his chin as if urging his sparse whiskers to grow. “You heading southeast?”
“No.” Luis had no intention of telling Kanut where the herd was headed.
The trooper nodded slowly. “It’s just that, you see, there’s a woman, one of those flying doctors. She was transporting a patient from an Athabaskan village, and her plane went down about forty miles southeast of here. She and her passengers are okay, but it’s three women all alone in the wildlife refuge, and no aircraft able to fly them out. Since I’m the closest trooper, they want me to find some way to get to them.” He picked up the rifle and slung it over his shoulder.
“Good luck with that.” Luis wanted to give the foot-dragging moron a boot in the behind to get him on his way to Cody. Preferably before he realized that Luis had emptied his rifle.
“The thing is, it’s rough going between here and there, and a river or two to ford. Even if I strong-armed somebody into lending me an ATV, an ATV couldn’t make it.”
Luis turned to the stack of supplies. “I’m sure you’ll find a way, Officer.”
“You could do it,” Kanut said. “I’ll bet you and your elephant could cover forty miles in a day.”
Luis was startled into laughter. “You think I should launch a rescue by mammoth? Ridiculous.”
Kanut studied his feet a moment before looking up. “Let me put it another way. I haven’t told
