In the last episode, Caribou Joe talks his way past Constable Bigumpound and heads south to moonbeam creek for another load of bootleg whiskey.
Joe arrived back at Mile 49 on Christmas Eve. He unloaded his cargo of 73 bottles of moonshine at the first drop point, explaining to the bootlegger that this would be his last delivery.
The man never bothered to ask Joe the reason for his retirement. He seemed pre-occupied with the large amount of "joy juice" delivered right at the best time of the year. It was not, however, the best of times for Joe, and he was relieved by the man's lack of interest in his decision.
Yes, Joe had given up his job. No more deliveries! And, Joe had good reasons.
Both of Joe's moonshine partners had been shot dead at the site of the mountain-still high above the settlement of Thompson Crossing.
Finding their lifeless bodies sprawled on the floor of the camp shelter was a traumatic experience for Joe. Days later, the memory of his arrival at Moonbeam Creek seemed like a bad dream.
Joe's partners in business hadn't answered his call when he first approached the still. He had tried again and again, but the secret whistle had gone unanswered. When Joe walked into camp, he found a bloody mess.
Jack and Bert were dead. The shelter had been pushed over, leaning to one side. The brewing and distilling equipment had been damaged beyond repair and lay scattered about the site, partly covered by a blanket of fresh snow.
Although stunned by the discovery, Joe was determined to do a thorough search of the area for any clues to who had murdered his friends.
Joe noted that there were no signs of a struggle, both men had been shot at close range, and Jack's boots were unaccounted for. The thought of someone shooting his friend and then stealing his boots gave Joe a sour feeling in the pit of his stomach.
He wondered about the missing boots. Jack had been so proud of the fancy leatherwork and had, on one occasion, explained that the artistic design of his boots had been created by a saddle-maker from Fitzhugh.
After his search for any additional clues was complete, Joe prepared to bury his friends in an unmarked grave. He carried their bodies, one at a time, to a secret place in the forest, further up the mountain behind the still.
It occurred to Joe that he should leave the area as soon as possible in case any of the town's people should come to the camp.
The place he chose for the grave was actually the underground bottle cache where Jack and Bert had kept their distilled product once it was ready for the jug. When Joe pulled back the wooden plank cover of the hiding place, he was greeted with a familiar sight.
He counted 75 full bottles of whiskey.
Joe carefully removed the secret stash and lowered Jack and Bert and their personal effects. He filled the grave with sand, bark, old logs, more sand and finally a layer of moss.
As new snow continued to fall, the gravesite was slowly covered from view. Joe filled his pack boxes with the moonshine and prepared for his return to Tte Jaune Cache.
After nightfall he passed through Thompson Crossing without too many people seeing him.
In the next episode, Christmas Cheer, it's a time of celebration; a time of community spirit.
