“I can breathe much more freely now that he’s actually dead,” put in Peggy.
“Isn’t he a beauty,” Jo Ann admired. “It’s too bad I had to kill him, but we just couldn’t have him prowling around here. I’m going to have a bearskin rug to take home with me now, to show what a good hunter I am. Florence, I wish you’d tell Juan to skin him for me. Tell him to be careful about skinning the feet and to be sure to leave on the claws.”
Florence quickly relayed Jo Ann’s request to Juan, and he nodded assent, “Bien, señoritas,” and went on in a rapid flow of Spanish.
“He wants to know if we want some of the meat,” Florence translated to the girls.
Peggy tilted her nose disdainfully. “Bear meat! That doesn’t sound good to me.”
“I never have tasted bear steak,” Jo Ann put in. “I’d like to try it, wouldn’t you, Florence?”
“We might try a little. I’ll tell him to cut us off a small piece.”
“Oh, tell him to take a great big piece to the cave family.”
“That’s a fine idea!” Florence praised. “They’ll have a feast. That’ll probably be the first meat they’ve had in many a day.”
After Florence had delivered this message to Juan and they had exclaimed over the size of the bear again, they turned around and set off for the house.