MARTIN:

It's very peaceful here. Do you ever get bored?

GUIDE:

I don't. Some people do. I get bored in cities. I used to work in the city. I didn't like it. I came back here.

MARTIN:

Was this your home? I mean, is this where you were born?

GUIDE:

No. I was born in the city. I went to school there. My father was like me. He didn't like the city. When my brothers all finished school, the family moved here beside the lake. My father never went to the city again.

MARTIN:

What about your mother? Was she bored?

GUIDE:

We're Indians, you know. She has a lot of friends here. There are a lot of Indians living around here. Across that ridge is an Indian town. My mother likes to go to the city to see her daughters, but she likes it here in the forest.

MARTIN:

How far is that Indian town?

GUIDE:

Walking over the ridge? Maybe ten or twelve miles. But we can drive from the lake.

MARTIN:

How long does it take to drive?

GUIDE:

Just a few minutes. It's a good road.

MARTIN:

Can we go there?

GUIDE:

Why? There's nothing there.

MARTIN:

I would like to talk to the people. That's what I do. I talk to people and write stories about them.

GUIDE:

We can go if you want.

MARTIN:

I would like to.

GUIDE:

Most people want to see the mountains, rivers, trees, wild animals.

MARTIN:

I like those things too. But I like people in my stories.

GUIDE:

There's a smaller river around the next bend. It comes from that mountain.

MARTIN:

How far is that?

GUIDE:

Only a mile or so. Are you hungry? We could have lunch there.

MARTIN:

We didn't bring any lunch. I thought we were going to have lunch in town.

GUIDE:

We could catch some fish and cook them. It's a good place to fish.

MARTIN:

That sounds wonderful.

GUIDE:

It's a beautiful spot. Look up there. Can you see that brown rock above the trees?

MARTIN:

I think so.

GUIDE:

Can you see a stream in the sun beside the rock?

MARTIN:

Yes. It looks very, very small from here.

GUIDE:

It's not very big. That is the beginning of the small river we are going to. It comes down that mountain into this river.

MARTIN:

It looks very far away.

GUIDE:

It is.

MARTIN:

Have you been up there?

GUIDE:

Of course. Look ahead. You can see the river now.

MARTIN:

What a beautiful place! Let's definitely stop here to fish for our lunch.

GUIDE:

Do you enjoy this?

MARTIN:

I love it.

GUIDE:

I thought you liked people.

MARTIN:

I do. But I like being outdoors. I like the mountains, the river, the forest. It's perfect. Do you like what you do?

GUIDE:

Yes. It's not really work.

MARTIN:

What do you mean?

GUIDE:

I do it without pay. It's what I do in my free time. I live outdoors. I fish. I hunt. I go down the river in my canoe.

MARTIN:

Thanks for a wonderful week.