We rested there for a moment to get our breath, then walked on through the woods, keeping our eyes out for more boars, always headed to the sound of the running water, which would be our destination for a longer break. As we walked, I kept looking for berry bushes. There was a possibility that I might find some in this neck of the woods.
At one point, I found some barberry bushes. That shrub was not my favorite for scavenging because of its thorny spines, which are each a half inch long and stick out on three sides, but the tall bush, almost twelve feet tall, was filled with vast quantities of red dangling berries. I popped handfuls in my mouth, teeth-crushing the fruits eagerly since they were sweet and tasty. I offered Frey some, too. I think he preferred his usual apples and carrots, but he nibbled them willingly, splashing me with red juices as he head-tossed his satisfaction with this strange treat. When we were both full, I filled up the cloth bag that had contained the bun I’d eaten the day before. Then I shoved in some of the leaves, since they were also good eating. It was always good to have provisions for an unluckier day.
Then, taking the reins, Frey and I walked forward. Good thing we were moving so slowly, or I would have missed seeing a nearby hickory nut tree. It was easy to confuse those nuts with the buckeye nut, but these were the right ones. I’d learned from Mrs. Chaning that they had multi chambers that resembled walnuts inside. The deadly buckeye had a solid nut inside, which looked a lot like an almond.
I filled my knapsack with the nuts, not bothering to remove the double nut shells. Mrs. Chaning had told me that the nuts would keep longer with the shell on. But, even though I’d stuffed myself with berries a moment before, I did take time to eat a handful. The nuts when ripe, tasted like pecans. I’d eaten some before that were bitter, although even so, they weren’t harmful if you could endure their taste. But these were delicious.