DIY Alaska Bear Hunt- Heading Home- Part 9

Once we got my bear back to the cabin, I realized that during all the research and preparation for the trip, I had failed to find out the proper way to skin a bear to have it made into a rug. I knew that you didn't want to put any nicks or holes in the hide but I didn't know what to do with the head or paws. I figured the best way to do it was very slowly and carefully so that's what I did. It took four hours to get it skinned the way I thought it should be done. I cleaned it the best I could, rolled it in salt and hung it in a tree. I then started the butchering process. When that was finished, I went inside to prepare one last feast. None of us had ever eaten bear so I didn't know what to expect. I cooked up a big pot of stew with carrots, onions, potatoes and of course, lots of chunks of bear. I also whipped up a bunch of onion rings with all of the leftover onions ( I knew they were good ) in case my stew was inedible. I don't know how good it was but three of us each ate two big bowls, then Paul and Gary stood over the cast iron pot with forks and flashlights, picking out all the rest of the meat. I guess starvation is good for the appetite.
The following day while Paul and Gary were out hunting, Warren and I were taking stock of our remaining supplies for the trip back to Petersburg. Everything looked okay except for our gasoline supply. We were down to about two gallons....... "Let's go see John again."
John showed us where we could find a little gas here and there, in mostly empty barrels and cans and we managed to come up with five more gallons. I wouldn't be running wide open on the trip home. Warren turned down an invitation from Jim to come to his trailer to see his Led Zeppelin posters and whatever else a lonely Alaskan bachelor kept on his walls and we headed back to the cabin to finish packing.
The next morning, we put Warren back on the float plane and the other three of us started off towards Petersburg. The trip back was so smooth as to be almost boring. We made it back with at least two gallons of gas to spare. Ben met us at the pier to pick up the boat and made a quick inspection, commenting on how good the prop looked. I guess most people tear up the props running aground in the gravel. I couldn't let him get too far, "Before you brag on us too much, you might want to take a look under the console."
He quickly spotted my handmade plug sticking into the boat, "What happened, did you run over a tree?!"
As much as I would have liked to save myself the embarrassment, I couldn't lie to him. "I had a little accident, I shot a hole in it. Have it fixed and send me the bill." He didn't ask for any more explanations, just agreed to send me a bill.
The trip home was largely uneventful, oh, there was one delay waiting for a light bulb in the plane's toilet to be replaced.
The four of us have relived parts of this trip for six years now and I wanted to get it written down before one or all us start to lose our memory.