The Buffalo Hunter Hunter

Arthur Beaucarne is the novel’s primary antagonist and one of its three narrators. Arthur is a Lutheran pastor, and the narrative introduces him as Etsy Beaucarne’s ancestor, who disappeared from Miles City under mysterious circumstances. The novel frames his character introduction as one mystery tied to another: His disappearance may be linked to an alarming string of murders happening outside the city. However, as he continues to engage with Good Stab, the novel reveals his true nature as a villain.

As a pastor, Arthur prides himself on being the moral authority of Miles City. In private, Arthur is characterized by gluttony, indulging on the gifts of food he receives from his parishioners: “Self-denial is fine and well when public approbation looms, but in the absence of such watchfulness, well” (72). This is the first hint that Arthur is not the authority he claims he is. This status also emboldens him to condescend to Good Stab when he first appears in Arthur’s chapel. Arthur’s behavior toward Good Stab belies his racism, undermining his motivations for coming to Arthur’s chapel.

Arthur’s backstory crucially centers around his involvement in the Marias Massacre. At the end of the novel, the narrative reveals Arthur’s account of the massacre, showing that he directly encouraged Scout Joe Cobell to fire the first shot at Chief Heavy Runner. He justified the destruction of the Pikuni as God’s will, distorting the tenets of Divine Providence to rationalize the US’s colonialist endeavor. In the wake of the massacre, Arthur realizes what he has done and tries to distance himself from his actions, eventually arguing that what happened was the fault of the soldiers themselves. The letter he writes is concrete evidence of his guilt, which he tries to bury and destroy before Good Stab finds it.

Good Stab gives Arthur the name “Three-Persons” to refer to his status as a Christian pastor. However, as the truth about Arthur comes to light, the name refers to his duplicitous nature, presenting himself as one person to mask his true nature. His actions display Identity as a Product of Moral Action and Memory as a theme.

The Cat Man is a secondary antagonist who appears in Good Stab’s confession. By the time Good Stab appears in Arthur’s chapel, the Cat Man has already been defeated, which is why his threat does not weigh heavily on the larger conflict involving the Beaucarnes. However, his conflict with Good Stab drives his character arc, allowing him to understand the repercussions of his new life as a vampiric creature.

The Cat Man is a one-dimensional character driven by his hunger for blood. Although the novel hints at his European origins, it never explicates why he was brought to the US and for what purpose he was being transported through Montana. A possible interpretation is that he was going to be used as a weapon to undermine the Pikuni presence in the territory. However, the Cat Man also proves to be sentient, suggesting that he does not act on animal instinct alone but reasons around his actions. This enables him to scheme around Good Stab’s humiliation before the Small Robes, usurping leadership of the band to turn them against Good Stab. Despite his cunning, the Cat Man does not have larger motivations beyond feeding, which drives his desire to feed on Kills-in-the-Water.

Good Stab overcomes the Cat Man by luring him to feed on Kills-in-the-Water. While the Cat Man is feeding, he is powerless to stop Good Stab from mixing Kills-in-the-Water’s blood with his own, incapacitating the Cat Man. Good Stab uses other forms of incapacitation to facilitate the Cat Man’s transformation into a fish, which renders him docile. This represents a Pyrrhic victory for Good Stab, who defeats the Cat Man at such a high cost that it effectively marks the end of the Small Robes band as he knew it.