continue
We tried to smoke a couple coffin nails but every thing was to soaked. Pretty soon Bullet hit wood with his Boaw. boaw, boaw then Hush and the choir. As down as we were, the sound brought us back to the living and we were off but still speechless.
Jeff said as we traveled, " I hope that's a garbage can coon they put up" wishing it was in some ones back yard. It wasn't but it was two nice coons sitting pretty in an leafless oak. We leashed all but Bullet the best kill dog. All went well with Jeff and a pair of Remington long rifle hollow points. We stuffed a coon each in our knapsacks and started off aimlessly, dogs unleashed, tired and hoping to stave off the hypothermia.
With our best guess it would be three to four hours before daylight. Jeff and I knew a little about hypothermia
and frost bite. When we were in high school we hitch hiked home from a high School dance. We caught a ride for the first six miles and were left off around midnight three miles from home. We were dressed in chino pants loafers and a cheap jacket, nothing designed for rugged weather. No scarf hat or ear muffs. The news broadcast of the car we just got out of said it was minus five degrees. Being jocks on the wrestling team
we thought we could run home if we had to. Well after the first and only car to come by and not stop. we decided to try running just to warm up. We were freezing and the temperature was dropping fast.Much worse than our present situation but similar. The running just caused ice goatees to form on our faces. After two miles I was froze numb and laid down in a roadside snow bank telling Jeff to not bother with me.
" Just keep going",I have no feeling, I don't hurt or anything. Maybe you can get help and come back.
Jeff wouldn't leave. He kicked me in the foot." Go," I said. He kicked me in the thigh. I was up on my feet and hustling down the road with Jeff hands in pockets kicking at me from behind. Not five minuets later a neighbor stopped for us. He took us to the local bar and grill where we had our first Toddy. The temp outside was now twenty below. Our present temp was hovering around freezing. Out in the near distance appeared a huge shape that looked like a whale. Jeff said "let's check that out". It was like a mini cliff, five to seven feet high and maybe fifty feet long, There was a void at the bottom about seventeen inches deep by twenty four inches high.A mini cliff with a mini rock shelter and the leaves at the bottom were dry
We piled the leaves from each end in towards the center forming a makeshift mattress. Tried to light a fire but failed. We tossed in our knapsacks for pillows and crawled in. We were a little put off at first ,when the pooches tried squeezing in on top between and around us. We soon found their warmth a good thing and dozed off now and then. Through a veiled haze I thought I heard Jeff say "there is something crawling in my hat". I thought for a moment, jumped up and said "mine too". we were both up hatless and scratching and
swatting at our heads. I grabbed a light and one of Jeff's flailing hands and said " hold it I want to look".
Right there were at least three fleas flicking around in Jeff's hair. Those damn pooches had turned into mutts again. It's fleas Jeff and a lot of them, damn mutts. I guess they need another dip. Us too! There was a faint hazy glow of light on the tree studded horizon. The center of our orbital had come to save us. East was a lucky direction for us this morning. The sun took us to a lake side camp closed for the winter. The drive into the camp took us to the road the truck was parked on. Before loading the dogs I turned each over on their back and checked between their rear legs. No flees on our pooches. Damn coons.
The end
