From the Journal of Issac McNamara #5

Zeke tried not to look straight towards the face. It was watching him from beneath the wild fern. He gazed straight ahead over the back of his horse while watching for the face to make a move. He could see the eyes and maybe part of the jaw line. His mind began questioning what he was seeing. He blinked, the face was gone. He mounted and rode toward where the face had been. He looked the ground over and there was no evidence of any being there. There was a game trail winding down the side of the hill and he started down it. Zeke rode with his rifle across the saddle.
He had written along almost a mile when the the faint trace of woodsmoke reached his nose. He slowly worked his way down the trail. Game trails were good ways to travel in the Ozarks, unless your on a horse. Most of them are easy going as long as your no taller than a deer. The lower down he worked the stronger the smell of smoke. The trail opened into a meadow. Across the meadow stood an old cabin there was smoke slowly rising from the stone chimney. Zeke thought he knew most of the settlers along the James, however he did not know this one, he didn't even know this cabin existed. The meadow was one of those rare ones that opened up just a little more than half way down the mountain. It was about five acres in size and would have been almost invisible from lower down along the river. He had come on it from up above yet it was still unseen until the trail opened out at the upper end. Zeke held up and looked the place over. There were several chickens running loose around the cabin. There was a small corral built in front of a cave and in the corral stood a small painted horse. There was a cow grazing in the meadow just below the cabin and Zeke heard the squealing of pigs. There was a small garden planted next to the cabin. Zeke recognized corn growing along with some vegetables.
Zeke slowly rode toward the cabin. He stopped in front of the door.
"Hello the house" he yelled. Nothing
He tried again, " Hello, anyone home?"
Other than the chickens moving away from him there was no other sound from the cabin.
Zeke tried again. " I'm Stone County Deputy Sheriff Issac McNamara, anyone there?"
Zeke sat his horse trying to decide what to do, he reached up to scratch his head when he caught movement from the hill above the cave, Zeke had no doubts about watch had been poked out of the ground above the cave mouth, it was the business end of a rifle.
Zeke looked on past the rifle and then slowly raised his hand to his hat, He took it off and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm.
He looked over the hill side again, using his knee he turned his mount towards the cave and rode up to the opening.
" I see your gun, you have nothing to fear from me, all I'm interested in is some information. I could also use a drink from your spring. Its hot out here and I've ridden a long ways this morning."
It was quiet, Zeke heard the chickens clucking and the snorts of the pigs. Finally after several minutes a voice answered " Help yourself to the spring, there's a gourd hanging there on a limb."
A few minutes later a a small figure came from the cave and walked up to him. It was a woman, older than the voice sounded, gray hair wrapped into a tight bun on the back of her head, a pale blue sun faded bonnet hung by its ribbons from her neck, a gray faded dress hung from her shoulders and touched the ground. She wore a pistol in a holster on her waist and there was a large knife in a scabbard.
"Not used to folks being around." she explained "rather be by myself, I get along with myself better. Here alone most of the time, you coming down from the mountain was not the usual way I'm visited."
Zeke held his hat in his hand, "Like I said, I'm a Deputy Sheriff. Sheriff Overstreet sent me down here to investigate a gathering of men that could be Rebels."
She spat " Overstreet still the Sheriff....He was a real rounder when he was younger, suprised me when he got his self elected, always figured he should be on the inside of a jail rather than running it"
Zeke hid a smile, and continued" Mam, I wonder have you see anything, men moving or anything that don't belong?"
"There down there, camped right were the James runs into the White. They's making a mess of the gravel bar. Nothing worse than a white man in the wilderness. He mess up more any ten Indian's." They's a bunch of them that wanders around digging holes in the ground. My guess they's looking for Yocum's diamonds. Dern fools, if'n you had yourself a sack of diamonds would you take them with you or bury them under a tree?"
"I see your point, well I need to ride down there a see what them Reb's have in mind."
" You go do that Deputy, and you just forget about finding me up here, I don't need you telling anyone about me, them idiots down there don't know about me! "
Zeke thanked her for the drink and turned his mount down the valley. Mule followed along.