McNamara #8

The thunder rolled as lightning continued to flash across the sky. The rain seemed to be letting up. Zeke watched the cave entrance fully expecting the girl to return. Finally he rolled into his blankets and let the sound of the rain put him to sleep.

There was a faint light in the eastern sky when Zeke rolled out of his blanket. The sun was coming up in a clear sky, the storm long gone. The morning air was fresh. Zeke walked down to the river which had come up during the night and was dirty brown. One look made him think twice about using it for his coffee. He dipped some and then sat it aside to settle. He washed his face then using his fingers he combed is hair. he turned to walk back the the cave and reached down to pick up the pot. The buzz of the bullet came just before the crack of the gun. Had he not reached down to pick up the pot he would have been shot. Zeke dived for cover and saw movement towards the cliff top above the cave. He crawled to the base of the cliff where he was out of sight from above and worked his way back the cave. He took his rifle then began a slow flanking motion by duck walking along the base of the cliff until he reached a game trail that would take him to the top. Twenty minutes later found him standing were the dry gulcher had taken his shot. There was little there except the scuff marks on the rock. That was the second time he had been shot at and it was beginning to make him mad. Somebody did not what him nosing around.
"It wore a man wearing Yankee blue pants and a butternut coat with one of them little brimmed caps the solgers wear" said the girl Jude from a blackberry patch. " He didn't wait around to see ifn he hit you, he took his shot and skedaddled down the trail. He had him a horse tied down yonder a ways."
"You were here?" questioned Zeke
"I have me a place under a log to keep dry, I was a fixin to get up when I heard him a coming, I just laid here and watched. Didn't realize it was you he was sightin in, could have been a deer or somethin."
"Yeah, or somethin"
Zeke turned and began walking down the trail. He found where a horse has stood. By the looks of the bark he had been there long enough to get bored. He found fresh droppings. He checked the tracks. the left hind shoe had a cross bar in it. It left a defined track, the horse hair was sorrel in color with some white. The horse had scratched himself leaving hairs in the bark. He walked back to the top where Jude was sitting, as he walked past he said "come on, I got a bar of soap and then we can eat."