I fired both barrels, heard a shot, curse and moan all about the same time. At the same time I dropped the shotgun, threw myself to the ground and scurried in the snow to the bushes. Glancing back at Molly I grinned. Smart gal, when I rushed she flung herself forward changing the place of the man’s target. She looked at me and nodded her head to signify she was okay. I pulled my pistol and slowly began to move in the darkness.
It was cold, I had gotten cozy sitting with Molly back at the fire. I needed to finish this business up, but not too quickly. A person can make rash actions by moving too fast. Take it slow, like an Indian would do. If I hit him, he was in worse shape than me.
Easing my way, I didn’t want to move against any bush so I could be heard. The snow didn’t really as it was crusted over because of the cold. I found that it didn’t make much sound if I moved on my hands and knees. My fingers, gripping my gun, were getting very cold. I needed to find him soon.
“Miles!” came a frenzied shout. “Miles!”
I didn’t take the time to be quiet coming back to the camp, but I did stop before moving into the firelight. I stayed in the shadows. Molly was on her knees holding the rifle, but it was pointed at the ground. At the edge of the rock stood man, his rifle aimed at Molly. He wouldn’t miss this time.
“Forrest!” he hollered. “Forrest, I know you’re out there. Better get back here or I’ll kill the woman.”
“Ring,” came a moan from the man Molly shot. “Is that you? I hurt bad.”
I could see some blood on the man. Some of the buckshot must have hit him, I just didn’t know how bad he was hurt. Firing through that brush would have stopped some of the shot, but I could see his face was bleeding and one hand that held the rifle had blood on it. His coat prevented me from seeing if he was bleeding anywhere else.
“Forrest! I ain’t going to call you again!”
My fingers were freezing. If I didn’t get them warmed up I wouldn’t be able to do much good with the pistol. But then I reckoned his hands were mighty cold as well. I moved my pistol to my left hand and began to move my fingers as I slowly stepped into the campsite.
“Throw down the gun!” he ordered.
“Reckon not,” I replied, still moving the fingers on my right hand and moving closer to the fire.
“Throw down the gun or I’ll kill her,” he continued to threaten.
“You shoot her and you know what’ll happen to you,” I said. I could feel my fingers and hand begin to warm. “You’ll never collect any money. Your friends are dead, the Ebert brothers are dead.”
That seemed to catch his attention and then the man on the ground moaned again, “Ring, please, help me or I’m a goner.”
“Shut up” he hissed and that’s when I took my chance.
I’m not a real good shot with my left hand. I hit where I point but not real accurate. I fired once, then did a border shuffle tossing the gun from my left hand to my now warm right hand. I fired again and again. My last one hit him in the head. He was able to get one shot off, but it hit the rocks at the fire and ricocheted into the night.
Quickly I looked around. Molly was still on her knees the rifle now lifted and pointing at the man lying dead on the ground. Were there any others? I had one bullet left in my pistol as fearing a confrontation was near I loaded the cylinder with six.
“Miles,” Molly began.
“Shhh, listen,” I whispered as I began to reload my gun. In a few minutes I went over picking the Greener up out of the snow.
“Let’s see if we can get any information from him,” I said pointing at the man who had been groaning. Upon inspection I saw a jagged wound on the side of his head the blood pouring out, the ricochet must have caught him.
I looked at Molly and reached down to help her stand. “One just never knows when his time is up,” I muttered.
As she looked back up at me her eyes suddenly widened, “Miles, you’re bleeding.”
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This day in the Texas Revolution: Mexican artillery stops shelling the Alamo. The plan to assault the Alamo is formulated.
Author: Ira Paine
Echoes From the Campfire
It struck her suddenly and strangely that to know the real truth about anything in life might require infinite experience and understanding. How could one feel immense gratitude and relief, or the delight of satisfying acute hunger, or the sweet comfort of rest, unless there had been circumstances of extreme contrast?”
–Zane Grey (The Call of the Canyon)
“I am not praying that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one.”
–John 17:15 (HCSB)
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When strife and struggle come what is your reaction? Problems will inevitably come our way from a myriad of sources. We do the best we can to cope with them, but it is important to realize that there are some problems that are beyond our ability to help and correct. Along with that we should also remember that God does not intend that we should fix every problem. Let’s take a look at our Psalm for the week from the HCSB, 17:9-15.
9 [Protect me] from the wicked who treat me violently, my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have become hardened; their mouths speak arrogantly.
11 They advance against me; now they surround me. They are determined to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush.
13 Rise up, Lord! Confront him; bring him down. With Your sword, save me from the wicked.
14 With Your hand, Lord, save me from men, from men of the world whose portion is in this life: You fill their bellies with what You have in store; their sons are satisfied, and they leave their surplus to their children.
15 But I will see Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence.
For sure you understand that even though the Lord is with us day by day in every situation of life, doesn’t mean that we are immune to the cares, pestilences, and wickedness of the world. We walk daily in a world of darkness and must face the evils that lurk there, and those that might attack. God is still with us! He is not removed from this world; He is not a deistic ideal off somewhere, but is right with us in this world of treachery.
Another thing you can be sure of is that the enemy of your soul–the devil, will try to surround the believer. He seeks to ambush, not only with physical harm, temptation to the lust of the eyes and flesh, but he will also bring false ideologies to you. People will say try this and try that; here is the answer. Do not listen to his lies. John Howard puts it this way, “Every refuge but Christ is a refuge of lies. My soul, stay thou upon the Rock.”
We must be a realist about life. Don’t get on the pendulum of being a pessimist or optimist, but look at life in truth through the lens of God’s Word. To do that we must be saturated with God and His Word. We must be able to face our problems and when they get so large they overwhelm us we run to the Rock.
Life is full of tension and pressure, but there is that one thing that will come to us all–death. Paul, in the case of the believer, calls it slumber or sleep. When we fall asleep and wake up on the other side in glory we will for sure be “satisfied with Your presence.” Nothing more will matter. Someone put it this way. “When I awake on the other side of death, I shall be saturated with You forever!” What a thought!
“What others value, I resign,
Lord, ’tis enough that thou art mine.
I shall behold thy blessed face
And stand complete in righteousness.”
–Isaac Watts
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This Day in the Texas Revolution: Sam Houston is appointed commander of all Texas forces. Santa Anna holds a council of war with his generals.
Coffee Percs
He went back to the fire, poured another tin cup of coffee and sat sipping it, watching the embers darken and die.”
–Hal Borland (When the Legends Die)
Glad yuh showed up this mornin’, pard. Put some of that Black Gold on to brew. There are some things in life I ponder about. Take this for example: how come Folgers 1850 tastes so much better than their regular brand? If it’s that much better, why haven’t they been sellin’ it instead? Just wonderin’ pard, just wonderin’.
I can remember the many campfires and fires in the hearth. Yuh know the hearth is a symbol of security and well-bein’ for the family. In times gone by families would sit around the hearth telling stories, reading, the women-folk might be sewing, dad sharpenin’ his favorite jackknife. They would also be readin’ of the Bible. In more modern times, the kitchen table sorta took the place of the hearth. Now, I wonder what is the security of the home? Dad’s busy, mom’s busy, all the kids are busy and if they are ever together, they are holdin’ that indispensable phone. I’ve always said that Satan cannot destroy the Church, however, he can wreck havoc on the family and that hinders the work of the Church. Hurt the family–hurt the Church.
Sorry there pard, didn’t mean to get so somber. Let me pour some more of that Black Gold. While I do, think of some of the fires where I’ve sat around. The flames risin’ and flickerin’, the cracklin’ and poppin’ of the wood as the flames consume it. But then, it all comes down to this the fuel is gone and all that is left are the embers which glow especially when a breeze comes but slowly they go out and are but ashes.
Kinda like a life. So while we’re hot and flamin’ we best be doin’ somethin’ with it. We get so involved with “junk” and “stuff” that we seldom really thing about the important things–like the hearth–much less do anything about them. Soon, all too soon, the flames gets lower and before yuh know it all a person can see are the embers of what once was. Oh, they’re hot, and they glow with a breeze, but the flame is gone.
‘Nough of that, let’s finish this pot and get on with the chores of the day. Sure don’t need to be all melancholy now as there’s work to be did and yuh never know what the crazies might be tryin’ to do. Not only do we live and wander in an evil, wicked world, but it’s also sick. So yuh take care and be watchful out there. Don’t be foolish.
For goodness sake, pard, don’t forget to be checkin’ yur cinch.
Echoes From the Campfire
He had loved the smell of lonely campfires, the crisp feeling of awakening on a frosty morning.”
–Louis L’Amour (Heller With A Gun)
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
–Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
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Some of you reading this will surely remember the words to a once popular song.
“Have you ever been lonely;
Have you ever been blue?”
Most everyone, sometime or other, has found themselves in that situation. Perhaps you are there now; or you might be in the near future. Loneliness is a strage phenonmenon. A person can be quite lonely amongst friends and family, in a crowd or at work. There is a type of physical loneliness, but there is a loneliness that is also brought on by an attitude, by the mind. One can be lonely if there are of a mind-set and everyone else there does not think the same way. Loneliness knows no bounds.
It is important when we find ourselves in this situation that God understands loneliness. He understood the feelings of Joseph when his brothers hated him, threw him in a pit, and later sold him into slavery. Joseph was a lonely boy. God understood the loneliness that Moses felt leading a rebellious nation through the deserts. It has been said that “it is lonely at the top.” That’s one reason Paul exhorts us to pray for our leaders. The President, whomever it may be, will have to sit in his office and even in the midst of advisors, he can be a lonely man for all rests on his shoulders.
God understand loneliness. He told Moses that “My presence will go with you.” Then the day came, Moses was to pass on and the mantle of leadership was to fall on Joshua. Perhaps the sense of loneliness was beginning to creep over Joshua. The Lord told him, “I will never fail you or forsake you.”
Read the psalms of David and in them you’ll find where he felt lonely a time or two. I came across the writing and prayer of Army Chaplain Bernard Windmiller. I would tell you to get in a quiet place–get alone–and contemplate what he says.
“You can never move beyond the influence of God’s presence. The psalmist asked, ‘Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?’ There is never a place where God is not! You cannot escape loneliness, but neither can you escape God’s presence. You are never alone!
Prayer: Ever-present God, grant me the peace of your presence. When I walk through the valleys, do not permit the shadows of the heights to lull me in my loneliness, but inspire me to walk through the valleys with this assurance, ‘thou art with me.’ Amen.”
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Today in the Texas Revolution: February 29–Sam Houston arrives at Washington on the Brazos.
March 1–The Convention of 1836; elected delegates convene at Washington on the Brazos. Gonzales volunteers enter the Alamo at 1:00 am.