There was movement in the brush alongside the creek and I had left my rifle in camp. I reached down to ready my pistol when a tan blur jumped from the bush. I started to draw my pistol, but it hit me before I could get it out. Knocking me backward, the pan flying in one direction landing on some rocks making a racket. But then…that was it. I looked to see what had happened. It was a cougar, but I guess he decided that I wasn’t going to be that tasty a meal. Reckon I surprised him, and he jumped at me then took off up the side of the slope.
I breathed a deep sigh, then said, “Thank you, Lord! You have definitely delivered me from the lion.” It was then I felt a pain in the top of my left arm. I looked at my shoulder, saw the jacket was ripped and there was a small stream of blood. A few inches to the right and it could have been my face, or worse, my neck. To look at the arm better I needed to get back to the fire for better light. It was then I remembered to find my little pan.
Picking it up, I thought that maybe it was the sound of that pan hitting the rocks that scared off the lion. Then I chuckled, who was I kidding? It was the Lord for sure. I hadn’t had an encounter with Him for quite a spell. Of course, I hadn’t been out by myself in the wilderness very often either. I remembered the times in my life that He appeared at my campsite, giving me comfort and direction. There was that one time when I found a can of salve left from one of the encounters with him. I sure wish I had some of that now as my arm was beginning to hurt.
Arriving back at camp, I fed several small branches into the small fire to build it up. I pulled off my jacket so I could look at my arm. There was a slight gash with blood seeping from it. Nothing serious, in fact my shirt and jacket probably saved it from being much worse. “Need to be more careful, Miles,” came the voice. I jumped, looked around. Nobody was there. “You know better than to be that careless in the woods…”
There was no one there, but the voice, I had definitely heard it. I smiled, He was there all the time. “Yes, Lord,” I said in a whisper for some reason. “I know better, and I’ll be more careful.” There was no reply.
I picked up my rifle, and the empty pan as I had forgotten to put water in it, and headed back to the stream. Several minutes later I had the pan on the fire and water was boiling. Soon I would have a cup of coffee to get the morning started on a better note than it had been. But then, I thought, it had started on a good note. There was the hand of the Lord on me as He protected me. What could be a better start to the day?
As I was sipping on the coffee and waiting for the rest of the chicken to heat, I thought that every day the Lord is with me to start it off. I just don’t often recognize that He is there. After eating, I went to the stream to wash as much blood from my jacket as I could. Molly would be able to mend it when I got home.
I had a small bait of oats which I gave Star as I saddled him. When he was ready to go, I let him finish eating while I had a final cup of coffee then put out the fire. It was time to be on down the road. I was hoping that today I would catch up with Martin. I wasn’t hankering to be out too long on this trip.
Star was moving at an easy lope, and it was moving close to noon when I came over a little rise to be greeted by the sight of buzzards flying overhead. I stopped to see if I could spot something that they were sighting in on. I wished I had brought my field glasses, but I didn’t even think about packing them. I just wasn’t used to being on the trail, and was a little lax.
I rode Star down the hillside, walking him while I pulled the Greener from my scabbard. That was one thing I hadn’t forgotten. I normally travelled with a rifle and the shotgun. In my line of work, it pays to be well-armed. There were several large boulders ahead which I saw would be a good place for an ambush. While I wasn’t expecting one from Martin, I still rode slowly into those rocks. Renegade Apaches was on my mind.
To my right I saw a buzzard on the ground coming from between two large boulders. I halted Star, dismounted and walked toward the bird. I waved the Greener and he squaked but flew away. Slowly I crept through the opening. At first glance I saw where there had been a fire, then to my chagrin I could see the birds feasting on…