Coal Black (Book 5)

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

A Rain of Blessings

The dawn brought dark gloomy skies with a persistent chilly driving rain. Ethan donned Trapper's leather coat for protection. He rolled up the sleeves and buttoned up the extra-large jacket. Dauber and Nunez wore their dusters with their cowboy hats pulled down on their foreheads to protect from the rain.

The men helped Ethan pack the animals and wrangle them for the ride home. He placed Carl Jensen's mare in the lead. Dolly had proven herself to be a sturdy horse on the deer paths. After the lead horse was John Bartholomew's mare. They laid his body across the saddle, wrapped in the tarp from the campsite.

His work horse, Bart, was next with the rolled tarp of bear meat. They secured the wolf skins on either side of the meat bundle. Next was his saddle horse Sergeant with the bear hide across the saddle and secured to the leather straps with rope. He knew the stallion could handle the weight. Finally, Trapper's mule was packed with the supplies from the camp. Ethan secured the tarp over the supplies.

The cold rain had doused the fire coals, and the early morning dim showed the carnage of carcasses on the shoreline of the shallow river. The three men mounted their horses and left the camp with Nunez riding west down the river followed by Dauber, and then Ethan pulling his wrangle behind him single file. They breathed a sigh of relief as they rode away from the valley toward the outcropping.

Ethan pointed out the caves to the men as they looked up into the dark sky. Nunez continued to follow the path towards the next river. When they reached the bridge crossing, the men knew it was time to part ways.

"It has been quite an evening, Mr. Taylor. One I shouldn't likely to forget," said Nunez.

"Thanks for your help. I enjoyed the company and the extra protection."

"If you decide to send any extra carved horses, I have got a friend, John Webster, who runs a leather store. If he sells them, I'll send you the money," said Dauber.

"Might take you up on that offer. Nice meeting both of you. Safe travels."

Dauber and Nunez led their horse down the river to the west in search of the prisoners. They rode the shoreline into the northwest rain, looking for a trail to the ridge and into the woods for protection. With this rain, the trail would be lost, and they knew in their minds they would eventually turn south to head back to Redwood to protect the town and wait for news.

Ethan turned his horse to the east and began the journey home through the rain. The driving rain was at his back and side. The river valley would have provided more protection, but with this many animals, he needed to stay below the ridge and avoided the woods. He rode east through open fields, hoping to find a wagon road.

When they reached a grove of trees, Ethan dismounted and grabbed his rifle. He led the horses through the large maple trees. It gave the travelers some reprieve from the pounding rain as they walked in silence through the extensive grove. As they approached the edge of the grove, several large toms let out a series of gobbles that sent the hens scurrying into the open field.

Ethan stopped and secured Dolly to a low handing branch. He stepped forward to the edge of the grove and hid behind a large maple tree. He checked his gun and then stepped out in the open, taking aim at the biggest of the male toms. His first shot brought down the enormous bird. When he reached the turkey, he drew his knife and slit the throat. The blood drained out as he carried it back to the horses.