PacNorWest
Veteran Member
#38
The frightening silence after the three volley shot, had frightened people swallowing hard and breathing deep. "Dear God in heaven, I never want to experience that again." Donna shivered hard and held her arms around herself.
"Not too likely," Chester tried to comfort her with a clumsy pat on the shoulder. "Not many loose lions in this part of the country."
"Not so sir, that man had a tiger in a cage," Andy reminded the couple. "The best we can do is backtrack tomorrow and shoot the animal. We can't leave it to starve, nor can we turn it loose to terrorize anyone else." Andy called the grownup decision in his very best confident voice.
"Oh Chester, another one, what are we going to do? I can't take another fright like this." Donna was sobbing, leaning against the wagon bed.
"It has to be killed Ma'am," Donny explained quietly. "It's an animal not natural to this country, so it will depend on easy prey; like stock, horses and people. We don't know if Cecil trained the tiger to his extortion scheme, if so, it is doubly dangerous."
"You will shoot it?" Donna anxiously pleaded, "Your not just saying that you will and then ride away?"
"We recognize the potential danger, we have people traveling in the area and are determined to make sure they are safe. Yes,...we will definitely shoot the tiger. This Cecil guy, we will bury him in the morning, and the lion, I'm all for leaving him right in his tracks. I guess we could use a team to pull the carcass away from the camp tonight, what would you have us do?"
"Oh yes, get it out of here," Donna pleaded without even looking for Chester's agreement. "I feel absolutely scared silly by all this."
In order to get their horses to go anywhere near the lion carcass, Andy and Donny had to tie their flannel shirts over the horses eyes and noses. Snorty and jumpy nervous to be in such close proximality to a hated predator, it took both boys to handle the frightened animals.
Both horses strained to start the mass of lion, pulling the bleeding hulk out into the darkness. Chester walked beside the boys, holding a burning branch so they could see what they were doing. Leaving the lion, the three walked silently back into camp, finding Donna covering Cecil's body with a scrap hunk of tarp.
"I don't want to look at that jerk," Donna decreed with sharp pointed looks at the returning three men. Wisely, Andy and Donny nodded yes; and Chester went to help.
Seamus's wagon bumped and jarred as the team trotted hard, the three boys inside rubbed their hinders where they slapped against the board floor. "I'm gonna stand up," Calvin declared forcefully. "My seat bones are getting a punishment I don't fancy."
"Mr. Jerry said we were heading for some water. When he was running his horse down here, we didn't get to look around much; so we don't know where the water might be," Punky imparted his information to Calvin.
"No matter," Calvin soothed, I 'spect we'll get there when we get there. Is it a really big fire?"
"It went as far as we could see from one side to the other," Max broke in to say, "scary." he said definitely."
"I 'spect you are right," Calvin said wisely.
The frightening silence after the three volley shot, had frightened people swallowing hard and breathing deep. "Dear God in heaven, I never want to experience that again." Donna shivered hard and held her arms around herself.
"Not too likely," Chester tried to comfort her with a clumsy pat on the shoulder. "Not many loose lions in this part of the country."
"Not so sir, that man had a tiger in a cage," Andy reminded the couple. "The best we can do is backtrack tomorrow and shoot the animal. We can't leave it to starve, nor can we turn it loose to terrorize anyone else." Andy called the grownup decision in his very best confident voice.
"Oh Chester, another one, what are we going to do? I can't take another fright like this." Donna was sobbing, leaning against the wagon bed.
"It has to be killed Ma'am," Donny explained quietly. "It's an animal not natural to this country, so it will depend on easy prey; like stock, horses and people. We don't know if Cecil trained the tiger to his extortion scheme, if so, it is doubly dangerous."
"You will shoot it?" Donna anxiously pleaded, "Your not just saying that you will and then ride away?"
"We recognize the potential danger, we have people traveling in the area and are determined to make sure they are safe. Yes,...we will definitely shoot the tiger. This Cecil guy, we will bury him in the morning, and the lion, I'm all for leaving him right in his tracks. I guess we could use a team to pull the carcass away from the camp tonight, what would you have us do?"
"Oh yes, get it out of here," Donna pleaded without even looking for Chester's agreement. "I feel absolutely scared silly by all this."
In order to get their horses to go anywhere near the lion carcass, Andy and Donny had to tie their flannel shirts over the horses eyes and noses. Snorty and jumpy nervous to be in such close proximality to a hated predator, it took both boys to handle the frightened animals.
Both horses strained to start the mass of lion, pulling the bleeding hulk out into the darkness. Chester walked beside the boys, holding a burning branch so they could see what they were doing. Leaving the lion, the three walked silently back into camp, finding Donna covering Cecil's body with a scrap hunk of tarp.
"I don't want to look at that jerk," Donna decreed with sharp pointed looks at the returning three men. Wisely, Andy and Donny nodded yes; and Chester went to help.
Seamus's wagon bumped and jarred as the team trotted hard, the three boys inside rubbed their hinders where they slapped against the board floor. "I'm gonna stand up," Calvin declared forcefully. "My seat bones are getting a punishment I don't fancy."
"Mr. Jerry said we were heading for some water. When he was running his horse down here, we didn't get to look around much; so we don't know where the water might be," Punky imparted his information to Calvin.
"No matter," Calvin soothed, I 'spect we'll get there when we get there. Is it a really big fire?"
"It went as far as we could see from one side to the other," Max broke in to say, "scary." he said definitely."
"I 'spect you are right," Calvin said wisely.
