I HEARD
THIS LOUD SCREAM AND THE HAIR ON THE BACK OF MY NECK STOOD
UP. I WAS ON A SMALL PLATFORM 15 FEET IN THE AIR BUILT IN THE
BRANCHES OF A GIANT OAK TREE ON THE BANK OF THE BRAZOS RIVER.
THE TIME WAS 9:00 PM AND THE FULL MOON HAD JUST COME UP. I
HAD A SMALL GOAT TIED TO A TREE 50 YARDS FROM WHERE I SAT
WAITING FOR THE MOUNTAIN LION TO COME. THE GOAT HAD BEEN
BLEATING OFF AND ON FOR AN HOUR. AFTER THE LION SCREAMED HE
WAS VERY STILL. I PICKED UP MY SAKO 30-06 RIFLE AND STARTED
LOOKING AROUND FOR THE LION. I THOUGH I HEARD SOMETHING
BEHIND ME AND TURNED AROUND TO LOOK. THE MOON WAS SO BRIGHT
YOU COULD SEE EVERYTHING. I WATCHED FOR A MINUTE AND DIDN’T
SEE ANY THING SO I TURNED BACK TO WATCH THE GOAT. HE WAS
GONE!
LOYD AND
JANICE, MY VERY CLOSE FRIENDS, HAD BOUGHT 175 ACRES OF LAND ON
THE BRAZOS RIVER CLOSE TO GLEN ROSE, TEXAS. THE LAND WAS
UNDEVELOPED AND HAD A LOT OF THICK CEDAR BREAKS ALONG THE
RIVER. SOME OF THE LAND HAD LIVE OAKS AND OTHER TREES AND
WAS A LITTLE MORE OPEN. BUT ALL OF IT WAS GROWN UP WITH BRUSH
AND UNDER GROWTH. THEY WERE GOING TO BUILD THEIR HOME ON A
BLUFF OVER LOOKING THE RIVER. WHEN THEY STARTED CONSTRUCTION
ON THEIR HOUSE THEY BOUGHT AND TURNED LOOSE 50 SPANISH GOATS
ON THEIR LAND TO HELP CONTROL THE BRUSH. AS THE HOUSE NEARED
COMPLETION THEY NOTICED THEIR GOAT HERD WAS GETTING SMALLER
EACH DAY. LOYD WALKED UP A DRY SANDY CREEK BED THAT RAN FROM
THE RIVER BACK INTO THE CEDAR BREAKS ONE DAY AND FOUND THE
TRACKS OF A MOUNTAIN LION. THEN THEY REALIZED WHY THEIR GOAT
HERD WAS GETTING SMALLER.
THEY HIRED
A GOVERNMENT TRAPPER TO COME TRAP THE MOUNTAIN LION SO THEY
WOULD STOP LOOSING THEIR GOATS. THE TRAPPER CAME OUT TO THEIR
PLACE AND SET SOME STEEL LEG TRAPS WHERE THE TRACKS HAD BEEN
FOUND. ON THE SECOND DAY HE FOUND ONE OF HIS TRAPS HAD DONE
IT’S JOB. IT WAS TRIPPED AND IN IT WAS A MOUNTAIN LION FOOT!
NO LION, JUST HIS FOOT. THE LION HAD CHEWED HIS LEG OFF JUST
ABOVE THE TRAPS JAWS AND HAD ESCAPED. THE TRAPPER TOLD LOYD
AND JANICE THAT HE PROBABLY WOULD BLEED TO DEATH AND THEIR
LION TROUBLES WERE OVER. FOR TWO WEEKS THEY WATCHED AND
WAITED. NO MORE LOST GOATS AND NO MORE TRACKS, SO THEY BOUGHT
50 MORE GOATS.
AS TIME
WENT BY THEIR HOUSE WAS FINISHED AND THEY MOVED IN. THEN ONE
DAY, LATE IN THE EVENING, AS LOYD AND JANICE WERE WALKING
ALONG THE RIVER THEY HEARD THE LOUD SCREAM OF A MOUNTAIN
LION. IT WAS NOT FAR AHEAD OF THEM, SO THEY TURNED BACK AND
BEAT A HASTY RETREAT TO THEIR HOUSE. THEY TALKED ABOUT THE
LION THAT NIGHT, WONDERING IF IT WAS POSSIBLE IT COULD BE THE
SAME LION. THEY DECIDED IT COULDN’T BE, BECAUSE THE TRAPPER
TOLD THEM THE OTHER LION WOULD BLEED TO DEATH AFTER CHEWING
HIS FOOT OFF LIKE THAT. BUT KNOWING HOW LIONS LIKED GOATS FOR
DINNER THEY CALLED THE TRAPPER AND ASKED HIM TO COME BACK,
THEY HAD ANOTHER LION ON THEIR PROPERTY.
THE TRAPPER
COULD NOT COME THAT WEEK, BUT SAID HE WOULD BE THERE THE NEXT
MONDAY. THEY NOTICED THAT THEIR GOAT HERD WAS GETTING SMALLER
AGAIN, AND HOPED IT WOULDN’T TAKE THE TRAPPER LONG TO CATCH
THIS LION. SURE ENOUGH THE TRAPPER SHOWED UP ON MONDAY. HE
WENT DOWN TO THE DRY CREAK BED WHERE HE HAD TRAPPED THE OTHER
LION AND SET HIS TRAPS. FIVE DAYS WENT BY AND NONE OF THE
TRAPS HAD BEEN VISITED BY THE LION. NONE OF THE BAIT HAD BEEN
BOTHERED, BUT GOATS CONTINUED TO DISAPPEAR. HE FINALLY KILLED
ONE OF THE GOATS AND USED IT FOR BAIT IN HIS TRAPS. THE LION
STILL DIDN’T COME NEAR HIS TRAPS. ON THE 6TH DAY
ABOUT 6:00 O’CLOCK IN THE EVENING, AS HE WAS GOING DOWN TO
CHECK HIS TRAPS HE HEARD SOMETHING BEHIND HIM IN THE BRUSH.
AT FIRST HE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST SOME OF THE GOATS. THEN HE
REALIZED IT WAS FOLLOWING ALONG BEHIND HIM. HE COULD HEAR
IT’S FOOT STEPS ON THE HARD CALICHE, SLAP SLAP, PLOP,-SLAP,
SLAP, PLOP.
HE HAD
NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE AND IT SHOOK HIM UP. HE
COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING THROUGH THE DENSE CEDAR, BUT HE COULD
HEAR THIS SLAP, SLAP, PLOP. HE DECIDED IT WAS TO LATE IN THE
EVENING TO CHECK HIS TRAPS AND GET BACK TO THE HOUSE WHERE HIS
PICKUP WAS WAITING. SO HE TURNED AROUND AND WENT BACK TO THE
HOUSE. WHEN HE GOT THERE JANICE WAS SITTING OUT ON THE PATIO
OVER LOOKING THE RIVER. SHE ASKED HIM IF ANY OF HIS TRAPS HAD
BEEN TRIPPED. “NO,” HE SAID BUT HE WOULD CHECK THEM AGAIN IN
THE MORNING. HE GOT IN HIS PICKUP AND LEFT. JUST AS HE WAS
DRIVING OFF JANICE HEARD THE SCREAM OF A MOUNTAIN LION DOWN ON
THE RIVER JUST BELOW THE HOUSE. SHE WENT IN THE HOUSE AND
LOCKED THE DOOR BEHIND HER.
THE NEXT
MORNING ABOUT 10:00 O’CLOCK THE TRAPPER SHOWED UP TO CHECK HIS
TRAPS. THIS TIME HE CARRIED A RIFLE WITH HIM. JANICE THOUGHT
THIS WAS STRANGE, BECAUSE BEFORE ALL HE EVER CARRIED WAS HIS
PISTOL ON HIS BELT. SHE SAW HIM GO DOWN THE BLUFF TO THE
TRAIL ALONG THE EDGE OF THE RIVER AND WATCHED AS LONG AS SHE
COULD SEE HIM. ABOUT AN HOUR LATER SHE HEARD A SHOT AND
THOUGHT TO HERSELF, THAT TAKES CARE OF THAT LION. NOW OUR
GOATS WILL BE SAFE. SHE WENT ABOUT HER DAILY ROUTINE OF
CLEANING, MAKING TELEPHONE CALLS AND PLANNING MEALS.
ABOUT 5:30
LOYD GOT HOME FROM WORK AND WHEN HE CAME IN THE HOUSE HE SAID,
“I SEE THE TRAPPER IS HERE.” JANINE LOOKED OUT THE BACK
WINDOW AND SAW THE TRAPPER’S PICKUP WAS STILL THERE. SHE WAS
SURPRISED THAT IT WAS STILL THERE. SHE TOLD LOYD THAT THE
TRAPPER HAD COME AT 10:00 THAT MORNING. SHE HAD WATCHED HIM
WALK DOWN THE BLUFF CARRYING A RIFLE. A WHILE LATER SHE HAD
HEARD A SHOT AND HAD SUPPOSED HE HAD SHOT THE LION. SHE
FIGURED IT WAS IN ONE OF HIS TRAPS AND HE HAD SHOT IT. SHE
HAD BEEN BUSY AND HADN’T THOUGHT ABOUT IT SINCE.
LOYD
THOUGHT THEY BETTER GO DOWN AND CHECK ON THE TRAPPER. SO LOYD
AND JANICE WALKED DOWN THE BLUFF TO THE TRAIL ALONG THE RIVER
AND STARTED FOLLOWING IT TO WHERE THE TRAPPER HAD SET HIS
TRAPS. WHEN THEY CAME TO THE DRY CREEK BED THEY SAW THE
TRAPPERS FOOT PRINTS IN THE SAND. AS THEY WALKED UP THE CREEK
BED THEY FOUND SOME DIFFERENT TRACKS. THEY WERE THE TRACKS OF
A MOUNTAIN LION. BUT THEY WERE DIFFERENT. THEY ONLY SHOWED
THREE FEET INSTEAD OF FOUR. LOYD SAID “MY GOD JANICE, DO YOU
THINK THAT THESE COULD BE THE TRACKS OF THAT LION THAT WAS IN
THE TRAP AND CHEWED HIS FOOT OFF TO ESCAPE?” “BUT THE GAME
WARDEN SAID THAT THE LION WOULD BLEED TO DEATH.” JANICE SAID.
NOW THEY
WERE BOTH SPOOKED. THEY FOLLOWED THE TRACKS OF THE TRAPPER
AND THE LION FOR A FEW MORE YARDS AND SAW THE TRAPPERS RIFLE
LAYING ON THE GROUND. LOYD PICKED IT UP AND OPENED THE BOLT.
AN EMPTY SHELL JUMPED OUT AND FELL TO THE GROUND. “THAT WAS
THE SHOT YOU HEARD” LOYD SAID. “BUT WHERE IS THE TRAPPER?
JANICE ASKED. “I DON’T KNOW BUT I DON’T LIKE THIS, WE’RE
GOING BACK.” LOYD SAID AS HE GRABBED JANICE BY THE ARM AND
STARTED BACK TO THE RIVER. WHEN THEY GOT TO THE RIVER THEY
ALL BUT RAN BACK TO THE HOUSE. LOYD CALLED THE SHERIFF AND
TOLD HIM WHAT THEY HAD FOUND, THE TRACKS AND THE RIFLE. THE
SHERIFF SAID HE WOULD CALL THE GAME WARDEN AND THEY WOULD BE
RIGHT OUT.
THEY GOT
THERE JUST AT DARK AND LOYD TOOK THEM DOWN TO WHERE HE AND
JANICE HAD FOUND THE RIFLE. HE SHOWED THEM THE TRACKS OF THE
THREE FOOTED LION AND THE TRAPPERS TRACKS. JUST PAST WHERE
THE RIFLE HAD BEEN LYING THE SAND WAS ALL TORN UP AND TRACKS
WERE IMPOSSIBLE TO READ. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF THE TRAPPER OR
THE LION AFTER THIS POINT. THE SHERIFF SAID THERE WAS NO WAY
THEY COULD FIND ANYTHING IN THIS THICK CEDAR BRUSH IN THE
DARK. THEY WOULD COME BACK IN THE MORNING WITH A SEARCH PARTY
AND COMB THE AREA. AS THEY STARTED BACK TO THE HOUSE, THEY
WERE STOPPED IN THEIR TRACKS BY THE SCREAM OF A MOUNTAIN
LION. IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS VERY CLOSE. THE SHERIFF AND THE
GAME WARDEN DREW THEIR PISTOLS AND THEY HURRIED ALONG THE
TRAIL TO THE HOUSE.
WHEN THEY
GOT TO THE HOUSE, ALL THREE OF THEM WERE AS PALE AS GHOST.
JANICE HAD A POT OF COFFEE ON AND ASKED IF THEY WOULD LIKE
SOME. ALL THREE SAID, “YES!” JANICE HAD HEARD THE LION
SCREAM AND ASKED IF THEY HAD SEEN IT. SHE ALSO ASKED IF THEY
HAD FOUND THE TRAPPER. THE SHERIFF SAID THEY HADN’T FOUND THE
TRAPPER OR SEEN THE LION, BUT WHEN THE LION SCREAMED, HE HAD
BEEN VERY CLOSE BEHIND THEM. JANICE NOTICED THAT THE
SHERIFF’S HANDS WERE SHAKING AS HE DRANK HIS COFFEE. AS THEY
LEFT THEY TOLD LOYD AND JANICE THEY WOULD BE AT HERE FIRST
LIGHT WITH A LARGE SEARCH PARTY.
AT DAY
LIGHT THE NEXT MORNING THE CARS AND PICKUPS STARTED ARRIVING.
ALL TOGETHER THERE WERE ABOUT 30 GUYS AND SOME OF THEM HAD
THEIR HUNTING DOGS WITH THEM. ALL OF THEM CARRIED RIFLES.
THE SHERIFF LED THE WAY DOWN TO THE DRY CREEK BED WHERE THE
TRACKS WERE AND HE TOLD ONE OF THE MEN WITH DOGS TO PUT HIS
DOGS ON THE TRAIL. THE DOGS STARTED SNIFFING THE GROUND AND
GOT THE SCENT OF THE LION RIGHT AWAY. HE TURNED HIS DOGS
LOOSE AND THEY STRUCK OUT THROUGH THE CEDAR TREES. THE
SHERIFF TOLD FIVE OF THE MEN TO GO ALONG THE RIVER IN CASE THE
LION TRIED TO CROSS THE RIVER. HE SENT TEN OF THE MEN BACK UP
THE BLUFF SO THEY COULD WATCH THE ROAD COMING INTO THE HOUSE,
IN CASE THE LION WENT THAT WAY. THE REST OF THE MEN AND DOGS
SCATTERED OUT AND STARTED FOLLOWING THE HOUNDS THAT WERE ON
THE LION’S SCENT. AFTER TRAVELING SOME DISTANCE THROUGH THE
CEDARS THE DOGS CAME OUT ON A HIGH BLUFF ABOVE THE RIVER.
THEN THE DOGS STOPPED AND STARTED MILLING AROUND IN
CONFUSION. THEY HAD LOST THE SCENT AND THE GROUND WAS HARD
CALICHE SO THERE WERE NO TRACKS TO BE SEEN. THE SHERIFF
WANDERED IF THE LION HAD JUMPED OFF THE CLIFF INTO THE WATER.
HE COULDN’T SEE ANY OTHER WAY FOR HIM TO HAVE GONE.
HE SENT THE
MEN BACK TO THE HOUSE AND CALLED OFF THE HUNT FOR THE LION.
BUT THEY STILL HAD NOT FOUND THE TRAPPER. THE DOGS HAD NOT
FOUND ANYTHING THAT WOULD TELL HIM WHERE THE TRAPPER MIGHT
BE. THEY HAD PRETTY WELL COVERED ALL THE CEDAR BREAKS AND ALL
ALONG THE RIVER. HE DIDN’T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO LOOK. BY THIS
TIME IT WAS GETTING CLOSE TO NOON, SO HE SENT THE MEN BACK TO
TOWN. HE ASKED THE GAME WARDEN IF HE HAD ANY IDEAS. THE GAME
WARDEN SAID HE WOULD CALL AND GET THEIR SMALL PLANE TO FLY
OVER THE AREA AND SEE IF ANYTHING COULD BE SEEN FROM THE AIR.
LATE THAT
AFTER NOON THE SHERIFF AND THE GAME WARDEN MET IN THE
SHERIFF’S OFFICE TO DISCUSS WHAT TO DO NEXT. THE PILOT OF THE
PLANE HAD SAID HE COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING THAT MIGHT GIVE THEM
A CLUE AS TO WHERE THE TRAPPER WAS. “THE ONLY WAY THAT LION
COULD HAVE GOT OFF THAT CLIFF WAS TO JUMP INTO THE RIVER.”
THE SHERIFF SAID. “BUT THAT’S AGAINST EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER
HEARD ABOUT LIONS.” THE GAME WARDEN ANSWERED. “HE SHOULD HAVE
TURNED AND FOUGHT THE DOGS.” THEY BOTH SAT THERE, LOST IN
THEIR OWN THOUGHTS, UNTIL THE SHERIFF FINALLY SAID THEY MIGHT
AS WELL GO HOME. THERE WAS NOT ANYTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO
TODAY.
AS THE DAYS
WENT BY LOYD AND JANICE STARTED MISSING GOATS AGAIN. JANICE
KNEW THAT I DID SOME VARMINT HUNTING BY CALLING THEM WITH A
CALL. WE HAD BEEN FRIENDS FOR A LOT OF YEARS AND I HAD TOLD
THEM OF MY HOBBY. SHE DIDN’T KNOW IF I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN
TRYING TO CALL A MOUNTAIN LION OR NOT BUT SHE TELEPHONED ME
AND TOLD ME WHAT WAS GOING ON. SHE SAID, “LOREN WOULD YOU
COME DOWN AND SEE IF YOU CAN HELP US?” I SAID SURE I WOULD
COME DOWN AND GIVE IT A TRY. I HAD NEVER CALLED A MOUNTAIN
LION BUT IT COULDN’T BE MUCH DIFFERENT THEN CALLING BOB CATS
OR OTHER VARMINTS. THE NEXT DAY I DROVE DOWN TO GLEN ROSE,
WHICH WAS ABOUT 90 MILES FROM MY HOME AND WENT OUT TO LOYD AND
JANICE’S HOUSE. WHEN I GOT THERE LOYD WAS AT WORK AND JANICE
TOOK ME DOWN THE BLUFF AND ALONG THE RIVER TO WHERE THE DRY
CREEK BED CAME OUT OF THE CEDARS. IT HAD RAINED IN THE NIGHT
AND HAD WASHED OUT ANY TRACKS THAT WERE IN THE SAND. WE
WALKED UP THE CREEK BED A LITTLE WAYS LOOKING FOR A GOOD PLACE
FOR ME TO SIT WHILE I CALLED. FINALLY WE DECIDED THAT IF I
CLIMBED UP A LARGE OAK TREE ON THE BANK OF THE CREEK BED I
COULD SEE DOWN INTO THE BED AND FOR A SHORT DISTANCE ALONG THE
BANK. I DIDN’T WANT TO BE ON THE GROUND WITH A MOUNTAIN LION
IN SUCH TIGHT QUARTERS. NOT THAT I WAS SCARED, YOU
UNDERSTAND, I JUST DON’T LIKE NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE VERY FAR
WHEN I’M CALLING VARMINTS.
WE WENT
BACK TO THE HOUSE AND HAD LUNCH. AFTER LUNCH, I LAID DOWN AND
TOOK A NAP. I DIDN’T KNOW HOW LONG I MIGHT BE IN THAT TREE
THAT NIGHT. WHEN LOYD GOT HOME WE ATE A SANDWICH AND I WENT
DOWN TO THE OAK TREE AND CLIMBED UP TO A BIG LIMB ABOUT 15
FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. I HAD MY 30-06 AND MY CALL AND A THREE
CELL FLASHLIGHT. I SAT THERE FOR 30 MINUTES LETTING
EVERYTHING GET QUITE. JUST AT SUN DOWN I STARTED CALLING. I
WAS BLOWING AN INJURED RABBIT CALL. IT IS SUPPOSE TO SOUND
LIKE A RABBIT THAT IS INJURED OR TRAPPED. IT IS A SQUEALING
SOUND. I BLEW A SHORT SERIES OF SQUEALS AND LISTENED FOR A
WHILE. THEN I BLEW ANOTHER SERIES OF SQUEALS AND WATCHED FOR
ANY MOVEMENT AND LISTENED FOR ANY SOUND. I DIDN’T SEE OR HEAR
ANYTHING. THEN JUST AS IT WAS GETTING DARK, I HEARD A LOUD
SCREAM THAT SOUNDED LIKE IT CAME FROM RIGHT UNDER ME. IT
SCARED ME SO BAD THAT I ALMOST FELL OUT OF THE TREE. I
GRABBED MY RIFLE AND STARTED LOOKING ALL AROUND THE TRUNK OF
THE TREE. BUT I COULDN’T SEE ANY THING.
I SAT THERE
FOR A FEW MINUTES AND DIDN’T SEE OR HEAR ANYTHING ELSE. THAT
SCREAM HAD SO UNNERVED ME, I DECIDED I WOULD GIVE UP THE
CALLING FOR TONIGHT. I CLIMBED DOWN OUT OF THE TREE AND WITH
VERY NERVOUS STEPS STARTED BACK TO THE HOUSE. WHEN I GOT TO
THE PATH ALONG THE RIVER I COULD HEAR FOOT STEPS IN THE SAND
FOLLOWING ME. SLAP-SLAP-PLOP, SLAP-SLAP-PLOP. I KEPT
SHINING THE LIGHT BACK ALONG THE PATH BUT I COULDN’T SEE
ANYTHING. BY THIS TIME I WAS BACKING UP ALONG THE PATH
KEEPING MY RIFLE POINTED BACK TOWARD THE SOUND OF THE FOOT
STEPS. SLAP-SLAP-PLOP, SLAP-SLAP-PLOP. THE HAIR ON THE BACK
OF MY NECK WAS STANDING UP AND MY HANDS WERE SHAKING SO BAD I
COULDN’T HOLD THE LIGHT STILL. ALL OF A SUDDEN I TRIPPED OVER
SOME THING AND THE LIGHT FELL OUT OF MY HAND. THE LIGHT WENT
OUT AS IT HIT THE GROUND AND LEFT ME IN THE DARK.
SLAP-SLAP-PLOP, SLAP-SLAP-PLOP. I POINTED MY RIFLE AT THE
SOUND AND PULLED THE TRIGGER. THE NOISE OF THE 30-06 WAS
DEAFENING. AS THE ECHO OF THE SHOT FADED AWAY I LAY THERE ON
THE GROUND LISTENING. EVERYTHING WAS QUITE. I FELT AROUND ON
THE GROUND AND FOUND MY FLASHLIGHT, BUT IT WOULD NOT COME ON.
I GOT UP AND MADE IT BACK TO THE HOUSE WITHOUT FURTHER
INCIDENT.
WHEN I GOT
BACK TO THE HOUSE, LOYD ASKED ME IF I HAD SHOT THE LION.
“NO,” I SAID, “I MISSED.” THAT’S ALL I WANTED TO SAY ABOUT MY
EXPERIENCE. I SAT DOWN AT THE KITCHEN TABLE AND JANICE PUT A
CUP OF COFFEE IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I DIDN’T DARE PICK IT UP AS
BAD AS MY HANDS WERE SHAKING. WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT TO DO
NEXT. I SAID THAT IF I BUILT A SMALL PLATFORM IN THE BIG OAK
TREE, I COULD SIT ON IT TO CALL AND IF I HAD TO, I COULD SPEND
THE NIGHT ON IT. LOYD SAID “YOU LOOK A LITTLE PALE AROUND THE
GILLS. ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?” I FINALLY HAD TO TELL THEM ABOUT
MY RUN-IN WITH THE LION. WHEN I TOLD THEM ABOUT HEARING THE
LION’S FOOT STEPS AND HOW THEY SOUNDED (SLAP-SLAP-PLOP), THEY
SAID THEY HAD HEARD THEM. THEY HAD DECIDED THAT THE LION’S
FOOT STEPS SOUNDED LIKE THAT BECAUSE HE ONLY HAD THREE FEET.
THE MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS THE MORE I’M INCLINED TO AGREE
WITH THEM.
THE NEXT
MORNING WAS A SATURDAY SO LOYD DIDN’T HAVE TO GO TO WORK. HE
AND I TOOK SOME BOARDS AND BUILT A PLATFORM IN THE OAK TREE I
HAD SAT IN LAST NIGHT. ABOUT 30 MINUTES BEFORE SUNDOWN I TOOK
MY RIFLE, CALLS, A FLASH LIGHT AND A JUG OF WATER AND WENT TO
THE PLATFORM. I SETTLED IN FOR A LONG STAY. THE MOON WAS
ALMOST FULL AND I THOUGHT IF I WAITED UNTIL IT GOT DARK AND
THE MOON CAME UP THE LION MIGHT COME TO THE CALL BETTER. I
SAT THERE LISTENING TO ALL THE EVENING SOUNDS. THE BIRDS WERE
SINGING THEIR LAST SONGS BEFORE GOING TO BED. SOMEWHERE
ACROSS THE RIVER I COULD HEAR A DOG BARKING. I SAW TWO DUCKS
COME WINGING IN OVER THE RIVER AND SETTLE DOWN ON THE WATER.
THEN A SQUIRREL BARKED AT ME. I FIGURED I WAS PROBABLY IN HIS
TREE AND HE WAS UNHAPPY ABOUT THAT, BUT HE WOULD JUST HAVE TO
FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO SPEND THE NIGHT. OFF IN THE DISTANCE
UP TOWARD THE HOUSE I COULD HEAR A GOAT ONCE IN A WHILE. I
THOUGHT, IT SURE IS PEACEFUL OUT HERE. LOYD AND JANICE HAVE
REALLY FOUND THEM A NICE PLACE.
WELL IT WAS
TIME TO SHATTER THAT PEACE, SO I BLEW ON MY CALL. IF YOU HAVE
NEVER HEARD A VARMINT CALL, IT IS WEIRD. LOTS OF PEOPLE DON’T
LIKE THE SOUND. BUT IT CALLS IN ALL KINDS OF VARMINTS THAT
WOULD EAT A RABBIT. I WOULD CALL FOR A FEW TIMES AND THEN
STOP AND LISTEN AND WATCH. AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR OF THIS I QUIT
CALLING AND JUST SAT THERE ON THE PLATFORM. I THOUGHT I WOULD
WAIT FOR AN HOUR AND THEN TRY CALLING AGAIN. ABOUT TEN
MINUTES HAD GONE BY WHEN I HEARD IT. SLAP-SLAP-PLOP,
SLAP-SLAP-PLOP. THE SOUND WAS RIGHT UNDER THE TREE. I
GRABBED MY RIFLE AND LOOKED OVER THE EDGE OF THE PLATFORM. I
COULDN’T SEE ANYTHING BUT I COULD STILL HEAR THOSE FOOT
STEPS. I SHINED THE FLASHLIGHT DOWN ON THE GROUND WHERE THE
SOUND HAD COME FROM BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THERE. THE SOUND HAD
STOPPED. I TURNED AND SHINED THE LIGHT ALL AROUND THE TREE
TRUNK. NOTHING. AT LEAST HE WASN’T CLIMBING THE TREE TO GET
TO ME. I COULDN’T UNDERSTAND HOW THE SOUND OF THOSE FOOT
STEPS COULD HAVE BEEN SO CLOSE AND STILL I COULDN’T SEE HIM.
I LEANED BACK AGAINST THE TREE TRUNK AND NOTICED HOW HARD I
WAS BREATHING. THIS WASN’T GOING TO BE AS EASY AS I HAD FIRST
THOUGHT. I’M TALKING ABOUT SPENDING THE NIGHT ON THIS
PLATFORM, NOT CALLING THE LION. IT WAS GOING TO BE A LONG
NIGHT, BUT I’M SURE NOT GOING TO CLIMB DOWN OUT OF THIS TREE
UNTIL DAYLIGHT.
ALONG ABOUT
MID-NIGHT I HEARD THE LION SCREAM UP BY THE HOUSE. THEN THE
GOATS STARTED BLEATING IN PANIC. WELL THERE GOES ANOTHER
GOAT, I THOUGHT. NOW THAT HE HAS HIS GOAT TO EAT, I WONDERED
IF I COULD CLIMB DOWN OUT OF THE TREE AND MAKE IT BACK TO THE
HOUSE. NO, BETTER TO BE SAFE THEN SORRY, I THOUGHT. I’LL
JUST SPEND THE NIGHT UP HERE. I WAS TO KEYED UP TO SLEEP ANY
SO I JUST SAT THERE UNTIL MORNING. IT WAS A LONG NIGHT, AND
THOSE BOARDS SURE GOT HARD. BUT I STAYED THERE UNTIL THE SUN
HAD BEEN UP FOR AN HOUR BEFORE I CLIMBED DOWN.
AS I
STARTED WALKING BACK DOWN THE CREEK BED I COULD SEE THE TRACKS
OF THE LION WHERE HE HAD COME UP FROM THE RIVER THE NIGHT
BEFORE. AS I WALKED BACK TO THE HOUSE, I WONDERED IF HE COULD
BE SPENDING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
RIVER. AFTER ALL, THERE WAS A LOT OF CEDAR BRAKES OVER THERE
ALSO. BY THE TIME I GOT BACK TO THE HOUSE, I HAD COME UP
WITH AN IDEA THAT MIGHT GIVE ME A CHANCE TO SHOOT THE LION.
I TOLD LOYD AND JANICE MY IDEA AND THEY AGREED TO IT.
THE NEXT
EVENING AN HOUR BEFORE SUNDOWN I WENT BACK DOWN TO THE BIG OAK
TREE WITH THE PLATFORM. THIS TIME I WAS LEADING A YOUNG GOAT
ON A ROPE. I PLANNED TO STAKE HIM OUT CLOSE TO THE TREE AND
TRY TO CALL THE LION IN TO HIM. AS WE GOT TO THE DRY CREEK
BED WHERE THE LION TRACKS WERE THE GOAT STARTED BLEATING AND
PULLING ON THE ROPE. I GUESS HE COULD SMELL THE LION AND HE
DIDN’T WANT TO GO ANYWHERE NEAR THAT SMELL. I TIED THE GOAT
TO A SMALL TREE ABOUT 50 YARDS FROM THE OAK TREE, THEN CLIMBED
UP TO THE PLATFORM. THE GOAT KEPT BLEATING AND FIGHTING THE
ROPE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS JUST AS GOOD AS ME BLOWING ON THE
CALL, SO I JUST SAT THERE AND WATCHED FOR THE LION.
NOTHING WAS
STIRRING AND FINALLY THE GOAT SETTLED DOWN. HE WOULD BLEAT
EVERY SO OFTEN BUT NOT LIKE HE HAD BEEN AT FIRST. IT GOT DARK
AND THE MOON CAME UP. IT WAS FULL TONIGHT AND YOU COULD SEE
ALMOST AS WELL AS DAYLIGHT. I SAT THERE WATCHING AND
WAITING. I WAS STRUNG AS TIGHT AS A BOW STRING. MY NERVES
WERE A WRECK AFTER THE LAST TWO DAYS. WITH EVERY LITTLE
SOUND, I JUMPED. THEN ABOUT 9:00, I HEARD THE LION SCREAM.
I ALL MOST JUMPED OUT OF MY SKIN. IT MOST HAVE SCARED THE
GOAT ALSO BECAUSE HE BECAME VERY QUITE. I PICKED UP MY RIFLE
AND WAS READY FOR A SHOT. I KEPT LOOKING DOWN THE CREAK BED
WHERE THE SCREAM HAD COME FROM. I GLANCED AT THE GOAT AND HE
WAS LOOKING DOWN THE CREAK BED ALSO. THEN I THOUGHT I HEARD
SOMETHING BEHIND ME, AND TURNED AROUND AND LOOKED BEHIND THE
TREE. I COULDN’T SEE ANYTHING AND I TURNED BACK TO LOOK AT
THE GOAT. HE WAS GONE! HE HADN’T MADE A SOUND AND I
HADN’T HEARD ANYTHING, BUT HE WAS GONE!
NOW I’M NOT
SUPERSTITIOUS BUT A THREE LEGGED LION THAT SCREAMS, LEAVES
TRACKS, STEALS GOATS AND NOBODY CAN SEE HIM HAS GOT THE BEST
OF ME. COME SUN UP I WENT BACK UP THE BLUFF AND INSTEAD OF
GOING IN THE HOUSE I GOT IN MY PICKUP AND WENT HOME. I CALLED
LOYD THAT EVENING AND TOLD HIM I WASN’T COMING BACK. HE WAS
JUST GOING TO HAVE TO GET SOMEONE ELSE TO KILL HIS LION.
WELL THAT
WAS THREE MONTHS AGO AND ALL OF THE GOATS ARE GONE. THE LION
STILL COMES EACH NIGHT AND SCREAMS LOUD ENOUGH FOR LOYD AND
JANICE TO HEAR HIM. BUT THEY DON’T GO OUTSIDE AFTER DARK
ANYMORE. NOTHING WAS EVER FOUND OF THE TRAPPER AND HE WAS
LISTED AS MISSING AND PRESUMED DEAD. LOYD AND JANICE’S DREAM
HOUSE HAS TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE HOUSE.
THE END
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