*AWAY BACK!
===========
The storm had trapped the Mt. Men high up in shine'n beaver country...
It forced them to hole up higher than everbefore.
They were trying to make for the low winter camp and had to
cross the Great Divide thru a saddle between High barren peaks..
But the winter storm caught them in it's grip and they floundered in the
snow... over the top and just down to a patch of scranny pine and rocky
ryolite...
And there they picketed the horses and pack mules and made a improvised
shelter from canvas and Buffler hide robes...
There were three of 'em...on the exposed Mt. side..
Two Old timers and a Youngbuck.
>From the waxed "paniair" packs they pulled "chips" for start'n a "Buffalo
fire" ...and added what fuel they could find from "squaw wood" limbs and
twisted logs under the snow... Humble do'ns but *Good 'nuff.
The wind HOWl'd! like a wolf on the hunt.... and the Blizzard was on.
Night set in and the men huddled under the robes.. choke'n from the
smoke...and list'n to the snow and ice as it piled up...
A little beat-up kettle came out of a pack and someone made water
from the frozen snow... some coffee beans were thrown in and then
some jerky was passed around... As the kettled heated a man pulled out
some mexican choc.. and added it.. and another passed some striped candy
from summer's rendezvou trades...
"Tuff luck gett'n stuck here this time this place!" said one...
"Yah know I don' put much stock in dates but I figger it must be purrty
close to Christmas back in the settlements..." said ah nuther..
"My faith tells me it don't matter where or when we celebrate the Saviors
Birth!" replyed the third.
The men went quiet for a while... and the youngbuck spoke:
"seems we are purty poverty struck for Christmas cheer, be'ns as
we are about to freeze..."
The men looked at each other...and knew the truth of that word.
*It would be a long COLD night....
"Well, Jesus didn't have much plunder or fix'ns at the mangerbirth I
figger and it must have been real cold there too for they wraped him
in some kind of robe..."
*SUDDENLY! The wind stoped! and with it the snow started to fall straight
down in big fluffy flakes... It piled up real good! *Insolating the
shelter where the men huddled with a foot or more of fresh powder... and
then the snow stoped!
The men looked out and the sky cleared... and STARS CAME OUT SO CLOSE...
IT WAS LIKE THEY COULD TOUCH 'EM! The Moon was full and lit the snow scape
like day! The Men could see the shape of the great divide and all that
went below was laid out like a map...
"I ain't never been this high-up in my life!"
"Yeppers! we is up where ANGELS MAY LAND!"
They looked up and the stars had "bolts of Light" shooting out of 'em
like sparkles on the water in summer...and everything just showed white!
*a soft nudge came from the old mule that stood by it's companion and
reconized the Trapper...brrrrah..
"Merry Christmas 'ole girl"
....and the man returned to the shelter where the joy of Fellowship and
Communion of SPIRIT made the night a special night, ......a Silent Night!
Merry Christmas Rangernet!
--------------------------
-=A=-
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
__
--> A No.1<-- // \ , ,,
:#===::===========###:
*Ad Dare Sevire* \\___/ ''
[EMAIL PROTECTED] "Royal Rangers...A Lifetime Adventure!"
Duane Wheeler * Portland,Oregon * Jesus is Lord!
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
_______
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Eat the hay & spit out the sticks! - A#1's mule" RTKB&G4JC!
http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
