The Scout
It’s been raining for two days. Not a down pour or cold, just a steady drizzle. I went to sleep with the sound of rain falling on the tarp over my head.
Before night fall I had camped on a brush covered knoll in the middle what once was farm land. Three hundred and sixty field of view for a good mile in all directions. My escape route was just behind me. A drainage ditch that I could crawl to unseen. Of course the ditch would also be a good way for someone to sneak up on me, that’s why I had placed my last two Rat traps there. Trip wire tied to the cheese trip plate. Any pull on the trip wire would release the spring arm and instead of catching a rat the spring arm would strike a twelve gauge shotgun shell. A very loud and effective alarm system. Most folks I know need a change of underwear when surprised by a close shotgun blast. A Dakota fire hole had kept my fire from being seen and the rain covered any smoke. Now that I was dry I decided tomorrow it would be a good day to stay put and out of the rain.