by Irene Davault

Created on: August 26, 2010

A burly  old sheepherder squatted near his campfire and stuffed more wood chunks into the glowing coals.  It was getting chilly, as the day was lost in the blackness of the night.  From a distance, coyotes were yelping causing the sheep to be restless.

 The old sheepherder made his way over to his sheepherder's wagon to retrieve his shotgun.  Between his sheep dog and himself, there would be a long night of making sure the coyotes did not steal into camp and carry off any sheep.

The sheep were corralled for the night, which made it easier to watch out for any threat.  His dog would remain in the coral with the sheep while he kept the fire going.  The glow from the campfire light made it easy to see movement in the darkness.

A low growl from the dog woke the sheepherder who had been dozing off.  He picked up his gun and aimed it toward a sound coming from the dark.  He squinted trying to locate any movement.  The coyotes had stopped yelping and he thought maybe they were trying to sneak into the pen.

He reached over to chunk more wood onto the campfire, while still peering into the blackness of the night, he saw it.  The bear stood up and let out a growl; the sheep dog charged the bear, barking and biting at the intruder. A shot rang out.  It missed its mark.  The sheepherder had one more shot, he knew he had to make it count or he might not live to see daylight.  His dog kept the bear confused by continually lunging at him.  Then there was a painful squeal as the bear slapped the dog with his paw, throwing him several feet into the air.  The bear then focused in on the old sheepherder.  

The logs on the fire started to blaze casting the light on the bear.  Raising his gun and holding it steady on the bear, the sheepherder waited for the charge.  As the bear approached, the sheepherder gently squeezed the trigger. The bear took another step then fell forward.  He had not missed the bear this time, but just to make sure, he reloaded his shotgun.  He slowly walked over to the lifeless form on the ground.  He  slowly poked the bear with the barrel.

With a sigh of relief, he then went over to his dog.  There was a deep gash on his shoulder but the dog was alive.  The sheep were safe and daylight was a welcome sight for the old sheepherder.

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