| George hooked one of the better fish which meant it was sure to be bigger as well. He was careful to get what turned out to be a flathead that would have weighed in at five or six pounds, back into shore. Jess quickly cleaned the fish and gave a portion of the fish’s liver to George for bait. Next came a slightly smaller channel cat which Jess gutted and then he stuck the rest of the fish on a stick and then placed it over the fire by sticking one end of the stick into the mud and then angling the thing so it was over the fire. George had another channel cat on the line by the time the one over the fire was ready to eat. The two men took time to eat the fish they had cooked. Toward the end of their meal they began to hear the knocks that sounded like wood whacking against wood. Then came the sound of limbs or perhaps whole smaller trees being broken in half. That odd, indistinguishable chatter could again be heard. George and Jess both figured their location was no longer a secret so they built up the fire and grabbed their flashlights to see if they were going to work. Finally some luck. Both flashlights were again working. Both men put their flashlights inside the extra plastic bags carried in their kits. Then they wrapped the rubber bands around them to keep the water out. They would be waterproof just in case they had to go back into the water. It was just one time of many where they made wise choices with their few available supplies that likely kept them from dying. When they were finished eating, Jess returned the boot laces to his friend. next page |  |