Chapter 17
….. a noise just off to the side of me and as I turned toward the sound, I could see something that looked very large in the shadows just below the tree line. I slowly folded up the letter and map and placed it back inside the satchel then stood up trying to be as quiet as possible. My eyes were focused on the dark spot and I wasn't about to take my eyes off of it either. I stood there for a few minutes and then shouted, " Who is there? " When I did that, I saw it move but no one said anything back. I hollered back again, “Hello there!” “I am not here to mess with any of your things.” “I think I'm lost and am trying to figure out where I am." Again, the shadow moved but didn't say anything. My eyes focused harder and the more I looked at it the more I could see the shape better. I took a few steps closer and when I did, I heard the sound of a horse. I stepped closer and closer but moving cautiously because I wasn't sure if it was a horse or if it's owner was with. As I got closer the horse shook its head up and down and then stepped closer toward me. It was as if it knew me or at least it wasn't scared. I held out my hand and it walked right up to me and put his nose in the palm of my hand. He had a halter on but no brace or bit in its mouth. I grabbed the reins and then walked him closer to the camp. When I did that I could see it had a saddle with a couple bags tied on the back part of the saddle. I stood there looking back into the shadows of the woods thinking all along that soon whoever owned the horse, and this camp site would be coming back. I must have waited a good twenty minutes, but no one came so I started to take a closer look at the horse and what he was carrying. The horse was a grayish color with spots of black mixed throughout its body. I was thinking when it gets light out, I bet he’s a beauty. then I made my way to the bags that were tied on the saddle. I untied one of them and pulled it off the horse and set it on the ground, then did the same to the other one. As I did that the horse looked back at me and I almost felt like it was wondering what I was doing. I chuckled and then gave it a pat on its back side and said, " Don't worry I'm not going to steal anything. I knelt and untied the first pack and opened it up and looked inside. I could see there were some smaller leather bags inside of the bigger one, so I reached in and took one out and opened it up to see what was in it. As I reached inside, I could feel something soft like baby powder or something and when I pulled my hand out of the bag it was white. Not knowing what it was I put it up to my nose and then stuck my tongue and tasted it. I wasn't one hundred percent sure, but I think it was flour. That's when my mind jumped back to the letter I had read. I remember reading that she had asked for James to bring back flour. Could this be what this was? Is this his horse? Did he maybe fall off or get hurt and was laying somewhere? My mind was…………
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