With the mud finally hardening the carriage was finally able to make good progress along the creek. Now that I was no longer foot slogging through unfavorable weather I had a better view of things. Ahead I spotted a pair of what appear to be ravens pecking at a very dead fish. As the carriage got too close the 'ravens' took flight. The fish was in a sorry state, looking more like a pile of scales and bones. As I was playing the "am I THAT desperate" game, the stench made my decision for me. 

Munching on the dandelion / licorice grass, I fretted over my situation. While the creek would provide me with more water than I could use, and I have blankets and a tent for shelter, I still have not seen any evidence of intelligent life. At night I am concerned about something sneaking up on me while I sleep, the horses should be fine because of their size. The most I can do is hope fire scares off any unwanted attention, that and to hope it wakes me up with enough time to shoot whatever it is. 

Following the creek is really my only option at this point. Both for the water, but also humans live near sources of water. So it stands to reason that by following the creek down I will eventually find something, be it a lone house, or a village. At this point I would settle for even a road or power line. 

The Henry Rifle never leaves my side. And further investigation reveals what I already know about the saber. The blade and the handle are not properly attached. The cannon is in even worse shape, the rain had gotten into the gun powder and ruined it all. The cartridges for the Henry were full metal so were water proof to an extent. The 70 odd pounds of worthless black powder were weighing the horses down, so I dumped it. The cannon Balls and shot while expensive to replace were not original and so with no powder they too could be scraped. The cannon was kept as it's two wheels were necessary for a stable platform. The fact it was cool had nothing to do with this decision, not at all ok?

That afternoon as night approached I unhitched the horses to rest and graze for the night, as I gathered fire wood and pitched my tent. It was not long before I had a reasonable fire going. As the sun went down I went to sleep.

I awoke during the night and could hear something rummaging through the caisson. Getting up I trip over the rock I was using as a pillow and fall face first. I am blinded as the rifle in my hand is fired from the rough landing. The thief startled by the interruption escapes back into the forest. All I managed to catch was a fleeting glance as its tail disappeared into the trees. That night I slept sitting on the drivers seat, just in case.