TUNNEL HILL - 2 COON-HUNTER

[You're entering a story in process.  You might want to start by reading "Tunnel Hill - 1"] 

Gene Conrad invited me to go coon-hunting with him one Saturday night shortly after I became his pastor.  I've never been much of a hunter of any kind, but this sounded interesting.

He picked me up well after dark.  We actually went down over the hill behind the church with his dogs:  Rock and Sue-Sue.  He had a helmit with a carbide lamp on it and a spotlight.  I was in the dark (in more ways than one).

The dogs took off.  We walked down through the woods, casually talking and getting acquainted.  Then, he heard Rock hit on a trail.  Soon, Sue-Sue added her voice.  Gene started moving quicker.  Branches hit me in the face as I tried to stay up with him. 

Suddenly, he announced, they're treed!  A train was heading up toward Tunnel Hill.  He explained that we had to get across the tracks before the train;  then he took off at a running pace.  I was stumbling and tripping and dealing with swipes from branches.

We leaped across the tracks with the oncoming headlamp of the train bearing down on us!  I felt the strong wind of the train as it rolled by with ear-piercing noise!  Gene seemed to know where to go and quickly kept moving.

Soon, the train entered the tunnel and we could hear again.  We found the dogs trying to climb a big oak tree.  Gene quickly spotted a big coon in the fork of the branches.  A 22-shot rang out and the coon fell, wounded.  The dogs thrashed a bit with it in the creek, until Gene called them off.

He shot the coon, stuffed it in a sack, and we were off for more hunting. 

I went shopping that week for a carbide lamp!