between cakes of ice
on the west river.
dogs chased the buck to the water
and it tried crossing the ice jam
but it fell
into a narrow break
between the cakes of ice.
constable johnson came.
we got hold of the buck and
pulled it up
out of the crevice. lord that thing was big.
the buck was too cold to move at first.
it stood on the ice
staring at us. finally
it scrambled to its feet
gave a jump
and plunged back into the same dang hole we just pulled it from.
constable johnson and i hauled it out again.
this time
the buck stayed clear,
beat it across the ice
stopping on the far bank
taking one last look
before it bounded away through the woods.
it snorted once.
you could hear the echo all through the valley.