The Lookout

Bruce suggested that we needed a lookout, to watch for enemy ships.We hadn’t seen much activity other than when we were in Border City, but Bruce had a point. If someone were keeping an eye on the sky and had some way to warn the group so they could seek shelter that would be worth the effort.The decision was to either build a blind in a tree, or have someone positioned at the top of the escarpment.In the end, we voted for a blind to be built at the top of the rock face.Anyone sitting in the chosen location could see for miles to the south to the west and to the north.The east would be obscured by a forest and there was little we could or wanted to do about that.

Because the weather was turning colder, we needed to make sure the person would be warm as they sat watching the sky.Digging into the rock was out of the question, and there were no large rock slabs such as were common at the bottom, so we cut down some trees, debarked and notched them and made a small log cabin.The walls were such that one could easily see over them from a sitting position and corner posts supported the roof that was set about three feet above the top of the walls.The entire upper portion of the building, from the walls up, was covered in Plexiglas. This gave the observer an unobscured view of the skies while at the same time protecting him or her from the wind.We felt that the heft of the building alone would probably keep it in place, but just to be sure, managed to drive a couple of bolts into cracks in the rock to anchor it more securely.

We had the power and the wire, but we needed a reliable system to convey the signal to the others below.This we found in an old school house.We hung what had been either a fire alarm or recess bell outside, about eight feet off the ground, on the rock face.Just in case someone at ground level saw something first, we put another switch within easy reach below.

Getting to the site was another issue.It had been discussed that we should build a ladder to extend to the top.Knowing that I would not climb such a ladder resulted in laughter and the decision not to build one.It would have been a gargantuan project anyway.To solve the problem, we decided that whoever worked on the top would just drive around.Up until this time, we had driven up and then walked the distance, about three quarters of a mile, out to the ledge.We would now clear a road and pick up a four wheel drive vehicle from town. This would provide a safe method of getting to work.

In case of an emergency, we placed a strong rope at the top tied off securely so that the person or person in the hut could shimmy down the rope to the bottom in a hurry if necessary.

The problem of keeping warm in the observation hut was soon solved by Bruce, who allowed Tammy to accompany him when he was on the job.He was also willing to take this job on almost permanently.  Knowing the importance of being vigilant, I was sure that Bruce didn't lose sight of his responsibility.While two can create more body heat than one, something important in that little building, Bruce was not about to be killed while sleeping or rather being otherwise occupied on the job.  He had one goal that he never lost sight of, revenge for his family’s murder and he would not allow anyone, even someone willing to provide for his personal pleasure to keep him from his task. It is amazing how a person’s hatred can bring so much restraint and focus to one’s actions.

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