Harry laughed as he and Silas also found boulders to sit on. “I imagine it was quiet here.” He looked at Silas. “Do you still think it would be a good tourist attraction?”
“I’m not sure,” Silas said slowly. “Obie came here to get away from everything. Do we have the right to reveal his secret to a bunch of gawking tourists?”
“We should see what’s inside first,” Harry said. “Remember, Bertie said he planned to document his life as a hermit. Maybe he left instructions on what he wanted done if it was found.” He put the remains of his lunch in his knapsack and stood up.
The leather hinges protested, but didn’t break, as Harry slowly pushed the door open. It opened into a room about four feet wide that appeared to have been used for wood storage. An axe and an old bucksaw hung on the wall beside the window. Opposite the window, another door led into the other side of the dwelling. Harry pushed it open and they stepped inside.
“Almost as big as your trailer, Joe,” Harry said.
“Bigger.” Joe shone his light towards the back. Obie had dug back far enough to add four feet to the main room, and covered the dirt walls with small logs. There was another door in the centre of this space. On each side of the door was a narrow log platform with several wooden kegs. Split-log shelves were attached to the wall up over this. The shelves held some enamel dishes, cutlery, metal teapot, kettle and assorted utensils.
Harry walked towards it, with his flashlight on. “Storage,” he said. “The kegs might have held any number of things.” The remains of a bed frame made with logs and rope, still holding some partial blankets, was situated in front of the shelves on the entrance side.
Beneath the windows was a small table with a split log top, and a junk from a large tree that served as a seat. In the corner, between the table and the fireplace was a chair made from a whiskey barrel.
“How did he get that up here?” Silas asked
The stone hearth in front of the fireplace held a cooking pot and ladle, a second pot – probably for heating water, and a large enamel pan.
A chest made from logs, notched & tied together, lid attached with leather hinges, stood in front of the shelves opposite the foot of the bed. Harry opened it and found a Bible, other religious books, Shakespeare, Dickens and other classics, plus a number of dog-eared journals.
Harry carefully put the journals in a plastic bag and secured them in his knapsack. “We’ll take these with us. Now, let’s see what’s behind door number three.” He went to the door at the back, pulled it open and shone his flashlight into the darkness. “Looks like a tunnel,” he said.
“I wonder where it goes,” Silas said.
“A way out?” Joe suggested.
“Maybe,” Harry replied. “Let’s see where it goes.”
“I’ll go,” Joe was already through the door. “I’m faster.”
