As boys, Jim and George Judson, in the dark of night, occasionally could hear people behaving as pirates as they crossed the stream in john boats. They dock up on the bank of their father's chicken farm.They heard chatting between them and other noises in the distance. The boys looked out their window to see about the noises. It was thieves loading the boats with chickens that they were stealing from their father.They also could see the silhouettes of their boats sometimes. That was when the moon was just right and full. Then they heard their father fire a rifle at that silhouette.Their father found several of the sunken boats the morning after they tried to steal his chickens. He also retrieved some of the birds that the would be pirates were forced to leave behind in the sunken boat.They spent much of the time between harvest and spring planting mostly fishing or hunting. He also repaired and then resold the john boats that he sunk at the time of the harvest.Years later, Jim Judson, was a farmer with out faith and he was getting hungry enough to stop and eat a meal at the diner. Jim ate most of his meals there. The diner owner, Calvin, was a black man. He was his brother George's friend all through school and middle aged in Village, Virginia.It was the beginning of hunting season for him even though it was not yet legal. Besides, it was his last chance to shoot birds that were soon flying south.He thought about the birds all week, those other than chickens. As he worked at growing chickens, he also looked up in trees for birds. He saw a bird that he wanted in the trees. So he kept his eyes on it. He picked up his rifle and took aim at it while outside the first chicken house from his home.Then an armed stranger came out of the trees rushing toward him. The man held his rifle on him. Then he yelled. "Judson, I'm the game-warden. You put that gun down.""You think you're going to steal my birds at gun point!""Your birds. You know better than to say that. It's out of season and you're poaching. You're also doing it without this year's hunting license.""It's my property!"Jim Judson heard enough from this man he thought of as a trespasser. He still held his rifle. He just changed his aim pointing it at him. The stranger got rattled not expecting a gun fight with him. Then he yelled at him. "Judson, what are you doing?""Get off my farm! Get out of here now, scamp! You should be chasing those squatters out of the woods across the stream.""I'm concerned with the animals and not people in the woods.""Well, your useless for not chasing them!""What? You're not the law. So put down that rifle."Judson raised his rifle like he was taking aim at him. The game-warden froze there for a moment saying to him. "Don't you dare take aim at me!" and put his rifle down."You'll be jailed for trespassing!"Leo heard the gunshot from the back yard of his house. He had an idea where it happened. He knew that Jim Judson never hesitated to fire on game and trespassers. He took a guess that he took a shot at something or someone.He also called the sheriff about what he heard from his house. A deputy told his that someone called in the shooting and he said nothing more than that.Judson, the game-warden and Leo all heard the sirens of the emergency vehicles in the distance. Leo went outside and had no sure idea where they were going. Then Jim Judson was arrested for taking an illegal shot.Calvin visited him in jail while was bailing out of there. "How come you can't give up a watermelon to thieves if it keeps you out of this place?""My father and I had a strained relationship until he passed away decades ago. I'm not sure if he died angry either.""I suppose he finally forgave you," Jim was never sure of that.The judge, Jim's late father's friend, threw the shooting case against him out of court, freeing him. Jim was without faith until he was saved from death by a teen-aged boy.