I will only mention this one more time…  And, yes, I know exactly what I am doing here… if the cave mouth has collapsed, then from whence is the light emanating- the light that causes Mark to appear in silhouette?

Toast, Ladies and Gentlemen, Toast.  That’s what they are, unless of course there’s a back door to this thing?  Perhaps they did already have some gear in the cave?  We can only hope…  The bats will probably lead the way- if their main point of access and egress is blocked, then nature will have them find another one… in the words of Ian Malcolm,  “Life, uh…Finds a way.”

For what has become an unofficial National Holiday event, the gravity of which might even cause a faithful Downton Fan to forego a typical, restful, anticipatory Work-week’s eve, Mark is having his arse and eardrums blown off/out by the combined explosive power of a 7-stick dynamite bundle…

But let us flash forward… I assume that the blast will seal shut the cave entrance, leaving all natural light blocked, meaning they should be in pitch black… which means any reference to our hero should be a black panel with a white speech or thought balloon…

And let us not forget the foreshadowing provided by Gabe only a week or so ago… remember he was promising some excitement once the sun went down??  I’m guessing he did not anticipate this kind of excitement…

…if in real life onomatopoeia was a real thing… if you threw a stone in a pond, the word “splash” showed up above the ripples?  The word “Screeeech” followed in a trail behind a car locking up its brakes in an attempt to not rear-end the car in front of it… well, here we have “KABLAM” to consider!

According to wiki, each stick produces 1 MJ (assume mega-joule) of energy, so what we are witnessing is a 7 MJ blast…

Not sure how many sticks were spent in the making of this clip, but it would seem that our fascination with explosives goes way back… and the making of the American West would have been impossible without it…

And I also wonder what risk I am putting myself in googling dynamite and explosion…  I will probably have the authorities knocking on my door wondering what I’m up to…

Older TNT, weeping nitroglycerin, would never stand up to such treatment as to be thrown and bounced along a cave floor…  but such are the resources of the coyote clan. Looks like he’s got more where that came from judging from the bulge in his man-bag…  or is that a “murse??”

Once again, Mark at the helm, recognizing in an instant (not even the classic pause and a “Wht th—?”) he has everyone scatter- away from the 7-stick bundle- enough explosive force to bring down a mountainside let alone close up a cave mouth…

But as sad as it might be for our hero and his friends, I was alerted to the passing of Jack Elrod, who passed the torch to James Allen, after a lifetime spent well in the name of conservation and comic strip adventure writing and drawing.  Once teamed with Ed Dodd starting in 1950, he kept the torch lit from 1978 -2014.  Here’s to you, Jack.  To a life well lived!

Jack Elrod 1925-2016

Like cream that rises to the top, Mark is in Alpha Mode once the chips are down…  but at the same time hoping Ol’ Gabe has a sat phone on his hip… otherwise I doubt whether there’s a tower within range.  But he’s agreeable enough- “OKAY, Mark, I’ll try!” he says…  Carina will be fine without her glasses- they were just a cheap pair of “attitude” glasses from the Dollar Store that she wore to make her look smart.  It’s hard being a woman in a man’s world.   Without them, her features have softened and she has become a more sympathetic character in the James Allen Trailverse…

What I don’t understand is why they feel like the cave is so “safe…”  Like they are 12-year-olds playing a backyard game of “Jailbreak” and they are safely in their own “base…”  The reality is that they are now cornered and trapped with a heavily armed bad guy outside what appears to be the only exit- the way they came in, and they aren’t even aware of the other bit of fun that’s in store…

And in related news, here’s piece written in support of one’s right to keep and bear dynamite… seems to be one of our bedrock principles as a nation…

…why do people feel compelled to start their sentences that way?? Annoying.  Didn’t see the TNT coming.  OK.  Now the strip will begin to play on my fear of enclosed spaces…  Oh boy…  first heights, now this.

No sé quién es ustedes…  But no matter, I have neither heart nor compunction about doing anything in this world.  I have no fear that this will come back on me… I will sleep well tonight knowing that there is no one who will be able to bear witness to my crimes…

Someone must have really messed with Jose at some point n his life.  Sort of like the Bad-ass Cousins in Breaking bad- when Tio started drowning the one to teach the other una lección…

So, (there’s that again…) with Mark and Company about to be sealed in for life, entombed for all time, we are left to wonder how the Hell they get out of this one!?!

Thanks?  That’s what you have to say for yourself, Mark?  Ye of bad fortune and karma… One who brings trouble with him in bushel baskets…

But let’s think about this, Gabe.  This is only slightly better than running around in the open.  Now you are in el Cueve del Muerte, The Cave of the Dead, with an assassin lurking around near the opening- how convenient- you all can be shot down, and stuffed in the cave where over time your bones will be mistaken for ceremonial offerings from your forebears.  Other that modern day accouterments that can be traced to the men’s clothing section of the LL Bean catalogue, no one would be any the wiser…

Funny- spell check likes the word ‘catalog’ better, but ‘catalogue’ is acceptable…  huh- I always throw the ‘ue’ on the end, just like Dan Quayle wanted to throw an ‘e’ on the end of ‘Potato…’

Is that like the bottomless pasta bowl at Olive Garden?  Endless Salad and Bread sticks followed by copious amounts of Tiramisu?  One thing this story line has revealed to me is how much YouTube time is spent burning through Ammo!  But it also shows me that a single clip, even a high capacity one, only lasts a number of seconds… and unless Jose has an ox-cart full of spare clips and extra rounds, he’ll run out at some point… What that video clip also shows is that the AK is not a sharpshooter’s weapon of choice, as the seemingly experienced shooter is only landing on his target about 3% of the time…

So as Mark and his new Posse high-tail it into the cave, we are left to wonder how they are (seemingly so far) avoiding injury.  Carina seems to be the fast one, followed by Gabe’s fat arse (sort of like a fullback blocking for the star running back…) with Mark taking up the slack, pushing them into the cave.  Note the clenched fist in panel one- clearly a reflex reaction to danger, stemming from the amygdala, which triggers a neural response in the hypothalamus. The initial reaction is followed by activation of the pituitary gland and secretion of the hormone ACTH.  The adrenal gland is activated almost simultaneously and releases the neurotransmitter epinephrine. The release of chemical messengers results in the production of the hormone cortisol, which increases blood pressure, blood sugar, and suppresses the immune system.  The ‘fight or flight’ response.  I’d flee too if I were them… Thanks Wiki… I have recently taken to supporting the Wikimedia Foundation, given the fact that I refer to its offerings on a daily basis…

So… what?  Jose disables their ride and is going to what? Take them hostage?  That’s inconvenient.  And I forgot that Gabe had named his jeep… Diablo?  As in Diablo Cody, former stripper and screenwriter of Juno fame?

And I’m sorry… an AK-47 fired does not produce a flame… this love affair with automatic weapons fire and the inaccurate portrayal of same is becoming tiresome…

But there’s always the opportunity to learn… see the note below from Faithful Reader Dan:

Almost all weapons fired at night will show flame coming out of the barrel as the explosion caused by the gunpowder needs some place to go. Here is a video of an AK-47 fired at night —https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDzKyJZFUmM

Thanks, Dan!

I will probably live my entire life and never know what it’s like to be in the sights of another’s gun…  For Mark Trail, this happens every time he leaves Lost Forest, and there have been times he hasn’t even left home!!  Is this a pitch for “no gun, no fun,” or a long running screed on the virtues of gun control?  Tell you what, Mark, I’d get your carry permit before you head out on another “adventure…”  The fact that you remain a soft target prone to walking into harm’s way, you’d better figure out how to protect yourself… and the people unlucky enough to have invited you to their party…

…and why do I have the Instant Classic “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People running through my head??  “You better run, better run, outrun my gun…”

Yyeaaah… they “spotted” you, Jose- 300 yards away, and in the dark- clearly they could ID you with no problem… Looks like you’re just looking for an excuse to shoot someone…

So hopefully Gabe knows what it means to actually get way from a threat…  thinking about how Mark missed his chance to power-boat his way out of the danger zone in a recent story line, it’s a good thing that Gabe is going to be piloting their ride.

Doesn’t mater where you go, I guess, or what noble pursuits you might have in mind, you are going to run into people that are bent on evil… But I suppose it’s always been that way- part of the human condition.  Why, even mild mannered Chiropterologists, freeloading Nature Writers and “handsome” assistants can find themselves in harm’s way simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time…

Hungh?  Is that a reflection off of Mark’s binoculars?  Going to go “silence” them?  A rather extreme reaction, I’d say, Jose… and what’s in the bag?  Gotta love his belt buckle, though- the skull screams bad-guy.  Coupled with his skinny jeans, vest and form fitting t-shirt over his lean torso with the Popeye forearms, and you’ve got yourself one mean-ass hombre!

“Stop referring to me in the third person!  She, She, She… yup, ‘She’ wasn’t kidding…” And what Carina could see with her normal, corrected to 20-20 vision Mark requires binoculars.  But wait- I thought we were already across the border…  Pretty sure we established that we are now in Texas, at the northeastern tip of the Chihuahuan Desert… and with sufficient foreshadowing, the random 4-legged coyote yowling for no apparent reason… we should not be surprised by the introduction of these coyotes!

Love the hand-bag in panel two… as Jose and Jefe direct their “cargo” into another conveyance… this is so Breaking Bad – only this time with people, not buckets of chicken slop hiding bags of meth…

No way he’s getting in the middle of these two!!  Gabe, don’t be so patronizing!  While you have had your nose stuck in journals about bats and caves, Carina is actually up on all the current news- and the fact that there is a steady stream of undocumented aliens flowing north…  “So yea, dumbass… when I say Coyotes I mean w!”

Of course I’m not sure what had her running in fear… what exactly did she see?  A panel truck? Does the truck have a sign on it? One of those big 3M style murals with pictures of huddles masses on the side?

So put down that wagging finger, Gabe, and listen for once!!

In her moment of fight or flight, and clearly she’s fleeing, Carina reverts to formalities, not a minute after she announces to ‘Gabe’ that she will be fetching and toting instruments stowed in her car.  Wait- Her car?? I thought Gabe and Carina had driven out to the desert together in the jeep?   Presumably his jeep since he’s el Profesor, and she’s el Asistente…

Love the hand gesture in panel 2 – as if there’s another woman named Carina on premises…  “uh, yea, that one, over my right shoulder.”  And so she flees, cortisol driving her athletic legs toward what?  Oh, I know, those rocks dead ahead of her.  She’s sure to trip and fall- that’s what women do in the Trailverse…  But wait- coyotes?  What kind of coyotes?  I can only assume the four legged variety- canis latrans – Or is it Jose and Jefe to whom she refers??

Ha!  I knew it!  (forgive the smugness, boys and girls…)

Merchandise… such a grand euphemism for desperate human beings…  On a serious note, what is up with a world that is probably seeing the greatest level of voluntary, bordering on forced, migration in the history of the planet?  Consider, though, our planet’s population- approaching what?  7.4 billion?  And the United States has a lousy 322 million or 4.6% of that?  And Canada’s population of 35 million (less than California)? No wonder people are (literally) killing themselves to get here… How about for the elbow room, if nothing else?  And with world climate changing, man-made or otherwise, the breadbasket is going to move north anyway…  the United States and all of North America continues to be seen as a land of opportunity.  Who are we to judge these two “bad guys” who merely represent links in the supply chain?  Providers of a service?    Of course we now know that Jose and Jefe are Coyotaje or “Coyotes” in the current day situation that seems to (?) encourage (??) this enterprise… Boy it’s hard to stay neutral on this one…

But it’s clear that these guys are not running Carnival Cruise excursion here…  between the sinister sneer in panel 1, the 8-cell Maglight beam being shined in the faces of the “cargo” in panel three, and an ominous CLATCH sound heralding the unveiling, this is getting pretty intense!!

Exactly what business are you referring to Jose?  Oh the suspense is killing me.  Not really, but hey, we have to make this as exciting as we can…  And this still doesn’t make any sense- Jose seems to be the mastermind behind all this- defining the business model, calling the shots, handing out Bundles of Benjamins…  Jefe appears to be all in, but nonetheless along for the ride.  Jefe in Spanish means boss, el Queso Grande, the Big Cheese… Jose might as well be, well, Joe… as in Average Joe…

Do they switch trucks now?  Does Jose head south with an empty cargo box while Jefe is left to run the gauntlet with Customs and the Border Patrol?  Encounter a bunch of Angry Texans fixing to sue the Gub-mint over immigration policies?   I know I am getting ahead of myself here, so I guess we will just have to wait…

Jose doesn’t image that “they” will run into any trouble that far out in the middle of nowhere?  Who’s the we, Kemosabe?  You and your gun?  You and your cargo?  Look at that assault weapon- AK-47?  Extra large magazine?  Holy Crap.  We learned yesterday that El Chapo, Mexican Drug Kingpin and subject of Sean Penn’s interview, held in his arsenal weapons that could be tied to the United States ATF  Fast and Furious sting operation that allowed weapons to fall into the hands of bad guys who subsequently killed American agents…

Boy… the mind races with this one.  Let’s hope (or not) that Mark doesn’t cross paths with this Bandito…

That has to be it!!  No give-aways here…  that panel truck must be filled with a cargo full of hope and desperation…  Well, if that’s the case, then this is worse than, better than, more interesting than poaching and smuggling exotic birds!  And note how, in the title, the English language and all its silly rules and exceptions to pronunciation force us to place a ‘k’ after the ‘c’ in the word trafficking…  that’s one word that will never look quite right, but looks and sounds even worse without it!

I wonder though, what defines poaching?  Taking game out of season?  If so, what is the season, in Wisconsin, for this critter?  And what, I wonder, is the penalty for not only poaching, but humiliating what’s been poached??

Found this beauty at the Petenwell Pub in Adams County, WI!  I wonder who had the good taste to put a hat on her and have her post sentry over the bar?  Best Pizza in town, everyone!!

The look on their faces in panel two is funny- along with their gestures- as in, “What the Hell, man, we were just introducing ourselves…  So chill out, General Franco, you’re not the boss of me…”  Well, maybe he is the boss of Carina, but he certainly can’t take that tone with Mark.  And what’s he pulling out of the bag?  a picture frame??

The look in the last panel- what are we going for here?  Mischievous?  Certainly not evil, since ‘Gabe’ has already been vouched for… But in the Old Trail, we would recognize all the markers of a bad guy- least of which is not the facial hair.  Recall that Mark has none- at least I can’t remember him ever sporting any stubble, not even when kidnapped and dragged out into the wilderness against his will…

After a stunning weekend in the Dairy State and an extra day added to the weekend, I am doing my morning routine at night, which will make this already shortened work week seem even more disjointed…  and the dialogue today doesn’t help that feeling of disorientation…   I don’t know that the objective of research is to go to a specific place, one that is farthest from the city, but rather the place is found that will support the research…  whatever.

Let’s get a move on here, guys… enough with the set-up already…