Securing the Gate Bolt

I pushed open the zinc lantern door and stepped down onto the packed pea gravel. At the base of the wooden fence post, a heavy galvanized slide bolt was wedged half an inch short of its iron receiver bracket. A dry hemlock twig and compacted grit were blocking the lower track. I unslung my rifle, setting it down flat across a dry slate chip. Bracing my boots against the grooved timber for leverage, I gripped the bolt's cylindrical handle with both hands and pushed horizontally. The metal scraped past the obstruction with a crisp slide, clicking squarely into the keeper notch. The perimeter barrier is fully rigid now.