Wagons Ho The Early YearsChapter 16
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After supper, I told Millie and Tess about my conversation with John. As I predicted, both of them thought he had done the right thing.
April 17, 1845
We started out following the Big Nemaha River today and we'd follow it almost to its headwaters. Ab said we'd cross over to the West Fork of the Big Blue river at that point. Ab and I talked it over and decided to only shoot for ten or twelve miles for the day.
I also met my first plains Indian today. I was probably seven or eight miles ahead of the wagon train and was by myself. The country was of rolling hills and I had just come to the top of one when I saw four Indians riding toward me, not two hundred feet away. I think they were as surprised to see me as I was to see them.
The leader of the group rode right up to me and we exchanged greetings in sign language. He said they were from the Oto and I told him I was Cherokee. He asked what I was doing here, so I told him I was the scout for a wagon train of whites that were going through to the big waters far to the west.
He didn't seem thrilled that we were going through the Oto territory, but I didn't detect any hostility either. All in all I didn't feel badly about my first encounter with these people.
Before he left, he told me that there was a good camping site four of five miles ahead and said it was okay for us to camp there for the night.
If I thought Ab had a hundred questions when I rode back to the wagon train to tell him about meeting the Indians, Millie and Tess had a thousand. Most of the questions from all of them boiled down to "Did the Indians seem friendly" and "Did I think they were a threat."
I told them that I honestly didn't know, but that I didn't think they were going to be a problem. Ab thought we should be especially watchful that night and I agreed.
We ended up camping at the spot that the Indians suggested. It was a very nice camping spot and we didn't see anything of the natives.
April 18, 1845
It would have been nice to have slept in this morning, but there was no way I could do it. Then I had an argument with Millie and Tess. They wanted to go scouting with me, but I refused. I had no idea how Indians would react to white women being out riding with a scout and I wasn't about to find out the hard way.
Actually, today we wouldn't have really needed to scout our route anyway. We were moving through rolling, grassy hills all day. We made eighteen miles.
The girls were over their mad by the time I rejoined the wagons. They rode one on each side of me as if they were trying to make up. Of course I let them.
Supper was great, then afterwards, Millie surprised me with a peach cobbler. Both girls kept touching me as we ate and they suggested we retire for the evening right after I finished my second helping of cobbler.
I made love to Millie that night while Tess watched.
April 19, 1845
We had another good day of travel today. The weather was nice, although it started clouding up before we stopped for the night. We made 17 miles for the day.
April 20, 1845
It was a rainy, cold, and miserable day. We only made 14 miles due mostly to mud. Everyone was worn out when we camped for the night. We didn't do any visiting and I doubt many people did.
April 21, 1845
Well, today started out like many others had. We pulled ourselves out of bed and put on our still damp clothes. The rain had stopped sometime during the night, but it was still cold and miserable.
We managed to get a fire going and Millie and Tess fixed me a nice breakfast before I took off to scout ahead. We were still going through rolling hills and they weren't much of a challenge for the oxen and mules pulling our wagons. The only problem we had on a day after the rain was the muddy spots. What would look like a small mud puddle could instantly put you axle deep in the mire.
Today, it was John Simpson's turn to fall into one of these traps. I wasn't around when it happened, nor even when several of the men were working to get the wheel back on that John had lost. Millie and Tess said it was like a comedy to watch.
I got back to the train just about the time we'd do our nooning and they had just finished getting the wheel back on. Caleb, Sam, Ab, John Simpson and John Ware all looked like they'd been in a wrestling match in the mud. I'd have joshed them about it, but none of them looked like they were in the mood.
When we camped that night, we saw Eve Simpson, Ellen, and Sally washing out their menfolks' clothes in the river. We didn't think it was wise to josh them either.
Sam Stuart and Ellen came over later to talk for a spell. Sam wasn't saying much and was looking very thoughtful. Finally he came out with what was bothering him.
"Jase, Martha and me had a real good marriage. We fell in love when we were about your age. We got married and had three great kids."
Ellen smiled and gave him a hug, then he went on. "Since Martha died, Ellen has been having to do all of the duties of keeping our wagon and cooking our meals. Becky Wilkes is in about the same shape we are. I don't think Abe did much except drive their wagon, but at least she had someone."
I just waited without saying anything. I knew where he was going. Millie, Tess, and I had talked about it. I just wanted to see how he was going to get there.
"Becky and I have talked a lot about it and it just seems to us to make sense for us to get married." He paused and waited for me to say something.
"Well, Sam, if you're just going to get married for convenience sake, then I don't think it's a good idea. Do you have feelings for Becky?"
"Well... Yes, I do have feelings for her. They're not like the feelings I had for Martha, but I do think I love her."
"How does she feel about you?"
"I don't really know. I know she likes me and likes to talk to me."
"Maybe you should find out how she feels."
"Jase, I know pa loves Becky. She's all he can talk about. I think he's just denying how he feels because he thinks it is being unfaithful to ma."
"I expect you're right, Ellen. I just think they should get their feelings out in the open before they get married. Before Millie and I started courting, I tried to stay away from her. I loved her so much it hurt me to see her and not let her know how I felt."
"That's amazing, Jase," Ellen said. "Why didn't you just tell her how you felt?"
"Pap had been talking about moving to Oregon for over a year. I didn't know Caleb was thinking of moving too. I didn't want to start courting and then get pulled away with me in Oregon and her in Kentucky."
"I think you're right, Jase," Sam said. "Ellen, Honey, why don't you go back to the wagon. I'm going to talk to Becky right now."
"If you don't mind, Pa, I'm gonna walk over to the Jacobs. Gil wanted to show me the antlers of that buck he killed."
Father and daughter took off and the three of us just smiled at each other. Soon we went into the wagon.
April 22, 1845
Today we made good time and made up for some of what we lost yesterday. Ab says we are getting close to the headwaters of the Big Nemaha River and we should be turning west soon. He also says we're entering Pawnee country.
From what I've heard, the Pawnees have been very good about letting wagons pass as long as they know we're just passing through.
Sam came around after supper and told us about his talk with Becky. He was all smiles when he said, "Well, it seems like Becky was doing like I was and hiding her feelings too. She says I'm the first man she's ever had feelings for. We're still going to get married, but now we're doing it for the right reasons."
"We're happy for you, Sam. How do your kids feel about it?"
"Ellen is happy about it. I think Cole and Lem are too. All of them like Becky and I'm pretty sure Cole has a crush on her. Ellen just loves Becky's kids."
Millie and Tess were feeling pretty smug when Sam left. For some reason they felt like they had something to do with Sam and Becky getting together.
April 23, 1845
Today we turned west toward the Big Blue River. We didn't see any Pawnees, but we did see smoke far off to our north. We're still traveling through rolling hills, but there were no streams to cross, at least not any with water in them.
We had our first dry camp after traveling twenty miles. We weren't hurting for water, as we'd filled all of our barrels the night before. We did have to water all of the livestock from our barrels though.
Millie, Tess and I had made it a habit to take a couple of buckets of water into the wagon at night and if the temperature wasn't freezing, we'd give ourselves a nice wash before going to bed. I think we missed that more than we did anything else.
April 24, 1845
We crossed a nice stream about two hours after breaking camp this morning. We unhitched all of the oxen and gave every animal a good drink. We also refilled all of our water barrels. This slowed us down a little, but we still made eighteen miles for the day.
Ab says we should hit the Big Blue River tomorrow. I hope he's right because that will mean we'll be following a river again and won't have to worry about water for a while.
April 25. 1845
Today was certainly an exciting day. Ab was right. We reached the Big Blue before our nooning. We decided to noon before we attempted to cross the river. We found the ford okay, but the water was higher than we expected.
We thought we had taken all of the safety precautions we could, but I guess we should have done more. The first fifteen wagons had gone through just fine. We had to use ropes, but we had all of the livestock across as well.
Then John Simpson started across. We had a rope tied to his wagon and had a second team of oxen pulling against the rope. We had done this with all of the wagons and it had worked well so far.
Unfortunately John's wagon lost a wheel. It was the same wheel that had come off before. This time, since it was on the downstream side and since the current was fairly strong, it turned over on its side.
Millie, Tess and I were on the eastern shore when it happened. We had all three been back and forth across the river several times, helping to get the livestock across and helping with some of the wagons.
At first I just froze. The current turned the overturned wagon until it's back was pointed downstream. Simpson's oxen and those pulling against the rope were valiantly trying to hold the wagon and keep it from floating on down stream. Everything inside the wagon that would float was floating away.
Then I saw little Sue Simpson come floating out. Someone told me later that Sue was only four years old. She grabbed onto the top of the wagon and held on, but I could see the current was going to pull her loose. I gave a yell and kicked Sin in the side.
The wagon was about a hundred feet from where we entered the water. By the time we were getting close, Sue had been pulled loose and was going down stream. She was flailing at the water, but obviously couldn't swim.
The water below the ford was much deeper, but when I turned Sin toward the girl, you'd have thought he was a duck. We gained on her quickly, and by the time she'd gone under for the second time, we were close enough for me to grab her by her hair.
I held her head out of the water by her hair until I could grab her dress. I heaved her up in front of me. She was coughing and crying and then she threw up all over me. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
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