The Lost Wagon Page 15

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The Meadows

  The black mule was a big, powerful animal and a willing worker. Like allmules, he had his own ideas and regardless of what the driver liked hewould put them into effect if an opportunity presented. For the mostpart he was tractable, though Joe knew enough about mules to know thatany of them would kick unexpectedly and he watched himself when hitchingor unhitching. In addition, the black fitted in perfectly with the otherhorse mule. He lacked the horse's rugged character and was willing tofollow his lead. He was an ideal replacement for the dead mare.

  Nevertheless, Joe worried a great deal about the mule. It belonged tothe army, and they must go to Camp Axton to return it. Joe had a hunchthe army would take a dim view of anyone found with one of their mules.Likely they'd be able to convince the commandant that they were notthemselves mule thieves. The real problem, though, was that the army wasalways on the lookout for more mules, but didn't sell any.

  He confided his worries to Ellis one night after the children wereasleep and Barbara and Emma were washing dishes by the fire's leapinglight.

  "First off," he said, "it's going to take them some time while theyinvestigate us to make sure we're not rustlers. Then it's going to takesome more time until someone else comes through that can sell us a mule.And meanwhile the best plowing and planting time is getting away from usevery day that we wait."

  "They'll sell us an army mule," Ellis said, with the bland optimism ofyouth.

  "Not a chance," said Joe glumly. "Those army men are only interested inone thing--regulations."

  "Just the same," said Ellis, "we can explain to them about plowing andplanting time. Obviously we can't make a crop if we can't reach our landon time. Even an Army man can understand that."

  "Army regulations," said Joe, "do not concern themselves with theplanting time of strangers."

  Ellis chuckled. "Army men can be human, like anybody else." He smiledsoftly, because Barbara had just slipped over into the circle of hisarm. "I'm for looking on the bright side of things," he insisted.

  "Naturally," Joe grinned. He left them and walked over to the wagon. Bythe fire's light he examined the plow. Joe ran his fingers over theimplement, and in his soul felt a vast longing to take it off and useit. A plow meant to him what a rifle meant to Jim Snedeker. It was partof his life, a tool he had been born to use. Joe left the wagon and saton a block of firewood very close to Emma. Emma's face was upturned tothe sky, and she breathed deeply of the fragrant prairie breeze. Joe'shand stole out to hers, and she turned eagerly to him.

  "It's like being born again, isn't it?"

  "Are you glad we came, darling?"

  "Oh, yes I am! Now I am! Lots of times along the way I had regrets. Andthen, I was cowardly at the beginning."

  "Cautious," Joe corrected.

  "No, _cowardly_," insisted Emma. "Afraid to take a chance on anything.We took such a big chance, starting so late, with all the children. ButJoe! I wouldn't undo it, not a single moment of it, not even the momentswhen I was miserable and angry and scared half to death! It's taught meso much about--about what courage can do." She turned to him. "I want tosay something from the bottom of my heart, darling. I wouldn't have comeif you hadn't _made_ me come. And now, Joe, I want to thank you formaking me come. Thank you, Joe." Her eyes were swimming. He laughed deepin his chest and blotted up her happy tears tenderly with the corner ofher own kerchief.

  "You weren't the only one who was scared half to death," he said simply."I had a lot to learn about courage, too."

  She put her head down on his shoulder and he drew her close. They sat,in harmony, watching the dying fire and making plans. Not far away satBarbara and Ellis, clinging together, making their own plans, thinkingahead to their own home and their own children.

  Inside the wagon, baby Emma cried out and they heard her turningrestlessly in her sleep. The child cried again, and alarm mounted inJoe. He loosed Emma's hand and turned to listen. Emma spoke softly,

  "She's been very fretful since noon, and didn't you notice that she atevery little?"

  "No," and somehow Joe felt a great shame because of the admission. "Ididn't. Is it the same fever?"

  "Not yet, but I'm afraid it will be."

  "It always came on in a snap of the fingers before."

  "I know. But this is a little different."

  They sat silently, the happiness they had known tempered by melancholy.Oregon was a bright, shining promise, a new land where they could builda new life and leave the withered husks of the old one behind. So far ithad given something to Barbara, something to Tad, and it would havesomething for Joe and Emma and the other three children. Of them all,only a wisp of a child must still bear the same cross she had borne inMissouri. Joe shivered. This was a good country but it was also onewhere violence could reign. He said with a confidence that he did notfeel,

  "I don't believe it's anything much."

  "I hope not!"

  But the next morning, when Joe got up and peered behind the curtain,Emma sat with her back braced against the trunk, holding the child inher arms. Baby Emma's cheeks were blazing, her eyes dull and listless.She looked at her father, but the smile that usually flashed across herwhole face when she greeted him in the morning was absent now.

  Joe turned away from the wagon and built a fire so Barbara could preparebreakfast. A mighty weariness rode his shoulders, and a greatdespondency. He ate without tasting the breakfast Barbara made, andhelped her wash the dishes. Ellis stood helplessly near, without theleast idea of what must be done in a situation such as this one. Only awoman's wisdom and tenderness could cope with it. Ellis saddled hishorse, glad to be doing something.

  "I'll go down the Trail a ways and scout what's ahead."

  He looked wistfully at Barbara, but she shook her head. Her mother, busywith a sick child, would have time for nothing else. She must have asmuch peace as it was possible to find inside the cramped wagon, soBarbara would watch the other three youngsters. Ellis must ride alonetoday. She watched him ride his horse down the Trail.

  Joe harnessed the mules, hitched them, and climbed into the wagon seat.It was lonely, forlorn, because Emma was not beside him. For the firsttime in days the Trail was a tedious one, utterly lacking in inspirationand joy. Joe drove the mules at a fast walk. Two hours later Ellis rodeback up the Trail and reined in beside the wagon.

  "The camp's ahead," he called. "I told them you were coming."

  "What did they say?"

  "We're to see the commander, Major Dismuke."

  The camp was built on top of a hill, probably for better defense, andthe timber around it had been cleared. Primitive compared to Laramie'ssplendor, Camp Axton consisted of log buildings and a log stockade.There were a few tents, probably erected by recently arrived troopsbecause the camp itself did not have accommodations for them. But theflag waved proudly and the sentry at the gate was very brisk andmilitary. He stood aside to let them enter.

  For a moment, Joe wished mightily that Sergeant Dunbar could be here.Dunbar, who knew the army, would probably know how to cut any red tapethat might be involved and certainly he'd know just what to do. ButDunbar wasn't here and Joe had to do the best he could. He drove to asingle big pine that had been allowed to stand inside the stockade andbrought his team to a halt in its shade. He tied them to an iron ringimbedded in the tree for that purpose, and looked back at Emma. Her facewas taut with anxiety.

  "She's very warm, Joe. I'll stay with her. Barbara can let theyoungsters out to stretch their legs."

  "Keep them near the wagon, will you?" Joe addressed his daughter. "We'llbe back as soon as possible."

  "Yes, Daddy."

  Joe turned to confront a trim young sergeant. "Mr. Tower?"

  "That's right."

  "This way, sir."

  He led Joe to one of the log buildings and stood aside to let him enter.With a disarming grin, Ellis entered too. Joe looked at the man who satbehind the desk.

  Major Dismuke was perhaps forty-five, and his was
the bearing that onlya lifetime of soldiering can impart. His hair was short, graying at thetemples, and it surmounted a face that seemed chiseled out of solidgranite. Cool eyes appraised Joe and Ellis, but never for a second wasthere any departure from military briskness or any indication that thetaut mouth could smile. Major Dismuke was a good and efficient officerbut he was also a stern one. He knew all the regulations by heart and heenforced them as they were written.

  "Mr. Tower?"

  "Yes."

  Major Dismuke leaned forward on the desk and rested his chin lightly inhis right hand. "You have an army mule in your possession?"

  "Guess you're right."

  "You guess? Don't you know?"

  "We have one."

  "Where did you get it?"

  "From a couple of trappers."

  "_Where_ did you get it?"

  "Maybe sixty miles down the Trail."

  "Describe the trappers."

  Briefly Joe described the two men while the officer listened. He lookedsearchingly at Joe.

  "Did you know, when you received this animal, that it was armyproperty?"

  "Yes."

  "Did you know also that the army isn't selling any mules?"

  "I did."

  "Therefore you knew that this one was stolen from the army?"

  "I had that idea."

  "Why did you take the mule?"

  Joe's anger flared. "Blast it, man! I lost a mule and had to haveanother! What did you think we'd do? Sit there?"

  "Control your temper, Mr. Tower. If you knew these two men were thieves,why did you not take them into custody?"

  "It was none of my business. I'm no law officer."

  "Do you have proof that what you've said is true?"

  "I have my word, Ellis's here, my wife's, my daughter's, and my oldestson's."

  "Do you realize, Mr. Tower, that we shall have to take the mule anddetain you until we have investigated?"

  "You can have the mule!" Joe roared. "But nobody's detaining us! We'regoing on as soon as we can get another!"

  "I've already advised you to control your temper. Do you have thisanimal with you?"

  "Yes."

  "We'll look at it."

  He rose and walked past them. Ellis and Joe fell in behind as he strodetoward the wagon. Ellis nudged Joe with his elbow. "Joe Tower," he saidsolemnly, "your explosions of temper are going to get us all intotrouble."

  Joe turned angrily to him and then, at the quizzical set of the boy'seyebrows, Joe grinned.

  "Let me handle this," Ellis pleaded. "You can argue with a human being,but that man is no human being. He's a bundle of army regulations. Letme try, Joe." And then, before Joe could say yes or no, he called out,"There's a sick youngster in that wagon and you're not to bother her orher mother."

  Major Dismuke halted. "What's the matter with the child?"

  Joe was about to explain when Ellis took over. "It isn't smallpox," hesaid vehemently. "Don't get the idea that it's smallpox because itisn't!"

  Major Dismuke whirled on Joe. "Did you bring a case of smallpox here?"

  "I just told you it isn't!" Ellis remained vehement. "But if you'regoing to detain us we'd like to move her to the hospital, and getquarters for ourselves, until the youngster can travel."

  Joe said bewilderedly, "Ellis--"

  "I'm just telling him it isn't smallpox," Ellis asserted. "You know thatyourself."

  For the first time, Major Dismuke was uncertain. As every right-thinkingsoldier knew, regulations covered every situation connected with theArmy. But these were civilians, they might have a case of smallpox withthem, and he had no facilities to cope with a possible epidemic. For along moment he was completely nonplussed. He said finally,

  "This is a United States army post, and it exists for the convenienceand benefit of United States citizens. It is our duty to offer you suchfacilities as we afford. On the other hand, if you want to go on, Ishall neither detain you nor confiscate the mule. The choice is yours."

  "Do you mean to tell me," Ellis demanded righteously, "that you will notoffer hospitalization to this sick child?"

  Major Dismuke's nervousness became clearly visible. "Gentlemen," hesaid, "I beg you to take the mule and leave camp."

  "Well," said Ellis, with a fine show of reluctance, "of course if youinsist...."

  "I will be grateful," said the major.

  "Well, in that case," said Ellis.

  Joe looked from one to the other in honest amazement. Never had he seena ticklish situation so quickly resolved.

  But what about payment? "Look here, Major," he said, "if you'll justtell me how much you want for this--"

  "The Army doesn't sell mules," Major Dismuke barked.

  "Regulations," said Ellis politely.

  The major threw him a sharp look. Then he added some hasty advice.

  "It is my duty to advise you that the Indians in this section arerestless. If you go on, you risk meeting hostiles."

  "We'll still go on," said Ellis.

  Major Dismuke halted and when they had drawn away from him Ellis saidsoftly, "Sorry, Joe, but we have to get out of here."

  "Yes, we have to get out."

  "It wasn't really a lie."

  "Ellis, let's face it. It was a lie. But we had to tell it. As soon aswe get set, we're sending that mule back."

  "All right with me. But let's get set."

  The youngsters scrambled back into the wagon. Joe untied the team andclimbed up on the wagon seat. He was not happy, for the baby was stillfeverish, but he was relieved. Emma wouldn't care to stay anywhere nearthis fort as long as the baby was ill. It was too rough, and the wagonwas better. Somehow and somewhere Joe would get another mule and sendthis one back. He shook his head. Ellis's quick wit in raising thesmallpox scare had averted what would have been an intolerablesituation.

  They stopped for lunch, and drove on. Ellis rode ahead to scout andJoe's sick heart throbbed when the baby babbled in delirium. A fewminutes later, Emma spoke softly,

  "Joe, we must stop. She's very bad."

  He was about to swing the mules to one side of the Trail when Ellis rodeback. Ellis swung his horse in beside the wagon and looked up at Joe.

  "How is the youngster?"

  "Emma says bad. We have to stop."

  "There's a good creek about a quarter mile ahead and a meadow only alittle ways up the creek. It's a better place than this if we're goingto camp."

  "Hear that, Emma?" Joe called. "Want to go there?"

  She said, "I think it will be better. There'll be no interruptions ifwe're off the Trail."

  The mules plodded down the Trail to the creek. Sparkling, clear andcold, it trickled out of a shallow little gully and flowed across theTrail to lose itself in trees on the other side. The west bank wastree-lined, but tall grass grew on the east bank and laid a soft carpetback to the line of trees. Joe saw trout lingering in a pool.

  Ellis swung his horse from the Trail up a grassy embankment. "Followme," he called. "The wagon can get up here."

  The mules walked unhesitatingly after him, and Joe held them to a slowwalk in order that the wagon might take gently any hidden obstructions.Tall wild grass brushed the bellies of the mules and of Ellis's horse. Acool and gentle breeze breathed down the creek, and ruffled the slendertops of trees on the west side. The wagon listed a little, and therecame the rattle of a falling bucket.

  As they proceeded upstream, the meadow widened and the trees on the westbank gave way to grass. Save for one towering pine that grew halfwaybetween the creek and the forest on top of the gently sloping hill, asfar as Joe could see there was only meadow land. Three nervous cow elk,probably with calves hidden somewhere back in the forest, edgedcautiously out of sight. Joe guided his team to the big pine's shade andstopped. He turned to Emma.

  He unhitched and picketed the mules while Tad tied a picket rope to thecow and staked her in tall grass. Used to traveling, and accustomed tograzing different grounds every night, all three animals fell tocropping grass. Though t
he Oregon Trail was only a few hundred yards tothe south, for centuries these meadows had been the haunt of wildthings. Probably an occasional horseman had ventured here, but as far asJoe knew theirs was the first wagon that had ever come up the creek. Hetook a moment to look around, and breathed deeply of the pine-scentedair. Jim Snedeker had known what he was talking about when he spoke ofnice country.

  Ellis swung Emma's crate of poultry to the ground and opened the gate.The rooster jumped to the top of the crate, flapped his wings, andcrowed lustily. Four of the hens scurried here and there in the grass,catching bugs and picking up fallen seed. The other two, wings spread,clucked fussily and avoided the rest. Those two were broody and had beenfor more than a week. Even confinement in the crate and traveling allday was not enough to make them forget age-old instincts. One of themstalked secretively into the grass, searching for a place to nest.

  Joe took his snath from the place where it had lain since they leftMissouri and fitted a scythe to it. He tested the blade with his thumb,and through the coating of grease that covered it and prevented itsrusting he felt its keenness. With a hand full of grass he wiped thescythe clean and went to work.

  Strength flowed into his arms, and in spite of the pall that overhungall of them he felt a little song spring into his heart as he mowed thefirst swath of grass. There had been times when he wondered seriously ifthe long Trail would not make him forget all he had known about farming,but he fell automatically into the rhythm of what he was doing. Thescythe ceased to be a mere tool and became a part of him as grasstoppled beneath his attack. He mowed to the big pine, and all around it,then kicked together armfuls of soft grass and arranged it in a pile.Joe covered the bed with a buffalo robe and went to the wagon.

  "Bring her out now," he said gently.

  Baby Emma lay weak and listless in her mother's arms, lacking either thestrength or the will to hold her head erect. But hope sprang anew inJoe's mind and his heart was not quite so leaden. The child smiled athim, and she had not done that earlier. Joe took his wife and daughterto the couch he had made them and watched Emma lay the baby down. Helooked again at her flushed cheeks and dull eyes, and wished mightilythat he knew as much about sick babies as he did about driving mules.

  Emma said, "May we have some fresh water, Joe?"

  Barbara called, "I'll get it."

  She had lifted the other three youngsters from the wagon and they weretumbling around in the grass. Joe watched them closely; he had neverbeen here before and he did not know what to expect in such a place.Then the children found the place he had mowed and played there. Joerelaxed. He had just covered that ground himself, and knew there wasnothing harmful on it. The youngsters showed no inclination to goelsewhere. The tall grass was as high as their heads and they becameentangled in it. This was more to their liking.

  Tad exclaimed, "Look yonder!"

  Joe followed his pointing hand. On the far side of the creek a buckdeer, his head heavy with grotesque clubs of velvet-covered antlers, wasgazing at them. The buck stretched its neck toward them, then stampedits forefeet and flicked a short tail. Tad looked hopefully at Joe.

  "We need meat, don't we?"

  Joe shook his head. "Not that much meat. We'll be going on in a coupleof days and we can't waste time curing what we don't use."

  "Shucks!" Tad said dejectedly.

  "But I'll tell you what you can do," Joe said. "I saw trout in thecreek. Suppose you take a hook and line, cut yourself a pole, and seewhat you can do about bringing in a mess for supper."

  "You betcha!"

  Mike at his heels, rifle in his hands, Tad went whooping toward thecreek and Joe watched him go. Joe turned back to the tasks at hand, forthere was much to be done. But even as he worked he had a curiousfeeling that this was no routine halt.

  They had had many different camps under many different conditions, andsome were so ordinary that Joe could not remember them at all. Others,such as the one where they'd eaten their first buffalo and the campwhere they had forded the creek after he replaced the broken wagonwheel, he remembered clearly. But this one had something that was allits own. Joe tried to pin down the elusive quality it possessed andcould not. Perhaps, he thought, it was partly his determination to makeit the best and most comfortable stopping place they had yet known. Hehad a hazy idea that, if he could do everything right and workeverything right, baby Emma's fever would depart.

  He worked furiously with the scythe, cutting more grass and letting itwither in what remained of the afternoon sun. He carried stones from thecreek and arranged a fireplace while Ellis cut wood in the fireplace.Tad came in with four big trout dangling at the end of a willowstringer.

  "Threw back all the little ones!" he boasted. "Caught 'em on worms thatI found under rocks! Do we need any more, Pa?"

  "These will do," Joe declared. "Let me have them and I'll take the bonesout."

  "I can do it myself. I watched you with the bass."

  He sat down to fillet his catch and Joe raked up the partially driedgrass. He arranged a bed, turning all the stems downward so that onlywispy grass lay on top. This he covered with buffalo robes, and built asmall fireplace near it. Joe and Ellis made beds for the otheryoungsters, but Ellis declared that he could sleep on the ground and Joethrew down only a couple of armfuls of grass for himself. He built acooking fire and a small fire near where Emma and her sick daughter wereto spend the night.

  They feasted on broiled trout and fresh bread, and Joe watched with hopein his heart while baby Emma sipped at a bowl of warm milk. Her feverseemed to have lessened, but Joe worried because it was not followingits usual pattern. Always before it had struck suddenly, burned itscourse, and left just as suddenly. This time the child was very ill,with a fluctuating temperature.

  The darkness deepened. Joe lay on his bed near Emma and the youngster,watching stars so near that it almost seemed he could touch them. Out inthe forest wolves yelled, and there were soft shufflings and gruntingsas the things that ordinarily used these meadows by day--but no longerdared do so because there were humans near--moved about at night. Mikegrowled a warning whenever anything came nearer than he thought itshould, and three times during the night Joe rose to visit the couch ofhis wife and daughter. On one of these visits he saw that his wife'seyes were open, and he heard her whisper. He bent close to hear hermessage.

  "When we're settled and have a roof over our head, Joe--"

  He waited.

  She added softly, "I'm going to miss the open sky and the stars."

  Morning brought mists that swirled upward from the creek and spread likegossamer spirits over the meadow on both sides. The mules and the placidcow were half hidden by it, and the air had a distinct chill. Joe roseto throw more wood on the fire, and when he walked over to see if Emmawas awake he found her staring at him.

  "How is the baby?" he whispered.

  "She had a difficult night," Emma said softly, "but she's sleeping now.Joe, I'm--"

  "Yes?" he asked.

  "I'm afraid she won't be able to travel for a while."

  Joe looked toward the other side of the creek. The three cow elk, surethat the night was a cloak of safety, were grazing unconcernedly. Joelooked at the tall grass that could have grown only in fertile soil. Hethought of last evening. Barbara and Ellis had gone wading in the creek.Barbara's legs, bare to the knee, had flashed in the setting sun, andthrough the clear water small stones that either were white or appearedto be white due to some trick of the water's reflection were plainlyseen on the bottom of the creek.

  Out in the meadow, a meadow lark piped its greeting to the rising sun.The lark was Joe's totem bird and always a symbol of good luck.

  He said with sudden decision, "She won't have to travel. This is theplace we came so far to find."