Storiesonline.net ------- Washed Up by Lazlong Copyright© 2005 by Lazlong ------- Description: Ed Hill had a dead end job and a failed marriage. He figured he was all washed up, until he met a runaway who changed his mind. Then fate stepped in and changed everything again. Codes: Mf TimeTr slow hist ScFi rom cons exhib interr BF WM ------- ------- Disclaimer This is an unpublished work of fiction, copyright 2005 by Lazlong. Many people in this world have the same names. The names in this story was created by the author and do not refer to anyone having the same name. The situations and events in this story were also created by the author. Any resemblance to actual situations and events is purely coincidental. The author reserves all rights to this story. The story may be downloaded for your personal use, but it may not be posted to any free web site without the permission of the author. Permission will not be granted for posting to a commercial web site. The opinions or actions of some of my characters reflect the author's own opinions. The opinions or actions of other characters reflect opinions the author has heard expressed by others. If you don't agree with the opinions of any of my characters, that is your right. There's a big world out there folks and everyone doesn't think alike. Thank God. ------- Chapter 1 Okay, so this had to be the worst day of my life. I just received my divorce papers today, saying that Missy was no longer my wife. It would have have had to have been today that I received them. After all, it is my twenty-fifth birthday. I called my parents, thinking I might go over and see them, but after mom had wished me a hurried happy birthday, she said they had to run since they had dinner reservations and then they were going to a play. I called my sister, Patty, but the phone rang and rang and no one answered. I called my brother and talked to his wife, Anna, for a while. She said my brother was out of town on business and wouldn't be back for a week. After a while, she admitted that she and the kids had just been leaving to go to her parents place when the phone rang. I let her go. I am ashamed to say I didn't have anyone else to call. I had lots of acquaintances at work, but no real friends. Yeah, there were a couple of guys I played golf with, but none of them would appreciate a call from me on a Friday evening. I sat and looked at the phone for a while and decided I just had to get away from my shabby apartment. I didn't even bother changing out of the sport jacket and tie that I had worn to work. I went out and climbed into my four year old rice burner (Missy got the good car in the divorce settlement) and went in search of an early dinner. Even the Szechwan Pork I had at my favorite Chinese restaurant couldn't warm me up. I sat there, picking at my food, while I thought of Missy and about my dead end job. I had always had such high hopes, now I wondered where everything had gone wrong. Missy and I had been a couple since our sophomore year in high school. We had both been quiet, shy kids and it's a wonder we ever got together in the first place. Our romance progressed slowly and it was at the end of our junior year when we gave each other our virginity. We were inseparable during our senior year and we arranged to attend college at the same school. We both had to live in dorms our freshman year, but we rented an apartment together for our sophomore year and we were married before we came back to school. I had graduated high school at seventeen and by going through summer sessions, inter-sessions, and carrying a heavy course load, I graduated from college when I was twenty. After college, I started as a junior engineer with a company that was well respected in the factory automation field. Missy had one more year of college to complete after I had graduated, then she went to work for a large accounting firm. It took me a year to be promoted to Controls Engineer. During my time as a junior engineer I was traveling to different jobs around the country about seventy percent of my time. This was hard on Missy and me both, but I was working toward a good future for us and Missy understood. My boss kept telling me that when I was promoted to Controls Engineer, I wouldn't have to travel nearly as much. After my promotion, I still found that I was on the road about sixty percent of my time. Not a real big difference when you get right down to it. I asked my boss right away how long I could expect it to be before I was promoted to Project Engineer. He said it would be at least two or three years. I guess that's when my depression about my work started to settle in. As the years went by, Missy became less understanding. During the last year before she left me, she became a real shrew. I tried to find another job, but anything I was offered would have required me to move. Missy was enjoying her job and didn't want to leave it. Toward the end we fought almost daily. This beautiful, sweet, intelligent, sexy woman I had married changed into someone I almost hated. Then she moved out. I felt like the bottom had dropped out of my universe. I wasn't getting along with my boss either. He had said two or three years for another promotion and it had now been four years. Add to that the fact that he suffered from a severe case of the "Not Invented Here Syndrom" and life at work was almost unbearable. Any design idea that I, or any of the other engineers for that matter, had was shot down because it wasn't his idea. I finished my dinner and decided to walk in the park that was just a couple of blocks down. I was so out of shape that the walk down there almost did me in, so I found a bench and sat down to brood. I don't know if I was even thinking as I sat there. It was more like I was just experiencing the despair that had been haunting me all day. At some point I know I started wondering if it was worth going on. If this was the way life was going to be, wouldn't I be better off just ending it? I don't know how long I sat there. It had to have been hours though. "You don't look like you belong here, Mister," an obviously teenaged voice said. When I looked up, what wasn't obvious was whether the thin, dirty child standing in front of me was a boy or a girl. "You're probably right," I said. "I just don't seem to belong anywhere else either." "I know that feeling," the child said. "You really shouldn't be around here after dark. This isn't a very safe place to be after the sun goes down." "What about you? Is it safe for you to be here?" "Oh, I blend in. It's easy to see that I don't have anything anyone would want. After a while, most of them stopped noticing me at all." "Do you hang out here a lot at night?" "Mister, this is my home," the child said, throwing out his/her arms to indicate the whole area. "You are sitting in my living room. My bedroom is off a ways in a thicket. My kitchen is wherever I can find something someone has left behind." "God, I'm sorry. I was just sitting here feeling sorry for myself and you have it worse than I do." The child took a step closer then asked, "Why were you feeling sorry for yourself?" I don't know why I did it. I had never really gotten over my shyness, so I always had trouble talking to strangers. For some reason I opened up to this child. I told him/her everything that had gone wrong with my life. Before I was half way through, he/she came over and sat on the other end of the bench from me. I talked until I had run completely down then he/she said, "I'm Sam Wright. I can see why you'd be depressed, but let me wish you a happy birthday anyway," "Thank you, Sam. I'm Ed Hill. How did you end up living in the park?" "Maybe I'll tell you some time," Sam smiled. "You know, you could actually look at this as a way to get a new start. Your ex didn't want to move, but now you don't have her holding you back. The only other thing you have holding you to the area is your family. From what you say, they're not very supportive of you anyway. If they were they'd realize what you're going through with the divorce and would have been there for you on your birthday." "I guess you're right," I said doubtfully. "It's hard to think straight when you feel like your whole world has ended." "Yep. I know what you mean. It's been almost a year now that I've been on my own. I just live from day to day, trying to find enough to eat. Trying to keep from freezing to death in the winter and trying to keep others from taking what little I have." "Sam, it's obvious that you're a runaway. Where are you from?" "I won't even tell anyone what state I'm from," Sam said. "I don't know if anyone is looking for me, but I wouldn't want to take a chance of having to go back." "So, what you came from was worse than this?" "Much." We sat there for a few minutes more, then Sam said, "You really should get out of here, Ed. I'm going to have to disappear, myself. It won't be but a few more minutes before the losers strung out on drugs start to appear. Neither of us want to be sitting on a park bench when they show up." "Okay, Sam. I've really enjoyed talking with you. I do have some ideas that I guess I'm free to try now. I need to talk them over with someone first." "Well, I'm in this area from around four in the afternoon until dark. Maybe I'll see you again and you can bounce them off of me." As I stood up, I reached for my wallet. I had some cash on me, so I pulled out a twenty and handed it to Sam. "I don't want your money, Ed," Sam said, refusing to take it. "You may not want my money, but you need it. Buy yourself a good meal. You're a very smart young man, Sam. Think of this as my investment in your future." Sam giggled, but took the money. "I'm a girl, Ed," she said and then she ran off. She disappeared before I could say anything else. I walked slowly back to my car. I had a lot to think about. Sam was right. This was my chance to start over. ------- Even though it was a Saturday, I awoke early. I got up and fixed myself some coffee and a bagel. I took my breakfast out onto my postage stamp sized balcony and enjoyed a surprisingly warm early April morning. When Missy had left and filed for divorce, I had gone to the phone book and started looking for an attorney. There were dozens listed in the directory. I looked through the pages and was repulsed by the glaring ads of most of them. I grew up thinking that doctors and lawyers shouldn't advertise. I automatically avoided all of them with big splashy ads. I discounted all that said they specialized in divorce or in injuries. I finally saw a listing that attracted me. All it said, besides giving an address and phone number, was "Saul Levitz - Attorney at Law." I called the phone number and talked with a nice lady who made an appointment for me to come in the next day. When I got to his office I was again impressed. The lady I had talked to was in her fifties. She was charming and offered me coffee while I waited. Saul was what I had always thought an attorney should be, he was quiet and distinguished. He was probably in his early sixties, but he carried himself like a much younger man. After I was seated, he asked me what he could do for me. "My wife has left me and has filed for divorce," I said as I handed him the papers I had been served. "I need someone to represent me." He looked over the papers and said, "I'd say you do need representation. She states the reason for the divorce as irreconcilable differences, then suggests a settlement that would make anyone think she had caught you in a lover's arms." "I can guarantee you that's not the case," I said. "We'd been married for seven years and I was completely faithful to her." "Tell me, Mr. Hill, do you want an equitable settlement, or do you want to roll over and play dead?" "I don't want a divorce at all," I said. "Is there any way we can prevent it from happening?" "I'm afraid not. In this state, if one party wants a divorce, it's going to happen." "Well, in that case, I guess I don't want to be taken to the cleaners." "Good choice. I know her attorney. I shouldn't say this but he's a shyster, an ambulance chaser. If she went to him, there's probably a reason. I'll give him a call and hint that we're having a private investigator check into her activities over the last couple of years. They may decide on a more reasonable settlement." I was stunned. Had Missy been cheating on me? I was still out of town a lot, so I guess anything was possible. After I had left his office, I was too depressed to go back to work, so I just went back to my apartment and thought about what Sol had implied. It was three days later when Sol called me at work and asked if I could meet with him, Missy and her attorney the next day. I agreed that I could. ------- The meeting went a lot better than I dared hope. Missy's attorney did all of the talking for her. He agreed right off that we'd each keep our own 401K and our IRAs. She wanted the house, but Sol hung in there and her attorney finally agreed that she would pay me for my half of the equity in it. Sol proposed we should each take what debts we had initiated. Missy protested, but Sol just sat there and looked at them. Before long they folded. I was magnanimous and agreed Missy could keep the good car as long as she finished paying for it. After the meeting, I asked Sol why they had agreed to things so easily. "I don't think you really want to know, Ed. Let's just say I let them know a few things I had found out." "I think I really do want to know, Sol. Right now I just feel like I've lost the love of my life and I have no idea why." "On your head be it then, Son. The reason she left is that Missy has had a hard time keeping her legs together. She's been having affairs for the last three years, Now, she's pregnant and the baby isn't yours." "Oh, shit," I said. "Don't go blaming yourself for this, Ed. I know you travel a lot, but that isn't the reason for the affairs. She started her first one during a period when you were home for almost three months." I didn't know if I was better off knowing or if I would have been better off thinking I was totally responsible. I had Sol draw up a will for me and I went in a few days later to sign it. I left everything to my sister. ------- I sat down this morning and looked over my finances. I had over fifty thousand in my 401K and another twenty-two thousand in IRAs. I had a cashier's check from Missy for the equity in our home that amounted to almost twenty-four thousand. Over all, I had almost a hundred thousand and I didn't have a single debt. So, what did this mean to me? I could quit my dead end job and look for something else. I could start my own business of some kind. I could take a year off and do nothing while I decided what I wanted to do. I'm sure there were a dozen other options available to me, but I just couldn't see them at this time. I didn't have to be in any kind of a hurry to make a decision and this in itself made it easier to face going in to work on Monday. I decided I'd give it some time, but I didn't want to put off making a decision too long. I was a lot more cheerful than I had been yesterday. Hell, twenty-five isn't that old. I had my health, although I was badly out of shape. I vowed I was going to do something about that, starting today. I had enough money to last me two or three years if I was frugal. My rice burner only had thirty thousand miles on it, so it should be good for several more years. True, I had grown away from my family, but when I thought about it, I wasn't too upset. I was the middle child, and the middle child is often ignored. That was certainly the case when I was growing up. I wasn't mistreated or abused, it just seemed like I was a spare part, so I never got that close with my parents. I was always a little jealous of my older brother, John. He was the super-star jock in high school. It seemed like he was always being praised for something. He was even praised for getting B's and C's in school, while nothing was ever said about me getting almost straight A's. I guess I may have been jealous of my sister too. She was a beautiful child and is a beautiful woman. I am just plain old Ed Hill. I'm 6' 1" tall with dirty blond hair and faded blue eyes. I was always a little over weight while I was going to school and that hasn't changed either. Maybe now was the time to do something about that too. I spent most of the day going through my things. I don't know if I was mentally taking an inventory or if I was looking for things I wouldn't mind discarding. I found some pictures of Missy and me and I burned them in the kitchen sink. I also went out on my balcony and threw my wedding ring as far as I could throw it. Afterwards I felt a lot freer. During the afternoon, I asked myself what I'd really like to do with my life. Some really fanciful things came to mind, like flying a spaceship to Alpha Centauri, or discovering a new Eden. The thing that kept coming back to haunt me was something I had dreamed about as a kid. I knew it was impossible in this day and age, but it was something I'd always dreamed of. I'd like to be a homesteader. I'd like to build a house with my own two hands. I'd like to raise my own vegetables and hunt for my own meat. I'd like to be twenty miles from my nearest neighbor. I'd like to own a couple of milk cows and a bull to keep them happy, a few horses and some oxen or mules to pull my plow. Most of all, I'd like a good woman to love me and help me and bear my children. As I said, impossible, but intriguing. It seems like I was born a hundred years too late. It was nearly four o'clock when I thought of Sam again. It was what she said about this being a chance to start over that broke me out of my funk. I wanted to thank her for it and see if there was anything I could do for her. ------- Sam was sitting on the same bench I was sitting on yesterday when I got there. I gave her a big smile and said, "Hey, Girl." "Hey yourself," she said. "You look like you're in a lot better mood than you were in yesterday." "Yeah, and it's all because of you," I said as I sat down on the opposite end of the bench from her. "When you came up yesterday, I was sitting here thinking that I was all washed up at twenty-five. You told me I should look at this as a chance to start over. It didn't hit me right away just how right you were, but when I got up this morning I started thinking about all I have going for me. I decided this IS a good chance to start over." "So, do you have any idea what you're going to do?" she asked with a big smile. "No, but I know there are going to be some radical changes. What about you, Sam? What would you like to do with the rest of your life?" Sam sighed and looked nostalgic. "There are a lot of things I'd like to do. I'll probably not be able to do any of them though." "Like what?" "Oh, I'd like to explore the galaxy. I'd like to pilot a spaceship to a far off nebula and explore it. I'd have liked to have been alive a hundred and fifty years ago and have traveled across the continent on the Oregon Trail. I'd like to start my own business. I'd like to live off the land and be self sufficient." I couldn't help myself, I started laughing. Sam looked at me like I'd slipped a cog so I said, "I was thinking this morning about what I'd like to do with myself and your list sounds almost like mine. I'll have to admit you're a little more ambitious though." "Ambitious, how?" "I just wanted to fly a spaceship to Alpha Centauri. I didn't think of the Oregon Trail, but that would have been great. I did think of getting some land twenty miles from my nearest neighbor and setting up a homestead. I, too, would like for it to be self sufficient." "You're not just pulling my leg are you? You really were thinking about those things?" "Yep. I even went around my apartment looking at everything I have that I wouldn't be able to use if I was in a place with no electricity." "I've been living without electricity for over a year now. It can be done. I'm not sure I would want to live as rustically as you're talking about though. How about a nice ranch where you'd raise horses or beef cattle? Maybe be remote enough you had to generate your own electricity. I've gotten used to taking spit baths in filling stations, but I'd almost kill for a nice long soak in a tub of hot water." "Actually, either one would suit me just fine. I think, more than anything else, I'd just like to be independent." "Would you rather live alone, or have a family?' "I was thinking about that this morning too. I'd rather have a wife and kids. I'd like to raise my kids with what I think are proper morals and values. I'd like for them to grow up feeling safe and loved." "Amen to the safe and loved. What do you consider proper morals and values?" "That's easy. I believe in the Golden Rule. They should be taught to treat others as they'd want to be treated. Anything else is bullshit." "What about the other biggies like lying and stealing and committing adultery?" "All of that is covered by the Golden Rule. You shouldn't lie to someone because you wouldn't want them to lie to you, etc." "You are an amazing man, Ed. You know, when you think about it, the Golden Rule does cover about everything else. The only things I can think of that it doesn't cover are about worshiping God and honoring your father and your mother." "Sam, I don't believe in honoring someone just because they are your father or your mother. I believe you have to earn honor or respect. If they are honorable, people will honor them. If not, then pee on them." Sam giggled and said, "I agree with you completely. You did skip the worshiping God thing though." "I did it intentionally, Sam. I'm comfortable about how I feel about God, but I tend to make other people uncomfortable, so I try not to talk about it." We sat quietly for a few minutes, lost in thought, then I said, "I'm thinking about taking an extended vacation. I don't have everything planned out yet, but I'm thinking of taking a tent and some camping gear and staying on the road until winter. Before I go I'd like to do something to help you. What could I do that would help you the most?" "Wow, that's a hard question," she said and then she just sat there thinking for a while. "If I showed up here with new clothes, people would notice and I wouldn't be safe. If anyone saw me spending money I'd be dead by dark. Besides that, you don't owe me anything." "At least let me treat you to that hot bath you mentioned, we could wash your clothes and I could fix you a nice dinner at the same time." "You want me to go to your apartment with you?" "I didn't realize how that sounded, Sam. Okay, how about I rent you a room in a hotel that has good room service and valet cleaning? I would stay away completely." "You know, Ed, I don't think going to your apartment would bother me. I believe you are one of those truly honorable people." "Thank you, Sam. We can do it any way you want." Sam stood up and reached her hand to me. "Where's your car?" she asked. ------- When we got to the apartment, I showed Sam around. I found her a nice robe to wear and showed her where the washer and dryer were located. I dug out some shampoo and conditioner that Missy had left, then I went off to fix dinner. I pulled two Porterhouse steaks out of the freezer then quickly defrosted them. Then I went out on the balcony and got my charcoal grill going. I knew it would take about forty-five minutes before the charcoal was ready, so I went back inside and cleaned a couple of potatoes and got them ready to nuke in the microwave. I made a couple of nice salads using different kinds of lettuce and mixed up a batch of my own salad dressing. By the time I had the salads and dressing made, I figured it was time to put the potatoes in the microwave and to put the meat on to broil. I knocked on the bathroom door and asked Sam how much longer she was going to be. She said twenty minutes, so I told her dinner would be served in twenty minutes. I put the potatoes in the microwave and started it and waited about five minutes before starting the steaks. While the steaks were cooking, I set the table and got out some sour cream and some condiments. I was just setting everything on the table when Sam came in dressed in my oversized robe. She looked at the table and her mouth fell open. "I didn't expect this, Ed. I figured you'd serve ravioli out of a can or something." "I like to cook. I've been cooking for myself since I was a teenager. This is just a quick throw together meal." "Well, I'm impressed," Sam said, then she started digging in. ------- Chapter 2 The steaks were huge, around a pound each. Sam finished hers and about a third of the one I had before she pushed back from the table. "What was that wonderful salad dressing?" she asked. "Just something I whipped up. Actually, I've been trying to perfect the recipe for a long time. I think it's getting close." "Close, hell. If it were any better, it would be illegal." Sam had a way of making me laugh. After we had eaten, Sam moved her clothes from the washer to the dryer and came back in the living room. She had brushed her hair back and I wondered how I had ever thought she was a boy. "How old are you, Sam?" "I'm sixteen. I'll be seventeen in about a month. Why do you ask?" "I was just thinking. You're a pretty well put together person for your age. You show a maturity I'm not used to seeing in a teenager." "You grow up quick when you're living on the street. I know that sounds cliche, but it's true. I've seen things most people your age haven't seen." "Sam, I've told you everything about me, but you haven't told me anything about yourself. Don't feel you have to tell me anything if it's too painful, but I really would like to know." Sam was sitting on the sofa with her legs pulled up under her and my huge robe covering her completely. I was sitting in a recliner across from her. She let out a big sigh and seemed to shrink in on herself. "My father was killed in an industrial accident when I was nine years old. When I was eleven, mom started dating this guy and within six months she married him. At first I thought he was great. He paid a lot of attention to me and even adopted me. They had been married almost a year when he started hitting mom. It was shortly after that when he started hitting me too." "Hold on a minute," I said. I went into the kitchen and brought us both back a soda. When I had set back down, Sam went on. "He had me so confused I didn't know what to do. One minute he'd be hugging me and rubbing my back and telling me what a good girl I was. The next minute he'd be slapping me and calling me a slut or worse. I tried to talk to mom about it, but she said he was under a lot of stress because he had lost his job." I watched her as she tried to compose herself. "This went on for about six months, then he found a job and things seemed to get better again. When he started working again, he also started drinking more. At first it was just one or two drinks a night. Mom had always had liquor in the house, so I didn't think anything of it." Sam took a sip of her soda and sat quietly for a minute, lost in her memories. "It was about then that we found out mom had cancer. They did surgery on her and removed a large portion of her small intestine. She went through a long period when they did radiation and chemotherapy on her, then the doctors said she was going to be fine." There were tears rolling from her eyes, so I got her some tissues. "It was about six months later when they found another cancer. This time it was in her liver. They did surgery again and she went through the chemo and the radiation again. Before they had even finished the chemo they found another one in her pancreas. She hung in until I was fifteen, then the cancers caught up with her." Sam wiped her eyes and sat up a little straighter. "During that time, Phil, my step-father, was drinking more and more. He ended up losing this job too and he became abusive again. Mom was having a hard time getting around by then and she spent a lot of time in the hospital. Phil didn't hit her, but he hit me a lot. At other times, especially when he was drunk, he'd try to feel me up any time he could. He'd rub my butt if I walked too close to him and if he'd catch me sitting down, he'd sneak up behind me and grab my breasts." Sam paused again and I kept quiet, letting her go at her own pace. "After mom died, it got even worse. I tried to never be in the same room with him, but it didn't always work. He started calling me his 'sexy little piece' and that scared me even worse. The night before I left home, he was roaring drunk. I locked myself in my room and pushed a chair back under the doorknob. He started pounding on the door and then he started throwing his shoulder against it. I was scared to death, but we lived in an older house and the doors were solid. In his drunken state, he couldn't get in." "Thank God for that," I said. "He was yelling nasty things at me the whole time he was trying to break in. He was telling me all of the things he was going to do to me. I didn't sleep much at all that night and I was up early the next morning. I threw some clothes in my backpack, stole all of the money Phil had in his wallet, and got out of there while he was sleeping off his drunk." "I've only known you for two days, but I've already developed a hell of a lot of respect for you. You should be proud of yourself." "I guess in some ways I am proud of myself. I haven't begged and I haven't stolen anything other than from Phil and I figured he owed me that. I've managed to get a few little jobs, cleaning up around stores and the like. I've tried to keep clean, but it's hard to do and washing my hair is almost impossible." "Sam, I don't know for sure when I'm going to leave on my camping trip and I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. I'm going to keep the apartment while I'm gone though. Would you like to house sit for me while I'm wandering around the country?" "My God. You don't even know if I'm telling you the truth. I could steal you blind while you're gone." "From what I've seen of you, I'd bet that you'd rather take a beating than to tell a lie or steal from a friend. I believe everything you've told me. You trusted me enough to come to my apartment. I should be able to trust you enough to let you stay in my apartment while I'm gone." "Let me think about it, Ed. It would certainly be better than sleeping on the street." "Think about it all you want. If you decide to stay, we'll get you set up for a program that'll let you study for your GED on the Internet. That way, when you turn eighteen, you can take the GED." "Why are you doing this, Ed?" "Until we talked last night, I was considering suicide. I figure I owe you my life." "I really didn't do anything. Anyway, I heard the dryer go off. Would you take me back to the park?" "I will if that's what you want. I have a spare bedroom though. It has a lock on the door and there is a nice chair in the room to put under the knob. The doors are solid wood." Sam laughed. "Okay, you talked me into it. The thought of sleeping in a bed is more than I can pass up. I don't think I'll need the lock or the chair though." "I don't think so either, but I do want you to feel safe." "I do, Ed." We talked a little more that evening, but for the most part, we just enjoyed each other's company. ------- I was on my third cup of coffee when Sam came wandering into the kitchen. She was still wearing my oversized robe and her blondish hair was tousled. She looked more like a twelve year old than a sixteen year old. "Good morning, Sunshine," I said. "Would you like some coffee." "Good morning. Coffee sounds nice." I poured her a cup while she found a seat across from me at the breakfast bar. For someone who had just awakened, she seemed very alert. "So, how did you like sleeping in a real bed last night?" I asked. "It was wonderful, Ed. Being clean is wonderful. Eating steak was wonderful." I had to smile, "I'm glad you enjoyed it." "Have you given any more thought as to where you want to go on your camping trip?" "A little. Your comment about the Oregon Trail got me to thinking. I was originally thinking about driving from place to place and camping as I went. Now, I'm thinking more of a walking tour. Many of the people who traveled the Oregon Trail walked the whole way. I started thinking about trying to follow the trail from Independence, MO to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, then I thought, why not walk all the way across the US." "Wow. Think of all of the things you could see. Are you thinking of camping every night then?" "I'll probably stay in a motel at least once a week to do laundry and the like. If I'm in a town at lunch or dinner time I'll probably eat in a restaurant. Otherwise, I'll probably cook for myself. I have a friend who is a backpacker and he'll clue me in on what to take." "Damn, I wish I could go with you. That's an adventure you'd remember your whole life." "Well, Sam, it would be nice to have company, but we wouldn't get through two states before someone questioned my traveling with a young girl, then I'd be arrested and you'd be sent back to your adopted father." Sam looked thoughtful for a few minutes then asked, "What if I was a boy and you had papers saying you are my uncle and my legal guardian?" "That would work, but you aren't a boy and I don't have papers saying I'm your guardian." "You thought I was a boy and I know where we could get the papers." I thought about that for a few minutes then said, "You'd also need a birth certificate and something saying you were being home schooled." "I know where I could get them. It'd probably cost around a hundred dollars for all of that." "That's not a problem. I was just thinking. If I just rented a storage building for my furniture, I could save more than enough to pay for the trip. Could you pull off being a boy for six months or so?" "Definitely. We could say I was thirteen or so. That would explain my higher pitched voice." "God, Sam. It is tempting. I really enjoy your company. I can see how there'd be lots of problems though. For one thing, we'd probably have to share a tent. Also, it's probably going to be hard to find a 'little girl's room' or a 'little boy's room' while we would be traveling. There'd be a distinct lack of privacy." "Didn't you say all of the taboos are just bullshit? The lack of privacy wouldn't bother me." "Do you really mean that? I'd probably see you naked and you'd probably see me naked." Sam stood up and opened her robe. She wasn't wearing anything under it. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her breasts were probably a B cup with large nipples and dark areolas. Her skin was flawless and her dark blond pubic hair was a delight to behold. She shrugged the robe off and turned her back to me, showing me her wonderful butt. She did a complete turn, then picked the robe up and put it back on. "Do you think I'd be bothered by a little nudity?" she asked. "No, I don't think it would bother you. It might bother me more than I'd like to admit though. I know I'm a lot older than you, Sam, but I'm still a functional male. You are absolutely beautiful. Every time I see your gorgeous body, I'm probably going to get an erection. Is that going to offend you?" "It would probably offend me if you didn't," Sam giggled. "This is an amazing young lady," I thought. "If I give you the money, can you get all of the proper papers?" I asked. "Yep. They'll have the proper seals and everything. What name should I get them in and how old should they say I am?" "How about using Samuel Hill and saying you're fourteen?" "You've got to be kidding, Sam Hill?" Okay, so I cracked up. "It has a ring to it," I said. We were giggling like a couple of kids as we thought about the name. We worked out the details about what to have on the paperwork. I gave her my full name and Social Security number, my date of birth, and anything else I thought she would need. "If you'll take me to the park tomorrow morning, I'll get the papers taken care of," Sam said. "Sure. I'll drop you off, then I'll go in to work and resign. I'm debating whether to give them a notice, or if I should just quit." "I don't think it's smart to burn bridges, but you'll just have to see how it plays out. If your boss is an asshole about it, tell him to fuck off and walk out." "I might not even have to. When I turn in my resignation, he'll probably fire me. He's done it to others." "So, what are we going to do today?" Sam asked. "Why don't I give Jim Gillam a call and see if we could talk to him this afternoon about backpacking?" Sam went off to change clothes while I made the call. When I told him what I wanted to talk about, Jim got very enthusiastic. I told him I'd be over around one and that I was bringing a friend. Sam came back out, dressed in the clothes she had been wearing in the park. "Are you ready to go?" I asked. "Are we going to see your friend right now?" she asked. "No, we're going to the Kentwood Mall first," I said. "The clothes you're wearing make you look like a street urchin. I want Jim to think you're a boy, but I don't want him to think you're a homeless waif." Sam laughed, "But, I am a homeless waif." "Not any more, you're not," I said seriously. Sam gave me a smile that would have lighted Michigan. "Okay, Unk," she said. "Don't you think we should talk to your friend about clothes before we buy though?" "For now, we're only going to get you one set of clothes. A pair of loose fitting jeans and a loose fitting shirt that will hide your lovely breasts. We'll get you a pair of tennis shoes and a baseball cap." Sam was smiling as she said, "Okay, a loose fitting shirt with a sports bra will hide my boobs. There's not much there anyway." "Your breasts are absolutely perfect. I just worry about hiding them so no one figures out you're a girl." ------- Sam said we could get what she needed at Sears, so that's where we went. I waited as Sam went into a men's dressing room to try on some boy's jeans. When she came out to show them off, I immediately started shaking my head. The jeans left no doubt that she was a girl and I told her so. She tried on another pair that were two sizes larger and they worked fine. She found a nice looking shirt in the men's department and a baseball cap. I paid for these purchases, then we headed to the ladies wear department. Sam picked up a sports bra and a couple of pairs of nylon panties. We went into the mall's men's room and I stood outside the stall as Sam changed into her new clothes. When she came out, she looked like she belonged in the men's room. "How about some lunch?" I asked. "I'm not terribly hungry, but there is a French Bakery here in the mall that sells the most wonderful croissants I have ever tasted. A croissant and a cup of coffee would go down nice." "When did you have a croissant from here?" "The ones I had were in the trash. Evidently they hadn't sold." We found the bakery and Sam wanted a chocolate croissant. I decided to have one too and they were even better than she had described them. We ate our croissants and sipped our coffee as we watched the other Sunday shoppers. Finally, it was time to go and see Jim. I introduced Sam as Sam Hill and told Jim, Sam was my nephew. Jim asked Sam what her parents were thinking about to name him Sam with a last name like Hill. "Dad says that mom took one look at me when I came out of her and said, 'What in the Sam Hill is that?' and that it just kind of stuck," Sam told him. Of course Jim cracked up. "I like your nephew," he said. Jim must have had twenty catalogs laid out on his coffee table. He asked if we'd like something to drink, but we both refused. We sat on his sofa and he took a seat across from us. "So, you're going to do some backpacking? Where are you planning to go?" "We're not sure yet, but we are going to be gone quite some time," I said. "We won't be wilderness hiking, so we'll never be more than a day or two from civilization." "Even so, you're going to have to plan for having a couple of days of camp food on you and some way to prepare it. You'll also need clothes, a water filtration/purification system, bug spray, sun block, a first aid kit, snake bite kit, backpack, tent, sleeping bags, compass, GPS unit, knife, emergency food, snacks, condiments, matches, lighter, fire starter, lash cord, ziplock bags, sleeping pad, etc. The list goes on and on. Our packing group made up a list last year of essentials along with recommendations as to what are the best and lightest. I'll give you a copy before you leave." "Thanks, Jim, where do we buy all of these things?" "You can buy a lot of it locally. I have a list of outfitters. The rest you can get off of the Internet. If you buy something from the Internet, reputable dealers will ship within a couple of days and you'll have it within a week. I have a list of Internet dealers and their URLs too." "What kind of clothes are we going to need, Jim?" Sam asked. "Most people prefer walking shorts to pants. You will need some wind/rain pants for bad weather. Most any kind of shirt will do. I like one with as many pockets as I can get. You'll also need a rain poncho and a rain hat. Lightweight underwear will be nice. The most important thing will be your hiking boots. If they're not fitted properly, you won't make it five miles. I've written down where I get mine and the brand I like best, but let them fit you with several pairs and pick the one that feels the best." I had been looking over his list of essentials as he labeled it and was shaking my head. "Jim, we'd need a Conestoga Wagon to haul all of this and we'd need six Clydesdales to pull it." Jim laughed and said, "It's not as bad as it sounds. The three heaviest things on the list are the backpack, the tent, and the sleeping bags. A good titanium frame backpack will weigh around three pounds. The sleeping bags will weigh around two pounds each. The tent is going to be the heaviest. Don't believe them when they say a tent is a two man tent. Two men couldn't sleep in most of them unless they were lovers. Go for a three to five man tent. This'll weigh around five pounds." "What about a camp stove? I'd have thought that would be the heaviest." "Nope. A good titanium camp stove will only weigh a few ounces, although the camp stove I prefer is made of stainless steel and weighs about thirteen ounces. It uses wood you can pick up around the camp site, so you don't need to carry fuel for it. "Titanium is the most expensive metal for camping equipment, but it also has the best strength to weight ratio. If you can afford it, titanium is the way to go on anything that is metal, especially things like tent poles and stakes." "Well, maybe it won't be as bad as I first thought." "Oh, it'll be bad enough," Jim laughed. "Depending on how many meals you decide to take with you and how much snack food you want to have on you, you'll still be carrying some pretty hefty packs. You should definitely have snacks with you though. Trail mix or energy bars or something like that is best. Trail mix weighs more than the energy bars, but the raisins really seem to pep me up. I like some dried fruit too. A lot of people refuse to take it because of the weight, but I think it's worth it." "A six ounce meal will feed two people after it is rehydrated. That means a little over a pound a day just for food. If you think it's going to be four days between towns, then you should carry seven days of food." "We're probably talking several thousand dollars worth of equipment, aren't we?" "Well... Yeah. A good tent can run you up to a thousand. Backpacks and sleeping bags will cost you another five or six hundred. Hiking boots aren't cheap. The rest, except for a GPS unit aren't bad. The GPS unit can run you anywhere from two hundred to a thousand." "You think a GPS unit is worthwhile?" "Most definitely. I'd still take along a good compass as a backup, but if nothing goes wrong with the GPS, you'll never look at the compass." "So, if I started ordering this stuff tomorrow, I should have it all within a week?" "Yes, then you'll need to familiarize yourself with all of the equipment. Put up and take down the tent a few times. Sleep in the sleeping bags in the tent one night. Read the instructions and cook yourselves a meal or two. Figure out what the minimum cooking and eating utensils you're going to be comfortable with. Walk a few miles in your hiking boots. In other words use everything you're taking with you before you have to use it for real." "Okay, that makes sense. You mentioned lightweight underwear. What would you recommend?" "Silk if you can afford it. Silk is surprisingly warm and it will wick perspiration away from your body. That keeps you from chaffing. Even though it's summer, you'll need a lightweight windbreaker. Don't go with the cheap stuff at Sears. Buy the best from an outfitter. Carefully remove any tags that are in your clothing. Number one, tags will irritate your skin. Number two, tags don't weigh much, but every little bit adds up." "Jim, you've given us a lot to think about. I see on this list you have the local outfitters listed. Are they more or less expensive than the on-line ones?" "They're about the same when you add the shipping and handling an on-line source adds. The biggest drawback of using local outfitters is that many of them don't carry everything you need. You also have to watch out for them recommending inferior stuff. I had one tell me that aluminum tent stakes were just as good as titanium ones. He argued that they were just as light and just as strong. His name isn't on the list." "Okay, we're going to hit the road. We have a million things to do before we take off and I'd like to get started on them this afternoon." "Take these catalogs. They'll let you see the things that are on our recommended list. If you could send them back before you leave, I would appreciate it." "Sure will, Jim, and thanks for all of the information." Sam and I did spend some time looking through the catalogs, matching the recommended items to the pictures. It was interesting seeing something and then finding out how little it weighed. Jim was absolutely right about the weight of some things made of aluminum being greater than the equivalent made of titanium. Although aluminum is lighter than titanium, it takes a lot more of it to get the strength required. ------- Sam was ready to go the next morning as soon as I was. She had dressed in her old clothes again and asked me to drop her in the park. I gave her two hundred dollars and told her to get whatever paperwork we would need. "Maybe I'll just take the money and run," she teased. "Well, it would be a relatively inexpensive lesson then," I said. "You know that's not going to happen, Ed. This sounds like the adventure of a lifetime. I wouldn't miss it for the world." I don't know how she does it, but when I let Sam out of the car, she turned and looked back at me. There was that little lost boy again, hopeless and helpless. ------- Chapter 3 My boss was a pure ass. I was about fifteen minutes late getting in and he saw me. "What the hell are you doing, coming in late?" he practically yelled. I saw several heads popping up over the walls of cubicles wondering who had made the boss mad this time. "I'm fifteen minutes late, Dale," I said. "That's right and I've been looking all over for you. You need to be on a plane to Denver in less than two hours. The site is shut down until you get there." "That's not going to happen, Dale," I said calmly. "What the hell do you mean, that's not going to happen. You'll be on that God Damned plane, or you're fired." "Well, I guess I'm fired then. I'll clean out my desk and leave." "Like hell you'll clean out your desk. If you're not on that plane, your ass is out of here right now!" I tried to keep my voice as calm as possible when I said, "Dale, I have some personal papers, some pictures, and a check book in that desk. You can't keep me from taking what's mine." "I'll be damned if I can't, you son-of-a-bitch," Dale yelled just as Pete Welsh, the Vice-President of Engineering, walked up behind him. "Gentlemen, keep your voices down," Pete said in that awe inspiring voice of his. "What's this all about anyway?" "Ed came in late for work, then he was disrespectful to me when I called him on it. I told him we needed him to go to Denver and he refused. I told him if he didn't go, I'd fire him. He started to try to take company property out of his desk and I stopped him." "I'll talk to you about it later, Dale. Ed, would you come to my office please?" I had always liked Pete. He was a very stern man, but he was fair. For that reason, I followed him to his office. "Ed, let me hear your side of the story," he said after we were seated. "Well, Sir, Dale was right in that I was late this morning. When he yelled at me and said my ass had to be on a plane to Denver in less than two hours, I'd had enough. I told him I wouldn't go. He told me I was fired, so I told him I just needed to get some personal papers, some pictures, and my checkbook out of my desk and I'd leave. He was giving me his answer when you came up." "What did you mean when you said you'd had enough?" "Last year, I went seventeen weeks in a row without having a weekend home. I was home for one weekend, then was gone for another eight weekends. My being away so much cost me my marriage. My divorce was final last Friday. I was due a promotion two years ago. Although I have done more work than anyone else in the department I've not been promoted. Every time an engineer in the department comes up with an idea of how to do something better or less expensively, it gets shot down because Dale didn't think of it, then six months later, the idea is implemented as being Dale's idea. I think you can verify that from almost any engineer in the department. I've just gotten to the point that the job isn't worth it any more." "Do you have any idea why you haven't been promoted?" "None whatsoever." "Dale says it's because you've been missing too much work." "Excuse my language, but that's bullshit. I've taken one sick day in the last three years. I haven't taken any personal days. Personnel is yelling at me that I have too much vacation time accrued. I'll wager I've averaged sixty hours a week for the five years I've been here." "What would it take to keep you here, Ed?" "That's not possible, Pete. I wouldn't stay if I was promoted twice and my salary was doubled. Dale fired me and that's fine with me." Pete sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Okay, Ed. I'll see that you're given a month's pay in lieu of notice. I'll also see that you're paid for your vacation time. I'll also write you a letter of recommendation and mail it to your home. I hate to see you go." "Thanks, Pete. I like you and respect you. Unfortunately everyone in the company is not like you." We shook hands and I walked to my desk. Dale watched me as I went through my file folders and picked out the ones that had personal information. I gathered up my pictures, my check book, and a few personal items and left without saying another word to him. ------- My cell phone rang as I was on my way home. I had given my number to Sam, so I figured it was her. I wasn't disappointed. "Hi, Ed. I found the guy I was talking about and he says the documents will be ready by tomorrow. I had to give him fifty dollars down and another hundred tomorrow." "That's okay, Sam. Are you ready for me to pick you up?" She was silent for a minute then she said, "I figured you wanted me to sleep in the park tonight. Do you really want me to stay at your place again?" "Absolutely. I don't want you to ever have to sleep in the park again. Where are you?" "I'm at Fuller's Market. Do you know where that is?" "I sure do. I'm only about four blocks from there right now. I'll see you in a few." I hung up and smiled. I didn't want Sam to have to sleep in the park. She's a sweet, innocent girl and I'd do anything in the world to protect her. Sam was all smiles when she climbed into my car. "So, what happened to you? Why did you leave work early?" she asked. I told her the story of my reception at work. At first, she looked upset, then she thought about it for a minute and said, "That's really what you wanted, Isn't it?" "Absolutely," I said with a big grin. "The VP felt so bad about Dale firing me that he said they'd give me a month's salary since they weren't giving me any notice. He also told me they'd pay me for all of the vacation time I had accrued and hadn't taken. That gives me almost three months worth of salary." "Fantastic. So, when are we going to leave for our adventure?" "I'm not sure. Let's make a trip to one of the local outfitters this afternoon. One thing though, when we go could you dress as a girl? I'd like to take you out to dinner afterwards and I don't want to take a boy to dinner." Sam giggled. "I don't have any girl clothes, Ed." "Then let's stop at the mall and get you some." Sam smiled and said, "Okay, that might be fun." We drove to the mall and Sam said she could find something at the Gap. I told her to spend as much of the hundred and fifty she still had for what she needed and I'd find a bench to wait on until she got back. I don't know how long she was in there. I had leaned back and was dozing when she walked up and sat on the bench beside me. I didn't even recognize her when she sat down. She was wearing a dark blue skirt with some kind of pattern in it. The skirt came about two inches above her knees. She had on a white blouse that anyone would have thought was conservative and a nice pair of sandals. Her hair was hanging down to her shoulders and it shown with a life of its own. She had put on just a touch of makeup. All in all she looked to be in her early twenties, rather than her admitted sixteen. "Aren't you even going to say hello?" she asked after a while. I jumped like I had been shot and Sam giggled. "Sam?" "You've got it. How do I look?" she asked as she got up and did a spin. "Gorgeous," I admitted. She held her hand down to me and asked, "Are you ready to go to the outfitters?" "Absolutely," I said as I let her pull me up. ------- I was surprised at the quantity and quality of the equipment they had available. They had one of the recommended tents and we checked it out. It was a five-man tent and it looked like it would easily hold two or three adults. It cost a little over eight hundred, but we went ahead and took it. The salesman showed us how to set it up and take it down and pack it. Both of us watched closely. We also bought two titanium framed backpacks. We started looking at sleeping bags and the salesman was really pushing one type. It was one of the ones on the list, but for some reason, Sam didn't like it. Finally, she pointed at another one that was on the list and said, "Those are the ones we want." It really didn't matter to me so I went along with her. I'm not sure the salesman liked our choice, but he wasn't the one who would have to sleep in it. By then, I was tired of shopping, so I suggested we leave and come back tomorrow. We paid for what we had selected and loaded our stuff in the car. ------- Dinner was fantastic. We went to a nice restaurant and both of us ate more than we should have. We talked about our upcoming trip all through dinner. "Where are we going to start and end?" Sam asked. "Well, I was thinking about starting at Eastport, Maine. It's about as far east as you can get and not get your feet wet. Ending? How about San Diego?" "That sounds good," Sam said a little hesitantly. "Are there any cities you'd like to avoid?" I asked, sensing her reluctance. She hesitated for a moment then said, "I guess I should tell you. My step-father lives in Chicago. I really don't want to go through there." "Okay, then let's stay a full state away from there. One of the things I was thinking about was walking along the US/Canadian border all the way to Washington. We'd be going through a lot of wilderness areas, but it would be a lot cooler than walking through the southern states during the summer months." "Gee, that'd keep us hundreds of miles from the Windy City, wouldn't it? I think I could live with that." "The only drawbacks I can see to that route is the greater distance between cities. That means it would be a lot longer between hot baths and more food that we'd have to carry." "We can handle it, Ed, We might have to take it slower, but I'm sure we can do it. Besides, it would be more like we really were on the Oregon Trail a hundred and fifty years ago." "Girl, you've got more spunk than anyone is entitled to. I'm glad you're going on this trip with me." Sam didn't answer, but her eyes were sparkling. ------- The first place we went the next day was the place where Jim said he got his hiking boots. We went in and sat down to talk with a salesman. The first question he asked was where we were going to be hiking and during what time period. I told him to figure we'd be hiking along the Canadian border in North Dakota in the middle of summer. "Okay, you're going to have some warm days and cool nights. I'll check our information to make sure, but from what I remember it can get up to around eighty degrees in the daytime and can drop into the forties at night. We'll fit you with light, medium and heavy socks before we even look at the boots." Sam and I looked at each other, wondering what planet he had come from. We talked to Jim about it later and he said we'd definitely want to wear two pairs of socks, because the socks would tend to rub together instead of rubbing our feet, causing blisters. He said we'd probably start the day with medium or heavy socks over light socks and change the outer socks to light ones before it got too hot. Anyway, the salesman measured our feet before he even brought out the socks. He handed two pairs to each of us and told us to put the heavier pair over the lighter pair while he went to find the boots Jim had recommended in our sizes. Sam and I put our socks on and waited for the salesman to return. He came back with only one pair of boots for each of us. Now, hiking boots aren't pretty and these were no exception. I wondered what Sam would think of the style, but she didn't pay any attention to the looks at all. The salesman helped Sam get her boots on, while I struggled with mine. I found out I was just trying too hard. Once I had the boots on and laced, it felt like they were meant to be there. I got up and walked around the store in them and I know I had to be smiling. They supported my feet, but otherwise they felt like there was nothing there at all. I was sold. When I saw Sam walking around and smiling, I knew she liked them too. The salesman said we'd each need a pair of moccasins to wear around camp. He said we should remove our boots as soon as we had made camp so they would have more time to breathe and dry out before we put them on again. We bought the moccasins too. We also bought five pairs of each weight of socks. ------- We found everything we could find from Jim's list that we could buy locally, then we started ordering from the Internet sources. By evening, we had everything ordered. Sam said she wanted to fix dinner, so I surfed the Internet while she got it started. I did a Google search on backpacking and was amazed at the number of sites I found devoted to the sport. Most of what I found was in how to make what you're packing lighter. Some people seemed to be a little over the edge in what they were suggesting. One man went into a long discourse on how he saved weight in his pack and when it got to the end all he had saved was a couple of grams. Sam and I both got a laugh out of that. One of the biggest controversies we saw was in the selection of a stove for cooking your meals. One guy was bragging that his stove only weighed 3.4 ounces. What he didn't say was that a week's worth of fuel weighed a couple of pounds. To make it worse, the fuel probably wouldn't even be available in most small towns. Jim had recommended and we had ordered a wood burning stove. Fuel could be picked up around the campsite. Speaking of food, Sam fixed us a wonderful dinner from things she found in the kitchen. I was really impressed. We discussed food a lot and both of us were determined that we were not going to subsist on rice and beans for the entire trek. ------- I dropped Sam back at the park this morning after giving her more money, then went to one of those mini-warehouses. I found something that was considerably larger than I thought I needed, but went ahead and rented it anyway. I paid for a year in advance. Next, I called a moving company called "Two Men and a Truck". I set it up to have everything moved to the storage building in ten days. I was now fully committed. I gave my landlord my notice, then I called my sister. I asked her if she'd like free use of my car for a minimum of six months and she readily agreed. The company her husband worked for had downsized him and he was out of work at the moment. He is a very sharp guy though, so I knew it wouldn't be long until he was working again. I was just trying to figure out what to do next when the phone rang. It was Sam and she was ready to be picked up. When I got her home, she showed me the papers she had gotten and they looked fine. They even had the raised stamps that supposedly showed where they had been recorded by the courts. We spent some time setting up and taking down our tent that afternoon and Sam asked if we could sleep in the tent that night. I said I didn't think that was a bad idea, so I called my landlord and got permission to test out the tent in the back yard of the apartment building. After dinner, we went out and set up the tent for the fourth time that day. We moved our sleep pads and sleeping bags into the tent. After we had everything ready, we sat and talked for a while about our favorite topic, the trip. When it started to get dark, Sam said she thought we should get ready for bed. I was a little surprised when she stripped all the way to her skin. She saw me watching her and said, "I was reading on the Internet that it is better to sleep in very light clothes or in nothing at all in a sleeping bag. That way you don't get too warm during the night and sweat inside the bag." "Okay, so why aren't you wearing light clothing?" "It's something else we'd have to carry. I think it's better if we just sleep in the nude. I kind of like sleeping that way anyway." I couldn't fault her logic, and I certainly didn't mind seeing her naked. She hadn't gotten into her sleeping bag as yet. She was just sitting there, cross legged, talking to me, completely unembarrassed. "Okay," I said. "It makes sense." She sat watching as I removed my clothes. I could never sit cross legged, so when I was naked, I opened my sleeping bag, then laid down on top of it. It was starting to get dark now, but I could still see Sam as she laid down on her bag too. "Thank you, Ed," Sam said. "You're welcome. For what?" "For trusting me enough to get naked too. You have had a little more sheltered life than I have. I know it's harder for you." "I guess it is. I haven't been naked a lot with anyone except my wife before. There have been a few occasions since I was an adult that I went skinny dipping with a group. I imagine you saw a lot while living in the park." "More than I ever wanted to, that's for sure. I've watched people screwing. I've watched both men and women peeing and taking a dump. I even saw a guy being beaten to death. That one bothers me. I wonder if I had started screaming if they'd have run off." "I doubt they would have, Sam. They'd have probably gone after you." "I know they would have, but I didn't do anything. I didn't even tell the police what I saw." "If you had told the police, they'd have found out who you are and would have sent you back to your step-dad. That wouldn't have helped anyone." "That's what I tell myself. I just have a hard time believing it sometimes. Ed... would you hold my hand while we go to sleep?" "With pleasure," I said as I took her hand. ------- At some time during the night, I had lost Sam's hand. When I awoke, we were laying about two feet apart, on our sides, facing each other. As my eyes started to focus, I could see that she was watching me. "Good morning," I said. Sam smiled as big as Montana and said, "Good morning. I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up." I stretched and said, "Us unemployed guys tend to lay in bed longer. I'll get up around noon and have some bacon and eggs, then I'll go out on the back porch and drink about a dozen beers. When I start feeling good, I'll go down to the local bar and have a few more beers with my buddies. When I'm drunk enough, I'll pick up a bar slut and boff her brains out. I'll go wandering home in the wee hours of the morning and beat up on my wife, just because I can and because it makes me feel like a man. Then I'll go to sleep again." Sam was giggling until I got to the part about beating up on my wife, then she got serious. "You just about perfectly described what my step-dad did every day. Mom said it was because he was depressed. I say it was because he is a loser." "I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to bring back bad memories. I had an uncle who was like that. His wife was one of the sweetest, kindest people I ever knew. She put up with his drinking and his infidelities until the day he died. He had picked up one of the bar sluts I mentioned and had been shacked up with her for three days. He went to sleep one night and she put eight, nine millimeter slugs through his brain." "Oh, shit, Ed. That must have been hard on his wife." "It was and still is, I think. That happened seven years ago and she has never remarried or even dated that I know of. I still love her and I go see her every chance I get. She still talks about him like he had just stepped around the corner to get a loaf of bread." "Was your uncle always like that or was it only when he was out of work?' "He was always like that. Mom made excuses for him, but he was just a drunk. May would fix him a nice dinner and have it waiting when he was due home from work. Sometimes he'd be there for weeks at a time, then he wouldn't show up at home for several days." "Why did his wife put up with him?" "She loved him. She said it was a sickness and wasn't his fault. I don't know. I don't think I could put up with being beaten even if I knew it was a sickness." "Obviously I couldn't," Sam laughed. Neither of us exhibited any shyness as we got up and got dressed. It was nice being that comfortable with someone. We fixed ourselves some breakfast, then went on a two hour hike. The new boots felt really good. We decided to take longer hikes each day until it was time to leave. We went to a sporting goods store today and I bought something that none of the backpacking web sites we visited recommended. I bought a Kel-Tec P-32 automatic. I was told I'd have to wait three days before I could pick it up, but we still had plenty of time, so I didn't mind. The pistol weighs 6.6 ounces and I figured another two pounds for ammunition. I had no idea we'd ever need it, but I felt safer knowing we were going to have it. I also made flight reservations today to get us to Eastport. In the afternoon, Sam and I sat down with our GPS and programmed in the first segment of our trip. The GPS we bought could be set up for ten trips and each trip could have up to a hundred way points. We poured over our maps and programmed in every town that was on our route. It took hours, but we had fun doing it. We decided to sleep in the house and after we had a nice dinner and talked for a while, I made my way to my bedroom. It had felt so nice sleeping in the nude last night that I just stripped off and slid under the covers. I was just starting to doze off when I heard a knock on my bedroom door. "Yes," I yelled. The door opened and Sam came in. She had on the big robe I had loaned her the first night she was here. "Ed, it felt so good falling asleep last night, holding your hand. I slept better than I had in the last couple of years. I was wondering if I could sleep in here with you tonight." "It probably isn't a good idea, but what the hell," I said as I pulled back the covers on her side of the bed. "I slept really well last night too." Sam dropped the robe. All she was wearing under it was her birthday suit. She climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her. "Ed, I don't know why it is, but I feel safe when I'm with you. Why don't you think it's a good idea for me to sleep in here?" "Sam, you are a very beautiful young woman and I'm a horny man. I'm sure I can control myself, but it does put a lot of strain on me." Sam turned on her side and looked me in the eye. "Are you saying you're attracted to me?" "Very much so, young lady. I don't think I've ever been this attracted to anyone in my entire life." Sam giggled and said, "Good." Then she turned her back to me and went to sleep. Sleep for me was a long time coming. ------- I awoke with Sam's head on my shoulder and her leg draped over my thighs. I had one arm around her and my hand was resting on her hip. "What a way to wake up," I thought as I slowly started to extricate my hand. "You can leave your hand there if you'd like," Sam said. "Again, not a good idea and for the same reasons I gave you last night." Sam giggled and it did wonderful things to the breasts that were pushing into my side. "In that case, I might just as well get up," she said. "I was thinking, we should put everything we have in our packs this morning and wear the packs, the tent, and our sleeping bags." "That's probably a good idea," I said as I got up and headed for the bathroom. My morning erection was leading the way and Sam watched it intently. While Sam fixed breakfast, I figured up the weight of everything we didn't have as yet, then I packed the backpacks and weighed them. I felt comfortable starting carrying what we had now as a test, so that's what we did. We finished breakfast then took care of our bathroom duties. I helped Sam adjust her backpack and she helped me. It really wasn't uncomfortable at all, although I did feel the extra weight. We hiked for two hours again and when we got home, my butt was dragging. I was a little concerned at how tired I was, but I figured I'd build myself up over the next eight days and I'd be in better shape when we left. ------- Chapter 4 There are a hundred little spots along the Grand River where people go down to the river to fish, or the high school kids get together for their beer and bong bashes. A guy I worked with owns one of them that is usually frequented by the kids. He was out of town for the next few weeks on a job and since it was the middle of the week, I knew there wouldn't be any kids there. I knew he wouldn't mind if I camped there. "Sam, how would you like to camp out for real tonight?" I asked her. "That's a great idea. Where would we go?" I told her and told her we could try out our new camp stove and even some of the freeze dried meals we had bought locally. We already had everything packed, so we carried it all to the car and set out. The place I wanted to camp was about a half mile from where we had to park the car, so it was even more realistic as we trekked in. Sam was thrilled when she saw the spot I had chosen. I was a little upset about all of the debris the kids had left laying around. We spent almost half an hour picking up beer cans, plastic cups and empty cigarette packs. I was sure there were hundreds of used condoms off in the bushes, but we didn't go looking for them. We set up our tent in a grassy area and found a nice spot for our camp stove. "Do you think it's warm enough to swim in the river?" Sam asked. "Go down to the river and put your hand and wrist in the water, then you tell me," I said with a grin. Sam left her arm in the water for less than a minute, then she stood up and started shaking the water off. "Nope, not warm enough for swimming," she said. "I didn't think it would be. The weather has been unusually warm for April, but it is still April in Michigan. We'll probably have at least one more snow before spring." "Chicago was just as bad," Sam said. "I had been thinking about hitchhiking south before next winter. I thought I was going to freeze my ass off this past winter." I was glad she hadn't frozen her ass off and I was glad she hadn't hitchhiked south. ------- We took another hike in the afternoon. I had at least partially recuperated from this morning's hike, but we knocked off after about an hour. We spent most of the afternoon just lying around and talking. Really we were just getting to know each other. I wasn't too surprised to learn that Sam had been a straight 'A' student before her mother came down with cancer. I asked if she had been a cheerleader. "Cheerleaders are mostly dumb bimbos," Sam told me. "I never wanted to be thought of as a dumb bimbo, so I stayed away from that. I also stayed away from alcohol and drugs. Either of those can ruin your life." "Okay, then were you in the popular clique?" "No, I guess you could have considered me to be more of a nerd. People didn't make fun of me for it or anything, but I didn't fit in any of the other cliques or maybe I just didn't want to." I told her about how I had started dating Missy in high school and how we had both been shy, nerdish people. I didn't tell her about the sexual side of mine and Missy's relationship, but I told her about everything else. She told me a lot about her mother and her step-father. "Did you have a boyfriend before you had to run away?" I asked. "No. I only had one date in my life, Ed. Mom wanted me to bring him to the house so she could meet him. Phil made an ass of himself when the boy came to the house. It embarrassed the hell out of me and the boy never asked me out again. When anyone else asked me out, I politely refused. I didn't want to go through that again." "It must have been hard on you, Sam." "I guess it was. Everyone at school thought I was a lesbian," she giggled. "People can be cruel, Sam, especially young people." "Yeah, I know. We never were rich and I never had the best clothes to wear. Kids made fun of me for that." ------- We fixed a freeze dried meal for dinner. Okay, so the flavor leaves a lot to be desired. It was edible though and filling. We talked a little about the possibility of getting Jim to ship a weeks worth of meals to different towns along the way, just in case we needed them. I knew we could have them mailed General Delivery. For some reason this seemed like cheating though. We got everything cleaned up after dinner and were relaxing, when it started to rain. It wasn't a downpour or anything, but April rains in Michigan are very cold. We quickly retired to our tent. We were both a little damp when we got in the tent, so we stripped off and after drying ourselves we got in our sleeping bags. We didn't zip them up and we laid on our sides, facing each other so we could talk. I could clearly see one of Sam's beautiful breasts and I could catch glimpses of her pubic hair as we laid there. "Sam, for someone who hasn't even dated, you sure don't seem to mind showing off your naked body." "Oh, I wouldn't show my body to just anyone, Ed. You're the only person I've been naked with since I hit puberty." "Why don't you mind being naked in front of me?" "There are several reasons, actually. The primary ones are that number one, I feel safe with you. The other is that I fell in love with you the third day I knew you." "Jesus, Sam, I'm almost old enough to be your father." "Bullshit! You're only eight years older than me. Besides, do you really think age makes any difference in how someone feels about someone else?" "No, I really don't. The age difference doesn't change how I feel about you. The age difference will effect how I act on how I feel. You're a virgin, Sam. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to do everything in my power to see that you come back from this trip a virgin as well." "Don't I have any say in that?" "No. Look, Sam. I'll hold you, I'll kiss you, and maybe even pet you, but I will not make love to you." "I can live with that, at least for the time being. I don't know if I'm ready to make love yet anyway." "Good. Now, is there anything else I should know before we try to get some sleep?" I knew I shouldn't have asked that question as soon as it was out of my mouth. "Well... Do you know why I wanted the sleeping bags we got?" "No." "Because they zip together to make one large sleeping bag." "Oh, God," I groaned. ------- Seven days to go before we catch a plane to take us to Eastport, Maine. One week. We still had a few small things that had been ordered, but hadn't come in as yet. Other than that, we didn't have a lot we had to do before we left, except to get ourselves in better shape for hiking. We fixed another freeze dried meal and then went on a three hour hike. We had walked a total of four hours yesterday and I wanted to make it five or six today. After breakfast, we packed up our camp, picked up our trash, then drove up Route 131 to where it crosses the Grand River. We parked in the Mr. Fables parking lot and started walking east on West River Drive. This later becomes Cannonsburg Road. Roads that change names really bug me. At one time I did a lot of bicycle riding out this way, so I pretty much knew the mile points, but I used our GPS anyway to let us know how far we walked. When we had gone four and a half miles, we turned and started back. By the time we reached the car I was dragging. We went into Fables and had one of their franchise named burgers and fries before we drove home. I really love their Mr. Fabulous burger. It's the only one I know of that has chopped green olives on it. We vegged out for a while, then Sam asked it we shouldn't be packing what was going into storage, which was basically everything. I drove down to the U-Haul dealer and bought a dozen boxes. I figured that was more than I was going to need. We didn't work hard at it, but we did spend a couple of hours getting things into boxes. We used clothing, towels, and linen as padding for breakable things like dishes. We just kept out enough of everything to use until the movers came. In the afternoon, we repeated our walk of this morning. Okay, so after we got back from our second walk of the day, we were wiped out. I think every muscle in my body was aching as I waited for Sam to get out of the shower. When I finally got in, the hot water cascading down my body did seem to help. I dried myself and slipped on a robe, then went in to see what Sam was doing in the kitchen. I found that she had fixed us two monstrous Chef's Salads. They really hit the spot. We took them into the living room and turned on the TV while we ate. Sam sat down on the couch and patted a spot beside her, so I sat there too. "You know," Sam said, "I think the food I missed the most while I was on the street was salads and other fresh vegetables. I had all the leftover burgers I could want from the fast food restaurants. It was the veggies that I couldn't find." "I've never had to live like that, Sam, and I hope I never do." "It's not something I'd like to go back to either," Sam said. "It was better than getting raped though." "Amen to that. Do you really think he would have raped you?" "I'm sure of it. The last few days before I ran away, he'd pinch my tit or my butt any chance he got. He left bruises on my left tit that were there for over a week. He kept calling me his sexy little piece or his little cum slut. I didn't even know what a cum slut was at the time." "I'm so sorry that happened to you, Sam. It's a wonder you aren't afraid of all men." "I was, to a certain extent, until I met you. There was just something about you that I thought I could trust." After we finished our salads, Sam snuggled in close, so I put my arm around her. She sighed and snuggled even tighter. We sat that way until time to go to bed. ------- Six more days until we leave. We were up and moving early. We ended up taking a hike with our packs weighted until they were equivalent to what they would be when we started our cross country trek. We decided to do nine miles round trip again with the heavier packs. We figured what we had on us this morning was equivalent to what we'd be carrying on the trek including seven days of freeze dried food. It was a little harder to carry than yesterday, but not something we couldn't do. We were extremely tired when we got back to the car though. When we got back to the apartment, we both collapsed on the sofa. We sat there with our butts near the edge of the seat and the back of the sofa supporting our heads. Our feet were on the coffee table. "My mother used to yell at me for laying like this when I was a little kid," Sam giggled. "Ungh... If I had the energy, I'd go in and flop on the bed," I said. "When you lured me out of my comfortable home in the park, you didn't tell me you were going to torture me." "You're the one who wanted to come along on the trek," I argued. "Yeah, but I figured that since you're the man you'd carry everything. I figured that since I am the fair maiden, you'd pull me along behind you on a wagon." "Dream on, Alice," I said. "Wonderland is waiting for you. I'm going to go take a shower while I can still move." I managed to get to my feet and Sam said, "No fair. I'm a girl. I should get the first shower." "I don't see you moving your girlish ass in that direction," I teased. Sam just groaned as I headed for the bathroom. I stripped off and got the water running hot enough to sterilize surgical instruments, then eased myself into the flow. I was still just letting the water flow over me when Sam stepped into the shower with me. At first I was shocked and I was going to tell her to get the hell out, but then I thought, "What the hell. It isn't doing anyone any harm." Sam put her arms around me and I held her and let the water cascade over us, washing some of the fatigue from our bodies. "You'd better enjoy this while you can," I said. "When we're on the trail, a hot shower are going to be a luxury." "I know, but I'm still excited about going. You know, I was thinking. We should get on the Internet and see if we can find anything out about the towns or the area we are going to be going through. I think it would make the trip even more interesting." "I think that is an excellent idea. Remember though that every piece of paper we print up is something else we have to carry." Sam groaned and said she thought she had it covered. Sam did spend a lot of time on the Internet that afternoon, looking up the towns we would be going through or around. She also helped with the packing. I had just gotten settled in bed and was thinking of what I wanted to get done tomorrow, when Sam came in. She pulled back the covers and slid in beside me, naked. I didn't even protest. I put my arms around her and pulled her into a hug. We went to sleep with our arms around each other. ------- The next five days went quickly. We increased the distance we walked every day and carried a full pack each time. I had to have lost at least ten pounds in the last month and I felt better than I ever had in my life. Sam spent a lot of time on the Internet during that period as well. On very small towns, where it was difficult to find out anything about them anyway, she'd just have the town name and the population and its latitude and longitude. Larger towns, she'd have the names of restaurants, grocery stores, or backpacking outfitters. She used the minimum margins she could use and type so small I could hardly read it. ------- I awoke this morning like I had for several mornings in a row, with a naked Sam in my arms. I was lying on my back with my right arm around her. She was on her side with her head on my shoulder. Her right arm was draped over my chest and her right leg was across my thighs. Her breasts were digging into my side and her pubic hair was tickling my thigh. I laid there for quite a while just watching her sleep. I knew I was eight years older than this young lady, but I had fallen in love with her, big time. I had tried to deny it. I told myself that I was just feeling protective of her, but I knew that was a lie. Still, I didn't want to do anything that would hurt her. She had told me she loves me too, but she is only sixteen and I wasn't sure if she even knew what love is. I didn't want to make love to her and take her virginity if I thought she would regret it later. Today is the day the movers are going to move everything to the storage building. I made reservations for a motel room for the night, so we could go there right after the movers finish. Sam is a beautiful young woman, and that is never more evident than when she's sleeping. Finally, I saw her eyelids start to flutter and then her eyes opened wide. I kissed her good morning and my heart melted when she smiled. "The movers are going to be here in less than an hour, so we should get moving," I told her. Sam gave me a big smile, then she stretched against me. "I'd like to get a shower and something to eat. Would we have time for that?" "If we don't dawdle in bed," I said. "To hell with breakfast and a shower then," she grinned. "I'd rather snuggle for a while." "Too bad," I said as I smacked her on the butt. "I have to get up and pee. You can laze in bed while I take a shower." Sam groaned, but I got up and headed for the bathroom. I really did have some extreme bladder pressure, so the first thing I did was lift the seat of the toilet. I was standing there relieving myself when the bathroom door opened and Sam walked in. She stood there and watched me pee and when I was finished and had put the seat back down, she sat down and I could hear the hiss as she relieved her own bladder pressure. I didn't want her to think I was some kind of pervert, so I started the shower running while she took care of business. When the water was at the right temperature, I stepped in and Sam was right behind me. I put my arms around her and said, "You know, that was a first. Missy and I were married for seven years. Never once did she come in the bathroom while I was peeing and never once did she pee in front of me." "Missy was a dope. If a married couple can share sex, they should be able to share anything, the good and the bad. I'll bet you never saw her change a tampon either." I had to laugh at that one. "Hell, I never even saw her pussy when she had a tampon in." "Get used to it, Lover," Sam said, then she gave me a big hug. ------- Sam and I fixed a quick breakfast out of the leftovers we had and ate from paper plates with plastic utensils. There was still quite a bit of food in the refrigerator and I was wondering what to do with it when Sam got a box and started loading everything in it. "What are we going to do with that?" I asked. "I thought we could set it on our bench in the park if you don't mind," she said. "You'd be surprised at how many people live there." I gave her a hug and told her I thought she was a wonderful person. ------- The move went smoothly and quickly. After everything was in, I hung on a padlock and put the key on the key ring I was going to leave with my sister. Sam was dressed in her hiking clothes and so was I. All of our other clothes went in the storage building. I called my sister on my cell phone and asked her if we could drop off the car. Of course she was agreeable and she said she'd drive us to the hotel. "Are you ready to meet my sister?" I asked Sam after I had hung up. "Yes, but I'm not going to pretend I'm not a girl with her. I'll tell her I'm eighteen, but I refuse to tell her I'm a boy." "Why is that, Love?" "Because I intend to be part of your life for the rest of our lives. I don't want to have to spend the rest of our lives avoiding your sister." "You really love me that much that you want to be a part of my life?" "I really love you that much." I reached over and took her hand. "Good, because I love you that much too." Sam's smile would have lighted Maine. ------- Before we got out of the car, Sam took off her baseball cap and shook out her hair. She looked adorable. We got out of the car and I held her hand as we walked up to my sister's door. She opened the door at our knock and asked us in. Sam and I both accepted coffee after she offered and we seated ourselves around the dining table. "So, guys," Patty said, "Ed didn't tell me much about what you were planning to do. Would you care to fill me in?" "We're going to take a hike," I said. "That tells me a lot." "Actually, we're going to hike from Eastport, Maine to the Pacific Ocean," Sam said. "We're going to follow the US/Canadian border most of the way." "Now that's a heck of a hike," Patty said. "This isn't any of my business, but I assume you know there's not going to be much privacy between you, don't you?" "Yeah, we know," I said. "We can cope with that," Sam said. "Are you guys lovers?" "No," I said. "No, but we will be," Sam said. "Your idiot brother thinks I'm too young for him." "Really? How old are you?" "I'm eighteen." "Ed, at eighteen, a woman is fully matured, both emotionally and physically. Hell, a lot of girls are mature at fifteen or sixteen. If Sam is in love with you, it's a mature love." I kept my mouth shut, but Sam said, "He doesn't know it yet, but someday he's going to marry me. I love him that much and I know he loves me that much." Patty laughed and said, "You might as well make your mind up to it, Ed. When a woman sets her mind to something, a man might as well just cooperate and enjoy it." "We'll see, Sis. I do love her, but I just want to give her time to be sure before we get too deeply into anything." "You gave Missy a long time and you see where that got you." "Yeah," was all that I could say. ------- After Patty dropped us off at the hotel, we checked out our room and then tried to decide what we wanted to do with the rest of the day. I said I'd like to get a really good meal before we left, but with the clothes we were wearing I didn't think anyplace nice would let us in. "The Outback Steakhouse," Sam said. "They'll let you in no matter how you're dressed. But first, could we go see a movie? I haven't been to a movie in over a year and that's almost like forever for a teenager." Since it was only a little after three in the afternoon, I readily agreed. The hotel even had a folder telling all of the movies in town and what was playing at each. Sam saw a romantic comedy she said sounded good, so we decided on that. The cinema was only a couple of blocks away from the hotel, so we walked. The movie was a good one and it was fun watching it with Sam. She still had her hair hanging down around her shoulders, so it was apparent she was a girl. Not long after the movie started, Sam snuggled up beside me, so I put my arm around her. No, I didn't cop a feel or anything like that, but it was awfully nice holding her. It was close to 7:00 PM when the movie ended, so I called a taxi to take us to the Outback. Sam was right, they took us in without question. Sam started teasing with the waitress from the moment she came to take our drink orders. I asked for a Bass Ale and ordered a Blooming Onion for an appetizer. Sam told the waitress she wanted a Black Russian, and I think the waitress was going to get it for her, until Sam told her she was only eighteen. When the waitress brought our drinks and the appetizer back, she told Sam she looked like she had just come from down on the farm. Sam giggled and told her we were backpackers and were just passing through. Sam watched me as I broke off a petal of the onion and dipped it in the sauce. "I've never had one of these. How are we supposed to do it?" "It's a finger food, Hon. Just grab, dip, and eat." Sam tried it and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I was afraid the onion would be really strong, but this is great." "Too true. It is also huge. Remember to save room for your steak." "I don't know if I even want a steak now. I could make a meal on this." We ate the whole onion, then did a respectable job on our salads and steaks. It was after nine when the taxi dropped us off at the hotel. When we got to the room, I asked Sam which bed she wanted. "Either one is fine," she said. I undressed while she was in the bathroom and got under the covers. Sam was nude when she came out of the bathroom. She threw her clothes on the other bed and crawled under the covers with me. I didn't argue with her. I just put my arms around her and went to sleep spooned up to her naked bottom. ------- Chapter 5 Day 0 - Sunday, April 17, 2005 When I woke up, Sam was still in my arms. I could see the clock from where we were sleeping, so I knew we had plenty of time before our flight. I let Sam sleep another fifteen minutes, then woke her with a gentle kiss. She stretched and groaned, then her eyes flew open. "Today's the day!" she said. "Yep. It's going to take us almost all day to get there. The last leg of the trip is by charter, since there's no scheduled air service to Eastport." "What time's our flight?" "Nine-fifteen. We need to order room service while we shower and get dressed. Then, we'll take the shuttle to the airport. What would you like for breakfast?" Sam said for me to hit the shower and she'd order breakfast. I wasn't surprised when she joined me in the shower a few minutes later. We didn't waste any time, but cleaned ourselves and got out and got dressed. We finished breakfast and were checking out by seven-thirty. The shuttle picked us up at a quarter before eight and we were at the airport by eight. I had shipped the pistol and ammunition to Eastport by mail to myself at General Delivery. I didn't want the hassle of trying to send it through the baggage system at the airport. It was a tiring day of travel. The charter aircraft we took out of Bangor was a little puddle jumper. I will say the pilot was competent and that leg of our flight was probably the most pleasant of the entire trip. We pulled into Eastport a little after four in the afternoon and immediately went to our motel and checked in. The clerk at the motel told us of a good place to eat that was only a block away, so we went there for dinner. It was a family restaurant, but the food was excellent. We agreed we'd come back there for breakfast. We made it an early night and turned in before it was even dark outside. Day 1 - Monday, April 18, 2005 We got up early and had breakfast at the same place we'd eaten dinner. We walked around town for a bit and took in the sights, waiting for the post office to open. Passamaquoddy Bay is absolutely beautiful. Neither of us had spent any time on the ocean, so maybe it was as much seeing something that was new to us as it was the beauty. The morning temperature was cool or in my opinion, cold. As we were walking around, it had to be in the low 40s. I knew it would warm up during the day, but probably not as much as I would like. We had intended to discard the long pants and flannel shirts we had been wearing, but now we decided to wear them until the weather started warming up. When the Post Office opened up we were waiting to get in. I inquired about a General Delivery package for Ed Hill and was informed it was here. I had to show my drivers license to get it, but I didn't mind that. We didn't open the package, but got another one ready to ship out. I put my wallet and keys in a small box along with some small items Sam had and sealed it up. We had already addressed it to me in care of my sister. I put my drivers license, my ATM/Credit Card, and a little over $200 in cash in a small ziplock bag and slipped it in my pocket. We went back to the East Motel and opened the package we had received. I loaded the .32 and put it in my backpack. We looked around for anything we might have missed and decided we were ready to go. We started out walking north. We were getting a late start because of waiting for the Post Office to open and I didn't want to push it, so we decided we'd take it very easy the first few days. We had talked about going north and following the Canadian border across Maine, but the area is very wild. Since we were just getting started out, we decided to go almost straight across Maine and stick to areas where there were more towns. Since we had a big breakfast, we just had some snack food for lunch. We basically strolled along SR-190 until we reached the town of Perry, about seven miles from where we started. By then it was late afternoon. While we were walking through Perry, we saw the New Friendly Restaurant and we decided to have an early dinner there. We finished eating and headed southwest on US-1 toward Dennysville, ME. We were probably a mile out of Perry and were passing a nice wooded area when Sam said, "I know it's early, but this would be a nice place to camp. Would you mind if we called it a day?" I agreed that it would be nice to knock it off for the day, so we left the road and walked back into the stand of trees. I don't think the temperature ever reached fifty degrees during the day and the colder weather seemed to drag the strength right out of you. We found a nice area that was sheltered from the wind and set up camp. After we had the tent up, I went looking for some firewood to fix breakfast while Sam opened our sleeping bags and got them ready for the night. "Do you want me to build a fire so we can try to warm up some?" I asked after I had gotten back. "I want to get warm, but I don't think a campfire is the way to do it. Let's just get in our sleeping bags and see if we can warm up that way. We went into the tent and Sam started undressing. I was watching her as I took my own clothes off. What I hadn't noticed was that she had zipped our two sleeping bags together to make one large bag. I shook my head, but went ahead and climbed in with her. Sam snuggled up close, and her body was cold. I put my arms around her and held her close. "Are you sorry you wanted to come along?" I asked. "No, I'm not sorry, Ed. Just lying here with your arms around me will make all of the hardships of the trip worthwhile." "You know, this first part of the trip is going to be some of the hardest we'll see. First off, it's still cold in the northern states." Sam giggled and said, "Tell me about it." Sam rolled over with her back to me and pulled my arms back around her. "Secondly, this is a wilderness area. According to the GPS, it's about eighty-five miles to Bangor. There aren't any towns between here and Bangor that are big enough to have a hotel. We might find a grocery store, but I doubt that even." I could tell Sam was starting to warm up. I know I was. Sam's wonderful naked butt snuggled up to my belly felt awfully nice. "Ed, I lived on the street and in parks for over a year. We can heat enough water on our camp stove to wash our naughty bits and pits. How many days do you think it'll take to get to Bangor?" "I'd say at least five. We're going to be going through some pretty rough country." "Then we have enough of the freeze dried food to last us. I'm sure we can replace our food in Bangor." "True. I just don't want you to get discouraged, Sweetheart, I kind of like having you around," I said as I squeezed her body to mine. We eventually drifted off to sleep, even though it was still early. Day 2 - Tuesday, April 19, 2005 I awoke, still spooned to Sam's backside. My left hand was holding one of her delightful breasts. I started to remove my hand and Sam moaned and pulled it back to her breast. "Leave it right there," she said. "I've been enjoying you holding me since I woke up about a half an hour ago." Now, I certainly didn't mind holding Sam's breast. When I had met her in the park, her breasts were a "B" cup at best. Now, after eating well since she had been with me, they were approaching a "C" cup. Absolutely perfect from my perspective. "Good morning, Love," I said. "Did you sleep well?" "I slept like a baby. I know you weren't holding my boob when I went to sleep, but it felt so nice to wake up that way." "It feels pretty good to me too," I said as I gave her boob a gentle squeeze. Sam giggled, then turned over facing me. We shared a good morning kiss, then started getting ready to get up. Sam reached one arm out and retrieved our clothes. She pulled them into the sleeping bag with us and we let them warm up for a few minutes. We got dressed then fixed a freeze dried breakfast. Okay, so it tasted like crap. Yesterday I had bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, and a stack of buttermilk pancakes with real maple syrup. Today I had powdered eggs with what was purported to be bacon. We ate it and I'm sure it was nutritious, but I was determined to find something better and Sam agreed. We started to get into the swing of things today. We were walking at a good pace. We weren't going as fast as if we were walking on a highway, but it was a lot faster than yesterday. We decided to stop for a fifteen or twenty minute break every two hours, unless one of us needed to stop before then. We were walking through heavily wooded hills and I thanked God and technology for the GPS. It would have been difficult to take compass sightings with the hills and the trees. We took off a little after 8:00 AM and according to the GPS, we had made nearly five miles when we stopped for a break at ten. We hadn't talked much while we were walking and it was like the lack of conversation had built up like water behind a dam for Sam. We were sitting, munching on a couple of power bars as Sam talked. She continued talking as she got up and walked about eight feet in front of me. She dropped her pants and panties down around her ankles, then squatted and peed, while still talking continuously. She wiped herself with a couple of sheets of toilet tissue then pulled her pants and panties back up. She put the tissue into her trash sack and stood there looking at me. "Did you enjoy the show?" she asked with a grin. "I have to admit, I did." "I had to work myself up to that. I wasn't trying to embarrass you, I just wanted you to know we don't have to be secretive around each other." "It didn't embarrass me, Sam. I don't know if I could do that in front of you or not though. When you came into the bathroom when I was peeing, I was too far along to stop." "Awh, gee. I was hoping you'd let me write my name with it," Sam said, then she started giggling. Okay, I had to smile. Sam is a delight, sometimes she seems more mature than I am, then she does something that makes me think she's a nine year old. I don't think that's a sign of immaturity though. I think and I hope she'll be the same way when she's forty. "Anyway," Sam said, "don't you think a couple of power bars would make a better breakfast than we had this morning?" "Absolutely. They'd weigh about a third as much again, but that wouldn't bother me too much. Yesterday and again this morning, I haven't minded the weight of the pack all that much." "No, I haven't been bothered by the weight that much either. Besides, one meal would probably reduce the weight of the packs enough to make up for a week of the weight difference." "Actually, I think it would take two meals, but that still isn't bad." "Okay, boss, why don't we get back on the trail?" I agreed and we started out again. I'd like to say the scenery was terrific, but we stayed to the low ground and there were so many trees that all we saw were trees. It was pleasant though and it was a little warmer than yesterday. My thermometer said it was fifty degrees at nine o'clock and it was almost sixty by noon. Lunch tasted a lot better than breakfast. It took a little longer than I would have wanted, but what the heck. We were still back on the trail in just a little over an hour. The GPS said we'd come a little over eleven miles so far and neither one of us were feeling any discomfort from our hike. By the time we decided to quit for the day, we had come over nineteen miles and according to the GPS we were South Southwest of Cooper, Maine. The town of Cooper has less than two hundred people, so we didn't think it was worth diverting north to visit it. We set up camp close to a nice little stream. I think it would have been clean enough to drink straight from the stream, but we used our water filter and purifier anyway. "It's too bad we can't just live off the land like our ancestors did," Sam said as we sat eating our dinner. "Yeah, but if we killed a squirrel out of season or without the proper license, we'd be in big trouble." "I know. That's a big part of what's wrong with our country today," Sam said. "You need a license or a permit for everything you do. You can own your home and the land it sets on, but if you want to remodel your kitchen, you have to get a permit to do it. That doesn't make any sense." I had to agree. We managed to stay up a little later this evening, since the temperature was higher, but we still went to bed early by civilized standards. Sam had zipped our sleeping bags together again, so we both stripped down and crawled in. I really didn't mean to get a boner. Sam's butt just felt so good against my cock that I couldn't help myself. We laid there for a while then Sam reached behind her and grabbed my cock. She lifted up her leg and brought my cock between her legs and captured it. She giggled and said, "At least it's not poking me in the butt now." It may not have been poking her in the butt, but it was very conscious that it way lying against her pussy. It took me a long time to go to sleep. Day 3 - Wednesday, April 20, 2005 I awoke to find Sam leaning up on one of her elbows, watching me sleep. She was still close to me and her nipples were touching my chest. "You know, Ed," she said when she saw I was awake. "I've never had sex with a guy before, but I really want you." "I know, Sam, and I want you too. I still think you're too young and I'm too old." "Spoilsport," she said, then she leaned in and kissed me. "Sam, you said you'd never had sex with a guy. That begs the question, have you ever had sex with another girl?" Sam blushed, but looked me straight in the eye when she said, "Yes. Kathy Anderson and I used to do each other after school. I enjoyed it, but I always knew it was just for fun. I always knew that when I found the right man, I'd want men more than women. Kathy, on the other hand, never even looked at men. I think she was a pure lezzie." "So you think you'd enjoy sex with a boy better than with a girl?" "No, I said man and I mean, man. I was always attracted to older men, never to boys." "Why's that?" "Boys are just so immature. I've always been mature for my age and I just can't relate to guys my own age." I kissed her softly on the lips and said, "I think we should get up and get moving." "Okay, but one thing first," she sighed then went on, "I've decided that you and I are going to be together for the rest of our lives. I know that you haven't come to that realization as yet, but I'm sure you will." Now it was my turn to sigh. "I think I have come to that conclusion myself, Love. I love you with all of my heart and every day I'm with you, I love you more." "Good," Sam said, then she gave me a kiss that made my toes curl. "You know I'm going to be seventeen soon. Would you at least consider making love to me for my seventeenth birthday present?" "Yes, Sam. I'll consider it." "Whatever you decide, Ed, I want you to know that I love you." We kissed again, then got up and got dressed. Sam insisted we eat up the freeze dried breakfast junk. This time it was a powdered egg omelet. Yuck. We cleaned up our camp, packed, and were on the trail before eight. Today we were traveling West Southwest. There were no major lakes or anything we had to detour around. All we had to worry about were hills and trees and smaller lakes. We were gaining slightly in altitude. We were going well south of Pleasant Mountain, which is a whopping 1374 feet high and is the highest point in the area. The highest pass we would go through is at an altitude of only about six hundred feet. We took a break at ten and stopped for lunch at noon. I really didn't mind the long stops at lunch. It gave us a chance to rest and a chance to talk. After we had eaten and were waiting for the camp stove to cool down, Sam came and sat by me and snuggled in close. "Did you really mean what you said about loving me?" she asked. I squeezed her and then kissed her like I meant it. "Yes, I did," I said. "I love you more every day I'm with you." Sam sighed and said, "My step-dad made me so afraid of men that I never thought I'd fall in love. Then I met you. I think I may have started falling in love with you the first time we talked. Then, the next day, I was sitting on that park bench for over an hour before you came. I was hoping you'd show up early." I smiled and said, "Yeah, I guess I started falling in love with you the day after we met. When I woke up the morning after we met, it hit me just how right you had been about my situation and I realized you were a lot more mature than I had given you credit for." "If you love me, does that mean you'll make love to me?" "Sweetheart, I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone in my life. What I felt for my ex-wife couldn't hold a candle to what I feel for you. I just have this guilt thing I have to get over." "I can understand that. You'd better get over it soon though. I think I was probably the only virgin in my class in school and that was over a year ago." I laughed and held her close. We sat there for a few more minutes, then hit the trail again. We camped that night in some pretty rugged country. We did find a small stream to camp by and again the water was crystal clear. Sam pulled a washcloth and towel out of her bag and said, "I'm starting to get pretty ripe. I'm going to wash up in the stream below camp." "I'm pretty ripe too. I'm afraid that water is going to be icy though." "Icy or not, I'm going to do it. You'll just have to hold me and get me warm." That I wouldn't mind doing at all. On Jim's advice, we had environmentally friendly soap, so we could wash in the stream and not worry about pollution. As I got our camp stove fired up and put some water on to boil, I watched Sam as she stripped and went down to the stream. She stuck her hand in the water and shivered. "This is going to be a PPTA bath," she said. "PPTA?" "Yeah, pussy, pits, tits, and ass. The water's too damned cold to get in." I laughed and asked, "Am I going to be taking a CPA bath then?" "Yeah, cock, pits, and ass," she giggled. Sam came back from the creek shivering. I wrapped her in a space blanket and held her until she warmed up. We ate our meal and then it was my turn to get cleaned up. God, it was cold. I couldn't wait for warmer weather, but I knew that traveling along the Canadian border it would never be as warm as what I was used to. Sam wrapped me in the blanket and held me until I warmed up. I think I felt better than I had ever felt in my life. Physically, I was now in better shape than I had ever been. Mentally, I didn't have a worry in the world. Emotionally I was in love and I knew I was loved in return. All in all, it had been a great day. The GPS said we had made almost twenty miles for the day and I knew we'd be in Bangor in a couple of days. Day 4 - Thursday, April 21, 2005 We ate another yucky breakfast and got on the trail even earlier. We still weren't trying to push things, but we were making as good a time as I had hoped for. We even managed to talk a little as we walked. When we took our first break, I said, "You know, we should be in Bangor the day after tomorrow. How would you feel about taking a day off and spending two nights there?" "That would be nice, but don't feel we have to do that on my account," Sam said. "I've been quite comfortable on the trail and in our sleeping bags." "Yeah, me too," I said, giving her a hug. "We need to replenish our food and we need to do some laundry though. It would also give us a couple of nights sleeping in a bed and enjoying hot baths." "Okay, let's do it," Sam said. "I'm a sucker for a hot bath." We got on the trail again and we were really moving. I don't know if it was the thought of a bed and a hot bath that inspired us, or what. We broke for lunch at noon and as I was boiling water for rehydrating our food, Sam was digging in her pack. As we were eating lunch, Sam handed me an envelope. I looked at it and raised my eyebrows. "Just open it," she said. I opened it and took out the papers inside. The first thing I saw was a birth certificate made out for Samantha Jensen. It said she would be nineteen years old in three days. The second thing that caught my attention was a drivers' license that said she was Samantha Hill, with the same birth date. The third thing was a marriage certificate that said that Samantha Jensen had married Edward Hill on November 1st, 2004. I just sat there with my mouth open until Sam said, "Okay, we can keep on pretending I'm a boy, or we can tell the world that I'm your wife. I'd prefer to be your wife. What's it going to be?" I hugged her and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. "There's no contest, Honey. I'd much prefer that you're my wife." Sam's smile lit up the entire north woods. "When I really do turn eighteen in a year and three days, I expect you to make me your wife for real." "With pleasure," I said, then I kissed her again. Sam burned all of the papers that said she was a boy in our camp stove before we took off. I felt like I was floating all afternoon, but we still managed to get in almost twenty-two miles before we camped for the night. Day 5 - Friday, April 22, 2005 I was awakened this morning with a kiss. That's a wonderful way to wake up. We snuggled for a while afterwards then Sam asked how far we were from Bangor. "I'd say we're around twenty-five miles out. We've been averaging around twenty miles a day, so we'll definitely make it tomorrow." "Should we push on and try to make it tonight?" "I don't think so, Honey. For one thing, if we just go at a normal pace, we'll spend tomorrow night and the next night in Bangor. That'll put us in Bangor for your birthday." "Oh, that sounds nice. Now I wish I'd brought a skirt and blouse with me. You could have taken me out to eat." "I'm sure we can find a nice restaurant that will accommodate a couple of backpackers," I laughed. "That would be nice. You know, now that I'm not a boy, I can quit wearing that silly baseball cap. It'll feel nice to let my hair down and be a girl." "Oh, you're all girl," I said as I slid my hand up and tweaked her nipple, then cupped her breast. Sam gasped then said, "Oh, shit, Ed. That feels good." "Good," I said, then I kissed her as I massaged her breast. When I broke the kiss, I said, "we'd better get up and get moving, or we're going to be staying right here for the next couple of days." Sam giggled and said that would be fine with her, but I slapped her on the butt and told her to get moving. She unzipped our sleeping bag and crawled out on her hands and knees. She turned her back to me and moved her knees apart while she was looking in her backpack for clean panties. This opened up a whole new vista for me. Her pussy looked good enough to eat and I decided I was going to do that very thing this evening. I reached a hand out and slid it gently across her butt cheek. Sam looked around at me and asked, "Do you like what you see?" "You little vixen," I said. "You knew exactly what you were showing me, didn't you?" "Well... Maybe," she said with a big grin. I didn't say any more. I just got out of the sleeping bag and got dressed. I started water heating while Sam rolled our sleeping bags, then we worked together to take down the tent and get it ready. By the time the water was hot, we had everything packed. ------- Chapter 6 The GPS said we were less than five miles from Bangor when we camped for the night. The skies were really starting to cloud up as we made our camp and pitched our tent. We fixed dinner quickly and had just finished eating when the first raindrops started to fall. We went into the tent and got undressed. When we were in our sleeping bags, I kissed Sam and started to fondle her breasts. "You said you used to make out with another girl," I said. "Did she ever lick your pussy?" "Yu, yes," Sam gasped as she responded to my caresses. "Did you enjoy it?" "Yu, yes." "Did you ever lick her pussy?" "Yes." "Did you enjoy that?" "Yu, yes." "Would you like for me to lick your pussy?" "YES!" I kissed her deeply, then started nibbling on her earlobe. Sam started to moan as I planted kisses down her neck and across the top of her chest. When I got to her breasts, I kissed around them for a few minutes. Sam was moving around, trying to bring my lips in contact with her nipples, but I avoided them as long as I could. Finally, I latched onto a nipple with my lips and started suckling like a newborn babe. After a while I switched nipples and continued suckling. I spent at least ten minutes suckling, licking, nibbling, and kissing on her breasts and nipples before I started moving on down her body. Sam's pussy was bouncing the whole time. When I reached Sam's pussy hair, I blew into it and tugged on it with my lips for a while. Her pelvis was going wild now, trying to bring my lips in contact with her pussy. I started to tease her and bypass her center, but she said, "Please," and I couldn't torture her any more. I planted a kiss on her nether lips and when she gasped, I stuck out my tongue and licked from her perineum up and across her clit. Sam moaned deep in her throat, so I repeated the lick. I let my tongue part her lips and I tried to see how far I could get it inside her. Sam came unglued and I held on as she went through her first orgasm. As she started to come down, I kissed her clit, which was sticking out at least half an inch. She moaned again and her hips spasmed. I started gently licking around her clit and she reacted more strongly than any woman I had ever been with. Her pussy was dripping her nectar and I was lapping up as much of it as I could catch. Sam went through three more orgasms before she collapsed and her body went limp. I thought for a moment she had passed out, but when I moved up beside her and put my arms around her, she opened her eyes and smiled. "Kathy was never that good," she said with a smile. After she recovered, she gave me her first ever blowjob. She was inexperienced and she hit me with her teeth a few times, but what the hell, there's no such thing as a bad blowjob. Day 6 - Saturday, April 23, 2005 There was definitely a new dynamic between Sam and me today. Our love making last night hadn't changed how I felt about Sam, but it did change how I reacted to her. If her actions were any indication, then it had effected her the same way. Today there was a lot more touching and a lot more teasing. There were smiles and love pats and kisses and "I love you's". We were walking into the outskirts of Bangor before 9:00 AM. We looked around for a while and then we found a phone book and looked for backpacking outfitters. We found one that was only around four blocks away from where we were so we decided to walk over. We replenished our food supply and even managed to trade the two breakfast double meals we had left in toward dinner meals. We also picked up a supply of GORP (Good Old Raisins & Peanuts) and got some dried figs, dried apricots and some power bars as well. We were fine on everything else, so we thanked the salesman and went looking for a motel. The first motel we stopped at had a nice room available, so we took it for two nights. They didn't have laundry facilities, but there was a Laundromat half a block away. We checked into our room and completely unloaded our packs. We laid everything out and checked it over, then we gathered our dirty clothes and headed for the Laundromat. We had enough change to get the wash started, but we didn't have enough for the dryer. The change machine was out of order, so Sam said she'd stay with our laundry if I'd go get some change. I know I wasn't gone ten minutes, but when I got back, Sam was in trouble. She was standing against our washer, leaning back as far as she could. In front of her was a guy who looked like a white Ving Rhames. He had one hand on the washer on either side of Sam and was talking earnestly to her. Sam was shaking her head, but the guy just kept smiling and talking. I walked up to them and said, "Hi, Sam. Who's your friend?" The guy looked at me and said, "Beat it, Mack. I'm talking to the young lady." "The young lady you're talking to is my wife. From her body language, I'd say she doesn't want to talk to you." He turned on me as if he was going to tear me apart, then he smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have intruded." Sam and I watched in wonder as he turned and walked away. "I wonder what turned him so docile all of a sudden?" I asked. Sam was looking over my shoulder as she said, "I'll bet it has something to do with that police car that pulled up outside." I handed Sam the change and said, "Wait right here. I'm going to talk to the patrolman." I went outside and told the police woman who was driving the car what had happened. "So, the young lady is your wife?" she asked. "Yes, ma'am. We're backpacking through the state and we just stopped in here to do some laundry." "I don't see any backpacks," she said. "No, ma'am. We're staying at the North Woods motel for the night. The packs are in our room." She nodded and said, "The guy who came out of there just after I came up is one of our local problems. He uses his size to intimidate people. He's been told by the judge that the next time he gets into trouble, he's going to be put away." "Okay, but where does that leave us?" "I'm sure he is watching you talk to me right now. He knows I saw him leave, so he knows he's in trouble if he bothers you again. I don't think you have to worry about him." Sam had put the clothes in the dryer just after I came out. With these big commercial dryers and the small load we had, I knew they'd be dry soon. "Are you planning to be around this area long, officer?" "Well, I was going to go into the convenience store next door and get a cup of coffee. I could sit around a half hour or so and sip it." "Thank you, officer," I said. "It shouldn't take us nearly a half an hour to finish up." "Not a problem, Sir. What are you thinking of your hike so far?" "It's been fantastic so far. We're not trying to push it or anything. It's taken us five and a half days to get here from Eastport. We didn't realize how much of a wilderness area it was until we got started." "It is beautiful and untamed. I think that's why we have so much trouble from some of the Good Old Boys around here. They're untamed as well." The officer excused herself so she could get her coffee and I went back in and told Sam about our conversation. The officer was still drinking her coffee as we put our folded laundry into a bag and left. She waved at us and she watched us until we turned in at the motel. When we got in our room, I asked Sam what she wanted to do for the rest of the day. "I'd just like to soak in a tub of hot water for about three hours and then go get some dinner," she told me. I decided to take a nap while she soaked. Sam came out of the bathroom and woke me up about an hour and a half later. "I'm hungry," she said with a fake pout. It's hard to do a pout properly when you are naked and standing hip-shot. "I'm hungry too. Come over here little girl and this big, bad wolf will eat you all up." Sam giggled and asked, "Like you ate me last night?" "Maybe for even longer." "I don't think I could take longer. I think it would kill me." "Oh, I don't want to kill you. I want you around so I can eat you for the next fifty years." "Just fifty?" "Honey, I'll be seventy-five years old in fifty years. I won't have any teeth, so I won't be able to eat you. I can still gum you though." Sam giggled then pounced on me on the bed. I wrapped her in my arms and just held her. God, I love this girl. ------- We did find a nice place to have dinner. The waitress took our drink order and when she brought it back, she said, "From the way you're dressed, you guys must be backpackers." "That's right," I said. "Do you get many backpackers in here?" "We do during the summer months. It's still a little cold for most of them to be out though. Are you on a long hike?" Sam giggled and said, "We're going to hike clear across the northern states, then down the west coast." "I don't know if we'll make it all the way this year or not," I added. "That's too long of a walk for me. If it's more than two blocks, I drive." We all got a laugh out of that and she took our food order and left. We smiled and touched hands a lot through dinner. We were in love and everyone around us could see it. When the waitress brought our check, she asked if we were newlyweds and we told her we were. Back in the motel, we undressed and got ready for bed. It was early, but we were getting used to going to bed early and getting up early. As spring moved into summer we would be getting up even earlier and getting moving by 7:00 AM or even earlier. Our bodies were getting used to walking and to carrying a pack, so we'd probably be putting in more miles every day as well. We snuggled up and were soon asleep. Day 7 - Sunday, April 24, 2005 God! It was good waking up in a bed. I don't think I moved all night. My angel was still sleeping beside me. All was right with my world. I looked over at the clock and I could see it was only 6:14 AM. We weren't in any hurry to do anything today. We had actually accomplished everything we needed to do in Bangor yesterday. Besides, it was Sunday, a day of rest. I just laid there for a long while, holding Sam and thinking about the changes in me in the last twenty days. In three weeks I'd gone from someone who thought their world had ended to someone who realized their life was just starting. I went from someone who was contemplating suicide to someone who was enjoying life. Sam was the reason for the change. How could I not love her for all she had given me. Above and beyond that, I realized I just enjoyed being with her. I loved her smile. I loved her giggle. I loved the way her hair was all tousled when she woke up. I loved her mind and I loved and lusted for her body. She might only be seventeen years old today, but she was a complete package. She was a mature woman and a little girl all rolled up into one. She was a tomboy and a lady; an intellectual and a goof; a raving beauty, who didn't know it. And, as irrational as it was, she loved me. Something Sam had said a couple of weeks ago got me thinking about the future and what I wanted to do with myself. She had bragged so much about my salad dressing that I started wondering if it had any chance of being a commercially viable product. Actually, there were three different salad dressings I had been working on. I didn't know how to go about doing anything with them, so I decided to write my sister and see if she had any ideas. I slipped out of bed and found the motel stationery and a pen and wrote a long letter to Patty. I gave her all three recipes and asked her if she'd try them out and if she thought they had any merit, if she and her husband would look into some way we could market them or have someone market them for us. After I finished the letter, I slipped back in bed and snuggled up to Sam. God, it felt nice to be holding the one I loved. The only thing that scared me was that it had been great with Missy at first too. I guess that over the years, Missy and I had just grown apart. I couldn't remember any time in the last five years that it had felt this good being with her. The other thing that bothered me a little was that I wondered if our age difference would cause Sam and I to drift apart as well. ------- I was watching Sam as she awoke. She stretched and smiled. "Good morning, birthday girl," I said. Sam threw her arms around me and kissed me, then said, "Good morning. When do I get my present?" "Oh, you greedy little girl. Don't you have to go to the bathroom or something?" "I guess I'd better. Save my spot." She jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. When she came back out, she had brushed her hair and her teeth. She moved toward the bed with the grace of a tigress. We started kissing and snuggling. Before long, the kisses started to heat up and both of us were highly aroused. I fondled her breasts for a few minutes, then let my hand slide down her body to her pussy. Her center was wetter than Missy had ever been. Sam gasped as my hand made contact with her pussy. I stroked it for a while, then I let my middle finger part her lips and I could smell her arousal as well. Her pheromones were almost overpowering. I started to kiss my way down her body, but Sam stopped me. "I've been wanting you since right after I met you. I don't need any more foreplay. I want you inside me." I couldn't argue with that. I wanted inside her in the worst way. I positioned myself between her legs and just let my cock rest against her pussy. When I had been making love to her orally, I had noticed that her hymen was still at least partially intact. "This is going to hurt some," I said. "Yeah, I know that. Just do it." I had her hold me in position, then when she had relaxed a little, I gave a short, quick shove and the head of my cock popped inside her. I froze, not moving at all. Sam gasped, then smiled and said, "That wasn't bad. "Is it still hurting, love?" "No, it kind of stings around the edges, right at the opening, but it doesn't really hurt." I lowered myself until I was resting on my elbows and said, "You're not a virgin any more, sweetheart." Sam's smile was a mile wide. "I think you could start moving now, honey. The stinging has almost completely gone away." "I'm content right here," I lied. "Maybe we'll just stay this way the rest of the day." Sam growled deep in her throat and hunched her pussy up against me. I could feel another half inch or so slip into her. "Did that hurt?" I asked. "No, that felt wonderful." I raised myself back up and slid a little farther into her. I didn't see any indication that there was any pain, so I went a little farther. "This is a terrible time to ask, but what about birth control?" I asked. "I had one of those three month shots about two months ago at the free clinic. I should be safe for another month." "Good," I said as I bottomed out. Our pubic bones were pressed against each other and I could see her clit touching me. I rocked back and massaged her clit with my body. Sam seemed to like that, so I kept it up for a while. Then I started moving in and out. I started with short, slow strokes and eventually worked up to where I was taking full strokes. Each time when I bottomed out I made sure I bumped her clit. Before long, Sam was moaning and thrashing around. "Faster," she said as she squeezed my shoulders. I complied with her request, then a short while later, I increased the tempo again. Thank God, Sam started her orgasm. She was so tight and wet and hot, I had reached the end of my endurance as well. I started spewing into her as she was in the middle of her climax and that just seemed to intensify it for her. When I collapsed, I made sure I wasn't laying directly on her. Finally, we rolled so we were facing each other and we shared a soft, loving kiss. ------- Except for going out to eat, we spent most of the day in bed. We mostly just cuddled and talked, but we did make love three more times before the day was over. Day 8 - Monday, April 25, 2005 We took off early this morning. We had finished breakfast and were on the road by eight. The weather had turned colder again and the temperature when we left was only in the upper thirties. I think our day off had given us some extra vigor, because we were moving well and actually enjoying the hike. We tried holding hands as we walked, but that just didn't work out. We did stop occasionally to exchange kisses. While Sam was fixing lunch, I said, "You know this is going to be a fairly long leg of our trip before we reach a town of any size, don't you?" "What's our next stop?" "Newport, Vermont is the next town of any size we come to. It's 171 miles away, according to the GPS." "That's about eight days and we have seven days worth of food." "True, but there's at least one town we go through where we can get a meal if nothing else." "A meal and a pound of bologna and a loaf of bread would keep us going another couple of days," Sam said. "True," I said. "I'm not worried about it. I really don't know anything about Newport, although I've been there. They've got a couple of nice restaurants and I know there are some Bed and Breakfasts in the area. It's also a big area for hunting and fishing, so we shouldn't have any trouble finding freeze dried food." We hit the trail again shortly after that and ended up making twenty-four miles for the day. Making love to Sam, even in a sleeping bag, was a wonderful experience. Even after a long day and a lot of miles, we made love like there was no tomorrow. Day 9 - Tuesday, April 26, 2005 We hadn't realized it, but we had camped for the night about a mile and a half south of Newport, ME, which is located on a fairly large lake. We started out walking just south of west and within a mile, we were crossing SR-100. A pickup truck was coming along as we started to cross so we waited for it to get by. When it got to us, it pulled to a stop and a man stuck his head out of the passenger side window. "Morning, folks," he said. "It's a might chilly out this morning. Could we give you guys a lift somewhere?" "Good morning. Thanks anyway, but we're hiking. Are you guys from around here?" "Yep. Born and bred." "Do you know if there's any place to the west of here we could stock up on freeze dried food?" "Yeah, there's a gun shop over in Madison that sells it. I don't know why anyone would want to eat that crap though." "It does taste like crap," I said. "It sure is a lot lighter to carry than the real thing though." "Well, folks, you all have yourselves a nice hike. We're on our way to our favorite fishing hole." We waved goodbye as they drove away. We had another good day of hiking and we ended up camping between SR-150 and US-201. We made twenty three miles for the day. We sat around for a while after dinner. The weather was a lot warmer than it had been a few days ago, so we could really enjoy it. After a while, Sam said, "Let's go in the tent and get naked. I feel like a naked cuddle." I couldn't argue with that, so we did. Missy and I had never done a lot of naked cuddling. At first, I think it was from both of us being so shy. Later, I think it was because of boredom. With Sam, it didn't have to be a prelude to anything, it could be an end in itself. We did finally made soft, gentle love before we fell asleep. Day 10 - Wednesday, April 27, 2005 It turned cold again during the night and we shivered as we ate our power bars and drank a cup of coffee. We were in a hurry to get started so the exercise would warm us up. We packed everything up and were moving by seven thirty. By a little after nine, we were in Madison. Our first order of business was to find the gun store. We asked a lady we saw on the street and she gave us directions. It was only a couple of blocks over, so we went there first. The proprietor was a completely bald man with a beer belly. My first thought was "Red Neck," but I was totally wrong. John Sampson had a personality as big as all outdoors. "Good morning, folks," he said as we walked in. He had a smile that I realized was showing his delight in seeing us. We said good morning and he went on, "We don't get many strangers around here. Are you all just passing through?" "Yes, sir. I'm Ed Hill and this is my wife Samantha. We're hiking across Maine, to Newport, Vermont. We thought we'd see if you had any freeze dried food." "Sure do. It's right over here. That's a pretty big hike. You must have over a hundred miles to go." "Yeah, about a hundred and fifteen according to our GPS. We've come about a hundred and fifty so far though." "The only thing that's bothering us is the cold," Sam said. "It is a might nippy out there," John said as Sam started pulling out meals and stacking them up. "I've got just the thing for the cold if you're interested." He walked over to another counter and held up a dark blue shirt. "This is silk, long underwear. It's actually warmer than the heavy stuff and I'll bet it doesn't weigh over an ounce." He handed it to me and he was right about the weight. I couldn't imagine this keeping us warm, but he said he'd guarantee it. Sam and I both picked out a shirt and pants. They were around forty dollars a pair, but they soon proved their worth. We talked with John for a while and he told us to go in the bathroom and put on the longjohns before we left. We did, then he rang up the purchases. "Is there a good restaurant in town?" Sam asked as I was paying with my credit card. "There sure is," he said. "They make the best breakfasts in New England and they serve them all day." He told us how to get to the restaurant before we left. He was right about the breakfasts. I had three eggs with corned beef hash and three blueberry pancakes. It was fantastic. We were so full when we left the restaurant that it slowed us down in the afternoon. We ended up only making sixteen miles for the day. John was also right about the underwear. I felt warm and cozy all afternoon. We hung the underwear in our tent that night to let them air out. I certainly intended to wear mine again the next day if it was still cold. Day 11 - Thursday, April 28, 2005 My body had really hardened over the last few weeks. The night I met Sam, it would have tired me out to have walked a mile. Now, we were walking over twenty miles a day and enjoying it. The belly I had was completely gone and my calf and thigh muscles were as hard as rock. The better condition we were in set us in good stead today. We were going through a mountainous region and we were climbing most of the day. Instead of killing us as it would have a few weeks ago, we actually enjoyed it. By noon, we were walking through the remnants of last winter's snow. Before the day was over, the weather Gods were dropping a fresh coat on us. It wasn't a downpour or anything, just a light dusting, but it was snowing and it was nearly May. We camped that evening at somewhere around the fifteen hundred foot level. We had been really thankful for the long underwear and we were doubly thankful when we camped. When we were no longer hiking, the cold just seemed to creep in. By the time we had eaten dinner, the wind had also picked up. We happily crawled into our tent and then into our sleeping bags as soon as we had finished eating. ------- Chapter 7 Day 12 - Friday, April 29, 2005 When Sam and I awoke, we were warm and snug, cuddled together in our sleeping bag. The problem was, outside our sleeping bag, it was freezing, literally. You could see every breath we took. "I don't wanna get up," Sam whined. "I wanna lay right here all day and snuggle." "It's not going to get any warmer, Love. They have some really freaky weather here in Maine in April." "Yeah, I know I have to get up. My bladder will burst if I don't. I just hate the thought of hanging my butt out in the wind to take a pee." I laughed and hugged her, then I snaked one arm out of the sleeping bad and snagged our new silk underwear. I pulled it into the bag with us and stuffed it down between us. Sam screamed and tried to pull away from it, but I pulled her back. "It'll warm up in a second, Honey, and when we have warmed back up, we'll pull it on while still in the bag. That way your pretty butt will be covered when we get out." We did finally manage to get into our underwear while in the bag by helping each other. It was so damned cold when we got dressed that I said to hell with it and built a small fire to help keep us warm until our coffee water boiled. We packed the camp quickly and I put out the fire. We hit the trail with vigor, trying to make our muscular activity warm us up. We hadn't gone half a mile before I noticed we were on a slight downgrade. By noon, the temperature was in the low 40s and we were at least five hundred feet lower in altitude. By evening it was over fifty. We felt like it was the middle of June. Day 13 - Saturday, April 30, 2005 The temperature was in the upper thirties when we awoke this morning, but after yesterday it felt like a heat wave. We brewed our coffee and drank it leisurely before we took off. "Did I tell you we are only about a mile from the New Hampshire border?" I asked. "No. How long will it take us to cross New Hampshire?" "We'll be in Vermont by noon tomorrow. We just cross a very small neck of New Hampshire." "Hey, as long as it starts getting warmer, I don't care what state we're in." We turned Northwest from this point. We were about forty miles south of the Canadian border, and we wanted to start working closer to the border. We felt a lot better this morning as we started out, and it just got better still as we went along. I would think the odds of meeting another backpacker while in the wilderness would be phenomenal. We had just sat down for our morning break and were cuddled together munching on some GORP, when we heard voices approaching us. It sounded like a man and a woman, so we weren't too concerned. They were both in their early twenties and when they walked into the little clearing we were in, you'd have thought someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on them. Both of them gasped and stopped dead in their tracks. "I'm Ed Hill and this is my wife, Sam," I said as we got up to greet them. "We're Bob and Angie Griffith," the young woman said. "We're kind of new to backpacking," I said. "Do you often meet other people when you're out in the wilderness like this?" Bob laughed and said, "We've been out for three days and you're the first we've seen. There have been other times when we've been out for two weeks and never seen anyone else. Where are you guys headed?" "Newport, Vermont right now," Sam said. "This is our thirteenth day out and other than in towns or a couple of guys we met on the highway, you're the first we've run into. Where are you guys going?" "Thirteen days is a long hike and you've got a ways to go before you get to Newport," Angie said. "We're going to be out for two weeks. We're on our way to climb Tumbledown Mountain." We tried to talk them out of it. We told them of the freezing temperatures and the snow in the passes south of Tumbledown, but it didn't do us any good. They were determined to go on anyway. We never heard from them or about them again. They seemed like a nice couple. I hope everything went well for them. We were around ten miles inside New Hampshire when we stopped for lunch. The temperature had risen to the low fifties. We ended up making a little over twenty-three miles for the day. It may not have been as cold as it had been, but Sam and I retired to our sleeping bag right after we'd eaten. We cuddled, talked, and made love for almost two hours before we fell asleep. Day 14 - Sunday, May 1, 2005 The temperature was great this morning. I'd say it was in the mid forties, still too cold to take a bath, but much nicer than it had been. We had hiked around five miles before we crossed the Connecticut River on the SR-105 bridge at North Stratford, New Hampshire and were in Vermont. We ended up following SR-105 most of the day and passed the villages of Bloomfield and East Brighton. We made twenty-two miles for the day and camped a little west of SR-105. Day 15 - Monday, May 2, 2005 We reached Newport, Vermont by the middle of the afternoon. Newport is made up of Newport City, Newport Town, and Newport Center. Together they make up a fair sized community. We found a nice Bed and Breakfast that had a room available, so I went ahead and booked it for two nights. We found the Eastside Restaurant quite by accident and I was extremely glad we did. The food was excellent. After dinner we walked down to a little park that was located on the banks of Lake Memphremagog. What a name, right? It's probably Indian or something. We sat down on a bench and I put my arm around Sam. She snuggled in and we sat looking out across the beautiful lake with the impossible name. "Does this remind you of anything?" I asked Sam after a while. "Except for your arm being around me and the beautiful lake, I guess it does." "I'm so glad you aren't in that situation any more," I said as I squeezed her. "Yeah, I am too. You wouldn't believe how many of them there are out there. There were at least ten living in that park in Grand Rapids. Some were as young as eleven or twelve." "Were they mostly girls?" "No. Actually there were probably more boys than girls. Some of them, boys and girls alike, prostituted themselves for a little money to eat on. I had worked at a Burger King for a while before I ran away. I knew they had to throw anything away that had set under the heaters for too long. Most of the fast food places have the same policy. If I never see another Big Mac or Whopper, it'll still be too soon." I had to laugh. "Once a month is about all I can handle them anyway. I'm more of a Coney Dog or an Arby's fan." "You know we're being watched, don't you?" Sam asked in a whisper. "No," I said without looking around. "I wasn't aware of it." "I think it's a girl. Younger than me, maybe fifteen or so. I've caught a glimpse of her a couple of times when the wind blew a tree she is behind." "Shit," I said softly. "Now I'm going to be worried about her. Is there anything we can do for her?" "She'd probably run off if we tried to talk to her." I thought for a minute then asked, "If I was gone, do you think she'd talk to you?" "She might. What did you have in mind?" "I thought I might walk back over to the restaurant and get a nice takeout meal. Any suggestions?" "Steak, baked potato, and a huge salad." "Okay, I'll be back shortly." I got up, gave Sam a soft kiss, and walked off toward the restaurant. When I got to the restaurant, I walked straight to the cashier and asked, "Do you have containers that you could fix me a big takeout meal?" "Yes, sir. What did you have in mind?" "I want the biggest steak you have cooked medium rare. I want a baked potato with butter and sour cream in cups on the side. I'd like a salad that is at least twice as big as the one my wife and I were served with the dinner we had in here a while ago and I'd like half a dozen different dressings in cups on the side and if you have some of those little salt and pepper packets, that'd be nice." "That's not a problem. It'll take about twenty minutes." "That's fine. I'd also like to buy a real knife and fork from you and I'd like a piece of your delicious cheese cake with the order. Whatever you'd charge for the knife and fork is no problem." "Yes, sir. You can have a seat in the waiting area and I'll call you when your meal is ready." The twenty minutes went by quickly and when the cashier caught my eye, she waved me over. She had three large and one small container sitting on the counter and there was a plastic bag beside it. "You're doing this for a street person, aren't you?" she asked. "Yes, a young girl who appears to be around fourteen or fifteen. My wife is trying to get her to talk to her. I figure if she doesn't talk we'll just leave it on the bench down by the lake and maybe she'll pick it up after we're gone." The woman gave me a big smile and said, "The knife and fork are on the house." Then she gave me a price for the meal that was no more than one of the meals Sam and I had earlier. She handed me a large drink container and said, "She'll probably need something to drink with the meal." I decided I really like these Vermonters. As I approached the bench where Sam was waiting, I saw the girl standing in front of her, deep in conversation. When she saw me, she started to walk away, but I heard Sam say, "This is the man who saved me from living in a park like you are. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be living in a park in Grand Rapids, Michigan." The girl hesitated, then turned back around. I walked on up to them and sat my burden down on the bench next to Sam. "Come on, eat up," Sam said. "This is for you. If my man got what I asked him to, you're going to like it." The girl walked tentatively over to the bench and I had a chance to take a closer look at her. She looked a little disreputable, but her clothes weren't nearly as bad as Sam's had been. Her face and hands were clean, but her red hair, although combed, looked like it could stand a good washing. She was thin, but again, she wasn't as thin as Sam had been. She sat down on the end of the bench and started opening containers. Her eyes got big as she saw what we had bought for her. "I didn't know what kind of salad dressing you like, so I had them put in several kinds. They're in the bag along with butter and sour cream for your baked potato." The girl looked over where I was sitting on the grass and said, "Thank you." "Cassie, this is Ed. Ed, the young lady here is Cassie Tufts." "It's nice to meet you, Cassie," I said. She smiled at me then she cut off a piece of the steak and put it in her mouth. She rolled her eyes up and made a low moan of pleasure at the taste. "Obviously, Cassie is a runaway," Sam said. "Her problem was a step-mother. Her mother died a couple of years ago and her dad re-married about six months ago. Tell me if I get something wrong, Cassie." Cassie nodded as she took another bite. "Cassie was always a daddy's girl and he thought the sun rose and set in her. When he married his new wife, she started abusing Cassie because she was jealous of the relationship he had with Cassie." "Why didn't you tell him what was going on, Cassie?" I asked. "I did. I even showed him the bruises on my back and belly. She told him I hated her and that I was bruising myself to make it look like she was mistreating me. She convinced him and he was going to send me to a psychiatrist. My step mom told me that if I ever told him anything again, she'd kill me and make it look like I had committed suicide." "Anyway, the abuse went on until about a month ago when Cassie ran away from home," Sam said. "How old are you, Cassie?" I asked. "I'm fourteen," she said defiantly. "Shit," Sam said. "I ran away when I was almost sixteen. It was hard on me making it on my own. It must be really hard on you." "It hasn't been easy. The hardest parts have been keeping clean and finding something to eat." "I know about that. We're still not keeping the cleanest, but now it's for fun." "What do you mean?" "Ed and I are hiking across the country. We camp most nights and the weather has been too cold to take a bath in a stream." "Wow. That sounds like fun. Mom and dad and I were members of the Sierra Club before mom got hit by the drunk driver. We did a lot of camping and hiking and backpacking and stuff. I actually took my backpack and sleeping bag when I left home. I had a tent too, but someone stole it." Cassie was really demolishing the meal while we talked. The salad was gone and she was half way through the steak and the baked potato. "Cassie, we're staying in the Bed and Breakfast down the street here. Would you like to come back to our room and get cleaned up?" Sam asked. It was nice that she felt secure enough to invite Cassie without checking with me first, but I kind of wished she hadn't. I was afraid this would develop into something I wasn't ready for. I was enjoying my time alone with Sam and I didn't want to give up any of our privacy. Cassie hesitated for a minute then said, "I might, but only if you promise you aren't going to try anything." "I know you don't know us, Cassie, but I'm seventeen and I had a really hard time convincing Ed I was old enough to have sex with him. There's no way he'd even consider having sex with you." Cassie giggled and asked, "You had to convince him?" "Yep, I had tried everything else. I had gotten in the shower with him. I walked around his house naked. I even climbed in his sleeping bag with him, naked, but he just ignored me. I had fallen in love with him, almost from the moment I met him, so finally, I sat him down and told him that's what I wanted for my seventeenth birthday present." "Okay, can I finish my dinner first?" "Even the cheese cake," I said with a grin. "Cheese cake?" Cassie almost screamed. I guess she had missed it. "Even the cherry cheese cake," I said. Cassie dived back into her meal with renewed vigor. When she had finished her cheese cake, I gathered up all of her trash and took it over to a trash can. As I came back, I heard Sam say, "Why don't you bring your backpack and sleeping bag with you. Maybe Ed will even let you sleep on the floor in our room tonight. Okay, so maybe I'm selfish, but I was looking forward to making love to Sam in a real bed tonight. I guess that just went flying out the window. Still, I tried to keep my disappointment from showing. ------- When we got back to the Bed and Breakfast, of course we ran into Mrs. Haversham, the owner of the place, as we were going in. She looked at us strangely, so Sam said, "Mrs. Haversham, I'd like for you to meet my sister, Cassie. She's had a really rough time the last few days. We'll be happy to pay extra if she can stay in our room tonight." "Of course she can stay. What do you mean that she's had a rough time?" "My husband and I hiked from the east coast of Maine to here, and we're going on to Ohio. We were supposed to meet Cassie here four days ago, but we got delayed in Maine by bad weather. She came in on the bus to meet us and when we weren't here, she camped out in the park." "Oh, my goodness sakes. That must have been frightening, child." "It was a little, ma'am. I had my sleeping bag, but I didn't have a tent." "You poor dear. It's been cold the last few nights. Well, you're welcome to stay here with your sister and her husband. I'm sorry I don't have an extra room for you." "That's okay, ma'am. I can sleep in my sleeping bag on the floor." Sam managed to extricate us by telling the landlady she had to get her sister into a bath and asked if we could use her washer and dryer. The landlady showed her where it was and we finally managed to get to our room. ------- Sam got Cassie situated in a warm tub and brought her clothes into our room. She went through our backpacks and pulled out our dirty clothes and took all of them off to wash. When she came back in, I was lying on the bed, so she came over and flopped beside me. "Are you mad at me for asking Cassie to spend the night here?" she asked. "No... I'm not mad at you. I do wish you had consulted me before you made the offer. I kind of had plans for the night." Sam giggled and rolled over and put her arm over me. "Did those plans include my nubile young body and this nice bed?" "Yep," I said, putting my arm around her. "We haven't had much chance to make love in a real bed." "We still can. All we have to do is wait until she's gone to sleep." "Yeah, but then we have to try to keep quiet so we don't wake her," I pouted. "We'd have had to try to keep quiet anyway. These walls are as thin as paper. If we'd have let ourselves get noisy, we'd have had everyone in the house outside our door applauding." I hugged her to me and said, "Of course, you're right. What do we do about her now?" "We take her with us. She's an experienced hiker and camper. She won't hold us back any." I let out a big sigh then said, "I knew you were going to say that. You know it's going to be even worse trying to make love with her in the tent with us." Sam giggled and said, "We may just have to learn to loosen up some. I'm sure she's seen a lot since she's been out on her own. I don't think we'd shock her." I hugged her again and said, "Sam, my love, I think you're a little bit of an exhibitionist. Would you really have sex in front of Cassie?" "I don't think it would bother me. Maybe it would if she was a guy. It's just like the first time I took my robe off in front of you. I was scared and embarrassed for just a moment, but after that it didn't bother me at all." "Well, I've been to parties and such where everyone stripped off and got in a hot tub or something and that didn't bother me. I was always very shy as a kid, so I never went skinny dipping or anything, but later on, that wouldn't have bothered me either." "Did you ever think of going to a nudist camp?" "Who goes to nudist camps?" Cassie asked as she came into the room, with one towel wrapped around her head and another wrapped around her body. "Sam was asking if I had ever thought about going to one," I said. "I actually did go to one once. I was at a job site and had a weekend free. It was down in Texas, north of Fort Worth. I think it was called Bluebonnet or something like that. I was a little disappointed though. I had gone there thinking I'd see all these beautiful naked babes, and what I saw was mostly middle aged men and women with sagging boobs and pot bellies." "You didn't go to the one mom and dad and I always went to then. I don't have sagging boobs or a pot belly. Neither did mom for that matter." "You guys were nudists?" Sam asked. "Yeah, that's another thing my step-mom flipped out about. Mom and dad and I always went naked around the house. When they got married, I came out to breakfast that first Sunday morning like I always did. She started yelling at me and calling me a slut. Dad calmed her down, but she said she'd never allow nudity in our home again." "Well, we're not nudists, but nudity doesn't bother us. We were just talking about it. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where we didn't have to hide our bodies or anything else?" Sam asked. "Amen," I said. Sam went off to move our clothes to the dryer while Cassie dried her hair and I laid on the bed and thought about what these two young women had said. Cassie seemed to be a very bright young lady and I was awed by Sam's mentality. Were there girls like this when I was growing up and I just missed meeting them, or was this some kind of new phenomena? We finally got everything squared around and started getting ready for bed. Sam stacked all three of our sleeping pads up and put them under Cassie's sleeping bag to soften the floor. When Sam brought our clothes back in, Cassie dropped her towel and proceeded to put on her panties. She put on a tee-shirt Sam had washed and crawled into her sleeping bag. I must say, Cassie is a pretty young lady. Her boobs are an "A" cup if that and her pubic bush verifies she is a natural redhead. Sam stripped down and climbed into bed, so I followed suit. I noticed Cassie watching me with a little smile as I undressed. I turned out the light and Cassie said, "Don't worry about me if you guys want to do the sex thing. I've watched several people doing sex since I have been on my own." "Thanks just the same, Cassie, but I think I'll pass. That's one thing I don't need an audience for." "That and taking a poop," Cassie giggled. "Oh, hell," I thought. "What has Sam gotten us into?" Day 16 - Tuesday, May 3, 2005 I awoke to Sam lightly tickling me and nibbling on my ear. When she realized I was awake, she whispered, "Cassie's still asleep if you'd like to fool around, big boy." "She'd probably wake up in the middle of it then I'd be embarrassed and frustrated," I said. "I'd still pretend I was asleep," Cassie said, then she said "Oops," and broke into a fit of giggles. Cassie's giggles are infectious. She got Sam and me both laughing. When we finally calmed down, Sam lifted the covers on her side of the bed and said, "Come here, girl. We need to talk to you." Cassie slithered out of her sleeping bag, as naked as an egg and slid in beside Sam. She had lost her t-shirt and panties sometime during the night. "I think I told you we are hiking clear across the country," Sam said. "What we were wondering is, if you'd like to come with us?" Cassie threw her arms around Sam and said, "Oh God, I was hoping you'd ask me. I'd love to come with you. I slept better last night than I have since dad married the bitch. I felt safe." "You are safe, Cassie," I said. "We'd never do anything to hurt you and we'd never let anyone else hurt you." Cassie reached across Sam and patted me on the chest. "Somehow, I know that, Ed." I took hold of her hand and squeezed it. I tried to let go, but she held on. I looked at Sam and she had a smile as big as Maine on her face. I just relaxed and enjoyed the feel of Sam's naked body beside me and the hand holding mine. ------- We probably laid there for nearly an hour before Sam finally asked, "So, what is on the agenda for today?" "Well, we need to stock up on freeze dried food, and we need to see what we need to buy for Cassie." "Yuck, freeze dried food again," Cassie said. "I know it doesn't taste the greatest," Sam said, "but, it's about the only thing that is light enough to carry enough of to last us a week between towns and we've been that long and longer." "I know. It's really not that bad. It's just after eating that steak and oh, God, the cheesecake last night, it's going to be hard going to freeze dried food." I laughed and said, "I know what you mean. Every time we pass close to a town that's big enough to have a restaurant, we stop for a meal, no matter what time of day it is." "Okay, people, I think it's time we get up," Sam said. Cassie and I both groaned, but we all slid out of bed and got dressed, unashamedly in front of each other. "Okay, Cassie," I said. "Empty your backpack out on the bed. Let's look through what you have and what you're going to need." Cassie dumped the backpack. I picked it up first and looked it over. It was a good one, with a titanium frame. I laid it on the bed and looked at the pile of clothes she had. "Is there anything here you couldn't bear to part with?" I asked. She picked up a packet of photos and said, "Just these. They're mostly pictures of my mom and dad." Sam was going through her clothes. "The shirt and pants you have on are fine," she said. "So are these pants and this shirt. I see you have your hiking boots in your bag, but aren't wearing them. Are they comfortable?" "Yeah, they're fine. I was just wearing these tennies because I wasn't hiking." "Okay, we'll probably leave the tennies here and get you some camp moccasins. You're going to need a couple of sports bras and some panties. You're also going to need a couple of pairs of hiking shorts." Cassie blushed and said, "I don't usually wear a bra. My boobies aren't big enough to need one." "From what I saw when you were naked, your boobies are big enough that without a sports bra, they're going to start to hurt after a long day of hiking," Sam said. "We'll get you a couple and if you don't want to wear them you don't have to." ------- We asked Mrs. Haversham on our way out if there was a wilderness outfitter in the town and she told us there wasn't. She did say there was a sporting goods store and she gave us directions to it. The sporting goods store left a lot to be desired. It was aimed primarily at fishing. They did have a nice selection of freeze dried food though. Cassie found a couple of nice pairs of hiking shorts as well. We left there and took Cassie to a clothing store where Sam found some nice light weight sports bras for her. She also got her six more pairs of panties. By noon we had everything any of us were going to need. We had lunch and talked about where we were heading next. "Well, the next major town we're going to be going through is Watertown, New York," I said. "It's 214 miles from here the way I have us routed. We'll go within a couple of miles of a dozen towns between here and there, but none of them are large enough to merit a stop." "Not even anyplace that has a restaurant?" Sam asked. "Well, maybe there are a few," I grinned. "Huntington, Vermont is a big ski area. They probably have restaurants." "How far is it?" Cassie asked. "It's about sixty miles. We should hit there around noon on Friday. We'll definitely have lunch there." "Okay, it's something to look forward to. Are there any other towns like that on the way?" Sam asked. "Yeah, several as a matter of fact. We won't stint on hot meals when we can find them." We spent the afternoon relaxing and getting to know Cassie. She really is a wonder. Her IQ must be almost off the scale. She's also a quipster after she gets to know you. During the afternoon, Cassie called her father to let him know she was safe. She was a little surprised and definitely hurt when he blew up on her. He called her an ungrateful bitch among other things and he told her he never wanted to see her again. From what she was able to gather from what her father was yelling at her, her step mother had told her father that she caught Cassie snorting coke. She told him that Cassie's boyfriend was there too and that both of them had been naked when she found them. She said the boyfriend had threatened to kill her if she told Cassie's father. Cassie didn't even have a boyfriend. ------- Chapter 8 Day 17 - Wednesday, May 4, 2005 We spent the night in the B & B again and went over to the restaurant for an early breakfast. When we left, we took off in a southwesterly direction. By noon, any worries I'd had about Cassie being able to keep up were gone. I think she could have walked Sam and me both into the ground. The area we were hiking through in Vermont ranged from hilly to mountainous. We tried to keep to lower ground as much as possible and we still made good time. We managed to find several areas where there were groomed trails that were going in our direction and we picked up a lot of time in those areas. We stopped for lunch in a little glade that Sam said she bet that no one had been in for a hundred years. We boiled water to re-hydrate our food, then boiled another pot for making all of us some hot chocolate. Even though it was warmer than it had been, the hot chocolate felt very good going down. We didn't tarry long after we had eaten, but got on the road again. Not long after lunch, we started to see clouds rolling in. We watched with some trepidation all afternoon, and by around four o'clock, I told the girls we should set up camp for the night. Neither of them gave me any argument. I gathered some wood for our camp stove while the girls set up our tent and sleeping bags. We made a hurried dinner, then just sat and watched the darkening sky. By five, I told the girls we should get inside the tent. We shuffled inside and brought everything we had inside with us. By now, we could hear the thunder rolling off to the west of us. If I hadn't loved storms so much, it might have been frightening. Sam seemed okay with everything, but Cassie looked a little jittery, so Sam and I sat on either side of her and put our arms around her. The rain started a little later and as always, it was a comforting thing to me to hear it hitting our tent. After a while, Sam said she thought we should get in our sleeping bags. She stripped down and climbed in, then she motioned for me to do the same. I stripped down to my shorts and got in the bag with her. Cassie was just sitting there looking scared, so Sam said, "I think there's room for one more in here." Cassie was naked and wiggling her way between us in a heartbeat. I could feel her body trembling, so I laid on my right side and put my left arm around her. Sam put an arm around her as well. In a few minutes, I could feel her start to calm down. "I'm usually not afraid of storms," Cassie said. "There's something about this one that is ominous though. It just feels like something is going to happen." "If it does happen, it'll happen to all of us at once," I said as I squeezed her. "Nothing's going to happen, love," Sam said. The flashes of lightning and the claps of thunder kept getting closer together as we laid there watching and listening. They were also getting louder and brighter. Strangely enough, Cassie seemed to be calming down. Her trembling had all but stopped. Now, I was getting that ominous feeling Cassie had described. I looked over at Sam and her eyes were wide. Cassie looked at Sam and said, "Don't worry, Sam. Sometimes I get these feelings that something is going to happen. I never know what it's going to be, just that something is going to happen. This time I feel like it's not going to be something that's bad." "Thank you, Cassie," Sam said. "You know, I'm very glad we found you or you found us." "So am I," Cassie said. "I've only known you guys for a couple of days, but I love you both already." "We love you too, Cassie," I said. The thunder was getting so loud we had to give up talking. I was thinking of Rip van Winkle as the lightening lighted up the sky for over a minute without a letup. The thunder was coming closer than one a second, when a particularly bright flash turned our world into high noon on Mercury. That's the last I remember. Day 18 I awoke to the sound of birds chirping. The sun was shining, and from it's position in the sky, it appeared to be noon or later. Sam and Cassie were still sleeping beside me. "Hey, ladies," I said. "It appears we've overslept." Both girls groaned and I watched as their eyelids fluttered open. After they were awake, both of them smiled at me. "I see we survived the storm," Sam said as she stretched. "Yeah, but we seem to have slept until after noon." "That's not possible, Ed. I'll swear I didn't sleep more than three or four hours," Sam said. "Three or four hours seems about right for me too, Ed," Cassie said. I looked at my watch and it was totally dead. It was a digital chronometer with stopwatch and alarm built in. "My watch is dead," I said. "The charge from the lightning strikes must have zapped the battery." "Mine's dead too," Sam said. "What about the GPS. Doesn't it have a clock built in?" I rummaged around until I found the GPS. It's clock said it was 11:12 PM. Obviously that wasn't right. The sun was shining brightly. The GPS also told me it couldn't find a positioning satellite. Since it could normally pick up several of them, I figured it must have been zapped too. "Well, guys, whatever the time, I think we should get up and get some breakfast," I said. Sam and Cassie both groaned, but crawled out of the sleeping bag. "Come on, guys, shake a tail feather," I said as I pulled on my pants. Cassie wiggled her cute butt at me and said, "I don't have any feathers on my tail, Ed." Sam started giggling and I had to smile. I had dragged enough wood into the tent last night to make us a lunch and a hot drink. We fired up the camp stove and Sam made three packages of freeze dried gunk while I went to do my morning business. "That sun really is on it's way down," Sam said. "Do you think it's worthwhile even breaking camp?" "I was just thinking about that. No, I don't think we'd get that far before sundown and I'll have to admit I don't feel like I had a full night's sleep either." We ended up lazing around the camp the rest of the day, Sam and Cassie told stories about when they were living on the streets. Each of them was trying to top the other one. I think Sam won the contest when she told about watching two guys butt fuck each other. "That is so sick," I said. "It actually makes me nauseous to think about it." "Why is it that two guys going at it makes us all a little queasy, but the thought of two women going at it doesn't bother us at all?" Sam asked. "Oh, I'm just like any other man," I said. "The thought of two women going at it bothers me a lot. It makes me as horny as hell." Sam and Cassie both giggled. "Would it turn you on if I was with another woman?" Sam asked. "That I don't know. I guess it would depend on who it was. The thought of it is exciting, but I wonder how I'd feel afterwards. Would I feel like it was cheating? Would I be afraid you were going to abandon me for her? Maybe. I just don't know." "What if it was a three way marriage and you were married to both of us?" "That's another good question. In that case, I don't think I could keep from joining in." "Is there any place where someone can be married to two people?" Cassie asked. "There have been many societies that allowed or encouraged polygamy and polyandry. The reasons are usually because of there being more women than men or more men than women. I guess I really don't have anything against either system, as long as it works for the people involved and no one is forced into the relationship. Some of the Arab countries still practice polygamy. There's no place in the US where plural marriages are legal." "You said where it is legal. Do you know of anyone who is doing it illegally?" "Yes, I do. I know of two groups where there are one man and two women. One of the groups are good friends of mine. They just recently added a third wife. That looks like it's going to work out well." "Interesting," Sam said. "This is one of the few times I miss a computer and the Internet. It'd be nice to be able to do some research on that." "Yeah, you might find a lot if you could get past all of the porn." ------- We spent a very enjoyable afternoon, getting to know Cassie better. We did a little exploring around the area, but didn't go too far from the tent. When darkness fell, we were all tired and retired to our sleeping bags. Day 19 We got up and fixed breakfast after Sam and I cuddled for a while. The sun had just come up when we awoke, and somehow that felt right. Breakfast consisted of a couple of power bars each and coffee. "I know we can use a compass, but I've never used one," Sam said. "With the GPS, we knew where we were every minute of the day. How do we do it with a compass?" "Well, I was a Boy Scout for a while, so I learned a few things. We were traveling southwest using the GPS, so we'll do the same with the compass. What we do is we look for something to the southwest of us that is easily seen, then we try to keep it in sight as we walk toward it. Estimating distance isn't as easy." "Will we get a new GPS when we get to a town?" Cassie asked. "Yes, but that may take a while. The first place we hit is Hyde Park, Vermont. It's about ten miles out, but it only has a population of a few hundred. The first place we come to that has a chance of having a GPS is Huntington, Vermont. I think it's close to thirty miles from here." "We can do thirty miles blindfolded," Sam said. I had to smile at her enthusiasm. We picked a mountain peak that was just to the right of southwest and started walking toward a point that was just to the left of it. Hyde Park is a very small town and I was afraid we'd miss it completely, but as lunch time approached, we topped a little rise and there was a town about half a mile ahead. "Ladies, this town is too small to have a restaurant, so what do you say we eat here before going on down?" Both of the agreed, so as they went about preparing a meal, I took out my monocular and looked at the town. To say I was amazed at what I saw would have been an understatement. People were walking around in front of the stores, and vehicles were moving up and down the street. The only problem was, the street was made of dirt and the vehicles were horse drawn wagons. I just sat there looking for a few minutes, wondering what this town was and wondering where Hyde Park was. There was a road of sorts entering the town almost in front of us. I swept the monocular back along the road and saw a hand lettered sign. The sign said, "Hyde Park, Vermont." Now, I was really confused. My first thought was that this was a movie lot. Then it dawned on me that it couldn't be. "Sam, could you come here a minute?" I asked. Sam came over and I handed her the monocular. "Look at the town and tell me what you see, love." I watched her as her mouth fell open. She panned the monocular over the whole town, then asked, "Are they making a movie?" "I don't think so. On a movie set, most of the buildings are just false fronts. All of those buildings are real." "What's going on, Ed?" Sam asked. "I don't know, but something is definitely wrong." "What are you two talking about?" Cassie asked. "Come over here and look at the town, Honey," I said. Cassie's reaction was much the same as Sam's had been. When she had finished looking, she handed the monocular back to me and said, "It was the storm, guys. Somehow, it threw us back into the past." Now it was my turn for my mouth to fall open. At first, I didn't want to believe it. Then I got to thinking how much I'd enjoy it if it was true. Sam was smiling as if she was thinking of the possibilities too. We ate our lunch, then instead of going on into town, we pulled back out of sight of the town or the road and set up our tent. We decided we should watch the town for the rest of the day and see if we could get a better feeling of what was going on. What we saw was a normal, everyday, frontier town, going about its normal, everyday, frontier business. Sam was using the monocular when I asked, "You said you'd done some reading about the Oregon Trail. From what you've read, can you get a feel of what time frame we're talking about?" "Not for sure, Ed. I don't see any Confederate or Yankee uniforms, so I would assume it's before the Civil War. I'd guess somewhere in the 1830's, 40's or 50's. I know that's a long time period, but it's the best I can do without a closer look." "What would a closer look tell you?" "If they have revolvers, that would probably make it the 40's or 50's." "Why don't we just go and ask someone?" Cassie asked. "People are going to think I'm nuts if I go and ask the year," I said. "I can do it,"Cassie said. "If I put on a baseball cap, they'll think I'm a boy." "Cassie, my love, they didn't have baseball in this day and age. If you walked in wearing a baseball cap they'd know that something was wrong." "Okay, what if I put my hair in pigtails and pretend I'm a little girl? I can look like I'm nine or ten if I try." "How would you go about finding out the date?" "I saw some kids playing over in a vacant lot. I'll just go and ask them." I looked at Sam and she nodded. "Okay, Cassie. Give it a try. If anyone gives you any trouble, just run. We'll be watching through the monocular." Sam braided Cassie's hair for her and we tried to make sure she wasn't dressed in a way to call attention to herself. We watched as she walked into town and approached a group of kids. She went skipping up to them and we could see she was having a conversation with one of the older boys. Then she was talking to a girl. It was frustrating, not knowing what was being said. It took her almost an hour to go in and come back, because she went by a circuitous route going and coming back. When she got back to us she was all smiles. "Today is Wednesday, May 19, 1847," she said with a smirk. "How did it go?" Sam asked. "I asked the bigger boy what the date was and he told me I was stupid for asking. I told him I bet he didn't even know what the date is and he said it is May 19th. I told him that just went to prove that he didn't know anything. I told him the date included the day of the week and the year. That's when the girl spoke up and told me the full date." "Good for you, Cassie. You were right about what happened to us too." "I kind of wish I hadn't been," Cassie said. "Cassie! Think of how much fun this is going to be. We're going to be able to live like our ancestors did. We don't have to worry about the bomb, or pollution, or global warming or anything like that," Sam said. "Yes, but we have to worry about cholera and smallpox and being attacked by Indians. We have to worry about us or our children having to fight in the Civil War. I've done a lot of reading too, Sam. I know a lot about this time period." "But," Sam said, "if we go to Oregon, we'll be able to avoid the Civil War and so will our children. The three of us have been vaccinated for smallpox and we know what to avoid to keep from getting cholera. Indians may be a problem, but if we stick to ourselves and treat them right, I think they'll treat us right." "I think we should talk about this time period. What do we know for sure about it?" I asked. "Well, nine years ago Andrew Jackson ordered the removal of the Cherokee people from Georgia. Almost a fourth of the Cherokee people died on the way to Oklahoma," Sam said. "The first Colt Revolver came out about ten or eleven years ago," I said. "They were becoming popular by this time. Rifles still used percussion caps. The Kentucky rifles were very accurate." "People mostly rode horses or wagons to get anywhere. Either that, or walked. They used pack mules a lot,"Cassie said. "What we don't know would fill a few books," Sam said with a sigh. "We're going to have to be very careful of what we do or say." "Another thing is, how are we going to get a start here. I have several hundred dollars on me, but it isn't worth a damn here," I said. "None of it was printed or minted until long after this date." "We have some things that people might be interested in trading for," Sam mused. "What are the things we're going to need the most?" "I'd say the first things we're going to need are a pack mule, pack saddle, and a good rifle," I said. "We need the rifle to hunt for food. No more freeze dried food for us, so we'll need the mule to carry our food and supplies." "What do we have we could trade?" Cassie asked. "Tent, backpacks, sleeping bags, and other things. They have tents in this time period, but nothing like we have. I'm sure they've never seen a backpack or a sleeping bag," Sam said. "So, what do we tell people when they ask us where we got these things they've never seen before?" Cassie asked. "I've been thinking about that," I said. "I think we should tell them we've been in Montreal for the last year and that everything is French." "These people don't like the French. I think we should throw in some remarks about the damned frogs now and then," Sam said. "Good thinking. You guys need to remember that during this era, the men were dominant and did most of the talking." "Are you trying to tell me to keep my mouth shut?" Sam asked with a grin. "No, love, at least not when we're by ourselves. If we're with a group of men, it might be a good idea though. Women who speak out get a bad reputation in this age." "Yeah, I know. I was just teasing. If there's something I think needs to be said, I'll whisper it to you. If you don't say what I think needs saying, I'll kick you in the nuts later." This set Cassie to giggling. ------- We talked a lot more during the afternoon. We decided that the backpacks would be the easiest to give up so we figured we'd trade them first. That didn't turn out to be the case though. After we had eaten dinner, Cassie said, "Why don't you guys go on in the tent? I'm going to stay out here a while. I'll let you know before I come in." My opinion of Cassie went even higher. The little angel was wanting to give us some private time. I looked at Sam and she gave me a big grin and a wink. I don't think it took us five seconds to get in the tent. In another thirty seconds, we were undressed and caressing each other. We made love gently, but passionately. I also thought we had made love quietly until Cassie came in later and said, "Boy, you guys are noisy." I know I had to turn a bright shade of red. Sam and I watched as Cassie got undressed and then she climbed into our sleeping bag with us. "I kind of liked sleeping with you guys," she said. Neither Sam nor I tried to kick her out. ------- Chapter 9 Day 20 - Thursday, May 20, 1847 Sam and I woke up with Cassie between us. Somehow, during the night, Cassie had managed to get across Sam. Since we were awake first, we just laid there looking at each other and stroking what we could reach of each other. Finally, Cassie opened her eyes and smiled at both of us. "Good morning," she said. "Good morning, Cassie," I said. "Young lady, we need to get something straight. Sam is my wife and I sleep next to her." Cassie just grinned and said, "I like sleeping next to you, Ed. You feel so studly." "Studly?" I asked as Sam giggled. "He is studly, isn't he Sam?" "Yes, he's studly. The solution to this problem is that you just sleep on the other side of him." "I could do that," Cassie grinned. "Don't I get a say in this?" I asked. Both girls said, "No," in unison. Okay, so who was I to argue. "Ladies, we need to get up and get dressed. I think we need to make a trip into town this morning." ------- As we walked into town, I noticed a large clock on what must have been the town office building. Just on a whim, I set the clock on the GPS, which I was still carrying for some reason. We walked down the street until we came to the blacksmith's shop. He was a huge man with bulging biceps. We watched him as he pounded out a horseshoe, working the bellows with one foot, while his muscles bulged with every swing of his hammer. He set the partially formed shoe back in his fire and looked up at us. "Mornin' folks," he said. "I'm Jim Buchanan." "Good morning. I'm Ed Hill and this is my wife Samantha and her sister Cassie. We're looking for someone who might be willing to sell or trade us a mule and packsaddle." Jim thought for a minute, then said, "There are a couple of people who might sell you what you need. A pack mule and saddle will run you around twenty dollars." "We were hoping we could find someone we could work a trade with. Our mule ran off and took almost everything we had, including what money we had." Another man had walked up behind me while we were talking. Uninvited, he joined in the conversation. "What's that thing hanging on your belt?" he asked. He was referring to the GPS, so I said, "It's a special kind of clock." I pulled it off of my belt and handed it to him. "Push that button right there," I said, pointing. The man pushed the button and when the LCD display showed the correct time, his mouth fell open. He stared at it for a couple of minutes and when the display kicked off, he pushed the button again. "Where did you get this?" the man asked. "We've been living in Montreal. I got it there." "Would you sell it?" My brain started to click. The man was dressed much nicer than the blacksmith. He looked like he might have money. "Gee, I don't know. I really like that clock and I think it may be the only one in the country." "I'll give you fifty dollars for it. That'll buy that mule you were asking Jim about." "I'm afraid I'd need more than that. I also need a rifle, powder, lead, a bullet mold, and some food stuff." "Okay, what would you take for it?" the man asked. I could see the lust he had for the unusual clock. "I'd take a hundred dollars for it. Even then, I'd feel like you got the better end of the deal." He thought for a minute then dug in his pocket and counted out ten gold eagles. He clipped the GPS to his belt and took off down the street. I didn't feel bad about holding out for a hundred. After all, I had paid a lot more than that for it. If he didn't hit that button more than twenty times a day, the battery should last him a year or more. Jim told us where we could find one of the people who might have a mule he'd sell us. When we went to see the guy, he had a fine young mule he let us have for fifteen dollars. For another five dollars, he sold us a packsaddle, some tying ropes and laces, and a set of hobbles. He told us his brother's widow had a nice Kentucky rifle she'd probably sell. His brother had died last fall and she really didn't have a use for the rifle. We went to see her and she said she'd let everything go for twenty dollars. I loaded up the rifle and tried it out. I was amazed at how well the gun fit me and how close I came to the mark I was shooting at. I gave her two gold eagles and we headed for the general store. Sam bought some pots and pans for cooking over a camp fire. We also picked up a grate to set the cooking pans on. We bought a tarp and a couple of large canvass sacks, a coffee grinder, coffee, sugar, and salt. We also picked up a twenty pound sack of flour, some baking soda, a ten pound sack of corn meal, ten pounds of beans, and ten pounds of bacon. I bought powder and lead and caps for my new rifle while we were there. We put almost everything into the canvass sacks and tied them across the packsaddle. We also tied our backpacks to the saddle. I was left carrying the rifle. Sam decided she wanted to carry the automatic. I told her I'd show her how to use it that evening. We were going out of town by shortly after noon. We stopped in a grove about a mile out of town and fixed ourselves a freeze dried lunch. As we were eating, Cassie said, "I know how to make johnny cake. From what I've read, that, along with bacon, veggies and meat we've killed was a common diet for people during this time. "Okay, we've found ourselves in a completely outrageous situation. We know a little about the time period, but we need to learn more and we need to learn it fast. Where do we go from here? What do we do? How do we find out what we need to know?" Sam asked. "Sam, all you say and all you ask are valid considerations. Our primary objective is just to survive though. We need to put food on the table. We need to somehow earn enough money to buy the necessities," I said. "How do we earn money quickly in this time period? From what I've read a man can earn about $20 to $30 a month. That might buy the necessities, but we'd just be living from month to month. If we're stuck here, I'd like to start a cattle or horse ranch. Something we could pass along to our kids," Sam said. "Gold," Cassie said. "Gold?" Sam asked. "Yeah, gold is going to be discovered in California in a couple of years. People got rich overnight. We even know where it was discovered. If we got there first, we could find enough to set us up on a ranch." "You may have a good idea there, Cassie," I said. "I think we'd do better in South Dakota though. Gold was discovered in western South Dakota in the 1870's. Deadwood is the city that comes to mind. It wasn't settled until the mid 70's though. That's where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane met their ends." "Do you know how to get there?" Sam asked. "Sure, in 2005 I do. I'm not sure in 1847. I've done a little reading about the South Dakota area and I know Deadwood will be about 200 miles, just north of west of Fort Pierre and it's about fifty miles north of Mount Rushmore. It's all rugged country and I have no idea just where gold was found, even if I knew exactly where Deadwood was going to be." "What other alternatives do we have?" Cassie asked. "I guess we could think about fur trapping." "Actually trapping was one of the first things that brought people to South Dakota. It would be a way to pick up some money if we don't find gold." "What all would we need if we were going out to find gold?" Cassie asked. "Well, we'd need the basics like salt, sugar, flour and corn meal. We'd need at least one more mule. We'd have to plan for at least a year living in the wilderness, which would mean we'd need to build some kind of shelter to get us through a very cold winter. That would mean we'd need tools like an axe. We'd also need a pick and a couple of shovels. We'd need traps for any trapping we'd do. I don't know, girls. It seems like more than we could possibly do." "Where would we start from if we did this?" Sam asked. "I'd say we'd start from St Joseph, Missouri. It should be between six and seven hundred miles from there to Deadwood." "That'd take about a month to walk. If we went by horse, we could make it in about a week less," Sam mused. We sat and thought for a few minutes. Prospecting in the Black hills was definitely intriguing, but the enormity of the trip and the thought of all we would have to endure was daunting to say the least. "Wait just a damned minute," I said. "I know where we can find something of value much closer than the Black Hills. In fact, it's only about four days walk from here." "What's that?" Sam asked. "A few years ago, I bought my ex a necklace. It had a gemstone called Tourmaline. I'd never even heard of Tourmaline, so I looked it up on the Internet. It is a mineral found all over the country, but the gemstone quality stones are mostly found in Maine. There's a town called Newry where one of the biggest Tourmaline mines in the country is located, and Tourmaline wasn't discovered there until the late 1800's. There is also gold in the area. I don't know how much, but people are still panning it in 2005." "Is Newry even there in this time period?" Cassie asked. "I'm not sure, but I imagine it is," I said. "Then, what are we waiting for?" Sam asked. "We're in no hurry," I said. "The weather is starting to get nicer and we'll be going into the mountains." "Ed, it's almost a month later in the season since we came through there," Sam said. "Overnight, we've already waited almost a month. "True," I said. "I would like to see if I can kill a deer in the morning though. I hate this freeze dried crap." The girls had to agree with that. We spent the afternoon talking about Tourmaline crystals and what they look like. We also talked about gold. I explained to the girls that a troy ounce, which is how gold is measured, is slightly heavier than the ounce they are used to. "There are only about fourteen and a half troy ounces in a pound. So, if we found a pound of gold, which I believe sells for around twenty dollars an ounce right now, we'd only get $290 for it instead of the $320 you'd expect." "When we left home, wasn't gold selling for over $400 an ounce?" Sam asked. "Yeah, it is over twenty times what is now. You have to remember though, everything else is twenty times cheaper now too." "You know, I was reading a while back about outfitting for the Oregon Trail. They said if you wanted to figure out what something cost in the 1840s, divide the 2005 price by twenty," Sam said. "Did it say how much it cost to outfit for a trip to Oregon?" I asked. "Yeah, it said if you had to buy your wagon and animals and everything, it would cost around five hundred." "Interesting," I said. "About two pounds of gold or a few good Tourmaline crystals." "So, you'd rather be a rancher or a farmer than a prospector?" Cassie asked. "Yeah, right after Sam and I met, we talked about what we'd like to do with our lives. One of the things Sam mentioned was going to Oregon on the Oregon Trail. One of the things I mentioned was having a place where I could be self sufficient." "Both of those things would have sounded interesting before. Now, we don't have much of a choice but to do something like that. The way I understand it, it was economic pressures that caused so many people to go to Oregon in the first place," Cassie said, and again I was amazed by her intelligence. "That and the discovery of gold in California," I said. "All of the people immigrating across the Oregon Trail after gold was discovered was what started causing problems with the plains Indians." "So, if we went on the Oregon Trail this year or next, we shouldn't see any Indian problems?" Sam asked. "Probably not. There were some problems before the gold rush, but most occurred afterwards. By the time we get a stake, it's going to be too late to go this year. Next spring, early, would be our best bet." We had another freeze dried dinner and went to bed early. Day 21 - Friday, May 21, 1847 I was awake before it was even light outside. I managed to slip out of our sleeping bag without awakening Sam or Cassie. I checked the load in my new rifle and made sure there was a percussion cap in place, then I sneaked away from camp. I had seen a nice little meadow not too far from camp, so I made my way there to see if anything would show up. I took a seat against a tree at the edge of the meadow and sat quietly to watch. I had never been a hunter, but I knew from reading that deer fed in the early mornings and late evenings. I was rewarded by seeing a nice young buck stop at the edge of the meadow about fifty yards away. He looked around, then walked on out into the grassy area and started to eat. Three does followed him into the meadow. I moved very slowly, trying not to call attention to myself. I knew there was something special you had to do when you were cleaning a buck, so I selected one of the does as a target. The way they were standing, I couldn't get a good shot at the heart area, so I braced the rifle on my knee and aimed for her head. Luckily, she went down when I fired. I ran over to her and saw I'd just skinned the top of her head, knocking her out, but not killing her. I quickly pulled out my hunting knife and slit her throat. I guess I felt a little sorry for her, but not too much. I really didn't know from first hand experience how to butcher a deer, but I had done a lot of reading in my life and it seemed to just come naturally. I cut her open and removed her intestines after having a little trouble in the neck and chest area. I know that a good hunter would have done a more professional job, but I finally got everything out and started dragging her back to camp. When I got there, Sam was awake and was making coffee. She didn't have any more of a clue as to how to dress a deer than I had. We decided we wanted to make as much use of the flesh as we could without overburdening the mule, so we basically peeled all of the flesh off of the bones. I don't know if anyone else does it this way, but it tasted mighty good to us. I built up a campfire and put the cooking grate across it while Sam cut off three nice thick steaks. We only put two of them on to broil since Cassie was still sleeping. It couldn't have been more than five minutes later when Cassie came crawling out of the tent asking what that wonderful smell was. I put the other steak on and we sipped our coffee while they cooked. I let Cassie have my steak when it was finished and waited a few more minutes for mine. Even though all we had for breakfast was the venison steak and coffee, it was one of the best meals I had ever had. ------- We still managed to get on the trail at a reasonable hour. Having the mule to carry our burdens was a godsend. We took off at a good walking rate and managed to keep it up for two hours without slowing. Cassie was a contradiction. One moment she was discussing Tourmaline like a young adult and the next, she was a tomboy wanting to climb a tree to see what lay ahead of us. For Sam and me, with three weeks on the trail, it was a stroll in the park. No pack to carry and fresh meat to eat put us in almost a euphoric mood. We held hands a good portion of the time, which is something we couldn't do while carrying the packs. All in all, it was a good day for travel. I missed having the GPS, but other than that, I was finding myself perfectly satisfied with our lot. We cut off another slab of meat for lunch and roasted it over a small fire. Sam sliced some bacon and laid it on top of the meat as it was roasting. Cassie promised to make us some johnnycake for dinner. We walked for around eight hours and I'm sure we made 24 or 25 miles for the day. We'd have probably walked another hour or so, but we found the perfect campsite so we decided to call it a day. There was a nice little meadow at the place we stopped. It was surrounded by trees and there was a nice stream flowing by. Sam stuck her hand in the water and declared it was warm enough for bathing. We got our camp set up then Sam told Cassie and me to strip. Cassie didn't hesitate, so I followed suit. I watched Sam as she shed her clothes. She is a beauty and the light of my life. Cassie is a lot more mature physically than her age would indicate. Her smallish breasts have amazingly large nipples and her pubic hair is thick and luxuriant. She has a slim waist and a nice mature butt. Sam saw me watching Cassie and when I blushed, she gave me a big smile. Later, as we were washing ourselves in the icy (to me) stream, Sam whispered, "Does Cassie turn you on just a little?" I had to be honest with her, so I nodded. She smiled and asked, "You know she's in love with you, don't you?" "She's too young to be in love," I whispered. "She may think she's in love, but when she meets the right boy, she'll forget all about me." "That's not going to happen, Ed. There is only one male in this time period that she has anything in common with, and that's you. There's no way she could relate to someone from this era. Besides, in this time period, it was common for young women to marry when they were fourteen or fifteen. Cassie will be fifteen soon." "Yes, but I'm married to you, Sam, and I'm very happy about that." "Then you should be even more happy being married to both of us." "What?" I almost yelled. "Keep it down over there, kids." Cassie said. "It's bad enough watching you whisper sweet nothings to each other without you starting to yell." Sam and I both cracked up, then Sam said, "Actually, we were talking about you, Cassie. We were wondering when you were going to want to join our marriage." "Oh, right now would be fine," Cassie said. "Any time the two of you are ready for it, I am." "Cassie!" I said. "I'm almost twice your age. Surely you wouldn't want to hook up with an old man like me." Cassie gave me a goober look and said, "You are a fossil, I'll admit." She giggled, then said, "Ed, who else am I going to hook up with in this time? There's not one other man in the world who would know what I was talking about if I said television. We are three people lost in time. It wouldn't be fair for two of you to exclude me." "Honey, I'm not saying we're going to exclude you. We'll always going to be close so we can share our past lives as well as our current ones." "Well, I want to be included in everything." I just kept my mouth shut. I knew I wasn't going to win an argument. I also knew it was up to me to protect Cassie from herself. Not an easy task when I looked at her nubile young body. Day 22 - Saturday, May 22, 1847 We stopped in Lyndon, Vermont today. I wanted to pick up a pick, a shovel, and a gold pan. Their General store had what I wanted. Lyndon is about twice the size of Hyde Park, but still nothing to write home about. There was a stagecoach stop in town and they had a tavern, which they called an ordinary, to support the stage stop. We decided to see what the tavern had to offer in the food line. There were half a dozen tables in the main room, each with benches along both sides. The inn keeper said they had venison stew, so we all ordered that. He served it in large bowls with big slabs of fresh baked bread. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. All three of us ate until we were stuffed and I paid the meager fare with pleasure. We traveled a little slower for a while after we left Lyndon, but speeded up later in the afternoon. I think we still made 25 or 26 miles for the day. We found a nice campsite and feasted on venison and johnnycake. Day 23 - Sunday, May 23, 1847 Getting started in the morning took longer with Jethro, the mule. We had to catch him, saddle him, and load him before we could get started. We still had to do all of the other things we were doing before. Fortunately, after we were on the trail, we easily made up all of the time we lost and then some. Sometime yesterday, we had crossed into New Hampshire. By the time we'd set up camp for the night, we'd be very close to the Maine border. That meant we were getting close to where we could start looking for gold or gems. I was leading Jethro as we walked along. The country was starting to get a little rougher, but we were still managing to talk. "You guys know that finding gold or gems isn't going to be as easy as just picking them up off the ground, don't you?" I asked. "I didn't think it would be a piece of cake, but how hard is it really going to be?" Sam asked. "Well, the panning for gold isn't heavy labor, but you have to spend a lot of time squatting down at the side of a creek. It gets to your arms, your legs, and your back. From what I can remember, the first finds of Tourmaline were pretty easy. In one case, a couple of boys found some of the crystals laying on the ground. The problem with Tourmaline is you find a lot of what they call carving quality for every one of gem quality you find." "I vaguely know what gold panning is, but I don't know how it's done. Do you know how?" Cassie asked. "I've never done it, but I know how. You just take a few hands full of sand from the creek, then cover it with water. You start sloshing the water around in a circular motion, so the sand and lighter things wash over the edge. You might have to fill the pan with water several times before you get down to just a small amount of sand left in the bottom. If there's gold in what's left, you'll be able to see the bright yellow specks in the sand." "Do you just pick up the sand anywhere?" "No, you look for places where the creek makes a turn around a rock or something, places where anything in the water might accumulate. If you find gold, you trace it back upstream. When you can't find any more gold in the sand, you know the source of the gold is between the last two places you panned. Then you try to narrow it down so you find the source." "It sounds like it could take a lot of time," Sam said. "Honey, experienced men took years to find gold. Some spent their entire lives and never found it. We know there was gold found around Plumbago Mountain, so that narrows our search some. I also know about where the Dunton Mine is located, so we have a better chance of finding gems than we do of finding gold." "How long do you think it will take us to find enough of either to finance an Oregon expedition?" Sam asked. "It will take us all or most of the summer. I'd say by fall we'll have our stake, although we could come up completely empty." "Oh," Sam said. "Sam, even if we don't find anything, this will be fun," Cassie said. "We're going to be completely alone and completely free. We can do anything we want, any time we want. If we want to stay naked all day, there's no one to tell us we can't." "That's true," Sam said. "The prospecting doesn't just have to be a means to an end. It can be an end in itself." I had to laugh. "And what do you think would happen if some old prospector wandered up with his burro while the two of you were running around naked?" "If he had a heart attack, we'd have ourselves a burro," Cassie giggled. ------- Okay, so I really like venison, but it gets a little tiring after a while. Sam fried up thick slices of bacon for lunch and Cassie made some excellent johnnycake. We ended up wrapping bacon slices in johnnycake. It was a very good meal. "You know we're almost to the Maine border," I told the girls. "We should reach Newry tomorrow afternoon, if our heading was right." We had been traveling almost due east since we had decided to come this way. I knew it would be easy to miss the town if our heading had been off. I didn't mention that to the girls though, as I didn't want to worry them unnecessarily. The weather had warmed up considerably, so when we made camp for the night, Sam put some dried apples to soak, then she got out the soap and shampoo and declared it was time for a bath. We all unashamedly stripped down and got into the water. Sam immediately tackled me and pushed me under. I had just managed to get to my feet again when Cassie attacked from the other side. Okay, wrestling with a couple of pretty naked girls is a lot of fun. Especially when they don't seem to mind rubbing their naughty bits against you. After we got out of the water, neither Sam nor Cassie seemed of a mind to get dressed. Sam asked me to gather some firewood, while she started getting ready to fix dinner. When I came back, both girls were still naked and both were working on dinner preparations. I just leaned back and watched the show. After a very nice meal, we all sat and talked for a while. It was still very light outside when Sam said it was time for bed. Sam and Cassie went into the tent while I made sure the fire was out. Sam had our sleeping bags zipped together as usual. She was laying on top of our bags and Cassie was on top of hers. Both of them were still naked. When I came inside the tent, Sam said, "Strip." I did. I laid down beside Sam and she started caressing me. I put an arm around her and stroked her back. Before long, Sam started fondling my cock. "Sam, Cassie can see," I said in a whisper. "You're asleep, aren't you, Cassie?" Sam asked. "Yes, I'm asleep," Cassie said. "She's asleep, Ed. Don't worry about it." "But, Sam," I started, but she cut me off. "Just relax and enjoy it, Ed." She moved down and took my cock in her mouth just after she said this, cutting off my reply. Sam slurped on me until I was as hard as I had ever been in my life, then she straddled me. "You're still asleep, aren't you, Cassie?" Sam asked. "Oh, God, yes. I'm still asleep." "Good," Sam said, then impaled herself on my erection. I heard Cassie moan and when I looked over at her, I could see her hand working feverishly in her pussy. Cassie looked at me and I couldn't help myself. I extended my arm to her and she moved over until her head was laying on my shoulder. I put my arm around her and held her while she continued to pleasure herself. I looked up at Sam's face and she had a grin as big as Vermont. Sam continued at a slow pace for a while. It was still light enough that Cassie and I could clearly see my cock as Sam raised up and see the lips of her pussy pull in as she came back down and swallowed me again. This was one of the most erotic things I had ever seen. Cassie moaned and shook through her first orgasm before Sam even speeded up. I hugged her close as she came down. She raised her head up and kissed me as she started working her pussy again. Sam took this as a sign to speed up her movement. The faster speed and the excitement from watching Cassie masturbate were too much for me. Within a couple of minutes, I let Sam know I couldn't hold off much longer. This put Sam over the edge, and she started a very noisy climax. Her pussy started fluttering around my cock and I couldn't take it any more. My first squirt went into Sam's receptive body. She pulled off as my second spurt came out. It landed on my chest not far from Cassie's face. When I was finally spent, Sam leaned down and licked one glob of cum. "It really doesn't taste bad," she said to Cassie. "I rather enjoy it if he cums in my mouth." Cassie had just come down from her second orgasm. She looked at Sam as if she didn't believe her, but went ahead and licked up the glob that had come closest to her face. She had a skeptical expression, but then she smiled and said, "It's not a hot fudge sundae, but it isn't terrible." All of us cracked up at that. ------- Chapter 10 Day 24 - Monday, May 24, 1847 Nothing was said about what happened last night when we got up this morning. I built a fire and the girls fixed breakfast. We had all of us ended up sleeping on top of mine and Sam's sleeping bags. I was in the middle and it sure felt nice to wake up between two naked girls. We got an early start, and it was only shortly after we had stopped for lunch, when we crossed a road. "This is probably the road between Newry and North Newry," I said. "If we turn south, we'll probably be in Newry shortly. I don't know what the town is like during this time period, but we can always hope they have a tavern or an inn." Sam smiled and said, "That stew we had the other day was certainly good. Let's hope they have one." ------- We turned south on the road and sure enough, it wasn't an hour before we found the town of Newry. I didn't ask anyone, but I was sure there were less than a thousand people in the town. They did have a nice general store, so we picked up some more provisions and a few things I thought we'd need for prospecting. The storekeeper was a garrulous man and kept up a steady stream of conversation as we looked over his wares. He said he had been living in Newry all of his life and that his parents had been some of the first people to settle there. "What do people around here do to make a living?" I asked. "For the most part, we're farmers, young man. Most people do a little hunting and some trap during the winter. Like most people, we do what it takes to survive." "I imagine the winters around here are pretty rough," I said. "Yep, sometimes the snow gets so deep a man can't walk through it. Times like that, we just hole up. Trappers use snow shoes to get around, but most of us just stay indoors." "Have you seen any other strangers go through here in the last month or so?" I asked. "No. Can't say I have." "We're supposed to meet my brother at Plumbago Mountain. We must be ahead of him. He said Plumbago Mountain was close to here." "Yep. It's just to the east. Not more than five or ten miles." "How would we get there from here?" "Well, like I said, it's to the east. You come to Puzzle Mountain first. Just go around it on the south side and you'll run right in to Plumbago. Ain't much out that way though. Country's too rough for farming." "Once we meet him, we'll be moving on east. We just came from Newport, Vermont. My brother has been in New York. We're supposed to meet up with our other brother in Bangor." "Ah, I was wondering what you'd be doing around Plumbago. As far as I know, there hasn't been anyone out that way in years. I used to go out that way when I was a boy. Haven't been that way in thirty years though." "Is there a tavern or an inn in town?" I asked. "We haven't had a good meal in a week." The storekeeper laughed as he added up our purchases. "Yep, just down at the end of the block. Mrs. Jenkins does make a fine stew. I go there once in a while myself, since my wife died." We paid the man and thanked him for the information. Once we were outside, Sam said, "Meeting your brother, huh. Why did you tell him that?" "I don't want anyone knowing where we're going or why," I said. "I figured if he thought we were just meeting someone and going on, he'd be less curious." Mrs. Jenkins did indeed make a fine stew. She said it was beef and mutton. She apologized for not having fresh baked bread, but she had biscuits that would melt in your mouth. We ate until we were stuffed, then she brought us bowls of blackberry cobbler and a pitcher of cream to pour over it. "Mrs. Jenkins," I said when she came over and asked us if we wanted more, "It's a good thing we're just passing through. If I ate here every day, I'd weigh five hundred pounds by the end of summer." The lady laughed and patted Sam on the shoulder. "This one could stand to gain a few pounds," she said. "Why do women always think they have to be skinny?" I asked her. "My wife is a good example. She's always worried she's getting too fat." Mrs. Jenkins patted Sam again and said, "Honey, men like a skinny woman to look at, but when they're married to a woman, they like comfortable cushions." I was afraid Sam was going to react, but she just smiled. We paid for our dinner then headed out. We managed to get a couple of miles to the east before we set up camp. When we went into the tent later, I saw that the girls had opened all three sleeping bags. They had put two of them down for us to lay on and had the third to use as a cover. I think I could get used to sleeping between two naked girls, so I didn't argue about it. Day 25 - Tuesday, May 25, 1847 We got a little bit of a late start this morning, mainly because we cuddled a lot before got out of our sleeping bags. As we were eating breakfast, I said, "We'll be at Plumbago in an hour or so. When we get there, the first thing we're going to do is set up a semi-permanent camp." "Let's look around and find a good spot for the camp then," Sam said. "That's what I was thinking. We'll need a spot where there's good graze for the mule and where we have access to water. We'll also want a place that is at least partially sheltered from storms." "Do you have any idea where anyone found gold in the area?" Cassie asked. "Not really. There was some gold taken out of here, but I doubt it was ever enough to make anyone rich. We're not trying to get rich though. All we need is enough to give us a stake." "Do you know what this Tourmaline looks like?" Sam asked. "I've seen the cut gems and they are beautiful. I've also seen pictures of the crystals. They can be anywhere from a few millimeters to a few inches long and can be in almost any color imaginable. From what I read, the black ones aren't worth much. The reds and the greens are the most valuable. There's even one they call a watermelon because it has a green crust and a red interior. There are special names for all of the different colors of crystals, but I don't remember what they are." When we got to what I believed was Plumbago Mountain, we started working our way around the south side. We had been exploring the base of the mountain for more than an hour when we stumbled on a little box canyon. The sides of the canyon were steep, but the mule could have gotten up them if he wanted. The only thing was, there was a nice meadow that had to be almost ten acres in size. There was a nice stream running through it, that made it a perfect pasture. We found a place to pitch out tent and while Sam was opening our sleeping bags, Cassie and I gathered stones to make a fire ring. It wasn't noon yet, so we didn't build a fire. We did gather enough dead wood for at least a full day's cooking. We messed around until it was time for lunch, then Sam fixed a meal for us. As we were eating, I happened to think about how long we had been eating on this deer. If I remembered correctly, I had killed it five days ago. "Sam, I think I need to go hunting in the morning," I said. "We have lots of meat left," she said. "Yeah, but it has been out, without refrigeration for five days. I don't know how long meat will keep, but I imagine we're right at the limit." "I hadn't even thought of it going bad. At least the weather hasn't been real hot." "Yeah, I think that's all that saved us," I said. "We need to figure out a way to keep any new meat cool. We don't want to come down with food poisoning." "How did the pioneers preserve meat?" Cassie asked. "I think they salted it or smoked it," Sam said. "I'd say we need to find out how to do that then," Cassie said. Sam and I agreed. After lunch I showed Sam and Cassie how to use a gold pan in the stream that ran through our camp. We didn't turn up any colors, but the girls each had a turn at working the pan. I told them that tomorrow afternoon we'd try to find Newry hill, which will be the site of the Dunton Mine. We spent a nice afternoon together, just becoming familiar with our surroundings. We shared a nice bath in the stream which, as the weather was getting nicer, was getting warmer as well. Day 26 - Wednesday, May 26, 1847 I made sure I got out of our sleeping bags and out of the tent the first time I awoke this morning. It was still dark outside, but I didn't make a fire as I didn't want to alert any animals that might be in the area. I made my way up to the meadow where we had left the mule grazing and found a place where I could rest against a tree. My last hunting expedition had turned out well, even though I had only grazed the doe I had shot. I had only been about twenty-five yards from her when I took the shot, so I figured that was why I had hit higher than I had intended. This morning I was thinking that maybe I should take the time to fire some shots at different distances so I could have an idea as to where a bullet I fired would strike. The mule was no where to be seen, so I figured he'd sheltered himself in the trees surrounding the meadow. I thought I saw him walking back into the open, then I realized the animal coming out to graze was much larger than the mule. It was a cow moose, the first I'd ever seen in the wild. I thought for a moment about shooting her, then I thought of all of the meat that would go bad if I did. I just sat and watched this magnificent animal for quite some time before my attention was drawn to a herd of deer entering the meadow, not fifty yards from where I was sitting. There were a dozen or more of them, including four that looked to be less than a year old. I decided that one of the young ones would be a better kill, so I waited until a young doe had wandered away from the group before I took aim and put her down. This time I shot her in the chest, and there was no doubt in my mind that she was dead before she hit the ground. Of course, the rest of the deer and the moose were gone before I even got to my feet. I slit her throat so she would bleed out, then I removed her intestines and internal organs. After her body cavity was empty, I could have carried her back to camp, but I ended up dragging her. Sam and Cassie were both up when I got back to camp. They were both beaming when they saw the deer. "I've had an idea that will help keep the meat from spoiling for a while," Sam said. "What's that?" I asked as Cassie handed me a cup of coffee. "We have a couple of dozen large plastic trash bags. Let's debone the meat like we did before, put it in bags, and put the bags in the stream. That'll keep the meat a lot cooler and it'll last a lot longer." "That's a great idea," I said. "Why don't we cut off a hunk for breakfast, then after we eat, we'll do that." After breakfast, we started cutting up the meat. Sam said she thought she had read that we should cut all of the fat off of the meat before we stored it as the fat turned rancid before the meat did. I ended up doing the cutting while Sam and Cassie started storing the meat in trash bags in the creek. They'd put one piece of meat in the bottom of a bag and then carry it to the creek. They found a spot close to the near bank that was only about a foot and a half deep. One of the girls would stand in the creek, holding the bag open, while the other girl carried the meat and filled the bag. Once there was enough meat in the bag that it was almost up to water level, they took some of the laces we got with the mule and tied the drawstrings of the bag to an overhanging branch. All of the meat from the young doe fit into three bags. It was interesting watching the girls fill the bags, since they were both nude as they did it. They said it was because they didn't want to get blood on their clothes. I wonder... We took a quick bath after the meat was put away, then just lazed in the sun as we dried off. "You know, Cassie," Sam said after we had lain there for a while. "What you said the other day is absolutely right. This isn't a bad end in and of itself." I had to grin. She was right. I couldn't imagine life being any better. ------- After lunch, we took a pick and a shovel and one of the backpacks and started looking for the future site of the Dunton Mine. This mountain is a lot bigger than it looks on a map. I guess we spent several hours looking for Newry Hill before we stumbled on to what had to be it. As with the boys who discovered Tourmaline in Mount Mica in Maine, we found a crystal laying on the ground. It wasn't of gem quality and it was a light pink or peach in color, but it let us know we were in the right area. Sam and Cassie both thought it was beautiful anyway. We carefully noted our location and blazed trees on the way back to camp so we could get there quickly tomorrow. We were all feeling very good as I built a fire to fix dinner. After we had eaten, Sam filled our largest pot about half full with dried beans, then covered them with water so they could soak over night. This was something we hadn't been able to do while we were moving from place to place. Just before we went to bed, she topped off the water again. Day 27 thru Day 34 - Thursday, June 3, 1847 We got up the next morning and Sam asked if there was any reason she couldn't stay in camp while Cassie and I went back to Newry Hill. "Honey, the only reason I can think of is wild animals. There are bears in these woods. I'd hate to come back and find the love of my life had been mauled by a bear." "Let's give it a try, one time, Ed. I have the pistol and if I fired it, a bear would probably run off. If not, I could always climb a tree. If you heard a shot, you'd come running. I really want to cook those beans today." Against my better judgement, I let her talk me into it. Luckily our decision didn't come back to haunt us. We were about a twenty minute's hike from the hill going in a straight line. We figured we'd come back to camp for lunch. When we got back to where we had found the crystal yesterday, I told Cassie we should lay out the area in a grid and search each section of the grid thoroughly before moving on to the next section. This took a lot of time, but it proved to be the way to do it. We started finding small crystals almost immediately. Unfortunately none of them were gem quality. By the end of the day we were both exhausted. Sam had put the beans on to cook early this morning with probably half a pound of bacon for flavoring. She also put in a large chunk of venison. The bean soup we had for dinner was absolutely wonderful. She had made some johnnycake to go with it and we all stuffed ourselves. I ended up making one more kill that week. Putting the meat in plastic bags in the creek seemed to be working well. We continued searching for crystals over the next week. Sometimes all of us would go, other times just two of us. We did find a few small crystals that were of gem quality during that time, but the price of Tourmaline gems, even in the twenty-first century wasn't that great, so I couldn't imagine it would be very high now. Sam and I made love several times that week, with Cassie watching. Each time, she'd lay her head on my shoulder if Sam was on top, or on Sam's shoulder if I was on top. All three of us had become completely uninhibited in front of the others. Day 35 - Friday, June 4, 1847 Sam had put more beans on to soak last night, so she told us she was going to stay in camp today. "I'm going to be using the last of the bacon in the beans. We should make a trip into town to pick up some more bacon and some more beans," "Okay, let's go in tomorrow. I wouldn't mind having some more of Mrs. Jenkins stew while we're in there," I said. "I'm going to try to talk with her for a bit if I can," Sam said. "I want to find out how she makes those lovely biscuits and maybe a few other things. I've got a story made up of why I don't know these things." "Good for you. I will say those were the best biscuits I'd ever eaten." Cassie nor I either one made any major finds that morning, but we did seem to be having better luck as we went up hill. We'd been talking about it and had come to the conclusion that the crystals we were finding had been washed down from up above. When we got back to camp at lunch, Sam was euphoric. She was bouncing around all over camp. As soon as we walked into camp, she came running to me, threw her arms around me and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. "What brought all this on?" I asked after she had broken the kiss. "I found gold," she said in a hushed voice as if she thought someone was going to overhear her. "You what?" Cassie screeched. "I found gold. Every day I've stayed in camp, I've been doing a little panning. I had been working upstream from the camp, but a couple of days ago, I started going downstream. This morning I found gold in the sand." Sam opened up a handkerchief she had and there were a couple of dozen flecks of gold. Most of them weren't any bigger than a grain of sand, but one was maybe half the size of a small pea. "That's great, Sam. Where did you find it?" "You know where that little creek comes into the main creek about a hundred yards downstream?" "Yes." "It was just downstream of that." "Fantastic. Let's take a look right after lunch. It may have washed in from the smaller stream." "That's what I was thinking. If it did come from the smaller stream, will the concentration in it be heavier?" "Probably. I'm just guessing, but I would think the concentration would be heavier as we got closer to the source." "Cool." Cassie had picked up the little nugget and was bouncing it in her hand. "This really is gold. It's too heavy to be anything else," she said with a big grin. "Do we have anything we could keep it in to keep it safe?" "We have some ziplock bags," I said. "If we find a lot we'll have to look for something sturdier, but that'll do for now." Sam got a bag and carefully shook her find into it. It wasn't much in itself, but it was the potential that had us all excited. We finally sat down and ate our noon meal. As soon as we were through eating, Sam practically dragged us to where she had made the find. "You see that little sandbar there?" she asked. Cassie and I both nodded, so she went on. "I had washed a couple of pans full just above the side creek and didn't come up with anything. Then I tried a pan full from that bar. That's where I found it." "Let's try a couple of more pans here," I said and proceeded to fill the pan from the bar. I took my time and made sure I didn't slosh out any color. I could see the flecks of gold while there was still quite a bit of sand left. Sam and Cassie both saw it too and started giggling. I finished working the pan and had as much or more than Sam had gotten in her pan. "Okay, let's go up the side creek a ways until we see some sand," I said as Sam and Cassie put the new gold in with what Sam had found. The side stream was about six feet wide at this point. About twenty feet upstream, it made a small turn and there was a nice sandbar just below the curve. "Do you want to do the honors?" I asked Sam and offered her the pan. Sam gave me a big kiss then waded over to the sand bank. She filled the pan with sand and water, then held up her crossed fingers. Cassie and I both grinned at her as she started to swirl the water in the pan. Sam wasn't half way through washing the pan when she said, "Oh, my God!" She sat down the pan and reached in. She pulled out a nugget that had to be as big as the first joint of my little finger. "Oh, shit," I said. "That ain't shit," Sam laughed. "That's gold." She threw the nugget over to me and went back to working the pan. When she had finished she had another smaller nugget and about as much flecks as we had gotten in the two pans before put together. "This is fantastic," she said as she started filling the pan again. "Yeah, but remember the price of gold is only about twenty dollars an ounce now. Back in 2005, that nugget you found would be worth five hundred or so. Now, it's probably not worth much more than ten." "I thought you said it was twenty to one," Cassie said. "It is, but in 2005, a gold nugget is worth a lot more than regular gold. Jewelers loved nuggets for making natural gold rings and necklaces." Sam's second pan of sand proved to be almost worthless. She moved to the other side of the one she panned first and again found a good quantity of flakes. "Should we continue here?" she asked after she had finished washing her third pan. "As long as we're finding gold in the quantities you are now, I think we should," I said. "At the rate you're going, you'll have an ounce or more before the day is over." "Can I do the next one?" Cassie asked. "Sure," Sam said and handed her the pan. Sam and I snuggled up on the bank as we watched Cassie work a pan. She wasn't as expert at it as Sam was, but she was very enthusiastic about it. When she got to where she couldn't get any more sand out without removing gold as well, she said, "I think I may have lost some. I guess I have to learn the movement a little better." She handed the pan to me and there were several flecks in the bottom, but not as many as Sam had been getting. I asked if I could do the next pan and Cassie readily agreed. I scooped four hands full of sand out of the same spot Sam had gotten her original load and started washing it. I could tell right away that there was at least one more nugget in the pan. When I finally stopped there were three small nuggets and a good quantity of dust in the bottom of the pan. Cassie ran back to the camp and got a shovel so we could go deeper into the bar. We worked the bar all afternoon, and when we decided to break for dinner, we had closer to two ounces of gold than one. As we were eating a bate of Sam's wonderful bean soup, Cassie asked if we were going to continue working the same sand bar for a while. "I think so, Honey. We made at least forty dollars today. That's about two months work for a man in this time. When we start running out of gold on this bar, we'll move to the next one." "I'd really like to try again if I could," Cassie said. "I know I'm not as good at it as you or Sam, but I'd like to feel that I'm helping." I gave her a hug and said, "It just takes practice, babe. You'll get the hang of it. We'll let you pan all you want tomorrow." Cassie gave me a big grin then went back to eating. Sam wanted to play cowgirl that evening, so she was on top, riding me. Cassie laid her head on my chest again, but instead of playing with her pussy, she started stroking my chest and gently pinching my nipples. I started rubbing her back and her butt, then I let my hand follow her butt crack until I was cupping her pussy from behind. Cassie gasped, then raised her head up and started kissing me. I looked at Sam and she was grinning from ear to ear. I found Cassie's clit with my middle finger and started gently rubbing around it. She came unglued. Cassie must have had three orgasms before Sam started yelling out hers. Sam's pussy was fluttering around my cock and that took me over the edge as well. Afterwards we all fell asleep cuddled together. ------- Chapter 11 Day 36 - Saturday, June 5, 1847 We spent all of the next day making a trip to Newry and back. We ate lunch there and this time we were treated to home made bread. Sam stayed with Mrs. Jenkins for a while after Cassie and I left for the general store. The storekeeper was surprised to see us again. "We still haven't seen hide nor hair of that brother of mine," I said. "We'll hang around another month and if he hasn't shown up by then we'll go on to Bangor." "I sure hope nothing's happened to him," the storekeeper said, genuinely concerned. "He's too mean to have anything bad happen," I said. "What worries me is that he might just have forgotten about us, or decided he wanted to do something else." "Oh, one of those, huh? I have a brother that's a lot like that. Has the wanderlust." "Yep. My brother's always been like that." Since we didn't know how long it would be before we could stock up again, we laid in a plentiful supply of food and got a second gold pan and an axe. I asked the storekeeper if he'd accept gold and you'd have thought I'd given him a Christmas present. "Where'd you get the gold?" he asked as he looked at it. "We've staked a claim over in Vermont," I said. "This came from there. That's why we're trying to get my brothers together. I'm going to need them to work the claim." "You've got the claim filed and everything?" "Yep, everything's taken care of all legal like. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it to anyone though. If too many people hear about it the Connecticut river around Putney is gonna look like it's in the middle of Boston." "Oh, I wouldn't mention it," the storekeeper assured us, but I didn't believe him. He just liked to talk too much to keep it quiet. Our bill came to twenty-eight dollars and the man weighed out enough gold dust to cover it. Cassie and I said our goodbyes and went looking for Sam. We were loading our haul on the mule when we saw Sam coming toward us. "I need to run back into the store," she said. "Why?" "There are a few things Mrs. Jenkins said I'm going to need to make biscuits like hers. It shouldn't cost over two or three dollars, according to her." I gave her a gold eagle and she hurried back into the store. Cassie and I just grinned at each other. If Sam's biscuits were even half as good as Mrs. Jenkins' they'd be worth whatever we had to spend. Sam came back out a few minutes later with her arms loaded down. We packed all of this onto the mule as well, then started out of town. ------- For dinner, we had leftover beans (beans are always better the second day) and Sam's first attempt at biscuits. They weren't bad. They weren't as good as Mrs. Jenkins' biscuits, but they weren't bad at all. Sam read over her notes afterwards and said she thought she knew what had gone wrong. I told her if anything was wrong, I hoped it always would be wrong. Day 37 thru day 39 - Tuesday, June 8, 1847 Today was Sunday, but when I jokingly told the girls I thought we should take a day of rest, I thought they were going to hang me. Both of them were anxious to get back to the panning. We worked the same bar for another two days and took out another couple of ounces. The returns were beginning to diminish, so we moved on up stream to the next likely spot. We found traces there, but nothing really worth working. The next place we tried had something that tickled something in my brain. I don't know if it was something I'd read or what, but I just knew there was some connection between black sand and gold. This sandbar was in a curve of the creek and had to be at least fifty feet long and six to eight feet wide. We started working close to the water and we knew immediately we'd hit pay dirt. My first pan didn't have any nuggets, but I'll bet there was half an ounce of dust in it when I had it washed clean. Cassie was working the other pan and she had as much dust as I did, and a nice nugget. We just kind of sat there with our mouths open. Finally, Sam said, "If this whole bar is like this, we may already have our stake for an Oregon trip." "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched, love. This may be all there is, right in our pans." It wasn't all there was though. We worked until it was almost too late to see. We took out more gold in a few hours than we had in the last three days. Day 40 - Wednesday, June 9, 1847 I looked at the gold we had already taken out as we were eating breakfast. I was guessing we had around six ounces, which would be worth $120 in this time. In 2005 it would be worth around $2400. Not bad for less than a week's work. We had a quick breakfast and went back to our new sandbar. By noon, we had panned at least two more ounces and by the time we quit for dinner we had another three. All three of us were so tired we didn't even want to eat. I forced all of us to eat something though as I knew we'd need our strength for tomorrow. Day 44 - Sunday, June 13, 1847 We worked that bar for a total of five days before we moved on. It gave us approximately twelve more ounces before it started to dry up. We had at least six nuggets now that were at least the size of a marble. The next bar we tried had nothing, zero, nada. It was only a hundred feet or so up stream from the bar that had yielded so much. We looked around for another stream entering but didn't find anything. Then, I saw a place where the hillside had slipped opening up a bare surface of quartz. I took a shovel over to the base of it and looked around some. Cassie and Sam followed me over and Cassie asked if I thought the gold might be coming from here. "It might, sweety," I said. "Most gold is found in quartz. Usually it takes a big operation to extract it though." We looked around some more and I dug up a shovel full of dirt from near the base of the quartz ledge. Sam took it over and panned the dirt to see if there was any gold in it. There was some, but not much. I moved over toward one edge of the ledge and I could see where water had been washing the dirt away from the face. I took another shovel full there and again Sam panned it. There was a lot more gold in this sample. I asked Cassie if we had the pick with us and she got it for me. There was one fissure in the quartz, close to the edge that was exposed. It was about four feet high, starting out at around five inches wide at the top and tapering off to nothing at the bottom. I used the pick to start prying bits of quartz and dirt from the fissure and before long I saw a flash of bright yellow. I had Sam bring the pan over and I filled it with scrapings from the fissure. She went back to the creek, filled the pan with water, and started her now practiced motion. "My God, guys," she said after just a couple of minutes. "This looks to be about half gold." Cassie and I went over to watch. She was right. I'd never seen so much gold in one place in all of my life. There was one nugget that was almost as big as a hen's egg. The rest was made up of smaller nuggets and dust. I picked up the pan and it had to weigh over a pound. "I think we've found a pocket," I said. "If we have, we probably at least have enough to outfit ourselves for Oregon and we might find enough to make us rich." "You'll have to explain to me what a pocket is when we get back to camp. Right now, I need to know how we're going to transport this," Sam said. "You emptied a flour sack yesterday, didn't you?" "Yes." "Okay, let's put it in the flour sack and then put the flour sack inside one of the canvas bags we have. That should be strong enough to transport any amount we could reasonably expect to find." "I'll go back to camp and get it. Cassie can use the other pan while I'm gone. She's as good as I am now." Cassie was beaming as she picked up the other pan and moved over to the rock face. I repeated the process, filling Cassie's pan, then I took a closer look at the fissure. It was about a foot and a half from the edge of the quartz outcrop. There was a little dirt covering the outside face, but not more than a few inches. I tried swinging the pick downward into the bottom of the fissure and couldn't see anything happen. I tried it again and thought I might have felt a little give when I hit bottom. The pick didn't come free easily, so I had to rock it back and forth to get it out. "Well, in for a penny," I thought. If I got the pick stuck and we couldn't get it out, we were screwed. However, the gain might justify at least one more try. I swung again, with all my might, and I saw as well as felt the section move. I pulled the pick out and swung again. The last foot and a half of the rock face fell away. Cassie came back over as the dust cleared and we looked at one of nature's wonders. The pocket wasn't much more than a one foot cube it wasn't even half full, but what was in the pocket was ninety percent gold. Sam had gotten back just as the rock started to fall. She made her way around the debris and stood beside Cassie and me. None of us said anything for quite some time. Then, Sam asked, "Do you think this bag is going to hold it?" Cassie and I cracked up, joined shortly by Sam. We laughed our asses off. When we finally started to calm down, I said, "There must be fifty or sixty pounds of gold here. Even at today's prices, that's a fortune." "How much would that be worth at today's prices?" Cassie asked. "About fourteen or fifteen thousand. Maybe more. At 2005 prices that'd be worth around three hundred thousand." "Wow!" "Amen to the wow," I said. Let's get this back to camp and get it hidden," Sam said. Cassie and I agreed. We all three pitched in loading the gold into the sack, knocking out any pieces of quartz as we went. The quartz in and surrounding the gold was rotten and broke away easily. When we had about two thirds of it in, I picked the sack up and it was all I wanted to carry. "I'm going to take this back to camp and get it into one of the canvass sacks," I said. Sam said she wanted to stay and guard what was left. Cassie decided to stay with Sam. I managed to get everything to camp in two trips. When we got there with the second load, we packed about twenty pounds of gold into each of our three backpacks, and we probably had another twenty pounds in the flour sack. "We need to get out of here as soon as we can," I said. "I paid for what we bought in Newry with gold and I'm not sure if the storekeeper will keep his mouth shut or not. If anyone gets curious and decides to see how much gold we have, we could be in deep trouble." "Okay," Sam said. "Cassie, why don't you fix us some lunch. Ed and I will start getting ready to leave. Any idea where we should be heading, Ed?" "Yeah, Lewiston is about forty miles Southeast of here. It's big enough it should have a bank. We can sell a pound or so of gold there and buy another mule and maybe a revolver to help protect us." "Why don't you catch the mule, Ed. Cassie and I will start packing everything else while lunch is cooking." "Okay, leave everything we don't need. Leave the axe, the pick, shovel, gold pans and anything else you think we won't need in the next few days. We can pick up new stuff after we get another mule." It took me almost an hour to catch that damned mule. He'd had a couple of weeks with not much to do except the trip to Newry and he liked it that way. I finally got him and got him back to camp. I got the pack saddle on him and ate while Sam and Cassie loaded him. I had made a kill the day before, so we had plenty of meat. I told the girls to take about twenty pounds of the best cuts and we'd get more when we needed it. When you added the gold, the other food stuff, pots and pans, fire grate, backpacks, tent, and sleeping bags and pads, the mule was carrying around two hundred pounds. Not an inordinate load, but nothing to sneeze at either. We left around two in the afternoon and walked until almost eight. I figured we made around twelve miles before we stopped. We set up camp in an out of the way place. We used our camp stove and made freeze dried meals. I didn't want a campfire giving away our location if anyone was following us. Day 45 - Monday, June 14, 1847 We were up at first light and made a breakfast of power bars. We did have a cup of coffee. I guess I had an attack of paranoia that caused me to want to get away so quickly yesterday. We traveled all day in almost a straight line to the southeast. We had to skirt around a couple of small lakes, but other than that and the changing terrain, it was smooth sailing. I figured we were within five miles of Lewiston when we camped for the night. Day 46 - Tuesday, June 15, 1847 We got into Lewiston by 9:00 AM. Before we left this morning, I had made up a pouch with what I thought was about a pound of gold in it. The first thing I did was go to a bank and ask where I could sell some gold I had panned. The banker told me he would be happy to take it off my hands at $19 an ounce. I figured he was making about a 5% to 10% profit, but I thought that was reasonable. They weighed the gold and told me I had twenty ounces. The banker asked me how I'd like to be paid and I said gold coins would be fine. He counted out thirty eight gold eagles for me and asked where I'd panned the gold. I told him it was just east of Newry. I didn't see any reason to try to hide it. I met Sam and Cassie back outside and we went down the street to the livery stable. Sam said she and Cassie were going to the general store and I should meet them there. There was a guy running the stable who looked just like Gabby Hayes. I introduced myself and asked if he had any mules for sale. "I sure do, young feller. I got three good ones I'll let you have for fifteen dollars each. I also got some good horses." "Let's look at the mules first," I said. We walked out back to a corral and he pointed out three mules. One of them looked like he could carry everything we had and the three of us too. "How about that one?" I asked. "He sure is a strong one and he follows real well if he's being led from horseback. You couldn't get him to pull a wagon if your life depended on it though. That's why I'm willing to let him go for the same as the rest." "My wife, her sister and I are backwoods people. We've never ridden much. Most of our travel has been by shanks mare. What would you recommend for horses for us?" "Well, this bay filly is a nice little horse and she's as gentle as can be. I know her well, because she belonged to a friend of mine. He had to sell her when he headed for Oregon. The gelding there is a good horse too. I've ridden him myself. He'd make another fine horse for one of the women." We were leaning on one rail of a corral while he looked over the herd for something he figured I could handle. As he talked, a huge grey stallion with black flecks through his beautiful hide came wandering over and started nuzzling up to me. I idly reached up and started scratching behind his ear. I'll swear if he'd been a cat he'd have been purring. "I think your horse just found you," the old timer said. "I don't know much about him. A man came through a while back and he was really down on his luck. He wanted thirty dollars for the horse and I couldn't see how I could go wrong." "How much for the three horses you mentioned?" "Well, the filly and the gelding I can let you have for thirty each. The stallion is going to cost you forty." "I'll give you a hundred and twenty for the three horses, the mule, a pack saddle, and a saddle and tack for each of the horses." He thought for a minute then said, "Done." He helped me saddle the mule and the three horses, then I counted out twelve gold eagles to him. I asked him if he knew any of the horses' or the mule's names and he said he didn't. "I really should have charged you more for the stallion," he said. "I've never seen him make up to anyone the way he made up to you." I thanked him and took off to meet the ladies. I tied the horses and the new mule up at the hitch rail beside Jethro and went inside. The girls had a pile of stuff on the counter that I wondered if we were going to be able to fit on the new mule. "What's all this?" I asked. "Just some stuff we thought we needed," Sam said. "It's really not as heavy as it looks." "Are you about through?" "Yeah, we were just kind of waiting for you to come by and pay." "Okay, I want to look at one thing then we can go and get some lunch." I went over to a display of firearms and saw what I wanted immediately. It was a Patterson Colt revolver. I asked the proprietor how much he wanted for it and he said twenty-five dollars for the pistol, powder horn, and bullet mold. I asked him if the same caps that I used on my rifle would work on the pistol and he assured me they would. I decided to take it. It cost us forty-eight dollars to get out of the store. Then I had to go back in and buy some canvass sacks to help pack everything on the new mule. I figured we'd balance the weight a little after we got out of town. We had pot roast with potatoes, carrots, onions, and peas for lunch. There were also slabs of home baked bread. It was fantastic. These New Englanders of the nineteenth century certainly could cook. We headed almost due south when we left Lewiston. The lady at the tavern said we could follow the road all the way to Portland, which was about twenty five or thirty miles away. Sam and Cassie were thrilled with the horses. Both girls said they had ridden some before. That put them a far piece ahead of me. Sam said she wanted the gelding and Cassie was quite happy with the bay filly. We stopped a couple of miles out of town and rearranged the loads on the mules. We lightened Jethro's load considerably. The other mule, which I decided to name Homer, didn't seem to mind the extra load. "Why Homer?" Cassie asked a little later. "You're too young to remember them, honey, but there used to be a country and western comedy team named Homer and Jethro. I don't really remember them live either, but my parents used to listen to old time country music and I heard them then." I think the girls think I'm a little crazy. ------- I decided my horse was going to be named Gray Hawk. Why? I don't know. It just came to me. I'd probably call him Hawk. I told the girls how he had picked me out and both of them said he had good taste as they had picked me as well. I don't know what Hawk saw in me that made him want to make up to me in the first place. Now that I'm riding him, it seems like he wants to please me in any way he can. My biggest problem was that riding Hawk did not please my butt. We left Lewiston not long after lunch. I figured that riding, we'd be almost to Portland by nightfall. The problem was, there was no way any of us could have ridden until nightfall. We had only been traveling about three hours when I told the girls we had to find a place to make camp. They didn't even ask me why. We moved off the road and went back through some trees. Now that we had animals to take care of, we had to make sure they had plenty of grass and water. There was a nice meadow along a stream that looked good, so we decided to make camp there. We unsaddled the horses and unpacked the mules, then we hobbled all of them and turned them loose. None of them wandered too far from camp, but Hawk was the most obvious. I'll bet he didn't get fifty feet from me the rest of the day. He'd crop a little grass, then he'd look up to see what I was doing. After a while I went over to Hawk and took the hobbles off him. I stroked him and petted him for a while and he nuzzled my neck. When I walked back to where the girls were fixing dinner, Sam said, "I do believe that horse is in love with you." "Wrong gender," I said. "Maybe he's a gay horse," Cassie giggled. We all got a laugh out of that. Day 47 - Wednesday, June 16, 1847 When I awoke this morning, I hurt in places I didn't even know I had. It wasn't just my butt and my legs, it was my whole body. I just laid there for a while, wishing for a hot tub to soak my aching body in. Finally, I decided I had to move to relieve my bladder pressure. I tentatively moved an arm. I don't know if I groaned or what, but suddenly Sam's eyes popped open. She was looking me in the eye as hers came open. She smiled and reached for me, then said, Yeow!" "Yeow is right," I said. "God, I don't remember ever hurting this bad." Cassie opened her eyes and groaned. "Just let me lay here and die quietly," she said. "They say you get used to it in a couple of days," I said encouragingly. "I'll never live through a couple of days," Sam said. We laid there for a couple of minutes, then I said, "If I don't get up and pee, we're going to be sleeping on wet sleeping bags tonight." "Eewh!" Cassie said. I managed to pry myself out of the bag and get on my feet. Dressing was a chore. It made me wish I could just stay naked all day. When I went out of the tent, Hawk saw me and came trotting over. I threw my arm around his neck and hugged him, then stroked his neck and scratched his ears. He followed me as I went off into the bushes to relieve my bladder. The girls were moving by the time I got back, albeit slowly. Sam was trying to get a fire going and she was groaning almost constantly. I took over that task and she went off for her turn in the bushes. "Do you know what I miss most about the twenty-first century?" Sam asked when she got back. "No." "Toilet paper. Even when I was living in the park, there was toilet paper. Leaves just don't seem to do the job." I had to smile at that. She was right. "There are a lot of twenty-first century scientists who would be surprised at that, but you are absolutely right." "It's amazing that some of the quote, big discoveries, unquote mean so little to us and some of the little things mean so much. Soaking in a hot bath is another thing I miss a lot," Cassie added. "I was thinking of that before I got up," I said. "I was just imagining myself soaking all of my aches and pains out in a hot tub." ------- Chapter 12 We did get a breakfast fixed of sorts and we ate it with relish. "You know, we probably don't have more than ten or twelve miles before we're in Portland," I said. "We could see about spending the night in a tavern if you guys would like." "I'd be a little bit afraid to, Ed," Sam said. "We'd either have to leave all of that gold with the horses, or we'd have to lug it up to our room. I'm afraid that either way it would be noticed." "Damn, you're right. You know, we might have been better off if we hadn't found so much." After breakfast, we got the horses saddled and the mules packed. I was surprised at how easily everything went. As we started back toward the road, I said, "You know, maybe we should get a wagon as soon as possible. It might be easier than loading and unloading all that weight every day." "Yeah, but a wagon kind of traps us into going by road in this kind of country," Cassie said. "You're right there. Maybe we should just stay with the mules for a while. I'm going to try to get rid of about five pounds of the gold in Portland and as much more as I can in Boston. The only problem is, the gold coins we get to replace the raw gold weigh almost as much as the gold itself." "Can't you just deposit it in a bank?" Cassie asked. "Yes, but if I deposited it in a bank in Boston, I'd have to come back to Boston to get it if it was even available when we came back. This time period is in the middle of what was called the Free Banking Era. This was another one of Andy Jackson's contributions. He abolished the central bank and allowed hundreds of banks to be started by almost anyone who wanted to start one. Even stores issued paper money." "That sounds crazy," Sam said. "It was. Many of the new banks that were started didn't have the cash reserves to cover their deposits. Counterfeit paper money was so ubiquitous that many merchants refused to accept paper money. Gold coins were about the only safe currency." So, we're stuck with carrying all of this gold around with us for the rest of our lives?" "No, we'll be spending a lot of it. I figure if we're going to go to Oregon we may as well go in style. We'll also want to take along a herd of cattle and a herd of horses." "Yeah, I've read that cattle sell for about ten times as much in Oregon as you'd pay for them in St Louis," Sam said. "So, anyway, our primary reason for stopping in Portland is to convert raw gold into gold coin. If they have one bank we'll go to it. If they have two banks, we'll go to both of them. We'll do the same in Boston, Providence, Hartford, New York, and Philadelphia and how ever many other cities we need to visit until it is all converted." "Wow, that's going to take forever," Cassie said. "It'll take a while. I hope to get rid of five pounds or more in Portland. We have around eighty pounds I'd guess, so that would take sixteen stops if we got rid of the same amount each time." "Five pounds would be about fourteen hundred dollars worth?" Sam asked. "Yeah, about 140 gold eagles. Considering a working man makes about 24 gold eagles a year, that's a lot of money." "That's almost six years worth of a man's salary," Cassie said. "Yep." I think we were all awed by the shear amount of gold we had found. ------- It was almost noon when we got into Portland, so we stopped at the first tavern we saw and had a decent lunch. It wasn't as good as what we'd gotten in our last few stops, but it wasn't bad either. Portland had three banks, probably because of the free banking. The first one we went to, the guy wanted to buy the gold, but he would only offer paper money for it. I turned him down and left. The second bank was a lot larger the manager said he'd buy the gold, but he'd only pay $18 an ounce if I wanted gold coin in exchange. I accepted and he weighed it out. He came up with sixty-eight and a half ounces. He counted out 123 gold eagles and three silver dollars. We managed to convert more raw gold to coin at the third bank, then we left town. I didn't know if anyone was watching us or not, but I didn't want to take any chances. We only went about five miles before we left the road and found a secluded place to camp. I don't know if we were quite as tired as we had been yesterday, but we certainly hurt as much. We unloaded, unsaddled, and hobbled the horses and mules. All except Hawk. I didn't have a worry in the world that he would wander off. After dinner, Sam said, "Ed, we need to find somewhere we can camp for a few days and just rest up. We should ride a little every day, but only a few miles. We really need to get used to the riding instead of walking." "Okay, that's not a bad idea, but why don't we do it this way? It's about fifty miles to Portsmouth, which is our next stop. Why don't we just take our time for the next few days? Maybe go around five miles a day at first, then start working our way up again. If we decide we don't want to travel any when we get up, we'll just laze around all day." Sam and Cassie were both beaming. "That sounds good. I've been so worn out the last few days I haven't even felt like making love," Sam said. "I haven't either, love," I said as I gave her a big hug. "Maybe tomorrow." We sat around for a while, just enjoying contemplating a slower pace, then I said, "We're probably going to want to spend the winter in Independence or St. Joseph, Missouri. It's the middle of June now, and I'd say we want to get to western Missouri by the end of September if we're going to find a place to spend the winter." "How long would it take us to get there from the east coast?" Cassie asked. "If we took it easy and averaged twenty miles a day, it'd take us about two months. If we left the east coast by the end of July, we'd have plenty of time." "Good, maybe there will be 'Time Enough for Love'," Cassie giggled. "Did you read Heinlein?" I asked. "He was my favorite author. Remember the line marriages in 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' and 'Friday'? Remember the plural marriage in 'Stranger in a Strange Land'? Remember the plural marriage in 'The Number of the Beast'? I'd say our marriage is going to be one man and at least two women," Cassie said with a grin. Sam looked a little confused, but Cassie said she'd fill her in. I just sat there thinking of the stories Cassie had mentioned. The marriages she sited all seemed to work out well. Even the marriage in "Friday" was a good one, Friday was rejected because she was an artificial person. Why was I letting it bother me that Sam and Cassie wanted to share me? We were all too sore for lovemaking that night, but I hoped we wouldn't be by tomorrow. Day 48 - Thursday, June 17, 1847 When I awoke this morning, I was between two naked beauties, as was becoming usual for us. This morning, I didn't shy away from either one of them. I slipped an arm around each of them and cuddled them close. Cassie woke up first and when she realized my arm was around her, she smiled and asked, "Did my Heinlein examples have an affect on you?" "I don't know if it was that, or if I just finally came to the realization that I have two beautiful women who love me and that I was being a damned fool for fighting it." "Whatever the reason, I'm glad." "So am I," Sam said as she stretched in my arms. "Maybe now we won't have to hide our lovemaking." "Sam, my love, if you were any more of an exhibitionist, we'd be doing it in the middle of Boston Commons at noon," I said with a laugh. "Ooh, that sounds interesting," Cassie giggled. "Not you too," I said. "With just the three of us, yes. With an audience, I don't think so." We finally got up when bladder pressure and hunger forced us to. ------- As we were eating breakfast, I asked if the girls would like to stay here another night. "This creek isn't big enough for a good bath," Sam said. "I'm starting to smell and I need a good bath. Why don't we go down the road a ways and see if we can find a better creek." Cassie and I agreed with that, as long as we didn't have to go too far. Hawk came over and watched as we folded our sleeping bags and tent. I'll swear he was curious as to what we were doing. We saddled and loaded. It seemed like it was taking about a half an hour to get the horses saddled and the mules loaded. Once we got a wagon, some parts of it would take even longer. We got back on the road and turned south. We hadn't gone more than a mile when we met three riders heading in the opposite direction. They pulled up as we got close and one of the guys introduced them. "Where are you headed?" he asked. "Boston. You?" "Haven't you heard about the big gold strike up in Maine? It's around some little town called Newry or something like that." "No, I hadn't heard about the gold strike. I do know where Newry is though. I came through there about a year ago. When you get into Portland, ask for directions to Lewiston. When you get to Lewiston, go northwest about forty miles and you'll be at Newry." "Thank you. Was there much prospecting going on there when you went through?" "None that I know of. Where did you hear about the strike?" "My brother-in-law heard about it from his banker, who heard about it from a banker in Portland." "That's interesting. I wonder where the banker in Portland heard about it. Anyway, I don't plan on doing any prospecting. My wife and I would like to find a little farm somewhere and raise cattle and kids." The guys laughed and then wished us a good day and took off north. After they were gone, Cassie said it was amazing how quickly a rumor spread. We had to agree. We had gone almost ten miles by my estimate when we crossed a stream that Sam said had potential. We turned right and followed the stream a couple of hundred yards, when we came on the perfect campsite. There was plenty of grass and plenty of water and a great place to set up the tent. We unsaddled and unpacked and set up our tent. Then we built a fire ring and got a fire started for fixing lunch. After we had finished eating, Sam said it was time for a bath. We all stripped off and got in the water. Thank God it was getting warmer and the water felt nice. Sam decided that she and Cassie were going to wash me. I'm not stupid, so I didn't argue. After they had washed me, thoroughly I might add, Sam soaped up her hands, then handed me the soap. She started washing Cassie, so I took the hint and helped. Washing Cassie was a lot of fun. She wiggled and squirmed and giggled when we washed different spots. After we finished her, Sam held her arms up and said it was her turn. I was aware that Sam had experienced sex with another girl, so I wasn't surprised when she touched Cassie in unconventional places. I was a little surprised when Cassie didn't avoid Sam's naughty bits. Of course, Sam was unfazed by who touched her or where they touched. After we had finished bathing, we laid out on a blanket to let the air dry us. We had pretty well dried off when Sam gave me a big kiss and asked, "How's the sore body coming along?" "Well, yesterday, I was as sore as I'd ever been in my life. I didn't think I was going to die, but I kind of wished I would. Today, it's not so bad. I still don't feel like starting a marathon, but I'm not in agony either. I figure that by tomorrow I'll be fine." "Good. Then tomorrow you'll make love to Cassie for the first time." Okay, I knew I could argue and I knew I could refuse. I also knew it wouldn't do any good. I looked at Cassie and she had a pleading look on her face. "How do you feel about that, Cassie?" I asked. She grinned and said, "Well, I guess I can wait until tomorrow if I have to." "You know I love you, don't you?" "Yes, Ed, and I love you too. I think the three of us are going to have a very good life together, even if we are in a different time." "I think so too, sis," Sam said. I must have gone to sleep, because the next thing I knew Sam and Cassie were fixing dinner and Hawk was nuzzling my neck. ------- The girls had made a pot roast similar to the one we had the other day. This one was even better though. Sam had also baked biscuits to go with the roast and they were every bit as good as Mrs. Jenkins' and I told her so. "Are we going to travel or stay here tomorrow?" I asked. "Why don't we decide that in the morning? This is a nice enough place to spend another day, but I think we're all feeling a lot better, so it would probably be a good day to travel too," Sam said. "I could go either way," I said. "After my little nap there, I feel even better than I did before." "Goody," Cassie said, then she tackled me. Being tackled by a naked young lady isn't a bad experience. It is especially nice when you're naked too. Cassie started kissing me like there was no tomorrow, so I rolled to my knees, then got up, lifting her with me. I carried Cassie over to the blanket and gently laid her down. I got down beside her and resumed our kiss. Before long, I noticed that Sam had joined us. She laid down on the other side of Cassie and was caressing her belly and sides as Cassie and I kissed. When I moved down to suckle on Cassie's small breast, Sam moved to her other one. Between the two of us, we had Cassie so excited her little pussy was dripping before I even touched it. I used every trick I knew with my mouth, tongue and fingers to bring her to three crashing orgasms before I even thought about entering her. My close examination of her sweet spot showed that somewhere, Cassie had lost her hymen. I had no doubt she was still a virgin. Lots of active girls lose them through sports or whatever. Although she was as tight as anything I had ever felt, I had no trouble entering her and she showed no signs of pain. I still took it slowly and I enjoyed watching Cassie's reaction every time I slid a little more into her. When our pubic hair finally meshed, I asked if she was okay. "Hell, No! I'm not okay, I'm fantastic. This is the best feeling I've ever had." I started moving in her, knowing I was on a hair trigger. Before I was even close, Cassie screamed through her first vaginal climax. That pulled me along much faster than I wanted, but Sam's skilled fingers found Cassie's clit and with a combination of my cock and Sam's fingers, Cassie exploded again just as I started emptying myself into her. Day 49 - Friday, June 18, 1847 Waking up between two naked girls is great. Waking up between two naked girls who are your lovers is fantastic. We kissed and cuddled for a while, then the subject of staying here another day or of pushing on came up. "How far is it from here to Portsmouth?" Cassie asked. "A guy at the livery stable in Portland said it was about fifty miles form Portland to Portsmouth. I figure we've come around fifteen." "So, Portsmouth is an average day of travel and a short day of travel," Sam said. "Yes, or we could make it two short days and camp just this side of Portsmouth. That way we could go into town early in the morning and get out early as well. I don't think I'll start feeling safe, being in a town, until after we leave Boston." "Okay, that sounds good," Sam said. "Let's saddle up... I always did want to say that," she giggled. We did make it a short day. I'd guess we made around fifteen miles. Again, we looked for a secluded spot for our camp. Day 50 - Saturday, June 19, 1847 We had another leisurely day on the trail and I figured we were within four or five miles of Portsmouth when we camped for the day. "You know," I said as we relaxed before dinner, "tomorrow is Sunday. There won't be a bank open. What would you guys think about staying right here until Monday morning?" "I think that would be great," Cassie said. "The creek here is deep enough for swimming." I had to laugh. "I was thinking that there was plenty of water and grass for the animals." "That too," Cassie grinned. "Do you have any idea how much gold we've converted so far?" Sam asked. "I'd say we had a little over sixteen hundred dollars even after we bought the horses and mule. That's about seven pounds of gold." "So, we have enough right now to outfit ourselves for a trip to Oregon," Sam said. "Yes, but besides a wagon, oxen, and things like that, we're going to want to take livestock with us. That'll cost us quite a bit." "Yeah, but it's not like we're hurting or anything." "No. Is there something you're wanting to buy?" "Not really. I was just thinking about this time period and how interesting it is. Once we get to Oregon, we'll be cut off. We won't be able to see anything but our ranch. We won't be able to learn any more about the country the way it is now." "True," I said. "Did you have something else in mind?" "Not really. I was just wondering how you felt about things. I know you said you wanted to be isolated. Do you still feel that way?" "Not nearly as much. I think that what I was wanting more than anything was to escape from the existence I had then. I wanted to escape from my job and from my ex-wife. I've done that now, so I'm pretty well content." Sam hesitated for a moment and it made me wonder if she had other motives for what she had brought up. "Well... I was wondering how you'd feel about waiting another year before we started to Oregon." "It wouldn't break my heart. This is an interesting time period. What would you want to do, just travel around in the east and the mid-west?" "Maybe even in the south. We'd want to be settled for the winter by the first of the year though." "Why's that? It stays warm all winter in the south." "Because... Uh... I'm pregnant," Sam said as she dropped her eyes and stared down into her lap. I was stunned. I know I shouldn't have been, but I was. "Do you know when you're due?" I asked. "I'm so damned confused over this time jump that I'm just not sure. I'm a week overdue for my period, I think. That means I got pregnant about three weeks ago. That would make it the last of May. I think that would make me due the last of February or the first of March." Sam was sitting about three feet from me, so I launched myself at her and tackled her. I started kissing her face and her lips and her neck and anything else I could reach. She started giggling and pretending to fight me off, but I knew she was enjoying my reaction. Day 51 - Sunday, June 20, 1847 We didn't do a whole lot today. I spent some time giving Hawk a good rubdown. I also checked his shoes. Sam and Cassie spent some time with their horses as well. At different times during the day, I made love to both women. With Sam, it was a very loving experience, celebrating the fact that she is carrying our child. Day 52 - Monday, June 21, 1847 We got up early this morning and went on into Portsmouth for breakfast. This consisted of last night's leftover stew at a tavern on the edge of town. The stew was good and the fresh biscuits that went with it were wonderful. We converted more raw gold to dollars at the bank and headed on out following the road south. "Do you know what the banker asked me?" I asked the girls. Neither of them did of course. "He asked if the gold I traded him was from the Newry Gold Fields. I told him it came from Vermont. That should start another rumor." All of us got a laugh out of it, but all of us could see the seriousness of the situation as well. Day 55 - Thursday, June 24, 1847 We just kind of lazed along for the next couple of days and we camped about five miles from Boston Neck Thursday evening. "You know," I said as I was unpacking the mules and the girls were starting dinner, "Even if we convert all of the raw gold we have to coins, we're still going to be carrying around eighty pounds of gold around with us." "But, you said there isn't an alternative," Sam said. "Well, I've been giving it a lot of thought and I think there might be an alternative. The Massachusetts Bank was founded in the late 1700s. I know for a fact it was still in operation in the late 1900s. It might be one bank we could trust with our gold." "It'd be nice not to have to lug this stuff around," Cassie said. "How would we do it?" Sam asked. "Well, I think what I'd do is sit down with the bank manager and make him a proposition where if he converted all of the gold for us at once, we'd leave the majority of it in his bank until next year. We'd want to keep out all we might want to spend." "That sounds reasonable. When would you talk to him?" "I think I'd like to do it first thing in the morning. If he takes me up on it, we'd be free to stay in an inn in Boston for a few days. It'd be almost like a vacation for us." "You said we had almost two thousand dollars in coins on us now. How much more would you want to get?" "I was thinking of another three thousand. The coins for five thousand dollars would weigh just a little over seventeen pounds. We could easily carry that much into a tavern with us." "Do we really need that much?" "Probably not, but what if we saw something we really wanted? It'd be nice to have it on us." "Okay, let's try it," Sam said. Cassie agreed. Day 56 - Friday, June 25, 1847 When we had finished breakfast, I loaded all of the gold onto Homer. We decided that the girls would remain in camp until I had either completed the transaction, or had returned with the gold. I arrived in Boston just after 9:00 AM and asked directions to the bank. It was open when I got there, and I asked to speak to the bank manager. Mortimer Goodman was just what I would have pictured a nineteenth century banker to be. He was dressed in a suit that I'm sure was very modern for its time. He was slightly rotund and going bald. Mr. Goodman came out and introduced himself, then asked what he could do for me. "Mr. Goodman, I have a banking matter I'd like to discuss with you, but I must have your assurance that anything you learn from me will be held in the strictest confidence," I said. "We hold all of our banking transactions in strict confidence, Mr. Hill," he said. "Step into my office and we'll talk in private." I followed him into his office and after we were seated he asked, "Now, what can I do for you, Mr. Hill?" "Well, sir, I have a large quantity of raw gold. I prospected for this gold in the Newry, Maine area. I'd like to deposit most of the gold in your bank and would like to have gold coins for the balance." Mr. Goodman brightened considerably when I mentioned a large quantity of gold. "Just how much gold are we talking about, Mr. Hill?" "In excess of seventy pounds, I'd guess. I haven't been able to weigh it so I'm not sure of the exact weight." "That is a large quantity. How much were you expecting to get for it?" "Well, sir, I know gold is fixed at almost twenty one dollars an ounce. If I could get twenty dollars an ounce, I'd be satisfied." "We'd be taking a loss at twenty," Goodman said. "We run up a lot of expenses getting the gold to the mint and getting it struck into gold coins. The best I could offer you is nineteen." "At nineteen, could you handle it all?" "How much would you want in coin?" "I'd say around three thousand. I can guarantee I'll leave the rest on deposit with you until next year." "Would you be willing to sign a document to that effect?" "Certainly." "Then, we can definitely handle the whole amount. When would you like to do this?" "Right now would be fine, as long as you can assure me that you or no one in your bank will refer to the transaction to anyone." "You can be assured of that, Mr. Hill. We'd been hearing rumors about a large gold strike in Newry. I'm amazed that there was some truth in the rumors." "Unfortunately for those running off to Newry to prospect, this may be all of the gold there is in the area. It all came from a single pocket." Goodman laughed and said, "Even a rumored strike is good for the economy, Mr. Hill." "I'll need to bring the gold in. Where should I bring it to?" Mr. Goodman showed me to a back room and then called for two of his tellers to come and help me. He waited there as the three of us carried the bags of gold in. Mr. Goodman released the two tellers he had helping carry and called in his head teller to do the weighing. The head teller's eyes and mouth flew open when he saw the piles of gold I was removing from the sacks. When all the weighing was tallied, they came up with a total weight of 1058.5 troy ounces. At nineteen dollars an ounce, this came up to $20,111.50. Mr. Goodman asked the teller to bring three hundred gold eagles to his office and a Certificate of Deposit for $17,111.50. "Do you have any idea when you'd want to pull any money out next year?" Goodman asked. "We're thinking of going to Oregon, so we'd probably want the balance by the first of March," I told him. Goodman called in the two tellers he had used before and had them take the gold to the vault. Then Goodman and I walked back to his office. He wrote out a handwritten statement to the effect that my deposit would be held by the bank until after March 1, 1848. I readily signed the statement. The head teller brought in the certificate of deposit and a bank bag with the three hundred coins. He put the certificate in an envelope for me and watched as I counted the coins. I know I was pleased with the transaction and Mr. Goodman certainly seemed to be. ------- Chapter 13 My heart was soaring as I rode back to camp. The girls came running out when they saw me. "Did you do it?" Sam asked. I got down from Hawk and gave them both a big hug. Then, I showed them the certificate of deposit and the bag of gold coins. All three of us were laughing like idiots. "So, do you want to go on into town and get some lunch and maybe stay in a tavern tonight?" I asked. "Could we stay here tonight?" Sam asked. "I have an idea of what to do with the gold coins and I'd like to see if we can do it before we go into town." "That'd be fine," I said. "What's your idea?" "Money belts. We probably have a little over five hundred gold coins. If Cassie and I each had a money belt that would hold a hundred and fifty coins and you had one that would hold two hundred. That'd leave Cassie and me carrying around five pounds and you'd be carrying around seven." "What would you make them out of?" "I was thinking of cutting up one of the backpacks, or maybe one of the canvass bags." "The canvass bag might be better. They're long enough that one strip would go around even my waist." "Ed, my love, I'll bet you don't have more than a 32" waist now. I'll bet you've lost twenty or twenty-five pounds since I first met you." "Yeah, you are officially a hunk, Ed," Cassie giggled. ------- We ended up deciding to go into town after all. The needle and thread we had was not strong enough for sewing the canvass for a money belt. We ate some lunch, then packed up our camping gear onto the mules. I'm sure they were happier with their lighter load. We ended up getting a room at the Green Dragon Tavern. This tavern had been around since the 1600s and had been a meeting place for the "Sons of Liberty" according to the proprietor. He only had one room open, but he said the bed was big and that all three of us could sleep in it with no problem. The bed was a double if anything. I knew we were going to be a little crowded, but I really didn't mind. The girls didn't either. We moved our stuff into the room, all except the gold, which I had in my backpack. We took the horses and mules to a livery stable and arranged to board them there for a few days. The livery man agreed to keep our saddles and camping gear and only charged us a dollar for making sure they were secure. We found a general store and bought a large needle and some heavy thread. We thought about looking around for a while, but decided the backpack was attracting too much attention, so we went back to the room and Sam and Cassie spent a couple of hours making us some money belts. They made a simple sleeve, just larger than a coin. They turned it inside out, then sewed across one end around eight inches from the end so no coins would go in that area. We counted out 150 coins and stuffed them into one of the belts. There was still about a foot of sleeve left over on the open end. Sam put the belt around her waist and tied the ends together. It worked just fine. We decided I'd keep 20 coins in my pocket, so when Cassie's and my belts were finished, we loaded all but twenty of the gold coins into them and we put on our belts as well. Our clothes were baggy anyway, so the belts couldn't be seen at all. Since it was approaching dinner time, we went downstairs to see what the Green Dragon had to offer. The serving girl carved large slabs of roast beef for us and served them with new potatoes and early peas. When you added the home baked bread, it was a meal fit for a king. We were all tired, emotionally and physically, so we retired to our room not long after dinner. Even though the bed was small and even though it was a corn shuck mattress on a rope bed, we slept better than we had in a long time. Day 57 - Saturday, June 26, 1847 This morning, we were up early, as had become our habit. We went down to see what the tavern offered for breakfast. We ended up having fried potatoes, bacon, biscuits, and gravy made from the bacon fat. As we were eating, Sam said, "Anyone in the twenty-first century would have a heart attack from just looking at this breakfast. Why didn't it bother people of this era?" "I think it's because people in this era worked harder. Also, this isn't everyday fare. Usually, people in this time eat a lot of game. Most of it is very low in fat." "Whatever the reason, this is great." After we finished eating, we decided to go out and walk around for a while. For the time period, Boston was an impressive city. There were more stores than in almost any other American city. There were also the docks and almost endless wharves where shipping to and from Europe, the Carribean, and South America took place. We were like most latter day tourists that visited Boston and wanted to see the North Church where the lanterns were raised signaling which way the British were coming; Breeds Hill; and other revolutionary attractions. We spent most of the day looking at the sights. We had New England Clam Chowder for lunch at a public house and went back to the Green Dragon for dinner, or as most people in this age called it, supper. We retired early and were at least a little thankful to take off our money belts when we got in our room. "Did you notice all of the street kids?" Sam asked after we were cuddled in bed. "Yes," I said. "From what I've read, there were quite a few orphaned during this time period. Usually another family member or even a neighbor took them in, but there were still many of them that had no one to take care of them. They even had what they called Orphan Trains where they'd ship orphans out of the city. They sent them out west where they became farm labor for the families that took them in. These kids still had it better than the ones left in the city." "What happened to the ones left in the city?" Cassie asked. "They usually ended up like you and Sam were, living on the streets. Most tried to get work, or tried to sell things to buy food. Some were apprenticed to blacksmiths and printers and the like. I read an account of one girl in the 1830s who worked for a woolen mill. She made a dollar a week and managed to survive on it." "Jeez. I thought we had it bad," Sam said. "Actually, being apprenticed wasn't so bad. They didn't get any money for the work they did, but they were fed and clothed and had medical care if they needed it." "I guess things don't change much over time, do they?" Day 58 - Sunday, June 27, 1847 Breakfast this morning included eggs along with everything else we had yesterday. Sam had joked about the cholesterol, but she didn't let it slow her down any. After we had eaten, I asked the girls what they wanted to do today. Cassie said she'd just like to laze around. "I'd like to go to Boston Commons and soak up some sun," Sam said. Cassie and I agreed that sounded good, so we asked directions and took off the way they told us to go. We took a blanket with us and when we got to the commons, we spread it out so we could lay in the sun. After we had lain there a few minutes, Sam said, "Damn, I wish I had a bikini." "Honey, you'd be arrested for indecent exposure and put in the stocks," I said with a laugh. "Then, I suppose making love out here under the sun is out of the question too?" Cassie took a giggling fit. "It'd almost be worth having to spend time in the stocks to get to make love to you here in the sun," Sam said. We had been laying there for almost an hour when two dirty little girls came up and stood at my feet. I looked up into the eyes of one of them and asked if I could help her. "My sister and I were wondering if you'd like to buy a newspaper?" the other girl asked. She held a Boston Globe toward me and I could see that it was over a week old. "Sure, honey," I said and started to reach into my pocket for some change. "Would you rather we bought the paper from you with money, or would you rather go over to that tavern with us and let us buy you both the biggest meal you ever had?" Sam asked as she pushed herself up on one elbow. The little girl's eyes got big as she looked at Sam. "Do you really mean that about buying us a meal?" "Yes, anything you want, honey," Sam assured her. "We'll take the meal." "Good. Let's go then," Sam said as she got up. Cassie and I followed her and folded the blanket as Sam took each girl by the hand. The second girl still hadn't said anything. When we got to the tavern, the girls hesitated at the door. Come on, honey," Sam said. "The guy in here ran us off the other day," the girl said. "He said he never wanted to see us around here again." "Don't worry about it, love," I said. "I'm sure I can make him see the light." We went inside and I escorted the girls to a table. The one girl was smiling from ear to ear as she took a seat, but the other one still looked a little scared. A big burly man came walking over and said, "I thought I told you girls not to come back in here again." "Excuse me," I said. "Do you want to sell five meals or do you want us to go someplace else?" He looked quickly at me and said, "I'm sorry governor. I didn't know they was with you." "What do you have to eat this fine day," I asked. "We have a very good beef and mutton stew," he said. "The biscuits were baked just a few minutes ago." "Does beef and mutton stew sound good to you girls?" The one girl nodded enthusiastically. "What about your sister?" I asked. "That'll be fine with her too. She hasn't said anything since mom and dad died." "Okay," I said, turning to the man. "Beef and mutton stew for five, along with those fresh biscuits you mentioned and some butter and a big glass of milk for each of the girls and coffee for the rest of us." The tavern keeper brought stew for all of us and a big plate of biscuits. The two little girls dug in like they hadn't eaten in months. "I'm Sam and this is Cassie and Ed," Sam said between bites. "I'm Mindy Masters and this is my twin sister Mandy," the talkative one said. "Why are you living on the street, Mindy?" "We don't have anyplace else to go. Our mom and dad died from the smallpox. A man came and told us he was going to sell us to work for a farmer. We didn't know them so we ran away." "Don't you have any other relatives, honey?" Sam asked. "We don't got no other kin. Sam's a funny name for a girl." "It's short for Samantha, Mindy." "Oh." By now, the girls had finished off their stew, so Sam asked if they'd like some more. Mindy nodded so I motioned the tavern keeper over. "Do you have any kind of dessert?" I asked. "We have blackberry cobbler." "Bring us each a bowl of blackberry cobbler and a pitcher of cream," I said. When he had left, I asked Mindy if that was okay. "Yes, Ed. We haven't had blackberry cobbler since last year when mom and dad were alive." "I'm kind of partial to it myself. How old are you, Mindy?" "We're nine years old." I knew Sam was working her way around to it anyway, so I thought I'd beat her to it. "That's awfully young to be living by yourselves, Mindy. Would you and Mandy like to live with us and let us be your new family?" I think I completely stunned Mindy. She sat there without saying anything. I was watching her eyes as I felt something tug at my arm. I looked around and Mandy was nodding her head. Mindy saw Mandy nodding and I think that stunned her even more than my offer. Finally Mindy found her tongue and asked, "Where do you live?" "Right now we don't have a home, Mindy. We're just traveling around the country. We do have money though, so we are never hungry. In a couple of years we're going to Oregon and start a ranch," Sam said. "Why are you traveling around?" "Just to see the interesting parts of the country and to learn what people are like in different places." "That sounds like fun. Where's Oregon?" "It's way out west, honey," I said. "It's so far away it takes almost half a year to get there." "That is far away." "Mandy says she'd like to go with us. Would you like to go?" "Yes. Do you always have food?" "Yes, and we'll get you some new clothes," Cassie said. The tavern keeper came back over and I paid him for our meals. We got up and left the tavern and Sam asked, "Why don't we see if we can get the girls a bath at the tavern we're staying at? Tomorrow we can buy them some new clothes, then I think it's time we shake the dust of Boston off of our feet." "We'll need to get another tent and some blankets too," I said. "Have you girls ever ridden a horse?" Cassie asked. "Yeah, we used to ride behind mom and dad all the time," Mindy said. "Are we going to ride horses where we go?" "Yes," I said. "We have some nice horses. My horse's name is Grey Hawk. He's really big and strong." As we walked along the street, I noticed that Mandy was walking beside me. She saw me looking at her, then she reached up and took my hand. I held on to hers as we walked. When we got back to the tavern, Sam went off to find the landlord while Cassie took the girls up to our room. I went to the livery stable and got two of our sleeping bags and their pads. When I got back to the room, there was a large washtub in the room and Sam and Cassie were carrying buckets of water to fill it. About every third bucket was hot water. They soon had it as full as they wanted it and I asked if they wanted me to leave while the girls had their bath. Mandy started shaking her head and ran over and grabbed my hand. "I think they want you to stay," Cassie said with a giggle. "Yes, please stay," Mindy said. "Mom and Dad always stayed when we had a bath." I laid down on the bed and tried not to watch as the two young girls stripped and got into the bath. Sam and Cassie got soap and shampoo for them and helped them get clean. When they finally met Sam's requirements, she got them out of the tub and handed each of them a towel. Mindy went over to Cassie and asked her to help her get dry. Mandy walked over to the bed and stood there in front of me, dripping water, until I sat up and started to help her dry off. She had a big smile as I worked on her. When she was dry enough, I wrapped the towel around her and tucked it in so it would stay up. Mandy then climbed onto my lap and leaned back against me. I put my arms around her and I think everyone in the room heard her sigh. Sam used the bath water and regular soap to try to get some of the dirt out of their dresses and underwear. I think it was a losing battle, but at least she tried. When she finished, Sam hung their clothes up on hooks on the wall to dry. "What do we do with the bath water?" I asked. "The landlord said to just dump it out the window and to set the tub in the hall," Sam said. I started to get up and dump the tub, but Mandy held on to me, so I decided to wait a while. I had probably been holding her for half an hour when I realized she had fallen asleep. I gently laid her on the bed and took care of the tub. ------- Mandy and Mindy were both asleep when it was time for supper. Their clothes were dry, so we woke them up. We got them dressed and took them down to the common room to eat. We had a real treat for dinner. There was chicken and dumplings with green beans and pickled corn. There was also two inch thick slabs of fresh baked bread. I ate until I couldn't hold any more. I think the young ones ate as much as I did, then they put away a helping of rice pudding. It made me feel good to see them eat. We went back to the room after supper and we soon had the girls snuggled into our sleeping bags. Sam, Cassie and I snuggled up on the bed. We had been laying there for a while when I heard Mindy ask, "Are you going to be our new mama and papa?" "Mindy," Sam said. "I know we can never replace your real mama and papa, but we'll be the best mamas and papa we can be for you." "Thank you, Sam. Would it be okay if we called you mama?" Sam had to giggle. "Mindy, I'm only eight years older than you are, but if you want me to be your mama, then you are certainly welcome to call me that." I heard a sigh come from the direction of the sleeping bags. I think it was a sigh of contentment. Day 59 - Monday, June 28, 1847 I woke up this morning snuggled between Sam and Cassie. Nothing new there, right? The new thing was that I had someone lying on top of me. I opened my eyes and knew immediately it was Mandy. Mindy and Mandy are identical twins. This fact became even more apparent when we had gotten them cleaned up. From the very first, I could tell them apart and I couldn't even tell you how I did it. I was worried about Mandy and the fact she wasn't talking. I was encouraged when she had communicated non-verbally yesterday. I didn't know what to make of her being lying on top of me. I certainly wasn't going to do anything to cause her to pull away from the bond she seemed to be forming with me. I just laid there, watching my wives and holding Mandy. Eventually I saw Sam start to stir. I knew her so well I knew this was a prelude to her awakening. Before long, she opened her eyes and smiled at me. Then she saw Mandy on top of me and her smile became even wider. Sam leaned over close to me and whispered, "They're as cute as they could be, aren't they?" I nodded and mouthed, "Mandy." "Yeah, I know," Sam whispered. "She seems to have really taken a liking to you." "And I have to her," I whispered back. "I'm glad you asked them to come with us, Ed. It makes me very proud of you." Sam snuggled closer and we exchanged a very loving kiss. When we broke apart I looked back at Mandy and I saw her eyes were open, watching us. I kissed her on the end of the nose and said, "Good morning, Mandy." Mandy smiled and kissed me on the nose, so I hugged her tightly to me. Then I heard something that made my heart soar, "Good morning, papa," she said. Sam heard it too and her grin was as big as mine. "Are you ready to get some breakfast and then go and get some new clothes?" Sam asked. Mandy grinned and nodded. ------- It really didn't take us long to get everyone up and dressed. I rolled up the sleeping bags and pads while Sam took over supervision of the girls. Mindy was watching as Sam, Cassie, and I put on our money belts. She started to ask about them, but I told her it was a family thing and we should never talk about them to anyone else. We left the stuff in the room while we went down and ate breakfast. The girls stuffed themselves again, but not as badly as they had the day before. "Let's get everything ready to take off before we go to the store," I said. "We should get the horses saddled and the mules packed and tie them up outside the store. I'm sure there are other things we're going to want to get and that way we won't have so far to carry them." Sam and Cassie agreed, so they went back upstairs to get our things, while I settled up our bill with the landlord. Mindy and Mandy stayed with me. By the time the landlord had everything figured up and I had paid him, Sam and Cassie were back downstairs with everything we had been using while we were here. We all took a load as we walked to the livery stable. Mandy had to hold my hand as we walked. We paid off the livery man and went out to find our horses and mules. Hawk saw us before I saw him. He whinnied and came running over to the fence. I went into the corral and cut out the rest of our animals. We were becoming very experienced at packing the mules, so it didn't take us long before we were ready to go. Mandy indicated she wanted to ride behind me and Mindy said she'd start out with Sam. Hawk didn't seem to mind carrying double at all and he took to Mandy almost as quick as he had taken to me. We rode over to a mercantile store and all of us went inside. I knew we were going to need another tent, so I went in search of one while the girls looked for clothes. I found a nice one that didn't look like it would be too difficult to set up. I also picked up a couple of good tarpaulins and half a dozen blankets. I took the things I had picked up over to the counter and I saw Sam holding up a nice looking buckskin outfit to Mindy. I asked the proprietor where he had gotten the buckskins and he said he had a Winnepurkit Indian woman who made them for him. Buckskins seemed like the way to go for all of us and I mentioned that to Sam and Cassie. They agreed. We left the store with two buckskin outfits for each of us as well as molasses, flour, cornmeal, and bacon. ------- Chapter 14 We got all the new stuff distributed on Homer and Jethro, then took off out of town. "Where's our next stop?" Cassie asked. "Probably Hartford, Connecticut," I said. "We're not going to push it, so it'll probably take us a week to get there." "That's okay," Sam said. I could tell that Hawk was feeling his oats this morning. He'd had a good rest and now he wanted to run. I waited until we were out of town the asked, "Mandy, would it be okay if we let Hawk run for a while?" She nodded against my back, so I said, "Sam, Mandy and I are going to let Hawk run for a few minutes. We'll be right back." I could hear Sam, Cassie and Mindy laughing as I touched my heel to Hawk. He took off like his tail was on fire. Mandy giggled and tightened her grip on me. I only let him run for a couple of minutes, but when I slowed him to a stop, Mandy said, "That was fun, papa." I reached around behind me and lifted her up, turned around, and sat her on my lap. I looked her in the eyes and asked, "So, you've decided to talk, have you?" Mandy nodded. "You know you're safe now, don't you, Mandy?" "Yes, papa." "Do you think you're going to like living with us?" "Yes, papa. Are you married to Sam or to Cassie?" "I'm married to both of them, honey." "Oh... Does that mean I have two mamas?" "Yes. Doesn't that sound better than having one?" "Yes. I know you aren't my real papa and I know they aren't my real mamas, but I wish you were. I love you." My heart was as big as Texas when I said, "We love you too, Mandy. I promise you we'll never leave you alone again." Mandy hugged me and I hugged her back. I turned Hawk and we slowly rode back to join the others. When we got to them, Mandy said, "That was fun, Mindy." Mindy giggled and said, "It's good to hear your voice again, Mandy, even if it does sound like mine." "Oh, you two might be twins, but you are very different," I said. "I could tell you apart any time." Mandy had a gleam in her eye when she smiled at me. I knew they were going to try to prove me wrong. ------- We only traveled around ten miles that day. We camped shortly after noon in a nice secluded campsite near a beautiful stream. We all worked together to set up the two tents and to make lunch. We put one of the sleeping pads under two of the sleeping bags in the girls' tent and the other two pads under one of the sleeping bags in our tent. We figured we'd all use blankets as covers. The girls pitched in and helped Sam and Cassie make lunch while I hobbled the horses and mules. I'll swear Hawk thinks he's a puppy and should be allowed to stay in camp with us. We laid around for a while after we ate, then Sam said it was time for a bath for all of us. I've learned not to argue with her, so I just started getting ready. M & M didn't hesitate to strip in front of us, so we didn't either. We all had a very good time, splashing each other and in the case of Sam and Cassie, exchanging a lot of caresses and touches. M & M didn't put up an argument when we said it was time for bed that night. They did come around and kiss each of us before going off to their bed. Sam, Cassie and I slipped into our tent as well, then got undressed. Cassie and I made gentle love as Sam caressed both of us. Day 60 thru 63 - Friday, July 2, 1847 I awoke, snuggled between Sam and Cassie, as usual. Mandy was lying on top of me again. She had even managed to get under the blanket that was covering us. I put my arms around her and just held her for a while. Cassie stirred beside me, and then she snuggled closer and whispered, "I think you have a new admirer." "Yeah, at least this one's young enough that I don't have to worry about her attacking me." Cassie giggled and I felt Mandy start to wake up. I kissed her on the shoulder and said, "Good morning, Mandy." "Good morning, papa. Good morning, mama Cassie." Cassie told her good morning. "Mama Cassie, you sure are noisy when you do the sex thing," Mandy said with a grin. Cassie gasped then asked, "Did we bother you, Mandy?" "No, it was kind of fun listening to you moan and all. Mama used to do that when her and papa did the sex thing." "Next time we'll stuff a sock in her mouth," Sam giggled. Mandy and Cassie started giggling too. I just laid there, surrounded by giggling females. ------- We managed to get a fairly early start and we made about twenty miles that day and for the next two as well. The day after that, we stopped after about fifteen miles because I figured we'd be in Hartford the next day. By now, Sam and I had been on the road for over two months. In some ways it seemed like we'd been traveling forever. In others it felt like we had just gotten started. M & M were fitting in nicely. Sam was a little inhibited the next time we made love, but even so, we heard M & M giggling afterwards, so Sam said the hell with it and decided she was just going to be herself. Mandy would be in bed with us almost every morning when we awoke, and on a couple of occasions, Mindy would be with us as well. We didn't mind as we figured they just needed the reassurance of being with someone who cared about them. Day 64 - Saturday, July 3, 1847 We got an early start and were in Hartford long before lunch. I was surprised that with tomorrow being Independence Day, we managed to get a room, especially one with two beds in it. We had a delicious lunch in the common room of the tavern and then went out to explore the city of Hartford. It was quite a contrast from what it had looked like the last time I'd been here, in 2004. We did enjoy exploring and the people seemed friendlier than the people in Boston. One man we had stopped to ask directions from told us about the huge fireworks display they were going to have tomorrow night. I could see Mandy's eyes light up as he told us, so I decided we'd hit the road again Monday morning and give the girls a chance to see the show. We went ahead and replenished our food supplies that day so we could get an early start on Monday. While we were in the store, I got M & M a pound of stick candy and told them to make it last. Of course it was gone before the fireworks the next day. I didn't mind though as they were painfully skinny and could use a little fattening up. Mostly we just walked around and enjoyed the town and the people. One man had set up a fire in a metal cart and was roasting meat and onions and tomatoes and pieces of potato on sticks over the fire. M & M had never seen anything like it, so I bought a stick for each of us. It was as good as anything I had ever eaten, no matter what century. Later, we had another nice meal in the tavern. We even had apple pie for dessert and their coffee was as good as any I've ever drunk. M & M wanted coffee too, but I made them stick with milk. Mandy did steal a sip of mine, then made a horrible face and went back to her milk. We talked for a while with the serving girl as we ate. She said the festivities were going to be taking place in an area that was soon going to be a park. She told us that we could find good things to eat at the celebration, but that they were always a little expensive. Mandy, Cassie and I decided we were going to go back to the stable after dinner and pack the things we had bought. We gave the horses a good rubdown while we were there and I quartered an apple and fed it to Hawk. He was appreciative and nuzzled all three of us. As I said, the room had two beds, but it would have only needed one. Sam, Cassie, and I were a little inhibited about making love with the two girls in the room with us, so we just laid and cuddled. After a while, when they realized nothing was going to happen, Mandy came over and climbed in on top of me. It couldn't have been a minute later when Mindy slid in beside Sam and cuddled up to her. It's a good thing we were all tired, or I would have never fallen asleep with five people crammed into a bed meant for two. Day 65 - Sunday, July 4, 1847 Even the tavern people were ready to party. The landlord told me they were going to shut down the dining room until time for supper and then they were only going to be open for two hours so everyone could go and watch the fireworks. The serving girl was practically bubbling. She brought our food and set it down with a big smile, then she leaned over and kissed Mindy and Mandy on the forehead before she took off. We went out shortly after breakfast and after wandering around, we started following the throng that was making its way to the celebration. The field it was set up in was relatively crowded, even at this early hour. There were all kinds of booths set up selling any kind of food imaginable. Some of it would have been right at home in the 21st Century. I could remember buying kabobs and elephant ears all my life. There was also different kinds of entertainment to be enjoyed. There was a strong man contest and horse pulling contests. Later there was going to be a pie eating contest. Someone mentioned a three legged race and a couple of other people were talking about the bare knuckles prize fight that was going to take place that evening. Kids, M & M's age and younger were running all over the place, generally making a nuisance of themselves. They were having fun and so were the adults. M & M didn't know what an elephant ear was, so I bought one for each of us. They were nearly the same as I remembered, but the cinnamon and sugar on the thin pastry seemed a little more flavorful for some reason. We saw the man we had gotten the kabobs from yesterday and I decided that's what I wanted for lunch when the time came. One man was walking around juggling three knives that looked sharp enough to shave with. Another was doing some feats of tumbling that would have been amazing even in the twenty-first century. M & M both had their eyes wide open. I don't think they missed a thing of what was happening around us. Even Sam and Cassie and I were impressed by all that was going on. We stopped for a while and watched a shooting match. There were six men firing Kentucky Rifles at what looked to be fifty yards. I hadn't taken more than one shot to put down a deer yet, so I considered myself a fairly good shot. These guys made me look like a rank amateur. You could have covered every shot they made with a quarter the first time they fired. On the second round, one man had one shot that although it still touched his others, it was far enough out that he didn't have a perfect group. He was out of the contest. I could see this could take a long time, so we went on to where three men were throwing knives at a target. I never was a knife thrower, so I was duly impressed with their skill. We found an Indian woman who was selling dolls, so we bought one each for Mindy and Mandy. They didn't let go of them for the rest of the day. We also bought moccasins for all of us from another Indian woman. When lunch time came around, I asked everyone what they wanted for lunch. M & M said they wanted another elephant ear, but I asked if they wouldn't rather have another kabob like we'd had yesterday first and they both excitedly agreed. Sam, Cassie and I put away two kabobs each and M & M put away one each before they dragged us back for another elephant ear. By the middle of the afternoon, I was dragging, so I suggested we go back to the room for a nap. M & M protested at first, but I told them we'd take a short nap and then eat dinner and come back for the fireworks. Sam and Cassie gave me a grateful look as we headed back to the room. We laid down and snuggled up, then Sam whispered, "This is harder work than traveling." Cassie, Sam, and I took a giggling fit before we finally drifted off to sleep. ------- We awoke in plenty of time for dinner. Mindy had claimed there was no way she could possibly fall asleep, but she was sleeping away as the rest of us woke up. I awakened the girls. This was the first time in a while that Mandy hadn't been sleeping on top of me. We went to dinner, then back to the celebration. It was still going strong. It was starting to get dark, so I asked a man which way the fireworks would be and where would be a good spot for the girls to watch them. He pointed out a good spot and we went and claimed it. We didn't have long to wait before the fireworks started. They were impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the ones I grew up with. M & M didn't know that though and they were completely enthraled. We stayed until the fireworks were over then went back to our room. Day 66 - Monday, July 5, 1847 We got up and got an early start this morning. Putting on our money belts had become just a part of getting dressed now and we hardly even noticed the extra weight. We took time for a good breakfast and we paid the proprietor for our bill. Hawk seemed eager to get started as I was saddling him. He nuzzled Mandy and let her scratch his ears as we saddled the other horses and saddled and loaded the mules. We still headed out of the livery just before 8:00 AM. We had been riding for about an hour when I decided I wanted to try something. I pulled Hawk to a stop then reached around behind me and picked Mandy up. I sat her on my lap, then I scooted back behind the saddle, leaving Mandy seated on the saddle. Hawk looked around at us to see what we were doing, then he seemed to relax. "What are you doing, papa?" Mandy asked. "I'm going to let you control Hawk for a while and I'm going to sit behind you and hold on to you." Mandy giggled, but took the renis from me. She clicked to Hawk and he started moving forward. Mandy looked over her shoulder and smiled. Her feet didn't reach the stirrups, but she was holding on with her knees. "Catch up to the others," I said. Mandy touched Hawk with her heel and he moved out faster. As we approached the others, I said, "Go around them on the right." Mandy expertly moved around the group and when I asked her to stop, she pulled Hawk in as gently as I could have. "That was very good," said. "We'll have to see about getting you your own horse." "I don't think I could have done as well with another horse, papa." "Why's that?" "Hawk seems to know what I want without me having to do anything. He seems to want to do what I want." I couldn't argue with her. Hawk did seem to know what I wanted before I even signaled him. "Still, I think we should see about getting horses for you and Mindy. Would you like a horse of your own?" "I think I'd like that, papa. Can I help pick it out?" "Sure, sweety," I said as I put her behind me again. ------- We had finally come out of the wilderness. Every day now, we would pass by several towns as we traveled. Sometimes we followed the roads, but at others, we cut across country. Frequently passing towns allowed us to eat at taverns or inns a lot more frequently as well. After being on the trail for over two months, that was pleasant for Sam, Cassie and me. Just eating regularly was pleasant for the girls. We had a leisurely day of travel and we still made over twenty miles. We camped near a small stream that had plenty of water for the animals, but was too shallow for us to really have a bath. It was still a pleasant campsite. I sent the girls to bed early, because they both looked like they were worn out. I hadn't really had anything else in mind, but as Sam, Cassie, and I laid on our sleeping bag, cuddling and talking, something came up. Sam was in a playful mood, and I was indifferent, so Sam asked, "Cassie, have you ever made love to another woman?" "No. I've wondered what it'd be like, but I've never done it." "So, you've never eaten another girl's pussy or had another girl eat your pussy?" "No." "Would it offend you if I said I'd like to eat your pussy?" Cassie giggled and said, "No, it wouldn't offend me. I have to admit that I've thought about it. By sharing Ed the way we do, we're already closer than most women ever get." Sam didn't say anything else, she just climbed across me and laid on top of Cassie. She held her upper body up on her hands, then she leaned down and kissed Cassie like I had never seen them kiss before. I watched as they made out for a couple of minutes, then I saw Sam work her way down until she was sucking on Cassie's nipple. Damn, that was an erotic sight. She switched back and forth between Cassie's nipples for a while, then started working her way lower. I thought I was going to go off without even touching myself when I saw Sam's mouth descend into Cassie's pussy. Cassie had one orgasm immediately and was nearly ready for her second, when Sam looked over at me gently rubbing myself and said, "Fuck me." I was behind her in an instant and she moaned into Cassie's pussy as I entered her. That was all it took to push Cassie over the edge again. Sam was into her own orgasm before I was all the way in. Within about ten strokes I was ready to release my offering into Sam. Luckily both her and Cassie were on a short fuse as well. When I started spurting into Sam's pussy, it triggered her next orgasm. Her moans triggered Cassie's. We collapsed in a heap. Day 67 thru 70 - Friday, July 9, 1847 We averaged a little over twenty miles a day for the next four days. We went right on through New York City. I didn't like New York in the Twenty-first century and I didn't see anything that would endear it to me in the nineteenth. We spent the night last night in a tavern in Mount Vernon and we'd be spending tonight in a tavern in New Jersey. Sam, Cassie and I had let the girls control the horses for longer periods of time each day. Now, I believed that either one of them would be fine riding their own horse. We stopped at a large livery stable on the outskirts of New York City to look for horses for the girls. The livery man took us out to a corral that must have had forty horses in it. As we were leaning on the fence, looking them over, the man started pointing out different horses that he thought would be suitable for the girls. Several of the horses wandered over toward the fence as we were talking. One of them was a mare who was almost as big as Hawk. M & M had their heads together and were doing a lot of whispering and nodding. Mandy tugged on my hand and when I looked at her she said, "We know which ones we want." "Which ones are they?" I asked. "I want the roan mare and Mindy wants the pinto." "Honey, that roan is way too much horse," the livery man said. "I've seen her buck off three different men who were trying her out." Mandy tugged on me again and motioned for me to lean down. "The roan is like Hawk is to you. She knows what I want and she wants to please me. The pinto is the same with Mindy." Okay, I'll admit I was a little confused to say the least. Evidently Mandy had some kind of special rapport with horses. The livery man was flat against letting Mandy even try to ride the mare, but when I told him I would take full responsibility, he finally gave in. He went off and returned with a child sized saddle. Mandy climbed over the fence and the mare walked closer to us. I went in the corral with Mandy and saddled the mare for her. The livery man was standing there with his mouth open. "She's fought every time we tried to saddle her before," he said. Mandy just smiled at him as I lifted her into the saddle. I let the mare stand there, ground tied, while I adjusted the stirrups for Mandy, then I handed Mandy the reins and she rode the mare around the corral a few times. "I've never seen the like in my born days," the livery man said. Cassie giggled and Sam was smiling. "Do you have another child's saddle so our other daughter can try out the pinto?" I asked. The man left, shaking his head, and in a few minutes he was back with another child's saddle. We saddled up the pinto and I adjusted the saddle for Mindy, then we watched as the girls rode around in circles for a while. "How much for the two horses, saddles, and tack?" I asked. "I should just give you the roan," the mans said. "I can't though. My boss would take it out of my hide. How about a hundred dollars for both?" "If you'll throw in a couple of sets of saddlebags, it's a deal." "Done." I counted out ten gold eagles to him and he went inside and came out with two pairs of new saddlebags. I was happy with the deal and the girls were delighted. ------- After we were on the trail again, Sam asked, "What's the deal with Mandy and horses?" "She seems to have some kind of rapport with horses so she knows if one of them will bond with a rider," I said. "I don't know how I do it," Mandy said. "I just seem to know. I can sometimes do it with dogs too. I know if they're mean or just making a big noise." I had to laugh. "That's a very useful talent, Mandy. I wouldn't tell anyone about it though." "I wouldn't tell anyone but family, papa. They'd think I was weird." "We already know you're weird," Mindy giggled. ------- Sam and Cassie haven't repeated their performance of the other night, but I know they will. Does it bother me? No way. Maybe someday I'll have the restraint to stay out of it and just watch... Then again, maybe not. M & M had absolutely no problems keeping up the rest of the day riding by themselves. I'll swear Mandy looked like a flea riding on a dog on that big horse. She said she was going to name her Big Red. ------- Chapter 15 Day 71 - Saturday, July 10, 1847 The tavern we stayed in last night was very nice. The beds were comfortable and everything was clean. We had a wonderful seafood dinner before we retired to our room. When I awoke this morning, I was just feeling lazy, so I asked everyone if they'd like to stay over a day. I didn't hear any objections, so we decided we'd just make today a lazy day. We finally got dressed and went down for breakfast. It was every bit as good as dinner had been last night. When we were eating last night, I had noticed a little boy, maybe a little younger than M & M, cleaning up after people had eaten. He was there again this morning and the landlord wasn't treating him well at all. He kept yelling at the boy and on at least two occasions I saw him hit him with a stick as he went into the back room with a load of dishes. This had bothered me, but I could see that Sam was about ready to go ballistic. When the boy came over to clean the table next to ours, I called him over. "Your father isn't very good to you, is he, son?" I asked. "He's not my father, sir. I'm indentured and I don't have anything to complain about. He's not that bad." "You don't mind being yelled at or hit with a stick?" "He's a lot better than my last owner was, sir." "Hey! What are you doing over there?" the landlord yelled. "I asked him to talk to me for a minute," I said. "Please mind your own business." The landlord grumbled, but went into the back room. "How long have you been indentured, son?" I asked. "As long as I can remember, sir. My mom and dad died when I was little." "How old are you now?" "I think I'm eight years old, sir. I don't know for sure." "How much did the landlord here pay for you?" "It was a lot of money, sir. I think it may have been as much as ten dollars." I looked at Sam and Cassie and raised my eyebrows in question. Both of them nodded, so I asked the boy, "How would you like it if we bought your indenture? You'd live with us and be a part of our family. We don't yell at kids or hit them with sticks." The boy looked like he was stunned, then he asked, "What kind of work would I have to do?" "Son, all you'd have to do is the same as all of us do. You wouldn't have a job." "I think I'd like that, sir." "Landlord!" I yelled. The landlord came back in so I said, "I'd like to buy this boy's indenture. What will you take for it?" Th landlord's eyes lighted up when I asked this, but he said, "He's not for sale." "Of course, he's not for sale," Sam said. "You don't sell people. I'm sure his indenture is for sale though." "Ma'am. I'm sure I would sell his indenture if the price was right. However, I paid $100 for him. I wouldn't take a penny less." "Let me see his indenture papers," I said. "Well... Now, his indenture papers don't say the correct amount I paid for him." "What do his indenture papers say you paid?" I asked. "Well... They say I only paid ten dollars for him." "Why would that be?" "Well... The guy I bought him off of didn't want his wife to know how much he got for him." "Well, sir, we have a problem here. The articles of indenture are official papers. I'm not sure what the punishment is for lying on an official document, but I sure wouldn't want to be the one to find out. Either we work out a deal on this boy's indenture or I'm going to have to find a constable and let him know about the misuse of official documents." I knew this was bullshit, but he didn't. His eyes got wide and he said, "Well... Maybe we could split the difference. I'll take fifty for him and be damned to him." "No. I don't believe so. I'll tell you what I will do. We've run up a bill here of about three dollars for ourselves and our horses. I'll give you two gold eagles and you sign his indenture over to me and call it even on the tavern bill. I will want a breakfast for the boy thrown in though." I could see the landlord thinking. He'd still be making a profit on the indenture. I could see he was thinking about trying to get me up higher, but finally common sense won out. "Okay. Let me get the papers and see the color of your money." He went off and I told the boy to put his cleaning rag down and get himself some breakfast. He was smiling as he went off to do my bidding. When the boy came back with a plate piled high with food, I asked, "What is your name, son?" "My name is Tommy and I think my last name is Tolliver. That's what they told me it said on my indenture paper anyway." "Okay, Tommy, my name is Ed and this is my wife Sam and my wife Cassie. The interchangeable parts there are Mindy and Mandy." Tommy looked at Sam and at Cassie as he stuffed food into his mouth. "Your wives are very pretty," he said, then dropped his eyes and stared at the table. "It's okay to say women are pretty, Tommy. They like that." He looked up and smiled, so I said, "I don't think we should stay here another night after all. Maybe we can find another tavern somewhere close." "There's another ordinary (tavern) just down the road, sir." "Tommy, you don't have to call me sir." "We call him papa," Mindy said. "Yeah, but you're his daughters," Tommy said. "No, Mandy and I were living in a field when they took us in. They're our mamas and papa now though." "Tommy..." Sam said, then waited for him to look at her. When he raised his eyes, she said, "If you'd like to think of Cassie and me as your mamas and think of Ed as your papa, we'd like that. If it would bother you to think of us like that, then at least think of us as your big brother and big sisters." "It wouldn't bother me. It's just that I don't remember ever having any family. I've always been owned by someone and made to work." Before anyone else could say anything else, the landlord came out with the indenture papers. He signed his name as we watched and very meticulously wrote in that the purchase price of the indenture was twenty dollars. I made him write in, "Less tavern bill." I handed him two gold eagles and watched as his eyes lighted up. I'm sure he had been expecting paper money. We took our time drinking coffee and watching Tommy eat. M & M got restless, so Sam told them they could go to our room and start packing things. They scurried away with big grins on their faces. When Tommy finished eating, Sam said, "Tommy, you need to run and get your things. We're going to be leaving before long." "I don't have anything but what I'm wearing. We can leave any time you're ready," he said. "We'll get you some new clothes the first big town we come to," Sam said. "For now, you can wear what you've got on and we'll wash them out tonight." "Yes, ma'am," he said. ------- Tommy went upstairs with us and we helped the girls finish packing. With six of us to carry, it only took one trip to get everything out to the stable. Hawk whinnied when he heard us come in, so I went to the stall where the hostler had him and let him out. He immediately started nuzzling my neck and he almost knocked me over in his enthusiasm. The hostler was nowhere to be found, so we just saddled up and loaded up and got on our way. I asked Tommy who he'd like to ride with and Mindy spoke up before he had a chance to answer. "I'd like for him to ride with me if it's okay," she said. No one had any objections, so I helped him up behind Mindy. As we were riding away from the tavern, Sam said, "Ed, let's shake the dust of this place off our boots. Let's go on down the road a ways." "Is something bothering you, hon?" "Yes, but I'm not sure exactly what it is. There's just something about that tavern keeper that I don't trust." "He made me feel spooky too," Cassie said. "He was thrilled to be getting the gold coins, but he was angry about you forcing him to sell the indenture. After you gave him the gold coins, he kept watching you like he was wondering if you had more." "Okay, you've convinced me. He's going to expect us to either go to another tavern close by, or to go on down the road until we get to the next town. Let's just go down the road for a few miles, then go off in the deep woods somewhere and camp." ------- We crossed a large creek about five miles out and when I looked over at Sam, she nodded. We turned right and followed the south side of the creek for over a mile before we found a nice place to camp. We set up the tents and Tommy and I gathered firewood. We built up a fire and Sam and Cassie fixed us some lunch. After we ate, we just laid around talking for a while. "Where do you live?" Tommy asked. "Right now, we don't live anywhere," Sam told him. "In a year or so, we're going to go to Oregon and start a ranch." "I've heard people in the tavern talking about Oregon, but I don't know where it is," Tommy said. "Papa says it's far away," Mindy told him. "He says it takes half a year to get there." "That is a long way," Tommy said. "How long did you work at the tavern?" Cassie asked. "Uh... I don't know. It was a long time though. I was there through two winters." "Enough talk," Sam said after a while. "It's time for a bath for everyone." M & M both started giggling, but got up and started getting undressed. Sam winked at me and motioned for me to get up. She then came over to me and pulled my tunic over my head, leaving me bare to the waist. Sam stepped back and waited for me to do something. Okay, I'm a little slow, but I finally realized she wanted me to undress her too. I helped her remove her tunic and Cassie stepped up beside Sam, so I helped her too. Neither woman was wearing a bra, so their breasts were exposed in all of their glory. Sam untied my pants and let them fall, then Cassie got down on her knees and pulled down my boxers. I stepped out of them and my moccasins as well. The women just grinned and stood there looking at my huge (for me) erection. I helped them both off with their pants and panties, then we looked around at the kids. M & M were as naked as we were, but Tommy was standing there, fully clothed. His eyes were as big as saucers and they kept flicking back and forth between M & M and my wives. Finally, Sam said, "You need to take your clothes off for a bath, Tommy." "Uh... Okay," he said, but he didn't make any move to do so. "Are you going to do it yourself, or would you like for us to help you?" Cassie asked. "Uh... I can do it," he said, and then started unbuttoning his shirt. "Haven't you ever seen a woman naked before?" Sam asked. "No, ma'am." "You'll be seeing it a lot around us. We go naked quite a bit. I hope you don't mind." "No, ma'am. I don't mind. All of you are beautiful." The "all of you are beautiful" remark elicited a big grin from M & M. Tommy got undressed and I think all of us were amazed that an eight year old had an erection. I mean it wasn't anything to write home about, but what he had was definitely erect. We all got into the water and Sam and Cassie behaved themselves. They had been getting a lot freer with M & M around and had been doing a lot of grabassing. This time, we all just quietly washed ourselves. When we got out, Cassie and Sam washed Tommy's clothes and hung them on bushes to dry. We all laid out on the grass and let the sun dry us for over an hour while Tommy's clothes were drying. It wasn't until Tommy's clothes were dry that Sam started dressing and indicated that we all should. ------- We had bought a dozen tomatoes as we passed a market in one of the many villages we went through. Sam and Cassie stewed these tomatoes, then made a pot of rice and mixed the stewed tomatoes in with the rice. They cut up bits of roasted meat and added this to the pot as well. Dinner was a big success and Tommy ate until I thought he was going to burst. When bed time came, we really didn't know what to do with Tommy, but M & M said he could sleep with them. Since all three were so young, we didn't see anything wrong with it. Sam was a tigress when we went to bed. She attacked me and rode me to half a dozen climaxes before I emptied into her. As we were coming down afterwards, I asked, "Did Tommy seeing you naked get you all fired up?" Sam giggled and said, "I guess I really am an exhibitionist. It really did get me fired up. Not that I wanted him, it was just that him seeing me made me want you more." "In that case, we'll have to keep you naked all the time," I laughed. "Did it get you fired up too, Cassie?" Sam asked. "No. I remember the first time we went to a nudist park. I was about M & M's age. I was so horny I couldn't stand myself. You get used to it after a while though." "So you didn't get turned on at all?" "No. It turned me on a lot more watching you ride the pony." "Do you need some relief?" I asked. "No, but I may attack you in the morning when that thing of yours is fresh." Day 72 - Sunday, July 11, 1847 Cassie did attack me before we got out of bed. She was enthusiastic, but not as turned on as Sam had been last night. She was on top, riding me, when Sam slipped around her and started playing with her nipples. Cassie responded to that very well. She was working toward her second orgasm when Sam slipped her hand down Cassie's body and started playing with her clit. Cassie came unglued. She screamed and her pussy started fluttering around me until it brought me over as well. Cassie collapsed on top of me and Sam snuggled in beside us. We laid there for quite a while before anyone said or did anything. Finally, Cassie said, "You can do that to me any time, sis. It might kill me sometime, but it would be a wonderful way to go." Sam laughed and said, "Yeah, I do it to myself sometimes when Ed is doing me. It always makes it more intense." "Maybe next time you won't have to do it for yourself," Cassie said with a grin. ------- Sam and Cassie baked some biscuits in our Dutch Oven for breakfast. We had bought some pork sausage when we bought the tomatoes, so they fried up a big mess of that and made gravy from the fat. It was a breakfast fit for a king. It beat Bob Evans all to hell. We got on the road a little late and ended up stopping for the night at an ordinary in New Brunswick, NJ. This worked out well for us as there was a general store in New Brunswick and we determined we'd hit it in the morning to get Tommy some better clothes. The ones he was wearing were old, too small for him, and full of holes. There were two beds in the room, so we took one, M & M took one and we made a nice bed on the floor for Tommy using sleeping pads and sleeping bags. When we went down to dinner, the public room was packed. We looked around and there was only one table that had any openings. One huge man sat at that table by himself. We went over to him and I asked, "Would you mind if my family and I joined you, sir?" The man looked up at me and then at the rest of my family. "Ladies as pretty as these can join me for a meal any time," he said. We all took our seats. Sam and I sat directly across from him. "My name is Ed Hill and this is my wife, Sam and my sister Cassie. Our kids are Tommy, Mindy and Mandy." The big man held out his hand and said as we shook, "I'm Andy Finke. Are you folks just traveling through?" "Yes, sir. We're just traveling around the country for a while. We're going to be moving to Oregon either next year or the year after." "I've been to Oregon a couple of times. It is beautiful country. I trapped out there two different winters. I plan to settle out there as soon as I have enough saved to start up a ranch." "We're planning on ranching too," I said as the landlord brought our food. "What are you doing in this neck of the woods?" "My mother lived here in New Brunswick. I grew up here. I came back to see her and found out I was too late. She died of pneumonia last winter." "I'm sorry to hear that, Andy. Is your father gone as well?" "Yeah, he died a couple of years ago. Got kicked in the head by a mule he was trying to shoe." Sam is in no way bashful, so she asked, "People seem to be avoiding you, Andy. Why is that?" The big man smiled and said, "People around here are a little afraid of me, ma'am. There's probably not a man in here besides your husband that I haven't been in a fight with at one time or another." "Why were you in so many fights?" Sam asked. "I don't know if you noticed, ma'am, but I'm a mite large. Everyone thought they had to prove themselves by beating me up. It never seemed to work for them though." M & M giggled when he said he was a mite large and he looked at them and grinned. "Did you like fighting them?" Cassie asked. "No, ma'am. I'm a peaceable man by nature. I'm just like a rabbit though. I'll fight if I'm cornered." We all got a laugh out of that. "You said you're traveling around. Where all are you planning to go?" he asked. "We're not really sure," Sam spoke up. "We're really just delaying going to Oregon because I'm pregnant and I don't want to start out to Oregon next spring with a newborn baby." Andy blushed. We had forgotten that women in this age didn't talk about being pregnant. I made a mental note to talk to Sam about that. "No, ma'am. I don't reckon that would be a good idea." "So, are you planning to go out trapping again this winter?" I asked. "I'd like to trap in Oregon again, but it's too late this year to do that. I might go up into Missouri, but since I found out mom died, my heart just isn't in it." We all talked for a while about the weather and about the kind of country we were traveling through then Sam leaned over and whispered, "Should we invite him to go with us? He could be a big asset if we got in trouble." I thought about it for a minute. Here was someone who was familiar with the time and with the country as it was today. He seemed like a nice guy and we seemed to get along well. "Andy, we're thinking of going on down through Philadelphia, then going through Washington and on down into Virginia. We'll probably stay somewhere in the south this winter and after Sam has had her baby, we'll head back north next summer. I was just wondering if you'd like to go with us." "You know, Ed, I've never been south of the Ohio River. I like you folks. None of you shied away from me because I am big and you didn't try to pick a fight with me. I think I might like to go on your little trip with you." Sam smiled and said, "We seem to know if we're going to like someone right from the start, Andy. It'll be nice having you along. We should probably clear the air right now though. Ed introduced Cassie as his sister," she said, leaning closer and lowering her voice, "but we are both his wives." Andy got a big grin and looked at me. "You dog, you. Stealing all the beautiful women around for yourself." "Andy, if you'd settle down for a while, I'm sure you could have all of the beautiful women you could want. How old are you, anyway?" I asked. "I just turned twenty-three. I guess you're right about settling down, but I just ain't ready to do that yet." "Are you staying here at the ordinary?" I asked. "Yeah, I guess I should have been camping to save my money, but it had been a long time since I'd slept in a real bed." "We usually stay about one night a week in an ordinary. It costs a couple of dollars, but it's worth it. The rest of the time, we camp." "Are these really your kids? Sam doesn't seem old enough to have kids this age." "We found Mindy and Mandy living in a field in Boston. Their parents are dead and they didn't have any other relatives. Tommy was indentured and we bought his indenture so we could set him free." "I knew right off you were good folks, Ed. How do you want to work this? Should we just meet down here for breakfast?" "Yeah, I'd like for you to go through the things we have in the morning and tell me anything else you think we might need. We also need to go to the store and get Tommy some clothes. What he has on is all he has." "We can do that. I have a horse and a mule. I have a good rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. I have my own tent and a bedroll. Mostly I just live off the land." "That's what we're aiming for. I'm afraid we were city people before we broke away and went to the woods. We left home about two and a half months ago and we never looked back. We've learned a lot, but we still have a lot to learn." We talked for a bit longer, then said goodnight and headed for our rooms. Day 73 - Monday, July 12, 1847 We were all up early and packed out stuff before we went down to breakfast. Andy was already there and had already finished breakfast. He was sitting, sipping on a cup of coffee as we came over and sat at his table. "This is the one thing I miss the most when I'm traveling," he said, holding up his cup. "We have a coffee grinder and a coffee pot," Cassie said with a smile. "We have coffee every morning." "Well, glory be. You just made my day, lass." We all got a laugh out of that. The landlord brought our breakfast over and we talked as we ate. "Why don't you guys look our things over while we take Tommy over and get him some clothes?" Sam asked. "That'd get us on the road quicker." We all agreed that made sense, then Andy teased, "Do you trust women to buy a boy's clothes, Ed? They might dress him up as a little girl." I could see Tommy blush as I answered. "I'd trust Sam and Cassie to do anything," I said. "Besides, there's nothing girlish about Tommy. He's all boy. He'll make a fine man someday." "I expect he will," Andy said with a smile for Tommy. "You've been through a lot already, haven't you, son?" "Yes, sir. I expect I have. It's all I've ever known though." "Well, I'm sure things are going to be different for you now. What you need for clothes are buckskins like your new ma and pa are wearing." "Do you know where we could get buckskins for him?" Sam asked. "Sure, but it would take a few days to get them. Your best bet is to just try the general store. They might not have his exact size, but they do carry them. People around here like to pretend they're mountain men every once in a while." "Well, Sam, see what you can find for him. Andy and I are going to check out the stuff in the stable and then we'll be over to the store." We all got up to go to our assigned tasks. Now, I had realized Andy is a big man. I didn't realize just how big he was until he stood up beside me. I think I mentioned before that I'm 6'1". Andy has to be at least 6'6". He has the broadest shoulders I've ever seen on a man and his upper arms are as big around as my thighs. For some reason I wasn't intimidated by this giant of a man though. As we were looking through our things, he was curious about the backpacks. I showed him how they were worn and he said to hang on to them as they'd be very handy if we decided to do any trapping. All in all he couldn't think of much else we would need, so we packed everything back and loaded the mules and saddled the horses. We stopped back by the tavern to pay our bills and get the rest of our stuff, then we headed over to the store. The women had actually found a couple of sets of buckskins for Tommy that weren't much too big for him. We figured that with being well fed from now on he would grow quickly. Andy made some suggestions for food and Sam agreed to try to make what he was asking for. In the end, we got out without spending nearly as much as I thought we would. ------- Chapter 16 Our imposing man had an imposing horse as well. It was a huge gelding that Andy said would carry him all day without getting tired. He also had a young, strong pack mule. We made quite a procession as we rode out of New Brunswick. Andy kept us entertained all day with tales of his experiences while he was trapping. I'm sure some of the stories were even true. Well... At least some of them had parts that were true. Well... Maybe some of them had a small part that was true. Others, I'm sure, had no element of truth at all. Like the one where he said he had trained a bobcat to skin any animal he had in his traps. He said the cat would take the meat, but would leave a perfectly cleaned skin for him. I also have serious doubts about the tale he told about the bear who would bring him a freshly killed deer once a week in return for a cup of honey. Or the one... well, you get the idea. They were entertaining though and the kids loved them. When we camped that night, Andy said we were getting close to Trenton, NJ. Even with the late start, we had made over twenty miles for the day. We all pitched in and set up camp. We had three tents now. We also had three mules, and none of them were heavily laden. Andy went over how we had the mules packed and showed us some things that would make it easier on the mules when we did have a heavier load. Andy said that if I didn't mind, he'd take over the hunting duties. Of course I didn't mind. I hunted so we would have something to eat, not because I enjoyed it. We found over the next few days that with him doing the hunting, we had a much more varied diet. Tonight, the women outdid themselves with a fantastic venison stew. We laid around talking after we ate and Andy managed to draw Tommy out about his life as an indentured servant. Tommy's earliest memories were of working for an older woman. He couldn't have been more than four or five years old at the time. His duties were mostly household duties like cleaning the kitchen and washing dishes. The lady had taught him to read and write. When this lady died unexpectedly, his indenture was sold to a man who ran a rope walk, where they made ropes for the shipping in the area. He was probably six years old at the time and his work in the ropewalk was hard and the hours were long. The man was also cruel. He cursed Tommy for no apparent reason and he would beat him with a piece of rope for any excuse. He had been at the rope walk for about a year when the owner got drunk in the tavern we had found him in. The rope man had started playing cards with a couple of sailors and had lost all of his money. He passed out, drunk, and the sailors left him with the bill for all three of them for the evening. The rope man didn't have the money to settle the tavern bill, so he offered Tommy's indenture to the innkeeper to settle the bill and for enough money to get him home. The innkeeper had been cruel, but he had never beat him like the rope man had. He had vague memories of his parents, but he didn't know what happened to them. I expect they were taken by one of the diseases prevalent at the time. He didn't know of any other relative he might have. Day 74 - Tuesday, July 13, 1847 When Sam, Cassie and I got up this morning, Andy was no where around. His tent and bedroll had been packed up and were lying where they could be easily loaded onto his mule. The women went ahead and started breakfast. The kids were up and Sam was serving breakfast to everyone when Andy came back into camp. He was carrying two medium sized turkeys. He laid the turkeys aside and came to breakfast. He really knew how to get to Sam and Cassie by complimenting their cooking. We all enjoyed the meal. I must say the women had been improving as they learned the art of cooking over a campfire. After breakfast, Andy showed Sam and Cassie how to clean the turkeys. He kept muttering about city girls as he did and he had them laughing while they performed the unpleasant task. We didn't get that late of a start and Andy said he figured we'd made over twenty miles again when we made camp. Andy never seemed to be rushed in anything he did. He never moved fast, but setting up camp took half the time when he helped. Sam asked Andy how she should cook the turkeys he had killed this morning and he gave her a lesson in camp cooking. They really turned out well, in far less time than any way I could think of preparing them. Later on, as I was snuggling with my wives, Cassie said she thought Andy was going to be a real asset for us. Sam and I had to agree. Day 75 - Wednesday, July 14, 1847 We had leftover turkey and fresh johnnycake for breakfast. I was surprised at how good it was. As we were eating, I said, "You know the thing I miss most is fresh vegetables. I've always been a meat lover and although I ate my vegetables, I didn't really think about them. Being traveling around like this makes me miss having them though." "That's the way it is when I'm trapping," Andy said. "I tend to make myself a snug little nest I can keep warm in all winter, then I very seldom go out of it except to check my traps and to hunt. I always have plenty of meat, but little else in the way of food." "I guess you'd get tired of venison awfully fast," Sam said. "That's why I try for other game as well. Some trappers spend all winter eating venison, then come spring, when they go back to civilization, they go nuts wanting other food." "Is that why beef cattle are so expensive in Oregon?" I asked. "Well, that might be a small part of it. For the most part though, people in Oregon don't trust the Mexican longhorns. You can buy a longhorn for around seven to nine dollars. A beef critter brought from back east will cost you a hundred dollars. To me, the damned longhorns taste just as good as the eastern cattle." "You know, that is strange. The longhorns are usually bigger than the eastern cattle too, aren't they?" "Yep. Bigger and meaner. I don't care if it's mean if I'm just going to eat it though." I laughed and said, "It might even make it easier to butcher it if it was mean." ------- Andy said we were close to Philadelphia and he was right. We came riding into town just after noon. We found an ordinary where we could have some lunch and we tied all of our animals outside. Since it was the middle of the week, the place wasn't very busy. We had a decent lunch and I told everyone I thought I'd like to sleep in a bed tonight. "I'll probably just camp south of town," Andy said. "I should save my money." "Come on, Andy. We know you enjoy sleeping in a bed just as much as we do. Since you're with us, we'll pay for your room and your food," Sam said. Andy finally let himself be talked into it. We ended up getting two rooms. Andy and Tommy took one and Sam, Cassie, the girls and I took the other. We spent a lot of time that afternoon just wandering around Philadelphia. It is a wonderful old city and it had been less than eighty years since it was an integral part of the revolutionary war effort. I think Andy was as much impressed with it as we were. His great-grandfather had actually fought in the revolutionary war and his grandfather had fought in the War of 1812. We were looking at a plaque that was memorializing the revolutionary dead, when we saw three louts looking at us and whispering to each other. I looked at Andy to see if he noticed them and he nodded. We were just getting ready to move on when the biggest one of the group stepped forward and said, "Wait a minute there, big boy. It don't seem fair that two ugly bastards like you should have such pretty women with them. Why don't you boys go off somewhere and we'll show the ladies around town." I looked at Andy and said, "Just back me up." He nodded and I stepped forward. "The lovely ladies you are referring to are with me," I said. "I don't think they'd like to go anywhere with the likes of you." "Ed..." Sam started. "Shhh. Trust me," I said. "Take the kids away somewhere." Sam didn't look happy, but she did as I asked. The guy doing the talking had to stand around six foot three inches tall and he weighed around three hundred pounds. He could have probably broken me in two if I hadn't known how to defend myself, but I did. I had taken a martial arts class in college and I had enjoyed it so much, I had taken some courses afterwards when I could fit them in with my traveling. "Whether they're with you or with him doesn't matter. Now go off somewhere and pick your nose while my friends and I take care of the ladies." I decided I really didn't like this guy. His two buddies hadn't said anything, but they were smirking at everything the big guy said. I figured it was time to provoke him a little. "Why don't you just go away and spend the afternoon butt fucking your buddies like you usually do," I said in a quiet voice. I figured that would get him all riled up and it did. He let out a roar and charged at me. Since he was big and since he was a bully, I knew that's what his reaction would be. I sidestepped him at the last instant and chopped at the back of his left elbow as he went by. I knew the chop had hurt him, but it didn't break his arm as I had hoped it would. He turned, facing me, and growled as he rubbed his elbow. "You're going to die for that," he said. "Why don't you just drop it right now, asshole? I really don't want to have to break you up." He came at me more deliberately this time. His two friends started toward me from the side. Andy had been standing, watching, to this point, but now, he grabbed each of them by the neck and slammed their heads together. They went down like their bones had turned to Jello. When the big man was about three feet from me he cocked his right hand to knock me into next week. I didn't give him a chance to even start the blow. I made a spear of my right hand and drove the point into his solar plexis. He had a lot of fat around his middle, which protected him somewhat, but the air oofed out of his lungs in a satisfactory manner. I thought that might have been enough for him but he lunged and tried to grab me again. I was getting a little annoyed at him, so this time when I sidestepped, I kicked him on his right knee as he passed. His leg bent out at an unusual angle and he hit the ground, screaming and trying to hold his leg. I made a come on gesture to Andy with my head and we walked toward where women and kids were waiting. As we reached them, I took Sam by the arm and kept on walking. Cassie fell in on the other side of me and hugged my arm to her breasts. "That was the most awesome thing I've ever seen," Cassie said quietly. "I was scared to death for you, Ed," Sam said. "Honey, he didn't stand a chance," I told her. "I've had enough self defense classes to be able to handle a bully. I really hated to have to break his leg. I thought the blow to the solar plexis would stop him." "But, I didn't know you had any self defense classes," Sam complained. "I know, love. That's why I said to trust me. Were you scared, Cassie?" "I was scared for you then," she said, then she leaned in close and whispered, "Now, my pussy is so wet it's dripping down my legs." Sam heard her and she started to giggle. Have you ever noticed how a giggle can be contagious? Within seconds we were all laughing or giggling. I'm sure the release of tension had something to do with it. We didn't let the incident spoil our day. As we were walking along, Andy said, "I've had to live with crap like that all my life, Ed. I'm sure that guy started that just so he could take me on. I guess he figured he'd make short work of you then take me on, when you stepped in. I reckon you surprised him a mite." "I really didn't want to break his leg, Andy. The problem is, if a fight like that goes on very long, the other guy has a better chance of landing a blow. One blow from that bastard and I'd have been out of it." "Well, I couldn't have done it better myself," he said, slapping me on the back. "There's no way I could have done what you did to the other two," I said. "That's just a matter of surprise, Ed. If they'd had time to brace themselves I'd have had a lot harder time of it." "You are both manly men," Sam said with a grin. "It was an impressive show you put on. I just hope I never have to witness another one." ------- We got back to the ordinary about an hour before time for supper. Cassie gave every indication that she was still turned on, so I asked Sam, "Honey, would you mind taking the kids out for a half hour or so? Cassie got all excited by the fight and I think she needs a little personal attention." Sam looked at Cassie and said, "You slut you," then she giggled. "Is a half hour going to be enough?" "Oh, yeah," Cassie said. It was. Day 76 - Thursday, July 15, 1847 We might have stayed over for another night in Philadelphia, if it hadn't been for the fracas yesterday. As we were eating breakfast, we decided to push on. "Don't let yesterday surprise you too much, folks," Andy said. "It's been that way all my life. People see the size of me and some guy will think, 'that's a big guy, but I think I can whip him.' Then, he'll do anything and everything he can to pick a fight." "That's not right, Andy," Sam said. "Surely there's something you could do to avoid a fight." "If I just ignore the remarks and insults, they just get nastier until I can't ignore them any more. One time I turned and walked away. The guy ran up behind me and hit me in the back. He hit me so hard I didn't think for a minute I could get up. I learned not to do that." "Do you think the fight yesterday could have been avoided, Sam?" I asked. "Well, maybe WE could have just walked away." "No way, honey. The big guy wanted a fight to prove what a man he is to you and Cassie. There was no way he'd have let us walk away," I said. "I guess someone got shown who was the better man," Cassie said with a big grin. Sam leaned over and whispered in my ear, "She's such a slut." I looked at her and she had a smile that was a mile wide, so I knew she was just joking. I whispered to Cassie what Sam had said. Cassie grinned and said, "At least I was rewarded for my reaction." Both Sam and Cassie went into a fit of giggles. Poor Andy just looked perplexed. Mindy asked what was so funny and that set Sam and Cassie off again. ------- After breakfast, we hit the road again. We weren't in any hurry, but we still made around twenty-one miles for the day. The next big towns we would be coming to would be Baltimore and Washington DC. Neither of those places held any fascination for any of us, so we decided we'd probably go right on by them. There were many small towns and many ordinaries along the road we were traveling. The ordinaries were there to support the stage coach service through the area. The ordinaries gave us many chances to spend the night in a bed and the small towns gave us plenty of opportunities to replenish our food supply. There was also enough of the frontier that we could find decent places to camp in privacy. Day 77 - Friday, July 16, 1847 Today started out just fine. We had a great camp breakfast. Sam and Cassie are really getting good at cooking over a campfire. We had gotten on the road and had gone maybe five miles when it started to rain. It came down softly, almost gently at first. All of us donned our rain gear and were joking about summer showers, when the sky opened up and the rain started coming down in buckets. I don't think there is anything more miserable than riding a horse in the rain. I was miserable and Hawk was miserable. As I looked at my family, spread out around me, I could tell that they were all miserable too. I asked Andy if we should find somewhere to camp and he said, "We're already wet now, Ed. Any firewood we find at a campsite is going to be wet or get wet as soon as we bring it out in the open. We won't be able to get a fire going, so we won't be able to dry out. We can make camp and sit in our tents, wet and miserable, or we can ride on, wet and miserable." All of us basically agreed that if we were going to be miserable anyway, we might as well keep riding. The rain slacked off to a rapid drizzle after a while. It kept this up until the middle of the afternoon. We wouldn't have been able to cook anything, so we didn't even stop at lunch. We munched on jerky and drank from our canteens. When the rain finally stopped, Andy said to start looking for someplace to camp that was in or near a heavily wooded area. We found a good spot that Andy approved of and started setting up camp. Andy unloaded his mule and then led it off into the woods. We had the tents set up and I was wandering around looking for something I thought I could get to burn, when Andy came back with a mule load of dry firewood. "Where the hell did you find that?" I asked. "There's always dry firewood around if you know where to look for it," he said with a big grin. "You just have to look around dead falls, or under overhangs, or sometimes you can find dry wood even after a severe storm under densely packed trees. If we had stopped and tried to start a fire while it was still raining, our dry firewood would have just gotten wet as well." "Wherever you found it, we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts," Sam said as she kissed the big man on the cheek. Andy and I got a fire going in no time. We were all still wet, but it felt nice to stand near the fire. "Andy, could you cut me six or eight sticks about this long?" Sam asked. Andy said he could and went off to do so. I wondered what she was up to, but I was used to letting her have her head by now. He brought the sticks back in a few minutes and Sam said they'd do fine. She picked up a large rock and hammered one of the sticks down into the still soft ground. "Would you hammer the rest of these in about two feet apart and about the same distance from the fire?" she asked me. I did as she asked, then Sam called all of us together. "Okay, guys. We're wet. We need to get dry and we need to get our clothes dry." She hesitated, but no one said anything. "Everyone strip and hang your clothes on a stick," she said as she pulled her tunic over her head. Andy gasped when Sam turned around and hung her tunic on one of the sticks. She was standing there, bare chested, and beautiful. Cassie giggled and pulled her tunic off as well. Andy must have turned twelve shades of red as he tried to keep from looking at either one of my beautiful wives. M & M didn't hesitate and they were completely naked before any of us. They were followed closely by Tommy. I said, "Get used to it, Andy. They're not a bit shy. Just wait until they think it's bath time." "But, Ed..." Andy said. "No buts about it," Sam said. "You're family now, Andy. Like Ed said, get used to it." I went ahead and took my shirt off while Sam and Cassie were removing their pants and panties. Andy hesitated a little, but finally decided to join us. He had an erection that looked to be a half a mile long. I couldn't blame him though. Sam and Cassie went ahead and fixed a late lunch or early dinner while our clothes dried. They certainly were fun to watch as they went about their business as if they were the only people here. ------- We retired to our tents early and I made love to both of my wives. Afterwards, I asked it their seeing Andy naked or him seeing them naked had turned them on. "Certainly, it turned us on," Sam said. "He got a boner from looking at Cassie and me. That is always a turn on." "We did get turned on, but it didn't make either of us want to attack him," Cassie said. "It made us want to attack you." I guess I couldn't complain about that. Day 78 thru 80 - Monday, July 19, 1847 The next two days were uneventful. On Monday, we passed through Baltimore. We stayed only long enough to replenish our food supplies, then headed on toward Washington DC. It had been several days since we'd stayed the night in an inn, so when we came on to one, late in the afternoon, the women asked to spend the night there. It sounded good to me, so we went in and found we could indeed get two rooms. We took what things we were going to need for the night to our rooms and Andy and I took our horses and mules to the stable and got them settled. When we got back to the rooms Sam said that they were serving supper already, so we went on down. We had finished eating and Andy and I were drinking a mug of ale when trouble found us again. There were several men at the next table. They had been loud and boisterous since they had come in. The serving girl was serving them another round when all of a sudden, she screamed and jumped back from the table. Cassie had been watching the goings on, so I asked, "What happened?" "That one loud mouthed lout just pinched her on the ass." "From what I've read, that was common around here (meaning at this time). The girls even expected it." "Well, this one didn't," Cassie said huffily. "I'm sure she was shocked, but it also looked like it hurt." "Just let it go, honey," I said. "It's not our business." I could tell Cassie wasn't satisfied with my statement, but she didn't say anything. The landlord came out and told the girl to get busy. She told him the man had pinched her and the landlord just laughed and told her to get used to it. The girl went back to the table and started passing out flagons. When she got back to the man who had pinched her, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap. She started struggling to get away, but the man was holding her firmly. Cassie was on her feet in an instant. "Let her go, you ignorant lout," she yelled. "Oh, shit," Andy said under his breath. ------- Chapter 17 "You keep out of it, you little snot," the man said with venom. I guess that or the fact that the girl was being manhandled got to Sam as well. "You wouldn't know what to do with her if she gave herself to you," Sam told the man. "I'm sure your pecker is smaller than my little finger, so you wouldn't do her any good if you could figure out where to put it." A couple of men at another table started laughing, but the abuser and his cronies didn't think it was funny at all. The guy who started it all pushed the girl off his lap and she landed on her ass on the floor. He got to his feet and said, "Maybe I'll just have to show you how big my pecker is, bitch." "Okay, that did it," I said to Andy. "It's not your fight, Andy. It's my wife that was insulted." "The hell it ain't," Andy grinned. "Let's teach these bastards some manners." When Andy and I stood up and turned toward their table, the girl was still on the floor and Sam and Cassie were still standing, glaring at the men. I heard one of the men say, "Oh, shit." I looked at Andy and said in a loud voice, "There are five of them. What do you think?" "That's just enough to make it interesting," he said with a ferocious grin. The five men got to their feet and all of them faced Andy and me. Cassie ran to the girl and helped her out of the way. "That was my wife you called a bitch," I said. "I think you should apologize to her right now." "Go to hell," the man said. "I guess we'll just have to take your apology out of your hide then," Andy said. I'll give them credit. They weren't cowards. The man who had pinched the girl threw a roundhouse right that Andy blocked with his left forearm. The other man on our side of their table launched himself at Andy as well. Two of the men on the other side of their table came at me and the other started trying to work his way behind Andy. Cassie let out a shriek like all the demons of hell and landed on the last man's back. Her arms were around his neck as she tried to choke him. He was trying to throw her off and was trying to pull her arms from around his neck when Sam kicked him in the nuts. He sounded like he was choking as he fell to the floor. I landed an elbow in one man's stomach as the other guy landed a punch on my left cheek. I thought for a second I might go down, but then as the guy drew back to hit me again, I brought my knee up under the guy's chin whose stomach had been introduced to my elbow. He was out of the fight. I ducked when the second man threw another punch, then I slapped him with my open hand on his left ear. I knew it had burst his eardrum, but it didn't slow him down as I figured it would. He swung again, a left this time and caught me on the ribs. I felt like I had been kicked by a mule. He moved in close to try to grab me, so I stomped the arch of his foot, then as he reacted to that I hit him with my forearm across the throat. He went down and I looked to see if I could help Andy. Both of the men he had been fighting were on the floor as well. The landlord had come running over by the time the first fist had been thrown. He had been screaming for us to stop. Now he turned his full attention on those left standing. "I want you out of here immediately," he yelled. "We have rented two rooms for the night and we intend to stay here," I said calmly. "Like hell you will. You come in here and pick a fight with my regular customers and you think you're going to stay here. I'll get the constable if I have to." "Sir," I said. "The man lying there assaulted your serving girl, then he cursed at my wife. When we asked for an apology, he threw the first punch. If you'd like to bring in the constable, we'd be happy to talk with him. I know several other patrons witnessed the altercation, so you should get their names as well, so they can tell him what they saw." "The guys were just having a little fun with the serving girl. Your wife butted in and that's what caused the fight." "You know, maybe you're right. Maybe we shouldn't stay the night here. I think you just bought our meal, since your regular customers spoiled our supper." "You're going to pay for the meals," he said then he turned on the girl. "Sarah, get your ass busy in the kitchen." "Just a minute, Miss," Andy said. "Are you indentured to this man?" "No, sir," the girl said. "Then I think you should come with us. You don't have to, but I don't think you're safe here." "I couldn't do that, sir. He's my uncle." "Do you want to live with him and work here?" "No, sir, but my pap said I have to." "Where's your pap now?" "I don't know, sir. He went off right after my mam died. Uncle Marvin said pap said I have to stay with him." "How old are you, girl?" "I'm eighteen." "Then you're old enough to make your own decisions. You don't have to do what your pap says and you don't have to stay with this man if you don't want to. Do you have any other relatives you could live with?" "No, sir. I would like to get away from here though." "You can come with us if you'd like. Sam and Cassie will look after you until you decide what you want to do." "... Okay... Can I take my clothes?" "You sure can," Sam said. "Pack up anything that's yours and we'll get out of here." "You can't do that," the landlord said. "This girl owes me money. She can't leave until she pays me." "What does she owe you money for and how much?" Andy asked him. "She owes me ten dollars for food." "Is that right, Miss?" "I don't know, sir. I've lived and worked here for over a year." "Has he paid you anything during that time?" "No, sir." I could tell Andy was getting angry again, so I stepped in. "Mr. Landlord, I really do think we need to talk to that constable. It appears you've been using this young lady as a slave. What does a serving girl make these days? Even at a dollar a week and board, you'd owe her over fifty dollars. Are you ready to settle her wages now?" "All of you just get out of here now. Take the ungrateful wench with you." He spun around and disappeared into the back room. Cassie said, "He called you Sarah. Is it okay to call you that?" The girl nodded. "Okay, Sarah, Sam and I will go with you to get your things while Ed and Andy and the kids get our things out of our room." She turned to me and said, "We'll meet you in the stable." The men on the floor had gotten up and left, one at a time while we were talking. We didn't think they would be any more trouble, but we were alert for it if they tried to be. All of us had gathered in the stable within a half an hour. Andy and I were almost finished packing and saddling. After we were on the road, Sam introduced all of us to Sarah, who said her full name was Sarah Elizabeth Warren. We ended up camping for the night after all. We didn't do much talking that evening. I think all of us were worn out. Day 81 - Tuesday, July 20, 1847 I think Sarah was up before any of us the next morning. When I got up to take care of my personal business, I saw that she had a fire going and coffee brewed. I came back from the bushes and sat down across from her. She was looking pensive, so I asked, "Are you having second thoughts about going with us?" "No... Yes... I don't know. I've lived in that town all of my life. I don't know anywhere else or any other way to live. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself." "For the time being, you can stay with us if you'd like," I said. "We are traveling though. We're planning to go on down into Virginia and maybe even further south than that before we head north again." "Where's your home? Why are you traveling?" I had to laugh when I thought about where our homes were. "Well, let's see," I said. "Mine and Sam's homes were in Michigan. Cassie's home was in Vermont. Mindy and Mandy's homes were in Boston. Tommy and Andy were from New Jersey. We're traveling mainly just to see the country and to meet people. We're also just kind of killing time." "What do you mean, killing time?" "Well, Sam is pregnant and is going to have our baby next March. We had planned on going to Oregon next spring and starting a ranch, but we're afraid the baby will be too young to travel at that time." "If it's a couple of months old, it should be able to travel, especially if you've got Cassie and Mindy and Mandy to help take care of it." "I guess you're right. We'll have to think about it. We had originally thought to spend the winter in St Louis or St Joseph or Independence, Missouri. That might still be a good idea. That way if we decided the baby could travel, we could go ahead and latch on to a wagon train." "I've heard a lot of people talking about Oregon. It must be a great place to live. I almost wish I was going with you all." "You can, if you'd like. I've always loved the name Sarah Beth. Would you mind if I called you Sarah Beth?" "No. Mam called me that sometimes. I just might take you up on going to Oregon with you if it wouldn't be too much of a bother. I'll have to figure out a way to make some money first." "Don't worry too much about money, Sarah Beth. We're pretty well set. I think for a while at least, you should just relax and enjoy yourself." "That's what we do," Sam said as she came up behind me and gave me a hug from behind. I pulled her around in my lap and kissed her good morning. Sam looked up at Sarah Beth afterwards and said, "See what I mean?" Sarah Beth giggled and said, "Ed says you're expecting." "That comes from enjoying ourselves too," Sam grinned. "We were just talking about whether the baby would be able to travel if we decided to go on to Oregon next spring," I said. "With everyone here to help me with her, I'm pretty sure she would be. After all, sitting in a wagon wouldn't be much different than sitting in a living room." "If we had a wagon with springs, anyway," I said. "Oh, yeah. Maybe we could buy a buckboard or something." "Let's at least think about it after the baby is born and we find out what his or her health is like." Cassie came out about them and the three women started breakfast. When Andy came out, Sarah Beth gave him a big smile. When we finished eating, we saddled up and packed up and hit the road. ------- During the day, Sarah Beth spent a lot of time riding behind Andy. They appeared to be in earnest conversation most of the time. Sam and Cassie both pointed it out to me on different occasions. We were getting close to the Nation's Capitol when we stopped at an ordinary for the night. We ended up getting three rooms. Sarah Beth and M & M took one room. Andy and Tommy took another. My wives and I took the third. When we were settled in our room and cuddled up in bed, Cassie said, "I think our big friend may be smitten." "I'd say the feeling was mutual," Sam laughed. "If they end up half as happy as we are, I'll say he's a lucky man," I said. That earned me kisses from both of my wives. That led to some petting and eventually to me sliding my cock into my youngest wife's very wet pussy. She only let me take about three strokes before she said, "Do me from behind, honey," and pushed me toward the foot of the bed. Cassie assumed the position and again I slid into her. Cassie patted the bed in front of her and said, "Sam, come here and spread them, girl." Oh, goody," Sam said as she moved into position. For someone who had never done it before, Cassie ate Sam's pussy like a champ. Sam had just finished her third orgasm and Cassie had finished her second when I couldn't take it any more. "Cassie, I can't hold back any longer," I said. Cassie started gripping and releasing my cock with her pussy muscles and that sent me over the edge. It did something for Cassie as well and she screamed her climax into Sam's pussy. Afterwards, we laid there all cuddled and I know I at least was thinking about what Cassie had just done. Finally, Sam said, "Thank you, Cassie. That was absolutely wonderful." "I didn't think it was too bad myself," Cassie giggled. "You know, once you get over the thoughts that you shouldn't be doing that, it's really quite nice." "Well, I enjoy eating both of your pussys," I said. "You taste slightly different, but you both taste wonderful." "Do we really taste different?" Cassie asked. "Yep," said Sam. "I'd tell you to taste yourself, but right now, you'll taste more like Ed than you will yourself." Cassie giggled and said, "Yeah, it felt like he was flooding me. I thought I had a fire hose in there for a minute or two." Both girls went into a giggling fit. When they finally calmed down, I was thinking about how young they really are. "I wonder how old Andy thinks you guys are," I said. "He told Sarah Beth the two of you would take care of her and she's older than either one of you." "Yeah, I noticed that," Sam said. "I took it as a compliment that he thought we are mature enough to take care of her." "I did too," Cassie said. "It's unanimous then," I said as I rolled over to go to sleep. Day 82 thru 84- Friday, July 23, 1847 We crossed the Potomac River at Alexandria and headed down through Virginia. We averaged 25 miles a day for three days running so we were looking for a nice ordinary to spend a night in a bed. Unfortunately, we were in a much less populated region and didn't find anything that would suit us. We ended up camping on a large creek that was one of the nicest campsites we had seen since we began our journey. As we were setting up our campsite, Sam said, "You know, I hope we can find something this nice when we get to Oregon." "I don't think we'll have any problem finding something this nice, Sam," Andy said. "I know of several valleys that are so pretty they almost make your heart stop." "In a way, I'm very anxious to get there," Sam said. "Yeah, I think I'm ready to start building a house," I said. "The traveling around and seeing new things and meeting new people is good, but sometimes, like now, I just feel tired all the way through," Sam said. "You know, I'm a little road weary myself." I said. "Why don't we just lay over here tomorrow and take a day of rest?" Everyone agreed that was a splendid idea. Day 85 - Saturday, July 24, 1847 Andy was gone when I got up this morning. His horse was here, so I figured he was out hunting. Having eight people in our group meant he had to do a lot more of that. I got a fire going and made some coffee. I was sipping on my first cup when he came back into camp dragging a wild pig. He sat down and had a cup of coffee with me and we talked about his kill for a while. Then he got really serious and said, "Ed, something has happened to me over the last few days that I didn't think would happen for years, if at all." He took a sip of coffee, so I said, "You fell in love." He looked shocked then asked, "Is it that obvious?" I had to laugh. "Sam and Cassie told me three days ago that you were a goner." "I guess I am," he blushed. "What I don't know is how she feels about me. I mean, we talk a lot and she seems to like me well enough, but I don't know about the rest." "Talk to her about how you feel, Andy. Sam and Cassie also told me they think she's in love with you too." "I don't know if I can do that. I don't know how to talk to women." "You've been talking to her for days. Just tell her how you feel. The worst that could happen is that she doesn't feel the same for you and tells you so. If that's the case, it's better to know it now than after you've fallen even farther." "I guess you're right. Should I do it in camp, or should I ask her to take a walk with me?" "Take a walk, by all means. That way if she feels the same, you won't have to be embarrassed about kissing her in front of everyone." Andy blushed again, but nodded his head. It wasn't long before everyone was up and around. The women started breakfast as Andy and I butchered the hog. It didn't take us long and we treated it like we had been treating the deer. Andy said he'd never heard of cutting up a deer that way, but he couldn't argue with the results. Sam had put a big pot of beans to soak the night before, so she added a big chunk of fresh ham to the beans when she put them on to cook. After breakfast, Andy asked Sarah Beth if she'd take a walk with him and she readily agreed. I was sitting there looking like the cat that ate the canary, so Sam asked me what was going on. The kids had run off to play, so I said, "Andy is going to tell Sarah Beth he loves her." Sam and Cassie both started giggling, so I asked what was going on. "Sarah Beth was asking us yesterday how she could get Andy to care for her. She said she's fallen for him in a big way, but she thought he felt like she was just a friend." "He told me this morning that he has it bad. I told him he should go ahead and tell her that." I was tackled by two women who were covering me in kisses. M & M came up and asked what was going, so Sam said, "This is the finest man in the world and we love him, so we're showing him." It wasn't long before Andy and Sarah Beth came back into camp, both of them grinning like idiots. They sat down side by side, shoulders touching, and conversed in low tones. Neither one of them seemed to be able to wipe the smiles off their faces. After a while, Sam got up and said, "Bath time." M & M and Tommy came running over and I heard Andy groan. "What's the matter?" Sarah Beth asked. "She expects everyone to get naked and take a bath at the same time," Andy told her. "I'm just not sure if you're ready for that." Sarah Beth leaned in to Andy and whispered, "I'll wash you if you'll wash me." Andy groaned, but this time it was in anticipation. ------- We had a nice leisurely day on our day off from travel. Sam and Cassie were in great moods because of Andy and Sarah Beth getting together. We had bought Sarah Beth a tent of her own the day after she joined us. I don't think it was used that night. Day 86 - Sunday, July 25, 1847 I think all of us were invigorated from our day off yesterday. The horses and mules must have been too. Andy said he guessed we had made well over twenty-five miles for the day when we made camp. We were well into Virginia now and I figured we were only about one day's travel from Richmond. Day 87 - Monday, July 26, 1847 As we were passing through the town of Mechanicsville, we saw what looked like an auction getting ready to be started. I suggested we stop and see what was going to be sold. I didn't realize at the time just how much trouble this was going to cause. We stopped the horses a couple of hundred feet from where the crowd had gathered and left them, ground tied, munching grass. The mules, we tethered together. I was sure they weren't going to wander off. The odds of all three wanting to go the same direction at the same time were astronomical. Over to one side, we saw a black man, who looked to be in his mid forties. There was a woman with him who looked to be about the same age, and two girls who were about Sam and Cassie's ages. All of them were crying like their hearts were broken. "Excuse me, sir," I said to a man who was dressed as a dandy. "Why are the blacks over there crying?" "Blacks? I'd never heard them called that. It is descriptive though. They're crying because they're about to be sold. They're a family and it's unlikely the same person will buy them all. I'm afraid old Mr. Wilson has spoiled them terribly. He let them live together for years and I don't think he even fucked either of the girls." The man's voice was kind of prissy and I took an immediate dislike to him. "We're new around here, sir. Why wouldn't the same person want to buy them all, so they could stay together?" "Why would they? They're just niggers. The buck is getting old and besides that, he's just a field nigger. He probably won't bring more than fifty dollars. The woman is a little old too, but she's a house nigger and she has quite a few good years left. Besides, she's probably a pretty good fuck, only having had two kids. She'll bring closer to a hundred. The girls are prime. They can be trained as house niggers and almost anyone would want to fuck them. I'll bet they're still virgins." "Thank you, sir," I said and moved away. I pulled Sam and Cassie off to the side and asked if they'd heard what the man was saying. "Yes, the insufferable prick," Sam said. "We can't let this happen, Ed." "We can try to buy them all, honey, but they're going to be expensive," I said. "I don't care if it costs everything we have," Cassie said. "We can't let this happen, especially if the girls are going to be sold as fuck toys." "Yeah, you're right," I said. "There's an outhouse over there. Cassie, go over there and take about a hundred of the coins out of your money belt. Bring them to me without anyone seeing them." Sam and Cassie took off toward the outhouse, and Andy worked his way over beside me. "Ed, I'm going to shoot the first man who lays a hand on those people." "Hang on, Andy. We're going to try to buy them." "That'll cost a fortune. I doubt you have enough money to buy all of them." I had to grin. "I think we can do it Andy. When we get back up north, we'll give them their freedom. I don't believe in slavery and I don't believe in pretty young girls being made into fuck toys." "Some of the local gentry may get upset about you buying them, but I'll back you up all the way." "Thanks, Andy. Why don't you work your way around to the other side of the crowd. Tell M & M and Tommy to go stay with the horses. We may need to get out of here quickly." "Okay, I'll get Sarah Beth to go with them. I'm going to tell the girls we'll both skin their butts if they're not where they're supposed to be when we come for them." Andy wandered off as if he didn't have a care in the world. I saw him stop and have a whispered conversation with the kids, then he moved on over to the other side of the crowd. ------- Chapter 18 Sam and Cassie came back just before the auction started. It seemed Mr. Wilson had died and they were selling off everything he had. They started out selling furniture, then they started selling livestock. The last of the livestock to sell was the slaves. They auctioned off half a dozen young black men. I wished we could have bought all of them and released them, but there was just no way we could afford to do it. Finally, they brought the black father out on the stage. The auctioneer had the man stand, facing the crowd. "What am I bid for this fine field hand?" the auctioneer asked. "Fine field hand my ass," someone yelled. "He ain't gonna last much longer working in the fields. Get rid of him and sell the girls." "We must dispose of the property in the order Mr. Portnoy specified. Now do I have a bid for this field hand?" "Five dollars," I yelled. "Five dollars?" the auctioneer said. "That's not nearly enough for this buck. Do I hear ten?" "Ten dollars," said the fop I had been talking to earlier. "I have ten dollars, do I hear fifteen?" "Fifteen," I said. "I have fifteen dollars. Do I hear twenty?" "Seventeen," said the fop. "Twenty," I yelled without waiting for the auctioneer. "I have twenty dollars. Do I hear twenty five?" No one said anything, so the auctioneer repeated, "I have twenty dollars. Do I hear twenty five?" Again there was silence. "Are there any other bids?" Silence. "Sold to the man in the buckskins for twenty dollars." The auctioneer took the black man off the stage and brought up his wife. He made her stand, then turn around. He stopped her when she was again facing the crowd. "We have here a fine house nigger. She has worked in Mr. Wilson's house for many years and has been the primary cook for the last ten years. What am I bid for this fine house nigger?" "Ten dollars," I said. "Twenty," someone yelled from the other side of the crowd. "Thirty," I yelled. "Forty." "Fifty," I said. "Fifty five," the other voice yelled. "Sixty," I said. "I have a bid of sixty dollars, do I hear seventy?" "Sixty five," the other man said hesitantly. "Seventy," I said. "I have seventy dollars, do I hear seventy five?" Silence. "Seventy dollars, going once... Going twice... Sold to the man in the buckskins for seventy dollars." The auctioneer took the woman off of the stage and brought up the two girls. He made them turn around like he had their mother. The fop I had been talking to yelled, "Make them strip." "Take off your dresses, girls," the auctioneer said. Both girls lifted their dresses over their heads and stood naked in front of the crowd. "Turn around," the auctioneer said. The girls did a complete turn and again stood facing the crowd. They were no longer crying. They just looked numb. "These girls have been working in the Wilson kitchen for the last ten years. According to the records, they are fifteen years old. As you can see from looking at them, they are twins. We're selling them as a pair. What am I bid for the two of them?" "One hundred dollars," the fop said. "One fifty," someone else yelled. "Two hundred," I said. "Two fifty," from the fop. "Three hundred," from the other man. "Four hundred," I said. "Four fifty," the fop said. Nothing came from the other man, so I said, "Five hundred." "Five fifty," the fop looked at me angrily. "Six hundred," I said with a smile. "Can you break them up and sell them separately?" the fop yelled to the auctioneer. "No, sir. Mr. Portnoy said to sell them as a pair. I have a bid of six hundred. Do I hear six fifty?" The fop hesitated, but then said, "Six fifty." "Seven hundred, I said quickly. The fop glared at me, but kept his mouth shut. "I have a bid of seven hundred. Do I hear any more bids?" Silence from everyone. "Going once for seven hundred... Going twice... Sold to the man in the buckskins for seven hundred dollars." The auctioneer took the girls off the stage and I went over to where a man was handling the transactions. "That'll be seven hundred and ninety dollars total for the four niggers," he said. "Where are their papers?" I asked as I started counting out the money. "Right here, sir. Who shall I make the bills of sale out to?" "Make them to Ed Hill," I said and handed him the money. Andy had come up behind me as I was counting the money so I turned to him and said, "Get them on the horses while I get the bills of sale." Andy moved them out and I saw Sam and Cassie following them. The man handed me four bills of sale and I started to follow my family. The fop stopped me. "What would you sell one of the girls to me for?" he asked. "I'm sorry," I said. "They're not for sale." "I'll give you four hundred for one of them." "Sorry. Not for sale." "Look here, my good man. Prime stuff like that doesn't become available very often. I'll give you five hundred for one of them." "Sorry. Now if you'll excuse me, we have to be on our way." I pushed past him and went to the horses. The man was mounted behind Sam and the woman was behind Cassie. One of the girls was behind Andy and the other was on Hawk. I mounted up and swung Hawk around. "Head out of town to the north," I said. "We'll swing back around to the south after we're our of town." As we were clearing the edge of town, Sam rode up beside me. "This is Jud," she said. "He wants to thank you for keeping them all together." "Yes, Massa, thank you. Muh wife and muh daughters mean a lot to me." "That's okay, Jud, but I'm Ed. I'm nobody's Massa." ------- We rode on for a while, then Andy indicated we should turn to the west. We traveled for about an hour in that direction before we again turned south. About two hours later, we stopped for lunch in a little glade, well off the road. Sam and Cassie started preparing to cook while Andy gathered some firewood for them. I called the black family over to me and said, "Folks, we could see you were in a lot of distress because you were being split up. My wives and I decided we weren't going to let that happen. We had the money, so we bought you." "Thank you, Massa," they chorused. "We're traveling around right now. Eventually, we're going to be going back to the northern states where slavery is illegal. We don't believe in slavery, so when we get to the northern states, we will set you free. We'd do it now, but it would be difficult for you to make it through the south even if you had manumission papers." None of them said anything, they just all stood there looking at me. "Doesn't it mean anything to you to know you're going to be set free?" "Well, Massa, Massa Wilson, he say he uz gonna set us free afore he died, but he didn't. Besides, what're we gonna do if'n we're free? We don't got no home. We don't got no money. We don't got no job. Seems to me like being free is jus a way to starve." "Well, we'll see how you feel when the time comes. We'll make sure you're able to make it on your own." "Thank you, Massa." "All of you, please call me Ed. I don't want to be anyone's master. I want you to start thinking like free people right now." "We'll try, Ma... Ed. We done been slaves all ob our lives though. Our fathers and mothers was slaves and so was their fathers and mothers." "I know, Jud. It's not going to be an easy transition. In a year or two, my family is going to go to Oregon. We're going to start a ranch out there. You're all welcome to go with us if you'd like. You don't have to, but you're welcome if you want to." "Thank you, Mas... Ed." "What are all of your names?" I asked. "Mu wife is Wilhelmina," he said. "De girls are Delia and Dalia. Dey ain't twins though. De man lied tu you tu get a higher price. Delia, she almost a year older dan Dalia." None of them had said anything except Jud, so I asked, "Which one of you is Delia?" The one closest to her father said, "I am, Massa." "Enough of this Massa shit," I said. "I want you all to call me Ed." I looked at Delia and said, "What is my name, Delia?" She lowered her eyes and said in a small voice, "Ed." "Dalia, what is my name?" I asked as I looked at her. "Ed." "Mina," I said, looking at their mother, "What is my name?" "Ed. I like being called Mina. My mama called me that." "Finally some spunk," I thought. "From now on, you ladies can help my wives with the cooking while we're traveling. You're nobody's slaves though. As far as we're concerned, you are just the same as we are. We all work to see what needs to be done, gets done." I knew it was going to be a long road, but I wanted to instill some self worth in these people. They'd need it if they were going to make it on their own. ------- The new women helped Sam, Cassie and Sarah Beth clean up after lunch, then we packed up and got moving again. Andy suggested we head west again until dark, to further cover our tracks. "If they've got a tracker, it won't do us any good, but if they're just out looking for us, it might throw them off," he said. We rode all afternoon and not long before we were going to call it a day we passed a small town or maybe it was just a cluster of houses. We didn't want to be noticed, so we skirted it and moved on until it was nearly dark. We moved well back into a grove of trees and set up camp for the night. It looked like it might rain, so we were a little concerned about what to do about our new additions. Sarah Beth blushed and said she could sleep in Andy's tent if we wanted to give her tent to the new people. A little later, Sam said that Delia and Dalia wanted to give their parents one night alone, so Delia would sleep in the tent with us and Dalia would sleep with M & M and Tommy. We sat around after supper and discussed what we needed to do about transportation. We talked about getting horses for the new people, but none of them had ever ridden much. We knew they could be taught to ride, but then Andy said, "Maybe it's time to start thinking about getting a wagon." "We'd have to backtrack a little, but I'll bet we could find a suitable wagon in Richmond," I said. "If we get one of those big covered wagons, we'll need six or eight mules or about six oxen to pull it," Andy said. "Yeah, and I've been told that Homer won't pull a wagon, so that just leaves us two that will pull." Andy laughed. "I'll bet I can make that big bastard pull a wagon. Actually, they're usually just afraid of the harness when they refuse to pull. If we get him used to the harness then use blinders on him, there won't be a problem." "Okay, so that'd be at least three more mules and a wagon and harness. How much do you think that'll cost us?" "I'd guess around three hundred. Can we afford it?" "Yeah, we can afford it. Let's think about it tonight and figure out the best way to do it. ------- When bedtime came around, I looked into our tent and saw the entire floor of the tent was covered, making one big bed. Sam, Cassie and Delia were already inside, so I crawled in to see if there was going to be enough room for me to sleep. Cassie and Delia were on the outsides and it looked like they had left me a spot between Sam and Cassie. "Strip to your underwear," Sam said. "We're all naked, but Delia is a virgin and I don't want to frighten her." "I wouldn't be afraid, Missy Sam. I've seen a man's pecker afore. Massa Wilson used to show me his alla time. He said someday he was gonna stick it in my pussy." "Delia, no one around here would ever force you to have sex," I said. "Sex is something that should bring you pleasure. It's not something you should be forced to do." "Oh, it does bring pleasure," Cassie giggled. "Sometimes it brings so much pleasure I think I'm going to pass out." "Mama and papa seem to like it," Delia said. "Dalia and me used to watch them until we got older and they made us quit." I leaned over and kissed Cassie, then I kissed Sam. "Ladies, tomorrow is going to be a long day. I think we need to get some sleep." We ended up with me snuggled up to Cassie's butt and Sam snuggled up to mine. I was asleep before I could even think about it. Day 88 - Tuesday, July 27, 1847 Mina shooed Sam and Cassie away from the cooking fire this morning. She said she was going to make breakfast. I'll have to admit, it was wonderful. "Andy, I think I would be recognized by too many people because of my bidding in the auction. Would you consider going into Richmond and buying us a wagon and everything we need?" I asked. "I was going to suggest that, Ed, but that is a passel of money I'd have to carry and I didn't want you to be worried that I'd run off with it," he grinned. "I think we've learned by now we can trust each other," I returned his grin. "Will you need any help with it?" "Not really, but I may take Tommy and Sarah Beth along if you don't mind. "They were with the horses most of the time we were at the auction and I don't think anyone noticed them. They might take some attention off of me." "Okay, that sounds like a fine idea. Do you have any idea how far it is to Richmond from here?" "I'd say it's not more than six or seven miles. We should easily be back by dark." "Okay, I think we'll stay right here then." I got Andy off to himself and counted out five hundred dollars for him. He took it and nodded, then he saddled his horse, collected Tommy and Sarah Beth, and took off for Richmond. ------- I got to talk with Jud for a while this morning. Jud is uneducated, but he is not dumb. He catches on to things quickly. He and his people have been beaten down for so many years, it is difficult, if not impossible, for him to be aggressive. When I asked him his last name, he said, "I don't hab no las name, Ed. Slaves are usually called by de las name ob de Massa, so until Massa Wilson died, I'd hab been Jud Wilson. Now, I jus don't know. What is your las name?" "My last name is Hill, Jud. If you would like to use my last name, you are certainly welcome to." Jud smiled and said, "I think I'd like that jus fine." "Remember though, Jud. If you use the name, Hill, you're my brother, not my slave. I don't ever want you thinking like a slave again." Jud nodded his head and I could see tears streaming down his face. "Are my babies really gonna be free, Ed?" "They're free right now, Jud. If all of you wanted to walk away from this camp right now, I'd just ask you to wait until I signed your manumission papers." "Why did you do dis fo us? You spent a lot ob money, buying us, now you say we're free. Why did you do it?" "Well, I don't believe anyone should be a slave. My wives and I saw how torn up all of you were about being sold separately and we just had to do something about it. When Mina gets an idea in her mind, does it do you any good to argue with her?" Jud smiled and shook his head. "My wives are the same way. They told me I had to buy all of you even if it took every last penny we had. I don't argue with them either." Before he could answer, Sam came walking up. "Gentlemen," she said. She looked at me then at Jud. "I think it's time we got rid of those slave clothes. Jud, you're about the same size as Ed, so we can give you one of his spare outfits. Mina is about my size and the girls are about Cassie's size." "Thank you ma'am, but you've done enough fo us. We okay wif whut we wearing." "Jud, those are slave clothes and we're not going to have our family or friends wearing slave clothes. It's also time we all had a bath. I'll get some fresh clothes out for everyone, then we can all get clean before we put them on." She turned and walked off before Jud could say anything else. He turned to me and asked, "She don mean we all gonna take a baph in de same place at de same time do she?" "I'm afraid she probably does, Jud." "It ain't right fo a nigger ta see a white woman naked," he said. "Let's get something straight here, Jud. You aren't a nigger. A nigger is a slave. You aren't a slave. You're our friend. As for seeing my wives naked, you're going to need to get used to that. All of us like to run around without our clothes on, when it's just family or friends around." Sam came back down with a whole stack of clean clothes. She laid them out on the creek bank and looked back toward our tent. Cassie was walking toward us with three or four blankets. She was followed closely by Mindy, Mandy, Delia, Dalia and Mina. None of them were wearing clothes. Sam turned to us and smiled. "Get naked," she said. She started removing her clothes, so I started removing mine. Jud stood there for a minute, looking at all the naked women and girls, then he started to undress too. Once we were all in the water, M & M started a water fight and everyone, including Jud, joined in. We had a lot of fun before Sam pronounced we should wash up and get out. We all laid on the blankets to dry off. After lunch, we all just laid around and waited for Andy. I think it was starting to sink in to these people that we thought they were just as good as we were. Delia even came over and talked with me for a bit. She was asking questions about what it was like in the northern states and what it was like in Oregon. ------- Andy, Sarah Beth and Tommy came back, just before supper with a huge covered wagon. We all had to look it over and it was well worth looking at. It was being pulled by eight mules, our three old ones and five new ones. Andy was grinning as he got off the wagon. "Ain't it a beauty?" he asked. "Sure is," I said. "I see you managed to get Homer to pull a wagon." "Yep. Nothing to it. This didn't cost near as much as I was afraid it would either. The wagon was $70. The mules were $10 each. The harness and collars cost $15. Since it was so cheap, I hope you don't mind, but I bought a barrel of flour and a barrel of cornmeal and a barrel of molasses. I also got a keg of sugar and a keg of coffee." "I don't mind the extras at all," I said. "I imagine we'll stock up on some other stuff as we go along." Of course M & M were climbing all over the wagon. Tommy was showing them the different features. "Most of these wagons don't have a wagon box for the driver to sit on. That's because most of them are pulled by oxen. This one had a box and I was glad of it," Andy said. "Yeah, me too." ------- Andy had bought a corn shuck mattress for the floor of the wagon and everyone insisted that Sam, Cassie and I start sleeping in there. We didn't fight it too hard. We kept one of the sleeping bags to cover the mattress with and kept a couple of blankets for cool nights. We were as snug as three bugs in a rug when we got settled in. Delia, and Dalia took over our tent and everyone else went back to the way they were. ------- Chapter 19 Day 89 - Wednesday, July 28, 1847 Andy woke me up sometime after midnight and said for me to get up. I dressed and got out of the wagon, then asked in a low voice, "What's up?" "There are four men camped about a half mile to the east of here. I think one of them is the man who was bidding against you at the auction." "What do you think they're up to?" I asked. I was scared, but I hoped it didn't show in my voice. "I think he wants Delia and Dalia. What is he willing to do to get them? I don't know, but I think we should be prepared for the worst." "Okay, I agree. When do you think they'll make themselves known?" "I'd say at first light. They'll probably come into camp before they think any of us are up." "Then, we should have a surprise waiting for them. First off, I think we should get everyone out of camp and put them somewhere safe." "Yeah, I agree. I wonder if Jud can shoot a gun?" "I used to do all ob da huntin fo Massa Wilson," Jud said from where he had sneaked up behind us. "Shit, Jud, you like to have scared the crap out of me. Could you shoot a man if you had to? A white man?" "I know what dey planning ta do ta my babies," Jud said. "I could shoot 'em." "Good. What I think we should do is get our families to safety. I'll start a camp fire before daylight and start some coffee brewing. Jud, you and Andy need to be hiding where you're not going to be seen. Once they ride into camp, I'll try to talk to them. If they act threateningly toward me, then shoot the bastards." Andy nodded. "That's probably the best way. If I fire a shot, Jud, start shooting the bastards. I'll have a revolver and you can take Ed's revolver." "Remember, Jud, it's your babies you're protecting," I said. "My babies and my friends." Jud said he'd wake his family and get them ready to move out. Andy volunteered to wake M & M and Tommy, but I said I thought Sam should do that and that they should be the last to be awakened. He had to agree. I went into the wagon and quietly awakened Sam and Cassie. "We have a problem. The guy who was bidding against me at the auction is camped with three other guys not far from here." "What are we going to do?" Sam asked in a concerned, but calm voice. "We want to get you ladies and the kids hidden in the woods. Come morning, Andy, Jud, and I will take care of them. Andy and Jud will be hidden when they come into camp. If I can talk them out of doing anything, then fine. Otherwise, Andy and Jud will take them out from ambush." "That sounds good, except I'm going to be hidden close to the camp too. If trouble breaks out, I plan to protect my husband. I'm a pretty good shot with a rifle now, you know," Sam said. I had been giving Sam and Cassie lessons in shooting since we had left Maine. I had wanted them to be able to provide for themselves if something happened to me. They really had gotten very good. "I'll be there too," Cassie said. "There's no way we're going to depend on someone else to protect our husband." My heart felt as big as Virginia. I knew there was no use arguing with them and I knew they would be relatively safe, so I let it drop. While we had been talking, the girls had gotten dressed. "Do you have any idea where we should put the kids?" Sam asked. "Not really. I'd say somewhere across the creek and far enough away they'll be safe if any shots are fired." "I know just the place," Cassie said. "Delia and I were walking over there this afternoon. There's a dead fall you could hide a dozen people behind." "Okay, Jud is waking his family up. We need to quietly wake the kids and get them moved over there. Take all of the sleeping bags and some blankets so they're nice and snug." Sam and Cassie moved out as silently as a mountain lion stalking its prey. If I had been watching the camp from fifty yards away, I don't think I'd have even known anything was going on. Within twenty minutes, Andy, Jud, Sam, Cassie and I were the only ones in camp. Sam took my rifle and made sure it was loaded properly. Andy loaned his rifle to Cassie. I helped the women find places where they could watch the camp, but where they wouldn't be seen. Each of them took a blanket to wrap up in. My guess was that it was now around 2:00 AM. It was still several hours until morning. Andy, Jud and I decided we were going to try to get a couple of hours sleep each. One of us would stay on watch for an hour and then he'd wake another one. Andy said he was too keyed up to sleep, so he'd take the first watch. I thought I might have trouble sleeping as well, but as soon as I laid down, I was out. Andy woke me up two hours later. He hadn't been able to sleep, so he stood Jud's watch too. I got up and walked around a bit to make sure I was going to stay awake. The next hour dragged by, but finally, I woke Jud and Andy up. I started building a camp fire and got some coffee brewing, while Andy went off to make sure Sam and Cassie were awake. I didn't want to be left completely defenseless, so I tucked the little .32 automatic in the back of my pants, under my shirt. I was sitting there, sipping on my second cup of coffee when I heard horses coming. I waited patiently while they rode into camp. As Andy had said, there were four of them. "Good morning," I said with what I hoped passed for a smile. "Get down and have some coffee." "We didn't come here for coffee," the fop said. "We came here for the nigger bitches." "I told you they're not for sale," I said. "Oh, we ain't planning on buying them. I offered to buy one of them from you, but you wouldn't take a fair offer. Now, we're just going to take both of them. If you cooperate, you can stay alive. If not, then we'll have to kill you before we take them away." "Now, that might be just a little difficult for you to do. There are four guns aimed at you right now by people who know how to use them and who wouldn't hesitate for a second before blowing you away. If you'll just turn around and ride out of camp right now, we'll just say it was a mistake on your part and let it go at that." "You're bluffing, you bumpkin. Bring the bitches out now." "Bob, maybe we should listen to him," one of the other men said. "I'm not going to listen to him, I'm going to put a bullet through him," the fop said as he reached for a revolver. I don't know who shot first and I don't know who hit whom. All I know is that before either the fop or I could get to our guns, all four of the men were on the ground. I'm sure I heard at least six shots fired and there may have been more. None of them came from the men on the ground. Sam and Cassie came splashing across the creek and threw their arms around me. Andy and Jud came out of the bushes more slowly, still alert to the men on the ground. Jud went over to them and pushed on each of them with the toe of his moccasin. One of the men groaned, so Jud shot him in the head. A few seconds later, Sarah Beth came running across the creek and threw her arms around Andy. "They're all dead," Jud said as he walked away from them. "If any ob dem had been alive, we'd hab all been hanged by tomorrow." "He's right," Andy said. "We should take anything of value that they have and bury them." In some ways it didn't seem right to rob the dead, but they had been prepared to kill all of us, so I couldn't think It was too bad a thing. "Okay," I nodded. "Let's see what they have on them." Three of the men had almost fifty dollars between them. The fop had over five hundred in gold coins in his saddlebags. All of them had revolvers. Andy said there was a ravine off to our right, so we dragged the bodies there. Only the fop had anything on him that told who he was. He had a bill of sale for one of the black men at the auction made out to Robert Pierpont Wadsworth. We stripped them and tumbled them into the ravine, then caved the bank in on them. After a few weeks, no one in this age would be able to identify the bodies even if they washed out. We figured we'd burn pieces of their clothing at each camp we made. We kept their horses and saddles. I know that was a risk, but we just couldn't see throwing away a couple of hundred dollars worth of horses. Mina made breakfast and after we had eaten, we loaded the wagon and tied the new horses on behind it with lead ropes. We started out almost due west. I thought I remembered from the history courses I had taken that they were always looking for runaway slaves throughout the south. I was afraid that if we headed back north right away, we'd at least be stopped. I also thought that Kentucky was part slave and part free. Our cover story was going to be that we were going to Kentucky to buy horses for our ranch in North Carolina. Jud had driven wagons all of his life, so he took over driving our wagon. Mina rode beside him on the box and Delia and Dalia rode inside. We were going across country, but I wanted to get on a road as soon as we could. I knew we were going to be going through some mountainous country, so I figured it would be easier traveling if we went by road. We had actually come about fifteen miles before we ran into what would later become US-60. I thought that would be a good way to go. Since it was late afternoon and we were all tired from lack of sleep last night, we decided to camp early. We went about a quarter of a mile off the road and found a nice place to camp. Andy said we should hobble all of the horses and mules, so we did. Except for Hawk. He still thinks he's a puppy and hangs around our camp, even if there's much better grass elsewhere. I noticed Delia and Dalia were walking very stiffly after they had gotten out of the wagon, so I asked Delia about it. "It's riding in that wagon that's got us all stoved up. It was a lot easier on Dalia and me when we were riding behind you guys." "Would you like to ride horses of your own tomorrow?" I asked. Both of them thought that would be great. ------- I asked Jud and Mina after dinner if riding on the wagon had been okay for them and both of them said it had been. It turns out that the wagon doesn't have any springs, but the seat in the wagon box does. I could see why it had been a much more comfortable ride for Jud and Mina. We were all so tired we turned in long before it was dark. When Sam, Cassie and I had cuddled up, Sam said, "We need to talk about M & M and Tommy. I was very surprised and a little shocked with what I saw when I went in to wake them up last night." "What was that?" I asked. "All three of them were lying in bed, naked. Tommy was in the middle. He had a hell of a hardon for a kid his age and Mindy had her hand wrapped around it, like it belonged to her." I had to laugh and Cassie started giggling. "So, the little shits have discovered sex at an early age. Do you think they've done anything besides show, touch, and feel?" "I doubt it," Sam said hesitantly. "I'm not sure a boy Tommy's age can even do it." "If he can get a hardon, he can do it. The question is, can the girls do it. Their vaginas have to be tiny at this age." "Yeah, but I remember girls I went to school with talking about sticking a large crayon inside themselves when I was that age," Cassie said. "Tommy's penis can't be much bigger around than a large crayon." For some reason this got us all giggling. After we calmed down, Sam said, "I think I'll have a talk with them. I don't want to make them afraid of sex, but I do want them to be responsible. I want them to know to wait until they know they are ready before they do anything." "I think that's a good idea, honey. Let them know that you and Cassie were both virgins until you got with me." "Yeah, you old devirginator, you," Cassie giggled. Of course, I had to tickle her and that led to kisses and caresses, which led to gentle love making. I was pleased to see Sam making love to Cassie's beautiful breasts as Cassie and I were making love. Day 90 - Thursday, July 29, 1847 We got a good, early start this morning and were on the road by 7:00 AM. We weren't trying to go fast, just steady. We got Delia and Dalia mounted on two of the horses we had acquired from the men who had attacked our camp. They seemed much better satisfied. Not long after we got started, I saw Sam, Mindy, and Mandy ride on ahead of the rest of us. M & M looked excited like they were on an adventure. When they rejoined the group, almost an hour later, they looked like the adventure had almost been too much for them. Sam didn't look in too much better shape when she rode back over beside me. "Hi, Sweety," I said. "I swear I feel like choking them," Sam said. "Mandy isn't so bad, but Mindy is a little shit." "How's that?" "She thinks she knows everything. I started trying to tell her how dangerous it was to have sex at her age and she assured me there was no danger at all. She said that they weren't really having sex anyway. She said that she and Tommy just like to touch each other. I told her that we really didn't mind that much for them to see each other naked or for them to touch each other, but that she needed to mature a lot before she had regular sex." "What did she say to that?" "She said she planned to wait at least a year." Okay, so it was all I could do to keep from cracking up. "Did you ask her to please talk to you before she did anything like that?" "I did and she said she might. Then Mandy spoke up and said Mindy had been sucking Tommy's cock. I felt like I'd swallowed a bug. I didn't even know how to react. Finally, I asked Mindy what had given her the idea to do that and she said she'd watched me and Cassie both do it to you." "Oh, shit," I said. "Oh, shit is right. What could I say to her. She's right. Both Cassie and I have sucked your cock and they've probably sneaked around and watched. I told her that since we were older it was okay for Cassie and me. Then she asked me how old she had to be before it was okay for her to suck Tommy's cock." "It just gets deeper," I said. "Oh, yeah. I told her she should be at least fourteen. That's when Mandy almost made me lose my cool. She asked me if it would be okay for her to suck your cock when she was fourteen." "Oh, shit." "Is that all you can say? Anyway, it seems that Mindy has a crush on Tommy and Mandy has a crush on you. We're going to have to keep a tight reign on those two, Ed." "What do you suggest?" "The first thing I'd suggest would be to see if Andy and Sarah Beth minded if Tommy started sleeping with them. That would eliminate a big chunk of the time they can be alone together. Evidently they don't have any hesitation about performing in front on Mandy." "Okay, that makes sense. I'll talk to Andy. Is there anything else we should be doing?" "I just don't know. Is what they're doing really wrong? As long as neither of them got hurt would it be wrong if they went all the way? I just don't know." "I don't know either, honey. I know the church would say it was wrong. I know my mother would say it is wrong. I'll be damned if I know if I think it is wrong." Sam reached over and took my hand. We held hands as we rode for several miles. "Is this the way it's going to be, being a parent?" I asked. Sam giggled, "I guess we're going to find out." ------- I did talk to Andy a little later and he got a big laugh out of the situation. He did agree that Tommy could sleep in his tent for the foreseeable future. It was sometime after lunch when Mindy rode her horse over close to me. "Could I talk to you for a minute, papa?" "Sure, Mindy," I said. "Talk away." "I mean could we ride off to the side for a few minutes so we can talk in private?" I just turned Hawk slightly and rode off about twenty yards or so. "Okay, what is it, little one." "Well, papa, mama Sam talked to me this morning about me and Tommy touching each other. She said we're too young to be doing that. Then Mandy had to open her big mouth and tell her we had been doing some other things too." "Mindy, I heard all about it from Sam. I have to agree with her that you are too young to be having oral sex with each other." "Well, I don't agree. Now, she's gone and talked to Andy and now Tommy is going to have to sleep in Andy's tent and we won't have any time together." "I'm the one who talked to Andy and I asked him if Tommy could sleep in his tent. It was my idea. Mindy, what you don't realize is that one thing leads to another. At first, you and Tommy probably just kissed. The kissing made you want to do more, so you ended up touching each other in a sexual way. Touching each other made you want to do more, so you started using your mouths on each other. Pretty soon that isn't going to be enough, and the only thing left after that is to have sex." "Papa. I don't think I'm ready to have sex. I don't think using our mouths on each other would make me want to have sex." "Mindy, it will. That's the way we're made. The strongest urge our bodies has, besides the need for food and water, is sex. Our bodies need it because we're made to want to have sex so we can have babies." "But, papa, even if I did decide I wanted to have sex, whose business is it but mine?" "Well, it's my business and it's Sam's business and it's Cassie's business. When we took you in, we did it so we could take care of you and protect you. That includes protecting you from hurting yourself." "But, papa, why do you think it would hurt me?" "It would hurt you because your body isn't mature enough for sex. Your vagina, the little hole down between your legs where a penis is supposed to fit, isn't big enough for a penis to fit inside it yet." "How old will I have to be before you think it'll be big enough?" "I don't know for sure, but I'd say around thirteen or fourteen." "What's gonna happen if I just go ahead and do it anyway?" "Then I know it's going to hurt you really bad. How do I know that? Because if you just go ahead and do it, I'm going to blister your butt until you won't be able to sit down for a week or two." ------- Okay, so I don't think my talk with Mindy went all that well. Nine years old and she's having oral sex. I know Clinton said a blowjob isn't sex, but in my opinion it is. I also think what I told Mindy about one thing leading to another is true. The big question is, "How old is old enough?" In the twentieth century, the age of consent was set by the different states. In some states it was as low as fifteen. In others it was as late as eighteen. Who was right, or were any of them right? Sam had reminded me some time before that many young women were married at the age of fourteen or even younger in this era. Was fourteen the proper age of consent? Or, was the age of consent a complete fiction? Shouldn't it really depend on the physical and mental maturity of the child? I was so confused I just had no idea what to do. I guess I had completely lost track of what was going on around me, because I looked up and Delia was riding beside me. I had no idea when she had come over. "Hey, young lady," I said. "Do you feel better riding a horse than you did riding the wagon?" "Yes, I feel much better. You looked like you were confused about something." "Yeah, I am. At what age is it okay for a girl to have sex for the first time?" "I'm not the right one to ask about that. A nigger girl has sex the first time a Massa decides he wants to have sex with her." "Delia, you're as pretty as any girl I've ever seen. Why didn't you have sex at a young age?" "Massa Wilson's pecker didn't work. He'd show it to me and tell me he was going to stick it in me, but it wouldn't get hard." "Well, that explains that. I was wondering how girls as pretty as you and Dalia had managed to avoid a master." "You're worried about Mindy and Tommy ain't you?" "Yeah. How did you find out about them so quickly?" "Dalia slept with them the first night we was with you." "I'm just worried that having sex too early will hurt Mindy." "If it was a growed man it might. With a boy, it proly won't." "Actually, I'm thinking of it hurting her mentally more than physically. Is it going to make her not like sex later in life?" "Mama's Massa took her the first time when she was eight years old. She sure likes to have sex with papa." "Thank you Delia. You are a breath of fresh air." We rode in silence for a while, then Delia asked, "Ed, what's it like being free?" "That's a hard question for me to answer, Delia, because I don't know what it's really like not being free. Describe what a day would have been like when you were with Wilson and I'll try to tell you how it would be different if you were free and just working for him." "Well, let's see. Breakfast was at 7:00 AM for the Massa, so we all had to be up at five thirty. We'd clean the kitchen and then get out some ham or bacon and slice it thin for frying. At the proper time, mama would mix up the batter for biscuits. Dalia and me would go out and gather fresh eggs for the Massa's breakfast. "At six thirty, Dalia or me would go up and wake up the Massa. While he was getting dressed, we'd warm up a pot of molasses and get out a plate of butter. Mama would make grits as the biscuits baked. Just before the Massa came downstairs, mama would fry the bacon and the eggs. "While the Massa was eating, Dalia and me would empty his slop jar and make his bed. We'd clean his room and make sure all of his clothes were either put in the basket to wash, or put away." "Delia, it sounds like you did a full day's work before breakfast. The difference in what I've heard so far is that if I told Sam to make me some breakfast, she could say, 'Make it yourself, and while you're at it, make me some too.' If I told her to empty the slop jar, she'd probably tell me to do that myself as well." Delia drew in her breath, sharply, when I said this. "You mean even your wife don't have to do what you tell her?" "No and I don't have to do what she tells me either. She does things for me because she wants to please me. I do things for her because I want to please her." I could tell this was a completely new concept for Delia. She had been brought up all her life to do what she was told to do. If she didn't she was punished. "Talk to Sam and Cassie later. They'll tell you just about the same as I am. I'll never tell you to do anything unless someone or something is in danger. If I ask you to do something, you have a perfect right to tell me to go to hell." "Oh, I'd never tell you that." "Okay then, if I ask you to do something, you have a perfect right to say no." I could see Delia working this concept over in her mind. She was young enough and smart enough I hoped she could get over the slave mentality. ------- At our nooning, Andy and Sarah Beth blew us away. "At the next town that is big enough to have a parson, Sarah Beth and I are getting married," Andy said. We had been so busy trying to get a stake, then just trying to survive that Sam and I really hadn't thought about marriage since we had made our return to the past. There was no reason we couldn't get married in this age though. The marriage laws were almost nonexistent during this period, and I had told Sam I was going to marry her as soon as it was legal in our original time. After lunch, I asked Sam to ride with me for a way. We went off to ourselves and I asked, "Sam, when we get to the next town that has a parson, will you marry me?" "Oh, God, yes!" she said. "I still find I love you more every day I'm with you, Sam. This return to the past has been the best thing that could have ever happened to us. We are totally free of our past lives." "I'm going to put one condition on my marrying you, Ed. I think Cassie has come to mean as much to you as I do. I want you to promise me that the second town we come to that has a parson, you'll marry Cassie too." It's hard for two people to kiss when they're both riding horses, but somehow we managed. ------- Chapter 20 Some time later, I managed to get Cassie off by ourselves. "Cassie, my love," I said. "I have asked Sam to marry me at the first town we come to that has a parson, and she accepted." I could see several emotions cross her pretty face. There had been happiness, maybe some doubt, some fear, then resignation. "When we come to the second town that has a parson, would you marry me as well?" I asked. Now there was only one emotion, Joy. We had been riding close together, side by side. Cassie stood in her stirrups, raised her outer foot, and pivoted so that she was standing on one stirrup, facing backwards. She made a leap, and all of a sudden, I had a pretty young girl in my lap, facing me. She knocked the reins out of my hand and threw her arms around me. Hawk came to a stop and looked around over his shoulder at us. "Yes, I'll marry you," she said, then she kissed me like we were the only two people in the world. Sam saw what was going on and came riding back to us. "What's going on here?" she asked. "Ed just asked me to marry him," Cassie said with a big smile. "Oh, I knew he was going to do that. I take it you're happy about that?" "Yep," Cassie's grin was contagious and soon all three were grinning like idiots. When we camped for the night, I was so happy we had Mina with us. Neither Sam nor Cassie nor Sarah Beth were worth a damn when it came to getting the camp set up and supper cooked. Day 91 - Friday, July 30, 1847 Cassie, Sam, and I did a lot of cuddling before we rolled out of bed this morning. The nicest part was that Cassie and Sam were cuddling each other almost as much as they were cuddling me. At one point in time I had wondered how I would feel about Sam being with another woman, but the three of us were so close it wasn't a problem at all. We finally made it out of the wagon and found that Mina had breakfast almost ready. Delia came over and sat by Sam as we ate. The first few meals the former slaves had shared with us, they wanted to wait until we had finished eating, then go off by themselves for their meal. Sam had put a stop to that quickly. Now, all of them were eating with us and would even carry on a conversation with us as we ate. Delia and Dalia were adapting much quicker than their parents, but that was to be expected. This morning, Dalia was sitting beside Andy and Sarah Beth and the three of them were talking. "Sam, Ed told me yesterday that you don't have to do what he tells you. How does anyone ever get anything done if no one tells them what to do?" Delia asked. "We all just kind of know what has to be done, and we do it. Some of us are better at one thing and some at other things. We just do what we're best at or like to do most. The other things, that none of us like to do, we do because they have to be done and none of us want to make someone else do something they don't like to do." "What about the real nasty stuff like emptying slop jars?" "Well, if I left a stinky mess in a slop jar," Sam was saying as Cassie started giggling and broke in. "I thought you told me your shit don't stink," Cassie teased. "Yeah, right. Anyway, if I left a mess, I'd clean it up. Any of us would." "What about if you left a mess and you were sick or something?" "Then. I'd clean it up," I said. "Or I would," Cassie added. "You need to remember too, Delia, if it were you that was sick, or your mother or father or Dalia, we'd clean up after you too," I said. Again, Delia looked dumbfounded. We all just sat there for a while, eating Mina's wonderful breakfast. After a while, Delia said, "I know it ain't right, but please don't get fashed with me when I say it. I love all three of you." Sam put her arm around Delia and said, "Why isn't it right, Delia? We all love you too." "It ain't right for a nigger to love a white person," Delia said, her eyes downcast. "Delia," I said. "If I hear you say the nigger word one more time, I'm going to turn you over my knee and spank your pretty bottom. I don't like that word and I don't want to hear any of you using it." ------- It was the middle of the afternoon when we pulled into Buckingham, Virginia. They had a parson. I asked Andy if they were going to go ahead and get married and when he answered in the affirmative, I told him that Sam and I wanted to get married too. We had an incredible afternoon. The parson married both couples as if it was a routine he did once an hour. I guess it could have been a little disappointing for us, but we realized that we were just as married in this day and age as we would have been if we had gone through all of the crap we'd have had to have gone through in our own time. Buckingham also had an ordinary for the stage line, so we tried to get rooms for the night. The only problem was, the landlord said the darkies, as he put it, could stay in the stable, but not in the inn. He said they couldn't even eat with the "white folks", so we just left and went on outside of town to camp. Andy was from this time period, but the landlord's attitude made him as angry as it made me. Sarah Beth was the voice of reason and got us all out of there without a fight breaking out. ------- Tommy ended up spending the night with M & M so Andy and Sarah Beth could have some privacy. Sam was a wild woman when we were in our tent and undressed for bed. Cassie stayed with us, but didn't get involved with our lovemaking other than to caress both of us as we were joined. Day 92 - Saturday, July 31, 1847 As we were eating breakfast, we discussed laying over for a day. Andy had very strong opinions on the matter though. "I want to get out of this God Damned backward country as quickly as I can. Jud and Mina and Delia and Dalia are my friends. Hell, they're my family. I just don't want to be in an area that treats them like this." Since we basically all agreed with him, we decided to move on. After we had been riding for a while, Delia rode over beside me. She didn't say anything for a couple of miles, then she asked, "Andy says mama and papa and Dalia and me are his family. Is that the way you feel too?" "Yes, it is, Delia." "Where you're from up north, do white men ever marry black women?" "Sometimes. Sometimes black men marry white women too." Delia went silent again, so I respected her introspection. After a while, she asked, "Yesterday, you married Sam. Are you married to Cassie too?" "Not officially, yet, but I will be soon. All three of us love each other." Delia nodded. "Sometimes I've seen black women loving each other. Do they do that too?" "Sometimes. Like I said, we all love each other." "I don't know if I could do that with another woman. It just seems wrong." "Why does it seem wrong, Delia?" "Our preacher always said it was wrong for a woman to lay with a woman, or a man to lay with a man." "Well, I believe a little differently than most preachers," I said. "Have you ever heard of the Golden Rule from the bible?" Delia shook her head, so I went on, "Well, it says in the bible, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". That's called the Golden Rule. Do you know what that means?" Another head shake. "Well, it means you shouldn't steal from someone because you wouldn't want them to steal from you. You shouldn't lie to someone because you wouldn't want them to lie to you. You shouldn't kill someone because you wouldn't want them to kill you." "The preacher told us about lying and stealing and killing, but not for that reason." "To go along with that, you should make other people feel good because you'd want them to make you feel good. That's why I don't think it is wrong for one woman to lay with another." Delia nodded. "Why would the preacher say it was a bad thing?" "If a woman lays with another woman, there's no chance that a baby is going to be born. It also says in the bible to "go forth and multiply". Which means have babies. In our case, Sam is already pregnant and I'm sure Cassie will be before long." Delia didn't answer right away, so I knew she was thinking over what I had said. "It seems like from what you're saying is that the preacher is only telling part of what's in the bible." "That's true. There could be several reasons for that. Maybe he just doesn't know everything that's in the bible. Maybe the Massa tells him what he can and can't say. Maybe he's just telling you what his own ideas are. Could your preacher read and write?" "He could read some, I think, because he was always saying what it said in the bible." "Then maybe he just didn't know. Maybe some of the words were too big for him. Can you read, Delia?" "No, sir. Most slaves can't read or write." "Would you like to learn? That way you could read the bible for yourself and form your own opinions of what is right or wrong. That way you wouldn't have to depend on what I tell you is right or what the preacher tells you is right." "I think I'd like that. Do you think I'm smart enough to learn how to read?" "Definitely. Delia, you are a very smart young woman. I don't think there's anything you couldn't do if you set your mind to it." "Would you teach me?" she asked shyly. "I'll help, but I think Sam or Cassie would be a better teacher. Let's ask them when we stop for our noon meal." ------- Of course Sam and Cassie were both eager to teach Delia and Dalia how to read. They decided they might as well start teaching as much as they could to the other kids as well. I smiled, because I knew they'd spend the entire afternoon planning. None of the kids really had any schooling, but Tommy said he could read and write. M & M both said they didn't know why girls needed to learn something like that. "Mama always told us that learning was for boys," Mindy said. They started talking about teaching the kids math and science and history. "Be careful with the science and history," I said. Both of them looked at me funny, then it hit them that a lot of their history hadn't been lived by these kids yet. "You mean we shouldn't teach them about television or about World War II?" Cassie asked, then giggled. "How about if I teach them about Cassie getting tickled?" I asked. Cassie tackled me and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. Then she whispered, "Why don't we teach them about Cassie being made love to?" "I think they've already learned too much about our sex life," I whispered back. "M & M both said they'd seen you and Sam giving me a blowjob." Cassie giggled again and whispered, "I'd give you a blowjob in front of everyone here. I love you, Ed Hill." "I love you too, Cassie. I love you with all of my heart and all of my soul, forever and always." Cassie snuggled in on top of me and we just laid there until everyone else started getting ready to get on the trail again. ------- We had a very good day of travel and made approximately twenty-four miles. That evening Cassie and Sam started teaching the girls the alphabet. Tommy did know his alphabet, but his reading skills were not nearly as good as he led us to believe. Day 93 - Sunday, August 1, 1847 If we made twenty-four miles yesterday, we didn't make much more than half that today. In some ways it was a very frustrating day and in others it was very rewarding. We got a nice, early start and the weather was great. Delia fell in beside me and rode a ways again. "I've been thinking about what you said yesterday about reading the bible for myself, so I'd know what to believe. I think that's a good idea." "You know, young lady, that's also part of being free. The ability and the responsibility of making your own decisions is the cornerstone of freedom." "That's a little scary in a way, Ed. I don't know if I'm ready to make decisions." "I know you're not, Delia. You have been kept from knowing things all of your life, so you don't have the basis for making your own decisions yet. You will though and until you do, Sam, Cassie, and I will give you any advice you need." Delia nodded and we rode on in silence for a while. "Ed, I know what the love I feel for my mama and papa and my sister is like. What is love like that a woman feels for a man or a man feels for a woman?" "That's a hard question, Delia. You're right though. The love a man feels for a woman or a woman feels for a man is different than what you feel for your mama and papa. It's also different than the love you feel for a good friend. I guess you could say that true love is when you think about what your partner wants as much or more than you think about what you want. It's when your partner's happiness is as important if not more important to you than yours is." Delia nodded and I went on. "It's also the feeling that you're complete and happy when you're with someone and you feel like a part of you is missing when you're not with them." "You say you love Sam and you love Cassie. How is that possible?" "I don't know. I was taught all of my life that you can only love one person. I truly believed that until I got to know Cassie. Sam and I were together first and we were in love. Then, Cassie came along and knocked all of our beliefs out from under us." "Do you think you could love more than two people?" "I'm sure I could. It seems like the more love you give, the more you have to give." Delia was silent for a few minutes, then she gave me a big smile and rode off to ride beside the wagon for a while. ------- We stopped for lunch in a little glen and enjoyed another of Mina's fine meals. Sam, Cassie and Sarah Beth tried to help, but Mina kept shooing them away. She said she was being spoiled only having to do the cooking and that she'd rather not go completely lazy. I saw Delia go off with Sam and Cassie after we had finished eating. They were gone so long we had to yell at them before we could leave. We had only gone a couple of miles after lunch when we saw two wagons pulled off to the side of the road. Two men and a couple of almost fully grown boys were working on one of them. Andy came over and said we should offer to help them. I'd been thinking that way myself. Andy and I rode on ahead and pulled up by the disabled wagon. As we dismounted, the men came toward us and introduced themselves. The older man stuck out his hand and said, "I'm Silas Green and this here's Monty Boone." I introduced Andy and me and asked, "It looks like you guys are having a problem. Is there anything we can help with?" "I don't know," Monty said. "I broke the iron skein (axle) on this blamed thing and we don't have a spare. You wouldn't happen to have a spare skein would you?" "No," I said, "but this makes me think we should get one. Where's the closest place we could find one for you?" "Well, sir, there's a town called Gladstone just a couple of miles up the road. We were just talking about walking up there and seeing if they have a blacksmith. To the best of my recollection they do." "We've got a horse we could use as a pack horse. Andy, why don't you and one of these gentlemen ride up there and see if they have what he needs?" Andy agreed, and they put a pack saddle on one of the horses. Sam said she'd loan Monty her horse. They had taken off within a few minutes. We decided we might as well camp for the night, so we pulled the wagon off into a clearing. Silas decided they might as well call it a day for traveling as well, so he pulled in beside us. After a few minutes, Silas brought his family over and introduced them. His wife was probably in her early forties and her name was Mary Ellen. They had two grown sons, Jess at nineteen and James at eighteen. Their daughter June was sixteen. "So, where are you guys headed?" I asked. "Well, we're on our way to St Joseph, Missouri this fall," Silas said. "Next spring we're going to be trying to hitch up with a wagon train going to Oregon." "We're pretty much doing the same thing," I said. "My wife, Sam, is in a family way and should have her baby by the first of March. We're trying to decide if the baby will be old enough to travel by the first of May." Mary Ellen spoke up and said, "I'm a midwife. If the baby is healthy, there shouldn't be a problem." Sam smiled at her. "Eventually," I said, "we want to start a ranch in Oregon." "Well, sir," Silas said, "I'm not sure if we're gonna end up being farmers or ranchers. I've been a hunter and a trapper most all my life. I recon I'll trap for a couple of more years out there. I'm getting a little too old for it now though." "Oh, you don't seem old," Cassie said. "Honey, I'll be fifty-two my next birthday. That's too old for trapping." I couldn't argue with him there. I had read a bit about the fur trappers of the nineteenth century and I had a good imagination. I could imagine how it felt on the cold winter days, out checking your traps. Getting wet seemed an occupational hazard that was almost insurmountable in the sub-zero temperatures. "Farming is backbreaking work too," I said. "That's why we're thinking about ranching. It'll be a lot easier just sitting around and watching our cattle grow." Silas laughed. "Yeah, farming is hard work. You need quite a pile to get started ranching though. Even if you average paying ten dollars a head, that's a thousand dollars for a hundred head. I figure I can come up with that much or more if I trap a couple of more years." While we were talking with Silas, Mary Ellen went over to the damaged wagon and brought back the Boone family. She introduced them to us as: Margaret - wife and mother, Sylvester - eleven years old, and Sally - ten years old. Jud and Mina started building a fire, getting ready to start supper. When she saw them working, Mary Ellen said, "I think you should know right off hand that we don't hold with slavery. All of us believe that these people are just the same as we are." Mina surprised me by speaking up. "Ma'am," she said. "My family ain't slaves. We were slaves, but these people bought us, then set us free. We're with them because we want to be with them. All of us work at what we do best." Mary Ellen gave me an appraising look and said, "That is very noble of you, sir." "We saw they were to be auctioned off and split up. They are a family and we couldn't let that happen." "We ended up having to leave the small town we were living in because we didn't see eye to eye with the other people in the town about slavery. We just hope things are going to be different in Oregon." Delia had wandered over to where we were talking and now, she sat down beside me. "Do you know if there are any laws about people of color or slavery in Oregon?" I asked. "Well... I read a couple of years ago that it is illegal to own another person in Oregon. I also seem to remember that their provisional government had passed some kind of law that forbad free colored people from living in Oregon. I think that was later repealed though." "Is it legal for a white person to marry a colored person in Oregon?" Delia asked. "That. I don't know, honey," Mary Ellen said. "I doubt that it is though. I don't know if it is legal in any state." Delia dropped her head and looked sad. Sam moved over beside her and put her arm around her. About that time, we saw Andy and Monty coming back down the road, so Silas and I went back over to help get the new axle on. They had indeed found an axle for the wagon and with the six of us working on it, we had it on in less than an hour. ------- We had a nice conversation with the Greens and the Boones that evening. They all seemed like nice people and we enjoyed their company. Day 94 - Monday, August 2, 1847 The Greens and the Boones were gone this morning before we even rolled out of bed. I was a little surprised they hadn't even said goodbye. Mina fixed our breakfast and we got on the road. We stopped when we reached the town of Gladstone. They had a minister and Cassie and I had a date. The Reverend Dale was more than willing to perform a wedding. Sam watched with a big smile as Cassie and I exchanged our vows. Afterwards, I gave the Reverend a golden eagle for his services. Andy was champing at the bit to make up some of the time we had lost yesterday, so we took off immediately after the ceremony. Cassie rode beside me for a long way and we talked a lot about our future. "Are we going to have one ranch for all of us when we get to Oregon?" she asked. "We really haven't talked about it," I said. "What would you prefer?" "I think I'd like for all of us to be close," she said. "All of these people seem like family already." "Yeah, I know what you mean. Andy is like a brother to me. I think Mina and the girls could make it on their own, but I don't know about Jud. I don't think he would have ever been a take charge person, and a life as a slave has taken any aggressiveness he might have developed away from him." Cassie laughed. "Mina is starting to get a little spunk, isn't she? I liked the way she spoke up in our defense last night." "Yeah. Even though she was a slave, she worked in the house. I think the slaves that worked in the house had a lot more freedom than the field hands. I can't even imagine what it had to be like for Jud, working in the hot sun all day and being hit with a whip if he slowed down." "It makes me want to take a whip to all of the slave owners," Cassie said. We rode on for a few minutes, then Cassie asked, "Do you think Delia and Dalia are going to be okay? Do you think they'll be able to live their lives like we do?" "Honey, they'll never be able to live like white people around cities. There is just too much prejudice. It'll be a hundred and fifty years before they have the same opportunities we do." "It's just not fair. Delia and Dalia are really nice people. They're smart too. Sam and I taught them the A, B, C song and they learned it in one night. Now we're teaching them what the letters look like and they're picking it up very quickly." "That's good. How are M & M doing?" Cassie giggled. "Mandy is doing fine. I think Mindy is more interested in Tommy than she is in her A, B, C's. She's learning, but a lot more slowly than Mandy." "What about Tommy?" "He can read, but it is a very slow and laborious process for him. Sam is working with him a lot. I think he's a smart boy, so I think he'll do okay." "Well, I'm glad they're all doing well. Especially Delia and Dalia. I was a little worried that they might be past the age where learning comes easy." "Well, Delia has a special reason for wanting to do well." "What's that?" "She's madly in love with you and she wants to please you. Haven't you noticed she's doing her best to talk like we do?" "How do you know she's in love with me?" "Oh, she told Sam and me. That's why we were gone so long at lunch yesterday. She said she knew nothing would ever come of it, but that she loved you. She said it was tearing her up inside because she knew you could never fall in love with a black girl and she knew we'd never accept her as a co-wife even if you did." "Oh, shit," I said. "What did you tell her?" "Sam and I told her that we could easily accept her as a co-wife as long as we knew she loved you and you loved her. I don't think we hurt her." "Did you mean it when you said you could accept her as a co-wife?" Cassie giggled and said, "Yeah, Sam and I have been wondering what a black pussy tastes like." I had to laugh. "Well, my love, you're probably never going to find out. I like Delia, but I don't love her. I wouldn't hurt her for the world, so I'm not going to reject her out of hand. I'm just going to make her wait until she finds someone who she can really love." "She might surprise you, Ed. I don't think she's going to fall for someone else. You were her knight in shining armor, who rescued her from a life of slavery. I think she's going to love you until the day she dies." "I don't need or want gratitude," I said. "It's not gratitude. It's love. Give her some time. I'm sure that someday you're going to realize that she truly loves you and that you love her as well." I decided it was time for me to shut up. ------- Chapter 21 Even with the stop for Cassie and me to get married, we made twenty-four miles for the day. Mina actually let my wives help with supper. While we were eating, Delia came over and sat beside me. Sam was on the other side of me and Cassie had scooted over to let Delia sit beside me. "Hi," she said and then looked down shyly at her food. "Hi, yourself," I said. "Do you mind if I eat with you?" she asked. "I never mind when a pretty girl wants to eat with me," I said. "Do you think I'm pretty?" "I think you're very pretty. So does Sam and Cassie." Delia smiled and went back to eating. In the mean time, Dalia had taken a seat beside Andy. I could see her in low conversation with him and Sarah Beth. "Jud, have you given any thought about what you want to do after we're in the free states?" I asked. "Yes, suh. I've thought about it a lot. Mina and me was going to ask you if'n we could work for you." "That'd mean moving to Oregon with us, Jud. Are you all prepared to do that?" "Yes, suh, we is. We lookin for'ard to it." "Have you ever worked with cattle or horses, Jud?" "Some. Mosely I just work in the fiels. Workin with horses and cows is a lot easier than workin in tobacco." "Yeah, I expect it is. We're going to be starting a ranch, so most of the work you'll be doing will be from horseback. You'll have to learn to ride better, but you sure won't have to be working as hard." "That sure does sound good." "Will I be helping with the cattle too?" Delia asked. "I expect so. We all will. Sam won't be doing much until our baby is big enough to leave with M & M, but I'm sure Cassie is going to want to help right from the start." "Wait a minute," Cassie teased. "The only reason I married you is so I'd never have to work again. I'm your princess, so all I should have to do is recline on my large bed and have people feed me and pamper me." I looked at Sam and asked, "Do you think tonight would be a good time for a tickle party?" Sam said she thought it was our duty to tickle Cassie until she begged for mercy. Day 95 - Tuesday, August 3, 1847 "You know," Andy said as we were eating breakfast, "it's been almost a week since we met up with them fellers from Richmond. I wonder if anyone is kicking up a fuss over them?" "Well, if they are we'll probably never hear of it. Do you know anything about the country north and west of here? If I remember right, we come to a split not too far ahead. I'm not sure if we'd be better off going up through the mountains of Western Virginia, or if we'd be better skirting south of them and going straight into Kentucky." "I've never been in this area," Andy said. "Maybe we should stop somewhere and ask some of the locals." "Okay, if we pass any towns today, we'll stop and ask. I think it's shorter if we head up through the mountains here, but if I remember right, it is some pretty rugged country." The terrain we had been going through the last couple of days had been becoming more rugged as we went. The road we were on wasn't too bad though, so we had been making good time. It was nearly noon when we came on to an ordinary. There were a few houses around it, but I don't know if they even called themselves a town. We stopped and watered the horses and mules, then something hit me, so I went to talk with Andy. "Andy, I think Sam and Cassie and I are going to stop here at the ordinary for lunch. Why don't you guys go on out of town a couple of miles and stop and have lunch and wait for us?" Andy grinned and asked, "You're going to ask them a few questions, aren't you?" "Yep. I figure I can ask them about the best route through the mountains and pick up any gossip they may have heard from the east of us." Andy agreed to wait for us down the road a ways, so I gathered Sam and Cassie up and we went into the ordinary. This place was nothing like the last couple of places we stopped at. The landlord was a pleasant, talkative man and the serving girl seemed to be happy with her work. The serving girl said they had shepherd's pie for their main dish. I'd never heard of it, but we all decided to try it. Basically what they called shepherd's pie was a dish that had a layer of mashed potatoes, then a layer of beef stew, then another layer of mashed potatoes, then a layer of cheese. This had then been baked until the mashed potatoes on top had started to brown and the cheese had melted. It was delicious. We were the only people in the dining room, so the girl hung around and talked for a while. "Where are you all coming from," she asked. "Well, originally, we came from up north. Most recently, we're coming from Richmond," Sam said. "Were you there when Bobby Wadsworth came up missing?" "Who is Bobby Wadsworth?" Sam asked. "His father owns one of the biggest plantations around Richmond," the girl said. "About a week ago he came up missing along with three of his friends. Nobody seems to know what might have happened to them." "Maybe they just went for a trip," I said. "How old are they? Sometimes young people just take off for a while." "That's what most people are thinking. They're all in their early twenties. Old man Caleb Wadsworth thinks there's been foul play though. He says Bobby would have told him if he was just going off somewhere. He's had people out riding all over the country asking about him. There was a guy came through here yesterday." "That's interesting. He must have passed us while we were camped. We didn't see anyone on the road yesterday," I said. "I think Bobby probably took off south," the girl said. "I expect he'll be back home in a week or two." "Do you know anything about the road to the north and west of here?" I asked, changing the subject. "We're trying to get to a horse farm out of Ashland, Kentucky to buy some horses and we don't know which is the best way to go from here." "No, but I can get you someone who does." She took off and in a few minutes, the landlord came back to our table. "I hear you're trying to get to Ashland, Kentucky," he said. "Yes, sir. I've heard there's some kind of pass through the mountains up ahead. I was wondering if we'd be better going through the mountains here, or if we'd be better following them to the west for a ways before going through." "Well, as far as getting through the mountains, it's about the same either way. If you're going up to Ashland though, you should go on and go through the mountains here. There's a fork in the road in about four miles. Just take the right hand fork. About two or two and a half miles after that, you'll see a road going off to your left. That's the one that goes through the mountains." "We've got a covered wagon. Will there be any problem getting that through there?" "No. Might be a little slow, but you won't have any problems. There's a big tobacco warehouse just south of Ashland. People haul loads of tobacco there all the time. It gets a mite dicey in the winter, but it's fine this time of year." We talked a bit about the weather then when we finished eating, we paid the bill and got on our way. We caught up with our family, that's the way I thought of them now, about a mile out of town. They were still eating lunch. I told them all we had learned and Andy was in agreement we should head on through the mountains here. "You know, that about Wadsworth kind of lets me breathe a little easier," he said. "It don't seem like anyone is connecting his disappearance with the slave auction." We all agreed that made us feel better. We didn't get a lot farther the rest of the day. We camped just after we made the second turn the innkeeper had told us about. Day 96 - Wednesday, August 4, 1847 Delia sat with Sam, Cassie and me again this morning, and I noticed that Dalia was sitting with Andy and Sarah Beth again. "Andy," I said. "We were talking yesterday about setting up a ranch. Cassie asked if we were all going to live together and share a ranch or if we were going to go our separate ways when we got to Oregon. How do you feel about that?" "Well," he grinned, "Sarah Beth and I have been talking about that too. For our part, we'd like to stick together. If you folks don't want to share a ranch, then we'd want to make our start right next door to you, if you didn't mind." "Oh, we don't mind," Sam said. "We were talking that we'd like for all of us to stay together if possible." "Do you mean my family too?" Mina asked. "By all means, Mina. You are all my family too, now," I said. Mina smiled and nodded, then Jud said softly, "We'd like that." ------- Traveling was definitely a lot slower now. The mules slowed down a lot while they were pulling up steep grades and we had to rest the animals a lot more frequently. We had only made around six or seven miles when we stopped for our nooning. Mina was fixing lunch and Andy, Jud and I had sat down under a large tree and were talking about the ranch. Sarah Beth joined us after a while and then Dalia joined the group. I saw Sam, Cassie and Delia wander away from the wagon, but didn't really think anything of it. Maybe twenty minutes had gone by when Delia came back and tapped me on the shoulder. "Could you come with me for a minute, Ed?" she asked. I thought about refusing, since I figured all three women were going to jump me about Delia. Finally, I sighed and got up. We had walked about fifty feet when Delia stopped and said, "There are some runaway slaves hiding in the woods back here. Sam wanted me to come and get you so you could talk to them." "Oh, shit. How many of them are there?" "There are two men and one woman. They're about starved to death." "Okay, lead on, lady." We walked back into a little clearing and I saw Sam and Cassie talking to three black people. When I came up, they introduced me. "Ed, this is Theodore, Jasper, and Jemma. Jemma is Theodore's wife and Jasper is his brother." "Howdy, folks," I said. "They lived on a farm about fifty miles south of here. Jasper heard their owner talking with another man. He said he had more slaves than he knew what to do with so he was going to sell off a few of them. He said that a man down south of them had offered him five hundred dollars each for Jasper and Theodore," Sam said. "He wasn't going to sell Jemma," Cassie said. "They decided they'd rather run off and try to get to the free states than to be sold and separated." "The problem is, there are men out looking for them. They've been hiding here for three days and there have been groups of men go by at least five or six times. Is there any way we can help them?" Sam asked. "I don't know. Let me think for a minute. Delia, go and tell your mom to make extra food for these people and ask Andy to come back here." Delia took off and I looked over the three people. Jasper and Theodore were big, strong, young men. I could see why someone would offer so much for them. I'd say they were in their late teens or early twenties. Jasper was a lot lighter skinned than his brother and I figured they must have different fathers since they didn't look much alike at all. Jemma was a nice looking young woman, but nothing special in my opinion. "Where were you folks trying to get to?" I asked. "We uz tryin ta get ta Ohio, Massa," Theodore said. "I figure we're about two or three weeks travel away from Ohio, Ted. It's still quite a ways from here." "Yez, Massa." Andy came walking up and I could see he was rather shocked to see the newcomers. "Runaways," I said. "Sam and Cassie want to help them. Problem is, there are gangs of men out looking for them." "Okay," he said. Sam introduced him to the new people. "How are we going to help them?" Andy asked. "I don't know for sure," I said. "I think we have to try though." "Yeah, I agree. You know it could be dangerous for all of us, don't you?" "Yes, I do know. Maybe we should put it up for a vote as to whether we help or not." Andy grinned and said, "I don't think a vote is needed. There's not a person here who wouldn't do exactly what you say." I was frowning when I said, "I don't think I like that. That's a big responsibility." "Yep. The problem is, you don't have a choice in the matter." Sam had come up while we were talking, so I asked her, "How do you think we could help them, Love?" "Well, Cassie and I were just talking about that. Those bills of sale you got when you bought Jud's family were just written out on plain paper. How about if I just made out bills of sale for the three new people in different names?" "That would work unless someone recognized them," I said. "It would be a big risk." "I guess we could just try to make sure no one ever saw the three of them together. We could make the bills of sale for different dates and in different places." "Yeah, I guess you're right. I don't think most of the superior assholes who own slaves really even notice what individual blacks look like. We need to give them different names on the bills of sale." "True. We can make the bill of sale out that we bought Jemma at the same time as we did Jud's family. One of the men we could say we bought a few months before that and the other we could say we bought over a year ago. That would separate them as much as we can, at least on paper." "Okay," I said. "Get Andy to write one out. You write one and Cassie should write one. Make each of them a little different in how they're worded." Sam nodded and took off. "Andy, do you have any spare shirts?" "Yeah, I've got a couple of buckskin shirts and a couple made of homespun." "These guys are almost as big as you. Could you loan one of them a buckskin shirt and the other one a homespun shirt? The men looking for them probably have a better description of their clothes than they do of the men." "Sure. I'll give them my oldest ones. That'll be more in keeping with them being slaves." We went back over to the campfire and Mina had lunch ready. The new people were off to the side, but were eating like they were starved. Sam sat down by me after I had filled my plate and said, "We need to stay here for a while, until we get the bills of sale written out. Do you just want to camp here for the night?" "No, I think we should move on after the papers are done and they have all changed clothes. Find out if any of them can ride a horse. I think one of the men should be on a horse and maybe even Jemma." It took us almost two hours to get on the road again. It turned out that both of the new men were very familiar with horses. Both could ride and both knew how to take care of them. We only made fourteen miles for the day. Part of that was because of the long layover at noon, but mostly it was because of the terrain we were going through. About the middle of the afternoon, we met six riders coming from the other direction. They pulled up, so Andy and I pulled up to talk with them. The rest of our party kept going like there was nothing out of the ordinary. "I'm Jacob Marlow," the obvious leader of the group said. "We're looking for some runaway niggers. Have you seen any strange ones around?" "No, believe me, I'd have grabbed them if I had. Ain't nothing worse than a runaway nigger. How many of them are there?" "There's three of them. Two bucks and one female. They run away from a plantation down around Huddleston. There's a reward out for them if you see them. Where are you folks going?" "We're headed for Missouri. My brother has a ranch up there and our place down here wasn't doing any good at all. He's going to help us get started over." "I've never been to Missouri, but I understand it's nice country. I hear they'd been quite a few arguments about having slaves in Missouri. Do you expect they're going to stay a slave state?" "I don't know much about it, but my brother says they will. I sure would hate to lose the ones I got." "Well, if you see these runaways, there's a reward for them. Their owner is willing to pay fifty dollars to the man that brings them back." "That's a mighty fine reward. I'll sure remember. I hope you find the bastards." "We will. It was nice meeting you folks. We'll be on our way. I don't think they made it this far myself." Andy and I watched as they rode off to the southeast. "Do you think they'll give us any more trouble?" he asked. "I doubt this group will. I think their leader is convinced they didn't make it this far. I think we'll run into other groups that will take a lot closer look at us though." "That's what I'm afraid of. What do we do if they push it?" "Andy, we only have one choice. Harboring a runaway slave is punishable by death. If some of them push us too hard, we shoot the bastards." Andy nodded and said, "Those were my thoughts. We need a plan in case that happens. We have six revolvers. Me, you and Jud should have three of them. Who gets the rest?" "Sam and Cassie for sure. Both are good shots with either a rifle or a revolver. Can Sarah Beth shoot?" "She's never shot a gun and I'm afraid she'd hesitate too long if it came to that." We had caught up with the wagon, so I waved Delia over. When she came up beside me, I asked, "Delia, have you ever shot a gun?" "No, Ed. I could learn though." I had to smile. She was gaining confidence every day. "If anyone finds out that we have runaway slaves with us, I will have to go to jail, and they might even hang me. If it meant me going to jail and maybe being hanged, could you shoot someone to protect us? Could you shoot a white man?" "Yes." "Bring Cassie and Sam over here, please." When Delia rode off to get my wives, I asked Andy, "Do you think she could do it?" "She didn't even hesitate in her answer. She's obviously in love with you, Ed. I think she could do it." Sam, Cassie, and Delia came back over and I explained to them all what our situation was. "We need to teach Delia how to shoot and we need to figure out how we can hide a revolver close to Jud and how we can hide one on Delia's horse so she could get to it if she needs to," I said. "Hiding one for Jud isn't a problem," Sam said. "It can go right between his feet in the boot of the wagon seat. Hiding one for Delia isn't a problem either. She can stick it in the waistband of her pants and let her tunic cover it. I think you should be the one who teaches Delia how to shoot." I could see that one coming a mile away. She was right though. It should be me or Andy that did the teaching. "Why don't you get one of the revolvers for each of you. Get Jud to hide his and then you and Cassie do the same. You can also teach Delia how to load hers." "Okay, what then?" "Then, Delia and I are going to ride on ahead to where we're going to camp for the night and I'll teach her how to shoot." Sam nodded and took off for the wagon. ------- Chapter 22 Delia was attentive, but she was also uncoordinated. I probably let her fire fifty shots before the wagons caught up with us and she didn't come within six inches of what she was shooting at from twenty feet away. When we were discussing the problem over dinner, Mina asked, "Could I try it?" "I don't see why not," I said. After we had eaten, I set up a target quite a ways away from camp and showed Mina how to aim. Her first shot was better than Delia's best attempt and by the time she had fired her last one, she was hitting the target every time. "Could you shoot a man, Mina?" I asked. "Yes," she said, then she grinned. "Some of them it would give me a lot of pleasure to shoot." I put my arm around her as we started walking back to camp. "I am so glad we found you guys, Mina. I think I feel as close to you as I would my sister." Mina smiled at me and said, "We sure are glad you found us too. It still makes me feel a little strange that you treat us like we are as good as you are." "You are as good as we are," I said as she came to a stop. "You know, Jud is a good man. He's had to work hard all his life and he was never given a chance to think for himself. He never had to decide about anything in his whole life." "I know that, Mina. That's one reason I think you guys should stay with us. I think Delia and Dalia will be able to make their own choices after a while, but I don't know if Jud will ever be able to." "I'm sure that we're going to end up staying with you. As for Delia and Dalia making their own choices, they're already doing that." I thought I knew what she was talking about, so I changed the subject. "How old are you and Jud, Mina?" "The best I can figure, I'm either twenty-nine or thirty. We think Jud is around thirty-five." "You know, when I first saw you at the auction, I'd have guessed you were in your forties. Now, you don't look any older than I do. Jud looks a lot younger too." "Thank you, Ed," Mina smiled. "You folks have changed us a lot in just over a week. I think all of us are finally realizing that we're not slaves any more." "You might have to pretend you're slaves for a while longer, but just knowing you aren't should help." "It does, Ed. It makes a big difference in how we think about ourselves. I think they would have worked Jud to death within five years. Now, he may be alive twenty or thirty years from now. You've given him almost a whole new life." "I'm just glad we could help, Mina. How old are Delia and Dalia? The papers they gave me say they're fifteen." "Delia is fifteen. Dalia is really just fourteen." "They seem awfully grown up for their ages. Sam and Cassie are tickled to death at how smart they are. They say they'll have them reading by the time we get to Missouri." Delia came walking over to us as we stood there watching the camp. When she came up beside me, I put my arm around her and said, "Delia, your mother is a much better shot than you are. That's not saying anything bad about you. Some people are good shots and some aren't. I think I should let her have the revolver until I think we're safe though." "I'm sorry, Ed. I wanted to help protect you." I hugged her and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll tell you what. Tomorrow, I'll start teaching you how to shoot a rifle. It should be a lot easier for you to learn to shoot. Then, if we get into a fight, you can help by using the rifle." Delia brightened up at that. "We have four rifles from those bad men. I could have all four of them loaded and in the back of the wagon." "That's right, honey. You could be a big help with them." Delia ran off to tell Sam and Cassie I was going to teach her how to shoot a rifle, so Mina said, "You know she's in love with you, don't you?" "Yes, I know it, Mina. I love her too. I already have two wives though, so I wouldn't want to tie her down to someone who is so much older than her. I'd rather she find someone who is her own age and who would be hers alone. I think if we just give her time, that she'll find someone closer to her age that she can love." "Delia thinks, and I agree with her, that having a part of you would be better than having all of someone else. I think that you could bring a thousand men nearer her age around to court her and she won't fall for even one of them. If you can't find it in your heart to take her as a wife, please let her down easy." "We'll just have to see, Mina. I do love her and so does Sam and Cassie. Let's just give her some time." When we were in bed that night, I told Sam and Cassie about my conversations with Mina and Delia. Day 97 - Thursday, August 5, 1847 Jemma, who we were now calling Charlene, helped Mina with breakfast. She hadn't been a cook, so she had a lot to learn. Sam and Cassie helped too. Andy and I talked about how to handle things if anyone did become too suspicious. "So, how far do we let them go?" Andy asked. "We've got the bills of sale, so I suppose we let them look at them. What causes us to pull our guns and start shooting?" "Obviously if they recognize one of the new people would be one reason. Another would be if one of the new people recognized one of them. That one should just make us cautious though, as many of these people wouldn't recognize a slave it they owned him. I think if they left then came back again, it would mean they were suspicious." "Okay, let's talk to everyone before we take off. We should have a way for them to signal us if they recognize anyone." We did talk with everyone before we took off and it was agreed that the newcomers would let Delia know if they recognized someone. She would then walk up to the front of the mules and stand there until she saw that everyone had seen her. ------- We managed to get on the road at a reasonable hour. We hadn't been riding long when Mandy came over beside me on her huge horse. We rode side by side for a few minutes, then she asked, "Could I ride behind you for a while, papa?" I told her that would be fine, so she climbed over onto Hawk while we were still moving. When she was settled behind me, she put her arms around me and hugged me close. Her horse walked along side of us as if Mandy was still in the saddle. We must have ridden for nearly a mile when I asked, "To what do I owe this pleasure?" "I just felt like I wanted to be close to you, papa. The last few days have been crazy and we haven't spent any time together." "Well, I kind of like spending time with you, love. How are you doing at your lessons?" "I'm doing real good. I know my ABC's and I can recognize them when they're written down. Cassie says I'm going to be reading soon." "Good for you. Is Mindy doing okay too?" "She's not doing as good as I am. That's because she spends most of her time staring at Tommy." "I'm not too worried about your sister," I said. "I think she'll grow out of her infatuation with Tommy. They're not using their mouths on each other any more, are they?" "No. I haven't seen them do that for a while." She laid her face against my back and just held on for a while. Mandy really is a sweet little girl. Eventually, I guess she figured she'd cuddled enough, so she went back to her own horse. ------- We spent half of the day going up hills and half of the day going down hills. From what I remembered from past/future trips through this part of the country, that's just the way Western Virginia is. I thought I remembered that West Virginia didn't become a state until the 1860s, so at this point in time, Virginia went all the way to the Ohio River. It was wild, rugged country no matter what you called it. I tried to talk with the new people some while the women were fixing supper, but I had a hard time of it. All of them would answer direct questions, but none of them seemed to volunteer anything. When the meal was ready, Delia brought me a plate of food, then brought her own plate and sat down beside me. I looked at Sam and she gave me a smile and sat on the other side of me. She leaned in and whispered, "We're going to try and get the new people to open up a little." After everyone else had their food, the new people fixed their own plates and started to go off by themselves to eat. "Charlene, Tom, and Jim, please sit and eat with the rest of us," Delia said in a loud voice. They stopped, but looked hesitant, so Sam said, "Yes, please do." All three of them were looking down at the ground, but they sat down and began to eat. I had tried talking to them, now Delia gave it a try. She wasn't doing much better with them than I had. Finally, she leaned over and whispered, "I think they're just not used to being around white people. All three of them worked in the fields." "Maybe after they've been with us for a while, they'll be as brazen as you are," I whispered. Delia giggled then bumped her shoulder against my arm. "Put your arm around me. Maybe it is better to show them rather than just telling them." "You just want me to put my arm around you," I said with a grin as I complied with her request. Delia giggled again. It was good to hear her laugh. I don't imagine there were many times she had laughed while she was a slave. She snuggled in beside me and then looked into my eyes and nodded. "How is this supposed to prove anything to them? I understand that white men frequently took slave women whenever they wanted." "They did, but they never hugged or kissed them." "I suppose next you'll be wanting a kiss?" Delia grinned and nodded. I leaned over to Sam and whispered, "Delia asked me to put my arm around her to show the new people we thought of the blacks as equals. Now, she wants a kiss." "Then kiss her. I'm pretty sure she wanted the hug and kiss for reasons other than what she said though. You know that Cassie and I are okay with accepting Delia into our family, if you want to go that far," Sam whispered. I turned back to Delia and pulled her into a long, loving kiss. I heard Charlene gasp as mine and Delia's lips touched. I don't know what I expected, but the kiss turned into a lot more than I had planned. Yes, it was loving, but there was an underlying passion there that I couldn't ignore. Maybe Sam and Cassie were right. Day 98 - Friday, August 6, 1847 We had breakfast and got on the road early. It looked like it was going to be another day like yesterday. Hills, hills and more hills. The people in this area called them mountains. After a while, I noticed Charlene and Mina in a serious conversation on the wagon box. It went on for quite some time and I could only guess it had something to do with the kiss I shared with Delia the night before. We had only gone a couple of miles when a group of men rode out of a thicket near the road. Two of the men rode in front of the wagon and stopped the mules pulling it. The rest came over to where I had been riding. "I'm Adam Stabler," the obvious leader of the group said. "We're looking for runaway slaves." "You won't find any here," I said. "All of mine were bought and paid for." "I suppose you can prove that?" "I can, but I don't like your attitude, Mr. Stabler. Since when is the word of a gentleman questioned?" "Since one of the niggers you have riding a horse looks just like one of the runaways," he said. "I think you should show me the papers on these niggers." I looked over at the wagon and saw Delia standing at the head of the mules. I gave her a nod and then said to Stabler, "Okay, Mr. Stabler. I'll get them." "We're going to want to look in your wagon as well," he said as I was riding away. I looked over at Andy and he gave me a nod. Cassie and Sam had dismounted and were standing by the water barrel beside the wagon. Mina and Jud glanced at me, but they looked totally at ease. It was Cassie that started the whole thing. I was watching her as she turned her back to the three men who had come over to where I had been. She stepped in so that the water barrel was blocking the view of the men who had stopped the mules. I knew instantly what she was going to do, so I quickly dismounted so I'd be in a better position to help her. I watched as she calmly pulled her revolver out of her belt, cocked it, and slowly turned to face the three mounted men. I yelled, "Hey!" at the top of my lungs and the three all looked toward me. Cassie's first shot knocked Stabler off of his horse before he even knew anything was going on. I pulled my revolver as I yelled, and before the sound of Cassie's shot died away, I fired at the man who was closest to me. As he went down the other guy was trying to pull his weapon, but a well placed shot from Andy ended his efforts. I don't think I even heard the shots that took out the two men in front of the mules, but Mina and Jud were both holding revolvers and the two men were on the ground. Jud went around and put a bullet in the head of any that were still alive. "Why did you start shooting?" I asked Cassie. "When you turned away from them, the leader said something to the two who were with him and motioned for them to spread out on either side of us. I figured it would be better to take them out when they were close together." "I'm going to have to start calling you Annie Oakley,"I said as I pulled her into a hug. ------- We searched the bodies and took their guns and the like. We decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to keep their horses, so we unsaddled them and drove them off. We dumped the bodies and the saddles over a steep hillside and watched as they tumbled out of sight. We were moving again within half an hour of being stopped. We were stopped one more time that afternoon, but it was a cursory stop at best. I told the leader that this was the third time we'd been stopped in the last two days. He apologized and said he thought they were going to cut back south. Delia came over and sat beside me as we were eating supper again. After we had finished eating, she leaned against me. "Is this more proof for the new people?" I asked. "No, I just enjoyed the hug and the kiss so much last night that I thought I'd see if I could get you to do it again." I had to laugh, so I put my arm around her and said, "At least that got you a hug. We'll have to see about the kiss though." Sam leaned against the other side of me, so I put my other arm around her. It wasn't long before Cassie came over and patted me on the leg and asked, "Is this lap taken?" I told her no, but that she might have to pay a toll of a kiss in order to use it. She didn't think that was too high a price to pay, so soon she was snuggled on my lap. Now, I had my arm around my beautiful pregnant wife on my left, my other beautiful wife on my lap, and my right arm around a young, black beauty. I was in heaven. "You're not mad at me for starting the shooting today, are you?" Cassie asked. "The way they were acting I was sure they were going to start something, and Tom recognized one of the men as being the overseer on the plantation they ran away from." "No, Sweety, I'm not mad. I knew you had a reason. That was some fine shooting on your part. Everyone's part for that matter." "It happened so fast I didn't even get to help," Delia said. "Don't worry about it, Delia," Sam said. "It was too fast for me too. Besides, you gave us the signal that Tom recognized one of them." We ended up sitting like that until my legs went totally asleep. When we went into the wagon, all I had on my mind was a good night's sleep. Cassie had other ideas. Violence fires Cassie up. She attacked me as soon as we undressed. Before I even knew what was happening, she was on top of me, rubbing her very wet pussy up and down the length of my suddenly erect cock. When Cassie was as ready as I'd ever seen her, she raised up and after positioning my cock to her satisfaction, she lowered herself on to it. Sam was off to the side, frantically rubbing her pussy. I tapped her on the pussy, and when she looked at me, I touched my lips. Sam got the idea quickly and moved over and lowered her pussy onto my mouth. Cassie was going through her second orgasm as Sam had her first. By concentrating on licking on Sam's pussy, I managed to hold my own climax at bay. I heard Sam say, "Switch." Then she moved off of my mouth and Cassie moved on. I felt Sam's pussy engulf my cock as I made my first lick up Cassie's tasty slit. Each of the girls managed two more noisy cums before I emptied myself into Sam. We all collapsed in a heap. Day 99 - Saturday, August 7, 1847 We were traveling through some truly mountainous country again today. I felt sorry for the mules, having to pull the wagon, but Jud worked them like he had been doing it all of his life and I'm sure he helped the mules by how he handled them. Tom, Jim, and Charlene all thanked us this morning for taking care of the slave hunters yesterday. I don't know if someone put them up to it, or if they did it on their own. When Delia came over later to ride by me for a while, I asked her. "I don't know, Ed. Dalia and I have been talking to them a lot, trying to tell them what good people you are. Maybe it's finally sinking in." "I appreciate that, Delia. They'll never make it on their own until they start to trust people. Are you aware of how much you have changed since we talked the first time? A lot of it is in how you speak, but it's also your attitude." "Yez, Massa, dis nigger knows she's talkin betta. My ole Massa ud say dis nigger wuz tryin tu be white." She dropped her head as she said this and for a moment I saw that beaten down little slave girl I had bought a couple of weeks ago. I cracked up and she was smiling as she raised her head up and looked me in the eye. "Honey, I wouldn't want you to be white," I told her. "You're too pretty just the way you are." "Do you really think I'm pretty?" "I think you are beautiful, just the way you are." "You do like it that Dalia and I are talking better, don't you?" "Yes, I do. If you talk the slave talk, white people up north are going to think you're stupid. You're not stupid. Neither is Dalia or your mom or dad for that matter. All of you should work on how you talk. You and Dalia and to some extent, your mom and dad all started trying to change how you talk on your own. I'm very proud of that." "I asked Sam and Cassie to correct me when I say something wrong. They do it, but they do it quietly, where no one else can hear." "My wives are good women. Sometimes I'm just so proud of them that I could burst." "You love them a lot, don't you?" "Yes, I love them with all of my being. I think I fell in love with Sam the second day I knew her. It only took me a few days to fall in love with Cassie too." "Do you think you could ever fall in love with a black girl?" she asked with downcast eyes. "Oh, I know I could. In fact, I already have. I just don't want to do anything about it for a while." "You have?" "Yep." "Who?" "You, of course, you silly girl. Surely you can tell how I feel about you." "I thought I could, but you haven't done anything, but hug me a couple of times and kiss me once." "Delia, I don't know of anywhere in this country where it is legal for me to marry you. I don't think it is fair to you to start something with you when we can't get married." "Was it legal for you to marry both Sam and Cassie?" "No... I guess it wasn't." "Then, what's the difference?" "Well, Delia my love, I'll have to think about that," I said. ------- I did think about it. I thought about it a lot. Sam was okay with it. Cassie was okay with it. Why was I having trouble with it? We had another hard day of travel and even though we weren't stopped by slave hunters, we only made around thirteen miles. All of us were tired when we finally made camp. ------- As we were eating supper, Andy said, "You know, Missouri is a slave state. Ohio is a free state. The Indiana Territory is mixed. I wonder if we wouldn't be better staying in Ohio until we are ready to head to Oregon." "I was thinking about that too," I said. "I also have a lot of money in the bank in Boston that I need to get out before we head west. The problem is, I can't get the money until the first of March of next year. We'd really have to hurry if we do any traveling next year." "Is it enough money to make it worthwhile to wait for it?" he asked. I had to grin. "It's almost sixty pounds of gold coins," I said. Andy whistled. "Damn, that's a lot of money. If you don't mind my asking, where'd you get it?" "Did you hear about the Newry, Maine gold strike?" "Yep." "That was us. We found, or I guess I should say, Sam found, a single pocket of gold. I'm afraid the prospectors can search for years, but I doubt they'll find much more." "Well, sir. I'd say that was worth waiting around for. I have almost a thousand dollars saved, but it isn't nearly enough to match you if we are going in partners on a ranch." "Andy, that doesn't matter a bit. I have planned that Jud and Mina are going to be our partners too if they come with us and they don't have a dime. The thing is, we have enough money for a good start on a ranch if we wait around for it." "Well, I definitely think we should wait for it. That'd buy a lot of cattle and horses." ------- Chapter 23 Day 100 - Sunday, August 8, 1847 We passed White Sulphur Springs, Virginia today, which in just a few years will become White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Even in this era it is a resort town, where rich people and politicians come to take the water and to relax from their "trying" lives. We replenished our food supplies, but didn't make any further use of the town's resources. It just didn't seem right for the white people in the group to be able to go into an ordinary for a meal, while the others can't. Maybe it'll be different when we get into the free states. White Sulphur is in a little valley, but you start climbing again while you're still in town. I can remember driving from Ashland, Kentucky to White Sulphur one time. It took us just about three hours. By wagon, and with the roads the way they are now, I figure it'll take ten or twelve days. For the last several days, we haven't been averaging more than around twelve miles a day. I knew there were areas between here and Ohio where we'd make better time than that, but for the most part we'd be traveling slowly. As was becoming her habit, Delia came over and rode beside me for most of the morning. This time, Cassie rode on the other side of me. "I've been talking to the new people some more," Delia said. "I don't know why they don't trust you, but I get the feeling they don't trust me either." "Do you think that's because you are so close to us?" I asked. "I'm not sure, but it probably is. They wouldn't tell me much of anything, but papa said they'd been talking to him about running away after we get close to the free states. He said they have it in their heads that you are going to sell all of us." Cassie and I both had to laugh at that one. "Do you think we could get a pretty good price for you, Delia?" Cassie asked. "Maybe Ed should inspect you to make sure you're still a virgin. Virgins bring a better price." Delia lowered her eyes and blushed, then she said, "Ed can inspect me any time he wants." Now it was my turn to blush. "Delia, as exciting as inspecting you would be to me, I'd never do it because I was going to sell you." Delia smiled and said, "I know you wouldn't. Would it really be exciting for you to inspect me?" Cassie giggled and pointed at my crotch. "He's got a log in his pants from just thinking about it, Delia." Both girls broke out giggling. ------- After the girls had finally calmed down, Cassie said she was going to harass M & M for a while about their lessons, so she rode over to where they were riding together. "You know I really meant it when I said you could inspect me any time you want," Delia said shyly. "Delia, honey, I'm just trying to think of what's best for you. I just think you'd be far better off hooking up with someone like Jim." "Just because Jim's black?" "No, because Jim could devote all of his time to you. You deserve that, honey." "The problem is, Ed, I'm not in love with Jim. I'm in love with you." "Well, now she's gone and went and done it," I thought. I had been examining my feelings for Delia over the last several days and I knew I loved her too. I loved her for her spirit. I loved her for the way she was learning to stand up for herself. I loved her for the way she had taken to learning. I loved her for wanting to improve the way she talked. I loved her for her beauty. I reined in Hawk and when she stopped beside me, I said, "I'm in love with you too, Delia." The smile she gave me would brighten my heart for the rest of my life. She slowly dismounted, so I followed her example. We left our horses ground tied and came together in an embrace. We shared a delicious and very promising kiss, then pulled apart and remounted. ------- Sam came over after a while and said, "I saw that kiss a while ago. Does that mean what I think it means?" "Well, it means I've decided I love Delia. What else it means, I haven't decided yet." "So, it means you love her, but you don't know if you're going to make love to her." "Exactly. I still don't think it would be fair to her, since I can't marry her." "Ed, in all of our eyes she will be married to us. I can't marry Cassie, but I feel just as married to her as I do to you. She feels the same about me. It would be the same with Delia." "What you say makes sense. Let me think about it today." When we had camped for the day, after only traveling twelve miles, I asked Jud and Mina to take a walk with me. After we were away from camp, I said, "Delia and I have done a lot of talking recently. We find we are both in love with each other." Jud's face was impassive, but Mina's lit up in a smile. "Sam and Cassie both love her too. They want us to take Delia into our marriage. The only problem is, it isn't legal for a white man to marry a black woman even in the free states." Jud nodded and Mina took hold of my arm. Neither of them said anything. "If we did accept Delia into our marriage, there couldn't be a ceremony, but we would all consider it a permanent relationship, and Delia would be our equal in every way. Before we did anything, I wanted to get your opinion." Jud nodded at Mina, so she went ahead and answered for both of them. "Having a preacher mumble some words over you don't make a marriage. Jud and me never had no preacher mumble over us and we're just as married as anyone. We know Delia loves you and we can tell by looking that you love her. Just take care of our baby for us." "Mina, I appreciate the trust you've shown in me. You do know that you can say 'NO' and no matter how I feel about Delia or how she feels about me, I'll leave her along, don't you?" "I know that, Ed," she said, hugging my arm. "You are the best man in the world my baby could possibly have." Mina grinned and asked, "Does that make us relatives when you marry my daughter?" "It makes you my mother-in-law, but I feel more like you're my sister. I am very proud of how far you two have come already and I can see that you're going to come even farther. Both of you should be proud of yourselves." ------- Later, as we were eating supper, Sam was sitting on my left, Delia was on my right, and Cassie was sitting between my legs. I was leaning back against a wagon wheel and Cassie's butt was firmly planted in my crotch. "So, what is the verdict?" Sam asked. "Well, I talked with Mina and Jud. They would be okay with and maybe even happy about it, if we bring Delia into our marriage. How do each of you feel about it?" "I'm all for it," Sam said. "All of us love Delia. All of us want her to be with us." "I agree," Cassie said. "What about you, Delia?" I asked. "Oh, I'm for being a part of your marriage." "Sam and Cassie enjoy pleasing each other," I said. "I don't want you to feel you have to be a part of that, unless you want to." Delia grinned, then said, "I'm not sure. I've seen black women go at each other, but I just never thought it would be something I was interested in. Can we wait a while on that?" "Delia, we'll never force you to do anything you don't want to do," Sam said. "It is a very loving thing though and I think before long you'll want to." Delia just smiled and nodded. I put my arm around her and she snuggled in close. ------- Delia slept in the wagon with us that night. This time all of us were naked. I didn't make love to Delia. I held her close and kissed and cuddled her while we watched Sam and Cassie make love to each other. Day 101 - Monday, August 9, 1847 As they were preparing breakfast, I saw Delia and Mina talking earnestly together. I assumed Mina was asking Delia about last night. In my previous life I would have been as embarrassed as hell, but for some reason, it didn't bother me at all now. We had just finished eating when Jim came over and asked me, "Sur, we wuz jis wonderin jist how long it'd be afore weuns get ta Ohio." "I don't know for sure, Jim, but at the rate we're traveling, I'd say it'll be about another week or so. I think you're pretty well safe from anyone following you though." "Ye, sur. Thanky, sur." I was going to tell him to drop the sirs, but he turned and was gone before I could say anything. We had decided yesterday that today was going to be a day of rest, so we weren't in any hurry to get going or anything. Mostly we just laid around all day and let the horses and mules graze. They had been working hard for the last several days. Of course Hawk didn't stray too far from camp, and he'd come and check on me every so often. All in all, it was a nice restful day. Mindy and Mandy must have decided it was a fine day to torment papa. The first thing they did was when they thought I was asleep. They tied the laces of my moccasins together. I pretended to sleep a while longer, then I sat up and untied the laces and put them back the way they should be. Both girls had a very disappointed look when they saw me get up. A little later they did get me. I was sitting, leaning back against a tree, about half asleep. The next thing I knew, the two little... darlings had sneaked up behind me and dumped a bucket of water on me. Sam and Cassie were laughing their asses off as I got up and started stripping off my wet clothes. Sam said it was about time I changed my clothes anyway. "We should all get a good bath today," she said. "Not for a while yet, love," I said. "I have some special plans for our two little hellions." I got some dry clothes on and found another tree to lean against. It was maybe a half hour later when I saw M & M making their way back into the clearing we were camped in. I waited until they went over to talk to Sam and Delia, then I sneaked up behind them and grabbed both of them. They shrieked in unison, but I picked one of them up under each arm and carried them over to where Andy was sharpening his hunting knife. I held Mandy toward him and asked if he'd hold her for a minute for me. He nodded and took Mandy by the ankle. I carried Mindy over to the creek and threw her out toward the middle. Then I went back and got Mandy and did the same for her. Pay backs really are hell. Day 102 - Tuesday, August 10, 1847 It's a good thing that our wagon is five feet wide instead of four feet like most of them. Even so, when I woke up, Sam and Delia were both half way on top of me. I can't say that I minded though. I laid there until bladder pressure forced me to get up and take care of business. After I had relieved my bladder I went over and begged a cup of coffee from Mina. She was all smiles. "Where's Charlene? Doesn't she usually help you with breakfast?" I asked. "I haven't seen her this morning. Jim or Tom either for that matter," she said as she handed me my coffee. I took a sip then walked over to the newcomers' tent. "Time to rise and shine, folks," I said. There wasn't any answer from inside the tent, so I pulled back the flap and looked inside. They weren't there. In fact, the tent was completely empty. I walked back over to Mina and said, "They're gone, Mina. It looks like they may have taken off. Their blankets and everything else they've been using are gone too." "Them no good trifling niggers," Mina said. "I'll bet they have run off. They're too stupid to be out on their own." "Take it easy, Mina. Leaving might be stupid, but it's up to them." "They are stupid, Ed. They didn't trust you. They tried to tell us you're going to sell us before we get to the free states. Look at this," she said with fire shooting out of her eyes. "They done stole a whole hind quarter of that last deer Andy shot. I'll bet there's other stuff missing too." "Don't let it bother you, Mina. That's not going to hurt us or even put us out." "We're better off without them. They're so stupid they need a Massa to take care of them." Mina was still boiling mad and she was letting the world know about it. Everyone else was as surprised as I was to find the new people missing. No one was quite as pissed off about it as Mina was though. Delia said it didn't surprise her none. She said they'd been trying to tell her that she shouldn't have anything to do with me. "Why did they think we fought for them then?" Sam asked. "They said you just wanted the money you could get from selling them. They said there wasn't any other reason you would have done it," Delia said. All Andy said about it was that it looked like he'd need to go hunting in the morning. I had to laugh at that. ------- It started raining shortly after we had gotten on the trail and we had a miserable day to travel. It didn't help any that we were still in some of the roughest mountains on this side of the country. I really wasn't that upset by the new people cutting out, or even by the fact they stole from us. I was upset that their lives to date had programmed them to the point they couldn't see that someone was trying to help them without wanting anything in return. It was still raining when we camped, so after we helped everyone set up their tents, we retired to our wagon. I stripped down and got in bed. Sam and Cassie followed shortly afterwards. We were all snuggled together and Sam pulled the covers down around our knees. I figured Sam wanted to play around a little and I was happy to oblige her. I was surprised when she climbed across me and she and Cassie started kissing. I was even more surprised when Delia came into our bed and laid her naked body on top of mine. My arms instinctively went around Delia and I heard her sigh. "I had never seen two white women together, so Sam and Cassie volunteered to let me watch them," she whispered. Her eyes were glued to my two wives, but her hands were running up and down my body. I had an erection that was as hard as I've ever gotten. "Would you touch my body, Ed?" Delia asked. I didn't know what else to do, so I started gently stroking her back. Without even thinking about it, I found myself stroking her butt as we watched my wives pleasure each other. Delia groaned and she let her knees drop to either side of my body. I continued stroking her butt, but let my fingers trail down through her crack. Delia moaned again. I gently traced around her anus and played with it for a while, then I traced the lips of her pretty little pussy. She immediately had a silent orgasm. I gently tugged on her pubic hair and pulled her nether lips apart with my fingers. Delia brought her head up and kissed me as well as any woman had ever kissed me. Her tongue attacked my mouth as I slid a couple of fingers up and down between her pussy lips. I found her opening and found that it was indeed still protected by her virginity. The next time I let my fingers slide toward the front of her body, I found her clit, so I started to play with it. Delia came apart. Her whole body started bouncing on top of me and she was shivering like she was caught in a snowstorm. My cock was caught between our bodies and the almost violent movements her body was making caused me to go over the edge. Delia went right with me. I held her as the shivering in her body started to subside. "I think it's time you made me your wife," Delia said. I don't think there is any man at any time that could have told her no. She winced as my cock entered her, so I stopped and waited for the pain from breaking her hymen to subside. In less than a minute, Delia smiled at me and said, "That wasn't so bad." She straightened herself to a vertical position and slowly let herself sink down onto me. Day 103 - Wednesday, August 11, 1847 I awoke to warm sunshine and three naked women who love me. If there's a better way to wake up, I sure haven't found it. We cuddled and kissed and tickled a while before we got up to face another day of travel. "So, how do you all feel about what happened last night?" I asked. Delia blushed and Sam said, "I thought it was as sexy as all hell." Sam put her finger under Delia's chin and lifted her head up. "Next time I'm going to be more involved with you," she said and then she kissed Delia with much more than a sisterly kiss. "The devirginator strikes again," Cassie giggled. "Ed has three wives and all three were virgins until he debauched us." "I'll go you one better," I said. "I've had sex with exactly four women in my life and all four were virgins when we got together the first time." "You've never said much about your sex life with your first wife," Sam said. "Was it good with her?" "Yes and no. It was good at first. I thought I was very much in love with her. We dated for over a year before we had sex the first time, and from then until maybe two years after we were married, it was very good. Then I started traveling a lot with my job and Missy seemed to start pulling away from me. Even when I was home, it seemed like she always had a headache or something that prevented us from having sex." "I've got a headache is the oldest excuse in the world," Sam giggled. "When did she start screwing other guys?" "I think it was about the same time. My attorney said it was during a period when I had been home for three months, so my being away wasn't an excuse. Then the stupid bitch got herself pregnant by some other guy. Besides that, I think she had come to the point where she even liked her job more than she liked me." "Did you still love her at that time?" Cassie asked. "I don't think I really did. We had been fighting almost constantly for over a year. Even when we weren't fighting, I had to listen to her almost constant complaints about one thing or another. I guess that kind of killed how I had felt about her." "Why were you so upset when she divorced you? Sam said you were almost a basket case," Cassie asked. "I guess it was just because I was holding on. I traveled so much for work that I didn't have much that was constant in my life. I thought my marriage was a constant, even if it left a lot to be desired." "You don't have to worry about that kind of thing now," Sam said. "Any traveling you do, you're going to have your wives with you." "Yeah," I said with a big grin, "and if my wives start bitching at me I'll just turn them over my knee and spank their pretty bottoms." I was tackled by three lovely naked ladies. We were rolling around and laughing and giggling until Mina came over and banged on the side of the wagon. ------- I saw Delia whispering to Mina as Mina was serving up breakfast. When we had all settled in to eat, Mina came over and sat with us. "I hear you made my daughter very happy last night, Ed," Mina grinned. "I hope so. I know she made me very happy." Mina just smiled and nodded. "Are you feeling better about the people who ran off?" I asked. "Some. You know they're going to get caught though, don't you?" "Why do you think that?" I asked. "They're too stupid not to. The way I understand it, there are patrols along the borders of the free states. They'll probably walk right into one. If not that, they'll steal something and get caught doing that." "You may be right, Mina, but I hope not. I don't believe in slavery. I don't think any man has the right to own another person." "You own me, Massa," Delia said with downcast eyes. I put my arms around Delia and kissed her, then I said, "I may own your heart, but then again you own mine." Mina's smile was a mile wide. ------- Delia came to ride beside me for a while. This was becoming a habit that I liked. Sam and Cassie did it quite frequently as well. "Ed, you said some things this morning that have me confused. When you were talking about your first wife, some of the things you said just didn't make sense to me." "Like what?" "Well, you said she liked her job. I didn't think married white women had jobs. Also you talked about something called divorce. What's divorce?" "Honey, since you are our wife, I guess you should know all about Sam and Cassie and me. This is going to sound strange to you and I would ask you not to tell anyone, not even your mother, what I'm going to tell you." Delia nodded and said, "I promise that anything you or Sam or Cassie tells me will be our secret." I told her about all that had happened to us. At first she looked shocked, then she started to look like something made sense to her. "That's why you all think of black people different than other people do," she said. "That's right, love. In the time that Sam and Cassie and I came from, black people and white people are equal." "I think I'd like that time," she said solemnly. "There are still a lot of problems between blacks and whites. Some white people still think black people are inferior. Some black people think that what the white people in this time did to their ancestors is an excuse to not try to do better." "Are other things a lot different then?" "Yes, it'd be very hard to tell you about how things are going to be. Some things are just so far removed from what we have now that they just couldn't be understood. Take traveling for instance. In the time we came from, there are big machines that fly through the air and take you from one place to another. It's going to take us six months to go to Oregon. One of the flying machines could take us there in four hours." Delia looked totally stunned. We rode in silence for a while, then she asked, "Are you sad you got kicked back to now?" "No, honey, we're very happy about it. If that hadn't happened to us, we wouldn't have found you." ------- I told Sam as she was riding with me a little later that I had told Delia about our history. She wasn't upset by it at all and she said she'd let Cassie know. Sam's take was that it had been inevitable that Delia would have had to be told at some point anyway. We had another day of low mileage. I figured we made twelve miles. I figured another week to Charleston and another week beyond that before we reached Ohio. We weren't in any big hurry to get anywhere, but I did want to find a home for the winter before it started getting too cold. I didn't even know how we were going to find a place. Were there places to rent in this age? Would we have to buy a place? I decided it was something I needed to talk to Andy about. At least today we didn't have any rain, but I felt sorry for the animals anyway. The mules were really having to earn their keep. If I remembered right, the way should get better over the next few days. ------- Chapter 24 Day 107 - Sunday, August 15, 1847 The next three days were more of the same. The mules toiled pulling the wagon and we helped as much as possible. We were all getting very tired, so we decided to take a day off. We picked a great day for it. I awoke to birds singing and sun brightening the canvass of our wagon. The four of us were naked and we had kicked the covers off during the night. I was between Sam and Cassie, and when my eyes started to focus, I saw Delia watching me across Sam. "Good morning, love," I said softly trying to not wake Sam or Cassie. Delia smiled and pursed her lips as if she were kissing me. After a while, I had to answer a call of nature, so I got up and started to get dressed. Delia got up as well and came into my arms. We kissed, then I rubbed her back and butt as we gazed into each other's eyes. Finally we pulled apart and I finished dressing. When I came back from the bushes, Delia had a cup of coffee poured for me. I sat and leaned back against a wagon wheel and took it from her. My newest wife immediately claimed my lap. Mina came over and joined me with some coffee of her own. She smiled at us and said, "You have made my daughter very happy, Ed." "She's made me just as happy," I said. "I truly love her, Mina." "I know you do, Ed. None of us can believe what's happened to us during the last few weeks. We were to be sold and we knew we wouldn't be sold to the same person. Then you bought all of us, not to use us, but to make us part of your family." "You are part of our family now," I said. "You're my mother-in-law. That's almost the same as being my mother. The only problem with that is, you're only four or five years older than me." ------- We had camped in a little glade not more than a hundred yards off the road and we hadn't made any effort to try to conceal where we were camped. We didn't expect any company, but we weren't hiding from anyone either. Now that we knew the disappearance of the fop hadn't been connected to the auction, our minds were relieved on that account. My wives and our friends had proven they were more than capable of protecting us, so that was another worry off our minds. We still had a lot of money on us, but no one knew of that. We had actually recouped most of the money we had spent for Jud's family from the fop. We had a nice bath in the creek flowing by our camp and after we had gotten dressed we were just kind of lazing around. Jud and Mina had wandered off into the woods. Mina was looking for some herbs she could use to enhance her cooking. M & M and Tommy were playing some kind of game that included a lot of yelling and running. My wives, Andy, Sarah Beth, and I were talking about ranching. "How many cattle do you think we should try to take with us?" I asked Andy. "Well, a lot depends on whether we want to hire people to drive them for us. None of us really have any experience with herding cattle. I think we need to talk with someone who has and see what they think would be a good number." "I wouldn't be against hiring people," I said. "Maybe we could hire someone who could teach us how to handle them as well." "That makes sense," Andy said. "Just how hard is it going to be to drive cattle?" Cassie asked. "I thought all you had to do was get behind them and start smacking them on the butt." We all got a laugh out of that, then Andy said, "From what I hear, Cassie, the horse does most of the work. My gelding has never worked cattle, so I know he'd be about worthless as far as droving is concerned, at least until we could train him. Do any of you know if any of your horses have been trained to work cattle?" Of course, none of us did, although I'd bet my last dollar that Hawk would do a good job of it. Come to think of it, I'll bet Mandy's roan and Mindy's pinto would too, if the girls were riding them. Conversation kind of lulled as we succumbed to the mid-afternoon lethargy. I know I was about half asleep when a young man, about Andy's age, came riding into camp. "Howdy, folks," he said. "Could you spare a meal for someone who's been on the road a long time?" "Howdy, yourself," I said with a smile. "I'm Ed Hill. This here's Andy Finke. The ladies are Sam, Cassie, Delia, Dalia, and Sara Beth. Get down. I'm sure we can find you something to eat." He got down off of his horse as Andy and I got reluctantly to our feet. "I'm Stu Wiseman," he said as he extended his hand, first to me then to Andy. "I've been riding hard for quite a spell now. I don't usually go asking for a handout, but I'm just about tuckered out and my belly feels like it's growed to my backbone." "We've got a nice stew that all we'll have to do is heat it up for you," Sam said. "Have a seat and we'll fix you up." Delia started to get up and help, but Sam told her to relax, that she'd take care of it. "Let me get my horse unsaddled and rubbed down while you're doing that," Stu said. "This old girl and I have seen a lot of country together and I like to take care of her first." Andy walked over with him as he unsaddled his horse and started rubbing her down. "Where are you from, Stu?" Andy asked. "Well, now. Originally, I'm from a little town not too far from Richmond. The last four years I've been working on a cattle ranch in Texas." "Did you just come home on a visit, or are you moving back to Virginia permanently?" I asked. "Just a visit," he said as Sam called him to eat. Sam had fixed him up a plate of stew and had reheated some johnny cake for him. The young man attacked the stew like he hadn't eaten in a week. "Ma'am, this has to be the best stew I've ever eaten," he said between bites. "I wish I could take credit for it," Sam said. "Mina made this stew. You haven't met her yet." "Well, whoever made it, it is delicious. Where are you all from?" "Sam and I are from Michigan. Cassie is from Vermont. Mindy and Mandy are from Boston. Tommy and Andy are from New Jersey. Sarah Beth is from Maryland, and the rest are from Virginia. It seems like Sam and I have been picking up people as we go along." "Where are you all headed?" "We're going to spend the winter in Ohio, then next spring, we're going to be heading to Oregon. We're going to start a ranch out there." "I've been giving Oregon some thought myself. From what I hear, it's some really nice country out there." Stu finished his first plate of stew and Sam dished him out another one. He gave her a big smile and dug into it. "That's what we hear too. Plus, there's all the problems going on now about the slavery and all. I'm afraid there's going to be a war between the slave states and the free states in a few years." "Do you think it's the Abolitionist Movement that's pushing us toward that?" Stu asked. "Them and the Free Soilers. The southern states are beginning to think that the northern states are banded together, against them. It's just a matter of time, but it'll happen within the next fifteen to twenty years." "Do you think it'll be that long? There are cases of violence between Abolitionists and slave holders right now." "Yeah, I do, Stu. The main reason is that we don't have a president or a congress that is ready to push for abolishing slavery." Stu had finished his second plate of stew and had politely refused a third when Sam offered it. He sighed and said, "I guess I should tell you folks that I'm a wanted man. I killed two men just over a week ago just outside of Richmond." "Why did you feel you had to kill two men?" Andy asked. His voice was calm, but I could see the tension in his body. "Well, as I told you, I had been working in Texas. Actually, I had gone there because me and my pa had a falling out. Pa was a minister and he was so strict about everything that I just couldn't take it any more. We had words and I left home when I was sixteen." Sam handed him a cup of coffee and he smiled his thanks before sipping it. "Pa was also an abolitionist. I got a letter from ma a couple of months ago. She said there was a lot of trouble brewing because pa had started preaching abolition in his sermons. She said she was afraid something bad was going to happen and she asked if I'd come home and help out." He paused while he took another sip of his coffee, then went on. "I lit a shuck for home, but I was too late. When I got there, our house had been burned. I found ma and pa's graves out back of the house." He sat there in silence for a couple of minutes. I was wondering if he was going to go on, when he started up again. "I started going around and talking to some of his parishioners. Most of them expressed their sympathy, but wouldn't tell me anything. Finally, one old man told me it was the Coffee brothers who had done it." He took another sip of coffee and looked at all of us. He definitely had our attention. "The Coffee brothers had a large plantation not far from pa's church. People said they had over a hundred slaves. I rode over there to see what I could find out. They didn't even deny it. They said that people like pa had to be wiped out before they tore the country apart. I killed them both and shot at least two of their hands as I was getting out of there. I've been riding hard ever since." "Can't say as I blame you," Andy said and held his hand out to be shaken again. I did the same, then each member of our group who was in camp followed suit. "How do you feel about the slavery issue?" I asked as he was shaking Dalia's hand. He held on to her hand and said, "I just can't imagine how anyone could make someone as lovely as this into a slave. Actually, I can't imagine making anyone into a slave." Andy, Dalia and Sarah Beth told him of how we had bought them at auction, but then freed them. We didn't tell him about any of the killing we had had to do. "So, what are your plans?" I asked him after they had finished telling him of our slave dealing. "Well, I don't rightly know," he said as he looked around at each of us. "They'll be looking for me in Texas. That's why I kind of headed north. I might try out Oregon myself, but it's a little late to do that this year. I guess I'll have to find somewhere to hole up for the winter." "Why don't you ride along with us?" Andy asked. "They're looking for a man alone. If you're with us, people won't notice you as much." Andy looked at me and I nodded. I was going to suggest the same thing myself. "Well, I don't know about that," Stu said. "I wouldn't want to put you folks in danger." "Bull shit!" Cassie said emphatically. Stu looked at her with a shocked expression as she went on, "We're not lily white either, Stu. We had to kill the dandy who tried to buy Delia and Dalia at the slave auction. He had three buddies with him and we killed them too. They were going to try to take Delia and Dalia away from us." Stu thought for a minute then asked, "That wouldn't have been Bobby Wadsworth would it?" "That was the bastard," I said. "Well, that explains a lot. His disappearance was the talk of Richmond when I got back there. His pa is offering a big reward for anyone who can tell him anything about what happened to Bobby." "Did you know him?" I asked. "I knew him when we were kids. I haven't seen him in six or seven years. He was a snot when he was a kid and I doubt he improved any." "He had per-fume on his handkerchief," Andy said with a disgusted expression. All of us had to laugh at Andy's disdain. ------- A little later when Mina and Jud came back from their herb hunting expedition, we got another surprise. Stu and I were talking about cattle raising when they came into view. He watched them with a look of growing recognition on his face. When they approached us, he said, "Willie?" She looked at him for a moment, then it dawned on her who he was. "You're preacher Wiseman's boy aren't you?" "That's me," he said with a grin. "I'd like to think I'm not a boy any more though." Mina turned to me and said, "Massa Wilson didn't really like the preacher, but when they came around, he'd always ask them to stay for dinner. The young man here was a scamp. He was always trying to play some kind of trick on someone or something." "Delia and Dalia are Mina's daughters," I said. "Why didn't you recognize them?" "How old are you, Delia?" he asked. "I'm fifteen," she said. "I'm seven years older than they are. What twelve year old boy wants to play with a five year old girl?" I laughed. "You're right on that. You said you left home when you were sixteen. That means Delia would have only been nine years old at the time." "Anyway, Willie, as Mr. Wilson called her made a big impression on me. Even though I was a pain in the ass, she never scolded me. She also made sure I had the best food of anyone at the table. I think it was Willie, more than pa that shaped how I feel about slavery." "You almost got me a whipping one time though," Mina said with a big smile. She looked at me and said, "Massa Wilson always wanted me to make up his plate in the kitchen. While I was doing something else, this young man slipped a big old fishing worm in Massa Wilson's mashed potatoes. You never heard such gagging and yelling in all your born days, then he throwed up right on the table." Stu was laughing when he said, "You might not have got a whipping for it, Mina, but I sure did. When pa found out it was me that did it he almost took my hide off. I'm sorry it got you in trouble." "It was funny, but cleaning up his vomit wasn't," Mina said. "So, you're the ones Ed bought then set free. I'm glad it was you guys. I didn't know Jud or the girls, but I always liked you, Mina. You always treated me well, because you liked me, not because I was the preacher's son." "Truth be told, I never much liked the preacher. I liked what he said about slavery, but I didn't like all of the stuff he was saying was a sin. You see, I think what might be a sin for me might not be a sin for you and what is a sin for you might not be a sin for me." Stu laughed and said, "You know, me telling pa something like that is what led up to the big fight we had when I left home. Pa had one idea on things and if you didn't agree with him, you were a sinner." Mina nodded. Stu told her what had happened with his parents and what he had done as well. "Don't feel bad about what you did," Mina told him. "I didn't like the preacher, but he didn't deserve to be killed for what he believed." We all agreed with that. ------- Stu stayed with us the rest of the day. All of us talked with him off and on. The more I talked with him, the more I liked him. He never really said he was going to travel with us, but I thought he might be leaning that way. We set up the tent the runaways had been using that evening and Stu said he'd be glad to bunk with Tommy. He watched curiously as Cassie, Sam, Delia and I got into our wagon to go to sleep. Day 108 - Monday, August 16, 1847 Well, at least Stu didn't run off during the night. He was sitting, talking quietly with Mina as she fixed breakfast when I got up. When I had poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down with them, Stu asked, "Can I ask you a personal question, Ed?" I knew what it was going to be, but I went along with him anyway. "Sure, Stu, go ahead and ask." "You're married to Sam, right?" "Yes." "Isn't it a little uncomfortable for you, sleeping in the wagon with your wife when there are two other people in there as well?" "No. You see, Stu, I'm married to all three of them." "Uh... Are you a Mormon or something?" "Not really. We just don't believe the way most other people believe. We all know you can love more than one person at a time. All of us love each other, so we all married each other." "Well, it's none of my business and I really shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry for being nosey. I really don't have anything against it." "I'm glad it doesn't bother you, Stu. We all consider ourselves family, and everyone in the family has taken a liking to you." "Well, I've kind of taken a liking to all of you too. It's nice seeing Mina again, although it's a little hard getting used to calling her that. If you all are sure you don't mind, I think I will ride along with you for a spell." "We'd like that, Stu," Mina said before I could even open my mouth. ------- We spent most of the day climbing. It was slow going and we only made around ten or eleven miles. Even with the climbing, we'd have made more miles if it hadn't been for Rawhide Williams. We were coming toward the crest of the last mountain we'd have to cross before we reached what would eventually be Charleston, West Virginia, when we saw a saddle laying by the side of the road. Of course, Andy, Stu, and I had to stop to take a look. When we stopped, everyone else did too. The saddle was well worn, but still had a lot of good use in it. It was well taken care of, and none of us could figure what it was doing there beside the road. I looked around and saw smoke coming up off to our right. I pointed it out and started over to see where it was coming from. There was a clearing beside a small stream a couple of hundred yards off the trail. In the clearing was an old man brewing coffee over a nice fire. "Get down and have some coffee," the man said as he turned to face us. He couldn't have stood more than five and a half feet tall. He probably didn't weigh over a hundred pounds and that included his four or five inch beard. His hair and beard were gray and what you could see of the skin on his hands and face looked like old leather. "Don't mind if I do," I said as I dismounted. "I'm Ed Hill and this is Andy Finke and Stu Wiseman." "I'm Rawhide Williams. You gentlemen are welcome to join us." "We have a wagon and some more people back on the road," Andy said. "Bring 'em over. This here's a good place to camp." Andy looked at me and when I nodded, he rode back to bring everyone over. Stu dismounted and took the cup of coffee Rawhide was holding out to him. "I put my saddle out by the road, hoping someone would stop," Rawhide said. "Well, it certainly got our attention," I said. "Did something happen to your horse?" "The dad blamed fool stepped in a gopher hole and broke his leg," he said and spit a stream of tobacco juice at a grass hopper that was about eight feet away from him. "I had to shoot the critter. We were about three or four miles south of here when it happened." "You carried your saddle three or four miles over rough country?" I asked. "Yeah, I was a mite tuckered when I got to the road." "Hell. I'd have been a lot more than a mite tuckered," I said. Rawhide smiled and said, "Clean living, son." When everyone else arrived, I introduced them to Rawhide. Sam took a liking to him immediately. "So, Mr. Williams, where were you going when your horse broke his leg?" she asked. "Who are you talking to, young lady? I only answer to Rawhide." "I'm talking to you, you old goat. So, where the hell were you going, Rawhide?" Rawhide chuckled, then asked, "Do you want to hear the whole story?" "Yes." "It's gonna cost you a good supper." "Okay. Get on with it." "Well, Missy..." "Hold it just a damned minute. My name is Sam. I don't like to be called Miss or Missy or lady or toots or ma'am or anything else but Sam." "Okay, now that we've got that all cleared up. I've been working cattle on a ranch in east Texas for years. My ma and pa had died several years ago and I had completely lost track of my sister. Right out of the clear blue, I got a letter from a lawyer in Dayton, Ohio who said my sister and her husband had died and that they had left me their ranch just outside of Dayton." "So you're going to Ohio to take over your ranch?" "I wasn't really going to. I mean, I don't need it or anything and I never really liked the Ohio country, but my boss had a string of horses he wanted delivered to Roanoke, Virginia and he asked me to take them. So, me and four other wranglers brought them through and delivered them. The other guys headed back to the ranch, but I thought I'd go on up and find out what this was all about." "We're going to be going right through there, Rawhide," I said. "You're welcome to ride along with us until we get there." "I just might do that, Ed. You said Sam is your wife, didn't you? Did you ever think of turning her over your knee and teaching her how to talk to her elders?" I laughed and said, "I've thought about that a lot. There's nothing like a good spanking to bring a woman in line. Besides that, it's fun. There's one reason I don't though..." Before I could say anything else, I was tackled by three young women. Cassie and Delia pinned my arms down while Sam sat on my stomach. When I could get my breath, I went on. "There's one reason I don't though. I'm married to all three of these women and I'm afraid of them." Everyone cracked up and my wives all ended up kissing me before they would let me up. "That's jist my luck," Rawhide said. "I fall in with a group of people where there are six of the most beautiful women I've ever seen and all of them are taken." We all got a laugh out of that. Stu and I gathered some firewood while Andy talked with Rawhide. I asked Stu if he knew where Rawhide had worked. "No, he said east Texas. Most of the time I was in the north-central area. I don't think you could find a better person to travel with though. I've known and worked with men like him for the last six years. I've never known a more honest bunch of people." ------- For as small a man as he was, I'd never seen anyone eat more. Rawhide kept praising Mina's cooking to the point I think she was becoming embarrassed. We all carried on a conversation during dinner and Rawhide held up his end of it. He told a bunch of improbable stories about working on a ranch and he had M & M and Tommy enthralled. All three of them sat with their mouths open listening to him as he told even bigger yarns than Andy normally told. When darkness fell, we told Rawhide he could bunk in with Stu and Tommy, but he said it was such a beautiful night he'd rather just sleep under the stars. ------- Chapter 25 Day 109 - Tuesday, August 17, 1847 We got on the road early, after another of Mina's wonderful breakfasts. We let Rawhide ride the horse Tommy had been riding and Tommy rode behind Mindy. I don't think he or Mindy either one minded that. The road was mostly down hill today and we made a lot better time than we had in a while. I think we probably made close to seventeen miles for the day. M & M rode on either side of Rawhide for most of the day. Every once in a while, I'd hear Sam and Rawhide bantering back and forth with each other. It seemed like Sam sparked the irascible cowboy and he did the same to her. Her insults would have inspired a fight if she had been a man. His would have called forth my ire if I hadn't known Sam was enjoying the exchange. I asked Sam about it later and she said, "I don't know what it is, Ed. In some ways he reminds me of my grandfather and that's the kind of relationship we had before he died." I really didn't care what the reason was, Sam seemed more animated than I had seen her in a while. I liked that. As we were eating supper, Rawhide said, "So you guys are planning to start a ranch in Oregon. Do you have everything planned out?" "Not really, Rawhide. We plan to do a lot of talking with people this winter and we hope to be a lot better prepared by the time we're ready to leave next spring." "Are you gonna go with 'em?" Rawhide asked Stu. "I don't know," Stu said. "They haven't asked me." "Stu, would you like to go to Oregon with us?" Andy asked. "I think I'd like that, Andy. What about you, Rawhide? Are you gonna go with 'em?" "They haven't asked me," he said. "Why you cross eyed old sidewinder, you know we'd want you to go with us, if you're not too tied up with your ranch in Ohio," Sam said. "Well, since you asked so nicely, little missy, I just might take a notion to see what Oregon is like." Sam's eyes were shining when she looked at him and said, very seriously, "We'd love to have you along, Rawhide." The older man looked embarrassed, then asked, "How many head of cattle are you thinking about taking through with you?" "Well, it depends. We can afford to take quite a few head and still outfit ourselves very nicely. How many would you recommend?" I asked. "There's a lot to think about. How many people are gonna be living on the ranch? How much are you expectin' ta get for your critters?" "I think there's about thirteen of us here right now. The ranch would have to support that many people." "Let's talk a mite about that. I've worked on enough trail drives and the like to know about what it takes to feed a crew. For that amount of folks, it'll take six or eight hundred dollars to feed them for a year, even figuring us supplying most of the meat. It'd take another hundred for powder and lead and another hundred for clothes. I have no idear what it'd cost for notions or for fancy women's stuff." "From what I hear, cattle are selling for a hundred dollars a head in Oregon," Andy said. "I've heard that too," Stu said. "Yep. I've heard them yarns too. Trouble is, Them kind of prices ain't gonna last. I'd say you were gonna need at least a hundred head of cattle to support you with new calves ever year," Rawhide said. "I was figuring on taking more like five hundred to a thousand head with us," I said. Rawhide and Stu sat there in stunned silence for a while. Finally, Rawhide said, "It'd take a heap of money to buy that many cattle." "Yeah, we could do it. How many men would it take to drive five hundred cattle from here to Oregon?" "Well, on the ranch I worked on, we'd have had at least a dozen men for a drive. You might get away with less, but I wouldn't bet on it," Rawhide said. "We've got five men right here," I said. "We've also got three or four spunky girls that could help. Sam's not going to be much help as she's going to have a new addition to our family by then and she'll be tied up taking care of the baby." Rawhide looked over at Sam and grinned. "She wouldn't a been much help anyway," he said. Day 110 - Wednesday, August 18, 1847 We got a nice early start and traveling was much easier, but we still only made fifteen or so miles for the day. We passed through Charleston and stopped to stock up on food. Of course the women all had to look at everything in the general store as well. Rawhide, Stu and I talked a bit more about people and supplies as we rode. "So," I said, "If we have five men and three women now, we'd need about six more men for a trail drive?" "That'd about do it," Rawhide said. "Okay, I figure it's going to take around three hundred pounds of food per person. That's three wagon loads for just food, then there has to be three drivers, which ups it to four wagon loads for food and four drivers. With that many people, Andy is going to be hunting full time, so add one more drover," I said. "You're gonna want at least one wagon for furniture and a chuck wagon, so that's two more drivers. It just keeps growing," Stu said. "Add another wagon for tools and things like seeds for planting a garden. The chuck wagon can haul all of our cooking utensils and the drovers' gear. We might even need one more for just odds and ends," I said. "That makes fifteen men we'd have to hire," I said. "That'd make eight wagons. We'd probably need a guide as well." "I just don't see how you could afford to do all that," Stu said. "Well, Andy has some money, and Sam, Cassie, Delia and I have quite a bit in a bank in Boston. I'm sure we could finance it." "I closed out ma and pa's bank account before everything went to hell. I'd like to buy in to that extent," Stu said. "If'n I can get anything out of this ranch in Ohio, I'll throw that in," Rawhide said just as Sam rode up. "I knew you couldn't be all bad, old man," Sam said with a big grin. Rawhide grinned back at her. ------- "Well, you see folks, I left home neigh on to forty years ago. There were a passel of us kids and I don't rightly remember all of them. I was the youngest of the bunch. Most of them had left home by the time I was old enough to remember," Rawhide said as we were eating supper that evening. M & M had been bugging Rawhide to tell them about himself. "I guess I was around fourteen or fifteen when I ran away from home. I was a young pup that thought he knew it all. I was gonna make my fortune before I was twenty and I'd go back and show them that living and working on a farm was just a way to grow old." "Did you make your fortune?" Mandy asked. Rawhide laughed and shook his head. "Child, that was around 1807. There were fortunes to be made, but not for a young sprout who only knew how to work on a farm. That's what I did for most of the first year I was on my own. I worked on someone else's farm." "What did you do after that?" Mindy asked. "Well now, let's see. I spent two winters trapping furs. At least I made enough at that to buy myself a horse and saddle. I hunted one year and supplied meat to an army post up in Ohio. I worked on a steamboat as a deck hand for a while. It must have been nearly thirty years ago when I went with a group of men to Texas." "Texas must have been really wild country back then," I said. "Not as wild as you'd expect. There weren't all that many white men there, but the Spaniards got along just fine. The group I was with looked around a while and decided to head back east, but I liked the country and I liked the way the people lived. I met a man by the name of Don Diego Alvorada. He owned a big ranch and when I told him I wanted to stay in Texas, he offered me a job." "Is that where you were the whole time you were out there?" Sam asked. "Pretty much. Don Diego died about ten years ago, but his son, Don Eduardo took over and ran the place just as well as his father had." He sat, lost in thought for a few minutes, then he continued. "I had written home several times and ma had written back to me. Several years ago I got a letter from some preacher saying ma and pa had died. Either he didn't know about my brothers and sisters or he just didn't say." Sam moved over beside him and put her arm around his shoulder. He smiled and patted her hand. "Did you work on a Spanish ranch, Stu?" I asked. "No, I worked for a guy who hadn't been in Texas much longer than I had. He went there not long after the Alamo. He started out rounding up wild longhorns. As a matter of fact, we still did a good deal of that even now." "Did you like the Texas country?" Sam asked. "Yeah, I liked it okay. The work was hard and the brush would tear you to pieces when we were rounding up cattle, but I liked it." "Most anything we do now days is hard work," I said. "I'm sure ranching in Oregon isn't going to be easy, but it shouldn't be as hard as Texas." Andy looked almost like he was dreaming when he said, "Yeah, I know this one valley that would make a beautiful ranch. It's about twelve or thirteen miles long and about two miles wide. Grass grows waist deep and there's plenty of water. The only problem with it is that it's a long way from any settlement." "That wouldn't bother me." I said. Everyone else agreed with me. Day 111 - Thursday, August 19, 1847 Everyone was in a good mood this morning. Sam and Rawhide were going at each other and were keeping the rest of us laughing. Another reason for our good mood was that we knew we were only a couple of days from the free states. We made sixteen miles for the day, even though we were delayed at our nooning. We were all eating lunch when a group of four men rode into our noon camp. They dismounted and accepted our offer of coffee. "I'm Jim Higgins," the leader said. "I'm Ed Hill. Where are you boys going?" I asked. "We're just checking people who come through. We're looking for runaway slaves." "We got stopped several times a week or so ago," I said. "It seems there had been two males and a female who had run away." "Oh, they caught that bunch," he said. "They got them a couple of days ago trying to get across the river up around Pomeroy." "What'd they do with them?" I asked. "The males got thirty-nine lashes each and the female got nineteen. One of the males was shipped to Alabama and the other was shipped to Georgia. The female was sent back to the plantation they escaped from." I shook my head and said, "You'd think they'd learn." "Where are you folks headed," Higgins asked. "We're on our way to Missouri. Our farm, down around Richmond, just played out. We couldn't get a good crop to save our lives. My brother has a farm in Missouri and he says there's plenty of land for the taking." Higgins nodded and said, "Yeah, I've heard that. There's a lot of talk about outlawing slavery in Missouri though. You might be careful or you might lose yours." "These have been with my family so long I don't think they'd leave us even if we set them free. They're almost like family themselves." "Don't you believe it," he said. "A damned nigger will run as soon as they get the chance." We talked on a little bit about the weather and such, until they finished their coffee. When they left, Mina said, "I knew them dumb niggers was going to get themselves caught. They were too dumb to be out by themselves." Of course this led to us having to tell Stu and Rawhide about the runaways. It dampened our spirits somewhat, but knowing we were so close to the free states soon restored them. Day 112 - Friday, August 20, 1847 We all awoke in a better mood and were soon under way. We figured we made around eighteen miles for the day. We were still in hilly country, but the hills were much smaller than we had been going through. Day 113 - Saturday, August 21, 1847 We had some drizzle yesterday, but today dawned warm and bright. Mina fixed one of her fantastic breakfasts, which we all enjoyed. We got a nice early start and by noon, we were sitting on the banks of the Ohio River, waiting for the ferry to take us across. The ferry man looked us over and asked where we were heading. I told him Missouri and he seemed satisfied. It cost us two dollars to cross, since we had the wagon and quite a few horses now. When we pulled off the ferry on the Ohio side, we were in the free states. We pulled out away from where we could be seen by the ferry men and stopped for lunch. Mina started to fix lunch, but Sam, Cassie, and Sarah Beth pulled her away from the fire. "You're a free woman now, Mina. Let us take our turn," Sam said. Mina came over and sat by me. I put my arm around her and kissed her on the cheek. "How does it feel to be a free woman, Mina?" I asked. "If this is the way a free woman gets treated, it feels really good." "As soon as we get to Dayton, or in any town of good size we pass before then, I'll file your manumission papers. I want you all to know you are completely free." "We already do, Ed. I don't know if you've noticed, but even Jud is doing more and starting to take charge." "Yes, I have noticed. I'm happy for both of you." "He's picking up in the love department too. Seems like every day he wants me more." I hugged her a little tighter and said, "I hope that makes you happy." "Oh, it surely does," she grinned up at me. Delia was sitting on the other side of me, so I put my arm around her too. She looked at Mina and said, "Ed has three wives. I don't think there's a day goes by when he don't do at least one of us. Sometimes he does all three of us." Mina giggled and said, "He's a good man, honey. Hang on to him." "I sure plan to, mama. Sometimes he puts his mouth on my pussy and it just about drives me crazy." "Delia, am I going to have to spank your pretty bottom?" I asked. "Okay, I'll shut up. Just wait until I get you in the wagon tonight though." Delia giggled and Mina joined in. ------- We debated camping right where we were for the day, but decided to get in a few more miles. We probably made around seventeen miles for the day. We followed along the flats above the river for the rest of the day. Not far back from the river, the hills started and I knew they ran for miles to the north of us. We camped close to the southern most point in Ohio. The hills were probably a couple of miles back from the river at this point and we camped in a nice grassy meadow. I didn't paddle Delia's pretty little bottom that night. I did play with it a lot though. I also ate her out while Sam rode me like I was a pony. Sam took care of Cassie while Delia and I cuddled and came down. Day 114 - Sunday, August 22, 1847 We traveled on down the river today. There was a pretty good road from where we crossed the river to Portsmouth, Ohio. This is where we'd leave the river and head northwest for Dayton. "How long do you think it'll be before we get to Dayton?" I asked Rawhide after we had gotten on the road. "I don't rightly remember this area the way I should, but I'd guess about a week." "We're going to have to be looking for a place to spend the winter." I said. "I wonder what the winters around Dayton are like." "I wouldn't expect they'd be too bad. Anything's gonna seem bad to me and Stu though. Texas has nice winters. Why are we gonna have to look for a place to winter? I already have one." "That's right! Do you think it might be possible for all of us to stay at your ranch this winter?" Sam had ridden up as I asked that and Rawhide looked at her and said, "I think all but that one could stay at my ranch this winter." "Why, you old sidewinder you. You'd put a sweet young, pregnant woman like me out in the cold this winter?" Rawhide got very serious. "Are you really in a family way, honey?" "Yes, I am. Ed and I are expecting our first around the last of February." "You'll have the best room in the place, honey. Of course you'd have had it anyway." Rawhide said very seriously. Sam gave him a big smile and said, "Thank you, Rawhide. What's your first name? We just might want to name our son after you." "You don't want to name your son after me, lass." "Come on, Rawhide. What's your first name?" "It's Archibald. See, you don't want to give a name like that to an innocent baby." "I don't know. Archy isn't a bad name. What do you think, Ed?" "I think we have plenty of time before the baby is born to choose a name." ------- It wasn't even noon yet when we met Kate Mulligan. Kate was sitting by the side of the road, naked as the day she was born and mad as a wet hen. When we saw her sitting there, I stopped the wagon and told everyone to wait there while Sam and I rode up to see what was going on. As we approached her, she looked me in the eye and said, "Stare all you want, you son-of-a-bitch." "I don't have to stare at you, ma'am. All three of my wives are prettier than you are. Come on, Sam, let's just leave her here." Sam laughed and said, "She really got your goat, didn't she, honey? Ride back to the wagon and have Cassie bring her one of my outfits." I mumbled and grumbled, but I went. I stayed with the wagon while Cassie took Sam a set of clothes for the woman. We watched from a safe distance as she got dressed. She really was a pretty thing. Her red hair hung to the middle of her back. She had a turned up nose, blue eyes and freckles. From what I had seen, she had a very nice body as well. Delia rode over beside me and asked what was going on. I told her I didn't have a clue. "She verbally attacked me before I could even say anything," I told her. Before long, Sam and Cassie came riding back with the new woman up behind Sam. They rode over to where Delia and I were sitting on our horses and Sam said, "Ed, this is Kate Mulligan. Kate, you've already met my sister/wife, Cassie. This is my husband, Ed Hill, and my sister/wife, Delia." "Mr. Hill, I'm not going to say I'm sorry for what I said to you. You were staring," Kate said. "Kate, if you saw a beautiful rose, would you stare at it, even if you had a garden full of roses at home?" Kate looked stunned, then she laughed. "Mr. Hill, yes, I guess I would. I am sorry for what I said." "I'll accept your apology, but only if you promise to call me Ed from now on." "Done," she said with a grin. "Let's take our nooning here," I yelled. Everyone started getting ready for lunch. Sam and I sat close to the cook fire so Mina could hear everything that was being said. "So, Kate, how did you end up where and how you were?" I asked. "Well, now, it's a long story, it is. My pa went to the Oregon country three years ago to trap furs." "So you decided to sit on the side of the road naked and see if that would bring him back?" I asked. "No, and you are a very trying man, Mr. Hill. My ma died last month and I was all alone. I decided I was going to go and see if I could find out what happened to my pa." "That still doesn't explain why you were naked on the side of the road," Cassie said. "I'm getting to that, lass. I was coming along just as fine as you please when I met up with four men coming the other way. I said, 'Good morning to ya," and was going to ride on, when one of them asked me where I was going. I told him and he started laughing. He pointed to one of the other men and that man grabbed the reins of my horse." Mina brought her a plate of food and she took a bite before she went on. "Anyway, they took everything I had. I had a nice rifle and a revolver. My horse was one I had raised from a foal. I also had almost a hundred dollars in gold. When I kicked up a fuss, they made me undress, then they took my clothes and left me there." "I'd have thought you'd have been happy to see someone come along," Sam said. "I was until your husband started staring at me." "You are a pretty woman, Kate. I can understand him staring," Sam said. Kate grinned and said, "Well, I guess I can't blame him for that." "Kate, you know it's way too late in the year to be heading for Oregon, don't you?" I asked. "Sure, and I'd be knowing that. I figured I'd get to somewhere in Missouri this fall and take off to Oregon in the spring. Now, I don't know what I'm going to do. I'll have to try to get a job of some kind. My horse is gone; my money is gone; my rifle is gone; and my clothes are gone." "The men didn't attack you, did they?" Cassie asked. "No and I think they were a bunch of eunuchs. They didn't even stare at me as much as your husband did. And me a calling them everything but a milk cow and telling them how my big brothers were going to castrate them." "I think that would have turned me off too, Kate," I said. Sam and Cassie giggled, then Sam said, "Most men don't like the word, castrate, Kate." "Do you have any brothers?" I asked. "No, but they didn't know that. And nothing I was saying did me any good." "We're heading for Oregon next spring ourselves," Sam said. "We'll be wintering around Dayton, Ohio. You're welcome to stay with us this winter if you'd like. One more mouth to feed isn't all that much when you've got a group the size of ours." Kate looked around at all of us, then said, "I just might take you up on that, Sam. As long as you'll let me do my share that is." Then, she grinned and said, "You've certainly got some nice looking men here and a lass would be a fool to ignore a chance to spend some time with them." "Thanky kindly, ma'am," Rawhide said. All of us cracked up. ------- Chapter 26 Kate proved herself to be an excellent trail cook when she made dinner for all of us that evening. She made an Irish Stew that was delicious. "Where are you from, Kate?" I asked as we were partaking of her stew. "I'm from Pennsylvania. We had a farm there. We'd had a couple of bad years before pa left to go trapping and we were also having problems with one of our neighbors. He and pa had a real feud going." "What happened with your neighbor after your pa left?" "He was quiet for over a year, then he started pestering ma, saying pa owed him money. She'd just let him talk and when he had wound down, she'd tell him she didn't know anything about it. After ma died, he came in with a constable and said the farm belonged to him now." "Did you just let him have it?" "Sure, and I didn't see there was much else I could be doing. I didn't really want the blamed thing anyway. I took what I wanted and never looked back. Now I don't have anything left." "We'll help you get set up again, Kate," I said. "Maybe you're a better man than I first thought, Ed Hill. If I ever find the bastards that left me that way, I'll skin their hides off them while they're still alive though." "You'll have some back-up if we run into them again, Kate. There isn't anyone here who wouldn't stand behind you if there's trouble." "I just wish I had my revolver. I wouldn't even need any back-up." Delia got up and rummaged around in the back of the wagon for a few minutes, then she came back over to the rest of us and handed Kate a Paterson Colt. Kate's eyes lighted up and she asked, "Can I use this?" "You can have it," Delia said. "We have several that aren't being used." Kate thanked Delia profusely, then asked about her family. Delia told her the tale about us buying them, then setting them free. Then Delia said proudly, "Now I am Ed's wife." "I was wondering how all that came about. I knew right away you were good people." Day 115 - Monday, August 23, 1847 We had camped last night just outside a little town called Ironton or Iron Town. This was an area that was rich in iron ore. One man that I talked to briefly said there were several iron furnaces in the area. I asked the man what the next town we came to would be and he said that Portsmouth was around thirty miles down the river. He also said we'd pass through a couple of settlements before we got there, but they were very small. It was after we had taken our nooning when we had our excitement for the day. We didn't have a horse for Kate, so she had been riding behind each of us for a while, so we didn't tire out the horses. At that point, she was riding behind Cassie. As we were passing by another iron furnace, they came riding over to where I was riding. "Kate says that's her horse back there," Cassie said. "I raised her from a foal," Kate said. "She's mine alright." We had just reached a cluster of houses that had a sign out that said Franklin Furnace. I signaled for Jud to stop the wagon and when he did, Andy, Stu, Rawhide, and Sam came riding over. "Kate spotted her horse back there by the furnace," I said. "I think we should go back and get her and see what else we can find." Everyone nodded agreement, so we moved off in that direction. Kate pointed to a sorrel and said, "That's her." We spread out as we got to the horse and I dismounted and started looking her over. A man yelled, "What are you doing to my horse," and came running over. "Where did you get this horse?" I asked him. "I bought her from Jacob Anderson," he said. "She was stolen from the lady here," I said as I pointed at Kate. "He's not one of them," Kate said. "Four men robbed this lady yesterday morning up around Ironton," I said. "They took everything she had and left her naked on the side of the road. She raised this filly from a foal and she wants her back. How much did you pay for her?" "I gave him thirty dollars for the horse and saddle," the man said. I handed him three gold eagles and said, "We'll get our money back from Anderson. Where does he live?" "Him and his brother have a cabin about a mile up that creek there," he said. By now, Kate had dismounted and was petting and making over the filly. She adjusted the stirrups before she even started to mount. "I'm sorry to lose the horse. She's a fine one," the man said. "I hope you get your things back, ma'am." "Thank you kindly, sir," Kate said. We all rode back over to the wagon and everyone wanted to know what was going on. "The men who robbed Kate live about a mile up that creek," I said. "I'd like for Rawhide, Andy, Kate and Cassie to go with me to get her things back. Stu, I'd like for you to get everyone else moving toward Portsmouth again. We'll catch up with you on the trail." "What about me?" Sam asked. "I'd like for you to go with Stu and protect our baby." Sam started to argue, but Rawhide said, "He's right. Honey." and she calmed down. ------- We got everyone organized and moved out in the direction the man had indicated. It wasn't long before we saw wood smoke rising in front of us. We pulled up when we saw a cabin come into view. "Kate, why don't you wait here until we have them outside where we can talk to them. When they're all outside, ride in slowly and we'll watch their reactions," I said. Kate just nodded her head and watched as the rest of us rode off toward the cabin. We were all the way into the yard before anyone noticed us. We sat on our horses and waited as a man came outside. "Howdy, mister," I said. "I'm Ed Hill and this is my wife Cassie." He had a long rifle in his left hand, with the butt sitting on the floor of the porch. He looked like he was about half drunk and the man who showed up as I was introducing us looked like he was more than half. "I'm Jake Anderson and this here's my brother, Ralph," he said. Another man joined them, but Anderson didn't introduce him. "We're looking for some mangey polecats who robbed a lady up around Ironton yesterday," I said. "I wouldn't know anything about that," Anderson said, then he saw Kate riding toward us and he tried to raise his rifle. In less time than it takes to tell about it, all of us had our revolvers drawn and pointed at the three of them. Anderson froze, in place, with his rifle half raised. "Just hold it right there, men," I said just before a shot rang out from inside the cabin. I saw Rawhide flinch, then he started firing at the men on the porch. We started to scatter, then I saw that Kate was coming on at a gallop. She slowed as she reached the house, but rode right up onto the porch and into the house. By the time she cleared the door, all three men on the porch were down. One of them was trying to fire again, but a bullet from Andy put him out. We heard one shot from inside the house and then Kate came riding back out. She dismounted and said, "The one in there is dead." "Looks like the ones out here are too," Rawhide said. "These are the people who robbed me," Kate said. "That's what I figured," I said. "Let's go through the cabin and see if we can find the rest of your stuff." All of us started to go into the cabin when I saw blood on the sleeve of Rawhide's shirt. I stopped him and said, "Let me look at it." "Taint nothing but a scratch. Just leave it be," he said. "No way, Rawhide. Sam will have my head if I don't at least look at it." Rawhide chuckled and said, "She is a feisty one, ain't she?" "Yes, and she cares a lot for you, Rawhide. She told me you remind her of her grandfather," I said as I pulled up his sleeve. He was right. It was just a scratch. Even at that, it had left a furrow in his forearm that was about a quarter of an inch deep and about two inches long. The bleeding had mostly stopped, so I wrapped a clean handkerchief around it and tied it off. Rawhide smiled at me and closed his sleeve. "Let's see what these young whippersnappers are up to," he said. ------- When Rawhide and I got inside, it looked like there was a big sale going on at Macy's. Kate, Andy, and Cassie were tearing through things like there was no tomorrow. For the Anderson brothers I guess there wasn't. Kate found everything that belonged to her, except for her clothes. The robbers must have thrown them away. When she had everything of hers. Kate asked, "There has to be three or four hundred dollars here that don't belong to me. What should we do with it?" "Well, if we leave it here, the next person who comes along will just take it. You deserve part of it or most of it for the embarrassment they put you through and for your clothes. Thirty dollars of it is mine for your horse. I'd say leave around ten dollars each to bury them and take the rest," I said. "That makes sense to me," Andy said. "I'm going to load up their horses and tack and their guns for the danger they put us in." "Well, now, boys and girls," Rawhide said. "I agree with all you've said, but I think we should leave everything else. That way we won't feel like we're stealing from them." We all agreed with that and went about getting everything we were taking ready to go. ------- When we caught up to the wagon, everyone had to stop and hear what had gone on. It made for a screwy day of travel, but we still made seventeen miles for the day. Sam made a big fuss over Rawhide's arm and had to clean and re-bandage it. He took it like a man. True to form, Cassie attacked me that evening when we went into the wagon. Sam and Delia watched in awe as Cassie rode me to four or five orgasms before I emptied into her. She collapsed on top of me and we went to sleep with me still inside her. Day 121 - Sunday, August 29, 1847 We passed through Portsmouth, Ohio on Tuesday and a man there told us the best way to get to Dayton from there was to ford the Scioto River about ten miles north of town, then head northwest. This was our first experience of traveling cross country with the wagon, but it went well. I decided that when we left Missouri we'd have oxen to pull it though. The mules did well on level ground or rolling hills. They struggled crossing streams or if the land was rugged. It took us five days to get to Dayton, two of which were rainy. I hate to travel in the rain, but there was no getting around it. On both days the rain started after we had broken camp and were already moving. Kate started to meld in with our family as if she had always been a part of it. She is bright and funny and a joy to be around. I noticed she seemed to be spending a lot of time with Stu and that they seemed to spend a lot of time in serious conversation. Maybe something was brewing there. We got into the Dayton area on a Sunday. Rawhide had no idea where his sister's ranch was located, so we had to wait until Monday to contact the attorney who had written him. We spent the afternoon just lazing around camp. Day 122 - Monday, August 30, 1847 Rawhide asked Sam and me to go in to see the attorney with him this morning. "I just never was one for talking to them fancy people," he said. Of course we agreed to go with him. Mortimer Slade, Esq, was a fine figure of a man of his times. He was probably in his forties and carried himself with dignity. He welcomed us into his office and when Rawhide told him who he was, he brightened immediately. "It is so nice to meet you, Mr. Williams," he said. "We were beginning to worry that you weren't going to show up." "It just took a spell," Rawhide said. "Well, be that as it may, let me get a copy of your sister's will out of my safe and I'll read it to you as the law specifies." He moved over to a large safe and started working the combination. "Since your sister's husband died first and his will left everything to her, her will takes precedence over any other claims. Ah, here it is." Slade resumed his seat behind his massive desk and he read the will to us. Basically, it boiled down to the fact that his sister had left all of her worldly possessions to Rawhide. This included a 1500 acre ranch, cattle, horses, household goods and miscellaneous other items. Before we left his office, Slade gave us directions to the ranch and told us that his sister's housekeeper was still living there. We didn't expect the housekeeper would be thrilled to be invaded by fifteen strangers, but we didn't expect the welcome we received. As we pulled into the ranch yard, Rawhide, Sam and I were in the lead. No sooner had we came in sight of the main house than a shot rang out from a shotgun. A female voice yelled, "Hold it right there you thieving varmints. I'll put a bullet through you if you come any closer." "I'm Rawhide Williams, ma'am," Rawhide shouted. "My sister owned this ranch." "What was your mother's name?" the woman yelled back. "Thelma, ma'am." "What did your father do for a living?" "He was a farmer, ma'am." "Ride in real slow and keep your hands where I can see them," the woman yelled. Rawhide, Sam and I rode on up closer to the ranch house. We didn't try to dismount, but just stopped our horses and waited for the woman to tell us what to do next. She hesitated for a minute then stepped out on the porch, her shotgun cradled in her arms. She looked us over carefully, then said, "You look a little like your sister. Who are these others?" Rawhide introduced us then asked, "Is it okay if we get down, ma'am?" "It's your ranch. Do as you please." We dismounted and Sam asked, "Why were you so suspicious?" "Some of that damned clan that Liz married into has been trying to take over this place ever since her husband died. They claim he left everything to them. They say it's a clan tradition. The judge had his will though where he left everything to Liz unless she died first." "Did you know Liz for a long time?" I asked. "She practically raised me," the woman said. "I even remember this old goat here," she said as she pointed at Rawhide. He was four years older than me so he didn't want anything to do with me though." "You're not Maddy Dunn, are you?" Rawhide asked. "I sure am, Archy. So, you do remember me?" "Of course I remember you. You were the cutest little thing, but you were a terror. I think you played every trick you'd ever heard of on me and made up a few of your own. It got so I was afraid to be around you." "I was trying to get your attention, you dummy." I'll swear to God, you could see Rawhide's blush even through his deep tan. We waved the wagon to come on in and when everyone had pulled into the yard, Rawhide introduced all of us. Maddy went from being the staunch defender of the property to being the gracious hostess. The property was actually a ranch and not a farm. There was a bunkhouse and a large main house as well as the barns. Maddy was a little taken aback when Sam, Cassie, and Delia were all introduced as my wives. She didn't let that effect how she assigned the bedrooms in the house though. Since there were four of us, she assigned us the master bedroom. The bed was large enough we could all fit in it, but just barely. Luckily we were used to being crowded from sleeping in the wagon. I kidded everyone that we needed sideboards to keep us from kicking one another out of bed. Andy and Sarah Beth got a bedroom. M & M got a bedroom and Kate got a bedroom. Since there were only five bedrooms in the house, that meant that everyone else would be sleeping in the bunkhouse. Andy, Sarah Beth and Dalia relieved the pressure somewhat by saying that Dalia was becoming part of their marriage and that she would be sleeping with them from now on. There was a small bedroom off the main room of the bunkhouse that had been used by the ranch foreman and everyone agreed that Jud and Mina should have it. They tried to protest, but I could see that they were secretly pleased to have their own room. Maddie said that she should give up her bedroom to Rawhide, since the ranch belonged to him, but he wouldn't hear of it. All of the women pitched in to make a very nice supper for us. "Maddy, where are the ranch foreman and the rest of the men?" I asked as we were eating. "That damned Clifton clan done run 'em all off," she said. "I think they stole a bunch of the cattle too." "How many cattle are here?" "There's supposed the be around six hundred head. Should be around forty horses too. I don't know how many there are here now." "Are they all branded?" Rawhide asked. "They all have the 'Bar X' brand," Maddy said. "You be careful if you go looking for 'em though, Archie." "I surely will, ma'am," Rawhide said. Rawhide swept his arm around the table and said, "These are some good people, Maddy. I'm sure they'll help me." All of us agreed we would. "So, Rawhide, are you still planning to go to Oregon with us, or are you going to settle here?" Sam asked. "Darlin'," Rawhide said as he looked at Sam. "There's no way I'm gonna let you go running off to Oregon by yourself. I have to go along to ride herd on you." "You old coot, the day you can ride herd on me is the day I sit back in a rocking chair and start knitting." "Seriously, Sam, I never liked this Ohio country. From what I hear about Oregon, it's got just about every type of country there is. I think I'll like it out there just fine." Sam gave him a big smile and said, "I think we all will." Day 123 - Tuesday, August 31, 1847 At breakfast the next morning, Rawhide asked Maddy if she could show us the boundaries of the ranch. "Sure can, if someone will stay here and guard the ranch house," she said. Andy said that he wouldn't mind staying at the house for the day. "That wouldn't have anything to do with you having a new wife, would it?" Cassie asked. "It might," Andy blushed. "Andy, I know my sister is cute, but you're supposed to be watching for Cliftons, not watching her all day," Delia said. "I know that," Andy said, "but couldn't I be watching for Cliftons with your sister sitting on my lap?" Of course all of us laughed as he blushed again. ------- All of us decided to go on the ride except Dalia, Sarah Beth and Andy. We looked for Rawhide's cattle as we rode, but we didn't see over a hundred head. When we got back to the ranch house, I asked Maddy if there was any area where we might see more cattle. "There's a nice valley over that way that has a good stream and good graze," she said as she pointed. "You might try there." My wives and I decided we'd ride with Rawhide to check it out. We hadn't ridden more than a half a mile when we came upon the valley. There were a couple of hundred cattle in the valley and there was something else we hadn't expected to see. Four men had a fire built and were branding calves. We watched while they branded two calves with a "Rocking K" brand. The calves ran back to their mothers. Both cows were wearing the "Bar X" brand. "Let's ride over and have a talk with these fellers," Rawhide said. "I was just thinking the same thing," I agreed. "When we get there, let me do the talking at first." Rawhide nodded. "I probably couldn't get out more than curse words anyway." We rode down to where the men were getting ready to brand another calf. They looked up and stopped what they were doing when they saw us. "Howdy, men," I said as we pulled to a stop. "I'm Ed Hill. You wouldn't happen to know where a feller could get a good meal around here, would you?" The obvious leader of the group said, "I'm Jim Clifton and these boys work for me. No, I don't know where you could get a meal and I think you should be riding on. This is private property." "Now, that's interesting," I said. "We were just talking to the lady at the ranch house back yonder and she said this land belonged to a man by the name of Williams." "I think your nose is getting a little out of joint here. Who this land belongs to or doesn't belong to is none of your concern, Mr. Hill. I'd suggest you just ride along." "Well, young feller," Rawhide said. "My name is Rawhide Williams and this here land belongs to me. I think I'm just going to mosey in to town and get the sheriff. I'm sure he'd be interested in seeing those calves of mine you just branded with your brand." Clifton hadn't been paying any attention to my wives. He started to back up and I was sure he was going to go for his gun when Sam said, "I wouldn't do that, Mr. Clifton. We can have six shots pumped into you and your men before your gun clears its holster." All three of my lovely brides had their colts pulled and had them pointed at the rustlers. "I'd listen to her, boys. All three of them are crack shots," Rawhide said. He might have been stretching it a little to say Delia was a crack shot, but she was steadily improving. The four men froze in place. "Mr. Clifton," I said. "I think you should very carefully and very slowly take off your gun belt and lay it on the ground in front of you. After that, you can step back three paces." Clifton did as he was told, then we had each of the other men do the same thing. Rawhide dismounted and collected the guns and belts. "Fork your horses and get out of here," he said. "We're going to see the sheriff about this and we'll leave your guns with him. If we ever see you back on our ranch, we'll shoot first." The four men mounted up and just before they started to ride off, Clifton turned in his saddle and said in a low menacing voice, "You ain't heard the last of this." We put out the fire and took the branding iron with us. We checked out the cattle before we headed back and we found at least six "Bar X" calves wearing the "Rocking K" brand. ------- When we got back to the ranch, we told everyone what had happened and asked Maddy about the sheriff. "Sheriff Appleby ain't going to do you much good," she said. "He's a cousin to the Cliftons and about as worthless as any growed man I've ever met." "What do you mean by that?" I asked. "Well, the rumors say he's been backed down by several cowboys when fights broke out in one of the saloons. Most say he's afraid of his own shadow. He's also got a mean streak if he thinks he's got the upper hand. He beat the Simmons boy half to death a couple of years ago. The way I understand it, the boy had gotten into an argument with one of the Cliftons, then Sheriff Appleby stepped in." "Does sound worthless," Rawhide said. "Still gotta talk to him though. Stu, would you and Andy ride in with me? I'd ask Ed to go, but those women of his are kinda quick on the draw and I'm sure they wouldn't let him go without them." "I wouldn't want to go without them either," I said. All of a sudden I was covered in women. Now, who could complain about that? ------- Chapter 27 Cassie wanted to take a walk later that afternoon, but Sam and Delia said they wanted to help Maddy with supper. We started walking toward the corral and Cassie put her arm around me as we walked. I returned the favor and gave her a little squeeze. "Did the excitement earlier get you all fired up?" I asked her. "Yep. Why does something like that get my juices flowing? Am I some kind of pervert or something?" I had to laugh. "No, sweet love, I think what it is, is that our bodies realize we have been in a life threatening situation. They react the way they do because the urge to reproduce comes to the forefront. Your body is saying, 'I didn't die. I should reproduce now so that my line will be carried on.' It's natural and it happens to almost everyone. With you, it's just a little stronger than it is with others." "Oh. It's strong alright. I'd like to throw you on the ground and rape you right here in the middle of the yard. "I'm afraid something like that would shock all of the people here and probably scare the animals," I laughed. We hadn't heard Kate coming up behind us, but now she asked, "Something like what?" I was so tongue tied I couldn't even answer her, but Cassie said, "If I'd throw him down and rape him here in the yard." Kate giggled and said, "Oh. I don't know. Some of us might even enjoy the show." "Sam enjoys being watched. I'm sure she'd be happy to put on a show for you sometime," Cassie said. "Sam might, but I wouldn't," I said. "Now wait just a minute," Kate said with a smile. "You got to stare at me while I was naked. It'd only be fair if I got to stare at you." Cassie giggled and said, "Ed is Mr. Modest at times. The first time Sam mounted him while I was awake, I thought he was going to die of embarrassment." Both women got a laugh out of that at my expense. We walked on for a ways and I asked, "So, what do you think of our strange group, Kate?" "It's really a great group of people, Ed. I just love your wives, and Andy and his wives are great. Mina is a wonderful woman and Jud seems okay. Rawhide is a treasure and Stu is a nice guy. I thought for a while I might get really close to Stu, but we found out after talking for a few days that we just don't have much that interests both of us and that there isn't really any attraction there. All of the kids are great." "I had noticed you talking a lot with Stu. He's a nice looking guy. It's a shame you don't share a lot of interests." "Yeah, he is cute, but all he really knows anything about is cattle. When I would try to talk with him about other things, it just seemed like his mind went to sleep. He'd be sitting there, looking at me, but I could tell he wasn't interested in what I was saying." "I know what you mean. That's the way Cassie is with me," I teased. "Sometimes I wonder if there's anything inside her head at all." Cassie hit me, then got a big grin when I hugged her and kissed her. "Actually, Kate, Cassie is far smarter than I am. So is Sam for that matter. Delia is as sharp as a tack. Sometimes I wonder why they married me." Kate laughed and we walked on in silence for a while. Cassie and I had our arms around each other. Finally, Kate said, "You guys seem to have a good marriage. Ma and pa were like you guys. They teased each other and talked about everything under the sun. They were just farmers, but they knew what was going on in the world and were interested in it. That's what I want, if I ever decide to get married." "All four of us have our own personalities, Kate. We're all different, but we all love each other. All of us have our own interests, but we all care enough about each other that we're all interested in what the others are interested in, just because they are." "Well, that's what I want in life, but I'm in no hurry. I'm nineteen years old, but even though that's considered an old maid where I come from, I figure I'm not going to rush into anything just because I'm getting older." "Kate, nineteen might seem like it's getting old to you, but I'm twenty-five and I feel like my life is just getting started." "Awh, you're both old farts," Cassie said with a giggle. How old are you, Cassie? I'd have figured you were about my age," Kate asked. "I'm fifteen. I don't have any excuses for falling in love with this old coot at such a young age." Kate laughed. "Oh, I think I can understand why you did," she said. ------- It was after supper when Rawhide, Andy, and Stu got back from town. I could tell immediately it hadn't gone the way they had hoped it would. After they were eating I asked how it had gone. "That damned sheriff is totally worthless," Rawhide said. "We told him what had happened and he just said it would be our word against Clifton's. I told him to come out and take a look at our calves wearing the Rocking K brand and he said that didn't prove anything. He said we could have branded them with the Rocking K ourselves." "He's right, Ed," Andy said. "The sheriff wouldn't listen to a thing we said. He said he'd known the Cliftons for years and that they were fine people." "Well," I said. "I guess we'll just have to take care of the problem ourselves. How many people are there in this Clifton clan, Maddy?" "There's a lot of them. They have four ranches and they have big families. I'd say that with men, women and children there are thirty or forty of them. There's probably that many more hired hands." "Well, we're certainly not going to go after them. We'll let them come to us. Does anyone have any thoughts as to how we can protect Rawhide's herd?" Everyone sat quietly for a few minutes, then Stu said, "The only thing I can think of is to ride patrols to the areas where Rawhide's cattle are gathered." "That makes sense," Andy said. "We should vary the times when we ride out as well." "I agree with that. If they know when we're coming, they can be sure to be hidden when we come through." We talked for a while about how we would do the patrols and how many people should go at once. We decided to always have two people together and that we'd start first thing in the morning. Day 124 - Wednesday, September 1, 1847 Rawhide had insisted that he was going to be the first to ride out to check the herd, so he and Maddie were gone when the rest of us got up. Mina proved that she was an even better cook in a kitchen than she was on the trail. We were all in good spirits this morning. Andy and Sarah Beth had a new wife and both of them seemed to be enjoying the situation as much as Sam and I had when Cassie joined us. Of course, Dalia was over the moon. Jud and Mina seemed pleased their daughters were so happy. Sam, Cassie, Delia and I had grown in our relationship until we were completely comfortable individually and as a group. Delia was even starting to join in a little on Sam and Cassie's sex play. I don't know how four people could get any closer than we were. M & M were both happy and Mindy seemed to have backed off a little in her feelings for Tommy. Both girls liked their room and both were proud to have a room of their own. It seemed like Tommy almost worshiped Andy. The boy needed someone to look up to, and I couldn't think of anyone better than Andy to fill that need. That just left our two odd balls, Stu and Kate. Stu seemed contented this morning. He talked with everyone and smiled a lot. Kate seemed to be really coming into her own. This morning, she was in a teasing mood. She started out teasing Andy and his two wives. She had all three of them blushing without saying anything that was inappropriate in front of the kids. Kate had a way of arching her eyebrow that let you know what she was thinking without her having to say it. She also had a crooked smile that she used frequently. I had to admit to myself that if I hadn't already had three wonderful wives, I'd have been head over heels for her already. I've always been a sucker for a crooked smile. "So, what's gotten into you this morning, Kate?" I asked. "Oh, and let's just say I've made a decision about something. Now, I just have to figure out how to make it happen." "What did you decide?" Cassie asked. "Sure and it's not the time for me to be telling that." "Okay," I said. "If it's going to put you in this good of a mood to have made a decision, maybe you should make one every day." "I don't think any decision I ever make will be as important as this one." Rawhide and Maddie came riding in right after we had gotten up from eating. We asked them if anything was going on and they said there hadn't been anything happening. They told us that the bulk of the cattle were in three different areas and described to us where they were. Sam and I went out next. Our trip didn't take as long as Rawhide's had, because we already knew where the majority of the cattle were. We talked as we went along and made plans for the coming spring. We decided I'd take off right after the baby was born for Boston. Sam insisted I take Cassie along with me. I wasn't about to argue about that. We also talked about me taking one other person with me, but we didn't decide who it would be at that time. Sam said she didn't care who it was, just as long as it was someone who could shoot as well as Cassie can. We figured that I would take off for Boston, and after I had been gone about a month, the rest of the group would take off for Lafayette, Indiana. Whoever got there first would wait for the others. It wasn't the greatest solution in the world, but it was the best we could come up with. We figured we'd get a well sprung buckboard for Sam and the baby to ride in. We'd gather all of Rawhide's herd together and they'd drive them to Lafayette as well. We'd also try to find as many wagons as we thought we'd need this winter and we'd see about hiring drivers and drovers. When we got back to the house, Andy and Cassie took off. Sarah Beth had been practicing with a revolver and a rifle and she was actually getting to be a pretty good shot, but Andy still didn't feel like she had the killer instinct she'd need for a job like this. The next couple to go out would be Jud and Mina. I had no doubts that they would handle any situation that came up. The last team to go out for the day would be Stu and Kate. I asked Kate if she was okay working with Stu and she assured me she was. Rawhide and Maddie and Sam and I made one more round before we called it a night. No one saw anything during the day that wasn't the way it should be. Day 125 - Thursday, September 2, 1847 Andy and Cassie would be the first ones on patrol this morning, so we had to roust ourselves out early. Then Cassie decided she wanted to attack me before she left. I kissed her and rubbed her pretty butt, then made her get up and get something to eat before she left on patrol. The day went pretty much like yesterday, except that when Stu and Kate came back in, they had a very pissed off young woman with them. They practically had to drag her into the house. She was cursing and fighting every step of the way. All of us, except the kids, were sitting around, swapping stories and drinking coffee, waiting for them to come back. "What have we here?" I asked. "Well," Stu said, "we were in that second valley over when we saw this young woman shooting down into the valley. We didn't know it was a woman and we thought she was killing cattle. Kate and I both shot at her and one of us hit the rock she was hiding behind. She jumped up and then we saw a group of four men down below her. They started shooting at her and she dropped back down." "By now, Stu and I were where we could see the men below. They had been driving about twenty head of Rawhide's cattle out of the valley. Stu and I started shooting at them and I think I hit one of them. The girl started shooting at them too. They took off like their horses' tails were on fire." I looked at the girl and asked, "Who are you and what were you doing there?" The girl looked at me sullenly and said, "I'm Angie Clifton. Those were my cousins down in the valley. I was trying to scare them off so they didn't steal any more of your cattle. I'd have done it too, if this jackass and his floozy hadn't started shooting at me." I could see that Kate was ready to explode, so I got up and walked over closer to all of them. "When they shot at me and I jumped up," Angie went on, "my cousin Bo saw me as plain as day. He was looking me in the eye when he lined his revolver up on me and started to pull the trigger. Thanks to this bastard and his bitch I can never go home again." "Sure and that's about enough of the name calling," Kate said. "You've called me a floozy and a bitch. I don't care if we use bare hands or pistols, we're going to take this outside right now and I'm going to make you wish you had never been born." Kate started toward Angie and Angie growled, deep in her throat, and made a lunge at Kate. I grabbed Kate around the waist from behind and lifted her off her feet. Stu grabbed Angie in the same way. Both women were spitting and cursing. Both were kicking and clawing and trying to break loose. I knew if either one of them got loose, someone was going to get hurt. I pulled Kate's pistol out of her holster and threw it to Sam. Sam was trying to keep a straight face, but I could see she was on the verge of losing it. I raised my eyebrows at Sam and she mouthed, "Kiss her." I didn't see how that was going to do any good, but I managed to turn her around in my arms so I was looking her in the eye. Kate was still yelling and trying to turn her head to look over her shoulder at Angie, when I touched my lips to hers. She continued to fight for a moment, then she seemed to realize what was happening and she just kind of melted against me. Her arms went around me and she returned the kiss. I don't know how long we stood there, kissing and holding each other as tightly as was possible. When our lips finally broke apart, Kate breathed, "Oh, God." Stu had seen what had stopped Kate from fighting, so he tried the same thing with Angie. All he ended up with was a bloody nose from where Angie butted him in the face. ------- I managed to get Kate over to the sofa where Sam and I had been sitting. I sat down and pulled her down between Sam and me. "Sure and this is a fine how do you do," Kate said. "I've just been kissed by a married man and now I'm sitting between him and his wife." Sam put her arm around Kate and said, "You're welcome to sit with us any time you want, Kate." "Katie, I'm sure you could have whipped the young woman or shot her if it came to that, but I didn't want to risk that," I said in a whisper that only she and Sam could hear. "I didn't want to risk you getting hurt." "And why is that?" she asked. "Because we care about you," Sam said. "You do?" "All four of us do," Sam said. Kate didn't say any more for a while, but her smile was a mile wide. I looked over at Stu and Angie and Angie was trying to get Stu's nose to stop bleeding. "Angie, if you can do it without a lot of name calling, could you please tell us what led up to this?" I asked. Angie looked a little embarrassed, but not repentant at all. "I knew my cousins had been stealing the cattle from this ranch. I liked Liz Clifton and I don't think it's fair for them to steal from her brother. I wasn't shooting at them, I was just trying to scare them off. Then Bo saw me and I'll never be able to go home again." "Why not?" I asked. "My cousins would hang me and my pa would let them. Even though I'm a Clifton, I've gone against the Clifton clan, so I've become an enemy of all of the Cliftons. It's happened before. A few years ago my cousin Denny started sparking one of the Jacobs girls. The Cliftons and the Jacobs were feuding even before both families moved from Kentucky. His pa told him to quit seeing her and he went ahead and saw her anyway. Then his brothers and his cousins beat him half to death. When he was well enough, he told them all to go to hell, and he left home. A few months later someone found his body. He was hanging from a white oak tree." "Are you sure it was part of the clan that did it?" "Yeah, some of the boys joked about it. Now, if I go back, they'll do the same to me." "You can stay with us if you'd like, Angie. I think we can protect you this winter and next spring we're all heading to Oregon." "I don't know about that. First off, there are a lot of Cliftons out there. They won't rest until they have me. Secondly, I don't know if I'd even want to go to Oregon with you people." "Well, it can't hurt for you to give us a try," Stu said. "You might find you even like us." "I don't know about that either. I don't like for a stranger to just grab me and try to kiss me. You were trying to kiss me, weren't you?" "Well... Yeah. I saw how well it worked when Ed kissed Kate, so I thought I'd give it a try." "Kissing me to get me to shut up won't work on me, buster. The man that kisses me had better be in love with me." ------- We finally got everyone bedded down for the night. Sunrise would come awfully early and we all needed our sleep. Day 126 - Friday, September 3, 1847 Angie joined us for breakfast and we all made sure there were several people between her and Kate. We needn't have worried. Kate basically ignored her, but she did keep looking at me. When Sam and I had headed out on our inspection, Sam asked, "Did kissing Kate turn you on as much as it did her?" "I don't know. The girl sure can kiss though. Why did you suggest it in the first place?" "It worked, didn't it?" "Yes, but why did you think it would? I could have gotten a bloody nose like Stu did." "It worked because she's as much in love with you as any of your wives are, Ed. I knew that before I suggested it." "How do you know she's in love with me?" "She has been since you saw her naked on the side of the road. Do you know what she said to me when you rode back to get Cassie to get her some clothes?" "No." "She said, 'God, he's a handsome son-of-a-bitch, isn't he?'. Of course I had to agree with her. Then I told her that you were married to three of us. She asked if we'd mind a fourth." I had to laugh at that one. "What did you tell her?" "I didn't tell her anything then, but now I'm going to tell her we wouldn't mind a fourth." Don't I have any say in this?" I asked, feeling kind of ganged up on. "Of course you do. You and Kate have the final say. If it is something you want and you can come to an agreement with Kate, then the rest of us have no problem with it. Please don't feel like we're trying to force you into doing something you don't want to do." "Do you know I love you, Sam?" "Yes, and I love you with all of my heart." Luckily we didn't see anything while we were out. I didn't talk any more with Kate that day. I'm assuming Sam did though, as Kate was very attentive to all of us, all evening. ------- It was almost dark when we heard someone riding into the yard. All of us scrambled into defensive positions and Rawhide and I went out on the porch to see who our visitors were. There were three men, sitting their horses when we went out. The one in front said, "I'm Anse Clifton and we came to take Angie home." "I'm Ed Hill and this is Rawhide Williams, the owner of this ranch. I'm afraid you've made a trip for nothing, Mr. Clifton. Angie doesn't want to go home." "It don't matter if she wants to go home or not. She's my youngun and she's going with me." "Angie, could you come out here, please?" I yelled at the door. Angie came out, looking as defiant as she had the night before. "Your pa says he wants you to go home with him," I said. "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to stay right here. If I go with them, they'll hang me before morning." "Shut up that nonsense, girl. Fork your horse and let's be going home." "No way, pa. It ain't nonsense and you know it. You all would do me just like you did Denny." "Girl, you'd better shut that big mouth of yours or I'm going to slap it shut." "If there's only the three of you, I wouldn't go trying to slap her," Stu said as he stepped around the corner of the house. "I can take out all three of you before the first one of you clears leather." "That's big talk, mister," one of the other men said. "Take it easy, Jeff. They'll be another day," Clifton said. Clifton turned his horse and the two other, younger, men followed him as he rode off. The rest of us all went back inside. "Those were my brothers with him," Angie said. "Do you really think they'd have hurt you if you had gone with them?" I asked. "I'm sure of it. I mentioned Denny, but he wasn't the only one. Over the years there have been several clan members that have disappeared after going against the clan's wishes. It's even harder on the women of the clan. They're not really considered to be members of the clan, because most of them will eventually be marrying out of it." "You said most of them marry out. Are there a lot of spinsters?" "Some, but most of the women who stay in the clan marry cousins. I'm afraid we're an inbred bunch." "You look like you turned out awfully well," Stu said. Angie gave Stu a smile, then I asked, "What do you think we can expect from them?" "I'm sure you realize they're going to try to steal all of the Bar X cattle. If they can't steal them, they'll kill them. They plan to run you off this ranch and take it over for themselves." "They're welcome to the damned ranch," Rawhide said. "I want my sister's cattle and horses though. Ever last one of them." "We'll back you up on that a hundred percent," I told Rawhide and everyone else agreed. ------- Chapter 28 Day 127 - Saturday, September 4, 1847 When we took off on our first circuit this morning, Kate asked if she could ride with Sam and me. "What about Stu?" I asked. "Angie is going to ride with Stu and I don't like her mouth. I still want to do my part though." "Do you think Angie and Stu have a thing going?" Sam asked. "I think they do. Not that I'm jealous or anything. I just don't like to be called a floozy or a bitch." Sam and I laughed. "I don't think I would either," Sam said. A little while later, Sam asked, "So, what did you think of Ed kissing you?" Kate laughed. "Well, it sure got my mind off of chewing up that Angie girl." "Well, you asked me something the day we met and I didn't give you an answer. I'll give you the answer now. The rest of us wouldn't mind having a fourth." "You mean..." "Yes." "And have ye talked to the other person?" "That's up to you." "Sure and I'll have to have a wee talk, now won't I?" Sam laughed. I knew what Sam was talking about, but I pretended I didn't. I didn't know how I felt about the whole thing, but I had made up my mind I wasn't going to jump into or be pushed into anything I wasn't ready for. I was afraid she was going to have that talk with me right then, but we were cresting a hill and down below us were half a dozen men, driving about thirty head of cattle. I didn't even think, I pulled my revolver and let out a whoop. I started down the hill toward them as fast as Hawk would carry me. Sam and Kate were right behind me. The first man who looked up was one of the men who had been with Clifton the other day. He pulled his pistol and fired one shot up the hill before he lit out. The rest of the men saw us and took off as well. None of the three of us were firing as yet, but Hawk was gaining on them quickly. That little filly of Kate's was quite a horse. She was keeping up with Hawk, but Sam was rapidly being left behind. I tried to time Hawk's movement and fired at the last man in the group. My first shot missed as did my second. It's not as easy firing from the back of a running horse as you would think. I fired again and for a moment I didn't think I had hit him, but then he slumped in the saddle and before the horse had covered another twenty feet, he let go of the reins and tumbled to the ground. The other riders didn't even slow up. I figured one was enough to make my point, so I started slowing up. Kate fired one more shot and I saw one of the men grab his shoulder. Kate pulled up beside me and we watched the rest of them ride off. "Nice shooting," Kate said with a big smile. "You didn't do badly yourself," I grinned. Sam caught up with us and said, "There's going to be hell to pay now. One killed and one wounded." "Yeah, I know. Let's get the dead one loaded on his horse. We'll see if Maddie or Angie either one know him." Kate helped me get the dead man across his saddle and I tied him on. The ride back to the ranch house seemed a lot longer than the ride out had seemed. ------- Angie did, indeed, know the dead man. "He's my cousin Ralph," she said with a disgusted look. "We're in for it now, you know." "I'd reckon we are," Rawhide agreed. "Wasn't no getting around it though." "What do you think they'll do now," I asked Angie. "It depends. If my pa has his way, they'll probably try to ambush us while we're riding out checking on the herd. If his brother, Mose, gets his way, they'll probably attack the ranch. Their other brothers just kind of go along with Mose or pa." "Maddie says they have a lot of hired men. Are they likely to follow your relatives if they attack us?" "Probably so. Most of them came from the same area my family came from. They're cut from the same cloth." "Rawhide, we've seen what, about three hundred of your cattle?" I asked. "About that." "Do you think that valley right behind the ranch house would support that many cattle for a couple of weeks?" "Yep. A month at least. The grass is really good in there." "Why don't we drive all of the cattle into that valley? It'd be a lot easier to keep watch over them and we wouldn't have to worry as much about being ambushed." Rawhide was nodding. "Sounds good. Gonna be a little hard to get them rounded up and still leave enough people here to guard the house though." "I think that if we do all we can for the rest of the day we can get half or more of them in there before nightfall. I doubt seriously that there is going to be an attack on the house today." Everyone agreed with that, so I said, "I think Mina or Maddie on should stay with the house and keep food ready for the rest of us." "I'll keep food ready," Maddie said. "I'm used to doing it during roundups and the like." "Okay, most of the cattle are in three groups. I'd say break us up into three groups, but one of them would be small enough that I don't think they could handle that many cattle, especially since some of us have never worked cattle before." "Let's make it two groups to get the first two herds in," Rawhide said. "Ed, I'll ride with you, Sam, Cassie, Delia, and Kate. The rest of you can go with Stu." "Okay," I said. "That puts an experienced cattleman with each group. Rawhide, why don't we take the herd in the farthest valley?" "That's good. Maddie, my love, do you think you could whip us up a big batch of johnny cake while we're getting saddled and ready to go? That way we could take it with us and we wouldn't starve before we have one of your wonderful suppers." Maddie blushed like a school girl, but said she could have something for us to take with us. ------- We managed to get our herd into the valley by around four in the afternoon. The herd Stu and his group had gone after were already there. We didn't even stop at the house, but headed for where the third group of cattle had been. When we reached the area, we found that they already had them all rounded up and were getting ready to start them for the new pasture. Since this was the closest herd to the house, we had them where we wanted them before 7:00 PM. We were all worn out, but we had learned a lot about rounding up and herding cattle that day. I knew our new knowledge would help us in the future. Day 128 - Sunday, September 5, 1847 Today we waited. The area where we put the cattle was bordered on three sides by hills. They weren't so steep a cow couldn't get across them, but with good grass and water in the area they didn't have any incentive to do so. We spent some time today piling brush across the open side of the pasture. We weren't trying to make it escape proof. We just wanted something to turn back a cow who was grazing, with no particular place to go in mind. For the most part, the day was tedious. Cassie wanted to ride out and see if we could find any more cattle, but I told her I didn't think it was a good idea and she didn't argue. We all got together right after lunch and talked about how we could make things safer for all of us if the ranch was attacked. I had watched so many westerns growing up that I didn't want to get into one of those gunfights where thousands of shots were fired before anyone was even hit. I also didn't want to give up any advantage we had because we were in defensive positions. We decided the thing that would give us the best advantage was to make sure there was nowhere close to the house where anyone could take cover while they fired on us. We spent some time removing wagons and the like from the surrounding area. The barn was still there, but we put bars across the doors and nailed them in place so that no one could take cover inside the barn. They could still use the barn for cover, but they would have to expose themselves to fire and we'd be waiting for them if they did. The ranch house was made of logs and it would be hard to set afire. Even so, we brought several barrels of water where we could get at them if they tried to burn us out. The logs of the house also gave us good cover that was unlikely to be penetrated by anything an attacker would fire at us. All we could do then was wait. We did make a couple of trips out to check on the cattle during the afternoon. To say we were vigilant would have been a serious understatement. After supper that evening, we all sort of broke up into family groups. Sam, Cassie, Delia and I were off in one corner of the large living room. Jud and Mina came over and sat with us and we were joined shortly thereafter by Kate. Andy, Sarah Beth and Dalia were in another corner. Stu and Angie were sitting in one large chair, talking in low tones. Even Rawhide and Maddie were sitting close, carrying on an animated conversation. The kids were sitting in the middle of the floor, playing some kind of game. As long as I watched them, I could never figure out the rules, but Mindy seemed to be winning. "You know this is a dangerous game we're playing," Kate said after she had joined us. "I know that," I said. "I just don't see an alternative." "Well, I don't either, but I am worried some. What would happen to your wives if you were killed, Ed Hill?" "I'm going to do everything in my power to see that doesn't happen, Katie. If it does, then they will just have to get along without me. You don't know us that well as yet, but Sam is one of the strongest people I've ever met. Cassie is one of the smartest and Delia is as sharp as a tack. I'd expect Sam would help Cassie and Delia until they can make it on their own." "We've talked about that, Ed," Sam said. "If something happened to you, we'd go ahead and go to Oregon anyway. None of us ever want another man, so we'd live together and support each other for the rest of our lives." I hugged Sam and kissed her, then I said, "As lusty as you ladies are, I'd think you'd want to find another man." "You know we can take care of each other in that way too," Cassie giggled. "It isn't as good, but it is certainly better than another man would be." "Are you telling me that you women help each other out?" Kate asked. "Yes," Sam said, very seriously. "Oh, my," Kate said. "I've always wondered what that would be like. The church says it's wrong, but I could never understand why it would be." "Well, we don't think it's wrong," Cassie said. "We all love each other and we all want to make each other feel good." "Sure and I've always been one for feeling good," Kate said with a grin. "What do you do, Kate? Do you make yourself feel good?" Cassie asked. Katie blushed four shades of red and said, "I think I'd be minding my own business now, lassie." Sam, Cassie and Delia all broke out in a fit of giggles. "They do a lot of that making themselves feel good too, Katie. Don't let them tease you," I said. I think that just made her blush worse. Day 129 - Monday, September 6, 1847 After I kissed my wives good morning, I got dressed and headed for the outhouse. When I opened the back door, I saw at least ten mounted men lined up about twenty yards behind the little building I was headed for. I quickly stepped back inside. I knew they had seen me, but there wasn't much we could do about that. "Everybody up!" I yelled. "We're under attack!" I could hear people start moving all over the house. I ran to the bedroom and picked up my rifle as well as one of the colts. "Sam, could you please get the kids somewhere it is safe?" I asked. Sam nodded and went off to get the kids. "Delia, would you please gather up all of the rifles you can lay your hands on and make sure they're loaded?" Delia nodded, then kissed me as she took off. Within an amazingly short time, everyone who was not sleeping in the bunkhouse gathered in the living room. "I started to go to the outhouse and I saw at least ten men out the back of the house. I haven't looked out the front yet, so I don't know how many are out that way." "I looked out the front," Andy said. "There are approximately a dozen men out that way. I didn't see anyone by the bunkhouse though." "That's good. They probably think we're all in here. I doubt they really know how many of us there are." "So, what do we do now?" Sam asked. "I think I'll step outside the door and see what they do," I said. "Don't worry. I'll stay where I can jump back inside if even one of them goes for a gun." My wives didn't like it, but they finally had to admit that something had to be done. I walked out on the porch, with my thumbs hooked in my belt. I just stood there and waited for something to happen. It didn't take long before Angie's father rode up to the porch. "This house is surrounded, Mr. Hill. Send Angie out to me and we'll all ride away. If you don't send her out, we'll kill every man, woman and child here." "Well, Mr. Clifton, you might not find that as easy as you think. Angie is afraid for her life. We're not going to force her to go with you and we're not going to let you force her to go. I'd suggest you ride on out of here before you lose a lot of people." Clifton turned his horse without saying anything else and started riding back toward the rest of the ones in front of the house. When he was about half way back to them, he raised his arm and then dropped it. A dozen men on horseback charged toward the house. I quickly stepped back inside and picked up the rifle that was leaning against the wall just inside the door. I don't know who fired first. I think it might have been Cassie. Before long, Sam, Cassie, Kate and I were firing out the front of the house, then we heard Andy, Dalia, Sarah Beth and Maddie firing out the back. Delia started reloading for everyone else as soon as the first shot was fired. Three of their men had fallen before they got within pistol range. This didn't seem to discourage them any as they just kept coming. I don't know what they thought they were going to do, fighting from the open against an unknown sized force within a strongly defended log house. "Cassie and Delia, fire your revolvers while we reload," I said loud enough for everyone in the front part of the house to hear. When we're loaded, the rest of us will step forward and you two can step back and reload." As Cassie fired her third shot, she yelled, "They've got kegs of gunpowder. They're going to try to blow us up." I ran back to a window, which was becoming hazardous, since they were within pistol range now and bullets were coming through the windows like a shooting gallery. There were seven or eight men that were pushing a wagon in front of them, trying to get close to the building. "Try to hit the gunpowder kegs," I yelled. I wasn't sure that would work because gunpowder takes a spark to ignite it, where dynamite is set off by a concussion. By now, the people in the bunkhouse had opened up on the Cliftons as well. Kate must have exposed herself because all of a sudden, she yelped and fell back on the floor. I don't know if it was one of us or one of the people in the bunkhouse who finally managed to hit the gunpowder, but all of a sudden I was lying on the floor too. I think everyone in the front part of the house was down. Cassie was the first one on her feet and she peeked out the window, then said, "There are dead or wounded men all over the yard. I don't see a single one moving." Kate let out a moan, so I crawled over to her. Her eyes were closed, but she was groaning. I slid an arm under her neck, then leaned over and kissed her softly. "Where are you hit, sweetheart?" I asked. Sam was kneeling on the other side of her and now she said, "Help me get her tunic off, Ed." I was reluctant to let go of her. I wanted to go out there and shoot everyone of them another time or two. I pulled back enough to slide the tunic over her head, then put my arm back around her and leaned in and kissed her again. This time she returned the kiss. "Jesus Christ," Sam said. "It's hardly a scratch." I pulled back and looked down at Kate. Her beautiful breasts were on display for me, but I couldn't see a wound. "Now see what you've done, Sam," Kate said. "You've stopped this darlin man from kissing me." Sam reached over and pinched Kate's nipple. "You just wanted to show off your titties to him," she said. "No, I just wanted him to kiss me. I just didn't care if he saw my titties or not. Now, why don't you go away and let the man finish what he started?" Sam giggled and said, "If I let him finish what he wants to do to you, I'd have to make sure we kept the kids locked up." Kate started to retort, but I cut her off with another kiss. Even though she had just gotten a scratch, it had scared the devil out of me. I guess that showed how important she had become to me. "Oh, you darlin man," Kate said when we finally broke apart. "I think you'd better let me get my tunic back on before anyone else shows up. Otherwise, I think I could just lay here and let you kiss me for the rest of the day." "Let me see your wound first," I said. I leaned across her and saw a furrow that couldn't have been more than and inch long. "If this is all that happened, why in the world did you fall?" "It startled me and I tripped over my own two big feet. Then I hit my head when I landed. I'd have gotten back up, but then there was that explosion and then next thing I knew, someone was kissing me." My mouth couldn't have been more than a couple of inches from her nipple, so I gave it a kiss before I started moving back, then I kissed the other one as I passed it. Kate gave a gasp at each kiss. She was blushing a bright red as Sam helped her get her shirt back on. There was still some sporadic firing from the back of the house, so we made our way in there. "What's going on?" I asked Andy. "There are still a few of them hidden out just out of pistol range. We're more or less just keeping them occupied. They're too well hidden to get a good shot at them," he said. "Okay, let's think of a way we could flush them out," I said. "I guess we could..." A flurry of shots interrupted, then Andy said, "They're running for their horses." We found out later that after the ones in front had been taken care of, Rawhide, Stu, and Jud had slipped around back. They flanked the Cliftons and when they had found a good position, they opened fire. They killed two and wounded one that they knew of. The rest ran. I still hadn't made it to the outhouse, so that was my first order of business. ------- Later, we counted sixteen dead bodies. I don't know what they were thinking, attacking like that. Two of the dead were Angie's father and uncle. I told her I was sorry for her loss, but she said she didn't think of it as a loss. Rawhide had one rickety old farm wagon that looked like it was about ready to fall apart, so we loaded the bodies in that. I asked Angie where we could leave the wagon so the Cliftons would find it. She told us a place to leave it and Andy, Stu, Rawhide and I took it to the place she said and left it for them. When we got back, Angie thanked us for letting the clan bury their dead. Before the shooting had started, the women had opened all of the windows, so there were only a few that were broken. We all pitched in and cleaned up the glass from them, then the men went to start cleaning up after the explosion while the women finished with the house. By evening, everything was ship shape and it would have been hard to have told there had been a battle there earlier. ------- As we were eating supper, I asked, "Angie, since your father and uncle were killed, does this mean the fighting is over?" "Angie shook her head. "Not at all. The feud with the Jacobs has been going on for generations. No one even remembers how it got started. There were ten Cliftons killed this morning. There probably won't be a big attack until spring or early summer, but it'll come if you stay here." "Why spring or summer?" "Well, the two brothers who are left will think about it for a spell, then eventually, they'll send for Jubal Clifton. Jubal is the patriarch of the clan. By the time they get word to him, it'll be close onto winter and he won't want to mount an attack during the cold months." "What do you mean, mount an attack?" "Well, they'll gather together clan members from Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Then, they'll all come up here to wipe you out completely. Now, these are mostly farmers, so they'll want to get their crops in before they come, so it'll probably be around the first of May before they get here." "So, are we safe until the first of May?" "Not entirely. Until the clan gets here, we can expect to have potshots taken at us whenever we're out. They usually won't shoot at more than one or two people, unless they have a really good place to shoot from." "So, you're saying we're not going to really be safe until after we're out of here." "That's pretty much it. Even then, if they know where we're going, some of them may follow." "Well, we'll just have to be careful, especially until we leave next spring. We should be out of here by April first, so we'll probably avoid the big attack. You don't think they'll just let it drop?" "No, I don't see how they could. The Cliftons are a feuding family. They call it honor. I don't know if it's honor or stupidity." ------- I wasn't too surprised when Katie came over and sat on my lap after supper. She snuggled in, so I was surrounded by females. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked as I put my arms around her. "After the liberties you took with me this morning, I think the only honorable thing you can do is to marry me," Kate said. I smiled at her and asked, "Is that a proposal of marriage, Katie Mulligan?" "And just what did it sound like?" she asked in her lilting voice. "It sounded like it to me. What did it sound like to you, Cassie." "I'd say the woman is hot for you, Ed. Maybe marriage is the only alternative." "Katie, before I give you an answer, there is something I have to tell you about us. Why don't the five of us walk outside for a few minutes?" ------- Chapter 29 We all got up and went out into the front yard. We stood there with our arms around each other as I said, "Katie, I have something to tell you about Sam and Cassie and me that might change the way you feel about us." I went on to tell her about being kicked into this time from the future. She listened intently, not even asking any questions until I had finished. "So, that's our story. I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it's true. Does that change how you feel?" "Do you think it would make a difference to me if you were born in Baltimore, Maryland or Baltimore in County Cork? Where you were born or when you were born doesn't matter to me. I fell in love with who you people are, not with where or when you were born." I pulled her to me and kissed her. When we finally broke apart, Kate was breathless and I'll admit I was close to that myself. "Katie, when I thought you were seriously injured this morning, it made me realize just how important you had become to us. I think all four of us have come to love you in the short time we've known you and all four of us have agreed we'd like for you to be a part of our marriage." "Is that why you kissed my tits this morning?" Katie asked with a big grin. "That and the fact that they are two of the most beautiful tits I've ever seen," I said. "Ed does like tits," Delia giggled. We were all still holding each other as we went back inside. I noticed that Stu and Angie had their arms around each other too. Later on, Kate decided she was going to stay in our room with us. All of us agreed that would be fine, but almost as soon as we started getting ready for bed, we ran into a snag. First off, the bed is too small for all of us. We were really pushing it to get four people in it. Five was impossible. My wonderful Sam said she and Delia would sleep on our sleeping bags and pads on the floor for the night. That left me and Cassie and Kate in the bed. The next problem came when Kate figured that since she was our newest spouse, she would get to make love to me. Wrong! Not only was it Cassie's turn, but we had also gone through the violence during the day and Cassie was at a fever pitch. I could smell Cassie's arousal from the time she started undressing. I thought my two bed mates were going to come to blows, so I put an arm around each of them and explained our problem to Kate. With few preliminaries, Cassie climbed on top of me and rode me to four or five climaxes. It seemed she was starting a new one before the last one even subsided. Finally, she must have taken the edge off, because she said, "Do me from behind," then she assumed the position. Kate must have been feeling a little left out, although I had kept my arm around her. Cassie must have noticed that too, because as soon as I entered her, Cassie touched the mattress right under her head and said, "Kate, put your butt right there and spread your legs." Kate looked like she was going to refuse, but Sam said, "We all do it, Kate. It's not as good as when Ed is making love to us, but it sure beats anything you've ever done for yourself." Kate hesitantly moved into position and Cassie dived in like a starving man at a pie eating contest. In less than a minute, Cassie had another orgasm and seconds later, Kate joined her. Cassie had one more orgasm and Kate had two before I emptied myself in Cassie's sweet little pussy. Cassie collapsed on top of Kate and I collapsed on top of Cassie. We laid there a minute or two, then Kate said, "Damn! Who needs a man?" Sam giggled and said, "Just wait until tomorrow. You'll find out." Day 130 - Monday, September 7, 1847 Rawhide, Andy and I went into town on that Monday morning. The main thing we were wanting was to find a source for wagons. We figured we were going to need eight or ten covered wagons for the trip west and one covered buckboard. Rawhide had a couple of wagons on his ranch, but neither of them were up to making a 2,000 mile trip. One of the first buildings we saw when we rode into town was the courthouse. "Gentlemen," I said, "I think it's high time I freed our slaves. I'm going to stop at the courthouse and find out how to go about it." Rawhide and Andy both agreed, but said they'd go ahead down main street and see what they could find while I was busy. When I was inside, I asked a clerk how to go about emancipating a family of slaves. He said he could handle it for me. He had some pre-printed forms that all I needed to do was fill in the names of the slaves and the date along with my name as their owner. He had me do it on two of the forms and sign them in the proper place, then he took them to another man who looked them over and signed them. He brought them back over and said there was a two dollar fee, one dollar for the court and one dollar for the justice of the peace who signed them. I gladly paid the fee and he gave me one of the forms and said the other would be filed with the court as a permanent record. It was just that easy. I carefully folded the form and put it in my saddlebag when I went back outside. I felt good inside, knowing my friends and my wife were now free. I found Rawhide and Andy without too much trouble. They were talking to a man who was almost as big as Andy. When I pulled up, Rawhide asked, "How many wagons are we going to need, Ed?" "I'm thinking we might as well go ahead and get two covered wagons and six freight wagons," I said. "We also need some kind of wagon with springs and a cover for the baby." The big man nodded and said, "I'm Ira Harding. Do you want to haul anything in the sprung wagon, or do you just want seats?" "I'd say we just want seats. One for the driver and two more for passengers. I'd like the wagon bed to have springs and each seat to have springs as well. Could you do something like that?" "Yep. It'll cost you a mite. What about the cover? Do you want it to just cover the top or do you want the sides covered as well?" "Could we have it so the top is always covered and so we could raise and lower the side and back covers?" "I can do that. I'm gonna be hard put to get that many wagons built by spring though. I'm gonna have to send all the way to Pittsburgh for the hardware. When do you need them by?" "March first," I said. "How much are they going to cost and how much do you need now to get them started?" "Well, now. The covered wagons and freight wagons are gonna run you seventy dollars each. The covered passenger wagon is gonna cost you two hundred. I can get started on everything for two hundred down." "I'll tell you what I'll do, Mr. Harding. I'll give you three hundred now so it isn't any burden on you, getting started. I'll give you an extra hundred if the wagons are ready on March first." Harding readily agreed. I left him talking with Rawhide and Andy while I found a secluded spot and removed thirty gold eagles from my money belt. When I had gotten back and paid Harding, Andy said they had found out where to buy oxen to pull the wagons. ------- We'd killed half a day already. So we decided to go back to the ranch and see about the oxen tomorrow. We talked on the way home about the difficulty of finding fifty-four oxen to pull the wagons. We'd also need four of our mules to pull the buckboard. The women were happy to see us. We were mobbed by the time we had dismounted. I managed to snag the paper I had gotten at the courthouse and we all went inside. "Mina, where's Jud?" I asked. "He's out getting a bucket of water. He'll be back in a minute." "Okay, I have something to show you all when he gets in." I hadn't much more than said that when Jud came back in the house. "Jud, Mina, Delia, and Dalia," I said. "I have a paper here that will interest all of you." They all looked at me and I handed the paper to Delia. "Can you read what this says, love?" "It says Cert... Cer-tif-i-cate of E-man-ci-pa-tion. Certificate of Emancipation." "That's right, love. Now, can you read whose names are on it?" "It says Jud Hill, Wilhelmina Hill, Delia Hill and Dalia Hill. Ed, is this really what it says?" "This is a copy of a paper that is filed in the court in Dayton saying the four of you are free. Nobody owns you any more. You are all totally free." I could see tears running from Mina's eyes as she looked at me. I held my arms open and she stepped into them. We hugged for several minutes while Sam and Cassie were hugging Jud. "Thank you," Mina said after a while. "You're welcome, Mina. Keep that paper somewhere safe. It's the only way you have of proving you are free." "Oh, I'll keep it safe alright. We knew you were going to do this, Ed, but until it's done, there's always that little doubt." "I know that, Mina. I wanted to do that from the day we got here, but things just kept happening and I didn't want to leave my wives here or take them with me to get it done." "That's just fine. It's done and we are really free." We were still holding on to one another when Delia came over and threw her arms around me. She kissed me so well I was almost embarrassed that her mother was standing there. "Ed Hill, tonight you are going to have to fight me off with a stick if you don't want me to rape you. I love you with all of my heart." "I love you too, Delia. It isn't rape if the other person is willing." Delia laughed and said, "See, mama. He has an answer for everything. I love him anyway though." ------- I got a handshake and a hug from Jud that afternoon and a hug and a kiss from Dalia. I felt like I had been paid in full for what we had spent on them. We all did some talking that afternoon and we decided that since Rawhide was short around three hundred head of cattle, we should start looking for them. "I'm not sure that's really a good idea," Angie said. "My pa and his brother are dead, but others will have taken over as heads of their families. My brother Rafe will now be head of my family. He's just as mean as pa was." "Angie, child, they stole three hundred head of cattle from me. That's around three thousand dollars," Rawhide said. "I'm not going to let those dad blamed thieves get away with that." "Do you know where they're keeping the cattle they stole from Rawhide, Angie?" I asked. "Well, from what I heard them talking, they were going to divide them up equally between the four families. That means they're probably spread out over half the county." "That'll make it a little harder," I said. "Let's think on it," Rawhide said. "I think a lot of the fight went outta those fellers after they attacked us. We may be able to just ride in and take them back." "Don't count on it," Angie said. ------- "Delia, could you wait to thank Ed until tomorrow?" Kate asked. When she saw Delia hesitating, she went on, "Cassie was all fired up last night and I didn't get to make love to him." Delia gave Kate a hug and asked, "Are you a virgin, Kate?" "Yes, Delia, and I don't want to be a virgin any more." "Ed is very good with virgins. You go ahead and enjoy yourself. I'll wait my turn." "Don't I get a say in this?" I asked. "Sure and you're gonna be turning down this poor Irish lass?" "No, my love. I don't intend to turn you down. I love you, Katie." ------- Katie was a virgin, but luckily she didn't have a hymen. Sam, Cassie, Delia and I worked her up to a point where I thought she was going to go out of her mind. By unspoken agreement, we'd bring her until she was close to climax, but wouldn't let her go over. When we didn't think we could work her up any farther, I positioned myself between her legs. Sam guided my cock to the entrance of Katie's pussy. I just held it there for a few seconds and Katie started hunching up against it, trying to get me inside her. Katie was tight, but she was so wet, I went in a couple of inches before I could stop. Katie's entire body froze for several seconds, then she started shuddering. I tried to hold as still as I could while her orgasm ripped through her pretty body, but she wasn't having any of that. She grabbed my hips and pulled me the rest of the way into her, and her body started hunching on my cock. Katie was moving way too fast, so I started slower movements to try to calm her down a little. Kate was making two thrusts to my one when she went over the top again. She slowed her pace slightly, so I sped up a little to match her. It wasn't long until I could feel her building to another big orgasm. This time I let myself go and followed her. We came together and I collapsed on top of her. I tried to roll off to the side but she wouldn't let me. After we were starting to recover, Katie said, "You darling man, you. Now I see why Cassie says we need a man." Day 130 - Tuesday, September 8, 1847 Two of the hands who had worked for Rawhide's brother-in-law came riding in this morning. Fred Nelson and Abner Hunt. Neither of them had any ties to the Clifton Clan, so we hired them to ride for us, at least for the winter. We talked with them for a while and I asked them why they had left before. "Well, sir," Ab said, speaking for both of them, "After Mr. And Mrs. Clifton died, we was kind of at a loss as to what to do. We went on taking care of things for two months, but we never got paid. Then, the other Cliftons started coming around and threatening us." "They did stay on a spell," Maddie said. "I knew Liz had left the place to Rawhide, but no one seemed to know where he was. Lawyer Slade never came around to check on the place and I know he never paid anyone." "Well, it doesn't seem like Slade did a very good job. Gentlemen, we'll pay you for the time you didn't get paid for. It's good to have you back." Rawhide and Andy took them down to the bunkhouse and Andy told me later that he had warned them that there might still be problems with the Cliftons. ------- Stu, Rawhide and I went into town again to talk with the man at the livery stable about oxen. "We're going to need around sixty oxen come the first of March," I told him. The man whistled and said, "That's a lot of oxen. Why do you need that many?" "We're outfitting a wagon train," I said. "Do you have any idea where we can get that many young, healthy oxen?" "I can get them for you. They're going to cost you a mite though. They'll run you about thirty to thirty-five dollars each." "How about we say we'll give you two thousand dollars for sixty of them. Would that work?" He thought for a minute then said, "That'll work. I'm gonna need something down first." "Would five hundred down work?" "That'll do just fine. I'll have them ready to pick up on March first. They'll be in a corral just out of town. From there on they're your worry." I paid him his down payment and also arranged for yokes and harness for ten wagons to be available at the same time. ------- When we got back to the house, Sam said for us not to run off somewhere. She said they needed to get some idea of how many people were going to be going to Oregon, so they could figure out how much foodstuff to buy. Sam called all fourteen adults together and we started discussing what we were going to need as far as hired help went. After much agonizing we came up with the following: 10 Wagon drivers 12 Drovers 7 hired 2 Hunters 1 hired 2 Cooks 1 Guide 1 Scout 2 Family members not employed 30 Total Maddie, Mina and to some extent Rawhide got their heads together and came up with a list of the foodstuff we'd need while on the trail. It was quite an impressive list. Item Weight Price/Lb Cost Flour 4,500 lbs .02 $90.00 Corn Meal 600 lbs .05 $30.00 Bacon 1,500 lbs .05 $75.00 Sugar 1,200 lbs .04 $48.00 Coffee 300 lbs .10 $30.00 Dried Fruit 450 lbs .06 $27.00 Tea 60 lbs .60 $36.00 Rice 150 lbs .05 $7.50 Beans 450 lbs .06 $27.00 Baking soda 15 lbs .12 $1.80 Salt 150 lbs .06 $9.00 Total 9, 225 lbs of food Total cost of basic foods $381.30 It wasn't the cost of the food so much that bothered me. It was the weight. By my calculations, we had a total weight of 9,225 pounds. The wagon maker told us that one of his wagons could haul around four thousand pounds on a short haul, but on a trip like going on the Oregon Trail, he wouldn't recommend more than two thousand pounds per wagon. That meant that five of our wagons would be used for hauling the food for our group that would be used up on the trip. I figured we'd need another three wagons for the food we were going to need to get us through our first six months in Oregon. This led us to thinking about things like barrels to store the food in for the trip and after we reached Oregon. With the number of people we were going to have with us, it looked like we were going to have our own wagon train. We talked it over and we all agreed we would allow others to join us on our trip, but we'd try to be selective as to who we let join up. Day 131 - Wednesday, September 9, 1847 It seemed like the main topic of conversation was, as usual, our trip next spring. We were discussing it at breakfast, when Stu asked, "So what do we do with the food wagons when we empty them? Do we just abandon them, or what?" "No, I don't think we'd want to abandon them. Actually, there is quite a bit of lumber in a wagon. It'd help to make floors and roofs for a house once we get to where we're going. We'll eventually probably use the oxen as a food source," I said. "Are oxen good to eat?" Cassie asked. "Honey, oxen are just cattle, usually steers, that have been trained to pull. They're just as good to eat as any other three or four year old cow," I said. "I always thought they were a different breed," she said. "They're so much bigger than regular cattle." "No, they do pick from the larger breeds of cattle to turn them into oxen. They also usually pick males, which are also larger than females. Most often, they castrate the young males while they are calves. It takes a couple of years for them to reach their full growth and for them to be trained to pull." "Why are they better than mules for pulling a wagon?" "They can pull more than a mule. Also, they can survive on prairie grass. The only problem is that they are slower than mules. Most of them only walk at a rate of two or three miles an hour." ------- After breakfast, Andy, Rawhide and I decided we were going into town to talk to the sheriff. I wanted him to know we were going to be going after Rawhide's cattle on Clifton land. Sheriff Appleby was sitting in his office, his straight chair leaned back against the wall when we went in. "Oh, you two again," he said to Rawhide and Andy. "Yep," Rawhide said. "This here's my partner, Ed hill." "I've been wanting to talk with you boys," Appleby said. "I've heard tell that you got into a shooting fight with the Cliftons. Word is that you went hunting them and killed some of them." "Whoever told you that is full of shit," I said. "We did kill a passel of them when we shot up a wagon loaded with gunpowder that they were trying to push up against our house. This took place in our yard and we have at least twenty witnesses." Appleby must have seen the look in my eye, because he backed down. "Well, now I ain't accusing," he said. "What we came in for, sheriff, was to let you know we are going to be going onto Clifton land. Rawhide wants his cattle back that they stole, and we plan to get them." "Now, I don't think that's a very good idea, Mr. Hill. That could lead to violence." "I expect it might, sheriff. We're well aware that you are a cousin to the Cliftons. We're also aware that you talk to them frequently. I just wanted you to pass on a warning to the Cliftons that we are going to be looking for Rawhide's cattle. When we go looking for them, we're going to be armed and we're going to be looking for trouble. If one of the Cliftons even looks cross eyed at us, we'll blow him out of the saddle." "Now, Mr. Hill, that sounds like you're looking for a fight." "We are. They tried to blow up our house with all of the women and kids in it. If I see a Clifton on Rawhide's land, I'll kill him in a second. If they try to stop us from getting Rawhide's cattle back, it'll be the last thing they ever do. There is an alternative though." "What's that?" "The Cliftons can return all of the stolen cattle. That way we wouldn't have to be on their land at all." "I don't know if they would do that. I will talk to them though." "Sheriff, we're also aware that sometime next spring, the whole Clifton clan is probably going to be coming in here to wipe us out. If they succeed, they can take the cattle back at the same time. If they fail, then we would get the cattle anyway. We'll give them a week to bring the cattle back. At the end of that time, we'll go looking for them." Sheriff Appleby nodded. He didn't try to deny that the Clifton clan would be coming after us. "I'll tell them what you said," he said. ------- "Well, the bastard was a lot more agreeable this time," Rawhide said as we were riding back to the ranch. "Yeah, Ed has a way of talking to people that makes them listen," Andy grinned. "I thought I'd just lay it on the line for him," I said. "Then I thought I'd give them a reason to do it by mentioning that when their clan wipes us out, they can take them back. Of course I plan for us to be long gone before their clan gets here." When we got back to the house, Maddie gave us a list of the kinds and amounts of seeds we would need to have a good garden. She also gave us a list of the garden tools we would need. I told her we'd start picking them up as soon as they were available. Day 136 - Monday, September 14, 1847 It was just four days later that a man came riding into our yard. He had a white rag wrapped around the end of his rifle barrel and he was waving it back and forth as he rode. Rawhide and I went out on the porch and waited for him to come up. "I'm Jeb Clifton," he said. "All of the cattle you claim are in the next valley over." "What about the horses?" Rawhide asked. "Yeah, they're there too." "Well, I thankey kindly," Rawhide said. "You ain't heard the last of this, old man," he said. "Come spring we're gonna run you all the hell out of here. This is Clifton land and them are Clifton cattle." "Be that as it may," Rawhide said. "If we see a Clifton on this land between now and then, we'll leave his body where we shoot him." Clifton whirled his horse around and rode out. ------- Things settled down after that. September turned into October. October into November. We were busy, preparing for our trip next spring. Every time we went into town, we bought a couple of hundred pounds of flour or cornmeal or coffee or whatever. We found a cooper and had him start making barrels for us. We told him we'd like for them to hold a hundred pounds of flour and he said he had the perfect size. We had him seal the outside with pitch so they were waterproof and every time we bought flour or something like it, we immediately put it an a barrel and sealed it up. We marked each barrel as to what we had in it. We stored everything in the barn and we were amazed at how much room it took up. Rawhide's sister and her husband had had nearly all of the farm implements we'd need and some of the wood working tools as well. We bought other tools as we found them. It looked like it was going to take all winter just to get things ready to go. We spent a lot of time just cleaning the tools we were going to take with us and coating them with tallow so they wouldn't rust. All of us, except for Sam and M&M spent a lot of time learning about herding cattle. Stu and Rawhide were good teachers. We each worked with our own horses so we could get them to react to us and to the cattle without dumping us on our butts. By Thanksgiving, Sam was starting to get big with our child. Cassie teased her endlessly about being a beached whale and other things. Anyone else might have gotten mad, but as Sam's pregnancy progressed, she mellowed a lot. I guess I did too. There's something about contemplating becoming a parent that makes you start thinking of more than just yourself. On Thanksgiving day, we had a feast fit for a king. Andy had managed to kill four turkeys. Mina and Maddy went all out on the fixings to go with them. It was on Thanksgiving day that Stu and Angie announced that they were getting married. ------- Christmas in 1847 is much different than Christmas in 2005. For one thing, all of the commercialization and glitz are gone. It is much more of a religious experience. There is still gift giving in 1847, but it isn't the "Oh, God, it's Christmas Eve and I still haven't bought anything for Uncle Bob" kind of giving. Nearly everything that is given is hand made. For example, Delia, with the help of her mom, gave me a nice buckskin shirt that she had made. Maddie gave each of the men a pair of wool socks she had knitted. They kept my feet toasty warm for the rest of the winter. Among other things, I made each of my wives a leather holster for their revolvers. It had taken a time and a time, but Delia had gotten almost as good with her revolver as Sam was. Cassie and Kate had become phenomenal. On Christmas day, Rawhide and Maddie announced they were getting married. I don't know if it was a match made in heaven, but they certainly seemed to fit well together. After the new year started, we just kind of holed up for the winter. It was only about two months now before Sam was due. We decided that Cassie and Kate would accompany me to Boston to pick up the gold. Delia wanted to go, but I explained to her that even though we were in the north that it would be difficult for a black woman. Sam convinced her she'd need to help her with the baby and that gave her a purpose. Time seemed to drag during the coldest months. Part of that, I'm sure was due to my anxiety over Sam giving birth without being in a modern hospital. The Cliftons? We didn't see or hear of them the rest of the winter. Angie warned us we weren't off the hook with them yet. ------- Chapter 30 Monday, February 21, 1848 One of the things we had gotten for Christmas was a bed that was big enough for all five of us. I don't know what time it was when Sam awakened me, but it was early, or late if you want to look at it that way. Sam shook my shoulder and when I started to wake up, she said, "Ed, I think I'm going into labor." "Oh, shit," I said. I was immediately awake. "It's a little too late to be saying, oh shit," Sam said. I couldn't tell if she was angry or teasing. I found out quickly. "Get your ass out of bed and do something," Sam growled. I jumped up as the rest of my wives awakened. I threw on some pants and ran out to the bunkhouse. I slipped in without waking anyone else and made my way to Jud and Mina's room. "Mina," I said, trying not to disturb Jud. "Um," Mina said. "Mina, Sam's in labor." Mina was on her feet in a second. "Get out of here and let me get dressed," she said. I was proud of how she had progressed from being a slave to being her own woman. I ran back to the house and found it in a turmoil. All of my wives were up and milling around. Kate had awakened Maddy and she shooed me out of my bedroom before I could do more than kiss Sam on the forehead. She smiled and squeezed my hand before Maddy made me leave. ------- Sam had a relatively short labor. When you're an expectant father, six hours can seem like a week though. Sarah Beth and Delia and Dalia made breakfast for the rest of us. I don't think Cassie, Kate, Mina or Maddy even ate. They stayed with Sam the whole time. They let me in a couple of times to hold Sam's hand for a few minutes, but Maddy and Mina said that birthing was a woman's thing and they wouldn't let me stay. It was a little after ten o'clock when we heard the lusty cry of an infant. A couple of minutes later, Cassie came out holding a red faced, crying little bundle and handed it to me. She was smiling from ear to ear as she said, "She's a beautiful little girl, Ed." "She is beautiful," I said, looking at the wrinkled up little face. I held her to me and rocked back and forth. She stopped crying almost immediately and I leaned down and kissed her precious little forehead. "Another daddy's girl, I see," Cassie giggled. I put my arm around Cassie and pulled her against me. "Is Sam okay?" I asked. "Sam is fine. You'll be able to go in to see her in a couple of minutes." Those couple of minutes seemed like hours. Cassie took the baby back in to Sam and eventually, Delia came out for me. All of the other women, except for Delia and Cassie had left the room before I was let in. Our newest addition was fixed to one of Sam's lovely breasts when I walked in. She looked up at me with a wonderful little smile on her face and asked, "Isn't she beautiful?" I leaned over and kissed her, then said, "That she is, but not half as beautiful as her mama." Sam smiled and said, "I know I have to look like shit. I feel like I was run over by a truck." "I've never seen you more beautiful," I said, meaning every word of it. "You glow." Delia giggled and said, "You do have a glow about you, Sam. "I think all new mothers have it." "So, what are we going to name this beautiful little addition to our family?" I asked. "I was thinking of a really old fashioned name, love," Sam said. "What would you think about Rebecca Jane? We could call her Becky." "I love it," I said. "It's a good name and fitting for the time period. I would also love calling her Becky." "I'd let you hold her, but she's a hungry little beast right now." "Lucky baby," I said with an evil grin. "Do I get her leftovers?" Sam smiled and said, "Oh, you might get a taste." "I'd like a taste too," Cassie said seriously. "I think that can be arranged," Sam said. "Just call me Sam, the Borden cow." Cassie and I got a giggle out of that, but Delia and Kate, who had come into the room didn't get the joke of course. ------- Later that afternoon, Cassie, Delia, and Kate took me by the hand and led me into the bedroom. I wondered what was going on, but I went along quietly. Once our family was all together, Cassie said, "Delia has something to tell you." I looked at Delia and she cast her eyes downward. "Massa, dis here nigger done got herself pregnant wif a white man's baby." It took a minute for what she was saying to sink in, but when it did, I grabbed her and kissed her silly. She had a grin that was a mile wide when she said, "I'm over a month late, Ed. I hope you're as happy about it as I am." "Honey, I'm tickled to death. It works out perfectly too. You won't deliver until after we're in Oregon." "Massa," Cassie said, giving a good imitation of Delia's slave drawl, "I'm not a slave, but you are definitely master of my heart. I'm two weeks late for my period too." After I had kissed her until we were both breathless, I said, "I guess you and Delia can commiserate with each other through this. The last part of the trip is going to be hard on both of you, especially Delia." "Yeah, we talked about that this morning. We may have that buckboard packed with pregnant women before we get there." "Well, I could think of worse things," I said. "In addition to you two, we could have Kate, Dalia, Sarah Beth, and Angie pregnant. I guess it isn't beyond the realm of possibility that Mina could even get pregnant. Delia giggled and said, "If she does, I'll tell her she's just trying to copy me." ------- Becky certainly seemed like a healthy baby. Her eyes would focus almost from the start and she'd instinctively grip your finger. All of the females in our family wanted to hold her, even M&M. Cassie and Kate said that since they were leaving with me in a few days, they should have priority. All of the men started making serious arrangements for getting under way. Cassie, Kate and I decided we'd leave all of the money we had, except for fifty dollars, with Sam. When Andy, Stu, and Rawhide heard that Sam was keeping all of our money, they insisted she keep theirs also. That made Sam the treasurer of our family. Tuesday, February 22, 1848 I cuddled with Sam, Becky and Delia this morning while Sam was feeding our latest arrival. Sam even let me taste ambrosia. The milk that came from her beautiful breast was sweet and thin... it tasted wonderful. After we got up, we all discussed what all we owed money for and how much we had. It looked like we were going to have plenty to cover all we had contracted for when we added in what Andy, Stu, and Rawhide had. Andy and I decided we were going to town to talk with the man who was making our wagons. He seemed pleased to see us and had to show us the special wagon. It was finished, except for a final coat of paint and it looked like a million dollars. Andy and I both bounced around on the seats for a while and they felt like they would hold the ladies nicely. "So, are all of them going to be ready by the first?" I asked. "They're all ready now, except for a final coat of paint on this one." "Okay. We have to check to see if our oxen are available, but as soon as they are, we'll pay you for them and start taking them out to our ranch." He agreed that sounded just fine, so we went to see the guy about the oxen. He said he could have them in the corral in two days, if we wanted them now, so I told him to bring them on and that Andy and some other men would come to get them. "When are you planning on leaving?" Andy asked as we headed home. "Well, a lot depends on what we find out in the next couple of days. Ab knows of four guys he says we can hire for the trip. Since we have four now, with the two who wandered in during the winter, that'll give us eight hired men. I figure we'll need about eight more than that to start with, then when we're in St Louis or St Joseph, we'll need to pick up a wagon master and a scout. If we can pick up enough men to drive the wagons and to move Rawhide's herd, you can leave at any time that Sam is ready to travel." "Ed. I think you can take off whenever you want. Rawhide, Stu, and I can handle hiring the other men and buying everything else we need." "I know you can, Andy. I'll tell you what. If Sam and the baby are okay, Kate, Cassie and I will take off on Friday." "That sounds good. You had originally said to wait for you in Lafayette, Indiana, but I think we should push on toward St Louis or even St Jo if we get there before you do. I'm worried about getting through the mountains if we get a late start." "I could live with that." I said. "It does make sense. Go from here to Lafayette, then to St Louis, then on to St Joseph. We can catch you on the road somewhere." Andy nodded and said. "Okay. Every time I get a chance I'll blaze an arrow on a tree after we pass Lafayette. That way you'll know you're following the same route we took." Andy is a smart guy and I knew they'd make themselves as easy to find as possible. "Rawhide has between five and six hundred cattle. We should try to buy some more in St Louis or St Jo. We might as well spend some of this money we're going after. I wouldn't mind having a herd of horses to take with us too." When we got home, I called all of my wives into the bedroom and told them what Andy and I had been talking about. "How long do you think it'll be before you catch up with us?" Sam asked. "I'd say about two or two and a half months. It's a little over seven hundred miles from here to Boston as the crow flies. Probably closer to eight hundred for us. Then from Boston to St. Louis it's about a thousand miles. Eighteen hundred miles is going to take around sixty days." "Ed, I was looking at some of the maps we had when we got bumped back in time. It looks to me like St Joseph is almost due west of here. Wouldn't it make more sense for us to head straight to St. Joseph?" Sam asked. "Well... You know, you're probably right. It'd also make more sense on our returning from Boston straight to St Joseph. It'd probably cut off a couple of hundred miles. Let's talk to Andy tonight." "How many horses and how many mules are you planning to take?" Sam asked. "I figured on two horses each, and two or three mules." "Make that four mules and I'll agree with you. If you divide the load up, they'll be able to move faster. You said there's about sixty pounds of gold, didn't you?" "Yeah, about that." "Pack it in saddlebags. That way you can carry it into a tavern with you. Cassie and Kate can each carry fifteen pounds and you can carry thirty. I'd like for you to stay in taverns as much as possible. You'll eat and sleep better and you'll be able to ride faster and farther." "Okay, Sam, that makes sense," I said. Sam handed me another hundred dollars and said, "I want you to take this for your trip to Boston. With ten horses and mules your stable bills are going to be higher. We have plenty to cover everything here." Wednesday, February 23, 1848 God, I was going to miss waking up beside my sweet Sam. It had been almost a year since I hadn't been beside her sweet body when I awoke. During that year I had come to love her more than I ever thought I could love anyone. I was also a little worried about her. The Cliftons almost had to know we were making preparations to leave. I finally rolled out of bed and was followed almost immediately by Cassie, Delia and Kate. We all made our trips to the outhouse and by the time we were back in, Mina had coffee ready. "You know," Cassie said. "Leaving right now might not be such a bad thing. Being woke up at two o'clock in the morning by a baby crying for a tit isn't my most favorite thing." I had to laugh. "You're right, love. She does have a lusty little cry, doesn't she." "I feel sorry for Sam," Delia said. "Yeah, it's Sam who has to present her nipple for the little beast to chew on," Cassie said. "Well, at least it isn't so bad right now," I said. "What do you mean?" Delia asked. "Becky doesn't have any teeth yet," I said with a grin. Mina laughed and said, "I thought Delia was going to chew my nipple off when she started getting teeth." ------- We spent the day getting things ready to take with us on our trip. We packed one set of clothes each and we'd be wearing another one. We figured out the minimum amount of cooking utensils we'd want to take and got them ready. We decided we'd take flour, corn meal, baking soda, salt and pepper, bacon, beans, and dried fruit. As Sam suggested, we'd eat in taverns whenever we could. This would relieve us from having to cook and would extend our supplies to where we wouldn't have to replenish then that often. We also took a tent, blankets, sleeping bags, and pads. Andy helped us figure out the best way to pack everything. Mandy helped us pick which horses each of us should be riding and which mules would work the best for us. She really is an amazing little girl when it comes to horses and mules. By evening, we felt like we were ready to go. We decided that if everything looked to be okay with Sam and Becky, we'd leave at first light on Friday morning. Tomorrow, we'd spend with our family. Thursday, February 24, 1848 After breakfast, I got everyone together and talked with them about the Cliftons. "People," I said, "we have been buying things for our trip like there was no tomorrow. We've bought wagons, oxen, food and everything else we'll need. The Cliftons have to know we're leaving. The only thing we have going for us is that they don't know when we're leaving." "We have a couple of other things going for us too," Angie said. "Neither of my two uncles, nor my cousin nor my brother are take charge people. I'm sure that by now, they've sent for Jubal, but he won't be here or a couple of months. In the mean time, the clan chiefs who are here probably won't want to take charge and try anything on a large scale. They lost a lot of clan members and a lot of hired hands when they attacked us last fall. They'll think about that." "So, you think they'll wait for Jubal before they do anything?" I asked. "We can't know for sure, but that's what I think." "Well, I don't think Sam is going to be able to travel for a couple of weeks. When she's ready, I think you should get out of here as soon as possible." Everyone, including Sam seemed to agree with that. Friday, February 25, 1848 Ed: Day 1 of the Dayton to Boston trip I awoke between Sam and Delia this morning. After cuddling and kissing with Sam for a while, Delia and I made sweet gentle love. It was tearing my heart in two, knowing I wouldn't be seeing either one of them for a while. After a while, I decided I should get out of bed and get on the road. Becky made herself known and demanded she be attached to Sam's nipple. I watched her nurse as we got dressed. The smile Sam had on her face as we watched our baby feast at her lovely breast was beatific. "Cassie and Kate, you'd damned well better take good care of the father of my child while you're gone. If not, when you come back, I'll skin you both alive," Sam said. Both of them assured her they would. We took care of our morning outhouse duties, then Mina insisted we eat a hearty breakfast before we took off. We ate quickly and by the time we had finished, we could just see that the sky was getting lighter. We went back in the bedroom and kissed Sam goodbye. All of us shed a few tears before we left to saddle our horses and pack the mules. When we got to the barn, we were met by Andy, Rawhide, and Stu. They already had the horses saddled and the mules packed. Each of them shook my hand and collected a hug and kiss from my wives. Delia kissed me like I was going to be gone a year and I kissed away the tears running down her cheeks. It wasn't daylight yet when we took off heading east northeast. The sky was clear and the weather was nice, even though it was cold. We were all dressed for the cold temperature though, so it didn't bother us a lot. The horses were frisky and seemed to like being on the road. I had Gray Hawk of course, and my other mount was a Appaloosa gelding that was nearly as big as Hawk. I named the gelding, Spot, which caused Cassie to roll her eyes and groan. Kate had her filly and a Bay mare who Mandy said was the best horse for her. Cassie was riding a Chestnut mare and leading a Roan gelding. We took off at a good clip and made fine time during the first part of the day. We didn't pass any towns, so we stopped for a cold lunch, then continued on again after a brief rest. We had all ridden enough through the winter that we weren't having to get used to riding again. By early evening we arrived at London, Ohio. We had supper at the tavern there and took a room for the night. By the time we had finished eating, we were tired enough we decided to turn in for the night. I figure we made thirty-three or thirty-four miles for the day. Sam: Preparing for the trip to St Joseph Ed has been keeping a diary since we left Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since he's not here now, I feel like I should take up writing so that we have a complete account of our adventures. Seeing Ed and Cassie and Kate off this morning was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. Two months doesn't seem like such a long time, but when it's two months without seeing three of the most important people in your life, it's an eternity. After they were gone, Delia and I just held each other for a long while. Then we cuddled Becky between us for a while longer. I wanted Becky to grow up with hugs all of her life rather than slaps or harsh words. Andy came in right after we'd had breakfast and said he needed the money for the oxen. I counted it out to him and teased him a little about keeping Dalia and Sarah Beth hostage until he showed back up with the animals. It was well after noon when he got back. I could tell by the look on his face that he thought the oxen were okay, but I asked him anyway. "I don't know how well they've been trained to pull," he said, "but they're all docile. We had no trouble driving them out here. They all look strong and healthy too." "So, what do we do now?" I asked. "I'd say we go in and get our first couple of wagons tomorrow," he said. "Once we get them out here, we'll cover the bottoms and sides with tar, then we can load the barrels of flour and the like on them." "How long is that going to take? Can we be ready to move in two weeks?" I asked. "There won't be any problem in having the wagons loaded and ready in two weeks. Any problems we have will be in hiring enough men to work the cattle and to drive the wagons." "Okay, send Ab out today and have him talk to the men he thinks will be willing to work for us. When you talk to the wagon man tomorrow, ask him if he knows of anyone. I don't care if we have twice as many men as we need at first. I'm sure some of them will quit by the time we get to St Jo. There'll be others we have to fire," I said. Andy grinned and said, "Yes, ma'am, boss lady. We'll get right on it." I know I had to blush a deep shade of red. "I'm sorry, Andy. I didn't mean to be taking over." "Sam, I think it's appropriate for you to boss the outfit until Ed gets back. If anyone else started the job of being boss, there might be some resentment when Ed gets back and takes over. There's no doubt in my mind that Ed will be the boss when he gets back. There's just something about him that makes him take over and do a better job than anyone else could. If you're the boss while he's gone, there won't be any conflict when he gets back." "Are you sure you don't mind taking orders from a woman?" "Not in the least." "Well, as it is when Ed is here, you're second in command. I think Rawhide should be your number one deputy." "Oh, I agree with that. Stu will, of course, be my second. I don't plan on telling either one of them how I look on them though." "I agree. That's probably better. Rawhide and Stu both know a lot more about cattle than we do. We'll have to rely on them heavily." ------- Andy sent Ab off to talk to the men he knew that afternoon and Ab said he probably wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Andy, Rawhide, Stu and three of the hired men got four, four oxen teams hitched up and walked them around the yard. Later, Andy told me they seemed to do well. Saturday. February 26, 1848 Ed: - Day 2 of the Dayton to Boston trip We rolled out of bed early and had a nice breakfast of biscuits and gravy and sausages. We had the serving girl make us up some sausages and package up half a dozen biscuits for our lunch. We were on the road again by the time the sun was coming up. The air was really cold this morning. All of us ended up wrapping our rain panchos around ourselves to cut down on the wind. By nine o'clock it was starting to warm up though. Cassie, Kate and I kept up a running conversation throughout the day. Our lunch stop was only for about a half an hour. We did enjoy it though and spent a little time kissing and cuddling after we had finished our sausage and biscuit sandwiches. We changed horses at lunch and Hawk wasn't at all happy about me riding a different horse. He soon got used to the idea though. By the middle of the afternoon, he was walking beside me instead of being led. We stopped for the night at an ordinary on the east side of Columbus, Ohio. It was a nice place and we had an excellent meal. I think we made around thirty-three or thirty-four miles for the day. As we were eating, Cassie was sitting beside me and Kate was across from us. Cassie kept bumping her shoulder against me and leaning into me. It felt nice and I felt loved. The only problem was, was that it gave everyone the impression that Cassie was my wife, which led them to believe that Kate was available. One young man decided he wanted to talk to her. He came over to our table and sat on the bench beside Kate and introduced himself. He seemed harmless and to be honest with you, I was interested in how Kate would handle herself in a situation like that. The man, Bill Andrews, talked with all of us for a few minutes, then he asked Kate if she'd like to take a walk with him. "It's sorry I am, Bill, but we've been riding all day and I'm so tired that all I want to do is go to bed," Kate said. "Well, I'd be happy to help you keep your bed warm, Kate," he said. Now, in the twenty-first century that was a remark that would have been laughed off. Kate was not from the twenty-first century though and to her, the remark was insulting. "Why, you... You... You bastard, you. How dare you say something like that to a married lady." "Married lady, my ass," Bill said. "Where's your husband?" Kate tried to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist. "Let her go," I said calmly. "What are you going to do about it if I don't?" he asked with a nasty sneer. "Then, I'll have to break you up a bit and then turn you over to my wife. She can do amazing things with her knife. Of course, you'd never be a man again, but I will tell her not to kill you." Cassie grinned and pulled the Arkansas Toothpick I had gotten her for Christmas out of her belt scabbard. "Don't break him up too much, Ed. I like to hear them scream," she said. This was a little too much for the young man. He dropped Kate's wrist like it had burned him and hastily retreated from our table. He rejoined a couple of his friends and I could tell they were teasing him. Kate settled back in to finish her dinner, but she kept muttering to herself the whole time. Cassie and I kept hearing snippets of what she was saying, things like, "The likes of him," or "Married my ass," or "I'll slap his grinning face from here to Tuesday." Neither Cassie nor I laughed. We knew better. Kate's temper was phenomenal. When we got up to the room and got in bed, I tried to calm and comfort Kate. I held her and kissed her and crooned soft words of love to her. Cassie had other ideas though. While I was holding Kate, Cassie rolled me onto my back and mounted me. I tried to ignore Cassie, but my cock wasn't. I was still holding on to Kate when she started giggling. I looked at her with a puzzled expression, so she said, "We're going to have to watch her, or she's going to wear you out. Save some for me, Cassie." "You can have him tomorrow," Cassie said with a big grin. ------- Chapter 31 Sam: Preparing for the trip to St Joseph I awoke snuggled up to Delia again. I guess I must be related to a puppy as I really enjoy cuddling. When Becky awoke and started making her needs known, I held her to me and fed her a nipple. I'll swear it felt like the love was flowing out of my body and into hers. Feeding our little one was one of the greatest feelings I have ever had. At breakfast, Andy said they were going into town to pick up four wagons. I reminded him to check with the wagon maker about hired hands and he assured me he would. All of the men, except for Rawhide and Ab went to retrieve the wagons. Ab was still gone on his recruiting expedition. After breakfast, Maddy said she was wondering what we were going to do with all of her canned goods. I asked her how much she had and she took me down to the root cellar and showed me. I was floored. What I saw was not what I expected. Her "canned" foods were mostly in crocks. These were straight sided crocks with lids to match and they were sealed with wax. There must have been fifty crocks ranging in size from about two quarts to two gallons each. There were also several kegs, two of which Maddy said were filled with kraut and two more that contained pickles. "Well," I said as I looked over the collection, "I'll get Andy to get some wooden boxes for the smaller crocks. We'll put straw all around the crocks inside the boxes. That should keep them safe enough." Maddy nodded. "If they put tops on the boxes we can even stack them up," she said. ------- Stu showed up with the four freight wagons just after noon. After the men had all eaten, I went out and looked them over. Delia was happy to babysit Becky. The freight wagons were larger than I thought they'd be. They also looked to be very sturdy. Andy wasn't with them and Stu said he was going to talk with some men about going to Oregon with us. Stu knew what to do and soon he had a crew tarring the outsides of the wagons. They put the oxen they had used in the corral and Stu said they had pulled well. Andy came back around the middle of the afternoon with three new men. It wasn't long after that when Ab came back with four men. All of us sat down and talked about it later and we decided we needed at least four more before we started. "You know," Maddy said, "Hatty Vencille has a couple of growed boys that she told me wanted to go out west and do some trapping. She says she knows she's not gonna be able to keep them home much longer, but she worries about them. Maybe she'd be willing to let them go with us." "That sounds good, Maddy. Do you know how old they are?" I asked. "They're either fifteen and sixteen or sixteen and seventeen," Maddy said. "Anywhere from fifteen on up would be okay," Rawhide said. "Kids that age have a lot of stamina." "Would you ride over with me in the morning to see about them, Rawhide?" Maddy asked. Rawhide nodded. "Reckon I will. Keeps me out of having to work." ------- Even with having Delia to cuddle with, going to bed at night is a lonely business. Ed and Cassie and Kate have only been gone a couple of days, but I miss them something terrible. I wonder what they're doing right now. Sunday, February 27, 1848 Ed: - Day 3 of the Dayton to Boston trip I awoke with my lovely naked wives cuddled up to me. I laid there for a while and wondered what Sam and Delia were doing and how Becky was doing. After a while I looked at Cassie and her eyes were open, watching me. "You were thinking about Sam, weren't you?" she asked. "Yeah, I was just wondering about her and the baby. I hope everything is okay with them." "You know, there's not a person there who wouldn't lay down their life for her, don't you?" "Yeah, I know that. Especially Andy and Rawhide. I know they're safe, I guess I just miss them." "Sure, and don't we all miss then?" Kate asked from the other side of me. I put my arm around Kate and we all cuddled together for a while. When we went down stairs for breakfast a little later, I saw that the guy who had come on to Kate the night before was there with two of his friends. I kept my eye on him, but he didn't approach us. We had a nice breakfast and then hit the road. We were only a few miles out of town when I heard horses coming up behind us at a gallop. I looked back over my shoulder and to me it looked like the guy from last night and his friends. "Ladies, it looks like we are going to have visitors," I said. "Try to get your guns out without anyone behind us seeing you." I eased my revolver out of its holster and slid the barrel between my left leg and my saddle. Then we just waited until the men caught up with us. When they did so, we reined in and waited for them to say something. "Well, now," Bill said. "If it isn't the lovely lady from last night." "What would you be wanting, mister?" Kate asked. "I'd be wanting to spend some time with you, young lady," Bill said. "I'd like to get to know you a lot better." "As I told you last night, I'm a married lady. I do not want to spend time with you, nor do I want to get to know you better." "I don't believe you about being married," Bill said. "You should believe her," I said. "She is my wife." "That, I don't believe either," Bill said. "I saw you lollygagging with the other girl here last night." "She's my wife too, Bill. It's none of your business, but the three of us are very happily married. Now, I think you need to ride along." "Oh, I don't think we're going to do that. Even if you are married to both of them, it's not fair for one man to hog two pretty women. Maybe we should just take both of them to teach you a lesson." "I don't think you're going to be able to do that, Bill. I'm telling you true that you are in serious danger right now. If you don't go about your own business, all three of you are going to end up dead." One of the other men with Bill laughed. "Right, you're gonna take on all three of us?" "No, the three of us are going to take on the three of you. Believe me, you don't stand a chance." I reached over as if I was going to scratch my leg and slid my revolver out from under my leg. It was still under the tail of my coat, so it wasn't visible to our tormentors. I cocked the pistol and felt a lot better with it in my hand. None of the three had pulled a weapon as yet, so I slowly pulled mine out from under my coat. I turned it toward Bill and when they saw what I was doing, Cassie and Kate lined theirs up on the other two. "You have two choices," I said as I looked in Bill's eyes. "You can turn your horses and ride away, or you can try to pull your guns. If you ride away and leave us alone, you'll live to find your own women. If you try to pull a gun, we'll leave your bodies laying in the road. It's up to you." The two men with Bill turned their horses and were gone without having said another word. Bill stared at me for a minute, then he turned and rode away as well. After they were gone, Cassie said, "You know I didn't think the guy was going to push it to where there'd be violence. I think he was just feeling a little miffed that Kate had turned him down and he wanted to show off to his friends." I nodded and said, "Yeah, I was hoping for that myself. Thank goodness we were both right." ------- The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful. We did keep a lookout for Kate's would be suitor, but he didn't make another appearance. We ended up finding a tavern on the edge of Perryton, Ohio, where we had dinner and spent the night. Before we went up to bed, we sat for quite a while in front of the massive fireplace and soaked up the heat. It was the last of February and all of us hoped it would warm up soon. Sam: Preparing for the trip to St Joseph Rawhide and Maddy rode over to the Vencille place after breakfast to talk to them about hiring their sons for a trip to Oregon. They were gone most of the day. Since it was a Sunday, none of us did much, so I used the day to catch up on this diary. I guess I should say something about the men we hired to go with us. Since there are so many of them, I'll just write about a few of them each day. The first two men who came back to the ranch had worked for Rawhide's sister. They were Abner Hunt and Fred Nelson. Both of them looked like they had been made in the same mold. In their late twenties, both were around 5'9" tall. Both had sandy hair and blue eyes. If it wasn't for their different names I'd have thought they were brothers. Two other men who had worked for Rawhide's sister came back during the winter. They were Silas Johnson and Amos Brown. Silas was probably somewhere in his mid thirties with black hair and brown eyes. Silas was around 5'11" and Amos couldn't have been more than 5'6" in his boots. Amos claimed to be in his early twenties, but he looked like a kid and everyone called him, Kid. All four of these men seemed respectable and since Andy and Rawhide trusted them, so did I. ------- When Rawhide and Maddy got back, they looked like they couldn't wait to tell us what they had found out. We've got four more hands coming over tomorrow," Maddy said. "You said there were two of the Vencille boys," I said. "Yeah, but they've got a couple of cousins who'd like to make the trip too," Rawhide said. "Did you get to talk to all of them?" Andy asked. "No, just the two Vencille boys. We'll get to talk to all four of them tomorrow. I told their parents we'd be leaving within a week. That's not trying to rush you, Missy," Rawhide said, looking at me. "That's just making sure they're ready to go when we are." I didn't even jump on him for calling me Missy. I did give both him and Maddy a hug though. Monday, February 28, 1848 Ed: Day 4 of the Dayton to Boston trip Breakfast in an ordinary or tavern is different in every one you go to. Some have very breakfasty type foods, like bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and eggs. Others have leftover stew or the like from the night before. The one we were in this morning had thick slices of bacon and johnny cake. It wasn't as great a meal as in a lot of the ones we had visited over the last year, but the bacon and johnny cake did make nice sandwiches for our lunch. So far, at least, we seemed to be making fairly good time on our trip. I figured if we could average thirty miles a day, it'd take us twenty-two days of travel from Dayton to Boston. This would be day four. The weather didn't cooperate well today. It was cold. No, it was damned cold. The horses and mules didn't seem to mind moving at all. I think it helped to warm them up. My wives and I huddled in the saddle, wearing all of the clothes we could put on and wrapped in blankets. Luckily, by noon, it started to warm up some. This part of Ohio is relatively flat land. Not as flat as the prairie, but not hilly either. In the twenty-first century, it is almost devoid of trees. Luckily, in the nineteenth century, trees abound and that helps to break up the wind. For the last three days, we had been following roads for the most part. Now, these weren't your modern super highways. For the most part, they weren't much better than two tracks through the woods. They were helpful though as you could go pretty much in a straight line rather than working your way through the trees and brush. "Have you given any thought to what you would like our house to be like when we get to Oregon?" Cassie asked me after it had started to warm up some. "Big," I said with a grin. Cassie and Kate both laughed. "Yeah, I guess it will have to be big. You know, with as many people as we have in the family now, we can't expect to fit all of them into one house, don't you?" Kate asked. "Yeah, we're all going to have to do some talking about that. We could end up with as many as five houses, if we have one for each individual family. Then, we'll need a bunkhouse for the hands." "That sounds like we're building our own town," Cassie said. "When Delia and I both deliver, we're going to have three kids under two years old. They'll all have to be in the bedroom with us for the first year or two, but then we'll want to move them out into their own bedrooms." "I'd say one large bedroom for the girls and another one for the boys," Kate said. "We don't want the problems of having boys and girls in the same room that we've had with Mindy and Tommy." "No, but we don't want to scare the kids into thinking sex is bad or something either," Cassie said. "We just want to give them a healthy attitude toward it." "That's easier said than done," I said. "Yeah, especially when they've got a slut like Cassie for a mother," Kate teased. "Well, at least I don't start yelling in Gaelic when my husband is boffing me," Cassie retorted. "And what's wrong with the Gaelic?" Kate asked. "It is a fine language and is very expressive." We were all laughing as we stopped for lunch. ------- The afternoon went quickly and a lot more comfortably as the temperature went up. We talked all afternoon and we stopped for the night at a tavern outside of West Lafayette, Ohio. Sam: Preparing for the trip to St Joseph Andy sent four men into town to pick up three more wagons this morning and he put the rest of them working on the wagons we had and actually had them start packing one of them. "Are you going to fill one of them with flour and one with corn meal and the like?" I asked. "No, Sam. Things would probably pack tighter that way, but if we lost a wagon, we'd lose almost our entire supply of something. I'm going to spread things around between several wagons." "Makes sense," I said. "These are really strong wagons," Andy mused. "I'll bet we can get more in them than the wagon maker claims." "We might, Andy, but I'd hate to be out in the middle of the desert and have one of them break down." "Yeah, there's always that. The good part is that the farther we go the lighter they'll be. We'll need to make sure we keep the loads balanced. That way, when we get to the desert or the mountains, there won't be too much stress on any one wagon." I nodded my head and thought about balancing the load. "We have six freight wagons and three covered wagons," Andy said. "We'll put all of the flour and corn meal in the freight wagons, except for the barrels we're using out of. That's about nine hundred pounds for each of those wagons. We'll also put most of the bacon and sugar in them. That'll bring it up to around twelve hundred pounds per wagon." "That's still a light load," I said. "Yeah, but we've also got molasses, coffee, dried fruit and other food stuff to go in them. We'll finish them off with tools and the like." "What are we going to be putting in the covered wagons?" "Furniture and tools and the like for the most part. I think we can manage to fix up a bed in each of them too. That way at least three families can have some privacy." I had to smile at that. Our family certainly needed some privacy, especially when Cassie got all fired up. ------- Andy and Rawhide had a long talk with the Vencille boys and their cousins, the Whites. Jonas and Meshack Vencille were from a very religious family. I guess their names should have given that away. Both were of medium height and build with brown hair and eyes. I didn't talk with them myself, but Andy said they were very polite and soft spoken. Clint and Bradley White were just the opposite as far as temperament went. Red haired and blue eyed, both of them were on the short side and seemed to be trying to make up for their lack of height by being boisterous. Andy said he thought they'd do fine though, after we got on the trail. Tuesday, February 29, 1848 Leap Year Day Ed: - Day 5 of the Dayton to Boston trip We had a really nice breakfast this morning. We even had breakfasty things. We were a little late getting on the road, but since we had been making such good time, I really didn't mind. We were pretty much selecting the roads we were going to take by compass heading and we did so today as well. It was a beautiful day for traveling. The sun was shining and the temperature had to be at least twenty degrees warmer than it had been yesterday. The area we were traveling through wasn't very populated. I don't know if that was the reason we made better time, but by the time we stopped for the night, we had come over thirty-five miles. We stopped at an ordinary near Perrysville, Ohio. All three of us were exhausted, so we decided to eat some supper and go straight to bed. We had just started eating when a young couple, carrying a baby, came into the inn and sat at the table next to ours. Of course Cassie and Kate had to make a big fuss over the baby, which led to all of us introducing ourselves. The guy was Patrick O'Connell and his wife said her name was Abigail. The baby was just over a month old and they told us his name was Benjamin. I asked where they were heading. "Well, sir, we're on our way to Oregon. We've been told the land out there is free and that it'll grow anything." "We've heard the same thing," I agreed. "We're on our way to Oregon too, but we have to go to Boston first." "We're hoping to hook up with a wagon train in St Joseph," Abby said. "It looks like we're going to have a wagon train of our own," Cassie said. "The rest of our family are on their way to St Joseph right now. We're going to catch up with them there." "What do you mean about a wagon train of your own?" Patrick asked. "The last count, we have ten wagons for our family and our friends who are traveling with us. We're thinking of just hiring a wagon master and a scout ourselves. Of course we'd let others join us if we liked them," I said. Patrick grinned and said, "Well, we may just have to look you up and see about joining you ourselves." "That'd be fine with us," I said. "Do you have any idea how far we are from St Joseph right now?" Patrick asked. "I'd say you're a little over seven hundred miles. Maybe as much as eight hundred. Traveling by wagon, the way you are, I'd say you have about a month and a half or so before you get there." "A month and a half before we're ready to start," Patrick said as he looked ruefully at his wife. "Do you think we'll make it?" "We'll make it, honey," his wife assured him. We talked for a lot longer than we had intended, but we finally made it to bed. Sam: Preparing for the trip to St Joseph Andy had some of the men bring out the rest of the wagons and the buckboard this morning. It was my first time to see the buckboard and I was impressed. There were three padded seats, with individual springs on each seat. The wagon box itself was also sprung. The top was covered to a place far in front of the driver's seat. The top was permanently in place, but the sides were of canvas and could be rolled and tied at any position from the very bottom, covering the entire side, or the very top, providing no cover at all. The back was the same as the sides. There was enough room between the seats for a baby to be wrapped up so she could sleep. The wooden sides of the wagon came up to the level of the seats. There was a door on the right side and steps that slid out from under the wagon so a pregnant woman could climb in and out easily. Wednesday, March 1, 1848 Ed: Day 6 of the Dayton to Boston trip We had a nice breakfast and were on the road before the O'Connell family was even out of bed. We were still traveling basically east-northeast we did have to detour slightly north today because of the Ohio River. "Ladies, I think we may be getting close to Pennsylvania," I said as we stopped for a brief rest about mid-morning. "I recognize the area from when I was traveling west," Kate said. "I just kind of followed the river west. The farm I grew up on is just a couple of day's travel ahead." "Did you want to stop by your old farm?" I asked Kate. "Not really," Kate said. "Maybe I should stop by my mom's grave though." "Is she buried in a cemetery?" I asked. "Yes. She was buried at the church in Evans City. It's just a little town, but it has a nice church." "Then, I think we should stop and pay our respects," I said. Kate gave me a sad little smile and said she'd appreciate that. ------- We weren't even close to a town when we were too tired to go on that evening. We camped by a small stream that fed into the Ohio River and set up our tent for the first time since we had left home. We made a meal of bacon and johnny cake and then turned in early. Sam: Preparing for the trip to St Joseph Well, tomorrow will be a week since Ed, Cassie and Kate left for Boston. That means that there are at least seven more weeks to go before I see them again. If it weren't for Delia and the kids, I think I'd be going crazy. We were getting close to having everything we wanted to take with us ready to go. Andy, Rawhide, and Stu were going to be going over the tools we were taking with us today. Becky started to fuss, so I changed her diaper and then let her latch on to my breast. God, I wish it was Ed latched on to my nipple. Delia and I talked for a while about what kinds of furniture we wanted to try to fit in the wagons. We knew we couldn't take a lot, so we were trying to figure out what would be the most useful. We finally decided we'd take things that would be hard for us to build after we got there, things like dressers and chests of drawers. Physically, I'm feeling fine. I think we could start our trip tomorrow, but Andy says we are going to wait at least a week. When I tried to talk him out of waiting, he told me he had promised Ed. Everyone is getting excited about the trip. M&M are being a real pain. If it wasn't for Tommy being a calming influence on them, I think I'd have to put them in a cage until we leave. Today, about half of the men are packing the wagons. The other half are rounding up the cattle and horses. They're putting all of the horses in a corral and the cattle are all going into the valley behind the house. Rawhide says there is plenty of grass to keep them fed until we're ready to leave. Angie came by the house and we talked for a while. I'm really getting to like her. Since she and Stu got together, she has calmed down a lot. She is so attached to him that sometimes I think they're joined at the hip. Since he was out rounding up cattle today, she was at loose ends. "Sam," Angie said as she watched me feeding Becky, "How soon did you know you were pregnant?" "Well, it was a little confusing for me, but when my period was a week late, I was pretty sure." "I'm more than a week late. I think I may be that way. It scares me a little." "Why does it scare you? Are you afraid of giving birth?" "Not that so much as I'm afraid of what a child of mine might be like. If I have a boy, I don't want him to be like my father or my brothers." "He won't be, Angie. What we're like when we grow up depends on how we're taught as a child. If we're taught that cruelty is okay, then we'll be cruel. If we're taught that it's better to be friendly and courteous, then that's the way we'll be. We just have to teach our children what's right and wrong. We need to give them lots of love, so they'll be able to give lots of love." "I sure hope you're right, Sam. I know my brothers and I were taught to always be on the lookout for an insult and to immediately retaliate. I don't want that." "With you and Stu for parents, I don't think you have anything to worry about," I said. ------- Chapter 32 Thursday, March 2, 1848 Ed: Day 7 of the Dayton to Boston trip We got an early start on a fine, early spring, morning. Kate wasn't sure just how far we were from her home town, but she thought we might get there this evening if we pushed it a little. We decided to push it. We didn't talk very much as we went along. Part of that was because of how fast we were traveling, but part of it was that Kate seemed to pull into herself. The closer we got to her old home, the more introspective she became. I wasn't sure why this was, except that with her mother dead, she might be thinking of that. Kate had told us a lot about her early life. In this day and age she hadn't had it too bad. Her parents had loved her and they had raised her to be self sufficient. They didn't have a lot of money, but she was raised on hugs and praise. We had a quick, cold, lunch and got on our way again. It was almost dark when we came to the inn that Kate had said was on the outskirts of the town where she was raised. I figured we had come thirty-four or thirty-five miles for the day. We got ourselves a room for the night in the inn and went back down for dinner. Kate didn't know the innkeeper or the serving girl. "Katie, my love, you've been quiet all day. Is something bothering you?" I asked as we were waiting for the serving girl to bring our meal. "Sure and I guess it's just being close to where I grew up. We should probably see the sheriff in the morning and ask if pa has ever shown up." "I can understand you still being worried about your pa." "It's not just that. I guess I'm a wee bit mad about Silas Waterton running us off of our farm. If pa said he didn't owe Waterton any money, then he didn't owe him any money. Pat would have rather taken a beating than to have lied." The serving girl brought out our dinner and I had something I had never eaten before. It was pork chops cooked in sauerkraut with dumplings. Kate assured me this was a Pennsylvania Dutch meal. It was delicious. We lingered over dinner and I decided I'd like a pint of ale before bed. "How much farther is it to Boston?" Cassie asked. "Well, I figured it'd take around three weeks, so I'd say we're about a third of our way there," I told her. "The long part of the trip will be from Boston to St Joseph. That's over twelve hundred miles, so it'll take at least forty days." Cassie groaned and said, "Katie, we volunteered for this." Kate grinned for almost the first time today. "It's fun, sister. I don't mind the trip at all. It's sure a lot better than sitting and watching our sister/wife feed her baby." "I don't know about that," I grinned. "I kind of like watching Sam feed Becky." Katie started to make a retort, then I saw her stiffen. "What's wrong, honey?" I asked. "The man that just walked in is Silas Waterton," Kate said through clenched teeth. ------- We watched him in silence as Waterton took a seat closer to the fire than we were. He spoke to a couple of the men at a nearby table and looked around the room. I could see the recognition in his eye as his glance fell on Kate. "Katie, my love, I think the bastard is going to come over and speak to you," I said. "Try not to lose your temper, hon. I'll take care of things if that's required." Kate gave me a wan smile and nodded. Sure enough, we watched as the bastard got to his feet and came over to our table. "You're the Mulligan girl aren't you?" he asked as he stood beside Kate. "I was," Kate said, defiantly. "Now, I'm Mrs. Ed Hill." Waterton was a small man, with weasel eyes. I think he may have suffered from the "small man's syndrom" and thought he had to make himself look big by his actions. He looked at me and asked, "Are you Mr. Hill?" "That's right," I said. "Well, Mr. Hill, I hate to tell you this, but your wife owes me some money." "I'll be damned if I do," Kate said angrily. "Why do you say she owes you money?" I asked. "Her father owed me a lot of money. I sold the farm they had when his wife died and it left a balance of over five hundred dollars. That is still owed to me." "How did Mr. Mulligan come to owe you so much money?" I asked. "We bought a load of cargo we were having shipped around the horn to California. I put up the money and Mulligan was supposed to pay me back when the cargo was sold. The ship went down at sea, so the cargo was a loss. Mulligan refused to pay me his share." "That's a damned lie," Kate said. "My father was a farmer all of his life. That's all he ever did. There's no way he'd ever risk money on a venture like that." "Do you have any signed agreement on the deal?" I asked. "It was a gentleman's agreement," Waterton said. "A man's handshake should be as good as a signed paper." "Yes, it should be," I agreed. "Even if her father owed you the money, Kate doesn't. A child is not responsible for her father's debts." "By English law they are," Waterton retorted. "Maybe so," I said, "but we fought a war about seventy years ago to get our country out from under English rule. I'm afraid you have gotten everything from the Mulligan family that you are going to get." "We'll see about that," Waterton said. "Since you are married to the woman, you are now responsible in my opinion. I think the sheriff may agree with me." Waterton turned on his heel and walked away. "What are we going to do?" Kate asked, totally distraught. "Not a thing, Katie. Don't worry, love. Everything is going to be okay." "But, Ed, the sheriff is his brother. He can have us arrested." "I doubt that seriously," I said. "Let's not worry about it, love. We're not going to be here long anyway. We'll visit your mother's grave in the morning, then we'll be on our way." "If anyone gives us any trouble, we'll take care of it," Cassie said. Sam: Preparing for the trip to St Joseph Today was to be another day of packing and getting ready for the trip. Andy and Rawhide came around right after breakfast and said they needed some money to buy some tools we'd need in Oregon. I gave it to them and they headed for town. Stu and his crew were still rounding up cattle. He told me this morning that they'd found 596 cattle and 43 horses so far. "I think we'll find another twenty or thirty cattle," he said. "There's probably not many more horses running loose." "How much longer do you think it'll take to have them all ready to go?" I asked. "Probably not more than a day or two. I was wondering about whether we should take off when the cattle are ready to go. We could take the drovers and the chuck wagon and the rest of you could catch up when you decide to leave." "That sounds reasonable," I said. "Let me talk to Andy about it when he gets back from town. I imagine it'll be slower driving the cattle than it would be traveling in the wagons." "Yeah," Stu said. "I doubt we'll be able to make more than about fifteen to eighteen miles a day with the cattle. The wagons should make twenty." ------- Andy was all for getting the cattle moving as soon as possible and Rawhide agreed with him. Rawhide, Andy, Stu and I talked it over that afternoon and we ended up deciding that Stu would take the crew and the cattle and get on the road the day after tomorrow. The rest of us would follow at the end of two weeks. Angie was a little upset when she found that Stu was going to be gone, but she got over it quickly. She told me later that she was going to give Stu a sendoff he'd never forget. Friday, March 3, 1848 Ed: Day 8 of the Dayton to Boston trip We had an early breakfast and got an early start. I felt sorry for Kate because I knew she hadn't gotten much sleep. She woke me up several times during the night, tossing and turning. We headed for the cemetery. We didn't have any flowers to put on the grave, but Kate spent some time cleaning up around it. I held her hand as she stood over the grave and said her goodbye. We had just left the cemetery and headed east when a rider overtook us. He came thundering up behind us, so we pulled over to the side to let him pass. When he got even with us, he yelled, "Hold it right there." We reined our horses in and I knew immediately it was the sheriff from the badge on his chest. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked. "Katie Mulligan, you are under arrest." "You must be Sheriff Waterton," I said calmly. "The lady you are talking to is no longer Kate Mulligan. She's Kate Hill now. What can we do for you, sheriff?" "Like I said, this woman is under arrest." "On what charge?" I asked. "The charge is running out on a debt. Come along with me, Kate." "I'm afraid not, sheriff," I said calmly. "Your brother told me last night that Kate's father owed him money. That's all well and good, but Kate doesn't owe him anything." "She owes him because she's her father's daughter." "Sheriff, I think if you'll look up the law you'll find that a child is not responsible for her father's debts. If you want to collect the debt, collect it from her father." "Her father is dead, so the debt falls to his estate," the sheriff said. "We don't know if her father is dead or not," I said. "We're heading to Oregon to see if we can find out what happened to him." "I say he's dead and she owes the debt. If you don't want to end up in jail with her, you'll keep your nose out of this." "What makes you so sure he's dead?" I asked. "Did you or your brother have something to do with his death?" "That does it," the sheriff said. "All three of you are going to jail." He reached for his gun as he said this. "I wouldn't do that sheriff," Cassie said from behind him. He turned to look at her and he could see her Colt leveled at the center of his chest. "You're going to be in a lot of trouble for this, young lady," Sheriff Waterton said. "Put your gun down now." "No, sheriff. Ed, take his gun and throw it over in the brush." I winked at Cassie and did what she said. "Now, sheriff, why don't you just ride on back to town." "Tell your brother you made an attempt to arrest Kate, but we got away," I said. "You know what you're trying to pull won't hold up in court. We don't want any trouble, but if you come after us again, they'll take you back to town, belly down on your saddle." "I'll be back with more men," the sheriff said. "Better bring a bunch of them, sheriff and you'd better be able to defend your actions to a judge. My father has a friend who is on the Supreme Court. If he finds out you are trying to enforce English law on American citizens, you'll be in a world of trouble," I said. The sheriff wheeled his horse and rode back toward town. "Ladies, let's find a nice place to get off the road," I said as I nudged Hawk to take off. We were about a mile farther along the road when we found just what I was looking for. The road went through a stream that was about twenty feet wide. To the right, there were trees within about a hundred feet. To the left, it was almost half a mile to the tree line. "Let's turn left after we get in the water," I said. "Wouldn't it be better to turn right and get into the trees?" Kate asked. "We have plenty of time before Waterton could possibly get back," I said. "If he figures out we turned off, he's going to expect us to go right to get under cover. They'll waste a lot of time looking for us if we go the other direction." There were some trees along the creek bank, so we didn't feel quite as exposed as we could have. It only took us about fifteen minutes to get to the line of trees. We passed a hill and turned into another stream that fed into the one we were in from the right. We went up that stream for a couple of hundred yards and moved out through the woods. We never saw any more of the sheriff, so we have no idea if he tried to follow us or not. I really doubt that he did. We made sure to take a circuitous route though so he would have trouble following us if he tried. By the end of the day,. We had ridden around twenty five miles, but weren't more than ten miles closer to our destination than we had been this morning. We camped in the woods again. I had expected Cassie to attack me and she didn't let me down. She rode me to four climaxes before I unloaded in her. What I didn't expect was for Katie to attack me as well. I don't know how she managed to get me ready as quickly as she did, but I didn't complain when she assumed the position Cassie had used a few minutes before. Sam: Preparing for the trip to St Joseph I thought things had been crazy before, but this morning made me realize that up until now, everything had been as calm as a church. At least I got Becky fed and managed to eat some breakfast myself before everything went nuts. Since they were going to be starting the herd out tomorrow, they needed to get everything they'd need for at least two weeks ready to take with them. At first, they said they were just going to take the chuck wagon. Later they decided that they should take one other wagon, so they'd have room for their food, extra saddles, and other equipment. That meant they'd need another driver. That also gave Mina an excuse to go with them, so she could cook for everyone until we caught up to them. So, they spent the day packing and unpacking and shuffling everything around so they'd have room for the things they were going to need. Of course they couldn't make those decisions on their own and kept bugging me about them. Luckily, Maddy, Mina and Rawhide were a big help. Saturday, March 4, 1848 Ed: Day 9 of the Dayton to Boston trip We got up this morning and all of us pitched in fixing breakfast. It has always amazed me how quickly some people get used to working together. Of course I have worked with people where I never could get used to working with them. Nine days ago we left Dayton, Ohio. Tonight we would be staying in an inn in Dayton, Pennsylvania. We figured we were around thirty-five miles form Kate's former home. I had wondered a little if Sheriff Waterton had sent word ahead that we were wanted by the law, but no one gave any indication that was the case. We had a nice dinner and turned in early. Sam: Preparing for the trip to St Joseph We were all up early this morning. Real early. Becky was still asleep as I sipped my first cup of coffee. The big kitchen in the old ranch house was filled to capacity with Andy, Stu, Rawhide, Jud, and their wives. Delia and I helped Maddy serve everyone breakfast as we drank our coffee. We figured we could eat later. Stu and Jud were going with the trail drivers. Since Mina was going along to act as cook, Angie decided there was no reason she shouldn't go along as well. She is good with cattle, so I had to agree with her. The rest of us watched as the riders took off to get the herd moving. A short time later, we kissed Mina goodbye just before the two wagons moved out. I don't know about anyone else, but I was wishing it was all of us going. Andy came around a little later and told us that he and Rawhide were going to go out and make one final check for strays. I'll have to admit I was still a little worried about the Cliftons, but Andy assured me we were getting on the trail long before they would expect us to. "Andy, what day are you planning on leaving?" I asked. "You're the boss, Sam. Ed said we should wait at least two weeks. That'd be next Thursday." "We may change that a little," I said. "Maddy and Mina made me this thing that'll let me carry Becky like the Indians carry their babies. I've tried it in the house and it seems to work well." "I think Ed is more worried about how you feel. You don't know how hard it's going to be, riding in the wagon." "Well, before you take off looking for strays, hitch up the new wagon for us. I think it's time the women in this family make a trip to town. I've been wanting to pick up some material and some sewing supplies before we take off anyway. This'll give me a chance to see how well the wagon rides." Andy looked skeptical, but he agreed. "I think I'll let Rawhide and a couple of the men look for strays," he said. "I'll drive the wagon into town for you all." I had to go along with him. While they were hitching up the wagon, I talked with the women. Maddy said she wasn't that interested in going into Dayton, so she volunteered to stay with the kids. Of course M&M threw a fit. They wanted to go with us. Maddy calmed them down quickly though. ------- We took off, with Andy driving the wagon. Delia and Dalia sat on the front seat and Sarah Beth, Becky and I sat in the back. The carrier Maddy and Mina had made for Becky held her on my chest. She was facing me with the top of her head below my chin. My hands were free to do anything I needed to do. It was really quite comfortable for both of us. They had also made me a heavy poncho that would cover me and Becky as well. The morning was a little nippy, so this was a good test for everything. Becky is really a good baby. She's too young to be looking around or moving around much, but she's not fussy and she smiles a lot. As long as I keep her diaper fresh and give her a tit when she wants it, she's happy. She seems to enjoy the carrier though because of the close, physical contact. The trip to town went just fine. With the wagon sprung the way it was, there was very little bouncing around for the passengers. For the first few days after Becky had been born, my lower abdomen had been sore. That was pretty much behind me now. I had worried a little that riding in the wagon would aggravate that, but the trip into Dayton sure didn't get it started again. We found several types of material in different colors and patterns and we stocked up on everything we liked. We also laid in a prodigious supply of needles and thread. At Andy's suggestion, we got large needles and coarse thread as well. The ride home was as comfortable and pleasant as the ride in had been. I'll admit, I was a little tired when we got home, but I felt like I was ready for the trip. When Andy came back to the house after unhitching the wagon, I told him we'd be leaving the day after tomorrow. He didn't argue too much. Sunday, March 5, 1848 Ed: Day 10 of the Dayton to Boston trip The inn we stayed at last night wasn't much on breakfasts. We had leftovers from last night, but it was warm and filling, so we didn't complain. We got on the road early and had a fairly uneventful day. The only thing of interest happened at the end of the day. We had come well over thirty miles and we were looking for a place to spend the night. We hadn't passed an ordinary for quite some time and we were beginning to think we would be spending the night in the woods. As we were looking around for a place to camp. We came upon a cabin in the woods. A man was outside, chopping wood, so we stopped to ask him if there was a tavern or an inn close. "Well, no sir," he said. "There's not an ordinary within ten miles. Have you folks been traveling long?" "A spell," I said. "We're on our way from Dayton, Ohio to Boston." "Well, you're welcome to spend the night with us if you'd like. I'm sure my wife can come up with enough to feed you." "That's mighty nice of you," I said. "Cassie, Kate, would you guys like to spend the night with these folks?" "I don't care where we spend the night," Cassie said with a big sigh. "I'm so tired I could sleep on a rock." The man laughed. "I'm Paul Charbeneau," he said. "I guess I should tell you up front that my wife is an Indian. It puts some people off." Cassie, Kate and I all laughed. "I guess I should tell you that both of these young ladies are my wives," I said and introduced ourselves. "That puts some folks off." Paul laughed as loudly as we had. "It doesn't bother me none," he said. "Get down and come on inside." We went inside and Paul introduced us to his wife. Emma Charbeneau was a beautiful woman. Tall and straight limbed with shiny black hair that had been put up in braids. Their daughter, Christina was a carbon copy of her mother. We found out later that Emma was a Shawnee. Paul was from France. Christina had had an older brother, but they had lost him to cholera. I had always heard of the reticence of the Indian, but that didn't apply to Emma or to Christina. I won't say Emma was as outgoing as Cassie or Kate, but she definitely held up her end of a conversation. Christina, on the other hand, was a little shy to begin with. By the time supper was over, she was chatting away with Kate and Cassie. It turns out she was Cassie's age and even though Cassie was a lot more experienced than Christina in many ways and was from a different time, they had a lot in common. "What are you going to be doing in Boston?" Christina asked as she was clearing the table. "We're just going to be there long enough to pick something up, then we're going to meet the rest of our family in St Joseph, Missouri," I said. "From there, we're heading to Oregon to start a ranch." "Emma and I have been talking about heading west ourselves," Paul said. "Things are starting to become pretty settled around here and it's making things a little hard on all of us." "How's that?" I asked. "We've never made it a secret that Emma is Shawnee. There are several people in the area who think that there's something wrong with that. I've heard several of them talking about the 'dirty Indians' and about the squaw man. I even overheard one man at the general store saying they should burn us out and kill us off. We're starting to get a little worried." "Well, I think Oregon is the way to go. We actually have two other wives too. One of them just had a baby and couldn't come with us. The other one is a Negro. All of us love her with all of our hearts, but we knew she couldn't travel with us because of other people's prejudice. We're hoping things will be different in Oregon." "Are you going to be coming back through this way when you come back from Boston?" Christina asked. "No, honey, we'll probably be coming through about a hundred miles north of here. We plan to leave Boston and head so we just skirt the south end of the big lake. That'll put us on almost a straight line to St Joseph." "I heard you asking pa about an ordinary. Do you stay in them a lot?" "Yes. We're in a hurry to meet up with our family, so we can get through the mountains before winter. We can get several extra miles a day in if we stay in ordinaries." "Well, I for one wish we were going with you. I'm tired of being called a dirty half-breed. I'm tired of hearing them call my mother a filthy squaw. I'm tired of hearing them call my grandfather a savage," Christina said. "Are you close to your grandfather?" Cassie asked. "Yes. I could never live with them, but he and I are close. He's taught me a lot about tracking and hunting and the like. If I lived with the Indians, I'd be expected to marry whatever brave offered the most horses for me. I'd probably end up cutting his throat while he slept." Cassie giggled and Katie looked at me and winked. "I've thought about cutting this one's throat," she said with a grin. "Our other wives would just cut mine then, so I don't do it." All in all, we had a really nice evening. These were the kind of people who made our country great. ------- Chapter 33 Sam: Preparing for the trip to St Joseph Okay. Tomorrow we leave for St Joseph. I thought it had been frantic the other day when the men left with the cattle. It wasn't half as bad as it was today. There were still nine family members at the ranch and I think they must have asked nine questions each before noon. To top it off, Becky picked this morning to be cranky. She spent a lot of time crying and I kept trying to get her to stop. Finally, Delia put Becky in her carrier on her chest. She calmed down quickly and I gave Delia a big smile of thanks. By mid afternoon, everything had started to calm down. Andy said we were as ready as we'd ever be. I decided to help Maddy make dinner for the family and crew. I had really come to like this woman over the months we'd been here. "Maddy, does it bother you at all, leaving here?" I asked at one point when we were alone in the kitchen. "Lands sake, no, child. I may be getting a little old, but I finally have what I wanted all of my life." I had to grin. I knew she was talking about Rawhide. "I'm happy for you, Maddy," I said. "I think we're all going to enjoy the Oregon country." Maddy just smiled. Monday, March 6, 1848 Ed: Day 11 of the Dayton to Boston trip We got a bit of a late start this morning because of the Charbeneaus. First off, Mrs. Charbeneau had to fix us a big breakfast, then Christina tried to talk our legs off. We didn't mind the late start, because we really enjoyed their company. Even with the late start, I figure we made around twenty eight miles for the day. We had really shaken out now and were traveling like we had been doing so for years. I figured we were nearing the half way point on our trip to Boston, but since we were basically delayed a day by the sheriff, we probably weren't. The mules had it easy on this leg of the trip. Divided among the four of them, they had very little to carry. I know Hawk could have carried me all day himself, but I tried to only ride him half of the time. He didn't particularly like that, but he put up with it. By now, Cassie and I had put in a lot of miles together. Some of them were on foot, but most were on horseback. Whatever the mode of travel, she was a pleasure to be with. Kate was turning out to be just as good a traveling companion as Cassie was. In warmer weather we would have made a formidable sight. All three of us were dressed in buckskins. All three of us were wearing Colt revolvers belted around out waists. In these colder temperatures, we were all wearing sheepskin coats, which kept our revolvers and our hunting knives covered. In addition to the revolvers we had to have shot pouches for carrying the balls they shot and powder flasks for the gunpowder. Most people put a dab of grease over the end of each cylinder after they were loaded to prevent two rounds from firing at once. Cassie and Kate dressed more like men than the women of the time. Their buckskin pants had a smooth front, unlike mine, which had a fly front, rather than a drop front. All of us wore buckskin shirts that fell well below the waist and were worn outside our pants. Our sheepskin greatcoats had been made for us by Mina and they hung to our knees when we were standing. We all wore round hats made of leather that had been waterproofed. This helped a lot when it was raining. We wore heavy moccasins on our feet that came up and tied with strings around our ankles. During the cold weather, we wore two or even three pairs of heavy wool socks under the moccasins. We all had heavy canvas ponchos for wet weather and we also used them in windy conditions during cold weather. Since we were starting the second week in March, we expected the weather to start warming up very soon. It would be a relief to all of us to pack away our heavy coats. It would also be nice when we could start bathing in streams again. Taking a bath in an ordinary was a real pain in the ass. Usually, we would wash what we could in cold water. The water was in a large pitcher in most rooms. There was also a large bowl the water could be poured into. When we did manage to take a full bath, we had to get the tub from the proprietor and fill it with water by carrying it in buckets to our room. The tub was never designed for relaxing. It was usually short enough that you sat with your knees up under your chin. If you were lucky, you could talk the proprietor out of a few buckets of hot water from the reservoir around his cookstove. You tempered that with cold water carried from the well. All three of us would use the same water for our baths. The weather was nicer today, with temperatures up in the fifties. It made for good traveling. Unfortunately, we ended up in the middle of nowhere and ended up camping for the night. Ah, well. At least I got to snuggle between two beautiful women. Sam: Day 1 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip The sky was just starting to turn grey in the east when we said goodbye to Rawhide's house forever. All of us had been up for hours and we had everything ready to go. The oxen were hitched, the mules were hitched to to the passenger wagon, which everyone had started calling the coach. Andy and some of the men filled all of the water barrels from the well. Each wagon, except the coach, had at least one and most had two water barrels mounted on the sides. Rawhide had built cages for chickens on the sides of three of the wagons. We only had a few chickens to take with us, but we figured we could buy more in St Joseph. Another thing we didn't have now, but were hoping to add in St Joseph were hogs. They were going to be a pain in the ass to herd, but they cost almost three times as much in Oregon as they did in Missouri. When the first wagon started to roll, my heart fluttered. I'm not sure it was so much that we were leaving on our trip west as it was that we were rolling toward our reunion with Ed. Oh, well, either way it was exciting. We had the one wagon through much of our trip last year, so wagons weren't entirely new to us. We now had nine wagons with us, including the coach. Andy started out driving the coach, but Maddy finally told him to get out. She said she had been driving mules all her life and she was quite capable of continuing to do so. Andy looked a little lost, but I told him I thought he should be leading our miniature wagon train and that he'd do far better for us as an outrider. To set the stage, so to speak, our wagon drivers were Maddy, Clint and Brad White, Jon and Shack Vencille, Rawhide, Davy Beale, Jesse Cooper, Tuck Holt, and Roy Silvers. The family members were Delia, Dalia, Becky, and I in the coach. Sarah Beth, Mindy, Mandy, Andy, and Tommy were on horseback. As the trip progressed, Mindy, Mandy, or Sarah Beth would occasionally ride in the coach for a while. It really didn't seem like a lot of people, but when you started adding them up, there were eighteen of us. That was eighteen people to feed. We made it clear up front that everyone was responsible for their own clothing, so we didn't have to worry about that. It took us about an hour to get shaken out so we were traveling without running over each other, but once we were moving as we should, we made fairly good time. Andy said he thought we made around nineteen or twenty miles for the day, before we camped on a nice little stream. I was very comfortable riding in the coach. I think Becky liked it better than being in a house. The gentle rocking of the coach seemed to be soothing to her. Tuesday, March 7, 1848 Ed: Day 12 of the Dayton to Boston trip The country we were traveling through was hilly, but not mountainous. We followed a nice valley between the hills all day. The hills surrounding us and the trees kept any wind we felt to a gentle breeze and it was really quite comfortable. We saw something toward the end of the day that I had read about, but had never paid much attention to. We saw a canal with a canal boat being towed along by mules on a tow path. It was a page right out of history and we were all fascinated by it. "Couldn't we just load on a canal boat and ride it to Boston?" Cassie asked. "I'm not sure you could get there from here," I said with a grin. "By this time, the canals were fairly extensive. If I remember right, the Erie canal ran all the way from Lake Erie to the Hudson River. Somewhere around 350 miles, I think. The trip took nine or ten days. Not much faster than we are traveling by horse. The problem is, the canals here in Pennsylvania run every which way. It'd probably take a lot more time to go by boat than it would to go by horse." "Well," Cassie sighed, "It was just a thought. I certainly don't want to delay us. I'm missing Sam and Delia pretty bad." "We all are, hon. I'd say we have nine or ten more days to Boston, then at least we'll be heading toward them instead of away." We did find an ordinary where we could spend the night. We were treated to a very nice Dutch meal with some fantastic sausages. The serving girl told us that most of the area was populated by German or Dutch emigrants. Sam: Day 2 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip I guess we had all been spoiled a little, living in Rawhide's house for the last several months. I don't think there was one of us who didn't wake up with creaky bones. Delia, Dalia, Sarah Beth, and Maddy made a good breakfast for all of us while the men hitched the oxen and mules. I spent my time feeding and changing Becky. Maddy had said I should buy a dozen diapers for Becky before she was born. I had been thinking about the trip, so I bought two dozen. I was really glad I had. That girl can pee more than any baby I've ever seen. Every night we'd wash out the day's diapers and hang them around the outside the covered wagon Delia and I were sleeping in to dry. I didn't know what we'd do if it was raining. I guess we could hang them inside the wagon or under it. With two dozen diapers, we had enough for at least two or three days. It didn't take nearly as long to get shaken out for the trail today as it had yesterday. Andy wanted the wagons to travel in a single line and each day he'd move another wagon up to the front and put the front wagon at the back of the line again. He said it didn't matter much now, but when we got into dryer country, the front wagons wouldn't be eating nearly as much dust. We crossed several creeks during the day and I could see the advantage of the oxen. They didn't seem like dragging the wagons up out of the creek beds was any problem at all. They might be slow and plodding, but they sure were strong. We were in hilly country with very few roads. The roads we saw weren't going in the direction we wanted to go, so we were traveling cross country. There were still quite a few towns around, but we had resigned ourselves to the fact that we were traveling pretty much on our own. When we stopped for lunch, I talked with Andy for a bit. "Do you think we're following the same route as the cattle?" I asked him. Andy took a sip of coffee and said, "Yep. It's easy to see the trail they left. I don't think we could miss them." "It might be easy for you to see their trail, but I have been looking and I haven't seen a thing." "That's because you haven't been looking for the right things," Andy said with a big grin. "What should I be looking for?" "Well, you can see the hoof prints of the cattle where we cross creeks. For another, you can see the tracks left by the wagon wheels any time we cross soft ground. If you get down and look at the grass, you can see where the cattle have cropped it when they stop for a few minutes. You also look for broken tree limbs where the wagons or the cattle have brushed against them. There are a lot of different things that show where horses, cattle or wagons have been." "Did you learn all that from your fur trapping?" I asked. "I think I just grew up knowing it," Andy smiled. "Boys learn that kind of thing. I don't know if you've noticed it or not, but Tommy spends a lot of time with me. He never got the chance to learn that kind of thing before, but now he's soaking it up." ------- Mandy rode in the coach for a while right after lunch, so I asked her about Mindy and Tommy. "I don't think Mindy likes Tommy any more," she said with a big grin. "Why's that?" "She called him some bad names. She said all he wants to talk about is Andy and about hunting and trapping and the like." "Well, he is a boy. Boys think about those kinds of things." "Yeah, but all Mindy wants him to think about is her." I had to grin at that. I figured for the next few years Tommy would be doing a lot more thinking about hunting and trapping than he would about girls. Wednesday, March 8, 1848 Ed: Day 13 of the Dayton to Boston trip We took off today with fine weather. The sun was shining and the temperature was up in the low fifties. I figured that by noon, we'd be able to shed our coats. The people around here call the hills we are traveling through, mountains. I can only think of them as large hills. The country is beautiful though. We caught up with a wagon about mid morning and exchanged greetings with the young man driving it. We slowed our pace and rode beside him for a short while. He was taking a load of corn to the local mill to have it ground into cornmeal. He wished us a good journey as we moved on ahead. We stopped at an ordinary for lunch. They had a fine mutton stew. The proprietor said there was a nice inn in Loyalsockville, which was about fifteen miles ahead. That sounded like a good day of travel to me, so we decided we'd shoot for staying at Loyalsockville for the night. ------- It seemed like we were meeting and passing more people today than we had since we'd left Dayton. I commented on that to Cassie and Kate. "There are a couple of reasons for that," Cassie said. "First off, the farther east we go the more dense the population. Secondly, more people are going to be out and about with the warmer weather." "I always did think easterners were dense," I quipped. Cassie stuck her tongue out at me. Sam: Day 3 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip We got ready and took off this morning like we had been doing it for months. I think we have a pretty good crew. We hadn't been traveling for more than an hour when we saw we were passing a town off to our right. Andy left the rest of us moving ahead and rode over to see where we were. When he came back, he came over to the coach to let us know. "That's Richmond, Indiana," he said. "According to the man I was talking to, we're about two or three days from Indianapolis. He said the cattle went through here the day before yesterday. It looks to me like they're making better time than I thought they would." "That's all well and good, but we want them in good shape when we get there. We're going to be in St Jo long before Ed anyway, so we should slow them down when we catch up to them." Andy agreed. Thursday, March 9, 1848 Ed: Day 14 of the Dayton to Boston trip We had spent the night at an ordinary near Loyalsockville. The Serving girl told us we should go almost due east from here, following the valley. She said that there was a pretty good sized mountain to the northeast of us. The valley we were in was still pleasant and was easy traveling. We figured the detour was going to add a few miles to the trip, so we decided to press on a little farther than we normally would have. We did make more miles, but we ended the day far from any establishment where we could spend the night, so we ended up camping. Sam: Day 4 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip We still didn't catch up with the cattle today, although we made over twenty miles. Andy says we'll catch up to them by tomorrow night. We'll see. The area we were traveling through had been wooded and hilly, but there were naturally open areas you could travel through. Now it was just wooded. Riding in the coach wasn't bad, but I'd have much preferred being on a horse. In the coach I could only go where the driver took me. On a horse, I could have explored. Delia was a big help with Becky. I think she loves that little girl as much as I do. As long as we keep her fed and keep her diaper changed, she's happy. She does like to be cuddled and she loves her carrier because it's like a perpetual cuddle. We had an early stop for lunch so they could tighten up one of the wheels on one of the wagons. Rawhide told me that it happens with any new wagon and that they would tighten all of the wheels that evening. Friday, March 10, 1848 Ed: Day 15 of the Dayton to Boston trip We fixed a meager breakfast and got on the road early. We met a man not long after we had taken off and he said we were leaving the Endless Mountains and entering the Pocono Mountains. We were still sticking mostly to the valleys. This made our trip a little longer, but it was much easier traveling than it would have been if we were constantly climbing then descending the high hills or mountains. By the time we were ready to stop for the day, we had come to a village called Slocum Hollow. The serving girl at the ordinary where we stayed said the name was changing to Scranton. I figured we'd have another week or a little more before we reached Boston. We talked for a while with a nice young man as we were eating supper. Jim Weston was from the area and he told us a little about the place. "Scranton is really booming," he said proudly. "There's a lot of coal mining in the area, but Scranton is going to be famous for it's iron." "Is there that much of a demand for iron?" I asked. "Yes, sir. We're supplying rails for the Erie Railroad. This whole area is going to be rich because of it." "Where is the Erie Railroad?" I asked. "It runs from Piermont, New York on the Hudson River to Port Jervis, New York right now. That's about seventy miles. They're going to run it all the way to Lake Erie before it's finished." "That would be around New York City?" I asked. "Yep. New York City to Lake Erie. They tell me the trains will be running at twenty miles in an hour by the time it's finished." "Well, that's a lot faster than the three or four miles in an hour we can make on horseback." "Yes, sir. I expect horses will be obsolete in a few years. Railroads are where it's at." "I've heard the same thing said about the canals and canal boats," I said. "That's not going to happen. Canal boats are okay for hauling freight, but they're not much good for passengers. You can get on a train with your horses and mules and ride it to where you're going. You can't do that on a canal boat because of the low bridges you have to pass under." "They're low enough a horse couldn't stand up under them?" "They're low enough people practically have to lay down to get under them. A woman was killed a while back on the Erie Canal. She was sitting on a box and had her head resting on another, higher box. She had gone to sleep and didn't hear them call out 'low bridge'. It took her head plumb off." Sam: Day 5 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Well, I was beginning to think we weren't going to do it today, but we finally caught up with the cattle. We were just outside of Indianapolis when we saw their camp just ahead of us. We had a nice reunion with the rest of our family. Andy came around to talk right after dinner. "Sam, I had a talk with Stu. We're going to be going a lot slower tomorrow." "Good. Why was he pushing so hard?" "He was mistaken about how long it was going to take Ed to get to St Joseph. He figured Ed was going to be there before we were." "I don't hardly think so," I said. "Ed and I kind of figured it out before he left. He's going to be two or three weeks getting there after we do. During the time we're there and he's not, he wants us to buy cattle, hogs, horses, and chickens. We'll pay for things when he arrives, then we'll take off immediately." Saturday, March 18, 1848 Ed: Day 23 of the Dayton to Boston trip The rest of the trip to Boston was, to say the least, boring. We met a lot of people and ate in a lot of taverns. For the most part, the people in the nineteenth century are more polite than the people in the twenty-first century. I think this is probably because an insult in the nineteenth century can cause you to end up dead a lot more quickly. There are exceptions, of course. We rode into Boston a little after noon on Saturday. Of course the bank was closed for the weekend, so we went to the tavern we'd stayed at when we had come through there before. They had a room for us and we settled in and just relaxed for the rest of the day. We spent most of the time in bed, just cuddled up and dozing off and on. When we went down for supper, I was a little surprised that the proprietor remembered Cassie and me. He kept looking at Kate though and finally he said, "Now, this isn't the young lady that came through here with you before, is she?" "No. My wife, Sam, just had our first baby in Dayton, Ohio. We left her to come here to pick up something we needed to take with us to Oregon. This is our friend Kate." "Do you still have the two little girls you brought here?" "Oh, yes," I grinned. "They're taking care of Sam right now. They've come a long way in less than a year." "My wife and I see these little kids on the street and we wish we could do something for them. There are so many of them it's impossible to help all of them. We do what we can and if they come around and ask, we always try to feed them." This was an extremely refreshing attitude for the time. Most people were very callous when it came to the orphans. Sam: Day 13 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Okay, I know we've been on the move for less than two weeks, but I think everyone is getting tired. I know I am. I decided I was going to talk with Andy this morning about laying over for a day. We had slowed down considerably since we caught up with the cattle and that helped some, but moving every day was getting to us. I think that cooking for thirty people every day was starting to get to Mina and Maddy too. Cooking for thirty people in the twenty-first century would have been hard enough, but in this day and age it was a killer. Delia and Dalia pitched in to help, as did Sarah Beth and Angie. As we were eating breakfast, I said to Andy, "Andy, I think we need to take a day off to rest up. What do you think?" "That's probably a good idea, Sam. Are you feeling tired out?" "Yeah. I'm starting to drag. The area we're in today isn't a great place to stop for a layover. Let's look for a better place today and tomorrow. If we find a good spot, let's lay over for a day." "Sounds good to me." "Also, I think we need to hire some trail cooks. Mina and Maddy are working themselves to death and all of the other women are having to pitch in and help them instead of working on things around their own camps." "Do you think Mina and Maddy could handle cooking for the family if we hired someone to cook for the men?" "I'm sure they could. Why don't you talk to Rawhide and see what he'd recommend." "I'll do that." ------- Somehow, knowing we were going to take a day off soon made it seem a little easier today. I talked with Mina and Maddy later on and told them we were going to hire some cooks for the men. They seemed relieved. ------- Chapter 34 Sunday, March 19, 1848 Ed: Day 24 of the Dayton to Boston trip It seemed almost sinful to sleep late, then wander down for a leisurely breakfast. We didn't let that bother us, though. Kate had never been to Boston and she had never seen the ocean, so we decided to do a little exploring. We wandered around the city for a while. Since it was Sunday, all of the stores were closed, but there wasn't anything we wanted to buy anyway. I had always been fascinated by sailing ships, so I asked the ladies if they'd mind walking down to the harbor. I told Kate about the Boston Tea Party and she got a big laugh about brewing a harbor full of tea for King George. There were half a dozen ships in the harbor. There were a couple of whalers, something I recognized as a sloop and another that I believed to be a three masted schooner. Looking at the maze of ropes and spars, I realized you'd almost have to be born to the sea to understand them all. We were standing there looking at the ships and the men working on their decks when two scruffy looking men wandered by. They were dressed in white pants and blue and white shirts in horizontal stripes. When they came abreast of us, they stopped and one of them said to the other, "What have we here? Two pretty laaadiiees." "Two pretty ladies dressed like men," the other one said. "Good morning, ladies," the first one said. "Would you like to dump this guy and take a walk with a couple of sailing men?" Cassie had moved around behind me, but now she stepped to my side. She had her revolver in her hand. "I'd suggest you gentlemen move along," she said. "A lady with a gun," the first man said. "Now, that's not polite, ma'am. I'd hate to have to take your toy away from you." "Don't kill him unless you have to," I said. "I think I'll just shoot him in the knee," Cassie said calmly. "I don't think you'd do that, ma'am," the more aggressive of the two said. He took a step toward us and Cassie's revolver went off. I looked down at his leg and I could see that there was a hole in the sole of his boot that went in about a quarter of an inch. The other man grabbed the one who had stepped forward by the shoulder and said, "Let's get out of here, George." George was as white as a ghost as he turned and they made their way rapidly away from us. "That was some fine shooting, Cassie," I said. "Fine, hell. I was aiming about an inch in front of his boot," Cassie said. "I need to practice some more." All three of us cracked up. .oO~Oo. We didn't have any more problems while we were out exploring. Kate was fascinated by the big city and really enjoyed herself. To Cassie and me, we could see the primitive conditions. We had clam chowder for lunch at a different tavern and it was great. It made what we called clam chowder in the twenty-first century seem pathetic. We wandered around for much of the afternoon, then went back to our tavern and all of us had a good bath. The Green Dragon was jumping when we went down for supper. We ended up having to share a table with three men. They didn't say much to us when we sat down and we were more into each other. We talked about what all we had seen today until the serving girl brought our meal. As we were eating, I kept hearing remarks from one of the men about the dirty Micks and the filthy Irish. I was determined they weren't going to interrupt our meal, so we went on eating. I could see Kate starting to boil, but I told her to finish her meal and she did, reluctantly. Finally, as we were sipping our coffee, Kate asked, "Sure, and what do you have against the Irish?" The man looked at her and said, "They come over here and work for nearly nothing. They take our jobs and eat our food. My brother lost his job on the railroad when they brought in a bunch of Micks to lay track." "Well, my father never took a job from anyone. He was a farmer and he fed a lot of non-Irish as well as his family. I don't appreciate your comments." "I don't care if you like my comments or not," the man said. "I'll say what I want to say." "No, sir," I said. "You'll not offend my wife with your comments, or I'll pull your tongue out and feed it to you." He looked like he was going to make a fuss, but one of the other men told him they should get out of there. After they were gone, I said, "I wonder why they left without a fight." "Sure, and I think they may have seen Cassie and me pull our guns out," Kate grinned. "I'm glad the two of you love me," I said. Sam: Day 14 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Well, yesterday proved to be a bust when it came to finding a place to layover. We ended up camping in a narrow little valley that had enough grass for one night, but not much more. Today we came out of the hills. Andy said that one of the men told him we would go a hundred miles before we got into the hills again. By late afternoon, we found a good sized creek that had grassy fields all around. We decided this would be a great place to spend the next day. Monday, March 20, 1848 Ed: Day 1 of the Boston to St Joseph trip I was sitting outside the bank when it opened. I carried four pairs of saddlebags inside and asked to speak to Mortimer Goodman. Mr. Goodman remembered me and even greeted me by name. "So, I expect you've come for the balance of your account, Mr. Hill," he said. "Yes, sir. We got delayed a bit because my wife was having a baby. I hope you have the gold for me now." "We sure do, Mr. Hill. Do you have your certificate of deposit?" I handed it to him and he called in his chief teller. He gave the certificate to the teller and told him I'd like the balance in gold. We talked a bit about not having a central bank and he expressed his view that we'd be much better off when those idiots in Washington realized just how screwed up everything was and got things back to the way they'd been set up originally. The teller brought the gold into Goodman's office and I watched as he counted it out. They helped me divide it up among the four pairs of saddlebags and the teller carried two of them out for me while I carried the other two. I had two mules with me and I tied two of the bags onto each mule. Then, I thanked the teller and headed out to the general store where the women were supposed to meet me. I tied Hawk and the mules outside and went in. I stayed close to the door, where I could see the mules, and motioned for Cassie to come to me. "Do you need any money for what you're getting here?" I asked her. "No, we've got it covered." "I'm going to stay outside while you finish up then. Yell if you need any help carrying anything out." Cassie gave me a big smile and went back to shopping. I went outside and sat on a bench in front of the store. I had always been a people watcher and these people were even more interesting than the people in the time I was born in. There were cowboys and sailors and farmers and woodsmen and city folks. You could tell what most of them did from their clothes. I think Boston in that era was a true melting pot. I heard every kind of accent imaginable as well. Irish, English and German were predominant, but there were also Scandinavians and some Chinese, although the Chinese didn't say much. In the half hour or so I sat there, I saw all of these peoples. The farm women were dressed in homespun, with bonnets. The city women were dressed in their finery with ridiculous hats. Men were dressed in anything from tailored suits to buckskins. Kate and Cassie came out carrying bundles. They were followed by the proprietor who had a load that looked like it was making his knees weak. He sat everything down on the boardwalk and thanked the women for their purchases. We took a few minutes to load the mules and get everything secured, then we hit the road. It felt good to be going west and knowing we were going toward the rest of our family. Even though it was after ten o'clock when we started out, we probably made around thirty-five miles for the day. The two mules carrying the gold didn't seem to mind the load at all. It was only about thirty pounds each. Sam: Day 15 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Sweet relief. We slept late, at least as late as Becky would let me sleep, got up and had a leisurely breakfast, then just lazed around. We were just outside Decatur, Illinois, so right after breakfast, Andy said he was going into town to see if they could hire some cooks. Rawhide decided he was going to go with him. Andy and Rawhide were gone most of the day. Stu had a couple of riders circling the herd and making sure they didn't stray too far, but everyone else just relaxed. Stu rotated his men every two hours, so everyone got a chance to rest up. It was late afternoon when Andy and Rawhide came back with two young men. Both of them looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old. Andy introduced them as Walt and Ray Wagoner. "These are our new cooks?" I asked. "No, I don't think I'd trust their cooking," Andy grinned and both boys grinned as well. "Chaps Lawson and Ward Bender have said they wouldn't mind cooking though and these boys claim to be cowboys." "Our pa has a ranch, ma'am," Walt said. "We grew up working cattle." "Is your pa okay with you going to Oregon?" I asked them. "He fought it a mite," Walt said. "He finally gave in when we told him we were going anyway. Ray and me have been talking about going for a couple of years now." Andy took them off to introduce them to Stu while Rawhide went to tell Chaps and Ward what their new duties were. I hoped the men liked their new cooks. I was sure Mina and Maddy were going to like having fewer people to cook for. Tuesday, March 21, 1848 Ed: Day 2 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We stayed in an ordinary last night and we were up early this morning. We had finished breakfast and were on the road before it was completely light outside. The country we were traveling through was fairly mountainous, but we managed to keep to the valleys and we made good time. We stopped for the night at a tavern on the eastern shore of the Connecticut River. Carrying the gold in saddlebags wasn't that bad at all. Before we left on our trip last year, thirty pounds of gold would have just about brought me to my knees. Now, I carried it like it was five pounds of sugar. Neither of the women had any problem with their fifteen pound loads. We had Brunswick Stew for supper. I had never had it before and it was wonderful. We spent the entire meal trying to figure out everything that was in it, but I'm sure we missed a lot. The bed we shared was one of the best we'd been in since we came back to this time. There was a corn shuck mattress on a rope bed. On top of that was a feather bed. It was a little soft for my taste, but Cassie and Kate were thrilled. Sam: Day 16 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Back on the road again. Actually I felt very good this morning. I know I was smiling as Becky nursed at my breast. Delia sat and watched. "I think I'll be happy having a baby if nursing it is as good as you think it is," she said. "It is, Delia. It feels even better than it does when Ed is nursing on us. I think that's because the milk is coming out. I can't wait for Ed to nurse me while I'm producing milk." "Yeah, I miss him too," Delia grinned. "Do you think they've made it to Boston yet?" "They should be on their way back by now," I told her. "If they don't run into any trouble, Ed and I figured it'd take them around forty days from Boston to St Joseph." "So, we'll be seeing them in forty days or less. I can't wait." "Me either," I said. The coach even seemed to ride better today, after a day off. I'm sure we could have made over twenty miles today, but we held it down to around seventeen. Andy said he was going to eat with the men tonight to see how Chaps and Ward did with their cooking. Later on, Andy came around to see me. "Those two aren't bad cooks at all," he said. "I'm not sure how many things they know how to cook, but both have done it on trail drives before." "Good. Now, if the other women help out Mina and Maddy like they've been doing, things will be a lot easier for them." "I'll make sure they do," Andy said. Wednesday, March 22, 1848 Ed: Day 3 of the Boston to St Joseph trip When I started keeping this diary, I didn't realize just how boring it could get. Many days, nothing of importance happens. Especially, when you're riding across country trying to make as good a time as possible. Today was one of those days. We were still going through mountainous country, but we made around thirty-three or thirty-four miles. By the end of the day, I figured we were getting close to the western border of Massachusetts. Sam: Day 17 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Help! I thought going through the hills was bad. The country we're going through now is as flat as a table. If it wasn't for the trees I'd be bored out of my mind. The two new boys are real cutups. When you put them with the White boys, it's like watching a comedy act. They kept us all entertained after supper until it was time to go to bed. Thursday, March 23, 1848 Ed: Day 4 of the Boston to St Joseph trip Today wasn't quite as boring as yesterday. We came down out of the Berkshires and crossed the Hudson River valley. We ended up stopping at a tavern on the western shore of the Hudson River. The serving girl said we were just a few miles north of Germantown. We had been averaging ten to twelve hours of traveling per day since we had left Boston. I figured we'd have to cut back on that after a while, either that or take a day of rest now and then. I think I have callouses on my butt from being in the saddle so much. From my tactile explorations I know that neither Cassie nor Kate have them though. Sam: Day 18 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip The Wagoner boys said we'd be passing to the north of Springfield Illinois today. You couldn't have proved it by me. Occasionally, we'd see a farm or a ranch off in the distance, but for the most part, there wasn't much around. I've heard that when you get out to the prairie lands it's even more boring, but I can't even imagine that. I talked with Mina and Maddy this morning and they both insisted they could handle feeding the family without any help. I told them that we were all going to help them anyway. Mindy and Mandy are starting to become really fascinated by Becky. Both of them have started spending more and more time riding in the coach. I've started letting them hold her and they think that is fantastic. Of course I keep a close eye on them when they're holding her. Delia probably holds and changes Becky's diapers as much as I do. I don't know what I'd do without her. I asked her about it and she said I could help her when hers comes along. I'm really proud of Delia and Dalia. I think they can read and write as well as I can now. They have improved the way they talk until you couldn't tell they had ever been slaves. Their vocabulary grows every day. The biggest thing I'm proud of them for is their attitude. They no longer have a slave mentality at all. A year ago they'd have never thought of arguing with a white person. Today, if they disagree with you, they let you know without hesitation. Mina has reached almost the same point as Delia and Dalia. She's feisty and she teases almost as bad as Ed. Jud is still quiet, but I can see a big change in him as well. It makes me a little proud that we were able to do what we did for these people. Friday, March 24, 1848 Ed: Day 5 of the Boston to St Joseph trip It was becoming our habit to take everything but the saddlebags of gold out and load up our mules before we ate breakfast. We'd saddle the horses and tie them and the mules in front of the tavern, then we'd eat our breakfast and pay the tavern keeper. The last thing we'd do was load the saddlebags on the mules and take off. This morning, as we were eating breakfast, a young man asked if he could join us. "I'm Ted Brumby," he said as he sat down." "I'm Ed Hill and this is my wife, Kate and my sister Cassie," I told him. "Which way are you folks traveling?" he asked. "We're heading west to St Joseph, Missouri," I said. "Cassie's husband and the rest of our family will be there by the time we get there." "I'm heading to Oregon, myself," he said. "I plan to do some trapping out there next winter." "Actually, we're going on to Oregon from St Jo," I told him. "We're going to be starting a ranch out there." "Are you going to be joining a wagon train in St Jo then?" "Yeah, or starting our own. We have around nine or ten wagons in the group we're with. We also have around six hundred cattle and a bunch of horses." "It wouldn't take many more wagons than that to make a workable wagon train," he said. "I don't know the country out through there, so I'm hoping to hook up with a wagon train myself. I know a lot about working cattle, so if you need any more drovers, I'm available." I had to laugh. It seemed like we were destined to pick up strays. "I'm sure we could use you, Ted. It's a long way to St Jo and we need to get on our way. You're welcome to ride along with us if you'd like." "I think I'd like that," he grinned. We talked as he finished off his breakfast, then we all headed out. Ted proved to be an amiable companion and we enjoyed his conversation as we rode. We found out that he had been in Boston too. His mother and father had died, but he had an uncle in Boston he had gone to visit before heading west. He was nineteen years old and had grown up on a ranch. "Ma and Pa died of the smallpox," he told us. "I have an older sister and two older brothers, but they all moved away years ago. I don't even know where my brothers are." We were getting into the Catskill Mountains now and traveling was a little slower. I offered to pay Ted's way at the ordinary we stopped at that evening, but he refused. He stayed in the stable and paid for his own meals. Sam: Day 19 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Well, we had a lot of boring country again today. I can't imaging living in a country where the land is so flat you could use it for a pool table. Becky keeps me entertained though. She's over a month old and is developing a personality. She can't hold her head up yet, but she smiles and coos when she sees me or Delia either one. You can tell she knows us. She seems to like M&M too. They play with her and talk to her. She seems to enjoy having them around, so I encourage them. Andy told me we'd made around eighteen miles for the day. Saturday, March 25, 1848 Ed: Day 6 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We spent all day traveling through a valley between some of the biggest mountains we'd seen since leaving Virginia. We were following a road though, so we made good time. Unfortunately, when we had gone about as far as we thought we could for the day, we weren't close to any type of public house. We camped along a little stream and Kate and Cassie fixed a nice meal for us. Ted had his own tent, so that wasn't a problem. The air was a little nippy, but it was nice snuggling up between my two beautiful women. Sam: Day 20 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Another seventeen miles of boring country today. The Wagoner boys say we'll cross the Illinois River tomorrow. Even though river crossings can be dangerous, I'm looking forward to it as a relief from boredom. I talked Delia into riding in the coach with Becky for a while so I could get on a horse again. My ride only lasted about an hour before Becky started fussing and I had to get back in the coach. It was a nice break though and then Delia decided she was going to ride for a while. We decided we'd keep one horse saddled so we could take turns riding from now on. Sunday, March 26, 1848 Ed: Day 7 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We traveled down hill through a series of valleys today. By mid afternoon, we had reached a wide valley that ran northwest and we followed it until we came to an ordinary in the early evening. "We're basically through the Catskills," Ted said as we were eating supper. "We'll skirt some hills, but for the next few days, we'll be mostly on level ground." "I'm all for that," I said. "It seems like we've been in the mountains forever." "Amen to that," Cassie said. "I could use some level ground myself." "Sure and if ye was on level ground all the time, ye'd be a saying how boring it was," Kate added. Cassie giggled and said, "You're probably right, sis. I wonder how Sam and the rest of the family are doing." "Now, they're going through some flat land," I said. "They're probably as bored as hell." "I don't think Becky will give them a chance to be bored," Kate said. Sam: Day 21 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip The Wagoner boys were right about the Illinois river. We stopped in the eastern bank for lunch, then went right across. It was shallow and we had no problem at all crossing. Delia and I took turns riding the coach and riding a horse today. It made for a lot more interesting traveling. When Becky's a little older, I'll try putting her in her carrier and taking her on a horse with me. I'll bet she likes the motion. We had a little excitement today when a couple of farm boys came riding up to the wagons, whooping like a band of wild Indians. They begged to go with us, but they looked like they were only twelve or thirteen years old, so Andy refused. A few minutes later, their father came up as well. "I'm Jed Salyers," he told us. "I just wanted to thank you folks for keeping your cattle out of my plowed fields." "You're sure welcome, sir," Andy told him. "We believe in treating people the way we want to be treated." Andy and I talked with him a few minutes. He told us we should be coming to the Mississippi River in a couple of days and he told us where the best place was to ford it. He definitely helped us as much with his information as we did him by staying out of his fields. ------- Chapter 35 Monday, March 27, 1848 Ed: Day 8 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We made over thirty miles today through relatively level country. We could see hills on either side of us, off in the distance, but none of them intruded on our route. We managed to ride close enough today to keep up a conversation. Ted is an interesting guy. He lived on a ranch all of his life, until his parents died a couple of years ago. Since then he has worked on building a railroad and he trapped one winter in Vermont. "How do you feel about free Negroes?" I asked him. "Well, I haven't thought about them much at all. I don't believe in slavery, so I guess I believe in them being free. I just haven't ever been around any of them." "Well, you're going to have to get used to it if you come with us," Cassie said. "Ed lied to you about me being his sister. Kate and I are both his wives. We have two more wives in Missouri and one of them is a Negro." Ted looked dumbfounded for a minute, then he said, "Well, I guess I can get used to that. Like I said, I've just never been around them. As long as there aren't any Indians, I'll be okay." "What do you have against Indians?" Kate asked. "My pa always said that the only good Indian was a dead Indian. I think he was right." "Why do you think that?" Cassie asked. "Indians kill white people. Besides that they lie and cheat and steal. Most of them are a bunch of drunks. I just don't like them." "I grew up next door to a family where the mother was an Indian and the father was a white man," Katie said. "They were probably the most honest family in the area." "Their honesty came from their father then," Ted said. "Everyone knows that an Indian will steal anything they can get their hands on." "Well, Ted," I said. "I've found over the years that what everyone knows is usually wrong. I haven't been around Indians much, but we met a family a couple of weeks ago who I thought were the salt of the earth." "But, Ed, look at how many white people they've killed in the last couple of hundred years. Surely that makes them bad people." "What would you have done if outsiders had invaded your father's ranch? Would you have said, 'you are welcome to take our land," or would you have fought to keep it? The Indians are just fighting to keep what has been theirs for thousands of years." "I guess you're right about that, but I just don't want to be around them." .oO~Oo. Ted's attitude about Indians worried me a little. I talked with Kate and Cassie about it that evening. "I think it's mostly just talk," Katie said. "We hear things from our parents and we tend to repeat them. It's just like those guys who were saying bad things about the Irish. They don't know anything first hand, they're just repeating what they've heard." "I hope you're right, love," I said. "I think a lot of it depends on just how strongly the parents felt about something. If they just mouthed off a lot, the child will probably get over it. If they taught the child to really hate someone, then it will carry on to the next generation as well." Sam: Day 22 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip What a glorious day for traveling! The weather had warmed up a lot and I was able to ride for a while without even wearing a coat. Of course Mina and Maddy scolded me for it. I didn't care though. It was too nice of a day to worry about a little scolding. We even started skirting around the south side of a group of hills today, which broke up the monotony. By late afternoon, we were climbing some low hills, which I figure are skirting the Mississippi River. After super, we all gathered around a central campfire and listened to the drovers and drivers tell true stories and tall tales, all of which they swore were true. Tuesday, March 28, 1848 Ed: Day 9 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We got a nice early start this morning and made good time. By noon we could see hills or mountains off to the west of us. We didn't pursue the conversation with Ted about Indians this morning. I guess all of us thought it would be better just to let it lie. The proprietor at the inn where we spent the night said we were in New York, but we were close enough to Pennsylvania that you could almost throw a rock into it. He was an affable man and he went on to tell us about the mountains to the west of us. He said they weren't nearly as hard to get through as the Catskills. I figured we'd made over thirty miles for the day, so I was satisfied. We all turned in early so we could get an early start in the morning. Sam: Day 23 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip We made it to the banks of the Mississippi River today. We set up camp on the eastern shore and Andy, Stu, and Rawhide scouted up and down the bank until they found the ford the farmer had told us about. Andy rode across the river on his horse, but when he came back he was shaking his head. "The water's just too deep," he told me. "We might get across, but we'd lose some cattle and maybe a wagon or two in the process." "What else can we do?" I asked. "One of the men says there's a ferry that goes across at Quincy, which is just a couple of miles north of here. The problem is, it'll cost a fortune to get everything across." "We still have quite a bit of money, Andy. I'd say we have close to two thousand dollars. We can afford to pay to get them across." "Okay, I'll ride on up there this evening and talk to the ferry man. I'll see what kind of deal we can work out." "Remember, if we saved just one wagon, it'd probably pay for getting everything across." .oO~Oo. Andy didn't get back until after dark. When he did get back, Mina brought him a plate of food while he told us what he'd found out. "The ferry man is a hard headed cuss," he said. "He started out wanting five dollars a wagon and ten cents a head for the cattle and horses." "We could have paid that, Andy," I said. "Yeah, but it just didn't seem right. I got him down to three dollars a wagon and five cents a head. It's still gonna cost us around sixty-five dollars to cross. It'll take all day to do it too." "That's okay. At least we'll know everything is safe," I told him. Wednesday, March 29, 1848 Ed: Day 10 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We watched the mountains to the west of us all day as we approached them. They weren't huge, but the ground between us and them was very flat. We found an inn close to the base of the mountains and spent the night there. Sam: Day 24 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Andy sent some men with about a third of the cattle on ahead this morning. He ate a quick breakfast and took off after them. When we got to the ferry, they were just starting to take their second load of cattle across. The ferry was large enough it would hold three wagons with their teams, or about fifty head of cattle. After the first third of the cattle were across, they started hauling wagons. Andy was wrong about it taking all day to get across. When the ferry man called it quits for the day, there were still about a hundred head of cattle on the eastern shore. I gave Stu the money to pay the ferry man and he and three more cowhands stayed with the cattle that had been left behind. Stu said we should take off at our regular time in the morning and they'd catch up with us. Thursday, March 30, 1848 Ed: Day 11 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We had a nice breakfast and took off before the sun was even up. Within a few miles we hit the mountains again. Luckily we were following a road. It was curvy, but we still made a lot better time than we would have going cross country. We stopped briefly for lunch and ate the sandwiches the serving girl at the inn we stayed at last night had packed for us. By evening, we had reached the summit. Unfortunately, although we were on a road, it was not a stage coach route, so we didn't find an ordinary to stay at. Cassie and Kate made us a very acceptable supper, which we ate with relish. We bundled into our tents early. Sam: Day 25 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip We followed Stu's advice and took off at first light. We traveled very slowly though and took a long nooning as they call it in this time. We let the cattle graze for a bit before we hit the road again. We only made around twelve miles for the day and we camped just before we got into the hills on the western side of the Mississippi. Stu caught up with us with the rest of the cattle right after we made camp. "You know, Andy, it was worth what it cost to get everything across safely," I said. "Yeah, I've been thinking about what you said the other night about that. If we'd have lost a wagon, we'd have lost not only the cost of the wagon, but also the cost of everything in it. Depending on what was in it, that could be a lot." "And if we'd lost the team that was pulling it, the cost of the oxen would have run it up really high." We all went off to our beds feeling very contented. Friday, March 31, 1848 Ed: Day 12 of the Boston to St Joseph trip Breakfast was a little sparse this morning as we were running a little low on supplies. The women fried up thick slices of bacon and made johnny cake. They made enough so we could have enough for lunch as well. Today we were going mostly downhill. We worked our way going down through a valley that led us to the southwest for much of the day, then in the middle of the afternoon, we hit a much wider valley that led off to the northwest. By the time we were ready to call it a day we had reached a little town they called Portsville. The general store was still open when we got into town, so we went in and stocked up on food supplies. Afterwards, we went looking for a tavern or an inn. We found a nice tavern that had a room for us and the proprietor said it was okay for Ted to sleep in the hayloft. They had a beef and mutton stew that was to die for with biscuits that were as good as Sam's. Sam: Day 26 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip I had been looking at the maps we had brought with us from the twenty-first century. They are excellent maps, but I'm not an excellent map reader. Sure, I knew what all the little contour lines meant, but it was difficult for me to look at the lines on the map and picture what the terrain was actually going to look like. Today was no exception. I knew from the map that we were going back into hilly country, but I expected it to be a lot worse than what it turned out to be. The hills we were going through hardly slowed us down at all. We made our normal seventeen or eighteen miles for the day and camped along a nice creek with plenty of water and plenty of grass. Saturday, April 1, 1848 Ed: Day 13 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We had only been traveling for a couple of hours this morning, when we came onto a major east-west road. It was going from the northeast to the southwest and it seemed like the perfect way for us to continue. We had only been on it for a short time when we saw we were meeting a stagecoach. It was moving along at a really good clip and we all waved at the driver and the guard as they flashed by us. I don't know about the girls, but this made me feel like I was in one of those old western movies. I expected Roy Rogers to come riding around the next curve. We followed the stage road the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Not long after we had stopped to eat the lunch the tavern keeper had made up for us, we saw an ordinary on the right side of the road. It was much too early to call it a day, so we were going to ride on by. That all changed when we saw someone waving and heard her yelling at us. I looked at Cassie and asked, "Is that who I think it is?" "Looks like it to me," she said as we started riding in her direction. "If it is, she's really messed up though." As we got closer, Christina Charbeneau said, "Oh, thank God it is you," then she collapsed into the dusty yard of the ordinary. .oO~Oo. Cassie, Kate and I were off our horses in an instant. I knelt down and lifted Christina's upper body, supporting her head. Cassie grabbed her canteen and held it to Christina's lips. Christina's eyes fluttered and she took a sip from the canteen. She looked up at me and tried to smile. "I knew you'd come through here," she said. "Where are your mom and dad?" I asked. "Ma and pa are dead. Do you have anything to eat? I'm about starved." I helped her to her feet and said, "Let's go in the ordinary. I'm sure they have food." Cassie got on the other side of her and we helped her into the ordinary. We got her seated at a table and Cassie and I sat on either side of her. When the serving girl came over, I told her we wanted one meal and coffee for the rest of us. Ted hadn't come in with us. I guess he was taking care of the horses. Christina leaned over against me and I put my arm around her to hold her up. Ted came in and sat beside Katie on the other side of the table. "What happened, honey?" I asked. "It was probably about two weeks ago when it happened," Christina said. "I was out in the woods gathering firewood when five men came riding into the yard. Pa was cutting up and splitting the wood I was dragging in, so he stopped to talk to them." The serving girl brought out a big bowl of stew and Christina dug in before she continued. "I heard them yelling at pa about being a squaw man. Pa was trying to be reasonable and was trying to talk to them when one of the men pulled a gun and shot pa in the chest." Christina let out a little sob and I squeezed her close. "Ma came running out of the house and they shot her too. Then they burned the house down and started looking for me. I sneaked off into the woods and they never found me." Christina looked up into my eyes and said, "I didn't have any kind of weapon, Ed. I couldn't do anything. All I could do was run and hide." She lost control and started sobbing against my chest. I just held her and let her cry it out. When she had finally calmed down, she took another couple of bites of her stew and said, "After they had gone, I sneaked back to the house and buried ma and pa. I didn't have any place I could go and I didn't know what to do. I set some snares and managed to catch a few critters, which I ate, but I knew I had to get away from there." "Couldn't you have gone to your grandpa?" I asked. "No. Right after you guys left, we got word that he was dead. He was very old and we had been expecting it. I thought of you guys and of how nice you had been, so I decided to see if I could find you." "That had to be hard on you," Katie said. "Yeah, all of my clothes had been burned up. So had pa's guns. He had his hunting knife on his belt when they killed him, so I took that. I also took the axe he had been using and I found a flint and steel out in the shed. I tried to make a bow and arrows like grandpa had taught me, but I didn't have much luck. The bow was fine, but I couldn't get the arrows right." "How have you lived?" Cassie asked. "Mostly on things I caught in my snares." Christina had finished her stew by now, so I went to see the proprietor about a room. They just had one available, so I took it. I also told him we wanted a bathtub and some hot water. He was agreeable after we had settled on a price. We got Christina up to the room and then Cassie, Kate, and I went out and got our saddlebags and the rest of the things we'd need for the night. We got the bathtub set up in the room, then I went out to give Christina some privacy while she took a bath. Ted and I put the horses in the stable and got them settled for the night, then Ted said, "That girl's an Indian, isn't she?" "Yes, Ted. Her mother was a Shawnee and her father was a Frenchman." "Are you going to take her with you?" "I don't see we have any choice, Ted. She's a nice girl and I can't see just abandoning her." "Well, I guess this is where we part company, Ed. I'm not going to be around any half-breed." "If that's the way you feel about it, Ted, then I guess we'll go our separate ways. I wish you luck, but I hope you change your way of thinking." I left Ted in the stable and when I went back out later to get Cassie's spare clothes, he was gone. .oO~Oo. When I went upstairs to get the ladies for supper, Christina was dressed in Cassie's buckskins and she looked adorable. "Christina, would you prefer I call you Chrissie or Tina?" I asked. "Pa called me Tina and I kind of liked that," she said. "Well, Tina, it's time for supper. Do you think you could eat again?" "Yes, but I don't want to be an expense to you, Ed." "We have plenty of money, Tina. Don't worry about that at all." We made our way downstairs and ordered our meals. "Tina, I think we would all agree that we'd like for you to stay with us," I said and Cassie and Katie nodded. "Would you like to go on to St Joseph with us and meet the rest of the family, then go on to Oregon with us?" "God, yes. That's all that's kept me going the last two weeks. I was hoping I could find you guys and that you'd take me with you." "Then, that's what we'll do." I looked at Cassie and Kate and said, "Ted left." "What? That son of a bitch left because of Tina, didn't he?" Cassie asked. "I'm afraid so. I'm afraid Ted was a lot more like the people who killed Tina's parents than we wanted to believe." Tina looked shocked. "Was Ted the guy who was in here earlier?" "Yes, honey, but don't worry about him. If he was prejudiced about you, then he'd have been prejudiced about our other wife too. I think we told you she's a Negro." Tina nodded then said, "Ed, I could pretend I was all white and no one would ever know I had Indian blood. I won't do that." "We wouldn't think as much of you if you did, Tina," Katie said. "We're proud of you for standing up for who you are." All of us agreed. .oO~Oo. When we got up to the room, I looked at the bed and asked, "How are we going to do this?" "Simple," Cassie said. "We can all fit if we cuddle up. We already talked to Tina about it and she doesn't mind cuddling." I felt like the middle fish in a can of sardines, but it really wasn't bad. Sam: Day 27 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip As we were eating breakfast this morning, I told Andy we should look for a place with good grass and water so we could take a day of rest tomorrow. He agreed. "We need a day of rest," I said, "But do you realize what all we have to get done in St Joseph before Ed gets there?" "Yeah, there's quite a bit. I figure we've got about three weeks to do it in though." "Let's get together tomorrow and talk about everything we need to do. We should get Rawhide and Stu and Mina and Maddy involved too." We agreed to that and got on the road at our normal time. I must say traveling is much nicer now. Trading off riding a horse with Delia has made it a lot less boring for me. Delia says she enjoys it too. Sunday, April 2, 1848 Ed: Day 14 of the Boston to St Joseph trip The ordinary we stayed in last night was just outside the town of Carrollton, New York. We had enough horses I knew we could make it, even with Tina along, but we didn't have a saddle for her. She rode behind me on Hawk until we got into town. They didn't have a saddlery, but they did have a livery stable. We stopped there and talked to the man about a saddle for her. He didn't have any new ones, but he did have a used one that was about the right size. We looked it over and it appeared to be in very good condition. We made a deal and we saddled one of the spare horses for Tina. After we had the stirrups adjusted for her, we took off. Tina is a very good horse woman. She told us she'd been riding for as long as she could remember. We followed the road we were on for another twenty miles or so and then we turned southwest on another road, while the main road went due west. We put in a little over thirty miles for the day and stayed in a tavern near a small town for the night. Tina continued to eat heartily, making up for all of the meals she had missed before she found us. Sam: Day 28 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Ah, a day of rest. Well, as much of a day of rest as Becky would let me have. My little monster seems to be hungry all of the time. I can see why, because she's growing like a weed. After I had gotten her fed and changed, I fed myself. Andy got everyone together and we discussed what all we wanted to buy in St Joseph. "We need to replace all of the flour, cornmeal, and everything else we've used up to this point," Maddy said. "I agree," I said. "We want to be sure we have enough to get us through the winter. What else?" "We need some chickens and some hogs," Mina said. "How many chickens can we put in your cages. Rawhide?" I asked. "I'd say twenty to thirty," Rawhide said. "We're not going to be able to use up many of them this year. We'll have to let them brood a couple of times before we'll have enough to start having chicken for dinner." "Yeah, I figure the first winter we're gonna be eating a lot of venison," I said. "Ed said he'd like to have some more cattle," Stu said. "He was talking about having a thousand head." "Is that realistic?" I asked. "I think so. We can drive that many with the men we have. With that many cattle, we'll be able to sell enough to keep a ranch going every year." I looked at Rawhide and he nodded. "How many men are we going to have to keep on when we start the ranch?" I asked. "Well, it won't take nearly as many as it will take to get the cattle to Oregon," Rawhide said. "I'd say we're not going to need to keep more than three or four of them." "You guys need to be thinking about which ones we want to keep working for us on the way out," I said. Rawhide and Stu nodded. ------- Chapter 36 Monday, April 3, 1848 Ed: Day 15 of the Boston to St Joseph trip The area we were traveling through had some hills, but the traveling was easy. It was also easy for us to talk. "Ed, how did you end up with four wives, with one of them being a black woman?" Tina asked. "Cassie looked at me and asked, "Can I tell it, Ed?" "Go ahead, love." "Ed and Sam were together first. They were just traveling around, exploring the country. I had been having trouble with my father's second wife, so I had run away from home. I was living in a park when Sam and Ed found me." "They saved you?" "Sam got me to talk to her. I was afraid of Ed." Tina giggled. "They bought me a big meal and asked if I'd like to come back to the inn they were staying in so I could clean up. After I was clean, Sam asked me if I'd like to go with them." "To go with them as Ed's wife?" "No, to go with them as a friend. It took me a while to convince Sam she should share Ed with me and even longer to convince Ed." "That explains you and Sam. What about Kate and the other girl? Cassie explained to Tina about us buying Delia and her family at the slave auction, then she told her the story of how we met Kate. Tina cracked up about Kate being sitting on the side of the road, naked. "And it's funny you're thinking it is?" Kate asked. "Let me strip you naked and leave you out for the world to see and see if you're thinking it's funny." "I guess it'd just depend on who was seeing me," Tina said. "Obviously you didn't mind for Ed to see you naked." "Oh, but I did. I was angry with the darling man for staring at me." "Were you really staring at her, Ed?" Tina asked. "As I told Kate, I'd look at a beautiful rose even if I had a garden full of them at home," I said. "Kate is beautiful," Tina said. "Why, thank you, Tina," Kate said. .oO~Oo. We were maybe twenty miles inland from the lake, but were paralleling it today, heading southwest. I figured it'd take about a week before we left Lake Erie behind us completely. We made good time today, and I figured we made around thirty-three miles. Sam: Day 29 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Well, it's back on the road again today. We crossed one good sized creek right after we left this morning and we ended up crossing three more before the day was over. The hardest part of crossing large creeks is getting the wagons across. The cattle take them in stride. We kept the traveling down to around sixteen miles today. We found a nice place to camp with plenty of grass and water for the cattle. I hadn't been paying much attention to Delia all day. She helped me out with Becky as she always did, but she didn't have much to say. While we were watching Mina and Maddy get supper ready for the family, I noticed that Delia looked like she had lost her best friend. I had Becky in the carrier on my chest, so I moved over beside Delia. I put my arm around her and asked, "Is something bothering you, honey?" Delia looked me out of eyes that were brimming with tears. "I just miss Ed and Cassie and Kate," she said. "I miss them too, honey. I'd say it's only about three or four more weeks until we see them." I hugged her to me and she laid her head on my shoulder. "I know I'm just being a big baby, but I miss them so bad. I love all three of them." "They love us too, you know. I'm sure that they're missing us just as badly as we're missing them." "Do you really think so?" Delia asked. "I know so. We're all going to be one happy family when they get back." .oO~Oo. I hadn't had sex of any kind since about a week before Becky was born. Later on, in our tent, we got Becky to sleep, then I told Delia to get undressed. She looked at me a little strangely, because we had been sleeping with our clothes on most of the time. When we were both naked, I pulled Delia in and gave her a tender kiss. The tender kiss quickly heated up and we started caressing each other's breasts. Before either one of us quite realized what we were doing, we were locked in a classic 69. I lost count of how many orgasms we had before we collapsed in each other's arms. Tuesday, April 4, 1848 Ed: Day 16 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We stayed in a nice inn last night, but tonight we were going to be forced to camp out. To make things even worse, it started raining about the middle of the afternoon. It wasn't a heavy rain, just a light drizzle. It was enough to soak us through though and enough to get any firewood we might have gathered thoroughly wet. We were a miserable bunch when we finally gave up on finding a place to stay for the night. We pitched our tent and crawled inside. "Off with the clothes," Cassie said and started removing hers. Kate and I weren't far behind her. Tina just stared at us for several seconds, then she started undressing too. When everyone was naked, we cuddled under our blankets and chewed on some jerky. It wasn't much of a supper, but it would have to suffice. Our clothes were wet and we had no way of drying them. The only saving grace was that we did have dry clothes we could put on in the morning. We talked for quite a while. So far, Tina had been holding up, but I knew she had to let her grief out. I thought maybe that if she talked about what happened it would help. "Tina, did you know any of the men who killed your mom and dad?" I asked. "I knew all of them. At least I'd seen all of them at one time or another. I only knew one of their names though. He was Hiram Bostwick. They called him Hi though." "Did they live around you guys?" "No, the only place I ever saw them was in town. That was about ten miles away. You'd see them hanging out around the feed store." "Which one shot your mom and dad?" "I don't know his name, but I'll recognize him if I ever see him again." Tina started sobbing. It broke my heart, but I knew she had to get it out. Tina was between Kate and Cassie and both of my wonderful wives cuddled her close. I reached across Kate and took Tina's hand. I thought she was going to break my fingers, she squeezed it so hard. When she started to calm down, Tina started talking. "My mother was a wonderful woman. She taught me so much as I was growing up. She taught me to speak Shawnee and how to use sign language. She was a smart woman and she taught me mathematics. She spoke perfect English and she had beautiful penmanship. "Dad taught me to speak French. We had some really strange conversations around the dinner table. We'd switch from English to Shawnee to French without breaking. Mom also taught me about honesty and integrity. Dad told me to never make a promise unless I was willing to pay whatever it cost to keep that promise. "My Shawnee grandpa taught me how to hunt and fish. He taught me how to make snares and how to make bows and arrows. He told me of the Shawnee beliefs and traditions. I never had a formal education. I never attended school, but my family taught me about life and living. They taught me how to love." "It sounds like you had a wonderful family, Tina," I said. "Yes and now they're all gone," she started sobbing again. My wives held her until she went to sleep. Sam: Day 30 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Delia and I did a lot of grinning at each other during breakfast. Once we got on the road, Delia and I were the only ones in the coach. Delia was driving and I was sitting on the driver's seat beside her, feeding Becky. "Delia, when we were messing around last night, did I look okay down there?" I asked. "You looked just fine, Sam. Are you worried you'd look different because of having Becky?" "Yeah. I want Ed to still want me when he gets back." "Well, you look, feel, and taste just fine," Delia grinned. "When I put my finger up inside you, you felt just as tight as you always have." I know I had to be blushing when I said, "I never thought I'd be having a conversation like this with another woman." "I'll bet you never thought you'd call another woman your wife either, did you?" Delia giggled. "No," I had to agree with her. "I did mess around with another girl before I met Ed. It was fun, but it was never as intense as it is with you and Cassie and Kate." "When you're a slave, you see all kinds of things. Mama always tried to keep Dalia and me close, but we'd sneak out and watch other people. We'd seen two women go at it and we'd seen two men go at it. I never thought I'd ever want to do something like that." .oO~Oo. We crossed two more large streams today and camped on the banks of a third. It sure seems like there are a lot of streams in this part of Missouri. We made around seventeen miles for the day. We could be moving a lot faster without hurting the cattle, but since Ed won't be there for a while, we're not in any hurry. Wednesday, April 5, 1848 Ed: Day 17 of the Boston to St Joseph trip Tina seemed to be feeling better when we woke up this morning. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. The firewood was still wet though, so we had a cold breakfast before we got on the road. At least we had dry clothes. We spread out our wet clothes over the tops of the packs our mules were carrying and tied them on. It was a little before noon when we reached a north-south road. At the crossroads was a tavern. We went inside and had a very nice lunch. The hot stew we ate really warmed us up. Tina talked all morning about her parents and about her grandfather. When we stopped for a hot lunch at the tavern, she continued talking. Sometime during the afternoon, she talked herself out. "Thank you," she said at last. "I guess I really needed that. I feel like I've put them to rest now." "I expect you did, Tina. There are stages of grief we go through. I don't remember what they are, but I know they start out with denial and end with acceptance. Now that you've reached the final stage, things will start to get better," I said. "Ed, I know the God the white man believes in says that vengeance belongs to Him, not to me, but if I ever see any of the four men who killed my parents, I'll kill them on the spot." "Tina, if you ever see any of the men who killed your parents, our whole family will help you. We really liked your parents. No one should be killed because of their race." "It doesn't bother any of you that I'm a half-breed, does it?" Tina asked, almost wonderingly. "Not in the least," Cassie said. "Tina, I'm Irish. The same people who hate you for being half Indian hate me because I'm Irish. With me, it's not because of my race, but because of where my parents were born. None of it makes sense." "Katie's right," I said. "Katie was born in the United States, just like I was, but because her parents were born in Ireland, people hate her. Delia is black and you are half Indian. You are all good people. There's no reason anyone should hate any of the three of you, but they do. Just remember, there are other people who think you're just fine the way you are." .oO~Oo. We found a lot more pleasant things to talk about for the rest of the day. Tina was curious about Sam and Delia, so we told her all about them. "We really don't know Becky yet," I said. "She was less than a week old when we left Dayton. When she was born, she was all red and wrinkled. By the time we left, you could start making out what she is going to look like. I think she has my eyes." "Thank God she doesn't have the rest of your face," Cassie teased. "Just wait until you see what yours looks like," I said. "Cassie, are you in the family way?" Tina asked. "Tina, I'm pregnant, preggers, knocked up, I've got a bun in the oven, and I'm a very happy woman." Tina laughed and said, "I've never heard it called any of those things, but I get the idea. You're happy you're pregnant?" "Ecstatic. Delia is pregnant too, and Katie keeps trying to get that way." Tina blushed as she looked over at Kate. "Mama told me that even the trying is fun." We all laughed and Katie said, "Sure and she didn't tell you the half of it. It's not just fun, it's the best feeling in the world, if it's with the right man. I had friends who had bad experiences, but my first time was wonderful. Ed is a very loving, gentle man." "Change of subject, girls," I said. "Awh, are you getting embarrassed, honey?" Cassie asked. I didn't even dignify her question with an answer. We found another tavern where we could spend the night. They had chicken and dumplings for supper and I pigged out. I think the girls did too, but I was too busy eating to notice. When we got in the room, I looked at the bed and wondered how we were going to work things. The bed was large for that time period, but... "Strip," Cassie said, and then she proceeded to do so. Kate wasn't far behind Cassie, When I hesitated, Cassie said, "Get with the program, Ed. You too, Tina." I looked at Tina and grinned. "They're not shy," I said. Tina giggled and said, "I'm not either," then she started undressing as well. Kate and Cassie, now naked, stepped to either side of me and pulled my tunic off, over my head. "Okay, okay," I said and removed my pants and underwear. I was trying not to stare at Tina, but she was making no effort to pretend she wasn't looking at me. Kate pushed me into the bed and her and Cassie got on either side of me. Tina climbed in behind Cassie. Cassie kissed me and snuggled up to me for a couple of minutes, then she climbed over Tina and pushed her so she was cuddled up to me. I put one arm around Kate and the other arm around Tina and said, "Good night ladies." Sam: Day 31 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Andy tells me the men say we're only four or five days away from St Joseph. I must say I'll be happy to get there. It's not that the traveling is bothering me or anything. It's just that once we get to St Joseph, it'll only be two or three weeks until Ed gets there. After supper all of the women got together and started a list of all of the things we were going to want to get before we left St Joseph. This wasn't something we were going to finish this evening, but we were trying to think of everything we might want or need in Oregon. Thursday, April 6, 1848 Ed: Day 18 of the Boston to St Joseph trip I awoke with four lovely breasts pressed into my sides and three hands caressing my chest. I just laid there for a couple of minutes, enjoying the feeling, then I said, "Good morning, ladies." I was answered with three good mornings from the girls. "Are you all ready for another fun filled day?" I asked. Cassie giggled and asked, "Do you mean we're going to stay in bed all day?" "No, dear. I mean we're going to saddle our horses and hit the road." "I think staying in bed would be a lot more fun," Cassie said. "Oh, I agree, but I'm really anxious to see Sam and Delia and Becky," I told her. We got up and got dressed, unashamedly. Breakfast was nice. We talked for a while about how much farther we had to go. "Why did you have to go to Boston?" Tina asked. There weren't many people in the common room, but I told Tina we'd tell her after we got on the road. Tina is a smart young lady and didn't press it. We had only been on the road a short while when Cassie asked, "Do you want to tell her, Ed, or should I?" "Why don't you go ahead," I said. "Tina, when it was just Sam and Ed and me together, we went prospecting in Maine. We got very lucky and found a pocket of gold. There was quite a bit of it, and we had a bank in Boston convert the raw gold into gold coins for us. We left the majority of the gold in the bank in Boston while we went exploring. We had to go back and get it." "Is that what's in the saddle bags?" Tina asked. "Yep," Cassie said. "There's around sixty pounds of it. There's over seventeen thousand dollars." Tina's mouth fell open. "That's a fortune," she said. "It's enough to get us well set up in Oregon and enough to live on until the ranch becomes a paying proposition," I said. .oO~Oo. That night we stayed at the Dunham Tavern near Cleveland, Ohio. The interesting thing about this is that I remember stopping at the Dunham Tavern Museum in Cleveland in the year 2003. The way they had it restored is much different than the way it is now, but at least the antiques I remember from my visit to the museum would have looked right at home here. We had a very nice meal of ham with fried potatoes and canned green beans. They had apple dumplings for dessert and I stuffed myself. Sam: Day 32 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Rain! Jeez, I hate rain, especially when you're traveling. The wind was blowing with it, so we had to have the curtains down. It was like riding in a windowless box all day. At least we had it better than the poor bastards who were driving the cattle. Rain gear, even in the twenty-first century, still lets you get wet. In the nineteenth century, rain gear is almost a joke. Most of the men had rain slickers and most of them kept a small tarp they covered their heads with as well. Even with a tarp, by the end of the day, their clothes were soaked. All of the women, except Angie and Sarah Beth, who were helping with the cattle rode in the coach. We spent a lot of time going over what we wanted or needed to buy in St Jo. It was still raining when we made camp for the day. We had a cold meal and we all went to bed early. Friday, April 7, 1848 Ed: Day 19 of the Boston to St Joseph trip Today we turned almost due west. We followed a road most of the day and made good mileage. The tavern keeper last night told us that we'd be following stagecoach routes until we get to Fort Wayne, Indiana. "You know," I said as we were riding along, "from what the guy said last night, we should be able to find ordinaries to stay at until we get to Fort Wayne. After that, we're going to be camping almost every night." "I don't mind camping," Cassie said. "We've done a lot of camping over the last year." "True, but we might want to pick up some extra stuff in Fort Wayne. It's just about the last big town we'll pass before we get to St Jo." "Like what?" Katie asked. "Lord, I don't know, honey. I know it's going to be a couple of weeks of traveling after we leave Fort Wayne. I don't think we're going to want to eat johnny cake and bacon every meal for two weeks." "Ed, if I can borrow your rifle sometimes, I'll keep us supplied in meat," Tina said. "You're a hunter?" "I killed my first deer when I was ten. Dad taught me how to hunt early." "Can you shoot a revolver?" "Probably better than you can," Tina grinned. "Well, at Fort Wayne we'll get you a rifle and a revolver. I think we should also get a shotgun for birds and small game." "Oh, I agree on the shotgun. Venison is good, but you don't want it for every meal." The weather was great and we were out of the mountains, but we only made around twenty-nine or thirty miles for the day. I think we were just enjoying ourselves and didn't feel like pushing. Tina was in a much better mood than she'd been in since her parents were killed. The rest of us realized we were about half way between Boston and St Joseph. By late afternoon, we found an ordinary to stop at, so we decided to call it a short day and stop where we were. .oO~Oo. We put our things in our room and went outside and sit for a while, since the weather was so nice. We watched as a stagecoach came in, the horses at a full gallop. They let the passengers off at the main building, then moved the coach over by a corral, where a hostler already had another team harnessed and waiting. It only took a few minutes to change teams. Since this wasn't a meal stop for this particular stage, the passengers were only allowed enough time to visit the outhouses before they were herded back onto the coach. "Man, I'll bet those people get tired," Cassie said. "Yeah, but they make good time," I said. "Well, I wouldn't want to travel that way," Katie chimed in. "So, you'd rather have your pretty butt glued to a saddle all day?" I asked. Cassie and Tina giggled. "At least if my butt is glued to a saddle, I can get off any time I want. I don't have to wait four or five hours to go to the outhouse." "There is that," I said. We had walked out near the corral to look at the horses when we saw a freight wagon pulling up in front of the ordinary. One of the most disreputable men I'd ever seen was driving it. ------- Chapter 37 The man dismounted and started looking at the hoof of one of the mules pulling the wagon. We walked over to where we could hear him mumbling about dad blamed mules anyway. "Howdy," I said as we walked up. "I'm Ed Hill. Are you having problems?" "Howdy, I'm Mort Stern. Yeah, this dad blamed mule has messed up his right front leg. I don't know what happened, but I'm afraid he's gonna have to be put out to pasture for a while." "That's a shame. They probably have mules here you can buy though." "Yeah, the only problem is I have all of my money tied up in trade goods." The man brightened a little and asked, "Say, I couldn't interest you folks in a rifle or a shotgun, could I?" I had to smile. We had just been talking about guns. "You might, if they're good quality," I said. "The best quality you'll ever see," Mort said. "I'm on my way to the fur trappers' rendevous. They won't buy if the guns aren't the best." "Show us what you've got then," I said and pulled Tina up beside me. "We're interested in a rifle, a shotgun and a revolver." Mort had a mile wide smile as he started taking the tarpaulin he had over his wagon loose. "Let's look at the rifles first," Mort said. He pulled out three different rifles. The first was a typical woodsman's rifle. It was a .45 caliber and had a walnut stock with iron butt plate. It was a serviceable weapon and was very popular with trappers. The second rifle he pulled out was shorter and heavier. It was a .56 caliber and would have been excellent for buffalo. The third one caught Tina's eye. A .40 caliber Pennsylvania Rifle, it had a curly maple stock with an inlaid silver patchbox and silver cheek piece. The lock had a scroll design inlaid into the silver. "You like this one?" I asked Tina. "I like it, but it's much too fancy. It'd cost a fortune." "Could we try this one out?" I asked Mort. "Sure," he said. "Let me get out the fixings." As Mort was getting out a patch, ball, and powder, I walked off fifty paces and put a mark in the dirt. I looked around for something to shoot at. Nothing was apparent, then I saw some small gourds, about an inch and a half in diameter, sitting along the front of the ordinary. I picked up one and set it on my mark. "Is that too small?" I asked Tina when I got back to where Mort was loading the rifle. "Not if it's a good rifle," Tina said. Mort handed the rifle to Tina and she hefted it. "The weight's not bad," she said. She raised it to a firing position and said, "The balance is good." She aimed at the gourd and squeezed the trigger. The gourd exploded into a thousand pieces. "Not bad," Tina said. She started to hand the rifle back to Mort, but I stopped her. "How much?" I asked him. "Forty dollars. The bullet mold is extra." "I'll give you forty for the rifle, the mold, and a thousand caps," I said. "Make it a hundred caps and you have a deal," he said. I nodded and asked, "How about a revolver and a shotgun?" "I've got two types of revolver," he said. "I have a Paterson Colt in a .36 caliber and I have the new Colt Walker in a .45 caliber." "Can we see them both?" I asked. I had a Paterson myself, so I knew what they looked like, but I wanted to make sure the one he was selling wasn't something that had been damaged. He brought both of them out and I knew immediately we'd want to stick with the Paterson. The Walker was a nice looking weapon, but it weighed about four and a half pounds. Much too heavy for Tina. We also selected a shotgun. We got a bag of shot, black powder, and caps for all of the weapons. By the time we were finished, I had to pay the man almost eighty dollars. Mort was happy and Tina was ecstatic over her new rifle. .oO~Oo. Tina thanked me a million times that evening for the rifle and for the shotgun and the revolver. She vowed she'd do all of our hunting until we got to St Jo. Sam: Day 33 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip It was still raining when we got up, so we ate some jerky and got moving again. It rained all morning and it was the middle of the afternoon before it quit. Andy came by and said there wasn't any use in stopping yet, because there wasn't any dry wood for a cook fire. We only made around fifteen miles for the day, but Andy somehow managed to find enough dry wood that we could have a hot meal for supper. I think it was the best I'd ever eaten. Saturday, April 8, 1848 Ed: Day 20 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We followed a road for a ways after leaving the ordinary this morning. But after a while it turned northwest and headed back into the hills surrounding the lake, so we set out across country. We hit another east-west road by the middle of the afternoon. As we were riding along, Tina asked, "So, what are Sam and Delia like?" Cassie spoke up while I was trying to frame my answer, "Sam is the kindest, most loving person I have ever met. She's also as brave as a mountain lion and as fierce as a mama bear protecting her cub. She and Ed fit together like two peas in a pod." "Sam is a planner and a doer," Kate said. "She likes to figure out how something should be done, then she goes ahead and does whatever it takes to make it happen. We have some good men who are part of our family, but I'd bet you any amount of money you'd care to wager that Sam is the one in charge while they're waiting for us." "When I met Sam, I didn't know if she was a boy or a girl. Her step-father had mistreated her and she was afraid he was going to rape her. She was living in a park, eating things other people had thrown away. I was in a bad way myself. I was thinking my life had ended. Although Sam's situation was much worse than mine, she helped me to get back on my feet. I love her with all of my heart," I said. "But you love Cassie and Kate and Delia too," Tina said. "I can see that from how you treat Cassie and Kate." "Yes, I do. I had been taught all my life that you can only love one person. I believed that," I said, then I looked at Cassie and smiled. "Then I met Cassie. Cassie was in pretty much the same situation as Sam had been, only with her, it was a stepmother that was the problem. Before we even met Cassie, Sam said we should try to help her." Cassie giggled and said, "I was a mess. I had been on my own for a couple of months. I was kind of watching Sam and Ed from a distance. I was hoping they'd leave something on the bench they were sitting on, then Ed got up and left. Sam started talking loud enough for me to hear. She was talking about how she had been living in a park, but that things were much better for her now. I just had to come out of the bushes and talk to her." "What happened then?" Tina asked. "We talked until Ed came back with a bunch of bags. I started to leave, but Sam said they had bought me a meal. God! What a meal! There was a big steak, a large salad, a baked potato, and cheese cake. When I had finished eating, Sam asked if I'd like to come back to the inn they were staying in and get cleaned up. The next morning, Sam asked me if I'd like to go with them." "Weren't you afraid of going off with a couple you had just met?" Tina asked. "Tina, you spent one evening with us, then when your mom and dad were killed, you traveled almost a hundred miles to meet up with us. There's just something about Ed and Sam too that makes people trust them." "Yeah, I guess you're right. You said Delia had been a slave. How did you come to buy her?" I explained to her about the auction and what we had seen. I went on to tell her about buying Jud, Mina, Delia and Dalia. "Being a slave is a very hard thing. It takes away a person's self respect. It was much harder on Jud than it was on Mina and the girls. Jud is only around thirty-five years old, but no one at the slave auction thought he'd live more than five more years. He had been worked hard all of his life and if he slowed down, they'd whip him." "Jud has come a long way," Cassie said. "All four of them have. Delia is our treasure. We're so proud of her we could just burst. When they first came to live with us, none of them would even think of making a decision for themselves. Now, they contribute to the family discussions and help make decisions for all of us." "None of them could read or write," I said. "Now, Delia and Dalia can read and write as well as any of us. They've also started making their own decisions." "Delia is a big tease too," Kate said. "These guys tell me she never even smiled when she was a slave. Now, she'll pull some tease on one of us and she'll giggle like the rest of us. We all love her." "From the way it sounds, you all love each other," Tina said. "I think that is great. That's the way mom and dad were. They were always teasing each other and always touching each other. It might be just a touch on the cheek, but you could just see the love that was there between them." We found a nice ordinary where we could spend the night and we dined on roast pork with all of the trimmings. We managed to crowd four people into the same bed again. Sam: Day 34 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip We had a much nicer day for traveling today. The sun was shining and things were starting to dry out. We didn't have any major creeks to cross today. The little creeks were bank full, but none of then were deeper than the axles on our wagons, so we didn't have any problem with them. The Wagoner boys say we're only a couple of days from St Joseph. I must admit I'm anxious to get there. Sunday, April 9, 1848 Ed: Day 21 of the Boston to St Joseph trip It was a wonderful day for travel, but if it hadn't been for the conversation of the three lovely women with me, it would have been a boring day as well. The land was as flat as a table. The weather was nice and warm enough we didn't even need coats. Tina asked about the other members of our extended family, so Cassie and Tina spent most of the day telling her about them. I'd say we traveled thirty-five or thirty-six miles before we pulled in at an ordinary for the night. I know we have to have come at least half way from Boston to St Joseph. I can't wait to get there. I really miss Sam and Delia and I can't wait to get to know my daughter. Sam: Day 35 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip Becky was fretful today, so I spent the entire day in the coach. It was trying for Delia and me both. Monday, April 10, 1848 Ed: Day 22 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We had a great breakfast before we took off this morning and the serving girl packed us a nice lunch. From there, the day went downhill. Nothing bad happened, it was just boring. I think everyone had talked themselves out over the last few days, so even that was absent. We had to cross three good sized creeks today, but none of them were flooded, so there wasn't even any excitement there. The only good point of the day was that the tavern keeper where we spent the night said we were only one long day's travel from Fort Wayne. Sam: Day 36 of the Dayton to St Joseph trip St Joseph, Missouri! We made it! Nothing ever felt so good. We made a permanent camp on the north side of town, just where the Missouri River makes a swing to the west. Stu had to take the cattle a couple of miles farther up the river to where he could find enough open range for the cattle to graze for the next few weeks. The Wagoner boys and the Whites and Vencilles stayed with the wagons, but the rest of the men set up another camp close to the cattle. We didn't get much else done, except getting the camp set up. Mina and Maddy made us a wonderful supper and we all relaxed for the first time in over a month. Tuesday, April 11, 1848 Ed: Day 23 of the Boston to St Joseph trip Well, the tavern keeper was right. It was a long day of travel, but we did make it to Fort Wayne. We stayed at a nice tavern and managed to get a room with two beds. The mutton stew we had for dinner was as good as any I had ever eaten. We lingered over the meal and had some apple cobbler for dessert. We talked about what all we'd need to get for fixing our own meals over the next couple of weeks. We also decided to see if we could find another outfit or two for Tina. When we went up to bed, Cassie said she'd share the bed with Tina, so Katie and I snuggled up in our own bed. We had been kind of inhibited about having sex since Tina had joined us, but tonight, Katie would not be denied. She started caressing me as soon as we had put out the light. I'll have to admit, I responded quickly. Katie threw the covers back and we ran our hands over each other's bodies. When I touched her pussy I found she was as wet as I'd ever felt her. "I want you inside me," Katie whispered. I was happy to oblige her. Katie groaned as I slid inside her pussy and we heard a giggle from the other bed. We didn't let that stop us though. By the time we had both achieved our release, both girls in the other bed were giggling and whispering to each other. "Now, aren't you two ashamed of yourselves for making fun of this darling man and me?" Katie asked. "Not a bit," Cassie said. "At least you didn't start yelling in Gaelic." "If the two of you hadn't been giggling, I would have," Katie said. Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Andy and Rawhide took off this morning looking for livestock to buy. The rest of us worked setting up a long term camp. We kept all three sets of brothers busy building fire pits, gathering wood, and fetching and carrying for the rest of us. We took an inventory of all of the food we had with us, then we sent the Vencille boys to the camp where the cattle were being kept to do the same there. Since it was April and it was raining frequently, we had the boys store a good quantity of wood under cover so we could use it if rain wet our other wood. Andy was a little discouraged when he came back to camp in time for supper. He hadn't had much luck in finding cattle to buy. I reminded him we still had a couple of weeks before Ed gets here. Wednesday, April 12, 1848 Ed: Day 24 of the Boston to St Joseph trip I was still cuddled up with Katie this morning when Cassie climbed over on top of me and started tickling me. I started tickling her back as soon as I got my wits about me enough to do it. Katie protested vehemently, then joined the fray. I could hear Tina giggling, then a short while later, she piled on top of the rest of us. I don't know how long this would have gone on, but Katie started complaining that she had to pee. This made us all realize that nature was calling. We had a nice breakfast, then left our things in our room, except for the saddlebags, while we went to get the additional food supplies we were going to need if we would be camping most of the time. Even with the girls propensity for shopping, I figured we'd be on the road within the hour. Unfortunately that wasn't to be. Even though Fort Wayne is the biggest town in the area, it still isn't a big town. At least it wasn't in the year, 1848. There was a general store not far from the tavern we stayed in, so that's where we made our way. We carried our saddle bags with us and Tina insisted she carry one of the bags I had been carrying. When we got into the store, Cassie became our designated gatherer. The rest of us would tell her what we wanted and she'd take it to the counter. I took her saddlebag while she was doing this chore. We stocked up on dried beans, dried fruit, flour, corn meal, coffee, and bacon. We even got a quart can of molasses. We still had plenty of salt and pepper, but Cassie remembered we needed lard. The store carried buckskins in all sizes from a two year old on up, so we got Tina two sets and some new moccasins. We piled everything out in front of the store and I said I'd go and get the horses and mules so we could load everything up. Tina wanted to go and help get everything saddled and I figured Kate and Cassie were quite capable of guarding our possessions, so I agreed. We walked down to the end of the block, then turned right toward the livery stable. About half way there, we had to pass an alley. As we drew near to it, we heard a man cursing, so I looked down the alley. A huge man was beating a small woman or little girl. He'd slap her, then backhand her with his right hand, while his left hand was locked in her hair. "We've got to stop this," Tina said. "Yep," I said and started down the alley. When I got to them, I grabbed the man's right hand with my left and turned him toward me. It felt really good when my right fist made contact with his nose and he went flying backwards to fall on his ass. "What the hell did you do that for?" he bellowed as his hand went up to try to stem the flow of blood from his nose. "You're a pretty big man to be beating up on a woman, aren't you?" "What the hell business is it of yours? She's just a Chinee and I paid good money for her." "You bought her?" Tina asked in total surprise. "I paid an old Chinee man forty dollars for her. She can't do anything right. I've got a right to beat her. I can kill her if I want to." "Can I shoot him, Ed?" Tina asked. I looked over at her and she had her new revolver centered on his chest. "Not just yet, honey," I told her. "You can shoot him if he tries to get up." "What the fuck? Is she crazy or something?" "Mister, if you don't watch your language in front of these ladies, I'm going to kick your teeth out." "Just let me out of here," he said. "We'll be off and you'll never see us again." "I might consider letting you go, but the young woman isn't going with you." "But, I paid good money for her." "I'll tell you what I'll do. You said you paid forty dollars for her. I'll give you twenty dollars and won't let my friend here shoot you, if you get out of here immediately." "Twenty dollars in gold?" "Twenty dollars in gold." "Sold. I'll tell you though, she won't do a thing you tell her to do. I don't think she understands English." I handed the man two gold eagles when he got to his feet, then we watched him until he was out of sight. "Are you okay, ma'am?" I asked as I knelt down beside her. "Can you speak English?" "I think I'll be okay. Yes, I speak English," she said with hardly any accent at all. "Thank you for saving me. I don't think I'll mind being owned by you." I had to laugh. "I don't own you," I said. "I don't believe that one person should own another." "Oh, but you do own me. My uncle sold me to that man and you bought me from him." "No, I bought your freedom from him. I'm Ed Hill and this is Tina Charbeneau. What is your name?" "I am Su Li." "Well, Su Li, as far as we're concerned, you are free to go anywhere you'd like." "But I don't have anywhere to go, Mr. Hill. If I go back to my uncle, he will just sell me again." "Where are your mother and father?" "They are both dead, Mr. Hill. That's why my uncle sold me. He did not want to have to feed me." "Strays!" I thought. "Well... You can come with us if you'd like, Su Li. We're on our way to St Joseph, Missouri and then on to Oregon." "I would like that, Mr. Hill." "Okay, the first rule you must learn if you are going to live with us is that I am Ed. Please do not call me Mr. Hill." "Okay, Ed." "Where are your things, Su Li?" "I don't have anything except what I'm wearing, Ed." She had on a dress that was tight to below her knees. I knew she couldn't ride in it. "Can you ride a horse, Su?" She smiled really big and said, "Yes, but not in this dress." Su stood up and the thoughts I had running through my mind died immediately. She was tiny. She couldn't have stood over five feet tall and probably didn't weigh more than ninety pounds. I had thought she might wear something of Cassie's or Tina's, but there was no way. "Let's walk back around to the general store and buy you something you can ride in. Would you object to wearing something like Tina has on?" "I'm not a traditional Chinese woman, Ed. That's another reason my uncle wanted to get rid of me," she said as we started walking back toward the store. "How do you speak such good English?" I asked. "I was a bit of a child prodigy. I received a degree from Beijing University when I was eighteen. My major was in foreign languages." "How did you end up here in the US?" "My father had to come over here on business. He thought it would be nice for my mother and me to come along for a holiday. Both my mother and my father died on the ship coming over. My uncle met the ship and you know the rest." By now we were approaching the front of the store and I saw Cassie roll her eyes at me. "Where are the horses, Ed?" she asked. "Cassie, this is Su Li. She was in trouble and we helped her. Would you take her inside and get her some clothes like yours?" "Sure. Is Su Li going with us?" "Yes. Tina and I will get the horses and mules. We'll need to get her a saddle at the livery stable when we pick up the horses. Would you like for me to take the saddle bags with me?" "No, we can take care of things. Katie, do you want to guard our things or do you want to help Su Li?" Without waiting for an answer, Cassie turned to Su Li and said, "I'm Cassie and this is Kate. Welcome to the family." "Sure and I'll be guarding our things," Kate said. "You all just run off and leave me here." .oO~Oo. Tina and I got the horses saddled and the mules packed, then bought a saddle and tack from the livery man. Within half an hour we were back in front of the store. Kate helped us pack all of the food onto the mules and we waited for Cassie and Su Li to come out. It was only a few minutes later when they came out. Su Li was now dressed in buckskins and they carried a bundle. We got the bundle on to one of the pack mules and I adjusted the stirrups for Su Li. Then we got on the road, out of town to the west. Before we cleared the edge of town, Cassie asked, "We're getting an awfully late start, why don't we just spend another night in the tavern?" "They wouldn't let Su Li stay in the tavern," I said. "Isn't that right, Su Li?" "That is right. I could sleep in the livery stable though. We did that a lot on the trip out here from Boston." "I don't know what it is with these people," Cassie ranted. "They need a fucking attitude adjustment. They won't let Delia sleep in a tavern. They won't let Su Li sleep in a tavern. I feel like kicking every one of their asses!" "Please excuse Cassie's language," I told Su Li. "She gets a little carried away." Su Li smiled and said, "I've heard the words." .oO~Oo. Later on, Katie and I were riding side by side, a ways in front of the rest of the group. "Now, tell me, husband of mine, what are we going to be doing with these new girls?" "I don't have the slightest idea, Katie. The man who had bought Su Li was beating her. I couldn't let that go on." "No, I'm sure you couldn't. Su Li told me you own her. What's that all about?" I told her just exactly what went down. Katie just smiled and shook her head. "You started out with two people. Now you have nearly twenty. How many more are there going to be before we get to Oregon?" We didn't travel far that day. All of us thought we could use a day of rest. ------- Chapter 38 Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Andy, Rawhide, and Stu took off again this morning looking for livestock. I really wish Andy had been here, because not long after they left, a guy stopped by and asked if we were forming up a wagon train. He introduced himself as Mark Lester. "Well, Mr. Lester, we're looking to either start one or join one. We won't be able to leave for a couple of weeks yet though." "There's really no hurry in getting started. You could wait a month and still get through the mountains before the snow flies." "Have you been through the mountains before, Mr. Lester?" "Yes, ma'am. I've taken wagon trains to Oregon the last two years. I'm hoping to take another one through this year." "Well, sir, we just might be interested in getting you to guide us through. I think we're probably going to add another wagon or two and we'll have as many as a thousand head of cattle with us. We wouldn't mind having some other folks join us as well." "That's a lot of cattle to drive through, ma'am. I hope you have some good drovers." "We do and we'll probably add some more just for insurance." Mark stayed and talked for quite some time. He was a personable young man, probably about Ed's age. We didn't get into money matters, but I decided he'd be an excellent person to lead our wagon train if we could work everything out. We left it that he'd come back tomorrow and talk with Andy about what all we'd need. Thursday, April 13, 1848 Ed: Day 25 of the Boston to St Joseph trip I was really pleased when we went to set up camp yesterday to find that Cassie had thought of getting a tent for our new people. Four of us in a tent would have been crowded. Five of us would have been impossible. This morning started with a bang. Several bangs as a matter of fact. Cassie and Kate were the first ones out this morning. While I started a cook fire, Cassie went over in front of Tina and Su Li's tent and started banging two pans together. It sounded like mid-shift in a boiler factory. Tina came out of their tent with her revolver in her hand, naked as the day she was born. Cassie raised her hands above her head and said, "Don't shoot, Marshal. I'll come peaceful." By now I was rolling on the ground, laughing my ass off. Tina glared at Cassie, then walked over to where I was and asked, "Are you laughing at me, white man?" "No, Tina. I'm laughing at the idiot with the pans. With you, I'm just enjoying the view." Tina looked over at Kate, who was laughing too. "He does stare, doesn't he?" "Yes, and he never gets over it. If he sees you naked a thousand times, he'll still be staring." "He just may get to see me naked a thousand times," Tina said. "Sometimes I wish I didn't have to wear clothes at all." "You'll like Sam then," I told her. "Sam isn't shy at all about being naked in front of friends or family." Su had come out of their tent about the time Tina walked over to me. She was dressed and ready to get on the road. She watched Tina's antics with a little smile on her face. Finally, I asked her, "Does nudity bother you, Su Li?" "No. There is very little privacy in a Chinese home. I grew up seeing my mother and father without clothes. Outside the home, nudity is never seen." "While we're traveling, this is my home," Tina said. Su Li nodded and said, "Yes. That is right." "You know, I heard once that in a family, nudity is often seen, but never noticed." Everyone got a laugh out of that. ------- We got to talk with Su Li a lot that day. Sometime during the day Katie asked, "You said your uncle sold you, Su Li. Why didn't he just sell you in Boston?" "I'm not exactly sure why he decided to sell me, Kate. At first I thought he was just going to accept me as a member of his family. He had some kind of a deal going where he was going to supply Chinese laborers to work on building railroads. When we got to Fort Wayne, he had a meeting with the man he had made the deal with. He came back from the meeting, very angry. He said something about being ruined financially and the next thing I knew, he sold me." "Selling a relative into slavery seems barbaric," Katie commented. "In China, it is perfectly acceptable to sell your son or daughter into slavery. Girl children are not valued very highly at any time. A man can sell his girl child to be a slave or a concubine. They are usually sold at a young age." "Why didn't your parents sell you?" I asked. "There are several reasons. After I was born, my father was injured and couldn't father any more children. Besides that, my parents spent a lot of time in France and England. They learned a lot of Western ways." "What would have happened if you and your mother had stayed in China and it was only your father who died?" I asked. "My father's brother would have inherited all of my father's wealth. He would have probably taken my mother as his fourth wife and he would have sold me." "So, men in China have more than one wife?" Katie asked. "Some have more than one wife. Some have one wife and several concubines." "Well, Su Li, I guess it's safe to tell you that Katie and I are both married to Ed. Actually, he has two more wives in Missouri," Cassie said. "Four wives and one slave," Su Li grinned. "Su Li, I don't believe in hitting a woman, but if you keep this up about being my slave, I'm going to have to turn you over my knee and spank you." Katie laughed and said, "Don't let him frighten you, Su Li. He's threatened me with a spanking a hundred times, but he's never done it." "Ah, but he is my master. I must submit to him," Su Li said. All four girls got a giggle out of that. Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Andy was thrilled when I told him last night that we might have a wagon master. Mark Lester came around again right after breakfast. Andy, Rawhide and I talked with him over coffee. "So, Mark," Andy said after everyone had been introduced. "Do you think it's safe to take a herd of cattle through to Oregon?" "Well, you'll probably lose a few of them. You can always expect that. I don't think the Indians will be a problem. If we get out of here by the first of May, there shouldn't be any problem with graze or water. It's a big job though. "What about other animals, like horses and hogs?" I asked. "Horses aren't a problem at all. You should have at least two for each man working the cattle. Hogs are another matter. Hogs are hard to drive. They also have a harder time crossing rivers and marshy ground. I would suggest that any you want to take with you would be young ones. The older, heavier ones are the ones that have the most trouble making it through." Andy said, "That makes sense. We can always buy more when we get to Oregon if we need to." "How much would you charge us to take a train through?" Rawhide asked. "Well, with all of the cattle you are taking along, I'd have to have at least three hundred dollars. I'd say you should try to get another ten to twenty families to go along with us. Depending on how many wagons there are, I might ask as much as four hundred." "We wouldn't mind having other families join us, but we'd want to have a say in who goes along," Andy said. "That's not a problem," Mark said. "I know of three or four families who are wanting to join a wagon train. I'll send them around to talk to you all." "Do you know of anyone with horses or cattle for sale?" I asked. "I'm not sure. I might. Someone was telling me about a family who are talking about moving back to Ohio. I'll find out and let you know." Andy looked at me and then at Rawhide. We both nodded, so he said, "Mr. Lester, we'd definitely like for you to be our wagon master. Would you be interested in leading us to Oregon?" "I definitely would. When are you folks planning to leave?" "My husband is on his way here from Boston," I said. "We figure it'll be another couple of weeks before he gets here. He'll probably want to rest up for a day or two, but then we'll be ready to go." "That sounds good. I'll see what I can find out about cattle and I'll also start sending people over for you to talk to." "Do you know of anyone who you could hire as a scout?" Andy asked. "There is a young man I've worked with before. I'll see if he's available." ------- We had a very productive day without even leaving camp. I know we're going to be busy for the next couple of weeks, but I think we'll be ready when Ed gets here. Friday, April 14, 1848 Ed: Day 26 of the Boston to St Joseph trip Well, today didn't start with nearly as big of a bang as yesterday had. Cassie went over and called gently to the girls to get up. We heard a lot of whispering and giggling coming from inside the tent. We had the fire built and coffee made before either one of them came out. When they did show themselves, they showed all of themselves. Both of them were as naked as the days they were born. I know my mouth had to drop open. Here we had an Indian and a Chinese. Both had darker skin than Cassie or Kate. Both had black hair. There, the resemblance ended. Su was at least three years older than Tina, but her breasts were much smaller and she was much shorter. Tina was tall, probably around 5'8", and she was elegant looking, with her long legs and trim waist. Her "B" cup breasts stood out proudly and her nipples were pointing at an upward angle. Her blue eyes must have come from her father, and their color was brought out by her black hair. Su Li couldn't have been more than five feet tall. Her breasts were no more than an "A" cup, but she had very dark nipples that made them very prominent. She looked like a perfect porcelain miniature. "To what do we owe this show?" I asked. "Well, you guys didn't seem to mind seeing me naked yesterday, so Su Li and I talked it over and decided to give you all another show. You don't mind, do you?" Tina said. "Honey, as pretty as you two ladies are, I wouldn't mind seeing you naked at any time," I assured them. ------- Yesterday we made around thirty-four miles and I figure we made as much or more today. The middle of April in northern Indiana can be nippy at times, but this year seemed to be an exception. The weather was warm and we really hadn't had that much rain. Cassie, Kate, and I teased Tina and Su Li about their early morning nudity. Neither of them were upset by the teasing and gave as good as they got. "Su Li," I said at one point during the day, "I was always told that Chinese women are very quiet. I can't imagine a Chinese woman teasing a man." Su Li smiled an enigmatic smile and said, "I told you I am not a traditional Chinese woman. My mother and father were very indulgent with me. While other girls were learning how to serve a man, I was learning languages and mathematics. While other girls were being taught to be subservient, I was being taught to be self sufficient. I'm sure that if my father hadn't had so many dealings with westerners, I'd have been raised the way other girls were. I'm just thankful my parents were as enlightened as they were." "So are we, Su Li. I assume you can never go back to China, unless you are ready ro be sold?" "That is true, Ed. It would kill me to be sold to a Chinese man and to have to live the way they thought was proper." "Well, that never has to happen to you, Su Li," Cassie said. Sam: St Joseph, Missouri The weather was great today. The sun was shining and the temperature was up in the 60's. Becky seemed to enjoy it as much as the rest of us did. It was about the middle of the morning when the first wagon showed up. A nice looking Conestoga wagon, pulled by four oxen rolled in to our camp. A middle aged man and woman got down off the wagon box and the man said something in a loud voice. It sounded like he was speaking German. Kids started coming out of the back of the wagon. When they were all out, I did a quick count and came up with twelve kids. They ranged in age from maybe my age down to a babe in arms. What I assumed was the oldest boy came over to where Andy and I were standing and said hello. "We are the Gunderson family," he said in only slightly accented English. The older man said something to the boy and the boy went on, "Mark Lester told papa that you folks were putting together a wagon train to go to Oregon. We wanted to see if we could join you." "Very possibly," I said. "Do your parents speak English?" "No, ma'am. Not much. We've been over here from Germany for three years, but most of the people mama and papa dealt with in Pennsylvania spoke German, so they never bothered to learn English. All of us kids speak it though." "Well, I'm Sam Hill and this is Andy Finke. Not speaking English won't be a problem for your parents as long as you kids can interpret." The boy exchanged some words with his father then turned back to us. "Papa's name is Axel and mama is Anna. I'm Gunter." Andy said, "Gunter, ask your father if your wagon is in good condition." "I can answer that, sir. Just about everything about it is new. We also have spare wheels and spare axles. We have some livestock that my brother is watching while we came over here to see you." "What kind of livestock do you have?" Andy asked. "We have two milk cows, six goats and four hogs," Gunter said." While we were talking, Axel and Anna were smiling. The kids were all standing quietly. I saw Delia and Dalia off to our right, so I caught their eyes and waved them over. Dalia walked up beside Andy and he put his arm around her. I was watching for a reaction from any of the new people, but I didn't see any. Then, Anna said something to Axel, so I asked Gunter what she had said. Gunter blushed and said, "She said young people in love can't keep their hands off of each other." We all cracked up at that. Andy and I nodded at each other, so I said, "Gunter, tell your parents we'd love to have them join us. We won't be leaving for a couple of weeks though. My husband had to go to Boston before we left and it'll be a couple of weeks before he's back." Gunter talked with his parents for a minute, then said, "They say that will be fine. Would you like for us to move over closer to you?" "Yes, but there's no hurry. You can come as soon as you want though." Gunter was smiling as he passed the information on to his parents. Both of the older Gundersons seemed pleased, then Axel stepped forward and shook Andy's hand and then mine. They seemed like nice people. ------- We didn't have any more new people come over, but before the afternoon was over, the Gundersons were back with their livestock and two more kids. Both of the new kids were boys and both were in their late teens. God! Fourteen kids! Okay, Becky is great and I wouldn't mind having another one or two, but fourteen? I think not. Birth control is going to be a problem though. The rhythm method doesn't always work, but it's about all we have right now. I'll have to talk to my sister/wives about that. Anyway, Ed shouldn't suffer because of the rhythm method. With four wives, at least one should always be available if he is in the mood. Saturday, April 15, 1848 Ed: Day 27 of the Boston to St Joseph trip God! What a beautiful morning. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the sixties when we came out of our tent. I busied myself in getting a fire going and Cassie went over to wake the girls. When they came out of their tent, they were clothed and I'll have to admit I was a little disappointed. I didn't feel deprived or anything. I mean, after all, I had just been snuggling between my two beautiful naked wives. Su Li and Tina pitched in and helped get breakfast ready. They also helped with saddling the horses and loading the mules. We were shaking out to be a good traveling group. ------- We were still traveling through relatively flat country and it would have been as boring as hell if it hadn't been for the company. This morning, Katie and Tina seemed to be having a contest to see who could tell the most outrageous tales about people they knew while they were growing up. Su Li, Cassie and I just listened to their tales and smiled. Cassie had made extra biscuits and bacon at breakfast, so we had leftovers for lunch. We just ate while we rode and we ended up knocking off early. We camped on a nice stream and Tina said she was going hunting. It wasn't more than half an hour later when we heard a shot and Katie and I decided to go and see if Tina had gotten anything. We headed off in the direction we heard the shot and within a few minutes we saw Tina expertly field dressing a deer. Katie and I helped her drag it back to camp. The fresh venison steaks we had for dinner really tasted good. "Ed, the rifle you bought for me is great," Tina said. "I couldn't have been more than an inch off of where I was aiming at fifty yards." "That's great, Tina. You are now our official hunter." Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Gunter and Ilsa came over this morning while we were eating breakfast. "Our father wanted to know if where we put our wagon was okay," Gunter said after he had introduced his sister, Ilsa. "They're just fine," Andy told them. "How old are you, Gunter?" I asked. "I'm nineteen and Ilsa is seventeen," Gunter said. "What made you all want to move to Oregon?" Andy asked. "We had a farm in Pennsylvania, but the land wasn't very good. We had a hard time raising enough to feed our family. We heard that the land in Oregon is very good." "You certainly have a big enough family," I said. Ilsa giggled and said, "I don't think mom and dad know what causes babies." "Ilsa!" Gunter said. "Mom and dad would skin you alive if they heard you talking like that." I had to laugh. I gave Becky a squeeze and said, "If all babies are as cute as this one, I wouldn't mind having another one or two myself." "Yes, but not fourteen of them," Ilsa said. I had to agree with that. "I've heard that the land in the Willamette Valley is really good for farming," I said. "Is that where you all plan to go?" I asked. "Probably so," Gunter said. "Papa doesn't know anything but farming. He wants me to be a farmer too, but I'm not sure that's what I want to do." "What do you want to do?" "I'm not sure. I think I'd rather raise cattle or horses than raise corn though. Are you folks planning on farming?" "No. We have around six hundred cattle up the river a ways. We're trying to buy more cattle and horses to take with us." "I've heard stories about wild horses in the west. When mama and papa are settled, I think I'm going to try my luck at capturing some of them and breaking them for riding." "It'd be a lot of hard work, but it would be worth it," Andy said. "I've seen herds of wild horses myself when I was in Oregon, trapping. Seeing a herd of fifty or sixty wild horses, running across a meadow. Is an awe inspiring sight." ------- We had another wagon show up in the afternoon. Alf and Maude Gilles seemed like a nice couple in their late twenties. Alf had been a farrier before leaving Pennsylvania. They had four kids ranging from around four years old to around twelve. "Maude and me didn't have it bad where we were living. There was enough work to keep me busy and we weren't hurting. The only problem was, we didn't see any future there for our kids." "We wanted something better for them," Maude said. "We wanted them to be able to stretch out and do whatever they wanted to do." "We're not going to be able to leave for a couple of weeks. Is that going to bother you?" I asked. "No. We're in no big hurry. I figure about all we'll get done this year is get up a shelter for the winter. Next spring we'll start really settling in." "I see you've got some livestock. Are all of your cattle branded?" Andy asked. "Yep. All of them got an 'AG' brand on them." "We've got a good sized herd up the river a ways. I figure we can just sort them all out when we get to Oregon, if that's okay with you." Alf smiled like someone had given him a present. "It'll make it a lot easier on us if you'll do that," he said. ------- Chapter 39 Sunday, April 16, 1848 Ed: Day 28 of the Boston to St Joseph trip Wow! What a day! It started off innocently enough, but before noon, Cassie and I were shaken to our roots. Su Li and Tina pushed Cassie and Kate aside this morning and fixed breakfast for us. I'll have to admit, they are both good cooks. We got a nice early start and were making good time when it happened. I was riding, thirty feet or so in the lead, when four people stepped out into a clearing a hundred yards or so in front of us. I knew immediately that something was different about them. I reined in and Cassie was beside me immediately. "They're wearing shorts, Ed," she said. "Yeah, I noticed that." "It looks like they're wearing backpacks too." "It looks like that to me too." "Do you think they could be... ?" "I don't know, honey. There's only one way to find out though." I turned to Kate and said, "Kate, I want you and Tina and Su Li to stay here with the horses while Cassie and I go to see who these people are." Katie nodded and said, "We'll keep our eyes open." Cassie and I rode over to the new people. They were just standing there, staring at us. "Howdy, folks," I said. "Hello," the man said. "I'm Tim Gray and this is my wife, Sally, and my son, Jason, and my daughter, Cindi." "It's nice to meet you folks. I'm Ed Hill and this is my wife, Cassie. Where are you folks from?" "We're from Detroit. Right now, we seem to be lost." "Have you seen anyone else since you've been lost, Tim?" I asked. "No, you're the first. We were beginning to worry a little." "I have to ask you some questions that are going to seem strange, Tim. Please bear with me and I think we can get everything straight soon." "Okay." "What is today's date?" "May 12, 2003, why?" "I assume you guys were on a little backpacking vacation?" "Yes." "Was there a big storm just before you got lost?" "Yes, sir. The biggest storm any of us had ever seen." "Tim, I don't know how to tell you this, except to come right out and say it. Today's date is actually April 16, 1848." "What? That's impossible." "I'm sorry, Tim, but it's not impossible. Highly unlikely, yes. Mind numbing, certainly. The fact is, though, you are now in the year 1848." "Cool," I heard Cindi mutter. "How do we know you're not just trying to pull some kind of joke on us?" Jason asked. "Cindi, walk over to the three young women and ask them what year it is," I said. "Don't say anything to them other than that." We watched as Cindi walked over to them. She said something and we could see Kate answer her. When she came back, she said, "They say it's 1848." "Believe me, we know what you're going through," Cassie said. "It happened to us just about a year ago." "Uh, you're from the future too?" Sally asked, a stunned look on her face. "Yes, but we were kicked back here from the year 2005," Cassie said. "Mr. Hill, who are those people over there?" Cindi asked. "They are our family and friends," I said. "They're not from the future, so we asked them to stay over there until we'd talked to you." "Do they know you're from the future?" Cindi asked. "Katie, the redhead does. The other two do not," I said. "We've been kind of afraid to tell too many people. Most people are going to think we're crazy and try to lock us away." "Ed, I don't think we have any choice now. I think we have to tell, Tina and Su Li," Cassie said. "I guess you're right," I said. "We might as well tell these people our other secret too." Cassie nodded, so I said, "Cassie is my wife. So is Katie. We also have two other wives waiting for us in St Joseph, Missouri." "Wicked," Cindi giggled. "I'll tell the girls we're going to noon here," Cassie said and rode back to the others. We watched them as they started building a fire to fix some lunch. "We've been suspecting something was wrong," Sally said, "but we never expected it was anything like this." "We had packed in to an area we had camped in before," Tim said. "We were familiar with the area and I didn't think we could have possibly gotten lost. After the big storm, the day before yesterday, we decided to go back to our car and find a motel for a night or two. When we got back to where the car should have been, it wasn't there." "Neither was the parking lot or the road," Jason said. "I kept telling dad I knew we were in the right spot, but he didn't believe me." "Okay, let's go back and talk with the rest of our group. I'll introduce you, then I'll tell them what happened to you first." They agreed, so we walked back to where the women were setting up our noon camp. As I was introducing everyone, I saw Cassie in a whispered conversation with Kate. Kate looked like someone had hit her in the head with a hammer. "Tina, Su Li, I need for you to sit down and talk with us for a few minutes. Cassie and Kate will fix lunch." The two girls sat down with us and I said, "Strange things can happen to people at times. Things we can't explain. Something very strange happened to the Grays the other night." Tina and Su Li just nodded, so I went on, "There was a big storm. Lightning hit the tent they were in. After the lightning hit they were here with us in the year 1848. Before the lightning hit, they were in the year 2003." "How do you know they're telling the truth about that?" Tina asked. "Because the same thing happened to Cassie, Sam, and me. The only difference was that when it happened to us, we were in the year 2005." There was complete silence for a few minutes, then Su Li said, "Ed, that explains a lot to me. Most people think that if you are Chinese you are less than dirt. You and Cassie and Kate have treated me like I am your equal. I had wondered why you were different." "Su Li," Sally said, "I have to tell you that we think you are our equal as well. In the time we came from, China was a world power and most people in the United States were treated as equals." "So, what do we do now?" Tim asked. "Well, it looks to me like you have two choices," I said. "You can either go with us, or you can walk to Fort Wayne, which is about 120 miles to the east. How much food do you have with you?" "Not a lot," Tim frowned. "I'd say we have a couple of days worth of freeze dried food. Where are you guys going?" "Right now, we're headed for St Joseph, Missouri. We'll meet up with the rest of our family there and then we're going on to Oregon. Do you guys have any way of hunting for food?" "No. I've never believed in owning guns. We wouldn't know what to do with an animal if we killed it." "Tim, that's one thing you're going to have to learn if you guys are going to survive in this time," I said as Kate and Cassie brought plates of food over to the newcomers. They served them venison steaks along with vegetables they had cooked last night and biscuits left over from breakfast. The new people dug in like they hadn't eaten in a week. "How long have you guys been eating freeze dried food?" I asked. "About a week," Jason said. "This is fantastic." "Freeze dried stuff is yuck," Cindi added. Cassie and I got a big laugh out of that. We agreed completely. "How old are you, Cindi?" Cassie asked. "I'm sixteen and Jason is eighteen. How old are you?" "I'm fifteen. I'll be sixteen before long." "You're only fifteen and you're married already?" Sally asked. "Married and pregnant. Sally, things are a lot different now than they are in the twenty-first century. Most girls are married by the time they're fifteen," Cassie said. "Frigid," Cindi grinned. ------- We talked for a while and I offered to loan the new people money and a gun to hunt with, but they finally decided they'd at least go on to St Jo with us. Cassie got busy and tried to organize things. None of the new people had ridden much and we didn't have saddles for them anyway, so we had to double up. Cassie put Cindi behind me, Tim behind Su Li, Sally behind her, and Jason behind Katie. She said this would divide the load between the horses more equally. Tina was riding by herself, in case she saw something that would make good eating. I knew we weren't going to be making as good a time over the next few days until we got somewhere we could buy some saddles and a couple of more horses. There wasn't much we could do about it though. Through our conversations that afternoon, we learned that Tim had been an investment banker. He grew up in the city and had never really even liked the outdoors. Sally, on the other hand, had been raised on a farm and loved the outdoors. Once a year, Sally managed to force the issue and get everyone to go camping. "Jason and I love camping and hiking," Cindi confided as she snuggled up against my back. "We'd spend every hour of every day in the woods if we could." "That's sort of what it's like in this time period, Cindi. It'd like you're on a 24-7 camping trip." "Icy!" ------- I really felt sorry for the new people that evening. They were so sore they could hardly walk. I told them we'd take it as easy tomorrow as we could, but that we couldn't stop completely for a day. "Why's that?" Cindi asked. "Two reasons," I said. "The first one is that our wife, Sam gave birth to our first child just a couple of days before we left for Boston. We've been away from our wives, Sam and Delia, for almost two months. We're anxious to see them and to see our daughter. The second reason is that we need to leave St Joseph right after we get there if we're going to make it to Oregon before snow closes the passes through the mountains." "How long does it take to get to Oregon?" Tim asked. "We're told it takes about six months. Sam was a history buff before we were sent back here and she was really interested in the Oregon Trail. We haven't met anyone from this time who has taken the trail before, but we're hoping to hire a guide in St Jo." "Six months? Wow! In 2003 you could drive it in three or four days," Cindi said. "Yep, everything moves slower here. You'll also find that things are a lot less expensive here. Wages are a lot lower too though," I said. My girls made a nice stew for dinner while Tina went hunting. She was gone for about an hour and when she came back, she had two nice sized turkeys. She and Su Li cleaned them after dinner. After Tina, Cassie, and I were snuggled in our tent, Cassie asked, "So, are you going to end up with two or three new wives out of this trip, Ed." "You're kidding, right?" "No," Katie said. "Tina adores you; Su Li worships you; and we think Cindi is in love with you already. There is something about you, Ed, that causes women to fall in love with you and men to follow you. All of your wives have talked about it, but none of us can say what it is." I didn't know what to say, so I just kept my mouth shut and we all went to sleep. ------- Sam: St Joseph, Missouri So, with the two new families that have joined us, that puts us up to twelve wagons in our little wagon train. Andy and I were talking about it this morning and we decided we'd like at least twenty wagons if we can get them, mainly so we'll have more people if there is any problem with Indians while we're on the trail. Mark Lester came by not long after breakfast and told Andy he'd learned of some cattle we should look at. He didn't stay long and Andy and Rawhide took off not long after he left. It was after noon when another wagon pulled in. It was a young couple with a baby who wasn't much older than Becky. The woman and I cooed over each other's babies for a few minutes, then the man introduced them as Patrick and Abigail O'Connell and their son Benjamin. "Is this the Ed Hill wagon train?" he asked. "Yes, I'm Ed's wife, Sam, and this is our daughter, Becky. How do you know Ed?" "We met him as he was on his way to Boston. He said you guys were forming up a wagon train and asked if we'd like to join you." "I think I'd like that," I said. "It'll be nice having another woman with a baby with us." I showed them where to put their wagon and then showed them the coach. I told Abigail she could ride in it any time she wanted. ------- Monday, April 17, 1848 Ed: Day 29 of the Boston to St Joseph trip We had a quick breakfast this morning and got underway early. We had lost some time yesterday because of the Grays and I wanted to try to make it up today. Cindi was riding behind me again. She didn't complain, but every once in a while, I'd hear a sigh or a stifled groan. "Are you hurting, Cindi?" I asked. "Yeah, pretty much. I'll make it though," she said bravely. "I know you will, honey. When Sam, Cassie and I first started riding horses, we went through the same thing you're going through. Why don't you try riding sideways for a while? That way both of your legs will be on the same side of the horse and they won't have to be spread out." "That might help," Cindi sounded encouraged. I pulled Hawk to a stop and we got her situated in a new position. "Be sure you've got a good hold on me," I said. "We wouldn't want you to fall off." I don't know what Cindi was thinking, but she giggled as she wrapped her arms around me. ------- We were riding beside Cassie and Sally, later on, so I asked Sally what kind of a farm she had grown up on. "Actually, it would have fit in well in this time. Dad didn't believe in using pesticides or herbicides or any kind of chemical for that matter. Everything was completely organic." "That will be helpful on a farm or ranch. You know things are going to be a lot different than what you're used to, don't you, Sally?" Sally sighed and said, "Yes, I've been thinking about it. I think I'll actually enjoy the difference. I've always loved the country and the out of doors. The kids take after me, so I don't think they'll have any problem adapting. It's Tim I worry about." "Why's that?" Cassie asked. "Tim was raised in the city. He doesn't feel comfortable unless there are a hundred thousand people within a few blocks of him. His idea of a vacation is to go to a fancy resort where he can play golf and tennis and where we can dress for dinner every evening. I just don't know how he's going to adapt to this." I looked over at Tim, riding behind Su Li and I could see what she meant. He looked absolutely miserable. I don't think it was only because of the riding. "You seem to be taking this well, Sally. Is it just because you like the outdoors or is there another reason?" "To be honest with you, Ed, I hated the life we had in Detroit. I hated the women I had to associate with as a prominent banker's wife. I hated the gossip and the infighting among wives to show who's husband was more important. I hated the boys Jason hung out with and I hated the boys who were trying to get in my daughter's panties." Cassie giggled and Cindi said, "They weren't all bad, mom." Cindi giggled and continued, "Just 99.9999 percent of them." "I don't think you had found that small percentage who weren't bad though, had you?" Sally asked her daughter. "No, mom, I hadn't. I could take care of myself though." "That's what every girl who was ever date raped said just before it happened," I said. Cindi hugged me and said, "I don't have to worry about that now. I've got you to protect me." I looked over at Sally and she rolled her eyes at me, but didn't say anything. ------- That evening, while the women were fixing supper, I watched Tim closely. He kind of went off by himself and just sat there. Looking down at the ground for quite a while. Finally he got up and without saying anything to anyone, he walked off into the woods. I noticed that Sally watched him leave. In a few minutes, she came over and asked me if I'd take a walk with her. I agreed and when we started out, she motioned we should go in the opposite direction from where Tim had gone. When we were a hundred feet or so from the camp, Sally started talking. "Tim has me a lot more worried than I wanted to let on in front of Cindi. Last night, he made several remarks about, 'what did he have to live for now?'; and about how the people in this age were ignorant louts. He also made a racist remark about Su Li. In all of my years with him, I'd never heard him make a racist remark before. I really don't know of anything anyone can do, but if you can think of any way we could help him, would you please let me know?" "I'll try, Sally, but I really don't know Tim well enough to help him." "That's all I ask. If you could ask everyone else to keep their eyes on him, I'd appreciate it. I'm afraid he may be contemplating suicide." "Sally, you know that if he decides to commit suicide, there's nothing anyone can do to stop him, don't you?" "Yes, but if we make it difficult for him to do it, he may give it up." "You have a good point there. I'll ask everyone to watch him." ------- I did get a chance that evening to talk with Su Li, Tina, Cassie, and Kate about Tim. All of them agreed to watch him. ------- Sam: St Joseph, Missouri It was late when Andy got back last night, so I didn't get to talk to him. At breakfast, he told me about the cattle he'd gone to look at. "They're almost all cows," he said as he sipped his coffee. "They all appear to be one to two years old. There are a few steers in the bunch and a couple of bulls." "They're asking twelve dollars a head if we'd take all three hundred of them," Rawhide said. "That sounds like a good price," I said. "We thought so too," Andy said. "We told them we'd be back this morning with a deposit so they'd hold them for us." "That's good. How much do you want to give them for a deposit?" "Can we afford five hundred?" "Yeah, Andy. I'll get it for you right after we eat." ------- We had two more families join us today, the McGinty family and the Crowe family. The McGintys were in their mid twenties and had three small children. The Crowes were in their early thirties and had five kids. It was beginning to look like we were going to have quite a contingent of kids with us. ------- Tuesday, April 18, 1848 Ed: Day 30 of the Boston to St Joseph trip The entire Gray family was quiet at breakfast this morning. Cindi and Sally helped fix the meal, but they didn't say much. Once we were under way, Cindi leaned against my back and almost whispered, "Ed, dad hit mom last night." That got my attention. "What brought that on?" I asked as I turned Hawk farther away from the rest of the group. "I'm not sure. We were all getting ready for bed and dad started saying that us getting sent back in time was mom's fault. He said that she always wanted to get away from the city and that was what caused it. He said she always got her way, now she had her way in this too." "When did he hit her?" "Well, mom said, 'Honey, just calm down. Everything is going to be okay, ' then he hit her." "What happened then?" "Mom fell over on her sleeping bag and I moved over to comfort her. Jason told dad that if he hit her again, he'd kill him. I thought dad was going to go after Jason for a minute, then he just got into my sleeping bag and pulled it up over his head. I ended up sleeping with mom in their double bag." "Your mom is worried that your dad may commit suicide," I told Cindi. I thought she was old enough to be told the truth. I felt Cindi nod against my back. "He may. What worries me more is that he might kill mom first." I decided I should talk to Sally about this before I said any more. Cindi hugged herself tighter against me, then said, "You won't let him hurt mom, will you, Ed?" "No, honey, I won't let him hurt any of you." ------- It wasn't long before Cassie came riding over to see what was going on. I watched Sally as I told Cassie what Cindi had told me. I think Sally was more embarrassed than anything else. "Ed, he has never hit me before. I don't think he'll do it again. I don't think he really realized what he was doing." "That may be true, but are you going to make the same excuses for him the next time he doesn't realize what he's doing? I'm going to have a talk with him, Sally. I'm just going to make sure he knows what is going to happen to him if he hurts you or Jason, or Cindi. Hopefully I can do that without a big confrontation." "Tim is not a violent man. I don't think you have to worry about a confrontation," Sally said. "Tim was not a violent man when he was in his own little world. Now, his whole world has changed. Hitting you was not the act of a nonviolent man." "Mom, this coming back in time has changed every one of us," Cindi said. "If you weren't worried about dad, you'd be happier than I've ever seen you. Jason would have never stood up to dad like he did last night. Dad's gone all wonky. I think it's the change in time that has changed all of us." "You said all of us have changed. Have you changed too?" Sally asked. "Yes, but I'm not going to say how." Sally looked at me and winked. Cassie just gave me a big smile. ------- Nothing else of note happened that day. Even riding double, we made almost thirty miles. I didn't have a chance to talk with Tim that evening. He went into their tent as soon as he had finished eating. ------- Chapter 40 Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Andy paid the down payment on the cattle yesterday. He said the guy we were buying them from told him of a guy who was selling horses, so he went off to look at them today. The Vencille boys had made me a playpen for Becky. It was about four feet square and had slatted sides that came up about three feet. I lined it with quilts and blankets and put Becky in it for the first time this morning. Evidently my little angel liked looking at the sky and the clouds because she seemed perfectly happy to be left lying in it. She hadn't been in it long when Abby O'Connell came over with Benjamin. "Why don't you put Ben in with Becky and see if they get along?" I asked her. Abby gave me a big smile and placed her little bundle alongside Becky. They both took notice of each other immediately, but they were too young to do anything about it except wave their arms and coo. They were a joy to watch. Abby and I did a lot of talking. She told me about growing up in Pennsylvania and I made up a story about growing up in upstate New York. I wrote out the story in a diary so I'd remember it in the future. Wednesday, April 19, 1848 Ed: Day 31 of the Boston to St Joseph trip As soon as I saw Cindi this morning I asked her to walk with me. When we were away from the campfire, I asked, "Did your father hit your mother last night?" "No, but he was mean to her. He called her some bad names and was still claiming that she's responsible for him losing his lifestyle." "You do want me to talk to him about this, don't you, Cindi?" "Oh, yes, Ed. Maybe he'll listen to you." "Okay, let's go back and I'll talk with him." I waited until after we had eaten breakfast and were getting ready to go before I told Tim I wanted to talk to him. He reluctantly followed me away from the rest of the group. "Tim, it has come to my attention that you hit Sally the other night. I also understand that you are blaming her for you getting kicked into the past." "That is really none of your business." "It is my business. Sally is a nice lady. I'm not going to see her abused." "You just don't understand. No one does. I had a great life in 2003. I had a great house in one of the nicer suburbs of Detroit. It cost me almost a million dollars, but it was worth every penny of it. I had a new Infinity and a Cadillac SUV. I was an investment banker. I enjoyed my work and made good money. I invested my own money and I had more money in stocks and bonds than you probably ever saw." "I do understand a lot of what you are saying. I was an engineer. I lived and breathed electronics. I miss that. I also miss playing golf with the guys at work. I miss pizzas and Chinese food. We all lost a lot when we were booted back here." "Yeah, I miss the golf too. I had a five handicap and I played every Saturday morning. I also played tennis every Wednesday evening. Now, I have nothing and it's all because of Sally and our bratty kids." "Why do you think it's because of Sally and the kids?" "Because Sally never liked the way we lived. She said the house was too big and she said she didn't like our 'snooty' neighbors. She was born on a farm and I don't think she ever did get the cow shit off of her feet. She raised our kids to be like she is. All any of them can talk about is the 'Great Outdoors'. I'm sure she was wishing something like this would happen and I'll bet the kids were too. She was always saying she was born two hundred years too late." "Why did you marry her in the first place if you didn't like who she was?" "Oh, she was a pretty thing. She had nice big tits and a great ass. I thought I could change her. I thought she'd like the good life and would get used to having servants. I don't think she's changed one fucking bit from when she used to shovel horse shit." "Well, whatever the reason you married her in the first place and whatever the reason you stayed married to her for as long as you did, you are not going to abuse her now. That includes verbal abuse as well as physical abuse." "Just what are you going to do about it if I did?" "I don't think there's any doubt that I could kick your sorry ass from here to Kentucky. If kicking your ass doesn't work, I'll just blow your fucking brains out. Things are different in this time, Tim. Justice is swift and usually final." "Why are you trying to protect her?" Tim sneered. "Are you fucking her, or is it Cindi you're fucking?" "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer. I will tell you it is all I can do right now to keep from mashing your nose all over your face. As I said before, things are different now. Learn to live with things the way they are, or kill yourself. If you keep up the attitude you have now, someone else will do the killing for you." Tim stomped off. I don't know if our talk did any good or not. I hoped it had. I think Sally still loves the guy and he is Cindi and Jason's father. ------- Cindi was quiet when she got up behind me this morning. She hugged herself against my back and rode in silence for a long while. We had probably gone five miles before she said anything. "You talked to dad this morning, didn't you?" she asked in a small voice. "Yes." "I thought so. When he came back from talking to you, he gave me a look that could have killed. Did you tell him I was the one who told you about him hitting mom?" "No, honey. I don't know how much of this I should be telling you, Cindi," I sighed. "I'm a grown woman, Ed. I can handle it, whatever it is." I had to smile about the grown woman comment. Cindi did, however, seem more mature than her father. "Your dad is very upset because he has lost the lifestyle he loved. I know it was hard on all of us making the transition when we were kicked back into this time, but your father seems to be taking it harder than any of the rest of us." "Okay, I can understand that. It still doesn't give him the right to hit mom or call her a fucking whore." "No, it doesn't and I told him so." "What did he say to that?" "He said it was none of my business. He also asked me what I'd do about it if he did it anyway." "What did you tell him?" "I told him I'd kick his ass from here to Kentucky." Cindi hugged me and said, "Thank you, Ed." After a while, Cindi asked, "If he hits us again, will you really kick his ass?" "Yes." "What if he tried to kill us or something?" "Then I'd kill him. Cindi, things are a lot different now. We don't have a policeman on every corner. It's almost a Darwinian society. Survival of the fittest. We have to protect ourselves, or we will prove we are not the fittest." "Yeah, I can see that," Cindi said after thinking it over. ------- We made it to Peoria, Illinois that afternoon late. In 1848 Peoria had a population of between three and four thousand people. That made it a fairly good sized town for the era. Cassie, Kate, and Su Li went off to the general store to stock up on food, while the rest of us went to the livery stable to buy horses for the new people. I sure wish we had Mandy along to help us pick out what horse each person should get. The livery stable was nice and they had a couple of dozen horses for sale. We talked to the man who ran the place and he walked with us out to the corral. We stood there for a few minutes, just looking them over. Three of the horses started to migrate toward us. I smiled as a bay mare started nuzzling Cindi's neck. "That's one," I thought. Jason's and Sally's horses picked them out as well. Tim said he didn't give a damn what animal he had to ride, so we went with the livery man's recommendation. I ended up paying right at $200.00 for four horses, saddles, and tack. We stopped at a tavern for dinner and the serving girl didn't even remark about Su Li being Chinese. I think all of us enjoyed the meal and even Tim seemed to get into it. After we had eaten, we pushed on through town and camped on the west side of the Illinois River. Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Two more families showed up today, the Jamisons and the Caldwells. Both families seemed nice and we added seven more children to our troop. Abby came around and we talked again today. I really like her. She's nice to talk to and she treats Delia and Dalia with respect. I think that's amazing for someone from this time period. It's less than two weeks until Ed, Cassie, and Kate will be here. God I miss them. I'm going to screw Ed's brains out the night he gets here. Delia says she has him the second night. Thursday, April 20, 1848 Ed: Day 32 of the Boston to St Joseph trip I figure we have about a week or a little over until we get to St Joseph. If it wasn't for worrying about what Tim might do, I'd be the happiest person in the world. Everyone was up and moving in a timely manner that morning. All of the women pitched in on fixing breakfast while I started saddling the horses and packing the mules. When they called me to breakfast, I saw that Tim was already eating. I sat down between Cassie and Katie and we were joined by Tina and Su Li. It wasn't but a few minutes later when Cindi came over and asked if she could join us. She was followed almost immediately by Jason. "Is everything okay?" I asked. "Yeah, it's just that the company over here is much better than it is over there," Cindi said. "I have to agree with you, sis," Jason said. "I don't think dad has spoken since we camped last night." A few minutes later, Sally came over and sat down to finish her meal. "Tim says he's leaving us," she said. "He wanted me to ask you if he could borrow a hundred dollars from you, Ed." "I hate to say it, Sally, but I'd pay that much to be rid of him." "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Sally said. "I'll pay you back for what he borrows though, Ed." "No repayment is necessary, Sally. When is he planning to leave?" "As soon as you give him the money. I guess I should be upset about this, but I'm not. We've been married for eighteen years, but the last five or six haven't been good. All he's been able to think about or talk about during that time is how much he makes and what all he owns." "Mom, did you know dad has been having an affair?" Jason asked. "Not for sure, but I suspected it. What do you know about it?" "I don't know for sure either, or I'd have told you about it. One of my friends told me he had seen dad kissing a young woman who didn't look any older than Cindi. I thought he might be mistaken, so I didn't tell you." "It's okay, son. Maybe that's why he's so upset about being bumped back. He won't have his little piece any more." I reached in my pocket and pulled out what money I had on me. I counted it out and I had enough to give him ten gold eagles. I passed it to Sally and said, "Tell him he can keep the horse and saddle too. Fix him up a few days worth of food he can take with him." Sally went back over to give Tim the money so I asked, "Jason and Cindi, I know this has to be hard on you guys. Is there anything we can do to help?" "It's really not going to bother me all that much, Ed," Jason said. "Mom is right, dad has been an ass for years. He never had time for any of us. I've been playing football for the last couple of years and he never came to a single game." "Well, I'm sorry that football hasn't been invented yet and I'm sorry your dad treated you the way he did," I said. "There really aren't any organized sports at this time. Young men, your age, usually do a lot of hunting or trapping." "I don't think it's going to bother me too much either," Cindi said. "I haven't been close to dad since I was nine or ten years old." "Awh, Cindi, you blew it," Cassie giggled. "You should have acted all shook up and sat on Ed's lap and let him cuddle and console you." Now it was Cindi's turn to giggle. "Oh, shit. I did blow it." ------- We watched as Tim finished eating, then he walked over to the horses and asked, "Is this one mine?" I told him it was and he mounted up and rode off toward the east without another word. I wondered how he'd get along because he didn't even have a gun to hunt with. We soon had everything packed up and took off in the opposite direction. Sally rode beside me for a ways and we talked about her marriage. "You know, Ed, when we were first married, Tim was a very good man. I was fresh out of high school when I met him and he was fresh out of college. I fell for him, big time." "I can understand that, Sally. I think I fell in love with my wife, Sam, the second time I saw her." "I don't think it was long after Cindi was born when I started to feel like Tim didn't approve of me any more. He was starting to move up at the bank and I think he felt like his farm girl wife was holding him back socially." "I never was much of a social animal. Of course, engineers move in different circles than investment bankers do. When my wife left me in 2005, I was devastated. Then I found out she was pregnant with another guy's baby and that she had been having affairs for years." "The first affair I knew that Tim had was when Cindi was three years old. He was boinking a sweet young teller at the bank. I'm sure she thought he was going to leave me for her and that she'd be on easy street. I confronted him about it and he was very repentant. He dropped her and swore it'd never happen again. I forgave him for it, but I guess I never fully trusted him after that." "I can understand that." "A few years later I suspected him again. I'm still not sure if he was at that time or not, but suddenly it seemed like he had broken it off. It wasn't long after that when he really started pulling away from all of us." "I'm really sorry, Sally. What do you think he'll do now?" "He says he's going to set the present day banking industry on its ear." I had to smile at that one. "He may have a hard time doing that. We're in what was known as the Free Banking Era. There is no central bank and the industry is in chaos." Sally smiled, "He may make it even more chaotic." "Personally, are you okay, Sally. I know when my wife left me, I couldn't even function properly." "Yeah, surprisingly enough I have more of a feeling of relief than anything else. You said you guys are going to Oregon. Would you have room for three more?" "Most definitely. Things are a lot more primitive than when you were growing up on a farm. It will take some getting used to, but I think we can all have a good life in this time period." ------- Even with saying goodbye to Tim, we made around thirty-three or thirty-four miles for the day. At one point, Cindi rode over and talked with me for a while. A little later, Jason did the same. Surprisingly enough, neither of the young people seemed upset by their father's desertion. Sam: St Joseph, Missouri What a day! God! I wish Ed had been here. It started out nice enough. About mid-morning, another wagon showed up. The Jeffersons seemed like nice people even though they did seem a little old to be moving to Oregon. It was just after lunch when Stu came riding into camp. He looked like he had just lost his best friend. He dismounted and came over to where Andy and I were talking about hogs. "We just lost both of our cooks," he told us. "Chaps Lawson shot and killed Ward Bender. The sheriff came out and arrested Lawson." "How did it happen?" Andy asked. "They had been jawing at each other all day. I'm not sure they even knew what started it. After a while, they were blaming each other for everything bad that had ever happened to them. Finally, Lawson said, "I'll fix you, you son-of-a-bitch, ' then he pulled his gun and shot Bender right through the heart." "What happened then?" "I sent one of the men in to get the sheriff. If both of them had been armed and both had pulled their guns, I'd have just buried Bender and that would have been the end of it. As it was, Bender wasn't even armed when Lawson shot him. We took Lawson's gun away from him and made him wait for the sheriff." "Did the sheriff say what would be done with him?" I asked. "He said the circuit judge would be in town in a couple of days and they'd have a trial then. He said they'd probably hang him." "Shit!" Andy said. "Well, I guess we'd better see if we can find a couple of cooks." ------- The sheriff came around and talked to us later that afternoon. I guess Stu had sent him to us. There wasn't much we could tell him, so he didn't stay long. Delia and I spent a lot of time that afternoon playing with Becky. Friday, April 21, 1848 Ed: Day 33 of the Boston to St Joseph trip The whole camp seemed happier last night. I wondered what Sally's mood would be like this morning, after having spent a night alone. I shouldn't have worried. None of Tim's family seemed like they even missed him. All of us sat together at breakfast. Cassie was sitting next to me, so I nudged her in the ribs with my elbow. When she looked up at me, I motioned with my head toward Jason. He was looking at Su Li like a calf mooning over its mama. Cassie grinned and whispered in my ear, "I think Jason is smitten with our little China Doll." I had to agree. ------- Later, when Sally came over to ride beside me for a while, I said, "Cassie and I were noticing this morning that Jason seems to be taken with Su Li. How do you feel about that?" Sally smiled and said, "My son has good taste. I got to talk to Su Li yesterday and she is a very smart young lady. Besides that, she is an absolute living doll." "It doesn't bother you that she is Chinese?" "Not in the least." "Sally, you are a lady after my own heart. I think racial or gender prejudice are two of the stupidest things I have ever heard of. You know there is a lot of prejudice against the Chinese in this era, don't you?" "I guess there was or is. I seem to remember reading that the Chinese laborers were treated very badly." "Too true. Actually, there aren't many Chinese in this country right now. It'll be another twenty years before the abuses start. Even now, if we tried to spend a night in a tavern, Su Li wouldn't be allowed to stay, except in the stable." "That bites. It's probably a good thing we're traveling to Oregon. We'll be away from that kind of thing." "My wife, Delia, is black. We have the same problems with her. Men who marry a black or a Chinese or an Indian are looked down on by most people. Tina's mother and father were killed by men who objected to him being married to a 'squaw'." "You know, that really makes me mad. Tina is a fine young woman. Tim would have probably had problems with interracial marriages. He was always a bit of a prig. I agree with you though. Prejudice is just another form of stupidity." "I'm glad you feel that way, Sally." "Can I ask you a personal question, Ed?" Sally asked. "Sure." "When are you going to marry Tina?" "What makes you think I am going to marry Tina?" "I've seen the way Tina looks at you. It's a look of love. From the way you look at her, I think you love her too." "I do, Sally. It's just that I already have four wives. I don't need any more." Sally laughed. "I think you're going to get more whether you need them or not. I think I should warn you, my daughter looks at you the same way Tina does. I don't know what it is about you that attracts women, but I know if I were even ten years younger, I'd be after you myself." I know when to keep my mouth shut, so I did. ------- Cassie, Katie, and Cindi surrounded me after a while. When they had settled in around me, Cindi asked, "What was mom talking with you about?" "I'm sorry, Cindi, but that was a private conversation." "I'll bet it was about Jason. I think Jason has a girlfriend. Is mom okay with that?" I had to laugh. "Cindi, I am not going to tell you what your mom and I talked about. I will say I don't think she has a prejudiced bone in her body." "That's the way I see it too," Cassie said. "I was watching Sally watch Jason this morning. She had that tolerant mother look, with maybe a little pride thrown in." Katie reached over and touched my hand, so I grabbed on to hers and held it for a minute. "Cindi, you are a fine young lass, but there is something I need to speak to my husband about. Would you mind riding over and teasing your brother for a while?" Cindi grinned and took off. "Ed, I think by now you know that I love you with all of my heart," Katie said. "That I do, Katie my love." "Cassie and I thought we should warn you that we see some trouble brewing. Jealousy type trouble." "Jealousy from whom?" "From Tina toward Cindi and from Cindi toward Tina," Cassie said. "You have to be kidding me," I said. "No, we're not kidding. Both girls love you and both of them want you to ravage their luscious young pussys." Katie was giggling as Cassie said this. "Well, the only luscious young pussys I'm going to be ravaging until we get to St Jo belong to you two. Would you please let them know that?" "Will do, husband of mine," Cassie said. ------- We had another really good day for traveling and I'd guess we made around thirty-four miles. We found a nice place to camp along a good sized stream. If the weather was just a little warmer, I'd have suggested a bath. As it was, I just washed my most smelly parts like I had been doing since we stopped at the last tavern. ------- Chapter 41 Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Well, Becky is two months old today. It may sound silly, but Delia and I made a big thing out of it. We both spent a lot more time holding her than we normally did. Becky is a treasure. She's old enough now that she can control her head movements. She loves to grab your finger and hold on for dear life. She also has a smile that lights up my world. We didn't have any more shootings today, but we did have another family come in. The Tiptons are an early twenties couple with three small kids. We're up to seventeen wagons now. We're almost up to the minimum number we said we'd like to have with us. ------- Saturday, April 22, 1848 Ed: Day 34 of the Boston to St Joseph trip I made love to both of my lovely wives before we went to sleep last night and I woke up this morning feeling as good as I had ever felt in my entire life. We kissed and cuddled for a while before getting up. Sally, Cindi, Su Li and Tina had breakfast almost ready when we got out of our tent. As we were all sitting around eating breakfast, Jason said, "You know, it's the strangest thing. I thought I heard a wildcat squalling last. In fact, I thought I heard two different wildcats squalling." "You need to be very careful, Jason," Katie said. "Wildcats are ferocious beasts. You should never let them know you're poking fun at them. They might attack and leave scratches all over your body." All of us got a laugh out of that. Later on, as Sally was riding beside me, she said, "I apologize for Jason's remark this morning. I'll have a talk with him about it." "Sally, please don't say anything to Jason. There's no need for an apology. He was teasing Cassie and Kate and they weren't offended by it. They gave back just as good as they got." Sally laughed. "They were noisy, Ed. I thought for a minute you were torturing them." "No. I don't believe in torture. We've been on the trail for almost two months. Most of that time we were by ourselves. The only thing they could have bothered, were the animals. Both of them tend to get noisy when the love making is good." Sally laughed again. "Well, it must have been especially good last night. I'll swear those two woke people up in Peoria." "Lovemaking is always good, Sally. Sometimes it's just better than others." "I wouldn't know about that. I haven't had anyone make love to me in a lot of years. I always thought making love was supposed to be an almost spiritual thing. Fucking is just a release." "Amen," I said reverently. "When I think back on it, I don't know if Tim ever made love to me." ------- "I don't suppose it would do any good to ask you what you and mom were talking about," Cindi said later. "Not a bit," I said. "That's what I thought." "You wouldn't want me to tell your mom what you and I talk about, would you?" "No, although we haven't talked about much that was of any importance." "Anything you tell me is important, Cindi." "Thank you, Ed," she said, then she looked down and said, "Kate told me last night that you said you weren't going to take any more wives until we get to St Joseph. Is that right?" "Not exactly," I told her. "I said I wasn't going to have sex with anyone except my two lovely wives who are with me until we get to St Jo. By that I meant that after we get to St Jo, I'd be having sex with my two wives who stayed behind. I told her I didn't think I needed any more wives." What if someone needed you?" "We'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. At the very least, my wives who are in St Jo should have a say in it too." "Oh... I guess that makes sense." "Cindi, you are a beautiful young woman. You are intelligent and you have a great personality. Don't worry about things. If it is meant to be, then it will be." Cindi gave me a big smile and said, "It IS meant to be." She rode off with her big smile still in place. ------- Tina came over a little later and we talked for a while. "We're starting to run low on meat, so I need to hunt tonight or tomorrow morning," she told me. "Which do you prefer?" I asked. "I really like hunting in the mornings better. For one thing I usually have better luck in the mornings. The main reason though is just in how it feels to get up so early and be out in the woods when the sun starts to come up. It's like I'm getting to watch the world come alive again." "That's really a nice way to look at it. I'll have to go with you sometime. It would be nice to experience that with someone else." Tina smiled from ear to ear. "I'd like that." Along toward evening we reached the Mississippi River. We took a ferry across the river and camped on the western shore. ------- Sam: St Joseph, Missouri You know, this being "our" wagon train isn't all it's cracked up to be. Andy was off looking for cooks today, but Rawhide was with me, thank God. It was just before noon when we heard two of the women yelling at each other. Rawhide looked at me and grinned. "Do you think we should go and break them up before they kill each other?" I sighed. "I guess we should." We walked over to the Caldwell wagon where the women were. Amelia Jamison and Wanda Caldwell were standing about three feet apart, trading insults. "What's going on here?" I yelled. Both women shut up like they'd been slapped. Then, both started trying to talk at once. I yelled again and they stopped. "You first, Wanda." "Jess Caldwell gave my Tommy a black eye," she said. "Why did Jess hit Tommy?" "Jess told Tommy he had seen me naked," Wanda said. "Tommy told him he was a liar, so Jess hit him." "My son has a perfect right to hit someone who calls him a liar," Amelia said. "Where are the boys now?" "They're both in our wagons," Wanda said. "Bring them out here," I said. The women went to get their sons, so I grinned at Rawhide and said, "Making a mountain out of a mole hill." "Yep, but I've seen men kill each other over less," Rawhide told me. When the boys were both present, I asked, "Jess, why did you say you saw Mrs. Caldwell naked?" I asked. "Well, I did. She was standing in her wagon last night when I was getting firewood for this morning. She had a bowl of water and she was washing herself. She's very pretty," Jess said almost breathlessly. I had to smile. "Could he have seen you washing last night, Wanda?" "I suppose he could. We don't usually try to hide when we're cleaning up." "That's scandalous, Amelia said." "Not really, Amelia," I said. "When the weather is warmer, our whole family bathes together in the creek. If we had our choice, most of our family would never wear clothes." I let that sink in for a minute then asked, "Tommy, why did you say Jess was a liar when you knew your mother doesn't try to hide when she cleans up?" "Uh... Well, it was just the way he said it. It seemed like he thought it was dirty or something." "Did you think it was something dirty, Jess?" "No, ma'am. I thought she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen." Wanda smiled at that. "Tommy, I think you owe Jess an apology for calling him a liar. Jess, I think you owe Tommy an apology for hitting him," I said. Both boys just stood there for a minute, then Tommy said, "I'm sorry I called you a liar, Jess." "I'm sorry I hit you, Tommy." "Wanda, Amelia, are you guys square?" "Yeah, I guess," Amelia said. "I'm sorry, Amelia. Let's not let this hurt our friendship," Wanda said. "I wouldn't want that either, Wanda." ------- Andy did add two cooks to our payroll, Cliff Henry and Leonard Burton. I didn't like Burton's looks, but Andy said he seemed okay, so I went along with it. ------- Sunday, April 23, 1848 Ed: Day 35 of the Boston to St Joseph trip West of the Mississippi! It feels like we are making progress. I know it has to be less than a week until I'll see my other two wives and my baby. I'm getting so excited it"s hard to think. Cassie and Kate were in a playful mood this morning and we wrestled and tickled for a while before we got up. Wrestling with two beautiful naked girls is an activity I'd put right at the top of my "Recommended Activities" list. When we finally got up, Tina was gone. She came back in as we were eating and asked if I could help her drag in a deer after I finished. Of course I agreed and Jason agreed to help. We got a little bit of a late start, but I'm sure we still made over thirty miles for the day. Traveling has gotten to be such a habit for Kate, Cassie and me that we hardly even think of it any more. Tina never was a problem and Su Li wouldn't have complained if she had been in agony. When Sally came to ride by me for a while, I asked, "How's your butt?" Sally laughed and said, "I've been told I have a nice butt." "I meant, are you still as sore from riding?" "I'm still a little sore, but it's not nearly as bad. Of course, if I had someone to rub it for me, it'd be a lot better. "I wonder if Su Li knows anything about oriental massage. Maybe we could get her to rub it for you." Sally laughed again and said, "Oh, I was thinking of a strong, masculine type to do the rubbing." "Now, that is an interesting thought. We'll have to see if we can find one of those strong, masculine types for you." "Oh, I know of at least one already." I had to smile, but I kept my mouth shut. ------- The next person who wanted to talk was Su Li. She never said much and I was a little surprised when she rode up beside me. She didn't say anything, so after a while, I said, "Good morning, Su Li." "Good morning, Ed." "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" "Yes, Ed, it's Jason." "What about Jason?" "He told me last night that he is in love with me." "How did that make you feel?" "It made me feel confused." "Confused in what way? Do you love him too?" "I think I may love him too, but that would cause many problems." "What kind of problems?" "Well, I belong to you. If you want me for your concubine, then I will be your concubine. If you want me to be your house maid, then I will be your house maid." "Su Li, I told you before, I didn't buy you. I bought your freedom. I then gave that freedom to you. You do not owe me anything." "I know that in my brain, Ed, but in my heart I still feel like I belong to you. Besides that, it is not good for a Chinese girl to marry a white boy. Jason's mother would be against such a marriage." "You're wrong there too, Su Li. I told Sally I thought Jason was in love with you and she said he had good taste. As for it not being good for Jason to marry you, I'm sure Jason is aware of the problems that might arise. If not, I will talk to him about it. If Jason is the man I think he is, he'll just say those things don't matter." Su Li was quiet again, then she said, "Jason is younger than me, but he is a good person. I do love him. If I send him over, will you talk with him?" "I certainly will." Su Li rode off with a smile. ------- After a while, Jason came over to talk. "Su Li said you wanted to talk to me," he said. "Yes, Jason, I understand you have it bad for Su Li." "Yes, I guess you could say I have it bad for Su Li," he said, somewhat reluctantly. "What are your intentions toward her?" "What do you mean? Are you asking if I want to marry her? If that's the question, then, yes I do." "Okay, before I say what I need to say to you, I want to remind you that one of my wives is black. I love her dearly and I am very happy she is my wife." "Okay." "In this time period, the Chinese are looked down on just as much as the blacks are. If you want to eat in a restaurant, they will not serve Su Li at the same table you would eat at. If you want to spend the night in a tavern or inn, Su Li would not be allowed to sleep anywhere except in the stable. You will hear remarks that no "REAL" man would marry a Chinese, or that you might as well marry a nigger as a Chinese." "Well... Ed, people who think like that can just go fuck themselves." "You are a man after my own heart, Jason. That's exactly the way I feel about anyone who says anything bad about Delia." "I imagine it will be hard at times, Ed. I know how prejudiced people were in our own time. It has to be even worse now." "It is. Actually there aren't that many Chinese in America as yet. Most of them were brought in for working on the trans-continental railroad. Even now, though, the ones that are here are treated poorly. In later years, they will be thought of as disposable by their employers." "Well, Ed, I imagine we'll both have problems before we're done, but I think we can handle them. My main worry is, I know how I feel about Su Li. I just don't know how she feels about me." "She's in love with you, Jason." "Are you sure about that?" "Yes. I really think you should tell your mother how you feel before you go any farther. I don't think she'll be against it, but you should at least tell her." "Oh, I plan to. I guess now's as good a time as any." He wheeled his horse and rode off. ------- When Cindi came over for her talk, later on, I asked her the same thing I'd asked her mother. "Hi, Cindi. How's your butt?" Cindi giggled and gave me almost the same answer her mother had. "My butt is just fine, thank you. Would you like to see?" "I would never turn down the chance to look at a pretty butt. When I asked your mom that question, she said there was a masculine entity around here who she'd like to rub it for her." "That slut! Of course I wouldn't mind if you rubbed mine." "Seriously, are you feeling better physically from the riding?" "Yeah, no prob. I gotta say though, I kinda liked riding behind you. I kinda miss that." "Yeah, me too," I grinned. "I know you don't want to say what you and mom talk about, but is she still okay about dad leaving?" "Yeah, I think she's taking it about the same way you and Jason are. I think she feels it is more of a relief than a loss." "Good. Mom is just a plain, ordinary person. Dad had been trying to make her into a socialite. That's what he wanted from Jason and me too. I guess we were a disappointment to him." "Cindi, if he was disappointed with you or Jason, then he was nuts. Both of you are fine young people." Cindi was smiling as she rode off. ------- I got to talk to Tina for a while before the day was over. We just rode side by side for a while, then I asked, "How are you feeling about your mom and dad now, honey?" "It still bothers me some. I guess it always will." "I would imagine. How do you feel about everything else?" "You shook me up some when you told us about being from the future. Are the white man and the Indian still fighting in the time you came from?" "No, I hate to tell you this, Tina, but most Indians live on reservations during that time. The ones who don't are more like white men than Indians." Tina nodded. "I kind of suspected that would be the case. I hate to think that the traditions my grandfather taught me about will just about all be gone by that time." "I don't really know if there is any way to change things, Tina. The Indians are a proud people. They are also a warlike people. They will fight for what is theirs, but the white race becomes so powerful the Indians don't stand a chance. They are pushed farther back each year and are eventually all housed on reservations. Even then, if the reservations were good land, things might have been different." "At least there are some whites who don't think of the Indians as something evil. My father was one. You are another." "Cassie, Sam, Delia and Kate are four others. I think Sally is another." "Yes, Sally seems like a nice person. I am anxious to meet Sam and Delia." "I'm sure you'll like them and I'm sure they'll like you. I know the rest of us do." ------- Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Delia and I are both excited. We know it has to be less than a week until we see the rest of our family. I think we're all ready to get on the road to Oregon. We have replenished all of our food supplies. We have three hundred new cattle contracted for and forty more horses. We ended up deciding not to take any hogs with us, but to buy them in Oregon. Not having to drive the critters twenty-five hundred miles will more than make up for the difference in cost in Oregon. Stu or one of his men comes in every day to let us know the status of our herd. Besides that, Andy and Rawhide are frequently up there. We know we're going to be following the Missouri River north for a ways, so they are letting the animals graze in that direction. Ilsa Gunderson and Abby O'Connell both came over to visit today. I find myself really liking these two young women. I've just known them a short time, but other than my co-wives they are the best female friends I have ever had. ------- Monday, April 24, 1848 Ed: Day 36 of the Boston to St Joseph trip I think this is the thirty-sixth day we've been on the road from Boston to St Joseph. If that's the case, we couldn't be more than four or five days from our destination. I told Cassie and Kate that before we rolled out of bed this morning. I think they are as excited by that as we are. We have quite a nice group with us now. We left Boston with three people, now we have eight. I have no idea why we seem to attract people the way we do. All of us were in a good mood this morning and we laughed and teased while we fixed and ate breakfast. Our playfulness didn't delay our getting started though. We were traveling west within an hour after sun up. We had been traveling for about an hour along a well worn trail when we saw a horse and rider on the trail ahead of us, facing us and blocking the trail. Cassie and I rode on ahead to meet him. When we got close, we saw he had a revolver in his hand, pointing at me. "Hold it right there," he said. It was a young man or boy. I'd have guessed he was about Cassie's age from the looks of him. "What can we do for you, son?" I asked. "You can give me all of your money and your food," he said in what I assumed he thought was a threatening voice. "What are you going to do if we don't do that, son?" I asked. "Then I'll... I'll... I'll shoot you." Edited by Redlen ------- Chapter 42 Cassie had moved off to the side as the boy and I talked. I looked over at her and winked. I didn't think this young man meant anything he was saying. "We'll be glad to give you some food, son, but we need our money. Why don't you put your gun away and we'll see what we have left over from breakfast." "I..." "I'd do what he says, young man," Cassie said. The boy looked over at Cassie and she had her revolver centered on his chest. His eyes got wide, so Cassie said, "Just to prove to you that I can shoot this thing, do you see that big hickory nut hanging on the tree there from last year?" she gestured toward the nut. The boy looked over and saw the nut she was talking about. He nodded. Quicker than the eye could follow, Cassie swung her revolver toward the nut, fired one shot, and again centered the revolver on his chest. "Do you see it now?" she asked with a sweet little smile. "Uh, no, ma'am." "Holster your gun and we'll see what we can find for you to eat," Cassie told him. "Yes, ma'am," he said as he holstered his gun. "What's your name, son?" I asked. "I'm Billy Walker, sir." "I'm Ed Hill and this is my wife, Cassie," I said. "Please call me Ed." "Why are you out trying to rob people, Billy?" Cassie asked. "Ma'am, I haven't eaten in three days. My belly is growed to my backbone." "Why haven't you eaten, Billy?" Cassie asked. "Please call me Cassie or Cass. I don't answer to ma'am." "My pa kicked me out. If I had a rifle, I'd have been eating. A pistol ain't much good for hunting." "Why'd your pa kick you out, Billy?" I asked as Cassie rode back to the rest of our group to see if she could find him something to eat. "Pa has slaves. We got into a big fight over them." "We don't believe in slavery," I told him. "Well, I don't either. Ma died about six months ago. Pa had two male slaves and a little girl about ten years old." He looked around to see if anyone else could hear him, then he said, "Pa told me he was going to start taking the little girl into his bed. That's what brought on the fight." "I can't blame you for that," I said. "Where does your pa live? Maybe we should go and visit him." "Won't do no good. The slaves ain't with him no more. After he run me off, I sneaked back that night and stold them." "Where are they now?" "They're hiding back in the trees yonder." "Bring them out. We'll get a fire going and feed all of you." He grinned and said, "Thank you, Ed," then he rode back the way he'd come. ------- "Guys, we need to get a fire going," I said when I was back with our group. "We need to feed four people." I went on to explain what was going on and everyone pitched in to set up a temporary camp. A few minutes later, we saw Billy coming back with two large black men and a little girl who looked to be about M&M's age. All three of the black people were barefoot, even though the weather was still chilly at times. The girl was wearing a homespun dress and the men were wearing short pants that came down just below their knees and no shirts. Billy said the men were brothers and he introduced them as Zeb and Jeb. The little girl was called Tizzy. "Is this all of the clothes you have?" I asked Zed. "Yes, suh." I looked down at their feet and said, "I have a spare pair of moccasins, but I don't think they'd fit either one of you. I know my shirts wouldn't." "That's okay, suh. We never had no shoes nohow." "Can you men ride a horse?" "Yes, suh. We be good riders." "Billy, we're on our way to St Joseph. We'll meet the rest of our family there, then we're going on to Oregon. Would you all like to go with us?" "I'm kind of afraid to go to St Jo, Ed. That's the first place my pa will be looking for us." "If we run into your pa, we'll take care of it. What do you say?" "I think you should let your wife take care of him, Ed. I think she could shoot the eyes out of a gnat at fifty feet." I got a laugh out of that and Cassie blushed. "I'll be glad to help," she said. "Then, I guess we would. What do you say, Zeb, Jeb?" "Yes, suh," both of them answered. "How about you Tizzy?" I asked. Tizzy nodded and squirmed around. ------- We spent about an hour, eating and getting something fixed up for them to wear. I had the girls make enough that we could eat in the saddle at noon. Sally got out some blankets and made the men some ponchos to wear until we could get to where we could buy them something. She also fashioned footwear for all of them from blankets. We didn't have any saddles, but we did have a couple of extra horses. Both Zeb and Jeb said they didn't mind riding bareback. Tizzy rode behind Billy. When Sally came over to ride beside me after a while, I said, "Thanks for getting them fixed up with something to wear. I know they had to be cold." "Not a problem, Ed. How are we going to work out sleeping arrangements?" "That I don't know. Do you have any ideas?" "Well, our tent is a big one. Jason and Billy and Zeb and Jeb could all sleep in it. Cindi and Tizzy could both sleep in with Tina and Su Li. That just leaves me. Could I sleep in with you and Cassie and Kate?" I had to laugh and then the devil took hold of me and made me tease a little. "That would be fine, Sally. I should warn you. We all sleep in the nude." Sally grinned and said, "That wouldn't bother me." "I guess I should tell you about Cassie too. When Cassie is in a confrontation, she gets all fired up. She may attack me sexually tonight." Sally laughed. "You mean she might have a wet saddle right now?" "Probably so." "I've never seen a live sex show. That might be interesting." ------- While Cindi was riding beside me, she asked, "How old is Billy?" "I'm not sure, hon. I'd say he was about your age though." "Do you know anything about him?" "Not really. He does seem like a nice young man, even if he did try to rob us." "He only did that to try to get food for the black people," Cindi defended him. "I think you're probably right," I said. "He certainly isn't a hardened criminal." Cindi giggled and said, "He looks like he's had to work hard all of his life though." "Are you saying he has a nice bod?" "Well, yeah. Not that I'm interested or anything." "No, I'm sure you're not. Just be careful, Cindi. Don't give your heart away too fast." "I wouldn't think of it," she said, then she rode off at a gallop. Kate came riding up just as Cindi left. "You might lose a potential wife there," she said. I had to smile. "Cindi is a pretty girl, but she isn't nearly as mature as you or Cassie. I think you're right. She seemed to have her sights set on me, now she seems to have them set on Billy." "I think she just needs sex, Ed. She's at an age when her body is telling her she needs to mate, NOW." "That sounds like a voice of experience." "Sure it is. When I was her age I made cow eyes at every pimple faced boy in the neighborhood. Luckily, they were all too dumb to notice it." I reached over and ran my hand from her shoulder to her elbow. "Their loss is my gain," I said. ------- Evidently Billy saw the procession of people come to talk to me, so eventually he rode over to where he could have his say. "Ed, I know you don't got no reason to trust me, but, if'n you could see your way clear to let the four of us go to Oregon with you, we'll work for you until we get there." I looked at Tizzy, who had been watching me and asked, "Would you like to go to Oregon with us, Tizzy?" "I don't know where no Oregon is, Massa," she said. I looked back at Billy and said, "You can go with us, but it has to be understood that from this time on, these people are not slaves. I want your word on that." "You have my word on it, Ed. These people are no longer slaves," Billy said. "Did you hear that, Tizzy? You are no longer a slave. You are a free woman of color." "What if Massa Walker comes and takes me back," she asked in a small meek voice. "We won't let him do that, honey." "Thank you." "Honey, one of my wives is a free woman of color. I had to kill a man who tried to take her away from me." "One of your wives?" Billy asked. "I have four wives, Billy. Where we're going, there are no laws about marriage. A man can have as many wives as he can support." ------- We ate bacon and johnny cake sandwiches for lunch as we rode. Even with the stop for the new members of our party, we made around thirty-four miles for the day. I wish we could have made fifty. I really miss Sam and Delia. ------- We ended up arranging our sleeping as Sally had suggested. It was still light enough to see each other when we went into our tent. Cassie and Katie immediately started stripping. "Take them off, Ed," Cassie said. "You don't have anything Sally hasn't seen before." I took my clothes off and watched Sally as she removed hers. She is still a nice looking woman. Her breasts are high and firm. She has a trim waist and nice wide hips and a beautiful butt. We laid down with Cassie on one side of me and Katie on the other. Sally was behind Cassie. After a while, Sally said, "Cassie, Ed tells me that after you've been in any type of confrontation, you get all fired up. Don't let me stop you if you need to do something about that." Cassie giggled. "Be careful what you ask for, Sally," Katie said. "Cassie isn't a bit bashful." "It wouldn't bother me a bit, Kate," Sally said. Cassie got up on her hands and knees and pulled the covers off of me. I was a little embarrassed, so I was only semi-erect. Cassie didn't let that slow her down. She lowered her head and took my cock into her mouth. "I always loved to do that," Sally said. It was only seconds before I was as hard as a steel bar. Cassie raised up and mounted me. As my cock slid inside her, she moaned. When she was all the way down, she rocked back and forth for a minute or two. Sally's eyes were glistening as I looked over at her. She gave me a big smile and watched unashamedly as Cassie started moving on me. Cassie rode me to three climaxes before I emptied into her. She collapsed on top of me and said, "Thank you, sweet husband of mine." I kissed her and told her she was welcome. When she rolled off of me, she rolled toward Katie and whispered, "Hold Sally. She needs it." I reached out an arm and pulled Sally to me. She laid her head on my shoulder and put her left knee up on my thighs. Cassie mirrored her on the other side of me. "Thank you, Ed," Sally whispered. "You make me wish I wasn't such an old woman." "You're only as old as you feel, Sally," I said as I ran my hand up and down her back. "You feel pretty young to me." Sally laughed, a deep throaty laugh and said, "Better watch out, Ed. You might have another woman chasing after you." Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Some idiot came by today and wanted to look through all of our wagons. He said he was looking for runaway slaves. "Mister, we don't have any runaway slaves," I told him. "I'd just like to make sure of that myself," he said in a snotty voice. "If you won't let me look, I'll bring the sheriff out and he'll look for them." "Mister, are you calling this lady a liar?" Andy asked. "Take it like you will," the man said. Andy hit him. In all of the fights I'd seen Andy in, he had never been angry and he had never hit the other man first. This time I thought he was going to tear the man apart. When the man went down, Andy immediately grabbed him by his shirt front and lifted him off of the ground. He drew back to hit him again, so I grabbed his arm and held on for dear life. I didn't want him to go to jail for killing the guy. "Put him down, Andy," I said quietly. It took Andy a minute to get himself under control. Finally, he set the man back on his feet and said, "Get!" The man took off like his tail was on fire. Andy looked around at me and said, "I'm sorry, Sam, but you are as close to being a sister to me as I have ever had. I'm not going to let anyone badmouth you." I put my arms around him and hugged him tight against me. Before long I felt his arms come around me. God, I love this big man. Tuesday, April 25, 1848 Ed: Day 37 of the Boston to St Joseph trip Okay, so I awoke with both arms asleep. I managed to move them enough to get the circulation started without disturbing the women on either side of me. When the feeling started to come back, it felt like someone was sticking a million needles into my arms. It seemed like a small price to pay for being able to hold two lovely women all night though. Cassie awoke first. When she saw Sally was still in the same position she had fallen asleep in, she whispered, "Sally is a sweet woman. I think we should marry her." "Sally is a sweet woman," I said. "I think Sam and Katie and Delia should have a say in whether we marry her or not." "I agree," Sally said. "I'll have to admit I have fallen for you guys in a big way, but I wouldn't want to be a part of your marriage unless it was unanimous. Besides, I am much older than you guys. You have to take that into consideration." "Bullshit!" Katie said. "Age doesn't have anything to do with it. Cassie and I are definitely in favor of you being part of our marriage." I kissed all three women before we got up. When I went to kiss Sally, she raised her eyebrows, so I nodded and said, "Katie is exactly right about the age." Her smile lighted Missouri. ------- I got a chance to talk to Zeb and Jeb for a while today. I'm afraid they are a lot like Jud was right after we bought him at the auction. I could see we had a lot to do to get them thinking like free men. Another good day of traveling took us about thirty-five miles closer to out family. Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Well, the asshole from yesterday showed back up again this morning. This time he had the sheriff with him. "Good morning, Sheriff," Andy said. I had decided to let Andy do the talking. "Good morning, folks. Mr. Walker here says you folks wouldn't let him look for his runaway slaves yesterday." "Well, Sheriff, he came out here demanding he be allowed to look in all of our wagons. He practically called my friend here a liar when she told him we didn't have any runaway slaves. I'm afraid I lost my temper and hit him." The sheriff looked Andy up and down then said, "I don't think I'd want you to hit me." Andy grinned. "I'm normally a peaceable man, Sheriff. I don't hold with calling a lady a liar though." "I can understand that. Would you have any objections to me looking into your wagons?" "Sheriff, you can look into any of the ten wagons that belong to us. The rest of the wagons don't belong to us, so you'll have to talk to the people they belong to. That's you who can look though. Mr. Walker can stay on his horse unless he wants to meet my fist again." "That sounds reasonable," the sheriff said. "Stay on your horse, Walker." "But..." "I said stay on your horse and stay away from their wagons." Andy showed the sheriff through our Conestogas and then raised the tarps on all of or freight wagons so the sheriff could insure that no one was hiding in any of them. Once they had finished with our wagons, Andy went with the sheriff to talk to all of the families who were going with us. Walker sat on his horse and glared at me the whole time. "Mr. Walker, there are no runaway slaves on this wagon train," the sheriff said when he and Andy had finished. "I don't believe that, Sheriff," Walker said. "I think they're hiding them somewhere." "I don't much care what you believe, Mr. Walker. I've looked through every wagon here and there are no runaways. I should warn you, sir, that if you come sneaking around other peoples' property, you could get yourself shot. People have a right to protect their property." Walker wheeled his horse and rode off at a gallop. "What makes him think we'd be hiding his runaways?" Andy asked. "He told me you have Negroes in your camp and that they don't seem like slaves. That makes him think you may be harboring his slaves." "He's right, Sheriff," I said. "We do have free people of color in our camp. I don't think that's any of his business though." "You're right, ma'am. It isn't any of his business. I, personally, don't believe in slavery. I'm not an abolitionist or anything, but sometimes I almost wish I was." ------- "I wonder what got into this Walker character," I said to Andy after the sheriff had left. "Do you know where he's from?" "The sheriff says he has a ranch about eighty miles east of here. He said Walker's boy ran off with three slaves." "You don't suppose..." I said. "Could be," Andy grinned. "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," I said. ------- I went into town with Andy for a while this afternoon. I wanted to be sure we had enough tin plates and cups to feed everyone when we left St Joseph. On the way here from Dayton, some of the men had to take turns eating and I didn't want them to have to do that. We went to a general store and I picked out what we wanted, then I saw something that I decided we just had to have. It was a cast iron, wood burning, cook stove. It was huge. It had to be at least five feet wide and four feet deep. At the back was a large tank that kept water hot any time the stove was burning. It also had a large oven that I knew we could learn to use for baking. The proprietor said that the stove was built in Oberlin, Ohio, and that he'd let us have one for twenty-five dollars. Andy groaned when I told the proprietor we wanted one. He said it'd weigh a ton. I told him I knew he'd figure out a way to get it in one of our wagons. Wednesday, April 26, 1848 Ed: Day 38 of the Boston to St Joseph trip Sally slept with us again last night. This time I was cuddled between her and Katie. Cassie snuggled up behind Sally. When we awoke, we shared kisses all around and reluctantly crawled out of bed. While we were saddling the horses and packing the mules, I asked Billy if he knew how far we were from St Jo. "It shouldn't be much more than about seventy miles," he said. "My pa's ranch is about eighty miles from St Jo. I was traveling northeast when I met up with you." "When we get to St Jo. Maybe you and Jeb, Zeb, and Tizzy should stay back in the woods until we find out if your pa has been asking about you." "That makes sense. Missouri is a slave state, so he has a legal right to take them back." "Yeah, but after they cross the Missouri River, he can't touch them." "I don't know if you know it, Ed, but after you cross the Missouri River, there really isn't any law. If he came and took them back at gun point, he could get away with it." "He could if he could get by Cassie," I said. "Yeah, there is that. Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Well, Walker didn't come back into the camp today, but he did ride by twice that I saw. Both times he stared at the camp like he was trying to memorize every detail. God, I wish Ed was here. I love Andy dearly, but Ed is the take charge guy. He'd know just what to do. Thursday, April 27, 1848 Ed: Day 39 of the Boston to St Joseph trip "I wish to hell I knew what I am doing," I thought just after I woke up. It seemed like ever since my wife left me in 2005, I'd been on a roller coaster ride. I didn't seem to have any control of what I did or of what anyone around me did. After I met Sam and got to know her, I'd have been perfectly happy to have settled down with her and lived happily ever after. Then we ran into Cassie. I wanted to help Cassie, but I never intended for her to become part of our family. I certainly didn't have any choice when it came to getting kicked back in time. I don't think we had a choice in taking in Mindy, Mandy, or Tommy. There's no way I could let kids that young remain in the situations they were in. My wives seem to think I'm a leader. In truth, I've only reacted to the situations we've been in by doing what had to be done. Oh, well, I can't complain too much. How many guys my age get to wake up with three naked women. ------- If Billy was right about how far we are from St Jo, we only have around forty miles to go. If we really pushed it, we might even make it there today. I think we'll just do a normal day's travel though and then find some place where Billy, Jeb, Zeb, and Tizzy can camp until we find out what the situation is in town. We had gone well over thirty miles when I started looking around for a place to camp that was off of the trail we were following. We turned up a medium sized creek and found a nice spot about half a mile north of the trail. "Do you recognize any of this area?" I asked Billy as we were unsaddling our horses. "No, pa's ranch is a little south of east, so we were always quite a ways south of here when we went back and forth to St Jo." I decided that was a good thing and we decided this would be a good place for Billy's group to camp until we had checked things out. Sam: St Joseph, Missouri Thank God it's just a couple of more days until Ed should get here. I know something could have happened that would delay them, but knowing Ed, I'm sure he's doing everything in his power to get here as soon as possible. ------- Chapter 43 Friday, April 28, 1848 Ed: Day 40 of the Boston to St Joseph trip When rolled out of bed this morning, Cassie, Kate and I were as happy as we'd ever been. Today was the day we'd be back with our family and friends. While the women fixed breakfast, I worked with Billy, Jeb and Zeb to get a semi-permanent camp set up. We went through everything and made sure they'd have everything they needed until we could get back to them. Even with leaving Billy's group behind, we were still going to arrive with eight people where we started out with three. I was sure that Sam and Andy would give us a rough time over that, but we didn't let that slow down our departure. It took us less than two hours to reach St Joseph, but it took us another hour to find our wagons. Finally, a man told us there appeared to be a wagon train forming up on the northeast side of town. Andy was the first person to see us as we rode into camp. Delia was helping her mother with something and had her back turned to us. Sam was in an animated conversation with Abby O'Connell and they were watching the babies as they talked. Andy gave us a big smile and started toward us. Then Sam looked up. I'll bet they could hear her scream in St Jo. She started running toward us, and I piled off of Hawk. We collided with such force I thought I was going to end up on my ass, then I saw Delia running toward us. All three of us hugged and kissed and said I love you so many times we about wore ourselves out, then Katie and Cassie joined the group and everyone repeated the hugs and kisses with them. I looked over and saw that Abby was holding two crying babies. Evidently Sam's scream got them going. I broke free and walked over to her. "Can I have mine, Abby?" I asked. Abby handed Becky to me. God she had grown in the two months we'd been gone. Becky stopped crying as soon as I took her in my arms. Her eyes focused on mine and she gave me a big, toothless smile. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I didn't even think of the new members of our group until Sam asked me who the people standing by the horses were. I waved them over to us and introduced them to my family and friends. ------- It took a while for the hubbub to die down, but when it did, I sat Sally's family down along with Tina, Su Li and my family for a talk. When everyone else was out of earshot, I said, "Sam, Sally's family is from the year 2003." Okay, you couldn't have heard a pin drop. We were sitting on grass. "Where are you from?" Sam asked, calmly. "Detroit, the motor city," Sally said. Sam grinned and said, "Well, I guess that removes any doubt I might have had. I'm sure they didn't call it the motor city in the 1840s." Cindi giggled and said, "They didn't have bikinis or backpacks either. I'll show you ours, if you do have any doubts." "How did you guys get kicked back here?" Sam asked. "From what Ed tells us, it was pretty much the same as it was for you. We were in a tent in a lightning storm. The next thing we knew we were here," Sally said. "That explains three of the new people," Sam said. "How did Tina and Su Li manage to join us?" Andy and Sarah Beth and Dalia joined us. We had let Andy and his family in on our little secret a few months ago. Cassie and I told Sam and Delia how we had met Tina and Su Li. We also told her about Sally's husband and how he had blamed her for them being kicked back. "He just left you, Sally?" Sam asked incredulously. "I'm afraid so, Sam. Not before he slapped me around and verbally abused me for a while though. Ed loaned him a hundred dollars and a horse and saddle to get rid of him." Sam looked over at me and asked, "So, how many of these lovely ladies are you planning for us to marry?" "I'm not planning on anything, love. I will tell you that Jason and Su Li are a couple. She hasn't said so yet, but I think Cindi has her cap set on someone else." "And who would Cindi have her cap set on?" Sam asked, looking at Cindi. Cindi just blushed, so I said, "Sam, there's something else I need to tell you. A few days ago, we ran into a young man by the name of Billy Walker." "Would he be any relation to the Hiram Walker who has been bothering us about his runaway slaves?" "I'd say Hiram is Billy's father. Billy had three runaway slaves with him when we ran into him. Two young adult males, Jeb and Zeb, and a ten year old girl named Tizzy." "Did Billy help these slaves run away?" Sam asked. "Yes. His father told him he was going to start taking the little girl to bed with him. Billy didn't think that was right, so he helped them escape." "Where are they now?" "They're camped about five miles northeast of here. Billy was afraid his father might be looking for him in St Jo." "Smart young man. Walker came by here a few days ago, demanding we let him search our wagons for his slaves. We sent him packing. The next day he was back with the sheriff. We allowed the sheriff to look through our wagons, but not Walker. I don't think he likes us." "Too bad. Sam, we need to get these people some clothes. The men only had on short pants when we found them and the girl had on a thin dress. None of them had shoes. The guys are so big, none of my stuff would fit them, so Sally made them moccasins and panchos out of a couple of blankets." "Andy, could you run into town after while and get four shirts and four pairs of pants that are big enough for you?" Sam asked. "The girl can wear one of Mindy or Mandy's outfits for the time being." "Yeah, I'll do that. I'll also get a couple of pairs of moccasins. I'll pick up a couple of more pairs before we leave," Andy said. "They should be okay until tomorrow," I said. "Tomorrow morning, some of us will ride out and take the new things to them." "These guys aren't going to run off like the runaways we helped in Virginia, are they?" Sarah Beth asked. "I don't think so. These people seem a lot more intelligent than the people in Virginia. Maybe I'll get Jud to go with me in the morning," I said. ------- Andy left for town shortly after lunch. The rest of us spent the afternoon catching up. Sally and her family seemed to fit right in. Tina and Sam seemed to really hit it off. I was fortunate enough to make love to both of my wives I hadn't seen in a couple of months that night. Life is good. Saturday, April 29, 1848 Ed: St Joseph, Missouri Walker rode by this morning, not long after we had gotten up. When he saw me and the other new people, he stopped his horse and stared at us for a while. I thought for a minute he was going to ride over to us, but eventually he turned and rode away. "Who was that?" I asked Sam, although I had an idea who it was. "That was our friend Hiram Walker," Sam said. "He has made several trips past here every day since Andy knocked him on his ass." "Well, it looks like he's got me in his scope now. What got him on to us in the first place?" "He told the sheriff it was because we had free Negros with us." "You know, now that he's seen me here, it might not be a good idea for me to be the one who takes the things to Billy. Cassie, would you be willing to take the things out to where Billy is camped?" "Sure. Delia, would you like to go with me? Maybe you could reassure the runaways that we mean them no harm." Delia agreed she'd like to go, then Cindi asked if she could go with them. I looked over at Sally and she winked at me. I think we had Cindi pretty well figured out. "I'd like to ride up and look at the herd this morning," I told them. "How far up the river are they?" "They're only about three miles right now," Andy said. "I'll ride up with you and get some of the men to go with me to pick up the other three hundred cattle we contracted for, if you'll give me the money to pay for them." We figured out how much he'd have to have and I gave it to him. Sam said she'd stay in camp. She said she'd like to get to know the new people better. Jason decided he'd like to go with Andy and me. ------- I kind of suspected Walker would follow us when we left camp and he didn't disappoint me. We hadn't gone half a mile when Andy said he saw someone on our back trail. I had told Cassie to wait half an hour after we took off to start for Billy's camp. It was nice to see Stu and Rawhide again. I really like both of these men. Rawhide and Maddy had only been with the herd for a couple of nights, and they decided they'd go back with me when I went back to camp. Mina hugged me until I thought the stuffing was going to come out and I got a big grin and a handshake from Jud. We all caught up on what had been happening while Andy picked six men to go with him to get the other cattle. We stayed with Stu and the drovers for a couple of hours, then Rawhide, Maddy and I headed back to our wagons. "Rawhide, with all of the new people we've picked up, I think we need another wagon. Do you know where we could get one?" I asked. "No, but I know where Mark Lester is staying. I'll bet he'd know." "Is he close enough you could go see him this afternoon?" "Yeah. He'll probably want to ride out and see you then. I think he's anxious to get started west." "I can't say as I blame him. I've heard stories about wagon trains getting stuck in the mountains." ------- Cassie made the trip to Billy's camp with no problems. She said the runaways were thrilled with the clothes we had brought them. All of them changed immediately. Delia had a long talk with them and explained to them that she is my wife. I think she may have reassured them considerably. Sam: St Joseph, Missouri I figured that when Ed got back I'd be able to quit writing in this diary completely. Then he takes off the first day he's back. Oh well. After Ed left, I fed and changed Becky and put her down for a nap. Tina watched me closely as I did this, so I asked her if she'd like to change Becky the next time she needed it. "I'd like that, Sam. I didn't have any younger brothers or sisters, so I don't know much about caring for a baby," Tina said. Sally laughed and said, "I know all about it, although I didn't breast feed mine. For some reason I didn't produce enough milk to feed them." "It's a wonderful experience," I told her. "I can feel the love flowing from me to Becky when she's feeding. How old are you, Sally?" "I'm thirty-four. I graduated from high school when I was fifteen. I met Tim just before I graduated. He was a senior at our local college. We got married right away and Jason was on the way not long after that." "So, your husband was what, seven years older than you?" "Yeah. We never really thought of the age difference. The problem was, we never thought of the other differences between us either. I was raised on a farm and Tim was raised in the city. He said I was never able to get the cow shit off of my feet." "I can think of worse things. I hate to say it, but your husband was a jerk." "Oh, I agree. Sam, do you know anything about the marriage laws in this century?" Sally asked. "They are pretty loose, Sally. You don't need a marriage license or anything. Divorce is almost unheard of. I'm afraid women don't have many rights at all." "I was afraid of that about women's rights. I probably wouldn't get along with very many men in this time period." "Me either," I laughed. "So, how did you and Ed end up in a multiple partner marriage?" Sally asked. "It was more my fault than Ed's," I said. "Ed fought it when I asked him to bring Cassie into our marriage. Eventually I got him to admit he loved Cassie too. I don't think we gave him much of a choice after that. Then we bought Jud's family to free them and Delia fell in love with Ed. He dragged his feet there too. He didn't fight quite as hard when we added Kate." "This is an indelicate question, but is Ed such a stud that he can satisfy four women?" "Sally, in this time period, that is a very indelicate question. Ed is a stud, but his wives satisfy each other as well." Tina had been listening to this conversation intently. Now she gave out a little gasp. Katie, Sally and I laughed. "Tina, I was as shocked as you are when I first heard that," Katie said. "The first time Cassie used her mouth on me changed my way of thinking completely." "You mean she put her mouth on you, down there?" Tina asked. "Did and does. We all do, Tina." "Tina, that is something women have done for each other since the beginning of time. In the time Sally and I are from, people are a lot more open about things. If a woman likes women and men they are called bi-sexual. If they don't like men at all, they are called lesbians," I said. "I don't know if I could do that," Tina said. "I had never even heard of women doing that." "I've never done it with another woman," Sally said. "I've always been curious about what it'd be like though." "So, Sally and Tina, when I hit Ed with the question of which of you women he wanted us to marry, he mentioned you two as candidates. Neither one of you protested. Can I assume that neither one of you would be against it?" There was a really pregnant pause, then Tina said, "Sam, I love Ed. There is a big problem though. I am half Indian. Neither Ed, nor Cassie, nor Kate seemed to let that bother them. I don't know how the rest of you would feel about that." "If you haven't noticed, Tina, I am white and Delia is black. If Delia and I can live with that, what makes you think we'd have anything against a half Indian?" "Sam, some white men killed my mother and father because my father loved my mother. A man who had been riding with Ed for several days left when he found I was half Indian and that I was going with Ed." "Okay, but we're not like that, Tina. I won't say you are going to be asked to join our marriage. We need to take a vote on it first. I will say that you being part Indian will have nothing to do with the way we vote." "Thank you, Sam," Tina said. "What about you, Sally?" I asked. "I have a problem too, Sam. I'm old enough to be your mother. I'm eight years older than Ed. I know that right now that doesn't seem important, but what about in thirty years when you are in your prime and I need help just getting around?" "Sally, I might break my leg so badly tomorrow that I'll never be able to take care of myself again. How would you feel about that? Would you take care of me or would you abandon me?" "Of course I'd take care of you, Sam." "And, I'll take care of you when and if the time comes." We all shared a hug and a lot of smiles. ------- Lester did come around before the day was over and he told us of a wagon he knew of. He also told us he had ten more families lined up to go with us and that they'd start arriving tomorrow. He said he'd also bring around the scout he was hiring tomorrow to introduce him. All in all it was a pretty good day. Knowing Ed would be there to hold me in his arms when we went to bed made it an exceptionally good day. Sunday, April 30, 1848 Ed: St Joseph, Missouri Mark Lester and Jim Crockett showed up as we were eating breakfast. Andy introduced me to Lester and Lester introduced Crockett to all of us. Crockett was about Andy's age. Tall and thin as a whip. Evidently he had made several trips to Oregon, the last two with wagon trains. I liked Mark Lester right off of the bat. Crockett I wasn't so sure about. Mark seemed to like him, so I figured I should give him the benefit of the doubt. We all agreed we'd leave the first thing Tuesday morning. I asked Mark how we'd be going and he said we'd head northwest out of St Joseph and that we'd cross the Missouri River a little over thirty miles from St Joseph. I wanted to give that information to Billy so he could meet us somewhere around the river crossing. ------- We knew there wouldn't be any business conducted on Sunday, so we spent most of the day just relaxing around camp. We saw Walker ride by a couple of times, but we tried to just ignore him. I spent a lot of time cuddled up with Sam and Delia. When I wasn't snuggled with them, Katie and Cassie were. I also spent a lot of time holding my little girl. She is a precious gem. For whatever reason, she acts like I've been with her for her entire life. It's like she knows who I am and that I love her. Delia says she knows how to get to Billy's camp and that she'll take the information to him about where to meet us sometime tomorrow. Dalia and Cindi want to go with her. Four new wagons joined us today. We didn't get to talk much with the newcomers, but Mark said he thought they'd be okay, so we accepted that. He said there'd be six more families joining us before we left. Monday, May 1, 1848 Ed: St Joseph, Missouri It was nice getting up yesterday and today and knowing we weren't going to be traveling. This would be our last day of rest for a while. We made the most of it by cuddling for as long as Becky would let us before we got out of bed. Although there was a lot to do today, everyone insisted that Cassie, Katie and I spend the day resting. At least they let me put in my two cents worth about what needed to be done. "Andy," I said as we were eating breakfast, "there are quite a few things we're going to need because of the new people. You should get the covered wagon as early as possible and take it into town and get the things we need." "Okay. What all do you think we're going to need?" "Well, first off we're going to need additional food for nine more people." Andy shook his head and smiled. "How do you attract so many people, Ed? Okay, I'll get with Sam and we can figure out what all they'll need for food." "We're also going to need three more saddles, one of them child sized. I think we should get rifles and revolvers for Jeb, Zeb, and Jason and an additional rifle for Billy. You might want to ask Sally, Su Li and Cindi if they'd like any firearms." "What about Tina?" "Tina has all the firearms she needs. She's probably going to help you with the hunting for the group. She's a crack shot and an amazing hunter." "Very good. What about clothes?" "I'll have Sam take the women into town to get them outfitted. You might pick up another outfit or two for Jeb and Zeb. Maybe you should take Jason with you and see how you can outfit him." "Okay. It looks like it's going to be a full day. Is there anything else?" "Not that I can think of. I'll have someone ride in and find you if I think of anything else." ------- I had one of the Vencille boys make a circuit around the camp before I let Delia, Dalia, and Cindi take off to give Billy the news about where to meet us. I still worried about them a little, but they were back inside four hours. New wagons started coming in right after breakfast. Mark Lester had told us there'd be six more new ones, but two more showed up on their own. That makes a total of thirty-two wagons for our wagon train, including the coach. Mark had said anywhere from twenty to fifty would be good. I got to spend a lot of time holding my sweet Becky this morning. I had to fight some with Cassie and Kate for the privilege. I promised them they could have her for most of the afternoon. I also managed to spend some time with M&M. I missed the little twerps. After lunch, I drove the coach into town for the ladies. We had a wagon load. Sam, Becky, Cassie, Kate, Sally, Tina, Delia, Su Li, and Cindi all went with me. Each of my wives wanted at least one more set of buckskins. The rest of the group needed even more. Of course, it took almost two hours for them to make their purchases. I spent most of that time sleeping on the seat of the coach. It was a very relaxing way to shop. ------- When we got back to camp, the sheriff was there waiting for us. "Folks, I'm sorry to bother you again, but Walker is on to me about his runaways again. He wanted me to go through your wagons again, but I told him I wouldn't do that. I did say I'd ask you if you'd seen them." The sheriff had been looking at Sam when he said this, so she answered, "This is my husband, Ed Hill, sheriff. There have been no runaway slaves in this camp. Ed just got here from Boston." "Sheriff, I did see what might be the runaways this guy is talking about. I met a young man a few days ago on the trail. He was traveling northeast. He was riding a horse and he had two male slaves and a young girl slave with him. They were walking. He asked if we could spare them anything to eat. We fixed them up with a couple of days worth of food." "Did he say anything about where they were going?" the sheriff asked. "He said they were on their way to Fort Wayne." The sheriff nodded his head and said, "That figures. He probably figured his pa would be looking for him here." "I really felt sorry for the Negroes. All of them were barefoot and the men only had on short pants. One of the women with us made them some panchos out of an old blanket." The sheriff nodded again, "I just had a feeling that Walker didn't treat his slaves very well. Well, I'll tell him what you said. How long ago was it when you met them?" "The best I can remember, sheriff, it was seven days ago. They were about a hundred miles northeast of here at the time. If they kept traveling northeast, they could be 250 miles from here by now," I said. "That'd be about right. I'll bet they're headed for Ohio. Ohio's a free state. If they get there, there's not a thing Walker can do about them." We talked on for a few minutes and the sheriff left. I liked him. He seemed like a nice guy. Everything I told him had been the truth. I just hadn't told him everything. I read one time that there are really three ways to lie. The first way is to just tell a bold faced, out and out, whopper. There are a couple of problems with that. First off, something usually gives you away. Secondly, you have to remember what you told. The second way to lie is to tell the truth in what you say, but to not tell everything. This can be very effective and can completely mislead the person hearing you. The third way is to tell the whole truth, but to tell it in such a way that the person asking won't believe you. This way can not only confuse the listener, it can also be a lot of fun. ------- The sheriff came back a little later and he had Walker with him. The sheriff asked if I could tell Walker what I had told him. I repeated the story to Walker, who seemed a lot more polite than he had been to Sam and Andy. "So you met him a week ago, about a hundred miles northeast of here?" Walker asked. "Yeah. He said they were hungry and didn't have a rifle they could kill any game with. We fed them and fixed them up with some food. I learned from one of the women I was traveling with that she gave the young man a rifle, not in my presence." Walker looked disgusted. "Well, I guess that tears it," he said. "I'll never find them now." "Well, sir, the trail they were following would have taken them through Peoria. Could be he stopped there for a spell." Walker brightened a little. "I just might check that out. Them bucks are worth about four or five hundred each. The girl is a cutie and would probably bring quite a bit herself. It'd be worth a ride to Peoria to see if they'd stopped there." ------- Lester and Crockett showed up about the middle of the afternoon. They had a young man, driving a covered wagon, with them. Lester said the young man worked for him and the wagon was his. He also said he was going to call a meeting of the wagon train that evening and he'd like to leave shortly after first light the day after tomorrow if we were agreeable. It was late in the afternoon when Andy and Jason got back with our new wagon. Everyone pitched in to help rearrange everything. Andy had bought a mattress so the wagon could be used for sleeping. ------- Chapter 44 The wagons were roughly surrounding a central, open, area. Mark rounded up all of the people who were going with us and herded them into the open area. When everyone was there he and Jim Crockett climbed up on a freight wagon and he started talking. "I'm Mark Lester and this is Jim Crockett. I am the Wagon Master of this wagon train and the guide who will get you to where you want to go. I think I've met about all of you at one time or another," he said as he looked around the group. "My duties are concerned with the wagons, livestock, and the trail. You are responsible for herding your own livestock. You are also responsible for keeping your wagons in good working order. I will be watching you herd your animals. If you cannot take care of them properly they or you will be left behind. I will be inspecting your wagons. If you do not keep them in good repair, you will be left behind. There are over thirty wagons in this wagon train. We can't jeopardize all of these people for one family who can't keep up. "Jim Crockett is our scout. I say which way to go. It is Jim's job to find the best way for us travel each day. Jim is also fluent in sign language and in several Indian languages. He will interpret for us when we have any contact with Indians. "Mr. Hill, could you come up here, please?" I had a bad feeling about this, but I couldn't see a way out, so I did as he asked. "Ed Hill is going to be the Captain for this wagon train. Normally, we would elect a Captain, but Mr. Hill has over a third of the wagons in this wagon train and almost a thousand cattle. Therefore the job of Captain goes to him. The Captain is responsible for settling any disputes any of you might have with each other. His word is law. In fact, within a couple of days, we'll be out of the United States completely. From that point on, you can think of him as the sheriff, the judge, and the jury all rolled into one. Does anyone have any objections to Mr. Hill being our Captain?" No one objected, but I thought about it. I looked at Sam and she just smiled. I knew from her expression that she was proud of me and I wasn't about to let her down. "I want everyone up at first light in the morning, the day after tomorrow. I want all of your teams hitched and your wagons ready to roll by 7:00 AM. I'd suggest you all have a good breakfast. We'll be traveling about ten hours a day until we reach Oregon. Tomorrow you should use to make sure all of your wagons are in good repair. Grease your axles and anything else that needs done." Mark climbed down off of the wagon and people started making their way back toward their own wagons. That evening, after we were cuddled in our wagon, we talked about the upcoming trip. We agreed we'd keep our diary going. "You know, Ed." Sam said, "we should also write up some of the things we know are going to be happening in the future. We don't want our kids to be involved in the Civil War. We can prevent that ourselves. There are a million other things we should warn our family about that are going to be happening in the next 160 years." We talked that over for a while and decided we'd start a personal diary that was just for our families and close friends. Wednesday, May 3, 1848 Ed: Day 1 - On the Oregon Trail Low spoken curses and the noises of animals being prodded into position to be harnessed awakened my family. A little thrill ran through me as I realized we were finally doing it. We were finally embarking on the Oregon Trail. The people in this time period have no idea of the historic significance of the trip we were about to make. My family was well aware that although not many individuals would be remembered, their journeys would still be studied a hundred and fifty years from now. We did our morning kiss and cuddle, then started getting dressed for our first day on the trail. Our wagon drivers were Clint and Brad White, Jon and Shack Vencille, Walt and Ray Wagoner, Davy Beale, Jesse Cooper, Tuck Holt, Batt McLean, and Roy Silvers. When we caught up to the cattle, Delia, Dalia, Sarah Beth, Katie, Cassie, Rawhide, Jud, Stu, and I would be helping the drovers move the cattle. Andy and Tina would be spending most of their time hunting. Sally, Cindi, and Jason would help as they learned how. Our drovers were, Ab Hunt, Fred Nelson, Silas Johnson, Kid Brown, and Bronco Lewis. Cliff Henry and Leonard Burton would be cooking for the men and Maddy and Mina would be cooking for the family. Of course, Sam would be taking care of Becky and M&M would be helping her. I don't think you could get Tommy to leave Andy's side. When Billy Walker and his group joined us, the three men would help either with the cattle or the wagons. I figured Tizzy would like to help with Becky. ------- We had eaten breakfast and had everything cleaned up and put away by six-thirty. The horses were saddled and the mules were on lead lines hooked to the wagons. We were as ready to go as we ever would be. Mark came riding by a few minutes before seven and stopped for a minute. "It looks like everyone is hitched up at least," he said. "We had people on the last wagon train I took out who had a hard time getting their mules or oxen hitched. It'll be interesting to see how things go today. I'm hoping we can make fifteen miles, but I wouldn't wager on it." "Well, you're the one who knows what he's doing. We'll just follow your lead. By the way, I should kick your ass for sticking me with this Captain thing. I'll bet that's going to be a headache before we get to Oregon." Mark laughed. "Even more of a headache than you realize. Andy says you've got your head on straight. He says you always know what you're doing. That's why I wanted you for Captain." "You know, I woke up the other morning and thought that I really wished I knew what I was doing. Seems to me like I just react to things." "Well, if you react well, what more could we ask." ------- It was probably closer to seven-thirty when we heard Mark yell, "Wagons Ho!" He told us to have the coach lead out, so we did and then followed with each of our other wagons. The O'Connell wagon fell in after us and it was followed by the Gundersons. Mark rode up and down the line of wagons and watched them form up. It was quite an impressive sight. Before long, all of the wagons were moving in a long line. I rode up on a little rise and watched them for a while. Sally came over beside me and looked down at the wagons as well. "Well, we're on our way," she said after a while. "Day one of our journey with only about a hundred and eighty to go." I had to laugh at that. "We got kicked back in time almost a year ago. Since then, Sam, Cassie and I have been traveling almost continuously. By the time we get to Oregon, I'm going to be ready to sit down under a shade and let my butt put down roots." "If I remember right, from what I saw, you've got a pretty nice root already." "Sally, you are incorrigible," I laughed. ------- Mark had us circle the wagons three different times that day. The first time was when we were only a couple of miles outside St Joseph. We didn't do it perfectly the first time, but it was a lot better than it could have been. By the time we did it the third time, Mark called a halt for the day. We had gotten word to Stu that we'd be leaving this morning, so he got the cattle moving early as well. He took it slow with them and we caught up with them not long before we called it quits for the day. All in all, it wasn't a bad day of travel. Mark says we made around fifteen miles for the day and that seems about right to me too. Our Becky is a traveling girl. That's about all she's known in her short life. She is a very good baby. I spent a little time in the coach with her and Sam. I just love to hold her and watch her little face. I have been amazed at how Becky has taken to me. It's like there is a special bond between us. It's even closer than the bond I feel between Mandy and me. I'm already thinking about how difficult it's going to be when she grows up and gets married. I'm really going to hate to lose her. Thursday, May 4, 1848 Ed: Day 2 - On the Oregon Trail We rolled out of bed early again. Thank God, Becky sleeps through most nights. We got dressed and got out of our wagon to find that Maddy and Mina already had breakfast ready. I told Andy and Stu at breakfast that I'd help out with the cattle starting today. "We've been talking it over and we'd rather you didn't," Andy said. "Mark is the wagon boss, but you are the people boss. If anyone has a problem not related to their wagons, you have to take care of it." "I can do that when a problem comes up," I told him. "Probably," Andy said. "But if two guys get into it over something, wouldn't it be better if you knew them? Wouldn't it give you a better idea of who is in the wrong if you knew one of them was a liar and the other habitually told the truth? We think you should take some time to get to know everyone on the train." "I guess that makes sense. Aren't you going to need me though?" "If we do, we'll come and get you," Stu said. "We also think we're only going to need about half of the women at any one time. We'll talk to them as we get the cattle started." "Okay. I guess I can live with that. Be sure to call me if you need me." They assured me they would. ------- After the wagons got rolling, I rode beside the coach for a while and talked with Sam. I thought I should probably get to know our drivers, so I brought the young man driving the coach into the conversation too. "You're Shack Vencille, aren't you?" I asked. "Yes, sir. My brother Jon is driving the next wagon back." "Please call me Ed," I said. "How old are you, Shack?" "I'm seventeen. Jon and I have been talking about Oregon for a couple of years now." "What made you want to go to Oregon?" "Well, I don't know how you feel about things, so please don't take offense. The fact is, mom and dad are a little crazy when it comes to religion." "It'd be hard to offend me, Shack. Crazy in what way?" "Well... Everything that happened, they'd say that was God's will. If a family had a new baby, then that was God's will. If a child was burned up in a house fire, then that was God's will. If Jon or I wanted to do something, they'd ask if we thought God would want us to do that. If we got in a scrape or something, they'd pray over us for hours. That's besides the prayers before every meal and the prayers when we got up or when we went to bed." "That sounds like it'd be awfully hard on a young man." "It was. Now, I believe in God, but I don't believe he regulates everything we do or say. Think of how busy he'd be just looking after all the people on this wagon train, let alone all the people in the country or in the world." "I understand what you're saying, Shack. Do you know what the golden rule is?" "Yep. It's a good one." "It's the way I try to live my life. It's the way I think God would want us all to act." "I'll agree with you there," Shack said with a big smile. ------- I talked with Jon Vencille for a while and he told me almost the same things as Shack had. Both boys were very quiet and I figured their upbringing was responsible for that. Jon confided in me that he would eventually like to get married. "I don't want it to be like the kind of marriage mom and dad had though," he said. "I want it to be more like you or Andy or Stu have. Mom and dad were always polite to each other and I never heard them fight. I never heard them have any fun together either. You three guys have fun with your wives. You all tease each other and you're not afraid to kiss each other. I don't think mom and dad ever kissed." "Well, surely they did," I said. "They did have kids." "I don't know if they kissed even then. Dad took me and Shack aside one time and told us that having children was just a duty men and women had to perform to carry out God's word." "Jon, I can guarantee you that it's a lot more than that." "I hear all of you guys at night. I know it has to be more than that." ------- We made a little over sixteen miles today. Mark says that is very good for us just getting started. "We'll be crossing the Missouri River tomorrow," he told us. "Crockett scouted out the ford and he says it is the best he's ever seen it for crossing. I don't think we'll have any problems with it at all." "Good. I'm going to ride ahead and tell our people with the cattle. They may want to push ahead a little farther tonight and see if they can have most of them across before we get there." "I think that's a good idea. So far they're moving along pretty good." ------- Stu agreed and he sped the cattle up. When we camped for the night, we were about seven miles from the crossing. The cattle had been a couple of miles ahead of us when we started this morning. They camped for the night on the eastern shore of the Missouri. We hadn't seen Walker since I had told him about meeting Billy to the northeast. I could only assume that he had ridden for Peoria to see if he could catch Billy there. When Delia had given Billy the information about where we were going to cross the Missouri, he told her to tell me they'd meet us on the western shore. We had a happy camp that night. We'd had a very good day of travel and we felt like we were truly on the way to Oregon. Everyone kind of just sat around and laughed and talked after supper. Clint and Brad White kept us entertained with their antics. Friday, May 5, 1848 Ed: Day 3 - On the Oregon Trail As I had hoped, Stu had almost all of the cattle across the river when we got there. He moved them down river from the crossing and just let them graze for the rest of the day. Getting the wagons across wasn't that big of a thing either. We were all over by late afternoon, but we decided to camp there on the river so everyone could check their wagons. Billy, Jeb, Zeb, and Tizzy showed up late in the afternoon. I told Billy what I had told his father and he felt his father was probably close to Illinois by now. The three new men would start working the cattle tomorrow, so that freed up more of the women. All of our wagons made it through the river crossing with no problems. Saturday, May 6, 1848 Ed: Day 4 - On the Oregon Trail I must say I breathed a big sigh of relief yesterday when we were across the Missouri River. I don't think even the Cliftons will follow us this far. Walker? He's another story. If he knew we had his son and his slaves with us, I think he'd follow us to hell and back. We have so many people with us now it is becoming confusing. I was counting them up mentally this morning and if you include Billy and his group there are twenty seven of us. That doesn't include any of the hired help. We started following the Big Nemaha River today. Mark said we'd follow it all the way to its headwaters and then we'd turn due west to the Big Blue River. We had a decent day of travel through rolling hills and camped on the river. It was after supper when I got to act as Captain for the first time. We were all just sitting around, relaxing, when two people I'd never met showed up at our campfire. "I'm Prudence Hankins and this is my husband Clell," the woman said. "I'm Ed Hill," I said as I extended my hand to Clell. "It's nice to meet you folks." "We came here to make a complaint, Mr. Hill. It's about that Caldwell woman," Prudence said. "What about her?" I asked. Sam hadn't told me about Wanda's exhibitionism. "We're in the wagon behind the Caldwell wagon," Prudence said. "Every night, that woman strips off and washes herself in the back of her wagon. She doesn't even put anything across the back of her wagon so people can't see her. It's a disgrace, Mr. Hill and we think they should be thrown off of the wagon train." I started to make a joke about missing the show, but I realized that this woman was serious. "If it offends you, Mrs. Hankins, why don't you just turn your back on her?" I asked. Prudence harumphed and said, "Mr. Hill, there are little kids in other wagons around us. They shouldn't be subjected to an immoral display like that." I could tell that this woman wasn't going to be put off easily, so I said I'd talk with the Caldwells. My greatest fear was that this woman was going to be a pain in my ass all the way to Oregon. ------- Sam had been listening to the exchange and when Prudence and Clell left, she told me about the incident with the two boys. She agreed to go with me to talk to the Caldwells. When we got to their wagon, Sam introduced me to Jake and Wanda Caldwell. "Mrs. Caldwell," I said, "The people in the wagon behind yours came to me a while ago and complained that they see you bathing nude every night." Wanda Caldwell laughed and said, "Please call me Wanda. I suspect that Mrs. Hankins complained because she caught her husband watching me last night." It hit me that she was probably right and I had to laugh. "That's probably true," I said. "Did you know he was watching you?" "Yeah, I saw him. To be honest with you, it kind of put me off a little. He made it seem like it was something dirty." "Are you saying that if someone was openly admiring you that you wouldn't mind?" "Probably not. Jake and I feel like the human body is a beautiful thing and shouldn't be hidden. We've always been open with our kids and we feel like they are the better for it." "We tend to agree with you," I said. "The only problem is that a lot of people do not. Would it bother you if we moved your wagon up with ours so Mrs. Hankins wouldn't have any reason to complain?" Jake laughed and said, "No, that would be fine, Ed. I know there's nothing you or anyone else could do to change my wife, so that is probably the best solution." We talked for a while with these people. I started to really like them. Their ideas were way ahead of most people from this era. Sunday, May 7, 1848 Ed: Day 5 - On the Oregon Trail I talked with Mark before we took off this morning and told him I needed to move the Caldwell wagon up among ours. Then, I went and told Jake where they were to move to as soon as the wagons started rolling. The order our wagons were in had the coach in front, followed by our four covered wagons and then the freight wagons. We put Jake and Wanda in the middle of our covered wagons. All of my wives got a giggle out of the move and teased me about just wanting Wanda where I could watch her take a bath. Stu was moving the cattle ahead and to the side of the wagons. I rode out to talk with him and see how things were going. He told me that things were going fine and that Jeb and Zeb really knew what they were doing with the cattle. He was pleased to have them. ------- We had a very interesting occurrence on the trail today. We met a group of people heading East. They had one wagon and a bunch of mules. The wagon and the mules were loaded down with furs. Mark, Andy, and I rode over and talked with them for a while. The leader of the group was a young man who said his name was Jase Tackett. He said they had a ranch in Oregon and they were on their way to St Jo to buy cattle and horses, and to sell their furs. Jase told us about a valley that was close to theirs that would make a fine cattle and horse ranch. It sounded really interesting, so he told us to wait for them at the Malheur River and they'd show us where it was if we were interested. Mark said he knew where Malheur River was. We parted on good terms and then the three of us rode hard to catch up with everyone else. ------- Sally rode with me for a while today. She didn't say anything about becoming part of our marriage, but I got the feeling she was waiting for me to say something. Who knows how that will work out. When we stopped for the day, Sam said she wanted us to go over and talk with the O'Connells for a while after supper. My whole family ended up going. The women got their heads together and made over the babies. Abby laid a large quilt out on the ground and they put Becky and Ben on it. They gurgled at each other as the women talked. Patrick and I caught up on all that had happened to us since we had met them on our way to Boston. It was an enjoyable evening. At least it was until we went back to our camp. Prudence and Clell were waiting there for us. "What's up, folks?" I asked. I was expecting them to thank us for moving Wanda's family. Boy was I wrong. "Well, Mr. Hill, we hate to complain, but those Jamison kids are about to drive us crazy. There are three of them and they run around like a bunch of wild Indians." "What do you mean?" I asked. "They play some kind of game where they're running and yelling and screaming until we can't get any peace at all. Their parents let them go at it until dark and we're always asleep long before that." "Well, ma'am, kids will be kids, and you really can't expect people to go to bed before dark," I said. "Their parents could keep them quiet, Mr. Hill. Good, respectable children should be helping their parents or sitting and quietly reading the bible. I don't know why some people let their children run wild." "Ma'am, these kids have been cooped up in a wagon all day. They need some time in the evening to run off all of the energy they couldn't expend during the day." "Are you going to do something about this or not, Mr. Hill?" "Well, I'll talk to the parents. Maybe they can figure out a way for the kids to play quieter. I really think you're wrong on this, ma'am." Prudence and Clell huffily left our camp. I laid my head over on Sam's shoulder and sighed. "Ed, I was trying to screen everyone who we allowed to come on this wagon train, but the Hankins joined us on the last day before we took off. I was so excited about you guys being back that I didn't pay that much attention to them." "It's okay, love. Every group has to have a complainer. I guess Mrs. Prudence Hankins is ours." Monday, May 8, 1848 Ed: Day 6 - On the Oregon Trail Mark came riding over to where I was, not long after we had gotten on the road. We talked for a few minutes about the progress we were making. He said that by the end of the day we'd have come about 95 miles so far. Then he said, "I almost had a mutiny on my hands yesterday. We have one very unhappy woman with us right now." "Who is that?" I asked. "Prudence Hankins. She kicked up a big fuss when she found out we were going to be traveling yesterday. She said Sunday was the Lord's day and we shouldn't be traveling. I tried to explain to her that we had to travel every day we could so we could get through the mountains before the passes were snowed in." "What did she say to that?" "She said if we observed the holy day, God would see that we got through the mountains in time. I told her I was going to see we got through the mountains in time and that she was welcome to stay here and observe the Sabbath, but the rest of us were going to move on." "I'll bet she didn't like that." "She was madder than a wet hen. I thought for a minute she was going to stay behind, then she stomped off and went back to her wagon." "She's driving me crazy too, Mark. Night before last she was complaining she had seen Wanda Caldwell while she was taking a bath. Last night she came around to complain that the Jamison kids had been playing until dark the night before and had kept her and her husband awake. Who knows what she'll be complaining about tonight." ------- I rode beside the Jamison wagon for a while and got to talk to them. Harlan and Amelia seemed like a nice couple. They were about my age and I could relate to them. Finally, I brought up Mrs. Hankins. "She's complaining that your kids are too noisy when they play at night. I tried to explain to her that kids had to burn off all of that energy they stored up while riding in the wagons, but she wouldn't hear of it." "Excuse my language, but she's a pain in the ass," Amelia said. "She's always complaining about something. Last night, the wind shifted while I was cooking supper. Smoke was blowing from our campfire toward hers. She jumped up and grabbed a blanket and started trying to fan it back toward us." I had to laugh at that one. "I don't know what to do with this woman. She keeps running to me with complaints. The Jeffersons are in the wagon in front of her. They're an older couple with no kids. If I moved the O'Connells in behind the Hankins and the Tiptons in behind the O'Connells, that'd put a couple of wagons between yours and hers. Both of those families have only very small children, so their play shouldn't disturb the Hankins." "That'd suit us just fine," Harlan said. "We'll make sure our kids are always on the other side of our wagon from her." "I'm sorry about having to move you, folks. I just wonder what she's going to find to complain about next." I was soon to find out. ------- Chapter 45 Prudence and Clell showed up right after supper again. We had done the shuffle on the wagons when we circled up, so I knew she didn't want to complain about the Jamisons again. "Mr. Hill, after the Jamison kids finally quieted down last night, Clell and I thought we were gonna get some sleep. It wasn't to be though." "What disturbed you, Mrs. Hankins?" "It was them Jefferson people. Mr. Hill, we could actually hear them fornicating in their wagon. That woman is too old to have babies, so they got no business fornicating." "Mrs. Hankins, people don't make love just so they can have babies. Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson are a married couple. They have every right to make love whenever they want to." "Humph. You sound like one of those God forsaken Atheists. God said in the bible that a man and a woman should lay together so that they could have children. He didn't say one time that they should lay together just to have fun." I'm afraid I had had it. "Mrs. Hankins, God didn't say one damned thing about anything in the bible. The bible wasn't written by God. It was written by men. Even in the new testament where some words are attributed to Jesus, the words were what some man remembered Jesus saying. Jesus himself never wrote down anything and said he wanted it put in the bible." "Mr. Hill, you are a Godless man." "No, Ma'am, I am not a Godless man. I'm afraid I don't believe as you do though. I believe in treating others the way I'd like for them to treat me. I know you don't believe in that since you treat everyone around you so badly. Would you like it if your neighbors came and complained to me about everything you do? I don't think you would." "Come on, Clell. I think we should have a talk with Mr. Lester about this man." Before she could get away, I said, "Mrs. Hankins, I don't want to hear any more complaints about the people around you. Learn to live with the people and their differences." Prudence harumphed and walked away. Clell obediently followed her away from our camp. Tuesday, May 9, 1848 Ed: Day 7 - On the Oregon Trail Mark found me as I was riding along side the coach this morning. He fell in beside me and we rode in silence for a while. Finally, he asked, "What's going on with Prudence Hankins?" "Prudence Hankins is a bitch," I said. "Agreed, but what got her all fired up?" "She's been around to complain to me almost every night since we've been on the trail. First it was the Caldwells, so I moved them away from her. Then it was that the Jamison kids were too noisy in their play in the evenings. I moved the Jamisons away from her. Last night she came to complain that the Jeffersons were, to quote her, fornicating in their wagon." Mark laughed. "How did she think that was any business of hers?" "She said the noise they made kept her from sleeping. She said the Jeffersons are too old to have babies, so they had no right to be fornicating anyway. Then she started trying to tell me that God doesn't want people to fornicate unless it is to make babies. I'm afraid I lost it a little. I told her that God didn't say any such thing and that she should mind her own business and learn to live with other people." "I can't say I blame you for losing your temper. She came around this morning and demanded I throw you and about half of the other people on this wagon train off." "This woman is getting to be a real pain, Mark." "Yeah, I told her I couldn't throw you off because it is your wagon train. She got mad at me and stomped off. Her husband follows her around like a puppy." "I've noticed that. He's never said a word to me. I wonder if he can even talk." Mark laughed. "He's probably forgotten how. I don't think she lets him say much." "So, what do we do about them?" I asked. "Well, she may straighten up now. If not, we'll leave them at the first place we come to that we can." "I hate to do that, but it might be our only recourse. We can't let her disrupt the whole wagon train." ------- "How is Tizzy doing?" I asked Sam a little later. "Tizzy is doing just fine," Sam grinned. "M&M have adopted her and they're trying their best to corrupt her. She's such a shy little thing that she isn't getting into half the mischief that M&M does." "She is shy. I don't think she's said five words to me since we picked them up. With M&M leading her on, I think she'll get over that pretty quickly though." "We need to talk about Sally and Tina," Sam said. "Okay." "Both of them seem to think of me as the matriarch of our clan. Both have come to me and asked about becoming members of our marriage. I've talked to Cassie and Delia and Kate about them, but I haven't talked to you." "What do you women think?" I asked. "You first, love. What do you think about them?" "Awh shit. I knew you were going to put it back on me. Tina is one of the bravest young women I've ever met. She hid out when the men who had killed her parents were looking for her, then she lived off the land while she came over a hundred miles to try to find us. I'd have to love her for that, even if it wasn't for her personality and her looks." "That's pretty much what Cassie and Katie said. Delia and I don't know her as well, but we both think she is a fine young woman." "Sally got kicked in the head by that bastard she was married to. She showed me a lot of integrity by how she handled that. She has two fine kids that she practically raised by herself. Do I love her? Yes, I do. Do I want her to be part of our marriage? Yeah. I think she deserves some happiness and I think we could give it to her." "Well, my dear, you said the magic word about both of them. If you hadn't said you love them, I might have been hesitant. Now, I'm not. All of us agree they'd make fine additions to our family." "Okay. All that being said and agreed on, I think we should wait a while before we invite them into our marriage. Everyone, including Cindi, thought she was in love with me. She even made remarks about wanting to be my wife. Then, when the first man, who was nearer her age came along, she fell for him. I want to be absolutely sure that Sally and Tina love us and that we love them." "That makes sense, love," Sam grinned. "Besides, anticipation can be very exciting." ------- "Strays!" I thought as I rode off by myself for a while. Sam was a stray. Cassie was a stray. Delia was a slave. Katie was a stray. Tina was a stray. Sally was a stray. What is it with me and strays? I guess maybe I was a stray myself. I rode by myself for a long time. I thought of all of the things I knew that the people in this time period didn't know. If any of the twenty-first century people wanted to we could change the entire world. Did we want to? I could invent a thousand things they didn't have in this time period, but that would just speed up the technological society we had developed by the twenty-first century. If I could change anything, it wouldn't be anything material. It would be in how people treated each other. Was it fair for me not to try to improve things? I'll be damned if I know. First I'd have to know what would be an improvement. In this time period, men and women were hardy souls. Survival of the fittest was still the controlling factor. People were either productive, or they died. In the twenty-first century, survival of the fittest no longer applied. Then it became survival of the richest. We had made so many discoveries in medicine that even the weakest could survive if they could pay for the necessary treatment. That made it so there were a lot more people, but was that an improvement? In this time period, there was no such thing as welfare. People worked and took care of themselves or they starved. Was it better to have more people, even if they weren't productive, or was it better to let nature remove those who depended on others for their survival? God! I don't know. Wednesday, May 10, 1848 Ed: Day 8 - On the Oregon Trail Well, at least we weren't visited by Prudence last night. In a way that was scary. It made me wonder what she was going to do now. As we were cleaning things up after breakfast, I asked Tina if she'd ride with me for a while. We took off away from the wagon train and just rode, side by side. "How's the hunting coming?" I asked after a while. "Well, between Andy and me. We're managing to keep everyone supplied with meat. It's certainly not as exciting as it used to be though. Now, it's more like a job." "I never did really like to hunt," I said. "I can see where there could be some excitement, but I just wasn't interested in it." "When you were in the future, what did you like to do?" "Oh, honey, that's hard for me to answer. Most of the things I enjoyed doing can't even be described now. Did you ever go to a play?" "No, but I know what they are." "We had machines that were like a picture, but the picture was sent through the air from far away. You could see plays that were being put on two thousand miles away. These machines were called televisions. Several times during the day, people would come on these televisions and tell us what was going on in the world. I didn't watch television much, but some people watched it several hours every day." "That doesn't sound like much of a life. When did these people get anything done?" "Some of them didn't get much done. You know what taxes are, don't you?" "Yes, it's something the government adds on to the cost of something so they can pay for running the country." "In the future they have something called an income tax. The government takes part of what you earn when you work. Actually, they take almost half. Some people can't or won't work. Maybe they're sick or maybe they just don't want to work. The government gives part of the money they take from you to these people so they can live." Tina thought for a minute, then she said, "I don't think I'd mind so much if they were giving some of my money to people who were sick or injured. I wouldn't like it if they were giving my money to people who just didn't want to work." "That's pretty much the way I feel about it too, Tina. That's one of the many reasons I was glad we got kicked back into the past." Tina gave me a big grin and said, "I'm glad you got kicked back too." We continued talking for quite a while. The subject of her becoming a member of our family never came up, but I know I was sure thinking about it. ------- I still hadn't gotten to talk to several of our drivers, so I rode back to where Davy Beale was driving one of our freight wagons. I had been introduced to Davy, but I couldn't say I really knew him. "Good morning, Davy," I said. "Mornin'." Davy was one of those long, lanky guys, who would have looked right at home in a John Wayne movie. He was in his mid twenties with brown hair and blue eyes. "How's the wagon doing?" I asked. "Jist fine." "Good. So, what are you planning to do when we get to Oregon?" I asked. "Trapping. Wanna buy a farm in Missouri." "So, have you lived around Missouri most of your life?" "Yep." "What were you doing around Dayton?" "Looking for work." I didn't seem to me that Davy wanted to talk, so I left him to his driving. Jesse Cooper was driving the next wagon back, so I stopped to talk with him. Jesse seemed to be the opposite of Davy when it came to talking. He was a tall, handsome young man in his early twenties. "Howdy, Ed," Jesse said before I could even open my mouth. "Howdy yourself, Jesse. How are things going?" "The weather is good; the trail is good; the oxen are pulling well; and the wagon rides just fine. What more could a man ask for?" I had to laugh at that. "Well, it could be better," I said. "You could have a pretty girl riding beside you." "Hey, I'm working on that. Have you seen Ilsa Gunderson? She's about the prettiest girl I have ever seen. I've talked to her a couple of times and she didn't act like she was better than me or anything." "She's a good friend of my wife, Sam. Sam says she's one of the nicest young women she's ever met." "I think so too," Jesse said, beaming. "Seems like I've seen one of the Wagoner boys talking with her too," I said. "Yeah. I'll just have to make sure she knows I'm a man and he's a boy," Jesse grinned. "Well, best of luck to you, Jesse. I think Ilsa would make you a good wife. Just don't hurt her." "Ed, I wouldn't hurt her for anything in the world." ------- As the morning progressed, we started to see thunder clouds building off to the west. By the time we stopped for our nooning, Mark said we should circle the wagons and figure on spending the night where we were. Normally, we would have just kept on through the rain, but this looked like it was going to be a gully washer. We gathered dry firewood and stowed it under the tarps covering our freight wagons. All of the other people on the train were doing the same. The women busied themselves cooking enough food for supper as well as lunch. By shortly after noon, we were as ready as we ever would be for a big storm. Sam, Cassie, Delia, Kate and I had gotten into our wagon to ride out the storm. Before the rain even started, Tina and Su Li joined us. A few minutes later, Sally, Cindi, and Jason asked if we had room for them as well. It was a tight fit, but we managed to get all of them in. The storm began to rage around us. The rain was coming down in buckets and the lightning and thunder were horrific. It was beginning to remind me of the storm that had kicked us into the past. Lightning hit so close at one point that the hair stood up on my arms. As it finally started to pass, Sally said, "I wonder when we'll be when we go outside." ------- The rain kept us inside the rest of the day. We had cold biscuits, cold stew, and jerky for dinner. It wasn't the greatest fare in the world, but we managed. The rain was still pouring down when it was time for bed. No one wanted to venture out in the downpour, so we all just huddled together and slept where we were. Thursday, May 11, 1848 Ed: Day 9 - On the Oregon Trail Well, things don't appear to have changed any, so I guess we're still in 1848. We had all talked about that a little while the storm was going on yesterday. We had speculated as to whether we'd be kicked back to the twenty-first century or if we'd be kicked farther into the past. Everyone who had started out in the twenty-first century agreed we hoped we wouldn't be kicked forward to that time. Even with the short day of travel yesterday, we had come about as far up the Big Nemaha River as it was possible to go. Today, we headed west to pick up the Big Blue River. We'd follow that until we were only about one day's travel from the Platte. Sally decided she wanted to ride with me this morning and I could tell right away something was on her mind. "What's up, Sally?" I asked. Sally sighed then said, "I know that the Hankins woman had been driving you crazy with her complaints, so I haven't wanted to add to your troubles. I do have something that is bothering me." "Sally, I'm always happy to listen to your problems. You're definitely not Mrs. Hankins." "Well... Do you know Mose Harter?" "No, I can't say as I've met him. What's his problem?" "Well, Mose is in his early forties. He has a wife and four or five kids." "Okay." "The day before we left St Jo, he came by where I was talking with Cindi and introduced himself. I didn't think anything of it since everyone was getting to know each other. He showed up again later that day when I was alone. He told me he thought I was a fine looking woman." "I take it you didn't think he was a fine man though?" "Ed, this guy smells bad. He was chewing tobacco and spitting on the ground where I'd be walking. He grinned real big while he was talking to me and about half of his teeth are rotted out. The other half are stained by tobacco juice to the point they are more brown than white." "He sounds like a real winner, but I'm sure there must be more to it than you've told me so far." "Yeah. The first night on the trail, I was going off to find a bush to hide behind to take a pee when he stopped me. He told me that widows don't have a lot of choices. He said that he'd take care of me if I'd take care of him. I told him I wasn't interested." "And that didn't do any good?" I asked. "No. He bothered me for the next three nights, so I finally told him that if he didn't leave me alone I was going to tell you. I thought that might have done some good, but then a couple of nights later, I saw him following me. Since then, I've seen him following almost every night." "I'll do something about him, honey. Let's ride back along the wagons and you can point him out to me." "Okay, he kind of scares me though, Ed." "Well, when we get back to his wagon, just say 'that's right' like you were agreeing with something I said." ------- Sally was right. Mose Harter wasn't my idea of a prime catch for a woman. Besides what Sally had told me about him, he was also butt ugly. We rode on by like we weren't interested in him at all. I wanted to have someone watch him, so we could catch him in the act of spying on Sally. We rode back up to the front of the train and found Andy. "Andy, do you know Mose Harter?" I asked. "I know who he is. Can't say as I know him." I had Sally tell Andy about Harter, then I said, "Evidently Harter is following Sally when she goes off to take care of her necessaries. I'd like for someone to follow Harter when he does that and catch him in the act of spying on her. Who do we have that could do that?" "I'll do it myself, Ed. A person has a right to privacy when they want it. Do you want me to bust him up when I catch him?" I had to laugh. "I don't care if you hurt him a little, but mainly I want you to bring him back to me. I want to put the fear of God into him. I might need your help for that too." Andy grinned. "That might be fun." ------- Later that morning I saw Tina coming back to the train with a deer across a pack mule. I watched as she tied the mule to the back of one of the freight wagons, then I rode over to where she was. "Good morning, Tina," I said as I pulled up beside her. "I see you're still providing food for all of us." "Good morning," Tina grinned. "Yeah, it's a lot harder right now. There doesn't seem to be as much game in this area. Andy says when we get to the plains, we'll see a lot of buffalo and it won't be as hard." "Do we have any guns that will take out a buffalo? I hear they're pretty big." "Andy bought two Hawken rifles in a .69 caliber before he left Dayton. He says they'll take down a grizzly bear. He says he sighted them in before they left." "Andy's a good man and a good hunter. I'm sure he did a good job of it." "Yeah, I like Andy. He's easy to get along with. I almost feel like he's my brother." "He's easy to get along with if he likes you. We've been in a few fights together. He's scary when he's fighting. Mose Harter is going to find out about Andy's bad side tonight." "Why's that?" I told her about Harter and told her Andy was going to follow him. Tina giggled and said, "I'd give about anything to see that." "You may get the chance. Andy's going to bring Harter back to me." "I'll be there to watch. If I can be of any help, let me know." Tina giggled again and said, "The Indians sometimes turn their prisoners over to the squaws. Evidently the women are much better at coming up with tortures than the men are." "I've heard that," I said. "I wouldn't really want to torture him, but the threat of it might be enough." "Actually, Su Li was telling me about a Chinese torture that sounds worse than what the Indians do. It's called 'the death of a thousand cuts'. Evidently they try to see how many times they can cut a guy before he dies." I had to shudder at that. "I think a man would suffer as much or more from knowing what was happening to him than he would from the actual cuts." "Yeah, that's what Su Li said. She says that sometimes the person will be alive for days or even weeks before he finally dies from lack of blood. They call the Indians savages, but that seems more savage that what the Indians do." "Honey, the white man is and has been as savage as the Indian. If you ever get the chance to read about the Inquisition, you'll find things that make the thousand cuts look tame. One of the priests' favorite things to do was to break a person's arms and legs and bind them to a wagon wheel. They'd bend the arms and legs around after they were broken so they'd fit along the wheel, then they'd just leave them there until they died." "That makes me sick to think about it." "Another thing they did was to tie a person's arms and legs to four horses. Then they'd have the horses pull the person apart." "You said the priests. Why would they do such things?" "The priests didn't actually do the torture, but they basically condemned the people. There would be a trial, but almost all of them found the defendant guilty, then they were turned over to the inquisitors. All of this was done in the name of religion. The people were accused of heresy or of being a witch. After the torture, if the person was still alive, they were burned at the stake." "My father was a Catholic. How could the pope let something like that go on?" "Honey, Pope Innocent the eighth was one of the people most involved in the inquisition. I don't remember for sure if he started it, but he definitely encouraged it. It was in the late 1400s when he appointed Tomas de Torquemada to be grand inquisitor of Spain and he was a strong supporter of the Spanish Inquisition" "He might have been named Innocent, but he definitely wasn't innocent," Tina said defiantly. "I agree with you completely," I said. "I read somewhere that literally millions of people lost their lives to the Inquisition. It was still going on a hundred years ago." Tina was silent for a long while, then she asked, "Why can't people just learn to get along, Ed? Why should I care what your religious beliefs are? I know you're a good man and that is all that matters to me. If I found out that you sat for hours and worshiped your belly button, it wouldn't change the fact that you are a good person." "What if you found out I liked to get naked and smear my body with green mud?" Tina giggled and said, "I might like to watch, but it wouldn't change who you are." ------- Chapter 46 It was just after supper when I saw Sally go over and whisper something to Andy. He whispered back to her and she came back over by Sam and me and said quietly, "I was telling Andy I was going out into the bushes soon. He is going over to find Harter." "Okay, I said. "You might need to do this several times before we catch him following you." "Yeah, I know, but it seems like I feel him there every time I go out. Maybe we'll get lucky and catch him the first time." She waited a few minutes, then she gave us a grin and took off. Sam and I spent some time playing with Becky. It couldn't have been ten minutes later when we heard loud voices, then a yell. It was only a short while after that when Andy came back into camp dragging Harter by his collar. They were followed by Sally who seemed to be trying to hide a smirk. "What have we here?" I asked, pretending not to know what was going on. "I caught this slimy skunk trying to peek at Sally while she was taking care of her necessaries. I thought about killing him right then, but I decided I should bring him back to you." Andy was still holding on to Harter's collar as I looked him up and down. "What do you have to say for yourself, Harter?" I asked. "Ah didn't do whut he uz sayin', Mr. Hill. Ah as jist goin' ta take keer uv my own necessaries and he jist grabbed me and started hittin' on me." "Ed, I followed this weasel from his wagon and I could tell he was following Sally. He would hide behind things or crouch down so she couldn't see him following her." "What are we going to do with you, Mr. Harter?" I asked as Tina came up beside me. "What would the Indians do, Tina?" "Well, they'd probably poke his eyes out with sharpened sticks, after they had tortured him," Tina said, seriously. "Then they'd leave him by the side of the trail to take care of himself." "Ya can't do suthin lack thet, Mr. Hill. Thet's against the law." "Mr. Harter, out here I am the law. I'm the Wagon Train Captain. We're not in the United States any more. If I wanted to take you over there and hang you from that cottonwood tree, I have a perfect right to do it." Harter's voice was a disgusting whine as he said, "Mr. Hill, Ah promise thet nothin lack thet 'ill ever happen again. Jist let me go back ta my wife and kids and I'll never bother Sally again." I thought for a minute then said, "Go back to your wagon and stay there. I'll talk to Mark Lester and see what he has to say about this." Harter was gone before the words were hardly out of my mouth. ------- Friday, May 12, 1848 Ed: Day 10 - On the Oregon Trail When there are five of you in a family, sleeping in a wagon isn't all it's cracked up to be. The wagon bed is five feet wide at the level where we have our mattress. Three people can comfortably sleep side by side if they're friendly. Four can sleep side by side, but it is very crowded. We ended up sleeping three on one end of the wagon and two on the other end. Unfortunately, the wagon is short enough that our feet overlap. I awoke this morning between Sam and Cassie. As I was trying to get my brain to function, Delia crawled from the other end of the wagon and laid on top of me. "Good morning, love," I said. "Good morning. You know I was just thinking, if we marry Sally and Tina, maybe I should just sleep like this." "Delia, my love," I said, "you know I think you are as light as a feather, but even a feather would start to get heavy if it was laying on top of me all night." Delia giggled and after some kissing and cuddling, we got out of bed. Sally was waiting outside. "What's up, girl?" I asked her. "Ed, I heard a rumor this morning that has me worried. I was talking with Martha Tipton. The Tipton wagon is right beside the Harter's. She said it sounded like Mose Harter was beating up on his wife last night. She said she could hear Mrs. Harter sobbing and begging him to stop." "Awh, shit. I never thought he might take his anger out on his wife. Have you seen Andy?" "He went off hunting this morning very early." Cassie had just came out of our wagon, so I said, "Cassie, would you go with me to the Harter wagon. Mose may have beaten up on his wife." Cassie nodded and checked the loads in her revolver. "I'm going with you," Tina said. I couldn't argue with her. I figured Tina and Cassie would be the two people I'd most like to have with me in case of trouble. ------- As we approached the Harter wagon, we could see Mose squatted by a campfire, drinking a tin cup of coffee. There was no sign of his wife and kids. "Mose, where are your wife and kids?" I asked. "Thet's none a yer bidness," he said as he glared at me. I didn't see Cassie pull her revolver, but I heard the shot. Her bullet went through his tin cup and struck the ground between his feet. "He asked where your wife and kids are," Cassie said. "If I have to shoot again, I might miss on the high side." People from all of the wagons heard the shot and they started gathering around. "They're in the wagon," Harter said. "They're all feeling kind a poorly this morning." "Tina, would you check their wagon please?" I asked. Tina moved toward the wagon and Harter yelled, "Ya ain't got no right..." "Shut up," Cassie said quietly. Her gun never wavered. "Oh. My God, Ed," Tina said. "Come here." "Watch him, Cassie," I said as I headed toward the wagon. What I saw when I got to the wagon made me sick to my stomach. At first I thought they were all dead, then I saw Mrs. Harter take a shuddering breath. "Tina, run and get Maddie, then get Mark Lester. Tell them to get here as soon as they can. If Rawhide is in camp, send him too." Tina took off like her shoes were on fire. I walked back over to Cassie and Harter. "If he moves, Cassie, shoot him in the gut," I said with all the hatred I felt. "What's wrong, Ed?" she asked. "It looks like he beat his wife and his kids nearly to death. Some of them may be dead." "We should just hang him," one of the men who had gathered around said. "We may end up doing that," I said. "Mark Lester is on his way here. Let's find out if anyone is dead, then we'll talk it over with Lester." Maddie and Rawhide showed up together. They were followed by the rest of my family. "Maddie, would you check on the people in the wagon, please?" As Maddie moved off toward the wagon, I asked, "Rawhide, would you see if he's wearing a gun or a knife?" Rawhide nodded then walked over behind Harter. "Stand up real slow," Cassie told Harter. "If you move too fast, I'll put a bullet through your belly button." Harter still had his ruined cup in his hand as he got slowly to his feet. "Ya ain't got no right ta go messing in a man's family bidness," he said as Rawhide started to check him over for weapons. I just ignored him. Mina went over to the wagon too, so I asked the crowd around us, "Does anyone here know anything about medicine?" No one admitted to knowing anything and Mark Lester came up before I could say anything else. "What's going on?" he asked. "Well, it seems that Mose decided to beat up on his family," I said. "They're in the wagon over there." Lester took off for the wagon and we all just stood there waiting. He came back in a few minutes and said, "Maddie and Mina think that the mother and four of the kids are going to be alright. The oldest boy is dead." "I din't mean ta kill 'em," Harter whined. "My wife and me got in a argyment and I slapped her. He hit me and tried ta hit me again. I uz jist pertectin myself." "He couldn't have been over fifteen or sixteen," Lester said. "Harter really beat him bad." "What do we do with Harter?" I asked. "You're the Captain," Mark said. "If you say hang him, we'll hang him. If you want to get all legal about it, we could have a trial." "Well, for the time being, let's just make sure he doesn't get away. Could you get someone to tie him up and then watch him until things calm down?" Mark agreed that he'd get Jim Crockett to do it since we weren't going to need any scouting that day. Maddie got a couple of the men to lift the boy out of the Harter wagon, and then they carefully looked over his body. Maddy and a couple of the other women wrapped his body in a blanket. She came over to where we were and said, "These people can't travel today. They're awful beat up. Mrs. Harter has a broken leg and one of the girls has a broken arm. We'll need to get them out of the wagon to work on them." I saw Stu standing in the crowd, so I asked him to go and get the largest tarp he could find to erect a shelter over the injured people. He told one of our men to cut some poles to hold the tarp up. Maddie got some men to help her get the people out of the wagon. I think by now, everyone on the wagon train had heard what had happened and most of them were gathered around the Harter wagon. Sam had come by briefly with Becky, but I sent her back to our wagon after she had satisfied her curiosity. I went over to where the four beaten members of the Harter family were lying. They looked even worse out in the open than they had in the wagon. Mrs. Harter's face was swollen and bruised. She had large bruises on her arms and legs and her right leg was definitely broken below the knee. Andy came up as I was looking them over. "Andy, have you ever set a broken bone?" I asked. "No. I've seen it done on a man's arm. Do you want me to help?" "Yeah, I think so. Mrs. Harter needs to be taken care of first. Mrs. Harter, can you hear me?" I asked. "Yes." Her voice was low and strained. "Ma'am, your leg is broken. We're going to have to set it. It's going to hurt, but then you'll start getting better." "Okay." Mina, Maddie and I took hold of Mrs. Harter's shoulders and upper body, while Andy sat at her feet, facing her. He put his left leg between her legs with his foot right against her crotch. Then, he took hold of her right ankle with both hands and began to pull. Mrs. Harter went limp almost immediately. "She's passed out, Andy. Let's get this done." I could see the muscles in Andy's neck start to pop out. I dropped my gaze to Mrs. Harter's leg and I could actually see it when the bone went back into place. Maddie had sent some men off to get some splints earlier, so we started tying them around the woman's leg. Next, we moved to the girl with the broken arm. She looked to be in a little better shape than her mother. "What's your name, honey?" I asked. "I'm Grace. Is mom alright?" "I think your mom is going to be fine," I said. "She had a broken leg and we had to set it. She just passed out. I'm sure she'll come out of it in a few minutes." "Is everyone else okay?" "Your younger brother and sisters are sleeping. They don't appear to be hurt as bad." "What about Bobby?" "Honey, if Bobby is your older brother, then he's dead. I'm sorry." Grace sobbed for a few minutes. We let her cry, not wanting to rush her. Finally, she said, "Bobby was a good boy. When pa started hitting ma last night, Bobby tried to stop him. Then pa started beating on Bobby. I was afraid he was dead." "Honey, we're going to do everything we can to help you. We need to get you better so you can help take care of your mom. You have a broken arm that we're going to have to set though." "Okay. Am I going to pass out too?" "Maybe so, honey. It's going to hurt awfully bad. This big gorilla of a guy is going to have to pull your arm until it's straight." Grace looked at Andy and gave him a little smile. "I'll be as gentle as I can, darling," Andy said. Grace nodded, so Andy got down and placed his feet against the side of the girl. "I'm sorry this has to hurt, Grace," he said. Grace nodded again and said, "I know." As Andy started putting pressure on her left arm, you could see the pain in Grace's face. Beads of sweat started popping out on her forehead and arms. When the bones in her arm seemed to be aligned, she was still awake. "That... That sure did hurt," she managed to get out. Andy leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Gracie, you have to be the bravest young woman I have ever met. I'm proud to have met you," he said. Andy and I stood back and watched as Maddie and Mina put on the splints for Grace's arm. As we were watching, Tina came up with two cups of what I guess you would call tea. "This is something mama taught me about," Tina said. "It'll help with the pain and it'll put them to sleep." Andy helped Grace drink her tea, while Mina helped Mrs. Harter, who had awakened while we were setting her daughter's arm. Within just a few minutes, I could see both women drifting off. I put my arm around Tina and gave her a hug. "You did good, honey," I said. ------- It was about the middle of the afternoon before Grace and Mrs. Harter were alert enough to talk. I had Delia stay with Becky so that Sam could go with me to see the Harters. Sally went along. I think she was feeling guilty, thinking she had caused Harter to go off the deep end. "Are you ladies feeling any better?" I asked as I squatted on the ground near them. "Some," Mrs. Harter said. "I know you have to be in a lot of pain," Sam said. "We can get you some more of that tea if you'd like." "Maybe in a while," Mrs. Harter said. "What's going to happen to my husband?" "Ma'am, your husband killed your oldest son. We'll have a trial, then if he's convicted, he'll probably be hanged." Mrs. Harter broke into tears and cried for a couple of minutes before she could continue. Finally, she said, "I don't know what's come over him of late. He didn't used to be like this. Mr. Hill, what's going to happen to me and the kids if he's hanged?" "Well, ma'am, I talked with Mark Lester about that. The way we see it, there's two ways you can go. We'll get someone to drive the wagon for you. If you'd like, you can go all the way to Oregon with us. If you don't want to do that, we can leave you at the first fort or trading post we come to and you can make your way home from there." Mrs. Harter sighed and said, "We really don't have anyone to go back to in Kentucky. I don't know how we'd make it on our own in Oregon though." "Well, ma'am. We've got a lot of people with us now. I'm sure we could manage to help you until you get set up in Oregon." "We just might take you up on that, Mr. Hill." "Mr. Hill, who was that big guy who helped with mom's leg and my arm?" Grace asked. Sam smiled and said, "That was Andy Finke. He's one of the nicest men I've ever met. He's as big as a bear and as gentle as a lamb." "He did seem awfully nice. God is he handsome. Is he married?" "Yes, he has two wives," Sam told her. "Two wives? Is he a Mormon?" "No, Grace. He's just a man who loves two women and both of them love him and each other." I was watching Grace and when she looked at me, I winked and said, "He might even be looking for a third wife." Grace blushed like a new sunrise. ------- "So how do we go about having a trial?" I asked Mark. "We don't have a judge and we don't have attorneys." "Well, you are the wagon train Captain, so you are the judge. You can appoint someone as the prosecutor and someone else as the defense attorney. I'll pick out six men to act as a jury if you'd like." "Awh, shit, Mark. I don't want to be a judge." "You don't have a choice, Ed. The Captain is the judge." "Okay. I pick Andy Finke as the prosecutor and Claude Crow as the defense attorney." "You need to tell them as soon as you can. When do you want to have the trial?" "I don't think the Harter women are going to be able to travel again tomorrow, so let's have it tomorrow afternoon." "Okay. The day after the trial, we're going to have to get moving, even if it hurts the Harter women." "We'll make it as easy on them as we can," I said. "They can ride in our coach. It has springs and that makes for a lot easier ride." ------- Well, today seemed like it was a week long. When we were all snuggled in for the night, I said to Cassie, "I'm very proud of you, Cassie." "Why are you proud of me?" she asked. "This morning, when we found out Harter had killed his son, I saw how badly it affected you. It would have been awfully easy for you to have just shot the bastard. No one would have faulted you for it, but you managed to stay under control and to keep him covered so he couldn't try to run away." "Usually, I'm a bigger talker than I am a doer," Cassie grinned. "I think I got as sick as you did the first time we had to kill someone. I certainly wouldn't do it if there was any way to avoid it." "I know that, love. I like the fact that you come across the way you do though. Some people are very intimidated by you." "That's the plan." ------- Saturday, May 13, 1848 Ed: Day 11 - On the Oregon Trail I guess I should have rolled out of bed as soon as I awoke, but I was really enjoying cuddling with my sweet wives. It was finally Becky who made sure we were all up and moving. While Sam changed Becky's diaper and fed her, the rest of us took off to do our morning bathroom duties, then went over to bug Mina for coffee. When I had settled down with a cup, Mina came to me and kissed me on the cheek. "This isn't going to be an easy day for you, Ed," she said. "Just remember we are all behind you all the way." "I know that, Mina, but thanks for saying it. I am a very lucky man. I have a wonderful family." Mina's grin was as big as Nebraska when she said, "We all love you, Ed." "I know that, Mina. On a day like today that's all that keeps me going." ------- As we were eating breakfast, Andy said, "I went over to check on the Harters this morning. The three younger kids are doing fine. Effie and Grace are still in some pain, but both of them say it's a lot better than yesterday." "Good. Did you know Grace was asking about you yesterday?" "No." "Yeah, she wanted to know who you were and if you were married." Sarah Beth giggled and asked, "Does she have a crush on my husband?" "Yeah, I think she does. She's a nice girl. Be nice to her." ------- After lunch, the time I had been dreading came around. I think the entire wagon train was gathered in the area between the wagons when I showed up. As promised, Mark had gotten six men for a jury. I started out by addressing them. "Gentlemen, we are here to determine the guilt or innocence of Mose Harter. He is accused of beating his wife and children and of killing his son. A guilty verdict will result in Mose being hanged. This is a big responsibility, so you should listen very carefully to everything that is said. It is up to you to determine if the witnesses are telling the truth or not." I looked at each of the jurors and each of them nodded. "Andy Fink is the prosecutor. He will present his case first." I nodded at Andy and he stood up. "I haven't ever done anything like this before, so bear with me. I only have four witnesses to call, but I think they will prove to you that Mose Harter is guilty of beating his family to the point that his oldest son, Robert Harter, died from the beating. His wife has a broken leg and his daughter has a broken arm, also from the beating." He let that sink in for a moment then he said, "My first witness is Sally Gray. Would you step up here, Sally?" This surprised me a little, but Andy said as Sally was coming up, "Sally didn't actually witness the beating, but what she is going to tell you will show you that Harter was in a bad mood when he went to his wagon the night before last." Mark Lester brought a bible up and swore Sally in. "Sally, would you please tell the jurors why Harter was in a bad mood the night he killed his son." "Well, I had been having this feeling for a while that someone was watching me when I went off to take care of my personal business. I told Ed about it and Andy volunteered to see if he could find out who it was. He caught Mose Harter hiding so he could watch me do my business." "What happened then?" "We brought Harter back to see Ed. Ed wasn't sure what we should do with him, so he bawled him out and told him he'd talk to Mark Lester about what he had been doing and that they'd figure out what his punishment should be." "How did Harter seem when he left?" "He was angry with Ed, because he said Ed didn't have any right to punish him." "Thanks, Sally. That will be all." Claude Crow was acting as Harter's attorney, so I asked him if he had any questions for Sally. He said that he didn't, so I told Andy to call his next witness. He called Effie Harter. Two men carried Effie Harter up and got her seated on a keg. Lester swore her in and then Andy started the questioning. "Mrs. Harter, you've obviously been badly beaten. Please tell us who did this to you." "It was my husband." "Tell us what happened that night." "Mose came home that night in a very bad mood. I asked him what was wrong and he told me it was none of my business. Mose had been in trouble a few times before, so I asked him if he was in trouble. That's when he slapped me." "What happened then?" "Mose drew back his fist to hit me again and Robert jumped in between us. He told Mose to calm down so Mose hit him instead. It knocked Robert out, then he started hitting me. I fell down and he started kicking me. I think that's when my leg broke. I think he kicked me in the head, because that's the last I remember." "That's all I have," Andy said. "Claude, do you have any questions for Mrs. Harter?" "Just one," Claude said. "If you were knocked out, you didn't actually see your husband kill your son, did you, Mrs. Harter?" "No, sir. Not unless Robert died from when Mose knocked him out." Claude said that was all he wanted to know, so Andy called Grace Harter as a witness. After she was sworn in, Andy asked, "Would you tell us what happened that night, Grace?" "Well, it was just like mama said. After she passed out, he kicked her a few more times then he started kicking Robert. I don't know how many times he kicked him, but he had to kick him eight or ten times in the stomach. I tried to stop him and that's when he beat me up and broke my arm. My little brother and sisters were just kind of trying to hide, but when he had finished with me, he started in on them." "Thank you, Grace. That's all I have." "Miss Harter, do you know for a fact that Mr. Harter kicking your brother cause his death?" "No." "That's all I have." Andy called Mina as his next witness. "Mrs. Hill, did you look over the body of Robert Harter before it was buried?" "Yes." "Would you describe it for us please?" "It looked like he had been beaten pretty bad. He had bruises over almost every part of his body. The worst part was his stomach. He had one large bruise that was about this big," Mina said, holding her hands almost a foot apart. His stomach was all pouched out, like it had filled up with blood behind it." "So, you don't think his bruises could have come from just one blow to the head?" "There's no way he was just hit once." Andy said that was all of the questions he had and all of the witnesses he was going to call. I asked Claude to present his case. Claude looked at the jury and said, "Gentlemen, Mose killed his son. He admits it. He tells a lot different story than what the Harter women told. I think it would be best to just let Mose tell his own story, so I am going to call Mose Harter up and let him tell his story." Mose came up and Mark swore him in. "Mose, could you please tell the jury what happened two nights ago when you son was killed?" "Well, it wuz this here way. Ah come home and my wife started jawing at me. Ah put up with it fer a while, then Ah told her to shut her hole. Bobby got all froggy and told me ta leave his ma alone. Then he got right up in my face. Ah toll him ta back off and he hit me. He tried ta hit me again, so Ah hit him inna gut. He kept on soz Ah hit him onna chin an he went down." "Your wife and your daughter say you hit Mrs. Harter before your son stepped in. Why's that, Mose?" Claude asked. "Coz they's lying bitches thet's why." "Why did you hit your wife, Mose?" "Lack ah said, she uz jawin' at me. Then when ah hit her ungrateful son, she come at me. Ah jist hit her a coupla times." "What about Grace and your other kids?" "They come at me too. Ah didn't mean ta break Grace's arm. Ah jist grabbed it and twisted it up behind her back ta try ta git her ta stop hittin me." "That's all of the questions I have for Mr. Harter, Ed," Claude said. "Okay, he's your witness, Andy." Andy walked over until he was standing about three feet in front of Harter. "Were you following Sally Gray around so you could peep at her while she was undressed?" "Thet ain't none uh yer bidness," Harter said. "Didn't I bring you to Ed that night and accuse you of spying on Sally?" "Yeah, but it weren't true. Ya made that up." "Did it make you mad?" "Yeah, but not mad enough ta kill my son." "You said you only hit your wife a couple of times. How did her leg get broken?" "It musta been when she fell." "Your daughter said that when you knocked your wife down you started kicking her. Could that have been when her leg got broken?" "Ah never kicked her." "Your wife has bruises all over her body. How do you explain those?" "She's a clumsy bitch. They're from bumping inta things." "Were Grace and Bobby clumsy too? Is that how they got all of their bruises?" "Ah du know. Maybe so." "You said that first your son, then your oldest daughter, then your younger kids all hit you. Would you show us your bruises, Mr. Harter." "No. Ah ain't gonna do thet." "You are an evil man, Mr. Harter, and a liar. If it were up to me, I'd beat you to death the way you did your son. I hope the jury finds you guilty so we can hang you and you won't be able to kill another child. I have no more questions for this liar, Ed." "Do you have any more witnesses, Claude?" I asked. "No, Ed. That's it." I turned to the jury and said, "You men have heard the evidence. All of you have to agree he's guilty before we find him guilty. Why don't you all take a walk off by yourselves and talk it over. Come back when you've decided." The jury walked over to an empty area and I went to Sam. I pulled her as close as I could, with Becky in between us and held on to two of the people I loved the most. ------- Chapter 47 Sam: Ed and I held on to each other until I saw the jury coming back. "They're coming back already," I whispered. Ed hugged me tightly, then went back over to where he had been sitting. When the jury was seated again, he asked, "Have you gentlemen reached a decision?" "Yes, we have, Ed," Jacob Caldwell said. "We all think the bastard is guilty." "Do you all agree with that?" Ed asked. Every man on the jury nodded his head. I could see Ed let out a big sigh, then he said, "Mose Harter, you have been found guilty of murdering your son and beating your wife and kids. I hereby sentence you to death by hanging. Sentence will be carried out immediately." Harter started screaming curses at everyone and jumped to his feet. Andy and two other guys forced him back down. "Mr. Harter," I heard Andy say, "If you believe in God, I'd suggest you pray for forgiveness right now." The men tied Harter's hands behind his back and got him on a horse. Andy and the six men from the jury took off back the way we had come, leading the horse Harter was on. Andy told us later that they had found a cottonwood tree with a limb the right height for hanging. Someone had fashioned a hangman's knot in one end of a rope. They threw the rope up over the limb and put the noose around Harter's neck. They tied the other end of the rope off and then one of the men slapped the horse on the rump and Mose Harter came to his end. Andy said that Harter was cursing at them until the rope broke his neck. They just left him hanging there. ------- Ed was having a hard time of it from having to condemn a man to death. All of his wives, along with Sally and Tina and even Su Li tried to help him through it that afternoon. One or more of us were close to him at all times and we did a lot of hugging and cuddling. ------- Sunday, May 14, 1848 Ed: Day 12 - On the Oregon Trail It felt good to be moving again after two days in one place and all that had gone on. We got Effie and Grace into the coach this morning. They seemed to be grateful. Effie was very subdued, but Grace seemed to shake off the fact that her father had been hanged. Sam and Delia did a lot of talking with Effie and Grace during the day and toward evening, I noticed that Effie seemed to be doing a little better. We reached the Big Blue River in the afternoon and started following it to the west. We only made about ten miles for the day, but that was a lot better than we made the two previous days. Mina and Maddie insisted that the Harter family eat with us until Effie was back on her feet. That made five more people they had to cook for, but they didn't seem to mind that. Thelma Harter was fourteen and Corrine was twelve. Grace tried to do what she could to help, one handed and the two younger girls pitched in with enthusiasm. ------- I sat and talked with Effie for a few minutes while the women fixed dinner. "Effie, I am very sorry for what we had to do to Mose," I said. "We just didn't see that we had any choice." "I've been thinking about it a lot," Effie said. She was a lot more composed than she had been this morning. "We couldn't have stayed with him anyway after what he did to us. Bobby was a fine young man. He was a hard worker and as honest as the day is long. We're all going to miss him." "I know it has to be hard to lose a child and it has to be even worse to lose your first born." "That it is, Ed. I hope you never have to find out." ------- Mrs. Hankins came around that evening, followed by her ever faithful Clell. I wondered what she had to complain about this time, but she kind of surprised me. "Mr. Hill," she said, "I don't suppose there's any way I could get you to consider not traveling on Sundays, is there?" It wasn't her question so much as her tone when she asked it that was different. Before, she had been demanding, now she was asking as if it would be a favor to her. "Ma'am, I don't think we have a choice this week but to keep moving. We lost two days this week because of Mose Harter. We need to make some of that time up. If we do well this week, I'll talk to Mark Lester about laying over next Sunday though." The woman actually smiled. "We would appreciate that, Mr. Hill." They left as abruptly as they had showed up. ------- Tuesday, May 16, 1848 Ed: Day 13 - On the Oregon Trail I watched Effie and Grace at breakfast and I could tell they were still grieving for Bobby and maybe even for Mose. I knew it was going to be rough on them for a while, so I vowed we'd do all we could for them without intruding. Katie and Cassie took a break from working the cattle today and they rode with me for most of the day. It was almost like our trips to Boston and St Jo. I had definitely been missing them. "So, how is the cattle herding coming?" I asked them. "We've got a lot more people than we need to do the job," Cassie said. "Sure and it's almost like just riding beside the wagons," Katie informed me. "We probably don't need half of the men we've got working for us." "I was thinking about that myself," I grinned. "It seems to me like we only need a couple of men in the front, a couple in the back, and a couple on each side." "Yeah, that'd be eight men. We've got Billy, Zeb, Jeb, Jud, Stu, and Rawhide who are with the cattle every day. That only leaves two places to cover. Then we have eleven wagons to be driven. Jason should learn to drive one of them so he's of some use to us." "Okay, that still leaves ten men plus a cook. What if we had trouble with the herd? We'd need more people helping then." "Well, there's me, Cassie, you, Andy, Angie, Sarah Beth, Delia, and Dalia," Katie said. "That should be plenty even if we were having trouble with the herd," Kate said. "Yeah, but we can't just let these men go out here in the middle of nowhere," I said. "Well, we've heard four or five of the men talking that they'd like to do some trapping up in the Dakota country," Cassie said. "Maybe we should tell them they can take off if they'd like when they get to a good place for them." "That makes sense. We'll talk it over with Andy, Stu, and Rawhide." ------- Tina joined us for a while right after lunch. She is a very interesting and a very competent young lady. Today, Cassie and Kate started teasing her almost as soon as she joined us. The main thrust of their teasing had to do with her either joining our family or finding herself a boyfriend. It is interesting to see Tina blush. ------- I talked with Andy, Rawhide, Stu and Mark Lester after dinner. All of them agreed that we had far too many men. "So, where would be the best place we could let them go?" I asked Mark. "Well, just about anywhere they want to do it," Mark said. "Fort Kearney would probably be the best for them though." "Well, we're not going to force anyone to leave," I said. "Rawhide, you and Stu should talk with the men and let them know we wouldn't hold it against them if any of them want to leave at Fort Kearney. Tell them we'd just like to know which ones are leaving as soon as possible, so we can make plans." I actually felt better after the meeting, knowing we were going to get our group down to a more manageable size. This would also give us more provisions for the trip and for our first winter in Oregon. ------- Wednesday, May 17, 1848 Ed: Day 14 - On the Oregon Trail Mark says we made almost eighteen miles yesterday and that sometime today we'll start heading more west than north. I know we just got started on this leg of our trip, but it seems like we've been traveling forever. To be honest, I'm getting tired of travel and tired of the problems everyone seems to have. We're still following along the Big Blue River and the weather is getting warmer, so I wasn't surprised when Sam decided this evening that it was time for a communal bath. First, I saw her talking with our wives, then she talked with Sally and Tina. Cassie went over to talk to Andy, Sarah Beth and Dalia, while Sam talked to Stu and Angie. I saw Cassie talking with Rawhide and Maddie, then Sam went to Effie and Grace. Finally they came over to where I was sitting and pulled me to my feet. "What's going on?" I asked. "Bath time," Sam said. I gave them a grin and asked, "All of the people you were talking to?" Sam giggled and said, "Effie says she won't come with us, but Grace is coming. I talked to Wanda Caldwell a while ago and she said she and Jake and their four kids will be joining us." "My God! We'll fill up the whole river." "That's the idea," Sam grinned. ------- Okay, so it was fun. We went back downstream from the camp about a quarter of a mile. Rawhide and Stu laid down the law to the men about spying on us, so I didn't figure we had any worries from that. Sam found us a nice spot with a shallow pool and a grassy bank. The kids were fun to watch, especially Tommy. His eyes were as big as silver dollars as he watched the women get undressed. Maddie is a lot of fun at any time. She had us cracking up as she undressed. "You know, I don't mind swimming in the buff," she said. "The problem is that my old buff has been buffeted so much over the years that it looks like thirty miles of bad road." "It sure looks fine to me," Rawhide grinned. "Now, Sam, over there, could stand to put on a little weight." "Why you old fart," Sam said in mock anger. "You're one to talk with that shriveled up old body of yours. It's no wonder they call you Rawhide." "Now, listen here, youngun. You can't go talking to my husband like that," Maddie teased. She had long been aware of the affection Sam and Rawhide felt for each other. "Awh, honey, she just doesn't know handsome when she sees it," Rawhide said. Of course all of us cracked up at that too. Wanda and Jake seemed to fit right in with the rest of our group. They teased and played as much as the rest of us did. Their kids were well behaved and the boys were a lot less impressed by all of the naked female flesh than Tommy was. All in all, we had a great time. Jake thanked us for letting them join us and Wanda said she'd like to make it a regular thing. All of us agreed with that. Grace was very shy, but she got undressed like the rest of us. She spent most of her time with Andy, Sarah Beth and Dalia. Sam and I noticed and exchanged winks. We passed Becky around from person to person. I suspect she's going to be just like her mother as she was smiling the whole time. She would let out little squeals of delight when we'd dip the lower half of her body in the water. ------- After we were back in our wagon, all snuggled up and ready for sleep, Cassie said, "I wonder what Mrs. Hankins would have thought about our little swimming party." "Her heart would have probably stopped," Delia said. "I'll swear we should call her prudish Prudence." "That we should," I said. "I see you didn't mind showing your pretty butt to all of those men." ""Why should I mind?" Delia asked. "You think it's pretty and that's all that matters to me." Of course I had to try to kiss her to death. ------- Thursday, May 18, 1848 Ed: Day 15 - On the Oregon Trail Mark told me this morning that we are not more than two days from the Platte River and not more than five or six days from Fort Kearney. Kid Brown, Bronco Lewis and Batt McLean all came around this morning during breakfast and said they'd be leaving the train at Fort Kearney. Rawhide told me later that Roy Silvers and Tuck Holt would be leaving as well. I asked Rawhide how Jeb and Zeb were doing while we were talking. "They're doing just fine, Ed. They really know what they're doing with the cattle and they've opened up and started talking a lot more. Billy is turning into a fine cattleman too." ------- We reached the headwaters of the Big Blue today. At least it was down to the point where it was a small stream. Tomorrow night we should camp on the Platte River. We'd follow the Platte and then the North Platte for quite a ways. It was almost dark when Mrs. Hankins came around to see me, by herself. She looked like she had been crying, so I asked her what was wrong. "Well, Mr. Hill, I really don't know how to say this. When you were having the trial for Mr. Harter, someone said that he was following one of the women so's he could look at her naked." "That's right, ma'am. He was following Sally Gray." "Well, sir, it got me thinkin. Clell has been going off by hisself almost ever night. I didn't think much of it until after the trial. I decided to follow him tonight to see what he was up to." "Okay." "He followed the Caldwell family down to the river and watched them all take a bath. I jist don't know what to do about it, Mr. Hill. I never thought Clell would do something like that." I thought for a minute, then said, "Well, Mrs. Hankins, I think I should have a talk with him tomorrow. Maybe you should have a talk with my wife, Sam. She is a very smart young woman and she might be of help to you." "Maybe I'll do that, Mr. Hill. Clell is all I have and I don't want to lose him." ------- Friday, May 19, 1848 Ed: Day 16 - On the Oregon Trail Sam asked Mrs. Hankins if she'd like to ride in the coach today and she accepted. They talked for a couple of hours and everyone else left them alone. Sam told me later what they had talked about. "Mrs. Hankins," Sam said, "Ed told me you caught your husband watching a woman taking a bath. Obviously, that upset you. Do you know why it bothered you so badly?" "Because it's a sin for a man to see a woman naked or for a woman to see a man naked," Prudence said. "Why do you think it's a sin?" "Well, when Adam and Eve were in the garden of Eden, they were naked. Then they ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge and they realized they were naked and they made garments to hide their nakedness." "Okay, so before they ate the apple they were naked and didn't think it was bad to be that way. Obviously, God didn't think it was bad for them to be naked together because he made them that way and didn't tell them to cover themselves. Then they ate the apple and they were able to judge for themselves whether something was good or evil." "I guess that's right," Prudence said. "So Adam and Eve knew they had sinned and they wanted to hide from each other because they were ashamed they had sinned. They also wanted to hide from God. That's why they covered themselves. They were trying to hide from the fact that they had sinned by eating the forbidden fruit." "We're all sinners, Mrs. Hill. We are all hiding from our sins," Prudence said. "But, why? God didn't think it was wrong for Adam and Eve to be naked together. Adam and Eve decided that. Do you think they knew better than God?" "Well, no, but... This is confusing. After Adam and Eve had sinned, God made clothes for them from skins." "Yes, he did. Before the original sin, the Garden of Eden was a perfect place. The temperature was always comfortable and there were no serious storms and no snow or cold weather. Clothing wasn't needed. After the original sin, God told Adam and Eve that conditions would no longer be perfect. He said they should wear clothing to protect them from the weather. He even helped them by showing them how to make clothing out of skins. He did NOT say they had to wear clothing when the weather was nice." "So, you're saying that man, not God, decided that being naked is a sin. This is something I'm going to have to think about some." "That's all I can ask, Mrs. Hankins. Just think about it. Read the bible and see if I'm not right on what I've told you." "I will, dear. Please call me Prudence or Pru." "I will if you'll call me Sam." ------- While Sam was talking to Mrs. Hankins, I went over to ride by Clell's wagon. I found out that he could talk, but he sure wouldn't talk much. I tried to draw him into a conversation, but when that wouldn't work, I decided to be blunt. "Mr. Hankins, it has come to my attention that you were seen, hiding, watching the Caldwell family bathe yesterday. What do you have to say about that?" "Nothing." "Don't you think that is an invasion of their privacy?" "No. They knew I was there." "Have you watched anyone else bathing?" "Nope." "Why did you watch them?" "I wanted to see a woman naked." "What about your wife? Isn't seeing her naked enough?" "Never saw her." "How long have you two been married? Do you have any kids?" "Twenty-two years. Three boys." "You've been married twenty-two years and had three kids and you never saw your wife naked?" "That's right." "Why not?" "My wife is a saintly woman." I didn't have any idea where to go from here, so I just warned him about spying on other people, and left. I figured I'd talk to Sam before I said anything else to Hankins. ------- I did talk with Sam. She was a lot more optimistic about Mrs. Hankins than I was about Clell. I rode with Sally for a while just before lunch. She looked a little pensive, so I asked her if something was bothering her. "No... Yes... I don't know. Maybe bothering me isn't the right word for it. It's just that it seemed like we were getting close and we had even talked about me joining your marriage. Then, nothing more was said of it. Have you decided you don't want an old woman like me to be a part of your marriage?" "Of course not, Sally. We've all talked it over and we would like for you to join us. We just wanted you to be absolutely sure that's what you want before we go any farther." "Well, I'm absolutely sure," Sally grinned. "In that case, we're ready any time you are," I said. "I'm ready." "Why don't you ride with Sam for a while and you can figure out how we're going to do this?" Sally reached over and squeezed my hand before she went off to talk to Sam. ------- It was just after we started up again after lunch when we saw the cavalry troop approaching us from the south. When we saw them, Andy, Rawhide, Mark Lester and I rode out to meet them. The main body of the troop stopped a couple of hundred feet away from us and three men rode on to meet us. The man in the lead looked to be an officer. He was followed closely by a man with all kinds of stripes on his arm, so I assumed he was a sergeant. An enlisted man brought up the rear. "I'm Captain Jamison," the officer said. "Who might you folks be?" We introduced ourselves, then I said, "You men look like you've been riding hard. Is there a problem in the area?" "We've been chasing a Pawnee by the name of Little Pipe and some of his braves for several days. They've been raiding and killing in the settlements to the southeast of here. Have you folks had any problems with them?" Jamison asked. "No. We haven't seen anything of them," I said. "It looks like you folks have a pretty good horse herd. Our horses are about played out. We're going to requisition forty horses from you. I'll give you a voucher that you can take to Fort Kearney, and you'll be paid for them," Jamison said. "I'm sorry, but we can't let you do that, Captain. Most of these horses are going to a man in Oregon and they don't even belong to us. The rest of them are our personal property and we're not interested in selling them," I informed him. "I'm not asking you to sell them to us," the Captain said, starting to sound a little belligerent. "I'm telling you that we are requisitioning them. You don't have a choice in the matter." "Well, Captain, I'm telling you that we aren't going to allow you to requisition them," I said. "Mr. Hill, if you don't allow us to take them peaceably, we'll just have to take them by force," the Captain said. ------- Chapter 48 "Well, Captain, you can try to take them by force, but there are a couple of things you should consider. First off, we outnumber you. If you try to take them by force, some of your men are going to be killed. Secondly, if you did manage to kill off enough of us that you could take the horses, how is it going to look to your commanding officer when he finds out?" I asked. "It is none of your business what my commanding officer would think, Mr. Hill. Things happen when you're at war." "But, Captain, you would be killing American citizens. Are you at war with America? We're just protecting our property from theft." Captain Jamison stared at me for a couple of minutes, then he wheeled his horse and spurred back toward his troop. He almost unhorsed his Sergeant as he did so. The Sergeant looked at me and shook his head ruefully. Then, he followed his Captain. "I don't think the Captain is used to having someone tell him no," Mark grinned. "I expect not," I agreed. "Do you think he'll give us any trouble?" Andy asked. "I don't know, Andy. If he doesn't, the Pawnee might. I think we should double our guard tonight. I also think we should have some outriders during the day. Have four men riding about half a mile to each side, and to the front and rear. I'll volunteer to be one of them," I said. I should have known I couldn't get away with riding out by myself. When I started for my position about a half of a mile to the front and to the right of the herd, Tina and Cassie were with me. "I really don't need an escort," I told them. Cassie just told me to shut up. Even with all of the delays, we reached the Platte River today. I was a little disappointed in it. The water was down and it looked like a mud flow. ------- Okay, Sally wasn't a virgin. Heck, she had two kids. Sally is a very enthusiastic lover though. She came into our wagon with us that evening and she was undressing before the rest of my wives. I watched as I removed my own clothes. When all of us were naked, I pulled Sally into my arms for a very passionate kiss. I know my heart speeded up and I could feel hers getting faster and her breath coming in gasps as the kiss continued. My other wives gathered around us and were caressing and kissing every part of us they could reach. I broke the kiss and moved my lips down to her very prominent nipples. Sam took over kissing her lips and Sally groaned into her mouth. I watched as Cassie latched onto Sally's other nipple and I ran my hand down to her butt, only to find another hand there already. Sally pulled her lips away from Sam and said, "God, Ed, I need you inside me." She sank to the mattress and I moved between her legs. Sally grabbed me and guided me into her center. There is no feeling in the world that even comes close to making love with someone you love and who loves you as well. ------- Saturday, May 20, 1848 Ed: Day 17 - On the Oregon Trail I talked with Mark Lester this morning about taking tomorrow off so the devout could have a religious service. He said he thought we were making good enough time that we could do that. I also asked him about the condition of the Platte and he told me it was always muddy and always shallow, but that this was the worst he had seen it. He also said that there were many streams flowing into the Platte, where we could get good drinking water. When I rode out to my position in front of the herd, Cassie and Tina were with me again. This time I was very glad to have them. We had been moving for about an hour when we topped a small rise and there before us were about twenty Indians. We stopped about twenty feet from them, and the man who appeared to be their leader rode forward a few feet. He said something that none of us could understand. "Can you talk to him in sign language?" I asked Tina. "I think so," Tina said, then she started going through the motions of greeting. We waited until the Indian had signed back for a while, then Tina said. "This is Little Pipe. He said they were watching us yesterday when the cavalry stopped us. He wants to know what the Captain wanted." "Tell him the Captain wanted our horses, but that we refused to sell them to him." Tina went into sign mode and Little Pipe answered her back in the same fashion. "He is pleased that we didn't sell horses to the cavalry. He wants to know what you would do if he wanted our horses." "Tell him that my answer to him would be the same as it was to the Captain." Tina did so, then she looked at me with fear in her eyes. "He wants to know what you'd do if he just decided to take our horses." "Tell him I can see by looking at him that he is a fine, brave warrior. Tell him I would hate to have to kill him." Tina looked at me, wide eyed and asked, "Are you sure you want me to tell him that?" "Yes." I watched as Tina made her signs. When she was finished, Little Pipe laughed. Then he signed back to Tina. "Little Pipe says that their horses are in good shape or we would have to see which of you could kill the other. He says the cavalry don't know how to treat their animals or how to treat the Indian people." "Ask him if they would like a couple of our cattle so they don't have to slow down to hunt." "He says we are coming into buffalo country so that hunting will not be a problem. He says they are going to be traveling west for a while. He also says the cavalry is to the north and east of us and he doesn't expect they'll be able to keep up with him." I had to smile at that. Maybe if the older Sergeant we saw was in charge of the troop, they'd be closer to Little Pipe. With the young Captain in charge, I was sure Little Pipe was right. Little Pipe started signing again and when he had finished, he wheeled his horse and the Indians disappeared over the next rise. "What did he say there at the last?" I asked Tina. "He said that we seem like good people. He said he'd send word to his brothers to the west that we aren't to be bothered." "That's amazing," I said. "Aren't we going out of Pawnee country though?" "Yes, but he was referring to the Sioux and the Cheyenne," Tina informed me. "Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to worry about Indians on the way out?" I asked. "Well, even if we don't have to worry about the Sioux or the Cheyenne, we'll still have to worry about the Crow, the Arapaho, the Comanche, the Paiute, and... Do you see what I'm saying?" "I'm afraid so." ------- The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. We made camp that night on a large creek that flowed into the Platte. The water in the creek was clean and pure, but it was also very shallow. Even so, there was enough water and enough grass that we thought we could lay over for a day. ------- Sunday, May 21, 1848 Ed: Day 18 - On the Oregon Trail What a great day. We slept late, for us. Most people would say we got up early. I think that one of the biggest differences I've found in this time period is that almost everyone seems to get up at dawn. Even though the creek was shallow we found a hole that was deep enough for our family to take a bath. We had a lot of fun splashing and playing, and I felt cleaner than I had for a while. Prudence Hankins led a religious service for everyone who was interested in attending. She actually had a pretty good turnout. Most people spent the morning servicing their wagons. They greased axles, tightened wheels and spokes, and touched up the tar on their wagon beds. Prudence came around and talked to Sam for a while after the service. I didn't learn what they talked about until later. When we were all snuggled in our wagon, preparing for sleep, Sam said that Prudence told her that she had let Clell see her naked for the first time last night. "How did she do that?" I asked. "She said she left a candle burning as she changed into her night clothes. She said he watched her like a hawk." "I'll bet he did," I laughed. "Yeah, she said he told her he loved her for the first time in a long time after they were in bed," Sam said. ------- Monday, May 22, 1848 Ed: Day 19 - On the Oregon Trail Wagon trains had been coming through here for several years now. Nothing like the number that would be coming through in the next few years, but still quite a few. Prior to reaching the Platte, the routes west varied considerably. We would see where other wagon trains had come through, but not in any great number. When the wagons reached the Platte, it was like they were on a natural road, going west. Almost every wagon train heading west took this route. Consequently, we saw a great deal of discarded furniture; broken down wagons; and the remains of dead animals from this point on. This morning, we saw the remains of a dead mule, and an upright piano about thirty feet behind it. Obviously, when the mule died, the family didn't feel their remaining animals could continue to pull their wagon with such a heavy burden on it. I've read that in later years, the ruts from the wagon wheels are so deep that you sink to where the axle is almost dragging the ground. It's not nearly that bad now, though. Mark says we should reach Fort Kearney today, and several of the men are planning to leave at that point. Actually, we'll be south of Fort Kearney, with the Platte River between us and the fort. Sam actually paid the men who are going to leave before we started this morning. We thanked them for their help and told them if they were ever in Oregon to look us up. All of them left, when we stopped for our nooning, on good terms. Mark says we are only a week or a little more to where we'll cross the South Platte, and move north to follow the North Platte. He told us of a very nice place to lay over for a couple of days and allow the cattle to recover from their travels. It would also be a great place to repair any damage to our wagons. The name of the place is Ash Hollow. Sam says she remembers reading about it. ------- Tuesday, May 23, 1848 Ed: Day 20 - On the Oregon Trail Yesterday was a good day, in that there were no squabbles in which I had to intervene. Today didn't look like it was going to shape up that way. As the women were fixing breakfast and the men were hitching the teams to the wagons, we heard a woman yelling. At first, I thought it was just some woman yelling at her kids. Then it sank in that this woman was really angry about something. I looked over at Andy and nodded. Both of us started off in the direction of the uproar. Eleanore McGinty was the woman doing all of the yelling. The woman she was yelling at was Abby O'Connell. Abby wasn't saying much, and what she was saying was in a low, calm, soothing voice. Mrs. McGinty looked and sounded like she was going to explode into violence at any moment. "What's going on here?" I asked as I came up to the women. "This bitch kicked over my water bucket," Mrs. McGinty yelled. "Did you kick over her water bucket, Abby?" I asked. "Yes, I knocked it over, Ed. It was an accident. I apologized and offered to get her another bucket of water," Abby said. "Mrs. McGinty, if Abby apologized and offered to get you another bucket of water, I don't know what you are so mad about," I said. "It's her condescending attitude that makes me mad. She acts all high and mighty, like she's too good to associate with the rest of us." Abby looked at me, her eyes filled with surprise and then a deep sadness. She turned back to Mrs. McGinty and said, quietly, "I'm sorry if I seem stuck up, Eleanore. I'm not, I'm just shy." "I don't believe you," Mrs McGinty yelled. "Every time I've tried to talk to you, you've made some excuse to get away. You don't seem to have any trouble talking to the Wagon Train Captain's wife. I guess I'm just not good enough for you." "That's not true, Eleanore. I can talk to Sam because we both have babies about the same age. With just about anyone else I am very shy." I winked at Abby so that Mrs. McGinty couldn't see me and then I said, "Whatever the reasons for your differences, I want the two of you to start treating each other with respect. They'll be no more of this bickering." I watched as Abby did go and fetch Mrs. McGinty a new bucket of water. She smiled and winked at me when she came back. ------- I was really surprised when Cindi came to ride beside me for a while this morning. She had been pretty much avoiding me since she had met Billy. We said our hello's and then rode in silence for a while. "Ed, I just wanted to say think you for making mom so happy," she finally said with a little grin. "She's made me very happy too, Cindy. Your mother is a wonderful woman. I just wish your father could have seen that." "Yeah, she is a special person. Sometimes I wonder what might have happened to dad. I wonder if he''s still alive." "I know what you mean, Cindi. Your father wasn't very well prepared for life as it is today." "Billy and I aren't going to be seeing each other any more," Cindi said, changing the subject. "Why's that? I thought you really liked him." "I thought I did, too," Cindi sighed. "I thought Billy was a quiet, shy country boy. He's not." "What do you mean?" "Well, at first he was very shy. We'd talk and he treated me like I was someone special. Lately, every time we're alone together, he gets as grabby as the boys I dated in the twenty-first century." "All hands, huh?" "Yep. I just wish I could find someone who was a shy country boy; someone who would treat me with respect, but was fun underneath." "There are some men and boys right here on this wagon train who are like that," I said. "Well, I sure haven't met any of them. The Wagoner boys and the Whites are too boisterous in my opinion." "Well, two I can think of right off the bat are Gunter Gunderson and Jon Vencille. Shack is a nice guy too, but I don't think he is considering having a woman in his life any time in the near future." "I've never really talked to either of the Vencille boys. I've seen Gunter and he is cute. Maybe I'll have to talk to them." I had to grin. In less than a month, Cindi had thought she was in love with at least two different guys. Now she was setting her sights on someone else. ------- I climbed in the coach and rode with Sam, Delia, Becky, and Abby and Ben for a while. The topic of conversation turned, of course, to Eleanore McGinty. "Ed, I don't think she was really even mad at me," Abby said. "I think something else is bothering her and she was just taking her frustrations out on me." "That's possible, even probable," I said. "Does anyone have any idea what might be bothering her?" No one did, but we all agreed to keep our eyes open. ------- Wednesday, May 24, 1848 Ed: Day 21 - On the Oregon Trail I was sleeping peacefully when Tina crawled into our wagon and gently shook me awake. It was still dark outside, so I was a little confused for a moment. "How about going hunting with me this morning?" Tina asked. "Okay," I whispered and started pulling on my clothes. "Just be quiet about it," Cassie hissed. Tina couldn't completely stifle a giggle and I know I was smiling. Tina already had the horses and a couple of pack mules saddled when we crawled outside. She handed me a couple of strips of bacon wrapped in a piece of johnnycake after we had mounted and she started munching on a sandwich of her own. Even though it was still dark, Tina seemed to know exactly where she was going. Hawk followed her lead and I just let him have his head. We rode for about fifteen minutes, then Tina pulled her horse up and Hawk stopped as well. Tina dismounted and I felt her give a tug on my pant leg, so I dismounted as well. Tina leaned in close and in a barely audible whisper said, "Take your rifle. We're going to go up on this little hill. We'll be looking down on a little meadow where a herd of deer bed down. Once it's light, I'll give you a nod and we'll both take one down." I just nodded and she led off, up a little rise. I was starting to be able to make out the things around me, so I knew it must be close to dawn. When Tina had us in the position she wanted us, she laid down on the ground and motioned for me to do the same. I did as she asked, but the meadow we were evidently facing was still in complete darkness. Tina tapped my shoulder and pointed off to the east. The sky had been lightening for a few minutes and now I could see the sun was turning the edges of some of the clouds to gold. I gave her a smile and patted her, gently, on the back. We split our time between watching the sunrise and the meadow below us. When the shadows allowed us to see the meadow and the lumps that must be the deer herd, we concentrated more on it than the glory of the morning sun. After a while, several deer started getting to their feet. I almost panicked at that point, but Tina waited patiently until she thought the time was right. She tapped my arm and pointed toward the graceful animals, then she nodded and took up her rifle. I followed suit and when I thought I was lined up on a large doe, I looked back at her and she pointed at me and then held up one finger. I took it to mean that she wanted me to shoot first. I checked my aim and gently squeezed the trigger. Both of us fired, but it sounded like one shot. Two of the deer dropped simultaneously and the rest took to their heels. "It almost seems like a shame to shoot them," Tina said. "They are so wild and beautiful." We walked down to the deer and Tina started to field dress them. I started to help, but she asked me to bring up the horses and pack mules. I certainly didn't argue. I never had been good at field dressing a deer. By the time I got back, Tina was starting on the second deer. I watched as she made deft incisions that reminded me more of a surgeon than a butcher. When she finished, she helped me load one carcass on each mule, then we washed our hands in the creek. I started to go back to the horses, but Tina stopped me. "Ed, I talked to your wives quite some time ago about joining your family. All of them agreed that they wanted me for a co-wife. I've been waiting for someone to say something more, but no one has. Last night, I realized you were waiting for me." "That's right, Love. We wanted you to be absolutely sure this is what you want before we went any farther. We've all made a lifelong commitment to each other and we want you to be sure you can do the same, without any reservations." Tina looked me in the eye and said, "I am absolutely sure. I have no reservations. I love you with all of my heart, Ed. I love your wives more than I ever thought I could love another woman." "I love you too, Tina. Forever and always. I think I've loved you since that night we sat in your cabin talking with your mother and father. When we saw you at that tavern, my heart soared, then it crashed when you told us about your parents. Since then, my love for you has grown every day." I pulled her to me and we shared our first lovers' kiss. A year ago I would have thought of Tina as a little girl. She has proved to me a hundred times that she is a woman and her kiss was not a little girl kiss. ------- We got back to camp before the wagons started to roll and ate a hurried breakfast. We tied the mules behind one of our wagons and got ready to move out. I told Sam that Tina would be sleeping with us from now on, and she gave me a big grin. Later, as Sam was riding beside me and Becky was in a carrier on her chest, she said, "So, that was what the hunting expedition was all about this morning." "Yes. That and the fact that I had mentioned a while back that I'd like to go hunting with her sometime. Watching the sun come up was nice. It would have been better if we hadn't had to kill a deer immediately afterwards." Sam smiled and asked, "So, did she bring it up, or did you?" "She did. Tina is really a remarkable young woman. She fits right in with the rest of the remarkable young women I'm married to." "She does seem to be a good fit. She's a lot more mature than any young woman her age has a right to be." "She's certainly a lot more mature than Cindi," I told her, then I told her about Cindi dumping Billy. Sam got a big laugh out of that. Becky had been asleep, but Sam's laughter woke her up. She looked over at me, so I reached and patted her on the butt. She gave me a big toothless grin for my effort. ------- The day seemed to drag by. I think much of it was because I was anticipating the evening with our new wife. We finally made camp for the night and ate the meal Mina and Maddy had prepared for us. There were fresh venison steaks from the deer that Tina and I had killed this morning. We were just kind of basking in the love of our family after we had eaten. Tina had scooted in beside me and I had put my arm around her. We were talking about what kind of house we were going to build when we heard shouting from a couple of wagons away from us. I recognized Cindi's voice and I knew Sally had too, when I saw the panicked look on her face. I got to my feet quickly and Cassie, Tina, Sally and I started toward the altercation. What we saw when we got there made me as mad as all hell. Cindi was struggling to get away from Billy, who had her wrist twisted up. He was trying to pull her to him as she fought back. I moved quickly to them and hit Billy on the point of his chin before he even realized I was there. He let go of Cindi as he fell. He laid there for a few seconds, then looked up at me. His look was one of fear, which turned quickly to anger. Billy was reaching for the gun on his belt, when Cassie said, "Don't do it, Billy." He glanced at Cassie and I saw his eyes go wide. Cassie's revolver was centered on his chest. "Don't shoot, Cassie," he said. "I really wasn't going to pull a gun on Ed." "It sure looked like it to me," Cassie said. "What's going on here?" I asked Cindi. "Billy won't take no for an answer," Cindi said. "Was he trying to force you?" I asked. "He wasn't trying to rape me or anything, Ed. I told him yesterday I don't want to see him any more. He says he can't live without me and he won't leave me alone." "Billy, one of the first things a young man has to learn in life is that when a woman says no, a man backs off. Either leave Cindi alone, or you may end up joining Mose Harter hanging on a tree." "But, I love her, Ed," Billy said. "She obviously doesn't love you, Billy. You can't force her to love you. Learn to live with it." ------- Chapter 49 Tina and Cassie escorted Cindi back to camp, but I asked Sally to walk with me. When we were away from prying ears, I said, "Sally, my love, I think you need to have a talk with Cindi. The young men in this age aren't as sophisticated as they are in the twenty-first century. Girls flirt now, but it is a lot more subtle than what Cindi is used to. I'm afraid the young men of this age find Cindi's flirting an open invitation." Sally sighed and wrapped her arms around one of mine. "I was afraid of something like this. Cindi always has been a flirt. I'm not sure she'll listen to me. Would you help me when I talk to her?" "Yes, my love. I'm sure that Sam or Cassie would be willing to help too. You're not alone now, love. You never have to face anything alone again." "You are a fine man, Ed Hill, and I am a very lucky woman." ------- We all did a lot of kissing and petting and cuddling with Tina that night, but I didn't have intercourse with her. Somehow, the problems between Cindi and Billy were haunting me. I promised her we'd take care of making her my wife tomorrow evening. ------- Thursday, May 25, 1848 Ed: Day 22 - On the Oregon Trail We had a very uneventful day on the trail today. After the last few days, that was a welcome change. I asked Cassie, Sally, and Cindi to ride in the coach with Sam and me for a while. Delia was driving. We had a long talk with Cindi. She wasn't very receptive to what we were saying at first, but as the miles went by, she started to see where she might have been leading Billy to expect more than she was willing to give. I also explained to her the importance men in this time set on their wife being a virgin when they were married. By the time we were through talking, I think Cindi had a better idea of how the men of today looked at her. ------- I did make love to my newest wife that evening, with the help of my other wives. Since Tina was a virgin, there was some pain, but it was a very satisfied young lady who cuddled up to me and went to sleep. ------- Friday, May 26, 1848 Ed: Day 23 - On the Oregon Trail Billy sought me out this morning. The first thing he did was to apologize for the incident with Cindi. "I guess I just don't understand Cindi," he went on. "From the way she acted when she was around me, I thought she was ready to marry me. Then, all of a sudden, she said she didn't want to see me any more." "Billy, you've lived in the country all of your life. Cindi spent most of her life in a city. City girls tend to flirt more than country girls. I think they're just practicing so that when they find someone they really want to marry, they'll be able to trap them," I said. "Well, she certainly trapped me. I thought she was in love with me," Billy said with a rueful grin. "Cindi is a sweet girl, but she isn't very grown up. When we first met her, she thought she was in love with me. Then she met you and she thought she was in love with you. Tomorrow it'll be someone else. We might not like that, but we can't force her to really love us," I said. "Yeah, I can see that now. Do you think she'll ever really fall in love?" "I think so, but it may be a while. She may think she's fallen in love a half a dozen times before then." Billy shook his head and said, "I guess I need to be looking for a country girl." "I think a country girl would be best for you, but you're young enough you don't need to be in any hurry," I said. Billy just nodded. ------- Andy told me at our nooning that he had seen Little Pipe again. He said the warrior and his braves were sitting on their horses on a hill, looking off to the east. We still haven't seen or heard anything more from the cavalry. Tina sat on my lap and snuggled while we were eating. This was a side of her I'd never seen before. I must say I like it. We have been averaging around fifteen miles per day since we reached the Platte. We aren't setting the world afire with our speed, but Mark says we are doing fine. We did find one thing today that left us all feeling a little uncomfortable. There was a wagon alongside the trail that had been burned. We don't know that Indians did it, but that would be a pretty good guess. ------- Saturday, May 27, 1848 Ed: Day 24 - On the Oregon Trail According to Mark, depending on where we want to settle in Oregon, we have four or five months worth of travel left. Sometimes, when I think of that, I just want to scream. If it hadn't been for the Cliftons, I might have considered waiting another year before we made this trip. My whole family was tired of traveling by now. We camped on a very large stream or a small river for the night. This was especially nice, since we plan on laying over tomorrow, since it is Sunday. To be honest with you, I totally lose track of what day of the week it is, and usually have to be reminded. ------- Sunday, May 28, 1848 Ed: Day 25 - On the Oregon Trail Another good day. We even managed to sleep a little late. After breakfast, Sam organized a swimming/bathing party for this afternoon. Mark made sure that everyone spent some time working on their wagons. I talked with him about the next major river crossing. He said we'd cross the South Platte at the Brule Crossing and that from the looks of the South Platte, it'd be one of the easiest crossing he'd ever made. Sam and I watched Ilsa Gunderson for a while as she walked with Jesse Cooper. At one point, she looked up and saw us watching her. She blushed prettily and dropped her gaze. We also saw Cindi walking with Jon Vencille. Sam and I looked at each other and shook our heads. "That's not going to last," Sam said. "Why's that?" I asked. "Jon is very shy and Cindi is very outgoing. Don't you see how uncomfortable Jon seems?" I watched them for a minute then had to agree. We also noticed that Grace Harter was sitting beside Andy and that he had his arm around her. That didn't seem to be bothering Sarah Beth or Dalia at all. Both of them were talking to Grace and smiling at her. Sam and I figured she'd be joining Andy's marriage soon. One of the things that surprised us the most was when we saw Billy strolling with Hilda Gunderson. I didn't know Hilda all that well, but if she was anything like Ilsa, she might be the perfect mate for Billy. ------- When it came time to go swimming, Maddy said the she and Rawhide were going to stay and keep Effie Harter company. As we were walking down to the stream, I asked Sam, "Is there something going on between Maddy, Rawhide and Effie?" Sam grinned and said, "I don't know for sure, but it looks like it. That old goat should be ashamed of himself. He has to be twenty years older than her." "Well, you remember the old saying, don't you? Just because there's snow on the roof doesn't mean there's not a fire in the furnace." Before Sam could answer, I was almost knocked down by Mandy, who jumped up from behind me; threw her arms around my neck; and threw her legs around my waist. "Girl, you're going to be tickled for that," I told her once I had gotten my balance. Mandy giggled and said, "I'm sorry, papa. When we get down to the creek, will you throw Mindy, Tizzy and me?" "You mean like throw you in the water?" "Yes." "Should I throw you in with all of your clothes on?" "NO!" "How about if I just hold you under instead?" Mindy giggled and said, "You wouldn't do that, papa." "Well, you're right there. I wouldn't do that. I love you, Mandy." "I love you too, papa." ------- We were all having a good time, swimming and playing. I did throw the three girls a few times, but M&M had put on a lot of weight since we had adopted them and I tired out pretty quickly. It wasn't that M&M were fat or anything. It was just that now, they were up to pretty close to what their weight should be. I was just going to mention that to Sam, when I saw movement on the west bank of the stream. I watched it closely for a minute, then Little Pipe and half a dozen of his warriors rode out on the bank. "Tina," I said and nodded toward the Indians. Tina moved beside me and we walked, hand in hand, toward our visitors. It didn't seem to bother Tina at all that we were naked, so I didn't let it bother me either. Little Pipe signed to Tina, then she turned to me and said, "He wants to know if I'm your wife." "Tell him you are one of my wives," I said. Tina signed, then watched Little Pipe, who signed again. "He wants to know who your other wives are." "Sam, Cassie, Delia, Katie, Sally," I said. "Could you come over here please?" Little Pipe sat quietly as my wives gathered around Tina and me. When they were all there, I held my hand above each of them and said their name. Little Pipe signed to Tina again, then she turned to me and said, "He says you have beautiful wives. He says you must be a great warrior to have so many beautiful wives." "Thank him and ask him if the soldiers are still trying to follow him." "He says the pony soldiers have gone to Fort Kearney. He says he doesn't think they'll come after him again for a while." "Ask him if he's going home then." "He says he is going to go home for a while. He says he has beautiful wives waiting for him too." I had to smile at that one. "Tell him that beautiful wives are a comfort and that he should enjoy his more." Tina signed, then she said, "He says that making war on your enemies is a comfort too." "Tell him I am happy we are not his enemies. Tell him it would not be a comfort to me to make war against someone I respect." Tina conveyed my message, then waited as Little Pipe replied. "He said the Great Spirit will guide us to our new home, and him to his home. Hold up your right hand with your fingers extended and your palm toward him," Tina said. I held up my right hand as Tina said, then Little Pipe did the same. We held that position for a few seconds, then Little pipe wheeled his horse and all of the Indians disappeared within seconds. ------- "That was interesting," Sally said. "It was almost like watching a TV western." "Except that we're all naked," Sam laughed. "It would have been hard to get that scene past the censors," Cassie giggled. "Group hug," I said and we all cuddled together for a minute before we went back to swimming. "What was that all about?" Andy asked when we rejoined the swimmers. "Evidently Little Pipe is returning to his home," I said. "I think he was just telling us goodbye." "I think that's what it was," Tina said. "Little Pipe seems to have taken a liking to you. He's an interesting character." "That he is," I said. ------- We played around for over an hour before we headed back to camp. I think we all hated to put our clothes back on. It made me wonder what life would be like once we got to Oregon. Would we end up forming the first nudist colony in the US? ------- Monday, May 29, 1848 Ed: Day 26 - On the Oregon Trail Taking a day off yesterday was nice. I think all of us relaxed more than we had in a while. Some of us, at least, were a little worried about getting through the mountains early enough. Not only did we have to worry about getting through before the passes were closed, we also had to worry about getting some kind of shelter built for our first winter. Since there were so many of us, that, in itself, would be a major problem. We did a lot of talking at night about the best kind of shelter to keep us warm and cozy through the winter. The kind of temporary shelter we built was going to depend greatly on when we got to Oregon. It was also going to depend on what type of soil was in the area where we settled. We decided it was possible we could build soddys, or we could build a log cabin, or we could copy the Indians for our first winter. We had read about wigwams, wickiups, hogans, teepees, longhouses, and the like; and we had some idea of how to build all of them. What we would end up with, we just wouldn't know until we got there. We were rehashing a lot of these things after supper, when the evening seemed to explode with noise. Andy and I were on our feet in an instant, when we heard the yelling. "That sounds like Cindi," Sally said as she jumped up. "Over that way," Andy said and pointed. Andy and I took off at a run, followed closely by our wives. We were about six wagons away from our camp when we saw two women rolling around on the ground. They were pulling hair, biting, hitting, and screaming at each other. One of them was Cindi, and the other was Ilsa Gunderson. Several people were standing around, watching the show, bur Andy and I just waded in and broke it up. Ilsa was on top, so I grabbed her under her arms and lifted her off of Cindi. Cindi bounced to her feet and started to attack, but Andy grabbed her around the waist with one arm and lifted her off the ground. They continued to yell at each other, neither of them making any sense, so I said, loud enough for Lisa to hear, but not loud enough for anyone else, "Shut up, Ilsa." Ilsa shut up immediately, but Cindi kept yelling. Andy said something to her, but she ignored him. Sally had come up by then, so she walked over and calmly slapped Cindi's face and said, "Shut your mouth, girl." The silence was deafening. I looked around at everyone who was watching and said, "You folks go back to your wagons. The show is over." Andy and I pulled the two combatants over to an area where there were no camps and waited as their breathing returned to normal. "What's going on with you?" I asked. Both girls started trying to talk at once, so I shut them up. "Ilsa, what brought this on?" I asked. Ilsa blushed and said, "I've been seeing Jesse Cooper for a while now. We've started getting close, and we've even been talking about getting married." "Okay." "Cindi told me this evening that she is going to take him away from me." "Don't you trust Jesse?" I asked. "I trust him. I just don't trust her," Ilsa said with venom in her voice. "Cindi, why did you say that?" I asked. "Jesse is cute. He's also polite. If she can't keep him, then she shouldn't have him," Cindi spat. "God, I wish I could paddle you right now," Sally said. "First you flirted with Ed, then you fell for Billy. Next, you tried to get close to Jon Vencille. Then you went after Gunter. Now, you're trying to get close to Jesse. I didn't raise you to be a slut, Cindi, but that's what you're turning into." "I'm a slut?" Cindi yelled. "You're the one that's married to one man and are sleeping with another." Sally started to lunge for her daughter. But Delia and Katie grabbed her and held her. "Cindi, your father left your mother. He, in effect, divorced her. If you say anything else bad about your mother, I will personally paddle you in front of the entire wagon train," I said. "Bitch," Ilsa muttered. I put my mouth next to Ilsa's ear and whispered, "Ilsa, you have every right to be mad at her. If you keep this up, I'm going to give you a bare bottom spanking in front of the whole wagon train." Ilsa gasped and said, "You wouldn't do that." "I would and I will," I whispered. "Besides, you don't have to worry about Jesse. He told me right after we left St Jo thay you are the prettiest thing he's ever seen. He's in love with you, Ilsa. There's nothing Cindi could do that will change that." Ilsa looked me in the eye and asked, "He is?" I nodded my head and gave her a smile. "Cindi, you are to stay away from Jesse. I would suggest you stay away from Ilsa as well," I said. "You can't tell me what to do. I'll talk to whom I please and go where I please," Cindi said. "Then, you will end up getting a bare bottomed spanking in front of everyone." ------- "Do you think that did any good?" Sam asked after we were back in our camp. "Not really," I said. "I don't know what's gotten into her," Sally said. "You may have to do what you threatened, you know." "If I have to, then I will, Sally my love. I'm hoping the threat will be enough." "I don't think it will, Ed. Cindi is totally out of control. I'm afraid she's going to start flirting with the wrong man and is going to get raped," Sally said. "I don't know what we can do about that, love," I said, "except maybe chain her up in a wagon. I know your concern though. Most of these cowboys aren't as nice and polite as Jesse." It took all of us a long time to settle down and we were late getting to sleep. ------- Tuesday, May 30, 1848 Ed: Day 27 - On the Oregon Trail We had a very good day of travel today and made a little over eighteen miles. Mark says we are only a couple of days from the Brule Crossing. With the Platte being down, like it is, he says it'll be an easy crossing. We didn't hear of any more fights during the day, and this evening, Ilsa came around and apologized for actions the previous evening. ------- Wednesday, May 31, 1848 Ed: Day 28 - On the Oregon Trail Damn, I wish today had been as nice as yesterday. It started off well. The wagons got an early start. We didn't have any breakdowns, and the cattle moved well. So, what is the problem? Well, it started right after supper. My extended family and I were all sitting around, enjoying a bantering conversation, when Ilsa came over and asked if she could talk with me. Of course, I agreed and I asked if she wanted it to be private. "No, I can say what I have to say in front of everyone," she said. Ilsa looked over at Cindi and said, "Since Cindi and I got into the fight, I've been trying to stay away from her. I thought she'd have the courtesy to stay away from Jesse and me as well, but that hasn't been the case." "You can't tell me who I can talk to, Ilsa," Cindi said. "Shut up, Cindi," Sally said. Cindi glared at her mother, but didn't say any more. "What's going on, Ilsa?" I asked. "I was in my parent's wagon this morning, helping ma. It was almost noon when I decided to see what Jesse was doing." "Okay." "I came up to the wagon he's driving from behind. Cindi's horse was tied to the wagon and she was on the seat with him." "Maybe this isn't all Cindi's fault," I said. "Maybe Jesse didn't mind her being there." "I don't think so. I heard Cindi ask Jesse if he'd stand guard while she took a bath this evening. Jesse told her he'd do it, but that he'd bring me along to talk to while she bathed." "That sounds like he was trying to protect himself," I said. "He's a wimp," Cindi blurted. "Cindi told Jesse she didn't want me along and that he could talk to her while she bathed. She said he might like the view. Ed, if you don't do something about her, I'm going to pull her hair out," Ilsa said. "You don't have to worry, bitch. He turned me down. I wouldn't have him now if he begged me," Cindi said. "Cindi, go in the wagon right now," Sally said. "If I hear another word out of you this evening, I'm going to get Ed to deliver that spanking he promised you." Cindi solemnly got up and went into the wagon. Sally looked at me and asked, "What are we going to do with her, Ed?" "I don't know. I do know we have to do something. Ilsa, I'm sorry this happened. We'll give it some thought and see what we can come up with," I said. "How could Jesse and me get married on the wagon train?" Ilsa asked. "There isn't a minister on the train." "I don't know, honey. I'll talk to Mark in the morning and see what he has to say. Be sure that's what you really what you want. Don't get married just because of Cindi." "I wouldn't, Ed. Jesse and I were talking about getting married before Cindi started trying to get his attention." We spent the rest of the evening discussing what to do about Cindi. None of us had any good ideas, so I added that to my list of things to talk to Mark about in the morning. ------- Chapter 50 Thursday, June 1, 1848 Ed: Day 29 - On the Oregon Trail "How's it going, Mark?" I asked after I had caught up with him. "Not too bad, Ed. I think we'll reach the Brule Crossing today. How is everything going with you?" "Some good, some bad," I said. "I was asked by a young lady yesterday how a couple goes about getting married while they're on a wagon train. Evidently we don't have a minister with us." "No, we don't have. That's an easy question to answer, though. You marry them." "Me? I wouldn't know where to begin." "Well, it's one of the Captain's duties. I have a prayer book that has the marriage ceremony in it. All you have to do is read the ceremony and ask the questions, then you pronounce them to be man and wife." "Damn! I should have Tina skin you alive for getting me into this Captain thing." Mark laughed and said, "I'd think Cassie would be the one to skin someone alive." "Cassie talks mean, but she's not half as mean as she lets on. I do have another problem, though." "What's that?" "Since I met Cindi, her mom, and Jason on the trail, Cindi has been in love with me, then Billy, then Jon Vencille, then Gunter Gunderson. Now she has her heart set on Jesse Cooper. The problem is, Jesse and Ilsa Gunderson are the ones wanting to get married." "Is she causing them problems?" "Yeah, a few nights ago, Ilsa and Cindi got into a big fight over Jesse. Yesterday, Cindi was trying to talk Jesse into watching her take a bath. I've talked with Cindi both times, but it hasn't done any good." "This is a hard one, Ed. If it was a man, we'd probably banish him from the wagon train. Since it's a young girl, we can't do that. Has her mother talked to her?" "She's tried, but Cindi refuses to talk about it. She told her mother to go to hell." "Do you think she's like... Swived any of them?" It took me a minute to figure out what he was talking about, then it hit me. "I don't think so, Mark. One of the things I fear is that she'll come on to one of these rough cowboys and that he'll rape her. I don't think she realizes what a strain she's putting on these men." "Well, it's only going to be a couple of more days until we get to Ash Hollow. Let's try to figure something out before then." ------- It was another beautiful day for traveling. We had been very lucky so far. We had been on the trail for almost a month and we had only had a few days of rain during the whole time. The only thing that worried me was that we needed grass and water for all of the animals. Without some rain, we might run into problems. We did, in fact make it to the Brule Crossing of the South Platte. It was getting close to evening when we got there, so we decided to wait until morning before we tried to cross. I rode across the ford with Mark and it didn't look like we'd even get the hubs wet on the wagons. We had a tense evening around our campfire. Sally made Cindi stay in camp and Cindi wasn't at all happy about it. She wasn't outright insulting, but she was surly and pouted all evening. At least we knew she wasn't getting into trouble. ------- Friday, June 2, 1848 Ed: Day 30 - On the Oregon Trail We made one of the easiest crossings of the South Platte that had ever been made. The water was so shallow that we didn't even have any problems with the calves. We did notice something strange though. As the morning progressed, the river seemed to be rising. I asked Mark about it, and he said they must be getting a lot of rain off to the west. We decided to push on after the crossing and see how far we could get before evening. Mark said we'd be going down Windlass Hill tomorrow and it'd be a very hard day. Sally kept Cindi close to her all day and made her stay in camp in the evening. Cindi's mood got even worse as the day progressed. ------- Saturday, June 3, 1848 Ed: Day 31 - On the Oregon Trail The cattle didn't have much of a problem with Windlass Hill, but the wagons made up for it. This is the steepest grade on the Oregon Trail and many wagons were lost there over the years. We ended up losing one of our freight wagons and two of the oxen that were pulling it. We took the cattle herd down first, and the cowboys took it on down to Ash Hollow and got them spread out to graze. Stu brought most of the cowboys back to help with the wagons and that was appreciated. The method that was used by most travelers was to lock all four wheels of the wagon. This was done by putting poles through between the spokes of the wheels, or by chaining the wheels so they wouldn't turn. Even then, a wagon would sometimes get away and go flying down the hill, running over the animals that were pulling it. Ropes were tied to the back of the wagons, and men and animals would hold on against the pull of the wagon as it tried to get away. We sent the coach down first. All of the passengers got out and walked down. We didn't have a bit of a problem with the coach or the first two freight wagons. It was the third wagon that gave us the problem and it probably served to make us all more cautious with the rest of the wagons. I don't know if it was because the wagon was so heavily laden, or if we just got careless. Whatever the reason, it got away from us. It killed two of the oxen pulling it as it ran over them. The wheels came off next, as it made it's uncontrolled descent. It slid along on it's bottom for a while, then it evidently caught on something and it flipped. It tumbled over and over, losing barrels and kegs as it went. It finally came to rest, off the side of the trail near the bottom. We were lucky that it was one of the freight wagons that we lost. We were also lucky that we had depleted the load of some of our other wagons. We set a crew of men salvaging what they could and loading it into the other wagons, while the rest of us worked on getting the remaining wagons down the hill. The cooper in Dayton, Ohio had done a very good job on the barrels. We only lost two barrels of flour and one keg of molasses. It could have been a lot worse. ------- Ash Hollow was an oasis in the desert. There was some of the best water we had found on the trail, plenty of grass, and a nice stand of ash trees for firewood. It was a perfect place to lay over for a day. Since tomorrow is Sunday, even Mrs. Hankins will be happy. ------- Sunday, June 4, 1848 Ed: Day 32 - On the Oregon Trail Our layover day proved to be a nice day, indeed. We all checked our wagons over, while the cattle and horses grazed on the waist high grass. We did a lot of relaxing and a lot of talking during the day and a lot of cuddling in the evening. Mindy, Mandy and Tizzy were our entertainment during most of the day. I'm afraid M&M have corrupted Tizzy. At least she's opened up a lot now and isn't so shy. At one point during the afternoon, she came over to where Sam and I were cuddled together and flopped down on my lap. She looked up at me with those big, soulful, brown eyes and said, "Hi." "Hi, Tizzy," I grinned. "You know I love you, don't you?" Tizzy asked. "That's good," I said, "because I love you too." Tizzy grinned from ear to ear and snuggled in. Before long she was asleep. I looked at Sam and said, "I think we've gained her trust." "Yes, and I think you've gained another admirer," Sam grinned. "She's come a long way, hasn't she?" "Yes, and I'm glad of it. She won't have nearly as hard a transition to make as Jeb and Zeb have. I've talked to them a bit and they seem to be making a lot of progress, too." I held Tizzy until M&M came around and woke her up. ------- I wasn't comfortable with it, but Jesse Cooper insisted, so I performed the wedding ceremony for Ilsa Gunderson and Jesse Cooper. I think everyone on the wagon train attended. Ilsa looked like an angel, clutching a bouquet of wild flowers as she repeated her vows. Jesse Cooper was as proud as any man could be. ------- Sally let Cindi leave our camp and walk around for a while. Cindi promised her she wouldn't do any flirting. None of us were sure if it was the right thing to do, but we figured we couldn't keep her under our thumb all of the time. ------- Monday, June 5, 1848 Ed: Day 33 - On the Oregon Trail We were all well rested and we got a good early start this morning. We picked up the North Platte River a couple of hours after we got moving. Mark say's we'll follow it for around three hundred miles. That's over three weeks of travel. We let Cindi ride by herself today. She seemed as happy as a five year old with a new toy. I hope she finds someone she really loves soon. We kind of kept our eyes on her and we didn't see her bothering anyone. She did ride beside the chuck wagon and talk with Leonard Burton for a while. Sam said she was going to talk with Cindi about Burton later on. She said she'd always had a bad feeling about him. ------- In the last few days, the North Platte had risen several feet in depth. We weren't getting any rain here, but we must be getting a lot of it to the west of us. We have a long ways to go before we have to cross, so we don't see it as being a problem. ------- Tuesday, June 6, 1848 Ed: Day 34 - On the Oregon Trail We woke up to a light drizzle this morning. We had enough dry wood in our freight wagons that we managed to get a fire started under a tarp. At least we managed to make coffee and make some bacon and johnnycake. The rain wasn't bad enough to effect travel, but it did drive almost everyone who didn't have to be out into the wagons and coach. I noticed that Billy and Hilda Gunderson were walking, while Billy led his horse behind the Gunderson wagon. Sam and I talked about that a little later and we both agreed they made a nice couple. Sam said she believed there was another young couple forming. She said she'd seen Jon Vencille and Joanna Stevenson talking several times. I didn't really know Joanna, although I had seen her around. I think Jon is the salt of the earth, so I wish them well. I was in the coach as I thought all of the new loves being found, and I broke out laughing. Sam asked me what was so funny, do I asked, "Do you remember an old TV show called 'The Love Boat'?" "I've seen reruns of it." "I was just thinking that this wagon train is like that. We bring people together and they fall in love." "I don't remember anyone in that show who had six wives," Sam grinned. ------- "I talked with Cindi about Burton," Sam told me later. "What did she have to say?" I asked. "She was being typically Cindi," Sam said. "First off, she told me it was none of my business who she talked with. Then she admitted she thought Burton was interesting, but that she really wasn't thinking about a long term relationship with him. I told her to be careful with him, but she laughed at me." I sighed. "I am seriously afraid that she is going to end up over her head," I said. "She won't listen to her mother, or you, or me. I'm going to see if Jason will talk with her." "It can't hurt. Maybe Jason and Su Li could talk to her together." Sam thought that might be a good idea. ------- Later that evening, we forgot all about Cindi for a while. Abby and Eleanore McGinty got into it again. This time, there wasn't a lot of yelling and name calling. The first we knew of it was when we saw people running by our camp. We were afraid it might be Cindi, so we followed. When we got to Abby's wagon, we saw Eleanore on top of Abby hitting her with one hand while she held Abby's hair with the other. Abby was trying to defend herself, but it was easy to see that Eleanore was getting the best of her. No one else was doing anything to break them up, so I stepped in; grabbed Eleanore by the back of her dress; and heaved her off of Abby. Eleanore whirled and tried to bite me, but Sally grabbed her around the waist from behind and held her off. I was angry. Abby was one of the nicest young women I had ever met. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" I demanded. "I'm going to kill the whore!" Eleanore yelled. I was ready to hit her, but Sam stepped up beside me and said, "Calm down, Eleanore," Sam said. "Why are you mad at Abby?" "She's trying to take my husband away from me," Eleanore yelled. "She's nothing but a whore." "Why do you think she's trying to take your husband?" Eleanore reached in her apron pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. She handed it to Sam, who read it and handed it to me. "Your husband has been swiving Abby O'Connell since you joined the wagon train," the note said. "Who is the note from?" I asked. "I don't know. It was in our flour barrel this evening." "So, someone left a note in your flour barrel. Someone who didn't want you to know who they were. They made an accusation about Abby and your husband. Did you ask your husband about it?" "No." "Don't you trust your husband?" "I trust my husband, but I don't trust that whore." "Don't you think you should have asked your husband about what the note said before you went off the deep end like this?" "Maybe." While I was talking with Eleanore, Andy had been quietly running all of the spectators from the scene. Now he turned around and asked, "Eleanore, does anyone on the wagon train have anything against you or your husband?" "Not that I know of. We only knew one other family on here before we left St Jo." "Which family is that?" I asked. "Frank and Martha Tipton. We knew them back in Pennsylvania." "Would they have anything against either you or your husband?" "Not that I know of. I don't think they get along very well. We've heard them yelling at each other." "Well, let me tell you something, Eleanore. Abby is a very happily married lady. I knew her before she came on the wagon train. I will guarantee you that no matter what some anonymous letter says, she is not having an affair with your husband." ------- Later, I really needed the snuggling among my wives. If it wasn't for them restoring me, I think I'd have gone under a long time ago. ------- Wednesday, June 7, 1848 Ed: Day 35 - On the Oregon Trail Mark says we'll be at one of the major milestones of the trip by tomorrow or the next day. I remember reading about Chimney rock, but I couldn't remember much about it, so I asked Sam. "Well, I've seen pictures of it and sketches that were done by people on the Oregon Trail. What I saw didn't look much like a chimney. I guess it's better that the Indian name for it, though." "What did the Indians call it?" "According to the early trappers, the Indians called it something that translated as 'Elk Penis'. They said that's what it looks like." That cracked Delia and me up. Before long, Sam joined us and we laughed until we had tears running from our eyes. ------- Toward the end of the day, Mark pointed out the formation to me. We could just see the tip of it above the horizon. From this distance it could have been a chimney. Then again, it could have been an elk's penis. ------- Thursday, June 8, 1848 Ed: Day 36 - On the Oregon Trail We camped at Chimney Rock today. We came to it late in the afternoon. Quite a few people wanted a closer look. I was happy right where we were. I was talking with Andy about the problems with Eleanore. I was totally at a loss as to what to do about her, so I was asking for his advice. "Well, you said they only knew the Tiptons before they came on the wagon train. Maybe I should try to see if I can find out anything from Frank Tipton," Andy said. "I'd appreciate it, Andy. Since this may concern the Tiptons, I don't think I'd come right out and ask him though." Andy gave me a big grin and said, "Don't try to teach your grandmother how to suck eggs." I don't know where that saying came from. It didn't make any sense to me. ------- Friday, June 9, 1848 Ed: Day 37 - On the Oregon Trail Today we camped at another famous landmark. Scotts Bluff is a lot more impressive than Chimney Rock, in my opinion. To me it looks like an old fort when you look at it one way. From another point of view, it looks like Gibraltar. I asked Sam if she knew what the Indians called Scotts Bluff. "The plains Indians called it 'hill that it is hard to go around'," she told me. "That's not nearly as colorful a name as 'Elk Penis'." ------- "Well, I may have found out something," Andy said as we were eating dinner. "Frank didn't come right out and say anything, but I get the feeling he he has more than a passing interest in Eleanore." "What did he say?" "Well, I got to talking about being a newlywed with him. I was telling him I really enjoyed married life. He said marriage could be really good if you have the right wife." I said, "He's right about that." All of my wives grinned at me, the Andy went on, "He said that unfortunately he didn't have the right woman. I asked him who he thought would be the perfect wife and he said, 'Eleanore McGinty. Unfortunately she's married to that lout of a husband of hers. He doesn't deserve her.'." "I think Andy has hit on something," Sam said. "If Frank could get Eleanore mad enough at her husband that she'd leave him, maybe he thinks he could move right in on her." "Let's all of us keep an eye on Frank," I said. "We don't have any proof, so this is just conjecture." We all agreed we'd watch to see if Frank did anything else. ------- Sunday, June 11, 1848 Ed: Day 39 - On the Oregon Trail We didn't take off today, since Mark says we are getting close to Fort Laramie. I figured Mrs. Hankins would be complaining, but she surprised me. We're getting close to a month and a half on the trail. Mark says we're doing well, but it seems to me like we're losing a lot of time. I just hope it doesn't come back to haunt us later. Some of us have watched Frank Tipton for the last few days. We haven't caught him doing anything, but I still suspect he is the one stirring up Eleanore. ------- Monday, June 12, 1848 Ed: Day 40 - On the Oregon Trail I got a chance to talk with Mark for a while this morning. He said we were less than a day's travel from Fort Laramie. "Should we lay over there for a day?" I asked. "It'd probably be a good idea," he said. "They have a blacksmith there and there is a good trading post where people can stock up on things they're running short of. There's also a village of friendly Indians who'll trade with us." "A blacksmith would probably come in handy," I said. "We have a couple of wagons in the train that are having problems." I hadn't much more than said that when the first wagon in line behind the coach stopped abruptly. Mark and I rode over to see what was going on. Jesse Cooper was down off the seat, looking under the front of the wagon when we got there. "What's going on, Jess?" Mark asked. "I think I broke an axle," Jess said. "Yeah, sure enough. We're gonna have to replace it." Stu had seen us stop, so he came riding over to see what was going on. We all talked it over and decided that Stu would go on with the cattle and horses while we fixed the wagon. I knew it was only going to take us a couple of hours, but I was anxious to get the cattle to the fort. Actually, I was anxious to get all of us there. I was looking forward to a day of rest. Most of the men on the wagon train pitched in and helped unload the wagon and get it lifted up so we could work on the axle. Some of the women got together and made pot after pot of coffee for the men working and for them just standing around looking. My wives had just gathered around me and we were watching the men reload the wagon when Tina yelled, "Indians!" We looked in the direction Tina was pointing and my heart almost stopped. About a half a mile to the southeast of us was a small range of hills. Indians were pouring over those hills like ants out of an ant hill. "Circle the wagons around this one," Mark yelled. The wagon drivers ran at full speed to their wagons and got them moving to form a circle. Everyone else was in total confusion. "Get out all of your rifles, powder, and shot," I yelled at the women standing around. It looked like it was going to be close, but the men managed to get the wagons in a circle before the Indians reached us. Even so, Claude Crowe had an arrow sticking out of his left shoulder when he hit the ground. Harlan Jamison was a little luckier. He had an arrow in his right boot heel. Both of the arrows that had found targets had been shot from long range. Sally and Mina ran over to help Claude. I made Sam get into the wagon that had been broken down with Becky and she was soon joined by Abby and little Ben. The rest of my wives grabbed their rifles and joined me under a couple of wagons. By the time we were ready to start firing, Indians were circling us in both directions. ------- Chapter 51 I was captivated for a moment by the sounds and the colors. The braves were yelling and whooping. Their horses hooves were thundering on the short grass of the valley we were in. Our rifles were firing and our men were cursing. Women were screaming and children were crying. Three of the Indians had war bonnets that reached their horses. Many had a dozen feathers or more and the rest had at least one feather. The war bonnets and feathers were red and white. Most of the braves were wearing navy blue loin clothes. Their faces were painted and they were riding horses of every color imaginable. I think that all of their riding and whooping were to scare us more than anything, but I didn't let it stay my hand. I lined up on a brave and fired. He tumbled from his horse and I started to reload, but Maddy tapped me on the foot and handed me another rifle. She had several women busy reloading. I lined up on another brave and fired again. This time, his horse went tumbling, but he got to his feet. I handed my rifle back to Maddy and watched as Tina and Cassie both shot almost at once. Both of the men they shot at hit the ground. This went on for about fifteen minutes, then the Indians pulled back a ways and stopped, watching us. I scooted out from under the wagon and went around to check on everyone else. I almost wish I hadn't. Brad White and Hans Gunderson were dead. Three more of the men and one of the women were wounded. I walked dejectedly back to the wagon I had been firing under and I saw Tina coming right behind me. I let her catch up and she said, "I count twenty-one of their braves dead. It looks like there are another eighty or ninety of them still out there." "Thanks, Tina. We have two dead and four wounded. This really sucks," I said. "They're coming!" Cassie yelled. Tina and I ran back and piled under the same wagon. Maddy and Mina handed us rifles and we started lining up on new targets. This attack was almost a carbon copy of the first one. The braves did seem to get a lot closer this time. Again they pulled up about two hundred and fifty yards from they train and stopped to watch us. Andy came over and said he'd gotten three of them. I had lost track. Andy went off to check on everyone while the rest of us tried to prepare for the next assault. When he came back, the news wasn't good. "Leonard Burton, Frank Tipton, and little Monty Jamison are dead. At least seven are wounded," he told us. "I've got an idea," Tina said. "There are three big time chiefs out there. If we could knock them off, they might decide we're too much trouble." "Yeah, but they must be two hundred and fifty yards out." "I think Cassie and I might be able to hit them with those .69 caliber Hawken. Should we give it a try?" "It can't hurt anything. Get them loaded." Tina ran off to get the rifles and load them while I walked over to where Mark and Jim Crockett were talking. I told them what Tina was planning. "Well, it can't hurt nothin," Crockett said. "I'd bet my saddle that they can't hit them from here though." "I'm not a betting man, Jim, but at least one of them will bring down the man they're shooting at," I said. Tina was getting back under the wagon we were firing from so I went back over to watch. "I'll take the one in the middle," Tina said. "You take the one on the right. These rifles are sighted in at two hundred yards, so aim about two inches high." "Okay, sis," Cassie said. "On three. You do the count, Ed." "Okay, one... two... three..." Two big rifles fired as one and two white puffs of smoke momentarily obscured my vision. Then I saw that both of the chiefs were on the ground. Everything was frozen for what seemed like an endless time, then around forty of the braves screamed a war cry and charged straight toward us. I was sighted in on one of the lead braves when they were about a hundred yards from us. I squeezed my trigger then watched him fall. Rifles were going off all around me. I fired one more shot with a rifle Maddy handed me, then I pulled my revolver. I waited until they were around thirty yards away and started shooting for their horses. Cassie, Tina, Kate, and Delia must have seen what I was doing, because they started shooting horses as well. I handed Maddy my revolver and she pushed another one into my hand. When the first horses went down, several others tumbled over them. There were braves on foot and some on horse as they kept coming. I heard a scream over to my left, but I didn't have time to see who was hurt. By the time they were fifty feet from us, there couldn't have been more than a dozen of the braves left alive. The ones on horseback reached down and helped the ones on foot up behind them and they rode off to the main group. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw that all of my wives were safe. Maddy handed me my own revolver back as I climbed from under the wagon. I looked to my left, where I had heard the scream and saw Mark Lester on the ground. I ran over to him, but he didn't look good. Mark had an arrow in his gut. He was conscious and when he saw me he said, "Shit, Ed, this is a bad one." "Maybe there's a doctor at Fort Laramie," I said. "We'll get you there." "Maybe," he said. "I may not make it that far. I'm gut shot, Ed. That's bad." "Just relax, Mark. We'll get you there." Tina ran up beside me and said, "They're leaving, Ed. They're heading back the way they came." "Okay," I said. "Let's make sure they're gone before we move." "I'll tell everyone," Crockett said. ------- We waited almost an hour before we decided they weren't going to come back. We were very watchful as we headed west. We put all of the wounded people in the coach and loaded our dead into one of the freight wagons. We'd bury them at Fort Laramie. I don't think we ever traveled as fast in the wagons as we did the rest of that day. The cattle and horses were already at the fort when we finally got there. Mark didn't make it to the fort. ------- Everyone who has seen a western movie, or watched a western on TV knows what a fort looks like, right? Wrong. Fort Laramie was built in 1841 to replace Fort William. Fort William was a wooden stockade, like you saw in the movies. Fort Laramie was constructed of adobe brick. The official name of the fort at that time was Fort John. It was named for John Sarpy, a partner in the American Fur Company. Since it stood on a bluff, overlooking the Laramie River, employees and travelers alike started calling it Fort Laramie almost from the time it was built. The primary purpose of Fort Laramie was to trade for buffalo robes with the Indians of the area. In 1848, there were no soldiers in the fort. In 1849, the fort was sold to the army so it could be used to guard the Oregon Trail. Until recently, Fort Platte had been a near neighbor of Fort Laramie. The two forts were less that two miles apart and were owned by rival fur trading companies. In 1847, Fort Platte was sold to the American Fur Company, who then demolished it. The adobe walls of Fort Laramie were about fifteen feet high and four feet thick. There was room inside the fort for all of the fort's animals and for the thirty or so employees who worked at the fort. There was not enough room for our cattle or horse herds. ------- Tuesday, June 13, 1848 Ed: Day 41 - At Fort Laramie The first thing we did this morning was to bury our dead. There was a minister at the fort, who was there to "civilize" the Oglallia Sioux and the Brule Sioux in the area. He had a hard job, because the trading post at the fort sold whiskey to the Indians. The minister, Reverend Markham, performed a funeral for the dead. He also helped with the wounded. No one on our wagon train had much medical knowledge. After the ceremony, Andy, Sam, and I sat down with Jim Crockett to see if we could figure out what to do next. "So, can you guide us on through to Oregon?" I asked Jim. He shook his head and said, "I can scout, but I'm not a guide. I'd have us lost in a week." "I guess we need a new guide then. Surely someone here at the fort can guide us on through." "I doubt it," Jim said. "Most of the people here are fur trappers or traders. You can talk to them, but I don't think it'll do much good." "What do you suggest we do then?" I asked. "Don't know." "Don't give up hope," Sam said. "Let's talk to the people at the fort and at the trading post. If nothing else, maybe another wagon train will catch up to us." ------- Jim was right. There wasn't a single person at the fort or the trading post who had been farther west than Independence Rock, which is the half-way point on the trail. The manager of the post said there'd be half a dozen wagon trains going through within the next month or so. To say I was depressed would have been an understatement. Despondent? Maybe close. My family pulled me out of that before the evening was over. ------- Wednesday, June 14, 1848 Ed: Day 42 - At Fort Laramie I moped around most of the morning, but finally Sam talked me into visiting the Indian village. When we got there, I almost wish we hadn't gone. These people were far different from the ones who had attacked our wagon train. Several of the men were drunk, even at this early hour. The Indian women were begging, or trying to sell us something. Even the men who weren't drunk looked like getting drunk was their only goal in life. I learned later that the trading post at Fort Laramie sold whiskey to the Indians. These poor savages were not prepared for the white man's poison. Tina was especially disturbed by what we saw. Being half Indian, she was ashamed to see what her people had sunk to. I was ashamed of what the whites were doing to them. ------- That evening our whole family made love to Tina. We knew it didn't change what was happening to her people, but at least we can show her she was loved. We didn't know it, but we would soon find out that there were others of her blood and could be admired as well. ------- Thursday, June 19, 1848 Ed: Day 47 - At Fort Laramie We spent the next four days fuming over our predicament, and trying to find our way out of it. We found one trapper who said he could guide us to Independence Rock, but that wouldn't be a lot of help. It was only about a hundred and fifty miles from where we were now. It was late in the afternoon when we saw our salvation. The group we had met just outside St Jo came pulling in to the fort. They had three or four hundred cattle with them, some freight wagons, and a passel of drovers. They rode on to the fort and moved their herd to the south of ours. They pulled their wagons close to ours, and a man and two women approached our wagons. "Howdy folks," I said as they walked over. "Howdy, Ed," Jase said. He introduced Lettie and Tess, and I called for my family to join us. Jase was a little surprised when I introduced six different women as my wives. Lettie started laughing and called Wanda and Jo over to introduce them as well. "We have two more wives in Oregon," Lettie told us. "I wanted to be up front about things," I told Jase. "Some people get upset if a man has more than one wife." "Well, I guess I should be up front too," Jase said. "When we came out on a wagon train a couple of years ago, several people got upset because Tess and I are half Indian." I laughed and said, "Well, Tina is half Indian. I guess you can see that Delia is a woman of color." Delia slapped me on the shoulder, then hugged me. "So, we figured you were at least a week ahead of us. What happened?" Jase asked. "We were attacked by Indians less that a day's travel east of here. We had six people killed. One of them was our wagon master and guide. We haven't been able to find another guide. Our scout is still alive, but he says he can't guide us to Oregon." "We might be able to help you there," Ab said. "I was the wagon master on the train Jase came out on." By now, all of our family had joined us. "We're not going to be going as far as most of these people are," Pris said. "Are you willing to take them on to the Willamette valley, Ab?" "Yeah, I don't see why not," Ab said. "We'll be happy to pay you for your trouble," I said. "We'll work something out," Ab told me. "Could you folks be ready to move out the day after tomorrow?" I agreed that we could. ------- Author's note: At this point on the Oregon Trail, the people from "Wagons Ho - The Early Years" will be joining forces with the people from "Washed Up". I've done a lot of debating and a lot of soul searching about how this was going to be done. I knew from the beginnings of "Washed Up" that this is what I wanted to do, but I couldn't figure out how would be the best way to do it. Should I continue each story separately? Should I continue both stories, but have parts that overlap? Or should I start a new story at this point, telling things from two points of view, sort of like when Sam and Ed were separated. I ended up choosing the latter method. The new story will continue from this point, soon after "Wagons Ho - The Early Years" catches up to this point. Thanks to all of you who took your time to send me feedback. Feedback, whether positive or negative, is beneficial to an author. Even if I blow something off at the time I receive it, later on it will come back and haunt me. I think it has made me a better writer. I would also like to thank everyone for their very positive votes. Votes are to an author what applause is to an actor. Most of us say "Awh, that doesn't mean anything", but it does. Lazlong ------- The End ------- Posted: 2005-08-11 Last Modified: 2006-05-11 / 02:39:55 pm ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------