by Ron Foster
Everyone also had to take into account that people that make their living from the sea and the rivers were usually a tough breed of their own and tended to be somewhat territorial in the best of times. The idea of an organized regatta of seasoned old sailors or Coast Guard wanting to forcibly board their cumbersome trader was a factor also that needed to be considered. Why bother even venturing out if we were likely to be damaged or sunk just for venturing into what for us was uncharted waters?
These and a million and one other objections were voiced and pondered but the work and the dreams of refurbishing the old scow and making it a river trader continued.
Maybe if they didn’t venture into the more suspected problematic areas and just picked them a spot or two they could call their own that their plotting and scheming could work?
David presented the idea that they should look at what areas had traditionally been epicenters of river commerce before the railways and interstate trucking had over time bypassed them.
Discussions were had over how in the colonial period and before the Indian wars in Alabama great river towns started by the Creek and Cherokee had prospered and the old French trading post that was established in the 1700`s before the US had even laid claim to the territory called Fort Toulouse.
This old fortification that was now a State park was built at the convergence of three rivers and at one time was a bastion of trade and civilization for many villages and towns in the surrounding area.
David and Julie had enjoyed just visiting the park or attending the occasional annual events like Frontier days when historical reenactors banded together to celebrate and give historical lessons on how life and wars were conducted during this period. Indians, settlers, traders, pioneers. explorers and Armies had used this geographically important location for centuries to paddle a canoe or float a log barge of goods to in order to trade for furs and European manufactured goods a century before cities and big agriculture had taken over.
David explained to them that the old fort over the years had been slightly reconstructed with big squared dovetailed logs like you were building a cabin all around its perimeter and that an earthen moat had been finished and that an original starting section of the old fort had been constructed using palisade style logs. He couldn’t to his way of thinking see that the government had any use for it at the moment and that anyone occupying the area except for possible stranded vacationers would dare to challenge their reoccupying the position and putting it back on the map as a trade route.
When he suggested this particular place as a likely spot to go on the casino barges mission all kinds of questions arose from everyone concerned or interested in its outcomes. Yes, most agreed (even if doubtful) that it sounded like the best place to head That ponderous behemoth of a barge too because it wasn’t far from Montgomery Alabama aka, Monkey Town USA as the long haul truckers called it where Jimmy had visited the pet food factory and it made sense if it was made known as a traders port that folks would eventually come to even if they had to float, paddle, horse ride or walk to get there but there were other places much farther downstream in the opposite direction and towards the saltwater of the coast that needed to be considered.
From the plantations boat landing there were all kinds of interesting places to park the boat at and possibly explore that were closer and there were state docks that might have a berth for them at the more populous cities they might want to try if the idea of sending out foraging parties was the reasoning for undertaking the trips.
It wasn’t like they had anything to trade at the moment unless they had the means of acquiring goods in excess of their own substantial personal needs anyway, a lot of people objected and thought a short foray here or there might be the wiser choice.
David couldn’t disagree with that way of thinking and had been made aware or reminded of many factors he hadn’t considered by a man who was forever now nicknamed “Cheerios” by the majority of the plantations habitants.
Neil was the blame for that name but it fitted the man well and served him purposely.
Neil, Karen and Clem had been heading down a piece of highway that we thought was pretty much deserted or uninhabited on a mission to sink a bullet pump in a out of the way country stores underground fuel pump tank to see if it held any gas after the lack of electricity had cut off when they come upon the man.
He had bee driving a big rig of cereal to a warehouse when the power went out and since he had been shortcutting down the back roads he ran out of gas and pretty much had been eating cheerios for a few months until he got tired of them and had set off to find some different kind of food.
They brought him back to camp along with a ton of Cheerios and that find was still talked about to this day.
As for Clem and Bertha and the rest they still closely held their secret of the treasure on the barge until they could find a way to either lift the safe out or break in to it but that is another story.
THE END
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Table of Contents
1 All Are Safely Gathered
2 BACK AT THE LANDING
3 THE CALVARY ARRIVES
4 GETTING ORGANIZED
5 ROCKING AND RANTING
6 COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
7 DINNER IS SERVED
8 THE TRAVELERS ARRIVE
9 A STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND
10 THE APOCALYPTIC RIFLE
11 Float The Bismarck
12 A Bargain Barter
13 All Hands On Deck
14 Deep Water