The Race to Chimney Rock

by Jesse Wiley

  You keep an eye on the man all day. Whenever he looks at you, you look away and pretend to be doing something else. You notice he usually carries a box.

  What could the box be for?

  Then, you spot him creeping up to yet another wagon. You quietly move closer, to watch him crouch down by a wagon wheel. He slowly opens up his box.

  Aha! you think. I’m going to catch him stealing!

  Then suddenly, he turns around and notices you.

  “Hey there!” the man says. “Could you possibly give me a hand?”

  You see that he is holding a tool, and it looks like he is trying to tighten a bolt on the wagon wheel.

  Embarrassed, you realize he isn’t stealing anything after all. He’s just trying to keep everyone safe.

  “I . . . uh . . . need to get some firewood,” you say, not wanting to admit you were suspicious of him. You head over to the forest, and reach for a pile of branches. You realize you were too quick to suspect him, but you don’t have much time to feel bad about it before . . .

  YOW! You feel a sudden, intense pain on your forearm. Then something long slithers away, its tail and rattle disappearing under a branch.

  You’ve been bitten by a snake!

  You feel faint and numb. Rattlesnakes are common in these parts, and they are poisonous and deadly. You need to think fast, but you feel weak, and your eyes feel heavy. Do you try to suck out the venom and spit it out? Or do you keep your arm very still, and walk slowly back to camp?

  If you suck out the venom, turn to page 73

  If you keep your arm still, turn to page 134

  Return to page 38

  Hey, Joseph. Could you use Samuel’s slingshot to help me catch a rabbit?” You speak quickly, keeping your eyes on the ground.

  “Nope,” Joseph says. You feel hot inside and wish you’d never said anything to him.

  Then he adds, “That’s because I don’t use a slingshot to catch rabbits.”

  You look up.

  “Then how do you do it?” you ask.

  “I use traps,” he says. “Let me show you.”

  Surprised, you agree.

  That evening, while the others make camp, Joseph shows you how to bait his traps. A few hours later, you catch a big jackrabbit. Pa skins it, and soon it is simmering in a pot.

  Your family invites Joseph’s over for rabbit stew at suppertime. Eliza adds some herbs she found to the pot, and they make the stew extra delicious. Samuel happily eats two helpings. He grins as he uses soda biscuits to mop up the last bits off his tin plate. He likes soda biscuits now that he’s used to them.

  “We make a good team,” Joseph tells you later, around the campfire. He pulls some honey candy from his pocket and breaks you off a piece. You savor the sweetness. You’re glad to have a new friend.

  A few days later, your wagon train stops to camp by the Kansas River. You’ll have to cross the rushing river to keep going. That will be tough, but for now, camping on the river is a nice break.

  “Time to work, kids,” says Ma. “Let’s wash those filthy clothes.”

  You’ve been wearing the same clothes for almost a week, and the wagon train kicks up lots of dust. Whenever it’s your turn to travel last, you always get covered in dirt.

  You help fill your family’s biggest pot with water from the river. Ma lights a fire and boils the water. Then she adds lye soap and the first set of clothes.

  You feel the heat as you help her stir the pot.

  When the clothes are clean, Ma rinses them in a washtub of cold water. Samuel and Hannah take turns wringing them out. Then you all spread the clothes out on large rocks to dry.

  Meanwhile, Pa and Caleb catch fish for supper, which Ma batters with cornmeal. As you enjoy the flaky fried fish, Caleb makes an announcement.

  “We have two choices for crossing the river,” he says. “We can ford it or we can use Papan’s Ferry.”

  In order to ford the river, the wagons will have to be made as waterproof as possible. Then the men will drive the oxen across. And you’ll have to wade or swim, depending on how deep the water gets.

  “What if our stuff gets ruined?” you ask.

  “That’s a risk,” Caleb admits. “We’ll cross where the water is shallow, and seal up the wagons as best we can using tar and candle wax.”

  “Fording a river can be dangerous,” he continues. “We’ll be careful, and our best swimmers will go first to make sure it’s safe. But the animals could get scared, and we might get cold. And some of the supplies could get wet or lost.”

  Then Caleb explains the safer way across the river: Papan’s Ferry. The ferry is a log-platform boat that carries one wagon at a time. A ferryman moves the boat with a long pole, pushing the pole along the bottom of the river. A rope stretches across the river to help guide the ferry.

  The Papan brothers charge $1 per wagon for the ferry trip across the river. That’s a lot of money you could use at trading posts instead. Plus, you’ll have to wait a few days to cross. There’s a long line of other wagons ahead of you. That would delay you getting to Chimney Rock.

  Five of the families in your wagon train vote to ford the river. The other five argue for Papan’s Ferry. They point out that it is safer, and waiting will give the oxen time to rest and graze. Healthy livestock are important for success on the Trail. Plus, you would all get to rest, too!

  Caleb turns to your family. “Well, it looks like your wagon is the tiebreaker,” he says. “What do you all want to do?”

  How do you vote?

  If you decide to ford the river, turn to page 41

  If you decide to take Papan’s Ferry, turn to page 55

  Return to page 94

  Your voice quivers as you say, “Surgery, I guess.” You glance at your diseased leg, then look away quickly. You want to be brave, and if you have to choose between life with one leg or dying here on the Trail, you’ll take living.

  A man from your wagon train will do the operation. He’s a veterinarian, the closest thing you have to a doctor. He tries to keep you calm, and talks constantly as he gets ready. You don’t hear anything he is saying. The man gives you some medicine that makes you sleepy. The cling and clang of metal fills the air as the vet assembles his tools. You look around for Ma, and reach for her hand.

  “I’m scared,” you whisper. Pa walks over and grabs your other hand.

  “I love you. You’re going to be okay,” Ma says, kissing your forehead.

  You close your eyes. You bite down on a leather belt and wait for the pain. You feel like someone’s ripping off your leg, and the agony is so bad that you pass out.

  When you wake up, it’s the next day. You’re still dazed. You want to look down at your leg, but the thought is too scary. Pa gives you more medicine. Ma looks at you with tears in her eyes, but tries to be comforting. When you finally look down at your leg, you see bloody bandages on a stump.

  The wagon train is forced to leave your family behind. Pa makes you some crutches, but even after weeks of rest, you can’t move very fast with them. The pain still comes and goes. You have to stop often.

  Your family travels alone back to the last trading post. From there, you’ll slowly try to get back to Kentucky. Your journey on the Oregon Trail is over, but at least you survived.

   THE END

  Return to page 69

  I think we can make it to the trading post, Pa,” you say. Your heart sinks at the idea of more walking. But you have months of long hiking days ahead. You might as well get used to it.

  “Good,” Pa says, looking proud of you.

  Samuel and Hannah look disappointed, but they don’t argue.

  “I’ll get you kids a treat when we arrive,” Ma promises you all.

  Hannah perks up. “Can we get some honey candy, please?”

  “And some ice cream!” Samuel says.

  A few days later, you arrive at the trading post. Pa decides the family can spare some wagon parts, tools, and half a sack of flour. In exchange, he gets
extra feed for the oxen to eat. The animals have been getting thinner without grass to graze. Poor things! You feed your favorite ox some grain from your hand.

  Hannah and Samuel suck happily on their honey candies. They make friends with some kids from other wagons. An older boy organizes a game where everyone kicks buffalo chips. Whoever makes these buffalo-poop patties go farthest is the winner.

  You want to play, too, but you have to help Ma and Pa rearrange the wagon. Now that it is less full, you’ll be able to take turns resting inside it when you’re back on the Trail.

  “I wonder if we should camp here for a few weeks,” Pa says. “That way we can wait for the grass to grow a bit. We’d have to join another wagon train later, though.”

  “But there isn’t much grass here for grazing in the meantime,” Ma says. “What will the animals do while we wait?”

  “The oxen will have to feed on the grain we have,” Pa says.

  “Would it be better to keep on going?” Ma asks.

  “We can push on now,” Pa says. “There might be greener pastures ahead.”

  You like the idea of resting for a while. Your legs are tired. But staying at the trading post means you’ll lose time getting out West. And your wagon train will leave without you.

  What does your family do?

  If you stay at the trading post for a few weeks, turn to page 129

  If you continue on the Trail now, turn to page 90

  Return to page 49

  I think it’s too late to climb higher,” you say.

  “I agree,” says Eliza. “Let’s head back down while it’s still light out.”

  The three of you stop where you are to carve your names into the rock. You’re glad you did, because by the time you climb down and get back to camp, the sun is setting. Ma looks relieved to see you.

  “I was starting to get worried!” she says.

  “The next landmark we’ll see is Chimney Rock,” says Pa. “It’s supposed to be even more impressive.”

  Chimney Rock is the milepost you’ve been hurrying toward for weeks, and where the journey gets tougher. You decide to carve your name there, too. Maybe one day, when you’re grown up, you’ll come back to look for your carvings.

  “We spotted a broken wagon while you were climbing,” Samuel tells you as you sit next to him for a supper of beans and bacon. “It’s nearby.”

  You look over at Pa. Maybe there’s something useful in the deserted wagon.

  “It’s late, but can we go explore?” you ask.

  “Yes, but don’t go far,” Pa says. “If you take too long, you’ll be wandering around in the dark.”

  After supper, you head over to the deserted wagon with Samuel and Hannah. Archie happily runs after you. The broken wagon is almost completely empty, but you find a pail and some crates, and you start to look through them.

  Just then, Archie sees a squirrel scampering by. He barks with excitement and dashes after it.

  “Come back, boy!” you call after him. You chase him, calling his name.

  A few moments later, you hear a muffled sound behind you.

  “Archie,” you say, turning around to scold him for running away. But it isn’t Archie at all. You feel a scream rising in your throat.

  You are face-to-face with a big grizzly bear!

  You tremble, frozen in place. You hope Samuel and Hannah are far away.

  You try to remember what Pa taught you about bears, as this one looks directly at you. Are bears like dogs? you wonder. If I run, will it chase me? Or maybe you should just stand up straight and act unafraid. If I do that, will it leave me alone?

  What do you do?

  If you run for it, turn to page 69

  If you stand up taller, turn to page 146

  Return to page 31

  It will be nice to get to Oregon a month sooner,” Ma says. “We could build our house while it’s still warm out.”

  “Yes,” Pa agrees. “And we’ll save a lot of money, since we’ll use fewer supplies along the way. We’ll get better land, too!”

  Your family and four others follow the soldier and his shortcut, leaving the rest of the wagon train. You’re feeling pretty good about your decision now.

  The soldier’s name is Will, and he tells some great stories around the campfire. They’re all about the Trail, and most of them end with him saving the day.

  But on the third night of camp, Will says something strange to you right before bedtime.

  “I never meant to do wrong by you people,” he says, with a sad look. You don’t know what that means or what to say, so you just nod and go to your tent, puzzled.

  The next morning, you awaken to a lot of shouting outside.

  “We’ve been swindled!” A man from another wagon yells.

  “That crook!” says a woman, red in the face.

  “What’s going on?” you ask Ma.

  “Will’s gone,” Ma says flatly. “He took our money and left us here.”

  “Are you sure?” You don’t want to believe it. “Maybe he just went ahead to scout?”

  “No. He left us,” Pa says. “All his things are gone.”

  You remember what Will said to you last night. And then you know for sure he isn’t coming back.

  No one in the wagon train knows what direction to head in from here. And you are running out of drinking water. Will had promised you would reach a spring the next day.

  “The water barrel is almost empty,” Pa says. Your throat is already feeling dry.

  “I saw a little pond,” Hannah says, pointing back in the direction of yesterday’s hike.

  “Let’s go check,” Pa says to you.

  You and Pa carry some empty barrels to the pond. The water is almost still and a little murky, and it smells a bit rotten. You see branches and leaves floating in it.

  “It’s okay. We’ll clean it,” Pa says. He stuffs some grass and moss into a barrel, then pours the pond water in after it.

  “See how the grass traps the dirt?” he says. Next, he pours the water through a handkerchief to filter out even the smallest particles.

  “There,” Pa says, looking proud of himself. “Clean water.” You’re amazed at how clear the water looks now.

  You take the barrels back to camp and show Ma. “Maybe we should boil it before drinking it,” she says. But boiling it means building a fire first. And then you will have to wait for the water to cool. The water looks refreshing. And you are so thirsty.

  If you drink some of the water before Ma boils it, turn to page 30

  If you wait until Ma boils the water, turn to page 38

  Return to page 78

  You race back toward camp as quickly as you can. When you get close to the circle of wagons, you see the man Caleb assigned as tonight’s guard.

  You’re out of breath from running, but you still manage to sputter out a few words.

  “Boy . . . taking . . . ox!”

  “Thieves?” The guard looks at you with alarm.

  While you try to catch your breath, the guard fires his rifle in the air, twice. That’s the signal to tell everyone the camp is under attack!

  “Wait a minute!” you protest. “I didn’t say we are being attacked.”

  “Didn’t you just say local people are stealing oxen?” the man asks you with a frown.

  “Yes,” you say. “But it was just a boy and only a single ox. Not really an attack.”

  But the guard doesn’t want to hear what you just said. “It doesn’t matter who it is or how many. If they’re taking our animals, that’s an attack!”

  You follow the guard back to camp, where all the men are getting ready for battle and preparing to march to the Lakota-Sioux settlement.

  You run to your father. “What is it?” Pa asks. “What happened?”

  You tell Pa about the boy leading the ox away.

  “I thought he was stealing it,” you say. “But maybe he didn’t know it was ours.”

  Pa looks at you carefully.

  “Th
is is my fault, Pa,” you say. “One ox isn’t a reason to start a fight.” You feel your heart pounding in your chest, and want to cry.

  “Let’s just go over there to talk to them,” Pa says. “And get our ox back. You come with me.”

  You head over to the Native American settlement with Pa and the other men. Caleb and the guard lead the way. Something about the way everyone is talking loudly and waving their fists makes you feel scared. It looks to you like they want to start a fight, not talk about a missing ox.

  When you get there, you see a large group of Lakota-Sioux people. They all gather together, and stare at you all charging in uninvited. They are looking at your group’s rifles. Little kids run away and hide behind their mothers’ legs.

  A Lakota-Sioux man walks up with a serious look on his face. “Where’s the ox?” the guard asks him. The two men stand chest-to-chest and stare at each other.

  “Do you see the boy?” Pa whispers to you. You just shake your head, because you don’t see him anywhere, and you don’t see your ox, either. What if the boy doesn’t even live here?

  BANG! Someone fires a rifle, and then you hear another. You look helplessly at Pa.

  “Run for cover!” he shouts.

  You rush in the direction of the nearest tree to hide. But a full-blown battle has started. By the time it’s over, you will lose half of the wagon train.