Mattie's Pledge

by Jan Drexler

“For sure, I’ll help. Is it catching? Should we warn the others?”

  “I’ve never heard of anyone catching it from another, but I wouldn’t be surprised if more of us come down with it. People contract it along river bottoms and swamps.”

  “Just where we’ve been during the last week.” Johanna laid the back of her hand on Andrew’s cheek. Nancy was right, he was burning with fever.

  “If you can stay with him, I’ll get some water and cloths so we can try to cool him off.”

  As Nancy left, Andrew turned his head to the side and gave her a crooked grin. “Ma says I’m sick.” His words were slurred. “I’m glad . . . you’re . . . here . . .” Andrew’s voice faded as he fell asleep.

  Tuesday night’s events stayed with Jacob through the next day and into Thursday. There had been no more sign of Cole Bates, but Mattie stayed close to her family’s wagon, even riding with her mother and Naomi rather than walking nearby.

  Jacob was glad to see it, although he would have enjoyed her companionship as he walked along next to the smaller wagon he shared with Josef. He swished the willow pole he carried through a tall stand of grass next to the road. He missed the hours they spent together herding the sheep before they had reached Ohio.

  That led his thoughts back to his family. Anything could happen to them before he and Josef were able to return to Ohio. He sighed. Daed had said they needed to leave the outcome of the situation in God’s hands, but sitting back, yielding to God’s will, didn’t seem like it was enough. There must be something he could do to help Mamm, but every time he thought about sending Josef on to Indiana without him and retracing his steps back to his family, he knew it would be useless. Even Daed, there with Mamm, was helpless. They could only wait.

  Thursday night they camped in the driest spot they could find, strung out along the roadside. Marshy spots had been abundant along their route, sometimes opening into lakes, and sometimes narrowing to a small stream that meandered to the next marshy spot. The mosquitoes were still ferocious. Jacob gathered swathes of green grass to smudge the fire as the sun moved toward the western horizon. Mattie’s brother, Noah, had fallen ill with the fever ’n’ ague the afternoon after Andrew had taken to his bed.

  They had passed some farms along the way, and the families had warned them against milk fever. It was prevalent in this area, they had said. So after milking the three cows they were taking to Indiana, Henry poured the milk out onto the ground.

  “Better to have the little ones go hungry rather than die of the milk fever,” Isaac told Jacob, his face grim.

  All of the men’s faces were grim, his included. Jacob rubbed at his forehead, trying to ease the tension that had settled there. He watched Isaac walk back to his family. The man’s shoulders were slumped as if he carried a heavy weight. Worry about his four children, his wife, and the unknown waiting for them in Indiana were all plain to see with each step he took.

  Only Eli Schrock and Yost Bontrager remained cheerful.

  “We’ll soon be away from the swamplands,” Eli said as Jacob joined the group of men gathered around the smoky fire. “The land Yost and I saw last year is dry ground, with running streams here and there. Once we get to Indiana, the travel will be much easier.”

  “If we don’t all fall ill of the fever ’n’ ague first,” said Elias Hertzler. “I’m beginning to wish we had stayed in Pennsylvania.”

  “Don’t lose sight of our goal, Elias.” Eli Schrock clapped a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “We can’t let a few hardships discourage us.”

  “What about that horse thief Jacob saw the other night?” Elias crossed his arms and scowled. “If the boy is right, and I’m not saying he isn’t”—he nodded in Jacob’s direction—“then we know this fellow won’t give up easily. He knows his horses, and he wants ours. What if he is successful? How many horses does he need to steal before we take action?”

  “What kind of action are you thinking of?” Isaac’s quiet voice cut through the men’s murmuring responses to Elias’s statement. “Do we resist the man who would steal from us?”

  Jacob rubbed the sweat off his face with his shirtsleeve. “There’s nothing that says we can’t act to prevent the thief from being successful. We can keep watch on the horses, tie them close to the wagons at night.”

  “And if we catch the thief in the act, what then?” Elias peered around the circle of faces through the smoke.

  Eli Schrock stroked his beard. “The Confession teaches us that Jesus Christ has forbidden revenge and resistance. We are to bless those who persecute us.”

  The men around the circle nodded in unison.

  “Ja,” Yost said, “we will bless the one who wishes us harm. We will pray for him and turn our cheek if necessary.”

  “I will give of my horses,” said Eli, “since it seems that is what he desires.” He looked from face to face. “If any of us catches this man in the act of trying to steal a horse from us, then offer him my team, and bless him as he goes on his way.”

  “Denki, Brother Eli.” Yost nodded toward his friend. “We will all support you in this gesture and assist you in your work until you are able to replace your team. Meanwhile, I propose that we start our journey earlier than normal in the morning. It appears that we have unsettled weather ahead, and we may not be able to travel in the later afternoon if there are storms.” He looked toward Jacob. “Will you watch the horses tonight?”

  Jacob nodded in assent. “I will watch the entire night and then sleep in the wagon while we travel tomorrow.”

  The men separated to their own wagons, drifting off in twos and threes. Eli Schrock stepped close to Jacob. “Remember what I said about my team. We must not disobey the teachings of Christ.”

  After Eli left him, Jacob sat on a stone in the thickest part of the smoke, holding his sleeve over his nose, his eyes watering as he sought a brief respite from the insects. He was glad the men were finally taking the threat of the horse thief seriously, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Cole’s interest in Mattie was a more serious threat. He rubbed at the back of his neck, chasing off a mosquito.

  With the illness of two of their members, the entire community seemed to be waiting for the next blow to fall. Jacob was on edge as much as the others. But without knowing when or what the disaster might be, there was no way to guard against it, or to protect themselves.

  Daed would say to trust God. He would tell him that worry and fear would only eat at him and make him miserable. Jacob scattered more green grass on the fire. Daed was right. He was miserable, for sure, and the more the worry took hold, the closer that lapping sea of darkness came to the edge of his consciousness.

  Worry added to worry. Would it ever end?

  He rubbed at the back of his neck again. It prickled as if tiny mosquito feet were crawling along his skin, seeking a vulnerable spot to attack.

  Trust God. There was nothing else he could do.

  As voices quieted in the wagons, he walked up the line, checking each horse’s tether. When he reached the far end, he stretched and slapped at a mosquito. It promised to be a long night.

  Toward midnight the wind freshened, bringing a breath of cool air from the northwest. Jacob walked up the line of horses again, more to stay awake than from any worry that the quiet would be disturbed. But as he reached the end of the half-circle of wagons, he heard a voice and ducked behind the corner of the Schrocks’ wagon.

  “Whoa, there, beauty.”

  The voice was low, the words English. Jacob left his cover and crept along the line of horses until he reached the third horse in the line. Beneath its neck he could see the intruder. Even in the dark he recognized the man’s build and the shape of his hat. Cole Bates.

  Jacob ducked under the horse’s neck. “Hello, Bates.” He kept his voice low also. He didn’t want to wake the Schrock families sleeping on the other side of the canvas wagon cover.

  The man jumped, startling the horse he held by the halter. Before Jacob could say anything more, he saw
the flash of a knife blade in Cole’s free hand.

  “Stay back. Let me take the horses and no one will get hurt.”

  “You’re right. No one will get hurt.”

  Cole untied the horse’s tether. It was one of Eli Schrock’s team. Jacob clenched his fist at the thought of what he had to do. It didn’t seem right to let a thief take the horses, but that was man’s thinking, not God’s. No matter how he felt, he needed to obey the men’s decision.

  He reached to untie the rope of the second horse in line, the teammate of the first. “Take this one too. Take the team, and go with our blessing.”

  Bates froze. “What’s this?”

  “Take these two horses, then be on your way.”

  Starlight flashed on Cole’s teeth as he gave a short laugh. “You’re trying to pull one over on me, right? As soon as I leave, you’ll come after me and try to catch me as a horse thief. Nothing doing. It’s all of the horses or none.”

  Jacob shrugged. “We won’t fight you or come after you. It isn’t our way.” As he spoke, he realized that Cole was alone. “Where are your brothers?” He half turned, expecting to see the rest of the horses being led off by the other thieves.

  “I’m working alone now, and no deal. I take all the horses or none of them.”

  “No. Only these two. But take the horses as a gift. We won’t force you to steal them.”

  Cole dropped the rope and backed away. “What are you getting at?” He moved the knife back and forth. “Where are the rest of them? Why are you out here alone?”

  “It isn’t a trick. You don’t have to be a thief.” He took a step closer and held the second horse’s lead rope out to the other man. “Take these horses as our gift. Go somewhere and start over. We won’t try to stop you.”

  Cole looked one way, then the other. “That Mattie-girl, did she put you up to this?”

  “Mattie has nothing to do with this.”

  “She’s a sweet one, she is. This sounds like something she’d think of.” The man’s teeth gleamed in the starlight.

  Cole’s intimate tone slid into Jacob’s consciousness, setting his teeth on edge. How well did Cole know Mattie?

  “Take the horses and leave.” Jacob’s voice came out harsher than he had ever heard before. Another minute and any thought of peaceful nonresistance was going to run right out of his head.

  Bates chuckled and slid his knife into his belt. He picked up the two lead ropes and looped them over the wagon wheel. “Forget it, farmer. I’ll wait until I can get the whole package. All the horses, and the Mattie-girl too. Did she tell you she’s going to Oregon with me?”

  He backed away into the darkness, and then was gone without another sound. Jacob took a deep breath and retied the two horses’ lead ropes to the wagon wheel.

  A soft noise from the wagon drew his attention. Mattie had pulled back the wagon cover enough to peek through at him.

  He held her gaze. “You heard what he said?”

  “I did.”

  “Is it true? Are you going to Oregon with him?” She didn’t answer right away, and he stepped closer to her. “Mattie? You wouldn’t go with him, would you?”

  “Of course not. He’s a thief and a liar and a dangerous man.”

  “What would make him say that? How does he know you? Have you been talking with him?”

  “Not really. I mean, he has talked to me.”

  Jacob pushed his ire down. Anger that had risen so quickly it took him off guard. “Go back to sleep, Mattie. We’ll discuss this in the morning.”

  Then he saw Naomi behind Mattie, her eyes wide as she listened to their conversation. For sure, the whole Schrock family would have been awake ever since he confronted Cole.

  “Good night, Jacob.” Mattie let the cover down again. He could hear her moving inside the wagon, then all was quiet.

  He started back down the line to the Bontrager wagon, checking the knot on each horse’s lead rope. He didn’t doubt that Bates would try to steal all of the horses, but he would certainly resist any attempt of Cole’s to take Mattie away, whether she wanted to go with him or not.

  Jacob reached the last horse in line and slumped down, his hands on his knees and his head hanging between his shoulders. Ja, whether she wanted to go west with the thief or not.

  For two days Andrew had alternated between shaking with the cold chills and burning with fever. Johanna had been at his side each afternoon when the fever broke, his clothes and bedding soaked with sweat. But then he would grow hot again, his skin parched and dry, and soon he would be shaking from the chills. The group continued traveling, and the occasional jolts of the wagon would make him cry out in his sleep at times. Johanna heard that Noah Schrock had also come down with the fever, but her concern for Andrew made her blind to anything else.

  On Wednesday morning, Johanna sat on the stool next to Andrew’s bed in the Bontragers’ wagon while Nancy slept on her own pallet toward the front. Andrew’s mamm had kept watch over him through the long nights, while Johanna spent her days with him. His fever had just broken for the third time, and she was wiping the sweat off his face with a cool cloth when he opened his eyes. They were clear, seeing her for the first time since the fever had taken him to his bed.

  “Johanna?” His voice was a hoarse whisper. “Am I dreaming again?”

  “You’re awake.” Johanna couldn’t keep from smiling in relief as she sat back and rinsed the cloth in the pail of water at her side. “How do you feel?”

  “Like a drowned kitten.” He scratched his chin, thick with whiskers. “How long have I been sleeping?”

  “More than two days.”

  “Two days,” Andrew echoed. His eyes drifted closed again.

  Johanna picked up her knitting and continued on a stocking as Andrew slept. The wagon rocked with an even rhythm and she yawned. It wouldn’t do for her to fall asleep too. Andrew’s even breathing mingled with Nancy’s slight snores, and the air inside the wagon was heavy and close. Her knitting had fallen into her lap and her head was nodding, when from outside the wagon came the calls up and down the line. Johanna stood to look out the front of the wagon. They had reached an open area in the thick woods, and the road was climbing to a rise ahead. From here she could hear the voices. They had reached Indiana and would be stopping for the noon meal when they found a likely spot.

  Andrew’s eyes opened again when she made her way back to her seat. “Jo, have you been here the whole time?”

  “During the day, while your mamm slept. We’ve taken turns watching over you.”

  Nancy rose from her bed and made her way toward Andrew. “Is he awake?” She laid her hand on his forehead. “His fever is gone.”

  “He woke just a few minutes ago.”

  Johanna rose to give Nancy her place, but Andrew’s mamm pushed her back on the stool.

  “I’ll go tell Yost that Andrew is better.” She squeezed Andrew’s shoulder. “We’ve been so worried about both you and Noah, but it looks like you’re on the mend.” She turned to Johanna. “Keep him in bed. Even if he feels better, he shouldn’t try to get up yet. Once we stop for dinner, I’ll bring some broth for him to eat.”

  After Nancy climbed out of the wagon to sit on the front bench where she could talk to Yost, Andrew took Johanna’s hand in his, his eyes already closing again. “Stay with me, won’t you?”

  “Of course I will. But you should keep awake long enough to eat.”

  He turned his head on the pillow. “You can wake me when Ma brings my food.”

  His eyes were closed, but his face was peaceful. Johanna pushed his hair back from his forehead and smoothed the line over his left eyebrow. His face had become as familiar as her own through the hours she had spent watching him. She laid her hand on his cheek, now cool and dry.

  Andrew mumbled, and Johanna leaned closer. “What did you say?”

  The corners of his mouth turned up, even though his eyes were still closed. “I love you, Jo.”

  20

  The wag
on lurched, throwing Jacob to the edge of his pallet and nearly onto the floor of packing boxes that lined the bottom of the wagon. Sunshine had warmed the canvas cover until the interior of the wagon was bright and hot. He stood on the unsteady floor, pulling his suspenders over his shoulders. It must be nearly noon.

  He poked his head out the front of the wagon just as Josef urged the team up and over a rise and onto flat land. Their wagon was in the lead, and Jacob could hear the team behind them start up the same slope.

  “Where are we?”

  Josef answered from the saddle on the near wheel horse. “Eli and Yost say that we crossed into Indiana this morning. We’ll stop for the noon hour just ahead.” He pointed to a grassy meadow surrounded by trees.

  “The ground looks drier than we’ve had the last week.”

  “We’ve been climbing all morning. Yost said that we’ll be traveling through scattered prairies and forests until we reach our destination. The road follows the higher land between the lakes.”

  Jacob looked into the northwest sky where gray clouds had gathered. “It looks like we might run into that rain Yost predicted last night. The air feels heavy enough for a thunderstorm.”

  Josef eyed the clouds. “Ja, and it will be here soon.” He clucked to the horses to pick up their pace.

  Jacob put his boots on, then swung down to the ground from the rear of the wagon. He jogged to the side of the road as the other wagons went by, then fell in beside Henry and the girls. They were walking with Mattie’s nephews behind the last wagon and the boys were soaked from head to toe.

  “What happened to them?”

  Hannah and Mattie laughed while Naomi smiled. “They were trying to catch crayfish in the last creek we crossed and fell in.”

  “We didn’t fall in,” Mose said from behind them. “We were trying to catch a big old crayfish and he went under a rock in the deepest part.”

  “We didn’t fall in,” Menno echoed.

  “If Peter was here, he would have caught him.” Mose caught up to Jacob, looking up at him. “Why did Peter have to stay in Ohio?”