Odd how his thoughts could leap so quickly from Jeanie to Elise.
“Elise.” He said the musical name aloud. He no longer felt guilty. That had to be good. Rob would think so.
He met Rob at the head of the company. So far they’d lost two wagons. One family had turned back early in the trek, and another had broken an axle beyond repair. The owners had no spare, so now the young couple rode muleback, with what little gear they’d kept on their other two mules. They’d get to Oregon with a few threadbare clothes and little besides, but they were sturdy and hopeful. They’d make it.
Rob’s first words confirmed Eb’s feelings about the weight of some of the wagons.
“I’ve been working on the Harkness family, but Rebecca’s stubborn. She won’t give up the furniture. And now that their third wagon is hauling the prisoners, their tools are in the family wagons, too.”
“They may want to take back their loan of the wagon,” Eb said.
“I’m afraid they might.”
“Well, we can make the prisoners walk more.”
“I suppose it’s fitting. I don’t want to lose them, is all.” Rob sighed and looked ahead. “How’s the trail look?”
“Same as always at the pass. Not much traffic. There’s nobody else at the camp spot.”
“Good.” Rob looked behind him. “There’s a gap behind Binchley’s wagon. Guess we’d better go see what’s holding up the Fosters.”
Most of the day, Rob persuaded folks to be reasonable while Eb and the Adams brothers helped unload heavy items. They sent the drovers with the herd of loose stock on ahead, to give the animals more time to graze. By sunset, all forty-eight wagons had topped the pass, albeit some with reluctant owners.
Eb followed the last wagon—Landon Clark’s—over the almost imperceptible summit of the pass and found Elise standing alone at one side of the broad trail, gazing west.
Eb rode Pink up beside her and dismounted. “Long thoughts?”
“Yes. As long as the shadows. This is the watershed, isn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am. They call it the Great Divide. All the rivers from here on flow west.”
She turned and looked back, but they were past the top, and you couldn’t see far. She gave a great sigh and faced west again.
“Miss Anne must be driving.”
“Yes. I told her I wanted to walk for a while.”
“Don’t blame you, but you don’t want to linger back here alone. There’s bears and cougars in these parts.” He didn’t mention that there might be two-legged vermin as well.
Elise began to walk slowly downhill. “I’ve been thinking about Rob Whistler’s horse.”
“Oh? Bailey’s a good mount.”
“Not Bailey,” she said. “The other one.”
“I see.” And he should have. She was a thinker, and no doubt she’d been turning over the implications in her mind since he told her they’d found Rob’s stolen horse.
“It was Thomas Costigan who told Schwartz about David Stone.”
“That seems likely.” He walked along beside her, leading Pink.
“He traded his horse at Schwartzburg.”
“I expect he’s gone on ahead of us now,” Eb said.
She nodded. “Georg Heinz barely remembered his visit, but that’s what he thought happened. I believed Georg when he said he didn’t know anything about Mr. Stone though.”
Eb considered that. He had only what Elise told him to go on so far as what the young German man had said.
“But for some reason,” she continued, “Thomas thought it would be to his advantage to tell the trader about the Stone family. He either prepared that cross or had Schwartz do it.”
They walked on for a minute, with only Pink’s steps and the distant rumbling, creaking, and shouting from the wagon train breaking the silence.
“Has to be some money in it for him,” Eb said at last. “Can’t see it any other way.”
“Yes. That means either he hopes to find David and get some money out of him—which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, since David hasn’t claimed the estate of Stoneford yet—or someone else is paying him.”
“Can’t argue with you there.”
“I think he hoped we’d give up and go back to England.”
“Yes. But he went on.”
“That troubles me,” Elise said. “I must tell Anne.”
“She may have thought it out.”
Elise nodded. “She might have. She’s an intelligent girl. I worry about her running headlong into something she doesn’t understand.”
“Like someone wanting to take advantage of her uncle?”
“Perhaps. I wish I knew.”
“Elise.” He stopped walking. Pink stopped, then Elise.
She turned to face him. “Yes?”
“If there’s anything I can do to help you…you or Miss Anne…well, you can count on me. You know that, don’t you?”
She smiled a bit sadly, and he thought it was a pity she had to know sadness and unease out here. She reached up hesitantly and touched his cheek. Warmth flowed through him. In that second, he wished he could find Thomas G. Costigan and thrash him—and set the world to rights for Elise.
“Yes, Eb,” she said. “I know.”
CHAPTER 24
Elise wandered farther from the wagons while Anne drove. Even buffalo chips were scarce now. Finding fuel grew harder each day. She could see wooded hills in the distance, but they were too far away to do her any good.
Lavinia walked toward her, pushing her chip barrow. Abby trailed her sister’s steps.
“Find anything?” Lavinia called.
“No. Did you?”
“Just a little dried dung, but it’s not buffalo. Ma won’t be happy.”
“Ma’s never happy since she had to leave Great-Grandmother’s cupboard,” Abby said.
“I’m sorry.” Elise had already expressed her sympathy to Rebecca, but the girls seemed to need a little extra encouragement. “It must have been hard for your mother to part with so many things that held memories for her.”
“I know you’re right.” Lavinia fell into step with her.
Elise headed back toward the line of wagons on a diagonal course, watching the ground as she walked. The bunch grass was heading up, and it was hard to spot much that was useful down between the stalks.
“Maybe we’ll have a cold dinner tonight.” She gave the girls a rueful smile and patted her empty chip sack.
“And tomorrow night.” Abby kicked at a tuft of milkweed. “We’re running out of stuff we can eat without cooking it though.”
“Ma says if we can get her enough fuel, she’ll make a big batch of beans tonight, and biscuits, too,” Lavinia said. “Enough to last three or four days. Of course, we’d have to give some of it to the prisoners.”
“Wish we had some meat,” Abby said.
“I believe some of the men went hunting.” Elise determined to steer the conversation away from the prisoners. The Harkness family had given the most by providing the wagon. They also took a rotation for providing the men’s meals. How deeply did Rebecca and the rest of the large family resent that? Eb had told Elise that they couldn’t haul their heavy furniture over the Blue Mountains and the Cascades anyway, but the Harkness clan might not see it that way. “Didn’t your brothers go off with Mr. Bentley this morning?”
“Yes,” Lavinia said. “Wilbur and Ben both went. Pa wanted to go, but we needed him to drive.”
As they neared the file of wagons, they came abreast of a small group of women who were walking together.
“Hello, ladies,” Elise called. “Are you finding anything to burn?”
“Precious little,” Agnes Legity said, “and it’s our turn to feed the thieves.”
“They should have hung ’em all back at Schwartzburg,” Mrs. Strother said. “I told Mr. Whistler we have barely enough to get us through to Oregon without giving any of our food to those rascals.”
Elise turned to Lavinia and touche
d her arm. “Let’s take what you have to your mother, shall we?”
Lavinia and Abby seemed happy to leave the other women. Elise saw them to their family’s place in line. Rebecca was walking near the wagon her husband drove, with one of the young children on each side of her. She shook her head when Lavinia showed her their meager findings.
“I don’t know what’s to do for fuel.”
“Maybe we can twist up dry grass,” Abby said. “I heard Ben say some people are trying to make little logs out of dried-up grass.”
Rebecca frowned. “Wouldn’t burn long. We’ll see if the boys find anything. I told ’em when they rode out this morning to bring me anything that looks combustible.”
Late in the afternoon after they’d formed their circle and released the teams, the hunters returned. Word spread quickly that they had killed two antelope. The animals weren’t very large but would provide a taste for any families who wanted it.
“Perhaps we could get a soup bone,” Anne said. “With rice and a bit of that dried corn, it would make a passable stew.”
“We can ask,” Elise said. The meat wouldn’t stretch far among the company, and she knew several families were reaching the end of their supplies. Dan Adams had confided to Anne that he and Hector were down to beans and cornmeal. If they had no fire to cook it on, they’d go hungry.
Eb came by half an hour later carrying a haunch of fresh meat.
“Miss Anne, can I slice off a steak for you ladies?”
Anne, who would have cringed at the sight four months ago, fairly drooled over the raw meat. “That would be wonderful!”
“You’re too generous,” Elise said. “So many are hungrier than we are!”
Anne frowned. “She’s right, and to be honest, we’ve nothing to cook it with.”
“Tell you what. I’ll give you a slice now, along with a few sticks I picked up this afternoon. Cook your supper and heat a kettle of water. After we’re done with the butchering and rationing, I’ll bring you some meaty bones you can stew. You can let it simmer over what’s left of your fire. I believe you’re in line to feed the prisoners tomorrow.”
“That sounds good, but shouldn’t you and the other hunters get a good share of the meat first?”
“Don’t you worry about us. The Harkness family’s got a whole quarter, and I left a good portion with Rob for him and me. Say—” He stopped as though a new idea had hit him. “What if we bring it over, and we have one cook fire tonight? If you’ll cook for Rob and me, that’d give you extra wood for the stewing.”
Anne grinned. “And maybe we could do a batch of biscuits. Sounds like a good bargain to me!”
“I can’t say no,” Elise said. “But, Eb, don’t put it about that I’m making stew for the prisoners.”
“Oh? I thought other ladies would be glad to hear you were doing it.”
“Some of them resent those men eating at all.” She told him of the murmuring she’d heard earlier. “If their husbands feel the same way…”
Eb nodded. “It could get ugly. Guess I’ll suggest to Rob that we double the guard on the prisoners tonight.”
“Mr. Bentley. Eb.”
Something nudged Eb’s leg, and he sat up, reaching for his pistol.
“It’s me, Eb.”
“Miss Anne?” He squinted at her in the shadows. The camp was quiet but for the restless movement of the animals inside the wagon corral.
“Elise told me to get you. Some of the men are planning to attack the prison wagon.”
Eb threw off his blanket and grabbed his left boot. “How do you know this?”
“We were baking extra johnnycake and Elise wanted to get more water.”
“This late?” He frowned up at her as he tugged on the boot.
“Yes. We wanted plenty, and the coals were still hot. We might not have another chance to bake for days. Elise was going to see if any of the Harkness men would escort us to the creek. She overheard Mr. Foster and some of the others talking about rushing the wagon and—and getting the prisoners out. They want to kill them.”
Eb pulled on the other boot and picked up his gun belt as he stood. “Where’s Elise?”
“She went out to the prison wagon to tell the guards.”
Eb gritted his teeth. Rob was out there with three other men that they’d judged could be trusted. What if one or more of them was in on this plot? He quickly ticked them off in his mind. Abe, Wilbur, and Dan. Shouldn’t be any trouble there.
“Go back to your wagon and stay there,” he said to Anne.
“What about Elise?”
“If she’s still at the prison wagon, I’ll make sure she gets back safely.”
Anne lingered as he strapped on his holster and stooped to get his rifle. “You care about her, don’t you, Eb?”
He jerked his chin up and eyed her cautiously. “I suppose I do.”
“I suppose you more than suppose.”
Eb grunted. “I’ll take care of her.”
Anne headed off toward the orange embers of her cook fire, and he strode toward the prison wagon. From twenty yards away he saw a wispy, pale figure to one side of the white-shrouded wagon. A few more steps and he could see that it was Elise, in a light-colored dress, talking to someone.
“Who’s there?” Rob’s shout didn’t slow Eb down.
“It’s me.”
Abe Leonard stood beside Rob and Elise, with a long gun resting on his shoulder.
“We may have trouble,” Rob said quietly. He was wearing his holstered pistol, and Eb was glad. Rob usually left it in his saddlebag.
“Miss Anne told me.” Eb nodded at Elise. “You’d best get back to your camp, ma’am. May I escort you?”
Before Elise could answer, the tramp of many boots approaching reached them.
“Who’s there?” Rob called.
“Charles Woolman.”
Eb seized Elise’s arm and drew her behind him.
Woolman and six other men walked over and stopped a few feet in front of Rob. Eb glanced around and saw Wilbur Harkness, one of the other guards on duty, peering around the edge of the prison wagon. Dan Adams must be somewhere nearby, too. Eb wanted to think Dan, Wilbur, and Abe would stand with him and Rob no matter what, but how could a man know for certain?
“What do you fellows want?” Rob asked.
“Thought we’d relieve the guard,” Woolman said affably, but the tension in his companions’ posture belied his tone. Eb shifted his rifle to his left hand and rested his right on the butt of his pistol.
“We’ve only been on duty an hour,” Rob said.
Charles Woolman smiled. “We thought we’d lighten your duties some.”
“I don’t think so.”
The smile disappeared. “Come on, Whistler,” Woolman said. “You know those men will all hang if we get them to where there’s law. All we aim to do is speed up the process and relieve the burden they’re placing on this company.”
“Forget it,” Rob said.
“They’re eating our food,” James Foster said.
Eb looked over the small company of men. “Elijah, James, are you sure you want to be in on this? Josiah, I’m really surprised to see you here.”
Josiah Redman’s head drooped. “It’s not my idea, Eb. But they’ve got a point.”
“Oh, come on,” Eb said. “Did your mother-in-law send you over here?”
Josiah glared at him.
Rob held up a hand. “All right, boys, just calm down. Charles, there’s not going to be any violence done to these prisoners. You hear me?”
Woolman didn’t answer but held Rob’s stare in the starlight.
Dan Adams’s deep voice came from behind Eb. “We’ve got five guns against you men, and all of them ready to fire. I suggest you go back to your wagons.”
Eb wondered if Woolman or any of his friends had seen Elise. He didn’t let his gaze waver from the group before him, but he wished he’d given her his pistol. Maybe Dan had pulled her back behind the wagon.
&nbs
p; From inside the canvas cover came a guttural plea.
“Whistler! You won’t let them harm us, will you?”
“Be quiet, Schwartz,” Rob said. “Everything’s under control.”
“Are you sure about that?” James Foster took a step forward. “My boy was shot. He could have been killed. Now you’re pampering those thugs. They eat better than the rest of us, and they only walk on the steepest parts of the trail. We’re starving, Whistler.”
“It may be weeks before we can turn them over to anyone,” James Binchley said. “Think about it, Rob. We can’t sustain them that long.”
“It’s not fair to expect us to,” Woolman said.
Someone touched Eb’s back lightly and he stiffened. A figure swished past him. He reached to stop her, but it was too late.
Elise planted herself nose to nose with Charles Woolman.
CHAPTER 25
How dare you speak to the captain that way?” Elise could barely control the urge to slap him.
Woolman eyed her coolly. “Well, now. We’ve got lady guards, have we?”
Elise hiked her chin up. “You don’t have to worry about your stash of dry beans, Mr. Woolman. Miss Stone and I will feed the prisoners from here on.” She looked over the others in his little group. “Mr. Redman, Mr. Binchley, Mr. Foster. I thought better of you gentlemen. Don’t tell me your wives want you here, because I don’t believe it. You’re all married to decent women.”
She strode past them and made a beeline for her wagon. The absolute nerve of those men. She’d seen James Binchley dump a good forty pounds of bacon a week ago to lighten his wagon. Now he begrudged the prisoners a little food.
Anne met her at the edge of the glow cast by their dying fire.
“What happened? I was terrified, Elise.”
“They’re a bunch of bullies. I’m going straight to the Harknesses’ wagons and tell Orrin what’s going on. Wilbur’s out there with Rob and Eb, along with Dan and Mr. Leonard, but they could use some reinforcements.” She bunched up her skirt and prepared to go but turned back for a moment. “Oh, and I just told that horde of riffraff that we’d feed the prisoners from now on, so they don’t have to give up their precious supplies.”
THE Prairie DREAMS Trilogy Page 27