West of the Big River: Boxed Set of Eight Western Novels

by James Reasoner

  "Good, then we'll talk on it some more later," replied the old-timer.

  The next morning, refreshed, the party of twenty men, led by Horntoad Harry, headed to Fort Hall and the turn off to the California Trail. Traversing twenty miles each weary day, they finally came to the Humboldt River. It was a depressing, low lying, slow moving muddy stream. Grass and sage enclosed the water, and there wasn't a tree to be seen. Next to the river was an encampment of four wagons and picketed mules. There was one fire smoldering but no people moving about. Then they heard a woman scream.

  "Somethin's wrong," mumbled Horntoad. "Red, you keep the men and the stock away from the river until I find out what it is."

  The grizzled frontiersman lifted his rifle to leave and then turned to Lance and Fast Eddy.

  "I got a bad feelin'. I sure hope you two know how to use them rifles, 'cause you're going with me."

  They walked a hundred yards to the wagons. Horntoad pointed for Lance to go around to the right and Eddy to the left.

  "If I shoot, you shoot," whispered the buckskinned plainsman.

  Horntoad held his rifle at the ready and walked silently toward the wagons; the younger men followed his lead. The vehicles blocked the fire and as he came closer he distinctly heard a slapping sound and then a female cry out again. Sneaking between two wagons he saw three men standing by the river, close to a woman and a child. One man was shaking the woman and then he slapped her repeatedly.

  "Tell me where's the money. Speak up or . . ."

  "Grab the kid," said another of the men. "She'll talk then."

  "Please," begged the mother. "My father, the other men, they're dying. You can't do . . ."

  "You talk or the kid gets it." threatened the thief.

  One of the outlaws attempted to grab the young boy. The child dodged and ran straight towards Horntoad Harry, who now was standing with rifle raised and aimed at the leader. The three thieves saw him. The leader of the group reached for a pistol at his belt, and Horntoad fired. Blood splattered from the man's chest and he fell. The other two robbers held rifles and they raised them to shoot. From either side of the wagon, guns fired, and the thieves dropped.

  "Johnny!" screamed the young woman.

  The boy, four or five years old, turned and ran into his mother's arms. Picking up the child she held him close.

  "Didn't mean to scare you, ma'am" said Horntoad Harry. "I had a feeling somethin' was wrong. Did them skunks hurt you?"

  "No, but they were going to . . ."

  "Lance," said the plainsman. "You and Eddy take one of those picketed mules, and drag those three dead critters and chuck 'em in a hole. Make sure it's far from the water."

  "They were trying to rob us," cried the woman. "They wouldn't let me explain we didn't have much . . . that awful man was . . ."

  "I saw and heard, Ma'am," replied Horntoad. "You're safe. Now what's happened to your men?"

  "They got sick," answered the woman. "I told Father the water looked bad. I told them to boil it before drinking . . . I did that for Johnny and me and . . ."

  "They got sick and you didn't?"

  "That's right."

  "Excuse my manners, ma'am. Folks call me Horntoad Harry, and you?"

  "I'm Katherine, and this is Johnny, my son. Everyone calls me Katy."

  "Tell me how long you've been here?"

  "Weeks," she responded.

  "When did they get sick and how many?"

  "I'm a widow. There's Father, my two uncles, and two other friends. We were going to stay about a week to rest the mules and repair the wagons. After five days one of the men became ill and then within a few more days all of them. I've been caring for them and trying to keep Johnny from . . ."

  "Can I have a look?" asked the old man.

  Katy pointed toward a wagon.

  "My father's in that one."

  Horntoad pulled back canvas and began to climb up. Immediately the odor of vomit and soiled bedding struck his nose and it was overwhelming. Turning back and taking a breath of air, the old-timer held it and climbed back up. Bending down he saw the bluish color and sunken flesh of an older man. The frontiersman quickly exited the wagon.

  "It's cholera," he told the young woman.

  "Oh!" she said. "Was it the water?"

  “Yes, something dead in the stagnant water. Better you not drink any more of it. Best you move further up stream."

  "But I can't," said Katy. "I'm exhausted. I tried to help them but no matter what I do I can't keep up and they're getting worse."

  "Where do you keep your boy?"

  "We've been sleeping outside and . . ."

  The woman sat down on a water keg next to the wagon. Eddy and Lance came back with a mule and loaded the last of the three dead men on it.

  "Wait here," the plainsman said. "I have to get back to my wagon train. I'll give them instructions and return. It won't be long."

  Horntoad hurried. Red and the men were waiting. He told them what happened and to lead the wagons at least a mile upstream and camp.

  "Try to find a spring if you can," said the old man. "But be sure to boil all the water. Start filling every water keg and canteen and we'll rest and decide when to start across the desert."

  "What about the cholera, that woman, and those men?" asked Red. "Will you . . . we . . . catch it?"

  "Not if we're careful," replied Horntoad. "I'm gonna help those folks, best I can. Now that I think on it, leave me soap, a roll of canvas, and some food."

  When Horntoad Harry returned, Lance and Fast Eddy were talking to Katy. Lance was seated on a box, and the five-year-old boy was sitting comfortably on his knee. The giant's stature was muted by the boy's presence. The big man's face was gentle and it was evident that a great need was being fulfilled. The old frontiersman knew immediately that he had lost this young man to the boy and his mother.

  "Katy was telling me you said it was cholera," said Lance. "We waited for you to come and tell us what to do."

  "I've been thinkin' on it," replied Horntoad. "I know somethin' about this."

  "Well?" asked Lance.

  "I see Miss Katy done her best, but judging from her father's condition, he's pretty well gone . . ."

  There was a suppressed cry from the young woman.

  "Those men have drunk bad water. Probably some dead man or animal in that slow-moving stream. There's a whole bunch of things that need to be done."

  Fast Eddy, Katy, and Lance leaned closer to catch the frontiersman words.

  "First thing is to get that boy away from this camp. I don't know how many days I can keep Red and his men upstream, but I'll stay and help as long as I can. One of you has to remain with the boy and keep him from catching this. It will kill him sure if . . ."

  "I can't leave my father," said Katy.

  "Then . . . one of you . . ."

  "Let Eddy stay with Johnny," said Lance. "I'll help you and Katy."

  The three men looked to the mother and she nodded her head.

  "All right, then," said Horntoad. "From what I know, the sick have to be gotten out of the wagons and put on somethin like canvas. They got to be stripped and kept clean by using soap and buckets of water. I don't know what you did, ma'am, but you need plenty of lye soap and to keep your hands clean. You can't touch none of that filth coming from them or you'll catch it. The wagons and the beddings got the disease and needs to be burned."

  Katy gasped at this.

  "Can't be helped, ma'am," explained the old man. "Eddy can go upstream and fetch water back, but it's got to be boiled before drinkin'. If we're gonna save any of these men we got to try to get water with some salt into them. Get them to eat if we can. From what a doc told me once, it's the loss of water and food that's killin' em, and no matter how much they throw up, or what comes out of 'em, we got to try to git it back in. If we don't, they'll die."

  "What about the things we brought with us? Can anything be saved?" asked Katy.

  "Guns, and what can be washed," said Horntoad. "Anything
that's been soiled, including the wagons, has to be burned. You got plenty of mules to carry supplies. Best the stock be moved upstream with Eddy and the boy."

  As they were talking, a group of wagons came along the trail. When they drove closer, Horntoad yelled.

  "Cholera! Go 'round!"

  Hearing the frontiersman's call, the party of five wagons and men sitting up on them halted.

  "We need water!" called the lead driver.

  "Best go upstream!" shouted Horntoad. "Boil your water!"

  "All right, mister!" shouted the man, and the wagons turned off the trail and headed north.

  "We need to put up a yellow flag and a sign saying cholera," suggested Horntoad Harry. "Might want to add 'Bad Water'."

  "I've got a yellow kerchief," said Katy. "And I can make the sign."

  "We still got more to do," said the plainsman, his red wrinkled face frowning and showing tough as tanned leather.

  Chapter Nine

  Fast Eddy took the sign and yellow kerchief and went up the trail, placed a post in the ground, and secured flag and notice. Returning, he gathered the boy and the mules, loaded empty water kegs, and moved upstream. He established another camp, built a fire, and began boiling water. When the kegs were filled, he returned.

  In Eddie's absence, Horntoad and Lance got the canvas. From one large piece they cut up sections, placed them on the ground, and pegged them down. Then they carried out the sick men. Two of them, the young men who had joined along the trail, were both lying dead in their wagon. Taking a shovel, Lance dug a grave as far from the stream as he could get, and buried the bodies and said a few words. Now it was Katy's father and her two uncles who remained. They were placed on the canvas, stripped of their clothes by Lance, and then washed down with buckets of water and lye soap.

  Katy kept water boiling in a kettle. The plainsman added salt to the bowls of water, and once they had cooled, went to each sick man, and tried to get him to drink. What liquid they drank, they threw up. Lance washed the men off and then discreetly covered them with a strip of extra canvas.

  As Horntoad Harry administered to the men, Katy and Lance went through the wagons, avoiding the soiled conditions as best they could. They removed guns, pots and pans, and many ordinary supplies such as kerosene, shovels, picks, and sundries. All food supplies left in the wagons would be burned. A few gold and silver coins were taken from the men's clothing and dumped in kerosene. A large pile of goods was collected and set aside. Then one by one, Lance burned the wagons. The last and best he could not bring himself to destroy. Using kerosene, he poured it on the soiled boards, and scrubbed them. Horntoad Harry looked on and commented.

  "You take a chance, Lad."

  Katy and Lance followed the old man's instructions and washed their hands with lye soap. Eddy, feeling guilty, stood guard over the boy. From some distance, Johnny and his new caretaker watched the three work over the sick men.

  As Lance, Katy, and Horntoad labored, they saw and heard groups of travelers rattle by—scattered bunches of men headed for the California gold fields. Seeing the warning, these men skirted the camp and moved on to find water up or down stream.

  "You think those folks will boil their water?" asked Lance.

  "If they don't, they're fools," replied Horntoad.

  As the sun set, Eddy took the boy upstream to the new camp. The old plainsman had been trying all day to get Katy's father and his two brothers to drink and eat. He had little success and what they did drink, they spewed up. Lance lit a fire. Around it, Katy and the old man sat. The three sick men remained on the canvas, their bodies repeatedly cleaned and washed. It was a symptom of the disease that kept them vomiting and suffering from diarrhea.

  "I'll tell it like it is, Miss Katy," said Horntoad. "None of the three can keep in food or water. They're failing. Your father's the worst and it's only a matter of time. I suggest you try to talk to him and your uncles."

  Just after the old frontiersman finished talking, they heard a horse come near and stop.

  "Who is it?" called Horntoad.

  Lance, taking no chances, held a rifle at the ready.

  "It's Red!" came a voice out of the dark. "I can't hold back the men. They filled all the water kegs, ate their fill, and are anxious to get going. They voted, and said if you wouldn't lead us by early morning . . . well . . . we're pulling out."

  "These folks are hurtin'," replied Horntoad Harry. "Can't you men have the decency to wait? You leavin' tomorrow won't change nothin'."

  "I tried to tell them that," said Red. "But they keep seeing all those prospectors pushing up the trail and they're worried they'll miss out."

  "You tell them without me guiding 'em, it'll go harder?"

  "I did."

  "This here ain't right," said Horntoad. "Two men died and we got three more real sick. Lance and Fast Eddy are helping this woman and her child. I figure they won't leave 'em."

  "That's right," said Lance, out of the darkness.

  "Then they'll miss out on the gold," replied Red.

  "You're a hard-hearted bunch," said the frontiersman.

  "What's it going to be?" called Red.

  "You tell 'em, if I'm there in the morning, they'll know it, and if I ain't they'll know that too."

  "Lance!" called Red.

  "Yeah?"

  "I'm mighty sorry about this. As leader, I sure wish you and your friend were with us." Lance didn't reply, and eventually Red called out. "We need you, Horntoad. Sure hope you'll come so you can collect your pay. From what you said, we need you to guide us across the desert and through the mountains."

  Horntoad Harry didn't reply, and eventually they heard Red's horse's hooves pound across hard ground and fade.

  "What you going to do?" asked Lance.

  "I'd like to stay and help. You both know what I've been doing. You just repeat it. They got to get water and food inside 'em . . . or there's no chance. It'll take real work and care."

  "We'll do our best," replied Katy.

  "I'm sure you will," said the old man. "Darn it, I reckon Red and those men would suffer without me. Lance, I've taken a fancy to you, feller. Once this is over, will you try to catch up and join us?"

  "Maybe. Miss Katy and I haven't talked much. It'll be whatever she says."

  "You two make me cry," said Katy, firelight flickering on her shadowed face. "I don't know what to say. If you hadn't come along . . . I'd . . ."

  "You keep that lye soap and extra water handy. You got to keep your hands clean after touching 'em. Lance, I'll work to midnight. You think you can take over after that?"

  "Yes," replied the big man.

  The fire of dried buffalo dung, grass, and sticks, crackled and burned low. The three sat some time before Horntoad Harry lit a lantern and went back to caring for the sick men.

  "Miss Katy, we've done all we can for now," said Lance. "I laid out our bedrolls next to the fire."

  At midnight, the old man woke Lance. He shook hands with the giant youth, and then thumped him hard on the back.

  "When this here is done," whispered Horntoad, "you bring that lady, her kid, your friend and . . . whoever else, up the trail. You and me will meet again. If you got it in you for a partner, I'll be waitin'."

  Lance was about to reply when the old man took to his mule and hurried away.

  After the frontiersman left, Lance and Katy worked over the sick men, sharing the labor, nearly twenty-four hours a day. They became exhausted from the indelicate work and little sleep.

  Fast Eddy watched over Katy's boy. Lance's friend kept the group supplied with boiled water, cooked food, and soup for the sick men. Eddy found it easy to hunt for mule deer and antelope that came to the stream to drink. Following what he learned from Horse and then Horntoad, he salted and jerked large amounts of meat for the future. There were idle moments each day and the caretaker of the young boy soon began to form a bond with the lad.

  Uncounted days slipped by and, ill and emaciated, Katy's father Peter Day and her Un
cle Harold continued to decline. Both men remained alive only because they were repeatedly given water and soup. It was becoming evident that no matter how carefully they were cared for, the disease was making them steadily weaker. It was only Clare Day who seemed to be holding his own. After two weeks of endless nursing, Katy's father Peter and his brother Harold lost consciousness and both died within hours of each other.

  Fast Eddy dug graves, and Katy looked on as the men were buried. Crying, the daughter said words over her father and uncle. Clare was the only one to recover, and was still weak; he sat and watched as his two brothers were buried.

  It was a typical warm day, cloudless, with a wide open blue sky. In the distance a wolf howled and near the stream coyotes yipped and made high pitched calls in pursuit of some animal. A hot breeze was blowing and tall grass and brush rustled all around them.

  With renewed energy, Katy took care of her Uncle Clare as he slowly recovered. The next day she collapsed and immediately developed a fever. The men feared she had come down with cholera. It was several days before they realized that Katy was not vomiting, and that she was merely exhausted. Clare, once the patient, now attended to his niece's intimate needs. Weak himself, he had help from Lance when asked to provide it.

  In a week, Katy was eating and she recovered quickly. It was her uncle who needed more time. And while the rest of them prepared for the trip to the California gold fields, he slowly regained his health.

  One evening, just before dark, Lance came into camp very dirty, sweating from cutting extra hay for the animals, and gathering dried buffalo dung. There was a canvas spread beneath the one saved wagon and into this, dung was gathered. Knowing there would be no fuel for fire on their trip across the desert, and because there were no trees growing along the river, they were forced to make do with what was available.

  Eddy unharnessed the mules and inside the wagon worked at packing down the cut grass.

  Lance went behind the water barrels to wash, and when he finished, he donned clean pants and walked towards the camp. Always conscious of his condition, he was about to pull on his shirt when Katy came up beside him. She gasped loudly.

  "Lance," she cried out. "What ever happened to you?"