by Sadie Conall
Martha laughed and hugged her, feeling her own tears fall. “I don’t feel right about leaving you alone like this Ella. Although Ruby will have the wagon to herself now and that’s how it should be, considering she’s paying for the privilege. But I been with you since you were a child and I feel strange about leaving you now.”
“I’ll be alright,” Ella smiled and wiped her face, aware she was upsetting Martha. This should be a happy time for her Aunt, so there was no time for tears. “Besides, the way I see it we’ve got new lives ahead of us now, so we’ve got no cause to worry. And we’re only a short walk away so we’ll see each other every day. And even if we no longer share meals, I’ll still come and get a coffee off you.”
But as Martha walked away, her possessions tied down on the back of Willard’s horse, Ella sat down, feeling desolate. It was Ruby who reached out to put an arm about her shoulders.
“Come on girl, cheer up. You’ve got us now. And Clara and I want to go for a walk into town so you must join us.”
*
But Ella didn’t feel like walking all that way back into Independence, so she remained by the fire, leaving her team to go off without her. Except she felt unbearably lonely listening to all the family groups laughing and talking around her so she got up and hurried after them, trying to suppress that feeling of panic as it threatened to overwhelm her now that Marrok and Martha had gone.
She weaved around wagons and campfires and animals, hearing different languages being spoken along with American accents from the north and south and east coast. Ella glanced at them, wondering if they’d be travelling with her as she discreetly looked into the back of their wagons to see what they carried.
Although there were few surprises. Most wagons were filled with the same sort of goods she had in her own wagon, either brought with her from the ranch or purchased in St Louis. But then she saw a wagon filled with heavy furniture. She couldn’t help but stop and stare. A dresser of mahogany, a sideboard of oak. One piece almost reached to the very top of the canvas frame. She thought of the potholes in the road her own wagon had lurched over on its journey west from her father’s ranch and thought this furniture was in for a beating before it reached its destination. She also felt sorry for the eight oxen which were grazing nearby, having to pull such a load.
“Ella!” a deep baritone called out and Ella turned to see Marrok striding towards her. “I’m on my way into town to order supplies.” He saw her looking at the overloaded wagon and shook his head. “I hope they’re not travelling with us, because that’s a whole lot of problems right there. Although I’d imagine their wagon master has asked them to get rid of it all because once these wagons hit bad weather a wagon carrying that load will get bogged down in mud. Artie would make them unpack it all and leave it on the side of the trail. It’s happened with others and it will happen to them. But people like that won’t listen, even when they’re told they’ll hold up the whole train. And when their furniture’s left behind to rot on the side of the trail, making it good for nothing but fuel for someone’s fire, they’ll still insist they can take it west.”
Ella glanced up at him in shock. “People use that for firewood?”
Marrok nodded. “Seen it happen before. And out there in the wild, unless those folk have a cabin to take it to, it’s not much good for anything else. Can’t take it west once the wagon starts getting bogged down.” He turned and glanced towards town. “If you’re heading that way, I’ll walk with you.”
“Don’t know where I’m headed to be honest. I just couldn’t stand being by myself. Never been alone before, but I guess I’ll get used to it. And it’ll take some time getting used to not having Martha around. She’s been like a mother to me. But I’ve got a team to worry about now so I’ll just think on them, make sure they’re okay. It’ll keep my mind off what lies ahead,” she nodded towards the distant buildings of Independence. “My team were going to look around the stores, so I thought I may as well join them.”
“Come on then, I’ll walk with you,” Marrok said and Ella felt better having him beside her.
But as they walked through camp Ella became aware of people glancing at Marrok in his buckskin clothing and moccasins. Although compared to the calico, linen and woolen clothes worn by others here, he did look out of place. Ella glanced at him and although he seemed unaware of the stares, or at the very least not bothered by them, Ella knew him well enough to know that he was well aware of everything going on around him, for his lovely dark eyes seemed to watch everyone and everything like a predator, like one of those great prairie hawks they had seen on their journey west from St Louis.
“Willard purchased a wagon especially for Martha and his children to share,” she said, curious as to what he thought about that.
Marrok shrugged, obviously having little opinion on the matter. “Then Martha should consider herself fortunate, for most women here will be sleeping rough for the remainder of the year.” He glanced across at the mercantile stores ahead of them and even at this late hour people were queuing to place last minute orders, terrified of forgetting something before the wagons rolled out. “Although I have the impression that money isn’t a concern for Willard, unlike most people here, for many of them struggle to pay for what they need.”
Like me, Ella thought. For even with Ruby’s money, she still worried, although at least she could now afford to pay for supplies along with wages.
“What happens when we run out of supplies on the trail? What do we do then?”
Marrok turned to look at her, those dark eyes now focused on her, making her feel as though she were the only woman alive. “We’ll pass a few trading posts and supply stations along the trail and Fort Hall is well stocked. Although had you set out ten years ago when the first wagon trains rolled out, things would have been very different. There were no trading posts or supply stations that far west, only a few French and Spanish forts, although most of them lay deserted. So life would have been very hard for those people. But they laid the trail. And some of them now own those supply stations and trading posts. So no-one will starve, unless we get caught in the Rockies during winter,” he turned and glanced out over that massive camp and Ella thought again how striking he was.
Tall and dark, with a strength to his face that showed he had lived a full life. Ella wanted to hear him tell it, to find out more about him. Although she doubted she would get that chance once their wagons rolled out. He would be busy with his own team or be gone for days at a time, scouting out the country ahead.
Ella nodded, thinking on it a moment, then looked up at him. “Could that happen?” she asked. “That we get stuck in the Rockies over winter?”
He nodded. “Yes, of course, if we get delayed. But that’s why most companies roll out of here by the end of May. June at the latest. Which gives everyone four to five months to get over the mountains before the first snows come.” He paused and glanced around at the sprawling camp.
“Although this year things are a little different because there’s so many settlers here. More than I’ve ever seen, although the smaller companies will take some of the load off us. Although I’ve heard one man say that he plans to take his wagon train through a shortcut he knows across the Rockies,” he shook his head. “I’ve told him my own thoughts on the matter, for I’ve travelled that route myself with men from a Paiute tribe who live up that way. It’s fine for a man on horseback, but not for a team of mules or oxen pulling a heavy wagon. It’s rough, hard country with a lot of the trails narrow and steep.” Marrok shook his head with some frustration.
“I heard another couple of scouts from other companies advising him not to go that way, but he seems set on the idea. I hope he listens to us. The only safe way through the Rockies is using the same trails we’ve been using for the past ten years. The same trails the Indians have used for centuries. And if you hear anyone saying otherwise, then take them for the fool he is.”
He turned and glanced at a camp on the far side of town, q
uite a distance from everyone else. “And they’d agree with me, as will their wives. Most of those women come from tribes to the west, or up north, and they know that route better than any of us.”
Ella followed his gaze and saw a large group of men and women sitting around a camp fire, with small children playing near them.
“People know them as muleskinners, because most of them use big teams of mules to pull those wagons they have with them. But it’s those men who carry your supplies west. Most of them used to be fur trappers or mountain men so they know this country pretty darn well,” he paused, frowning. “Although it’s rare to see women and children travelling with them, because those men like to travel hard and fast, usually in small convoys. Likely they’re moving their families west, or north, away from all these settlers.” Marrok turned back to Ella.
“I’ve heard there’s a big group of them due in later this week from Santa Fe, with some of them heading out to Fort Hall a few days before us. So if we end up sharing our campsite with them in the months ahead, although they usually keep well ahead of us, just keep your distance from them Ella. They’re hard men and even I would think twice before crossing one of them.”
Ella glanced back at the group. Their wagons were corralled behind them with some oxen and mules grazing inside the circle. A couple of men walked among them, checking on the animals, while others sat with their wives, or leaned against the wheels of their wagons and smoked pipes.
The men seemed big and muscular. They wore buckskin clothing and moccasins like Marrok, with long hair worn well past their shoulders. Thick beards covered half their faces and the felt or fur hats they wore were pulled low over their foreheads taking the glare off their eyes.
The women seemed quite young, as were most of the children, although Ella saw a few teenage boys sitting with the men. A few of the women wore buckskin dresses with knee high moccasins while others wore muslin skirts and shirts. All wore their hair in long plaits and all wore delicate silver and beaded jewellery in their ears, around their necks and wrists. A few of the women wore hats. A couple wore bowler hats that were once fashionable in cities on the east coast while others wore straw bonnets decorated with seed beads or animals furs.
“Don’t worry Marrok. I’ve no intention of going anywhere near them,” Ella said. “Even their women look terrifying to me.”
“Their women are hard because most have had hard lives. But their knowledge of living in the wild is as good as my own so if you were to make friends with them, you could learn a lot. But stay away from their men.”
They hurried on to Courtyard Square where another group of men were raising yet another ballot, voting for first officers for another wagon train company.
“Why must they vote? Can’t every wagon take care of themselves?” Ella asked.
Marrok laughed. “Once people start living on top of each other with little privacy, you’ll eventually get conflicts of one sort or another, which you’ll see for yourself soon enough. And I’ve seen enough petty arguments escalate to violence, especially when people are tired or stressed. Or when a strong minded man or woman don’t take too kindly to being told what to do. But when a wagon master and his officers get involved, men who are seen as the law out there on the trail, things can calm down pretty quickly.”
A shout made them turn and a tall, broadly built man in his early fifties hurried towards them, along with two men in their forties. The older man laughed as he came towards them, surprising Ella when he reached out to hug Marrok, slapping him on the back.
“Glad to see you back, son! We were getting worried about you! But you’re here just in time, for looks like we’ll be moving out by end of next week,” he paused and glanced at Ella. “This can’t be Martha, the gal you went looking for!”
Marrok laughed. “No, this is Ella, Martha’s niece and Willard’s cousin. But Martha is here, safe and sound with her son.” He turned to Ella. “This is Artie Dalbert, my good friend and our wagon master. He’ll be sheriff and judge, all the way to Fort Hall.”
Ella reached out to shake Artie’s hand, feeling the strength in his grip. And despite his good humor, Ella saw the hardness in his eyes and firm line of his mouth. His face and body were worn from a life spent outdoors and up close he looked older than he was. She turned as Marrok introduced the other two men.
“Joe Bracedon and Miller Minson. First and second officers in our company.”
Ella shook the men’s hands then turned back to Artie. “You’ll be leaving us at Fort Hall?”
“Yes, ma’am. From Fort Hall, Marrok and I will head on out to Oregon together. And can’t say I ain’t looking forward to it. After working together for the past three years for the same wagon train company, I reckon it’s time we chased our own dreams.”
He looked at Marrok and laughed again and Ella could see the obvious affection between the two men. Then they turned as Joe Bracedon held a piece of paper out towards Marrok.
“We got our list almost done. We just about met everyone who’s leaving with us next week.” He glanced at Ella. “I guess I’ll add your name to that list ma’am, along with those who’ll be heading out with you.”
Artie smiled. “Glad to have you aboard, Ella,” he said, before turning back to Marrok. “Thought I’d address everyone tonight after supper. Just to let them know what’s happening.”
Marrok nodded. “Which leaves me a week to get myself sorted before we head out.”
“Less than a week,” Artie said. “You think you can do it?”
“I’ll do it.”
Ella watched Marrok, aware of his tension and with it, her own sense of guilt for making him late in getting back here. And as she wondered how she could repay him or help him, Artie put a hand on his shoulder.
“You mind if I steal him away from you, ma’am?” he asked. “We got things to talk over.”
Ella said goodbye and headed for the stores, but couldn’t help but turn back as the men disappeared among the wagons and camp sites. And she knew then it had begun. Her journey west to a new life in California was only days away. There could be no going back now.
*
She found Ruby and Clara in another of the mercantile stores buying linen. Ruby looked flushed with excitement when Ella approached them.
“We’ve had such fun. I’ve bought some linen for our beds and soft feather pillows and another bonnet each and I bought Jasper a hat. And I’ve ordered more blankets for us all, even though you’ve already ordered some. But I can’t tolerate the cold, never have, not since I was a child and I’ve heard enough horror stories of the mountain country ahead of us,” she shook her head as Ella began to protest at all the expense.
“I won’t hear any complaints, Ella. And you know I can do this, for I’ve enough money to do what I like. And besides, this is the least I can do for you and Clara.”
Ella gave up arguing, thinking how young Ruby looked in that moment, so different to that girl in the saloon who had worn rouge on her cheeks and black pencil under her eyes. And Ruby had put on a little weight during those weeks between St Louis and Independence, with most of the bruising slowly fading from her face and neck.
“Where’s Jasper?” Ella asked.
Clara turned to her, smiling. “He gone off with Abe and Wilber to look at horses. There be some fine animals over there in them corrals Miss Ella.”
“Come on Clara, do lift them high,” Ruby scolded. “I must see how good the stitching is, for I won’t pay for linen that isn’t of good quality.
Ella stepped forward to help Clara lift several pieces of linen and suddenly felt something within her grow and flutter until it threatened to explode. Happy and excited. That’s how she felt. For the first time since she left her father’s ranch.
3
“I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ll tell you now, the best way for all of us to get along is for you to do as I say and be happy about it,” Artie called across the crowd.
He stood on a high wooden box
, turning to look out at the men, women and children who faced him, shouting to allow his voice to carry across the camp so everyone could hear him.
“That way we won’t have too many problems and no-one gets hurt and we don’t lose no-one. And you better hear it from me now, but I got no time for moaners or whiners. You got a problem, you come and see me directly or one of my men here so we can sort it out,” he turned and introduced his officers, along with Marrok. “I don’t want any one of you whining or moaning around other folks’ camps causing trouble.”
He paused as he looked out over the crowd, at the hundreds of people who would look to him for leadership over the following five months. Yet Artie could point to the ones who would cause him grief, just from the arrogant way they were watching him, as if they already knew better. But Artie had been taking wagon trains west for three years and in that time he had seen and heard it all.
“Now, we have a list of where your wagon will be in the rollout. You stay behind the wagon in front and don’t take your mules or oxen or horses off that single rutted track until I say. You hear that? Otherwise one of you will end up in a ditch or wedged in a hole and I don’t want to stop the whole damn wagon train and lose hours of daylight digging you out. Once we reach the wide-open prairies you can spread out, that way the dust won’t be too hard on the wagons at the back. At night I want up to fifty wagons forming a tight circle, just like a corral, and I want all your animals inside so we don’t lose any to wolves or bears or hungry Indians. You can make your campfires outside of that circle as well as put up your canvas shelters, for we’ll start a rotating list of men who’ll be on watch from the first night out. Make sure your campfires are safe so no fires can spread and keep your children close to you. I don’t want no child wandering off from the wagons for I’ve seen more than one lost in the wild. You got to remember it’s dangerous country out there and if anyone forgets it, someone’s going to get hurt.”