Chapter 28

July 12, 1845

We made it to Salmon Falls today. There was an Indian village there with around twenty lodges. The Indians catch the salmon as they were going up the falls. They had plenty of the fish and were willing to trade for almost anything.

The leader pointed out a nice field to me that was near the water and knee deep in grass. He said we were welcome to camp there, so I agreed.

Ab was pleased I had chosen this spot. I think everyone on the wagon train was pleased with the salmon. Millie, Lettie, Tess, and Emma grilled ours over the fire with butter and dill weed. It was a very nice change in our diet.

All along the trail, when we were camping along a river or a stream, people who had the time would try their luck at fishing. We had a few times ourselves, but our luck had never been that good.

Ab decided this was such a nice place and the grass was so plentiful we should lay over for a day. I'm sure that those of us who hated Indians weren't pleased by this, but they never said anything.

July 13, 1845

We just rested for most of the day today. We did do a lot of talking about the house we were going to build, and tried to make plans of how we were going to attack the building of it. Millie said she'd like the house up enough off of the valley floor that we wouldn't have to worry about it flooding. She also said she'd like it to be close enough to water that we didn't have to carry it a half a mile. I had to agree with her.

Everything was quiet with Reverend Green's crew and we were all thankful for that. Emma asked Abby if she's like to sleep over with her to keep her company. Abby thought that was just great.

Millie, Lettie and I had more good sex as a threesome than we had since Abby had joined us.

July 14, 1845

We made a good distance today, twenty miles. I even found us a good place to camp. We were on a nice stream that emptied into the Snake. There was plenty of grass for the animals.

Emma joined us for supper again. All of us were becoming comfortable with having her around. I think we were all forgetting about our troubles, because Emma was even laughing and joking with us.

After supper, I saw Millie pick up a bar of soap and slip it in her pocket. A few minutes later she asked if any of us would like to take a walk up stream. Of course Lettie, Abby and I were for it. Emma said she'd come along. I'm sure she hadn't seen Millie pick up the soap.

We were probably a quarter of a mile up stream when Millie found a place that suited her. She pulled out the soap and waved it in the air. "Everybody strip," she said. "We're gonna have ourselves a bath."

Abby squealed and started throwing her clothes off. Millie wasn't far behind her. Emma was just kind of standing there with her mouth hanging open when Lettie and I smiled at each other and started undressing.

Emma stood there, undecided, for a moment longer, then she smiled and started undressing too. Emma is a pretty woman. She has the face of an angel and her body is as pretty as any young woman's has a right to be. She has high, firm breasts and womanly hips. Her dark hair is a nice contrast to her pail complexion.

The four adults stood in water almost up to our waists and passed the soap around as we cleaned ourselves. Abby was everywhere, splashing us and herself. Finally Millie made her stop long enough to use the soap on herself.

"I had a brother who only took a bath about twice a year," Millie told Emma. "He didn't smell good. We like to keep ourselves clean for each other."

"Yeah," I said, "And Abby is part fish. It's hard for us to keep her out of the water."

Abby giggled and splashed water on me.

Emma seemed almost as comfortable in her nudity as we were. "I used to go skinny dipping with my brothers," she told us. "Mom and dad were always pretty casual about being dressed too."

"Yeah, I used to skinny dip with my brothers too, until they started staring at me," Millie said.

"I can't blame them for that," I said. "You are a very beautiful young woman, Millie, even if you are pregnant."

"Just wait a few months," Millie giggled. "I'll look like a cow."

"I think pregnant women are beautiful," I said. "They seem to glow."

"That's because they're remembering all of the good sex that got them that way," Millie laughed.

All of the women got a laugh out of that. We hadn't thought to bring anything to dry off with, so we just laid on the grassy bank and let the air dry us. "How old are you, Emma?" I asked.

"I just turned seventeen, Jase. How old are all of you?"

"Well, let's see. Lettie has been seventeen for a while now. Millie will be sixteen shortly. I'll be seventeen the day after tomorrow."

"I'd have thought you were all a lot older," Emma said. "Back in Pennsylvania where I come from, the girls usually get married when they're around seventeen. The guys don't usually get married until they're in their twenties."

"Well, with Millie and me it was a special case. We were next door neighbors and I'd been in love with her since I was a little kid. We didn't plan on getting married until we got to Oregon, but living so close, we decided we'd better go ahead and get married when we did."

All three women laughed at that.

"I always thought Millie was the prettiest thing I'd ever seen when we were growing up. I thought that I'd probably go blind if I ever saw her naked. Now, here I am, looking at the three most beautiful women I've ever seen and I still haven't gone blind."

The girls all laughed then Emma asked, "Are you flirting with me, Jase Tackett?"

"No, just stating a fact."

Abby climbed up and sat on my chest. She looked down at me and asked, "Am I beautiful too, Papa?"

"You are the most beautiful of all, my little princess. Someday you are going to make the boys' hearts stop every time they see you."

Abby laid down on me and hugged me. I hugged her back and kissed her on the top of her head.

"How did you guys get with Lettie?" Emma asked.

"Jase saved my life," Lettie said. "My husband was killed by an Indian, then the Indians burned my wagon. I was hiding in some bushes when Jase came along and found me."

"We fell in love with her almost immediately," Millie said. "Within a week or so she was our wife and Jase made a woman out of her."

"But you said you were married. Surely you were already a woman."

"My husband liked little boys," Lettie laughed. "I was still a virgin when I got with Millie and Jase."

"You have to be kidding. My husband and I..." she looked around at Abby, who was listening intently. "Uh... Let's just say we enjoyed being married."

Abby looked at Emma as if she weren't very bright, then she said, "I know all about sex. I used to watch ma and pa when they thought I was asleep."

I winked at Emma and let it go.

July 15, 1845

We made twenty-one miles today and reached the Snake River crossing. We camped on the near shore since it was too late to try to cross. Mom was feeling better today and Sally said that her wound looked clean and appeared to be healing.

Pap has been like a terrier watching a rat hole. I'd hate to see what would happen to anyone other than family that approached their wagon. Besides that, he's been very attentive to mom, fetching and carrying to her like she was the Queen of England or something. I think her getting shot may have woke him up.

Millie, Lettie, and Tess rode guard for Emma today. I was now glad I'd wasted all of that powder and shot teaching them how to shoot. I have no doubt they'd be as formidable as pap if someone tried to get to one of them.

We had another nice day without hearing anything from the Reverend Green crowd. Ab and Pris and Pris' kids came around after supper. The kids, along with Abby started some kind of game. I reminded Abby she wasn't to leave the area and she stuck her tongue out at me as she joined the other kids.

"That's a feisty one," Pris said.

"Yeah, but we love her," Millie told her.

I asked Ab if he could tell us anything about the valleys we would probably be settling in.

"Well," he said. "There are three valleys that are fairly close together. I chose the one I did because it is the first one you come to. All three have good sized streams running through them. The valley floors are mostly clear and grassy. There is a lot of timber in the foothills. Mostly live oak, mountain mahogany, and a couple of different kinds of pine."

"That sounds like just what we're looking for," I said.

"There is a lot of game in these valleys. There are rabbits and quail and geese and ducks. There are also mule deer, elk, and antelope. Around the creeks you'll find just about any kind of fur bearing animal you can imagine."

"These sound like ideal places, Ab," Emma said. "What are the differences between the valleys?"

"Well, the one I picked is the first one we'll come to. It's about the middle one in size. The next one is the biggest. It would certainly make a nice cattle ranch. The last one is the smallest, but it is still bigger than any ranch I've ever seen. I think Caleb would be real happy with it for a horse ranch."

"I envy you guys," Emma said. "If Jason hadn't gotten himself killed, we'd have been looking forward to something like that."

There were tears leaking out of her eyes as she said this. My wives got up and sat on either side of her. Each of them put an arm around her and Emma buried her head on Millie's shoulder and cried herself out.

I always feel so helpless when a woman cries.

July 16, 1845

My birthday. I'm seventeen years old today. All of us slept in the wagon last night and Millie awakened me with a big kiss. Lettie followed with a big kiss of her own. I even got a nice hug and kiss from Abby.

There wasn't going to be any scouting today, as we figured it'd take nearly all day to get across the ford. Ab and I had checked it out and found it was deep enough we were going to have to float the wagons across.

Getting the wagons and animals across the river was back breaking labor. Millie got a little fashed at me because I wouldn't let her help. I told her I didn't want to take any chance of hurting the baby, but she said she wasn't an invalid. I still wouldn't let her.