Chapter 7

We mounted up and rode over to where Ab was getting ready to start the wagons moving again. "Howdy, Ab," I said as we pulled up.

"Howdy. I see you've got a couple of new wranglers over your way," he said.

"Yeah, they were having a hard time with their herd, so we worked out a deal where, we'd mix the two herds together and one or both of the boys would help with the herding."

Ab smiled real big. "And for that, you get part of their herd, right?"

"Yep. I also agreed to hunt for them as well. I'm hunting for five families now."

"I'm impressed. Can you supply enough meat for five families?"

"I think so. Actually, that's why we stopped by. We're going to ride ahead and scout out a place to hunt. We were wondering if you had any idea where we were going to stop for the night. I'd like to find a place close to there if I can."

Ab looked thoughtful and said, "I'm thinking we'll make another ten miles today if someone's wagon don't break down or something. If I remember right, there's a nice stream about ten miles out that's a good camping place. It's straight ahead in the direction we're going now."

"That sounds good," I said. "We may just wait for you there."

"Okay, I'm gonna get these people moving. Be careful."

We assured him we would and took off to the northwest.

We talked as we rode along. Millie and Tess were both indignant about how Becky Wilkes was being treated. "You're not going to be like that, are you, Jase?" Millie asked.

"There's no way he would," Tess said before I could even open my mouth. "When I was learning to cook, I made some awful messes. Jase ate every one of them and didn't say a word."

I had to laugh. "Some of them were pretty hard to swallow, Tess."

Tess started giggling. "I know. Remember that sweet potato pie I made. I couldn't even eat it. Jase just took one piece, but he got it down."

"Yeah, I worried about keeping it down though."

"I've had some things turn out really bad too. Pap was always good about them, but Bob and Sam gave me a rough time."

"Oh, Jase would give me a little dig once in a while. He'd say something like remember that sweet potato pie we had last week? When I said I did, he'd say, 'Let's not have that again for a spell'."

Millie giggled. "Bob would have said, 'This is the worst piece of shit I've ever tasted'. He'd have gone on until I was crying."

"I should have kicked his ass before he left," I said.

"You broke his finger. That'll work."

We must have been eight or nine miles ahead of the wagons when we pulled up in this grassy valley to get a drink from our canteens.

"I'm sure we're on the right track," I told Millie and Tess. "This is about the only way the wagons could come."

"I think you're right," Millie said. "We should be coming to the creek Ab was talking about before long."

Why don't you ladies wait right here for a minute?" I asked. "I'm going to ride up onto that hill on our right. I might be able to see the creek from here."

Both girls agreed they could use a break, so they sat talking as I rode up the hill. Just before I reached the crest of the hill, I heard a noise on the other side. I stopped Sin and dismounted. I quietly pulled my rifle out of its scabbard and walked slowly until I could see over the top.

I still couldn't see anything, so I moved up a little farther. I glanced back over my shoulder at Millie and Tess and I saw they were watching me intently.

I finally reached a point where I could see over into the next valley. What I saw nearly caused me to stop breathing. I knew the animal below me had to be a bull elk. I'd never seen one, but I'd heard them described.

The animal was huge. It had to be at least twice the size of the big buck I had shot shortly before we left Kentucky. I eased myself down to the ground and crawled forward until I could rest on my elbows and sight him with my rifle.

I took careful aim as I watched him graze. Finally, everything was as I wanted it, so I squeezed the trigger. The big .50 caliber bullet hit him like a sledge hammer. Even so, he took a couple of steps before he fell.

I waved to the girls and motioned for them to come to me. Then I reloaded my rifle and waited for them. I had remounted Sin when they got to me. "What was that?" Millie asked.

"Elk, I think."

We rode on over the top and Tess let out a gasp when they saw the huge animal. He was laying on the near slope and even from where we were he looked huge.

When we got down to him, the girls helped me to get him turned so his head was downhill, then I slit his throat to bleed him out.

"Yeah, I think that is an elk," Millie said. "Pap used to talk about seeing them up north. I had no idea they were so big though."

"Well, it don't look like I'm going to have to hunt tomorrow," I said.

Millie laughed. "I don't think you're gonna have to hunt for a week."

We gutted the elk out then put the heart and the liver back into the body cavity to save. We talked about whether to go back and meet the wagons, or to wait for them to come up to us. I figured we had about three or four mules worth of meat. I didn't want to leave it for the scavengers and I was against splitting up.

We sat on the top of the hill and watched back the way we had come. We had been sitting there for a while when I asked Tess, "You didn't like Bob or Sam for a suitor. What do you think of John Ware?"

Tess thought for a minute before she answered. "He seems like a nice guy and he is good looking. There's something strange about him though."

"Strange in what way?" I asked.

"I don't know what it is. There's just something about him that makes me feel weird when I talk to him or when he looks at me."

"Are you afraid of him, Hon?" I asked.

"No... Not afraid. Have you noticed anything, Millie?"

"There's something there. I didn't want to say anything because I thought it might be just my imagination. I can't put my finger on it either."

"Well... It makes me want to keep an eye on him. I'll mention it to Caleb too. Maybe he'll have noticed something."

We sat talking for a while then I said, "Why don't we walk around and talk with some of the other families after supper? I'd like to get to know some of the people we're traveling with."

"That sounds like a good idea," Millie said. "So far, the only people we've really met outside our families are the Wilkes and the Jacobs."

"Yeah, and Abe Wilkes is a complete loss," Tess said.

Sitting near the top of the hill I'd climbed when I shot the elk, we could see the wagons coming long before they reached us. We mounted up and rode to meet them.

Ab was out in front, as usual. He rode on ahead when he saw us. "Did you find the creek?" he asked.

"We never really got there," I said. "I spotted an elk back over that hill there and I put him down. Tess, why don't you go back and get mom. Tell Caleb we need a pack saddle on Jughead."

"I'll go with her," Millie said.

When they were gone, I asked Ab, "Do you handle problems with people or families?"

"Well, usually a wagon train elects a Captain who takes care of domestic problems. We've only been on the trial a couple of days, so I hadn't suggested it yet."

"Well, there were a couple of people Millie and Tess were wondering about. I guess it'll keep until we elect a captain."

"If there's something bothering any of you, let me know. I need to be aware of anything that's going on."

"Well... There's really nothing that's a big problem so far. Abe Wilkes seems to be being awfully harsh with his wife. The girls are all riled up about it, but Mrs. Wilkes hasn't complained. The other thing is, do you know anything about John Ware?"

"I wasn't aware of Wilkes, but I'll keep an eye on him. He's the jackass that screwed up circling the wagons the first time we did it. I thought Ware was part of your family group. Leastwise that's what he told me."

"No, we never met him until we got to St Louis. He said he wanted to go to Oregon to do some trapping and that he'd drive a wagon for his food."

"Now that's strange. I wonder why he told me something different. Was there something that he did that got you wondering?"

"Not me. He's easy to talk to and I kinda like him. Tess says he makes her feel weird when he looks at her or talks to her. I know that don't sound like much, but Tess isn't one to have the vapors over nothing."

"Well, add that to the fact that he told us different stories and it's something worth looking into. Keep your eye on him for me, would you Jase."

"Sure, no problem. Caleb's around him more than me, so I'll ask him to keep his eyes open too. Now, I see mom coming. I'd better get so I can help her butcher that elk."

We had elk steaks for supper and boy were they good. Millie put salt, pepper and garlic on them before she grilled them over the fire. I felt like I could have eaten that whole elk. Tess teased me that I was going to get fat, but I wasn't too worried about that. It seemed like everything I'd eaten during the last year had gone to making me taller. At sixteen years old I was just over six feet tall and weighed around 185 pounds.

I ate so much I didn't want to move, but Millie and Tess wanted to go introduce ourselves to some of our neighbors like we had talked about. They could pretty much talk me into anything, so we went visiting.

We said howdy to Abe Wilkes as we went by, but didn't stop to talk. The next family after them was George and Ines Kent. We all introduced ourselves and said our 'Howdies' then Ines brought out each of her five kids and introduced them as well.