Chapter 38

Sam: St Joseph, Missouri

Andy, Rawhide, and Stu took off again this morning looking for livestock. I really wish Andy had been here, because not long after they left, a guy stopped by and asked if we were forming up a wagon train. He introduced himself as Mark Lester.

"Well, Mr. Lester, we're looking to either start one or join one. We won't be able to leave for a couple of weeks yet though."

"There's really no hurry in getting started. You could wait a month and still get through the mountains before the snow flies."

"Have you been through the mountains before, Mr. Lester?"

"Yes, ma'am. I've taken wagon trains to Oregon the last two years. I'm hoping to take another one through this year."

"Well, sir, we just might be interested in getting you to guide us through. I think we're probably going to add another wagon or two and we'll have as many as a thousand head of cattle with us. We wouldn't mind having some other folks join us as well."

"That's a lot of cattle to drive through, ma'am. I hope you have some good drovers."

"We do and we'll probably add some more just for insurance."

Mark stayed and talked for quite some time. He was a personable young man, probably about Ed's age. We didn't get into money matters, but I decided he'd be an excellent person to lead our wagon train if we could work everything out.

We left it that he'd come back tomorrow and talk with Andy about what all we'd need.

Thursday, April 13, 1848

Ed: Day 25 of the Boston to St Joseph trip

I was really pleased when we went to set up camp yesterday to find that Cassie had thought of getting a tent for our new people. Four of us in a tent would have been crowded. Five of us would have been impossible.

This morning started with a bang. Several bangs as a matter of fact. Cassie and Kate were the first ones out this morning. While I started a cook fire, Cassie went over in front of Tina and Su Li's tent and started banging two pans together. It sounded like mid-shift in a boiler factory.

Tina came out of their tent with her revolver in her hand, naked as the day she was born. Cassie raised her hands above her head and said, "Don't shoot, Marshal. I'll come peaceful."

By now I was rolling on the ground, laughing my ass off. Tina glared at Cassie, then walked over to where I was and asked, "Are you laughing at me, white man?"

"No, Tina. I'm laughing at the idiot with the pans. With you, I'm just enjoying the view."

Tina looked over at Kate, who was laughing too. "He does stare, doesn't he?"

"Yes, and he never gets over it. If he sees you naked a thousand times, he'll still be staring."

"He just may get to see me naked a thousand times," Tina said. "Sometimes I wish I didn't have to wear clothes at all."

"You'll like Sam then," I told her. "Sam isn't shy at all about being naked in front of friends or family."

Su had come out of their tent about the time Tina walked over to me. She was dressed and ready to get on the road. She watched Tina's antics with a little smile on her face. Finally, I asked her, "Does nudity bother you, Su Li?"

"No. There is very little privacy in a Chinese home. I grew up seeing my mother and father without clothes. Outside the home, nudity is never seen."

"While we're traveling, this is my home," Tina said.

Su Li nodded and said, "Yes. That is right."

"You know, I heard once that in a family, nudity is often seen, but never noticed."

Everyone got a laugh out of that.

We got to talk with Su Li a lot that day. Sometime during the day Katie asked, "You said your uncle sold you, Su Li. Why didn't he just sell you in Boston?"

"I'm not exactly sure why he decided to sell me, Kate. At first I thought he was just going to accept me as a member of his family. He had some kind of a deal going where he was going to supply Chinese laborers to work on building railroads. When we got to Fort Wayne, he had a meeting with the man he had made the deal with. He came back from the meeting, very angry. He said something about being ruined financially and the next thing I knew, he sold me."

"Selling a relative into slavery seems barbaric," Katie commented.

"In China, it is perfectly acceptable to sell your son or daughter into slavery. Girl children are not valued very highly at any time. A man can sell his girl child to be a slave or a concubine. They are usually sold at a young age."

"Why didn't your parents sell you?" I asked.

"There are several reasons. After I was born, my father was injured and couldn't father any more children. Besides that, my parents spent a lot of time in France and England. They learned a lot of Western ways."

"What would have happened if you and your mother had stayed in China and it was only your father who died?" I asked.

"My father's brother would have inherited all of my father's wealth. He would have probably taken my mother as his fourth wife and he would have sold me."

"So, men in China have more than one wife?" Katie asked.

"Some have more than one wife. Some have one wife and several concubines."

"Well, Su Li, I guess it's safe to tell you that Katie and I are both married to Ed. Actually, he has two more wives in Missouri," Cassie said.

"Four wives and one slave," Su Li grinned.

"Su Li, I don't believe in hitting a woman, but if you keep this up about being my slave, I'm going to have to turn you over my knee and spank you."

Katie laughed and said, "Don't let him frighten you, Su Li. He's threatened me with a spanking a hundred times, but he's never done it."

"Ah, but he is my master. I must submit to him," Su Li said.

All four girls got a giggle out of that.

Sam: St Joseph, Missouri

Andy was thrilled when I told him last night that we might have a wagon master. Mark Lester came around again right after breakfast. Andy, Rawhide and I talked with him over coffee.

"So, Mark," Andy said after everyone had been introduced. "Do you think it's safe to take a herd of cattle through to Oregon?"

"Well, you'll probably lose a few of them. You can always expect that. I don't think the Indians will be a problem. If we get out of here by the first of May, there shouldn't be any problem with graze or water. It's a big job though.

"What about other animals, like horses and hogs?" I asked.

"Horses aren't a problem at all. You should have at least two for each man working the cattle. Hogs are another matter. Hogs are hard to drive. They also have a harder time crossing rivers and marshy ground. I would suggest that any you want to take with you would be young ones. The older, heavier ones are the ones that have the most trouble making it through."

Andy said, "That makes sense. We can always buy more when we get to Oregon if we need to."

"How much would you charge us to take a train through?" Rawhide asked.

"Well, with all of the cattle you are taking along, I'd have to have at least three hundred dollars. I'd say you should try to get another ten to twenty families to go along with us. Depending on how many wagons there are, I might ask as much as four hundred."

"We wouldn't mind having other families join us, but we'd want to have a say in who goes along," Andy said.

"That's not a problem," Mark said. "I know of three or four families who are wanting to join a wagon train. I'll send them around to talk to you all."

"Do you know of anyone with horses or cattle for sale?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. I might. Someone was telling me about a family who are talking about moving back to Ohio. I'll find out and let you know."

Andy looked at me and then at Rawhide. We both nodded, so he said, "Mr. Lester, we'd definitely like for you to be our wagon master. Would you be interested in leading us to Oregon?"

"I definitely would. When are you folks planning to leave?"

"My husband is on his way here from Boston," I said. "We figure it'll be another couple of weeks before he gets here. He'll probably want to rest up for a day or two, but then we'll be ready to go."

"That sounds good. I'll see what I can find out about cattle and I'll also start sending people over for you to talk to."

"Do you know of anyone who you could hire as a scout?" Andy asked.

"There is a young man I've worked with before. I'll see if he's available."

We had a very productive day without even leaving camp. I know we're going to be busy for the next couple of weeks, but I think we'll be ready when Ed gets here.

Friday, April 14, 1848

Ed: Day 26 of the Boston to St Joseph trip

Well, today didn't start with nearly as big of a bang as yesterday had. Cassie went over and called gently to the girls to get up. We heard a lot of whispering and giggling coming from inside the tent. We had the fire built and coffee made before either one of them came out.

When they did show themselves, they showed all of themselves. Both of them were as naked as the days they were born. I know my mouth had to drop open.

Here we had an Indian and a Chinese. Both had darker skin than Cassie or Kate. Both had black hair. There, the resemblance ended. Su was at least three years older than Tina, but her breasts were much smaller and she was much shorter.

Tina was tall, probably around 5'8", and she was elegant looking, with her long legs and trim waist. Her "B" cup breasts stood out proudly and her nipples were pointing at an upward angle. Her blue eyes must have come from her father, and their color was brought out by her black hair.

Su Li couldn't have been more than five feet tall. Her breasts were no more than an "A" cup, but she had very dark nipples that made them very prominent. She looked like a perfect porcelain miniature.

"To what do we owe this show?" I asked.

"Well, you guys didn't seem to mind seeing me naked yesterday, so Su Li and I talked it over and decided to give you all another show. You don't mind, do you?" Tina said.

"Honey, as pretty as you two ladies are, I wouldn't mind seeing you naked at any time," I assured them.

Yesterday we made around thirty-four miles and I figure we made as much or more today. The middle of April in northern Indiana can be nippy at times, but this year seemed to be an exception. The weather was warm and we really hadn't had that much rain.