Chapter 13

August 7, 1847

We soon found the guide to be correct in his knowledge of the tribe. An Indian brought out a large amount of salmon and vegetables soon after we reached the valley floor. After spirited bargaining between him and the guide, we purchased the entire amount for three knives. Other Indians soon appeared and we had a lot of trading going on between the settlers and the Indians. I had the wagon captain post a guard around the wagon with the measles and the guide warned the Indians that there was sickness in them and not to approach. We asked the two wagons if they wanted anything and then traded for it with sterilized items from the wagon after I passed them. The Indians were mostly interested in getting knives or guns for trade but would accept powder or bullets instead. One attempt to interest them in clothes was a complete failure. By dusk we were about five miles inside the valley and trading had stopped for the night.

This was Louise's night to be the center of attention again and I had no idea what she would request this time. She decided that she wanted to eat out Claire while I entered her from behind. She stiffened when I started to enter and I began to withdraw. Elizabeth stopped me and whispered in her ear. I don't know what she said, but Louise relaxed and Elizabeth nodded for me to continue. Every time I pushed in Louise's tongue pressed deeper into Claire and soon all three of us began to grunt every time I bottomed out inside of Louise. Elizabeth stuck her finger in her mouth and reaching under Louise began to finger her clit. With a load moan Louise climaxed and with hers came Claire's. Louise fell forward to the side of Claire and gave her a deep kiss.

I remained erect as I did not cum because of my concern for Louise. Elizabeth seeing this pulled me down and positioned herself over my erection sank down until I was completely seated. I then held on as she slid backwards and began to rock back and forth on my cock. I was totally aroused so after about five minutes I began to cum, shooting glob after glob of semen into her womb. She began to wail and stiffened as she came. Soon afterwards we cuddled next to each other and fell asleep.

August 8, 1847

I woke up this morning when Louise got up to prepare breakfast. Following her out of the wagon, I gave her a tender kiss on the neck. She stiffened and then relaxed.

"Are you felling better now?" I asked.

"Yes. Though I'm still nervous about being around other men."

"I noticed that you were afraid last night when we made love."

"I'm sorry!" She began to cry.

Holding her in my arms I just told her, "It's all right. I'm willing to wait until you are ready."

She sniffed and wiped her nose on my shirtsleeve. "It's just that I remembered the slavers raping me from behind when you were there. Elizabeth had to remind me that it was you, not them."

I just continued to hold her wishing I could kill the bastards again. "They're dead and buried. They'll never be able to hurt you gain."

"I know, but I still remember in my nightmares. The worst was how helpless I was against them."

Having been a nerd, I remember being bullied in high school until my father made me go to the dojo and learn how to defend myself. I hadn't used it in years, but I thought I remembered enough to give her the basics of it.

"I can show you how to defend yourself against an attacker with just your own body, but you have to promise me to use it only when you have to."

She looked at me as if I had offered her the Holy Grail. Kissing my hand she told me "Yes!"

After I thought about it I decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to teach all three of my wives some self-defense. Although I hadn't gone very far along in the dojo, I was more advanced than anyone here. Plus eastern forms of unarmed combat wouldn't even be on the radar screen of anyone for years here in the United States. I also had another self-defense method available for me to give my wives. My sisters had studied Krav Magen, an Israeli self-defense course when a serial rapist was targeting young white females in our area, and I became the test dummy for their practice sessions. This was dirty fighting with a vengeance. I always wore a cup and shin guards and I still got hurt even when they pulled their blows. That I will always remember!

I showed Louise some quick hold breaks and promised to teach her more when I could. I left her practicing and woke up the other wives. Talking to them I told them that I wanted to teach them some unarmed self-defense. Claire was all for it but Elizabeth seemed to think she didn't need it. I told her to hit me and threw her gently over my hip and into an arm hold. She struggled but couldn't get out. Finally she admitted she might learn something and I released her. She got up, turned around, and tried to kick me in the balls! This time I was a little rougher and put her into a cradle lock. When I released her this time she gave me a look like she didn't recognize me. She didn't say anything, just left and went to help Louise at the fire. I turned to Claire.

"Do you know what that look was about?"

She looked at me in amusement, "I think you gave Elizabeth a surprise. She forgot that even though you're a gentle man you're not from this time and might not react like one."

I just looked at her with an uncomprehending look on my face.

"I mean, Dear, that no man from this era would ever think of throwing a young woman on the ground and holding her so she couldn't get up. And that last hold was something no man I've ever met would put a woman in."

I had forgotten the differences in outlooks again! I was brought up to believe that men and women were equal in rights and responsibilities. It was common for women to be in the dojo and to demand to be treated the same as the male students.

During our morning meeting it was decided that since we were in an area that seemed safe enough, we would take a two-day stopover to repair the wagons and let the women clean clothes and bake light bread for our trip over the Blue Mountains. The older boys were given permission to hunt the many waterfowl we saw around the marsh and bring any bigger game back to smoke for the trip. I told everyone that if they needed medical help to get me during the day as I would not leave my wagon at night for anything not life threatening.

The wagon master inspected each wagon and told the owner to make the needed repairs. If anyone needed help he first asked for volunteers and, if no one did, picked people to help them. I insisted that no one help the wagons with the measles unless they had them as a child. I also insisted that all clothing and bedding from those wagons be washed separately from the others.

When he checked our wagon he told me that I needed to tighten the rims on the wheels again. He suggested that I pull the wagon into the river and let them soak for the next two days as this would cause the wood to swell and that would tighten the rims. He showed me some other minor items that needed repairs but said that these were not vital, just needed. Elizabeth and I discussed how to best soak the wheels and she told me the best way would be to back the wagon into the river for the day and bring it out at night. I left it to her and wandered over to the main fire where Claire and Louise were talking to the other women. As I approached, everyone stopped talking. Corrie came out of the group and grabbed my arm.

"Walk with me for a while." she said. We walked for a ways and she spoke again, "I understand you know of ways for women to defend themselves using only their own body."

I uttered a noncommittal grunt. ("Why didn't I tell Louise not to say anything?")

"I want you to teach us so we can teach others."

I glanced at her and raised my eyebrows, "You want me to be hung? Can you imagine what their husbands or brothers would say if they saw me doing that?"

She just waved her hand as if she was telling a joke, "Don't worry. The women you will teach are discrete and won't talk." She smiled as if she knew a wonderful joke.

I turned to face her and said bluntly, "Why?"

Just as bluntly she answered, "I'm tired of seeing young women thought of as nothing but a punching pillow for their husbands or male relatives. Our group believes that women are more than baby machines or beasts of burden. We want what your wives tell us they have from you, equality!"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I was getting caught up in a secret woman's conspiracy for equal rights in 1847? I couldn't think of anything that would change history more. And who was this group?

(Author's note: This was the time period (1848) when women of the various reform groups got together at Seneca Falls in New York to demand equal rights for the first time. They didn't have a name for this or a single group espousing this idea but they did know what they wanted. And you thought that the equal rights movement began with the bra burning 1960's.)

"I have to talk to my wives about this as it affects the whole family. Besides, the wagon captain told me that we would be thrown out of the wagon train after we reach Oregon City."

"You let us take care of the wagon captain. Talk to them about it. You'll find we are all in agreement about this."

I walked away in a fog of confusion. What is going on here? I headed back to our wagon in a daze.

"Elizabeth? Walk with me for a while. I need to talk." We headed over to the river and sat down. "What can you tell me about a woman's group on the train?"

Her face, which had been showing nothing other than an interest about what I was going to talk about, became blank. "What group?"

"The one that Corrie is involved with that includes my three wives."

After several evasions and counters from me, Elizabeth finally admitted that there was a group of temperance and abolitionist reformers who had been organizing in the east to fight for equal rights for women. A number of the women on the train had been involved with these groups and during the journey they had spread these ideas through most, if not all the women of the train.

"They want me to train them in unarmed combat. What are they planning to do with it?"

"Our plan is to teach women to protect themselves from abuse by teaching them how to defend themselves."

"Our plan?"

"Corrie did tell you that we are all members of the group, didn't she? Just like the men get together to talk about what to do every morning, so do we. We talk about who is being abused and who is to be encouraged. You would have never learned anything about this if we hadn't been willing to assure everyone you could be trusted."

Elizabeth gave me a kiss on my cheek and stood up. "Just think about it, Sweetheart. I know you'll decide to do what's right."

I remained sitting. I had been given plenty of facts that would need a through chewing before I could decide anything. My first impulse was to agree. How would the ability to defend themselves change the position of women in this time? I wildly envisioned a secret group of ninja-like woman avenger's secretly eliminating abusive husbands. I threw off this bit of fantasy quickly. I simply didn't have the knowledge of martial arts to support anything like that. What did I know? I knew enough to teach dirty tricks of fighting and a basic knowledge of Tae Kwon Do and Tai Chi. In other words enough to surprise a man long enough to escape and maybe some blows that could do some damage if used at the right time. Mostly I would be able to instill an attitude that defense was possible.

I stood up and realized somewhat to my surprise that I had decided to do it. I had already decided that I was going to change history if needed to keep slavery out of Oregon. What made this different? I returned to the wagon where my wives were talking to Corrie.

I spoke without any preamble; "I'll do it but only the most basic moves until we get to Oregon City. Even the most basic training will take several months. Do you have women who are willing to spend that much time to learn?"

Corrie answered without delay, "I have three who can start immediately."

I was trying to think of three women who could start immediately and whose husband's brothers would not object when it hit me that she meant my wives. I turned to them and gave them an unhappy glance. "When did you plan on telling me?"

As usual Elizabeth acted as the spokesman, "We were just asked about it right before you returned."

I accepted this but it didn't make me happy that they made such a decision without me again. Then I got a surprise.

"But only if you agree." Elizabeth said.

(Finally my wives were remembering that I had to be consulted before we made a family decision!) "Is this something you really want to do?"