Chapter Fourteen

Snakes and Indians

The third morning of Chad and Luke’s journey was cool and clear. They sat in the open doorway of their freight car and looked out over the prairie.

“Scenery sure don’t change much, does it?” Luke chewed on a piece of straw and squinted at the sky. “Nice day for somethin’ besides sitting on a railroad track.”

Chad agreed. “I’m getting lazy not doing anything but feeding animals and milking.” He checked the time on his watch. “We aren’t due to leave here until midmorning. What say we hunt a few rabbits for our lunch?”

The men grabbed their rifles, jumped down from the car, and waded into the tall grass directly in front of them. They scanned the territory carefully.

“We’re almost at the state border, ain’t we?” Luke said.

Chad nodded. “Another day and a half should do it. We’ll still make it before the family arrives. I wonder how Henry is doing with the wagon. I’m glad he took Ethan with him. The boy will be company, even if he can’t do much.”

They walked on in silence. Birds flew up and insects swarmed around them, but the hunters failed to scare out any rabbits.

Suddenly Luke stopped and turned his head sharply. “Did you hear that? Sounds like a train.”

Chad pulled out his watch again. “Can’t be. It isn’t time for the morning passenger, and there’s no freight due.”

Soon it was evident that it was a train, due or not. The men ran back toward the track. It wasn’t easy going. Luke tripped in a gopher hole and dropped his gun, and by that time, the train had stopped.

“They’re takin’ our cars on!” Luke shouted. “Stop! Wait for us!”

But no one glanced in their direction. By the time the men reached the rails, the cars were beginning to move slowly away. With one last desperate sprint, Chad and Luke caught the bars at the back of the freight car and pulled themselves up.

“That was close,” Luke panted. “They almost got away without us.”

Chad puffed in silence for a moment, trying to regain his breath. “I’d sure like it better if we were going the right way,” he said finally. “This train is headed south.”

The day’s progress was slower for Henry and Ethan. Not only was the trail rougher and harder to follow, but Henry was forced to stop several times to make small repairs to the wagon. Finally, just before noon, they came upon a stream and, nearby, a large shade tree.

“This looks like a good place to rest. We’ll have some lunch, even if it is a little early.” Henry jumped down from the high seat. A moment later he fell to the ground with a cry.

Ethan scrambled to the other side of the wagon and peered down at him.

“Stay there, Ethan!” Henry shouted.

A gunshot sounded close to Ethan’s head.

“What’s the matter?” Ethan screamed. He watched the scene before him in horror.

Henry unlaced his boot, pulled up his pant leg, and grabbed a knife from his belt. Swiftly he cut a gash on the side of his leg, then tied a bandanna tightly above the wound.

“Henry! What are you doing?” Ethan was sobbing with fright.

“Now take it easy, boy. I stepped on a rattler, and he bit me. He’s dead now, but I can’t get up and walk, or the poison will go through me. Can you get some water in the bucket?”

Ethan nodded, though he wasn’t sure his legs would support him. The snake lay dead beside Henry, and Ethan tried to avoid looking at it as he dropped to the ground and grabbed the bucket from the side of the wagon.

When Ethan returned with the water, Henry’s leg had already begun to swell. He smiled weakly at Ethan. “Get a towel from the back.”

Ethan hastened to do so.

“Now listen carefully. I need you to go and find some snakeroot. It’s a tall plant with spiky leaves and a bunch of little white flowers on a stem. The flowers come to a point at the top. Be sure you bring the whole plant.” Henry was breathing harder, and sweat beaded on his forehead. “Hurry, now.”

Ethan raced toward the field of weeds and flowers at the side of the trail. He didn’t want to leave Henry alone, but he knew he must follow instructions.

Ethan dropped to his knees. Tears ran down his face as he searched frantically among the weeds and wildflowers for the plant Henry had described. If only he knew what he was looking for!

“You look for something?”

Startled, Ethan whipped around to find a tall, sun-browned man behind him. An Indian! How could he have come out of nowhere so silently?

Ethan crouched in the grass and stared at the man in terror. Black hair hung in a braid down the Indian’s back. He wore a soft buckskin jacket and leggings. A large bow hung over his shoulder, but he also carried a rifle on one arm.

Was he friendly?

The Indian spoke again. “You alone?”

Ethan began to cry again. He pointed toward the wagon. “Henry. He got bit by a rattlesnake, and I can’t find the right medicine.”

The Indian turned, and Ethan saw the horse that had been behind the big man. A girl about his own age regarded him solemnly from the horse’s back. She also had black, braided hair, and she wore a soft buckskin dress with fringe on the sleeves and hem. Her legs were bare, but on her feet were moccasins, decorated with brightly colored beads.

“Gray Dawn, you bring snakeroot,” said the man, lifting her down from the horse. Then he mounted and rode off in the direction Ethan had pointed.

Ethan jumped to his feet, embarrassed that the girl had seen him cry. Quickly he scrubbed his fists across his face.

The girl said nothing, and Ethan glanced fearfully toward the wagon. Would the Indian kill Henry—maybe scalp him? And what would the Indian do to a boy?

“Red Cloud will help.” The girl’s soft voice caused Ethan to look up.

“Is he your father?”

The girl nodded. Taking Ethan’s hand in hers, she plunged deeper into the tall grass. Ethan was surprised to see that she was as tall as he, and while she moved easily over the uneven terrain, Ethan stumbled and had trouble keeping up with her.

Soon she dropped to the ground and pointed. “Snakeroot.”

Ethan reached to grab the plant, but she shook her head. “Not flower. Root.”

Picking up a smooth, flat rock, Gray Dawn began to dig the plant out, shook the dirt from it, and handed it to Ethan. Very soon they had two handfuls of snakeroot.

Henry was lying in the back of the wagon when the children arrived. His eyes were closed, and Ethan’s heart dropped. Please, please, Lord, he pleaded. Don’t let Henry die. We can’t get along without Henry.

The Indian was gently bathing Henry’s face with a towel dipped in cold water.

“Red Cloud knows what to do,” Gray Dawn assured Ethan. She handed Red Cloud the snakeroot plants.

Ethan watched as the Indian ground the plant roots between two stones. Then, mixing the root paste with water, he dribbled a small amount of the liquid between Henry’s lips. Red Cloud continued to give the injured man more sips every so often, and by the end of the afternoon, Henry was looking better. Red Cloud and Gray Dawn stayed by his side, and Ethan was grateful.

As evening approached, Ethan felt he should offer his guests some food. Carefully he started a fire the way Henry had showed him and set a pot of stew on it to warm. The cornbread and apple pie Polly had sent with them completed the meal, and his new friends seemed satisfied.

When darkness fell, they checked again on Henry. His fever seemed to be gone, and he slept quietly.

“We stay,” Red Cloud announced, then unfastened bedrolls for himself and Gray Dawn. Ethan unrolled his blanket next to them and lay down gratefully. He fell asleep instantly.

Before daylight, Ethan smelled smoke. Henry must be getting breakfast.

Henry! Ethan’s eyes opened at once as he recalled what had happened yesterday. Red Cloud stood by the fire, and Gray Dawn knelt before a pan of food that smelled awfully good.

“Henry?”

“Better. You see.” Red Cloud nodded toward the wagon, and Ethan ran over to it.

Henry was lying with his head on the flour sack. He grinned at Ethan. “Hey, where’s my breakfast, boy? You didn’t give me no supper last night.” Henry’s voice was weak, but he spoke cheerfully.

“Are you going to be all right? You’re not going to die?”

“Not unless I die of starvation. Our new friend looked after me all night. The Lord was with us, Ethan.”

Ethan nodded. “I prayed awful hard. Ma told me I’d be all right if I asked the Lord for strength and trusted Him. He heard us pray.”

Ethan brought his plate of food and sat beside Henry to eat. “Will we stay here until you get well?”

“I reckon we’d better move on. Chad and Manda will be awful worried if we don’t show up. They’ll have to wait for us as it is, but I’d hate for them to come lookin’ for us. I think Chad’ll give a day’s leeway. You can handle the wagon just fine. I’ll be right here to tell you what to do if you need help.”

Ethan was proud and scared at the same time. If Henry trusted him, he would do his best to get them to Winner.

By sunup, Red Cloud had hitched Ned and Jesse to the wagon, assisted Henry into the wagon bed, and mounted his own horse. Gray Dawn, seated behind him, smiled timidly at Ethan and said good-bye.

“You do fine, young brave.” Red Cloud lifted his hand in farewell and, turning, galloped off toward the west. Ethan watched them, wishing that the big Indian were riding along beside them, even for a little while.

Straightening his back, Ethan called to Henry, “We’re ready. You let me know if you want something.”

Several times during that long day, Ethan thought he saw the big horse with the two riders out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned to look, there was nothing but tall prairie grass blowing in the wind.

By the third day on the train, Manda and Polly were ready for the news that they would reach Winner by morning. Only Frances wasn’t anxious to have the trip end. She was already feeling sad about parting from Timothy, whose company she had enjoyed as often as her mother allowed. The younger children had been entertained by the major and Mrs. Martin, both of whom knew stories that kept them spellbound.

“If they went according to schedule, the freight cars should be there when we arrive,” Manda said. “And Chad figured that Henry will make it before we do too. I’ll certainly be glad to have everyone back together again. Is everything ready to take off the train?”

Polly assured her that it was. “It’s only by the Lord’s good mercy that we been able to keep track of Frances and the young ’uns without more disaster than we had. I almost envy the men, with nothin’ more than animals and a wagon to look after. It’s always the women that takes the brunt of movin’ a household.”