Westward Hearts by Melody Carlson Page B

“Vernon Griggs was just telling me about a family that did like we’re planning. They transported their wagons by riverboat only to discover, once they were on the trail, that someone had stolen provisions and tools from their wagon while they were on the river.”
    “I’ll stay with the wagons and guard them,” Matthew offered.
    “The whole time?” Elizabeth was skeptical.
    “Someone will have to be around to tend to the stock,” he said. “I figured I’d do it.”
    “And I can help,” Jamie offered.
    “Maybe we fellas can take turns,” Asa suggested.
    “Anyway, we’ll figure it out,” Matthew assured them. “For sure and for certain, we are not going to let some scoundrel pilfer from us before we even get on the trail.”
    After dinner, Elizabeth offered to help her mother clean up, but Asa wouldn’t hear of it. “The most important thing right now is for you to learn to shoot.”
    Clara nodded soberly. “Your father is right.”
    So Elizabeth followed her father and Matthew out, where the two men both worked with the novices. And after a couple of hours, both Elizabeth and Jamie knew how to load and shoot.
    “I want you to practice at home every day before we go,” Asa instructed Jamie as Elizabeth and Ruth were getting into the carriage. “By the time we’re on the trail, I expect you and your ma both to be sharpshooters.”
    Elizabeth just laughed, but Jamie nodded as if he planned to do it. And, to be fair, he was a pretty decent shot for a boy his age. She just hoped this trip wouldn’t make him grow up too fast.
    Before going home, Matthew insisted on showing Elizabeth and the children his progress on the wagons. “I got the canvas covers put on two of them,” he explained as they went into the barn. “TJ Sawyer helped me put the bows in.”
    “Where are the bows?” Ruth asked.
    “These are the bows.” Matthew patted an arched piece of wood that supported the heavy white canvas. He did some maneuvering with the edge of the covering, and suddenly it was transformed into an awning of sorts, allowing more air into the wagon.
    “That’s clever,” Elizabeth told him.
    “TJ showed me how to do that too.” Matthew seemed pleased.
    “You sure got plenty of ways to store stuff on the outside of the wagon,” Jamie observed as he opened a trunk-like box in the rear of a wagon.
    “The more we can store outside, the more room we got inside. Besides that, you want some items handy, like tools or cooking pots.” Matthew squatted down and pointed to the bottom of a wagon. “And you see all that black tar down there? You know what that’s for?”
    “Is it to protect the bottom of the wagon?” Jamie asked.
    “Well, that too. But I sealed ’em up real good, so when we go through water, they should be as tight as a boat.”
    “We’re going to take our wagons in the water?” Ruth’s eyes grew big.
    “We’ll have to cross some rivers and streams to get to Oregon country,” Matthew explained. “But don’t you worry, Ruthie, these schooners will hold up just fine. I even tried one out in the pond just to be sure. Watertight.”
    “You’re doing a wonderful job on these wagons,” Elizabeth told him. “I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
    “I just want to be sure we’re in good shape when we head out, Lizzie. From what I’ve read, that trail can be real rugged.”

Chapter Ten
    F inally the big day was here. At the crack of dawn, and following a family prayer for traveling mercy, three fully loaded covered wagons rolled out of the Dawsons’ farm and headed toward Selma. Matthew’s sturdy wagon, pulled by four oxen, led the way. This was followed by Elizabeth’s smaller wagon, pulled by four strong horses. Asa and Clara’s full-sized prairie schooner, also pulled by a hefty team of oxen, brought up the rear. Tethered to the backs of these wagons was a variety of livestock, including three spare riding horses and three cows.
    The plan was to get additional teams once