Finding Her Way (Wildflowers)

by Leah Banicki

  Chapter Nineteen

  May 25 1848

  The muddy plains became the dry plains as they traveled near the Platte River. The river would soon branch off and a hard crossing was due in a few days. After a week with no rain everyone tired of the dry weather and they were longing for some fresh water.

  Corinne had seen the bottom of their water barrel for days and the water they got from the nearby Platte was muddy and had to be strained repeatedly, and she sometimes had the Cook boil it. The sour taste sometimes turned everyone’s stomach when trying to drink it. She used a handkerchief to strain the water over and over and still it had that strange metallic taste.

  The land stretched out and the wagons had little trouble getting fifteen to twenty miles per day but caring for the animals was becoming harder and harder. Animals were dying nearly every day as the heat and lack of water was starting to get to them.

  * * * * *

  The scouts came back after a week of travel to claim the good news of the Southern Platte crossing. There was a rumor that fresh water was on the other side. With the scouts came Andrew looking pale and grumpy.

  Corinne hadn’t seen her husband in a week and was trying to be polite when he strolled into camp looking filthy and grumpy. He was covered in trail dust and his pallor had taken on a sick yellowish tone.

  "Andrew, you look worn out. Have a seat and I'll get you something to eat." She watched him walk slowly over to the stool and then slumped his body down to a sitting position.

  "Thanks Corinne." He said softly and politely. Corinne and Cookie gave each other a shared look of shock. Had he ever spoken politely or called Corinne by her name? Corinne thought for a moment and had to admit she was pretty certain he never had.

  She grabbed a rag and dipped it in the bucket of brackish gray water that was used for washing dishes. She walked over and without a single pause wiped the trail dust off her husband's face. He didn’t ‘shoo’ her away so she took a chance and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. He was warm but not terribly so. Perhaps he was just overheated.

  The evening meal was fried fish and boiled peas. The peas didn’t taste very good after being boiled in the questionably clean water, but they had to be eaten. Andrew pushed the food around his plate and only ate when prompted. Corinne was certain he needed a good sleep and he would be feeling better by morning. She knew how men could get on the trail and the scouts skimped out on sleep often.

  Within an hour Andrew was retching behind the wagon. He had gone to lie down but then was up and pacing in minutes. Corinne had small supply of drinkable water. She filled a canteen for him and let him drink after he was finished being sick. Andrew was sitting on the ground by the fire when he began to vomit again. Corinne felt his forehead again after he finished and he was now hot to the touch. What had been a slight concern in Corinne's mind jumped into fear within a small moment. She would not say it or even think it out loud yet. It could not be...

  "I need to get out of these clothes. Please help me." Andrew's ragged voice sounded feeble. He moaned as he walked. His one hand gripped over his stomach in a universal gesture of stomach cramps. Corinne helped Reggie get Andrew into the tent. Corinne left them to get a few things from her wagon. Clive was waiting for her there. The look on his face was grave and she knew before he spoke the worst of their secret unmentionable fears were coming true.

  "The scouts are all sick my dear girl. We can hear Andrew being sick. So I rode around to see if any of the rest of them are feelin' poorly. It's not good." Clive took off his leather hat and ran his fingers through his thick white hair peppered with a few stubborn dark strands that were clinging to their color. "Ralph Hammond said they all drank together from a small divot they found yesterday. It wasn't very fresh tasting and they all woke up this morning with stomach cramps. They didn't think anything of it then." Clive looked her in the eye and said what he really meant to say this whole time. "Girl, I think you know what to do. If he can’t hold down water or food by tomorrow you need to get rid of everything he touches. Burn it, bury it, whatever needs to be done. I've seen what happens, child. I will pray with the last of my breath that this isn't what I'm thinkin' it is."

  Corinne nodded, reached out and squeezed his hand. She had no words. She just wanted to care for Andrew and watch him improve by morning and be his grumpy self again.

  Clive headed over to Andrew's tent to help in whatever way he could. Corinne saw Reggie and Clive holding Andrew up and they were walking toward the shallow Platte River nearby.

  "Perhaps just cooling him off will give him some relief." She heard someone say. Corinne recruited Cookie to get two shovels from Andrew's wagon while she threw the dishwater into a large empty pot to boil. His dishes would need to be boiled clean. Corinne got the pot over the fire and joined Cookie behind the wagon as they dug through the dry earth to clean and cover up where Andrew had taken ill. They did the same by the fire. Cookie wore the same look of fear on his face as they worked. Cookie was feeling worse though, his fear was one of experience. He had seen this before. The rice-like chunks he just shoveled over was the final clue. Cholera was in their midst.

  Andrew returned with the help of Reggie and Clive. Corinne was waiting with a fresh mug of peppermint tea. Sitting on a stool by his tent about twenty feet away from the wagons was Andrew who had started sipping his tea. He was bare-chested and his hair and skin were still wet. After a few minutes of sipping he declares the tea to be good.

  "You all can go about your business and stop your staring." Andrew smiled weakly and sent them all away. Corinne communicated silently with Reggie with a concerned look. He understood and nodded. He would not be far from Andrew's side for even a minute.

  They all went to sleep reluctantly that night. Andrew kept the tent for himself and Reggie pitched a spare tent nearby. They were all awake within a few hours, as Andrews’s illness grew worse. Corinne heard mumbling, gasps, and cries throughout the wagon train that night but she barely acknowledged them. The Temple outfit was having its own tragedy as Andrew became more ill.

  At one point it was past one a.m. and fear and everyone was in desperation to keep Andrew from vomiting up any more water, Corinne dug through her 'medicine' bag and found the mysterious Indian pouch. They had claimed it chased away stomach demons. She could not think of anything more demonic than what she had seen that night. Andrew was barely recognizable and weaker than a newborn. Corinne dipped her finger into the white paste and brought it up to her nose. She flinched at the horrible stench of it. It reeked like rancid animal fat and something oddly sweet. Maybe licorice root or something like it, she tasted it and realized it wasn’t as bad as she had thought. She got a spoon from the chuck wagon and headed over to Andrew.

  He looked gray and nearly unconscious. He had been in and out for nearly an hour but seemed to stay awake a little more. Corinne got a spoonful of the paste and told him to eat it. He pushed away and refused.

  "Andrew, I will not sit by and watch you waste away without trying everything." Corinne tried to shove down her fear but it came out in her ragged voice. She glanced to Reggie and Cookie who nodded with her as they held him. She shoved the spoon into his mouth as he fought half-heartedly. She watched him swallow and gag but he kept it down.

  "I tried it myself Andrew, it is from the Indians. Maybe it will chase away your stomach demons." Corinne's voice had a desperate tone and who could blame her for it. She had tried to sound cheerful but it didn’t work. As the night wore on she realized the paste had done very little. The cries of agony from Andrew grew louder and the smell of the horrible things the illness was doing to him escaped the tent and surrounded the camp. Similar problems were unfolding that night in other camps as a deadly plague on mankind crept its way through the waterholes and into the unlucky few that had a thirst for something deadly.

  * * * * *

  The fire burned hot against Corinne's face. It was midday but the bright blue sky hadn’t reached into Corinne's heart. She watched
the last remnants of Andrew Temple's clothes burn. Just anything he had worn recently. Corinne went through the motions and seemed to know what to do. They all did. Cookie had made brackish coffee. Reggie had cleaned the mess that had been Andrew's tent. They all had bathed heavily down at the Platte River. They were going to bury Andrew as soon as Russell and Lucas came back from digging the graves. There were four total dead this morning. One of the scouts had lived but was barely holding on.

  Reggie had haunted dark circles around his eyes. He had thrown up this morning and they all feared the worst for about an hour but Corinne was certain now that Reggie had done some nasty cleanup that caused his stomach to turn. Corinne was surprised all of them hadn’t joined in truly. Corinne had seen so many horrifying things just last night. She watched a man go from healthy to dead in one night. She had heard stories about the unmerciful horror that Cholera brought on its victims but she never expected it to be so violent and terrifying. At one point in the night Andrew looked so wretched that Corinne cried as she held his hand. His words made her cry all the harder.

  "You are a good girl Corinne. No matter what I said. You are a good girl." He then curled into a ball of pain and moaned for nearly an hour. Corinne was certain he would die soon but he lingered on as they all rallied to get him to drink, only to watch in sadness as it escaped him. He lived on the chamber pot for most of the night. His face and skin so pale his body would collapse and they would cool him down and clean him up like a sick child. He was not embarrassed by his nakedness or that others were cleaning him, they all knew it would be over soon. The morning came and Andrew was gasping for air. They sat with him as he faded slowly and after a while he was gone.

  The cleanup was nearly done and all that was left was the ashes in the fire. Andrew and the other men's bodies were wrapped tightly and brought to outside the camp where the Grant men and a few others were digging graves.

  The burial was quick but meaningful. The wagon boss spoke a few bible verses and the Blake brothers sang a hymn again. Corinne and her tired men gathered around the graves for a few minutes after the crowds dispersed. The wagon boss asked them if they would be okay to move out in a bit. Corinne nodded and said what they all are thinking.

  "Let’s leave this place." Corinne said flatly and turned to walk away. They followed her silently.

  Part Two:

  Chapter Twenty

  May 26 1848

  They all used what reserve strength they had and prepared the wagons and doused the fire. The wagon train as a group had decided to continue until they reach the crossing. They all would be traveling through the night.

  "If you need to rest Corinne just climb in your wagon, no one will think badly of ya for it." Clive joined her after the train started rolling. His eyes held concern but he saw her inner strength when she looked straight at him.

  His own mind relived the recent events. He had never liked Andrew but no one should die like that. He had been there for part of the night getting them what they needed. Watching the life drain out of a man left a mark on anyone who saw it.

  Corinne didn’t have the energy or mood to smile at Clive but she nodded that she heard him. Her body felt tired but energized, a strange unreal strength. She was certain it would wear off eventually but in the meantime she would have to suffer through it. Her mind was swirling with everything it had seen and the new reality she faced. She was a widow!

  She faced a long road with no one but her to take charge. She felt lucky to have her friendship with the Grants but she knew she didn’t want to lean too heavily upon them. They had their own journey to make. She knew she had much to learn but somewhere inside her a determination was growing. She would face what lay ahead with something her Grandmother used to preach about, "Grit."

  "As a woman you have to face what the world throws at you. A little grit is just your willingness to do what's hard and get through." Grandma Trudie's words had stuck with Corinne. She looked at her crew. It was a hardy group of men. Jimmy who walked along with the oxen directing them, led her wagon, Joe was in the seat holding the reins lightly but was there to brake and see obstacles ahead. The other wagon was shorter with the chuck wagon attached behind. Reggie and Cookie were the ox handlers and then there was Corinne.

  What was her role now? Corinne realized she had to stop her mind, she was over thinking everything. She needed to relax and just breathe for a while. Clive reached over and gave her arm a squeeze. She had an urge to get off her horse, hold up her arms like a child, and see if Clive would hug her like a father would. She knew in a heartbeat he would and that thought gave her comfort but now was not the time for sympathy. There was a river crossing and fresh water ahead. They would rest when they reached water. She would sleep and weep then if need be, but not now.

  * * * * *

  The southern split of the Platte River was shallow and easy to cross. It was nearly a mile wide but the water was no burden to the animals and wagons. The group plowed through the murky waters and was faced with a difficult obstacle just within sight of their goal. They had traveled nearly twenty-four hours straight with only stops every few hours for a few minutes to let the animals rest. They would give the animals water and then charge ahead. There was a valley ahead called ‘Ash Hollow’ that they all knew was their haven, fresh water, cold bubbling springs, lush green grass and shade trees. They had not seen a substantial tree in a few hundred miles. It lay before them like a well-earned treat but they just had one more obstacle to learn from.

  The steep hill down into the hollow was one that made them all take notice. The land had been so flat and colorless that the sight of green made them want to be foolish but they consulted the wagon boss and measures were taken, they gathered ropes and hook-up chains. One by one the wagons went over the crest of the hill with fifty men holding the ropes as human brakes. The oxen and mule in front of the wagon were skittish and somewhat unwilling. The ox handlers kept the whips flying and were yelling until their voices were hoarse to keep them moving. The third wagon was going smoothly when at the steepest point of the hill a mule turned sideways, twisting the harnesses with a fatal jerk, and he began to run. No one could be certain where the mule was headed but the damage was done. Within moments the human brakes were powerless and chains broke. The rough sounds of wheels grinding on the dry dirt and the crunch of wood as pieces splinter away and animals flipped end-over-end toward a messy death at the bottom. All the animals and the driver were lost. The family watched in despair as their father perished in a horrific drama that slowly unfolded. Weary men dragged up the ropes and chains, while others perform a hasty burial. The next wagon had to roll out. Corinne watched in silence until her nerves could not bear any more. Her body was shutting down.

  She had been standing next to Chelsea and her family near the edge of the hill. She gave Chelsea's arm a tug to tell her she was heading to her wagon for a rest when her vision went fuzzy and everything started sounding far away. She saw Lucas saying something to her but it wasn’t connecting. Her world went dark a moment later.

  * * * * *

  She awakened to a cool sensation on her face. There was water on her lips and she eagerly tried to drink it. A few drops made it to her scorched throat. It was cool fresh water. Her body responded and her eyes forced themselves open. Lucas was holding the canteen and Chelsea was sponging her face with a cloth. Corinne drank a few more mouthfuls.

  "Did I faint?" Corinne felt stupid for asking, of course she had fainted. She did a mental examination of her limbs. She was not in pain, at least.

  "I mean, where am I? Am I down the hill? Is everyone well? No one is hurt?" She sipped more water, as she felt a bit woozy again. She tried to sit up but Lucas pushed her gently back down and shook his head with a smile that said he was in charge. She closed her eyes for a moment again and then fell asleep.

  Corinne was awake again a few hours later feeling refreshed and escaped her wagon to see everyone smiling and enjoying themselves. The men had wet hair and shaved f
aces. The trail dust had been cleaned away. Chelsea walked over and gave Corinne a warm hug.

  "Cori, I do believe you were worn out completely. You got color to your cheeks now. I think you needed the rest." Chelsea pointed to a stool and handed her a plate. The stew and biscuits tasted so good. Corinne helped herself to a second plate. It was heartwarming to hear Chelsea call her 'Cori'; both her parents called her that, and Angela... She wished so much for her young friend to be there.

  "I'm heading out for a walk. I need to stretch my legs and enjoy the green valley we have found." Corinne stood, stretched, and put her plate in the wash water. She found she had a few people shadowing her movements and she smiled. They were going to keep a close eye on her for a while, she supposed.

  "The air is so fragrant. There are roses nearby." Corinne said absently. She was thinking about something that gave her great pleasure.

  "Yes actually many roses and other blooms as well." Chelsea chimed in. She had spent the morning enjoying the view. The landscape was surely heaven inspired.

  "Oh.." Corinne gasped as the beauty of the fertile valley also took her aback. No landscaper or gardener could ever plan a more thrilling garden. Its wild tangle was calling to Corinne and if she hadn't had company nearby she would have certainly lost her composure and shown her excitement like a child. Her face gave away all the joy she felt and more than one observer saw the natural unhindered passion she felt. It was a very charming and attractive look for her.