by Leah Banicki
"She is certainly a smart one." Corinne said to Clive, seeing him smile as he watched her paint.
"Yes, this will certainly help us get back to this spot. We will have her mark rocks on our way back too. We should set up our rest stop here, we have some shade and the water will need to be dug out some more." He spoke to Bluebird and the scouts as they all began to work together on the tents.
Corinne and Bluebird were learning to work well together. Corinne looked forward to being able to talk with her. Clive told Corinne that Bluebird was sent to learn from her about the medicine and would then pass it along to their healers. Corinne was anxious to learn to speak her language and teach her English, as well.
The traveling party rested in short order and when they awoke to the smell of coffee and biscuits they got to work quickly digging out the water spring for easier access for the animals in a few days. They had a great distance to travel to reach the wagon train but they knew the efforts would greatly benefit everyone.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
July 20 1848
Corinne was excited to see the wagon train in view. The dust was an unwelcome part but Corinne was nearly running to Chelsea when she finally wove her way through the wagons. The hug was endearing and several kisses for Brody completed Corinne's joy. The two women spoke until late in the evening. Corinne kept all romantic thoughts about Lucas to herself. It was confusing to bring Chelsea into this situation when they did not know what it was exactly.
* * * * *
Clive took the opportunity to introduce Bluebird and the young men to the crew. Everyone did their best to make them feel welcome. They were very quiet when Clive wasn’t around but Corinne was already working on her Chinook and few Shoshone words that she had heard. She was determined to make them as comfortable as possible. The information Clive had gleaned from the Shoshone proved very helpful and with a small detour following Bluebird's painted rocks they were able to restock water supplies and make it through the dry South Pass with fewer animal deaths. Water barrels were full of fresh clear spring water and tempers were cooled.
* * * * *
With the success of the South pass behind them the wagon train moved forward. Corinne came back and settled into the daily routine gladly wanting something to distract herself from thinking about Lucas, but failing nearly every minute.
Chelsea suspected there was something between them but only questioned Lucas.
"Corinne looks at you differently now." Chelsea was preparing dough for biscuits and glanced his way as he sipped coffee near the fire. Lucas harrumphs in the traditional male way of expressing dislike at the topic of conversation.
"You try not to look at her at all. You don't always succeed." Chelsea nearly chuckled as Lucas blushed a little.
"I have a deep respect for her."
"We all do Lucas. Just letting you know, I'm here if you need to talk." Chelsea watched him chug down the rest of his coffee probably burning his mouth in the process. He was trying to escape her questions. What he didn’t know was how much he communicated with his actions. Men were the silly ones sometimes.
* * * * *
The excitement of Fort Bridger was the next great milestone. The ability to send word to loved ones back East was on everyone's lips. A pony express post had been added and nearly every wagon would be taking advantage of it. Corinne had several letters for her Aunt and Angela, no matter what the expense. She pondered the idea of sending word to her father but knowing she was headed in that direction herself it would be wasteful to do since she might arrive before it does.
The hot days of summer were going to be a memory soon. The mountains were ahead with the unforgiving terrain and the snowy slopes that would test and try them before the journey's end. Everyone had their own idea about how they would cross the mountains and they secretly feared the unknown, except for those who had already crossed and lived to tell.
The hot dry weather had Corinne longing impatiently for the scenery to change. The weeks were slow in passing. They all tried to keep their spirits up but everyone was feeling the same sluggish exhausting strain of the trail. The daily grind was interrupted one morning when Chelsea had an announcement.
"Well, I guess morning coffee is a good enough time for our news, and I wanted everyone to know Russell and I are expecting another child." Chelsea was rewarded with a cheer and everyone jumped up from their seats to share hugs and handshakes with the mother and father-to-be.
Clive gave Russell some good-natured ribbing about his being too busy on the trail for those sorts of shenanigans. Everyone laughed and loved the idea of another young Grant baby.
"Corinne, I can't wait to see you this way someday." Chelsea winked at Corinne over her mug of water. "You will surely make and excellent mother." Corinne blushed and felt her eyes drawn to Lucas across the fire. His eyes locked on hers for a several seconds before she lost track of the conversation. The slow dark gaze of Lucas held her captive for a minute. He agreed silently with Chelsea. His eyes spoke volumes of words they shouldn't say. There was an uncomfortable silence and Corinne broke her gaze and attempted to say something but was at a loss.
Clive broke the silence and his grin split his face in two. "She surely will be a great mother and she has lots of knowledge to pass on to her young'ns."
Corinne was trying to keep conversation up with Chelsea but her awareness of a certain person was making her batty. She needed to remember that there was no reason to change her feelings now when the uncertainty of his current relationship was still unknown.
The subject moved on to lighter things as they discussed baby names and future plans. Soon even that became part of the everyday routine. Chelsea was healthy and strong and had few troubles beyond the discomfort of walking so much or the jarring of the wagon when she needed rest.
The landscape passed by and everyone did their best to keep moving and survive.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
August 13 1848
Sidney Prince came by the fire for several mornings in a row. Corinne humored him but wondered if she needed to have another talk with him.
"Sidney, you are gonna make me choke on my coffee if you keep staring at me like that. It distracts me completely." Corinne put on her friendly smile but she was annoyed. She would endure his company but she was losing patience with his constant awkward compliments. She was getting sly looks from Cookie and the Blake brothers every time he showed up. She would always laugh but the teasing from them was adding to the situational annoyance. As soon as she finished her coffee she planned to escape to her wagon with some excuse to get away from him. Later when she walked along with Chelsea she shared her feelings out loud.
"I am not sure why Sidney doesn't understand. I just don't see him in that way." Corinne walked with Chelsea hugging Brody's warm little body as they moved along.
"See who in what way?" Lucas rode by and Corinne nearly jumped. They had avoided each other successfully for the last week. They hadn’t spoken much at all since the trip back from the Shoshone village.
"Corinne has an admirer, Lucas. He has deaf ears to her rejection." Chelsea was smiling as she said it with a wink in Corinne's direction to further her mortification.
"I do believe she has more than one admirer. I've heard her praises being sung by many in the wagon train." Lucas gave Corinne a glance then dismounted. He tied his horse to the back of the moving wagon after he removed the saddle and blanket.
"Well this particular young man is making himself a nuisance." Corinne shared, trying to keep her focus on Chelsea and not on the man behind her.
She blushed through a little teasing from Chelsea but was distracted when what sounded like a fight erupted close by. Lucas ran forward toward the sound and Corinne and Chelsea stayed back. They were learning to keep out of the trouble. Corinne could tell the wagon boss, Mr. Walters, was the loudest of the men hollering. Something about oxen and boys...
Corinne and Chelsea jumped up on the wagon box to get a better look.
Two teenage boys were being held by the scruff of the neck by Clive and another surviving scout, they all seemed unhappy. The yelling calmed to a harsh lecture and soon the information was shared with the whole train.
"These two young men had the night watch for the herd last night. They were found this morning asleep, not in the saddle but on the ground with blankets. They intentionally went to sleep and more than twenty oxen and ten horses are now missing." Mr. Walters was more than upset, and the crowd was joining with him in anger. The wagon train always herded the animals together at night to keep them safe from harm.
How many people would be unable to move forward without their oxen? A few men from every outfit went to survey the missing animals. The Blake brothers were back within a few minutes to say two of their oxen were gone.
The women were left behind as the men formed search parties for the missing oxen and horses. Corinne felt a little left out but decided to be calm. They had a good camp spot for now. The Boise River nearby was clean and with the men gone the women took the opportunity to clean out the wagons and take time for themselves.
Corinne pulled her mattress out and gave it a good thrashing. A few spiders had made webs high in the bonnet and with a long stick she cleared the pests from her wagon. A few leaky containers had made a few messes in Andrew's wagon.
Corinne tried to think of it as Reggie's wagon now but she realized all of Andrew's belongings were in it. Corinne was determined that not one item of Andrew’s would be left behind. With the hills starting to get steeper Corinne knew the temptation to lighten the load would be great. She would throw out her own clothes if necessary to keep mementos for Andrew's mother and father.
While helping Cookie scoop ashes out of the stove she got a visit from Clive and Mr. Walters.
"Pardon me Mrs. Temple." Mr. Walters had been quiet around Corinne since Andrew's death but Clive gave her a wink and cleared the air.
"Mrs. Corinne, how do you manage lookin perty when you are covered in soot and filth? I do declare..." Clive reached over and gave her shoulders a squeeze.
"Well, actually Clive it takes years of training in Boston. Society pressures a young lady to always look her best." She showed them a lopsided curtsy to be funny and was rewarded by laughter. "Well, Clive I do believe you are due for a shave yourself. I do declare..." She said in her best southern accent.
"Well, I was thinking of trying to grow my facial hair long enough to braid. Perhaps that may get me a new squaw wife. They do love them braids." Clive bent in a bow and watched Mr. Walters squirm. "I apologize, I believe Mr. Walters has a chore for ya Mrs. Temple."
Mr. Walters made a gesture for Clive to do the asking.
"Well Corinne dear, we gots a job for ya, if'n you are willing." Clive rubbed his jaw a second before spitting it out. "Well the two boys caught sleeping are going to get their punishment and we are wondering if you will look in on 'em when it's all done."
Corinne paled a moment. "What's the punishment?" She was dreading the answer, but knew the consequences of the boys’ actions were dire for the whole train.
"Ten lashes each, if it had been accidental they may have escaped with five but the fact that it was intentional has to be reckoned with." Mr. Walters spoke up. It was his place as the head of the train to lay down the law. Corinne knew she had no right to question it. She had never seen a man whipped before and wasn’t certain she wanted to now.
"We need to teach the boys a lesson and show everyone the importance of doing their duty for the good of all, but we also don't want infection to hurt these young men either. The West needs good strong men of integrity. It's no good to teach them the lesson and they die from the wounds."
Corinne paled again but nodded. "I will be available."
* * * * *
The search for the oxen and horses continued with little fruit for the effort. The traveling party had drawn some attention and with a strange twist some natives from the area had offered their services to help find the missing animals. They wanted a hundred dollars and twenty shirts or blankets to find the missing animals. They were politely refused but as the night wore on with no sign of the animals Clive negotiated the price to fifty dollars and ten shirts. With handshakes and the deal settled upon the leader of the small group of Indians yipped and yelled and they left in a rush. After midnight the Indians rounded a hill, crossed a shallow part of the nearby creek, and returned the animals.
Clive told Corinne the next day he was certain the local Cayuse Indians probably took the oxen and horses when they saw the boys sleeping near the fire. They just wanted the money and the shirts to trade at Fort Boise. The two Shoshone men laughed with Clive as they talked over the trick the other native people had played. Bluebird sat near the women and stayed quiet. Corinne tried to communicate but knew only a few words to make conversation. They would have more time as they traveled to share their language. Bluebird and Chelsea were fast friends; Chelsea had learned the language from her grandfather and was taking on the task of teaching her English. Brody loved his new female friend and lovingly called her "Dolly," it was so close in pronunciation to her real name. Bluebird made it clear that was what she wanted to be called soon after.
* * * * *
Corinne had nightmares the night before the whipping. She woke up with dread and the screaming of the boys’ whipping in her head. She was up and preparing her kit before she even had her coffee. She wasn’t sure if she would need to sew them up or clean out wounds or just try and prevent infection. She packed the best she could and said a prayer for bravery, she had done a lot of things to help people in her young life but usually it was after something had happened. She had never prepared to heal someone before they were hurt. Her stomach was jumpy and she had sweaty palms.
Sidney was waiting by the fire. His young boyish face a wash of admiration as Corinne walked out to the fire. He had a mug of coffee in one hand and another handed to her. She accepted it uncomfortably. She did not know what to do to discourage his attention. She had already told him once she was not interested, did she need to do it again?
"I heard Corinne, that you are going to doctor the boys getting whipped today." Sidney sounded excited about the events. She felt a sudden disgust at the sound of his voice. He was happy at the prospect of watching someone get punished.
Corinne knew it was necessary for the boys to be punished but she wasn’t going to delight in anyone’s mistakes or the pain they received for their actions.
"I am not a Doctor, Sidney." Corinne took a sip of her coffee and called Reggie over to the fire with a free hand. "I will try and prevent infection for the young men today as I would for anyone who has an injury of any kind."
"Well Corinne I must admit, after my ma's horse was missing yesterday morning I was about ready to beat those boys myself. My mother cried for hours, but when I found out they was getting a whipping I was happy. They caused a lot of trouble."
Corinne tried to ignore him but she failed and commented before her better judgment stopped her.
"Honestly Sidney, you are happy to hear someone is going to suffer agonizing pain?" Corinne asked him pointedly.
Cookie was coughing nearby to disguise a laugh at the sickened look on Sidney's face. He looked a bit like a guilty puppy.
"Well, no, well I mean the wagon train manifest says the punishment is a whipping, but I didn't know this would upset you so much." Sidney dumped half his coffee on her boots as he tried to back away from his current statements. "I misspoke Corinne. I am just lucky that I haven't fallen asleep on the night watch."
"Aren't you too young for the night watch? Isn't the age over eighteen for night watch duty?" Reggie chimed in to make Sidney crawl a little more. His company every morning this week had been a nuisance that was trying their patience. Cookie and Reggie shared a glance and were trying not to choke on their laughter.
"I turn eighteen in a few weeks. Certainly man enough for the job now. We joined the train late and they have a scheduled rotation. I wasn'
t needed." Sidney sounded pouty and defensive. His thin boyish shoulders slouched dejectedly.
"I will gladly aid you if you have any needs today, or any day, Corinne. I will go eat with my mother this morning but I will check in on you later." Sidney stood and was gone with a bound. Corinne didn’t even make an effort to wave because he never looked back. She had a feeling he was as resilient as a cactus. He would need no encouragement from her.
* * * * *
Clive and Lucas came by a few minutes after breakfast to escort Corinne to the front of the train. The boys were going to get their punishment before the wagons rolled out. Corinne was hoping to tend their wounds before they started traveling for the day. Treatment in a lurching wagon wasn’t going to be ideal but she was willing to do whatever was necessary.
The boys were scared but stoic. The morning wasn’t hot but they both were sweating a bit. Corinne could tell whom the parents where by the stressed looks on their faces, a mixture of regret and fear pasted on their foreheads.
The sun was rising with a yellow glow that would have put everyone in a good mood but the first duty was for every man and woman to witness the punishment being carried out.
