Chapter 2: Westward Ho!

Jan 11, 1857

The fog was thick when we left this morning, seeming to hover four or five feet above the surface of the water, just high enough that we could see where we were going. The diffused light helped light our route. When we divided the wagons between the rafts, Penny and Flo wanted to go with Emma and me so they could talk to their friends. Flo is my age, only a year older than the girls are, and finds comfort in being with someone her own age. Besides, Emma and Penny were now fast friends with Flo.

It was cold on the river as the wind whipped across the water, the damp air chilling us as an occasional tendril of fog found us. The Wilkes family wagon joined our two on our raft. It took four rafts to carry our wagons and livestock.

The rafts were simple log rafts with rough-hewn planking nailed across them to provide a smoother surface, to help hold them together, and to make footing less treacherous. A crude, three-sided enclosure near the front of the raft kept the worst of the wind’s chill wind away, and we parked our wagons inside it. There was a similar structure near the rear where the four members of the crew stayed, except they used tents instead of wagons. Two men were on duty at all times and called on us or the other two men if they needed more help.

The crew brought their own horses, planning to sell the rafts to a lumber mill when we arrived in Shawneetown. Then they would ride home and build new rafts. They had a few men in their group who weren’t needed on this trip and had stayed behind building more rafts to accommodate other travelers looking for passage downriver.

Even though Flo had her own wagon, she and Penny spent each night inside our wagon. They started each night near the rear of the wagon, allowing Emma and me a little private husband and wife time. Almost as soon as we finished, though, the girls joined us, crowding under our blankets to preserve body heat. I woke up each morning holding Emma. One night Flo would be snuggled against my back, and the next it would be Penny. They were always under the covers with us so quickly that I didn’t even have time to pull on my long johns.

Our final morning on the river, I woke up well before dawn with Flo snuggled behind me and her hand where it didn’t belong. I lay perfectly still trying to figure a way out of the situation without embarrassing anyone but me. I finally decided to pretend I was still asleep and to move a little to dislodge Flo’s hand. I didn’t dislodge the hand when I moved, but she quickly pulled it back after I moved. Realizing that she was awake, I was too stunned to be able to make sense of why she was knowingly doing this. Several minutes later, I got up quickly to relieve the hydraulic pressure, dressed and went outside to add more water to the river.

I jumped when a pair of arms circled my waist from behind me. “Are you upset?” Emma asked nervously.

I thought about denying any knowledge of what she meant, but didn’t want to lie to my wife. “Shocked and worried about what you’d think if you noticed her doing it, but not necessarily upset,” I answered as I turned to put my arms around her as well.

“She was only married for two months, and her husband wasn’t much of a man.” Emma giggled at the last part as she wiggled her pinky finger to simulate the size Flo’s husband had been. “Even though it’s almost dark in the wagon, there’s enough light for both Flo and Penny to watch us. Flo was worried that you were hurting me because you’re so big. I promised her that I enjoyed every minute of it,” she giggled.

“Still, she shouldn’t be touching another woman’s husband. I guess, I shouldn’t have even been lying next to her, either,” I sighed.

Emma’s kiss left me breathless and left me less worried about her being upset about the situation.

“Will you still love me if I tell you something terrible about myself?” she asked pensively.

“I don’t think there could be anything terrible about you, but I’m sure I’d still love you,” I answered, kissing her to prove what I said.

I was shocked to learn that Emma had been “helping” Flo with her problem.

Is that going to cause any problems between the two of us?” I asked nervously.

Emma let out the breath she’d held while awaiting my reaction. “Not unless you’re angry with me,” she said quietly.

“I don’t think I could ever be angry with you,” I replied soothingly as I caressed her face.

“What would you think about having two wives?” she asked coyly.

I stared at her in shock for nearly a minute. “We haven’t even been married for a month,” I protested.

“But we’ve known each other for years,” she replied. “Besides, if she joins our marriage, she brings seventeen thousand dollars into the family,” Emma reminded me.

“No,” I answered, shaking my head. “If I agree, it won’t be because of her money. I have to get to know her better to make sure she will fit in with us. I don’t know how long that will take, and you can continue helping her until then,” I replied.

I jumped when a pair of arms snaked around me from behind again. “I told you the money wouldn’t matter to him,” Emma commented proudly.

“I know, but I was still worried. My last husband was arrogant and brutal, and I need to be positive my next choice treats me better,” she sighed. “From the way Jim treats you and everyone around him, I think he’s the one. This morning was the second time I tried something. Rather than try to take advantage of either time, he’s gotten up and left both times,” she said.

“He and I used to go skinny-dipping every summer since we were little kids. I kissed him the first time when I was nine and he was ten. We started kissing a lot more when we were a few years older. Even when we kissed while we were skinny-dipping, he never tried to take advantage of me. I knew then how much he loved me,” Emma sighed.

“So, you’ll give me a chance?” Flo asked me anxiously.

“Yes, I’ll give you a chance. I already know that you’re a good person. Your slaves speak highly of you, and you married someone you didn’t like in order to save your father. I know that you’re smart; I saw that in your comments while we were trying to decide where to go. You get along with Emma and my sister, and that’s important. Now, the two of you need to start softening up my mother and Emma’s mother so they don’t get upset about us spending so much time together,” I warned.

I was rewarded with two kisses, and with Emma dragging me back into the wagon. When she kissed Penny too, well, it caused my mind to wander.

“I hope you’re not angry with Penny, she helped me survive until we got married or I would have dragged you off to one of the haystacks two years ago,” Emma said suggestively.

“Once again, I’m surprised, but not angry. We’re going to have to find someone for Penny soon, though,” I said, looking at Penny and remembering the beginnings of her womanly figure from our skinny-dipping last summer.

Despite my earlier protestations, I did allow Flo a passionate kiss, enjoying the feel of her feminine softness against me. I gave Emma a similar kiss, and even gave Penny a quick peck on the lips before leaving the wagon again.

We didn’t reach Shawneetown until it was almost dark. We would have made it during daylight but had to tie up one night for several hours when the fog became too thick to see where we were going. I spent the final day fishing and getting to know Flo better. The Wilkes family and the three women took turns sharing the fishing chore with me and we had quite a haul by the time we landed. I was surprised that we had everything ashore less than half an hour after tying up. The fish were hanging from thick stringers attached to the back of my wagon.

We found the field that the crew told us we could use for the night and quickly had fish cooking for dinner. I don’t know what was said, but noticed Emma and Flo spent time with both Emma’s mother and mine. When we went to bed, Emma and I performed our nightly ritual. When we finished, it was my turn to watch Emma and Flo together.

Noting my condition when they finished with Penny, Emma, and Flo both dealt with the issue. After that, we went to sleep, me with Flo’s blonde head on one shoulder, Emma’s brunette head on the other, my red hair in between and Penny cuddled against Emma’s back. I fell asleep thinking there were worse ways to fall asleep, but not many better ones.

Jan 17

Both women smiled happily and gave me a kiss when I woke up. Despite the warmth under the covers, I decided that I needed to get up and get moving. One of the crewmen on our raft had mentioned a stream two miles outside of town. It flowed through a meadow a little south of the road we’d be taking. I scratched on the cover of the Wilkes’ wagon and Mr. Wilkes stuck his head out, his hair still rumpled from sleeping. He said that his wife would be out in a minute. We had planned last night for the two of us to hunt this morning. If we hunted near the road we’d be taking, it would be easier to find the wagons when we finished.

Dawn joined me, bringing her arsenal. I had to chuckle when she brought her bow, her Enfield, her repeating rifle, and her revolver. She just grinned and shrugged. We made our way to the horses, crunching through the new dusting of snow that froze over during the night. After saddling two horses and putting a packsaddle on each mule, we headed for the meadow.

When we returned triumphantly with two bucks, we met the already moving wagons about a mile outside of town. We hung a deer on each of the two hooks at the rear of my wagon. Emma gave me the johnnycakes and bacon she had saved for me; Flo gave the same to Dawn. Dawn hugged Flo, and then gave me a grin and a wink that left me wondering if she knew what was going on between the three of us.

Once we finished eating, Dawn and I turned our horses northwest, riding past Abram, one of Flo’s two slaves who knew how to ride a horse. Abram was riding with Dad and helping to drive the livestock, including the six pigs. I was surprised that the pigs hadn’t run off last night, but I had heard a couple of altercations between the dogs and the pigs. The dogs evidently won because they only had to feint towards one of the pigs today and the pigs instantly went in the desired direction.

We had crossed nine streams by the time we found a good place to stop for the night. Dawn’s endorsement of the site made me feel better about my choice, although I still felt a bit odd about making the decision for everyone about where we would camp. The rest of our group had stopped at the salt works just north of the town of Equality to eat a quick lunch and let the livestock drink from the nearby river. We had discussed buying salt at dinner last night and decided to buy three barrels since it was so cheap here. Any we didn’t use, we could trade, or could sell later for a substantial profit.

As we waited for the wagons to catch up with us, I gathered dry firewood and Dawn scouted along the river until she found a place where the deer went to drink so we could hunt again tomorrow morning. I started a cooking fire that was a good bed of coals when the wagons arrived. Shortly after they reached camp, the women had the two deer skinned, venison steaks cooking on metal grills over the fire, and a stew started for tomorrow’s lunch.

Our group’s tenth wagon was mostly empty. It carried two cast iron braziers, each secured to both sides of the wagon with a chain in a way that didn’t let the hot metal come within a foot of the wooden wagon bed. A shallow box of wet sand was directly beneath each brazier. Before leaving, I had mined enough chunks of coal from the outcrop at Flo’s place to fill a dozen barrels, and each wagon carried a barrel of coal.

The brazier wagon carried three barrels of coal since it was otherwise empty, and only carried one barrel of water. We had six large cast iron cooking pots that fit neatly inside the braziers to cook a stew or to keep food warm during the day while we traveled. The braziers had been Flo’s suggestion. We carried a third complete setup in case we damaged one or needed a third one for some reason.

When we went to bed, Emma and Flo bookended me. Penny snuggled in behind Emma. I decided to treat both women the same tonight, starting with Emma, and switching to Flo. When I turned back to Emma, she was smiling, but pulled Flo over. “She needs you, Jim,” Emma said, her voice almost begging. I was reasonably sure we would all get along together. I really did like Flo as a person and already felt protective of her. Afterwards, Flo lay on top of me sighing contentedly.

“After experiencing this, I really hope you decide to let me join you,” Flo sighed. I could hear the nervousness in her voice.

“This wouldn’t have happened unless I had already made the decision,” I confessed.

“Really?” she squealed excitedly.

I kissed her in answer. When I turned to look at Emma, she was smiling with happy tears in her eyes. Giving Flo’s delectable posterior a light swat, I reminded her that her sister wife might want a turn.

“I know,” sighed Flo, “I’m just enjoying you holding me like this.”

She finally moved off me, rolling to the side opposite Emma. “I just hope you’re still thanking me a year from now,” I replied nervously.

Jan 18

I chuckled silently when my internal clock told me it was time to get up in the morning. Both women grumbled in their sleep when I crawled out from between them. Given the tight confines of the wagon, by the time I was dressed, they had found each other in their sleep and were snuggled together in a lover’s embrace with Penny still pressed against Flo’s backside. The scene made me want to crawl back into bed, but I knew we had to hunt to help stretch our supplies and save money.

This time it was Dawn scratching on our wagon. “I’m surprised that you’re awake,” she kidded with a knowing grin as she nodded towards our wagon. I know that I blushed, and decided that silence was my best course.

Several minutes later we approached the stream, glad that the wind was blowing our way. Once we reached the low crest hiding the stream, we saw a herd of eighteen deer. I motioned for Dawn to choose one on the right side of the herd and I would take one on the left. We’d done this enough that our two shots sounded like a single shot, and two deer dropped.

After reloading the single empty chamber, I approached the two deer while Dawn went to get our horses and mules. Once I was sure they were dead, I took one final look around. As I did, I saw something move. Dropping to a kneeling position, I trained the rifle on the spot and watched. When I saw it again, it was a bobcat, one obviously perturbed that we had interrupted his hunt. Rather than wait to see if it left, I tracked it with the rifle as it stalked. When it stopped to glare at me again, I fired.

I was approaching it cautiously when Dawn galloped into the meadow. Still watching where I shot at the bobcat, I pantomimed cat ears, claws, and fangs, and then pointed to where I’d aimed. Dawn rode up to me and trained her rifle to where I pointed as I inched closer. My shot had been better than I thought, catching the cat in the head. When she saw the cat, Dawn gave a nod and grunt of approval, high praise from the Indian woman. The horses were skittish when they smelled the bobcat, but Rascal and Zeke weren’t fazed at all.

After loading the bobcat and two deer, we rode out to the road and waited for the wagons. While Dawn skinned the cat, I stood guard. I had just finished dragging the cat’s carcass into the trees when the wagons rounded the turn in the road. I hung the two deer on the back of my wagon and Dawn tossed the rolled-up bobcat pelt into her wagon. After I got kisses from both Emma and Flo, Dawn and I ate the breakfast they saved for us and took off to scout.