Chapter 10

       The day was nearly done now. The darkness of the night blurred all vision. Reading the map at that time of day was almost impossible. The dull lamp hanging from the wagon was the only source of light. Pa insisted on searching for a place to camp out for the night. 

        “The oxen are acting strange again! Are you listening to me, Lydia?”

        Blatant Snores came from inside the wagon.

        “She’s flaked out, Pa,” I said, ¨but I’m awake as can be.”

        “Me too,” Charlie added.

        “Alright, would y’all help me set up camp? One of you round up the oxen, and one of you stick those rocks beneath the wheels.” 

        “I call roundin’ up the oxen!” I blurted out before Charlie had the chance. 

        “Fine, I didn’t want to round 'em up anyways.”

        The wagon had very little room; we had to take almost everything out so we had somewhere to sleep. Even then, Pa needed to set up an extra tent outside the wagon. I made sure all the oxen were accounted for, and then I filled a tin pail with water for the oxen to drink. The last thing I remember from that night was settling into the wagon and drifting off into a deep sleep. It’s easy to fall asleep after a long day of walking on a 2,000-mile trail. 

*** 

I woke up… but I didn't know what from. There was tension in the air; something wasn’t right. Heavy footsteps came from outside the wagon; deep whispers could easily be heard. Pots clanged, and I heard things being dropped. I nudged Charlie.

        “Charlie.” I whispered.

        “Huh? Will? What’s going on?” Charlie asked.

        “I’m not sure,” I said. 

        I crept over and peaked my head just enough to see outside the wagon. Charlie followed my lead. There were men! Three of them! 

¨Mama! They’re taking everything, Mama! Wake up, Mama!”

        Loud pops filled the air.

        ¨Gun shots,¨ Charlie said in a whisper. ¨Gun shots,¨ he repeated louder that time. I attempted to cover Charlie's eyes.

        ¨Mama! Pa’s out there!”

Lifeless oxen’ bodies hit the ground one after another like dominos… they shot them, all of them. At this point, I was holding back tears, but Charlie's dam had crumbled, and the tears were streaming down his frightened face. The men must have heard Charlie’s cries because they were stumbling on their feet and grabbing things even faster. Pa sprung out of the tent and quickly realized what was happening. 

        "Run!" one of the men shouted. 

        Fearlessly, Pa grabbed one of the men and fought back before they could escape. He managed to get on top of the man and hold him down, but it was one against three. 

         "Pa, gun!" I yelled, but it was too late. 

        One of the men shot him… I watched, unable to say anything through my cries. The sorrowful feeling was heavy like a 50-pound weight that had just been balanced on my head. The three local men hopped on their horses and trotted away through the misty morning meadow, their hands full of things they had just wrongfully stolen. Hundreds of dollars worth of goods washed away in an instant. But that's not what I worried about.

        "Pa!" Charlie said through his cries.

        Hurriedly we scrambled out of the wagon. Pa laid motionless in the wet grass. Blood was seeping out endlessly from where he had been shot. 

        “Will, Charlie, look away,” Ma said.

        I grabbed Charlie's arm and headed away from Pa’s limp body. 

        “They took everything,” I started, “I knew this could happen, it happened to Lewis and Clark… but to us? They didn’t get it this bad.”

        “Will, Will, look!”

        I'm shocked by the sight.

        “Charlie! You pesky genius!”

-Braelyn C.