Read Online How the West Was Won (1963) by Louis L'amour - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Louis L'amour
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disappointment, defeat-all these they take in stride, living their lives with quiet persistence.
Eve thought of that as she looked from the shelter into the rain. Brutus was a good man, and it was too bad it was not he whom she wanted. Not that he had ever indicated any interest in her, more than a normal, friendly interest. Zebulon squinted his eyes against the rain that hammered his cheeks, staring ahead, searching the river for snags. Lilith was fighting a rope, trying to tie the tent more securely over the frame, for a fierce gust of wind had torn it loose.
Watch yourself, Lil! he shouted, striving to be heard above the rumble of thunder and the rush of rain and wind. You be careful! He could no longer see the Harvey raft, for rain had blotted out everything. The river seemed to be rushing swifter ... was it the rain and wind that made it seem so?
Anxiously, Zebulon peered ahead. One boy wounded and the other sickly ... the girls trying hard to make up for Sam. He had never realized how much he had come to depend on Sam until now; suddenly, strangely, one half of his mind began to think of him, while the other half tried to estimate the river and fought with it.
Surprisingly, he actually had no idea what his son was like. A man has children and he takes them for granted; they are his, they have grown up in his home, and in many ways he knows them. And then he realizes of a sudden that they are people-individuals with thoughts, dreams, and ambitions perhaps far different from anything he had ever known.
He thought of Sam, comparing him to the girls-to Lilith, who did not know what she wanted ... or hadn't found the words for it, at least; and to Eve, who pointed at what she wanted with quiet persistence. Sam had seen through him. He had commented upon him going off to see that show and those show-folk. Sam had seen that in him, read him for his dreams, and it had made Zebulon suddenly shy before his son. Sam had understood at least something of him; but what did he know of Sam?
Suddenly, from the front of the raft, Zeke turned and cupped his hands. Pa! he yelled against the wind. It's the falls! The falls of the Ohio! Shocked, Zebulon strained to his full height, staring through the veil of rain.
It could not be ... it simply could not be. The falls were on the other channel. Unless-unless they had missed it. Where were the Harveys? After all, they couldn't be that far ahead of him. Somehow he had missed the channel, and now the Harveys were gone, down the other side.
Fear rose within him. He fought it down, fought the ugly taste of it in his throat. There was no white water in sight, but Zeke was right: he could feel the pull of the current, he could feel the power of it against the raft, against his oar.
Now there was a dark smoothness to the water, and the raft seemed to gather speed. He had been warned that he would see no white water, not until too late, and that the rapids would seem anything but alarming. Only one who had tried to navigate those waters could understand their danger ... it all looked so easy, so smooth.
Zeke shouted again, panic in his voice. Ahead Zebulon saw a huge rock, water boiling over it. Beyond it, he saw another.
Fear flooded over him like an icy wave. Desperately, Zebulon worked at the long sweep, but even as he fought the current, he knew how little he could do with the cumbersome raft in that strong current that was already sucking them toward the rocks.
The raft was no longer simply swept along by the current, it had become like a live thing, plunging and bounding upon the boiling water. Suddenly, as the bow of the raft lifted on a swell of rushing water, the wind caught the tent that had been tied over the framework to roof the house. The canvas billowed up like a great balloon, and Lilith caught wildly at the edge. In the next instant she was jerked over the side and plunged into the racing water, the canvas ripping loose and going with her. As she surfaced in the racing
Eve thought of that as she looked from the shelter into the rain. Brutus was a good man, and it was too bad it was not he whom she wanted. Not that he had ever indicated any interest in her, more than a normal, friendly interest. Zebulon squinted his eyes against the rain that hammered his cheeks, staring ahead, searching the river for snags. Lilith was fighting a rope, trying to tie the tent more securely over the frame, for a fierce gust of wind had torn it loose.
Watch yourself, Lil! he shouted, striving to be heard above the rumble of thunder and the rush of rain and wind. You be careful! He could no longer see the Harvey raft, for rain had blotted out everything. The river seemed to be rushing swifter ... was it the rain and wind that made it seem so?
Anxiously, Zebulon peered ahead. One boy wounded and the other sickly ... the girls trying hard to make up for Sam. He had never realized how much he had come to depend on Sam until now; suddenly, strangely, one half of his mind began to think of him, while the other half tried to estimate the river and fought with it.
Surprisingly, he actually had no idea what his son was like. A man has children and he takes them for granted; they are his, they have grown up in his home, and in many ways he knows them. And then he realizes of a sudden that they are people-individuals with thoughts, dreams, and ambitions perhaps far different from anything he had ever known.
He thought of Sam, comparing him to the girls-to Lilith, who did not know what she wanted ... or hadn't found the words for it, at least; and to Eve, who pointed at what she wanted with quiet persistence. Sam had seen through him. He had commented upon him going off to see that show and those show-folk. Sam had seen that in him, read him for his dreams, and it had made Zebulon suddenly shy before his son. Sam had understood at least something of him; but what did he know of Sam?
Suddenly, from the front of the raft, Zeke turned and cupped his hands. Pa! he yelled against the wind. It's the falls! The falls of the Ohio! Shocked, Zebulon strained to his full height, staring through the veil of rain.
It could not be ... it simply could not be. The falls were on the other channel. Unless-unless they had missed it. Where were the Harveys? After all, they couldn't be that far ahead of him. Somehow he had missed the channel, and now the Harveys were gone, down the other side.
Fear rose within him. He fought it down, fought the ugly taste of it in his throat. There was no white water in sight, but Zeke was right: he could feel the pull of the current, he could feel the power of it against the raft, against his oar.
Now there was a dark smoothness to the water, and the raft seemed to gather speed. He had been warned that he would see no white water, not until too late, and that the rapids would seem anything but alarming. Only one who had tried to navigate those waters could understand their danger ... it all looked so easy, so smooth.
Zeke shouted again, panic in his voice. Ahead Zebulon saw a huge rock, water boiling over it. Beyond it, he saw another.
Fear flooded over him like an icy wave. Desperately, Zebulon worked at the long sweep, but even as he fought the current, he knew how little he could do with the cumbersome raft in that strong current that was already sucking them toward the rocks.
The raft was no longer simply swept along by the current, it had become like a live thing, plunging and bounding upon the boiling water. Suddenly, as the bow of the raft lifted on a swell of rushing water, the wind caught the tent that had been tied over the framework to roof the house. The canvas billowed up like a great balloon, and Lilith caught wildly at the edge. In the next instant she was jerked over the side and plunged into the racing water, the canvas ripping loose and going with her. As she surfaced in the racing
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