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Authors: Nancy Johnson
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and other horses grazed, wanting contact with their own kind.
Activities began early the next morning. Sounds and smells drifted up toward the two young horses even before the sun came up. The men were sectioning off large shady areas with split log tables for eating; the women were stirring and baking all sorts of food over and around the cooking fires. The children, finished with breakfast, were playing stick ball, laughing and running, doing their best to stay out of the way of the adults.
Running Deer, the young Indian brave who led the children out to see Cherokee and Sunee the night before, was a handsome 10 year old boy who accepted responsibility willingly, and again, this day, looked after the camp children and the wagon train children. He made sure that the stick ball teams were as evenly matched as possible, assigning the older children the positions of running for the ball, allowing the little ones to stay in the confines of the play area. When one of them fell and scratched a knee or hand, he was first to doctor it to make it better. As the morning wore on and the younger children tired, he carried them to the shade of nearby trees to rest.
Cherokee and Sunee watched with interest as the children ran and played and laughed that morning.
“See, Cherokee, how the boy cares for the little ones?” asked Sunee.
“Yes,” answered Cherokee. “He is kind. I am glad we followed the wagon train this far and made so many new friends. But we will soon have to go our own way. They travel slowly and I want to move at a faster pace.”
“Alright,” agreed Sunee. “When do you want to go?”
“Let’s go now. We can swim across the great water.”
“But didn’t you tell me that the wagons and animals will have to cross on logs tied together?” questioned Sunee.
“Well, yes. But we are young and strong and do not have things to carry,” he said.
So they trotted around the large camp of Chickasaw Bluffs. Not far on the other side, they came upon the Mississippi River. It was so wide and the water so dark. It was not fast, but it looked wild and dangerous.
“Oh, Cherokee.” Said Sunee. “We cannot swim across that!”
“Well, maybe if we walk this way we will finda narrower place,” suggested Cherokee.
So they turned south leaving the people behind them. For many hours they walked, stopping only long enough to drink or grab a mouthful of grass along the way. But the river only got wider and wilder.
“Cherokee, let’s go back,” said Sunee. “Maybe we can do what Man does when he crosses the river.”
“I don’t know, Sunee,” considered Cherokee. “We cannot make logs stay together.”
“But we can watch to see how he gets his horses and cattle across.”
“Yes, that’s true. Alright. Let’s go back and wait for Man to cross the great river. We can go our own way once on the other side,” decided Cherokee.
While they were gone, Man had put some of the food on the tables and were cutting great slices of roasting meat from the venison and pigs cooked over the fires. Joseph and Dancing Eagle both offered a prayer, thanking God for the great bounty of food and fellowship. The children were fed first, then the men and women saw to their plates. When everyone was full and satisfied with their meal and dessert, the children helped their mothers clear away the food and utensils, while the men relaxed in the pale November sunshine to smoke and talk about the crossing of the Mississippi.
“The river is not easy to cross,” offered Dancing Eagle, puffing on his pipe.
Joseph gave some thought to that statement. “But you said it could be crossed by poling rafts across.”
“Yes, that is true. It takes great effort. Many men must work hard and only one wagon and team can cross at a time.”
“Do you have more than one flat boat?” asked Joseph.
“Yes. We have three. But one needs repair,” said the Indian leader.
Joseph thought about that for a while and then said, “Tomorrow, at
Activities began early the next morning. Sounds and smells drifted up toward the two young horses even before the sun came up. The men were sectioning off large shady areas with split log tables for eating; the women were stirring and baking all sorts of food over and around the cooking fires. The children, finished with breakfast, were playing stick ball, laughing and running, doing their best to stay out of the way of the adults.
Running Deer, the young Indian brave who led the children out to see Cherokee and Sunee the night before, was a handsome 10 year old boy who accepted responsibility willingly, and again, this day, looked after the camp children and the wagon train children. He made sure that the stick ball teams were as evenly matched as possible, assigning the older children the positions of running for the ball, allowing the little ones to stay in the confines of the play area. When one of them fell and scratched a knee or hand, he was first to doctor it to make it better. As the morning wore on and the younger children tired, he carried them to the shade of nearby trees to rest.
Cherokee and Sunee watched with interest as the children ran and played and laughed that morning.
“See, Cherokee, how the boy cares for the little ones?” asked Sunee.
“Yes,” answered Cherokee. “He is kind. I am glad we followed the wagon train this far and made so many new friends. But we will soon have to go our own way. They travel slowly and I want to move at a faster pace.”
“Alright,” agreed Sunee. “When do you want to go?”
“Let’s go now. We can swim across the great water.”
“But didn’t you tell me that the wagons and animals will have to cross on logs tied together?” questioned Sunee.
“Well, yes. But we are young and strong and do not have things to carry,” he said.
So they trotted around the large camp of Chickasaw Bluffs. Not far on the other side, they came upon the Mississippi River. It was so wide and the water so dark. It was not fast, but it looked wild and dangerous.
“Oh, Cherokee.” Said Sunee. “We cannot swim across that!”
“Well, maybe if we walk this way we will finda narrower place,” suggested Cherokee.
So they turned south leaving the people behind them. For many hours they walked, stopping only long enough to drink or grab a mouthful of grass along the way. But the river only got wider and wilder.
“Cherokee, let’s go back,” said Sunee. “Maybe we can do what Man does when he crosses the river.”
“I don’t know, Sunee,” considered Cherokee. “We cannot make logs stay together.”
“But we can watch to see how he gets his horses and cattle across.”
“Yes, that’s true. Alright. Let’s go back and wait for Man to cross the great river. We can go our own way once on the other side,” decided Cherokee.
While they were gone, Man had put some of the food on the tables and were cutting great slices of roasting meat from the venison and pigs cooked over the fires. Joseph and Dancing Eagle both offered a prayer, thanking God for the great bounty of food and fellowship. The children were fed first, then the men and women saw to their plates. When everyone was full and satisfied with their meal and dessert, the children helped their mothers clear away the food and utensils, while the men relaxed in the pale November sunshine to smoke and talk about the crossing of the Mississippi.
“The river is not easy to cross,” offered Dancing Eagle, puffing on his pipe.
Joseph gave some thought to that statement. “But you said it could be crossed by poling rafts across.”
“Yes, that is true. It takes great effort. Many men must work hard and only one wagon and team can cross at a time.”
“Do you have more than one flat boat?” asked Joseph.
“Yes. We have three. But one needs repair,” said the Indian leader.
Joseph thought about that for a while and then said, “Tomorrow, at
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