Page 23 of Wagon Train Song
She patted his arm. “He’s safe.”
“Thank God.”
She wasn’t about to argue.
Walt helped Gabe put the branch in the wheels of the last wagon, and Gabe guided the oxen over the edge.
One wheel hit a rock and bounced. The back of the wagon flew upward.
Gabe, get out of the way!But Gabe goaded the oxen to walk on, and the wagon landed again on all fours with a thud that shook Marnie’s bones. By the time the wagon reached the bottom, her head spun from how she’d held her breath.
Wait. Why was he climbing the hill? What had he forgotten? But she saw nothing.
“Okay, ladies, let’s get down.” He sat beside Bertie. “Are you ready to go?”
He’d come to help them. A lump clogged her chest.
“It’s scary,” Bertie whimpered.
“I’ll show you what to do. See we don’t actually walk. We stay sitting and move just a little at a time. You’ll have to let go of Limpy and Alice though. They know what to do.”
Bertie looked to Marnie. “Mama?”
“Mr. Gabe is right. You’ll only hinder them by hanging on to them.”
Bertie hugged Alice. “We go down.” He squeezed Limpy. “You go too.”
The cats sat preening themselves in the sunshine.
“You come.” His chest expanded as he drew in a breath. “Mama, I go when you go.”
“Of course.” It wouldn’t be graceful but necessary, and she sat beside him, her skirts drawn around her legs. But she waited until the girls started down and she had some assurance Hazel could manage. “I’m ready.” She kept a slow pace as she and Gabe escorted Bertie downhill.
Walt rode his horse along the trail the wagons had taken, leading Cecil’s. The cats stayed where they were until Bertie reached the bottom and called them.
Marnie looked upward in silent prayer of gratitude for God’s safe guidance.
The wagons trundled across the narrow valley and came to rest at the foot of an equally steep hill. How would they ever reach the top? Why had she thought this journey was a good idea?
Gabe knewwhat they had to do even before Joe spoke.
“We’ll hitch all the oxen to one wagon.”
Someone gasped, but Gabe didn’t turn to see who it was. It would take the rest of the morning, and the oxen would be needing a break before all three wagons reached the top. He didn’t ask Joe if there was a good place up ahead to stop. The man seemed to know the trail. Certainly, better than any of the others including Gabe. But how were Bertie and the ladies faring? This hadn’t been an easy morning.
Hazel, especially, had a difficult task. He’d offer to carry the baby up the hill, but she’d probably refuse. At the moment, she was giving Petey a snack.
Marnie, sitting with the ladies, reached over and took Angela’s hand. Whatever she said made all the girls smile.
Gabe refocused on getting the oxen into place. Sid and Sal bellowed and refused to back up to Fred and Pat. They tossed their heads and balked.
Bertie, seeing their nervousness, trotted over, and whispered in Sid’s ear and then Sal’s. He stepped back but stayed close to the animals. “They go now.”
The pair of oxen dipped their heads and cooperated.
Had Marnie noticed how Bertie handled the oxen? From her satisfied nod, she must’ve.
By the time Sal and Sid were in place, Cecil had brought Zeb and Pike. Again, Bertie whispered them into place.
