Canyon of Death Page 2

  “I kind of lean with Hemp,” Lem added.

  Josiah studied the men for a moment, before continuing. “Look, I ain’t leaving those folks in such a predicament—and that’s final! Here is my thinking.”

  * * *

  Josiah’s men used a mule team to lower a heavy barrel of water on a rope sling. None of the drovers offered to help Josiah at the bottom of the arroyo. That was fine with him, as he wanted to keep his distance.

  The mayor, his wife, and the others sat outside the largest tend, watching and waiting.

  Stopping at some distance, Josiah crouched down. “Here’s what I have in mind, after talking to my men. By the way, we have a former army sergeant with us, and he seems to know something about what’s probably ailing you folks. He thinks you’ve come across bad water. From right now, use only the water in the barrel we lowered. To make double sure, boil it before you use it. The sergeant figures that all the clothes and bedding that you’ve been using may spread the sickness. Our suggestion is that you burn your sleeping roles. You can keep the clothes you’re wearing, but first they got to be boiled. Then wash good with our water. It also seems like a good idea to drink lots of our water and sprinkle quinine in it. My suggestions make sense to you, Mr. Sparks?”

  “Heavens, we’ll try anything. Ain’t that right, men?” he said, looking around.

  “Perhaps, Mrs. Sparks can help tend to the sick, as she’s survived this outbreak once. I have the quinine you asked for, ma’am.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Mayor Sparks, the scrub grass in this ravine is nearly gone. Is there anything you want us to do?”

  The mayor seemed baffled by the question.

  Instead, Lisa Annie answered, “We got to find new grazing and soon. Would one of your men, please scout ahead to find more feed and water?”

  “Yes, I’ll send one of my men.”

  Her husband was looking in the direction of the bodies. “Ye folks will help us bury me dead comrades?”

  “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t ask them to take that risk. To be sure that the dead aren’t a continuing source of the illness, I suggest . . . that they be burned.”

  Immediately, shocked expressions appeared on their faces.

  “Ye want us to do what?” Mayor Sparks asked, suddenly very alarmed. “Be ye daft, man? Is there not a Christian bone in yer body?”

  Josiah watched him carefully. The man’s face was flushed, and his short speech seemed to sap his energy. Suddenly, he sat down on the ground. The faces of the others bore looks of disbelief.

  “That’s the most unchristian thing I’ve ever heard,” Lisa Annie stormed. “Why just the thought brings all kinds of images to me mind—it’d be like Lucifer’s inferno in hell for those poor souls.”

  “Believe me, I understand your shock. I was raised in a family of believers and have similar feelings. But, this isn’t a normal situation. You’ve already lost many. None of us is experienced in this situation, but there is one thing we do know—fire cleanses. You’ll recall your Bible verse, when Isaiah said, ‘The Lord will cleanse the bloodstains of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and fire.’ I’m not keen on the thought of burning the dead, but right now, you need to think about the living. Do you want to live or die?”

  “And not give them a decent burial,” the mayor stormed.

  Josiah stood quietly, letting his words sink in. “I can’t force any of you to take this advice, but my men and I are leaving if you don’t follow all of my directions. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but those are my terms. It’s your choice.”

  The group looked around, and shook their heads. Finally, James spoke. “Well, we’re in no position to argue. Despite our dislike for the task, we’ll do it after we’ve said the proper words.”

  “Good,” Josiah said, relieved that they had agreed to the precautions. “My group will camp on the ridge tonight. Follow my instructions carefully. Everything, clothing, food, utensils—anything else that’s been touched by you or the dead must be burned. Wash yourself and your clothes with the new water and don’t forget, boil it. In the supplies, you’ll find a jug of coal oil. Spread it over the whole lot and put a flame to it, after you’ve said your words.”

  * * *

  Josiah was anxious to leave “the valley of death,” as Lem and Hemp called the ravine. The next day, Vince and Hemp found new grazing, and the herd was moved up the trail to a small valley that also provided spring water. The two men stayed with the animals and the wagons.

  Mrs. Sparks tended to the ill, but three more men died while the rest seemed to get stronger. Mayor Sparks, however, was in a bad way. Late in the afternoon, Lisa Annie waved to Josiah on the ridge. “Please come down, Josiah. Me husband wishes to talk with ye.”

  Cautious about coming too close and anxious to leave the hellhole, he stopped a good ten feet from the Spark’s big tent.

  “Thank ye for coming, Josiah,” the mayor said. “Ye and yer men have given us hope, but I fear I’ll not be taking up the trail again.”

  Josiah heard his wife crying off to the side, and his own anguish was deep at the sorrow the party had encountered.

  “I’ve two last requests to make,” the mayor began, his voice shaky. “Me wife needs to be safely escorted to California. I realize ye are intending to travel to the northern part, and that’s fine. Will you please see her to yer destination?”

  As a tear ran down his face, Josiah nodded. “Of course, sir. We’re bound for a gold camp called Yreka, and I’ll see that she gets there.”

  “And what’s to become of the herd, young man.”

  “I’m not sure how to answer your question, sir.”

  “Think on it—each of them cows cost me twenty dollars. In a mining camp, they’ll likely fetch a hundred dollars apiece—maybe more because they’re Missouri and Arkansas bred and from back home. That was the whole idea behind driving such a large herd over the backbone of this country.”

  “Sir, I’m completely open to any thoughts you have.”

  “Will ye and yer men help me men see them through?”

  “We’ll try.”

  “Good, I’ll write out a bill of sale giving ye half of the herd in consideration for seeing me wife safely over the trail. She will own the rest and take care of the wages of the men still able to ride. Does that sound fair to you?”

  “What? My Lord, sir, that’s overly generous. You’re talking about giving away thousands of dollars.”

  “Aye, but they’ll not be doing me any good where I’m off to next. What does matter to me is that me wife is safe. I’ve had a good, long life, and she deserves the same. I once thought that I could provide it for her, but . . .,” his voice trailed off as his head dropped. Seeming to summon his remaining strength, he looked Josiah in the eye, “I give you and your men half of my wealth in exchange for your promise to see Lisa Annie to some form of civilization—even that God-awful sounding place ye call Yreka. With sale of the cattle, it’ll tide her over. Thems me terms,” the older man rasped. “Do ye agree?” The strain of talking was evident.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I believe ye, young man.”

  “I also have a concern, sir. With as few men as we have left, such a large herd will be hard to handle over the difficult trail that lies ahead. I’m told the land becomes more barren, rocky, with little water.”

  Now completely exhausted, the mayor whispered, “Do the best ye can.”

  * * *

  The next day, the nine surviving men, and Mrs. Sparks, were on the trail to the new camp. Behind them, plumes of black smoke rose high in the sky from the burning pyre.

  Mrs. Sparks was sobbing, and most of the men had tears in their eyes.

  Josiah suspected all of them shared a secrete guilt. Though thankful for having been spared, they would forever wear the mantle of living, while their friends had died all around them.

  Before leaving, Lem dug out black and white paint from the supply wagon and drew a crude warning sign on a flat rock.
Two skulls marked the canyon of death with the words “WARNING”—to mark the dwelling of the lurking killer. He called it another kind of frontier mail drop.

  Making the sign of the cross, Josiah said, “God rest your souls, boys,” and turned his horse west.

  ###

  Author’s Notes

  “Golden Showers”

  There were many dangers on the westward trail in the 1800s, but trouble from Native Americans was far from the greatest, despite the many novels and movies with that theme. Indians loved horses. If settlers got in the way of Indians stealing them, they might be injured or killed.

  Most deaths were accidental. Pulling a rifle by the barrel-end out of a wagon bed was one of the more common. The sometimes-clumsy, heavily laden wagons weighed several thousand pounds. If an adult or child got in the way, a limb could be crushed or a life lost.

  Yet, all these dangers paled when compared to the number who died from the “golden showers,” which was the real killer on the trail. Settlers contracted it from water polluted by people or animals. Some escaped its clutches by drinking other fluids (such as boiled coffee, milk, or whiskey). Others attempted to flee and joined another wagon train, only to have the disease follow by handling soiled clothing and bedding.

  Today, the disease has a name—cholera. It largely bypasses cattle and most animals, but causes watery diarrhea in humans. It becomes deadly when the body loses a massive quantity of fluid in a short period, and an infected person quickly becomes overly dehydrated. It is easily passed on by touching contaminated articles. Replacing fluids is the treatment. A water solution of sugar and electrolytes is the international cure.

  It is estimated that thousands died from this horrible disease on the trails west. Others witnessed a horrible sight along the trail—abandoned wagons and quickly dug graves, sometimes containing an entire family. Much of this could have been prevented by boiling drinking water.

  Sublette Cutoff

  The trail to Oregon comes to a fork, south of the Sandy River in Wyoming. Rather than continuing southwest to Fort Bridger, then northwest again to Fort Hall, the Sublette Cutoff bisected the geographic triangle, saving some ninety miles and a week’s travel time.

  Blazed by mountain men Caleb Greenwood and Isaac Hitchcock in 1844, it became a favorite with prospective gold miners eager to shorten the distance to California. The trail was hazardous, as half of the journey went through semi-desert areas where water was scarce. West of the Green River, the trail crossed high ridges at an elevation of eight thousand feet. Some of the grades were exceedingly steep and treacherous. Yet, the shortcut proved to be popular, and it was well traveled.

  Westward Bound Cattle Drives

  The Spaniards and Catholic priests introduced cattle to the Western Hemisphere during their early exploration and settlements. According to folklore, cattle drives always went northeast in the 1800s. Were there actually western cattle drives that crossed over the Rocky Mountains going west? The answer is yes.

  Mayor James Sparks of Fort Worth, Arkansas, a historical figure, led such a cattle drive west (and, to my knowledge, he survived the trip). He may not have been the first, nor was he the last. The people who flocked to the west in search of gold had a vast appetite for beef. California ranchers supplied much of it. Cows were also driven south from Oregon.

  Eastern bred “Missouri beef” sold for a premium, despite the rangy-looking cattle that resulted from walking thousands of miles. Some reports of the day say that a single animal could sell for upwards of five hundred dollars during the euphoric days following a new gold discovery.

  The Yreka area of California sits in a basin surrounded by towering mountains. This microenvironment possesses a combination of climate, topography, soil, and water. It is suited for ranching and agriculture, and responds to short growing seasons and the high altitude. The discovery of gold gave a major impetus to the rise of the local cattle industry as herds were driven to the camp to satisfy the miners.

  END

  From the author . . .

  The inspiration for my stories draws from my novels and family tales of settlers who journeyed to the American frontier in the 1800s. Their accounts, passed down through the generations, paint pictures of courageous and adventurous people—a hearty lot—who had perseverance, self-reliance, and, despite dangers and fears of the unknown wilderness, overcame their misgivings. Most were not famous or widely celebrated, yet they carved out homes, farms, and a life on the frontier, and, in the process, created a great nation. They are heroes in my eyes.

  From my research, I better understand the plight of early Native Americans. They were ultimately swept aside by the oncoming tide of settlers, despite being fierce and resourceful. There came a time for compassion by the conquering invaders. In too many instances, it did not occur and remains a part of America’s legacy.

  Thank you for reading this book.

  Richard Puz

  Here are other books for your review ~

  Novels in the Six Bulls Series ~

  Six Bulls-The Ohioans (print and e-book versions)

  Rafting from Ohio to Missouri down the big rivers of America, pioneers load their families and possessions on flatboats, seeking a new life on the American frontier. Adventures abound during their exciting and dangerous trip.

  The Carolinian (print versions)

  Abraham learns how to be a man during the Battle of New Orleans and applies those principles on his tobacco plantation in North Carolina. Shunning slavery, he moves his family west. Their adventures produce a riveting account of pioneer life in the wilds of a new country, while battling the ever-present Hooker, the slaver.

  Avenge (e-book version)

  The theft of prized horses sets a young man on a journey of adventure. On the trail of the last outlaw, he roams the vast wild American frontier, following the murder and rapist, as they clash in an epic battle of wits. Only one can survive.

  Short Stories (e-books) ~

  Abraham

  Young raw-recruit Abraham is exposed to the terror of war during the Battle for New Orleans. A frontiersman provides the wisdom to help him become a hero.

  Arkansas Storm

  Pioneers on flatboats are towed by a steamboat when they run into a storm that threatens their lives and the loss of all they own.

  Beanblossom Creek

  Chief Black Hawk’s men are on the warpath and Captain Custis Cauley and his militiamen are waiting. The battle that follows is epic.

  Canyon of Death

  The greatest killer on the Oregon Trail in the 1800s was unexpected, silent, and lethal. Josiah and his party come across a large herd of cattle and drovers that are dying. Read this story about the greatest killer on the pioneer’s trail.

  Captain Jonathan Buzzard

  Brazen and courageous, the captain takes on the five outlaws threatening a pioneer’s family—exciting and action packed!

  Danny Boy

  Whimsical and humorous, a riverbank tavern is the setting for pioneers quenching their thirst after their long wagon train journey to Indiana. It’s a roaring good time, until a fight breaks out to enliven the evening.

  Newtonia

  Settlers on the frontier are caught between warring armies as the Civil War rages. In the midst, human compassion is extended.

  Runaway

  Tobacco plantation owner Alvin Tolle is confronted with a split-second decision that will effect the rest of his life.

  Smoke

  Prairies are one of God’s greatest gifts, but these can also be deadly. Pioneers take desperate measures to save everything they have created.

  Stain

  The government’s Indian Removal Act of 1830 is being implemented and farmer James Stinson and his family are in the cross hairs. This is one of many tragic stories about Indian displacement in the 1800s and remains a stain on American history.

  Three Bells

  Settlers prepare for war with Chief Blackhawk and his warriors on remote farms in
Indian. What happens one fateful night changes them forever.

  Roaring River

  Bushwhackers ambush two men, killing one. The survivor leads a posse to track down the band of killers, leading to an epic battle.

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