I was walking alongside the wagons, as usual. The prairie never seemed to end, with its field after field of black-eyed susans and daisies.
But then, all of a sudden, I saw a cottonwood tree in the distance. And then another. It must have been noon or such, because the sun was high up in the sky. The more we walked on, the more I could see—it was a river!
The only problem was we had to cross it, wide and deep as it was. Some of our party went along the river in both directions to see if there was a narrower place to cross, but there wasn't. We realized we'd have to wade through. I was scared of drowning!
But we readied ourselves properly. I helped Ma tie everything down inside the wagons. “That way,” she said, “if the wagon tips over, the supplies won't be lost.” She winked at me and I laughed. “And there'll be no problems today, Suzannah—we all know how to swim.” I felt a little less nervous—my Ma is so practical.
Pa volunteered to be first in the water. He leads our wagon train. I had a feeling he'd choose our horse Rusty for making the crossing—Rusty's tallest of all the horses. (He's also the handsomest, with his chestnut coat, long mane, and white nose!)
I held my breath as soon as they started out. At first, Pa was up to his boots. Then the water was halfway up his legs. Then suddenly he and Rusty dropped right out of sight—and into the water!
I screamed, “Pa — PA! Rusty!” and Ma grabbed my arm. A riverbed's dangerous—you don't know just how deep it goes.
Then they got right back up. It turned out they'd just stumbled. Seconds later, they'd found the best route: shallow water. They came back to our side, dripping wet, and we crossed. Inside the wagon, I held on tight next to Ma and baby Mary. The wagon rocked back and forth like a cradle. Muddy water splashed in on us and seeped through the floorboards....
I'm so glad that it's night now—it's too dark for traveling. Sure, we got across fine, but I've had enough action. If I could choose, I'd stay here, by the campfire, eating cornbread and bacon for three nights in a row!
