A Dream for Tomorrow by Melody Carlson Page B

his thigh. “Go!”
    The team moved with speed and dependability just as she expected them to. Even so, both she and JT continued to shout encouragement—as if the sounds of their voices alone were getting this wagon across the muddy waters. She glanced at JT. “I’m glad you’re paying attention. Next time you might be driving.”
    “Gid-up!” he yelled loudly, nodding.
    After what seemed like an hour but was probably mere minutes, their wagon began to emerge from the river, water pouring from the team and the sides of the wagon. “Good job!” Elizabeth called to her animals. “Well done!” Now she handed the reins to JT. “You can drive from here.”
    Proud to be in charge of the wagon, JT drove as if he’d been doing this for years, catching up to the Flanders and following them down a trail made muddy by the dripping wagons and teams ahead of them. “We’re on our way,” Elizabeth declared happily.

Chapter Eight

    A fter several uneventful but grueling days of travel, the travelers camped at Horse Creek. “This little old creek might not look like much,” Asa told his unit that evening, “but compared to where we’ll be traveling for the next three days, you will recall this place as heavenly.”
    “Some people call this stretch of the trail Devil’s Backbone,” Matthew added.
    Asa nodded grimly. “Thirty miles of alkaline desert. No grazing grass for your livestock. No drinkable water. Nothing but long, hot, dry days.”
    “It sounds humanly impossible,” Lavinia Prescott exclaimed. “How can we survive such a horrible ordeal?”
    “Preparation,” Asa told her. He’d just returned from a councilmen’s meeting with Captain Brownlee. He held up his hand with four fingers splayed. “There are four things ya’ll need to do in order to be prepared.
    “One—draw as much water as you can today. Fill every bucket and barrel and pickle jar and teapot. You might even soak some blankets and clothing in water too—that’s what I plan on doing. And remember your water must be carefully guarded and rationed while we’re crossing Devil’s Backbone. And even though you’ll be thirsty, do not forget that your first priority is to keep your team watered.
    “Two—gather as much livestock feed as you think your animals will need for the next three days. As you can see, we have grass growing abundantly round here. Some of it’s been cut near our camp, but if you wander out a spell, you’ll find plenty more to be had.
    “Three—see to your livestock and wagons. Check hooves and hitches and axles and wheels. Oil what needs oiling, fix what needs fixing. The last thing you want is a breakdown out on Devil’s Backbone. We can’t afford to waste any time out there. Time is water. We run out of water, and we run out of time.”
    “Four—check your wagon’s load. I know, I know…we’ve been telling you this all along.” Asa glanced at Mrs. Taylor. “Some of you listened and got rid of your weighty items. Some of you did not, and it has cost you dearly.” He shook a feisty fist in the air.
    “Hear me loud and hear me clear. You will be carrying extra weight due to the water, so you must do whatever you can to lighten your load now. Your animals are your only lifeline out here in this forsaken wilderness. If you’ve got them pulling too heavy a load, especially in a stretch like we’re about to encounter, you are risking precious lives—and not just your own. Believe you me, there are plenty of emigrants’ gravesites along Devil’s Backbone. I don’t want anyone in my unit to be joining them.”
    He paused to look across the crowd of serious faces. “And now I want you all to bow your heads with me while I ask the Lord’s blessing on our upcoming travels.”
    For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, everyone in their unit made trip after trip hauling water from the creek. “Do you think the creek will run dry?” Ruth asked as she and Elizabeth walked together with more full