Horses are worth more than food.”
“You don’t say? We’ve just been on the road a day; I had a little farm on the Cowlitz, north of Castle Rock.”
“You leaving the farm?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think we could settle there for a while?”
“First I would like some more information.” Austin said.
“I’ll give you what I know, just ask.”
“Have you seen any military?”
“We have seen some at Ft. Lewis, but they wouldn’t let us on the post…threatened to kill us if we entered the compound.”
“What do you think the government is doing?”
“Seems they are waiting for things to settle out, or maybe just taking care of their own hides.”
“Do you know where there is any fuel?”
“Hoarders got fuel, but they are not giving it up. The military got fuel, but they ain’t giving it up neither. Food is scarce to non existent, hoarders got that too.”
“Have you seen any vehicles on the road?”
“We have seen a few, but we jumped off the road and hid when we heard them coming, you best do the same. Nobody but hoarders got gas, and they are dangerous.”
“Ok,You can stay at my farm, if no one has taken it, I can give you directions on how to get to it with a promise that if we come back you will vacate.”
“Sure thing Mr., we would take care of the place, is there any other farms nearby?”
“Yes, Mrs. Begs has a farm right next door. Would you be of a mind to let them stay there Mrs. Begs?”
“I wouldn’t mind at all if the same deal goes, we come back; they move on.”
The man gave a sigh of relief, “That would sure be a blessing for us.”
“You might not think it a blessing when the rains come again.” Austin said, as he drew the man a little map.
“Well, if we starve, we starve, better to starve on a man’s generosity as by an enemy’s bullet.”
Austin handed the man a map, and explained how to get there. He arose and put the map in his pocket, extending his hand. “I’d better get back to the camp; I want to thank you all for your hospitality.”
Austin shook the man's hand, and he turned to walk back through the trees. “Josh! You can come in now.” He called. Josh walked out of the trees, his rifle still at the ready.
“What did they want?”
“They were just a family, the same as us, but we’ll stay on guard tonight. I don’t expect any trouble, but we can’t take chances.”
“I agree, why don’t you turn in first Austin, and I’ll wake you up at midnight.”
“Ok, I’ll let the young take the first turn; this old man is tired out for sure. Take the .45, and wake me if you need me at all, you hear me son?”
“I hear you, and I’ll stay alert sir; you don’t have to worry.”
“I didn’t think I did.”
He lay in his sleeping bag, and thought about the trip ahead, the people in the other camp, and what he had learned from the man. He wished them well, but doubt plagued him on that score. He missed his wife most of all as he lay there in the gloom of a cloud-covered sky. He eventually drifted off to sleep, and it didn’t seem five minutes until Josh was shaking him awake.
“How’d it go?” He whispered as he pulled his boots on.
“Boring, which is the way I like it.” Josh said, as he handed him the flash light. He knew it wouldn’t be long until there were no more batteries, and the dark would make life more difficult. He crawled out of the tent, as Josh crawled into his warm sleeping bag. The night drug on until the day broke gray with cloud cover, typical of a June night in Western Washington State. No later than the tenth of July, he knew it would remain clear most days and nights, but by that time he hoped they would be over the White Pass, and into the Yakima Valley.
He shook Josh awake first, then went to the women’s tent to wake them, but Ann was already awake, and pulling on her boots; the other two were just coming awake, “I’m awake Dad.”
“Good, let's get packed up, I want to get as far as we possibly can today.”
“Lisa, hurry up, and stop yawning, you’re making me sleepy again.” Lisa said nothing, but began pulling on her boots.
Austin was already getting the horses, as the women were taking the tents down, Josh was no where to be seen, “Where’s Josh?” Ann asked as Austin walked up to the camp with the horses.
“He said he was going to visit the other people's camp…didn’t say why.” Austin said, as he fitted the nose bag on the horses. He had no more than said that when Josh walked back through the trees, “People were nice; they sent some sandwiches for breakfast.”
“Well, let's get it ate then, and quit messing around!” Austin said, as he and Ann loaded the horses.
“Grandpa’s grouchy this morning. “ Lisa said around a mouthful of food.
“I am not!” And then he realized he was. Everybody looked at him, and laughed. The tension was eased as they ate their sandwiches, and prepared for a long day ahead of them. They led the horses past the other camp. Mrs. Begs had made herself a presentable walking stick the night before, and she was in the lead.
“Good-luck luck folks, and thank you.” One of the men called as they filed past, the others waving at them.
“What are they thanking us for?” Ann asked.
“For kindness I guess, let’s get to hoofing it, we got a long way to go." Austin said, as he picked up the pace.
Austin thought about what the man said the previous night as he walked. He pulled up beside Josh, “Josh; you can hear better than me, from now on I want you to take the lead.
Stay out front a good hundred yards where the sound of the horses, and the rest of us won’t interfere with your hearing. If you hear any vehicles coming, wave at us, and get off the road into the bushes. We’ll do the same, and stay locked and loaded.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same thing…hey Mrs. Begs! Wait up!”
As Josh got up to her, he told her what was wanted as he loaded both his weapons. She nodded, as he hurried on to get in front of the group about a hundred yards.
Austin dropped back beside Ann, “I’ll take the drag, try to keep everybody at an even pace, and let's not get strung out too far…this is the way we are going to travel until we get to the mountains, ok Honey?”
“Ok Dad.”
Austin dropped back behind the group, and soon Josh heard a vehicle coming toward them, the group faded into the tree’s and bushes until the vehicle passed. Austin was satisfied with the maneuver the family had made. He hoped if another one came, that he would have trees to hide the horses in.
They arrived at the Toledo cut off, and Austin breathed a sigh of relief to be off the freeway. They would take a series of side roads that would lead to Morton, and then on to White Pass.
They were two days getting to Morton; they had passed through the town within a mile when a shot rang out, just clipping a limb about a foot from Austin’s head.
The group began to dive into the bushes immediately, and Austin hurried the horses into the trees by the side of the road.
“Josh, keep everybody down, we have a sniper!”
He sighted his rifle scope at the place where he thought the shot came from, and carefully scanned the area. He soon spotted two men about three hundred yards on a little hill. They were behind a fallen log, but he spotted the rifle barrels. They are trying to get the horses. He thought, as he watched the place where the men hid through the scope.
His training came back quickly as if it was yesterday, as he watched one of the rifles move. He had lain for hours on ambush in Vietnam, and he was patient.
He saw the top of a cap rise above the log, and he slowly squeezed the trigger. The cap exploded upward as the heavy 308 one hundred and ninety grained bullet took the top of the mans head off. He immediately shifted the rifle scope to the side, saw an arm, and fired again. He heard the man yelp as the bullet tore trough his arm. He thoug
ht he saw something out of the corner of his eye, and quickly retrained the rifle. It was Josh coming up on the men from the other side. He breathed a sigh of relief. He got up and walked toward the hill.
When he got there Josh was pointing his rifle at the man who was moving, “This one has lost an arm, the other one is dead, good shooting Austin, I’m sure glad I came along with you, these men would have killed me had I been by myself.”
The man groaned, looking up at them as he held what was left of his arm, “Please help me Mr., Please…”
Austin looked at the man, “I’m afraid you are going to die out here son. I can leave you one bullet for that pistol you got there if that’ll help.”
“Please mister, I don’t want to die.”
“Well, you should have thought of that before you began shooting at us, what were you shooting at us for?”
“We just wanted the horses. Jason was the one wanted to do it.”
“Yeah, it's always somebody else's fault ain’t it? Well…like I said son, we can leave you a bullet.”
“Leave me the bullet then damn you!”
“If you go getting persnickety with me, I’ll leave you one in your head!” Josh said as he moved his rifle barrel to aim at the mans head.
“Don’t