Smoke
A Short Story from the American
Frontier – 1800s
by Richard Puz
E-Book Edition
Copyright © 2011 by Richard Puz
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, locations, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-0-9799604-7-5
Dedicated to the love of my life ~
Other works by Richard Puz
Smoke
1854
Newton County, Missouri
Most creeks ran dry and springs stopped flowing in the summer of 1854. Less than usual rain had been the pattern for the previous two years, but in that year, it had been particularly dry. Noah wondered how long the spell would last.
One morning in September, he rode his horse over a northern hill bordering his property, to view the vast prairie beyond. He had no particular destination, as he was simply trying to gauge the ill effects of the drought. He passed cows headed in the opposite direction, walking single file behind a lead animal. Going off to drink from Lost Creek, I reckon.
Breasting another hill, he reined in. To the northeast was a large, dark smudge in the sky. What in the world is that? He rode in that direction, and crossing the valley, traveled about two miles to the top of the next ridge.
Astonished, he saw a distant line of fire that seemed to extend for miles, with billowing smoke blocking the horizon. Immediately apprehensive, many thoughts raced through his mind. Prairies are among nature’s wonders that are seeded, watered, and tended by God, but wildfires are a terrifying scourge. Depending on the wind, one can travel faster than a galloping horse, and the smoke is as deadly as the blaze.
Gauging the wind, it was coming toward him, and he realized that his farm was directly in its path. Such fires can last for weeks, until they burn themselves out or rain quenches their insatiable hot thirst. We might be able to divert it, but stopping it totally is only in God’s hands.
Aloud, he said, “This looks like a fire straight out of hell.”
Spurring his horse, he galloped toward his farm. Stopping at the Randle’s cabin, he shouted to Susannah, “Wildfire coming our way from the northeast!”
Startled, she recovered and said, “Thanks for the warning. Vance is down by the barn.”
Noah whirled his mount toward the barn, where Vance was working on a wagon. Skidding to a stop, he shouted, “Vance, wildfire heading right for us!”
Vance appeared startled and dropped his tools. “How bad is it?”
“There was a black smudge in the sky, and I rode northeast until I could get a better view. I saw smoke everywhere I looked, and the fire line extends across the horizon. I figure it’s still some miles from us. With the direction of the wind, it’s coming toward our farms.”
Turning, Vance shouted loudly, “Steve!” As his son came out of the barn, he said, “There’s a wildfire coming from the northeast. Take the black stallion and ride to the top of that hill over there! Take your gun and two flour sacks from the barn with you. Raise one when you can clearly see the fire. Raise two when it’s close and coming right at us. Fire the gun to get our attention.”
“Yes, Pa.”
“I’m going to my place,” Noah said, “and I’m going to start moving as much of my stock and grain toward the river as I can. The best place to fight this monster is at the base of these hills.”
Vance was normally a decisive man, he seemed at a loss.
“Vance, we need to do something, and do it fast. You remember that I told you about the slash-and-burn method we used back in North Carolina to clear virgin land? To control the blaze, we would plow or burn a break in the ground cover, then light a second fire. When the two met, the fire’s fuel was gone, and both were snuffed out.
“I think we should plow a break at the bottom of these hills. If we light the grass and bushes on the uphill side, it should cause a draft of wind from the river that’ll feed the backfire so it burns toward the main blaze. If it works, it may allow us to save our cabins and barns. Let’s try it.”
Vance thought for a moment. “Those are good ideas. Let’s harness up our two plows. We can both plow the grass to make a break at the foot of the hill.”
“Right,” said Noah, as he wheeled his horse. Over his shoulder he shouted, “I’ll get my stock moving toward the river, then I’ll start cutting furrows.”
Riding up to his cabin, Noah shouted, “Emma, come quick!”
“What’s all the commotion about, Noah?” she asked, running out of the cabin.
“Wildfire is coming! Get food and clothes for the family and get the younguns to take these down to the river. If you need to, dampen everything with river water. Then, get the stock to the river as fast as you can. Vance and I are going to plow a firebreak and set a backfire.”
Emma paled, but she turned without a word.
Quickly harnessing his mule team, Noah began cutting a furrow and saw Vance plowing toward him. Vance shouted, without stopping as the two passed each other, “I sent one of my boys to warn the folks in town and to ask for help.”
They both stopped as they heard a shot fired. It came from Steve, who was waving a flour sack in the air.
“It’s coming,” said Noah as he turned back to his plow.
Soon, four men from a neighboring farm arrived in a wagon. Two dropped off near Noah, and began cutting brush uphill from the plowed rows using a sickle, along with long-handled axes, to drop the smaller trees and brush.
Noah shouted to one of his boys, “Wes, you run to the barn and get a hay rake. Then gather the cut grass uphill from the plowed area. We’ll burn it in our firebreak.”
Everyone worked feverishly, spurred by the danger of the approaching fire. Suddenly, they all stopped at the sound of another gunshot.
Steve was waving both sacks and riding down the hill fast. “It’s coming right toward us,” he shouted as he dismounted. Quickly, the young man began stacking the cut grass and limbs on the uphill side.
Noah continued plowing, as he returned with another furrow. Vance had disappeared over a small rise leading to his farm. The first folks from the town arrived in wagons and on horseback. Some helped Emma move grain and stock toward the river. Others went to the Randle farm and did likewise.
Sweating heavily, Noah turned once again, beginning another furrow. Others attacked the grass with hoes and shovels to turn over more prairie sod. More townsfolk arrived and began sawing down some of the larger tree limbs on the hillside.
As Noah and his mule cut still another furrow and neared the cabin, he shouted, “Trace, you get the bucket and fill it with hot coals from the fireplace. Then bring it out here. Clay, I want you to bring out the oil lamps from the cabin. Step quickly now.”
One man from the town galloped toward him. “Noah, the edge of the fire is two hundred yards from the crest of the hill, and the wind is pushing it this way.”
“Wes, take the plow and mules to the river,” Noah shouted.
Men and women had formed a long bucket brigade, drawing water from Lost Creek and
wetting down Noah’s cabin and barn.
Noah swung onto a nearby horse and quickly rode to Vance’ farm, where the Randle family was making similar preparations. “Vance, a man just reported that the fire is a few hundred yards away from the hilltop, and the wind is blowing it toward us. I think it’s time to light the backfire.” Vance nodded and turned to rush to a small barrel of oil.
Without waiting, Noah rode back to his farm and jumped off the horse. He grabbed the oil lamps and shouted to the assembled group, “Backfire! Watch out for the backfire and stand on the river side of the plowed area.”
With that, he and Trace started broadcasting the oil. “We need more oil. Wes, get the oil barrel from the barn, and hurry.”
After spreading the flammable liquid along the edge of the furrow, men began lighting it. In the dry vegetation, the fire quickly spread along the line.
As the fire burned uphill, Noah felt a new breeze coming from the direction of Lost Creek. The flames continued as smoke filled the air. “Get down!” he shouted. “Everyone stay down and lay on the ground.” Covering his face with his handkerchief, he saw that his boys and most of the town folks followed his directions.
The wait seemed an eternity to Noah, then he felt the breeze freshen, as the small blaze expanded and raced up the hill. Beyond the crest, he heard a shockingly loud noise, like the roaring sound of a huge waterfall, as the big prairie fire moved up the other side of the hill. Peering through the smoky haze beyond his fire line, animals of every type ran for the river, fleeing the inferno.
Noah tried to peer through the smoke. The top of the hill was hidden behind the dense cloud. It took about fifteen minutes, before he could discern the crest of the blackened hill. The backfire had made it to the top, and soon big wisps of brown and white smoke were visible.
Suddenly, a loud cheer was heard, as the voices of everyone rang out in victory, as the wildfire was extinguished.
Hours later, Noah found Emma crying outside the cabin, as she surveyed the destruction.
“I can’t believe—all the blackened areas,” she sobbed. “It all looks so . . . devastated.” She had started the day with a fresh white apron, which was now badly smudged with soot. “It covers everything,” Dark smudges marked her face, and strands of her hair had come loose, as she stood looking at the scars of the fire.
“Buck up old girl,” he said gently. “The charring looks worse than it really is, Emma. You know our land clearing in North Carolina produced the same as we see here. Soon, the ash will add richness to the soil, and things will be greening up before we know it.”
“I know,” she responded, running a hand through her graying, mussed hair. “But I just can’t help from feeling low, seeing everything that’s burned. Thanks to our Holy Mother, no one was injured or killed in this wicked thing.”
Noah nodded, then added, “Amen to that.”
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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
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Here are other books for your review ~
Novels in the Six Bulls Series ~
Six Bulls-The Ohioans
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
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
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 ~
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.
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.
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.
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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