Adventure of a Life Time

Chapter 16

Adventure of a Life Time 

Chapter 16 

Early the next morning after everyone had eaten his or her breakfast, a meeting was being called to come to stand by of the raft that was now floating in the river. One by one family from the wagon train were coming and standing to hear what was going to be said. Once everyone was standing around making a circle around Henry, he stepped more into the middle of the circle. For a few moments, he just stood there watching as all the families who were gathering in front of him. Henry knew all the names of each family all two hundred and fifty people who was gathering in front of him just waiting to hear what he was going to be telling them. How these families had so much faith in him, he will never know, because sometimes he did not have faith in himself, but only in God's hands were they be able to go across that river today. 

Henry spoke as loud has he could to be heard to the ever back where people were standing hoping to hear what he would be telling them.  

"The reason I have called this meeting this morning, is for three things that will start happening pretty soon. Number one, I need at least three to four volunteers that are strong swimmers, because they will be swimming across while dragging this large quantity of rope behind them, then roping it off to a couple of trees." 

Henry took another deep breathe before talking again, "Number two, I need two really good strong horses, that can swim across this river without being afraid of fast moving water. In addition, these horses will be pulling on these ropes once they are on the other side of this river. Remember we have at least forty wagons that will be going across on that raft. In addition to that, I have to tell you, this river could be anywhere from three feet deep in places to nine feet down with a strong under current; that will pull up under if you let it or if you happen to fall off that raft. Now do I have any volunteers that are willingly to swim across this river?" 

Henry waited while they were talking among themselves. Within thirty minutes after talking among themselves, six men stepped forward in front where Henry was standing. 

The first young man that stepped forward spoke up, "Sir, my name is James Goodson, and I am a really strong swimmer. Back home not too far from our farms is a river; where those boys, and me we would swim into every summer. We have talked it over and we can do this." 

Henry step up to these brave young men and shook their hands before saying to them. "I want to thank you. For what you boys are getting ready to do. I want you all to take your time going over, no funny stuff either while you are swimming across. Do you understand what I am saying to you boys? No playing around while you are swimming across, because to many folks relaying on you." 

James spoke up, "We understand what Mr. Henry is at stake here,"  

Henry turned around facing the river pointing to the other side of the river. He said to them while pointing across the river. "Once you all get there, look around you and see if there are any strong trees or large boulders you can tie this rope around that can take the weight of raft, being pulled back and forth." 

Henry turns back around facing the group asking them one more time. "Now we need those horses. Do we have any here that you think can make it? Talk among yourselves if you want to." 

Henry rushed over to where the young men were striping down to their underwear behind some bushes by the riverbank. Once he got there he called out to them, "Take your time swimming, you have all day to get this done. Remember to keep a watchful eye out for any danger while you are in water. Boys you never know what might be in that water that's floating toward you before it's too late to do anything. Also, be every carefully when you get on the shore over there, we don't know who or what will be watching as you come ashore. Once you have rested some, give me a signal, and then we will start loading the first wagon, with their animals and all. Good luck guys and be carefully." 

Henry was watching the teenage boys as they started wading out into the river, before starting their long trip swimming across the Mississippi River. 

James was taking the lead as the others boys was following close behind; James glance around him making sure his friends were doing OK. They were about ten feet away from him, when he saw a large log moving fast in their direction. Bobby was closest friend must have seen it too. He motion for the others boys to swim faster, when they barely missed the fast moving log. His friends kept on swimming as if, something like that had never happen, they never stop swimming, just kept on swimming.  

When his friends finally swam up to where he was floating on his back about ten feet from shore, he asked them, "How are you guys doing? That was a narrow escape with that log. At first I thought it could be alligator the way it was coming toward you all." 

Bobby finally spoke up after he caught his breath enough to speak. "Yea I would say that was a close call. I thought for sure it was going to hit Johnny. That was just too close for comfort. Come on guys let's get out of this river, I think I have swam enough for a life time." 

James looked more closely toward his friend Johnny before questioning him, "Are you sure you are alright? Nothing didn't hit or bite while you were swimming?" 

Johnny was smiling when he answered his friend, "No I was not hit or bit, but it was close call as Bobby had said."  

James looked toward the shore as he said to his friends, "Let's get up on that river bank and rest, before we start looking around. What do you guys say?" 

Rick was the youngest of the boys, he spoke up, "Yea that sound good to me. I will be glad to have my feet on dry ground once again. What about you guys?" 

They were all floating on their backs when they all yelled aloud. "Hell yea! Give me dry land any day of the year!" They were all laughing and feeling carefree. 

Within ten minutes, they all on their stomachs as began swimming again the last few feet to shore, but this time they were staying close together in a group. They started out slow then building up speed the closer they got to the shore. Once they came to the bank, they began climbing up the muddy riverbank. It took them a few tries to climb up, because they kept slipping back down to the water edge.  

They end up trying to help each other up onto the muddy bank, before falling on their stomachs, catching their breaths before looking around where they were. 

When they were able to stand up on their feet without falling on their faces, they looked around seeing what they might be able to use to tie off these ropes to. All they saw were a few large trees and many bushes.  

James walked around looking at all the trees trying to decide which trees would be the best ones to use, that wasn't too far from the riverbank. He spotted three big pines in a group.  

James called out to the boys to come over, "Hey boys, bring over those ropes. I think I have found the best place to tie off those ropes. " 

While James was waiting for them to bring the ropes over, he said to Bobby. "Bobby why don't you start making a fire to single Henry that we have made it here, while we are roping this off on a tree or something." 

Bobby walked off saying to his friend, "Will do." 

In the next thirty minutes, Bobby had the fire going by rubbing two sticks together. He told us that his dad had tough him how rub the two sticks together when he had taken him on his first hunting trip a few years back. 

Once he had the fire burning good, he took some pine branch over the fire then lifting it, letting the smoke blow into the wind. He did that a few more times.  

He was also looking across the river seeing if Henry had gotten the singles. It's wasn't long before he saw Henry's smoke singles too across the river. Now all they had to do was waiting until the first wagon would start coming across the Mississippi River.