The unhappy engagement at the game behind us, our horses were in desperate need of water. On the other side of this nature oasis, amidst the metal structures surrounding us, we discovered what our band was looking for. A beautiful pond of water, as clear as the flowing rivers we had encountered in the Rocky Mountains. Unfortunately, it was protected by tall fencing.
As Jean Baptise circled the fence to find an opening, Sacagawea and I attempted to locate the proprietor of the establishment. Clark remained behind with the wagon. His anger from the previous fight still ready to rupture once again.
Sacagawea was the first to notice the sign on the door for the building. "Closed for the season." It was the season of winter, although the region in no way displayed the cold weather of the North. It was then that we heard a loud strike of metal hitting metal. When Sacagawea and I hurried to the noise, we found Clark releasing his anger on the fence with his mallet. Upon closer inspection, I could see he was trying to destroy the lock on the fence.
In moments the gate swung open. Jean Baptise had already unhitched the horses and immediately brought the dehydrated animals to the water. They were clearly grateful.
I then pulled Clark aside and suggested, once again, we acquire one of the horseless wagons we had seen along the Freeway. He was grumpy about it, but did agree this region had very little water and feared the horses wouldn't complete the journey to Missouri.
As the horses were drinking, Sacagawea filled our canteens. She approached Clark and myself, handing me the canteen. She thought the water tasted unusual. I drank the water, quickly agreeing with her. Clark drank the water as well, and although he believed it did, indeed, have an odd flavor, he pointed out it were better than the water we'd obtained which flowed alongside the pathways into gated holes, often carrying rubbish with it.
Jean Baptise brought the horses back to the wagon, the beasts now being satisfactorily hydrated. I told him Clark had agreed we should acquire a horseless wagon. Already on my side, he was glad to hear the news. Unfortunately, most of the wagons were either traveling past us at great speed, or hitched on vast areas of land. We were unsure how to find those who owned any of these wagons, so we all decided to wait until one of the men returned to his wagon to propose a trade.
We delved into our rations and spread out to eat, not knowing how long our lingering might be.
Until tomorrow, my friends.
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