Free Santa Fe Woman by Gilbert Morris Page B

of his experience in the West. It was a new world to them, one they did not know, and it was rather frightening.
    “Well, what do you think about our venture, Mr. Rocklin?” Leland said with some hesitation. “Al told me it would be a rough trip.”
    Rocklin sat loosely in his chair, a limber man with incredibly blue eyes. “I’ve already told your daughter I think you’re making a big mistake.”
    “In what way?” Kate said. She leaned forward, and her eyes were intent on the big man who sat idly in the chair toying with his coffee cup.
    “Well, it’s too rough for women, I think. Hard enough on men.”
    “But can it be done?” Leland demanded. “I don’t know if she told you, but we’re in real difficulty here. We’ve got to do something.”
    “Your troubles here might look pretty small if we were half way there and got surrounded by Pawnees. But, in answer to your question, it can be done if you’re ready to pay the price. But it’ll be hard—real hard.”
    “Which way do we go?” Jori asked impatiently. She had made up her mind and wanted to hear no more talk of the hardships. “I have a map here, but we can’t make much sense out of it.”
    “Let me see the map. I don’t put much stock in them. Some maps were drawn by people, evidently, that never went along the way or saw the place.”
    They moved into the dining room where Jori unfolded the map that she had obtained. They all gathered around with Rocklin standing over it. He said, “Here’s the way the trail runs. As I told Miss Hayden, we follow the Arkansas River a long way. Most of those that made the trip leave from Franklin, Missouri, right here.”
    “Why, that’s a long way from here,” Leland said. “Is that necessary?”
    “If you go on the Santa Fe Trail it is.” He began to trace the journey on the map with his finger.
    Finally Jori leaned forward and said, “Why can’t we go across here? From Fort Smith you can go straight across to Santa Fe. It’s almost a straight line.”
    Rocklin suddenly grinned. It made him look even younger. “Yes, ma’am, it does, and it goes right through the Llano Estacado. Right here. You see on the map?”
    “What’s wrong with going through that, Rocklin?” Carleen demanded. She had squeezed in between her father and her brother and was looking up with inquisitive eyes.
    “Well, Miss Carleen, the Llano Estacado means ‘the Staked Plains’ and it’s pretty much of a desert.”
    “But why don’t people use it?”
    “Because of the Comanches and the Kiowa and the Pawnee. It’s their country.”
    Leland shook his head. “You mean they don’t attack trains on the Santa Fe Trail?”
    “Sometimes, but it’s not so likely.”
    “Which way would you take?” Leland demanded.

    “Well, if it was just me, I’d go through the Staked Plains, but it’ll be dangerous whichever way you go.”
    Rocklin spoke for some time about the journey, and finally Jori asked, “How long will it take to get there?”
    “It’ll take about three months. You have to time your trip by the grass.”
    “What do you mean by the grass?” Kate said. “What does that have to do with this?”
    “Your stock has to be fed. If there’s no grass, they’ll starve. So, you need to leave early spring when the grass is turning green. But before you leave you’ve got to get your wagons, your stock, your drivers, and whatever freight it is you’re going to haul out there. And I’ll tell you right now, not many first-class drivers want to risk their hides on the Santa Fe Trail. They’d rather haul freight back East without the dangers of Indians.” He suddenly looked at Leland and asked, “How much money do you have?”
    Rocklin’s abrupt question disturbed them all, but Leland said, “Not enough, I suppose. We might could raise ten thousand dollars.”
    “Well, you’ll need it all and then some.”
    “What do we do first?” Jori asked, hating to feel helpless.
    “Someone has to buy the wagons and the