Head West, Young Mouse: Transcontinental Railroad Traveler Book #3
around the rim of the wooden spoked wheel to the hard ground below Maximilian moved closer to one of the fires He listened to two men One of the men was carving a piece of wood The other was carefully reading a map that had been unrolled on a large slab of bedrock Maximilian inched closer The low rustling of horse hooves could be heard behind him He wanted to get a look at the map If this map is accurate then we're still two days east of Silver Springs the man said The other man kept carving but nodded in agreement That's about right he said So long as the axle on the Franklin wagon is fixed we should be in decent shape The man reading the map moved to stir a kettle that hung over the fire He placed his tattered cowboy hat on the ground I just hope that the Utah Territory is more agreeable than Missouri was he said Both men sat quietly beneath the vast prairie sky and thought about what was in store for them Maximilian did the same
Chapter 2 CHECKING THINGS OUT maximilian P Mouse had a favorite time of day It was dawn just before the sun rose It was this time that the wagon train stretched as far as the eye could see across the Midwestern plains Maximilian sat at the rear of the covered wagon He watched the caravan snake its way over the vast countryside He couldn't help but be amazed at what an impressive sight it truly was The large soft brown ox that followed his wagon chewed her cud Then she gave Maximilian an uneasy stare Maximilian knew it was rare that larger stronger animals were frightened by smaller
field mice But he had certainly met his fair share that were scared by him Maximilian felt somewhat guilty that he was riding in the wagon in front of the ox So he gave her a friendly wave and smiled at her She smiled back and blew away a pesky fly The paths the wagons traveled over were hardly roads They were really just trails This particular one looked as if it hadn't been used in months The wagons jostled and rocked violently Maximilian was careful not to get too close to the edge of the wagon’s gate He clung tightly to a leather strap attached to the overhanging tarp He checked on the time machine once in a while It seemed to be working but that did little to calm Maximilian's nerves He feared it would tip over completely Without warning the wagon came to a stop The wagons behind them did as well The man driving the wagon behind them hopped from his wooden bench He patted his cowboy hat against his leg
We're making good time he announced looking to the sky for the position of the sun A woman appeared from behind the wagon She was wearing a light yellow bonnet and a soft blue dress Long caramel brown hair framed her face from underneath her bonnet She carried a pail of water and a ladle Her face was kind and youthful and she spoke softly as she walked to the head of the wagon You must be awfully parched Robert she said handing the man the ladle She was careful not to let any water spill Much obliged Martha Robert said putting the spoon to his mouth Sweat glistened on his brow as he drank from the ladle Maximilian could imagine how cold and refreshing the water was He was reminded of how hot and thirsty he had become He licked his lips How is Caroline holding up Robert asked He placed the sweat stained hat back on his head Caroline's fine just fine Martha responded She never complains
