Katie and the Mustang, Book 2 by Kathleen Duey

Author:Kathleen Duey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group

CHAPTER SEVEN

The small one led me across the wide river in a

way no horse could ever manage alone. The mares are so

calm about the two-leggeds’ ways. I will never be.

By late afternoon the Kylers’ wagons were safely across and their stock had been regathered on the west side of the river. In our first hour on the west shore of the Missouri River, Hiram bought a little tent, more provisions, a saw, and two beautiful splotch-colored oxen—but no one wanted to buy our mares.

Hundreds of horses had been sold here already—and sold cheap. A lot of people who crossed every morning were selling wagon teams and buying oxen or mules.

The oxen were beautiful, if such a heavy animal can be thought of that way. They were Ayrshires, Hiram had been told, from the farm of a man named Mr. James Brodie of Rural Hill, New York. They were an uncommon breed.

“The man said they are livelier than most kinds of work cattle, and stronger,” Hiram said. “He sold them to me instead of another man because I promised I’d either keep them or find them a kind, careful owner once I got to Oregon.”

I nodded, staring at the pair of huge beasts.

“He says they weigh around two thousand pounds apiece,” Hiram told me.

I smiled. “Two thousand miles, two thousand pounds.”

Hiram laughed.

That evening, while I sat and read my mother’s book by firelight, Hiram sought out Andrew Kyler and came back with enough money to buy us spare shoes, more blankets, and a number of other things we needed.

“He bought both mares,” Hiram told me. “He’ll herd them all day and the stallion, too, if you want,” Hiram explained. “You can go catch them up every evening and bring them back to the wagon so the Mustang won’t have to be hobbled or tethered at night.”

I let out a relieved breath and grinned at him. This was the best possible solution and one I had never expected. “Andrew Kyler is a good-hearted man,” I said fervently.

Hiram chuckled. “Andrew Kyler is hoping the Mustang will take a mare to mate and she’ll have a foal next spring.”

“Oh.” I blushed, feeling slow-witted not to have figured that out for myself.

Hiram reached out to pat my head. “We’ll get mares once we’re in Oregon, and you can raise a few colts yourself if you want to. I’ll teach you what I know about horse training, but you can learn even more from the Kylers. Annie Kyler told me that her brother is the best horseman she’s ever seen.”

Hiram was smiling. “Annie is quite a horse-woman herself, her father says.”

I smiled back at him, thinking about it. He liked Annie a lot, I could tell—he liked all the Kylers. Maybe he envied their big happy family the way I did.

What if Hiram and I could have a horse ranch somewhere near them? The Mustang would sire beautiful colts. I would grow up to be a lady horse trainer. No one would believe it until they saw my beautiful horses.

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