Joel stared at the boys until his horse nosed him in the back. He turned to his mount. “I gotta deal with these beasts,” he said. “Then we’ll see what the officer in charge says.”
After tending to his mount and mule string, Joel led Will and Jonah to the Army office in Jacksonville—a set of rooms on the ground floor of a small two-story building near the east end of town. Inside the front room, a uniformed militia officer sat with his feet up on a desk. “What is it, Pershing?” he asked Joel when the three entered.
“Afternoon, Captain Kelly,” Joel said, taking off his hat. “You still hirin’ mule packers?”
“If I can find qualified men,” the captain said.
“My brother and his friend come to town,” Joel said. “They want to sign on.”
Captain Kelly eyed the boys. “Seem kind of young.”
“They’re old enough,” Joel said. “Jonah farms with mules, and Will says he helps. They’re both good with horses. I’d trust ’em with my team.”
As Captain Kelly squinted at them, Will stood straighter. He wasn’t sure he wanted to run a mule team, but he didn’t want to be thought incompetent either.
“Why are you boys in Jacksonville?” the captain asked.
Jonah stuttered about coming to visit his brother, maybe do some prospecting.
The captain cocked an eyebrow at Joel. “You weren’t expecting them, were you?”
“No, Cap’n. They surprised me,” Joel said.
The officer turned to Will. “You run away?”
Will was silent.
“What about your schooling?”
“I finished the Oregon City Academy, sir.”
Captain Kelly sniffed. “Packers have little need for education. You think you can run mules?”
“Yes, sir.” Will said, while Jonah nodded.
The officer inquired about their experience. After a few questions to Jonah, he seemed satisfied that Jonah was a farm boy well used to handling mule teams. He interrogated Will further, asking about Will’s riding experience. He seemed impressed when Will pointed at Shanty outside the building. “My mount’s part Andalusian and part Indian pony,” Will said. “He’s a good horse. I’ve ridden him since I was not much more than a toddler.”
“You ever trained mules?” the officer asked.
“Not mules, sir,” Will said. “But I’ve helped train plenty of horses. Both for riding and for pulling. I can drive teams behind a wagon or a carriage, and I can manage plow mules. And I know dogs and ponies, and—”
“All right,” the captain said. “I’ll give you boys a try. We have some time before the expedition begins.” He frowned at Joel. “You’re responsible for these boys, Pershing. Get them mustered in. Lowest pay grade for both of them.”
“Yes, sir,” Joel said. “What’s the word on when Colonel Drew will get here?”
Captain Kelly shrugged. “I’d like to know that myself.” He frowned at Will and Jonah as if he had another thought. “If you boys don’t measure up, I’ll boot you out. Plenty of men in these parts ready for work. At least you two don’t look like you drink much.” He peered at the boys. “You don’t get lickered up, do you?”
“No, sir,” Will responded, glad of a simple question to answer.
“You gotta say you’re eighteen to join up,” Joel told them as they walked to the quartermaster’s office. “So don’t balk at the roster when you’re told to sign.”
“Who’s Colonel Drew?” Will asked, hoping he wouldn’t have to lie about his age out loud.
“Lieutenant Colonel Charles S. Drew, I’m told,” Joel said. “We ain’t seen him yet. We’re all waitin’ on him. Captain Kelly’s in charge till Drew gets here. Kelly’s a good man.”
After the boys signed the pay roster for the militia’s contractors, Joel took them back to the livery. “You must do exactly as I say,” he said. “We’ll be traveling through rough country, rougher’n what you been through to get here. No trails through a good part of it. Only Indian trails in other parts.”
“Yes, sir,” Will said.
“I still don’t understand why you boys are here,” Joel said. “What made you leave home?”
“I told you,” Jonah said. “Daniel’s too rough on me.”
Joel snorted. “That ain’t likely. Esther wouldn’t let him treat you poorly.”
“It’s true,” Jonah protested.
“And you?” Joel asked Will. “Your folks treat you bad?” He sounded skeptical.
“I-I just wanted something different,” Will said. He couldn’t imagine telling Joel and Jonah that Mac wasn’t his father.
“Different.” Joel chortled. “You’ll get different all right.”
He showed them how to cinch the packs on the mules and make sure the straps were tight. “You gotta balance the loads each day afore we head out,” he told them. “Or somethin’ll come off on the mountain hillsides, go crashin’ down to the bottom of the gullies. We’re packin’ our own provisions as well as the militia’s. If you lose somethin’, you don’t eat.”
